OK Corral Newsletter

February 01, 2006

OK Corral, February 2006 Newsletter

From our Prez, Deborah Behrens:

What’s worse than not submitting your manuscript? Submitting your manuscript before it’s completely polished!

Cut—Cut—Cut all those dreaded weak words, fillers, and redundancies. If you want your manuscript to hit the editor right where she lives, make it count. Snap it up! You don’t want her to get bored tripping over all those unnecessary words in the first chapter, do you?

I was very proud of myself last month, I finished my third manuscript. At least I thought it was finished, until I picked it up and started reading it again this past week. Who was I kidding? It was full of junk. “Just”, “really” and “now” were only a few of the words I’d overused. In addition to that, using “had been” instead of “was” is a nasty habit I’m trying hard to break. Internal thoughts, backstory, and more internal thoughts. How much introspection can one character take!

Thanks, Betty, for giving us this clever quote from Mark Twain:

"Substitute damn every time you're inclined to write very; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” Maybe I should use this method for the rest of these words.

For all of you struggling with weak words, here’s a short list. (I’m sure there are more out there.)
a bit
a little
about
actually
almost
almost like
already
appears
approximately
basically
close to
even
eventually
exactly
fairly
finally
here
highly
just
just then
kind of
mostly
nearly
now
practically
pretty
quite
rather
really
seemed
seems
simply
slightly
so
somehow
somewhat
somewhat like
sort of
suddenly
then
there
truly
utterly
very

I printed this off and have it posted right next to my monitor. I know I’m still making the same mistakes, but when I do that final edit, I’ll be ready with my big red pen.

Deb

P.S. It’s February. Kiss someone you love!

Tips on Writing Romantic Suspense
By Merline Lovelace

Published in Romantic Times Magazine, 1996

Spine-tingling action with a strong heroine at the center, a sexy hero in the wings and a smattering of secondary characters are the threads weaving romantic suspense, one of the hottest-selling subgenres in our business.

Romantic suspense novels contain the same essential ingredients as all other romances: strong characterization, wrenching conflict, escalating tension, crisp dialogue, and most importantly, a stirring love story. Over and above these basic requirements, however, there are certain key characteristics that set romantic suspense apart from other romance novels.

Action. First and foremost, you have to have lots of action. Generally, these books are more plot-driven than character-driven. Startling events occur, keeping the characters and readers on edge.
Faster Pacing. With increased action, the story moves fast. There is less introspection, more dialogue. Watch for long chunks of narrative (I look for three pages or more). You may be wallowing around in your characters heads too much. If so, introduce some event or interchange that gets the players back on stage and interacting with each other.
High Levels of Tension. Key to romantic suspense are elements of danger and vulnerability. The characters must be at risk, physically and/or emotionally. Watch out for what I call the Perils of Pauline syndrome, where the poor characters never get a chance to laugh or breathe, but do keep their nerves tingling.

Dramatic Tone. In keeping with the high tension levels, these novels exude a strong sense of atmosphere. The tone may be brooding or reflect danger and excitement. Your word choice and setting should enhance that tone. For example, strong action verbs increase the drama at critical points. A nerve-shattering thunderstorm or soul-sucking heat can add to the mood.

Larger Number of Characters. Romantic suspense novels usually include a larger cast of characters, often designed to keep the reader guessing as to the identity of the villain. And yes, Virginia, its okay to get in these sub-characters heads. A word of caution, though. I have trouble keeping large casts of characters straight, so I try to introduce them slowly (one per chapter) and give them tags such as a limp, a mustache, or a squeaky voice that make them immediately recognizable.

Strong Female Protagonist. This is my favorite part, since I would have trouble writing any other kind of female protagonist. In a romantic suspense, the heroine is a very active player. She doesn’t have to call in the cavalry to save her. The trick is to devise a way for both the hero and heroine to participate in the resolution of the conflict or mystery. Remember that you’re writing two stories, the romance and the suspense, yet these two stories cant be separate and distinct. Everything that happens in one has to affect the other. Leslie Wainger, Silhouette Intimate Moments' Senior Editor, described them as two strands of a braid closely interwoven and interdependent.

Weaving these two strands into a coherent, dynamic whole requires more plotting than normal. I use a plotting arc to track the main events, chapter by chapter. This is a simple curving line, with key elements of sexual tension on one side, the action elements on the other. If you find blocks of empty space on either side of the arc, you should consider tightening the plot or heating up the relationship. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to keep something happening on both sides of the equation in every chapter.

Sounds daunting, doesnt it?

Its hard work, often frustrating, yet totally exhilarating when -- against all odds! -- those tightly woven strands actually result in a fast-paced, action-filled tale that keeps readers coming back for more.

February 2006 Program:

Learn insider tips on author promotion with Nancy Berland, owner of Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc.

This will be at the usual meeting place in Cross Roads Mall at 1:00, February 18th, 2006.

New Releases!

Perfect Double by Merline Lovelace

When OMEGA agency gets credible intelligence regarding an assination plot against the first female Vice President of the United States, Agent Maggie Sinclair is assigned the dangerous job of impersonating her.

Determined to keep his best agent safe, Adam Ridgeway plans to stick close by, posing as the widowed VPs new love interest. But as their romance becomes a field day for the media, Maggie soon learns that her mission will put her career and her heart in jeopardy...

No Law Against Love -- Anthology by multiple authors.

Diane Davis White has two stories in this anthology, Sadie, The Shady Angel and In A Pickle In Connecticut. She is excited to be a part of this undertaking to aid in the prevention of breast cancer.

A Tangled Web by Amanda McCabe

The Dowager Viscountess ransome simply must find something to fill the endless days of summer. So she invites a party of young people to her estate and sits back to watch the sparks fly. The guests look forward to a respite in the idyllic countryside. But instead they find treachery, secrets--and that most inconvenient bother, passion...

Frederick Parcival wants to win over wealthy Lady Diana, but the young widow can't take her eyes off her long-lost first love, Sir Thomas Cole.

However, Tom's ambitious mother is determined he marry Lady Caroline Reid, who would prefer to marry Lord Edward Sutton, who loves Diana's sister Charlotte, who is intrigued by rakish Roland Kirk-Bedwin. In such a very tangled web, tempers will surely flare--and desire bloom--as what should have been a relaxing holiday turns into anything but..."

Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast

Goddess of the Rose is a delicious retelling of Beauty and the Beast – with a modern, adult slant. Micki (named after the Mikado Rose) and all the women in her family have a special affinity for roses – their blood, diluted in water and applied during the night of a new moon, makes roses grow spectacularly. What the women don’t know is that they have this ability because they are descendants of a High Priestess of the Goddess Hecate. Hecate is Goddess of Night, Magick, the Crossroads of Man, and of Beasts. She is also the proctrectess of The Realm of the Rose – the place wherein all dreams and magick originate. This realm is guarded diligently by The Guardian, a creature on which the myth of the Minotaur was based. The Guardian swore himself into Hecate’s service for eternity, and in return the Goddess gifted him with the heart and soul of a man, even though he has the body of a beast. But all is not well in The Realm of the Rose. Centuries ago the Guardian made a terrible mistake, arousing the Goddess’s wrath to such an extent that she bespelled him and the realm. Hecate swore that they would sleep eternally unless the Beast was awakened by a woman who carried the magickal blood of Hecate’s priestess, and was wise enough to see the truth, and compassionate enough to act upon it.

Micki does awaken the Guardian and he abducts her to The Realm of the Rose thinking that her presence will automatically break the curse placed on the realm and set things to right, but modern woman Micki is a very unexpected kind of High Priestess, and there are forces at work within the realm, both of love and of hatred, that might change the shape of mankind's dreams and magick for all of eternity unless Micki is brave enough to make the ultimate sacrifice…

Jewel Of Atlantis by Gena Showalter

All Atlantis seeks the Jewel of Dunamis, which legend claims can overcome any enemy. Grayson James, human agent for the ultra-secret Otherworld Bureau of Investigation, has orders to keep it from the wrong hands – or destroy it. What he doesn’t know is that Jewel is a woman, not a stone!

But once he meets this precious gem, destroying her is the last thing on his mind…Jewel, part goddess, part prophet, is a pawn in Atlantis’s constant power struggles. She needs Gray’s help to win freedom and uncover the secrets of her mysterious origins. Gray needs her wisdom to navigate monster-ridden Atlantis. But need blossoms into passionate love as they fight demons, dragons, vampires – and a prophecy that says the bond between them could destroy them both

Member News!

Big Day for OKRWA Authors on February 11, 2006!

Discover Oklahoma Romance!
Satuday, February 11, 10 a.m.
Norman Public Library 225 N. Webster

Moderated by Ron Stahl, host of Discover Oklahoma and featuring romance novelists Darlene Graham , Merline Lovelace , Christine Rimmer , Sharon Sala and a writing experience with Rinda Elliott .

Door Prizes from Dillard's The Montford Inn, Betty Lou's Flowers and more.

Romance Writing Workshop
Saturday, February 11, 2 p.m.
Sarkeys Annex 502 East Main

Conducted by Merline Lovelace
Tuition $15, limit 25 participants
Register with Norman Arts Council 360-1162

Romance Book Sale
Saturday, February 11, 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
Sunday, February 12, 1 to 5 p.m.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Norman Library
Norman Public Library 225 Webster
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Georgina Gentry 's To Tempt A Texan has been nominated for the 2005 Best American-Set Historical Romance in Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

Ammanda McCabe 's Lady Midnight has been nominated for 2005 Best Historical Romantic Mystery/Gothic in Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine
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Rachel Patterson, http://urbanfantasy.blogspot.com/ , with the help of her agent, Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency , just landed a three book deal with Luna!! It's an urban fantasy series and we will be publishing more info here as is comes in.

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Gena Showalter has just sold two more alien huntress books to Pocket, as well as two young adult alien huntress books to MTV Press!!

Deidre Knight of the The Knight Agency, Inc was the agent, and Lauren McKenna was the acquiring editor.

Here's a little about the books:(the first adult book) Savor Me Slowly:A woman whose DNA has been spliced and honed by scientists, making her an empath and gifting her with superhuman strength, is recruited by Alien Investigation and Removal agents to find and stop the alien wreaking havoc in near future New Chicago.

The first YA alien huntress book (no title yet): In the near future, where other-worlders walk among us, an ordinary high school senior is enrolled in Alien Investigation and Removal boot camp, where she must learn to battle the elusive enemy among us – if the enemy doesn’t kill her first.

Check out these wonderful OUTLAW books still available: