Happy Endings

Today I'm blogging at the Happy Endings blog about what to do when that book is done to keep the momentum going. Come on by and give us an update about your own project. We want to hear from you!

Reliving the '80s

I was a child of the 80's. I admit it. I grew up wearing pastels, leg warmers, and bangles. I teased my hair and sprayed it with the ozone-killing gunk until it wouldn't have moved even if a tornado ripped right past me.

Some pretty bad trends came (and went) in the 80's, but there was also some great stuff that I'm always going to remember with a smile like cowboy boots with jeans, Falco, and the Breakfast Club.

And it looks like the 80's revival has begun! This year will see a huge selection of movie remakes from an age that may be best forgotten.

Clash of the Titans, coming April 2010



A Nightmare on Elm Street, coming April 2010



Robin Hood, coming May 2010
(Okay, technically Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was out in 1991, but it still had a whole crapload of 1980s goodness)


The Karate Kid, coming June 2010



The A Team, coming June 2010



Tron Legacy, coming December 2010



So, is there anything here that brings back memories? Good or bad? Are you looking forward to any movies this year?

To be or not to be

We're talking about Shakespearean quotes over on the Vixen blog today, and it got me to thinking about just how much one person can accomplish in a lifetime. After his death in 1616, Shakespeare's first folio was published and it included 154 sonnets, 37 plays and 2 long poems. Imagine if something you create--whether it be a manuscript, a work of art, the design of a famous building--lives on to continue to inspire and provide entertainment and enjoyment for generation upon generation of children and adults the world over.

That's how I feel about my writing. Even though I doubt my work will ever reach a third of the people that Shakespeare's writing did, I feel good that there are a few people out there who will read my books and share them with others, perhaps find them worthy enough to set on a shelf to keep and read again someday. Maybe I will inspire a few would-be writers in producing a new generation of literature. It's a great feeling.

It's the same feeling I get when I look at my son and watch him grow, knowing he will have children, who will have children, etc...and that all these people in the years to come will have something new and important to give to the world.

So, that's my deep thought for the day as I start writing Chapter three of my new WIP.

(Photo: By unknown c1815 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0,,1721587,00.html) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

One Free Day

Today I'm not working the day job. I'm not writing. I'm not going to check my email, and I'm not going to clean my house.

Today is my free day. I'm going to spend it with my husband and son. We have plans to go and do some shopping, see a movie and have dinner out. That's it. Just the three of us. I can't wait!!

Sometimes you just need to put everything else to the side and find a way to relax. I've been a bit stressed out lately, and it's not good for me. My husband has also been working very very hard and I'd lke to be able to give him an excuse to take a break. Not to mention, my son would LOVE the opportunity to have mommy and daddy to himself with no other obligations but to play with him all day :)

So, what are your plans today and for the weekend?

Taking the Edge Off

Today you'll find me at the Vixens talking about the things we do to take our mind off the stressors in our lives.

The Character Connection

I read this book over the Christmas holidays. It was so good I had to read it again and just finished last night. I couldn't get the imagery out of my mind and needed to bring that feeling into myself again. That feeling that a really wonderful book gives you--of touching imagery through words that have been spun like the finest, smoothest, most tempting silk. Poetry for the soul is this book.

And now I'm inspired. Not to write about teenage wolves (because obviously it's already been done the very best way that it can) but to write something that makes me feel the same way.

It's tough sometimes to be deep and relevant when writing romance. It seems as if the opposite should be true because romance is supposed to be about the heart, what lies between two people as they travel a road of discovery. But more and more I'm finding that there are so many other expectations for a romance novel that it sometimes feels like the soul of it gets lost somewhere between the fantastic hooks, sustaining conflict, alpha heroes and evil blood-sucking fiends.

I actually talk about this a lot, but I think it's important. When we're writing, we have to remember the balance. It's not easy, because it takes effort and you have to be able to dig deep. When you think you've reached that one emotion that will bring a tear or a tender smile to your reader's eyes, dig deeper still. Dig until you cry. Dig until they're your emotions on the page. Balance can be achieved with a stronger emphasis on the emotional experience.

Sure, I like a kick ass knife fight and I enjoy a good end-of-the-world scene as much as the next person, but behind those things, there needs to be a careful, compelling reason for the story, whether I'm reading it or writing it. I want to feel a connection. Don't we all? Isn't that the reason for what we do in all the many areas of our lives?

Whether you're a reader or a writer, do you have a favourite genre? What do you remember the most in the books that stay with you the longest? The interesting plot twists? The feeling they leave you with?

(Photo:  By Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757–1822) (Mak Thorpe (1997)) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Updates

Despite the lack of bloggage recently, I'm still kicking around. It's been busy, but that's not really an excuse. The truth is I took a bit of a break.

The writing. Not sure why, but words have been hard to come by lately. For various reasons, I guess. Not the least of which seemed to be a lack of motivation and creative energy.

Well, I'm going to tell you that the muse stops here. As of today it's fired. There's no room for a muse in my world. This is a serious business and I am treating it as such.

Which means...plotting.

Lots and lots of plotting.

And oddly enough, the plotting exercises have worked in as much as they seem to have helped me to find that sliver of an idea and build it into something I can really work with.

This is going to be a great story.

Oh...and I'm blogging today at the Vauxhall Vixens too, so stop by.

What I'm Listening To

It's been a while since I shared my play list. Technically, I haven't started writing my new book yet--I'm kind of waiting on something that will probably determine WHICH book I start writing next, but I'm getting in the mood with these great songs:


Mariannas Trench-Beside You (This guy can sure hold a friggin' note, man he's awesome)



Best I Ever Had-State of Shock (The instrumentals on this one are great. The piano in the rain is a bit cheezy, but the whole package is nice and moving)



Wake Up Call-Maroon 5 (OMG, he's so cute, and this song rocks!!)



Deadend Countdown-New Cities (Okay, the video's not stellar and the singer's bulging eyeballs freaks me out, but I like this song to run to, lots of great energy!)

Guest Blogging

I'm very excited to be blogging with the Nine Naughty Novelists today, a fantastic group of naughty authors with a super-cool site. I’m talking today about genres and I’d love to hear from you.

An Interview of a Different Sort

I'm NOT being interviewed...but the heroine of my story, The Morning After, has gotten together with the heroine of fabulous author Kimber Chin's book, Invisible. Click here to check it out!

Also, thanks to Christine D'Abo for letting me know about another great review for The Morning After at Night Owl Romance Reviews. 5 Stars!!!

Begin Again

I'm blogging today at the Vauxhall Vixens about finding the right idea and making it work for you. It takes a special spark to turn an idea into a story. Come tell me what draws you into a new project.

GUEST AUTHOR: Linda Poitevin

JK Coi: My guest today is Linda Poitevin, fellow Canadian writer and author of the book A Fairy Tale for Gwyn. I asked her how she manages her time, and she had this to say:

Time: The Writer’s Dilemma

I started writing seriously – as in aiming to be published – about nine years ago. I sold my first book, A Fairy Tale for Gwyn, to The Wild Rose Press in March 2009. So did it really take me nine years to write the story? No, but it did take me nine years to learn how to make the time to write.

Time, I think, is a writer’s worst enemy. And we’re not just talking about time as it relates to deadlines and revisions and such, we’re talking about time when it comes to writing in the first place. Specifically, making the time to write.

We writers are a bit of a solitary breed. In the writing stage (not the deadline stage – a whole other story!), we don’t have a set timeline, or a boss that we report to, or even an office expecting us to arrive at a certain hour. Writing can be done pretty much anytime, and pretty much anywhere, for that matter. Therein lies the dilemma. Too many aspiring writers fail to make the time for their writing – and that was the trap I fell into nine years ago.

I told myself that I was serious about becoming published, but whenever life got complicated (as it frequently did), my writing was the first thing to be placed on the back burner. It was easy – too easy – to tell myself it was just for a few days/weeks/months, and that I would get back on track as soon as “x” crisis had passed. The trouble with life, however, is that “x” crisis would invariably be replaced by “y” crisis, and then “z” crisis, and then we’d start the alphabet all over again.

So what’s the difference between nine years ago and now? About two years ago, I stopped trying to find the time to write because I realized I could never find what didn’t exist. Instead, I made the time. Faithfully. Determinedly. Stubbornly. I carved out a niche for myself every day of the week and I stuck to it. By some standards, it’s not much – just three hours a day. But it’s mine, and it’s consistent, and it works. Partly because it guarantees me time for writing, and partly because it makes me think of myself as a writer. Stories are no longer something I do when life allows it, they’re my job. A job I work at every day.

And before you roll your eyes, I know what you’re thinking – that life must simply have slowed down in order for me to make this time. But you’re wrong. Life remains incredibly busy, and sometimes terribly complicated. Over the course of this summer and fall alone, I have helped my husband renovate most of the main floor of our house (doing the work ourselves, including laying a hardwood floor!), helped a daughter find two different apartments and then ultimately move home again (long story involving roommates), done hours and hours of research after learning that someone I care about has a serious learning disability, frozen and canned enough fruit and vegetables for my family over the winter, said goodbye to our family dog after eight years (and then acquired a new puppy) – and written a 445-page manuscript from start to finish.

When I think back over the last few months, I think I need to have my head examined for even attempting a story in the midst of all that. But I did it anyway – and I was able to because I made the time. On the days when it would have been easier (and probably smarter) to get an early start on a project (or sleep in after staying up late to finish one), I reminded myself that I was a writer and that I had a job to do. And I did that job and wrote a book.

So what about you? Whether you’re an aspiring writer or not, tell me what’s important in your life that you can never seem to find the time for – and then commit to making the time instead. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain...are you up for the challenge?

JK Coi: Find out more about Linda and her book here, and make sure to comment on this post for your chance to win! Linda will be giving away a pair of artisan-crafted earrings as well as a $10 gift certificate to The Wild Rose Press (a total prize package worth $20) to one lucky commenter from all of the blogs she visits during her tour.

GUEST AUTHOR: Juliana Stone

JK Coi: Please welcome my guest, debut author Juliana Stone. She has a spicy short story coming out from Samhain TODAY! only to be followed by an amazing new shifter series, the first of which will be released in April, called His Darkest Hunger. She's a fellow member of the Toronto Romance Writers and so I can tell you from personal experience just how wonderful she is. (But I won't tell you, I'll let you find that out for yourself :)

Live the dream folks.

On February 2nd I will officially be able to say I’m a published author. Officially. A. Published. Author. How freaking cool is that?

Two years ago I embarked on this crazy journey and as luck would have it, sold quite quickly. That really isn’t the norm in publishing as everything moves at the pace of a snail. But my agent sold a paranormal romance series to Avon/Harpercollins. The Jaguar Warriors debut in April with His Darkest Hunger.

But it’s a short story with Samhain Publishing that will be my first. The one that proclaims I am published!

I had so much fun writing this short and was more than a little excited when I found a home for it at Samhain. This is the blurb:

Black Opals, Book 1

Frankie Black is a woman in need of a mission. For a Black Opal—a warrior woman who shifts backward or forward through time in order to, well, save the world—the last six months of downtime have left her bored. Restless. And with a feeling that something is about to hit the fan.

Finally, an assignment: save the life of Dekkar James, an infamous rock god living three hundred years in the past. Tattooed, ruggedly handsome and perfectly imperfect, one look at him and it’s as if her sleeping body springs to life.

One minute Dekkar is having the most mind-blowing sex of his life. The next, goons are breaking down his door, and he’s on the run with a woman who turns from lover to warrior in the blink of an eye.

Dealing with the New Order, operatives who manipulate time without regard for the consequences, is nothing new for Frankie. But this time their tactics have a more personal edge—they’ve found a way to seek out the Opals’ predestined mates.

Unless she can save Dekkar’s life, her future will be the first casualty in a battle for the fate of humankind.

Warning: Contains one hot dude with tattoos, a woman who won’t take no for an answer, steamy sex, an ancient Harley and a little bit of time travel.

This book is the first in a time travel romance series. I’ve already completed the second and it’s totally different! Such is the fun of being able to write a story where the setting and time have no boundaries.

In honour of this first release I’ll give away a copy of Black Legacy to a random commentator. I want to know where you would travel to if you had the opportunity. Would you travel into the past? Or blast into the future. Would you stay on earth or choose to travel light years away?

Juliana Stone

The End...Or Is It?

I'm blogging today over at the Vauxhall Vixens. We're talking about endings in romance novels and whether they still have to be the of the happily ever after variety. Come join in the discussion.

Seriously Awesome!

A seriously awesome review of The Morning After from Seriously Reviewed!

Ho-dee-doe! Really nice shorty with a touch of sneaky, a bit of good and a bunch of YEAH, BABY!!!!!!

Check out the full review here. Thank you!

Missing in Action

Sorry I've been MIA the last little while. You know how real life can start to kick you in the butt and demand your attention? That happened to me. Things aren't close to settling down just yet, so I'll apologize again for the infrequency of future posts. However, please take a gander at some fabulous new and upcoming releases from these fabulous authors:

Available Now:



Storm of Shadows by Christina Dodd

Brilliant but predictable and proper Rosamund Hill has lived her life buried in universities and libraries, discounting the legend of the Chosen as a myth. Until Aaron Eagle shows up at her door. Aaron both unsettles and enthralls her. But she can't resist his irresistible offers of clandestine visits to private museums, the hunt for a mysterious prophecy, or a makeover that unleashes her untamed soul. With the promise of a love that will defy fate itself, Rosamund is forced to confront the truth about the Chosen — and the man who sweeps her into a dangerous world of dark secrets.







Winter Kiss by Deborah Cooke

For millennia, the shape-shifting dragon warriors known as the Pyr have commanded the four elements and guarded the earth's treasures. But now the final reckoning between the Pyr and the dreaded slayers is about to begin...

The mysterious Dragon's Blood Elixir gives immortality to Magnus, the Pyr's greatest enemy, and his minions-so it must be destroyed. Outcast from the Pyr because of his own dangerous impulses, Delaney will do anything to vanquish Magnus-and vows to complete a mission which will either redeem him or end his suffering.

But his plans don't take into account his sudden firestorm-or the hot- tempered Ginger Sinclair. The firestorm reforms Delaney closer to his old self. And when Ginger learns about Delaney's scheme, she cannot resist a strong man with a noble agenda.




Coming Soon:

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY...

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her -- and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED...

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

THAT LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED....

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness -- her wanton desire for him.


No Quarter by Christine D'Abo

When bounty hunter Gar Stitt is on the trail of his mark, everyone knows their days are numbered. When he is given a simple locate and retrieve mission, he’s convinced it is a waste of his skills.

There isn’t a more prolific space pirate in the galaxy than Captain Faolan Wolf. When he walks into a bar with a proposition heavy in mind, he’s not expecting anything to go wrong.

Forced from his solitary existence to work with Faolan, Gar can’t deny his attraction to a man who he should put in prison. When the hunter becomes the hunted, Gar must learn to put his faith in a man he doesn’t know, or run the risk of ending up dead.

Guest Blogging

Hi!! I'm a guest over at Leah Braemel's blog here!

And here at Christine D'Abo's blog!

Come on by for a visit.

Release Day!

It's release day for my new contemporary, The Morning After, and I'm blogging over at the Vixens today to celebrate.

I'm also a guest at The Black Raven Cafe with a really great interview and a giveaway!

Stop on by!

GUEST AUTHOR: Tracey Cramer-Kelly

JK Coi: Everyone please welcome my guest today, Tracey Cramer-Kelly, author of the book Last Chance Rescue. I asked her how her background in the military impacts her writing, and she had this to say:


I wasn’t a very good soldier. In fact, people often react with bemused surprise when they find out. “You?” they say. “You took orders from others?”

Not very well, I admit…but I was young!

I might have made a good officer, though. I was already bossy (as three of my younger siblings can attest to) and a bit of a control freak.

But I like to think I was a good medic. Where I responded to Army ‘regiment’ with near-distain, what I was trained for had the opposite effect: I loved it. I loved splinting a broken leg. Inserting an IV. Dressing a sucking chest wound.

Of course I approached my training with a ‘proper’ level of seriousness…but it was a sort of conceptual play. I joined to help pay my way through college (my real aspiration); never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be activated.

Desert Storm changed that. One day I came home to a blink on my answering machine (remember those?) and a message from my Sergeant: “call me immediately.” My friend said I lost all color in my face; my legs went shaky and I had to sit down. Turns out that the Military Police unit that shared our armory had been activated and the purpose for the call was to reschedule our monthly training. For the first time, it occurred to me that I might have to defend our country somewhere half-way around the world. That was not in my plans!

I had a lot of military friends. My BFF was Air Force ROTC, and she introduced me to my college flame, who was also an Air Force cadet. Today an ex-Air Force physician is one of my SMEs (Subject Matter Expert). Good friends from church lost their son in Iraq. And I have many motorcycling acquaintances who are involved with the Patriot Guard.

There was (is?) also a side to the military lifestyle that challenged every moral I was brought up with: the casual sex, the easy changing of partners, the marital cheating, even borderline harrassment. When you’re immersed in an environment, you start to think it’s perfectly acceptable. Now I find that fascinating as fodder for characters.

The Army that I trained in is undoubtedly a different Army now—it has to be. Instead of broken legs, medics deal with ‘blown-off’ legs (or other body parts). It’s not just bullets that kill; it’s shrapnel. Traumatic head injury—common now—was barely covered in my training.

So how has my experience in the military affected my writing?

I think everything I write is affected by what I’ve experienced. I tend to view my experiences through a lens that others don’t have (‘how can I use this?’) Yes, there’s a healthy dose of imagination and plenty of creative license, but a seed has to be sown somewhere, and for me it is often the dual experience of military training and medical training.

I made the heroine of Last Chance Rescue (Jessie) an Iraq war veteran and gave her some of the qualities I saw in my fellow soldiers/medics (and perhaps myself). I did that because I enjoy writing medical drama, and because it gave her depth and plenty of ways for me to develop her character—and to have an impact on those closest to her (e.g., Brad).

What fascinates me now about today’s military is the juxtaposition between service to country and service to family. This inherent conflict is something I’m exploring in a short story (“The Heroes Left Behind”) and also in my current novel-in-progress (you can read more about that at http://www.lastchancerescuebook.com/writing.htm).

A New Year

We had a blast this holiday season. I'm glad that I had finished my book before Christmas (1 week before) because there was no time from that point until now to do anything but hang on for the ride.

We had a whirlwind Christmas, visiting family and eating great food, and in between I even had to work at the day job a few days.

For New Years Eve we went to Niagara Falls and spent the night at the Great Wolf Lodge--which kiddo absolutely LOVED! They had a great party with lights and balloons and lots of loud, sparkly fireworks. It was awesome. When we got home, it was to spend the last few days of the holiday resting on the couch before school and work started up again this week.

But now that everything is getting back to its normal routine, my writing must as well. Which means I'm in editing mode. I don't mind editing. I like the exercise of going back over my manuscript and finding those gems of beautiful writing. When it can still make me cry or laugh the second and third time around, then I know I'm going to keep it. But part of this process is also to find what isn't working and strive to fix it, which can be challenging, but of course will make the book much better.

In between all of this, I'm excited for my new release. Look for The Morning After very very soon from Ellora's Cave.

I'll also be starting a new project very shortly. I'm not positive on the details yet--the ideas are still turning in my brain right now--but I'll be sure to let you know when I've got worked out.