You want someone who is excited about your work representing you. Do your research, get ready to take your hits, and keep your faith in your own writing.
October Reading Wrap Up
Sometimes you just need a good binge read. This month has been full of historical romances for me, and I've got a couple to recommend as well as a book that touches the paranormal, fantasy, literary, and romance genres.
The Duke and I
by Julia Quinn
I bow down to the mistress of Regency romance dialogue. That is all.
The Wicked Wallflower
by Maya Rodale
Around mid-October I was looking for something fun to read. I picked up The Wicked Wallflower and subsequently binge read six of Maya Rodale's books in a row. I loved The Wicked Wallflower because it's fun, light, and features a pretty fantastic rake of a hero. There's also a Hunger Games-based house party which amused me to no end.
A Discovery of Witches
by Deborah Harkness
When a friend pops up on your gchat and demands that you read a book because she loved it so much and wants someone to gush about it to, you do. My friend Caitlin got lost in A Discovery of Witches, so I decided to give it a shot too. It follows a historian named Diana who is on a research trip to Oxford who calls up an enchanted manuscript. Diana is a witch and not happy about it, so she tries to ignore the manuscript but it sets a series of supernatural events into motion that she can't stop. Throw in an erudite, attractive, alpha vampire love interest and even I -- not known for being a huge vampire fan -- was sucked in. I bought the second volume in the trilogy on Tuesday and plan to use it as my post-NaNoWriMo reward.
Guest Post: A.L. Parks
A Love Letter to Libraries
Liverpool is close to my heart. It's where my mother is from. It's where most of the British side of my family still lives. It's a place I spent quite a lot of time in my early 20s. This morning I ran across an article on The Edge talking about the Save Liverpool Libraries campaign. 11 of Liverpool's 18 libraries are under threat from budget cuts. That means fewer opportunities for people living in the Liverpool metro area to check out books, get jobs services, and take computer courses.
Losing more than half of a city's branch libraries would be devastating anywhere, and it's particularly hard to think about in a city that means so much to my family and me. My mother has fond memories of the Walton Library on Evered Avenue. Going several times a week as a child helped solidified her life-long love of reading. The mass closure of libraries like these 11 in jeopardy makes our cities culturally, intellectually, and economically poorer.
Here in New York City, I've watched the City Council threaten to slash the New York Public Library's budget multiple times. In 2013, the preliminary city budget looked to cut funding to the NYPL, Queens Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library by $106.7 million. That would have meant the end of Saturday service at branches across the city, one of the only days that many people (myself included) can get to the library. Happily that did not happen, but it was too close for comfort for patrons.
I've watched politicians praise NYC's branch libraries for making books available to kids, resume and job training to the unemployed, and technological education to seniors. Then some of those same people have turned around and tried to pass budgets that would dramatically slash those same library services. This has prompted me to do two things: vote for City Councilmembers who campaign on supporting the NYPL and have the voting record to prove it and open my checkbook each year to make a contribution (albeit small) to the library.
So what can you and I do for Liverpool's libraries? There is a campaign asking us to write love letters to the libraries to keep branches open. Supporters of library accessibility can contact the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson by clicking here. Authors David Nicholls, Caitlin Moran, Malorie Blackman and Carol Ann Duffy have already written their letters.
With campaigns like this, there is always a question of whether outside advocacy will make a difference. I strongly believe that if you care about library accessibility worldwide you have to do something. Even if your contribution to the effort to keep Liverpool's libraries safe from budget cuts is small, it matters.
If you would like to read more about the love letters to the Liverpool libraries, The Guardian recently write about it. I hope you'll join me in spreading the word because even a little nudge from each individual who cares about libraries can help.
"Kiss and Tell" & "Love and War and Snow"
"Kiss and Tell"
Rory's first kiss, guys! (Everyone take a moment for collective warm fuzzy sighs of happiness).
No big surprise that "Kiss and Tell" is all about relationships and growing up. Dean, ever a romantic, kisses Rory near the soda fridges in the local supermarket where he is a bagger. Naturally, Rory's reaction is supremely awkward. She doesn't say anything, just runs out clinging to a box of cornstarch and goes to find Lane. Lane's mother overhears Rory's story, and Mrs. Kim tells Lorelai that her daughter's been kissing boys where people buy their food (the horror!). Lorelai is upset that Rory didn't tell her about the kiss so she goes off to stalk him in the grocery store. We get our first extended Lorelai and Luke scene, after which Lorelai confronts Rory about Dean. Lorelai thinks she's being helpful by inviting Dean to a movie night, but Rory fears being seen as lame for having her mother around. Finally Lorelai and Dean have the required, "Don't hurt my little girl," conversation, and she gives him her motherly blessing. Sort of.
This episode shows us that both Rory and Lorelai are growing up and changing. Rory hits a bunch of teenage firsts in this episode (first kiss, first date) while Lorelai struggles with the idea of her little girl getting older. The thing that seems to bother Lorelai the most isn't that Rory is dating. It's that Rory has secrets of her own now. Luke pinpoints exactly what Lorleai's problem is -- she's freaking out because she's not ready for this yet.
Lorelai seems to often walk the line between mother and best friend on this show. At times she's intensely maternal, slaying dragons for her daughter whether they be in the form of stodgy headmasters or her own mother's Junior League ambitions. During other moments she seems to be playing the child (see the horrible, ridiculous fight from "Kill Me Now"). She hates being left out and sometimes comes off as hating that her daughter might have an inner life of her own. And yet there are lovely moments like the one at the end of this episode with the two Gilmore girls gossiping about Dean after he leaves movie night. It's simple, sweet, and shows the strength of the mother/daughter bond. My hope for the show is that we're going to simultaneously see the growth of both characters throughout the series run.
Pop Culture References
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971), The Way We Were, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Elsa Klensch, James Dean, General Hospital, Liz Phair, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXnfhnCoOyo
Favorite Quotes
“I got kissed… and I shoplifted.” –Rory
===
Luke: You’re not going to kill the bag boy.
Lorelai: Why not?
Luke: It’s double coupon day. You’ll bring down the town.
Reasons Luke is Bound to Break Julia's Heart <--- a new feature moving forward because, let's be totally honest here...
Lorelai runs into Luke when she's stalking Dean in the grocery story. Immediately he pinpoints why Dean bothers her so much: having a boyfriend and keeping secrets from her mother means that Rory is growing up. You are absolutely right, Luke. You know her so well! Oh god, this show is going to torment me with the "Will they? Won't they? Why did they screw it up?" tension for seasons, isn't it?
Random Thoughts
-I had no idea that Dean was also Sam Winchester on Supernatural. Mind. Blown.
-I want a Sookie in my life who just shows up with random desserts. Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't complain because one of my coworkers brought in whipped pumpkin dip and cinnamon graham crackers on Wednesday...
-The Lorelai/Dean conversation when Rory steps out during movie night was one of the best Lorelai moments we've seen so far. It would be really easy to write Lorelai as the scary mother who just threatens Dean with bodily harm if he hurts her daughter. Instead, she tells Dean that the whole town of Stars Hollow loves Rory, and lets him figure out on his own how much trouble he'll be in if he's a jerk to her. Even better, Dean earns Lorelai's respect by standing up to her and promising not to hurt her daughter.
"Love and War and Snow"
"Love and War and Snow" hits so many of the right buttons for me. So much so that I'm not even doing a recap. Let's jump in:
1) The episode opens up with a town meeting whether no one can get along or get a word in. Randomly Luke starts picking a fight with the mayor about a reenactment of a seemingly non-significant (?) battle or something or another that happened in Stars Hollow during the Revolutionary War? Just go with it.
I do journalistic things in my day job, and this reminded me so much of Community Board meetings here in New York City. I mean, the last one I went to was about whether to allow a methadone clinic in one neighborhood so maybe not quite that intense...
Just watch this clip from Parks & Rec while I regain my train of thought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng_-HgRfGBY
2) Snow! It's nearly November, and a sick little part of me is excited for the first snowfall of the year. I feel you Lorelai. I love the first snow of the year.* I love the cleanness of the snow and the possibility it brings. I love the crisp air and my intense desire to wrap myself up in a blanket with a book and stare out the window. And you're right, Lorelai. The clothes are better.
Snow is also the background for one of my favorite romantic TV moments. I tried to find a YouTube clip of the Matthew and Mary moment from Season 2 of Downton Abbey (you know what I'm talking about, fans) but everything has a spoilery title to it. As I've mentioned before, we're keeping The Gilmore Girls Project as spoiler free as possible even when it comes to other shows.
3) My writer friends will tell you that snowed in romances are some of my favorites -- so much so that they've told me to just write the damn things myself and stop asking for books written to order.** How convenient is it that Max shows up in Stars Hollow right before a snow storm so he kind of has to maybe stay with Lorelai who happens to be solo that night because Rory went ahead to her grandparents' house and is snowed in up in Hartford? It's super convenient, except for the tiny complication of Lane also being at the Gilmore house. Speaking of which...
4) I feel for Lane in this episode, guys. She is all of the teenage angst rolled into one. She touches the hair of the boy she likes and is so embarrassed she runs (there are a lot of teen girls running away from boys in Gilmore Girls). Then she feels like she's losing touch with Rory who seems to be wrapped up in her own happiness with Dean. Even Lorelai's got a man in the house during this snow storm. All of this angst leads to a really lovely moment between Lorelai and Lane late in the episode.
5) Oh Max (formerly known as Mr. Good Hair). He's kind of a gamma isn't he? He's alphaish to let Lorelai know what he wants, but he's beta enough that he's willing to sit back and let her take the lead, especially in her own house. And he's fairly adorable sprawled out on the couch with a book on his chest the next morning. But obviously Lorelai needs to end up with Luke. Obviously.
So this episode wraps with Lorelai dating Max, Rory still dating Dean, and Rory promising to be a better friend to Lane. Hooray!
Literary References
Jane Austen, Hunter S. Thompson, Charlotte Bronte
Reasons Luke is Bound to Break Julia's Heart
Oh god, guys. This show is setting me up to break me. Luke hands out coffees to the reenactment soldiers even though he finds them morally reprehensible. Then he spots Lorelai kissing Max on the street (because of course), and he just looks so crushed. After they had such a good moment in the last episode! Ugh.
Random Thoughts
-Lorelai listens back to a voicemail from Max over and over again in the beginning of this episode prompting the question: has texting ruined that part of dating? The part where you save and relistened to messages because the relationship was still new and you were excited to hear their voice. I love the immediacy of texting, but there's something about that voicemail scene that makes me a little nostalgic.
-Lane reminds me of a couple people I knew in high school who seemed completely out of sync with the people around them. They wanted more. The knew that the world was bigger than what they were being shown (in Lane's case Korean Bibles and boys her parents set her up with). I hope that she winds up being that type of character who heads off to college and only comes home for holidays.
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*Or at least I did until I became a journalist. Sadly, there are no snow days in news. Instead, those are the days you often work the hardest. There's a strange, sick sense of satisfaction in that which makes me begrudgingly enjoy them (albeit in a very different way).
**Obviously that defeats the purpose of having friends to write books for you.
There is now a special tab section on my website for The Gilmore Girls Project. That's the place to go if you want to catch up and watch along with me. If you want to leave me a comment, you can do that here, on Facebook, or by tweeting at me using #GilmoreGirlsProject
Go Forth & NaNoWriMo
For my little band of writer friends, the end of October isn't a time to ask, "What are you and/or your kids going to be for Halloween," but rather, "Are you going to do NaNoWriMo?"
I've done National Novel Writing Month three times and "won" it once. Each time I've gotten something valuable out of the experience.
Sure, it's meant putting aside some basic human necessities like laundry and food that takes more than 10 minutes to prepare.* Hitting a 50,000 word count in the space of a month that also has holidays like Thanksgiving rolled into it is tough. But here's the thing. You're going to have 50,000 words of editable work if you win. Even if you don't, you're going to have something on a page and that's a lot easier to craft and edit than a blank Word document. .
After winning NaNoWriMo for the first time last year, I also noticed an unexpected side benefit: I write more. Rather than the 1K I was cranking out a night after my day job, my numbers started ticking up. If you break NaNoWriMo's word count down into equal parts, you wind up with 1,667 words a day.** Now I routinely write between 2,000 and 3,000 words a day, five days a week. That's a whole lot of words that I can directly attribute to NaNoWriMo ratcheting up my productivity.
So, to all of you who are on the fence about NaNoWriMo or anyone who has always wanted to write a novel but didn't know how to go about it, I'm challenging you to write along with me. The words you get out on the page don't have to be good. They just have to be words, and I want you to write them fearlessly.
Now go forth and NaNoWriMo!
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*I basically live off of pesto and grilled chicken during the month of November.
**Once you write to that 1,667 words a day goal for a month, you will never be able to forget that magic number.
"Cinnamon's Wake" & "Rory's Birthday Parties"
Wordpress decided to glitch on this post while I was trying to schedule it on Sunday morning, so email followers might have gotten an earlier, perfectly fine version of it. Now, I was scheduling during the ridiculous last 3 minutes of the Liverpool 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers, so maybe Wordpress was just overwhelmed by the insane soccer.
Last week you might remember that we encountered some weaker Gilmore Girls offerings. The show was clearly struggling to figure out its place. It had moments of sweetness or intelligence, but they got bogged down in characters who felt more like stereotypes than real, multi-layered people. I'm happy to say that this week I really started to feel like the writers understand who they want the characters (especially Lorelai) to be. But more on that in a bit.
Before we start, I should say that there is now a special tab section on my website for The Gilmore Girls Project. If you are coming into this article series cold, thank you! You can catch up and watch along with me or just jump in wherever you like. If you want to leave me a comment, you can do that here, on Facebook, or by tweeting at me using #GilmoreGirlsProject
"Cinnamon's Wake"
One of the things that people trying to sell me on Gilmore Girls have told me over and over again is how charming the community of Stars Hollow is (I've been promised I will want to move there eventually). This is the episode where we really see what community means to these people, and how they come together in times of need.
I don't really need to do too much of a wrap up on this episode because really only two things happen. Max* and Lorelai agree to go on a date after a "pre-date" at a Hartford coffee shop. Then Cinnamon, the cat owned by the Gilmores' neighbors Babette and Morty, dies. Lorelai forgets about her real date with Max during the wake. Naturally, Max shows up and Rory realizes that her mother and her teacher are interested in each other.
Cinnamon dies, and the same afternoon the entire town of Stars Hollow descends on Babette's charmingly small house to celebrate the life of her beloved cat. Both Sookie and Luke bring food, Dean shows up with drinks from the store, Miss Patty is there to be Miss Patty. When Max comes, Lorelai tries to explain that they're having a wake for her neighbor's cat. While he clearly thinks that's kind of crazy, it's totally normal to the residents of Stars Hollow. One of their own is hurting so they group together to show their love. Outsiders might not understand, but this is what these people do. It's a lovely sentiment, and one I'm guessing that we'll see revisited throughout the show.
Pop Culture References
M. Night Shyamalan, Valley of the Dolls**, Iran-Contra Affair, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thorton, Rancid's "Time Bomb"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhKHAopx7D0
Favorite Quote
"I'm attracted to pie. Doesn't mean I feel the need to date pie." -Lorelai to Max
"Lorelai, I don't know how many French people you've met over the years, but most of them are insufferable." -Michel
Random Thoughts
-While watching this episode, I messaged my friend Matt about it. Matt has been a very vocal supporter of The Gilmore Girls Project, which is probably why he drunkenly text messaged me every line in the show's theme song. On Monday, he followed up via gchat^:
Matt: so after i drunkenly texted you the gilmore girls theme songme: which was my favorite part of SaturdayMatt: i went home and mainlined a few episodes
Matt: (and also ate an entire pizza)me: you are a champion
-The M. Night Shyamalan reference killed me. Clearly this show was shot in 2000. The Sixth Sense was released in 1999 and Unbreakable was released in November of 2000 (which means it's quite possible that it wasn't even out yet when this episode when to air). How different things are now...
-Chilton must have the most twee school bake sale ever
-The scene between Lorleai and Max when they're walking through the school grounds shows us just how far quality has come in TV. The sound mixing is atrocious in this scene
-This show relies heavily on silver eyeshadow... like much of the early 2000s. I just can't wait for everyone to start wearing frosted blue eyeshadow next season.
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*Previously called Mr. Good Hair by me
**Loved that cracktastic book when I read it many years ago (probably well before it was appropriate for me to read it)
^Edited lightly so that you all don't have to pick through the mess of a gchat conversation between two friends who have known each other for years
"Rory's Birthday Parties"
Finally all of our hard work as viewers pays off in this wonderful episode. The writers manage to pack a whole bunch of themes into "Rory's Birthday Parties" including:
- The relationships between generations of mothers and daughters and coping with realizing that parents and children begin to miss out on each others' lives as children age
- The division of classes as illustrated between Rory's two birthday shindigs
- Families that are not tied together by blood
Really though, I don't want to talk about any of those things (except maybe in the Random Thoughts section). That's because something more exciting happened this episode. Luke won me over.
Here's a quick rundown of our action. Emily decides she is going to throw Rory a classy birthday party on their usual Friday dinner night even though Lorelai wants to throw her one the same night. Lorelai winds up taking Saturday for an alternative birthday. Emily reaches out to Lorelai for help buying Rory a birthday present, and they have a not awful shopping experience. Rory sees that her grandmother and mother hung out without fighting and doesn't want to tell her mother that Emily has invited all of the awful people at school to her birthday including Tristan (formally called Smarmy Prep School Guy on The Gilmore Girls Project). The classy party is, naturally, a disaster, and Rory fights with Emily. The alternative birthday with seemingly all of Stars Hollow is a huge success until Emily and Richard show up and it gets awkward. There is a touching moment when Emily realizes that she doesn't know that Lorelai broke her leg three years ago. Rory and Emily make up. Emily tells Richard that she doesn't really know her daughter after all.
*gasps for breath*
Okay, fine. Now Luke.
So I acknowledge that I have a soft spot for grouchy heroes. Just to clarify, not every grumpy character qualifies as a grouchy hero. He needs to exhibit some heroic qualities (even if they are small, subtle ones) to elevate him. In this episode, Luke does.
The writers use a three-beat to develop Luke throughout the episode and give us a deeper look at the backwards baseball cap-wearing coffee shop owner. First, Lorelai plops herself down at his counter and we get this exchange.
Luke: Will you marry me?
Lorelai: What?
Luke: Just looking for something to shut you up.
The way that Lorelai grins at him afterwards tells us that this is not to be taken personally. This is just Luke being Luke. And yet we as viewers get the sense that Luke isn't entirely joking (go ahead and squee, fangirls).
The second beat with Luke gives us a nice look at his relationship with Rory. On her birthday, she also plops down at the counter with Lane when Luke walks up.
Luke: Wrong table.
Rory: Since when is there a right table?
Luke: Since the coffee cake I baked for you and the balloons I blew up for you are at that table [points]... I count to three and it's gone.
Later we see that there's a pink candle stuck in the coffee cake and the balloons have "Happy birthday Rory!" hand-written on them in Sharpie. In this very quick exchange we learn a lot about Luke. He knows Rory's birthday and goes out of his way to do something special for her. He not only bakes, he blows up balloons and decorates them for her. Underneath the grouchy exterior, he cares for the 16-year-old. These are the little things that let us know that this man isn't just a grump. These are the very quiet markers of the good guy hero.
Rounding out our three-beat, Luke shows up at Rory and Lorelai's house at just the right time. The party has run out of ice, and Lorelai is just about to run out for more when he shows up on their doorstep with two bags because everyone always needs ice. She launches herself at him, hugging him full-on, and we know that this is a big deal for Luke even if Lorelai doesn't realize it. In his own, quiet way, Luke cares. He cares about Rory, and he's clearly romantically interested in Lorelai even if something is holding him back.
TV shows are great at the slow burn. If I'm reading this right and Luke is going to be the man we know that Lorelai should be with, it's going to take them like five seasons to finally get together. The "will they, won't they" romantic relationship gets helped along with these tiny moments of revelation brought to us to three-beats like this. We're learning more about our characters and becoming invested in them at the same time. Until he does something to ruin that for me (which he probably will because, again, it's a TV show), I'll be rooting for Luke, the grouchy hero.
Book Nerd Moments
Edith Wharton
Pop Culture References
Madonna, Elvis, Jim Morrison, the Vulcan Death Grip, The Fly (but which version?), The Waltons, Cosmopolitan Magazine
Favorite Moment
How can I not list Luke's exchange with Rory about her birthday coffee cake.
Favorite Quote
"She did agree to get the string quartet to learn 'Like a Virgin.'" -Lorelai on Emily, party planning monster
Random Thoughts
-Emily and Richard's idea of a rager of a night is sticking Post-It Notes on objects around the house so that Rory and Lorelai can claim them as part of their inheritance (although it does beg the question, who else would inherit?)
-Emily calls Lorelai and when they are on the phone I realized that Emily is sitting next to a needlepoint pillow depicting Raphael's Madonna del Prato. It feels so tacky and yet so perfect after asking her daughter to stick Post-It Notes on household objects
-There are a few lovely scenes that reveal more about the relationship between Lorelai and Emily in this episode. First we have the shopping trip for Rory. Then Emily finds out that Lorelai broke her leg, but Emily never knew. And finally, Emily has a moment in the car when she tells Richard, "She's right. I don't know my daughter at all."
-I adore Richard. Rory sets him up on the porch with an issue of Comso and later in the episode he proudly announces that he is an autumn
-Does Dean own a change of clothes? Every time I see him he is in the same green striped sweater, jeans, and leather jacket. Every. Single. Time.
-Speaking of Dean...continuing the sweet, awkwardness of the last episode, Dean and Rory have a moment at the end of "Rory's Birthday Parties" when he gives her a charm bracelet he made. Lorelai sees this out the window and we know that she doesn't quite know how to process this. She tries to be the cool mom, but at the same time, there's a boy around her daughter. I'm sure that we'll be seeing more of floppy-haired Dean and Lorelai's uncertainty about him soon
-I want all the pink feather boas at my next birthday party
Love is Love: An Essay for Queer Romance Month
A version of this article appeared as a part of Queer Romance Month.
I met Jonathan and Andrew* when I was a little girl. My parents were very involved in the Los Angeles art world, and both men were talented artists. Jonathan was a classical musician and Andrew was a painter and animator. They were a part of my parents’ life, and since my parents often brought my sister and me along to concerts, cocktail parties, and dinners, that meant Jonathan and Andrew were part of my life too.
While the adults chatted at cocktail parties, I explored Jonathan and Andrew’s home. It was one of those dark, shingled Hollywood houses up in the hills complete with a kitschy mosaic driveway (my mother told me they loved the ironic tackiness of it). Andrew adored cats. I have very clear memories of wandering the hallways in an uncomfortable, formal dress with white stockings and shiny shoes, peering up at the endless feline drawings brought to life with the swipe of a pencil or the curve of a brush.
There was never any question in my young mind that Jonathan and Andrew were a couple. I thought they were married just like my parents until I reached my teenage years. In freshman health and sex education class, I learned that only straight people could be wed in California—or anywhere in the United States at the time. I was stunned at the realization that I could get married as soon as I turned 18, but Jonathan and Andrew couldn’t.
That was the moment I became an ally.
Given my age, Jonathan and Andrew never shared with me whether they wanted to be able to get married. I do know that from the outside looking in they were devoted to one another in the same way that my parents are. The same way my aunts are uncles are. The same way that my friends who are now tying the knot are. They radiated a quiet comfort that spoke to the deep love that ran between them.
I went off to college, and I saw Jonathan and Andrew less and less. On occasion a party would fall on my winter or summer breaks, and I would be swept up in the old crowd for an evening. Now instead of handing me sodas, everyone snuck me glasses of wine and asked how my History major was progressing. Jonathan wanted to know about my plans to intern in journalism, and Andrew would walk me around to look at the cat pictures I’d loved as a little girl.
I moved to New York for graduate school and got my first job in broadcast journalism. I went home to Los Angeles even less often. One day after working a grueling morning shift, I got a call from my mother. She caught me up on the family gossip before becoming rather quiet in the way she does when she has bad news. Andrew had cancer. He’d been diagnosed some time ago, and their group of friends was only just finding out now because he could no longer hide the strain that chemo was taking on his body. Chemo that wasn’t working. My first thought was for Jonathan—his partner and the man he looked for whenever he walked into a room.
Andrew died shortly after my mother called me. I was still thousands of miles away and could not attend the funeral, but I’m told it was both quiet and beautiful, just as I remember their love. A violinist played in Andrew’s honor, and Jonathan was surrounded by the friends and family who loved him most in the world.
I chose to share a little bit of Jonathan and Andrew’s story because their love matters. Romance authors write about love at all stages, from the first flush of attraction to the comfort of a committed relationship, until death do us part. Those stories are not the sole property of white, heterosexual couples. Queer romance, multicultural romance—all of these books are important because the thrill of new love feels the same no matter what form it comes in. And when that love is taken away, it hurts just the same.
Love is love.
—
*The names have been changed out of respect for the privacy of the real Jonathan and Andrew.
"Kill Me Now" & "The Deer Hunters"
A Closer Look: The Natural Form
When you're a historical author, you do a lot of research. Pair all of the book-specific research with a degree in Victorian British History with a focus on gender and sexuality, and I've got more random facts kicking around in my head than I know what to do with. Today I'm taking a closer look at one of the defining fashion trends of the Victorian era.
"The ideal at present is the greatest possible flatness and straightness: a woman is a pencil covered in raiment."
(Harper's Bazar, October 23, 1875)
I've spent quite a bit of time writing about Britain in the early 1880s. It's a really interesting time in history, and it marks a very visible change in women's fashion as well. The silhouette of the typical dress completely changes from the "natural form" of the 1875-1882 to the bustles that dominated fashion plates from 1883 to 1890. Today I'm looking at those natural form dresses, and trust me when I say that it was anything but natural.
Starting in 1875, women's clothing goes through a transformation. The dresses of the previous era were characterized by larger skirts held out from the body first by crinolines (example A) and then by bustles (example B). I've seen the style of dress popular in the 1860s and early 1870s described as festooned and confection-like, and it's not a bad description. If you can put lace or a ribbon on it, you better believe that evening dress is going to be covered in lace and ribbon.
Starting in 1875, the silhouette of women's clothing in Britain and America began to change. Skirts slimmed way down and that crinoline that we associate with much of mid-Victorian fashion went away. Now, rather than emphasizing the waist, skirts clung to the hips and the thighs. This shows off the body in a new way.
It's no surprise that the natural form was achieved by completely artificial means. Long corsets that ran from the upper torso down over the hips were needed to achieve the right line for the long-waisted cuirass bodices* and slender princess cut dresses.
Petticoats made trains fall correctly, and you often see gathers of fabric at the back of women's undergarments or pads to give a little bit of support to those heavy skirts.
If you think that slender fashion makes women's clothing in any way more practical than the mid-Victorian styles, you're sorely mistaken. The line of women's dresses became so slim that it greatly restricted their ability to move (sometimes skirts only allowed for a six-inch step when walking).** Also, that large train was heavy and got in the way of pretty much all movement. All of this adds up to clothing that is highly impractical for any women who has to move during her day. Like many of the beautiful fashions that we love in historical romances, we are talking about the clothing of a select few who could afford both the clothing and the lifestyle that went along with this sort of fashion.
Some other trends that went along with the natural form include asymmetry in trimming and draping, full-length outerwear with Eastern European and Siberian touches (think fur, fringe, and braid), decorative pockets on dresses, and the lawn tennis apron.
One of the reasons I chose to write about the 1880s is because I adore the natural form. I love the silhouette of these dresses. The very finest dresses from this era are works of art. Researching them is a real pleasure, so much so that I actually created a Tumblr dedicated to historical fashion. It's called Really Old Frocks, and I update it with some regularity.
If you'd like to do some reading and looking on your own, I highly recommend Victorian Fashion and Costumes from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898 edited by Stella Blum. It's an incredible resource with full, original descriptions of the fashion plates including fabrics.
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*The cuirass bodice is form-fitting, often boned, and ends below the hips. It didn't make sense to me until I realized that the name comes from the long piece of armor that covers a knight from chest to hip.
**I'm reading over my notes right now and laughing because I actually wrote, "greatly restricted the ability to run." Who the hell is running in one of these dresses?
First Draught: The Old is New
I'm zooming along the rails of the mid-Atlantic to make my way to Richmond for a little retreat with Mary Chris Escobar and Alexis Anne. They're probably going to be sick of my voice by the end of this weekend because this past Tuesday we got together thanks to the power of the interwebs for a First Draught chat about going back to abandoned manuscripts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LsgcyrCEN0
We're always happy for suggestions of what to talk about, so if you've got a topic you'd like us to explore just let us know by leaving a comment!
What We Talked About This Month...
"Pilot" & "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton"
Here we go... the first episodes of my new Gilmore Girls project.
Before I say anything about the show so far, let me explain my policy with new TV shows. I give every new show 4 episodes to convince me that I should continue investing my time in watching (although we already know I'm committed to the entire first season for this project). I do this because my goodness are some pilots rough. Even shows that I've loved (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sleepy Hollow, and Firefly) have had weak showings in the opening episodes compared to the rest of the show. Writers figure things out. Characters settle down. Arcs develop. It just takes time to work everything out. I try to be mindful of that so while I might judge harshly sometimes, I'm open-minded about the awesomeness that is coming.
So with all of that in mind, let's jump in.
"Pilot"
Before we tackle anything about this pilot and my feelings on pilots in general, I'm just going to put this out there. Man I feel old. In my head, 2000 when Gilmore Girls aired wasn't that long ago. Sure, I didn't have a cell phone and I spent an inordinate amount of time on AIM because I was a freshman in high school (and seriously, what else was I going to do?). However, 2000 feels fresh in my memory.
And then I watched this episode.
"Pilot" opens with Sixpence None the Richer's "There She Goes." I cannot remember the last time I heard that song (or any Sixpence None the Richer song) without it being played A) with irony or B) over the PA system at a Duane Reade. I dropped in the music video so that you can enjoy the glory that is the lead singer's pixie cut hair, shiny and yet starkly pale makeup with a red lip, choker, and metallic mesh top over a black camisole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMfXeuv4kZE
With the exception of the pixie cut, I'm pretty sure that I looked exactly like this wandering the halls of my Southern California high school in 2000.
So we're moving along through the opening scene and then we get a Macy Gray CD reference. Judge me all you want, but I loved the hell out of Macy Gray's "Why Didn't You Call Me" when it came out. I'd want my CD back too, Rory.
So enough about me feeling old about the song choices or the fact that the inn where Lorelai works has a paper book rather than computers to hold reservations. Let's get into the meat of the episode.
The basic set up seems to be that Lorelai has a brilliant daughter, Rory, who she had when she was 16. Lorelai has raised Rory as a single mother and is incredibly close with her daughter. Lorelai has ambitions to open an inn of her own and send her daughter off to the best schools (and eventually land her a spot at Harvard). Rory is sharply intelligent and a bookworm which already endears me to her. So far, so good.
Where I'm hoping that the show develops in interesting ways rather than taking us down the usual path is in the relationship between Lorelai and her parents. They've been mostly estranged because of their disappointment in her early pregnancy and her insistence that she will make her own way in the world. But when Rory gets into the prestigious prep school Chilton, Lorelai has to humble herself and ask for financial help for tuition. Naturally her mother uses this as an opportunity to blackmail her wayward daughter into family dinners. The mother wants to be involved in her life, and while this might be a simple request we're led to believe that it's not quite so easy as that.
My hope is that this show will not take the predictable route of making the wise yet emotionally manipulative mother the reason that Lorelai reconciles with her parents. There were several quite awkward moments that played well (including Rory sitting at the dinner table with her grandfather as they listen to Lorelai and her mother fight in the kitchen) to show how the reality of this extended family isn't a happy one. Also, please give Lorelai's father some more characterization other than being the disengaged, wealthy father who shows his apathy by sitting on the couch and reading the newspaper while his female kin dukes it out passive aggressively across the room. Same goes for the cold, seemingly perfect mother. If this is as smart a show as everyone assures me it is, I have no doubt that we're going to be peeling back layers soon enough.
Book Nerd Moments
Madame Bovary, Moby Dick, Jack Kerouac
Pop Culture References
Rosemary's Baby, Mommy Dearest
Julia Feels Old Moment
Sixpence None the Richer, Macy Gray references
Favorite Quote
"People are particularly stupid today. I cannot talk to them." -Michel
"Oh, hey..." Moment
Melissa McCarthy's in this show. I didn't know that.
Random Thoughts:
-Rock on, there's a Korean BFF! It's not a leading role, but let's hear it for some representation of Asians on TV in a positive light.
-Michel is my standout favorite part of the show so far. Apparently all it takes is a snippy, rude Frenchman to make me happy. I would gladly watch a half hour show of just him insulting people.
-Melissa McCarthy's character is a disaster of clumsy cliches, but I did enjoy the beautiful choreography of her staff cleaning up or quite literally putting out the fires after her.
-Does anyone look really good in knit beanies? I would posit no...
-Maybe less with the slutty mom jokes. I'm hoping that the writers assume the audience has gotten enough of the, "Hey, Lorelai got knocked up when she was 16," message and will stop with the self-deprecating slut shaming. Clearly this woman does not have loose sexual morals, and even if she does I really don't care. Is she a good mom to her daughter? Looks like it so far.
-Who is this Dean character and why does he look 24 to Alexis Bledel's 16? *glares suspiciously*
"The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton"
"The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton" focuses on what I assume will be a theme repeated throughout Gilmore Girls: class, wealth, and keeping up appearances.
This episode's title pretty much sums up everything you need to know about the action for the next 42 minutes. Lorelai drops Rory off a school in cutoffs, a tie-dyed pink t-shirt, cowboy boots, and a long coat because...laundry day? Lorelai's mother, Emily, goes way overboard when it comes to buying Rory supplemental parts of her uniform, pissing Lorelai off when Emily reveals that she will also be buying the 16-year old a car for her birthday. Rory finds her new school overwhelming in its exacting demands.* The student body doesn't seem to warm to Rory one bit as she has clashes with a hyper type A girl and a popular boy who insists on calling her a "Mary"--a commentary on her innocence which doesn't really seem to phase Rory all that much.
Now that we've gotten all of that out of the way, let's talk a little more about the idea of prep school and class division in the episode. It becomes quite clear that Chilton is not a world in which Rory is necessary welcome. She is innocent, studious, and clearly an outsider because of those things. Interestingly, we do not yet see any real victimization of Rory for being less wealthy than the rest of the school aside from one of her classmates questioning where her old school was. So far, it is the adults who duke it out over whether "fitting in" is something worth striving for.
Rory seems to straddle a line between her grandparents' upper class indulgence and her mother's middle class values. Over and over we see that Lorelai wants her daughter to work for the things she has in life much in the same way that Lorelai has, while Rory's grandmother doesn't understand the problem with taking a little help to make the girl's life more pleasant. It is almost as though her grandmother 1) believes that Rory will not fit in to her new school and 2) only really knows how to relate to the girl through giving her the markers of that upper class life Emily leads.**
The question of taking help is an interesting one. The whole series so far (all two episodes of it), revolves around one question: when is it worth accepting help from someone if it goes against your principles? In the case of Rory's tuition, Lorelai can swallow her pride. When it comes to helping her daughter fit in at her new school, Lorelai is staunchly against accepting her mother's money.
I have no doubt that much of the show's conflict will arise from Rory attempting to fit in to a new place where she is the outsider even more so than she was at her other school. We're led to believe that at Stars Hollow she at least one close-knit friendship despite being a dreamy girl who is constantly reading.
One more thing to note. Lorelai is a mess. I suppose we're meant to believe that she's something of a sympathetic mess. I get the struggle of raising a teenage daughter on her own. That's not what I'm talking about. My complaint is that we're getting all of her characterization in kind of ridiculous ways. She talks too much when she's nervous! She doesn't have any clean clothes! She demands coffee from Luke in a way I think is supposed to be cute! And yet through all of this we know that she's meant to be more than competnent at her job. I hope that those things are not mutually exclusive. I'm a little tired of TV's, "This woman is strong as has it together professionally except her personal life is a mess because clearly she can't have it all," thing. At some point I hope that the show settles into letting the viewer pick up on the nuances of her character and trusts the audience to like her as we see her.
Book Nerd Moments
Oh so many it makes the book nerd in my shiver with delight. I want to be in Rory's English class at Chilton. Dickens (Great Expectations, Little Dorritt, A Tale of Two Cities), Tolstoy (Anna Karenina and War and Peace), George Sands, Balzac
Pop Culture References
Schindler's List
Favorite Quote
"Oh ladies, what do I see? Naked girls? Keep those leotards on. This is not Brazil!” -Miss Patty (I love her so)
“Now walk smooth. That’s a new Harry Potter on your heads. If it should fall, Harry will die and there will be no more books.” – Miss Patty
“Excuse me. There’s a phone call for you. If I am to fetch you like a dog, I’d like a cookie and a raise.” –Michel
Random Thoughts
-This show seriously suffers from a lack of HD (I'm looking at you, opening credits). What is this world we used to live in?
-Back off about TV journalism, superior headmaster. Some of us do good work.
-Rory has a cute uniform. I never had a cute uniform (see first footnote).
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*When I was in the 3rd grade, my parents had me go through the application process at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena, CA (the options for middle school were slim in the Pasadena area at the time). I remember very clearly the entrance exam, multiple interviews, and essays I wrote. That's right, I wrote essays for a prep school at the age of seven (I wasn't with my age group, long story) as well as the extensive interview process for my parents. Not to disparage Westridge which is a wonderful school, but it bordered on crazy. I wound up being told I was too young to enter Westridge and to reapply the following year. My parents opted to move instead so that my sister and I could attend an excellent public school outside of the Pasadena school system. The struggle for good schools is real and ridiculous, and I sympathize with all of my friends who are currently trying to get their children into the best educational institutions available.
**In fairness, we have seen very little of Emily's interactions with Rory. Instead she has primarily been used as a foil for Lorelai. My hope that is Emily's characterization will deepen as the show goes on because right now it is very easy to brush her off as a cold rich lady who gets her way by throwing her money around and is in some ways attempting to buy her granddaughter's affection. From what I have been told about this show, the writing it too smart to continue down that path.
Author Interview: Lia Riley
Today I'm hosting the talented Lia Riley in celebration of her new release Sideswiped. Here's a look at the blurb (and read through to the end of the post for an excerpt):
Sometimes in order to find yourself, you need to venture off the map.
Talia and Bran broke all the rules and navigated dark and stormy emotional waters to be together and now that they finally seem to have found their way back to each other, the winds of change threaten to blow their love off course yet again…
JK: I'm so happy to get the chance to talk to you about Sideswiped!
LR: Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Julia!!
JK: What can readers expect from Talia and Bran this time around?
LR: Weeeeeeeelp. Upside Down is more about taking a risk and falling in love. Sideswiped is what happens after the dust settles and decisions get real. What can readers expect? Well, this book is a little bit sexier, there's more drama-rama, but ultimately, I wanted to explore what the hell it actually means to fall in forever love in your early twenties. What do you gain but also, what might you give up.
JK: Sideswiped is the second book in the Off the Map series. Was writing this one a different experience than writing Upside Down?
LR: Okay, so let's enter the truth circle. This book was a trick to write, we're talking I took long walks in the rain while crying. But I'm a big ol' drama queen and in many ways this book was a blast to write because Bran finally started talking, and the dude fascinates me. He's such a baby man, really needs a kick in the ass, but unnnf, I do love him so.
JK: One of the big challenges writers in series face is making sure that their characters change and grow. How are Talia and Bran different in this book than what we read in Upside Down?
LR: Ah, yep, the good ol' character arc. In this book, we see some role reversals and power dynamics shift. I wanted to show Talia and Bran tracking toward adulthood and emotional health, but invariably stumbling along the way.
JK: Who are your favorite secondary characters in the series, and can we expect more from them in the future?
LR: Great question. Two secondary characters, Karma and Marti, were people I never planned to write. They popped in during drafting and were all "yo, I'm going to be in this here book." I really, really enjoy both of them. Sunny is also a hoot but gets far too little page time. Look for some Off the Map companion novellas/books in 2015. I've got 2-4 planned and more will become clear to those who read Inside Out (Book #3).
JK: What can we expect for the next installment of the Off the Map series?
LR: Spoiler alert: Inside Out has a happy-ever-after. LOL. But for real, Inside Out will still put Talia and Bran to the test. I'm kind of a monster, so make these crazy kids dig deep to earn their right to true love.
JK: And a quick last question: what's in Talia's purse and Bran's manbag?
LR: HAHAHAHA. Bran is like "JULIA! I DO NOT CARRY A MANBAG." He's a backpack guy. If you look inside there will be a beat up copy of Edward Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang and a half-crushed muesli bar. Talia's purse has hand sanitizer, lip gloss, fifty thousand receipts, and a George Costanza wallet.
Thanks for hosting me today <3
Sideswiped is now on sale at these fine ebook vendors
B&N | BAM! | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play | Amazon
Excerpt from Sideswiped
Talia passes out hard from the travel and epic reunion sex. I’m too amped for sleep, so I lie in the dark and trace her spine. Can you love someone too much? No point being afraid, might as well jump in it with both feet. I press my mouth to her neck and she undulates, responsive even from her dreams. If miracles were real, I’d swear we were designed to fit together.
I loop my arm around her waist and hold fast, until our breathing syncs. I’m drifting off when she jerks—hard—once, twice. Her body recoils as she unleashes a lung-tearing scream.
“Talia, wake up. Come on, sweetheart, talk to me.” I clamber over her, hunching protectively. “Open your eyes. It’s Bran. I’ve got you. I’m not letting go.” I keep talking while she flays my chest like she’s drowning under ice, desperate to find a break in the surface.
“Can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I…where am…oh God. Bran.”
“I’m right here.” I cradle her while she draws another unsteady gasp. Her hair plasters her forehead in sweaty wisps.
“Give me a minute. I’ll be fine.” She pushes herself to a half-sit and sways with disorientation. “This…this happens sometimes…panic attacks or night terrors…whatever. They seem to come when I drop my guard. Or, I don’t know, maybe it’s the meds. Those pills make me feel like a toxic waste dump.”
“Have you been bad this summer?” The muscles in my neck cord. It shreds my guts to see her hurting. I’d do anything, any fucking thing, to carry her pain. I don’t fully understand the inner workings of OCD but she’s explained that for her, the condition comes in waves. Everything will be rolling along fine, more or less, and then bang—a giant squid grips her brain. She fights hard for recovery, a warrior even when she believes she’s nothing but a coward.
“No, not really.” She grinds her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I kinda danced around the edge of the rabbit hole a few times but never fell inside.”
My muscles release some tension. “Try to go back to sleep. You need the rest. Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch, okay?
“I’m sorry to be such a psych job. It’s totally shaming.”
“Shhhhhh.”
Her chin tips down. “Can you talk to me for a little while? Get me out of my fuckball head?”
“Hey now, I got mad love for that head, Captain.” I kiss her brow, acting chill even though I’m scared. How can I get her to settle? Then it hits me. “I want to take you surfing again.”
“Mmmm, that’d be nice.”
“Picture yourself out there, in the water, on a board, under the shooting stars.”
“With sharks eyeballing me from the depths?”
“Nah, they’re all busy hunting sea lions or some bloody mischief. This is you, the sea, and the sky. A set rolls in. You can’t make out the wave. The board lifts and you feel the momentum building. There’s fear deep in your belly, sensible, because you can’t see what’s coming or where you’re going. You fight the self-protective instincts, give yourself over, and the next thing you know—you’re having the ride of your life.”
“Thank you.” She flips in my arms so we’re belly to belly. “I mean it. That was beautiful, really, really beautiful. I’m so excited to be here, for right now—to live in the moment. But it’s like I have this…this weird mental stutter. My thoughts keep skipping over the same annoying question like a scratch on vinyl: What will we do?” Tears spill from the corners of her eyes, course silently toward her chin. “My visa.”
Talia’s been granted a three-month student visa to complete her senior thesis in history. In all its benevolent generosity, the Australian government expanded her time in the country by an extra month.
Four months—the sum of our allotted time.
“They’ll make me leave.”
“Don’t believe everything you think.” I wipe her damp cheeks.
“Can you tattoo that on my forehead?”
Maybe it’s my imagination, but the brass alarm clock on the dresser clicks louder.
Another second gone.
Another second gone.
“I’m not losing you to some shithouse immigration policy, Captain. We will be all right in the end.” I’ve no idea how the hell I’m going to solve this drama but I will figure it out. “We have to hope, otherwise we’re sunk.”
She jerks with surprised laughter.
“What?”
She hiccups and covers her mouth with her hand, shoulders shaking. It takes me a second to realize she’s giggling.
“I’m funny to you right now?” This girl drives me every sort of crazy.
“I’m not laughing at you.” She works her lips together and unsuccessfully smothers the smile. “It’s—”
“Forget it.” I instinctively stiffen.
“Bran the Optimist.” She grabs my wrists, lifts my palms to her face, and plants a kiss in the center of each one. “I like this side of you.”
“Never mind. I was being dumb.”
“You were awesome.” She pecks the tip of my nose. “And for the record, I love your stupid face.”
I give her a begrudging kiss back. “I love yours too.”
Love isn’t enough of a word.
I wasted almost an entire year of my life implementing a scorched earth policy, not caring who I left burned and broken in my path.
Talia was my oasis. My salvation.
“Don’t give the visa a second thought.” I nestle her against me, rubbing her lower back in easy circles. “I’ll sort this out, I swear to you.”
Even if I don’t have the first fucking clue.
About the Author
Lia Riley writes offbeat New Adult Romance. After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, she scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling fourex with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments. A British literature fanatic at heart, Lia considers Mr. Darcy and Edward Rochester as her fictional boyfriends. Her very patient husband doesn't mind. Much. When not torturing heroes (because c'mon, who doesn't love a good tortured hero?), Lia herds unruly chickens, camps, beach combs, daydreams about as-of-yet unwritten books, wades through a mile-high TBR pile and schemes yet another trip. She and her family live mostly in Northern California.
Cover Reveal: Returning Home by A.L. Parks
I've got something fun for you today! A.L. Parks's new cover for her book Returning Home is out, and she' s letting me give you a sneak peak!
How gorgeous is that? I love this cover designed by Amber at Book Beautiful (Amber did our cover for One Week in Wyoming too). I'm also pretty sure I own a close approximation of that outfit.
Returning Home is book 4 in the Return to Me series. It releases on October 28th. Here's a quick look at what you can expect:
Clarissa wants nothing to do with her father – even in his death. But she can’t escape returning to Newport to settle her father's estate. The safe world she has established starts to crumble and secrets she has locked away threaten to be exposed. Meeting Griff, her father’s partner, provides the only peace and happiness in the darkness that suddenly surrounds her.
Griff has built his custom bike shop from nothing into a thriving success. After the sudden death of his silent partner, Griff finds himself in a fight to save his business from the grieving widow. But falling for his partner's headstrong daughter may cost Griff everything.
Brandi has become accustomed to certain amenities in her life - money and men. She refuses to allow the death of her philandering husband to inconvenience her comfortable lifestyle. Setting her sights set on her husband’s very young, very sexy partner, nothing will get in the way of what she wants - even if it means destroying Clarissa to get it.
While you're waiting for the release, check out A.L. Parks's website to find out more about the rest of the Return to Me series and her other books!
Defending the Marriage of Convenience
This article first appeared in RWA-NYC's September Keynotes newsletter as part of the tropes issue.
I love a good historical marriage of convenience romance. I just do. I know some people find the trope tired—like an old friend you’ve seen one too many times—but my love for the “we have to get married because we just do” storyline will never die.
Historical settings are removed enough from my every day life that I can easily accept that there might be social and economic reasons for a hero and heroine to marry even if they don’t love each other. Take the Regency period. Between securing a woman’s financial future and ensuring a man’s lineage through heirs, you’ve got plenty of reasons why a man might ask a woman to marry him whom he hardly knows—let alone loves.
As an author, getting the wedding over and done with achieves a few things. The marriage immediately creates conflict because these two relative strangers must now figure out how to live together as a couple. At some point, the barriers between them start to fall. Even though they might resist, affection grows between them. And the best side effect of the marriage of convenience? Our hero and heroine no longer have to worry about those pesky societal rules saying they can’t kiss or, you know, have sex. Often it is that physical intimacy that shows the hero or heroine that they’re falling in love even as they try to resist.
Now, you might notice that I’ve only talked about historicals so far. I generally have a tough time enjoying marriages of convenience in contemporary settings because I’m always left asking why?
Why would a modern hero and heroine who are intelligent, attractive, independent people have to get married if they don’t want to? If a man said, “My inheritance is dependent on us getting hitched,” to me I’d probably run in the opposite direction the moment I realized he was being serious. Likewise, when I read about a man who must get married because his corporate environment only trusts so called “family men,” my first thought is always, “It’s time for a new job.”
The problem with using the trope in contemporaries is that it becomes a lot harder to justify forcing the hero and heroine to wed. Let’s take a look at some of the common external conflicts forcing historical couples together. Pre-martial sex has become the norm in this country. With entails a thing of the past, how many families are really desperate for a male heir these days? And even better, most women now have the means to hold a career, own property, and manage their lives as they see fit.
So what is a contemporary author who wants to play with the marriage of convenience trope to do? Get creative.
The key to using a marriage of convenience across genres of romance seems to be finding new, interesting ways to twist and update the trope. If you set off to write a marriage of convenience romance, ask yourself what you can do to avoid sending the hero and heroine down the normal path to love. Breathing new life into the old trope can help keep readers racing to the end to see how your hero and heroine will finally fall in love.
The Gilmore Girls Project
A large number of my friends exploded in squee last week when Netflix announced that the entire run of Gilmore Girls is now available to stream online.
Confession: I have never watched a single episode of Gilmore Girls.
You'd think that the show would have hit me right in the sweet spot when it first aired. From what I hear, it's heavy on the literary references and features two smart, witty female protagonists who spend a good amount of their time reading. Also, it premiered on October 5th, 2000, when I was a freshman in high school. At that age, I was the target demographic for pretty much everything on the WB.* And yet somehow the show passed me by.
Fast forward to 2014, and the show has popped up in my life again. When I texted my critique partner, Alexis Anne, to ask her to sell me on the idea of watching, I got this message back: "O.M.G."**
Enough said.
So this is what I've decided to do. I'm going to commit to watching two episodes a week until I'm done with season one. That should bring me through to mid-December. During this time I'll be blogging along. These aren't going to be wrap ups. Sometimes I'll be reacting to what happened in each episode. Other times I'll be using the episodes as a jumping off point to talk about other topics. Sometimes, I'm sure, it will just be about the books that get name dropped in the show.
You can expect posts every Thursday. This coming week will be "Pilot" and "The Lorelais' First Day at Chilton". So come join me as I no doubt make a lot of poor predictions about future story arcs and find out if I'll fall in love with Gilmore Girls enough to do this for season 2. And while you're at it, fans, leave me a comment to let me know why you love the show.
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* RIP the WB.
**See what I mean about the squee?
First Draught
I feel as though every month I sit back and say, "I can't believe another First Draught is already here!" This month is no different. Seriously, where is the time going?
For October, we will be discussing pulling out that old, abandoned manuscript, ripping it apart, and revising it. Both Alexis Anne and Mary Chris Escobar have taken a forgotten draft through to publication, so catch the chat for all of their tips, tricks, and advice!
RSVP here to make sure you don't miss the live chat Tuesday, October 7th, at 8:30 PM EST!
September Reading Wrap Up
What a month! A mild summer here in NYC doesn't mean that the fall is any less welcome. It's my favorite time of year. The cool, crisp weather makes me want to curl up with a cup of tea and take a deep dive into a great book. With that in mind, here are a few of the things I've enjoyed this past September:
Devil in Winter (Wallflowers #3)
by Lisa Kleypas
Excuse me for a moment while I drop the professional author guise and go all fangirl for a moment. OH MY GOD, THIS BOOK. I'm not sure what prompted me to pick it up -- perhaps it was all of the people telling me over the years that I would love Kleypas' historicals. I should listen to those people more often.
This is a marriage of convenience story (which just happens to be one of my favorite tropes). Sebastian, Viscount St. Vincent, is the perfect alpha hero. His alphaness is director more towards protecting the heroine, Evie, than being a bossy asshole. Even better, although Evie is quieter than her husband, she has serious backbone. The chemistry between them is electric, and it's wonderful watching their marriage of convenience turn into love.
Unlocked (Turner #1.5)
by Courtney Milan
Courtney Milan is pretty much an instabuy for me at this point. I found this novella in the Seven Wicked Nights boxed set featuring a lot of my favorite historical authors. It tells the story of a heroine who has been bullied for years and the man who has to humble himself to win her heart. Since it's a Milan, there's no surprise that there's a good dose of science in the storyline as well.
Upside Down (Off the Map #1)
by Lia Riley
I'm not a very prolific New Adult reader. Usually the high drama and angst turns me off, but I found that this book has just the right mix of humor and drama. Upside Down also fills my recent cravings for romances in unusual settings as the action takes place in Melbourne where Talia is studying abroad. I'm lucky enough to have gotten an early read of book 2, Sideswiped, and I've got an author interview with Lia Riley coming up in a few days so keep an eye out!
A Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death that Changed the British Monarchy
by Helen Rappaport
If you're feeling like some history, this might be a good place to start. Rappaport is a highly accessible writer who focuses in on a specific period of Queen Victoria's reign. The book focuses primarily on the death of Albert and Victoria's decade-long period of high mourning for him. It touches on the Victorian obsession with death and the various social and political issues caused by the queen's refusal to assume her public duties. If you're at all interested in the Victorian era, this is a good way to dive a little deeper into a fascinating subject.
Just a quick heads up. First Draught is coming up on October 7th. We'll be talking about revising that book you started but shoved in a drawer (or the deepest, darkest depths of your hardrive). RSVP here to make sure you don't miss out on the discussion!
Book Bundles Abound!
The wonderful people at iBooks have been featuring outstanding book bundles for 99c/99p to help readers in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand discover new authors. My debut One Week in Wyoming is included in this deal, but so are a bunch of really wonderful books. I just wanted to share with you a few of recommendations. All of these books have reached the top 100 paid books in the US at some point during this book bundles deal.
Historical
Seven Wicked Nights by Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, Caroline Linden, Sherry Thomas, Carolyn Jewel, Erin Knightley, Leigh LaValle
(I'm actually reading this bundle right now, and it is wonderful)
New Adult
Up All Night: A New Adult Collection by Erin McCarthy, Viv Daniels, Heidi Joy Tretheway, Ronda Helms, Lark O’Neal, PK Hrezo, KK Hendin, Shari Slade, J.L. Flynn, Jen Frederick
(I cannot highly recommend Shari Slade's novel The Opposite of Nothing enough)
Suspense
Danger and Desire by Amber Lin, Pamela Clare, Katie Reus, Dianna Love, Carolyn Crane, Kaylea Cross, Norah Wilson, Dee J. Adams, V.K. Sykes, Misty Evans
Contemporary
One Week in Wyoming by Alexis Anne, Audra North, Julia Kelly, Alexandra Haughton
YA
Breaking Ties (The Breaking Series, Book 3) by Tracie Puckett
(It isn't a book bundle, but I wanted to highlight my friend Tracie Puckett's new novel Breaking Ties which is a force to be reckoned with. It's been bouncing around at the top of the charts for the last few days, and rightly so. Tracie is a YA writer with a lot of EQ, and her stories are always gripping)
Happy reading, all!
It's Not Just the Sexy Scotsman
It might just be the communities that I'm in online (hi, Romancelandia), but it seems like every other tweet I've seen between Saturday evening and Tuesday morning this August and September is about the Starz adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. Of course, I'm just as guilty as my fellow watchers. In August, I jumped right in, watching the series, listening to The Scot & The Sassenach*, and rereading the first book. Every time I get together with other romance authors, the conversation inevitably makes its way over to Outlander. The internet basically exploded when Claire and Jamie got their first sex scene. I was worried that all of the squee might create a black hole that sucks everything into and ends life as we know it. This still may happen. What with streaming and everything, the verdict's still out.
As we get closer to the mid-season break, I've been thinking a lot about what a big deal book Outlander was for me in my teenage years. I remember the old cover clearly with its red plaid, flowers, and broken clock. I used to walk by it on my mother's bookshelves all the time. One day when I was about 16, she pulled it off the shelf and slid it over to me, suggesting that I might enjoy it. Mum is a very smart lady.
I fell in love with the time slip, 18th century Scotland, that hot Highlander in a kilt, everything. I ripped through the 800+ page book in a matter of days, reading so late into the night that the next morning my eyes were gritty from lack of sleep. I even have clear memories of sneaking it under my desk in AP US History class so that I could keep reading.** I'm pretty sure I walked around school with it in front of my face, blushing something fierce because oh my goodness, people. There was sex and lots of it.
When people ask about the series, I like to tell them that Outlander was the book that made me a woman (my sister finds this mortifying). What I really mean is that this was first time that I read a book with graphic sex in it^ where the sex wasn't meant to stand as a metaphor for growing up or as way to shame its characters.^^
Outlander is a book about a sexually self-possessed woman who knows how to ask for what she wants and the man who wants to give that to her. In fact, the show goes one step further. In the first episode, the creators wrote a scene in where Claire's husband Frank moves to kiss her. Instead, she pushes him down on his knees and he lifts her skirt to perform oral sex. The message is clear. Claire is a sexual person and not the least bit afraid of expressing it. Add Jamie in a kilt to the mix and you have serious sparks.
Outlander isn't perfect. I reread my beaten-up copy of the book while watching the show this summer, and there are some scenes that border on uncomfortable for me. I won't spoil them here, but dedicated readers of the series can probably guess what I'm talking about. However, the book does portray a lot of positive aspects of Claire and Jamie's relationship, and I'll always think of it fondly as my gateway into the world of historical romance.
If you had told me that I would be writing historical romance (or really any romance at all) before those days of reading Outlander under my desk in History class, I probably would have called you crazy. But afterwards? Well, it's all I ever really wanted to write.
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*An excellent podcast that I highly recommend for not only recapping Outlander but also breaking down what works in both the show and the book from a narrative standpoint. Seriously, go check it out. It's delightful, and there's a real live Scotsman on it.
**Sorry, Mr. Hall. I did go on to get a degree in History so hopefully that makes up for it...
^Upon rereading, the sex seems so tame, but at 16 all I was reading were Kensington Zebra sweet romances where the characters held hands and had one chaste kiss on the last page. THE LAST PAGE?! I felt so cheated each and every time, and yet I read these books for three years. I had no idea that there were sexy books out there I could buy with my babysitting money.
^^I'm looking at you, Go Ask Alice. If you haven't read it, this is a book where the heroine loses her virginity while on LSD or something and then I'm pretty sure winds up addicted to hard drugs and maybe getting raped or prostituting herself or both. She might also die at the end (sorry, 40something year-old spoilers). Clearly, that was not what teenage Julia was looking for.