I was channel surfing last night, and I came across a movie that instantly caught my attention–Loving Evangeline. I immediately hit the “info” button and discovered that, yep, just as I’d suspected, the movie was a remake of a romance book. And not just any romance–Loving Evangeline is one of my favorite books by the truly awesome Linda Howard. So, when I saw the movie version on Lifetime (I think that was the channel), I was excited…at first.

And then I realized that the writers had–for some reason that I just can’t understand–changed the story. The heroine’s past changed (and her past was dang important to the story) and the hero suddenly got a missing/dead brother. Huh? Why, oh, why were these changes made?

The hero in the book was described as “Seductive, passionate and charming.” Well, somebody needs to shake the casting agent on this movie cuz the actor just came across as seriously um, dorky (and so not in a good, sexy dorky way!). Every time I saw him, I winced. So. Not. Sexy.

Now, I have to re-read the book again, just so I can get those horrible scenes out of my mind.

I don’t understand–why would you mess with a good thing? I’ve seen this happen before, of course. A few years ago, Julie Garwood‘s For the Roses was made into one of those movie-of-the-week flicks. Yep, I was super-excited over that–until the thing aired. I can’t remember the specifics on that one, but I feel like the heroine might have fallen for a character who was actually her brother in the book. Sigh. The story was very much not as I remembered.

I think it’s great that romance novels are being made into movies–the stories get more attention, more fans, and the authors get more money. But when the books are turned into screenplays, I wish those new writers would not hack the story! Please, oh, please, don’t ruin a good thing!

I send a manuscript off to a publisher, thinking it’s all polished and perfect, then I read over it again a few days later…and find mistakes. Grrrrr. Why is it that I can spot errors if I’m proofing or editing someone else’s work, but I miss my own typos?

Sigh. I think maybe I’m just too close to my own stuff. In my mind, I see the words the way they should be, and not necessarily the way they are. So annoying.

Please tell me this happens to other writers out there.

There’s a Red Sage chat tonight at Writerspace. The chat starts at 9 p.m. eastern time. So, if you want to learn more about Red Sage’s Secrets anthologies, drop by!

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…

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…