Debrah Williamson Shares Screenwriting Techniques and More

interviewed by Aunty Cindy

In the course of her career, our guest blogger Debrah Williamson published over 20 romance novels under several pseudonyms, both on her own and with a writing partner. In September 2006, her first mainstream novel Singing With The Top Down was published in trade paperback by NAL. A coming-of-age story set in the 1950s, it has received rave reviews and even been compared to To Kill A Mockingbird! Her second mainstream novel Paper Hearts was just released last month, and Aunty guarantees this is a three hanky read! In addition for the past several years, Debrah taught fiction and screenplay writing at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. Welcome to the lair, Deb! We are pleased as punch that you could join us today.

DW: Thanks for inviting me. Great to be here. And congratulations again, Cindy, on that first sale!

AC: ((HUGS!)) and thanx, Deb! Please tell us about your decision to move from writing romance to women's fiction.

DW: Moving is nothing new for me. As half a collaborative team, I wrote category and historical romances for a number of publishers. By the time I went solo, the category world had shrunken like a globally warmed glacier.

I had to rethink writing romances when I read the following in a revision letter: I feel you are trying to write a longer story so cut this, thus and such.

50K words weren’t enough. What to do? Before my last romance hit the shelves, I feared the line would soon fold. It did. Starting over – again – was the right decision.

At this stage in my career and life, women’s mainstream fiction suits me fine. I’ve been happily married a long time and keeping true love is more relevant to me than finding it. *G* I’m ready to write about the other problems life throws my way.

AC: What were some of the differences you had to deal with, not just the writing, but other aspects like marketing, reviews etc.?

DW: Everything’s different. Content. Editorial expectations. Production schedules. Deadlines. Promotion venues are less accessible. Reviews are harder to get. You must learn to write and speak a whole new language. Many more doors may slam in your face, but you can also receive more chances. Persistence pays off.

Writing longer, more complex novels forces me to continually grow as a writer. Moving to mainstream may not be for everyone, but it worked for me.

AC: How did teaching help strengthen your own writing processes?

DW: I have taught both university students and older adults in continuing ed. College students are fresh and inspired. Ready to tackle the world. I love their enthusiasm. Adults who have postponed their dreams for a long time are eager for someone to show them the way. Being that someone makes me a better writer because I have to work harder, expand my own horizons, think more deeply and live by the guidelines I offer.

AC: Please share 2 or 3 screenwriting techniques (and examples) that the writers among us can use in our next novel.

DW: I could teach a whole class on the subject but will try to keep it brief. *G*

I’ll bet every writer who ever took a course or read a how-to book knows the cardinal rule of writing: SHOW DON’T TELL. Am I right?

That’s where screenwriting techniques come in. They help us abide by that rule. If you read classics written before the first film hit the screen, you know that telling was acceptable in those days and authors could take as long as they wanted to tell a story.

Today? No way!

So let’s start with an establishing shot. In a script it’s found in the slug line, without description or dialogue. For example: EXT. DESERTED SMALL TOWN STREET – NIGHT.

Won’t work in novels, right? But it’s just as important to immediately identify the locale where the story takes place. Today’s readers watch TV and go to movies. They want to “see” where they are. Keep this in mind because I guarantee opening with an establishing shot will help you avoid telling too much, too soon, and breaking that cardinal rule.

Here’s an example from the opening paragraph of PAPER HEARTS.

Cold wind chased a lone girl down the dark, empty streets. She hunched into her denim jacket and ducked beneath the awning of a store that would not open for hours. Overhead a hanging signboard groaned. The air was heavy with the threat of rain. Like any wild creature caught out in the open in unfamiliar territory, Chancy Deel was desperate for shelter.

Do you see her? Do you have questions about her? Her situation? Do you want to know a little more? If so, then the establishing shot did its job.

In a plot-driven script, the most important element is concept. Character-driven stories don’t have big concepts. No one sets out to kill a giant shark, save the earth from asteroids, or catch a serial killer. In these stories characters are trying to save themselves or other people they care about.

In movies, we remember great concepts BEFORE we see the film, but we remember great characters long AFTER the film is over. Same goes for novels, in my opinion.

Since there usually aren’t any explosions, car chases or volcano eruptions in character-driven novels, it’s crucial to make the protagonist “relatable” (a Hollywood term) as soon as he or she is introduced. There are many ways to do this. Here are a few I’ve used:

1. Take away the character’s real power, but give her strength and humor.

My novel SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN (set in 1955) is told in first person by Pauly Maloney, thirteen.. Pauly is poor. Her parents dump too much responsibility on her and are stingy with love. She wants more out of life but always gets the short end of the stick.

In the opening scene, Pauly is clearly at a disadvantage. Here’s a passage that gives the reader insight into her character and shows she has strength and humor:

Mama named me after the movie star Paulette Goddard. Pop decided Paulette was too Frenchified for our part of town and cut it down to the Bone. Pauly Maloney was not an easy name to live with. Pauly-wog. Pauly want a cracker. Pauly Wolly Doodle All the Day.

2. Heap a pile of undeserved misfortune on the character.

The first scene in the book takes place at a traveling carnival. In chapter two Pauly’s parents are killed in a roller coaster accident. Big misfortune for any kid. Enough said.

3. Make the character yearn for something she can’t have.

Pauly wants to be loved. Will she get it? Here’s the passage that concludes chapter one:

Knowing better than to talk back and risk being backhanded by Mama in public, I bit my tongue. Turning her back on me, she locked arms with Pop, and they leaned on each other as they floated away…Without another glance in my direction, my parents struck out across the parking lot and zeroed in on the bright midway like a pair of light-starved moths.

This is a favorite subject with me and I could go on and on. But I’ll wrap it up, using a touch of what I am about to discuss - irony. (This should be short and oops! It isn’t. *G*)

A good script, plot-driven or character-driven, is an ironic script. If a polished businessman falls in love with a prostitute he hires to be his one time date, well, that’s ironic - Pretty Woman

If a waitress secretly saving money to escape her not-so-nice husband suddenly finds herself pregnant, you have sadness and humor and irony - Waitress

If a coastal sheriff who doesn’t like the water has to kill a big ol’ set of jaws, yep. Ironic.

See what I mean? Irony provides both drama and humor. And that can be essential for character-driven stories.

For example. In SINGING WITH THE TOP DOWN, Pop takes the family to the carnival to cheer up Mama. Both parents are killed and the irony sets the story into motion.

In PAPER HEARTS, Max goes to the car in his garage with a death-by-carbon-monoxide plan. He finds a runaway girl who eventually gives him a reason to live, getting that story going.

In conclusion, find the irony in your story. Use it and make your readers feel even more emotion.

AC: Any final words of wisdom or experiences you'd like to share?

Don’t be your own worst enemy. Never give up. And don’t allow negativity — yours or anyone else’s — to destroy your dream.

Thanx for the GREAT ADVICE, Deb and for the very informative interview! If you'd like to read more writing tips and advice check out Debrah's website: www.debrahwilliamson.com

And for all our readers, do any of your favorite movies use one of the screenwriting techniques mentioned? Please SHARE it with us in the comments. Also, if you have any questions about screenwriting or Debrah's books or anything else, ASK AWAY! A signed copy of her latest release Paper Hearts will go to one lucky commentor.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

by Joan Kayse

Just the facts. Wouldn't that make for a short and incredibly boring story? Boy meets girl. Girl saves boy from crucifixion. Boy saves girl from mad villian. They lived HEA.

What? That isn't just the facts? What about a crucifixion, you ask? Well, you're right. I dropped a kernel of description in there and it might have gotten your attention.

Many times on these blogs or loops we writers talk about point of view (POV), conflict, plot, etc. But there is another aspect that is often maligned. And that is the use of description.

Now, I'm not talking about a ton of backstory that drags the plot down. Or distracting purple prose that jerks the reader out of the moment.

Description in its best form enhances the experience of the character, sharpens the impact of the POV and...in the case of historicals....weaves a sense of time and place into the very fabric of the story.

Here's an example from my manuscript THE PATRICIAN'S FORTUNE:

They reached the bottom of the affluent Palatine neighborhood and turned toward the center of the city. Damon set a quick pace, navigating the twisting thoroughfares with ease. He knew this city like a man knows a lover. A boiling cauldron of arrogance, greed, and excess, Rome was the focal point of the civilized world, though Damon was certain a majority of the Empire’s conquered regions would hotly argue the point.

The crowds began to thicken as they continued down the Via Sacra and approached the two enormous pillars marking the entrance to the city center. Damon eyed the carved statues of Rome’s legendary founders, Romulus and Remus, circling their circumference. There were dozens of similar statues scattered around Rome, adorning public buildings, heralding a general’s successful campaign, an emperor’s benevolence, but this one had always been his favorite.

The famous twins faced each other, swords tightly clutched, expressions reflecting the stoicism of a conquering race, prepared to defend the nation they’d founded. Romulus’ free hand rested on the head of the legendary she-wolf who had suckled the abandoned infants. An omen the ill fated Remus, murdered by the brother who named an Empire, should have heeded. Take care who you trust. A lesson Damon had learned good and well. With Kaj flanking him, Damon stepped through the stone arch into the Forum.

The market was well designed. A large open area provided ample room for pedestrians and shoppers to go about their business. Weavers, jewelers, bakers, oil merchants, and pottery makers vied with tavernas and wine shops for their share of the citizens’ coin.

Street philosophers chalked their thoughts on the sides of buildings, some accompanied by unflattering drawings. Candidates for political offices spouted grand promises from stone block perches while those who had already been elected bustled about the business of government. Temples dedicated to one god or another stood wall to wall with brothels where, Damon mused, you were more likely to get your prayers answered than kneeling at an altar.

The city pulsed with life and Damon reveled in it. This was where he’d first experienced life after Jared had granted him his freedom. He closed his eyes for a moment, savored the sounds of bartering and badgering, inhaled the scent of spices and perfumes and—he cocked one eye open and looked at the painting of a pork hind gracing the side of a building—the butcher’s shop.

In this passage, I tried to show the power of the Empire as reflected by daily life in the epicenter of Rome itself....and my hero's connection and response to it.

Can you remember a description someone gave you about something? A trip or a gift or an event? Something that made you wish you had been there?

Staring at the blank page…

By Christie Kelley

Based on the title most people would think this was just another blog on writer’s block. Nope, not this one. I don’t have writer’s block with my current work in progress. But as I sat down last night to write this blog, I had nothing to say. Really!

I started one blog on Fall but only wrote three sentences before I decided it wasn’t any good so I deleted it. Then I was about to write something on a more “writerly” topic. I have nothing to say there either. So, now I’m just rambling.

I think the real issue is I’m feeling a little burned out and not from writing but from not writing enough. Does that make any sense? Work has been so busy lately and now the kids are back to school so there’s all the craziness that brings. Plus, we’re getting ready to do a major renovation to our house so I have to pack up almost everything. Needless to say, I have written almost nothing in past month (not a good thing when you have a deadline staring you in the face).

So I have two rooms left to finish packing up, and then I plan to schedule a day to myself. A real day off to help me relax and think about writing again. Once that’s done, I have to schedule some writing days with no interruptions (okay, as few as possible).

Burnout effects everyone but I’m wondering how other people handle it.

What do you do when you’re so busy with everything you can’t remember the last time you had a day to yourself? How do you cope with the craziness of days?

For the writers here, does not getting enough writing time make you cranky? It certainly does me, just ask my family.

How I Met My Editor -- The Latest "Call" Story

by Aunty Cindy

July 2006 Atlanta, Georgia -- RWA National Conference

My "roomie" and writing buddy, Willie Ferguson and I leave our room on the 20th floor of the hotel to go to the continental breakfast being served before the start of the workshops. (Amazingly Aunty is up and dressed at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m.)

The elevator door opens and we get in with two other people, a woman and a man. The man asks the woman what she writes and she tells him she's not a writer, but an editor. Then she looks over at Willie and me and seeing the Golden Heart ribbon on my name badge, she says, "Oh, you're a Golden Heart Finalist! My name is Deb Werksman and I'm an editor at Sourcebooks. I'd really love to read your manuscript." I tell her sure, I'll be happy to send it to her and she gives me her business card.

Once we get off the elevator and go our separate ways, Willie gasps, "I can't believe how cool and calm you were!" I am staring at the card yawning, and she realizes I'm still half-asleep.

However, I DO send the editor the full manuscript of my GH finalist when I get home from the conference.

Fast forward six months...

At the urging of my fellow Bandita and CP, Jo-Mama, I send an email to the editor as a friendly little request on the status of my manuscript and while I'm at it, I throw in a query for my current WIP. A month later, I get a rejection of the "not quite right for me" variety and figure that is the last I will hear.

Two months later...

I receive an email from the editor saying she would like to read more of the WIP. I am surprised, but also in the midst of doing a mass query of agents and sending out a requested full of my GH manuscript. I take my sweet time until Jo-Mama kicks my arse and I send the partial a month after the request.

Friday, July 27th

Still somewhat in a funk because I didn't get to go to Dallas with my Bandita buddies, I return home from my usual Friday lunch "date" with 3 friends, to be greeted by the DH. Looking unusually frazzled, he clutches a piece of paper with his semi-legible scribbles all over one side of it. He says, "Deb Werksman called here on her way home from work. She wants you to send the entire manuscript of Death In The Fens!" As I stare dumbfounded at the paper (an editor has never called me before), he adds, "She said you would know what to do because you already sent her the first four chapters."

I hug him and praise him profusely for doing a "good job" (men need this kind of positive reinforcement!), and then spend the next few days in a frenzy trying to polish up the last few chapters. Finally, on August 2nd, afraid to wait any longer, I dash off a cover email, attach the whole file and hit "send."

Now the waiting starts. I query a few more agents and two more editors. I fumble around with ideas for my next project and do some research, all the while telling myself, "The first editor to see a manuscript NEVER buys it!" Meanwhile, I continue collecting rejections.

Friday, September 14th -- a day that will henceforth surpass all others for sheer joy!

8:45 a.m. The phone rings and wakes me up. A woman's voice asks for Cindy and I groggily identify myself. Then she says, "This is Deb Werksman from Sourcebooks..."
For one nano-second my heart stops while my mind races. She would NOT call me to REJECT the manuscript...
"...I'm calling because we want to publish Death In The Fens..."

I leap out of bed! Scream! Cry! Somewhere along the line, I actually calm down enough to have a semi-coherent conversation with her -- MY EDITOR!
Fifteen minutes, or a lifetime or so later, I tell her that I may have to call her back on Monday just to be sure all this REALLY HAPPENED! She laughs and tells me to go ahead.

That morning in Atlanta, I never dreamed that getting into the elevator would eventually change my life!

What about you? Did a seemingly random event turn out to be life changing? Aunty would love to hear about it!

I heart Earth

I consider myself an environmentalist. Unfortunately, when some people hear that term they equate it with someone who chains herself to trees in old-growth forests to prevent cutting or who takes a spray paint can to Hummers. I have never taken part in such activities nor ever would. I'm a good girl who obeys the law. To me, being an environmentalist can involve the simplest of actions by each person that, when taken together with the small actions of thousands or millions of other people, could make a big difference in the health of our planet and ourselves. Here are some examples:

1. Walk or ride a bike to destinations when you can. Fellow Bandita Kirsten bikes to work, and I've walked to get my hair cut because my stylist lives in the next subdivision over. Not only are you preventing putting more carbon dioxide into the air we breathe, but you're also saving money (have you seen the prices at the gas pumps lately?) and improving your health. It's a win-win-win situation.

2. When considering buying a car, at least consider going for the smaller, more fuel-efficient model. I drive an older Nissan Sentra with a lot of miles, but it's still small and gets more than 30 miles to the gallon. And it passes my city's emission standards every year by a good bit. Another benefit -- I can fit into parking spaces others can't. Hee hee. (Though not as small of a space as if I had a Smart Car.) If you have children and need the extra space not provided by a small car, there are still options for better fuel economy. Even if you don't go with something like a hybrid SUV, do some comparison shopping regarding miles per gallon before plunking down your hard-earned dollars.

3. Recycle. Many cities have recycling pickup now. And even if you live in an area where you don't, there are likely drop-off points somewhere in or near your town. Don't make extra trips (gas, you know) to drop off recycling, but collect the items in boxes or tubs in your garage until you're going to be driving past the drop-off point anyway.

4. Remember how your mom always told you always turn off lights when you left a room? It really is a good idea! And while you're at it, replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescents. My husband and I have done this and hardly ever have to buy light bulbs. Plus, the compact fluorescents don't give off heat like regular incandescent bulbs.

5. Get a programmable thermostat for your house. They're more energy-efficient. We have two, and we can program them according to when we'll be at home (and need heat or air) and when we're away (when we don't need as much heat or air).

If you'd like to know about living green, one of the places to explore is Yahoo!' Green.

So, do you consider yourself an environmentalist? What things to you do to lessen your negative impact on Earth's resources?

And The Winner...

Of an autographed copy of Terri Garey's debut release, Dead Girls Are Easy is hrdwrkdmom! Please contact Terri at tgarey@tgarey.com with your information and use the subject Romance Bandits - I won! Congratulations! And thanks to everyone for participating!

Revisiting Old Friends

by Tawny Weber

I was taking a mental vacation this afternoon (you know, those spaced out moments where your brain trips around without a map) and without intending to, revisited Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The scene with Dobby by the seaside cottage, to be exact. Which then sent my mind along the rest of the story, rereading it in my mind (and jonesing to reread it in real life... where is book one again?)

In Terri Garey’s interview the other day, she mentioned a quote by Louisa May Alcott that had the same effect. I revisted Jo and Beth in particular. Then I jumped on over to Little Men, when Jo is all grown up and raising her own kids. I love those books.

And I love revisiting characters. Not just in my own trippy little brain, but in stories. Both in series type stories like Harry Potter, where we held on by our fingernails waiting for our hero’s next year at Hogwarts, and in sequal type stories like Little Men, which I think came many years after Little Women and gave us a look at the ladies, all grown up. An adult example (can you tell school started and I’m in kid-book mode?) would be JD Robb’s Eve Dallas stories to revisit the ever-so-sexy Roarke, and her Chesapeake Bay series finale when we get to read Seth’s story and see what the brothers are doing all those years later.

Revisiting my own characters is always fun, too. In Does She Dare, I have a scene where the heroine, Isabel, goes to a party where Audra and Jesse are from Double Dare. It was so fun to visit, a couple years after their story was over, and show them as a couple. To see how Audra was still wild, how Jesse was still turned on, and how fun they still were.

How about you? What are some characters that just live on for you, long after you finish a book? You know the ones, they just pop into your head and say "hi".

Lucius Vorenus, Titus Pullo and YOU!

posted by Aunty Cindy

Last night, I finished watching the DVDs of the HBO series Rome including the “Bonus Features.” During the latter, a comment made by one of the show’s creators really resonated with me. He said that people were attracted to the show because of the characters. One minute, viewers would say, “Wow! Those people are just like me!” Then five minutes later they would say, “Wow! Those people are nothing like me!”

I couldn’t agree more, and I believe the same duality is true of all fictional characters. The audience needs to be able to identify with a character’s traits and actions, but at the same time, the character must go far beyond most ordinary human beings.

In Rome, it’s easy to identify with and like the character Lucius Vorenus. He is honorable, courageous, and highly moral in all his deeds. We would all like to think we too could be as noble and upstanding, and we love watching his character.

However, I know I’m not the only one who finds myself even more intrigued by Vorenus’ comrade and nearly polar opposite, Titus Pullo. Most of the time, Pullo is ultra-violent, killing and maiming anyone with seemingly no conscience. He is an amoral, drunken, whoring brute who never seems to think about his actions beyond how he can be instantly gratified. His character is exaggerated to the extreme, and he is not like someone you would ever hope to be! And yet… he is infinitely fascinating to watch! The few moments within the series when Pullo showed his sensitive, caring nature, or when he actually understood something beyond his own immediate need were my favorites.

Am I alone in my weirdness?

Think about some of your favorite characters. Were you drawn to them because they were just like you? Or did the attraction lay in them being nothing like you?

Your inquiring Aunty wants to know!

Dead Girls Are Easy!

by Beth Andrews

I'm thrilled to introduce debut Avon author Terri Garey to the Romance Bandits!

In Terri's newly released book, Dead Girls Are Easy, Nicki Styx just wanted to earn a living with her vintage clothing store in Little Five Points, Georgia and maybe have a little fun on the side. One near death experience later, and Nicki’s life is changed forever by the ability to see and hear spirits.

Dead Girls Are Easy is dark humor with a Southern slant - the angst of a young woman on the edge,a healthy dash of sex and voodoo, a sprinkling of spookiness.

Terri, welcome to the Lair and congratulations on the great reviews Dead Girls Are Easy is getting! Can you tell us a little bit about about your road to publication?

Ah… the long and winding road. *g* I’ve always been a writer—I still have the short story I wrote in the fourth grade about how my teacher turned into a fearsome, purple beast with green polka-dots! But I really got serious about my writing back in 2001. I had about 65 pages of an unfinished manuscript, my kids were growing up, and my husband challenged me to "go for it"! So I got online, found Romance Writers of America, saw they were having a big convention in New Orleans that year, and signed up. (Thank goodness it was New Orleans, if it had been anywhere else, Southern girl that I am, I might not have gone!) Anyway, I went not knowing a soul, not knowing the difference between category and mainstream, or my HEA from my POV. But I went, and I soaked it up like a sponge. I even went to my first agent appointment, and was deeply embarrassed to find out that what I thought was a Regency was actually set in the wrong time period (Georgian). But I went because I wanted to learn, and learn I did!

For the next four years, I "learned" my way through four more manuscripts. My original manuscript (which shall never see the light of day!), two historical paranormals set in early Britain and ancient Rome (which did very well in contests and got plenty of requests but—as I "learned"—don’t do as well with editors), and a paranormal contemporary. And then I thought, "Okay. I know what the basics are. Time to write something I can really throw myself into and have fun with." I knew I liked the paranormal aspect of my writing (which is why I went to the New Orleans conference to begin with… I played hookey from the workshops one day to take a cemetery tour and visit the Garden District where Anne Rice had written her novels), and the idea for Dead Girls Are Easy blossomed and grew to the point where I knew I had to write it.


I’d already queried my dream agent, and been rejected :p, but I queried her again with the new story, and she loved it. I told her which house was my dream house, and she sent it to them. And they bought it!

And now I’m writing the stories I always wanted to write, with the publisher I always wanted to write for. Dead Girls Are Easy is the first in a series, with a separate novella included (part of a paranormal anthology with Maggie Shayne, coming spring 2008, entitled Weddings From Hell). The second novel in the series is called A Match Made In Hell (August 2008). And if you’ve managed to make it through reading all that, I’m thrilled to announce the sale of the third stand-alone novel in the series, called If You Got It, Haunt It, to be released the summer of 2009.

Good Lord. Didn’t know I was so long-winded, did you? *g*

Your website is wonderful! Did you design it yourself?

I did. I was a computer geek in my past life *g*, and I find it hard to delegate that sort of thing. Glad you like it! It’s at http://www.tgarey.com/, and I’d like to invite everybody to stop by and enter the contest I’m having to celebrate the release of Dead Girls Are Easy. It’s a "winner’s choice" contest—you can choose a delightfully morbid "Blood-red Roses and Skull wreath" to get you in the mood for some hauntingly Halloween decorating, or if you prefer simply "delightful" to "delightfully morbid", you can choose a charming Book Fairy ornament who proudly proclaims Louisa May Alcott’s sentiment, "She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain." *g* I can relate to that one all too well.

You’ve certainly done a great job branding yourself. Care to share any branding tips?

Branding used to be a total mystery to me, other than the obvious (like McDonald’s, Burger King, etc.) Then I had a bit of a revelation, and it all fell into place. I just did a branding workshop this past weekend with the Tampa Area Romance Writers (great bunch of ladies, btw!), and I decided to post the workshop in three parts on my blog at http://www.tgarey.blogspot.com/.

The publicity you’ve garnered thus far has been amazing. Tell us about your recent television appearance.

I’ve been lucky. I put together some press kits (which is another workshop in itself), and sent them out to the local media. I got some great responses; the book editor at our local newspaper wrote a local interest piece and offered to do a review, one of the DJ’s at a popular radio station asked for an on-air interview, and I got a phone call from a reporter at one of the big local TV stations. She called at 4:30 pm on a Wednesday, and asked to come over the very next morning to tape an interview. It was a good thing in a way, because I didn’t have time to freak out! (or buy a new outfit, or get a manicure, or anything! LOL) I barely had time to clean up my office so it didn’t look like a hurricane hit! If you’d like to see the interview, here’s the link: http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=62313 . Just click on the words "Video Story" beneath my picture.

Any quirky habits or real life spooky tales you wish to share?

Besides being a total Halloween fiend who turns her backyard into "Madame Zelda’s Haunted Graveyard" (http://www.tgarey.com/haunts.html ) every year? Besides living in a haunted house that was discovered to be the scene of a lover’s triangle murder/suicide? Um, no.

Seriously, I’ve gone on long enough. If anybody else has some spooky tales they’d like to share, I’d love to hear them!

Thanks, Terri! One Lucky commenter will receive a signed copy of Dead Girls Are Easy so let's hear about those real life spooky tales!

Treat 'em Mean...

by Christine Wells

When I was a poor university student, I took on a variety of casual jobs, including tutoring at my old school. It was an all girls' school and fairly cloistered from the outside world.

There were no school dances or other co-educational social interactions. Even in plays and musicals all the male roles were played by the girls. Which is why I was stunned, at age 19, to receive advice on boys from my 14 year old student when we should have been balancing equations.

She was a gorgeous little thing and she had the male sex all worked out. Her motto, which she kindly shared with a roguish twinkle, was 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen'. On my own account, I was doubtful such a strategy would succeed, but I could see it had worked like a dream for her.

The best way to hold the interest of the opposite sex is never to appear too eager, or so the conventional wisdom goes. Well, readers are a lot like a member of the opposite sex.

A reader doesn't like the entire story laid at her feet from the beginning of the novel. She likes to be teased, tantalized, led on and on. And then, at the aptly named climax, the pay-off must be worth the wait.

Anne Gracie, a wonderful writing teacher as well as a gifted writer, sadly never had the benefit of my student's advice. Instead, she often quotes Charles Dickens--make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait.

I've waited six years to see a book I've written in print. When I held Scandal's Daughter for the first time, when I saw all my friends around me celebrating its launch, when I received wonderful messages from all our readers and such brilliant support from the Banditas themselves, it was like the end to the most satisfying read of my life. The pay-off has been more than worth the wait.

And a new chapter is just beginning...

Thank you all for sharing this special occasion with me.

And now I have a question--what in your life has been eagerly anticipated and well worth waiting for? It could be the ending of your favourite book--Flowers from the Storm, anyone? Or an event in real life. If you're not sick of the sight of me by now, I'd love to know!
And the winner is...

For the Jessica Faust guest blog, Cathie!

And for the Leis Pederson guest blog, MsHellion!

Congratulations, ladies! Please send me your snail addies by email at christineATchristine-wellsDOTcom and your Scandal's Daughter packs will be winging over to you soon!

A Star Is Born!

I went to a marvellous party…
Apologies to Noel Coward (actually the lyrics to this song are a hoot if you’ve got time to look them up)!

Fabulous Bandita Christine Wells held a launch last Thursday night at Rosemary’s Romance Books in Brisbane. Christine’s wonderful, witty Regency romance Scandal’s Daughter has now been presented to the world in style.

Christine asked two of her writer friends to do the honors and make a speech. Denise Rossetti who writes sensual fantasy for Ellora’s Cave, Avon and Berkley gave us all a wonderful riff on the future good behavior of Christine’s muse. I said a few heartfelt words about what a wonderful writer she is and how this book deserves to sell its socks off! Not as elegant as Denise's sparkling toast to SD's future success but definitely sincere!















The very romantically decorated bookstore overflowed with friends and well wishers. In Regency terms, it would have been classed a huge success as it was definitely a crush! Our hostesses Rosemary and Glenda made everyone welcome. Hmm, and the copious wine that was flowing may have contributed to the atmosphere too. But of course, I wouldn't know about that. Cough. Cough.
















Guests included Amy Andrews who writes Medical romance for Mills & Boon, Andrea Lunt from The Courier-Mail, and well-known academic Glen Thomas who brought along all his Masters in Romance Fiction students. And why not? All of these talented writers aspire to achieve what Christine has with her major American release! We were also lucky to have a lot of the Brraddicts with us (Brisbane Romance Reading Addicts) who are always such fun.

Christine, the launch was a fabulous success and everyone had a great time sending your first book out into the world. Good luck! You're a huge talent and you deserve every scrap of your success!

Fair Food Fun!

by Caren Crane

Kirsten started a fun food conversation yesterday, so just for fun here are some foods I will be looking for when the North Carolina State Fair kicks off in mid-October!

Cotton Candy and Candied Apples - classic!

Fried Twinkies - not sure about those

Fried Snickers - disgusting, yet compelling

Fried Coke?! It has strawberries, strawberry syrup and is served with Coke syrup. I can't even conceive what that must taste like.

So, what is your favorite fair food? Onion rings, corn dogs, kettle corn? Apple dumplings with ice cream and frozen cheesecake on a stick? What is the most exotic fair food you have tried? Banditas love to talk about food!

Bad Habits

by Kirsten Scott

I wasn't sure how to follow up my blog about underpants, but then I stumbled into work Friday morning, only to see...my doom.

The donut fairy had arrived.

Now, the donut fairy isn't particularly reliable, but boy is he adored. With a single stroke of his wand, he severs any tenuous grip I had on my diet. Coffee and a donut? Friday morning? Are you kidding?

I don't have a chance.

I've got plenty of bad habits. I bite my nails (cuticles, too). I forget to check my voicemail and irritate my husband who left me a VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE. I spend too much money on clothes. And I slow down my first three chapters with backstory.

Yes, writers have all sorts of bad habits. We use too many adverbs, forget to give our characters unique voices, recycle plot lines from other books we've written (or read)...sometimes even (horrors!) dangle our modifiers!

I think identifying bad habits is a significant step to beating them. Knowing my backstory problem, I usually let myself go in a first draft, and then return later and ruthlessly excise at least half of what I've written. I know better than to try to save it. It was fun, even necessary to write, but it must go.

I haven't learned how to avoid the donut fairy, but I do know that I'm less likely to have a donut if I had a good breakfast. So I scarf down my bran flakes, steel my courage, and try to resist the bounty.

This is just my way of fighting, but I know there are others.


So tell me--what are your bad habits, writerly or otherwise? Can you share any tricks of the trade to fight the adverb fairy, the Starbucks fairy, or most importantly, the donut fairy?

Bandit Booty

HUZZAH!! Looks like we are ALL WINNAHS!

Our guest blogger extraordinaire, Kathrynn Dennis wants to send a signed cover flat of her first release Dark Rider to any of the commentors on the Sept. 5th blog! Just send an email to kathrynn.dennis@gmail.com with your snail mail addy and request.

BIG THANX to all who commented and especially to Kathrynn! Hope you ALL visit the lair often!

Can A Novel Change A Life?

by Cassondra Murray

I’m supposed to have an article written for the blog, darn it. Tomorrow (today as you read this--Friday Sept 7, 2007) is my blog day. But I’m pacing about the house at nearly midnight, restless. I’ve splattered some watercolor paint across a piece of paper —ruined what might have been a decent painting—in my effort to focus and write about something of interest to my Bandita sisters and to you who visit our lair, but I can’t quite muster light and fun tonight.

I know why. It's almost September 11th.

9-11.

Flash back with me, six years ago today. Are you there?

In exactly four days, the WTC towers will fall. In exactly SEVEN days—NEXT Friday, I will be on my way to New York with my Search & Rescue Dog Team to search through rubble and pick up pieces of people.

We were there for only a week, but it was a week that shifted my soul.

In the aftermath our team and our dogs went through massive depression and slow healing. We spoke to group after group of people who longed to help and yet felt helpless. They thought their efforts small—giving blood, sending food, clothing, or money. But their efforts were not small.

In times like that, every person counts.

Every flag waved, every song written, every prayer said helped us as individuals, a nation, and a world, get through an awful time. In a lot of the talks we gave, a particular question came up repeatedly. They asked, “Cassondra, why did you get into K-9 Search & Rescue?”

The answer I gave—and still give--makes some people laugh out loud, but I’m betting you’ll understand.

Seventeen years ago I was a devoted reader of category romance. And in one of those category novels all those years ago, the heroine was a Search & Rescue professional. I loved her story. Somewhere in my piles and boxes of books, I still have that novel. I can’t tell you the title or the author, because I couldn’t find it on short notice—I hadn’t planned to talk about it, or SAR dogs. But even today I could tell you the heroine's story. That’s how good it was. I searched for it tonight because I wanted, right here in the Bandit lair, to thank that writer publicly.

I’d never heard of Search & Rescue until I read that book.

Her story showed me a way I could give back to my community. I love animals, so K-9 SAR became my volunteer passion for the next fifteen years. Our team trained with the best and brightest SAR professionals. We searched for drowning victims, murder victims, lost kids and old folks with Alzheimer’s disease. We were placed on standby after the bombing in Oklahoma City, earthquakes in Peru and floods in Asia. We trained and we searched as though we had a world to save. And on 9-11-01 we did.

We were ready. I was ready. Because of that category romance I’d read so many years before about a sheriff’s deputy in the southwest—a tortured heroine who was a SAR professional.

I could list a long bibliography of books which have changed my life. In truth, I think every one I read changes me somehow.

But none so much as this one. It wasn’t the biggest plot, nor the darkest nor most complex I’ve read. But it was honest and it touched me. Because of that book I made a decision--took a direction in my life that would, years later, put me on a plane with a dog draped across my lap, headed toward an awful pile of twisted steel, concrete, and people. And because of that book, every September about this time, my heart goes back to NYC and I can't think about much else. So since it's my day to blog, you, my sisters, friends, and readers, get to hear the story.

Nowadays when I say I write romance, and certain people get little smirks on their faces, I don't much care. They don’t know the half of it. They've no idea the power that lies in stories of loss and love and happy-ever-after. But I do. I know their power first hand.

Has a book ever changed your life?

Where were you this time six years ago?

And when you needed to escape it, to believe and hope again, did you, perhaps, read?

And was it, by any chance, a romance?

Team Play - It's All Good?

by Caren Crane

After a flurry of guest bloggers this week, it is once again a Bandita day. Some of you may have seen my post from late last Friday night when I shamelessly begged for votes in the Gather First Chapters Romance contest. As I stated in that post, Banditas love a contest. A glance at our Bandit News section on the right tells you that. It also shows that Banditas often do well in contests. We are proud of each other and our collective fabulousness.

But think about it. All that goodness raises the bar. The Romance Bandits have experienced great reviews on first books, collected high praise from well-established writers, won so many Golden Hearts and other awards we would need a vault to store them. Every time we report a new sale, a new contract, a new contest final or win or a guest appearance, the group bar is raised a bit higher.

For those of us still waiting to win, to sell, to receive quotes and reviews, this can be a bit daunting. We each want to do well not only for ourselves but for the group. If we final in a contest and come in last place, if we final in the Golden Heart and do not win, if we expose ourselves to a massive online contest audience and do not perform well, it is a bit hard to take. We have not only disappointed ourselves, but let down the group.

Fortunately, the Banditas are tremendously supportive whether we win or lose. We celebrate and also commiserate together. My Bandita sisters are always there for me and I consider it a privilege to be there for them. Hopefully, I will have wonderful news to report about the Gather contest. But even if I don't, I know I will have Banditas cheering me every step of the way!

Do you have a friend or group of friends who support you no matter what? Are you part of a team where you feel pressure to perform so you all look good? Please share!

And if you get a chance (and a huge THANK YOU to those who have already done so!), please check out my chapter of Kick Start in the Gather contest. I really am shameless!

Kathyrn Dennis is in the lair

Author Kathrynn Dennis will give away three signed cover flats of DARK RIDER. Names will be drawn from those who post comments.

Welcome to debut historical author, Kathrynn Dennis and congrats! Your first book, DARK RIDER (Kensington, ISBN 1420100475) is available now and is getting great reviews. I've heard your stories referred to as “horsetoricals.” Tell us more, please!

Thank you, Donna, for inviting me on Romance Bandits. I can’t take credit for the “horsetorical” term, but I wish I could. I met a fellow attendee at the National RWA conference in Reno, 2006 and we struck up a conversation. She asked me what I wrote and I told her “medieval historicals---romance with dashing heroes, determined heroines, and destriers!” She laughed and said “Oh, you write horsetoricals.” We talked for awhile, but never introduced ourselves, so I can’t write her and say thank you. Hoping we will meet again someday. ;-)

Perhaps she'll post a comment! Wouldn't that be fun. I know you are a horse veterinarian and horses play a big role in DARK RIDER. What kind of research did you need to do to give the story a period-feel?

Well, I took common horse aliments we see today and weaved them into a romance set in 13th century England. Three things have always plagued the equine species: bad guts, bad feet, and bad attitudes. In the 13th century, the common diagnosis for most any horse aliment or behavioral disorder was “he’s been elf-shot.” Elves with arrows were evidently a big problem for livestock in medieval England. ;-)

I understand the heroine in Dark Rider is a horsewitch. Care to elaborate?

A horsewitch is half horse-whisperer and half horse-healer. She’s a telepath (she can commune with horses) and she has a good clinical intuition when it comes to healing. You can see why that would get woman of ye olde days into trouble---and boy does she get into trouble. What she needs, of course, is a good hero-horseman to get her out of it, so I gave her one. But let’s just say it wasn’t love at first sight for the horseman or the horsewitch. He has issues---with horsewitches and with his own unbridled ambition---but the man can ride!

Tell use about your writing process. Are you a pantser or a plotter and how long does it take you to finish a book?

I wing the first 15 pages, then I stop to plot. I finish a book in about a month and spend the next year revising and rehashing. The trouble with this approach is that invariably, I get distracted by a niggling of an idea for another story and over the following 10 months it can be tough to keep focused on the revisions of the work-in-progress. At some point, as a writer, you just have to put it down and say “I’ve given all I can to this book. Time to move on.” Then you get all excited again and start to write the next one!

You write a book in a month!!! I'm so jealous! What’s next?

Next up is SHADOW RIDER (Kensington, Oct 2008). This one was especially fun to write. The opening starts with the heroine who is a medieval theriogenologist (a fancy word for livestock obstetrician) who delivers a foal that’s affected with a real-life condition that makes him bark, sit like a dog, and stare at the stars. This would have caused a stir in medieval times, so accusations fly---he’s possessed, she’s a witch---things look pretty grim for both of them. Enter the SHADOW RIDER, the tortured, hero knight who believes the little horse is the mystical beast born who can offer him redemption. The hero has plans for the horse and for the heroine. You can bet she’s is not gonna like them!

Sounds like another great read. Thank you, Kathrynn, for blogging with the Romance Bandits!

Thank you, Donna, for inviting me. Tomorrow I’ll be blogging over on the History Hoydens (http://historyhoydens.blogspot.com/) about the trials and tribulations of making a historical novel video trailer. Anyone who wants to stop by (more drawings for prizes) is most welcome!

Book Trailers are all the buzz at the moment. I'll have to stop by. Just a reminder that Kathryn can be found on the web at www.kdennis.com

SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER Blog Party--Leis Pederson tells us 5 Quirky Things

My other special guest for today is Leis Pederson, my editor at Berkley, a division of Penguin, USA. Leis acquires romance, young adult and women's fiction as well as mysteries and thrillers.

Leis, thank you for joining us! First of all, can you tell us what drew you to SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER? And yes, I am begging for compliments!

SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER is a great new historical romance that no reader should miss. I was drawn to Christine's fresh voice and the way she creates characters. This is a novel full of friendly banter, sexual tension, and a romance guaranteed to make you swoon.

Thanks for that glowing recommendation, Leis! Now, let's talk about you. What are five quirky or unusual things about you that our readers might not know?

Let's see, I am sure there are a ton of unusual things about me, but here are a just a few that I came up with.

*I have nine brothers and sisters.

*I like mustard on my popcorn.

*I love really cheesy movies.

*My educational background is in clinical psychology --- comes in handy when working with authors (hahaha!)

*My roommate and I adopted two kittens from a local shelter - a black/white girl named Pippi (as in Longstocking) and an orange male, Milo, who thinks he's a dog.

Mustard on popcorn? Sounds just awful enough to be tasty! And I'll let that comment about the clinical psychology pass!

You work with Cindy Hwang as well as editing your own list. Sometimes I wonder when you sleep! Can you give us a run-down of a typical day?

A typical day generally involves all sorts of things but I’m most likely to spend my day in the office taking care of the various administrative tasks that come my way, dealing with endless amounts of paperwork and talking with agents and authors. Most of my editing and reading gets done in the evening.

So, let’s start with the submissions that come to you. What excites you about a manuscript? Do you have any automatic turn-offs?

Getting new submissions is always exciting but I would have to say I am always looking for that one that I just can’t put down. Something that would automatically turn me off would be a poorly put together proposal. When submissions come in with lots of typos, missing pages, etc. it definitely gives a bad impression.

Once you decide you would like to buy a manuscript, what process do you have to go through before you can make the author an offer?

This process can vary somewhat but generally it involves getting secondary reads and presenting it to our editorial team. We of course also consider where the book would fit into our list and how we would be able to package it.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

I love all aspects of my job but I guess the best part about it is getting to work with the authors. I’m a people person and getting to know the people behind the books I love to read makes them that much more special to me.

With so much reading in your day job, do you still read for pleasure? What (non-Berkley) book did you most recently read and enjoy?

I do read for pleasure as often as I can. Most recently I read the new Harry Potter and I absolutely loved it.

I must be the only person in the world who hasn't read the latest HP yet. But I've been writing! (she says, polishing halo)

Lately, there have been rumours that historical romance is making a comeback. Do you think this is true?

Every genre goes through its ups and downs. Historical romance has always been a favorite for our readers and I don’t think it ever really goes out of style.

Amen to that! Thank you, Leis, for a fun interview!


Leis will pop in during the day to chat, if she can fight her way through the submission pile to get to her computer. *g* Once again, there's a WONDERFUL prize for one lucky reader who comments on this post. A signed copy of Scandal's Daughter and other assorted goodies from Bandita Christine Wells

And don't forget to check out Jessica Faust's post (below) Jessica will swing by to answer questions and comments today.

SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER Blog Party--Literary Agent, Jessica Faust

Christine Wells writes: We are very lucky to have with us today one busy lady--literary agent extraordinaire, Jessica Faust from BookEnds Literary Agency. Jessica doesn't sleep, so combined with her business acumen and literary savvy, that makes her the perfect agent for a bandita from the southern hemisphere.*g* (I do try to refrain from calling her too often at 5am!)

Jessica Faust writes: Christine has very kindly asked me to be a guest blogger and write something motivational. Funny thing is that while I write every day on my own blog, suddenly this is very difficult. What do I say to a new audience and, truthfully, am I really the right person to be doing motivational writing?

Writing is an extremely difficult path and whether you’ve chosen it or it’s chosen you it’s guaranteed to be filled with bumps, bruises, tattered egos and lots of rewrites. Few things are more humbling than the search for an agent or publisher, but one of the things I think is so often forgotten during this path is the true joy agents and editors feel when finding that special gem. Despite what many might tell you, we aren’t in this business because we get a kick out of sending rejection letters. No, we are in this business because we absolutely love books and there is nothing more exciting than finding a book you love and being integral in bringing that book to the attention of the world.

When Christine and I first met it was a very unique situation. She was a Golden Heart finalist with an offer in hand. Needless to say this makes it pretty easy to find an agent. Christine will have to pipe in here, but my understanding (and assumption) is I was not the only agent she was considering. And I was sweating it out. There’s a belief that writers are really at the mercy of agents and editors and you’re the only one who experiences the anxiety of the wait. But that is as far from the truth as you can get. Once an agent, or an editor, makes the decision to offer representation, or a book deal, she has fallen in love. Nothing is more important in that moment than winning. She is sitting on pins and needles, hoping against hope that she’s been charming enough, that her offer is exactly what you want and yes, that you’ll choose her. Each time that phone rings she jumps and each hour that passes without word is painful. While Christine’s situation was unique, it would have been no different had she come to me without an offer in hand. Once I am committed enough to offer representation I’m all in.

I was lucky. Christine chose me and her first book, Scandal’s Daughter, releases this month. Not only do I feel lucky to be working with Christine, but I have had the privilege in already sharing in her successes. And yes, it’s true, I screamed when it was announced that she won the Golden Heart. I’m only sorry she wasn’t there to share in my excitement.

So what magical words of advice do I have for you? I don’t. I don’t have any secrets of how to find an agent, become published, maintain a long and prosperous publishing career and yes, make one, two or more bestseller lists. Because sadly, there are no secrets. Instead, there’s good old-fashioned work. Success in this business requires those bumps and bruises, rewrites and sometimes painful edits. The path is never a smooth one and rarely a straight road. And less I forgot, often the path means a little bit of luck, but if you look around you, at all of the truly great success stories out there, you’ll see that there’s a lot of luck to be had. I know I feel a little lucky with each new client I have the privilege of taking on.

Jessica will swing by the bandit lair now and again so feel free to ask questions. There's a prize for one lucky reader who comments--you guessed it! A signed copy of SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER and assorted goodies from Bandita Christine Wells.

Blog Party Time!!! SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER--IN STORES NOW!

Posted by Christine Wells

In honour of my new release, SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER, I've planned a small blog party to celebrate!

Since my lovely bandita friends couldn't be at my real launch in Australia, they've been scouring the stores looking for SCANDAL'S DAUGHTER and braving cranky security guards to have photos of them taken with the book.

So, here is Scandal with the lovely Caren Crane (PoshT) in Raleigh, North Carolina

And here is Scandal with Anna Sugden (Vrai Anna) in New York:

And with Kirsten Scott on the West Coast:

Thanks so much, girls! Banditas rock!

The Labor Day Lazies

Isn't it funny how days that are supposed to be your "day off" turn into marathons sessions of catch up? It's Labor Day and my husband I have a long list of labors to which we are going to turn our attention. Some of these things have been lingering for a while, waiting until we had a moment to get to them. Some of them are newly urgent issues, like patching a hole in the screened in porch screen created by some two year old neighbor boys at our BBQ last night. :>

And then there's dealing, as Stephen Covey says, with other people's urgencies. In this case, one of our son's greatest worries. We have to get the 9 whiffle balls out of the gutter before it rains. He's afraid they'll wash down the drain and never be seen again. Even though he's seven and very practical, for some reason, the idea that they would come out the drainpipe's end really worries him. (Then again, it would actually have to rain for that to happen, and it hasn't. We're in a drought here in DC.) So, its going to be a full, full day.

It'll be very satisfying to get all this stuff accomplished. It will. I know it. But, you know what I'd really like to do? Read. I'd like to swing in the hammock the kids were enjoying so happily last night, book in hand, cold drink nearby, and lose myself in someone else's story. I've got a stack of yet-to-be read books, and I'm determined to go today or tomorrow and get Scandal's Daughter by our own Bandita Christine Wells. I want to forget about work, not immerse myself in its sticky clutches. (Don't tell my husband, he thinks I'm gung-ho to get all this stuff done! And I am, but...) The month of August was a blur of work, preparation for vacation, going, doing, and returning, laundry after the vacation, and more work. :> Given that, I would love the escape of a great book. As writers, I hope we never forget how vital we are to people, in that we provide that simple, wonderful, sublime escape from the everyday for a mere $3.99 for a debut paperback to $25.99 for a hardcover. A lot cheaper than a plane ticket, hotel, car rental for a "real" escape!

A great book has added benefits too. It can make the waiting room at the doctor's office disappear; it can make the pile of laundry nearly fold itself, if you've got a book holder so you can read as you fold. It can even make the nerve-stretching wait for a biopsy or a CAT Scan bearable by removing the reader from whatever tense reality is happening, and transport them to another world. There may be - should be! - great tension, action or passion in our books, but the delicious thing is, as a reader, it's not YOUR tension. It's all in the story. It somehow makes the reader's own challenges more bearable.

So on this lovely Labor Day, are you laboring or relaxing? If you're going to read, tell us, has a great book ever saved you from worry? Gotten you on the plane and across the country before you remembered you hate to fly? Has a good read been a lifesaver for you? Oh, and by the way, Happy Labor Day!

And Nicola's Prize goes to...

Thanks so much to everyone who made Nicola Cornick's guest day such a hoot and thanks to Nicola for being such a great guest.

The lucky winner of the signed copy of her latest release LORD OF SCANDAL and the goodies from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath is DOGLADY! Pam, it will make you laugh when I tell you that Nicola's gorgeous black labrador picks the winners of her contests in a very arcane ceremony involving treats! I'm not sure she needs to be so arcane any more - clearly Monty the dog can read when he picks someone called Doglady!

Just email Nicola at ncornick@madasafish.com with your snail mail details and she'll get your prize off to you. Congratulations!

Don't forget to check back with the Banditas in September for other great guests including Berkley editor Leis Pederson, agent Jessica Faust, Terri Garey, Kathryn Dennis, Debrah Williamson, C.L. Wilson and Sandy Blair.

And the Lucky Winners Are . . .

Today we have two winners to announce. Thanks to everyone for participating in the Bandita Blog. Come back soon. We have lots of guest bloggers and prizes to give away!

The winner of the Pirates of the Caribbean tee-shirt is crystalg. Please contact Jo at jo.lewisrobertson@yahoo.com to provide your address. Congratulations!

Our second winner of the Amazon gift certificate provided by Bandita Kate is shannon. Well done, Shannon! Please contact Kate at katecarlisle99@yahoo.com and give her your address.

My Day Without Underwear (and other embarrassing stories)

by Kirsten Scott

Okay, true story...I am a bike commuter (well, sometimes...like when the weather's really nice and I'm not feeling too lazy) and I typically throw an outfit into my bag so I can shower and change at work. A couple of days ago, I pulled on my clean undies and bike shorts (fashion police, arrest me now!) and put a white cotton skirt into my backpack to change into after my shower.

Fast forward thirty minutes, and I'm climbing out of the shower at work. I grab the undies, only to realize I had put on BLACK underwear that morning, never thinking that I was eventually going to be wearing them under my WHITE skirt. Yes, you could see them, and no, I wasn't prepared to walk around all day in the bike shorts. Besides, I had a meeting at 9:30 and there was no way I had time to get home and back before it.

So what to do? Blushes aside, I went commando and hoped that I didn't pull a Basic Instinct during my meeting. Then as soon as my meeting was over, I took the train downtown and bought a pair of way-too-expensive-but-at-least-they-were-white Victoria Secret panties.

Whew!


So this has NOTHING to do with writing, but it's the weekend and what the heck! So--do you have any embarrassing stories you'd like to share? Ever go commando to work? The Banditas are all ears (but no eyes--we won't look, promise!).