The Romantic Life of a Romance Author

You may be wondering about how romantic a romance author's life actually is. Forget bonbons, mink-lined slippers and thong-clad cabana boys. My writing friend Marcella Burnard actually lives on a sailboat! How's that for romantic?

Marcella is part of the fabulous critique group I belonged to when I lived in Seattle. She joined the group after I left, but I still feel a kinship with her. And I feel nothing but envy for her life aboard a sailboat! She's offered to share a bit with us about that life today. Take it away, Marcella!

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Nine months out of the year, my husband, my cats and I live aboard this 34’ Performance Cruising Catamaran. It’s 14’ wide. Inside, that gives us roughly 300 square feet of living space. Why does this matter? Emily, long may her books sell spectacularly well, has graciously invited me to blog about what it’s like living aboard a sailboat. I hope it will provide some insight into what life might have been like aboard the historic ships that populate a few of Emily’s books.



I know that life aboard has certainly informed my writing. I write science fiction romance. My first book, Enemy Within, comes out in November of this year. A good portion of that story takes place in space, aboard ships. One of the things I can say with confidence that crosses all time periods and genres is that room on a ship is an issue. No matter where you’re standing in the boat, you’re in someone else’s way. Passages and companionways are wide enough for one person. Everything else is dedicated to storage, equipment and the stuff that makes the boat go. Everything brought aboard must do double or triple duty.



Boats do not have the space for anything that does one job. Even the anchor will do more than one job in a pinch (like pulling you off the bottom when you’ve run aground, heaven forbid). My bread pans hold spice bottles when not actually cooking something. The cats are multi-useful. They’re an extra layer of warmth at night. They’re endlessly entertaining, and they scare away the seagulls so I don’t have to scrub seagull poop from the decks. Often.



Ships require enormous self-sufficiency – or at least the ability to learn self-sufficiency. When your toilet breaks at the house, you call a plumber. When the head breaks aboard the boat, my husband and I take it apart, figure out what’s busted and fix it. There are no plumbers out in the middle of Puget Sound, we’ve discovered. Just as mariners two hundred years ago found they couldn’t just hop off and go buy new lines when their sheets (control the foot of a sail) or halyards (lift sails) parted in a blow. Just as, I suspect, space-going heroes and heroines will find that when something breaks in space, you’d better be carrying a spare and know how to install it. And if something punctures the hull, if you don’t have the ingenuity to plug it until you can limp into port, everyone’s going to be sucking vacuum.



Ships exist to get a job done as safely and swiftly as possible, and that means crew comfort counts, but not at the expense of the job to be done, whether the ships in question plied the seas laden with cargo two hundred years ago, or skim the space lanes responding to disease outbreaks far in the future, or whether they carry two adults and their seasick cats (oh, yes) across Puget Sound just for the love of sailing.

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Emily here again. Ok, living aboard a sailboat isn't quite the daydream and starlight I thought it was, but I bet it has its moments. Thanks so much for stopping by today, Marcella. Give Darcy, DeeAnna, Lisa and Melinda big hugs from me.

Be sure to pop over to Marcella's website for more info about her fabulous sci-fi romance, EMENY WITHIN! If you have questions about the sailing life, cats on the water, or Marcella's book, please leave a comment!

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. ;-)

A Movie that Moved Me

What with the Oscars and all, you might be in a cinematic frame of mind today. So I thought I'd share a movie I saw over the weekend that really touched my heart. It's a 2006 release called BLOOD DIAMOND. It's a complicated film set in war torn Sierra Leone. The cinematography is alternately horrifying and breathtaking.

If you think you might want to see it, you may want to stop reading here because I'd hate to spoil it for you.

But the moment in the film that earns it a place in my heart happens toward the end. Solomon Vandy has walked through hell trying to reclaim his young son, who was taken by the rebels, brainwashed and forced to kill not only government troups, but anyone who crossed their path. (The sight of children using AK-47s is more than disturbing) The boy has chosen a new name for himself, See Me No More. He points his gun at his father, ready to pull the trigger.

Very calmly, with naked love blazing on his face, Solomon Vandy tells his son his name is Dia Vandy and he is a good boy. He was made to do terrible things, but he is not bad inside. He is good. And his mother loves him. His sister waits for him. He has a father who loves him. Solomon will take him home and Dia will be his son once more.

I didn't think anything could reclaim this child, but against unconditional love, nothing can stand. That kind of doubled-down, no-holds-barred, I-love-you-no-matter-what commitment is life-altering. Dare I say it? Redemptive.

And it reminds me that the love I write about should be life-altering too. In Vexing the Viscount, each of my chapters is prefaced by a pithy little quote from a French courtesan's memoirs. Along with several naughty little observations about love, she also offers this insight:

The moment when lovers step back and say, 'I know you and I won't turn away,' is the moment real lovemaking begins.

Romance is about giving and receiving love. It's what we all hope for, and what gives us hope. But love that isn't dependent upon being returned and will dare anything for the loved one is transformative. Unconditional love is the most powerful force on earth.

BLOOD DIAMOND reminded me of that. Have you ever seen a movie or read a book with themes so compelling you thought about it for days afterward? Please share.

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

The Rita Rumble

The Oscars are coming soon. And so are the Ritas. What? You've never heard of a Rita? It's only the Oscar of the romance writing world! Sure, there's no glitzy TV coverage, but there will definitely be a red carpet for the nominees at RWA Nationals in Nashville this summer. This is the contest for published authors that's judged by our peers and our readers. It carries a ton of prestige in romance circles.

And yet, I hear grumbling from some about the fact that the same superstars' names end up being nominated and they usually take home the trophy year after year. Well, they would, wouldn't they? This is about publishing excellence. Of course, the leading authors in each category are going to be well known.

But why after winning time and again do these authors keep entering? Why, I've heard some moan, can't they give someone else a chance?

First, not all authors enter themselves. Some of their publishers do it for them. If they are nominated, the exposure is terrific and doesn't cost the publisher a dime. Sometimes, fans have even been known to enter a book.

After she won her second Rita, Susan Elizabeth Phillips announced that she wouldn't be entering again. She got lots of "Wow! Isn't she gracious?" buzz over it. But I would argue that not having her in the contemporary category cheapens the award for the next person. Eliminating the competition eliminates the value of the Rita.

Nora Roberts takes lots of criticism for being nominated each year, usually in multiple categories. How could she not be? She's the 800 pound publishing gorilla. If, please God, I'm ever nominated for a Rita, I would hope to see the names of the most popular authors in my sub-genre nominated with me.

When I used to sing professionally, each time I auditioned, I knew I was competing against not just the others in the cattle call. I was competing against every soprano who could sing that aria in the world. In the case of books, it should be every title ever written but the Rita limits it to those published in one calendar year.

Romance authors are the most supportive bunch of people you'll ever want to meet. They typically out-nice Minnesotans (which is saying something!) But when it comes to the Rita, let the bloodbath begin. The best book should win, regardless of whether or not the author already has so many of those coveted little statues she uses them for doorstops. Rock on, Nora.

What do you think? Feel free to disagree.

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?

Chapter 3 of A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS

I just posted the third chapter of my FREE online novella, A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS! The voting for whether or not Arabella should accept Sebastian's terms and become his mistress was soooo very close! It all came down to a mere handful of votes difference. Hope you enjoy her choice.

After you read the chapter, be sure to cast your vote for which way the story should continue. Then I'll write the next chapter! This is the last chance for you to enter to win a $100 gift card in my March 31st drawing.

Please invite your friends to read along! It'll be fun!

If you've been reading A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS and have some suggestions for the future story line, why not share them here? It'll be a cyber-brainstorming session!