Several years ago, I attempted to read Outlander. Do I dare admit that after the first twenty or so pages, I abandoned it? Gasp!!!  Time travel, fantasy and straight historical novels aren’t at the top of my preferred genre reading list. Even Diana Gabaldon describes her work as a multi-genre bending series. Not romance. No siree. And boy, do I love a good romantic plot line.

When I expressed to several romance writers how it hadn’t snagged my attention, every single writer said the same thing, that Outlander is by far one of their favorite books.

What? Um…why? It’s not even a romance, right?

Two years later, my ah-ha moment arrived. Not only did I read past the first twenty pages but I fanatically consumed the entire novel in one continuous reading. The more I read, the more the story drew me in.

So why are romance writers infatuated with Outlander?

Jamie Fraser

Oh. My. Word. Talk about a romantic hero. He’s loyal to his family and willing to place his pride, his body, his freedom on the line for them. He’s complex, a mixture of a wounded warrior, an Alpha hero ready to fight, and a Beta hero who allows his uncles to “use” him. He’s stubborn, funny and uses sexy-as-hell Scottish words. He’s such a man. And, he’s a virgin. I suppose what I love best about him is how he connects with the heroine Claire. Physically, oh-yeah! But it’s the deeper, emotional connection that evolves between them that is truly romantic.

Claire Randall

She’s a historical heroine from two time periods with two husbands. A multifaceted heroine struggling between two worlds, two men, two choices. But of course, every single woman alive is routing that she’ll choose Jamie, right? Yep. A younger man compared to her worldly experience. A cougar. But she’s exactly what such a strong, dominant hero like Jamie needs. There’s substance to Claire, she’s intelligent, a healer who knows how to conduct herself in difficult situations—which she finds herself in constantly.

Sex. Sex. Sex.

Yes, there’s plenty of it. It’s hot, steamy, well done and unexpected. He’s a virgin, she’s the experienced one. They’re married. But Jamie takes to sex just like he takes to everything else—he does it full-force and commits 100%. He desires Claire and isn’t shy about showing it. And, sex isn’t just an act. It’s an extension of their relationship. It’s a way they get to know each other and a means for growing closer. It’s passionate. Honest to the characters. And downright romantic.

Scotland

Highland warriors. Endearing Gaelic terms like Sassenach, mo chridhe, mo nighean donn – yummy descriptive words Jamie whispers to Claire. Lochs and castles, fights and sexual encounters on rocks. The setting is a character in itself. It’s no wonder so many historical romances are highlander stories!

I hope I’ve covered several reasons why Outlander is a favorite amongst romance writers.

Please comment and add your own!

This July, I attended the annual RWA Writers Conference with Violet Femmes Maria K. Alexander and Tina Gabrielle.

I thought it might be useful to share my experience with you. And, to make the information more interesting, it’s written as a Q&A.

Hope these golden nuggets are helpful to you.

Conferences can be expensive. What makes attending one worth the expense?

First, pick you conferences wisely. RWA is on a national level so that in itself makes it worth it. Another conference I always attend is my home chapter’s – New Jersey Romance Writers.

Meeting face to face editors, agents, industry professionals and writers, of course, is an invaluable opportunity. And you can fan girl over famous authors, which is always fun!

Also, conferences inspire your muse. Where else can you talk books 24/7, how characters have you pulling off the roadways because they’re talking to you, without people thinking you’re out of your mind?

Book signing. I still get excited thinking about my first official signing, all for a good cause. It’s a great way to interact with readers and fellow authors.

Networking. Fast and furious. So many people to meet, so little time. But I’ll tell you a secret. Do you know how the Violet Femmes formed? Yep, from meeting up at a conference.

What was the highlight of this year’s RWA conference?

There were so many highlights but I have to go with the Cowboys.

Like the Dallas Cowboys?

No. Um…Giant fan. I’m talking about the six-foot-three hunks Maria forced me to take a picture with.

This was a terrific promotional idea hosted by Amazon Kindle Love Stories – which is in the footnote and background of every photo. Branding, anyone?

What did you learn from the workshops attended?

Maria is better equipped to answer this question as I attended so few. Two workshops, though, were very informative.

In How To Make $100, 000 By Self Publishing, three authors discussed how they promote their work (which even a traditionally published author can benefit from knowing). Series sell with three being the magic number. Know your audience and play around with pricing to see what works best for your series. Bookbub works (which I can personally attest to). And if you have a series, put your first book free or at .99 cents when the third is released. Build your brand across books and your author name.

And, you need to produce. Be prolific and write write write. It’s important to give readers immediate access to all your books. The more, the better.

In New Adult Marketing, I learned an interesting and important statistic on ebook versus print sales. 80% of New Adult books sales are digital versus the 70% ebook versus print sales. And YA? Only 10% is ebook sales. This says a lot about who is reading what, and how they are ready it.

Who did you meet and why are you excited about meeting them?
Again, the conference was a terrific opportunity to meet up with fellow authors. In April, Kate Willoughby, Kat Latham, and Rhonda Shaw celebrated a Carina Press co-book release date (along with Rebecca Crowley and Allison Parr.) We’d never met but collaborated so well. I learned so much from them. The conference was a great opportunity to meet up, given we live in different states (and countries).

I reconnected with Claudia Connor whose debut is coming out from Random House in September. It’s hot! Check it out on Amazon: Worth the Fall. Claudia and I did the contest circuit together. And, btw, she had a presidential suite at the conference…which may or may not have been next to Nora’s.

Historical author and fellow Carina author, Anabelle Bryant was a hoot. She really inspired me with her knowledge and creativity. You should check her out; she shared story ideas over lunch and wow, she’s got a plathora of interesting historical twists!

Finally, I had a fan girl moment with New York Times Bestselling author, Joan Johnston. Fifty-six books and she is still prolific. She had terrific insight on the publishing industry which she so generously shared.

As you can see:  Networking. Networking. Networking.

Summarize your RWA conference experience in three words.

Network. Learn. Enjoy the company.

Research is like second nature to a writer. We study which guns an undercover agent is likely to use, the style of 1800’s dress a debutante might have worn, and we even research something as simple as a kiss.

Or seemingly simple—try putting the motion into words and you’ll see, it’s a lot more complicated.

Here’s some tips every character should know before puckering up.

1. It’s all in the approach. A kissable character has an open body with arms uncrossed, hands away, and is leaving themselves wide-open.

2. Oh, those lips. A character’s lips need to look pretty. Swollen red, full bodied, wet.

3. A light, flirtatious touch. Typically, characters don’t go in for the first kiss without some kind of touching. A quick, innocent caress of the shoulder. A body brushing up next to him/her.

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