WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO ATTEND OTHER CONFERENCES

  
By Elizabeth Kerri Mahon

I’ve been a member of RWA for over ten years, and I’ve attended my share of conferences both national and local. One of my dreams and goals as a writer was to one day is able to take my place at the literacy signing that opens every RWA national conference. However, my writing took a different turn, and my first published book is not a romance, women’s fiction or even young adult, the genres that I had been writing in for years. No, SCANDALOUS WOMEN is historical non-fiction which means that by RWA standards, I am not a published author, nor would I be able to sign books at the literacy signing. I felt it was important to attend a conference that was close to the genre that I want to write. As much as I love RWA and feel that it is an invaluable tool, I feel that in order to grow as a writer, it’s important for me to get out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons to other conferences.

Most people know about Thriller Fest, which is held in New York every year, as well as Malice Domestic for mystery writers, but what if you write other kinds of fiction say historical or even young adult? Well there is a conference out there for you. Some of the bigger names are the Maui Writer’s Conference (famous as the place where Jenny Crusie met Bob Mayer) as well as the Surrey Writer’s Conference in Vancouver. Of course, most of us don’t have the kind of big bucks for those conferences. However, the Liberty State Writer’s Conference is close by in New Jersey and not that expensive. Not only do you gain a different perspective on the industry, but it also is a great opportunity to make new friends, as well as expand your audience for your book if you are published.

Last week, I had the great fortune to attend the 4th Historical Novel Society conference the Holiday Inn by the Bay in San Diego. The Historical Novel Society has been alternating having the conference in England and North America over the past few years. I had only just found out about the society 4 years ago when they had their Albany conference, and I couldn't attend the conference 2 years ago when it was held just outside Chicago. Attending the Historical Novel Society conference was a now brainer for me. I’ve always read a great deal of historical fiction, and I’ve also begun to review the genre on Scandalous Women. The Historical Novel Review also gave SCANDALOUS WOMEN a nice review. Plus, I thought it would be nice to be amongst my people for a weekend, authors and readers who love history as much as I do, who have a habit of talking about historical figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine as if they were in the next room.

The conference was inspiring, not only did I get to meet some of my favorite authors such as Michelle Moran, author of MADAME TUSSAUD, but I also discovered some great new authors who I can't wait to read. There were so many fabulous authors there that I can't name them all. I was lucky enough to be a moderator for a panel entitled "Turning History's Antagonists into Sympathetic Protagonists" on Saturday with an incredibly distinguished group of authors including C.W. Gortner (author of the CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI), Emma Campion (author of THE KING'S MISTRESS), Anne Easter Smith, and Susan Higginbotham. I have read the works of all of these wonderful authors, so it was a thrill to be in the same room with them, let alone be moderating a panel. I'm pretty sure that I was chosen to moderate this panel, because the women in SCANDALOUS WOMEN haven't been treated sympathetically by their biographers over the years. We had a lively discussion on the panel and it was very interesting to hear the different points of view.

It was interesting to see the different viewpoints at the panel on whether or not you need a Marquee Name as your main character in historical fiction. The general consensus of the panel was that it does help if your main character is someone well known like Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, or Anne Boleyn, but another way to get around that is to have a Marquee name as a secondary character which I have seen done successfully, or even a marquee setting such as Tudor or Elizabethan England. This is something that I've often wondered about. I adore Anne Boleyn, but how many stories are there left to tell about her.

The best panel was the Editor panel, moderated by Jennifer Weltz from the Jean Naggar Literary Agency, featuring editors from Sourcebooks, Random House and St. Martin’s Press. Here one got a real sense of what the editors were looking for as well as what was selling. What I love about historical fiction is that it is so wide open in terms of subjects and settings. There is something for everyone. Just like at RWA, there were opportunities to have editor and agent appointments at the conference.

Since I'm a relatively unknown author, I really didn't expect to push a lot of books at the book signing, but it was great to see them in the bookstore at the conference. I felt like a real author! At the end of the day, I came back with at least 10 ideas for historical fiction projects. As much as I love writing non-fiction and want to continue to do so, I started out writing fiction and there is a part of me that would like to see if I can actually write a novel that someone wants to buy! I had such a good time though that I’m already planning on trying to attend the conference next year in London.

My only quibble with the conference is that the panels were not recorded, so if you missed one, there is no opportunity to listen to it later. Nor were there that many workshops on the actual writing process or even panels on what do after you are published in terms of promotion. That is one area where RWA has it over the Historical Novel Society conference. I would suggest that perhaps the organizers of the next conference explore that option, as well as other workshops on the writing process, from querying to writing a proposal. From my informal survey, quite a few people would be willing to buy the audio DVD's of sessions that they missed.

All in all, it was a good experience and I’m glad that I decided get out of my comfort zone to attend.♥



Elizabeth Kerri Mahon is a professional actress and amateur history geek. Her first book, SCANDALOUS WOMEN, was published this March by Perigee Books. It is an extension of her blog, Scandalous Women, which was named one of the 50 Top History Blogs by Zen College File. A native New Yorker, Elizabeth still calls Manhattan home. Visit her blog at http://scandalouswoman.blogspot.com.

DREADED AUTHOR QUESTION: How can you write erotica? Won’t your family read it?

   
By Isabo Kelly

I did a variation on this topic in an earlier Dreaded Author article where we talked about being accused of writing “those” books—romances, the ones with actual sex in them. Shock! Horror! But I just had this conversation with one of my new neighbors, I’d like to talk specifically about dealing with the question of writing erotica and erotic romance and that second part “Won’t your family read it?”

If you’re brave, lucky enough to have an open and understanding family, and belong to a community of people who support everything you do with good grace, this is an easy question to answer. You don’t have anything standing in your way and more power to you! You simply say, “I write what I love to write and the people in my life accept that. Besides, erotica is mainstream now!”

But for some, simply writing a romance novel with sex in it is risky. Actually writing erotica? Now there’s a tough subject to tackle. I have a friend who writes very sexy scenes in her romantic fiction but she won’t step over into the realms of erotic romance (even though I think she’d be brilliant at it) because she couldn’t face her community.

So what do you do? You have it in you to write something really hot, sexual and erotic. You want to deal with topics like BDSM or ménage a trios (or more) relationships. You are called to write on the very edge of sexual exploration between your characters. You like using all those naughty words and describing all those wonderfully naughty acts. But you really really don’t want your mother to read what you write!

Or worse, you aren’t taking the risk and writing what you really love because you’re afraid someone will read it.

One option to get around this conflict is to write under a pseudonym and only have an online presence with that pseudonym. Let’s face it, a lot of your marketing is going to be done online anyway. And you can be as anonymous as you like. Be sure to check things like the name your website and domain name are registered under as that can be traced back to your real name if someone is determined. But otherwise, online is a perfect way to publish as someone else without having to admit what you’re writing to anyone you don’t want to know about it.

If you feel brave enough to come out of hiding (and I encourage that bravery), tell those you love who would not deal well with your topic not to read what you write. They may anyway (my mom did) but at least you’ve warned them.

Or just be absolutely brazen and let everyone read your work. There might be fallout. Let’s face it, not everyone is open to erotica and erotic romance despite its launch into the mainstream over the last few years (their loss). But this is your life, your art, your career and you can do with it what you please.

Remember, write what you’re comfortable writing. If you do that, it’s easy to answer this question. When people ask, “Do you really write erotic romance?” you’ll proudly say, “Why, yes I do.” When they accuse you of writing porn, you can answer, “You only think that because you haven’t read it.” And when they ask in that hushed, fascinated whisper, “What if your family reads it?” You can say with a casual shrug, “They know what I write and support me.”

Ultimate, you have to do with your writing what makes you happy, no matter what the perceptions of your subject matter are. If not for brave souls in our industry who ignored all the insulting commentary on romance, we would never have our favorite genre. Write proudly. And if you have to do it pseudonymously, remember, you’re in good company!♥

Katrina Tipton writes under the pseudonym Isabo Kelly and has published both mainstream and erotic romances. Her erotic romance science fiction novel, SIREN SINGING, won the 2009 Prism Award for best erotic romance. SIREN SINGING is now available in print from Ellora’s Cave (www.ellorascave.com). For more about Isabo’s books visit http://www.isabokelly.com/

Taking Joy

by F. Solomon


Many times when I am going to write a post, it seems that I have been out that night with friends. I am very appreciative of my friends, from whom I am always learning something and becoming a better person from. No one ever sees you like your friends do... the good and the bad; and, if you are friends for a long enough time, the good in their eyes is far more than you can or should ever see of yourself.

I always view myself as work on progress. So I stopped writing in April and though the urge has been there, I have not written a bit of fiction. There have been several blog posts and some passionate poetry, which I was pleased with, but even that is sparse. A good friend bought me a copy of Take Joy by Jane Yolen and I did.

I have wanted to write for a long time; the desire has been there but the motivation has been weak -- too many things going on.  Now, after reading this book, I really felt joy. A desire to write just by looking at this book. Maybe I am still calm from my yoga class, where we worked on emotional balance. Kundalini yoga always restores me, gives me focus.  And, I believe that we get in life what we give and put out. I am also a violent romantic; I always believe love will save the day.  It's why I am a member of RWANYC and why I write. I love the craft, and I am happy my friends remind me of that so that I can take some joy in my craft hopefully once again.

An idea for a story came to me...if I mention it does that mean I have to follow up? that I will be shamed into it?!!   No, I opt for joy....

BOOK BLOGGER CONVENTION 2011, NYC

  
By Denise H. Sutton

As a sign of just how influential book bloggers have become, they now have their own convention with major publishing houses as sponsors and serving on panel sessions. The second annual Book Blogger Convention (BBC) (http://bookbloggerconvention.com/) was held May 27th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City and is affiliated with Book Expo America.

From book blogging tours to book blogger reviews, writers and publishers can’t ignore the public relations potential of book blogs. The Book Bloggers Convention caught my attention when I registered for Book Expo America; it made sense to go to the BBC because I was in the middle of reconstructing my author’s website. I have a lot to learn about social media, so I attended the BBC to understand just how I could better promote my writing projects. After all, as most of you know, writers are responsible for the bulk of their book promotion—unless you are Nora Roberts! And seeing how authors are connecting with bloggers and other social media was an eye-opening experience.

The BBC organizers were Michelle of Galleysmith (http://www.galleysmith.com/) and Rebecca Joines Schinsky of TheBookLadysBlog (http://www.thebookladysblog.com/). Fantastic job, ladies! Sarah Wendell, blogger extraordinaire and co-creator of the popular romance blog, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, (http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/) was the keynote speaker. She was energetic and funny—her writing personified and squared.

To emphasize the crucial role that readers play in publishing, Wendell asked us to imagine a four-way intersection of book production: the beautiful blacktop of authors; the exhilarating switchback road of book selling; the highway of publishing; and the reader’s road, which was somewhere between “a dirt road and a gravel road, maybe paved.” Wendell pointed out that with the advent of new media, the reader’s road is now the super-highway.

Thanks in large part to the development of book blogs—there are more than 1,400 book blogs registered with Google’s book blogs search engine—readers have started their own conversations about books, responding directly to authors, publishers, and book sellers through twitter, facebook, and a myriad of on-line communities. Publishers have begun to recognize and prospect the gold mine that is book blogging.

The convention was organized into three, two-hour blocks, with two topics running concurrently. The “Ask a Publisher or Publicist” was one of the best sessions. It became clear during this session just how much publishers rely on book bloggers. During the first half of the session, Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster, Harper Teen, and Macmillan were represented; they all expressed an enthusiastic willingness to work with bloggers. And, quite frankly, why wouldn’t they?

Most book bloggers do what they do for the love of reading. Although a few make money by placing ads on their site, most work full-time jobs and blog as a passion. They provide a free service to publishers. And although many bloggers receive free books for review, the economics of this dynamic definitely serve the publisher.

Publishers need bloggers to connect with audiences because their publicity/marketing campaigns increasingly rely on non-traditional forms of media. After all, the landscape of publishing has changed: bookstores are disappearing and shelf space is shrinking. With the proliferation of online audience engagement, publishers rely on book bloggers to engage with readers.

The session “Practical Challenges of Blogging” focused on time management issues, and “Author Speed Dating” allowed attendees to meet with authors to talk about their books, the industry, and working together. “Technology for Blogging” covered the “latest and greatest in technology and innovation for blogging.” I attended “Navigating the Grey Areas of Book Blogging,” which was fascinating; the panelists discussed netiquette, professionalism, and the ethics of blogging. Each session had plenty of time devoted to Q and A—one of the best features of the convention.

Unfortunately, the final session I attended, “Blogging for a Niche Market,” was unwieldy because there were just too many panelists (a decent cup of coffee might have prevented me from leaving this session early). But as all convention attendees know, there are always ups and downs during the course of the day.

The influence of readers and book bloggers is empowering. Writers, of course, are a crucial piece of the dynamic; we can join these conversations by:

1) reading and responding to blogger reviews—join the on-line communities;
2) writing reviews for book bloggers;
3) learning how to work with book bloggers and asking them to review our books;
4) coordinating with bloggers to organize book blog tours;
5) creating our own blogs as part of authors’ websites;
6) asking publishers to promote our work by sending bloggers copies of our books.

If you would like to see the particulars on the panelists, visit the BBC site at: http://bookbloggerconvention.com/###



Denise H. Sutton, PhD, is the author of Globalizing Ideal Beauty: How Female Copywriters of the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency Redefined Beauty for the Twentieth Century (Palgrave Macmillan) and an aspiring fiction writer. You can read more about her at www.denisehsutton.com.

THE DRUIDS

    
By Ruth Seitelman

The Druids, a mystical order of people, have spurred legends and stories of magic, human sacrifice, and ancient rites. The earliest references to Druids are in the writings of Julius Caesar. He cited Greek and Roman texts from 200 BCE. These now lost early writings depicted the Druids as wise Celtic elders. The responsibility of these elders was to memorize the history and knowledge of their tribe and pass the information on to the next generation to ensure the future of their society.

The Druids, with their revered knowledge, played an important role in society and were a respected warrior class. They were a single authority responsible to act as judge, a lifelong position passed down in secret, to the next generation. This elite training, held in caves and forests, along with their herbalist expertise and the later development of the Ogham alphabet, associated with the Celtic lunar tree calendar, may have led to the summation that Druids were strongly linked to nature. Their vast knowledge gave them unequaled power over their people.

They met annually at a sacred place in a region owned by the Carnute tribe in the heart of Gaul. Gaul was a large area in Western Europe that is now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, as well as parts of Switzerland, Northern Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

Without any written history, it is difficult to know the ritual, political and clerical practices. However, if we look at documented Celtic history we could make some assumptions about the druids.

The ancient Druids were priests, teachers, physicians (herbalists), legislators, astronomers, chemists, musicians, poets, theologians, philosophers, diviner, and judges of their time. Their insight was highly respected and their religious, judicial, and scholastic authority was absolute. Viewed as the conduit between the people and the gods, they handed down their knowledge orally from generation to generation.

Druid beliefs focused on the supreme power of the universe and the belief that the soul was indestructible/ immortal and after death passed on to another. Because of the diverse geography and number of tribes and cultures that made up the Celts, there were a variety of gods. This is one of the strongest factors in supporting the theory that Druids did not teach religion but rather taught their philosophy which gave order to the many different structures, instilled morals, virtues and ethics. So strong was the teaching that aristocrats, even kings, sought out Druids to teach their children. Because druidic instructions were memorized verses, none of the verses have survived.

Claims that Druids participated in human sacrifice are uncertain. Caesar claimed they sacrificed criminals by burning them in a wicker effigy, the wicker man. But other authorities claim Caesar’s information is all propaganda to demonize the Druid and justify his move to eradicate them.

Because the common people held them in such high regard, the Romans feared them. It was this reverence that prevented the success of Caesar’s invasion of Briton in 55 BCE. As a result, Caesar ordered their extinction. While almost successful a few Druids survived by hiding or converting to Christianity.

As with any invading and winning army, the Christian church absorbed the Celtic religion. Many of the pagan gods and goddess had new life as Christian saints with many sites that held spiritual significance becoming locations of cathedrals. By the 7th century CE, Druidism was all but destroyed or had gone into hiding.

In medieval tales from Ireland, the Druids were portrayed as sorcerers with super natural powers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, fraternal groups and neo-pagan organizations revitalized the ideas held by the Druids and there was a resurgence in Druidic beliefs. Today, modern Druidism is one of the pagan religions which include Wicca, Asatru, Shamanism.

With my story, Knight of Runes, the magical element of Druids and time travel fit nicely with the stones at Avebury. ♥



Ruth Seitelman is a historical fantasy author. Her first novel, KNIGHT OF RUNES, will be released in November from Carina Press. Visit her at http://www.ruthacasie.com/. This blog post was first published on the Seduced by History blog.

MAKING EVERY CHARACTER COUNT

     
by Margaret Birth

In my job as a freelance manuscript reader, I once read a 315-page manuscript which contained over 30 characters. What was more amazing to me was that all of them were mentioned by name—even the night doorman and the day doorman in the building where the heroine lived!

Those were way too many characters for what was supposed to be a category romance novel; by the time I was reading this manuscript, romance publishing had moved well beyond the days of 1980s-style lush, sweeping sagas, and into the current age of tighter, more-active stories.

Even if the publisher for which I was reading had published much longer, more-complex stories, the 30+ characters in this particular manuscript still would have been a problem: Because all of their characters were described in depth, all of them were presented as though they were equally important. I couldn’t keep them straight, not even the few who played a major role in the story.

What can you do to make every character count? Here are a few tips:

Don’t give every character a name. You don’t need to name every child in the hero’s household or every employee in the heroine’s place of business. Unless they appear regularly throughout the story and play a major role in the development of the story, you could simply refer to them as “the twins” or “the guys at the auto-body shop.”

Don’t describe every character. Readers will only become confused if you focus on a minor character’s appearance or spend time explaining a minor character’s background or current work or interests or relationships; this makes it appear as though a character is important—but if they’re not…they’re not.

Consolidate characters. If two characters play basically the same role, turn them into a single character. The doormen in this one story are a perfect example of this. The heroine regularly interacts with both doormen, so I wouldn’t suggest omitting both of them; but neither one moves the story along more than the other, and neither one has a more developed personality than the other; so, the two could easily be combined into one.

Cut any unnecessary characters. Ask yourself what role each character in your story plays. Are they hero, heroine, villain or villainess, confidant(e), instigator or helper in the romance or in a mystery/suspense sub-plot? Every character should have a role; every character should help to move the story forward. If a character is nothing more than window dressing—however attractive or witty that window dressing may be—cut that character out of your story.


Our characters should be easy to love—or to hate. That’s one reason we sometimes have trouble being objective about whether or not they truly belong in a particular story. But if you take the time to ask yourself whether this character or that could just as easily be anonymous, or be merged with another character in your story, or even be cut, you’ll end up with all the characters you need—and none that you don’t.♥



Margaret Birth is a Christian writer who has been widely published in short fiction, short nonfiction, and poetry, both in the U.S. and abroad; in addition to working as a freelance writer, she's spent over a decade freelancing for multiple publishers as a manuscript reader, proofreader, and copy editor.

NYC: THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

   
By Jerrica Knight-Catania




Though I write historical romance and sometimes wish I lived in the 1800s, I'm incredibly grateful that I live in the year 2011 and have such amazing tools at my disposal, such as a smart phone. Whether you have an iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile or Blackberry, these little babies can really come in handy, especially when you're about to embark on a trip to a new city.

Since Nationals is in my hometown of NYC this year, I've scouted out a few important apps for all you iPhone users that you won't want to leave home without! (Some of these are also available for Android, but I'm not sure about the others. You may want to search for something comparable in your phone's marketplace, though!)

Up first…NYC Way

This is a pretty neat app, and it's free! This is kind of one-stop shopping for lots of different things around the city. It uses your location (click Allow when that warning pops up) to locate you and then when you click on, say, the Restrooms button, it will show you the nearest restroom to where you are. They'll show you coffee shops, dining options,Wi-Fi hotspots, banks, transit, local attractions, and more! Definitely a great app to have when you visit the city!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nyc-way/id343208275?mt=8



NY Cupcake Guide

Okay, so maybe you're not aware there's a cupcake craze going on in this country, or maybe you're glued to the TV every time Cupcake Wars comes on the Food Network, but either way, you'll want to have this app at your disposal. The City's 50+ cupcake bakeries are listed by neighborhood, so hop from one to another in an afternoon. It's a great way to see different neighborhoods while checking out the fun and unique cupcakes the city has to offer. It also has reviews, Editor's Picks, up-to-the-minute cupcake news, Facebook and Twitter integration, as well as the ability to comment on the bakery and star your favorite spots.

Oh, and did I mention it was created by Yours Truly? That's right! My husband and I embarked on a cupcake marathon tour last summer and we've released the app just in time for Nationals! It's been a long time in the making, but I'm sure you'll agree it was well worth the wait! Available for both iPhone and Android AND it's on sale for Memorial Day! You have until 11:59pm tonight (5/30) to get it for $0.99!...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/new-york-cupcake-guide/id435741287?mt=8&ls=1

https://market.android.com/details?id=nycupcakes.com.swebapps

And last, but not least, Beer Gardens NYC

I bet you didn't realize that so many RWA members were whipping up useful iPhone apps, but here's yet another must-have app for NYC...

For multi-published romance author, Hope Tarr, Beer Gardens NYC was a true labor of love. She and her real life Prince Charming, information architect Raj Moorjani, spent six weeks visiting their initial pool of 50 New York City beer gardens before launching on the App Store in September 2010. Within one month from launch, they received press coverage in The New York Times, The New York Post and Gothamist. Appolicious named Beer Gardens NYC as one of its six "Best iPhone Apps for New York City." The suds-loving duo recently launched a 2.0 version that includes Foursquare integration, GPS functionality, and even more city beer gardens!

Tarr will be presenting her workshop, "Nobody Cares You Just Had a Muffin: Ten Tips for Using Social Media to Brand Your Books," at The New Jersey Romance Writers' annual conference on October 21-22, 2011. To learn more about Beer Gardens NYC, visit the web site at http://www.beergardensnyc.com/.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beer-gardens-nyc/id389710211?mt=8


So there you have it, folks! These are my picks for the 3 best phone apps, whether you live in NYC or are just coming here for a visit! For less than $4 (or $3, if you buy on Memorial Day!), you can have the city at your fingertips!♥



Jerrica Knight-Catania is a published author of Regency romances. Her latest novel, THE ROBBER BRIDE – Book 1 in the Daring Debutante Series! – is available now on Kindle and Nook. Visit her at www.jerricasplace.com. This article was first published in the Lady Scribes blog.

Gelato=Writing

by F. Solomon


Don't get me wrong, I do not dislike the summer but I hate extremes. I don't like really hot summers or very cold winters. This past winter was one of the coldest I have experienced in my life as a New Yorker. I had to buy REAL boots, and not just cute ones that I walked in because there is a suggestion of snow on the ground. Spring forward--was there even a spring? Today, I am wearing a fire-colored sundress because I am anticipating the same from the weather....

But summer...there is Seasonal Affective Disorder for winter, but I think that summer can bring a lot of people down as well. There is the immediate assumption that there is going to be a lot of partying, barbecues, beach outings, outdoor games and the inevitable, summer romance. Personally? I never wear sunscreen because the time I spend in the sun is probably the time my body needs. I avoid the sun like the plague all year long not just during the summer. I am a sports spectator--not a player-- and in line with my summer vampirism, I never go to the beach. I cannot swim and have not owned a bathing suit since I was a child in summer camp. I was good underwater, but I hated the feeling of my bobbing around the water like if I was an apple.

I do a lot of seasonal activities that end in the summer. Now, I will have a lot of spare time on my hands--perfect time to write! I have not written in so long I forgot what it means to and if I even like to do it. I keep a sign on my desk from the Gotham Writers Workshop that says, Don't Forget To Write, but I am often too busy to see it.

However, one cannot hate a season that basically gives you license to eat as much ice cream as you like. The only other thing that would do that is to have your tonsils removed. But the heat and summer is a good reason for ice cream. So, while having as much ice cream as I can, maybe I will find a moment to put a pen in my hand or my hands on the keyboard of my MacBook or iPod Touch, on which I just bought an App that lets me utilize it like Microsoft Word.

I am not making any excuses for if I write or not, but being hot makes me lazy and tired...but with that being said, I think writing this post will make me think I should be writing every time I have gelato in my hands. It is true you know? My neighbor on the train told me that if you imagine it, write it and it is as good as true. So I am kind of hypnotizing myself.

Gelato = writing

Nicer than making myself think I am a rabbit....


photograph by F. Solomon

CREATING CHARACTERS THROUGH TAROT CARDS: KING OF CUPS

  
By Karen Cino

Creating unique characters could be a challenge. What I’ve learned through the years is that everybody looks at the same person differently, and the same goes for different tarot desks. I use the tarot to create unique and realistic characters. What I plan on undertaking is breaking it all down for you according to suit.

The one thing to keep in mind is that no matter the suit, Cups, Wands, Swords or Pentacles, your character’s physical attributes can vary, be it black or blond hair, short or long, muscular or slender.

This month’s Hero is the King of Cups. The King of Cups represents the astrological water signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

The King represents a man over the age of 35. He is a calm man, always maintaining his composure as well as wise and understanding, giving nurture that comes directly from his heart. Having an open mind, he is comfortable with all kinds of people. He is “the” person that people turn to for advice because they know he listens attentively to them. Being the diplomat, keeps everyone around him happy and helps things run smoothly.

On his romantic side, he is warm-hearted, very sensitive, sympathetic, his feelings easily hurt. On the other side, he is the master of hiding his emotions, not letting his partner know how he is feeling. It’s not unusual for him to be harboring a deep dark secret. He is creative in the bedroom once he’s comfortable in the relationship, however, he can often be crafty and put his sexual needs first, leaving you wondering if it’s something you did.

The King of Cups as a protagonist can be a dark individual. He is dishonest, domineering and quite the manipulative man. He could lure you into bed with his charm, fulfilling all your dreams and desires or toss you aside, never to be heard from again.

There are both positive and negative traits to The King of Cups. In the tarot deck, when The King of Cups shows up in a reading reversed (upside down), the results are negative. I use the negative traits for my antagonist.

Positive Traits: Generous, reliable, kind, passionate, calm, loving, protector, dynamic, good listener, romantic, loves intimacy, extremely sensitive, compassionate and moody.

Negative Traits: immature, insecure, deceptive, dishonest, violent, untrustworthy, lazy and toys with your emotions. ♥


Karen Cino is President of RWA/NYC. She writes women’s fiction and is currently working on a non-fiction book on Staten Island locales.

TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT ALL OFF

by Pat Mihailoff

Erotica (from the Greek Ero "desire") is a modern word used to describe the portrayal of the human anatomy and sexuality with high-art aspirations, differentiating such work from commercial pornography.

Okay, I got that from Wikipedia. However, like water, sin, and prostitution, Erotica has been around a long time. Some say there is a very thin line between it and Pornography, but I say there is a wide divide between them depending on your point of view and its use. Older novels like The Story of O, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love, and The Virgin and the Gypsy are just samples of currently time-honored literature that was actually banned from distribution and not allowed in libraries, or anywhere in fact that was not on the bottom shelf of curtained and cordoned off shelves of bookstores. The movie Quills re-imagines the last days of the Marquis de Sade and how his works were spirited out of the Asylum he had been placed in because of his writings and in some circles has been touted as revolutionary.

As the mores of the nation relaxed (a little too much so in certain instances—can you say Booty shakers on MTV?), books and movies began to emerge into mainstream entertainment, and Bodice Ripping half clad pirates (all looking like Fabio) literally crowded and flew off the book shelves as women gobbled them up as fast they could be written. It’s too late to shoot me now but I admit I was one of the ones who bought books solely based on the sexiness of the cover (and long hair on the hero of course). As much as some people might not want to admit it, they are titillated by the forbidden, and without mixing it up with SEX-TREMISM, (I think I made that up), it is quite palatable in certain circles. Movies took advantage of this whispered call for something different and the cinematic screens took up the reigns of sexual exploration with a bang with 9 ½ Weeks, (Pre-messed up Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger’s table scene, or them in the rain in the back alley of an abandoned factory) and Wild Orchid, the love scene between the unnamed couple in the cave.

I have a lot of erotic favorites but anybody who knows me knows that the pilot episode of The Red Shoe Diaries is my all time favorite erotic movie. In my opinion, nothing director Zalman King has done since can compare to it (Ask Kathye Quick, I made her watch it and she is still suffering from shocked-lip-hang-itis). Are there other movies with similar and maybe even better sexual content? Of course, but his just happens to be the one for me.

Erotica can be funny. Oh you don’t think so? Just watch Zach and Miri make a Porno. It’s not only hysterical but fulfils both ends of romantic and steamy sex spectrum. Sometimes you have to look beyond the actual title and content of a movie or book to see what is truly being said. One of Lori Foster’s books had her hero telling his “chubby” love interest, “I work hard and I f--k hard, and I think you better know that before we start this.” Talk about wet panty syndrome! Whew! I had to hurry up and try to find ice chips, two fans and a Chippendale dancer.

No one is saying you have to be “filthy” to write Erotic love scenes. There’s nothing wrong with them; they are just a little more intense. No one says that anyone who writes erotic is doing everything they write, (although it will cause me to raise a brow if I saw Sister Mary Catherine of St Martin of Tours reading one, let alone writing it). You have to believe in what you do and write it so that it is believable to your readers.

There are things that I’ve seen written that the author might want you to THINK is erotic when in fact it is not only physically impossible but ridiculous as well. That swing thing hanging from the ceiling? Let me tell you about that, there is a certain angle that each partner has to prepare for BEFORE they get to the actual fun part. It is NOT fluid motion. Sure, Pole dancing is erotic, but make sure your pole is substantial enough to hold you and the antics you’re trying to pull off. Making love in Jell-o or chocolate pudding may be erotic for some, but I personally don’t see it. Pardon the visual I am sure you all have, but not everyone is equipped for such culinary
frolics, therefore I would never write a scene like that. So you see, even those of us who write sexually explicit prose have our boundaries.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. I have heard the uproar of debunkers who are literally knitting and crying a Madame DeFarge like “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS” to those people who would dare infuse society with what they call smut. Sex is everywhere, and without running the risk of raising the heckles of some. There is a certain book that is filled with it—hint you say? Sodom and Gomorrah, David and Bathsheba, Solomon and Sheba, Boaz and Esther. When there is something on Television I don’t like I turn it off, so if you do not like erotica or any forms thereof, do not read it, but like the forbidden dance Lambada, sex is selling and selling big and unfortunately, like rap music, it is here to stay. ♥



Patt Mihailoff was RWANYC's 2009 Author of the Year.  Her latest novel, A LESSON IN LOVE, is available now from New Concepts Publishing.  Patt also writes with author Kathye Quick under the pen name of P.K. Eden.