In my book, Telling the Tale: The African-American Fiction Writers Guide, I devote a chapter to a discussion of how I develop chapters from scenes.  Since my first book, I’ve roughly gone with 15 page chapters with 3 5-page scenes. That’s just a rough guides. Some of my chapters are longer, some shorter, some have more scenes, rarely do they have fewer.  The rule-of-thumb really worked for me.

I’m also a scene-sequel writing, even though many of my sequel are implied and not explicit.

When I was on the Soul Expressions Author Tour, I had the chance to discuss book construction with some other authors.  Victoria Christopher Murray shared that she wrote her scenes as chapters. That really intrigued me so I decided to try it with my work-in-progress. Guess what? It’s working pretty well.

What I’ve found is that there is no room for sequel; they’re all implicit rather than explicit.  I also think the “scene is chapter” construction makes the book move faster.  We’ll have to see what readers (and my editor) think.  I may end up having to combine of the scenes into chapters during the revision process, but that will be pretty easy to do.

Tonight I took a few minutes and when back and looked at one of Victoria’s books.  She’s not a strict “scene is chapter” writer.  Some of her chapters consist of multiple scenes, but most of them are single scene chapters.

What I also found in Victoria’s book is that her chapters tend to be much shorter than mine. I’d guess her longest chapters were 10 pages, most were shorter.  I also checked books by Jacquelin Thomas and Kimberla Lawson Roby.  Their longest chapters tended to be around the 10-11 page limit.

When I looked at my books, I found that my shortest chapters were around 10 pages.  Most of them were around 14 but there were some with 16 pages and 18 pages.  In general, my chapters tended to be longer than the chapters of the other writers that I investigated.

So what do you like best — longer chapters or shorter chapters?  Do you even notice chapter length when you’re reading? To be honest, I hadn’t noticed and I read all three of the aforementioned authors on a regular basis.

Let me know your thoughts on chapter lenght

I have two conferences on my calendar as of today.

Faith and Fiction 2009

SORMAG Online Conference 2009

Romance Slam Jam 2010

Okay, I’ve waited a couple of days to give the conference attendees time to get back and re-claim their lives.  Now I want to hear about it — and I want details! So if you attended, share your experience with us.  If you’ve visited a blog with a conference report, let us know the URL so we can visit, too.

I especially want to know the Award winners!

Not me, exactly.

I received a letter in the mail today from an editor at Grand Central Publishing informing me that they had an overstock situation with the hardcover version of The Amen Sisters.  I think this is code for the hardcover is being taken out of print, but don’t quote me.

Anyway, given the overstock situation, I’ve been given the opportunity to buy copies of The Amen SIsters for $2.00 plus $0.50 shipping for a total of $2.50.  Pretty good deal, huh?  Well, it depends.

Guess how many copies I get to purchase from this excess inventory?  You’ll never guess, so I’ll tell you — 8.  Yes, 8.  I had to do a double-take myself.  They must not have had much of an overstock, huh?

I guess I’ll go ahead and buy the 8 but it hardly seems worth it.  I may make a call tomorrow to make sure the 8 wasn’t a typo or something.

When I participated in the Soul Expressions tour last month I had a chance to catch up with some of the romance authors who started this journey about the time that I did. In celebration of the ground-breaking work they did for the African-American romance genre, I asked a few of them to participate in what I’m calling, Romance Pioneer Week. I asked each of them three questions and I’ll be sharing their responses over the next week or so. It looks like about five will participate. Note these are traditional romance authors, not Christian romance authors.

Next up, Francis Ray.

Francis Ray

http://www.francisray.com

Francis Ray is a native Texan and lives in Dallas. A graduate of Texas Woman’s University, she is a School Nurse Practitioner with the Dallas Independent School District. Ms. Ray’s titles consistently make bestseller’s lists such as Blackboard and Essence Magazine.. INCOGNITO, her sixth title, was the first made-for-TV movie for BET. She has written thirty-one titles to date. Awards include Romantic Times Career Achievement, EMMA, The Golden Pen, and The Atlantic Choice.

How long have you been published and what’s your key to longevity in the publishing business?

My first book, FALLEN ANGEL, was published in 1992 by Odyssey Books. If there is a key, I think it is writing consistently and writing what you love. Publishing can go through phases of what’s hot. If a writer isn’t careful he or she will try to follow the trend instead of their heart. But a trend can also become a staple of publishing. A writer thought of something “different” and the reader embraced it. And that brings me to what I believe is THE most important factor in longevity, loyal readers who love your work and aren’t shy about letting others know.

A lot of your books are series or are connected in some way. Tell us a little about the series you’ve written and why you write them.

I honestly didn’t start out to write a series. Readers wanted to know about Matt Taggart when he appeared in FOREVER YOURS. His story became ONLY HERS. Daniel Falcon took off his hat in ONLY HERS and set women’s hearts aflutter and thus HEART OF THE FALCON was written. Daniel’s sister tried to break up his wedding and therefore had to find her own happiness in BREAK EVERY RULE. Dominique and Daniel’s cousin, Luke Grayson, was noticeably displeases at her wedding. It was then, and only then, that I decided to do a series, The Graysons of New Mexico about a match-making mother marrying off all of her children from the oldest, Luke, to the youngest.

Reader response was fantastic. They wanted to know what happened to the other characters they’d met in the five books - UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, YOU AND NO OTHER, DREAMING OF YOU, IRRESISTIBLE YOU, ONLY YOU - in the Grayson series. Since I wasn’t ready to leave the series, Grayson Friends Series is the result. Book One, THE WAY YOU LOVE ME, is scheduled for release August 26, 2008. Six more books are planned. Book Two is NOBODY BUT YOU which is slated for release April 2009.

What do you envision for yourself and the romance industry over the next five to ten years?

I truly hope there is more diversity in the buying habits of readers. A good book is a good book regardless of the hue of the character’s skin or language. I don’t know what will be in vogue, but I do believe romance in its traditional form will always find a place in reader’s heart and on their bookshelf.

Thanks, Francis!

What’s a community organizer? 

The answer, according to community organizers: HERE

Organizers again (two minutes, forty seconds):

These descriptions lead me to an idea for a new book.  Not my next one since it’s due in a month but maybe the one after that.

We have a female community organizer of the Democratic persuasion and a male city official of the Republican persuasion, both Christians. I’ll give each one of them an Independent friend, not sure if the friends will be Christians. The goal of the story will be to put on display the tensions between faith and party allegiance, regardless of your party affiliation. 

The challenge with this story would be to resist the urge to turn it into an issue book.  Issue books are preachy and boring.  In this book, I’d have to trust my characters and give them the freedom to develop naturally.  Doing that means the book could take me somewhere I didn’t plan to go.

I wonder if such a book would be too heavy or too controversial for readers.  I’d really focus on the romance angle and show the two folks coming together to address some community problem and in the process having to reconsider some of their political and religious positions.

This is how my ideas start.  Who knows where this one is going to end.  I’ll keep you posted.

Where would you take the idea or would you drop it?  Do you know of other books that have tried to do this? Let me know your thoughts.

UPDATE: You know, I think the story will be more interesesting if the woman is the Republican city official and the man is the Democratic organizer.  What do you think?

When I participated in the Soul Expressions tour last month I had a chance to catch up with some of the romance authors who started this journey about the time that I did. In celebration of the ground-breaking work they did for the African-American romance genre, I asked a few of them to participate in what I’m calling, Romance Pioneer Week. I asked each of them three questions and I’ll be sharing their responses over the next week or so. It looks like about five will participate. Note these are traditional romance authors, not Christian romance authors. 

Next up, Beverly Jenkins.

Beverly Jenkins

http://www.beverlyjenkins.net

Beverly Jenkins has written sixteen books to date and has received numerous awards for her works, including: the Detroit Free Press Book of the Year, three Waldenbooks Best Sellers Awards; two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine; a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer’s Guild, and in 1999, Ms Jenkins was voted one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the 20th Century by AABLC, the nation’s largest on-line African-American book club. In May of 2002, Ms. Jenkins published her first historical novel for young adults, titled: Belle and the Beau. Her second YA, Josephine and the Soldier followed in 2003. 

How long have you been published and what’s your key to longevity in the publishing business?

My first novel Nightsong was published in 1994. I attribute my longevity to giving readers my best effort with each book.

Angela: I attribute Beverly’s longevity to the details of African-American history that permeate her historicals.  She’s known as a very sexy writer, but she’s also known for writing books that teach you something about history that’s not found in your typical history book.  If that intrigues you but the sexy turns you off, then try her young adult titles: Josephine and the Soldier and Belle and the Beau.  IMO, they’re the same as the adult historicals, but without the sexy. These books are being re-issued by Kimani TRU next year as Josephine and Belle, respectively. 

A lot of your books are series or are connected in some way. Tell us a little about the series you’ve written and why you write them.

My books are not series in the real sense. Some of my secondary characters have gone on to get their own books, but they can function as stand alone titles. Topaz brought forth Always and Forever, and A Chance at Love. Taming Jessi Rose brought forth Something Like Love which brought about Wild Sweet Love which is also related to Nightsong. It can get complicated. LOL Indigo is related to Through the Storm and Winds of the Storm with descendants who show up in one my romantis suspense title Deadly Sexy. My historical characters live on through their descendants in my 5 titles of romantic suspense. Like I said - complicated.

What do you envision for yourself and the romance industry over the next five to ten years?

For myself I hope to keep writing. For the industry, continued diversity in the stories that are marketed.

Thanks, Beverly!

When I participated in the Soul Expressions tour last month I had a chance to catch up with some of the romance authors who started this journey about the time that I did. In celebration of the ground-breaking work they did for the African-American romance genre, I asked a few of them to participate in what I’m calling, Romance Pioneer Week. I asked each of them three questions and I’ll be sharing their responses over the next week or so. It looks like about five will participate. Note these are traditional romance authors, not Christian romance authors. 

First up, Donna Hill.

Donna Hill

http://www.donnahill.com

Donna Hill began her career in 1987 and she has more than fifty published titles to her credit. Three of her novels have been adapted for television. She has been featured in Essence, the New York Daily News, USA Today, Today’s Black Woman, and Black Enterprise among many others.

How long have you been published and what’s your key to longevity in the publishing business?

I’ve been published in novel form since 1990. My first short story was published in 1987. Wow, a pretty long time! LOL My first novel was Rooms of the Heart which has been re-issued several times. Hmmm, key to longevity? I would have to say being consistent. Delivering story ideas and concepts to editors that liked what I had to offer. Not pinning myself down to one house, and writing to an audience that enjoys what I do.

A lot of your books are series or are connected in some way. Tell us a little about the series you’ve written and why you write them.

Well, I’ve only recently gotten into writing series intentionally. Earlier in my romance career I had two books that connected: Scandalous and A Scandalous Affair. Writing the follow-up was done mostly because of reader demand and the fact that I really liked the characters and felt that they would be perfect to bring back for A Scandalous Affair.

The next time I stumbled into writing follow up books (and I call them follow-ups because they only reintroduce the same characters not a central theme and they were written years apart) Those books are A Private Affair, Pieces of Dreams and Through the Fire. Again, it was reader demand wanting to know what happened to Quentin Parker aka Q. LOL.

Angela: I was one of those readers. I think I stopped talking to Donnna for a couple of years because of something that happened with Q. :-)  I finally got over it, but it served as a powerful reminder of the close ties readers form with series characters.

The first time I intended on a series was my Pause for Men series which was four books. They all came out last year and did so well I was asked to another series. This one is The Ladies Cartel. The storyline is about three very ordinary woman who have been recruited into a secret agency where they are undercover operatives. And no one, especially their love interests must know what they do. Their friends and family think that the kits that they have is to sell bath and body products! So far I’ve finished writing 3 of the 5 books for the series. Sex & Lies came out in Feb. Seduction and Lies will be out in November and Temptation and Lies will be out in February.

Generally when I sit down to write a book and I put “the end” that’s it for me. I was never a series writer but readers love series. They love getting involved with the characters and following them and their kids and their grandkids! LOL. And our goal is to please our readers.

What do you envision for yourself and the romance industry over the next five to ten years?

My biggest hope is that one day when I pick up RT Mag and others that review our work, our headline won’t have to read “African American” and that everyone will enjoy our work based on the content of the story not the color of the characters.

Thanks, Donna!

1. Harlequin is a good place to be.  They had four authors on the tour, three of whom started with Arabesque books in the mid-nineties around the time I did–Donna Hill, Rochelle Alers and Brenda Jackson.  These authors could write for any publishing house they want and they’ve chosen Harlequin.  That speaks volumes for Harlequin. 

2. HarperCollins is a good place to be.  Harper had three authors on the tour, including me.  I was the newbie beside New Yorks Times Bestseller Kimberla Lawson Roby and the perennial favorite Beverly Jenkins.  HarperCollins stepped up to the plate for us.  They hosted an online interview with us while we were on the road and they equipped Beverly with a video camera so she could record our stops.

3. New York Times Bestsellers come in all shapes and sizes.  Street lit author Wahida Clarke made the list and she’s only published three books, two of which were written while she was in prison.  Romance writer Brenda Jackson made the list and she’s published 56 books over about a 13-year period.  Women’s fiction author Kim Roby made the list and she self-published her first book.  Street lit author Vickie Stringer made the list and owns a publishing house.  Vickie also started writing while in prison.

4. Readers read across genres.  I sorta knew this but the tour drove the point home.  Readers who bought me, Victoria Christopher Murray and Marilynn Griffith also bought Vickie and Wahida as well as erotica author Allison Hobbs.  Of course, there were some readers who only wanted Wahida or Vickie, while others only wanted me, Marilynn or Victoria. Most of them though read widely though.

5. Authors are generous.  There were a lot of personal stories and business insights shared on this trip.  We talked about the pros-and-cons of being a Black Expressions main selection.  We shared tips on effective marketing and promotion.  We bought each others’ books.

6. Romance readers turn out for booksignings.  I’d guess that Brenda Jackson, Donna Hill, Rochelle Alers and Beverly Jenkins probably had the most readers visit them.  These readers had their full backlist so they’d been fans for a while. 

7. Publishing regularly and often has it benefits.  Brenda, Donna, Rochelle and Beverly are all wonderful writers but I think the fact that romance demands publishing multiple books a year comes into play in the characteristics of their readers.  These readers have gotten to know Brenda, Donna, Rochelle and Beverly through 15 years of books coming out multiple times a year (Rochelle will have 12 out next year!) so there’s a special relationship with them.  As an example, Brenda sponsors a cruise with her readers every two years.  A cruise!  Beverly Jenkins does weekend pajama parties with hers.

That’s all I can think of now. If I think of something else. I’ll start another list.

So how much of this did you already know and what was new to you?

UPDATE:  Marilynn Griffith has her list up HERE.  It’s well worth a read. 

Grit for the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers is an upcoming book by Suzanne Woods Fisher, Debora M. Coty, Faith Tibbetts McDonald, and Joanna Bloss.  I fell in love with it when Suzanne told me the title and I immediately asked her to share it with me and you.  She and her co-authors put together the following interview for you.  A link to a great excerpt is provided at the end of the interview.  It’ll have you running out to buy the book.

Grit for the Oyster Author Chat
Interview with Baba Waters

Baba: Would anyone care for another latte?

Faith: Absolutely. I never say no to a latte.

Suzanne: Oh, my gosh! I love lattes.

Joanna: Thanks, I’m good.

Debora: I’ve already got a monster caramel-mocha mustache. Is there any more Godiva?

Baba: So what’s it like for four gals to co-author a book? Any cat fights? Squalls? Secret cliques? Pajama parties?

Faith: If it was up to me, I’d probably still be wondering if the manuscript was good enough to send off to the publisher…it’s hard for me to take that step. But Suzanne’s drive, Deb’s enthusiasm and Joanna’s zest inspired me again and again. It was really fun to work with these girls.

Joanna: And I think our variety of perspectives added something-we’ve got very different personalities, levels of writing experience, and live in four different parts of the country: the northeast, south, mid-west and Pacific coast.

Baba: I know Grit for the Oyster was your baby, Suzanne. How was the idea birthed?

Suzanne: The idea came out of a need. As I was trying to figure out how to break through into book publishing from magazine writing, I kept wishing there was some kind of guide to let me know what felt normal (discouragement) and what I needed to do (persevere). I went to a writers’ conference and met Deb and Faith; the idea to share the book grew out of that conference. A blessed moment!

Baba: Word is that tons of famous authors contributed exclusive tips on how to be successful. Is this true?

Debora: We’re excited to include writing tips from amazing authors like Liz Curtis Higgs, Dr. Gary Chapman, BJ Hoff, James Scott Bell, Athol Dickson, Rhonda Rhea, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, Phil Callaway, Karol Ladd, and many others. And we couldn’t be more thrilled to have lovely endorsements from best-selling authors Terri Blackstock, David Kopp, Linda Danis, and Ruth Carmichael Ellinger. Oh, and the foreword is penned by none other than Sally Stuart.

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