August 31, 2007 | Linkage

It’s Alison’s Birthday and she’s the one giving out presents. Go join in on the fun!

August 30, 2007 | Online Classes, Writing

I’m going to be giving an online class in October. I’ve never taught an online class, although I’ve done oodles in person, so this should be interesting.

Course No.: 103

Here’s what I believe: Novels that involve the reader are about characters. Special characters. Characters who, through the course of the novel, go through a transformation. In romance novels, the characters transform because of their involvement with the other primary character (as opposed to, say, finding Moby Dick). I also believe that the only reason for plot is to force our characters into situations that make them have to chose. To transform.

The Core Decision is all about creating characters. It’s about using your own life, the joys, the tragedies, the love, the desperation that made us who we are. It’s about breathing life into your hero and heroine and your villain so that each of them leap off the page and into the reader’s heart. In this workshop, we will cover:

The Core Decision

* The Child’s Interpretation
* The Decision
* The Fallout
* Reinforcements
* Recognition
* The New Decision
* Actions = Transformations

The Process of Discovery

* Remembering
* Writing it out
* Shame
* Pain

The Fatal Flaw

* Character Arc and Emotions
* Transference — how plot reveals character
* Multiple Levels of Interaction — All the Yous of You

About the Instructor: Jolie Kramer, who writes romance under the name Jo Leigh, is a two-time RITA finalist and bestselling author of over 45 novels. She began her career in film, where she studied with Robert McKee, Syd Field and other brilliant teachers. Her TV series Mystagogue was optioned by Cinemax, and her screenplay Geezer’s Run was optioned by Northern Lights Productions. She also ghost-authored Great Big Beautiful Doll- The Anna Nicole Smith Story. Jolie has taught story structure and writing classes in workshops all over the country. To get her complete bibliography and learn more about her, go to www.joleigh.com/bio

Deadline to Register: September 28th.

Here’s where to register

This is hideously immodest, I know, but oh, well - the thing is, this class normally costs a whole heck of a lot more than $25. Seriously. So if it’s something you’re interested in, I’d go for it because I doubt very much that I’ll be offering it again at $25.

Be sure and let me know if you’re going to come play!

Also, I’m at Romancing the Blog today with serious questions about stuff. :)

August 26, 2007 | Blogging, 70 Days of Sweat

If you’re Sweating, don’t forget to check in and post your word counts or whatever. Just let us know how you’re doing.
Read an inspirational post from Larissa to get your butt in gear.
Check out Alison Kent’s blog, and join in on the Comment for the Cure

Update:

And come back Friday for the grand re-opening of my web site, complete with prizes!

August 21, 2007 | New Releases

It’s almost here! KIDNAPPED! my new Forbidden Fantasies Blaze should be on the shelves in the next day or two. I know some folks already got it from Harlequin, which is very cool.

Here’s a review from Romantic Times: 4.5 Stars

Two previous kidnapping attempts have left heiress Tate Baxter agoraphobic, kidnap-phobic and always afraid. Her father has her in a bubble of protection — in the form of her bodyguard, former military man Michael Caulfield — that cuts her off from life. When her therapist suggests using a professional pretend-kidnapping service to conquer her fears, Tate agrees, although Michael is against it. But when she’s really kidnapped, both Tate and Michael have to face their inner demons to save themselves.

Kidnapped! (4.5), by Jo Leigh, is an innovative, riveting adventure as Tate develops from a terrified young woman to an adult determined to fight for what she wants. The adventure is constant and nonstop.

—Page Traynor

And here’s an excerpt from…

Kidnapped!
by Jo Leigh

It was Tuesday at one-fifteen in the afternoon, and with the precision of a Swiss watch Tate Baxter’s therapist leaned back in her chair, closed her notebook, smiled, then said, “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

Tate’s response was just as mechanical. “No, Dr. Bay. Nothing to report.”

“Well, I have something I’d like to show you.” Tate lifted her head. One-fifteen was the end of the session. Dr. Bay never went over. Never. “Oh?”

The doctor flipped her notebook over and pulled out a newspaper article. “Take a look at this,” she said.

Tate took the paper, torn between reading the article and watching Dr. Bay. The therapist, whom Tate had been seeing for almost two years, was clearly excited. That hardly ever happened. In fact, it never had. Not like this. Dr. Bay was a behaviorist, always setting up new challenges and goals for Tate to accomplish between sessions. The outcome never elicited anything but a favorable reaction, no matter the performance. Even when Tate had surpassed her own expectations, the doctor had always been reserved. But now Dr. Bay’s eyes were wide with anticipation and her pale cheeks looked flushed.

Tate glanced down and the headline sent her own pulse racing. Kidnapping For Hire. She looked back at Dr. Bay.

“It’s all right, Tate. Please, read it.”

After a moment of hesitation, Tate started reading.

It begins with a list of your wildest fears. For a few thousand dollars Jerry Brody’s personalized kidnapping service will make them come true. Your kidnappers might stuff you into a duffel bag or blindfold you and take you to a faraway cabin. In the dark you might see an alien’s mask or a man in a filthy suit stinking like a garbage Dumpster. No two abductions are staged the same way. Your custom kidnapping could stop at a code word or go on for days. Brody and his team might snatch you when you’re on the subway or showering in your apartment. After the “event,” which some clients compare to meditation, you may feel relief, exhilaration or a newfound sense of personal power.

Tate had to stop. She’d come a long way since she’d first told Dr. Bay about her kidnap phobia and she hadn’t had a full-blown panic attack in months. But this? This was—

“Breathe, Tate,” Dr. Bay said. “Remember what we’ve practiced.”

Closing her eyes, she went to her safe space. After several deep breaths, she focused on each part of her “You’re safe. You’re in my office and no one’s going to hurt you. Picture the glade.”

Tate followed Dr. Bay’s instructions. By the time she’d finished the awareness exercise she had regained her equilibrium. Her eyes opened to the security of the familiar—and the disappointment that she was still, after so much work, at the mercy of her fears.

“Do you want to talk about this now?” Dr. Bay asked, gesturing at the paper still in Tate’s hand.

“You want me to hire this man? To let him take me?”

“I want you to think about it. I’ve been researching this approach for a long time now and I’ve spoken to a number of colleagues who have used similar techniques. There are reliable case studies where the subjects have been transformed. But remember, it’s simply an idea. You’re doing very well following the course we’re on, and I realize this is unconventional.”

Tate winced at the understatement. She could barely imagine what her father would say about this “unconventional” approach.

“When you go home tonight, I’d like you to do some work in your journal. Not about your reaction to the article but about what your life might be like if you could overcome this fear. Okay?”

Tate nodded. “I’ll try.” “That’s all anyone can ask. For what it’s worth, you did a great job of calming down. It didn’t take long at all.”

Tate glanced at her watch. It was a quarter to two. Not bad, considering. It hadn’t been that long ago that even the suggestion of something like this would have put her in a panic for days.

She put the article on the side table and grabbed her purse. “I’ll see you next week.”

“Don’t forget to meditate.”

She never did. And it had helped. She went out more frequently these days, and the nightmares weren’t plaguing her nearly as often. Three cheers for the safe place. If only it could exist somewhere outside of her head.

As she was leaving, she nodded at Stephanie, Dr. Bay’s receptionist. There were two people in the waiting room, both of whom appeared perfectly normal. She imagined they thought the same thing about her.

There was no one in the elevator as she stepped in, and she took a moment to push her hair back behind her shoulders, to daub the corners of her mouth, preparing herself for the streets of Manhattan.

Not that she would be on the streets—unless one counted being driven in one of her father’s black limousines. The tinted windows hid her from view, making her feel as if the city was one giant store display.

The elevator slowed at the fourth floor. She inched back as a man entered. He was tall and silver-haired, wearing a tailored black pin-striped suit. His shoes looked equally expensive, and when he smiled she could see his veneered teeth had cost him a pretty penny. Not surprising, given the address. Dr. Bay’s office overlooked Park Avenue. Her clients all understood, even before the first session, that if they had to ask about the fee, they couldn’t afford it.

The man turned to stare at the elevator doors as they rode the rest of the way to the lobby. Only, the doors were reflective and he clearly had no qualms about giving her a very thorough once-over.

She counted the seconds until they reached the lobby, and when the doors slid slowly open she placed her hand strategically so the elevator couldn’t be fetched, waiting until the man was halfway across the lobby before she stepped out.

What would her life be like if she stopped being afraid? She had no idea. It was too foreign a concept.

Despite her improvement, her life was about fear, and it had been forever. At twenty-four, she’d resigned herself to living inside the bubble her father had created for her, going from limo to apartment to business appointments that had all been prescreened and determined safe.

She knew beyond any doubt that anyone looking at her life would believe it was perfect. Why wouldn’t they? She had more money than anyone truly should, she’d been given her father’s fast metabolism and her mother’s striking blue eyes. Her education was exemplary, and if she decided she didn’t want to do anything but shop for the rest of her life, she had the means to do just that.

She knew that her agoraphobic tendencies appeared to many as conceit and arrogance. The fact that she was so terrified of being kidnapped that her world had shrunk to a stultifying routine meant nothing. There were real problems out there; she just had an active imagination and a constant state of terror that kept her from enjoying the gifts she’d been given.

She walked outside the building to the busy street, her gaze fixed on the limo parked just a few feet away. Michael, her driver, opened the back door for her. To those hurrying past he seemed like any other limo driver. Black suit, white shirt, humble demeanor. But behind his dark glasses he was scanning the area with laser intensity and the reason his jacket wasn’t buttoned was so that he could, if necessary, get to his weapon in a heartbeat. He drove her, but that was his secondary job.

She passed him closely as she got into the back of the car and marveled again at his face. He wasn’t classically handsome. Too many sharp edges and flaws. But his looks had grown on her since he’d come on board six months ago. She hadn’t really thought about him that way in the beginning. There were lots of people in her life whose job it was to keep her safe. Some of them were also dear friends—like Elizabeth, her assistant—but most weren’t. Her father didn’t like her getting too comfortable with the staff, and she’d fallen into the terrible habit of seeing them as employees, not people.

Michael had turned into something else altogether. Not a friend, not really. They never did anything except drive. But they talked. About everything.

She’d learned he liked reading the Russians—Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Turgenev. But he also liked the graphic novels of Frank Miller. She liked to tease him about his comic books, but she’d secretly ordered a few Miller novels online, and they were…well, interesting.

He shut the door, then walked around to the driver’s side and settled himself inside. She could see his sunglasses in the rearview mirror and wished, as always, that he would take them off. “Where to?”

“Home.”

“No stops?”

“Not today.”

He smiled at her, and she settled herself back on the cool leather seat.

She’d also learned that he didn’t have a girlfriend. Which was a lot more interesting than his taste in books.

August 19, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Here’s my Challenge Within a Challenge for Sunday…

Do something you don’t do. Something you think is slightly ridiculous. Too artsy-fartsy to be of any real use. Do something to Mix It Up.

Here’s my why:

I’ve been writing a certain way now for umpty-ump years, and having myself a hell of a time because of my written-in-stone belief that I’m a panic writer, and therefore panic must be part of my writing mojo. I’d even argued that if it wasn’t a biological fact that I needed panic to write, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy that now was so ingrained that I certainly was unable to change.

Here’s the truth: HA!

We writers are a flexible bunch. We are quite like pipe cleaners, I think. Fresh out of the package we seem to be perfect in our stand-up straightness. But when we really need to get into the nooks and crannies, we’re quite bendy. :)

All we need is the willingness to bend.

In recent months, I, who don’t believe in writing alters, or crystal magic, or anything that has anything to do with the woo, have taken to

• lighting essential oils when I begin my writing day.
• listening to a Brainsync focus CD that’s supposed to do something neato to my brain
• lighting assorted candles
• writing around 6 pages per day instead of 15
• starting my day with morning pages (well, not every day)
• amazing myself because I’m not only bendy, but I’m actually more relaxed!

Yes, it’s true. This old dog has been learning new tricks, and guess what. You can, too.

I’m not saying you have to keep doing this thing you don’t do. But I think trying something new, something daring, something foolish, actually opens up a creativity door deep inside us.

We’re past the midpoint in the 70 Days of Sweat, and it seems a really great time to start throwing things into the fire. See how it burns. See what it does to your brain. See how you can jump start the blahs.

Report back, but give it a week, okay? An honest effort. Although we are bendy, we are also stubborn and we must give ourselves an adjustment period. Or you may find yourself transformed after five minutes.

Here are some suggestions:

• Morning pages from The Artists Way by Julia Cameron
• Meditation before writing
• Artist’s Dates, also from The Artists Way
• Long private walks
• Bring scents to the writing with candles, incense, oils
• Buy and use a magic pen
• Start or change an alter in your writing space
• Tape yourself saying wonderfully encouraging and delicious things, then play that tape before you begin your day
• Tape applause, the kind with whistles and Bravos and everything, then play that when you finish your day’s work
• Listen to music if you don’t now
• Don’t listen to music if you do

I hope you all will share if you have some tip, trick or crazy thing that’s changed your writing for the better.

Here’s to 70! Don’t forget to check in at the official site so you can be in the running for a fabulous gift basket!!!

August 13, 2007 | Uncategorized

Did anyone else get up in the wee hours and watch the meteors zipping by? I was up at 3, but that was too early, then up again at 4 where I got some great meteor action. I should have tried again at 5, but I was too zonked.

August 12, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

Have you all checked in at the 70 Days of Sweat blog?

For inspiration and a chance to win (great!) stuff, go visit Stephanie Tyler!

I’m zooming toward the finish line, having learned a little during the writing of this book. Most of the better habits I’m nurturing are due to Sweating. :) Remember, it’s only about the numbers if you need it to be. It can also be about changing the way you work, changing the way you feel about your work and yourself. It can be about finding out what doesn’t fit. It can even be about discovering you don’t want to publish. It’s all possible during this wonderful communal effort.

Okay! Off to work!

August 11, 2007 | Writing

I’m getting so close to the end of the book, I can practically feel the bliss. God willin’ and the crick don’t rise, I’ll be done on Tuesday. Doesn’t that sound great? Especially because I’ll be going out of town for a couple of days, leaving the book and the internet behind, so that when I get back I can give the ms a fresh read before it goes off to Toronto.

I’m reading AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman, and I’m really enjoying it. Just finished ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE by Caridad Ferrar, which was mucho fun. Next up is DIRTY by Megan Hart, then either TWILIGHT by Stephanie Mayer or DEATHLY HOLLOWS by Rowling.

Oh, and I also have to write the next book, due in two months. Weeeee!

August 5, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

If you haven’t heard by now, 70 Days of Sweat has it’s own website now! Great job, Alison! So make sure you go over there, leave a comment that tells us where you are with your writing, and if you’ve got a URL, make sure and list that so you can become part of the blogroll.

Also, go to Alison’s blog and read her post today. It’s wonderful, and you’ll feel good after you read it, I promise.

As for me, I’m past the midpoint of the book, I’ve finally finished the mid-book “Oh my God this plot doesn’t work at all now I have to go back and fix everything before I can continue so why didn’t I see this problem when I plotted the damn book” part so today shouldn’t be so bad. Except that I have to write 15 pages, when I’ve been writing 12. I have been doing 6 and 6 with a break in between, but today begins 3 sets of 5. It’s okay though because I’m far enough into the book that I really know my characters and so it becomes easier to write.

This book has paparazzi as a major subplot so I’ve been doing a lot of reading about paps and checking out the gossip blogs as well as buying tabloids. What gets me is how blatant the lies are. I know this, because when I was in the movie biz, I saw firsthand that the tabloids would out and out lie. Just pull things out of their ass, I swear, and it was nothing like it is today. Back then, there were no TMZs or Perez Hilton. It must be extremely difficult to be a celeb these days, not that it hasn’t always been difficult.

I think I preferred the days of the studio system where movie stars were managed and the PR people fed us all a bunch of bullshit. I know for me that there are a number of stars I wish I’d never met, because their real personalities so disillusioned me.

No wonder I prefer fiction.

Posted by Jo Leigh @ 9:34 am | 6 Comments  

August 1, 2007 | 70 Days of Sweat

How’s everyone doing on their 70 Days of Sweat?

I ended up writing a whole bunch in the last couple of days without actually increasing my pages. I had a big hairy story problem that when I finally got what it was, I had to go back and fix the issue before I could move on. Which meant replacing a number of scenes. However, it was well worth the effort as now I can move on with some confidence.

Don’t forget to check in on Alison’s blog so you connect with the community and are eligible to win fabulous books by our latest sponsor Victoria Blisse!