Category: BadGirlzWrite

What We're Reading Wednesday - Meg Silver

10/16/2014

This week I’m recommending an erotic romance serial series by Meg Silver called Fantasy Heights. A word of warning here…these books are ridiculously hot. If you are offended by threesomes, bondage, voyeurism—Don’t read them.

But, if you like erotic romance, they’re a lot of fun. Each installment is a novella. The entirety of Season One (nine novellas!) is available as a box set, and Season Two is currently being released one by one. Thankfully, Ms. Silver is a fast writer, and there’s not much lag time between releases.

Here’s a very brief description from Amazon:

“Season One: Jilted bank manager Amanda Tate discovers Fantasy Heights, a resort where sex and theater combine to fulfill its guests’ every fantasy. Hired as a low-bie performer, Amanda explores her sexual appetites with captivating coworkers and powerful clients. What could possibly go wrong?”

I would actually classify these as erotic romantic suspense. An underlying mystery threads through Season One and basically wraps up for our H/H, who do get an HEA at the end of S1, by the way. Season Two kicks off with a related mystery and a new heroine/hero. Although, be warned, sex has nothing to do with love in either series.

Read my full post at BadGirlsWrite! And, check out our past What We're Reading Wednesdays.

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The Big Hook

10/16/2014

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Several of the Bad Girl posts to our former selves have been philosophical musings ranging from the torture of waiting to how it gets harder to how we get better. I’m going to focus on something tangible that nearly lost me the chance at an agent and a publishing deal.

THE BIG HOOK

Two and half years ago, when I set down in front of a blank page to write my first book, not only did I not know I needed a hook, I had no idea this elusive hook thing existed. Even now, six books and two publishing contracts later, searching for The Big Hook feels a little like getting dumped out in the middle of nowhere on a snipe hunt.
When I was brainstorming ideas for my first book, I took the advice ‘Write What You Love to Read’. I love Regencies, so why not write one? Several that I loved revolved around Regency spies, so why not write about that? (The other implied lesson here is that if you are reading a bunch of books about X, then X will most likely be played out by the time you finish your masterpiece. Just sayin’…) My first two Regencies did well on the unpublished contest circuit. They both finaled in the Golden Heart® in 2014. But, even though (I think) they are quite good, my agent almost passed on them and me. Her biggest criticism had nothing to do with my plotting, my characters, or my craft. No, my books lacked the dreaded BIG HOOK.

When I refer to a hook, I’m not talking about an opening line, or the last line in a chapter. I’m talking about what’s unique about your book or series. How you can sell your book and make it stand out in the crowd.

There are four books in my Regency series. I wrote all of them in a vacuum. They connect, sometimes loosely, through characters not concept. My awesome agent Kevan Lyon signed me but issued a warning. She wasn’t sure she could sell my books, because they were difficult to pitch. Honestly, I think she signed me based on my potential to produce salable books and not on these two books in particular.

Don’t ask me for an elevator pitch of my Regency series unless we’re headed to the penthouse of the Petronas Towers. I can’t sum up the series in a concise, hooky fashion. I got lots of editor rejections because (are you catching on?) my book series didn’t “hook” them.

Luckily, I found an editor who loves my stories and characters enough to overlook my lack of a hook. But, when the editor and I discussed what to name the series…I was stumped. We eventually settled on SPIES AND LOVERS even though Book 4 (which I hope she’ll eventually contract:) has nothing to do with Spies. Do you see what I did to myself through my ignorance of the marketplace?

My strength is the ability to learn from my mistakes. I’ll continue to make mistakes, but not the same ones, dang it. So, when it came time to brainstorm my next series, a contemporary this time, I set the series in a small Alabama town. The heroes of the trilogy would be the coaches of a high school football team seeking redemption. My hook was small town Southern football. (Cue the halleluiah chorus!) I framed my hook as Friday Night Lights meets Steel Magnolias. It’s common and useful to cross two popular movies to describe your series. It took nine months to sale my Regencies. This series sold in four weeks. That’s the difference a hook can make.

Yet another level to this whole thing exists. (Cue the groans!) My series has a hook but is it High Concept? Unfortunately, I don’t think it is. Here’s a good definition of High Concept. High Concept is even more elusive than The Big Hook, but if you can corral it, I will envy you.

Although, I did manage to get my Regency books contracted, I will always keep The Big Hook in mind when starting new projects. You could have stellar writing and an engaging plot but have difficulty selling your project to an agent or editor without a hook.

How about that advice ‘Write what you love to read’? Sure, but do it with your head in the game and with your eyes open to the marketplace, especially if you are going after a traditional deal.

Read more from me at BadGirlzWrite and good luck finding your hook!

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What We're Reading Wednesday - The Wedding Dare Series

9/25/2014

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The Wedding Dare books are an interconnected series of category romances from the Brazen line that take place at a destination wedding of the couple we meet in the prequel novella. Be warned, the heat level is close to scorching (and awesome!)

Dare to Resist (prequel novella) by Laura Kaye

Falling for the Groomsman by Jen McLaughlin

Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey

Seducing the Bridesmaid by Katee Roberts

Best Man with Benefits by Samanthe Beck

I’m used to reading (and writing) single title length books, so all of these read like novellas to me. They made for a quick, light read, and I finished all of them over a weekend. I very much enjoyed all of them, but I’ll admit to having a favorite--Baiting the Maid of Honor by Tessa Bailey.

Read my full post at BadGirlz Write!

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What We're Reading Wednesday - Simone St. James

9/20/2014

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With the kickoff off the new website and lineup, the BadGirlz are also introducing a new feature: What We’re Reading Wednesdays! Just to be perfectly clear, we don’t solicit books, and these posts are not reviews. If a BadGirl reads a good book that needs sharing, then we share. We’ll cover romances, women’s fiction, and literary works—whatever strikes our fancy. Just like you, we are a diverse group of readers. A few months ago, I was reading the RWR (Romance Writer’s Report—a publication put out by the Romance Writers of America). In each issue, they interview a successful, current romance author. This particular interview was with Simone St. James.

Now, I’ve professed my obsession adoration for gothic romance writer Mary Stewart a few times now in blogs. (here and here) Her books are on my keeper shelf, and I reread them on a regular basis. Stewart’s writing heyday was in the 1950s and 60s. Her heroines were strong-willed yet fallible, adventurous yet inexperienced. In short, relatable. Her books stand the test of time, and I encourage you to read all of them. Now....

Read my full post at BadGirlzWrite

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What We're Reading Wednesday - Meg Silver

The Big Hook

What We're Reading Wednesday - The Wedding Dare Series

What We're Reading Wednesday - Simone St. James

Laura Trentham

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