Guest Blogger: Mary Connealy on Heroines

Red Dawson's got himself a wife he's sure God never intended. And when he informs Cassie she has to do some work around the ranch he's surprised she immediately tries to help with everything. Too bad she's a walking disaster. His ranch may not survive her efforts to pitch in. And Red may not survive a neighboring rancher's obsession with Cassie.

Montana Rose was actually inspired by Janette Oke's beautiful classic novel Love Comes Softly. Of course, I'm not Janette Oke (unfortunately for me) and my novel has taken an alarming turn to romantic comedy, suspense, and chaos. I think of it as Love Comes...Hardly. Or maybe, considering all Red goes through, Love Comes Unfortunately.

Writing Montana Rose was all about Cassie. I have a habit in my books to write a heroine so strong she's almost a superwoman. I was trying to keep fresh, to stretch myself, so I deliberately set out to make Cassie very weak, vulnerable, obedient. I just wanted to see if it could do it.

Trouble is, I didn't like her. I like superwomen. So I had my hands full creating her character, giving her a back story that explained her weakness. And, me being me, I couldn't leave her weak. I had to toughen her up in the end. I ended up loving her.

And if you aren't real interesting in reading a book about a wimp, check out a secondary character in Montana Rose, Belle Tanner. She’s a sub-character in this book but stars in her own book The Husband Tree, book two in the Montana Marriages series, coming in January.

Belle makes Sophie McClellen from Petticoat Ranch, look like a daisy-chain making, scatter-brained airhead. The title of that book, The Husband Tree, came from well, the Husband Tree — or the tree under which Belle Tanner buries her husbands when they die. We start Belle’s book with her kicking herself for not bothering to mark the former husbands’ graves because she doesn’t want to dig up one of the worthless bums while she’s planting the new one. Because that would make her start a new hole, and she has chores to do.

I just couldn’t sustain the wimpy heroine thing for two whole books.

And then in Montana Marriages book three, Wildflower Bride, this heroine, Abby, has never met a man she didn’t pull a knife on.

The humor in Montana Rose was all about Cassie trying to be obedient to her new husband and her new husband not really wanting her to be. He doesn't know what orders to give. He wants her to think for herself. She learns how to eventually, but not until she's almost destroyed Red's ranch guessing what he wants her to do.

I'm finishing up this Montana Marriage series. Book #2 is The Husband Tree, coming in January 2010 and Wildflower Bride, coming in May 2010.

I also have a Christmas romance coming in September 2009 called Cowboy Christmas. It isn't part of a series, but I think it's a lot of fun too.

"Do"s and "Don't"s for Unsolicited Submissions

I’ve been reviewing lots of unsolicited submissions and thought I’d share some advice based on things I’ve seen recently. When you’re sending a submission:

DON’T WRITE YOUR EMAIL IN ALL CAPS, PLEASE! I feel like I’m being screamed at. :)

DO format your cover letter nicely. And it’s fine for your email message to be the cover letter.

DON’T send a link to follow to find your submission. I get plenty of spam with links to who knows where, so I’ve just made it a rule that if you can’t include your work with your proposal, I’m not going to go looking for it.

DO use Microsoft Word attachments or a format that can be opened in Microsoft Word. I still frequently receive Word Perfect and other formats that I just can’t open.

DON’T be overly confident that a publisher will certainly contract your book. I am always turned off by cover letters that tell me what I am thinking and what I will do.

DO be confident and honest about yourself, your writing abilities and experience, and why you’d love to work with the publisher. But remember to keep this relevant and brief. It’s good to share some information about yourself but not a whole autobiography.

DON’T send back an obnoxious reply to a rejection. This is so irritating, and I am completely baffled over why people do this in such a competitive industry. An obnoxious reply indicates an obnoxious person that we’d probably never want to work with.

DO send a gracious reply thanking the publisher for their time. I am always impressed by these. I received one today that said, “Thank you so much for reviewing my novel and taking the time to respond. I appreciate it very much, even though it wasn't what I hoped for. Thank you for helping bring good Christian fiction to the book shelves. Hopefully, one day, my own work will be among them.” That’s one of the nicest rejection replies I’ve ever received, and I appreciate this author’s great attitude.

Let's Talk About Titles

I was browsing around Borders last night with a friend and a S’More Mocha thinking, So many books, so little time, when one book’s title jumped off the shelf at me: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Have any Edit Café readers read this book? I think that’s such an intriguing title and the story sounds pretty good, too.

I’m curious how you come up with your titles. Do they come easily or do you agonize over them? I know I sometimes find it difficult to help brainstorm with an author for the best title, and other times the ideas flow quickly. I guess it depends on how creative I’m feeling, but it can be so hard to sum up a book in just a few short words.

Often when a book is accepted, especially in the full-length line, the title needs to be changed. Reasons for that can include the title being the same or too close to another Barbour has published, the title isn’t doing its best to represent the story, and most often because the title needs to have a certain ring to it that has appeal for the market. In Heartsong, of course, that “ring” needs to be a romantic sound that readers are drawn to.

Here are some recent and upcoming Heartsongs that I particularly like the titles of:
The Superheroes Next Door by Andrea Boeshaar
Remembrance by Janet Spaeth
Stillwater Promise by Becky Melby and Cathy Wienke
Under the Tulip Poplar by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver
All That Glitters by Lynette Sowell
Finding Home by Jennifer Johnson
Picture Bride by Yvonne Lehman
The Bartered Bride by Erica Vetsch
Autumn Rains by Myra Johnson
Fire and Ice by Susan Page Davis

Based on how well they fit the story and/or how well you think they attract a reader to the book, what are some of the best titles you’ve read or seen?

We Have Another Winner!

Mez is the winner of Mary Connealy's Montana Rose. Enjoy!

Guest Bloggers Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver on Writing As A Team

Diane and I were excited when JoAnne asked us to guest blog about writing as a team, as people often ask us how we work together. So we met and divided up the work, just like we always do.

Our writing first comes from our desire to tell stories that will glorify our Lord. We pray our stories touch Christians and non-Christians alike. We always discuss what message we feel should be in our books at the very beginning of the process. Without this message, there is no story for us as we do not want to write anything that is not for Him.

Aaron says: Some important factors should be considered when deciding on a writing partner. First is the relationship. Diane and I have been friends for more than a decade. We met when she attended a writing class I was teaching. I immediately knew she had talent and encouraged her to pursue her dream. We and our writing group, the Bards of Faith, have been through a lot together, and we are like family.

Diane and I respect each other as writers. Although we actually agree most of the time about our stories, there are times we do not. When those times come, we respect the other’s opinion and compromise. We have never had any major disagreements. We find that we are usually able to go with which of us cares the most about that particular scene or issue we are not in complete agreement on.

The next thing to consider is writing styles. Diane and I prefer to write from an outline. We both have to know where the story is going before we can really do any writing. Having worked with Diane and the phenomenal Gilbert Morris, who taught me outlining, I don’t think I could work with a seat-of-the-pants writer. No offense. The approach is just too different. (If there is a team that works with different approaches, please let us know.)

While we are similar writers, our differences complete us as a team. We like that we have both the male and the female perspectives covered. We find this very helpful, especially writing from the male and the female points of view.

Diane says: We utilize our different strengths and make them work for us by splitting the tasks according to our talents. He is the idea man. Although I have come up with a few plots over the years, they flow from Aaron like hot lava.

During the early stages we meet together to talk about the characters, settings, and plots. Once we both have a hazy idea of where we want to end up and how we are going to arrive, Aaron writes the chapter-by-chapter synopsis. As he is doing this, I am already starting to write the first few chapters, which I send to him to make sure our visions for the book match. We make any necessary adjustments, and I start writing in earnest. Aaron provides a great deal of the research information and helps me with trouble spots as I follow our outline to the end of the story.

I hand over the rough draft to Aaron, and he edits the whole book, suggesting new scenes and changes he thinks are necessary. I rewrite. . .and rewrite. . .and rewrite. . .until we are both satisfied with the novel and deem it ready for submission.

Aaron submits the book to JoAnne and we wait for the review. (Thanks to JoAnne and Rachel Overton for their help with this stage of our writing!) We work together on the review, banging our heads on the desk and trying to maintain our objectivity so we can accept the suggestions that will strengthen the book. Once the edits are complete, Aaron emails the new copy to JoAnne who makes sure it is ready for the copyeditor. (Another thanks to Becky Fish for her help with this stage!) Aaron handles the final stages of writing the cover copy information and whatever else JoAnne needs at this point.

We look at the galleys separately when they come in and communicate with each other about any problems we see. After that, we spend a lot of time grinning. Then we work on the next idea and start the process all over again.

We think writing as a team is a great approach. After all, when all is taken into account, all books are produced from a team—writers, editors, artists, and many others. (Hopefully the authors I—Aaron—have edited feel this way, too!) You also get a built-in support system who understands that you are weird! Writing can be such a solitary profession. It is great to have someone to work with who finds it okay that you have other people in your head!

We hope you enjoy our historical stories set in Tennessee. Under the Tulip Poplar releases through Heartsong Presents this month, and A Bouquet for Iris and The Mockingbird’s Call will be coming over the next several months. We urge you to try writing as a team, and hopefully you will find it easier to score!

Don't Miss this July Release

Mary Connealy is kicking of a terrific new series with the release of Montana Rose.

When Cassie Griffin’s husband dies, leaving her and her unborn child alone in Montana Territory, she finds herself fair game for every ill-bred, foul-mouthed suitor in town. That is, until Red Dawson steps in to make an offer. Will this “china doll” be safe in the hands of a rough-and-ruddy rancher? Although attracted to Cassie from the start, Red is reluctant to wed a nonbeliever. But it seems he has no choice. Will Red eventually win over this doll—heart and soul? Or will he lose everything to a man obsessed with making Cassie his own?

The Montana Marriages series will contain 3 books, so hop on board and enjoy the ride.

Tell me the name of Mary's one and only grandchild (so far) -- guess if you have to -- and I'll enter you in a drawing for a FREE copy of Montana Rose.

Drawing ends noon EST on Monday, July 6.

Congratulations to Renee!

Renee wins a free copy of Menu for Romance! Enjoy!

Guest Blogger: Kaye Dacus

Windows and Meetings of the Mind

What then is the good of—what is even the defence for—
occupying our hearts with stories of what never happened
and entering vicariously into feelings which we should try to avoid . . . ?
Or of fixing our inner eye earnestly on things that can never exist . . . ?
The nearest I have yet got to an answer is that we seek an enlargement of our being.
We want to be more than ourselves. . . . We want to see with other eyes,
to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts,
as well as with our own. . . .
We demand windows. . . .

—C. S. Lewis
(quoted in The Christian Imagination,
Leland Ryken, Editor)

The Christian faith is one about words, stories, and language. What other religion calls their god the Word? I firmly believe that the main reasons we humans love stories—both reading and writing them—is because God loves stories. Don't believe me? Let me refer you to the gospels where are recorded the parables (i.e., stories) Jesus told when trying to illustrate difficult theological points to His followers. Still don't believe me? Uh, how about the fact that we have that BOOK at all? God chose to reveal Himself to future generations through written words—and used the episodes and (mis-)adventures of His people to do so. More of the Bible is dedicated to revealing who and what God is through episodic events than through expository language . . . more showing, less telling.

When writing, I like to have images of my characters' houses as part of my storyboards, so that I can easily call to mind the setting. In looking at real estate listings with images of the homes available, I discovered that apparently, in the Midwest, it used to be popular to build houses with very few, small windows . . . or at least there were many of them in several different areas all on the market right now. Even though I keep my curtains closed—especially in the front of the house—most of the time, I love the fact that I have two windows in every room of my small house, and one in the bathroom. Having lived in an apartment (one window in the bedroom, sliding glass door in the living room) and a duplex (windows only on one side of the apartment) for eight years, I love the fact that I can see out all sides of my house. Not that the view is that great, but still . . . it means there's nothing blocking my ability to see out, to look out upon the "other worlds" of my neighbors' yards, or my backyard or front yard. I would feel so blocked in, cooped up, in a house with just a few, small windows—it would seem dark and suffocating.

This would be what the world would be like without stories. Stories open up the curtains that separate us from the rest of creation and let us experience what it's like to be someone else, to think like someone else, to "see with other eyes, to imagine with other imaginations, to feel with other hearts," as Lewis put it. Steven King, in On Writing, calls it, "Telepathy, of course. . . . I'm writing the first draft of this part at my desk . . . on a snowy morning in December of 1997. . . . You are somwhere downstream on the timeline from me. . . . Let's assume that you're in your favorite [reading] place . . . We're not even in the same year together, let alone the same room . . . except we are together. We're close. We're having a meeting of the minds."

This "window" or "meeting of the minds" is unique to humans. Kids at summer camp tell ghost stories after lights-out—why? Because it's fun, because of the adrenaline rush fear brings . . . and because it's a way for everyone in the room to be thinking and feeling the same thing. We have certain friends we think of when we see funny bumper stickers ("Oh, I have to e-mail Corie about that when I get home!"). Or how many times have you walked into the house/office/church or wherever saying, "You're never going to belive what just happened to me," and then launch into a story of your near-miss with a cement truck or the man who just handed you $100 for returning his lost wallet?

Stories transcend spoken language; they transfix the mind; they transport us to other places, other times; they touch places inside of us we've never before experienced. Bookclubs—those where the members meet to discuss the book they've read, whether face-to-face or online—are so popular because having read the same story gives us something in common with someone we might never have connected with before . . . even if we don't agree on it!

I believe one of the reasons writers seek out the company of other writers is because we long for this kind of connection, this kind of "meeting of the minds" that transcends casual acquaintanceship. We seek a relationship based on a shared experience—based on the desire not just to look through the "windows" but to throw them open, to invite our neighbors to look out of their windows in through ours.

As you drive through a neighborhood at night, when you see a house with the lights on and the windows open, it's so easy to see inside, to see the people who live there. This is what we as writers do—leave the windows open so that readers can have some peek at what we are inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kaye Dacus is the author of the Brides of Bonneterre series for Barbour. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and is a former Vice President and long-time member of American Christian Fiction Writers. A Louisiana native, she now calls Nashville, Tennessee, home. She is currently celebrating the release of her latest Barbour title: Menu for Romance. To learn more about Kaye and her books, visit her online at kayedacus.com.

If you would like a copy of Kaye's latest book, post a comment here with your email address before Thursday, July 2 for entry into a drawing.

A Little Too Sweet

I’m still laughing about a trip through the drive-thru of Chik-Fil-A yesterday evening to grab some supper. I really respect the values that the Chik-Fil-A company holds to and I am all for the great customer service and friendly attitudes that I always find there. However, yesterday, the female employee on the drive-thru intercom nearly shocked me into forgetting my order. She was positively dripping with syrupy sweetness, so much so that I guessed if I ordered sweet tea, she would probably tell me they were all out.

Seriously, it was more than I could handle, and I like to think I’m a nice person. This was over-the-top friendliness, agreeing with everything I ordered and adding extra enthusiasm and exclamation points to each item. “Oh! A kids meal?!! Well, sure!!!!....With lemonade? Of course!.....And you have a coupon for buy-one-get one -free sandwiches? That’s SO wonderful!!!!!!!” I honestly thought for a moment that she might be mocking me. All I could think was, Is she for real?

Anyway, enough of my teasing the poor girl. I hope that she is sincerely a nice person. Maybe someone will tell her that she could eliminate a few exclamation marks and cut down on the “sugar” a little and she’d still be incredibly sweet and a bit more believable. Even though my encounter with her was under two minutes long, she was quite a character that I won’t soon forget!

This little encounter made me think of Kim O’Brien’s recent guest blog post on humor in writing and letting it develop naturally based on real situations you find yourself in. I’m thinking I need to file this away and maybe Super Sweet Drive-Thru Girl should end up in a funny scene if I ever write a novel of my own. If you have one, share a funny story that’s happened to you recently. Will it make its way into one of your books?

(Oh, and if you love Chik-Fil-A, be sure to check out the upcoming Cow Appreciation Day on their website. Too fun! I’ll try to remember to post a picture if I make Jodi participate. )