Stop by Drollerie Press at 10 pm EST to chat! We usually talk about everything from zombies to Muppets to David Bowie and back again to zombies. Tonight someone will win a copy of Needles & Bones, the latest anthology.
Dear Sir, I’m Yours: Behind the Scenes with Color
“White is virginal innocence, which brings out all my wickedness and debauchery. To a man like me, it’s like waving the white flag of surrender. I see you pure and innocent in white and I can think of nothing else but all the ways I might be able to get that pretty white a bit dirty.” ~ Conn
Maybe it’s just me, but if an author mentions a specific detail about a character in the story, I (as a reader) want it to mean something. I don’t want to know about their favorite color, what books they read, where they work, etc. if it has no impact on WHO this character is. So maybe it’s a foible of mine to make color so important to a story.
I’ve always assigned meaning to color. I carefully select a color theme for each story BEFORE I begin writing. I have to have a matching notebook for the story. The pattern or color end up signaling to my brain which story I’m working on.
For example, there’s a reason the blog is mostly black: it’s in honor of Johnny Cash’s Man In Black. But it also stands for the darkness I typically include, whether shadows, old hurts, or dark emotions. I’ve always been intrigued with the Dark Side.
In Dear Sir, I’m Yours, colors take on some subtle meanings. Miss Belle could never have a parasol in any color other than pink. It would violate her character. Conn would never have a Mustang in any other color than black, and as you can see from the quote above, he loves to see Rae in white.
When I filled out the questionaire for the cover, I emphasized the importance of white and black. I never mentioned that Rae’s favorite color is cherry red. We went through a couple of different design ideas, and then Scott sent this one and I almost fell out of my chair. All that glorious red. I hadn’t asked for it, but it couldn’t have been any better for the story.
After all, this story is all about Rae. Her preferences, her fears, her desires. Conn would want her to have a red cover.
Dear Sir, I’m Yours Review
The first review is in! Soleil says:
Seriously, if there is a cover art fairy, she’s hoarding it. Or maybe just blessed by it. Hell, if I were a cover art fairy I’d hang around Joely too, she writes some of the most emotionally gut-wrenching stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
Dear Sir, I’m Yours is a red hot contemporary romance with depth and some wickedly awesome characters. Passionate does not even begin to describe it. You might want to have a fan near by for this one, or schedule in a cold shower afterwards.
You can read the whole review here.
*hoards cover art fairy*
Thanks to Scott for an incredible cover, and thank you to Soleil for a terrific review!
Dear Sir, I’m Yours: Behind the Story
When I write, every story ends up with a theme song, sometimes several. They help me set the story in my mind, and they definitely make it easier for me to switch mental gears from one story to another, especially when one is “red hot contemporary romance” and the other is “dark fantasy.” Some characters even end up with their own theme songs, or a particular song will help me write through the dark moment or climax of a story.
For Dear Sir, I’m Yours I had several theme songs on my playlist.
The first and main song is Austin by Blake Shelton. If you’re not familiar with the song, it’s about a woman who left about a year ago (without leaving her number), but decides to call her old boyfriend. She listens to this incredibly long voice message, and at the very end, he says “P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you.” She gives it a few days and calls him again, just to see if it was an old message he forgot about — because surely he couldn’t still love her, couldn’t still be waiting for her after all this time. She’d left him, with no number, certainly no promises that she’d ever come back. Sure enough, this is a new message, and at the very end, he says the same thing. I still love you.
That really really got to me. If Rae had ever picked up the phone and called Conn, whether a month or a year or several years later, he would have jumped in that Mustang and driven cross country to reach her. He still loved her that much. In Rae’s case, she’s been writing him constantly, all these years, even while married to another man. She loves him, but she can’t pick up the phone. Surely she couldn’t have loved him that much, just after one semester of poetry. Surely she hadn’t needed him that much. It had to be all in her head. But why can’t she stop writing him? Why does she still remember his office phone number; why does she still dream about calling him? (Hint: read the book to find out ha!)
Hello Darlin’ by Conway Twitty started on my playlist but then I quit needing to listen to it once Conn found his voice.
Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy by Big & Rich always gets my blood pumping to write a Connagher. (Dies, I almost typed “ride” a Connagher. Talk about a Freudian slip.)
Hell Yeah by Montgomery Gentry, another fun blood pumping country song. Yeah, I’m showing my country “hick” roots, aren’t I? Actually, this is the only book I’ve written to country music. It just fits the down-home atmosphere of Beulah Land and Conn’s Texan upbringing.
Finally, this might seem like an odd song choice, but Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood ended up on my playlist late in the game. I couldn’t figure out why. Conn certainly would never cheat on Rae or vice versa now that they were trying to “make things right”, but my gut insisted this song needed to be there. By the end (next to last chapter, I believe) you’ll see why my Muse insisted this song had to be on this playlist. Laughs. I was totally surprised by that one.
Now you’ve probably got song lyrics stuck in your head! Next up, I’ll talk about colors in Dear Sir.
Dear Sir, I’m Yours: Behind the Story
If you’ve read the excerpt or the free read prequel, then you know that “letters” play a huge part in Dear Sir, I’m Yours. Where did that idea come from, you ask?
Part of my character development process usually involves writing some kind of “first person” letter or snippet in the character’s voice that takes place before the story. It helps me figure out how this character talks and thinks, as well as explore some of the defining moments that shaped the character right before the story. Very early in trying to figure out who Rae was and what she needed to accomplish in the story, I stumbled across a comment on fellow Drollerie Press author, Cindy Lynn Speer’s blog. (Sorry, I can’t find it now–it was probably in 2008) It was about writing letters, and pouring out hopes and dreams into words, very melancholy and “lost love.” It made me sad, but touched me, too.
So when I started writing Rae’s character letters, I made a tiny change to my process. She specifically wrote her letter to Dr. Connagher, the hero of the story. I never intended to put those letters into the story itself — they were just to help me deepen who she was and what she feared.
However, the letters soon took on a life of their own. They were so raw, heartfelt, open and honest, very rarely politically correct or “safe.” I had to decide why Rae would write those letters to him in the first place and why she’d never mail them, even after she left. Soon those letters were defining HIS character, too, changing my perception of him as a professor and as a man. Every defining moment in her life, from that dark, erotic day in his office, to leaving campus, to her dating and eventually marrying someone else, only to suffer through an unhappy marriage and divorce…the letters eventually led her back to Conn.
Once I realized how important they were, I had to make the letters play a definite part in the story. I mean, why include the letters, even as “glimpses” into her past, if they weren’t absolutely crucial to the story and how Conn and Rae would “make things right?” So the letters went on to affect the plot itself. In the dark moment, the only thing Conn has left: her letters that she wrote him.
Five years of letters. Five years of heartache, anger, grief, need, and yes, love.
Dear Sir, I’m Yours Releases
Today’s the big day! Dear Sir, I’m Yours is available at Samhain Publishing here!
So here’s a little “Story Behind the Story” post.
It all started with a photograph of Clive Owen. My friend and accountability partner, Jenna, sent me a picture. She was using it as inspiration for a short story she was working on, and she thought I might like it too. Her story was for a spanking-themed anthology and she said something like, “My heroine hasn’t ever been into spanking, but she looks at him and says, if he asked, why not.”
I took one look at him and recognized him. Clive Owen didn’t look back at me. It was Conn.
I’d started a draft back in 2004 with an English professor named Dr. Connagher, but I’d never finished it and had no plans to do so, until I saw that picture. My entire perception of Conn changed forever. Because my friend had dropped that little comment about spanking, it was attached to him and his picture, and I couldn’t shake it. What kind of professor would he be, then? What kind of heroine did he need?
The rest is history.
So when I personally think of Conn, this is who I see.
Revision Xibalba II
So here are a few of the details that I’ll be tackling this week in the Maya story.
- Opening scene: clarify the whole “video taping” element. Smooth the dialogue so it’s not quite so stilted. Goal: eliminate reader confusion about what’s happening. DONE last night.
- Opening scenes with Jaid and Geoffrey: remove the office break-in element entirely. Remove the missing Chilam Balam book entirely. Build tension between how she “ought” to feel and reality. Goal: make Jaid a bit more sympathetic. DONE last night.
- Set up the home break-in element completely differently. No obvious break-in when she and Geoffrey arrive. Goal: make Jaid less callous and remove any chance at all for TSTL comments for going into a house unarmed that has obviously been burglarized. DONE last night.
- Move the video viewing element from late 1/3 book up to this point. Jaid will see her father disappear, see the hints of magic. Goal: better explain why she goes to Guatemala, buy in, motivation, etc. IN PROGRESS.
- Quinn’s first scene: clean up FBI procedure a bit. Goal: remove doubts to Quinn’s competency. DONE last night.
- Use setting to play off Jaid’s memory of the accident. Goal: add subtle tension.
- Increase tension in dialogue between Jaid and Reyes. She knows, but doesn’t believe; he believes, but needs to keep everything secret. Goal: racket up that “info-dump” scene with subtext tension.
- Reyes: WHY does he believe? Goal: specific details in his past to anchor his motivations.
- Jaid and Sam: build torn emotions, conflicting emotions. Goal: racket emotional tension.
- Revise the scene with Madelyn to remove the missing Chilam Balam thread. Play off substitute mother threats/Cinderella aspect instead. Goal: continuity and tension.
- Increase technology in Venus Star, longer descriptive passages. Goal: ground the reader better and bring tech to near future.
- Remove the video scene with Jaid and Ruin — smooth corresponding hole. Goal: continuity.
- Read as a “thriller” instead of “contemporary fantasy” and evaluate tension. Goal: racket up tension at every point, whether emotional or external stakes.
Deadline: by next Monday so I can return to queries. That means I also need to revise the synopsis and eyeball the query again.
Re-Visioning the Writing Plan
This month has not gone as I expected and June is far from over.
I’m thrilled that I made the 50K mark for MayNoWriMo, but with preparation for Dear Sir, I’m Yours release next week, I lost all momentum in Arcana. I’ve actually written a bit this month — already 15K for the prequel Letters — which reminded me of how much I love the Connagher family.
Victor, Conn’s older brother, has been on my mind a whole lot. I’ve already got him cast as Adrian Paul. I know some of his history (thanks to Conn) and I already know who his heroine is, although I don’t quite know enough about her to say I could write in earnest. However, I do have about 10-20K or so of “pre-notes” — loose scenes that may or may not fit the story, etc. I have the “hook” and it cracks me up. Now, I have sooo many ideas to make that story deeper, richer, a killer fun story.
So here I am, dreading trying to get back into Arcana after it went totally cold. Dreading having to re-evaluate my outline and figure out what I can cut since I’ve only covered 30 of a planned 100 sections (and already sitting at 50K). Meanwhile, I’ve got a handful of revisions I need to do on the Maya story so I can get the next round of queries out. I’d really really like to get cracking on the next Connagher story for Samhain to keep that pipe filled, especially now, while the ideas and voices are hot in my head.
And I realized that I really should probably shuffle my projects around. The Maya story has a timeline built into it because of the whole 2012 end of the world thing. I’m not using that at all — the story could be set at any time — but I like the idea of this book coming out BEFORE then to take advantage of all the hype. I was really stressed out mid-May, wishing I could get those revisions done but I didn’t dare stop working on Arcana at the time. Now, I might as well take advantage of that coldness and rip up the Maya story.
So for the rest of this month, my priorities are:
- Revision Xibalba II and return to queries.
- Prework on Victor and Shiloh’s story. I don’t know what the title is, but I know the theme song, so I’ll refer to it by that: Time is Running Out by Muse.
Littlest Monster Turns 6
Happy Birthday to my baby! She got a cool castle, princess, knight, and unicorn, as well as several stuffed animals from her sisters.
Letters Snippet – The Final Final Exam
This is the final snippet of the Dear Sir, I’m Yours prequel (set five years prior) that I’ll post here on the blog.
The Final Final Exam
Rae stood in Dr. Connagher’s office, her right arm still hot from where his hand had been. That hint of force had made her tremble again. Her knees felt watery and her heart pounded so hard that she barely heard him shut the door behind them.
However, the snick of the lock sliding into place nearly made her jump to the ceiling and hang there like a yowling cat straight out of cartoons.
Breathlessly, she waited for him to make his move. If he picked her up and tossed her on top of his desk, it’d be worth a spanking.
But he didn’t touch her. Instead, he set his satchel on top of that glossy cherry desk she’d fantasized about all these months and added another stack of blue books into the bag. “Damn. I’m going to be grading for days. How does a week sound to you?”
Her voice cracked. “A week?”
“Let me finish grading for the semester, and by next Friday, it ought to be safe for us to date more formally.” He sat in his chair and casually leaned back, his hands behind his head, but he didn’t fool her. His eyes blazed and his arms were corded tight as though he were holding himself back instead of her for a change. “If you still care to see me, that is.”
The blinds behind his desk were drawn, letting only slender slants of light cut across his face, leaving canyons and hollows she longed to explore. Now, at last, she wasn’t his student. He wasn’t her professor. They were going to date. However, despite his earlier threat, he seemed in no hurry to even touch her.
A week my ass, she snarled. Two can play his little games.
Lifting her chin, she glided over to the desk and trailed her fingers across its glossy surface as she slowly invaded his space. On his side of the desk, she hopped up on top and sat before him, hissing a little at the cool surface beneath her nearly bare bottom. “You know I do.”
Gravely, he merely watched her, his face lined and dark, his mouth a firm slash.
She couldn’t tell if he was displeased or thrilled at her bravado. “I’ve had a lot of fantasies about this desk.”
“Like what, darlin’?”
“Oh, nothing.” She ducked her head a little so she could peep up at him through her lashes. Deliberately, she licked her lips. His forehead creased even more and his eyes locked on her mouth. “Nothing I can admit to you.”
The chair creaked as he leaned forward. He planted his palms on either side of her hips and fogged up the wood with the heat of his palms, but he still didn’t touch her. “You will if I tell you to.”
Her heart was beating double time now, that familiar anticipation and the beginning of dread curling through her. Yes, yes, this was Conn, not Dr. Connagher. The mask was slipping enough that he scared her, but she loved it. I love him.
If she pushed him hard enough, maybe he’d yank that mask clean away and take her right now on top of this big desk like she’d dreamed. “Will I?”
Heavy lidded and dark, his eyes narrowed. “I’m not in the mood for games, Rae.”
“That’s good,” she whispered, snuggling close enough to brush her mouth against his. “What sort of mood are you in, then?”
He made a low ragged sound and snagged her bottom lip in his teeth, gripping hard enough she cried out. The sharp sting sent a wicked curl of heat through her. Shuddering, she opened her mouth more, silently begging for his tongue, but he released her immediately. Undeterred, she slid her palm into the neck of his shirt, relishing the velvet heat of his neck, the crisp hair barely peeking out of the top of his shirt. She even managed to get one button undone before he shackled her wrists and pulled her hands away.
“Rae, darlin’, I can’t take your hands on me right now. It’s been one damned long semester, all this flirting and promising and teasing. I thought it’d be fun to give you a hot little spanking, but I’m too raw and ragged to pull it off without scaring the hell out of you. If I touch you right now, we’ll have the dean breaking that door down and hauling me off to prison because I’ll kill anyone who tries to keep me from you.”
“Aw, poor Dr. Connagher. Have I been a very bad student?”
“Very,” he retorted, squeezing her wrists harder. “Don’t push my buttons, Rae. Not today. You won’t like what you unleash. Give me a week–”
“No.”
His eyes flared wide and his mouth fell open with shock.
She couldn’t help it–she laughed out loud. In fact, she felt downright giddy. After all these months, she’d finally managed to knock him off balance. As his student, she hadn’t dared antagonize him. Now…that will be half the fun. “Do you really think I slaved all semester in your class only to let you put me off again?”
Lazily, he dragged her wrists behind her, pinning them in the small of her back just as she’d imagined. She couldn’t help but fight and twist, testing him, ensuring he really could hold her.
I’m trapped, she realized, and at the same time, she felt a surge of wet heat between her legs. And more turned on than ever.
“Do you really think you can get away with telling me no, Rae?”
“No,” she purred, wriggling to the very edge of his desk to hug her thighs around him. “Make me yours, Conn.”
“You don’t have any idea what you’re asking.”
“I don’t care. I’ll do anything you want, just don’t make me wait another week.”
A growl trickled out of his lips. Before she could even yelp, he jerked and flipped her around so that she was on her stomach in front of him on top of his desk. He leaned in, pressing his chest against her buttocks to make sure she stayed put. Her arms ached, her wrists still clamped in his hand behind her. “Anything I want, Rae? Are you sure about that?”
Gasping, she tried to catch her breath, but the edge of the desk dug into her abdomen. When she didn’t answer quickly enough, he pushed her wrists up incrementally, making her shoulders scream with pressure. “No!”
“No, you’re not sure?” He released her wrists but kept his chest pressed against her, bracing his arms on either side of her on top of the desk, making his body a cage. “Or no to anything I want? Or maybe now you’ll ask me nicely to let you go home to change this skirt.”
“No.” She brought her hands up beneath her, ready to scramble out from beneath him even if that meant crawling across his desk. “I won’t go home, Dr. Connagher. Not to change. Not for a week. Sir.”
Wanna find out how Rae does on this final exam? Download the rest of the story here (pdf) including one final letter and an “extra credit” poem. If you enjoyed this free read, I hope you’ll check out Dear Sir, I’m Yours when it releases on June 16th to find out how Conn and Rae can possibly set about “Making it Right.”