Writing Outside the Lines Back to Blog
Update: The winner of a copy of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT is…Ali!! Congrats, Ali!
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When I was little, my mom used to sit in the back seat with me during those long car trips to our cabin so we could color together. She was quite the artist and would work very carefully on her own page, shading and blending the colors, while I, with the exuberance and inexperience of youth, scribbled madly all over the place on mine. When we compared pictures, hers so perfect and realistic, mine bold strokes of color without boundaries, never once did she criticize my technique or suggest I copy hers. She simply said we saw through different eyes and that’s what being creative was all about. Different eyes? That sounded silly. I figured it was because she wore glasses.
I never forgot the pleasure I got from making leaves blue and putting polka dots on clouds, but I soon realized I was never going to be an artist. Words were my passion, putting them together to paint pictures, layering them to shade and blend characters. When I got better at it, I learned something else about the writing process. Once you learn your craft, it’s fun to explore outside the boundaries. This is particularly true with my new dark paranormal MOONLIGHT series.
“MASKED BY MOONLIGHT is more than a scary werewolf tale. It is a steamy romance; a whodunit; a story of intrigue and power. Gideon definitely cloaks this tale in darkness and shadows.” Romance Reader at Heart, top pick
I started with a simple project, a paranormal shape-shifter story. But when I began toning those grim shades of gray in MASKED BY MOONLIGHT with the hopeful pastels of romance, a whole new palette appeared. A shape-shifter indebted to the mob. A New Orleans cop trying to solve a gruesome murder that points in his direction. Suspense and action/adventure soon blended together with the bright glare of thriller red. Add in a hero and heroine whose developing world, troubled secrets, torn loyalties and unlikely passion continue in a four book story arc, you have shades of Urban Fantasy added to the mix. When I looked at where I started and where I ended up with a six book series for Pocket with its many layers and unique elements, I wasn’t sure how to describe it.
Then I finally saw my series clearly through different eyes.
Look Mom! I’m writing outside the lines!
WELCOME TO ROMANCE BY MOONLIGHT…
Homicide detective Charlotte Caissie is dedicated to bringing down the crime boss responsible for her father’s murder. Using Jimmy Legere’s right hand man is a dangerous gamble, not just because of his ruthless reputation as more monster than man, but because her feelings for her mysterious and irresistible enemy are … complicated. There’s just something about Max.
Rescued from the swamps as a child, Max Savoie owes Jimmy Legere his life. Existing silently in his rescuer’s shadow, he heeds only one voice. Until Charlotte Caissie awakens his emotions and tests his loyalties. Forced to step outside his cautious rules to save her, he risks more than his heart . . . he risks exposing his dark secret.
Working together means facing the truth about who and what they are, and what they need from one another. If Max is the murderer she seeks, Cee Cee might be his next victim. She can’t afford to trust any man. Good thing Max isn’t one.
Learn more about MASKED BY MOONLIGHT (June), CHASED BY MOONLIGHT (July), CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT (August) and the rest of the series by visiting me at http://nancygideon.com/.
Want to win a copy of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT? Then tell me…What’s your favorite “outside the line” you’ve found in a romance book? I’ll pick one commenter to win.
Thanks!
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Love the book cover! Your book sounds really good. Favorite outside the line would when a vampire or werewolf find their true mate as a human not vampire or werwolf like they are.
hmmm…I’ll have to think of my favorite out the line moments (especially in paranormal) It’s seems that nothing is really off limits at this point LOL.
Ooooh, love the cover!!!!
Mmmmmm….outside the line? How about a fire-breathing dragon shifter finding his soul-mate is a human??? That would be…hot!! Hehe!!
Did I mention that that cover is absolutely delickable????
Valerie
in Germany
The supernaturally spectacular hero loved a woman who did not love him. When he first finds her and loses his heart, she is married to a man who does not love her. The paranormal prince is not used to having to wait and not getting what he wants when he wants it. He learns about love, patience, and caring more for someone else than he cares about himself. He learns to let go and hope that fate will be kind. She also learns to let go of her cruel, cheating husband and all her preconceived notions of real romance and true love. When her tall, dark and devoted demon finally gives her his heart, she gives him her soul for all eternity.
Wow, Nancy, I just LOVE that cover–gorgeous!!! Thank you for joining my Deadly Days fun!
Oh I love the cover. I saw this in walmart and was in ohhh and awww.
I would have to say paranormal is my favorite over the line. But I do love that some people step over the sexual line in some books putting m/m and f/f you don’t see it alot in print books. But JR Ward has done a good job of it with her black dagger brotherhood series.
Heres to many sales
Drea
dreabecraft520@aol.com
I’ve already picked up your book though I haven’t read it yet. I did read the blurb on RT magazine and it sounded great to me.
One of the most fun things about this series was doing a cover consult…no I didn’t get to pick the model 🙁 . Pocket asked for concept ideas to link the covers together and this was one that I came up with. Of course it looks far better than I could EVER had imaged!
You guys have come up with some great ideas for outside the lines! Keep ’em coming!
Nancy, I love your books and read everything by whatever your name are.
I picked this book during the weekend and already finished reading it. I can see that Max& Charlotte’s story did not finish within one book. I read that you mentioned there would be at least six books in the series. How many of them will be about Max & Charlotte?
The first four feature Max and Charlotte. Chased by Moonlight will be out 6-29-10 and Captured by Moonlight on 7-27-10. I just turned in book 4, Bound by Moonlight (tent title) and Pocket is trying to get that scheduled as close to these books as possible. Keep updated on my website or by subscribing to my e-mail newsletter.
Glad you’re enjoying the series so far!
I love the headline of your post. It reminded me of when my son came home from pre-school one day crying about not being able to color “in the lines.” I told him that the lines were how someone else saw the picture, and it was fine if he saw it outside those lines. Your book sounds great and I’m looking forward to reading it. But I don’t have a great answer for your question–Sorry.
Hi Nancy! Go ahead and leave me out of the contest, because I am thrilled to say that I have already read Masked by Moonlight. I loved it!!!! I can’t wait to get my hands on Chased by Moonlight. ( My hands are itching to hold it as I type! LOL! ) Thanks for stopping by today.
Love your cover – he is delicious.
I am afraid at the moment I cannot think of anything I have read that it truly outside the lines, but that is probably because I have no lines to go outside of 😀
I agree with everyone else… what a cover!!! 😀 Outside of the lines… I read where different shapeshifters fell in love against their own groups/clan rules.
Hi Monica. Your book sounds great. I love the cover. I have found that books that step outside the lines are ones that have heroes and heroines who have jobs/powers that are different than I have read or they are a creature that is new to me.
Sorry about calling you Monica. I was typing a document at work that had the name Monica in it.
Hi Nancy 🙂
Everyone’s right, your cover is hott! 🙂
As for stories that are outside the lines.. hm, not sure… maybe the one that was discussed the other day, where there’s a infidelity in a marriage. That was different for me in a romance.
Hi Nancy – This book looks great.
The only outside the lines I can think of off hand is a certain sex scene between Bones and Cat that went a bit beyond “normal” sex, if you know what I mean.
Hi Nancy!
thanks for being here today – I can’t wait to read your book and I’m so glad to hear your other books will come out soon 🙂
I can’t think of an “outside the line” aspect I’ve read lately… like Kris said in the paranormal world all is possible!!
greetings, Ina
Congrats on the new release, Nancy. I already have my copy of “Masked by Moonlight” and I can’t wait to start the book.
My favorite outside the line is Lauren Dane’s Cascadia series mixing modern werewolves with the mafia.
Wow, it sounds like an excellent book!
The only really “outside the line” books I can think of off the top of my head are Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series. It’s pretty rare that you read about people who control the weather and only the weather.
One “outside the line” book I read featured a male shape-shifter who found his mate… in another man! The book was pretty good, too!
Thanks for stopping by Nancy 🙂
Outside the line book for me was a Gena Showalter book, vampire hero and an amazon heroine.
Definitely going to check out your “outside the line books” 😀
This sounds like a great book!! I also agree about the cover!! I can’t name a book about outside the lines, but I know I read them all the time. I think most of the paranormals have many “outside the lines ” story lines and I love my paranormals.
I love outside the line books, and yours sounds like one I would enjoy. About 10 years ago, I read The Proposition by Judith Ivory. It was a Regency, and the hero was a rat catcher. LOL How’s that for drawing outside of the lines? It was a great book.
Hi, Nancy!
I agree with everyone-your cover is hot!! I think my favorite outside the lines moment in a book was one where the Alpha of a wolf pack took a puma as his mate-talk about cats and dogs!!
I love this cover, very hot! I would love to read this book it sounds awesome!
Nancy I’m going to give away my age but this new book of yours reminds me back when I was very young and my favorite heroines were “Honey West” a TV female detective and “Mrs.Emma Peele” in the original Avengers. I thought these women were the most ultimate in a male world and your book picked up where they left off.
My favorite outside the line storyline was in Sounds To Die By where there’s a blind man who helps in catching the bad guy by using his super hearing.
Honey West and Emma Peele! The original tough chick heroines! And my favorites, too. Guess we’re both nicely aged, Susan.
Loved Honey West & Emma Peele!! I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. It looks absolutely wonderful. I really can’t think of anything outside the lines that hasn’t already been mentioned!!!
Another nicely aged gal here, lol – loved Emma Peele and Honey West, tough and campy. One thing I love about paranormals, anything can go, the author can go outside the line any way she wants, as long as she makes us believe in it.
Nancy, I like that your series is a bit of a mix of genres. I’ve always liked mystery thrillers, though now I’m more into historicals and anything paranormal, so I like historical mystery series, and, would like to see more paranormal historicals. I’m really looking forward to trying the new steampunk genre now.
Good essay. I liked how your mom explained you each saw something different when it came to creativity. That is a wonderful answer. My favorite out the line in romance is the menage because she doesn’t have to pick just one lover when she loves them both.
Ohh….I don’t know! I guess I kinda read inside the lines….Or maybe its because its late and my mind doesn’t want to work LOL In any case, I’m really looking forward to reading your new series, Nancy!
Oh my… he’s hunkalicious. Hope they keep the same model for the entire arc. I have to agree, just reading all different types of Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance, with every type of “Other” conceivable as the hero and/or heroine is way outside the box. AND I love every minute of it.
My favorite out side the line is when there are three are four people falling in love togetter seam like it should be two meny people but some how it is good.Have you read Kate Douglas’s Wolf tails its like that.
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com
One of my favs is when a cat shifter and a wolf shifter fall for each other.
My favorite outside the line is… oh I don’t know – I like all parts and don’t see them as an outside the line 😉
[…] Writing Outside the Lines – Cynthia Eden […]
My outside the lines would be menage or BDSM.
I love your book cover.
One of my favorite outside the lines series was the Riley Jensen werewolf series by Keri Arthur (wrapped up now at 9 books). In the first few books Riley had sex with multiple partners including the vampire who ultimately becomes her mate. Multiple partners is a big no-no in the romance world and PNR world. This series is more UF than PNR though, and I loved that Keri really pushed the line. Anyway, the sex wasn’t gratuitous. It made sense in her world.
Welcome back Nancy! I’ve read your vamps from your previous pub some years ago so its thrilled to hear about this new series. I’m elated!!! Congrats
Outside my box would be reading the menages. Now so really enjoy reading those!
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