…that is the question.

One of my dearest friends shocked me a couple of years ago when she told me that she never reads Prologues. What??!! I mean, really?

I just finished writing a prologue for a story when I realized it simply had to be done and no amount of tweaking Chapter One was going to replace it. This sparked me asking a question on my Facebook and the discussion that followed was both gratifying and illuminating.

No, my friend is *not* alone, but nor is she the majority…or even representative of a larger minority. Breathing a sigh of relief on that, I’ll tell you…

Though not always technically part of it, a prologue contains important information for the understanding and enjoyment of the story that follows. Or it’s supposed to anyway.

Wikepedia gives this definition for Prologue:
A prologue (Greek πρόλογος prologos, from προ~, pro~ – fore~, and lógos, word), or prolog, is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance, embracing any kind of preface, like the Latin praefatio. In a book, the prologue is a part of the front matter which is in the voice of one of the book’s characters rather than in that of the author.

Mirriam Webster has this entry for Prologue:
Etymology: Middle English prolog, from Anglo-French prologue, from Latin prologus preface to a play, from Greek prologos part of a Greek play preceding the entry of the chorus, from pro- before + legein to speak — more at pro-, legend
Date: 14th century
1 : the preface or introduction to a literary work
2 a : a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the beginning of a play b : the actor speaking such a prologue
3 : an introductory or preceding event or development

Okay, so clearly…the prologue is what comes before. I’ve noticed that some authors label as a prologue, what for me feels like the beginning of Chapter 1 – simply because there is no significant time, location or character circtumstance change between the prologue and first chapter. I find these prologues truly annoying, only because they simply aren’t. Prologues, I mean. And labeling them as such feels wrong. It feels sloppy, like the author didn’t want to take the time to figure out how to make the opening work, so s/he just moved it to the prologue so Chapter One started in the place s/he wanted it to.

This always makes me leery going into the book and less likely to read it with my full attention.

But that begs the question even more then, doesn’t it? To prologue, or not to prologue.

I’ve come to the conclusion that some books absolutely need a prologue. Inserting the backstory, setting, character motivation in as backstory later will feel clunky and not as visceral for the reader (those that read the bloody things anyway). Those that don’t are going to be lost for a good part of the book, aren’t they? I talked to my friend about this and she felt a lot of prologues were simply wasted words. The more I paid attention to prologues and what came after, the more I learned she might well be right.

For some authors, not only do they write a prologue, but then dump all the info in it in the first chapter regardless. Heck, I’ve done something similar myself (if not as wholesale in execution). Why? Because I want to give the reader the visceral connection to what came before on-screen (as it were) rather than merely referring to it. I want to share the emotions of the moment, not the reflections of time.

Still, if that prologue happens directly before the book “starts” – it’s going to end up Chapter One instead.

For a while, I tried to avoid prologues all together because of what my friend said. I mean, I figured she wasn’t the only one, right? But some books? Just need a prologue and that’s simply that. So, my current WIP has one and it sets the tone for the book and the motivation for the heroine’s rather scandalous and out of character proposition to the hero.

It’s your turn: do prologues annoy you? Do you like them? Are you bothered by a scene being labeled a prologue that feels like it’s part of Chapter One?

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I can’t help being thankful that I have another one to celebrate with my own mother. My hero. When people ask how I maintain a positive attitude through difficulties, I point them to a woman who has lived with chronic, debilitating pain for decades and still manages to smile, to laugh, to express love without limits to all those around her. Put simply…my mom is amazing. Most recently, I had some serious problems with my back that resulted in agonizing pain for several months, during which I did most of my writing one-handed and lying on my side. I smiled a lot, truly grateful for every day’s triumphs and again, people kept asking me how I did that. The truth? With my mom as an inspiration, how could I not?

She is one of the most important people in my life. She’s been one of my best friends, an amazing role model and mentor and so many things in between. Mother’s Day is such an important holiday for me because I want her always to know how very much I love and admire her. Every year we celebrate Mother’s Day is a gift, but particularly since she was diagnosed (nearly 10 years ago) with a terminal illness for which treatment has been ineffective. We’ve been told no less than 3 times that she had 6 months to a year. She has never given in and by God’s grace, she’s still kicking it up – if slowly, if painfully, if weakly. Each day with her is a miraculous present we do not take for granted.

Though she did not read romance, my mom supported me for the entire 9 years it took to publish my first book. She believed in me when I doubted myself, telling me over and over again that I could do it, that I was talented, that my stories needed to be shared. She cheered me on and spurred me forward, never allowing me to even consider giving up. Despite her illness, she attends my book signings and shows her love for me in so many ways. I pray often to be a mother as wonderful as my own and watch my daughters as they move into parenthood and see so much of my mom in them – what a gift!

My first and only Mother’s Day book, The Sicilian’s Marriage Arrangement, is going to be re-released as a single title Harlequin Showcase 2-in-1 with Julia James’ The Greek’s Virgin Bride on May 11. It’s a pretty neat celebration of a holiday that will always be entwined with my mom’s deep love and constant support for me.

Now it’s your turn: I know not everyone has a mom they can be close to (we’ve opened our home to teens whose relationship – for whatever reason – with their parents broke down), but I’d love to hear your stories. Whether they’re about the one who gave you birth, a mentor, a friend who has given you that special kind of love, or your own experiences in motherhood or pseudo motherhood, I’d love it if you’d share! What does Mother’s Day mean for you?

Okay, so I’m going to RT, but I know a bunch of you aren’t and I got to thinking what I could do to make the week of RT fun for you all and any other readers who might be feeling a little left out. Then I hit on it – I would host a Readers at Home Conference on my blog. We’d have tons of authors, tons of “door” prizes (more than 50!!!), tons of hotties (cover models, hero inspiration…just plain yum factor) and tons of fun!!!

The first 50 Registrants got Swag Bags, but we have 10 more to give away as part of the 75+ prizes being awarded throughout the week! To be eligible for the daily door prizes (as opposed to the Blog Post prizes), you must pre-register. To do that, all you have to do is send an email to me [lucymonroe at lucymonroe dot com] with your name and mailing address (for shipping any prizes you may win) stating your intention to attend the RAH Conference.

We are trusting that if you register, you truly intend to attend the conference and interact with the authors and other readers on the blog. I’m shipping the Swag Bags at my own expense, but many authors have donated loot for you all, and each Swag Bag will have a free book inside.

Yes, that’s right – the Reader at Home Conference is FREE. How cool is that?

Every day there will be multiple authors visiting and guest blogging, with new blogs posting every 3 hours between 6 AM and 6 PM. And cover models? We’ve got ‘em – with behind the scenes action as well as hero inspiration. There will be daily drawings for multiple prizes, including dozens of signed books, a B&N gift card, a t-shirt, 3 prize tote bags filled with books & goodies (donated by Sue Grimshaw from BTRB and Becke Martin of B&N.com), free online subscirptions to Affaire de Couer magazine and 2 more Swag Bags given away each day. What could be better?

Again, to be eligible for daily “door prizes” you need to register for the conference. However “blog post” prize winners will be drawn daily from all the comments made on all the posts each day (as per my normal blog prize policy – each comment is counted in the drawing). Two ways to win 75+ very cool prizes!

In the right corner, wearing red satin trunks and weighing in at 250 lbs of pure muscle and industry history, we have HEA, our alltime heavyweight champion – undefeated by cynicism, divorce rates and statistics on infidelity. In the left corner, wearing purple satin trunks and weigning in at 225 lbs of lean muscle and a new industry convention, we have HFN, with all the romance and none of the certainty for the future.

HEA stands for happily ever after. The concept of course is that two people fall in love, commit to a lifetime together and despite the challenges and obstacles they face, they keep their love alive and their relationship from crashing on the shoals of apathy and dishonesty that account for so much of our divorce rate stats.

HFN stands for happy for now. The concept being that two people fall in lust at least, commit to seeing where things go and may or may not stay together. They’ll probably fight for their relationship, after all, they’ve negotiated the dangerous rapids of romantic conflict and taken the risk to open their hearts – at least part of the way.

My question for you is, if this is your boxing ring and you get to decide with fighter wins the battle for the ending of your favorite books, which is it? Do you want a solid HEA with the certainty this couple is in it for the long haul, or are you okay with the HFN prospect, where the couple is busy enjoying the sharing of bodies and maybe part of their lives, but not necessarily their futures?

I think you all know what I prefer , but the HFN has become more popular, especially in the last five years, that I’m happy to discuss why this ending works for so many readers. Some of the erotica publishers even require it, and are unwilling to buy books with an HEA. I don’t see myself ever writing it, I’m far too fond of my Scooby Doo endings (where most everything gets wrapped up), but I’ve read some really talented authors who do.

It’s your turn: what are your thoughts? What’s your favorite HEA for all time, or even just lately? What’s your favorite HFN? Do you like/not like an ongoing series where it takes several books to reach the HEA? Are your expectations different for different imprints?

We, who are dedicated romance fans, are firmly aware of the benefits to reading. We’ve heard the study results that show reading and doing things like crossword puzzles helps to maintain healthy brain activity as we grow older. We’ve each experienced in our own ways the life changing power of the written word.

Now one of my favorite fashion magazines even recognizes the benefits of reading:

Read the article here.

Your turn: post your favorite link to an article about reading or romance, or share your favorite story about how reading has impacted your life in some specific instance or way.

Please don’t be bothered if it takes me a bit to reply to your comments as I’m working on a book that was due much too long ago and trying very hard to come back from a nasty flu turned bronchitis.

Hugs to all,
Lucy

Hey, Peeps…as Lori Foster would say.

I thought we’d have a little fun and do a NAME THAT BOOK teaser. For a little behind the book fun, here is a picture of the heroine’s namesake (the one in front) on the catwalk during a bridal show.

She was halfway down the catwalk when her gaze snagged on a pair of green eyes. The color of new grass, they were set in a face as hard as granite and as sexy as sin.

The look in those eyes caught her as effectively as if the man’s hands had closed over her shoulders and halted her mid-step. She did in fact stop, her body freezing with a blast of sensations totally alien to her. Sensations that belied every one of the nasty headlines.

Her pause lasted only a second, but she felt the first blush she’d had in years crawling hotly up her skin.

The man’s thin lips quirked in a knowing smile.

Obviously aware that he was the cause of her hesitation, his expression reflected a mixture of mocking humor and blatant male approval.

She’d spent years learning to ignore the masculine admiration her body elicited. For her, the perfectly proportioned curves were a tool of her trade, nothing more, but this man’s look went zinging to the very heart of her.

Frissons of awareness skittered along her nerve endings, leaving goose bumps of sensation in unlikely places.

She stopped at the end of the stage, which happened to be right in front of his table while two other models wearing eveningwear came down the catwalk to flank her.

His eyes flared with pleasure as she stood in a mannequin still pose before him and his dark blonde head tilted slightly, as if he was adjusting his angle to look at her better.

An electric current vibrated across the space between them, inexorably connecting them.

Unbelievably, her nipples grew hard and her breasts felt tight while her thighs trembled with the effort it took to maintain her pose.

She’d never reacted during a show this way. Not ever.

Only years of practice and discipline made it possible for her to move through her choreographed routine with the other two models. However, no matter which direction she turned, she felt that amazing connection.

It was scary.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’ll draw a winner from the comments on this post to receive the book. And if you already have it? You can do a book of choice instead.

Hugs,
Lucy

P.S. Can anyone guess who the gorgeous young woman on the catwalk really is?

…otherwise known as Hubcap.

Hubcap vs. the Hot Springs

Greetings one and all, Hubcap here. Just wanted to let you know that the Missus and I celebrated a fabulous 20 years of marrytude last week! This time was different from previous anniversaries as I was kept in the dark as to what the festivities would be. “It’s a SURPRISE!” Lucy said with glee!

Now mind you, I’m all for surprises. But I did run through my head real quick, trying to remember all the stupid things I said or did over the past two decades. Was it going to be a lovefest, all romantic and wonderful? Or was it going to be a drive to a “remote location”, with a bump on the head and concrete shoes? I figured it was the latt…er, um, former. After all, I’ve been good, right? RIGHT?

Well the Big Day came, and off we went.

As we went further and further from town, things were looking….well, remotely located.

“Turn here,” Lucy said. Then she gave further directions. All said and done, we pulled up to……THE BONNEVILLE HOT SPRINGS RESORT.

Holy Smokes, what an incredible place! And I wasn’t going to die!

I just want to go on record and thank everyone (and the Academy) for their suggestions and input for where to spend our Anniversary. It was, I must say, the best time we’ve ever had. A huge suite, a balcony almost as large, WITH a hot tub filled with mineral waters. We used that hot tub like crazy!

The place is super peaceful, and built like a lodge, very beautiful (yeah I said it, the B word). As soon as we arrive, we had our first appointment, a eucalyptus mineral bath with follow-up body wrap. Now, I’ve never sat in rockwater, and have never had my body wrapped in towels. At least, not by a man. But there’s always a first time.

That bath was amazing (at least when I turned the water temperature from “Stir Fry” to “Comfortably Hot”). I was totally relaxed, eating grapes, feeling….well, a bit feminine…WAIT A GOLDARN MINUTE, THAT AIN’T RIGHT! I promptly leaped into the other bath, which was filled with…..freezing water. Yes sir, that’s a bath a real man would take! And yes, I promptly leapt back into the comfy hot eucalyptus bath, having made my shriveled point. I’m glad you agree.

The body wrap, of course, had me thinking odd references, like “The Geek Mummy” and “Indiana Jones and the Body Wrap of Doom”. Soft music playing, I really enjoyed it, save those brief times when the guy would come in and ask, “Are you warm enough?” Well, YOU’RE not gonna find out! Now go replace that chamomile compress on my forehead, I’m not feeling manly enough…

The next day, Lucy had set up full body massages for the two of us. The two guys walk into our suite, set up the tables, and as we get on the tables, they ask, “Now, do you like a lot of pressure? Not everyone does.” Heck, we do great under pressure! Do your worst! We’re thinking, “We can handle THIS!”

Well, I got a word for you: Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. They found muscles we didn’t even think we had…then promptly massaged them into oblivion. We fought back tears the whole time, finally we had to cry Uncle, and they quickly lightened the pressure. Now don’t get me wrong: Those guys did a terrific job; upon reflection, we should’ve got the lighter setting off the get go. Oh, and mentioned that my feet and legs are ticklish. I’m just saying hypothetically, because as a man, I’m not ticklish. You’ll never know of course, because I won’t let anyone near me.

Every meal was, as Lucy put it, “Gourmet!”. Even when we visited the nearby town of Stevenson, a small cafe, their lunch and salads were exotic….excellent! A hummus plate with goat cheese and fancy olives, pulled pork sandwiches that had smoked all day. Incredible.
And on the actual Anniversary date, in a historic hotel in Columbia Gorge; to-die-for salmon and steak meals that were literally too good to eat! And in all of this, beautiful (there’s that word) scenery, watching Kitesurfers on the Columbia, a great museum with petroglyphs in it. Fun, sun, peace. Surrounded by the sounds and sights of Nature.

And might I add, on top of all this, my Gorgeous Lucy, we never were apart! We talked, laughed, loved, relaxed 24-7. We remembered all the wonderful times we’ve had over the years, how much in love we still are with each other, and how we were going to continue this great ride God Blessed us with. An amazingly loving time. And no: I WOULDN’T rather be fishing. Honest.

Well, that’s it for now, thanks again folx, and I’ll catch up to you next time.

Spinning off,
Hubcap

What’s in a name? Well, if you’re talking book titles…a lot. Some of us have that special something when it comes to titling our books and well, some of us don’t. I fall in the don’t category, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Eventually, my editors are going to run out of nice ways to say, “That title sucks dirty sweat socks.”

Luckily for the reading world at large, I’m perfectly happy to have my editors do their titling magic on my books. However, I’ve had the privilege of coming up with some pretty important names, if not on my own – at least with lots of my influence. For instance, our children…though if you could have heard my grandmother after we named our son, you would have thought his name sucked dirty sweat socks. It doesn’t. It’s fabulous. It’s his. He likes it, which for a teenager is no small thing, you know?

But recently, I had to come up with another name – what my grandchildren would call me. I always sort of assumed it would be Grandma, but my mom is Grandma and I kind of like how my m-i-l gets called Banoi by my kids (Vietnamese for grandma on the dad’s side of the family). Since our oldest daughter is expecting her first child and our first grandchild this summer, the name thing became important.

I opted for the Italian word for Grandmother because I just love it. Nonna. My husband is taking on his deceased grandfather’s title (Pops), one of the most influential people during his growing years and a very special man who dh loved very much.

What’s in a name? For me…for dh…maybe a little bit of history, maybe more than a little emotion and definitely a sense of rightness. When it is right.

So, what did you call your grandparents and what do your kids (if you have any) call theirs?

I know not everyone celebrates Christmas. Some celbrate Hannukah, some Kwanzaa, some Yule and some nothing at all this time of year, but me? I celebrate Christmas and I really get into it!

I love the store decorations that go up before Halloween, the music, the energy, the love and spirit of giving that infects so many this time of year. It’s not perfect and I won’t pretend it is, but the good stuff is GREAT and each one of us can do our part to overcome the negative aspects of this season. Don’t you think?

So, I’ve done a ton of shopping and the pile of presents to be wrapped is huge. It’s a good thing Drama Queen needs to earn some money because she and her older sister have offered their services wrapping all those presents. Yes, they *did* in fact offer to wrap their own, but silly me – I vetoed the idea. LOLOL Can you imagine? What was I thinking? That’s what they want to know anyway!

We decorated for Christmas this weekend and the house looks great. What do you think?

DQ is in charge of decorating the big tree in the family room. She roped the K-boys (our longterm Korean foreign exchange students) into helping her while I supervised and well, yes…organized my nutcrackers. I decorated the mini tree for the landing with the ornaments left over from the big tree. I think they both turned out beautifully.

We had to forego outside lights this year though. Really weird for us. But the outside plug went bad and right now, on top of everything else, I just can’t deal with getting an electrician out here to fix it. Hubcap has promised to get one of those decorative image projectors for the front of the house and figure out some way to power at least it. He’s such a wonderful guy! And I’m sure my pouty lower lip didn’t have a thing to do with his offer.

I love having books out this time of year too. We’re still celebrating the release of DEAL WITH THIS on my personal blog. I’m doing a Twelve Days of Christmas daily giveaway as well as some other fun stuff this month. So, make sure you visit!

But let’s keep a little of the celebrating right here…sound good? I’ll also draw a name from the comments on this post to win a copy of Satisfaction Guaranteed as well as another suprise Brava title from my store of wonderful other author books to give away!

So, what are you all up to while I try to get my pages in, remember to blog and get organized for several huge family celebrations coming up?

Hugs,
Lucy

Cue the James Bond music and call the Geek Squad! If you like your espionage with thrills, romance and a touch of humor look no further. You’ll find sensuality and sass in my new high-tech action romance, DEAL WITH THIS.

It’s lights, camera, action as this novel brings you inside the Vancouver film industry. It’s a fun look at the industry itself while taking you through a rollercoaster ride of spy action and hot romance. And maybe just a little humor.

Michelle Buonfiglio of Lifetime TV’s Romance: B(u)y the Book says, “Lucy Monroe excels at creating alpha bad boys and authentic erotic romance.” And Romantic Times gave DEAL WITH THIS four stars calling my characters “sexually empowering.” Advance readers claim the love scenes sizzle more than any other book I’ve written and that they fell in love with the characters.

My “alpha bad boy” Alan (from Satisfaction Guaranteed) goes undercover to find out who is trying to auction off international secrets and finds himself on the set of a scifi TV show with the star of the show, Jillian (from The Real Deal), set to help him whether he likes it or not!

I am super pleased with this novel because of the character development of both of these characters. Alan isn’t a typical “alpha male”, but has layers of complexity to him that allow him to appreciate Jillian’s independence and accept himself without having to be in charge all the time – though he certainly takes his turn. (I’ll leave it to your imagination or reading the book to figure out what that means. ::g::) Jillian is strong, sassy, fun and loveable. She won’t faint at the sight of a gun and she doesn’t mind talking about sex, needs and what she really wants.

Throw in a scifi TV show, producers, spies, anti-gravity planes and really hot love scenes and you’ve got DEAL WITH THIS! Out today!

Watch the book trailer and let me know what you think.

Hugs,
Lucy

P.S. Don’t forget the party still going on at my personal blog to celeberate the release of DEAL WITH THIS.