Tessa Dare

Lately, CM’s been blogging about DH Lawrence.

Today, I’m writing the chapter where my GOB heroine goes out to sea for the first time in her life. And I have this poem running through my mind. Although it’s from a different era and place entirely, the sensation it describes is universal.

By Emily Dickinson:

Exultation is the going
Of an inland soul to sea,
Past the houses — past the headlands –
Into deep Eternity –

Bred as we, among the mountains,
Can the sailor understand
The divine intoxication
Of the first league out from land?

Are you inspired by poetry? Care to share some?

One reason it’s taking me forever to get really rolling on Goddess of Beauty is the amount of research I’ve had to do. Egads, have I done research. I chose the plot and setting of Goddess of the Hunt (comedy of manners at a Regency house party) partly because I wanted a story I could write quickly, without getting bogged down in research.

Well, now I am bogged, mired, and drowning in research – on topics from the history of pigments, to the British anti-slavery movement, to sailing terminology, to the physiology of colorblindness, to exactly which paintings were exhibited by JMW Turner at the Royal Academy from 1815-1820. It’s tremendous fun, and GOB will be a much richer book for it, but it’s time-consuming.

But mostly I’ve been reading first-hand accounts of transatlantic voyages during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. Most of these are written by men. They write about storms, and the birds and fishes they see, and the birds and fishes they see killed and eaten, and any skirmishes amongst passengers or the crew – all very useful information, but rather lacking for my purposes.

And then, I finally found an account penned by a woman: Journal of a Lady of Quality;
Being the Narrative of a Journey from Scotland to the West Indies,
North Carolina, and Portugal, in the Years 1774 to 1776, by Janet Schaw.

What a revelation! Ms. Schaw – bless her! – writes not only beautifully, but she writes about all those little details the men’s accounts are lacking. What they wore, what they ate, how they passed the time, how they bathed. And, not surprisingly, she writes about romance:

Could love be quenched like common fire, surely not a single spark would have remained aboard the Jamaica Packet, yet if we may believe the word of an Abigail, this is far from being the case, and the little deity finds as good sport in shooting our sea gulls as your land pigeons. If I am not mistaken Mrs Mary has herself got a scratch, tho’ she was a very prude at land. Love is not a passion (says a philosophic friend of mine) but inspired from situation.

How then can the poor maid be blamed, there are two or three handsome fellows aboard, on one of whom I suspect she has Cast the eye of affection. He is no Joseph, I dare say, and as Mary keeps the keys, I make no doubt she will be successful. It is wonderful how this gentle passion has sweetened her temper, and we think ourselves much obliged to David, for so he is called, for her good humour.

…

We were all like to be overset, with our new friend Davy this morning. Scandal, that sad amphibious monster, that can thrive both by land and water, has given much disturbance to poor Mary, who entered the Cabin this morning all in a flutter. “Dear Ladies,” cried she, “what do you think; to be sure ’tis no wonder we had such storms; for a judgment must follow such doings, to be sure I make no doubt we will all be cast away.” “Pray, Mrs Miller,” said I, “what’s the matter?” “I intend to tell,” said she, “but who would ever have thought it, that handsome man. But now I think he is not handsome a bit, for handsome is, that handsome does.” She run on a great while longer, but to relieve you sooner than she did me, I will tell you that she had been informed he had another fair one on Board, to whom he paid more attention than to her, and to add to the injury, the very wine which she gave him, had been converted to the use of this favourite Sultana. He has contrived to make up matters, and she now says that if there were not bad women, there would be no bad men. ‘Tis a constant maxim with us always to throw the blame on our own sex, when a favourite Lover is unfaithful, we never fail to discover he has been taken in by art to deceive us.

*shakes head* Mary, Mary, Mary. He’s just not that into you.

What about you? What kind of research have you been doing? Found any interesting primary sources penned by members of the fairer sex?

So I finally downloaded a few pictures I took during my day at Avon. Just had to share this one.

Congratulations to Beth! Beth, you’ve won some great stuff – just email me your snail mail address.

Thanks so much to all of you who’ve hung out with me all week. It’s been so much fun, and a great way to prolong the high from my trip. I wish I had a prize for every one of you.

Aside from that great day at Avon, the best thing about my trip was just feeling like a writer in New York – sitting in the cafe of the hotel, scribbling outlines in my notebook for Goddess of Beauty, and knowing that, published or not … by vocation, I’m a writer! I couldn’t say that about myself six months ago, but now – when someone I meet asks me what I do, I tell them I’m a writer. It’s a lifelong dream for me to be able to say that and mean it. And it wouldn’t have been possible without FanLit, and without all of you. So thank you, so much.

What about you? When people ask what you do, do you tell them about your writing?

And now, it’s time for me to knuckle down and start working on my next book. Between the trip and the queries and submissions I’ve been sending out for GOTH, I’ve gotten nothing done on it, and I’m itching to start.

A while back, I asked you for celebrity inspiration for my new hero and heroine. Here’s what I’m working off of now for the hero. Looks-wise – a scruffy Hugh Jackman – oh, yum. (Did I mention this book takes place at sea, and people spend a lot of time wet?) I picked Hugh as inspiration, because … well, doesn’t the picture say it all?

But also because he makes such a nice matched set with the inspiration for Gray’s half-brother, Josiah (Joss). Yep, that’s Andrew Dan Jumbo from While You Were Out, and yep, Gray’s half-brother is half black.

But Gray’s personality has a healthy dose of Lost’s Sawyer.

And thanks to Lindsey’s suggestion, I’m working off this lovely picture for my heroine. That’s Christina Cole, most recently seen in the BBC’s production of Jane Eyre.

I’m posting them here for my inspiration and hopefully your enjoyment! This book will be sooooo much fun to write.

Congrats to Cynthia Falcon, Thursday’s winner! Email me with your snail mail addy, and I’ll give you a list of books to choose from.

Ms. Eloisa James took me for tea and scones at the beginning of the day, and she was kind enough to ask about my book. I’d never tried to pitch my book before, and let’s just say – that fact was obvious. I rambled, I hedged, I wanted to stick a coffee stirrer in my eye. But she listened very patiently and then gave me tips on how to pitch it right. Here’s some of her advice:

If you’re pitching to an editor, know the house’s line and how your book would fit in. In my case, since I have a light, humorous Regency I’m trying to sell to Avon, EJ said I should come out and say, “This is a light, humorous Regency, along the lines of Eloisa James and Julia Quinn’s books.” Okay, so just typing that sentence verges on blasphemy, but really – she said to say it. The reason is, publishing houses follow a pattern. Say a publisher brings out 10 books a month, and 3 are historicals. And of those, one is a darker Regency, and one is a romp, and one is a non-Regency historical. They need to know how the book you’re pitching fits into the pattern.

Don’t be afraid to stereotype your characters. EJ kept trying to pin labels on my h/h. “So he’s a tortured alpha,” she’d say. Me: “Well … kinda…but sorta… not.” EJ: “So she’s TSTL?” Me: “God, no! She’s smart, she just … does stupid stuff sometimes.” We get so used to playing up what makes our characters unique – but either you’ve got to be able to communicate that in a few words, or you’ve got to just give them a convenient label, so the editor/agent can get a quick handle on the h/h dynamic.

Cover the major plot points. That sounds kinda obvious, I suppose, but I’m slow that way. Unlike a written blurb or “hook,” EJ said that in a pitch, the agent or editor wants to hear that you’ve got a complete story – beginning, middle, end. Don’t be afraid of labels here, either. She would say, “so it’s a forced marriage,” and I would say, “yeah, but they’re not really forced.” But in a pitch, quibbling like that wastes time. There’s nothing wrong with saying it’s a forced marriage. A forced marriage is a tried-and-true plot device for a reason. Oh, and mention when and why they have sex. Sex counts as a major plot point.

At the end of my day at Avon, there was another ‘tea party,’ where all the people I’d met throughout the day came together to chat over lovely snacks. By this point, we were mostly just talking about life and kids and current events, but I was able to get answers to a few more questions you’d asked:

How long does it take for a book to come out, from the time it’s contracted?
Anywhere from 9 to 18 months, depending on how it fits into the schedule.

What’s a typical print run for a debut author?
30,000 copies.

Did I miss any questions? I tried my best to remember and ask them all. The people at Avon and HarperCollins were wonderful to me, and I can’t thank them enough. Nor can I say enough great things about Ms. Eloisa James. Please run out on June 1st and buy Desperate Duchesses – you’ll have to, because I’m not giving up my signed ARC!

But I do still have some stuff left to give away – Winner today gets a hat and two books, TBA. Just leave a comment – practice describing your main characters in three words or less. If you’re not writing, use an H&H from your favorite book. My example? Hmmm. Lucy is a stubborn, reckless hoyden. Jeremy is an intense, haunted alpha.

I’ve had so much fun blogging about my trip with all of you. Thanks so much for hanging out with me all week! I’ll post today’s winner tomorrow, but then I’ll take a few days off and come back next Tuesday. I’ve decided to have a weekly “TMI Tuesday.” Next week’s topic? Kissing technique – the good, the bad, the sloppy. I ‘m on a mission to make the kisses in my next book rockin’ hot – so come back next Tuesday to swap some spit!

Please excuse tardiness of this post and lack of cute pictures. Every member of the Dare household has succumbed to a yucky cold.

But congratulations to Christina, yesterday’s winner! Yay! Email me with your snail mail address, please.

So after my lunch at Saks, we returned to HarperCollins HQ, and I was introduced to Carolyn Pittis, Senior VP of Global Marketing Strategy and Operations (yeah, she had a nice office!) Carolyn talked to me about FanLit as a marketing tool – what they hoped to gain from the program, how the results matched their expectations, and what they have in mind for next time.

One in two paperbacks sold in the U.S. is a romance novel – as we all know, it’s a huge market. Through FanLit, Avon/HarperCollins wanted to reach out to romance readers and aspiring authors and create a community that allowed us, the end users, to feel connected to each other and the people who create the books (authors, editors, etc.). We all know that goal was achieved! Sites like Fanlit Forever and Romance Vagabonds and all our individual blogs bear witness to FanLit’s enduring esprit de corps.

It was really interesting to hear Carolyn talk about the HarperTeen event that followed the Avon FanLit, and how the two groups compared. HarperTeen drew more participants initially, but evidently teens are more fickle than we (ahem) more mature romance readers. Their participation dropped off sharply each week, and their individual visits to the site were in-and-out, while (to paraphrase Carolyn’s words) we Fanlitters “were on there all the time!” (My response: Um, you tracked that? Okay, I can explain. I was nursing an infant. That’s why I was up on the computer at 4 AM and all strange hours of the night. It wasn’t because I was addicted to FanLit or anything, you know. *g*)

She asked me how I found out about FanLit (the WSJ article), and what it has meant to me as a writer (uh, everything!). She also wanted my suggestions on how they could reach more people next time. She asked which Internet sites I use frequently, which media outlets I’m tuned into, where else they might place advertising … and by this point in the day, my brain was into overload, and my responses were, shall we say, less than inspired. But she gave me her card and told me to email her if I have any further ideas.

So, give me your ideas, so I can email her and redeem myself. Here’s your chance to talk back about FanLit and be heard.

Six months later, what are your lingering impressions of the FanLit experience? How could the next FanLit reach a wider audience? Where would you advertise or place press releases, if you were Carolyn? How could they build an even stronger spirit of community between the readers, writers, authors, and editors?

One commenter wins a prize package of one ARC, one book, (in both cases, I’ll give the winner a choice of what I’ve got left) and a blank journal.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk tea – my day ended with tea and cookies with everybody at Avon, and it began with tea with Ms. Eloisa. I’ll share Ms. Eloisa’s tips on pitching, and the answers to more questions you gave me about the publishing process.

I have a mini-blog today on the official FanLit site. I’d be much obliged if you have time to come over and say ‘hi’ there, too – so I don’t feel lonely! You have to sign into the site to comment, but maybe some of you remember your passwords?

The link

Congrats to Leigh, yesterday’s winner! Please email me with your snail mail address, and to choose your extra book.

I had the great pleasure of having lunch at Saks with Avon editors Tessa Woodward and Esi Sogah. Tessa and Esi are good people to know. Not just because they’re fun, smart, sassy women, but because they read ALL the queries that come to Avon. That’s right – ALL the queries. They take turns – one week, Tessa will read them, and the next week, it will be Esi’s turn. Most of the questions people gave me beforehand had to do with queries and submissions, and Tessa and Esi were happy to dish. Here’s a primer on how NOT to query Avon:

Don’t describe your book in vague terms. (“It’s a thrilling story of love and adventure!”) Be specific about what sets your plot apart and makes your characters unique.

Don’t spend five paragraphs talking about yourself and one paragraph describing your book.

If you get a form letter rejection, don’t write back and accuse them of not reading your query. They read every query. Every. Query.

If you get rejected, don’t write back and tell them they clearly have no taste in books.

Don’t resubmit the same query the next week. They do talk amongst themselves, and they do remember.

Don’t resend the same query addressed to a different editor. As I said, in any given week, they all go to one person.

If you’re asked to submit a partial, don’t obsess about fonts, font size, margins. So long as it’s professional-looking and legible, they don’t really care whether you use Courier 12 or TNR 14 or whathaveyou.

If, after submitting, you discover a tiny typo on page 34 of your partial – don’t write the editor a letter to ‘correct’ it. A few typos aren’t going to make or break your submission. A query riddled with typos doesn’t sit well with them, but if you misspell “the” as “teh” once, it’s no big deal.

If your submission isn’t accepted, don’t give up. Esi said there was an author who submitted two or three manuscripts – she liked the writing, but the projects just weren’t right for Avon. When she needed to fill a spot in an anthology, however, she remembered that writer and gave her a call.

I also asked about trends in romance. Esi said paranormal doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. She said that in historicals, there seems to be a trend toward more heroes and heroines who are “commoners” rather than the ubiquitous lords and ladies. That will be welcome news to several of you, I think!

Lastly, I asked them, “What makes a submission really stand out?”

Their oh-so-specific answer?

“If it’s good.”

So there you go. Write a good book. Then write a good query. Don’t act like a paranoid fruitcake. Hope that helps! *wink*

Oh, and then we talked titles. Evidently, an author has about as much chance of choosing her book’s title as I have of fitting into Audrey Hepburn’s capris. The editors have meetings to bandy around title possibilities. Tessa and Esi’s latest favorite? The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell. Because who wouldn’t be intrigued by that title? A secret passion – yum!

So leave me a comment – your favorite title, perhaps? Or maybe you have another question about submissions I didn’t answer – chances are we might have covered it, and I’ve forgotten to write it here. One commenter will win a copy of The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell, a stylish Avon baseball cap, and – in honor of my 5th Avenue luncheon – a copy of This Little Piggy Went To Prada.

Tomorrow I’ll talk about my conversation with Carolyn Pittis, the marketing brains behind the FanLit competition. She wanted my feedback about the contest, and I want yours!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday! I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. Congrats to Kelly Rardon, winner of the Caskie ARC, tote, and book of her choice! (Email me, Kelly, and I’ll let you know your choices.)

So after that fascinating introduction to cover art, I visited the Publicity department. Pam Spengler-Jaffee and Shari Newman invited me in, loaded me up with goodies, and gave me great tips about how an author should promote herself and her books. These bright (and yes, nice!) ladies might publicize 20-30 books a month, sending out press releases and review copies. So authors need to be on the ball to promote themselves and their releases, too.

A few highlights:

*A major theme was that authors need to nurture their own readership by reaching out to readers and keeping open lines of communication with them. Networking with other authors, reviewers, editors, and other people in publishing is also important.

*To that end, websites, blogs, and email lists are essential. And Pam says authors should keep them interesting and current. Run contests, review books, host forums or chat, send out e-newsletters, etc. Pam talked about how this helps keep readers interested in the gap between book release dates.

*Authors should cultivate close relationships with their local booksellers, especially any romance specialists, and offer to do events and booksignings.

*Authors should also be aware of their local media, especially human-interest columnists and book reviewers for the local paper. We might be aware of media outlets that would be beneath the NYC radar, but still reach lots of potential readers.

*Pam advised aspiring authors to attend conferences like RWA to network and attend workshops on promotion, especially those presented by bookstore marketing specialists. She also advised just hanging out in the bar and talking to people – she once ended up buying Nora Roberts pizza that way, and hearing all about her home remodeling projects!

*Lastly, authors should look for any unique “hook” that could give them or their book extra publicity – in print, online, or with special-interest groups. Does your book feature a knitting-store owner? Talk to knitting groups. Write an article for a crafters’ magazine. Perhaps you have an interesting personal story, career, or hobby that can get you noticed. Eloisa James has a million hooks – she’s a Shakespeare prof moonlighting as a romance author, married to a real-life Italian knight, who wrote and performed a country song in Nashville! Lots of story potential there. Suzanne Enoch was once featured in an E! special for her enormous collection of Star Wars memorabilia.

So here’s your challenge today – come up with a unique hook for yourself or your WIP that might get you exposure in an unexpected media outlet. Goddess of the Hunt has all sorts of potential. Perhaps I could get featured on one of those ESPN13 fly-fishing programs! I keep hearing Hugh Grant in Notting Hill … “The readers of Horse and Hound will be delighted.”

One lucky commenter will win an ARC of Cait London’s At The Edge, a leopard-print journal with the FanLit logo, and another new release of her choosing! Come back tomorrow to hear me dish about lunch at Saks with Tessa Woodward and Esi Sogah – from their pet peeves about queries to their favorite book title of the year.

My first stop on my Grand Tour de Avon was the art department where all the HarperCollins mass-market paperback covers are created. My guide, Will, was awfully nice (get used to me saying everyone was nice, because everyone just was) and terribly cute. (I’m quite certain he would blush if he read that, which is why I wrote it.)

So Will began by showing me some of the original paintings used for Avon covers. From what I gather, the editorial team comes up with the initial ideas for the covers – they tell the art people roughly how the characters should look (hair and eye color) and be dressed, and if there are any key scenes that would make for a compelling cover. Although a lot of publishers are moving to computer-generated art, Avon still commissions actual paintings for most of their romance covers. They often start with a photo shoot, with models in period costume, and then they send the photos to the artist. I got to see some of the paintings up close (alas, not the models!), and they are beautiful. Some of the authors choose to buy the paintings after the covers are done – I can understand why!

I saw the original painting for the cover of Jenna Petersen’s Desire Never Dies. Interestingly, that painting featured quite a bit of heroic posterior that didn’t quite make it onto the cover! This led to an interesting conversation about the impact of Wal-Mart on cover art. Evidently, you can’t have too much nudity on a cover if you want Wal-Mart to sell the book – and Wal-Mart is a huge market for romance novels. So the art and editorial departments have to walk a fine line between making the cover sexy enough to sell and keeping it modest enough for the retailers.

Before a cover is sent to press, many people have to sign off on it – editor, author, agent, etc. The authors often have cover approval in their contracts, but Ms. Eloisa explained that there’s a lot of compromise involved. An author might have a certain style of cover in mind (tasteful arrangement of flowers and lace) and the publisher has an idea of what will sell (bare torso clinch). And of course, most authors want their books to sell. I think she said the cover for Taming of the Duke went through three versions, at least.

I asked Will how they decide which books get stepbacks, embossing, gold leaf, etc. It comes down to the size of the print run, he said. He told me that Tom, the department director, likes to come up with new ideas for cover art, and he showed me this amazing cover flat for Kathryn Caskie’s upcoming release, How to Engage an Earl. Isn’t it fab, this sexy tug-of-war that wraps around the book? I love how it tells you so much about the dynamic of the h/h relationship – plus, that guy is HAWT. That cover definitely engages my interest.

And – although the book doesn’t come out until July, I have an ARC that could be yours! Leave me a comment about cover art. What would you like to see on your own novel’s cover? What cover art draws your attention in the store? Any all-time favorite covers?

I’ll pick one commenter at random to win the ARC of How to Engage an Earl, a very stylish Avon tote bag, and another recent Avon or HarperCollins release (I’ll tell you what I’ve got, and you choose).

Tuesday I’ll blog about my visit with the publicity department. I got some great tips on what pubbed and aspiring authors can do to promote themselves and their books.