I also grant you that my stories are a bit repetitive. I go to the same job, I deal with the same people who do the same crazy shit, and I go home, eat, and lie on my couch and read. And when I’m not doing those things, I’m sleeping. This is my ordinary life. It’s not Lara Croft’s life, but I like it. Deerhunter has neighbors and friends and meetings and coworkers—and he’s always saving a life in his stories. As I said, on the phone, one of the talkers is always the more entertaining one and in my case, it is not me.

However, Friday I had a story. And I wanted to tell it. Our conversation went as it usually did—he saved another life—and he was about to wish me good day and don’t shoot anyone at work, and I realized, he was going to hang up without my story!

I cast about quickly to figure out a way to get his attention back and said, “Okay, darling, but when you call me tomorrow like you usually do, you probably won’t get me because I’ll be talking to the cops.”

KA-BOOM!

Deerhunter stopped his mid-goodbyes. “Excuse me? Why would you need to talk to the cops?”

“Oh, well, I’ll be at the farm, which is why I’ll be out of range. The cops are for Dad. He has been the target for some elderly scams.” And what proceeded was a series of gives and takes, where I told just enough to be interesting, but not too many details that would make him want to hang up again. He talked to me for an extra five minutes or better as I explained the circumstances and what was going on, and then he said, “Call me after and keep me up to date of what is going on.”

And I hung up and realized I had done to him what I should be doing to keep readers turning my pages—and that I haven’t been doing that as well lately. I need more KA-BOOMS! and less ordinary life over and over that we already know and understand. We need to find the slant in the ordinary and make it memorable and captivating. And if I can make it memorable and captivating, I’m going to have requests to keep readers updated on what happens next, no matter what.

The author who does my favorite KA-BOOMS! is Julie Garwood because she definitely does her best to make the beginning a simple innocuous statement, then a middle of ordinary life staged perfectly, and then, KA-BOOM. You turn the page while your mouth is still hanging open. She is the Queen of the Awesome KA-BOOM.

However, I know it’s not an unique technique. In fact, as rules goes for writing, I’d say KA-BOOMS are in the top five things to keep in mind when you’re writing.

I have established the first fifty pages of my manuscript (again, she says tiredly), and I’m realizing the KA-BOOMS aren’t there. I know this is because I have a Bad Habit of writing scenes like an episode of 24, assuming the reader wants to know what is going on every minute of the day. You don’t know how much work it takes to make me start a scene that starts a day later. You really don’t.

Of course, this does not mean I’ll be ditching my fifty pages in order to add more KA-BOOMS. No. Absolutely not. It just means, now I realize why I feel some of this is so boring.

Because it is.

But that’s okay, because that is what revision is for. Writing is supposed to show you what parts you’re having difficulty with this go around. And this time, I’m having more trouble with KA-BOOMS. So I will need to sit and think about this. Play with my storyboard, maybe outline a bit, and definitely scribble on some paper about ways to make my characters unhappy, uncomfortable, and with no choice but to grow up and learn from this experience—because isn’t that what great fiction does? It teaches us how to grow up and learn from the experience and be happier people for it. The KA-BOOM should be something that forces the character to do something he/she doesn’t want to do, something that the reader knows the character doesn’t want to do. So the first step is figuring out what will your character NOT do and then make it happen–that’s conflict, that’s a KA-BOOM! This is a circumstance that shows you can’t have character without plot (conflict) or plot without character–rather like men and women. One is not greater than the other; and it takes both to make a great baby.

So…do you have a favorite KA-BOOM in a story? (My favorite KA-BOOM in a Julie Garwood story was when we found out the heroine was the pirate the hero was seeking to kill.) Do you have problems with making KA-BOOMS happen in your writing? What things do you do to keep your significant other’s attention when you’re telling them something important? What KA-BOOM are you working on right now in your WIP?

This year, I thought we’d expand the family participation. I’ve been posting little Dad Updates on Facebook and have been receiving lots of positive feedback from cousins who love the Dad Stories. The man is funny. Apple does not fall far from tree.

For his birthday, Dad got every kind of pie he could ever want, and he ate about three pieces or so, washed down with some coffee. He got to talk to nieces and nephews he usually only gets to see at the June family reunion. Dad was gobsmacked by all the attention and fuss. After all, it was only a birthday. “We didn’t celebrate birthdays when I was a kid,” he explained. “It was just another day.”

But the thing is a lot of things feel like that. Graduating college. Getting married. A job promotion. Hell, probably even getting published. It’s exciting, but I’m sure it feels a bit surreal…and ordinary. You’re still you, after all.

And then there is writing. Sometimes being a writer is shameful. I spend a lot of time feeling sheepish and apologetic that I’m not more prolific, consistent, or making money hand over fist. I also feel like I should apologize for being eccentric and not quite sane. Having this attitude tends to carry over to other markers in your writing life, probably because like birthdays, you’ve been writing long enough not to be emotionally invested in the outcome or expect too much. You finished a book. You might squee to yourself; you might share with a few knowing friends; but it’s unlikely you’ll share it with the general population who’ll immediately start peppering you with questions like when it’ll be published and can they borrow some money from your big advance.

This year, I want to make more of a fuss. About everything. Celebrate it all. Not everyone writes a book or enters a contest or makes presentations. It’s not the end result (getting published) that is the only thing that matters. It all matters.

At Weight Watchers, we talk about why we come every week. I always say I’m there for the stickers. I love being rewarded for the little things—like sticking with the program, losing 5 pounds, losing 5% and losing 10%. And what’s great is that they’re “little” things, but they’re not little things to Weight Watchers. They’re important things and they’re worth celebrating. You’re worth celebrating.

Positive reinforcement—from the pats on the back from the group support and the success you see in the mirror or feel in your jeans—it feeds your motivation to stick with the program. I’m learning that Positive Reinforcement earns me more of the results I’m looking for than punishing myself and mocking my goals when I don’t do things. Shame and guilt are clearly demotivators. I need to stop feeding them.

So this year when you’re thinking of your resolutions on what to improve in your life, do try to focus them in a positive way. Positive begets positive; and negative mainly finds you next December 31 working out a new resolution for the same old thing.

The other thing I learned this week: set small measurable goals with small measurable time limits. Like lose 5 pounds in a month. That’s reasonable, realistic. Basically eat your elephant one bite at a time. It can be done. Break it down and keep with it.

This year my goals are to focus on the positive, make a fuss over the “small stuff” because it does matter, and keep with it because eventually you will get there. And I think I’m going to start printing pages of my manuscript just so I can see the pages pile up. It’s not the same to see the pages in the word document. A lot of the time I think “Oh, it’s only 50 pages or maybe 100…” but that’s actually a nice amount of paper. And there are your words on the page. You wrote them! Yeah, I think that is another thing I’ll be doing this year.

What are your goals this year? Do you work for stickers? Fan of diet plans or “lifestyle changes”? Favorite pie? Any and all conversation is open today. Let’s go.

It’s the most fun when you write.

You can bet my word count’s met

And I’ve set my Hero right.

Have a happy, crappy First Draft—

And when you get set to revise,

Say “Hell Yes” to your writer’s stress

And kiss every typo goodbye!

Oh, ho, the plot does blow,

Holes as wide as you can see,

But CPs help fix your book,

Kiss them once for me!

Have a happy, crappy First Draft,

And in case it wasn’t clear—

Oh my chappie, have a happy,

Crappy First Draft this year!

Okay, so what do you like best about finishing a First Draft? And how do you keep yourself motivated to the end? What’s your favorite reward for meeting your daily word count: glass of wine, cup of cocoa, backrub? And what is your favorite Christmas Carol?

But the indolence must come to an end. This is the time of year people like to join weight loss plans because they want to get a head start on the New Year. You’d be amazed how much weight you can lose this time of year if you put your mind to it, and don’t do what I did this weekend. It just requires a little planning, a little discipline, and a little faith. Honestly it doesn’t even take a whole lot of any of these three things. I find that once you get started on such a weight loss plan and you see it’s working, it manifests itself: you’re more inspired and you throw yourself into it even more. If at any point you fall off the wagon (so to speak), you still look at how far you’ve come and you’re more willing to dust yourself off and get going again.

Weight Watcher’s current motto is: Because it works. And it does. It just requires some modest commitment every day and eventually you’ll see the payoff. Writing is the same way. It’s hard to see the end when you know you need 400 pages and if you’re like me, you delete 5 pages for every 7 you write. Still, it’s progress. It’s a journey, not a sprint. You need to be going; you don’t necessarily have to be going in a straight line. I find once you get the hang of doing it everyday, you’re more apt to go in straighter lines anyway, like riding a bicycle.

It’s really like that Newton’s law of motion thing. An object at rest stays at rest; an object in motion stays in motion. You don’t have to be going fast. You just need to be going.

Bo’sun reminded us last week that writing is fun. And that we should stop worrying so much and just do it. Now I’m suggesting we get started sooner than 2012 and start now. We’re going to be surprised by how much we can do in four weeks.

Bo’sun gave us the BIG GOAL for the year. The craft book I read this week—a refresher in the obvious—talked about breaking down your big goal into smaller ones. Like you would with weight loss. You want to lose 100 pounds, but that’s too much and too demoralizing. So you say you want to lose 5% of your weight, and you commit to a plan of exercise, portion control, and more veggies. Smaller goals turn into big goals.

I am all about Bo’sun’s Big Goal, but I need to break it down to a 5% goal right now. Something easy to commit to, something easy to see the change, something that can be turned into a habit. Breaking a bad habit takes 21 days. I’ve got a month before the New Year, to lay the new habits I’ll need to make 2012 the success I want it to be. To make that happen, the first rule of every writer is to write every day. Rain or shine. Muse or museless.

So for my 5%, I’m writing everyday for 30 days. So anyone with me? If you’re not writing anything new, do you want to commit to editing so many pages a day or sending out so many queries or submitting to so many contests?

It’s funny not because it’s right (though I think it is), but because 1.) Good Old Steve didn’t say this* (he just said Meyers wasn’t a very good writer, especially compared to Rowling—which can be forgiven if you consider Mark Twain said Jane Austen couldn’t write and shouldn’t have); 2.) Readers got really pissed off about it. How dare Steve say this? Just exactly how deep was his work anyway.

I have no idea, of course; I don’t read his stuff. (I read very little horror fiction.) But I would believe that Steve finds theme extremely important in fiction. It was one of the first principal things I remember learning about writing in school. We had to decide on a theme we wanted to write about, and then we crafted our story accordingly. It’s not important to just want to write; what matters more is do you have something to say?

It’s around this area of this sort of discussion that sides begin to form and we get the “I read exclusively for escapism and not for theme” and the “stories only about the relationship but no real story are dumb” camps. I, of course, agree with both. I do read for escapism; I do want to read something that takes me away from the daily tedious grind and concentrate on something else entirely. And I don’t start off reading the book, looking for the point of this story—I’m just reading because the characters are interesting. Yes, the kind of books that are all about the relationship, but have no character growth beyond bagging Mr. or Mrs. Right are forgettable. I’m still happy for them; I wondered if it was going to work out; but I didn’t learn anything from them. I still expect my brain candy to have some nutrients in it. If I wanted to escape into something with no point, I’d watch TV. It’s just as relaxing.

Of course, I think focusing on theme can sometimes get complicated because if you’re focused so much on having a great theme, you end up never writing because your theme isn’t great enough. And that’s no good. I think the theme derives from the character’s arc, the GMC. Theme is one of those aspects you refine and discover as you’re writing. What does your character really want? What does your character most fear? Theme tends to be more universal because our wants and fears tend to be more universal.

Let’s circle back to Meyers. I wouldn’t say she’s completely without theme. Her writing is definitely not on par with Rowling, but she is a compelling read, in my opinion. Her ability to draw me completely into the world of the whineiest teenage girl I’ve ever read and make me care about the story’s outcome was a true feat. Kudos to her.

I believe if you asked Meyers what the theme was for her books, she’d have an answer. I’m sure if you found enough readers, they’d give you an answer what the themes were in the series. Like, “You don’t get to pick who you fall in love with” and “Love is about accepting all parts of a person, even the dark parts.” There’s probably some themes about family, what constitutes a family, and can men and women be friends. Maybe the biggest: love has no age boundaries. Edward is 100+ and Bella is 17. Then there is imprinting—that’s definitely a thematic bomb in what constitutes love and how young is too young.

So I think we could agree the themes were there. The question may be: how well were the themes executed? There’s the whole “action is louder than words” problem. If your character says or thinks one way, but acts in the opposite manner—you run the chance of losing your audience. It’s a sign of a weak character to me. (Characters who say or think one way in the beginning of a book and then act the opposite at the end of a story is different—that’s a character arc. I mean, doing it within the same paragraph.) I think Bella came off as a weaker character because she cared far more about keeping Edward than she cared about having any sense of self. And she was the heroine. It was like she gave away her rights completely. Love is about finding the balance in the chaos.

I believe in the beginning, I have a theme in mind (however grainy it may be at first) that is the undercurrent to the characters. How can my characters show this theme? Can I make it ironic or poignant or funny? And as time goes on, I get a better grip on my theme and my characters. Theme is another of the things to go back over when you’re done to make sure you’ve kept to it throughout; that you haven’t run contradictory to the promise you made to your readers in the beginning.

Do you notice theme in the stories you read? Are there certain themes you look for in novels that you prefer and tend to remember better than others? Do you write the same theme over and over in my manuscripts, or do they change a little? (I think mine change some. My core story is basically the same, but the themes differ a bit from book to book.) Did you read Twilight? What themes did you find? The movie is out Friday–are you going to see it?

*So who did say this quotation? According to my googling sources, it says Andrew Futral did. Either way, I still think it’s hysterical.

As you might have noticed, tomorrow is November 1^st, and it will kick off the start of Write Your Ass Off Month, or the more conventionally known, NaWriNoMo (NaNo for short). I wasn’t going to do it, mainly because I never have. I’ve signed up. I’ve started. But much like that latch-hook rug kit I got for Christmas when I was 10, I never finished a project. I’m sure I’m the only person who has ever found NaNo demoralizing.

You hear a lot about how you should write something you’re passionate about. Something you love. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I get that. If you don’t care about something, it’s too easy to give up. But caring about something can be different than loving something. When you love something too much, you want to protect it. You definitely don’t want to make it suffer. You want the best for it. You’re too emotionally involved in it because you won’t let the project just be what it is. You want to protect it from the critics and yourself, when you realize that while you may love it, it’s not all that and a box of ho-hos.

I assume this isn’t every writer’s problem. I know many writers so in love with their book idea, they can’t see any problem with it and write along, totally in ignorant bliss about grammar, structure, plot, or characterization. While it may not be very readable in publishing circles, they have finished it, which is definitely better than anything I’m doing. I’m constantly obsessed about grammar, structure, plot, characterization, beats, voice, and basically any other thing you can list that we writers are supposed to be writing about. I’m obsessed with just about everything but the actual writing and finishing of said story idea.

So I wasn’t going to do NaNo. I didn’t want to use my current novel, which happens to be the novel from last year. I didn’t want something new. I couldn’t even think of something new. Sin said, “It doesn’t matter what you write about. You can write about anything. It doesn’t have to make sense.” Sin likes to embrace chaos. I was not impressed with this suggestion.

After a bit, I made a list of everything I did want to write about. I made a bullet list of about a hundred items. Just random things I thought should be included in the story. Things like cupcakes and kittens and really great sex. Then I made a bulleted list of items that I didn’t want to write about, things I knew would have to be included on the sheer principle of it. Stupid arguments. Helicopter parents. Paperwork that’s never filled out right. Things like that. And you know what? I suddenly had an idea; and I suddenly had some passion about the idea.

It wasn’t that I loved the idea. It wasn’t that I hated it either—it was that I felt actual passion about it. I felt I had something to say. It’s basically a story with every obnoxious person I can think of, mucking up my heroine’s life, acting like they’re the rightest person on the planet when they’re actually dumbasses. Oh, the gloriousness of this story idea. It’s like a manifesto of cathartic therapy. I can finally do to all these people what I’m not allowed to do in real life: give them their just desserts. (The Anger Management classes are all full this month. Sorry.)

Sin said, “It doesn’t matter if it works as a real book or not. This is about competing with yourself to show you CAN do it. It’s supposed to be fun. It’ll recharge your creativity.”

I hope so. I’m in it now. Best of all, this feels like the sort of joy I had for writing before. Righting wrongs with my imagination and my poison-green pen (yes, that’s a Harry Potter reference.) And besides, it’s only for 30 days. I can do anything for 30 days. Right? Okay, well, I’ll give it a shot.

How about you? Are you doing NaNo or not? Nothing like a last minute sign-up to get the creative juices flowing. What else were you going to do this month? This is the perfect excuse to ignore your weird family during Thanksgiving. Don’t have an idea? Ask us–we’ll jumpstart you an idea. After all, it doesn’t have to make sense….

I must have been in a nostalgic mood. I picked up The Virginia Woolf Writing Course book from my local library. I don’t remember her books, only that I was quite certain that her kind of writing and mine were too different than to even term them both as writing. I do remember we studied some of her articles about writing though, and I loved how relevant her words were then as they are now. (I guess this goes to prove there are no new ways to write a novel; just new to you.)

It’s a short book (which I find is in its favor as far as writing books go) and engaging to read (a must!) with “Sparks” at the end of each chapter to spark you own writing with techniques that Woolf suggested in her own writing.

There are seven sections: practicing, working, creating, walking, reading, publishing, and doubting.

With practicing, she reminded me of Anne Lamont’s Bird by Bird advice. Giving yourself permission to write shit. (Not that that was the word Woolf used. Though I think her friend used it for her—something about, “Even if what you’re writing is as bad as what comes out of the backend of a horse.” Not a whole lot of leeway what she means, unless the horse suddenly pops out a foal, which is still a bit of a mess and requires cleanup before it looks like the foal.) And the most important part: you must kill the Angel of the House. (I loved that article! I think every woman writer must love that article.) It’s that sing-song voiced critic within you that tries to guilt and manipulate you into doing anything but writing. Things you should be doing, like cleaning, cooking, taking care of or paying attention to your kids or husband, volunteering at your church, visiting your parents, or any of the Shoulds that would make you a better and more productive member of society than writing crappy little novels that won’t change anything, even if you do manage the miracle of being published. She said not to be surprised that the woman reminds you of your mother. That’s common. But whatever she looks like, she must be killed off and often, because you’ll never write if you don’t give yourself permission to.

Working was a very practical session. About how you need to have a day job so you can write—something must pay the bills while you’re creating your art. You can’t create if you’re worried. And how your job may surprise you and teach you something about writing that can be useful to you. For her, she wrote articles for magazines and newspapers. It taught her concise writing…and writing to deadline. It also taught her how to be a better reader, which is also essential to better writing.

Creating re-emphasized having the space to write. You need a sacred space designated for writing and then you must use it—which I suppose is your way of treating it in a sacred way. No use building a church if you’re not going to worship there. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy—it seemed she liked to write in chaos—but I am a person that needs to write where there is not clutter to disturb my line of sight. Clutter stresses me out and makes me tired. I can’t sit and write, at least not well.

Those should be enough to keep me busy this week—what tricks and techniques do you use in your writing? Woolf liked to keep journals of free-writing, where she gave permission to write anything. Do you pre-write? Do you have a sacred space to write? Have you killed your Angel of the House? (And if you have, how did you do it? Was it messy or did she go quietly?) How has your job that pays the bill taught you how to be a better writer? Who is your favorite literary writer’s writing advice? (No Nicholas Sparks quotes please!)

It’s all about the attitude.

Poor attitude is like the inbred cousin of Inner Critic who picks on every bit of your writing (or efforts in anything). The Inner Critic criticizes things that are going on, efforts you are actually making. Attitude can cut you off before you ever do anything—and that is a real problem. If you continue to do nothing, nothing continues to happen. Or worse, you continue to gain weight (guilty) or your writing becomes even more difficult and your goals become even further out of reach (guilty). Doing nothing is actually very, very dangerous and demoralizing. You should stop doing nothing right now.

I’ve joined Weight Watchers in the past in support of a friend and then I promptly lost nothing because my attitude was less than ready to be a success. Then because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind and did not follow the program (the structure), I was demoralized by the lack of success I achieved and quit. Really beyond stupid; and deep down I knew it was because of my attitude and not because of the strictness of the program’s structure.

I can even tell you the Kiss of Death for me, and it’s not even Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It’s the all-or-nothing attitude. Perfectionism. I have to be perfect on plan in order to succeed. If I fail one day or one meal, I need to trash the whole effort and stop trying. Unfortunately this all-or-nothing attitude is just as detrimental in writing as it is in weight loss.

So what’s the difference now? It’s meetings. There’s something about a group of people you’re reporting to about your success (or not-so-success) that makes you put a bit more effort in it. When I was trying to do it on my own, I would report to one or two key people, but people who knew me and would let me off the hook. When you’re reporting to a lot of people and you don’t know them as personally, you’re a lot more willing to put in the effort so you don’t lose face in front of them. I suspect the same is for writing. When you’re writing for your CP—and they’re like your best friend—your best friend will let you off, but if you’re writing and presenting pages at a group, you put a bit more effort in it. You don’t want to lose face.

Shame is a great motivator.

I’m hoping the same shame (and competitive nature) that keeps me on plan for the Group will also keep me on plan with my writing.

Share: when has shame worked for you? How has the writing been going? Anyone else doing Weight Watchers? Any tips to counter perfectionism?

However, being we’re pirates all year long, I’ve designated today as Write Like a Pirate Day. I figure stealing TLPD and using it for my own purposes was totally keeping in the pirate’s code: who admires stealing more than a pirate?

So here’s a few things to get you started on being the best pirate writer ever.

1.)    Wear your best pirate outfit. You can’t write like a pirate if you don’t feel like a pirate!

2.)    Drink your best rum (or drink of choice). Being properly hydrated is necessary for keeping your energy up; and the right spirits always sends the most creative ideas. Be sure to you use your best pirate goblet—no skimping!

3.)    Open your WIP with your best pirate swagger! Don’t let the writing bogies see you’re scared of them. No, you’re confident—you’re a Writing Pirate! Confidence is the key to all writing. Write as you mean to go on!

That should take care of you for about three hours. When you get stuck again, it is time to take out the secret weapon: The Captain Jack Sparrow Plot Wheel. It’s not so much a plot wheel as a cup with a bunch of suggestions written on pieces of paper. When you’re stuck, you draw one from the cup and incorporate it into the story. Examples of suggestions can include:

• Stage a kidnapping
• Kiss someone
• Drink some rum
• Steal some booty (gold or sex is up to you)
• Escape the British Navy (or bad guys, whichever)

I’m sure there are many, many more that you can think of, but these were Jack’s favorites.

Now here’s the most important part of Write Like a Pirate Day. At the end of the day, whether your writing booty be large or scanty, celebrate your victory of being the very best pirate you can be. While it is true on some ships, captains like to make the beatings continue until moral improves—we’re better than that. We know you don’t get your best work from working in fear and depressing conditions. Give the WIP the best you have—leave it all on the page; and then celebrate your effort.

In celebration of Write Like a Pirate Day, we’re going to give out prizes for the best Captain Jack Sparrow Plot Wheel suggestion, the best recipe for your favorite writing drink (alcoholic or no), and the best response to the following writing prompt: “Today was a good day to die.” I’m not sure what the prizes are exactly–but I can tell you we’re “commandeering” them from Bo’sun’s Bookshelves. 

Three ways to win:

1.)    Captain Jack Sparrow Plot Wheel suggestion

2.)    Best recipe for your favorite writing drink (alcoholic or no)

3.)    Best flash fiction for writing prompt: “Today was a good day to die.”

So enter one or all of them, then go back to your WIP to make this the best Write Like a Pirate Day ever!

I went along to my Dad’s doctor’s appointments on Thursday, and to keep myself distracted from dark thoughts that the doctors might have bad news, I took an old faithful with me: a romance novel. The book in question for this day was Cathy Maxwell’s THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL. Historical romance? Check. Gorgeous cover? Check. Fun and reliable trope? Check. I was off to a brilliant start.

Despite my worries, the time flew because the story was so engrossing and a perfect distraction. At one point of the day, Dad and I were eating together and I had to make myself put it away. It was hard because I wanted to know how the story was going to work out. The villain(s) were dreadful. I was very invested in the outcome of the hero and heroine.

After I took Dad home, I turned on some little league baseball for him and put the book to my nose. I read as fast as I could, even with Dad interrupting me every ten minutes to say I could switch the channel if I wanted to watch something else. “No,” I said, “this is fine. I’m almost done. I want to finish this book.” So he left me be and I got to The End. It was a very satisfying ending for me. I put it down and smiled.

Dad asked, “Did it turn out like you wanted?”

“Yes,” I said, “exactly like I wanted.”

Therefore, if you too like escapist fiction of the historical variety with a gorgeous cover (I love the hero on this cover) and a fun trope, run out and read THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL. If you love highwaymen and a little rousing about the countryside that reminds you of the Headless Horseman, run out and read THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL. If you love heroes who are a little more beta and thoughtful than the average alpha, but also has a delicious alpha side—run out and read THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL. If you like heroines who are determined to rescue themselves; secondary characters who are so real they nearly pour you a spot of tea; and a horse you just want to root for: run out and read THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL.

This month, Avon has seven books for their K.I.S.S. & Teal promotion. The program donates much needed money to the research and awareness of ovarian cancer. Not only is the book I read great, but the books to choose from also include Caroline Linden, whose book ONE NIGHT IN LONDON was featured a week or so ago here and we will be interviewing Jenny Brown about her STAR-CROSSED SEDUCTION on August 29^th. I’m sure like me, you will also want to be adding their books to your TBR pile.

Books we haven’t yet featured, but I have a feeling most of us will be gushing about anyway in the weeks to come are: Lynsay Sands’ THE DEED (which is about one woman’s quest to get laid—who knew red-blooded men could be so disobliging? But don’t worry: we know she’s going to find a hero who will fulfill her every wish); Stephanie Laurens’ VISCOUNT BRECKENRIDGE TO THE RESCUE (which features some kidnapping, so you know that will be fun. Kidnappers are almost always sorry for kidnapping the typical intrepid historical heroine. Gotta read that!); Katharine Ashe’s IN THE ARMS OF A MARQUESS (which features my favorite trope: a mouthy spinster, since that’s exactly what I am; and a hero named Ben. I’m sorry, but I just love men named Ben. This is going into the cart); and last but not least, Tessa Dare’s A NIGHT TO SURRENDER (we’ve all been drooling for her next series, haven’t we? And MORE spinsters! I’m so happy!)

This September, I plan to do my part with the K.I.S.S. & Teal program and read-read-read. It’s an easy, ignore-the-dishes-and-children job, but I’m willing to do my share. I hope you are able to do the same. There is no shortage of great books to pick from.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What book are you most looking forward to this Fall? What tropes do you most adore in romances? How do you like to distract yourself?