Please help me welcome Kathy to my blog. Leave her lots of comments and be entered into the drawing for a prize.

Tell us about your current series.

Like many things in my life, defining my book series isn’t an easy task. The first book I published is A Dozen Deadly Roses. In that story Los Angeles Police Officer Jade Donovan is being hunted. Her lieutenant is out to get her, there’s a psycho stalking her and leaving dead roses at her door, but most frightening of all, she’s been assigned to partner with her son’s father, Mac Stryker. Mac doesn’t know he’s Donnie’s dad, and Jade will stop at nothing to prevent him from finding out and possibly taking away her son.

I wrote the book as a stand-alone story. Then, I published my next book, A Deadly Blessing, the first in the LAPD Detective Maddie Divine series. The book deals with Maddie’s marriage troubles, suspicions regarding her detective partner, and investigating a high-profile missing person case.
While readers loved Maddie and A Deadly Blessing, they kept asking me to bring back the characters of Jade, Mac and Donnie from A Dozen Deadly Roses. My writing is all about providing stories that readers love, so…

I’m currently working on the next book in the series. I haven’t come up with a ‘killer’ name (pun intended) for the book yet. But in ‘Book 3,’ (as I call it,) Maddie and Jade are partnered together to work on solving a string of burglaries, which leads to an emotional turmoil for Maddie. Along the way, Maddie and Jade are making a name for themselves in their new assignment. They’re dedicated, smart and hard working, and at least one co-worker isn’t pleased with their achievements.

I’m only about a third of the way into this story, but that’s what I know so far…okay, I know more, but I’m not telling!

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses.

Hmm, let’s see. One of Maddie’s strengths…she’s been through several traumatic life-changing events and yet she still gets up every day and goes to work. She’s a strong woman.

One of Maddie’s weaknesses is her inability to acknowledge that she’s been changed by the events in her life.

Do you have critique partners?

Oh yes I do! My critique partners, Leigh Court and Alyssa Kress are crucial to my final product. They know my writing weaknesses and help me recognize and correct those failings. I’m sure they wish I’d retain more of what they tell me, but they keep letting me come back to the group week after week.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?

I like to say that no one is safe from me. However, I never use a person just as they are. I might take part of a physical description of one person and pair it with a personality trait of someone else.

People tell me I’m very quiet when I’m part of a group. I think I’m basically a quiet person most of the time…that’s because I’m watching and listening. You’ve been warned.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?

My office space is in transition. So much transition that half of the office is in boxes in our guest room, and the other half is haphazardly set up in the room that is supposed to be my office. The really important stuff is in the room designated as my office. Most of what is in the guest room could probably be donated or something…but who has time? I’m writing!

As for a view, I just enjoyed a summer thunder and lightening storm – a real rarity in Southern California. My office looks out onto the street so I can tell how much rain we’re getting by the wetness of the street. My view isn’t worth taking any pictures.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?

My reading time is really limited, but when I do read ‘for fun,’ it’s usually a mystery, suspense, or thriller.
I like reading in my genre because, generally, the bad guys get their ‘just rewards’ one way or the other. That doesn’t always happen in real life.

How far do you plan ahead?

I used to be a much better planner. I’m not sure what happened to that skill. But to give you an example, I have to put visits with my daughter and her family on my calendar – I’m not kidding and they only live about a half-hour away.

It’s not unusual for me to be scheduling things a year and a half ahead of time. Those come off fine. It’s the events that come up at the last minute where I don’t say ‘no’ to that cause all the trouble.

What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

As a very young child I wanted to open a no-kill animal shelter. Once I saw Jack Webb on TV in Dragnet, I wanted to be the female version of Joe Friday…at least that or a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas.

I’m glad being a cop won out.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?

I’ve gotten some wonderful letters from readers. One young girl told me that, Jade Donovan, in my book A Dozen Deadly Roses, had given her a role model. This reader is a teenager and comes from a troubled family and wants to become a police officer after reading my book.

Another reader wrote to me and told me that she hated to read, but discovered my book A Deadly Blessing and couldn’t put it down. She uses my books to improve her reading skills.

Another reader, a mother, said that while the subject matter of teenaged sexual exploitation in A Deadly Blessing was tough to read, it allowed her to open up dialogue with her children about the dangers they might face as they grow into teenagers.

To have that kind of impact in people’s lives is not only thrilling, it’s a responsibility to be the best writer I can be – to tell my stories in a way where it’s more than just authentic crime told in an arresting story.

BIO:
Kathy Bennett is no stranger to murder and mayhem. After twenty-one years as a Los Angeles police officer, this retired cop’s authentic crime experience results in arresting stories.
As a police officer, most of Kathy’s career was spent working patrol in a black and white police car. Prior to retirement, Kathy was assigned as a Senior Lead Officer, with approximately five square miles in the City of Los Angeles her responsibility. Kathy also served as a Firearms Instructor at the LAPD Police Academy, a crime analyst in the ‘War Room’, a Field Training Officer, and worked undercover in various assignments. She was named Officer of the Quarter twice, and Officer of the Year once.
She’s married to a Los Angeles Police Officer, Rick and they have one daughter and one granddaughter.
Kathy likes to go hiking with Rick and their three Labrador Retrievers, incorporating photography into many of their adventures. Attempting to recapture some of the excitement of working the streets, Kathy can periodically be found in Las Vegas risking a few bucks on slot machines, blackjack or craps tables.
EXCERPT:

A DEADLY BLESSING
MADDIE − 1
“Maddie, do not hang up the phone.”
“Travis, I’m working. I can’t talk right now.”
“You’re always working. What’s more important, our marriage or your job?”
My partner, Darius Cutter, plucked my cell phone from my hand. “Hey, dude, she’ll call you later. The chief and the mayor are waiting for us.” He snapped my cell shut and handed it back to me. “Let’s go.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Immediately, the phone vibrated in my hand. The display showed a smiling photo of my husband — a photo taken when Travis was okay and normal. A pang of sorrow stabbed my chest.
“Ignore it,” Darius said, referring to the quivering phone. “Call him back when we’re out of our meeting.” He led the way out of the noisy detective squad room to the foyer where we’d catch the elevator.
I knew Darius was right. When the chief of police calls and orders you to a meeting with the mayor, you hustle your ass to get there. But my husband was on edge, to say the least. Guilt weighed heavily on me for putting work ahead of him, but I rationalized that Travis was a cop and knew that sometimes it was necessary. Meanwhile, I followed my partner while we traversed the Police Administration Building and then over to City Hall.
It’s not every day a girl gets to meet both the chief of police and the mayor of Los Angeles. I wondered why today was my day.

How did you get started writing?
I’ve written poetry for years — love notes, birthday cards, good-bye cards for departing co-workers. I turned on to crossword puzzles in my twenties, and I noticed that only certain consonant sound combinations can start a word. Sound, mind you, not spelling. I am an auditory person, so this suited me. I used this to generate possible words for the crossword puzzle. When I started writing lots of rhyme, I used the same principle to generate rhymes. I wrote tons of poetry in notebooks which ended up in stacks in the attic somewhere. A few appeared in the occasional newsletter for an organization I belonged to.
Then I wrote a poem I wanted to keep. I knew the notebook thing was hopeless, so I decided the poem needed to be on a computer somewhere. However, I earn my living as a computer software engineer, so I’m involved with more than one computer. For a while I did simply store the poems (there were more than one by this time) on a computer, but I always seemed to want to get at it when I wasn’t in front of that one.
So I looked for a way to store them online, found a couple of online communities, started getting involved in them, started reading ezines online. I came across a contest in an ezine I liked, and sent in a poem, which I had conveniently to hand as I’d stored them in an online facility. I was one of four finalists, and, thus encouraged, I started to work more at it.
What genre(s) do you write in and why?
Poetry and fiction at the moment.
If you’d asked me back in 2005, which was when I started taking myself seriously as a writer and poet, I would have sworn that I would never, ever, write a word of fiction.
Then I discovered the Muse Online Writers Conference, and hooked up with Linda Barnett Johnson, who ran (and still does, though I’ve had to drop out due to time constraints) an online writers group. But in order to participate in the poetry workshop, you had to write fiction as well. I wrote my first fiction story, one for children, and a site in England put it up online. It was months and months and months … before I had another fiction acceptance, but by then I was hooked.

What inspired your latest book?
I’m a huge science fiction fan, and have been since I was in elementary school, but I’d never written a science fiction story. In fact, I had a phobia about it, as I was intimidated by the world-building. I decided to simply go for it and do NaNo in 2010, so I started planning. I wanted to write about the interaction of alien and human culture, and my main character I made a fourteen year old boy. I did a lot of world-building, thinking about the culture, the arts, the politics of both my aliens and the Terran Federation, and relatively little attention to the plot — I had a page or so of notes. Then I started writing.
I wrote 31 poems as part of the universe of the novel. Eight of them appear in the book. I’ve published the whole collection through CreateSpace. It’s called “Sand in the Desert.”
Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
The idea for this book was pretty straightforward – teen boy gets involved with terrorists and saves the day. The interesting stuff — to me — was the characters and the society. As to ideas, I’m working on two more novels set in the same universe, one an adult sci fi that came out of a back-story question I asked myself. The answer ended up a one-liner in “Relocated,” but the resolution let me to another novel.
The YA does tie up some loose ends. One of the secondary characters from “Relocated” is again the main character.
There are still things that haven’t been resolved — political questions as to the interactions of the Federation and Aleyne, the question of Aleyni/human origins, some stories about a character who appeared briefly in a previous draft of the adult sci fi novel I’m working on and who is barely mentioned in this one.
Then there are the characters that haunt me — characters in search of a story. I have a family of three kids I’ve had kicking around my head for a couple of years. I recently took a class and managed to write some stories I like using these characters. I’m still working on how I want to develop these stories — work them into a novel? Continue to write short stories? Both?
Oh, yes, and then there are the ones where I put down the book and say, “but what happens when …” That’s when I take notes. I have a folder of book ideas. Far more than I’m going to have time ti write. I’m pretty sure this is true of many writers.

Do you have critique partners?
I belong to a couple of poetry groups. The group of us who wrote “Lifelines,” the Poetic Muselings, are still together, and I belong to another online poetry group. I also have a writing partner – we exchange a chapter a week. I just sent her the last chapter of the adult sci fi.
How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
Random people? Not so much. People I know? Um, well — I do take characteristics from them. The grandmother in my novel “The Angry Little Boy,” which will be out next year, is based on my ex-mother-in-law, and the name of the dog in the story is to commemorate a dead friend. Of the three kids I mentioned above, two of them have some characteristics of my two oldest boys. The third is a girl, and she sprung full-blown from somewhere or other and appeared before me, hands on hips.
What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
The piece that I’ve worked on the most, I think, is story structure and plot. I had no background in fiction writing when I started out, so that was something I needed to learn about. I’m doing better, though, as I’ve continued to take classes.
I’m not a detailed plotter by nature. I start with the characters and the setting, the beginning, major plot points, and the ending (more or less). I did have notes for scenes/incidents/whatever for the two books I’m working on how. The kid one I kept fairly close for the first quarter of the book, maybe, and then it took off. One of the characters surprised me by not turning out at all as I had envisioned him.
Point of view is something else I’ve been working on lately. Relocated is first person, and the Angry Little Boy is third person, but strictly from the little boy’s point of view. The adult novel I’m working on is the first time I’ve attempted a multi-point-of-view story. I’d written a bunch of it and was struggling with how to keep track of the point of view characters when I got the chance to sign up for an online class in point of view. It was a huge help. Still, the decision on who the POV characters would be in this story was far from trivial. This is the third major rewrite of this novel. The first two times I got it wrong — first time wrong story (and therefore wrong POV character), the next time right

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?
My muse hadn’t a clue. Not one. I’m a fairly serious amateur musician, but I decided in high school not to make it my profession. It never even crossed my mind to be — or want to be — a writer. The poetry thing was just a way to handle teen-age angst, and after that because my sweetie liked getting poetry, and then because it was handy for Christmas cards and the like. One day, however, my muse came calling, and I wrote a poem that I knew was worth saving. I haven’t looked back since.
One of the morals of this story — and there are many, at least for me — is not to limit our vision of ourselves and what we can be or do. Another is that organization is vital. Until I put up my writing online, so I could access it and see how it evolved, etc, I could make no progress as a writer, because I couldn’t gain any perspective on my writing when it was floating around in a succession of notebooks.

Bio:
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Her poems and stories have appeared in journals such as Turbulence Magazine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, “Lifelines,” was published by Inkspotter Publishing in November, 2011. Her book, “Relocated,” is available from MuseItUp publishing, You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com. or http://poetic-muselings.net/

http://tinyurl.com/MuseRelocated
http://tinyurl.com/SandPoetryPrint
http://tinyurl.com/SandPoetry

Over the years, I have written to various levels of sensuality. Each story requires something different but in general, the levels of intimacy remain the same. You will find many articles written on this subject with good reason. For us, the romance writer be it erotic or sweet or sensual, the stages are all the same.

Everyone is in agreement that these steps need no verbal queue but all lead from the first advance to intimate contact. It’s all in the body language, folks and body language doesn’t lie. If you need some lessons in body language, watch the Fox show, Lie To Me and you’ll learn everything you ever wanted about body language. They do it right.

But getting back to us writing love scenes, it is imperative that you have these steps. Sometimes, you can skip a step if the story calls for it BUT for the most part, these steps need to happen for your reader really to get into your story. And the love scenes can make or break a novel.

Eye to body – This is commonly known as the once over. In addition, it is usually very subtle. The gaze will drop from the upper face, meaning the eye and nose area, to the lower face then on down to the upper parts of the body. Sometimes, the person will step back to get a better, fuller look at you. If that happens their whole, posture will change as they glance at you up and down to see how your face matches your body.

Eye to eye – Intimacy increases the moment two people have eye contact. The more eye contact, the more soulful the looks. The looks will become more and more meaningful as more are exchanged. If a person refuses to gain contact in this sensual charged moment will send a message one is not interested.

Hand to hand – Contact is usually lingering but light. It can be disguised as being accidental or occurring in a social setting, which is considered acceptable. This would be like one putting a hand under and elbow to guide someone, two people reaching for the door handle at the same time or a handshake that slowly ends. Look at the way the Victorians or those of the Regency period acted toward each other and you will see this step everywhere.

Hand to shoulder – This behavior can again be hidden within what is considered socially acceptable behavior. Until this point, either person can withdrawal gratuitously without any real hurtful feelings. But once this boundary has been crossed, there is no going back without one’s pride being severely injured. This is just a touch to the shoulder for a variety of reasons, like getting ones attention. This is also a form of claiming ones territory and can be used to ward others off.

Arm around waist – This is the signal that one wants greater intimacy. This is the time to get out if one does not desire this relationship. Feelings will be hurt if one doesn’t respond positively to this gesture.

Mouth to mouth – No, we don’t mean the rescuitation kind. LOL! This is the actual act of kissing where chemical information is passed from one person to another. The kiss adds another sense to intimate contact and that is taste. The first sense, encountered way back in step one, is smell and pheromones are a very powerful odor. Taste can tell one all sorts of information about people like body temperature, hygiene level and a variety of other things. If the people are really involved in the kiss, their temperature will go up since the stimulation will cause sexual excitement. When people are emotional cold, they are usually physically cold as well which means they are not that interested in continuing the encounter. The more passionate a person gets, the more their temperature increases.

Hand to head – This is a trust issue. The more one person trusts another, the more likely they will allow their head being touched. Women tend to do this way before men. Caressing ones head indicates an increasing trust between the two people involved. Our heads are extremely vulnerable and only someone we trust are ever allowed to touch us there with a negative reaction.

Hand to body – This fondling can happen through clothes or under them. Some people will close their eyes as they are unconsciously gathering more information about the person they are with. However, keeping ones eyes open while maintaining total eye contact is a more powerful gesture. There one uses even more senses, touch, sound, taste and sight as well as smell. During the physical portion of our encounter, our sense of smell is very powerful, as it will help us to become more in tune with our sexual partner, making us more sensitive to their unique smell. Odors are a powerful aphrodisiac, which helps to prepare us for a pleasurable experience and to etch our partner in our memory. The best source are natural smells, so keep the perfumes to a minimum.

Mouth to body – This can be very stimulating and a real turn on for both parties. Breasts and necks are very sensitive for both sexes as are the lower abdominal region. Fellatio and cunnlingus can be very rewarding as long as both partners are into oral sex.

Hand to genitals – Gentle caresses are always best in this stage. If you have gotten this far, intercourse is usually imminent. One can heighten the sexual tension in the story by making the characters get this far without fulfillment. Once one gets to this step, each partner trusts each other explicitly in a normal relationship. There are some other types of relationships where trust is never achieved.

Genital to genital – This is the final act in lovemaking. Everyone is different and the emotions as well as all the senses need to be utilized when writing a great love scene. Vaginas and penises are utterly boring when none of the stimulus is present.

Now, not all of these steps need to be present in your novel. Just remember, each step is a sensual journey. Recently, I had been in the blah stage of writing a love scene. Then I saw last week’s episode of Grey’s Anatomy and they reminded me of just how sensual stolen looks and accidental caresses could be. Suddenly, I was all hot and bothered again to get back to my characters.

Hope that this little journey can help you all create great love scenes. I know that I read them again and again when I get stuck.

I want to thank Cynthia for allowing me to come to her place. It’s a wonderful place to gather. One commenter will get a copy of my newest book, The Harvester, sometime next week. You’ll be chosen by random drawing and I can’t wait to meet you.

Have a great week!

Lynn

Lynn Crain has penned over 25 novels in romance in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and contemporary romance, erotic to tame in nature. She always knew that writing was her calling even if it took years at other professions to prove it. She has belonged to EPIC and RWA for more years that she cares to think about. Currently, she lives in Europe while her husband of nearly 30 years pursues his dream of working internationally. Her state-side home is in Nevada where family and friends wait patiently for their return. You can find her hanging out at A Writer In Vienna Blog (www.awriterinvienna.blogspot.com) and various other places on the net (www.theloglineblog.blogspot.com; www.twitter.com/oddlynn3; www.lynncrain.blogspot.com ). Still, the thing she loves most of all is hearing from her readers at lynncrain@cox.net.

Logline: Sky Nerezsh, a Harvester of men, leaves home avoiding a tragic path when a rival comes to claim Earth and the two Scottish lifemates she’s just discovered.

Blurb: Princess Sky Xera Nerezsh came to earth to avoid the normal succession path to the throne. Being the oldest daughter, she will be required to murder her mother in order to secure her path to power. Sky loves her mother and refuses this path, choosing instead to disappear in the vast reaches of space. When her past collides with her present, she has to think quick on her feet, claim two men and a whole planet just to avoid the inevitable: a meeting with her mother. Along the way, she discovers true love and a burning need to be there for them always. Now if the other Harvesters can just keep to themselves, they’ll have no problems. But who said true love was ever easy.

Excerpt: Suddenly one dark haired man was on the table in front of her, gyrating his sexy hips in her face, his package mere inches from her mouth. In another life, she would have leaned forward and planted her lips on his crotch, willing his body to perform. She really should have been paying more attention to the situation around her instead of wondering about where Angela had gotten herself.
Leaning down, his breath reminded her of the sweetgrass that grew on her home planet of Tyrsati, heightening her senses even more. “Sweetheart, I see how you want me…it’s written all over your face.” His voice purred in her ear.
Sky gasped and pulled back to get a better look at the man in front of her. He reminded her of the gods of Vada. He was tall, well-muscled, dark hair brushing the top of his shoulders and had the most incredible violet eyes she had ever seen. Guess the optics weren’t wrong. He would fetch an exquisite price on Texra and her mother would be extremely proud for her acquisition. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs.
“Nice eyes, sweetie – hang around after the show – I’ll make it worth your while.” His voice hit a resonance with her and her whole body flushed. It had been years since she had reacted to any man. Now her emotions and body betrayed her for an insignificant being on an outer planet. She shook her head. This planet was no more insignificant than any other, including her own but she knew if she didn’t get herself under control, the Harvester in her would take over. Old habits die hard.
“Don’t let his demeanor fool you, luvey. He just wants to get into your pants.” Another deep voice reverberated close to her ear.
She glanced over her shoulder and again her breath was nearly taken away as she looked into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen in the galaxy bar none. The sky of Octa couldn’t hold a candle to the color that swirled in their depths.
“Ooo, Jaxon is right about the eyes. Very cool green.”
“Contacts,” Sky managed to get out for the second time this evening, her voice low.
“And a sexy voice to boot. Very nice.” He twirled away to join his companion on stage. He was just as nice looking as the first guy but just a little shorter. His shiny hair swung around his jaw line as he moved and her hands ached to run her fingers through it and over his body.
She sat there stunned as the people at her table laughed and clapped her on the back as if she’d done some sort of fantastic feat. While her time on this planet had been very thrilling, in her old life working for her mother, their performances had to be impeccable or their fate might be worse than death. She vaguely wondered just how she’d rate them.
Sky did her best to smile and act as if what happened was one of the most exciting things in her life when in reality it brought back some memories she’d rather forget. Folding her hands in front of her, she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. She opened her eyes slow and caught a glimpse of a targeting laser. The light was in a part of the spectrum that no one of this planet could even see but her optics caught it.
Scanning the crowd, she allowed her eyes to whirl, not caring who saw. There were not supposed to be any Harvesters on this world as it had been declared too primitive to even be included in the Alliance of Planets. She came here because she knew this was the one place her mother wouldn’t think to look. Now, she knew another Tyrsatian walked the same world as she did, occupying the very same room.
Maybe it was time to see just what type of trouble Angela got herself into. Leaning across the table, she quickly gave Jayne her phone number and said her goodbyes to all the others present. Rising slowly, she didn’t want to alert the other Harvester but she was just far enough away and at a weird angle to not see who it might be. Moving quickly to the back wall, she moved to where she stood way behind the woman but close enough to see who it was.
Jesata Ardik. Of all the Harvesters to show up on her new home planet, one of the most relentless in the business had to land on her new home. This wasn’t going to be easy. She had to delay her from marking them because once they were marked, it didn’t matter wherever in the universe they were, they would be considered fugitives until captured and sold to the highest bidder. Meaning, she wouldn’t be able to get them off world without the help of her mother.

Buy Links:
Smashwords ~ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171101
Amazon ~ http://www.amazon.com/Harvester-Girls-Night-Out-ebook/dp/B008AP7ESI/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339491578&sr=1-15&keywords=Lynn+Crain
ARe ~ https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theharvester-825386-340.html
Barnes & Noble ~ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-harvester-lynn-crain/1111514688?ean=2940014795517

1.How much time do you spend promoting your books?

A. I’m all ways on the lookout for places to promote my books on the internet. My schedule and a few other things like a tight budget make it impossible for me to travel very far so blogging, and internet interviews are my best options for promotion. I do send to conferences book marks of my titles and excerpt booklets, both have done well for publicity.

2.Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

A. Oh, wow, that’s like asking how do you breathe. The ideas usually pop into my head when someone says something that catches my attention. For example years ago a friend laughingly commented I must be from another planet. I replied no just a different dimension of this one, which then lend to my first book “Cat and the Wizard”.

3.Do you have critique partners?

A. Lucky for me yes! Several people in my local chapter are all ways up for a quick read and feedback. They make life so much easier.

4. Give us an elevator pitch for your book.

A. At a ghostly southern estate Cuilean Kelley is about to have his reality and dreams collide.

5. Do you have a view in your writing space?

A. Yes, I can see what my four year old grandson and his two year old sister are up to while sitting at the kitchen table working on my lap top. I have a regular desk but then I couldn’t see what the ‘grands’ are plotting next.

6. What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

A. Paranormal, I love Elaine Bergstrom’s Austra Vampires, Lynsay Sands vampires, Katie MacAlister’s vamps, and of course Charlaine Harris Sookie Stackhouse series. My other guilty pleasure is any book with the word ‘sheikh’ in the title.

7. Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in?

A. My muse is an adventurous one! She prefers romance and paranormal (vampires) romance at that, but she has talked me into doing a book with an angel, a ghostly thriller, a contemporary, erotica, and a multicultural ménage a trios.

Release date July 13, 2012

The Estate

author J. Paulette Forshey

Night after night Cuilean Kelley’s dreams are haunted by an exotic woman. His days are preoccupied searching for a set of rare books. Clues to the mythical tomes lead him to a tiny parish outside of Savanna. He unearths not only the volumes, but discovers the woman of his dreams is real, and being held in a spectral prison guarded by an ancient lost civilization. Her freedom depends on Cuilean and the books connection to a ghostly southern estate.

Excerpt: The Estate

“Oh, my, isn’t he a little biscuit?”

Cuilean bit the inside of his mouth, on the comment of his person, to keep from laughing.

One of the well coiffed white-hairs snickered. “My dear, I bet there’s nothing “little” about him.”

What was that old saying he mused, something about snow on the mountain top but fire underneath. He glanced over and back quickly to make sure, yep, they were seventy-something and not seventeen.

“Yes, he’s certainly a tall one must be six foot two or three.”

“Honey, I wasn’t referring to his height and he’s at least six four if not taller.”

It took the southern belle a minute to comprehend. “What? Oh! Mildred get you mind out of the gutter.”

“She’d have to step up to have her mind in the gutter,” another scoffed.

Snickering giggles smothered behind fine linen handkerchiefs reached his ears.

“That olive skin and that thatch of black hair, hmmmmm.”

“The boy needs a haircut and a bath,” snapped one.

“I wouldn’t mind giving him both. I’d just love to scrub his back…and his front.”

“Did you see those green eyes? Like fresh spring grass they are. I’d kill for those thick black lashes he has, well if I had those I’d never have to buy mascara again.”

“I read in a book once about Celtic heritage, they called men with his coloring Black Celt’s. Doesn’t that sound so romantic?”

“Bessie May what kind of book was that?”

Cuilean noted from the minute long hesitation Bessie May wasn’t in any hurry to answer. That and the way she crossed her arms over her more than ample bosom and pursed her lips tight. His grandmother, red-haired and pale-skinned, had called him a Black Celt when he was young. She told him he was a throwback to the marauders who pillaged, and plundered the land before finally claiming it as theirs. And after the women of the tribes they ravaged, tamed those same raiders.

“Bessie May, we’re waiting.”

Hand clutching her handkerchief to the base of her throat, Bessie May stood for a moment more before blurting. “It was one of those romance books. So there.”

Her friends closed their eyes and shook their heads for a moment as though in prayer. “You really need to get out more,” suggested one lady.

“I wonder why he’s here.”

“Doesn’t look like he could afford to buy even the smallest, most worthless, item on the auction block.”

Cuilean bit back another grin staring straight ahead. No, he supposed he didn’t, wearing a much worn jean-jacket, a faded blue work shirt, tattered jeans, and thin-soled tennis shoes. Right now he probably looked like something the proverbial cat drug in, especially after traveling in these clothes for several days. He listened, decided which one would hold the most information, turned and locked his gaze with hers.

“Good morning, ma’am, and ladies.” He gave them a courtesy nod. “I’m Cuilean Keeley.”

About the Author

J. Paulette, award winning author, lives in a small Ohio town with her husband, and a Basset Hound, who thinks she’s a princess. Her mornings belong to her writing, her days are spent loving her five grandbabies, and her nights belong to her husband, the inspiration for her heroes. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Central Ohio Fiction Writers, Southeast Ohio Novel Writing Group, Northeast Ohio Romance Writers of America, and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA. She also writes under the name of Genevieve Delacroix.
Look for her next release later this year, A Tango Trinity, from Whispers Publishing

www.jpauletteforshey.com
paulette.forshey@facebook.com
Twitter @ForsheyJ
The Estate can be purchased from www.whispershome.com and Amazon.com

Please help me welcome my friend and critique partner Jennifer Zane to my blog today. Be sure and leave a comment to be entered into the prize drawing.

How did you get started writing? Years ago my co-workers and I were talking about romance novels and how it would be easy to write one. We figured since there is a specific plot sequence and always a Happily Ever After, how hard could it be? I took this discussion seriously and considered it a personal challenge. I quickly joined the local Romance Writers chapter, was plopped into a writing group with the most diverse hodge podge of ladies, and started writing. I have to admit, my first book, a Western historical, was terrible! But, after over ten years, my writing group is still as hodge podge as ever, but we’re the closest group of friends and each others’ best (and worst!) critics. I will whole heartedly admit I wouldn’t have kept at my romance book challenge without my group to coddle, harass and push me. (If you read between the lines here it screams, ‘Hint, hint- Get a writing group!’)

Tell us about your current series. My current series are called the Gnome Novels. The first is Gnome On The Range, the sequel, Gnomeless. They are contemporary romances set in Bozeman, Montana. They are romance, mystery and humor rolled into one. I lived in Bozeman for five years and the stories are based loosely (you’ll see what I mean when you read the books!) on myself, my family, friends and neighbors. Like any small town, it’s quirky and full of book fodder.

I’m excited to say Gnome On The Range won two awards at RomCon 2012. It was the Readers’ Crown winner for Best Contemporary and Best First Book! Knowing READERS gave me this award is very special to me.

Where do you get ideas for your stories? My ideas come from life experiences, friends’ life experiences, the news, etc. Just observing others. I’ll give some examples: My next door neighbor ran the local adult store. Goldie is based loosely on a different neighbor. My son really did get his arm stuck in a patio umbrella stand. I love going to garage sales. I used to work for the local volunteer fire department. I’ve been to more county fairs than I ever thought possible—and wore flip flops. Once. My kids and I had contests watching the thermometer in the car drop down, down, down on the way to school in the morning. The lowest we saw was -23 F in March when the rest of the world was on spring break in their bikinis. My dad towed a trailer with a car on it across the country that came loose. It wasn’t funny for him but works well in a book!

If you look around you, there’s lots of book material. Everywhere.

Excerpt from Gnomeless:

When little girls play make-believe with their dolls, most pretend they’re mommies or princesses or teachers. Have little tea parties with them, play dress-up. That’s what my sister, Violet, did with hers. Me? I played plumber with mine. I dressed my little Betsy Wets-Alot up in a pair of gray coveralls stolen from a male test pilot action figure I’d found at the toy store. He’d been tossed, naked, into the back of my closet until my sister found him and used him for the groom in her pretend weddings.

Not only did I dress my self-wetting doll in menswear, I ran a straw down the pants leg to divert the faux pee away from her anatomically-incorrect little body. No potty for her. I was five and knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I, Veronica Miller, wanted to be a plumber. Just like my father.

Now, over twenty years later, I’d fulfilled my childhood dream. I was the plumber I’d longed to be, working with my dad. Soon to be working on my own. One last payment to my old man stood between his official retirement and my small business owner status.

I smiled to myself about this almost-upon-me momentous occasion while lathering my hair in the shower. I squealed when the spray of water I was standing beneath went cold and quickly rinsed out the strawberry scented shampoo.

“Stupid hot water heater,” I grumbled to myself as I yanked back the plastic shower curtain and stepped out into the steam filled room. I longed to get back to my own house as Violet’s plumbing system needed some serious work. Even in the thick humidity, goose bumps popped out all over my body as I quickly toweled off and snuggled into my ratty, yet wonderfully comfortable flannel robe.

While I leaned over and rubbed my wet hair with a bright pink towel, I heard it. The sound of a key in a lock, the front door opening. I froze in place upside-down, staring at my knees between the edges of the robe, towel tangled with my long hair. Since I was a plumber, not a law enforcement officer, I lacked the training to keep panic at bay. That hot, adrenaline-induced fear rose up inside me between one heartbeat and the next. I swear the little wet hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Help. I needed to get help, but my cell was in my purse, which I’d dropped by the front door, one room away. No house phone.

I stood up, flipped my dark hair back over my shoulder, held my breath and listened. Rustling and a little mumbling was all I could make out. Who was in the house? Sure, they must have a key since I hadn’t heard a window break, but the only other person who was supposed to have one was Violet, and she was in Utah.

I tiptoed over to the door, bit my lip and winced as I turned the knob and hoped it didn’t squeak. I slowly opened the door as I held my breath. Peeking into the bedroom, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Barely made bed, dirty clothes tossed haphazardly at the wicker hamper. Something heavy thumped onto the floor from the vicinity of the front door and I looked in that direction as if I had x-ray vision and could see through the wall to the person in the living room.

I squeezed through the small gap I’d made in the bathroom doorway, afraid if I opened it anymore, the old hinges would give me away. Breathing as quietly as possible, which was pretty hard in panic mode, I bent down and grabbed the first thing I could get my hands on to use as a weapon. What I held didn’t register. I knew it was solid wood like a baseball bat and as good as I was going to get for protection.

Violet’s house was small, with only one floor and a scary basement I rarely visited. Living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath. That’s it. Which also meant there wasn’t anywhere to hide.

For breaking and entering, the guy wasn’t Mr. Stealth. It was the middle of the afternoon, he’d come in the front door and he was awfully noisy for someone being where they weren’t supposed to be. Even if he was the worst robber ever, that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.

My palms were sweaty as I peeked around the door jamb into the living room. His back was to me and he appeared to be looking down at something he held in front of him, probably a cell phone. It appeared he was texting, or reading one. Tall, around six feet, maybe a little more, and solid. He wore jeans and dark leather shoes. His black jacket was a lighter weight than one would expect for the dead of winter in Montana in the throes of a bitter cold snap. A gray knit cap covered most of his dark hair.

I didn’t recognize him, but I wasn’t in the mood to wait for him to turn around and see me. I decided to use the element of surprise. I tiptoed over to him and whacked him on the arm with my wooden weapon. Hard.

Thwack!

I’d aimed for his head, but nerves and slick palms messed me up and I hit his shoulder instead. The reverberations tingled in my fingertips.

“What the…?” Mr. Intruder said, his voice deep, full of surprise, the cell phone dropped to the floor at his feet. He raised a hand to his upper arm. As he started to turn to face me, I hit him again, this time on the back of the head.

Crack!

It wasn’t the sound of his skull breaking, but my weapon instead. The wood broke into two, one piece clattering to the floor.

Intruder grunted, fell to his knees with a thunk, then fell face first onto the floral area rug in front of the fireplace, his face turned toward me.

I stood there motionless, stunned, holding half of my broken weapon. Huh, varsity softball had paid off. It appeared I’d hit a home run. I looked down at the prostrate form on the floor. One leg moved a little, which, combined with some groaning, indicated I hadn’t killed him. Even with his eyes closed, I instantly recognized him.

Please help me welcome Mary Ann Bernal to my blog today.  Don’t forget to leave a comment in order to be entered into today’s prize drawing.  Mary Ann will be giving away a print edition of The Briton and theDane:Legacy.

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

My genre is historical fiction because I love history.  While my stories are set in Anglo-Saxon Britain when the Vikings terrorized all of Christendom, I also am interested in Ancient Egypt, and Greece, but the rise and fall of the Roman Empire runs close to trumping my interest in British history, jeopardizing my Anglophilic affirmation.

Tell us about your current series.

The Briton and the Dane novels bring to life the tumultuous ninth century when the formidable Vikings terrorized the civilized world. The epic adventure runs the gamut of deception, treachery, intrigue, and betrayal during a time of war and conquest in Anglo-Saxon Britain.

What is your typical day like?

My work day begins bright and early with a mug of coffee while I wear my book promotion hat.  Next cap is for my volunteer work with our military, which includes writing our deployed soldiers and mentoring new members who sign up to “adopt” a military person for the duration of his/her deployment.  Then its a little break, hitting the treadmill before lunch and catching up on the news.  Finally, the best part of the working day begins – writing time.  I do try to stop writing by dinnertime, but I have and do work overtime when my characters demand I finish their chapter.  Then life happens, the sun sets and rises, and we start over again.  Just love it!

What is your favorite dessert/food?

Have you ever had a Napoleon?  That dessert is to die for, and hard to find in the Midwest.  My favorite food is Chinese with seafood a close second.  However, there is a quaint restaurant in Brandon, UK – Mr. G’s – that serves a Yorkshire pudding that’s out of this world – I just have to return to England!

How much time do you spend promoting your books?  What works best for you?

Book promotion is very time consuming, which infringes upon my writing time since there are not enough hours in a day to excel at both jobs.  However, being an extremely organized person with excellent time management skills allows me to give 100% to each career.

When my first book was traditionally published, I dedicated my time to book promotion, which included the creation of my author webpage and fan pages on Facebook, Twitter, etc..  I also established a presence on numerous book promotion sites, which prompted me to create a list of answers to the questions required when setting up an author account since most of the information requested was “standard.”  Copy/paste saved time when filling out the form, but if a new question was asked, it was added to my list.   Once my accounts were established, following up took less time, but it is still time consuming to check each one for messages, comments, etc.  My personal choice is to devote a few hours each morning on book promotion, and then spend the afternoon writing.  So far this system has worked well for me.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

Since I have been fortunate to experience both venues (traditional and self-publishing), my personal preference is self-publishing because of the 100% control of one’s work (cover, text, copyright, promotion etc.).   Learning the publishing business was a challenge at first, but the internet provided answers to my questions and my second novel was self-published both in print and electronically within a short period of time – no waiting on the publishing house and/or editor’s email telling me the book hit the shelves and no waiting on royalties.  In today’s economy, traditionally published authors are expected to aggressively market their work.  If I have to do most of the promotional work myself, why should I have to “giveaway” my copyright and accept reduced royalties?  Also remember if a book does not move on a book shelf in three months, its removed and returned, but with the Print on Demand (POD) option your title lives on.  I have used both Lightning Source and Create Space and have no complaints with either POD company.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish?

One important factor to remember is that covers actually do help to sell a book.  Unless you are also artistically talented, spend the money on a professional illustrator.  Trust me, this is money well spent.  Having someone other than the author edit the manuscript is highly recommended.  Another issue is the annoying “typo” – and every published book has one that slipped through the cracks.  Do not forget that spell check is not 100% accurate – have one or two friends read the manuscript for typos and check for dropped and/or extra words – better to wait an extra month to publish than to “live with it” once the books goes to print.

What is your next project and when will it be released?

The Briton and the Dane: Concordia will be released in early 2013.

EXCERPT

The Briton and the Dane:  Birthright

Preface

The opulent night sky was ablaze with sparkling stars; the familiar constellations were easily identified by their various shapes and sizes. The North Star was fixed in the heavens, its light steady, a beacon to follow as one headed home.

The falling star’s path was seen for miles as the brilliant white streak of light moved across the evening sky. There were those who believed that the gods were angry and feared the worst but those who followed the new religion did not believe in superstition and omens and often searched for the uncommon metal left at the bottom of the crater after the star collided with the earth. A sword forged from the heavenly remnants proved to be a formidable weapon; plated armor and shields made from the rare material were thought to be impenetrable.

A slight chill and rising mist created an eerie atmosphere around the Keep at the top of the hill. Fog crept slowly over the valley below the magnificent fortress. Most of the inhabitants traded the wooden benches in the great hall for the comfort of their fur-covered beds while dying embers cast a warm glow for the young couples that still lingered beneath the cloudless sky.

Aurelius walked throughout the valley once the sun set. He conferred with his men who guarded the secret entrance that kept the sanctuary safe from the heathen who still plundered and pillaged the land. But he willingly traded the camaraderie that he shared with his brothers in arms for the love bestowed upon a husband by his wife.

Aurelius crossed the courtyard and headed for the Keep. He gazed upon the open sea as moonbeams bounced along the rippling waves and looked across the starlit heavens in search of the North Star.

***

Arista added more wood to the dying fire before she lovingly covered her children with a warm fur-lined blanket. She grabbed a cloak to keep the night chill from penetrating her bones as she quietly left the room to join her husband.

“Are the children sleeping?” Aurelius questioned when he embraced his wife.

Arista nodded as Aurelius tenderly kissed her scarred face and held her tightly in his arms. She no longer hid behind a veil nor did she shy away from her husband’s touch.

Arista was apprehensive when she rested her head against his shoulder and shivered when she saw the falling star disappear into the darkness of the surrounding mountains.

“Perhaps this night your star will return your memory,” she whispered. “Would you want me still when you remember?”

“How could I not want you?” Aurelius quietly replied. “I owe you my life.”

“One day the star will take you from me and our children,” she murmured. “It beckons you to return to your world.”

He held her tightly in a loving embrace and silently watched the flaming celestial bodies race across the horizon.

***

Elizabeth found her brother Cerdic with Lord Bayen atop the wall-walk. She was thankful for their love and support during the difficult months after word reached the citadel that the King’s envoy to the Welsh court had been attacked.

She clearly remembered the day when the horse that carried the young boy dropped dead before Lord Bayen and Thomas, Lord Richard’s advisor. She remembered her anxiety when the lad informed them of the carnage and her fear when he spoke of the dead and gravely wounded. She did not deny that her husband had vanished; what she did deny was the presumption that he had been slain.

Tears swelled when she remembered how Lord Bayen and her brother never left her side during her long and difficult birthing. She remembered their concern when she cried out Stephen’s name and begged to die. She remembered the healer’s fright when she pointed to the Lord’s angel who, she swore, stood before her. She also remembered their obvious relief when the boy that she named Gabriel finally entered the world.

Elizabeth was thankful for their King’s benevolence when he pardoned her brother. She was also grateful to Bishop Thurlac when he granted Cerdic a full dispensation to leave the contemplative cloistered life for other worldly pursuits.

Elizabeth could never repay Lord Bayen for his kindness and protection. She was also aware, as were most, of his undying love and devotion. She was grateful for Lord Bayen’s friendship and continually prayed that one day he would be able to love another.

The men silently watched the bright colorful fireballs raining upon the earth. Elizabeth did not pay attention to the brilliant particles that lit the evening sky but rather kept her sight upon the steady dim light of the North Star where it remained transfixed in its position.

“Do you think that Stephen gazes upon our star this night?” she asked her brother.

“It has been more than two summers yet you still keep your vigil,” Cerdic gently said while he held her in his arms.

“My heart knows that he lives,” Elizabeth whispered. “One day he will return to me and our son.”

BIO 

Mary Ann Bernal, author of The Briton and the Dane novels, is an avid history buff whose area of interest focuses on Ninth Century Anglo-Saxon Britain during the Viking Age.  While pursuing a degree in business administration, she managed to fit creative writing classes and workshops into her busy schedule to learn the craft, but it would take decades before her “Erik the Viking” novel was ultimately published.

Mary Ann is also a passionate supporter of the United States military, having been involved with letter writing campaigns and other support programs since Operation Desert Storm.  She has appeared on The Morning Blend television show hosted by KMTV, the CBS television affiliate in Omaha, and was interviewed by the Omaha World-Herald for her volunteer work.  She has also been a featured author on various reader blogs and promotional sites.

Mary Ann is a New York “expat,” and currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska.

Book Trailer

Webpage:

http://www.maryannbernal.com

Novels published in association with The Literary Underground

http://www.litunderground.com/MaryAnnBernal.html

Purchase Info:

Amazon US

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mary+ann+bernal&x=0&y=0

Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mary+ann+bernal

Barnes and Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/mary-ann-bernal

Please help me welcome Britt Bury to my blog today.  Remember to leave a comment.  There will be a drawing for a prize but you have to leave a comment to be entered.

 Thank you so much for hosting me Cynthia!

How did you get started writing?

I started writing when I was young. It was a calming outlet and something I enjoyed. In second grade, we had an assignment to write a story and mine was chosen to be “published.” (By “published,” I mean taken to Kinko’s and photocopied) Still! I was so excited and just knew I had made it to the big time. It was then I knew that I wanted to write books for the rest of my life. I still have that laminated, Kinko’s bound story about bears and to this day I consider it to be my first published work J

What genre(s) do you write in and why?

I write paranormal romance. I have a hard time with the real world sometimes. It gets so…overwhelming. Writing paranormal gives me a chance to escape and live an adventure I might not otherwise ever experience.

Tell us about your current series.

The Immortal Heat series is just taking off. The Darkest Day is the first installment. Book two is coming out soon and revolves around a Mystic Fionn and a Strigoi. I’m currently writing book three which is about a Poet Fionn and a Wolverine Pookah.  I’m really excited because each book has a totally different tone and the immortal breeds also differ greatly.

What inspired your latest book?

My grandfather’s family emigrated from Scotland. We are part of the Campbell clan. My grandmother has Native American ancestry and I got to thinking about how my family’s history was unique in itself. Two different people, from different lands and cultures coming together to take on the world. I loved that idea and took it to a paranormal level.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

I did some research into my Scottish and Native roots and discovered some interesting folklore, like Fionns and Pookahs. From there, I put my own spin on these beings, like the three different breeds and their abilities. Immortality is sexy and unique in the real world, but as I’ve admitted, the real world and I don’t always get along. I decided to turn everything around and make immortals the norm and humans the unique. I really wanted to take on the idea that though humans may be considered vulnerable compared to an immortal, it doesn’t mean they are weak.

Do you have critique partners?

I do! And my books would not be the same without them. Marina Adair is actually my go to girl. She has spent countless hours plotting and talking books out with me. She knows my characters as well as I do and on more than one occasion she has pulled me out of a horrible case of writers block.

What is your favorite dessert/food?

So there’s this lemon cream cake at Olive Garden that I’m in love with. I’ve considered leaving my husband for this cake. I don’t know what it is, but it is the best thing I’ve ever had in my life. (I take dessert really seriously, can you tell?) J

Give us an elevator pitch for your book.

When the most powerful female on earth unknowingly sheds a life-long glamour, she reveals that she is the last human in existence—and the one man bound to keep her safe is the one who hates her the most.

Do you have a view in your writing space?

What does your space look like?  I have my little corner. Pictures, posters and keepsakes are hung on the walls next to my white board. Everything from my Elvis calendar to photos of from my first trip to New York for the RWA conference are all pinned up. Anything that reminds me of all the wonderful experiences I’ve had is up there, and when I feel like I just suck and am a loser who will never write again, I sit there, take a few deep breaths and remember that things will be okay.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on book three in the Immortal Heat series. I’m really excited how it’s turning out, however I’m a little nervous. The heroine is very different compared to the women I’m use to writing.

What do you have planned for the future?

I mostly plan to stalk Larissa Ione until she agrees to become my best friend…other than that, I hope to keep writing. Hopefully it will be stories people want to read. J

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?

Stick with it! There will be a lot of negativity and hurdles to overcome. There will be moments that even you believe you can’t become an author. Don’t listen to any of it! Hold on tight to the support of those around you and to the drive within yourself. We all have some inner-awesome, cling to that and just keep going even when you feel like you can’t.

I plan on releasing the next book in my Tame series by the end of July. Joining TAME A WILD HEART and TAME A WILD WIND will be TAME A WILD BRIDE. Here is an excerpt of the book. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. One lucky commenter will win copies of the first two books in the series.

Rosemary Stanton stood on the train platform sweating and waiting. Sweating because it was an unusually hot day in late April. Waiting for her husband. A husband she wouldn’t recognize if he were standing right next to her.

She’d been desperate when she answered the advertisement for a mail order bride. Wanted: Single woman to cook, clean, and care for children on a cattle ranch in southwestern Colorado. Will marry upon arrival.

Well, she was twenty-six with no prospects. Her brother just got married and his new wife, Beatrice, didn’t want Rosie around. She could answer this advertisement or become a governess. Help someone else’s children grow up into adults. Live in someone else’s house. For the rest of her life, she’d have nothing she could call her own.

Rosie wanted a home. She wanted a husband and children. All the things she’d never have if she stayed in Philadelphia. When she’d seen the ad in the morning paper, she’d nearly shouted with glee. However, she managed to restrain herself until she got to her room before she yelled with joy. The advertisement was tailor-made for her needs. It got her away from Beatrice and got her her own home all in one fell swoop.

Her brother, Robert, though was not happy with the idea of his baby sister traveling across the country to marry a stranger. He grudgingly agreed to give her her dowry to take with her. Five thousand dollars. She’d take the draft to the bank as soon as she arrived in Creede, Colorado, and married Mr. Thomas Harris. Cattle rancher. It was her “in case it doesn’t work out” money. Though she supposed it would belong to her husband once she married. Perhaps she just wouldn’t tell him about it. Her conscience spoke up. That’s no way to start a marriage. With lies and secrets. Oh, all right. She’d tell him and have him take her to the bank. But not until after she’d taken his measure. If he was a cruel man, she would leave and she sure as heck wouldn’t tell him about her money.

Even with the dowry, there’d been few prospects for Rosie back in Philadelphia. She wasn’t pretty in the conventional sense. She thought her face with its big brown eyes and full lips was pleasing enough, but men apparently hadn’t. Her one beau told her that her eyes were the color of warm brandy. That was before he left her to marry another more suitable woman. More suitable, hah! Richer was more like it.

He’d had expensive tastes and married a rabbit-faced girl, heir to a substantial fortune to which he’d have access. Well, good luck and good riddance.

Rosie did have one extraordinary feature. Her hair. Waist length, wavy and a clear, golden blonde. Right now, standing on the train platform in Creede it was bound up in a loose bun on top of her head under her hat. It, like the rest of her, was covered in dust and soot from the train. She’d discovered on the second day she could minimize the grime by sitting in the front of the car with the window closed. But sooner or later the heat and mugginess of the car would force her to open the window. The air came rushing in, cooling her, but bringing with it the dirt and ash from the train’s boilers.

On the long trip, she’d told herself again and again she’d made the right decision. This was her future.

“Excuse me. Miss Stanton?”

Rosie shaded her eyes from the late afternoon sun and looked up at a tall man with dark hair. His hat was pulled low, hiding his eyes. He had a strong jaw covered with a shadow of whiskers.

“Yes. I’m Rosemary Stanton.”

He took off his hat and held out his hand. “I’m Tom Harris.”

Rosie took his hand. It engulfed hers with a shock of warmth. Her pale skin stood in stark contrast to his tanned one. Calluses rubbed against her soft palm though the touch was not unpleasant. She looked from their clasped hands up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Harris.”

“Tom. Call me, Tom.”

“And I’m Rosie.”

“Where are your trunks, Rosie?”

“Oh, I don’t have any trunks. I only brought what I thought I would need out here.”

He picked up the two valises at her feet. “Doesn’t seem like much for an Eastern woman. I’m glad to see you’re practical.”

Rosie felt the heat in her cheeks and knew she blushed at his praise, undeserving as it was. “Well, I didn’t think you’d have any balls.”

Please help me welcome Rebecca to my blog.  Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered into a prize drawing for a free book.

What inspired your latest book?

DELIVER THE MOON is about a couple whose marriage disintegrated after the tragic death of their young son, and how—several years later—they are able to forgive the past and rekindle their love. I came up with the idea for the story after reading a statistic that 80% of marriages in which a child dies end in divorce. That’s very sad, if you ask me. One tragedy is compounded by another. That statistic stuck in my head until Gabe and Louisa’s story was born.

What is your favorite part of writing?

This will sound very strange, but it’s the plotting. That’s not the strange part. I love to plot, love buying and reading plotting books like some people buy and wear new shoes. However—here’s the strange part—I hate to write the books I’ve plotted. I don’t know if it’s because some of the magic is gone from having planned the story, or if it feels like I’ve already written it, or what. But there you go.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Writing the first draft is the hardest part for me. You’d think after writing several books, the process would get easier, that I’d get smarter about it. But each book is harder, and I swear I’m getting dumber. My least favorite part of writing is the promo and marketing. I’ve never been one to talk about myself. I hate being center of attention. And I always remember my grandma’s words: “Nice girls don’t talk about themselves.”

What is your next project and when will it be released?

DELIVER THE MOON just released from The Wild Rose Press (official release date was June 22). It’s a contemporary romance, very emotional, and a far cry from my two previously published books which are romantic comedies.

What is your typical day like?

My day job is personal fitness trainer and group exercise instructor, so every day is different. I usually work a split or triple shift—at the gym for a couple of hours, home for a couple of hours. Rinse and repeat. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t have one or two cancellations, so it’s hard to plan my days in advance. That said, I usually have the afternoons free, so I try to get in 1-2 hours of writing then.

What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions?  Why?

Internal conflict of my characters is hardest for me to write, because I’ll think I’ll know my characters going into my stories, I’ll think I have a handle on their issues. But it never fails—I’ll get halfway into the story and realize I have no flippin’ idea what really makes them tick, because they’ve morphed into something they weren’t before. Then I need to go back to the drawing board. Maybe this is why I hate writing the books I’ve plotted.

What did you want to be when you were a child?  Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be Nancy Drew. I had all her books, and always wondered why she and Ned Nickerson never kissed. It really bugged me. So when I’d recreate her stories with my Barbie dolls, Nancy and Ned always kissed. A lot. Then when I was 11 years old, I read my first Harlequin Romance. I knew right then that I wanted to write books like that.

Do you or have you belonged to a writing organization?  Which one?  Have they helped you with your writing?  How?

I joined RWA a few years after I started writing. I wish I’d joined them earlier, because I might have made fewer dumb mistakes. Might have. LOL. But then again, we learn from our mistakes, right? I’ve belonged to local RWA chapters in every city I’ve lived in, and have made some great friends along the way. Probably the most helpful to me, though, has been my plotting group—The Cherry Plotters (10 of us meet regularly at Cherry Adair’s house to plot, eat, and laugh). As I’ve mentioned above, I’m not really much of a plotter (not a successful one anyway), but I’ve learned a lot from my fellow Plotters, especially Cherry. That woman is a plotting genius. If just a smidge of her genius would rub off on me, I’d be happy, happy, happy.

I am the worst procrastinator in the world.  I’m writing this fully three and a half hours after it should have been posted.  And it’s not just my writing that I put off.  I don’t clean my house until I absolutely have to.  Usually because we have company coming.  But it just isn’t as important as my writing.  My books not my blogs.

How many of you do this?  How many of you are procrastinators?  Tell me in a comment below and be entered to win a copy of one of my books, your choice in paperback or ebook your choice (US only.  Ebooks only for international entries).

I have a home closing coming up on tomorrow.  I’m just now getting together the paperwork I need for it although I could have done it a month ago and been done with it.  Instead I wait and then I stress.  Usually because the papers I thought I knew where were, aren’t and I have to search the house for the proper paperwork.  Procrastinator.

Supposed to have a mammogram once per year, right?  Right.  And I do, but I put it off as long as possible.  I hate the feeling of having my boob crushed by a garage door.  This year I started to do the same thing, then one of my dearest friends was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I hightailed it to the doctor and got it done.  I’m fine by the way.

Will I ever stop being a procrastinator?  Not likely.  Will I become more organized?  Probably at least in the short term.  It highly unlikely that I will stay that way.  It requires work.  Concentration.  Something that I reserve for my writing.