Hey! That's My Book!

       Belated Happy New Year Everyone!!  In case you're a new reader, let me introduce myself. I'm Terri Molina. :-)

So, the other day I was reading the January issue of RWR .....Romance Writer's Report....it's the magazine issued by Romance Writers of America. Anyway...there was an article in there by ErinQuinn and Kris Kennedy about the similarity of some books. For instance, when Erin was writing her Mists of Ireland series, she read Karen MarieMoning's Fever series and started freaking out about how similar the stories were, down to having the exact same character!  If you have the issue, read it, it's a good article. 

So, while I was reading, I kept thinking...Yep. Happened to me too!  Shortly after I completed my novel Forget Me Not, I met Allison Brennan at an online forum. She had just released her first book, The Prey (great first book!).

Because Allison was one of the first "real" authors I'd interacted with, I bought the book... well, that and because I love romantic suspense and was looking for new authors to read besides Nora Roberts and Jayne Krentz (not that I don't still LOVE them). 

So, anyway, it was several months before I had down time to sit back and read.  Forget Me Not was making the rounds and I'd already completed Dark Obsession (coming soon) so I figured, let's read Allison. Well, you can imagine my heartbreak when I started reading. Not only were the plots similar (kinda, sorta), they practically opened the same way!  Of course, they weren't the same book...exactly. But the similarities were close enough that my second agent (who turned out to be a waste of two years) didn't want to submit the book to anyone.  It was five years after Allison's book came out that my book finally got published.  But, another heartbreak happened even after that and again, it was from another one of Allison's books...or rather a non-book.  Shortly after Forget Me Not published I'd gone to read a blog post Allison did at the MurderShe Writes blog. She was talking about the first book she'd ever completed. The one that was so bad it was under the bed, gathering dust, and would never see the light of day.  Then, she proceeded to describe the plot and some of the really bad scenes and...

I. Thought. I. Was. Going. To. Die!

The scenes she described (in some not so nice ways---I think too convoluted was mentioned once or twice) were some of the same scenes I'd written in my book!  Right down to end!  Needless to say....I didn't mention I'd written the same book.  haha

But, really, there's no getting around writing a book or characters similar to someone else. As Erin says in the article, you're likely both researching the same thing so it's likely that the research will end up in your story.  Plus, there are no original plots or archetypes.  Just like there are no original titles.  If you go to Amazon and plug in your title under Books, you'll find hundreds if not thousands of titles that are the same.  Yeah, that can be frustrating too.  In fact, shortly after my novel House of Cards debuted, a TV show on Netflix called House of Cards launched and became a big success.  Thankfully, the plots aren't the least bit the same.

So, what do you do if you find you're writing a book that's already been written?  Well, for one, don't read that book! And, two, just write yours. They may be similar, but, unless you're copying the other one verbatim (plagiarizing), your story will still be different because it's you writing it; your voice, your style, your story.

I'm A Believer

Thanks for having me here on Romancing the Genre. 

I’m Erin Quinn and I’m a believer.

It’s why I write paranormal romance.  From past lives to spirits that don’t move on to signs that can’t be ignored, I’ve always believed that there’s a whole world beyond the one we see every day and in that world, the paranormal thrives.  I’ve written about reincarnation, ghosts, clairvoyance, time travel, alternate realities, telekinesis and death.

And I could keep writing about it forever.

In my new series, which launched with The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love, my fascination with the supernatural gets a free rein.  By the time the story begins, Roxanne Love has already died three times and been miraculously revived after each death.  But in today’s world, miracles are often suspect and for Roxanne, the media has twisted her survival into a phenomena that makes her a target for lunatics and fanatics.  It also puts her in the crosshairs of creatures from the Beyond—heaven, hell and everything in between. 

Enter the Reaper who’s been cheated by Roxanne too many times. 

On the eve of Roxanne’s fourth death, the Reaper takes over the body of suicidal cop in the moments before he pulls the trigger.  Dressed in Santo Castillo’s skin, the Reaper plans to end Roxanne’s life for once and for all.  What he doesn’t plan for is the emotions that come with the body or the way seeing Roxanne with human eyes will make him feel.  Now he finds himself overwhelmed by emotions he’s never had before and protecting the woman he came to kill.

Here’s a short excerpt of The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love.  On the run, Santo and Roxanne have taken refuge with an old friend.  But instead of finding sanctuary, the two have brought danger with them.

A sound coming from outside the kitchen window stopped Santo before he reached her. Roxanne heard it, too, but wasn’t sure what it was. His sudden stillness was her only warning that it was something to fear.

Santo crossed the kitchen and turned off the lights. Warily, he pulled the lacy curtain from the edge of the window and peered out. Moving as quietly as she could, Roxanne joined him there.

A fat moon gloated in the sky, diminishing everything below with harsh light. Bushes and trees seemed overlaid on a canvas of pitch. The night had no depth, and the eerie absence somehow magnified the absolute silence. Roxanne scanned the shivering quiet, feeling the chill that coiled around the trees and bushes, hushing the chittering leaves and restless limbs. Behind her, Santo held himself rigid, his tension feeding her own.

A sudden gust crackled the barren branches and agitated the leaves. A flutter caught the corner of her eye, then something darker than the night parted the shadows as it soared toward the window.

An enormous bird—a raven?—alighted on the sill, black wings spread wide and beak open in a greedy smile. Easily the size of an eagle, it gripped its perch with clawed feet and stared at them with watchful, ebony eyes.

Behind her Santo sucked a breath between his teeth. He pulled Roxanne away and faced the room with worried eyes. Santo, who’d fought snarling, rabid hellhounds without flinching.

The bird rapped its beak against the glass, waited, head cocked, and did it again.

Knock, knock. The sound, almost polite for all its insistence, lit a wick of superstition she hadn’t realized she possessed.

Another sound—bizarre and yet familiar in a way she didn’t understand—flapped in the cryptlike silence. Roxanne found herself shaking her head as she tried to place it. Santo turned his eyes upward as the scratch of clawed feet skittered across the tile roof. Then his gaze shifted and met Roxanne’s.

“This is going to be bad,” he said softly.

Thanks for stopping by!  I’d love to give away a digital copy of The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love to one lucky commenter. Be sure to leave your email address so you can be notified if you win.

 

Erin Quinn is an award winning author who writes romance for the thinking reader. Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Readers Crown, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence.

 

Go to www.erinquinnbooks.com for more information or follow Erin on Facebook or Twitter.