October 13, 2007

Something I didn’t know…

I like to learn something new every day. When my copy edits came for my May 2008 book, One Night Stand, the copy editor had made a comment and it was something I didn’t know. Other than this repeated error, I’m pleased to say the manuscript was pretty clean.

Though I feel stupid for not knowing this, I thought I’d share this with you, in case you’re like me and thrive on adding one more bit of knowledge to a brain on the verge of collapse.

In return, I’d like you to tell me something you’ve learned that I may not know. It doesn’t have to be about writing, it can be about anything.

Anyway, here’s mine:

Rule is, once tense is established, it’s not necessary to repeat it in same sentence or paragraph, or even in certain sections.

I’d always thought that you had to stay consistent….guess not. In case you’re having trouble following this rule, here’s an example:

Before:When he’d offered to walk her to her hotel room after the reception ended, she’d thought she’d known what was on his mind.

After: When he’d offered to walk her to her hotel room after the reception ended, she thought she knew what was on his mind.

It certainly reads much better with the change. I certainly hope this is new information to some of you. If not, I’m going to feel really stupid.

October 12, 2007

Four A.M. Factoids

With a newborn in the house, especially since he’s a preemie and colicky, we’ve had the TV on a lot in the last three months. It’s moving wallpaper, and when days and nights blur together it’s one way of telling time. (Letterman was just doing his monologue but now Ferguson is reading e-mail, ergo we must have slept for a little over an hour.)

Since I shouldn’t pass up any opportunity to sleep and I also have to know how a story unfolds, I try not to watch reruns of scripted shows but instead leave it on programs I can walk away from or doze off during and not be left wondering “but how did it end?” when I regain consciousness. Documentaries on The Science Channel, Discovery, Learning Channel and National Geographic have become my favorite background viewing.

During quiet moments when the baby is feeding or between renditions of the theme from Gilligan’s Island (see my previous blog) I’ve learned a few things from having the TV on all hours day and night. Such as:

** The Snickers candy bar was named after the family’s horse.

** When Mars started making M&M’s they made the candy coating but bought the chocolate from Hershey.

** Coca-Cola was invented by a pharmacist. Originally it was only available in soda shops and made one glass at a time. A guy whose name escapes me thought people would want to drink it at home. The guy (whose name also escapes me) who owned the syrup thought that was a stupid idea. So stupid, in fact, he sold the bottling rights for one dollar. Or maybe he was smart, because they other guy took all the risk in bottling and distributing, and the syrup could only be purchased from one source. (Okay, this I already knew from touring Coca-Cola World while at the RWA conference in Atlanta a couple years ago, but still, it’s interesting.)

** Charcoal is a key ingredient in mascara.

** When the Mythbuster guys were trying to set off an explosion at a gas station, they showed how you can discharge static electricity by holding onto the vehicle as you exit. This is great, since I love our 4WD pickup with cloth seats except for getting shocked by static electricity every so often. Bad enough that we get zapped, but it would not be cool to zap the baby. Now I always touch a metal part of the truck as I exit, and so far no more zapping.

** If you have cable, you can find some version of Law & Order airing somewhere pretty much 24 hours a day.

** For many years, the Gulf Stream current, which runs up the east coast of America and crosses the Atlantic to Europe, was more of a trade secret than common knowledge. Yes it was a longer way to travel but the current helped ships go faster, so those in the know could get to London or Paris a week or two or more before ships that sailed straight across the ocean. Faster voyages = greater profits.

** Bill Gates receives an average of 4,000 emails per day. (Or is it four million?)

** You can tell time with your hands. Four fingers equals about one hour. (Stop saying “Huh?”) Facing the sun, hold your arm straight out in front of you with all your fingers together pointing to the side, and the top side of your index finger at the bottom of the sun. If you can fit only four fingers between the sun and the horizon, you have about one hour before it gets dark. If you’re Bear Grylls or Les Stroud, this means you only have an hour to construct a shelter to stay warm and dry during another night in the wilderness.

Who knew having a baby could be so educational?

October 11, 2007

Halloween Spirit

It’s that time of year again, and I’m ready to haul out the decorations, dig out my favorite horror movies, and gear up for Halloween once more. Yes, it’s October. The month when ghosts and ghouls and men wearing masks and wielding chainsaws put in their yearly appearance.

Regular visitors to the JQ’s blog will know that I usually do Halloween in a big way, and this year should be no exception. Of course, I have to get my copy edits for Seduced By Sin out of the way first, but after that I’m good to go. I already have all of the movies picked out for my annual scary movie marathon–among them 1408 and The Messengers–and I bought an extra big bag of Kit-Kats to munch on. (Scary movies and chocolate. You can’t beat that!) Of course, my family will do its usual get-together before the kiddos go trick-or-treating, and this year I plan on joining a group of friends afterward to head out for an evening of ghost stories around the campfire. And if I can just get Jaunty to come out from hiding and accompany me, I may embark on another haunted tours expedition in an upcoming blog. (Come out, come out, wherever you are, Jaunty. I’ll give you a Scooby Snack. )

So, what are your plans for Halloween? Will you be attending a costume party or taking the kids out trick-or-treating? Or is October 31st just another day for you?

October 10, 2007

Lori Darling

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my Mom on the phone and I got some news that wasn’t unexpected, but was sad. The little dog that I had picked out in 1990 had passed away, peacefully, after a stroke. She was nearly 20, bless her little heart, and had never realized she wasn’t a puppy anymore.

We named her Lorena, after the character from Larry McMurtry’s book LONESOME DOVE. The character was played by lovely Diane Lane. She was a whore who was looking for a way out of Texas. She hitched her star to undependable Jake Spoon before she was kidnapped by Indians and rescued by Gus McCray, the former Texas Ranger played with great aplume by Robert Duvall. The character was tough, but broken.

The dog was neither. Our older dog, Lady, always thought she was a left over puppy from the litter she had earlier that same summer and treated her that way. The two of them were great pals until Lady departed a few years ago. She was also great friends with my brother’s dog, Havok, who took turns knocking Lori over and tossing her a rubber ball, which they would pass back and forth with great gusto.

The cat just took out all her aggression on Lori. But Lori kept trying to be friends with the cat.

I remember her big, long-tongue kisses. Snake tongue. She could French kiss with the best of them. She would also occasionally let out a scream like a woman. Seriously. It was terrifying.

All in all, I remember her as a bouncy, sweet little dog who liked to lean on guests and never demanded much more than a few little pets on her soft, soft head. She lived a cushy little life there at my parents’ house and it was her time. Now that she is gone, there are no pets at all left over from my childhood. I suppose it’s just one way of life going on.

Did you have a favorite childhood pet?

October 9, 2007

Something Beautiful

Isn’t it great when something totally unexpected and really nice happens to you? Most days I go about my daily routine with nothing bad but nothing really great happening to me. Maybe that’s why it feels so good to get good news.

I got some good news recently. My October 30th release, Blackthorne’s Bride, got a 4 ½ star Top Pick review from Romantic Times Bookreviews magazine. I found out while I was at work. I had kind of sneaked my hotmail account open and peeked at my new messages. Imagine my surprise when I saw a subject line with a congrats to me!

Kerrelyn Sparks, one of our favorite Avon authors, had emailed me to let me know about the good review. My first urge was to jump up and down, screaming and pumping my arms in the air. But how to explain such behavior when I was not supposed to be checking my email?

So I cheered on the inside, then sneaked away at the first opportunity to call Ultimate Sportsfan.

It took me another couple of days before the magazine came in the mail and I actually saw the review. Here’s what it says.

With its Shakespearean comedy-of-errors quality, this fun, fast and sexy romance is a love-and-laughter banquet. Galen tickles the funny bone while titillating the senses in her provocative tale of marriage by mistake.

Summary: Earl’s daughter Madeleine Fullbright is determined to undermine her father’s plans for her marriage by eloping with an honorable philanthropist.

She doesn’t expect her best friend, Ashley, to be in the carriage, or to have her coach commandeered by the Blackthorne brothers, Lord Nicholas and Lord Jack, who are running from the murderous Lord Blevens. Blevens’ attempts to stop them are foiled by Ashley’s schemes, which include running through the countryside and bumping into Madeleine’s irate father and Blevens’ trigger-happy henchmen.

During their escape, Madeleine and Jack find time to enjoy a few delicious kisses. Then they find that a drunken “priest” has married Madeleine to Jack. What was smoldering in the woods comes to a blaze in the bedroom. But the vengeful Blevens will do whatever he can to make this marriage anything but simple and safe. —Kathe Robin

Jack, the hero is also a K.I.S.S. (Knights in Shining Silver) hero. RT said, “Perhaps Ms. Galen would allow the sexy, naughty Blackthorne brothers, Lord Jack and Lord Nicholas from Blackthorne’s Bride, to stop chasing their ladies through the countryside and chase us for a minute or two.”

Wow! Thank you Kathe!

So what about you? What’s the nicest thing that’s happened to you lately?

October 8, 2007

Romance Novels - Good for Relationships?

Don’t get me wrong … I think you need to put a lot of effort into developing and maintaining a good, healthy relationship with your partner. But I also think that romance novels can help.

It’s been many years since romance novels have featured helpless Gothic heroines who must rely on the largess of a wealthy nobleman (usually a taciturn widower) or a handsome playboy billionaire who falls for his beautiful (but brainless) secretary. The heroines you meet in today’s romance novels are women who stand on their own two feet and have dreams and aspirations beyond catching a man. To a great extent, they end up with a man in spite of themselves.

Something that our books do is provide good role models for women, and for the way relationships are supposed to work - the give and take, the respect and admiration for each other, and the healthy process of working out differences. Sometimes these features are demonstrated by their opposites. The author might show us how not to behave, and the consequences of bad decisions. We see undesirable characteristics portrayed in the story’s antagonists.

The sexual tension present in a good many romance novels can heighten the reader’s physical awareness of her spouse. And this is a good thing (according to my own spouse!)

What do you think? Do romance novels improve your love relationship?

October 6, 2007

Common Ground

I was listening to a tape from an old conference and it was on male-female communication styles. It talked about when women meet they always try to find common ground…that’s how they bond.

I got to thinking about it…and realized that now that my child is grown (no kid stuff to talk about)…it’s now pets that I use to find that common ground.

Today I attended the Kiss of Death chapter’s retreat….and I know this seems unbelievable but three of us at one table owned a Shih Tzu….

Last week I met a new person at work and she noticed the picture of Ernie the Shih Tzu that I had at my desk…and you guessed it…she had a Shih Tzu too!

For those of you not lucky enough to own a Shih Tzu —when you meet another woman, what do you use to find common ground?

October 5, 2007

The Fall T.V. Season is here!

So, now that some of the new shows have debuted and returning shows have had their premieres, what do you think? Have you found any new favorites, any duds? Were you completely wowed by a show that you were looking forward to or totally underwhelmed?

I have to admit, I’ve been pretty disappointed so far. Both Journeyman and Moonlight failed to hold my attention, though I’ll probably give them another chance. Journeyman was just much too slow for me, and while the lead in Moonlight is good-looking, something about him just doesn’t appeal to me. Maybe it’s that I keep comparing him to David Boreanaz as Angel, a character and a show I liked much better and still miss. (Sniff-sniff) Private Practice was okay, but just meh. I’ve never been a big Gray’s fan, so we’ll see. Reaper was funny and I love Kevin Smith, but Gossip Girl…I wasn’t impressed.

I didn’t dislike everything, however. I enjoyed Bionic Woman, though I’m not sure why. Pure, mindless butt-kicking maybe? LOL. And I’m still holding out hope for the new Christina Applegate show that hasn’t premiered yet. Of course, there is also the premiere of Lost to look forward to.

What about you? What shows have you liked so far?

P.S. The boys are back! Sorry, I just had to throw that in. Did anyone else catch last night’s Supernatural premiere? Sigh…

October 4, 2007

Lolcats

A silly post for today. From me?! I know, you’re shocked.

Have you checked out the lolcat phenomenon? If not, get thee to I Can Has Cheezburger(sic) stat! If you don’t know what a lolcat is, Wikipedia has a good definition — “Lolcats are images combining photographs of a cat with a humorous and idiosyncratic caption.” The captions are rarely grammatically correct. Shana, cover your eyes! Also, if you are interested in loldogs, lolpresidents, etc. (you get the picture) do a search and have some fun. Post links to your favorites inside! Only two links per comment though, or else the blog starts to think you are spam.

A few to tempt your pallet, before I send you out for hours to I Can Has Cheezburger:

And one of my personal favorites:

Have any favorites? Post a link in the comments (two per comment at most)! Or just let me know how awesome or idiotic you think this phenom is.

October 3, 2007

Love Sweet Love

Robyn’s blog from last week (A Perfect Match) got me thinking about the factors that can initiate a relationship and then keep it working. You’re all here because you enjoy reading romance books (hopefully, our romance books!) but I’m not so sure any of us would care to experience our own story arc. Honestly. Who wants to meet Mr. Perfect, but have to overcome his (as well as your own) conflicts in order to make a relationship happen?

I mean, really … I don’t think I’d want to stick with the hunkiest guy on earth if he had huge control issues. Or had an abusive parent. And don’t get me started on the true Alpha male. I’ve known a few and …. yeech! The ones I know have made their wives’ lives miserable. I’ve been around enough to know those issues don’t just go away, in spite of the love of a good woman! And I think most modern women understand that … or maybe some of us are unfortunate enough to have to learn it by experience.

So, what do couples go for at first? Obviously, they have to be physically attractive to each other, and, as Robyn mentioned, they’ll have some shared interests. That’s the beginning of the chemistry between them. But once she learns that he’s got a major problem with jealousy, or he finds out that she lies compulsively … When does good sense or practicality outweigh chemistry?

What was (or would be) a deal-breaker for you? I’m not talking about the obvious ones … What are the characteristics that you’ve learned through experience that you just can’t live with?

(*By the way, the painting above was done by e.e. cummings, the poet. Who knew he was a painter, too?)