Hi all!
Whether you're new here or have been here before, it's time to migrate to my NEW, IMPROVED website with videos, blogs, book announcements, interviews!
I've made it easy- charlottebennardo.com
Subscribe to my newsletter to get news about upcoming sweet holiday romance, Christmas Bells, Hanukkah lights. I'll be doing several giveaways.
So stop by! Say hello! Make a suggestion!
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Char
Yes! I'm still in the blogosphere, although not much here anymore. BUT! I CAN BE FOUND HERE:
and here:
and here:
Those are the blogs I write for, but here are my other social medias:
Charlotte Bennardo (website)
Charlotte Bennardo - Just another writer querying (@charbennardo) / X
(8) Charlotte Bennardo (@charlottebennardo) • Threads, Say more
Charlotte Bennardo (@charbennardo.bsky.social) — Bluesky
So pop in somewhere, follow along, say hi, (buy a book...), and let's chill.
NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!
Yes, I know I told you I was giving up blogging. And I did. But I finished my MFA and now I'm going full steam ahead in my writing. I have a new blog set up here:
https://charbennardo.wordpress.com/
I created the site as part of my MFA requirements. It's rudimentary at the moment, but upgrades will be coming. My blog will be under the "Let's Chat" page. Eventually I'll add a newsletter. First, I'm working with an editor for some independently published novels that will be coming and am waiting on the editorial letter from my thesis professor (she's awesome!) on my thesis novel. That novel, and some others, I plan to sub to traditional publishers and editors.
So pop in to the website or right into my blog: https://charbennardo.wordpress.com/2023/07/21/3-2-1-launch/
Feel free to send suggestions (but not here, this blog and site will be phased out). You can send me an email at: charlotteebennardo@gmail.com. (NO SPAM)
It's good to be back!
Photo by Andrew Neel: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-woman-sitting-beside-table-while-using-macbook-3178818/
Char
Ok, I've finished the book I was reading/critiquing. I'm happy to say that it did improve. BUT... still a few things to rant and whine about:
1. During a love scene, too many authors have their female characters make a 'mewling' noise. What the hell is that? Does she have cat DNA? There are groans, moans, grunts, gasps, whimpers, whines, murmurs, sighs, pants, gulps, and breaths. The Oxford American Thesaurus doesn't even list 'mewling' and Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language lists 'mewl' as: "verb, the sound of a crying child." Soooo not what should be used in an adult love scene. Please authors, stop using it, it sounds wrong on multiple levels.
2. I understand there are regional and cultural trends for some words, like y'all for all of you, and some authors don't use swear words (after all, your mom or kids could be reading your work), BUT... don't use stupid words: freakadilly, freakadilly circus (really, you had to go there twice?) crapple, and Christmas on a cracker. And if your alpha male character uses them? I'm liking him a little less. If you can't use the milder 'damn' or 'hell' then be nebulous- "He swore" and save us the cringe.
3. If a character, male or female, constantly lectures, I'm out of there. No one likes a nag. And to have a strong male character sit still for two or more pages of being lectured and nagged means he isn't so alpha. And, honestly, I think he's a twit. Who would stand for that? I love my parents, but I didn't listen to that much nagging. Ok, the character needs some tough love and brutal, honest words, but after a while, I wanted to tell the lecturer to shut up and look at her own life. She was sounding like a mother, not a lover. And life always comes down to learning the hard way; few of us learned our lessons by being lectured into a coma.
4. Even after a thorough lecture, what character or person has instant understanding of their psychological or emotional issues? If it were that easy, every person with an issue could go to someone to lecture them extensively and fix the problem. Self-realization. Takes. Time.
5. This one issue irritates me not only because the author used it, but because she should know better: misused clichés. The saying is NOT "eat on me." It is "eat at me." Again, there may be regional or cultural differences, or even current slang that change a saying, but this one is just WRONG.
I finished that book and went on to the next one. Here are two more things that irk me:
1. When I submitted a romance story, I had two editors tell me that the romance/attraction had to be immediate.
No.
1- Many readers and authors, even other editors and agents, hate the 'insta love' aspect- falling in love immediately. I can see attraction, but I refuse to do it in the first chapter because I need to show readers who the main characters are; a little background, a little trouble in their life, etc. I refuse to have two characters meet in a dumb way- like the overused 'spills his coffee on her' trope. I need at least 2 chapters to set the scene. A great number of books don't get to the romance/meet/attraction for several chapters and that feels more 'organic' to use a cliché. Heck, even Cinderella and Snow White didn't meet their true loves for at least two or more chapters.
2. Covers. I have heard many times that the cover should accurately reflect some aspect of the novel. Don't show me a cover with a guy/gal on the cover who doesn't look anything like the character described- wrong hair/skin color, or a setting that doesn't appear in the book, wrong dress for the era, etc. I feel like the publisher cheated; offered me something and pulled a switcheroo.
Okay, I think I'm done with my criticisms, rants, whines, and desk poundings.
Wishing you all sunshine, unicorns, world peace, and great hair days-
Char
I'm doing some fun reading before I delve into required reading for school.
I'm annoyed.
I understand authors have different styles from mine, but there are certain habits that just irritate me to no end. It doesn't matter if the author is a newbie or a world famous figure. The book I'm currently reading boasts that the author is a NY Times bestseller, and the category is contemporary romance. To set the scene, it's 'alpha male, self-made rich CEO type.' Here are my Yes - Def No notes:
YES - alpha male, muscular, tough, worldly cowboy.
NO - I just met the character and I KNOW he would NOT use a word like "freakadilly." That silly word is more suited to the effervescent, optimistic female main character. If the reader can pick this up, why didn't the agent/editor/copyeditor?
YES - Describe the scene, the mood, the thoughts, the kiss, etc.
NO - Don't stay stuck in the 3 -3 pattern: 3 lines of 3 adjectives. That's a total of 9 descriptive adjectives (especially when you repeat them....). Overkill and tedious.
YES - Show the kiss.
NO - Diminish the tension because we're so in her head that there was no kiss back action from her. this gorgeous guy is giving her a lethal kiss and she's.... contemplating.
YES - Tell us he left town ten years ago; we get a picture of a strained homecoming, tense relationships.
NO - Don't keep repeating it, we remember.
YES - Close eyes during a kiss.
NO - Don't give me 2 pages of thought and action before she closes her eyes. Is she staring at him the whole time?
YES - There are always doubts about a budding relationship.
NO - Please don't make the 26-year-old female character sound like a high school teenager: yes he likes me, no he doesn't, yes, no, yes, no constantly.
Also, the punctuation and sentence structure didn't always jive; too many times the sentences were choppy and there were too many unnecessary exclamation points. It made the text read as juvenile.
Purple prose. Too many times the prose got out of hand and I found myself skipping ahead a few lines.
Crepuscular? Who uses that word? As Beatrix Potter (Tales of Peter Rabbit) said, "the shorter and the plainer, the better."
I get irked when a love scene is so dragged out with too much thinking; the character is stopping in the middle of physical action to give us a treatise on life, love, and the future.
I'm barely halfway through the book. I don't think the second half will be much different, but I'll finish it with the hope that it will improve. I'll let you know how it goes.
Char
The end of August brings a few last hurrahs; swimming on the more rare hot days, planning the last summer BBQ/party for Labor Day, enjoying the final theatrical production of crickets and fireflies. Soon to come, if not already, there are chilly nights, back-to-school and work routines, and gearing down to indoor living.
Those changes are happening in our house. Two sons return to college in the next few days, we're planning when to close the pool, and fall cleaning will soon commence. The biggest change for me will be that I will work for one year and nine months on one novel. No #NaNoWriMo this year. That one novel will be the project for my MFA- my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (emphasis on speculative writing- Science Fiction and Fantasy- with a minor emphasis on Romance). It's long been a dream of mine to get my Master's and with the chaos, uncertainty, and upheaval in the publishing sector (like many other sectors), I feel this is the time. My boys are pretty much independent and my husband retired, so this is 'me' time. I'll still be doing my blog, although I can't promise a better regularity. It may even get worse... I've cleaned out my office and files, set up new files for coursework, and have resigned from several groups, one being my critique group. It feels strange to pull back from them, but I know the demands of school will make me glad I did withdraw.
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
I will make one final book event appearance, at the beloved Collingswood Book Festival on October 2, 2021 (info https://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com/ ). It will be great to see old friends, make some new ones, talk writing, sign books, and generally have fun. I hope to see you there.
So, wish me luck, and I wish you all luck in your upcoming endeavors, and don't be afraid to send chocolate for those hard days to come.
Char
Photo by Jens Johnsson from Pexels
In a new direction.
(And yes, I know that's grammatically frowned on- split infinitives. It should be: Boldly, to go... or To go boldly.... Humor me).
First, I went to Home Depot and my library without a mask. I'm fully vaccinated and there weren't many people in the buildings. I felt like a rebel, or even one of those people who selfishly buck CDC guidelines. Even with relaxing guidelines, I still felt BOLD.
My new writing direction is romances. I still have some sci fi, paranormal, young adult, new adult, and middle grade novels to be pubbed, but they are on a back burner for the time being. The reason for going with romance? It's one of the largest selling markets. Humans just love the idea of being in, falling in, and staying in love. That's reason enough to venture into this market. I'm as big a sap for a good love story as anyone. But another reason is there seems to be (so far) less politics. The companies that publish romances have such a broad base that there's room for everyone. I'm not saying that they shouldn't broaden their diversity- I'm just saying there's alot of room. And, it seems that so far (fingers crossed) celebrities are sticking to writing children's books. So while there are a LOT of romance authors, we don't have to worry about a celebrity stealing the spotlight and money that could benefit a number of authors for whom writing is their livelihood.
I'm hoping to hear from a publisher soon about the trilogy I've just finished. I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck.
In the meantime, wishing you all LOVE, in whatever form makes you happy-
Char
The holidays are over. Back to business. Serious author business. I didn't make any resolutions, but like many, I've set goals. Here are my top 5 goals:
1. Get an agent. I'm scouring Query Tracker and my friend Kathy Temean's blog, https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/. These two sources have the freshest info on the literary agent front.
2. A publisher is interested in a romance I wrote, so I'll be doing a serious R&R- revise and resubmit. This is probably my top priority. Even if I can get an agent, most likely I'll have finished any dealings, good or bad, with this publishing house.
3. Submit manuscripts out. While agents don't like to take on manuscripts that have been subbed around, no author can afford to sit around and wait for an agent. My first novel, Sirenz, was pubbed without an agent, and there was already an understanding for a sequel (or two) before an agent got involved. I have several novels so an agent can rep them if they don't want to touch the ones I've sent out. Time waits for no one.
4. Publish Sirenz 3: A New Trend. I need to review the manuscript one more time, then commission a cover. It WILL be pubbed this year. I've ignored this manuscript too long. I love Hades too much to let him languish.
5. Read more. While I'll still be writing MG and YA, I'm branching out into the friendlier world of romance. And while it's always been one of my favorite genres, I need to read more to see what's out there. I have been lax reading MG and YA too, but I think I should go full force into the romance genre because of the interest from the editor I've gotten for one book (which already has a sequel written and I have ideas for a series) and because I think there is more opportunity in this genre.
So, goals, not resolutions. The difference? Goals are stepping stones to career and lifetime achievements. Yeah, everyone wants to get in better shape and lose weight, but I'm hiking and biking. When the YMCA fully opens, I can get back to swimming, so I'm taking care of that business.
Today, I'll be reading The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White, and reviewing/revising my Frankenstein-ish novel The Frankenstein Vendetta. But after I make my bed and eat, I'll be hiking.
What are your goals?
Char
Monday, Blog Day. So what shall we talk about?
I'm working on several writing projects: revising 2 manuscripts, finishing another, rethinking yet another, looking for an agent, managing a critique group, posting on other blogs, getting ready for Christmas, and navigating life in a pandemic.
And I'm thinking about Jack the squirrel and Hades.
Jack's story isn't done. For Evolution Revolution: Book 4 Simple...? (haven't figured the full title out yet) I'm introducing a new character, a 'partner in crime' for Jack. Initially I planned on 5 books in the series, but cut it down as I struggled to find an editor or an agent who could sell it. Sometimes, though, a character needs to continue their story, just to give the author some peace. As I learn more about animals- and not just squirrels- and the amazing things they can do, it inspires more storylines. I think I could make a career out of writing sequels, if only a single editor would give Jack a chance... I mean, this series has won awards, gotten great reviews ("unbelievably brilliant" - Writer's Digest) and includes many STEAM/STEM features. Sigh...
As for Hades, I've written Sirenz 3 and will Indie publish it. I've got to find a cover artist and it's ready to go. Obviously since I'm writing it solo, I had to make a few adjustments, namely, not using my former co-author's character, which took the story in a new direction. Sirenz 3: A New Trend, features Hades doing what he does best- stirring up trouble and making Sharisse crazy. But! This time, it's Hades needing Sharisse's help... how the mighty have fallen.... I love writing Hades' story and giving the well-worn Greek mythology freshness from a modern perspective. Stay tuned!
I've successfully finished #NaNoWriMo (52,000+) although that story is only half finished. (I finished one manuscript and started another.) I'm agent hunting (again) and that always sucks the life blood out while you wait to hear, get nibbles, then rejections, and start subbing again. That whole process is depressing.
I have other MG, YA, and adult romance novels on my desk. So that's where I am. There's always writing/revisions to do. Being an author, that's what the life is.
I hear my newest characters screaming for me to get back to their story, now that I've finished my Christmas decorating (except for the tree, since we put up a real one). It's rainy and gray today, the perfect condition for writing.
Be safe. Be good to yourself and others.
Char
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| Photo courtesy of Pixaby |
