Soon after I returned home from the RWA conference in Orlando, I received a phone call at work from my older brother.

Of course, if you knew my brother, you would immediately understand why either of those two scenarios alone (1. Calling me, 2. At work) would cause me concern. Put them together, and one has a recipe for a full-fledged panic attack. All this rammed through my head before he said two words.

His message? “Mom’s not doing well and she won’t go to the doctor. Can you call her? She listens to you.”

If I wasn’t so afraid, I would have choked on a snort of laughter. Mom listen to me? Right.

What you may have surmised from the title of this post is that my mom has emphysema. A few months back, the doctor diagnosed her at the moderate phase of the disease. Depending on whom you ask, this could be stage 2 or 3 (out of 4). You’re probably thinking—shouldn’t her doctor be able to clarify which phase she’s in? Yep, he should. But he merely smiles when she asks. The doctor’s 88 years old.

Back to the story–I hadn’t been home in a while, so I told my brother that I’d make a trip down there (5 hours away) after work and cart her off to the doctor the next day.

His next bombshell? “I think she’s beyond her regular doctor. She needs to go to the hospital.”

Ooookay. After this pronouncement, I’m already looking at my calendar to see what appointments need to be shifted around while my brother’s busy explaining all the bullying tactics he’s already tried. Unfortunately, my brother has his own health issues and doesn’t drive, so there’s really only so much he can do.

Fast forward a few hours. My mother, who would rather gnaw off her right arm than go to the doctor, had actually called the paramedics before I ever made it to my hometown. A sense of relief and terror struck me at the same time. Relief, because I now knew she was in good hands. Terror, because I knew she must be very sick to have called 911.

Over the next few days, I spent many hours in the hospital, keeping Mom company, asking questions of the medical staff, and catching up with my brothers. On top of the emphysema, we found out that Mom had contracted a bad case of pneumonia. Talk about a double bad deal.

By the fourth day, Mom was laughing and terrorizing the nurses, so I made a mad dash home to take care of some business issues, then returned downstate when I got word she was being released.

Thank goodness I did. In her 72 years, the strongest medication my mom’s ever taken was Advil and Aleve. Now, she’s plugged into an oxygen concentrator 24/7 and is taking a phlethora of other breathing medications. My brothers are great, but they’re not list makers. Mom needed a list. Actually, she needed several of them to keep up with her meds and the maintenance of her oxygen equipment.

During these two weeks, my mom started calling me bossy. She laughed at the idea of her youngest taking control of the situation. Getting things done. Ensuring she had nurses and home care workers checking on her.

You see, Mom and I have never really had a super close relationship. We’ve always loved each other, but we never felt the need to say “I love you” much, or be all huggy-feely with each other.

So, even though she harassed me about being bossy, she started saying “I love you” each night when I left for the evening. I would return the gesture and top it off with a hug.

On and on it went until it was time for me to leave. When I leaned down to hug her goodbye, she began to cry. I’d never seen my mom cry before. Leaving her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

When I reached home, I called my mom to let her know I’d made it back safe. She asked me when I was planning on returning. Now it was my turn to cry, for I had just received an invitation to return.

In the twenty years I’ve been away from my hometown, away from my mom, I’ve never been encouraged to visit. Never.

So, what did emphysema teach me above love?

It’s never too late.

* * *

RU Readers, have you or your family ever been touched by an illness that made you look at life in a whole new way?

Writer and RWA board member Ruth Kaufman lets us in on her secret to overcoming writer’s block. Be sure to stop by!

Tracey’s bio:

Tracey Devlyn writes historical romance with a dash of danger. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Windy City, Hearts Through History, The Beau Monde and Kiss of Death Romance Writers of America chapters.

Her first release, A LADY’S REVENGE, hits the bookstores October 2011.

Tracey lives in the Midwest with her once-in-a-lifetime husband and their alpha puppy. For more information, please visit www.TraceyDevlyn.com.

Today, we’re continuing our segment Year of the Sub-genre with a look at young adult romance. I’m pleased to welcome New York Times Bestselling author Simone Elkeles and Young Adult Librarian Amy Alessio to the discussion. Amy has graciously agreed to stop by a few times throughout the day to answer your questions. Simone’s on a crazy book deadline and will check in if she gets a free moment.

So let’s get to it!

Tracey: How would you define the young adult sub-genre?

Simone: Young Adult literature is such a broad category, which is what makes it so exciting to be a YA author.  I have infinite possibilities; every day more sub-genres are added to the genres you typically find adult literature (romance, mystery, science fiction).

Amy: From books of all lengths, graphic novels, enhanced e-books and video game book-tie ins, there is something to capture the attention of all young adults these days.  Mostly a YA book will have a main character who is a YA, or is non-fiction on a subject of interest to young adults presented in a teen friendly format.   The Young Adult Library Services Association (www.ala.org/yalsa) defines young adults as people ages 12 – 18, but it’s a little harder to define the genre, as it has as many formats and subjects as adult materials.

Tracey: What is your opinion of the state of this sub-genre today?

Simone: Young Adult literature is really on the rise.  It’s so great teens are reading more and being so passionate about books they love.  I think teens are finding that their opinions about books really matter, and authors are trying to write what they’ll like.  It’s also great that a lot of teachers and librarians really know what teens want to read, so definitely ask them their opinion because they are a great resource.   I’m so lucky to be writing teen romances and can’t imagine doing anything else.

Amy: We are in the golden age of young adult literature. The Michael Printz Award (www.ala.org/yalsa) for Excellence in Young Adult Literature has been around for over ten years, and YALSA also has awards for debut authors, nonfiction for teens and impact of a book or author. There are also lists of graphic novels, teen favorites and more. The Harry Potter series drove hardcover sales of books for young adults into a new tier for publishing, and was followed by the popular Eragon series, Twilight and now the Hunger Games. Subjects cover issues of interest to all teens – from GLBTQ and racially diverse teens to every literary genre and titles in settings all over the globe (and beyond). While SE Hinton began to bring teens powerful issue type books with gangs and lower income teens decades ago, many new authors are writing now about the realities of today’s teens.  (By the way – 5^th graders read SE Hinton now…)

Tracey: What sub-genres do you feel are hot right now?

Simone: Vampire Romance seems to be very popular right now.  The supernatural romance is also a big sub-genre right now.  Thanks to the wonderful book The Hunger Games, Dystopian literature is also a very hot genre for teens.

Amy: I see more and more nonfiction readers among teens, as more publishers are offering interesting things for them. I still see a lot of paranormal romances, but more with new creatures like werewolves, zombies and angels.  Maggie Stiefvater and Lauren Kate are frontrunners among those. There are a lot of dystopian futuristic titles that are pretty grim but still popular.  I’m writing a reference book on teen mysteries, and I’m happy to see that we are finally seeing more mystery and suspense titles even for older teens. The Pretty Little Liars TV show is helping there too.  And I’m also really thankful that more diverse characters and cultural storylines are heading into the forefront. My teens at the library are happy to see themselves in books.

Tracey: Do you see any areas of this sub-genre writers should avoid? Move toward?

Simone: In writing for teens, I try to keep my language as natural as possible – I write how I talk.  I remember that one of the reasons I hatedreading as a teen was because the language of the books I was required to read was so flowery and BORING.  I have a short attention span, so I write what I think I would have liked as a teen.  Writers should avoid writing for teens if they are not young at heart and don’t have a passion for it.  Don’t force it.

Amy:  There are definitely genres on their way out. But keep in mind that teens are usually only reading YA from about 7^th grade – 10^th grade, so new teen find trends all the time. I believe publishers are getting tired of vampires for now.  The designer chick-lit gossip girl type of books seem to be growing up into better plots and less superficial titles now, too.

A while ago I interviewed some editors from Simon and Schuster, Candlewick and Harlequin Teen on what is coming up for a YARWA newsletter. All three were interested in steampunk, horror but not vampire (read the excellent Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey), angels, realistic teen stories and more. Everyone is looking for something different. New writers should read recent award winners and best sellers and think how to approach subjects in a new way.

Tracey: What do you like best about this sub-genre? The least?

Simone: Teens are the best fans!   They are passionate and the emails I receive definitely inspire me to write more books.  When I get an email saying a teen hated to read but because of my books now loves to read it really is amazing and surreal.   What do I like least?  Nothing, really.  There are so many books out there for teens, there’s something for everyone!

Amy: Many adults are finding YA books great pleasure reading as YA authors have to capture readers’ interest quickly and sustain it. I have given The Hunger Games to many happy adult readers. I like that YA literature is always reinventing itself. I do wish there were more quality mystery series for teens now though, more books with intelligent teen boys that aren’t fantasy, science fiction for girls and definitely more diverse characters. I wish more publishers would develop bigger nonfiction lines for teens too that include intelligent, thought provoking subjects and not just Cosmo-type quizzes.

Tracey: How do you think this sub-genre has changed in the last five years?

Simone: I think book trailers are really revolutionizing the entire book industry, but especially in YA literature.  Teens are very visual.  They might not read a book critique to find out what books they might like.  But, if they find a book trailer on YouTube that catches their interest, they’re probably going to read the book and tell their friends about it.  I filmed a book trailer for Rules of Attraction (the 2nd book in my Perfect Chemistry series) that looks just like a movie trailer.  It’s been a big hit on youtube with over 70,000 hits!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhEx0kaUlrU

Amy:  Paranormal stories really grew, and graphic novels gained acceptance. Everyone is doing them these days – from Meyer to Evanovich to Patterson. Television and movies have really boosted mainstream interest in YA books also, both graphic novels and traditional print titles. Five years ago I got a lot of challenges from folks who wanted me to remove graphic novels from the library. Now we hear more about video games!

Tracey: Advice you have for writers who want to break into this sub-genre?
Simone: I will give the same advice I give any aspiring author.  Don’t give up!  It took me 5 years to get published, and believe me, I got plenty ofrejection letters in those five years!  Now I’m on the NY Times bestseller list.  It’s been an amazing journey and I hope it will last for a long, long time!

Amy: People who want to write for teens should strive to learn about the books they read and what interests them, and try to write in a realistic way about their life.

I see a lot of new YA writers who contact me at the library wanting to ‘teach teens writing.’ Most libraries have longstanding teen advisory boards as well as writing and/or drawing clubs already. Try and market in a new, creative way – not just a facebook, but facebook trivia and games. Or design a craft program based on something in the book. There are many reference books in creative teen programs for ideas (I’ve co-written two…). Offer libraries something special for Teen Read Week or Teen Tech Week. If you don’t know about those, go to www.ala.org/yalsa and learn more.

Get to know some teens and have them check your writing to see if dialogue is realistic or if terms are dated, and get their opinion.  Remember they don’t hold back! Respect very smart and savvy teen readers and do not try to teach something with your writing other than how to enjoy a book!

* * *

Thanks Amy and Simone!

RU Crew, what is your take on the YA sub-genre? Share with us your favorite book(s) and why.

Be sure to stop back on Wednesday when Tracey Devlyn shares a personal story about emphysema, courage, and love.

Amy’s Bio:

Amy Alessio is a Teen Librarian at the Schaumburg Township District Library, where she has enjoyed teen input for over 12 years.  Nationally known, Amy has given over 80 presentations, including programs at RWA, ALA, PLA and RT. She co-authored A Year of Programs for Teens (ALA Editions, 2006) , with another volume to be published in 2010 and a guide on teen mysteries for 2011. She reviews teen titles for Crimespree Magazine and Teenreads.com, and is currently on the 2011 YALSA Margaret A. Edwards Award Committee. She has edited other professional titles, including Excellence in Library Services for Young Adults (YALSA, 2008). Amy is the author of two adult romantic suspense short stories. Her first Young Adult mystery is being published in 2013. Her first young adult mystery is under contract for 2013.

For over four years, she has also blogged about Vintage Cookbooks, her passion. She now enjoys talking about the fun food and recipe trends she sees in her collection of over 350 titles.  She is training her two young sons to bake and cook with her (or instead of her…) .Find about more about her, the blog and the schedule of her programs at www.amyalessio.com.

Simone’s Bio:

Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Her funny way of looking at life and the world around her has an effect on the people she hangs out with. If you hear people laughing, you’ll probably find Simone not far away.

Simone has also been voted the Illinois Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English.

Simone went to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and received her Bachelor’s of Science there in Psychology in 1992. She continued her education at Loyola University-Chicago where she received her Master’s of Science degree in Industrial Relations while working for a manufacturing company creating diversity programs for their employees.

She loves animals (she has two dogs – a labradoodle and a German Shepherd), kids (she also has two of those) and her family.  In her spare time she’s the Hockey Mom for her kids hockey teams and is an active Girl Scout leader specially trained in outdoor education.  She also spends time mentoring other teen and adult authors. (she also loves sushi, which you can probably tell by reading her books).

Simone writes about teens because she was a teen in the 80’s (when spiked hair and blue eye shadow were “rad”) and she loves writing about those exciting teen relationships and romances.

For more information, please visit her website www.simoneelkeles.net/

Hello, everyone!

RU has a fascinating week in store for you! Writing for YA on Monday, a personal story from our own Tracey Devlyn on Wednesday and Puzzle Writing on Friday. You won’t want to miss a single moment.

Mon, 8/30 – Crafting Your Career – Come find out what New York Times bestseller Simone Elkeles and YA librarian Amy Alessio have to say about writing in today’s Young Adult market.

Wed, 9/1 – Anatomy of the Mind – Tracey Devlyn shares a personal story about emphysema, courage, and love.

Fri, 9/3 – Chaos Thoery of Writing – Writer and RWA board member Ruth Kaufman discusses Puzzle Writing–a technique she uses to conquer writer’s block.

All Romance University lectures are generously provided by our Visiting Professors. RU is a tuition-free zone!

Best regards,

Adrienne Giordano, Tracey Devlyn, Carrie Spencer & Kelsey Browning

PS  - Want RU’s weekly lecture schedule in a cool new email format straight to your in-box? Sign up on RU’s homepage or any of the lecture posts!

UPDATE:

The Skip a Starbucks drive raised $4,065 to help bring Johanna home. Way to go, RU Crew!

Good Morning, RU Crew!  C.J. Redwine (one of our monthly columnists) has asked for our help in spreading the word about a fundraiser her family is hosting.  C.J. is in the final stages of adopting a baby from China and the process has taken them five long years.  Please take a moment and read C.J.’s story.

C.J.: We had three biological boys in four years and then I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I had a hysterectomy and while I mourned the fact that I couldn’t have any more biological children, I was certain our family wasn’t finished. My husband wasn’t so sure. I’d talked about adopting and I always saw us with a little girl from China. He came up with a ton of reasons why now wasn’t the right time to adopt. Then, on Mother’s Day of 2005, he leaned over to me in church and said, “We have a daughter in China. We need to start the adoption proceedings to bring her home.” I adjusted to this unexpected news (we hadn’t discussed adoption for months) in about 15 seconds.

The next day, we began researching adoption and we picked out her name: Johanna Faith. Johanna means God’s Gracious Gift and Faith is what it is taking to bring her home. We signed up with Chinese Children Adoption International agency based out of Colorado. We completed our stateside paperwork and homestudy within a few months, sent off our dossier to China with the understanding that it would be a 6-8 month wait, and eagerly planned to bring our daughter home. Soon, though, we began to hear rumors that the wait time was extending. Then we heard that the government had cracked down on orphanages who were receiving money from the state but who weren’t keeping all of their beds full and the wait slowed to a crawl. Our dreams of having her home for Christmas were dashed. And then our dreams for having her home in time for summer were dashed as well. Before we knew it, another Christmas had passed and we were still waiting. Meanwhile, the Olympics were coming to Beijing, and the word was most adoption processes would stop altogether because China didn’t want unfavorable international attention on their orphanages.

As the wait stretched from 8 months to three years, I struggled with depression. I could hardly bear Christmas, because she wasn’t yet there. I shut the door of her bedroom and left it closed because I couldn’t bear to walk past it in the hall. It hurt to think about having a child out there whom I couldn’t protect. Couldn’t love. Couldn’t save. Three years became four with no real change. Our homestudy expired. Our immigration petition expired. Three times. Our fingerprints expired. Four times. And China raised the orphanage and court fees by thousands while we waited. Suddenly, the cushion of money we’d fundraised at the start of this process was almost gone and China was picking up speed in their child match program.

In September, it will be five years since we officially started our adoption process to bring Johanna home. We expect to receive her picture, information, and permission to travel sometime by the middle of September.

I opened her bedroom door for the first time in 3 1/2 years.

And we need to raise $8,000 to cover travel and the cash required to pay the orphanage for Johanna’s freedom. The thought behind Skip a Starbucks Day is that if everyone who reads this post and feels a tug on their heart for the plight of a little orphaned Chinese girl would give up a personal indulgence (like a cup of coffee) and donate that money toward Johanna Faith’s journey home instead, we can raise the 8k we need. Thank you so much for be willing to help our daughter come home!

RU Crew, please help our friend C.J. by giving up a personal indulgence (i.e. Starbucks) for a day and use that money to help rescue little Johnanna.

C.J. has gathered some fun donated prizes for a grand prize giveaway on her blog (http://cjredwine.blogspot.com). Those items include: The boxed set of Harry Potter books, signed books from various authors, ARCS, baskets of homemade soap, jewelry, the Twilight Saga, etc. Every person who makes a donation will receive an entry into the grand prize giveaway on her blog.

Throughout 2010, Romance University is teaming up with RWA chapters and other groups for online writing class giveaways. During each giveaway month, join in the discussion during RU’s lectures, and for every comment, you’ll be entered into the giveaway drawing. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win a class!

For September, Yosemite Romance Writers has generously agreed to donate a class. Some of Yosemite’s upcoming classes include:  Plotting from Theme, Editing, Publishing in Today’s Market, Story Aerobics: Shaping Up Sagging Middles, Goal Setting, and Designed to Sell.

Thank you to Yosemite Romance Writers for their generosity, and to our readers for your continued support of Romance University!

If your group is interested in collaborating with Romance University for a class giveaway, please contact Kelsey at Kelsey@KelseyBrowning.com.

Morning, RU crew! We’re fortunate to have Laurie Schnebly Campbell join us once again to talk about character development. This time, she’ll tell us why our story hero shouldn’t be perfect and how we can effectively rub some dirt on him. Welcome, Laurie!

It’s always such fun to be with people who love writing — and reading!

A few weeks ago a writer friend asked me why her hero NEEDED a fatal flaw. Wouldn’t an ordinary flaw be good enough?

And I realized that it’s misleading to call these flaws fatal…because how often, at least in a happy-ending book, does the hero wind up dead?

(Okay, we won’t count the gorgeous vampires.)

But unless we’re writing about James Bond or someone else where the action matters more than the character, every single person we write about will have some kind of flaw.

Why? Because real-life people HAVE flaws. And it’s those defects, or the desire to overcome them, which can lead to our characters’ motivation.

SPEAKING OF MOTIVATION…

The fact is, virtually everyone — in fiction as well as in real life — is doing the best they can with what they’ve got.

A serial killer? Yep. A cheating spouse? Yep. A compulsive spender? Yep.

As writers, we can make those people every bit as easy to understand as the tax-paying, lawn-mowing, child-loving characters. (Maybe they’re one and the same.)

That doesn’t surprise anyone who knows that even the darkest villains have some plausible motivation for whatever they do.

It’s only natural. After all, none of us ever does ANYthing without a reason.

(If you just crossed your legs, you had a reason:  your body was uncomfortable in the old position. If you move to Antarctica, you have a reason:  maybe you got a job there, or someone you love got a job there and you’d rather be with this person in Antarctica than without them somewhere else. We don’t always think about our reasons for whatever we do, but no matter what we do, there’s a reason.)

So every character, just like every real-life person, is doing whatever they think will work best for them at this point in their life. Holing up in an ivory tower. Partying all night. Nurturing everyone they can get their hands on. Worrying about terrorism. Everyone picks what seems like the best way of getting along in the world.

And what they pick is a clue to their personality type. Which, again, is something that EVERYONE has.

We don’t care much about the cabbie who drives our hero to the train station, so that cabbie doesn’t need any special personality type or motivation…nor any fatal flaws. He doesn’t need to overcome any problems in his life or his personality.

But every major character has to overcome something in order to evolve during the course of the book. And that’s why we writers need to know our characters’ fatal flaws.

FINDING A FATAL FLAW

It’s handy that enneagram theorists have already identified a flaw for each of the nine personality types. “Ennea” (ANY-uh) is the Greek word for nine, and enneagrams are handy for counselors and personnel managers who want to understand the people they’re dealing with. Which makes them handy for writers as well!

Of course each type has its own special strengths as well as its own particular weakness. And our characters — just like all of us — manage to overcome their flaws most of the time.

But stress can bring out the worst in people. Yet we already know that stress, or conflict, is what keeps a story interesting. So our characters are going to come up against situations that reveal the worst of their flaws…which will give them the opportunity for a triumphant change.

No matter which type they are.

Each type’s name gives a clue to their strength, and their flaw is what happens when that strength is taken to extremes:

• Perfectionist One:  Anger when they (or anything else) isn’t perfect
• Nurturer Two:  Pride in being needed by everyone around them
• Achiever Three:  Deception to keep up their outstanding facade
• Romantic Four:  Envy because other’s lives seem MORE glorious
• Observer Five:  Avarice for more privacy and greater knowledge
• Skeptic Six:  Fear of possible danger to their loved ones (or self)
• Adventurer Seven:  Gluttony for every possible new experience
• Leader Eight:  Lust for power, to be in control of their surroundings
• Peacemaker Nine:  Sloth, keeping life comfortable and decision-free

See the possibilities? That’s only the beginning!

***

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…

I’ve talked enough, here, but if there’s anything you’d like to know about your characters or their types — or the types of anyone else in your life — I’ll be checking back for questions all day.

And anyone who speaks up will go into an end-of-the-day drawing to win free registration to one of my upcoming classes. So I’m rolling up my sleeves and hoping like crazy I won’t be the only person at the party today!

Laurie, who’d love it if you already KNOW your own (or your character’s) enneagram type — what is it?

RU Crew, stop by Monday for our Young Adult sub-genre segment with author Simone Elkeles and librarian Amy Alessio.

BIO

Laurie Schnebly Campbell, who beat out Nora Roberts for “Best Special Edition of the Year,” writes about finding a character’s most heroic traits and balancing those with traits that’ll create conflict…not only BETWEEN credible characters, but also WITHIN them. Apart from what’s covered in her character-building book, she’s teaching more about enneagrams online this fall — and you can see her workshops at www.BookLaurie.com.

UPDATE:

On Monday, we raised $3,053!! That’s over 1/3 of the way toward our goal!

C.J. still needs our help, though. She’s looking at over $8,000 in expenses and travel to bring little Johanna home from China. As an added incentive, C.J.’s friends have donated some awesome prize giveaways to folks who donate.

Please click on the Starbucks button below for more information on how you can help!

Good Morning, RU Crew!  C.J. Redwine (one of our monthly columnists) has asked for our help in spreading the word about a fundraiser her family is hosting.  C.J. is in the final stages of adopting a baby from China and the process has taken them five long years.  Please take a moment and read C.J.’s story.

C.J.: We had three biological boys in four years and then I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I had a hysterectomy and while I mourned the fact that I couldn’t have any more biological children, I was certain our family wasn’t finished. My husband wasn’t so sure. I’d talked about adopting and I always saw us with a little girl from China. He came up with a ton of reasons why now wasn’t the right time to adopt. Then, on Mother’s Day of 2005, he leaned over to me in church and said, “We have a daughter in China. We need to start the adoption proceedings to bring her home.” I adjusted to this unexpected news (we hadn’t discussed adoption for months) in about 15 seconds.

The next day, we began researching adoption and we picked out her name: Johanna Faith. Johanna means God’s Gracious Gift and Faith is what it is taking to bring her home. We signed up with Chinese Children Adoption International agency based out of Colorado. We completed our stateside paperwork and homestudy within a few months, sent off our dossier to China with the understanding that it would be a 6-8 month wait, and eagerly planned to bring our daughter home. Soon, though, we began to hear rumors that the wait time was extending. Then we heard that the government had cracked down on orphanages who were receiving money from the state but who weren’t keeping all of their beds full and the wait slowed to a crawl. Our dreams of having her home for Christmas were dashed. And then our dreams for having her home in time for summer were dashed as well. Before we knew it, another Christmas had passed and we were still waiting. Meanwhile, the Olympics were coming to Beijing, and the word was most adoption processes would stop altogether because China didn’t want unfavorable international attention on their orphanages.

As the wait stretched from 8 months to three years, I struggled with depression. I could hardly bear Christmas, because she wasn’t yet there. I shut the door of her bedroom and left it closed because I couldn’t bear to walk past it in the hall. It hurt to think about having a child out there whom I couldn’t protect. Couldn’t love. Couldn’t save. Three years became four with no real change. Our homestudy expired. Our immigration petition expired. Three times. Our fingerprints expired. Four times. And China raised the orphanage and court fees by thousands while we waited. Suddenly, the cushion of money we’d fundraised at the start of this process was almost gone and China was picking up speed in their child match program.

In September, it will be five years since we officially started our adoption process to bring Johanna home. We expect to receive her picture, information, and permission to travel sometime by the middle of September.

I opened her bedroom door for the first time in 3 1/2 years.

And we need to raise $8,000 to cover travel and the cash required to pay the orphanage for Johanna’s freedom. The thought behind Skip a Starbucks Day is that if everyone who reads this post and feels a tug on their heart for the plight of a little orphaned Chinese girl would give up a personal indulgence (like a cup of coffee) and donate that money toward Johanna Faith’s journey home instead, we can raise the 8k we need. Thank you so much for be willing to help our daughter come home!

RU Crew, please help our friend C.J. by giving up a personal indulgence (i.e. Starbucks) for a day and use that money to help rescue little Johnanna.

C.J. has gathered some fun donated prizes for a grand prize giveaway on her blog (http://cjredwine.blogspot.com). Those items include: The boxed set of Harry Potter books, signed books from various authors, ARCS, baskets of homemade soap, jewelry, the Twilight Saga, etc. Every person who makes a donation will receive an entry into the grand prize giveaway on her blog.

RU Crew, today we’ve snagged a fascinating interview subject, Alex Maddow, the hero in Tawny Weber’s September release RIDING THE WAVES. Alex is here with me on a beautiful beach at the Sea of Cortez (near Baja California for the geographically-challenged ). Feel free to ask Alex questions of your own in the comments, and don’t forget that Tawny will also drop by to chat throughout the day!

Kelsey: Alex, I understand you’re an astrophysicist. #1: What is an astrophysicist? And #2: What inspires a guy to become one? (We’ve settled onto a couple of colorful beach towels facing the surf, and I’m trying not to stare. This guy—with his killer body—looks nothing like any science nerd I ever knew in school!)

Alex:  (He leans back on his elbows, totally unaware of how this showcases his abs.) Astrophysics is basically the study of physics in space.  The project I just assisted Drucilla studied the interplay of cosmic strings, hydrogen gas and gravitational influences. My dad and grandfather were astrophysicists, so you could say it’s a family thing.  I don’t remember ever wanting to be anything else.  I fast tracked through school – I started college at sixteen.

Kelsey: You’re obviously a smart guy, which means you were a smart kid. Tell me a little about how other kids treated you.

Alex: (His auburn hair reflects the intense mid-day sunlight.) I never quite fit in with the other kids.  I had friends.  Usually kids on the beach, in the neighborhood who liked to play ball.  That kind of thing.  I was always into sports, so that helped people ignore the brainiac tendencies, making it easier to fit in.

Kelsey: Your profession sounds intense. How do you chill out in your spare time?

Alex: (He turns to me, pulls off his sunglasses and smiles. I knew it! Warm brown eyes that crinkle slightly at the corners.) I surf.  I spend at least three months a year hitting the waves.  Nothing brings life back into perspective than flying through the ocean mist.  It used to be, the only time I felt at peace was when I was surfing. Now?  It’s amazing how great I feel just being around Drucilla.  The woman is amazing!

Kelsey: You sound pretty well-rounded—smarts and surfing. So what scares you to death?

Alex: (He frowns and covers up those incredible eyes with his shades.) Following in my father’s footsteps.  Being all about the work, locked up in a lab somewhere, ignoring life around me.  I love what I do, but it’s easy to obsess with a theory.  The men in my family suck at relationships, too.  I don’t want to end up ruining the best thing that’s ever happened to me.  But my mom rocks, and she’s always been there to teach me balance.

Kelsey: I’ve heard psychologists say that men are often attracted to women who remind them of their mothers? Would you agree?

Alex: (Huffs out a little laugh.) Now that’s not an image I want to consider for too long.  I mean, I love my mom and all, but attraction?  Other than maybe their sweet nature, Drucilla and my mom are nothing alike.  Dru is a little obsessive about the work.  She’s more like my dad when it comes to that – totally focused on success.  I’ve been there, seen that, though, so I’m good at talking her off that ledge and back to the fun side of life.

Kelsey: What’s the one question you hoped I wouldn’t ask in this interview?

Alex:  (He ducks his head and then looks back up at me.) Well, I was hoping we could sidestep that whole ‘why did you almost ruin the best relationship of your life and blow it with Drucilla’ question.

Kelsey: (From the intensity in every line in his body, I can tell this Drucilla is one lucky woman.) And the answer is?

Alex: (Shakes his head.) Aww man, I really don’t know.  I mean, maybe it’s like Dru says, maybe I was so afraid of being like my father and  hurting people who loved me, that I sorta sabotaged things so she wouldn’t get hurt. But see, that makes me sound like an idiot.  I hurt her so she wouldn’t get hurt?  Yeah, really dumb.

Kelsey: Thanks so much for the interview, Alex. Good luck with that Dru problem!

Alex: Thanks. Later, Kels.

***

Okay, RU Crew. This is your chance to grill Alex. What’s really going on with him and Drucilla? What’s he doing hanging out at the Sea of Cortez instead of working in his lab? And feel free to toss out questions to Tawny as well!

Join us Friday when Laurie Schnebly Campbell talks about creating your hero’s fatal flaw. (Hmm…wonder what Alex’s fatal flaw is??)

Tawny’s Bio:

Tawny Weber is usually found dreaming up stories in her California home, surrounded by dogs, cats and kids.  When she’s not writing hot, spicy stories for Harlequin Blaze, she’s shopping for the perfect pair of boots or drooling over Johnny Depp pictures (when her husband isn’t looking, of course).  In September 2010, her eighth Blaze, RIDING THE WAVES hits the bookshelves.  Come by and visit her on the web at www.tawnyweber.com.

I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes I wonder if the long stretch of summer will ever be over. I find August to be a time of anticipation for the thermometer to drop below 100 degrees (okay – 115 in the Middle East), school to begin, and my birthday to arrive. Writers often experience the same type of restless anticipation between The Call and the first round of revisions for the sold manuscript. As part of her ongoing Debut Author Series, Laurie London is here today to chat about how to handle those dog days in between. Here’s Laurie!

What happens between when you get The Call from your editor and when you get The Revisions? Keep in mind that timelines can differ between publishers—it depends on their in-house process and schedules.  

My agent warned me it can take awhile to get the actual contract—as in months. I kept thinking, what if they change their minds? What if marketing says their new forecasts show vampires are soooo last year? Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long.

Soon after I signed the contract, I received the first part of my advance payment in the mail. With shaking hands, I opened that envelope and stared at the check for awhile. Oh man, this was real and not just a dream. Someone was really going to publish a book that I wrote and they were paying me. After all, nothing says “real” like cold, hard cash.

My first deadline was the proposal for book two. Using habits I developed before I sold, I continued writing every day. Like running or feeding my horses or not having chocolate for breakfast, my day doesn’t feel right until I’ve made my page count. I turned in the proposal, received the thumbs up from my editor, and finished the book. (Funny how a long process looks so simple when put into one sentence like that.)

Also during this time, I established my author persona online. Prior to this, I didn’t have much of an online presence as a writer, although I was familiar and comfortable with social media. I’d already purchased a URL but decided to lay low as an unpublished writer.

This goes against a lot of advice you hear out there. So why did I choose not blog or put up a website before I sold?

For one thing, I didn’t want to say or do something stupid or unprofessional while I learned how to conduct myself online. Once something’s on the interwebs, it’s there for good. I decided I’d rather have no presence, rather than a lame one.

Secondly, I’m not a speedy writer and have only a finite amount of creative energy tucked into my brain each day. I didn’t want to squander it away by blogging, tricking myself into thinking I was writing when I wasn’t.

And finally, because I sold fairly quickly, I didn’t have a lot of writerly experience to share with others. 

Instead, I focused on the craft of writing, networked with writers on forums and loops, learned what I could about the publishing business, and watched how others handled themselves online. I tinkered with a website but kept it on my computer only. Basically, I educated myself. I just didn’t pull the trigger until after I sold.

Soon after receiving input from my agent and editor about my author name (I changed the spelling, so I bought a new URL), I had a website up, Facebook and Twitter accounts, a blog, and a Gmail account. Because I was familiar with all of it, this wasn’t a big deal.

Don’t let me discourage you from doing what you feel is right for your situation. I follow a lot of unpublished writer websites that are fantastic—I’m glad they’re out there. I can only tell you about my experience and the reasons why I did what I did.

But the next time you hear someone say you HAVE to have a website or blog in order to sell to a traditional New York publisher, please remember that I didn’t.

Next up—book covers. The art department had me to fill out information regarding themes, major setting details, character descriptions, etc. It was like analyzing my story for a lit class, but in this case, I knew what the author was thinking. J

My editor, agent and I discussed our ideas for covers, including my likes and dislikes. I went to the bookstore, making note of those that jumped out at me as a reader of paranormal romance, and I asked my book club friends what they thought. (They’re very opinionated.) I emailed the jpegs to my editor with the reasons why I liked each one.

What happened next stunned me. I received a link to a model’s portfolio—the one they planned to use for BONDED BY BLOOD. They were actually going to hire real people to model for my cover! I just figured they’d Photoshop stock photos. (And because I know you’ll ask, yes, the guy is verra hot! I’d want him for my boyfriend if I wasn’t married.)

Prior to the photo shoot, they sent mock-ups of the covers so I could see what they were planning. I loved the concepts. They were sexy, dark, and daring.

Then, a few weeks ago, I saw the ACTUAL COVERS! If I hadn’t been on the phone with my editor at the time, I seriously would’ve hyperventilated when I clicked open the documents.

Turns out they’re everything I’d hoped they’d be with a few cool surprises—I can’t wait to share them. The pictures, the layout, the colors, the back cover copy, the fonts…oh, and my name.

What a total rush to see my name on the cover of a book! It’s a dream come true. I can hardly imagine what it’ll be like to see it in person.

***

RU Crew, I know Laurie wanted to share her cover with us, but can’t quite yet. Maybe in her October column!  Do you have questions about Laurie’s approach to her online presence or the cover art process? As always, she’ll be popping in to chat. 

Be sure to come by tomorrow when I’ll be chatting with Harlequin Blaze author Tawny Weber’s latest hero. Alex is the perfect blend of smarts and sexy!

Laurie’s Bio:

A graduate of Western Washington University with a BA in Business Administration and a former tester/programmer for a Fortune 500 company, Laurie London now writes from her home near Seattle where she lives with her husband and two children.

Her debut novel, BONDED BY BLOOD, A Sweetblood Novel, is tentatively scheduled for publication February 2011 by HQN. EMBRACED BY BLOOD, the second book in the series, is coming July 2011.

Her writing has won and been a finalist in several prestigious contests including the Beacon, the Emerald City Opener, the Marlene, and the Orange Rose.

She’s a member of GSRWA, RWA, RWAOnline, SCBWI, and two book clubs – one of which she helps coordinate live online author chats with readers from around the world.

When not writing, she can be found running, reading, or riding and showing her horse. Someday she hopes to qualify for the Quarter Horse World Show – that is, if her horse doesn’t get hurt again.

As my mom would say, the publishing industry is changing faster and more often than most people change underwear. How’s a writer to know how to choose the right career path amid so much upheaval? I don’t recommend reinventing the wheel, but rather learning from others who’ve walked your path. Today, Edie Ramer is here to talk with us about her career choices and path to publication. Welcome, Edie!

First, thanks to Adrienne and Kelsey and the Romance University crew for having me here.  I’ve been a fan of RU since I first heard about it, and I’m so pleased to talk about my new project here.  I’m doing something that a year ago I would never have dreamed I’d do.  I’m going to be an indie writer, putting my paranormal romance, CATTITUDE, on Smashwords and Kindle.

My original dream was to hold my book in my hands, not to look at it on my e-reader screen.  Six years ago when I got an agent for CATTITUDE, I thought I was on my way.  She sent it to all the big houses, but it didn’t sell.  My agent quit the business, and I was on my own.  I kept writing, getting contest finals and wins, including an American Title V final.  My books were requested and considered by editors, and I had close calls that ended with requests to submit my next book.

This process was frustrating and heart-breaking, yet I never stopped believing in my books and I never lost faith in myself.  What I lost faith in was the publishing business.  Not for everyone.  Many of my friends publish and love their editors and agents.  And they do well; some of them very well.  But these friends write books for established genres.  A local book fest had a romance panel, and one of the authors said she had no say in the covers.  Her very big publisher looked at what worked in the past and they used that as the model for their present covers.

That goes for the majority of their books, too.  They look at what sold yesterday, and that’s what they buy now.  Every once in a while a new genre will break out, the numbers too big to ignore, and then all the publishers want books in this genre.

My books don’t seem to fall into any genre.  They have romance, but it’s not just about the romance.  They have humor, but sardonic humor, not belly laughs.  They have paranormal elements, mystery and angst, but not enough to be a full-blown paranormal, mystery or suspense.  If there are cracks, my books fall through every single one.  But this is what comes out of me when I write.  If I try to write for the market, I fail every time.

Though I’ve put aside my old dream, it’s not because I’ve given up.  It’s because I’ve found a new dream that excites me, makes me eager to see what will happen next.  I have writer friends who are making more money from their digital books than some of my NY published writer friends have made with theirs.  Many writers are joining me in this new dream, these new possibilities.  Others have told me they’re watching to see how I’ll do.

But I also know a writer who didn’t do well in digital.  So, I have to make it the best book I can, the reason it’s taking me so long to put up.  (Soon!  It will be up soon!)  I’m confident I’ll do okay and perhaps better than that.  I love my cover, plus I have the cat angle.  I’m hoping people who like cats will read the blurb, then the sample chapters, and then they’ll want to buy the book.  I also have four other books that I’ll put up, probably one every month or so.

I don’t expect success to happen overnight, but that’s a great thing about digital books.  It doesn’t have to happen overnight.  My digital books will stay on Smashwords and Kindle.  They’re not going to be cleared from the shelves to make way for next month’s books.  I have the luxury of time to build a readership.

It’s all win-win to me.   You can find out more about CATTITUDE here.  I’d love it if you sign up for my newsletter so I can let you know when my books will be out.

***

Do any of you have books that fall between the cracks?  Or a book you love and your CPs love and you know there are other people who will love it, too?  Do you think digital publishing might be in your future?

Stop by tomorrow when Laurie London will continue her Debut Author’s Journey series with tips on dealing with the time between The Call and revisions.

Edie’s Bio:

Edie lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two dogs, and the original Belle the cat. She started writing in the 1990’s, selling short stories in the mystery genre to National magazines and two Women Sleuth books. In addition to non-fiction articles, she wrote verses for greeting cards, and she possesses a drawer filled with cards for any occasion. She’s co-founder of Write Attitude, an inspirational website for writers. For more about Edie, visit http://edieramer.com/, http://twitter.com/edieramer, or http://magicalmusings.com.