13/10/2005
Under the skin...
But before I get to that... such a lovely thing happened yesterday- well, several lovely things happened, so I'd better take them one at a time or we'll all get confused!
First of all, my ed' picked up yesterday's Blog. Having read what I had to say about our wonderful Art department at Harlequin she copied my Blog to them. I meant every word everyone, and thank you once again.
Then my dear friend, Anne Hampson mailed me from the Bahamas. I'm sure many of you will remember Anne's inspirational love stories- I, for one, grew up reading them, and buying in to Anne's philosophy that there's someone out there for everyone. (And if that someone bears any resemblance to one of Anne's heroes,well, we're all in for a treat!) Thank you again for all your wonderful books, Anne! They have brought so much happiness to so many people across the world.
BUT... and here's the really exciting news... Anne has branched out into 'Crime' - not literally, you understand... (I could do a play on words here, but it's a bit early in the morning!) Suffice it to say that Anne's new novel is available now through all the usual sources, and it's called, The Dead Can't Kill
As if that's not enough, Anne has a second crime novel waiting in the wings, called, A Baby Dies
Now back to where I started... getting under the skin of my novels.
I get to this point- around half way through where I know my characters inside and out, even though they can still surprise me...
But when I started off they were just walking towards me out of the shadows and now I'm shining a spotlight on them.
So... I go back through the first hundred pages to make sure I haven't missed anything, and that I am showing you why my heroine wants to bang a saucepan on that man's head! Or why, in the alpha's case, he is holding back on seduction, because horny though he is, he senses a vulnerability about the heroine that brings out his strong protector side.
I like to see them interacting with sexual tension running high, but with a little humour too to add some balance to the situation. When you read Virgin For Sale you'll see what I mean...
Lisa Bond has had a really bad start in life and because she is so defensive she sometimes takes herself a little too seriously. She needs a man who understands, and she finds one... a man who is shocked when he sees himself reflected in the woman with whom he is falling in love.
It's a long climb back to what most people consider to be a 'normal life' for both Lisa and Tino. Without humour and understanding they know they're doomed to be victims of the past. They try so hard to get things right, but for Lisa in particular, the harder she tries the more she gets wrong!
(Can you tell I just love that book?!)
Anyway, now I'm at the scary part of the book I'm writing at the moment-set in the desert, complete with a sheikh- (langorous sigh... winsome smile) (YOU STAND NO CHANCE, SUSAN! YOUR HEROINE IS TWENTY YEARS OLD. GET REAL, GAL'!) and must get back to the writing cave, because with only a couple of weeks to go my daily word count is down to around a thousand words as I tweak and amend- and that isn't nearly enough!!
Undaunted, I am off tomorrow to see 'Steam Clean Val'' Plus my hairdresser's lovely wife should have had her baby since my last visit, making him a Daddy for the very first time...
Can't wait to get back to you with all the news!
Have a great day, girls!
Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan
First of all, my ed' picked up yesterday's Blog. Having read what I had to say about our wonderful Art department at Harlequin she copied my Blog to them. I meant every word everyone, and thank you once again.
Then my dear friend, Anne Hampson mailed me from the Bahamas. I'm sure many of you will remember Anne's inspirational love stories- I, for one, grew up reading them, and buying in to Anne's philosophy that there's someone out there for everyone. (And if that someone bears any resemblance to one of Anne's heroes,well, we're all in for a treat!) Thank you again for all your wonderful books, Anne! They have brought so much happiness to so many people across the world.
BUT... and here's the really exciting news... Anne has branched out into 'Crime' - not literally, you understand... (I could do a play on words here, but it's a bit early in the morning!) Suffice it to say that Anne's new novel is available now through all the usual sources, and it's called, The Dead Can't Kill
As if that's not enough, Anne has a second crime novel waiting in the wings, called, A Baby Dies
Now back to where I started... getting under the skin of my novels.
I get to this point- around half way through where I know my characters inside and out, even though they can still surprise me...
But when I started off they were just walking towards me out of the shadows and now I'm shining a spotlight on them.
So... I go back through the first hundred pages to make sure I haven't missed anything, and that I am showing you why my heroine wants to bang a saucepan on that man's head! Or why, in the alpha's case, he is holding back on seduction, because horny though he is, he senses a vulnerability about the heroine that brings out his strong protector side.
I like to see them interacting with sexual tension running high, but with a little humour too to add some balance to the situation. When you read Virgin For Sale you'll see what I mean...
Lisa Bond has had a really bad start in life and because she is so defensive she sometimes takes herself a little too seriously. She needs a man who understands, and she finds one... a man who is shocked when he sees himself reflected in the woman with whom he is falling in love.
It's a long climb back to what most people consider to be a 'normal life' for both Lisa and Tino. Without humour and understanding they know they're doomed to be victims of the past. They try so hard to get things right, but for Lisa in particular, the harder she tries the more she gets wrong!
(Can you tell I just love that book?!)
Anyway, now I'm at the scary part of the book I'm writing at the moment-set in the desert, complete with a sheikh- (langorous sigh... winsome smile) (YOU STAND NO CHANCE, SUSAN! YOUR HEROINE IS TWENTY YEARS OLD. GET REAL, GAL'!) and must get back to the writing cave, because with only a couple of weeks to go my daily word count is down to around a thousand words as I tweak and amend- and that isn't nearly enough!!
Undaunted, I am off tomorrow to see 'Steam Clean Val'' Plus my hairdresser's lovely wife should have had her baby since my last visit, making him a Daddy for the very first time...
Can't wait to get back to you with all the news!
Have a great day, girls!
Love to all, and happy reading everyone!
Susan
