CRAFT CORNER: Bill and Jane Did What Now? Passive Voice in Fiction

by Isabo Kelly

Fair warning, I’m only going to cover the very basics of this topic. For further reading, I recommend visiting Grammar Girl (http://www.quickan­ddirtytips.com/grammar-girl) who has a couple of excellent articles on her website covering this issue. The topic of Passive Voice comes up a lot in conversations with other writers, and frequently the term gets used to refer to inactive verb choice. In the same breath, “passive voice” is often labeled as something that should absolutely never be used.

In actuality, passive voice is a very handy grammatical construct that can be useful in the right situations.

Let’s start by first defining exactly what it is. In short, passive voice is

when a sentence is constructed so that the subject of the sentence is being acted on rather than doing the acting. Look at these example sentences:

1. Bill and Jane started running the gauntlet.

2. Bill and Jane ran the gauntlet.

3. The gauntlet was run by Bill and Jane.

 

Example number 3 is the sentence constructed using passive voice. The first example—the example that can wrongly be referred to as passive voice—is actually simply the use of a weaker verb construction. That’s not to say the weaker construction is wrong either. This might be exactly what you mean to say. But it’s not the stron­gest verb choice in the examples. The stronger verb choice, and the active sentence, is shown in example 2.

Generally, when writing fiction, example 2 is the kind of sentence you want to lean toward. Active voice, strong verb, reads well, says what you want it to say, simple and straight-forward.

In contrast, sentences written in passive voice are often awkward to read. The sentence doesn’t really say what you want it to, or it is too convoluted for a reader to navigate smoothly. If you haven’t used the passive con­struction on purpose, your writing can feel stilted and create distance with your reader. Passive voice tends to require more words as well. The writing will feel tighter if active voice is used. As a side note, if active verbs are used, the writing also feels tighter. I suspect this is why the two grammar issues are often confused.

Another mistake people tend to make is assuming that every form of “to be” represents passive voice. This isn’t true. There’s no reason to shun “to be” in all cases. Sometimes, “to be” is the only verb that fits the sentence.

So when is passive voice actually a good thing? Occasionally, particularly in speech writing and corporate memos, passive voice comes in handy when trying to deflect blame. A classic example is: “Mistakes were made.” By delivering the sentence this way, the speaker isn’t saying exactly who made those mistakes or ac­cepting blame for the mistakes directly. Passive voice is great at spinning facts so that the person using it isn’t actually lying, but they aren’t exactly being upfront with the full truth.

How can that help in your fiction? If you have a politician or CEO giving a speech, for example, they might require passive voice in their dialogue. It’s even possible your protagonist will use passive voice in their internal thoughts or in dialogue to avoid accepting blame for their actions. Used with conscious thought, passive voice can actually be a very powerful tool in your writer’s arsenal. It’s just important to recognize what it is and why you’re using it.

Understanding what passive voice is will enable you to avoid it where you don’t want it and use it when the writing calls for it. As with all grammar topics, knowing the “rules” is the only way to effectively use or break them in service of your fiction. Once you understand the difference between active and passive voice, you’ll ensure your writing is filled with exactly the types of sentences you intend.♥

 

 

Isabo Kelly highly recommends writers hunt up actual grammar experts for more on this topic. She still works at weeding the occasional inadvertent appearance of passive voice out of her own writing. Her latest fantasy ro­mance release THE DARKNESS OF GLENGOWYN (Fire and Tears #2) benefits greatly from active voice. For more on Isabo visit her at www.isabokelly.com, follow her on Twitter @IsaboKelly, or friend her on Facebook www.facebook.com/IsaboKelly.

FATED LOVE AND THE MAGIC OF THE KOOKABURRA

by Mac Perry

During my lunch hour the other day, I was reading Joseph Campbell’s HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, on my iBook application. I was struck by the part about dreams being the stuff of unresolved childhood issues, which are the seeds of unrealized potential. As adults, we may have to regress to find those seeds again, in order to undergo transformation, which is a way of returning to the immortality of our soul. That got me to thinking about God, faith, and fate. And, of course, you can’t ponder such things without thinking about love, soul mates, and a sense of purpose. Thus, the theme for this month’s Keynotes, “Fated Love,” was born.

And then I needed to pee.

When I returned from my bathroom break and illuminated my iPhone, iBook had mysteriously switched to my Nook application, and my animal totems book was open to the Kookaburra, of all things. The subtitle read, “The Kookaburra is your power animal.”

Huh. Well, that was curious! Not only because some ghostly hand had decided I needed to read this passage (and is apparently up on the new OS 7), but also because I had no idea what a Kookaburra was. Turns out, a Kookaburra is a bird.

The text said: To manifest your dreams, stay centered, maintain your focus and determination, and let nothing deter you. The best way to overcome your fear is to face it and do whatever you need to do in order to accom­plish your objective. Release behavior patterns that no longer serve you.

I started crying. Yes, again, at work (but not as hard as I did this morning on the toilet). I think the waterworks were for three reasons: One, because I felt like somebody was paying attention to me (so what if only an angel or disembodied spirit? Who am I to be picky?) Two, because it was terribly vague (if the great beyond wanted to give me a don’t-give-up pat on the back, they could have at least included a time table. Like, “An agent will pick you up in approximately three months at 18:00 hours”). And three, I wasn’t sure if they were talking about ambition or love.

Naturally, I had to get my boss’s input. She said, “I don’t think whatever is in charge could get any clearer than that. Your need for further clarification is just a manifestation of your baseless doubts about achieving what you are obviously destined to do. Take it for what it is, which is a ‘good job, keep up the good work.’ Focus on what you’ve been doing and it will be fine.” Have I mentioned I have an awesome boss?

“But what if I end up alone for the rest of my life? I’d like to think I would be okay with that, but I wouldn’t be. And I think that makes me flawed and weak and common.”

She rolled her eyes. “Men are not going to let you live the rest of your life alone. It’s not possible. Look at you.”

“No, but what if it is?”

“It’s not.”

“Youth sags, and beauty fades.”

“Stop assuming everyone else’s problems. You’re not them. Your story is your own.”

Later that evening, I sought the male opinion from a pen pal. He said, “You won’t be alone, you require some­one.”

Ugh! I cringed. Like I had gone to school naked and forgotten my homework on the bus. “How do you know that about me? Doesn’t that make me co-dependent and pathetic?”

“It’s not, Red. Everyone wants someone. It’s human nature.”

As much as I’d like to deny it, relationships have deeply affected my self-concept, (not the least of which, my failed marriage). Campbell states, “In the United States there is a pathos of inverted emphasis: the goal is not to grow old, but to remain young; not to mature away from mother, but to cleave to her. And so, while husbands are worshiping their boyhood shrines...their wives, even after fourteen years of marriage and two fine children produced and raised, are still on the search for love--which can come to them only through the mythical crea tures of their dreams or the big screen.” I don’t know one woman over thirty who wouldn’t understand this statement (and a few over the age of twenty-five).

Look at the popularity of Romance fiction, for example, which was the largest share of the U.S. consumer market in 2012 at 16.7 percent. Of that 16.7 percent, 91 percent are women. And these women are no morons (as my grandmother would say), these are women between the ages of 30 and 54, earning between $50,000.00 and $99,000.00 per year, more than half of which are married or have a significant other. And they are loyal readers; 44% percent considering themselves “frequent readers,” and 41% percent have been reading for over twenty years.

Okay, so, here I am. Trying to be a romance writer, a weaver of fantasies and a proponent of the “happily ever after,” aka, Fated Love. Maybe that seems like a wrong direction to take if I want to find love in reality, but a belief in fated love is closer to reality than you might think.

Campbell states, “The happy ending is justly scorned as a mis­representation; for the world, as we know it, as we have seen it, yields but one ending; death…and the crucifixion of our heart... The fairytale of happiness ever after…belongs to the never-never land of childhood…just as the myth of heaven ever after is for the old. [But] these in the ancient world were regarded as of a higher rank than tragedy…of a deeper truth, of a more difficult realiza­tion, [and] a sounder structure. The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read, not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man.”

In other words, the happy ending is not a contradiction to “real life,” but hints at the transcendence of the soul—which is im­mortal, sustaining, and capable of transforming. To believe in the happy ending is to integrate anxiety-provoking ambiguities. This helps us endure and change, when the world around us remains the same.

I like that. And I’ll take it. In fact, between Campbell and the Kookaburra, I’m feeling pretty damn optimistic right now. So, I will embrace the Kookaburra’s magic, and keep reading and writing happy endings. Because in every happy ending, we are fated to find love, whichever way you slice it. ♥

 

Mac Perry is a Creative Arts Therapist, adjunct professor, and aspiring author of urban fantasy. When she is not corralling her three-year-old son, she is blogging and working on her passion’s pursuit. To learn more, check out her web site at www.macperry.com, or her blog at www.macperrysblog.blogspot.com.

BOOK COVER FRIDAYS: SURVIVAL OF THE FIERCEST by Chloe Blaque

WELCOME TO BOOK COVER FRIDAYS!

Every week we bring you an exciting hot book cover from one of

New York's Leading Romance Authors. Enjoy!

 

 

SURVIVAL OF THE FIERCEST

by Chloe Blaque

Loose ID

www.chloeblaque.com

 

 

 

LOVE IS OUR TRUE DESTINY

by Catherine McNally

Have you found your soul mate? Is your partner the person you were des­tined to be with?

Fated love – the concept that there’s a pre-destined perfect match for each person in the world – is a universal theme that can be traced back thousands of years. From oral folklore to written stories, there is a long tradition of tales about couples who are somehow cosmically meant to be together. These stories run the gamut of fated love, where the couple goes on to live a long happy life together, to ill-fated love, where the couple is destined to fail in their efforts to be united.

One genre where fated love is found in abundance is in fairy tales. The recurring theme in many of these stories is a heroine or hero in distress who overcomes adversity with the help of the person destined to become their spouse. From Cinderella’s transformation into the belle of the ball under the loving gaze of the handsome prince, to Sleeping Beauty who is awakened from a spell by the kiss of her one true love, the power of connect­ing with the one person you were meant to be with has universal appeal.

Everyone wants to be loved and cherished, and many of us believe that our soul mate is out there somewhere and it’s our destiny to be together. The idea that life is not random – that there’s a greater power controlling our fate – can be a comforting concept for many people.

We see the fated love theme play out in all kinds of novels. From historical novels like GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell where the hero and heroine are destined to carry on a passionate love affair across the backdrop of the Civil War; contemporary romance novels like THE NOTEBOOK by Nicholas Sparks where the lead characters overcome many obstacles to finally unite and remain bonded despite the onslaught of de­mentia; to ill-fated love stories like A FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green where a young cancer-ridden couple fall deeply in love only to be parted by the tragic disease that consumes them.

The appeal of fated love is here to stay, and can inspire us as writers of our own romance stories. From fated love stories with a “happily ever after” ending to ill-fated love stories that end tragically but teach us meaning­ful life lessons - destiny is a powerful concept. ♥

 

 

 

Catherine McNally is an aspiring author of contemporary romance who recently finished drafting her first novel. She joined Romance Writers of America in 2013 and found her way to RWA/NYC where her local chap­ter members inspire her to pursue her dream of becoming a published author.

THE GIDDY GRAMMARIAN: A Case for Case

by Lisbeth Eng

The English language is challenging enough, I admit, but try studying a foreign language if you really want to exercise your gray matter. In German, for instance, there are six different ways to say the word “the.” First, one has to consider the noun’s gender (masculine, feminine or neuter). Then, one must determine case, and we have four possibilities there: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. Don’t worry – you don’t have to memorize these!

“But surely there is no such thing as ‘case’ in the English language,” I hear you say. Don’t feel bad. I didn’t know there was such a thing as case in English either, until I began to study German a few years ago. Well, I didn’t know what it was called, but it was always there, nonetheless.

Case refers the function a noun or pronoun takes in a sentence. These are the cases in the English language:

*Nominative: the subject of a sentence, the person or thing that is performing the action of the verb. The nomi­native pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

*Accusative: the direct object, that which receives the action. Pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

*Dative: the indirect object, that which is indirectly affected by the action of the verb. A preposition must be included or implied. Examples include to him, with her, for them, etc.

*Genitive: This is the possessive case, exemplified by the pronouns my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, etc.


Okay, I know you’re stuck on that “implied preposition” thing in the dative case. I’ll explain in the following example:

I gave John the book. Clearly, “I” is the subject (nominative), the one performing the action. But what is the direct object and what is the indirect object? The book is the direct object (accusative) because the book is the thing that is being given. John cannot be the direct object because he is not the thing being given. But if John is the indirect object (dative) where’s the preposition? The implied preposition is “to” because what you are really saying is, “I gave the book to John.” Aha, indirect object!

But the real question you should be asking is, Why should I care about any of this? I’ll give you a practical example.

Consider the following: “A few members of my critique group sat down with Janice, an agent with Beastly Books, to discuss our manuscripts. The only writers Janice invited to submit were Gertrude and I.” This is in­correct. It should be, “Gertrude and me.” But wait – isn’t “I” is the subject because I am one of those submitting – I am performing the action of the verb “submit?” Therefore “Gertrude and I” take the nominative case, right?

Read the sentence again. Janice is the subject because she is performing the action of the main verb in the sen­tence: “invited.” If you simplify the sentence it will become clear. “Janice invited us to submit.” You wouldn’t say, “Janice invited we to submit.”

In complex sentences, with multiple clauses and parenthetical elements, it is sometimes difficult to identify the role each word takes. The more words that come between the subject and object – in this case “Janice” the subject and “Gertrude and me” the object – the more mindful we must be. Knowing the names of the cases (nominative, accusative, etc.) is not important. Understanding the principles behind them is. From a practical standpoint, for example, you wouldn’t want your query letters to be filled with errors. Proper grammar is es­sential if we are to be taken seriously as writers. ♥

Lisbeth Eng works as a Compliance Officer in the financial industry by day and writes historical romance by night. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English, and speaks a smattering of German, Italian and French. Please visit her at www.lisbetheng.com.

BOOK COVER FRIDAYS: WORTH THE WEIGHT by Eileen Palma

WELCOME TO BOOK COVER FRIDAYS!

Every week we bring you an exciting hot book cover from one of

New York's Leading Romance Authors. Enjoy!

 

 

WORTH THE WEIGHT

by Eileen Palma

www.eileenpalma.com

 

 

 

MATES, KINDRED SPIRITS, AND A WRITER’S JOURNEY

by Catherine Greenfeder

 

Do we have soul mates? How would we know them? Is it instant attraction, the unexplainable knowing of a person the first time you meet, karma, or all of these things?

According to the Urban Dictionary, a soul mate is “a person with whom you have an immediate connection the moment you meet -- a connection so strong that you are drawn to them in a way you have never experienced before. As this connection develops over time, you experience a love so deep, strong and complex, that you begin to doubt that you have ever truly loved anyone prior.” In addition to this, “your soul mate understands and connects with you in every way and on every level, which brings a sense of peace, calmness and happiness when you are around them. And when you are not around them, you are all that much more aware of the harshness of life, and how bonding with another person in this way is the most significant and satisfying thing you will experience in your lifetime. You are also all that much aware of the beauty in life, because you have been given a great gift and will always be thankful.”

As someone who enjoys reading and writing romance stories, this sounds like the perfect match of the hero and the heroine who are fated to be together. Yet, we know that life isn’t a romance novel, and love isn’t all smooth sailing. However, I think there is something to be said for the possibility of fated love and kindred spirits.

When I met my husband in high school, I felt a strong pull which felt beyond the normal hormonal rages and at­traction of late adolescence. It’s a connection that I still feel to this day, decades later, despite many changes and experiences.

In experiencing hypnotic past life regression, I encountered not only my husband in another lifetime but also other members of my family. It explained some of the relationships and issues I’ve encountered in the present lifetime.

This idea both fascinated me and inspired me to write about the possibilities of reincarnation and soul mates for my paranormal romance, SACRED FIRES, where the doomed lovers from ancient Aztec Mexico are reunited in present day Mexico to solve a mystery, pay a karmic debt, and fall in love again. I have also used the idea as snippets in other books including my recent young adult novel, A KISS OUT OF TIME. Although that is pri­marily a ghost story featuring a psychic teen, there is mention of finding one’s soul mate when Georgina, the teenage psychic, considers her own romantic involvement with fellow ghost hunter and best friend Jake.

I’m not sure how it happens, but I’ve come to believe in the possibility of soul mates or fated love as well as the concept of kindred spirits, people who once knew each other and have a strong but not romantic connection from another lifetime. I’ve witnessed this with friends who feel more like brothers or sisters, and perhaps they were in some other lifetime, which might provide material for future stories.

So, if you ever wonder about feeling an instant attraction or an immediate dislike to someone upon first meeting them without any logical explanation, you might consider the notion of fate, karma, and soul mates. You might also consider it for your own story ideas.  Happy writing!♥

 

Catherine Greenfeder is the author of four published novels including SACRED FIRES, ANGELS AMONG US, WILDFLOWERS, and A KISS OUT OF TIME. She is currently working on a sequel to her young adult novel and a woman’s mainstream fiction book.

SPANK YOU VERY MUCH

by Lise Horton

The masochistic heroine is tough enough to write. Delight in pain, for the en­dorphin “sub space” glow, or to please her Dom, can be difficult to write con­vincingly and sympathetically. She needs to be strong of spirit and true of heart and to meld that with submissive desires can be tricky.

But even harder? Crafting the romantic, loving, sympathetic sadist hero.

He’s the possessive guy who cherishes his lady, but also loves inflicting pain on her. That it is “erotic pain” helps differentiate him from the sadistic villain, but in order to capture the reader’s heart, this hero must be perfectly drawn.

The author crafting such a character walks a fine line, allowing him to indulge his carnal appetites on the willing heroine’s flesh, yet be strong, loyal, loving and tender, by turns. If you don’t want to end up with a kinky Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde scenario, you need an exploration and deft explanation of his desires, plus exposing just how awesome it feels when the heroine is swept into the maelstrom of “pleasure/ pain” (as it’s often referred to these days in BDSM erotic romances).

And on top of the issue of doling out pain, I’ve noticed of late a new and darker flavor being added to the S&M romances already being done so masterfully, and that is erotic humiliation.

Having a hero call his loving heroine a “slut,” or putting her in a position to be exposed in a position of humili­ation as an aspect of the “play” – or punishment, can be a high wire act. The readers who get it are already on board (I’m one of them). But names like “slut” or edgier, and humiliation play, that can be interpreted by some in a derogatory way (as has happened in recent years when critical public statements have led to the term “slut shaming”) can be startling at best to the unwary reader, and offensive at worst.

So, this is yet another element of a razor sharp sub-genre whose potential is great for the most swoon-worthy uber-alpha sadistic Dom character to ever singe the pages; but if ineffectively done, for the most cringe-worthy misogynist douche bag to ever come down the pike.

Still, edgy romance of this sort is an “eye of the beholder” thing and full-disclosure is always your best bet when talking about a character. And read, study, and craft your raw romance hero with the precision of a sur­geon’s scalpel.

Examples of some authors who have beautifully mastered the art of the loving sadist: Maya Banks in her “Sweet” series, Roni Loren’s “Loving On the Edge” series and Eden Bradley/Eve Berlin’s “Edge” series. ♥

 

Lise Horton writes edgy, kinky heroes who love masochistic heroines beneath their hands. Of her short story under her pseudonym, Lydia Hill, “My Master’s Mark” [Cleis Press’ May 2014 Slave Girls: Erotic Stories of Submission], Library Journal’s starred review said “surprisingly poignant”. Visit www.lisehorton.com and for free, naughty reads stop by her Lust In the Afternoon blog, http://blackrosediaries.blogspot.com.

BOOK COVER FRIDAYS: FOR LOVE AND LIBERTY

 

WELCOME TO BOOK COVER FRIDAYS!

Every week we bring you an exciting hot book cover from one of

New York's Leading Romance Authors. Enjoy!

 

 

 

FOR LOVE & LIBERTY

Untold Love stories of the American Revolution

by Alyssa Cole

Kate McMurray

Lena Hart

Stacey Agdern

 

 

 

CANDLE IN THE DARK…

by Vanessa Peters

 

There has been an unyielding sense of ennui that has wrapped itself around my shoulders. It laid in like a second skin and I just couldn’t seem to shake it. So I turned to what has always been my comfort… books and the stories that live within them.

My status as a constant reader, while it’s had moments of wax and wane over the years, has held steady as a necessity for me. It is within a book’s pages that I turn when I find myself lost in moments of weariness. I looked through my catalogue of books already read knowing it would be there that I would find my reprieve. This feeling which grew from a mild nagging to a sudden constriction of my creative flow would only be improved by the familiarity of a story, well-known and loved.

I settled on a novella I’ve read a couple times already. Some would pan the choice, I’m sure, but everyone’s comfort is their own, and I find no shame in mine, nor have I ever cared much what others thought of my choices in literature. But I digress…

I eased into the story and familiarity of the characters created by author Patricia Briggs in ALPHA AND OMEGA, and felt the tightening slowly alleviated with each page turned. The story, a paranormal romance, is also one of fate and destined love. It is the story of Anna, a broken and battered woman, and Charles a power­ful, heart harden and stoic man; a story of soul mates. Their story, as favorite stories are known to do for those that love them, improved my mood. It was through the storytelling and writing (thank you Mrs. Briggs, I have been your Constant Reader for some time now) but also in something much deeper that I found solace in.

Within the lines of this story lies a tale of hope; even when life feels at its most dire there is light and within that light is love strong and unwavering. This may be the opinion of one foolhardy romantic, but it was that thought that eased my restless heart.

So, my message to you, my fellow Constant Reader is to go fourth and seek out your comfort, wherever it lives and cherish it.

This is my candle in the dark…what is yours?♥

 

Vanessa Peters is a Latina writer and artist who lives and works out of Brooklyn, New York. She writes stories with characters that reflect the diversity of couples and love in America. She is the author of the forthcoming novel, ALMA, a multicultural romance set in New York. Visit her at www.vanessa-peters.com.

RAINBOW ROMANCE: Characters Are People Too

by Kate McMurray

 

As you’ve likely heard by now, BookCon—a convention for readers held during Book Expo America—came under fire recently for not including a single writer of color on any of its panels. The resulting outcry created #WeNeedDiverseBooks, an online movement celebrating books about and written by people of color. (By the time you read this, BookCon will have already happened, but the day I’m writing this, there has been an announcement that BookCon will have a panel on diverse books after all. So hooray for small victories!)

I have long felt that, while the struggle is not quite the same, writers of LGBT ro­mance and multicultural romance do have a lot in common. (NB: I dislike the term “multicultural” because I think it’s too broad and sells short the wide, wide variety of books found under that umbrella, among other reasons. But since it seems to be the accepted industry term, I’m going to use it here.) Here’s how these books are similar:


1. “LGBT” and “multicultural” are not genres. They’re categories of romance, for lack of a better way to describe it. In both cases, the books that fall into those categories can be of any number of sub-genres and describe a wide range of characters and situations. In the wider discourse, though, they are often thought of as genres, which pulls out and separates them from the rest of romance.

2. Both are shelved differently from other romance, which has the effect of ghettoizing them. I understand the argument for shelving them separately; if a reader walks into Barnes & Noble with her heart set on a contempo­rary romance about African-American characters, she can find it easily. However, it highlights that these books are “different” (though I would argue that largely they aren’t—love is love, romance is romance). This also keeps those books away from the reader who is casually browsing the romance section of the store. She might pick up a book with African American characters and buy it because she likes the cover and the premise is intriguing if it’s shelved with the other romances. She’ll never pick that book up if it’s in its own section of the store that she doesn’t look at, though. (And at my local bookstore, romance with non-white characters is mostly limited to a little rack of Harlequin’s Kimani books shoved into a corner.) LGBT romance is usually shelved in the nonfiction “Gay & Lesbian” section, which makes them even harder to find.

3. Both frequently get dismissed with reasons like, “all those books are poorly written and badly edited,” usu­ally from a person who read a few, didn’t like them, and has dismissed the whole category. (Yes, some of those books are not so great, but some are excellent. Take a minute to think about this assumption: a reader picks up a male-male romance, thinks it’s poorly plotted and shoddily edited and assumes the whole category is that way. That same reader is unlikely to do the same if she picks up a contemporary romance with heterosexual charac­ters that doesn’t work for her.)

4. Romances with diverse characters are important because they show that all of us are worthy of love and a happy ending. Lives change when individual readers see people like them in the books they read.

 

At RWA National last year, I had the opportunity to briefly meet with the then-president of the Cultural, Interra­cial, and Multicultural special-interest chapter of RWA (CIMRWA). She agreed that it’s a good idea for chap­ters like CIMRWA and Rainbow Romance Writers (the LGBT special-interest chapter for which I am currently president) to work together to further the causes of both categories of romance, since we face a lot of the same issues. Each has further unique issues—I think racism and homophobia are both sides of the same hateful coin, but they have different consequences in society at large—but we have a lot in common as well.

I think there are a few ways we can bring more attention (and boost the sales of) both LGBT and multicultural romance. Such as:

1. Shelve all romance in the same place so that casual browsers can more easily discover it.

2. Tag books well at online booksellers so that readers can easily find what they’re looking for.

3. Put your money where your mouth is: #WeNeedDiverseBooks is a great movement but it’s nothing more than a Twitter hashtag if readers don’t support authors of these books. Show publishers that there are viable markets for many kinds of stories.

4. Publishers need to step up and make room on their lists for more diverse books.

5. Writers should write books that reflect reality, and that includes worlds populated by diverse characters.


A note on this last point: I have often heard the argument that white authors are hesitant to write from other POVs because they’re worried about getting it wrong. All I can say is this: characters are people first. An indi­vidual is not his race or gender or orientation, he’s a person. Focus on the character, and then work on the rest. Do your due diligence, research, and get help from beta readers. (To me, this is especially important for books set in worlds with diverse populations, such as cities or professional sports organizations. You’re not going to have an NFL team with only white players here in the real world, for example, and a book about professional football should reflect that.) And think of it this way: if we limited our writing to what we know from first-hand experience, there would be a lot of boring fiction out there.

In other words, we do need diverse books, and we as readers and writers can and should work to ensure those books make it to the shelves and into readers hands.♥



Kate McMurray is an award-winning author of gay romance and an unabashed romance fan. When she’s not writing, she works as a nonfiction editor, dabbles in various crafts, and is maybe a tiny bit obsessed with base­ball. She’s currently serving as President of Rainbow Romance Writers, the LGBT romance chapter of Romance Writers of America. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Visit her at www.katemcmurray.com.

MEET HERO: Marco Corrente from LOVE CHALLENGES AND DESIRES by Karen Cino

 

This is the last stop on RWA/NYC’s Hero Blog Tour.

 

Thank you for following our tour these past weeks as we introduced you to Heroes from New York’s Romance Authors.  Feel free to come back and fall in love with them again.

 
 
 

 

Q.  We have to know – boxers or briefs?
Ha.  Boxers.  They give my boys more room to breath.
 
Q.  Where do you work and what kind of car do you drive?
I am a musician.  Most times I am driven around in a limousine.  On family outing day, I drive my family around in a Land Rover.
 
Q.  Have you ever posed for a male calendar?  Would you? 
In my younger days, absolutely.  Now, being a family man with kids – no.
 
Q.  Tell us your story.
I have always been a musician, writing and composing my own music since I was a teen.  By pure luck, in my mid-twenties, the Vice President of a record label just happened to be having a drink with his family while I was performing on stage.  By the end of the next day, I was signed to the record label.  Within a few months, my music played all over the radio, hitting number one on the billboard chart. 
 
By my late thirties, I was shot.  I drank too much, started doing drugs and ran around town going after all the women.  Eventually, that lifestyle bottomed out.  I signed myself into rehab and have been clean since then.  I turned my life around, been drug free for over ten years.  Meeting Rose turned my life around.

Q.  What was the first thing you notice about the heroine?
Her smiling in the wings of the stage when I finished my set.  I know she didn’t like me in the beginning, but she had a way about her that made my heart skip a beat.

Q. Describe your looks.
There’s too much to describe.  I have a full head of black hair, extending past the nape of my neck and, per Rose, a body to kill for.  And my author says, I have an aura about me that makes you melt; not perfect, but close enough.  I agree.

Q. Do you believe in Happy Ever After or Happy Right Now?
I believe in both.  I believe it takes two people to make that happy ever after ending that starts in the present time.

Q. Describe the Author.
Karen Cino is an author, poet and former journalist.  She’d been writing since she was fourteen years old.  She started her career by writing poetry, short stories and articles for her high school newspaper and the Staten Island Register.  After reading Jackie Collin’s LOVERS AND GAMBLERS she knew she found her niche, writing women’s fiction.  Her daily walk down at the boardwalk is what gets her muse going.  It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and characters, boosting her muse.  She loves writing about local places that people can relate to. Karen is a single mom living in Staten Island, New York with her two adult children, Michael and Nicole, and three cats.♥
 

BOOK COVER FRIDAY & BOOK DEBUT: BREATHLESS FOR HIM by Sofia Tate

WELCOME TO BOOK COVER FRIDAYS!

Every week we bring you an exciting hot book cover from one of

New York's Leading Romance Authors.  Enjoy!

 

BREATHLESS FOR HIM

by Sofia Tate

Forever Yours

 

 

 

 

 

 

MEET HERO: Evan Cain from SURVIVAL OF THE FIERCEST by Chloe Blaque

 

Welcome to RWA/NYC’s Hero Blog Tour.

 

We are interviewing Heroes from New York’s Romance Authors.  You met their Leading Ladies last month.  We know you’ll fall in love with each of these heroes. 

We did! 

Q:  We have to know – boxers or briefs?
Boxer briefs. Like Beckham.

Q:  Where do you work and what kind of car do you drive?
I own Muse nightclub in San Francisco. I drive a Mercedes EClass hybrid.

Q:  Have you ever posed for a Male Calendar? Would you? If so, what month would you be and why?
I haven't. But I would if it benefited a charity or something. I'd want to be December-fire place, wine, staying on a cold night. You know. Plus that's Lex's birthday month.

Q:  Tell us your story.  
Lex showed up at my night club looking for celebrity gossip for her website. She went after my friends. Then I went after her.

Q:  What was the first thing you noticed about the Heroine?
Well, I actually felt her first. She popped into my office looking for an interview , but it was dark and I mistook her for another girl. There was some accidental inappropriate touching, but I couldn't get her out of my head after that. Even when she was slandering my friends on her website and I was threatening to sue. Still can't get her out of my head.

Q:  Describe her looks.
Curvy. Gorgeous curly hair, caramel colored skin, big amber colored eyes. Did I say curvy?

Q:  Is the Heroine a sweetheart or a vixen? Does she help or hinder you?
She's too feisty to be a sweetheart, so I'll say Vixen. And she wasn't always helpful, but being with Lex is no hindrance.

Q:  Do you believe in Happy Ever After or Happy Right Now?
Hmmmm. It's funny how happily ever after sounds pretty good after you've met someone special.

Q: Who’s your favorite superhero – Captain America, Superman, Iron Man, Batman?
Batman. No question. You can't always tell if he is good or evil.

Q:  Describe your author.  

Chloe Blaque is a fashion executive based in New York City. When not writing romance, she writes lifestyle, relationship, race, and culture pieces under her alto ego Tamara Lynch. Her work has appeared on several webzines including Salon.com, The Huffington Post, TheFrisky.com and CNN.com. She has also contributed to the Madonna Anthology Madonna and Me published by Soft Skull Press. When Chloe is not writing she can be found drinking margaritas and traveling the world. Visit her at www.chloeblaque.com.♥