Category Archives: mermaids

The Naked Truth About Conferences

Conferences, Dana Rodgers, mermaids

 

Veronica Wolff, Brooks Johnson, Kim Killion, Cathy Maxwell and Katharine Ashe at a workshop.

April is always busy in my household because it’s birthday month. Between my immediate family, siblings and grandparents we have six birthdays between March 31st and April 19th. But April has been crazier than normal this year. Why, you ask? Conferences! Two of them in one month!

Writing is such a solitary endeavor, just you and your computer, and in my case, diet coke and a large black and white cat who thinks lying across my keyboard is the perfect way to get my attention. But, regardless what your normal writing routine is, it’s nice to get out into the world once in a while. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to go to my first conference three years ago and discover there are other people in the world that talk to fictional characters as if they are real people. And for the most part,these other people are completely sane!

At the Foxy Dames Speakeasy.

They are also kind, considerate and some of the most supportive people you’ll ever meet. They understand how important a kind word of encouragement can be for a new writer, or how someone who has been writing for years may be going through a rough patch with a current work in progress. Writers, by and large, are happy to offer support and advice to all those around them. To sympathize over that latest rejection letter or celebrate your new release, to share what promotional tools have worked best for them or lament over painful rewrites and edits.

The Clan McFae Magical Scottish Fling and Costume Competition.

Every year I try to attend one or two conferences. Some big, like Romance Writers of America (RWA) Nationals, and some small, like Washington Romance Writers (WRW) Retreat. I love going to writing conferences because they are a great way to meet people who understand the challenges of balancing writing, family, and that stupid day job many of us depend on to pay the bills. Conferences allow you to network, promote your latest release and can be a great way to get in front of agents and editors.

I can’t say conferences are particularly relaxing because every time I come home from one I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. Most conferences offer a wide range of workshops on craft, promotion and trends in the industry during the day, followed by an opportunity to cut loose with friends, old and new, at socials, mixers and parties in the evenings.

RT and Heather Graham’s Night of the Stars Gangster Cafe Talent Quest

Two weeks ago I attended The RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago. What a blast! This one is special because it is not only open to authors and other industry professionals but also caters to librarians, booksellers, and readers. There were a ton of fabulous workshops offered, a Pitch-A-Palooza that gave writers face time with as many agents and editors as possible in a 2 hour period and multiple theme parties every night sponsored by publishing houses like Kensington Books, Carina Press, Harlequin, Samhain Publishing, Avon and Ellora’s Cave. And as you can see from the pictures, writers love to play dress up!

Cover model, Brooks Johnson and Dana Rodgers.

This weekend I’ll be attending the WRW Retreat in Maryland. This is the same Retreat where the Waterworld Mermaids met as “first timers” last spring. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already! I can’t wait to hang out with my sister mermaids again but what I’m really looking forward to is a fun-filled weekend full of workshops and opportunities to make even more new friends.

Do you attend conferences? If so, which ones have you found to be the best and why?

Those Darn New Story Ideas: Catch ‘Em, Store ‘Em, or Let ‘Em Go?

mermaids, Writing

I’ve been up to my brows recently editing, writing, crafting, and talking about editing, writing and crafting, and thinking about editing, writing and crafting. Yep, there’s been a lot of ‘ing-ing’ going on in my house the past few weeks. I’ve also had a lot of new story ideas coming my way, too. And it’s making me crazy (or more crazy – your call:).

I can only write three stories at a time, not the ten that jump into my head every other day and take hold for a few minutes that sometimes stretch into hours, hours I should be working on my current manuscript or the other two WIPs that still have life in them.

What do you do with these story ideas? Where do you keep them? And yeah, I could jot them into a diary, or a journal, or keep a file on my computer that says story ideas. But then I’m afraid I’ll spend hours sorting, researching and Googling, because I have this ‘ing-ing’ problem anyway, and then I’d have to add another ‘ing’ to my repertoire – the one called screaming!

Seriously, what do you do when you have these new story ideas that just won’t stop, well, like this one…

One night last February while taking a break from writing, I was watching a television show called Justified staring the yummy Timothy Olyphant (photo, however, is from Deadwood).  In it a character has a line that went something like this: “Denzel should do a movie about him.” Of course, with my past history with Denzel (see my bio here if you want details, but it’s not that relevant), I perked up at the mention of Mr. Washington’s name and had to look this ‘him’ guy up.

So, I Googled Bass Reeves (great name by the way). Interesting. Black man who was a U.S. Marshall who was a quick-draw in the Old West. Very cool. Within a few minutes – in my head – he went from being the man with a way-too-thick-mustache in a photo to a man who looked like Idris Elba (see photo stage right) in a Stetson (a big good looking man in a big sexy hat – I mean, seriously, that’s yummy), and then I remembered Bass was a kick-butt US Marshal, so I decided he also had to be a time traveler (especially if he looks like Idris:).

Bass/Idris then meets up with a daredevil sexy clairvoyant chick who plays heavy metal violin (like this gal, Tina Guo), and then I decided it should be a romantic suspense and I found this website…and my story had to be set in the world of Steampunk!

Jeez…what do you do with these ideas?

Okay, I stored this one (by writing about it here:)…But I’ve got fifty more that take up good brain space, and the attack of the new story ideas always raises its head as I’m going strong with the writing, editing and crafting of my current manuscript and those other two WIPs (with life left). It’s as if writing is always about new ideas, and I need for it to be about finishing one damn book, you know?

Oh, sorry, I went into my rant about finishing, but I’m back.

The bottom-line is what do you do with your story ideas? Or give me a one-liner about your wildest, silliest, or most brilliant idea (in your humble opinion) which you still may write one day…and oh yeah, if you want to steal my US Marshal Time Traveler who looks like Idris Elba in a Stetson, who then kidnaps a heavy metal violin-playing mind-reader to protect her from vampires in a Steampunk romantic suspense – well you can’t have it, because I wrote it here first!

Book Review: The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne

Book Review, mermaids, Writing, , , , ,

In January, this mermaid was fins deep in both reading and writing.  This was due to that fabulous Savvy Author’s workshop, Editpalooza, I haven’t stopped raving about.  Today, three months later, I’m still benefitting from its lessons and its where my book review has sprouted from.

 

But backstroking to the first week’s assignment, we had just been tasked to open our manuscripts and read from title page to the end–The Full Read.  The rule for this lesson was to make short notes whenever our eyes would start to skip a paragraph, glaze from the page or get confused and then report these issues to our group and editor.  My notes mostly consisted of too much back story in the opening.  I had done this unknowingly trying to show the emotional connection between my two estranged friends who had just been reunited.  My group’s editor,  Kerri-Leigh Grady’s, feedback was spot on.  She ascertained this was happening because I probably wasn’t sure how much of the characters’ pasts needed to be shown.  Not only did she give me great advice on why chunks  of back story aren’t necessary, she also recommended a book that was a superb example of how “back story can be built with the same efficiency of effective world building.”  That book was Joanna Bourne’s The Spymaster’s Lady, published in 2008.

 

Eager to learn, I checked this book out from the library (and later purchased it digitally) with no idea how I was going to read my own 70,000 word manuscript, continue to keep up with my daily Editpalooza lessons, critique my group members on their work and at the same time read this 375 pages by Joanna Bourne!  Well, it was easy because The Spymaster’s Lady is a brilliant book with NO INNER WANGSTING to bog down the pace.  And that was the lesson Kerri-Leigh wanted us to grasp.

 

To quote KLG, she said, “Characters absolutely need to ponder and consider their feelings in romance—after all, this is an important element of building a romance—but unless those feelings are changing, they don’t need to be addressed.”  She wanted us to know that we could and should let go of focusing too heavily on internal monologue because that kills the pace and cheapens the depth of emotions.    This was her recommendation: “A really good example of a novel that was emotionally engaging without relying on long swathes of he-loves-me-not internal angsting is Joanna Bourne’s  The Spymaster’s Lady….Read the story to get a feel for dialogue, sexual tension, and body language that build the emotional elements of the relationship.”

 

What a gem!  The opening sentence both thrilled and terrified me when Annique Villiers, a young French spy contemplates her situation: “She was willing to die, of course, but she had not planned to do it so soon, or in such a prolonged and uncomfortable fashion, or at the hands of her own countrymen.”  I was in awe of Ms. Bourne’s style.

 

While the story of Annique kept me fascinated and up late nights, I also appreciated her hero and the secondary cast of characters.  In fact, my favorite line of the book is by one of those supporting men.  His name is Adrian and he is the hero’s good friend and fellow English spy.  Annique is wanted by both the French and English at this point and the men are having a rather inventive brainstorming session about how to keep her safe in London.  Adrian comes up with the idea of thwarting Annique’s captors with venomous snakes.  One of their men replies, “You can’t get cobras in England, for God’s sake.”  And then Adrian says, “I know where to get cobras.”   That line might not have you rolling on the floor yet, but read this book and you will know who that young man Adrian is, feel who he is, because with a precise and delicious use of words, Ms. Bourne makes you care about every detail of the story.

The Spark: Sizzling at First Contact

mermaids, Motivation, Writing,

You know how when the hero and heroine have their first meeting, and at least one of them, but usually both, have that “feeling” they can’t always describe.  They don’t know where it comes from.  And they’ve never felt it before.

It’s just that something special.

That spark.

A shock of electricity, a quiver of their insides…those feelings.

We as readers recognize this as the age old sign that they are soul mates, whether they know it right now or not.  I love that.  In fact I just tilted my head to my shoulder and sighed for the potential sweethearts.

But is that electric current passing through their fingertips always believable?  I am on a quest to find more examples of this indescribable feeling, this spark, the lovebirds get when they first meet or come into contact.  My current H & H feel a connection when he mistakes her for someone else and sneaks up on her to hug her from behind.  Is it believable enough to say the reason she doesn’t whirl around and whack him is because in that moment, her being knows somehow that he would never hurt her?  What are your feelings about this?  If you’ve read a sizzling first contact scene that stands out, I’d love for you to share it.

For the record, I really wanted her to spin around and smack him or at least elbow him.  She refused of course.  Silly girl.  😉

We Have All the Answers. Bwahahahahahahaha!

mermaids

OK, you know right away that we don’t really have all the answers. However, between the 13 of us, we’ve made a ton of mistakes so who better to offer advice than those who’ve swum in the seas no one should have taken?

We Waterworld Mermaids are excited to announce a new feature here in the lagoon: Ask a Mermaid, scheduled to begin next month.

This monthly feature is Dear Abby-type author advice. What kinds of questions will we be answering? So glad you asked. Topics include:

  • How do I break up with my critique partner?
  • How do I send out review requests that stand out from the crowd?
  • One of my friends finaled in a contest and I didn’t. I’m sad, mad and jealous, what do I do now?
  • What is the best way to beat the crap out of the doubt demon?

You get the idea. Not only will the Mermaids be offering their two cents, but we’ll be getting guest authors, bloggers, reviewers, agents, editors, publishers and promoters to offer their perspective as well.

Ready to send in a question (yes, we’ll take your comment anonymously)? Click the contact button at the top of the page and send us your Ask a Mermaid question.

Pervasive Sexual Innuendo

Alethea Kontis, mermaids, , , ,

As promised last month, when I got off on a Hunger Games tangent, this is my actual, intelligent post about Team Edward vs. Team Jacob. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The King of Hearts recommends beginning at the beginning, and so I shall.

So this novel I wrote (Enchanted) comes out next month, and the reviews (which I read) are pouring in from every direction. These reviews are all over the place–from one star to five stars–but that’s good. I don’t want everyone to love my book. I want some people to love it and some people to hate, because that sparks a conversation, and conversations make the world go round.

But this post is not about reviews. This post is about sex.

One reviewer on Goodreads (who shall remain nameless only because I lack the energy to hunt it down), mentioned that she couldn’t even finish Enchanted because of all the pervasive sexual innuendo.

Now, I’m a fan of reading about sex, but I don’t write about it. And that’s okay. There are plenty more authors (here on this website, even!) who are more talented than I when it comes to writing sex scenes. I like the cheesy, embarrassing, falling in love part of the relationship. I write YA, so this is not a problem. (I also have no problem with YA titles that include sexual situations, so let’s not go there.)

But I was baffled that this novel I wrote was apparently SO RAUNCHY that a reader couldn’t even finish it. And I wasn’t even trying.

GO, ME!!!

My curious cat was satisfied when another reader–who also hated the book–went on at length about why, including and explanation all the “pervasive sexual innuendo” that permeated the first part of the book. (Thank you.)

The hero of Enchanted, Rumbold, grew up as a spoiled brat prince with no mother and a misogynist dad. He had all of life at his fingertips, money was no object, and–oh yeah–he couldn’t die until the frog curse kicked in on his eighteenth birthday. When eighteen came and went and the curse didn’t kick in, he just got frustrated and lashed out.

If you were an eighteen year old boy with all the money and power you could ever want and you couldn’t die, what would YOU do?  WHATEVER YOU WANTED, right? So he did.

Then the curse kicked in, during which time he met the love of his life, and he worried about what she might think of his incredibly sordid past…

(That’s about all I can tell you without getting into spoiler territory)

So here’s what I think: This all boils down to being a matter of Team Edward versus Team Jacob. While I never finished reading Twilight (I didn’t care for Bella and Edward made no sense to me), I’ve consulted with many folks who have. They agreed that it’s fair to say that Edward is the Celibate Guy Who Waits Forever For His One True Love and Jacob is…well…a Wolf.

I never had cause to think of it before, but Rumbold is definitely a Team Jacob kind of guy. He was young. He was a mess. He had opportunities. He took them. He had all the starry-eyed romance ripped from his life when he was a child, and then when he actually found it, he put a lot of work into picking up the pieces.

I suspect this is why Edward made no sense to me. From what little of Twilight I read, he spent about a century and a half alone and going to high school. (Seriously, how much does a guy have to hate himself to go through that torture?) If there was a particular reason that Edward wasn’t looking at every pair of legs that walked by, then I might have been a little more emotionally invested in his character.

I’m guessing that all the Rumbold-haters in the audience are probably of the Team Edward persuasion. But even in my fantasy stories I have to be realistic.

Girls, Ladies, Young Women: The guy you find, that one guy for you, is not going to be perfect. Don’t try to make him perfect. But he’s going to want to be a better man, for you, and that’s what matters.

Those of you on Team Jacob — I highly recommend placing your preorder for Enchanted right now.

Those of you on Team Edward…well, you’re just going to have to wait for the sequel.

Which Team are you? Or do you want to fight with me about Twilight? Bring it on. Conversations make the world go round.

 

Waterworld Mermaid Friday the 13th Scary Books Giveaway Winners Announced!

Giveaway, mermaids

Happy Monday!

The Waterworld Mermaids are thrilled to announce the winners of the random drawing for the Friday the 13th Waterworld Mermaids Scary Books Giveaway!

Please email me your address at denny at dennysbryce dot com and we’ll get your books in the mail this week:

Brenna Ash – Giveaway Bag #1

Jane Sevier – Giveaway Bag #2

Kanya – Giveaway Bag #3

Congratulations and thank you for swimming in the Waterworld Mermaid’s scary pond on Friday the 13th (and over the weekend!)…Oh, one ‘title’ is only available as an e-read, but I’ll let you know which one after I comb through the stacks of books!. We’ll send you a coupon for that book!

A huge thank you to all who dropped by to swim in the Mermaid’s scary book pond!

A Friday the 13th Treat: The Waterworld Mermaids Scary Books Giveaway!

Giveaway, mermaids

Today’s giveaway is all about celebrating the scary, creepy, but not too creepy, things that go bump in the night (or swim in the dark:). If you enjoy reading paranormal, urban fantasy, romantic suspense, thrillers, horror, mystery or cool children’s books from the world of science fiction or fantasy–Friday the 13th is your lucky day! Why?

Last night, the Waterworld Mermaids broke into their underwater treasure chests and discovered our biggest book giveaway ever!

13 books on Friday the 13 to 3 lucky winners!

For a chance to win four (and someone wins five) fantastic books selected by the Mermaids from their personal bookshelves, you only have to leave a comment here in this blog post. If you’d also like to let us know what book or film keeps you up nights – we don’t mind offering a fin (or at least a fishy eye) to keep you safe from the big bad.

Now it’s time to tell you what’s in the goodie bag? Here’s the list of books and the Mermaid who contributed one or more of her favorites!

Giveaway Bag #1

  • Alethea Kontis – Haunting of Cassie Palmer by Vivien Alcock and Stranger with my Face by Lois Duncan
  • Avery Flynn – Misery by Stephen King and Ghost Moon by Heather Graham
  • Carlene Love Flores – Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Giveaway Bag #2

  • Dana Rodgers – Phantoms by Dave Koontz
  • Diana Belchase – Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker
  • Kerri Carpenter – Black Magic by Cherry Adair
  • Kimberly MacCarron – What the Knight Knows by Dean Koontz

Giveaway Bag #3

  • P.H. Dunn – Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
  • Robin Covington – Mummy Dearest by Josh Lanyon
  • Denny S. Bryce (that’s me:) — A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Don’t forget to comment below for a chance to win. We’ll select winners randomly and announce the three lucky ones in this thread this weekend (Don’t forget to sign up for notifications or to track comments posted to this blog)!

NOTE: Winners will be emailed separately for your shipping information. It will be our pleasure to get these books to you!

The Slightest Smile

mermaids

As I wander through life, sometimes I feel so confused. So lost. As if I don’t even know the questions, much less have the answers.

And then I look into my son’s face as he drifts off to sleep. In the soft glow of the night light, his toddler features are small and perfectly even, his skin impossibly smooth. His eyelids droop lower and lower until they close, in a motion that is too slow for film but exactly right for real life. His lips curve in the slightest smile.

And I think: this. This is the meaning of life.

What is your meaning of life?

Girl Crushes

mermaids

I recently read an article about some actress (can’t remember for the life of me who she is) who has her agent to set her up on “dates” with women.  No, she’s not a lesbian, not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But rather, she just wants to be introduced or get to know women she finds interesting.    This phenomenon, known as a girl crush, is similar to the bromance we keep hearing about of late.

When I think back on my life, I realize there have been a number of females I have found absolutely fascinating.  There was Stephanie, the girl in my fourth grade class, who had poker straight blonde hair that fluttered in the breeze when she glided across the playground.  She was everything I wasn’t.  Confident, popular, smart.  Everything she touched turned to gold.  I studied her from a far, wishing not only that I could be like her, but that maybe one day she would concede to be my friend.  In high school, I was friends with a girl who again, was the complete antithesis of me.   Jet black curly hair and a face that  Angelina Jolie would have envied, she had a talent for dancing, singing, drawing, writing.  We formed a deep and lasting bond (to this day), but I never gave up that idolization at her ability to draw people to her and command the spotlight.

As I think back on all these “girl crushes,” I realize that when I create my female characters, in some way, they become crushes too.  Yes, we want readers to fall in love with the hero, but it’s the heroine that in some cases may make or break a story.   Women are multi-dimensional creatures and our relationships with women are just as complicated as with men.  Maybe even more so.   To that end, the characters we create must tiptoe on that fine line of being attractive, but not too attractive.  Likable, but not a doormat.  In other words, she has to be the kind of woman an actress will ask her agent to set up on a date.  So in honor of all female crushes, dish on who is your crush.  Here are mine.

Writer Crush (other than a fellow Mermaid):  Sarah Mayberry.  I recently discovered this gem of a writer and I’m green with envy at how she can convey emotion through characters.  Not only that, she is cool as hell.  She actually answered my email, the one where I asked for writing advice and sent back a heap of helpful suggestions.

Envy Crush:  I’m ashamed to confess that this envy crush is strictly superficial.  I once had a friend who was truly disgusting.  5’8” a size 0 with real DD boobs and legs that would put any model to shame.  To make matters worse, she was hilarious, a PhD student in biology and could sew the most amazing outfits.   I couldn’t hate her because she was just so awesome, but boy was I ever miserable when we went trolling for men together.

Fascination Crush:  Okay, I admit.  For some crazy reason I have an absolute fascination with Kate Middleton, or the Duchess of.. I can’t remember what.  I don’t know if it’s the whole princess from a modest background or the fact that she’s so tall, willowy and has that thick mane of chestnut hair.  Or actually, it may be the clothes.  She seems to look good in anything (dang her!).  She also seems so natural and down to Earth.  Again, yes, I know it’s all a fantasy because no one really knows what she’s like except the people close to her, but indulge me.

Fictional Character Crush:  Harper James from Kristan Higgins’ My One and Only.  The way she wrote that character, I actually felt I was in her skin.  I truly wanted to be friends with this woman.  Or at least be there as she traveled the road Kristan so skillfully wove for her.

If I wasn’t straight, I’d be with…Crush   You tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine!