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Welcome to an exciting time for Reviewers International Organization

The everyday mention of spooks, werewolves, goblins and vampires provides hours of entertainment for millions worldwide. Our newsletter committee has gone all out for this paranormal issue. We hope you find the information startling yet stimulating as we search out the paranormal during our walk on the other side.

While we have had a monthly newsletter for the last few years, it was strictly for members only. For 2005, March marks the month in our public debut. Our monthly antidotes will include Author Interviews, What RIO is Reading, RIO Feature, and Creative Corner. All of these columns are produced in-house by our Newsletter Committee.

In addition to the public newsletter, our message boards are all available to visitors to use at their pleasure. Please visit them before you leave today and come back often. We hope they will be blustering with activity. And if not, post a message anyway to start things off right.

May the spooks remain within ...

Brenda Ramsbacher, RIO President

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PARANORMAL: THE HOTTEST GENRE TODAY
By Tracey West

Paranormal romance includes any element beyond the normal range of sci-fi explanations, time travel, and ghost stories. The genre which seems to have taken hold of readers today and won’t let go.
Adding paranormal elements takes out the ‘safety’ of normal romance, as we would find in contemporary romances. Paranormals provide readers with more tortured heroes in most cases, and tell of such fantastic stories and worlds – the “what –ifs” that readers all over the world seem to be craving.
We have all seen a vast explosion of readers who have been swept away into the paranormal stories. With the easy accessibility of e-books on the internet, more readers today are willing to try stories/genres that they normally wouldn’t. What is it about the paranormal genre that readers are drawn to?
I asked a few of our RIO members all the same questions. These are the responses they shared with me…

What is it about paranormals that makes them something you read?

Kathy: I love the woo-woo aspect. Anything that's different from the norm, I tend to gobble up!

Kemberlee: Contemporary, historical and horror novels are too much like real life. By adding something impossible or even just improbably to the mix gives a paranormal book an added edge. By taking us just outside the box, whole knew worlds open up to us. Ghosts may or may not exist, but what if they were proven to exist and they played an important part in our lives? The same with vampires, shapeshifters, were wolves and all the other "other beings." It's the same with the "is there life beyond our solar system?"

Question - What if...what if a ship came through our atmosphere that wasn't ours? And what would those beings be like, look like? Would they be friendly or aggressive? Paranormals allow us to bring the “what if” questions to life for a few hundred pages to ponder the answers. That's pretty cool.

Sue: When I read paranormals, I expect something I never would have thought of, but completely believe. I love Star Trek, and I think it's that 'well you never know for sure....' factor that attracts me to paranormal. I don't so much go for vampires or shapeshifters, but the ghosts, unknown worlds and technology that --for now – doesn’t exist is really exciting.

Brenda T: For me, it is the stretching beyond the normal. An escape into the unusual, and out of the ordinary. Additionally, I was raised around fantasy and sci-fi. Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, book like Chronicles of Narnia, Anne McAffrey's Pern, Tolkin, all of that has been incorporated into my conscious. So, it's not a stretch for my horizons to be a bit broader than those who have not looked into the unusual.

Who is your favourite paranormal author?

Kathy: Ohhh, no fair, too many to name! I really don't have a particular favorite. I just love them all!!

Kemberlee: I have a few --
Sherrilyn Kenyon does fabulous Dark Hunters...the vampires who aren't really vampires...and the Were Hunters. Sherri has developed a wonderful niche with her type of books. They combine contemporary setting combined with vampire legend and Greek mythology, and all tied together with a bit of author's creative license =-)

Lynn Kurland does great time travel with ghosts, time travel and secret portals between times where characters can time jump. This is a spin on the regular time travel where once either the character time jumps they’re there for good, or they come back with their new partner...that seems to never be able to go back. When she writes a ghost story it's obvious that the H&H will be together in the end, but when one is a ghost it's interesting to see how one of them will move into the other's realm without the living character actually having to die (as in Somewhere In Time) to be with the other.

Nina Bangs does her time travel arseways ;-) What I mean is that she takes the typical time travel book and puts her own special spin on it. In An Original Sin, she took a hero from the past and a heroine from the future and pulled them together in time to our own contemporary period and they had to work together to find out what happened. In The Pleasure Master, a contemporary heroine is blasted into the past with a bag of kids Xmas toys which play a significant part in the story. Night Games has a futuristic hero who travels in time for his annual holidays He chooses to go back in time to an ancestral castle ruin. Because the castle is in ruin the locals see him and think it's haunted, which lends to an old legend because, even though the hero has only been traveling back in time to his castle every year, the locals only see him occasionally to generations have grown up living near a haunted castle.

Brenda T: Too many to count. Currently Emma Holly is good. Susan Krinard is always a step above and earlier than the curve. Her Werewolf stories predate when things got hot with paranormal. And they're still some of the best out there. Susan Grant's futuristic stories blew the roof off of Futuristic stories. Previous they were "garden of eden" stories, set in lush, tropical-like planets. She showed us the edgy side of space, and a warrior's conflict. Eternal stories of man's challenge, now in an even more delicate area: space.

What element of the paranormal do you like the best -- ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters (wolves, etc), other?

Kathy: I really don't have a favorite element but I'm partial to shapeshifters and good-looking aliens. <g>

Kemberlee: While it really depends on the author and the story I'd have to say Sherrilyn Kenyon, hands down. She writes the best and hunkiest vampires and were-hunter heroes. Her books are erotic, action packed and the characters are likeable and even the non-human characters are believable. If an author can make the reader believe that these guys exist, then she's done her job very well.

Sue: Ghosts are my favorite by far. Good, bad, doesn't matter.

Brenda T: futuristic, fantasy (magic), and werewolves. Vampires get a big thumbs down from me. A more puny and powerless entity I've yet to meet. Wolves are much more erotic, in their mating for life and their neck nipping and alpha/beta powerplay. A vampire would see a person in the same manner we see cows - Food.

So, as we see above, the basis for a few paranormal romance readers, it is the stretch of the imagination, the step away from the “formula” that romances for example, seems to follow. So the hottest genre today, with authors such as Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Morgan Hawke, Nina Bangs, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Laurell K. Hamilton that readers seem to want more and more from, I personally, don’t see the end to the paranormal craze happening anytime soon. Not only do the above responses show that some readers like the stretch of the imagination, there are still things that readers want in their paranormals that they would want in their contemporaries. Happily ever after, in-depth characterizations, powerful plots, heroines who we can identify with and the hero we can fall in love with. Whether paranormal, science fiction, or contemporary, etc, those key points are always going to be a factor for readers to want with each and every story...

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Member Spotlight | Author Spotlight - Nina Bangs | Author Spotlight - Morgan Hawke | Website Review

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Every month we will introduce everyone to a RIO Member. We feel that we interview many authors and get to know them, putting them in the “Hot Seat”, etc, that we should also let our visitors know a bit more about each of us as well.

First RIO Member is Kathy Boswell.

KATHY BOSWELL
By Tracey West

Kathy – or KatBos as we like to call her – is the Vice-President of RIO. She oversees the Newsletter committee (I might be the Newsletter Editor, but SHE’S the “Big Wig” I answer to!!! <g>) Kathy is also the Managing Editor at The Best Reviews www.thebestreviews.com and deals with many reviews/reviewers daily.

So, without further ado, Mrs. Kathy Boswell…

Hi Kathy,

When did you begin reviewing? How did you get into this biz?

This is an interesting story. I discovered the Internet in 1995 and immediately sought author sites, book sites, etc. I stumbled across a website called Romance Reader On The Run and struck up an online friendship with Pam Tullos, the owner. She asked me if I would do a few reviews for her. I had no idea what I was doing but she told me to write a short book review and give my opinion. I discovered I had a knack for it and viola, here I am!

What books will you not review?

I absolutely refuse to read horror. It gives me nightmares, no joke! I'm a big chicken!

Is The Best Reviews the only site that you review for?

Yes, it is now. That's all I have time for now.

As Managing Editor at The Best Reviews, what is the most difficult part of that job?

I would say keeping up with editing the reviews. We generally have 150 to 200 reviews to edit each month.

What would a reader find in your reviews? What would bring a reader, or readers, back to you time and again?

Honesty and no spoilers. I have had readers tell me that I have the same taste in books that they do and they always trust my reviews. That alone makes me feel like I've done my job.

Approximately, how many books to you read/review a month?

I used to read/review 20 to 30 a month but now that real life has caught up with me, I am lucky to get 4 to 5 done now. I miss it too. I love to read!

Do you accept all formats, e-books and print?

Yes, everything. I even accept email attachments from print authors. It saves them time and money!

What is the best thing about reviewing?

Interacting with the many authors and of course reading the wonderful books I get to read.

What do you find the hardest thing about reviewing?

It has to be having the time I want to devote to it. I could do this 24/7 and be perfectly happy but my family has grown attached to eating and having a place to live. Ahem.

What is a good review in your opinion?

A good review is one that gives a synopsis of a book with no spoilers and then a good opinion of the book. Generally when I read others reviews, I don't even read their opinion. I want to read a review to see what the book is about, but I think that is because I am a reviewer myself.

What is your reviewing process like? Do you read, and then write the review immediately? Do you take a day or two before writing the reviews?

Good question, Tracey. I like to read the book and think about it for a few hours and then I'll sit down and most of the time, the review will just about write itself.

If you have editing issues, or content issues with a story, do you contact the author before writing your review to discuss these issues, or do you go ahead and just write the review?

I have contacted authors but mostly it was authors I feel comfortable with and whom I know would welcome that type of discussion. A lot of times I get first or second draft so I take that into consideration when I start reading.

How much has reviewing changed, in your opinion, since you began doing it?

I think reviews are a lot shorter and the review process seems more hurried these days but maybe it's just because I'm so busy myself.

Do you find that sites that only post rave/glowing reviews are doing a disservice to readers? Review sites should work with readers in mind, as this is who we do it for, what do you think of sites that will only post the good, leaving out any negative?

Well, I don't do negative reviews because I just simply don't read books I don't like. I think a negative review is fine if it is written in a positive way. Does that make sense? LOL I also think that there is a reader for every book written. What one may like, another may hate. I always keep that in mind when I read something I am not as enthusiastic about as someone else might be.

What is one or two of your biggest pet peeves in stories?

My biggest is no HEA. I MUST have an HEA. I also hate stories where children, women or animals are abused. I don't mind secret baby stories, cowboy stories, etc. I'm an eclectic reader and love all sorts of books.

What is your most favourite genre to read? What authors would we find you reviewing, or reading in your own time?

I love futuristic stories right now. I can't get enough of them. I also love reading paranormals: anything with woo-woo in them. Oh there are too many authors I love to name! I have probably 5,000 books in my possession now and cherish each and every one!

Do you have any children Kathy? Where do you reside? Do you work full-time outside the home?

I have three children and one husband. We live in South Carolina. I am a medical transcriptionist for four doctors, three podiatrists and one ENT. I used to be part time but now with all the tapes I have to transcribe, I work more 40 hour weeks than not.

Why did you join RIO?

I thought it would be a good place to interact with other reviewers and bounce ideas off of each other.

What are some of your duties as the Vice-President of RIO?

I have to keep those newsletter ladies straight (Hi Tracey and DeborahAnne) and take over when Brenda the President needs me to which hopefully isn't often. I also sit on most of the committees as a silent observer.

Where would you like to see RIO go in the future?

I would like for it to just grow and expand and have a much more active role in the book community.

Do you feel RIO is important to the industry and how does it benefit authors?

I believe it's important and all of the authors I know love winning awards. They think highly of the RIO awards. Besides it looks good on a book to say that they won the RIO award. After all, we are reviewers of their books.

Thank you, Tracey, for allowing me to share a little bit of my life with you all. I must say that I can't tell Tracey, DeborahAnne, Viviane and Kemberlee how much I appreciate all the work they do for our newsletter. If it weren't for these ladies, this newsletter wouldn't be what it is today! Thank you all!!

Thank you Kathy!

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PARANORMAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT   NINA BANGS By DeborahAnne MacGillivray

Nina Bangs has been burning up the pages with some red-hot books, The Pleasure Master, Night Games, An Original Sin, From Boardwalk with Love, Master of Ecstasy and more. Currently she has a new publisher, has a novella, Color Me Wicked, in the Men At Work anthology (Berkley), with Night Bites (Love Spell) and then the first of a new trilogy for Berkley, Wicked Nights.

So let’s find out what is on the mind of the talented writer that gives you more bang for the buck!

Tell us about what motivates you to write your stories. Where does your inspiration come from?

Inspiration can come from anywhere—songs, newspaper articles, or TV shows. And once I get the idea, I take it over the top. If you’ve read any of my books, you know what I mean. Here are a few examples. I got the idea for An Original Sin from a song by Meat Loaf about a character searching for a new sin to commit because he’d done them all and was, well, bored. That gave me the idea for my cosmic troublemaker, Ganymede. From there I went on to imagine the ultimate trouble that he could cause two humans. The title, The Pleasure Master, came to me first. Then I tried to imagine what kind of man could live up to that title. The idea for From Boardwalk with Love came from an article I’d read in the newspaper about a man who’d built a life-size Monopoly board. Since I was writing one of Dorchester’s James Bond spoofs, I decided that my master criminal would be obsessed with Monopoly. Night Games was my take on all the reality shows. They keep getting sexier and sexier, so I took them to their logical conclusion, where in a future society, sex is a spectator sport like the Super Bowl. Hey, it could happen.

Give us the scoop on the hot new series from Berkley.

The Castle of Dark Dreams is the yummiest attraction in Live the Fantasy, an adult theme park where women who dare can take sexy role-playing to new erotic heights. Just by looking at the castle you know that only dangerously tempting men would play there. Three brothers—Eric, Brynn, and Conall McNair—run the castle. Can we say sexy creatures of the night? In this sizzling new trilogy, each man promises ultimate fulfillment for the special woman bold enough to accept his sensual challenge.

Master of Ecstasy was a vampire book. And now Night Bites and the series with Berkley are also vamp tales. What draws you to the dark and deadly heroes?

I’m drawn to them exactly because they are dark and deadly. I’ve always been a sucker for alpha heroes. My first few heroes were Highlanders—I love Karen Marie Moning’s Highlanders—and so writing about vampires seemed a natural progression. Vampires are the ultimate bad boys.

There are a lot of vampire writers out there at the moment. How do your vampire tales differ? What makes them unique?

I love the dark vampire tales, but that’s not where I’m at right now. My readers expect a certain degree of humor, and I love writing it. So I’ve tried to keep the dark and dangerous persona of my vampire hero while surrounding him with wacky characters and weird situations. For example, in Wicked Nights, my hero is one of three brothers who run a theme park attraction called the Castle of Dark Dreams. He’s harassed on a nightly basis by the ghost of a madam whose bordello, The Cock Crows at Dawn, once stood on the site where the castle was built. Add to that a Siamese cat with goddess connections and two very unusual plants, and you have a harried hero. And yes, I enjoy reading humorous vampire romances like those written by Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, and MaryJanice Davidson.

You’ve switched publishers. How hard a decision was that?

I enjoyed writing for my first publisher, and I’ll still be writing a few books for them. But when I decided to give up my teaching position and try to make my living as a writer, I knew that I needed to make more money in order to survive. It was simply a financial decision. I’ve been fortunate to have wonderful editors. Alicia Condon and Cindy Hwang have made my writing experience a joy.

Which of the books you have written is your favorite? Which one do you like the least and why?

Favorite? Hmm. I guess I’d have to say The Pleasure Master is my favorite. I had so much fun with the toy that spouted movie quotes and was generally a pain in the butt. I don’t have a least favorite, but From Boardwalk with Love was the most difficult to write because it took me out of my comfort zone. It was supposed to be a James Bond spoof, and I’d never watched a lot of James Bond movies. So I frantically watched as many James Bond and Austin Power movies as I could so I’d know what I was doing.

Which come first, the plot or the characters? Which drives the story for you?

Most of the time the characters come first, and they certainly drive the plot for me. Then comes the setting. For example, in Night Bites I knew that Thrain would be my hero, but I wasn’t clear on the setting. Once I settled on the New Jersey Pine Barrens, I could go on to thinking about the plot which would include a cameo appearance by the Jersey Devil. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer. I don’t do a lot of plot outlining. I know how my story will begin and end, but I usually only know the general direction the plot will take when I start. I just sit down, start writing, and see where the characters take me.

Do you plot it yourself or do the characters come alive and take “control”? Do you write in pieces or straight through?

As I said in my answer above, the characters pretty much dictate where the story goes. Although there are times when I have to rein them in before they run away in a direction I don’t want the story to take. Characters can be hard-headed sometimes. <g> I always write the story straight through.

Who are the writers you admire the most? Was there a book, or books, that made you say, “I have to write Romance”?

Tough question. I have so many writers that I admire. I love Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. I’m really tuned in to her sense of humor. I like a lot of what Nora Roberts writes, especially her J.D. Robb books. Some auto-buys for me are Karen Marie Moning’s Highlander books, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters, MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead books, and Christine Feehan’s Carpathian series. I could go on and on with many more, but I have to stop somewhere. I can’t remember one particular book that motivated me to start writing romances. It was just a gradual realization that I’d like to try writing the kinds of books that I enjoyed reading.

You were a teacher I believe. When did you decide to switch careers?

I taught and wrote at the same time for many years. I’d get up at three in the morning and write until it was time to get ready for work. When I came home from school, I’d have papers to mark, and then I’d fall into bed. There came a time when I knew I couldn’t keep that schedule up much longer. As I made more money from my writing, I decided that if I wanted a real career in writing I’d have to leave teaching. It was hard taking away the safety net of a regular paycheck every two weeks, but I haven’t regretted it.

Is there some period or genre that you have not explored that calls to your Muse?

I’ve thought about trying a suspense series with romantic elements, but I haven’t come up with a premise that sings to me. It would have to be wild and wacky. Sort of what like Katie MacAlister did with You Slay Me. What a great idea! I’d also love to try my hand at a thriller like The DaVinci Code. Yeah, I know, in my dreams.

How do you write? Daytime, nighttime? Do you set the mood with music or need silence for concentration?

I seem to do my best creative work in the morning. Maybe that’s because of all those years of getting up so early and writing before going to work. And I have to have complete silence to work. I’m easily distracted. <g>

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? How long have you been writing?

I’d love to say that I was born with a pen in my hand, but I’d be lying. I didn’t really think about writing seriously until I moved to Texas in 1987. I joined the Houston Bay Area RWA chapter where I met my future critique partners. It took me until 1998 to sell my first book, An Original Sin. As you can see, I wasn’t an overnight sensation.

Do you have advice to writers struggling for that first break?

Join Romance Writers of America and your local RWA chapter. Hone your writing skills at the same time you’re learning about the romance industry and market. Read first-time authors to see what publishers are buying. But I think the most valuable advice I can give to a writer is to be persistent and open to taking their writing in new directions. For years I tried to sell short contemporary romances with no luck. Finally one of my critique partners sold her first book, a paranormal, to the old Shadows line. I’d had such a good time critiquing her book that I decided to write my own paranormal. The result was the time travel, An Original Sin, which sold to Dorchester. During all those years that I was trying to sell a book, I saw many talented writers give up because they thought they’d never publish. All the talent in the world won’t mean a thing if you don’t have the determination to stay the course.

Where do you hope your writing career will be ten years from now?

I suppose most writers dream of someday seeing their names on the New York Times Bestseller List, and I’d be lying if I said that I was different. But I’ll be happy if after ten years I’ve built a fan base that still enjoys the kinds of stories I like to tell.

The RIO Reviewers thank Nina Bangs for taking time to share a little insight in to her works and we look forward to more tales from her!

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PARANORMAL AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT   MORGAN HAWKE By DeborahAnne MacGillivrary

Morgan Hawke was recommended to me by Roberta Brown, writer/agent, who got the recommendation from Angela Knight author of Master of the Night and Jane’s Warlord. I have thought Angel Knight was on the sharpest writers since I first read her Roarke’s Prisoner, a Sci-Fi/Futuristic tale for Red Sage’s Secrets. Since then, she had never failed to impress me. So for a writer to impress her, I had to take notice! Morgan’s House of Shadow: Book 1 of Enchantment in Crimson earned her a **** 1/4 rating from Romantic Times, and justly so. It has been selling on secondary market on Amazon.france for nearly $100 a copy! She’s may be a new name to readers, but won’t stay that way for long. She is a prolific writer with a long backlist of e-books available such as Uber-Gothic, Victorious Star, The Pirate’s Pixie, Passion’s Vintage, Snow Moon, Night Waitress, Teachers Pet, Queen of the Dragons and more. Her writings are not for Gran or Auntie Bess, but if you want a walk on the wild side, you cannot do better than this hot new writer.

So let’s find out what in on the mind of the talented writer who impresses Angela Knight…

Tell us about what motivates you to write your stories. Where does your inspiration come from? What pushed you to write erotica?

Out of sheer desperation for something to read, I started writing my own little stories of erotic adventure. I submitted my little shorts to a small erotic story site, and to my complete surprise, the readers not only liked them, they started hounding me for more!

Eighteen short stories later, I went to Extasy Books with my first full novel near completion – HOUSE OF SHADOWS.

House of Shadows, the first book of the Enchantment in Crimson really blew me away. You are a sassy writer, with a wicked sense of humor. When can we expect the next installment of this series?

I’m going to take Michelangelo’s view when approached by the pope on when he would finish the Sistine Chapel: “When it’s finished”.

Tell use about Book 2 – Burning Shadows and Book 3 – Stalking Shadows in the Enchantment in Crimson series.

In Burning Shadows, Rowan and Rick have begun dealing with the day-to-day issues of a Vampire and a Witch living together. He’s a rather successful Architect (in addition to being a vampire), and she’s on-call to handle paranormal problems (in addition to being a librarian). Things come to a head when Rick has to go out of town to deal with a house under construction and she has an emergency call from a museum having problems with a rather malicious ghost. And neither emergency call is what it seems.

Rick is kidnapped in the airport. Meanwhile back at the museum, there is indeed a ghost that must be dealt with, after which Rowan is kidnapped and hustled onto a plane too. Both end up in the city L’viv on the Russian border – on opposite sides of a paranormal battle for control of a country. Unfortunately the good guys and the bad-guys are mixed in with each other on BOTH sides.

Stalking Shadows is where the reader finally discovers who the real bad-guys are, who the real good guys are and what’s been really going on all this time.

Victorious Star shows you really pushing the limits. It was a fine line between erotica and rape in the early part of the tale, but you pulled it off. How do you go to that edge and still keep the balance?

The trick to NOT stepping over the line is to clue the reader in through body language and dialogue cues. They may be saying one thing but actions really do speak louder than words.

Context is the Key. If someone is saying something terribly mean, but pressing a kiss to your brow at the same time, it changes the entire meaning of what is being said.

In Victorious Star, the two males struck me as resembling Aragron and Legolas, or was that my imagination?

LOL! – I had two completely different actors in mind, but if that’s what made you tingle in all the right ways, by all means imagine them!

There are a lot of vampire writers out there at the moment. How are your vampire tales different? What makes them unique?

This is a Very complicated answer. It starts with the fact that I have studied magic for over 23 years and ends with something relatively simple – my vampires feed on the soul. Stoker said it in his novel: “The blood is the life.” I use blood as a vehicle for tapping into the body to get to the soul. The more creative a person is, the more “soul” they have – and the more tempting they are to a vampire.

You writing of witches, warlocks, vampires and pixies shows you adore the magickal side of writing. What draws you to this?

I grew up in New England, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The whole area is positively bursting with old ghost stories and tales of magic. I guess you could say it was inevitable that I would write about what I had known all my growing up years.

Which of your books of those books you have written is your favourite? Which is the one do you like the least and why?

My least favorite book is Demoness. It was written to be Textbook Erotica, designed specifically to excite the reader – and no more. It’s a complete success in the male-dominated sex-story genre of pure erotica – but a complete failure in that the characters had no depth whatsoever. It is utterly emotionless and plot-driven. People Do things, but they don’t Feel anything about what they are doing. The true pity is that Demoness Could Have had depth, but that was not what that particular market called for.

My newer stories are all character-driven. The characters affect each other’s decisions – feelings and emotions count.

I will say this though, Character-driven stories are MUCH harder to write. I get caught up in the character’s worries and problems to the point that it’s not unusual for me to finish chapters in tears. Victorious Star was so harrowing on my emotions that I actually had to take two whole weeks off from writing (and I write every single day – without fail,) just to recover from what I had wrung out of myself to get it onto the page.

As to a favorite story, I don’t have one just yet…

Which come first? The plot or the characters? Which drives the story for you?

Believe it or not PLOT comes first. Once I know what I want to happen, I design characters to work against that plot.

Every once in a while I come up with a very interesting character. When this happens, I immediately try to design a plot that will test them to the limits (mental, physical and emotional) of their being. If a character changes to the point that they no longer work with the established plot, I pull them from the story, and file them away for a story of their own.

For me – The STORY comes first.

Do you plot it yourself or do the characters come alive and take “control”? Do you write in pieces or straight through?

I design a loose plot then outline the characters, their drives, their motivations and their fears as thoroughly as possible, and then I outline my plot in detail. This does not mean I know exactly how the characters will accomplish that particular event, I only know that they must to go to the next event.

I normally write straight through – I know what needs to happen so it’s a simple matter of going from A to B, but every now and again I get a whole scene that I know needs to go in the story – but I don’t know where. I write the scene and save it in it’s own document, then go back to where I left off and wait for that scene’s place to appear.

House of Shadows was done in bits and pieces, one unrelated scene appearing out of nowhere after another, but then House of Shadows was my first novel too. I had yet to learn the fine art of BLOCKING, making a thorough outline of major events. These days I don’t write without a detailed plot outline set up. If a scene pops up, it’s a simple matter of looking at the outline to see where that scene would work best and jotting a notation into the appropriate block.

Once in a while this great scene blooms into being – and doesn’t go. Those scenes usually end up becoming an entire story all by themselves.

Was there a book or books that made you say, I have to write Romance or a writer who really influenced your choice in what you wanted to write?

Absolutely! I started writing erotica because I loved reading it. Unfortunately the only author producing stories I actually enjoyed back in ’98, was Angela Knight. Ms. Angela Knight’s “Blood & Kisses” in the Red Sage “Secrets” Book #4, was my first introduction to what I felt erotica should be. Shortly after reading that one story, (1998) I started writing. I have since met her and I have yet to meet a more gracious and generous author! She did the cover art for House of Shadows!

What made you choose erotica?

I made the same mistake most beginning writers make – I chose to write Erotica, because I thought it was easy. Boy, was I ever WRONG.

Is there some period or genre that you have not explored that calls to your Muse?

I have been very, VERY lucky – erotica allows exploration into any genre you could possibly imagine – contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, gothic, sci-fi… I have an erotic title published in every single genre and I am comfortable writing them all.

However, this ability of mine to write in any genre has become something of a worry. I have heard over and over, and over, that once you start writing for the New York publishing houses you have to stick to ONE genre – even in erotica. I am having the hardest time choosing WHICH genre to present to them, because whichever one they accept, that’s what I am going to be stuck writing, for a long, long time.

How do you write? Daytime, nighttime? Do you set the mood with music or need silence for concentration?

I write all day long and into the night. I am a full time writer. My butt is in that chair every waking moment I possess. I have no family so I have no distractions whatsoever. I even eat at my desk.

I use movie soundtracks for atmosphere. This is how I maintain consistency in the flavor of my books.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? How long have you been writing?

Stories have always crowded into my head. I write them down to get some peace. I have been writing stories since I started drawing pictures on every scrap of paper I could find as a small child.

I was 14 when I began writing as a way to deal with problems at home. I decided that writing stories was what I wanted to do professionally after winning a regional short story contest when I was in the tenth grade back in 1980. I spent the entire rest of my life, since that time, gathering experiences and information on every subject that interested me so I could put it down on paper.

For me, writing is a full-blown obsession. I couldn’t stop if I tried.

How long was it before you sold your first book?

In 2000, Amatory Ink asked for one of my stories for their: Mythic Fantasy Anthology. That was the first piece I actually got money for. Amoret bought and published a small flasher that I wrote on a whim. In 2002, Suspect Thoughts Magazine published a short of mine that ended up in the Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica Vol. 3. I got the check from BNE3 on publication, a full year after the editor asked for it.

In 2003, I offered Extasy Books a small novella that was getting critical acclaim on a free site and they snatched it up. It sold very well. A collection of 12 of my shorts followed that. Then I submitted my first real novel. The novel "House of Shadows" scooped up 5 and 4.5 star rating with the reviewers. It was a complete success and was one of the first books Extasy sent to print. My largest novel, an SM Sci-Fi, "Victorious Star" broke every record for sales I ever had, but "Uber-Gothic" is gaining on VS for sheer volume of sales very quickly.

I have only ever had one rejection: from TOR books. The book TOR rejected was "House of Shadows" - which is making me a tidy sum at Extasy. It wasn't what TOR was looking for, but it was exactly what Extasy wanted.

How long did it take me to get published? That's hard to say. Everything I've ever submitted has been published. Writing has been very, very good for me. I've been living on my royalties - as my only income - since August of this year. It's not a whole lot - but it's enough for me.

Do you have advice to writers struggling to break into Erotica?

Yes, Do your RESEARCH! If you plan to write about vampires, understand that the readers have very likely already read every other vampire book in print and are Very well informed on their subject. The readers of any given genre will always know if you know your subject - and will judge you accordingly!

For more detailed advice, and the occasional rant, visit my Writing Blog (web-log): Dark Erotica - www.darkerotica.blogspot.com

I presume you want to break into Mainstream Publishing? Is that a goal? Will you still write for e-books if this comes about?

Seeing my name on the bookshelf of a major book-chain has always been a dream, but unfortunately, mainstream writing does not pay as well – or as regularly – as writing for the e-book markets.

A $10,000 advance on a book that takes 6 months to write, and over a year to see print does not go very far once you realize that you only get one third of it on signing the contract, another third once you deliver the completed manuscript – after they tear it to shreds and you have to rewrite, and rewrite it, and rewrite it…to their specifications, which may or may not be related to the book you actually wrote – and the last third when it finally appears on the bookshelf. A single novel can take anywhere from one year to three to appear on the bookshelf. That’s a Long time between paychecks.

Should I ever make it to mainstream publishing I will not stop writing e-books, simply because I could not afford the pay-cut.

What books can we look forward in the near future?

March 2005 -
FALLEN STAR - A Tale from the Imperial Stars
(Fair warning! This tale is NOT for the faint of heart!)
Loose Id Books
Excerpt - http://www.darkerotica.net/FallenStar.htm

Sometime later in 2005 -
FLIGHT OF THE TITANIA – A Romance from the Imperial Stars
Loose Id Books
Excerpt - http://www.darkerotica.net/Titania.html

WULF STAR - The Star Mages
(Fair warning! This tale is NOT for the faint of heart!)
Loose Id Books

Enchantment in Crimson ~ A Modern Gothic Series
2 - BURNING SHADOWS - Extasy Books
3 - STALKING SHADOWS - Extasy Books

Where do you hope your writing career will be ten years from now?

Lucrative. I hope my career will prove lucrative. LOL! I have my doubts though, very few authors actually make enough to live on their writing. At this point in time I actually AM living on my royalties, but then my bills are teeny-tiny. A one-bedroom apartment is far easier to support than a family!

Someday I hope to be able to afford a cottage on the coast. (sigh…)

The RIO Reviewers thank Morgan Hawke for taking time to share a little insight in to her works and we look forward to more tales from her!

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REVIEW SITE SPOTLIGHT

Interview with Sue Waldeck, Owner of The Road to Romance
By Tracey West

As we now have many authors and readers viewing our now public newsletter, RIO thought it would be a great idea to spotlight some of the review sites that some of our member’s own or work with. Sue Waldeck, owner of RTR, is also the VP of Membership here at RIO. Known for reviewing all genres available today, The Road to Romance (RTR) posts approximately 100-120 reviews some months, a bit less than that other months. Sue does all posting of the reviews, monthly updates and advertising with authors at RTR. Listen in as she shares a bit with us about RTR and how she handles it all…

Sue, how long has The Road to Romance been around?

RTR has been around since 1998 or so, as you see it now.

How did the inception of RTR come about?

About 10 years ago I needed some way to keep track of authors I enjoyed, their websites and what books I wanted to buy. I built a simple page and started trading and selling books online. Eventually I got the nerve to review a book and once I put that first one up authors started coming. The site just grew from there.

In the five plus years your review site has been around, what changes have you accommodated, to go with the changes of time, readership changes?

The biggest change was to accommodate the erotica market. You know how much work that is, as manager of the entire section. It’s huge, and yet has only been online for a year. And we have a large number of inspirational reviews now that we didn’t have a year ago thanks to the insight of Linda Baldwin, who saw a void on the site and jumped at the chance to organize a group of reviewers to fill it. She pretty much single handedly brought in spies to the site.

With the popularity of e-books, do you find that more and more of the books reviewed at RTR these days are in the majority of e-books?

I don’t know the statistics but we post a lot of e-book reviews. That particular format has grown massively in the last 3 years. Before that it was nearly impossible to find reviewers for them. At one point I had to tell authors, either offer the book in a print format or I can’t even post it for the reviewers because they won’t take it. Now we have ladies who take them exclusively.

Presently, how many reviewers do you have on staff? RTR is a Canadian based site, where do some of your reviewers hail from around the world?

We have a nice sized group – some take so many books it boggles my mind and others take one or two a month. They come from Canada, the US and we do have one lady from Greece.

Where can authors/publishers go to find out more about what advertising options you provide?

All the info they need is on the Authors’ Information page, also referred to as the Advertising page. It can be found at http://www.roadtoromance.ca/authorsinfo.htm

Knowing you as I do Sue, I know that you don’t see other review sites as “competition”. You have stated many times before that, “We do what we do, doesn’t matter what other review sites do, we are who we are…” Do you find that with the number of new review sites beginning all the time, that reviewing has lost a bit of the meaning of what it should be? Is the value of what reviewers are about has fallen to the way-side a bit, that for some it’s about popularity, and not about the reviews or readers?

As you said, I don’t know the motivation for other sites. I’ve always pretty much kept to myself, and the reasons and goals, the expectations for RTR are still the same as they were when it began. I knew what I wanted to do with the site, and that goal is always in my head. It’s simply a place for readers and writers to find each other. We’ll always post honest and professional reviews, and do the best job we can. As you can attest, sometimes I get my head in the sand and don’t notice new sites until you point them out to me – that’s frustrating for me because I want to be out there seeing what others are doing. But I think reviewing, like everything else, will evolve to suit the audience. I would hope that some things never change – integrity, honesty and a clear sense of whom we review for – the readers.

What is The Road to Romances mission statement?

As I said above, just a safe place for readers and writers to find each other. I’m sure I’ve written a real mission statement at some point but darned if I can find it.

Do you have new ideas for RTR that you have been mulling over, but haven’t made happen yet?

There are things I’d love to do but am limited by time. I’m maxed out on the number of hours I spend a month on it, so when there’s time there are some things I’d like to try. I watch the trends on the site, analyze the statistics, then take that data and decide how to best use it to our advantage. These things are time consuming, so the few extra hours here and there are used up doing things like that. And frankly, I love time off, so I’m working at streamlining the work I do to allow more family time.

You are a part-time nurse, full-time mom and wife, band member, school volunteer, plus owner of RTR – how do you do it all? Are there days when you shut off the computer, and think, “forget it I’m not dealing with any of that today”? Are there days when it’s all too much?

LOL! You know there are. We all have those days, but I make it a point not to say ‘I’m too busy’. Sometimes I am, but it seems everyone is too busy so we’re on an even playing field. I figure we all make time for what’s important to us. I’m very lucky really. My job allows me to work nights, so even if I’m sleeping I’m home for my son. My hobbies are very stress relieving and my hubby is 100% supportive of RTR.

How many more years do you think RTR will be around? Any plans to say good-bye to it and walk off into the sunset for Bora Bora or someplace?

I know I tease you that I’m leaving it all to you someday, but that’s not so far-fetched. I can see me doing this as long as it’s fun and rewarding in a personal way, but when it stops being fun, I’ll stop doing it. It doesn’t make me rich and hasn’t made me famous, so fun is all there is left. Some day I’ll wake up and realize the desk chair is worn out so it’s time to go.

In closing Sue, what should readers, authors, and the like know about RTR specifically? We have been a site, at least in the almost 2.5 years I have been with you, that we have set our own course and kept to ourselves in terms of following what others are doing. What do you think makes The Road to Romance stand out a bit from other review sites?

I think RTR is a safe place. We’re non-confrontational, so newer authors feel safe. We bend over backwards for newbies because starting out in writing is a scary, confusing thing, and RTR has always had a soft spot for new authors. I think we’re unique in that we’ve successfully blended all the genres from erotica to inspirational in a manner that everyone can find what they want, but at the same time, they’re exposed to a whole world of books they may not see at sites that are exclusive. We don’t do a great deal of advertising, so what you see on the site is relevant and tasteful. What advertising we do allow is essential to cover some of the site costs, but we’ve tried to blend it in with the content. And we don’t hesitate to post ‘negative’ reviews, but we’ll do it in a professional manner. All of my reviewers work under their real name and know that if there is a conflict about something they write, I’ll back them up but they’re responsible for their words. We don’t allow pseudonyms because accountability is everything.

The Road to Romance updates their reviews every couple of weeks, sometimes once a week. To keep up to date on all new reviews at RTR and other news in the main section, join the RTR Newsletter by sending a blank email to roadtoromance-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

For monthly updates in the Erotica Corner, join the separate newsletter for this section by sending a blank email to roadtoromance_erotica-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (the first newsletter is to go out in March 2005)

Visit The Road to Romance online at www.roadtoromance.ca

On behalf of Reviewer’s International Organization (RIO), I thank Sue Waldeck for taking the time to answer these questions.

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Technology | Creative Corner | What RIO is Reading?

What in the World Does All of this Technology Have to do With Reviewing?
By Robin Taylor

With the proliferation of small press publishers, multi-talented and multi-published authors and successful E-book publishers are everywhere. Lots of folks, however, think they have two choices: Read and review your E-Book on your desktop or laptop, or print it out. But there are many more choices, and if you watch the Yahoo groups, folks are learning that these choices are not just many, but becoming more affordable as time moves on.

Before I discuss the wide variety of reader formats (meaning the programs used on the various devices to allow you to read the book), I’d like to discuss various handheld devices. This is by no means a complete list, but I’ll try to list according to price, and recommendations, based on either my personal experiences, or that of others in the technical arena.

Dedicated E-Book readers

• E-Bookwise 1150 (formerly Rocket Reader) – http://www.E-Bookisle.com. $99 plus shipping. For those who loved their Rocket Readers, grab these while you can!
• Franklin Mobipocket reader (http://ww.franklin.com) – via Ebay, should be less than $70 – but from Franklin’s site, might be as much as $200, so don’t buy this device from the manufacturer. Btw, there are two models fairly well available, the 901 and the 911 - you want the 911, as the other series is notorious for dumping data when the battery is completely drained.
• The Handspring Visor, though not available as a new device at this time, can be found online for less than $125.00. This device is fairly similar in design and efficiency to the E-Bookwise and Franklin Ebookman devices.
• There’s a brand-new Ereader on the market – still primarily sold in Japan, but through companies like Dynamism - http://www.dynamism.com/index.shtml, this product is available, and it is: http://www.japan-direct.com/cartitem.asp?prodid=552 – This Sony product (Librie) uses digital paper and is very expensive, as it is just on the market. Comparative products are the Panasonic Sigma Book and the Toshiba DCT-100 – For an electronic device, and for something that closely resembles an actual paperback, for a price range of $440 to $500, all of the afore-named devices under this bullet are available at the japan-direct website. (Although the Panasonic and Toshiba products aren’t yet available in English as of yet.)

PDA – Personal Digital Assistants
– from grayscale, as low as $100, to VGA, upwards of $800.

• Lowest end that I’d recommend, so that reading for long periods of time is easy on the eye are High Resolution devices.
• For PDAs there are two major markets – Palm vs. Pocket PC, Palm is discussed in the next bullet…
• PalmOne has a slew of devices – There are two excellent PalmOne links – “Compare selector” - http://www.palmone.com/us/products/compare/selector and “Comparison Chart” - http://www.palmone.com/us/products/compare
• Sony products, although out of business in U.S., are wonderful and of a wide variety. Ebay is a good resource for the older products, and the newer Sony products are available at the Dynamism link above, among other places. If you buy from Ebay, just make sure you buy from a high-rated seller, and that the seller is eager to answer questions before you buy.
• Tapwave Zodiac – http://www.tapwave.com – This looks like a mini Play Station 2. But, don’t let looks deceive you. I own one of these, among many other PDAs. This is a PDA first and foremost, but a powerful gaming, music and video machine. The specs and design of this PDA make it a terrific machine to read ebooks on. It’s easy on the eyes, and the music that you can play in background, can make for quite a pleasant reading experience.
• Pocket PCs – Although I have more than a handful of PDAs, I think my favorite is the HP iPAQ 4355 – it has a built-in keyboard, uses WiFi (which connects to my wireless router), and has a host of other features. There are more advanced Pocket PCs, for example Toshiba’s e805, higher end Dell Axims, and the Asus MyPals (link below), which use a VGA screen – one of the best resolutions PDA lovers will find, but finding these devices below $500 USD can be quite a challenge.
• I’ve recently gotten a Zaurus – http://www.myzaurus.com - I’ve not had it long enough to even begin to enjoy all the benefits of it. Again, this is a product no longer sold in the U.S., but it is still being produced, and rather quite expensively, and can be purchased by Third-Party vendors such as the Dynamism link above. My model should be a great tool for my research purposes, for when the time arises. It is an SL-5500, btw – the SL-5500 models are fairly affordable. This model and the SL-6000 model look like the standard PDAs. The Zaurus’s are now made in a clamshell-style model, and are pretty expensive, and, well, they are just pretty all the way around.
• The HP Jornada has a full line of products - http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prodCategory?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&dest_page=product&product=13260 – and these are powerful PDAs.
• For a full multimedia experience, there’s the Archos Pocket Media Assistant - http://www.archos.com/products/overview/pma_400.html - this device is almost overkill for E-book reading, but has some tremendous features on it for those interested in multimedia aspects, - like viewing videos, listening to music, etc.
• When I briefly mentioned the Toshiba, it was because it has a bright, VGA screen. Another strong VGA PDA is the Asus MyPal - http://usa.asus.com - This product can be quite pricey, but as a user gets through their beginning PDAs and want to move up, the Asus and Toshiba are worth considering.
• While it may seem I’m avoiding discussing a very popular device, The Blackberry (http://www.blackberry.com), it is only because if a reader wants to carry a number of E-books, there are no expansion slots as of yet on this business device. For those who love SMS messaging, or have specific business needs, or IT requirements, the Blackberry is a very useful tool – for the E-book reader, however, not just yet. Perhaps in the near future, the Blackberry developers may decide to use an expansion slot, thus opening a vast market even wider.
• The last PDA I’ll mention in this article is for those ultra-geeks who want it all. How about a PDA and a GPS all in one? Well, there’s the Garmin iQue (http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3200)for that purpose. Everything a PDA is capable of doing, and a Global Positioning System all in one. A quick glance at a price range is the 3200 model around $400 retail, and the 3600 model about $600 retail – both prices roughly include shipping.

Why buy a PDA when you can get a dedicated portable E-Book reader?

• PIM features (datebook, address book, calendar, etc.)
• Writing reviews (onscreen keyboard, graffiti, portable keyboards, etc.)
• Music (mp3 that can be transferred via Windows Media Player or Real Player
• Audible books (http://www.audible.com). One benefit from listening to Audio Books on your PDA is for those of you who commute – via train or car, for example. Then you can listen to popular books while “on the go”.
• Movies – So many choices, like the free Kinoma Producer, allows PDA users to watch their favorite DVD shows or movies on their devices.
• Photo album – with a memory card (SD card, MMC card, Memory Stick, depending on your device), there is enough memory to carry literally thousands of photos. With the PDA devices with voice recorder, like the Zire 72, you can have a talking photo album. On my Zire, for example, the kids get to describe all of their pictures, in their own voices. So, when others are viewing, they get to listen to my children’s voices.
• Games – if you have time, there are THOUSANDs, MOST addictive, lol
• GPRS – for your busy travelers – Check out the PalmOne or Pocket PC websites. You’ll find that you can add this to most PDA devices.
• News - programs like Plucker, AvantGo, iSolo and Mobipocket, for example, allow you to download daily news, and read it on the go.
• Other features include email . I use one of my PDAs for email – live email with WiFi. But, those who don’t have WiFi, no worries. Most PDAs come with an email program, and you can download, read, and compose email. During your next sync, you can send any composed email, and download anything new since your prior download. There’s also Bluetooth, available on about half of the PDAs on the market. With a Bluetooth-enabled phone, you can read and respond to email, and surf the web – literally on the go.
• Features like this could take up another five pages!

Programs that actually allow you to read E-Books on your device

• Repligo (desktop converter app)
• wavePDB – converts most electronic books (unlocked – useful for reviewers) to .prc format. This allows readers to use the free eReader program (url) or Mobipocket. Of course, purchasing new books from resellers, or E-Book publishers, you can choose Mobipocket, and any number of formats at the point of sale. But we are talking about making the book you are about to read portable.
• Adobe Reader for Palm OS or Adobe Reader for Pocket PC – both free
• Mobipocket Reader, basic version free, more advanced version for a fee
• eReader Pro – Pro version costs money, standard version is free

Things to consider when choosing a device are price, battery life, how often you can synchronize to your regular computer (desktop or laptop), learning and finding the best Back-up program, and using it regularly. You need to have a compatible computer for your PDA when it comes to the PDA communicating with the computer, for back-up purposes and more.

About battery life, briefly – I’m finding on Ebay that most PDAs have battery extender packs. Some universal Palms use something called a Power to Go Sled. Most PDAs have a car charger. Also, some PDAs, like PPCs, allow you to keep an extra battery and switch it out when necessary, without losing any data. Since I use my iPAQ for hours on end, instead of buying a $15 extender, I splurged and bought an extra battery, and have already gotten my money’s worth a hundred times over.

Other accessories you may want to buy if you join the technological bandwagon are:

• Screen protectors – I protect all of our PDAs with Boxwave products (http://www.boxwave.com)
• IR (infra-red) keyboard. If you are a reviewer on the go, a portable keyboard, such as the one here - http://www.palmone.com/us/products/accessories/peripherals - Universal Wireless Keyboard by PalmOne – which works with all but one of my PDAs – PalmOne, PPC, Tapwave, etc. One keyboard, using the infrared port, makes writing reviews, or email, so easy that your PDA can quickly become your portable computer. (Tip – this device is much less expensive on Ebay.)
• Protective cases – oh there are so many, but I’m a sucker for the Piel Frama cases from http://www.cases.com - http://cases.com/pf4300.htm. It’s a great, attractive case, with a belt clip, room for expansion and credits cards and more.

So, if you simply want to read E-books, without all the bells and whistles, then look to the first part of this article, and choose something in the range of $100. If you want to have more capabilities – even if it is simply to keep an online portable address book, start with a low-end PDA. You can always upgrade later. When shopping, however, try to buy something that will meet your needs. If you don’t need an $800 PDA, then why buy one? If you find a $200 device will meet all of your particular needs, then you have purchased the perfect PDA.

For me, however, there is no “perfect” PDA – I’m too busy buying, trying and writing about them.

Whatever your poison, happy reading!

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CREATIVE CORNER   CRAFTING PARANORMAL FICTION: AN INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT E. BONSON By Viviane Crystal

Paranormal fiction – a world connected to our everyday, credible experiences but extending to a realm of connected, limitless possibilities in the past, present and future! Since this month’s RIO newsletter is oriented toward paranormal fiction, it’s a good time to get inside a paranormal author’s writing process. How is it conceived, developed and finally shaped? Having recently reviewed a relatively unknown, new author of two excellent novels (see below for more details), I thought it might be fascinating to enter the psyche of that writer to see just what “ticks” in actual crafting of the paranormal novel. Robert Bonson graciously agreed to this interview, and I hope you’ll find his responses fascinating – both from the point of view of the writer as well as that of the reviewer.

How would you define paranormal fiction?

To do that, we have to discern between the terms Paranormal, Occult and Supernatural.

Paranormal events are those that are plausible, yet simply beyond the range of normal experience or explanation. Occult and/or Supernatural events involve influences and phenomena outside the natural world, beyond the realm of human comprehension.

Novels that contain a paranormal theme envelop the reader with ideas and possibilities that go beyond the reader’s daily experience, yet are plausible enough to be accepted — the old “suspension of disbelief” factor.

In Paranormal Fiction, the author is at liberty to develop a variety of themes beyond the range of a reader’s normal everyday experience or explanation. Each theme, though, must be presented in a way so as to expand the reader’s limitations of belief through an integrated story line that grasps and envelops the reader. The trick, of course, is to hold the line and not infringe on the Occult or Supernatural.

Which brings up an interesting aside: what we now consider to be paranormal phenomena in the 21st Century was by most standards, considered supernatural in the 18th and 19th Centuries! Therefore, the line between that which is considered paranormal today and that which will be considered an everyday normal event in the future is just a matter of time, experience and the elimination of social mores.

Are there different types of paranormal fiction? Which type do you prefer and why?

The types of Paranormal fiction are as varied as the themes the author selects: reincarnation, romance, horror, time travel, mystery and historical. It is simply a matter of choice for the author to select the vehicle for the presentation of the story line for the reader’s enjoyment. I believe any type of theme or combination of themes is appropriate – as long as the line into the Occult and the Supernatural is not crossed. (Pushed perhaps, but never crossed; for the author has a genre to protect.)

What type of event(s), person(s) or place(s) interested you in this particular type of fiction?

There are a number of influences that stand out in my mind: Daphne du Maurier’s “The House on the Strand,” the Jane Roberts “Seth” books, the dual Time/Life series “Library of the Unknown,” and “Mysteries of the Unknown,” and my five-year association with a truly outstanding, professional psychic, Miriam Guidotti, better known to her radio, television and New-age Institute fans as “Reverend Joan.”

I met Rev. Joan in the early 80’s and she introduced me to all manner of paranormal ideas and realities (yes realities!) I served her and her Institute in many roles, including student, teacher and as announcer and sidekick on her live, call-in radio show. Talk about energy! By the time the show was over in the evening the energy around us would be so high that we would set off all the car alarms in the parking lot as we walked into the restaurant where we had our post-show dinners.

Eventually, time and distance separated us, but the knowledge she imparted stayed with me. It became integrated into each of my novels, allowing me to express my knowledge and expertise through my characters in believable situations involving paranormal phenomena.

Who is your favorite paranormal fiction writer? Can you describe the qualities of that writer that exemplify excellent in the crafting of this mode of fiction?

I don’t have a favorite paranormal fiction writer. But my favorite fiction writers over the last forty years are Daphne du Maurier, Clive Cussler, John LeCarre, Robert Ludlum, and Dan Brown. Each has a style with words that reach out and grasp and hold the reader - all the way to the end.

If you were giving advice to someone who is creating a paranormal story or novel, what would you advise about making it both believable and fascinating?

The concept and the story line have to have a believable basis, whether that basis already exists in the reader’s mind by general acceptance or is established and developed by the writer within the story itself. It cannot be far-fetched; it has to be based on the writer’s own knowledge and expertise as well as the writer’s ability to transfer that knowledge and expertise to the reader in a meaningful way.

How would you address the paranormal fiction writer’s need to address the skepticism in any given reader?

Give the reader the right to “suspend disbelief.” Do it in a way that the reader will want to believe the story line. Take the time and words to do it right. Take the reader by the hand and lead them in the direction intended.

Which novels would you consider to be “classic” examples of paranormal fiction? Can you describe what writing techniques work so well in one or two of these classic works?

I avoid reading the paranormal fiction of other writers because I don’t want my own writing to be influenced by it. I want to remain true to my own experiences, based on my own expertise. This should not be taken to mean I don’t respect what other writer’s are publishing; that’s not it at all. I just don’t want their energy to creep into my own.

How did you come up with the idea of your own paranormal novels?

My first novel, originally entitled the “Steel-Helmeted Redcoat,” was literally channeled to me by some outside source that took over my hands and mind each night for 90 days, until I had typed some 90,000 words. It took me fifteen years after that to polish and revise, then polish and revise again and again to get it to the point where it could be published with any hope of gaining readership. By then it was titled, “Incredible Aberration?” In the end, my own experiences and expertise in the world of the paranormal made the difficulties of “Redcoat” into a believable “Aberration.” People all over the world have read and enjoyed it.

I started “Incredible Dreams?” after Aberration had gone to the printer.

Dreams was an entirely different concept, based on a lot of experiences I had shared with Rev. Joan in her work with the Sheriff’s Department and the FBI in solving homicides. I became quite familiar with the techniques she used and applied them in “Dreams.”

Later on, the idea of creating ‘Tulpa’s’ (magical entities Buddhists believe can be created by concentrated thought) that was discussed in “Aberration” spawned the entire story line in “Incredible Reality?” which is now in print. The idea came to me one afternoon and was fleshed out by nightfall. Six weeks and 60,000 words later I had an edited and polished novel ready for the publisher.

My latest novel, “Incredible Solution?” is based on an actual cold-case murder that I wrote about in an award winning newspaper series. While the front end of the story recounts the actual murder scene and two-year investigation, the back end reprises the detective and the psychic from “Dreams” to bring closure to the case using paranormal techniques Rev. Joan would have loved.

Would you describe your actual writing “process” for someone who would like to learn more about actually crafting his or her own paranormal novel.

An idea comes to my mind and I play with it for as much time as is necessary to flesh it out into something achievable. By that I mean some ideas are only worthy of a short story and are soon discarded. Once I feel there is enough of a story to spend the time writing about it, I expand the theme into a series of plot points, which then become the basis for an extended summary. After that, I break the summary down into individual chapter elements which are used to guide me in the process of actual writing.

Mind you now, my characters become very real to me as they develop in the book and frequently “tell me” they would say or do something differently than what I had written for them. As a result, the thrust of a chapter or a character may change and subsequent chapter elements may have to bechanged, as well.

I don’t worry about spelling, sentence structure or grammar when I’m drafting a novel. The important thing is to get the ideas down in writing. You can always take care of the spelling, grammar editing, and polishing later.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly – the author must write about what he or she knows. They must open up and let themselves come through to their readers.

Describe the difficulties you have while writing your novels and how you deal with those problems or blocks.

The biggest difficulty in writing a novel, I think, is staying focused on the task at hand. The writer must be able to devote the time to not only thinking about what is going to be written, but to the actual process of writing, itself. We live in a world controlled by clocks and commitments — the successful writer must get past that. The writer must devote time to the craft of writing; make it a habit! The thoughts in the head must be converted into words on the screen. Creativity does not follow a clock and the writer shouldn’t either. If I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea or a solution to a problem in developing a character or theme, I’ll either write down notes to myself to be read in the morning or get out of bed, head for the computer and start converting thoughts into words right then and there.

There are two things that I have learned in life that I apply to my writing:

1) “TTT,” or Think Things Through. You’d be surprised how many problems are solved by stepping back and just thinking them through

2) The “KISS” method, or Keep It Simple, Stupid! We are so attuned to the high tech society in which we live that we think everything must be complicated to be worthwhile. Wrong! Keeping it simple means less effort to develop the story line and less effort for the readers to enjoy it.

Do you just write your story or do you pay attention to audience, purpose and tone in a paranormal novel?

I enjoy writing stories based on the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the years involving paranormal aspects of life. It’s fun to write about what I know and to share it in a way that readers can enjoy. Purpose and tone are important in the development of a story line. Each of my novels include the word “Incredible” and a question mark “?” in the title to convey the idea that the reader must determine whether the story is real or not. Many people, for instance, think “Incredible Dreams?” (which you so favorably reviewed) is a real story.

Finally, what is important to note when reviewing paranormal fiction and why?

The key question always has to be: Is it believable? If the story line is not believable because it’s too far-fetched, or crosses the line into the Occult or Supernatural, then the book should be labeled and reviewed as such - rather than as a paranormal offering. On the other hand, pushing the envelope of believability in a paranormal story line is quite acceptable, if the reader is properly prepared by the writer to accept the theme or conclusion offered. (Remember my comments about the author having a responsibility to protect the genre.)

Thanks so much, Bob.

Viviane, it was my extreme pleasure. Thanks for the opportunity to respond.

Bob,
Robert E. Bonson
The “Incredible Author?” [vbg]

For more information on this author’s novels, please visit:

http://www.crystalreviews.com/authors/bonson-incredibledreams.htm
http://www.crystalreviews.com/authors/bonson-incredibleaberration.htm
http://www.incredibleauthor.com

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WHAT RIO IS READING
This month we showcase some of the great Paranormal reads that RIO Members have read in the last six months.
(In no specific order)

	SHIFTING LOVE Constance O'Day Flannery TOR Books
	BLUE MOON Lori Handeland St. Martin's
	GHOST OF A CHANCE Nina Bruhns Silhouette Intimate Moments
	HUNTER’S MOON Cathy Clamp & C.T. Adams TOR Books
	STROKE OF MIDNIGHT Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, Lori Handeland, L.A. Banks St. Martin’s Press
	THE CHALLENGE Susan Kearney TOR Books
	YOU SLAY ME Katie MacAlister NAL
	THE WATER WITCH Ciarra Sims Changeling Press
	WINDWALKER Natasha Mostert TOR Books
	THE DEMON’S DAUGHTER Emma Holly Berkley
	DARK SECRET Christine Feehan Jove
	SIEZE THE NIGHT Sherrilyn Kenyon St. Martin’s Press
	TIGER EYE Marjorie M. Liu Love Spell
	THE SUMMONING: GUARDIAN OF HONOR Robin D. Owens Luna
	MASTER OF THE NIGHT Angela Knight Berkley Sensation
	HUNTER’S MOON Lori Handeland St. Martin’s Press
	THE ETERNAL HIGHLANDER Lynsay Sands, Hannah Howell Kensington
	SEX, LIES & VAMPIRES Katie MacAlister Love Spell
	BITE Angela Knight, MaryJanice Davidson, Vicki Taylor, Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris Love Spell
	DREAM ON Jaci Burton Ellora’s Cave
	CRIMSON MOON Rebecca York Berkley Sensation
	HEART OF THE FORSAKEN Angela Verdenius Wings ePress
	NIGHT BITES Nina Bangs Love Spell
	THE FOREVER KISS Angela Knight Red Sage Publishing Inc.
	NIGHT PLAY Sherrilyn Kenyon St. Martin’s Press
	ELLORA’S CAVEMEN: TALES FROM THE TEMPLE IV Annie Windsor, Shiloh Walker, Denise A. Agnew, Tawny Taylor, Jaid Black, Mlyn Hurn Ellora’s Cave
	FALLING AWAKE Jayne Ann Krentz Putnam

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It's done. It's done! The new RIO website is done!

Well, if you've read this far, you already knew I hope you enjoy the changes in the look of RIO, as well as the new public content.

RIO's new bi-monthly newsletter will be published again in May, then in July, September and November. The new year will start again with a January release. Each themed newsletter will be packed with interesting articles, interviews and a main feature article.

Along with the new public newsletter, RIO has set up a public forum where you, the reader, can gather to talk about what you're reading, meet some of your favorite authors and reviewers, and meet like-minded people.

**There will be some general rules for posted, of course, which are posted in the Welcome Message when you log in.

For anyone unfamiliar with this style BBS (forum), there is a terrific help section. Just set up your log-in information to get started.

Along with the new website, public newsletter and public forum, RIO is proud to announce the 2004 RIO Award of Excellence winners. This award was established in 1998 and continues to grow in popularity each year. This is the most unique type of award system to date, as all of the books nominated are done so by RIO reviewers, not causal readers or review site polls. Our reviewers review for a wide range of review sites so the eventual winners are solely voted on by a large cross-section of the reviewing community.

If you're a reviewer and are thinking about joining RIO, pleae refer to the Join RIO sectoin on our side bar. Start out with reading our Mission Statement, Types of Membership available and our Membership Guidelines. If RIO is for you, submit your application. RIO takes PayPal and applications can be emailed.

I hope you've enjoyed the new public sections of RIO thus far. Bookmark our site and forum, and visit often!

HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY, and Easter (27 March). And don't forget to set your clocks AHEAD on the 3rd of April

~RIO Web Designer

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