http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/index/ en annette.mccleave@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-11-18T11:01:10-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/blogging-at-silk-and-shadows-today/ {summary} Blogging Silk and Shadows we're sharing our favorite recipes. If you know me well, you might be staring at the sceen with owl eyes right now. What? Annette cook? Is this a joke?

But I do cook on very rare occasions, and I've shared some tried and true family recipes. They taste good, I promise. Go check them out.]]> 2008-11-18T11:01:10-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/very-proud/ {summary} Personal half page article honoring my dad's life. The article is part of a week long focus on remembering our fallen military personnel.

Since you don't get to see the photos when you read the online version, I'm posting the three pictures they used below. Needless to say, his brothers and sisters, as well as his Air Force buddies, are all very proud, too.


Even as a little boy he loved airplanes


Handsome top gun


Flying the Falcon 20


I'd like to thank the reporter, Nora Ryell, who I discovered is also a budding romance author, for this wonderful tribute.]]> 2008-11-13T17:11:56-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/you-know-youve-arrived-when/ {summary} The Road to Publication Dear Author.

I love the comment on male harems. Honestly, it's hard to resent being compared to the Black Dagger Brotherhood. ]]> 2008-11-11T10:17:31-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/silk-and-shadows/ {summary} Blogging Jessa Slade, author of the upcoming urban fantasy romance Seduced by Shadows, gives her insights into what makes dark heroes so appealing. Tomorrow, it'll be my turn.

These strong and passionately intense heart-throbs exist everywhere, from Mr. Darcy to Angel. Almost everyone has a favorite dark Mr. Dreamy. Stop by Silk and Shadows and share yours!]]> 2008-11-03T14:16:39-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/happy-halloween2/ {summary} Writing Life Drawn into Darkness is off to my editor and I'm turning my thoughts to book number 2.

Yesterday was my birthday...I know, I should have said something. But I was busy with those last minutes little tweaks and getting the manuscript out the door. My sister bought me a gift--really nice of her--and a caramel apple cheescake. The conversation regarding her gift went something like this:

Her: Uh, I got you something a little different for your birthday this year...
Me: Really? What is it?
Her: An appointment at the hairdresser.
Me: Huh? Why?
Her: Have you looked in the mirror?
Me (dashing to the bathroom): What's wrong?
Her: See those glistening silver things? Gray hair, sweetheart.
Me: Gray hair? No way. I'm too young to have gray hair.
Her (snorting): Here's the card. They're expecting you at 1 p.m.

So, off I went and now I have lovely blonde hair in a stylish cut. I guess I won't be able to scare the kiddies at the door tonight after all. ]]> 2008-10-31T15:43:44-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/embrace-the-edits/ {summary} The Road to Publication
Some authors hate the edit process. Me, I love it. Yes, it can be uncomfortable when an editor is suggesting the changes rather than me, the story creator. But the truth is my editor's goal is the same as mine--make the story stronger. My editor wants my book to be a bestseller. If I keep that in mind, the edits go pretty well.

One of the reasons I like the editing process is that it forces me to see my story from a different angle and that gets my creative juices flowing. I see new connections between events. I delve deeper into motivations. Answering 'Yes, what if...?' brings me to places I hadn't previously imagined. All good. Maybe not all relevant, but definitely all good.

Relevance is the reason I like to sit with the edits for a while before diving in. For me, it's critical to thoroughly explore the inevitable questions that surface, to understand all the possible angles. But there's a difference between a possible angle and something that makes the story better. Some angles take you down a completely unnecessary path. I prefer to avoid those. Finding the time to mull things over isn't easy if the delivery schedule is tight, but it's essential for me. And it pays off when the edits start--the writing part goes much quicker when my brain has embraced the edits.]]> 2008-10-16T09:30:12-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/titles/ {summary} Writing Life
Historical titles are often some form of "Ravished by the Duke" or "One Knight in my Bed". Paranormal novels are often some form of "Blood Moon" or "A Thirst for Darkness". Harlequin Presents titles are often some form of "The Millionaire's Mistress". Erotic romances often have titles like "Spurred On" or "Wild and Wicked in Vegas". Is all this similarity done to confuse readers? No. It's done to imply the sort of story the bookstore browser will find between the covers of your novel. It's done to encourage the reader who likes your type of novel to pick it up and at least read the back.

If you're lucky, you'll get some say in what the new title of your book will be. Your editor will ask you for suggestions, perhaps after giving you guidelines about what sort of phrases work for him/her ... and the publisher's marketing department. After some back and forth, you'll arrive at a new title--maybe one you coined yourself. The most important thing to remember during this process is that your editor wants your book to sell like hotcakes. The publisher wants you to succeed. They want readers to discover you and then hold you up as the next great talent. The change of title is their expertise at work helping you reach that goal.

So, if you're a brand new author, here's to an eye-catching title that encourages many, many readers to pick up your book and then carry it all the way to the checkout line.

By the way, my GH winning manuscript has a new title. It's now called Drawn into Darkness. Ten guesses what kind of story it is... ]]> 2008-10-06T17:29:15-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/fall-memories/ {summary} Random Thoughts
Strangely, I also have two paintings in my livingroom that are so realistic they look like you could step into them, and guess what? They're both depictions of the fall. One's an old farmhouse under a sweeping tangerine maple tree, with a big puddle in the front yard, a toy sailboat just waiting to be launched. The other's a brick house, the trees nearly empty of leaves because they've all fallen to the ground, and big puddle playing host to a gaggle of geese. Of all the pictures I could have bought, why did I buy those? Because they trigger my memories.

Memories of sitting 'round a table with my family feasting on turkey, jumping into mile-high piles of leaves, splashing in puddles, breathing in the cool, crisp air and the first tendrils of fireplace woodsmoke. Light rain, deep thickets of poplars--yellow on top and soggy brown at the bottom, the perfect shape of a leaf left on the sidewalk, the excited bounce in my dog's step. Surprisingly wonderful fall memories.

Off I go ... I'm inspired to write.]]> 2008-10-05T08:32:01-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/conferences/ {summary} Random Thoughts
This will be my first conference as a contracted author. If you're attending the conference, look for me--I'll be the one with the huge grin on her face. I still can't believe it. Okay, I can believe it, but I definitely haven't come down off cloud nine yet.

I'm not going to miss next year's RWA conference in DC, that much I know. I refuse to miss my one opportunity to wear the coveted pink ribbon that identifies me as a new sale. By then I'm sure the glow will have worn off...a little.]]> 2008-09-23T16:30:58-05:00 http://www.annettemccleave.com/index.php/weblog/heroes/ {summary} Personal
And he did.



Not only did he remain faithful to my mother for the entirety of their fifty year marriage, he fathered five children, proudly served his country as a fighter pilot during the nervous years of the cold war, and saved many a life as a Search & Rescue helicopter pilot. He was the first pilot to break the sound barrier at a public airshow over Paris, France, he took a Canadian expedition to the North Pole to plant our flag, and he dedicated a huge chunk of his time to getting a fabulous memorial cairn built for the All Weather Fighter Association.



My dad did everything with purpose and energy. He walked faster than any one I know--as a child, I can remember running to keep up with him, and my mother would often admonish him, "Slow down, Gerry." When he decided to quit smoking, he did it cold turkey and never smoked another cigarette in his life. When he took up carving upon his retirement, he wasn't satisfied to simply whittle a few small pieces--he went on to win awards for his ducks, loons and other wildlife depictions. His passion for his causes was fierce and earned him the roles of president of his union and president of his local community association. When my mother became ill two years ago, he insisted on looking after her himself, and she died at home, with him. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he ever met.



Few people who met my dad ever forgot him. Not because he was some paragon of virtue, though. No, to this day, they remember his love of life ... and his love of a good party. If you spotted a crowd of laughing people at a party, chances were you'd find my dad in the center. Generous to a fault, he liked nothing better than to have everyone over to his place for some great food and a few laughs; even when he became blind in his later years, he insisted on hosting our family get-togethers himself, doing almost all the cooking.

My dad died as he lived, giving it eveything he had. He joked with friends, never forgot to thank anyone for their help, and winked at the nurses right up to the end. Sounds like hero material to me.





Gerard Rene Gagne
March 1930 - September 2008]]> 2008-09-13T11:17:28-05:00