Romance Novels

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Finding inspiration in Seattle

I frequently feature actual Seattle landmarks in my Grayce Walters series, partly because I love my home city and partly to create a sense of realism for readers who are familiar with this region. Part of the storyline for Marriage Under Fire, the September release in my contemporary romantic suspense series, was inspired by Seattle’s local refugee and immigrant community.

One of my primary research resources for this was the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), an organization that provides assistance and support to refugee and immigrant women and their families. ReWA has been active in Seattle’s multicultural community for more than 30 years and their work is life changing. Here are some of their accomplishments and compelling facts:

• Services are available in more than 60 languages/dialects
• More than 30 percent of King County residents are foreign-born, based on the 2010 Census
• ReWA helps refugees learn English, find housing and jobs, and gain U.S. citizenship
• Services from ReWA also include domestic violence aid, youth & senior programs, and meals

Yet another reason I love being a romantic suspense author is being able to showcase incredible organizations such as this that make a difference in the community.

2015 RWA National Conference

Last week, romance writers from around the world gathered in New York City for the annual RWA National Conference. The 35th annual conference was held July 22-25 and included workshops, a literacy book signing, the RWA annual general meeting, chapter gatherings and an awards ceremony. The conference provides opportunities for authors, both published and pre-published, to network with industry professionals such as publishers, editors and agents, booksellers, service providers and other authors.

If you attended this year’s conference, what were your key takeaways? What was the highs and lows of the conference? Share your photos and experiences!

Photos from RWA.org Facebook page

The making of a book trailer

My name is Maria Connor, of My Author Concierge, and I am Jacki’s assistant. Jacki invited me to write a guest blog on our recent experience in creating the book trailer for her new audiobook release, A CODE OF THE HEART.

There are many services available that will create book trailers, but in reality, these video teasers aren’t that difficult to put together and it’s fun to occasionally venture into a different creative sphere. Assembling visual and audio elements requires a different perspective than working with words, but it is no less rewarding.

Join me now for a behind-the-scenes look at creating book trailers.

Developing a book trailer starts with a script. This can be the book cover copy (also called the book blurb or book summary), an excerpt from the book, or something entirely different. For A CODE OF THE HEART, we used a brief excerpt that reflected the storyline, plus the tag line for the Code Breakers series. The script can either be narrated or added as text.

The next step in the process is to assemble the graphic and audio components. This can be a challenge, as you must comply with copyright laws. You must have permission or be authorized to use the content in your trailer. To avoid any problems, I either use images owned by myself or the author, or stock art/music I have purchased. You can also use material under a Creative Commons license.

Finding licensed images for Regency romance can sometimes be a challenge. One of the images we considered using for this book trailer was discarded when we realized the male model–posed in a classic historical romance cover embrace–was wearing a gold chain necklace. We didn’t want any readers complaining about the historical inaccuracy of such an image so we selected a different graphic. Another way to solve the problem of limited Regency England images is to look for photos that reflect the story elements without specifically portraying them. For example, in this book trailer, the “spilled” tea cup represents the poisoning, danger and betrayal incidents in the story, while the British flag was selected to signify the intrigue and danger to the British monarch.

I use Windows Movie Maker to assemble the audio and video elements into a finished product. For the audio “mixing,” I use Audacity, a user-friendly program that is essentially just cutting and pasting portions of sound tracks together.

A Code of the Heart Book Trailer from Jacki Delecki on Vimeo.

For a sample of Jacki’s new audiobook, listen HERE.

I hope you enjoy our creative efforts and that we’ve made you curious to learn more about Jacki’s Regency romantic suspense! If you’d like more information about Jacki’s audiobooks, you can find A CODE OF LOVE and A CODE OF THE HEART on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

Using local settings in my romantic suspense books

I’m currently working on the next book in the Grayce Walters series, MEN UNDER FIRE. Writing contemporary romantic suspense requires just as much research as historical romance suspense, but it’s a different kind of fact-finding. Since my books are set in Seattle, where I happen to live, it’s easy to incorporate my research into other activities.

For example, I volunteer as children’s tour guide and frequently lead groups through Pike Place Market. Because of spacing limitations, many of the marketplace vendors store their inventory in the Sanitary Market food locker. It’s rather dark and foreboding — the perfect backdrop for something sinister or dangerous, don’t you agree?

I’m also developing a female character who is a rocker trying to break into Seattle’s grunge music scene. To get some insight into this character, I interviewed Gretta Harley, a local musician. I believe this authenticity enriches my stories so that when readers step onto the page, they enter a world that is part fiction, part fact, but always entertaining and compelling.

Is there a location in your hometown that would make a good setting for romantic suspense?

Make every day Valentine's Day

For romance authors especially, Valentine’s Day–with all its hearts and roses–is a big holiday. After all, romance is our specialty. While some people do it up big, others complain that February 14th has been commercialized by the greeting card and candy companies.

Personally, I think any occasion that gives us an opportunity to show love and appreciation to those around us is an okay thing. I hope your Valentine’s Day was filled with love and romance, even if you celebrated alone. I plan to continue celebrating Valentine’s Day throughout the entire year by expressing my feelings for loved ones, indulging in an occasional treat for someone special and remembering that love makes all things possible.

What is your favorite way to show someone you care?