Tessa Dare

Well, I returned from the wedding (um, a week ago, but who’s counting…)! My dareling made a precious flower girl, if I do say it myself. Actually, several other people said so, too! I’m glad she got to have the experience, and it was lovely to see all our family members.

As I look at my schedule for the next few months, I see it filling up with exciting travel and literary events and book signings. If you are anywhere near any of these events, I would love to meet you! Yes, you! (Okay, maybe not you, who stumbled onto this site while searching for topless pics of that Canadian ice dancer).

Saturday, April 10th - I will be appearing on a Romance panel and signing books at the Literary Orange event in Irvine, CA. This is an all-day event with panels, speakers, food, and book signings. The Romance panel will be moderated by Super Librarian Wendy and also features authors HelenKay Dimon and Linda Widsom. So, you could come to see me. Or you could come to see HelenKay and Linda and Wendy, or keynote speakers Dean Koontz and Karen Joy Fowler, and just pretend you also came to see me. Either way, it’s all good!

April 28-May 2nd - I’ll be in Columbus, Ohio for the RT Booklovers Convention. Woot! My first RT con. Time to see if all the rumors are true… I’m not on any panels or other official thingys, but I will be around all week and I’ll be signing at the Book Fair on Saturday, May 1st (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, I believe). The Book Fair is open to the public for a $5 admission at the door. And I will most definitely be attending the Reviewers’ Choice Awards ceremony, because Goddess of the Hunt is nominated for the Best First Historical category. So exciting!

July 28-31st - I’ll be in Nashville, Tennessee for the RWA National Convention. I’ll be participating in two panels, one on Librarian Day (the 28th) along with none other than… Super Librarian Wendy! (See Wendy’s post about it here. The two of us will also be seeing one another when she comes to visit my local chapter in May. I tell you, by August, me and Wendy are either going to be BFF, or not speaking. Or it may prove a tempestuous on-again/off-again affair. Time will tell…) The other panel I’m on hasn’t been officially scheduled yet. More info on that to come. And of course, I will once again be signing at the Readers for Life Literacy Autographing on July 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. The book signing is free and open to the public, if you’re anywhere in the area and want to drop by!

I’ll be flying out for Nashville on July 27th. That’s release day for Three Nights with a Scoundrel (my sixth novel in print) and two days before the one-year anniversary of my debut’s release (Goddess of the Hunt came out July 29, 2009). That is crrrrazy.

*carves sixth hashmark on the wall*

I am so happy to report, the manuscript of Three Nights with a Scoundrel is all turned in to my editor. There will be revisions and edits and page proofs to come, but I can say now that I have authored six books. Hooray! I am so thankful to the wonderful friends and critique partners who helped me through this last stretch, and through the whole trilogy. You know you are. I could not have done it without your support. Mwah.

Yesterday was a big release day–so many great books hit the shelves! But a special shout out to my pal Erica Ridley on her debut, Too Wicked to Kiss! I can’t wait to find it on the bookstore shelves and buy it for my very own. By the way, I’m giving away copies of Too Wicked to Kiss and Sara Lindsey’s Promise Me Always in my current contest.

This weekend, the dareling daughter and I are headed cross-country for a family wedding. She’s going to be the flower girl! Awwww. Her dress is so precious, and she is so excited. I’m so glad she’s getting the chance to do this before she grows too old. I never was a flower girl, myself.

So, any advice for mother or daughter from those who’ve done this before?

I don’t blog about the craft of writing all that often anymore. There are a few reasons for that. The first is that most days, actually practicing the craft of writing is just about all I can manage. Barely.

The second is that, the more books I’ve written, the less I feel I truly know. Paradoxically, it also seems like any advice I give should be actually useful advice–which kind of scares me, because I am not a teacher. Some people have a true gift for crystallizing points of craft and imparting them as useful nuggets to other writers. Sadly, I’m not one of them. Plotting systems, storyboards, character worksheets, articles that tout “The Four (or Five or Nine or Eighteen) Essential Elements to Story” just make me break out in hives. And when I say that, I don’t mean to disparage them. For writers whose brains are wired that way, I’m sure they are lovely, useful things. To me, it’s kind of like childbirth. I would not dare criticize a writer’s process, any more than I would criticize a woman’s decision to give birth in a swimming pool–whatever feels right for you and gets the baby (or book) out, it’s all good.

When discussing my reaction to storyboards, I have often joked that I am allergic to squares. It’s more like, I just don’t think about stories spatially. Doesn’t work for me. By the same token, I am very reluctant to put forth the way I write books as any kind of model–because what works for me might not work at all for others.

So, what am I getting at here?

Ah, yes. I’m here to expound on a point of craft. Hahahahaha.

Seriously, the other day I finally thought of something that I believe is actually, truly really good writing advice. And that is to read stories aloud. Preferably to an audience.

Before I had my own children and started writing seriously, I worked as a full-time librarian. And one of my librarian duties was children’s storytime. Yep, I got to be that one with the puppets and the flannelboard and lead the little cross-legged children in endless rounds of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear”. Tons of fun. It’s a great job.

It also was great preparation for writing stories of my own. I don’t think any writer would disagree with the statement that if you want to write stories, you should read as many of them as you can. The more stories you take in, the more you internalize that natural story structure (that then some clever people are able to break into five/nine/eighteen points). But the other day, as I was reading aloud to my eldest dareling from a children’s book, I realized that so much of what I’ve learned about pacing, humor, suspense, and the like, I learned by reading and telling stories to others. In particular, preschool children. Let me tell you, 3- and 4-year-olds are a tough crowd. When they are bored, you know it. If they don’t think it’s funny, they won’t laugh. But they are also free with their genuine, instantaneous reactions. They’re the furthest thing from jaded. If they’re amazed, they say, “Wow!” If they’re scared, they burrow closer. If they’re confused, they ask a million billion questions.

Now that I have my own kids, I have a captive audience. Muahaha. And now that they’re getting a little older, we sometimes read longer stories (“chapter books,” in kidspeak). Some of the books my daughter adores are mind-numbing for me (won’t name names), but we also find a good many books that entertain us both. Lately we’ve been reading through Edward Eager’s brilliant Half Magic, and let me tell you, reading that book aloud is the best writing class I’ve had in a long time.

When you read (or tell) stories to an audience, you become a key part of their delivery. It’s an entirely new experience–the difference between reading a play, and staging a production of it. You gain a sense for the rhythm of language. You can tell if the dialogue feels natural or not. You get a backstage view of the drama unfolding. You must make decisions about how fast or slow a passage should be read; whether it could be played for laughs; whether this is the moment to drop your voice to an ominous whisper and milk the moment for suspense…

And you also know when it’s just not working. That’s when you start to skim or skip pages.

Reading aloud gives me an appreciation for the author’s ability to set up expectations in the reader’s or listener’s mind. I love watching how s/he nurtures those expectations, then meets/twists/exceeds/fails them in the end. I have a true admiration for authors like Margaret Wise Brown, whose enchanting prose casts a perfect little spell over my children, because I am never tempted to reword for clarity or skip pages. Goodnight Moon is Goodnight Moon is Goodnight Moon. A perfect little gem of a book that needs no polish whatsoever. Only a voice to read it, and a hand to turn pages.

Anyway, my point of this blog post was just to say, I think I have stumbled on a bit of craft advice that I can feel reasonably secure in recommending to all aspiring authors as an activity of benefit. And it is this:

Find some kids and read aloud to them.

Have you read aloud any great books lately? Have any surefire points of craft advice?
(No squares, please!)

Many thanks to Janga for passing on the link to this site. Click on the picture to find other valentines from Poets.org.

Random thoughts this post inspired:

Must download the Poem Flow app to my iPhone.

I’m always drawn to poets who punctuate with exuberance and eccentricity. (My copy editor would be unsurprised to hear this, I’m sure.)

I think someday I’d like to write a poet heroine. I will have to make her a bad poet, though, or at best a middling one.

I wish you a day of romance!

The lovely readers at All About Romance have voted me “Best Debut Author of 2009″ in their annual reader poll. This is a truly thrilling honor to receive! I was also so excited to see that my good friend and critique partner, Courtney Milan, was awarded Best Short Story for her novella “This Wicked Gift” in The Heart of Christmas. Congratulations to all the winners. I am just delighted to be mentioned in such great company.

AAR is coincidentally having a Valentine’s Day giveaway featuring debut authors – my three books are in there, all signed, and so is Courtney’s amazing Proof By Seduction. Also in the prize basket are books by Lavinia Kent, Carrie Lofty, and Kaki Warner, plus a slew of other great prizes, including a $50 gift certificate to RedEnvelope.com. All you have to do to enter is visit the AAR blog and leave a comment about recent debuts you’ve enjoyed!

Go forth and win!

And the winners of copies of Sara Lindsey’s PROMISE ME TONIGHT, as determined by Random.org, are….

Emily (#6)
and
Willaful (#16)

Congratulations! Please use the contact form to send me your snail mail address. And if you didn’t win, be sure to enter my current “New Authors” contest–I’m giving away copies there, too!

Thanks to everyone for a great discussion of the Best Friend’s Little Sister trope. There were so many mentioned that I love (The Duke and I! sigh – Pleasure for Pleasure! yum) and several that were new to me, as well.

Today, I’m excited to go have lunch with some SoCal romance bloggers – assuming they brave the torrential rains for the drive to the OC. And then it’s back to the cave to finish up THREE NIGHTS WITH A SCOUNDREL, which is not a Best Friend’s Little Sister romance, but a Dead Best Friend’s Grieving TWIN Sister romance. Oh, the guilt and heartache and forbidden pleasure! I’m loving this book.

Happy Superbowl, everyone. I know the Saints are a sentimental favorite, but I have to stay true-blue to my home team, the Colts. I expect it’s going to be a great game!

Hope your weekend is drier than mine, and just as fun-filled.

If you’ve read Goddess of the Hunt, you already know that I find this an irresistible romantic trope: the poor guy who falls under the spell of his best friend’s little sister, all grown up. For years, she’s been nothing but a sister to him, or a friend–perhaps even an annoyance. And suddenly, Little Sis has grown into that awkward coltish frame, set aside her hoyden ways (well, in Lucy’s case – never!), and become a woman. So tempting, and yet so forbidden.

On her side, she’s been yearning for him for years (or, in Lucy’s case – that other guy he hangs out with), just hoping one day he’ll stop cavorting with a string of brainless beauties, put down the brandy flask, and notice her. She’s knows in her heart they’re meant to be, and in almost every case (ahem, Lucy once again being the exception. She’s incorrigible, what can I say?) the heroine’s proved right, and all her years of awkward teenage hoping are vindicated.

I never tire of this setup, in historical or contemporary romance. Some recent favorites have been Victoria Dahl’s Talk Me Down and Beverley Kendall’s debut, Sinful Surrender.

Today, a brand new take on this ever-popular theme hits the shelves: Promise Me Tonight, author Sara Lindsey’s utterly charming debut historical romance. Here’s the blurb:

Isabella is determined to marry James…

Isabella Weston has loved James Sheffield for as long as she can remember. Her come-out ball seems the perfect chance to make him see her in a new light.

James is determined never to marry…

James is stunned to find the impish girl he once knew has blossomed into a sensual goddess. And if he remembers his lessons, goddesses always spell trouble for mortal men.

A compromise is clearly necessary.

When Izzie kisses James, her artless ardor turns to a masterful seduction that drives him mad with desire. But, no stranger to heartbreak, James is determined never to love, and thus never to lose. Can Isabella convince him that a life without love might be the biggest loss of all?

I’ve been lucky enough to read this book in several incarnations from first draft to print, and I can tell you James and Izzie, and indeed the whole Weston family, are a complete delight. Sara Lindsey’s voice is humorous and sexy, her characters are completely endearing, and the tension between them is scorching. If you’re in need of a fun, funny, sexy, sweet read to brighten up your February, you couldn’t do better than Promise Me Tonight! Best of all, it is the first in a series – woohoo!

Are you a fan of the best friend’s little sister setup? What are your favorite examples? Leave a comment, and you could win a copy of Promise Me Tonight! Deadline is midnight Friday, PST.

ETA: Courtney Milan is also giving away copies here!

In my own little bubble, anyway. Of course, the past week has seen horrific news on the global scale, and my thoughts and heart are with the people of Haiti as they continue to suffer the aftereffects of the catastrophic earthquake. But in times like these, it is some comfort to find small reasons to celebrate.

Last weekend, I was invited to speak at the San Diego chapter of Romance Writers of America. I jumped at the chance, seeing as I love RWA and I love San Diego! We rounded up the darelings and made a weekend out of it. I had a wonderful time meeting the chapter members and chatting with the industry professionals in attendance. My speech is sort of a smudge in my memory now, but I think it went okay. I told a lot of embarrassing stories. Anyway, I want to say a big thank you to the members of the RWASD chapter, for making me feel so welcome. I had a great day.

Second, I came home to find some truly thrilling news on the Internet. My debut, Goddess of the Hunt, was shortlisted on the American Library Association’s 2010 Reading List, which is put together by the RUSA division of ALA to recognize “outstanding genre literature.” This thrilled me for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, because I’m a librarian myself, so any recognition coming from librarians is extra-special to me. Second, because – zomg, did you see that shortlist? My name is there alongside those of Julia Quinn, Nora Roberts, Lauren Willig, and Anthony Strong. How unbelievable is that? Pinch me, and hard.

Lastly, I just received word today that Goddess of the Hunt has been licensed for Turkish translation by publisher Pegasus Yayinlari. Sooo very cool! For anyone interested in the rundown of coming translations:
Goddess of the Hunt will be forthcoming in Japanese, German, Slovak, Thai, and Turkish
Surrender of a Siren and A Lady of Persuasion have thus far been licensed for German, Slovak, and Thai editions.
I owe many, many thanks to the wonderful rights managers at Random House.

I hope good news has been happening to you! I look forward to the good news that my latest manuscript is finished – but that will not happen unless I go work. Like, now.

As I write this, I’m in the lovely (well, rainy and cold…but to me, it is lovely!) Pacific Northwest with my dear friends and critique partners, Courtney Milan and Carey Baldwin. We’re celebrating the release of Courtney’s amazing book (see previous post) and eating great food and enjoying wonderful conversation. Today we’re actually going to write!

I decided to keep the New Year’s Resolutions low-key this year. My contractual obligations are enough to keep me busy without added unrealistic goals to the mix! I think my only resolution for 2010 will be: take my vitamins. I always forget.

Whether your corner of the world is rainy, sunny, snowy, or scorching hot – I hope you’re kicking off 2010 in grand style!

So, I have this friend. A brilliant friend. And she wrote this book. A brilliant book. It officially releases January 1st, but you’ll probably start finding it in stores any day now.

My friend’s name is Courtney Milan, and her debut historical romance is Proof by Seduction.

When Courtney and I met over three years ago, neither of us had ever written a full novel. We started working with another friend, Carey Baldwin, who had a full draft under her belt and a few more clues than we did, and together the three of us worked our butts off to figure out this romance-writing thing.

I still remember the day Courtney sent me the first draft of her first scene with Proof’s heroine, Jenny Keeble. Jenny just leapt off the page with intelligence and secrets and desires and delicious potential, and I did a little dance in my chair because I just knew Jenny would be the star of Courtney’s dazzling debut. And here she is!

Of course, by now, a lot of other people have figured out how brilliant Courtney and her book are, so don’t take my word for it! Here’s what the early reviews are saying:

“Historical romance fans will celebrate Milan’s powerhouse debut, which comes with a full complement of humor, characterization, plot and sheer gutsiness.”

—starred review, Publisher’s Weekly

“A dazzling debut by a multitalented author… Milan steams up the pages while drawing readers into an emotionally powerful relationship centering on the true meaning of love. Completely satisfying, this is a book meant for all time.”

—4½ star review, TOP Pick! RT Book Reviews

(To read yet more praise and an excerpt, check out Courtney’s website.)

To mark the release of this amazing book, today (Monday) we’re kicking off a Twitter countdown to the official release day. It’s the 12 Days of Proof!  If you’re on Twitter, join the fun by following me at @tessadare, or the #12pbs tag. For each of the twelve days, we’ll be tweeting a twist on the classic Christmas song, inspired by Courtney’s book. The…verses?…are the collaborative creation of Courtney’s most devoted fan base, the Bonbons/Vanettes.

AND, on each of the 12 days, we’re giving away at least one autographed book. Authors who’ve graciously donated their books include Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, Anna Campbell, Sherry Thomas, Elizabeth Hoyt, Sara Lindsey, Julie Anne Long, Carolyn Jewel, Victoria Dahl, Jennifer Haymore, Zoe Archer, and of course Courtney Milan herself and yours truly, Tessa Dare. We’re all fans of Courtney!

To enter each day, just follow @courtneymilan and use the #12pbs hashtag in a tweet—either by RTing our 12 Days tweets, or by using the hashtag to do your own gushing, yearning, posting of book-spotting photos, etc. Winners will be picked at random from the #12pbs twitter stream. The entry period for each day will run from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM EST, and I will do my best to announce winners promptly after close of each day, but it being the holidays and all, please forgive minor delays. Winners will be asked to DM their snail addresses.

On the 12th day, Carey Baldwin and I will be in Courtney’s hometown to celebrate her official release day! We’ll be heading around to different bookstores, spotting and signing stock, and we’ll give away copies of PROOF all day long.

If you’re not on Twitter and want a chance to win PROOF and two other great debuts (or even if you are on Twitter and want to hedge your bets), enter my monthly website contest!

Thanks for playing along!  However you celebrate the holidays, I hope you find the time to give yourself the gift of reading!