Sunday Morning Brunch with Rad - Past Notes

12/16/08

Greetings all:

I hesitate to say that I am back online after the ice storm, because power has been out at least half a day every day for the last two days and completely out for two days before that. While having no Internet connection makes business as usual difficult, having no heat, water, or lights makes everything problematic. :)

 Fortunately, I had just finished Justice for All the day before the ice storm or I would have been completely --- well, it wouldn't have been pretty. As it was, I did some of the last edits using every laptop in the house on battery power until they all died on Friday--carrying the latest version on a jump drive around in my pocket. It was truly pitiful. Oh, and did I mention that Lee left for a cell biology meeting in San Francisco  the day of the storm, leaving me here in the dark and the cold with four dogs-- okay, that's not pretty either. Truly though she offered to stay but since both she and one of her graduate students have presentations today, in fact, she really did need to leave.

 So,  despite the fact that I am between books until the end of this week, when I will start Secrets in the Stone,  I am busy catching up on many day-to-day things that I couldn't do the last five days.  I know that there are many new list members, so a reminder to all if you have any questions about writing or publishing or about what I write, why, or how, e-mail me off-list at  radclyffe.bsb@ gmail.com and I will answer the questions anonymously in my semi--weekly  drop bys.

 Thanks to everyone for your continued support and happy holidays -- Rad

11/07/08

Greetings:

Yogurt covered raisins, sesame sticks and mixed nuts if anyone is interested in the exact items in the snack. No? Oh -- books. We're here to talk about books. 

Well then—I had a most interesting experience this week.  As many of you know, I don't write two things at one time. If I'm in the middle of writing a novel and I have a short story deadline due, I'll stop work on the novel and take a day or two to write a short story. When I first discovered online writing and Scully fan fiction, I was halfway through writing Above All, Honor. Because I wrote fan fiction intensively for about two years, I stopped writing the first Honor for that period of time. Of course, I wasn't publishing then and didn't have any deadlines.  I was writing everything just for the fun of it. Anyhow, to get back to the point--when the action picks up in the story, which it always does in the last third, whether the work is plot driven or character driven, every chapter is intense. There's no down time, no filler--not that there ever should be, but the importance of every single word is even more critical when building to a climax.  So the pace can be pretty tiring to the brain.  I am currently finishing Justice for All and I also have three or four new stories to write for the Radical Encounters anthology which I am bringing out in February 2009. Someone recently asked me if I could list all of my short stories which have been published in non-bold strokes books anthologies. That's what this collection is going to be--in addition to my short stories published in the BSB anthologies which went on to become selections in Best Lesbian Erotica  2006, 7, 8 and 9,  Radical Encounters will include all of the short stories I've published  in anthologies from Cleis, Alyson,  Bella,  Pretty Things Press  and others. Because I know many of you have read some of these stories, and an intrepid few have read all of them, I am also writing some new ones just for this collection. So this week, I tried writing erotica in the morning and my novel in the afternoon. I found that I could actually write about 5000 words a day, which is quite a bit more than my usual 3000, if I'm pushing.  I can't do it every day, nor would I want to, but suddenly my deadlines don't look quite so ominous.

 I currently have no trips scheduled until the Christmas holidays, which is also very exciting. Provincetown followed by YLAF was great for many reasons—it's exciting to meet with fellow authors and it's inspiring to interact with readers. I don't resent for a minute having done it, but I'm glad to be back at my desk with a semi regular schedule.

 A few questions from you:

1)Rad, you said you write 7,500-10K words a week -- what if you don't have anything to say? Do you just write and then deal with content during the rewrite/edit stage? A long time ago, I had a book (Writing Down the Bones) in which one of the exercises was to just sit down and write, even if you think you don't have anything to say. But if you're working on a specific project and you sit to write but nothing is flowing, do you write anyway?

Short answer. Yes. 

Longer answer-I write chapters that are generally 3000 words in length on an average of half a chapter a day.  I  edit the chapter,  revising for both style and content, within a day or two of writing it, often before I begin the next chapter but not always.  When the entire draft is done I edit it again for content and style, then it goes to the editor. I work on a very tight schedule and I don't have any time built in to have nothing to say. If I'm not entirely certain what's going to happen in the chapter, I just start writing with what ever the natural follow-up would be to the ending of the previous chapter. I find that once I get an opening sentence and the scene begins to take form in my mind, I'll find something to write.  The exception is short stories--these usually are for "themed" anthologies, and I have to sit and think about the theme so I can get my take on it before beginning to write.  I think theme informs the erotic short story in a very critical way, adding a layer of depth that gives meaning to the sex beyond the physical. Sometimes I walk around thinking about it for a day or two, and when I sit down to write, I generally do not write the first sentence until I can choose a theme. I recently wrote a short story for a cowboy anthology, and I love cowboys.  I thought about why I loved cowboys (in addition to the boots and the guns and the spurs and the girls :)  and I finally came up with the one word that became the theme for the story. Freedom.

 I am often asked what to do about writer's block, and the answer is really simple.  Write. Anything—a terrible boring scene, stilted dialogue, flat characterization. Once you have it on paper you can fix it. Until you do, you have nothing at all.

 2) quickly—the question about romance sub-genres  and the difference between thrillers/intrigue/ suspense.  Genre classifications are not absolute, and in today's fiction world, there is tremendous genre-blending going on, which is very exciting.  Generally, there are a few defining characteristics that must be present in order for a work to fit a genre category (a romance must have a love story, a mystery must have a puzzle to solve, time travel must have characters moving between two distinct settings, etc.). But beyond those basic elements, plot and characterization is almost endless.  The entire issue of Romantic Times this month was devoted to the "thriller/Romantic thriller" genre and eight or 10 authors were asked to define the critical elements of a thriller. Not all of them agreed, or at least picked out the most important elements, but the general consensus was that a thriller must have an unbroken timeline and nonstop action and a lot at stake if the hero(ine) fails.   In general, it's a disaster scenario—something really bad is going to happen if the main characters don't do something to stop it, and they don't have very much time to do it. Most  thrillers  have been written by men until recently, but the advent of romantic thrillers where, in addition to the danger/action plot there is emphasis on the relationship between two main characters,  women have  begun to emerge as popular authors. I think intrigue and suspense are interchangeable terms--these must have some degree of mystery and an ongoing threat of danger (a serial killer has targeted the main character) or someone/some force is threatening the main character but we don't know who or why. The plot is propelled by the events threatening the heroine(s)and her efforts to find out who and why. Obviously, the differences are only a matter of degree. A mystery is easier to define, although there are many, many sub genres of mystery—the critical element is that something "has happened" and the main character has to figure out the how and why of it and thus achieve justice.  

  I think most people write because they feel compelled to tell a story. Some of us like to tell stories about people—some of those stories are love stories, and we call them romances. Some of those stories are explorations of our motivations and hopes and fears and we call them dramas.  Some of us are fascinated by the forces of good and evil, and we like to write about what motivates people to be very good or very bad—these might be mysteries or romantic thrillers or morality plays. Genre can be a way of organizing our thoughts and structuring our stories--and bending and reshaping the structure while still maintaining its integrity can be an exciting challenge.   There are lots of writing sites on the Internet which define the elements of various genres—google away!

 Thanks to everyone for reading,

Rad

10/21/08

Greetings:

I returned from Provincetown yesterday and am leaving at 4 PM today for the UK.

First and foremost, of course, thank you thank you thank you to all the readers who came, who sent their friends, or who were with us in spirit.  Without you, there would be no point in any of us making the trip. 

The weather for the first part of the week cooperated beautifully- -sunny and 60s every day, which is Provincetown in October at its best. By the weekend, temperatures had fallen, the skies had turned gray, and when we returned home it was 18° on our front porch Monday morning.

This was the biggest and best year yet for book events in Provincetown- -and considering the economy, that is remarkable in and of itself. There were seven BSB readings  and signings during the week, and all were wonderfully attended and every one of us authors had a terrific time.  The BSB readers dinner on Friday night was also great fun (thank you Toni) and a wonderful opportunity to say hello. Usually during signings, there is so little time, and I know I never get a chance to say thank you enough.

We organized our readings around themes this year, which really seemed to be popular (especially Hot Stuff and the last session in which authors read from each other's work. You haven't lived until you've heard Jane Fletcher's books read with a southern accent courtesy of Larkin Rose.)

I hope that we see some of you next year in Palm Springs in March, our next big event.  More details on that will be forthcoming next month.

To those of you who have commented on Night Call publicly and privately, thank you. It means a great deal to me to know that you are enjoying my books. I have a particular fondness for this work because I was able to explore a number of themes which interest me in one book--the action setting, the military undercurrents, and the deep,  sometimes dark, interpersonal challenges are what I as an author  enjoy writing.  And of course, it was a pleasure to revisit Quinn and Honor's universe.

I'm off to England--many thanks to all for being here, Rad

10/08/08

Greetings all: 

I will be leaving for Provincetown and the women's week events in three days, and then we'll be home for one day before leaving for England and the York Lesbian Arts Festival.  I'll be around via e-mail pretty much the entire time, although maybe not so much while in England. Presumably, my Blackberry is going to work over there  through some miracle of modern electronics. 

 As any author will tell you, traveling plays havoc with a writing schedule. When I first started writing, I generally wrote an entire book from start to finish without taking a break. I literally wrote 10-15 hours a day until it was done.  Of course, I was usually on vacation and wasn't doing anything else. I once read about a famous author who spent a year or so thinking about his book without writing a word. Then he would go to a hotel and lock himself in and write nonstop until the book was done.  I completely understand that, and sometimes I wish that I could do it. There is something not only enjoyable but creatively freeing to completely immerse yourself in the writing to the exclusion of everything else. However, very few people have that luxury and I certainly don't. Even if I didn't have another job running a large and busy publishing company, I doubt that my partner would be really happy if I disappeared for a few weeks at a time to write.  In her defense, Lee is very generous with our time and never complains about business intruding.  Where was I going with this?  Oh yes--traveling. I generally maintain a very steady writing schedule of 7500-10,000 words a week except for the few weeks I take off between books. I don't expect I'll be able to do that in the next two weeks, which is already making me crazy. Well, crazier <g>.  This is something I think all authors experience when touring.   I really enjoy meeting readers, and usually when I am in the midst of an event I really have fun. I expect the upcoming events will both be terrific, and I am looking forward to them. That helps balance the craziness. Fortunately, I am well along with Justice for All, and plan to write some short erotic stories during breaks the next couple of weeks to round out Radical Encounters, a collection of my erotic short stories which have been published by various other publishers over the last few years. Many readers have requested being able to get them all in one place. That anthology will be out in February in time for the Palm Springs Book Festival.  

Oh yes -- Night Call will be out this month - I hope you enjoy it. :) 

A few questions: 

1) On what basis do you create your leading characters? And in particular Saxon or Honor or Quinn, do you start off with something from yourself? Or do you base them on someone you knew through work Do you create/invent a complete character profile before you start or do you let them change and develop as you write the story? 

I never intentionally base a character on myself. I think it's impossible for authors to exclude their own feelings, opinions, and experiences from their writing, nor probably should we.  I think there's a fine balance between allowing our own experiences and emotions to inform a character without making the book "all about us." I think what's important is to remove one's self consciously from the characters, and allow them to have their own unique attributes.  I think when authors only write their own experiences, the works come across as being self-indulgent and somewhat limited. The beauty of fiction is the ability to expand our experiences and our realities.  I do not personally do extended character profiles, although I know many authors do and it's very helpful when starting a new work. I always begin with key attributes that help me define characters in my mind--in addition to the obvious (age, physical attributes), I like to know where the characters came from (something about their background), what their relationship history has been like (have they ever been in love, are they currently involved, why aren't they?), what do they do for a living, and what do they seek in relationships with women, if anything. Then I let the story and the characters grow together, because I think plot and character inform each other, a least in the way I write. 

2)Are your books available in a Spanish, and are they available in Spain? 

A number of my books have been translated into Spanish (A matter of trust, above all honor, honor bound)  and several other BSB books have been translated or will be translated-- Julie Cannon's Come and Get Me -- and upcoming: Gun Brooke's Coffee Sonata.  These are available through Editorial Egales in Spain. They do have a website.  Likewise, we have titles available in French through Labrys Editions ( above all honor,  honor bound, love and honor, Gun Brooke's Course of Action, Ali Vali's  The Devil Inside,  and more forthcoming). 

4) Is there going to be a sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club?? 

 When I wrote the book, my original idea was to do a trilogy featuring each of the three friends. Then as I wrote the book, I decided to overlap the three stories showing relationships at different parts of their development, while trying to bring each to some degree of a satisfying conclusion. I think I've told so much of each of their stories that there isn't enough left to carry a full novel. So currently I have no sequels planned, but I've said that before and then changed my mind. My current short range plans are to end the Honor and Justice series, write one more in the Provincetown Tales (Returning Tides due out in 2009), and write primarily standalones or perhaps begin a new series. I am also toying with the idea of doing spin-offs from the Honor Series which would not feature Cam  and Blair quite so centrally. Those ideas are still germinating. 

Hope to see some of you soon, Rad

09/13/08

Greetings:

Hopefully all of you in the storm path are safe, and I hope your homes and family are as well. 

September is thankfully a relatively quiet month for me, as I was complaining—I mean, noting—just yesterday that my publisher has somehow scheduled four new titles for me in 2009.  That combined with almost 3 weeks of travel in October makes for a very busy fall.  Plans are shaping up very well for Provincetown and Women's Week, as well as the York Lesbian Arts Festival (where we now have six, possibly seven BSB authors and a number of editors attending). It's our largest contingent yet and looks to be like a great time.

Our Provincetown schedule is posted here [my website] along with a number of other Sept/Oct events.

 As for the questions:

1) Have you ever considered having a book/author event at the Women's Fest that is held in Key West every September?

 This is actually the second or third time someone has mentioned this location and event.   Bold Strokes Books authors are always interested in interacting with readers, and since we currently have 50 authors writing across our five divisions from all over the world, it's entirely possible that some authors who are not traveling to Massachusetts or England for the October events would be able to attend an event in September. The timing is a little close for some of us to attend both.  Putting together a book event requires a lot of work on the ground in addition to ordinary promotions—we need a local bookstore and/or a resort interested in spearheading the event, as we have with Now Voyager and a number of women's resorts in Provincetown, Casitas Laquita and QTraders bookstore in Palm Springs (March 5 to March 8, 2009—the third annual Lesbian Book Festival), and just this past year, Read Street Books in Baltimore in June.  These individuals and often our BSB authors and their spouses who are local  put in a tremendous amount of advance  work before any of us actually show up to do the readings and signings etc.   So the short answer is, we are always interested in the possibility for book events, but right at this moment we don't have any plans for this venue.

2) You mentioned that Night Call (October 2008) would have a good dose of Quinn and Honor in it.  How far after Fated Love does this story take place?  Will Quinn still have her defibrillator?

 There's a little bitty lead in to this book in two or 3 short stories in In Deep Waters 1 and 2 that give some clues—this takes place about  a year and a half more or less after the end of Fated Love. As to the last question, you have to read the book :)

3) Just now I was on the RWA website and I noticed an application for workshop presenters for the 2009 conference (in DC).  Have you thought of applying to offer a workshop?  I am planning to attend the conference next year and I would definitely attend your workshop.

 I have been contacted by one of the RWA authors to be on a workshop panel that she is submitting for the 2009 meeting in Washington DC in July.  There are over 100 workshops at this meeting, and they apparently receive hundreds of applications, so I have no idea if this will be accepted or not. As soon as I know, you will know.  I do plan on attending and will be signing at the literacy night again.  We really appreciate your support so I hope we see some of you.

4) I  just finished reading Word of Honor. This one has more tactical references than all the others and I absolutely LOVED that Cam and Savard are a team! If any two were going to be a team within the team, I figured it would've been Cam/Stark, Cam/Valerie or even Cam/Felicia. But Cam and Savard were a perfect choice and they kicked some ass! The one thing I did miss was more about the wedding - planning it, the ceremony, the whole thing. Overall, I really enjoyed this installment of the Honor Series. Will there be another one to come?

Thanks to everyone who wrote on list and off about this book.  Currently I do not have another one scheduled, but I have given some thought to doing spinoffs with some of the secondary characters playing a major role. Nothing definite yet. I debated quite a lot as to how much detail to put in about the actual wedding, and the problem I always come up against when any of the characters are getting married is the diversity of experience  Re: commitment and wedding ceremonies. We all have different images and ideas about this, and I decided it was more important to focus on the emotions surrounding the decision to be married and some of the reactions of family members and friends, rather than what they were wearing or doing. In many ways it's a lot like writing sex—it's more about why they are having sex than precisely how they're doing it. Well, okay—almost. :)

Thanks everyone—your being here makes writing extra special.

Regards,

Radclyffe

08/26/08

Greetings:

Is it really the end of the summer already—almost? Truthfully, fall is my favorite season followed by spring. Still, the end of summer always carries a certain nostalgia—I guess because when we're young it marks the passage of a certain period of incredible freedom before we go back to school. When I think about my youth, I always think about summer.  Riding my bike to the library every day and coming home with my basket filled with books, camping in the Adirondacks, playing softball at the rec park right down the street (I had the worst crush on the summer recreational director—I was 12 and she was butch<g> and every morning I would be the first one there and she and I would play catch for a while before everyone else arrived). Thinking about it still makes me smile. It also has me thinking about when I set my books—most of them begin in the spring and often carry through the summer. 

I guess for me those times signify beginnings, and since my books are often about new beginnings or transitions, the seasons reflect that.

Currently, I am enjoying the last days of summer and looking forward to the fall. I am well into Justice for All, which is due for a spring release in April 2009.  Before that, other books coming out are:

Romantics Interludes 1: Discovery is an anthology of love stories from BSB authors due for release in September. I have a short story in there along with 20 or so of my colleagues. It's a terrific collection showcasing some of BSB’s new authors as well as many of our veterans.  

Night Call is due to ship from the printers in about a week, so we should have it for Women's Week in Provincetown and hopefully in York at the end of October. We will have specific details about the book events in both Provincetown and York, England in the BSB newsletters in September and October, and I will post a complete schedule of events here as well. I hope to see many of you one place or the other or maybe even both! We have a record number of Bold Strokes authors attending both events, and lots of new titles being premiered.  Night Call is a stand-alone romance but it is also related to Fated Love, in that characters from that book are prominently featured in this one.  You don't have to have read Fated Love to get the entire story in this one, but if you are anxious to see a little bit more about Honor and Quinn and the others, you'll get that in Night Call as well.

In February, in time for the 3rd annual !!!  Palm Springs BSB Book Festival (March 2009) I will be releasing a collection of my erotic short fiction-Radical Encounters—which features all of the short stories I have published in anthologies with other publishers, including a few favorites which were featured in Best Lesbian Erotica over the last few years.  I'll also be writing two or three new selections specifically for this anthology. 

 A few questions from you all:

1)Was Tory's incident based on what happened to that Canadian champ some years ago? 

 yes: I had read about the accident sometime before I started writing  Safe Harbor and I was so struck by it that it stayed with me.  People always ask authors how we get our ideas for books  and I think the answer is—everywhere. For me, it's usually something I've read in the news or an anecdote I've heard about people.  I tend to combine these human stories with plots that are interesting to me (I'm sure it comes as no surprise that almost anything scientific, medical, involving law enforcement,  or the arts are particular interests of mine). I don't think the old adage "write what you know" is actually accurate. I think it should be "write what interests you." After all, that's what research is all about—it's not that difficult to find the details which enrich the narrative and make a plot feel authentic, even when writing about something one has never personally experienced. On the other hand, I think creating character has to come from inside. Characters do arise from our experiences, our fantasies, and our fears.  I think to create living breathing characters we have to be willing to expose those places in ourselves.

 2) Several people have asked me about my martial arts training

I have an eclectic background in terms of training—I have a blue belt in tae kwon do, but my natural skills and inclination was not for the standup fighting arts but for what are broadly categorized as grappling arts. I have a black belt in aikijujitsu  which  focuses on joint locks, shoulder and hip throws,  and short range strikes and kicks. I also have a brown belt in traditional aikido which is a completely defensive  martial art  applying redirection of the attacker's momentum  and mass to  immobilize or incapacitate them. One of the highlights of my martial arts career was competing in the 1998 Gay Olympics in Amsterdam, where I received a gold medal partnering with a man in the men's division (basically I attacked him in hand-to-hand combat or with a knife/gun and he threw me around the room) and a silver medal in black belt self defense (he attacked me and I got to stab him and break his neck or arm or whatever was handy<g>).  It was tremendous fun and I'm very proud of having been part of those terrific gay games.  oh—and the move at the end of Word of Honor? That was one I used on my opponent in Amsterdam. It's not that difficult to do even with a big guy if you get your center of gravity lower than his—the rest is just physics.

Thanks to everyone for reading,

Radclyffe 

06/19/08

Greetings all:

I can’t even claim this to be a snack— apologies for the meager meal. I've barely gotten caught up after having returned from LA and the Lammys (congratulations again Gabrielle Goldsby), and I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the pride event in Baltimore. I hope some of you can make it—please be sure to say hello.  If I didn't have a book to write, I'd have a lot more time. Hmmm -  

I find that if I'm going to be away from writing for a little while, I need to leave the book at a natural breakpoint-- a story has its own internal rhythm, building up to a series of mini crescendos throughout the book-- falling off a little after each one, then re-gathering tension and energy, until the final emotional/physical/ action peaks at the end followed by resolution. I think it's a mistake to walk away from a work when approaching one of these interim peaks, because the creative energy is building as well, and you don't want to lose it. The point of all this digression is that I've been writing fairly intensely so that I could be away for four days.  

 There are two "hump points" (now there's an interesting concept) for me in every novel—the end of the first act at about 10 chapters, and the end of the second act at about Chapter 20—in the first third I set the stage, the characters, and the conflict; in the second act I bring the main characters together culminating in a point of no return, as I like to think of it (something big happens, often creating more problems than answers); and in the last third bringing the conflict to its highest point followed by resolution. I just finished Chapter 19 of Night Call, which is pretty much two thirds of the way through the book, and I feel a certain bit of careful satisfaction. Not there yet – but getting there. I hope to finish up the first draft fairly soon upon returning so I can revise it, get it edited and printed and all that, and send it off to you. It should be out in time for Women's Week and the York Lesbian Arts Festival in October. 

Be back soon, Rad

05/18/08

Greetings: 

I am about to head off to Massachusetts to go to the Norman Rockwell Museum where there's an exhibit on the graphic novel, chronicling the history and future of "long form comic books." One of our authors, JD Glass, is in the process of creating a graphic novel based on one of her full-length fiction works, American Goth, published by Bold Strokes Books. If JD's around, I'm sure she'll be happy to drop you a little note and tell you what that's all about. The future of gay and lesbian publishing is changing, as is the entire face of publishing, and my intention is for us to be ahead of the curve whenever we can J

As for me, I will be in Provincetown next weekend for the signing at Now Voyager—Sunday, may 25th at 1 p.m. Mark always puts a sign in the window and there should be information on our various websites, as well. I will of course be happy to sign any books that you bring with you which have been previously purchased, no matter how many you choose to bring. In addition, Mark will have a special advance release of Word of Honor for Sunday only while I'm there. We will also have copies of In Deep Waters 2, my new erotica anthology with Karin Kallmaker. As most of you know, the 24 short stories are set in Las Vegas, 12 from each of us. I loved writing them and I hope that you enjoy them. There will be a few old friends popping up in several of the stories, as I did in the first collection.

Next week I will be in Los Angeles for Publishing University, a trade conference for independent publishers, followed by the Lambda Literary Awards and Book Expo America. So I may be a little bit quiet for the next week or two because I'm also in the middle of writing a book and hope to keep on schedule as much as possible.

I'll have more information on the event in Baltimore at the end of June in the coming weeks.

One quick question which I’ve been getting a lot:

1)        Will there be another in the Provincetown tales and will Allie ever get the girl?

Yes—I'm planning on another in the Provincetown Tales next year (2009) probably for release during Women's Week in October. There's a very good possibility that Allie will meet a girl, but which one and what happens remains to be seen. I envisioned some new women showing up in town.

Thanks all for reading—

Rad

04/28/08

Greetings:

Hopefully I'll be getting back on a more regular "brunch" schedule. I've turned in the first round of edits to the second editor for Romantic Interludes (the BSB anthology) and am working away on the many excellent submissions to Best Lesbian Romance 2009 anthology. In addition, Word of Honor is tucked away with the printer--in fact it should be shipping in just a few weeks along with the other terrific June releases. Things are probably as under control as they ever get. For today.

I'm trying to get as much writing done as I possibly can before the end of May when travel will begin to disrupt my schedule. Fortunately, I can work while traveling, but I prefer to write when I have a few hours of uninterrupted time.  When I first started writing, just for fun, I used to write primarily on vacations when I could literally write 8, 10, or 12 hours a day. Of course, I was blissfully ignorant of the process, and didn't worry about what I was putting down on paper (in those days, I wrote the first drafts in longhand and then had someone transcribe them for me). I could easily write 45,000 words in a few weeks. Now, although I write quickly, I write more slowly than I did years ago because I'm acutely conscious of things I never was before -- I don't know if that's good or bad and I don't think very much about it. It's just the way it is. By the very process of writing, we change the way we write, if we’re paying attention at all to what we're doing. Some of the questions in the last few weeks touch on that dynamic.

Before I get to some of the questions, let me just say thank you to all of you who have written recently to tell me that you enjoyed The Lonely Hearts Club and Winds of Fortune. As any author will tell you, it doesn't matter how many books we've written, the last one we publish still goes out there with some amount of uncertainty, and it's great to hear that readers enjoy them. I should mention also that the second book in the In Deep Waters series will be released May 12. The books are available for pre-order now at the Bold Strokes Bookstore online.

Also, we are upgrading the BSB WebStore to a new server so it will be faster. I know that some of you have had problems with the slowness, and we are working as fast as we can to correct that, so please bear with us. The new server should streamline the ordering process and make it much more convenient. We hope to have the new server in place by the middle of May (I'll let you know) -- in the meantime you can of course still order through the WebStore. I appreciate those of you who have been ordering your books through our WebStore. The support is greatly appreciated. In addition, beginning in May we will be releasing electronic versions of back listed titles from a number of our authors (compatible with multiple handheld devices, the Kindle, the Sony reader, and all desktop PCs). Right now, The Three by Meghan O'Brien is scheduled to be released in e-book format in MAY . Other e-books forthcoming- -in JUNE, In Pursuit of Justice; in JULY Gabrielle Goldsby's The Caretaker's Daughter and Never Wake; in AUGUST, Jennifer Fulton's Moon Island series--Passion Bay, The Sacred Shore, Saving Grace, and A Guarded Heart. And in the last half of 2008, we anticipate releasing a number of exciting brand new releases in electronic form through the BSB Eclipse E-books division. More information on that will be forthcoming in our newsletters and here.

Questions

1)      do you get writer's block?

No. I'll go for a day or so not writing while a story cogitates in my brain. I'll come up against barriers in the plot but I can't see past, which usually means I need to think a little bit more about the characters--who they are, where they're going, what they're running away from, and how I can position them to move past these barriers. If I haven't come up with a solution in two or three days, I'll just make myself write something and that has the effect of opening the door to solutions that I might not even have considered until that moment. I'm often asked, "what should I do if I have writer's block." The answer I've heard from every successful author is a simple one. Write. Anything. Although I don't usually write "out of order"--I prefer to write the book from beginning to end, if I were really really stuck I would write any scene that I knew or thought was coming, just to get back in touch with the characters. As one of my favorite authors has said, "You can't fix a blank screen."

2)      Rad, I know you mentioned a possible Adirondack series with women  from Dev and Leslie - any chance of that actually happening?

yes--a definite possibility. I'm beginning to think seriously about the titles for next year. I've pretty much promised quite a few of you I'll do another in the Justice series next year, and I will likely do another in the Provincetown Tales next year as well. I'm undecided as to whether I will do a third and if so, what the topic will be. I had planned from the beginning to do a spin off from When Dreams Tremble-- so I'll let you know when I know.

3)      Authors inspire their characters (please accept that as a  given) Have you ever had a character that inspired you? Either to do something you always wanted to do or to try something that had never previously occurred to you?

Wow-- tough question. I think I would have to say that other authors’ characters have inspired me since I began reading (I think possibly before I could walk) to explore the possibilities of life. I read books about doctors, particularly female physicians, when I was seven or eight years old. I always knew I wanted to be a doctor, and it never occurred to me that there was anything I couldn't do (even when others tried to tell me it might not be possible), because I was able to find in books the stories of those far more brave and adventurous than I, who came before me and paved the way. The same has been true for my writing and publishing career -- my bookshelves are filled with the words of true pioneers who made it possible for all of us to find one another, support one another, and celebrate our community. My own characters are very much a function of my personal internal landscape-- I write them because they allow me to be all the things I wish I were.

Thank you all, for reading,

Best, Rad

04/10/08

Greetings:

I feel like Punxsutawney Phil, poking my head out of my burrow for a brief taste of spring air. I have groundhogs on the mind because there are a few who live in the fields right outside my window and I enjoy watching them during the day while I'm working. The farmers around here don't think they're quite so cute, and when I had a large garden, I agreed with them. When I was in medical school I raised guinea pigs (the Peruvians with long gorgeous coats) and at one point had up to 20 cages with adults and babies. In fact, as you can imagine, I had so many babies I began selling them to a local pet store. The groundhogs aren't as pretty, but I don't have to worry about finding homes for their offspring either. Spring has definitely sprung, the robins returned last week. One of the things I missed about moving 280 miles south to Philadelphia was the very clear delineation of seasons that we see in upstate New York. In Philadelphia, winter tended to slide into summer with a very indistinct spring, and fall was often very rainy. Here spring is really spring--cool and crisp and sunny with the promise of new life everywhere. I know my partner really understands me, since she bought me a surprise gift this week--a nifty new gas container with a detachable nozzle and hose for my zero turn lawnmower. Yes indeed, spring is here.

On the book front--it's the quiet before the storm. In May, I'll be first in Provincetown for a book signing at Now Voyager over Memorial Day weekend, then in Los Angeles at the end of the month for the Publishers Marketing Association meeting and the Lambda Literary Awards. In June, we have the first (hopefully annual) BSB Book Festival in conjunction with Baltimore Pride celebrations.

And now, a question:

1)      What’s the secret to writing emotions for your characters? What techniques do you employ when expressing your characters feelings, thoughts, and emotions?

One of those incredibly difficult "how do you do it" questions. I read an interesting quote this morning from F. Scott Fitzgerald--"Characters are defined by what they do." I think this is such an important concept to realize and incorporate into one's work. What a character says in a given situation and how they respond to events, internally and externally, is what creates a dynamic, living, breathing character. So for me, dialogue is one very important way of creating character and expressing their feelings thoughts and emotions. My characters don't run around saying "I feel angry at you, or "You make me horny" (well okay, sometimes they do say that) -- but I do use interactive dialogue interspersed with short bursts of narrative insight to illuminate aspects of both character and the critical relationships.

The only way I can really explain this is to use an example—here are the opening paragraphs of Word of Honor:

“I’m going to kill whoever is pounding on the ceiling downstairs,” Blair Powell muttered, stretching across the naked body of her lover to squint at the alarm clock. “It’s five fifteen. I’m not just going to kill them, I’m going to dismember them.”

“Baby, hang on for a minute.” Cameron Roberts pulled Blair down against her chest and stroked her back. Threading her fingers through Blair’s tousled, curly blond hair, she kissed her. She bypassed the playful first-of-the- day good morning, I love you kisses and moved right along to the deep, possessive you belong to me kisses that would distract Blair from the activities going on in the command center below them.

“Mmm.” Blair relaxed on top of Cam and fit her hips to the hollow of Cam’s pelvis. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

Cam chuckled and skimmed her hands up and down Blair’s back, ending at her firm backside. She massaged Blair’s ass and kissed her again. When Blair gasped and tipped her head back, Cam trailed the tip of her tongue down Blair’s neck to the base of her throat. “If you don’t know by now, I’ve been doing something wrong for almost a year.”

“I know you think this will buy whoever’s down there a few more minutes of safety.”

“Is it working?”

“What do you think?” Blair braced her arms on either side of Cam’s shoulders and watched Cam’s face as she slowly rocked between her legs. In mid-November, dawn was still an hour away, and she had only the glow of the streetlights bordering Gramercy Park to see by, but it didn’t matter. She would have known Cam’s scent, her touch, the carved angles and planes of her face in total darkness. Her heart beat to the rhythm of Cam’s heart, and she knew with quiet and unrepentant certainty that were Cam’s heart to stop beating, hers would too. Cam’s heart beat quickly now, strong and full, as Cam lifted her hips to meet Blair’s. Cam’s jaw tightened and her dark eyes focused with fierce intensity on Blair’s face.

Hopefully other than enticing you to read the rest of the opening page, chapter, and with luck the rest of the book, this opening was meant to introduce you to the two characters in a dynamic situation. There isn't one sentence that says "so-and-so feels such and such", but this opening is all about what these two women feel for one another. That doesn't mean you can't use the word "feel,” but every time you do, look at the circumstances under which you are using it and make sure you're not getting lazy and trying to tell the reader something about the character, rather than showing the reader something about them through a behavior, insight, or conversation.

Hope this helps--now I'm heading back underground to do some more editing.

Thanks all for reading, Rad

03/23/08

Greetings all:

Sorry I missed a week—it wasn’t because I wasn’t thinking about you! I’m in the midst of a number of editing projects, including a long one of my own, and I realized that while I can write almost anywhere in dribs and drabs, if need be, I have to edit intensively without much break. When I was still practicing surgery full-time, I used to have a 30 mile drive to work that on a good day took about an hour, and on a bad day, an hour and a half one way. When I was writing Honor Bound, I dictated a chapter almost every day in the car. I wrote shadowland on a yellow legal tablet one week while camping in Maine, a lot of it by firelight. Maybe that’s why a lot of it takes place at night<g>. I’m a lot more disciplined about my writing now because I’m able to schedule it a little bit more regularly. I still get interrupted for publishing-type emergencies (honest to God, there actually are quite a few—especially when we’re getting books ready to go to press). Nevertheless, editing requires a great deal of direct focus because it’s about a lot more than just spelling and grammar and syntax. It’s about pace, and plot, and payoff. Whether it’s a short story or a novel, the work needs to be looked at as a whole as well as the microcosm of words that create it.

I’m actually going “semi—off-line” over the next week, possibly two, to finish up the bulk of the editing projects. All that means is that I won’t answer my e-mail within the hour, which is what I generally do. Writing is Work—editing is Really Hard Work. Nevertheless, it’s also very satisfying and it’s the only way I know to get a product that I’ll be happy with, even though I know it’s never perfect.

No questions this week, hopefully soon.

Thanks for reading,

 Rad

03/13/08 "Someday" Brunch

Greetings:

In Deep Waters 2 has gone to print and Word of Honor is off to edits. For the next few weeks I will be editing short story submissions for Best Lesbian Romance 2009 as well as the BSB anthology, Romantic Interludes 1: Discovery (September, 2008). I expect to start work on Night Call in early April right before the travel season begins. May, beginning with the Lambda Literary awards in Los Angeles through October and Women's Week in Provincetown, is the busiest time of year for me in terms are of book events and meetings, etc. Always fun, but hectic.

And on that note, I have some exciting news about Women's Week in Provincetown. As most of you know, Women's Week is nonstop activity with many artists, musicians, performers, and authors scheduled for events along with auctions, dances etc. BSB is busy scheduling our reading and signing schedule, which we expect will cover the entire week (October 11-19). I will have specific details about times and places later in the year. I have, however, finalized the panel for the Annual Benefit Helping Our Women (HOW) Lesbian Authors panel which is always scheduled on Friday morning (this year October 17). This is a two-hour panel session with author readings and usually a very lively Q&A with the audience.

For those of you who are contemplating staying in town, I would urge you to make reservations as soon as possible. The town is almost always a sellout for Women's Week.

Some questions from the list members:

1) "when I read most books that involve me the most and keep me in their world the longest, I actually go through a type of grieving at the end when I have finished their story and there is no more. Do you feel that way too when you write their stories, or not because you know you can pick up the world again when ever you feel like it?

I feel this sense of loss the most when I read a book in which I have been captivated by the characters' experiences to the extent that I live their emotions with them. That's what I seek when I read fiction, and when I find it, it's an experience I don't want to let go of. Fortunately, the wonderful thing about books is you can just read them again. As I've mentioned previously, I have literally read some books back to back multiple times. It's a little bit different when I'm writing, because the characters are always with me. I may not be actively working on them, but I know these characters. They live somewhere in the recesses of my mind so I never really lose them. Truthfully, I'm really happy when I get to the end of their story if I feel that I've told it well. There's a sense of completion, and considering the fact that I work under deadline all the time, also a sense of relief :) I do go back and read my own books, but not very often and far less frequently than I did when I was writing stories infrequently (one every few years) and only for my own entertainment. Then I would re-read the stories a little more frequently. Recently, I've begun re-visiting characters in short story selections for anthologies (particularly the two In Deep Waters collections with Karin Kallmaker). I've really enjoyed doing that and it's given me the opportunity to connect with some of my "older" characters. I expect that I will do the same thing with the two anthologies upcoming--Romantic Interludes and Radical Encounters.

2) Do you listen to music while you write?  What specific genres and musicians? 

I don't listen to music while I write--in fact, I don't hear anything while I'm writing (dogs barking, microwave dinging, people talking) quite to my partner's consternation. I happen to be one of those people who close-focuses to the point where external stimuli just don't penetrate. When I was a kid, I always used to bring books with me to school to read when I had time. I also tended to finish my tests early, and I'll never forget the one time I had finished my test, turned it over on top of my desk, and was reading a book underneath my desk. I think it might've been The Hardy Boys. Whatever it was, I was engrossed and I didn't hear the teacher calling my name. Several times. Loudly, apparently. When she finally got my attention, she was really pissed off that I had been ignoring her and took five points off my test paper. As you can see, I've never recovered from that traumatic event. The really interesting thing is that in the operating room, there are always sounds. The anesthesiologist' s monitors beep, machines cycle on and off, people talk. You learn to filter all that out, but the instant that a noise changes that indicates a problem, I would notice. I did play music in the operating room, but only when we got through the critical part of the procedure and were closing. I like country-western and R&B. The nurses always pulled those CDs for my cases when they pulled my instruments. One anesthesiologist was an opera fan and she hated my music. But everyone knows, in the operating room, the surgeon is God<g>.

3) When you were writing Lonely Hearts Club (which I loved!) did you plan for Sean & Drew to make an appearance or did that just happen as you were writing?

Thank you! And thank you to everyone who has written to me on and off list about the book. All I knew about the work when I planned it were the relationships between the main characters (I defined Liz, Candace, and Bren in my mind before I started writing and what their general relationships were to one another). I knew what the conflict would be for each of them in establishing an intimate relationship and I knew generally who their love interest would be, and that's about it. That's all I ever start a book with. Who are the main characters in relationship to others--what prevents them from being intimate and what do they crave in an intimate relationship. These are the driving forces in a novel about relationships, which is what romance fiction is all about. Two essential ingredients- -attraction/ conflict. Everything about character and story has to believably relate to those emotional elements. I've begun looking for ways to bring characters back in cameo appearances in new works, so when I set a story in a time and place that I've written about previously, I try to do that if it doesn't feel forced. That’s how Sean and Drew came to be in TLHC. You can expect to see Honor and Quinn in Night Call.

Thanks for reading, Rad

03/04/08

Good morning all:

As I sit in my office, I watch a mixture of freezing snow and rain fall outside the windows. It’s a fairly bleak day, completely overcast, a typical New England winter day. It’s certainly hard to believe that less than two weeks ago I was in Palm Springs. Nevertheless, I am in an unseasonably cheery mood—even though spring is not yet in the air. I am almost done with my current manuscript(Word of Honor), and will either be right on schedule or maybe a teeny tiny bit ahead, which always makes me happy. I still have to revise the final draft which won’t be done until later in the month, but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as that is done I will be immersed in editing the two Romance anthologies—Best Lesbian Romance 2009 and the all BSB anthology, Romantic Interludes – and then, on to Night Call.

I know that many of you are already making plans for Provincetown and Women’s Week, and that is very exciting. I am already hearing from many of the BSB authors who will be there reading from new releases, upcoming works, and recent favorites. I’ll also have more information on the Helping Our Women benefit authors panel, which I am moderating again this year as soon as I have firmed up the lineup for you. Before October, however, I hope to have some information for you about at least one other BSB author gathering in early summer.

Confession Time—I have become a recent Kindle convert. I’m not proselytizing for the Kindle per se, as opposed to any other kind of electronic reader, but I do like the fact that I can e-mail word documents to the reader wirelessly. I can load submissions onto it – which is very convenient. In addition, the BSB mobi-version e-books work perfectly with it. I can’t see ever trading in my lesbian print fiction for e-books, but I read tons of other fiction and end up giving lots of the books away. This works very well for all but my most favorite authors, whose books I keep just because I like to look at them. So that’s my gadget update for the week. By the way, if you haven’t been to the BSB e-book Web store lately, and that’s your “thing”, we are converting our backlist as fast as we can. We’re trying to get the various series up, especially considering the number of titles we have coming out soon which are part of a series. Thanks to all of you who have been visiting our store and supporting us.

Thanks also to all of you who have written me on and off list about The Lonely Hearts Club—it means a lot to know that you are enjoying it. For those of you who are Liz and Reilly fans, they will be making an appearance in a short story in In Deep Waters 2, due out in May. For many of you who have asked, Sax and Jude among a few other favorites will also be appearing in that collection.

On to the questions:

1)      Do have an all time absolute favorite book...one that you read over and over?

I absolutely can’t pick just one book—I definitely have books that I have read many many many times. To Kill a Mockingbird is one. When I was 11 or 12 I read Gone with the Wind three times back to back. Jane Eyre—a bunch of times. I absolutely love Bitter Thorns (rereleased as Roses and Thorns) by Chris Anne Wolfe and have read it seven or eight times. There are lots of books I would read more than once now, but I don’t have time.

2)      This is a really stupid question. In your office is the window behind your PC? What I mean is, can you look up at the screen and look out the window? Do you ever have to deal with glare problems?

Talk about personal revelations—I have windows behind and to the left of my monitors as well as almost an entire wall of windows to the right (the desk is somewhat in the corner). Depending on the time of year, I do have a problem with glare although the sun never falls directly on the monitor  -- it shines in my face. Therefore, in the early morning in particular, I have to wear a hat! It’s a small price to pay for the view down the valley or into the back pastures.

3)      Like you I am an avid reader (reading two or three books a week) reading so much do you worry that you might accidentally borrow material from another author when you are writing your own books?

Very interesting question—I personally don’t worry about “borrowing material,” because I think authors get ideas from everywhere—things we hear on television, things we read in books, things people say to us, things that come to us in dreams<g>.  It’s the execution of those ideas and our treatment of themes that makes our work unique. At the Romance Writers of America conference last year, an audience member asked a question of an extremely well-known author which was “What should I do—I’ve just about finished my manuscript about “XYZ” and I just discovered that “Author So-and-So” has just published a similar story.” The well-known author responded that she didn’t think it mattered at all—if you gave the same story outline to six different authors, they would all write six different books. After all, there are very few “news stories” to be told—and those stories that are most compelling are often the “old” stories. The human conundrums and challenges that have been with us for centuries—these are often the stories and themes that resonate most strongly for a reader. That’s why we still tell love stories, to give only one example. What matters most is that the author makes every story they tell their own. I do tend not to read intrigue when I’m writing intrigue, because I need to follow my own internal plan for the story, and I don’t like to get sidetracked by other people’s treatment of similar situations. I do most of my lesbian reading while I’m editing and not while I’m writing, because I get caught up in other people’s characters when I need to be focusing on my own.

More next week—maybe I’ll even make it on Sunday this time!

Thanks for reading,

Radclyffe

02/24/08

Good afternoon/evening: 

I've been back from Palm Springs for six days--I hope some of you got to see the great photo shows that several of the authors and associates put together to commemorate the event. I think it's safe to say it was a great success. The various venues were super, the weather cooperated, and as always, the readers who were able to attend were enthusiastic and supportive. I know that we're all looking forward to returning next year, and hopefully more of us--authors and readers alike--will be able to make it. We did six, one and a half to two and a half reading/signing sessions in 4 days, and anticipate as many if not more next year. 

Of course, there was a ton of work waiting to be done when I returned but I was able to take care of most of the urgent business and write 9000 words in the last three days, so I am almost back on schedule. I figure by the middle of next week, I will be fairly caught up until the next crisis arrives <g> 

I do have off-site back up done daily so no data was lost in my computer crash, only time (of which I have none to spare) so it could have been much worse. All systems go now. 

Thanks to all of you who have written to me on and off list about The Lonely Hearts Club. It's always exciting for me when a new book comes out and I hear your responses to it. It's also a fairly anxious time (no, I never get used to it). So I appreciate your warm support. 

Some of your questions: 

1) Since you take such great care to choose names for your characters that are especially fitting, do you go to equal lengths to choose pet names, too?  You've shared that fact that you and Lee own several dogs, so could you comment on their name choices? 

Let's see--the oldest (and alpha) dog is a 13-year-old shepherd/husky mix and her name is Turbo (Lee named her after a beer); the next is a 12-year-old beagle/Jack Russell mix and his name is Baxter; then a two-year-old French bulldog named Hugo (after the author, Victor Hugo); and the youngest is a one-year-old chocolate lab named Four Season's Delta Dawn, Delta for short and obviously named after the song<g>

2) What did you read this week? Just curious. 

Strangers in Death--the new JD Robb; Speak No Evil by Alison Brennan; the final print version of V. K. Powell's To Protect and Serve (yes--publisher' s privilege--I get the books early and no, I don't always see the final version until print time because I usually see the draft when submitted or somewhere in the middle of editing); and several submissions. I'm currently in the middle of a political thriller by Brian Haig. 

That's it for now--see you all next week,

Rad

02/10/08

Good afternoon:

Today will be somewhat brief because I'm trying to do all those things one needs to do before going to a meeting--finding my luggage, finding my phone charger, finding the correct computer bag, figuring out which files I have to have, backing up everything on at least two computers and two jump drives, deciding what to wear and then putting half of it back-- you know the routine. I'm also putting the finishing touches on one of the talks I'll be doing out there for the BSB authors and associates--"The Secret of Romance," focusing on creating and maintaining romantic and sexual tension, types of conflict, and the basic elements of a romance novel. In addition, I have one more chapter on Word of Honor I want to write before I leave on Tuesday, which will keep me on schedule with my current manuscript. As I may have mentioned, we will have an "all BSB" romance anthology (Romantic Interludes 1: Discovery) coming out in September, and most of the authors have submitted their selections, so I hope to read and begin editing them while I'm traveling. Also, I'm editing Best Lesbian Romance 2009 for Cleis and have been getting a lot of terrific submissions for that as well. Just a few things to do. Since I will be traveling at the end of next weekend, I will probably be very late for brunch next week<g>.

This week's questions: 

1. I was wondering, do you ever get fed up with all the emails? Email makes you very accessible, and you are very generous in your responses and time, and I can't begin to imagine how many you must get in all your different guises, but do you ever think, "God, leave me alone for ten minutes!" Do you read them all? Do you answer them all?

I'm answering one of the last questions first. I never get tired of e-mails although constant interruptions either by e-mail or phone when I'm trying to write do make me crazy, at times. I generally like to take care of any problem that comes up immediately, because I find otherwise it's very easy to get behind and things get lost. The downside of doing that, is that I do have to stop what I'm doing to handle whatever has come up. There are definitely days when I get cranky. Yes I read all my e-mail and I try to answer every message that comes in within two or three days. I do not, however, chat in e-mail or IM. I just don't have time.

2. I was thinking that, now you’re living out in the boonies and spend a lot of time alone with Lee at work - so different from your former busy practice with patients and other professionals in a bustling hospital - do you miss the personal, face-to-face interaction?

I don't miss the personal interactions for two reasons--number one, I was always happiest in the operating room which is a very closed environment with only a few people, and number two, I think the Internet keeps us connected in a very direct way to other people. It's both the blessing and the curse of the Internet--it allows us to create communities (look at the one we have here) but it also, as was noted above, makes us constantly accessible. In addition, I believe the Internet tends to foster a sense of intimacy that does not always exist. Just because we have conversations with one another doesn't necessarily mean that we know each other. Sometimes we forget social niceties in the somewhat anonymous world of cyberspace. Nevertheless, I feel that I have more interactions with people every day now than I did previously. And like most writers, I'm very happy spending a lot of time by myself. I think I mentioned once before how important it is for a writer to have a partner who is relatively self-sufficient and willing to be ignored on a fairly regular basis<g>.

3) What’s the secret to writing emotions for your characters? What techniques do you employ when expressing your characters feelings, thoughts, and emotions?

In 5000 words or less? lol. I think the big mistake that we make as writers is concentrating too much on what happens in the story --fixating on the plot-- rather than focusing, really close focusing, on what's happening "for" the characters. In every scene, I think about what the individual characters feel during the scene. Then I try to get as close inside that character's skin as I can--literally in their head and in their physical body-- and write what they think and feel with direct access to inner thoughts and emotions. You have to let your characters live and breathe right on the page. The trick is to remember (and this sounds simplistic) that every character is unique, or they should be, and that means they will react like themselves, and no one else.

I've copied here a comment from one of our editors about this exact issue and she happened to use an excerpt of mine:

“We can contrast this ‘outside in’ technique with the ‘inside-out technique’ in a scene from When Dreams Tremble when Dev sees Leslie with her lover and leaves the boathouse. Leslie sees her and catches up with her outside.

“Go back inside, Les,” Dev said, walking away.

“I can’t.”

Leslie’s voice was barely a whisper carried on the wind, but the pain was so clear that Dev felt it in her heart. She stopped to face her.

“You don’t belong out here with me, Les.”

Leslie’s anguished face was so vulnerable in the moonlight that Dev ached to hold her, but her anger was greater than her grief. Leslie stepped close to Dev and touched her fingertips ever so gently to Dev’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to see that.”

“Why not?” Dev caught Leslie’s hand and jerked it away, more roughly than she intended. “She’s your lover. Go back inside.”

“I know things have been crazy this summer but-“

“This summer?” Dev laughed harshly. “No, what’s been crazy is everything up until this summer.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand.” Leslie didn’t understand anything. She didn’t understand why, when she’d looked up to see Dev watching Rachel kiss her, everything inside of her had grown cold. Why the entire room had disappeared until all she could see was Dev’s face and the pain in her eyes. Why she’d made a feeble excuse about needing to check on her father and had run out into the night after Dev. But she couldn’t just let her walk away. Could she?

In this scene, we’re in a much more intimate POV. We have the appropriate visual and physical cues that support the emotions of the moment, but we feel exactly what the characters feel because we are placed inside their heads in the most crucial moments.

We get to these characters internally. We know what they’re thinking and feeling. And we see that the internal affects the external response - Dev wants to reach out and touch her, but her anger is stronger than her grief, so she doesn’t.”

See you next week, Rad

02/03/08

Good morning:

News--how much happens in a week? In Deep Waters 2 is pretty much a wrap -- Karin and I turned in our final edits last week. Word of Honor is moving along on schedule, and I have a signing scheduled at Now Voyager over Memorial Day weekend where copies will be available for a special one-time only release before the general release in June.

I read an interesting article this morning which I've excerpted below -- I had originally thought this was going to be about romance fiction, but it turns out to be about romance films. The writer is essentially bemoaning the fact that romantic comedies today are not what they used to be and I thought that some of his/her comments about what used to be good about romantic comedies struck me as what is best about romance fiction, as well. So I just offer up these comments for thought. Obviously as is so often the case, we have to extrapolate a little bit from the straight model, but we’re all used to that, aren't we? The salient points for me as both an author and publisher are the reflections on strong characterizations, intelligence of the characters and their interactions, and the struggle/conflict. Nothing new, but interesting to see applied to a different genre.

“A Fine Romance, My Friend, This Is

By A. O. SCOTT … And yet, while the romantic comedy has almost always trafficked in happy endings, [today]  that happiness is rarely accompanied by a sense of risk or exhilaration. When you think of, say, Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn — or even Doris Day and Rock Hudson — you recall the emotional combat of two strong-willed, independent individuals ending in mutual conquest. Love, in those old pictures, was a dangerous and noble sport that required skill and cunning as well as commitment. It required movie stars whose physical appeal was matched by verbal dexterity and a vital sense of idiosyncrasy. They were not real of course: Who ever met anyone like C. K. Dexter Haven and Tracy Lord, the central pair in “The Philadelphia Story?” They were better. … Those ladies were not always nice, and neither were their gentleman counterparts, who could be sarcastic, brutish and domineering when the mood struck. ….  The vision of love they embraced was not comfort and affirmation but a kind of grand, spirited struggle, what used to be called the battle of the sexes.” (excerpt from NY Times, Feb. 3, 2008)

This week's questions/comments:

1)      I wondered if you had ever gotten story ideas from lyrics?

I have, or at least sometimes certain lines of songs have created an image in my mind which have inspired a scene or a theme. I've alluded to a few songs in my books and short stories, but the one that comes immediately to mind is the seduction scene in Turn Back Time when Pearce and Wynter are at a Patti Smith concert and their physical intimacy mirrors the song lyrics. As a note to authors, you can't reproduce the song lyrics without copyright permission, but you can paraphrase the lyrics in the narrative. I think artists tend to draw inspiration across genres, with writers being sparked by images from film and music a common occurrence.

2)      Is there a place where all your erotic short stories and their respective publishers are listed?  Or would you mind listing them?

I am going to bring out a collection of my "non-BSB" erotic selections in early 2009, entitled Radical Encounters. I expect this will have most of my short erotic fiction that has been published in places such as the alphabet series from Cleis, the Fetish Series (Alyon), the various Bella after Dark erotica anthologies, and the stories from Pretty Things Press (Naughty Spanking Stories, Sex and Candy etc.).

3)      You and several other BSB authors have your characters refer to their partners as wives and everyone wants to marry. Are there other words to show this desire for commitment? …. Let the patriarchy keep the marriage word with all its broken bits. It never worked for them, look at the divorces. I support Marriage Equality's work to acquire federal legal marriage rights for all state domestic partnerships and legal same sex marriage rights.  (This does not begin to address church same sex marriage)  

There were some additional comments attached to this question which I did not include, because I wasn't sure they were meant for public consideration, but the general sense was that some lesbian readers not only couldn't identify with the terms marriage/ wife but found them to be a turn off. This is one of those "hot button topics". I absolutely understand why these sentiments exist and it's not my intention to try to change anyone's mind or suggest that there is a right way or wrong way to think about this. My answer is intended to explain why these terms and concepts appear in some of our books. My partner and I refer to ourselves as partners, probably because (and I hate to say this J) I at least am of an age when "wife" was not commonly applied to lesbian partners so it doesn't pop out naturally. I hear the term wife much more frequently now, particularly among younger women, which I think is really interesting, and if authors want to use it in the works they publish with us, I'm not going to object. My partner and I do consider ourselves married and use that term. I am certain that there are social scientists and linguists and other experts on this list who can argue these points far better than I, so I will give my "lay opinion" and let others elaborate. I think language is a fascinating construct which isn't "owned" by anyone (including the patriarchy) -- words and terms and concepts draw meaning from how we use and interpret them in a certain place and time, and those meanings changes as we (socially/culturall y) change. To me the concept of marriage has to do with a pledge between two people which is both personal and public-- just because it was previously the exclusive privilege of heterosexual partners doesn't mean I don't have a right to that concept. Yes, I know that in many times and places, women were considered property to be delivered into near servitude through marriage -- I was there for the inception of the women's movement and the gay liberation movement and I know the arguments and embrace the independence and equality of women and of LGBTQ people. As women have demanded and to some degree achieved equality, the institution of marriage and the expectations associated with it have changed and will continue to change as social institutions do. Not only don’t I have problem with the concept of “equal” marriage, but it rankles me when heterosexuals have the legal sanction, and privileges, and benefits (financial, medical and adoptive, to name just a few) of an institution such as marriage, when I do not. And as long as we are willing to accept even via terminology that which is less than what the majority of those in our society enjoy, we are not free and we are not equal. Just as I have no problem being called a dyke or queer, when forty years ago those terms were never considered anything except pejorative, neither do I have a problem with the terms marriage or wife or spouse. I think just as we have "taken back" the terms dyke and queer, we can take back and redefine these as well.

Thanks for reading - -see you next week -- Rad

01/27/08

Good morning:

You'd think that winter would be this season when everyone hunkers down by the fire with a good book. It's even cold in Florida and California these days. If you look at the release dates for mainstream books, however, things don't start to pick up for the "big names" until late spring just before summer beach season. I think that's really interesting, because I read more on the weekends inside during the winter than during the summer. We don't gear our book sales to any particular season, since we seem to have a fairly steady year-round market (thanks to all of you). I'm looking forward to the release of The Lonely Hearts Club in a few weeks and help you enjoy it. The edits of In Deep Waters 2 are about finished, so for the time being I'm working on Word of Honor and getting ready for the Palm Springs event.

Some interesting questions this week:

1) Are you aware that your MySpace profile says your age is 99?

I noticed that--I'm obviously a testament to clean living<g>

2) Will you do a sequel to Turn Back Time? It would be nice to see how these characters progressed and what happened to them.

I don't have a sequel to this one planned currently. I will be doing another medical romance in the fall (Night Call), but it will be take place in a different hospital--the one where Quinn and Honor work, which is across town. At some point I may set another story at the hospital where Pearce and Wynter work, but I doubt it will not be a direct sequel.

3) When you read other people's books do you ever think, "I would handle this differently,"? Do you look at a plot and think that you would take it in a different direction? Do you get frustrated by books sometimes? 

I certainly have read books that disappointed me or that I downright didn't like. In general, I think I'm a pretty forgiving reader. I'm not supercritical of plot weaknesses if I'm really into the characters, and in contrast, I can tolerate characters who are slightly less than three dimensional if there's something about the plot (intrigue or paranormal or futuristic) that really holds my interest. If both plot and character fall short, then I'm likely to quit reading because I'm not the sort of person that will read an entire book just because I started it. Time is too short for that. I don't like every book my favorite authors write, but I will usually follow them for quite a long time before I stop reading them.

 Along these lines, I had an interesting observation this weekend--I was reading the first book in a loose romantic intrigue trilogy in which a serial killer was basing his crimes on those that occurred in a novel. And when the novelist was first confronted by reporters about the crime and they told her the victim's name, she said she didn't know the person. She had this sense the name was familiar and it turns out it was a character in one of her books. To me, as an author, this immediately struck me as odd. There's no way someone could say to me Cameron Roberts or Adrienne Pierce or Dellon Mitchell and I wouldn't know who it was. If it were a minor character from book I wrote 10 years ago, I guess I could see that happening. So I wondered, what was the point of that because the character realized the association a few paragraphs later, so why even introduce this stutter -step at all? Surely, the author herself doesn't forget who her characters are, so why would she write an author who did? Obviously, it still bugs me because I'm still thinking about it<g>

4) Which do you like more – writing or publishing?

Huh-- complicated question. I liked them pretty much the same, but differently. Writing is very personal and for me, it is a lot like operating (which is probably why I enjoyed both all my life). When you're immersed in a surgical case, there is no outside world. There's nothing beyond your field of vision--the area that is draped off and illuminated by a bright light is the entire universe. If there is a fire outside in the hall, you don't get to leave the operating room. Time passes and you're rarely aware of it. When you're done, especially as a plastic surgeon, you can see the result and so can everyone else. Writing is very similar for me--as soon as I start putting words on the screen, I become immersed in that universe and those characters, and that story becomes the only reality. When I'm done with the story, now that I'm published, what I've created is visible for others to see. That puts a slightly different spin on things than before I was published, when almost no one saw the end product except me. Publishing is another aspect of something that I love-- an extension or another dimension of something that has always been important in my life. Publishing allows me to be part of the process of creating books in a different way than writing. I enjoy leading teams and organizing projects and facilitating the work of others. As a surgeon, I had a fair amount of experience working in teams like the cleft lip and palate team and the multidisciplinary breast cancer treatment team. Trauma is another great example-- we would often two-team a trauma victim, with me working on the facial fractures while the orthopedists or general surgeons worked on the extremities and the belly. In a great many ways, this career is very similar to my previous one, if you just think about the dynamics of it. I've been asked many times if it's as satisfying, and the answer is absolutely yes.

See you all next week, and thanks for reading,

Radclyffe,

01/22/08

Okay, I sometimes when I'm busy working I forget to stop for lunch. Sometimes I'm late for dinner. Apparently, I've missed brunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch. Sorry!

I won't mention football, because certainly football is no excuse whatsoever. Go Giants.

I have nothing exciting to tell you about my rather routine life -- I write, I rewrite, I edit, I plan the upcoming production schedule for this year, and next year, and the year after, I review proposals and read new submissions, talk to new authors, coordinate the monthly print runs, choose the content for advertising, and a few other things here or there. I also spend "family time" every night with my partner and the dogs. Today, I got new glasses! Actually, that was kind of fun. In truth, it's all fun although there are days when things definitely drive me crazy.

You all ready know what I'm writing--so, I could tell you what I'm reading. I only write one book at a time and I only read one book at a time. I do go on reading binges when I only want to read one sort of book. I'll read four or five or six lesbian works in a row, and then I'll read every book in a straight romantic intrigue series (I recently discovered Suzanne Brockman and Kay Hooper-- 2 enormously popular and very talented romantic intrigue writers). I'll pretty much stop anything to read a new JD Robb or Nora Roberts or Kim Harrison or Kelly Armstrong. Or Kathy Reichs, or Lee Childs, James Lee Burke, John Samford, or James Patterson. Despite the fact that both my partner and I have huge stacks of books on our respective bedside bookcases, we went to the bookstore this weekend (before football) and bought more books to add to the pile. I have a weakness for preternatural paranormals if they're done well--I like the concept of "others" living among us, and especially enjoy werewolves, vampires, the Fae, witches etc., and I'm reading a new series I picked up this weekend right now. Well, not really right now, since I am writing to you. And then I have a chapter to edit and another to start. But later, I'll be reading it.

A few questions that came in during the week:

1)      We can all draw on some personal experience when researching, but I'm interested to know the methods you choose for those areas outside your own experience. Do you personally investigate a field like carpentry, for instance? Or do you use the internet to glean relevant facts you can then use in your stories? Do you get in touch with the local builder and ask questions? Do you cross-reference information to ensure accuracy? With a specialised field such as your own - surgery - how important is it to you to keep abreast of changes in practices in order to present an accurate picture?

A lot of this question pertains to researching and creating a "believable" context for the story. We must often think of "world building" in reference to speculative fiction, where alternate universes form the stage for our story. In those instances, authors have to create a physical environment which may be very different from what we're used to (what color is the sky, how long is the day, how many moons are there, what's the daily temperature) and everything else that we rarely think about because we are constantly immersed in it -- what's the social structure, the political structure, the level of industrialization, the physical makeup of the characters, the gender distinctions defending, etc. etc. etc. It's an enormous amount of work and the very best speculative fiction writers make it look easy. Nevertheless, contemporary romance writers or mystery authors also have to create a believable world, and a great deal of that authenticity often centers around the occupation of the main characters. If a law enforcement officer or a doctor speaks and behaves in a way that is completely unbelievable, then the book falls apart. Small details used sparingly can enrich the authenticity of the story. Too many can simply bog it down. I use the Internet for 90% of my fact checking and information. I have also  have books and DVDs (it's easy to get copies of current documentaries on all kinds of topics )-- on the CIA, the FBI, the Secret Service, West Point, etc. usually when I write a medical romance, I write about situations and cases that I had direct personal experience with so it's not that difficult for me to write factually correct scenarios. Nevertheless, I do review things such as current diagnostic tests which are constantly changing when I'm writing one of these books. The other area where it's important to do a little online research at the very least is writing about places where you do not actually live. I use the Internet to look at street maps, hotel reviews, restaurant descriptions etc. Something really funny came up during the translation of Passion's Bright Fury into French (the French translation just came out, titled Sax and Jude). The publisher e-mailed me and very nicely told me that the hotel that I had chosen for Blair to stay at (I picked it off the Internet because it was in a location where I needed her to be so she could walk to a certain park) was not actually a very nice hotel and could they please substitute a different one. I told them to please correct any obvious errors I had made in describing Paris, despite the fact that I had been there once, I certainly was no expert.

I rarely interview individuals in regards to characters that I'm creating, although I often am inspired to create characters after talking to people who do interesting work or have had interesting experiences.

2)       I was thinking about the series question and wondered if you had ever considered covering an event (like terrorism) through several of your series. Independently the books would fit within their series but together they would offer a bigger picture of the event.

I think this is a great question and a very interesting idea. I have done more crossover between my books than most authors and I did it first in the Justice series because I realized that I had characters living in the same city who would naturally have a tendency to cross paths. I enjoy doing it and began to look for ways to bring other characters into stories for cameo appearances. The idea was absolutely not original to me--I got it actually from reading George Pelicanos, who writes really gritty detective mysteries. I haven't really given serious thought to formalizing something like this, because it would take a great deal of planning to make all the pieces fit, but I have found myself revisiting issues from different perspectives in various books, particularly the Iraq war. I don't think we can live through times of political and social upheaval without having those events impact our thinking, and the things I'm thinking about usually end up in my books.

3)      I'm still thinking Dr Ali Torveau who patches up the cops in the Justice series needs her story told but that's not a question. So when are you going to do it?(that's a question)

Remind me again in about six months when I start writing the next in the Justice series--I put that character in there intentionally because I wanted to do something with her. I often do that--drop characters in who interest me with the hopes of coming back to them at some point. I don't always get the chance because I just can't write any faster then I already do.

And having said that, I should get back to it--see you next week, and thanks for reading,

Radclyffe

01/14/08

Greetings:

By now, hopefully all of you have seen the announcements for the new Bold Strokes Books Web store. We were working quite late last night with final touches, so I'm late for brunch. We're very excited about offering this new service to you. Please use the following email address for all Bookstore related questions: bookshop@boldstroke sbooks.com . If for some reason the email does not work then please email me at Radclyffe.bsb@ gmail.com

Enough on the business end of things. In a few short weeks we’ll be in Palm Springs, where I hope to meet some of you. In the meantime, I am working on the edits for In Deep Waters 2 and getting into the tense/exciting parts of Word of Honor. As we discussed previously, there are various ways to structure a novel. I write all my books in 3 acts -- Act 1 – put all the characters and their issues on the stage; Act 2 - intensify relationship interactions and ramp up intrigue to a crisis (the crisis can be emotional or external, as in the case of an intrigue); Act 3 – resolve romance/solve crisis. I find the first third and first half of the middle third the most difficult to write, because these sections form the core of character development, set the stage for the central romance, and lay the foundation for the plot. Other authors have told me they like this part of writing the book best. For me, it's just plain old hard work and a fair amount of obsessing<g>

On to the questions (our question box is getting light, so feel free to send in more). Use this e-mail address Radclyffe.bsb@ gmail.com

1)      Do you have any plans to start a new series?

I have several ideas for series in mind-- one is an ongoing series set in a medical center, as I get quite a few requests for medical romances. It's a natural setting for good drama and allows for new characters to move in and out of the storylines. I've actually created a very loose medical series already with characters overlapping between standalones (Jude and Sax in Passion's Bright Fury appearing with Honor and Quinn in Fated Love. Honor and Quinn will make an appearance in Night Call, coming out in the fall of 2008). I may do more in this "series". I still have plans to do a second book in what I'm currently calling the "Adirondack series" which would be a follow up to When Dreams Tremble. Possibly 2009 for this. I also enjoy writing romantic intrigue, and I've always wanted to do something with profiling or bioterrorism. So I have lots of ideas along these lines.

2)      What do you wear while you're writing?

LOL -- this is such a funny question because I've heard other authors talk about it (especially those writing pretty much full time and working from home). I attended a question and answer session with Nora Roberts this summer and she made reference to running down to answer the door in the middle of the afternoon and greeting the UPS man in her pajamas. She apparently lives in a fairly remote area and made reference to "going down the mountain" only on rare occasions. Some authors say they get "dressed for work" before they sit down to write, because it puts them in a working frame of mind. Others remarked on how much they enjoy working in their pajamas. Notice I haven't answered the question yet--I usually wear sweats and T-shirts. After decades of living and working in scrubs, you get used to working in what you sleep in<g>. And no-- that's not necessarily a factual statement about what I wear to bed.

3)       What is your office like?

One of the main requirements we had when we moved to New York state was a house that was big enough for our books (which meant at least one room dedicated as a library), a workout room/dog play area, and dedicated office/business space for me. When we settled on a house we wanted in the location we wanted (out in the country), the first thing we did (even before moving in, since there was a lag between when we purchased it and when we moved) was to convert almost one entire wall in my office to windows. The contractors complained because they were putting in windows in December, which made it kind of cold for them, but they survived. My office takes up one entire end of the second floor with sliding glass doors and a deck on one wall which overlooks the rear pastures and wooded wetlands. Lots of deer out there and occasionally a coyote will stroll through. The adjoining wall where we put the windows overlooks our other pastures and a valley and a few neighboring houses. At the moment, it's snowing. I don't find having windows in my office a distraction at all. One author told me that her desk faces a blank wall so that she doesn't have anything to distract her. For those of you in medicine, you've probably noticed that the operating rooms are often drab and dark. One of the most beautiful operating suites I've ever been in was at Friend’s Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia. The OR rooms had windows which overlooked expansive grounds with trees and huge Azalea bushes -- when a surgeon is operating, they never look away from the field (or they shouldn't) which is why you need a good scrub nurse/tech who can put the instruments you need in your hand without you looking at him or her. The reason is, it changes your focus to look from the field somewhere else and breaks your concentration and your rhythm. But, it's really nice at the end of the case to look up and suddenly see a snowfall outside the windows. That's exactly the way it feels for me now when I'm writing. I never find the windows a distraction.

And on that note, I'll get back to the business of writing the next chapter.

Thanks for being here in 2008 and for reading and supporting us all,

Rad

01/07/08

Greetings:

Sorry I'm late to brunch. I'm still catching up with the post holiday work load and pretty immersed in Word of Honor. We also had yet another frozen water pipe due to the extremely cold weather the last couple of weeks (last year we flooded a couple of floors with a burst pipe) so I've been dealing with plumbers for the last three days. Fortunately, no leaks and all is fixed -- hopefully. On to the questions.

1)      When you are in the very beginning of deciding what you will write about do you do a "sketch" of the characters, the plotline, key points to remember, or do you just "start"? I envision a whiteboard where I'll be jotting down key points to come back to but maybe that's too stilted a process.

I do very little preparation "on paper" before starting a new work, particularly if it's not part of a series. With series work, because it's often a continuation or follow up to previous storylines, I will make some brief notes as to plot points that I expect to cover in the new work. For standalones, I always start with the characters and their "situation" -- who are they, how do they meet, and what issues do they both bring to the table that will create sparks and lead to challenges between them. If you read between the lines of these three main points, then you have character back story, setting, and character/relations hip journey. Some authors write these out in detail, and that certainly is not a bad thing unless you become so wedded to what you've sketched out that you're unable to be flexible as you learn more about your characters, and you certainly will as you write the story. I start out with many of these things in my mind and develop/embellish them as I write. Although it's necessary to know many things about your characters, you don't need to know them all it wants because you aren't going to tell your reader everything it wants. Nothing stalls a story faster than an opening chapter with paragraph upon paragraph telling us everything about the characters. It's boring and does nothing to compel the reader to keep reading.

One of the neatest examples of organic character development that has ever happened to me is when I was writing Love’s Tender Warriors. When I started writing the book, Sean and Drew and their issues were very clear in my mind. I hadn't really thought much beyond that. As Sean was driving up to her house for the first time, I was describing the house and her walking up the stairs. I knew that she lived with her sister and then just as she reached the front door, I realized that they were twins. The entire story took on a different direction after that, and it was the first book where I really incorporated a strong second storyline with another couple. For me at least, it's very important that I write with enough freedom for things to "happen" in the story that I hadn't expected. The other side of this coin is a fair amount of uncertainty, wondering exactly what the hell is going to happen in the next chapter. Fortunately, I've learned that I usually figure something out.

I don't think there's any right or wrong way to structure/plan a novel. Some authors feel most comfortable if they do extensive character studies and plot outlines before they begin writing. Others do sketches as they write. And then there are those like me who start out with a fairly rudimentary concept and "plot as you go."

2)      In reference to one of my previous answers, someone asked "what do you do if…. you are writing joylessly?”

I think this is a really important question and as with any problem, I always think it's good to try to figure out what underlies the feeling. Are you not having a good time because a) you don't like the story, b) you don't know what the story is about. C) writing the story feels like a burden, or d) if you really pressed and always behind?

Problem a--this one is really not all that hard. If you've gotten off track or started to write a story that you discover you really don't like, then change the story. Cut scenes, add new ones, or just redirect where you thought you were going. If there are parts of the story you don't really like, I would suggest continuing to write until the end and then go back and revise what bothered you. Worst case scenario--if you're absolutely positive that you are not writing the story you wanted to write, start over. I would only suggest that as a last resort. If you do start over, keep the good scenes from what you've already written because you may be able to use them in another book.

Problem b-- if you're a plotter (which I am not) make a rough outline, talk the story out with someone, or if you have an editor, discuss it with her. If you're not a plotter, then make sure your work has internal consistency. Every chapter should follow the one preceding it, and each chapter should introduce a new element that furthers the plot. Do that and trust your instincts.

Problem c-- Professional authors--authors who write for a living or who have a contract for a book that needs to be delivered by a certain time, generally don't have the luxury of not writing if they don't feel like writing. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing--sometimes knowing that you have a deadline simply (as one author put it) forces you to put your ass in the chair and write. I don't think you should ever take more than a few days off from writing, because you lose the momentum and the best way to get out of a slump is to write out of it. Honestly--if that doesn't work, then perhaps you've lost touch with why you started writing in the first place. I always remind myself that I am first and foremost a storyteller, and that's my purpose for writing--to create characters who intrigue me and put them in situations that interest me. If you notice--I used the word "me" -- because I think as soon as we start writing what we think others want, we lose the internal drive that creates that "Joy". And then we all lose.

Problem d-- another simple answer. Discipline. Schedule a time to write, make it sacrosanct, and say a prayer that those who love you will understand. I think it takes a very devoted partner to give a writer enough room to write--especially for those of us writing in a small market where we often have other jobs. It takes time to write--a lot of time--and those are the hours that we aren't available for many other things that need attention. So here's a big thank you to my spouse and all those long-suffering spouses of writers everywhere.

Thanks to everyone for writing and reading,

Radclyffe 

12/30/07

Greetings: 

Amazing that another year has passed and the new one is soon to begin.  

As for me-- 2008 promises to be a busy and exciting year. As you may know, I will have four titles out in 2008 --The Lonely Hearts Club in February, In Deep Waters 2 with Karin Kallmaker in May, Word of Honor in June, and Night Call in October. We are also doing a romance anthology--Romantic Interludes 1 --Discovery, in September, and I hope to have a short story in there. I do not have my entire list of personal appearances scheduled yet, but I will be in Palm Springs in February, presenting a paper on lesbian romance fiction at the Popular Culture Association meeting in San Francisco in March, and at Now Voyager Bookstore over Memorial Day weekend for an advance release of Word of Honor in May. I'll be announcing other events as they are finalized. 

I'm also very pleased to be editing Best Lesbian Romance 2009 for Cleis Press.

____ 

The questions this week struck me as "Clinical problems" -- or maybe, Writing Clinic<g> - and I enjoyed discussing them. 

1) I'm stuck on certain plot points and while I have an idea for how/where I'd like the action and/or story to go, I simply get stuck - trying to make the words match the movie playing in my head, if you will. These sticky spots are really frustrating and I'm finding I'm writing in circles around them instead of addressing what I need to. What do you do in that situation? Do you send it to your beta's and hash the sticky spots out with them? Do you sit with your partner and discuss it? Your editor? Do you use anyone at all? Do you even *get* stuck?

A: Like any good doctor, the first thing to do is analyze the "symptoms." In this case, since I can't ask questions to elucidate or clarify, I have to make assumptions- - but something stood out for me in the "problem." The phrase--trying to make the words match the movie playing in my head-- is the key here for me. Not everyone has a visual image of a scene when they are writing, but I do. I "see" the scene unfold as if watching a play on a stage. It actually helps me to describe the scenery as a backdrop for the scene, and just like most theater settings, my narrative descriptions are usually relatively sparse. What interests me far more is the dialogue and  movement on stage. I'm actually getting to the point of this question--I promise. However, despite saying that I "see" this scene on stage, I think it's important not to write it as an observer "watching the scene" but as one (or more) of the players in the scene. What makes prose come alive is the ability to evoke sensation and emotion in the reader. It's important for the reader to see, hear, smell, and feel what's happening for the characters and one of the best ways to make that happen is to have the character experience all of those things and put the reader inside the character as much as possible. 

Yes, sometimes I get stuck, mostly because I'm not sure how the scene will play out and therefore hesitate to begin it. When that happens, I have learned that the best remedy is simply to take the character whose scene it is (how do you tell? Ask yourself which character has the most invested in new scene or which character would be most challenged during the scene or which character will learn the most during the scene. That character "owns" the scene.) Then I make them do something--say something, think something, feel something ANYTHING -- just so she interacts with another character in some way or reflects on something which has happened. This gets the scene started and very often the rest will follow naturally. If you can't even begin the scene then in all likelihood the scene does not belong in the book. It doesn't follow from what happened previously-- and if you feel that it is critical, then you need to go back and look at what you've already written and lay the proper foundation for the scene. 

IN general I don't recommend using beta readers as editors. I think beta readers are exactly that -- first readers - who in addition to being great moral support can be very helpful in terms of providing feedback to an author as to "effectiveness" of the scene or story. I think the best beta readers are those who are able to say "this is what I thought or felt reading the scene and I wonder what will happen to character X or I was surprised that character Y did thus and such because..." It is not a beta readers job to help you figure out what should happen in a story--that' s the authors job because it's your story. If you happen to have an established relationship with an editor who has worked with you on previous manuscripts and who has reviewed your proposal and/or outline for the present work, and you find yourself at an impasse, then you might drop them a note about the problem. 

I have learned to ignore uneasy feelings when I'm writing and just write my way through them, which can be an uncomfortable sensation but one that I think an author needs to get used to. Recently I commented to one of my editors during the early stages of a work that I was uncomfortable because I didn't have a strong suspense element to drive the plot (which usually does not bother me because I started out writing character-driven works and I'm comfortable doing that). She responded as any good editor should with questions to make me think about what I was doing-- here are a few of those questions that might pertain to this situation: 

Are you editing yourself too much as you write? 

Are your characters self-smothering - too much  inside their comfort zones?  Can you chose one to drag much more outside her zone - that creates natural drama which can give the work (and you) a shot of adrenaline. 

Can you introduce a "shock" element?   For strongly character-driven stories, a smart move can be to do this in order to roll a character on her axis. Flip her.... the reader has been reading along thinking they knew her, then something totally out of left field happens, and she reacts very differently from what was expected. She gains a whole new dimension and becomes much more interesting. 

Do you feel trapped by the "types" you have been most comfortable writing, and whom you write very well? Are you consciously trying to impose character types who are "different" and feeling that no one is acting exactly right?  

Do you feel unwedded to one or more characters? 

Do you dislike a main character? 

Do you feel a pairing is wrong and you just can't get it into focus? Is there chemistry happening between the wrong characters? 

Do you feel displaced in the work?  Are you writing joylessly? 

**** 

I get the sense that you (the questioner) are avoiding something in the scene that doesn't feel right. Are you trying to get the character to act "out of character"? Is it too soon for what ever is about to happen to happen naturally as a consequence of what has come before? If something feels forced, it probably is. Are you uncomfortable for some reason writing what the characters are about to experience? I don't know if this discussion has helped at all, but big emotional scenes can sometimes be exhausting to write and because of that, we avoid them. That's exactly when we should force ourselves to write them. 

2) along similar lines--Do you ever, or if so, when do you, print out your story? Do you self-edit on paper or on screen? Do you self-edit at all, or let your beta's do that?

I do print out the story--I actually read it printed out chapter by chapter because my partner prefers to read it on paper and she reads every chapter as I finish it. Then I read it. I also think you get a totally different feel reading a work that's printed out as opposed to on the screen. I edit almost exclusively on screen because it's faster and more convenient. I do think it's a good idea if you're feeling stuck or the writing feels sluggish to print out what you've written previously and read it from the beginning

I edit as I go, but not extensively- -primarily line editing as I review the chapter and nuancing the main scenes in the chapter. By the time the draft is done I've usually edited each chapter several times, then I go back to the beginning and edit the work as a whole looking at story primarily and technical issues secondarily. My beta readers don't do any editing with the exception of one, who is an editor, and who has worked with me for a very long time and knows the idiosyncrasies of my writing style. She will note grammatical/ technical issues but also reads for "effectiveness." Then I turn in the manuscript for story editing (consistency, continuity, etc.) and copyediting. 

As always, thanks for reading, see you all in 2008 —Rad

12/16/07

Greetings!

Please check out my website (www.radfic.com/Forthcoming.htm) later tonight to see the very excellent new cover graphics for In Deep Waters 2 along with a very special illustration created by Barb Kiwak for the frontispiece of the book. Because it's a unique event for me to collaborate with another author (and one from another publishing company and one who's so much fun to write with), I wanted to commemorate the occasion with a little special touch.

There's been lots of discussion lately about series versus standalones, which is very appropriate at the moment since I am about to publish a standalone (The Lonely Hearts Club) and am writing another book in a series (Word or of Honor). As a reader, I enjoy them both. I like following a series because I become attached to the characters and look forward to future adventures or finding out what's happening in their life. The way I like to construct a series is like a long-running television show (I'm thinking of shows like 24 or for those of you who remember, Profiler), and have continuing threads that permeate the story line running over into subsequent books. Nothing gets completely tied up with a neat bow at the end of one book, but only certain issues are resolved and new ones appear. At least, that's the theory<g>. When I've discussed constructing a series at various conferences, one thing that's important to consider is how to manage the timeline--some authors construct a series in "real time." The Kate Delafield series by Katherine Forrest is one classic example--if four years have passed between one book and the next, the same number of years will have passed for the characters as well. A completely opposite way of handling a series is that by J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) in her Eve Dallas series-- in this series, one book often begins only a week or two after the last book finishes. She's written 25 books in that series, which encompass only about 18 months in "storytime." I've approached it both ways--the timeline in the Provincetown Tales is stretched out because I wanted to show Reese and Tory having children. The honor series timeline is condensed, because I wanted to create a sense of ongoing tension for the characters in a changing world. That's one of the nice things about a series -- we have the freedom to design it in such a way that the series have a different "feel" to them. Reading a book in the Provincegtown Tales, I've been told, has a sense of familiarity and coming home, while the Honor series (I hope) feels a little bit more like a roller coaster ride. And for those Justice Series fans, the timeline is less important here than the feeling of "us against the world" which I've tried to create by placing the characters in their "special task force" in an almost "secret" environment.

There aren't too many outstanding questions:

1) I loved "Innocent Hearts and Promising Hearts", two of my many favorites of yours. Did you ever consider writing more stories from the past?

I've definitely considered writing another in this "saga" although it doesn't have a definite place in my schedule at the moment. Other than that, I haven't been particularly drawn to writing historical settings but I enjoy reading them.

2) do you write more than one book at a time?

No, I don't although I know many successful authors who do. I write linearly, with only a bare-bones outline at the most  and sometimes only a theme and central characters). Because the book is evolving and taking form as I write, I don't like to break the momentum by immersing myself in the universe of another story. I can however write short stories in the course of writing a full-length novel, which I do frequently. If I'm editing the final draft of my own manuscript just prior to submission, I won't do anything else while I'm doing that because I have to be completely focused on that story for the final nuances. I can however edit other works while writing a new book because editing seems to require a different kind of creative energy and the two don't conflict.

I'll be traveling next weekend and it's possible I'll miss brunch, but I'll try to be here.

Rad

12/9/07

Greetings:

I have always thought that one of the coolest things about our literature is that it provides a mirror of us as a people, and when we look into that mirror, we often see reflections we hadn't anticipated. We may even be surprised by own reflection. When I was asked to write a selection for "H is for Hardcore" edited by Alison Tyler, my first response was exactly that of the reviewer whose comments I posted here earlier in the week. What exactly is hardcore? The answer is as varied as our community. Vanilla/chocolate. Top/bottom. Butch/femme. Male/female. Gay/straight/bi/trans. The anthology for which I was writing was not a lesbian anthology. Nevertheless, I always write as a lesbian and I always write lesbian characters, regardless of the anthology for which I'm writing (at least thus far). Still, any writer should pay attention to the theme of an anthology and the intended audience, and I thought to myself, what would be interesting to non-lesbian readers as well as lesbian readers. There's nothing particularly new about BDSM, and pleasure/pain may not be erotic to a portion of the readership. On the other hand, the nature of erotica is such that you can be pretty much guaranteed that not every reader will find every selection in an anthology "erotic." Hopefully, the readers will find the selections interesting. The BDSM setting is not the most important thing in "Sweet No More," but it allowed me to get to the place I wanted to go with my character  - - I wanted to explore what it was like to strip down bare, metaphorically as well as literally, in order to discover who we are.

Obviously, the answers to that question can't be found in a short story, and I often think the true power of a short story is to get us to ask the questions, not to answer them. I decided if I was going to write something for Alison's anthology I was going to pull out all the stops, which according to Cheri<g> I apparently did. However, Cheri, this is a not the first time I've written about that particular item giving you such angst (Clinical Trials was the first short story I had published in Best Lesbian Erotica -- in 2006—and interestingly enough, that story also featured something similar.) I really enjoyed writing this story and I hope some of you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it either in the original anthology, "H is for Hardcore" or as a selection in "Best Lesbian Erotica 2008." I imagine it will also show up in "Radical Encounters" which will be a collection of my published erotic short stories as well as a few new ones due out in January 2009.

As to the other questions:

1) what new series do you have planned?

I had originally intended to begin the "Adirondack series" with When Dreams Tremble. I wrote in several characters who I thought would be interesting to follow in later books, and I enjoy the setting. Thus far, I haven't been able to work it into the schedule because certain someones (that being most of you here) keep asking for more of the honor series and the justice series and the Provincetown tales. I enjoy all of these series, but I also like to write standalones. It allows me to explore new characters in new situations. It also allows me to play with story structure in ways that I might not be able to do in a series, where there are certain predetermined expectations of the readers. I've also always considered "spinoffs" with minor characters from the honor series to standalones of their own. Several of those characters may make an appearance in the next Honor in preparation for books of their own. The biggest problem, of course, is that there are many things I'd like to write and only so many hours in the day.

2) who can we expect to see in In Deep Waters 2 from previous works?

There are three stories that are related to novels. One short story will introduce a character who will appear in Night Call as a main character in the fall. One story revisits characters from my new release in February, The Lonely Hearts Club. And one story features Sax and Jude. By the way, Passions Bright Fury has just been released in French by Labrys, and is titled "Sax and Jude"

Catch you all next week,

Thanks for reading, Rad

12/2/07

Greetings:

Writing update-- I finished the copy edits on The Lonely Hearts Club a few days ago and I'm looking forward to launching it at The Second Annual Palm Springs Valentine’s Day book Festival in February.  I hope I'll see some of you there, and I certainly hope those of you who read the book enjoy it. I did a few things a little bit differently in this one --we can talk about that after you read it (if you like).

I am almost finished with all of the selections for In Deep Water 2 --pretty much right on schedule. The book has a great cover and it will have something special on the inside--a frontispiece drawn by Barb Kiwak which is really awesome. It's going to make the book very special.

Then on to Word out Honor which I'm very much looking forward to writing. And, the last update is, I have decided on the last book for 2008 --it will be a stand-alone medical romance entitled Night Call. However, it will take place in the same hospital where Honor and Quinn work, and I can promise you they will make an appearance or two. Perhaps more, I haven't entirely decided on that yet.

Now--onto the questions:

1) If you could choose any of your novels to make into a movie, which would you choose and why? 

Shield of Justice or Passion's Bright Fury. Police procedurals are popular and you can do a lot with them, including spinoffs and sequels. Anything taking place in a hospital has an automatic great setting built in and I think the trauma unit is a perfect backdrop for exploring human emotions. And Saxon Sinclair is a great lead character.

2) You said last week that you've been reading books for pleasure, so, what are you reading at the moment? And, if your not reading for pleasure, why else would you be reading?

I read pretty much all day--I read what I write, I read what I'm editing, I read submissions, I read manuscripts in progress, I read technical information on publishing and marketing, I read advertisements. I read trade journals. When I read for pleasure, all I want is to not be thinking about anything except the story I'm reading--fiction should take us outside ourselves to wherever it is we want to go so we can be whoever we wish (or be with whomever we wish<g>) and experience the things that please us. So of course, I read lesbian fiction--pretty much anything and everything that's published, and that's always been the case. I also read a fair amount of straight fiction within a fairly narrow spectrum (paranormal/ police procedurals/ intrigue/ some romance) --last week I think I was reading a romantic intrigue by Suzanne Brockman. I also like Kay Hooper who writes romantic intrigue in an ongoing series that features psychic FBI agents. Today I finished an erotic romance from Kensington (they have an extensive straight erotic romance line under the Aphrodisia imprint which I read from time to time to see what is happening on the other side of the streetJ). I have a Nora Roberts on my bedside table, a never ending stack of new lesbian releases, and an anthology collection with some straight paranormal/sci- fi/fantasy writers--Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs and others.

3) Do you find you get asked the same questions a lot? If you do, do you ever get fed up with it? Do your answers vary according to your mood, or maybe to something that's happened in between? Have you got a list of stock answers?

Lolol - I think that counts as three questions or maybe four. I do get asked the same questions from time to time because new people join the list. I'm sure I also repeat myself (I have a great fear of doing that to the point of boring everyone to death). I don't have any stock answers but I try to answer questions in as straightforward manner as possible, so I doubt that my answers will vary much over time. Obviously everyone changes their mind or takes a slightly different view of things on occasion. I don't get tired of answering questions and I can truthfully talk about writing and reading and publishing all day. Ask anyone who's been unfortunate enough to go out to dinner with me, and they'll tell you how one note my conversational skills can sometimes be.

Thanks for the questions.

See you all next week, and thanks for reading,

Rad

11/25/07

Greetings from Provincetown --I'm traveling today so this will be somewhat brief. I expected the village to be quiet as I remember it being on other thanksgivings, but it was hopping with shoppers and visitors. Weather report-- sunny and clear and about 32°. The wind off the water makes it feel a lot colder. I spent the last few days doing very little work and reading books for pleasure, which is indeed a pleasure. When I get back this week, I have the last four selections in the upcoming anthology, In Deep Waters 2 to finish. For me, it's been very interesting how the change in location has changed my sense of the stories--the cruise ship, which was the setting for In Deep Waters 1 always struck me as being very sunny and I also felt a little claustrophobic even though I knew it was a big ship<g>. I don't think my selections were particularly "light" but I found it a challenge to find places on the ship for my characters to have sex. Las Vegas , on the other hand, suits my sensibilities perfectly and even though I find the dark, decadent nature of the place a good fit for my style of erotica, it's also allowed me to stretch a little bit. Nothing could be better for a writer. I'm enjoying the stories, and I hope you do too.

This week's questions:

1)     Which members of your family have read your books and what was their reaction? Is there anyone you wish would read your work or anyone you hope never does?

My brother reads almost all my books and bugs me if I forget to send him my newest releases. Interestingly, he likes the romances best and the erotica least. I know he particularly likes the Honor Series and the Provincetown series. His children, my niece and nephew, are both adults, and they each have read some of my books. I just gave my niece Promising Hearts because she requested it. I can't think of anyone I wouldn't want to read my work, and of course, I hope that everyone doesJ

2)     I recently joined the group and read your fan fic for the first time. My question: When I read Genesis I: Chance Encounters, I noticed you used the term "bold strokes: when describing the first kiss between Marsh and Scully.  Is this where the Bold Strokes comes from or something else?

I have absolutely no memory of writing that phrase -- I think it's great that you discovered it there--maybe it was a portent. I had a great time writing fan fiction--it was the first time I had ever shared my writing with anyone other than one or two very close friends. It was a wonderful and supportive community and some of the friendships I made there continue to this time. Writing fan fiction made me realize how much I enjoyed writing and sharing what I had written, and if I had not done that, I doubt that I would be doing what I am today. The seven or eight books I had written and kept in a drawer before I started writing fan fiction would probably still be there. The only tiny regret that I have about it is the character of Marsh Black. Although she's an original character, she belongs to Scully in that universe, and I can't take her anywhere else. She's one of my most favorite characters and I regret needing to leave her behind.

3)      I'm curious about Rad's relationship with Len Barot.  Are they always of the same mind, and if they aren't who makes the final decision?  And does Len influence what Rad writes?  Hope this makes sense.

LOL -- this is a great question. Without getting too heavily into the psychological aspects of personality compartmentalization and integration, let's just say that at different times different aspects of my personality have ascendancy. I don't know how other authors feel about themselves and their pseudonyms, although I know Jennifer Fulton and I have similar feelings because she's often talked about what it feels like to write as Rose Beecham or Grace Lennox or Jennifer Fulton. My pseudonym is more than just a name. It's a complete personality -- it's the person who writes the books and goes to book signings and answers e-mails from readers and shows up for brunch. I absolutely relate to Radclyffe as the author who writes the books I write. Sometimes at signings people will say "what is your real name" and I have to think for a second, because I don't understand why or what they're asking me. There is no other name for the person who writes what I write. Len Barot is the retired surgeon/publisher and has a whole bunch of other jobs to do. Let's see--does Len influence what Rad writes. Well, any author would be wise to listen to their publisher about what the publisher thinks would be a good idea to publish next. So yes, Rad listens and says, "Okay, I'll hold off on that sequel to Winds of Fortune if you think it would be a good idea to do a standalone next."  Because, you know, it's never smart to piss off your publisher. J

More next week-- thanks for reading,

Radclyffe

11/18/07

Greetings:

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Amazon gay and lesbian bestsellers poll. I didn't realize when I posted it that there even was a poll--I was very pleased to see a work of lesbian fiction among the top 10. I appreciate the support from everyone on the list, all year long.

Nothing much in the news department so we'll go directly on to questions/comments:

1)      What stage of the process of writing a book is the most exciting and/or hard for you?

I think this varies from book to book, depending on what's happening "in" the book, but "in general" the first 10 chapters are the hardest. My books really work in thirds--the first third is the framework for everything that will happen in the rest of the book. During that part of the book, I have to introduce and develop the characters--individually and together--create the basis for a credible relationship, and introduce compelling elements of conflict. I think the middle third of a book is the most challenging for any author--this tends to be where the plot and pace sag-- so it's important to maintain forward momentum during this part. The final third of the book is usually the most rewarding--the relationships are coming together, emotional and physical excitement is heightened, the action or intrigue elements of the story are coming to a head. There's a lot happening in those chapters and they have to be orchestrated carefully. None of it is easy to write, but all of it is satisfying.

2)      As you know there are over 2400 members on your Rad list group, how does that make you feel knowing that all those folks are dedicated to reading your work and discussing how much they enjoy it and can't seem to get enough of you or your books? 

I'm still amazed by this group. As most of you know, and I won't belabor the history, I did not start this group. It was started by less than 50 people who knew each other from our various Internet writing groups and decided they wanted to have an online "meeting area" to talk about what I was writing. It was formed as a discussion group and has pretty much remained that way ever since. In the beginning we had a lot more discussion about writing in general, which is easier to do when there are only a few people. Other than that it hasn't changed too much--although there weren't any "brunches." I am extremely grateful that all of you are here. I know that friendships have grown up out of this group that literally stretched around the world, and that's perhaps the most valuable outcome of this group. It's very inspiring for me, I believe that it helps any author to know if there are devoted readers who enjoy what they write and are waiting for the next book. When you write a book, sitting alone hour after hour working away, trying to express what you feel or imagine so someone reading it months or years later will "get the picture,” it's nice to hear from readers that you've managed to get at least some of the message across. So never doubt that your feedback is very welcome and important.

3) What convinced you to join myspace?

I had help. J  it wasn't a matter of being convinced of the value of a forum such as myspace --it was simply a matter of having time, and I have a lot of help with all of my online sites in terms of maintaining them. I think myspace is another way of connecting with people who have similar interests-- in this case, fiction. Grassroots marketing has been extremely successful for me and by extension, Bold Strokes. Every e-mail that I answer helps connect me to a potential reader who will hopefully mention my book to another reader and on and on. Myspace is another way of making that important connection. Anything that we can do to stay connected, keep each other informed about what we're doing and what we enjoy reading, and who is writing, is important for all of us.

So thank you all for being here, and thank you most especially for reading,

Rad

11/11/07

Greetings Group:

I have been relatively quiet of late because I am finishing my story at its on The Lonely Hearts Club which goes to copy edits tomorrow. After that I'm finishing the short stories for In Deep Water 2, and then directly onto Word of Honor.

Taking under advisement the requests from many of you, I will be putting together a compilation of my short erotic fiction that has been published over the last 12 to 18 months into a single volume entitled Radical Encounters,

which will be out at the very end of 2008 or the very beginning of 2009. We will also have an all Bold Strokes romance anthology, entitled Romantic Encounters 1: Discovery, which will be out just before women's week in 2008. These will be short stories from Bold Strokes authors with romance, and of course, some eros, as the focus. I'll have more on that for you later in the spring.

I haven't yet decided on my third full-length novel for 2008, Bart I'll let you know within the next few weeks.

As to some of this week's questions:

1) Did you collect anything as a child?

Love this question. Let's see --my older brother had a stamp collection which I inherited when he went away to college. I loved the idea of pasting all the little colorful squares into their appropriate boxes, but I would get very frustrated if I couldn't find the correct stamp to put into the correct little box. I find order comforting. I didn't collect anything other than books, and I've always had a lot of books. Oh, that's not true--marbles. I had a huge marble collection and loved to play marbles during recess at school . I currently collect lesbian pulp fiction, as most of you know.

2) i have to say that bingo, baby is my favorite short of all time. there is a sensibility captured in this story that is hard to convey -the genderf**k, no fixedness around sub/dom, an absence of rigidity.

This wasn't a question, but a comment that I wanted to comment upon-- this is one of my favorite erotic short stories as well, and I've read from it several times at various venues. I like it because of the reversal of anticipated roles, and I like that it demonstrates how we can use erotica to explore what we think we know or what we might like to explore about gender roles and our sexual dynamics. I also like it because it has a fair amount of humor, which is not something I frequently do. It's fun to read out loud because usually when I'm reading erotica I have no idea if people are covering their ears or closing their eyes, and if people are laughing, at least I know I'm doing something right.

3) How much influence do your readers/fans have on what you write or publish. A lot of the feed back you get on the lists are from both writers and readers that feel their vote counts, does it?

Ooo, tricky question. I do pay attention to what readers have to say about what I write to a certain extent-- I like to know what readers enjoy reading. Are they primarily interested in traditional love stories, or books that have more action or intrigue as well as romance. Do readers enjoy erotica? I don't think that authors can write exclusively to audience demands, because we have to write something that's interesting to us or the process really just doesn't work. On the other hand, an author who wishes to be "successful" however that might be defined, can't write in a vacuum either. It's important to know the reading trends in popular fiction at a particular time, what new areas are being explored, the shifting use of language, the transformation of genre--all of these things are part of understanding the greater world in which we work.

On the other hand, I know that there will be some people who flat out don't like what I write. That's been true since the first book I published. Mostly, people complain that what I write is too sexual. That's not something I've ever changed nor do I intend to. I think that the degree of graphic sexuality in my books varies depending on the tone and style of the particular story--some of the traditional romances like When Dreams Tremble or Turn Back Time don't have a lot of graphic sex until well into the story. Other novels in which sexual themes are much more prominent and part of the character journey, for example, as in Winds of Fortune, will have a lot more sex from earlier on in the book. The interplay between romance and erotica/love and sex/emotion and physicality are things that interest me and I will probably always explore them in my work. I accept the fact that some readers will prefer to read other authors whose work is more subtle or less graphic etc. That's why we have, fortunately, many authors to choose from.

I certainly pay attention to what members of this group enjoy reading from me--I really do sometimes adjust my publication schedule to write a sequel that's much in demand that I might've put off for six months or more. I'm certainly going to write a sequel for the Justice series because there's been so much demand for that from you. And as a realistic full-time author, I pay attention to book sales. If a series isn't selling anymore, I'm more than likely going to stop writing it.

Thanks for your questions--talk to you next week,

Happy reading,

Radclyffe,

10/28/07

Hello, good afternoon.

I don't actually have any questions for today--I seem to have gone through all the ones that have been sent to me in one form or another. I see that many of you are starting to get your copies of Winds of Fortune—thank you to those of you who have written in saying that you enjoyed it. I felt that the themes of healing and recovery and trust connected the established relationships and the new relationship, and I hope you found that the balance between them worked. This series started out relatively "light" compared to the honor series or the justice series, but as time has gone on, the characters have grown and developed and the challenges the characters face individually, and together, have become more far-reaching. It's been rewarding for me to write, and I hope you enjoy reading it.

As to the question recently placed about Honor and Nita, they did go to medical school together, hence the slight reference found in the story.

Thank you also to those of you who have commented on In Deep Water volume 1. That's especially good to hear right now as I am working on the second volume in the series. I plan on doing three or four follow-up stories to previous full-length novels in this one, since these follow-up stories seemed to be a popular addition in the first one.

Until next week-- Rad

10/21/07

Greetings this evening:

I’m a little behind today, because we have books going to press tomorrow and I have been busy preparing the files. Also, I am a “fair weather” sports fan and generally watch baseball during the playoffs and World Series, so I confess to a little extra TV time this weekend. On top of that, it’s unseasonably warm (around 72°) this afternoon, and we ended up driving through Vermont for a couple of hours with the top down because the fall colors are still fairly vibrant, despite the fact that many of the trees have lost their leaves already.

As I noted earlier, starting tomorrow I’ll be working on the second volume of the erotica collection with Karin Kallmaker to follow the one that was just released last week. So that’s my agenda for a while.

As to the questions:

1)      about long-term or established relationships in novels. I would bet that many of your readers are in such relationships, but we are rarely portrayed as anything other than secondary characters. Have you ever considered writing a stand-alone romance about a couple who has been together for awhile?

This is a very interesting question, and I love to talk about romance as a “form.” By definition, a romance is a work of fiction which focuses on a developing romantic relationship between two people that culminates in a commitment. Therefore, a book about two people who are in a relationship and dealing with “life’s issues” is not a romance. It doesn’t mean it’s not a good book or an interesting story or that it doesn’t explore relevant issues, it’s simply not a romance. So rephrasing the question, why do I write primarily romances and not general fiction? The answer is pretty simple—I love to read and write romances. I love the discovery, the challenge of overcoming obstacles, learning to trust, the excitement of becoming emotionally and physically intimate, and all the other emotions that are part of a developing love relationship. As an author, I can most naturally explore issues that are of interest to me—trust, fidelity, sexuality—within the form of a romance. Other writers naturally gravitate to mysteries or general fiction as a vehicle to write about things that interest them. What does work for me in terms of writing about committed couples is what I’ve done with the Provincetown Tales—Reese and Tory are a long-standing couple who continue to face challenges, and to hopefully grow and change. But within each book, I can also explore different dimensions of developing relationships by introducing new characters and new romances. For me, that’s the best of both worlds.

2)      do you ever feel rested enough?  especially given your regular exercise routine on top of all the rest?  or is it just that getting older/not need as much sleep phenomenon?

Oh, ouch! LOL –  the getting older phenomenon? No, seriously—I’ve never actually needed tons of sleep and maybe that’s because of my surgery training (as you suggested) because even after my residency when I was in practice, I took call 10 nights a month and operated fairly frequently doing emergency surgery (mostly automobile accidents with bad facial trauma) on nights and weekends. I go to bed fairly early now and if I wake up three or four hours later is kind of a special treat to just read a book for an hour or so and then go back to sleep. I never have enough time to read for pleasure, so I don’t mind being up at two or three for a little while.

3)      I was wondering if anyone ever gave you any grief about Honor Guards.  You seemed so apologetic for having written it at all.

No one has ever criticized me for fictionalizing these events, and I didn’t actually intend to sound apologetic about writing about 9/11. My intention was not to appear disrespectful by fictionalizing something monumentally horrific. Of course, many such events throughout history are fictionalized in film and books, but time and distance from the events sometimes makes reliving them slightly less traumatic (obviously horror and waste and human cruelty are never erased by the passage of time). Because this was such a recent event in our collective memories, I had only hoped to allow enough time to pass so that reading about the events would not open barely healed wounds. 

 Radclyffe

10/14/07

Greetings all:

The day was brisk and clear and sunny here in Provincetown, and many of the authors and readers left today to travel home. It was a great week and I was sad to see everyone go. The turnout was far greater than anything we have seen before, and at least everyone I spoke with said they had a great time, despite the intermittent rain earlier in the week. There seemed to be plenty of good weather for people to do non-book related events.

I certainly had a terrific time and my only complaint is that I never have enough time to talk to everyone at these events. Nevertheless, over the course of the week during the four reading sessions in which I participated, the HOW benefit panel which I moderated, and the signings at Now Voyager bookstore I hope I got to at least say hello to everyone. Thanks to all of you who were able to attend, to those of you who followed along with the events online, and to those of you who read and/or recommend our books to your friends.

As to this week's questions:

1)      we the fans know Cameron Roberts as the ever serious and right to the point Secret Service agent. in Word of Honor will we get to see other sides like more interaction with her mother, maybe some buddies from high school and or college, is she a sports nut, you know, every day things like that.

I do think you will be seeing some personal interactions between Cameron and Blair (of course), and Cam 's mother will make an appearance. As all of you who read my series know, I try to intersperse day to day events with new elements of intrigue or personal challenge, and I expect there will be quite a bit of that. This book is next up on my schedule although first I will be working on the second volume of the In Deep Waters erotica collection with Karin Kallmaker for May 2008. The February release, The Lonely Hearts Club, is just about ready to go to edits.

2)      No, I don't think Rad has done Xena!  <g>  I believe she went from Scully slash direct to Original stories, but I could be wrong with all the 'pen names' out there.  Care to elaborate further, Rad?  Got any Xena secrets you'd care to share with the group?  : )

 I started writing original fiction well before I started writing fan fiction (I wrote my first full-length novel about 15 years or so before I ever wrote fan fiction). However, none of those initial full-length novels were ever made public until after I had published online fan fiction. I only ever wrote X-Files fan fiction--I never wrote any Xena fan fiction, although I am a fan of some of the published works which originated as Uber Xena fiction (particularly LJ Maas). I have adapted some of the Scully fan fiction as short erotic selections and they've been published in some of my anthologies.

3)      Did you take [writing] courses in college? Did you have a mentor, someone to take you under their wing and teach you?

Other than the obligatory freshman English composition course, I never took a writing course. Most of what I know about writing comes from having read since before I can actually remember—books in one form or another have always been part of my life. Just a few days ago at the panel session with four other authors we were asked how things have changed for us as authors since the first books we have written—the answer was exactly the same for everyone – we hope we've gotten better. Writing is an ongoing learning process—the more you do it, the more you think about it, and hopefully, the better you get. Just because you've published one book or 10 books or 20 books, doesn't mean that you are a perfect writer—there's always more to learn. I haven't had a particular mentor, but there are certainly authors whom I respect and I have learned a great deal from reading their work. I have also learned to be a better writer from working with experienced editors.

4)      since the first time I picked up shadowland I thought the hand in that fabulous restraint was yours (I pay a lot of attentions to hands, and since most photos of you are of you inscribing books...).  how about it - is it yours?  and, if so, will you admit to it on the record?!!  now, I'm not asking if the restraint is yours, mind you.

LOL - I think you're probably referring to the cover of Erotic Interludes 4--Extreme Passions, since the cover on shadowland has handcuffs dangling from the bed frame, but no hand. The cover of Extreme Passions was my idea, it was shot by my partner, and yes--that is my hand.

 Radclyffe

10/07/07

Good morning:

The weather here in Provincetown has taken a decidedly "fall-like" turn. It is gray and a little drizzly, which is not uncommon on the ocean at this time of year. The weather report for later in the week has it clearing up-meaning clear but cool, which is more typical. 

I have a reading in two hours and I'm sorting out what I'm going to read. I have a question for all of you--if you have gone to an author's reading or even if you haven't, what do you (or would you) enjoy? Do you enjoy 1) hearing an author read from a new release 2) hearing an author read from an upcoming work, 3) Q&A, or 4) some of both. I always wonder what will be most enjoyable for those in the audience. 

The upcoming week is very busy for me in that there will be eight BSB authors here as well as many of our incredibly hard-working associates, partners, devoted readers, and hopefully, some new readers. I am about three chapters away from finishing The Lonely Hearts Club. Since I don't like to take a long break when I'm at a critical point, I'm going to be writing at odd hours over the next 10 days. I recently read an article on writing tips, and one point the author stressed was that the ending of a book was extremely important in leaving a lasting memory in the reader's mind. I never really consciously thought about that before, but it's absolutely true. No matter what type of book, the ending is the climax of a tension filled, emotionally engaging and sometimes challenging journey. So, I have some demanding work ahead. 

As to the questions (of course, now I have my laptop and don't have all my list of questions with me but I'll hit some of them. If I haven't answered your question yet, if you could forward it to me again, that would be great.):

1) This one refers to Winds of Fortune which will be released here today:  Reading your response to a question you answered: there are two new characters, both of whom are very sexy. Deo Camara and Nita Burgoyne. You'll have to decide which one rates as "most sexy"--and of course, they'll be competing with the usual suspects (Reese, Tory, Bri, Allie, Caroline)  I was wondering how you name your characters.  In other words, how do you choose the names? Is "Deo" short for something or did you make it up? 

I do name my characters before I start writing a book, often months in advance because with our production schedule, our titles and story synopses are determined eight to 12 months in advance. I choose my characters’ names to suit their personality, which is something that we don't have the luxury of doing in real life. I think in fiction a character's name aids in characterization, so I intentionally try to choose names that suggest something about the character (if only in my own mind<g>). I also like the names to be memorable. If the characters have a particular ethnicity, I will look up Greek names or, in the case of Deo, Portuguese names, on the Internet. Sometimes I look at what the names actually "mean" and pick one that I feel suits the character. Other times I will simply pick a name that I like the sound of or the way it looks. I will frequently use a variation of a name--alter the spelling, for example--to make it more distinctive in my own work. I think character names are very important--especially when contemplating a series. There are many ways to create memorable characters, but I do think the first step is choosing a "good" name. 

2) Who are the women on your Radfic Production logo?  They look like old starlets. I was wondering if so which ones? Speaking of starlets, what is your favorite all-time movie? 

Hmm, let’s see-- Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and one done especially for the logo by Sheri. I can't pick a favorite movie any more than I can pick a favorite book. I love films almost as much as I love books, but I don't have nearly as much time to movie watch now that I'm writing more. One movie that comes immediately to mind is The Last of the Mohicans -- I love the lush cinematography, I love the music, I love the romance, I love the beautiful stars. I've also always loved historical fiction that takes place in New York State, because that's where I grew up and I grew up reading a great deal of historical fiction. I really like a lot of Hitchcock's work. I love Alien - an amazing work, and of course, Sigourney Weaver is drop dead gorgeous. As with fiction, the various genres generate their own favorites. If you ask my partner, she will immediately say that I love Jaws. I've seen it probably eight times and watch it every time it comes on television as if it were the first. It's an absolutely superb example of a thriller. 

3) Last week you commented on your Beta Readers. And the week before someone had asked you about how you met Lee. I can certainly understand why Lee would not be a Beta reader, but does she read what your working on before it's finished or wait for it to come out like the rest of us?

Lee reads every chapter that I write as soon as I have finished writing it. In fact, she frequently comes home from work and immediately asks if I have a chapter for her. We do discuss the story somewhat, but I do not discuss where the story is going with her. In fact, she often wants to know what's going to happen and I don't tell her. Just as I don't write scenes out of order, I don't like to jump ahead and discuss the plot, because I create organically, one scene growing out of the one before it, one chapter following the events of the previous chapter--so I don't like to tie myself into particular events. I often know two or three major scenes, but invariably, some of the biggest scenes I haven't conceived of until it comes time to write them.

I have to go now, and pick my second reading. I wish every one of you could be here, and I hope someday to meet you all. 

Rad

09/30/07

Greetings! 

I am in NYC for the preview showing of the Beebo Brinker Chronicles (the play  based on Ann Bannon’s novels). After the showing there is a “talk-back” with Ann and a reviewer from a NY magazine, then a reception and dinner. Bold Strokes Books is very pleased to sponsor the play – it’s an historic event in the long annals of Ann’s contributions to our literature and our culture.

As to questions – many good ones. Many still to come:

1) I was just wondering... ..your Provincetown series would make a wonderful movie (mini series) would you consider this? Or any of your books being made into a movie?

I tend to write from a "visual" frame--in that I see the events in my mind as if I were seeing them on a stage. I also rely a great deal on dialogue, which does tend to make my stories a little more "screenplay- like." I would certainly consider any interest in any of the BSB works for adaptation to film, and I'm always open to anyone who wants to talk about it<g>. thus far nothing in the works, but you never know.  

2) Do you take lines from the books for your titles? Or do they come from other sources/thoughts?

Actually, it's the other way around. I usually choose the title first and either work off it as a theme in a novel, or deliberately incorporate it as a line in a short story. 

3) I have noticed that you seem to use primarily the same Beta's on all your books.  How did you come to select them?

Everyone who reads for me has been doing it for a long time--you're right. One I met when we were both writing Scully/X-Files fan fiction. The others were readers who I came to know through fairly in-depth discussion of works I had written. They are people who are crazy enough to have a deep interest in my writing and are generous enough to spend hours of their time reading and commenting on my work. I chose them to be beta readers because I trust them with something that is not fully formed, that involves as I write, and about which I am highly sensitive, especially during the developmental stages. They are supportive, which is very important, and very good about describing their emotional responses, which is what I'm really interested in assessing in a reader as I create characters and develop the story. 

I think writers need to be highly selective about who reviews their works in progress. We (the writers) need to have a very clear idea of what it is we're seeking from a "first reader" and let them know what works for us and what has the potential to hamper our process.

09/23/07

Greetings:

Now that Women's Week is almost upon us, I thought I'd remind those of you on the West Coast that we'll have another big book event in February 2008 in Palm Springs at the Palm Springs Lesbian Book Festival. Check out the dates and details on our website: www.boldstrokesbooks.com. So, if we don't see you in the fall, hopefully we'll see you in the spring!

On to this week's questions. We have a lot of great questions--I try to answer a variety each week, so if you don't see an answer to yours right away, I'll get to it. Thanks for sending them.

1) Do you know before you even begin writing the story that your character/s is/are going to be a “hit” with your fan base? Do you set out to make people fall for them? Or are you surprised when they continually do?

I don't intentionally create characters that I think will be a "hit." I create stories with characters that I think will be interesting and compelling and hopefully that readers will be able to relate to or find interesting/ sexy/thought- provoking. The characters are of interest to me, or I wouldn't write the book. Then I'm left hoping that they'll be interesting to others<g>

2) Approximately how many lesbian fiction volumes do you have in your library (collection)?

I'd estimate in the range of 2000 --but I've never actually counted. I have an entire library with wall-to-wall bookcases filled with only lesbian fiction.

3) When, where and how did you meet Lee?

We met online in 1998 since we were both writing X-Files fan fiction and belonged to the same online forum. In answer to a similar question, Lee writes very excellent short fiction but has never written a full-length novel. She has had several short stories published and has written a fair amount of X-Files fan fiction. We have on occasion talked about collaborating on a futuristic urban fantasy work, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

See you next week--and thanks for reading,

Radclyffe

09/16/07

Greetings: 

I have a new computer and I've been busy setting up the e-mail programs and trying to find half of my messages.  In addition, for those of you who use speech recognition software, you know that setting it up on a new computer can be challenging.  I'm happy to say that it's working really well and I'm here now. 

A few comments on the "author annotated tour" of Provincetown--if I'm out and about I'll be happy to show you some of the "hotspots" from the Provincetown tales.  Maybe after the reading on Sunday, October 8 I think it is, if some of you are around we can take a walk.   

Now--hopefully I haven't lost all of the questions I've been saving: 

1)  You’re very descriptive and there’s a lot of dialogue during the sex/love making scenes in some of your books, do you ever think it may distract the reader from the scene, or that the characters talking only improves those scenes?  

I think the way an author constructs an erotic scene is very individual in terms of the language that is used, the amount of dialogue that is used, when the scene is written in relationship to character development etc. I think dialogue can enhance the scene if used at the right moment.  The one thing I generally caution authors against doing is trying to write "sound effects" which always come off as unnatural.  As with all things, some readers will like one author’s style in terms of writing erotic scenes over another, just as they may prefer one author's writing style in any other portion of a novel.  If I altered the way I wrote a sex scene because I thought some people might not like it, I would've quit a long time ago<g> 

2)  How did you decide on the name Radclyffe. I assume it came from Radclyfe Hall, but how did you pick it? 

Well, this is delving into ancient history<g>. I started posting online in 1997 when I first discovered X-Files fan fiction and joined the Scully Slash online writing group. I needed a screen name and two of the three most prolific X-Files fan fiction writers at the time writing Scully slash were men. I didn't have a problem with that, but I wanted to be lesbian identified and when I thought about the writers who influenced me, I thought about Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall. I really liked the name Radclyffe so I started using it to post my fiction. Then I developed a website and put some of my original fiction on there which I had been storing away for quite a long time. In 1999 three separate publishers contacted me and expressed interest in publishing the original fiction that I had posted online. By then, I had a little bit of name recognition and it seemed reasonable to keep that name when I made the transition to print. In addition, I have always identified with the name as my "writing persona" and answer to it completely naturally. So that's pretty much the story. 

3) Which of your characters do you feel is the most passionate in bed? I realize that they are all made to be great but which one stuck out the most when you were creating her, as exceptionally passionate? 

I'm not just saying this, but I think one of the characters from my upcoming book (Winds of Fortune) is one of the most sensual characters I've ever written--and in the same book, the couple is extraordinarily sexy. Of the characters who have been out and about for a while--Blair Powell. It's really hard for me to choose one character, though, because I think there are different shades of passion--aggressive, open, tender, dominant, submissive, etc. and I think characters express these various attributes to different degrees and in different ways. I think Tory King and Catherine Rawlings are both extraordinarily sensual and passionate characters, but not as overtly aggressive as Blair. 

I have a few questions still left for next week--feel free to chime in or comment or send more.

Thanks for being here and thanks for reading, Rad 

09/09/07

Greetings from rainy Upstate New York— 

We have some great questions this week and I'm going to get right to them:

1) I was wondering how you fictionalize a current/recent event without losing the reader to reality. Silken Laumann was an amazing model for Tory and your use of the pontoon boat tragedy in When Dreams Tremble was exceptionally well done.  

I use real-life events a lot as either a starting point in my own mind as an idea for a book, or to inject a sense of "real life possibility" into the stories. I think your question is a really good one in that using very recent events can jostle the reader between the reality that they know and the reality that you are trying to create. That's obviously not a good idea. The greatest challenge I have, obviously, is incorporating real-life events into the Honor Series and yet changing them just enough to fit the alternate reality that exists in this series. Obviously, Andrew Powell is not the president nor does the president in any way resemble Andrew Powell. All of the facts, timeline, and communications quoted in Honor Guards around the events of 9/11 are factual, but I chose not to deal directly with that event because I think we all are far too close to it and always will be to do any kind of justice to it. Instead, I created a parallel, related scenario which I felt could possibly have happened at that time and that would allow me to have the characters experience the kinds of emotional responses that I think we all could relate to, without thrusting the reader back into the epicenter of the emotional turmoil of that day. When I do use real-life events in a fictionalized setting, I try to pick out the pertinent aspects that make it believable, so that if someone is familiar with the actual event they will think to themselves, "oh, I remember, something just like this happened….” and hopefully view it as adding authenticity to the work.

2) I just finished rereading "Above All Honor" and "Honor Bound." I have a random question for you. I was just wondering, what does Blair Powell do to cover her tattoo when she has a formal function and she wears a revealing dress (especially when she had not come out yet)? 

Somehow, I can't see Blair hiding anything, although certainly in the early books she was much more circumspect about not advertising her personal life or putting her father on the spot. I believe she's always had a true respect for her father's position and the importance of it. She would risk her own reputation and well-being, but not his or that of his office.  I made a point in Above All, Honor that when Blair was out prowling, she took some pains not to be easily recognizable. I believe the reverse would probably be true so when she was forced into a "political performance" she would likely wear something that would cover it. As to exactly what that might be, I haven't a clue. When I write about femme fashion, I always get advice<g> 

3) I've been curious for a while now...has it been a conscious decision on your part to omit (what I call) some of the more blue collar trades from your character's vocational choices? Peripatologists notwithstanding <bg> I see no plumbers carpenters, mechanics or women in other building trades. Is this based upon the demographic of your readership, a case of "write what you know" or purely my imagination. 

I'd like to go on record that this question is not a plant. One of the main characters in Winds of Fortune is a carpenter/contractor J. Jesse Forbes is a rancher, but considering that Innocent Hearts and Promising Hearts are period pieces, I suppose that doesn't count. I certainly don't think it has anything to do with reader demographics- -I'm pretty certain that we have a very representational readership in almost all regards except probably sex, in that I think most readers are female, but not all of them. As to writing what I know--again, not necessarily true in terms of blue-collar versus white collar. My father was a factory worker, as was my mother and all of my aunts and uncles. None of them were in construction trades, however. I suppose I choose occupations that allow me to inject additional elements into the story to flesh it out or enhance aspects of tension or excitement. Obviously, I write about physicians and scientists because I know about those things: I write about law enforcement agents and members of the Armed Forces because I'm interested in hierarchical structures, the conflict between ideology and politics, and the types of personalities who would choose such occupations. I also choose to write about things that I want to know more about-- like most authors, I choose the occupations for the characters for many reasons. 

4) Do you think the titles for When Dreams Tremble and Turn Back Time should have been reversed? It seems in TBT that ‘dreams tremble’ more than the characters ‘turning back time’, of which there is a lot of in WDT. 

I suppose TBT could be switched, but I chose the titles before I started the manuscripts, and I had something specific in mind for each one of them. Turn Back Time for me was about that initial meeting where a spark of attraction and connection was obliterated by circumstance. It was very much about "if I could do it over again." When Dreams Tremble is the only title that truly represents, for me at least, what that work was about--it was the story of how we go on after a dream that defines so much of who we are and what we hope for in life is destroyed, and raises the question of whether that dream ever truly dies. And if it doesn't, how do we manage? Who do we become and what happens to the ghost of those dreams?

 Thank you all for sending in questions--I still have some pending from last week that I'll get to next week. I hope you're all enjoying this, because I am. 

Have a great week, Rad

09/03/07

Good morning:  

Is it still Sunday anywhere in the world? Sorry for the delay--somewhere or another in the last 48 hours I lost a few.  

I'm afraid I have nothing terribly exciting to report--if I tell you that we went to another fair (what can I say, there's something about the Midway at night that appeals to me) and it didn't rain this time, I've covered most of the excitement for the week <g>. I'm working away on The Lonely Hearts Club for early 2008 and starting to gear up for Provincetown in a month. All of the new releases which will be available for Women's Week have gone to press-- Blind Leap (Anderson-Minshall), Focus of Desire (Baldwin), Winds a Fortune (Radclyffe), and House of Clouds (Thompson). In addition, all of the recent releases from BSB authors who will be there will also be available. 

 So on to the questions. 

1) In Honor Under Siege - Did the idea to use the Neosynephrine come from your medical training or is it the drug of choice in the world of spookies and their thermo infared imaging toys? 

As with many things in the Honor series, I take factual information and extrapolate to possible scenarios for the plot. I wish I knew what went on in the world of spookies for real. 

2) So, we the fans know Cameron Roberts as the ever serious and right to the point Secret Service agent. In Word of Honor will we get to see other sides like more interaction with her mother, maybe some buddies from high school and or college, is she a sports nut, you know, every day things like that. 

Definitely Cam 's mother will make an appearance. I also expect to introduce a couple of new characters, but I haven't really given them a great deal of thought yet. I generally don't think too much about the upcoming work while I'm in the midst of a new one. I just let the ideas play around the edges of my mind. I like to keep my energy focused on the characters I'm currently working with, because I need them to occupy the forefront, and probably the subconscious as well, of my mind until I have gotten their stories out. Cam likes to run--somehow, I can't see her sitting and watching a football game, can you? And of course, Blair is a ski nut and they both are martial artists. 

3) Along the same lines regarding the fact that I know what I'll be writing for the next two or three books, usually -- My question is how does having that creative road all mapped out align with your thought process.  You don't deviate from your train of thought when you're on a roll, that is, you don't write scenes out of sequence, but doesn't having a new "Justice" on your horizon tempt you?  The twinkle in your eye says at least plot ideas already have arrived, but how do you handle them?  Jot down thoughts for (much) later?  Just jump right in when the appropriate date arrives? 

I very rarely jot down plot ideas, and then when I do, I lose them. I don't write scenes out of sequence because the book takes place for me just as life unfolds for us every day--we don't know what's going to happen this afternoon, but when it does, it may change what we're going to do this evening. So if I wrote something about what I was going to do tonight without knowing what I did this afternoon, it wouldn't necessarily be a consistent or even true rendering of events. When I write Chapter 2 something happens to the characters, and I don't always know precisely what's going to happen or how the characters are going to interact during and as a result of that event. I don't know how they will be affected or how they will change because of that event. But the consequences of that event, if it's a meaningful plot point, will influence, color, and sometimes even determine what happens in the next chapter. Yes, I sometimes know pivotal scenes in advance, but I don't write them until I get there, because the characters will not be themselves in that scene until they have journeyed to that point. Life is not a series of sound bites, but a continuum of tiny moments. When writing a book, we do need to have a series of significant events but what interconnects them should be those all-important subtle moments. 

I hope all of you have an enjoyable holiday, if today is a holiday for you. Thank you all for being here. 

Regards,

Radclyffe

08/26/07

Good morning: 

I am now back in upstate New York and in the process of sorting through my e-mails and all that stuff everyone knows has to be done right after vacation. Winds of Fortune, the next in the Provincetown Tales went to press last week along with the other THREE October releases—Blind Leap by Diane and Jacob Anderson-Minshall (the next in the Blind Eye Mystery series), Focus of Desire (a romance by Kim Baldwin) and House of Clouds (a Victory Edition historical romance from KI Thompson). 

In the meantime, the new releases for SEPTEMBER just showed up on my doorstep (I get them when they are shipped from the printer to our distributors) --and they all look terrific: Mistress of the Runes (a "mystic" romance from Andrews & Austin), Sheridan's Fate (a new Gun Brooke romance) and Wall of Silence, 2nd edition from Gabriel Goldsby (who is this week's featured author on BSB connect). These will be available for release mid-September. 

My exciting news of the week is that last night we went to the Washington County Fair (I love fairs, especially ones with lots of animals). This one was especially fun because I grew up in Washington County and many of the historical exhibits featured areas and local history I was familiar with. The truly exciting part of the evening however was when someone announced over the PA system that a severe electrical storm was rapidly approaching and everyone should take cover--not in tents, we were advised, but in wooden structures. So, we waited out this huge thunder and lightning storm that was truly amazing in the cow barn (well, one of the cow barns). We both agreed this was the best fair we'd ever been to. So, you can see how exciting life is around here<g>. However, every time I go to a fair and walk through the midway, I get this overwhelming desire to write about sex on the Ferris wheel. Since I've already done that (and so is Julie Cannon, very well, I might add), I'm now considering the Fun House, the tilt a whirl, and the Fortune Teller's tent. Hmmm, could be a topic for an AC. 

As to today's questions--some of them are still on my laptop which of course, I'm not currently using, so I'll answer some of the older ones that didn't get answered before: 

1)     How do you limit the length of your novels?  If you are on a roll, do you just go for it and then edit yourself back to within the confines of a page limit? 

I don't consciously "limit" the length of my fiction--most authors develop a natural storytelling arc that is fairly consistent. For example, my romances are almost always 80 to 83,000 words in length (at least for the last 2 1/2 to three years. Those with a strong intrigue base are closer to 100,000. They were more in the 60 to 65,000 range early on in my career.). Kim Baldwin, for example, noted that her works were usually around 73,000 which as been pretty consistent for her. That doesn't mean that length won't change for either of us over time or with different genres. Usually intrigue will be slightly longer because the plot tends to be more heavily weighted than in a traditional romance for example. Mysteries tend to be longer for much the same reason. Speculative fiction works are frequently the longest because of the need to build a believable alternate universe with details of landscape, culture, history, etc. Historical works in other words of general fiction are frequently longer as well, but all of these "rules of thumb" vary from book to book. 

However, I know how a story should flow in terms of the buildup of tension, the introduction of characters, turning points in the plot etc. and if I'm not reaching those points "when I should" then I know I have to take a look at the structure of the work and make sure that it's developed enough or, alternatively, not rambling. The point is, a novel has structure--you' ve probably heard people refer to the "three acts" or put more simply, the beginning, the middle, and the end. Certain things should happen in those sections -- characters and the foundation of plot are introduced, tension and conflict build-- upping the stakes for the main characters emotionally and physically, characters undergo change and transformation and plot issues and themes are resolved. The biggest problem with most novels is what's called the "sagging middle" where the author fails to "up the ante" for the main characters, no matter what genre the work falls into. I don't worry about the ultimate length of the work, I just try to be sure that the structure and the components that make up that structure are present. My advice to anyone whose work is approaching 150,000 to160,000 words and it's not a work of speculative or historical fiction, is that your plot is probably being buried in extraneous details and to go back and take a careful look at what each scene contributes to the forward motion of the plot and character development, and within each scene, what details are essential and what may simply be filler. Obviously, that's not a hard and fast rule and only you can be the judge of what your work requires. 

2)     What is your fave brunch food?  

Um -- brunch for me just means a late breakfast, so it's usually something with eggs and I'm partial to pancakes. 

3)     I just know you have a secret project you are working on. When will you cast some light on it? 

If I did, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. What fun is there in that? But I promise you'll all be the first to know. 

Thanks and have a great week, Radclyffe

08/19/07

Greetings: 

Thanks to all of you who attended the reading on Friday afternoon, in person or in spirit. I had a great time, and I hope that you did too. It’s the first time that I’ve read from a not yet published work—Winds of Fortune, in this case—because I’ve always thought that it would be frustrating to hear a portion of a book and then not be able to buy it (not being one for delayed gratification). However, everyone seemed to enjoy it, and it was a treat for me to preview it, because I’m excited about the book coming out. It was also fun in the room in which we were all sitting (the back bar at the Vixen).   

We’ll be doing readings during women’s week from both recently published as well’s upcoming works, so we’ll be able to do more of that.  

So—for today’s questions: 

1) I'd like to know about your nutritional habits. What keeps you going on and on and on ...eg favourites, do you smoke/drink/ sport? 

Boy, nothing like starting out with easy ones—let’s see, I don’t smoke (although I did when I was younger. When I was a medical student and resident, believe it or not, EVERYONE smoked. That was a time when you could still smoke in the hospital in the OR lounges and on the floors). I don’t drink. My favorite exercise is rowing, and we have the kind of rowing machine at home that Olympic rowers use to train on when they’re not on the water. We also have a stationary bike and a treadmill and we work out together four to five times a week for an hour. We also try to bike outside, weather and time permitting. I don’t eat much red meat, primarily because I’m not crazy about it, but on occasion I will.  

2) One of my favorite stories is your novel Tomorrow's Promise. Can you share with us what inspired the story?  I found each of the lead characters to be complex individuals and it is a novel I read again and again. 

This is one of the first books I wrote, and is very much a “two character story”—it takes place on an island and I actually wrote it while I was on an island (the Isle of Palms) for a medical meeting. The setting was definitely inspired by my surroundings, more so in terms of the sense of isolation rather than the geography. The character of Tanner is one of my darker characters and one of my most favorite characters, and the work has a very classic romance feel to it (I think). As to inspiration, all the stories I write come from a mix of my own experience and life situations that intrigue me. I’m glad you enjoyed it—it’s still one of my favorites.  

3) Will you be writing a shadowland sequel or something similar in the (near) future? 

I doubt that I will write a sequel to shadowland, but I do explore issues of power in quite a few of the short stories I’ve been writing. Several of those will appear in both In Deep Waters anthologies I’m doing with Karin Kallmaker. In addition, one of the subplots in my upcoming The Lonely Hearts Club will also feature a dominant/submissive pairing (February 2008).  

Thanks for the questions—see you next week, and happy reading.

08/12/07

Good morning/afternoon:  

As to what I'm up to--still on vacation, more or less, and writing, of course -- although at a slightly reduced pace because I'm supposed to be on vacation<g>. It's also Carnival Week in Provincetown and we can't miss drag bingo (the inspiration for Bingo, Baby, which appeared in erotic interludes as well as Best Lesbian Erotica 2007) or the parade. Don't forget I'll be at the Vixen on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. doing a reading and Q&A--even if you can't make it, perhaps you could tell any of your friends who might be in town so I won't be talking to myself for an hour. Thanks!  

On to the questions  

1)     Which of your characters do you most identify with?  

I can't really pick one, since most of them have some issues and characteristics that stem from some of my own experiences. I certainly know which characters I would "like" to be--the brave, bold, certain ones like Cam and Rebecca. Other than the fact that I don't have a lethal disease, I identify strongly with Hayden Palmer because she is an author, because she has a completely developed pseudonyminous personality, and because she's something of a fatalist. I also identify with Tanner and Reese for some of their personal history. 

I’m out of questions!

Thanks - Rad

08/05/07

Good morning: 

I’m on vacation for 2 weeks, which means that I only work a few hours a day – so I may be answering these intermittently today –   

Yesterday while in town ( Provincetown ) I ran into two readers from London whom I last saw at the York Lesbian Arts festival last year. That was a nice surprise.  

As to Brunch questions: 

1) Which of your characters would you most like to be for a day, and why? 

Rebecca Fry – I like her intensity and focus and she gets to wear a shoulder holster.   

2) And which of your characters would you most like to be with for a day, and why? (yes, that kind of with, I know Lee won't mind the question knowing we're talking fiction <vbg>)  

After the week I had at BSB Connect you ask this – jeez. Um – well, it’s hard to pick one<g>. Sandy , if I could be Dell – for obvious reasons.  

3) Ellen Hart asked this of Katherine V. Forrest and her answer was of course, Curious Wine. “Is there one book -- more than any other -- that you'd like to be remembered for?” 

Nothing that comes close to Curious Wine in significance – maybe someday I’ll have written one.  

4) Which of your characters do you feel is the most passionate in bed?

Sax, Blair, Catherine Rawlings, Deo Camara (Winds of Fortune) and Dane. If I had to pick one ----- arghhhh ---- Sax.   

5) What three things would you put in a time capsule? 

The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community: Before Stonewall (1985) Starring: Rita Mae Brown, Johnnie Phelps Director: Robert Rosenberg ;   A Blackberry;  A Computer with all the BSB books as pdfs 

Thanks!!

Rad

07/29/07

Good morning! 

I've gotten quite a few questions so far, some about writing per se and some about how my process works and a few others. I'll try to combine some answers and start with the early questions, moving to the later ones as we go along. Feel free to shoot questions over during the week. I'm keeping a folder. 

As to UPDATES:  Winds of Fortune is being copyedited and goes to press later this month in plenty of time for women's week in Provincetown if you plan on being there. It's due for release on Columbus Day. I'm working on the next one, The Lonely Hearts Club, and am thinking at this point that this may be the first in a trilogy. I'll let you know more about that as the work develops.

I'm excited to say that Bold Strokes is going to be one of the sponsors for the fall 2007 production of The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, a play being produced in New York City and opening October 1. The work is by Kate Moira Ryan and Linda Chapman and produced by the Hourglass Group. Lee and I will be attending the premiere on September 30, after which Anne will be discussing the production.

 As to QUESTIONS:

1)  How many hours of contiguous sleep do you get? Do you take `power' naps? Do you sleep during `conventional' hours?

LOL. You're all going to find out that I'm actually a pretty ordinary, perhaps boring person. I go to bed at pretty much the same time I've always gone to bed--around 11 p.m. I often don't sleep all night for some reason, and if I find myself awake, I usually get up and work. I don't write in the middle of the night but I'll answer e-mails and things like that. I'm often awake pretty early in the morning (sometimes four or 5 a.m.) and I often read fiction then. I read 99+ percent of all lesbian fiction that's published, and I always have. I also really enjoy hard-boiled detective works (like George Pelicanos and Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford) and romantic suspense and romantic intrigue (I’m reading a lot of Kay Hooper right now and Karen Rose ) and I also like paranormal works like those of Patricia Biggs and Kelley Armstrong and Kim Harrison.

I almost never take naps.

2) I was interested in how you organize your day and are you able to have a work/life balance?

As to my daily schedule, the above answer kind of ties into this--the household gets going around seven and since we have four dogs, it takes a while to get them all sorted out. We have a young one, and Lee and I spend some time together walking her and working on her training. I then frequently get mailings together (special orders or autographed books which readers request) so that Lee can drop them off on her way to the University. Then I go to work. I'm usually in my office by 8:30 a.m. and I work until Lee gets home, which is usually around 7 p.m. About half the day I spend doing BSB business, and I try to write and or edit what I'm working on for five or six hours every day -- from mid-afternoon until early evening. After we have dinner together, we both usually go our offices to check on e-mail, and then we work out together for at least an hour four or five nights a week (with the dogs) and then I check e-mail again before bed to make sure there aren't any emergencies. Then we both usually read before bed.

The weekend's are pretty much the same except we do household chores together and enjoy watching movies, exploring the countryside, et cetera. I do generally work and write for four or five hours on both Saturday and Sunday. 

Fortunately, my partner is a very independent person, as am I, and we don't have to spend vast amounts of time together to feel connected. We both appreciate each other's work and enjoy spending time together. However, we're both comfortable "doing our own thing" as long as we're doing it in the same general vicinity. 

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Thanks for the questions-- I'll get to everyone's eventually.

Have a great week, Rad