There's one in every crowd

So Christmas night the whole family packs up and treks the 10 minutes to my sister-in-law's house for Christmas dinner. She has this friend who she's been friends with for 20 years now who comes to all the family dinners.

We're sitting at the dinner table, stuffed to the gills with standing rib roast, mashed potatoes, salad, corn, turkey, pounds of hors devoures and about ten different desserts, when this family friend starts talking about romances. Now she knows I write romance and she suddenly announces to the table that romances are "crap". Well, the table goes silent and my husband, never to miss an opportunity, says into the silence, "Did you hear that she called your work crap?"

And I say, "Yes, I was trying to ignore it."

So this friend quickly says, "Not that what you write is crap. I'm sure it's good money for those who can churn that stuff out."

Churn that stuff out.

Okay, now she's digging her hole deeper and I just close my eyes and shake my head (I really did do that) and say, "It's a little more than churning it out."

"Oh, well. I didn't mean it like that."

Yes. She did. But I let it go. People like her won't be convinced otherwise because she doesn't want to be convinced otherwise. I choose to feel sorry for her because she won't open her mind and experience some of the best stories out there written by some of the best writers out there.

Her loss.

Merry Christmas

I wanted to stop by for two reasons. Number one, I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate at this time of year. May all your wishes come true this season.

And number two: I just sold my vampire novella to Samhain! What an exciting early Christmas present that was. I have no details as of yet, but stay tuned and I will keep you updated.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

"
www.123glitter.com

What makes a page-turner?

I'm currently reading a book I think is okay. The plot is a good one, but the writing itself is making it hard to get into the book. It just doesn't have that natural, modern flow I need in a contemporary--it reads like it was written in the fifties, so I have a hard time buying the fact that it takes place just a few years ago. So, since I'd like to find out what happens--and since I don't consider the story truly bad, I find myself skimming the pages until I come to scenes that really interest me, but I'm not hanging on every word.

This book really has me thinking--what makes a book a page-turner? I know it's different for every person. For me, I like action. Not necessarily gunfights and things getting blown up, *g*, but there needs to be plenty of interaction between the main characters and other characters, as well as the environment, to really get me hooked. I need the story to flow at a steady pace. If there's too much description or internal thought without the scene going anywhere, it tends to pull me out of the story.

When I think back to the books I've read that have really sucked me in (JR Ward's Brotherhood series, Cindy Gerard's bodyguards series, Melani Blazer's Hot Rod Heaven, and Shelby Reed's A Fine Work of Art, to name a few) it's the flow of the writing that pulled me into the authors' stories. The books all stand out to me for different reasons (JR Ward's because her characterization is fabulous, and Hot Rod Heaven because the plot was so original, for example), but the one thing they have in common is a smooth author voice. Without that smoothness, the plot or characters would lose a little of their luster, at least for me.

Dialog is also a big thing for me. It needs to sound realistic--and match the character--for me to buy it. The lack of contractions in a contemporary or contemporary paranormal makes me want to put a book down. If the character's speech patterns don't seem real to me, I have a hard time getting to know the character.

For all you readers out there, chime in. *g* What makes a page-turner for you? What makes you want to throw a book against the wall?