The winner of the tuition to The Core Decision class is: Jessica Tudor. The winner of the tuition to the Narrative Control class is: Amanda Freeman. I’ll send your email addys to the appropriate people, and they’ll be in touch!

Congrats! The rest of you? Head to the PASIC and Access Romance sites and sign up so you don’t miss out on Jo’s or Lydia’s brilliant instruction!

Also, Ashley has posted her review of BORN TO BE WILDE which she won in a recent giveaway. Click here to read it!

Today it’s time for the gratuitous puppy dog pic. This is Snickers, moping because I won’t come outside to write and play with her. She doesn’t get the thing about allergies, humidity, and ninety degree heat.

Now, go and check out Alyssa’s review for Janelle Denison’s BORN TO BE WILDE. Remember, Alyssa won a copy here on the blog last month.

Any of you who run a WordPress blog or site and are often confused about using the platform, Access Romance is hosting a free 3-day class on WordPress Basics. There will also be a longer more involved class on the advanced use of WordPress, and both classes will be given by Frauke Spanuth of Croco Designs who has a wonderful portfolio of WP work.

Also, while I’m waiting for Cher, Alyssa, and Ashley to post their reviews of BORN TO BE WILDE by Janelle Denison, I thought I’d point you to Laurie Damron’s blog where she shares her thoughts on the book.

Lastly, I’ve got a lot of stuff to go out in the mail from the recent contests, but most likely it will be next week before the husband has time to make a post office run, so hang in. I’ve got all the addresses you’ve sent and I’ll email you when things go out! Right now, the book has to come first!

Since we’re in a winning and learning mood around here, let’s look at another must-take class coming up soon. Don’t think it’s only the old pros that can teach you something new, or give you a way to look at a craft topic you might not have considered, because there are some damn talented young’uns out there – and Lydia Joyce is one of the best. I know this because she and I have critiqued on and off for several years now.

Lydia Joyce is the author of four novels that have won much praise for their sensual intensity and atmosphere. Every one of her books has received a 4.5-heart review from Romantic Times BOOKclub, and she has received Desert Island Keeper status from All About Romance, as well. Among other awards, she has been a finalist for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Best Erotic Romance twice, for All About Romance’s yearly reader poll (including winning one and being a runner up for another), winner of the Romance Readers Anonymous Best Debut author, and a runner up for the Smart Bitches BWAHA award.

And don’t let me hear you saying that she writes historicals and that’s not your focus . . . remember the critique group thing above? I’ve read two of her fantasy projects, a piece of her contemporary work, and a bit of a thriller idea – among other things. Plain and simple, she can write, and she’s going to share a lot of her tips via the following:

Ever wondered how to make your action hum with tension and your love scenes grippingly passionate? Lydia Joyce is well known for her exciting, sensual stories and will teach you her techniques for making your scenes intense! Throw away useless advice like “make your sentences short to make people read fast” and plunge into real ways of looking at how writers put scenes together to create different effects.

Topics:

-Introduction
-Action
-Sensation
-Dialog
-Description
-Internalization
-Pacing Action I
-Pacing Action II
-Pacing Sex I
-Pacing Sex II
-Conclusion

Lydia is generously giving away one class tuition to a reader of my blog. Post to the comments if you’d like to this class, and on Saturday night, September 8, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.ish CDT, I’ll pick a winner. But if you know you want to take this class,

Here’s what I believe: Novels that involve the reader are about characters. Special characters. Characters who, through the course of the novel, go through a transformation. In romance novels, the characters transform because of their involvement with the other primary character (as opposed to, say, finding Moby Dick). I also believe that the only reason for plot is to force our characters into situations that make them have to chose. To transform.

I believe that, too. But I wasn’t the one to say it. That brilliant observation is courtesy of Jo Leigh. Well, duh, you say. Novels being about characters is obvious. Okay, I say. Then why are so many characters described as cardboard? Why do they come across as stereotypical cliches? Or seem to have been plucked out of central casting and plopped into a scene?

That would be because they’re not real. They don’t exist on the page as people, as vital living beings, but as puppets manipulated by the author who is pulling their strings to make the plot go her way. By doing so, she’s pulling the reader’s strings, too. That’s not the way a book should be written. Not if a reader is going to take it to heart, laugh and cry with the characters, fear for their safety, believe every step of their journey.

Don’t you want to write with a true depth of character? Then why not let Jo show you how. She’s teaching a class, and is going to make sure one of you reading this gets a chance to learn how via the following:

The Core Decision is all about creating characters. It’s about using your own life, the joys, the tragedies, the love, the desperation that made us who we are. It’s about breathing life into your hero and heroine and your villain so that each of them leap off the page and into the reader’s heart. In this workshop, we will cover:

The Core Decision

* The Child’s Interpretation
* The Decision
* The Fallout
* Reinforcements
* Recognition
* The New Decision
* Actions = Transformations

The Process of Discovery

* Remembering
* Writing it out
* Shame
* Pain

The Fatal Flaw

* Character Arc and Emotions
* Transference — how plot reveals character
* Multiple Levels of Interaction — All the Yous of You

Jo is generously giving away one class tuition to a reader of my blog. Post to the comments that you’re dying to take this class, and on Saturday night, September 8, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.ish CDT, I’ll pick a winner.

If you’d like more information, visit Jo’s blog , or if you know you want to take this class whether you win it or not, head to the source and sign up.

The birthday has come and gone, as has all the birthday fun! And if you think my cryptic comment yesterday about spending time with one of my birthday gifts was about play time? You would be wrong! Her name is Dana! And she came straight to me from eBay! *g*

I have posted the winner’s name for each of the birthday giveaways in the comments of the individual post. If you were hoping to win and did not “subscribe to comments” and already know that you did, check there for the winners’ names! Congratulations to everyone! I hope you enjoy your gifties as much as I’ve enjoyed mine.

I ate the last piece of one of my THREE birthday cakes tonight. The husband finished off one of the others. And let’s just say, the third found a new home as neither of us could stomach any more sugar! I did make the MOST awesome mango/peach/blackberry/strawberry smoothie today, though!! (Oh, and I hid the rest of the candy Taylor so neatly wrapped!)

If you’re a writer and you’re interested in taking your craft to a higher level, I have a special giveaway for later this week. Do check back!!

Five hours to go on the remaining birthday prizes! Scroll down to win! (I love blogging from my phone!)

Will be back Tuesday. Am spending the holiday weekend with one of my birthday gifts.

Don’t forget! There are six of my birthday prizes that won’t have winners drawn until Monday, 9/3/07, 8:00 p.m.ish CDT, so scroll down and enter!

I got this from Diana P! Go Simpsonize yourself! The husband and I did!

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