Friday Odds and Ends

Even though I was gone for a while visiting my family, I discovered I was also still out and about on the web. Barbara Vey of Publishers Weekly gave STROKE OF GENIUS a delightful push on her blog Beyond Her Book . If you haven't bookmarked this blog, I encourage you to do so. Barb always has something fresh to share. Here are some highlights from the blog:

"Emily Bryan does it again. Stroke of Genius sparkles and crackles with whip sharp dialog and characters to cheer for. Historicals have never been such fun."

RomCon begins today in Denver. I sincerely wish I could make this conference, but I'm 10 pages behind in my current WIP and can't spare the time away. My novella in A CHRISTMAS BALL, My Lady Below Stairs is up for their prestigious Reader's Crown Award. Just being nominated is an incredible honor, especially since the rest of the field in my category includes talent like Jade Lee, Erin McCarthy, Sophia Nash and Courtney Milan.

I was blogging at the RomCon site yesterday and will be giving away a signed copy of STROKE OF GENIUS to a commenter. I'm not sure when the site will close the contest, so please pop over right away and let me know you were there.

I'd like to wish you all a belated Happy 4th of July. It's my dad's birthday and we had a grand time celebrating it with him. This snarky little pic is my oldest daughter, making fun of the fact that I used to make her and her her sister wear oven mitts to do sparklers when they were little. You may laugh, but I got them both to majority with all their fingers intact!

Hope you're having a wonderful summer filled with "take me away" beach reads. I'm just starting Sabrina Jeffries' THE TRUTH ABOUT LORD STONEVILLE.

What's on your bedside table?

The Joy of Being Properly Tied Up!

Now, now, this is a PG-13 blog. Despite the title of this post, it's not about what you think. It's about Regency men's fashions--most specifically the blazingly white cravat favored by all young bucks during the time when STROKE OF GENIUS is set. Just as Beau Brummel changed the shape of men's fashion for all time, cravats were the precursers of the modern necktie. But cravats were tied in more unique configurations than an origami master can imagine to fold a square of paper.


How a man chose to tie his cravat revealed a good deal about his taste and sense of self. (And, one might argue, the nimbleness of his valet's fingers!)

In case you are unable to read names of the styles pictured here they are, left to right-
Top row - Oriental, Mathematical, Osbaldston
Second row - Napolean, American, Mailcoach
Third row - Trone d'amour, Irish, Ballroom
Fourth Row - Horse collar, Hunting, Maharata
Botttom Row - Gordion knot, Barrel knot

Cravats were always of white linen, and heavily starched to hold their shape (part of what made the cravat such an effective weapon for my heroine in A CHRISTMAS BALL, when she ripped the scratchy, stiff cloth off my hero's neck!). Later, the flowing "Waterfall" style was popularized by the poet Byron and less starch was required. When Beau Brummell, the arbiter of Regency sartorial splendor, fled to France (after alienating the Prince Regent with his infamous "Who's your fat friend?" remark) other colors besides white were introduced.

So what was the appeal of the cravat?

As with all fashion, the point is to be more attractive to the opposite sex. IMO, the lure of the elegantly tied cravat is in imagining how much fun it would be to untie it!

What do you think? Sometimes fashion goes to ridiculous lengths. What male fashion, past or present, do you think crosses the line into obsession or just plain weirdness?

Help! My Hero's Taken Over My Blog!

I often have guests on my blog and I would have invited him if I'd known he wanted to speak to you all, but today someone has brashly forced his way in to my Blogger account and simply taken over. Good thing it's just Crispin Hawke—the sexy, brilliant, outrageously handsome hero of my newest release, STROKE OF GENIUS! (Otherwise, I might have called the blog police!)

Crispin: I'm gratified by those accolades from my author. When she gets it right, there's no need to correct her! But really--"just Crispin Hawke?" That won't do, you know.

Emily: Did I also mention he’s not afflicted with false modesty? Very well, Crispin. As long as you're here, you can share some of the things you taught the heroine in Stroke of Genius.

Crispin: Exactly my plan. How well you know me, Emily dear. I like to call these precepts "5 Rules to Rule the Ton." Follow these edicts and you will reign above Society’s dictates and become a law unto yourself.

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1. The one who cares the least wins. There is nothing so attractive to the ton as indifference. If one doesn’t seem to need their approval, one becomes instantly fascinating.

2. Boldness works. It’s not enough to follow fashion. One must lead. Grace’s unique beauty isn’t enhanced by the ordinary. Her wardrobe has to be as unusual as she.

3. Speak your mind. There’s plenty of interest swirling in Grace’s head. She only has to release the words from her mouth. (Unfortunately I’ve been unable to discover how to stop the flow once it begins!)

4. Accept your sensual nature. We are more than our houses of flesh, but there’s no point in denying the pleasures of the body. It’s possible to soar with artistic genius, achieve the pinnacle of human creativity and yet excel equally in an experience that’s . . . primal. I highly recommend it. Grace has an aptitude for matters physical to match my own and the line between teacher and student becomes blurred at times. Or even reversed.

5. Whatever else happens, one must never ever fall in love. Love is most inconvenient. It interrupts one’s schedule. It disturbs one’s sleep. It overthrows one’s life. And it completely undoes Rule 1. Love makes it impossible to care the least. Which is why love comes with the risk of loss. And reward unspeakable.

And unfortunately even geniuses are sometimes taken by surprise by it.
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Emily: Thank you, Crispin. If any of you have questions for my hero, I think I can coax him into dropping by with some answers.

STROKE OF GENIUS features an Almack come out, a close call in Vauxhall, a romping good time at a country house party and more naughty escapades than can be shared on a PG-13 blog. For more of Grace and Crispin’s adventures, look for STROKE OF GENIUS at a store near you.

Visit http://www.emilybryan.com to take the STROKE OF GENIUS QUIZ. What kind of genius are YOU?

Publishers Weekly ~ Beyond her Book

This week I got an email from Barbara Vey, the Publishers Weekly blogger, letting me know that she's featuring STROKE OF GENIUS on Beyond Her Book today. Here's the link: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/

She hadn't published her Friday post when I checked at 7 AM EST, so I don't know what she said about my book. I feel a little trepidacious posting the link without knowing if she thought the book was good or not. It's a bit like letting the world take a peek at my mid-term grades before I know if I passed the class.

But I enjoy Beyond Her Book so much, I'm glad to urge you to check out the blog anyway. Barbara logs tons of miles each year attending book, movie, comic book conferences. She weighs in on TV and movies as well and gives her unique take on things. She's had lovely things to say about my books in the past, so my fingers are crossed for this time.

Have you ever been waiting for word on something and wondered what would happen? Did things turn out as you hoped?

11:43AM EST--Well, I must have gotten my signals crossed because her blog today isn't featuring any books. In fact, it's not even Barbara Vey's post. It's a very informative look at the recent Book Blogger Convention by none other than Andrew Shaffer--the aspiring writer who got roped into the Mr. Romance Contest at RT this year. You all know Andrew. He's been a guest on my blog before, so be sure to pop over and see what he has to say!

TGIF New Release~Victoria Gray's Destiny

Please welcome Victoria Gray today. She's sharing her new release with us--DESTINY. It's a Civil War era romance and I know there are some frustrated fans of that setting out there, so here's your chance. Take it away Victoria!
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Blurb:Emma Davenport was going to be a bride, and no one was going to stop her, not even an outlaw. Bound for a forbidden marriage to her father’s sworn enemy, Emma’s scheme shatters when she is abducted and spirited away to a remote hideout. Any proper young woman would be frightened out of her wits, but she challenges her daring, seductive captor at every turn.

Major Jack Travis was used to the battlefield, not stealing spoiled, sheltered women from trains, but the by-the-book officer never doubted his ability to carry out orders until he laid eyes on Emma. His captive is intelligent, headstrong, beautiful – and forbidden. He risks his neck to protect her. But how can he protect her from himself?

Book Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/user/VictoriaGrayRomance

Website Excerpt: http://www.victoriagrayromance.com/Writings.html

About Destiny :Thanks to Emily for inviting me to her blog to discuss my new release. Destiny is a Civil War-era historical that blends romance with adventure. Emma Davenport, the sheltered daughter of a powerful Northern senator, runs away to marry Christopher Staton, a charismatic businessman – a traitor with his own ruthless reasons for wanting Emma as his bride. Traveling to her rendezvous with Staton, she’s abducted by a daring train robber who harbors a bitter grudge against the man she plans to marry. Unknown to Emma, Jack Travis isn’t what he seems – he’s a cavalry officer tasked with keeping Emma out of Staton’s clutches. Driven by duty and a deep-seated hatred of Staton, Jack risks his life to protect Emma, even as he falls in love with his spirited, challenging captive. She’s forbidden to him, but sometimes, even a man on a mission has to follow his heart.

About the hero and heroine:
Jack Travis is an alpha-male with a heart. A respected, by-the-book soldier, he’s put his life on the line on the battlefield and courageously accomplished the most challenging missions. When he’s tasked with keeping Emma out of Staton’s clutches, he resents being pulled from battle to serve as a bodyguard – but he’s driven to take on the mission by his hatred of Christopher Staton and his first-hand knowledge of the man’s treachery. Isolated with Emma at his remote hideaway, he’s drawn to her spirit as well as her beauty. She’s the woman he’s always wanted – but she’s forbidden to him – until he decides to risk everything to capture her heart.

Emma Davenport is no damsel-in-distress. She’s led a sheltered existence and craves a life away from her father’s stifling influence, but she’s nothing like the mousy wallflower Jack expects. Emma surprises Jack at every turn with her intelligence, spirit, and courage. Drawn to her captor, she’s conflicted by the attraction to a man she shouldn’t love – but her heart can’t resist.

What’s next for me?
Destiny’s sequel, Angel in My Arms, will be released by The Wild Rose Press later this year. The story of a Union spy ring running out of Richmond in 1864, the book’s hero, Steve Dunham, was introduced as Jack’s partner in Destiny. In addition, I’ve begun a third book in the series, centering on the tumultuous events surrounding the fall of Richmond in 1865. I’ve also completed a romantic suspense set in 1896 Manhattan and am plotting a trio of Victorian-era historical.

Buy Links for the book:E-book : http://www.thewildrosepress.com/destiny-p-4018.html
Print : http://www.thewildrosepress.com/destiny-p-4018.html

Bio:


Victoria Gray wrote her first story soon after she started elementary school. When she was in the third grade, her mother bought her a Smith Corona manual typewriter. She was officially a writer!

A trained librarian, Victoria uses her research skills to explore other eras in time. Her interest in research is a perfect fit with her work as a writer of historical romance.

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Thanks for visiting today, Victoria. That 1896 Manhattan romantic suspense sounds interesting. Be sure to come back when that one sells!

It's only been a little over a week since my newest release hit the bookstore shelves. RT BookReviews calls STROKE OF GENIUS "Wickedly enjoyable!"



So go out there an enjoy your weekend! What are you reading now?

I'm blogging in a couple places today. Please grab your second cup and visit me at Over Coffee where I'm Desperately Seeking Writing Space. Then I'll be at The Chatelaines, solving the problem of Aliteracy.

Chapter 6 of A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS!

The sixth chapter of my online novella is on my website now. When I began this little story, my goal was to provide a free read, to give something back to my readers as a thank you. Turns out, my readers have been faithfully giving to me. So many have been participating in the creation of this story. I didn't have a plot determined from the beginning. I wasn't sure where A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS was headed. But readers have been giving me advice about plot points each month, so it's been a fun experiment.

So when you have five minutes, pop over and read the latest installment. Be sure to vote for how you think the story should continue. I really love receiving "write-in" votes. Some of the plot suggestions have been very detailed and extend far beyond the next chapter. I have the most creative readers on the planet!

When you cast your vote, you'll be entered in the drawing for a signed copy of A CHRISTMAS BALL. My novella in this anthology, My Lady Below Stairs, is a finalist for the Reader's Crown Award! Plus, I'm throwing in a whole box of books I picked up at RT--a summer's worth of reading. The drawing will be held on July 6th! Please tell your reading friends about this contest. The novella is at the half-way point so there's plenty of time for more fun and the love of reading is a wonderful thing to share with a friend. (And if your friend wins the box of books you know she'll share right back!)



If you're looking for a finished story, I just have to remind you my latest offering should be in bookstores now! RT BookReviews calls STROKE OF GENIUS "Wickedly enjoyable!"

I'm reading Jacqueline Frank's Jacob now. What's on your TBR list this summer?

Tormented Hearts by Loreen Augeri

As you all know, I like to spotlight other authors on my blog. Today is release day for one of my New England RWA chaptermates. Please welcome Loreen Augeri!

And here's the cover blurb for her Tormented Hearts:

The world of Brett Armstrong, the Earl of Tremont, collapses when his wife and unborn child die. Determined to punish himself for the part he played in their demise, he turns his back on society and retreats to the country. Hard, physical labor during the day and mind-numbing gin at night help to keep at bay the demons that threaten to devour him. Until Catherine Hammond creeps into his world. Not wishing to resurrect his dormant emotions and the resulting pain, Brett struggles against the sensuality she exudes and battles to defeat his rising desire.

Abused by her aristocratic husband, commoner Catherine Hammond flees from his cruelty. Her hope is to hide and create a new life. She vows to never again associate with the upper classes that have heaped unbearable pain upon her family. Escaping without funds, Catherine is forced to work as a servant in the Earl of Tremont's household. His tantalizing, amorous advances ignite a fire within the cold regions of her heart, but she refuses to fall in love with a man who may destroy her.

Emily: Tell us about TORMENTED HEARTS.

Loreen: First, I want to thank Emily for having me on her blog to talk about my book. Tormented Hearts is a Regency-set historical romance about an earl devastated by his wife’s death and the part he played in it and a commoner fleeing from her abusive, aristocratic husband. Both want to be left alone to deal with life as best they can, but circumstances and the earl’s scheming brother constantly throw them together. While battling a fierce thunderstorm, befriending a wild dog, escaping into the forest, and fighting against the passion that consumes them, they heal each other’s tormented heart.

Emily: What will we love about your hero?

Loreen: Brett Armstrong is a man tortured by the demons of his past. When I read about a suffering hero, I feel his pain and want to reach out to him. I long for the heroine to make him whole again. I hope the reader will experience the same feelings. Also, even though Brett pushes Catherine away, he is always kind to her and helps her in any way he can. And of course because he is the hero, he is handsome and has rippling muscles.

Emily: What inspired you to write this story?

Loreen: I had an image of a woman fleeing through the forest. Most of my ideas come from an image I see in my mind and then I expand from there. I give the hero and heroine a goal, a reason why they want to achieve that goal, and then a conflict that prevents them from getting what they desire.

Emily: What’s next for you?

Loreen: I have a story I have almost finished editing, another that I am in the middle of editing, and an idea for a story that I will start as soon as I have completed the other two.

Emily: Sounds like you'll be a busy girl. Thanks for sharing your story with us!

Here are the buy links for Tormented Hearts from Wild Rose Press:
Print version
Ebook

About the Author:
Loreen Augeri lives in Massachusetts with her husband of twenty-nine years and her two daughters. She is a member of RWA and the New England Chapter. When she is not writing or working in the town library, she enjoys reading, walking, and spending time at the beach. You can visit Loreen at http://www.loreenaugeri.com/.





And of course, STROKE OF GENIUS is hot off the presses too. It's available at B&N, Borders and fine bookstores everywhere! Or Online.

Have you taken the STROKE OF GENIUS QUIZ yet? What kind of Genius are YOU?

Next week is going to be a busy one here. On Monday, Andrew Shaffer, the aspiring writer who was drafted into the Mr. Romance Contest at RT, will be my guest blogger! I'll be featuring some more of my writing friends' great releases on June 1st. There'll be another installment of My Husband Married a Hooker and of course, a new victim--er, volunteer for Red Pencil Thursday.

Have a great weekend and be sure to pick up a new beach read! It's almost that time.

PS. Lorreen is offering an ebook of TORMENTED HEARTS to one lucky commenter, so be sure to let us know you were here!

My Husband Married a Hooker, Part 3

We've talked about hooking readers with your title. We've covered the importance of hooking with your first line. Today, we're going to talk about the hooks that turn a good read into a page-turner--the hook at the end of the chapter.

Mary Higgins Clark made a fortune writing short spare chapters and ending each one with a hard hook. Her books are called fast reads because no one can put them down. A hook is a tantalizing bit of information that compels the reader to keep going. The best compliment my editor ever gave me was sharing that she always had to stop mid chapter when she was editing my work because if she got to the end of the chapter, she’d have to go on.

Here are a few types of "end of chapter" hooks:

Bridging hook- In this hook, you bridge from one chapter to the next by picking up shortly after you left off. I'm sorry I don't know what book this example is from, but I read it once and thought it was delicious. A couple is fighting at the end of the chapter about whether or not to keep a stray dog. Finally, the guy says, "Ok, he can stay tonight, but he's not sleeping on the foot of our bed."

The next chapter opens with: "The dog snored all night."

It makes me smile every time I think of it. In only a few words, you learn a lot about the relationship and you certainly learn who really had the last word in that argument!

Danger, Will Robinson—Ending chapters with physical peril may be a cheap trick, but it works almost every time it’s tried. I heard Jessica Andersen reading an excerpt from her award winning Nightkeeper series at a book signing once. She very cleverly read a chapter that ended with the character's car careening out of control and plunging off a cliff. Well, you have to buy the book and keep reading then, don't you?

If you have a fight scene or a dangerous situation, use it to pull your reader forward. Save the resolution for the next chapter, not the end of this one.

L’amour—The same principle for a fight scene works for a love scene. End the chapter with a kiss of promise and your reader will keep turning pages. Don’t end with the cigarette moment or worse, having the loving couple fall asleep. Something else needs to happen to keep the momentum of the story going or the reader will turn out the light and wake up her husband!

Make it matter—Anything that raises the stakes is a hook. If the bank is about to foreclose, the sheriff shows up on the doorstep at the end of the chapter with the notice. This is especially important at the end of the crucial third chapter.

Why the third chapter? Because when an editor or agent asks for a partial, they want the first three chapters and synopsis. Hit them with a hard hook at the end of 3 and they'll have to ask for the full manuscript.

Setting end of chapter hooks is the best way to write a compulsive read. Who really needs 8 hours of sleep anyway?

Here's an example of an end of chapter hook from my new release STROKE OF GENIUS. In this scene, Crispin Hawke shooes Grace Makepeace, whom he's just met, away from the sketch he keeps covered in his studio--the one of the woman who's been plaguing his dreams for months:

Anyone viewing the sketch would never believe Miss Grace Makepeace hadn’t sat for it personally.

And in splendid nakedness.

Now it's your turn. If you're a writer, do you have a favorite end of chapter hook from your WIP? Readers, what end of chapter hooks kept you up late?

PS. I'm also blogging at Seductive Musings and at Tracy Madison's Blog today. Giveaways at both places, of course! Please pop over and say hi!

On the Shelves!

Etirv, one of our regular commenters here, sent me this picture from her Barnes and Noble in Hawaii! Thanks so much for the pic. I'm delighted to see that STROKE OF GENIUS has made it to paradise.

But Stroke of Genius isn't the only new book on the shelves. Here are a few other great new stories from some friends of mine.



Christie Craig's Shut Up and Kiss me is a guaranteed laugh riot. Christie always makes me smile. If you haven't tried her, now's your chance.










Isn't this the most beautiful cover? Cindy Holby's new medieval Breath of Heaven is sure to leave you breathless.










Remember the American Title Winner, Marie-Claude Bourque? She was featured here on my blog a couple times and now paranormal fans will thrill to her debut title Ancient Whispers.







And of course, there's my STROKE OF GENIUS. So far the reviews have been good. Here's a sampling:

"This amusing historical romance is a classic gender war tale of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Fans will enjoy the love between the Charles and the Thames as Grace proves Crispin the genius is a dope when it comes to love." ~ Genre-Go-Round Reviews

"Wickedly enjoyable!" ~ RT BOOKReviews

But the most important reviews are the ones from my readers. If you read Stroke of Genius, please post a review on Amazon or B & N or wherever you hang online. Positive or negative, I always love to hear from readers. And if you enjoyed STROKE OF GENIUS, please tell your friends.

Thanks so much and happy reading!

Well, we know STROKE OF GENIUS is in Hawaii. Where have you seen it?

Home Again

Just got back from the beautiful island of Bermuda. It was glorious. This shot was taken from inside the Commissioner's House at Dockyard (a Victorian era British fort).

Now I'm 5 pages behind on my writing schedule and waist deep in laundry, but it's all good. I promise to tell you all about it next week. My dryer just buzzed at me so it's time to fold again.

Lots of things happening next week--blog guests, another installment of My Husband Married a Hooker, a new Red Pencil Thursday featuring a new WIP from Saranna DeWylde, and oh yeah, STROKE OF GENIUS will be released on May 25th!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Mr. Romance & PW's Barbara Vey

This is a picture of me and Barbara Vey, the blogger par excellence from Publishers Weekly with the Mr. Romance Contestants. If you've never tried Barbara's blog, BEYOND HER BOOK, I urge you to pop by.

Barb is a treasure trove of Everything Romance! Her site features recommended reads, industry news, and she practically lives out of a suitcase year round, traveling to conference after conference. Plus she's one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet.

Every year at RT, Dorchester sponsors the Mr. Romance Contest. This year, we had fewer entrants and there was even one draftee. That's him in the suit. His name is Andrew and he was one of the Aspiring Writers in the classes I taught on Monday and Tuesday, pre-conference. Bless his heart, he learned the dance moves for the Mr. Romance Show on Saturday and spent the week posing for pics with conference attendees to benefit the SaveOurSoldiers charity for Wounded Warriors. If there isn't a book in his experience as a cover model hopeful, I wash my hands of him!

This is Charles Paz, last year's Mr. Romance, with the 2010 Mr. Romance Jamie Ungaro. They are both genuinely good guys.

I was drafted at the last minute for the Mr. Romance Show. After the guys did their dance, walked the catwalk and flexed their muscles, they each escorted an author out on stage and had to answer our questions.

My contestant, Franco D'Angelo, was so well prepared. He presented me with a rose, chocolate truffles, a little bottle of champagne and had a very touching answer to my question. (Don't worry. My DH is in no danger of being dethroned as the True King of Romance!) But when I asked Franco what ignited a passion in him, he said, "My kids." Awwwww. Good answer.



You'll probably recognize Charles Paz from the cover of Connie Mason's LORD OF DEVIL ISLE. Since Connie wasn't at RT, Charles signed copies of her book at the massive book fair and he sold out! He makes a wonderful Captain Nicholas Scott, the swashbuckling Lord of Devil Isle himself. (If you haven't read this sexy, adventurous tale, I highly recommend it! Buy Here!)

As part of his prize for winnng the title, Jamie Ungaro, the new Mr. Romance, will be featured on a Dorchester cover soon. Hmmm . . . my next Leisure Book will be HAPPILY EVER HIGHLANDER (under my new Mia Marlowe pen name).

Side Note to my editor Leah Hultenschmidt: In case you happen to be lurking, Leah, what do you think? Wouldn't Jamie Ungaro look amazing in a kilt?


Since we're on the subject of covers, here's your chance to voice an opinion. What sort of cover moves you to pick up a book? A good looking guy? A clinch? A headless heroine in a gorgeous gown? A garden blooming in wild profusion like my STROKE OF GENIUS cover? (Sorry. Just had to get that one in!)

My Husband Married a Hooker! Part 1

“I couldn’t put it down!”

This is the accolade every writer longs to hear. And the best way to earn this ultimate compliment is by peppering your prose with hooks.

The dictionary describes a hook as a stratagem for snaring someone and writers need to snare their readers hard, fast and securely if they want to keep them turning pages. If a writer sprinkles her prose with hooks, she creates a path for her readers to follow through the narrative. In my workshop, My Husband Married a Hooker, I share tricks to help writers hook their readers using their title, their opening line, chapter breaks, embedded hooks and even the final sentence.

And hopefully hook their readers into searching out their backlists!

Here's the Reader's Digest version of the first part of that workshop:

Hooking with your title ~ Make ‘em pick up the book! The title is your foot in the door. It’s the first chance for you to show the reader what kind of story they’re going to get. CL Wilson’s Lord of the Fading Lands isn’t likely to be mistaken for a contemporary comedy. Why? The title is too reminiscent of Tolkein. This is one place where it’s ok to be like something else. You want to call an image to the reader’s mind that will tell them where your book falls in the grand scheme of literature.

Authors sometimes have no say on the final title, but make up a good one anyway. It's your first chance to hook your editor. I sold STROKE OF GENIUS on the strength of the title and a paragraph.

Why is it a good title? My editor loved the play on words. There's a hint of a naughty double entendre in the word stroke. It lets my reader know they're in for a sensual romp. And it gives a clue about my hero--the artistic genius.

Here are some good title tricks:

Something familiar—Take something your readers will recognize and give it a twist.
Play on movie titles: Karen Hawkins' Sleepless in Scotland.
Play on TV: Elizabeth Boyle’s How I Met My Countess.
Song Lyrics: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Ain’t She Sweet? (And of course, her heroine isn't!)
Old sayings: Mary Balogh's First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Seduction, And Last Comes Love. She's taken the old saw "First comes love" and given it a shake-up. Isn't that brilliant for a set of connected stories?

Series titles—Set up a recurring theme.
One for the Money by Janet Evanovitch. She has an unlimited supply of numbers for subsequent books.
A is for Alibi by Susan Grafton. Same principle, but only 26 available titles. Darn.
The Serpent Prince, the Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt. By repeating Prince in each title, she's given readers a clue that they are related stories. And if they enjoyed one, they'll want the next.

Alliteration—People respond to patterns. We crave it. Christie Craig’s Divorced, Desperate and Dating plays to our need for pattern beautifully. So does Mary Janice Davidson's Undead and Unpopular. I used this trick for my Distracting the Duchess, Pleasuring the Pirate and Vexing the Viscount.

There are plenty of good ways to develop a hooking title. Just remember, the goal is to surprise and delight your readers into picking up the book. Next Wednesday, I'll talk about how to hook your readers with the first sentence.

And even though I don't have my author copies of STROKE OF GENIUS yet, I'd like to give away one to someone who leaves a comment or question here today. When I get back from RT in Ohio, I'll have my DH pick the random winner, so be sure to let me know you were here.

Here's the discussion question:
What's the best title you've ever seen and why do you think it's a good one? If you're a writer, it's ok to use one of your own if you like! Just be prepared to share why it fits your story.

Art imitates Life. . . sort of

When I was a kid, I used to doodle this scruffy little black dog in the margins of my papers. I don't know where she came from. We never had small dogs when I was growing up, though a few Labs and a German shepherd crossed my path. But once this little black dog flowed out my pen, she kept popping up, decorating my notebooks and class notes with her melancholy face.

Fastforward many years. I'm grown with a DH and kids of my own. My parents have just lost a dog. I thought I could ease their sorrow by picking up a new one at the pound and housetraining it for them. (I'm a firm believer in rescued pets.)

"Yes," the lady at the shelter said. "We have one small dog, but she's been pining so I don't know if she's adoptable. We may have to put her down."

When I came into view of her cage, the little dog that had been unresponsive leaped up and pawed the air like a stallion. The dog seemed to know me and the shelter worker was astonished. "I've never seen her act like that," she said.

"It's my little black dog!" I said disbelievingly, remembering my doodles of her. The resemblance was as uncanny as her immediate joyful response to me. "I have to take her."

Susie and I formed an instant bond and needless to say, she did not go live with my parents. Instead, she became my almost constant companion. She was always ready to go wherever I went. Susie logged so many miles flying under the seat in front of me I wished I could get her a frequent flyer number.

I never forgot that sense of immediate connection when I first saw her. I knew her. I'd been drawing her for years.

So, since nothing is ever wasted on a writer, I decided to use that experience in STROKE OF GENIUS. My hero Crispin has been plagued by a recurring dream of a woman he's never met, so to exorcise this 'ghost' he sketches a nude portrait of her. Imagine his surprise when he meets her in the flesh. If you'd like to try an excerpt, click here.

Have you ever had a sense of instant recognition for someone whom you haven't met before?

World Building ~ It's not just for Fantasy Writers Anymore!

Last Saturday, my fam and I went to the Museum of Science to see the Harry Potter exhibit. Props, costumes, sets and music from the movies swept us into JK Rowling's richly imagined world.

Every author engages in world building, whether you write fantasy, paranormal, historical or contemporary. Yep, even contemporary. Not everyone lives in a huge urban setting. Some people have never walked a small town square. Part of the writer's job is to paint such a vivid picture of that small town, readers can smell the geraniums in the pots outside the victorian courthouse. Every book is a world--a special place where the reader's imagination fills in the details based on a few specifics suggested by the author.

So do we build our fictional world with dumps of description? Not if we want anyone to come with us to our world. We start by dropping in some specific details. Here's a sentence from the first couple paragraphs from Maidensong, my debut Diana Groe book:

Flickering light from the central meal fire kissed the newborn and danced across the smoke-blackened beams of the longhouse.

The world of Maidensong is lit only by fire. I've given my readers a whiff of a smoky longhouse. In a few more sentences, the midwife wraps the baby in a catskin blanket and my reader knows she's not in Kansas any more. Or Regency England. The world of this story is older, darker and more dangerous.

Setting (topography, level of technology, etc.) isn't the only part of worldbuilding. The reader needs to know what's normal in our fictional world. If everyone else is able to fly, an earth-bound heroine is unique. Is she pitied or revered? Every world has its own rules, and the characters defy them at their peril.

A fictional world needs a history. After all, our characters and their progenitors have been living in that world since its creation. What are the values of our world? The religion(s)? The historic feuds and grudges? (Every author can use a little extra conflict. Why not build it into the fabric of our world?)

As writers, we need to know far more details than we share. I confess to having drawn up floorplans for my hero Crispin Hawke's unique home (Stroke of Genius). Some writers design their character's closets and know to the last ribbon what outfits their heroine has to choose from each day. My oldest daughter is writing a fantasy and has drawn some pictures of some really cool, very ornate weapons. Many writers sketch maps.

Do whatever you need to to do in order to be able project your world so deeply into your psyche, it will flow naturally out your fingers in vivid slices of life.

There are so many elements involved in world building, I've just dabbled my toes in this particular ocean. What helps you feel established in a special world of a story? If you're a writer, what sort of things do you concentrate on when you create your fictional world?

Only 7 Stories . . .

Depending on who you talk to, there are supposedly only 7, or 20, or some other arbitrary number of basic stories in the world. (Sort of a secular version of Solomon's lament "There is nothing new under the sun.") What they mean is there are only a few foundational themes and all stories are variations of these seminal ideas.

There are Revenge stories--Moby Dick and The Count of Monte Cristo fall into this category. Quest stories--Lord of the Rings, and basically all fantasy literature falls into this column. There are Buddy stories, Coming of Age stories, Child in Jeopardy stories, Redemption stories and of course, Love stories.

The underlying themes are the same within each category. What makes it interesting, we hope, is the author's execution of the theme.

For STROKE OF GENIUS, I drew on my passion for mythology for inspiration, specifically the Pygmalion myth. Pygmalion was an incredibly gifted sculptor who fell in love with one of his creations--an ivory form of a woman whom he named Galatea. Problem--As lovely as ivory is, it's no match for flesh and blood. So Pygmalion went to Aphrodite and begged for her help. The goddess of love was in a giving mood and turned the statue into a real live woman. Pygmalion and Galatea got their Happily Ever After handed to them on an Olympic sized platter. The end.

As you can see there are several problems with adapting this story for a romance. For one thing, there's not nearly enough conflict. Pygmalion's problem is solved by a third party instead of through his own efforts. Not terribly heroic. And what about Galatea? She's pretty much a cipher who does what's expected of her, whether she's in ivory or skin and bones.

So I made my Pygmalion (aka Crispin Hawke) an arrogant SOB, brilliant but with a chip on his shoulder. He delights in messing with people's heads. He's not looking for love. It blindsides him.

And my Galatea (Grace Makepeace) is a Bostonian heiress who is seeking a titled husband to please her mother, but really wants to see her secretly penned mythological stories in print. Bookish, overly tall, and opinionated, Grace isn't the sort of woman most titled gents seek. When Crispin agrees to help make Grace fashionable, he doesn't intend on falling for her himself. He only wants to manipulate the ton for his own amusement.

When Grace catches the eye of a marquess, Crispin is no longer amused.

So you see how I've taken the basic shape of the Pygmalion myth and altered it for my purposes. Think for a moment how many Cinderella stories you've read. How many variations on Beauty and the Beast?

Noted psychologist Carl Jung thought the building blocks of stories are floating in our collective consciousness because we all tend to respond to certain hotbutton touchpoints along a story's path. Humans crave pattern and repetition. But we also enjoy variation on a theme.

I recently read and enjoyed Loretta Chase's LORD OF SCOUNDRELS. It was Beauty and the Beast all the way, but recognizing the bones of the story didn't diminish my enjoyment of it one bit.

What was the last book you read? Is there a ghost of a fairy tale or myth embedded in the structure of that story?

Pleasure Gardens

In Stroke of Genius, my heroine and her family visit Vauxhall, the public pleasure gardens famous for its romantic Dark Walks and intrigueing statuary.

Originally opened in 1661, the early days of the Restoration of the monarchy, the gardens were a return to the country for city dwellers. The alehouse surrounded by gardens was approached by a boat trip across the Thames, which was considered an important part of the experience. Revelers were sailing into a special world as they crossed the water. The entertainments were simple, often by street performers or spontaneous singing and dancing by the visitors themselves. It was popular with families but it was also a place where young men and women could meet informally without many of society's constraints.

Because the gardens were not exclusively for the upper crust, they were an ideal business environment for the working girls of London. Sir Roger de Coverley, who was shamelessly approached by a masked prostitute in 1712, told the proprietress of the alehouse "if there were more Nightingales, and fewer Strumpets" he'd be a better patron of the gardens.

Vauxhall Gardens was open for business for two centuries. By the time, the Makepeace family from STROKE OF GENIUS visits it during the Regency era, the gardens were lit by 15,000 gas lamps by night, had countless pavillions and was accessible by a new bridge across the Thames. Concerts were formal affairs and the supper boxes a premier place to see and be seen.

Admission was originally one shilling, though by the time of the Regency, it was 3 and 6 pence. Season tickets could be purchased for one guinea. Around twenty different patterns of these silver tickets survive, dating between 1737 and the late 1750s. Classical mythological scenes were on one side, with the subscriber's name engraved on the other.

In addition to the price of admission, the owners of the gardens made money selling food. The most famous item on the menu was ham, which was cut so thin that my heroine Grace Makepeace's father complains that he can "read a newspaper through it." Besides cold meats, salad, and cheese, Vauxhall also offered custards, tarts, cheesecakes and other puddings.

My heroine, who's led a pretty sheltered existence, is chiefly interested in seeing "the Dark Walks" (also known as the Druid Walks). This overgrown portion of the garden was known for being a trysting place and the scene of more bachanalian revels. The poet John Keats titled one of his works, "Sonnet to a Lady Seen for a Few Moments at Vauxhall." I doubt those few moments were filled with behavior beyond reproach.

Vauxhall Gardens closed on June 25, 1859 after the property had become increasingly run-down, tawdry and disruptive to the respectable neighborhoods which had grown up around it. The lease was sold and the property divided into hundreds of building sites. However, the garden was not gone forever. During WWII, the site was razed by the Blitz. It is now once again a park and conservation area.

Vauxhall has been featured in lots of books besides my STROKE OF GENIUS. One that comes to my mind is Jo Beverley's SOMETHING WICKED. Can you name a romance with a scene set in the pleasure garden? Or in any garden for that matter? What is it about green, growing things that turns our thoughts to love?

Stroke of Genius Available for Pre-Order

I've been checking Amazon for a couple weeks now expecting to find STROKE OF GENIUS available for pre-order any day. I was always disappointed. Imagine my surprise when my friend Marcy sent me an email saying she'd found it there!

I clicked over super quick and typed in " STROKE OF GENIUS EMILY BRYAN". Nothing.

I tried "EMILY BRYAN" and A CHRISTMAS BALL, VEXING THE VISCOUNT, PLEASURING THE PIRATE, and DISTRACTING THE DUCHESS came up in all their assorted formats, but no STROKE OF GENIUS.

Then I decide to go with just the title and finally at #7, behind a couple tennis and golf books, there was my lovely STROKE OF GENIUS cover. And the author is listed as:

Eire and Europe UK and Emily?

My DH (AKA Mighty Webmaster and Computer Czar) checked it out and says if you click on Eire and Europe UK and Emily, Amazon has lots of books listed by that author.

I sent them a nice little email (Of course, it was nice. I'm midwestern, you know, and it's practically required!) So we'll see if they fix mine in a timely manner.

But the exciting thing is, even though it's very hard to find, someone has been pre-ordering STROKE OF GENIUS already! The ranking number was around 100K instead of over a million where books usually start. So if you have pre-ordered, thank you sincerely! Pre-orders help boost a title's print-run, which increases its distribution in brick and mortar stores, which increases sales.

Thanks for supporting my work! I hope you love Crispin Hawke and the rest of the cast of STROKE OF GENIUS as much as I do.

PS. Today is my Chatelaine posting day. I'm talking about Johnny Depp's The Libertine. Hope you'll join me there.

The Regency Man Undressed

In my upcoming release, STROKE OF GENIUS, my heroine Grace Makepeace and her family visit the Vauxhall pleasure gardens. Grace's father is offended by the larger-than-life statue of the German composer Handel.

"Now wait a minute!" I hear you saying. "What's wrong with this fairly goofy looking depiction of a harpist?"

Handel is wearing his dressing gown and night cap. One stocking is off and his bare foot is tapping time on his discarded shoe. Why, the man might as well be naked! His outfit was fine for an intimate evening at home, but not in a public garden!

The point of the statue was to show the great composer as his family and closest friends might have seen him. Handel was from the 18th century, but Regency men (early 19th century) still wore dressing gowns called 'banyans.' They were inspired by kimonos and were often quite ornate and beautiful.

Last week I posted about Regency men's outer fashions--Hunks in History and The Joy of Being Properly Tied Up. If you're like me, you'll want to know the rest of the story. What did they wear under their tailed jacket and skin-tight trousers?

The primary undergarment was always the shirt. The fellow at right might be said to be in a state of undress because his underwear is showing. A gentleman never appeared before a lady without his jacket unless he was the lady's husband.

So why was a shirt considered underwear?

Because it might well be all that was between the gentleman and his trousers. The shirt tails were very long and could be tucked over and under like a diaper. Beau Brummell, the menswear guru for the Prince Regent, sometimes didn't wear drawers if he felt they would spoil the line of his trousers.

But if a man did elect to wear drawers, they'd look something like this with a laced up waist and drawstrings at the knees. Kind of easy to understand why "going commando" was appealing.

Stockings of wool or cotton completed a man's underthings. For formal occasions when knee britches were still de rigueur, he might wear cotton stockings beneath his silk ones to minimize the appearance of leg hair.

So now, the next time you watch Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice and see a fine gentleman done up in the height of fashion, will this question run through your mind?

Drawers or commando?

Galley Time

Just received the galley for STROKE OF GENIUS, which is one of the last steps a book goes through before it heads to the printer. I was sent a PDF of the story, typeset to look exactly as it will on the pages of the book. At this point, my tweaks are limited to spelling, punctuation errors, inadvertant eye-color changes (Don't laugh! It happens!) This is my last chance to make the book as good as it can be.

It's been long enough since I typed "the end" on STROKE OF GENIUS that it all seems very fresh to me as I read through it. One of the things that strikes me about it is how very unloveable my hero is. (Only at first, I promise Crispin will grow on you!) But perhaps I should warn you my editor calls him "the Regency's answer to HOUSE!"

He's vain, brash, calculating and fiendishly clever. Good thing he's also outrageously talented, handsome beyond the lot of mortals and fabulously wealthy.

And wounded (physically and psychologically). His pain saves him. Otherwise, I'd have been tempted to toss him aside as a total jerk when he first began insisting I tell his story. Check out an excerpt to see what I mean.

Have you ever read a story (or written a story) where you really didn't like the hero much at first? What changed things for you?