Category Archives: Denny S. Bryce

Writers & Writing & Weekend Retreats: A Match Made in Happy Town

Denny S. Bryce, Marketing, mermaids, Writing, ,

Denny (PortRoyale)This past weekend, I had a fabulous time in Boonsboro, MD, hanging with a bunch of writers I know from the Washington Romance Writers, a chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA) serving the Washington, DC area.

First, you may not know about Boonsboro (Nora Roberts hangs out there a lot, but not this weekend:). Three years ago, I didn’t know it from any other small town in Maryland. But each year since first attending this gathering I’ve had a tremendous time, but this year, I don’t know, this year was a really, really, good time. Why? What made it different? Well, this year, here’s what happened:

  1. I learned about writing romance and how characters can fall in love – thank you Kathleen Gilles Seidel.
  2. I also learned I will do almost anything to receive the ARC for Lavinia Kent’s next book. Actually, I’ll do anything.
  3. I learned that with a gentle nudge J. Keely Thrall can (and did) update her website:)…
  4. I learned not everyone had heard my story about my date with Denzel Washington (back in the day, people, back in the day, but he’s on broadway now in A Raisin in the Sun – need tickets:).
  5. I learned that a good laugh can be had by all when I tell my story about how then President of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama, helped me out by holding my three-year old son.
  6. I learned that I can laugh to the point of tears at Meryl Streep and Adam Baldwin in “It’s Complicated” while learning about character arcs and story structure. Thank you Evie Owens.
  7. I also learned that Evie Owen’s next release, Witch Boy, has a kick-ass cover.
  8. I learned that Lisa Dyson’s debut novel, A Perfect Homecoming, debuting from Harlequin in June, has a shiny new and beautiful website, and her book cover is fantastic. So mark your calendars and stay tuned for launch parties, blog tours, and all sorts of goodness.
  9. I learned that Emelle Gamble, author of MOLLY HARPER, is a marketing all-star, and we’re thinking about putting together a marketing workshop – details to come:)!
  10. I learned that a weekend with writers, focused on their writing careers, their writing, their next book, their marketing plan, their writing world, always includes good times with good friends!
  11. But mostly, I learned that I’m damn lucky. These women writers are part of my circle of writing buddies (which also includes the wonderful Waterworld Mermaids), and in April (4-6), during the WRW In the Company of Writers 30th Anniversary Retreat I’ll get to see them all again!
  12. Also, look how happy (and gorgeous) we look! So tell me, what’s your ideal writing getaway?

 

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Why We Write Romance

Alethea Kontis, Dana Rodgers, Denny S. Bryce, Diana Belchase, Kerri Carpenter, Kimberly MacCarron, Masha Levinson, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, Susan Jeffery, , , ,

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187Happy Valentine’s Day from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

We love Valentine’s Day so much that we are celebrating all week long. Ever curious about why the Mermaids write romance novels? Today we decided to share our answers to the question: What made you start writing romance?

Come back tomorrow when we turn the tables on industry professionals with their very own question. Our celebration will wrap on Thursday with a gift card giveaway. Leave a comment today and tomorrow for extra chances to be entered in the giveaway on Thursday.

Enjoy and smoochies!

What made you start writing romance?

Alethea

This should come as no surprise to anyone: Fairy Tales are the reason I started writing romance. Fairy tales are full of fantasy, adventure, magic, mystery, blood, and death…but the tales I always found most interesting were the ones that involved true love. This love might end tragically (The Little Mermaid) or wonderfully (Rapunzel) or coincidentally (Briar Rose) or with a heaping spoonful of vengeance (Snow White/The Goose Girl), but the meeting of two soul mates in these unlikely settings gave me hope that I was not destined to be alone in this lonely world.

Carlene

So the story goes that it was 2008 and I was knee deep into my brand new fascination with Sherrilyn Kenyon and the romance genre. I think it was around her thirteenth or fourteenth Dark Hunter book I’d read when I realized no matter how horrifying or dark the stories became, the couples always clawed their way back out to a happy ending. The stories were so compelling that it honestly took me that many reads to finally figure out that they would all end on a happy note. It also struck a deep chord with me that many of her characters needed redemption and how their path to that came by way of new-found responsibilities toward the person they now loved. I thought about several real-life people I knew and cared about, people with good hearts but who had missed out on that perfect happy ending. I figured out that I could give them that through my stories. I love reading and writing romance! Wishing you all the best on this Valentine’s Day! Fishy Kisses, Carlene Mermaid

Dana

Once upon a time, I was on a preschool board and I became friends with another board member, Anita Clenney. Anita is one of the nicest people on the planet and we kept in contact for years after our preschool days were over. One day we were talking and she said something along the lines of, “Oh I have so much to do. I really need to get back to my manuscript.” Intrigued, I asked loads of questions about her manuscript and discovered that Anita was an up and coming romance writer. As an avid reader with an eye for detail, I was thrilled when she asked me to be a beta reader. What she got back was way more than what I think she was expecting – actually closer to line edits than your typical overall impressions.

I have been working with Anita ever since. I can’t express how excited and proud I was when Anita signed a three book contract later that year. And I couldn’t have been more thrilled for my friend when her first book made the USA Today and New York Times bestseller’s lists.

Being a good friend, it didn’t take long until Anita suggested I put some of my great ideas into a manuscript of my very own. It took several months of her prodding, but now I’m so happy she did. I love the outlet writing gives me and I now understand why I’ve had this constantly running loop of ideas and images floating through my brain all of these years… Writing was what I was meant to do.

Denny

My journey to writing romance started because of a television show. Yep. I fell in love with an old show named Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and no, not Buffy), but the character Spike—but not because of what he was on screen as much as what was missing from Spike’s tortured existence—romance. At the time, I read horror, mostly, and lots of paranormal, but not necessarily romance, except maybe gothic romance and tragic love stories (always liked to sob with my heroines:). But then I discovered fan fiction (which since 50 Shades of Grey, I no longer need to explain:). Fanfiction writers in the Buffy fandom wore obsessive romantics. I read thousands of pages of fan fiction, and wrote 500,000 words of fan fiction myself (and no it wasn’t all one book:). And through fan fiction, I met a writer named Alicia Rasley (I won’t share her Live Journal name here though:), and she introduced me to RWA, and the idea of writing original romantic fiction. That was quite a few years ago, and I had SO much to learn (which I’m still learning), but that’s who and what started my journey in romance. Buffy, Spike, and Alicia Rasley (http://www.aliciarasley.com/).

Diana

I write what I love, and I also write the books I cannot find and would like to see on shelves. The inspiration of strong women who find more than love — they find love with the right guy — proves such men are out there. When they find their happily ever after, it makes me happy. I guess I write because I’d like to spread the happiness around.

Kerri

The summer before my senior year of college, my mom handed me Nora Roberts’ Sea Swept to read. A couple pages in, I was hooked. That summer I read all about the Quinn’s, the Calhoun sisters and the MacGregor’s, and I haven’t stopped reading romance since. I’d always been a writer but I guess I had never found my niche. What really struck me about romance novels was that everyone got a happy ending. For a twenty-one year old about to enter the very scary and unsure “real world,” nothing sounded better than escaping to a place where dreams come true.

Kim

I write young adult romances because I want girls to read about boys who treat them with respect.  I want them to EXPECT that.  To have those high expectations of boys who will grow into men of good character.  To hold out for love.

It’s not that I ever expected my relationships in high school to pan out into a golden anniversary, but those innocent romances helped me discover what I expected from an adult relationship.  And really, when you come to think of it, they’re the same.  I think the only difference is that we become more jaded and insecure as adults, so teen romances are probably the most pure and real ones out there.  When everything is fresh and new and even heartbreakingly real.  I write teen romances because I still remember those feelings quite vividly.  It’s the promise of something special…something magical…something unforgettable.

Pintip

I cannot imagine writing a young adult novel without including some element of romance. I believe first love is integral to the teenage experience. An essential part of understanding who we are is discovering who we can be as a result of another person — a person who brings out the best in us, a person who inspires us to be the best version of ourselves. That, to me, is the definition of true love.

Susan

I’ve loved reading romance since my early teens, when my family made its annual trek to Georgia and visited family. My grandmother lived with two sisters and me-oh-my, they had half a garage PACKED with grocery bags full of Harlequin books from their shared subscription. Unlimited access to these tiny miracles not only kept me quiet, it gave me my early training. Since I never really stopped reading them, I’ve also never stopped wanting to tell my own stories.

 

Your turn. Tell us in the comments why you *read* romance novels?

2014 Social Media Marketing (Yeah, for Books!) – What’s Your Plan?

Denny S. Bryce, Marketing, mermaids, Writing, , , , , , , ,

Denny (PortRoyale)This post has a bit of snark in it so be warned…

And yeah, another title for this post could be: How to Overwhelm and Entertain in 1000 words or less…anyway…:)

I hang out online an average of 90 minutes a day. And no, it’s not 90 minutes that I could have spent writing, or cleaning or doing something else. I am deliberately ‘hanging’ out because the source of information that is most readily attainable is online. It is NOT on TV (well, to me, I hate television news, cable o r network), it is not on the printed page (although, I do miss when back in the day, I’d spend an entire Sunday at a  cool brunch spot on the north side of Chicago, reading the Sunday New York Times and Chicago Tribute – it was so relaxing and so Zen of us:) – and its not only on Facebook (Internet, yes, but not the only source of information left on the planet).

So let me get to the point of this post. I’ve gathered a list of articles from the Internet you should read or at least skim if you intend to have a ghost’s chance in hell (watching way too much Supernatural) of effectively, consistently, and painlessly (or less painfully) using social media tools to sell/market your books and/or your brand.

And yes, if you write books to sell them, you must know and participate in the marketing of your books.

And oh, in case you stumble upon this article, and wonder who in the heck is spouting all of this information as if she knows something? Well, for the sake of credibility, in my other life, I have been a marketing professional for 25+ years – if that doesn’t work for you (I spend 90 minutes a day on the Internet, I’ve got to know something about something, right?)

Authors often look at other authors to get their perspective on what’s going on in the social media marketing arena – which is absolutely fine. We all know romance writers who are doing an exceptional job of marketing and using social media in a smart, straightforward, fresh way. And then there are those like me, marketing professionals who are writing popular fiction, romance or whatever and will be publishing or published by someone at some point, if they aren’t already off and running.social-media-marketing1

But in addition to gaining insights from authors who have great savvy about social media marketing or marketing pros who specialize in the publishing industry, I like to take a look at what the big boys in corporate marketing are doing as well.

Below are a few links. You don’t need to study every word of these articles (as if you would:), but take a moment, see what is being forecast and compare to your current social media marketing plan (and yes, you should have a plan, you don’t have time–hours in a day–to be haphazard). See if there’s something out there that’s new, or can be used differently, or more consistently, to deliver on your bottom line – which is (say it with me) – selling MORE books by finding new readers, and keeping the ones you have HAPPY. (And yes, the best way to do this is to write the best books you can write…but even that doesn’t always guarantee SALES, and/or readers, unfortunately.)

So here goes:

Social Media Marketing (Some links to take a peek at…)

http://www.brafton.com/blog/2013-social-media-marketing-trends

http://socialmediatoday.com/anitaloomba/2035211/top-digital-marketing-trends-2014

http://www.steamfeed.com/google-plus-vs-facebook-g-dominate-2014-marketing-strategy/

http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/2014-digital-marketing-trends_b53891

Okay, to recap…what’s going to be hot IMHO (or at least worth exploring):

  1. Google +
  2. Content continues to be KING (no joking)
  3. Content should include video or at least images (the eye likes a quick fix)

Big News in Publishing (or at least the most recent) and other Kick Ass Stories you May Have Missed!

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/page.aspx/LYRICALPRESS (Why is it Big News? It marks a trend you will see repeated. It’s all about where the readers – and book buyers are – putting all of your eggs in one print basket isn’t the way publishing works anymore, and you’ll see this trend duplicated, again and again. That’s my predication:)…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/book-marketing-prediction_b_4394295.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&ir=Books&src=sp&comm_ref=false

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2014/01/5-key-trends-in-self-publishing-for-2014/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2013/12/26/predictions-for-book-publishing-in-2014-cutting-room-floor-edition/

http://blog.smashwords.com/2013/12/smashwords-signs-distribution-agreement.html

That’s it friends…some food for thought:)!

Happy New Year!

Also, feel free to ask questions, or complain below:)…or let me know if you have a social media marketing plan, and whether you are published or pre-published, are you thinking about your brand, or if you don’t care about marketing, let me know, I’m just curious…:)

A Brand New Year: A Brand New Me!

Alethea Kontis, Denny S. Bryce, mermaids

Denny's MermaidsWell, world, here’s the announcement you’ve been waiting for:)! No, not that one. And definitely, not that one (seriously? seriously, I can’t believe you thought that!).

I’m getting a face lift! I know you sit there and wonder what took me so long to make that call? But another no, not that face, I mean Denny Mermaid is getting a face lift! or should I say a new avatar! Look below for the gorgeous new me, courtesy of Lee Moyer (the graphic designer, illustrator, artist extraordinaire) and our own friendly pond-hopping princess, Mermaid Alethea Kontis.

Can you believe it? I was hanging out on Facebook, and Alethea tagged me on a comment and that’s how this love story began. I haven’t met Lee in person yet, but after a few emails, a visit to his website, and of course, his permission to use this gorgeous beauty below, I was hooked. And my new love is here to stay!

The perfect Mermaid goddess, don’t you think? Alethea saw it and thought of me, and since these two mega talents are buddies, he agreed to allow me to use this fabulous image.

And the other fantastic news, Lee also has agreed to an interview here at the Mermaid Pond in early 2014. Look for that extraordinary conversation in the beginning of the new year.

In the meantime, if I used the image below as a book cover, what’s the name of the book, and if she is a shifter who dwells in the sea, who is the hero of her destiny? (And yeah, I’m going to write this book, too). Inspiration!!!! (And I think the story will be rather sexy, too:)! Yeah, that’s what I said!

Denny (PortRoyale)

Contemporary Romance Author Sugar Jamison Swims with the Mermaids

Books, Denny S. Bryce, Interview, Marketing, mermaids, Publishing, Writing, ,

Denny's MermaidsI met Sugar this past summer at RWA Nationals in Atlanta. I don’t remember what we started chatting about, I just recall that I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. It was a very good first meeting. After that, I kept running into her (I swear I wasn’t stalking), and then I complimented her on the cover of her then new release and fabulous title: Dangerous Curves Ahead. By the end of RWA Nationals, I’d found a new bud and a new author I truly enjoyed. Today, she’s taking a few minutes to join us here at the pond. She also has a giveaway (all you need to do is comment to be eligible for a chance to win)! So let’s get started with an introduction and then we can dive into the questions, and Sugar’s fabulous responses. Enjoy!

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From her official bio: Sugar Jamison is a southern belle trapped in a New Yorker’s body. With a love of big hair and high-heeled shoes, she spends her day at her very normal day job and night dreaming up sweet but sassy romances.

Denny: How long have you been writing and what was your inspiration for the Perfect Fit Novels?

Sugar: I started writing my senior year of college after reading Jennifer Crusie’s BET ME for the second time. I figured it wouldn’t be so hard to write a romance novel. I was wrong. Writing romance is much harder than I thought it would be, but it’s also so rewarding.

Denny: What has been the biggest surprise about the reaction/response to your Perfect Fit series?

Sugar: I don’t know if anything surprised me about the reactions to the Perfect Fit series. Except maybe how many people took exception to my heroine referring to herself as “FAT”. The book is about a plus sized woman. Real women call themselves fat. ALL THE TIME. It’s not a bad word. I’m not degrading myself when I use the word and neither was she. Overweight, plus sized, big. It all means the same thing.

Denny: How much do you love marketing and social media? What have you found works best in promoting your books?

Sugar: I don’t love marketing, but the team at Saint Martin’s Press does a good job spreading the word about my books. I really like Facebook. I update my fan page daily. I feel like most of my readers hang out and connect with me there. I don’t really like Twitter that much, but other people love it. As far as promotion goes, I’m not sure what really has worked in terms of sales. I took out ads in a few places, but honestly I don’t think I got a return on my investment. Goodreads giveaways and the Free Book Friday I found gave me more exposure to readers than anything else. I’m sure there are other things I could be doing but usually I find that word of mouth has worked the best. I get emails from readers who’ve told me that their friends recommended that they read my books. That is the best feeling, much better than getting reviewed by a big magazine.

Denny: Did you have a pre-launch strategy for finding readers? If so, what was it:)? (yes, inquiring minds – noisy ones like me, what to know!)

Sugar: Nope. Sometimes I think I suck at this whole author thing. My publisher sent out review copies all over the place. I think that really made the difference. But I teased it on Facebook and Twitter. I had really great friends who spread the word for me. I’m very grateful for them.

Denny: What did you think I’d ask that you were hoping to answer?

Sugar: I get asked what advice I would give writers. And it would be… besides writing a great book is to build your backlist. Write as much as you can and put out as much as you can, in whatever format you choose to publish in. But make sure that whatever you publish is polished and professional looking.

Denny: What’s the Next Big Thing for Sugar Jamison?

Sugar: My next Perfect Fit book is out February 25th. Thrown For a Curve. I LOVE my hero in this book. I fall in love with each of my heroes, but I really LOVE LOVE LURVE Colin who is my sexy Irish bad boy. My other big thing is that I have another series of books coming out for Harlequin’s Kimani linphoto 2e. The first book is LIBERTY (Ginger Jamison) is also due out February 25th. Here’s a description. When Ryan Beecher returns home after a long deployment overseas, Lexy barely recognizes her husband. The man who left Texas for Afghanistan was cruel and abusive. The man who comes back to her is a badly injured stranger with amnesia—and no memory of their life together.

photo 3Lexy can’t believe how much Ryan has changed. The wounded marine is now gentle, caring and tender. And his touch awakens yearnings she’s never felt before. As he takes them both to the point of no return, can Lexy trust this lover who seems to live only for her pleasure…as he seeks his salvation in her healing embrace?

A poignant and erotic story of longing, secrets and second chances, Liberty explores the limits of desire and the boundaries of love.

Thank you Sugar!

It was great having you in the pond. And readers – COMMENT BELOW to be eligible to receive a copy of “Have Yourself a Curvy Little Christmas” by Sugar Jamison (and if you’re nice – and only a tad naughty – we may be able to give away an e-copy of Dangerous Curves Ahead, too!)

 

Blog Day: I have NOTHING to write about!

Denny S. Bryce, mermaids, Motivation, Writing

Denny's MermaidsOh yeah, you’ve been there. Sitting in front of the blank screen, knowing its your day to post and you’ve got absolutely NOTHING to say or you feel that you have nothing to say, or in my case, everything you can think of you’ve said before. It’s like a fog comes over you and all that you think is – I got nothing.

So since I have nothing and have no choice (I hate skipping a day) I decided to research the meaning of nothing…

So I started with the Wikipedia definition – and Jezus – it’s depressing:

Nothing is a pronoun denoting the absence of anything. Nothing is a pronoun associated with nothingness.[1] In nontechnical uses, nothing denotes things lacking importance, interest, value, relevance, or significance.[1] Nothingness is the state of being nothing,[2] the state of nonexistence of anything, or the property of having nothing. (But being a writer, I am gleaming something in the back of my mind that is definitely giving me pause. What if?  Oh shoot, I just thought of something:)…

Next on the Google search page I discover the ultimate insult to my NOTHING blog – its already been done and BIGGER. There is a website for Nothing, and you can find it by clicking here at www.NOTHING.net. Clever actually.

I also found a ton of images about nothing…see below…I grabbed a few to share.

You know what else? Researching nothing (damn it) has given me ideas…

What if  anytime you sit in front of a blank computer screen, even when the DEVIL’S WRITING BLOCK comes a calling, you research one word – pull it out of a hat and voila – ideas.

I guess the truth of the matter is that there is NOTHING that can stop a writer who wants to write:).

So here’s your assignment: Grab a word and share a definition. Someone will write a book about it or at least a website…

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Wednesday is Family Smiles Day (Its Official!)

Denny S. Bryce, mermaids

DSC_0363Since Labor Day I made two trips to visit family in Ohio. The second one was for a funeral, following the death of my 85 year-old Dad. What you’ll notice about these photos is that besides being a damn good looking bunch of people (IMHO:), there are a lot of smiling faces. A good smile can never be underrated. My Dad had a great smile and a huge laugh. The past few years he didn’t laugh as much, diabetes was taking its toll, and then there was the fact that he was in his 80s (although my water aerobics instructor is 80 and looks damn good. My Dad would have been all over that…).

Anyway, I wanted to share a few smiling faces that include my brother and his wife, my son and his wife, my nieces and nephews, and its all because I felt like declaring Wednesday – Family Smiles Day!

Denny S. Bryce Denny's Mermaids

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Why I Love Dracula: A Writer’s Muse

Denny S. Bryce, mermaids, Writing

Denny's MermaidsI woke up this morning and was thinking – what should I blog about today? The view on the lake outside my window as the sun touches the treetops, or the sound of the birds singing in the early morning, their songs never as sparkly as in the first hours of a new day. Then a thought struck me and I knew exactly what I had to write about, what I was bursting to write about…

Why I love Dracula so darn much!

Note – this is not a question. It is a statement of absolute fact and here are the Top 11 Reasons Dracula is the Best Vampire Ever!

  1. The struggle between control and lack of control is epic.
  2. Passion on a stick (or fangs).
  3. Fangs (creepy, but somehow, sexy).
  4. Sex appeal (bad boy, the ultimate bad boy, maybe the first bad boy).
  5. Sidekicks (the odd man who carried around his coffin).
  6. Burning to ashes in daylight (any vampire story that lets this bit of mythology go? Well, forget about it. Just not a true Dracula-esque vampire – even Whedon kept this bit).
  7. A kiss so deep and loving – it leaves a physical wound (yeah, baby…)
  8. The hypnotic eyes (sigh)
  9. The stake through the heart that kills him (and yes, this is another part of vampire/Dracula mythology I love!)…
  10. The fact that Dracula will never die – his story always makes a comeback (click here for new CBS show this fall:)…
  11. He’s dead, but lives! (and its not a metaphor).

Today, I am being specific about Dracula and not other vampires I fell in love with over the years like Barnabas Collins, Mick St. John, Angel, Spike…none could fill Dracula’s cape in my heart and mind (except for angel and spike:)…

Okay, I’ve got to stay focused. I was talking about Dracula. I blame it on old movies and youthful sexual awakenings that I would never have described as such when I was staring at  black and white TV  late at night watching Frank Langella, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee ( not in that order, fans)…do their vampire thing.

My love of and obsession with Dracula was his power over the minds of others. Yes, that’s what attracted me the most. Not that he was the living dead. That didn’t  work for me, even as a child. It was his ability to control others, and then his struggle when his emotions got in the way of that control. A tortured hero (trope alert!) and then some!

So today, I am saluting the vampires (actors) who have embodied Dracula on the screen (and yeah, I know Alex doesn’t belong, but he’s so pretty as Mick St. John). I just hope that Mr. Rhys Meyer’s new show will present another mesmerizing Prince of Darkness for (me:) and a new generation to enjoy.

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And in case you were wondering, yes, I was working on my vampire WIP last night:).

Have a great Tuesday, and don’t hesitate to take a moment and share  one of your pop culture obsessions, please!

Risk Takers: What Romance Authors Do for Love…

Denny S. Bryce, mermaids, Writing

Denny's MermaidsThis morning I decided to follow-up a week of amazing posts at the Waterworld Mermaid blog with a post about taking risks. Yep. You  know who you are – you jump off the deep end of the pool blindfolded, you sky dive, you climb mountains, you run marathons, you raise kids, you quit your job to write full time (and haven’t sold a book) – okay that last one is crazy, but she sounds a lot like me:)…

So here’s my list of risks that romance authors take for the love of writing books!

  1. I took a sabbatical from my full-time gig and for the next few months, I am a full-time writer ! And no, I haven’t signed a contract with a publisher (or plan on self-publishing), but hey, I have faith that if I focus good things will come from this decision. I am fortunate. I can afford (kind of) to take the time away from my EDJ (Evil Day Job, which isn’t evil at all), but I can’t afford to do it for as long as I’d like – forever (risk). But now I have two books with completion dates set in stone (I have no excuses) and another book I want to write so badly I dream about it! But still, taking a sabbatical to write romance books is a risk!
  2. I am in love. Yes, his name is Ray. Yes, he is a character in my book, Chasing Damn. Yes, Ray is also the  first name of one of my ex-lovers (one of my favorites) and what in the hell was I thinking?!! Memory lane is a risk!
  3. I moved out of the city to the country – okay, not so much country (see photos). There are no cows, pigs or horses (on my block at least), but the quiet, the calm, the solitude…I could lose my mind out here and no one would know. So far, though, I love it. So moving to the country with geese and lakes and sunrises to die for – risk! (why? what if I stare out the windows for the next four months and don’t finish the books!)…Gah! Moving to the country is a risk!
  4. I have author friends who have  six books due in the next year. I love them dearly, and hope I am able to be in that situation one day (soon, please:)…but the risk for me – not my author friends – would be confidence. The dreaded question would plague me – can I do this? Which takes me back to my sabbatical and the reason I made the decision to write for four months – so far – its harder than it sounded. Risk: Getting to do what you love to do is a risk!
  5. Why do stories have plots? Can’t they be streams of consciousness that readers buy just because the character is clever and witty and tragic whenever they choose to be? Why do books have to have plots!!!???? Okay, I am a plotter (double risk) and these damn WIPs have plots that have to be authentic (and yeah, in contemporary romantic suspense I can’t just add vampire mythology to replace plot, gah!). So another risk – writing books with plots (and having to do research!). Plotting is a risk!
  6. I like taking online courses and entering contests. Both keep me focused because of the deadlines. I’ve been existing on deadlines my entire professional career. It has been my motivation for all things work related. To me, writing is art and passion, and all that good stuff, but it’s also WORK! Dare I say, a job. Therefore, to help me stay on task I take craft classes and enter contests. However, the other side of that coin is feedback from fellow students and/or judges. Lately, I’ve been fortunate on the contest front, feedback from the contests I’ve entered has been good, critical but good. As a contest veteran I don’t take everything to heart, but when you see the same comments or a certain remark that rings true – you go with it. But now and then you get a comment or feedback and you’re like – searching for these people, looking through their websites, basically stalking them (without telling them) because how could they say that about my story! Retaliation is a risk! No, I meant to say Contests and online Classes can be a risk…
  7. Many if not most of the visitors to this blog are writers, and we love to write. As my ex-lover (mentioned in bullet point 1) used to say – time spent shows how much you care about a person because as humans time is all we have to offer, etc…(and the reason we aren’t together now has a lot to do with time:)…but as writers, we spend hours, weeks, months, years, writing, thinking about writing, researching writing, taking classes on writing, judging contests, entering contests, selling books, talking about writing, writing…with that much time spent, you know we love it. And yeah, it is a risk. But who cares. It’s what we love to do! Even if the book has to have a freaking plot.

Hey, gang, what have you risked for love? Yikes, if that’s too heavy just say hi! We’re taking a break (Waterworld Mermaids blog) for a week beginning Monday. End of summer. Need to refuel and map out the game plan for the Fall. So comment below! We always enjoy hearing from you!

(See photos of the view from my writer’s office):Denny S. Bryce

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RWA Nationals, Research, and I Think I’m Writing a Book about Firefighters:)!

Conferences, Denny S. Bryce, mermaids, Writing, , , , ,

One of the things I enjoy about RWA Nationals is that each year I not only meet new people and connect with old conference friends, but now I’m joining RWA Chapters and actually know why I’m joining them. And yes, it has taken me a while to get with the program.

Today, I’m writing about the RWA mystery/suspense chapter, Kiss of Death – KOD. Where have you been all of my life?

I joined KOD a couple of months ago after fellow Waterworld Mermaid Avery Flynn (the organization’s President-Elect) suggested I check them out since I was polishing my contemporary romantic suspense, CHASING DAMN. Well, I spent yesterday with the gals and guy from KOD, participating in the first leg of the KOD Conference – the TOUR (which was spectacular) and attending the annual meeting and dinner last night.

DSC_0284I believe I may be in love with RESEARCH – as well as the fantastic firefighters we met at the Station in Atlanta. To the left is my favorite photo taken yesterday (kind of dark, I know, but if you were there, you’d know this photo captures the energy of this man). The fire fighter was entering the building after returning from a call, taking off his coat, but the metallic-like fiber in his suit, caught the light.

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What is the biggest thing I learned about fire fighters and research? You don’t  need to be writing about fire fighters to get a lot of story ideas when doing research. The emotional toll of a profession, the sense of pride, and if you listen carefully, the conflict – passed off as humor or apologies for ‘getting too intense’ communicate a lot. So no, not adding a new contemporary about fire fighters, but hope to add the emotional context I heard and felt from all of the captains and lieutenants and fire fighters we met yesterday.

Then at the annual meeting that evening ran I sat next to another Washington Romance Writer (WRW) member – Gwen Hernandez. Also, at the table was the dinner’s special guest speaker New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author, Jenna Bennett (Fortune’s Hero) – see Avery Flynn and Jenna to the right.

Today is Literacy Day here in Atlanta. I will get in some swimming, shopping and writing. Will be back tomorrow with more news, and up very early – tomorrow the conference ups the volume to a roar! If you’re here – give me a growl:)!