FRW Cruise Conference

FRW Cruise Conference
Liberty of the Seas
Feb. 24-28, 2013

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Day 1, Thursday

Ninety registered guests attended the Florida Romance Writers Cruise with your Muse conference aboard the RCCL ship Liberty of the Seas. We boarded easily, getting right onto the ship after parking and checking our luggage at Port Everglades. Upstairs at the Windjammer Buffet, we ate lunch and waved to fellow FRWers who’d already arrived. We checked into our cabin and then set out to explore the ship. This is a beautifully appointed ship of the fleet with its traditional interior Promenade, ice skating rink, and usual bars and lounges. Downstairs at the conference center, we picked up our registration materials. Then we hustled to the lifeboat drill before departure time. At 5:00pm, we met our conference shipmates at a Welcome Aboard party in the Sphinx lounge on deck five. The editors and agents shared industry news and writing tips.

       

Editor/Agent Tips
Get rid of the prologue
Hit the ground running
Avoid clichéd writing
Shorter works, less than 100,000 words, are more desirable these days.
Don’t overuse dialogue tags.

Next, my husband and I dashed to the Diamond Club lounge where, as repeat cruisers at a certain level in the Crown & Anchor Society, we enjoy benefits like free drinks and appetizers. Of course, this was my favorite activity and we made it up here on deck 14 every evening. Our dinner seating was late at 8:30 so we had plenty of time to meet fellow cruise enthusiasts.

Day 2, Friday

This morning, workshops were held with authors Traci Hall, Kathleen Pickering, and Karen Kendall. I found some time for walking the decks with my husband. We sat the pool and watched the action or lounged on our balcony to stare at the ocean.

    

Along the way, I got a glimpse of an interesting lady who would intrigue me for the entire trip. On previous cruises, I always spotted a character who would be great in my books. Thus the elegant white-haired woman from a prior voyage became the Countess in Killer Knots, my cruise ship mystery. I haven’t placed the witch lady from our previous cruise yet, but she’ll make her way into one of my stories. On this trip, I saw someone who definitely had an air for dramatics.

This woman had blond hair that she wore teased and curled atop her head like a poodle. I swear, she even had poodle bangs. But this wasn’t all. No matter the time of day or place, she wore a chiffon dress with spaghetti straps and sparkles and high heels. One day her shoes were black velvet with rhinestones. Her dresses glittered and the hemline swayed as she moved. I saw her in ivory, burgundy, and gold variations of the same dress, often with sequins. She wore a heavy application of makeup as well. I assumed she must be European. She just had that air about her. We always saw her clinging to the arm of a dapper gentleman who looked fairly ordinary in comparison. Neither one of them were youngsters. She’ll end up in one of my stories for sure.

Later that afternoon, I sat in on a workshop with bestselling authors Heather Graham and Charlaine Harris. Here’s what they said about writing humor:

Charlene: “When you’re writing sex, there is no dignity, and it can be funny.”
Heather: “It’s fun to have supporting characters where things don’t always go well. You can make jokes with these people.”

Floridian Idol followed, where the editors and agents tore apart submissions from attendees. You could learn a lot by listening to their comments, and this session was well attended.

Day 3

Saturday, we arrived at Cozumel. My husband and I took a taxi into town for $8.00 each way. Even though I had vowed not to buy anything, I ended up with a pair of earrings, rum cakes, and Mexican vanilla. That evening, we went to the show on the ship. The entertainer was a magician who kept the audience laughing.

      

     

Day 4

Sunday morning was my workshop on Mystery Writing 101. I had a great group and the time went fast. We hustled out to attend Charlaine’s keynote speech where she talked about her long career history and provided inspiration for the rest of us.

   

That afternoon, ten of us authors held a booksigning in the dining room. Since the notice had gone into the ship’s daily newsletter, readers flowed into the room to buy our books. I couldn’t believe it when I’d sold my last copy! It was one of the best conference booksignings I’ve done.

   

We hurried off to see Saturday Night Fever in the main theater while others went to the ice show.

At the end of the day, we had a farewell party led by our FRW president Rose Lawson and the hard-working conference planners before our final dinner together.

The four days went by too fast. We hung out; we talked; we learned and we shared. We got to know each other and the editors and agents who had nowhere else to go. We watched a dazzling parade of famous animated characters on the Promenade, sampled as much food as our stomachs would allow, and explored the hidden nooks of the sleek vessel. We each came away with something different—an invitation to submit pages to an editor/agent, a sense of peace, a few extra pounds.

I hope you can join us next time.

   

 

Necronomicon, Part 2

Necronomicon, Part 2

Getting Started: Writing Believable Dialogue with Nick DiChario, K.L. Nappier, M.B. Weston, Nancy J. Cohen, and William Hatfield. A lot of good advice came from this panel. Be true to your character. Determine your target audience because it makes a difference in the language you can use. Listen to the people around you to get ideas for speech patterns. Read your material aloud to see if it sounds stilted. For more detailed advice, see my Blog on Writing Effective Dialogue. Below: Author Gary L. Zeiger and his lovely wife selling his book in the Dealers’ Room.

  

I skipped out next to roam around the hallways and to stop in to the hospitality room for a snack. You could attend such subjects as Higgs Boson [Particle] and You, Steampunk Invasion, Author/Publisher Contract Do’s and Don’ts, the Music of Science, and Anime Timeline. Then I met up with my husband for lunch and we strolled across the street where a farmer’s market was in full swing.

Why Sell Your Books to a Small Press with Eric Beebe, Lucienne Diver, Ed Howdershelt, and K. Piet. The reasons are many. First of all, Lucienne said the term Indie Author applies to writers who are published by an independent press. This is different from self-published and authors who are published by small presses or by vanity presses. One advantage of going with a small press is the individualized attention you get that you may not receive from one of the Big Six. You can build up your following and increase your readership. You may also have a say in your cover art. Discoverability is always an issue, so see what the small press publisher will do for you in terms of marketing.

Lucienne said the best chance for a high level of success is still with the big presses, with some exceptions. She discussed the agency versus the wholesale model in regard to pricing. Brick-and-mortar stores may devolve into smaller boutique shops over time. Humor can be a hard sell in today’s market, but anything erotic is still hot. Science fiction and fantasy aren’t doing as well in e-book format as romance and erotica, which are the biggest sellers. YA Paranormal doesn’t sell well in ebook either, because not all kids have e-reader devices. This genre is also hard to sell right now because Barnes & Noble has decreased demand for them.

Getting it Right: Paranormal Elements in Fiction with Nancy J Cohen, Lucienne Diver, Pamela Labud, Will Ludwigsen, and Brandy Stark. As I was on this panel, I didn’t take notes but we each talked about the elements we use in our fiction. My new series deals with Norse mythology. Being consistent in your world building is essential.

Getting Started: Writing Fight Scenes with Richard Byers, Johanna Bolton, R.M. Garcia, T.S. Robinson, Michael Joy, and William Logan. One of the recommendations is to give glimpses of your hero’s special ability along the way. Build anticipation and get to know your villains. Johanna writes spaceship battles, and she visualizes the scene ahead of time. Richard suggests that you consider the level of realism you want to achieve. Consider scene length also. Is this meant to be the grand finale or merely a build-up to the end? The fight scene should have a purpose, such as showing team work. And don’t forget physics. When you hit a wall, what happens? Does the wall crack? What are the results on your body? Michael says his fight scenes serve as the action around the dialogue.

Problem areas can be giant battle scenes with multiple armies, unfamiliar technology, mercenaries for hire, psychic combat, lack of experience with weapons. What are some common mistakes? If you use very specific terms such as Japanese martial arts moves, you are appealing to a narrow audience. Either rename the move or qualify it through action. A general audience won’t understand the jargon. Fight scenes can go on too long. Get back to the people. Factual errors can be a problem, like when the gun is putting out the wrong caliber bullet. Or the choreography can be wrong. Make sure the sequence of events is physically possible. Also if somebody gets killed, give a definitive ending for that person before the story moves on. And remember that injuries need time to heal. It’s unrealistic when your hero pops up the next day after a major fight scene, and he’s perfectly fit.

Your hero’s background will determine how he approaches the scene. A trained fighter will observe how the enemy holds his weapon, and that may tell the hero how to confront the guy or if it’s wiser to get out of his way. Women can fight for different reasons than men, so keep that in mind. Alternate moments of high tension with those of low tension but don’t ever completely let go.

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On Saturday night, the Masquerade brought out characters in all sorts of costumes, including the bagpipe artist in a kilt and the dog. We skipped outside to have dinner at a restaurant just past the yacht club and alongside the marina. It was breezy but clear with a full moon. I’d had a great time but left early Sunday to head over toward Orlando and a revisit to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.

     

 

   

  

  

Necronomicon, Part 1

Necronomicon was the first SciFi/Fantasy convention I’ve attended. In many ways, it’s similar to a mystery conference. There were more men than at a romance con. The panels were professional and moderated by a host. Aspiring authors attended in abundance. However, here’s the biggest difference: Gamers. One darkened breakout room held 3 rows of computers where people sat all day and sometimes all night playing Halo. Other guys sat at round tables engrossed in role playing games. And the hospitality room was open 24/7 with free food and soft drinks. A guard on sentry duty made sure you were wearing your badge if you walked by. The mode of dress differed, too. At a mystery con, many of the men would be wearing sport coats. Not so much here. No editor/agent appointments either. So it was a curious mix of writers and fans of the genre.

  

Authors who paid for a table sat in Author’s Alley down the hallway at tables with their books for sale. The Dealers’ Room was similar to the ones at mystery cons, where authors have to hope one of the vendors has their books for sale or else make a consignment deal. Few booksellers showed up here; vendors sold mostly jewelry and games and other knickknacks. Did this mean people weren’t booklovers? I only sold two books. Granted, my name isn’t known by this crowd, but I’m thinking most readers of this genre probably buy e-books since they’re tech savvy. Or else they are just not familiar with sci fi/paranormal romance. This convention was unlike those huge SciFi cons with celebrity stars. The cost is reasonable to attend and many panels are geared toward writers.

Instead of a forensics track like at a mystery writers con, this event had a science track led by scientist guests. All in all, it was a valuable introduction to an entirely new audience. People were very welcoming and if I went again, I’d start to recognize familiar faces. The panels were all interesting and parties ranged into the night if you were so inclined. We arrived the night before to settle in and become familiar with the hotel. Across the street was a big sports arena where a soccer game played on Saturday night. Down the road was the Dali museum. And nearby was a popular Mexican restaurant, the Red Mesa Cantina, where we had dinner. The food was delicious and the Halloween decorations really neat. I had grilled mahi mahi on a bed of plantains with mango salsa and my husband had shrimp with beans and rice and veggies.

   

 

Now here’s what I learned at some of the talks.

Friday

The Resurgence of Fairy Tales with Tracy Cornett, David Berger, Lucienne Diver, Kat Heckenbach, and K.L. Nappier.

How did you get interested in the genre? Kat replied that she wanted to see how contemporary fantasy fit the fairy tale model. Lucienne was interested in anthropology and how creation myths are similar and different for various cultures. Comparative religion sparked her interest. David was inspired by books and mythology. A high school English teacher, he mentioned how many mythologies are similar to each other regarding the Hero’s Journey.

What’s the difference between fantasy and fairy tales? David said both can have magical elements, but fairy tales are lighter. Our exposure is Disney-fied. Lucienne mentioned that the original fairytales were dark and cautionary. They were meant to strike fear into people and their dangers still apply. For example, the big bad Wolf could be considered the serial killer in the woods today. People are trying to recapture the earlier mythos and not the sickly sweet tales we’ve come to know. We would rather have the Princess save herself these days.

Can things swing too dark? Not if the demand is there, Lucienne advises. “Dark really sells.” She said that fairy tales don’t teach kids that there are dragons. The stories teach kids how to defeat dragons. David writes about Greek mythology. The kids in his classes write dark stories with vampires, werewolves, and dragons. The dark experience in literature can be safe and cathartic. K.L. Nappier added that the overall plot arc and character growth are important. Fairy tales derive from folklore, while mythology has religious origins. For example, myths have gods that are similar in the various creation myths. Legends have heroes, while folktales are more achievable by human standards.

Romantic Elements in F&SF: The Male Perspective with Nancy J. Cohen, William Hatfield, Chris Helton, Rick Wilber, and Linnea Sinclair. In this panel, we discussed the male viewpoint in romantic relationships. Some of the men write female protagonists. Linnea suggested you have to target the audience to know what readers you are trying to reach. And Chris gets into the emotional depth of his male characters so he has no problem showing their feelings. You can show characterization through dialogue as well as action.

The Future of “Star Trek” was a fun panel where we discussed the recent movie that reinvented the series. People had vocal opinions on whether they liked certain elements or not, and a lively debate ensued. You could tell from the episodes bantered about that the audience members felt great affection for the show, whichever version we discussed.

A delicious Italian buffet dinner followed the last panel after which Guest of Honor Linnea Sinclair gave an inspirational speech. After 8 PM, you could either attend more panels such as Settling Mars: The Next Great Challenge; You call it Urban Fantasy, I call it Horror; Dr. Who and the 21st-Century; It’s the End of the World: Apocalyptic Fiction. If you are still awake at 11 PM, you could attend Sex and Science Fiction/Fantasy or still other topics. There were ongoing sing-alongs, cartoons, art shows, and role-playing games into the wee hours. Pix below: Linnea Sinclair on left. Bestselling author Timothy Zahn with me and Linnea on right.

  

More to Follow.

Mixing Romance and Murder

Malice Domestic Conference: The New Nick and Noras: Mixing Romance and Murder

Sunday morning at Malice started out with the Sisters in Crime Breakfast. It was a lovely affair where I met new friends. The Board was introduced and volunteers were thanked for their efforts throughout the year.

Nancy Cohen, Ann Parker, Nancy G. West

Following this event, I attended the workshop titled above. Moderated by Stephanie Evans, the panel included Kathleen Ernst, Christina Freeburn, Barbara Graham, Elizabeth J. Duncan, and Kate Carlisle. Following are the questions posed by the moderator. Disclaimer: These interpretations are based on my notes and the paraphrasing is accurate to the best of my ability.

How does danger affect the relationship?

Kathleen: Her characters are a detective and a park curator. Danger reveals a new side to each character, i.e. protectiveness of the hero and a broken heart in the heroine’s past. Also it shows that the heroine doesn’t crumple in the face of danger. Chris says danger in her stories brings her couple back together. They have to work to restart their relationship. Barbara says her hero is the sheriff. “Danger finds you no matter where or who you are. Thing happen.” Hers is a loving couple. “Every day, if it’s the last one, it’s a good one.” Elizabeth’s hero is a police officer. He overrides his training and instincts to put the heroine ahead. In Kate’s story, the woman is a suspect but the hero grows to protect her. Danger heightens the sexual tension between them.

Does your couple need or seek out danger? If it wasn’t there, what else would they need?

Kate says her couple wasn’t brought together by murder but that murder found them. Her heroine is open, free, loving. Her hero is a James Bond, by-the-book type. He feels fear for her safety. Elizabeth’s hero is an inspector who wants a quiet, peaceful life away from work. He warns the heroine away from every case, but she’s curious and can’t leave it alone. He’s unable to keep his work separate from her. Barbara’s heroine listens to gossip and lets the hero do the detecting. They’d like to have a normal life. Chris: Finding people who need protection is their purpose. They each possess a strong protective instinct but in different ways. They are willing to take risks so that others can have a better chance at life. Kathleen’s hero doesn’t want the heroine involved but he needs the info she can provide, so she gets sucked into the situation. They each define danger differently. Solitude and wilderness don’t frighten her when she goes to a deserted island to restore a lighthouse, but he’s concerned about the isolation. So they define danger differently.

How do you work in the lightness and levity of romance with the darkness of murder?

Chris’s romances are more inspirational so they’re not graphic. The couple was married but the marriage ended over guilt from her sister’s death. Dark issues and pain are involved and they have to work out these problems. Elizabeth: Her heroine was a witness that the hero interviewed and subsequently liked, so their romance progresses slowly. In her stories, the romance offers comfort and security for people in their 50s, so it’s a different angle. Kate also writes romance for Harlequin. “A good romance has heavy conflict so I don’t consider that part to be light even though I don’t write dark, deep mysteries.” She adds humor in other ways like with secondary characters. Kathleen has an inner plot or personal conflict that affects the outer plot. Barbara has a married couple who are loyal and faithful to each other. Tender moments enter into the story on occasion.

For the cozy genre, what do you use to create the mood for sex?

In Kathleen’s stories, the relationship is progressing slowly. She says the power of suggestion can be incredibly sexy and better than spelling things out on the page. Chris’s couple needs to rebuild trust in their relationship. It’s more about caring and the “little things” the couple does for each other. Barbara’s characters long for each other when they’re apart. She agrees that it’s the little things, too. Elizabeth says intimacy can be pretty sexy, more so than overt sexuality. Her hero thinks about the heroine often. “It’s more about love than sex, but they’re inching toward it.” In Kate’s mysteries, nothing is overt. “Little moments are sweet but they can’t stop to consider them because they have to solve the crime.” You get the feeling that the relationship is growing.

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I took a break after this panel, skipping some of the events and going out to lunch with family until the Agatha Tea later that afternoon. If I’d known we would be served little sandwiches, scones, cheese and fruit, I wouldn’t have eaten so much earlier! This final event was well attended and then it was time to say goodbye.

Elizabeth Zelvin

Carole Nelson Douglas and Nancy Cohen

Our drive home was uneventful except for a stop at a historic house in South Carolina and a couple of country stores where we bought Peach cider, pecan meal (ground pecans—great for coating tilapia before frying), cinnamon honey, and peach jam.

Historical Museum House

     

Front View

Magnolias in Bloom

     

250 year old live oak

Stone gator at foot of tree

Face in the Tree! Is it the tree god from Warrior Prince?

Coming Next: Guest Blogger Peg Herring on Tuesday, May 8!

Writing Southern Mysteries

Malice Domestic Conference: Writing Southern Mysteries

Saturday morning at the Malice Domestic conference in Bethesda began with a New Authors Breakfast wherein two dozen newly published authors spoke briefly about their works. It was a great way to get to know these newbies and to discover interesting reads.

Writers’ conferences are often more about networking than attending workshops, but I did manage to attend three sessions. One of them was for writers by “The Poison Lady” on how to kill people using alcohol. I won’t be repeating that information here, but I’ll tell you about the other two panels for fans.

Early in the day, I greeted Dana Cameron, Charlaine Harris, Ellen Byerrum, Joanna Campbell Slan, and Neil Plakcy, among other writer friends. Besides Neil, Joanna and myself, Elaine Viets and Deborah Sharp were present from Florida MWA. We discussed marketing ideas and met new readers. I was able to display my promo materials in the hospitality suite, peruse the silent auction items, and greet booksellers in the dealers’ room.

Nancy Cohen and Dana Cameron

Live Auction

Ellen Byerrum and Hank Phillippi Ryan

Southern Mysteries Panelists

The first workshop I attended was on Southern Mysteries. Panelists were Sandra Parshall, moderator, whose mysteries are set in Virginia. Lisa Wysocky sets her series around horses. Erika Chase’s books are set in Alabama. Leann Sweeney’s cat mysteries take place in South Carolina. Christy Fifield’s haunted shop series is located in Florida. And Miranda James (aka Dean James) writes about a male librarian in Mississippi. Following are the questions posed by the moderator. Disclaimer: These interpretations are based on my notes and the paraphrasing is accurate to the best of my ability.

What is your personal connection to the South?

Miranda grew up in Mississippi in generations of farmers. He moved to Houston and went to grad school and became a librarian. Christy married a Southerner whose family comes from Alabama. Leann went to where her husband’s job took them to Texas and hopes to move to South Carolina someday. Erika loves horses and was captivated by Southern culture. Lisa moved to the South and also loves horses. “Characters in the South are wonderful fodder for mysteries.”

What is special about the South?

Leann: “What’s so wonderful about the South is there are all these secrets.” People are very polite and courteous, and they use indirect routes of speech as opposed to Northerners who say what they mean. Miranda: People in the South beat around the bush when speaking. “How many of you know the two meanings of ‘Bless your heart’?” It’s all in how you say it. Lisa: “History in the South is so much more fascinating than in the North.” Erika: “The word southern conjures the imagination, as in southern lady or southern gentleman.”

Tell us about your settings.

Lisa’s books are set in Tennessee where “many eccentric people live.” Christy’s stories are set in a small Florida town dependent on tourism. She loves the Florida Panhandle. Sandra’s mysteries take place in Virginia, while Miranda’s are set in Mississippi. Leann favors South Carolina, and Erika’s stories are centered in Alabama. Quite a variety!

How do you deal with darker issues?

Lisa approached the theme of child neglect with humor so that the humor balances the darkness. Erika doesn’t deal with any Gothic themes beyond murder. She says secrets from the past affect her characters, who help each other through them. Leann says her editor helps her balance the light and the dark. “Secrets are dangerous, and I want the reader to feel that tension throughout the book.” She often deals with dysfunctional family issues.

Christy has a main character who is a ghost. Another character is the ghost’s acquaintance, and their relationship goes back to a more turbulent time in history. She indicates how racial relationships in the South are still a fact of life there. It’s tough to balance those elements with the lightness of a cozy. Miranda likes to make the reader forget about their problems when reading his books. So he aims for a balance between real southern issues and a lighter mystery.

How do you include accents?

Miranda offers colloquial expressions and rhythm of speech instead of heavily accented speech which can be distracting to the reader. She says to be aware that certain words may be used differently. For example, do the people in a locale say cellar or basement? Erika says the flavor of interactions is more important than the words themselves.

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Later that afternoon, I was on a panel called Living with the Seven Deadly Sins: Mysteries as Modern Morality Plays. Moderated by Art Taylor, our panel included R. J. Hartlick, Carolyn Hart, Tracy Kiely, Margaret Maron, and myself. I discussed the value of relationships among the characters in a mystery and how that’s the focus of my stories. We joined other afternoon panelists at a booksigning later.

Lisa Wysocky, Maggie Toussaint, Nancy Cohen

Nancy and Tracy Kiely

Lorna Barrett and Nancy Cohen

Nancy Cohen and Jacqueline Corcoran

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Saturday night, we attended the Agatha Awards Banquet. I didn’t take pix here, too many people, and it was a long evening.

Coming Next: The New Nick and Noras: Mixing Romance and Murder

Washington D.C.

On a chilly day in April, we visited downtown Washington D.C. the day before Malice Domestic was to begin. It was so exciting to descend deep into the ground on a steep escalator, to join the hustle and bustle of people rushing to and fro, and to hear the rumble of an approaching train. When you’re not used to cities, riding the subway becomes an adventure on its own. We bought a ticket at the Metro station next to the Hyatt Regency Bethesda where we were staying and took the red line into town. I noted the urban style clothing: i.e. darker colors than we see in South Florida, closed toe shoes instead of sandals, men in suits. It was totally a different atmosphere than back home where people wear shorts and tank tops. I rode the train with a sense of wonder.Then we emerged outside, where the sky was overcast and the fifties temperature had prompted me to wear my North Face insulated jacket. We took a stroll around the White House and the executive office buildings surrounding it, noting the various gated entries. We passed the Renwick Gallery, an intriguing museum of decorative arts that I’d like to visit next time. And then we dined at our favorite place, the Old Ebbitt Grill.

Washington Monument

White House

View from White House

Gated Entry

Other Impressive Building

Renwick Gallery

After lunch, we visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I enjoyed the exhibit of First Lady gowns. But then panic assailed me when I realized my prescription sunglasses were missing from their perch on my handbag. We went everywhere peering at the ground searching for them. Then my brilliant niece suggested looking up. If someone had found the glasses, this person might have put them on a display case to keep them from being trampled.

She was right! She spotted them atop a glass case and I secured them. Whew! Smart tip. Remember this advice if you lose an item in a crowd.

Old Ebbitt Grill

Inside Restaurant

Crab Cake lunch

We toured exhibits of musical instruments, historical trains and cars and trolleys, and memorabilia from the American Presidency. Tired from our explorations, we trooped outside to the Metro station and rode back to the hotel. Dinner was Italian night with relatives. We visited with family again the next day. As it had dawned into the forties, we entertained ourselves at a local mall. Friday night, I attended the Malice Domestic welcome reception. And then the conference began in earnest for me.

First Lady Gown

Michelle Obama gown

Detail on Dress

Coming next: Panel Discussion on Southern Mysteries.

Sleuthfest: Part 1

SleuthFest Orlando 2012

I had a great time at Sleuthfest held in Orlando this year. Attendance was fabulous and everyone was friendly and eager to make new friends. The Royal Plaza worked out fine, just minutes from Downtown Disney. Aside from speaking on three panels, I attended several sessions that I will describe for you here. Day 1 began on Thursday with a special fee and workshops for aspiring authors. You could also sign up for evening events, but since we have a condo in the area, I didn’t partake of the dinner opportunities except for the final night. So beginning on Friday, here is a summary of what I learned. Any errors in interpretation or transcription are mine.

Registration Desk

THE PLOT THICKENS with Keith Thomson, Elizabeth Hand, Chris Grabenstein (moderator), Michael Wiley, Maris Soule, and John Gilstrap.

Chris uses a paradigm for screenwriters. Consider a two hour movie. Plot Point 1 is where a twist turns the film in another direction. It occurs about 30 minutes in. Act 2 is midway, at 60 minutes. Then there’s another Plot Twist at 90 minutes. He used Sister Act with Whoopie Goldberg as an example. She’s a nightclub singer who confronts her lover only to witness him getting killed by the Mob. The FBI puts her into witness protection at a convent, which is Plot Point 1. During the first half, she hates the place and wants to leave. Midway, she goes out with the nuns and has a good time. Act 2, Part 2—She’s making the best of her situation and teaching the nuns to sing in the choir. This section ends with Plot Point 2: The mobsters see her on TV. Act 3 is a chase scene where the thugs are after her. For a 50,000 word book, the plot points would come at 12,500, 25,000, and 37,500 and then a final twist at the end.

John outlines the beginning, middle, and end. He includes character development in his plotting. Changes to main characters occur slowly over the course of a multi-book canvas. In a hostage rescue tale, the kidnap victim might be the one who has a full story arc. The bad guys also need to be well motivated. What do they want? What do they have to hide? What’s at stake in the big picture?

Keith says to “concentrate on one or two fundamentals.” Get a character up a tree and then figure out how to get him down.

Michael writes a PI series set in Chicago. He devises strong beginnings and endings. Michael explained three types of plot:

1. Take two seemingly unrelated story threads and weave them together.

2. Have historical and present day dimensions that relate to each other later on.

3. Go from Point A to Point Z without any secondary story. A hostage situation or a bomb about to explode would go here. This is often the choice for thrillers.

He sets up his conflict within the first few pages rather than choosing to build it slowly. Within the first fifty pages, the reader may suspect who is the bad guy but then doubts are raised with twists and turns. Two-thirds of the way through, there’s a crisis followed by a chase. At the end is a final twist, so the bad guy might turn out to be someone else.

Elizabeth comes from a playwriting background. “Everything should come from character.” She doesn’t outline. She’ll create a memorable character and follow that character wherever he goes. She’s drawn to disturbing landscapes. “What could possibly go wrong here?” Find a place where things can happen and then put your character there. A cascade of reactions follows. Elizabeth may have two endings in mind and not know until she gets there which way the character will go. That brings an element of surprise to the story.

Maris, an art major and teacher, says “You pick up plotting from the act of having read.” She began her career in romance writing and had to write synopses as a sales tool. So she knows the beginning and end but the “middle can become the hairy thing.” She recommends Debra Dixon’s book on GMC: Goal, Motivation & Conflict and Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structures for Writers.

Chris recommends Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee. If a scene starts positive, he says, it should end negative—and vice versa.

FAMILY TIES with Hank Phillippi Ryan (moderator), Julie Compton, Reed Farrel Coleman, Patricia Gussin, Donna Andrews, and Nancy J. Cohen.

I participated on this panel. We discussed the importance of family ties in our mysteries, and I added how this factor motivates the characters in my romances as well. It doesn’t matter if the story is set in modern day times, a historical setting, or outer space. Family is what matters to our protagonists.

Our stories center around relationships. In the mystery/suspense genre, the focus may be on the criminal’s background and what made him the way he is, the victim’s family and how the crime affects them, or the relationships among the suspects. Plus, giving your sleuth a dynamic relationship with family and friends will round her out and make her more real.

Vicki Landis, Gregg Brickman, Ann Meier, the Boa Ladies selling raffle tickets.

Coming Next: Bestselling Author Jeffery Deaver’s Luncheon Speech

Conference Prep

How long does it take you to prepare for a writers conference? Soon I’ll be heading off to the Space Coast Writers Guild Conference in Cocoa Beach, SleuthFest in Orlando, and Malice Domestic in Bethesda. It can take me up to a week to get ready for each event.

Conferences necessitate a lot of preparation, especially if you’re going as a speaker. Aside from determining what you hope to accomplish, i.e. attending specialized craft sessions, learning about new publishing options, meeting editors, etc., there’s the physical prep. Here’s a checklist of things to consider.

1. Prepare for your talks. If you’re a panelist, it’s easier because you don’t have to do much prep, unless each person is expected to give a presentation. Moderator-run panels mean more work for the moderator but less work for the panel guests. If you are conducting a workshop on your own, you’ll need to compose or update your material.     
2. Get copies made of handouts. If you’re speaking on different topics, assemble each handout in a separate manila envelope to keep them organized.
3. Order business cards unless you have them ready. Consider updating them with QR codes or with your social network URLs.
4. Pack brochures, bookmarks, and flyers about your books.
5. If you are driving, toss a box of extra books into your trunk in case the bookseller in charge of the signing doesn’t get your books in time. Bring a checkbook because the bookseller might offer to sell you leftover stock at a discounted price. Also consider giving away a book or two at your talks as a door prize or at the Q&A session.
6. If you’re donating a raffle basket, get this ready.
7. Bring a signup sheet for your newsletter.
8. Print out the conference workshop schedule and highlight your appearances. List these on your website and other online sites and include these papers in your suitcase. Bring a highlighter along so you can go through the conference schedule on site and mark things you want to attend.
9. Box promotional items for goody rooms, i.e. pens, magnets, and other swag.
10. Print out contact info for friends you hope to meet at the conference.
11. Decide which outfits to wear to the different events. Business attire for daytime, dressier clothes for evening? Don’t forget matching shoes, handbags, and jewelry.
    

    Nancy Cohen, Allison Chase, Cynthia Thomason

12. If you’re driving, print out directions to the venue. If you’re flying, make sure you have all the required documents.
13. Determine what gadgets to bring along: iPad or Laptop? Kindle or Nook? Camera to photograph authors, panelists, and parties so you can document your post-conference blog?
14. Notebook to take notes.
15. Sharpie pens for signing books and ballpoint pens for note taking.
16. All the usual things you bring when traveling: toiletries, cosmetics, medicines, etc.

And the countdown begins. What else would you add to this list?

     

Ninc Conference

“Brainstorming on the Beach” Conference with Novelists, Inc.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

We checked in for the Novelists, Inc. conference at Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. In the lobby, I met authors Cynthia Thomason, Brenda Hiatt Barber, Thea Devine, Ruth Glick, Judy Fitzwater, Barbara Keiler, Annette Mahon, Patricia Rosemoor, and Mary Stella.  It’s great seeing people I haven’t met up with in a while and meeting new friends, especially folks I’ve only seen online. It’s always good to match a face with a name.

Consisting of multiple buildings, the Island Grand portion of the Tradewinds Resort occupies several acres and includes beachfront property, numerous pools, picturesque footbridges over meandering canals, swans, plus several restaurants and bars.  We went over to a tiki hut our first day.  I had a Trade Winds Sunrise, a mixed rum drink, and hubbie and I split a potato skins appetizer. We ate dinner later in Beef O’Grady’s sports bar, a noisy venue with a reasonably priced menu.  We watched the spectacular sunset over the water as the blazing tangerine orb sank into the horizon.           

One of many pools

We had a standard suite, with a comfortable sitting area and a mini-kitchen separated from the bedroom and bathroom by a regular door. There are old-fashioned TVs in each room.  Shampoo, lotion, bar soap, conditioner are supplied. There’s a coffeemaker in the kitchen with packaged supplies. The staff are all very courteous throughout the place. Guests can get Starbucks coffee at a bar in the main lobby beginning at 6am.  Breakfast in the Bermudas dining room opens at 7am. My single complaint is that the soundproofing could be better in the rooms. I could hear outside noise through the doors/windows. Otherwise, it’s a lovely resort with many facilities and activities throughout the property.

Beach

                                                   

Swan

                                                           

Tiki Bar

                                                                

Sunset

RWA 2010: Day 2

RWA NATIONAL CONFERENCE, ORLANDO 2010

Thursday, July 29

The morning’s annual RWA meeting was followed by a keynote luncheon featuring NY Times bestselling author Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb. 

Nora Roberts signs her books

 NORA ROBERTS Keynote Luncheon

Nora spoke about how technology changed from when she started writing in the days of typewriters.  Writers used to go to the library for research, wrote letters by hand, and made phone calls on land line telephones.  RWA started in Houston in the early 1980s, and Nora’s friends from those early days stayed with her throughout life.  RWA provides networking and education and is a springboard for publishing. 

Even though technology has changed, there are more opportunities in romance today. She talked about how we have to stay in the pool and avoid excuses like it’s too cold or we’re too tired or there are too many people crowding the water.  Getting published is “supposed to be hard.  Hard is what makes it special.”  And regarding the value of RWA, “No one should have to face the hard alone.” 

Lunch with Zelda Benjamin (left) and Sandra Madden (right)

 

Publisher Lou Aronica’s State of the Industry Address at the PAN Retreat

“Slightly down is the new up” in this economy.  Only a few bestselling titles sustain the publishing houses, according to veteran publisher Lou Aronica.  Sales at the bottom of the list are low, as in dozens of copies sold.  It’s very hard to sell a novel today even though many romance programs are fully sustainable.  Sales at Amazon are up while Barnes & Noble sales are flat and Borders is having problems.  Bookstores are in trouble like the CD music stores.  Barnes & Noble realizes their brick-and-mortar stores are in jeopardy because consumers prefer to buy books online.  Amazon buyers purchase books they are looking for in particular. The main problem there is that we cannot duplicate the bookstore browsing experience.  There’s no place for impulse buyers. Amazon tries with their “if you like this book, then you’ll like…” but they mostly recommend bestsellers.  Few readers are discovering new fiction online. 

 E-books are changing everything.  Few people estimate the speed of change.  It was predicted there would be 11 million ebook readers by the end of 2011 but we’ve already reached this level.  3 million iPads were sold by the end of last month.  Before Kindle hit the market at the end of 2007, a few e-reader devices were available but not many people were interested.  Now it’s a different story.  But with soaring e-book sales, consumers don’t want to spend more than $12.99 on an e-book.  This loss in sales revenue concerns publishers and bookstores.  Barnes & Noble is making an effort by allowing consumers to read ebooks for free in their stores and to preview books they see on the shelves that way.  Booksellers may promote the store as a social site for people to hang out, but if nobody buys print books from them, what then?  CD stores went out of business because listeners wanted to buy online.  Readers like the price and convenience of buying e-books online.  It eliminates the need for manufacturing, distribution, and returns.  This means a publisher could potentially make more money by selling an increased number of books for less.  However, marketing is critical because the browsing experience is lost.  Far more effort has to be put into marketing, plus ebook prices have to rise to return a profit.

Publishing to date has been a business-to-business industry.  It goes from publisher to bookseller to consumer.  Now, however, there is a business-to-consumer model, a demand market instead of an impulse market.  New books go unsold because readers know what they want when they go online.  Many publishers don’t have the staff, training, or interest in consumer marketing.  So authors have to take charge of marketing their own work.  As a writer, you need to find a community of readers specific to your book and market directly to them, but this requires time and money.  Social media is a necessity.  Book reviews used to drive sales and so did independent booksellers, but this is not the case anymore.  Bloggers fill this void.  Authors should reach out to bloggers who have a passion for reading.  Again, this can be very time consuming. 

 If no one is printing or distributing the book, why do we need a publisher?  Lou offers these reasons:

• Editorial input
• Advances
• Marketing
• Multimedia access

More niche publishers are yet to come with expertise in locating readers.  Connecting to individual readers will rise in importance.  Lou foresees a Renaissance and says it’s ”a great age to be a writer.”

Nancy Cohen, Allison Chase, Sharon Hartley

 Writing  in Multiple Subgenres: the Pros and Cons of Branching Out

Panel with authors ANN AGUIRRE, CYNTHIA EDEN, BETH KERY, ELISABETH NAUGHTON, JULIANA STONE, and BETH WILLIAMSON

I sat next to author LAURA BRADFORD who writes romance and mystery. It was nice to meet her. Panelist ANN AGUIRRE said she keeps her work fresh by writing in multiple genres.  She takes a week off between books.  She wanted to write a science fiction book women could enjoy and that inspired her popular Jax series.  She would not want to settle down writing just one genre.  CYNTHIA EDEN said she writes very fast and can do a draft in six weeks.  The advantage of writing in multiple genres is you can produce as many books as you want although you may need a pseudonym.  You can meet reader expectations in a new genre by writing with the same voice.  ”Don’t be afraid” to try a new genre.  The cons of writing multiple genres are:

• Fans may not cross over if they’re dedicated genre readers.
• Multiple websites and promo may be necessary for pen names and this can get costly.  
• Fans want you to stay in the genre they like.
• It can dilute your brand.  You should be clear with your labeling on your website and other sites.
• Your publishers may expect you to write two or more books a year.

One author suggests doing double-sided promo items to separate the genres which can save you money.  Connecting websites can be a way to attract crossover readers.  But heed this caveat: “The only thing worse than not selling is overselling.”  In other words, don’t overbook yourself when setting deadlines.  Allow time for vacations, edits, page proofs, blog tours, etc.  And just because Author X writes 10 pages a day doesn’t mean you have to produce the same.  Everyone is different.  Do what suits your lifestyle.

 Paranormals

Panel with authors KELLEY ARMSTRONG, JEANIENE FROST, TERRI GAREY, COLLEEN GLEASON, JULIANA STONE, and CHERYL WILSON

The panelists discussed the differences between paranormal romance and urban fantasy.  Paranormal romance has the happy ever after ending expected in the romance genre along with spin-off sequels, while urban fantasy employs first-person viewpoint and will have the same character recurrent in a series.  However, these lines are blurring as some PNRs may have recurring heroines and some UFs may be less gritty. One author defined fantasy as more Tolkien in scope, while PNR involved “things that go bump in the night.” Whatever the subgenre, world building rules must be consistent.  We may be seeing more stories based on mythology because this is still a “rich area to mine.” 

The panelists spoke about their world building process.  One author first defines her forces of conflict, i.e., good versus evil.  Then she goes from the macro level down to the micro level starting with government and ending with daily life.  What is unique about your world must be essential to your story.  What does the culture value the most and what will they do to protect it? 

Our last workshop on Thursday finished at 5:30.  We headed off for drinks at the bar with our FRW pals: President KRISTIN WALLACE, KATHLEEN PICKERING, ONA BUSTOS, MICHAEL MEESKE, MONA RISK, CAROL STEPHENSON, DEBBIE ANDREWS, and more. Publicist JOAN SCHULHAFER stopped by to say hello. So did CFRW members DARA EDMONSON aka WYNTER DANIELS and CFRW prez LORENA STREETER.  Then we all split to find dinner.

More workshop writeups coming over the weekend.  Hit the Subscribe button if you want to stay informed about new posts.

Disclaimer: These workshop reports are based on my notes and are subject to my interpretation. 

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Prize drawing from August commenters at all my blogging sites for a free signed book from my personal backlist collection, your choice of paranormal/futuristic romance or Bad Hair Day mystery.

Friday, August 6: I’ll be blogging on Secrets and Suspense at http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/

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