Lori Devoti, paranormal romance and urban fantasy author

Have you ever read a “campy” romance? I’ve seen a couple of reviews lately that refer to the books as campy. One of these books I’ve read–and in my opinion it’s in no way campy. The other one I haven’t, but I’m pretty sure the author wasn’t going for “campy”.

Maybe these reviewers have a different definition of campy (I’ll drop the quotes :) ) than I do. To me campy is F Troop or Batman the TV series. I can’t think of a book I’d qualify as campy–maybe The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or something by Terry Pratchett. I can’t think of a romance–the closest would be some of the books I think Avon did that were kind of Avengers meet James Bond.

So, is this just a new cute way to insult a book or do these reviewers really think the books are campy? And is there a market for campy in the romance genre? Would you read one? I have to say I liked the Avon (if that is who the publisher was) ones.

Thoughts?

Oh, and I’m blogging at Romance Unleashed tomorrow. Stop by and tell me your favorite beach reads.

Chicago was great, but, boy, am I feeling like a slug. I really have to get the proposal I am working on done. I have around a chapter and a half written. My goal is to get to the end of chapter 3 by the end of this week. I also have to get caught up at home and do the whole exercise/eat right thing. Being over 40 brings with it so many perks.

I was in Chicago–Schaumburg, actually, for a book signing/panel discussion. It was a lot of fun. The best part of the whole thing was that a woman from my newsletter group came by and saw me. I really appreciated that. Hi, Kim!!

I also met a great group of writers that included mystery writers, poets, romance writers, non-fiction, young adult–you name it. I was also able to meet in person a writer I know from when I was in Sister’s in Crime–Lonnie Cruse. Lonnie hooked me up with my first critique group. We traded books. I can’t wait to read Murder in Metropolis.

That’s it for now–more ramblings later. Hope everyone had a great weekend. :)

Lori

A friend and I were talking last night about what is a deal breaker for us when reading a book–you know the thing you just can’t get past, that makes you stop reading?

This started because I was complaining about books that have no point. Do you know what I mean? The herione gets up and goes to work, maybe something interesting happens, maybe it is funny, but you have no clue WHY the book was written. What is it the herione wants that we are going to watch her struggle to get? Or what is going to happen to her that she will have to overcome?

I can put up with this for a while if the voice is one I like, but eventually, I get peeved. I expect someone to want something. If I had to pick one genre that I think is most guilty of this, it would be chic lit. Don’t get me wrong I love a lot of chic lit, but I think there is something about that first person day-in-the-life kind of casual tone that lends itself to the no point story. But I have read this type of book in other genre.

The first tip off for me is finding myself thinking, “What kind of book is this?” Is someone going to die? I read another twenty five pages waiting for the body to drop. Or maybe we’re looking for love…another twenty five hoping for a potential paramour. Save the world? Nope, no brain-sucking aliens. Now I’m about desperate–there has to be some point, but alas there isn’t.

Now my friend wants lots of conflict or she drifts off. I don’t require this. I think it is because many times I feel books, especially in the romance genre, force the conflict. Let’s face it, setting up good realistic conflict between two people we want to eventually have wind up together is hard. So, you get a lot of banter that can become, well, wearing.

Then my biggee - the one that will stop me cold. Make me regret laying out my hard-earned cash for this sad excuse for a book. Voice. Yep, the one thing we can’t learn. Everyone has a voice–some people hide theirs, but it is there somewhere. But different voices appeal to different people. So, the voice I love you may hate, and vice versa. It is a cold reality, but true.

So, what is your deal killer? The last book you walked away from–what did it? Would you give the author another chance or are they dead to you?

But not for long. Saturday I’m doing a speaking thing at the library in Schaumburg IL. If you live near there stop by!

I really lost track of the month. I thought I had two weeks before Schaumburg. I am working on a new project and planned to have three chapters done before I left. To hit that goal now I would have to write 9 to 10 pages a day plus catch up on things like paying bills, doing laundry and wrestling the giant dust bunnies that are currently roaming my house under control.

Probably not going to happen.

FYI, there are two books in my currently reading, but I actually finished one of them–Savannah Blues. I got lazy and didn’t update my links while I was gone. Since it was/is a good read I didn’t want to skip listing it. :) It is a nice genre-mixing book–a little mystery, a little romance, and a big dollop of Southern flavor. I’d classify it as women’s fiction. It is the book I mentioned earlier written in both first person and third–only two POVs.

Heading to my own bed! Yeehaw!

Lori

Thought I would grab a minute to check in. :)

Things have been busy and I have managed to write all of 3 pages–all of which I have already decided I’m going to have to delete. But that’s okay, it helped get my head straightened out. I’m working on something a little different–women’s fiction and I needed that false start to get focused. Anyone else do that? I have also used the time not writing to work through how I am going to write it. One big question I have is whether to do it 3rd or 1st POV. I’m going to stick with just one POV, but close 3rd or 1st??? I just can’t decide.

I’ve read a number of one POV books written in just the heroine’s POV lately. It is really interesting to see how this changes the impact of the book. Two of them were historicals. One–Jackie Ivie’s Lady of the Knight I didn’t even notice it was just the heroine’s POV until someone else pointed it out. The other two sticking with just the heroine gives the books a definite chick lit feel–even the other historical.

I am reading a book right now written in both 1st person and 3rd person. It works. (not the book showing as currently reading–I finished that one, but don’t want to mess with changing the image right now.)

I never really realized how much the choice of POV changes the impact of the book and gives it a whole different flavor. Now I am fascinated by it.

What do you all think for women’s fiction–what POV choice do you prefer?

On other news I have gone to around seven or eight book stores on my trip to sign stock. Signing stock is a blast, but it is funny how you (as the author) react to how many books they have on hand. Book store A. has 10 books–you think “Well, they aren’t selling any.” Book store B. has 3 books–you think “Well, they didn’t order many.” then you hit the store with just 1– “That can’t be good.” I haven’t gone to a new “book” store that didn’t have at least one copy. When I do there’s no telling how my sick mind will twist it.

But really, everyone has been great and signing stock is definitely a perk of this career. I love meeting the people who work at the stores and not a single person has been anything but welcoming. They actually thank you for taking the time to stop and sign. Wow!

Till next time!

Lori

Leaving in the morning for another trek to Southern Missouri. This is my third trip to Missouri in a little over a month. Don’t get me wrong–I love Missouri, but the drive…ick.

Anyway, no big plans, just family stuff and maybe stopping in at a few book stores to sign stock. :)

While I’m gone don’t forget to trot by the new Romance Unleashed Blog. Kate Rothwell is kicking it off on Monday.

Till later,

Lori

A friend (Kathleen Long, author of the very excellent Get Bunny Love I am currently reading) sent a link to this article today.

It was very timely because we are in the middle of Kensington royalty statement arrivals, and inevtiably the subject of returns and what it means has come up.

If you read the article you will get a lovely introduction to returns. As a writer here’s how it appears to you. Let’s say 20,000 copies of your book were printed. You get a royalty statement showing where those copies were “sold”. I put that in quotes because it doesn’t necessarily mean into the hands of a reader. It means the books can still be sitting on a store shelf somewhere - or a warehouse (where my son believes werewolves live by the way, maybe he is right. They stay employeed stripping books.). These sales are broken down into a number of categories like: retail (bookstores), direct to consumer (reader orders from publisher), book club/subscription, and foreign. For each of these you see the number “sold”, the number actually returned (meaning their little tender covers were ripped from their spines and callously with no love shipped back to the publisher), and then the net number still sitting out there. This is all converted from units to dollars owed you based on the book’s sales price and the percentage you are being paid.

But wait, there’s more. Back to (cue evil music) returns. Now we get to the fun part (in a Carl Hiaasen kind of way, not a Jennifer Crusie kind of way). The publisher estimates how many of those books in that number are actually not in the hands of readers and will never be in the hands of readers but will instead at some point follow their fallen brethern in the removal of their covers.

It is an ugly number.

Does this seem archaic to anyone but me? In a world of computers, ISBN numbers and scanners, doesn’t it seem like we should KNOW exactly how many books are really sold - as in by readers? I’m not saying the royalty amount would be any better, but wouldn’t it be more accurate?

The whole thing boggles the mind - or at least my mind.

FYI because my book was a May release, I will not see a royalty statement for quite sometime so this is all based upon the goodness of others in sharing their information. Thank you, Deep Throat.

My secret panel of judges has spoken. It was tough decision, but after many harrowing hours of debate a winner has been selected…(drum roll)…Mary Stella!!!! Yay, Mary—speech, speech!

Here’s what one judge had to say about Mary’s entry, “Mary’s comment on the super power question (The ability to convert chocolate into calorie-burning super writing fuel) won me over.” So there you have it a scientific sure-to-be approved by the auditors choice if I ever saw one.

Mary, email me at lori@loridevoti.com and let me know which book you choose. (oh, and a snail mail address) The choices again were/are Get Bunny Love by Kathleen Long, Unlaced by Kristina Cook, Somebody to Love by Kate Rothwell, or Prince of Frogs by Barbara Plum.

Thanks to everyone who played. Oh, and check out the new blog I’m a member of www.romanceunleashed.com/blog. :)

I don’t know if you have noticed, but I have added “the last 5 books I read” and “currently reading” to my sidebar. Little hint, if something shows in currently reading and then doesn’t make it into “the last 5 books I read” it means it isn’t something I recommend. ;-)

Anyway the last book I read was Bellwether by Connie Willis–who I love. It was an interesting book, if not her best. It was about a scientist who is trying to track down the originating cause of various fads - mainly hair bobbing. (FYI, the story is also basically a romance or at least qualifies as having strong romantic elements.) What I found interesting about this book was how it related to writing.

First, the whole bellwether thing. A bellwether is (according to Dictionary.com) “One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends.” In the book it is also used in the sheep reference. Apparantly with sheep there is one sheep called the bellwether and whatever this sheep does all the others follow. The thing is though, this sheep isn’t a leader–you don’t see him/her leap ahead. She just inches a little this way or that, leading away without it ever being apparent.

How does this relate to writing, you ask?

The ever popular chasing of trends. Vampires now–what will it be tomorrow? If only we could figure out which one of us was the bellwether and direct that person to a nice stack of Romantic Comedies or our genre of choice, we would be set.

Is it you? Are you directing the flow of book publishing, money, and careers?

The other part of the book that struck me as being related to writing was the protagonist’s conclusion that for a grand discovery to be made the discoverer has to have been working in chaos. An example being that penicillin wasn’t discovered from years of careful controlled study but because a petry dish was infected.

This reminds me of my own creative process. I write with my kids screaming (sometimes at me, sometimes at each other), my dogs complaining (never enough cookies handed out), and while checking email every two minutes (yes, I am an addict). There is no other word for it than chaos. But while all this is going on, my mind is still whirring and frequently the next quiet moment I have something jumps into place, and I know the direction that stalled scene should take.

Maybe, you say, that scene wouldn’t be stalled if I just wrote in quiet all the time? I doubt it. I write in spurts. I can only sit down and out and out type for so long before I hit a wall. I think I have somehow trained myself to write with the chaos. It makes me make better use of the quiet times. :)

How about you? Do you need a little chaos or are you a total peace-and-quiet type? And don’t forget the bellwether question. If you are the bellwether of novels - I have a book I want you to read. ;-)

In case you have missed out on the current scuttlebutt about RWA and their “graphic” guidelines. Here is a link to the type of disgusting potential bookcovers their new guidelines will protect us from.

Or perhaps this.