Picture
2010 was pretty good for accomplishing my goals. I didn’t write them down, but from what I can recall, I did okay. I got a full-time job. I joined RWA National and the local chapter, North Texas RWA. I finished two books and submitted them.

I know there’s some stuff I didn’t do, but I didn’t write them down, so they don’t count, right? Ahem. This time, they will be in print for the whole world to see. And I’m excited about that.

Writing Goals
1.    Devote one hour every day to writing. No TV, no Internet. Just music and an open Word document. Right now, I’ll write for a bit and then feel an overriding need to check Twitter and it’s all downhill from there. I know if I can concentrate for 60 minutes per day, I’ll be able to get sooo much accomplished, such as…

2.    Write two books targeted to Kimani Press Romance and one single-title. In 2010, I finished two Kimanis, but I want and need to up my output. I plan to Nano the first Kimani in January. I look at the single-title as a challenge. I’ve never written that many words before, and frankly, it scares me, which means I need to try it.

Career-Building Goals
1.    Join and actively participate in social media sites, Facebook and Goodreads. Do better at the sites I’m a member of, like Romance Divas, where I’m the best lurker ever. I do okay at Eharlequin and Twitter, but I can do better.

2.    Attend the DFW Writers Conference and the RWA National Conference in New York. I had so much fun at the RWA Conference that I want to repeat the experience every year. Plus, there’s so much to learn.

3.    Read the craft books I bought. Again, so much to learn. I’m committed to being a better writer.

4.    Be more regular with the blogging. I’ll never be an everyday blogger, but I’d like to stick to the MWF schedule. The best way to do this is write the blogs in advance.

Personal Goals
1.    Keep track of all the books I read in 2011. Goodreads and/or an Excel spreadsheet here I come.

2.    Get my books organized. There are some books I hesitate to buy (i.e. Carly Phillips) because I think I own them, but I’m not sure. I’ve moved so much, my books are packed in boxes, and I have no idea where any specific title is. I want to go through them all and fill my bookshelves with my favorites, so I have easy access to them.

3.    Exercise 2-3 times a week. That might not seem like a lot, but considering it’s a big fat 0 right now, it’s a big step.

4.    Pay off the student loan. My 2010 goal was to get it under $10,000 and I succeeded. Now, I want it GONE. It’s my only debt, and I hate sending the payment every month when there are so many other things I want to do with the money.

That’s a lot of goals. I could put more down, like clean my condo on a regular basis and eat at home more often to save money (both of which I hope to do), but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I’m a work in progress after all. :)

P.S. Obviously, my biggest 2011 goal is to get published, but I can’t control that. Instead, I will focus on becoming a better writer, so my books HAVE to sell because they’re so fabulous.

What about you? What are your 2011 goals? Do you even believe in New Year’s Resolutions?

1 Comment
 
 
Picture
A few weeks ago, I found myself at Borders with a coupon and some Borders Bonus Bucks burning a hole in my pocket. I walked up and down the romance aisles searching for a book to buy. Finally, I stumbled upon Christie Ridgway. I’m always on the lookout for new-to-me contemporary authors. I recognized her name from the 2010 RITA nominee list, so I figured she must be good, so what the hey?

The beachside knitting shop Malibu & Ewe is the perfect place for L.A.’s hip young crowd to enjoy colorful yarn and intimate conversation. For personal chef Nikki Carmichael, it could be the softest place to land if her new job falls through. Working for magazine writer Jay Buchanan has come with some strange conditions—like pretending to be his girlfriend. As for Jay, he finds himself drawn to the kitchen, where he’s intrigued by his sexy cook’s ability to withstand the heat between them. And now he thinks it’s time to turn up the flames.

I bought How to Knit a Wild Bikini because it was the first in the trilogy. I’m a sucker for a series. Apparently, I’m not alone based on the sheer number of them on the market. The premise intrigued me as a reader. As a writer, I was ready to glean any knowledge I could on how to write a single title. One of my 2011 goals is to write one (more on this Friday).

Reader self: I enjoyed the book. Ridgway successfully lured me in to wanting to read the last two books in the trilogy. The book was funny and sexy, which is the best combination in my opinion. There was a running joke from the first meeting between Jay and Nikki that Ms. Ridgway keeps going the whole book, and it had me laughing.

My one gripe was that, especially in the first part of the book, Nikki kept complaining she needed the job because she was broke. However, it was never explained why she had no money. Did she not know how to budget? Did she not have (adequate) health insurance and all her money went to paying medical bills? Who knows?  

Writer self: It seems to me that one of the keys to single title is the use of subplots. Ms. Ridgway upped the ante by having three subplots. Obviously, the main plot was the relationship between Nikki and Jay, but there were subplots involving Nikki’s connection to the knit shop and its owner, the next door neighbor (an older Paris Hilton), and Jay’s teenage cousin. That’s a lot.

My problem with subplots is that a lot of time I feel they take attention away from the main focus of the book. That’s something I’ll definitely be mindful of when I write my book.

In a nutshell: Reader self, overall happy. Writer self, learning more each time I read a book.

Add Comment
 
 
Picture
This would make a great Christmas card if I believed in such things (and wasn't completely lazy).
Just in case you didn’t know, Christmas is on Saturday. Yay! Some people like other holidays better, but Christmas has always been my favorite. I remember being a kid flipping through store catalogs picking out every toy in them. I remember watching Santa Claus: The Movie for the first time. I was enthralled with how the North Pole and Santa’s workshop were portrayed. They were straight out of a kid's dream.

As an adult, I love Christmas just as much as I did when I was younger. “Why?” you ask. Well, let me tell you.

Nostalgic commercials – Every year, I look forward to the Folgers’ “Peter” commercial. Last year, they updated it. I’m still trying not to be resentful. And the Hershey Kisses’ commercial makes me jolly. 
 
Christmas lights and decorations – They’re so pretty. All that green and red and gold and bright and shiny. What’s not to love?
 
Walt Disney World at Christmas – I took the above picture two years ago. Disney is my favorite place in the world. And when you combine with my favorite holiday? WIN! The decorations all over the property are so pretty. I attended the Candlelight Processional, where Rita Moreno read the Christmas Story. i can't forget the awe-inspiring Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios. And while it’s not true every year, the week I was there, the weather was amazing. Perfect temperature. I wore jeans and a light jacket that I took off at mid-day. So wonderful. 
 
I love Christmas music, in general, but there are two albums that have a special place in my heart.
 
Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas – How many times have I listened to this CD over the years? Way too many to count. Everyone knows “All I Want for Christmas,” but the entire CD is excellent and puts me in the Christmas spirit.
 
*NSYNC’s Home for Christmas – That’s right I said it. In 1998, the group hit it big and their record label saw dollar signs and had them record a Christmas CD. I’m so happy they did. Their version of “O Holy Night” always puts a smile on my face. 
 
Presents – I admit it. I’m shallow. I love getting gifts. Stuff I love that I don’t have to buy. Woo hoo! But I also love giving gifts. I pride myself on being a great gift giver. I love the feeling I get when the recipient’s face lights up with joy. Score! I haven’t even mentioned the sales that make my thrifty heart go pitter-patter. 
 
Love – What would Christmas be without spending it with my wonderful, often dysfunctional family?
 
Do you love Christmas or does some other holiday come first in your heart?

Add Comment
 
 
Picture
Earlier this week, there was a dustup on Twitter because Publishers Weekly posted a review of Courtney Milan’s Unveiled accusing the author of relying on a historically inaccurate premise to make her story work.

The problem with that is that that Ms. Milan’s premise is not historically inaccurate. She posted an insightful, thoughtful response on her blog explaining how and why she came up with her story. After reading it, it’s hard to deny that she has her facts straight.

Yesterday, I ran across a thread on a message board in which an author was upset that a blogger had accused her of ripping off a successful series. The problem with that is the author has never read a book in that series and her book is in a different romance subgenre.

But what really inspired this post is something I stumbled across last night on Amazon. Maureen Smith’s book, Whatever You Like, which I discussed last week, is in the top 20 romances on Amazon. Yay for her! For some reason, I decided to click on her reviews to see what other readers thought. I generally avoid reviews because I don’t like to be influenced before I have a chance to make up my own mind. After I read a book though, occasionally I’ll check out reviews to see if my thoughts lined up with other people’s.

The good news is that the majority of her reviews are positive. The bad news is that someone pissed me off. According to one reviewer, the people on the cover are white. Except they aren’t. They’re black. If the reviewer had said, “Because of their light skin tones, I assumed they were white,” I’d be less angry. But she didn’t. She expressly says the cover shows two white people.

Granted, the reviewer did buy the book for her Kindle. I am aware that computer screens often distort color, but her review has me angry for one reason. She’s essentially accusing the publisher and author of deceiving the public because books about black people don’t sell. How insulting to readers, the author and to the publisher, Kimani Press, which, by the way, only publishes romances starring African-American characters (with the rare exception of a non-black hero).

If the reviewer had gone and found a larger image of the cover on Amazon or the author’s website before posting the review, she would see that she was wrong. But she didn’t before she ran and posted her review.

In review, we have three reviews with incorrect information. From a professional reviewer, a blogger, and a reader. All reviews had unpardonable sins, as far as I’m concerned. They presented things as facts that weren’t true. It is one thing to post your opinion on a book. To say, “I liked this, this, this, but this didn’t work for me because…” is perfectly expected and okay.

What isn’t expected or okay is accusing authors of things when you have little, if anything, to base that accusation on. I’ve found in life, in general, that people have trouble distinguishing between fact and opinion. If they don’t like something or someone, then it must be true that the object or person they dislike is horrible, no doubt about it.

Except that’s not always the case. To present your opinion as fact means that it is inarguable. In the three instances I sited, this is not the case. Two plus two equals four is a fact. To say Author A ripped off Author B when you know absolutely nothing about Author A is not a fact.

It is up to reviewers to recognize when they are crossing the line between opinion and fact. They must make sure they’ve done the proper research to back up the information they are presenting as fact. If they can’t, they should rethink what they are writing or, at the very least, how they phrase it.

I don’t think that is an unfair expectation.

Do you agree?

Add Comment
 
 
Picture
By day, Lena Morrison is an ambitious grant writer. By night, she's an escort to some of Chicago's most successful men. Sex isn't on the menu—Lena's job is to provide her elite clients with companionship and sparkling conversation. She enjoys the extra income, but even more, Lena loves the empowering feeling of being admired for her beauty and her brains.

When tycoon Roderick Brand hires Lena as his date for a private party, their electric attraction leads to the most erotic night of her life. As incredible as the experience is, she vows not to mix work and pleasure again. But Roderick is relentless. His irresistible proposal: three weeks fulfilling all his fantasies, in exchange for a million-dollar grant that will guarantee Lena a major promotion.

Lena can play that game. She'll give Roderick the hottest, wildest sex he's ever had, then she'll walk away, leaving him aching for more. But when it comes to desire, rules—and hearts—are easily broken. And the best-laid plans have a way of working out in ways neither could expect….

I blogged about Ms. Smith’s Recipe for Temptation awhile back. I loved that book, so when I saw Whatever You Like in Target, I snatched it up despite my reservations. The heroine is an escort. Even though she doesn’t sleep with her clients, just the thought of escorts kind of grosses me out.

But anyway, do you want to know how much I adored this book? I started reading it Saturday morning and finished it that afternoon. I couldn’t put it down. That hasn’t happened for me in a long time.

The book was very steamy. The byplay between Lena and Roderick, in and out of bed, kept me entertained. I still wouldn’t classify it as erotic, but it was inching that way.

There is one choice Ms. Smith made that I'm still thinking about. She decided to tell the entire story from the point of view of the heroine. We never go inside the hero’s head. There were a few times I wish we had, like when Lena reveals something he doesn’t like. Roderick gets mad and leaves. She’s wondering what he’s thinking and so was I.

I’m assuming Ms. Smith made the choice because the novel was supposed to be about the heroine’s journey and not the hero’s, but who knows?

It didn’t drastically affect my enjoyment of the book. I did read it in one day, after all, and highly recommend it.

Add Comment
 
 
Picture
I haven’t updated the blog in a few weeks, mostly because I’ve been lazy. I apologize. One of these days I will get on the ball. I have read though. Here is one of the books.


In England, Harlequin/Mills & Boon publishes a line of books called Modern Heat. In the U.S., these books are packaged as Harlequin Presents (Extra). This is significant because Modern Heats have a different sensibility than your typical Presents. As a reader, you just have to “know” or be able to figure out which books are Modern Heats and which ones are regular Presents.  I like to think of Modern Heats as cousins to Harlequin Blazes.  

I became aware of Ms. Hunter earlier this year. I bought her March Presents, Misbehaving with the Magnate, the first in a duet, and stuck it in my “to be read” pile. One day while looking at the RITA nominees, I discovered that the second book in the duet, Revealed: A Prince and a Pregnancy, was nominated. I instantly became more curious about the book I’d just bought. She had to be a great writer if she was nominated for a RITA, right? Needless to say, I loved it! I actually liked Misbehaving with the Magnate better than the RITA nominee. Isn’t it funny how subjective these things are?

Anyway, I’d been on the lookout for more of her books. And this was published in November.

I know there’s a difference between regular Presents and Modern Heats, but Untameable Rogue still threw me for a loop. The heroine, Madeline, has more money than the hero, Luke. He struggles with this, even more so with the fact that she doesn’t apologize for her history. She married an old guy for the stability and money he brought (she didn’t have a good childhood). In a regular Presents, the hero is a billionaire and the heroine needs his help for something. Madeline doesn’t need Luke's help for anything. She’s running her very successful business and living her life. Their mutual goal is to have a fling and go their separate ways. Like I said, very Blaze-like.

It was an adjustment for me. I enjoyed the book, but I kept thinking how different it was, which distracted me sometimes. It was nothing Ms. Hunter did. I can’t wait to read her next book.

I'd planned on writing about the other book I read, but this post was a little longer than I thought it would be, so I'll save it for tomorrow.

How's that for a tease?

Add Comment