Sighed Mayzie a lazy bird hatching an egg,
“I’m tired! I’m bored! I’ve kinks in my leg
From sitting–just sitting!–here day after day
It’s work how I hate it, I’d much rather play.
I’d take a vacation, fly off for a rest
If I could find someone to sit on my nest
If I could find someone, I’d fly away free . . . ”

. . . then Horton the Elephant passed by her tree.

HORTON HATCHES AN EGG is my favorite Dr. Seuss book. In fact, it’s one of my all-time favorite children’s books. That opening paragraph? I wrote it from memory (so apologies if there is a missing or wrong word.)

Last night, I read GREEN EGGS AND HAM to my youngest son, and wasn’t really surprised when my nine-year-old sat down to listen. There’s something about the rhythm and flow of Dr. Seuss which is unlike any other children’s book author. The art is cute, but it’s the words that sing and make kids smile.

HORTON HEARS A WHO is more famous than the first Horton story, but it’s Horton hatching an egg and delivering an “elephant-bird” that has stuck with me for years. In fact, when I was pregnant with my first-born I went out and bought a copy because I wanted it to be her first book.

In FEAR NO EVIL, I alluded to this book in reference to Dillon Kincaid, my hero: (p. 116)

He suspected that there was a lot more behind what had happened five years ago, and that only Kate Donovan knew the whole story.

“I thought you’d go with them.” Kate stood on the metal stairs outside her room.

“I told you I was staying.”

“Pardon me for not believing you.”

Had Kate been lied to so often she trusted no one?

“Remember the Dr. Seuss story of Horton the Elephant?”

A hint of a smile curved her lips. “And you’re Horton?”

He smiled back. “I always liked his philosophy.”

I reiterated this near the end of the book (p. 401)

Jack walked over to them. . . . “Your house is a goner.”

“I won’t need it for awhile,” Dillon said. “I’m heading out to Washington for a couple weeks.”

“You are?” Kate asked.

“I told you I’d stand by you through the hearings.”

She smiled through her tears. “You meant what you said and you said what you meant.”

Dillon nodded. “One hundred percent.”

The lessons in many of Dr. Seuss’s books are quite mature, and valuable for kids. In WHO, the lesson that kids are people too. (“A person’s a person no matter how small”) In GREEN EGGS, that looks can be deceiving. In CAT IN THE HAT, don’t let in strangers when your parents aren’t home. In EGG, Horton is not only loyal and protects the egg even when his friends laugh and tease him, even in the rain and snow and sleet, and even when he’s about to be shot by the hunters–he was brave and willing to die to protect the egg that he promised to sit on and keep warm. In the end, he got his reward when the egg hatched and looked like him.

But it also teaches another lesson–that parents have responsibilities, and protecting their kids is one of those responsibilities. Lazy Mayzie may have been having fun way down in Palm Beach, but while she was off having fun her child, in a way, grew up without her. Love and loyalty can come from anyone, even from an elephant to an egg.

And of course there was a happy ending, as the circus sent Horton and his elephant-bird home, happy, one hundred percent.

What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss book and why?

Please give MSW guest author Brenda Novak a round of applause! (Sorry I’m late today, I completely spaced last night because I wasn’t on-line while I read page-proofs.)

I’ve known Brenda for nearly 20 years. On New Years Eve in 1992, I was at Brenda’s house for a party with my then-fiance Dan (now my husband) and mutual friends. Fast-forward 13 years and I met Brenda through our local RWA chapter, the Sacramento Valley Rose, at my first meeting in January of 2003. She didn’t remember me, but I definitely remembered her! She was speaking on the panel, and I was hooked on RWA from then on. Brenda and I both have five children (though all but one of hers is older than mine) and we’re both college drop-outs. Brenda has three novels this fall–WHITE HEAT (out now), BODY HEAT (just released Aug 31) & KILLER HEAT (on sale Sept 28.) She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May through her website. To date, she’s raised over $1 million! She has so much energy and drive she makes me tired, and that’s a feat!

Brenda is giving away TWO copies of the first book in her current trilogy WHITE HEAT. (Yeah!) So ask her anything, or share your own story about how you overcame a personal or professional set-back.

Lately when I blog I’ve been answering the questions I’m asked most often as a writer. One of the most popular–if not THE most popular–is: How did you get published?

It’s difficult to break into the fiction market. Almost everybody I’ve ever met wants to write a book. Not everyone does, of course, but there are enough who do to create a very crowded marketplace. As a result, getting published–and getting published well; there is a different–has a lot to do with building credibility and setting yourself apart from the pack. Because I was “just” a housewife and mother of five, who didn’t even have a college degree (I left a full-ride academic scholarship to marry and start a family at twenty), I knew I needed to do something to give the editors in New York a reason to pull my manucript out of the slush pile. I did that by entering writing contests.

Thankfully, I placed in 90% of the contests I entered, including the Golden Heart, a national contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America. Once I had a nice long list, I felt as if I had some credentials I could put in my query letter that might get me some attention.

I didn’t want to approach editors without an agent, however. Editors use agents as a sifting device, and I wanted to avail myself of every possible advantage. So I started by querying agents. I received several form-letter rejections, as well as some less formal and more encouraging responses. Then an agent named Pamela Ahearn from Louisiana wrote to tell me that she liked what she’ d seen of my work. She asked me to send her the rest of the manuscript–and a few months later offered to represent me.

It took Pam almost a year to sell OF NOBLE BIRTH. I was rejected by St. Martin’s Press, Kensington Books, Avon Books, Bantam and probably a couple of others I can no longer recall before HarperCollins offered me a contract. It was August 26, 1998 when I got THE CALL, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited about anything (except maybe hitting The New York Times on June 16, 2008, almost ten years later). My editor was Robin Stamm, a young but eager junior editor working with Laura Cifelli, and I loved her.

Fortunately, HarperCollins liked the title of my book well enough to let me keep it. They gave me a beautiful cover and a release date of November 1999, and I thought I was all set for my new career in publishing. But before my book ever reached a bookstore, HarperCollins bought Avon and let all their romance editors go. This meant that I was “orphaned.”

My career could’ve ended right there. I was a fledging writer, my first book still in production, and I had no advocate at the house. Robin had already read my next two manuscripts, which were historical romances like OF NOBLE BIRTH, and liked them. Before leaving on vacation, she told me that we’d go to contract when she returned, but she was let go right afterward so the contracts never materialized. Being so new and untried, I wasn’t particularly high up on the list of authors HarperCollins was eager to retain–so they cut me loose, too.

It was a setback that could’ve been devastating, except for one thing. I’d gone to a small regional conference in Park City, Utah just a few months before, where I’d met an editor from Harlequin by the name of Paula Eykelhof. Although I’d never dreamed I’d write a contemporary romance, I decided to pitch to her simply because I had the opportunity.

I look back on that day now and wonder what possessed me to do such a thing when I was so sure I had my historical career on track, but I’m definitely glad I did. I liked Paula so well I went home and wrote a proposal to submit to her–a proposal she eventually bought. That book came out in February 2000, and we’ve done 36 books together since, including the Department 6 trilogy coming out now–WHITE HEAT, BODY HEAT and KILLER HEAT.

I’m the keynote speaker for the upcoming Moonlight & Magnolia conference in Atlanta the first weekend in October. I like writing speeches about as much as I like plotting—which is to say, I’d rather walk over hot coals in bare feet being chased by a pack of hungry, man-eating arachnids.

Rocki, of course, thought I was insane two years ago when I told her I wasn’t going to write a speech for the Emerald City conference. For those of you who have had the privilege of hearing Rocki speak, you know she’s an amazing public speaker. She’s poised, polished, professional, and . . . and . . . and . . . I’m trying to think of another “p” word that means “everyone who listens to Rocki is in awe and talks about her fabulous speech or workshop.”

You get the point.

Rocki writes, rewrites, and practices her speech a gazillion times. She lectured me (and yes, it was a lecture, because I felt if I didn’t follow her advice I would be buried to the neck in the desert and have honey poured over my head) that I had to do the same thing.

I . . . can’t.

But I tried.

For Emerald City, I wrote bullet points. That didn’t work out so well because I was so paranoid about those bullet points and the speech I should have written that I started taking notes before the speech, and ended up with a mess. It wasn’t my finest presentation, but they didn’t throw tomatoes.

So, when I spoke to New Jersey RWA last year, I wrote a speech. It wasn’t bad—I actually had a theme (You’re Not Normal) and had fun writing it. No, I didn’t practice it over and over again (though I did read it out loud once to make sure it sounded natural) but I did print it out in large font and have all 10 or 11 pages there for me to read. And I knew the material well enough that I didn’t really want to read it, I was just going to use the opening lines to seque into what I wanted to talk about.

The problem? I digressed. A lot.

I think the speech ended up being pretty good, but God knows I have no idea what I said after page two. All I remember was Madeline Hunter giving me the “time” signal, though I didn’t know that at the time ☺ I looked at my speech, realized I hadn’t really given it, and jumped to the last page so I could have a conclusion.

So as I started thinking about what I would say to the Moonlight & Magnolia conference goers, I knew I’d need to find a happy medium between the bullet points and the full-length speech that never was read.

But what would I talk about? What would I say? How can I inspire people while also being realistic about writing and publishing and the whole enchilada?

That’s where I am now. I’m using the conference theme as my springboard: Master Your Story, Master Your Destiny. First, I have to figure out what that means.

I like my “You’re Not Normal” theme. My kids have told me that I’m not like other moms, and I take that as a compliment. Why be normal? What’s the fun in being like everyone else? So I’m thinking of a “Master Your Story Because Your Family Already Thinks You’re Crazy” approach.

Or maybe a Star Wars theme, where the Padawan turns into a Jedi Master because it’s his destiny . . . and the force is what we learn that makes us better storytellers, and the dark side is the negative people who try to stop us from achieving our goals.

Or not. :/

So I have a few questions for MSW readers. What types of speeches do you enjoy listening to? Do you want to learn something? Be entertained? Be inspired? Or learn something while simultaneously being entertained and inspired? (Whew, big shoes to fill! I hope Rocki hasn’t spoke to M&M yet because I don’t think I can reach her bar!)

Do you like journey stories? (What I did to get from point A to B.) Or not? What’s a recent speaker you’ve heard where you think, wow, that was fabulous! And then remember something about the speech later. What is that tidbit that stuck with you?

I’m very interested in your comments and opinions, so please share . . . and if you honestly have nothing to say, say “hi” because I’m giving away books to commenters! Three people will win any backlist title of mine they want.

I’m committed to giving away over 200 books between now and the release of LOVE ME TO DEATH on December 28. I’m giving away a book every week to my Facebook Fans and to my Twitter Followers, and a book a day in December. Plus other days with special contests and fun things through those two venues and my newsletter. So follow me, like me, whatever you want, and you will get more chances to win free books in my #lovemetodeath giveaway!

I’m in New York and was gone all day, so this is a short blog, but should be fun!

I usually don’t like doing those meme things, but while I was waiting for my flight @popculturenerd on Twitter posted this link and challenged us to come up with answers. Using 2009 books read is not cheating, I’ve been told, and because I’m having a hard time answering these with the books I’ve read in the last 18 months (I swear, I used to read 4 books A WEEK; I’m lucky to read 2 books a month now) it can be any book you’ve read. (Yes, I’m changing the rules. Why? Because there are no rules, only guidelines.) Okay, one rule, the sentence has to be a truth about you.

So below are my answers. If you post YOUR answers, you’ll be entered in a drawing for any title in my backlist–winners posted on Sunday. (and you don’t have to post all your answers, just what comes to you!)

Ready?

In high school I was DYING TO PLEASE
People might be surprised I’m THE GUNSLINGER
I will never be DEAD WRONG (at least, that’s what I tell my kids!)
My fantasy job is ONE POLICE PLAZA
At the end of a long day I need SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
I hate it when (it’s) ICE COLD
I wish I had THE VILLA
My family reunions are (an) ANIMAL FARM
At a party you’d find me with KILLER INSTINCT
I’ve never been to HARVEST
A happy day includes COMING HOME
Motto I live by TELL NO ONE (well, most of the time!)
On my bucket list GREAT EXPECTATIONS
In my next life, I want to be CHARMED AND DANGEROUS

Okay, your turn!

I love going to conference workshops, but unfortunately rarely have the time to do so. I went to two-and-a-half this year, other than presenting my own on “Rule Breaking.” I always learn something new, and this year was no exception.

The workshop was Fire in Fiction presented by Donald Maass. I wasn’t planning on staying–I thought it was a rehash of the workshop he gave last year (which I had to leave at the midpoint)–but fortunately, the topic was “scenes” (last year was character.) Near the beginning, he said one thing that ignited the lightbulb in my brain about the problem I’m having in my current WIP, KISS ME, KILL ME.

He asked if anyone had a scene that fell flat. I sure did. Or so I thought.

His suggestion was to take the turning point in the scene, probably around the middle of the scene, and figure out how the character gets to that point. Who was she before the turning point? How does she grow or change? How does she see herself after the turning point?

He said a lot of stuff after that which I’m sure everyone else appreciated, but I kind of ignored it because he wanted everyone to participate in an exercise, and I loathe writing exercises. But his comment got me thinking about the scene I was stuck in before I went to RWA. I realized that I was stuck because there was no character change–nothing we didn’t already no. There was no big reveal, no real turning point. While it was an investigative scene and had appropriate introspection that both paralleled and opposed my heroine’s teenage years, it was flat. Boring (except for clues, which were more obvious because the scene was so damn boring.)

So I mulled over WHY. It’s a necessary scene. In fact, it sets up the entire investigation, provides clues for the characters as they begin the search for a missing teen-ager. But it’s . . . blah. Flat. BORRRRRRING. I couldn’t figure out why then (and no, I did not consider that doing the exercise might have HELPED; in fact, it would have probably prolonged my agony!) but the entire opening segment of fifty pages played through my head as I tried to figure out why I couldn’t write past this one scene.

On Monday, I was alone in the car (a rare instance) on my way to pick up my son from football practice. In that ten minutes, not only did I realize what was wrong with the scene, I figured out what was wrong with the entire fifty page opening.

There is a big emotional turning point in chapter two . . . and that was stopping me. It’s a pivotal part of the story, but it came too early. In my mind, I thought it HAD to come early in the book, but when I looked at it from the perspective of “Who is my character BEFORE and who is she AFTER” this major turning point, I realized that I was simply continuing the story from book one into book two without grounding my reader in her “ordinary world.” This the scene I was having problems with was tainted because my heroine Lucy Kincaid was viewing the bedroom as a CHANGED character, when it should really be looked at through the eyes of who she was BEFORE the major turning point. And I realized that there was no reason the turning point had to be in chapter two–and, in fact, as I re-worked the first fifty paged, the major turning point works so, so, so much better after the search for the missing girl begins.

So . . . my original chapter one is gone; the key facts are edited into what WAS chapter three, and is now the new chapter one and two. My pivotal turning point chapter two? Well, I haven’t quite got there yet. But it’s coming. Probably chapter six. Or seven. Or ten . . . I’ll know it when I get there.

I would probably have figured out what was wrong with this opening without listening to Maass’s lecture, but when? When I began to panic? His questions to us, as writers, turned in my mind until three days later I had the solution. And believe me, no one is more relieved that me!

Maass said something else that stuck with me, and will be on my mind as I write this book. I’m paraphrasing, but this is what I typed in the workshop:

“What is the reader not seeing that they need to see in the story? What is the question no one is asking? The issue that has no solution? In this world, what is the most dangerous thing? Apart from the antagonist, what is the most dangerous thing? Who are we the most angry at? What pisses you (the character) off? What’s just plain wrong? What’s not right? Where is there unexpected grace? What is beautiful that people do not see, or would not notice ordinarily? What is or who is exceptional? Who is the unrecognized hero? The would would be a poorer, meaner place without whom? What needs saving? Preserved? Appreciated? Loved? There’s something beautiful in your world; what is it?”

I can answer all those questions (and more), but I hadn’t thought about them as separate issues. Lucy Kincaid is a complex, driven heroine with a tragic past. But the one truly beautiful thing in her world is the unconditional love and support from her family. Family means everything to her, even when they are having problems. And I had a hint of a major problem that is going to test Lucy closest to home. It was a throwaway line, but as I was restructuring the opening I realized that it is truly her greatest fear. It was hinted at in LOVE ME TO DEATH, but it’s going to come out big time in KISS ME, KILL ME. It has to. It’s been an underlying current in not only the Kincaid books, but in all my books. And it’s going to be a very difficult emotion to explore.

It’s funny that last year, it was Maass’ workshop on character that gave me the lightbulb moment that solved my problems with Fiona, my villain in the Seven Deadly Sins series. Helped me so much that I ended up buying his book FIRE IN FICTION.

I learn something new that I can apply to my writing all the time. I don’t think a writer ever stops learning, growing, improving. I have a long way to go, but the journey is half the fun.

What’s something you’ve learned in a writing class or workshop, or if you’re not a writer something you learned in school that gave you a lightbulb moment?

Can you believe in less than five months LOVE ME TO DEATH, the first Lucy Kincaid book, will be on sale? So each of my blog days, I’m giving away books. Comment for a chance to win ANY book in my backlist. And today I’m featured as the “Spotlight Author” for writer Dyanne Davis. She interviewed me about agents, so if you’re on an agent hunt, or simply want to know more about what agents do for authors, you might want to check it out!