Sylvia Day

My most frequently asked question. I've been waiting for this to come up on the message board, until now I've been asked this question repeatedly in e-mails. My web designer is in the process of designing my FAQ's page, in the meantime, here's my answer: Question: Where can I buy your books? Sylvia's Answer: Nowhere. *sigh* :cry: Aside from the Arabella story appearing next year, all of my other works are in various stages of the submission process. All of my completed stories have been solicited from partials and I am an RWA PRO member. All of the excerpts showcased on the Bookshelf are from completed works. There are several more not on the website, because they're not yet finished. I always say thank you, and I'll say it now to all of the readers (and authors) who sign up for my mailing list, visit my site and this board regularly, and who patiently wait for my work to appear in print. It's extrememly heartwarming and the enthusiastic e-mails I receive from around the world take away a lot of the frustration that every author feels. Thank you! Which excerpts did you read, Jordan? Did you have one you liked more than the others?

Umm... are you asking me, Jordan? :scratch: Or did your post end up on the wrong message board?

Welcome to the board, Kim! It's nice to have you posting. I read every chance I get, too, which comes far less often than I'd like. What are you reading now? Good luck in the contest!

Peter, My husband likes many UK authors. There is a British author, Jasper Fforde, who writes the "Tuesday Next" series. His books have done very well over here. His prose is definitely British and it's wonderful. I've read several stories myself written by UK writers, and while I admit to not understanding some of the slang, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the work or draw me out of the story. I believe your heritage will make up your "voice". I would write your book your way, the way you hear it and picture it in your mind. Let us former colonials figure it out. Let your life and experiences flavor your work. You are a delightful person just the way you are, I would let that take prominence. (I am looking forward to reading the other replies to this thread.)

Oh, yeah. Boy, can I relate!! :roll: LOL

That's true, but I think it depends on the genre. There were 8 finalists in the Long Historical category. I know two of them sold, one to NAL and one to Avon. Both garnered multi-book contracts. I wouldn't be surprised to hear similar stories for the other writers in the category.

Is anyone else planning on attending Nationals in Reno next year? Who's entering the GH or RITA?

:) Well done, Toni! It's nice to meet you! (You can find out all about me--if you're interested :oops: --on my bio page.) I'm glad to have you on the forum! The members are about evenly split between readers and authors. But the readers like to read the posts, while the authors do all the writing (go figure! ) There are lots of lurkers (those of you out there know who you are! LOL) and occasionally one will register to add their comments. Still both parties get something out of the posts, from what I've gathered from e-mails, so I hope you do too. I look forward to becoming better acquainted with you!

I'm eating my words. :oops: I entered a contest just a week or so ago. I entered a ms that had been revised based on my cp's suggestions, just to see if the changes reflected in my scores. I'll let you know. Wish me luck! :thumright:

Jordan, would you be interesting in joining a co-op we put together? :study: That is definitely a possibility! Could you share a little bit about yourself, Toni? Perhaps an introduction in the main forum? I'd like to get to know you better. Not because of the critique co-op, but just in general. :)

Good advice, Jordan. Thank you. I'm not certain what Sasha has in mind. I'm sorry about your friend. That is my biggest fear about critiquing--hurting someone, or being hurt by someone, irreparably. My admittedly miniscule experience with critiquing has been invaluable though. I would love to have a small group of writers that I could count on to be brutally honest with me and have my best interests at heart. I think that will be hard to find, but worth the effort just the same. I guess the reason why I mentioned it here is because I'd like to have a group of romance authors that I know critique my work. I would hate to spoil a friendship over it though, so you've definitely given me food for thought.

Okay... We're a go on the webring! Romance Writer's Weblogs Join | List of Members | Previous | Next | Random Powered by RingSurf It would be nice to have a logo image of some sort for the ring home page. If anyone would like to volunteer to create one for us, that would be wonderful! And we're still hoping to form a romance critique group (most sub-genres) if anyone is interested.

Jordan, A ring is a group of websites connected by a small link. A web surfer would visit one site in the ring and have the option of clicking on the small link and being sent to the next site in the ring. In the case of a weblog ring, our blogs would be linked. I could start at my site, click the link and go to your site, click the link on your page and go to Sasha's, click the link on Sasha's and go to Peter's, and so on and so on. Since romance author weblogs are so popular right now it makes sense. I searched the web and couldn't find one romance author weblog ring. For readers it gives them an easy way to visit the blogs of romance authors, for authors it brings traffic to your site that otherwise might not have found you. Did that make sense? We would run the ring through Ringsurf and it would be open to all romance authors. Weblog ring links are very small and unobtrusive.

Welcome, Flash!

Sasha and I were talking about how lucky we felt to have met so many wonderful author friends through our websites. She mentioned wanting to start a critique group and I mentioned wanting to start a romance writer's weblog ring. Would anyone be interested in joining either one? :D

I've been through what you describe a couple of times. The first time lasted almost two weeks. Two whole agonizing weeks of staring at the computer screen and banging my head against it. I finally forced myself to write a short story. 4500 words. I thought, "I have to write something! I'll set a small goal for myself." I struggled through that story, it took me almost nine days to finish it! (It later sold to Arabella.) But the simple act of finishing it pushed me back into the frame of mind to write again. The second time also lasted almost two weeks. With so many stories in various stages of completion I had a ton of things to work on, but my inspiration was completely dead. I couldn't even manage a short story. I surfed the web until the inspiration to write struck again. I realize now that I should expect these moments. I find that reading a good book helps to get inspiration flowing again. :study: I have no idea how to get over writer's block. I wish I did. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and this period is not unusual. It will pass and when it does, you'll be burning up the keyboard and making up for lost time. Without even trying!

I second that. I think, sometimes, that the lure of a contest and the possibility of catching the eye of an editor, goads writers into submitting an entry in a genre they are either uncomfortable or unfamiliar with. They think, "I just want to be published. This could get my foot in the door." But if you don't want to write in that genre, you're really shortchanging yourself and the editor who may spend time reviewing your work. If you don't read chick lit or even like it, don't submit to a chick lit contest, etc. I think it really shows when an author is writing something they love and it also shows when an author is just going through the motions. I'd like to think there exists a niche for every writer. Part of writing is doing what you love. If you stay true to that, you will succeed. Contest or no.

Silly Sasha!! If that's supposed to be a deterent, it's not working. :D

Thank you, Ellen, and welcome to the board! I'm glad you joined us!

A photo album has been added to the site, the link is located at the top of the page. Every member may upload up to five pictures of whatever they like. Personal photos, favorite places--anything! Authors may upload book covers, and the like, to let the other members see what you've got! Only members may access photos, so hurry up and register, if you haven't yet! There are also sections to upload photos of could-be romance heroes and heroines! Should be fun! I can't wait to see the things that are important to you! ***UPDATE*** This post is in regards to my old message board and doesn't yet pertain to this new one. If I find that enough interest exists in a photo album, I'll add one. 3/6/05 - Sylvia

Ah, Sidonie! I'm grinning. You picked a good forum to voice your thoughts on Lisa Kleypas, because I, for one, ADORE her books. I respect your opinion, though. Completely. Now, in defense of my favorite author of all time, Suddenly You is a favorite story of mine as is the hero, Jack Devlin. I think he's yummy and I loved the fact that the heroine is short and plump and not at all physically perfect (like Jack is) and yet he loves her and desires her anyway. I loved (SPOILER ALERT!!!) that he is a younger man. (The heroine is my age and hooks up with a totally hot, totally smart, totally rich younger man in his twenties who adores her and screws her senseless? What's not to love? ) Okay, then... Again the Magic. The heroine in this story is not one of my favorites. Her cowardice is the reason why the two protagonists don't get together until the very end. But John McKenna is one of my favorites. (Actually, if you look at my list of all time favorite heroes in the side bar of my blog, I believe at least half of them are Lisa creations.) His overwhelming, undying love for the heroine makes the book so sweet. And the secondary romance between Gideon and Livia is an added bonus. Two romances for the price of one! Finally, Dreaming of You, was Lisa's breakout book, the one that established her career and made her famous. It is all due to the hero, Derek Craven, who appears in many of Lisa's books. Before reading Dreaming of You I suggest reading Then Came You, the story that comes before it and where Derek is a main secondary character. Frankly, I don't see what the fuss over Derek is about. :scratch: But everybody else is crazy about him. Every reader has their own tastes. I know of many bestselling authors whose work I can't read because they are just not my style. We all have our prefences. Don't waste your time reading books you don't enjoy. The time could better be spent writing or reading an author you love!!

You're right about that! I read MaryJanice Davidson's winning story and anthology . Frankly, I don't consider it romantica. The stories were great! Don't get me wrong! But aside from using the word "c***" I found the love scenes quite tame. Now, Jordan Summers, her winning excerpt is a bit more what I have in mind when speaking of romantica. Not good romantica. I suggest picking up Red Sage's Secrets anthologies. Most of the stories are very well done. Really, when it's done correctly, I think the added spice to the sex can deepen the love story between the two protagonists. Sexual love is a natural part of emotional love. It stands to reason that an emotionally intense love affair would ellicit sexually intense encounters. And frankly, I like to know that the hero is great in the sack! In a romantica story, not only does the heroine experience the sexiness of the hero, but the reader does too. Kate Duffy gets 20 entries a year to look over and yet she doesn't sign all of them. I suspect the way the sex is handled in the non-signed entries is why they don't succeed. It can be a challenge to make a hot sex scene ring with emotional tenderness, but when it's done right... oh my! Of course, (disclaimer) all of the above is my own personal opinion.

Actually, except for any category labeled "long", the entries can be as short as 40,000 words--a novella! :!:

The Golden Heart will be here in a few months... :D

I'm not familiar with Charlain Harris (yet!) but there have been books that I enjoyed so much that they ruined me for other books for awhile after finishing them. Tell me a little more about these books? Who is Sookie Stackhouse? That sounds wonderful, Ireland! What a neat idea! I loved the Buffy and Angel series. I can't wait to read your story!