Madeline Smyth

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

"Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true."

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

Requiescat in Pace to all who died during 2011,
including Penny Jordan (b. 11.24.46, d. 12.31.11),
an author who inspired me to write

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:20:00.001-05:00

"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace,

good will toward men." Luke 2:14

Double Finalist in the 2011 Wallflower Contest!

2011-12-23T22:00:00.004-05:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2011 Wallflower Contest. I am a double finalist again this year. Here are my titles and categories:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, The Rose Division (prior first place manuscripts only)

Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess ~ Finalist, Genres Division: Series Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

Interview of Author Lorraine Nelson

2011-11-29T00:01:00.059-05:00

I'm thrilled to post an interview of author Lorraine Nelson following the recent release of her newest book, Covert Mission: Undercover Cop, Book Two in her Thunder Creek Ranch series. I met Lorraine a few years ago, and since then, I've discovered beyond all other things her kindness toward others and her passion for writing. Here is what she has to say about her life and writing:

Hi, Lorraine, please tell us about your background.

I’m a Cancer sign and therefore, pretty much a homebody. I have three terrific sons, four wonderful grandsons and a precious granddaughter, with another grandbaby due next month. When my children were younger, I wrote for their age group, now I write for adults.

Did you always want to be an author?

Yes, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing stories or poetry.

Which authors did you read while growing up?

My babysitting money always went toward Hardy Boys books. I was a great fan. I also read all of the Anne of Green Gables books. At age 14 or so, I discovered Mary Higgins-Clark and Harlequin.

Why Hardy Boys, not Nancy Drew?

LOL, I was very much a tomboy and Nancy Drew was too tame for me.

Which Harlequin lines captured your interest?

All of them! I read everything I could get my hands on…still do. :) They used to have a line called Shadows, Intrigue now, I think, and Temptation. Those were my favorites back then.

What authors have influenced your writing?

I’d have to say Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel and Mary Higgins-Clark. Love their books.

When did you begin to write romance novels? Why? What is it about the genre that appeals to you?

I had stopped writing for several years. As a single parent, the kids and the full-time job had to come first. I began writing seriously in 2009 after having my left thumb amputated. Typing helped regain the flexibility in that hand. Even though I’m a two-time divorcee, I believe in the possibilities of love and a happy ever after. I enjoy reading a good mystery and romance, so putting them both together to craft stories of romantic suspense seems natural.

Do you consider yourself a contemporary western romantic suspense author?

Mostly, yes, although I have written novels in other genres. This is my only series featuring cowboys, though. I’ve also written and self-published two Christmas stories, His Christmas Wish, a sweet novella, and Mistletoe & Mr. Hoe, a full-length involving some suspense. In addition to these, I’ve written seven other novels in the past 2 ½ years.

What was your first sale?

My first sale was Zakia and the Cowboy, Book 1 in my Thunder Creek Ranch series. It was released by Evernight Publishing on October 5th, 2011.

How did your first sale come about?

I’d heard about Evernight through Facebook friends and loved their covers, so I submitted.

How has being a published author changed your life so far?

It’s very rewarding. I’ve received some excellent reader reviews and it’s thrilling to know my work entertains other people besides my family and friends, who may or may not be prejudiced in my favor. The fact that quite a number of them have been asking for the sequel, makes my heart thump with delight

I’m busier than I used to be, for sure. Editing and promoting take up a lot of time, but I’m loving it. Writing and promo is something I can do from home, which is a real bonus, given our cold Canadian winters.

Tell us about your newest release.

While writing Zakia’s story, Sam and Blake became such memorable characters that I knew I’d have to tell their story. That’s when the idea of a series came to me. Covert Mission: Undercover Cop became Book Two in the Thunder Creek Ranch series.

Sam is ex-military, released on a medical discharge after losing her right arm. She’s feisty, independent and adorable, has overcome her physical disabilities, but past memories haunt her. Blake is a perfect match for Sam. He’s a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and owns a horse ranch. He’s strong, caring, patient and protective, although the latter irks Sam to no end.

The following is the basis for their story:

Two cops have been murdered, two convicts escape. Samantha Muldoon and Blake Northrup pair up to protect their friends. Will their attraction to each other hinder their effectiveness or distract them from their job? Can it grow into something lasting, or will previous hurt keep them apart?

Can you give us an excerpt of Covert Mission: Undercover Cop?

Sure! This is the beginning of Chapter One:

“What on Earth have you packed in this one?” Blake said as he hefted a box to go to the truck.

“If I can pack it and stack it, you’ve got nothing worth complaining about,” said Samantha in that brusque “don’t mess with me” tone she used around most people. Since losing her arm and receiving a medical discharge from the army, Sam fought harder than ever to prove her self-sufficiency, especially around men.

“I’m not, but a word of warning wouldn’t come amiss.”

“So sorry, Blake. I’ll be sure to label the heavy ones as ‘women weight only’ from now on.”

“Huh! I don’t believe you could lift it yourself, let alone carry it all the way to the truck.”

That did it! “What’s your wager?” She thrived on their little wagers. Blake was so much fun to tease and a good loser to boot.

“Dinner, Friday night. Loser pays.”

“Throw in a movie and you’ve got a deal.” This was a sure bet. She’d enjoy his company and not have to spend Friday night alone.

“Dinner and a movie it is,” he smirked, handing the box off to Sam.

“Great! I’ll look forward to a relaxing evening since it seems I have to handle all the heavy work around here.” Smiling, she waltzed out through the kitchen door and met Luke, Blake’s friend, on his way back in. She’d been introduced to both men through her friend, Zakia. Luke and Zakia had recently remarried after an estrangement of several years and she and Blake had offered to help her move.

“Here, Sam. I can take that for you.”

“Not on your life, cowboy. This box in the truck gets me dinner and a movie.”

“You and Blake at it again?”

“Of course!” She chuckled.

“Why don’t you cut him a little slack? He’s only trying to be a gentleman.”

“That may well be, but I get a rise out of him so easy I can’t resist.”

“What would you do if he asked you out on a real date?”

“What?” she shrieked. “He wouldn’t. Blake knows I don’t date.”

“Uh, huh. Ain’t that the truth.”

“Well, he does.”

“I know, Sam. Far be it from me to thwart your ‘no dating’ scene.”

“What do you mean by that?” she called back as she set the box down on the tailgate of Luke’s truck.

“Nothing much, but for two people who aren’t dating, you sure seem to go out a lot.” He chuckled, walking inside and letting the door swing shut behind him.

Sam stood and stared after him for a moment, thinking about what he’d said. He was right. She did accompany Blake on a lot of outings, but they were friends. Why shouldn’t they attend functions and things together? It beat going alone. And he was good company.

Still, if people were starting to talk—classifying them as a couple—she shuddered, maybe it was time to back off. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Didn’t want to have to explain…nope! Not going there. The past was right where it belonged, in the past. She’d dealt with it and made her choice. There was no turning back but still, she couldn’t ward off a niggling doubt.

Blake came out of the house then carrying another carton of Zakia’s things. Her gaze tracked his movements. He sure was a handsome devil.

He greeted her with a disarming grin. “So you made it to the truck, I see.”

“Yes, I did, but then, you knew I would,” she said, suddenly realizing it as the truth when Blake’s face turned red.

“How could I know? That box was damned heavy.” He turned to load his box on the truck. “I do like the way you rise to a challenge though.”

“Is that so?”

He straightened to face her, his smile bordering on a smirk. “Yep, so we’re on for Friday night?”

“Nope. At least, not this Friday. I’m busy.”

Blake scowled, his expression stating that he was not pleased with her reply. “Doing what?”

She thought fast. “The shop needs painting, so when I close for the weekend, I’ll need to get at it.”

“I can help.”

“If I needed your help, I’d ask for it. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

“Well, excuse me if I’m trying to be neighborly.”

“That’s another thing.” His eyes flared—with anger? Something else? She softened her tone, not wanting to appear ungrateful. “We’re not exactly neighbors. For someone who lives an hour away, you seem to be in Calgary a lot these days. What gives?”

“You know I’m collaborating on Grayson’s case. Why do you ask?”

“Every Friday?” she asked, a skeptical tone in her voice.

“Yeah, it gets me out of the office. Why all the questions?”

Could that really be all there was to it? “Just that I don’t want you going out of your way to help me. I don’t like owing anybody anything.”

He walked closer, close enough to touch, but he didn’t. She waited, knowing he had something to say and wished he’d just get it over with.

“You don’t owe me anything. Is it so hard for you to accept that I enjoy spending time with you?”

Yes! No! She schooled her features into a polite mask. “I don’t know.”

“I thought we were friends.”

“We are, but people are starting to talk.”

“About us? Is that so bad?” he asked in that low, sexy voice of his.

“Blake, you know I don’t date. I don’t do relationships and commitment. Friendship is all I can handle. All I’ll ever have to offer.” She fought to keep her eyes from tearing up. No way would she cry in front of this man or anyone else for that matter. Zakia wasn’t even privy to her darkest secrets. She was a rough, tough, independent woman and intended to keep it that way.

“I think you’re cutting yourself short, Sam. Life is for living.”

“And I’m living it my way. I thought you understood.” She started to walk away then turned and looked back, catching his concerned yet puzzled expression. “Come on. Get your ass in gear, Northrup. We have more boxes to pack and lug.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He saluted her then caught up in time to open the door for her.

She accepted the gesture gracefully for once, knowing she’d already spouted off enough for one day.

What are you working on now?

Book 3, Trouble at Thunder Creek, my NaNo project, is almost complete. From there, I’ll be diving straight into Book 4, Leah’s Child. Then edit and sub in December, after NaNo.

When you begin writing a book, do you have the story all outlined in your mind or do you wait and see where the characters take you?

The characters definitely lead the story. I do up character sheets with all the specifics, then a brief outline covering the GMC and location, and start writing. Quite often the characters veer off, but that’s the fun of writing. I never fully know where they’re going to take me or how the book will end.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m a romantic at heart! I love baking and gardening. My favorite movies of all time are Gone With the Wind and Dirty Dancing. Favorite book, The Proud Breed, a three generational saga written by Celeste De Blasis.

How can readers get in touch with you?

I love hearing from my readers! It’s important to know what works and doesn’t work for them as I continue to craft stories of love and mystery.

http://www.lorrainenelson.weebly.com/
http://www.lorrainenelson.weebly.com/
http://www.facebook.com/LorraineNelson.Author
http://twitter.com/#!/lornelca
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5254629.Lorraine_Nelson
http://www.amazon.com/Lorraine-Nelson/e/B005XMAYFQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Thank you for having me here today, Madeline. It’s been fun.

One commenter will receive a free download, their choice, Thunder Creek Ranch Book 1, Zakia and the Cowboy, or Book 2, Covert Mission: Undercover Cop (releasing Nov 28th). The winner will be announced on December 3rd. You must be a follower of both blogs, Madeline’s and mine. So leave your comments and/or questions. I’ll do my best to answer. :)

Lorraine, thanks for stopping by my blog, and best of luck with your newest release!

Winner of the 2011 Golden Gateway Contest!

2011-11-08T00:01:00.021-05:00

The results are in for the final round of the 2011 Golden Gateway Contest. Here are my title, category, and placement:

Beyond the Veil ~ First Place, Single Title Romance Category (FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUESTED BY GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING)

You might think I'd be used to all the excitement of contest finals by now, especially as this was my 28th contest final during the past three years, but in truth, I find each one more precious than the last.

Finalist for the 2010 Contest Diva Tiara Award, Author with the Most Contest Finals Category and Author with the Most Titles Category

2011-11-06T20:15:00.011-05:00

I was a finalist for the 2010 Contest Diva Tiara Award, Author with the Most Contest Finals Category and Author with the Most Titles Category. This was for Aliya Arabesque, The Loving of Lord Loxley, Deus ex Nosferatu, and Royal Prince, Relucant Princess having been finalists in 17 writing contests during 2010. I didn't win the tiara for either category (the author who won for the most contest finals had 18). Yet, for the second year in a row, I was named an official contest diva. Wow!

It Ain't About How Hard You Can Hit

2011-11-04T20:55:00.000-04:00

Many years ago, when I was only a teenager, I saw Rocky in the movie theatre. Over the years, I didn't catch the sequels, and to an extent, Rocky slipped away from my consciousness. Then, one day recently, I happened to see an interview of Sylvester Stallone. I discovered that he had not only stared in Rocky, but also written the screenplay. As an author, I perked up. He spoke of all those things of which authors speak: characterization, motivation, etc.

During the interview, Mr. Stallone discussed his disappointment with Rocky V (the final Rocky sequel), and his determination to create a new final sequel that would satisfy fans. Out of his determination came Rocky Balboa. He stirred my curiosity. I had to see what he had done with Rocky thirty years later. I watched Rocky Balboa, and I so loved it that I went back and watched Rocky for the first time in years, then Rocky Balboa for the second time in only a few days.

In Rocky Balboa, Rocky, who is now 59, is grieving the death of his wife. When an opportunity presents itself, he decides to fight the current world heavyweight champion in an exhibition bout because he needs to rid himself of his inner beast (his grief). An old friend encourages him with these words: "Fighters fight." But Robert, Rocky’s son, tries to dissuade him from returning to the ring, not because he fears for his father’s safety, but because he blames his own failings on his father's success. Rocky replies that, to succeed in life, "it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward."

I think the scene between Rocky and Robert is profound, but whether because Rocky’s words are so true to his character, or whether because they reflect my own personal philosophy, I could not say.

Here, have a look at the scene (and see whether it touches you):

After the ten-round bout, when Robert embraces a bloody and battered, but still standing, Rocky, he says, "That was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen, Pop." Rocky's lines are deeply moving, whereas Robert's line is emotionally satisfying. Moments later, fans are asked to say goodbye to Rocky...forever.

Rocky Balboa takes us full circle to Rocky.

We Remember Them

2011-09-11T00:01:00.020-04:00

"We Remember Them"

In the rising of the sun and its going down,

We Remember Them.

In the bowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
We Remember Them.

In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring,
We Remember Them.

In the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer,
We Remember Them.

In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
We Remember Them.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
We Remember Them.

When we are weary and in need of strength,
We Remember Them.

When we are lost and sick of heart,
We Remember Them.

When we have joys and special celebrations we yearn to share,
We Remember Them.

So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are part of us,
We Remember Them.

~From the Jewish Book of Prayer~

Hurricane Irene Swept Across My Home...Long Island!

2011-08-29T12:57:00.002-04:00

This is a photo taken yesterday in Bay Shore, New York (very near to my childhood home).

These are the ocean waters from which I hail, the waters in which I swam during my youth, and the waters to which I will return one day.

In Memoriam of William Entenmann III, the Grandson of the Founder of Entenmann's Bakery

2011-07-10T14:13:00.133-04:00

I want to tell you about William Entenmann III, the grandson of the founder of Entenmann's Bakery, but before I do so, I need to tell you a bit about my family and me so that you can understand how we came to know one another many years ago.

On the day of my birth, my incredibly strong parents were at the most vulernable point of their lives. Since their marriage six years earlier, my mother had stayed at home to have and raise my older siblings, and my father had worked for a series of companies that had closed their doors. Money was tight. Opportunities were few and far between. Family support was non-existent. In fact, at the time of my birth, my father was working for a company far away, and when my mother went into labor, she had to turn to neighbors for help.

A few days later, my father headed for the hospital after work to bring us home, but his car broke down along the way. He had only enough money in his pocket for one cab ride. So, instead of taking a cab to the hospital, he walked miles to get there because he knew he'd need the money to take my mother and me home. But when he got to the hospital, the administrators refused to release me because my father didn't have enough money to the pay the bill. They took a promissory note from my father in exchange for me.

During the early years of my childhood, my parents' situation didn't change, except that they had to struggle even harder with yet another child to feed (and another debt to pay). During these years, trying to better our lives, my father would put on a suit every so often and go over to Entenmann's Bakery (for those of you who've heard of Entenmann's, you'll immediately visualize the white box with the fancy blue writing). Entenmann's was one of the best employers on Long Island, New York. But the waiting list for a job was impossibly long. My father would put his name on the list and come home without much hope. It was a dream, and like most dreams, it was unobtainable.

So, we went on from day to day.

I can remember my mother outside in cold weather with no stockings (women wore dresses in those days) because she couldn't afford to buy a pair. I can remember her pushing us to the supermarket in one of those huge 1950's baby carriages because she didn't have a car. I can remember her collecting other people's returnable bottles for money to buy a gallon of milk. I can remember her dressing us in thrift store clothes. I can remember all of this and so much more.

Once I went to school, she was free to work outside the home, but she'd have to race to get home from her job as a domestic so that I wouldn't be alone for too long after coming home from kindergarten. By this time, she had an old car. She kept a figurine of Mary, the Blessed Mother, on the dashboard and would pray to her whenever the car wouldn't start. But my mother never despaired because, even though she was a poor Irish immigrant, she believed she could have the American Dream, if she only worked hard enough.

Then, one day, my mother heard that Mr. & Mrs. William Entenmann III needed a domestic. By this point, my father had just turned 39, and at that time, Entenmann's had a cutoff age of 40 for certain positions. But my mother's need was more immediate. She needed to pay the tuition for us in Catholic school (education, something she'd never had, was everything to her). So she walked up to the Entenmann's door, rang the bell, and asked Mrs. Entenmann for the job. My mother is devout. Just as the Blessed Mother had always heard her prayer for the car to start, she now heard her prayer for deliverance from desperation. Mrs. Entenmann, a very gracious and lovely woman, asked her to start the following Tuesday morning.

As Christmas of 1968 approached, Mrs. Entenmann told my mother they'd like to host a party for about 200 guests, and asked whether she should hire additional help. My mother said she could handle the party on her own, but needed Mrs. Entenmann's help to get my father a job at the company. Later in the evening, Mrs. Entenmann turned to her brother-in-law, Robert Entenmann (who did the hiring at the company), and said, "Mary would like for her husband to work for the company."

As an aside, read about the amazing Martha Entenmann (the mother of Charles, Robert, and William Entenmann) HERE.

Three months later, my father got a call from Entenmann's to come for an interview. On went that suit (probably the only suit he owned at the time) and off went he. I can remember when he returned home. He was speechless. It was as if he'd won the lottery. He'd been a son born to an Irish-English immigrant father in New York City during the 1920's, a child who'd starved during the Great Depression, a 12 year-old boy who'd worked hard manual labor to feed his many siblings, a 16 year-old boy whose mother had signed him into the U.S. Army during the 1940's, and a man who'd wanted only for his children not to starve as he had. No one had ever given him anything, but now, someone had given him a chance.

The Entenmann Family changed all our lives.

Because of them, my parents realized the American Dream.

Today, my older sister is an ear, nose and throat surgeon, my brother (an Ivy League graduate) is with a company in Manhattan, and I'm an attorney and author. If not for the Entenmann Family, who and where would we be now? I know that, without the Entenmann's, I wouldn't have gone to the Academy of St. Joseph (for more on this, click HERE), learned to read French and ride a horse, lived in a mansion on the south shore of Long Island, gone away to college to study with the Black Mountain poets, met my husband, gone on to law school, etc. Yes, I wouldn't have become who I became.

Let me tell you why I've written about this now after so many years. A couple of days ago, my mother (who currently lives in Florida) heard from an old friend on Long Island that William Entenmann III passed away earlier this year on New Year's Day. When she told me, it brought back a slew of memories from my youth—sun, sand, ocean... and those white boxes with the fancy blue writing. And I teared up in memory of all that William Entenmann III had done for my family...and me.

His obituary can be found HERE and HERE.

I have my own personal story about William Entenmann III that I'd like to share with you.

One day, when I was about seven years old, I was sitting on Willie Entenmann's dock as he came along. He pulled a line of fish from the Great South Bay and laid it on the dock. I stood up to have a look. The fish puffed up, then flattened, then puffed up again. I laughed with great delight in the sight. Having come from nothing, anything was everything to me. He asked me, "Haven't you ever seen puffer fish before?" I shook my head as I looked at him with eyes probably as big as moons. He laughed and took my hand. We walked up the dock toward his house. Along the way, he asked, "What's your favorite treat?" I said, "Chocolate chip cookies."

Months later, my father came home from work with an Entenmann's box. He told me that Willie Entenmann had given it to him for me. It was a box of chocolate chip cookies. Not the flat box of small chewy chocolate chip cookies you might know from the supermarket, but what I call the "all butter loaf pound cake box" with a tray of large crisp chocolate chip cookies (they were standing up like record albums in a rack, for those of you who remember the days of record albums). The cookies were beyond delicious, but unfortunately, as the company would discover, they'd break during delivery to the stores. This would've been around 1970. Anyway, they disappeared from production, then reappeared in the form as you know them today. Since their reintroduction in 1974, Entenmann’s has sold more than 620 million chocolate chip cookies.

I didn't see Willie Entenmann much during the 1970's, but when my parents realized the American Dream in the late 1970's, we moved to Ocean Avenue. Mr. & Mrs. Entenmann lived on a street off a street off the end of Ocean Avenue. We had a ton of yard work at Ocean Avenue. Gardening was my love, though. I was outside all the time. And whenever I was out cutting the front lawn, and Willie Entenmann drove past in his old Cadillac, he'd honk and wave at me. I didn't think anything of it during those days, but now, in retrospect, I think it's amazing he remembered me—the little girl who loved chocolate chip cookies.

After college, I moved away from Long Island, first to go to college in Western New York, then to law school in Boston, and later to practice law in Washington, D.C. During the past twenty-five years, whenever I've seen those white boxes with their fancy blue writing, I've thought of the Entenmann Family. So, yesterday, when I saw a box of Entenmann's chocolate chip cookies, I couldn't help but cry in memory of William Entenmann III—the man who made chocolate chip cookies for me.

Rest in Peace, William Entenmann

Come Have a Look at Buffalo, NY...the City of Light!

2011-06-12T18:30:00.013-04:00

I'm from the southeastern shore of Long Island, NY.

I've lived, worked, and traveled the country over.

But I live in Buffalo, NY...and choose to do so.

Madeline

P.S. Here's a panoramic of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY (which unfortunately is remembered most for the assassination of President William McKinley). For more on the 1901 Pan-Am Expo, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-American%20Exposition

Writing and the Law, Part III: Pen Names, Copyrights, and Business Entities

2011-06-01T11:37:00.126-04:00

I belong to several writing loops. During my travels, from time to time, I see statements of the law that are inaccurate. The other day, I came across a discussion about pen names, copyright notices, and business entities on one of my loops. My primary area of expertise is business law (corporate and securities), and my secondary area is intellectual property (copyright and trademark). So these posts couldn’t help but catch my attention.

While I was glad to see that some of the statements were accurate, I was troubled to see that some weren’t. For example, I read statements to this effect: (1) an author’s legal name has to be used in the copyright notice; (2) a corporation or LLC is no big deal to form; (3) an author can use a DBA to establish a pen name; (4) a corporation or LLC can use a pen name without consequence; (5) a LLC provides better protection from personal liability than a corporation; (6) a business entity can protect an author’s privacy; and (7) an agent can advise an author on legal matters.

The above seven statements are all false.

Let’s take a twirl around some of the concepts.

A. COPYRIGHT, COPYRIGHT NOTICE, AND COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION

An author's work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form.

When an author uses a copyright notice on her ms, or includes one at the bottom of a post on her blog, she gives notice to the readers that she claims a copyright for that writing. Here’s some general information about the copyright notice on the U.S. Copyright Office's website:

"Use of the notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if a proper notice of copyright appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendant’s interposition of a defense based on innocent infringement in mitigation of actual or statutory damages, except as provided in section 504(c)(2) of the copyright law. Innocent infringement occurs when the infringer did not realize that the work was protected. The use of the copyright notice is the responsibility of the copyright owner and does not require advance permission from, or registration with, the Copyright Office."

For more general info on copyrights, see http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf

However, print publishers register (in the name of the author) every work they'll publish in the U.S. by filing an application with the U.S. Copyright Office. In fact, those same publishers will take advantage of the protections of the law afforded by every country in which they'll publish the work (think Harlequin). But let's focus on U.S. law.

The U.S. Copyright Office has some wonderful circulars about copyright. Here is a statement from the above-referenced circular on the advantages of registration of a work:

"Even though registration is not a requirement for protection, the copyright law provides several inducements or advantages to encourage copyright owners to make registration.

Among these advantages are the following:

• Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim.

• Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U. S. origin.

• If made before or within five years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.

• If registration is made within three months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney's fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.

• Registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U. S. Customs Service for protection against the importation of infringing copies."

So, no, a publisher doesn't just include a copyright notice on a page inside the book. If they're a print publisher, they'll have put their dollars behind the editing, production, distribution and perhaps even promotion of a book. They'll want to afford themselves, or place the author in a position to afford herself/himself, of the maximum protection under the law.

I wonder, though, how many e-publishers are filing copyright applications on behalf of their authors. This isn't to say that an e-published author doesn't have the same reason for wanting her work registered as a print published author, just that an e-publisher mightn't have the same incentive to expend the time and money to register a work as a print publisher has. [Note: See postscript below for follow-up information on this question.]

Moving on, contrary to what someone said, an author isn't required to use her/his legal name in a copyright notice. Likewise, an author isn’t required to register a work with the U.S. Copyright Office in her/his legal name. Here’s part of the instructions for filling in the author's name on Form TX (literary copyright application):

“If the work is “pseudonymous” you may: (1) leave the line blank; or (2) give the pseudonym and identify it as such (for example: “Huntley Haverstock, pseudonym”); or (3) reveal the author’s name, making clear which is the real name and which is the pseudonym (for example, “Judith Barton, whose pseudonym is Madeline Elster”).”

For more on Form TX, see http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formtx.pdf

The best example I can give you off the top of my head is Penny Jordan. Penny writes for Harlequin Presents. Her copyright notice is in the name of Penny Jordan, but her legal name is Penny Halsall. Penny uses the third choice on the application—“Penny Jordan, pseud. of Penny Halsall.” To see the info on one of her recent copyright applications, click on http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=Penny+Jordan&Search_Code=NALL&PID=faRvBkjY-QB2061NOY5seZwQlD&SEQ=20110531065603&CNT=25&HIST=1

B. THE OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD DBA

A DBA isn’t a form of business entity. The primary purpose of a DBA is to provide the public with the names of the owners behind a fictitious name being used by a business. In New York, any sole proprietor, corporation, LLC, or other business entity that uses a fictitious name in connection with a business must file, or cause to be filed via the Secretary of State, a certificate of assumed name in the clerk's office of every county in which they do business. There are 63 counties in New York.

Someone suggested that an author could form a corporation or LLC, then use a pen name (which would be the "product" of the corporation or LLC) on the cover of books so that the author's real name would show up nowhere. The pen name wouldn’t be the “product” of the corporation or LLC. The pen name would be a fictitious name used by the corporation or LLC. So, the corporation or LLC would have to file a certificate of assumed name to use the pen name, once again in every county in which it does business.

And that’s the most important point of this section. A corporation and LLC (as well as a sole proprietor) must file, or cause to be filed, a certificate of assumed name in every county in which it does business under a fictitious name. More, as you'll see in the next section, an author's legal name will always show up somewhere.

C. SOME TYPES OF BUSINESS ENTITIES

The formation and use of corporations and LLCs by authors isn't all that common. There are certain requirements for, and inherent costs to, the formation and continuing operation of business entities as well as limitations to their possible benefit to an author.

Let’s take a cursory look at some of them (and I do mean cursory because I could write/talk at length about each of them). My comments will be skewed toward New York because, although I’m admitted to practice in three jurisdictions, I currently practice in New York. However, I’d be surprised to discover that most, if not all, other states don’t have similar provisions.

1. Business Corporation

For this section, let’s assume we’re talking a Subchapter S corporation, not a C corporation such as IBM.

The formation of a corporation isn’t that costly (in terms of filing fee payable to the secretary of state), but there are many post-formation requirements. Someone suggested that an author could just use an incorporation service, and someone else suggested that an author shouldn't do this. There are on-line companies that charge as little as $99 for the filing of a certificate of incorporation. The bottom line on this is that you get what you pay for because this filing is only the birth of a legal entity. Think of what comes after the birth of a child. A service company doesn't even give you a diaper and blanket in which to bring the baby home.

The filing of a certificate of incorporation is just the first in a lifetime of documents for a corporation. Following the incorporation, the corporation must adopt initial authorizing resolutions (the ratification of all actions by the incorporator, the election of the first board of directors, the election of officers, the authorization of the treasurer to open a bank account and apply with the IRS for a taxpayer identification number, the authorization of the president and secretary to issue stock, the adoption of by-laws, the procurement of checks and other items, etc.). After the adoption of the authorizing resolutions, the appropriate individual(s) must carry out the acts authorized.

In addition, after the initial resolutions, anytime a corporation is to undertake certain actions, the director(s) and/or officer(s) must adopt a resolution. So, for example, if the corporation is going to enter into a significant contract, the director(s) will have to authorize the president to execute that contract. These formalities are required even if only one person is involved in the corporation.

Moving on, there are external filings as well as internal actions.

New York corporations have to file annual franchise tax reports and pay franchise taxes even if the corporation doesn’t do business or loses money that year.

A corporation has to file a biennial statement.

A corporation has to file a federal and state corporate tax return. The corporation files a corporate tax return on Form 1120S, then each shareholder's share of the profit or loss of the corporation is recorded on a Schedule K-1, then the K-1 information for each shareholder is reported on Line 17 of the shareholder's Form 1040. This applies even to a corporation with just one shareholder. Of course, the state has a similar set up. So, are you willing to file a subchapter S federal and state tax return as well as a federal and state individual tax return every year?

Keep in mind that the primary reason for incorporation (i.e. protection from personal liability) requires that a corporation comply with all legal requirements in order to have this shield of protection.

Lastly, an author who incorporates might think they’ve shielded their true identity from their readers. But consider this scenario: Romance Reader happens to notice Riante, Inc. (a company formed by an author) in the copyright notice in a novel, and curious about the author, does a quick on-line search. To see what Romance Reader can discover in about a minute, click on http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/corps/search_all.php, type Riante, Inc. into the name box, and once the next pages opens, click on Riante, Inc. Sorry I can't give you a direct link, but as the Arkansas Secretary of State adds corporations, the links change.

By the way, I see that Riante, Inc. has no fictitious name filings in its state. So Riante, Inc. may use only its legal name in connection with all matters.

And just by typing the words “in its state,” I’ve thought of yet something else. If a corporation does business in any state other than its state of incorporation (and the definition of “doing business” is often loosely construed), it must file an application for a certificate of authority to do business as a foreign corporation in those other states.

And what if you don't want to have the corporation any longer? Well, you have to dissolve it in accordance with the requirements of the law. Yes, think of the effort and cost of a funeral and burial.

2. Limited Liability Company (LLC)

To form an LLC in New York, there's a publication requirement (i.e. the notice of formation) in addition to a filing requirement, which can add substantially to the cost of formation. In New York, the county clerk(s) must designate the two newspapers in which the notice must run. If she/he/they choose a larger newspaper, an author could be looking at several hundred dollars and up just to fulfill the notice requirement.

After the filing of the formation papers, the LLC must adopt an operating agreement (just to give you an idea, the operating agreement for most of my clients has ranged 35 to 40 pages), apply for a TIN (taxpayer ID number), open a bank account, order checks, issue member certificates, etc. It isn’t unlike the initial work for a corporation.

Unlike the corporation, the LLC is a little looser in terms of internal operation.

As with a corporation, though, there are external filings. For tax purposes, a single member LLC (SMLLC) can be treated as either a corporation or a single member “disregarded entity.” To be treated under federal law as a corporation, the SMLLC has to file Form 8832 and elect to be classified as a corporation. An SMLLC that does not elect to be a corporation will be classified by the existing federal guidance as a “disregarded entity” which is taxed as a sole proprietor for income tax purposes. If the LLC is a sole proprietor for federal tax purposes, the entity will most likely have to file Form 1040 Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business (Sole Proprietorship). If the business has net income over $400, it may be required to file Schedule SE, Self-Employment Tax.

Contrary to what someone said, the LLC doesn’t afford better protection from personal liability than a corporation. As with corporations, a LLC must follow all legal requirements to afford its member(s) protection from personal liability. By the way, in my experience, accountants tend to push their clients toward forming a LLC...and not necessarily because it's a better form of business entity.

As with a corporation, if you don't want to have an LLC any longer, you'll have to trudge down a similar path to the graveyard.

3. General Partnership

By law, a partnership requires two or more partners. Contrary to what someone said, it isn’t that a person “can’t easily form” a partnership with one person...but rather that a person can’t form a partnership at all without a second person. Based on my experience, the use of partnerships started to fall out of favor in the late 1980s. Today, investors prefer a corporation or LLC. Doctors often use a PC (a professional corporation). Lawyers are about the only ones who still use the partnership model, but even so, they now form LLPs (limited liability partnerships).

4. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

Someone asked me to cover the LLP as a possible entity for authors.

First, two or more persons must form a partnership under state partnership law.

Second, in some states, only certain partnerships may register to become limited liability partnerships. For example, in New York, LLPs can be formed only by law, accounting, engineering, and architectural firms. In fact, under the law, each of the partners of the partnership must be a professional authorized by law to render the professional service, such as a lawyer licensed to practice by the New York State Bar.

So now you know why I didn’t cover LLPs in my first post.

However, for those still interested, I’ll give a little more basic information.

Again, I'll skewer this toward New York, but other states (those that have enacted LLP statutes) may have a similar set-up.

In New York, the formation of an LLP is accomplished by the filing of a certificate of registration with the Division of Corporations. As with the LLC, there is a publication requirement, which can add to the costs of the creation of this type of business entity. Upon completion of the publication requirement, the LLP must file affidavits of publication with the Division of Corporations.

In addition, an LLP must make additional periodic filings with the Division of Corporations. For example, an LLP must file an LLP Statement within sixty days prior to the fifth anniversary of the effective date of their registration or notice of registration, and every five years thereafter as required by New York Partnership Law.

As to tax filings, just as with a corporation and LLC, an LLP has to file an annual federal and state tax return. The LLP files a partnership tax return on Form 1065, then each partner’s share of the profit or loss of the partnership is recorded on a Schedule K-1, then the K-1 information for each partner is reported on the partner’s individual Form 1040. The state has a similar set-up.

Of course, as with any business entity, an LLP may need to make other tax-related filings which depend on a host of factors.

So, why do partners of a law, accounting, engineering, or architectural firm in New York elect to register as a LLP?

In the old days, if one partner was sued for malpractice and the plaintiff got a judgment, the other partners were personally liable for the satisfaction of that judgment. But the partners of an LLP aren’t personally liable for the actions or omissions of their partners if they are sued. For example, if one partner has a malpractice lawsuit brought against him, the other partners won’t be personally liable for any judgment made against that partner. This is what makes the LLP so attractive to professionals.

However, with the LLP, the partners don’t escape liability from lawsuits brought against them by third parties. And, of course, all partners are responsible for the general obligations of the partnership, such as bills and expenses.

5. Overall

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen single member LLCs and single shareholder corporations run afoul of the legal requirements, probably because the single member/shareholder thought all she/he had to do was file a certificate of incorporation (corporation) or articles of organization (LLC). No, there's more to it than that...and more to it than an author might want or need.

So, if you comply with all legal requirements, what do you get for incorporation or formation? Yes, you get protection from personal liability (provided you comply with all requirements), but ask yourselves whether you're running the kind of business where the need for protection from personal liability outweighs the costs inherent in formation and operation (for this question, think company that puts products into play such as Gerber or Graco, or company that invites the public onto its premises such as a department store, or company that has employees, trucks, and planes in motion such as Federal Express). On the other hand, for an author who'll generate money from film merchandising, etc. (think J.K. Rowling), I could definitely see the benefit of forming a corporation or LLC.

D. DURATION OF COPYRIGHT TERM

Now, let’s move away from corporate and tax law and back over to copyright law. As a final thought, I’d like to point out that an author’s choice of name vis-à-vis legal or pseudonymous, and an author’s choice of business entity, can have an impact on the duration of the copyright. Here’s the actual law on duration:

"§ 302. Duration of copyright: Works created on or after January 1, 1978

(a) In General. — Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and, except as provided by the following subsections, endures for a term consisting of the life of the author and 70 years after the author's death.

(b) Joint Works. — In the case of a joint work prepared by two or more authors who did not work for hire, the copyright endures for a term consisting of the life of the last surviving author and 70 years after such last surviving author's death.

(c) Anonymous Works, Pseudonymous Works, and Works Made for Hire. — In the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication, or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. If, before the end of such term, the identity of one or more of the authors of an anonymous or pseudonymous work is revealed in the records of a registration made for that work under subsections (a) or (d) of section 408, or in the records provided by this subsection, the copyright in the work endures for the term specified by subsection (a) or (b), based on the life of the author or authors whose identity has been revealed. Any person having an interest in the copyright in an anonymous or pseudonymous work may at any time record, in records to be maintained by the Copyright Office for that purpose, a statement identifying one or more authors of the work; the statement shall also identify the person filing it, the nature of that person's interest, the source of the information recorded, and the particular work affected, and shall comply in form and content with requirements that the Register of Copyrights shall prescribe by regulation."

Let’s consider an example:

Annie Author was born in 1970, wrote the great American novel in 1999, had that novel published in 2000, and will die at the age of 85 in 2055.

If she took the copyright in her legal name, her estate will hold that copyright until 2125.

If she took the copyright in a pseudonymous name, her estate will hold that copyright until 2095, unless the author/estate reveals her identity before the end of the term, in which event the estate will hold the copyright until 2125.

If her corporation took the copyright, the corporation will hold the copyright until 2095. With these set of facts, the author has denied her/his heirs 30 years of potential royalties.

I think the point I'd like to make is that, if you're going to make a legal decision, you should consult with an attorney (one versed in intellectual property law for copyright issues, and one versed in business law for corporate and LLC matters, not Uncle Johnny who handles divorce cases or Aunt Millie who tries criminal cases).

***

Let me say that I think non-lawyers should be very careful with what they say about legal concepts because other non-lawyers might assume their words are an accurate statement of the law. I don’t mean to quiet discussion, which is always a positive thing. However, I think non-lawyers need to start or end their posts with a statement that they’re not lawyers and that others should seek legal advice (from a lawyer, of course). Some members of loops do that...but some don't.

Please note that, among other things, the law changes rapidly, differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and is subject to the on-going interpretation of federal and state courts. More, legal advice must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each matter. So, nothing that you read in this post (or in any self-help book or on any on-line site) should be used as a substitute for the advice of legal counsel.

Happy Writing!

Best, Madeline

P.S. I've done a search of copyright applications for books filed with the U.S. Copyright Office during 2010 (I used 2010 instead of 2011 because it takes a few months for registrations to show up) by several publishers (ones that came to me off the top of my head). Here are the results:

Ellora's Cave 0
Grand Central 1,405
Harlequin 932
Liquid Silver Books 0
Little, Brown 1,340
Loose Id 0
Penguin 1,599
Samhain 0

© 2011 Madeline Smyth

Finalist in the 2011 Fabulous Five Contest!

2011-04-16T10:32:00.004-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2011 Fabulous Five Contest. I have an entry that is a finalist. Here are the title and category:

Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess~Finalist, Series Contemporary (L/S) Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

Finalist in the 2011 Stroke of Midnight Contest!

2011-04-04T13:32:00.000-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2011 Stroke of Midnight Contest. I have an entry that is a finalist. Here are the title and category:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Historical Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

Ride Along with my BF on the 2011 Lymphoma Research Ride

2011-03-31T10:09:00.002-04:00

My BF, who is a driving and inspirational force, is calling for people to ride along with her on the 2011 Lymphoma Research Ride.

Here is her FB post:

"I just took the leap and committed to ride in the Lymphoma Research Ride in September! Please help me exceed my fundraising goal by donating to this worthy cause. You can donate HERE. Thank you on behalf of me, and anyone who has ever fought this disease!"

And thank you from me, her BF.

My Friend, Kelli Scott, Has a New Release

2011-03-19T17:06:00.001-04:00

My friend, Kelli Scott, has a new release from Ellora's Cave.

Here's the blurb from Amazon.com:

Rachel McAllister tried to dissuade Rory Callahan’s interest, she’d been hurt by love too many times before, but Rory had been as relentless as a dog after a bone. She gave in, but made one thing perfectly clear from the start—no sex until she said, “I do.” If Rachel knew one thing about men, it was that you gave them what they wanted—sex—and they’d be out the door before the sun came up. Rory has passed all her tests and jumped through her hoops to prove his love. They’re ready to say, “I do”, and Rachel’s ready to erase any of Rory’s lingering regrets about waiting to have sex. Rory fell head over heels for Rachel at first sight. Getting her to date him was another matter altogether. He’d followed all her rules and has barely complained about her strict moral code. Now he’s going to marry her for better or worse. He’s about to find out his goody-two-shoes bride-to-be is a fiery vixen who’s too hot to handle.

Check it out HERE.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T00:00:00.001-04:00

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

Let Me Introduce You to Author and Friend Helen Scott Taylor

2011-03-07T16:50:00.010-05:00

Do you know Helen Scott Taylor?

Let me introduce you, if you don't happen to already know her.

Helen Scott Taylor is the author of The Magic Knot (American Title IV winner and 2008 Golden Heart® finalist) and The Phoenix Charm.

To me, though, Helen Scott Taylor is not only a talented author, but also a dear friend.

In 2008, as the published author judge in the preliminary round of a contest, and before she had ever heard of me, she recognized the promise of Aliya Arabesque, my contemporary single title that has since become a finalist in seven more contests, including Writing with the Stars I (the successor to American Title).

During the same year, as the mentorship program coordinator of FTHRW, she introduced me to my mentor, Janice Lynn, American Title I winner, 2003 Golden Heart® finalist, and multi-published author.

More, for five months from September of last year through January of this year, she encouraged her family, friends, and fans to vote for me, and otherwise held my hand, during Writing with the Stars I.

I have been so fortunate in, and if truth be told, a bit awed by, Helen Scott Taylor's support.

Now I need my family and friends to support her.

A Midwinter Fantasy, the anthology in which Helen Scott Taylor's A Crystal Crib appears, is a finalist for Romance Anthology at The Romance Reviews.

Here is an interview from the Border's Blog:

Title: “The Crystal Crib” by Helen Scott Taylor (Magic Knott Fairies series #2.5)

Setting: Contemporary Iceland and the Norse gods’ Kingdom of Asgard.

Subgenre: Contemporary Fantasy Romance

Hero: Vidar, son of the Norse god Odin.

Heroine: Sonja.

One sentence summary: In the frosty North, in the ice palace of Valhalla, Sonja’s life depends upon unraveling the mystery of the Crystal Crib—and upon winning the love of Odin’s son.

Scene you like most and would never cut: I love the juxtaposition of the normal world and the fantasy world so my favorite scene is where Vidar takes Sonja to the Norse gods’ kingdom for the first time.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: After her experiences in Iceland, she will be sticking to sun and sand vacations and staying away from snow and ice.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Sonja works for her aunt’s travel business.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Vidar owns a theme park in Iceland called ‘Santa’s Magical Wonderland’. This keeps him busy when he isn’t doing Odin’s bidding.

What do you think readers will like best about this book: For me the most magical part of the story is Sonja’s journey of discovery as she meets her extraordinary father Troy and discovers her heritage. I hope readers will enjoy sharing Sonja’s revelations.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: I’m guessing the heroine’s father Troy. He has been in the other Magic Knot Fairies books and I know readers want his story as I have many emails asking me when it will come out.

What’s next: The third in The Magic Knot Fairies series will be released as an e-book in July 2011. This book features Nightshade, the winged vampiric fairy. His story takes him to Scotland where he clashes with both the Seelie and Unseelie Scottish fairy courts before he wins his feisty Scottish heroine.

***

I love anthologies, not only when they give me the chance to discover the writing of an unknown author, but also when they give me the chance to have a little more of the storytelling of a favorite author who has spun out a novella in between novels.

All three of the stories in this Christmas anthology appeal to me.

I love the Victorian England setting of A Christmas Carroll, not to mention the possibilities of a repressed passion between a vicar and his true love.

And The Worth of a Sylph gives me a world of which I know very little, but of which I would like to know more after having read the author’s summary.

But The Crystal Crib is brilliant. The fantasy world is in the frosty North, in the ice palace of Valhalla. Vidar is Odin’s son. Sonja is Troy’s daughter. There is a mystery involving a crystal crib. Wow, I’ve been hooked. But wait, there is more.

In the normal world, Sonja works for her aunt’s travel business, and Vidar owns a theme park in Iceland called ‘Santa’s Magical Wonderland’. Wow, now I’ve not only been hooked, but reeled in.

In the interview, Helen Scott Taylor said: “I love the juxtaposition of the normal world and the fantasy world…” That is what she has done rather brilliantly, and for me, that is what makes this a must read.

It takes only a moment to register and vote.

TO DO SO, CLICK HERE.

Support Helen Scott Taylor now as her family, friends, and fans supported me then.

Thank you.

Winner of the 2010 Wallflower Contest!

2011-02-09T14:22:00.018-05:00

The Wallflower Contest is my favorite writing contest, no doubt because I had both my first final and my first win in this contest in 2008.

Last October, when the 2010 Wallflower rolled around, I wanted to enter, but most of my stories had already taken first place in other contests, which precluded them from entry (except for in The Rose Division, a first place only category, but I had already finaled in this division during the 2009 Wallflower).

So, for the 2010 Wallflower, I pulled out two contemporary stories. In October, I entered them in the preliminary round, and the following month, I learned that both were finalists. I made a few tweaks and submitted them to the final round.

Since then, I'd forgotten about the 2010 Wallflower, probably because so much has happened to me during the past couple of months. Anyway, I received news today of the final rankings by the Harlequin editors. Here are my results:

The Playboy's Fake Fiancée ~ First Place, 2010 Wallflower Contest, Scenes Division: Opening Hook Category (PARTIAL REQUESTED BY EDITOR).

Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess ~ Second Place, 2010 Wallflower Contest, Genres Division: Series Contemporary Category.

Oh yes, I love the Wallflower Contest!

So You Think You Can Write (SYTYCW)?

2011-01-31T10:53:00.016-05:00

So You Think You Can Write?

From early summer through early winter, I was caught up in Kensington's Writing with the Stars Contest (successor to American Title). My novel, Aliya Arabesque, was a finalist. On December 15, a couple of days after the start of Round 3 of WWTS, a Facebook friend mentioned Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write Challenge. I hadn't heard about this before that moment. Around 4:00 PM, I dropped by the website and read:

"Does your imagination run wild with vivid characters? Have you ever dreamed of becoming a USA TODAY bestselling author? Well, our editors want to make those dreams come true. We are hungry to find talented new writers for Harlequin Books. Through podcasts, blogs, and discussions with our expert editors and current authors, we’re going to help you understand the appeal of the romance genre. And there’s a special daily challenge with feedback that will give some great insights into crafting the perfect story. So for the next week, come by to hone your skills and get started on the path to publication. So you think you can write? Here’s your chance to show us!

...

If you’ve decided to participate in our final writing challenge to submit a synopsis and first chapter of your manuscript, please send it to ucanwrite@harlequin.ca. Make sure to add “SYTYCW First Chapter & Synopsis” to the subject line and submit it by 6:00pm EDT on December 15th. All of the submissions received by then will receive a response from our editorial team by January 31st! Only one submission per person, please (if we receive more than one, only the first will be evaluated)."

Two hours! TWO HOURS!

Why am I always the last to know about everything? I learned about Kensington's Writing with the Stars Contest only a few hours before the opening. With Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write Challenge, I learned about the entire event only two hours before the final challenge submission deadline.

I had so much on my plate at the time, but I wanted some editorial feedback. So, I threw together a submission for my novel titled The Loving of Lord Loxley. I didn't have enough to time to put together a proper query letter. In my e-mail, I wrote only, "Attached is my entry, The Loving of Lord Loxley, which is targeted at Harlequin Spice." How unprofessional of me. But off it went, for better or worse.

I forgot about the SYTYCW Challenge.

Then, last week, I got an e-mail from an executive editor at Harlequin. She wrote, "I really enjoyed your first chapter and thought the story was suitable for Spice. I wasn't clear if you had finished the book. If not, you should consider submitting to Spice once it is completed. Please let me know the status of your story." Wow, that's certainly music to an author's ears.

Of course, I should have sent a proper query letter with the submission, giving the details, such as whether I had completed the novel. I was lucky that an editor responded to my submission at all. I wrote back, filling her in. Alas, no, it isn't finished because until recently I was busy with Kensington's Writing with the Stars Contest, but now I'm back on the job, laboring in love.

And you know what?

I'm happy.

Why?

I'm laboring in love.

Finalist for the 2009 Contest Divas Tiara Award, Author with the Most Titles

2011-01-05T17:13:00.006-05:00

I was a finalist for the 2009 Contest Diva Tiara Awards, Author with the Most Titles Category. This was for Aliya Arabesque, The Loving of Lord Loxley, and Deus ex Nosferatu all having been finalists in writing contests during 2009. I didn't win the tiara, but I was a finalist. Am I now an official contest diva? I suppose so. Wow!

Grand Prize Winner of the 2010 Golden Gateway Contest!

2011-01-04T23:59:00.003-05:00

During the past three weeks, I prepared for and celebrated Christmas, campaigned for votes in Round Three of the Writing with the Stars Contest, and lost a dear friend after a lengthy illness. At some point during all of that, I got news of this:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Grand Prize Winner, 2010 Golden Gateway Contest (Last month, I heard that it had taken First Place in the Historical Category).

Writing with the Stars - End of Round Three: Best Back Cover Blurb

2011-01-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

The voting poll has closed for Round Three of the Writing with the Stars Contest. RT Book Reviews will announce the results just before the start of Round Four on January 17th. Thank you to all who voted for me in Round Three.

February Issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine Covers Round Three of the Writing with the Stars Contest

2011-01-01T10:31:00.004-05:00

February's issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine covers Round Three (Best Back Cover Blurb) of the Writing with the Stars Contest, which runs from December 13th through January 2nd. The back cover blurb for my novel, Aliya Arabesque, appears on page 26.

Voting Begins in Round Three of the Writing with the Stars Contest (successor to American Title)

2010-12-13T11:00:00.028-05:00

Voting opens today at RTBookReviews.com for Round Three of the Writing with the Stars Contest. Here is my attempt at a back cover blurb for Aliya Arabesque as well as Mentor Emma Lang's comments:

ROUND THREE: BEST BACK COVER BLURB

December 13 - January 2

Back Cover Blurb:

BETWEEN RESISTANCE AND SURRENDER LAYS A WORLD OF
DISCOVERY…

ALIYA ROBERTS OF NEW YORK—A woman who rebuilt her shattered life and swallowed her hatred of the Middle East, the world from which her parents' murderers came in jihad. When her sister disappears in Saudi Arabia, she must journey into the depths of her heart not only to find her sister, but forgive her Arab blood.

SHEIKH FARŪQ OF THE AL-`AZĪZ—A man deeply imbued with the ways of his ancient land, devoted to his faith, and responsible for his tribe. He carries an American infidel of al-Jābir blood out of a sandstorm and into his harem, challenging his world. To rule his desert kingdom, he must awaken Aliya Roberts of New York to her destiny as `Āliya of Arabia.

A JOURNEY ACROSS TWO WORLDS—Their desire is undeniable, but dangerous. Sheikh Farūq’s burning passion ignites a firestorm among the al-`Azīz, while Aliya’s conflicted heart brings the al-`Azīz to the brink of war with the al-Jābir. To be together, they must betray their worlds, but to love forever, they must sacrifice their beliefs and surrender their hearts.

BETWEEN DESIRE AND SACRIFICE LAYS THE ROAD TO
ETERNITY…

Mentor Emma Lang’s Comments:

Writing a book blurb can be one of the hardest things a writer can do. How do you summarize ninety thousand words in two hundred? It’s a task not to be taken lightly. Madeline started well, and we worked through revisions to tweak it until we both felt it was ready to entice readers from the back cover of a book. Rereading it now, I have to say Madeline really nailed it.

TO VOTE FOR ALIYA ARABESQUE,

CLICK HERE.

Salvador Dali's Angels Collection

2010-12-03T11:21:00.009-05:00

The Klein Family of New York (friends of mine) have put up for exhibition and sale Dali's Angels Collection. This is a collection of original drawings and sketches done by Salvador Dali for Dr. Edmund Klein. During the 1970s, Dr. Klein and Salvador Dali enjoyed a personal relationship that developed out of their doctor/patient relationship. Dali referred to Dr. Klein as "mon ange" (my angel) on a number of the drawings and sketches. For thirty years, the Klein Family kept these drawings and sketches locked away in a vault, but in 2008, decided to show them to the world for the first time, creating a whirlwind of excitement, especially among Dali experts and collectors.

Learn more about the Dali/Klein relationship here and/or see the Dali drawings and sketches here.

Double Finalist in the 2010 Wallflower Contest!

2010-11-30T11:12:00.003-05:00

The results are in for the 2010 Wallflower Contest. For this contest, I took a foray into the genre of contemporary series. To my delight, both of my entries are finalists. Here are the titles and categories:

Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess ~ Finalist, Genres Division: Contemporary Series Category

The Playboy's Fake Fiancée ~ Finalist, Scenes Division: Opening Hook Category

Writing with the Stars - End of Round Two: Best Hero and Heroine

2010-11-29T07:58:00.005-05:00

The voting poll has closed for Round Two of the Writing with the Stars Contest. RT Book Reviews will announce the results just before the start of Round Three on December 13th. Thank you to all who voted for me in Round Two.

January Issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine Covers Round Two of the Writing with the Stars Contest

2010-11-24T12:36:00.004-05:00

January's issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine covers Round Two (Best Hero and Heroine) of the Writing with the Stars Contest, which runs from November 8th through November 28th. The description of the hero and heroine in my novel, Aliya Arabesque, appears on page 30.

Voting Begins in Round Two of the Writing with the Stars Contest (successor to American Title)!

2010-11-08T08:56:00.005-05:00

Voting opens today at RTBookReviews.com for Round Two of the Writing with the Stars Contest. Here are descriptions of the hero and heroine of Aliya Arabesque:

ROUND TWO: BEST HERO AND HEROINE

November 8 - November 28

The Heroine:

Aliya Roberts is a woman of conflicting worlds, her hair a piece of Arabian silk in the color of Western wheat, yet her eyes the green of the West set in the almond shape of Arabia. For years, she has rebuilt her life in New York and swallowed her hatred of the Middle East, the world from which her parents' murderers came. When her sister disappears, Aliya must journey across a world not only to find her sister, but her destiny.

The Hero:

With dark eyes, hawkish nose, and sensuous mouth, Sheikh Farūq of the al-`Azīz is a man as harshly beautiful, deeply mysterious, and dangerously forbidding as his desert. During a sandstorm, he comes upon an American infidel of al-Jābir blood and carries her off to his harem, challenging his tribe. To settle an ancient grievance, he must marry his enemy, but to capture her heart, he must betray his world.

To read a scene featuring both the hero and heroine, or see a slideshow of the exotic world, of Aliya Arabesque, click HERE.

Mentor Emma Lang's Comments:

Describing the hero and heroine can set the tone for the book. Madeline knew her characters well, bringing them forth through words. Readers can visualize not only Aliya and the sheikh, they are ready to embark on a journey with them, to find out what happens, to become a part of their unforgettable story.

TO VOTE FOR ALIYA ARABESQUE,

CLICK HERE.

An Arab Love Song

2010-11-06T08:29:00.020-04:00

One of my Arab Muslim friends has posted this on her blog. It is an Arab love song performed by Najwa Karam, a Lebanese singer. Enjoy!

For those who don't know Arabic, here is a loose translation:

بالروح بالدم رح تبقى يا غالي
In the soul, in the heart, you will stay, oh precious one

بالروح بالدم شو ما صار بحالي
In the soul, in the heart, no matter what happens to me

مجنوني عني قالوا
“Crazy,” they said about me

كل واحد حر بحالو
Everyone is free with his own self

يفنى الكون من رجالو ما في غيرك رجالي
If all the men in the world finish, no one other than you would be my man

لو غصبوني بغيرك لو ما بسمح يصفالو الجو
If they force me to be with someone other than you, I won't allow the air to be calm around them (meaning I will cause problems and be uneasy)

ما بيطلع علي الضو بالليل بسمم حالي
The morning will not come on me, I will poison myself during the night

اول ما شفتك جنين عبقوجي وشو نهميت
When I first saw you I went crazy, my face changed and I was concerned

بالرجعة ضيعت البيت
I lost my way on the way back home

الحب بيعمي يا حالي
Love makes you blind

December Issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine Kicks Off Round One of the Writing with the Stars Contest

2010-10-28T13:30:00.005-04:00

December's issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine covered Round One (Best First Paragraph and Last Line) of the Writing with the Stars Contest, which began on October 11th and ran through October 26th. The first paragraph and last line of my novel, Aliya Arabesque, appears on page 26.

Writing with the Stars - End of Round One: Best First Paragraph and Last Line

2010-10-27T09:47:00.003-04:00

The voting poll has closed for Round One of the Writing with the Stars Contest. RT Book Reviews will announce the results just before the start of Round Two on November 8th. Thank you to all who voted for me in Round One.

Kensington Author Emma Lang's Interview of Writing with the Stars Contest Finalist Madeline Smyth

2010-10-18T10:28:00.002-04:00

Hey y’all! Emma Lang here. Today I’m going to post an interview with my mentee, Madeline Smyth, a finalist in the Writing with the Stars Contest.

Madeline, what was it that first drew you to the craft of writing romance?

I’ve written for as long as I can remember. As a child, I’d fall asleep by working on a story, replaying it each night to the point where I’d left off the night before and taking it a little further. Then, one day, when I was about 12 years old, Sister Karen (yes, a nun) handed me a copy of Jane Eyre. I read it to the other girls at our private girl’s academy (a place of intellectual expression and sexual repression) as we sat on the lawn dressed in our black blazers, white shirts, long skirts, and black tights.

After that, in secrecy, I devoured hot and steamy romance novels with an insatiable hunger. I lost my innocence to Brandon Birmingham (The Flame and the Flower), battled the mighty Wulfgar (The Wolf and the Dove) with spirited words, and waited for Cole Latimer (Ashes in the Wind) to realize I was a woman beneath my boy’s garb. Of all my imaginary lovers, though, Ruark Beauchamp (Shanna) made me tremble and quiver the most as a girl…and still makes me tremble and quiver the most as a woman. Oh my, he just defies time.

So, what drew me to the craft of romance writing?

My favorite authors gave me a heroine I could be, a hero I would never meet, and an exotic place I wanted to go. Now, more than anything, I want to give readers this experience. For them, I’ve written Aliya Arabesque. Aliya is a woman who speaks for many women, bemoaning her less than perfect figure, wanting a man she fears is unobtainable, trying to find her way in a complicated modern world. And Sheikh Farūq is a man who’ll make most women tremble and quiver now and forevermore.

Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

When it comes to writing, and most other things, I argue only with myself…and I always win.

What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

The demands of real life are the only thing that can distract me from writing. I have a fabulous husband, three young children, law practice, and old home. Wait, I have more—a mother-in-law who doesn’t know who my husband or I am, a bachelor brother-in-law who thinks I’m married to him as well as his brother, and a reclusive neighbor who lets only me into his house. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel more fulfilled from giving than receiving, and when the well of my heart is full, I give the best of myself to readers.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Write, write, write. During my younger days, I let other things come between writing and me, mostly my legal career. Recently, when I was telling a colleague about my writing, he said, “Being great at something kept you from being greater at something else.”

If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

Whisper in My Ear

A Secret Identity

Madeline is a woman who is not what she appears to be. By day, she wears armor and swings her battleaxe for Lady Justice, but by night, she shimmers in silk and invites Lord Muse into her dreams. When a challenge calls her to the battlefield, to vanquish her enemies and capture the hand of her beloved lord, she must decide whether to swing her mighty battleaxe or wield her most seductive words.

A Silver Tongue

Lord Muse is a man who can tempt a lady to reveal her secrets. During the day, he hovers in the shadows just beyond Madeline’s reach, advancing and retreating, teasing and tempting, but at night, he lies with her in the pale moonlight, seducing her with his silver tongue. To entice his lady to cast away her warrior’s armor, and reveal the secrets of her vulnerable soul to the world, he must whisper a word in her ear…a word that only she knows.

An Inevitable Surrender

Their desires are undeniable, but their flirtation is dangerous, for Madeline has long belonged to another, and Lord Muse now wants her all to himself. Lord Muse’s seduction threatens Lady Justice, while Madeline’s resistance encourages Lord Muse. When Lady Justice raises her sword to claim her warrior, will Madeline let it fall upon Lord Muse…or will she risk her heart and whisper a single word in her beloved’s ear?

What would be your “voice’s” tagline?

Rich and sensual.

Who’s your favorite author?

That depends on my mood.

Let’s talk about your Aliya Arabesque. What’s the story behind the story?

I was devastated on 9/11, like other Americans. I had a personal connection to New York, NY (my home city), Boston, MA (the city where I’d gone to law school), and Washington, D.C. (a city where I’d practiced law). On that day, I had family and friends who worked in Manhattan, I had former colleagues who often flew out of Logan and Dulles, and I had friends who worked for the government in Washington, D.C. More, before that day, I had lived among (and even worked for) Arab Muslims during my life.

In the aftermath of 9/11, perhaps a year or two later, I picked up a romance novel in a bookstore one day. The hero was an Arab Muslim sheikh. Yet, there wasn’t one mention of Allāh, Islam, or the Qur’an in the book. Worse, the sheikh engaged in behavior that was haraam (forbidden) under Shari’a law, though his behavior would’ve been acceptable for a Western man. I shook my head in dismay, wondering how we could know so little about this ancient culture, and how we could be so foolish to think God had made the world in our image.

As I returned the book to the shelf, I realized that I’d only ever read two types of Western/Middle Eastern romance stories—ones with Arab Muslim sheikhs running around spouting Western ideas, and ones with Western women being enslaved in Middle Eastern harems. In that moment, Sheikh Farūq was born. I knew him as if I’d known him all my life. He was a holy man imbued with the ways of his ancient culture, devoted to Allāh and the peace of Islam, and responsible for the welfare of his tribe and the harmony of his harem.

The creation of Aliya Arabesque wasn’t as simple, though. I had to honor the people who had perished on 9/11 and those who had fled through the ashes of death, but I had to respect those Arab Muslims who are true believers in the peace of Islam. To do this, I would need to lift away a veil of lies and half-truths to reveal the beauty of two vastly different cultures. Aliya Roberts, the daughter of an American man and Arab woman lost on 9/11, became the embodiment of the conflict between these worlds…and her love for Sheikh Farūq the resolution of that conflict.

What has being a finalist in the Brava Writing with the Stars contest been like?

This experience has been exciting, but if I’m honest, a bit daunting as well. I now think that writing a book is easy, but promoting an author (especially an unpublished one) is a whole other thing.

What’s on the horizon for more books?

I’m working on Roubia Rayya, the story of Aliya’s sister, and then I’ll turn to Amira America, their mother’s story. Both will offer a fresh and different perspective of the conflict between the West and Middle East, between Judeo-Christian and Islamic beliefs, and between men and women. In addition to Roubia Rayya, I’m also working on The Loving of Lord Loxley, a multi-contest finalist for which I’ve received requests for a full manuscript.

A little bit more about you…

1. What is your favorite word?

I have three favorite words—love, betrayal, and sacrifice, my author brand.

2. What is your least favorite word?

My least favorite word is “it.”

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

I’m always on fire.

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Other people’s negative energy dims my fire.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

I love the voice of Andrea Bocelli.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

I hate the screams of my children.

7. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

If I could be anything that I wanted to be, I’d be a surgeon. I’d like to save lives and heal hearts. A year ago, my eight year-old son was tragically injured in an accident. He underwent emergency surgery and then two more surgeries during the following six weeks. Dr. Steven A., a brilliant surgeon, gave my son back to me.

Never will my son be quite the same again…and neither will I. I traveled through a dark place beyond grief—a place where only mothers with broken hearts pass—but I emerged from the darkness because of Dr. Steven A. He does with his hands in the real world what I can only do with my words in an imaginary world.

8. What profession would you not like to do?

I wouldn’t want to be a trash collector, though I think they know more about people than just about anyone. If you want to discover what people are buying or throwing away, ask your trash collectors. They are a fountain of information.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?

I love milk chocolate, but looking at my waist and thighs, I’d have to say milk chocolate doesn’t love me.

- smooth or chunky peanut butter?

Oh, is there a peanut butter other than chunky?

- heels or flats?

I wear flats most of the time to chase after children, run around town, and meet with friends, but if I want to draw DH’s eye, I wear black heels (and sheer black stockings, of course).

- coffee or tea?

I drink coffee in the morning, but opt for tea in the afternoon.

- summer or winter?

I’ll say summer because I may live in Buffalo, NY, but I’m not insane.

- mountains or beach?

I’m drawn to sand, ocean, and sun, probably because I’m from Long Island, NY.

- mustard or mayonnaise?

I’m always in the mood for a mouthful of hot and spicy mustard, but I sometimes crave a lick of smooth and creamy mayo.

- flowers or candy?

Why one or the other? I’ll take both, of course.

- pockets or purse?

I use pockets, purse, and satchel, which is perhaps why I can never find anything quickly.

- Pepsi or Coke?

Neither (not even if stranded on a desert island).

To read more of the opening scene, or see a slideshow of the exotic world, of Aliya Arabesque, check out Madeline’s blog at http://www.madelinesmyth.blogspot.com

Thank you to Madeline for sharing about herself, her writing and her fabulous book! I hope y’all will go vote for Madeline!

Voting Begins in Round One of the Writing with the Stars Contest (successor to American Title)

2010-10-11T09:18:00.010-04:00

Voting opens today at RTBookReviews.com for Round One of the Writing with the Stars Contest. Here are the first paragraph and last line of Aliya Arabesque as well as Mentor Emma Lang's comments:

ROUND ONE: BEST FIRST PARAGRAPH AND LAST LINE
October 11 - October 26

First Paragraph:

The sandstorm swept across the desert of Saudi Arabia, leaving nothing but fury in its wake. Blinded by the flying sand, Aliya Roberts could see no more than the figure of an Arab standing over her. His white headdress concealed his face, and his white robes flapped in the wind. Was he a mirage in her delirious mind? Was he a whisper within the howling wind? She reached for him, finding the leather of a riding boot. God hadn’t abandoned her this day in An Nafūd Desert, or as her late Arab mother had called it, Allāh’s garden. He had done so, though, on another day halfway across the world, shattering her heart.

To read more of the opening scene, or see a slideshow of the exotic world, of Aliya Arabesque, click HERE.

Last Line:

Sheikh Farūq sat behind Aliya on his stallion, looking out across the golden sands of An Nafūd, as the sun dropped beneath the horizon, enveloping them in its orange glow. “Your destiny brought you across a world to me, and mine sent me through a sandstorm to you. I challenged my world to have your hand, even as you surrendered your heart to forgive my people. No longer are you Ms. Aliya Roberts of New York, but now `Āliya of Arabia, the only wife of the sheikh of the al-`Āziz, today, tomorrow, and forevermore.” His words swept across the desert, burning themselves into the sand. “It is written by Allāh.”

Mentor Emma Lang's Comments:

Madeline began to put herself into the book as a reader while we worked on the first and last lines. Many readers form opinions on the first page. Madeline found her voice here in the first line and was able to immerse the readers immediately into the An Nafud desert, to feel the desperation in our heroine and wonder about the mysterious man of Saudi Arabia. On the last line, her imagery leaves a golden sparkle to carry with the ultimate happily ever after.

TO VOTE FOR ALIYA ARABESQUE,

CLICK HERE.

November Issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine Presents Finalists in the Writing with the Stars Contest (formerly American Title)

2010-09-27T19:23:00.013-04:00

I plucked November's issue of RT Book Reviews Magazine out of my mailbox this evening. I appear on page 31 as part of a 3-page spread on the Writing with the Stars Contest (formerly American Title). In a continuation of the discussion of the appeal of print vs. eletronic books, I can tell you that holding the magazine in my hands was much more exciting than seeing it on my screen.

By the way, here is the 3-page spread on-line.

The Power of Facebook

2010-09-26T10:16:00.033-04:00

I joined Facebook only a short time ago. Since then, I've connected not only with close family and current friends, but also with distant family, old friends, and former colleagues. It's a great way to catch up with the people from your past, and keep up with the people in your present. But it can also be much more than that, as I discovered last week. I have a story to tell you about the power of Facebook, one that is heartbreaking and unforgettable.

Let me give you some background (I'll change all names to protect the privacy of the involved parties).

In the spring of 1977, I met a boy named Tom Doe. He pursued me relentlessly and eventually swept me up into his world. His father had died before we'd met, and his mother, Jane, had remarried. When I met Jane, I loved her within the space of a breath. She was elegant, kind, and generous. Her new husband was Ralph Smith, a Canadian. They had a newborn daughter, Sarah. Tom had a hard time with Ralph having taken his father's place. Of his two younger brothers, Dick didn't want anything to do with Ralph, but Harry was so young that he adapted.

During the next two years, I watched Jane's life, and the lives of her children, tailspin out of control. Ralph drank and gambled Jane into debt. After she lost the house that her first husband had bought for her, she moved with her children into a rented house, then into a rented apartment, then into a welfare apartment. During this time, I began to lose touch with them because I was away at college.

In the fall of 1984, my mother went to visit Jane. Harry, the youngest son, was home alone with little Sarah. He told my mother that his stepfather, Ralph, had been killed in a car accident and his mother was in the hospital dying of leukemia. I went to the hospital right away, and after visiting with Jane, sat with Tom in an ICU waiting room. Soon after, Jane died. I lost touch again after I left town to return to my future husband, but for the next decade, I thought of Sarah from time to time, assuming that she was safe with Tom, as he'd adored this little sister of his.

Fast forward more than 25 years.

Last week, I was on Facebook when I came across a Sarah Smith. I wondered, "Could this be Mrs. Doe's little girl?" So I sent Sarah a message through Facebook. A short time later, she wrote back. Here are excerpts of our exchanges (with the names changed and some info deleted for privacy of the involved parties):

Madeline:

I knew a Jane Doe Smith who had a daughter named Sarah Smith. Are you that daughter?

Sarah:

Yes I am..my mother passed away when i was 7....who are u?

Madeline:

Hi, Sarah-

In 1977, I met your brother, Tom, at a party (we were teenagers). Tom, my best friend (Margaret), and I became fast friends. Looking back, I suppose Tom wanted me to be his girlfriend, but I wanted to be your mother's daughter. After graduating from high school on Long Island, I went away to college where Tom was already a student. I haven't seen him for more than 25 years, not since the night I went to visit your mother in the hospital on Long Island. Her death devastated me. It would have been too hard to ever see Tom again.

Sarah:

O....Wow...well Tom lives here i havent spoke to him since i was 12.. he took me in after my mom passed and didnt want me i guess i havent spoke to any of my faimly so i have NONE..Do u know any names that my mom was friends with or anything? I dont know nothing bout my mom and dad...been tryin to figure it out piece by piece... I just went to visit her during the summer in bronx it still hard to this day I think its more harder now then before i was young and didnt know what was goin on just moved all around so fast...Now i just think bout What ifs?....well u may keep in touch if you like..

Madeline:

I knew both your parents. I don't understand. Who took care of you from the age of 12 on? I'd always thought that you were safe with Tom. It never occurred to me that he wouldn't want you, as he adored you. I can remember him walking the floors with you when you were an infant. If he came to a point where he hadn't been able to take care of you, he should have brought you to my mother. She never turned anyone away from her home. I find this very disturbing, to say the least.

P.S. What can I tell you about your parents?

Sarah:

My friends parents took me in and took care of me....Tom got married to this woman apparently depised me she had there first child and i was out the door...This is how i looked at this point Im very bitter bout the whole situation honestly..growing up knowing the unknown bout ur own life and have NOBODY to call your very own.. Do u know if my mom had any sisters good friends brothers Mother father? i have no clue...

Madeline:

Tell me first about your other half-brothers, Dick and Harry. What happened to them?

Sarah:

Dick is in georgia and Harry is still in Long Island...i spoke to my brother Harry 5 years ago last he never kept in touch. Dick is messing with a girl My age I still talk to his sons mother she keeps me updating me on how Dick is doin. but Dick dont want me in his life. it seems like when my mom passed they all went there seperate ways and i always thought that we needed to stay together as a faimly becuase we are all we got....

Madeline:

What should I tell you? I have so much in my mind, but I don't know if it's all correct. Your mother, Jane, was adopted by an Italian couple in New York City. I believe she was their only child. They adored her. She studied at Juilliard School of Music in New York and became an accomplished concert pianist. She was a bit of a debutante as her parents were comfortable.

Somehow, she met her first husband, Mr. Doe. He was a musician as well. So perhaps they met through their music. By all accounts, he adored her. He bought her a beautiful home on Long Island. Together, they had three sons. The Doe family was very good to them. Then Mr. Doe died from leukemia at an early age. I met Tom shortly after this. He was devastated by the loss, but his loss was only at a beginning.

Your mother had gone from her adoring father's home to her adoring husband's home. When Mr. Doe died, she was lost--utterly and absolutely lost. Some neighbor couple (her name was Mary, but I can't remember his) introduced her to your father, Ralph Smith. Ralph was a French Canadian (we spoke French together on occasion) with a long and jaded past. He drank heavily and gambled even heavier. If I remember correctly, he had a daughter in Canada of about 14 when you were born. So, you might have a half-sister in Canada.

Once your mother married Ralph, everything went into a tailspin. Tom and Dick had great difficulty with Ralph, another man, moving into their father's home...and bed. You were the living proof of that betrayal of their father. Ralph drank and gambled them into great debt. Your mother lost the house, and then moved into a rented house. I don't remember Dick at this house ever. I think he had moved in with his Doe grandparents. So, you see, it was all falling apart long before your mother's death.

I loved to go and see your mother at the rented house. She was the finest cook in all the world. She told me that no one could eat as much lasagna as me. But I ate that much only because she'd made it. You were so little in those days, perhaps 3 or so. Your mother, poor thing, was working in a deli supermarket. She had no car and so, she had to walk all the way there and back. One day, on a slicer, she cut her precious pianist's fingers. Even at 18 or 19, I knew she'd come from so much to end up with so little.

Soon, your mother could no longer afford the rented house. So they moved into a rented apartment in a house nearby. This may have been around 1982. Ralph was still in the picture, as far as I remember. Of course, the financial situation was grimmer by the day. I think they had to move from that house to another, but I'd have to ask my mother. I was away from Long Island for 1983, but returned in June of 1984 to stay until late October.

One night (perhaps in October, 1984), my mother went to Dunkin' Donuts (for Harry and you) and then on to see your mother for a cup of coffee. Your mother always had a fresh pot of coffee brewing up. When my mother returned, she was as white as a ghost. She told me that your father had been killed in a car accident, your mother was in the hospital dying of leukemia, Tom was at the hospital with her, and Harry and you were sad sights with dirty hair and pale faces.

I went over to see her at the hospital right away. She was in so much pain, but relieved because I suppose, seeing me with Tom for the first time in a while, she thought we might be together always. I was already engaged to my husband, and didn't have the heart to tell her. Oh, I can't tell you how hard it is for me to remember her, even now after more than a quarter of a century! If I close my eyes, I can see and hear her in my mind. She was so very gentle and kind.

And yes, what if she'd lived? How might life have been different?

Sarah:

By any chance do you have any pictures of my mother what so ever I have NONE and ive been trying to get atleast ONE picture of her so i can show my kids and have one for myself...I know you probally dont have it but its worth a shot to ask right?.. Thank You so much for letting me know how much you know of my mother OMG it really touched my heart big time it just feels like it big hole was filled. Im so happy you were able to be in my mothers life she was everything to me.. All i can remember is grabbing on her leg when she would go to bingo with my father. Thank you so much!!!!!

Madeline:

I will have to get out an old box of photos and look through it (those were the days before digital when we used something called film). I know I have many with Tom, but I don't know if I have any with your mother.

I remember having seen a photo album of professional photos of your mother when she was in her debutante years (wearing beautiful late 1950s or early 1960s dresses, upswept hairdo, and the sort). I wonder if Tom has that photo album.

P.S. You look like her, except that she was a blond.

Sarah:

Hi again!! By any chance do u know if you have a name of my fathers other daugther.. I really want to try and find her...I know Ive been being a pain in the butt asking all these questions but your the only one thats giving me answers i should of known along time ago..

Thank You again for all you have given me.

Madeline:

Good morning,

I'm very sorry to tell you that either I don't remember her name or I never heard her name. During the summer of 1978 or 1979, I didn't see Tom or Margaret (our common friend). I heard this story from Margaret after the summer: Ralph had a daughter who had come down from Canada for a visit. Tom had made some kind of moves on her (Margaret didn't tell me what). Ralph and Tom got into some sort of confrontation. Tom showed up at Margaret's mother's home with an injury and stayed until either Ralph cooled down or until he went back to college (I don't know which).

I haven't seen Margaret since 1982, but let me tell you about her so that you'll have the information should you want to try and find her. Margaret was born Margaret Jones on Long Island, went to school with me at the Academy, and married James Black on Long Island in 1980. I think Margaret would remember you because Tom, she and I babysat for you late 1977 and early 1978. She might remember Ralph's daughter's name because she heard the story firsthand from Tom. If I ever find Margaret, I'll ask her. Of course, Tom should remember the name.

Madeline:

Take a look at the second name that comes up on this page:

[website link]

I think this might be Margaret Jones Black.

Madeline:

Yes, I have have found her.

Margaret Black
[address]
[phone number]

Consider calling or writing.

She is a very warm person. Just remind her that you are Tom Doe's baby sister and the daughter of Mrs. Doe (that's how we all knew her in those days) and Ralph Smith. She was more my friend than Tom's. I think if she remembers the name of Ralph's other daughter from that summer so long ago, she'll tell you.

P.S. If you do call or write, send her my love.

Madeline:

Hi, again-

Take a look at this:

[website link]

Your father is entry number 154.

You can sign up for a free 14-day day trial at ancestry.com. Track your father, starting with the assumption that he was born in Quebec, Canada in 1945 and died in New York in 1984.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if you see this through, you might find some relatives in Quebec.

Good luck!

***

We've exchanged these words so far, which has been hard enough for us. I've been traveling back into the pain of my past to give her a memory of her mother for the future. When she is ready, I have a particularly bittersweet memory to share with her, one I thought of the other day, one I buried long ago with her mother.

What words can best describe this experience?

I found Mrs. Doe's beloved daughter, and Sarah found a memory of her beloved mother, on Facebook.

Isn't Facebook amazing?

Finalist in the Writing with the Stars Contest (successor to American Title)!

2010-09-07T09:00:00.037-04:00

On the afternoon of June 30th, I happened upon this announcement for the RT Book Reviews Magazine and Kensington Brava Books Writing with the Stars Contest on the Brava Authors website:

The contest would open on July 1st (yes, in a few hours!) and close on July 15th, but would be limited to the first 500 entries. What a fabulous opportunity to get a full manscript before an editor! I assumed that 500 other aspiring authors would rush to submit an entry as soon as the contest opened. So I scrambled to put together the required query letter, synopsis, and full manuscript of Aliya Arabesque, my contemporary single title. By 11:30 P.M., I was as ready as I could be with so little time, and at 12:01 A.M., I hit the "Send" button. Then I dropped into bed, as I had gotten up at 4:00 A.M. that morning.

During July, I didn't think about the contest because other contest excitement filled my days. Aliya Arabesque finaled for the sixth time in the 2010 Golden Claddagh Contest. At the RWA National Conference in Orlando, Deus ex Nosferatu, my historical paranormal, took First Place in the 2010 Stroke of Midnight Contest with a request for a full from the final round editor, and The Loving of Lord Loxley, my historical romance, took Second Place in the 2010 Romance Through the Ages Contest with a request for a full from the final round editor (the talented G. Jillian Stone, a 2010 Golden Heart® Winner, took first place). Then, during early August, my newest story, Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess, a contemporary series written especially for Mills & Boon Harlequin, finaled in the 2010 Four Seasons Contest.

On August 11th, I arrived home to discover that I had a message on my answering machine from Megan Records...yes, the Megan Records!...of Kensington Books, saying that she had some news for me and leaving her phone number to return her call. For a split second, I couldn't fathom why she would call me, but then I remembered the Kensington Books' Writing with the Stars Contest. Good God, might I be one of the finalists? But the announcement had said that the finalists wouldn't be notified until September 1st.

So, the next day, I returned the call. Here is the news Megan Records had for me:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Finalist, Kensington Books' Writing with the Stars Contest

Other authors have asked me how I felt in that moment? Elated, validated, excited, but most of all, fortunate. Yes, I felt incredibly lucky that Alicia Condon and Megan Records, who'd judged the preliminary round of the contest, had heard my voice among the voices of so many talented authors. Never do I forget that even though I've enjoyed contest success, I'm no farther along on the publishing journey than any other aspiring author. Never do I forget that this is a life journey, for publication is only a beginning, not an ending.

Thanks to Kensington Brava Books and RT Book Reviews Magazine, and congratulations to all the other finalists!

Quadruple Finalist in the 2010 Golden Gateway Contest!

2010-08-30T16:46:00.011-04:00

The results are in for the 2010 Golden Gateway Contest. I had four entries, all of which finaled. Here are the titles and categories:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Finalist, Single Title Category

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Historical Category

Deus ex Nosferatu ~ Finalist, Historical Category

Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess ~ Finalist, Long/Short Contemporary Series Category

Thanks to all judges and congratulations to all finalists!

Welcome to the New Face of My Blog!

2010-08-28T14:21:00.000-04:00

I decided to shake things up a bit with a new look to my blog. Stay a while and get comfortable.

Do You Want to Have a Healthy Discussion?

2010-08-15T22:11:00.022-04:00

Last week, I followed a post entitled The Death of Print/Publishing, Part MCCLWTFXVIII by published author Jim C. Hines, and an exchange of comments between Mr. Hines and published author J.A. Konrath, about the pros and cons, past and future, and life and death of print publishing, e-publishing, and self-publishing. It was a truly amazing exchange, not only for the substance of the discussion, but for the style of the participants. They went up against one another in hand-to-hand combat, and after a time, being equally matched in weapons and skill, withdrew with grace to fight another day. They awed me, but more, they made me conclude without any doubt that...

Men are from Mars.

Just after that experience, an aspiring author asked me to do a critique. I pointed out several newbie mistakes, and I had a care with my phrasing because I appreciate that some authors take every criticism to heart. By pointing out these mistakes, I wasn't condemning the writing because (and here is a revelation for newbie authors) writing is all about revision. Yet, instead of having a discussion with me about my comments, the author went crying to her critique group, and after they told her to get a grip, came back to me but only to argue about almost every comment. She saddened me, but more, she made me conclude without any doubt that...

Women are from Venus.

P.S. Kelly Fitzpatrick, a multi-RWA chapter contest winner, 2009 Golden Heart® finalist, and author of Lily in Wonderland from Cerridwen Press and soon-to-be released Pleasant Lake, P.D. from Medallion Press, told me recently that I should get a No Hissy Fit Contract from an aspiring author before doing a critique.

Finalist in the 2010 Four Seasons Contest!

2010-08-02T17:47:00.002-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2010 Four Seasons Contest. I have an entry that is finalist. Here is the title and category:

Royal Prince, Reluctant Princess ~ Finalist, Short/Long Contemporary Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

2010 RWA National Conference

2010-07-30T13:13:00.031-04:00

I couldn't go to the Nationals in Orlando this year, but I could bring it to me. That's the wonder of the internet. To see the Literacy Signing (that amazing two hour event during which romance authors, such as Nora Roberts and Kresley Cole, raise money for literacy), check out this video:

If I'd gone, I would've attended the Passionate Ink Romance Writers' party yesterday evening and discovered that Deus ex Nosferatu, my historical paranormal, had taken First Place in the 2010 Stroke of Midnight Contest with a request for a full from the final round editor.

Then I would've gone on to the Hearts Through History Romance Writers' party right afterwards and discovered that The Loving of Lord Loxley, my historical romance, had taken Second Place in the 2010 Romance Through the Ages Contest with a request for a full from the final round editor (the very talented G. Jillian Stone, a 2010 Golden Heart® winner, took first place, by the way).

Oh yeah, I should've gone!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Finalist in the 2010 Golden Claddagh Contest!

2010-07-01T15:31:00.009-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2010 Golden Claddagh Contest. I have an entry that is a finalist. Here are the title and category:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Finalist, Contemporary Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

To Publish With A New E-Publisher...Or Not?

2010-06-20T20:41:00.019-04:00

During the past couple of weeks, several of my aspiring author friends have been all a twitter (that is, "a twitter"as in old-fashioned chirping away with one another rather than as in modern tweeting on Twitter) about a new e-publisher on the scene (I'll call it "Happy New Publisher"). I researched this start-up on EREC and elsewhere, learning that the two principals have no editorial experience between them. As an attorney, I shivered at the inherent dangers of getting caught up as an author in such a scenario.

Then, as it would happen, an aspiring author (I'll call her "Happy New Author") mentioned that she had just submitted a story to Happy New Publisher. A few days later, Happy New Author said that she had a contract in hand from Happy New Publisher and was off to choose a book cover. I wish her the best, as I always enjoy vicariously when someone else succeeds at something.

But would I go this way? No, this isn't the right scenario for me. When it comes to writing, I want one thing more than anything—an editor. Oh yes, I want an editor, one who has experience, one who'll see my promise, one who'll send me revision requests, one who'll demand more and more of me. When this happens, and I know it won't happen within a few days, I'll be a happy new author, but probably one with an established publisher, whether print or electronic.

Happy Writing...and Revising!

Double Finalist in the 2010 Golden Acorn Contest!

2010-05-31T10:44:00.015-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2010 Golden Acorn Contest. I have two entries that are finalists. Here are the titles and categories:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Historical Category

Deus ex Nosferatu ~ Finalist, Paranormal Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

Brenda Novak's 2010 On-Line Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research

2010-04-30T07:26:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again. Brenda Novak's 2010 On-Line Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research begins tomorrow! I think this is the most exciting event of the year, even more than the RWA Nationals. It offers something for everyone. Best of all, if you win a bid, your money will benefit diabetes research, not just fill the coffers of RWA or one of its chapters. So, if you haven't visited the website yet, click on the above link and start browsing. It's a bit like walking through Tiffany's. I guarantee that you'll want one of everything you see.

P.S. From my personal experience, I can tell you that Brenda Novak is one very special lady.

Double Finalist in the 2010 Romance Through the Ages Contest!

2010-04-20T08:08:00.007-04:00

I've had the most amazing week contest wise.

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2010 Romance Through the Ages Contest. I have an entry that is a double finalist. Here are the title and categories:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Historical Romance Category

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, The Legend Category (most memorable hero)

Congratulations to all finalists!

Finalist in the 2010 Sheila Contest!

2010-04-18T12:53:00.007-04:00

I arrived home yesterday to hear the sweetest voice on my answering machine giving me the sweetest news. The results are in for the preliminary round of The 2010 Sheila Contest. And I have an entry that is a finalist! Here is the title and category:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Finalist, Women's Fiction with Romantic Elements

Congratulations to all finalists!

Double Finalist in the 2010 Stroke of Midnight Contest!

2010-04-12T08:44:00.003-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2010 Stroke of Midnight Contest. I have two entries that are finalists. Here are the titles and categories:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Historical Category

Deus Ex Nosferatu ~ Finalist, Novella Category

Congratulations to all finalists!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T17:45:00.000-04:00

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig

Judging Writing Contests

2010-02-21T11:14:00.027-05:00

Judging contests is an eye opener, as I've said before. You can see the mistakes in another author's story, even when you can't see the mistakes in your own. A couple of weeks ago, I finished judging a batch of entries for the contemporary series category of a contest. Now, two weeks later, let's take a look at what has stuck in my mind about those entries:

Entry A: The heroine had no goal or internal conflict other than to get the hero to acknowledge their prior secret relationship and marry her. The hero's goal was to take the heroine from another man (who, of course, she wasn't seeing, but who the hero believed she was, even after she denied a relationship) and resume his affair with her. His internal conflict was that he didn't want to commit to the heroine for what turned out to be a rather silly reason, but then, he did a complete about face and decided to marry her. There was almost no external conflict, which left the hero and heroine going around and around on the same internal conflict until he suddenly decided to marry her. Yet, for all its shortcomings, the voice was fantastically right-on for a contemporary series.

Entry B: The formatting was extremely non-industry standard, which subtly irked me. The hero and heroine had very little in the way of goals or internal conflict. The story was plot-driven, not character-driven. The plot (which was filled with everything but the bathroom sink) danced the hero and heroine around like puppets on a stage. See more on this under Entry E below. The author switched POV with every line of dialogue, not only for the hero and heroine, but for every character in the story. I assumed that this was a newbie author's first attempt at writing, and that she/he had never entered anything into a writing contest before.

Entry C: The heroine had no goal and an overused internal conflict (which, by the way, the author didn't set up in the 55 page entry, but left for the judges to ferret out in the synopsis). The hero's goal was that he wanted the heroine, though his immediate declaration of love and other teenage antics, especially given that he'd never met her before, made him appear silly. The pacing was deadly slow with long passages of back-story, internal thought, and scene connector narrative.

Entry D: What a delight! The hook, clever heroine, strong hero, secondary characters, POV switches, action, dialogue, narrative, pacing, etc. were all right-on. The hero could've been a bit more alpha, and the last couple of scenes in the entry could've used some tightening, but overall, this story had great promise.

Entry E: The first line of dialogue didn't appear until half-way down page 6 after more than 5 pages of back-story narrative, slowing the pace to a crawl. The heroine and hero had a goal and internal conflict, but the external conflict overwhelmed the story. The story was primarily, although not exclusively, plot-driven, not character-driven. As with Entry B, the plot contained everything but the bathroom sink, and typical of these plot-driven stories, the author introduced shocking events (for example, criminal assaults, attempted rapes, etc.) to propel the story. By the way, the synopsis was a walloping 15 pages, which is, IMO, way too long for a contemporary series.

Having found these mistakes, I'd now like to repeat part of one of my former posts titled "Ten Most Common Writing Mistakes." Here it is:

Judging the writing of other aspiring authors is often a lesson in the most common writing mistakes and sometimes an encounter with the most effective writing techniques. If only we could all begin as proficient writers, but as with any profession, writing requires an apprenticeship. This apprenticeship, often painful and frustrating, but on occasion exciting and rewarding, can develop and refine an aspiring author's raw talent into a powerful writing force.

In the contests I've judged, I've come across ten common writing mistakes. Before saying anything more, let me tell you that I'm not too proud to admit I made many of these mistakes in my earliest writing endeavors. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here is my list of aspiring authors' ten common writing mistakes:

1. Back-Story Dump.

2. Lengthy Narrative.

3. Use of Passive Voice.

4. Dialogue Tags Versus Beats.

5. Head Hopping.

6. Slow Pacing.

7. Told, Not Shown.

8. Inadequate Characterization.

9. Unrealistic Actions/Reactions.

10. Lack of Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts.

Now let's go back to the five entries in issue. IMO, the authors broke the following rules:

Entry A: Rules 7, 9, and 10

Entry B: Rules 5, 7, 8, and 10

Entry C: Rules 1, 2, 6, and 7

Entry D: No rules broken.

Entry E: Rules 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, and 10

Are you an aspiring author who hasn't finaled in a contest, but you don't know why you haven't finaled? If so, I strongly recommend that you become a contest judge. As I've said before, and I'll now say again, judging contests is an eye opener, but let me add for the first time why I think so—it puts you inside the head of an editor.

Happy Writing and Judging!

© 2010 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Kelly Fitzpatrick Has Sold Pleasant Lake, P.D. to Medallion

2010-02-09T14:55:00.017-05:00

We have come to the end of a long journey...and the beginning of a new adventure.

Do you recall my adoration of Near Perfection—the entry I read as a contest judge that didn't even final in that RWA chapter contest (not because of my score, of course), but went on to become a 2009 Golden Heart® finalist? After the 2009 Golden Heart® finalist announcements, I revealed that Near Perfection was Pleasant Lake, P.D. by Kelly Fitzpatrick. I took great personal delight that I'd seen the promise of this story when others had not. Well, with even greater delight, I now announce that Kelly Fitzpatrick has sold Pleasant Lake, P.D. to Medallion.

Congratulations, Kelly Fitzpatrick!

P.S. I'll follow up with a cover photo and release date as they become available.

Finalist in the 2010 GOTCHA! Contest!

2010-01-23T11:57:00.010-05:00

The results are in for the 2010 GOTCHA! Contest. I have an entry that is one of the five winners. Here is the title and category:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Fourth Place, Single Title/Mainstream Contemporary Category

The GOTCHA! Contest is different from other contests in that the placements are made based on the scores of the preliminary round author judges rather than a final round editor/agent judge, and then the four/five highest scored entries are sent on to an editor/agent for review and comment.

Congratulations to all winners!

Finalist in the 2010 Linda Howard Award of Excellence Contest!

2009-12-31T21:30:00.049-05:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2010 Linda Howard Award of Excellence Contest. I have an entry that is a finalist. Here is the title and category:

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Romantic Sensual and Sizzling Category

An hour ago, I heard the telephone ring. DH said, "Alabama is calling." I thought, "Why would Lynn Raye Harris' state of Alabama be calling me on New Year's Eve?" You see, she is the only one I know who lives in Alabama, and so, whenever I hear "Alabama," I naturally think of her. Well, it was the Linda Howard contest coordinator, calling to let me know that my entry is a finalist. I've been a contest finalist and category coordinator, but before this call, neither had I ever received a call from a contest coordinator nor made one to a contest finalist.

With the heavy use of e-mail and snail mail in this industry, you forget that authors, editors, and agents have voices—wonderful voices with Southern drawls, Northern twangs, and foreign accents. Of course, I had to ask, "Is Lynn Raye Harris a member of your chapter?" The coordinator said, "Yes." So, instead of thanking her for calling me with good news (which I should have done, of course), all I could think to say was, "You must tell her that you called me in New York." And as I hung up, I wasn't thinking so much of my contest final, but rather of this wonderful, though too brief, connection to other people in my writing world.

Congratulations to all finalists!

Famous Authors Who Broke The Rules, Part II

2009-11-27T17:16:00.012-05:00

Today, I picked through boxes of romance novels. For the second installment of my on-going series about famous authors who broke The Rules (see prior posts with the label The Rules), I chose Jennifer Wilde's Love's Tender Fury. When I did my first installment (see "Famous Authors Who Broke the Rules, Part I"), I'd thought Kathleen Woodiwiss' Shanna was the first "bodice ripper" (I can hear the screams of outrage, but well, take a look at the cover) I'd ever read, but now I think it might have been LTF, as it came out the year before.

Before commenting on LTF, let me share something I remember about this book that I've never seen with another romance novel. It was advertised on television ... yes, you read correctly, it had its own television commercial. I can still see it in my mind--a beautiful, lush, red-head standing on an auction block with a dark, tall, and handsome man among the crowd of bidders below. But there are a few things about this book that I didn't remember, which now have my head spinning.

Here, take a look at this excerpt:

I lighted the lamp and took off my dress, hanging it up in the enormous mahogany wardrobe with its heavy door that never shut properly. MY GOD, IT'S WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON! HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT? I removed shoes and stockings and, wearing only a white muslin petticoat, took down my coronet of braids and shook them loose. Hair fell to my shoulders in abundant red-brown waves, coopery high-lights gleaming. Sitting in front of the mirror, I brushed it until it gleamed even more, and then I put the brush down and stared at the woman in the mirror. THIS IS THE 3RD PARAGRAPH INTO WHAT IS A 9 PARAGRAPH, 3 PAGE PIECE OF NARRATIVE ON PAGE 24. IN FACT, FOR SIX PAGES ALL AROUND THIS PIECE, THERE ARE ONLY 5 LINES OF DIALOGUE.

The petticoat was exceedingly low-cut, my breasts more than half revealed. The bodice was form-fitting, the full, flaring skirt adorned with row upon row of white ruffles. In this elegant garment, and with my hair falling about my shoulders in such rich profusion, I looked totally unlike the demure Miss Danver with her severe hair style and drab brown dress. Lord Mallory desired me. He would desire me even more if he could see me like this, I thought, and then I frowned, my blue eyes once again dark with concern. I left the dressing table and moved over to sit in the large, comfortable pink chair in front of the windows.

The sky was ashy gray now, and the world below was etched in gray and black and dim whites. The lamp was low, and shadows spread inside the room multiplying beyond its softly diffused pool of light. I thought about Lord Mallory, and there was a strange ambivalence that hadn’t been there before. I detested him, I told myself, yet I was undeniably attracted to him. JUST FOR THOSE READERS WHO DON'T KNOW, LORD MALLORY IS A MARRIED MAN. I remembered that kiss. I remembered his tall, strong body, his arms crushing me against him, and I remembered the sensations that had exploded inside me like tiny buds blossoming.

Recalling what he had said about my mother, I wondered, did I indeed take after her? I was a virgin, and I had never even contemplated sleeping with a man before. I was respectable and decent, yet, even though I hated him and everything he stood for, I couldn’t deny that I found Robert Mallory physically attractive. REPETITIVE. I knew that I would never willingly submit to him, but if he took me by force would I really be as distraught as I told myself I would be? IS THE HEROINE ACTUALLY SAYING SHE WOULDN'T MIND IF LORD MALLORY RAPED HER?

Could Tom Huff aka Jennifer Wilde sell LTF to a New York publishing house today? It's doubtful, I dare say. Yet, I can't deny LTF is riveting, as much now as it was in 1976. And why is it so riveting? Could it possibly be because Tom Huff broke The Rules in LTF?

By the way, I came across this on Wikipedia regarding Tom Huff: "His historical romances were noted for being written in first-person, from the heroine's perspective. Many of his books also featured multiple male protagonists, and the man who first captures the heroine's heart isn't always the one who ends up with it." These words strike a chord in me, but not with Tom Huff in mind. I can't help but think of Kelly Fitzpatrick, 2009 Golden Heart® finalist for Pleasant Lake, P.D. Kelly wrote PLPD in the first person, and the story has two heroes, the one who first catches the heroine's heart and the one who ends up with it. Wow, Kelly, you are in the good company of Jennifer Wilde.

For the author who introduced me to the world of the "bodice ripper," I have these words:

Requiescat in Pace, Tom

Double Finalist in the 2009 Wallflower Contest!

2009-11-06T07:05:00.018-05:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of the 2009 Wallflower Contest. Both of my entries are finalists. Here are the titles and categories:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Finalist, The Rose Division (prior first place manuscript category)

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Scenes Division: Best Scene Category

And my CP, Marie Robison, has an entry that is a finalist. Here is her title and category:

Wolf Cry ~ Finalist, Genres Division: Paranormal Single Title Category

Thank you to all judges.

Congratulations to all finalists!

My Mentor, Janice Lynn, Has a New Story

2009-11-03T07:34:00.007-05:00

My mentor—the beautiful, talented, and generous Janice Lynn—has a new story entitled The Nurse's Miracle Baby. It is included in this Mills & Boon anthology with stories by two other known authors and an introduction by none other than the great Penny Jordan. Recently, Janice wrote: "There are 3 stories in the book and an introduction from the fabulous Penny Jordan--yes, THE PENNY JORDAN, and yes, I get a little light-headed every time I see that cover with her name and my name. WOW. Totally a pinch worthy moment. She's so fabulous!"

I had the pleasure to cross paths with Penny Jordan (only in the most distant way, mind you) when I belonged to the Romantic Novelists' Association. I got light-headed every time I saw an e-mail from her arrive in my in-box, not as an aspiring romance author, but as one of her long-time readers. What a special delight it is for me now to see my mentor's name on the same book cover with Penny Jordan's name!

You can order this book at Amazon.

It Was The Greatest Experience Of My Life

2009-10-25T17:14:00.013-04:00

I have always thought that a person's childhood memory is like an attic—a shadowy place full of mysterious shapes, but when light suddenly casts away the shadows, a magical place of long-forgotten treasures. In my attic, most of those treasures revolve around my alma mater, the Academy of St. Joseph.

I haven't been to the Academy for more than 25 years, as I left Long Island for college, then law school, then legal practice, all of which took me to different cities, none of them near the Academy. But the place is with me always, and during the past few months, has haunted me during my sleeping and waking hours. Lately, I have had a desperate yearning to go back, but as I still don't live nearby, I can visit only by looking at old photos. Come with me on a brief tour.

This is St. Joseph's Hall, the main building that houses the high school. As you can see from the arial photo above, there are several more attached buildings of the same style and vintage (though the photo doesn't capture the outbuildings, such as the novitiate and nursing home). The complex of attached buildings house the high school, middle school, lower school, chapel, and convent (known as the "Motherhouse"). Among other things, the Academy has a library, auditorium, drawing room, ice rink, hockey field, soccer fields, four basketball courts, eight tennis courts, stables, home economics cottage, dozens of classrooms, hundreds of boarding rooms, and a number of music halls.

But there is so much more to the Academy. It sits on over 200 of the most beautiful acres of land with narrow roads, tall pine trees, and eye-catching vistas. Unfortunately, in the arial photo above, you can't see some of my favorite places—not the stables off to the left, or the apple orchards off to the right, or the cemetary behind the camera. But the photo just above captures a little bit of the natural wonder that surrounded me everyday. Oh, how I loved to walk down the rows in the apple orchards surrounded by all those ancient and gnarled apples trees while eating one of the sour green apples!

Now let's walk through the front door of St. Joseph's Hall.

This is the grand foyer. The only students permitted on this grand staircase (known as the "Seniors' Stairs") were seniors in the high school. Seniors would sit on this staircase between classes...chatting (usually about the male—a foreign and unfamiliar beast worthy of close study) and reading (yes, we were bluestockings, which was quite at odds with our intense interest in the opposite sex). Any non-senior caught on the Seniors' Stairs had to clean it with a toothbrush. No, I never had to do it as an underclasswoman, but yes, I did see a student do it once or twice. In retrospect, whenever I walked through the front door, I think I knew I had walked into a different world—a world that had changed me forever.

Let's enter the drawing room through a set of double doors off the grand foyer.

I have many wonderful memories of this room, one of which I'll share with you today. In this room, actor Brian Dennehy gave several of us an impromptu performance from Hamlet. His daughter, actress Elizabeth Dennehy, was two years ahead of me, and one of his other daughters, Kathy Dennehy, was in my class. The Academy lent itself to writers and actors, inspiring and encouraging them. Actress Angela Lansbury stood on one of the breathtaking convent balconies during the making of a movie. Looking at these photos, I now realize that, during those days so long ago, I walked in the shadow of ghosts and the glimmer of greats.

Now we'll go out a different set of double doors, take a left turn, walk along a long wide corridor, pass through a hallway of all windows, go up a narrow staircase, turn left, walk along another long wide corridor, pass through another hallway of all windows, and go up a wide staircase to a landing and then up again in the opposite direction. And we've arrived at the auditorium.

I'd always dash up the stairs with such anticipation, and once I burst into the auditorium, I'd take a deep breath before walking slowly down the center aisle past all the huge windows and toward the stained glass one of St. Joseph behind the stage. Here I appeared as an actress in a production of Oliver Twist, and here I directed another one of The Sound of Music. And here I attended my graduation ceremony, taking first place honors for Language Arts. No surprise, I suppose. I think I might still have the medal (as well as the class ring).

Although I loved every part of the Academy, the chapel (known as the "Chapel of the Sacred Heart") drew me with a relentless force. I have no good quality photos to share, and I can't properly describe it to you. It is in the attic—that shadowy place full of mysterious shapes without light to cast away all the shadows and reveal those long-forgotten treasures. I do remember, though, the dark silence whenever I snuck in, and when lit, the breathtaking archways between the center pews and outer aisles, the golden chalices engraved with the names of nuns (part of their dowries, if I remember correctly), and the massive pipe organ that townspeople could hear from miles away. And if I close my eyes, I can see all of us walking down the center aisle wearing long white gowns and carrying white candles at Christmastime.

How can a place have such a hold over one's heart?

I don't know the answer, just that the Academy does...and always will.

Now let me share my sorrow with you—this past June, after more than 150 years of continuous operation, the Academy closed its doors forever, leaving students in shock and alumni in tears.

Months before, when the Sisters of St. Joseph had announced the closing, alumni had turned to the press, including The New York Times, crying that they could have given more, that they would give more, that they couldn't say goodbye. More than 500 hundred alumni went on Facebook to raise money from other alumni, but ultimately, as the sisters' decision was irreversible, only to share their memories...and sorrow. One alumni said, "It was the greatest experience of my life." I knew then that I wasn't the only one who had taken an everlasting memory of the Academy with me when I had walked out those doors for the last time more than 25 years ago...never to walk through them again.

Is there a place that has such a hold over your heart?

P.S. The official motto of the Academy was "Ad Astra Per Adua" (which means "To The Stars Through Adversity"), but the unofficial motto of the Sisters of St. Joseph was "Give us your daughters, and we will find whatever gift God has bestowed upon them." One day, when I was about 13 years old, Sister Karen said to me, "You are a writer." After that, other sisters often placed me at a desk in front of a window with a view of the magnificent front lawn (known as "Our Lady's Lawn") and gave me one hour to write (by longhand, of course) all I could write in one hour's time. That window is the second one to the right of the one over the front door in the photo of St. Joseph's Hall (the second photo above).

Famous Authors Who Broke The Rules, Part I

2009-10-12T13:40:00.087-04:00

Recently, while having some fun (see my post entitled "Beauty and the Beast, Continued"), I dug out my copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss' Shanna. Now, I'd never want to say or even suggest that there is a single flaw to find in Shanna, such is my adoration of Kathleen Woodiwiss' writing. Yet, as I stood in the dim light and then sat on a crate turning the pages, Shanna rendered me speechless because for the first time I saw it through the critical eyes of a contest judge, not the hungry eyes of an adoring reader.

Here, take a look at this passage:

HEROINE'S POV His mouth was upon hers again PASSIVE VOICE, and his tongue was insistent PASSIVE VOICE until she met it with her own, first with hesitancy, then with welcome, then with passion. He was pressing her down PASSIVE VOICE upon the velvet seat.

Her sanity argued, this is madness! Her passion whispered slyly, let him come!

And he came to her, a first sharp piercing pain that made her gasp followed by a warmth deep inside that made her sob with pleasure. UNREALISTIC FOR HER TO SOB WITH PLEASURE AT THIS POINT, ESPECIALLY AS SHE ISN'T IN LOVE WITH RUARK, AND HE'S FORCING HER TO MEET THE TERMS OF THEIR BARGAIN. He began to move, and he was kissing her, PASSIVE VOICE caressing her, loving her --

Suddenly from without, Pitney's shout roared above the pelting rain, and the pace of the carriage changed. Cursing, Ruark raised his head, realizing they were stopping. SWITCH TO HERO'S POV Then he heard another voice answer the hail from Pitney; and he recognized it as that of the third guard, the one who had stayed behind with the prison van.

"Ahhh, damn!" Ruark groaned in frustrated agony. "Damn you deceiving little bitch!" He snatched from her roughly "SNATCHED FROM?" and flung her away. "I knew you couldn't hold to our bargain!"

With much urgency Ruark began to secure his garments, his teeth showing in a savage snarl as he cursed her viciously. Shanna cowered in the center, her hands clutched over her head as he vented his wrath in searing words. TELL, NOT SHOW In the dim light his sneering eyes raked her cruelly, marking her pale, quivering breasts and the soft lovely thighs still naked to her gaze. POV ISSUE. IF IN HERO'S POV, HE DESCRIBES HIS OWN SHOWING TEETH AND SNEERING EYES. YET, IF IN HEROINE'S POV, SHE DESCRIBES HER PALE, QUIVERING BREASTS AND SOFT LOVELY THIGHS. SO, PERHAPS IT'S OMNISCIENT POV.

"Cover yourself," he groaned out derisively. And then more harshly, "Or do you wish the guards to take my place?"

Shanna snatched REPETITIVE USE OF "SNATCHED" the cloak tightly about her as if to shield herself from his ridiculing jeer and penetrating glare. A second later the door was jerked open, PASSIVE VOICE and the wide muzzle of Pitney's oversized pistol gasped IMPROPER VERB CHOICE its raw threat at Ruark's chest.

"Out!"

Everything in Ruark rebelled. He had been pushed, shoved, beaten, prodded, goaded, tempted, and finally betrayed at a most degrading moment. PASSIVE VOICE A ragged growl tore from his throat, and before anyone could react, he kicked the gun aside and launched himself, feet first, against Pitney's chest. The force of his attack sent them both sprawling to the mud. Cries of alarm sprang from the guards.

"Catch the bloke! Hicks'll 'ave our 'eads rolling!"

Shanna cringed as they fell upon him. SWITCH TO HEROINE'S POV Muffled oaths and grunts of pain detailed their battle. The guards were bulky, large, and heavily muscled; Hicks had chosen them for strength to see the prisoner back to his cell. Each outweighed Ruark by at least two stone, and Pitney was larger than any of them, but Ruark displayed an extensive knowledge of brawling. He fought like a man possessed.

It was several moments before they could subdue him, and even then he was only slightly more battered than his captors, two of whom held him secure now on his knees in the mud with both arms outspread, while the third hurried to fix the manacles to his wrists.

Pitney stood nearby, trying to scrape some of the mucky soil from his cloak. He massaged his shoulder as if it pained him and flexed his arm. Glancing up, he paused as he saw Shanna's face illuminated in the lantern's glow, SWITCH TO PITNEY'S POV and following his gaze, the guards also halted their labors ...

So, Kathleen Woodiwiss broke The Rules (see my prior posts with the label The Rules), and yet, an editor bought her manuscript, a publisher published her book, and millions of readers (including me) put Shanna on their keeper shelves. It makes me wonder whether the advent of the internet and RWA chapter contests hasn't impeded the raw creativity of aspiring authors. In other words, what would the late and great Kathleen Woodiwiss say if we said, "Oh, no, you can't switch POV during a scene."

By the way, I attended a private young ladies' academy in New York during elementary and high school. It was a most wondrous place with 19th century buildings, sprawling lawns, apple orchards, and stables, all enclosed by a six-foot stucco wall interspersed with black wrought-iron gates. All that I am, all that I can be, I owe to the Academy. Anyway, one spring, under a big oak tree near the stables, I read Kathleen Woodiwiss' Ashes in the Wind to my best friends ... and we discovered exactly what boys wanted from girls.

So, in memory of those days, I'd like to say:

Requiescat In Pace, Kathleen

If you are an author, do you follow The Rules?

Excerpt from Shanna © 1977 Kathleen Woodiwiss. All other content © 2009 Madeline Smyth.

Beauty Loves the Beast (Continued)

2009-09-09T19:01:00.009-04:00

On June 1, 2009, I did a post entitled "Beauty Loves the Beast." Here's an excerpt:

Why does Beauty love the Beast? It's a mystery.

Today, I went to the local zoo, and as always, I found this:

"They've just got to have it," my mother often told me during my teenage years, as if to justify the male's sexual desires and freedoms. Well, contrary to her belief, they apparently don't "got to have it." Today, once again, Mr. Silverback, Mr. Mane, and Mr. Spots slept away soundly, while eager females circled them in their habitats.

After two years at our zoo, Mr. Silverback has yet to impregnate any of the four females in his harem. In fact, he will let only one of them even come within arm's reach of him. And Mr. Mane has two females in his harem. To his fortune, the vets put down an older male not long ago. Yet, Mr. Mane sleeps on. For God's sake, I don't visit the zoo with a desire to smell dung, but with a hope to see diddling!

I did notice that one female resident was in luck. Mr. Peacock, who'd been walking around the zoo (as he is often wont to do), saw a female of interest. Suddenly, his feathers lifted and burst into a magnificent fan of blues and greens, catching not only the attention of the object of his desire, but also that of every passing female. What a show of male beauty! I must admit it was more impressive than the puff up of any man's lap taffy.

It seems to me that if Mr. Silverback were to pound his chest, or Mr. Mane to let out a kingly roar, or Mr. Spots to leap from his boulder in a single bound, all nearby females would turn in interest. All past wrongs would be forgotten. All desires would be stirred. And perhaps all yearnings would be fulfilled. Sadly, though, I suspect this is unlikely. No doubt these males will sleep on, awakening only when the time comes for them to exert their domination and continue their line.

So, why does Beauty love the Beast? Is it because he denies her, making her yearn for him all the more? Is it because when he desires her, he shows his interest so impressively and unequivocally? Is it because he can fulfill her with his desire, making her forgive him for all those endless hours of denial? Perhaps so. Perhaps not. It's a mystery, even as it's a certainty.

In response, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Golden Heart® finalist (for her wonderful Pleasant Lake, P.D., which I had the pleasure and honor to judge in a local RWA chapter contest), and author of Lily in Wonderland (coming soon from Cerridwen Press), left this comment:

"Lap taffy. Now that’s funny. I kid you not, if my hubby could get a Lazy Boy recliner with a built in toilet and a fri[d]ge for his Coke, he’d be set."

Kelly is one of the few people in this world who can make me laugh. Wanting to return the favor, I left a reply comment. Since then, writing friends have challenged me to repeat my comment, but prove I am brave enough to do so in a public post rather than an embedded comment. Now, I would think they'd know I never fail to meet a challenge, but apparently not.

So, for them, for you, and even for dear mom, here it is (with a few revisions, as I can never resist my love for revision):

Beauty Loves the Beast, a Reprise

The scent of burning wood filled the house, as rain pelted the windows on a late autumn day. Kelly walked down the hallway, glancing into each passing room, searching for her lover. She wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with him for the afternoon, and let him make wild love to her with his romantic words and bold caresses.

"Score!" he shouted.

She paused in the doorway. "Have you seen my book ... Shanna ... the one with the orange cover?"

He leaned forward in his chair, his gaze glued to the television screen. "Uh?"

She sighed. "Never mind."

His fist shot into the air. "Yeah!"

Spotting the book on the rug near the hearth, she crossed the family room and bent over to pick it up. A rainy Sunday afternoon with Kathleen Woodiwiss' sexiest hero was just the thing she needed to fulfill those yearnings and ease those frustrations. Oh yes, Ruark Beauchamp didn't spend his Sunday afternoons watching football, or any of the other balls. No, he tamed high-spirited wenches, sailed tall ships, and battled Caribbean pirates.

The hair on the back of her neck twitched, as if sensing instinctively that someone was watching her. She dismissed the thought that her chair potato might have glanced her way. His gaze never strayed from the television screen on Sunday afternoons. For years, watching men play with their balls had held more appeal to him than letting her play with his. He was no Ruark Beauchamp.

She grabbed the book. "Let's spend the afternoon making wild love, my rogue."

"Mmmm." His voice drifted across the room.

Still bending over, she glanced at him from between her spread legs. Good God, was he ogling her ass? No, he must be looking at something else. But laser beams burned through her jeans, no doubt seeing her ass in all its glory. Was it still as succulent as a peach, as he had once said, or from bearing the fruit of his seed, had it not become as wide as the Grand Canyon? He shifted in his seat, as if ...

Could he actually want ...? A bolt of something hot and sizzling hit her, shooting through her body in all directions before settling between her thighs. Could it be that long forgotten thing called sexual anticipation? It had been so long she couldn't be certain. But she bent lower, lifting her ass higher in the air, and shifted from one hip to the other, wanting to see if she could entice him.

He bounded from his chair. Good God, but he could separate himself from it on a Sunday afternoon for something other than to use the bathroom or grab another Coke! His fingers went to the button on his jeans, those old and tattered jeans that hugged his love package and tight ass so snugly. Down went the zip and out came the lap taffy. Before she could straighten and back away with a mixture of delight and shock, he pounced on her. His hands slid over her hips and around. Down went her zip and more.

He moaned. "Such a juicy peach!"

No, it was more the Grand Canyon, but if he thought otherwise, she certainly didn't intend to disabuse him.

He gripped her hips. "You're one hell of a woman, Kelly mine."

His words filled her heart and made her flower blossom. In that moment, all wrongs slipped away into the past, and all desires stirred into an inferno. His denial week after week had made her yearn for him all the more, and his desire now on this rainy Sunday afternoon made her forget all those endless hours of denial.

She dropped the book. "Yours ... only yours ... always yours."

He pressed forward, filling her with the sweetness of his lap taffy. He was no Ruark Beauchamp. No, he was more, so much more. He was her husband, lover, best friend, and the father of the fruit of her womb. Her love for him was a mystery, but a certainty, for he was, and always would be, her everything.

She pressed back against him, bringing him deeper. "Slow and gentle, and then fast and hard, if you will, my rogue."

"Only and always, wench."

...

So, there, dear writing friends, is my comment in a public post.

Now, as I'm always one not only to meet a challenge, but also to vanquish my challengers, I offer you this tasty tidbit for further consumption:

...

He moved slowly and gently, teasing her. "Is this what you want?"

She sighed. "Oh, yes."

For a time, she needed no more, but having been denied for so long, she soon couldn't deny she needed all and some. She pushed back against him, inviting him to take all he wanted and more. He picked up the pace, but then slowed, and after a moment, picked up the pace again, but then slowed. What was this—some kind of new male torture of the needy female?

She twisted around, willing to beg if need be ... that is, until she saw his face turned toward the television. Her gaze followed his. The quarterback threw the ball, and her rogue slowed, but then a wide receiver plucked it from the air and took off down the field, and her rogue picked up speed. Good God, he moved to the action on the field!

All wrongs reared their ugly heads, and all desires burned to ashes. His denial week after week might have made her yearn for him all the more, but his lack of desire for her and only her on this rainy Sunday afternoon made her remember all those endless hours of denial. Her flower shriveled up. She jerked away. Out went his lap taffy and up went her jeans.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She spun around. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong." She bent and swiped Shanna from the rug, but couldn't resist a quick yearning glance on the way up. "I'd rather spend my Sunday afternoon with a pirate who wants to tame his high spirited wench than a chair potato who prefers to watch men play with their balls!"

His brow furrowed. "What?"

The male was such a clueless beast, needing it all laid out for him. But she was one furious pussy who knew that, though words were the weapon of every woman's soul and balm of every woman's heart, in that moment there were no words that could stir his savage breast or soothe her ruffled fur. Desire for another beast was a female's only option when confronted with male rejection.

She waved the book in the air. "I'm going to bed with Ruark Beauchamp."

He had the utter gall to glance at the television. She flounced out of the room, hoping against hope he'd follow, but knowing with all certainty he wouldn't. No, he couldn't pull himself away from the television on a Sunday afternoon, not even to rut—man's God-given fail proof pleasure of all pleasures. God should've given this gift to women, who certainly would've known what to do with it, but he hadn't, probably in punishment for women's foibles. Damn Lilith for having denied Adam.

"Get rid of it!" he shouted.

Get rid of it! Her mouth formed into a grim line. Those men and their balls, every one of them—baseball, football, basketball, et cetera. Yeah, get rid of it. He'd be lucky if she didn't get rid of him.

"Go ... go ... go ... yeah!" His roar followed her down the hallway. "Touchdown!"

Touchdown! It had better satisfy him during the long damp night to come, for her flower was one field he wouldn't run, and his balls were one touchdown she wouldn't make.

The sound of bare feet striking oak floorboards made her glance absently over her shoulder. He strode down the hallway toward her, passing the doorway to the kitchen ... and the bathroom. She paused and turned. Where was he going if not to grab a Coke or use the bathroom? She heard the game in play. No Tivo button for him to hit, as the machine had gone on the blink during the first half. Wow, he'd pulled himself away from the family room other than during a commercial break!

He settled those laser beams upon the juncture of her thighs with serious male intent. Could he want ...? No, it was only wishful thinking, not possible reality. He picked up speed, closing the distance between them. Dear God! She stumbled back a step, suddenly uncertain in the face of a beastly male bent upon the pursuit of his God-given pleasure. Bending down, he lifted her over his shoulder, and straightening, carried her off toward the bedroom.

She hung upside down, her juicy peach higher in the air than it had ever been, her gaze dropping down over the back of him. Oh yes, those old and tattered jeans did marvelous things for his tight ass. He strode into the bedroom and across to the four-poster—that bed she'd bought at an estate sale with him in mind, that bed which fairly begged for the love play of a male from another century. Her favorite fantasy of silk corset, heaving bosom, tossed up petticoats, and unbuttoned breeches tumbled through her mind.

"So, you've got another lover, have you?" he accused.

"One who'd want me to play with his balls, not watch other men play with theirs," she shot back.

He laughed as he dumped her onto the bed none too gently. She rolled away, intent upon denying him as he'd denied her, but he came over her, pinning her face-down to the bed. Never had he been so rough ... wickedly so. His knee slipped boldly between her thighs, but his hands feathered along her arms. Never had he been so gentle ... delightfully so. It was nothing less than torture.

"Give it to me," he demanded.

Oh, yes! She turned her cheek into the brush of his mouth, and lifted her peach into the bulge of his love package. But he made no move to take her. Instead, he swept Shanna out of her hand. In his strong masculine hand, the book fell open to the first love scene, for she'd read it hundreds of times over the course of almost three decades, most recently in the four-poster, imagining her chair potato rolling her around with the masterful expertise of Ruark Beauchamp.

"What are you doing?" she stammered.

"Why, I've come to tame my high-spirited wench, of course." He skimmed the pages, seeing into her secret world. "Aye, Shanna, my love, the bargain is fulfilled. But what, then, of the vows we exchanged?"

She rolled over beneath him and tore the book from his hands. "Go away, Jack."

He grinned wickedly. "No."

She turned her face away, refusing to look at him. But she felt his heat, smelled his scent, and tasted his desire. She fought, but couldn't resist. His thighs pressed against hers; his love package fit snugly into the cradle of her hips; his wild Irish hair fell about her face. He brushed his lips against her cheek, trailing a path from her mouth to her ear. It was dirty pool ... no, something more treacherous.

"I'm one lusty pirate in dire need of some booty, and you're one high-spirited wench in desperate need of some taming." His breath tickled her lips. "Ah, Kelly mine, the marriage vows are fulfilled. But what, then, of the bargain?"

Her eyebrows narrowed. "What bargain?"

He gave her a chiding look. "Didn't you offer to play with my balls if I didn't watch other men play with theirs?"

Before she could think of a decent comeback, he touched his mouth to hers. His warm tongue glided along her lips, and parting them, slipped between and into her mouth, plundering and conquering. It was a kiss of sweet savagery, a kiss worthy of Ruark Beauchamp. And in a bed that hadn't seen the likes of such mastery for perhaps as long as a century. Wow! How could she deny the undeniable? How could she resist the irresistible? And he knew, of course, damn him.

His hand slipped between them. Down went his zip and out came his lap taffy once again. But this time, down went her jeans and out came her flower in full blossom. He thrust forward, impaling her, taking her with none of the hesitation of a man of his own century, but with all of the confidence of a man of days long gone. Oh my, but never had his taffy stretched so long and wide, nor her flower blossomed so fully and sweetly.

"Now, where were we, wench?" he asked.

She feathered her fingers over his tight ass, angling inward. "Sailing calm seas in search of a raging storm, my rogue."

He slipped his hands beneath her, and while gripping her juicy peach, let unfurl all his sails, taking her into the eye of the perfect storm. Beyond their four-poster berth, some men played with their balls, and others shouted as they watched. But in that moment, her rogue sailed his tall ship and tamed his high-spirited wench ... while she played with his balls.

Kelly Fitzpatrick Comment © 2009 Kelly Fitzpatrick. Photo of Tall Ship Courtesy of PDPhoto.org. All Other Content © 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Do Writing Contests Crush Your Spirit or Encourage Your Creativity?

2009-08-28T08:53:00.050-04:00

Do you hesitate before opening those returned non-finalist contest entries? Have you ever stared at your computer screen in shock at the nasty things some contest judges say (the ones who never put their name on the score sheet, of course)? Do you get excited when you find that one golden nugget among contest comments (usually from a published or soon-to-be published author) that sends you not only back to the manuscript with an idea for revision, but on to another contest with the hope for a better result?

We have all been there, sad to say. And we all have the battle scars to show for it. But I have something to share with you that came out of the 2009 Golden Gateway Contest, something I hope will give you hope, even if just a glimmer. Sometimes, you find yourself orbiting the right planet, or perhaps it's that the judges happen to be orbiting your planet. And when this happens, you feel as if your world is perfectly balanced, as if it's rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun just as it should be.

I entered three entries into the 2009 GG Contest—Aliya Arabesque, Deus ex Nosferatu, and The Loving of Lord Loxley. Aliya Arabesque had won the 2008 Wallflower Contest (a contest in which published and unpublished authors had competed against one another), but that contest had been a 25 page contest. The 2009 GG Contest permitted up to 55 pages for novels, and up to 45 pages for novellas. So, for Aliya Arabesque, it would be a test of the next 30 pages, and for Deus ex Nosferatu and The Loving of Lord Loxley, it would be their first appearance in any contest.

I had no expectations whatsoever. Contests are contests. I've said it before (see my April 3, 2009 post entitled "Can You Hear Your Voice?"), and I'll say it again. "When you lose a contest or receive a rejection, don't take it to heart. It mightn't be as complicated as the possibility that you don't have voice. It might be as simple as the fact that you didn't have the luck of the judicial or editorial draw." So, when I heard that all three of my entries were finalists, I realized I'd had the luck of the judicial draw for each of them. In sum, I'd drawn judges who'd heard my voice.

But the experience of having judges hear your voice isn't only about them telling you what makes your writing good. It's also about you listening to them tell you what could make it better. Yes, even when you have entries that final, you should grab hold of any and all golden nuggets in the comments. As I've said before (see my May 30, 2009 post entitled "Revisions, Revisions, Revisions"), I believe my words aren't written in stone, but are as fluid as an ocean.

In the 2009 GG Contest, the judges not only gave encouraging compliments, but also made excellent criticisms. I considered each criticism and made revisions before submitting the entries for the final round. No matter what happens in the final round, I'll come away with manuscripts that are better post-contest than pre-contest. So, for hearing my voice in this contest and giving me several precious golden nuggets, I sincerely thank the judges.

Have you gotten back contest comments that crushed your spirit or encouraged your creativity? If the former, I am here to tell you that contests aren't always a negative experience, but sometimes can be a very positive one. Yes, it's actually true—contest judges can encourage your creativity. With the 2009 GG Contest judges' words of encouragement in my mind, I'm off to write, write, write, leaving you with my words of encouragement: If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.

Keep Writing!

All Text © 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Triple Finalist in the 2009 Golden Gateway Contest!

2009-08-14T18:17:00.022-04:00

The results are in for the preliminary round of 2009 Golden Gateway Contest. All three of my entries are finalists. Here are the titles and categories:

Aliya Arabesque ~ Finalist, Single Title Category

Deus ex Nosferatu ~ Finalist, Romantic Novella Category

The Loving of Lord Loxley ~ Finalist, Romantic Novella Category

Thank you to all judges.

Congratulations to all finalists!

And last, but not least, I've a special word for the non-finalist entrants (especially those who have never finaled in a contest): Don't despair, but just keep writing, as this moment will pass and your moment will come.

Author of Near Perfection Revealed!

2009-08-02T10:56:00.038-04:00

Who is the author of Near Perfection?

Do you remember my posts about Near Perfection—that outstanding entry I judged in the 2009 Winter Rose Contest? If not, let me remind you. I first encountered Near Perfection in the 2009 Winter Rose Contest. I'm a tough judge because I was an English major, but a fair one because I am a lawyer. I always explain my reasoning for a low score and suggest possible revisions for a higher score in the future; I never let a score in one section influence a score in another; I always put my name on the score sheet because I never say anything to anyone that I'm not willing to stand behind. I gave Near Perfection an almost perfect score.

To my delight, Near Perfection became a finalist in the 2009 Golden Heart® Contest (see my prior post entitled "Hook, Line, and Sinker"). But then, to my shock, a month or so later, it didn't final in the 2009 Winter Rose Contest (see my prior post entitled "Contest Woes"). Well, now, to my disappointment, but not to my surprise, it didn't win the 2009 Golden Heart®. I say "not to my surprise" only because, with each passing day, I come to realize more firmly that there is little room in the romance world for truly unique voices.

When I first saw Near Perfection on my screen, I will confess I reared back with the thought: "What is this?" But I'd made certain pledges to the 2009 Winter Rose Contest entrants (see my prior post entitled "A Promise to Contest Entrants"). So, I took another look, and within a page or two, I couldn't pull away. After my second or third burst of laughter, DH asked, "What's so amusing?" He knows it takes a lot to amuse me. I read him a couple of my favorite lines. DH, who can be quite perspicacious, said, "She'll either go nowhere or everywhere. That's what happens with true talent." He should know, as he's not only a graduate of Columbia, but Eastman School of Music.

Well, I'm delighted to tell you that the author of Near Perfection has taken the first step on her journey to somewhere, and hopefully, everywhere. And I'm honored to have been one of the authors who recognized and appreciated her talent in her pre-publication days. So, what is the true title, and who is the secret author, of Near Perfection?

The title of Near Perfection is Pleasant Lake, P.D. and the author of Pleasant Lake, P.D. is none other than 2009 Golden Heart® finalist Kelly Fitzpatrick.

And here is Kelly's first step on that journey:

Welcome to Wonderland! Population in the four digits. Folks in Wonderland primarily die of old age or hunting accidents, but all that's about to change because Lily Tucker has come to town.

Lily in Wonderland ~ coming soon from Cerridwen Press

CONGRATULATIONS TO KELLY FITZPATRICK!

Question Mark Photo © 2005 Leo Reynolds. Licensed under Creative Commons. Kelly Fitzpatrick Photo and Lily in Wonderland Cover and Blurb © 2009 Kelly Fitzpatrick. All Other Material © 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Release of Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge

2009-08-01T09:00:00.019-04:00

Today, Lynn Raye Harris' Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge from Harlequin Presents hits the stands. Do you remember the HP Instant Seduction Contest? That's where we saw the first chapter and synopsis. After HP announced that Lynn was the winner, Lynn did a post on the I (Heart) Presents website, drawing many aspiring authors into her new and exciting world. Now, those authors can be there with her at the end of that journey.

Congratulations, Lynn, on your first release!

Welcome to My Followers and Lurkers

2009-07-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

WELCOME TO MY FOLLOWERS AND LURKERS

You follow or lurk. Yes, that means YOU. I see you stop by my blogspot, but I'd like to hear your voice. So, come on Australia, Brazil, England, Germany, and Italy. Come on Mountain View, CA, Washington, DC, Buffalo, NY, Houston, TX, and Seattle, WA. Leave a comment, or at the very least say hello. I'll be watching and waiting for you to emerge from the shadows.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Writing and the Law, Part II: Untenable Plots

2009-07-16T13:50:00.071-04:00

In a prior post entitled "Romance Writing and Law, Part I," I wrote about the inherent dangers of romance authors creating plots involving legal concepts without the consultation of an attorney. Today, I'd like to give a few examples of often used, but legally problematic, plots. Before doing this, I want you to understand I appreciate that authors have used these plots, editors have bought these stories, and publishers have printed and sold these books for years (and will continue to do so). However, this doesn't make the plots legally viable.

Here they are (in the order in which I've seen them most often appear):

1. The "Hero and Heroine Must Marry to Inherit under a Will" Plot. The heroine and hero must marry under the terms of a will in order to inherit. Under the laws of most states in the U.S., a condition is unenforceable if it encourages disruption of a family relationship, discourages formation or resumption of such a relationship, or seriously interferes with a beneficiary's freedom to obtain a divorce or exercise his or her freedom to marry. So, it is highly unlikely that a court would enforce a will provision requiring the heroine to marry the hero, and vice versa, in order to receive a bequest or devise under a will.

2. The "Hero Wrests Control of the Family-Owned Company from the Heroine" Plot. The hero wrests control of an American privately-held (often a family-owned) company from the heroine by getting one or more stockholders to sell his or her shares. But privately-held companies and all its stockholders are often parties to a stockholders' agreement that restricts the stockholders from transferring their stock. The purpose of a stockholders' agreement is to prevent an outsider from becoming a stockholder.

3. The "Hero Pulls Off a Secret Take-Over of a Publicly-Traded Company" Plot. The hero takes over a publicly-traded company by swooping in and buying up a controlling interest on the New York Stock Exchange, thereby wresting control from the heroine. I don't know where to start with this one. Suffice it to say that take-overs (usually by one company of another) are strictly regulated, highly publicized, and often bitterly opposed affairs.

4. The "Hero's Sperm is a Misfired Bullet" Plot. The hero stores his sperm at a sperm bank, and the facility mistakenly uses it to impregnate the heroine. I saw this last in a story set in New York in which the hero was an unmarried Arab concerned about his line of succession. The most common method for a man to provide his sperm at a sperm bank is masturbation, but masturbation is forbidden under Islam. Should I bother to go on and point out that a wealthy and powerful Arab would most likely not be a bachelor, but have a wife (if not four wives) ready, willing, and eager to give him a child? So, even if a plot set in the United States doesn't violate applicable federal and state laws, it might well run afoul of the laws or culture of the land of the hero or heroine, making it less likely for that hero or heroine to engage in the behavior required by the plot.

5. The "Heroine Acts as a Gestational Surrogate Carrier" Plot. The unmarried and motherless heroine carries a baby for another couple, sometimes with the hero being the genetic and biological father, and the genetic mother having been killed off in one way or another. Some states, such as Texas, have a gestational surrogacy statute. Among a few of the specific requirements, the gestational surrogate carrier must have already had a child to qualify as a carrier, the couple and surrogate must enter into a court-approved agreement prior to the creation of the child at issue, and upon the birth of that child, the genetic mother is automatically listed as the mother on the birth certificate.

Most romance authors can't resist creating plots involving the corporate, trusts & estates, and family law areas, perhaps because they provide a juicy way of forcing a hero and heroine together either as partners in business or marriage. I do think there are ways of using these areas of law to create viable and exciting plots, but authors shouldn't attempt to do so without consultation with an attorney. Yes, romance writing is about creating a fantasy, but it shouldn't be about committing the fantastical.

Writing Historical

2009-07-10T07:09:00.005-04:00

I write historical as well as contemporary novels and novellas. By far, my favorite historical period is Victorian England. In fact, I've written two historical novellas, both of which are set in Victorian England, though during different decades. For the former story, I read the London newspapers of the day, and for the latter story, I checked dozens of words in an etymology dictionary. When writing historical, I take great care with the facts because I appreciate that I risk losing readers at the first sentence with a historical inaccuracy. Readers of historical romance love not only the battle between a hero and heroine, but the world building of another time and place.

Over the years, I've picked up historical information from history courses taken at university and from reference books found in libraries and on my own reference shelf. Also, I should give credit to DH, who was a History major at Columbia College, for his generosity in sharing his knowledge. As to daily life in 19th century England, I've learned quite a bit from novels written during that period, read mostly during my days as an English major at university. Sometimes, though, when I'm writing, I encounter a fact that makes me pause. Whenever this happens, I stop writing and head to the library, even if it means hoofing it over rather than pressing a few buttons.

For any historical romance writer who has had to do this, you know that some questions don't lend themselves to quick answers. These questions usually don't have to do with the facts of wars, politics, and so on, which historians have documented so well, but with the facts of daily life. For example, in 19th century England, at what time of the day did one make morning calls (which, by the way, did not occur during the morning)? What were the rules of whist? When it came to houses with names, what was the difference between a court, grange, hall, house, manor, and park? Which was worth more--a guinea, sovereign, crown, shilling, or farthing? And my personal favorite: How did one address the younger sons of a duke, marquess, and earl?

I had heard of the book entitled What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool. This book has been around for a while, since 1993 actually. Yet, I must confess I read it only a few months ago. What a pleasant surprise! It's not only easy and enjoyable to read, but also full of obscure information for the historical romance writer, including answers to all the above questions and many more. And if nothing else, it makes a lasting impression as to one very important point: Take great care with historical facts. So, if you write stories with a setting of Victorian England, consider adding this wonderful book to your reference shelf, as I've done.

Happy Writing Historical!

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Sailing Against the Wind

2009-07-01T08:45:00.004-04:00

"To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

When I graduated from high school more than a quarter of a century ago, I had to choose a quote for the yearbook that defined "ME." Most of my friends chose quotes from lyrics by the great musical bands of the day, but I chose the above quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, though none of my friends had ever heard of him. I hadn't thought about it in years ... that is, not until today, and only because of something my critique partner wrote me. As my followers and lurkers know, my friend's son-in-law is struggling to come out of a coma, but now let me share that my critique partner's brother-in-law is fighting to survive cancer.

These days, tragedy surrounds my critique partner and me, and yet we take care of hearth and home, we work in our professions, and we write from our hearts and for our souls. Oh yes, we write, perhaps now more than ever. A couple of months ago, we committed to plotting a new novel by the end of summer. Now, though, perhaps we write not only to fulfill our commitment, but also to create a fantasy to escape our reality. My critique partner and I are much alike in this way: We sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it, but we sail, not drift, nor lie at anchor.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Vigil for a Victim

2009-06-20T17:30:00.012-04:00

A whisper from my soul to his:

You stand upon a threshold, wanting to step into the light beyond you, being held only by a call from the darkness behind you. Hear now the plea of my words and turn back. The light is that of God's hand, not beckoning you to Heaven, but sending you back to Earth. Your wife, your children, your loved ones need you. Let go of God and come back to them. See now the light of my candle and follow it through the darkness.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Where is Madeline Today?

2009-06-11T16:18:00.087-04:00

Eleven days ago, a friend’s son-in-law was struck by a car, sustaining life-threatening injuries. He is not only a dear son-in-law, but also a beloved husband, the father of a young child, and the father of twins due in a few months. He remains in a coma on full life support with injuries too tragic to detail and with his beloved wife and family at his bedside. Every moment of every day for the past eleven days, I have had this thought: He must survive and endure for his wife, for his children, for his loved ones, for himself.

These past eleven days, I have been reminded also of another tragedy, one that I do not think of often, but one that is with me always. Once, long ago, in another life, I was in an horrific train accident. Trapped, I looked death in the face, and although I saw a white light just ahead beckoning me into eternity, I came back through a tunnel of darkness to my loved ones. During the first year or two following the accident, among other things, I had to learn how to walk with a damaged ankle. But my greatest challenge was to overcome my loss of belief in God...and myself.

In the darkest moment, and in the loneliest of places, I had to look deep within my soul. I had only two choices—to yield in defeat or fight for victory. I chose to fight. From that moment forth, I pushed the boundaries of my limitations. I defied the predictions of my doctors. I refused to succumb to the realities of my loss. In the end, I had only one challenge to meet, one fear to conquer, one monster to defeat. It was not enough to walk. I needed to be what I had been before the accident, or at least as close to it as I could be.

Confronting my greatest fear, I stood on the top of a mountain. If I could ski again, something I had once done as well as I could walk, I knew I would have then conquered my injuries, both to body and soul. I sent DH on ahead, needing to be alone to do the one thing only I could do. When I pushed off and started my descent, I took the greatest leap of faith in my life. Within moments, I felt my weak ankle buckling under the onslaught of the vibration and the ski jumping almost uncontrollably. The urge to succumb raged. I thought, “It’s going to fly apart.”

I could have shifted my weight and skied the rest of the way on one ski, but I didn't. I dared, “Fly apart, then.” I pushed those boundaries. I defied those predictions. I refused to yield. In that moment, I rose like a phoenix from the ashes of tragedy and loss. And today, because of that single moment in my life now so long ago, I believe I can do anything and everything...except keep this young man on Earth if God intends to take him to Heaven. But I hold onto this thought: Where there is life, there is hope. Where there is love, there is strength. Where there is faith, there is miracle.

So, where am I today?

I am standing on the top of that mountain once again, looking out toward the Heavens, calling down to this young man, beckoning him to defy his fate and demand another destiny. Oh yes, he must survive and endure for his wife, for his children, for his loved ones, for himself. And when he reaches the top of the mountain, a place where only survivors of tragedy have stood, I want to leap with him into the abyss because I want to watch him rise like a phoenix from the ashes, as I once did.

Are you a survivor of tragedy? If so, hold onto hope for his family that he will come back to them, lend him your strength to climb our mountain, and when he reaches the top, come with us and take that leap of faith once again.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Beauty Loves the Beast

2009-06-01T20:34:00.005-04:00

Why does Beauty love the Beast? It's a mystery.

Today, I went to the local zoo, and as always, I found this:

"They've just got to have it," my mother often told me during my teenage years, as if to justify the male's sexual desires and freedoms. Well, contrary to her belief, they apparently don't "got to have it." Today, once again, Mr. Silverback, Mr. Mane, and Mr. Spots slept away soundly, while eager females circled them in their habitats.

After two years at our zoo, Mr. Silverback has yet to impregnate any of the four females in his harem. In fact, he will let only one of them even come within arm's reach of him. And Mr. Mane has two females in his harem. To his fortune, the vets put down an older male not long ago. Yet, Mr. Mane sleeps on. For God's sake, I don't visit the zoo with a desire to smell dung, but with a hope to see diddling!

I did notice that one female resident was in luck. Mr. Peacock, who'd been walking around the zoo (as he is often wont to do), saw a female of interest. Suddenly, his feathers lifted and burst into a magnificent fan of blues and greens, catching not only the attention of the object of his desire, but also that of every passing female. What a show of male beauty! I must admit it was more impressive than the puff up of any man's lap taffy.

It seems to me that if Mr. Silverback were to pound his chest, or Mr. Mane to let out a kingly roar, or Mr. Spots to leap from his boulder in a single bound, all nearby females would turn in interest. All past wrongs would be forgotten. All desires would be stirred. And perhaps all yearnings would be fulfilled. Sadly, though, I suspect this is unlikely. No doubt these males will sleep on, awakening only when the time comes for them to exert their domination and continue their line.

So, why does Beauty love the Beast? Is it because he denies her, making her yearn for him all the more? Is it because when he desires her, he shows his interest so impressively and unequivocally? Is it because he can fulfill her with his desire, making her forgive him for all those endless hours of denial? Perhaps so. Perhaps not. It's a mystery, even as it's a certainty.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Revisions, Revisions, Revisions

2009-05-30T09:39:00.023-04:00

Revisions, revisions, revisions are to writing what location, location, location is to real estate.

I write a story from beginning to end in one fell swoop, but I always go back and layer in more complexity of plot and characters in expanded or additional scenes. This is just the way I write. I'll do several drafts before I even think of polishing or proofreading a manuscript. I suppose my final manuscripts are the result of frenzied writing, intensive self-editing, and fine polishing. My motto:

WORDS ARE NOT WRITTEN IN STONE,
BUT ARE AS FLUID AS AN OCEAN

And for me, that's the enticement of writing.

So, you can imagine how I embrace, not abhor, an editor's request for revision. Before I had an editor, I would sometimes labor over a revision decision. Should I go this way or that? Now, I have someone who loves my stories, but who pushes me to reach beyond myself. In essence, I travel along a road, and if I hesitate when coming to a fork, she sends me down the right path. Together, we get to the desired destination. It is a partnership, as such a relationship should be. What could be better?

Are your words written in stone, or are they as fluid as an ocean?

Come ride my wave of words with me ... and entice me to ride yours with you.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

The Single Biggest Writing Mistake

2009-05-26T07:12:00.014-04:00

I've written about the ten most common writing mistakes (see my 1/24/09 post entitled "Ten Common Writing Mistakes"). Among the greatest culprits: back-story dump, lengthy narrative, passive voice, dialogue tag overuse, head hopping, slow pacing, telling rather than showing, unrealistic actions/ reactions, poor characterization, and lack of GMC. I failed to add a few simple mistakes, such as clichéd plots, goofy dialogue, and repetitive wording, thinking they were obvious. But upon reflection, I also failed to mention the single biggest writing mistake. What was I thinking ... or not?

In my humble opinion, here it is: ASPIRING AUTHORS OFTEN WRITE THE STORY THEY WANT TO TELL, NOT THE STORY READERS AND EDITORS WANT TO READ. How can I explain this? Well, imagine that you are a reader standing in an airport store looking for a good book to pass the time on a long international flight, or that you are an exhausted editor sitting at your desk having to go through a pile of manuscripts on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. What do you want? An interesting plot, fast pace, well-developed characters, good writing? Actually, the answer is simpler than that.

And once again in my humble opinion, here it is: READERS AND EDITORS WANT TO BE SEDUCED. Whisper in their ears, intrigue their minds, tempt their hearts, inspire their souls. Oh yes, seduce them! That is what readers and editors hope for when opening to the first page, and by the way, that is what will make them hunger for more after reaching the last. And it's the only reason to write, isn't it? If you are like me, you have used your words to draw others into the make believe world of your mind since childhood.

Now, go back and read your manuscript, as if you are a reader or editor. Does it seduce you? Do you become so mesmerized while reading the first few paragraphs that you don't look up until after the first hundred pages or so? Do you have to continue until you reach the end, no matter what time of day or night it is, no matter what other responsibilities await? If not, rewrite the story, not the one you want to write as an author, but the one you want to read as a reader.

Happy Writing!

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

A Contest Promise Fulfilled

2009-05-19T18:54:00.001-04:00

Last week, I received a handwritten thank you note from a contestant in the 2009 Winter Rose Contest. Yes, a handwritten note posted through the U.S mail and brought to my door by Debbie, my mail carrier. Over time, I've received many thank you notes from contest entrants, but never one that was handwritten. What a lovely surprise! I never forget a contest entry, and so, Virginia, I have a couple of words of encouragement for you. Keep writing!

P.S. I hope your thank you note means I kept my promise to contest entrants (see my 1/24/09 post entitled "My Promise to Contest Entrants").

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Contest Woes

2009-04-12T14:55:00.121-04:00

Today, my post is one of tears for an aspiring romance author.

In my February 20th post entitled "Ten Common Writing Mistakes," I wrote: "Recently, I came across near perfection in a contemporary single title contest entry. I can't explain what made it perfect. That is, I can't break it apart, and say, here are the three or thirteen or thirty factors that made it so. All I can say is that it was minus ten common writing mistakes ... and plus one indefinable something, which, for lack of a better term, I'll call "hook, line, and sinker." In other words, it was near perfection, plain and simple."

Then, in my March 26th post entitled "Hook, Line, and Sinker," I wrote: "Well, to my utter delight and absolute thrill, this contemporary single title is a 2009 Golden Heart® finalist. I did not judge the 2009 Golden Heart® Contest this year, but I did judge the 2009 Winter Rose Contest. And that's where I first saw this wonderful piece of near perfection. Congratulations to the author!"

Now, on this beautiful Easter weekend, I have taken time away from cooking, entertaining, mothering, etc. to add a postscript to "Hook, Line, and Sinker." The wonderful piece of near perfection (I'll call it Near Perfection) didn't final in the 2009 Yellow Rose Contest. Yes, that's right—an entry that is a 2009 Golden Heart® finalist didn't final in a 2009 RWA chapter contest. How can this have happened? I suspect the author might say it doesn't matter because she's a Golden Heart® finalist, but I think it does matter because it says something frightening about contests.

Near Perfection wasn't the typical contest entry. It wasn't a winning entry because of plot, characterization, GMC, hook, etc. No, don't get me wrong. It had all of those in buckets, but it had something far more extraordinary. It had V O I C E. Never have I read such a voice, not among aspiring authors, not among published ones. This author has an unparalleled facility with language, as if the words roll back and forth over the tongue before spilling out to overflow the reader's cup. More, when you lift this golden cup to your lips, you take a sip of what appears to be mineral water only to feel the effects of the headiest red wine.

In my April 3rd post entitled "Can You Hear Your Voice?" I wrote: "When you lose a contest or receive a rejection, don't take it to heart. It mightn't be as complicated as the possibility that you don't have voice. It might be as simple as the fact that you didn't have the luck of the judicial or editorial draw." Well, the author of Near Perfection didn't have the luck of the judicial draw in the 2009 Yellow Rose Contest. I suppose Stephen King is right about being successful at writing—it takes talent, perseverance ... and luck.

I've decided that contests can mean little to nothing, no matter that some aspiring authors think a contest win is the equivalent of the Holy Grail. Most judges (especially those who are aspiring authors) look for a reason to shoot down entries, often on the basis of their prejudices and especially when stories are outside of the box, whereas editors seem to like stories that don't look like a thousand others they've read, or in other words, stories that are outside of the box. Perhaps for this reason I've come across contest winners who have never published and published authors who have never won a contest.

Before you place your writing soul in the hands of judges, know this unspoken truth about contests—contest wins can hinge on luck, not talent. If all you're looking for is some feedback from mostly other aspiring authors, and don't mind paying for it, go for it. However, if you're thinking you can win a contest on talent alone, or that an RWA chapter contest win or two is going to lead to publication, or any of the other scenarios in which your writing dreams are fulfilled, you might want to rethink your expectations of contests.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Can You Hear Your Voice?

2009-04-03T16:56:00.025-04:00

What is voice? It's an author's individual fingerprint. Every author has an individual fingerprint, but having VOICE (a marketable individual fingerprint) is something you either have or don't. And when you have VOICE, it can be your blessing ... and your curse. It can bring readers to you, hold you back, and propel you forward.

Can you hear your voice? I know quite a few authors who discovered their voice through a judge's or editor's ear. Recently, a writing buddy, who has been beating her head against the wall, learned from an editor that her voice is single title contemporary, not series contemporary. Another writing buddy realized from a judge that her voice was suited more to historical than contemporary. Have you considered that your voice might not be suitable for the subgenre you love to write? What a shocking thought, no?

So, you can hear your voice. Now what? The shocking truth is that, to become a published author, you need to not only have voice, but also luck that an editor will hear your voice. When you lose a contest or receive a rejection, don't take it to heart. It mightn't be as complicated as the possibility that you don't have VOICE. It might be as simple as the fact that you didn't have the luck of the judicial or editorial draw. One day, hopefully sooner than later, you'll cross paths with a judge or an editor who'll hear your voice among the crowd.

Happy Writing!

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

2009-03-26T17:31:00.016-04:00

In my February 20th post entitled "Ten Common Writing Mistakes," I wrote: "Recently, I came across near perfection in a contemporary single title contest entry. I can't explain what made it perfect. That is, I can't break it apart, and say, here are the three or thirteen or thirty factors that made it so. All I can say is that it was minus ten common writing mistakes ... and plus one indefinable something, which, for lack of a better term, I'll call "hook, line, and sinker." In other words, it was near perfection, plain and simple."

Well, to my utter delight and absolute thrill, this contemporary single title is a 2009 Golden Heart® finalist. I did not judge the 2009 Golden Heart® Contest this year, but I did judge the 2009 Winter Rose Contest. And that's where I first saw this wonderful piece of near perfection. Congratulations to the author!

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Writing and the Law, Part I: Getting it Wrong

2009-03-20T09:06:00.095-04:00

This week, my worlds of law and writing intertwined interestingly.

Let me take a step back. A couple of weeks ago, DH's law school invited us to sit as appellate judges for first-year law students’ oral arguments, which are traditionally done at this time of year. It works this way: three appellate judges sit on the bench, one law student makes the appellant's oral argument for ten minutes, and then the other law student makes the appellee's oral argument for ten minutes, with the judges interrupting to ask much-dreaded questions that expose the weakness of the arguments. Honored to be invited, we accepted.

Late last night, the materials (e.g., lower court decision, appellate bench brief, instructions about check-in and judges’ dinner, etc.) arrived in our inboxes.

DH’s materials arrived first. As soon as I saw his appellate bench brief on the screen, I shuddered. Student, music, dirty lyrics, Sarah Palin, politics, school suspension -- i.e. First Amendment. It's right up DH’s alley. However, appreciating the truly complex nature of First Amendment cases, I have to admit I was relieved I hadn't gotten this one. I said to him, “Oh, I hope mine is a Fourth Amendment case. Give me a bloody knife or smoking gun.”

Moments later, my materials arrived. No eyes have ever read as fast as mine did last night. Biker bar, slain DEA agent, warrantless search of beach shack, bloody knife, questionable identification of suspect by bartender--i.e. Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Oh, yeah! DH said to me, “Well, you got your bloody knife.” He went off to do something fun, but I read the appellate bench brief.

This morning, I said to DH, “In my case, the lower court decision is over 10 pages, and the appellate bench brief is almost 30 pages. Over the next few days, I’ve got to get a handle on at least a dozen Fourth and Fifth Amendment cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.” He was surprised that I was so intent upon this, perhaps even more so than during my oral argument during law school.

Here's the reason I'm focused on this: This isn't the legal world of la-la-land—beautiful female lawyers in chic suits with designer shoes, manicured hands, and trendy hairstyles…and gorgeous alpha male lawyers who somehow ended up in law rather than in acting or modeling. This is the legal world of reality—always complicated and challenging, often tedious and boring, and rarely exciting or rewarding. And for me this coming week, it will be the legal world of constitutional law—a world where ordinary and tired looking, but brilliant and nimble minded, lawyers dance on the head of a pin while splitting legal hairs. It is a world as far removed from the world of romance as the Earth is from the moon. Oh, and I suppose it goes without saying that there usually isn't a chic, designer, manicured, trendy, or gorgeous anything in sight.

This upcoming experience (not to mention the lower court decision and appellate bench brief staring me in the face on my screen) has served as a reminder of the dangers of writing romance with legal aspects. ROMANCE AUTHORS WHO AREN'T LAWYERS SHOULD TAKE GREAT CARE IN WRITING A STORY INVOLVING ANY ASPECT OF LAW. FOR THAT MATTER, THEY SHOULDN'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO DO SO WITHOUT A LEGAL CONSULTANT WITH WHOM THEY CAN CONFER. Publishers and editors didn't just fall off the back of a turnip truck. They may not know the ins and outs of the law or legal world, but they certainly know an author needs to know it from up close and personal experience, or at the very least know someone who knows it in that way. Why? Because romance readers come from all walks of life, even from the legal world (surprisingly, many female lawyers read romance novels).

Some romance authors know this without needing me to hammer them over the head. One such author is my CP, Marie Robison. For her story, Cottage by a Lake, in which the heroine is an unhappy criminal defense lawyer, she has drawn upon my legal knowledge and personal experience. I've been impressed with her determination to get the legal details right, her ability to wrap her mind around the more complex concepts, and her understanding that she needed to hit the right balance in the story (introducing just enough accurate legal details to titillate the readers without boring them). And I think her readers will appreciate her talent, energy, and effort. By the way, Cottage by a Lake took First Place in the Unpublished Division: Love Scene category of the 2008 FTHRW Wallflower Contest. And Berkley has requested a partial!

I've helped authors who, although not making either hero or heroine a lawyer, built their stories around legal issues, such as a fight for control of a company. For example, I exchanged e-mails with Lynn Raye Harris, 2008 Golden Heart® Finalist and Harlequin Presents 2008 Instant Seduction Contest winner. Lynn immersed herself in corporate and securities law, absorbing a tremendous amount of complicated legal details in a short time. As she has said, she included too much by way of legal detail in the early revisions of her winning entry, but after realizing her mistake, she cut out the snooze material. In these company control stories (so popular with HP), you need only the right business structure in the background to make the story accurate. By the way, Lynn's winning entry, The Spanish Magnate's Revenge, will be released by Harlequin Presents as Spanish Magnate - Red Hot Revenge this coming August.

But whether an author puts in too much legal detail (which can be cut out easily), or puts in just the right amount from the get go, she is leap years ahead of the author who ignores the constraints of the law. After I worked with Lynn, many wannabe Harlequin Presents authors contacted me, asking for similar help. I can remember one in particular who was trying, to say the least. She wanted to focus an entire story around the hero's and heroine's fight for control of a company, but she didn't want to learn any of the fundamentals of corporate or securities law. This is a well-settled area. There is very little maneuver room. She decided the plot of her story vis-à-vis the fight for company control could be whatever she wanted it to be, regardless of fundamental legal concepts, because her only goal was "get the heroine and hero into bed." Her story hasn't been published. Why? Because publishers and editors didn't just fall of the back of a turnip truck.

And so, the purpose of today's post is to compliment those romance authors who exercise caution when it comes to legal matters ... and to chastise those who do not.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Where Is Madeline Today?

2009-03-10T13:00:00.027-04:00

Today, I am in Russia with Prince Nikolai, my delicious vampire, and Anastasia, his first love interest. Although I should like to stay and chat, I must run, as I have left my prince standing naked with sword raised before Anastasia in his bedchamber. Oh my, but he is so very delicious ... and Anastasia is absolutely desperate to have a bite of him!

My Best Friend

2009-02-27T07:01:00.038-05:00

Do you have a best friend with whom you share your hopes and dreams, your successes and failures, your joys and sorrows? Do you have a best friend with whom you make up two sides of a coin? Do you have a best friend without whom you would not want to go on?

I do ... and today I thought of what my life would be like without her.

7:05 A.M. - BF is at the hospital by now. I didn't call her yesterday. No, I knew I'd rail about hospitals and surgery, given that I've had a rough recovery from my recent emergency appendectomy. But perhaps most of all I didn't want her to hear the fear in my voice. Should I have called her anyway, though?

8:00 A.M. - BF is in surgery now. What if something goes wrong? No, the thought is too much for me to wrap my mind around.

10:30 A.M. - BF is in surgery still. What if it doesn't turn out as she hopes?

11:50 A.M. - BF is in surgery still. But what if it turns out to be all for which she has hoped?

2:25 P.M. - BF is in surgery still. What did she say? Was it six or seven hours that she'd be on the table? Is she in recovery yet? I'll have to wait for the call from BF's DH, which BF said should come by 4:00.

4:00 P.M. - No call from BF's DH.

5:00 P.M. - No call from BF's DH.

6:00 P.M. - No call from BF's DH.

7:05 P.M. - I just picked up the phone and absently checked caller ID. BF's DH called just after 2:00 P.M. I called him back straight away. BF is in recovery (wow, five hours in the recovery room!), resting uncomfortably, but she has come through, and will endure.

And so, we'll journey on together. She'll hear my words and silence, and have and hold my secrets. She'll embrace my madness and encourage my eccentricities. She'll believe in my possibilities and support my endeavors. And she'll thrill me with her adventures, inspire me with her sorrows, and delight me with her joys.

You see, how could I go on without her?

* * *

P.S. After I spoke with BF's DH on the evening of February 27th, BF crashed while still in the recovery room and ended up being transferred to the ICU. Now, though, she is home with more than one hundred staples, several drains, some heavy drugs ... and a future with all her hopes fulfilled. But I was right to fear for her, after all.

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

Ten Common Writing Mistakes

2009-02-20T08:26:00.105-05:00

Judging the writing of aspiring authors is often a lesson in the most common writing mistakes and sometimes an encounter with the most effective writing techniques. If only we could all begin as proficient writers, but as with any profession, writing requires an apprenticeship. This apprenticeship, often painful and frustrating, but on occasion exciting and rewarding, can develop and refine an aspiring author's raw talent into a powerful writing force.

In the contests I've judged, I've come across ten common writing mistakes. Before saying anything more, let me tell you that I'm not too proud to admit I made many of these mistakes in my earliest writing endeavors. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here is my list of aspiring authors' ten common writing mistakes:

1. Back-Story Dump. Aspiring authors often embed back-story (i.e. events that happened prior to the opening of the story) in narrative. However, an author can also embed back-story in dialogue. For example, in a recent contest entry, I saw a nine page opening conversation between the heroine and another character that was a huge back-story dump about the heroine's life before the story opened. I appreciate that all aspiring authors know and love their characters and want the reader to know and love them too, but let the reader into their pasts only a bit at a time throughout the ms.

2. Lengthy Narrative. I've seen this most often in the writing of talented aspiring authors because writing narrative is a gift. I can recall an entry in which the author devoted more than a page to beautiful narrative describing a walk from one cottage to another. However, no matter how beautiful the narrative, if it is lengthy, it delays the reader's return to dialogue and loses her interest. So, try to limit narrative to no more than three short paragraphs at a clip, if possible.

3. Use of Passive Voice. Most aspiring authors know that the use of passive voice is a no-no. But they may not realize how sneaky passive voice can be. Let's take a look at some examples: "The bell was rung by the cowboy" and "He was sitting on his mustang" and "She let him dance her around the barn." Which sentences contain passive voice? Would you be surprised if I told you all three? Let's reword them in active voice: "The cowboy rang the bell" and "He sat on his mustang" and "He danced her around the barn." The secret of conquering passive voice is thinking "lights, camera, action."

4. Dialogue Tags Versus Beats. Most aspiring authors have the limited dialogue tag/beat preferable rule down cold. However, in quite a startling number of entries, I've seen authors mix one character's action or POV with another character's dialogue. For example, I recently saw something similar to this in a single paragraph: "He has just come out of surgery." Susan rose as the nurse crossed the waiting room. "All went well." So, who is speaking—Susan or the nurse? Well, the author intended for the nurse to speak the lines of dialogue, but she put Susan's action between the nurse's lines of dialogue, jarring the reader out of the story. The mixing of one character's dialogue and another character's POV or action breaks the flow because the reader has to pause to figure out who is saying, doing, and thinking what.

5. Head Hopping. This remains a problem for many aspiring authors. In an entry I judged recently, the author broke the first chapter into twelve different "scenes" (using *** between each one), sometimes to end a scene and start a new one, but other times to merely switch POV during the same scene. The result was a choppy read. In addition, with all the switching back and forth between the hero's and heroine's POV, she mistakenly started a new scene at a point in time prior to the end of the prior scene. This is especially jarring to the reader because she must pause to figure out where the characters are in time, and so, she loses the flow of the story. I've found that it's best to use *** between scenes where there is a significant time lag and/or location change, not merely to switch POV during the same scene. As to POV, write a scene from one character's POV, or switch POV about half way through the scene (that is, until you are a published author and need not follow The Rules any longer!).

6. Slow Pacing. Back-story dumps and lengthy narrative can lead to slow pacing, but IMHO, the most common cause of slow pacing is the aspiring author's choice of scene. For example, if an author places the heroine at a table having a conversation with a friend, or walking through the forest or driving in the car by herself, she is condemning the scene to slow pacing. An action scene with the heroine and hero drives a fast pace; a reflective scene with only the heroine or hero crawls at a slow pace. Structure the story to put the hero and heroine together on the page as soon as possible and try to keep them together on every page thereafter with a lot of action around or between them.

7. Told, Not Shown. Aspiring authors often tell readers about their characters rather than show them. For example, he is honorable, she is kind, etc. Instead, create a scene to showcase the hero's honor or heroine's kindness. Do you see how the choice of scene can affect not only pacing, but also characterization?

8. Inadequate Characterization. Many aspiring authors rely upon back-story for characterization. When they are denied back-story, they can flounder with characterization. There are many ways to breath life into your characters—setting the scene to portray the character(s), using dialogue to characterize, using deep POV to draw a reader in. Most importantly, don't hold critical material back from the reader. Let her into the heroine's and hero's thoughts to make her feel their emotions. As my mentor, Janice Lynn, has written: "The characters have to come alive. From the get-go, you have to get the reader/judge inside the character’s head, make them feel the emotions the character is feeling." Or as she has told me more than once: "Emotion, Emotion, Emotion!"

9. Unrealistic Actions/Reactions. There is perhaps nothing that will try the reader's patience and lose her interest faster than when a story has a character with unjustified, unrealistic actions/reactions. In an entry I judged recently, the writing was exquisite, but on the first day that the hero and heroine met, the hero told the heroine he intended to marry her (his desire to marry her seemed to be based only on her beauty). Have a care with characters' actions/reactions. A reader will accept almost anything by way of a character's action/reaction, but only if the author has laid the groundwork to justify that character's action/reaction.

10. Lack of Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts. I've seen stories with the hero and/or heroine having no goals (other than falling in love with one another) as well as stories with no conflict between the heroine and hero. The most beautiful writing in the world can't overcome this deficiency. As Janice has written: "Doesn’t matter if the contest is for 3 pages or for 55, if you don’t establish that there are goals, motivations, and conflicts, odds are you aren’t going to final, even if you have a fabulous writing voice and your style is as smooth as satin." So, give your hero and heroine goals, motivations, and conflicts (both external and internal). Without GMC, there isn't a story you can write that is worth telling.

Recently, I came across near perfection in a contemporary single title contest entry. I can't explain what made it perfect. That is, I can't break it apart, and say, here are the three or thirteen or thirty factors that made it so. All I can say is that it was minus ten common writing mistakes ... and plus one indefinable something, which, for lack of a better term, I'll call "hook, line, and sinker." In other words, it was near perfection, plain and simple.

When I judge the writing of other aspiring authors, I often spot mistakes I can't spot in my own writing ... and sometimes see perfection I can't match with my own words. It is such an eye opener, more valuable than any writing workshop. So, if you are an aspiring author who is serious about writing but has never judged a contest, I highly recommend you judge a contest or two or more.

Happy Writing and Judging!

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

A Writer's Dream Fulfilled

2009-02-09T16:56:00.042-05:00

A few months ago, I entered my Aliya Arabesque in a RWA chapter contest. As with all contests, neither the judges nor entrants knew the identity of the other. I was honored when my entry finaled and later took first place. Afterwards, I sent a personalized thank you e-mail to each of the judges via the contest coordinator. When I didn't hear anything back, it occured to me that my judges might not have gotten my e-mails. I contacted the contest coordinator, and sure enough they had gotten lost along the way. So, once again, I sent the e-mails to my judges via the contest coordinator.

A few hours later, I received an e-mail from Helen Scott Taylor, the author of The Magic Knot ~ Dorchester Love Spell, 1/09, the American Title IV Winner and 2008 Golden Heart® finalist, and of The Phoenix Charm ~ Dorchester Love Spell, 12/09. Helen Scott Taylor had been one of my judges. WOW! She wrote to me: “I was actually thinking about your story earlier today all these months after judging it…What a coincidence you emailed me...Wonderful to hear from you...Do keep me updated on your success...I would love to read the full story when it's published...Most of the stories I've judged in my time have just faded from my memory, but yours has remained clear in my mind.” Helen Scott Taylor remembered my story. WOW!

In my January 6th post entitled "Are You True to Yourself as a Writer," I wrote: "I want much more in an age when much more is what everyone wants. I want Romeo and Juliet...Jane Eyre...The Wolf and the Dove. As a reader, I want to read fantasy woven from rich and colorful threads of reality, and as a writer, I want to write stories that will capture the soul of the reader and endure the test of time." Well, to my utter amazement and great thrill, I've accomplished my goal as a writer, and without even being published. I don't have to enter another contest; I don't have to see any of my stories published; I don't have to write another word. Why not? Because Helen Scott Taylor remembered my story ... and the truth is that I'm not sure what can top that!

Congratulations to Helen Scott Taylor on her recent sale of The Phoenix Charm and a belated Happy Birthday!

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.

A Promise to Contest Entrants

2009-01-24T18:19:00.047-05:00

I am a member of Yellow Rose Romance Writers. Today, the 2009 Winter Rose Contest kicks off, and this year I'll be one of the judges. Before I agreed to judge, I asked myself, "Goodness, who am I to be a judge in a contest?" After all, what do I know that could possibly make me worthy of sitting in judgment of the words of another aspiring author? Not much, if truth be told.

Yet, I and many other authors (both published and unpublished) will sit in judgment of entrants in this contest ... and presumably other contests throughout this year and beyond. For this contest, and those yet to come, this is my prayer: May I approach all contest entries with an open mind and generous heart; may I temper my judgment with wisdom and kindness; may I give each aspiring author a gift of inspiration that she shall carry with her forever.

For the 2009 Winter Rose contest, I make the following promises to the contest entrants who are fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to get me as a judge:

1. I shall approach your entry with an open mind and generous heart, no matter the genre, setting, plot, characters, writing style, voice, etc.

2. I shall labor over reading and judging your entry as much as you labored over writing and polishing it.

3. I shall follow The Rules (see prior posts) to the spirit, but not to the letter.

4. I shall try to make the 2009 Winter Rose Contest a positive experience for you.

5. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I shall not do anything to shatter your soul as an aspiring author.

I make these promises in honor of Wend Petzler, the author of Curse of the Scarab King, Blood Keep, Whisper to Me, and Lady Thief, who once judged a contest entry of mine with an open mind and generous heart, who tempered her judgment with wisdom and kindness, and who gave me a gift of inspiration that I'll carry with me forever.

Good luck to all the entrants of the 2009 Winter Rose Contest!

Madeline Smyth

© 2009 Madeline Smyth. All Rights Reserved.