Rules and Conventions

I recently gave my sister a copy of my WIP, Rocky Mountain Howl (are ya’ll sick of me referring to this damn thing? Me too. Moving on…) and asked her to give me her thoughts. She doesn’t read a lot of paranormal romance, and I wanted a fresh eye.

Once she started reading it, she had two…well, not exactly complaints, but two things that surprised her, and not in a good way. She thought there were a lot of characters to keep up with, and she got frustrated because some things in the plot are only revealed and explained as the book unfolds.

I was taken aback. The number of characters in a book never bothered me if the book was well written and characters were clearly identified. And I like books that keep you guessing about what’s going on.

Then I thought about it. Paranormal romance is my favorite subgenre. You find large casts of characters in these books, maybe because a lot of titles belong to series. And paranormal romance often features mysteries or strange goings-on that aren’t fully explained right up front. My sister is used to reading romances that follow a certain set of conventions, and the books I read follow another.

I thought about this when PG Forte mentioned a reader who was convinced that the hero in one of PG’s books was the villain, and the villain the hero, based solely on the order in which the two were introduced in the book. I think maybe that’s taking convention a little too far.

Both these incidents got me to thinking about rules. Romance novels aren’t nearly as formulaic as they were just ten years ago. But authors know there are still certain – let’s call them conventions, instead of rules – that a lot of readers expect their romances to follow. Or at least editors think readers expect these conventions to be followed, and so unconventional books have a harder time getting published.

Now, my first instinct is to say “Boo! Conventions bad! Boundary-pushing romances good!” And I do feel that way. But…I’ll admit there are a few conventions I like, and I expect books to follow, and I tend to shy away from books that don’t.

I like alpha heroes. I like em big and powerful, and I don’t even care if the hero is an asshole for two thirds of the book as long as he’s redeemed at the end. I don’t like books where the heroine is stronger or tougher or richer or more powerful than the hero. I used to be ashamed to admit this, but I’ve decided – screw it, that’s my taste. I’m reading a romance novel, not setting government policy.

Another one: I can’t relate to promiscuous heroines. A colorful history, a life fully lived – that’s one thing. But a heroine who does casual hookups routinely – I’m probably not going to finish the book. I really want to read Loretta Chase’s Her Scandalous Ways and Eden Bradley’s A 21st Century Courtesan, but – hooker heroines. I mean, I just don’t know. Again, I’m kind of embarrassed about it, and I definitely think I should get out of my comfort zone, but….it’s so comfortable here!

Okay, your turn. What romance novel conventions do you find it hard to disregard, and which ones bug you? And if you’re a writer, which conventions do you yearn to smash?

Fun with Food - D. McEntire

Midnight Reborn - The Watchers, Book One by D. McEntire


When Robyn turned from the microwave, the guys were all looking at her, smiling.

"What?" She asked, feeling a little uncomfortable at their sudden attention.

Rayne laughed. "Guess you don’t go much for rare meat, huh?"

Robyn bit the inside of her mouth so as not to laugh. "No, I’d rather my meat not squeal, say "ouch" or howl when I cut into it!"

They laughed and she retrieved her plate from the microwave, then yelped and dropped it on the counter, making everyone jump.

"Ow!" she cried, putting her fingers in her mouth. "I forgot to use the stupid pot holder!"
Hissing in pain, she ran to the sink and shoved her fingers under the cold water. Trigg stopped in the midst of putting the drinks on the table and walked over to her quickly.

"Here, let me see," he said as he reached for her hands.

"No, it’s okay. I just burned them. I’ll put some ice on them in a minute. You go ahead and eat before your food gets cold."

Robyn tried to smile up at him, but the pain on her face was evident.

Trigg didn’t wait for her permission. He turned off the water and looked at the blisters forming on the pads of her fingers where she had touched the hot plate. He stared into her eyes for a moment, then slowly raised her hand to his lips.

Robyn had no idea what was going to happen. Was he going to kiss it and make it better?

When Trigg opened his mouth and began to run his tongue over the burns, she thought her knees were going to buckle. The moist heat from his rough tongue invoked tingling sensations that coursed through her body and pooled in her lower belly.

Robyn realized this was turning her on, and from the look in Trigg’s eyes, he was there with her, or maybe even more so. They were glowing and showing a tint of red, but not fully red as they were last night when Vane had her against the wall in the kitchen.

Her breath caught at the look in his eyes—hunger and want. When he finished, he kissed her palm gently and slowly released her hand.

Trigg smiled at the astonished look on Robyn’s face. He could see in her eyes that there was something more, she wanted him. When she blinked, breaking the spell, he spoke.

"Your burns needed healing."

Robyn blinked again. "Wha-what?" She stammered as if she hadn’t realized he had spoken.

Trigg’s smile deepened. "Your burns needed healing. Our saliva has a healing agent, so I healed them." He watched as Robyn’s eyes seemed to refocus and he could see that the information finally sank in. Her face flushed as she thanked him before sidestepping him on the way to retrieve her plate from the counter.

Trigg handed her a potholder with a chuckle before she could repeat the incident.

When he turned and headed to his chair, he noticed Rayne and Vane staring at him with arched eyebrows and he scowled. He didn’t need either one of them reminding him that he was playing with fire. He was a vampire and she was a human. Nothing good would come out of a relationship between them.

D. McEntire www.dmcentire.com Facebook: Diane McEntire Vance

Fun with Food -- Meg Benjamin's Excerpt

This is part of the “dueling grills” pre-wedding barbeque from Wedding Bell Blues. Otto is Janie’s sort-of boyfriend. Pete would like to be more than sort-of.

She wandered toward the grill where Otto regarded a small fleet of burgers and sausages with narrowed eyes. He held a long-handled spatula in one hand.

“Can I help?” Janie managed a smile.

Otto raised his eyebrows at her. “Women grilling? Don’t think so, sweet thing.”

Janie’s jaw tightened, her smile fading. “I grill at home all the time, Otto. It’s never been all that difficult.”

“You have to have a feeling for it.” He shrugged. “Men know meat.”

She pressed her lips together hard. So many things to say. So little time. So little chance that Otto would understand more than a fraction of it. She walked toward Pete Toleffson’s grill, trying not to grind her teeth.

Janie blinked. Pete was grilling zucchini.

Also eggplant, onion slices, and what looked like a few portobello mushrooms. A bowl of tomato slices sat on the shelf next to the grill.

Pete glanced at her. “Got any idea what eggplant looks like when it’s done?”

“Is it marinated?” Janie stepped forward, peering at the vegetables.

“Haven’t a clue.” Pete grinned at her. “Reba handed all of this to me and I’m following orders.”

Janie removed the tongs from his hand and rolled an eggplant wedge to its other side. “Marinated. And it’s got grill marks.”

“You think I should salt and pepper it?” Pete’s brow furrowed. “You don’t salt meat, but I’m not sure about mushrooms.”

“Nope, it makes them sweat. Plus they’ve all been marinated.” Janie flipped the eggplant wedges then handed Pete the tongs. “There. Now do the rest of the slices. Only don’t turn the mushrooms—the juice will spill out if you do.”

“Okay.” Pete industriously flipped vegetables. “You want to put those tomato slices out? I figure they go last.”

Janie nodded, picking up the bowl.

“You’re letting her grill?” Otto’s voice was tinged with outrage.

Janie glanced over at him, feeling Pete stiffen beside her. “Pete’s doing the vegetables, Otto,” she snapped. “I’m helping.”

“Vegetables? At a barbeque?” The outrage was definite now.

Janie took a deep breath, turning toward Otto’s grill. “Grilled vegetables are really good, Otto. Besides, Cal’s a vegetarian.”

Otto looked as if she’d just told him Cal was a devil worshipper. He would have been hilarious if he hadn’t been her date. After a moment, he recollected himself and pushed his shoulders back slightly. His naked chest gleamed in the late afternoon sunshine.

Pete had put his shirt back on again, Janie noted with a feeling of vague disappointment. The buttons hung tantalizingly open, reminding her briefly of his thick mat of chest hair.

Janie took another in a series of deep breaths. Okay, she was being unfair. Comparing Otto to Pete wasn’t right. Otto was Konigsburg. Pete was…somewhere else.

She glanced back at Pete’s grill. He was nudging the vegetables with his tongs, his forehead creased in concentration. Olive sat at his feet, watching him carefully. “Take a look at this, will you?” he muttered. “I can’t tell if they’re ready to come off or not.”

Janie studied the vegetables. “A few more minutes.” She turned slightly to look at his face. “So why don’t you guys like football? You all look like a high school coach’s dream team.”

Pete’s mouth twisted briefly. “Football was our big brother Erik’s game. We all went out for other stuff. The football coach wanted us, but we didn’t necessarily want him.”

Right. The big brother nobody liked. “So you played basketball?”

Pete nodded. “And baseball. Even wrestled one year.” One corner of his mouth rose in a half grin. “It was a small school.”

“Hey, sweet thing,” Otto called. “Come and get it! Burgers are done.”

Janie picked up a plate and started toward Otto’s grill, then stopped. Pete was flipping vegetable chunks onto a platter. They looked a little charred around the edges, but overall good.

“Got any extra eggplant there?” she asked.

Pete glanced at her, one eyebrow raised in question. Then he grinned. “Have at it, ma’am. My veggies are your veggies.”

Fun with Food -- Excerpt Thursday

Yes, mother always told me not to play with my food, but I don't think this is what she had in mind...

***

Kelly Jamieson -- RIGGER, now available from Ellora’s Cave.

Their food arrived, the small plates like tiny works of art, perfectly arranged and garnished. “Which of this is raw?” she demanded, looking it over.

“It doesn’t matter,” Alek said. “You’re going to try them all.”

She clutched her chopsticks in her fist. “But…”

He gave her a look, square chin lifted, eyes intent, and she blinked. Loosened her hold on her chopsticks. And melted into her panties. She licked her lips and reached for a piece of sushi.

The spicy sauce warmed her mouth, the sesame seeds added a nutty taste to a delicious blend of shrimp, scallions and avocado.

“Do you like wasabi?” Alek asked, then popped a Dynamite roll into his mouth.

“I like a little. Too much clears my sinuses.”

He laughed, and picked up a morsel in his chopsticks. He was pretty dexterous with those things. He leaned toward her, holding out the food. She opened her mouth with a little twinge of fear at what she was about to consume.

It was delicious. Cream cheese, scallions and sesame seeds and several kinds of fish from what she could tell, so perfectly fresh it was sweet.

“It’s a Coral Reef,” he told her.

She swallowed and looked at him through her eyelashes. “It was raw, wasn’t it?”

He grinned. “Yup.”

She pressed her lips together as she decided which of the dishes she wanted to sample next. He reached over and tipped her chin up. “You liked it, didn’t you?”

She lifted her chin away from his hand and his smile widened. “Yes, all right, I liked it.”

“See. Trying new things can be fun.”

Her pussy clenched at the tone of his voice, rough and velvet like hemp rope rubbing over her skin.

Alek studied her intently, and she wanted to squirm, sure that he knew she was aroused, and from what? A few words from him. How could that be?

***

Kate Davies – Lessons in Love

She had chocolate on her upper lip.

It took every ounce of willpower Alex had not to reach across the little table and remove it for her. To take the tip of one finger and smooth it away—oh, God, to lick it off…

Alex shifted in his chair, thankful that Brynn was oblivious to the effect she had on him. She chattered away, cupping the stoneware mug in both hands, closing her eyes in delight as she sipped the hot drink.

He shouldn’t even be there. He should be in his office, reading over applications for the Laurivenia Trust. The annual ball was coming up in just a few weeks and he still hadn’t decided which projects were the most deserving of funding.

But he’d heard Brynn out in the hall, stomping and muttering, and he was up from his desk before he even realized what he was doing.

Alex picked up his own mug and took a sip. It was smooth and rich, the perfect comfort drink. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had hot chocolate. He was more likely to be served fancy espresso drinks. But as soon as they reached the empty kitchen, Brynn had insisted on preparing enough for both of them. She had puttered around the kitchen, plucking ingredients from the huge walk-in pantry, even sending Alex to fetch a container of cream from the industrial-sized refrigerator.

She was at ease in the kitchen, keeping up a running monologue while she whipped and stirred and blended. Her earlier embarrassment seemed to have faded, and Alex was glad. He enjoyed listening to her talk. They could have been any couple, hanging out in the kitchen after a night out.

Except he was the crown prince of Laurivenia and she was his daughter’s nanny.

He could stand it no longer.

Read the rest of the scene here

***

Erin Nicholas – Just Right

“You know that you don’t have a clitoris, right?”

Ben strolled into the kitchen where Sam was preparing grilled cheese sandwiches.

Sam turned away from the stove, an incredibly funny expression on his face. “Excuse me?”

Ben tossed him the bottle he’d found when looking for a towel in the bathroom. “Thought I should fill you in, just in case you were wondering why this stuff wasn’t working for you.”

Sam looked at the label that claimed the oil inside had a warming and arousing affect on the clitoris if applied prior to sexual activity. He grinned when he realized what it was. “Oh, it worked for me—indirectly.”

“Better than the leopard print panties?” Ben had also seen those in the lid-less shoebox in the cupboard under the sink.

Sam set the bottle on the counter and turned to flip the sandwich in the pan. “I do my best work when panties are not involved.”

Ben chuckled and grabbed a banana from the bunch on the counter. “So what is that collection?”

Sam shrugged. “Stuff people have left here.”

“People? As in, how many?” Ben bit off a huge hunk of banana.

Sam slid the golden sandwich onto the plate that already held two others. “However many are in there.”

“Three panties, a bra, a garter and the oil.”

“So, six,” Sam concluded.

“They were each from a different woman?” Ben asked.

“Probably. I don’t remember which is which anymore, though.”

“They didn’t ask for their underwear back the next time they were here?” Ben asked.

Sam shrugged again with a large grin as he added cheese to yet another piece of bread. “There’s no again around here. One night, that’s all they get.”

Ben shook his head and bit off another bite of banana. Wow. Sam certainly didn’t have any problems with getting too wrapped up in other people’s lives.

Read more of this scene here

Read more about Just Right here

***

PG Forte – Love, From A to Z

Pizza, I thought, had to be the most perfect food ever invented, although, admittedly, my experience, at present, wasn’t all that wide. And pizza and beer together--now that was surely an unbeatable combination.

“What do you call this stuff again?” I asked, picking a small, white blob off the top of my slice and popping it in my mouth. Creamy and warm with a distinct salt tang, I loved the way it melted on my tongue.

Zach smiled. “That’s Feta cheese. You like it?”

“Mmm.” It reminded me of sex. “And the green stuff underneath?”

“Pesto. Basil, garlic, olive oil...I don’t know what else.”

“It’s good.” Pesto tasted earthy and pungent. It reminded me of sex, too.

“Yep,” Zach sighed, sounding pretty content, himself. “Green pizza and red beer. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Nodding agreement, I leaned down and retrieved my bottle from the floor. After taking a sip I smacked my lips. “Delicious.” But it was better than that; really. It was refreshing in a dark, vibrant, exciting sort of way; like a cool, wet, never-ending kiss...

Come to think of it, everything reminded me of sex just now, even the soft cheese that was layered beneath the pesto. Soft, stretchy, springy; it brought to mind the tender sac that held Zach’s balls.

I moved my foot a little, stretching my leg as far as it would reach, until my sole was pressed against the bulge at Zach’s crotch. I rubbed him with my heel, back and forth in a little semi-circle, testing to see how much of that soft springiness I could feel through the denim of his jeans.

“Hey.” Zach swatted at my foot. “Cut it out. Stop that.”

He looked amused, however, rather than annoyed, so I decided not to take him seriously. I scrunched up my toes and pressed harder. “Stop what?”

Read the rest of the scene here

Freaky or funny?

Since we joined the Nine Naughty Novelists, PG and I have found a whole lot of connections in our writing and in our lives. Here are just a few:

Kelly: PG has a book (Iron) set in a fictional Irish town in Ireland named Kilbanning and I have a book (Irish Sex Fairy) set in a fictional Irish town in California named Kilkenny. Lots of Irish words and phrases in both stories! California is where PG actually lives and I’ve spent a lot of time there and set most of my books there, and she’s set a lot of her books there, too. I noticed in her dedication for Iron that her maternal grandparents are from Ireland - Counties Tipperary and Limerick - mine are from Enniskillen and Newton Butler Counties. Both our husbands are photographers. We’ve both written lots about food and wine and a winery (my winery story is still in progress). In the Dark includes a reference to my home city (Royal Winnipeg Ballet). The characters in Iron are named Gavin and Aislinn and I’ve written stories with the same names (only Ashlyn), we have other stories (Worth Waiting For and PG’s Scent of the Roses) where our characters have the last name, Patterson. And both are 'reunion' stories. I have a character who owns a coffee shop. PG has a character who owns a tea shop. We both hate vacuuming and love coffee, and I freaked out when PG mentioned Nastassja Kinski and the Snake photograph by Richard Avedon, because we actually had that photograph hanging in our living room for years!

PG: yes, and as I don't think I mentioned, I once borrowed the bracelet Nastassja wears in that photo from the designer to use in one of my husband's photo shoots. That was during my brief stint as a Photo Stylist.

So this week we were having a conversation on Yahoo and decided to share it with you for a laugh. Actual conversation:

Kelly: PG, did you see this? http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/were-loving-angels-instead-publishing-craze-goes-celestial-1850915.html

PG: Huh. Well, that's cool. Maybe there's hope yet for my sad little angel story. Being ahead of the trend--that' d be something new for me. lol! Thanks, Kelly!

Kelly: I was ahead of the trend too, but it didn’t work out so well LOL. The book that landed my agent was originally written about a girl who had a near death experience and came back with some super angelic powers, and a mission to fight an evil demon drug cartel. Her dead father was an angel in the book, too, he fought a demon for her soul and won, sending her back to earth with her mission. My agent said the paranormal aspects seemed extraneous to the story but if I wanted to rewrite it she would look again, so I did and she liked it. Still kinda bummed that the angel and demon thing didn’t work out, but truthfully it was so easy to take those things out of the story (I kept the NDE) she was probably right

PG: Okay, that's really freaky. In my original idea for Edge of Heaven, the 'angel' the main character falls in love with is a young woman, recently dead, whose mission takes her back to Earth to deal with the criminals who killed her and her father.

When I decided to turn it into a novella, I realized I had too much going on for under 30K, so I ditched the suspense angle.

Kelly: Sometimes I think you and I share a brain…

PG: Yeah, only I think you got the better parts.

Kelly: LOL! I so think this thread should be a blog post.

PG: we could do that.

Kelly: Whoever is up next…I’m Jan 6

PG: Jan 6...that's like the day after tomorrow. I think you're up first then. lol! I've got the following Wednesday.

Kelly: Oh holy crap, that is the day after tomorrow! And just to make it even freakier, I have to add that in my “angel and demon story”, the criminals the heroine comes back to fight were responsible for the death of her parents.

And I don’t think I got the better parts!

PG: Well some of the better parts, anyway. :)
I have a feeling we're just scratching the surface with all these similarities and coincidences. I'm betting we find a lot more as we go along.


So what do you think..freaky or funny?

Guest Blogger MJ Fredrick - Bad Boys

M. J. Frederick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first writing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching 4th grade students how to write and diving into her own writing, traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.

I love me some bad boys.

Dean Winchester from Supernatural

Tony Stark from Iron Man

Captain Jack from Pirates

Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights

Doug Ross from ER

Sawyer from LOST

Alex Karev from Grey’s Anatomy

But the question today is WHY? What is it in ME that draws me to bad boys? Is it a nurturing thing, a need to take care of these damaged guys?

Is it a need to change the bad boy into a good man?

Is it a need for corruption? I'm essentially a Good Girl - do I need a balance of wildness?

Is it envy for the freedom Bad Boys have, the disregard for social mores?

Is it the need to know WHY they became that way? That’s what I wanted to know when I wrote my January 5 release, Breaking Daylight. My hero is a Bad Boy. In fact, he’s a bit of an ass. He has good reason, but my heroine Bella doesn’t give him an excuse. She calls him on his behavior, as though she can see the hero underneath. And eventually her patience pays off, and he becomes the man she deserves. So she doesn’t nurture him, and since she’s a rebel herself, doesn’t need the wildness. She does need his fearlessness, though, and when he sees she has some of that herself, he falls for her.

What is it in women that draws them to bad boys?

Starting Fresh

So the children are all tucked in bed, the dishes are done, the holiday decorations are stored away for another year. Lunches are waiting to be made and outfits are laid out for the morning.

Yes, for me, the new year doesn't start until that last bus pulls away from the curb. You can keep your countdown to midnight on December 31st. My New Year's celebration begins today.

Dont' get me wrong, I love the holidays. Having family around, being able to sleep in, celebrating the season with the people I love - all of these things are in the "win" column for me. But for starting fresh, turning a page on the year, I need the structure of my routine, the daily schedule that gets me back on track.

And, of course, the new challenges that go along with it. I don't like to make big Resolutions-with-a-capital-R, with specific end results, because they're so easy to break. This year, I thought I'd look at a few areas of my life that could use a nudge, and list a few ideas of what I'd like to do differently this year. Here they are, ready for the official start today:

1. I will exercise more. (Yes, I know, this is *the* big resolution. Still, it needs to be done!) Even if this means heading to the gym the minute the kids are safely tucked away in the public school system instead of making a hot chocolate and surfing the net for a little down time. I may not be able to find a parking space, but hey, the extra walk won't hurt. And with a trip to Hawaii just three months away, I'd better start working off those holiday pounds NOW.

2. I will stay on top of things. No more letting my e-mail pile up in folders until I have 500 unread messages (sorry, NNN ladies! I'm a bit behind!). No more waiting until the last minute to meet deadlines. This year, I'm going to get it done early.

3. I'm going to organize and prioritize better. Twitter can wait until I finish that book proposal.

4. I'm going to read more. Somehow, this fell by the wayside in '09, and I don't want that to happen this year.

5. I'm going to celebrate the small successes. Sometimes life can be a bit overwhelming, and it's easy to forget to enjoy the positives, especially if they're not huge flashing neon signs. I'll work on recognizing and enjoying them more.

It's not a long list, but it's a good start. How about you? What steps are you taking this year - big or small?