Hey everyone,

Today I’m happy to have author Jennifer Ashley blogging with us at the Bradford Bunch. Jennifer Ashley / Allyson James writes romances, mysteries and mainstream fiction under several pseudonyms. Her most recent releases are Howlin’ by Allyson James (Ellora’s Cave); The Black Dragon by Allyson James (Berkley Sensation); and The Queen’s Handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley (Berkley Trade). Her websites are www.allysonjames.com and www.jennifersromances.com

I can tell you that she’s one of the nicest, most down to earth ladies I’ve had the pleasure to meet. For those of you who aren’t published yet and those of you who are, she has some great advice, so stay tuned.

**

First, thank you Denise for allowing me to post on your blog! It’s an honor. I hope the following is helpful for aspiring and new authors.

In five years, I’ve had nineteen books released by NY publishers in mass market paperback. I’ve hit USA Today, won a couple RT awards, won a RITA, sold foreign publishing rights and have been picked up by book clubs in hardback.

Sounds terrific, right? It is, but all that has been a huge struggle, and along the way I made several potential career-costing mistakes. I’m flattered by the number of people who tell me that they want my career–but my response is, “No, you want a much better one!” What I mean by that is: you want to be happily published by a publisher that is going to do well by you from the start, not just published, which was one of the naïve mistakes I made.

Many aspiring authors fix on one hurdle–because it’s a big one–Getting Published. They want to stop the form rejections and land an agent and a contract. Fame and fortune on its way! The problem is, simply accepting a contract, any contract, for any money at any house isn’t the way to a career. It’s a way to get a work in print with your name on it, and if that’s all you want–fine. But say you want to be a romantic suspense author publishing three single titles a year at a NY publisher for gobs of money and hit all the bestseller lists. No matter what it looks like on the outside, things like that don’t just happen. Most successful authors don’t stumble on success, they make their success.

If, in our example, the aspiring rom. sus. author, tired of rejection, accepts the first offer she’s given–a contract for little money at a house that excels at publishing, say, historicals or paranormals–she makes a mistake in thinking this is an easy way in to her career. Why? Because such a house may not have a good program for romantic suspense, and they could give your book such a low print run that it gets buried. All your self-promotion in the world won’t help if readers can’t find your book in the stores, and online sales at this point nowhere near take up the slack.

If your sell-through isn’t very good the publisher may reject your next proposal, or if you already have a second book contracted, they might cut the print run for it based on sales of the first one. This happens more often than you might think. And then they’ll reject your next proposal. So much for your dreams. Back to the drawing board with a new name, to start all over again. The better way to begin your romantic suspense career is to cruise the bookstore, or bookstand at a large retail store, and look at the romantic suspense. Do this at a good cross section of stores in different cities over a period of time. Which publishers seem to be publishing the most romantic suspense? Who are the authors there–do you respect their work? Are they bestsellers? Bestsellerdom speaks not only about a writer’s ability but also publisher support of the author (good print runs, good placement in stores, book buyer incentives).

There’s no guarantee that you’ll spring to stardom if you do submit to these publishers, but it’s good to know which are strong in the genre you want to write. Our next strategy will be how to target these publishers. You might want to start as a category writer and establish your name in the subgenre–but be careful. Pick a house/line that is doing well, where you will have a chance to build an audience. There’s no use selling a two-book contract when the line is cancelled after you’ve published one book. You might want to start in e-publishing, but also be careful–find a house where books do well in your subgenre (different genres sell better at different e-houses–research and ask questions). Find a solid publisher not likely to go out of business while you’re trying to establish your audience.

Come up with a strategy: “I will write three category books a year for two years, at the same time working on a doozy of a single-title, which I will then pitch to the best agents in the rom. sus. field.” If you’re saying to yourself: “Yes, but how do I know a publisher will let me write three books a year for them, let alone buy me in the first place?” That kind of thinking is not allowed!!! Write your three books a year anyway–get yourself on a schedule, target the line, and submit the books. Don’t wait for “permission” to start your career–do it now! True, we all have to adjust our strategy as we go along to allow for opportunities and the unexpected, good or bad. But telling yourself “I will write three books a year for HQ Intrigue” programs your mind to consistently come up with HQ Intrigue ideas. It’s amazing what we can accomplish by training our brain to believe we are successful even before we are successful.

You should start your career long before you get published, which is something I wish I’d understood. I was so excited about finally getting published I didn’t look for the best house for my work; I just took anything anyone was willing to offer me. I was very, very lucky that my first book did well enough to keep my publisher interested in me. Once I wised up, I started targeting my stories to what that publisher did best, and I used that strategy to target other publishers and grow my career. Decide what you write best (and what you’re willing to write day in day out, year after year!), learn the houses that publish that very well, and start submitting. While you’re submitting, write more. Every day I wish that when I’d started my career I’d been smarter, I wish I would have known that a low-money publishing contract didn’t automatically mean big slick books in the front of the bookstores and a slot on New York Times!

But–you can get that if you’re smart about it. Being a bestselling published author isn’t a glamorous dream. It’s a reality that can be reached by hard work, patience, persistence, and good strategy.

Thanks, Denise!

Best wishes,

Jennifer Ashley
aka Allyson James

**

Thank you Jennifer! Next time I blog will be December 21, and I’ll be out of town, but I’ll have a blog up anyway. Talk with you all later.

Before I welcome my guest blogger, I’m announcing the winner of last week’s contest. The winner of a download of LOVE FROM THE ASHES is Jennifer Ashley. Jennifer, please email me at danovelist@cox.net to claim the book.

Okie dookie. Welcome to my special guest blogger, Bonnie Vanak. Not only is Bonnie an excellent author, but she’s one heck of a nice lady, too. She has a great topic for us today.

I really didn’t want to terminate his life, but I had no choice.

His name was Paul. He was a secondary character in the Nocturne paranormal I just finished. He was a nice enough guy, a shy geek who was too long and lanky for his clothing, liked playing computer games, and had a crush on the heroine. But he had to die. I had arrived at a crucial part of the story and suddenly Paul was in the way.

As my fingers hovered over the keyboard, I could almost hear him screaming. “Noooooo! Don’t delete me! Let me live!”

Sorry. Buh-bye.

It’s not easy for me to kill off secondary characters. But after a few books, I’ve acquired the discipline. I learned with revisions on my first book, The Falcon & the Dove. I had a cast of supporting characters larger than a Broadway musical. My editor suggested whittling them down to a few. I did and combined two secondaries into one stronger character. She became Badra, the heroine’s newfound friend in the harem. Badra’s story was so intriguing to me she eventually got her own story in The Cobra & the Concubine, my third Egyptian historical for Dorchester.

While writing The Empath, my December Nocturne, I needed a leader for the werewolf pack. Damian grabbed me and would not let go. He was powerful, charismatic and sexy. Unlike Paul, he filled a vital role. Damian was dying and the heroine’s powers are needed to heal him. I knew from the moment he appeared on the computer screen I’d write his story, and Damian became the hero of my second Nocturne.

Secondary characters fulfill many important functions in a story. But sometimes they can clutter it unnecessarily when they become window dressing. Here’s how I determine if a secondary character bites the dust:

1. Does this character advance the story at all? Add to the character arcs of the hero or heroine? Or is s/he merely backdrop?
2. What’s the purpose of having this character in a scene? If it’s a walk-on part, like a waitress, no names are needed.
3. Does adding this character slow the story’s pacing? Complicate the plot unnecessarily and drag it down?
4. If I removed this secondary character, would the story sag or be solid?
5. Does this character have flair, personality or something to make him/her stand out from the crowd?
6. Could this character become a main character in a future story?
7. Is there a way I can combine this character with another minor player and make a stronger, more functional personality?

It’s not easy to kill off a secondary character, but sometimes doing so makes a story much stronger. In the end, I did resurrect Paul. I found another role for him, and a means for the heroine to grow in her character arc.

Have you ever had to delete a secondary character you liked? How do you decide to keep or delete a minor character?

When you get a chance, stop by Bonnie’s website at www.bonnievanak.com and look over her delicious books! Thanks again, Bonnie, for being with us today.

Denise A. Agnew

Before I forget to announce last week’s winner…it’s Laurie! Congratulations! Please email me at danovelist@cox.net.

As it often happens, I couldn’t think of a thing to blog about until a couple of days ago. While I was deep into my Roman hero’s battle scene with swords and blood and frenzy, I decided talking about writing historical novels would be fun.

I’ve written historical romances in the past, but have taken significant time out to write contemporaries. Why? Because my interest in historical writing comes as it comes. I can’t really write them on demand any more than I can write other novels on demand. I have to have a spark, and idea that grabs me by the throat. Just recently, my erotic time travel BRIDGE THROUGH THE MIST takes the reader back to 1318 Scotland. The hero, a Highlander, demanded that his rough and tumble world be created, and I said yes. After all, he did have that big sword and…oh, did I just say that out loud? I loved researching Scotland via books and computer, but in the 90’s I had the great fortune to visit Scotland several times. There’s nothing like being there…books and research can never convey quite the sounds, smells, visuals that visiting a country can. There’s nothing like standing in front of a great castle and savoring the wonder.

On the other hand, what if you’re writing a book set during the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888 London, England? I’ve always had a fascination for writing fictional stories based around true events, and because I’d been interested in Jack The Ripper’s antics for quite a while, I’d researched the heck out of it. When I took the plunge to write MIDNIGHT ROSE, I found all that fascination paid off. Lots of facts had sunk into my head, but I loved, loved doing the additional research. It took about five months to create the first draft of the story, plus a few months more to revise and edit. I ended up with a very long manuscript, but one I was so proud of, and one that satisfied me to the core. When I had that big ole book in hand, I sighed with relief. Yes, this felt good. No, it felt fantastic.

When I wrote LOVE FROM THE ASHES, my story set during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the research once again consumed me. Because I’d always been interested in earthquakes, the science and the history of the event swept me up. Like an adventure, I rode the tide with the real life people who experienced the event, learned a lifetime of details. Again this story took me a long time to write, but once more the satisfaction was beyond compare. Where did I get the original idea for the story? I’d read that many marriage licenses were taken out the day after the earthquake. How romantic is that? So guess what my hero and heroine did? Yep, that’s right.

In ‘05 a burning ache to write another historical started to consume me. Soon I possessed an inkling of where and when I wanted to set the story. Roman Britain. Oh, boy. If you want to cause shudders of dread in an author, tell them you are research ANYTHING to do with the Romans. Well, okay, some authors’ eyes will light up, other author’s mouths will round in a big O of admiration. Some will grunt and say how would I stand the research? I located tons of stuff on line and gobbled it up. I’d already accumulated two books on Roman Britain and read those. Then I bought books on the Roman Army and digested them with complete fascination. Watched my Gladiator DVD again. Watched my HBO Rome DVD set again. Sucked it all in. Wrote my notes about the plot, the characters, thought of their names. Soon I had a big, big idea for my book. That’s what I’m working on now, and I’m almost finished. And that heart-warming, excited feeling of accomplishment is building within me. I love this story, and I hope someday you will all get to read it and enjoy as well. Wish me luck! Believe it or not, I’m on a historical romance rush. I have ideas for two more historical romances. No, they aren’t set in Roman Britain, but they’re already calling to me to write them.

So, for those of you who love historicals or historical romances, what makes them a rich experience for you? I’ll pick a random winner and announce next week who won a download of LOVE FROM THE ASHES.

There are few blogs I read. Blogs are to me like checking email compulsively. Pretty soon you’re checking blogs to avoid doing the job. The writing. Yep, I’ll admit I’ve done it many, many times before. Yet there are blogs that can inspire me because they are honest without cruelty and entertaining without pretensions.

About a year ago I discovered a blog that hits home with me many times when I read it. Just last week I read an entry that surprised me so much I read it again to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. This best selling, famous author blurted out she’d considered quitting the writing world. Kaput. Fini. Done. My mouth dropped open. No. She simply couldn’t! Then I continued reading her blog and understood the author’s emotions and motivations. Because I’ve thought about doing the same thing more than once. The author who declared that she once considered saying bye-bye and adios is Tess Gerritsen. No, I’m not outing her. She said this on her blog a few months ago. Check it out at www.tessgerritsen.com

Yeah, I’ve contemplated quitting writing. That only lasts as long in my mind as the time it takes to remember there isn’t anything else I do better than write books. Writing is in my blood, and it’s something I’ve worked long and hard to accomplish. Moreover, it’s my dream job. Yet even a person’s dream career can twist you up in knots when the rough patches come. And they do. At the same time, dreams come true, and that’s one reality I hope I never forget.

When I was a teenager, my number fantasy was living in a big ole house or castle in England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales. My husband was an Earl, a Duke, a something-or-other-mucky-muck who was gorgeous as sin. I wrote novels and attended soirees and foxhunts and people raved about my stories. I hobnobbed with royalty and well…you get the picture. Nothing wrong with having a fantasy. That rich and varied fantasy life meant that in high school I did very well in creative writing classes and my fantastic teacher wrote in my yearbook that she was certain I’d be published one day.

What’s my point? Dreams come true. By 1996, I was married to the gorgeous-as-sin husband and living in a brick house in England writing books. I hadn’t hobnobbed with royalty, but I’d worn my fluffy hat and gloves at Ascot and seen royalty ride by in a carriage. I’d toured tons of castles and been thoroughly inspired by the atmosphere of Britain and Ireland.

Wow. Holy rusted metal Batman. My fairy tale fantasy had come true. How cool is that?

The realization that my dream had come true in all the important ways hit me when I was sitting in army temporary housing writing in jolly old England for the first time. A wave of incredible peak experience came over me. A peak experience is one of those moments where everything seems just right and the ecstasy of realizing everything is right fills your soul with happiness so profound you can’t describe it.

No, I wasn’t published yet, but I had the best of all worlds.

Now, twelve years later I live with the gorgeous husband in a house in Arizona, I’m a published author, and I get paid to use my imagination! How good is that?

So whenever I think, like Tess did, that I want to chuck in the writing towel, all I need to do is remember that my dream did come true…and that other dreams I have can and will come to fruition in the future. Here’s to writers like Tess with inspiring blogs. They can be lifesavers.

In celebration of dreams coming true, I’m offering a copy of my contemporary romance, MEANT TO BE, to one lucky winner I’ll pick from comments to this blog. Tell me where you get your inspiration. Where do you find those nuggets of wisdom that keep you going?

Today I decided that I’d do a Wednesday thirteen since I’m creatively sapped. I’ve spent the last two days working hard on two different books, and my brain sort of said, “time for a break, please.”

By the way…exciting news! For the next few months and into the future, I’ll have a guest blogger on occasion. Coming up are great authors such as Linnea Sinclair, Allyson James, Jennifer Dunne, Roz Denny Fox, and Bonnie Vanak.
In the meantime, here’s thirteen great reads I recommend. I hope you can get your hands on some of these, but a few are out of print. These books will always stay on my keeper shelf. I love these books that much.

As You Desire – Connie Brockway
My Dearest Enemy – Connie Brockway
Night In Eden – Candace Proctor
Lightning – Dean Koontz
The Good Guy – Dean Koontz

Draycott Abbey series – Christina Skye
Fugitive Lovers – Jennifer Dunne
Anything by Bonnie Vanak
Come Midnight- Suzanne Forster
Son of Morning – Linda Howard
Open Season – Linda Howard
Cover of Night – Linda Howard
Mr. Perfect – Linda Howard

Okay, this is more than thirteen, but I couldn’t resist adding some more by adding in whole series. Hope you’re able to read these fine books. Until next time, enjoy your week. ☺

Denise A. Agnew

Monday I went gangbusters on my lastest work in progress. It felt good.

Orgasmic.

Speaking of hot and sexy, I reached the critical “peak” where I want to write the first true love scene, where the hero and heroine make love for the first time. Up until this point these characters have tasted, touched, caressed, kissed, etc., etc. I’m a good portion through the book, and events within the story conspired against a full-on love scene any earlier. It never seemed right for them to head to the sack. Maybe it’s because they’ve had a ton of things to experience together. Plus she’s a virgin and in a historical context not as apt to bed down with the hero when she has extreme trust issues to overcome first.

It dawned on me Monday that this book had the least full on two backed beast love scenes I’d ever written. Since this is my first draft, that could change. Another part of me sat there and said it wouldn’t change. Why? Aren’t romance novels supposed to have quite a few love scenes? Well, that’s my erotic romance background calling. When switching to a hot but not erotic novel (when you’ve been writing erotic romance for quite a few years), the urge can hit to put in more sex even where the story might not need it. Then I reminded myself that this story has plenty of love in it and significant kisses and tender moments. Sexual tension is definitely there, yet it is different tension because the heroine is innocent but not, sheltered but knows about the birds and the bees. Deciding at what point and how this couple would come together for the first time didn’t turn out to be easy. They were too busy encountering significant drama, intrigue, and murder. But now I have them in a Roman Bath, ready to wash away the grime of the fight and hoping to ignite a spark that will steam up the computer screen and drive them right over into a climax so stunning my readers will thank me for waiting so long to bring them together!

Ah, was it good for you? Ahem.

Speaking of historicals, stop by my website at www.deniseagnew.com and check out that hot cover for BRIDGE THROUGH THE MIST, which comes out November 9 at Ellora’s Cave. I have an excerpt there as well. If your in the mood for sexy, check out another new feature on my website, the HOT ZONE HEROES section where you can learn more about the heroes in this series. If you’re in the mood, stop by the FREEBIES section of my website (this is new, too) and pick up some free short stories.

In the meantime, I’m going to look up some of my favorite romance/sexy movies like Shakespeare In Love and The Big Easy to stir up the ole inspiration.

The other day I found out I could buy the soundtrack to my A-number-one most favorite romance movie ever! Can’t buy the movie because it won’t play on my American DVD player. I’d need one that plays the Region 2 or whatever that is. Or do I have it backwards? Anyhoo, I’ve been wishing and wishing they’d put out a version of this romance movie that could buy. I’ve seen it exactly twice on TV several years apart.
What is my favorite romance movie of all time? It’s an Australia movie staring Hugh Jackman and is called Paperback Hero. It was made before pretty much anyone in the U.S. even knew Hugh Jackman. I love, love this romance because Hugh Jackman plays a trucker in Australia who is a closet romance writer. His love interest, who is really just his friend (yeah, right) is a crop duster. She’s a tomboy and is in a relationship with another man who she cares about. But through a series of interesting events the trucker and the crop duster discover they are in love. Love it!! Anyhooo, if you every get a chance to see this movie, please do. The ending scenes in this movie is enough to make you cheer and cry and drool. At least I did. So, with that in mind, here’s that list of favorite romance movies or movies with strong romantic elements…at least the ones I could think of, anyway.

Paperback Hero
The Very Thought of You
Ever After
Ladyhawke
Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day-Lewis version)
The Matchmaker
The Big Easy
Year of the Comet (another movie that isn’t in DVD)
Elizabethtown
Angel Eyes
Mrs. Winterbourne
IQ
Someone Like You
Dirty Dancing
Spiderman
Spiderman 2
Only You (Marisa Tomei version)
Pride and Prejudice (all the versions except for that black and white one where the people wore clothes from the wrong decade.)
Persuasion
The Mask of Zorro
Pirates of The Caribbean
Under The Tucson Sun
Bridget Jones’s Diary
You Got Mail
Underworld
Underworld: Evolution
Speed
Chain Reaction
King Kong (latest version)
The Cater Street Hangman

There are probably more I’m just not remember, but these are a few that stand out for me. Can you think of others not on this list that you love?

Just a few years ago, paranormal romance saw resurgence in popularity, but I’ve loved writing paranormal romance forever. The very mention of paranormal sends some romance readers into shudders of dread. If they don’t enjoy horror movies, they won’t pick up a book about a vampire or werewolf as a hero, or a man and woman as reincarnated lovers. While there’s nothing wrong with disliking paranormal romance, I often prefer my reading material with heavy doses of the nebulous to keep me wondering what ghoul will jump from the shadows. Worse yet, I enjoy concocting my own little shop of horrors…romance touched by the edge of darkness.

Okay. I’m a rare bird. A woman who enjoys the evil delight of watching The Exorcist alone. Well, I’m not the average girl next door.

Writing something that scares the reader’s pants off is my ultimate thrill. Why? Probably for the same reason any other writer must write what he or she loves. It is difficult for most writers of paranormal romance to pinpoint every facet of why they write romance with a twist. Perhaps it starts with what the writer experienced as a youth.

As a child, I loved to read Poe. My television preferences ran to Alfred Hitchcock, Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker and The Twilight Zone. Strange for a girl scared of so many things. While I appeared timid on the outside, my mind preferred a more adventurous realm. I could have the thrill without getting more than a chill, unlike the poor fools experiencing danger. Within the sphere of the paranormal is a belief that it can’t touch you if you caress it first. If you create the monster, you can control and kill the monster. If someone else writes the beast, then you’re in trouble.

Once I reached my teens, Gothic novels held my attention. From that point forward, I loved the combination of love and mystery and sometimes horror that these tales offered. Hence, my enjoyment of Dean Koontz, Stephen King and Anne Rice. These days I write stories that skirt the edge of gritty, nasty horror and the terrors of everyday life. I want my readers to fall in love and still be scared witless. I want pseudo reality to slither into the reader’s living room and bite them on the behind. As my audience, the reader should be gripped with a creeping sense of apprehension that gathers force until the frightful ending.

In my writing, I combat monsters. Monsters that have a form, no form, a name or no name. Most prominently they are ghosts or spirits, or an indefinable something that lurks just at the edge of the protagonist’s conscience…waiting to erupt onto the cinematic screen of my page. An awareness of danger, hiding or dormant but not dead, is enough to give anyone nightmares. If I can take that horror and attach it to the excitement, confusion, and heated sexuality of romance, then I have a story with beef. In my DEEP IS THE NIGHT vampire trilogy (Ellora’s Cave www.ellorascave.com), I made sure that vampires weren’t the only thing lurking in the night to scare the characters. I wanted a sense of dread, a fine edge of uncertainty in my fictional Colorado mountain town of Pine Forest. In a pure horror tale, I might let the protagonist be eaten by the monster. In paranormal romance, I want the hero and heroine to battle the monsters and still come out the victors. As a bonus, they find love with each other. Ahem…the hero and heroine…not the monsters. Love that can span the centuries, defy the space time continuum, or even the final shadow of death is love going the extra mile. Think about it. A romance story without barriers isn’t very exciting. Throw in some major conflict and the hero and heroine have to resolve their problems to come together at the end. Toss in something otherworldly and they have more to fight and their love will becomes stronger.

In my Special Investigations Agency series at Ellora’s Cave (Ellora’s Cave www.ellorascave.com), the heroes and heroines battle weredemons, various odd monsters, werejaguars, and psychic threats.

In my November 9 time travel release BRIDGE THROUGH THE MIST (Ellora’s Cave www.ellorascave.com) the hero and heroine battle a baron who is not paranormal, but it is a paranormal event that will save them in the end. And their kick ass love, of course.

By letting myself experience the adrenaline of beating the evil, the ghost, or the monster, I have conquered. I have kicked the dragon’s butt, and I’m taking names. The icing on the cake is the love. Therefore, if you enjoy your romance with a paranormal twist, I suggest you stop by and check out my buffet of paranormal romance at www.deniseagnew.com. Will I continue to write paranormal when it is no longer the toast of the town? The answer is simple: I have to write it. I have no other choice. I have so many spooky stories running around in my head that if I don’t write them I will simply explode. And that’s a whole ‘nother horror story, indeed.

Questions: Do you love paranormal romance? What kind? Why?

The winner of last weeks download of LOVE FROM THE ASHES is Daun Ann!  Please email me at danovelist@cox.net to get your free download, Daun Ann.

I am woefully unprepared to blog today, I’ll admit it. I had one of those weeks so far where everything happens at once and there is a ton of stuff to do. Squeezing in writing, which should be first priority, ended up being low priority, and I hated that. Doctors appointments, appointment for the car, the washing machine needed an appointment, etc., etc.

Our blog yesterday dealt with new shows in the paranormal realm, and I admit I am hooked on quite a few of them.  It reminded me of a project I’m working on right nowl.  Two new programs, which I hope desperately they will not cancel are MOONLIGHT and JOURNEYMAN. Loved Kevin McKidd in ROME, who is now the main dude in JOURNEYMAN. Speaking of hunks, the topic of my blog today is actually HELP, I NEED TO FIND A HUNKY PICTURE FOR MY CHARACTERS. I was asking around looking for URLs to sites that might provide some intriguing pictures of guys who could be the characters in my HOT ZONE series (www.samhainpublishing.com). So this week my contest is for you to find some photos of hot guys and point me in the direction of where I might find the photos. I’ve heard of iStock and plan to go back there. In particular I am looking for photos of guys that actually have chest hair. Yep, that’s right. Not all of the pictures have to be of half naked guys you understand. AHEM. The person who finds me the best pictures will win a free download.

Until next time…enjoy your week!

Denise A. Agnew

You won’t believe where I got the idea for this blog. Yesterday the power went off in the afternoon and was out for some time. That doesn’t happen much in our neck of the woods, fortunately. I was right in the middle of working on my current project. I had to switch from my computer to my Alphasmart, which is battery powered. Good deal, since I most often use the AlphaSmart anyway for creating new work. Yet for the past two weeks, I’ve found myself using an ancient writing tool. Pen and paper! GASP. For some reason this story wanted to flow with pen and paper. Maybe because it’s set in ancient Rome? Could be.

Speaking of the dark ages…being old-fashioned in one respect, I don’t use my cell phone to stay connected to the world. My cell phone is for emergencies. Since I’m a full time writer most people find me at home most days anyway. I might have the answering machine on to avoid interruptions, but I always check the messages. Anyhoo, I ended up using my cell phone several times yesterday because the landline phone wouldn’t work, of course. It made me grateful for the technology, but also reminded me about way back in the day when there were no such things as cell phones. Perish the thought! Even worse, I remember rotary dial phones and when pulse operation phones first came into use. This got me to thinking that everything is transitory, including the lexicons and phrases that we bandy about all the time.

“Danger, danger Will Robinson!” Recall that phrase? Okay, perhaps not. If you’re as old as me you probably do, but plenty of younger people would look at me today and wrinkle up their nose in confusion. Is it a bad thing that they don’t recognize the phrase? Not necessarily. It all depends on what they grew up with and what exposure they had to the culture that came before them. Because my parents had me when they were in their forties, I was exposed to a generation of music, culture and history and phrases most people my age don’t always relate to unless they spent significant time with their grandparents. Using some phrases my grandparents used and therefore my parents used caused some people to look at me like I was a nut. A good example is, “Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your aunt.” I knew what that phrase meant. No one in high school did. I had to make sure I didn’t use any “uncool” words.

I am a fan of some 30’s and 40’s music, for example. ☺ I will admit when one teacher told me recently she had a whole classroom full of eighth graders who couldn’t name the century or decade of the American Civil War…well, okay…that was disturbing. But I digress.

Words are endlessly fascinating. Ever notice that people have an interesting saying these days? “Back in the day?” I catch myself saying it (just as I did earlier in this blog). I’ve been out of high school almost thirty years now (graduated in ‘80) so remembering phrases from way back in the day isn’t always easy. I remember groovy, but that wasn’t something people were saying so much any more when I was in high school.

What I find particularly amusing is teenagers running around wearing seventies style hair and clothes as if it were “cool baby” when some of it I didn’t like even though I lived through the seventies. I do have to admit that I like hip hugger pants (as they were called in the 70’s), bell bottoms (as they were called in the 70’s), and some of the men’s haircuts that are now back in style. About ten years back, I was watching a show on the E Channel and two hosts were “disrespecting” 80’s hair. I never disliked 80’s hair any more than any other time period. ☺ I wondered how long it would be before 70’s hair came back, and I figure 80’s hair will do the same in who knows how long. Speaking of words I don’t like, I have to admit that using the word “dissing” always sort of makes me twitch, and so does “disrespecting.” It’s a personal quirk that I find those words irritating, and I recognize that. ☺

Yesterday I whipped out two of my high school year books and enjoyed inspecting them. I recalled how my hair would never do that feathering back thing without using tons of hair spray, not to mention the fact my hair is fine and straight…uhhhhhh. So there were all those kids wearing feathered hair that looked like perfection and mine was always getting destroyed by the wind and refusing to curl. And I never got to wear low rise pants. Mom wouldn’t let me.

As a writer I pay attention to language and turns of phrase and find history fascinating in many respects. And when history returns, just as the 70’s have…I have to wonder how soon the 80’s will start to reappear. It’s like time travel, baby.

And now I wear my low rise pants and my feathered hair and fit right in, so I’m in the 70’s again. WINK.

What do you think about the passage of time, high school memories, turns of phrase, etc.?

This week, in celebration of my brand new release UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER (Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com), I’m giving one free download of LOVE FROM THE ASHES, my out of print historical set during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday during my blog. UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER, by the way, features a hero and heroine who return to their twentieth high school reunion. Check out the excerpt at my website at www.deniseagnew.com or at Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com.

Denise A. Agnew
Step off the edge…
Into dark, delicious adventure…