Anthology First #scifi #romance #SFRBrigade

Hi, I'm Pippa Jay, author of scifi and supernatural stories to engage your emotions. I seem to have been unlucky when it comes to anthology calls. Of the several I've submitted to, most were cancelled due to too few submissions. In most cases, I've gone ahead and self published the short story I'd written anyway because why not? (They did get edited first - I never put something out without edits!).

A 2016 SFR Galaxy Award
winner

A Gulf Coast RWA 2013
Silken Sands Self-Published
Star Contest finalist

But in 2012, an author group I was part of (the Science Fiction Romance Brigade) decided to produce their own anthology - a collection of scifi romance shorts to promote the wide selection of stories that the still overlooked and under-appreciated genre had to offer. I really wanted to be a part of it...but I had no ideas. Despite an overflowing Plot Bunny Storage Facility, I wanted something really...well, that would be really something. I put out a call for help on Twitter, where I know several authors who sometimes look to rehome unwanted plot bunnies that they just don't have time to work on. A fellow author threw several ideas my way, and one stuck - a thief and a lawman. I hadn't really written any kind of anti-hero/reluctant hero before, so the idea of a reformed (or maybe not) thief appealed to me.

The second inspiration came from watching Mission Impossible 2. I'm not much of a Tom Cruise fan to be honest, but I loved the original series so I've watched the films. I'm not going to tell you what scene it was because it'll be kind of spoilery, but once I had that first line down, the rest seemed easy. Well, at least until the editor got hold of it anyway... :P

As you might have guessed, my story got chosen, along with seven others. Chuffed doesn't cover it! My assigned editor was a tough cookie (but that's the way I like 'em), and together we carved Imprint into shape. And then the shiny bonus - my story got picked to open the anthology! I was really proud, but also a little scared. What if my opening lines put readers off the whole collection? What if it put them off picking up the book at all?!

8 free SFR short stories in 1
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I needn't have worried. Since its release in 2013, Tales from the SFR Brigade has had almost 12000 downloads, AND was a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick, scoring 4.5 stars. It's currently 4.2 stars on Amazon US too. And it's completely free to download.

Experience love and adventure among the stars in TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE, a free digital anthology of eight Science Fiction Romance stories.

* A space captain discovers the cyborg she loves just might be her greatest enemy.

* A mind-wiped prostitute risks all when she recruits a dangerous stranger to help her escape a terrible fate.

* A prisoner-of-war confronts the comrade who loved her, then left her for dead.

* A space-obsessed physics teacher is kidnapped by a far-too-charming alien.

* An apocalypse survivor battles the biomech-enhanced hunter who seeks to capture her.

* A young artist must choose between her comfortable life on Earth or a war-torn space colony with her beloved.

* A daring thief is on the run from the alien law man who is determined to bring her to justice.

* A widowed rebel leader tries to save the last remnants of humanity, one stranger at a time.

From Earth to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, explore the worlds of Science Fiction Romance with stories from Linnea Sinclair, Marcella Burnard, Erica Hayes, Liana Brooks, Pippa Jay, Berinn Rae, Amy Laurens, and Kyndra Hatch.

Download TALES FROM THE SFR BRIGADE for free today.

Find out more HERE.

***

Since the release of Tales, the Brigade has gone on to do seven volumes of first chapter samplers - the Portals - and another anthology - Romancing the Stars - to further showcase the very best that our genre has to offer, and all free (bar RtS). Romance boldly going forth...

Covering the Cover

by Diana McCollum

I have been a part of two anthologies. The first was a collaboration with other Windtree Press authors. I wrote my story. It was edited by other authors. And I had no control over the cover or anything really but my story. One person handled each and some times more than one of the tasks in putting the anthology together.

In the anthology "Gifts from the Heart", released early January 2015, I wrote a very short story "Saved by the Ring". This story is based on a true story my father told me about. The incident took place during WWII. I updated it to a contemporary story.

I felt the book turned out great. I liked the cover. It's hard to please everyone, and the more authors involved the more differences there are of what would work and what wouldn't. So the fact that one person or maybe two were in charge of that aspect was great.

Fast forward a couple years and I had two short stories come out in the anthology "Love & Magick". All together there are six different short stories, from various genres, and by three different authors. There are historical, time travel, a grown up fairy tale, contemporary, western and paranormal.

In  the anthology, Love & Magick my first two short stories were published, "Ghost of a Chance" & "The Crystal Witch".

We all chimed in on what we wanted on the cover. When you think about it, covering all the different genres on one cover would be impossible.

Having three women with their own ideas, almost impossible.

Our cover went back to the cover artist half a dozen times until we finally settled on this one. And this last cover one of us didn't like the fact the lady looked like she was NOT wearing a swim suit.

Although, she could have been wearing a strapless bikini top. So it went back to the cover artist and Karen Duvall of Duvall Design photo shopped bathing suit ties around the ladies neck. A cover artist is an indispensable part of your publishing process. No matter who you hire, the money is well worth having a professional looking cover.

Our theme was romance and each story had some sort of magick in it. I believe our final cover suggests that.

The design of a book cover is so important since that is the first thing that grabs a reader to pick up your book and read the back copy/blurb and buy it. That initial emotional response, so important!

One thing you need to think about is the mood of your book. The colors, patterns, and type of lettering that resonates with your book theme.  "Love & Magick" I believe the cover mood shows mystery, magick and romance. The blues with the moon enhance the mood.

Another way is to check on the e-book outlets for covers in your genre. What is popular right now for suspense, historical, paranormal etc. You want your cover to stand out from the competition. Check out the covers of New York best sellers in your genre. Set up a file on your computer with all the covers you like. What is it that draws you to that cover? Then you have ideas to give your cover designer.

If you are creating your own book design it is better to go simple and sophisticated, rather than trying to cram too much on to the cover making it cluttered and too busy. If the reader's eye can't focus on the simple, she'll move on to another book. Fonts should be bold and clear for your title and your name. 

Always make sure you check your cover as a thumbnail size. Is the design show good as a thumbnail? Most people who buy online will see this thumbnail size first. You want your book to pop and show well in the small size.

Have you read books where you've wondered how on earth does the cover relate to the story?

When I write,  I weave elements of paranormal,  and fantasy into my stories. I always have a Happily Ever After, because I have to for my own satisfaction!  

My hope is that I am able to take you away from your everyday life for a journey that is both entertaining, and fun, and sometimes a little scary, then I've succeeded in my job as a writer.

To purchase click on links:
"Gifts of the Heart" by Windtree Press Authors
"Love & Magick" by Judith Ashley, Diana McCollum & Sarah Raplee

http://dianamccollum.weebly.com/books.html
http://bit.ly/2nld4AC  (visit my author page on Facebook)
@Dianasuemcc   Follow me on twitter

Not the Anthology of Your Childhood Anymore!

by M. L. Buchman

As a young reader I was totally addicted to anthologies, especially in science fiction. I read almost every single anthology of Issac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke short stories. I particularly loved their interstitial introductions to tell me the background of their stories. I also was a rabid reader of Hugo and Nebula Award anthologies.

Version 1: Anthology Magazine
Then I sidetracked into novels for a long time and actually forgot about my love of the short form. When I became a writer, that carried over. "I don't read short stories, why would I write them?" I kept saying that until an editor got sick of it and said, "I'm making you a lead name in an anthology magazine, get over it. It's title is Christmas Ghosts." "But I don't write ghosts!" I won't use the adjective fulminating to describe her look as she's also a friend...so I'll just go with "disgusted."

So I entered the land of anthologies and short fiction as a writer simultaneously:

Amazon

Okay, so this looks like a perfectly normal anthology from my childhood: a theme, an editor, and multiple authors who were all paid up front. Except it isn't. This is issue #4 in a bimonthly magazine that now is coming up on four years and I've been in several other issues and, I'm told, will be in more to come.

Less than ten years ago this would have been incomprehensible. There are no ads, they pay pro-rates (and no, sorry, they don't accept queries or submissions of any sort). This would have been insupportable in the past. Thanks to modern publishing (e-book and POD and DIY audio) it is now completely viable.

Version 2: My Own Yearly Best Of!
I then took that idea to heart and created my yearly Ides of Matt series. Once my "I don't write short" was busted over my friend's knee, I discovered that I loved writing short stories. For over three years now, I have been writing short stories and releasing them for free on my website (www.mlbuchman.com) at the same time I publish them. I've especially fallen in love with writing romance short stories.

Which had led me to creating my own annual anthologies with introductions for each story.

More Info / Buy Links

But it just keeps getting better:

Version 3: Cooperative Anthology (Box Set / Collection / Bundles)
We all know what they are now. A box set used to be a true rarity (the complete Anne of Green Gables for example), and they literally came in a box. Now authors are creating massive ones with thirty novels all by different authors and smaller ones by two.

I'm presently doing one of the latter with the amazing Regency author Grace Burrowes. As my specialty is military romantic suspense, common ground appeared illusive. But we both wanted to set a story in the ranch country beneath Montana's Big Sky.

Well, no one in traditional publishing would have touched us with a ten-foot pole. Frankly, we'd have been laughed from the room even though we both write contemporary romance series...it's just not either of our core audiences.

But this is the new age, so that didn't stop us.

More Info / Pre-order links

What's perhaps even more curious, we're doing it as a 90-day box set (as in"Grab It Now, Or It's Gone!" marketing mentality). Utterly impossible to our old mindset of how publishing works...worked. Hmm...

Version 4: Unbound Anthology
Sometimes the titles aren't even sold together! I recently participated in a project called Titan World. Ten authors writing separate titles, all linked to an eleventh author's world (Cristin Harber, by permission and with contracts in place). It is more a cooperative marketing tool than an anthology, but it still fits the definition of one...doesn't it? Common theme, multiple authors. But no longer one set? But it is an anthology, they're all set within a single world. Double hmmm...

More Info

Version 5: "Limited by Your Imagination" Anthology
With the changes in technology and delivery now available to authors, the possibilities of ways to anthologize are unlimited! I can't wait to see what happens next.

M.L. Buchman started the first of over 50 novels while flying from South Korea to ride his bicycle across the Australian Outback. Part of a solo around the world trip that ultimately launched his writing career.

All three of his military romantic suspense series—The Night Stalkers, Firehawks, and Delta Force—have had a title named “Top 10 Romance of the Year” by the American Library Association’s Booklist. NPR and Barnes & Noble have named other titles “Top 5 Romance of the Year.” In 2016 he was a finalist for Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA award. He also writes: contemporary romance, thrillers, and fantasy.

Past lives include: years as a project manager, rebuilding and single-handing a fifty-foot sailboat, both flying and jumping out of airplanes, and he has designed and built two houses. He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing and receive a free starter e-library by subscribing to his newsletter at: www.mlbuchman.com

My Love-Hate Relationship with Daylight Savings Time by Sarah Raplee

I love the first day of Spring for many reasons—for example, Spring and Fall are my favorite times of the year—but I love the second day of the season even more. On the second day of Spring there are finally more minutes of light than of darkness after the long, dark winter months. What I call “the Dark of the Year” is over.

As a person who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or Seasonal Depression, the more minutes and hours of daylight, the better I feel. Until the days get long enough to remedy my symptoms of increased pain, irritability and sadness; brain fog; a lack of energy and motivation; and a decreased ability to cope with stress, every morning I sit in front of what I call my ‘Happy Light’. 

This lamp produces a special bright light that mimics sunlight. I sit in this artificial sunlight for ten to thirty minutes, depending on how short the days are. The bright light stimulates my body to produce the hormones and neurochemicals I need to function more-or-less normally.

NATURE BRIGHT LAMP

That being said, I dread the change from Standard Time to Daylight Savings Time in Spring and the second one back to Standard Time in Fall. If it were up to me (which of course it isn’t), we would remain on Daylight Savings Time all year. I can cope with darkness in the mornings much better than I can cope with an early sunset. (In fact, for many people, being awake at sunrise helps to mitigate SAD). I have a bad couple of weeks after these time changes.

Research has shown that a lot of energy is saved when we are on Daylight Savings Time. Unfortunately research has also shown that adapting to getting up an hour earlier during the changeover from Standard Time is very hard on us poor humans both physically and mentally. For example, there are more auto accidents in the two weeks after the Spring time change than during any other two-week period during the year. (This year we almost lost a close relative in one of those accidents when he nodded off at the wheel.)

According to the Fox News article Seven Ways Daylight Saving Time Can Affect Your Health, rates of strokes and cluster headaches increase around the changeovers in both Spring and Fall. People report being very fatigued during after the Spring changeover and productivity is decreased.

I say let’s save energy all year round and forgo the stressful changeover periods! We humans created the artificial constructs of Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time. We can choose to remain in Daylight Saving Time all year round.

Do the time changeovers cause problems for you or someone you know? ~ Sarah Raplee

Burst into Spring

By Courtney Pierce

There’s a reason Stravinsky wrote the “Rite of Spring” back in 1913. The shock of the new. Dissident and harmonic. Smooth and violent. The piece embodies our inner core

of change from winter to spring with all its raging hormones.

The spring season begins and ends with weather, the tease of one warm day after a crust of morning frost. The birdbath yawns to reject the decomposing leaves. Heat waves whirl and retreat, but not enough to push back dormant eggs of hatching insects. In the early morning hours, birds awaken with a piccolo call for their species. If one stands in the dark to listen, breath won’t make a sound as it streams and dissipates. In an instant, clouds boil and blacken to drop an opaque curtain of hail.

I love the spring season, the renewal of it the earth, the savagery of its power to awaken

our primal instincts. The promise of fresh vegetables begins with taking a chance on the wild weather: tornadoes, wall clouds, and flying fat snowflakes. I’m never more motivated and childlike than with the unpredictability of spring. Grab a spade and join me to dig in the dirt, grounded in mud. The earth comes out of cold storage and rises up to fertilizer-heated starters of broccoli, carrots, beans, and peas.

With spring, too, there comes an unseen energy that powers animals from within. Romance is in the air, at any age. I can attest to this. At 57, I’m getting married in June, and I feel like a teenager. The pull of a mate is indescribable, and not just to take out the garbage or fix a faulty electrical outlet. This mate's a keeper for airy and heavy conversation, wishes and dreams, and for fantasies of life. I'm a lucky girl this spring.

For thousands of years, not much has changed in our internal commitment to the change of season. Well...maybe one exception . . . the post office. What ever happened to “No matter rain, snow, sleet, or hail, the post office will deliver the mail”? In this last snowstorm, it took two weeks to get my mail. For some reason, though, it only to took days to get my WiFi and cable TV back. And even less for the only entry in the mailbox: my honeymoon lingerie. Hmmm....the old and the new.

Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her bossy cat. She writes for baby boomers. By day, Courtney is an executive in the entertainment industry and uses her time in a theater seat to create stories that are filled with heart, humor and mystery. She has studied craft and storytelling at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. Active in the writing community, she is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and on the Advisory Council of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. She is a member of Willamette Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, She Writes, and Sisters in Crime. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal. 

Check out all of Courtney's books at:

courtney-pierce.com and windtreepress.com. Both print and E-books are available through most major online retailers, including Amazon.com

 

The Dushane Sisters are back in Indigo Lake. More laughs, more tears...and more trouble. Protecting Mom's reputation might get the sisters killed―or give one of them the story she's been dying to live.

New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."

Colorful characters come alive in Courtney's trilogy about the Dushane sisters. Beginning with The Executrix, three middle-age sisters find a manuscript for a murder mystery in their mother's safe after her death. Mom’s book gives them a whole new view of their mother and their future. Is it fiction . . . or truth? 

Get out the popcorn as the Dushane Sisters Trilogy comes to a scrumptious conclusion with Indigo Legacy. Due out in early 2017.

Anatomy of an Anthology by Delsora Lowe

Working on an anthology is an entirely different beast. Think Beauty and the Beast. You start out with a quarrelsome, growly, domineering chunk of words that need to be tamed into one cohesive book.

Picture this: Beauty dreaming of finding her hero. Every August the Maine Romance Writers partake in a brainstorming retreat. Okay, so it’s like a huge slumber party. We arrive with sleeping bags and pillows and laptops and snacks (salty and savory) and wine. Did I mention laptops? Yes, we do work. We spend all day either brainstorming our next story in small groups, or sitting on the deck or down by the lake writing on our current work. We break every few hours to exchange writing tips, eat, or take a boat ride around the lake.

Two years ago, we sat on the deck, sated with food and talk and wine (just a little), with the sound of loons on the lake and the full moon arrowing a golden path across the lake and right up on the shoreline in front of us. Our host suggested we might like to try writing an anthology. Within minutes we’d created a town, brainstormed names of the town, set a few guidelines, and we were off and running

Or so we thought.

The reality is the work we did that night was Beauty’s fantasy.

Then the Beast appeared. All the details of actually putting together an anthology. The writing was the easy part—Beauty’s fantasy. Managing a project, was the roaring and untamable Beast. I am happy to say we did finally tame the beast, and named it Welcome to Serenity Harbor.

Beauty and the Beast are now living happily ever after. But as with all good marriages or committed relationships, one must open their eyes, negotiate, persevere over the hurdles, and make a strong commitment to reach that Happily Ever After.

Why am I here?

As one of two project managers, working with a group of six committee members and all the authors who were excited about the project, here are the things I learned: (caveat, not all anthologies revolve around a town, like ours did. Some have a theme. Some are made up of a group of authors and there are no rules around story content.)

♥ Map out the project and plot exactly what the project will look like.

♣ Set rules, such as genre of anthology (ours was contemporary), length (we chose short novellas, 15 – 25K words).

♣ Write a contract. Include costs, such as professional editor for each work, (authors absorbed that cost), due date of manuscript, anticipated release date, budget (cost of formatter, cover artist, and promotion, for which we shared cost), and production timeline.

♣ Determine as a group, parameters around the theme, such as name and details of town that all authors will set their story in, name of overall anthology, type of promotion, voting on book cover design, etc.

♥ Research

♣ What anthologies are being sold now, how are they set up, etc.

♣ Talk to other authors in anthologies to understand their process.

♣ Find professionals, editors, formatters, cover artists, etc.

♥ Communicate

♣ As a committee, agree on the process.

♣ Communicate with all authors each step of the way.

♣ Vote on any spending.

♥ Evaluate at the end. Our learnings included:

♣ Making sure you factor in realistic expenses, such as copy editing and project manager costs up front.

♣ Set deadlines and stick to them.

♣ Hire a copy editor, and have one person, not an author related to the anthology, determine if the book fits the criteria and is edited properly

♥ Make it your own

♣ One fun thing we did, was to insert the mention of a sheep into each story. Look at the back cover and you will see a rendering of a sheep that says “find me”, crafted by one of our authors.

Although, as a group we bumbled our way through the process, for me it was an incredible experience of teamwork and learning about self-publishing. And although the Beast still growls once in a while, the Beast is also loving and tamed. And he and Beauty are living happily ever after.

Serenity Harbor

Welcome to Serenity Harbor, Maine, where waves slap against the rocky shore and love is always in the air.

Two centuries after a ship, The Serenity, brought the first families to this part of the secluded Maine coast, the town is home to their descendants and a destination for tourists and travelers seeking their own slice of heaven—and blueberry pie.

Join nine Maine authors and their friends in their walk around Serenity Harbor, and maybe you’ll find the sheep that sometimes get loose on Main Street!

Authors contributing to Welcome to Serenity Harbor:

Terri Brisbin, Teagan Oliver,

Kat Henry Doran, Luanna Stewart,

Michelle Libby, Maggie Robinson, 

Delsora Lowe, April Canavan and

Rose Morris, Meg Kassel

Welcome to Serenity Harbor is available now. Check your favorite e-retailer to purchase.

About Delsora Lowe

From Cabins to Cottages…Keep the Home Fires Burning

A transplanted big city girl, world-wide traveler, and foreign-service brat, who now lives in a coastal Maine town, Delsora Lowe loves to write about small town heroes from the cowboys and ranchers of Colorado to the game wardens and lobstermen of Maine. Her work in the hospitality industry, rape crisis, admissions, alumni relations, and women’s advocacy has allowed her to interact on a daily basis with real life heroines and heroes. Lowe’s family visits to Colorado are the inspiration for an upcoming contemporary western series.

www.delsoralowe.com

The Legacy of Parkers Point by Delsora Lowe in the anthology Welcome to Serenity Harbor:

Two lives, one legacy—the lure of Parkers Point

One runs from …

Inheriting his grandfather’s property on the rocky point in Serenity Harbor, Maine is the perfect escape from the biggest professional disaster of Grayson’s life. Will distance and space help Gray heal old family and professional wounds enough to open his heart to love?

One runs toward …

Lauralee struggles to save the family art gallery for her aunt. Returning to Serenity Harbor is payment for her aunt’s kindness that saved her life and soul. Now she’s on a quest to find her father. Will this trip home help her learn to trust and finally convince her she can truly belong for the first time in her life?

Ignoring the Urge To Rush

By Linda Lovely

Spring officially arrived this year on March 20. Tell that to my azaleas and Loropetalum. My blueberries, roses, and hydrangeas didn’t get the message either. In February, all these plants and more rushed ahead, putting out blossoms and shoots of new growth. Fooled by a stretch of super warm winter days and balmy nights, the shrubs got in too big a hurry. A March cold spell severely punished their impatience.  

Not this year! 

While I’ll still have blueberries this year, the crop won’t be as plentiful as last year. For the most part, my plants will survive despite the ugly dieback of withered fresh growth. Nonetheless, our yard will not be dressed in its regular showy cloak of red, pink and white blossoms this spring. I’ll have to wait another year for my springtime fix.

But maybe there’s a lesson in the wilted brown of the leaves and the death of the blooms. It seldom pays to rush. It’s human nature to want to hurry up and “get to the good stuff, the fun stuff.” But it’s an urge that I’m trying to ignore.

How might rushing backfire for a writer? Here are three ways.

Research. It’s entirely possible to devote so much time to researching that one never gets around to writing. However, the reverse is more often true. We assume we understand technology, courtroom or police procedures because of our exposure to TV or online posts. Always take the time to check with authoritative sources. That’s one reason I’m a huge fan (and staff volunteer) for the annual Writers’ Police Academy. The WPA offers a unique opportunity to question experts and gain first-hand experience with everything from long guns to fingerprinting.     

Editing. All the authors I know go through multiple drafts before they are willing to call their novels “finished.” Yet, I find a “cooling off” period between drafts is not time wasted. Spending a week working on unrelated tasks before embarking on that final edit lets you see the characters, plot, and language with fresh eyes.

Publishing. When we first start sending queries to agents and/or publishers, we’re tempted to take the first offers we receive. That response can be born out of fear we won’t get a better response and will be spinster novelists. Or it can reflect our desire to rush our babies out into the literary world. However, no author should take a leap of faith into the arms of an agent or publisher out of fear or impatience.  

Are you guilty of rushing in any of these areas? 

The Art of Balancing Light And Dark

As a sensitive person, balancing the positive and negative influences and emotions in my life is extremely important. I’m not talking about situations that arise where I have no control, instead I mean the way I choose to spend my time and channel my energy.

As well as being a romance reader and writer, I’m a true crime junkie—wrongful convictions, serial killers or unsolved murders fascinate me. I listen to true crime podcasts regularly whether it be in the car, washing dishes or hanging clothes on the line.  My star sign is Libra—we crave justice and balance. So while I find these criminal cases fascinating, I also work up a healthy dose of righteous anger as I ponder the injustices of the legal system and life in general.  

Which is why my other passion—reading, watching and writing romance, is so important. Romance novels are referred to as escapism. Some are critical of this—as though something that provides joy and a guaranteed happy ending is somehow a lesser form of art. But I don’t see it this way. Escapism is the appeal. A way to feel good when there’s so much in the world to bring us down.

When I pick up a story I want to laugh, cry and occasionally be so scared I’m hiding under the covers! That’s why I love romance fiction so much. Despite dark and dangerous events, I know I’ll get tummy-flutters from a developing romance and a happy ever after. And if the author can make me laugh—even better.

I’ve always gravitated towards stories that master the intricate balance of both light and dark, which is a difficult task. No matter the medium—be it movie, television or book—making your audience experience emotions at opposite ends of the spectrum is no easy feat. But if you can take them on a journey that makes them laugh-out-loud as well as sob-like-a-baby, it’s well worth the effort.

I’ve discovered how tricky this juggling act can be. I write small town contemporary romance and naturally gravitate towards humour. My characters often take control and come up with some cracking one liners that take me by surprise, but I’m also tackling the seriously non-funny, topic of dog fighting in my novel, Animal Instincts. I almost didn’t write this story, fearing I couldn’t do it justice. How could I have hilarious moments in one chapter and animal abuse in another? Some days I could pull my hair out trying to meld the two. But it is possible. It’s certainly made things difficult, but I couldn’t have told this story any other way.

There are a number of movies, TV shows and books I’ve drawn inspiration from and here are just a few.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

This is my favorite show of all time. The themes explored are often dark, with life and death battles fought in most episodes, but it never fails to make me laugh out loud at the kooky characters and witty dialogue.

Santa Clarita Diet

A suburban mom suddenly craving human flesh and brains should be gross and horrifying, right? Well, it is gross at times, but it’s also hilarious with everyday situations we can all relate to, as well the wackier hijinks that could only arise when living with a zombie in your family.

Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich

Down on her luck and desperate for cash, Stephanie Plum takes a job as a bounty hunter for her sleazy bail bondsman cousin. She’s completely out of her element tracking down criminals, but it makes for great reading.

There are many funny scenes and lines in these books. I’ve actually only read the first few so far, but there are over twenty books in the series now. Between scenes with car explosions and shoot-outs, the heroine and her wacky family and friends provide plenty of laughs.

“You deserved to get run over. And besides, I barely tapped you. The only reason you broke your leg was because you panicked and tripped over your own feet.”

“When I was six years old I sprinkled sugar on my head, convinced myself it was pixie dust, wished myself invisible, and walked into the boys' bathroom at school.”

Which books, movies or TV shows would recommend for their ability to combine the perfect mix of light and dark? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Lauren James is a country girl at heart. Raised on a small property surrounded by animals, it's no surprise she writes small town romance with lots of love for creatures great and small.

Having failed fabulously at painting, sewing and playing guitar, she finally found her creative outlet in writing strong, quirky heroines, and tough, handsome heroes with gooey animal-loving centers.

Lauren lives on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, with her beloved rescue greyhound, Daisy.

You can contact Lauren via her website, Facebook or Twitter.

Playing well with others!

by M. L. Buchman

I feel as if this should be a constant theme in my life: playing well with others.

A writer's world is a strange and solitary one...I'm paid to sit in a corner, by myself, and fantasize for a living (a kinder way to say: I sit in a corner and make shit up for a living). I fantasize about what it would be like to fly a helicopter, to destroy a bad guy, to fall in love... Well, I don't have to fantasize about that one, because I did--twenty years ago and still besotted. But I have to think about how it would feel for others, both male and female, from a wide variety of backgrounds.

But occasionally I'm forced to emerge from the depths of the world in my head and interact with those around me. Sometimes just enough, sometimes way too much.

A few weeks ago I attended and assisted at a week-long short-story anthology workshop. Fifty writers, a dozen hours a day for 7 days. OMG! It was fantastically wondrously intensely and deeply fun. (It was also a little mortifying, my inner introvert is still in deep shock.) For 7 days we talked almost nothing except the craft, marketing, and business of short fiction. I did my best to be thoughtful, supportive, and curious. I've spoke to almost no one except my wife in the weeks following. Even at a weekly lunch of local writers (all of whom I've known for years), I still had little to say and am only now returning to normal.

But there is another way that I've been playing with others. In a prior post I discussed doing a world collaboration project with fellow military romantic suspense writer Cristin Harber. This month I've discovered the joys of writing a collaboration project with one of Regency romance's top authors: Grace Burrowes.

Okay, there's the catch...Regency.

Years ago, back when I was a much younger writer (in every sense of the word), I wrote a historical. I was very proud of that book and sent it off and about. A top editor from Mills & Boon sent me back a very kind note: "Thank you for submitting this for my consideration. I'll pass on this manuscript, but absolutely send me your next contemporary title for consideration." A couple of things here: 1) This was a top editor, who was willing to look at my next title. Back in those days this was just one step down from a sale. Fantastically cheering feedback on my level of writing at that time. 2) This was a top historical editor who asked for my next contemporary (and I wasn't the one who added the emphasis, she was). Hmmm...

Wind forward a couple of years, I'm taking a class. One of the assignments was to write a historical short story. The teacher handed it back and said, "Is this your best period?" It was. "Try again." I did. When the teacher, who is always very careful to never give career advice for fear of inhibiting a writer, returned the second draft it was with the whispered words, "Never try to write a historical again." I now understand that I don't have a single historical bone in my writing body.

But I like Grace (and love her writing, I read a fair amount of Regency) and we wanted to do a project together.

Now it was her turn. "Military romantic suspense? Really?"

So, we moved on to other topics, including our own plans for future series, until I said, "I'm about to launch a contemporary series set on a Montana ranch. Two of my key heroes, Emily Beale and Mark Henderson, are finally retiring from the military and from firefighting. They're going to settle on Mark's family horse ranch and mentor a whole new set of love stories."

"Oh! That's good. I have an idea for that."

The result?

So, as unlikely as it seems, a Regency author and a military romantic suspense author found common ground beneath Montana's Big Sky! (If you prefer print, they're available separately.)

We've had a great time going back and forth on this. They are two separate novels (except for a reader cookie here and there), but we were very surprised at all of the similarities in our voices. Maybe that's why I enjoy reading her books so much, because we're so similar in use of dialog, humor, even pacing.

On the collaboration I mentioned above with Cristin Harber, it was a challenge of finding a common voice between two very different sets of military romantic suspense characters. Here it was discovering an easy joy in each other's words.

I'm very proud of both, but for different reasons. The collaboration between my Night Stalkers and Cristin's Team Titan in Target of Mine is a kick-ass tale. Big Sky Ever After is a warm contemporary to get all wrapped up in during a chill Montana night.

Having now done two collaboration projects of this scale, I'm definitely looking forward to whatever next comes my way. Because whatever it is, it's gonna be FUN! And that is the real measure of what project to do next.

M.L. Buchman started the first of over 50 novels while flying from South Korea to ride his bicycle across the Australian Outback. Part of a solo around the world trip that ultimately launched his writing career.

All three of his military romantic suspense series—The Night Stalkers, Firehawks, and Delta Force—have had a title named “Top 10 Romance of the Year” by the American Library Association’s Booklist. NPR and Barnes & Noble have named other titles “Top 5 Romance of the Year.” In 2016 he was a finalist for Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA award. He also writes: contemporary romance, thrillers, and fantasy.

Past lives include: years as a project manager, rebuilding and single-handing a fifty-foot sailboat, both flying and jumping out of airplanes, and he has designed and built two houses. He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing and receive a free starter e-library by subscribing to his newsletter at: www.mlbuchman.com

Summer as a Leading Character (because season matters!)

 

by Kristin Holt

 USA Today Bestselling Author of Sweet Romance set in the Victorian American West

Today is March 21st. Spring Equinox. Halfway between the Winter Solstice (longest night of the year) and Summer Solstice (longest day of the year). The solstices and equinoxes (spring and fall) have been celebrated all over the world since before Christianity, before much written history, simply put: before. The Wikipedia page is so long you'll zone out before you're 1/10th of the way through. Unless you're a history geek like me.

Let's talk about something else.

The SEASON of the year is a strong and valued player in fiction.

I've written dead of winter romances and peak of summer romances. Whether the bitter cold and short days become the vital antagonist, stealing the hero's hope of saving the girl (The Marshal's Surrender) or long, hot summer days bring the hero and heroine together in surprising ways (Courting Miss Cartwright), I tend to ensure the season is a valued player.

Why?

Fiction doesn't happen in a vacuum.

1. Fiction doesn't happen in a vacuum. If you've ever read a "Story In Vacuum"--fiction before a green screen--you know readers need a setting, and that setting had better matter.

2. Heat, long days, and short nights lend summertime to one kind of romance (I write only Rated G or PG--and yep, matters to "sweet" too), while numbing cold, limited daylight, and tight quarters (who wants to be out in that blizzard?) suit another.

3. Remember the truth about fiction: No Conflict, No Story. Weather is a natural conflict-producer. Cue storms from delicate spring shower to a monsoon/ tornado/ blizzard.

I've shared why Weather (winter, in this case) can assume the role of villain. Now I'll flip to the light side and share why summer can (and should) assume the role of a leading character...villain, sidekick, friend, instigator.

Summer, as Leading Character:

Every summer does indeed have its own story.

1. Entirely different range of possibilities for out-of-doors scenes than in other seasons. I really hate writing a book with every scene cooped up in the same log cabin. Not good conflict to build a story.

2. In the nineteenth century (my scope), people were on the move in summer. Winter was iffy. Throughout the 1880s alone, winter conspired for ten long years to keep trains from moving, people locked down, and let's not even talk about the flooding that followed. Hot and dry? Vegetation for animals? Let's go!

3. Summertime put nineteenth century folk to work from sunup to sundown with the work of living. Farmers had time to sit and play cards in winter. Maybe. Virtually everything in life revolved around natural sunlight--time to go to bed, time to arise, how much work could be accomplished, what crops were growing and had to be irrigated, keeping the equipment functional, raising and training new animals, and getting enough to eat. Note: this is setting, not story.

4. Summer can just as easily take the starring role of villain: tornado season, killing heat, droughts, crop failure, sun exposure, etc.

5. Because. Summertime equals BEACH READ, in any romance category. Who wants to lay on the beach and read a Christmas story?

We might not be quite ready for a beach read...so, what are you reading this Spring Equinox (March 21st)? Is it important to you to read a book set in the same season as you're personally living?

Please scroll down and comment in the space provided. I'd sincerely like to know!

Hi! I'm Kristin Holt, USA Today Bestselling Author.

I write frequent articles (or view recent posts easily on my Home Page, scroll down) about the nineteenth century American West–every subject of possible interest to readers, amateur historians, authors…as all of these tidbits surfaced while researching for my books. I also blog monthly at Sweet Romance Reads, Sweet Americana Sweethearts, and Romancing the Genres.

I love to hear from readers! Please drop me a note. Or find me on Facebook.

Sweet Romance Appropriate for All Audiences

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