Heroes, Heroines and other Writerly Stuff

In 2006 a friend of mine was having a contest for a $250 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. Being the book whore that I am, I wanted that gift card. Bad.

How it worked was your name got thrown in the pool if you read 10 books. For every five books beyond that, your name got thrown in again for another chance to win. The contest started on June 1, 2006 and ran through the end of the year. So, from June 1 to December 31 of 2006 I read something like 85 books. (I didn't win the contest, in case you were wondering. *sigh*)

In 2007 I read 70 some-odd books for the entire year.

This year, what with school and all, I haven't had as much time to read. So, with required text books included, I've only read like 30 books this entire year. Which is so depressing. But, I have two weeks off and I'm trying to make up for lost time here, which I don't want to spend on crappy books.

So, what makes a crappy book? Well, it can differ from book to book for me but I started one the other day that goes in the "I rarely ever do this but I'm pitching this book without finishing it" pile. Why? Because there's nothing in it that I can grasp on to to believe. The hero is a country boy (he's done the city life before and didn't care for it so it's not like he doesn't know what he's missing out on - he does and he's not interested in it). The heroine is a city girl, visiting the country on her way to fame and fortune. They meet and are immediately in love with each other - just like that. There's no buildup, no nothing. They just know they want to spend the rest of their lives together. Not that they've said as much to each other. No. As far as that goes, they're standoffish. The hero has something the heroine needs but he's not willing to let her have/use it and politely tells her no. She tells him, in no uncertain terms, that she WILL have it and she's not letting up until he gives it over to her. That's where I have the biggest problem. I want to see the build up of the relationship. I want to see the chemistry take over. I want to fall in love with them. But, when one says no (politely or otherwise) and the other takes steps to manipulate what they want out of the other, that's when I'm done. If they don't respect each other - and show it - I can't get behind the pairing. Not to mention, I don't see how this story can resolve itself without one giving up their dream. How is that a happy ending? This story is part of a series (that I've read a couple of the others of) and everyone ends up in this small country town. Which means the heroine has to give up her dream of fame and fortune. Sure, she might be happy for the here and now but what about in 10 years when he's burping and farting and scratching his balls all the time? Will she still be glad she made the decision she did? Which is another thing, I have to believe that 10, 20 years down the line the couple will be happy. And I just don't see it in this story. So, after only 50 some-odd pages of reading, I'm officially done with that book, for now.

Okay, enough about that - on to the other writerly stuff.

A couple of weeks ago the romance community was having an auction on ebay to help out an author who had lost her husband and had catastrophic medical bills to contend with. So, I went to check out the items and saw this and totally had an image in my head how I could use it in my writing. You see, I've been clipping pictures of people and saving them in an envelope. But I want to use this for the visual. I can post the pictures on the board (the flowers in the corner are magnets) and then put their pictures in the album, telling their story. It arrived yesterday and I can't wait to get it all together and start telling the story.

And hopefully I'll avoid the pitfalls I can't stand in other writer's stories.

I've just shared one of my pet peeves in books. What makes you want to fling a book you're reading across the room? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

What's on your Mind?

I'm taking an online class right now (my first in a couple of years) on showing vs. telling. We've been given writing assignments that we're to post for the instructor (and other students) to comment on. Well, I told a friend (which I think most of you know in one way or another) about the class and she signed up with me. She's like the teacher's pet, turning in her assignments first and getting high praise from the teacher and other students. And then there's me...waiting until the last possible minute to turn in my homework, waiting for the instructor to ask "did you not understand the assignment?".

You see, I have this thing about people reading what I've written (yes, I know I have to get over that but does it help explain the secret blog at all?). Anyway, the assignment for yesterday (which we received on Thursday or Friday, and my friend, who went out of town this weekend still got hers in first) was to write a "flowery" scene and then rewrite it, tightening it up. I had a million ideas of what to write about and even started six or seven of them. What I ended up writing was a sex scene. A sex scene! Where that came from is anyone's guess...just something on my mind I guess. LOL

Inspired by Mel, I thought I would post what my local chapter does when they show up to support their friends at a book signing. (I figure it's okay to post here since a couple of the participants have posted it on their respective webpages.) Enjoy. :-)

And what's on your mind these days?

Signed Epstein's Mother

Some of you may remember a show from the 70's called Welcome Back Kotter (it's was where John Travolta got his big break, playing Vinnie Barbarino). There was a character on the show named Epstein who always had these notes who had a note for everything, all that were signed "Epstein's Mother".

So, you're probably wondering why I'm showing my age and flashing back to a show that was on the air 30 years ago. Well, I'll tell you.

We're having gorgeous weather here. Gorgeous weather. And I don't want to go to work because it's just wrong to make someone go to work when it's so nice outside. We get a half a dozen perfect days like this a year and I have to spend my day cooped up in an office? Wrong I tell you! So I suggested that I might be *cough* sick tomorrow to a couple of people at work. (Yes, I know, not the best game plan to give your boss a heads' up that you're planning a sick day. On a Friday. When the weather's so perfect. And yes, I know that if I wake up tomorrow and find myself on death's door, I still gotta go in to work because no one would believe I was really sick.)

Anyway, I was surfing the net this evening and came across this article on the msn.com homepage. Apparently there's a market for Epstein's mother's notes, or at least a variation on the same theme. I thought it was hysterical...and maybe a sign. A sign that I'm supposed to take tomorrow off.

What do you think? Any suggestions on what the note to my boss from Epstein's mother should say? We have the whole weekend to come up with something creative. ;-)