Renee Field

What’s the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal? These days maybe not much. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Romance Writers’ of Atlantic Canada’s one-day seminar which featured Heather Osborn, an editor at TOR. She summed up urban fantasy to her as meaning there’s romance and fantasy but not necessarily does the hero and heroine end up together. Paranormal romance usually centres around the story of the hero and heroine finding a way to get together by the end of the book.

According to a (http://scifipedia.scifi.com/index.php/Paranormal_Romance) Although PR is increasingly crossing genre boundaries, as a publishing category paranormal romance is highly formulaic. Its formulae are derived from reader preference and it is edited according to those formulae. One characteristic of romance—the happy ending—may be the most definitional aspect of audience expectation although even this rule may be shifting, especially with multi-volume epics where an *eventual* positive outcome may be delayed until the penultimate book. However, for many who identify themselves as paranormal romance readers, a book without a happy ending cannot be considered a paranormal romance.

I know as a writer and reader the lines do get blurred. Readers expecting a paranormal romance sometimes get mislead by the book cover and the book blurb. I was one of those readers that was left feeling very disappointed recently. I read One Foot In the Grave by Jeaniene Frost and while I enjoyed it, even though I found it a bit confusing at times, I honestly hated the ending. The book was in the romance section at Chapters and from the back blurb it sounded like any other paranormal romance which I wanted. Yes, I wanted that. I wanted the paranormal elements, the sassy heroine with the kick ass attitude and the happy ending. I didn’t get it. To say I was disappointed was an understatement and I confess that it turned me off the writer’s series but not the writer.

I’m wondering if this has happened to other readers? Let me know what you’ve read that has turned you off? Was the ending not what you were expecting? Did the book blurb not live up to its expectation?

Yes. I personally view writing conferences as a must for new aspiring writers. I look at in three ways. One, it’s education – you can’t get your university degree unless you go to class and truly learn the subjects. Two, network. Use your time at writing conferences to meet fellow writers both newbie’s or advanced and well-established writers, because it can never hurt to have a wealth of friends all over the globe. And, three, enjoy yourself – you deserve it. I confess that I’m usually exhausted once I’ve finished a conference because I do spend my limited time networking, attending workshops (and yes, I’m selective as to which ones I’ll participate in) and whenever I can I’m pitching. If I meet an agent or editor in the elevator or bar I’ll usually start up a polite conversation asking if they’re enjoying the conference and ask (yes, I always ask) if I can pitch them my story idea. I ask, because agents and editors are working through their weekend to attend these conferences and they’re just as tired as I am.

Some conference I’ve attended so far in my career that I’ve really loved and learned a lot from include my first, The New England Romance Writers’ Conference. This was a great conference to attend for me because it wasn’t to far from Nova Scotia and they had great workshops, speakers and editor and agent appointments. Of course, when I first went I didn’t even pitch to an agent or editor…I simply went to learn the etiquette and ropes of the writing/publishing business. The conference was extremely helpful. I ended going twice and did pitch to Ellora’s Cave the next year and sold my book, Rapture and novella, Love Me Wild. The other conference was The New Jersey’s Romance Writers’ Conference, which was amazing. Both conferences were extremely well organized and I know, personally, how hard that is for a group of volunteers. I really enjoyed New Jersey because they had a wide range of agents and editors for me and by year three of writing, I felt I was ready to pitch my new series, Fairy Curses, a contemporary, paranormal romance. I love pitching, even though I too get full of nerves.

So, as a new writer I would highly recommend checking out writing conferences. They are very useful and a lot of fun. I’ve met some wonderful writers from these conferences that I still keep in contact with.

Drop me a line and let me know which conferences you’ve found helpful to further your career.

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Securing a literary agent can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. You’ve finished writing your book. All your friends have read it and love it. Your critique partners have critiqued it and you’ve revised and revised it. Now, your book is ready to be launched into the world. Now, you’re beginning the hunt for a literary agent who will love your book and secure you that golden publishing contract. And, after months of sending out queries and receiving rejections you’re finding it hard to work on the sequel in your series. Sound familiar? Okay, maybe not. But, at the moment that’s my life.

I wrote Fairy Curses: Kissed (previously called The Ungodlies: The Damned Fairy) over a year ago and of course revised and revised it. I’ve even revised my query many times until I’m totally happy with it and months later I’m still hunting for a literary agent. In the meantime I got brave and entered it in a the Maryland Romance Writers’ Reveal Your Inner Vixen 2008 Contest and finalled in their alternative section, which of course has me thrilled. Adding that tidbit of information to my queries and of course updating all the agents I’ve emailed that useful information was of course something I did immediately. Fingers crossed it will help, because I love Fairy Curses: Kissed and totally am enthralled writing the second book, Fairy Curses: Seduced, which starts out in Montreal, Quebec and then moves to the East Coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

For those of you who don’t know I did have an agent when I was looking to publish Rapture, my EPPIE 2008 Award winning paranormal romance novel but we parted ways. Do I regret that? No. I learned a lot from that experience both good and bad. That’s why it’s so important to secure the right agent for you.

So, today I thought I’d pass along a few websites I’ve used that I find very helpful. Also, I’d love to hear from you. What was the process for you to secure a literary agent to sell your book? Do you think you need one in today’s electronic world?

Check out these sites for more information. I hope you find some information helpful. Special thanks to all the agents and authors who listed their information on their site. I truly believe writers who help other writers make the world a more loving place.

http://www.writing.org/html/a_agents2.htm

http://litsoup.blogspot.com/

http://www.everyonewhosanyone.com – ps – I totally love this guy!!!!!!!!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/37793/literary_agent.html?cat=3

http://www.teresciaharvey.com/hea/agents.html

http://webhome.idirect.com/~krmason/agents.htm

http://www.karenafox.com/agentlist.htm

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/twentyworst.html

http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm

http://www.ebookcrossroads.com/agents.html

http://www.booktalk.com/agents1.html

A rainy Monday morning just got a lot sunnier for me. I received an email informing me that my new book, Fairy Curses: Kissed (previously titled The Ungodlies: The Damned Fairy) finalled in the Maryland Romance Writers’ Reveal Your Inner Vixen Contest. I’m totally over the moon with this news. I loved writing this book and the sequel is coming along fast and furious.
 

What I think is especially interesting about writing Fairy Curses: Kissed is that it all came to me during a very bad writing slump for me. Two weeks without writing is a slump on a big scale for me. Then one day my good writing friend, Karen, dropped off a Celtic Mythology book to me and I started to leaf through it and viola – Fairy Curses. One name in particular stood out for me, Einion, my damned hero and then I worked on mapping out the entire book. Recently, another good writing friend of my confessed she thought the title of my new series, The Ungodlies, wasn’t, “doing it for the book.” With her help, and a long car drive we worked out a new title and then I dashed home and worked on revamping the high concept, the synopsis and the rest of the six books that are in my head. I must say, I love the new title, Fairy Curses because that’s the basic theme linking all six books.

Here is my new high concept blurb. One kiss unleashed desire, burning arousal and the unknown. He was fairy cursed…damned to the eternal plane of Earth, looking to end his life for good. Instead he found the sweet, lush lips of a highland lass and knew she would be the death of him. One kiss leads to the awakening of an innocent’s passion. One kiss could destroy two worlds. Fairy Curses: Kissed is a dark modern sensual paranormal romance. 

Bringing this blog back to my way of saying a huge thank you to the Maryland Romance Writers’ judges. I truly value all the great feedback and that’s why I entered this contest. I’m always looking for feedback, good or bad, concerning my writing. Thanks again.

Okay, as writers we all have our own way of writing and I confess that sometimes I feel like I’m still learning how to “write” the proper way. I’ve been writing erotic and sensual romance steadily for four years and there are times when a story has a life of its own. I try to outline but then when I start writing, whammo—it’s like I’ve been hit by a car and I end up on this totally other path. Is this a bad thing? Sometimes, the answer is yes. Sometimes, it’s unequivocally a no. I’ve learned to trust my muse over the years. If the characters aren’t talking in my head than I know I’m going to have a hard time writing their story. And when I say “talking” I mean it. I have entire conversations taking place in my head sometimes all day, while I’m jogging or in the shower and it feels like I’m just buying time until I can sit down and finally write out those damn dialogue lines.

So, this brings me back to the title. I do plot my stories but I am a dreamer. I always know the beginning and end and most of the middle of my books but sometimes a secondary character will develop their own voice that needs to become an integral part of the story and I just go with it. But I know many writers who totally plot out their books from start to end, chapter by chapter. And, guess what I’ve done that too! I did that with fellow Sexies erotic writer, Christine d’Abo, for Sweet and Spicy Spells and personally I felt it worked great. Writing a book with four main characters, two of which you are totally responsible for but they have to link with the other hero and heroine while being realistic is hard but a lot of fun. I think as a writer the challenge is to ensure your own voice doesn’t get overlooked. However, the only way I could write that book with Christine was basically us mapping out every single chapter, who was speaking, the plot line, etc.

I want to hear from you writers. Do you outline your books from start to finish or do you give yourself “wiggle” room. Drop me a line and tell me which of your books you wrote was the easiest to write (if there is such a thing) and you could win a copy of my latest erotic release, Electrify Me, from Ellora’s Cave. I want to hear from you. Leave a comment and tell us about your book you wrote and why it worked best for you.

Hi everyone. I just got back from attending my romance writer’s annual weekend retreat. Besides the beautiful setting of White Point Lodge in Nova Scotia, being able to converse and attend workshops with ten other talented romance writers was out of this world. One of the most unique workshops was put on by my friend, Nancy Cassidy and it centered on the use of color as a stimulating tool for writing. She handed out crayons (and I knew instantly I’d like this workshop as I’m a very tactical person) and then a list of all the crayon names created by Crayola (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Crayola_crayon_colors for more informatio) and it was really interesting to see how the crayon’s nams have evolved and how the colors have emerged over the years. So here’s what I thought to spur those creative juices to pour this morning - go get your crayons (or your kids crayons) and take 10 minutes out of your day to do this morning’s creative writing excersise. If you really want to challenge yourself this morning do part II of the writing excersise - trust me it’s lots of fun.

Part I:
Pick 4 crayons but two must be somewhat similar in color- don’t look at the name on the crayons label (no peeking). Scribble with them on a blank piece of paper. Now I want you to name your crayons - go for it, be creative. Then once you’ve renamed your crayons I want you to describe the differences in the two crayons you picked that were most similiar. What makes them different, the same etc. You have 10 minutes. Then look at the labels on your colors - read them alone to a friend- they’ll get a good laugh at your new crayon names.

Part II:
Using one of those new colors I want you to write at least one paragraph to describe how that color makes you feel and use your newly named crayon’s name in that paragraph. You have 10 minutes. Later read it to a friend to see if they can get how your color made you feel.

Thanks so much.

What makes a man hot? You’d think that would be an easy answer. Nope. For me personally a man could have that six-pac body but if he’s not intelligent, able to make me laugh well forget it. Seriously, I will do the double-take and check out the bod and maybe fantasies about other things but there might be a first date but no second. What makes it so a woman wants to climb, crawl, slink and slither all over a man all the time. Tell me. I’d like to know. Is it his looks that turn you on? Is it those sweet erotic things he says to you that makes you feel tingly and oooohhh so special? Or is it the chase? Yeah, I’m totally into the chase. Nothing like a little mind fantasy to get me all hot and bothered. So spill the beans. What seriously dampens your panties?

I won! I won! I’m still trembling with joy over my first book’s major win. Rapture, which was my baby for three years, just won for Best EPPIE Fantasy/Paranormal Romance. According to the EPIC website - The EPPIE Awards have been given annually since the first EPIC conference to recognize outstanding achievement in e-publishing. The categories are judged by members of EPIC, all published authors. After the first round of judging, the works of the finalists are sent to another panel of judges, and winners in all eighteen categories are selected. I want to say a huge thank you to the organizers of this award contest, to the many authors out there who donated their time to read and judge all the books in each category and to my fans who continue to tell me they love Rapture. So what has winning the award meant to me? It’s helped to reaffirm that I’m on the right track. I thoroughly enjoy writing paranormal and I love soul-defining romance. I love creating new worlds, hard-edged characters that we want to love even though we know they are beyond human. And it’s spurred me on complete book two in my Titan series, which will feature Darius (Seth’s twin brother) and he’s not a happy Titan. This book is more than half-way written (and was so last year) but I started another series, The Ungodlies – in between, so had to put it on hold. I can’t have too many characters talking in my head or I would go insane. Yes, my characters do talk to me and usually by the time I’m ready to open my laptop their voice is dying to be released on the computer. Winning an EPPIE I’m also hoping will provide me with some leverage in my search for a new agent. I fired mine over a year ago and having since recovered from that ordeal I am once again putting myself on the block. This time though I’m going to do my homework.Thank you once again to the EPIC organizers and readers who love Rapture. I know I loved writing and re-writing it and my fingers are crossed that when the sequel comes out it will be even better. 

Adolescence. Really they should give parents a drug so we can cope through this stage. My eldest, a 12 year-old, know-it-all boy is on this lovely rollercoaster of a ride and I’m left barely hanging on. We go from having a great time together, sitting on the sofa to him becoming demanding, like mom cut me up an apple. Okay, you’re 12 cut up your own apple or wash it and eat it. Voila a fight develops. I become the worst mom ever.

I’m the only mom he tells me that makes their children do chores. What? All the rest of those moms are nuts, I tell him. You are more than half-way to becoming a man and I’m teaching you life skills. So, yes part of that is learning how to do your own laundry, how to put soap in the washing machine, turn on the dryer and fold your clothes and better yet placed them in those things called drawers. Ughhh!

Someone help me. When I tell him all the things I had to do at his age he says that was the old days. Old days? Honey, I ain’t that old, but dealing with him is certainly aging me. I don’t want my son to go through life with everything handed on a platter for him, I want him to work. I want him to appreciate the things I do for him. How many moms stay home, sacrifice their careers so I can take him to and pick him up from school, come home to home baked cookies or brownies and a hot meal on the table. Yeah, buddy list those off! So we do drive a rusty 12 year-old van. We don’t have an X-box or the latest gadgets of toys and we are scraping by month after month. But we do it. For him, and his other three siblings. And, yes I tell him when they reach his age they too will start doing chores. The ten year old is totally responsible for his pets and thank god does that and has started putting his own clothes away after I fold them, so progress is being made. But the 12 year-old thinks I’m his servant. I’ve had enough. I told him starting tonight he’ll be making his own lunches. You would have thought the world had ended with how he carried on and I part of me was immediately reminded that he may be 12 but he’s still young, still my baby boy at heart, but then I thought “tough love” he’ll be better in the end with this one chore because he’ll learn more about self-reliance.

Plus, I needed at least two more cups of tea to truly deal with him and soooo wasn’t in the mood for theatrics.

Anyone else out there coping with those lovely adolescent years. Feel free to rant. I know it always makes me feel better. And, just because you might rant I’m going to randomly pick a winner today and the lucky person will receive a free electronic copy of Love Me Tender, my second erotic novella published by Ellora’s Cave. So drop me a line and make my day!