Do You Believe In Magick?

Please welcome my critique partner, Ashlyn Chase, today. Finding a writing buddy is a real blessing for a writer. It's hard to overestimate the value of a fresh pair of eyes on your newly formed work. I've been asked if it's important to find someone who writes in the same genre, shares the same outlook you do. I don't think so necessarily. Ash and I have some striking differences. She's a Wiccan and I'm a Christian. She writes funny contemporary paranormal and I write historicals. She's a life-long New Englander and I've bounced around the country from one coast to the other. But we're both passionate about the craft of writing and determined to help each other hone our skills.

Writing is such a solitary occupation. Finding a critique partner means finding a friend who cares enough to tell you the truth. Priceless!

Ok, Ash, my blog is now yours.
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Witch meant “wise woman” to our Pagan ancestors, as it does to me. I cannot think of any more appropriate term. Laurie Cabot (the official witch of Salem, MA) warned, “Do not teach this craft to fools.” I don’t think I hear that quite enough. There is great power, thus great responsibility, at our wand-tips. Those who are governed by knee-jerk reactions or vindictiveness have no business wielding magic as a weapon. For those who fear modern day Wicca, know that the number one fundamental lesson we are taught is “Harm none.”

A craft is something creative. It’s also something we practice. Authors create and practice their craft each time they write a story—Wiccans may draw a magic circle and put an intention out to the universe as part of practicing their craft. Because I wish to be a wise-woman, I never told a certain ex-friend that I was involved with the craft. She had a hair trigger temper and revenge was something she thought was good to get. Right after Hollywood released, “The Craft” she asked me if I knew where she could learn witchcraft. I told her she should probably realize that Hollywood wasn’t real. I went on to mention that Witches today were more like a bunch of earthy, peace-loving hippies. She quickly lost interest.

In my recent release Strange Neighbors, not only do I have a ghost haunting the apartment building, but an array of paranormal characters who live there. Among them are shapeshifters of various types, a vampire, and two witches who are roommates. The elder is teaching her sometimes foolish younger cousin the craft with an emphasis on responsibility. I had great fun with these characters. So much fun in fact that although they show up in each book, the third and final book in the series features the witches prominently.

Having just finished writing that manuscript, I had to say a bittersweet goodbye to these characters. Meanwhile, I’m delighted to share the fruits of my labors with the world. Book 1 Strange Neighbors is available now; Book 2 The Werewolf Upstairs is coming Feb 2011. And I hope to be talking up book 3 The Vampire Next Door at about this time next year. I’m delighted with my adorable book covers, and hope you like them too.

I’ll be signing Strange Neighbors at the New Jersey Romance Writers conference 10/23—just in time for Halloween. If you can’t make it to that but would like a signed bookplate (or 3) just let me know. I’ll be happy to mail them to you, your book club or bookstore customers. You can contact me via my website.
http://www.ashlynchase.com/
Buy it here!

When all-star pitcher and shapeshifter Jason Falco buys a small apartment building, he sees it not only as an investment but as a place to escape the demands of Major league baseball.
That is, until he meets his tenants—a sarcastic unemployed vigilante vampire; a wereraven with a morbid sense of humor; a super friendly salesman werewolf; and two witches with an owl familiar who work as phone sex actresses. Not to mention a ghost haunting the place and an all too human nurse he’d like to get to know better. But with all the hooting, howling and hollering going on, how’s an all American shapeshifter supposed to sweep a girl off her feet?

Thanks for sharing today, Ashlyn. As you all know I don't do reviews, but I will give recommendations. After living with this story since its infancy, I can heartily recommend STRANGE NEIGHBORS. Ash has filled her world (and her hero's brownstone!)with hysterical characters you're going to love.

If you have questions for Ashlyn, be sure to leave a comment. She's giving away a copy of STRANGE NEIGHBORS to one lucky commenter today!

Em Recommends

Today is Release Day for some friends of mine. First, let me tell you about my critique partner Ashlyn Chase's new light-hearted paranormal STRANGE NEIGHBORS. I've been treated to this story almost from the get-go and watched it shift through several permutations to its current hysterical state.

In STRANGE NEIGHBORS, a small town girl moves into a Boston brownstone that's been converted to apartments and every one of the residents in this building are not what they seem--starting with the hunky baseball pitcher landlord! If you enjoy shifters and vampires and witches, oh my! you'll love STRANGE NEIGHBORS. Check out Ashlyn's website for more about the story that's been called the paranormal version of "Friends!"


Then there's my friend and fellow Chatelaine Jennifer Ashley's newest release as Allyson James (See. I'm not the only one with more names than she knows what to do with!) Her novella "Mortal Sensations" in WEDDING FAVORS from Berkley Heat is sure to be a sizzling good way to start your summer.

For more see Allyson's website



Next, here's something from my bedside table, Victoria Alexander's DESIRES OF A PERFECT LADY. You may remember I blogged about meeting this exceptionally talented writer at RT a few weeks ago. I took her book with me to Bermuda and LOVED it!

Her fiesty heroine is a recent merry widow. After a hellacious marriage to a vicious controlling man, she's finally free to pursue her own desires. Or is she? The conditions of his will stipulate she's only to receive a miserly stipend unless she completes his "collections" with rare and valuable artifacts he'd been unable to obtain. So she's off to win her total liberation from the man who would enslave her even from the grave. And while she's on her way, she'll be crossing items off her to-do list. Things like: Swim naked in a warm sea and Bed the Earl of Wyldewood--who happens to be the man she should have married in the first place and is bankrollilng her little expedition. The book is great fun and I highly recommend it. Here's the link to Victoria's website, which was recently redesigned!

Last but not least, there's my own STROKE OF GENIUS. Even though its release day was May 25th, technically, it's a June book in publishing parlance. I'm beginning to hear back from readers who've loved this story and my "HOUSE-like" hero. Damaged men have always held a special appeal for women. We long to put them back together again. My brilliant hero Crispin won't admit to being damaged, but anyone with eyes can see his rudeness and knuckle-dragging alpha moments are masks for a deep hurt.

If you've read STROKE OF GENIUS, I'd love to hear what you thought of it. And here's the link to my website. Be sure to pop over there today because Chapter 6 of my free online novella A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS, will be posted somtime before midnight. (I promise!)

Oh! If you want a signed copy of STROKE OF GENIUS, check out The Book Oasis. They are an independent bookseller who stocks autographed copies of all my books and they'll be happy to ship them to YOU!

Personal Critique Day

I've got the coffee pot on. The kitchen table is cleared. I'm waiting for my criqitue partner Ashlyn Chase to arrive. (While we're waiting you might want to click over to her newly designed website! She's the one in the elf ears. I think the pic must have been taken at last year's Fairy Ball at the Romantic Times Convention.) She writes light-hearted, sexy paranormals for Source Books.

Red Pencil Thursday has been fun here on the blog, but these days with Ashlyn are for me. We brainstorm. We hack away. We generally have fun, even when it means we have to completely redo a scene. Even though I write historicals, we're a good fit. We see different things in each other's work. And if Ash doesn't understand something in mine that I think all historical readers will automatically get, it's a red flag for me to make sure my prose is clear. If I have a "wait-a-minute" moment with her stuff, she knows she needs to give the non-paranormal reader a little more background.

I share this for those of you who are looking for a critique partner. You don't have to stick solely within your narrow sub-genre. Just look for someone who honestly wants to improve their writing--and yours!

Critique~The Gentle Art of Accepting and Giving Writing Advice

First let me say that I have been most fortunate. I have been blessed by my critique partners and groups. Not all worked as well as others though, so I thought I'd put together a little "how to" about some of the things that have worked for me.

1. Where to find a partner or group ~ If you're a romance author, the obvious place to begin your search is your local or online RWA chapter. Ask if there is an established group? If not, ask if anyone is interested in joining you because you're going to start one. If there is no RWA, ask at your local library. They'll know if there are other writers in the area. Ideally, you want to trust your work to someone who at least reads romance. One group I met with in a library had authors from several different genres. While their imput was interesting, it was not always given with romance distinctives in mind.

2. Commit to meeting regularly. I recommend weekly. Everyone can write 10 pages in a week and knowing you need to bring something to critique can light a fire under you. Set a limit on the amount of material you'll bring (unless someone is under a deadline and needs more help in an emergency situation!)Decide on a venue. I personally prefer meeting in homes. It allows for snacks and coffee (and the occasional adult beverage!) But libraries let groups use their conference rooms and I've heard of groups meeting in coffee shops. (I personally wouldn't feel comfortable reading my work aloud in one, but maybe those groups don't read aloud.) If you critique online or over the phone, have a set time blocked out for it.

3. Check your ego at the door. Don't be defensive when someone suggests a change. I've been in groups where the author argued with every suggestion. It was as if he came down the mountain with the words carved in stone. Ridiculous. Everyone's work has room for improvement. Come to critique with a teachable heart.

It's your story. You control what changes you ultimately decide to make. But if you get the same reaction from more than one source, listen carefully. This is your opportunity to improve your work and make it more marketable.

By the same token, don't be upset if someone doesn't make the change you suggest. You're just offering your opinion (unless it's grammatical or spelling, of course.) Don't nag. That's what mothers are for.

4. Read your work out loud. I do this by myself too. When I hear the words, echoes leap out at me. Awkward sentences are hard to read aloud. Sometimes, I fix them as I read them, adding and deleting words as I meant the sentence to be, and don't realize I've deviated from the written version till my critique partner points it out to me. If I have to take a breath to finish the sentence, it's too dang long and I need to break it up. While you're reading, your critique partner should have a copy of the work in front of them which they'll be marking up. Don't worry about what they're marking as you read. They'll tell you when it's time for feedback.

5. Don't rewrite someone else's work to conform to YOUR voice. Your job as a critique partner is to help your friend write the best THEY can. (Yes, your critique partner is your friend or will soon be one. You can't share something as personal as your raw writing without developing a friendship.) Help by pointing out strengths as well as weakness. Everyone's style is their own. Respect it. And respect your friend enough to give your honest, yet tactful, opinion.

Anyone can rip something to shreads. Your job as a critique partner is to give constructive suggestions for making the work better. Avoid qualitative statements. Say "This isn't working for me here" instead of "This stinks."

If you find yourself in a situation where the person you're working with seems intent on only negatives, run, do not walk, away. The world will beat you down enough without subjecting yourself to it willingly. Critique partners need to make a pact to be respectful, honest and constructive. There will be times when we need to say there are flaws in the work that need changing, but that's what critique is for--to improve our work. Not to grind it in the dust.

6. Tone it up. Look for ways to help your partner tighten their prose. Are there too many clauses, adverbs, too much passive sentence structure? How can narrative be reduced to fighting trim and dialogue punched up? Is the pace appropriate? Is there too much description and not enough action? POV problems? Sometimes a writer head-hops without realizing it. Does the scene make sense? Are the motivations clear? My e-critique buddy Darcy Carson always tells me, "I can't smell this scene!" as a reminder that I need to engage all the reader's senses.

7. Learn from the mistakes and triumphs of others. Go to school on your critique partners' work. If someone else uses passive verbs, it's a reminder to me not to repeat the error. If someone brilliantly turns a noun into a verb, or encapsulates character in a neat little bundle, it encourages me to push myself, to try harder with my writing. I learned more about how to write in a few months from my critique group in Seattle than I had in a couple years of flailing away on my own. (I still miss them all soooo much!)

And lastly, be gentle and generous. Your critique partner is trusting you with something very personal, their writing. A manuscript is precious to its creator. Don't bring out the machete on the first week. As you work together, you'll learn how far you can go in your critique. Eventually, you can be as pitiless as you have to in order to help each other.

I shudder when an unpubbed author asks me for a critique. Do I give them the same treatment I'd give Ashlyn Chase, my current critique partner? She and I can whack away at each other's work and be thankful for each stripe. Or do I show them a few fixes they can apply throughout their work that will improve it? I usually opt for the latter because I don't know how much they can take. Writing is a journey and we're all finding our way. I don't want to discourage anyone from continueing along their path.

Try to give more than you receive. If that means your partner gets more pages reviewed than you this week, that's ok. Your time will come. If you give more praise than you receive, roll with it. Get excited about your partner's successes. Yours will come.

The Good Book says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Substitute "writer" for "man" and this verse encapsulates what it means to be part of a critique group. As we help another, we are helped.

If you're willing to have your work critiqued online, I'd like to offer to do one on my blog as an illustration of how I critique. Leave a comment and indicate you'd like to be in the drawing for a two page critique to be posted next week, if you don't mind taking your bath in public. Be sure to leave a way to reach you in case your name is drawn (Machete sheathed, I promise.)

If I don't get any takers, I'll pull out my first manuscript, shoo away the dust bunnies and expose my flaws to the world. And how I'd fix them now.

Maybe I should do that anyway. If you're a reader, you can leave a comment and vote for whether or not you'd like to see me take the machete to my own stuff. ;-)

Finding a Critique Buddy

I'm looking forward to a mega-critique/brainstorming day with my writing buddy, Ashlyn Chase. (This is her upcoming release, STRANGE NEIGHBORS, June 2010) We plan to work together all day and then meet up with our DH's to go out to supper tonight.

Just on the surface, you wouldn't think Ash and I could find much common ground. She's a Wiccan and I'm a Christian. I'm conservative and she's a progressive. She loves betas and I'm all about the alpha. Ashlyn writes wacky, sexy paranormals with shape-shifters, vampires, werewolves and witches, oh my! I write historical romance.

But when we get together, it's all about the writing. We catch each other's boo-boos and lend that all important critical eye. We respect each other enough to offer each other our unvarnished opinion (and enough to not take offense if the other ignores it!)

And I think it's good to surround yourself with people who think differently that you do. You get a fresh bead on things. Writing is such a solitary activity. It's refreshing to share with someone who's also making that long solo journey through a manuscript.

Ashlyn's critiques are a serious help to me. But the best part of finding someone to work with is finding a friend.

If you're a writer, do you have a critique partner/group? Readers, do you enjoy a book more if you're involved with a reading group where you can share what you experience?

PS. It's Chatelaine Friday, my usual day to post on that group blog. Hope you'll pop over to join me there too!www.thechatelaines.blogspot.com

Yule: Yesterday and Today

When I started focusing on Christmas this month, I realized that there are other holidays as well. That's why I invited Erin Eisenberg to blog about Chanukah at the start of that Jewish festival and why today on the Winter Solstice, I've asked my awesome critique partner Ashlyn Chase to share about her holiday--Yule.


Ashlyn has a new title coming out next June (same month as my Stroke of Genius). It's a hilarious contemporary paranormal called Strange Neighbors. But today, she's sharing about Yule, so take it away, Ash!

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From Ashlyn Chase . . . The Wiccan religion (yes, it’s a religion) celebrates Yule on the day and evening of the Winter Solstice. This year, that day is Dec. 21st. It’s a minor holiday among Pagans and bares a few similarities to the way Judeo/Christian holidays are celebrated at this time of year. Even Kwanza, which began in 1966 and honors African heritage celebrates with many of the same traditions.

Light: Wiccans light a Yule log in the fireplace or outdoors. It’s often decorated with evergreens and gives off a wonderful aroma. Originally, it was meant to help the Goddess through her time of confinement until she gave birth to the sun in spring and ended the long, harsh winter. Today, if burning a log is impossible, lots of candles are lit around the home.

Fellowship: The village gathered around the Yule log and danced. Long ago, people were connected to nature and recognized life as a constant cycle of endings and beginnings. They bid farewell to the past and embraced with joy that which was to come.

Food: Sharing a feast was a common part of the yuletide celebration in the past as it is today. Whatever special game was brought back by the village’s hunters was prepared along with lavish garnishes and shared in a communal way.

Ritual: It’s hard to say what type of ritual took place centuries ago. Today a pagan family will draw from what has been passed down through the ages, gathering around their altar to honor the Goddess. If solitary, they’ll celebrate with the God and Goddess plus any minor deities they invite to attend in a ritual circle.

Gifts: Historically, no gifts were exchanged as far as I know. Today I give my pagan friends a little something like a special candle or a handmade decoration, but gift giving is no where near the commercialized craziness of Christmas.

Did you know the Christians elected to celebrate Christmas at this time of year, specifically to replace the pagan holiday? People are reluctant to give up their beloved traditions and in order to convert as many pagans to Christianity as possible, new holidays were invented to replace the old. Thus, Dec. 25th became the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. He was actually born in the spring according to astronomers.

The most important pagan holiday is Oct. 31st, called Samhain. This became Halloween and took on a very different set of traditions. For Wiccans, it’s a solemn holiday meant to honor one’s ancestors. But Yule celebrates rebirth and hope. Community and gladness. Nature and the cycle of life.

Have a cool Yule!

How Authors Help

Even though I'm blogging at Love is an Exploding Cigar today for the 2nd day of the 12 Days of A CHRISTMAS BALL blog tour, I wanted to continue offering my readers interesting things here at my blog as well.

Please welcome Ashlyn Chase! She's the president of the New England Chapter of RWA (and my critique partner!). She's talking about how authors give back. Take it away, Ash!

Romance authors are some of the most generous people on the planet. Not only do they offer their knowledge, time and even money to fellow authors, but they reach beyond their own local friends and help people they’ve never met.

Brenda Novak is one notable example. She started an auction to benefit Diabetes research—a cause close to her heart. This little auction has taken off over the last few years and is now a huge event. Everyone in the industry offers whatever gifts they have that others might want to bid on. An agent might offer a critique. Even a busy editor might offer to read the first chapter or two. And authors donate all kinds of things! Baskets filled with bath goodies, gift bags filled with books, percentages of their royalties, and even their writing talent when asked.

I’m one of eleven authors participating in a fundraiser to help a family who lost their nineteen year-old daughter in a fire. The hospital bills for two weeks in the ICU and then a funeral were astronomical. My story is called Giggles by Gabby, release date 9/15. That’s today! It’s in the Lara series. http://www.jasminejade.com/s-282-lara.aspx Please check out all the books in this fundraising project!

I also just sent off a check to the National Arbor Day Foundation, which I do on a regular basis from my print book royalties. They use the money to plant trees in areas that need reforestation, as well as to educate our young people about the importance of trees to our planet. They clean the air, help stabilize the earth, and are important in building and, of course, paper.

Events like romance conventions or conferences share profits from their huge book signings with the foundations for literacy. Since 1991, RWA (Romance Writers of America) has donated more than $600,000 to literacy charities. The authors receive no royalties for these donated books.

Most of the time, the beneficiaries will never know who they are. But that’s not why romance authors give. Most of us are very fortunate. I consider myself lucky to be able to spend my spare time doing what I love. I’m certain many authors feel the same way.

And just because I must also pay the bills, here’s the info about my next release which will earn royalties. My novella Oh My God is a modern day erotic comedy about the Greek God Dionysus in New Orleans. http://www.total-e-bound.com/ It will be released 9/28/09. This story is a rewritten and expanded version of one that was nominated for a CAPA (Cupid and Psyche Award, a reviewer’s choice contest) and in this incarnation it was published in an anthology and was nominated for an Eppie. On 9/28 it will be available as an individual download from my British publisher.

For a look at all of my available books, visit my website: www.ashlynchase.com
Please support the arts! Without you buying our books, we couldn’t afford to write them.

Thanks for stopping by today, Ashlyn. (We're good to go for critique next Tuesday, right?)

It's not exactly a charity, but Alissa Johnson and I are giving away one of our backlist to someone who leaves a comment at Love is an Exploding Cigar today. So please let us know you visited us there.

Of course, I love to hear from you here too! Please share the causes you like to support with your time, talent or money.