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Princess ChristinaI know that somewhere, some place, there are writers who write deep, meaningful books wrapped around important themes, and they carefully choose each word, each sentence with the deliberate intention of driving their theme home to their readers. Until I wrote my thirtieth book, TROUBLE IN HIGH HEELS, I didn’t even know I had a theme. But I do. It’s family — finding family, keeping family, having family. To women, relationships are the most important thing in life. I know I talk about my family all the time. I bore my friends to tears, so … heck, let me bore you to tears instead! It took me ten years to get published (I was a slow learner), and when I did, my family went to DisneyWorld. Honest, it’s not just for football players! My daughters were eleven and eight, so when we were in Epcot and the street players in the Italian section called us over to watch the show and invited us to sit close, I leaped at the chance to get the kids where they could see. Oh, yeah. They could see, all right. They could see everything, like the players casting the play in which I was the star — the Princess Christina, wronged by her cruel step-mother and in need of rescuing by her hero, Bill the chicken farmer. He was another sucker plucked (get it? plucked?) out of the audience, this portly man who was a lot more embarrassed than I was, mostly because he had the line, “I luo-uo-uo-uove you.” May I say, I did an excellent job being the Princess Christina, getting rescued, and marrying my true love, Bill. What can I say? Acting, especially over-acting, comes naturally to me. To this day, my family calls me, “Princess Christina.” My kids, now responsible adults, still giggle madly when they recall their mom on stage. And I never sit in front, no matter how tempting the street players make it sound. So … what embarrassing thing did your parents do that your whole family still cackles about? Or what embarrassing thing did you do that entertained your family so much they’ll never forget it — no matter how much you wish they would? Hey, even better, what embarrassing thing did you do on purpose that humiliated your kids (besides merely existing while they were teenagers)? Remember — there’s nothing as much fun as laughing at your family! Posted: 03/02/2009
CHRISTINA DODD UN-COVERSI recently received an email that said, "I get embarrassed when reading books with graphic ‘Fabio-ish’ covers with half naked people displayed. Please give your books more of the ‘Oprah Book Club’ style covers - please!" I haven’t written her back. I don’t know what to say. The truth is — authors have little to say about the covers that go on their books. And there’s a chance that that’s a good thing, because authors are notorious at not knowing what’s going to work on the market. We understand words really well. What appeals visually is a whole different can of worms. For instance — the first time I saw the cover for IN MY WILDEST DREAMS, I cried. I thought it was awful — bland, boring, the kind of cover that could kill my career. Well, guess what? It was my first New York Times bestseller, stayed on the charts for four weeks and topped out at number seven. Now, I will admit, it’s a good book (she said modestly), my re-telling of the Cinderella-like Sabrina story, and every reader loves it (I’m steeped in modesty). But when I saw the book on the shelves, I realized I was wrong. What looked bland on my kitchen table proved to be a great cover on the racks. It “popped.” When so many books coming out each month, it turns out that’s what works. “Pop.” A color and a style that catches the eye. Authors are also looking for covers that clearly attract the right audience. The cover for THE PRINCE KIDNAPS A BRIDE clearly proclaims it’s a historical romance — the pastel color is feminine, the painting is softly impressionistic, her hair style is old-fashioned, and the ruffles are, um, ruffly. The cover for TROUBLE IN HIGH HEELS clearly proclaims it’s a contemporary romantic suspense — the color is bold, the photography is stark, the shoes are modern and sexy, and the spill of jewels suggests intrigue. Sometimes a publishing company creates a cover that, um, doesn’t exactly fit the book. For instance, THE GREATEST LOVER IN ALL ENGLAND is being re-released and given its first new look since 1994. Now, GREATEST LOVER is an Elizabethan — think “Shakespeare in Love.” It’s a beautiful cover — but does the cover say Elizabethan to you? Some readers truly do want an “Oprah Book Club” style cover — unfortunately, that’s false advertising. Romance is never included in the Oprah Book Club, and the readers who would pick up a book with that cover would be highly indignant to discover a romance inside, and the romance readers who would enjoy the story would never pick it up. On the other hand, how many readers who would like romance never pick one up because, like my reader, they would be embarrassed to read books with half-naked people on the cover? So tell us what attracts you to a cover. Be honest. We don’t want your politically correct answer. We want to know what catches your eye when you peruse the book racks, what you’d rather die than buy, and whether picking up a book with a cover that give you the wrong impression drives you to shriek and throw it against the wall. Posted: 02/23/2009
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New York Times bestselling authors Teresa Medeiros, Elizabeth Bevarly, Connie Brockway, Eloisa James, Lisa Kleypas, and Christina Dodd have each chosen five of their favorite blogs (plus some hilarious extras) just for you! Squawk Radio was the first and most successful multi-author blog on the internet. Half the proceeds will be donated to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota.