Comments on: Continuities http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/ Writing in all its forms Sun, 9 Mar 2008 23:19:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Sandra http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-754 Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:34:08 +0000 http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-754 Huge thanks for putting together a comprehensive list, Mark. That's a lotta work. As I discover more info, I'll post it. Huge thanks for putting together a comprehensive list, Mark. That’s a lotta work.

As I discover more info, I’ll post it.

]]> by: Mark O. Hammontree http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-744 Sun, 16 Apr 2006 03:39:15 +0000 http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-744 I bought & read #5, Pursued, and feel that it is very good. So I have spent the last three hours searching for information on past and future titles. The Harlequin website is virtually worthless for this type of search, but Google brought up a lot of stuff for "Athena Force" and I have come up with the following list: WEBB, DEBRA AF 0 THE PROMISE (an e-story available only in early 2006, at "http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/onlinereads/readsIntro.jhtml?pageID=040601rh01001" ) (a prequel for the original series) DAVIS, JUSTINE (JUSTINE DARE) AF 1 PROOF (Bombshell #2) FETZER, AMY J AF 2 ALIAS (Bombshell #6; 0408) GARBERA, KATHERINE AF 3 EXPOSED (Bombshell #10) FLETCHER, MEREDITH AF 4 DOUBLE-CROSS (Bombshell #14; 0410) MANN, CATHERINE AF 5 PURSUED (working title: THE PATRIOT; Bombshell #18; 0411) WEBB, DEBRA AF 6 JUSTICE (Bombshell #22) CASSIDY, CARLA AF 7 DECEIVED (Bombshell #26; 0501) VAUGHN, EVELYN AF 8 CONTACT (Bombshell #30; 0501) ALLEN, HARPER AF 9 PAYBACK (Bombshell #34; 0503) WIND, RUTH AF10 COUNTDOWN (Bombshell #38) DEES, CINDY AF11 TARGET (Bombshell #42) DURGIN, DORANNA AF12 CHECKMATE (Bombshell #46; 0506) DAVIS, JUSTINE AF13 FLASHBACK (BOMBSHELL #86; 0604) FLETCHER, MEREDITH AF14 LOOK-ALIKE (BOMBSHELL #90; 0605) GARBERA, KATHERINE AF15 EXCLUSIVE (BOMBSHELL #94?; 0606) DURGIN, DORANNA AF16? COMEBACK (BOMBSHELL #102?; 0608) CAINE, RACHEL AF18? TRUST (BOMBSHELL #?; 0610?) DONOVAN, KATE AF ? (BOMBSHELL #?; 0703) MOORE, SANDRA K. AF ? (BOMBSHELL #?; 0708) AF # means Athena Force book # Question marks indicate unknown or uncertain information. The four digit number after the semicolon is the publication date - yymm This list is still under construction; any additions would be welcome... I bought & read #5, Pursued, and feel that it is very good. So I have spent the last three hours searching for information on past and future titles. The Harlequin website is virtually worthless for this type of search, but Google brought up a lot of stuff for “Athena Force” and I have come up with the following list:

WEBB, DEBRA AF 0 THE PROMISE (an e-story available only in early 2006, at “http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/onlinereads/readsIntro.jhtml?pageID=040601rh01001″ ) (a prequel for the original series)
DAVIS, JUSTINE (JUSTINE DARE) AF 1 PROOF (Bombshell #2)
FETZER, AMY J AF 2 ALIAS (Bombshell #6; 0408)
GARBERA, KATHERINE AF 3 EXPOSED (Bombshell #10)
FLETCHER, MEREDITH AF 4 DOUBLE-CROSS (Bombshell #14; 0410)
MANN, CATHERINE AF 5 PURSUED (working title: THE PATRIOT; Bombshell #18; 0411)
WEBB, DEBRA AF 6 JUSTICE (Bombshell #22)
CASSIDY, CARLA AF 7 DECEIVED (Bombshell #26; 0501)
VAUGHN, EVELYN AF 8 CONTACT (Bombshell #30; 0501)
ALLEN, HARPER AF 9 PAYBACK (Bombshell #34; 0503)
WIND, RUTH AF10 COUNTDOWN (Bombshell #38)
DEES, CINDY AF11 TARGET (Bombshell #42)
DURGIN, DORANNA AF12 CHECKMATE (Bombshell #46; 0506)
DAVIS, JUSTINE AF13 FLASHBACK (BOMBSHELL #86; 0604)
FLETCHER, MEREDITH AF14 LOOK-ALIKE (BOMBSHELL #90; 0605)
GARBERA, KATHERINE AF15 EXCLUSIVE (BOMBSHELL #94?; 0606)
DURGIN, DORANNA AF16? COMEBACK (BOMBSHELL #102?; 0608)
CAINE, RACHEL AF18? TRUST (BOMBSHELL #?; 0610?)
DONOVAN, KATE AF ? (BOMBSHELL #?; 0703)
MOORE, SANDRA K. AF ? (BOMBSHELL #?; 0708)

AF # means Athena Force book #
Question marks indicate unknown or uncertain information.
The four digit number after the semicolon is the publication date - yymm

This list is still under construction; any additions would be welcome…

]]> by: May http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-307 Tue, 14 Mar 2006 06:41:15 +0000 http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-307 Yeah, I forgot to add that I don't think it'd happen to you, because I really liked Jessie! Yeah, I forgot to add that I don’t think it’d happen to you, because I really liked Jessie!

]]> by: Karmela Johnson http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-306 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 23:03:40 +0000 http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-306 Hi, Karmela chiming in here! I've read all the Athena books (Sandra -- do you have them all? I could loan them to you if you need to catch up on reading) and some are definitely better than others. Here is my one HUGE beef with the Athena books, as so eloquently put by May: <i>3. Tortured heroine does not equal strong heroine either.</i> Yep, I wholeheartedly agree! This is my biggest beef with the 2 Athenas that were the weakest, IMHO. Sandra, I'll email you offline to talk about this if you want, but I don't think this is going to be a problem for you, if Jessie is any indication of your heroines. The Athena continuity had that overarching problem they had to solve (Rainy's murder), but by the time the final book came out, I was like, "enough already!" I'd gotten tired of the whole Rainy murder thing. It had just dragged on way too long. A trilogy on that plot point is all I could probably stand; not a 12-book series. Sandra, if you want, I actually <a href="http://www.karmelajohnson.com/reviews" rel="nofollow">reviewed all the Athenas</a>, if you want to read them. They're just my opinions, okay? :-) Let me know about the loaners! Karm Hi, Karmela chiming in here! I’ve read all the Athena books (Sandra — do you have them all? I could loan them to you if you need to catch up on reading) and some are definitely better than others. Here is my one HUGE beef with the Athena books, as so eloquently put by May:

3. Tortured heroine does not equal strong heroine either.

Yep, I wholeheartedly agree! This is my biggest beef with the 2 Athenas that were the weakest, IMHO. Sandra, I’ll email you offline to talk about this if you want, but I don’t think this is going to be a problem for you, if Jessie is any indication of your heroines.

The Athena continuity had that overarching problem they had to solve (Rainy’s murder), but by the time the final book came out, I was like, “enough already!” I’d gotten tired of the whole Rainy murder thing. It had just dragged on way too long. A trilogy on that plot point is all I could probably stand; not a 12-book series.

Sandra, if you want, I actually reviewed all the Athenas, if you want to read them. They’re just my opinions, okay? :-)

Let me know about the loaners!

Karm

]]> by: Sandra http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-305 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 20:01:41 +0000 http://www.sandrakmoore.com/blog/2006/03/continuities/#comment-305 No worries, May! If I hadn't genuinely wanted to know your thoughts, I wouldn't have asked. I think you've hit a problem spot-on: Relying on stereotypes doesn't make for a compelling read. I think it's really, really easy to fall back on some of those stereotypes as one way of "creating characterization," and that's something I'm not 100% good at avoiding. (I'm not sure anyone is, actually. We all have to work at it.) But from the writer's side of things -- and I think this is a really healthy discussion we're having -- I have to say that it can be a very easy mistake to introduce an element (e.g., a tortured history or background) and then not develop it to its fullest so that it doesn't feel tacked on or like "shorthand characterization". From my own experience, <em>Dead Reckoning</em>'s heroine has a bit of a tortured background that I'm only now realizing I could have developed more realistically to give her more strength <strong>today</strong>. Chris is already a strong woman -- she's had to be a fighter all her life, for many reasons -- but had I spent more time developing her <strong>response</strong> to her own history, she might have had a richer story. But, hindsight's 20/20, right? :-( Ah well. Thanks for sharing, May. I've got your note tacked to my wall as a reminder for my AF book. (Can't wait to find out the title!) No worries, May! If I hadn’t genuinely wanted to know your thoughts, I wouldn’t have asked.

I think you’ve hit a problem spot-on: Relying on stereotypes doesn’t make for a compelling read. I think it’s really, really easy to fall back on some of those stereotypes as one way of “creating characterization,” and that’s something I’m not 100% good at avoiding. (I’m not sure anyone is, actually. We all have to work at it.)

But from the writer’s side of things — and I think this is a really healthy discussion we’re having — I have to say that it can be a very easy mistake to introduce an element (e.g., a tortured history or background) and then not develop it to its fullest so that it doesn’t feel tacked on or like “shorthand characterization”.

From my own experience, Dead Reckoning’s heroine has a bit of a tortured background that I’m only now realizing I could have developed more realistically to give her more strength today. Chris is already a strong woman — she’s had to be a fighter all her life, for many reasons — but had I spent more time developing her response to her own history, she might have had a richer story.

But, hindsight’s 20/20, right? :-(

Ah well. Thanks for sharing, May. I’ve got your note tacked to my wall as a reminder for my AF book. (Can’t wait to find out the title!)

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