FOR TODAY…
Now that she’s reunited with her sister, Tori Fuller doesn’t regret a moment of her life. But she’s never forgotten the guy who got away. Heart surgeon Sam McCormack is as sexy and irresistible as he was back in college…and ready to prove to the woman he’s always loved that it’s never too late to start over.…
TOMORROW…
Lauren Sutcliffe never expected her mother’s sixtieth birthday bash to lead to romance. But gorgeous Aussie builder Adam Hunter wants to stake his claim on the bossy, burned-by-love caterer. He wants to share all her tomorrows, if Lauren will just say yes!
AND ALWAYS!
David Longwood isn’t looking for love…until a family reunion throws him in the path of free spirit Kinsey McKeever. Suddenly the buttoned-down lawyer is rediscovering his passionate inner self and dreaming about forever after… with Kinsey.
I had a lot of fun writing this story - researching Cape May in New Jersey where the story is set and trying to get the all the details right. I thought readers might enjoy hearing how writers work on an anthology like this. If I'm wrong, feel free to skip to the end and post to let me know what's going on with you! Otherwise, here we go:
I first heard about the anthology when I was contacted by Marsha Zinberg, the executive editor for feature and custom publishing over at Harlequin. I've worked with Marsha a couple of times before, on the Mediterranean Nights 12 book continuitity, and on the Hot City Nights anthology. Marsha asked if I would be interested in writing a novella to contribute to a new anthology they had coming up, and I jumped at the chance. I really enjoy writing novellas - they're a challenge for a writer like me who tends to "write long" a lot of the time. I think all of my books have been massively over the word count at some point or other, so building an emotional story in just 25,000 words is like writing an Haiku for me compared to writing a Superromance.
As well as accepting Marsha's invitation, I also asked who my fellow authors would be. She replied that Kasey Micheals would be the "lead" author, and that the other author would be Teresa Southwick. Cue massive intimidation. Especially when I looked up these ladies' backlists. I mean, come on - these two could fill a bookstore all on their own!
Marsha then introduced us to our editor, Karen Reid, and we began a four way email conversation as we hammered out who would be writing which story and in what order and what the premise would be and if we would have any linking notion beyond the idea of a family reunion on the Jersey shore. At some point Karen bowed out of discussions and it was down to Kasey, Teresa and myself. Once we'd settled on time frames and story order and our cast of characters, it was pretty much up to each of us to come up with the flesh and bones of our stories. We disappeared into our writing caves and reemerged a few weeks later with outlines, which we sent first to each other than then to Karen and Marsha.
Approval was quick in coming, and we all sat down to write. I had a generous deadline on this one and other books to finish, so I went back to work I'd put down and finished it off, then picked this project back up again. I had a very clear idea in my head of how I wanted this story to start - with my heroine, Laurie, being delivered a very cute puppy by courier, courtesy of her ex husband. Laurie always wanted a puppy when she and her ex were married, but he always nixed the idea. Now, however, he's sending her an adorable ball of fluff out of the blue. Knowing him as she does, Laurie knows this must mean he wants something. But what?
I should point out at this stage that this is not a reconciliation story - Laurie's knight in shining armor arrives in the form of a hunky Aussie builder, Adam, who is in the US for the family reunion. These two hit it off right from the start - well, almost! - but the very real issue of living on different sides of the world causes them both to think twice before following their instincts.
I'm not going to go into any more detail, but I had a hoot writing this story, and got surprisingly emotional as I dug deeper into Laurie's feelings surrounding her divorce and sense of rejection. It's tough not to take it personally when your partner of more than 20 years abandons you for another woman, after all.
I was lucky enough to be able to read Kasey's story before starting my own, which gave me a great chance to see her take on the cast and setting and tone we'd agreed to and gave me the opportunity try to match my own vision with hers. Once I'd finished, I sent my first draft into our editor and waited for feedback. Again, it wasn't long in coming. Both Marsha and Karen were happy with the direction we'd taken and apart from minor tweaks for continuity between the three books, we were good to go.
I have to admit, it's strange writing a fiction piece that has to take other authors' ideas and characters and stories into account. When I'm wearing my television script writer hat, I am very used to working collaboratively. It's the nature of the beast, after all - it takes hundreds, possibly thousands, of people to create a TV show. But usually it's just me and my ideas when I'm writing a book. Nice in some ways - I suspect I am a bit of a control freak, so being in charge of any and all decisions appeals to me! - but it can also be a little lonely. Bouncing ideas off other authors and getting feedback and fresh takes on ideas from them is a real joy - and absolutely priceless. Another reason, I guess, why I like these anthologies so much.
I'd like to give away 3 copies of the Summer Reunion anthology to readers today. The book goes on sale officially in July, but I believe it's already on sale over at eharlequin (just type "summer reunion" into the search box and it should come up.)
I'd love to hear your stories about either flying solo or collaborating. Are you a team player or a lone wolf? Or do you like to mix the two up a bit, like me? Comment to be entered in the draw. Over to you!
41 comments:
You had me a Jersey shore! :) It is probably one of my favorite settings, mostly because it is where vacations were as a kid! :)
In work (i'm a teacher) I tend to more easily fit into flying solo category - working at my own pace, designing my own lessons, not having to rely on partners who might not meet deadlines or change the things i want to do - yes I am a bit of a control freak! ;) HOWEVER, I find that collaboration usually brings a better work product - more ideas into the process more minds to catch specific details that can be tweaked and improved, more resources for students when there is more than one teacher involved in lessons.
I like to collaborate, but sometimes find it difficult to do probably sums it up. And collaboration is really good for big projects like curriculum revision and creating projects or new courses :)
Good luck with the new book! :)
Hey, Sarah, congrats on the anthology! Sounds like an interesting process. Writing that short has to be an amazing challenge!
We had to do some collaborating in the NASCAR continuity books. I'd never done that before, and working solo from home I really enjoyed the contact with the other authors. Would love to do something like that again!
Have to admit to being terrfied by the mere thought of it. Also by the responsibility in case I got something wrong! Yours sounds fab!
Congrats on the anthology, Sarah! Very interesting to get a behind-the-scenes peek *g* All the stories sound wonderful. Can't wait to pick up the book!
Sarah, sounds like you had a fun challenge. I like collaboration as long as there aren’t too many bosses (like me) trying to put something together. Congrats on the book. The cover is beautiful.
Hi Sarah. Your anthology sounds great. I am more of a lone wolf. Thank you for the giveaway.
Congrats on the anthology. I love reading anthology because it gives you a chance to try different authors work. This one sounds like a story for me and I would love to read it.
Myself I am more of a lone wolf, I like doing things on my own. I usually don't have a choice in that matter anyway. Don't get much help around here. It has always amazed me that authors can write a book together and it all comes out so well. Thanks for the chance to win and for sharing your new book with us.
Hi Sarah,
I'm with Bri--Cape May is all I needed to hear. I spent many summers at the Jersey shore. (Where I'm from, we say "down the shore" when referring to the Jersey shore.)
The high school students in my hometown traditionally spend the week after graduation at the Jersey shore. Or at least they did when I was a youth. Perhaps the modern parents have wised up to what a truly terrible idea this was. High school + shore + bad ideas = Great Memories. ;-)
Very interesting to hear about the collaboration. I'd instinctively think I'm a lone wolf, but I can't make it through a book without the input from my editor so I think I'd actually enjoy working with other writers.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Now I'm off to add this book to my beach vacation list. (In my old age, I've been seduced away from the Jersey shore to Delaware.)
Excellent post, Sarah. The stories all sound very interesting. Congrats! I've enjoyed both of my anthology writing experiences. it helps to work with people who really know their stuff and meet deadlines.
Never been to the Jersey shore. Gotta say, the TV show by that name has not added anything to its charm in my opinion. But your pics were very inviting.
Best,
Deb
I've never been to Jersey shore either :) Did go to Cape Cod once! Our beaches are much warmer :)
Sounds like you had a great time writing your story.
I do scientific/technical writing and collaboration is important. I never write anything without having 2 or 3 people looking it over. It's not the same as fiction where if you're doing a continuity/collaboration you probably have to keep all your storylines straight, but it is important to get feedback from peers on the plants and critters, possible impacts, and best management practice! :)
Oops, forgot to sign my name... it's me Snookie! Google blogger still doesn't like me.
Hi Sarah,
Congratulations on the anthology! The stories sound great and I love the pics. I've worked on two continuities and enjoyed each one. It was fun collaborating with the different authors and coming up with a story line.
Best of luck with the book.
Linda
All the stories sound wonderful! The cover is gorgeous, has me wanting to go there, now.
I'm far better at working alone, generally. I find working on one project that needs to be done in a group frustating! But this sort of collaboration would be lovely- you discuss what's needed, then go away and do your own work, but in parallel with the other people involved.
Congrats on the release of the anthology, Sarah. I'm more of a team player. It's probably easier to work with other people to work towards a goal/project than doing it alone.
Sarah, this book sounds great....would love to read all 3! Just a reader....not a writer!
I'm awake! It's very dark down here in Australia at the moment - if today isn't Winter Solstice, then we must be very, very close because the days seem very short at the moment. I hope it is because the days need to get longer and sunnier!!!
From the top:
Bri, my next door neighbour is a nurse who is currently re-training to become a teacher. We have been having lots of conversations in academic speak about "pedagogy" and I have helped edit three assignments for her so far. I must admit, it has given me a whole new respect for teachers. I can imagine that you'd get very used to working things out all alone since you have to come up with all those lesson plans etc, etc, but I totally get the bonus of more ideas and input that you get from a group, too. I guess it's always a trade off, right?
Hi Helen. It is fun working with other authors, isn't it? Us writers mostly spend a lot of time on our own doing battle with the blank screen, so it's lovely to get a chance to connect with other writers. That's definitely one of the most fun things about working in TV. Sitting around a story table brain storming ideas with a bunch of like-minded people can be inspiring, hilarious and incredibly engergising.
Scarlet, you know, there is always a little bit of nervousness when you're working with other writers, too, as well as the excitement. You do feel a responsibility not to "let the team down". But I figure that's good for keeping you on your game - complacency is a writer's enemy!!! The day I stop learning and trying to grow as a writer is the day I am hanging up my pen/keyboard.
Beth, I hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to read it. As I said, I had a hoot writing my bit. There's something really intense about putting together a fast, tight little story like that.
Mary, it is a lovely cover, isn't it? No manly chest or clinches, which is a bit different for me (especially coming from Blaze!). It wasn't until I was searching for the pics on the blog that I realised how apt it was, with the funny little fence and the house.
Crystalgb, I swing between the two extremes. On a bad writing day when I'm rattling around the house, I remember my days around the story table on the soap opera I worked on with great nostalgia. Then I do a fulltime, in-house stint for a few weeks or so and quickly remember why I like being the boss of me! The grass is always greener...
Virginia, I think a lot of credit needs to go to our eds for smoothing out the continuity issues and making everything match up between stories in an anthology like this. The concept for this book was a really good one, but it had the potential to have lots of mis-matches since we were all writing about the same people and place from three different perspectives. But I think it came together well, in no small part thanks to our editor, Karen, who was great to work with.
Ellen, I love that equation. Definitely teenagers plus beach would equal lots of fun and trouble! And like you, I rarely make it through a book without some phone counseling with my ed, the wonderful Wanda. Sometimes she just listens and make the appropriate noises as I panic, other times she wades into the trenches with me.
Deb, I hadn't thought about the Jersey Shore connection. Kind of puts a different slant on things! I haven't watched any episodes of that show, but it's impossible not to absorb some of the pop culture - for example, I am aware that there's a Snookie on that show and that she's "written" a book.
Snookie! I was just taking your name in vain up above. I have to ask, how did you come by the name Snookie? I've always wondered. I'm assuming you weren't inspired by the reality TV show mentioned above? And I don't think anyone is going to even attempt to compare an East Coast beach with an Hawaiian one - that would just be cruel and unkind! You guys have got it all going on over there.
Hi Linda. It is fun collaborating with other authors, isn't it? I definitely felt the pressure to up my game working with these two very experienced writers. Was a bit nervous handing my storyline in, I must admit! Like the first day of school all over again...
Autumn, your post made me think about the time one time I volunteered for a committee. It was a social committee that serviced the industry I was involved in at the time (retail hardware!) and the committee was involved in organising an annual fundraising night. It drove me nuts! Having to talk every tiny decision over for hours before we decided on red or blue balloons etc, etc - I was ready to bang my head against a wall by the time it was all over. So I am definitely too impatient for that kind of group work.
Hi Jane. Good to have a team player amongst all these lone wolves up above! I think certain industries and professions demand a group-minded philosophy, and I guess if you're not suited to it you have to move on, right? One of the fondest memories about working in a big organisation was the sense that I wasn't alone and that there was always someone I could go whine/brainstorm/empathise with.
Jackie S, I hope you get a chance to read it. I think it's probably a good beach read because you can read it in satisfying chunks but still get a sense of connection and completion. Kasey did a great job of tying everything together with a very moving epilogue that sort of signs off on the big question hanging over the anthology.
Sarah, My dad gave me the name when I was a baby... long before the reality show was ever thought of being that I made 56 in March! Yup I'll take my beaches over the east coast beaches any day!!! I took my son and niece to see the voyaging canoes that arrived in Hilo from Aotearo(NZ) on Friday, today they are sailing to Maui, tomorrow to Moloka'i and the following day to O'ahu. Fun to see them.
Snookie
oops, not sure why the a didn't print in Aotearoa... I'm sure I put it in there :)
Snookie
If these are the same types of wakas that I saw in New Zealand, that must have been an impressive sight, Snookie. Glad you had dibs on Snookie first - thought so, but nice to have it confirmed!
I'm actually both: a team player & someone who like to fly solo. It depends upon the circumstances.
Marybelle, you are clearly a dream employee. When can you start? ; )
As I said above, I think I am a bit like this, too. But I have always been have my cake and eat it kind of girl!
Although I'd love to be a teamplayer somehow I always ended up the lone wolf. I don't mind my own company and can take care of things myself... it's sometimes nice to have a friend. But I have one in my mom & that's pretty great.
Hi Jo's Daughter. It's only as I've gotten older that I've learned to appreciate what good fun my mother is. She often comes down to our place and we garden together - thank God, because I have NO IDEA what to do in the garden. But I am learning!!!
Hi Sarah,
I am a team player, but I also like to work alone. I can do both. A Summer Reunion sounds like a wonderful book. (And I love your books!)
Hi Tammy. Thanks for your kind words! Great to be flexible on the loner/team thing, I think.
This has nothing to do with writing, but in general I can be either a lone wolf or a team player, depending upon the situation, but I do like to have a decent measure of control. I know in graduate school I absolutely abhored group projects, which the College of Business just loved.
While I totally understand the concept that, in the business world, you have to work with other people, your salary was not dependent upon those other peoples' performances. Perhaps it was due to control issues or an excess of confidence in my own abilities, but whatever the reason, I hated the thought that my grade could be impacted by what someone in my group did or did not do and how well. Be they better or worse, I want my grades (and my salary) to reflect MY efforts.
Having said that, I think I work pretty well in groups. When I was still working full-time, we often worked in committees and meetings hammering out details, etc. After my daughter was born, I spent her entire public school life working with the PTA or PTSA in her schools, and you can't ask for much more of a collaboration than that. What's more, in a volunteer situation, you don't even have the threat of salary or losing a person's job to use as leverage. Also, you have to convince them to do what they're supposed to do without alienating them because a PTA's life blood is volunteers. So, working with volunteer groups can be quite the collaborative challenge, depending upon the volunteers with whom you have to work.
Sarah, they are the double hulled wa'a (Hawaiian) waka (Maori)voyaging canoes that travelled the Pacific in ancient times. These were made of fiberglass in order to save trees and they did have solar as well as wind power. they were impressive and represented 12 island nations.
Going to try something to see if Blogger decides to work this time.
Snookie
Hmmm still didn't work... guess i will remain anonymous and hopefully remember to sign my name!
Snookie
Snookie,
Author Myrna Mackenzie referred me to a web site, and it helped me change from Anonymous back to Laney4:
I went to the left bottom Start box and clicked; clicked All Programs; clicked Accessories; clicked System Tools; clicked Disk Cleanup. It determined how I could clean up my hard drive. I clicked to remove my Cookies and Internet History (which I do regularly anyway). The directions said to shut down my browser after that, but I shut down my computer completely and started it up again to make sure. I went to www blogger dot com (can't type it properly in comments or sometimes it will delete my entire comment). It said to NOT login yet, but instead press CTRL-F5 and then try logging in again. The most important part of this (I think) is the final instruction: Before attempting to Login, make sure the "stay signed in" checkbox is UNTICKED. That's all it took and now I'm back to being Laney4 again.
I hope it works for you too.
Mahalo Laney4... will see if it works!
The wa'a (waka) have arrived at Kualoa!
IT WORKED :) :) :) and I only had to post comment once and it worked!!!! Mahalo Laney4.
Yay! Big thanks to you Laney!!! And nice to have you "back" snookie. These wa'a sound amazing. Shall go google hunting for a piccie. Such an incredible odyssey, that first voyage. Must have been truly terrifying at times. And the thought that if they found nothing, they'd have to turn around and come back again...bloody daunting!!!
JV, I hadn't thought about the whole "being judged by group performance" thing. But you're right. It's not great if you're a Type A personality (like me!) who likes to be a good girl and do her homework and get good marks. As I noted above, I have had the committee experience and not relished it - my hat is off to you for your diplomacy and staying power.
Sarah, here's the website to follow the voyage: http://www.pacificvoyagers.org/voyage/blogs/our-island.html After Hawai'i they're headed for San Francisco.
Considering we're 2000+ miles from the next nearest land mass, it is daunting! Just think, pacific islanders were sailing teh Pacific while most of the western world thought the world was flat!
Hey, thanks for these. Great stuff. And yes, they were brave, adventurous souls.
Snookie,
I hope I don't mess this up, but I believe my correct response should be 'A'ole pilikia! Anyway, you ARE welcome! I'm glad it worked out for you, Snookie.
I am amazed that you could include a link in the comments. I know another blog site deleted my comment when I tried to include a web site earlier this week....
Oh well. All's well that ends well! Have a great weekend!
PS - Don't be surprised if you have to do it again later, as I JUST had to follow my own directions again this morning in order to get Laney4 back yet again ... a week later....
You said it perfectly Laney4 :)
Lets see if it still works for me :)
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