Morning, RU crew! Romance readers love their HEAs (Happily Ever Afters), but we don’t want the hero and heroine to hit that spot in their relationship immediately. We want to go along for their relationship roller coaster ride first. Only after the H/H weather those ups and downs do readers think the author should allow them happiness. Laurie Schnebly Campbell is here today to tell us how writers can throw their characters on the tracks before allowing them to board the love train. Welcome, Laurie!

Challenging couples in love is fun. We get to take two wonderful people who are really just perfect for each other, and make them suffer. If you’re cringing at the very idea, you’re not alone — most of us became romance writers because we believe in happy endings, and we hate to see the people we care about suffering!

So all too often, we don’t let it happen. My critique partner used to warn me, “Laurie, you’re acting like a counselor again…you’re trying to fix these people’s problems in Chapter Two. 

You gotta make ‘em suffer.” And I’d flinch — “I don’t wanna be mean to these people!”

 But of COURSE they need to go through that suffering in order to deserve their happy ending. Who’s gonna want a book where everything goes perfectly from page 1 right to the end? By the time our characters are marching up the aisle to their happily-ever-after, everyone’s bored.

So we writers are actually being very NICE by challenging these couples. Because we’re saving our readers from boredom…we’re giving them something to root for.

Which means we need to take two people who really are just perfect for each other, let them fall in love, and then show how loving each other makes their world a lot tougher. Yet BECAUSE they love each other, they can’t just walk out. (If they could, we wouldn’t have a book.)

So we’ve got these two swell people, and they’re both reasonably intelligent and reasonably kindhearted and reasonably willing to compromise. (If not, it means one of the characters is a jerk.) But if they’re BOTH nice, competent, good-hearted people, how can there possibly be conflict between them?

That’s a question that marriage counselors face every day. And they’ve saved us a lot of work, because the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists has come up with a list of the seven basic conflicts that are most likely to cause problems between couples in love.

These aren’t weird, exotic conflicts like “she’s a mermaid who has to live in the ocean; he’s a birdman who has to live in the sky.” Or “one’s a vicious child-abusing serial killer; the other is an angel come to life.” (Not to say you couldn’t get a decent conflict out of that situation, but it’s not one that troubles many couples.)

No, what we want are realistic conflicts. Things that could bother any couple…things that might’ve even bothered US at some point. Things that can tear a couple apart — or, if you want a happy ending, that can be overcome when the couple is willing to work at it.

So, those seven basic issues are:

1. GENDER ROLES (things like who should make decisions for the castle, who should change the flat tire, who should nurture or protect the other one?)
2. LOYALTIES (where does each person rank the importance of family, work, community, friends, etc?)
3. PRIVACY (is each person a “glommer,” who likes to glom onto their loved ones and spend as much time together as possible, or a non-glommer who wants more time alone? Either can work fine, but couples are a lot better off when they’re both the same type.)
4. MONEY (how does their approach to earning-spending- saving reflect their values? It’s not too likely their choices will be a perfect match.)
5. SEX (when-where-how-why-what? It can be a huge source of conflict in real life, but sex rarely creates problems in a romance novel…well, unless maybe they break the bed?)
6. POWER (or CONTROL can be the worst of all, showing up in any of the other areas or in unrelated areas — like who decides on the dinner menu?)
7. CHILDREN (should we have any? How should we raise them? What about kids from a previous marriage?)

Now, children aren’t usually a problem during the first date. The problems change as the relationship develops, and a hero & heroine probably aren’t going to run into any issues about privacy while they’re gazing rapturously at each other. Once they’ve been together a while, that’s a whole different story.

A first-date problem might be something like Gender Roles — he expects to pay for everything and she expects to at least buy the popcorn — or Loyalty — he wants an evening for just the two of them; she wants to give her sister a ride home since they’re driving that way.

But whether it’s on the first date or later in life, any of those problems can create wonderful conflict for your characters! 

And we NEED those issues — because, in romance novels just like in real life, no couple ever gets by without facing some kind of challenge.

Some challenges bring the couple closer together. Some drive them apart. And depending on whether we’re setting up the black moment or the happy ending, we can make it happen either way in our books.

Let’s take a shot at this — think about Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. Which of those seven areas do you think bothered them? Or how about Beauty and the Beast? Elizabeth and Darcy? Buffy and Angel? Ross and Rachel?

Along with any questions on making things better or worse, I’d love to get your opinion on which of the seven issues challenge the couple in a book YOU love — one you’re writing, one you’ve read…

And since I believe in rewarding people who post, this weekend we’ll have a drawing where somebody wins free registration to one of my upcoming online classes: “His Personality Ladder” or “Plotting Via Motivation.” So I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and/ or questions on challenging couples in love!

RUers, what’s the biggest “challenge” you’ve forced on your hero and heroine in one of your books?

Don’t forget to join us Monday when Tracey Devlyn talks about the benefits of recruiting a beta reader (or two).

BIO

Laurie Schnebly Campbell (www.booklaurie.com) grew up in a family that discussed psychology around the dinner table. With a marriage counselor for a mother, she felt well equipped to get her romance-novel couples to a happy ending…which might be what helped her win “Best Special Edition of the Year” over Nora Roberts. 

The only thing she loves more than writing romance is working with other writers, which is why she now teaches an online class every month and has written a book for novelists who want to create believable characters with built-in fatal (or not quite fatal) flaws.

Welcome to Crafting Your Career! Today, we continue our discussion on the state of historical romance with New York Times Bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke. Laura’s graciously agreed to give us her take this ever-changing subgenre and what she likes best about the Edwardian (1901-1910) period.

The class is yours, Laura!

Tracey: How would you define the historical subgenre?

Laura: I think definitions of what’s “historical” are broadening again. It’s still basically the 19^th century Regency and Victorian periods, but we are seeing some ventures into the 18^th century Georgian (Eloisa James’ Duchess series comes to mind). And some authors, including myself are pushing into the Edwardian era of the early 20^th century. Location, however, is still staying pretty close to British Isles only. I hope that widens out again, too. We’ll see. Other elements of setting are broadening out a bit. Some paranormal has been appearing in historical settings, although that might be easing back again now. We’ve got some Steampunk elements popping up in the classic Victorian, a trend which might be helped by the new Sherlock Homes movie. We’ll have to see how it goes.

Tracey: What is your opinion of the state of this subgenre today?

Laura: Historicals, IMO, are always a staple of romance. In the 16 years I’ve been published, I’ve heard again and again that the historical is dead, and it’s always a serious miscalculation. Personally, I think we may have hit critical mass with Regency settings, but maybe not.

Tracey: What sub-genres or sub-genre crossovers are hot right now?  What’s not?

Laura: Heck, I’m not the person to ask about what’s hot and what’s not. I keep track of basic trends, but in the end, I write what excites me, I try to craft the best story I can, and I hope readers like the result. I don’t, I can’t, make my decisions about what to write based on what’s hot right this minute. First, by the time I write the book and it’s published, what was hot probably won’t be, and second, I can’t write based on what other people think. I just can’t. I have to write what inspires me, so I am not the best barometer of what’s hot and what’s yesterday’s news. Editors are much better at that than I am.

Tracey: Do you see any trends writers should avoid? Move toward?

Laura: Again, I don’t follow trends. I strive to write what excites and motivates me, and I advise anyone wanting to be a published author to do the same. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t pay attention to the market, because anyone who wants to sell anything should know their market. That’s just good business sense. So, what I advise is for every author to strike a personal balance between what’s the new trend and what’s uniquely you. If you are comfortable tweaking your style or your story to suit the current market trend, do so by all means. But don’t force your writing into established pigeonholes just because you think that’s what will guarantee a sale to a publisher. Agents steer authors in that direction all the time, saying write this or write that because it’s “hot.” They are trying to get the sale, obviously, but 9 times out of 10, it’s a mistake, because storytelling skill and voice trump commercial considerations every time. On the other hand, know that by writing the book of your heart, you may severely limit your chances to sell to a publishing house. It’s all about striking that fine balance. To know where you stand in terms of commercial appeal, read the books on the USA Today Bestseller’s List as often as you can. That way, you’ll be able to see what’s selling. That’s how you know if you’re in the mainstream, marketing-wise.

Tracey: What do you like best about this subgenre? The least?

Laura: What do I like about historicals? Love everything about them. I love the gowns, the moral dilemmas, the etiquette, the politics, the art, the music…The subgenre I am currently writing in (Edwardian) is very exciting to me because so much was going on. I love having motorcars and ragtime in my books. It’s fun. I’m glad I’m able to write it. I don’t like how narrow the historical settings have become (only Britain, only these decades), but the brutal truth is that’s what’s selling now. If you want to be published, you must acknowledge that. It’s like the old adage: know the rules first. Then, break them with full knowledge of what you’re doing. Speaking personally, as a reader, I wish there was more variety in time and setting.

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

Laura: As I said above, I think boundaries are stretching out a little bit. Erotica was very hot, but I think it might be cooling down a bit. It’s still a very rigid book market. Publishers are not taking very many chances in terms of setting or time. A great writer can overcome that, but a mediocre writer cannot.

Tracey: Do you have any other words of wisdom you’d like to share about the historical market?

Laura: Write, write, write. Read, read, read. Write some more. And don’t keep fiddling with the same story for five years. Finish your story, send it off to every agent or publisher that would be interested in it, and once it’s in the mail, FORGET ABOUT IT. Write something new, send that out, and keep going forward. That’s what you have to do once you sell, so you might as well learn to do it before you sell. Also, learn your strengths and play to them. Learn to innovate within the rigid framework of the market. Read widely of the period you are writing in, especially novels or plays contemporary to the time. And try to remember to have fun.

* * *

RU Readers, what do you think? Any thoughts on the Edwardian period? What combination of historical crossover do you like?

Don’t miss the first installment tomorrow (Extra Credit Tuesdays!) of a Debut Author’s Journey with Laurie London. Laurie lets us ride shotgun while she travels the road to publication.

Laura’s Bio:

New York Times Bestselling author Laura Lee Guhrke spent seven years in advertising, had a successful catering business, and managed a construction company before she decided writing novels was more fun. The author of fifteen historical romances, Laura has received many literary awards, including romance fiction’s highest honor, the Rita Award. When she’s not writing, Laura spends her time skiing the slopes, wakeboarding across the lakes and fly fishing the streams of her beautiful home state of Idaho. She loves hearing from readers, and you may write to her by visiting her website: www.lauraleeguhrke.com.

It’s my great pleasure to welcome Kris Kennedy and her agent Barbara Poelle to Romance University. As many of you know, RU’s highlighting a different romance sub-genre each month, and February’s all about historical. Today, Kris and Barbara will touch on Medieval-set romances.

Following their interview, Kris has provided a wonderful lecture on what’s the worst thing that could happen in your story. Be sure to check out. Kris and Barbara will check in throughout the day to answer your questions.

Take it away, ladies!

Tracey: How would you define the historical/medieval subgenre?

Barbara: Um, High Necklines and Low morals.
(Okay, that one was just to make you laugh. I don’t want to answer that, I mean come on, the answer is in the question.)

Kris: Fortunately, yes, this one is an easy one.

Tracey: What is your opinion of the state of this subgenre today?

Barbara: The historical romance? Well it is definitely alive and well. There are indications that it has peaked but then there always seems to follow another swell in demand. As far as medievals in particular, I do hear people struggling to place them, but good writing is good writing. If the content and execution are phenomenal, the book will sell.

Kris: I am guessing too, that some of it a toss of the dice.  How many books of a certain, small subgenre does a certain editor or publisher already have?  There’s only so much space in publishers’ release schedules, and if they already have some great medievals, it being a smaller market, they might turn it down.

And since this is nothing you have control over, I think if you and your Muse *have* to write a medieval, then you’d better write a medieval. We need more great ones!  And then, Barbara can help find the right home for it.

Tracey: Do you think it’s hot right now?  Why or Why not?

Barbara: (I kind of answered this above)

Kris: I have no idea how to answer this, in part because it doesn’t really matter.   Anything I’d say would be a ‘trend,’ and since there’s no way to know if a trend is a trend, or a new strong subgenre, we writers can’t really follow that either.  Our course direction has to be to follow where our writing is strongest.

That being said, if you have it in you to write a unique paranormal, say,  as well as a medieval, I’m going to guess you’d have more marketing options with the paranormal.

Tracey: Do you see any trends writers should avoid? Move toward? Any advice for writers wanting to break into this subgenre?

Barbara: Our agency represents Linda Lael Miller who, as far as I am concerned, is the single best historical western romance writer out there, so my bar is set very, very high, but still I always shoot my mouth off saying I am looking for a western historical. The reality of it is, it would need to be spectacular for me to place it as Westerns aren’t as popular as the Regency or even Scottish as of late. If you are looking into breaking in I would stick with Regency England Historicals BUT I would research research research. Those readers are extremely well versed in the times and will nail an author to the wall if there is some question of plot or demeanor or even dress plausibility.

Kris: Whatever she says.

Tracey: Why do you represent this subgenre?  What else do you represent? Do you see any cross-over, any similairites?

Barbara: For whatever reason, my super powers extend pretty much only to historical romance. I seem to have a 6th sense for placing them with the right house. I am hideous at contemporary romance; I just don’t have a refined enough palate to have a sense for the good stuff in that one. I can do some paranormal, though. So that leads me to believe it is all about the world building. The attention to craft, technique and detail in both historicals and paranormals is so important and I can thrive within that.

Tracey: Do you have any insight in “historical-friendly” agents and editors?

Barbara: Um, me.

Kris: Um, her.   :-)   And as far as editors, Barbara will know them, and what they want.

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

Barbara: I think the envelope is allowed to be pushed a little more each year, some of the love scenes are a little hotter, the heroines are a little feistier. I also think that I have seen the secondary characters become much more fully realized and personally I love that.

Kris: I agree.  Strong secondary characters can tweak out corners of the main protagonists in new ways, making the tapestry of the story world much richer.   Oh, and I’m very pleased by the move towards hotter stories.  I love them hot.

Tracey: What are your predictions for this subgenre in the next one to three years?

Barbara: Wow, well if I had those I would not be answering these questions I would be at the Kate Spade store across the street spending all of the money coming my way in the next one to three years. But here is the thing: if you have the ability to craft a fresh, original take on a concept that works, with an alpha hero and a determined heroine you have a shot and being part of the sub genre. Just make sure to research the era and READ in your genre.

Kris:  Oohh, when you’re at Kate Spade, can you pick me up pair of those red heels, with the black . . . Well, really, any pair will do . . .

It’s hard to keep hearing the same things over and over: write a great story.  Give it a relatable hook so we can know where to put it on a shelf, but . . . be Unique and Original!

It’s like trying to read tea leaves. Which is why . . . I don’t think we should do it.

Agents and editors really mean it when they say those things.  It really is that indefinable.  Good art often is.

Think about it.  Think about the stories you love to read.  Yes, you could probably explain what you loved about them, but that can’t be sufficient explanation, can it?  Because there are other stories out there with those same exact elements, that didn’t grab you.  Why?  Can you explain it in a way that would allow someone else to say, “Oky-doky!  Got it.  I’ll start doing that in my manuscripts from here on out.”

Probably not.  “Strong heroine” could be a thousand different things.  This is just one of those things.   You know it when you see it.

I think we writers should forget trends, forget the indefinables.

I think we should read craft books.  I think we should read books in the genre we want to write in.   Most importantly, I think we should write.  Lots.   Quantity produces quality. The more you do it, the better you will get.   (As long as you’re not banging your head against a wall, ignoring feedback and not evolving.)   It’s *exactly* like playing the piano. The more you play, the better you get.

And we should take risks in our writing.  Once you have the basic craft elements down, don’t be safe. Push your own personal envelope.   (More on one way to do this in my craft-related blog here at RU today, “I Mean Really . . . What’s The Worst That Could Happen?”)

And, if you know that you simply must write, then write.  Worry about writing, not selling.   I think the overwhelming focus on being published can actually be detrimental to us as craftswomen.   I don’t recall it being so strong when I first got involved with RWA, maybe 10 years ago.  Think about Story.   How do I write a great story?

Focus there, be persistent, be smart about it, and forget about trends.  Who knows what might happen?

Thanks so much for having us here!

* * *

Read on for Kris’ fabulous lecture:

I Mean Really . . . What’s The Worst That Could Happen?

A car chase?  The murderer walking in?   A slip of the tongue?  An army marching by and setting up camp beneath the tree where the hero and heroine are hiding and, ahem, engaged in other activities? (THE IRISH WARRIOR, June, ‘10, pg 266 )

Because whatever that ‘worst thing’ is, that’s what we need to do in our fiction.

In the scene you’re writing today, or the one you’re revising, have you really made the characters sweat?  Pushed them to their limits (as they are thus far revealed)?  Have you taken away the person the hero relies on, the quality the heroine depends on, the outcome they expected, and turned it all on its head?

If not, back to the drawing board.

This is part of what keeps readers reading.  And moreover, gets them really engaged and excited about the story.  Creates that feeling inside them of “No WAY!  What’s going to happen next?”   Makes them wave off the husband who comes in to ask about dinner and ignore the ringing phone for just one  . . . more . . . minute.   Unable to resist,  they do what we writers NEED them to do, if we want a career in the publishing world: They Turn The Page.

Voila.  A page-turner.

To my mind, this is especially important in genre fiction, because the reader already *knows* how everything’s going to turn out. Hel-LO, it’s a romance. He gets the girl.  She gets the boy.  They live Happily Ever After, or at least with a real hope of it.

And yet, even in genre fiction, one of the things that keeps people reading is the tension that arises from a story question on each page.

You don’t need to have car chases or vampiric attacks on every page (please feel free to do these things, but they’re not required, unless you have vampires who need to attack and such.)  In fact, stories with the most explosions (speaking metaphorically) don’t always sell with the most astonishing results, because there was never any tension in the reader.  What *is* required is a certain level of tension within the reader, a feeling of “There’s  a story question here and I have to see it answered.”

And one of the most fun, effective ways to do it is make bad stuff happen to your characters.

Whhheeee! It’s like being at an amusement park.  No, really.

(And, lest my enthusiasm for Terrible Things Happening To Good People lead you to think I believe it’s the only ingredient  to creating reader involvement, I’ll say right now, I know it’s not.   For instance,  it helps if readers care about your characters.  So you have to write compelling protagonists.  Just as a for instance.  But this blog is about making those compelling protagonists suffer, which is the fun part.  And, not coincidentally, it leads to creating characters readers care about, so it’s a very cool feedback loop.)

Making things bad for our characters can be difficult for us writers.  Without even knowing it, we take it easy on them.  They planned to make it home from work that night, and, lo and behold, they make it home from work that night.

Bo-o-o-ring.  I mean, maybe *sometimes* they can make it home from work.  Like, say, on Tuesdays.

But if you want a page turner, you may want to turn up the heat, throw them some curve balls, do the unexpected, take away whatever they thought they needed, then push them  in the river when they don’t know how to swim.  And oh my goodness, did you say a flash flood is coming??

Whatever expectations you set up at the start of the scene or chapter, try blowing them out of the water, and see what happens.   Whatever goals you had for them, ensure they do not achieve them, and in the most uncomfortable ways imaginable.

A simple test for your current scene:

Are your characters’ scene-by-scene goals being answered with one of the following?

~ Yes, but . . .

~ No.

Or, my favorite,

~ No, and furthermore . . .

Oh, yes!  Yes, yes, yes!  Now, that’s some Story fun.

If your characters are achieving their goals as planned in each scene, you can very likely ramp up the tension and get your readers engaged more deeply by trying this approach.

Again, I’m not talking the literary equivalent of “24”.  Your story can be a very ‘quiet’ one, with two people simply trying to avoid falling in love.  But within that framework, there need to be story questions that keep the reader engaged.

What’s the last thing your heroine successfully accomplished, or that went as planned?   Her alarm clock going off on time?  Her winning the case?  The carriage arriving on time for the ball?   Did she talk to a friend and does she feel better now?   Stop that.

Make her fail.  Put a bigger obstacle in her way, one that has to stop her dead in her track, make her readjust course, into a brick wall. Or better yet, the hero!

And who about him?  What’s he got going on?

Did the boat arrive at the dock as expected?  Is the castle gate open?    Did he plan to wear clothes to work today?  And were they all hanging there in his closet as expected?  Darn.   Was his side-kick a reliable and trustworthy side-kick, with no personal agendas or ulterior motives, not thwarting the hero in any way, even for the best of reasons?

Did they person they went to for help give them help?  Did they get the information they needed?  Did the army about to camp beneath the tree they’re hiding in move on and camp somewhere else?  (In draft versions #1-43 of THE IRISH WARRIOR, they did.  Then, to my surprise, they decided to camp beneath the tree, and holy moley . . . .)

Give it a try with the scene you’re working on today.  Or, if you hit a boring, ho-hum patch in your manuscript, go back about 2 chapters, and make something that went well, go poorly.   Make something that went as planned, go awry.  Make the army camp beneath the tree.  Mix it up.

Push them in the river and don’t teach them how to swim.  That’s why we’re reading.  We want to watch them learn.

* * *

RU Readers, what do you think? Are medievals hot? Will you give Kris’ technique of making something good go bad?

In February, we’ll also highlight we’ll highlight Regency/Edwardian and Victorian periods. Check our lecture schedule for the dates.

Be sure to stop back on Monday to chat with 2009 RWA Bookseller of the Year Rosemary Potter. She’ll tell us what draws her to a book and how authors can make their books stand out.

Kris’ Bio:
Kris Kennedy writes sexy, adventure-filled medieval romances for Kensington and Pocket Books.  Her debut book, THE CONQUEROR, came out May ‘09.  Her second, THE IRISH WARRIOR, was the winner of RWA’s 2008 Golden Heart ® Award for Best Historical Romance, and releases June ‘10.   Kris loves hearing from readers–stop by her website  http://www.kriskennedy.net/, sign up for her newsletter, and say Hi!

Barbara’s Bio:
Barbara Poelle began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Irene Goodman Agency in 2007, but feels as if she truly prepared for the industry during her brief stint as a stand-up comic in Los Angeles. She has found success placing thrillers, literary suspense, historical romances, humorous/platform driven non-fiction, and upmarket fiction and is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Barbara has a very hands on approach with the craft and editorial details of the books she represents, and loves working with her clients to take their writing to the next level.

Welcome to the first of a yearlong series of lectures on different romance fiction sub-genres. One Monday each month, Crafting Your Career will be dedicated to this topic, and today’s post focuses on the contemporary romance. Those of us who’ve been around know sub-genres wax and wane in popularity, so which “w” word applies to contemporaries in the current publishing climate?

Today, New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips and literary agent Laura Bradford are here to share their insights and predictions. RU crew, hang tough as this is a long post, but 100% worth the time to read! Carly and Laura will also check in throughout the day to answer questions.

NOTE: This interview was primarily directed toward the single title—rather than category—romance, but feel free to ask category related questions in the comment section.

Welcome, Carly and Laura!

Kelsey: Carly and Laura, What are your opinions of the state of contemporary romance today, especially single titles?

Carly: I admit to being biased in my interest on the state of contemporary romance today. I answer with two hats, as an author who writes contemporary romance and as a reader who loves reading contemporary romance. In order to answer the question, I think you need to define contemporary romance – for my purposes, contemporary romance is a story set in the present day and the characters and their journey is what drives the story and the hero and heroine towards their happily ever after. There are other sub-genres within contemporary romance that really are genres in their own right, such as romantic suspense. This is not the same as the suspense in a contemporary romance that I write – where the “light” suspense plot helps move the characters along, but the thrust of the story is the romance and the characters and their emotional journey.

So what is the state of contemporary romance today? I believe contemporary romance is on the cusp of becoming big again. For the last few years, paranormal has taken over the larger market share and as a result, contemporary romance has struggled for audience in comparison. As a reader, over the last year when I would go into a bookstore and look for a good, light contemporary romance, they were few and far between. Yes, the staple authors of the genre put out their contemporary romance novels, but for fast readers like me, there weren’t enough contemporaries to sustain my appetite.  With the advent of “soft romance”, character driven stories in smaller town settings (Robin Carr, Susan Wiggs, Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery), we are seeing a rebirth and regrowth of contemporary romance.

I’ve always preferred to write (and read) light contemporary stories – in this category I also include Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Toni Blake, Susan Andersen, Jill Shalvis, Kate Angell, Lori Wilde, among many talented others who forgive me for not mentioning. In other words, the staple authors are continuing to do what they do and do it well. And I believe finally the market will begin to open up for newer authors again, just not at the rate which we saw a few years ago.

Laura: I have been finding them pretty consistently difficult to sell for some time.  I think when paranormal boomed, contemporary romance got squeezed out a bit and it hasn’t completely cycled back around yet.  Contemporary romance isn’t at all an unpopular genre, but there are a number of established contemporary authors that have been dominating for a while (Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Nora Roberts and others).  So while paranormal has been the “It” romance genre lately and the (theoretically) reduced contemporary romance readership has been satisfied by the established contemporary romance authors already being published, there just hasn’t been as much room for new contemporary romance authors to enter the field.  Of course, what editors and publishers are looking to acquire more of is (again, in theory) what the major accounts buyers tell them is selling the best.  If book buyers are spending their money on genres other than contemporary, then it makes perfect sense that editors might be more resistant to acquiring more contemporary.  However, there are a few newer contemporary authors that have made the cut (like Victoria Dahl) and hopefully they will bring about some renewed interest in the genre.  I have been a consistent fan of contemporary myself and I have continued to pitch it throughout this “low period”.  If we don’t continue to try with contemporary, there won’t be anything new out there to buy in a couple of years.  Things could be really different in a couple of years. 

Kelsey: Carly and Laura, how do you think this sub-genre has changed in the last five years?

Carly: Five years ago, contemporary romance went through a boom period along with the rest of the country, where everything just seemed easier, more prosperous even. Contemporaries were all over, everyone wanted to write one, and the opportunities seemed to exist in all publishing houses for talented writers to break in. That’s not to say getting published was easy, but there were more slots for contemporaries. When the paranormal craze caught on, it changed how readers think when they read. As a result of world-building and new types of characters and plots, readers learned to be more demanding of content and complexity in books and the straight contemporary suffered as a result. This is just my opinion, mind you. But what went along with this change was also that by virtue of more paranormals being published, there was less room for other genres. Again, the straight contemporary suffered as a result. When there is the new “hot” thing, everyone tries to jump on the bandwagon and there becomes a glut in the marketplace as we saw with paranormal romances. But eventually, the cream rises to the top, the great books and authors stand out and withstand the test of time, and others fall away. Sometimes talented authors suffer as a result of a bad market. I know plenty of talented contemporary writers whose sales did not match their talent. And that’s a shame because it resulted in the lack of contemporaries I spoke about earlier.

Fast forward a few years. Paranormal romance has settled, here to stay, but publishing houses are being more selective in how they publish them. As a result, other genres, such as historicals, are becoming stronger again. We’ve heard a lot about the “death” of the contemporary romance, but I think reports have been greatly exaggerated. Peaks and valleys are normal in any business and I hope contemporary romance will emerge stronger than ever  – but the form it shows up in may differ, just as covers differ.  Remember the years of the cartoon covers when contemporary romance was booming, to the straight hero on the covers, to something a little different going forward.

I have always maintained contemporary romance is the backbone of all romances and won’t go away forever. In fact, contemporary romance is due to see a resurgence.  As I mentioned above, the straight contemporary romance books may segue into more “soft” romance books, valuing community, emotion, and character above all else, but character driven, contemporary romance stories will flourish.

Laura:  I think that everything having to do with the romance subgenres is cyclical.  For a long time, in the 90’s, I think historical romance was very much the dominant subgenre.  Then romantic suspense and romantic comedy became hugely popular.  Remember when Julie Garwood stopped writing historicals and started writing romantic suspense? Remember when Avon first started doing those “cartoon”-style contemporary covers?  They were a huge hit and that is what everyone started buying.  Of course today, saying the words romantic comedy is like the kiss of death…even if there are authors out there successfully writing it.  If I have to refer to it now, I call it humorous contemporary romance.  More recently paranormal romance boomed and that boom is really still happening, I think.  Contemporary romance has not really gone away in the meantime…if you look at the shelves, there is still plenty of it out there to buy.  Are there fewer contemporaries on the shelves than there were 5 years ago?  Yes.

Kelsey: Carly, why do you write contemporaries, and do you write in other sub-genres?

Carly: I write contemporaries because I love them. As a reader, when I walk into a bookstore, that’s what I want to pick up and read. As a result, writing them for me is pure joy. I lean towards a mix of the romantic light fun contemporaries as well as hitting on small town stories with eclectic secondary character elements. Occasionally I’ll also set a story in New York City for a more sophisticated feel. For me, it’s all about “write what you know and love” and that’s what I do.

I don’t write in other subgenres. I like to say that I have a very linear mind – that’s how I think, in straight lines – and complicated plot as in romantic suspense, or alternate worlds as in paranormal – might make my brain explode. Never say never, but I say do what you do and do it the best you can, learning and growing along the way. So right now, I’m loving and living contemporary romance.

Kelsey: What do readers tell you they love about your contemporaries?

Carly: A lot of readers tell me they love my characters, the stories and the journeys they take. Most comments are about character and I believe that character is at the heart of any good fiction book but most especially contemporary romance. My first editor, Brenda Chin at Harlequin, gave me valuable advice that I have tried to apply to every story I write: Readers have to be able to relate to your heroine and fall in love with your hero. Characters must have flaws that the reader understands but in some ways the characters should be larger than life, too. The reader should feel they are transported to another place, living that character’s life and feeling what they feel. So when readers tell me they enjoy my characters, that’s the greatest compliment I can get.

Kelsey: Carly, do you have any insight on “contemporary friendly” agents and publishers?

Carly: Good question! I would hope that a good story would trump anything else and an editor or agent who is looking for talent will find it no matter what they think their preference might be. That said, nothing replaces research. You don’t want to submit a contemporary to a publisher only interested in historical. So although I don’t have specific editors or agents to mention, I can suggest a game plan. In light of the ever changing market, I would say to people looking to break in, to research the most recent books on the shelves, see which publishers are putting out consistent contemporary romances.  This shows they have a commitment to the genre. The same with agents. Ask other contemporary romance writers who represents them to get a feel for who is contemporary friendly.

Kelsey: Carly and Laura, what advice do you have for writers who want to break into this sub-genre? Any trends writers should avoid or embrace?

Carly: When I “broke into” romance, the one thing everyone told me at every conference I attended was “athletes don’t sell.” Well, the one thing I wanted to write was an athlete. So I waited until I was established and pitched “The Hot Zone Series” (the first of which, HOT STUFF, is repackaged and in stores now) and it sold. I loved writing those stories because they were stories of my heart. So the answer is, don’t write to the trends, write from your heart. But don’t place a brick wall in your way, either. I may not have any specific trends to say writers should avoid because frankly I haven’t heard of any no-no’s or taboos lately. But if you do hear of one, don’t deliberately write one to buck authority and prove people wrong, because you’re wasting time working on something you’ve clearly been warned will not sell. Unless that story is embedded in your heart and your mind and you can’t not write it. Then you should write it because at the end of the day, it will probably be the best story of your life and with a little luck, some smart editor or agent will realize that and if not, you move on to the next story and keep on writing!

Laura:  I don’t really know that it is good to advocate following a trend…my feelings are that an author’s voice is an author’s voice and if she has “it” with contemporary romance than that is what she should write.  Maybe the timing isn’t fabulous for an author’s particular style…it happens…and the author does have a few options that might help set her apart from the pack.  First off, I would never tell an author to write anything that is contrary to her vision for the story, but I think a smart author looks at all the angles and tries to find an edge.  I have found that contemporaries with secondary hooks are easier to find homes for than those that do not have secondary hooks.  By secondary hook, I mean a contemporary romance that also has a dominant suspense angle.  Or a contemporary that is really, really sexy and explicit (though not necessarily erotic).  The market for very, very hot romances is really good right now across all the subgenres.  I have also heard from several editors that they are looking for that kind of contemporary romance-women’s fiction hybrid ala Debbie Macomber, Sheryll Woods, Lisa Kleypas.   

Kelsey: Carly, what do you think it takes to be a NYT bestselling author of contemporary romances?

Carly: The same thing it takes to be an aspiring writer of contemporary romance: persistence, dedication, and the willingness to dig in for the long haul no matter what obstacles present themselves on your journey. I’m the same person today that I was when THE BACHELOR was picked by Kelly Ripa for her Reading with Ripa Bookclub and I hit the New York Times for the first time. I’m just a lot more battle scarred and jaded. Treat every release as if it were your first one. It’s your baby and no one – and I do mean NO ONE – loves it as much as you do – so do whatever you think is necessary to make it succeed, which includes playing nice with others. Success won’t always happen. You won’t always achieve your goals. In fact, I’d venture a guess that more times than not you’ll be disappointed, but then something will happen that makes it all worthwhile. When I was unpublished, an editor rejecting my book but saying, “I’d like to read something else” was cause for celebration. Now that I’m a NYT bestselling author, there’s just more pressure to succeed, to hit higher on lists, sell more books, etc. Too many times I forget to take a deep breath and say, “So I didn’t hit where I wanted, but there are people who would kill to be where I am.” So celebrate all the little achievements and then get back into the trenches. If there’s a bestselling writer out there who has no problems, no issues, no disappointments, I’d like to meet them!

Kelsey: And finally, ladies, what are your predictions for contemporary romance in the next one to three years?

Carly: I wish I had that crystal ball, I really do. The reason I was thrilled when you asked me to do this series with you is that I’ve been questioning the state of contemporary romance myself. Questioning what I write, asking myself what I could do differently to change the status quo, or whether it’s the market itself that has to change first.

Unfortunately, as I write this, I just don’t know. I predict though, that contemporaries will experience a resurgence along with the economy – at least I hope so! And the light, fun, take me away storylines that I love so much will continue to resonate with readers like me, who want more of them.

Laura: I think it will gain popularity again.  There are plenty of readers out there like me who love a good contemporary read and at some point everyone will get tired of it feeling like there is nothing out there to buy except paranormals.  We’ll be looking for some new contemporary authors to reinvigorate the genre and to keep everything from getting stagnant.

So RU readers, what are your opinions of the state of the contemporary romance? Would you like to see more? Who are your favorite authors in this sub-genre? And please remember that Laura and Carly are available to answer questions. Long live the contemporary!

Be sure to check in with us Wednesday when Wayne Levine discusses how to have the “sex talk” with boys/sons. Bet we all know men who would have benefited from a better one!

Carly’s Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips has written over 28 romance novels with contemporary characters and plotlines that today’s readers identify with and enjoy. She sold her first novel, BRAZEN to Harlequin Temptation in 1998 and has continued to write for Harlequin ever since. Carly’s life is filled with a devoted energy and passion to romance, family and career. Carly lives in Purchase, New York, with her husband, two daughters and two soft-coated wheaten terriers.  More information on Carly can be found at her newly redesigned website: www.carlyphillips.com.

Laura’s Bio:

Laura Bradford has fifteen years of professional experience as a literary agent, editor, writer and bookseller. Laura began her career as a literary agent at Manus and Associates Literary Agency and formed Bradford Literary Agency in 2001. She considers herself an editorial-focused agent and takes a hands-on approach to developing proposals and manuscripts with her authors for the most appropriate markets. The mission of Bradford Literary Agency is to form true partnerships with their clients and build long-term relationships that extend from writing the first draft through the length of the author’s career. Her recent sales include books placed with Berkley, Grand Central, Harlequin/Silhouette, Kensington, Spice Books, Pocket, Virgin Books, Avon, Dorchester, Hyperion, NAL, Eos, Macmillan and Mira Books.  She continues to actively build her client list and is currently seeking work in the following genres: Romance (historical, romantic suspense, paranormal, category, contemporary, erotic), urban fantasy, women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers and young adult as well as some select non-fiction. 

She is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) and Romance Writers of America and she is an RWA-recognized agent.

Today, we’re delighted to have Donnell Bell with us. She, along with many other volunteers, contributes countless hours to ensure the success of the Kiss of Death chapter’s Daphne contest each year. Without people like Donnell and other contest coordinators and judges, aspiring romance writers would find it much more difficult to gain feedback on their work and gain the attention of editors and agents. Welcome, Donnell!

Kelsey: Donnell, would you share a short overview of the Daphne contest with our readers?

Donnell:  Hi, Kelsey, I’m delighted to be here to talk about the Daphne, or more formally known, The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.   The contest honors legendary suspense author Daphne du Maurier, and KOD uses Dame Daphne’s name with permission of the du Maurier estate with great respect and admiration.   The goal of our contest (published and unpublished) is to further the mystery and romantic suspense genre, particularly that of the Kiss of Death Chapter members and its supporters.

Kelsey: How do you feel the Daphne, or any RWA chapter contest, benefits the contest entrants?

Donnell:   Oh, gosh, how many blog pages can I fill?  The Daphne, as well as most contests in RWA® and multi-genre competitions, help entrants on so many levels.  For aspiring authors who have honed their craft, it enables them to add a final or a win to their resumes;  perhaps to get their work in front of an agent or editor (in the Daphne’s case, both);  and, ideally, to get a request for a partial or a full.

Even if a talented writer doesn’t final or win, they are able to do the math.  They can see that they were darn close, and it’s subjective!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a judge contact me and ask about Entry XX.  It didn’t final, she asks?  Nope, and it’s not because it didn’t deserve to.  It’s because there’s a ton of competition. (By the way, I’m not surprised in the least when I see a non-finaling entry reach publication.)

For aspiring authors starting out, or on their way up, a contest can offer feedback.  It’s a chance to get your work in front of judges, and get a glimpse of what a future editor or agent might say when that entrant finally submits his or her work.  Caution:  I remind any entrant, that judges are just that:  judges.  They are not agents or editors.  The feedback can be invaluable, though, and can set the writer on the right course.  And if a contest has training for its judges, that’s even more helpful.

 Kelsey: We don’t often think of contests benefitting the coordinators and judges. What do those involved behind the scenes gain from being involved with a writing contest?

Donnell:  In my opinion, it’s a superior networking tool.  I have met so many people thanks to the Daphne.  It forces an introvert like me to get involved in a positive way.  When someone coordinates an individual genre for the Daphne, she works with the editors and agents directly.  I get involved, if necessary, but for the most part, I’m the overseer.  Daphne coordinators are professional, competent and talented authors in their own right, and KOD, the Daphne and the entrants out there are lucky to have them.   

 Coordinating the Daphne also allows me to do something I’m passionate about — we’ve all gotten lousy contest advice, and I’m no exception.  When it happened to me, I thought, this is just wrong.  These kinds of people shouldn’t judge contests.  I guess I became a contest coordinator out of self-defense. 

Negative comments such as “Don’t quit your day job,” and/or foolish “out-there” advice can destroy a writer’s dream.  I stress that judges aren’t editors or agents for a reason.  They can’t tell an entrant, “This will never sell.”  The moment somebody makes that claim, someone in the publishing industry will prove them wrong.

In the Daphne, we encourage our judges never to say absolutely not.  We ask them to say to an entrant: I doubt what you’ve written is correct; you might want to check your facts.  Or if a judge is an expert, she might indicate why this information is wrong and cite sources.

I also send our judges comparison grids.   I want them to see how they judged in relation to their counterparts.  Most tell me they’re grateful, and want to see how they did.  As for judges, they are our contests’ lifeblood, and I can’t thank them enough.  This year KOD sent out Daphne magnets to its judges with the KOD skull and lips logo, which read “Daphne Judges have Killer Instincts.”  I think (I hope) they liked them.

Kelsey: What do you feel makes a particular contest prestigious?

Donnell:  The people who run it and their commitment to see it thrive.  Communication on all levels.  Policies and procedures that allow continuity from year to year and ethical conduct and professionalism at all costs. 

Kelsey: What mistakes do you see most in contest entries?

Donnell:  Number one:  a lack of proofreading.  If you’re submitting to a contest and you don’t have a firm grasp on the English language and/or grammar, ask someone to proofread for you.  A pair of fresh eyes on a manuscript is invaluable.   Number two:  entries that contain back story or information dumps that don’t propel the story forward.  Three:   if you’re writing a romance, not getting the hero and heroine together fast enough (in the Daphne’s case 5,000 words.)  I can’t tell you how many entries I see where the hero and heroine simply think about each other and never interact on the page.  Which leads me to a vice versa comment and number four:  entering the incorrect genre…. Say you’re writing a romance and you enter mainstream mystery, you’re not going to do very well.

Whether you enter the Daphne, or any contest out there, I advise every entrant to study the score sheet Armed with this information, it will help you immensely.

Kelsey: How do you suggest entrants make the most of their contest feedback?

Donnell:  Great question.  I suggest entrants compare feedback of that particular entry.  In the case of the Daphne (unpublished) we have four judges, the lowest score dropped.  Take a look at the feedback.  If four judges are saying the same thing, chances are they’re correct.  If only one judge says it, well, then, it’s back to that subjectivity business. 

I also suggest that an entrant, particularly if they get less then favorable scores, digest them, put the entry aside for a while.  Act, don’t react.   When we first see the comments, it hurts.  These entries are our babies, no doubt about it.  But if you can set it aside for a few days, weeks, whatever time you need, and then come back to it, you might see the judge had a good point and you might be able to look at it more objectively. 

Don’t always assume that the highest score offers the best advice.  I can’t tell you how many times my lowest score judge’s advice or comments have helped me the most.

And finally, I advise entrants, if a judge truly made an effort to help you, please thank him or her.  Good judges are solid gold to a contest coordinator, and if a judge feels his efforts are wasted, he’s likely to pass the next time.   These days in electronic, you can easily send a thank you note to your judge and your coordinator can pass it on fairly effortlessly.

Kelsey: What is your biggest challenge as the overall Daphne coordinator?

Donnell:  Judges.  We need so many. 

Kelsey: Who is the unpublished Daphne contest’s greatest success story?

Donnell:   Oh, gosh.  As for the greatest success story, I’m going to plead the fifth because there are so many.  Seriously…there are so many.     

I’ll tell you one story because it happened this year and I believe the circumstances are extraordinary, and I think it does depict how much editors and agents view Daphne finalists.  Barbara Monajem’s entry Vamping the Chameleon received an Honorable Mention from Dorchester’s Christopher Keeslar a few years back.  It’s scheduled for publication in 2010 and will come out as Sunrise in the Garden of Good and Evil. 

I often hear people lament they received “only” an HM.  I’ll wager in Barbara’s case, she’s jumping up and down to have received one.

I’m also pleased to announce that we had two unpublished entrants go on to publish as a result of the 2009 contest:  Angi Platt for See Jane Run Category (series) and Tammy Hoganson who won the Paranormal category for her entry, Underbelly. 

As for success stories, I believe the Daphne, in conjunction with many fine contests out there, have helped several authors reach publication.   It’s always fun to see unpublished Daphne finalists and winners go on to publish and then enter the Daphne Published side of the contest.  They do quite well, too.  It’s also satisfying to see that when these authors do rise to the top, it isn’t a fluke.  In two instances, two published authors have taken The Daphne, (the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense most prestigious award).  Nina Bruhns http://www.ninabruhns.com and author Kylie Brant http://www.kyliebrant.com.  

Whether you’re a best selling author, e-published or self-published, the published side of the Contest levels the playing field and allows you to enter.  I’ve seen talent in all publishing venues do well in the published side of our contest.

Note:  Even though the above people are clearly talented, they should not be labeled the greatest success story.  Like all things in this business, it’s subjective.    

Kelsey: Would you like to share anything else about the Daphne with our readers?

Donnell:  After ten years in operation, both sides of this contest (published and unpublished) are well-oiled machines.  Published authors, if you’ve written a mystery or romantic suspense, consider entering the Daphne to promote your book (current year copyright).  Unpublished authors, the Daphne is an outstanding way to get your work out there.  Even if you don’t win or final, you’ll come away with knowledge that you’re ready, or you’ll have the tools in hand to make it better for the next contest. 

The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense contest starts January 15, 2010.  And it’s now 100 percent electronic.  Check out www.rwamysterysuspense.org. Also, if you’re interested in judging and want to find out our judging requirements, please contact me at bellson@comcast.net. I’d love to talk to you. 

Thanks Romance University for allowing me to share my thoughts on what I think is an outstanding contest.

Donnell, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us about The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense! RU crew, do you have any questions for Donnell about either this contest or writing contests in general?

Be sure to join us Wednesday when special guest Mike Schwartzmann will be back to talk about overcoming addiction.

Donnell’s bio:

Donnell Ann Bell is published in nonfiction, an award-winning writer and a 2007 Golden Heart® finalist. An avid lover of mystery and romantic suspense, she has served on the Daphne Committee for years and has held the Overall Coordinator position for several.  She is a member of two community blogs http://fivescribes.blogspot.com/ and http://www.nobodywritesitbetter.com/ Her website is:  www.donnellannbell.com.

Theresa:

Your last column on writing actively brought up a question I’ve had for quite some time on passive voice writing.  In commercial genre fiction (romance, mystery, etc), the practice of writing in an active voice vs. a passive is pretty standard and accepted.  I’ve noticed, however, that when someone is claiming to write literary fiction, the writing tends to be passive voice (with lots of has and had and were and other passive voice indicators and sentence structures) with much of the action and scene events being “summarized” instead of being shown to the reader through direct action and dialogue.  To me the difference is as noticeable as feeling like I’m listening to a report of the story on the radio vs. seeing the events play out live on TV in ”Breaking News!”

Is there really a different active/passive voice need in commercial genre fiction vs. literary fiction?  Is it a matter of commercial fiction narrative vs. literary narrative?  Or is this something wannabe authors tell themselves distinguishes their work from “mass commercial fiction,” or is it really a necessity of their form? 

Thank you.

Julie H.

Hi, Julie,

Let’s start by distinguishing passive voice from passive writing.  Passive voice is a type of sentence structure in which the object of the verb action occupies the subject position in the sentence.  For example, in active voice, we might write:

The priest rang the bell.

In passive voice, however, the sentence would read:

The bell was rung.

Or,

The bell was rung by the priest.

Passive voice is a useful sentence construction anytime you’re trying to obscure the actor or anytime the actor is unimportant.  It has a bad reputation, but it is not without its uses.

Passive writing, on the other hand, can result from any number of things–weak verbs, meandering characters, flat conflicts, too much exposition, and many more.

The style you describe — especially the reference to heavy use of narrative summary — is something that many of us first encounter when reading classic literature in school.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that aping that style makes the resulting work literary.  The literary community has evolved since the days of the early novelists.  They’re bending narrative forms and tinkering with structure and point of view.  Think, for example, of De Lillo’s long lists of nouns in “White Noise,” Proulx’s fractured interior monologue in “The Shipping News,” the metaliterary flourishes in Faber’s “The Crimson Petal and the White,” or Atwood’s truncated structure in “Oryx & Crake.”

Although it’s possible for the style you describe to be used by a contemporary literary novelist, in my experience, this type of writing more often results from laziness or confusion. Writing from subjective viewpoints is hard work. And wrapping a standard genre plot and characters in exposition won’t convert a book into a literary novel. Today’s literary novels push the boundaries of form. They don’t retreat into a style that was developed over a century ago.

Commercial fiction usually prefers deep point of view (though some thrillers are sometimes more omniscient), lots of action, minimal exposition, and other devices which engage the reader’s emotions in an immediate and direct way.  This is especially true of romance with its goal of providing powerful emotional experiences for the hero, the heroine, and the reader. (Which is not to say that current literary books are incapable of engaging our emotions. See “Oryx & Crake” in particular for an example.)

In general, writing genre fiction means getting this part of it right. We want stories told in scenes with lots of action and emotion.  There are exceptions. For example, Sherry Thomas kicks off her popular first novel, “Private Arrangements,” with an omniscient summary of the definition of proper marriage that feels almost Dickensian. But the rest of the book is narrated from the subjective point of view of the hero and heroine, and there’s very little exposition other than that opening. This technique worked beautifully for this book, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. The subject of Thomas’s expository opening was unique and engaging enough that the lack of an immediate point-of-view character was not a problem.

All of which is to say, yes, genre writers can occasionally borrow techniques from our literary brethren, but we still must focus on providing an emotional, immediate reading experience. We can accomplish that better by avoiding passive writing and narrative summary.

Readers, what do you think makes for an emotional read? Active writing? What else?

If you have a question for Theresa you can submit it to askaneditor@romanceuniversity.org.  Don’t miss this great opportunity to have your concerns addressed by a top-notch editor!

After earning degrees in creative writing and law, Theresa Stevens worked as a literary attorney agent for a boutique firm based in Indianapolis where she represented a range of fiction and nonfiction authors. The lure of the courtroom led to a nine-year hiatus from the publishing industry, but now Theresa is back as Managing Editor for Red Sage Publishing, a highly acclaimed small press. Her articles on writing and editing have appeared in numerous publications for writers. Visit her blog at http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/ where she and her co-blogger share their knowledge and hardly ever argue about punctuation.

Today, I’m dancing a jig at the thought of discussing the kind of men (at least fictional men) many of us like most. That’s right, today’s interview with author Jami Alden is all about the A-Man, the alpha male. What’s essential in this type of character and how should writers construct him? Jami will answer those questions and more.

Thanks for being with us today, Jami!

Kelsey: Could you define the alpha male/hero for our readers?

Jami: I follow a pretty standard definition:  a hero who is a natural leader, one who doesn’t necessarily know all of the answers, but is wicked smart and confident in his abilities as a problem solver to figure his way out of a tough spot.  He tends not to be superficially emotional.  That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care deeply, it just means he doesn’t spend a lot of time sitting around, talking about his feelings.  He’s single-minded and goal oriented, which can sometimes cause him to come off as brusque and insensitive.  Physically, he’s imposing, tall, strong, athletically fit, and generally hotter and sexier than the average guy

Kelsey: What is the most common trait among alpha males?

Jami: I would have to say confidence.  A true alpha is a man who is confident in his ability to overcome challenges and face down the odds. That doesn’t mean he automatically knows the answer or thinks he’s always right, it means that he knows his own abilities, is smart enough to know his limitations and capabilities, and brave enough to take extreme risks when necessary.  He’s the guy who can overcome almost any obstacle no matter what form the obstacle takes. 

Kelsey: Are all your heroes alphas?

Jami: Yes.  I love reading Alphas, and for me, there’s something really sexy about a man who can take charge of a situation.  I’m going to sound so anti-feminist here, but there’s something so appealing about offloading everything onto a pair of big broad shoulders and saying, “Why don’t you just handle it?” and having absolute confidence that it will indeed be handled!

Kelsey: What’s your process for constructing an alpha character?

Jami: Wow, I have no idea!  I guess I have a construct based on the characteristics I mentioned, and then I add the finish work to round out his personality.  Is he a strong, silent type, or quick witted and ready with a snappy comeback?  Does he linger in the shadows observing the crowd, or does he swagger into a room and take it over?  It’s all that finish work that’s the fun, but also challenging part. 

Kelsey: Any trait that’s a “must have?”

Jami: I’m so cliché, but for me, aside from the confidence and intelligence that I mentioned, my heroes have to be physically imposing and attractive, even if it’s not in a conventional way.  I like my heroes big, muscular, with chiseled features, big appetites, -  testosterone overload all the way! My favorite heroes are those whose outside strength matches their inner strength. 

Kelsey: What type of heroine do you typically pair with an alpha hero?

Jami: Well, every alpha, no matter how perfect, has a flaw, so I try to choose a heroine who’s going to hit him right in that weak spot!  For example, in my latest book, Unleashed, I have a hero, Danny, who’s very smart, very strong, very no nonsense.  At the same time, he’s totally emotionally closed off.  He thinks love is nothing but an excuse people use for their dumb decisions.  So I paired him with Caroline, his ex girlfriend, the only woman he ever loved, the woman who broke his heart, the only woman who knows just how vulnerable to love Danny can be. 

Kelsey: Do you have any tips for writing the alpha hero?

Jami: First and foremost, don’t force it. If you don’t love reading alpha heroes, and you don’t love the idea of an alpha hero, you won’t be able to write one with conviction.  You have to fall in love with your hero before anyone else can.  Other than that, my biggest tip is watch your language and be careful about your word choice. When you’re in the hero’s POV, ask yourself, “would any straight man actually use this word or phrase to describe what he’s thinking or feeling?” 

Kelsey: Could you suggest resources or authors that our readers might use to learn to write the alpha hero?

Jami: I personally think Linda Howard writes fantastic alpha heroes, as does Shannon McKenna.  I also love Julie Garwood’s older historicals – she was so great at writing Alpha heroes who weren’t at all cruel, just products of their time and cluelessness!  I also think it’s a great idea, no matter what subgenre you write in, to watch male oriented movies and TV programs.  A few I can think of off the top of my head are Black Hawk Down, Rescue Me

RU readers, do you have questions about how to write a believable alpha male your readers can fall in love with? Also – who are your favorite A-Men?

Please stop back by on Friday when author Therese Walsh is here to chat about the differences between romance and women’s fiction.

Jami Alden is the Holt Medallion nominated author sexy romantic suspense.  Her latest novel, Unleashed, is the third installment in the successful Gemini Men trilogy published by Kensington Brava. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her socially well adjusted alpha male husband, her sons, and a german shepherd who patiently listens to dialog and help her work out plot points. You can find out more about Jami and her books at www.JamiAlden.com

A little over two years ago when my wife began writing seriously, I had no idea how her choice might change her life, and in turn, mine. Now the simple afternoon question “How Was Your Day?” is chock-full of potential potholes. Answers from her might include:

“Great. I found out I’m a finalist in a chapter contest!”

“Not so great. None of my characters played nice today.”

“Interesting. I researched cheeses, pistol crossbows and vintage Corvettes.”

“Not so interesting. I cruised electrical engineering sites to find out if a Mylar chip bag will work as a ground for an electric fence.”

“Crappy. My scores came back from a chapter contest. Not only did I not final, the judges reamed my WIP for too many em-dashes.”

“Not so crappy. My CPs dug me out of a mental hole and helped me brainstorm a plot for the 70,000 words I’ve already written.”

How is a loving, supportive husband supposed to respond to some of this stuff?

The first one is easy enough: “Fantastic! You deserved to final.” (It only took me half-dozen contests to understand the significance of a final.) The second: Perhaps not “What does it matter? They’re only imaginary people after all…” The third: “Did you kill anyone with the crossbow, and did you buy me a Corvette off e-Bay, by any chance?” The fourth: “Ah…no clue.” The fifth: “I’ve never heard of an em-dash, but I’m sure that judge was clueless.” The sixth: Probably not “What’s a CP? And for that matter, what’s a plot?”

But over the past couple years, I’ve learned to listen when she just needs to gripe, and come up with something-anything-when she’s in need of an idea or opinion. I (sort of) understand the difference between agents, editors and publishers. For the first time since college, I’m familiar with the terms draft, edit, and final draft. The most important things I’ve learned are how hard a pre-published writer works, and that writing has little to do with money and everything to do with passion.

Oh yeah…and that research for the love scenes rocks.

Kelsey’s husband is an A-one computer guy who routinely talks her off a ledge when her laptop is having a bad hair day.  He’s also an amazing dad who played single parent for almost three months this year. Thanks for everything, babe.

Today Jessica Barksdale Inclán, author of 12 books, joins us at RU to talk about the challenges and opportunities involved with changing genres. Her most recent book, Intimate Beings, is the second in her paranormal series about a trio of siblings separated during childhood and forced on their own in adulthood to confront their special abilities and find not only each other but their own true loves.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to visit with our Romance University readers!

Kelsey: What genre(s) were you published in prior to publishing a romance?

Jessica: Hi, Kelsey and Romance University readers!

I actually started out my writing career as a poet.  I was very literary and very serious (I am an English professor, after all!).  The classes I took were focused on poetry, so the study and my writing were about figurative language, description, detail, metaphor, and symbol.  This focus still serves me well, as I think that I am able to bring those skills to my storytelling.  I later moved into short story writing and then novel writing.  My first six novels are considered literary/contemporary novels, and as I moved into that writing and then into romance writing, I feel I’m just carting around a bigger set of tools.  I have a huge tool box!  I’ve also dabbled in screenplay writing, though, truly, I don’t do that very well.  I need another few classes, many ten or twenty.  And I’m now turning my attention toward non-fiction, and grabbing more tools as I take classes and revise my essays.

Kelsey: When and why did you decide to write a romance novel?

Jessica: I write quickly, and my agent suggested that I try my hand at a genre that would allow me to publish more than once a year.  I really can’t “not” write, so it felt good to be productive.  I had to “learn” romance, so I studied and read about 100 romances one summer.  Then I set about writing my first romance novel, When You Believe, and my agent was able to sell it to Kensington.  I really got the “bug” for writing romances, and my sixth with them–The Beautiful Being–will be out October 2009.

Kelsey: Do you find different writing skills are needed to become published in the romance genre? Different PR skills?

Jessica: There is a format to a romance, and that is a blessing and a curse.  The blessing is that it provides a framework, the very basic one being:  boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  The curse is that you get a wild hair and want boy to find another, better girl and then die at the end, the romance reading population is likely not going to be very happy about it.  The HEA is very important, and woe to the writer who steps out of bounds.  The blogsphere will take her (or him) to task.

I think that good writing is good writing.  All writers need to do the heavy lifting.  I am of the opinion that some romance writers could help us all out by not relying on some very tired and overused phrases, especially related to sex scenes.  Just because it has worked 5,607 times does not mean we have to write “her heart beat wildly against her ribs” one more time.  I would like to start a mandate that forbids any writer from using more than three clichés per novel (we all need to have at least three because a cliché is often based on truth and sometimes nothing else will work).  Any more than that, and the writer has to go back and take a poetry class.

Romance writers do more PR than any other type of writer, though, sadly, with the market the way it is, I see all writers trying to market and promote themselves.  When I first published, there wasn’t this Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, contest wildness.  But now it’s what all writers (even poets!) do.

Kelsey: Tell us about the challenge of writing in more than one genre at a time.

Jessica: The challenge is in remembering the audience.  Literary audiences want theme and character more than plot.  Genre readers often want plot and character more than theme.  Poetry readers want to think and feel and not be told.  Short story readers want the package to be perfect and meaningful with snappy, clear dialogue.  And essay readers want to relate, be amazed, laugh, cry and empathize with the writer.  Keeping all that in mind can be a bit exhausting.

Kelsey: Did you face other challenges in making the transition to writing romance?

Jessica: I think some of my writer friends were embarrassed for me.  They thought I was “slumming.”  I was outraged by that because we have a huge literary tradition, we romance writers, starting, perhaps, with Jane Austen.  Pride and Prejudice is truly a romance.  And anyway, who doesn’t love love?  Who did my writer friends think they were?

More people buy romance novels than any other genre–more women read than men.  We are holding down the reading front, we romance writers, and we are writing what people want.

Ultimately, I don’t argue with my snobby friends, and I just keep writing.  I enjoy what I write, I put all my skills into it, and I am proud of what romance writers do.

Kelsey: What do you wish you had known before pursuing this market?

Jessica: That more is usually more.  To not hold back.  To say yes to opportunities and not be picky because sometimes, opportunities only come around once.  To get right on the Internet horse and ride it as far as possible.  I had a web site from the moment I sold my first novel–Her Daughter’s Eyes–a year before it was published, but I was clueless about ways of bringing people to my site.

Now I’ve got it down, but so do 150,000 other writers with books out this year.  I do my best, but I think we learn as we go.

Kelsey: Do you have any other advice for writers who are considering changing genres or writing in more than one genre?

Jessica: Take a class on the genre you wish to write in.  One of my early teachers told me to consider the first ten years of my study as a writer as an apprenticeship.  This work does not come easily, and we have to write and practice and grow and not imagine that it’s going to come “now” just because we want it to.

I teach a day class at UCLA on writing and selling the romance novel, and a woman showed up to one session and told us that she wanted to quit her day job, write a romance, and live off the proceeds.  I nearly fell off my chair (I was standing, so that would have been hard).  She did not like my advice to “not quit her day job” at all.  But think of the hard work you are doing learning this new genre as practice and don’t expect it to all unfold immediately.  Sometimes, miracles happen, but don’t count on them.  Work.  Read.  Study.  And keep writing.

Jessica, we appreciate your honesty on the skills and fortitude it takes to be a writer, whether writing in one or more genres. I guess if the first ten years is an apprenticeship, I have almost eight years to go!

Jessica Barksdale Inclán’s debut novel Her Daughter’s Eyes, published in 2001, was the premier novel published under New American Library’s new imprint Accent. Her Daughter’s Eyes was a final nominee for the YALSA Award for the best books of 2001 and best paperbacks for 2001 and has been published in both Dutch and Spanish. Her next novel The Matter of Grace was published in May 2002. Her third, When You Go Away, came out April 1, 2003. Her fourth, One Small Thing, was published April 2004, and was translated into in Dutch and Spanish. Walking With Her Daughter, was published in April 2005, and her sixth, The Instant When Everything is Perfect in February 2006. Starting in June 2006, she published the first in a trilogy from Kensington Books, When You Believe. Reason to Believe, and Believe in Me. Her next trilogy began with Being With Him and Intimate Beings. The final book in the trilogy–The Beautiful Being– will come out October 2009. She is a 2002 recipient of the CAC Artist’s Fellowship in Literature. Inclán teaches composition, creative writing, mythology, and women’s literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and on-line and on-land creative writing courses for UCLA extension. She has studied with Sharon Olds, Anne Lamott, Kate Braverman, Grace Paley, Marjorie Sandor, and Cristina Garcia. Her short stories and poems have appeared in Rockhurst Review, Hotwired, The Salt Hill Journal, Free Lunch, The West Wind Review, The Prairie Star, Gargoyle and many other journals and newspapers. Her short story Open Eyes was given first prize by Sandra Cisneros for El Andar magazine’s 2000 writing contest. She co-edited a women’s literature/studies textbook Diverse Voices of Women (Mayfield Publishing, 1995). Ms. Inclán has degrees in sociology and English literature from CSU Stanislaus and a Master’s degree in English literature from SFSU. Ms. Inclán lives in Oakland, California and is currently at work on a contemporary novel and a book of essays and another romance.

This week, Adrienne, Tracey and I would like to introduce our readers to the Romance University concept. First, why another blog about writing and romance and the pursuit of publication?

Because we want to give back to a community that’s given us so much since we began writing. Because we’re three writers who believe the business side of writing is just as important as the creative side. Because we want to spread the word that the romance genre is full of kick butt, smart, savvy readers and writers.

Most writers begin writing because they love the process–using just the right word, crafting the perfect sentence, giving life to imaginary people. However satisfying the writing process, many writers begin to want more. They want people to read about and love those imaginary folks. Okay, let’s be honest–they want people to pay to read about those imaginary folks. So join us and visiting professors (guest bloggers) each Monday for interviews, discussions and commentary on the business of writing.

Some upcoming visiting professors and topics include:

• Staying for the Long Haul with Brenda Novak on May 18
• Pirate’s Guide to Publishing with Natalie Damschroder on Tuesday, May 26
• Changing Genres with Jessica Inclán on June 8

Please stop by this Wednesday when Adrienne will introduce Anatomy of a Male Mind.

We hope Romance University will be the most fun you’ve had inside a “classroom” since that cute baseball player in homeroom passed you a note asking for a date. Whatever happened to him anyway?