Tag Archive for: maria geraci

I need the Dog Whisperer

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by Maria Geraci

Cute, isn’t she? This is a picture of my 2 year old dachshund, Truffles taken last Halloween in her “pumpkin” costume.

Lately, however, Truffles hasn’t been so cute. She’s reverted back to her early puppy days of doing her “business” in the house. VERY frustrating. It took forever to house train her to begin with, so this reversion back to puppy days has me pulling my hair. Especially since I’m on deadline and would rather not step into one her presents on my rare break to the kitchen or ironically, the bathroom.

The pet psychiatrist in me thinks this reversion is related to the fact that our sweet, old mutt, Charlie was put to sleep a couple of months ago. Charlie was 13 and a BIG dog (over 100 lbs). Despite the fact they had nothing in common (he was huge, she is little. He was mutt smart, she is pedigree not-so-smart. He was patient, she is hyper) they loved each other and loved taking their walks. Since Charlie’s demise, however, Truffles is afraid of her leash and refuses to go on walks, unless you carry her out the door. Sigh.

I talked to the vet about it and he thinks she will outgrow this with some patience, but I’m at the end of my rope. Where is Cesar Millan when you need him? Anyone ever encounter this sort of doggie behavior? I need to turn my overdue manuscript in!

Moonlight and Magnolias

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Tomorrow I’m headed to Atlanta to attend the Georgia Romance Writers of America Moonlight and Magnolias Conference. I’ll be signing copies of my latest novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club at the Literacy signing on Saturday from 4-5:30 pm, so if you live in the Atlanta area, please stop by! There’s a whole slew of us who will be signing books, and profits go to Georgia literacy, so you’ll be helping out a great cause.

Things I am most looking forward to:
Having breakfast with my editor and agent.
Workshops by fabulous authors, like Wendy Wax, Haywood Smith, Eloisa James, and Karen White, to name a few
Reconnecting with people I only see once a year or so
Quiet time in my own hotel room (where maybe I can actually finish the edits on my current manuscript–hey, a girl can dream, right?)

Things I am not looking forward to:
Driving in the Atlanta traffic
Washing clothes and trying to figure out what to pack
Kicking myself in the buttkiss because I wanted to lose 10 lbs before tomorrow and have failed miserably. Ah well. I must console myself with the fact that if I looked too fabulous, then no one would recognize me.

What about you? What do you enjoy/dislike most about writing conferences?

Maria Geraci writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction. You can connect with her on website here.
The Boyfriend of the Month Club is immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.”

Portland Book Review

The Help

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You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Finally. A movie that lives up to the book.

A couple of years ago when I first saw the cover for The Help in a bookstore, I scratched my head. I was in Athens, Georgia doing a book signing at the B&N (or was it a Borders?) and the staff there were all wearing buttons to push The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (a book I haven’t read yet but have always admired the title even if its just because someone convinced someone at marketing to go with that mouthful). But I digress. I had to stop and pick up The Help, just because the title was so unusual. After reading the back cover, I realized help wasn’t a verb, but a noun. The premise of the book intrigued me and a couple of months later I bought the book on my Kindle. I absolutely loved it. I laughed, I cried, I was rapt with attention from cover to cover. I told everyone I knew about the book and convinced my book club to read it. They all loved it too.

Then I heard they were making it into a movie and I was skeptical. Because we all know what Hollywood does to books we love. They change things around (including endings) and mess with the author’s words and characters until you don’t even recognize the story anymore. But I had hope. I saw the trailers and loved the actresses who were playing all the key characters and I thought, why not give the movie a try? The day after the film came out I went to see it with my two daughters (who had also read the book at my recommendation). We all loved it. We all laughed. We all cried. We were all rapt with attention from the second it began to the second it ended. I loved it so much, I then went to see the movie again the following weekend with my sister. If someone calls me right now and asks me to go to the movies to see it a third time, I’ll be there. It will also be part of my DVD collection the day it comes out. I truly hope Viola Davis gets a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Aibileen because she totally deserves it.

Have you seen the movie yet? Have you read the book? What movies from books have seen and loved? Or hated?

Maria Geraci writes fun, romantic women’s fiction. The Portland Book Review calls her latest novel, THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Check out her website at www.mariageraci.com.

To the young man who wrote my daughter a poem

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by Maria Geraci

First off, I’m glad to say that my daughter doesn’t read my blogs, so I feel pretty free to say whatever I please here without fear of the dreaded “Mom, you didn’t write that, did you?” repercussion. That said, I can continue. I’m currently down in Orlando, getting my youngest daughter settled into her freshman year at the University of Central Florida (the nation’s 2nd largest university with a student population of over 56,000!)

We’ve now made 3 trips to Target (latest figures have us at the 1,000 dollar mark), 2 trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond, a trip to Publix (to stock her up on her organic cereal) as well as a trip to the outlet mall to take advantage of tax free weekend to buy clothes. Both me and my credit cards are exhausted. Let me just tell you, boys are much cheaper and easier, so thank God I have one of those as well.

On day 2 of our moving in the dorm expedition, we took a break to eat lunch at Panera. It was an odd time of the day  (2pm) so the restaurant wasn’t crowded, although it was pleasantly full. We got our food and sat at our table, when I noticed a young man (close to my daughter’s age) check her out (we moms are eagle eye experts at this). He had a computer and some writing supplies in front of him, so I assumed he was probably a student. After a while I noticed he went back to his computer and writing so I didn’t pay him anymore attention. My daughter and I finished lunch, and left the restaurant.

On our way outside to the car, this young man followed us outside and called out to my daughter,
“Miss!” My first thought was that we’d left something behind.

“I’m not a stalker or anything,” he said (this is when I started getting a little nervous.)

“Um, okay, ” my daughter said.

He then handed her a folded piece of paper with the words “to the girl with the black hair”. “I wrote this for you. You’ll never know my name, but I wanted to give this to you.”

My daughter looked a little stunned, but she took the paper from him. We got inside the car and looked at one another. “I hope it’s not porn,” I thought.  My daughter opened the letter and read it to me as we drove back to her dorm. Shame on me. It was not porn. It was one of the loveliest love poems I’ve ever heard.

Now, maybe this guy sits at Panera all day long and gives different girls a similar version of this poem. Or maybe not. It was so specific to my daughter and to the events that were happening around us while we ate, that I have to think that he did indeed write it just for her (or else he’s just really good at putting in spontaneous details). Regardless, my daughter was completely charmed (and so was I).

“Keep that,” I told her. “You might never get anything like that again.”

She smiled and tugged it away in her handbag. “I’m going to pin this to my bulletin board and when I’m having a really bad day, I’m going to read it.”

Who said romance was dead?

What’s in a title?

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by Maria Geraci

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Everyone recognizes Shakespeare’s famous line from Romeo and Juliet. And in theory, I have to agree with the Bard. What truly matters is what something is, not what it’s called. The fact that we’ve been programmed to think of a rose as beautiful and sweet smelling and a weed as ugly and nasty is part of our own life experiences. The reality of what something is, is mixed with the name we know it by.

Being in the business of writing books that I hope will sell (and sell big) however, I have to give a lot of credence to titles. Titles are a reader’s (consumer’s) first perception of what a book is and what it’s about and can install either a negative or a positive reaction in the reader. If the reaction is positive, then the reader might pick up your book (or scroll down the screen) to find out more about your novel. But if it’s negative, your novel might not even get that chance. In this highly competitive market, your book needs all the chances it can to connect with readers. This is why I spend a lot of time thinking about my titles. I admit, most times, I think of my title even before I really know what my book is about. Titles come to me in my sleep or in both my conscious and subconscious thinking in much the same way story ideas do. Even if I don’t get to keep my title (this happened to me only once, with my debut book) the title still forms the basis of the story and the story builds on that title. Which might seem kind of backward to some people, but not to me.

So what makes a good title?

First off, it should reflect the story. I really hate when a title seems disjointed from the story it’s attached to. A title should also reflect the genre you write in. Big Bad Mother from Outer Space wouldn’t be a typical women’s fiction title (although on second thought, it does have a certain appeal, but you get my drift.) Titles should be catchy. They should be original yet also have some hint of familiarity that resonates with us. Here are a few novels that over the years have caught my eye based on the title alone:

When Dashing Met Danger   Historical regency romance. It sounds sexy and fun, and it is.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding   Okay, so this was a film, but really. How brilliant is this title?
Good in Bed  One of the best titles ever. Jennifer Weiner, I hate you 🙂
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet  I’ve already got a tear in my eye just from the cover and title on this book.
Little Women  I had to put this in here because I love this book so much.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Love in the Time of Cholera   You have no idea how much I want to do a rip off version of this title. Still working on it…
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies  So not everyone loved it, but I did.
The Devil Wears Prada   Great book, but better movie.

I could go on… but you get my drift. What are some of your favorite titles? Have you ever bought a book based solely on the title?

Finding your Voice

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by Maria Geraci

As I write this, I have no idea who will be the winner of the new NBC show The Voice. I will say, that I have thoroughly enjoyed the show and really like all four of the finalists. But hands down for me, my favorite has been Dia Frampton, the beautiful, shy, folksy indie singer-songwriter who never fails to blow me away each week.

Dia doesn’t have the most powerful voice on the show. Or the biggest. But for me, it’s the voice I’ve most connected to. And that translates into the voice I’d most likely buy an album from. And as a matter of fact, I’ve already bought one of her songs. If you haven’t heard her rendition of Kanye West’s Heartless, run to go hear it. It’s absolutely fabulous.

I also love the fact that Dia wears flats on the show (sorry, Stiletto Gang!) She’s not a heels kind of girl. She’s not overly glamorous. She’s just her and that shines through in her music. And just like musicians and any other artists, as writers, we too, have to let ourselves be who we are. We have to let our voices shine.

Voice is often defined as that unique quality that you and only you alone possess. It’s your style. Your signature. It’s what makes readers connect to you. It’s your view of the world and how you present yourself to others. No one can teach you “voice.” It’s developed through frequent writing and letting one’s guard down. Stripping yourself of pride and ego and all the walls we put up to hide ourselves from others. Letting your voice shine through is scary. But we owe it to our readers and to ourselves to give them the very best of us. The real us.

FYI: Today, I’ll be over at Romance Divas (a free website for romance writers) doing a workshop called “Picking up your Sagging Middle.” I’m dissecting the novel The Hunger Games to figure out what made it such a page turner. The workshop is being held in the forums section of the website under Workshops and Conferences- NGTCC (Not Going to Conference Conference). Best part? It’s free!

Doing It Old School

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by Maria Geraci

A few months ago while watching as I manually jotted down an important date into my calendar, a friend convinced me that I wasn’t taking full advantage of my iPhone.

“What’s the use of having a smart phone if you’re not going to be smart about using it?” she said to me.

“Gee, I guess you’re right,” I said back. She then showed me the Calendar function on my phone (which I was aware of, but I confess had not really explored much).

“You just place all your appointments in the calendar and you’ll never miss anything again,” she said.

Maybe I should have had those words bronzed, because the fact is, my friends, as you have probably guessed by now, I’ve missed just about everything. And this is despite using the “alarm” function on the calendar. I’m a visual person, and by visual I mean I need to write something out and then look at it constantly for me to “get it.” I need a real calendar that tucks nicely into my purse that I can pop out to look at and I need to flip pages. I like my iPhone. But I don’t love it. I’ve had it for almost 4 years now and I think it’s awesome, but it’s not the be all and end all that a lot of people think it is. At least not for me.

Recently, I was hacked. All my email accounts, my Facebook account, even my website. It was my own fault really. I hadn’t changed my email password in years. I stored almost all my other passwords and important information in the Saved Mail portion of my email account. Pretty dumb, huh? All this happened while I was visiting my parents and had no Internet access. By the time I was able to get into my account and change my password 4 days had passed. Four days of someone else playing with my life (in not a pretty way). I now have all my important information printed out and saved in a real time file in a real time desk.

Yes, I think the Internet is pretty awesome, but you have to respect the awesomeness and protect yourself. It’s not enough to have a “smart” phone or a “smart” computer. You have to be smart too.

Writing the High-Concept Novel

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I first heard the term “high concept” applied to novels a few years ago and I have to admit, for a time, the idea had me banging my head against a wall. Generally used to describe a film or a television show, high concept is basically a one or two sentence tagline that’s tightly worded and conjures an immediate image in the mind. Take “Snakes on a Plane.” You almost can’t help but smile. Those four simple words practically scream “campy high adventure.” So while I understood the idea of pitching the high concept movie, I wasn’t so sure how high concept translated when talking about books. After mulling it over, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s really not a lot of difference.

In today’s highly competitive publishing market, it’s not enough to simply write a good book. In order to get your good book read by agents and editors you have to have a hook. And high concept is the ultimate hook. A high concept tagline not only makes your book easier to pitch, it shows that you, as a writer, know the value of marketing.

A high concept pitch has several elements:
A great title
An original idea, or a well-known idea with a new twist
Has universal appeal

Take the following examples. These are recent deal blurbs that I pulled from Publishers Marketplace (an excellent place to find out what is selling and to whom).

Kate Pearce’s The Tudor Vampire Chronicles, a series of vampire romances dealing with the complicated supernatural lives of the queens of King Henry VIII, and the real reasons why some of them survived and some of them died.

This one is a no-brainer. Vampires are extremely hot right now (they have been for some time and it doesn’t look like they are going to go out of fashion) so a vampire romance is a good lead in. But there are a LOT of vampire romances out there. What’s different about this story is the Tudor timeline. It’s not a historical time frame that’s done often in romance. Add in the fact that Showtime’s’ hit series The Tudors have actually made Henry the VIII sexy, and you have a hot, fresh twist on a well-known idea. Plus, it helps that the story of Henry’s wives is something that almost everyone in English speaking countries is aware of. The story hints that paranormal elements are responsible for some of those beheaded queens and I’m instantly intrigued.

Vicky Dreiling’s Confessions of a Duchess: A Matchmaker’s Misadventures, The Bachelor in Regency England (minus the hot tub and camera crew).

I have to admit, the title didn’t necessarily grab me, however, historicals set in Regency England are extremely popular. The term “matchmaker’s misadventures” made me think “fun” which was cemented by the one line blurb: The Bachelor in Regency England minus the hot tub and camera crew. Brilliant!

Todd Ritters’ debut, Death Notice, in which a small town police chief must thwart a serial killer who is sending in obituaries to the local newspaper before the subjects end up gruesomely murdered.

Yuck. I’m creepily grossed out. But who doesn’t love a good suspense novel? There are elements to this story that seem familiar (the serial killer on the loose who thinks he’s clever enough to outwit the cops so he actually sends them clues), but the obituary element seems like a new twist, plus I’m empathetic to the poor small town police chief who has to catch this sicko.

So, while high concept is used to refer to the pitch used to try to sell the book, it also refers to the book itself. When I got the idea to write my Bunco Babes series, I immediately thought “Sex in the City meets Bunco.” I didn’t pitch my story in those exact words, but it was the tagline in my head as I wrote out my synopsis and I think it came through.

Is there a tagline or a short blurb for a novel that has instantly intrigued you? And if so, what was it?

Maria Geraci

Life and Art and Maria and Arnold

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by Maria Geraci

Oscar Wilde once wrote that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” I’m not sure which imitates which more, but I will say that life and art seem intrinsically bound together. Art springs from life and vice versa, and lately, it seems we’ve had plenty of examples of each.

As I watched the season finale of The Good Wife this past week, I had to chuckle sadly to myself. First off, if you’re not a fan of The Good Wife, then you should be. It’s one of the best shows on television. When I first heard of the show’s premise, I have to admit to an eye roll. Attractive male politician cheats on his wife, gets caught, publicly apologizes to his constituents, all with the loyal wife standing by his side.

Sound familiar?

The only reason I watched the series premiere last year was because the show starred Julianna Marguiles and Josh Charles and I figured with that kind of cast, it couldn’t be all bad. It has now become my favorite program on TV. In the wake of the whole Arnold/Maria split and the all the new revelations that have surfaced this week I can only say that the show becomes more relevant each day.

 

This week’s season finale showed Alicia,  the “good wife” character played by Julianna, finally giving in to her attraction to her boss and long time crush from law school, Will (played by Josh Charles). I know I wasn’t the only woman in America screaming “yes!” when they kissed in the elevator.

Was it wrong? Well, technically Alicia is still married to the cheating Peter (played by none other than Sex and the City’s Mr. Big, Chris Noth) so I guess it is. However, it is finally time that the self-sacrificing wife, mom, and sole family supporter got a little lovin’ herself. I kind of hope Maria is taking notes.

You Make Me Want to be a Better Writer

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by Maria Geraci

There is one thing above all others that makes a writer’s work stand out. It’s not great grammar, or great story structure, or even a unique story line (because let’s face it, pretty much every story has been done before in some form or another).  What makes a writer stand out is voice. Voice is what makes you unique. It’s what sells your books.

I clearly  remember the day that I met my editor (Wendy McCurdy at Berkley) for the first time. It was at the RWA National convention in Washington DC. We had breakfast together and were talking about things in general, and then we began talking about my books. And at some point in the conversation she looked at me and said, “I really love your raunchy voice.” I must have looked a little stunned, because she smiled and said, “I mean that in a good way.”

I’ve thought about that comment a lot (as you can probably imagine.) I write fun, romantic women’s fiction (kind of a cross between chick lit and contemporary romance). The heroine in my first book (Bunco Babes Tell All) meets my hero when he catches her peeing in the bushes. In my second book (Bunco Babes Gone Wild) my heroine accidentally “flashes” my hero, and in my most recent book (The Boyfriend of the Month Club) in the very first opening scene, my heroine chips her tooth trying to open a shrink wrapped tampon. Huh. I think I get what Wendy was saying. Voice is not just about how you word things, it’s your unique look at the world. It’s the author’s “big picture.”

When I stumble across a really great book, one that I can’t put down, it’s usually because of the author’s voice. This always makes me sit up and take notice. I’m not just a reader, I’m also a student and a good book always teaches me something (bad books teach me something as well, but we won’t get into that today.)

I recently finished reading Eleanor Brown’s debut novel The Weird Sisters. The story is about three sisters who reunite in their home town (each with secrets of their own) when their mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. The hook? Their father is a Shakespearan scholar who recites The Bard pretty much every time he opens his mouth. But what makes the book special and memborable is Eleanor Brown’s voice. She creates such a unique world that you can’t help but feel it, smell it, live it. The book is told in first person plural (we) and is absolutely fabulous. I used my Kindle highlighter to note some of the lines that really stood out for me.

Here is just a tiny selection:

See, we love each other. We just don’t like each other very much.

She had gone from most favored nation to useless ally, from Cordelia to Ophelia.

Because despite his money and his looks and all the good-on-paper attributes he possessed, he was not a reader, and well, let’s just say this is the sort of nonsense up with which we will not put.

Can I just say, I really really love that last line? I’ve read it countless times now and each time it makes me smile more. Reading Eleanor Brown makes me want to be a better writer. It makes me want to hone my own voice and sharpen it until it becomes all me, with nothing held back. Just a stick that pokes at my reader’s emotions and makes them laugh or cry or startles them.