Remember that song...you're as cold as ice...your willing to sacrifice our love...???

I haven't really blogged the way I've wanted to or been able to read at the pace I've been hoping for. I've read several books....thought both positive & negatives about almost all of them...and wondered what it would be like to be a stone cold editor (knowing they have to be completely objective, which is pretty tricky considering we're all human). I admire editors. As a teacher at the university level, I have to 'man-up' to that task with academic papers. I try hard to find the positives in each & every paper. Sometimes...they just miss the boat. Sometimes, they just need some editing help. Either way, it's a really tough job & I wish I had a more impartial view of what's in front of me. Instead, I concentrate on emotions, what drove the writer (student or fiction writer) and why they chose to write what they did.

As a writer myself, I'm wondering how subjective vs objective they all are. I've decided to ask students to put their names on the LAST page so I can read the papers they have to write, without knowing who they are. I tend to want some to do better than others. Do professional editors in the publishing business do the same? If they read a familiar name...do they automatically assume, which creates a false positive in what they read? Or, can they be truly objective no matter what? As I try to defend and define parts of my dissertation, I'm thinking of the surprising emotional ties that I have to what I'm working on. I know what and why I want to do what I'm doing. The objective (or is she?) reviewer had questions and asked for certain changes. The inner child defended with a chip the size of Texas. The critical researcher (forced to grow up, be a grown up, and face reality).....has accepted the challenge to write so clearly, there will be no questions asked again.

We are all critical of each other. Can we do so from the POV of love for other humans & empathy toward their struggle to convey what they hoped when they wrote what we're reading? Or, are we quick to hate, to judge, to slash & burn in the spirit of being able to just say whatever we want? Ricky Gervais did that during the Golden Globes. He's a funny guy & i appreciate his talent as an actor. However, I thought he was just mean and to me, that is not entertaining or funny. People said, 'but actors deserve his comical POV, that they are all egotistical rich people who can afford to be made fun of'. How do we know that for sure? How do we ever know for sure how each individual person will take a critique of their work or their person?

And, if we put ourselves in their shoes, would we welcome the negativity? Grow from it? Embrace it? Or, would we be offended by it? I personally am sick of people being rude, or mean, or nasty just because they can. What's the point in it? What part of our humanity allows us to think that this is OK? When I read a book, like it or not, I try to find what I like in it. I try to be fair. I try to walk in the shoes of the person creating the work. If I'm feeling mean (and as a human being, we all are at times), I simply don't say anything at all. It's not fair to my own character and it's not fair to the artist trying to produce their best work.

So, why do I want to try to keep this blog going? I'm not a tough as nails critic. I'm not a fire breathing loud mouthed dragon, trying to put someone else down in order to make my own candle burn more brightly. I'm not even sure if I could forge my own career as a fiction writer exclusively. I'm a human being with a passion for trying to bring back the positive. I walk in the light of love for wanting to be better. I want others to feel that there are people out there who really care about them. We don't have to be ass kissers in order to let someone know we admire their work. We don't have to prove ourselves to others with words only the kids in the Scripps National Spelling Bee would know. We just have to put ourselves in the place of the artist & try to find what we like. What we do or don't like are completely subjective, no matter what. Bottom line.

Advice to the artist: Love what you do. Be the character. State the story with the passion that you're feeling. It'll be good.
Advice to the critical world we live in and all who write about what others are writing: Remember that you are one with that writer above all else. We deserve a higher quality of life than to stoop so low as to be mean spirited or condemning of others, just because.

Humility is a quality that I admire. If our editors and critics can be humble, while also offering a kind and gentle critique.....our genre will gain in ample strides. If we stay in the darkness of petty, mean-spirited low brow jabs....we will not evolve as a field, as people or as artists. Stay to the lights...that is good juju.

Karen

books to come!

Where did all the good juju go?

I've been a complete Scrooge for the last month. As a result, negativity happened & my laptop died. I did read a couple of stinky books (no offense, but they weren't my cup of tea...but since I won't publish the names of hard working authors who missed the mark with me...I suppose no harm done). However, I also read a couple of GREAT books! Those, I'll talk about....after I get my new computer next week.

In the meantime...I've decided to make a 2011 bucket List. Resolutions are meant to be broken...but the bucket list....it somehow seems more obtainable. it'll be as full as I make it....but no so full that I can't carry it into 2012. I will say, it's going to be a BIG year for me personally. I'll be graduating with a PhD in psychology. I'll be submitting my book series (Glass Houses) starting with Gideon's Angel to an agent or two & pitching it at RWA nationals. And, I'll be writing the other 4 books in that series...they're all completely done in my head, but like any great accomplishment.....and the Nike company logo...I have to Just Do It!

[**Eddie Redmayne is the muse/inspiration for Gideon's character....if you didn't see him in Red for which he won a Tony.....did you see him in Pillars of the Earth? My all-time top favorite books.....MANY years before Oprah picked it...we're talking in the 1990's when I read it....and the movie did it justice]

And...the culmination of my dissertation will be developed into a book by the same name. The experience of happiness. Everyone in the field (and some outside of the field) of positive psychology is telling us "how to"...but there aren't many who are walking through that mine field. I'm working with romance writers 'cause who should know the intimate details of the experience of happiness better...than the people who write about "happily ever after"???? anyway.....that's on the front burner.

I love reading...addicted to it really....so will of course, continue to comb my pile for the stuff that makes for good juju. But, ...choice of word intended....I sit for work, I sit for pleasure and other than the 6 hours a week I'll be actually standing while I teach at a university.....I sit while driving to and from work. Of course I can read & write...but the butt.....and all she's attached to.....have gone on strike. I've turned into a big bowl of jello and not in a happy jiggly way....in a I'm-not-doing-any-favors-to-my-health kind of way. So, I have a Wii Fit Balance Board (thank you self-Santa)....and the Zumba Wii game (again, thank you Self-Santa)...and I'm going to get back in shape. Being a positive psychology life coach...I don't use words like "try" or "hopefully".....they indicate trying and failing or hoping but never achieving. instead...i am fostering a "it's just a way of life" attitude intent on positive action.

So, BIG changes for this side of the blog....all good juju....but with the knowledge that no matter what kind of change it is....change causes strong emotions to emerge and strong emotions can off-set the balance of things, so will be done gingerly (my favorite romance novel word). We have to be unconditionally in love with our lives and we have to be gentle with our emotions....the good ones...the bad ones...and (cliche warning)....the ugly ones.

That's my New Year Self-Adjustment to possibilities & probabilities.

Watch Next week for my review of Susan Wiggs, Kresley Cole, Joanne Kennedy's 2nd debut, & yep....Stephanie Myer's Host (which is MUCH more cerebral than the others...but yep...I'm a Twilight fan too....just so you know).

In the meantime....Happy Reading everybody!!! And....my big question....who inspires you. If you watch for the signs....they can be anyone.

Eddie Redmayne (you can IMBd.com him)....but hopefully, when Gideon's Angel is made into a movie...he'll be available to play Gideon. I want Jane Lynch to play his Mother (can't you see the resemblance).The Mother's a very bad person...but will redeem herself in the end...I hope!
(ok...THIS is dreaming...but dreaming is free & possibilities don't emerge from staying grounded all the time).

The Day of Lessons Learned & Magic Happened

I know I said that this blog was about everything romance & only good juju. So, I thought to myself, should I blog about my day with my daughter (special unto itself) at the Turning Stone Casino where I took her to see the Moscow Ballet’s Nutcracker? Yes. The ballet is romantic. Yes. The Moscow dancers are hauntingly beautiful. The grace, style and strength are beyond compare. The sets were designed brilliantly. The adorable children dancers were beyond well, adorable. The children in the audience were mesmerized, and so they should be. (If they could actually see that is).

Perhaps I’m a natural complainer, or I truly do have a lower happiness quotient as I was getting pretty cranky at the building itself, but it was a valuable lesson in finding positive moments where there were major challenges. Then again, I’m pretty darn good at Where’s Waldo. So, I played the game & didn’t even need a guy in a red & white hat!

I love the ballet. I danced myself from when I was three until I was in about 4th or 5th grade. I knew I wasn’t built to fit the dancer’s life even that early so gave it up to my geeky awkward teen years. But, I never forgot the emotional joy of the physical strength, agility, or grace. I wanted my 12 year old to see the magic that a professional elite dance troop could create. The Moscow Ballet, with its tiny ballerina’s and strong assured graceful male dancers did just that. She loved it. I was pleased that she loved it. I was happy. That’s all that matters in the end.

The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies was as if cotton candy had come to life, floating on air. The dancers who had special parts during the fantasy numbers were amazing with their vibrant costumes and let’s face it, beyond perfect bodies! The couple doing the Arabian number had a 24 pack of abs as the male flipped the female around as if she were a child. Their poise; indescribable as they effortlessly bent or bowed with each other in a unison that made them look like one fluid motion. The tiny child dancer’s dressed as the mischievous mice scampered and played in a world clearly made for their very essence of innocence. All of this, of course was during the 2nd act. The one I could see.

What doesn’t matter, or didn’t really matter too much during the first half was that I couldn’t see more than about 10% of the stage. The Turning Stone Casino is built beautifully, with its fluid curving lines and natural earth tones. They had delicious food, courteous staff and a spectacular life size gingerbread village donning one section of the foyer. The overwhelming cigarette smoke made me want to gag. I hate cigarettes, and I figure, if someone wants to kill themselves with the stuff, they have the right. But, what a place like that doesn’t get is that the rest of us who choose NOT to be addicted to the toxic, smelly stuff have to suffer the flings & arrows of the cancerous air.

Inside the concert/performance room that would ordinarily be perfect for a comedian, was disastrous for a ballet AND, for children. I go to great lengths to keep smoke away from my kids. The air was thick with it. The tables were placed so close together that even the worst of airlines have better seating for their passengers. We were crammed in like sardines. There was cocktail table service for beverages which would have been great if I was drinking. I had my 12 year old with me and it was a 1 pm show. I was not drinking. I ordered coffee. The people at our table ordered alcohol. They won. They got their beer & margarita’s in about 2 minutes. My $2.00 8 oz. cup of coffee? An hour. I tipped the woman another $2.00 anyway. She works for a living. It made me feel better about my mean spirit.

The tables were vertical to the stage, so we all had to take our very tight space chairs and turn them on an angle to see. That was fine, until the tree of a man (seriously, about 6’6” & as broad across) and his 6’ rather grouchy wife sat in front of us. They turned, and the stage abruptly disappeared from site. Then, the server put someone at the table behind me that decided that he was going to require more room than I deserved. He slid over and if I had turned my head a little to the right, I could have licked him. I thought about it. His wife looked the type who wouldn’t appreciate it. And really, he didn’t look that appetizing.

So, I sat. My daughter sat on the end next to a lovely woman who was there to celebrate her birthday with her 19 year old. I missed my 19 year old and I’m very convinced that she would have made it a laugh out loud funny time from the beginning as she always sees the humor in things like this. My girl could see the show. I saw the tree. I decided to tweet the experience but as I began my twitter rant, I began to quickly find it to be more of a game. A challenge to find something positive in the experience. So, I discovered that for one thing, an oak cannot help its mighty size. He was a gentle giant, so I forgave him his girth. The poor guy couldn’t help that they stuck in him front of me any more than he could help the chairs to be too small for my buxom buttocks.

I thought about how I could benefit from the experience, so thought back to the original performances of this ballet, back in Moscow, Russia and what they were like for the people who sat at the crowded tables in the back. I had a full hour of day dreaming. Of deliciously wicked scheming, creating, having fun in my own head. Trying to watch the performance was fruitless, so I thought back to when my own Mom first brought me to see the Nutcracker when I was little.

I watched the little girl of about four at the next table. She squirmed and fiddled in her pretty dress and fly away dark hair as she bored with the show. Her Mom did everything she could to make it a magical time for the little girl, who in the end, won the fight of attention, and got to leave early. I thought hard about what sight is like for our grand-Mapa who has macular degeneration and can only see about 10% out of one eye. None out of the other. How frustrating it must be for a woman once so active. That is what I did. I spent the hour staring at the back of the tree, wondering if this is what it’s like for Genny every day. I am blessed in that I can look away and have perfect sight again.

The first half ended and so did my struggle. The tree made like a tree at the express insistence of his wife with her front row, perfect seat…and left. I’m trying to say, “Make like a tree and leave” but it’s not working out for me. Know why they left? The wife didn’t like their seats! Irony huh? The second half was all that enchantment and miracle in a tutu I just spoke of. My daughter sat in front of me. The man behind me was well, still egotistical in his choice of “close sitter” like behavior. But, I saw most of the rest of the show and it was grand.

I now have to go for a brisk walk and try to get some of the tar from my lungs, but this too shall pass. I’ll know better than to try to see any kind of show at the Turning Stone, unless I’m there as an addiction specialist. And, I will look forward to having a great day with my children again. The really funny part for me? It was horribly snowy here in my little village today. I got a text & a call to be safe. But, for us, the roads were clear all the way home. The other really funny thing, in a bitter sweet way? There’s a HUGE addiction counseling center right across the street from the Casino. There were three people outside smoking.

I’ll remember the beauty of the ballet, the lovely lunch with my precious daughter and the fun we had. I’ll think about the very nice women & the adorable little girl. I’ll forever admire professional ballet dancers & their dedication to their art. I’ll even admire the Turning Strong architect, the master gingerbread artists and the very nice people who worked there. But, what I’ll intentionally forget about is the discomfort, the horribly dirty air and the sad, cranky people who were throwing away their lives on the smoke infested slot machines.

The Moscow ballet doing the Nutcracker is a good juju romance. Every good romance story has a dark or ugly side to it. All in all, it was a day worth spending thanks to the love of my daughter.

So, here’s to the Ballet. I hope it’s always there for Mothers & Daughters to share a day.

Peace during the Holidays!

Karen

Shorest & coolest good juju writing yet

What I like about you....Susan Wiggs....is that you took place in one of the most unique writing adventures I've ever witnessed! I just watched Susan Wiggs type chapter 35 as the last chapter writer in a 36 writer marathon. It's an odd thing to watch a writer write. I write and dont' even want my kids around. I'm a jammie wearing writer (probably 'cause most of it is done in the wee hours of the AM). I like slouching in my seat, fidgeting and fooling around while absorbing how my character's are going to take the story from me.

SO.....to my delight, I had the opportunity to watch a master author in action. Can't wait for the charitable book to come out! It's part of The Novel Live.....the benefit? Literacy. Brilliant.

OK, so I'm a northeast girl and this event is a Seattle based event. But....the writer's involved are some of the best & brightest in the business. And if you ever want to immerse yourself in a writer's community.....Seattle seems to really stand out at the top of the paper pile as one of the most authentic, altruistic & fun bunch of people who help bring the love of reading & writing to the world. I LOVE Seattle & all she stands for. The people, the sights, the atmosphere and now....the writers.

This is DEFINITELY worth a gander over to their website to check them out!
http://www.thenovellive.org/novel/index.php?novel_part=35

I've been meaning to write a tribute to Susan Wiggs...and I will since I finished Just Breathe a while ago and she can write anything and make us feel the full range of human emotions...but for now....check out The Novel Live...it's good juju!!!

Peace!
Karen

What I like about.....writer/fan conferences.

At Fevercon.;...I was a fly on the wall..sort of....but baby...it was worth it!
What I like about you……writer conferences! (I’m sharing their websites below…keep reading…no pictures…I have too much chatter boxing to do)

Sorry it’s been so long since blogging….I had to finish rereading the fever series of Karen Marie Moning. Why? I was enticed by all the good juju oozing from the message boards of her website. I love how much the Moning maniacs want to connect to their favorite author (s). The conference did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, I had the rare occurrence to meet other readers who love Moning’s work as much as I do. And, as with other smaller conferences I’ve been to, I’ve been reintroduced to other authors that I’ve briefly heard or met, but never really got to know (yet). I LOVED THAT I GOT TO HANG WITH MY SISTER....we never get to go anywhere....just us.....but apparently....this was a theme this weekend. Yet another bonus to my experience!

I’m going to name drop for a moment, so bare with me. Don’t be jealous. Karen Marie Moning, her husband’s band/music played front and back of the house (Neil Dover) set the mood. She invited her inspiration for the role of Jericho Barrons to come meet her fans who responded with well, let’s just say, enthusiasm isn’t a strong enough word. His name is Eric Etebari if you’ve not seen his work or heard of him…..you should & won’t be sorry. Then, to add another layer of interesting to this world of complex paranormal-romantic-darkness-challenges-the-light, Karen invited Phil Gigante, the “voice” of her characters if you like listening to books on your MP3 player (I listen to it on my way to work on my iPod).

So, here we are in a world created by an author, and I imagine, much like a Sherrilyn Kenyon world or Stephanie Meyer world, and with the help of her genius “cruise director” extraordinaire, Leiha Mann, we were thrown head first into a 300 person party for 3 days. Ok, party isn’t the word for it, but its close enough. The icing on the cake for me was having the opportunity to also hear Shauna Summers, (the senior editor at Random House), Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter talk. To reintroduce myself to the lovely, generous Dianna Love, exciting! Then, Karen introduced her fans to the newer talents of Stacia Kane.

Editors, authors, entertainers who make this fun and saucy literature into a visual art & passionate women who love this artistic format made for three days of good juju.

What did I walk away from liking the most? Besides the smart & witty women I got to be ‘girlfriends’ with if only for just a few days? ‘Cause really……people need a social life as part of being alive & thriving…I discovered that creative people generously share their space on this earth with other creative people. Then, when they don’t have to be any more compatible, they invite their fans (who can be intense at times)….to share in their love of their art. That’s good juju.

Writers, editors, actors & musicians won’t always be this cool. They won’t always be so generous with their time. Yes, it was promotion of their art, for any cynical people reading this. Duh! That part is obvious. But, it seemed more than that. It was an intense lesson in learning what their consumer’s want, what their fans need from them. It was a focus group of sorts. A way to say thank you for scooping up and buying our product. But, it was more than that too.

It was a depth of generosity that I’ve witnessed before in the people who provide us with our entertainment. Eric Etebari didn’t have to ‘work’ the room by allowing women to “pose” (ahem ladies…..and I mean pose) with the ladies who wanted a piece of him. Phil Gigante didn’t have to flirt and dance his way into the hearts of the maniacs….but he did so willingly….giving them what they wanted. I’m a party pooper to the naked eye. I sit back more than most…observe, watch, geek out a little as I take it all in.

There is a purpose to keeping the electricity alive between us as humans, an importance to connectivity. Nobody does it better than an author. So, without further adieu….here are the websites to all the people at this conference and if you EVER love someone’s work…..I highly recommend writing to them, encourage them with your positive feedback, show them the good juju by telling them how you feel. That’s the point of karma….give well and ye shall receive well. When someone spends days, weeks or months working on creating a world that sparks all your strongest emotions, they are doing so in solitude to the outside world. Knowing that they have achieved their goals by reaching us, the readers means more to them than you can ever know.

It’s just good juju all over the place. Ooooo.…it’s also a boat load of free, autographed books! I just started gobbling up Kresley Cole’s Dark Needs at Night’s Edge…and I do NOT want to put it down. Kresley can rock the Kasbah with her story…..so….what I like about…well, I DIGRESS….I’ll finish her book first then tell you why I’m loving it completely! :-}

FeverCon….thank you for all you did this past weekend in Atlanta! Leiha.....YOU are the master...the real deal.....charming as hell...funny as they come.....sweeter than sugar...the kind of expert entertainer that girls want to be friends with and guys want to date!

Karen Moning (super hero/girl genius, kind, caring, authentic, shy, sweet as heck & deeply appreciative of her fans…devoted to her cat & can basically write her bling-d up ass off!) I feel like a Harry Potter fan after book #3 and just 3 months before book #4 was released. Shadowfever is going to rock! http://www.karenmoning.com/

Neil Dover (the music, the husband, up close, looks like Michael Bubble & clearly in LOVE with his wife which is very sexy) http://www.karenmoning.com/store/?referer=neildover.com

Eric Etebari (the actor/producer/director/writer/entertainer/inspiration & intelligent. A very interesting guy!) http://www.eric-etebari.com/ericetebariframe.htm

Phil Gigante (the voice full of imagination & kindness….not afraid to have fun with people) http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/gvpages/A2456.shtml

Kresley Cole (funny, smart, a real girl’s girl, gorgeous & tells a GREAT story! ) http://kresleycole.com/

Gena Showalter (probably the inspiration for Stacie’s Mom…the song, funny, smart, sweet & genuinely caring) http://members.genashowalter.com/

Dianna Love (authentic, genuine & kind! If you ever want a perfect example of a Duchene smile…Dianna is the real deal) http://www.authordiannalove.com/

Stacia Kane (totally rocks…..the new kid on the block to me….I’d have a keg party with you any time Stacia….even if I’m done at 1, it would be fun to hang with you & your creative self!) http://www.staciakane.net/

Shauna Summers (VERY generous with her time & knowledge…a total delight...a special talk!) http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/meet-senioreditor-shauna-summers


Thank you all!
K

What I like about You....Karen Marie Moning

It’s been a little while since writing. I’ve had to concentrate on my day job as a university lecturer as the dawn of fall settled quickly on us. Lectures and syllabi took over where my reading for pleasure left off. I also have to concentrate on my doctoral dissertation. It’s time consuming, but ever fascinating. I’m completely engaged when I read academic work, so it’s hard to find time to have that kind of focus. It’s what I love about reading though. It’s trained me to be a better reader. A better everything. Then again, reading novels also trained me to be a better researcher. Ask any dedicated fan to any major writer. More likely than not (from those I’ve met), the readers will know more about the details of a book than the writer will remember! Other authors have confirmed this to be true.


When we’re mindful or 100% engrossed in what we’re doing, we do all of it better. When we’re motivated by curiosity, we’re driven to move forward or pulled toward the unknown (depending on how you look at the world). Reading can do that too. One of my favorite authors is the focal point of today’s blog. Not just a book. All her books. They are written with such intensity that it’s clear to the reader that with every story, every character, Karen Marie Moning is mindful of what she’s writing when she’s writing it. I’ve read every book she’s written. http://www.karenmoning.com/

I’m about to reread them ‘cause at the end of the month, I’m heading to a fan based weekend long conference dedicated to her latest series, the Fever Series. The fifth and final book is going to be released in January. With the excited anticipation of that glorious release, I can only think of one thing. The cat in my case was definitely killed (in a good way) by curiosity. Karen’s Fae series takes the reader on a young yet complicated adventure through a paranormal world of creatures so creative and so vividly real, that I actually wonder if I go to Dublin, will I run into one.

To me, the mark of a good book is engaging the reader. The mark of a great book is to create a time and space the reader doesn’t want to leave. The mark of an excellent book is one where the characters and places described haunt the reader long after the last page is turned. That’s the Fever series for me. Now, maybe I’m haunted by these romantic, exciting, sometimes terrifying and ever so sensual story lines because I love the adventures within. Maybe I’m more into the stories because the author and her amazing webmaster Leiha Mann have created a real world sisterhood for the readers of these books. Maybe my interest in Karen Moning books lies in the truth that I wouldn’t mind being any of the women in those books. Mostly, my love of all Karen Moning books is very simple. The woman can write and write well.

As grownups, we sometimes forget to play. Playfulness, creativity, curiosity, wonder and joy are benchmarks of a genuinely happy person. A happy person is a well rounded person. A well rounded person is a more productive, grounded person. In order to stay grounded and successful, we have to leave the ground running and head back to playfulness. Moning allows grown up’s to play in her world.

She delivers a book that quickly pulls the readers in, keeps them on the edge of wanting what’s next and holds fast to your imagination until the very last word. Then, she teases the reader to want more by producing a thought provoking sub-character that always ends up with their own book somewhere down the line. I am a dedicated and loyal maniac (her fans are Moning maniacs). I’ve even thought of getting the Barrons tattoo to show my devotion, but that could be tricky as I have an aversion to the whole tattoo issue.

I love when a new Moning book comes out. I love being part of a fan base where the women (and some men) are equally kind, gracious, dedicated and fun. It’s a magical world built by an extremely perfect blend of everything we love about reading. The emotions run deep. The quest runs true. The knowledge that no matter where we are in the world, we can connect to other human beings through these books brings the essential basic and primal need to a happy conclusion.

People need people. Karen Moning creates a place for those needs to be met. I could write a whole research paper on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the works of Karen Moning, but for now, I’ll just be totally happy to be a fan, a reader, and sooner than not, a Fevercon maniac. As a typically cynical person who wants proof of life in anything, I have to say, it’s refreshing to be able to let my guard down, relax, have some fun, don’t question and just play for a while. I hope you can find a book, or series of books that does that for you. I have a couple of other authors who succeed in this too. I’ll share them later on. But, for now, it’s truly uplifting to have a passion where you don’t care who knows it, you have fun engaging in it, and you have a bond with others who have that same passion as you.

I’m not usually impressed when I meet famous people. I’ve met so many of them. They’re just people. But, I’ll be excited to finally meet both Karen, the creator and Leiha, her master of mystical ceremonies. So, Shadowfever, I patiently wait for you're arrival....but I'm totally pumped to put all else aside in order to read the 700+ juicy page turning pages! Then, I will be sad when it's over.

Karen Moning....you are what Good Juju Romance is all about!

Why do we read?

I was just looking at my facebook page. It's a tangle of high school friends that I never see but would like to say hi to once in a while; authors (mostly romance cohorts from RWA); and academics from various places...be it coaching or psychology. Anywho, Eric Selinger (brilliant academic from DuPaul University)....passed the article along that I'm blogging about today. It's not a "what I like about you...'re book" blog, but instead a commentary that is related to my blog.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-pinter/jodi-picoult-jennifer-weiner-franzen_b_693143.html


Why do we read? Because we can loudly boast to have read something so painfully boring or poignant that it brought tears to our eyes? Is it because we want to grow, learn, live, feel or experience something that wouldn't otherwise have occurred to us? Or, perhaps it's a testament to our adventurous side, challenging us to dare to dream or dream of daring. Maybe, it's all of the above. Maybe, it's just good 'ol fashioned entertainment.

So, should anyone dictate what we read? Or, what we write? One of the glorious benefits of reading is to expand our minds. One of the glorious benefits of living in a free society as men & women equally (or so we hope)...is that we CAN read what we want, when we want, with whom we want, and then.... talk about it openly! Sure, there are the occasional zealots who try to ban our minds from reading freely, BUT they are afraid. You can't blame or force terrified people, blind to the power of the unknown for feeling that way. It's human nature to want to stay within a framework of sameness or even, like mindedness. We simply have to be confident in knowing that we know that the change can't hurt us.

The same can be said for commercial vs literary fiction. Some of it is good. Some of it is crap. We are all individuals with individual tastes in what we read. So, what's great to me, may be bunk to someone else. Visa Versa. I'm NEVER going to sit down with a pompous "intellectual" smart ass snob and try to have a conversation. I won't respect that person, and clearly, they won't respect me. It's OK. We are all individuals and we are all different.

However, we do have one thing in common (even if the wind bag won't admit it). We all LOVE to read. Even people in the art of story telling......reading optional......love a good story. Some cultures live their history by story telling. It's older than any of us will ever be.

So, War & Peace; Spell of the Highlander; The Bluest Eye; The Lakeshore Chronicles; The Troubleshooter Series; Pride & Prejudice; Last of the Mohicans; Moby Dick; Darkfever; The Bible; Pillars of the Earth, Boyfriend Trouble; On Writing......you get the picture. I've read them all. I love them all. I don't care if the writer is a woman a man, a transgendered person or an alien. "Don't ever let anyone tell you what to write. If it's good, it's good." - Jodi Picoult (words to live by)....and I'm PROUD to say...that was from her directly to ME in an email.

Here's something that you should know that I DO know about people  who write fiction. They are powerful in the way they band together to support each other to write BETTER each and every book. They are brilliant at knowing human emotion. They are in tune with what odds are stacked against them, and yet seem more resilient than any other profession I've been exposed to....and I've seen quite a few. The female authors that I know are smart bitches! Just visit the website for them. Seriously....it's their name! I dare anyone to out-know about writing OR reading with a critical eye than them! I'd actually like to invent a reality show with the Smart Bitches vs the Bow-tie wearing intellectual types mentioned in the above referenced article. It would be a really great show!
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/

So, to ALL the members of IASPR &  Jodi Piccoult (who does not write romance but does write a mean "women's fiction")...I salute you! Let me introduce you the International Association for the study of Popular Romance. Since our original article didn't get that far. http://iaspr.org/


Now, back to our regularly scheduled happy thoughts (say the Lost Boys to Peter), for I am forever a Female Peter Pan at heart. Or, maybe a tinker bell as I do have a cranky side.

OH...one more thing. Check out the Maui Writer's Conference or the Field's End Writer community (I'm sure there are hundreds of other conferences like these). WRITER'S who are GOOD, are also happy. Writers who are happy are also generous with their helping each other, supporting each other, sharing knowledge with each other. They are both men & women. When I went to Field's End...I got to meet Susan Wiggs, Sheila Roberts, Robert Dugoni & SO many more in every walk of the writer's life. It's the BEST conference I've been to....and the most beautiful. http://fieldsend.org/Conference.html


K
Here's my positive psych. side of this whole thing. I found a new author that I need to read! Thanks Huffington. Jennifer Weiner, I look forward to reading your stuff & contributing to your royalty check!