writing.today.com

Yes, there’s a magazine called Strange Horizons that pays money for fiction, blah, blah, blah. And since I’m linking to them, I’m supposed to tell you that, “This list (which I’m about to tell you about) is part of the submission guidelines for Strange Horizons, an online speculative fiction magazine.” Okay? We’re good.

But what I really want to tell you about is their hilarious list of “Stories We’ve Seen Too Often”. You don’t want to miss this.

My favorites include:

#4. (Oh, this is like nails on a chalkboard for me.)

1. In the end, it turns out it was all a dream.
2. In the end, it turns out it was all in virtual reality.
3. In the end, it turns out the protagonist is insane.

I almost snorted cola out of my nose when I read #9 a. and b.:

1. The characters’ actions are described in a way meant to fool the reader into thinking they’re humans, but in the end it turns out they’re not humans, as would have been obvious to anyone looking at them.
2. Creatures are described as “vermin” or “pests” or “monsters,” but in the end it turns out they’re humans.

Were those ideas ever fresh and exciting? Here are a few more:
#6 b. In the future, all learning is soulless and electronic, until kid is exposed to ancient wisdom in the form of a book.

#22. Superpowered narrator claims that superhero stories never address the mundane problems that superheroes would run into in the real world.

#35. Twee little fairies with wings fly around being twee.

Go read the rest. You’re welcome.

Merry Christmas! All the best to you and yours.

Today is great day to cherish all those we hold dear, and maybe escape from some of the hassle with a short novel if you can make the time. (I know how quickly you read, romance readers!)

Today, it just seems fitting to point you in the direction of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired novel, Hope in a Handbag by Annie Jones.

It begins: “My name is Finola Barrett and I’m a head-in-the-clouds, miracles-still-happen, Christmas-has-NOT-gotten-too-commercial-if-you-have-the-spirit-in-your-heart believer. I believe in God and try to put my personal faith into action everyday. I believe that people who set goals and work toward them can still realize their dreams. This is my story.”

And if that isn’t enough to get you to open this present, here’s more: “Finola Barrett is also a woman on a mission—to achieve the resolutions she made for herself at New Year’s, almost exactly one year ago: Finding Mr. Right, owning a home, starting her own business and lastly…to find the perfect handbag. She thinks she may be able to complete them in time, if only the man who manages her trust fund—her own personal Scrooge—would approve her business proposal. Will she be able to overcome the banker who stands in her way? Will she ever find Mr. Right? And will she have a great handbag when she does?”

This still will suck you in right from the beginning. And what better way is there to spend Christmas than with love in your heart?

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas Eve! I know you’re going to be really busy today, so here’s a great story to warm you up for tomorrow… or warm you up for tonight!

In Making Merry, Raine Weaver has cast a hot spell on the North Pole… er, I’m not going to actually make a joke about the “Pole” part, but you can guess. Kris Kringle has cast a glamour. You know, he isn’t actually old or fat. He’s hot! And Mrs. Kringle strayed, so he’s single.

I won’t give away the rest, but it’s definitely a Christmas present for the adult readers of this blog, brought to you by the wonderful people at Samhain Publishing .

If you like this, check out Raine Weaver’s page and her other work.

Try not to let the last-minute craziness get to you, and have a wonderful Christmas eve!

Harlequin American Romance

In a Cowboy’s Arms
by Marin Thomas

Here’s the summary: “At eighteen, all Sandi Drake wanted was out. Out of the little Texas town that suffocated her. Out of her father’s ranch that didn’t appeal to her bookish interests. And out of the influence of the sexy and irresistible Travis Moretti, the one thing she regretted leaving behind.”

It’s a shame the author chose the name “Moretti” for her hero, unless it’s meant as a homage to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. One of the two heroes in those novels is named Joe Morelli, and it’s hard to read this story without already picturing Joe in my mind. But, back to the summary….

“Twelve years later, her father’s death brings her back to the Broken T ranch. Back to Travis. Back to the sparks and to the fire that she could never deny—and in her heart of hearts could never forget.”

(Small aside: I would have punctuated this summary a little differently. Never mind.)

“Travis hasn’t forgotten either. Not the way she made him laugh, and not the way she hurt him when she left. Now that she’s returned, they have a second chance. But is it a second chance at love, or another opportunity for her to break his heart.”

This one is sweet and to the point. The main conflict is the two of them reconciling over the past. So this is good if you’re just not in the mood for a big, bad villain.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good villain, but I like this because it’s realistic. Nice for a change… and I’m a sucker for a happy ending.