Friday, October 18, 2013

CASUAL, INCLUSIVE AND FUN

This blog was submitted by Lane Stone:

Panels at C3 reflected the casual, inclusive spirit of the conference.  By way of follow up, I thought I’d inflict the notes I had prepared for my panels on you now.

Here are the bullet points from my remarks in the “What’s so funny about…?”  
According to my informal survey people preferred the first Sex in the City movie to the second.  In the follow on, there was too much ‘set up for a joke, joke.’  Humor in your novel should be organic to the plot and the characters. Next, consider your genre.  In mysteries, you can use humor to give your readers a break from the tension you've created.  Whereas, in romance, including romantic suspense, editors tend prefer your heroine have very few funny lines. Her best friend can cracks jokes all the time.  Last, and you’ll have to trust me on this, after you read your funny lines a couple of hundred times you’ll question them.  Rely on your critique partner. 


“The morals of heroes & heroines.”   
 In this post-Breaking Bad world, we need to think of our protagonist’s moral code, rather than his or her morals.  In my Tiara Investigations series, the three sleuths start a detective agency and don’t tell their husbands, which forces them to meet clients at a local Cracker Barrel.  Sure, this deceit might look immoral to some, but it is consistent with their code of sisterhood.   Consistency is key – until it’s not.  Again, consider your genre.  In romantic suspense, characters are expected to change. They work their way through some internal conflict and are different by the end of the book, so they can – you guessed it – love again.  In cozy mysteries, the sleuth changes very little.  Think Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.  Your sleuth’s life might change (or not) but not her moral code.  And remember, show don’t tell your hero or heroines moral code.  

Loved the conference! 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

WORKING HARD ON NEXT YEAR

The Board members of the C3 conference have already started working on next year.

They added a new member and they have their duties. Larry Matthews has been a friend for a while and after attending the C3 conference, he asked if he could be a part of this small group of zany, crazy people. I personally think it was because +Austin Camacho was the lone man on the group and after the passionate speech that Austin gave at the opening ceremony, Larry felt sorry for him. We like to think it was because the women on the board are so irresistible or maybe he just wanted to be the first to see what shoes one board member would have for next year.

C3 Conference Board Members (left-right)
Sandra, Juli, Denise, Cyndi, Deliah
Austin, Ann
Either way, we are glad to have him on the team and the work has begun. Marketing never stops and Sandra has been working hard; well we don't think she ever stopped and except for interchanging a just signed author with an author that she has been trying to forget. Austin has been contacting potential guests and finding out that not everyone reads email every day. Denise has been trying to keep the website updated but with the many changes that occur; it's almost a full time job in itself. Cyndi is out of state so she doesn't have to worry about the long meetings but she has the task of keeping all emails/registrations and payments (which have already started rolling in)Ann, Juli and Deliah have all waited so patiently for their new duties that they may run and hide when they find out what it is that they will be doing. (Deliah...don't worry, your job duties are exactly the same) That leaves Larry; poor, unsuspecting, Larry. Well he will find out soon enough why we meet at an eatery that serves plenty of coffee!

The laughs that will be shared, the coffee that will be drank and the ideas, suggestions that will be shared will be the best memories that we all will make
.

Welcome aboard and welcome back. The work has just begun!