First Look...The Heat of Heat

This sexy contemporary romance is coming your way from Bunderful Books in November. You can read an excerpt on my newly designed web site. If you read the excerpt, I'd love to hear what you think!

So how was YOUR day?

Yesterday at work I took a call from one of the hospital's radiologists, Dr. "Smith," who said that his colleague, Dr. Jones, dictated the x-ray results of his patient, Patterson, under the name of Dr. Smith's patient, Peterson. Dr. Smith said he would be reading the x-rays of Peterson and would be dictating them, while Dr. Jones would re-dictate Patterson's results under Patterson's name instead of Peterson's. All I had to do was remove the erroneous transcript on Peterson that really belongs to Patterson, and all would be well.

It's not a job, it's an Abbott and Costello comedy routine! Who's on first...?

Is it just me?

Am I the only who is put off when the leading man of a romance novel takes one look at the leading lady and can identify the label inside her outfit ("She looked luscious in a black Armani suit.")? It seems to me that the only time a man should know this would be if he was there when she was getting dressed. Wouldn't this work better if it was part of the narrative or in the heroine's point-of-view than the hero's?

I think men who cook are sexy. On the other hand, men who recognize the work of designers of women's clothing make me question their masculinity...not the impression romance writers want to give for their heroes, I'm sure, and certainly one that clouds my perceptions.

Links, I've Got Links

I did an interview with Deb Owsley of Simply Said Reading Accessories at her blog, so please do drop by, and feel free to leave a comment!

Also, for those of you who haven't yet read Save The Best For Last, you can read the first 30 pages at Scribd.com. Warning: It's a sure thing you'll want to order a copy after you read the excerpt!

Have a great weekend!

Finding your strength as a writer

I was quoting some of my reviews from Trouble Down The Road when I noticed a similarity between two of them. One reviewer said:

"The reason I enjoyed it so much is because even though the books are fiction, Bettye Griffin touches on a lot of real life issues. She develops each of the characters so thoroughly that the reader will most likely identify with one or more of the characters."

And then there was the reviewer who said:

"I enjoy reading Bettye Griffin's mainstream fiction books because she writes about real family life situations."

The similarity, of course, is the references to "real life." I've always been a realist. Even my romance novels are more about real people with real issues who nevertheless manage to fall in love rather than fantasy-fests that suspend reality. These might not be the most popular storylines, especially in these times when difficulties abound, but it's me.

I'm okay with that. Trying to write something I'm not really feeling would be as fake as green contact lenses...and it would look just as bad.

Clearly, writing about everyday drama is my strength, something I do quite well, and some people find the results both interesting and relatable. So I am now going to begin writing my next mainstream women's fiction, which is about a long-held family secret that comes to light after 50+ years and threatens the very fabric of what had previously been a rock-solid family from Zion, Illinois. I do have a title, but I won't reveal that until much closer to the publication date. I'm very excited about this project; it's my most ambitious to date.

How do you like your fiction? Real life, fantasy, or a balance of the two?

Getting my write on

There've been some recent changes in the direction of my writing career, the details of which I'll share at a later date. I took a close look at my writing habits and decided I've been entirely too lazy when it comes to my writing. I've been terribly late with the manuscripts for my last two books. It's time to step it up, especially if I want to get my next Bunderful Books novel, The Heat of Heat, available for sale by November.

My new goal is simple: 1000 new words per day, at least 5 days per week (anything extra is gravy). Now, 5000 words per week will mean 16 weeks for an 80,000-word manuscript, 20 weeks for a 100,000-word manuscript, so I'm hardly talking Zoom City here. But, considering that this is a new manuscript and I'm simultaneously doing edits and rewrites for The Heat of Heat (which don't count as new words, even if there are plenty of them involved in the process), I've been very pleased with my progress. And I'm noticing that while 1000 words is my self-imposed minimum, I frequently do more than that (yesterday I did 1945). So, just two weeks in, it seems to be working pretty well.

Keep an eye on my progress meters. I'll have one for every project I write on.

Post-Travel Musings

I've been racing to keep up with the flood of ideas that are popping into my head. From the day we left for our vacation, my imagination went into overdrive. There's the snippet of conversation I heard between two people at the gate at O'Hare who learned they worked for the same organization (they each wore the logoed polo shirt) and shared what type of work they would be doing in a specific Asian country. There were the multiple black and white men I saw with Asian women on the streets and restaurants of Bangkok. The hotel we stayed in, which is also a service residence with laundry, pool, workout room, and parking. The dozens of shopping malls and open markets I saw, some disperse, others dedicated to food, electronics, or high-end retailers. Talking with people during the long plane ride and learning the reason for their travels. Talking with my husband's former classmates and learning where they live today (anywhere from Virginia and Arizona, the Philippines, Australia, or right there in Thailand) and what they do.

In addition to the sights and sounds, I also read some creative, imaginative novels during my trip, one women's fiction and one contemporary romance. Both were refreshing. The women's fiction took a very unusual premise and, although it dragged in spots for me, made a highly entertaining story out of it, and I felt like I hadn't read that story before. The romance, although with too many people for me to process introduced in the opening chapters and a character whose background remained unclear to me through most of the book, was also refreshing, as it provided realistic language and behavior, something not always seen in romance novels.

So, armed with plenty of ideas for future stories and some well-written novels to hold up as beacons, I prepare to lose myself in the wonderful world of writing. My next Bunderful Books, The Heat of Heat, should be out in a few months. The way I'm feeling, I might have it finished next week!

Isn't it wonderful?