I thought today I’d pass along some of my favorite quotes and I’d love it if you’d share some of yours. Okay, so here we go in no particular order:

One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again. Henry Ford.

We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough. Helen Keller.

Keep your mind on the things you want and off the things you don’t want.

You will never be a failure unless you accept defeat as permanent and quit trying.

Nothing ever just happens. You have to make things happen.

The overworked alibi of the habitual procrastinator–I haven’t had time–has caused more failures than that of all other alibis combined.

Edison failed ten thousand times before he perfected the modern electric lamp. The average man would have quit at the first failure. That’s why there are so many average men and only one Edison.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt.

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Robert Schuller.

I need to stop trying to be perfect and just worry about becoming better. Sasha Cohen.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself. Mary Schmich.

and one of my favorites…

Most failures could have been converted into successes if someone had held on another minute or made one more effort.

Have a fabulous weekend!

I tried something new this week. I guarantee you that’s not a statement that you’ll hear from me very often. I don’t like to do new things. I like my routine.

On the other hand, my routine was getting pretty boring, so when my sister asked me to take a salsa class with her, I agreed.

It’s beginning salsa, and it’s once a week for two hours. Don’t ask me when I’m going to use these salsa lessons. Ultimate Sportsfan isn’t taking salsa class. But who cares? It’s fun to learn something new, right?

Well…

You know when you were in eighth grade and you went to a dance, and it seemed like everyone knew each other while you stood with your back to the wall feeling like such a total loser? That was kind of how walking into salsa class felt. Sure I was with my sister, but I still felt like a loser who goes to Prom with her dad.

As everyone else in the class chatted and laughed like old friends, I found myself checking my watch. Why don’t these things ever start on time? How much longer was I going to stand around feeling like a geek?

Finally we started, and really it wasn’t so bad. I’m not a great dancer by any stretch of the imagination, but the instructor really did a good job of breaking the steps down for us.

So pretty soon I’m feeling good about myself. I’m doing one, two, three. Four, five, six. Then to the side. One, two, three… I think I look good. Well, at least I’m not stumbling around like I feared I might.

It’s about 30 minutes into the class at this time, and the instructor tells us that now we’re going to dance with partners. So all the girls line up on one side and the boys on the other, and we pair up. Needless to say, there are more boys than girls, so at first I don’t have a partner. No problem. When the instructor calls, “Switch!” the guys move.

So I’m bouncing with anticipation of doing my basic and side steps, when the instructor gives us one last instruction. “Ladies, the step you’ve spent 30 minutes learning, that’s the guy’s step. You have to do it backward.”

I have approximately two minutes to practice this “new” step before the instructor calls “Switch!” and David (not his real name) is standing before me.

We get in position, me already dreading how awful I’m going to be because I still don’t have the reverse step down, then the music starts.

And I have a revelation. David sucks. He’s way worse than me. I at least have some idea what I’m doing, and some rhythm (not much but some). David has no clue. And he’s supposed to be leading.

Poor guy. I tell him he’s doing great to try and encourage him. Then we switch again, and the next guy — I’ll call him Bill — is just as bad.

And you know what? That’s about the time I stopped worrying if I looked like a loser and started having fun. Who cared if I messed up the steps or stumbled on the turn (yes, we did turns!)? Everyone was just there to learn something new and have fun. And I’m even looking forward to next week. This time I’m going to try to get my sister to practice after class with one of the guys from the advanced level

Most of you are probably aware of the fact that two of the best selling sub-genres in the romance market right now are paranormal and erotic romance. Though this doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed a spot on the New York Times bestseller list should you write a book in one of these genres, it can mean that your chances of receiving quite a bit of reader attention increase substantially if you do. However, before you rush right out to start work on that erotic werewolf romance, remember trends don’t last forever. A genre will explode and be huge for several years, then slowly fade away as another takes it place.

Most authors have wondered at one time or another if there is any surefire method to predict what the next huge wave will be. If you can anticipate the next sub-genre that is on the cusp of breaking out, then there is a good chance that your book could be a hot seller. Paranormal romance has always been around, but it didn’t become the rage until Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer came along and proved that there was a market for the supernatural. And with the unexpected popularity of e-publisher Ellora’s Cave, erotic romance moved front and center.

But how do we know what will be the next big thing? Certainly reader buzz is important. Librarians and booksellers are excellent people to chat with about this, especially independent booksellers who know their customers and what they like. They have the inside track and can tell you what new sub-genres readers are showing an interest in. And with the recent RWA conference, you can bet there were all sorts of buzz words and predictions flying around for 2007.

So, what do you think? As a reader? As an author? Are paranormals and erotic romance on their way out, or are they still going strong? What are some new sub-genres that you think are showing some signs of life, or that you would like to see become hot sellers? What do you think will be the next big thing? (Pssst. If any of you who attended the RWA conference have any juicy tid-bits on this topic, please do share! )

I can’t remember the statistics now, but I heard once that the proportion between people who want to write a book and people who actually do is microscopically small. I looked for numbers on-line, but all I could find were advertisements for ghost writing and websites offering to show you how to write a book in 3 months. As soon as you start telling people that you are a writer (published or not) people say to you, like the cashier at Wal-Mart, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to write a book.” I always find this odd because for me if you want to write a book, you generally end up on a journey to eventually writing one. I’ve never not wanted to be a writer, so it’s just part of me. But this statement that comes from random people would be like me, upon meeting a doctor saying, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.”

So why is writing so different? Why do we all feel as if we can all be writers simply by the act of writing? All good questions, and I’m not sure I know the answers, but I can give you my take on things. I think people assume that simply because they’ve been reading books their whole lives that they could put one together. I know that when I sat down and started my first book, I just started making stuff up. (which I realize is what you do with any sort of fiction, but there are times when it feels more like you’re making stuff up and the rest of the time it feels as if you’re telling a story – big difference) It didn’t take me long to figure out, I had no idea what I was doing.

There is a great deal of talent involved with telling a good story and creating believable and memorable characters, but more than talent, there is hard work. And just as watching the Discovery Health Network doesn’t prepare me to do surgery on your appendix, being a life-long reader doesn’t prepare you to write a book. At least not entirely. Writing requires learning and honing just as any other profession. But once people realize this, the majority abandon their dreams of writing.

Sounds sad, but in reality, it mostly means they were just nice thoughts about wanting to be a writer, you know like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I were a rodeo clown.” But most people don’t actually become rodeo clowns. Not to disrespect any rodeo clowns who might be reading this blog. But when it comes down to it, you have to want this so badly that you’ll put up with a lot to achieve it. No different than my husband working is tail off to earn his Ph.D – hard work and perseverance.

But for those of you who haven’t walked away, who have been bit by the writing bug and can’t seem to shake the little critter loose, I say to you… Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid to want it all. Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars. (Que: Disney music) Excuse my sappiness, but it’s true. And frankly, it’s really better advice for the non-writers out there. Chances are if you’re on this journey, at whatever stage, you’re a big dreamer. And I don’t mean that in the, “If you actually think Johnny Depp is going to leave his wife for you…keep dreaming, sister!” I mean simply that, for whatever reason, being a writer seems as attainable to you as being an attorney or a school teacher. It might not always feel like this on the outside, but on the inside, it’s all there. And the majority of people are not like this. Which is sad.

Case in point. One of the things that surprised me the most when I first sold was the reactions of non-writers. They were simply astounded that I’d had a dream and actually worked it into reality. They would say, “Wow, you’ve always wanted it and you just worked hard until you got there.” Up until this point, I’d never really considered any other way. I guess I just had good parents because being an author never seemed like an unreachable goal. There were times along the journey where I was uncertain of whether or not I would succeed. I even quit twice (for one day each), but it never occurred to me that this was about dreaming big. It never occurred to me that wanting to be an author was like wanting to be the lead singer of a rock band. To me, that sounds far-fetched, yet some people achieve it because we do, in fact, have rock bands.

(The other thing that surprised me, and still does, was to have someone, upon learning that I’m an author, ask, “Where can I find your books?” To which I always want to give them a snarky reply. Seriously, where do you buy your books? But that’s neither here nor there.)

Okay, now I’m just rambling. Blame it on the fact that I’ve been up since 4:15am and can’t seem to go back to sleep. I just love mornings like this! In any case, I hope this makes some sense.

So what are your big dreams?

What is is about venting online that appeals to people? It looks like Post Secrets – the site Anne posted about yesterday – is anonymous, but places like MySpace are not. And people put up all sorts of personal information on MySpace. What are they thinking?

I know there have been articles written about sites like MySpace, warning parents and users about the kind of information they put out there, but does anyone pay attention to that? Not really, not until something happens and they wish they’d refrained from going public. And even if they escape the attentions of a stalker, it’s not enough. A prospective boss, client, or student could connect with the pictures and information that are online, and that might not be a good thing! Those pictures that were posted at a keg party in college? Uh-uh. Things you said about an old boy(girl)friend? No way.

It’s sort of like email – once it’s out there, it’s there forever. Somewhere. And email is often misunderstood. It’s written in a ‘conversational’ tone, but the voice inflections of a conversation don’t come across. So sarcasm, word emphasis, facial expressions never enter into the email. (Although lots of people have learned to add little doo-dads to clarify their meanings). You push send, and you can’t recall it, not usually, anyway. Once said, it can’t be unsaid. Yikes!

I’m not opposed to posting personal information on the web – heck, I have a website! – but I think people should be very careful about what they put out there.

Has anyone been to the Post Secret site? It’s a place where anonymous postcards are posted. The rules for sending one in are “Each secret can be a regret, hope, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, feeling, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything – as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before.”

It looks like they aren’t archiving them anymore, unless I missed it — I haven’t been to the site in a long time. So only the new ones are posted on Sunday. Does anyone know if they are archived? They made a book of them last year, so maybe that is why.

If you haven’t seen the site, check it out, but be warned. Some of them are really heart wrenching, some controversial, some thought provoking, some funny.

Would you ever consider sending a postcard in? Whether an unseen kindness, hope, fear, confession, etc?

I think I finally got this Photobucket thing figured out, and can share some pics directly on our blog site. The other Quills, with their tech-savvy, are making me look bad.

My first full day in Atlanta (our flight Monday evening was delayed and we didn’t get to our hotel room until 4 a.m.) four of us set out in search of begnets from the Café Du Monde that was rumored to be in the Atlanta Underground. I have a soft spot for begnets, since I won the Golden Heart at the 2001 conference in New Orleans, and we went out to celebrate by having begnets at 4 a.m. at the original Café Du Monde. In Atlanta, we were not so lucky — the restaurant had closed. We consoled ourselves by visiting the World of Coca-Cola museum. Coke tastes different in Atlanta than anywhere else I’ve been. (Diet Coke out of the fountain is bitter here, but not there.)

On Wednesday, we thought we should do something cerebral as well as touristy, so that morning three of us set out for the Margaret Mitchell Museum and House. At the risk of rotten tomatoes being tossed, I confess I’ve never understood the great appeal of Gone with the Wind. Scarlett does not learn or change, and she and Rhett do not end happily ever after. However, after going through the museum, I have a great deal of respect for Peggy Mitchell. I paid six bucks for a souvenir bookmark (do you have any idea how many hundreds of bookmarks I get for free?) that has one of my favorite quotes from her. “In a moment of weakness, I have written a book.” The house was actually divided into 10 apartments at the time she lived there with her second husband. Theirs is in the opposite corner of where Joey, Darla and I had our picture taken.
After growing up in a large gracious house, Peggy referred to their tiny one-bedroom apartment as The Dump, but it’s where she wrote her famous manuscript while bedridden with a foot injury.

Wednesday evening was the big literacy signing, and Anne has already posted pics of that. I almost didn’t wear the tricorn hat, but my four roommates talked me into it. (Yes, five of us shared one room with two double beds and one cot, one bathroom, and one teeny tiny closet. And we’re still friends!) Dressing up as a smuggler to promote my book Kiss from a Rogue, which features smugglers, was either going to be a really cool idea, or really dumb. But I had to have the boots last fall, and to justify their tax-deductible status, I had to wear them to at least one book signing. Plus, I’d lugged them all the way across country. Most of my chapter members don’t believe I’m actually an introvert, because it’s easy for me to discuss subjects for which I’m passionate — like writing — but I had to really be “in character” to pull off the costume and all the attention it drew. After the signing, I went to the Beau Monde soirée where I was the only person in costume not wearing a dress. How shocking. Here I am with Michelle, one of my dance partners.

Saturday was the Golden Heart and Rita award ceremony, the one night of the year romance writers get to glam it up. Here are my roommates Joey, Mary Lou, Delilah, and Maire, in all our finery.

Some people had trouble with the hotel’s glass elevators that soared up to 47 floors. Our room was on the 31st floor, the first stop for that bank of elevators. If you walk around the elevator while it’s descending all those floors, the sensation is much like trying to walk while drunk. At least according to my roommates. I’ve never been drunk, so to me it felt like walking on board the Lady Washington under full sail.

I’ve been home a week and am still struggling to catch up. One suitcase, mostly still packed, mocks me every time I enter my bedroom. But playing with Dakarai, our three month-old kitten, is too much fun to worry about such mundane details. He gained at least half a pound in the time I was gone. My husband finally agreed that we cannot play with the kitten enough — he really needs a four-legged playmate who can keep up with him. Yesterday we went to the Humane Society and brought home Derby, a three month-old red tabby. Shelter volunteers recommended that we keep the two cats separated for up to five days, but shelter volunteers don’t have to listen to the mournful cries of a kitten in isolation. We cracked after 18 hours and two escape attempts as we took turns sitting with him in the bathroom.

It only took a couple hours before we were pretty sure Dakarai was trying to play and not maim. His warning growls soon turned to chirps and trills, but it took awhile before Derby believed his change of heart. Here they are about six hours after their first contact, taking over my chair.

Now I have to get back to my homework — uploading all my notes from the wonderful workshops, and revising my proposal for the next book. I’m so happy to go to conference … and so happy it only comes once a year.

Last week I got back from the RWA conference in Atlanta and, as I reflected on the workshops I’d attended, I realized that I considered them worthwhile if I learned just one new thing.

For example, in a workshop done by Erica Spindler, she talked about making sure you don’t box yourself in with too many commitments so that you can’t do what you really want to do. She gave as an example a friend who wrote category romance but wanted to write a bigger book. But her friend kept accepting contracts, leaving her no time to work on that bigger book. What she’d said made sense to me.

If you attended the conference, what new thing did you learn? If you didn’t attend, what have you learned recently?

I guess I got my first taste of the literary scorn for genre fiction when I signed up for a novel-writing class after I finished my first book. The instructor read our first submissions, and during the second class, she assigned everyone outside reading. Most of my classmates had to read books on character, dialogue, plot. I was told to read books on feminist theory.

Apparently it wasn’t so much plot or point of view that I needed help with (though I certainly could have used help on both!). The instructor was more concerned with her stereotype that romance novels shows women as weak creatures who need a man to save them.

Fortunately, I ignored her advice and kept writing romance because, for me, writing a romance novel is a feminist statement.

I am a feminist. A lot of women think saying that makes them anti-male or means that they’re some kind of hard-nosed witch. But to me, it means that I want women treated equally in our society. I want women treated with respect.

And I don’t think women are being treated with respect in our society right now. Turn on a music video. Do you respect those back up dancers? Are they anything more than accessories for some guy who thinks he’s a pimp? And if he’s a pimp, what does that make the women? Turn on professional wrestling. It’s filled with women in skimpy clothes doing stripteases. The other night as I watched a woman was spanked on stage. I guess she was a “bad girl.” I could go on and on about the hundreds of ways women are denigrated in the media and by society every day. And I could also rant about the implications of these kinds of images on our society.

But what I hold onto is the fact that in my own small way, I fight against this. I write books where women are strong and men love them for it. In my books, society respects and admires my strong heroines. The women in my books believe in themselves and have pride in themselves. Sure, they struggle with issues all women have — am I too short, does this dress make me look fat, was that last thing I said totally stupid? But in the end, I hope my readers come away from one of my books feeling empowered, feeling good about being a woman or women in general, and feeling like there is hope for our society.

So go ahead, make a feminist statement: buy a romance novel.

If you’re like me, you have probably heard the above adage applied in many different situations over the years. Usually it holds pretty true, and though it may seem cliche, I have found that it is a philosophy that can often be applied to our writing as well. “Show, don’t tell” is a common refrain in the writing world, and some of us have probably seen it scribbled by judges in the comments section of our contest entries more often than we would like.

One of the most common mistakes we make as newbie aspiring authors is to tell the reader way too much about our characters. And this is a perfectly understandable mistake. We want people to identify with our hero and heroine, to understand what motivates them, and we may pour out pages and pages of back story and character information in order to accomplish this. We beat our reader over the head with the why and how rather than letting them discover it for themselves in more subtle ways throughout the course of the story. But though you might feel like it’s important to relate the entire tale of the heroine’s traumatic childhood brush with a ladder in order to explain the reasons behind her fear of heights, your readers might not agree. Nothing bogs down a book like back story, and too much exposition can cause you to lose reader attention. So how do you insert this information and still sustain their interest?

Many times, you can relay the same information in bits and pieces through action and dialogue. And believe it or not, you can learn quite a bit about how to do this just by studying some of your favorite television shows. Because television is a visual medium, television writers are forced to show you what lies behind their characters’ motivations rather than tell. Recently I watched a rerun episode of CBS’s Criminal Minds and was reminded of just how brilliant this show can be at conveying a plethora of information in very few words. Actor Mandy Patinkin is a master at this, but it is Thomas Gibson as Special Agent Hotchner who delivers the most telling line in this particular episode. After spending some time interrogating an assassin/serial killer that the FBI profilers have captured, Hotchner has managed to discover through a bit of probing that the man was violently abused by his father throughout his childhood. As Hotchner prepares to leave the room, he tells the man that when you have been bullied and beaten all your life it isn’t surprising that some people grow up to be killers. The man then looks at Hotchner questioningly. “Some people?” he asks. And with a slight shrug, Hotchner replies, “And some grow up to catch them.”

In less than 10 words and without going back and giving us an overload of back story, Hotchner tells us two things that reveal a great deal about his character: That he survived an abusive childhood and that it is part of the reason he joined the FBI. And the look he exchanges with the killer as he is walked back to his cell by his guards reveals even more. A moment of mutual understanding and the fine line that separates this FBI agent from this monster. A powerful and compelling moment.

Learning to convey character motivation with a minimum of fuss isn’t easy and can take a great deal of practice, though it can be easier for some than others. Readers, I’d love to hear if you have any favorite authors who have mastered this. And writers and aspiring writers, what has helped you to learn how to do this well?