Inaugural post! At Rob's suggestion (and my own inclinations), I have elected to make my first post about "Crimson Wake"! This is a short story I wrote when the call went out for Jenna Harte's Moonlight and Margaritas romance anthology. I typically write science fiction that has romance in the background or on the side (like a good vinaigrette), and I've been reading Jenna Harte's posts religiously as part of her Preptober and Writevember last year--especially after our group's split with NaNoWriMo. I wanted to improve the romance elements of my writing, which I would say I do by "feel"; I've read a lot of romance and material with romance elements (major props to influences like the Outlander series or the Vorkosigan Saga), but I haven't made it my primary genre as a reader or writer. Nevertheless, it deserves study, and it's important to hear what writers who work in the genre have to say about it themselves.
I thought writing a short story that was primarily romance, and science fiction second, would be an extremely good exercise, whether or not it ultimately made it into the anthology. I sent in a sample (many thanks to the beta readers for their suggestions from What Remains and for them generously reading it over), and I was invited to submit. The story has now had several intensive readings and rounds of comments, from my husband (I think he liked the first, most Valkyrie-esque version the best), to Bex (whose comments over our anniversary weekend in Solvang were tough and heartstopping, but excellent and necessary), to Erin (she hates romance but loves Valkyrie, making her a necessary counterweight), to Mark (similar to Erin, and picks up all the Easter eggs), and finally to Jenna Harte. Jenna, as a romance writer, prompted me to think very differently about the story, and it has undergone some very necessary and (for me) difficult transformation. It's an important learning journey on my part to understand the emotional desires of a romance-reading audience and to create that sort of throughline in the story, and especially to make it the heart of the action. My instincts are usually to make something explode, then follow up on that. :)
I've submitted my author info, gotten this site moving, and have a new version sent off to Jenna. Another rounds of edits, and I'll be sending it to the editors... and hopefully they like it and want to include it! If not, I'll probably just post it here for folks to enjoy, along with sample chapters, which I need to get posted. More coming!
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