Brainstorming, and Laughing and Writing Oh My

Every year a group of romance writer friends and I rent a house by a lake and brainstorm books together. We help each other if we are stuck on a problem or come up with plot points that we wouldn’t think of on our own. When this started we would come up with ideas for 30 books, now we’re happy if we’ve managed to brainstorm 15. Sadly, or not, we are having too much fun to discuss just books. It is a time to get together and talk with authors who love to write, women who love romance and folks who can appreciate a good laugh. We came up with ideas for future westerns, erotica, light comedy and a whole lot more. I even left with a better idea of how to make my latest story work—thanks ladies. Of all my writer-friend get togethers, this is the one I look forward to the most. Things over heard at brainstorming you might ask—hey, why is that guy bathing in the lake, can sex robots be self-lubricating and what is dinosaur romance (yes, you read correctly, dinosaur romance)? If you write, or even if you don’t, I highly recommend getting away with friends to discuss the mysteries of the universe (and dinosaur sex).

Fashion Fashion Fashion

To look at me you wouldn’t know that I absolutely adore fashion.  Given my druthers, I’d go through life in sweatpants and an over-sized t-shirt. I won’t (and can’t) wear shoes that have more than a kitten heel and makeup is something I put on reluctantly once or twice a year.  But for all of this, I love fashion and all it has to offer to the senses. Back in the 80’s I lived for my copy of Seventeen Magazine. I need to find out what was in style this fall, even if I wasn’t planning on wearing it. Back in the 90’s I would not miss Style with Elsa Klensch on CNN even if you’d pay me, the catwalk was like catnip to me. Although those are no longer sources for my fashion addiction, I have found other means to keep me satisfied.

This week was New York Fashion Week and you can bet your sweet patootie I was sitting with Melissa Rivers and NeNe Leakes critiquing the fashion lines. Tonight the Emmy’s are on and no, I won’t be watching the show or even the red carpet. But come Monday night I’ll be glued to Fashion Police to see who wore what. It makes no sense and yet there you have it, a fashion victim who loves fashion more than just about anything.

Pretty Girl

 

The poem Pretty Girl by Semhar Tadesse is one of my very favorites. I found it years ago on YouTube, but it is a poem that can haunt you and today it had me thinking about heroines. One of the hot topics on romance blogs/forums is whether or not heroines in romances should be beautiful and perfect or should authors write books about regular girls.

I’m torn because I love a pure fantasy based romance with my perfect hero and heroine. But sometimes it is refreshing to read about a woman who is overweight or dealing with a physical issue that makes her less desirable in the dating/marriage market. Those stories need to be told too.  I believe that readers do want to read about someone they can relate to. And yet, we don’t give the “pretty girls” credit when we say that we can’t relate to them. As the poem above notes, beautiful women have their own trials and tribulations. And the sad part for me is that before hearing this poem, I had never considered what a burden beauty could be—I know, how naïve of me. So perhaps there need not be a debate between beautiful heroines and regular heroines. Maybe if authors reveal the plights of all these women, readers will be able to relate to the characters, whether they are pretty or not.

Summer Lovin'

Labor Day Weekend signals the end of summer, my absolute favorite season. Instead of lamenting its end, I thought I’d reflect on things that I loved about summer 2015. So in no specific order, here are four things that made me feel fabulous this summer.

v  Visiting family—My brother and his family live in Seattle, so I headed out west to walk the city, dine at the Space Needle and spend time with them in a great city.

v  Oktoberfest—I’d never gone before, and though I’m not a teetotaler, I rarely imbibe. And yet I had a great time hanging out with my honey, drinking some liquor and dancing to an 80’s cover band. Who knew German culture could be so fun?

v  Retirement party—I’d never been to one before, but I loved hanging with my work buds on a deck celebrating a friend’s new-found freedom

v  Discovering new and old authors—Tillie Cole and Lydia Michaels are my ones to watch now that I’ve sampled some of their work and really liked it. And I also rediscovered Kat Martin. I forgot how much I love old school late 80’s/early 90’s romances.

Here’s hoping that fall 2015 will be just as fun as the summer. So how was your summer? What things made you want to enjoy a never-ending summer?