I’m blogging over at Divas of the Dark about the benefits and pros of small conferences vs. big, national events. If you get a chance, drop by and let me know what you think.

I’m so happy to announce that I have been named as a PEARL finalist in two categories!

HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT is a finalist in the shapeshifter category, and “Spellbound” has been named as a finalist in the novella category.

Nominated for 2008 PEARL

Paranormal Excellence Award in Romantic Literature

I want to extend my congratulations to all of the other finalists. So many great books are represented in the PEARLs, and I am honored to be included in this wonderful list.  Thank you to everyone who nominated my stories!!

If you’d like to see a full listing of all the finalists, please click here.  Be warned–just looking will make your TBR list grow!!

When you talk to authors, you find out quickly that most of them (um, us) follow a different writing process.  Some authors edit their material as they write–say, writing a chapter, stopping, editing it, then moving on.  Other authors use writing programs to help organize their work. Some writers compose their scenes out of sequence and go back later and shape up the book in the proper order.

My technique?  I’m a fast rough drafter. I try to get my first draft out as quickly as I can–no edits. I write and I keep going until its done.  Sometimes my story changes as I write (say, I may change a kill scene or a villain’s actions), and when I do that, I make notations so that I can go back later–once the draft is finished–and make my corrections. Going forward quickly on this draft is the technique that works for me. 🙂

Now, after I finish the first draft, I do one serious edit, from manuscript beginning to end. I eliminate all plot holes; I do a consistency check, I layer my scenes, I add scenes, and even add secondary characters if they’re needed. My editing process often adds anywhere from 20-30 pages to my story.

After this edit, my story is pretty clean. It’s in the form where I feel comfortable showing other folks.  (Cuz I’ve prettied it up!)  I’m just about to move to that prettying-it-up phase with my latest story. Typically, this phase takes about two weeks to complete because I tend to take my time on this part.  Nice and slow to get all the details worked out.

But, if you’re a writer, what process works best for you?  I always love to know what works for others!

I think we’re all pretty much familiar with the alpha hero. The tough-as-nails, dominant male who can kick ass and make the heroine fall hard for him all in one romance novel. Sure, the guy can be arrogant, but hey, he’s an alpha, so that pretty much goes with the package.

Then there’s the beta hero.  You don’t usually hear about this guy as much in the pages of a romance novel. The beta, well, he’s the guy you hope to marry in real life. Dependable. Steady. You know, a Nice Guy. (The kind you looked for after you were done playing with the bad boy.)  Although, um, just as an aside, I’ve had a beta hero story dancing in my head forever!

But, ahem, back to my post…

It has come to my attention (thanks to some info on one of my groups), that I’ve been missing out on one more hero. Because, you see, we have alphas, we have betas, and, um, I guess we also have gammas.

A gamma guy.  I didn’t even know there was such a beast. Color me clueless.

So, after I heard the term gamma in reference to a hero, I had to do some googling. Here’s what I found:  The gamma is a combo of the alpha and beta. He’s got all the mad, bad alpha characteristics like being super strong and aggressive and being the guy you turn to if hell is at your door, but he’s not super arrogant. He cares about others (and not just the heroine; the gamma seems to have strong ties to friends and his family).  Folks may think the gamma is the Big Bad, but usually his reputation is undeserved and if you look past the surface, you find a guy who was just misunderstood.

While doing my handy-dandy research, I discovered that some folks think Julie Garwood’s historical heroes were gammas. See, I’d just thought of them as alphas, but, now that I consider it more, I guess those heroes did show a deeper sensitivity.

But what do you think about this whole idea of a gamma hero in romance novels?  Have you seen any good gammas in books or movies that you want to share?

HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT won a 2008 CataNetwork Reviewers’ Choice Award!  I was so thrilled to hear this news!  Thank you to Amelia, Donna, Ally, and all of the wonderful folks at Cata!  And congratulations to all of the other winners!