Category: blog (Page 1 of 9)

Romance Novels Meet Reality

September 30, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

The Saga of fall with Gigi-Lynn

As you may already know, I have finished writing two historical romance novels. I have the cover photography. Either could be coming your way within weeks.

Unfortunately, everything is taking longer than I planned. I usually take a few weeks off in July to spend with family. In August, I had Covid (again)–and it lasted much of the month.

You’d think I could write during an illness. After all I’m just lying there in bed. But No! I just slept and listened to books. No writing.

Finally September for romance, right? Not quite. Our home went under contract at the first of the month. It took all of September to pack, move, and clean.

_{It’s the nicest home we’ve ever lived in. We know this new family will be so happy here.}

Our plan was to downsize. We thought we would build, but somewhere during that time, we found this little gem.

Okay, the gem is a diamond in the rough. It needs a little love. But I believe in love. So, you might be getting some renovation updates from time to time. But, we fell in love with the area. The house sits in the middle of a very large, quiet lot with breathtaking mountain views. We close at the end of October.

So, October for romance. (We are at the cabin, and that is always a good thing for my writing).

Watch here for romance novel updates, samples, and news of publishing!

Writing To Avoid Writing

September 1, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

I could do laundry, but why when there is romance tumbling around in my brain?

_{Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash}

You know how it feels when have to do something important or necessary? Sometimes that thing is difficult or distasteful. Not always though. Sometimes you actually want to do that thing, but you feel nervous about it.

So, you put it off. Everything else suddenly clamors for your attention. Wash the dishes, yes! Change those sheets? It will feel so good when you climb into bed tonight.

Read that book? You deserve a little break.

And doing those other tasks seems easier. At first.

You are working hard. You are productive. But there is just that little twinge of anxiety. And the longer you avoid “the thing,” the worse the anxiety gets.

Yes. I hate to tell you, but this happens in writing, too. Sometimes, I get a little stuck in the middle of a book. Sometimes there is a scene that I know is going to be fabulous, but I’m nervous to start writing it. (Because I want so badly for it to be fabulous).

I’d love to tell you that I am disciplined, and I just push through.

And sometimes I do, but I have been known to get caught up in avoidance behaviors.

There. I said it.

But let me tell you a little secret. Sometimes when I’m avoiding the main work in progress, I will write something else. I wrote both Smoke and Shadows and Veiled In Mist when I hit a wall in my main works.

Each time, after I finished writing a fun, delightful novella, I was ready to return and finish the main project: The Lies We Tell and The Masks We Wear, respectively.

So, right now I am working on Brothers’ Knot, Book 3 in my Rebel Hearts series. I love the main character, Philippa. But she is really struggling to figure out what will bring her happiness. These two brothers are causing her some serious confusion.

And she keeps changing the course of the book, so I’ve spent a little time this last month avoiding her. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

I wrote the first draft of a historical fantasy romance. It is the prequel to a new series that I now see I must write. (Don’t worry, not yet).

I also wrote a bonus epilogue for Dear Lord Wycliffe, Book 2 of the Rebel Hearts series. This epistolary novel will be released this month. Watch for that!

But never fear. My avoidance anxiety is just about at its peak. I’m ready to return to my main work. Philippa is now ready to learn some things about life and about herself. And she will find her way to love too–very, very soon!

So, what do you do when you’re avoiding? And how long can you avoid before you force yourself to do the thing?

Romantic Tropes?

August 25, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

Not at First.

How do I write romance?

First, I always start with a character (or two). I don’t decide on a trope up front. In fact tropes are never part of my planning process.

While writing the Illusions historical romance series, I found myself wondering, what would have made Amelia’s mother marry Mr. Hatton? And Lady Cecily Ballantyne was born. She met Mr. Hatton while she was looking for a way to support her five-year-old daughter, Amelia.

I didn’t realize I had a Pygmalion or “My Fair Gentleman” thing going until I had written four chapters. Mr. Hatton was An Honorable Man.

But that Pygmalion theme became the basis of their bargain. He would provide work, and she would help him refine his manners so he could enter society. It became a match made in heaven!

Lady Cecily had an intriguing best friend, Lady Jaminna (Minna) Capener.

She was already married and the mother of a young son when we met her in An Honorable Man. But she was such a delight that I wanted to find out how she met and married her miserly husband.

If there is a little bit of ‘The Matchmaker‘ or “Hello, Dolly” in there, I only saw it after I’d already written chapter one. But once I saw it, I embraced it. They are perfect for each other.

Lady Corinna Capener made her first appearance in Minna and the Miser. She was a serious minded thirteen-year-old. The younger daughter of the miser in that story. And she was especially interested in influential women in history.

AI inspirations cover (cover reveal next week!)

So when I began writing her novel, Dear Lord Wycliffe, (an epistolary novel), it was her need for information that guided her actions, not any idea of a trope. If she had grown into a “bluestocking” while I wasn’t watching, what could I do but go with it?

And if Lord Wycliffe is a little older than she is, say thirteen years, that isn’t really enough years to be considered a May/December romance. He just needs to be convinced of that.

AI Inspiration Cover only

Now, I’m in the middle of writing Philippa’s Story, Brother’s Knot. (October/November release). During a dinner party in Dear Lord Wycliffe, we met Captain Archie Broadbent. I planned that he would be the main male character in Philippa’s book. Really!

But then on the way to a house party, she met his brother, Lord Thornwood. I would never plan a love triangle trope. Not in a million years.

But here I am with Philippa torn between two men. And involving herself in a little intrigue on the side. And I’m having the best time.

So what trope will I be writing for Delia? She’s next. I don’t know. That’s not where I start. Romance always begins with the characters.

Romance Writing Is Like a Romance

August 18, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

A metaphor

My romance begins with hope and excitement. Everything about this new book seems brushed with a golden glow. My characters are delightful. Their story is engaging. Every day is a lovely adventure. And the first part of the book flies by in that romantic, giddy haze.

Life is beautiful. I have found my place in this world. It’s perfect!

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And then, the challenges appear in my romance. My characters are rebellious and obstinate. They don’t agree with my vision for them and my ideas about what they should do. They have a mind of their own.

And suddenly, I come face to face with my own limitations and imperfections. Surely, if I could mark the path more clearly, find the right words, and string them together in the right order, I could return to those first halcyon days and weeks.

But it isn’t to be. I must learn how to work through my book’s idiosyncrasies and my own growth process. It is one of the most difficult and frustrating relationships,. But I keep working at it because it has so much potential. Even with the problems, I can see how beautiful it can be.

That middle part takes the longest, and it’s different with every book, but as I work with it, sometimes patiently, sometimes not, we come to an understanding. That first excitement and romantic haze grows into a rewarding trust in my characters, a contentment that I am doing my best, and a deep and abiding joy that it is a wonderful thing we have created together.

The final happily ever after is more satisfying when it is earned, both for my characters and for me, the writer.

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Life is beautiful. I have found my place in this world, and even with its scars and struggles, it is perfect.

Quills Writer’s Conference

August 12, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

Constantly working to improve my writing

I love writing. I love my characters and telling their stories. I even love the struggle, the days when I just hit a wall, the worry, the reworking. It is all part of the process. At least for me.

I don’t think writing is something that you ever master. (Using an olympic metaphor), writing is a continual effort to break your own record. That constant struggle to get better.

_{Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash}

So, this weekend, I went to a writer’s conference. I took classes on writing better characters, how to plot, how to use dialogue more effectively, and so much more.

I also explored some topics I hadn’t considered before. A class on illustrating my books and a class on getting inspiration from wonder tales (fairy tales) from around the world.

I am ready to dive in to the two books I am writing right now. I’m so excited to use the things I learned and the ideas that came to me in between classes.

As the reader, you may not–you should not–see the effort and craft. I want you to be swept away to another time and experience the lives of these characters. But behind the scenes, I am working hard to give you a wonderful, immersive experience. And I am always striving to make that experience better for you.

What are you working on, striving to improve? How do you describe that process of growth? Let’s talk.

The People Who Live In My Mind

August 5, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

If you have relationships, you live with thoughts of other people, always making their way through your brain. You think of your brother, your child, your friend.

_{Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash}

“I should call my dad today,” you think. Or, “how can I help or support this person?”

I have all of that. I also have a cast of characters, imagined but real, who inhabit my space. I have the book characters I’m working on right now. I also have those from the next book. These are forefront in my writer’s brain.

But there are also the characters from the the sudden inspiration or nighttime musings. (I try to write them down right away or they can get lost. And that’s a sad, sad thing). I tell myself I will write their story soon, or someday.

Now that I am moving into the mult-genre romance space, it’s getting pretty crowded up there. I have more than 24 historical romances in various stages of planning, from niggling idea, to concept, to basic plotting.

But now I have more than a dozen historical fantasy romance main characters that have moved in.

Contemporary romance? Yes. They too are making an appearance.

I hope, like me, you love romances of all different kind–All clean, all with Happily Ever Afters, but set in different times, and settings, and worlds. Because these people in my mind are clamoring to get out!

And Always Romance

July 27, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

Because Everybody Needs Romance In Their Life

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While writing Book 3 in my Rebel Hearts series, I came to a little road block. I wasn’t really worried. This sometimes happens because I’m a discovery writer. I have to sit with my character for a little bit before I know what she or he would do next.

Only this time, while waiting for the clouds to clear, I got an idea for another little story. So, I started writing. That’s what I do, isn’t it?

Only this time, the story wasn’t set in regency England. It is set in a fantasy world. And the main character is a siren! And while I was writing this little novella, the ideas for a full series blossomed in my mind.

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I made copious notes.

Now, I’m back writing the original work–Book 3 in my regency romance seres. But the time will come when I will write this fantasy series. Later, but I must do it.

This is so outside my usual historical romance. Right?

Except, not really. I realized as I wrote, it’s romance. Each book in the series will be about two people who find each other, who overcome obstacles, who change and grow, and who love. It’s Romance.

Mystery, contemporary, fantasy, suspense. Stories of love and romance can happen any time, in many circumstances, and they can happen in any world.

Do you like to read your romance in one sub-genre exclusively? Or if you find a clean, sweet romance in a different time or place, will you try it?

‘Old-Fashioned’ Romance?’

July 15, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

What does that mean?

I’m not referring to ‘closed door’ here. Though many readers might see that as old-fashioned. But a romance could be a closed door and still not be old-fashioned.

Do you agree?

I looked up old-fashioned in the Dictionary and got this: according to styles or types no longer current or common; not modern.

Other words (not the negative ones, of which there are many) might be:

quaint
antique
out-of-the-way
picturesque

Or even better:

rare
extraordinary
whimsical

So, are my romance novels old-fashioned?

If you think it’s old-fashioned for the characters in your historical romances to believe and act consistently, for the most part, with the mores of the period setting, then I’m old-fashioned. (A character may break some rules, but I will acknowledge the societal expectation and show some consequences).

Lydia in Pride and Prejudice is an example. She broke the rules, and though she seems blissfully ignorant, her father and two older sisters are definitely not. There is a price they know they will pay.

In my soon-to-be-released novel, Dear Lord Wycliff, Corinna knows it is improper for her to write to a single, unrelated gentleman. And yes, (spoiler) she faces consequences for her impropriety.

Now, most of my main female characters do chafe at restrictions they face because they are women in the Georgian/Regency era. But I have to believe that there were women in that time who felt the same.

And all of my female characters want a man who will love her and be loyal. They expect it, even demand it. This expectation might not be historically accurate, but I want it, expect it, even demand it. I think it still might be considered old-fashioned by many.

What other Old-Fashioned elements do you think should be in a romance novel?

A good story is about relationships

July 10, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

Someone told me recently that they didn’t like books with any romance. It made me a little sad because everyone needs a little romance.

But it also made me a little philoshophical about stories and relationships.

Some say there are only seven possible types of conflict used in any story.

person vs. person
person vs. him or herself
person vs. nature
person vs. society
person vs. technology
person vs. supernatural world
person vs. destiny

Person vs. person is obviously a story about a relationship, no matter what genre we’re reading. Sometimes it’s about love, but sometimes it’s adversarial or competitive. If so, it may end with someone winning and someone losing, but it is still about people learning about each other and dealing with each other.

A story with person vs. him or herself conflict is about that important relationship with ourselves.

The other 5 kinds of conflict might seem trickier at first. But if our main character is dealing with nature, society, technology, the supernatural world, or destiny, three things can be true of that story.

Either that conflicting thing is anthropomorphized–given human characteristics. In this case, the story becomes, in effect, a person vs. person conflict. (Moby Dick, by Herman Melville).

_{Although in this very complex novel, we meet more than one type of conflict. Ahab vs. Moby Dick (a malevolent God or destiny), but it is also about Ishmael, Queequeg, and the other sailors, their relationships with each other and with themselves. And it is about Ahab’s relationship with himself, his anger and fear.}

Another possibility is that that entity (society or technology, etc.) is embodied or typified by one person. (President Snow in Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins becomes the figurehead for a society).

President Snow | The Wondrous Universe Wiki | Fandom

I wonder if, at heart, all of these faceless conflicts are really about our main character learning about him or herself. The story just happens to be set in a world of technology or supernatural happenings, or the other conflicting entities.

(Think about Louie in Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. The outward conflict with his captors is at the forefront, but what he learns about himself might be what makes the story so enduring).

I’ll add this: If the conflict is person vs destiny (or possibly sometimes vs supernatural), it might be about a relationship with some kind of divine presence–still a relationship.

This is a theory, which means you might prove me wrong. I’d love to hear what you think. Have you ever read or viewed a story that isn’t about relationships?

If not, what is your favorite story relationship?

My Writing Mission, Part 2

July 1, 2024 / Gigi Lynn

Love Is The Key

I wrote last time and tried to capture what I want you to experience as you read my work. And I tried to describe what I want my writing experience to be.

With that in mind, I want you to know these things.

What you’ll find in my stories

Yes to these:

Always Romance
Delightful, closed-door stories with a Happily Ever Afters
Conflict that brings growth in the characters and in the relationships
Female characters who are strong or who grow into confidence and capability
At the end, a loving, respectful relationship
Swoony kisses
In a marriage, there may be an acknowledgement (undescribed) of physical intimacy.
Perhaps some mild action and violence.
Some mention of drinking if it is historically accurate
Well-researched detail
Literary style
PG to very mild PG-13 levels of heat

What you won’t find

No to these:

Sex scenes on the page, or acknowledged between unmarried characters
Descriptions of erotic touching, arousal, or tongues in kissing
Descriptions of nudity
Crude humor or commentary
Swearing
Gratuitous violence

I’m here for all the feels and all the delightful entertainment. I hope you’ll join me.