RT Convention

Posted in Romance on May 17th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

This week, thousands of romance writers and readers are converging on Daytona Beach for the annual Romantic Times convention.

Dang-I want to be there! I’ve heard this is the “fun” convention while the RWA event in July is the more serious, business oriented event.

Of course, the RT convention is still important business-wise. There are tons of workshops, editor and agent appointments, and a great book fair. (Um, no, I haven’t had the pleasure of attending one of these events, but I’ve heard great things from other folks!). In addition to the business events, there is also the cover model competition, a full moon party, and a vampire ball.

Sigh. I am so missing out.

But maybe I can go next year. I heard that the convention would be in Houston then. Now I just have to find out if that rumor is true…

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In the news…

Posted in Romance on May 15th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

People often ask where I get my ideas for stories., and honestly, I get my ideas from pretty much anything and everything. And, sometimes, I even get them from the news (AKA Law & Order “Ripped from the Headlines” style).

Today, there were two interesting/weird stories in the paper–these stories gave me pause and got me to thinking about possible plot ideas/twists for future horror tales. (Cause, yeah, I still do plan to one day try a straight horror, or, even better, my sci-fi screenplay–hey, what can I say? I like diversity!)

Story 1: Alligator attacks. In the last week, there have been 3 fatalities in Florida due to alligator attacks. One woman was killed while snorkeling, one was killed while jogging (jogging!), and the third, well, they just found the person’s body parts.

A few years ago, there were a lot of shark attacks in this area–the media called it “Summer of the Shark” and “Shark Season.” Now I wonder, is this Alligator Season?

Story 2: 2036–The end of the world as we know it? Apparently, there is chance (1 in 6,250) that the earth will be hit by an asteroid in the year 2036. The asteroid could hit our planet with enough force to completely destory a small state. According to an Orlando Sentinel article I read, “A direct hit on an urban area could unleash more destruction than Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake combined.”

Sometimes, reality really is stranger and scarier than fiction…

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Back from the Beach

Posted in Romance on May 15th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

I sent an absolutely wonderful weekend at the beach. The hubby and I rented a cabin directly on the sandy shores of the Gulf (oh, that was nice!). We spent a few days just lazing around and introducing little Jack to the wonder of the water.

Didn’t see any dolphins…bummer.

But I did get a chance to take some pictures for my still-shot trailer. Hopefully, I can get production work going on that this week.

I sure hated to pack up the Element and come back home. Reality can be so hard to face. Sigh. But at least I’m all energized now and ready to get some writing done!

I’ll try to post some pics later–the view from the beach house was truly awesome.

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Grand Experiment, Part 2

Posted in Romance on May 11th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

So far, I’ve gotten really great feedback on my planned book trailer experiment. (And I’d like to give a special thanks to Sheila of Circle of Seven Productions for sending me some very helpful trailer advice!)

I’ve now decided that I’m not going to do just one trailer–I’m going to make two. One will be a “still-shot” teaser (showing photos, text, using music). The second will be a “live-action” trailer–complete with actors and real settings.

You see, I have a problem. I can’t decide which trailer type I like best. I’m currently leaning toward the still-shot version for a few reasons:

1. Cheaper (and easier!) to make. Yeah, this is especially important to me since I’m trying it on my own.
2. More is left to the reader’s/viewer’s imagination (ex. a character’s appearance or voice). Readers can still have the freedom to imagine the characters as they wish without having the he-doesn’t-look-a-thing-like-the-hero-I-pictured situation that often happens when books are made into movies (or in this case, trailers).
3. Faster download time.
4. The still-shot trailers that I’ve viewed so far have been emotionally stirring. Perhaps it’s the still images, perhaps its the dramatic text–either way, I’m left feeling drawn….drawn to the story, to the characters.

But, I like the live-action trailers because:

1. You just can’t beat real people. I feel like they inject fire and life into the trailer.
2. I may be able to show more scenes from the book and thus give readers a better idea of what’s going on.

Oh, decisions, decisions. So, like I said before, I think I’ll just make both. 🙂 Then, when they are up and ready, I’ll get folks to vote and tell me why they like one version over the other. (So next time, I can just chose one trailer type.)

Here are some REALLY good examples of still-shot trailers:

Sylvia Day–Ask For It
Allison Brennan–The Hunt

And here are some REALLY good examples of live-action trailers:

Susan Kearney–The Quest
Christine Feehan–She’s got a ton on her site–but you have to go to the Members’ Only Section.

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I’m waiting for…

Posted in Romance on May 8th, 2006 by Cynthia Eden

There are two upcoming paranormal romance releases that I cannot wait to get my hands on:

1. Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle (AKA Jayne Ann Krentz). Basic plot: A powerful ghost-hunter fights to claim his runaway fiance.

I’m a HUGE Jayne Castle fan. She’s written a few stories about the intriguing world of Harmony (Bridal Jitters, After Dark, & After Glow ), and I am really, really looking forward to this installment.
Release Date: May 30, 2006

2. Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan. Dangerous Tides is the latest release in the Drake Sisters’ saga (seven sisters with magical powers). This time, Dr. Libby Drake–the sister with the amazing gift of healing–gets her chance to find love. Release date: June 27, 2006

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