Sometimes I hear a song lyric that just sticks with me.

I think that good music, like a good book, evokes emotions and makes you think -- and I've been thinking about this bit for a while: (From "Hoodoo" by Muse, on the Black Holes & Revelations cd)



I've had recurring nightmares
That I was loved for who I am
And missed the opportunity
To be a better man.

This probably loses something in translation -- it's really a beautiful song. I would actually recommend the whole cd -- but even on the flat computer screen, the words affect me.

I think it comes down to this: I'm a romance writer, but I've been a romance reader much longer. I like that stanza because it is the anti-romance.

In a romance novel -- no matter what internal or external conflicts the writer throws in their paths, no matter how dark the "black moment" -- the characters are always happier together than they were apart.

In a romance novel, we never wonder if the characters are sacrificing too much for the relationship; we never have to wonder if the characters would be better off alone.

In a romance novel, you can be assured that the answer to this equation is always the same: Main Character + Love Interest = HEA (Happily Ever After)

I read romances, in large part, because life is not a romance novel; I like those lyrics for the same reason.

A Bad Case of Loving You

BY: Laney Cairo

GENRE: contemporary erotic romance, m/m, D/s, medical, England

PUBLISHER: Torquere Press

ISBN: 1934166111

I took a pass on this one when it first came out. For me, the formula was: unfamiliar author + set in England + medical romance = No, thank you.

Last week however, when I was looking for something to read that would qualify as "research", and I came across this book again. It had a great recommendation from Shayne Carmichael, whom I have enjoyed, and there was a D/s element I hadn't noticed before. Now that definitely qualifies as research.

Premise: Andrew is an American doctor living in England. Matthew is one of the residents under his supervision. There are SO many reasons they shouldn't get involved -- but of course they do anyway, and their complicated -- and unexpectedly lovely -- romance is only a part of what's so great about this book.

What I liked as a reader: There was no getting around the medical romance aspect of this book, but Cairo avoided the rich, powerful doctor cliche that I find so icky. The characters felt real, and the alpha doctor model was nowhere to be found. In the end, Cairo's use of the medical element wasn't a gimmick, but truly added something significant to the story.

Andrew and Matthew were both so awesome. And they were messy. I like that -- does that make me weird? When everyone is perfect and tidy and drives a nice car it just sets my teeth on edge.

And I probably wouldn't recommend a romance that didn't have that mix of HOT + sweet that I love. After I finished it the first time, I actually went back to find one of the really sweet moments to read again. *sigh* (Usually it's the, um, other parts -- although I did go back and... Oh, never mind.)

What I liked as a writer: There was tons of medical jargon in this book. How did she manage to do that without bogging down the writing? Cairo put us in the head of a doctor (and resident) in a way I hadn't imagined before.

The D/s relationship she wrote was beautiful. (I appreciated it as both a reader and a writer.) No cliches or cheap tricks here, either -- just two people in a mutually satisfying relationship.

Too often these days, I finish books with a feeling of disappointment, sorry to have wasted my time and money. A Bad Case of Loving You just made me feel happy. Time well spent and a new author to add to my must buy list. You should check it out, too.

I've been tagged. Damn it.

It actually happened last week -- um, the first time... Anne got me on Wednesday, but I hate talking about myself. I tried to ignore it and make it go away, but Marie just got me again today.

So here we go. (I'll try to make it quick and painless for all involved.)

First, the rules:

1) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4) Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Eight Things:

1) I'm a compulsive book buyer. Seriously. It's like an addiction. (Don't tell my husband.)

2) My grandfather was being groomed to be the next Clark Gable. He and my grandmother lived in LaLa Land in the 40's, and he was a pretty close match for the star.

3) I hate Gone With the Wind. The book, the movie, Scarlett, Rhett. Ick.

4) I've been a dog owner my whole life.

5) I'm allergic to cats.

6) Quick Change is the funniest movie I've ever seen. The first time I saw it, I actually fell out of my seat in the movie theater because I was laughing so hard.

7) I think Bill Murray is sexy.

8) I also think Clive Owen is sexy. He wasn't in Quick Change, but his face is staring at me from that Lancome ad so I just thought I'd mention it.

So there! Eight things. I'm going to tag Amanda, because Anne tagged her last week and she hasn't posted either! I don't think I know anyone who has actually managed to avoid being tagged.

That's it for me -- no more tagging!

Do you ever get the feeling that The Universe is trying to tell you something?

I do. My cynical side tells me it's just wishful thinking -- the need to believe in a "personal God", the desire to feel like someone (be it The Universe or a guardian angel) is watching out for me, specifically.

Well, call me delusional, but I think The Universe was sending me a message yesterday. Here's what happened:

I'm a mom and, every once in a while, my kids really drive me crazy. Yesterday was one of those days. One daughter was moaning and groaning about her stomach, but the pains conveniently went away when I suggested she either stop eating or playing to go lie down. The other daughter was nagging me incessantly for a new backpack -- it had to be black, she insisted -- even though we had just ordered her a new one in December.

I felt frustrated and disappointed. What had I done to deserve such ungrateful, whiny children!? Thoroughly annoyed, I took away some of their privileges and told them to straighten up.

That night, just when I was sure they were all asleep, I heard one of the girls crying. It was daughter #2, the ungrateful one. When I went in to see what was wrong, she sobbed that she really needed a black backpack -- tomorrow. Alarm bells began to sound in my head. After she had calmed down enough to talk, I asked her why. It turns out, a boy at school had threatened to bring a chainsaw and cut up her family if she didn't bring a black backpack to school the very next day.

Nice.

Riddled with Bad Mommy guilt, I let her sleep in the Big People Bed. But The Universe wasn't done with me yet.

In the middle of the night, I woke to the sounds of daughter #1, the whiny one, vomiting. In her sleep. All over herself and the bed.

After giving her a shower, I let her sleep in the Big People Bed too.

Was The Universe trying to send me a message? I choose to believe so. So, um, Universe, if you're listening: Message Received. And, thanks.

Dryads

Tree Spirits

Greek Mythology

I've been thinking about dryads recently. They popped up on my radar a few months ago when a character from my Gateway series informed me that she was a tree spirit. This was news to me, and though I didn't know much about the creatures, I vaguely remembered the dryads from Greek mythology. I dutifully jotted down as much of my tree spirit's story as I could, and vowed to do some research. But, as is often the case, there were several other projects I was working on, and I put it on the back burner.

Tree spirits resurfaced in my consciousness a month or so ago when I was brainstorming for a short-short story for the AOER website -- you can see the end result at Authors of Erotic Romance, in Under the Influence #5 -- and I realized it was past time I did some reading.

Dryads are wood nymphs (nature spirits from Greek mythology.) Their name comes from the Greek drys, which means oak. It is thought that they were associated with the oak tree specifically, though the word is often used to include wood nymphs in general.

Dryads are long-lived guardian spirits who will sometimes leave the trees they inhabite to dance in the forest. They are usually described as shy, and it is said to be unlucky to interact with them -- or even to see them at all. Dryads are associated with Artemis, the moon goddess, and Dionysus, the god of wine.

There are several other varieties of wood nymphs in Greek Mythology. For example, Meliai were the nymphs of ash trees, and Oreiades were the nymphs of mountain conifers. Hamadryads, unlike dryads, were said to be bound to their trees. If the tree died, they died too.

You can find more information about wood nymphs on the Theoi Project and Mythography.

In the process of researching dryads, I discovered a number of non-Greek tree spirits which I'll blog about another time. I have to say, I'm not sure my Gateway tree spirit is a dryad or not. I'm going to have to do some more reading...

Dryad Art: top left by AselClub;bottom right by Ulrike Kleinert

The matter I blogged about on Sunday has yet to be resolved, but my friend Maya Reynolds directed me to a segment on NPR (National Public Radio,) which detailed a happier moment in the struggle for gay rights.

Called "81 Words", the piece on This American Life documents the 1973 move by the APA (American Psychiatric Association) to take homosexuality out of the DSM (Diagnostics and Statistics Manual,) the official tome of the APA. Up until that point homosexuality had been officially classified as a mental disease.

It's fascinating, and you can listen to it here -- the segment is about an hour. We must never forget how far we have left to go, but it's good to remember how far we've come.

Well, the RT Booklovers Convention is over for 2007, and it sounds like most people had tons of fun. Unfortunately, m/m author Luara Baumbach's experience (here) is making me rethink my plan to attend in 2008. Close-mindedness and homophobia are nothing new -- I've had my own run-in with a local writer's group -- but I still find Laura's experience stunning.

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

ISBN: 0380789035

It's been a while, but my good friend Kerrita reminded me that it was past time I got back to doing my "Recommended Reads". Though my reading tastes are wide and varied, I write romance novels, so most of my recommendations tend to fall into that category. The book I'm recommending today, however -- American Gods by Neil Gaiman -- would probably be classified as an urban fantasy (a magical story set in a contemporary, real-world, or urban setting.)

American Gods combines two of my greatest loves -- mythology and fantasy -- in a story that took my breath away. Weirdly, my hardback copy of the book has been sitting in my To Be Read Pile, neglected and unread, since 2001! (What other gems do I have languishing, waiting to be discovered?!) It actually took an article by Stephen King (here,) listing his ten favorite audio books, (American Gods was #10,) to drive me to dig it up -- and boy am I glad I did!

Premise: Hmm. This is one of those books where I can't say too much without giving the plot away. It begins as the main character, Shadow, is finishing up a three-year jail sentence for aggravated assault. News of the death of his wife leads to an early release, and the path his life takes from that point on is a journey of epic proportions.

What I Liked as a Reader: I will admit that I am keenly interested in mythology, so this aspect of the book may have been more compelling to me than to someone who is not. The story is dense -- definitely not a light read, but moved quickly, and was so gripping that I wanted to read it in one sitting -- not possible, let me warn you now. It made me think while I was reading it, and I like that a lot.

What I Liked as a Writer: This is the kind of book that truly inspires me as a writer. The meticulous plotting is evident in every character and plot element. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is extra. Masterfully done.

This story will stay with me for a long time. Even as I was reading it, I found myself unable to keep it out of everyday conversations. "That reminds me of this book I'm reading -- American Gods. There's this part..."

As I mentioned before, it came out five years ago, so I may be the only person on the planet who hadn't already discovered it. (It has won a few awards, by the way: the 2002 Hugo Award for Best Novel, the 2002 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.) But if, on the off chance, you haven't read it already, and you like stories that make you think, get yourself a copy today.

It's the fifth of the month, and that means I'm blogging over at Authors of Erotic Romance.

Today I'm talking about my newly discovered appreciation for men in kilts.