Today, Today, It Could Happen Today! (By Guest Blogger Jenna Petersen - aka Jess Michaels)

Today we welcome special guest, Jenna Petersen. With multiple releases from Avon, including Lessons From a Courtesan, Scandalous, and the Lady Spies series, Jenna also writes for Avon Red as erotic romance author Jess Michaels. And, on top of all that writing, Jenna still manages to find the time to run The Passionate Pen...a valuable web resource dedicated to helping aspiring authors.

All that and she still finds time to blog with us. Thanks so much and welcome Jenna! (And readers don't forget that Jenna is giving away a signed copy of A Red Hot Valentine's Day AND Lessons From a Courtesan right here at Inspiration, Ink! She'll be choosing at random from your comments, so don't be shy! Today's the day to say hello!!)

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be here at Inspiration Ink! I love that this blog really seems to be for new and aspiring authors in some ways (the blogs covering archetypes were great). I guess I know a little about that section of the writing population because of The Passionate Pen (http://www.passionatepen.com), which you guys so kindly gave a shout-out to a couple of weeks ago. But more than that, I know about being an aspiring author because I was one… actually for quite a long time.

So today I’d like to talk about the long and winding road that often takes us to publication. For me, it started in 1996 when I wrote my first romance novel. I was in college, I had never really read romance, I thought it would be “easy” and I wrote it single-spaced, on both sheets and handed it out page by page to the girls in my dorm. I fell back in love with writing (I say “back” because I’d always wanted to write) and also in love with the feeling that people loved reading my words. These girls would knock on my door at all hours asking for “one more page”.

But life intervened. I didn’t think I wanted to be a romance writer of all things! In 1998, I graduated with a degree in psychology, my husband got a great job at a major company and I took a year off to get field experience before returning to school for an MA in counseling. And then I started typing that story back into my computer, editing as I went. All the love came back to me, all the joy of writing and creating. We talked about it for a long time and ultimately my husband’s support convinced me to give up on my return to school and dedicate myself to writing romance full-time.

In my own backwards way, I decided hey… maybe I should read some! Instantly I started to question my decision to pursue my dream. I mean, these books were good. How had I missed that before? Anyway, I decided to keep on, and for years I slogged. I wrote books. I submitted books. I got rejected. I wrote more books. I cried. I got an agent. We parted ways. I cried. Lather, rinse repeat.

One day, four years plus into my journey and more than 12 books in… I gave up. I had parted ways with an agent a few months before. Since then, I had sold a couple of novellas to a small publisher and I was writing more erotic short novellas, but I had this thought that I would never sell a historical romance. Never. It was time to give up the ghost. But I had one little book in my collection that I had never sent out. I made a list of five agents I would love to have and sent queries and proposals out. I figured I’d try once more with an agent, when they all rejected me, I’d query it on my own. When THEY all rejected me, I’d stop.

To my surprise, one agent from one of my top picks called me. She wanted me. And she had faith in my writing as a historical romance novelist. Her enthusiasm picked me up, carried me back to my desk and had me writing books again. And believing, in some tiny part of me, that maybe she was right. She seemed smart enough, after all!

It turned out she was. Within six months of us deciding to work together, she sold two books to Avon, my dream publisher. And here we are, five years and 10 books+ later. There were so many stars that aligned for me to take me to where I am now. I decided to try for an agent just one more time. I reached for the stars when it came to agencies. I found an agent who loved me. She gave me back my faith and I gave her books. My editor was in the right mood and had a slot for me.

So I guess the moral of this winding story (sorry) is that it’s so easy to want to give up in this career. I certainly was on the cusp of doing just that. But it’s at those very moments of darkest despair and fear that sometimes we see a light.

Before I published, I used to wake up and say to my husband, “Today, today, it could happen today.” One day, it did. So even when you’re feeling down and like that magical call will never come, look yourself in the mirror and say, “Today, today, it could happen today!”

I’ll be around… um… today. Stop by and let’s talk!

HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT

by Jenna Petersen

Available 3/31/09!

A RED HOT

VALENTINE'S DAY

Featuring:

"By Valentine's Day"

by Jess Michaels

Available NOW

from Avon Red!

(Click covers for info.)

Hero Archetype: The Best Friend

The Best Friend

I wanted to take this archetype because it’s so completely opposite of what I write and I’m trying to expand my horizons. I write Warriors, true alphas, bossy, sometimes brash, stubborn, sometimes arrogant, who are able to face life threatening experiences without flinching.

The Best Friend Archetype is a true Beta. He’s an all around nice guy, kind, decent, who offers his shoulder to lean on, or cry on, which ever the situation merits. When emotionally things are bad, he’ll be there to hold your hand or mop your tears. But he’s so understated that the idea of romance never occurs to you. But it might sneak up on you once you get to know him. I think he's growing on me.

The Best Friend archetype is so laid back and easy going he fits in everywhere. He does nothing to call attention to himself, yet everyone seems to like him. In a crisis, he’s the cool head of reason. In a fight, he’s the negotiator, or the peacemaker. He’s supportive, stable, dependable, and tolerant, but his lack of assertiveness pushes him to the background and denies him the attention he deserves.

The Best Friend Archetype may have dreams he wants to pursue but never shucks the responsibilities of friends and family long enough to follow them. He has a set belief in how he should behave molded by his place in society. His self-confidence bolsters others self-confidence. He’s practical, understanding, and a good listener and can offer level- headed advice.

The Best Friend Archetype is very observant and can read people. He has a need to help others because it appeals to the nurturing side of his personality. He’s the guy next door who’ll come over to help you move in. Or barring that, he’ll fix you a meal after you’re done.

The Best Friend Archetype is drawn to occupations that help others. Vets, carpenters, dentists, doctors, policemen, or teachers. His empathy for other people makes him understanding and generous. He may not be as dynamic as some of the other characters, but his inner strength and stability makes him good husband and father material--once he’s gained the heroines attention.

One of my favorite movies is Dave with Kevin Kline. Dave is a Beta hero every moment of the film, but by the end of the movie you’re cheering him on because of his ability to maneuver through the political shark-infested waters of Washington D.C. and still mange to do the right thing-- without once raising his voice or becoming anything less than what he is.

Tell me about some of your favorite Beta characters in books and in movies. Or some of the Best Friend characters you’ve created. I’m eager to hear about them.

Write on,
Teresa Reasor

When Your Plate Gets Too Full, Buy A Bigger Plate!

For the past few days I've been teetering on the balance beam. I've been throwing more balls in the air than I could juggle. I've been . . . well, you get the picture.

It started when the electricity went out and my 83 year old mother wouldn't leave the house. "I'll stay in bed until the heat comes back on," she said. "You run along now and do what you have to do."

Right! Like I'm going to leave an 83 year old woman in poor health in a house without power. "Nope, I'm going to sit right here, Mom, and when you decide to get up we'll go somewhere warm." She finally did, and we went to a friend's house until the power came back on a few hours later. We were lucky!

I had agreed to judge a contest and had read the entries a couple of times, but they needed a final reading and a dreaded score. The deadline was approaching, and I couldn't put them aside another day. My problem was figuring out how to handle a couple of the manuscripts. What do you say when the writing's not good, but the plot has potential? Bless their hearts.

I had a Super Bowl lunch party to plan for the office. I work with seven men. One's from Pittsburgh, PA - "Go Steelers". The others are from Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, and one from Kentucky. I called the caterer, and we decided on chili and pimento cheese sandwiches. Then I went to the store and bought Super Bowl plates and napkins. And, I ordered a DVD of the last Steelers Super Bowl victory. I had this party under control - no sweat.

The UPS delivery didn't arrive because of the weather and none of the guys had ever heard of pimento cheese sandwiches. "Where are the Kielbasa and Knackwursts?" they asked fully expecting the caterer to return with another armload of food.

I had a full day of writing planned for Saturday, so I stopped by the store and bought a rump roast and put it in the crock pot. Yum! Dinner at 7:00 after hours on the computer would make for a nice treat. Well, it was terrible. Took a bite and put it in the refrigerator. Maybe I can throw it in a pot and make soup next week! Anybody got a good recipe?

My daughter wanted me to babysit, but I-75 was still reporting patches of ice, so I stayed home and missed out on sweet little arms around my neck and tiny kisses on my cheek. Sigh, maybe next weekend.

So today is another day of writing and editing, or is it editing and writing? Not sure, but it's never ending, nonetheless.

This morning I saw all the things I had to do as food on a plate. The meat (my manuscript) covered a third of the plate, the vegetables (family) covered a third, and the potatoes (work) covered the remaining third. Then I threw in a salad (KYRW, Pink Ladies, and critique groups), a roll (breakfast with a girl friend), and a second vegetable (the books I've been trying to read) and there was no more room on the plate.

"You have to try my casserole," my sister said.

"It looks delicious, but seriously, I don't have any more room," I said.

"Then get a bigger plate," my brother said.

As women, we tend to keep getting bigger plates because we're not very good at saying "No, can't do it, don't have time. Wish I could, but sorry." We try to be all things to all people and feel guilty as-all-get-out when we drop a ball or fall off the balance beam. We will continue to say, "Yes," until the plate companies agree not to make plates larger than twelve inches in diameter.

Maybe we should form a consortium and buy up all the plate companies!

Posted By: Katherine Lowry Logan

Hey You, Get Off of My Cloud!

Between housework, kids, and the hubby there's not a lot of time left to dedicate to writing. And for those (like me) who work in addition to that, you just know they love writing so much, lack of sleep and a disintegrating household simply doesn't matter.

Even though it's hard to manage, developing characters and leading them into adventures and steamy love scenes requires a certain amount of time and concentration. Those artful phrases don't create themselves. They require the right kind of alone time, with no kids fighting over the remote and no husband yelling, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

Each and every time your muse is rolling along, those eloquent phrases dripping off your fingertips from your creative genius, you're thoroughly engrossed in expressing your thoughts and the scene is just right...knock, knock, knock.

An all too familiar sound.

"Mom, the dog chewed up my shoe again."

Well darn, that takes care of that. How am I going to write now? Gotta go buy shoes.

Back from the shoe store, and here we go again.

He raised his hand to caress her cheek, still damp with the tears of his unexpected arrival. She never thought she'd see him again, thought he was lost to her forever. But now here he was, smelling of expensive cologne and chicory coffee, and looking as handsome as he had at nineteen. If she knew that look in his eyes...

Knock, knock, knock. "Honey, do you know where my keys, are?"

"They're on the kitchen counter, beside the bread basket."

Where was I? Thought he was lost forever...yada, yada, yada...If she knew that look...Oh, here we are. If she knew that look in his eyes, and she was pretty sure she recognized the hungry expression in those all too familiar baby-blues, she knew he was about to...

Knock, knock, knock "Did you remember to call the cable company today?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes, the repairman will be here on Tuesday."

Now I ask you, how's a gal supposed to think romance during all this chaos?

Later, the house is settled and quiet. Dinner is over, kids are in bed, hubby is snoring contentedly, an aroma therapy candle puts off a soft glow from the table, peace at last...

...pretty sure she recognized...baby-blues...he was about to prove exactly how much he'd missed her. Her fingers curled around his in a silent gesture of welcome just before his arm, much larger and more muscular than it had been the last time he'd held her this way, snaked around her waist to pull her toward him...

Thump, thump, thump. Is that a tail wagging? Oh no, they forgot to walk the dog.

Ok. Dog walked, I resume the writing position, laptop poised for optimal word-count annialation. At last, maybe this time...

But wait...after all that, I can't quite concentrate. Maybe a nice relaxing bubble bath would help put me back in a writing frame of mind.

Ah. Much better. Now that darned hero can finally kiss the heroine... Now, where was I? Skim, skim... Hands fall away from keyboard... "Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll be able to call upon my muse and the time will be there. I know I can manage it. I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

Just me, my muse and prose...

Posted By: The Blog Fairy & Tracy Preston

Hero Archetype: The Bad Boy

The Bad Boy

Who among us hasn’t known, or maybe even fallen in love with, a Bad Boy at some point in our lives? My first encounter with a Bad Boy occurred, oh… a long time ago. Who was he, you ask? Well, he was Elvis as Vince Everett in Jailhouse Rock (not that I mean to date myself or anything). He had me the moment he leaped onto the bar and started singing, “Young and Beautiful” to an infatuated Judy Tyler. To this day, whenever I see a snippet of that movie, I get a silly grin on my face.

Why do we find this archetype so appealing and memorable?

The Bad Boy projects raw sexuality. When he walks into a room, all eyes turn in his direction. His bold stare holds a challenge, daring all he encounters. But his cocky stance and bad attitude are nothing more than camouflage, cloaking the real man and his well-guarded secrets. He never goes looking for trouble, it just naturally gravitates to him. Perhaps it’s because he’s not too keen on following the rules. Instead, he thumbs his nose and forges onward, making up his own as he goes. When trouble comes calling, the Bad Boy never backs down, no matter the risk. His survival skills are honed by years of hard knocks and his intuition is seldom wrong. He’s grown accustomed to stepping up and taking the blame. He seems hardened to it, but deep beneath his façade of indifference beats a tender heart that aches for the injustice he’s seen.

When the Bad Boy turns on the charm, no woman can resist. But he’s a player, a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. While he has an eye and appreciation for the sweet bloom of youth, at the end of the day, a world-wise woman is more to his taste. No strings and no promises, because on the rare occasion he does give his word, he’s honor-bound to keep it, so he avoids that trap at all costs.

Although he works hard to preserve his “I don’t give a damn” image, deep inside, the Bad Boy needs to love and be loved. Only a woman who can withstand the inferno of his sarcasm and bitterness has a prayer of touching the true heart of the man. The ride is certain to be wild and the closer she gets, the more he turns up the heat to drive her back. But, oh, what a lovely way to burn!

The Bad Boy is the survivor of a tragic youth. He’s seen too much, been betrayed, or beaten, and finally abandoned by all the ideals he once held dear. The wounds of his past go soul deep and never truly heal. They’ve ravaged and shaped him, and made him into the man he’s become. Rage simmers just beneath his calm, ready to erupt at the slightest provocation. He fights hard and makes love even harder. So, beware the Bad Boy, for he feels he has nothing to lose.

So… there’s our Bad Boy, my favorite type of romance hero. All my heroes tend to have some of the Bad Boy characteristics. There’s just something irresistible about a man who needs saving from himself. Who’s your favorite Bad Boy character, either in print or on film? Or, maybe you know a real-live Bad Boy. Tell me about him, I’d love to know.

Posted By: Devon Matthews