Things I Love: January 2021

This year has been so difficult and finding joy has been a challenge, so here's some fun stuff that's made my life livable.

Books:

I've been reading more non-fiction than fiction this month.  It's something that tends to happen in waves, especially if I find something that intrigues me.  And these two books definitely got me thinking.

The Secret Poisoner: A Century of Murder by Linda Stratmann

I promise I haven't taken up a new hobby.  This book is all about the development of toxicology detection between 1800-1900.  It was a fascinating look at a variety of cases and trial and experimentation to reliably detect poison residue after death.  Two things I learned especially stuck with me.  One, pharmacists and grocers use to be able to dispense "quieteners" over the counter, an opium-based solution that was explicitly marketed as a way for wives to sedate their belligerent and abusive husbands.  Two, the number of doctors who suspected that their patients were being slowly poisoned and didn't say anything to the patients in question is appallingly high.

On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger

Guendelsberger went undercover at McDonalds, Convergys and Amazon and while I knew those companies didn't treat their employees well, I was shocked to learn how bad it actually is.  It was disheartening to learn how many of these corporations rely on high levels of turnover to keep salary costs down.  It starts with a historical look at Ford's assembly line, which paid far more than the standard day's wage but was considered de-humanizing and discouraging.

TV Shows:

Sleepy Hollow.  I started rewatching this a few weeks ago.  The story-telling is a little uneven but the chemistry between Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie is amazing.  I'll admit that the first time I watched the show, I was hoping that they would develop a romantic relationship.  But on this watch, I'm really appreciating the depiction of a strong friendship between a man and woman.  I like fish out of water stories so I enjoy watching Ichabod's reaction to modern society.

Star Trek: Discovery, season 3 (spoilers).  I love Star Trek and I've always thought that the series worked best when it was looking forward, so I'm very much enjoying the season 3 switch to 700 years in the future.  I love the new character, Booker, and his relationship with Michael.  And of course, my girl Tilly is having an awesome season.

All Rise.  I discovered this show last year and it's become a new favourite.  I enjoy legal dramas and was excited to see one from the judge's perspective.  The cast is amazing and the dialogue is witty.  The second season is set during the pandemic and I think the show has handled it rather well.

Fictional Crushes:

I'm still loyal to the Mandalorian and Ghost Rider, but I can't watch Sleepy Hollow without being reminded of how undeniably hot Tom Mison is, especially with long hair and the beard.  He's courteous and a gentleman, smart and loyal.  And the man can rock a frock coat.  I like how he respects his partner's expertise and skills, but is still protective of her.

I also had a refresher of another cinnamon roll hero, Aram from The Blacklist, played by Amir Arison.  He's kind and sweet, a man who sees the best in people.  Add in the fact that he's a passionate defender and protector, and he's just the kind of hero that I adore.

Songs:

I've been listening to my burlesque playlist a lot.  Most of the songs are from the movie Burlesque, but I added in some other classics like "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" and "Candyman."  I like the boldness and confidence of burlesque songs, but my favourites are the ones that include humour, like "A Guy What Takes His Time" and "I am a Good Girl."

Previous Things I Love (December)

Previous Post: Reclaiming My HEA: Finding My Courage

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Hidden Diamond: Royal Gems from Alyssa Cole

There are so many books out there that it can be hard for readers to find the books they would love to read.  For the last year and a half, I've been featuring many of my fellow romance authors from ORWA, Romancing the Capital, and Soul Mate Publishing.  With what's been happening with RWA this year, I've decided to do something different for 2020.

I want to share some of the amazing books that I've read by diverse authors, that feature diverse characters.  I'm beginning with one of my favourite reads from 2019: Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series.  She's an award-winning author who is certainly not hidden by any measure.  However, I love her writing and thought her books would be perfect to get 2020 started.

One of my favourite ways to discover new authors is to pick up books at random from my local library.  That's how I found Alyssa Cole's A Princess In Theory.  The concept fascinated me.  We've all seen the spam emails claiming to come from exiled princes who just need a little help from us, but what if one of those emails was the truth?  I discovered a delightful romantic comedy with a determined, intelligent heroine (Naledi) and a genuine prince for a hero (Thabiso).  If you like mistaken identity, arranged marriage, and friends to lovers books, then this is a great one.

Naledi is a grad student in New York.  She's always had to work twice as hard to be considered half as good.  When she gets an email claiming that she is the missing betrothed of Prince Thabiso of Thesolo, she dismisses it.  But it turns out to be quite real, and Thabiso gets the fairy tale started by coming to New York to find out why the woman he's been pledged to marry since they were both infants.  Instead, he finds himself assuming the role of her neighbour, living the ordinary life that has been out of his reach.  The two of them begin to fall in love, but it's all jeopardized when she realizes that he's been lying to her.

It turns out that Thabiso can help Naledi find many of the answers which were lost when her parents were killed and she was put into the foster system.  She connects with her family's history and culture, creating the sense of belonging she's been searching for.

Once I read it, I knew I would never be satisfied with a single reading, so I bought it and the rest of the series.  Alyssa Cole has a real talent for creating characters that not only feel real, but that make the reader wish they could go hang out with them.  (Or maybe that's just me.)  She also created a beautiful and rich culture for her fictional African country of Thesolo.

A Duke By Default gives us Portia, the heroine I most identified with.  She's smart, but that somehow never quite seems to translate into getting things right.  But she's determined to find her niche and prove herself.  She moves to Scotland to become an apprentice swordmaker, under the tutelage of Tavish McKenzie.  It's a scattered to success, enemies (to friends) to lovers story with a hot Scotsman who discovers he may be a Duke (and wants nothing to do with it). tes

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy is a lovely opposites attract, second-chance romance between Likotsi and Fabiola.  Likotsi is practical, organized and elegant while Fabiola is more free-spirited and impulsive.

A Prince On Paper is my favourite in the series because it deals with a topic that is near and dear to my heart, how we only know a small part of people's stories.  Sometimes what we see is a facade designed to protect and we never know what's in someone's history.  Playboy Johan and shy wallflower Nya have a wonderful fake romance that blossoms into something quite real.

If you're looking for modern fairytales that are sweet, sexy and full of clever dialogue and fascinating characters, then this is a wonderful series that I can't recommend enough.

Previous Hidden Diamond: Getting Steamy with Barbara Russell's Steampunk Romance

Previous Blog Post: Cavemen vs Astronauts: My previous Hidden Diamonds share their opinion on this tongue-in-cheek debate.

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Weekly Update: March 22 to 28

Weekly Word count: 7200

This week I've been going through the first half of Metamorphosis and removing my troublesome subplot and replacing it with a better one.  It's been a lot of rewriting but the story is much tighter and flows faster now.

I also got a great 5 paw review from Happy Tails and Tales.

I've discovered that I am not skilled at keeping track of all the various moving elements of review requests and guest posts, despite my attempts to keep it all nicely organized in a spreadsheet and a calendar.  Hopefully I can find a system which works for me and then get things running smoothly but for now, I'm trying not to beat myself up too much for my mistakes.

In a couple of weeks, the Ottawa Romance Writers' Association is having a workshop on virtual assistants and making the most of opportunities.  The idea of having someone keep track of such things for me is very attractive, but probably not affordable for at least another few years.  Opal Carew praises her assistant, Laurie, all the time, crediting Laurie for a significant portion of Opal's success.  With Laurie taking care of managing appointments, deadlines, requests and promotion opportunities, Opal has been able to concentrate on writing and publishes several books a year.

Weekly Update: March 8-14

Word count: 4400

Next week is March Break and I'm anticipating low productivity.  With the kids home, I want to spend some time with them having fun.  I figure I only have another few years before they would rather be ridiculed in public than hang out with their mom and I intend to take full advantage of them.

I've been fighting a bit with a subplot of Metamorphosis.  It seemed like a good idea at the time (and I think it is still a good idea) but it's not fitting with the rest of the story.  I'm having to force it in rather than letting things flow.  So I'm looking at how difficult it would be to cut it out.

I've reached the halfway point for my first draft of Metamorphosis, which puts me on target to have it ready for beta-readers for July. 

I got another positive review from Taking It One Book At A Time: 5 fangs.  Sales have been holding fairly steady and I don't think it's just my friends and family picking it up.

I'd like to plan another promotional campaign but I'm not quite sure what to do for it.  I'll have to chat with some of my published friends and get some ideas.

Weekly update: March 1-7

Word count: 6300

I'm pretty pleased with myself this week.  I had one of those golden writing days on Friday when everything just flows and managed to write over 3000 words in a few hours.  It was awesome, especially since the week was pretty disruptive and I thought I was going to have to post a failure to achieve my totals.

I also got my first independent review from Tome Tender and it was very encouraging.  It's quite exciting to realize that someone I don't know likes my story and thinks it's worth sharing.

I've also been getting excited about Romancing the Capital which will be my first conference as a published author.  There's an Alice in Wonderland theme dinner on Friday night, which I am almost obligated to attend.  I'm trying to decide if I have enough time to make myself a Red Queen costume.  (It'll mean driving for at least an hour to pick up fabric to make plus finding time to sew ... but it would be so much fun.  And an excuse to wear a tiara, which is always awesome.) 

October 19-25

Chapters edited: 24 (out of 35)
Days to deadline: 45

I'm feeling pretty good about how things are going.  I should finish up in plenty of time to be able to give myself a week or so after finishing the chapter edit before going back and doing a final polish before the line edit begins.

I'm starting to get my toes wet on promotion.  I sent an email to Sherrilyn Kenyon's assistant asking if she would be interested in looking at my novel and doing a promotional blurb.  I also looked up how to ask Jeaniene Frost, but all requests to her have to go through her agent and I'm having trouble finding an appropriate way to contact her.  I'm also considering asking Tanya Huff and Jenna Black.  Tanya Huff's books are really funny, but they tend to be lighter than Revelations and Jenna Black's books are more intense, so I'm not sure if they're good fits but I do really like their writing and I feel it is close.

This week, I need to get my IRS tax information started.  I also need to start assembling a list of book review sites and start asking if anyone is interested in doing an ARC (Advance Review Copy) review.

For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to meet up with a friend to get my Facebook site up and running properly.  But life keeps interfering.  For some reason, I just can't figure it out on my own.  I'm user-interface-challenged that way.

October 12 to 18

Weekly update:
Chapters revised: 17 (out of 35)
Days to deadline: 52

I'm starting to think I just might pull this off.  Which probably means disaster is about to strike.  But it's honestly going much easier than I was afraid it was going to.

I put Revelations aside to start on the sequel back at the end of July.  At the time, I knew I had some problems with the manuscript but I thought I had the best possible solutions to them.

After six weeks away, things seem much clearer.  It's easy to see that this scene which was causing me difficulty can just be cut.  Or that scene needs to be expanded. 

But I don't think it's just the time away.  I think it's also having the editor's notes.  I find it easy to get trapped inside my own head and expectations.  Having a different perspective on something makes it easier to see around my own blind spots.

Either way, I'm pleased.  The story is coming together better than I'd hoped.

A friend of mine challenged me to get off my butt and start contacting book review sites to see if any of them will review an Advance Review Copy.  Sadly, I have not lived up to the challenge as yet but I'm going to push myself to do it before another week is out.