Five Things About SEARED

My latest sexy contemporary romance, Seared, drops on December 12!

Here are five quick things about this soapy send-up!

1. I released Seared briefly in a much shorter and serial format in late 2015. It was called Unlock Me at the time — and I used a different pen name! I called myself Mariah Kendall Quinn, after three of my favorite soap opera women: The Young and the Restless' Mariah, All My Children's Kendall, and The Bold and the Beautiful's Quinn. I ended up pulling the installments off Amazon and scrapping Mariah, because I honestly wasn't prepared to be self-publishing at that point. You live and you learn! I eventually reworked the story a little, made it longer, and even submitted it to traditional publishers via my wonderful agent. When that particular avenue didn't pan out, I knew I wanted to try self-publishing again — and this time I was ready for it!

2. Lachlan Christie, the DomChefStepbrother hero of Seared, is a pretty blatant homage to Gordon Ramsay. I think the video below sums up why.

On Writing Diverse Characters...and Moving Past Passive Aggression

What do you do when you stumble across a book that is so hurtful you physically recoil? These past few months, I've developed an almost pathological obsession with such a book. Every time I see mention of it, I flinch and my gut roils. I subtweet about it. I message friends and wonder what, if anything, can be done about it. And I tried to just grin and bear it. I know, I know, you're all thinking, "Suleikha, why didn't you just call this out publicly? That's what you do."

Yeah, that's what I do. And that's what exhausts me, what makes many label me as histrionic or one of those Angry Women of Color who doesn't want white people writing diverse books. Inevitably, one way or another, the hurtful book will still continue to hurt me. I will be the Bad Guy. Sure, sometimes it can be fun, even vindicating, to be the Bad Guy. But, mostly, it eats at you. Because you know that calling out race-fail is ultimately worse than writing something racist. That's the lesson we're taught. Being a whistleblower often means you get the blowback.  

So, I'm going to try and channel my anger and frustration into something more positive. Here are five basic things to keep in mind while writing a character of color, in particular characters of South Asian origin.

Five Things I've Learned While Writing Romantic Suspense

This fall sees me making my first foray into romantic suspense (not counting fan fiction) and, boy, is it a whole different animal than contemporary and/or erotic romance! 

I hatched this crazy idea about a team of mercenaries who live fairly regular lives but get into shenanigans on the side. And, as I work on the first in this potential series, I can't default to navel-gaze-y, internal narratives to drive the story. Oh, noes!

What have I figured out so far...?

1. External conflict is hard to do well, yo.

2. Sexytimes in the middle of impending doom is a gun you can only fire once.

3. When you make up military/government thingies and talk about weaponry, remember to RESEARCH if it's actually possible. But later. Not when you're in the flow.  

4. No, seriously, they can't have sex and talk about their feelings all the time. I mean it. 

5. When in doubt, blow something up.

You'll have to wait a while to find out how I've applied my learnings but, in the mean time, you can check out "Matinee," my short story in the erotic anthology The Big Book of Orgasms, and pre-order my contemporary novella, Bollywood and the Beast!

Five Things Soaps Can Teach You About Writing

As a lifelong TV junkie and erstwhile entertainment journalist, I’ve often joked I have the “superpower” of being able to sense where a story is going. (Friends have tested this theory. Exhibit A: the pilot for The LA Complex.) That’s because even when a show is throwing in every twist imaginable, crafting unreliable narrators and casting new roles, there is a narrative flow. It’s called a story arc for a reason. There are always clues and flags—and subtle signs that sometimes even a writer doesn’t pick up on—which hint at the trajectory of a given plot. And, often, a regular soap opera viewer (or regular reader!) is eagle-eyed when it comes to spotting missteps and deviations from the natural direction. Most of what I've learned about writing a riveting tale, or enjoying one as a consumer, I gleaned from being addicted to daytime soaps!

Get In Line

That line. You know, THAT line. It’s that moment in a movie that socks you in the gut or brings tears to your eyes or makes you grin like an idiot. It’s the line you anticipate, the one you recite along with the actors. It’s a few sentences, maybe just a few words, that encapsulate characters and their journey so profoundly that it sticks with you long after the screen has faded to black. As a romance writer, and even a pop culture columnist, I can’t tell you how I strive to craft “That Line” in everything I write. I especially love ending a chapter or a story with a really good kicker.

Here are some of my favorite classic movie examples of "crossing That Line":

Valentine's Day: Love, Indian-style!

Whether it's singing, dancing, kissing, or hitting the sheets, Indian film and television bring their own special masala to the notion of true love. In honor of Valentine's Day, here are five of my favorite moments:

1. Rahul and Anjali's gazebo scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is guaranteed to be at the top of any and every list I make about romance in Bollywood cinema. A simple, beautiful, scene about former best friends from college acknowledging the love between them, it's, arguably, the gold standard. Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were the premier jodi (pairing) of the industry at the time, and their chemistry is as effortless as the love their characters share.

2. Band Baaja Baaraat's wedding planners Shruti and Bittoo take their partnership to the next level after a celebration of their success. BBB was put out by a major production house, but it really feels like an indie: a crisp, well-written trailblazer for the modern Indian rom-com. Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh are electric, and you really get a sense of young Delhi-ites and their every day lives...and their not-so every day loves!