Volume 3

Eloisa James writes historical romances which have placed in the top ten of the New York Times Bestseller List and received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal. A graduate of Harvard University, she holds an M.Phil from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University, in NYC.

Q: You have said that “Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother.” Please explain. How can other writers similarly incorporate different facets of their roles into their fiction?

A: People often think of the romance genre as being about achieving total perfection in life. In fact, the genre ends with the promise of happiness -- but in order for it to be a decent romance, the characters need to live. My plots come out of my own fears -- of losing a child, for example, or of not being beautiful enough, of making mistakes, of telling fibs. You can add all the imagination you want, but unless the bedrock of your character and plot come out of a strong emotion of your own, the novel won't work, imo.

Q: How does a writer weave poetry, Shakespeare and ballads into a book as you so successfully have, without it coming off as affected or contrived?

A: Just do it in snippets. Think how people use popular songs in their speech these days -- with a laugh, in a sentimental moment, maybe, when they're alone. Nobody sits in the bath and declames a sonnet to herself, but a line or two of a White Stripes song might play over in her head. Use it naturally -- or not at all. There's nothing worse for lovers of historical fiction than the "information dump."

Q: How important is it for writers to attend workshops, take classes and study with established writers?

A: I think it can be useful. You can learn things, certainly. I think it's far more important to just keep writing on your own. The best workshop to attend with an established writer is a slow read, and then a reread, and then a third read, of a novel that you really admire.

Q: Why do you think that novice writers have such difficulty writing from a consistent point of view? Any tips / writing aerobics exercises they can practice to hone this skill?

A: It's a skill that has to be learned by experience. In my first book, I switch POV several times within one paragraph. It still went into a bidding war and came out in hardcover -- please remember that POV is not the be all and end all of fiction. It's a tool, that's all.

Q: You have an incredibly active webpage with contests, books you recommend, and dinners and events in which readers can win copies of your books. What suggestions do you have for writers who are just implementing their first webpage to promote their books? What are the first things they should focus on?

A: Making the navigation very clear. There are specific things a reader does when arriving at your website: first is to try to figure out what you're writing -- the type of book. Second is generally to try to figure out what you're writing next. Finally, get your backlist. A bit about you is good. So you need the basic categories: home page, new & next, bookshelf (with Amazon ability) and bio. And crucially, you need the ability to allow people to sign up for your mailing list -- velocity of sales (i.e., mobilizing your loyal readers) is what drives the New York Times list. You can add fun stuff over time, but you must -- simply must -- have that up on the web before any book publishes.

Q: With a limited budget (due to signing with a small publishing house), what promotional events can you suggest to newly published authors? What marketing venue will give them the most bang for their bucks?

A: The website. I don't really find that anything else makes much difference. At this point, I've been publishing for years. In the beginning I tried things with booksellers, etc (bookmarks, etc). I never found they helped. The website is key. If you want to spend some money, send everyone on your mailing list a postcard with the cover of your book when a new book comes out. That tells them it's out and gives them the cover as a memory point.

Q: Now that technology is such an integral part of the publishing industry, what do you foresee as the future of the novel? Of the romance novel?

A: A good friend of mine who has been in the top ten of the New York Times just told me that 10% of her last royalty statement came from e-books. These aren't e-books with a small press, but e-book versions of a huge NYT publisher, in Kindle, etc. So there's the future, if you ask me.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.

I hope whoever is reading this column is getting some good from it. I find writing this particular one helped me to remember or recall some of the important things I have left slip away. Intangibles in writing effectively are what slip away if we are not careful. A while back I listed a number of things writers need—necessities such as a computer, a quiet room, a ream of paper, a cup of strong coffee, etc. These and others are tangible items, easily attainable and easily maintained. However, it is the intangible things that really need personal attention and as a writer, one must strive vigorously to master them. And that takes work. Intangibles worth striving for were compiled by members of our Pen to Paper Writer's Club in Tecumseh, Michigan.

1. Self-confidence or Ego. As a writer, you have to fully believe that you've got something worth writing about, something that others will find worth their time (and perhaps their money). You can't harbor self-doubt or excesses of humility.

2. Inner Discipline. As a writer, even if you are a pro with a paycheck and deadlines, you need to motivate yourself to sit down (repeatedly) and write; to sit down (repeatedly) and re-write. You have to provide and maintain your own structure to keep up productivity.

3. Sensitivity. As a writer, your senses need to be heightened so you hear, see, smell, taste, feel in a vivid and deep way. You need a sensitivity to language—to develop your skill at selecting words.

4. Flexibility. As a writer, you need to be able and willing to shift gears, to discard what doesn't work, to make repeated trips to the drawing board, to start over, to accept criticism.

5. Sense of Humor. As a writer (and as a human being), you can't ever take yourself too seriously. If you can't draw back and see the humor in about 80 percent of human activity, you can easily grow neurotic and morose. What you write from that perspective will not be worth reading except by those who are neurotic and morose.

6. Curiosity and observation. As a writer you need to be detail-oriented. An exceptional curiosity will serve you well whether you are writing about people, places or designing a plot. Relating the truth, employing a keen awareness of the senses, and noting details sets a written work apart.

As you read works of publishing authors, you will surely find that each possess virtually all of the above attributes. Join the posse.

Questions/Comments? Contact Jim at james@jamesfalk.net, or visit www.jamesfalk.net.

James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.

By Carlotta G. Holton

Those who love the Victorian era are in for a treat with Chance’s erotic murder-mystery tale set in New York City, circa 1857. Murder and mayhem, spiritualism and the supernatural combine to create an armchair thriller. Amidst the atmosphere of gaslit streets, roiling fog and the rapping at the weekly séance table, her heroine evolves from her repressed status, common for her gender of the times, into a woman of action and passion.

The daughter of a detective and a mother with secrets, Evelyn has risen into Knickerbocker society by marrying the wealthy attorney, Peter Asherton. She is included in the balls and soirees of the upper ten thousand who comprise society’s crème de la crème. Yet she is lonely due to her husband’s unexplained absence every night. “I buried my loneliness in night after night of glittering New York society.” But society dictates the woman’s role of acceptance. When she confides in a friend, she is told, “don’t go wanting things you can’t have.”

With her husband’s admission that he attends séances, she is invited to join him at the home of wealthy society matron, Dorothy Benton, in hopes of contacting her husband’s late mother. She encounters the mysterious and seductive Michel Jourdain, the medium who channels not only the spirits of the afterworld, but the affections of many women as well. Is he a charlatan or the real deal? The evening is interrupted by gun fire and the die is cast for an unexpected chain of events.

Peter leaves her at home that evening to investigate and doesn’t return. When his body is found floating in the East River, the façade of her relatives is quickly shattered and their true characters revealed when it is learned that she inherits the family fortune. The author does a good job of showing the differences between social classes as the world of snobbery and cliques is threatened by and in turn threatens those who stand in their way. The days when she thought she would “be an Asherton forever” come crashing to an end when at her arraignment she realizes that “Peter’s family means to see me hang.”

Charged with her husband’s murder, dislodged from the family home, an outcast by his family and the society into which she married, she finds refuge in Benton’s mansion. At times the plot pulses with a steamy sexual undercurrent as Evelyn discovers not only a latent talent for spiritualism, but begins to acknowledge an awakening of her own long-suppressed physical and emotional desires.

Betrayal comes from all sides, save for her husband’s partner, Ben Rampling, who takes on her case. Using her position in the house they scheme to force out the identity of the killer. The compelling characters of Evelyn, Michel and Ben propel this novel into a quick and intriguing read. The author skillfully weaves Evelyn’s transformation from her earlier belief that “The uncertainty of living as a woman without prospects, without money was terrifying. To always be alone, to know that despair might lead one to a life of degradation and shame, where each day one only wished for the strength to end it.”

With each ghost she encounters from her family’s past and present, and with each spirit writing that comes through her from beyond, she grows closer to uncovering the truth about her husband and his murderer. A surprising twist sheds light on Evelyn’s marriage and helps empower her to become the woman she was meant to be.

By Amanda Linsmeier

I first saw Women with Big Eyes in the clearance section at a bookstore and confess I picked it up not because of the cheap price, but because of the interesting title and beautiful cover. It’s taken me months to read it but I’m glad I finally did. The book is a wonderful collection of stories, including thirty-some tales of strong, sensual Mexican women who have something to learn and/or something to teach. There’s Aunt Christina who wasn’t pretty “but something about her slim legs and breathy voice made her interesting.” Destined to be an old maid, a “leftover,” Christina marries Senor Arqueros, whom no one in her family has even met. She leaves her home to be his wife and returns home a year later, a widow—ironically, the independence of being a widow far surpassing the burden of being an old maid. Gossips said that her husband never existed but readers don’t know the truth, only suspecting Christina a lot smarter than she appears. Then there is Aunt Valeria who keeps her marriage happy by fantasizing about different men. Aunt Eugenia, who after giving birth in a hospital due to the untimely the death of her midwife, finds her husband much altered after encountering the female doctor Georgina. Upon his death some time later, she mourns with the woman who shared half of his heart. From breast cancer to infidelity to being kidnapped, these tales are sure to stir something in you.

I really liked this book. I loved Mastretta’s word choice, the way she writes, her style. Some of the stories were short, only a page in length, others were longer but each had something in common: women with something special. Women with Big Eyes is a beautiful collection of the power of the feminine mind, heart and soul. Next time I pick up this book, it won’t be just because of the lovely cover but the lovely contents as well.

The UK Times Online has compiled a list of the top ten literary one hit wonders. These are authors who had great success with a single novel. Included on the list is Margaret Mitchell- Gone with the Wind, J.D. Salinger- Catcher in the Rye and Sylvia Plath- The Bell Jar. A complete list of titles is available here.

Discovery Communications (parent company of the Discovery Channel) sued Amazon last Tuesday for infringing its patent on electronic book technology. In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Delaware, Discovery Communications that the technology related to e-book security used by Amazon infringes on one or more of the claims on a patent that Discovery obtained in November 2007. General counsel of Discovery Joseph A. LaSala, Jr., said, “The Kindle and Kindle 2 are important and popular content delivery systems. We believe they infringe our intellectual property rights, and that we are entitled to fair compensation.” WNW will follow this case and report updates as they become available.

Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the USAirways pilot who landed the now infamous crashing plane in the Hudson River in January, has landed a two-book deal with HarperCollins worth more than $3 million. The first book will be a memoir that will reportedly be a narrative of Sully’s life and the key moments that prepared him for landing the plane and saving more than 150 lives. The second book will be a collection of Sully’s inspirational poems. Do you think $3 million is too much for Sully? Not enough? Just about right? Let us know by clicking here.

The big-screen adaptation of the classic children’s book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak will hit theaters October 16, 2009. The film was supposed to be released almost a year prior to the new release date, however it is being reported that execs at Warner Bros. were not happy with live-action takes by director Spike Jonze. The new version will feature re-shoots, specifically smaller scenes, and will utilize CG animation to bring the Wild Things’ faces to life. Are you excited about this movie? Let us know by clicking here.

Congratulations to Karen Bence, author of Midnight Revelations, the first book in the “Dark Whispers Series.” Her book has been named a finalist in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year contest in the Horror/Fiction category. Over 1400 books were submitted in 61 categories with only 668 books making the final cut. The winners will be determined by a panel of judges including librarians and booksellers. The winners will be announced on May 29, 2009 at BookExpo America in New York City. A list of the 2008 finalists can be viewed by clicking here.

Click here to purchase Midnight Revelations.

Check out Karen’s latest article about creating three dimensional characters in fiction by clicking here.

J. Conrad Guest for “The Smoking Poet” has reviewed Postmarked Baltimore, the latest novel by Jeff LeJeune.

On New Year’s Eve, 1989, Father Perry Burns sits, haunted by his many regrets. Fifteen years have elapsed since he fled, without a word, from the woman he loved, the result of a shameful indiscretion. Father Burns has just received a letter from Noel, who managed to trace his whereabouts. Recently widowed and a mother, Noel fills in Perry on her life and also expresses the hurt with which Perry left her. She is over him, she writes, but still loves the memory of what they shared.

A great portion of Postmarked Baltimore is told in flashback, as Perry relives the events that led up to his decision to join the priesthood.

Author Jeff LeJeune relates Burns’s story with great sensitivity, creating in Burns a protagonist who is mostly unlikable and tormented, while allowing the reader to catch an occasional glimpse of Burns’s goodness ― a man driven to do what is right yet fearful of hurting Noel, a slave to his baser drives, and filled with self-loathing the result of his salacious thoughts as well as his actions. Like many addicts, Burns is driven not so much by an evil nature but by an inability to help himself.

At times Postmarked veers dangerously close to melodrama, but the reader forgives the occasional indulgence for more frequent moments of near brilliant prose:

”Sometimes it can be more difficult to forget memories of things that never happened than things that did; the ones that never happened are stainless, fashioned and refashioned in the mind until perfection is attained. Those images of him and Noel together had been arranged like a restaurant table setting, neat and tidy and ready for use and feasting. Instead, he was forced to sit at the table and avoid the setting and the food. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t even touch the silverware. No one told him he couldn’t leave, but he couldn’t unfold his limbs into a walking posture either. There was no closing time. So he just sat there while the waiters waited and the managers managed and the closers closed, bogged down and slumped over in front of the perfect dish he couldn’t eat.. He couldn’t even touch it. It wasn’t real. And that is the knife that slices men to pieces when our plans with love don’t materialize. It’s not real. Never was. But you swear it had been at one time, just last week, just yesterday, hell, just a minute ago. All of it was real.”

Recommended reading.

To purchase Postmarked Baltimore by Jeff LeJeune, please click here.