Cat Friends vs. Dog Friends
- At May 06, 2013
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 0
Need a laugh today? I promise, this’ll do it.
Deadline Panic and the Dark Night of the Soul
- At May 01, 2013
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 3
I love playing with words. Except when I’m on deadline.
Then the fears begin to raise their ugly, chattering mugs:
“You can’t write. You’re a hack. You got lucky before. You’ll never do it again. If you can’t do it better – and you can’t – why bother? Plus, get a haircut! Oh, and you’re fat.”
Listening to Michael Hauge‘s workshop From Identity to Essence on my iPod last night (about the sixth time I’ve heard it now, you’d think I’d catch on wouldn’t ya?) gave me some more last-minute things to change/add/emphasize about the main characters in my current work-in-progress.
The one due… um… yesterday. (Don’t worry, I got an extension.)
It also gave me some fresh insight into my own fears. All of my writing contains some degree of truth and truth can be pretty freakin’ risky. So yeah, maybe this will be the book that proves me a failure. Maybe everyone will snicker at me behind my back. Maybe I’ll end up a WalMart greeter, after all.
Maybe that’s a risk I have to take because if I don’t, I’ll never get any closer to being the real person I am. To living my essence. My best, truest, self.
It’s funny, I’ve heard it said that the Dark Night of the Soul for characters generally rides in on the Dark Night for the writer. It seems you can’t write about character change and growth without taking just the tiniest peek into your own tortured psyche.
Oh man, talk about an occupational hazard.
So yeah, this is me. Living’ the dream. Dealing with exactly the problems I’ve always dreamed of having. I am lucky beyond measure that I get to explore the stuff that makes us human, take characters to the brink of despair and then lead them to their true selves. Every hero and heroine who becomes more, better, stronger than they thought they were, helps a tiny part of me become more, better, stronger.
All life is story, and all stories start with words. These are mine. Thanks for reading.
RT Book Reviews – the BIG TIMES!!
- At April 30, 2013
- By Roxanne Snopek
- In Roxanne Writes On
- 2
So I was eating my chicken a couple of nights ago, leafing through RT Book Reviews, the magazine for readers of commercial genre fiction. I’d gotten behind on industry reading because, well, I’ve got a book deadline, but I always get to RT eventually. I love to find out about new authors, new series, behind-the-scenes stuff and, of course, the reviews.
RT Book Reviews – formerly called Romantic Times, because it was the premier go-to place for romance reviews – now covers the gamut of commercial genre fiction: mystery, suspense, thrillers, mainstream fiction, paranormal, urban fantasy, erotica, young adult, inspirational, contemporary romance, historical romance and, of course, category romance – you know, those small series books by Harlequin.
There haven’t been a lot of Entangled books reviewed in RT Book Reviews yet – after all, Entangled is only about three years old now. A baby. A fetus, in publishing years. But they’ve begun popping up, particularly in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal, and I like to keep track of what my “sister” authors are doing.
Anyway.
I glance through the sections where I’ve seen Entangled authors reviewed. Mainsteam, nothing. Romantic Suspense, nope. Oh, here’s one! RT’s young adult section, TeenScene gave Cecily White’s PROPHECY GIRL four stars! I’ve heard great things about this Entangled Teen book. (And the editor, too!)
Moving on.
Nothing in Paranormal or Urban Fantasy.
I run my finger down the list in Contemporary Romance. Oh, two Entangled authors this this month, that’s good! Let’s see… Gina Gordon’s A TASTE OF TROUBLE, from the Entangled Edge imprint. Four stars again! Wow, it sounds like a great book. I’d really like to write for that imprint, too. (Mental note: download Gina’s book asap.)
Now… who’s the other Entangled author reviewed in RT this month… I run my finger further down the list…
wait…a…minute…
HOLD ON. THAT’S ME!!! That’s MY name! The reviewer calls His Reluctant Rancher an
“…emotional story…” and “… pure fun.”
I almost choked on my chicken. But let me assure you, I’d have died happy.