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Sherry Thomas Private Arrangements Giveaway and Q&A!
Tell us a little about your entries in AAR's Purple Prose Contest. Was it easy or hard to write entries that were "over the top"?
Sherry: Were they "over the top?" ::laughs:: I think the High Pluto Orbit piece probably was. It is very easy to write over-the-top when you have an idea. And to this day I am still quite proud of the idea in High Pluto Orbit--that Purple Prose is the official communication style for advanced civilizations in the universe and that until Earthlings properly grasp and adopt it, they cannot be invited to join the club. I think that particular entry could almost pass for a humorous SF short story.
The other one, The Virgin and the Duke, even though it was also written a good many years ago, fairly echoes my current style in its arch, somewhat ironic tone. And its over-the-top parts alternate with other parts that are designed to puncture the over-the-topness. So it was less a parody than a story of a writer's growth. She starts out deeply immersed in romance's more over-the-top traditions and not at all aware of the immersion, and gradually transitions to more original, less cliché-ridden style and plot in her writing.
Will you continue to write historical romance or branch out into other genres?
Sherry: Both, I hope. From the moment I finished my first historical manuscript eight years ago, I've said I'll do a SF romance. And guess what I then continue to write? One historical romance after another. So that trend is likely to continue. I do have good ideas for SF romances. And I have actually written a martial arts action adventure love story featuring a half-Chinese, half-English heroine--though it would need a substantial overhaul before it deserves to see the light of the day. And I've the beginning of what I call my Harlequin Blaze. But I also have deadlines for historicals: Deadlines always trounce voluntary writing. We shall see. I'll need to be super-organized and efficient in my use of time to do other sub-genres--and super-organized and efficient I've never been. :-)
How important are covers to showcase your books? Half naked hunky men on covers seem to be the norm lately. What are your thoughts on them?
Sherry: I hate them. I would prefer to have nothing to do with them. (I especially hate it when a half-naked man looks at me on the cover--it makes me want to throw the nearest sheet at him, or tell him to look away, as it's totally rude to stare at other people when he's not wearing a shirt.) We can say romance is about sex, as most of life is about sex in one way or another. But I dislike having a story reduced to a set of bare abs.
On the other hand, I want my books to sell. And if a half-naked man is what it takes to sell my books, then I'm going to live with them.
Although I probably have one of the most gorgeous covers in recent memory, at one point I did worry about it not selling because it's not mantitty and everyone keeps telling me that mantitty sells twice as much as non-mantitty. And then I said, what the hell. If only mantitty sold then we'd only have mantitty covers. Since we still have many other kinds of covers, I'm not going to second-guess my publisher.
I'm answering this question backward so finally, yes, the covers are probably THE most important thing about a book. I mean, there will be a group of readers who actively search out new writers and new books and read reviews and excerpts online. And then there will be a large segment of the public who doesn't devote so much energy to such things. I want the casual browser to pick up my book because it is beautiful. Unless they pick it up, they are not going to be close enough to read the cover blurbs Mary Balogh, Jane Feather, and Eloisa James gave me, and they certainly are not going to read the first page to see whether it's something they might enjoy.
Your website mentions that you came to the US at age 13. Where had you lived previously?
Sherry: I was born and raised in China. When I was nineteen I also lived in France for a year as an exchange student.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Sherry: Keep aspiring. It took me 8 years to get that first contract. If I'd quit in year 7, then I'd have nothing to show for it today. Also, don't worry about the mediocre books that are in print--what aspiring writer hasn’t wondered about that. Instead, read the best books that you can find. You cannot improve until you know how far you still have to go.
You are a heroine in one of your novels. Would you rather play the young and innocent virgin, the worldly widow or the seductive, yet secretive courtesan?
Sherry: Oh, boy, this question inspired a whole blog post, but I'm going to say none of the above. I chose to write in a period during which women had more freedom precisely so that I wouldn't be limited to these three choices of heroines. I would play a non-virgin of some sort--virgins have less fun and deflowering ain't all it's cracked up to be, so let's just move beyond it already. I would be cynical, because my marriages/love affairs haven't worked out--the man who broke my heart is, alas, not conveniently dead but still living. And I'll have a source of income, but I absolutely refuse to give blowjobs for it. My first three heroines are a business woman, a cook, and (this book as of yet unwritten) a physician. For this game I'll play a character more after myself and be a hack writer of penny dreadfuls (Victorian pulp fiction). How's that?
2 lucky winners with have their chance to win a copy of Private Arrangements! All you have to do is answer this question correctly:
What's the name of Sherry's personal blog?
Send your answer to aarblog@gmail.com Two lucky winners will be chosen at random from all correct entries submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Thursday night, April 10, 2008. (Unfortunately because of high postal rates, we can only ship to US addresses.) The winner will be announced here and notified by email on Friday, April 11, 2008. Good luck!
Sherry, I do think you have one of the prettiest covers I've seen in a
while and to me it screams "romance" despite the absence of mantitty. It's
on the front table at my Borders and it pops right out.
I love your covers (for PA and Delicious!) as much as I hate those
ridiculous shirtless covers that I find mortifying to buy. BTW, I was
pleasantly surprised to see PA prominently displayed in my local grocery
store, so it seems you're getting good exposure, anyway.
Count me as another one who thinks the cover for PA is just gorgeous! I
have covers with half nude men, because I feel that I can't read them out
in public, once I get up the nerve to buy them to begin with.
Hi Sherry!
Thanks, everybody, for the compliments on my cover, though goodness knows I
had nothing to do with it. It just came to me that beautiful, like one of
those old-timey romance heroines that everyone wants. :-)
Mantitty!!! Where do you get that name!!! LOL!!!! I had to read that a
couple times. Hmm, I don't normally do sci-fi, but my mom worked for
Harlequin so I definitely would do a Blaze. But if you're writing it, I
would even pick up the Sci-fi! But do not ever stop writing the
historicals!!! After Delicious, it will seem like a dry spell with only LK
and JQ to break it until your next book hits the shelf.
Bev, if you've never heard of "mantitty" then you haven't lived! You need
to visit Smart Bitches Loves Trashy Books, cuz that's where I learned the
different between "mantitty" and "manboob!"
Hey all! Here is the link to the blog post Sherry was talking about in the
last question I had asked her.
http://www.theromancebookclub.com/guest-blogs/2008/4/4/guest-blog-from-sher
ry-thomas.html
Love that cover, attracted me right off, right along with some with
especiallly sexy hunks, lol. Then I liked excerpts, and just finished
reading it, loved, loved the book, Sherry - your writing and how you showed
both chainging and maturing, alternatiing past and present throughout to do
so. I'm definitely wanting to read the next, no matter the cover.