Sunday, July 23, 2006

You Know … That Red-Lipped Author

I’ve been thinking of a way to distinguish myself - physically - as an author. When I’ve run into people who know my friend Mary B. Morrison – but not by name – they say, "You know. The author with the blonde [dread]locks." Or when referring to my friend, Liz Maverick, they say, "The one with the rings and sparkly eyes."

So ... what can I do so that people will remember me?

I’m thinking tattoos and piercings. I saw a woman today with an interesting combination of the two. She had this crimson Marilyn Monroe mole with a diamond stud in the middle. Her lipstick was the exact shade of crimson.

How does this sound? ... "That red-lipped author with the red tattooed diamond studded mole who always wears red."

Nah. Too wordy.

The search continues ...

P.S. -- On a different note, I've launched a blog. There are some fun contests going on, namely a chance to win a 6-month Aphrodisia Book Club Subscription, two unique products in the "What Would You Do With This?" contest, and "Finding Derek," where visitors will get to vote for THE Derek Mitchell -- after I find him. I hope you'll stop by and check it out.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

On Writing Emotional Scenes

An author sent out a list of questions last week for an article she's writing, asking how we build emotion in our stories. I started listing the things I do to wring every drop of emotion I can find out of a scene, and realized I was describing the same process I use for writing sex scenes. You can't just "throw" emotion into the story. You have to lead up to it, build the tension much as you build sexual tension for a romance. The reader has to have a strong emotional investment in the character before they can feel any emotional link, which is the same way you write a sex scene that works. Lots of foreplay, right? I know when I write a hot scene, it works much better if I can get into my characters' heads...the same goes for writing something truly emotional. If I don't feel it, how can I expect my reader to feel it? And yes, I have been known to sit blubbering at my keyboard, ripping tissues out of the box to wipe my eyes and nose when I'm writing away at one of those tear-jerking scenes. (Think character Joan Wylder in Romancing the Stone) Anyway, it got me to thinking (Always a scary proposition) about the way other authors write their emotional scenes. What process works for you?

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