The Fantasy Writing Retreat

 My fantasy workplace, you ask? Why, I've given it no thought. No thought at all!

Yeah, okay. I'm lying. Hawaii. There would be a compound of several tiny houses near the beach. I'd live in one and the others would be dedicated to other writers on retreat. Authors who'd come in would agree to offer one class to the other writers some time during the week. Could be on anything. Craft. Marketing. Social Media. Why Vampires are Hotter than Werewolves or vice versa.  

 There'd be hikes. Sailing. Scuba. Snorkeling. Surfing. Zip lining. Yoga. Spa services. You know. Whether you wanted to relax or whether you wanted to get out and try something so you could write about it - we'd find a way. Put up a climbing wall so you can learn to rappel? Totally. Shush. I'm building a fantasy here. I'll worry about insurance premiums later. 

It would be intended to get you closer to your muse and your own internal knowing. Because how can you not be happy and content when you're inside a stand of bamboo towering over your head, listening to the ocean breeze clatter the grove like living wind chimes?

I have the spot all picked out and most of the tiny houses (with desks and wifi) built in my head. Now all I need is a mega lotto win.

The Design of a Workspace

I do not have an idealized writing space.  At all.  I mean, I don't have a space-- I have two rolling bags that serve as my rolling-office.  Now, I do have mobility, and that can be great.  I can work anywhere.  Coffee shop.  Book store.  Back of the car.  Right now I'm on the walking desk in the bedroom, which is the most "permanent" workspace I have.  But I share the walking desk with my wife-- because we both need it and enjoy it.  And it's less than ideal.

For one, it's in the bedroom, which isn't great working energy if you can avoid it.  I mean, like I said, I can work anywhere and do, but if you are going to craft an ideal space, it's a space that is explicitly for working.  The space serves that purpose alone. 

So, what would that look like?

First is the desk.  It needs to be large enough to have the laptop and a couple notebooks spread out.  I need to be able to work on the computer and work by hand on it, sometimes back and forth at the same time.  Also, good legroom underneath.  I've learned the hard way that that is critical. 

Next, the chair needs to be right.  I've had a lot of bad chairs.  Good back support for long hours sitting in it.

Third, a separate chair for reading.  That's a comfy, lounging chair.  Or maybe a small couch.

One wall is windows with good natural light.  One wall is bookshelves.  One wall is white boards, corkboards, maps- a space to plan out the work in a large format. 

Enough floor space to pace around, lay out notecards on the floor.

And a door that stays shut when I'm working. 

That's what would be ideal for me.

For now-- work wherever.  Work however.  The work is what matters, not the space. 

But the space would be nice.

Life goals: writing retreat in a castle

Last year at the RWA national convention in Orlando, I overheard some writers talking -- was it in a speech? Or was I just that creepy lurker in the lobby unintentionally overhearing everyone else’s conversations?! I really don’t recall -- about a retreat they’d been on together. They pooled funds from, like, ten writers and rented a castle in Ireland for three weeks.

A castle.

In Ireland.

For three weeks.

Also? It was haunted.

So whether I heard it legit, spied it, or made it up, none of that really matters because...

A castle.

In Ireland.

For three weeks.

With a ghost.

(And also he was probably a hot, angsty, Victorian ghost. Hush, you, this is my happy place!)

This is now filed in my brain under Life Goals. Who’s in?

Dreaming of Islands for A Reclusive Writer

A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're supposed to be writing...

Oh, wait, that's not how the song goes. But since today's topic is "dream environment for writing," that song is totally my earworm. I give it you, dear readers, because I'm generous like that.

So, you all know writers find all sorts of wonderful, weird, and wholly impractical websites as we're researching our scenes. Some of them we keep pinned in case we ever become as rich as those writer-characters on TV (I'm lookin' at you, Rick Castle).

Behold the glory and wonder that is Private Islands, Inc--Real Estate Listings of Islands for Sale.

My default search is the Islands of Ireland. This week, there's a place called Mermaid Isle. Mermaid Isle. Oh, come on, if that doesn't scream, "Fantasy Writers, come hither," I don't know what does.

See, while most people are looking for sun, warmth, beaches, and cabana boys, I'm after stormy days, surging seas, and total isolation.

I R a Recluse.

With grocery places delivering by drone and empty guest rooms to lay in the booze, the necessities are addressed. As long as the house stays warm and dry, I...I could be there tomorrow. Heck, judging the photos, it even comes with its own pet seal.

Or maybe it's a selkie.   

Where better to write?

Jeffe wants the Mediterranean.

Me? A nice big house on a cliffside, overlooking the sea.

New England is fine for that. Ireland or old England would work pretty darned well.

Mostly I just love the ocean and the roar of the waves, the rhythmic crash of water against rocks.

I feel at peace there. 

Welcome to My Mediterranean Villa

I often joke that in my old age, I shall be writing from the balcony of my Mediterranean Villa. Grace Draven plans to live with me (we figure our husbands will be gone by then - sorry, guys!) and we'll have several very handsome young men with medical training to look after us.

Why the Mediterranean instead of the Caribbean, you may ask? Many of you know that's my favorite place.

No hurricanes. Better medical care. A girl has to plan this stuff.

That's our topic this week: If you could not write in your customary spot, what’s your dream writing environment?

What about you all - dream writing spot? Dream retirement spot?

Best Bet Mini Reviews

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The subject this week is reviews, with a subtitle drawn from some children’s rhyme I never even heard of and which sounded unpleasant and disrespectful  to reviewers.

A review is that reader’s experience with the book. They bought the book (or agreed to accept an ARC) so they're entitled to their opinion.

I wrote my book, I told the story I wanted to tell, obviously I was content with it or I wouldn’t have pushed the ‘publish button’ on the ebook seller sites. I've moved on to my next book.

I appreciate people taking the time and energy to write reviews. I think in many cases the reviews can be helpful to other readers in deciding whether to try a book. They may love or hate some trope the first reviewer loved or hated. They may want to see what the 5 stars or the 1 star is all about. They may want to suss out if there’s a cliffhanger or a trigger. (I never write cliffhangers!!! Hopefully I don’t do triggers either.) Some reviews may be for a product totally unrelated to my book which somehow ended up attached to my book through the mysteries of ebook seller platforms. Some authors have been unfortunate in that a troll or an author who views everyone else as a rival has sent out his/her legions of fans to leave terrible reviews on their books.

I think the vast majority of reviewers - and especially the devoted book bloggers! - try very hard to give their honest opinion and feedback.

I don’t spend much if any time pondering reviews.

I don’t review books either except for one specific exception. Well ok, two.

When I wrote for the old Heroes & Heartbreakers blog, they wanted me to identify a few “Best Bet” scifi romances every month and write mini reviews. That was the ‘price’ of me being on their platform and spreading the scifi romance word. Fair enough, their platform, their rules! I transferred this ‘best bet’ activity to the Love in Panels blog when editor Suzanne Krohn from H&H decided to continue writing a romance-based blog after MacMillan shut down the old H&H.

I only talk about books which I personally enjoyed and can recommend. I review three from each month’s flood of new SFR releases, which I report on a factual basis weekly on my own blog. Here’s a sample report of New Releases New Releases in #SciFi and #Fantasy Romance for Wednesday March 21 .

I try to change the Best Bet titles up monthly, not to focus on just one series or author, and include a couple of well-known SFR authors (because many of the best release new books monthly these days, or so it seems) and hopefully a newcomer or author with fewer titles, whose book took and held my attention. I don’t give stars or any other rating.  I do a blend of plot hilite recaps, using snips of dialog or description I really liked, and remarks about what I enjoyed most. Maybe it was the feisty heroine, the use of an unusual setting, the hero’s determination or an unexpected plot twist that stood out (I don’t do spoilers). On rare occasions if something in the book bugged me enough, I might mention it. One title that I totally enjoyed last year had the hero calling the PhD heroine ‘honey’ and ‘sweetheart’ from the moment they met. Yeah, don’t EVER try condescending endearments with me. So I mentioned that but stressed how much I’d enjoyed the rest of the book.

Some authors who do wonderful worldbuilding, great characters and twisty plots are just too steamy for me, so I might mention that in one of these mini review ‘best bet’ columns. I like a certain amount of hot times in a book but there are readers who go for many more scenes of this type than I do, so I figure my statement won’t hurt the book’s chances.

Obviously in a best bets column I’m not going to discuss books I didn’t like. No one but me (and Amazon) will ever know how many I might have sampled that month to find the ones I do feature.

Another reason I don’t do any other type of review is that I read a book as an author. I can’t help but see pieces of the writer’s craft peeking through. I contemplate what I would have done with plot twists. I nod and say, oh yes, I see your foreshadowing. I see how you’re going to use those seven brothers the hero has to set up the series.

It doesn’t keep me from enjoying a good book! But I’m using a double lens if you will, and I’m not going to write a review.

The only other time I do a review is if there’s something special and I just really really want to talk about it. I’m doing one of those next week on Anne Bishop’s Lake Silence but that’s a rare thing for me, less than once a year.

I did do a revisit to Andre Norton’s Witch World series once for my own blog.

And that’s a wrap on this topic!

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The Ultimate Positive Review

MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS TO VIVIEN JACKSON!!WANTED & WIRED IS A RITA FINALIST!

This book is one of 6-8 finalists out of a field of hundreds of books. The RITA, again, is the highest award honor bestowed upon romance novels by the romance industry. Finalists are the books our peers pick up and say, "OMG, this is amazing!" There are few reviews better than that. So CONGRATS, again, to Vivien. And you, yes, you! Here's where you pick up this book to see what all the fuss is about AND to leave your own impression of the story on whatever venue lights your fire. :D

PS: The actual RITA awards ceremony takes place at the Romance Writers of America National Conference in July. You have until then to read WANTED & WIRED so you can root for it to win along with the rest of us!