Writers spend a lot of time on their opening paragraphs, and rightly so. Then we stand on the corner, displaying our wares under a streetlamp, waiting for a reader (or agent, or editor) to drive by. When they slow down, or stop at a red light, we boldly slink out to the curb, holding the first manuscript page of our novel up to the car window, pointing to that first seductive sentence, the alluring opening paragraph, the irresistible hook that will charm them into opening the passenger door and inviting us in. Hooker and hookee, together at last in a kind of erotic literary eHarmony dream.

But—and I apologize if you wanted me to pursue this dream further—what about the final paragraph of the novel?

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You’ve seen the movie … would you buy the book? Here to examine that question, and others, is our guest blogger, Honolulu writer (and reader and moviegoer) Sally Sorenson. Welcome, Sally!

“You’ve seen the movie; would you buy the book? Did Clark Gable uttering Rhett Butler’s classic “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” leave you satisfied—that ending said it all—or, like millions of romance junkies over the decades, did you want a sequel? After all, tomorrow was another day.

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Because my new novel Chasing Cowboys is written in first person (narrated by a 40-something Reno cowboy and a 19-year-old Reno rodeo queen wannabe), I started thinking about why I love first person narration.

I’m trying to remember the first time I wrote in first person point of view. There’s a flickering memory of an assignment in fourth grade, writing about an imaginary trip across Texas.

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As I mentioned Friday, I was excited to work with local graphic designer Stephanie Chang on my new novel Chasing Cowboys.

Stephanie (Stephanie Chang Design Ink) designed both the cover and the interior pages. We spent over nine months on the book design (a friend called the book our “elephant baby”).

Stephanie and I will be signing this Wednesday, October 21, at Bestsellers in downtown Honolulu (Hotel and Bishop Streets), from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Stop by and say howdy!

I asked Stephanie to talk about her Hawaii roots, her design work, and her creative choices on Chasing Cowboys.

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Someone took a look at my new book, Chasing Cowboys (Aloha Romance Writers, 2009), and asked me an inviting question, “What was it like writing this?” Good question. Let me answer it this way.

As the storyteller in this novel, I had the big job of rounding up my two-legged characters and driving them down the trail. Naturally they kept running off in all directions. New critters joined the trail drive and I had to keep an eye on them.

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Were you ever an adolescent? Are you a Harry Potter fan? If you answered yes to the first question, read on. If you answered yes to both questions, this is your lucky day. Local writer and teacher Cami Nihipali is here to lead us through the three F’s of adolescence and Harry Potter. Here’s Cami!

“Remember adolescence? Now that you’ve moved past the shudder, think about it beyond the poor self-image, beyond the acne, beyond the confusion. What do you remember? There are three things that really stand out about being an adolescent for me: finding myself, friends, and first love.

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Jill Marie Landis In Wednesday's post we heard romance novelist Jill Marie Landis tell about living the life of a writer on Kauai, what she hears from her readers, and what she's writing now. Jill  is the bestselling author of over 20 novels, two of which hit the New York Times extended bestseller [...]
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Be taken on an unforgettable journey of suspense, adventure, mystery and romance in a coming-of-age story about the small town of Kailua, O'ahu in November/December 1941.  Sands of Lanikai takes us back to the days just before December 7 and imagines a spy entering the waters of Kailua Bay.  Will [...]
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Jill Marie Landis Just the other day I talked to my friend, romance novelist Jill Marie Landis, and asked her what it was like living the life of a writer on Kauai. Jill  is the bestselling author of over 20 novels, two of which hit the New York Times extended bestseller list. She has won numerou [...]
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