LARA CONFIDENTIAL - LARA RWA.com

LARA CONFIDENTIAL The Newsletter of the Los Angeles Romance Authors Chapter of RWA Presidential Prattle: Face Your Fears 1

"Promoting Excellence in Romantic Fiction Through Education and Community Service"

Election News 3

PRESIDENTIAL PRATTLE: FACE YOUR FEARS

Editor’s Talk 4 Hot Off the Keyboard 4 November Meeting Notes: J.M. Jeffries on "Writing Paranormal Characters” 5 Hilton Head Island Writer’s Retreat 6

IN THIS ISSUE

Screams from the Stacks . . . Again 8

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own a wonderful book called Write it Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Klauser in which the author explains how to make your dreams into reality. There is far too much valuable information in that book for me to impart here. However, as I perused it looking for a topic for my last newsletter article as President, I found a section that spoke to me, considering my recent Harlequin rejection. This section talked about how your fears can often hinder you from getting what you want. Klauser outlines a simple technique to help you get past these roadblocks. First, write your fears down. All the nasty things that your inner critic says to you during BIAW. What you say to yourself when you get that rejection. The thoughts that go through your brain when you read a really, really good book and feel like you’ll never measure up. What do you hear inside your head? Write it all down, everything, no matter how cutting, cruel, or self-defeating it seems. Write it even if you don’t really believe it, but sometimes think it anyway. Here’s what recently played on a continuous loop in my head while I wallowed for my allotted 24 hours. I write characters made out of cardboard. I come up with commonplace plots, nothing special. Even if you get print published, no one will buy your books. Now, change those statements into first-person, present tense positive affirmations. I create characters that are well-developed and sympathetic.

LosAngelesRomanceAuthors.com

Chapter # 26

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cont. on pg 3

December 2005/Volume 11




For inquiries on article submission rules for the LARA Confidential newsletter or to request reprint permission, please contact: LARA Confidential Editor c/o TS Jackson 15030 Ventura Blvd, Box 509 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

President: Kim Winklhofer Executive Vice President: Christine Ashworth Vice President in charge of Programming Programming:: Janet Maarschalk Vice President in charge of Membership: Sandra Robinson Vice President of Ways and Means: Roben Schaerf

The LARA Newsletter Editor can also be reached by email at the following address: [email protected]

Vice President in charge of Public Relations: Melissa Jarvis-Prieto Treasur er: Anne DeV or easurer: DeVor oree Newsletter: Madaleine J. Laird

Newsletters are published one week prior to each meeting, and the publication deadline is two weeks prior to each meeting, which is typically held the third Sunday of the month.

Secretary: Jennifer Laam PAN Liaison and Advisor to the Pr esident: President: Mollie Molay PRO Liaison: Deanne Avner

Join us as several first-time LARA authors share what led up to their receiving The Call! Also, our Annual Board elections will be held at this meeting. No proxies will be accepted and attendance is required to vote.




Next meeting: Sunday, December 11th (second Sunday)

Website and Listserv Div a: Diva: Sandra Richards Los Angeles Romance Authors c/o TS Jackson 15030 V entura Blvd, Box 509 Ventura Sherman Oaks, CA 91403




Newsletter Design: T ai Shan Jackson Tai

The editorial team of the LARA Confidential welcomes input from LARA members. This is your newsletter, and it should meet your needs. Please send comments and suggestions to the Newsletter Editor at [email protected]. If we get enough feedback, maybe we can start a “Letters to the Editor” column! 2

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I dream up plots that are engaging and unique.

Election News

When I’m published everyone will buy my books.

LARA elects its governing board during the month of December. Attendance is required to vote. The following members have thrown their hats into the ring and decided to run for office. Additional nominations can be made from the floor at the December meeting. For more information on any of the positions listed below, please see Article V of our chapter’s Bylaws. Every LARA member received a printed copy of the Bylaws upon joining, and the eight-page Word document can also be found on the “Members” section of the Los Angeles Romance Authors’ website.

Klauser believes that writing down your fears takes away their hold on you. Her book is aimed toward anyone and everyone, but I think the act of writing has obvious import for us because we are writers ourselves. We know how much power words have. Turning the tables on your literary fears turns that power into positive energy. It prompts you to think differently. So, try this technique as way to battle your inner critic. You’ll never banish her completely, but maybe you can render her speechless for a while. Kim Winklhofer’s inner critic doesn’t speak up ver y often, but when it does, it makes up for lost time. Fortunately, Carnal Devotions (available at LiquidSilverBooks.com) was written despite her IC’s efforts to the contrary.

President: Sandra Richards or Roben Schaerf Executive Vice President: Janet Maarschalk Secretary: Brenda Knutson Treasurer: Ann Devore Vice President of Programming: Deanne Avner and Jodi Gottleib (co VPs) Vice President of Public Relations: Melissa Jarvis-Prieto

Attention LARA members who’ve achieved PRO status are eligible to review romance novels and books on the business and craft of writing for the LARA Confidential.

Newsletter Editor: Tai Shan Jackson

Contact the LARA Newsletter Editor at [email protected] for more information.

PAN Liaison: Mollie Molay

Vice President of Membership: Sandra Robinson

Vice President of Ways and Means: Trish Cerrone 3

Editor’s Talk

Hot Off the Keyboard

by Madaleine Laird

(Last minute news from the grapevine)

As the days grow shorter, so does my stint as editor of the LARA Confidential. And my first quarter of grad school is almost at an end, too! Perhaps that’s why I find myself running short on ideas as I write this little column for the last time. Instead of spinning plots, I’ve been churning out academic papers. I’ll admit, it’s not as much fun as writing fiction, but my final project for a course called Information Structure will focus on the cataloging of category romance novels. Sounds like a real pageturner, huh? Seriously, though, I’d be happy to discuss the matter with anyone who’s interested. I’m really looking forward to the December meeting, where we’ll honor LARA members who sold their first book in 2005. I continue to be inspired by the achievements of this chapter, and I thank all of you for welcoming me. Let’s continue to support and inspire each other in 2006, the year of LARA’s twentieth anniversary. Happy holidays, everyone, and take care. Madaleine J. Laird Editor, LARA Confidential

Looking for a critique group? LARA’s got one! Get the scoop from LARA member Rae Shapiro, at [email protected].

manuscript is titled Spellbound. Congratulations, Kristen!

PAN NE WS NEW Two LARA members have books coming out from NAL. Liz Maverick’s chick lit novel Card Sharks will hit the shelves this month. And we can look forward to seeing new member Brenda Scott Royce’s Monkey Love next February. Congratulations, ladies!

THE CALL

MORE GOOD NEWS

Stacey Iglesias recently learned that her paranormal short story “Allergic to Love” will appear in an upcoming Cavemen anthology, to be published by Ellora’s Cave. Stacey, you’re really on a roll! Keep up the good work!

MILEST ONES MILESTONES It’s part of the process, but it always stings a little. Two LARA members, Jax Crane and Kim Winklhofer, recently received rejections from Woman’s World. Kim also received a rejection and some “good feedback” from Brenda Chin at Blaze. Hang in there, ladies! Lisa Bradley’s Cherokee Cowboy has a cover! Check it out by clicking on “Scheduled Releases” at NewAgeDimensionsPublishing.com. Looks great, Lisa! Robert Hecker’s novel Yankee Peddler (published by Hard Shell Word Factory in June) received a favorable review from Bob Spear of HeartlandReviews.com. Congratulations, Robert! Kirsten Griffone is a finalist in the CONNections contest. Her 4

LARA members who participated in November’s writing challenge event—also known as Book in a Week—wrote a total of 269 pages! Way to go, people! Also, one of our newer members, Sandra Courser, is off to a great start. She participated in November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and surpassed the goal of writing 50,000 words from scratch in a month by 16 words! Congratulations, Sandra! Don’t forget to drop by the signing at Village Books in Pacific Palisades on Thursday, December 8th. Two LARA members—Julie Fusella (writing as Leigh Court) and Aileen Kelly (writing as Jane Thompson)— have stories appearing in the same Red Sage anthology, Secrets, Volume 15. Got any “Hot Off the Keyboard” news to share? Be sure to send it along to the Editor before the next submission deadline on January 6, 2006. If you wish to receive the LARA Confidential in hard copy from now on instead of accessing it online, please send your name and mailing address to the LARA Newsletter Editor at [email protected].

November Meeting Notes: J.M. Jeffries on "Writing Paranormal Characters" by Sandra Richards At LARA’s November meeting Jackie Hamilton and Miriam Pace, who write under the name J.M. Jeffries, spoke about the challenges of writing about paranormal characters.

deal with their power,” Jackie says. If the character gets their gift suddenly, the drawbacks and struggle must come first, the advantages later, in order to show conflict. Characters having no powers are like fish out of water. Put them through four stages of reactions: denial and disbelief, fear when they see more than meets the eye, acceptance, and finally, exploration of the rules for this power or world.

Powe r f u l characters should react to this chara c t e r Characters similarly, in paranormal denying stories have someone one difference could be from other without characters: powers, special powers fearing helping them that this deal with their c o u l d world. “Bring Jackie Hamilton and Miriam Pace autograph happen your character copies of their books at the November meeting. to them, to life within a accepm y t h o l o g y. tance, then asking how things (like Make one of your own, or go through house cleaning) work with no powbooks on myths to steal or adapt,” ers. Miriam Pace says. Above all, the major difference in Jackie Hamilton went on to exparanormal characters is their circumplain the three basic character types stances and the way they cope with in paranormal literature: “those born their world. with the gift, those that develop and Join us next month on December must come to terms with the gift, and 11th to hear from LARA members those with no gift who must cope.” who achieved their first sale during How characters view their abilithe past year. ties determines whether they are hero or villain. Heroes reluctantly unleash LARA member Sandra Richards lives their power, while villains use their in Downey with one husband, one abilities no matter the consequences. best friend, two rats, nine cats, and “How does the character see their gift? one completed paranormal manuIs it a blessing or a curse? Do they script. hone new skills to fight against it? Their lesson should include how they

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< Monthly meetings: Meetings of the Los Angeles Romance Authors are held at the Barnes and Noble in Encino, usually on the third Sunday of the month. Guests are welcome to attend one meeting for free. Coffee and chat starts at 10:00 AM. General meeting starts at 10:30 AM.

Address: Barnes & Noble Booksellers 16461 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91436 (818) 380-1636 Cross-street: Hayvenhurst

Hilton Head Island Writer’s Retreat by Robena June Schaerf If you’re having trouble with your writing, getting rejections from agents and editors, or no response at all, think about attending Bob Mayer’s intense four day retreat. I did and I lived to tell the tale. At Bob’s retreat you’ll work on your own material, focusing on both story and style with an emphasis on marketability. He knows what he’s talking about and you’ll work from his book, The Novel Writer’s Toolkit. He’s pretty darn prolific, having produced over thirty books, including thrillers, science fiction and non-fiction, and is currently co-authoring a romance with Jennifer Crusie. The first morning of the retreat, Bob wastes no time. He hands out our manuscript pages, one- page query letter, and onepage synopsis, which he’d critiqued in advance. Of course, I’d sent in a page-and-a-half synopsis, but, well, what’s the biggie? It’s only another half page, right? Bob stares me down. “It just looks heavy.” Well, duh. Then we jump right into the one sentence story idea. Bob tells us the original idea can’t change, the story can. We move on to the s y n o p s i s . Oh m y. Mi n e h a s sprung a leak, maybe several leaks. After a look at what parts

of the storyline will hold water, Bob discards the rest. What? I think. There’s no story left! And double what? “I have to get rid of the mother?” I’d put a lot of time and energy into that character. “She’s dead,” Bob says and begins drawing story arcs on the whiteboard. His changes make sense. “But . . . but . . . I need her,” I whine, still unwilling to let go. “Needs are bad things,” he mutters.

That evening I walk along the sandy beach of Hilton Head Island and listen to the ocean crash around me. I calm down. Okay, so the synopsis is fixable. Later, my critique partners for the retreat, all of us newbie writers, problem-solve each other’s stories, and we all agree Bob is a genius. Honest. We can see the wheels turning when he takes new information, tweaks it, and then 6

presents something wonderful. Something we almost had, but hadn’t delved into deep enough, or twisted far enough. However, later that night, when I pick up my manuscript pages and flip through them, I see they’re dense with back story, and I know I’m doomed. The next day we work on our manuscript pages. Mine bite. Bob hates the prologue. He says it’s confusing. And my hero . . . he hates my hero. “He ran his hands through his black, slicked back hair?” he asks. “What picture does that give you?”

“Um . . . Hollywood?” Bob and my male critique partner shake their heads, and look at me pitifully. “And, he’s way too angry,” they add. “If this is a romance, you have to give him some redeeming characteristics. Be s u b t l e . Yo u’re cont. on overwriting.” pg 7

(continued from page 6)

That night, I walk the beach and I cry. I decide I’ll never be a writer. I’m quitting. And this time, for good. We all meet for a farewell b re a k f a s t . I t e l l B o b I ’m through. He tells me to hang in there, that it took him fifteen years to learn the stuff he knows. Everyone leaves the retreat, exhausted and wiser. That afternoon, I explore the island and end up in the romance section of the local Barnes and Noble. I flip through tons of books and look at cover artwork. I go back to the hotel and sleep. I awaken at three a.m. I decide to put my hero through anger management training and send him to a great hair stylist, and to give the mother character a whole new title. And then I write, and write, and write.

reserve duty in the Infantry and Green Berets. He has taught at numerous writer’s retreats and conferences and is the author of over thirty books (thrillers, science fiction, and non-fiction) published under his own name and the pen names Robert Doherty and Greg Donegan. His Area 51 books have b e e n c o n s i s t e n t U S A To d a y bestsellers and The Novel Writer’s Toolkit and Who Dares Wins: Special Operations Tactics for Success, two of his recent non-fiction books. He has recently collaborated with romance author Jennifer Crusie on a romantic adventure story, Don’t Look Down, to be released in Spring 2006. His next retreat is scheduled for March 2006; for more information visit him on the web at www.bobmayer.org/courses.html.

Robena June Schaerf currently serves as LARA’s Vice President of Ways & Means. She is twice published in women’s fiction in Australia. She works hard at learning the craft of romance writing and is in constant pursuit of the elusive American contract.



Bob Mayer grew up in New York City, graduated from West Point, and earned a Masters in Education in addition to spending twenty years on active and 7

"T his is a business based more on emotion than on logic. ...The more a reader feels about a book, the more he will get into it. Feeling comes out of the three aspects of a novel: 1. Idea. 2. Intent. 3. Characters." -- Bob Mayer

Kate gasped awake in the dead of night. Sweat collecting on her furrowed brow, she discovered she was a prisoner of her tangled sheets. Was it a dream? Or had she led the Listening LARAs into the abyss? Manipulated the faithful for her own twisted interests? Oh, the horror! Had she lost sight of the LARA Mission Statement?

Screams from the Stacks . . . Again by Kate Fink Tape

Title

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Help! I Can’t Find My Beginning

22

What Readers Want (It’s Not What You Think)

24

Writer Power: How to Outwit the Trends, the Publishers, and Ourselves

29

Aids for the Character-Challenged Writer

53

Basic Plot Twisting

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What We Can Learn from Bridget Jones—A Soccer Mom Looks at Chicklit Novels

I sweated for nothing. Only six titles over the past year were mentioned twice. Thankfully, my mind was only a little in the gutter (Tape No. 17, Love, Life, Sex & the Alpha Male; and No. 117, Getting in Bed with Your Characters), but I’ll write that off to career-choice peril.

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Writing Continuing Series: Mine, Ours, and Theirs

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Dialogue: Getting the Voices in Your Head on Paper

66

Learning to Listen: Recognizing Your Own Voice

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Divine Secrets of the Critiquing Sisterhood

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The Book Starts Here

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Meanwhile Back at the Ranch - Writing the Long Contemporary

The other repeaters were decidedly career- and sale-oriented. I apologize—double major in Marketing and Economics. (My mental loop has a low-volume replay of the 70’s disco classic, “For The Love Of Money” by The O’Jays: “Money, money, money, money…MUH-neeee!”) But let’s not analyze my material-girl component; I accept it as a vocational motivator and write on.

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How the Thorny Rose Could Sink Your Ship . . . The Use & Development of Imagery in Romance

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Writing Inspirational Fiction

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Hooking Readers with Ongoing Series

90

Three Secrets of Writing

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Author in Progress—How to Continue to Grow as a Writer

Maybe not. Tally time. I wanted to see if I’ve been recommending the same tapes over and over again, and which blaring goldmines were neglected.

There were, however, some neglected gems that deserve their turn in the spotlight and in your tape player. Check-out is painless. And, with more than 151 tapes in the LARA Tape Library, there are many tantalizing topics for you to explore.

103

The Holy Grail of Voice

108

Being a Hooker for Fun & Profit

139

Ditching the “Book of Your Heart” for the “Book of Your Voice”

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The Big Finish

(Conference tapes can be reserved by logging on to the Members Only Section of the LARA website. Click on “Conference Library” and follow the instructions on how to access the list of titles. Email Kate with your selections—up to five tapes—to reserve in advance of the next chapter meeting.)

Kate Fink is the tape librarian for Los Angeles Romance Authors and writes contemporary romance.

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