This week is supposed to be about getting tons of writing done, with no worries about editing or things like that. So, how's it going? Big thumbs down if you ask me.
I'm having plot issues. This isn't anything new really. After all, I've been working on this novel off and on for months, and the plot has changed several times. This is really my first time writing with a specific romance series in mind, and targeting something so incredibly specific has been a lot harder than I ever imagined.
The trick is to write something unique within the confines of a certain type of story. There are rules to be followed, but as a novice, it's difficult to know which rules are important and which ones were sort of 'made to be broken'. The guidelines for Silhouette Desire on Harlequin's website are extremely vague and could be taken a million different ways, so I'm not finding much help there. My main source of ideas and inspiration has been other Desire books.
There are definitely some things they all seem to have in common. Like an obscenely rich, alpha male hero and a slightly flawed but lovable and strong heroine. They are mostly riddled with some kind of conflict that leaves me asking "how are these two going to end up together?" Usually, they want each other with a passion, but there is some reason that it doesn't seem right or that they know they shouldn't be with the other person. By the end, of course, they realize that resistance is futile and they will never be happy with anyone else. The love wins out and the ending is always happy and satisfying.
Sounds easy doesn't it? Trust me. It's not as easy as it sounds to come up with a great plot that matches the line but is still original and fresh. I thought I had it worked out, but after getting started, the plot just isn't working. Of course, I also can't let myself get into that vicious cycle of never really writing anything because I'm worried about the plot. /sigh. Writing is harder than you might think, that's for sure.
Bottom line is that I have 34 days left before this novel needs to be finished and ready to pitch to the senior editor. There's no time for plot issues. I pray I can figure it out today and get my ass into gear.
Plot Problems
Book Review: "The Tycoon's Rebel Bride"
Pretty much all I have been reading lately is Silhouette Desire. That's partly because I want to understand the tone and the plots and the general overview of the line since I am writing one. It's also just because I enjoy reading them. There's something wonderful about reading a relatively short and satisfying romance novel about a very rich, very handsome, strong man who falls in love with an independent and headstrong woman. It's pure fantasy.
Maya Banks' second book in "The Anetakis Tycoons" mini-series, which is called "The Tycoon's Rebel Bride" is one of the best Desires I have read in recent months. I haven't read the first book, but I am definitely going to pick it up now after reading this one. The series is about three very wealthy Greek brothers who own a hotel chain.
In Rebel Bride, the heroine is not your typical straight-laced woman. Isabella Caplan has a belly ring and tattoos and she knows exactly what she wants... Theron Anetakis. He sees her as his responsibility and he fights his extreme attraction for her throughout the book. What I love about it is that throughout the entire book, I was asking the question, "How in the world are these two people going to get together and make it work?" There were so many obstacles and such strong conflict that I couldn't figure it out, which kept me reading. I didn't want to put it down. The writing is so smooth and seamless that I found myself constantly thinking that I wish I could write like this.
The Tycoon's Rebel Bride is in stores this month, so snag it if you want a fun and fast read that will turn you on and have you turning pages late into the night. The third book in her series, "The Tycoon's Secret Affair" comes out in August.
American Journalists Sentenced to 12 Years Labor
Two American Journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were sentenced over the weekend in North Korea for "hostile acts". They were first captured back in March and their families here in the States have been praying for their release. For months, all they have had to go on is notes that have been sent, but on June 4th, the two women went on trial and were sentenced to a shocking 12 years in a North Korean labor camp. My jaw dropped when I read the news, and I cannot stop thinking about these poor women.
You might be asking, "What did they do to deserve such a harsh sentence?" The answer is that no one really knows. They were near the North Korean border researching and reporting on refugees or people living in that area. When they left the US, the women had no plans to cross into North Korea, but according to the government over there, the women have been charged with "grave crimes against the Korean nation and illegal border crossing." No one is exactly sure what the women did, but in a country like North Korea it could simply be that they were attempting to report the truth about what is going on over there to innocent people. It breaks my heart to know that these two women are trapped in such a horrible place with no one to turn to.
Sometimes it is difficult to believe that there are really places still here on Earth that are so insensitive and still run by communist dictators who will kill without a second thought. It's hard to believe there are places where the word 'Freedom' is not a part of the vocabulary. These women took a severe risk by going so close to the border and even crossing it to get their story, but I believe that the Korean military owes us an explanation of what these supposed "grave crimes" are. To me, something described as a grave crime against the government has to involve something seriously violent (which I do NOT believe those women were capable of and would have done) or something treacherous and false. I know in my heart that the two American journalists were just over there trying to uncover some truth or something horrible that the people in that area are going through. To me, that is not a grave crime, but in North Korea, there is a different set of rules and a different set of beliefs.
Some people say it is the women's fault for going so close to the border and pushing their luck, and yes, they apparently did make that decision to take a risk. But how can you be so un-sympathetic here? We are talking about two women who are married and have families that love them. Euna Lee even has a four year old daughter here in the U.S. They were not bringing drugs into the country or smuggling anything or stealing anything. They were reporting the truth. They were possibly trying to expose the truth of the horror of what some people along the borders are going through over there. And for that, they will spend 12 years in hell? It's just not right, and I pray to God that our government does not just accept this and move on. I pray that we can find a way to get those two women home. I cannot imagine what they are feeling right now, and I wish there was some way to let them know that we will not forget them. It breaks my heart, and I feel completely helpless to do anything about it.
Pick Your Purse
Ahhh... it's that time of year again in the Raleigh area. G105 is holding their 'Pick your purse' contest over the radio. Every six months or so, they buy 20 designer purses and for 10 days, they give one away in the morning and another away every afternoon.
And when I say 'designer', I mean DESIGNER. Fendi, Prada, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton... the serious names on the top end as well as several amazing (but slightly less expensive) designers like Kate Spade and Juicy Couture. Believe me when I say, I lust after these purses. Every time they do this, I keep a radio by my desk and I listen for hours a day trying to call in and get a purse. The closest I've ever gotten was a few days ago when they answered and said "G105, Caller 55". I almost screamed! I got through!! But they were, of course, looking for caller 105, but at least that moment proved that my phone line isn't broken, haha.
Out of all the purses, my very favorite is number 8, the brown Michael Kors. It's still available as of today, but I'm not expecting it to be there much longer. I also love the number 6, Chloe. I always love the Chloe purses they have on pick your purse. The Gucci, no. 9 is also very cute, but it's so small, I don't know how often I would really use it. I'm more of a pack-everything-you-can-into-your-purse kind of girl. I used to love little purses for going out, but I don't really do a lot of that sort of go out to bars shit anymore. Now it's all about being able to stuff my pens and a notebook and even a folder in it.
Damn, that Michael Kors purse is looking better by the minute. Haha! As most of you know, Sex and the City is my favorite show of all time. Carrie, who I love, is a freak about shoes. Now, Samantha loves purses, but really, the show is all about the shoes. I can certainly understand that, but to be honest, I go for comfort when it comes to shoes most of the time. I'm all about the flip flops. BUT, give me a purse anytime! If I ever make it big as a writer, I'll definitely have a closet full of amazing bags.
I'd love to be taking that brown Michael Kors with me to Indy this weekend, but unless Randi gives me a miracle this afternoon on G105, that's probably not going to happen. For now, I'll have to settle for one of my cheaper purses, but someday.... someday.
Wedding Weekend in Indy
Sometimes it just amazes me how fast time flies. My cousin K (who got engaged over 2 years ago) is getting married to her very long-time boyfriend D this weekend in Indiana. It's hard to believe it's really time already.
G and I will be driving up there since getting a flight would be too expensive, especially since the wedding is far enough away from the city that we'd have to also rent a car. Unfortunately the drive is going to take us about 12 hours, which sucks, but it's definitely worth it to be there for them as they make this commitment.
We went to the mall last night to look for something to wear... the invitation says "Hawaiian Formal" and when I finally got in touch with K to find out what that is exactly, she said that most girls are wearing sun dresses and most guys are wearing Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts. That, by the way, makes me freaking happy as hell. Don't get wrong, I do enjoy getting dressed up and we still are going to wear nice clothes, but I'm so happy about getting to wear flip flops and be somewhat casual for this wedding. Especially after driving 12 hours both before and after the event. Having to wear high heels and panty hose or something might kill me :P.
Anyway, I just wanted to post something in case I don't get a chance to post again this week. We have a lot to do before we leave and we will have to go pretty early on Friday morning. I will try to post something tomorrow, but we'll see. If not, have a great weekend all! Pray for us for a safe trip to Indiana!
Air France Jet Disappears
It always makes me so sad when I hear that a plane has gone down. Especially when there is little to no chance of there being any survivors. I don't know why it makes such an impact on us when there are thousands that die everyday in car accidents and from heart attacks. Maybe it's just something about the fact that rather than being an individual or just a couple of people, this is a mass death. There is something powerful and haunting about knowing that over 200 people shared that horrible death.
An Airbus 330, which is a modern jet, took off in the early hours of Monday morning from Rio de Janero, Brazil on its way to Paris, France. The flight normally takes around 11 hours, but after only 3 hours of being in the air, the plane's automatic system sent messages back to its headquarters reporting that the plane was in trouble. The story I've heard so far is that the plane encountered a wall of very serious thunderstorms, then went down somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.
Search teams from Africa, South America, and Paris have been working diligently to find the wreckage or some evidence of what happened to the plane, but so far the search has not revealed anything. The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 12,000 feet... which is 2 miles deep. If the plane went down and sank to the bottom, I am doubtful if they will ever find it. They also aren't sure what velocity the plane hit the water, which will have a direct impact on just how much of the plane is still in tact to even be found.
I keep hoping there will be a breaking news report saying that they found many of the plane's passengers alive floating on life rafts in the ocean, but as time goes by that seems very unlikely. I was just thinking that if the pilot was able to control the plane and land it in the water like the one pilot did on the Hudson river, then maybe people were using their floatation device seats and other life rafts to stay afloat. That would be a much happier story.
I have definitely been in a plane where it was storming out and we hit turbulence. I have been scared when the plane lurched and seemed to descend rapidly. But I always grip the armrests really tight, close my eyes and tell myself, "This happens all the time, it's going to be fine." I can just imagine what the passengers of the Air France flight were thinking and feeling. It breaks my heart.
43 days
Forty three days left until RWA National Convention! When I actually start to think about the fact that I'm going to pitch my ideas and my books to a senior editor at Silhouette and a New York City Agent, I start to freak out. My stomach starts to do flip flops and my mind begins to real with the possibility of finally doing something that could make a difference.
I know there's a chance that I could go to the conference and have nothing extraordinary happen. However, I have a completely different feeling about it in my tummy. I just don't think it's going to be ho-hum and not a big deal. My greatest hope is that this is the start of my career in many ways. Even if I don't actually get a book sale from something that happens at conference, maybe I will meet an editor/agent who will like my writing enough to encourage me in the future and buy something I write next. I don't know how it will turn out. I just know that I'm excited and I'm determined to be ready for it.
"Ready for it" means hard work! I have tons to still write and revise before then, so it's a big few weeks for me. It's kind of a test in some ways. 43 days with so much to do. I know I can do it.
