LETTER TO THE AGENT from My Major Character

August 23, 2013August 23, 2013 / roughwighting / 20 Comments

TO: Ms. Rosie, Agent, Publishers Row, NY, NY

Dear Ms. Rosie

I understand from my author that you wouldn’t pick up her book because the synopsis didn’t sound “interesting” to you, and that if you’re not interested in it, it would be difficult for you to sell the book to a publishing company.

Well, I must admit, I find your admission cold and thought-provoking. Co-authors Pamela Wight and Ashley Brandt worked many long, arduous hours to bring my character to life. They were both raising families and working at challenging jobs, but telling my story became their passion. I can’t tell you how gratifying it was for me at 5 p.m. every afternoon, the witching hour for the Wight and Brandt family, to see them working hard on my plot and characterization while ignoring the whines of husbands and children droning on in the background: “When are you going to fix dinner? There’s nothing in the house!!”

But these authors were true to their calling. They worked at fleshing me out, telling my story of a motherless upbringing and a depressed father who drank to forget his loss. For you to carelessly send a one-paragraph page stating that you found my story “uninteresting” was about as cold and uncompassionate as anyone can be, whether she is a heartless murderer, a bratty 16-year-old bully, or a clueless agent.

I found your remarks thought-provoking because they made me wonder, what kind of agent are you anyway, and what kind of book are you looking for? In riveting detail, Wight and Brandt tell the tale of me surviving my difficult childhood, excelling in school, and scoring a high-prestige job in a San Francisco investment firm. Beautiful but unsure of myself, I tackle my job with everything I have, unaware of the thicket of trouble I get in when the boss’ twin tries to destroy his brother and pin the blame of the bomb on me. This is uninteresting?

Then the handsome boss, Blake Sinclair, a man I despise because he seems arrogant and too wealthy to even notice a low-level employee like me, basically kidnaps me and keeps me locked up in a gorgeous Stinson Beach cottage. Against all odds, we discover we like each other, and yes, soon in the dark of night, love each other, and our hearts bloom with happiness. This is uninteresting?

And finally, Blake’s cruel, twisted brother tries to murder me during a wintry California storm. Can Black arrive in time to rescue me? And this is all uninteresting to you?

Fortunately for my two authors, the people who have read our book have found it a fun, fascinating romantic suspense. In fact, many readers have claimed that they were unable to put it down, and stayed up late at night to find out how/if Blake and I survive a sibling gone wild. These people all found Twin Desires extraordinarily interesting. I’m sorry you never gave my story the chance it deserves. When it’s picked up by a major publishing house, I’ll be sure Wight and Brandt send you a signed copy.

Til then,

Sandra Eastman

Twin Desires, romantic suspense, self-publishing

Sandra Eastman invites you to read about her romantic suspense. Click on the cover to visit her Amazon page.

Hollywood Comes Callling

June 28, 2013 / roughwighting / 19 Comments

I knew it would happen, sooner or later.

When my critique group finished the third draft of my (then) unpublished romantic suspense novel, The Right Wrong Man, each of them independently concluded their final review with a list of the actors who should play my characters in a movie.

“Guys,” I responded modestly. “I need to get this published first. Then let’s dream about Jennifer Lawrence for Meredith, and Channing Tatum for Parker.”

Channing Tatum, fantasy, Hollywood, writing, creative

Gregory?

“No!” They all chimed in. “Channing should be Gregory!” I ignored them, dotted my “i’s” and wrote two more drafts before I hit “Ping.”

Amazon sold 10,000 copies by week 6.

On week 8, I received an e-mail from Julia Robert’s agent.

On week 9, Bradley Cooper phoned me directly.

The bidding war began.

On the first anniversary of my publication date, the movie was optioned, sold, and at my insistence, I had a role as 3^rd screenwriter on set, which became larger as each day of shooting progressed.

Jennifer Lawrence, imagination, fantasy, Hollywood, writing, novel

Meredith?
(credit to:HRC/ WENN.com)

The chosen actress to play Meredith (and I can’t divulge that secret here), knocked on my trailer at 8:10 every morning. “Ms. Wight, the other writer says Meredith belches. Meredith would never belch. Please, please rewrite the rewritten script and fix it!”

I fixed.

Then the actor I hungered over, um, I mean, that Meredith hungered over, joined me for a glass of wine at the end of the day’s shooting. “We have a problem,” he stated in his famous deep growl. “The director is demanding I punch Carlos in the face and break his nose. You and I know that is NOT Parker’s style. Please, fix it!”

I fixed.

I taunted the producer, tweaked the direction, tamed the actors, and a year later, the movie THE RIGHT WRONG MAN was a hit.

And guess who was nominated for Best Screenwriter?

What?

Oh, yes, this is a fantasy. But you do know the definition of “fantasy,” don’t you?

That’s right: “The creative imagination.” Or, “unrestrained fancy.”

A writer should never be restrained, nor lack creativity OR imagination.

Because, my dear readers, as Einstein explained;

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

Now, speaking of coming attractions, who would YOU choose to play Parker and Gregory?

Just so, you know, I’m prepared when that phone call comes in.

fantasy, author, writing, romance novel, Hollywood

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.” ― Lloyd Alexander

What Makes a Man “HOT”?

May 31, 2013May 21, 2015 / roughwighting / 58 Comments

Okay, let’s get right down to it – what is a hot man?

Many women reading this immediately flash on to a guy they, ahem, admire: Brad Pitt, Tom Brady, Bradley Cooper, Robert Downey Jr., George Clooney.

What do these guys have that earn them the status of HOT?

Or, to put it another way, which guys in your life would you call McSteamy or McDreamy?

With the help of my family photo album (full of spouse, son, brother, son-in-law, nephews, cousins), I’ve come up with 15 reasons a guy makes it in my “oh la la” considerations.

1. Romantic

2. Athletic

3. Smart

4. Conqueror of Nature

5. Sense of Humor

6. Not Afraid to Sip Girly Drinks

7. Good Dancer

8. Cooks for a Crowd, or Just the Two of You

9. Good Appetite

10. Helps Babes in Distress

11. Captains the Seas

12. Enjoys being a “hot” dog

13. Loves Babies

14. Lifeguards on the Beach

15. Cuddles Cousins

As a writer of romantic suspense, I create men who embody these 15 characteristics. In my “hot” off-the-press, just released e-book, Twin Desires, main character Sandra must figure out who is the good guy, and who isn’t, in a thrilling story of intrigue, murder, mystery, and romance.

The Sinclair twins may look alike, but one is “hot” in the best sense, one is not. Can Sandra figure out which one is her “McDreamy”? Download Twin Desires on your Kindle or Nook. Remembering my 15 points of hot men, you may figure it out before Sandra does.

To Market, To Market

January 4, 2013January 9, 2013 / roughwighting / 54 Comments

Oh boy, is this hard. I’ll just share with you right now that I am not comfortable writing this post. Okay, here I go, here I go….

I’m almost ready to publish my book, The Right Wrong Man.

The genre? Romantic suspense. But who likes labels? The book is a fun page turner, spell-binding, sexy, with a main character who is flawed (after all, aren’t we all?) and funny at times, clueless at others, and interesting enough that you (the reader) will want to follow her down her own little rabbit hole and see the horrible mess she’s in.

Well, there, that wasn’t so difficult to publicize (also known as hype, tout, flaunt, plug, oh my gosh so many words under “to market”).

I’m a writer, not a promoter. (That’s sort of like saying “I’m a lover, not a fighter.”) I like the idea of taking the high road (you know, I just love the creative process, not the hard-as-nails side of advertising and marketing).

writing process, writing, publishing, marketing, all-terrain highway

The all-terrain highway of writing.

But writing now is an all-terrain highway. The ups, the downs, the writing, the selling.

So I’m proud to shout out I’VE WRITTEN A GOOD BOOK! I love Meredith, my main character. I’m fascinated by the right wrong men in her life, Gregory and Parker. (Or are they the wrong right men?)

Either way, I’ve written the book and edited it and drafted it 2 or 20 or 33 times. My novel has been read and edited and reviewed and critiqued by men and women who all exclaim, “WHAT A GREAT READ!”

The cover is complete, the formatting from Word to Kindle is just about there, and all I need to do now

Is.

Market It!

Ack, but that’s the HARD part.

Can you believe that? Writing a book is supposed to be the most difficult component of publishing.

Making up a character (but truly, that was easy, because Meredith just popped on the page for me);

Finding and following a plot (well, again, I had no idea where Meredith was going, but before I knew it, she flew away from her comfy home in Boston to visit a stranger in a yacht off of St. Thomas and before she knew it…oh, never mind, you have to read the book to find out);

Getting to ‘The End’ (but you know what? The pages just flew on the tip of my pen from page 1 to 286).

Easy peasy.

Just a gallon of sweat, a bucket of blood.

But now, to market, to market.

If you have any suggestions on how to promote The Right Wrong Man, please pass them on.

Just remember, I’m kind of low on blood right now…