tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post4715396176246711132..comments2023-12-24T17:46:11.447-06:00Comments on Plotters & Manipulators United: UncriticalSherry Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12313921077346721887noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-79747660569157083602009-03-04T20:30:00.000-06:002009-03-04T20:30:00.000-06:00Bev,Thanks for the vote of confidence. Though the ...Bev,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the vote of confidence. <BR/><BR/>Though the situation with The Ideal Gentleman is a bit fluid. Will update as soon as I know anything for sure.<BR/><BR/>Heather,<BR/><BR/>Wow, that's high praise indeed. Please tell Samatha Gail that I'm blushing.<BR/><BR/>And thank you for all your support. I truly appreciate it.Sherry Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12313921077346721887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-131579750989205512009-03-01T21:41:00.000-06:002009-03-01T21:41:00.000-06:00Oh, dear, you need not worry. My friend, author Sa...Oh, dear, you need not worry. My friend, author Samantha Gail, told me today that your writing has changed her mind about there not being much in historical she likes. She bought your books for Kindle after I raved about you and said your writing is (and I quote) 'Magical'. <BR/><BR/>As I adore her, I count that as high praise and will add my own (by now well-known) Sherry-worship to the stew. You rock, girl, keep making the magic. I'll put the pending release on my site! YIPPIE!!!!!!<BR/><BR/>Heather<BR/>www.blazeofbeauty..com <BR/>candles and books and contests...oh my!HeatherBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05943787665647561133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-28395780185665101752009-02-28T08:34:00.000-06:002009-02-28T08:34:00.000-06:00Sherry,I'm a junkie too. I loved, loved to be move...Sherry,<BR/><BR/>I'm a junkie too. I loved, loved to be moved to tears when I read a romance novel. I love that ache in my chest. I'm looking forward to NQAH like nobody's business. Champing at the proverbial bit. I know I would have loved the original version and I know I'll love, love the final. <BR/><BR/>Now you need to hurry up with The Ideal Gentlemen. <BR/><BR/>Bev<BR/><BR/>Lord, even your blogs are written with eloquence.Beverley Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09175915580179121447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-16952862954387558852009-02-25T11:43:00.000-06:002009-02-25T11:43:00.000-06:00Kim,I am not going to alternate b/t historicals an...Kim,<BR/><BR/>I am not going to alternate b/t historicals and contemporaries. Cuz I have only one (half actually) contemp that I've written for fun on the side--as a break from the historicals. <BR/><BR/>If someone asks me to write more contemps I'd totally have no idea what to write about. So my hope is just that my publisher would throw me a few bucks for this particular one on my next historical contract and put it out as a pity project. :-)Sherry Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12313921077346721887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-28273480332997906592009-02-25T11:33:00.000-06:002009-02-25T11:33:00.000-06:00Sherry, I noticed on your Twitter update that you'...Sherry, I noticed on your Twitter update that you're hoping to write a contemporary. Do you plan to alternate or leave historical romances behind? I hope the answer is alternate.<BR/><BR/>Although I like both genres, it's always sad when good historical romance writers totally leave the genre. Judith McNaught wrote some great historicals, but has said that she has nothing new to add to the genre. She now concentrates on contemporaries. Hopefully, you will do both.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-40190289388611636292009-02-25T10:41:00.000-06:002009-02-25T10:41:00.000-06:00Sorry for the late response. Google was down for ...Sorry for the late response. Google was down for some time but even after Google was back up I had a heck of a difficult time getting into blogger.<BR/><BR/>Courtney,<BR/><BR/>I hope your editor loves it as much as you do. I'm intrigued by your choice of hero.<BR/><BR/>Kaley,<BR/><BR/>LOL, from your lips to God's ears. I truly do not want to disappoint, but with only 2 books under my belt, my track record isn't quite established yet.<BR/><BR/>Kim,<BR/><BR/>I actually don't have much problem polishing scenes, it is the story structure--i.e., big picture--that gives me trouble sometimes. (Which totally sucks for me, as story structure problems require wholesale dumping.)<BR/><BR/>P.S. After a while, he didn't seem like a Remus to me either.<BR/><BR/>Beth, <BR/><BR/>I can't even remember very much what was in the first turn-in version of Delicious. But boy, am I glad that Bantam didn't just take it and put into print.<BR/><BR/>Stephanie,<BR/><BR/>Wow, you know about Painted Veil as inspiration for NQAH? You must have read the Italian interview then. Can't remember I ever spoke about that publicly elsewhere.<BR/><BR/>I have to say however that it was not the book but the movie that served as my inspiration. I wiki-ed the book Painted Veil and had a WTF moment reading the very end of the plot. The movie, on the other hand, sooooooo good. And so devastating. My little romance reading soul was totally unprepared for what happened to poor Walter.<BR/><BR/>P.I.,<BR/><BR/>Thanks. I'm planning to do a in-depth story-behind-the-story for NQAH as I did for DELICIOUS in the coming weeks, so that would be extra info for you. :-)<BR/><BR/>M,<BR/><BR/>I saw 12 Monkeys, and Brad Pitt was stupendous. Have you seen 7 Years in Tibet, btw? Great acting job, AND he looked fine.<BR/><BR/>Anon,<BR/><BR/>There had been a secondary romance, but it just didn't sparkle. It also didn't really relate to the primary plot except the characters were related by blood. And it was only half-finished by the time the big rewrite order came down. On the spot I decided to chuck it, if only for time concerns. 3 weeks just wasn't enough to fix both the primary and the secondary. <BR/><BR/>The account of writing DELISH Kim referred to is on my website, in the page for Delicious, under "Story behind the Story." I posted the original proposal for DELISH, and something of the writing journey, and bits of research info. But now I'm thinking there are stuff I left out, such as why I wanted to write about a cook in the first place.<BR/><BR/>Oh well, will fill in later.<BR/><BR/>Janine, <BR/><BR/>Bless you. And yes, we certainly are suckers for the same wrenching stuff.<BR/><BR/>Jill,<BR/><BR/>Yep, flattened. That was me.<BR/><BR/>But I really don't think I have any extraordinary talent except a willingness to pitch everything out and start again. <BR/><BR/>Writers get attached to their stories--that's the way it should be. But I think more often our attachment is not to the story itself, but the way it is told. And that's where we can use a little non-attachment and say, okay, how can I tell this story better while still preserving the core of the story?<BR/><BR/>Hope your revisions are coming along swimmingly.Sherry Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12313921077346721887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-20061805031638810782009-02-25T00:01:00.000-06:002009-02-25T00:01:00.000-06:00Oh, I really need to subscribe to your blog. Or r...Oh, I really need to subscribe to your blog. Or remember to visit more frequently, LOL.<BR/><BR/>What you just described with Not Quite is the same feeling I had with my latest manuscript. I was so deeply moved by the story, I couldn't see its flaws. I literally wept when the hero and heroine got back together. My editor--didn't. She thought the whole thing was terrible. I was shellshocked, just like you said. Utterly flattened. <BR/><BR/>Your story gives me hope. If an extraordinary talent like you struggles with revisions from time to time, so can I.<BR/><BR/>And I'm so excited for your next release! I love a tearjerker.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-36500026335597552282009-02-23T15:44:00.000-06:002009-02-23T15:44:00.000-06:00I think I'm a sucker for the same emotion Sherry l...I think I'm a sucker for the same emotion Sherry loves, at least in NQAH, because I loved both versions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-15789286761953664392009-02-23T13:27:00.000-06:002009-02-23T13:27:00.000-06:00Where's the account of writing "Delicious" that Ki...Where's the account of writing "Delicious" that Kim refers to? Because I'd love to read that, too.<BR/><BR/>No secondary romance! Ack! I really, really like your secondary romances so far. But the premise of NQaH is so intriguing that I'll cross my fingers the primary romance is enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-69103000616060253582009-02-21T23:34:00.000-06:002009-02-21T23:34:00.000-06:00I just saw '12 Monkeys' again, a little-watched Br...I just saw '12 Monkeys' again, a little-watched Bruce Willis movie of many years ago - and thought again what an amazing job Brad Pitt did in it as an insane (or is he?) animal rights activist. I feel almost bad for him that he can never escape the focus on his looks, when primarily he's an excellent actor.<BR/><BR/>Which has nothing to do with your books, but that's the beauty of blog surfing - flight of ideas!M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07498466631016466048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-2382919161877407612009-02-20T01:12:00.000-06:002009-02-20T01:12:00.000-06:00I love anything you put out! =) I come here ever s...I love anything you put out! =) I come here ever so often hoping there might be a snippet of information of your new book.. and I'm glad you love your new book because LOVE shows through (okay been watching too much Top Chef)Kishanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08638408921612868246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-46084550252242504312009-02-19T21:45:00.000-06:002009-02-19T21:45:00.000-06:00This is really interesting. Because so often when...This is really interesting. Because so often when writers are asked which of their books is their favorite, they usually reply "the one I'm working on now" or make some comment about how they can't choose among their children, etc. But I've always thought that there must be some works that are especially dear to an author's heart, even if the author never admits as much in print.<BR/><BR/>NQaH looks very promising. I'm especially intrigued by some of the parallels you draw with The Painted Veil because the original is such a dark story, yet the potential for romance and redemption is definitely there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-54774503630688040852009-02-19T14:15:00.000-06:002009-02-19T14:15:00.000-06:00Well, you've certainly got me intrigued.I loved De...Well, you've certainly got me intrigued.<BR/><BR/>I loved Delicious, btw. I don't know what you changed from the original, but I really like what ended up on the shelves. :)Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08504439129670380071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-34297113067733453752009-02-19T12:41:00.000-06:002009-02-19T12:41:00.000-06:00With how many times a writer has to go over the sa...With how many times a writer has to go over the same dialogue and keep perfecting it, I would think that it's quite easy to lose your objectivity. After reading a passage for the hundredth time, how can it still feel fresh to you? If you only had the luxury of time and could put the manuscript aside for several weeks, I think you would immediately see the areas that need improvement. Since time is a writer's enemy, however, you have to rely on a second set of eyes, namely your editor. It's still the manuscript you fell in love with, just slightly refined.<BR/><BR/>Also, thanks for the fascinating in-depth story on the writing of Delicious. I enjoyed seeing your initial vision for the story and then the evolution of the secondary romance. One significant improvement was the hero's name; he just didn't seem like a Remus to me. <BR/><BR/>I look forward to reading NQaH.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-8873128254657961552009-02-19T10:58:00.000-06:002009-02-19T10:58:00.000-06:00Nice try, Sherry. But your name on the cover--"di...Nice try, Sherry. But your name on the cover--"disappointment" is the last thing I'm preparing for. <BR/><BR/>What an awesome (in the true sense) experience for you to have as a writer. Protect it, even in the unlikely event the critics put their claws out.<BR/><BR/>My hurts-so-good, uncritically loved books? Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood. Little Women. The Emily books by LM Montgomery. Even the third one, when she's depressed and has writer's block most of the way through.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860480017800401049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32397002.post-30379491695603393792009-02-19T09:58:00.000-06:002009-02-19T09:58:00.000-06:00Heh. I just sent my novella in to my editor--and ...Heh. I just sent my novella in to my editor--and I have to admit that I am afraid I am blinded by love. We'll see what she has to say.<BR/><BR/>But I so want to read NQaH. I loved the first few pages on your site.Courtney Milanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03585322886111438759noreply@blogger.com