Confessions of a Professional Writer
Oct 24th 2007
Karen HawkinsOn Writing!
I wrote a book under another name, One Lucky Lord by Kim Bennet. It’s no longer in print and it has the worst cover in the world.
No kidding — the WORST. Here’s a pic of it: 
This is actually the first book I wrote, though it didn’t sell very quickly. I always kid around that it was rejected by every publisher in NY before it was finally picked up by someone, but that’s not true; we still haven’t heard from Berkley. I expect to get the rejection letter any day now.
Not that it’s a bad book, because it isn’t and actually sold very, very well. The book has a great heroine (Fia is just awesome), a terrific setup (the luckiest man in England ends up married to the unluckiest woman in Scotland), a lovely historical setting (Elizabethan Scotland/England), a dash of political intrigue (you get to see Lord Walsingham and Queen Elizabeth!), and some of the funniest scenes I’ve ever written.
What it didn’t have was a great hero.
Thomas was ALMOST hero material. He’s handsome, wealthy, has an interesting and complex past. The problem with Thomas is that I didn’t understand conflict so I took The New Writer’s Way Out — I just made him mad. Well, first he was irritated. Then, to show character growth, I made him mad. We then progressed to furious and finally, back to slightly irritated at the end of the book.
Don’t laugh. I was very, very young when I wrote this book. Like . . . thirty or something. One day, I want rewrite it and make Thomas into a real hero. Until then, well, let’s just say it’s a good thing it’s out of print.
Still, it brought to mind a very interesting question: Characters. Do you ever stop reading a book because of a certain character? Which is more important to you — a great heroine or a great hero? And do you forgive new authors for making mistakes like The New Writer’s Way Out?
49 Comments »
49 Responses to “Confessions of a Professional Writer”
Stacy ~ on 25 Oct 2007 at 5:18 am #
I think I’m very forgiving, and certainly wouldn’t give up on a new author just because there might be some flaws. Everyone has growing pains while they’re learning the ropes, and if there’s definite potential, I’d continue reading. I do think I am more about the hero than the heroine, though she can’t be TSTL either. Sometimes it’s fun to think I’m the heroine, so of course I’d want the perfect hero.
Any kind of abuse – physical or emotional – is pretty much a deal-breaker for me. Characters who cheat after becoming involved with the other person (I’m not talking erotic romance where threesomes are accepted and consensual by all involved). Or characters that are so silly and immature you just can’t relate. I read a book where the heroine was engaged and ends up sleeping with her fiance’s brother (identical twin) never knowing he had a brother and spends the rest of the book bed-hopping, even after learning they were 2 different men. Ewww. First time I ever returned a book.
Gillian on 25 Oct 2007 at 5:34 am #
I am forgiving as well; as long as I’m not too confused, I’ll finish the book. And I’ll forgive almost anything if you make me laugh once in a while! I want a little humor in my books, please.
Ellen on 25 Oct 2007 at 6:12 am #
Regardless of the genre, if you give a character some sort of witty edge, I’ll stay interested. It is rare that I don’t finish a novel, however, the true test of how well it was written is whether it goes on my shelve or in my “share with sisters” bag.
I won’t mention the author, and can’t remember the name of the book, but there is one out there, in a Boston hotel with a broken spine.
It described the English man’s resting “down below” as “a cute little pink mouse nestled in a bed of light brown feathers.” I think I broke Stan Musial’s fast ball record when I hummed that book at the wall.
Cookiedough on 25 Oct 2007 at 7:51 am #
Thank you for that lovely imagery Ellen! lol
I’ll stay with a book if there are a few rough patches. I tend to just skip ahead if I’m losing focus. Then go back to fill in the story later.
I always want to give a character room to grow in my mind, so unless hero or heroine are complete boobs and/or unbelievable, I’ll stay to the end.
SuzyQ on 25 Oct 2007 at 8:03 am #
If I find myself not liking the characters, I have a hard time getting through the book. It’s very rare that I don’t finish a book – and eventually I will – but it will take a long time. If the author is new, I would give another chance as long as the story catches my interest.
Karen, when you posted you had wrote a book under another name in the forum I couldn’t believe there was a book out there that you had written that I didn’t read. So, I picked it up on ebay. It should be on its way by now.
jessie on 25 Oct 2007 at 8:06 am #
I’ve given up on books before because of characters, usually heroines. I can take bad heroines. I don’t mind if they’re wimpy or airheady. But I absolutely cannot take when they’re shrews. And this always comes in the guise of them being “fiery” or “spirited” or “independent.” When I see those words, I think twice about buying a book. This is sad, because those qualities are good, admirable qualities that I would love to see in a heroine. Too often, though, they are code words for “argumentative,” “difficult,” and “stubborn.” The heroine prevents herself from being happy because she’s too much of a shrew to be nice to the hero or to accept his interest. And I have such a hard time believing why any hero would fall in love with such a heroine.
As to new authors, I may not finish their books if they’ve taken the NWO, but that won’t prevent me from trying the next book they write.
Lisa H on 25 Oct 2007 at 8:12 am #
Oh Ellen…too funny.
I won’t say what the book was, but it is a highly popular contmporary by a great author who I usually love. The story was wonderful and funny, but I just couldn’t connect with the heroine. She was unfeminine, didn’t care about dressing nicely or wearing make-up. She didn’t try to fight for her man. I really could not identify with her at all. Still I read the book and really enjoyed it, but I would have to say she was my least favorite heroine.
doglady on 25 Oct 2007 at 8:24 am #
I’m with Suzy Q. I thought I had read them all, Miss Karen! Off to e-Bay myself after this! I am one of those people who truly wants to believe that if it is published it MUST have some redeeming qualities. Unfortunately there have been a number of books that have proved me wrong. Thanks, Ellen, for that lovely visual! LOL My biggest problem is with heroines I just don’t like or heroes I just don’t give a darn about. I may finish the book, but I won’t read it again.
Ellen on 25 Oct 2007 at 8:39 am #
Trust me girls…that was exactly how she described it. It bothered me for the same reason you all mentioned. The visual! Pink Mouse Indeed!
I’m on the road today. Catch up with you all later.
Peace out.
E
Darla on 25 Oct 2007 at 8:58 am #
I READ THAT BOOK KAREN…I LOVED IT…It was a great story & I didn’t think the cover was THAT bad, I thought it was rather cute! In my personal opinion, it gave me a bit of insight into the hero.
I am a horder of books…I have over 2000 of them, and that dosen’t count the TBR pile. I have a program that I’m putting all my book info into and I came across that book night before last! (DO DO DODO, cue the Twilight Zone music)For anyone that also keeps their books and needs someway to keep track of them the program I use is from collectorz.com.
About the only reason I’ll put down a book is when its TOO much. What I mean by that is when there is too much to deal with at once and it makes it confusing and very hard to understand. I don’t mind going back occasionally to re-read to make sure I got it right, but when your doing that every page for so for half the book makes me get rid of it…and I can’t tell you how much it pains me to do that!
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 9:01 am #
Stacy, I hate to read about infidelity. Ewww! is right!
Gillian, laughter DOES make everything better.There are things I wouldn’t normally enjoy (like TSTL heroines) but if an author’s FUNNY, I buy it every time.
Ellen, I will never think of mice the same again. :O
CookieD, I’ve seen authors crucified online for having characters who weren’t ‘nice’ in the first chapters, though the author was doing just what you’re describing — giving them room to grow. That seems to happen especially if the character who needs growth is a woman, probably because most readers identify with the heroine.
Suzy Q, NOOOO! It’s an unworked piece of clay. I have the rights back on the book and I hope to rewrite it one day. THEN you can read it. For now, just snicker at the cover and put it on a shelf.
Ok, that wouldn’t be fair. You can read it. Just remember — I was young! Foolish! Unskilled!
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 9:09 am #
Jessie, it’s a delicate line to walk — the one between shrewish and independent. I think some authors cross the line because they haven’t correctly conveyed the ‘tone’ of their heroine’s voice. And I agree, that’s very put-offish. I’m glad you give an author a second try! Sometimes, I won’t like one book by an author, but then find I loooove some of their other books.
LisaH, it’s interesting how a really good author can take an unsympathetic character and turn them into someone interesting enough that you still finish the book. That takes GREAT skill!
doglady, reading is so subjective that it’s difficult to define what makes a book click with an editor. I’ve read some incredible works in contests that I just KNOW will get published, only to find out later that they were rejected over and over. It’s a strange, unwieldy bidness, this writing thing!
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 9:15 am #
Darla, I’m delighted you enjoyed One Lucky Lord, though you have to admit that Thomas didn’t show to advantage. Poor guy. He was just mad, irritated, and ticked off the ENTIRE book.
I was such a newbie.
Btw, Darla, I’ve written 138 pages of the sequel to that book. It’s Robert’s story. But then I sold The Abduction of Julia and my new publisher wanted more from that story, so I put it away. One day, though, I’d like to rewrite OLL and then do Robert’s and perhaps Duncan’s story, who Fia’s guardian and cousin. Duncan, btw, is the MacLean who is cursed by the White Witch, which leads to the current series which is out now.
Every single one of my books are connected in some way, even the anthologies I wrote with Julia Q and Suzanne E. They are either related by blood, marriage, or common characters from other books travel through the pages. SOMEWHERE there is a connection!
(And Darla, my brother has a database for his books and it’s AWESOME!)
twolilhahas on 25 Oct 2007 at 9:44 am #
I used to be very forgiving and way less choosy than I am now. Now, if I read part of a book and don’t connect, I’ll toss it and mark that author down as a miss. Now, if I’ve read really good books by an author before, and then hit a miss, I’ll forgive.
cail on 25 Oct 2007 at 9:58 am #
i keep all my books in a spreadsheet. otherwise i would end up buying ones i already have over and over again.
the ones that i’ll stop reading are the ones where the hero flat out forces himself on the heroine, and she totally only falls for him because of that captive complex thing. I find that those are really only frequently found in the early romance novels from the 70s and 80s though. I’m glad most authors have mostly moved away from that.
Generally I’ll finish a book, but if the writing is sub par I might not buy from that author for a while. I also tend to stick to authors I know and like, and only pick up new ones on emphatic suggestions.
claudia dain on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:09 am #
Wow, great discussion, so interesting!
Hmmm on the great hero or great heroine question. I want them both to be great, but what I really want is for them to be great together, for their relationship as it plays out on the page to make them both shine in a way that they didn’t separately. So, plot counts because that’s all the stuff they *do*, but character counts because that’s who they *are.*
Complicated!
What will make me stop reading a book? A bad character will, but so will a bad plot. I can’t decide!
Julia London on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:20 am #
I have written some characters that I would love to go back and tweak. They get in your head and you see them a certain way, but then you will read something or hear something that makes you think, oh yeah, THAT’S the way he/she should have been! But its too late.
I love character driven stories. But they have to be moving along or I get bored. Too much introspection drives me nuts.
Cookiedough on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:21 am #
Hmmmm… I’m wondering now how many authors have first books out under different names. I seem to recall Dean Koontz writing under another name. Although I haven’t rechecked, so don’t crucify me if I’m wrong.
Cookiedough on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:24 am #
Karen! I just read the book details at abebooks.com, and it sounds delightful!
amy1242 on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:28 am #
I’m with you lady’s, on the shrewish characters. I will sometimes read a book and think, what a b*#ch. I can’t wait to see what hero the author has picked out for her. And then the hero turns out to be some nice guy who gets infatuated with her perfect body. I just roll my eyes, but deep inside I know it’s sometimes true. I know couples like this. Don’t understand them, but know of them. There’s only a couple of books that I’ve put down and not finished. One by a very big, well known author. I hated that the two main characters were so incredibly immature in the first three chapters that I tossed the book aside. So far, I refuse to give her a second chance, even though she has many books under her belt now. Maybe someday, don’t want to be shrewish about it. Crap! I’m part shrew!
Suzanne Enoch on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:48 am #
I am a proud owner of ONE LUCKY LORD. Loved it. When I write, I learn something new each time — what works, what doesn’t, what I need to push and what I go too far with. I look at my earliest efforts (LADY ROGUE, the two Regencies) and know if I rewrote them now, they would have a lot more emotional depth to them. But there’s something to be said for a pure, fun romp (see ONE LUCKY LORD, above). *g*
Julia London on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:58 am #
If I rewrote my first books, I would hope the writing would be a lot cleaner, too, Suz. I’ve learned a lot about brevity!
And yes, much more emotional depth. That’s the ticket to a good romance. You can put them in a swamp, and if there is enough emotional depth to the characters and the story, people will want to read it.
Kay on 25 Oct 2007 at 11:18 am #
I read a lot of mysteries and romantic suspense. If the heroine is TOO STUPID TO LIVE and has to be rescued constantly, I’m done. That’s why I like KarenR’s books. The heroines are smart and aren’t helpless. If the characters are all male (in Mysteries) except the token stupid woman, forget it. I just read the first book of an unnamed male author, and it was AWFUL. His wife was an idiot. ALL of her dialog was cliche.
How he made it into hardcover (in several books!) is beyond me.
I read a fair amount of SF, too. I don’t care how original or cool the setting is, if the characters are awful, I’m done. There was popular trilogy set on Mars that was populated by unpleasant people. I don’t need that in my escape time; I get it enough in real life. The first book went back to the library and I canceled the other two.
Humor is so important, no matter what the genre. Some of the funniest, most biting satire I have read was in a mystery. SF has huge latitude for satire, too.
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 11:19 am #
It’s tough to write emotional depth without resorting to trite and overdone plot devices. One thing I’ve learned better (I hope) from my first book to my last is how to balance introspection with ‘telling actions.’
It’s not difficult, but it does take some time to come up with new an creative ways to show that my two characters are moving past physical attraction. When I first starting writing, I didn’t ‘get’ that, and it showed!
And Suzie, I didn’t know you had OLL! Feel free to send me a copy of ANGEL’S DEVIL any time you want. I think I have them all but that one.
Sabrina Jeffries on 25 Oct 2007 at 11:30 am #
I’m with Claudia–I’m as likely to put down a book because of a nonsensical plot as the characters. I give characters a lot of latitude. I’m willing to see where the writer will take them.
Cookiedough, Dean Koontz had at least 11 other pseudonyms in addition to the books he wrote under his own name. Plenty of writers take pseudonyms for work that their publishers fear will hurt their career if published alongside their more popular stuff, but there are other reasons for taking pseudonyms–privacy, bad sales, etc. I had two other pseudonyms myself before I became Sabrina Jeffries: I wrote as Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas. Some of those books I’m still very proud of. Some of them suck (my first book, for example, although I have one fan who still says that book is her favorite).
Sherri Browning Erwin on 25 Oct 2007 at 11:58 am #
Karen, I did not know that. I think I remember that cover! I was thirty when I published my first, too. The Scoundrel’s Vow. I loved my heroine. But a review site hated her. In fact, it was AAR and Laurie Likes Books voted her the worst heroine of the year, maybe the worst ever. She really hated her.
So it made me laugh a few days ago when I got a personal email from Laurie to congratulate me on my Desert Isle Keeper status for my latest book. HA! Don’t you love those career moments? It’s only a review, but how fun. There was actually a Julia London hero I really hated. He just rubbed me the wrong way. Of course, the heroine was so endearing, I kept reading. And almost everyone else on the planet raved about that particular hero and how great he was. And I just thought, “Really, you love him? That jerk? Seriously?” But it’s a testament to Julia’s skill that I get so involved with her characters. I hope she isn’t mad at me for saying I hated one of her many fine heroes- LOL!
Sherri Browning Erwin on 25 Oct 2007 at 12:13 pm #
By the way, I re-read that book recently to try and find out what it was that bothered me about him, and I didn’t hate him the second time around. I wonder why the first time? My initial reaction might have been due to something I was going through at the time.
It’s interesting to see how personal experiences affect the way we respond to the fiction. When I was a teen reader, I loved the dark and brooding heroes. Now I read them and think “oh lighten up, dude! Life is not so bad.”
Karen Rose on 25 Oct 2007 at 12:35 pm #
I’ve been thinking on this today. It’s a good question, and not necessarily an easy one to answer.
I lose interest in a character if they’re petulant or whiny or too bubbleheaded to earn my respect.
I can think of one character in a trilogy written my one of my all-time favorite authors that I absolutely did not like. Then I read the trilogy again and liked her a little more. On the third reading, I realized I might like her more than the heroines in the trilogy’s other two books!
So what made the difference? And why did I read this book three times when I disliked the heroine so much the first time? The first heroine in this triology was hot, spicy, Italian and demonstrative. So “out there.” The second was warm and homey, practically oozing pathos. I loved her. The third was cold, unfeeling and her emotions were buried much deeper. It took three reads before I could appreciate the character for herself and not compare her to the others.
Karen Rose on 25 Oct 2007 at 12:37 pm #
She wasn’t cold and unfeeling, but she was so different than the other two, I wasn’t in sync with her. Now, I get her.
I read the book three times because the author is one of my all time favorites and I wanted to understand this character and my reaction to her. I learn a lot from re-reading old favorites. I’ll take them apart for study, then think about how to reapply that learning.
Oh, oh, it’s the old corporate trainer coming out – but it’s a good thing to apply to writing,too!
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 12:38 pm #
Sherri, I think that’s very true that where you are in your life, depends on how you view the books you might be reading. For example, I absolutely love books that make me laugh, but when I was going through a very difficult time in my life, those same books that I loved just irritated me. I knew I was getting back to my old self when I picked up a copy of Georgette Heyer’s The Black Moth and chuckle at all of the right spots.
Kay on 25 Oct 2007 at 1:31 pm #
Karen H, I agree. The book doesn’t change over time. It’s me, the reader, who changes. I love to reread old favorites and see what’s NEW after a few years.
Keri Ford on 25 Oct 2007 at 1:33 pm #
I rarely put down a book BUT if the author uses one cliche after another, I just can’t keep going. (that cliche refers to language or plot devices). Another thing that will stop me is slow pacing. If I’m nodding off in the first three chapters, it’s not a good sign I’ll keep going. Oh, and I REFUSE to finish a book where the hero forces his way on the heroine. I don’t care if that’s the way it was back in the day or not. I don’t want to read about it.
I can follow two characters I love involved in some rediculous plot a lot longer than I can follow two characters I hate with an awesome plot. I don’t mind not connecting to the heroine, that’s a hit and miss thing for me(and depending on the heroine’s quirks, I can like them one chapter and want to bash her head in teh next). But I HAVE to fall for the hero.
twolilhahas on 25 Oct 2007 at 1:40 pm #
I had to laugh reading some of the comments. I’m so different now than when I was younger. I tried to re-read one of my most loved romances from when I was in high school just a few weeks ago and MAN did it suck! And I fell so in love with Jake when I was in high school that I kept that book and treated it like a beloved friend. All these years later and I still knew exactly where to find him. Now, I just tossed him in the floor somewhere. He’s not what I’m looking for anymore apparently! lol
Ellen, the pink mouse almost killed me. I read one recently where she described “it” as being pale and veiny. It really grossed me out. lol
Jami Alden on 25 Oct 2007 at 3:14 pm #
Karen, my friend Monica McCarty is still waiting for her book HIGHLANDER UNTAMED (which was published by Ballantine this past August) to be rejected by Berkley!
I’ve stopped reading if the characters don’t take off. I definitely care more about the hero, so if he’s awesome I can put up with a lot, but if the heroine is annoying or TSTL, or otherwise undeserving of the hero, I’ll put it aside. I did recently put aside a book where the hero and heroine basically fought from the moment they met – but it was supposed to be fun because the fighting turned both of them on. I just thought both of them were bickering a**holes who should go fight some place where I couldn’t hear.
colinfirthfan on 25 Oct 2007 at 3:48 pm #
I have realized that if I am not in the mood then an average book will SUCK and I have to force myself to finish it. An above average book will suck me in – whatever the mood. I would normally give an author a second try if the book was even slightly funny.
There is one famous author who wrote a series of books ages back. I read 3 and didn’t like them. So I stopped reading her books. About 5 years later I picked up another series of hers and really liked it. I also read another book form the original series and liked that as well.
I think I was looking for different things from books when I was younger.
Some days I only want to read Harlequin Presents. I love reading HP books because I can finish them in an hr and for the most part I read only the conversation. I skim a lot of the description of their clothes and the trees etc…
Marie on 25 Oct 2007 at 4:59 pm #
30 is not young.
Ann in IL on 25 Oct 2007 at 4:59 pm #
Hmmm. Am I the only one wishing she could buy this book NOW and read it before the re-write?
Ann in IL on 25 Oct 2007 at 5:01 pm #
30 IS young. Trust me on this one. 30 was 25 years ago, but I still feel 30
lisap on 25 Oct 2007 at 6:01 pm #
Well, I stopped writing my first book that no one will ever read b/c I can’t do the conflict. It’s so much harder than most people realize. The dialogue, the relationship, the sex—less of a challenge–but the conflict, dang it just stumped me. So brava, brava, Karen and all the goddesses that conquered the conflict and all the other mind bending parts of writing a novel.
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 6:22 pm #
Conflict is tough, especially for people like me who just enjoy life so much better when we all get along. BUT it is also what truly drives a story – and characters – forward. An editor once told me that a story is like a wave in the ocean and it is never more interesting than when it’s crashing against the rocks in a truly spectacular manner.
Over my writing life, I have had to learn to embrace conflict and let it crash against the rocks now and then.
doglady on 25 Oct 2007 at 9:21 pm #
Just a little note! Read Julia’s Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount today. One of your very best, Julia. I loved it. As I read at work – during breaks and lunch – your wonderful book saved the lives of MANY, MANY customers and employees in the Wal-Mart bakery today. As long as I can retreat to one of the magical worlds you ladies create, my sanity remains intact … not too violent …. not certifiable ….. hanging on by a stronger thread???
Karen Hawkins on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:28 pm #
doglady, I’m the same way — my son would have been facing a MUCH testier mother if it hadn’t been for Julia’s book! It’s FABULOUS and every time I had a difficult moment today, I’d sneak off and read some of it.
Brava, Julia! Another winnah!
Santa on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:48 pm #
Worst storyline for me involves a dolt of a duke who enters into a marriage of convience and not to his liking at all while pining away for some bit of fluff and is unfaithful to his wife to boot. BIG eeewwww factor for me. So, of course, what is the first Georgette Heyer book I pick up? ‘A Civil Contract’. Turned me off to her books for a looonnnggg time.
I have to say that I give new writers a fair shake. I also enjoy seeing them grow and improve as they publish more books. I don’t hold it against my auto-buy authors if they come up short.
Santa
Forseeing a solo trip to Borders this weekend…..
Santa on 25 Oct 2007 at 10:49 pm #
Oh, I forgot to say that I hope you do have the opportunity to tweek that first novel. I’d love to read both iterations. And the fact that you have the bones of a sequel always works for me!
Midas on 26 Oct 2007 at 10:04 am #
Yes, I have stopped reading a book because of whiny characters.
Karen Hawkins on 26 Oct 2007 at 2:08 pm #
Santa, I don’t like that EWWWW factor, either. I didn’t care for that book of Heyer’s. It’s the only one I winced over, though I read it just because I liked the heroine. At least it ended well enough.
Sorta.
And thank you, I hope I get to revise it, too. i’d sell the book but I’m so deep in contract mode right now, I couldn’t honestly schedule it and you sort of need to know that while in contract negoiations. One day, perhaps, I will get to do the AFTER version to go with the BEFORE version.
Midas, oh yeess, the whiny character! I also dislike the Heroine Who Is Brave Though She Trembles. They don’t write those so often now, but you saw it a lot when I was younger.
Great discussion, guys! Thanks for your comments!
Kitty on 29 Oct 2007 at 6:56 pm #
I have gotten very picky over the years. And I’ve read everything I can get my hands on since I was ten. While I love a good romance, I have only a few authors that I read consistantly.
If the hero has no saving graces, besides his muscles and a handsome face, if he’s the SLIGHTEST bit abusive, I won’t buy the book. If they hate each other at first sight, same deal. Chemistry is not ‘I hate you, go away’ chemistry is ‘oh yes, come here,’ or at the very least, ‘hmm, come closer.’ I’m personally most fond of ‘hmm, come closer.’
Oh, yeah, if their first kiss is during an argument “he kissed her to shut her up and lost himself in the softness of her lips.” Even if the plot was acceptable until then, I’ll pitch the book, right there. That’s a deal breaker. Don’t believe it for a second, pushes me right out of the story.
I adore the new (to me) fantasy/gothic romance. but the same rules apply to them.
Love this blog!
Kimberly A. Winrotte on 04 Nov 2007 at 8:16 pm #
I actually own OLL. I liked it. It would be great if you did Robert(personally my favorite character of the book) and Duncan’s(I am seriously tickled that he is the MacLean who started it all!) stories.
There have been a few books that totally irked me beyond belief but mostly it was due to the plot versus the characters. Venus by Jane Feather is definitely the number one book on my list of “Oh My Gosh, Are You F—–g Serious?”. I hated it. The hero’s purpose for the heroine was horrible and down-right disgusting to begin with and then the fact that she has to debase herself and basically offer herself up to the “villian” to get raped repeatedly(in a whorehouse, no less) for a week to save the hero, pissed me off. I think the point where I actually got fed up with the book and threw it across the room was at the end when the “hero” is dueling the villian and lets the bastard live.
Like I said, it irks me.
Karen Hawkins on 04 Nov 2007 at 9:40 pm #
Kimberly, i have 136 pages of Robert’s story done. One day . . . .
And yes, I hate it when the hero is selfish, and yet no one seems to notice. I haven’t read that particular Feather book, though I’ve loved all of the ones I have read by her. I never would have thought she’d write a hero like that. How old is the book? Perhaps that’s it. They used to have a LOT of that in romances a long time ago.