Romance Round the Net

Unpublished authors' opportunity. Contest to win agent/editor critique. Coming up at The Season.

Nicole Alexander is blogging over at ARRA. Interesting thoughts on love and character motivation generating story conflict. Also, scroll down the comments and see how an Outback author travels to work. Hint: It's flood season.

This news is only romantic if you're one of Terry Pratchett's dwarfs and love gold (although such dwarfs assure us they only say they love gold to get it into bed). A skeleton has been found wrapped in gold on Crete.

Over at AccessRomance, Leslie discusses the challenges of rating a reviewed book and asks if readers like/dislike/ignore ratings.
I've been thinking about how I rate books on Goodreads. For me I think a 1 is "stay away", 2 is "don't bother", 3 is "read it", 4 is "so glad I read it", 5 is "amazing". For me, three is a good solid recommendation. How about you?

Over at Romance is Not Dead (Harlequin/Mills&Boon) the Top Ten have been chosen. Leah Ashton (yay Aussies!) is one of them with her first chapter for Secrets and Speed Dating.

And when the moon explodes?

[Stromboli Eruption, by Wolfgang Beyer, with thanks to him for sharing on Wikimedia]

The things they don't teach you in school. *shakes head* First they broke my heart -- the moon is not made of cheese. And just when I accepted that it's a cold lump of rock, here comes news that it may be molten at the core. The moon is shrinking.

So what happens when the moon bursts a volcano? Nothing? Tide trouble? Maybe Earth's poles will reverse -- anyone want to date that to 2012?

But if a volcano can make Earth's soil fertile, what might a lunar volcano do to the moon's surface? Could it even begin alterations of the moon's atmosphere to enable life?

Writing Update

I'm paddling along, a happy little duck. It's fascinating when even I don't know what I'm going to write next. Betrayal, magic, overwhelming lust -- sssh! this is a PG rated site. I'd just like to say dragon-shifters are hot. I'm channelling Arabian Nights. There's jasmine in the air, water fountains and sorcery. Fun, fun, fun :)

Susanna Ives

Susanna Ives author of the brilliantly named Regency romance Rakes and Radishes is here to talk fashion. Rakes and Radishes is available from Carina Press. It's also been rated a Top Pick by The Season and Night Owl Romance wants to read more by Susanna.

***

First, thank you Jenny for letting visit me your blog.
Greetings from the states.

My book RAKES AND RADISHES is set in the Regency era of British history. The period was dominated by the symmetry of Greek Classicalism which was also reflected in women’s fashion of the day. To some degree, the fashionable Regency lady resembled a Greek marble column.

Period costume is not my passion. I have a basic understanding of the essential pieces of a Regency woman’s wardrobe. When writing the story, I used specific fashion plates and drawings to determine what my characters wore. The New York Public library has digitized a plethora of historical fashion plates. I have the plates broken out by years on Nancy Mayer Regency Researcher website (note: I’m Nancy’s web master)

So let’s begin with some basic information.

When a Regency woman got dressed, she started with a basic cotton or linen chemise which essentially is a long shirt that is gathered at the bodice. On top of the chemise, her servant, helper or mother would add a stay (corset). The Regency stays were less concerned with squeezing the waist but making the stomach flat and enhancing the breasts. There were long and short stays. English Women’s Clothing in the Nineteenth Century by C. Willett Cunnington includes an account of how to put on the short stay. "A mother is advised that to apply it correctly her daughter should lie face down so that her mother, by applying a foot into the small of the back can obtain the requisite purchase to the laces.” Over the stay, a lady wore one or more petticoats. Regency women didn’t wear any form of panties, though some wore drawers.

Depending on her station, a lady could change clothes several times a day. A fashionable lady in the height of the Season began the day in morning dress and then perhaps changed to a walking dress for fashionable hour in Hyde Park. She would wear an elegant evening gown to dinner or going to the opera. And, of course, a ball gown if she were going dancing into the early hours of the morning.

Outerwear consisted of a pelisse which was a tailored version of a modern long coat, the spencer which was a fitted jacket, a cloak, or shawl. Outdoors, women always wore a bonnet and gloves.

When deciding what my characters should wear, I consulted La Belle Assemblee, the popular ladies journal of the day, and English Women’s Clothing in the Nineteenth Century.

Here is a fashion passage from RAKES AND RADISHES :

Lady Winslow invited Lady Kesseley and Henrietta to her box on the middle balcony. It was close enough to afford a nice view of the stage and an even better view of the audience. Lady Winslow was clad in a shimmering, orange silk gown with a matching ribbon twisted with gold beads in her hair. She had brought two gentlemen along. One wore a sloppy black cravat and had curls so wild they made Kesseley’s hair look tame. “He’s an artist,” Lady Winslow explained as if the poor man were afflicted with a disease. The princess had squeezed into a slim lavender gown that dramatically plunged in a deep V at the bodice, showing off her breasts. Her hair was piled high on her head and fell in little spirals around her face. Beside her sat a diminutive man who constantly pinched snuff from his gold box.

Below are some descriptions from La Belle Assemblee 1811 that are posted on Nancy Mayer Regency Researcher website. Enjoy!

Morning Carriage Dress

A bias corded muslin dress, a walking length, with long sleeves, made high in the neck, with collar; buttoned down the front of the waist with narrow lilac satin ribbon. Sash tied in a bow in front; a border of plain muslin, or lace, round the bottom. A square of lilac satin, with richly embroidered border in white silk, and tassels to correspond, is thrown over the shoulders in the form of a shawl, and is cut down the back to give it a more easy and graceful appearance about the figure. A simple white chip hat, tied round the crown in a bow in front of lilac satin ribbon. The hair in full curls, over the forehead. Pearl earrings. Gloves and shoes of pale lemon, or lilac coloured kid.

Evening Gown

A robe and petticoat of white satin with short sleeves, trimmed with green or yellow chenille, over which is worn a light green drapery of crape, fastened on the left shoulder with an amber or cornelian brooch, folded over the left side of the figure in front , nearly concealing the waist on that side. The hind part of the drapery is simply bound in at the bottom of the waist, confined underneath the drapery in front, entirely ornamented round with yellow chenille. With this dress is worn a Turkish turban of green crape, with trimming to correspond with plume on the right side. Shoes of green kid or silk.

Walking Dress

A pelisse of scarlet Merino cloth, buttoned down the front and up the arm with small gold buttons; the collar and cuffs of purple velvet; but during mourning, of black, striped with scarlet. An ermine tippet pointed in in the back, and muffs of the same. A bonnet of scarlet cloth, turned up with velvet and formed to come over the face the veil passed through the front and brought round the neck. Boots of scarlet cloth trimmed with velvet.

To learn more about me or RAKES AND RADISHES, please visit http://www.susannaives.com/

***

When Henrietta Watson learns that the man she loves plans to marry London's most beautiful and fashionable debutante, she plots to win him back. She'll give him some competition by transforming her boring bumpkin neighbor, the Earl of Kesseley, into a rakish gothic hero worthy of this Season's Diamond.

After years of unrequited love for Henrietta, Kesseley is resigned to go along with her plan and woo himself a willing bride. But once in London, everything changes. Kesseley—long more concerned with his land than his title—discovers that he's interested in sowing wild oats as well as radishes. And Henrietta realizes that gothic heroes don't make ideal husbands. Despite an explosive kiss that opens her eyes to the love that's been in front of her all along, Henrietta must face the possibility that Kesseley is no longer looking to marry at all...

Monday Author Blog Hop

Wildflower Weekend

West Australian wildflowers are gorgeous. But in fact the title is misleading. This weekend is actually about the Grand Final (of Aussie Rules football) and the West Australian Royal Show (a mix of carnival and agricultural show). Not that I'll be going to either -- I'm virtuously at home writing :)

Weekend Happenings

Okay, so you've probably already seen the British Museum and BBC's "A History of the World in 100 Objects" but how could I not mention it?

And stepping out of museums, I thought I'd provide a link to the website of glass artist Dale Chihuly. So incredibly beautiful. Individual brilliance but also team work.

Justice as a Weapon

I've been following Dear Author's coverage of Red Rose Publishing, and Red Rose Publishing's attempt to close down that coverage.

Internet discussions bring alive the right of free speech. How do we define it? How do we protect it? When does reporting and questioning a situation cross the line into an unfair attack (and how do you define "unfair")?

I'm almost tempted to ask what is truth? But Post Modernism deserves its own weirdness post.

The problem I have with the justice system is that bullies can use it to scare people into silence. And bullies with deep pockets can exploit the system to bury people that irk them.

So my weirdness for the week is that the legal system isn't about justice, it's about enforcing social stability.

Romance Round the Net

At Booksquare, Kassia Krozser talks publishing, editing and changing roles.

What do authors want from epublishers? A discussion at Romance Divas (I think you have to sign in to read their forums).

Are teeth romantic? Never mind. I enjoyed Ruth J Hartman's sum up of tooth fairy tales over at Love Romance Passion.

Finally, how am I meant to concentrate on writing and reading when it's Grand Final weekend? Friday night is already set aside for Before the Game. And for everyone unfortunate enough not to follow Aussie Rules (the only true football), you have no idea what you're missing.

It's been a VERY (and I don't usually capitalise) long time since Western Australia had any volcanic action. Consequently our soil is pretty poor. A volcano would be quite useful, but I'm not sure of the safest place to site it.

You think I've gone round the twist, don't you? Uh huh. I'm interested in the notion of geo-thermal energy, and apparently one of the side effects of some of the activity involved can be earthquakes. This sometimes happens with oil drilling, too. Who knew?

Anyway, I wondered if it was possible to take the earthquake activity one step further and indulge in some large scale creative landscaping.

Can humans create volcanoes? and would we really want to? Dangers? Benefits? And who'll bet the military are already working on it?

Writing Update

A Persian Dragon
[Wikimedia]

Note the feathery rather than leathery wings? I'm so enjoying writing a story set in Iran. Djinn, dragons, sorcerors, jewel thieves and a hydrologist. Love my characters :)

Tia Nevitt

So you know Tia Nevitt as a brilliant reviewer? Meet Tia as author!!! The Sevenfold Spell (just released from Carina Press) is a wonderful warm fantasy and winning some intriguing reviews. Try a 5 star Top Pick from Night Owl Romance.


CONTEST ALERT: Tia has a copy of The Sevenfold Spell up for grabs. Details at the end of the post.


But first, here's Tia, wearing pjs and talking writing. Where does the journey begin?

***

Welcome to my Pajama Party Blog Tour. Why a pajama party? Because I can only blog after-hours, due to access limitations at work. (Well, I do have an internet-capable phone, but it’s a fossil.) Here is the complete tour schedule.

I thought I’d start this tour with the story of how I got started writing. Because really—writing fiction isn’t a normal thing to do. Assuming you’re not a writer, how many people do you know who write fiction? And if you are a writer, you probably had to seek like-minded people out at various societies and critique groups.

When I was in high school, my art teacher said that artists usually follow more than one art. As soon as she said that, I knew what my other art was: writing. At that time, I wrote poetry. I didn’t write prose until my twenties.

It all started in the fifth grade, when I became the teacher’s pet. I had never been a teacher’s pet before. Quite the opposite. My fourth grade teacher often mocked me in front of the class along with all the other children. Very unprofessional. Before that, in the third grade, I was accused of playing with my fingers. What was I doing? Trying to squish away the blurriness so I could see the chalk board from my position at the back of the classroom.

Anyway. The fifth grade. Thankfully, I had glasses by then, and I could see. My teacher had us read and memorize a lot of poetry. It was tiresome, but I seemed to have a knack for it. Then, she gave us an extra credit assignment: those who memorized Hiawatha’s Childhood would get a special gift.

Check it out. It’s pages long. Only two of us attempted it. Both of us managed to memorize it and recite it in front of the class, if not perfectly. I firmly believe that every child in that class could have done it. My gift was a copy of Baum’s The Wizard of Oz.

From then on, I was addicted to poetry. But I remained fascinated by art. I enrolled in art during every year in high school And there was something I knew about myself even while I went to those courses and got A’s and was patted on the back for my pictures.

I was a mediocre artist, at best.

I looked at the artists in class around me and some of them were very talented. I knew I wasn’t up to their level. And I knew I never would be. A self-fulfilling prophesy? I don’t think so. Had I truly had the spark, I would have kept going. After all, I did with writing.

Tomorrow, we’ll stop off at D. Lynn Frazier’s Writtenwyrdd and take a brief tour of my early fiction attempts. In the meantime, here is a taste of The Sevenfold Spell, here are the opening paragraphs:

***

The booted feet stopped before me as I sat on the ground, hugging my knees. A well-worn, black military boot kicked forward, thumping against my shins. It smarted, but it could have hurt far worse. I looked up at the harried constable. He frowned down at us—a troubled frown, but not an angry one. He was portly and balding, and was a common sight in our part of town. This wasn’t an evil man, but a good man who had been sent out to do an evil task.

“Get up,” he said, his voice so dispirited I almost felt sorry for him.

“Don’t move,” Mama said. It had been her idea that we wedge ourselves hip to hip in the narrow doorway of our shop.

He sighed. “Come now, I don’t like this a bit more than you do.”

“You’ll have to move us,” Mama said.

The constable looked over his shoulder. The fairy hovered there. She was tiny—no larger than my hand— with shimmery pale green leggings and tunic. Her beauty made it difficult to look away.

“Can you move them?” he asked her.

“I am not here to do your job, Constable,” the fairy said, “only to see that you do it honestly.”

***

Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?

Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying "good" fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said.

Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.

Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia's prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia determines to build a new spinning wheel, the only one in the nation—which plays right into the evil fairy's diabolical plan. Talia discovers that finding a happy ending requires sacrifice. But is it a sacrifice she's willing to make?

***

I’d love to hear from you! At the end of the day (just before I shut down for the night), I’ll pick a random commenter for a free ecopy of The Sevenfold Spell.

Monday Author Blog Hop

Brolgas

Brolgas, originally uploaded by Arcainous.

I love the photo -- who wouldn't? Brolgas are gorgeous. But I get a giggle from the context. The beautiful wilderness setting is a water treatment plant!

Happy weekend, all!

And now for the weekend

Ever thought of visiting the Vatican Library? It's re-opening Monday. Check it out online.

Over at the Museum of the City of New York there's an exhibition of the Notorious and the Notable. Women and fashion.

If you're a creature of conferences, it looks like Lanyrd will let you join in via Twitter.

Kraken

[Kraken, from Wikimedia]

Old sailors may have gotten a bad press. Just because you have a reputation for tall tales and rum imbibing doesn't mean you didn't meet the legendary Kraken.

Of course, in these politically correct days, the sailors would have to refer to the monster politely as Ms Giant Squid, but you get the idea.

There's nothing so weird that it mightn't just have a basis in reality.

[Photo by Locutus Borg, National Museum, Madrid, Wikimedia Commons]

Romance Round the Net

Mills and Boon/Harlequin are intent on proving Romance Is Not Dead. If you have a first chapter for your romance novel ready to go, get moving. Send it in. The closing date is really soon. Otherwise, like me, you can take things a bit easier and simply enjoy the entries. Read, comment, join the community. It's heartening to see lots of other people believe in happy ever after, too.

Marie Treanor shares her agent acquisition story over at Toni Anderson's blog. I'd guess it's not typical, but it is inspiring. And if you like vamps, read the excerpt : )=  [that = is meant to be fangs *sigh* Need a vamp fan smiley icon]

Fiction Vixen discusses 5 of her favourite blogs. It is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, remember?

Attention authors in search of a storyline. Dear Author asks people's favourite tropes.

If you haven't registered your about.me username, you might want to do so, and also consider setting up an Amazon author page.

Dinosaurs were Sentient

[Tricerotops from Museum of Science, Boston, photo by Daderot on Wikimedia--thanks!]

After millions of years, what sort of evidence would survive to prove dinosaurs' sentience? The use of tools is not proof of self-awareness, even if tools survived. And how at this gap of time could we tell if dinosaurs altered purposely their environment?

Their language--if it existed--is dead and gone.

Might humans one day stumble over a dinosaur dancing ground? Would we recognise it if we saw it?

What if only some dinosaurs were sentient? How did they interact with their non-sentient cousins?

Finally, what if dinosaurs made pets of humans' mammalian ancestor? What if, in a very distant fasion, we are the result of dinosaurs managing the breeding of our mammalian ancestor to increase intelligence (and hence, usefulness to dinosaurs)?

Please ignore

I've recently signed up with Amazon Author Central. Today's big achievement was adding a feed from this blog. So this post is by way of a test. Will it appear over at Author Central, or has my tech jinx triumped?

Writing Update

I admitted defeat last week. My contemporary romance was just...not...working. It's annoying. I keep thinking that if I just tried a bit harder--but really sometimes you have to cut your losses and walk away. The tension just wasn't there. The hero fell in love too early and too easy and I couldn't talk him out of it.

Oh well.

On the upside, cutting loose the contemporary lets me write another angel and djinni story. This time the setting is Iran. It's great fun. Can't say anything more since I'm still dreaming it up. Clearly, I'm happier pantstering than planning.

Expect random Iranian data to pop up on the blog as a side effect of research.

Eleri Stone

Why do we love monsters? I've never considered the question, although I read enough paranormal romance, fantasy and urban fantasy that I should have wondered what was feeding my addiction. Eleri Stone, author of Mercy (just released by Carina Press and already winning great reviews, including 4 stars from Romantic Times), shares her insight.

Thanks, Eleri, for visiting with such an interesting topic. I like the jaguar friends you brought along, too ;)

My Kind of Monster

I love in fiction when the monsters turn out to be not quite so monstrous. Beauty and the Beast? My favorite Disney movie growing up. I think this is one of the reasons I’m such a fan of paranormal romance where this trope is so prevalent.

Of all the monsters out there – vampires, ghosts, the Fae, witches, demons and angels – the one that’s always had an irresistible appeal to me is the shape-shifter. (As a note, I tried my first djinn last week – Thanks Jenny! – and I loved the novelty of that. The Price of Freedom seemed right on the edge between paranormal romance and fantasy romance which is a sweet spot for me.)

I was trying to figure out exactly why I have this fascination with shape-shifters and so far here’s what I’ve come up with:

As a writer and as a reader, having a character that has such clear-cut human and animal sides gives you a lot of room to explore what it is that makes us human in the first place - the sometimes subtle differences between instinct and conscious will. It gives you a playing field to look at questions of morality, civilization, and if you’re talking about Pack, the bonds that tie us together.

Another facet is the mystery of the “other”. Everyone’s been an outsider at least once in their life (new school, new job…). In most paranormal novels, the outsiders aren’t lesser. They may be hidden or hunted as a group but usually they’re stronger, richer or longer-lived than their human counterparts. It makes for an interesting dynamic.

You can have characters who are larger than life, who have a good reason for being that way and then you can give them wildly adventurous conflict that matches their abilities.

There’s also the idea of the tame monster. Because, really, who wouldn’t want one? Especially if said monster was sizzling hot, highly principled and unswervingly devoted to you.

Some of the other monsters share the same qualities but of them all the shape-shifter to me seems closest to human and so is dearest to my heart.

In Mercy, my jaguar-shifter romance, the hero Gabriel is the outsider. He’s considered an outcast because his mother was human and when the old king of the Yaguara dies, Gabriel enters the tournament of succession to protect the community of other “mutants” like himself who are living in the human world and have come under attack.

Iada, the heroine, is a survivor – quiet, strong and almost brutally practical. She’s the insider in the Yaguara world, a full-blooded jaguar who has this unique ability that makes her almost unbeatable as a fighter. Since the crown goes to the winner of the tournament everyone expects her to win, especially her uncles who’ve been grooming her from childhood to be their puppet Queen.

Enter Gabriel, the dark horse (er….jaguar) in the tournament who blows through the ranks and beats her. He spares her life and by law that means he claims her as his mate.

They start as enemies in a death match and the rest of the story is where they go from there…

You can read an excerpt here: http://www.eleristone.com/index.php?p=1_6

It’s a little on the spicy side, so be forewarned.

Mercy is on sale now at Carina Press (http://www.carinapress.com)/

And I have to ask…what’s your favorite paranormal character?

Monday Author Blog Hop

The Flea Circus

The Flea Circus, originally uploaded by Automatrick.

Can't resist sharing this great photo. A circus in your luggage -- for real!

Happy weekend :)

Coffee

[Image from Wikimedia Commons]

It's Saturday, the end of my writing week. What better time to celebrate the fuel of writing life -- coffee.

I'm far from being a coffee snob. I enjoy a coffee when I'm out and about (flat white -- it's an Australian term -- just means, with milk). But when I'm home I drink it black, sugarless and ... instant.

Told you I'm no snob.

My coffee of choice is from Oxfam. Colombian Fair Trade. Two cups in the morning so my brain wakes up. Then lunch onwards it's tea time. That little insomnia factor.

Anyway, that's my coffee moment over. If you were expecting a museum post, try the link to the Museum of African Art. I love the beauty of weaving.

Gourmet Heaven

What better topic for Weirdness Fridays then the question of strange but loved food combinations.

I love vegemite on toast eaten with raw apple. Mmm. Okay, so that's not truly weird.

Actually, when I think about it, my food choices are sadly unadventurous. I've eaten tiny whitebait deepfried and crunchy, little fish heads and tails and all. I've never eaten pigs' trotters, nor kangaroo. Dad put me off kangaroo meat in a big way -- and I'm not giving gory details on innards and their inhabitants. Fridays might be weird, but not disgusting.

I've eaten a raw brusselsprout, just to see what it was like. Don't bother.

And as a kid I'd occasionally twist off the new growth bud at the tip of a banksia branch and chew it. Thanks, Mum, for the bush chewing gum idea :) Probably not something people should try with random banksias. Who knows what poison lurks in the Australian bush? Yeah, yeah, red back spiders, venomous snakes. I'm talking plants.

Ace Roc Giveaway at Dear Author

I've just noticed Anne Sowards has a preview and giveaway of some titles soon to be released. An awesome line up! and the competition is already fierce.

Romance Round the Net

Next month I get my hands on Masques by Patricia Briggs and Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews. Maybe this doesn't sound like huge news to you, but I've had these books on pre-order for months. I will single-handedly demolish any volcano (yes, Iceland, I'm looking at you) who delays shipping. Bayou Moon is William's story, and I wanted that story even as I read On the Edge.

Okay. On to other news.

Embrace Books is a new British digital romance and erotica publisher. They're accepting submissions. I've only just heard of them (yes, wa-ay late on breaking news), so I don't know details of who or what the contracts are like.

Cyberpunk continues strong in the romance world with a novella call for a Samhain anthology. (Link takes you to details at Romance Divas, which is also where I heard of Embrace Books.)

Marcia James has top tips to avoid author promo missteps (at Hannah Howell's blog). Although I'm unsure of the emphasis on author websites. I tend to follow author blogs and track books via Amazon, Goodreads, or Fantastic Fiction -- author websites lack space for reader discussions.

Blind determination

Highland Cattle 0001, originally uploaded by nondesigner59.

This is how I've been about my contemporary romance. But it really isn't working, so I've put it aside. Will apply bullheaded determination to new project.

BTW isn't this a great photo? I adore the look of Highland cattle. They're even cuter than Angus.

Yet another virus

Bacteria, viruses, mutant fungi, all these microscopic possibilities for altering brain chemistry. I feel like a mad-scientist from a hundred years ago, but using microbes in place of electricity and magnetism.

Still, I can't help wonder what would happen if a virus altered our brain chemistry (because every SF reader knows that would automatically trigger very precise behavioural change -- haha) and suddenly we only felt possessive about objects we were touching. Lose physical contact, and we know longer feel a connection to the object.

How would altered emotional attachment affect the economics of our world? Would our houses become smaller, having less to store? Would how we define love alter? our relationship commitments? And if possessions help create our identity, who would we be? where would our passions find root?

Writing Update

Okay, so the sweet contemporary...it's not so sweet any more. Gardens are sensual, earthly paradises, and too much to resist. Plus, adding sensuality to the story gives me a chance to play up the tension of desire and uncertainty, the levels of engagement and risk. The contemporary is taking wa-ay longer than I hoped to write, but it is also coming alive, and that's got to be good.

As for other writing achievements, I've rewritten and resub'd the third Out of the Bottle novella. So I'm definitely typing with fingers crossed.

And I have a short story floating in my mind, it's definitely speculative but needs a lot of world building. The opening line is -- Have you ever been born? Now I have to work out where the question might take me. I think it'll involve dinosaurs. Yeah, weird.

Busking

One of the genuine and unexpected delights of my decision to write and submit my writing (risking rejection) has been a new awareness and appreciation of other creative artists.

When I listen to a busker's song, I hear behind it their courage and dreams, the risk they're taking in sharing themselves with their audience. But also their joy in doing so.

Creativity is part of what it means to be human. It is our expression of how we perceive beauty, our insight into our experience of life. Colour, serenity, rhythm, surprise. So many elements woven together.

Just knowing I've had the courage to share my creativity (something of myself) with the world is life-affirming. I feel like I've joined a community of risk-takers. We mightn't bungee jump, but we're definitely in free fall.

Monday Author Blog Hop

Staying with the 1920s mood

1921 Richardson cycle car [image from Wikimedia]

Cute, though I expect it was a cow to drive -- love my power steering and auto transmission.

Museum Visiting

It's the weekend and my mind turns naturally to museums and galleries. The Morgan Library and Museum has "Anne Morgan's War: Rebuilding Devastated France, 1917–1924" with an excellent online exhibition for those of us who won't be in New York any time soon.

Things I've learned from editors

Lemmings don't jump over cliffs in reckless group suicide. It's a myth.

I referred to lemmings when describing a mass self-annihilation movement in a short story. The story was rejected, the editor pointing out my metaphor was wrong: Lemmings don't commit suicide.

Considering I'd put dolphins in the role of psy-villains, I think my myth-take with lemmings was the least of the story's problems.

Romance Writers of Australia -- I'm their newest member :)

Romance writers have perfect timing. Here it is, Romance Round the Net Thursday, and I receive the news RWAus have accepted my membership application. Yes!

Expect a couple of new links popping up on this blog as I settle into the new community.

Romance Round the Net

Romance Scholars: If you're into the academic side of romance writing, the Popular Culture Assoc Conf has a call for papers out. Here's the post at Romance Divas. The conference details are here.

I'm so glad when people find a new home, and one where they're valued, after corporate disaster. Over at Dear Author, Jane posts the full press release for Leah Hultenschmidt's new role at Sourcebooks Casablanca after the Dorchester debacle.

If you've ever been curious about the process for getting an ebook from author's computer to ereader, Jenny Bullough gives the Harlequin and Carina Press drama here.

Put on the New Man

One day the Vatican wakes up to the possibilities of science and embraces it with the fervour of a convert. Suddenly, it is possible to create "new men". Where the Vatican used to see sin, now they see biology, and biology can be changed.

In the past, willpower lead to habits. Repetition etched new neural pathways in the brain. People became "new men", the humans they aspired and practiced to be. There was plenty of backsliding.

But if the Vatican truly believed surgery or medicines could create this admirable humanity, could they make it required? Excommunication if you refused to become a "new man"? To be Christ via a tablet?