Slow start to December

I haven't gotten back to my NaNo novel yet. It's been over a week. I haven't even thought about it. I've been trying to catch up on email and blogs, but I've been a little slow at that. Plus, I have some stories I need to critique. Not how I imagined starting off December.

The reason for this is I've had some health issues come up. Hopefully it can all be helped by a regular dose of medication, but I'm still waiting on the test results. I'll be back to see my doctor on Monday.

I need to do up a will. Has anyone out there done theirs? I'm curious if it would be better to do it with a lawyer or do it myself. I don't think anyone would disrespect my wishes if it wasn't witnessed and signed by a lawyer, but if something happened to both my husband and I, I want the guardianship for my son very clear.

Wicked Wednesday - trends

Ignore the rumors that paranormal romance is a trend going out of style. It's far from the truth. If you research various publishers, sales are still going strong. This is not a genre that will be drowned in an oversaturated market.

Vampires are getting harder to sell. If you're writing a vampire story, you need to make it unique. There's certain series like Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books that are still going strong. A lot of readers have a particular image of vampires in their minds and it's hard to sell something new. I think vampire stories will always be popular, but right now, we're feeling a bit of fatigue. It will pass and something great will come along again to sweep us away.

Shifters - werewolves in particular - are in high demand. There's more room to play around with various animals, magic, and myth origins. The animal nature appeals to readers both in the paranormal and romance sides of this genre.

Ghosts/spirits are growing in popularity. It's another area of the paranormal where there is a lot of different superstitions and myths to use as inspiration. If you're trying to break into the market, this is a good way to go.

Yet, as always, it's the unique voices that publishers are looking for. Something that engages the reader in a way that most other books cannot. They want a strong hook to pull in readers. Don't be afraid to take that extra step over the line. If you think you shouldn't do something with you story, that it might sound ridiculous, go for it. Over the top can take you to publication. (Of course, get your critique partners' and beta readers' opinions first just to make sure it isn't completely silly!)

There will always be trends. Books will come and go. Yet paranormal romance is here to stay.

Do you think paranormal romance is a trend? What do you think is rising in popularity and what is falling?

Teaser Tuesday with Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

If you've never read any Tom Robbins, you're missing out on one of the funniest and most inventive writers today. This isn't romance, fantasy or science-fiction. It's satire and all of the above. It's hard to describe his style, but be prepared to have your mind blown if you pick up any book by Robbins.

 

Here's your teaser:

"Oh? You're personally acquainted with the gentleman?" Under the fingernails of his voice, there can be detected the green cheese of suspicion. (page 100)

NaNoWriMo 2011 Winner

Woo-hoo! I'm still doing a happy dance even after the NaNoWriMo word verification tool didn't match the word count my word processor - Open Office - told me. In fact, it was over 1100 word difference. I went to verify my win earlier tonight and it came up a few hundred words short. I have over 51300 words written. It was frustrating, but I wrote just over 200 words and it was enough. NaNo told me I wrote -1100 words today, but I still have my win.

I see a few other winners out there. Congratulations to you! The rest of you warriors, keep going. There's still a few days left of the month. Push yourself. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. I believe in you.

I hope to finish the novel in a few weeks. Before Christmas at the latest. Then I'll let it sit for a while. I have two other novels I want to go through more revisions and submit before I start any editing with my NaNo novel. Revise, revise, revise. That will be my motto for the next four or more months.

Sunday tidbits

Whew. Back from my long weekend away. I'm glad to be home. I like to travel, but I love my cozy house and comfy bed. I never sleep well in another bed. And traveling with a small child isn't fun. Thank goodness for chocolate. For me!

I haven't done any more writing yet. I haven't done any reading except a few magazine articles here and there. Here's a few things I picked up I thought I'd share with you.

I learned there are three types of YA books: YA (teens), Upper YA (late teens to early twenties), and New Adult (early twenties to twenty-five). The growth in the YA genre is phenomenal and not just amongst young people either. I know a lot of you write in this genre and that's great.

There's a genre called "Gentle Fiction." Usually set in small towns with strong bonds between family and neighbors. The plots center around home, family, and true love. All told in a heartwarming and sweet manner.

I discovered there's such a thing as a personal writing coach. Teacher? Critique partner? Cheerleader? Could be a good thing or could be a scam. Sort of like a life coach.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Happy American Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

I can't help but see that photo as a great prompt for a macabre short story!

Feel free to leave me a little teaser of the story you'd write to go with that photo.

Wicked Wednesday - holiday themed books

With the American Thanksgiving here and Christmas not too far away, I'm thinking about holiday themed books. Yes, there are holiday themed paranormal romances. The genre has not escaped that trend. Obviously the publishers believe readers want them when all the holiday themed books are released around this time of year.

I once thought the holiday themed books were silly. Having read a dozen or so, I like them a bit more. They can be a bit cheesy, but sometimes cheese is good. Sometimes you want your book to share in the Christmas warmth or Halloween chills.

Paranormal romance gives you a lot of freedom to choose different holidays and to create some of your own. Inspiration is all around you. Everyone has experiences from the holidays to put into their writing. Goodness knows that my holidays never go smoothly. There's always some drama or excitement.

The holidays evoke certain emotions in people. You can mirror that with your characters. It's a good way to get your readers to relate to your characters and draw them further into your story.

Do you like holiday themed books? If you do, what are some of your favorites?