The last thing I had ever thought I'd end up writing was spy romance novels. My first attempt at a romance was in a genre I happen to love--a medieval. I knew I loved reading about warriors with big swords, knights out on a quest, who fell in love with some damsel/maiden in distress.
This was pre-Internet days, so I did a lot of my research by buying books and going to the library. When I finally started, I fell in love with the act of writing, sitting for hours happily scribbling the story long hand. I finished my masterpiece in a mere few months, without any idea about things such as first draft, revision, or that the big pile of typed papers was called a manuscript. I just wanted to tell the story.
It took me a while before I realized that, even though I read up everything I could about medieval life, there were a few things wrong with my masterpiece:
1) That book wasn't a historical; it was a his-te-rical. It was really, really bad.
2) My knights all spoke like Navy SEALs on horses
3) My heroine, who was a Viking slave girl, could wield a sword like a "berserker" because the bad guy, the Viking madman wanted her to berserk for some reason by practicing this mind-control thing on her
4) There was a final kungfu-like scene in which the hero/knight duels with the really bad-ass Huge Viking Bad Guy with my heroine in a berserker rage by his side against her lover.
Oh yes, this his-te-rical really exists and it's hidden in a safe place never to be discovered. At times I think of shredding it. Better still, burning it and spreading its ashes in different places so that no spirit on earth can bring it together again. I cringe at the memory of having allowed a few friends and literary agents read it. Those poor folks probably haven't ever recovered.
But you know what? I did discover something about my writing. I found out that I love writing action scenes, especially those involving bawdy men speaking like they were spec. ops. warriors, and that I enjoy showcasing heroines who are capable of taking care of themselves. I discovered that I like weaponry and their usage in warfare and defense systems. I didn't know it, but in those early years, I was, in my own mind, developing my own super-soldier-spy, a theme that is the basis of my current three-book Virtual series, the first one being VIRTUALLY HIS (http://www.eharlequin.com/).
After studying the craft and the writing business more, my first "serious" manuscript was called Big Bad Wolf. It was as much a surprise to me that I could write this spy romance novel because really, at that time, I never enjoyed spy books that much. They were okay, lots of bang-bang, and then more boom-boom. Then, I read Linda Howard's Diamond Bay. Oh. My. God. Something just clicked on in my head. I've found my favorite genre, that dark-souled hero with the darker-souled heroine. And I've never looked back.
Big Bad Wolf (link:http://www.gennita-low.com/GEMS/gems3/BBW1Authornote.rtf) *visit here to read the first chapter of this great story for free* is my first spy novel. It contained all the nuggets/seedlings to my COS commando and GEM verse/mythos. Besides winning several major competitions, it also finaled in RWA's Golden Heart, a contest for the unpublished, twice. Yes, I'm very proud of it ;-) because this manuscript was the beginning of my discovery of myself as a writer.
I hope that you enjoy the free ebook.(http://www.rooferauthor.blogspot.com/ visit here to get all the chapters of this great book for free) Please answer my question at the end of the book because it'll help me make a decision. I hope I gave readers a little insight into the growing evolution of a writer. For writers, I hope I gave you the encouragement to look for your strengths and to go with it in your work.
I also love to hear from readers, so please ask your questions here or email me at Jenn@Gennita-Low(dot)com (sorry, I hate trolling spambots too. Damn tech-spies ;-P).
***********************
--Jenn
This was pre-Internet days, so I did a lot of my research by buying books and going to the library. When I finally started, I fell in love with the act of writing, sitting for hours happily scribbling the story long hand. I finished my masterpiece in a mere few months, without any idea about things such as first draft, revision, or that the big pile of typed papers was called a manuscript. I just wanted to tell the story.
It took me a while before I realized that, even though I read up everything I could about medieval life, there were a few things wrong with my masterpiece:
1) That book wasn't a historical; it was a his-te-rical. It was really, really bad.
2) My knights all spoke like Navy SEALs on horses
3) My heroine, who was a Viking slave girl, could wield a sword like a "berserker" because the bad guy, the Viking madman wanted her to berserk for some reason by practicing this mind-control thing on her
4) There was a final kungfu-like scene in which the hero/knight duels with the really bad-ass Huge Viking Bad Guy with my heroine in a berserker rage by his side against her lover.
Oh yes, this his-te-rical really exists and it's hidden in a safe place never to be discovered. At times I think of shredding it. Better still, burning it and spreading its ashes in different places so that no spirit on earth can bring it together again. I cringe at the memory of having allowed a few friends and literary agents read it. Those poor folks probably haven't ever recovered.
But you know what? I did discover something about my writing. I found out that I love writing action scenes, especially those involving bawdy men speaking like they were spec. ops. warriors, and that I enjoy showcasing heroines who are capable of taking care of themselves. I discovered that I like weaponry and their usage in warfare and defense systems. I didn't know it, but in those early years, I was, in my own mind, developing my own super-soldier-spy, a theme that is the basis of my current three-book Virtual series, the first one being VIRTUALLY HIS (http://www.eharlequin.com/).
After studying the craft and the writing business more, my first "serious" manuscript was called Big Bad Wolf. It was as much a surprise to me that I could write this spy romance novel because really, at that time, I never enjoyed spy books that much. They were okay, lots of bang-bang, and then more boom-boom. Then, I read Linda Howard's Diamond Bay. Oh. My. God. Something just clicked on in my head. I've found my favorite genre, that dark-souled hero with the darker-souled heroine. And I've never looked back.
Big Bad Wolf (link:http://www.gennita-low.com/GEMS/gems3/BBW1Authornote.rtf) *visit here to read the first chapter of this great story for free* is my first spy novel. It contained all the nuggets/seedlings to my COS commando and GEM verse/mythos. Besides winning several major competitions, it also finaled in RWA's Golden Heart, a contest for the unpublished, twice. Yes, I'm very proud of it ;-) because this manuscript was the beginning of my discovery of myself as a writer.
I hope that you enjoy the free ebook.(http://www.rooferauthor.blogspot.com/ visit here to get all the chapters of this great book for free) Please answer my question at the end of the book because it'll help me make a decision. I hope I gave readers a little insight into the growing evolution of a writer. For writers, I hope I gave you the encouragement to look for your strengths and to go with it in your work.
I also love to hear from readers, so please ask your questions here or email me at Jenn@Gennita-Low(dot)com (sorry, I hate trolling spambots too. Damn tech-spies ;-P).
***********************
--Jenn
If you'd like to read part of the beginning please visit here:
*Leave a comment to Jenn's post for your chance to win a signed copy of VIRTUALLY HIS!*
