Guest Post: "Love and Romance in the Middle Ages" by Vijaya Schartz

Vijaya Schartz was the first person to greet me and welcome me to my first Valley of the Sun Romance Writers Association meeting many years ago. That she went on to become our president is no surprise to anyone who knows her. She is charming, prolific, and passionate about romance writing. Welcome to Romance Righter, Vijaya!

My Curse of the Lost Isle medieval fantasy romance series, required extensive research in early medieval legends and history. I discovered that many things have changed over the centuries... including the way we find mates. Arranged marriages, rituals, customs differ greatly, as well as the many external conflicts and ideologies two lovers must overcome in realizing their dream of finding their Happily Ever After. But the matters of the heart haven’t changed a bit. Romeo and Juliet remind us that teenagers did harbor burning passions even then. And the legends of the round table abound with instances of forbidden love and dire consequences. Watching “The Dove Keepers” and “Bible” episodes on the History Channel last week, I realized ancient history and the Old Testament are full of forbidden love stories as well.

While the Curse of the Lost Isle series is largely based upon authentic legends and known history, the crucial romantic element drives these stories. They involve a family of immortal ladies, related to Morgane the Fae, and oppressed by a curse. Torn between love and duty to their Pagan Goddess, they struggle in a world that is quickly becoming Christian. The stakes are piled high... and ready to burn.

Although these are romances, I refuse to sugarcoat the middle ages. The shrewd warriors of the time fought to kill, often savagely. The Viking raids in Scotland were bloody, and I do not shy away from such scenes. Some reviewers remarked upon it, and I often give a warning as well. Some scenes are not for the faint of heart. Yet, I owe it to myself and to my readers to give an honest description of the place and time, according to what I know to be true from extensive research. I do not apologize, not for my love scenes, and certainly not for my battle scenes.

I also enjoy the challenge of writing immortal women with Fae gifts. In this case, a mother and her three daughters. Immortality gives them a different outlook on life and love. How does a two-hundred year old gorgeous virgin approach her first lover? She is not young and certainly not  innocent, yet she has never been in love, and never known a man. What a thrilling challenge.

As for an immortal falling in love with a mortal, that’s another challenge. How are they ever going to find their Happily Ever After? That’s where imagination comes to play. As a romance writer, I absolutely insist on a HEA. Even when the odds are against them, and the outcome is grim, I will find a way. Maybe it comes from my own will to find a happy resolution, no matter what. I believe our intents, our decisions, our dreams shape our lives, and we can make a difference. So can my heroines.

Did I mention I write strong women? They carve their destiny at the point of a magic sword in this series (and with blasters in my futuristic stories). They choose, they fight, they make mistakes, they pay for them, they fall, but they always get back up and earn the right to their happiness.

Also, their extraordinary gifts come with a warning never to use them for selfish purposes... or else. Hence the curse, which results from abuse of power against mortals, usually in their late childhood, when their powers awaken.

There are five books in the Curse of the Lost Isle so far, with Book 6 scheduled for later this month. The Boxed set http://amzn.com/B00VGMYSCM includes the first four novels for only $5.00 in eBook. Some of these titles are already available in paperback, and the rest will be soon. Also available from ARE, B&N, etc.

Book 1 - PRINCESS OF BRETAGNE - The early story of Pressine

http://amzn.com/B007K1EGAM

Book 2 - PAGAN QUEEN - The resolution of Pressine’s story

http://amzn.com/B007Z8F7IA

Book 3 - SEDUCING SIGEFROI - The story of Melusine

http://amzn.com/B008LW18EG

Book 4 - LADY OF LUXEMBOURG - The later story of Melusine

http://amzn.com/B00BO0MYX6

Book 5 - CHATELAINE OF FOREZ - Another story of Melusine (standalone)

http://amzn.com/B00I3T9VYG

Book 6 - BELOVED CRUSADER - The story of Palatina (standalone)

Blurb for the boxed set:

From history shrouded in myths, emerges a family of immortal Celtic Ladies, who roam the medieval world in search of salvation from a curse. For centuries, imbued with hereditary gifts, they hide their deadly secret, stirring passions in their wake as they fight the Viking hordes, send the first knights to the Holy Land, give birth to kings and emperors... but if the Church ever suspects what they really are, they will be hunted, tortured, and burned at the stake. 5 stars on Amazon "Edgy Medieval, yay!"

Find all these books and many more at:

Vijaya Schartz

Swords, Blasters, Romance with a Kick

http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/vijayaschartz 
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/vijaya-schartz
FB: https://www.facebook.com/vijaya.schartz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vijayaschartz

About Vijaya Schartz:

Born in France, award-winning author Vijaya Schartz never conformed to anything and could never refuse a challenge. She likes action, adventure, and exotic settings, in life and on the page. A world traveler, with over 24 titles published, she writes medieval and futuristic romance and often claims to travel through time. Find more at http://www.vijayaschartz.com

Suicide by Cop

On this blog, I deal with relationship issues. Often of the romantic flavor, but not always. Sometimes I deal with family, occasionally I touch on a topic that is about individuals. Today is one of the latter.

I had heard that some professions are more dangerous. We all have. There was even a TV show with that theme. But I was reminded recently how danger can come in many forms.

Usually when we hear or read the phrase, “suicide by cop”, we think of the sadly deranged individuals who are unable to take their own lives, so they bait police officers to do it for them. They threaten the lives and well-being of our officers so they will be shot dead.

Sad as this situation is, a more horrifying definition of “suicide by cop” is the one in which our law enforcement officers take their own lives.

Leading cause of death among police officers is suicide. Police officers are two to three (some say four) times more likely to die by their own hand than through a felonious act.

I recently got these statistics at the Left Coast Crime Conference in Portland. The panel, “Talking Shop: Getting Law Enforcement Details Right”, included Neal Griffin as moderator, Ellen Kirschman, Terry Odell, Adam Plantinga, and David Putnam. All but one of the panelists had experience in some aspect of law enforcement, so they knew what they were talking about.

Ellen Kirschman’s experience was as a psychologist with law enforcement. She has written informational books about issues that confront law enforcement officers and their families. But most recently, she published her first novel, Burying Ben, that is the story of a young police officer who blames the department psychologist for his decision to take his own life.

Disheartening statistics I found with some investigation was that the national suicide rate in 2009 was 18.1 per 100,000 officers. That translated to about 300 police suicides annually. (Other studies are not that high.)

91% of law enforcement suicides are by males. Ages 35-44 (depending on year) were at greatest risk over the years of the study. 63% were single. Time on the job: most risk at 15-19 years. Suicides occurred most often with their own service weapons.

In a study of law enforcement suicides in 2008-2012, there was a slight drop in law enforcement officer suicides 2012. This was the first drop since the group had been tracking suicides.

A number of factors have been identified as stressors that might lead officers to take their own lives: shift work, frustrations with the criminal justice system, alcohol/drug abuse, personal legal difficulties, and negative view by the public. Stress with alcohol and depression was the most likely combination in suicides.

A number of groups are looking at the risk factors and are trying to come up with support structures for troubled officers. Let’s hope they are given the resources to do so.

It is horrifying that so many of the people we depend upon for our safety, people who serve as our buffer between what is right and what is wrong, are in so much pain.

Next time you encounter an officer, in either an official or unofficial capacity, remember to thank him or her for their service. It is the one small thing each of us can do. With enough small things, maybe we get a starfish thing going for someone.

Read More:

I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know, Ellen Kirschman

Counseling Cops: What Clinicians Need to Know, Ellen Kirschman

“A Study of Police Suicides in 2008-2012” http://www.policesuicidestudy.com/

“Law Enforcement Suicide: Current Knowledge and Future Directions” http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=2669&issue_id=52012

Five Things Authors Want from Book Reviews

Has this ever happened to you? You are asked to read and review a book written by a friend or acquaintance or relative.  When you finish, you think, “Oh, no. What will I write about this book? I barely got through it. And my friend/acquaintance/relative wrote it.”

It can feel uncomfortable giving a negative review even to a stranger. But when it’s someone you know, it is even harder. You know the author worked hard and thinks it good enough to share with the world. But you know better. Maybe the plot is too thin or too thick. Maybe the dialogue is stilted or inappropriate. Perhaps you didn’t care about the characters you were supposed to relate to.

But all authors need to seek honest reviews of their work. And there are ways to phrase your review criticisms that make it easier to hear so authors can use the suggestions to improve future works. Whether they know it or not, authors are seeking usable, honest feedback.

Hard as it might be to hear, ultimately we improve more from well-crafted negative comments than from the rosy, glowing, “this book is perfect” reviews. The exception to that is if the “perfect” book reviews explain why it’s perfect. We want to repeat what we do well in addition to fixing our flaws.

And the number of reviews we get counts as well as the average rating for the book. There are big time, legitimate reviewing sites that won’t consider reviewing a book until it has a certain number of reviews with a certain minimum average rating. Getting reviewed by sites with tens of thousands of readers is huge for authors. That’s one reason we seek out reviews as soon as a book is published.

Here is my list of the five things authors expect from reviews:

1. If you accept a book for review purposes, review it.

I can’t tell you how many books I “gifted” to people asking only that they give an unbiased review in return. I am running about 50% for follow-through. I wonder why they don’t review it. Did they hate it and don’t want to hurt my feelings? Did they lose it? Did they flat out forget?

2. We don’t expect or need long reviews, but we do like specifics.

A book review doesn’t need to and probably shouldn’t get into too much detail about plot points. But, hey, if you’re going to give away something, put SPOILER ALERT at the beginning of your review so others will be warned.

That said, the review can be a short paragraph or few sentences, but don’t be too general. Give specifics. Instead of “great character interactions”, you might say “the relationship of the hero and heroine was complicated by lack of communication”. That is a specific that helps other readers. And it tells the author that part of the story was effectively communicated.

3. Don’t diss the book for the wrong reasons.

If the book didn’t arrive on time or the cover was damaged in transit, contact the seller. The author has no control over such issues. We get that you’re frustrated and want to vent, but a book review isn’t the place to do that. The author can do nothing about it.

Likewise, don’t be so critical if the book didn’t meet your expectations in certain ways. For example, I use various pen names for branding purposes. I do not want someone who likes my cozy culinary mysteries to pick up Streetwalker and start looking for the recipes. But if the book blurb signals the type of book and you didn’t bother to read it, don’t take it out on the book or author if it didn’t meet genre expectations.

That said, if the book didn’t meet your expectations because you know cozy mysteries are supposed to keep violence to a minimum and “off-stage” and this book had gory details like in police procedurals, then, yeah, take the author to task for violating expectations. Or if you expected the main characters to be people you can care about (per cozy mystery expectations), and everybody is a jerk, then the author violated expectations and should be called out.

4. Give a rating number that reflects your comments.

I admit to being puzzled by the three-star reviews that only say positive things. Okay. I get it that you reserve five stars for a very few books. But why isn’t it a four-star book? What do I need to do to bump it up to the next level? When you don’t give me specifics (going back to #2), I can’t always figure out how to move my writing up to a level you’d enjoy more.

5. Help the author of a book you liked by dealing with trolls and inappropriate or inaccurate reviews.

We all get them. The holier-than-thou folks who never met a book they liked. Or, sadly, there are authors who trash other authors’ books to cut down the competition. Or there are people who just didn’t get the book and write scathing but inaccurate reviews.

Please consider responding to those reviews in defense of the book. We like it when dialogue ensues among our readers and people chime in on the topic. As people argue for and against the book, we learn a lot about what is important to our readers and about how well we delineated our premise.

So there you have it. Authors want to hear from you. They want to know what kinds of books resonate with you. They want to get better. Help them do that.

Check out these tips about how authors can respond to book reviews.

Guest Post: "TYPE" by Karen Chilton Wilder

I regularly read and enjoy Karen Chilton Wilder's blog, "Girl on a Wire", and so I was delighted when she agreed to appear on "Romance Righter". "Type" was originally posted on her blog and was very popular, so we thought you would enjoy it, too! Welcome, Karen!

 

What could the dating experiences of little old me - a 40-something, recently divorced mom - possibly have in common with those of a 23 year old gay man?

As it turns out, quite a bit.

In fact, as it turns out, gay men and straight men may have far more in common with one another than either group might like to admit.  A recent chat with my friend Kyle had us both in stitches over the “types” we’ve discovered in the course of our (mis)adventures in dating.

A sampling:

·       The Pretty Boy.  I can’t go out with this guy because his hair always looks better than mine.  Ditto for Kyle (and really, this is a crime, because Kyle has fabulous hair).  Ladies and gents, if it walks like a Ken doll, talks like a Ken doll, and never met a mirror it wasn’t ready to make love to, it’s likely The Pretty Boy you’re dealing with.  Nice arm candy, but be warned: he’s only got enough love for himself.

·       The Clooney.  This is a tough one.  Dashingly handsome, but with serious talent and substance to boot.  Has avoided commitment thus far, but causes everyone he comes into contact with to swoon in hopes of being ‘The One.’  But let’s get real, kids.  How many of us are truly in a class with Amal?  Keep your head on straight.  Your skivvies, too.

·       The Pious One.  Maybe he’s an actual pillar of his particular religious community.  Maybe he’s just religious in his devotion to yoga, meditation, or his vegan diet.  But this is the man who gets you singing ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ in the shower and has you swearing you’ll convert.  You know - right up until the religious exclamations at romantic moments throw a wet blanket over your desire.  Put down the Kool Aid.  You know he’s gonna dump you for a blonde with family money anyway.

·       The Trust Fund Brat.  Speaking of family money…  This is that delightfully soft, sweet guy - the one with wild stories, sparkling eyes, and a prep school past.  He’s the one you fall for immediately.  And it’s mutual.  The problem?  He comes with more strings attached than a marionette, and at the end of each is a family member so horrific only monarchies are creepier.  Give it a whirl - but keep scissors and running shoes handy.

·       The Life of the Party.  This is the guy whose dating site profile lists him as “fun loving” and features an adult beverage in every photo.  It’s also sort of silly that he even has a dating site profile at all, since Tinder is more his style.  If you’re looking to wake up bruised, hung-over and naked on a yacht you don’t remember boarding, this is the guy for you.  Otherwise?  Not so much.

·       The Strong & Silent.  Oh, this one’s a doozy.  He’s handsome.  Mysterious.  Says more with a glance than he ever does with those sultry lips of his.  And you know what?  It’s because he’s got nothin’.  There’s either not a whole lot going on between those lovely ears, or he has some terrible, soul-deep scars that prevent him from expressing himself.  You’d do better dating the Dos Equis guy.  At least he comes with a script.

·       The Momma’s Boy.  This man-child starts out looking great (He’s so good to his mother!  So respectful!  So deferent!  What’s not to like?), but eventually he makes Norman Bates seem rational.  His mommy’s got him convinced that he’s Special…and no one is good enough for her boy.  Are you deluded enough to think you are?  She’ll spare no effort in slowly, painfully proving you wrong.  And your Prince Charming?  Don’t wait for him to come to your rescue.  There isn’t even a problem.  There couldn’t be.  His momma can do no wrong.  Advice?  Run.  Just run.  For fuck’s sake, run now. 

We identified a couple of notable others (God’s Gift, The Wandering Penis), but as these types seemed to overlap a bit with those detailed above, I’ll leave them to your imagination.

As for me and Kyle, we have no idea why we’re still single.

After all, we’re perfectly pleasant in every way…  ;)

www.kcwilder50ways.com

k.c. wilder is the author of the Amazon bestselling chick lit novel Fifty Ways to Leave Your Husband, the Heather Hollow series of YA paranormal fiction, the novella Seattle Postmark, and the short fiction trio Wrecks.   She also proudly contributed the short story 'The Mermaid' to Merry Chick Lit, a compilation with all proceeds benefiting breast cancer nonprofit Rocking the Road for a Cure.  Her short story 'Lady in Red' appeared in A Kind of Mad Courage, with all proceeds benefiting The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation.  Her work has appeared in The Providence Journal, Grace: A Magazine for Women, EspressoFiction, and Glimmer Train.

 

Buy link for Fifty Ways to Leave Your Husband: 

http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Ways-Leave-Husband-ebook/dp/B00EI3CQ66/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376390721&sr=1-1&keywords=fifty+ways+to+leave+your+husband

Buy link for Seattle Postmark:

http://www.amazon.com/Seattle-Postmark-novella-k-c-wilder-ebook/dp/B00IEUD2JE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425823577&sr=1-1&keywords=seattle+postmark

Dating and "Women of a Certain Age"

There seem to have been two times in my life when I have or have had large numbers of women friends who were unattached. When I was in the beginning of my post-high school education and early career, most of my friends were unmarried, some unattached even, as we prepared for and established our professional lives.

I was not a monogamous dater as some of my friends were. I loved juggling a bunch of guys, probably a power trip on my part, but whatever. Some friends were serial daters and that was okay, too. We were young and loved being in love but backed off if things got too serious. Until THE ONE, of course. My ONE came along much later than others’, but that was okay, too.

Now, in my “third chapter”, as Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot (TheThird Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years after 50) refers to it, I find, yet again, that I have large numbers of unattached women friends. Odd, isn’t it, this cycle of life?     

At this stage, most of my unattached friends are either divorced, widowed, or both rather than still seeking the first commitment. It’s strange to find myself in the same, yet different place. It feels like the same stream in many ways, yet is not. Not really.

Conversations, as in earlier years, often cycle around to whom one is seeing and how that’s working out. Only it’s different now. Now the talk might be of how difficult it is to find someone just to go to movies and sports events with. Guys of “a certain age” appear to be more interested in hook-ups than hanging out. Whereas, my women friends are more interested in companionship than in cohabiting. They want a friend to spend time with, to snuggle with (or perhaps more), but they want the relationship in that order. Not a quick hook-up with no later dates.

Ha! But maybe that was always the case. Maybe women evolved, but men didn’t? Maybe men are still in the “notches on the belt” stage? That sounds harsh, but I’m just reporting what I hear.

If you’re a woman “of a certain age”, what do you want out of a relationship at this stage of life?

Next week, Karen Chilton Wilder will be here sharing about types of guys she's dated. Nice companion piece, eh? Please come by next Tuesday.

What Season Describes Your Relationship with Your WIP?

I belong to a fabulously supportive Facebook group, Chick Lit Goddesses. Conceived of, developed by, and guided by the wonderful author, Isabella Louise Anderson. She poses questions periodically and one from last December caught my fancy as a potential blog post.

I did not respond to her and the other Goddesses at that time, but, late but not forgotten, Isabella, here’s my answer.

What season describes your relationship with your current WIP?

 

Since this is my romance and relationships focus blog, I will talk about my Angelica French works. Yes, more than one.

I published “Why Not Ask?” in an anthology with six other authors last December. So when Isabella posed the question, I thought to myself, that short story is late fall. I had gathered in the crop (the finished short story) and stored it for future use (reading in the anthology). Check. That was pretty easy to identify.

The second WIP is for maintaining my general membership status in Romance Writers of America using their new rules. I must produce a novel of at least 20,000 words by year’s end. I document that by posting a word count each month and must upload the completed document by year’s end. I am working on a dino porn anthology I will indie publish unless my Sizzler Editions editor accepts it for a novella length book.

It is pretty obvious that I am in early spring with that manuscript. I am sowing the seeds (developing

ideas for each segment), and watering and weeding them as they grow (line and content edits). Like any farmer, I hope the sun keeps shining (inspiration and commitment) so the seedlings grow into a finished crop (book).

Now to the toughie. Manuscript number three.

What season is Sex for Sale, the sequel to Streetwalker, in? I, as Angelica, have been working on that sequel for too long now. I seem to be stuck as I regard the garden where I planted it.

The seeds for Sex for Sale were planted and tended right after Streetwalker was accepted for publication, but then I walked away (to tend other books) and left the planted crop one-third done and untended.

Weeds took over and killed some of the seedlings. Left unwatered, other seedlings died. Some seedlings survived and sprang up but they seemed to be from another plant, a volunteer, as we say in gardening.

Winter snow covers it all now, and I can either shovel off the drifts and try to grow the story in this weather or wait until spring. Then I can dig up the garden. Separate the viable plants and discard the others. And start the growing season again.

I am in a fallow season with Sex for Sale. My editor keeps wanting me to send the manuscript, but it’s stunted. I think the biggest problem is I am trying to make the garden produce more than it is capable of.

The “Sex Sells” series was conceived of, from the beginning, as a trilogy. I have come to see it is more likely a two-book series. When I stop trying to stretch Carrie and Harlan’s story into a thin three-book package and instead develop a full two books, it will come together. Spring is coming again for Sex for Sale.

Writing "Truth" is Not about Writing "True"

Frost’s quote popped up on Facebook and shortly thereafter was shared at my local romance writers monthly meeting.

“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”     Robert Frost 

I get what Frost was saying. Yes, I get it. And yes, I believe it. But doing it? Aye, there’s the rub!

To be really genuine, truly authentic in writing, to tell what you fear most is in itself terrifying. Honesty may be the hardest trait for an author accustomed to making up stuff. That would mean writing about a very troubled relationship with a father, a cousin’s sexual abuse when young, estrangement from a brother, admitting to the lies told, revealing disguises.

Oh, how I admire the “ Girl on a Wire” author-bloggers like Karen Chilton Wilder who fearlessly opens herself for all to pick at like a clam lying open on the shore, shredded by gulls. Her books also open up wounds and lets them bleed in front of us. And she’s not the only one.

And I admire the people who write revelatory books about really big deal topics like Jody Picoult does so well. And she’s not the only one.

But to step off the ledge that way is difficult for most of us. You have to trust your parachute will open, that the net is furled below you, that the fall won’t smash you to pieces. And most of us just aren’t willing or have enough faith to do that.

We couch it in terms of privacy. We tell ourselves that it’s no one’s business we engaged in adultery, or had that abortion, or felt responsible for the death of a child during an accident, or shoplifted some jewelry. Why reveal a child let go to adoption, or the affair with a best friend’s husband, or cheating on an important exam?

See, just reading this makes you wonder, “Which of these admissions belong to Angelica?”, right? That’s one reason some authors hide our own peccadiloes. We want your regard. We fear your opprobrium.

I have come to realize, very slowly over the years, that tapping into my well-spring of disappointments and sins doesn’t mean, necessarily, revealing all as in a supermarket tabloid. Rather it means going deeper than the transgression, down to the feelings surrounding it. Guilt, fear, anxiety, relief, disgust.

It is capturing what it means to be disgusted at an action and translating that into a character’s response and actions. Honesty, authenticity come from releasing the pus of the abscess and using it as ink to write your scenes.

You need not reveal it was you who had an affair with a professor, but you do need to probe what led to the decision and how one could get through each day anticipating yet dreading the next encounter with its concomitant fear of discovery.

Yes, that’s the authenciticy, the honesty authors owe readers. So, while I may never confess what I have done, and we all have our share of secrets, I do need to draw the mucky water beneath the clear to find truths hidden within to share with my readers. I have to pick at the scabbed-over memories and transfuse that blood into genuine action and words in my stories. Readers will know if I do.