Talkin' 'bout books

I received notice the other day that my box of Rita books is on its way soon. I'm psyched!

For any of you who aren't Romance Writers of America (RWA) members, the Rita is kind of like the Oscars of the romance world. Published members (which now includes me!) judge the books of other members which came out during the year (I will be judging 2006 books) and score them on a points system. Then, in July, at our National Convention, we attend an awards ceremony during which the winner in each category receives a beautiful statue, The Rita, and the ability to forever after use "Rita Award Winning Author" after their name.

It's a dream many of us share...to be on that stage winning a Rita. It was also part of the reason that me and my support group changed our name from Goalkeepers to Tiaras. We wanted a snazzy group name to thank when one of us finally gets up there to give our thanks. :-)

I signed up to be a judge this year. I think I chose the categories of Best Paranormal Romance, Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, Best Single Title Contemporary, and maybe Best Young Adult. Not sure about the last two or if the YA category made it this year. (It notoriously has too few entries to qualify, which is a shame, because there are some rocking good YA writers in the RWA.)

Anyway, I should get a mixture of books in the categories I signed up for, along with instructions on how to score them. Hopefully I will get a bunch of authors I haven't read before so I can meet my goal of broadening my horizons at the same time I'm reading all these books. I'll keep you posted.

Speaking of reading...as you can see, I'm up to two books this year` already! Great start, though I'm sure it will slow down at some point. I hear some writers complain about no time to read, but honestly I can't imagine not making time to read! I think it is really important to not only clear our minds of other things often, but reading, whether in or out of the specific genre in which you write, helps you study the market (what's selling these days), absorb the craft of writing (what works for this book or what doesn't), and just to keep you into what books "feel" like when a reader reads them.

And if we aren't in contact with what a reader feels like, we can't expect to write in such a way to make them feel anything ourselves.

I'm a little amazed that sometimes I will hear some person say, "I don't read much, but I'd like to write novel." Um, why? Obviously it's not for the love of storytelling or reading. Is it for the "fame and fortune?" (Pardon me while I laugh.)

Think of it this way -- the above makes about as much sense as someone doesn't watch football or go to ball games saying, "I'm going to be a pro ballplayer." And, in the case of those who are pro ball players, do you think they stop watching other football games because they don't have time? No way! They keep watching and learning all the time. And even when they aren't consciously analyzing, they are subconsciously absorbing. Just like writers.

Truthfully, I've actually found that when I'm head-down writing frantically and I begin to feel stale or like I'm writing crap, it's because I've stopped reading. Without realizing it, I have cut back or have stopped altogether, and I've lost touch. Often just the act of getting back into a great book will break free whatever is stuck inside me. Maybe this doesn't work for others, but it really works for me, and I encourage other writers in a "stuck" place to examine how much reading they are doing. Maybe not enough.

So, I decided this year that I would talk more about the books I read this year. So far, I've read two VERY different books, by two new-to-me authors, and have loved them both.

Candice Hern's JUST ONE OF THOSE FLINGS is the second book in a series about the Merry Widows. (I adore the covers!) I didn't realize that I was reading the second in the series (without reading the first book) until I was completely done with the book. That just goes to show that the books stand well on their own. But, I am going to go back and get the first one to read now, because I really enjoyed this one.

I'm not much of a historical reader. Not because I don't enjoy them, because I do. It's just that with my limited reading time, historicals are not what I choose when I have to make a choise. But, I really like the sense of propriety and rules that were followed back then. For some reason it makes romance a little more sexy, a little more dangerous. But not everyone follows those rules, and that made FLINGS a lot of fun. It was very different, in that the heroine wasn't the innocent virgin member of the ton, but a "matronly" widow, who is one of five widowed friends who vow to take lovers, to embrace their sexuality despite the fact that they no longer have husbands to fulfill this need. What results is a great read! It's witty and funny in some parts, and yet sooo romantic. I highly recommend it! Candice Hern definitely will be joining the only two other historical authors I read regularly, Elizabeth Boyle and Julia Quinn.

Next, I read SURVIVING DEMON ISLAND, written by my friend and agency sistah, Jaci Burton. SDI is Jaci's first "New York" book, though she has written for Ellora's Cave for years. I was so excited for her and really excited to read the book! I was not disappointed. It reminded me a lot of Cherry Adair, one of my favorite authors. Lots of action, and lots o' sex! But the characters had their vulnerable sides, too, which I really liked. And there were many unexpected surprises (well, if it was expected, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?). Jaci's take on demons is unique and exciting. Again, I highly recommend it and I can't wait for the next book in Jaci's Demon series!

So, better get back to life now. Can you believe I made it through a whole post without mentioning VENUS ENVY? Whoops! Blew that one. :-)