by Laura K. Curtis | Apr 10, 2014 | Books, Writing |
I know, I have been neglecting the blog. Unfortunately, despite my very best efforts (well, not really) I am still sitting on a jury. We’re getting to the end, so I will be back with you shortly. In the meantime, a few things:
• I am gearing up for Lost‘s release on May 20. And then this summer (no exact date yet, sorry), my first contemporary romance: Toying with His Affection.
• I will be reading from Lost at Lady Jane’s Salon on Monday, May 5. Not sure who else is reading then, but it’s bound to be a good time because it always is!
• I’ve been putting together (literally: it’s assembly-required) my swag for RT and RWA this year. It’s going to be great fun! I hope I get to see you at at least one of them.
Also, don’t forget…even when I don’t have enough time to write a blog post, you can always find me on Facebook and Twitter.
by Laura K. Curtis | Mar 31, 2014 | Books, Crafts, Stuff! |
Every year, I bid on at least a couple of items in Brenda Novak’s annual auction the proceeds of which go to support diabetes research. Last year, I won my super-cool Lego trailer from Sarah M. Anderson and my website design from DreamForge Media.
This year, I am donating some of my own work to the auction. The auction software doesn’t allow for giant pictures, so I am uploading larger sizes of the two items here, so you can see them in detail. I’ll refresh your memory as the time draws nearer, I promise. These are just a teaser, and a reminder to go check out some of the amazing things available to bid on. Create an account and start your watchlist!
First up, the Sparkling Serenity necklace (link is to the auction page with more information):
And then is one of my all-time favorite pieces I’ve ever made: the Spring Garden bracelet.
by Laura K. Curtis | Mar 24, 2014 | Stuff! |
© alkal82 / 123RF Stock Photo
I am curious about how many of my friends have served on juries and what their experiences were. I am currently serving on a federal jury which—because the federal courthouse is far from close to my house—is making for very long days.
The nice thing about the federal courthouse in NY is that it is right at the edge of Chinatown, so every day on our one hour lunch I get to go try a different restaurant.
Of course I cannot yet say anything about the trial. Those are the rules. But even jury selection itself gave me ideas for new books, and I am anxious to share some of the cool stuff I’ve learned with you all.
Have you served on a jury? Did the trial last approximately the length of time they thought it would, or was it more like dealing with home improvements, where you have to allot 1.5 times as long as they say? Did you learn anything interesting? Was it fun or just deadly dull?
by Laura K. Curtis | Mar 15, 2014 | Dogs, Stuff! |
My husband and I took a wonderful and much needed vacation over the last two weeks. We have a timeshare unit in Sint Maarten, the Dutch West Indies, but one of the best things about the island is that it’s half Dutch and half French–the other half of the island is Saint Martin, in the French West Indies. So the food is amazing. We won’t talk about how much weight I gained. And then since we took an extra week this year on top of our usual one week share, we took the opportunity to ferry over to Anguilla (British West Indies) and also Pinel Island, which is a tiny little island that’s really just a sandbar away from Saint Martin. You could honestly probably walk. Lots of people kayak over.
Anyway, we always see loads of animals, so I thought I would subject all of you, dear readers, to vacation pictures!
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Many of the strays are happy and friendly.
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Lovely starfish at the beach in Grand Case.
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Giant snails (those are 4″ tiles).
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Handsome, well-behaved dogs are always welcome at restaurants.
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Pretty sure these two are from the same litter. They love to play.
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This is “Milk and Bacon Kitty” who lives at our timeshare.
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Marigoats…goats who wander around the capital town of Marigot on the French side.
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Marigot goats…the kid is adorable.
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Iguanas on Pinel Island.
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Giant iguana!
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Anguilla kid
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What? You’ve never seen goats on the road?
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Leave my lunch alone, and it will all be fine.
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Gecko
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One man’s trash is another dog’s dinner.
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Is this an Egret? Not sure.
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Truly free range chickens in Anguilla
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Chickies
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Dogs hang out at the restaurants…you can see why!
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Black cat who lives at our timeshare.
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Beach dog.
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Beach blond.
by Laura K. Curtis | Feb 26, 2014 | Books, Romance, Writing |
A discussion over the last several days on Twitter, and a long and interesting post with a great discussion on Dear Author, on the topic of what kind of ending readers require in a romance–HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now), and indeed, what “happy for now” means to different readers–led me to examine my own feelings. But before I subject you to ruminations on fiction, I will give you this little piece of writing that sort of explains my feelings as fiction.
I almost miss him, eclipsed as he is by the stark white blouse and night-black pants of the hostess leading him across the room. He has turned gray, a mist that trails in her wake, a near void amidst the burgundy wine, white tablecloths, mahogany furnishings and bright, fresh food.
– That’s him? He’s not what I imagined.
I almost tell her I was wrong, that the slope-shouldered shell is not my former brown-haired, bright-eyed, laughing lover with the rough hands and soft kisses.
– He’s changed.
I have changed, too, and for a brief moment regret the twenty pounds I’ve put on, the fact that I’ve been gardening and my face is smudged with dirt.
– You’re glad, now, to have escaped, I bet. I can’t see you being happy with a man like him.
I look at her, the one he married, sitting across from him. As brown as he is gray, she wears tailored slacks, a cream shirt, a string of pearls. Not an extra ounce to soften her frame; all her unworn pounds weigh him down. They don’t speak to each other, menus held like shields between them.
– I wouldn’t have been with a man like him. He wouldn’t be that man if we’d stayed together.
I cried at our parting. Tear of loss, tears of self-pity. I resist the urge to cry again. Tears of sorrow, this time, tears of frustration at what might have been.
– He got what he deserved. He should have stuck with the one he loved, not left her for the one who made sense.
She is angry for me, and I appreciate it, but she does not understand. We are what we are and he made the only choice he could. I don’t hate him. I never have.
When we leave, I will kiss his stubbled cheek and clasp his softening body to my own and wonder if he ever mourns the long-gone pieces of his soul.
As you might guess, that’s loosely based on my own life. I was 39 years old when I got married. I’d been in love before. More than once. Those were HFNs, but they could have been HEAs. When we were together, I think we thought it was forever. If you’d read about us, you could have closed the book and imagined forever. But it didn’t work out that way, mostly because I was young and so were they. We weren’t ready. We weren’t able to make the kind of commitment to each other a true HEA requires.
For me, a romance novel needs, at the minimum, a HFN like that. A HFN where you can close the book and imagine a future for the couple. Not that they won’t have to work at it, but that they might, realistically, be able to have one. So it’s definitional…if the “FN” just means that the characters are gleefully enjoying a sexual affair, well, that’s not romance for me. I’m not saying it’s not a fine reading experience, it’s just not romance. For romance, I need the characters to feel love, even if they don’t say it.
My real life is hard. When I pick up a romance I want to know that at the end, regardless of the trials and tribulations the couple goes through, regardless of how many horrible things may happen to them, their friends, their families, even their pets, that in the end, they will have a future together. That their lives will be better because they have someone to share them with. In fact, the books that end up with low grades from me when I review them are very often those where, although the characters at the end profess their love for each other, I simply cannot believe that they will be happy, even if they do actually work at it.
I must admit, it’s the rare thriller I am happy with where the criminal gets away at the end, though, so I guess I am a traditionalist. I want books to be better than real life.
