Archive for July, 2006
July 25, 2006
off to Atlanta
Kathy and I have packed. Right now I’m sitting eating half a bagel and cream cheese and Kathy is putting on her makeup. As a good little pregnant woman I have a bag of snacks with me which I plan to clutch to my chest at all times. Yesterday I had A Hungry Day. I ate everything in sight and made Kathy drive me to the ice cream parlour for a cherry vanilla sugar cone. I am in dread of being 30,000 feet in the air above the Carolinas and being struck by hunger so severe I will attempt to gnaw off Kathy’s arm. Or cry. Or, most likely, both.
Our major crisis right now is that Kathy ordered t-shirts for us to celebrate our jointly-written erotic science fiction romantic comedy, Close Encounters. They have an alien on them and the slogan we chose for the book, In space, no one can hear you cream. (God, I love this book.)
Kathy ordered these t-shirts a couple weeks ago and they still haven’t arrived yet so yesterday she called the t-shirt place and asked why. The woman said it was because they believed there was a typo in the order…surely there should be an “s” before “cream”?
Kathy assured them no, that was completely intentional, although of course in dubious taste.
Anyway, hopefully they’ll turn up.
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to check in from the conference or not. Usually I’m such an internet addict that I need to find a computer somewhere, so if I do, I’ll write another blog post.
July 22, 2006
Maryland
Hello hello! I write this from Maryland, where I am staying with Kathy. Yesterday we lounged by the pool and today we are going shopping. I’ve only seen two episodes of Supernatural so far, but we have had some fab book cover signs made for the literacy signing.
The plane trip over was fine. My butt hurt and despite getting up every half an hour for a stretch, I was stiff as hell. But Virgin have movies on tap, so that was cool. I was very tempted to watch The Wind That Shakes the Barley, but in the end I decided I wanted to see Cillian Murphy on a big screen, not on the back of someone else’s seat. He deserves to be ogled properly.
There’s a very nice piece on me on the BBC Berkshire website, here. I gave the journalist impossibly long-winded responses to his questions, and he did a very good job editing them down to something more articulate.
July 20, 2006
leavin on a jet plane
I’m off to the USA this morning.
I’m very excited about this trip–despite the fact that I’m a little bit worried, too, because my butt tends to start to ache badly when I sit down for an hour, so the plane is going to be seven hours of butt-ache. First, I’m going to visit Kathy Love who is one of my favourite people in the universe. We’re going to play with her daughter, hang out by her in-laws’ pool, and go shopping for clothes. She’s also going to force me to watch every single episode of Supernatural, because she is just slightly obsessed with Jensen Ackles.
We might also do a bit of work on our next collaborative book, a paranormal erotic romantic comedy, which has a premise so funny it makes me choke every time I think about it.
Then we’re going to the Romance Writers of America’s national conference in Atlanta. This is always exciting but it’s going to be particularly so this year because:
a) Kathy’s been nominated for a Prism award for her book Fangs for the Memories so we get to go to a party for that;
b) Kathy and I have finalled in Passionate Ink’s Stroke of Midnight contest with our co-written manuscript Close Encounters so we get to go to a party for that;
c) my friends Anna Sugden and Christine Zampi are both Golden Heart finalists and we get to cheer them on;
d) Harlequin’s party is at the Ritz;
e) I have packed my “I Love John Cusack” t-shirt to wear at eHarlequin’s pajama party;
f) I’m doing my very first literacy signing with Being a Bad Girl and Delicious.
The last thing worries me, nearly as much as the butt-ache. It’s my first signing and my books aren’t out in the US. I’m really really really hoping I won’t be sitting alone and stranded the whole time.
Please please please anybody who reads this and is going to Atlanta–come see me! I will have chocolate and you won’t have to buy a book. Just look like you might to give the illusion that I am not desperately unpopular.
After that, I’m going up to Maine to see my family and do some swimming, sailing, and general lazing around whilst eating as much of my mother’s wonderful cooking as I possibly can.
I’ll be dropping in with updates as regularly as I can get to the internet. Have a good week everyone and I’ll be back soon!
July 19, 2006
formulae and other urban legends
Yesterday evening I drove to the beautiful village of Charney Bassett to be a guest author at a residential course on self-editing your writing, run by Cornerstones Literary Consultancy and given by my friend, Lee Weatherly. It was a good evening. I got to babble on about writing and answer questions and then afterwards we went to this nice pub for a chat outside in the cool evening air.
The writers/students were all very nice and had great questions and seemed perfectly willing to let an insane pregnant American woman talk to them about writing funny sexy books, which is always gratifying.
One thing, though, is starting to get to me this week, because it’s been coming at me from all directions (and this isn’t picking on anybody, I really have heard it over and over again, from journalists, acquaintances, aspiring writers, established writers, people who randomly contact me via email), is the same old question about Harlequin/Mills & Boon novels having a “formula” or a “format” or a “recipe”.
This question usually comes from people who haven’t read a romance novel, or at least not for years, so you can’t blame them for latching on to an urban legend. I mean, for a long time I believed that Mikey from the Life cereal commercials was killed by drinking Coke and eating Pop Rocks at the same time, so who am I to condemn people for their ill-founded beliefs?
I have to say that this week, my response has become very well-practised, and, of course, polite, because you know, if somebody had laughed at me for my Mikey-exploded belief I probably would have been offended (although still wrong).
However this is my blog and I can say what I like. So here it is:
THERE’S NO FORMULA, DAMMIT.
Romance novels need a hero and a heroine and a happy ending. What you do to get them there is your own damn choice. If you are writing for Harlequin/Mills & Boon you have to be aware of your audience’s requirements, because each branded book contains a promise to the reader that she will get a certain kind of story within wide parameters, but THIS IS NOT A FORMULA, it is genre requirements and marketing and you will be constrained by some kind of requirements in whatever the hell you write if you want to get published.
That is all.
(Oh, and Mikey is still alive.)
In other news, I’m going to the USA tomorrow and have to pack and also obsessively clean my house, which could be another reason why I’m a little bit cranky.
July 18, 2006
Spirit Willing sale
Bella Andre left a comment asking about the details of my sale to Headline.
This particular sale was a long time coming. I wrote Spirit Willing in 2003-4 and signed with my agent, Teresa Chris (who’s based in London) in 2004, just two weeks before I sold Featured Attraction to Harlequin. After some revisions, Teresa sent the ms around to the major UK publishers and we had some very nice rejections. I did a few more revisions, the book finaled in a contest, and we sent it to her US sub-agent for some more submissions.
Meanwhile (it’s March 2006 by this time–publishing moves slooooow, except when it’s moving very fast–I’d sold five more books to Harlequin Mills & Boon by this time) Teresa was talking with the editor for Headline’s Little Black Dress, a new romance imprint, and she mentioned my book. The editor was interested, and Teresa called me–could I shave 25K off the word count to submit to this new line?
I shaved off 30K in a weekend, sent it off, and they made an offer within a few weeks. A US publisher, meanwhile, was putting together an offer, but Teresa and I decided that Headline were the best place for my career. I’m very excited to be working with them and can’t wait to write my next book for them, which should be another funny, sexy romance.
disillusionment
Okay, so can somebody tell me why I was wrestling with a giant cardboard box (I mean giant–I could easily fit inside this box) at 7.30 this morning to put it out for the recycling while my dearly beloved husband, who ordered the damn amp that went in the damn box in the first place, slumbered peacefully upstairs?
I thought pregnancy was all about reclining on a couch while the person who made the other half of the baby brought you ice cream and magazines.
July 16, 2006
little black dress website
Little Black Dress have launched their website, here:
www.littleblackdressbooks.co.uk
I’m not up on it yet as my book’s not out till September but it’s a fun and attractive site.
July 15, 2006
the saturday after
Ugh. It’s hot (in quite a pleasant, breezy way) and I’m too tired and lazy to do anything. I have done some half-hearted swiping at dust with a rag, watered the geraniums, and bullied my husband to clean the toilet and do the dishes.
I think this is the hangover from yesterday, when I got up full of energy and did a massive sort-out of my clothes, separating them into “maternity friendly”, “will wear again in six months, God willing”, and “will never wear again”. This took up most of the morning and has resulted in piles of the second sort and the third sort still sitting in my bedroom. I have to make a trip to the loft and the charity shop, both of which seem beyond me at the moment.
In the afternoon I bought a dress. Not only a dress, but a non-maternity dress with an Empire waist which will still fit me for the next two months and after the baby’s born (well that’s the idea, anyway–I stuffed it with lots of tissue in the changing room). It is purple chiffon, embroidered with sequins and shells. I saw it in the shop window about a month ago and lusted. Yesterday it was also 1/3 off in the sale. It was like fate.
Then I went to see Superman Returns, and it was BRILLIANT. It was everything I’d hoped X-Men 3 was going to be and wasn’t–character-driven, emotional, beautifully made, with two gorgeous men who lived through the entire film, Kevin Spacey (no slouch himself in sexy stakes) as exuberant bad guy, and a full ten minutes of make-the-hormonal-woman-cry at the end. I really loved it.
Today I am tired, emotional, and surrounded by piles of clothes. I think I’m going to lie down and read Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
July 13, 2006
rtb
I’ve got a post up on Romancing the Blog, mostly about kissing my perky breasts goodbye.
July 12, 2006
a little bit frantic
I’m back from the conference. I haven’t had much time to reflect on it, though, because I got back last night and this morning I had to go pick up the proofs for Spirit Willing at the post office depot where they had been delivered in my absence and read them through for corrections as quickly as possible because they were supposed to be back today. Also, my Headline editor needed a premise for my next book because she has to brief the art department and this entailed frantically writing down my idea for the next book which I was totally sure sucked and then sending it to Kathy who said it didn’t suck and then having a phone conversation with my agent who assured me that it didn’t suck and then sending them to my editor who, if I am very lucky, will ring me and tell me tomorrow that it doesn’t suck.
Also there was no food in the house, which isn’t very unusual, but it’s not a good thing when you’re pregnant and cranky. Also I had a Romancing the Blog post due for tomorrow. Also my husband is coming home around midnight from his tour with James Morrison and I haven’t seen him for about a week. Also this place is a total mess, which is completely my fault. Also I had to book some flights to Maine before the price went up. Also I had to spend about an hour staring at my belly because the baby has started kicking and it looks like somebody is poking me from the inside with a stick.
So it’s been a busy day and I’m sorry that I haven’t managed to post an account of the RNA conference. Michelle Styles has, though, and so has Amanda Ashby. Probably some other people have too but I haven’t read those yet.
When I have a minute to breathe I’ll write more about the conference (I did write about it, a little bit and in a joking way, for my RTB post tomorrow)–or, what’s more likely, refer you to people who have written about it better than I.
July 7, 2006
going to the conference
Today’s the last day of school (MY LAST DAY AS A FULL-TIME TEACHER, hooray!!), and then I’m offf to the RNA conference in Penrith this afternoon.
I can’t wait. It will be so wonderful to see all my friends and to go to the workshops. I’m between books, and I’m not giving a workshop, so I intend to drink in all of the creative talent and let it inspire me.
I’ll be visiting a couple days with Anna afterwards, in the glorious Lake District. So I’ll be back to this blog on Wednesday, no doubt starstruck and delirious.
When I come back I’ll be announcing the winner of my contest and I’ll have photos to share, along with the golden advice I’ve heard from RNA authors.
See you next week!
(PS The Pigeon Book is going to be called Driving Him Wild and it’ll be out in February 2007.)
July 5, 2006
some reviews
Have done the edits on the Modern Extra and will send them back tonight. I plan to spend the rest of the evening lying in bed reading Harry Potter.
Meanwhile, while I’ve been in the writing and editing cave, I’ve had some reviews of my books.
WritersUnlimited calls Featured Attraction “a fun and lively story of two people who are trying very hard to get past their past…a great way to spend a few hours of free time.”
Romance Divas gave both Featured Attraction and Being a Bad Girl five out of five kisses.
Their review of Featured Attraction says “The turning point in this novel is a unique variation on the desert island theme. When it the black moment arrived, I was actually nervous to pick the book back up, afraid that for once, the Happily Ever After was in serious jeopardy. However, Ms Cohen, with a deft twist, brings the two together again with realistic, refreshing honesty.”
They say Being A Bad Girl is “sweetly emotional…a touching, layered story of the disguises both Oz and Marianne wear at different levels of their relationship. The story plays heartstrings because of the honest work Marianne has to do to get her life back on track before she can be with Oz.”
A reviewer on Amazon.co.uk has given Delicious five stars, and said, “Delicious by Julie Cohen is just that…a delicious and sexy story…deeply sensual and emotionally fulfilling.”
And I didn’t pay any of these people. Honest.
