Beginnings. I know so many writers that love beginnings. They love them so much they have drawers (really files since most of us don’t actually keep our writing in actual drawers) full of story beginnings. They love the excitement, the freshness, the limitless possibilities. Me? Not so much. And that’s really putting it mildly. I hate beginnings.

I get the whole newness thing, I can see where they’re coming from, but I can’t feel it. I’m a bundle of nerves pretty much the whole time I’m writing, but the beginning, especially. (And the ending, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog) The way I look at it, I’ve got a blank canvas with two people I don’t know at all (regardless of how many things I know about them, it’s way different once you let them lose on paper), a setting I’m unfamiliar with, details I haven’t quite worked out, I’m basically in uncharted territory. For some this might be exciting. For me, it’s terrifying.

There’s all this pressure. All these elements that need to be seamlessly woven into the fabric of the opening chapters. Character GMC, enough backstory without it being too much, sexual tension, perfect first line, hooks at the end of scenes/chapters….I could go on. Pressure, I tell you! It’s enough to make a poor introverted writer blow her top. But I’m keeping my cool. Because I know the good stuff is coming. The middle. It’s just right around the corner – somewhere after chapter 5 or so.

I’m one of those strange writers who loves *gasp* the sagging middle. It’s not so sagging from where I sit. It’s the fun part. (Well, in so much as these things can actually be fun) It’s the part where I know what I’m doing. I’ve gotten the rhythm of the characters down, I know where the storyline is going, and the conflict is really rising. Talk about limitless possibilities. This is the stage where a lot of writers get bored, which just has me scratching my head.

But back to the beginning, which is where I am with my current book. Now, I will admit that this book is a little unique since the heroine isn’t exactly new to me. I haven’t been in her point of view until this book, but she’s been in the last two books. This makes it both easier and harder. Easier because I have less to work out for her. Harder because that little throw-away detail I tucked in book 1, now might be a major issue once this heroine is in the spotlight. (note to self, when writing a series, figure out throw-away details in advance) The hero is new though and so hot he makes the keys on my laptop burn just a bit. I hope that’s a good sign that he’ll be fun to work with, but I’m rather doubtful as these characters have a way of becoming supreme pains in the derriere (rather quickly, I might add.)

In spite of all this, I’m really trying to have fun with this one. Trying to let myself enjoy the discovery rather than get mired in the panic. I’ll let you know how it works out…

I know I’m in the minority and I’ll probably take a big hit here, but I’m going to dive right in … just as I might do if there was a pool in my back yard.
OK, here goes.
I don’t like summer.
There. I said it. In public.
The past two days have been ridiculously hot – in the low 90s, and it was fairly humid (this being Michigan). And they say the heat is going to continue for at least another day. In the meantime, I have no energy to do anything.

We don’t have central air in our 85 year-old house, and it would be outrageously expensive to convert our boiler heat system (with big old radiators) to a forced-air duct system with air. Usually, we put window air conditioners in the bedrooms to get through the worst of the heat, but this is early in the season. Last week the temps were in the 60s so we never anticipated the dog days hitting us quite so soon.

Yesterday, I overheard a guy in the hardware store say that he likes it hot – that his childhood summers in Mississippi weren’t hot enough. The man he was talking to said he didn’t like it when he lived down south, but he weighed over 300 lbs then. Now he’s thin and he likes it just fine. Well, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight since last summer, and I still don’t like it!

Where can I move? The pacific Northwest? Hmm … We went to San Juan Island a couple of years ago and it was 92 degrees the day we arrived. Canada? My friends in Toronto say it’s just as bad there. Ireland? It’s a beautiful place, but (I hate to say it) I was really bored after the first ten days when I visited many years ago. Maybe the Canadian west. My husband and I love it in Banff and Lake Louise. Maybe we could find a place near there.

Except that my husband a sucker for the heat. The hotter the better. In fact, he’d probably move to New Orleans in a second. Sheesh!

As soon as it cools down enough to go into the attic, I think I’m going to get those air conditioners down.

Hope all Jaunty posters and readers have a great day with family and friends (or furiously finishing their novel).

Oh, and dollop some potato salad for me too!

(You can find the recipe for this bowl of goody goodness on Southern Living )

Choosing a name, whether for a person, place, or thing, is not a decision to be made lightly. You have to take into account the sound, the way it appears on the page, and the preconceptions readers bring with them. The name Reno Raines connotes an entirely different kind of hero than does Fitzwilliam Darcy, though both characters (and the actors portraying them) have certainly fueled their share of fantasies. Even with the same proper name, you expect something different from a Chuck then you do from a Charles.

For the hero of my first book, I chose the name Sinclair because it has soft sounds at the beginning and toward the middle — I wanted him to be approachable, someone with whom the heroine could be friends. I also wanted him to have an edge, a hint that his alpha side would emerge when necessary, and the hard “c” and “r” sounds fit that.

Sometimes the name is a plotting device as well. For my December book, I envisioned the heroine as a female Scarlet Pimpernel. To help me keep that in mind as I wrote, I named her Charlotte Parnell.

Sometimes we choose something that’s just a placeholder while we agonize over the perfect name, because you can only deal with so many characters and places with names like XX and XY. While plotting my fourth book, about the girl next door getting the man she’s loved since childhood, we had to come up with something since we kept mixing up the order of the letters in TGND, and saying “the girl next door” was just too many syllables. After a conversational tangent about couples in the tabloids, we dubbed her Katie. She may end up keeping this name, though it’s far too early to tell.

I’m working on the copyedits for my December book, and there’s a placeholder name that I think has to go. In my version of 1816 London, there’s a tavern down near the docks with a gaming hell in the back. A thoroughly disreputable place, the proprietor also acts as a fence, and of course the games are as crooked as a swizzle stick. Its clientele ranges from common sailors to members of the aristocracy who are slumming. In a moment of “oh, for crying out loud, give it a name and move on,” I dubbed it Lost Wages. (One of my favorite names — Down the Hatch — had already been used in someone else’s novel.) Through the first draft and several rounds of revisions, it has remained Lost Wages. However, I worry it will remind too many readers of a certain American city with that nickname. I’ve tried coming up with various translations in other languages, but nothing seems to fit.

So here’s your chance to have an effect on a published novel. I’m entertaining alternative suggestions for the name of this disreputable establishment. What would you name it?

Recently, my daughter’s Shih Tzu, Ernie, had a tragic accident involving his right eye. Because of the Shih Tzu’s shallow eye socket, they are at risk of having an eye “pop out.” That’s what happened to Ernie. He got in a fight with his “brother”, a West Highland White Terrier (pictures of both are on my website www.cindykirk.com) and his eye came out of its socket.

The vet put it back in, sutured the eye shut so it could heal, but when he unsutured the eye, Ernie had a corneal ulcer. Now he has the eye partially sutured shut with a conjunctival flap. They aren’t holding out much hope that he’ll retain his vision.

So far his medical bills have totaled $575 and its not over yet. I was speaking with a friend who has a Maltese that she adores. She said if her dog needed surgery or was injured, she wouldn’t hesitate to spend the money necessary to restore her to health. Her husband on the other hand, doesn’t agree so she knows if their dog ends up needing more extensive vet care, there’s going to be a battle (but she says she’ll win that one )

Interestingly enough, one of the local news stations ran a story about a woman who’d spent $23,000 on her border collie…and she didn’t regret it one bit.

We call Ernie, our grandog and would do anything (almost) for him. But $23,000…hmmmm hopefully I’ll never be faced with that choice.

But, how far would you go for love….of a pet, that is???

One perception of romance writers that I’ve run into is that we sit around all day eating bonbons and writing about sex. “Oh, those are the books with all the sex,” people say when they learn what I write.

This sort of perplexed me until I realized that most of the people who said this hadn’t actually read a romance. I don’t think my books have that much more sex than most books on the NYT list — the books everyone in America is supposedly reading. I think the sex in my books is better, and there’s probably more sexual tension, but I’m writing a book about two people falling in love, not about chasing after a serial killer or a war in a fantasy world. I’m writing about love.

I think many people would be surprised to find that most of my writing time is not spent on sex scenes. I average maybe 3 a book, and if they’re about 10 pages each, that’s only 30 pages of a 360-page book.

But yesterday and today I find that all the sexual tension in my w-i-p has collided, and it’s time to write the sex scene. The first one of this book, which is always the toughest. So, now that I have my characters partially unclothed and somewhat aroused, I need to review my guidelines. That’s right. I have guidelines (see how sexy my life is?).

Shana Galen’s Guidelines for Writing a Sex Scene
1. The scene is about character, not sex.
My goal in a love scene is always to reveal something about the characters in the book. What emotional conflicts are they struggling with? How does this consummation exacerbate or alleviate that internal turmoil?
2. The scene is about love, not lust.
I never want to write a scene that’s insert tab A into slot B (unless it’s for humorous effect). I want the scene steamy but classy. Descriptive but without the ick factor. I want the reader to turn the page with the feeling that this was the coming together of two people in love, not just a random, animalistic mating.
3. Leave the purple prose behind.
You’ve all read funny over-the-top examples of sex scenes that aren’t so sexy because the writer is too flowery in his or her prose. Ultimate Sportsfan (my hubby) likes to make fun of this by joking about “Her mound of love pudding” or “His purple-headed love warrior.” I try to stay away from the flowery prose, but I do think there is a place for euphemism. Some readers want the four letter words all over the page, and some want the more romantic feeling that comes with a softer approach.
4. Consider the point of view.
I try to do this when I write a sex scene. Is it in the hero’s point of view? If so, he is going to use different words and have different reactions than the heroine. There might be a place for a four-letter word in the hero’s point of view. In the heroine’s point of view, especially if she’s a virgin, there’s usually no place for that…which brings me right back to
5. The scene is about character.
Each scene is tailored to the book’s particular characters. To me, that’s what makes it sexy. I like reading a scene where two people I have grown to like express their love to each other. Seeing them happy and together, makes me feel that way—especially if I’ve read 200 pages leading up to this moment.

So what makes a scene sexy to you? I’m writing sex all day today and this weekend. I’ll be checking back for any pointers!

Well, the holiday I usually view as the official beginning of the summer season is fast approaching, and with it I find myself eager to get out and take part in some of the typical Memorial Day family traditions. Picnics in the backyard, swimming in the family pool, a Bridgerton-esque game of croquet…(Okay, so maybe there isn’t as much blood-shed in our version of croquet as there is in Julia Quinn’s, but we certainly take no prisoners!) Maybe it’s the weeks of being cooped up slaving over my current work in progress, but I find that I am more ready for summer this year than I can remember being since I was a kid in school.

Unfortunately, it looks like the weather around here may not cooperate. The forecast is for stormy skies, so I may have to settle for going to a weekend matinee of X-Men 3. Although I suppose that’s a pretty good trade-off. Hugh Jackman anyone? Although the hero in my latest book, Gabriel, is blond instead of dark-haired like Hugh, one takes one’s inspiration where one can.

So what are your plans for the long holiday weekend? Are you staying home? Traveling? Do tell so I can live vicariously.

I got back from the Romantic Times convention on Sunday. It had been several years since I attended one and things were both the same and different. The main difference was, the last time I was there, I was unpublished – it was before I knew about RWA and I decided not to go to another RT until I had sold. While the workshops can be great, this conference is mainly for readers and authors. And I wanted to be on the other side of that equation. I can tell you though, it’s rather surreal to be on the other side.

People knew who I was. They’d read my books. And they were actually excited to see me. They knew the series I’m writing and were eagerly awaiting the next installment. Oh, and they were totally excited to see the cover for Deliciously Wicked. I only just received the coverflats before I left town and haven’t had time to get bookmarks made or have my webpage updated. So unless you’ve also discovered that Amazon beat me to the punch with this one, then you can say you saw it here first.

I didn’t win in my category, the Reviewer’s Choice Nomination for Best First Historical, but I can honestly say it really was an honor (not to mention a huge surprise) to be nominated. But I did get to see Kathryn Caskie and Julianne MacLean win their awards, which gracious speeches, no doubt. Side note: I am, however, a double finalist (Courting Claudia) in the Golden Quill contest with the Desert Rose RWA chapter – very cool! The food was terrible, I’m guessing this is not what Daytona Beach is known for. I mean they actually served tuna fish at one of the luncheons. Who does that? But the hotel was amazing. We had a beach cabana and the view was incredible. And our room was nestled in between Kathryn Falk’s and Kathryn Caskie & Sophia Nash, two authors new to Avon.

I’m not much for the parties, so I can’t report on those. And I’ve never melted under the heated gaze of a cover model, so I didn’t attend their volleyball games or their pageant. I’m sure both were entertaining without measure. But I can say that the conference had a great, relaxed atmosphere, which I badly needed. I don’t know if I’ll make it again next year, but it will definitely be on my horizon again sometime in the future.

I’ve read a few things lately – articles and blogs – suggesting that writers are supposed to have a life, too. A life beyond the laptop, the desktop, the writing pad.

I’m not sure that’s possible. Or maybe there’s a 12-step plan. Because once you write, you are a writer forever and in every way. It’s almost like an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Before I was published, I used every spare minute to write a few lines, a couple of paragraphs. Every weekend, my husband took the kids ice skating, roller skating, to the movies, to the park, camping … whatever it took to give me a few hours of uninterrupted writing. He was an absolute doll. Plus, he’s always been a natural at handling kids .

Now that I write full time, things haven’t gotten much better.

1. I hardly notice when my house needs cleaning. And with three cats and two dogs living here, that’s fairly often.

2. I forget that I have a family to feed. With summer here, my three kids are all home from college and they have jobs that keep them occupied until dinnertime. My husband has an hour and fifteen minute commute and doesn’t usually get home until 6:30. It just isn’t fair to ask any of them to come up with meals when I’m the one who’s here at the house. It’s just that the thought of a meal doesn’t usually dawn on me before 6 PM! Groceries would be nice, too – although the kids do some of that shopping. Like when there’s no milk and no sign of Mom planning to go to the grocery store.

3. I sort of resent the appointments I need to keep – say, at the hairdresser’s or dentist’s – because they cut into my writing time.

4. In the car, I listen to music that has no words – soundtracks or instrumentals – because I don’t want any lyrics to interfere with the plotting that’s continuously going on in my head. So I don’t know anything about the Top 40, nor do I listen to the news any more.

5. After a day of writing, I’m not really sure I’m done. Maybe I can get just another page or two in before I go to bed.

6. I’m never sure I can spare the time to go on vacation.

Wow – some of these look really bad. But I know there are things I can do to regain some control of my life.

1. Exercise. I take the dogs for a 2-mile walk (minimum) every morning before I sit down to work. It’s good for them and it’s great for me. It clears my head and gets me prepared for the day’s work. For me, this is better than writing ‘morning pages’ which some people like to do. But this way, I get my heart rate up, too!

2. Take time out for meals. Actual meals where I sit down and eat something that’s prepared (well, I mean something I prepared!). That way, I’m not so inclined to graze on ‘bad’ foods all day long.

3. Keep to a schedule. Make a daily or weekly goal and stick to it. I can’t let everybody in my world take advantage of me because I don’t “work.” Guess what? I do work! It’s just not a conventional job with typical hours like I had when I was a nurse. What if I worked from home for IBM? How well would it go over if I didn’t meet my work goals because I had to bake brownies for the church bake sale, or pick up a neighbor’s kids from school. (OK, once in awhile is fine, but don’t let everyone think you have no schedule!)

4. Limit internet time. Email and random searches are counterproductive. They interfere with achieving your daily page goals! Do whatever it takes to wean yourself from your connection. Get one of those Alpha Smarts (or something like it) or take your laptop someplace where there’s no wireless access and do your work. No laptop? Take a pad of paper to Starbuck’s or the library if you like the quiet. You’ll be amazed at how much you can do when you’re not distracted by that WEB connection.

5. Be smart about scheduling deadlines. This is not always 100% possible, but I’ve gotten a lot more careful about determining page goals when there are holidays to consider, and through the summer. We’re having a bit of work done on our house and I know it’s going to be distracting. So I’ve cut myself some slack. Otherwise, I’ll be a psycho by mid-July, frantically trying to meet my deadline. (Before leaving for Atlanta ).

6. Make a point of carving out some quality time with your S.O. – in my case, my husband. He’s a great guy, and very patient. (And luckily, he has plenty of hobbies to keep him occupied, so I never feel like I’m making him wait). Go out on dates. Figure out things to talk about (other than the wip). Do the things together that made you want to stick together in the first place! Do not keep telling yourself you’ll do it later or tomorrow.

7. Take some quality time for yourself. Try to enjoy those trips to the hairdresser’s (maybe not so much those dentist visits ). Get a manicure or pedicure. Go shopping for something fun. (Not groceries!) Throw a party with all the people you neglect most of the time! (And you’ll get your house cleaned at least once this year).

I’m sure there are other things that can help me to have a life, but I’ve got to meet my daily page goal, and looking up at #4 …

With all the season or series finales playing out, what’s a girl to do until September? I watch about 4-5 hours of TV a week, so I’m not completely rabid, but I like looking forward to certain nights of the week so that I can find out what happens next. And it helps keep track of the days — please try not to make fun of me too much here. Because even when I watch the Daily Show, which announces the date, it’s usually the next day during dinner and the date is the day previous…oh, whatever, you get my rambling drift!

So are there any new shows coming out that you can recommend? I’ve been seeing a lot of things about the show Supernatural. And there’s some dance competition on Thursday nights (?) that looks like something my family could tease me about.

On the other end of things, are there any shows going off air that you are dreading? Alias? Or shows that you love and can’t wait for next season? Lost? 24? Grey’s Anatomy? (for Mary)

Have a great time with the continuing finales this week and chime in here if you have any suggestions for a good show or two I can use to tell Wednesday from Thursday.