tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post8757645451287145034..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: The Why of StoriesLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-62284866601998981032009-10-06T23:38:40.024-04:002009-10-06T23:38:40.024-04:00Hi Claudia, I'm so sorry I'm late to the p...Hi Claudia, I'm so sorry I'm late to the party but just wanted to welcome you to the lair. Thanks for hosting TICD, Nancy:)<br /><br />I love to read about self-assured women--they are such a mystery and a delight to me, even though, as Caren knows, I *am* a hard faced beyotch most of the time:) Sophia is a fascinating character and I'm not surprised your Courtesan Chronicles are so popular. She gives great advice!<br /><br />Eric Maisel gives wonderful advice about handling literary criticism--temporize and refuse to let it in, then examine to see if some is warranted and reject the rest. I realized that's how I've always handled crits, reviews, etc.<br /><br />Thanks for visiting with us today, TICD. <br /><br />Yay, Mariska scored our feathered friend!Christine Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14260589566405262159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-30052484069072055752009-10-06T23:22:08.386-04:002009-10-06T23:22:08.386-04:00Hey, Becke--
Perseverance is sometimes the only t...Hey, Becke--<br /><br />Perseverance is sometimes the only thing that gets a person through. If you had the sense to say that to yourself at a tough time, you probably didn't need anyone else's advice.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-78269193481607891142009-10-06T23:16:17.929-04:002009-10-06T23:16:17.929-04:00Late again! So many people are talking about Claud...Late again! So many people are talking about Claudia's books -- her name seems to crop up wherever I go!<br /><br />The best advice I ever got was to persevere, although I don't remember who said it. Maybe I was talking to myself . . .Becke Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05347467350985614111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-68205048675695487352009-10-06T23:00:41.626-04:002009-10-06T23:00:41.626-04:00Of course, rolling through the TBR pile doesn'...Of course, rolling through the TBR pile doesn't really help, considering the book signing and the FREE books at M&M. I never go to those free book things at National because I don't like crowds and because I'm already bringing enough books home. But I use the crowds to enforce the "enough" part.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-29295438441536224022009-10-06T22:59:10.833-04:002009-10-06T22:59:10.833-04:00Caren, I have How to Dazzle A Duke and am looking ...Caren, I have <i>How to Dazzle A Duke</i> and am looking forward to reading it. I'm rolling through the other Courtesan books now.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-28064447197212992302009-10-06T22:56:52.109-04:002009-10-06T22:56:52.109-04:00If anyone hasn't read "How To Dazzle a Du...If anyone hasn't read "How To Dazzle a Duke" you must do so at once! But really, start at the beginning of the series and treat yourself. *g*Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-65751278496636997372009-10-06T22:53:28.241-04:002009-10-06T22:53:28.241-04:00Ack! I have missed The Claudia! The best advice I ...Ack! I have missed The Claudia! The best advice I ever received was from my mother. "No one - especially not your husband - is a mind reader. Just tell him what you want." <br /><br />There you go. My mother is my Sophia. *g* She is a wise woman who tolerates no bull at all, but can charm the birds out of the trees. <br /><br />Hm...no wonder I love Sophia so!<br /><br />Congrats, Mariska. Hope you showed the GR a good time!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-11585921489900112942009-10-06T22:50:43.462-04:002009-10-06T22:50:43.462-04:00Claudia, I sometimes look at the fashion pictures ...Claudia, I sometimes look at the fashion pictures in newspapers and magazines and think "Who <i>wears</i> that?"Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-38700444186187123312009-10-06T22:37:46.028-04:002009-10-06T22:37:46.028-04:00Nancy, I was thinking the same thing! What passes ...Nancy, I was thinking the same thing! What passes for chic can be very, very strange!Claudia Dainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07018678621098546704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-10104434028114792812009-10-06T20:49:48.325-04:002009-10-06T20:49:48.325-04:00Hi, Catslady--
"Never say never." Ain&...Hi, Catslady--<br /><br />"Never say never." Ain't it the truth!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-55056570408121939272009-10-06T20:48:58.008-04:002009-10-06T20:48:58.008-04:00Kate--"If you can't be chic, be odd."...Kate--"If you can't be chic, be odd." I love it!<br /><br />Of course, sometimes the people deemed chic on Project Runway also look odd to me. :-)Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-36167437763789829152009-10-06T20:47:55.285-04:002009-10-06T20:47:55.285-04:00Virginia, congratulations on your long-running uni...Virginia, congratulations on your long-running union!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-16602512785470699902009-10-06T20:47:08.986-04:002009-10-06T20:47:08.986-04:00Ms. Hellion--the "go write already" remi...Ms. Hellion--the "go write already" reminded me of the New Yorker magazine profile of Nora Roberts, in which she said the secret to her success is "Ass in the chair."<br /><br />It's a great profile, starting on page 60 of the June 22, 2009, issue.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-17268150342828536412009-10-06T20:43:44.755-04:002009-10-06T20:43:44.755-04:00Hey, Cassondra--glad you could cruise through! Th...Hey, Cassondra--glad you could cruise through! That's great writing advice, all of it. I occasionally critique scenes that are just a slice of life, nothing happening--like the coffee scene you described--and the authors don't understand what the problem is, even after it's explained. Frustrating.<br /><br />"Pretend you own this place" is great. Next time I'm teaching oral presentations, I intend to use it.<br /><br />A quote I've heard attributed to Dorothy L. Sayers but haven't been able to substantiate is that you have to tell the truth in fiction or nobody will believe it.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-82805513685203637422009-10-06T20:39:23.767-04:002009-10-06T20:39:23.767-04:00Hi, Pat--what great advice! Congratulations on th...Hi, Pat--what great advice! Congratulations on that upcoming 49th.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-62904772405354739772009-10-06T20:38:39.994-04:002009-10-06T20:38:39.994-04:00Maureen, I like the emphasis on following through....Maureen, I like the emphasis on following through. A lot of writers start a lot of manuscripts but never finish any, and that's a shame.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-16061902399043025812009-10-06T20:22:15.270-04:002009-10-06T20:22:15.270-04:00I learned early on to Never say Never. It bites yo...I learned early on to Never say Never. It bites you in the @ss everytime :) and Those who have nothing to hide, hide nothing. I believe I got that one from Dr. Phil lol.catsladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06375770995988927860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-43019848402235095922009-10-06T19:04:00.687-04:002009-10-06T19:04:00.687-04:00Hey Claudia, welcome back to the Lair! Great post ...Hey Claudia, welcome back to the Lair! Great post as usual, and your covers are beautiful!<br /><br />Hmm, best advice? Well, I'm not sure this counts as advice exactly, but these are the words I live by:<br /><br />"If you can't be chic, be odd."<br /><br />Works for me. ;-)<br /><br />Congrats on snagging the bird, Mariska!! I'm sure he's full of advice ... or full of something, anyway ...Kate Carlislehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16863555050062113192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-39319015302965146572009-10-06T18:34:05.466-04:002009-10-06T18:34:05.466-04:00My mother told me when I got married that I was ma...My mother told me when I got married that I was making my bed and sometimes that bed gets mighty hard. She was right and we have been through some pretty hard times but we made it through them!<br /><br />Also never give up on something you really want or believe in. There is so much truth in this statement.Virginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06924888528166831610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-66854614666492767222009-10-06T18:11:06.618-04:002009-10-06T18:11:06.618-04:00Oh, man, Cassondra! Naked on the page. Now there&#...Oh, man, Cassondra! Naked on the page. Now there's a very scary image, and so true! The best fiction has that quality.Claudia Dainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07018678621098546704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-18277481155755619742009-10-06T18:09:02.966-04:002009-10-06T18:09:02.966-04:00Maureen, we have a saying in our family that's...Maureen, we have a saying in our family that's very similar: let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. (I think it's from the Bible.) Stick to your word. Don't be indecisive. Good advice!Claudia Dainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07018678621098546704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-19428997953738356662009-10-06T17:34:02.822-04:002009-10-06T17:34:02.822-04:00Claudia, Welcome back to the lair!
I'm only c...Claudia, Welcome back to the lair!<br /><br />I'm only cruising through, unfortunately, but I couldn't pass by without saying hello. It's always so good to see you here.<br /><br />I LOVE your courtesan series. It's one of my must-reads. I think you've channelled something here...something we all need to hear more often. Maybe you were her in a past life and you've come away with all that wisdom and created her as a device by which to impart it. <br /><br />You're right. I've felt guilty for wanting something and asking for it before. <br /><br />Some of my best advice has come from writer friends. <br /><br />The advice which changed my writing and immediately allowed me to start finaling in and winning contests...."Your heroine standing around drinking coffee and feeling sorry for herself is not the equivalent of a scene"~~Anne DeStefano. <br /><br />"Never stop putting your work in front of them. NEVER." ~~Dianna Love<br /><br />"Your job is to collect rejections."~~Annie Solomon <br /><br />Life advice...lessee....my first grade teacher, Mrs. Sandusky told me, "You can do anything you want to do if you believe you can do it."<br /><br />An old friend (and adept performer) who saw me backstage, at age 15, scared of performing in front of a big audience--"Walk out there and pretend you own this place." (It worked.)<br /><br />"Transparency is what makes any art actually work."~~Karen Taylor Good, who taught me that you have to be naked in front of people/on the page to make it actually work.Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420982030156788059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-78194157036301342012009-10-06T16:47:49.121-04:002009-10-06T16:47:49.121-04:00After dating for two years, I went
with Honey when...After dating for two years, I went<br />with Honey when he asked my Dad for<br />my hand in marriage. Dad gave us his blessing and then advised me to "be good to him and take good care of him." We both took Dad's words to heart and still follow them now. Our next anniversary will be the forty-ninth!<br /><br />Pat CochranPat Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11997396930842831460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-10131290674720882772009-10-06T16:21:08.190-04:002009-10-06T16:21:08.190-04:00Hi Claudia,
I have to agree with Sophia's advi...Hi Claudia,<br />I have to agree with Sophia's advice, because if you don't speak up nobody can hear you. I think the best advice I received was to follow through with whatever you start.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16392692656456938856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-51969785677837555402009-10-06T16:03:58.657-04:002009-10-06T16:03:58.657-04:00Beth wrote: The best advice I ever received was to...Beth wrote: <i>The best advice I ever received was to enjoy my kids - no matter what stage/age they're at - because time goes by so quickly.<br /><br /></i>That's certainly true! We're a year behind you, and it's already hard to think about.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.com