In the Infamous Words of the Go-Gos...

Vacation all I ever wanted! Ah yes, I am going on vacation. Finally. I have been counting down the days for about two months now. I so need a break from the every day. So early tomorrow morning I will be off to the great Island of Prince Edward. I haven’t been there since I was about 9 years old.

I am taking with me about six different books to read, one full manuscript (Salvation Falls) to read through and edit and write the synopsis for, my netbook so I don’t have to write everything longhand, and my notebook jammed full of ideas, some on loose pieces of paper shoved between the pages. I’m hoping to decide, or at least narrow down, which idea will get fleshed out and outlined for this year’s NaNoWriMo.

I’m also taking my yoga mat so I can get in a daily workout (or just simply find some zen moments on the beach).

By the way, I finally got to watch the movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion the other night and loved it! I’ll have to reread that book again.

Hope everyone’s summer is going great and I’ll check back in with everyone upon my return next weekend!

Oh, and one last thing – you may have noticed I took a break from blogging over on Pop Culture Divas (formerly Miss Make A Movie). But starting in September I’ll be back to my usual monthly post over there. In the meantime, check it out – we have a new post every weekday and traffic has been increasing steadily.

When Hollywood Calls

No, sadly, Hollywood hasn’t called. Yet. Like my eternal optimism? I haven’t even signed a publishing contract and already I’m eyeballing Hollywood and dreaming of selling my books to the big and/or small screen. I remember being 9 years old and telling my mother I was going to move to Hollywood and become an actress. She threatened to disown me if I did. But seeing how supportive she is of my writing career, I’m pretty sure she’d be okay if I got in this way.

But once again, I digress. The Hollywood I’m speaking off is of the fictional kind. I was skimming through (meaning reading in wide eyed fascination) People.com and out of nowhere this idea begins to percolate. At first it was just a ‘huh, isn’t that a funny situation’ kind of thought, but as most writers know, sometimes that’s all you need. The next thing I know I have a cast of characters long enough to fill an entire season of Grey’s Anatomy (guest stars included) banging on my mental door demanding an audition.

Then as I zip over to TMZ.com I’m assaulted by more entertainment news which fuels more ideas and before I know it I have too many characters and situations to deal with.

So I do what any half-crazed, idea-soaked writer would do. I grab a new notebook and start scribbling like a mad woman every idea that pops into my cranium. I’m jotting down back stories with no idea which character they belong to, situations with no clue as to which poor sap will end up mired in them. And most importantly, I’m feeling this rush of excitement and glee at the prospect of finding out.

Granted, the Hollywood scene is a far distant cry from early Victorian England or the Old West, but I did say I wanted to branch out and try new things. So, while I finish up revisions on Salvation Falls before heading off to vacation, I will keep jotting down the ideas on the Hollywood novel, currently titled “All That Glitters” and see where it takes me.

A Break with Romance

I am taking a break from romance. Reading, not writing. Although I am also branching out into other areas of writing as well with a shift to more mainstream historical fiction and, of all things, children’s books. Then there’s that crime/legal thriller that’s been kicking around in my cranium for a little over a year now…

But I digress.

You see, here’s the thing. Firstly, I love historical romance. It combines all the elements that interest me – history, adventure, relationships. But lately, that’s all I’ve been reading, and I’m discovering that sometimes too much of a good thing is not such a good thing. Even my favourite authors who never fail to keep me glued to the page are not doing the trick. I don’t feel the same joy I normally feel when I delve into a new story. And it isn’t because the book is not a good book, it’s simply because I am craving something different. Like I overfed on Caesar salad and now I’d sell my own mother down the river just to have a taste of Greek.

Okay, I wouldn’t actually sell my mother down the river. I like my mother. She’s highly entertaining, survived having me as a daughter, and makes the most amazing apple crisp. But you get my drift. I want something different. In reading material, not mothers, that is.

And it isn’t as if I don’t have a bevy of books to choose from. My TBR pile has a plethora of selection. Granted about 65% of that selection is historical romance, but I also have plenty of historical fiction, fantasy, literary and a few contemporary. I have authors like Ken Follett, Anne Bishop, Emma Donoghue, and Marisa De los Santos sitting on my shelf. I have classics like Middlemarch and North and South waiting to be picked up. I have a few borrowed books I’m sure my critique partner would like to get back that are completely outside the norm of what I would normally read but still look interesting.

So here is what I’m doing – for the rest of the summer I am going on a self-imposed hiatus from historical romance. I will start working my way through the other 35% of my TBR pile. I will rediscover my joy of a good story well told in genres outside my usual comfort zone. My imagination is feeling the need to expand and reach beyond its boundaries. It’s growing stagnant and that’s never a good thing for a writer.

So off I go. Should be an interesting summer.