Like Attracts Like

Romance Writers of America is a world-wide support group founded by seven Texas writers thirty-some years ago, and it works. When Fio was at the bank yesterday, she not only gave her own business card to the lovely young woman who helped her, but, when she learned the woman was from Louisiana, also gave her the name of a Louisina author (Farrah Rochon) whom she might want to check out.

Romance writers are pack animals. We clump together for improvement, encouragement, and inspiration, and it's not a new concept, but a universal of mankind--think of the Byron-Shelley-Keats crew,  of clubs you've joined, of your work relationships, of your family ties. Where would we be without each other?

Here and There

The older Fio gets, the more she likes clouds. Hope that means she's headed to heaven someday.
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 Ah, a new month, a new chance. And this month has Fio's birthday in it, which gives her a double chance.
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Fio's book is jolting along, and what drives it is some advice Fio's literary agent, Liza Dawson, gave her four years ago: every scene must move the story forward. (To which Fiorella adds what Tracy Wolff once said at an RWA meeting: let the POV be from the viewpoint of the person who has the most to lose.)
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Fio's getting closer and closer to signing up for an on-line Spanish class. She just can't stand not knowing what the characters on the telenovelas are talking  about.
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Speaking of telenovelas, Minnesota Son said most of the guns the characters on La Piloto were toting were berrettas. Apparently there is not much diversity in the television gun wardrobe closet.

Fiorella Wants Her Card Case Back!

Fiorella is very upset, screaming upset, crying upset, cursing upset, throwing things upset, questioning God upset. Her card case, the one she got at the New York RWA conference in 2015, the one that has her two credit cards in it as well as her business cards, is gone, gone, gone. She and Husband had bought a few groceries at H-E-B yesterday evening, and apparently when they took them to the car, she put her precious card case in the tray of the small cart they had used, then did not retrieve the case when she parked the cart back at the store. She realized what had happened fifteen minutes later and drove back to the store, but no one had turned in her card case. She is now offering a $100 reward for its return.

Why is this happening to Fiorella? She is a good person, a nice person, someone who works hard, who gives and gives an gives, who pushes herself to do better every day in every way, a person who prays for others, who tries to help others, who puts up with a lot of crap, who has the patience of Job. But every now and then she cracks, and this is one of those times.

And she asks again--why, God?  Doesn't Fio have enough on her back right now?

Romance as a Business

Fiorella heard a very good talk at her local Romance Writers of America meeting last night, but it was also disturbing.  The speaker was charming, likable. organized, and knew what she was talking about, which was how to pound out book after book and sell, sell, sell.  The answer, of course, is IT--information technology--and the speaker knew her programs backward and forwards, totally unlike the traditional image of the romance writer whose husband discovers her the next day, asleep at the card table she's set up in the kitchen, with her pages sprawled in front of her.

And totally unlike Fiorella, who angsts it out on the couch in the den or upstairs in her supposed office with her computer balanced in her lap, who writes and rewrites, who strives for originality, who has messages of hope and strength she's trying to get out.

Whatever happened to the romance of romance writing?   Whatever happened to the story?

Short Story Cornucopia

Fiorella is going to be dropping short stories on you every now and then, rewrites of a treasure-trove she wrote through the years.  She liked her stories then, but likes them even more now that her skills have been honed by seven years of RWA membership.  Yep, all those critiques, contests, and conferences were worth it.

Chasing Perfection

Fio had been stuck on chapter five of her work-in-progress for two weeks. She'd gone over it again and again, tweaking bits and pieces, but the picnic in the park, which is the novella's first big turning point, still didn't work.

Enter the hero--the box of books from the romance writers' contest for which Fiorella signed up to be one of the judges. There's nothing like analyzing someone else's opus to  clear your mind about your own.  Fio, kill the picnic scene--remember, you've set the story in March, which is the last dregs of winter, and you made it rain the night before. Cold and soggy is not an an ideal setting for a romantic tryst.

Quick Snippets

Fiorella is in a tizzy trying to prepare for the Romance Writers of America conference in New York. First off, she has to find a nice dress for the Saturday night awards ceremony.  Yes, we all dress up like we're attending Cinderella's ball.  It's our own fantasy because we spend our real lives in jeans and T-shirts.
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Several people have explained various electronic gadgets to Fio, but she has to work with then herself to understand them.  Yes, this monkey can't just see--she has to do.  Daughter would label her a kinesthetic learner.
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Fio decided to check back through the revisions she'd made and nearly died. She'll have to revise the revisions.

Steppin' Out

Fiorella got out for the first time since she went into isolation to complete the book, and it was glorious.  She stopped by the bank to deposit a check for one of her books, then kept her appointment with her INR nurse, who has read WHAT THE HEART WANTS three times already.  After that, she drove over to Georgetown High School and asked to see the principals' office because she's using one in WHERE THE HEART LEADS and want her depiction to be real  The principal and his people at the school were very gracious and will get a nice than-you note from Fio.

Next, Fiorella dropped by Starbucks to buy gift cards for the RWA raffle baskets and to look the shop over for another scene in her book.  Then it was on to HEB for a list of groceries and Target for electrical tape and Walgreen's for hair spray.

Four hours of go, go, go.  The rest of her week will be spent writing, writing, writing.

Onward!

Fiorella learned something yesterday as she sat waiting hour after hour for her car to be fixed.  She learned her writing self-consciousness had been totally healed.  Yes, Fio hauled out her laptop and revised two chapters while she was in the dealership--and one of them included a love scene.

And when she spotted a young woman reading a paperback while waiting, Fio put a smile on her face, asked what she was reading (a romance), announced herself as a romance writer, and gave her a promotional bookmark.

To top it all off, one of the technicians sought Fio out and asked if she had written the book in her car that had her name on it.  Then he told her his wife writes romances and is trying to get published.  Fiorella recommended RWA, gave him her card, contact information, and a bookmark, and told him to have his wife get in touch.

What a day!

Chocoholic

Fiorella is rolling in chocolate.  She won a raffle basket at her RWA meeting last night--which is a miracle in itself because Fio NEVER wins any kind of drawing--and it was overflowing with M&Ms, Milky Ways, and Hershey bars.  Of course, there were also six paperbacks, all kinds of writing implements, and several other items in the basket, but the chocolate was what she focused on.

Lucky there's no Willy Wonka factory around here or Fio would meet a bittersweet end.

What Have You Heard?

Panic, panic! Fiorella got involved in composing a love scene for her next book and almost forgot to write a blog!

Has she told you about the wonderful time she had at her RWA meeting on Monday?  And that THREE people asked her to autograph books?  And that she wore her T-shirt with the cover of WHAT THE HEART WANTS on it?  And that she showed off a print edition of WTHWs?

Has she told you that Forever Yours is starting a publicity campaign for WTHWs this week?  Has she told you she has the promise of another review from a friend?

Has she told you she is going stark raving bonkers--or can you figure that out for yourselves?

Time Is Precious

Fiorella and Husband are hitting the road today to attend Fio's medical appointment in San Antonio.  They've plotted out their course with MapQuest, laid in supplies, and gassed up the car.  Fio's planning to take not only her medical record and cell phone, but also promotional bookmarks, her RWA identification tag, and a copy of WHAT THE HEART WANTS because she's attending a meeting of her local chapter this evening and may not be able to make it home between times.

Your Fio's on the go.  But then, she always is.

RWA Conference

A-travelin' I will go

To San Antonio

No time for Alamo

But workshops every day

And evenings spent in play

See and listen and hear and look
And sell the hell outa my new book

            

Celebrate!

Fiorella had a week-long birthday celebration--Facebook and RWA congratulations, Minnesota son and wife calling, Husband taking her out to Fish Daddy's on her actual birthday, friend Paula treating her to breakfast at Dan's, the pastor leading the small Wednesday noon congregation in singing Happy Birthday to her, Friend Sharon taking her out to Dan's for an afternoon hamburger, Brother and his wife taking her out for dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse on Saturday evening, her Austin children treating her to cake and ice cream on Sunday afternoon.

The happiest birthday week ever!

In Hot Water

Just in time for the national RWA conference at which Fiorella wants to prance around like a prize pony, her left foot--to be precise, the TOP of her left foot for about three inches above the toes--is giving her holy hell.  She's tried consulting Dr. Google, but hasn't gotten a clear diagnosis. Husband made her an ice pack, which didn't work, so Fio fixed herself a steaming hot water bottle.  If it doesn't work, she'll be setting up an appointment with her PCP.  If it does work, she's in a bind--how can she strut her stuff at the conference with a hot water bottle strapped to the top of her left foot?

Oops, Fio just accidentally burned herself with the hot water bottle.  At this rate, she'll end up going to the conference in a full body cast.  BUT SHE WILL GO!

Single-minded

Fiorella spends most of her time typing away on her laptop.  She is a member of four different writing groups--Romance Writers of America, San Gabriel Writers' League, Endor, and Far North.  All the friends with whom she lunches are either writers or beta readers.  When she meets new people, she tells them about her soon-to-be-published book.

Is there a pattern here?

Whoopee!

Fiorella is counting down the days till the national Romance Writers of America conference this July in San Antonio.  She's got transportation and a roommate, has worked out her wardrobe, and bought herself a glamorous awards ceremony dress. Best of all, she'll meet with her agent, her editor, and attend both her chapter's party and her publisher's party.

Fio never thought she'd fly this high.

Happy Birthday, Husband!

Fiorella has established herself as Birthday Lady of her RWA chapter, collecting a list of natal days (day and month only!) so nobody is neglected when she should be celebrated  And Fio observes her own family's birthdays just as assiduously.

When her children were still at home, it was crate paper streamers in loops around the room, a decorated cake, and ice cream.  Thus, when it was time to celebrate Husband's birthday at Daughter's apartment yesterday, Daughter knew just what to do.  Her father walked into birthday streamers, a disgustingly rich chocolate cake, and more ice cream than anyone could eat.  And at home today, on his actual birthday, Fio serenaded him with "Happy Birthday" as he walked down the stairs to see big HAPPY BIRTHDAY letters taped above the fireplace and streamers looped across the bookcases. She'll sing it to him again this evening when she takes him out for a steak dinner.

Yes, Fiorella believes in birthdays.

Self-evaluation

Fiorella taught her last two-hour romance-writing class at the public library last night--and she came home high as a kite.  It's a wonder she even needed a vehicle.  There's a joy--and a challenge--to teaching, to communicating something you are passionate about to people who listen to you, who want to learn and understand.  And there's also joy to learning that you know more about your subject than you realized.

Yep, six years in RWA, and Fio's picked up a thing or two.  And she's learning more every day.

Fiorella's Literary Identity

Who the heck does Fiorella write like? Fiorella sent the first two chapters of Kinkaid House out to RWA members willing to speculate, and the votes are starting to come in.

Friend Janece nominates Grace Metalious of Peyton Place fame, plus Sandra Brown and Tami Hoag, in romance rather than mystery mode.  Friend Vivien, who said KH feels like small-town, but not sweet-tea-and-mint, suggests a cross between a Lifetime movie and Twin Peaks.  "There's an edge here," she adds. "There's that lingering sense that a lot of dark is going on under the surface."  To which Fio replies, "You bet your booty!"

Anyone else want to check out the first two chapters?