The Power of Romance

In the October 2009 issue of the Yoga Journal, there’s an article by Sally Kempton called “It’s All in Your Mind.” It’s about seeing our imagination as a powerful and creative tool that can transform your life (something all writers know .

Down at the bottom of page 63, she has the following paragraph:

Even an escapist fantasy can be life transforming: In her memoir, Infidel, the Somalian-born women’s rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali describes how her journey beyond Islamic fundamentalism began when, as a schoolgirl, she read Harlequin romances and for the first time began to fantasize about the possibility that a young woman could live a life not determined by her family and clan, and by the strictures of religion. Years later, escaping from an estranged marriage, she sought asylum in Holland. There, despite bad academic test scores, she fantasized about studying political science at a university–and she did.

Of course, you have to follow imagination with practical steps as Ali did, but first you have to have the dream. It is better to try and fail than never to try at all. Be prepared: something wonderful may just well happen to you.

The wonderful t-shirt with Ganesha above comes from a wonderful organization called Street Yoga. They bring the power and discipline of yoga to homeless and disadvantaged young people learn mindfulness and wellness. Buy a t-shirt and support their work while you look fabulous!

Reading TONIGHT!!

Tonight at the fabulous East Line Books. I’ll be reading a little from CHASTITY FLAME:

East Line Books will sponsor a Hot Summer Night of Romance Readings, Scrumptious Snacks, Games, Prizes, Laughter, and the most amazing array of Romance Novels you could ever imagine!!!

Wednesday August 19th

6:30-9:00 p.m.

Cost: No cover charge if you spend $5 on books!

Note: Comedian Steve Smoller will open the night with ten minutes of stand-up comedy exploring romance–Don’t miss it!

RSVP 371-4151 or email Robyn Ringler at RLDSR12@aol.com

Guest Blogging: Jane’s Ride 27/7

I’ll be guest blogging next Monday on Jane Kennedy Sutton’s lovely blog, Jane’s Ride, writing about how to do a good sex scene that won’t make your reader cringe or laugh out loud. This came about because Jane and I were part of a fantastic blog tour course, where new students (like me) make a commitment to both blogging every day and commenting on classmates’ blogs, as well as those who have been through the class already (like Jane).

A conversation got going on her blog about how difficult it is to write a sex scene. Many folks said they preferred to just shy away from the whole thing. I left a comment about my own experiences and voilà, Jane asked whether I might write about it for a guest blog. Of course!

So check out Jane’s blog, which is chock full of writing advice and knowledge, and check out her novel Ride, too, for an exciting journey!

Ornery 11 @ Bryn Greenwood’s

Yep, today is my day to shine! Bryn Greenwood is hosting the blog tour over at her site and playing the gracious hostess to our ornery bunch — alright, we’re not really ornery, we’re actually a lot of fun and mostly quite sweet. Thanks again to the fabulous Dana to putting this complicated journey together.

As always, drop by, leave a comment, be entered to win a copy of Chas *and* a gift certificate to Ravenous Romance.

MY CONTEST: leave a comment here and be entered to win the chance to be a character in the sequel to Chastity Flame!

Community

It’s Virginia Woolf‘s birthday today.  You may tend to think of the resigned suicide portrayed in The Hours, but she was an innovative writer with a good sense of humour and an ambition to write the kind of stories that fired her imagination.

While troubled and struggling for much of her life, Woolf survived longer than she might have done because she had a community of other writers and creators who gave her inspiration and support.  Without that safety net, Woolf probably would have given in to despair even sooner.  She was able to complete a number of fascinating and ground-breaking works before she took that final walk to the river.

Woolf wrote, “Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I to my friends.”

Woolf reminds me of the importance of community for writers.  Our work is solitary.  It requires a lot of hours simply putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.  While you can do that anywhere—in your office or out in a coffee shop—the process is one that requires spending much of your day inside your own head where the movies unfurl and you try to capture every nuance (or where you kick the projector to get it running again).

That’s why you need that community—people who understand that need for solitude, the difficulty of the process and the hunger to fill your head.  One of the best things about Ravenous Romance is that it has brought together a whole new community of writers.  There’s a broad range here, from old hands who’ve been writing erotica for years, to people new to the genre and even folks who are publishing for the first time (yay you!).

Without fail, the other writers here have been supportive, cheerleading and generous with their knowledge and experience.  Just look at the blog entries here, where folks offer advice, tips and insight into the writing process.  Experienced writers model the way to promote their works without being overbearing, while new writers get to share their excitement and pleasure to a wider audience. I have new friends here, on Facebook, on Twitter and the ripples widen.

In other situations, I have seen writers overwhelmed by envy and so competitive as to grudge the least bit of success to others. There’s none of that here.  We all know that the success of Ravenous Romance is a tide that raises all boats.  We spread the word not just to promote our own projects, but all our friends here, too.  We’re an eclectic bunch and we have a publisher who celebrates it. How great is that?