Emme Cross's Blog - Posts Tagged "romance"

Bridget Jones is back. The third novel "Mad About the Boy" will be published this October. I greet the news with trepidation. Mostly because the first novel was so utterly of its time and the sophomoric sequel was disappointing. Second, because in order to write a trilogy or a series, you have to lay the groundwork early. In the first book. If you don't, it just feels like you are cashing in. That's why the Hunger Games and even Twilight work--the authors did the tough stuff in book one with the end in mind. I wrote the end of my series The St. Bart's novels after book two. I knew where I was going and that helped me plot how to get there. I can't imagine finishing book one and fourteen years later having to pick up the thread again. It's not just the characters and the times that have changed, it's the writer. Sure, Helen Fielding is more proficient than before, but she's also older. Yes, so's her heroine you may argue, but it was Bridget's wide-eyed enthusiasm that made her so engaging.I don't want her saddled with kids. Nor do I want her, a decade and a half later, trying to decide between Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver. The first scenario would be boring; the second would be pitiful. No, I want her madly in love, kissing her Mr. Darcy in a snowstorm in her underwear. I don't need the wedding. I need the promise.

The new Iron/Superman super hero is coming to big screens near you next August!. This guy's super power is to be the lead character in a series of three novels that sold nine gajillion copies despite having less depth than a puddle of...water. I will safe word out and say no to this trash. But it's funny coz no cast has been announced yet and the book will be a movie by next August, so a year. That's quicker turn-around time than Christian himself. (Sorry, this is too easy.) But seriously, I guess they've already figured out how to CGI the naughty bits and film in 3D to make it even more quease-worthy than the novels. I thinking with Sam directing, her husband has a lock on the lead.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/fifty...

‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Gets August 1, 2014 Release Date
www.deadline.com
NEW YORK, June 27th, 2013 – The global release of Fifty Shades of Grey will start in North America on Friday, August 1st, 2014 with opening dates around

If you liked the book, check out my Pinterest page. (Under Emme Cross) I have posted photos of places mentioned in the novel and also started a board with casting suggestions for the main characters. If you have any ideas, feel free to post them or pass them on. I'm always interested in how my characters appear to my readers versus in my own head.

Also, I'm on Facebook and have all kinds of articles about love and sex and relationships.

http://www.bookcountry.com/ReadAndRev...

This is a link to bookcountry which is a website for authors to test their material. I posted the first chapter to book three in the St. Barts series for some feedback. I never figured it would be in their top ranked category of titles. Cool! If you want a sneak peak at what happens to Sunny and Sven---check it out and let me know what you think!

E-books, hardcover, softcover. Pulp fiction, literature. It doesn't matter. I love to read. Here are some of the reasons why.


http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/co...

This is a great article about tearjerkers...or weepies. I used to love my mom's favourite old movies with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. They were my first weepies and helped me write novels that will make you cry.


http://online.wsj.com/articles/tearje...

I have just binge read the Outlander novels. It was an incredible commitment of time but well worth it. Kudos to Diana for her research and diligence. I love writers who take the time in the first book to set the stage for what's too come. Too many authors score big on book one and next thing you know there are sequels that just don't work. You need to do the groundwork and decide where you're going early on. Diana has done that beautifully.
I did find the hero Jaime to be a little too perfect and Superman but hey, I got the same complaints about my heroine Sunny. You can't please everyone.
To me, the secret to a good series is seeing how characters and relationships grow and evolve. I loved Jilly Cooper's Riders series. Outlander. Any others? Dungeons and Mercenaries is fun and very sexy. The Mitford series works. Any others? Let me know. I'm always up for a good series and writers from whom I can steal ideas on keeping my 6 books fresh.

Exotic locales are a turn-off for romance readers according to this article. They quote a number of authors even discouraged from setting their books in France! Apparently, it's all about England.

I love books set in exotic places. I want a novel to take me out of myself through time and distance. A good writer can paint such a vivid picture with words that you almost feel as if you're on the beach, or in the mountains, or traipsing through the jungle.

Heaven save us all from the familiar and the mundane.
I hope this is just another phase in the publishing industry like vampires.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...

My books Love on St. Barts and Lessons on St. Barts are out. As an amuse bouche, I am posting all kinds of photos of the places on that special island that inspired scenes from the books. Check out my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

I wish more authors would do this. I love to see the places where they imagine lovers entwined or a literal cliffhanger. I can close my eyes and paint a scene based on their words, but add the photos and this is like watching a movie in IMAX, 3D. It enriches the experience.

Besides, it doesn't hurt that St. Barts is so darned photogenic and always ready for its close-up!

Hi guys

I just want to give a shout out to everyone who posts reviews. It doesn't matter if they are texts or just a click on the number of stars. It doesn't matter if they include photos and vidoes (though high fives to Bianca and to Suzanne for doing all that technical stuff that confuses me.) What matters in this day and age is to offer feedback. I know some people don't like my book. I don't like a lot of things that ring other people's bell. I had trouble with Girl on a Train and Gone Girl and even Fifty Shades. But the big thing is to offer feedback. That's what authors need. You have to understand that we live in our heads and we think we know stuff and we may not and we think we understand our characters' world and we may not. Readers can point out flaws and point us in the right direction. The one thing authors want, is to be better. So thank you.