About Books

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    Some early thoughts on Hot Mama … and books in general …

    4 Comments

    So, ARCs (advanced reading copies) of Hot Mama are currently going out to reviewers far and wide. (Nervous giggle.) I sent one of my ARCs to my pal, Edie, who blogs over at Magical Musings. Here’s what she thought about it:

    “I really like that you gave Fiona such a distinct personality, different from Carmen. You didn’t write the same characters with different names. And I want to be able to eat like her without gaining weight. Also, the fact that with every gift there’s a cost (I can’t remember the wording). Also, that it’s not “romancy.” The sex is hot but Fiona is hot. So you have hot sex without cliches. It’s really fresh and different — and fun! You’ve created a great world in Bigtime.”

    Pretty good, huh? :ww:

    Edie said a lot of nice things about the book, but mostly what caught my eye was the phrase not romancy. And I started thinking about the kind of books I like to read and write, and romance books in general.

    Romances often get a bad rep because people assume the love story is the whole point of the book — and that they’re just a series of sex scenes strung together. Well, that’s true in some cases. But in the vast, vast majority of romance books, the characters have more to deal with than the search for Mr. and Ms. Right. Problems at work. At home. Inner conflict and turmoil. Romance is only part of the story, part of the journey.

    I like the second kind of books the best, mainly because that’s how it is for people in real life. Sure, you might be drooling over your new, hot, ex-football player neighbor, but you’ve still got to get up and go to work every morning. Deal with your boss. Family. Pets. The woman across the street who wants the hot football player for herself (that shameless hussy!) 😈

    A couple of people have told me my books aren’t very romancy. There are probably a couple of reasons for this, the main one being I write in first person (most romances are third person, so you get the guy’s point of view too). But in my books, the focus is on the woman — and her journey to discover that makes her happy, strong, special.

    And I’m not writing shrinking violets. My women have gone to college. Have careers. Support themselves. They can be sweet or bitchy. Some are beautiful; some are not. Some have superpowers; some do not. Some are rich; some are not. They have hobbies, interests, obsessions. They might be looking for love, but it’s not the only thing they’ve got going on. I think that’s an important message to send — and how people are in real life.

    My books are also pretty different because they’re about superheroes, which most people think of as more of a guy’s genre. But mainly, I think my books are different because they’re just fun.

    Some reviewers and readers have ripped into me for not being more serious — about superheroes, about fantasy, about life in general. But I’m not trying to write the Great American Novel. I write the kind of fast-paced, fun, slightly implausible adventures I like to read and watch – James Bond, Buffy, Xena, The A-Team.

    This isn’t to say my books don’t have themes or deeper meanings. My heroines struggle with doing the right thing and coming to terms with their own personal demons. But I’m not going to beat you over the head with that kind of stuff for 350 pages. Angst gets old after a while, which is probably one of the reasons I’m not a huge Superman fan.

    So, does all this make my books romancy or not? I’ll leave that up to readers to decide. Romance, fantasy, comic books, whatever label you want to put on them is fine with me. All I want to do is entertain folks. Given the great response I got for Karma Girl, I think I’m pretty good at it. 😉

    What about you? Do you like romance books that are mostly about the romance? A 50-50 split? More action? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    Writing something new … opinions wanted …

    5 Comments

    So, if you look at the previous post, you’ll see Number 10 — Write something new that’s not a Bigtime book.

    As much as I love paranormals and fantasy (and as many ideas as I have for them), I do worry about the market collapsing. It seems like everybody’s doing paranormal or urban fantasy these days. I’d like to write something else to get a toe-hold in another market, just in case paranormals go belly up. To further establish myself. To move closer to being a full-time writer. And to really stretch myself and my writing.

    What would you, as a reader, like to see from me (or from the publishing world in general)?  Another paranormal like the Bigtime series? A straight, modern-day romantic comedy? Some wacky, off-the-wall fantasy?

    I have some ideas …

    1) A Southern-fried romantic comedy. Barbecue joints! Quirky characters! Iced tea!

    2) A fairy-tale romantic suspense. Yep, you read that right. It would be set in a fairy tale-type world, with some modern touches (trains, electricity, etc.)

    3) An urban fantasy about an assassin who gets double-crossed.

    Right now, I’m leaning toward the rom-com … if I can come up with a story that works.

    What about you? Any of these sound good? Bad? Indifferent? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    A look ahead …

    2 Comments

    So, here are some writing-related things I need to get done this fall. I’m going to give myself a deadline of Oct. 31. We’ll see how that goes …

    1) Take my first draft of Bigtime 5, aka Fangirl, and write a better, longer second draft. Something that actually makes senses and reads like a real book. 🙄

    2) Finish and send the paranormal spy book, Live and Let Spy, to the agent.

    3) Set up local book signings in November for Hot Mama.

    4) Contact my local media about Hot Mama and set up some interviews.

    5) Finish tweaking the Web site and add new art for Hot Mama release in November.

    6) Do the copy edits/page proofs for Bigtime 3, aka Jinx (although I probably won’t get these until November or later).

    7) Get bookmarks made for Jinx.

    8) Start thinking about Bigtime 6, aka Superstar. It’ll be about Kelly Caleb, the TV reporter for the Superhero News Network.

    9) Contact folks about blogging in November for Hot Mama release.

    10) Write something new that’s not a Bigtime book. (More on this to come).

    What about you? What sort of writing-related things do you hope to get accomplished this fall? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    Some hot bookmarks …

    I can’t remember if I posted this or not, but I have Hot Mama bookmarks to give away! Who-hoo!

    The bookmarks are very, very nice. They’re oversized, and the color absolutely rocks. They look even better than the Karma Girl bookmarks.

    As always, these are free to readers. If you want some bookmarks, send me an e-mail at jennifer@jenniferestep.com to learn how to get them.

    Happy reading! 😎

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    A look back …

    Summer is almost over. I can’t believe it’s almost September already. Where did the time go? Shaking head.

    Back in June, I posted about some things I needed to do this summer. I thought I’d give myself and you guys an update and measure my progress. So, here’s my list, along with whether or not I finished the projects.

    1) Finish page proofs for Hot Mama. 

    Done. I got a couple of Hot Mama ARCs in the mail last week. Who-hoo! 😎

    2) Finish up Bigtime 4, aka Nightingale.

    Done. Mostly. I sent it to the agent, who liked it. (Yeah!) Right now, I’m working on some minor revisions for her, which I plan to finish by Sept. 1, if not before.  

    3) Write a rough draft of Bigtime 5, aka Fangirl.

    Done, but it’s really, really short, and it really, really sucks. It needs some serious tinkering.

    4) Finish up my paranormal spy book, aka Live and Let Spy.

    Almost there. I’ve printed out the final draft. I need to read through it and do some minor editing before I sent it to the agent, and see what she thinks about it.

    5) Write a rough draft of the second spy book, You Only Spy Twice.

    Done, but like Fangirl, it’s really, really short, and it really, really sucks (all my first drafts do). But at least I have an idea of where I’m going and now I know that I can make a series out of this.

    6) Update the Web site with Hot Mama extras, new contests, photos, etc.

    Done. Mostly. I need to fix some typos and tweak a few things. I’m also waiting for some more art elements and Easter eggs from my Web site guru.

    7) Get bookmarks made for Hot Mama.

    Done. As always, these are free to readers. If you want some, send me an e-mail at jennifer@jenniferestep.com.

    8) Update my pitch letters and promo materials for Karma Girl and Hot Mama.

    Done. Mostly. I need to edit the letters and promo stuff for typos, but I went ahead and sent the info to my publicist at Berkley.

    9) Dazzle everyone with my wit and brilliance at RWA Nationals.

    Well, I went to RWA. Whether I dazzled anyone is debatable. 🙄

    10) Get my head examined for thinking I can get all this accomplished in three months. :cool:

    This one still stands.

    Overall, I didn’t do too bad. Now, I need to make my list for fall … 😀

    What about you? Did you accomplish your summer writing goals? Inquiring minds want to know …