Trivia contest

[LeighMichaels]

Congratulations, Janet -- that was fast. It was indeed "The Boss and the Baby."

If you'll email me at leigh@leighmichaels.com with your snail mail address, I'll send off your bookmark!

Happy writing,
Leigh

[dixielandgrl]

Okay, About conflict...

I think you can get published without it. LOL I am reading paranormal romances to get a feel for it, but I am only finding mostly vampire stuff. It's not like my book so it doesn't throw me off. I just finished this book, and let me tell you! It sent me over the edge, so I had to share.

She had me at hello. I loved it. It was dark. He was a vampire. She, an innocent. They deal with the hopeless eventuality of her death. There is human opposition. A jealous vampire trying to kill her. It's got everything. Conflict: She doesn't like the idea of being undead. He loves her madly.

Sounds pretty good right. They love,and she dies. I wept. Then she is reborn. He finds her in LA. Eventually, she remembers who she is, what he is, who they were. Same decision right? Does she become like him and live forever in a sad limited existence? He swears he cannot bury her twice, so she dies, he kills himself. (a valid option) Or there is the cure. They determine that they must find a cure. They seek it and don't find it in, oh say 25 pages, so she decided to be undead after all. Can't be all that bad right? People do it all the time.

I sat there stunned. We could have done that an hour and a half ago, back in Paris, before their love had a body count. Why am I sitting here in LA wondering where my story went? AHHHH!

Leigh, how does this get published? It was such a let down. More importantly, how do we avoid doing this? This is an author published multiple times. I felt like she got to the end and didn't have the heart to take it all the way to tragedy. She just changed her mind. So here, in the next to last chapter, is this cure that no one ever tries. I'm almost scared to touch my computer again. Seasoned pros are having conflict problems! What chance do I have?

[Ch-Janet]

"This is an author published multiple times. I felt like she got to the end and didn't have the heart to take it all the way to tragedy. She just changed her mind. So here, in the next to last chapter, is this cure that no one ever tries."

Why don't you e-mail her from her website and ask why she ended her book in that way? It sounds as though you loved the bulk of her book (it made you cry and you stuck with it to the end)Tell her this and she might tell you why she choose the ending she did. Could be it was her editor's idea. I'd love to know.

Message Edited by Ch-Janet on 03-03-200704:58 PM

[dixielandgrl]

Couldn't get email but her publishing company has guidelines posted.

"Must have happy ending"

[ChristineM]

Wasn't that part of Pirates of Penzance? I seemed ot remember a story where the hero wasn't allowed to marry or inherit until he turned 21 and he was born on leap day.

[ChristineM]

I smell a vanity publisher. She probably self publishes because she can't get published through a regular publisher because of her conflict problems.

[LeighMichaels]

Oh, how I wish I could explain how editors' minds work. (Oh, how I wish I *understood* how editors' minds work!)

Now, I'm speaking generically here and not about any specific author, since I haven't read the book you're referring to and I don't know the author or the publisher.

But sadly, yes -- bad books do sometimes get published. What happened? Hard to say. The author may have been rushed, under deadline and without time to go back and fix the problems. Or she may have gotten to thinking that whatever she puts on paper must be a great story. The editor may be inexperienced and not willing to challenge a well-established author. The publisher may have lost respect for the reader and think it doesn't matter because anything with this person's name on the cover will sell.

I'm guessing if this is a multi-published author, she's built a readership which will follow along with whatever she does -- at least for a while. It will be very interesting to see what happens to the NEXT book she writes, and the one after that. If readers are disappointed by a book, but they've loved the author's other stories, they'll often give her a second chance. But there's a point beyond which they just won't buy any more.


Hope that helps!
Leigh

[lavenderlass]

Janet you lucky thing! I often find books with no plot, or on another loop we were talking about Nora Roberts, who head hops all the time and we've had this conversation on the romantic novelists association e list from time to time. Perhaps we'll just have to sell loads of books, then do what we want or pay for our books to be published!

Lynne

[dixielandgrl]

Christine!

Imagine CHEERS. Okay, now about the book. It looks like it isn't self-published, but it could be darn close. Anything paranormal, right? Well bodes well for me, if I can create quality!

I didn't think it would be good to out the woman, but I'm still so chapped! It was Embrace the Night by Amanda Ashley! There it's out.

lol. Now for a serious question...

My novel has taken a turn that I love, but I am a little afraid to do it. She's become more powerful in chapter 5 and she's set something loose. Suddenly I wanted to add a group of very rich, slightly pompous and irritating men who want to use her for their own purposes. Noble or Nefarious purposes, who knows? But one thing is clear, she can't be free to just run around loose. What do you think? Too much?

[ChristineM]

I don't have a problem with it. Meg Cabot did it in the 1-800-Where-Are-You series. She had the government get wind of the heroine who,k since she was struck by lightening, knows where people are just by looking at a picture. They want her to find terrorists and "other undesirables" but she's not sure of their motives, plus they want to keep her locked up and her boyfriend has to break her out. I say go with it.

[Ch-Janet]

"She's become more powerful in chapter 5 and she's set something loose. Suddenly I wanted to add a group of very rich, slightly pompous and irritating men who want to use her for their own purposes. Noble or Nefarious purposes, who knows? But one thing is clear, she can't be free to just run around loose. What do you think? Too much?"

Sounds good, but make sure you go back to what you've already written and plant a few hints about these men, so they don't suddenly pop up out of the blue in chapter 5. Or even weave in a strand concerning them wanting to use her and let them succeed in chapter 5.

[dixielandgrl]

Hints. THat's been a problem. I think I've done it with Eva who knew all about them, but it isn't overt or obvious, so I do need to figure something out there.

[ChristineM]

Who are the real backers of MidAmerica? Could they be your real bag guys? Eva may know about a group of bad guys, but not realise they're funding Gerald.

[dixielandgrl]

I was thinking of making it more an extortion. This guy is basically a terrorist in a suit. with him or against him. so all this time Eva and Gerald have been hiding this second life from Clay, along with the knowledge that this exists. I'm worried about Gerald going bad on me. I was thinking along the lines that they were occasionally using Eva to test psychics on their radar, hence the interview and the arrangements for Abby to be there. However, I think I need to make Eva more worried, more troubled for it to work.