Ani Gonzalez
AniGBlogs- Goodreads
- Tumblr
- Twitter
- Facebook
-
Posts
- May 05, 13
Churro cupcake recipe for Cinco de Mayo. I usually make margaritas, but the churro cupcakes sound delicious. Maybe I can serve them with Abuelita chocolate. Yum.
How to use a leopard to open a piñata. Via Latina Magazine.
A Bloomsbury Life post on how effective writers behave. Great post.
Also from A Bloomsbury Life, you can own Emily Dickinson's wallpaper. So cool. - May 02, 13
Robert Brockway (via Chuck Wendig) on book marketing.
Great Goodreads discussion on favorite contemporary romance themes.
Anthropologie's visual director shares her workspace. I love the industrial desk chair and the branchy wallpaper. So cool.
This house is gorgeous. It was built in 1870 by a Spanish family that made its fortune in Cuba, and it's a mix of Cuban and Catalan decor. The vaulted ceilings (very Catalan) are so pretty and the encaustic tile floors (a Caribbean touch) are amazing. Via El Mueble.
A recipe for S'mores cake, blowtorch required. - Apr 30, 13
- Apr 30, 13
Jacqueline Floyd on how a write a painless synopsis.
El Mueble magazine features a Spanish country kitchen. I love the rattan chair and the amazing tile work. Beautiful! This is my favorite decor magazine. All the houses are gorgeous.
David Gandy's favorite English country house is Melford Hall. It inspired Beatrix Potter's books and is open to the public.
Marcela Valladolid's recipe for Mostachón Cake (Mexican Strawberry Meringue Pie). It's made with Maria crackers (so yummy), cream cheese and strawberries. I have to make this. - Apr 30, 13
Hooked on Houses features a fabulous Victorian farmhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Cote de Texas looks at a Virginia-style home in Houston.
Matchbook Magazine has a great article about Dolores del Rio. They also have a modern take on her style. I love the Anthropologie retro bathing suit. A cheaper version is available here.
Speaking of Anthropologie, the Skikda Beach Tunic is to die for.
Since this post went off on a beach tangent, here's a bit of news. There's a Tumblr hashtag for pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch and his bird-theme bathing shorts. It's called #beachbatch. - Apr 30, 13
Jane Austen's Emma as a clutch purse. I love this purse.
Chalet-style house for rent in Breckenridge Colorado. This house reminds me of Kristen Ashley's The Gamble, a great book featuring a great house. The hero built the house all by himself, definitely my kind of romance hero.
Hooked on Houses is featuring Bella and Edward's honeymoon cottage from Breaking Dawn Part 2. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thought that it was the best thing about the movie.
A very feminine piso in Madrid's Salamanca neighborhood. I adore the decor. It's modern and simple but also feminine and romantic. It's an absolutely gorgeous apartment.
Peru's Astrid y Gastón is one of the world's best fifty restaurants. A&G has restaurants in Lima, Bogotá, Santiago, D.F. and Madrid. We need an A&G in Washington, D.C. Need. - Apr 30, 13
Great post from Smart Bitches post on boat hair and romance covers. It reminds me of Christina Dodd's classic "three-armed cover" post.
Penguin book cover wallpaper exists and it is awesomeness.
Carmen López is the advertising director for People en Español and her West Hollywood home is featured in Traditional Home magazine. It's amazing. - Apr 16, 13Most people go to the beach for spring break. We do things differently.We look for snow.We went to the Shenandoah National Park for spring break. They still had snow. We stayed at the Skyline Resort and it was fabulous.We got the cutest little cabin.It's name was Byrd's Nest.
The cabin had a gas fireplace.
And an adorable writing desk.
To go with the adorable bedroom.
The iron and ironing board confuse me, though. Who irons during a rustic getaway?
We didn't do any ironing. Instead, we went hiking in the snow.
We saw waterfalls.
And we made snow angels.
There was a lending library.
Where we found lots of uplifting reading choices.
There was not TV and no Wi-Fi. Luckily, I had lots of romance novels in my Kindle App. I was staying in a lodge, so I read a lot of Shannon Stacey books. A lot.
We had a great time.
Next time, though, I want this cabin. - Apr 15, 13
- Apr 11, 13Gardening break is over and I have pretty pots full of flowers. Aren't they pretty?They'll be all dead in a couple of months, but for now my patio looks really spiffy.So now it's back to writing.It wasn't all fun and dirt during my break. I read some craft books, I read a lot of romance novels, and I researched my trope. I also brainstormed about the parts of my draft that I'm not satisfied with. I actually got a lot of work done.Just not a lot of writing.Now I have a list of changes that will make my draft stronger. I want to write a new opening scene (I want a really hot opening). I also want to sharpen my hook and work on my setting.I don't have any structural changes yet. I'm pretty happy with the way the architecture of the book.That's the good news.I do have a LOT of changes I want to make.That's also good news. Ideas are good. The frustrating part is when I know something's wrong but I don't know how to fix it.This time I know how to fix it. Or at least I think I do.Wish me luck!
- Apr 04, 13
Jaye Wells on enjoying your pre-published period.
Jill Shalvis' A Glamorous Day in the Life of a Romance Writer post.
Danielle Davis (via the Bent Agency) on fighting the urge to be done.
My obsession with nightstands continues. Here's a post from Emily Henderson's blog on different ways to "style" your nightstand.
The Your LLBean Boyfriend Tumblr is fabulous.
A Paul Marron cover collage courtesy of Realms on Our Bookshelves.
Shannon Stacey talks about ATVs. Of course. - Apr 03, 13
- Apr 02, 13
- Mar 31, 13“ Am I jumping the gun, Baldrick, or are the words “I have a cunning plan” marching with ill-deserved confidence in the direction of this conversation?” Edmund Blackadder
I have a cunning plan.
Act 2 revisions are done and I'm off to fix my Black Moment. It's kind of a Grayish-Taupish Moment right now so it needs a lot of work. Luckily, I have a plan. My hero is through being sweet and is bent on being his controlling, dominating self. My heroine is under considerable emotional stress and is not in the mood to deal with the hero's BS.
This should be good.
The Black Moment is the heart of the romance novel and I really, really want to nail mine. Here are some helpful links I found.
Historical Romance author Anna Campbell writes about crafting the Black Moment.
Katie Lovette has some advice.
Kat Cantrell's blog post defines the Black Moment as the hero's and heroine's greatest need in conflict with one another. Great post.
Nalini Singh thinks you should be mean to your characters.
Wish me luck!
Procrastination Item: Emily Henderson had a contest on styling nightstands. She had some really cool entries. It's amazing how pretty books can look when properly staged. My nightstand right now has a pile of decor magazines, two paperback romance novels, a lamp, a phone charger (I read e-books on Kindle for iPhone), and a clock. It is the antithesis of style. I should probably try harder. - Mar 28, 13
Spring is supposed to be here. I say "supposed" because we just got a snowfall, not a big one, but still the biggest we've had all winter. Even though it's technically spring, it feels like a winter's night. We built a fire and I made Chorizo Garbanzo soup.
This is a great soup for a cold night. It's a traditional Spanish dish, but I've adapted it to my family's taste. It serves two people, but you can double it to serve a family of four.
Chorizo Garbanzo Soup
2 chorizo sausages (Traditional Spanish chorizo, not the Salvadoran or Mexican kind)
4 small potatoes (I use red potatoes because I like the splash of color)
1 medium-sized Spanish onion
1 can of garbanzos
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of chicken broth
Adobo seasoning, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
Cilantro to taste.
Chop the onion, the chorizo and the potatoes. Brown the onions and the adobo, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the chorizo and stir until the onions turn a golden-orange color. Add the diced tomatoes and stir for several minutes.
When the tomato mixture starts to boil, add the chicken broth. Let the soup simmer for 45 min.
Add chopped, fresh cilantro before serving.
Serve with a nice sangria or Rioja wine. You can also make some easy Manchego toast to go with the soup.
Manchego Toast:
1/2 loaf of Italian bread
Manchego cheese
Cut the bread into 1/2 slices. Shave slices of Manchego cheese (use a potato peeler to get nice, thin slices). Place the cheese on the toast and bake at 375 degrees until the cheese turns golden brown. - Mar 27, 13
I'm working hard on my WIP's internal conflict. It's absolutely vital to a romance novel and I'm having some difficulty developing it. Here are some helpful links I've found.
Maisey Yates on the elements of a perfect black moment and internal conflict.
Waiting For The Call blog on internal vs. external conflict.
Harlequin Presents is a category line that really focuses on the hero-heroine relationship. Here are some tips on how to develop internal conflict.
Gratuitous House Link: Nacho Figueras' house in Buenos Aires. The decor can best be described as glamorous gaucho. There's a Chesterfield sofa and a cowhide Courvoisier lounge chair. I've never read a romance where the couple makes out in a Courvoisier lounge chair. Someone should write one, but it will not be me. - Feb 28, 13Look at what I found on the supermarket book shelf:
Cool modern covers, sexy photographs, irresistible tropes, how could I resist? I bought all four.
Here's what I found on the inside:
The books are Presents reprints from 2003-2009. This seems to be a cover experiment. I love, love, love the sexy cover, and I hope the experiment pays off for Harlequin. I certainly did my part to help the cause. There goes my book budge for the month.
What do you think? Do you like the Special Edition covers? - Feb 26, 13
Here's some helpful stuff I've found around the internet. I'm plodding through revisions so these mostly deal with the nitty-gritty of the revisions process.
Revision advice from Jaye Wells. I love every single one of her writing posts, but this one is sheer genius.
From Veronica Roth: Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5. Veronica has a LOT of posts on the revision process. She really eviscerates her books when she revises and I love that.
Jennifer Crusie has a wonderful series of blog posts where she chronicles her working process. It's called The Twelve Days of Liz. My favorite posts are here and here.
Maisey Yates on teasing out conflict, making your work sparkle, and the power of subtle changes.
Gratuitous House Porn Link: Jeremy Renner, house flipper? Hooked on Houses has a blog post on a house he designed. The house has a barber chair and Escher-style marble floors, and the decor is very Harlequin Presents fabulousness. Check it out. - Feb 23, 13
My husband came back from Argentina and he brought goodies.
These are called alfajores. They are Argentinian Oreo cookies. The filling is made from dulce de leche and the cookies are covered with chocolate.
They are delish. I really don't want to know how many calories are in these things, so please don't tell me.
I have a whole box of them and they won't last very long. - Feb 10, 13
I've managed to revise one third of the book.
Yipee!
That means that Act 1 is done.
Done. Done. Done.
Or at least done until I find something else to fix.
I'm a little worried because I've crammed a lot of stuff into Act 1. Remember my plot graphic? The one where I discovered that a lot of stuff happened in Act 1 and not a lot of stuff happened in Acts 2 and 3?
This is what it looked like:
I was soooo happy because I felt Act 1 was nicely stuffed. Well, now it's even more stuffed. In fact, it's bursting.
Acts 2 and 3 looked thin and skimpy before, but now, they are positively anorexic. I have a lot of words, but I have to turn those words into action. I have a list of fun stuff to put in there. The ideas are flowing, but there's lots of work to be done.
But that's tomorrow's problem. Today, I'm thirty-three percent done with revisions and I'm celebrating with a fro-yo extravaganza.
Yummy! - Jan 24, 13
This post is a love letter to my new favorite site: Flavors.me.
Why do I love it? Because it helped me create a web portal. A web portal is a truncated web page. It's a web page with links. Instead of going straight to the blog, a visitor will be able to go to the pretty portal and click on the blog link. A web portal is a virtual foyer for all my platforms.
Basically, it's a cure for website envy.
I've been blogging for a while. I started in Livejournal several years ago and then moved to Blogger. I've also been active in Twitter, Goodreads, Tumblr, and Pinterest for about a year. Blogger is a good platform for all of this activity because you can use the blog as the landing site and add links to the other platforms to my sidebar. Livejournal didn't let me do that.
I like Blogger very much. It's very, very easy to use. I like that I get to play around with the format and make my own banners and such. Even though I'm technically challenged, I get to control my own site.
I've still longed for a website, though. Having a visitor go straight to the blog is a bit like having the front door of a house go straight to the living room. It's okay, but I still feel the need for a pretty foyer. I'd like to have a proper a web page with a proper domain names and links to my platforms, including my Blogger blog.
I could do this through Wordpress, but I don't want a make a platform change. Wordpress looks complicated and I like things simple. Wordpress lets you customize everything, but, let's face it, I'm not going to use most of the Wordpress features. I just want a website with links and pretty pictures.
I tried to create one through Google Sites but I couldn't figure out how to work with the platform. I think it's supposed to be simpler than Wordpress, but I really couldn't do anything with it. I'm not kidding about the technically-challenged bit.
Luckily, Twitter came to my rescue. Lifehacker tweeted two posts on make-you-own web portals. I didn't even know what a portal was. It's basically a web page with links. It's much simpler than a website, but it gives you a pretty landing page. It's like an elegant foyer for your blog.
Lifehacker recommended two portal sites: About.me and Flavors.me.
They both give you nice-looking portals and they are both easy to use. I chose Flavors.me because it allows you to purchase your own domain. About.me doesn't do that yet, although it sounds like they plan to offer the service. I think the About.me templates are prettier, but the domain name was more important to me so Flavors.me won .
Making the page was very easy. Like Blogger, these platforms are aimed at the technical dummies like me. You don't have to code anything.
This simplicity, however, does have its disadvantages. About.me and Flavors.me have a limited number of formats and features and they don't let you change much. You only get to put up pictures and text. That's good for me because I suck at coding, but I like playing with pictures and fonts. Flavors.me gives me just the right amount of artistic flexibility. I do wish it had more fonts, though.
This is what Flavors.me offers:
Basically, you sign up, choose a template, upload some pictures and links and that's it.
Here's what I ended up with:
My domain name is anigonzalez.com. I'm very happy with the portal. I get to put up a picture on the right side and all my information (including links to all my platforms) are listed on the left. The picture on the right will someday be a picture of my book covers. I could also do an author photo on the left and a logo where my picture is now.
My passionflower picture was too small for the portal's format. So I got put up a photo from Morguefile instead. Morguefile is a great image resource and the photos are free. This is close to how I picture the small town in my books. When spring comes, I'll take my camera out to Middleburg, VA and take a better picture, but this one will do for now. I also used the picture for my Twitter, Tumblr, and Blogger banners to try to maintain a cohesive internet "personality." I made my banners with MyBannermaker.com. It makes great banner thought they do put up the website name on them.
I even got to make a Favicon. That's the little square to the left of the domain name. I always wanted one of those. I put my passionflower avatar in it. I love my Favicon.
I still have to fix my Facebook. It's the one site that I've had problems with. I do most of my interaction through Twitter and haven't really gotten excited about Facebook. I have to make a Facebook banner and put some pictures on my Facebook page. That's my next project.
But now it's time to get back to writing.
Do you have any social media tips you'd like to share? - Nov 30, 12
I have good news and bad news.
Good news: My first draft is done! Yipee!!!
Bad news: I hate my first draft. Hate, hate, hate.
I love my characters. I love my setting. I love my story. Love, love, love. I'm happy I've managed to put this many words on paper. They're good words too. I love 90% of my scenes.
However, I still hate my draft. It needs a LOT of work. I specially hate my three pivotal scenes. They're OK, but I need them to be great. They aren't where I want them to be. I also need to work on my plot arc. It needs excitement.
I'm trying to figure out what to change and where to start. I've been thinking and thinking about it, but haven't come up with a plan. I've been chasing my own tail for days. I need a new strategy.
I need to look at the book in a new way. I'm going to try to draw out the plot and list my scenes. Bring out the magic markers!
Here we go:
Drawing the plot arch is a very helpful strategy. I can spot some problems right away. I have a lot of dots (pivotal scenes) in the build-up and not that many dots in the resolution. Mmmm. I don't think my plot arch is supposed to look like that.
My build-up is nice and steady. I have several Pinch moments that lead smoothly up to the Dark Moment. It all flows nicely. Can you tell I had just finished reading Save the Cat? Of course you can.
I'm very happy with my build-up even though I can see some problems. My Inciting Incident needs work and I have no idea how to fix it. I just know it needs oomph. I also have a couple of scenes where I want to upgrade the settings. The current settings are "Coffee Shop" and "Office." Boring and boring. I need to come up with spiffier settings.
Overall, though, I'm pretty happy with the first half of my book. My big Turning Point/Dark Moment needs to be darker, but I think improving the build-up will fix that. I can work with this. It needs work, but most of it works.
My Resolution, however, is a complete mess. It's just a bunch of scenes strung together with no rhythm or structure. My big climax scene is flat and my HEA is lame. My characters deserve better. I'm really, really unhappy with my second half, and I think I need to re-read Save the Cat. I may have skipped a few crucial steps in the build-up to the confrontation. The second half of the book needs restructuring and lots of it.
More good news: I can't wait to get to it.
Drawing out the plot has been very helpful. I'm no longer chasing my own tail. I now have a plan. I'm also excited and energized. Who knew playing with markers would be so productive?
On to revisions! - Nov 29, 12
If you go to Santiago for vacation, you can find... Serrano ham flavored potato chips!
They were interesting. I wonder if Lay's is working on a Manchego cheese potato chip. I think those would be tastier.The Santiago airport also has the requisite Fifty Shades display. I hear it's number one in the Spanish book lists. I wonder how Ms. James is doing in the Chile book market.
-
Reading
-
Posts
The Alice is Wonderland cover seems wrong to me. Shouldn’t there be more light blue in there?
I could use a red velvet cupcake today. Oh, who am I kidding? I could use a red velvet cupcake everyday.
-
Tweets
- RT @jeffekennedy: lol! RT @CarinaPress: Discover the red-hot Facets of Passion series by @JeffeKennedy : http://t.co/6aw4NbsMGQ Fan not inc…
- @younglibrarian @jeffekennedy Yes! This was fabulous.
- @jeffekennedy @e_bookpushers Google the Romanian entry. It's fantastic!
- RT @laurendane: I've been around long enough to have seen A LOT of gimmicks. Most of those authors aren't around anymore. Longevity is a go…
- RT @laurendane: Your career is more than one book. It's more than today. More than tomorrow. It's a long road. Don't get disheartened by gi…
- RT @Ink_Bleeder: Podemos firmar una petición para que el día tenga 25 horas? Gracias.
- RT @laurendane: People WILL criticize you. There will be people who just hate your books or your voice. This biz isn't for the fainthearted…
- @SherylNantus @dearauthor I second that. I guess it's effective promo, but it does leave a sour aftertaste.
- Bagpipes! “@TVLatest: Eurovision Song Contest 2013 Entry: Spain - ESDM - Contigo Hasta el Final http://t.co/wRTjfSGZWl #television #tv”
- RT @cleolinda: RT @particle_p: Romania's Eurovision entry, with the singing falsetto vampire. Internet, take it away! http://t.co/vxshYKEDr2
- @cleolinda Fabulous! I can't believe he didn't win.
- Spain's act, El Sueño de Morfeo, was next to last and is one if my favorite bands. This means I have good taste in music, right? #eurovision
- :( “@el_pais: Dinamarca gana #Eurovisión2013. España termina penúltima. Así ha sido la gala: http://t.co/QYVz18V6J9”
- RT @TheRealSheldonC: The red ones are obviously getting eaten first. http://t.co/keqmSHcVjf
- RT @laurahunsaker: I'm Making these today http://t.co/g7FrTEvX4n
- Great book! “@cherylbradshaw: Agatha Christie's Five Little Pigs is a mere $1.99 today on kindle. http://t.co/zLA1uyYxMO”
- RT @kresleycole: Question of the week: "Are you going to offer the Nïx 'SLUT' T-shirt from MacRieve?" How could I not? :) Should... http://…
- RT @GaRomance: Georgia Romance Writer's Unpublished Maggie Award for Excellence writing contest in 7 categories-Deadline: June 10th! http:/…
- RT @NicLitAgent: Writing Tip: Add these to your passive (read: lazy) writing checklist. SAT, WALK, GET, FELT, SAW. Check for these words, a…
- RT @NicLitAgent: Writer's Tip: ‘That’ is a word (that) you can usually go without. ‘Those’ is another one (of those) to watch for. #writing
-
Status
