I’ve been a writer and editor for decades. In fact, I’ve done so many jobs in the publishing industry, one wonders why I haven’t published more of my own work by now. Seems like that would be a logical step for any writer. So, what always stopped me? Well, the rewards were just never strong enough, I guess. The actual process of writing, too often unenjoyable. Sometimes I loathed sitting down and struggling with the words. I had the ideas and loved brainstorming and researching but pounding away on a keyboard was just too tiresome and time-consuming. I didn't have the passion for the work. I enjoyed editing books for other authors, though, a lot more than editing my own writing. I even enjoyed marketing books for them. Certainly, I loved brainstorming when I worked for publishers who were looking for creative ideas. And, mercy, I love reading more than anything. I could sit and read all day long! Even after 15 years of participating in National Novel Writing Month and Book-in...

Do you remember the 1980s movie Romancing the Stone ? I never knew what that title meant, and am still not real sure, even after a bit of research. I checked the Cambridge Dictionary online and found “to tell stories that are not true, or to describe an event in a way that makes it sound better than it was.” So, I thought, my novels are romancing. That makes sense. The word for “novel” in French is “roman.” I’ve been romancing crime, romancing Illinois, romancing history… But romancing a stone? After reading the synopsis on Wikipedia , I conclude it was the filmmakers who were romancing the stone, an emerald. pixabay.com They told a fantastical tale about the good guys and the bad guys chasing after each other during the search for a great treasure. Do you have a better idea? Pat (Patricia) Stoltey is the author of four novels published by Five Star/Cengage : two amateur sleuth, one thriller that was a finalist for a Colorado Book Award in 2015, and the ...

This top post of 2016 was first published on February 4. We wouldn't want to neglect real life (a.k.a. non-fiction) in our month of romance from the male perspective, so we are delighted to run an excerpt from Succulent Wild Love , a new book co-authored by SARK with her beloved, Dr. John Waddell . The happy couple share their advice on how we can all keep the love and romance in our lives even when there's only one piece of blueberry pie left.  Believe You Can Create a Joyful Solution An Excerpt from Succulent Wild Love Most people spontaneously look for solutions that meet everyone’s needs. We want to please the people we love and want to please ourselves. It’s when we get stuck that we start to look for a compromise or think someone has to sacrifice. To create a Joyful Solution, you start with the attitude that everyone can get what they want. That is the biggest factor. Starting from that approach is so powerful because when you believe that everyone can get wh...

Though I only occasionally read novels in the romance genre, I often enjoy novels that include romance.  Andrew Sean Greer is the author of four novels that explore themes of love and time. I briefly met Andrew when he visited the Denver Woman's Press Club to talk about  The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells , released in paperback last year . He impressed me with the unapologetic way he embraces sentimentality, so I read the novel, which I found luminous on the subject of love. For Greer, sentiment is not saccharine, but a nourishing sweetness. It so happens that Greer is gay, but his novels highlight many types of relationships: from heterosexual to homosexual, from family to friendship. Whatever bonds he explores, Greer admits he’s a sucker for love. Many thanks to Andrew for graciously giving me the opportunity to interview him for The Blood-Red Pencil's February exploration of men and romance. Here's our conversation:  Cara:  Andrew, although you...

Over the Fourth of July weekend, like many Americans, I went on vacation and drove to my destination. A local radio station had recently played every number one hit from the 80s over a weekend, so I put together a playlist of all those totally awesome songs to keep me company on the long drive. So when one of my adolescent favorites—“Take On Me” by A-ha—started playing, I was instantly transported back to those carefree days. I particularly remember the music video for this song. In fact, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKspel3BEog Not only is this one of my favorite music videos ever made, it’s more or less a romance novel. Within the space of three or so minutes, it condenses everything that the structure of a romance novel should have. Let’s take a closer look at that. We begin with backstory. Our hero is a cool racecar driver. He’s got some rivals too. The tension is set up and the antagonists are introduced. In comes the heroine. Of course, this is a paranorm...

Q . What genre do you write? A . I write cross-genre fiction. Q . What’s that? A . That’s the genre that agents and editors tell you they can’t place on the bookshelf when they reject you. Bookstores can’t find a place for your book either. Q . So, do you write either mystery, suspense, or thrillers? A . Yes, all three, sometimes in one book, but there’s also romance. Q . Then it’s romantic suspense? A . Not really. Q . Why not? A . Because I don’t follow the romantic-suspense formula. Sometimes the romances in my books don’t have a HEA, Happy Ever After. Romance Writers of America classifies Romantic Suspense this way: The love story is the main focus of the novel, a suspense/mystery/thriller plot is blended with the love story, and the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic. Though my books have a romance, crime is the focus of the story. RWA has tempered their former explanation of a definite HEA to an ending that is emotionally satisfying an...

Although I write romantic suspense, I'm not happy with the moniker the industry gave to the genre. According to the publishing industry, romantic suspense includes all romance-themed mystery sub-genres, from cozy to thriller. There's the added hero/heroine story arc, with its requisite Happily Ever After. However, by tacking that 'suspense' term onto the genre, readers might be expecting an actual suspense, not a mystery, and be disappointed. Mystery isn't the same as suspense. I happen to think I write romantic mysteries, or, as I prefer to call them, "Mysteries with Relationships." According to the dictionary, suspense is a state of uncertainty, enjoyable tension, or anxiety. A mystery is something you cannot explain, or don't know anything about. It's easy to see how the two overlap. Often the major difference in writing a mystery as opposed to a suspense will boil down to Point of View. If there's a villain's POV, then the reade...

It still vaguely surprises me when I tell people I write Romance and they get that startled look. That look like Romance isn’t “real” writing or that it somehow cheapens what I do compared to what other authors do. Fortunately for me, that look generally only comes from fellow authors and academics, not readers. Readers love Romance, as proven by the gigantic percentage of the book market that Romance takes up. But do I write Romance because it sells so well, particularly in digital format for Indie authors? Nah, that’s icing on the cake. I write Romance because I love a good love story. I adore watching my heroes and heroines fall in love and overcome obstacles. And for the naysayers out there, yes, it’s escapism, and one could even argue it’s wildly unrealistic. But it’s the dream we would love to see become a reality. I love to dream. Okay, but why the heck do I write Historical Romance, let alone Western Historical Romance? Aren’t those genres, like, really, really dead? Tho...

My book, Indiscretion , has been on Amazon’s Kindle Scout program for an entire week as of today. It’s been on and off the “Hot and Trending” list, which I guess is natural. This is measured by how many people read the sample and nominate my book during a thirty-day period. I’ve done some promotion, but there’s a fine line between promo and overkill. I try to be cognizant of where that line is. That said, self-promotion has never been an easy fit for me. So what is Kindle Scout, you ask? This is from the Kindle Scout website: “Kindle Scout is reader-powered publishing for new, never-before-published books. It’s a place where readers help decide if a book gets published. Selected books will be published by Kindle Press and receive 5-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% eBook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing.” Bloggers have debated the pros and cons of the program. From my point of view, the answer depends on where you are in the publishi...

Who doesn't think of flowers when they think of May? However, let's go a step further. How can we use flowers in our books? Here are some examples: Setting - When describing a character's surroundings, to ground a reader, include a flower typically grown in one portion of the country. For example, in the Spring, you might see outdoor cactus flowers in Scottsdale, but not in Chicago. Season - Poinsettias are a prime example for Christmastime, while crocus, daffodils,and tulips bring Spring to mind, in such places as the Midwest portion of the United States. Romance  - Flowers are a no-brainer when it comes to romance. Single flowers, especially red roses, convey passion, while pink, affection. White roses are popular in bridal bouquets. And, a groom, who usually wouldn't wear a corsage, would wear a boutonniere at his wedding. Sloppy or Not? - This time of year also brings to mind dandelions, which some consider a weed, others, a flower, or even a ...

©   Thorir Aron Stefansson   |   Dreamstime Stock Photos  April Fool's Day has come and gone, yet this month brings to mind  what kind of silly things I've done along the way in my writing career. When I first started out, of course, I was gung ho about writing, and oh, so confident.  I finished my first book, a romance. It was my turn to read for a critique at my RWA chapter's meeting. I was convinced my book was the best I could ever do.   I passed around the required first twenty pages for the members to follow along while I read out loud, then waited to be happily told my pages were fine the way they were. Turns out I was wrong, as my fellow members gently pointed out. That's when I learned that an abundance of adjectives and adverbs was a no-no, and stories based on coincidences were not believable. Also, too much backstory and narration, and not enough dialogue did not help my cause any. No one said it...

As a writer of romance, the ideal "hero" is something I deal with constantly. Brave, strong, good-looking, right? Not necessarily. I first saw a reference to the following article in Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels , by Sarah Wendell. An article in the Boston Globe in October 2009 by oncologist Robin Schoenthaler stated "the ideal man … is the man who will hold your purse in the cancer clinic:” Dr. Schoenthaler wrote: I became acquainted with what I’ve come to call great ‘purse partners’ at a cancer clinic in Waltham. Every day these husbands drove their wives in for their radiation treatments, and every day these couples sat side by side in the waiting room, without much fuss and without much chitchat. Each wife, when her name was called, would stand, take a breath, and hand her purse over to her husband. Then she’d disappear into the recesses of the radiation room, leaving behind a stony-faced man holding what was typically a whit...