Everybody always seems to be talking about rules these days. People love to say what should and shouldn’t be done.

Phooey. I say if you can make the story work, do anything!

Unless, of course, you’re writing a horror story…Then, well, then you must follow the universally understood scary movie rules–as stated by Randy in the Scream flicks.

The rules are as follows:

1. Characters who have sex won’t survive. (Whoa–good thing that rule doesn’t apply to romance novels, huh? The hero and heroine would be such goners!)
2. Characters will not survive if they drink or do drugs. (Another uh-oh for romance land–I read about tons of characters drinking wine or beer–good thing a Jason-like killer is not on their trail!)
3. A character who says, “I’ll be right back” won’t survive.
4. Everyone is a suspect.

And here are some sequel rules from Scream 2:

1. The body count is always higher.
2. The death scenes are always much more elaborate, with more blood and gore.
3. Never, ever, under any circumstances assume the killer is dead.
(Note: Randy’s character didn’t exactly get to finish this line in Scream 2, but the intent was so there.)

Yep, those are horror rules.

And, you know what? Those rules make me really glad I write romances…

If you love vampires, then you have got to check out this ultimate vampire book list. There are approximately 3000 titles listed–very cool!
Go see if you’ve missed any titles by your favorite author–or go find a new author to try!

Everyone knows that alpha males are super popular in romance novels. They’re the kings, the real rulers of the romance industry roost. And, of course, you don’t just see the alphas in romance books–you can find them in movies (ex. pretty much every role played by the super talented Vin Diesel) and in television shows. Folks just seem to love those alphas!

But, lately…more heroes are emerging. Vicki Lewis Thompson has written an interesting series of books about unlikely, downright nerdy heroes–and those books are flying off the shelves. Apparently, women don’t just go wild for the big, strong, tough guys…they also like the smart, sensitive ones, too.

Well, in addition to the alpha and beta men, there is another hero type out there that I really enjoy. I don’t have a cool greek name for him, so I’ll just call him the “drunken pirate.” Yes, I said drunken pirate. You see…the hero that I’ve enjoyed the most in the last three years isn’t a guy who has tons of muscles or even tons of brain power. Instead it’s a man who weaves when he walks, a man who appears to be in sore need of a bath. A man, in short, who is my drunken pirate–or, as many of you may know him–Captain Jack Sparrow.

When I originally went to view Pirates of the Caribbean, I anticipated that Orlando Bloom would the strong, romantic lead–and, of course, he was. But…as much as I enjoyed good old Will, Captain Jack Sparrow stole the show for me, and I found myself thinking it be a heck of lot more fun to sail off into the sunset with him than to stay with the good-looking Will.

So…what? Did I go crazy? No, I don’t think I did. I think I just fell for the allure of an unusual hero. Don’t get me wrong–I still love my alphas, always will. But…oh…my drunken pirates are close second on my fav list. And I’m waiting, eagerly waiting, for the next drunken release: Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest.

I saw Failure to Launch last Saturday night, and, I must say, I thought the movie was absolutely hilarious.

Yes, Matthew McConaughey was sexy–after all, he is the sexiest man alive–and, as always, I loved listening to his drawl. But, despite Matthew’s appeal, I really felt his character’s friends were the ones who stole the show.

I don’t want to give away any important movie details, but I will say that every time Matthew got together with his buddies, I knew something funny would soon be happening. The three guys made a great group: one was the suave charmer (Matthew), one was a nature boy, and the third was a nerdish computer guy.

Sarah Jessica Parker did a good job, too. But, I found myself liking the charcter of her friend more than I actually liked her. The secondary characters really ruled this flick.

Failure to Launch followed the perfect romance formula–it began with action, it introduced the hero and heroine quickly, the secondary characters were loveable, there was a black moment–movie-goers got to wonder if the lovers would be separated, and, finally, everyone got to live happily ever after. Yep, in my book, a perfect romance. And a very fun movie.

So, last Sunday, my nephew was christened. I spent a fun time at the church holding my sweet, screaming little snookums and making nice chatter with friends and family. And, then, of course, came a reference to my writing–sometimes I really dread writing references.

A lovely lady says to me, “Are you still writing?”

I juggle Jack and reply, “Oh, yeah. I have to stay up pretty late some nights–like freaking 4 a.m.–but I’m definitely writing.” By the way, the freaking 4 a.m. part was just in my head–although I think it would have been really cool if I’d said it then. Sigh.

She smiles and gushes, “Well, I know this guy, he just wrote that tailgating book. You know, the one about Alabama. And now he’s on the bestseller’s list.” A pause, then a meaningful look as she tells me, “You should do something like that.”

Um…No, thank you. Really not into the whole tailgating scene. And, besides, I write romance. R.O.M.A.N.C.E. Not some football after party stuff. But, of course, I’m trapped by the politeness that my southern mom drilled into me, and I find myself nodding to the chick and muttering, “That’s an idea.”

Yep, it’s a an idea. One that isn’t for me.

So, for you other writers out there…do you ever get comments like this? Comments that just make you think…what in the hell?