Jordan Summers

For those of you who haven’t heard, Harlequin Blaze is holding a contest. The cut off date is August 31st. Now normally I wouldn’t consider entering this contest because I’ve tried writing Blazes in the past with less than stellar results. The only reason I’m considering it now is because they’ve widened what they’re looking for. We’re talking vampires here people. Strange story lines. Things I ‘might’ actually be able to write. Snort.

I know I’m probably glutton for punishment. My track record with contests is pretty hit and miss. I should’ve considered ALL the possible repercussions when I entered previous contests, even the ones I finaled in. Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda… It’s all water under the bridge now. So what makes this time different? (Other than the fact contests are fun and addictive.:) I’d be entering work I’ve already started as opposed to stuff aimed specifically at the contest. Yes, in the past I was very bad. I’d actually take the time to come up with a piece for whatever contest I targeted. (Not everytime, but certainly the last contest I entered.) I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth.

This time I’ve decided to take a different approach. Less attachment to outcome. If I end up entering (still not sure), it’ll be with something I’m excited about. (Shocking, I know.) All that’s left to do is decide. Eany, meany, miney, mo…

I know I’m WAY behind on this one, but I started reading my first Bombshell book last night. (Yes, they’ve been in my TBR pile THAT long.) Despite the fact the majority seem to be written in first person (not my reading preference), I’m enjoying the stories. They appeal to the big, dumb action movie lover in me. (Notice I didn’t say the Alias and Buffy the Vampire Slayer lover in me.) I’m probably the last person on the planet that hasn’t watched either show. Not because I don’t think they’ll be good, but because I never got around to it.

Anyway, why am I bringing this subject up? I’ve decided to revisit Harlequin/Silhouette. In the past, I didn’t think I could write for them. To be honest, I’m still not sure. I was never a H/S snob. I just knew how hard it was to get the pacing of the books down. It’s been a few years since I’ve really checked them out. I’ve grabbed a book here and there, but nothing on a regular basis (ie since they started implementing changes to the lines). There are a few more options for writers like me. (Blaze Extreme, Spice, Bombshell, etc.) I think it’s time.

Have you avoided a specific publisher or line? If so, why?

When I first started writing I was HEAVILY influenced by the authors I’d read (Virginia Henley, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Johanna Lindsey). I wanted to write those kinds of books because I loved their sweeping worlds and larger than life heroes.

The first time I put pencil to paper I was fifteen/sixteen years old. I wrote a pirate adventure for a creative writing class in high school. This was a romance ‘novel’…all fifty pages of it. Bless my teacher’s heart for having the decency to encourage (A-) a student who turned the project in a week late.

Why am I remembering that now? Because I realized something when I was editing my older EC books for paperback production. Somewhere along the line I seem to have lost most of my descriptive abilities. I think this diminishing effect directly corresponds with the introduction of writing rules into my life.

Now I admit my earlier work is quite ‘flowery’ in some places. (Like I said, I thought I was going to write historicals and you can tell. Unfortunately, the pendulum has swung too far back the other direction. I now have a VERY difficult time adding description beyond the cursory. I believe that’s one of the biggest hurdles I have in writing single titles. I keep getting cleaner and cleaner with my writing, which translates into being shorter and shorter.

I’m currently trying to figure out how to turn this habit around, so that my books are longer than…oh let’s say…a page. ;-P I’ve read loads of description books. Some I’ve found very helpful. Yet, when I sit down to write, I don’t tend to incorporate the ideas. I don’t think it helps that as a reader I skip most descriptive passages. I want to be perfectly clear here. I’m not talking about adding pages and pages of description to pad the book. I’m talking about a balanced level of description to deepen the story.

So I’m curious, if you’re one of those writers who tend to be long on the description, do you like writing it because you enjoy reading it? Do you think about it at all when you’re writing a story? If you’re one of those writers that have a difficult time adding description, how do you balance out the lack of description with the need for word count?

I also have a question for readers. Do you enjoy reading descriptive passages or do you skim them?

I have something to admit. (Looks both ways.) Sometimes I HATE writing love scenes. :-O Uh oh, I’ve said it aloud. Looks around to see if dark clouds are forming over my head.

Jaid Black made an interesting comment on my last blog entry about sometimes being sick of writing love scenes too. I don’t know why this surprised me, but it did. I guess because she makes it ‘look’ so effortless.

I’ve had this conversation with a critique partner on several occasions. I think it’s easy to burn out if you write the same type of thing over and over again. I don’t mean the same love scenes repeatedly, because we all try to shake them up based on the characters and the storyline. I’m talking about writing ’sexy books’ one right after the other. Repetition builds skill, but it also creates boredom.

Jaid also mentioned not wanting to disappoint fans. I totally understand this and it’s a very big concern to me. The thing I wonder, since I’ve skipped around in genres, is what my fans actually expect from my writing. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought since my Bravas were released earlier this year. I honestly have no idea what ‘category’ the readers of my books put me in. Do they consider me a writer of sexy books? Adventure books? Funny books? I’ve had multiple reviews combining all the above. Do they consider me a contemporary writer or a paranormal author?

Why am I getting off subject? Because I can. *ggg* No really, the reason I bring up the above questions is because according to ‘publishing experts’ it’s important for authors to create a brand. This is done in many different ways, but one of them is knowing where the readers categorize you. I honestly have no clue. Therefore, I’m brandless. Sniffle.

For the authors out there, do you know how you’re categorized? For the readers out there, is it important to mentally place authors into certain categories? Also, if an author writes outside of the category you placed them in would you automatically stop buying their work? I’d really like to know.

I wanted to thank everyone who’s sent me private emails, showing concern for my well-being. I know I’ve not been myself lately online, but I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I have been giving my career and writing a lot of thought lately. I tend to get quiet (shocker) when I’m introspective.

I have no plans at this time to discontinue writing, although I seriously considered it a few months ago. This is the first time since I started to take writing seriously that I no longer know what I want to do with it. I’ve labeled myself for years as a specific type of writer, but lately that box has become a tad cramped. (ie positively stifling)

Mentally, I’ve returned to the beginning. Reading through my old books while editing them (cringe) has caused me to reevaluate my writing. Luckily, I don’t make a lot of the same mistakes I viewed in those stories anymore, but I also don’t have the sensual voice that stands out in those books. The latter disturbs me. Somehow I’ve managed to win and lose.

One thing that is abundantly clear to me is that I need to start over and figure out exactly what’s going to make me happy. If that means moving out of my current box, then so be it. I must stop worrying about disappointing other people. I believe that’s what’s kept me here so long. (gotta love being a people pleaser) There will be a lot of changes ahead. I’m scared, but more than ready.

For those of you not aware of the situation, PBW and her family have suffered a major blow due to her grown son’s actions. Please keep them and the victim’s families in your thoughts.


I’m saddened by this on so many levels. First the pain I know she and the families are going through. Then the anger over the blame falling on the wrong person. She’s taking the anger in stride, offering prayer and compassion to the individuals sending rage her way. We can all learn from her behavior. I’m sadden that because of this redirection we might lose a blog (PBW) that has helped me (and so many others) learn more about writing and publishing than any other author site. Yes, I know that’s selfish. I, like so many others, wish none of this had ever occurred.

I’ve had family members who were the victims of violent crime. One is still unsolved and will probably remain so forever. When I first heard the news that my relative was dead, I was so angry that someone had taken this person from my life. Yes, I wanted revenge. Yes, I wanted justice. More than anything, I wanted them back. Their passing took a piece of my childhood away. The strange thing is it never occurred to me to blame the family of the perpetrator. They weren’t responsible for their son’s actions anymore than I controlled my relative’s actions.

In a perfect world, people would consider the destruction of the surrounding lives before they pulled a trigger, plunged a knife, raised a bat, or squeezed a throat. I think there would be far fewer victims in the world, if the criminals had to envision the pain and destruction their actions were about to cause. In a perfect world…

Hold your families close.

PBW had an interesting entry on the dirty little word known as ENVY. We don’t like to talk about it because it makes us uncomfortable, but it’s there, lurking insidiously in the back of our minds. As women, we’re taught to be nice. Envy is not nice. So when we feel the emotion, it tends to be accompanied by guilt. (Always a lovely one-two punch.)

I’ve been mulling it over and I’ve realized there’s actually two kinds of envy. There is the destructive kind, which will devour you and constructive kind, which will make you strive to do better/be better.

I have decided to use my friends and online blog buddies as examples. (Angela K. and Sherrilyn K. fall outside of these categories since I don’t know them online or off.;) Call me crazy, but here it goes. We’ll start with the good. I envy Sylvia Day’s ability to infuse her work with a strong emotional connection and tell an amazing story. I envy Kathy Love’s ability to see the humor and absurdity in everyday life. I envy Angela Knight’s and Jaid Black’s ability to write scorching hot stories. And finally, I envy Sherrilyn Kenyon’s, Cheyenne McCray’s, and PBW’s productivity level.

Then there’s the other kind of envy… The one that becomes destructive if you don’t hold it in check. The one that whispers in your ear that you deserved ‘that’ book deal/new car/agent/shoes, etc. The truly scary part is you realize that even though you envy those kinds of things, you know you don’t deserve them. (At least not at this time.) That particular kind of envy you need to watch carefully because it likes to try to take over.

I’ve had both, luckily more of the prior than the latter, but still both. I work very hard to control the bad kind of envy in my life. The good kind simply makes me want to try harder, dig deeper, and strive to find my ‘own’ level of competence. One that I’ll be happy with that will hopefully garner a level of success that I can be proud of.

For everyone who has waited so patiently for this announcement (probably thinking the day would NEVER come;), Atlantean’s Quest Bk. Four: The Return (title pending) has been accepted by Ellora’s Cave. Unfortunately, I have no further details. I will fill you in once I have a release date. WOO HOO!!!

As for the controversy within the RWA, I’ve read enough that I now have a pretty clear idea of what transpired. I’ve decided to distance myself from the organization for a while. The situation is not good for my mental health or my emotional state. With that in mind, I’ve gone no mail on almost all of my lists. Maybe someday I’ll return to all things RWA, but it’ll be a while.

I’m up to my eyeballs in edits. How come I can go months without having anything to do and then suddenly a ton of work drops into my lap? Why is that do you suppose? It’s not just me either. All my critique partners are in the same boat. They’re either editing or finishing a book or both. The only thing that bums me out is that until I finish editing both these books, I probably won’t get anything written. Sigh! Really need to work on that time management thing. (wg)

Once again I find myself getting ‘willingly’ pulled into a controversy, that although important, has little to do with my writing. The whole situation upsets me to the point of non-productivity. It’s time to sever the limb and go no mail on all the lists. I want to apologize to the readers who’ve stopped by and found nothing but the inner turmoil of an organization that is in serious need of an overhaul. So with that in mind, I’m going to change the subject.

Has anyone read a book lately that floored them? Has anyone read a book that surprised them? Have you read something that you didn’t think you were going to like, but you did? Have you seen any good movies lately? Let me know.