The HEA Cafe

Well, I never saw myself as anything Hollywood. And no doubt Hollywood would still not consider me as much in the way of a filmmaker.

But my new Windows Vista came with something called Windows Movie Maker. It’s a simple program that lets you upload clipart or photos, enter text, and even add music.

Now I wish I could upload the video here, but something tells me that if I try– who knows what might happen???

It might be Armageddon for Happily Ever After.

Anyway, if you have the new Vista, try this feature. It beats computer games for time-wasting!

Lyn

Forgive me, but I’m too excited not to indulge in shameless self-promotion this month.  My ebook, Suburban Secrets, comes out on Friday and it’s all I can do not to squeal.  This isn’t my first book (it’s my second) but I’m just as excited as the first time around.

Suburban Secrets

Lindsey Dameron, desperate for money after a divorce she never saw coming, has a new job with a private investigator.  Her assignment?  To blend into suburbia and uncover suburban secrets–not stumble across a dead man and a missing socialite.

Local pariah and former defense attorney Ethan Wayne needs to clear his name before he’s arrested for the disappearance of his soon-to-be ex-wife and the murder of her lover.  But all he can afford is Ace Investigations, and the only person available is a woman who looks more like a soccer mom than a private eye.   She doesn’t even have a license.

Lindsey hates lawyers, Ethan needs a real investigator.  But when a reward is offered for his missing wife, they team up to find her, and agree to

split the reward.  Will they succeed before Ethan is arrested and Lindsey loses the only home she’s ever known?   Or between dodging bullets and explosions, will they find love, instead?

One more plug – Laura did a great job of explaining the Unleash Your Story event, but I want to encourage you to support the writers of RWA Online who are participating.  CFF is a great organization working to heal our kids.

It’s safe to bet that none of us here at RWAOL need a reason to write.  We write because we can’t not write, it’s that simple.  But for the month of September, we have more reason to write, and it’s for an amazing cause.

Unleash Your Story is a write-a-thon (or read-a-thon) to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  If you, or anyone you know, is even remotely affected by this disease, you know how important it is to find a cure.  They’ve come a long way since I first learned about CF thirty years ago, but they still haven’t found a cure, and we need to help them do that so that our children’s children won’t have to live with this disease. 

Debbie Macomber is our pace setter for the month and she has set the bar high.  Her goal is to write 30,000 new words this month and it’s up to all the participants to set their own goals.  Our hope is that this first year will raise $10,000 and we’re well on our way to that goal already.  We have individuals signed on, as well teams who combine their totals.

If you would like to sponsor us in this event, please go to our CF site and make a donation.  Simply type in the name of someone who’s participating (like me!) and your donation will help that person reach their personal donation goal.  We do not handle the money at all - it goes directly to CF - and you can rest assured they will put it to good use.

And if it’s not enough fun to write or read all month, there’s more!  We have prizes to give away, too!  So please take a moment to read about this event.  We have stories from families who are affected by this disease which will help you see why it’s so important to find a cure.  Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated and CF will provide you with a tax receipt for all donations.

I’m going to stop blogging now because I have some serious writing to do if I have any hope of keeping up with Debbie!

Recently several discussions on various loops have had me thinking about writing rituals. Things like a special pen, a certain color of paper, special music, a favorite pet at one’s feet. I figured I didn’t have any rituals and then I considered my day and had to rethink my stand.

First, I have a morning routine that I perform and if I don’t do it, it’s a fight to get into the swing of things. My routine includes a cup of specialty coffee and writing in my journal. I could call it a routine but perhaps it’s a ritual.

 I ‘warm up’ by checking my email. I’ve tried to skip this when I’m under a tight deadline but somehow it ends up making me slower rather than faster. Guess I have to confess to another ritual.

When I can’t work out some little detail of my characters or plot, I like to go for a walk. Another ritual, perhaps?

Then there’s the one that got me thinking of my rituals–napping. The discussion on this took place on an author’s loop and a surprisingly large number of the authors napped. I call it power napping or crashing. It’s like I’m floating down a long tunnel and when I hit the bottom I crash and wake up. Even more surprising, my brain is re-energized and ready to tackle more challenges. I don’t nap every day but days when I’m putting in long hours at the keyboard it is especially refreshing.

There are probably other rituals I am unaware of. I know I work best in my office with a familiar keyboard and screen. I know I like a certain radio station on. I like my notebook and to-do list close by.

What about you? What rituals are you aware of? What ones haven’t you realized were your rituals? And where do you stand on napping? Do you nap? Or not?

Microsoft, Thy Name Is Mud!

This weekend I switched my Office 2003 out to Microsoft’s Office 2007. I’m not sure if it’s a mistake or not yet, but I really hate it when they change things and yet they don’t include code that allows the user to decide whether to use the new view format or to revert to the old, more comfortable, more customizable one. I think I should have a choice as to what I want to use on my personal computer and how I want to use it. The other thing that bugs me about their new design is that it’s not disability friendly. It’s very mouse usage dependent, and for people with fibromyalgia or carpal tunnel syndrome, we’re talking some major issue.

Expectations with Romance Books

With all that said, the same thing could be said about romance books. I want to read a certain type of book. In fact, when I shop online for a book, I select generally from standard fare where I’m fairly certain what I’ll get. For instance, if I buy a Berkeley Sensation book, I know the sex is going to be pretty hot, although there are varying heat levels even with this imprint. If I pick up a Bethany House book, I expect it to be an inspirational read where faith is at the core of the romance relationship.

But what happens when you don’t get what you expect? Sometimes it can be a really good read. Passion by Lisa Valdez was that way for me. It wasn’t what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Then there’s Kresley Cole’s Dark Needs at Night’s Edge. It’s a completely different type of paranormal read for me, and I’m enjoying it as well. But what happens when you read something that you find is quality writing, but it just doesn’t catch your attention.

What Happens When Expectations Aren’t Met

I encountered this just a couple of weeks ago. The books just didn’t resonate with me. They read like all the other books I’ve read in the past. They didn’t hook me and this was from NYT bestsellers to newly published authors in print and eFormat. So what does this mean? I’m not really sure. It could be the author just didn’t sell their characters to me well enough in the first 20-25 pages. Maybe my own writer’s hat interferes with my ability to just enjoy the read anymore. But I do know that I’m getting harder to please, and I’m more particular in my pursuit of the good read, and that means something to me as a writer. It means I have to keep stretching my writing and reaching for that bar that keeps rising when it comes to each book that I write.

So what do you think a blah reading means to you as a reader, a writer or both?

Monica Burns - http://www.monicaburns.com
Dangerous – 4.5 Stars RT BOOKreviews | “A pretty good read” — Mrs. Giggles
Mirage, Top Pick RT BOOKreviews
Come Enjoy a Paranormal with that Ahh…Sensation