Romancing the Hop

What is a romance? Or more specifically what is a romance novel?

Did you know that almost every novel out there contains a little romance? Even ones that are strickly aimed at me. Look at the Hunt for the Red October? He has to leave his wife at the beginning of the story, they kiss, he promises to be back soon. Tada ROMANCE.

It happens in little doses like this in most books. There are some that really don’t have any kind of romance but I can’t for the life of me think what they are.

Take Zane Grey. Everyone thinks he wrote westerns. What he really wrote were romances. There is a romance at the center of every one of his novels. Try Riders of the Purple Sage or On Her Majesty’s Rancho just to name two. He was very prolific and very popular. Still is. Every man I know holds up Zane Grey or Louis L’Amour as the pinnacle writers of the western genre. I would add western ROMANCE genre.

Which is what I write. I was introduced to Zane Grey by my older brother who recognized that they were romances and challenged me to read one and tell me they were not. I read Riders of the Purple Sage and discovered he was right. At the center of the book is a great, powerful romance. I went on to read several more and was flabbergasted that my brother, Gene, had been right. Gene is gone now but I am still thankful for what he taught me about books and novels, helping me give my romances more of a western flavor.

Now you may ask, “What about your sci-fi? It’s not western.” Oh, contraire, my friends. What is a scifi romance but a western set in space, on another planet, in an alternate universe? Westerns gave us pioneers, carving out a new life on a new frontier. Sound familiar? Of course, it does. Lots of Scifi novels are books about pioneers carving out a new life on a new frontier (planet). My favorite example of this is Joss Whedon’s television series Firefly.

I didn’t see Firefly when it was on television. I don’t know why except we didn’t watch much that was on Fox at the time. My younger brother gifted us with the DVD’s when it came out. We looked at him in question. He said, “You’ll love them. It’s a western set in space.” He was right. We did love the show and lamented it’s passing and the fact that it was only half a season. I think they should have made many more episodes. Unfortunately there are many current fans, that didn’t even know about it when it was on. Like us.

Don’t get me wrong. Most books contain a romance but not all contain a Happily Ever After, like our books do. Just because you have a romance in the book, doesn’t guarantee a happy ending. Just look at any of those books that Oprah liked to promote in her book club. For the most part, they have what I call shitty endings. In some everyone is the loser. What the heck kind of book is that and why do people like to read them? I can’t answer that, won’t even try, because I simply cannot fathom why you would read a book that moves you to tears and leaves you there.

Okay, enough ranting about what is and isn’t romance. Suffice it to say that I love romance. I write romance. I read romance. That’s me. That’s who I am. Who are you?

Leave me a comment to be entered into the drawing for our Grand prize of a Kindle, second prize of a gift care to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and a third prize of a HUGE swag pack, featuring bookmarks, pens, lip balm, and of course, books by the authors in this blog hop.

Not only that, I’m giving away two $5 Starbucks cards for my personal blog drawing. So remember to leave me a comment and if you want to be entered for the Grand prizes, leave your email in the comment. That is the only way to enter for the grand prize. You must leave your email in the comment.

Happy hopping!!

TAME A WILD BRIDE available at Amazon http://tinyurl.com/cauchyv

EXCERPT FROM TAME A WILD BRIDE

Rosemary Stanton stood patiently on the train platform, sweat rolling down her back and between her ample breasts. 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 the 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. Her own 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 retired to her room before she giggled with delight as she pressed her back against the door. 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. She could tell by how he treated his animals what kind of man he was. A man who was cruel to his horses would also be cruel to his wife. If he was a cruel man, she would leave and she sure as heck wouldn’t tell him about her money.

Even the substantial size of her dowry couldn’t seem to provide marriage 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 had married a rabbit-faced girl, heir to a substantial fortune to which he’d have access. Well, good luck and good riddance.

She hoped her new husband wouldn’t be as snootish as Paul had been. As a cattle rancher she didn’t know what to expect but the idea of a more earthy, less frivoless man appealed to her.

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 white dirt and a nasty grayish soot from the train. Her suit would never be the same again.

She’d discovered on the second day of her trip, 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 and whatever the wind picked up along the way.

On the long trip, she’d told herself again and again she’d made the right decision. She was right to make the difficult trip. This was her life and she had to take her future into her own hands.

“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.”

He cocked an eyebrow.



An Interview with Allie Ritch

Please help me welcome Allie Ritch to my blog today. She’d love to have lots of comments and if you want to win you must leave a comment and include your email in the comment.

What genre(s) do you write in and why? I write erotic sci-fi and paranormal romance. I enjoy a good love story, and I especially like the fantastical elements that science fiction and the paranormal bring to the table. Turning up the heat on the love scenes just adds to the fun.

What is your favorite part of writing? Writing is a playground for my imagination. I’ve always liked being creative, and the written word has proven to be the best outlet for that part of me. The process is still hard work, but it’s a labor of love.

What is your next project and when will it be released? I started a series of erotic sci-fi romance novels called the Alien Sex Ed series. Alien Sex 101 and Alien Sex 102 are already available from Liquid Silver Books. Next up is Alien Sex 103, which is slated for release on October 15, 2012. If all goes according to plan, then the last book, Alien Sex 104, will land a contract and be released sometime in 2013.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories? Where don’t I get ideas? I’m constantly finding new inspiration for my work, sometimes from the most unexpected places. For instance, I got the idea for Switching Positions from a discussion with a friend about how hard it is to be a woman in our society. That got me thinking, and I realized men don’t exactly have an easy time of it either. Next thing I knew, a whole story emerged about a planet where gender roles are reversed. Then I got the idea for my Alien Sex Ed series from a small comment I made in Switching Positions about a Sex Ed class the heroine took in school. My main inspiration for Mating Season was a wildlife documentary. You’d think I was talking about a documentary about polar bears since Mating Season takes place on an arctic planet with huge frost bears, but it was actually a show about cheetahs. A female cheetah was being stalked by some amorous brothers and was going to great lengths to get away from them. Bingo: the idea for Mating Season. Shila, a frost-bear shifter, is being pursued by two shifter brothers who want her for their own. Shila runs from them and is eventually rescued by Koll, who takes her as his mate and offers his protection.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses. In Mating Season, Koll lives on the arctic planet of Jensen. Because he grew fast and got so big he towers over his fellow villagers, he doesn’t really fit in. He’s strong and responsible, but he’s a loner who is rough around the edges. His greatest strength is his ability to deal with whatever the frozen wilderness throws at him. This is definitely a guy you’d want guarding your back. His weakness is his low self-esteem. He doesn’t realize how his antisocial attitude has contributed to him feeling like an outsider. A community is so much stronger than one lone person.

Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses. Shila belongs to a race of shifters that take the form of the enormous frost bears that prowl the ice floes on Jensen. The instincts of the bear are very much mixed up with those of the woman. As a big, strong person herself, she appreciates Koll’s size and ability to protect her, and his occasional grumble and growl turn her on. She is very in tune with nature, concentrating on her basic needs first and foremost. Her greatest strength is her self-sufficiency. Shila was able to survive the death of her first mate and their unborn twins, and she has managed to stay one step ahead of the males stalking her. One of her weaknesses, however, springs from her dual nature. It’s hard to balance the bear’s need for a solitary roam with the woman’s desire for companionship and community. Can Koll bridge the gap and satisfy both of her natures?

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why? I enjoy reading lots of genres, especially those mixed with romance. Historical, fantasy, sci-fi/futuristic, paranormal, contemporary, etc. Seriously, the list goes on. I find reading too many books in the same genre right in a row can get boring. It’s like listening to nothing but one type of music; eventually you want variety. If I had to pick two favorites, then sci-fi and paranormal romance definitely stick out. Most of the time, I don’t avoid these genres. However, I do refrain from reading them when I’m busy writing a work of the same type. So no reading sci-fi when I’m drafting a new sci-fi romance. I don’t want echoes of another author’s voice in my head when I’m creating something of my own. During such times, I still read, but I select something in a totally different category, like historical romance.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book. As I mentioned, I write erotic sci-fi and paranormal romance. In Mating Season, I got to blend my two favorite genres by creating the planet of Jensen, which is populated by shifters and regular villagers. The shifters, who are called the Children of Nanook, are the creatures of myth. The progenitors of the Children of Nanook had a single humanoid form, but their bodies were susceptible to the bacteria of Jensen when they first settled the planet. The myth goes that their leader, Nanook, bound his spirit with that of the frost bear in order to create a new race that could survive in the arctic wilderness. Shila is now a descendent of this new race, while Koll is part of a village founded long ago by a separate, non-shifting group of pioneers. The two races usually don’t have much to do with each other, but love can have a unifying effect. In their different ways, both Koll and Shila are struggling to fit in and find their place in life, and they discover what they’re looking for in each other’s arms.
***
About the Author:
Allie Ritch is a multi-published author of erotic sci-fi and paranormal romance. She has an active imagination and enjoys entertaining others through storytelling. Allie lives in her own little world in the Southeastern United States, where she spends time appreciating the ocean and sunshine. To learn more about Allie, you can visit her website/blog at http://allieritch.wordpress.com.
***
Excerpt from Mating Season:
It was that time of year again. The snow was already thick on the ground, and Koll’s village prepared to hole up for the brutal winter. Highlighted by the frosty glow of the moon and stars, the gently rolling land around him was bathed in bluish white from horizon to horizon. To the north, the mountains stretched skyward while the sparse trees stood like naked skeletons. It was easy to get lost in the endless haze, but Koll kept his sled hound, Greyfell, on a steady homeward course.

He also kept a careful lookout. There were many predators on the arctic planet of Jensen. The terrain was rife with giant wolverines, spear-toothed cats, and enormous frost bears that prowled the ice floes. Some said Jensen was the last true wilderness left in the universe, which was what had attracted the immigrants who’d settled on this planet generations ago. Untamed nature was both beautiful and deadly, and this time of year could be especially dangerous as food grew scarce. Winter was the season of endings. And beginnings.

Koll blew out a loud sigh and watched his breath fog and disappear in front of his face. Although he should have known better, he’d thought to make a new beginning for himself this year. This was the season when the single men of the allied villages went courting. More precisely, it was a time for those looking to settle down to hunt for a possible wife.

When a man found a female he wanted, he offered her a ribbon bearing his family color—in Koll’s case, a damn unfortunate color. If the woman accepted, she wore it in her hair as a warning to other males and moved in with him for the winter. Come spring, if the pair decided they suited, they married and used the breeding season to start their family. If they were unhappy, then they simply parted ways, free to try with someone else next year.

Koll had seen this mating dance before. Seen it but had never experienced it. No female had ever accepted his ribbon, not from any of the villages nearby. He blamed his size.

From an early age, Koll had grown fast and hadn’t stopped until he’d towered over his peers. His childhood awkwardness had been a source of amusement to the village kids, and they’d excluded him from most of their games. Puberty had only added bulk to his tall frame, turning him into a muscled giant.

He wasn’t a gentle one, though. Koll knew how to be gentle and never looked for trouble, but he was not an easy man. Having learned to control his strength, he was now a seasoned warrior. Usually he did battle with the elements and the beasts that prowled these lands, but the men on the other side of the mountains had been known to raid his village during lean times.

As a mature male, his size and strength should have been an asset, proof that he could protect and provide for a female. Instead, he frightened most women with his large body, dark looks, and gruff manner. As for those females who weren’t put off … well, men didn’t hold a monopoly on lechery. Unfortunately, the women who were attracted to his size, or at least the size of one body part in particular, never seemed interested in more than a night or two.

Koll wanted more. He wasn’t the quitting kind—stubborn, his mother would have said—which was why he hadn’t given up hope. That’s how he found himself here in the dead of night, trekking endlessly through the snow on his way back from the distant village of Idona. Year after year, he ventured farther and farther abroad in the hope of finding a wife. He’d even lined his sled basket with furs to keep her warm and comfortable for the ride back to his home. But his sled was empty of occupants because he’d failed. Again.

“None of them would have suited me anyway,” he groused, trying not to wince at the memory of his recent rejections.

His sled hound twitched an ear in response. Fully in travel mode, Greyfell focused dead ahead and kept his pace steady. Then he did something Koll knew better than to ignore. With an audible breath, Greyfell broke stride to smell the air. His head popped up, his lungs inflated, and his ears swiveled forward as he scanned the terrain.

Koll threw the brake before unsheathing the knife at his belt. He went as still as his hound, letting his gaze slide over his surroundings. The muffled crunch of snow caught his ear just before Greyfell released a soft whine.

Ready for an attack, Koll spun to face the threat and froze in shock. The source of the commotion was closer than he’d expected—close enough that he knew he’d be dead were this a hungry frost bear sneaking up on him. Fortunately, it wasn’t a beast he faced. There, limned by moonlight, stood the most breathtaking woman he’d ever seen.

Her hair was so white it was nearly transparent as it drifted down to curl just beneath her cheekbones. Those cheeks were rosy from the cold—a pretty contrast to skin almost as pale as the snowflakes. His first impression was that she was an albino. Then he saw her eyes. They weren’t colorless or gray or even the pale blue of a clear winter sky. Instead, they were rich brown, full of depth and life. They were also pleading.

“Please.” Her full lips delivered the word before she swayed forward. She would have collapsed if his reflexes hadn’t made him fast enough to catch her.

Mindful of the blade in his hand, Koll wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her up. He received the second shock of the evening when he realized she was tall enough he could tuck her head under his chin. Even through the fur coats they both wore, he felt her full breasts pressing on either side of his sternum instead of landing somewhere near his navel. His groin heated before he got his mind working.

“Please,” she murmured again.

“Are you hurt?” His voice came out even more like a growl than usual.

Trying not to jostle her, he pulled her to the side of the sled. Her head lolled back on the furs as he laid her in the basket and leaned back to look at her. He kept his knife out.

“Answer me, woman. Are you injured?”

“No.” Her eyelashes fluttered as she fought to stay conscious. “Please help. They’re stalking me. Can’t run … can’t run any farther.”
***
Thanks so much for having me on your blog, Cynthia. It’s the next best thing to visiting Centauri 🙂
And now for the really fun part. Visitors, leave your e-mail address in a comment, and you’ll be entered to win a free book—winner’s choice of either Mating Season or Switching Positions.

To learn more about my work, you can find me at the following URLs:
Website/Blog: http://allieritch.wordpress.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/allieritch

Liquid Silver Books Buy Link: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/books/matingseason.htm
ARe Buy Link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-matingseason-882394-140.html
Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Mating-Season-ebook/dp/B008MICWMG/ref=la_B007NL8FMO_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1342620628&sr=1-5

An Interview with Jami Gray

Hey Cynthia,
Thanks so much for having me over! It’s lovely to have a conversation with another adult without having it end with the words, “Because I said so!”

Jami,
I’m really glad you stopped by. I want to remind everyone to leave Jami a comment and be entered into her drawing for a $10 gift card.
Now on to the interview.

What is your typical day like? What is your writing routine like?

Very, very different than the “writer’s life” my younger self had created. Instead of inspiring natural landscapes of majestic mountains or idyllic, pristine beaches outside my window, there are stucco walls of my neighbors’ homes, rocks have replaced grass and sand, and those few trees who can survive the Arizona summer are trying desperately to grow on limited amounts of water. I share an office with my hubby and where as others may dream of the day they can retire, I dream of the day where I will have my own office…and it will be beautiful!
When I was younger, I was convinced that as a writer I could set my own schedule, spend time at quaint little cafes and write while indulging in my love of people watching and good teas. Reality is being the proud mom of two boys, the owner of a huge walking fur rug, and the more organized half of a happily married couple which translates into very little “me” time. Those pesky things like food, shelter, family medical insurance all come with a price tag labeled “the-job-that-pays-the bills”. However, I can’t complain too much, because for the last sixteen years I’ve been blessed with a telecommuting position with the same company. It’s been a huge boon.

With all of this, my day starts with a woof when my walking fur rug’s stomach demands food, dragging two boys out of bed and into clothes, pushing them down the stairs to get ready for school, herding them out the door so I can dash back upstairs for my endless rounds of meetings that, I swear, comprises the fourth level of hell. Then, before I know it, the boys are back home with questions that could not be asked of the teachers. Oh no, they must be directed to the parental units. Then the boys want food, the hubby wants attention and maybe by 9 pm, I may be able to take a breath. I learned years ago that if I want to write, I have to make the time. So I do. I’m a horrible mom who bails every week for one day, leaving everyone to fend on their own so I can get time away from all those things that will pull me away from your characters and your world. It has taken years to get over the guilt of putting my writing first even for that short of time, but it’s an essential part of nurturing my creative side. I’m a firm believer if parents make time to do something for themselves, they will actually be better parents/partners to their families. No matter how busy my week is, I know at the end of it, there will be at least 6-8 hours of nothing but me and my MacBook Air.

Summer messes up my writing routing and since the boys just started school again, I’m hoping to use my lunch hour to chip away at my writing. That way, even if it’s only a couple of sentences, I managed to make progress! Those sentences, they can add up fast.


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

Most difficult? Probably emotions. I have no problems delving into the darker aspects of human nature, but trying to capture an individual’s essence when they’re all balanced and not emotionally damaged, can actually be a challenge for me. I put my characters through a great deal so I can dig deeper into their psyche, because I know if I dig deep enough, I’ll find that little unbalance part of their personality, then I can exploit it.

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

It’s not so much people per se, as various aspects of their personality. I find I tend to note certain personality traits and incorporate those into my characters. I’ll take a couple of different traits, throw them in the bowl, add a few odd spices, let it spin in the creative blender for a bit, before pouring it out to discover what’s been created. I love people watching, and I bet most writers could indulge in the past time for hours on end. It’s so intriguing to see what triggers unique reactions.

Do you have critique partners?

Yes and we have named ourselves The 7 Evil Dwarves (www.7evildwarves.wordpress.com), although we currently have eight of us in the group. We’re all Speculative Fiction writers and our ages range from early twenties to late sixties. Without them, I wouldn’t have had the courage to put my stuff out there so my awesome editor could find me. I’m a huge proponent of critique groups—they’ll be the only people who’ll understand the madhouse that lives in your head.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

I’m an avid reader and will devour any well written story so long as it sucks me into their world. I’ve read it all (and I’m not ashamed to admit it!). High fantasy, Sci-Fi, Romance (from sweet to bodice rippers to erotica to paranormal), military thrillers, mysteries of all sorts, and my current favorite—Urban Fantasy. There are many conversations out there about writers reading what they write, and why you should or shouldn’t do it. For me, I enjoy reading in my genre, but I still mix in others, just to spice it up. It allows me to visit fantastic worlds others have created and discover new voices and perspectives.

Do you have any rejection stories to share?

I spent two years getting rejection after rejection. The hardest part of the whole experience was how many times that elusive publishing goal was brushing against my fingertips only to disappear. I had so much great feedback from editors and agents, they loved my voice, they loved my world, they loved my characters…and then there was the “But…” There wasn’t enough sex, the idea of science experimenting on supernatural has been done, it was too dark, etc. Some reasons made me laugh, some confused me to no end, and there were some that I had to shake my head and move on. In the end, I learned to recognize that if more than one person had the same feedback, it needed to be fixed. If not, it may just be a personal thing—not everyone is going to like your writing—and that’s totally okay.

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?

I know you’ve heard it over and over again, but DON’T GIVE UP! Seriously, to succeed in this industry you need to embrace perseverance, which is just another way to say you’re stubborn. Stay true to yourself and your characters. They are screaming inside your head for a reason, give them a voice. You can listen to the naysayers, you can drown in the massive amounts of advice floating in the writing community, but pick out the pieces that resonate with you. Hone your craft, strengthen your voice, bring your world to life and keep going.

Excerpt from Shadow’s Edge: Book 1 of The Kyn Kronicles:

Walking into the dim house, Raine braced herself for the smell which usually accompanied a violent death. She knew that smell. It was distinctive. It reminded a person of raw meat, coppery blood. A scent warning you that whatever you found, it wasn’t going to be recognizable.

She was a few steps behind the two men and coming down the short entry way when she realized there was no odor. No blood, no raw meat. She let out the breath she was holding. Yet, there were spine tingling traces of magic raising bumps along her skin as she drew closer to the front room.

Two agents passed her, heading out of the house, small evidence bags in their gloved hands. Osborn stopped just to the left of the entry way to the front room. In the middle of the opening, Gavin came to a halt blocking Raine’s view. She stepped around to his right and came to an abrupt stop, puzzled.

Bane Mayson was sprawled on the faded green couch under the picture window. At first glance the scene didn’t make sense. There were no visible wounds, no horrific mutilations, nothing to show how he died. Just the skitter of magic down her spine, making the deceptively calm scene in front of her much more ominous.

“Can you give a positive ID?” Osborn’s rough voice pulled her gaze back to him. He was looking at Gavin who wasn’t answering. She tilted her head to find out why then realized Gavin was looking at her.

“What?” she asked.

“I’ve never met him,” he said blandly. “Just spoke to him on the phone.”

“Oh.” A little disconcerted, she turned back to the waiting agent. “Yes, that’s Bane Mayson.”

Excerpt from Shadow’s Soul: Book 2 of The Kyn Kronicles:

“Good gods, girl. Didn’t I teach you better than that?”
The sound of Cheveyo’s sharp tone jerked her head up. Scrambling to her knees, she met the disgruntled gaze of her mentor.

“Obviously not,” she snapped back.

A small grimace that might have been a strained smile appeared on his tired face. A part of her relaxed a bit at his presence, but he didn’t look good. Weariness and pain had carved deep niches around his mouth and eyes, drawing his skin tight over his high cheekbones. The normal bronze of his skin was a pale olive. Gone was the fierce, dominating Magi. In his place was a hard, battle-weary warrior.

“Cheveyo,” she started, but he waved his hand cutting her off.

“I know, we have to get me out of here, yadda yadda.” He raked a hand through his collar length hair, as he slid down some invisible wall to sit across from her. Placing his hands on his upraised knees, he just looked at her.

His assessment made her uncomfortable.

“Didn’t expect me to answer your knock?” A faint thread of humor twisted through his words.

His question threw her back to when he had first created this bond between them. Her concerns on how linked they would be had resulted in his reassurance that the only way the door would open was if she went knocking and he answered her.

“Actually we were hoping you would.”

He raised an eyebrow. “We?”

Before she could respond, the feel of nails scoring her skin set her on her feet. She spun around to face the thick barrier of fog behind her. She hissed as another scrape peeled against her magic. Cheveyo’s hand on her arm stopped her from stepping forward.

“Raine.” He turned her away from the fog. His six-foot-six frame towered over her. She didn’t let it stop her from yanking from his hold.
“What?” she snarled. Screw authority. Right now they were in deep shit and they needed to get out.

Bio:
Growing up on the Arizona-Mexico border, Jami Gray was adopted at the age of 14 and suddenly became the fifth eldest of 37 children. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and three minors-History, English, and Theater. Shortly after marrying her techie-geek hubby (who moonlighted as her best friend in high school) she completed a Masters in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix Oregon.

Now, years later, she’s back in the Southwest where she’s outnumbered in her own home by two Star Wars obsessed boys, one Star Wars obsessed husband, and an overly-friendly, 105-pound male lab. Writing is what saves her sanity.

Shadow’s Edge: Book 1 of the Kyn Kronicles and Shadow’s Soul: Book 2 of the Kyn Kronicles are available now in paperback and ebook format.

You can find me at:
Buy Link: www.BlackOpalBooks.com
Website: www.JamiGray.com
Assc. Blog: www.7EvilDwarves.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamigray.author
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JamiGrayAuthor

BUY LINKS:
Shadow’s Edge: Bk 1 of Kyn Kronicles
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061CAXJ4
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shadows-Edge-The-Kyn-Kronicles-Book-1/Jami-Gray/e/2940013239838
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadow039sedgethekynkroniclesbook1-625433-139.html
Black Opal Books: http://bookstore.blackopalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=15
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101023

Shadow’s Soul:Bk 2 of the Kyn Kronicles
Black Opal Books: http://bookstore.blackopalbooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15&products_id=36
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Edge-The-Kronicles-Book/dp/1937329151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340473392&sr=8-1&keywords=jami+gray
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadow039ssoulthekynkroniclesbook2-848561-139.html
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-soul-the-kyn-kronicles-book-2-jami-gray/1111742135?ean=2940014698955
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/174291

An Interview with Paisley Kirkpatrick

Tell us about your current series

Paradise Pines Series currently consists of five stories set in the mountain community of Paradise Pines and the journey that brings the three Benjamin sisters and five MacGregor brothers to settle in the former gold rush town. I chose the time period during and right after the 1849 Gold Rush because of the vibrant people who traveled far and wide to seek their fortunes in gold.

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

March, 2013, is the release time for my second book in the Paradise Pines Series — Marriage Bargain. The dusty trail of a wagon train leads west, but Darrah Benjamin finds it a pathway to love and forgiveness when an arranged marriage becomes much more than a convenience. Wagon scout Chase challenges her determination with his promise — she’ll give him her heart and invite him to her bed before they arrive at their destination. Darrah will shape her own destiny and claim a woman’s spirit along the way.

Do you have critique partners?

I have been so blessed with the critique partners who have entered my life. I claim most of them as part of my family now. I learn by example. Because they’ve extended great patience and taken time to show me how to strengthen my stories, I create more vibrant characters, descriptive surroundings, and most important of all — what point of view is, I can call myself an author now. POV will follow me forever. At the beginning of my first story, in a paragraph with five sentences, I wrote four POVs with one being that of a rock. My chapter mates will never let me off that hook.
What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
Conflict is the most difficult for me to write. I get attached to my characters and don’t like making them unhappy. I would hate to count the times my critique partners have told me to rewrite my story because there is no conflict. Now I begrudgingly toss in all the angst I can create, and amazingly my characters survive and end up winners in the end.

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book

Sassy Amalie Renard, a poker-playing saloon singer, shakes up Paradise Pines, a former gold-rush mountain community by turning the saloon’s bar into her stage. Her amazing voice stirs the passions of the hotel owner, a man who anonymously travels tunnels at night providing help to the downtrodden as the mysterious Night Angel. Declan Grainger agrees to subsidize the building of a music hall to fulfill Amalie’s dream, but a bounty for her arrest could spoil his plans. Distrust and jealousy stir flames of malice and revenge threatening to destroy their town. Drawing from past experiences, Declan and Amalie turn to each other to find a way to save the community.

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

I’ve belonged to Romance Writers of America since November, 1999. Through this organization I’ve joined land chapter Sacramento Valley Rose, and online chapters From the Heart, Hearts Through History, and Celtic Hearts. Belonging to these chapters and becoming a multi-term board member for most of them, I have made lifetime friendships with authors, found critique partners, taken classes and attended ten national conferences. Yes, I’d say joining RWA has been one of the best things I’ve done for my writing career.

Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not?

My pen name is Paisley Kirkpatrick. My decision to go with a pen name was security. Through the years I’ve seen some authors stalked, and with the way our society is now, I thought having a different identity would be best. Besides, I rather like my writing name. It represents part of my family and a gorgeous place in Scotland.

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?

Yes, NEVER give up. I wrote for 22 years before I got my first publishing contract. My friends say I am stubborn, but I prefer to say persevering. It never entered my mind to quit. What would I do with all my spare time if I wasn’t putting words into my computer? Surround yourself with great teachers, learn all you can from classes and reading books, attend conferences, and make contacts. Authors are the best kind of friends to have.

BIO
My husband of 43 years and I raised two daughters. Now that he’s retired I am working at my chosen profession of author. It’s great that he supports my love of writing and lends a comment every now and then. We have been fortunate enough to travel — his favorite place is Germany and mine is Scotland. I have been a member and on the board of the Sacramento Valley Rose Chapter of RWA for 13 years, and work with the online chapters From the Heart, Hearts Through History, and Celtic Hearts.

EXCERPT

Different colored bottles of whiskey and beer reflected in the mirrors along the wall behind the long wooden bar. Perfect. That’s where she’d start her evening.

She slipped off her cape and handed it to Declan. His appreciative gasp brought a smile to her lips. Having men ogle her appearance was hardly new. She’d learned early to use her looks to her advantage. The way Declan’s eyes heated with appreciation when he cast a glance at the deep cut of her décolletage reminded her how good it felt to be a woman.

“Now you’ll see who I really am.”

Declan grabbed her arm. “Don’t let them forget you’re a lady, Amalie.”

She cast him a wicked smile. “The name’s Lily Fox. Believe me, honey, Lily’s no lady.”

She approached a couple of gamblers and leaned over slightly to give them full effect of her daring dress. “Would you mind helping me, gents? I have need of your table for a moment.”

The men jumped to their feet in unison, their cards forgotten. Amalie took the nearest man’s outstretched palm, stepped onto a chair, over their cards and up onto the long wooden plank bar.
“Good evening, boys.” She strutted along the length of wood, avoiding whiskey glasses and kicking away eager hands.

The saloon girl stopped caterwauling. The room went still. She had everyone’s attention, just the way Lily liked it.

“Get down, young woman. This ain’t no place for you to prance about,” the barkeep snarled in outrage.

Ignoring the scowling face with the handlebar mustache, she kicked up her heels. Adding a dance step, she pranced back and forth the length of the makeshift stage. Lily reveled in the whistles and disregarded the uncouth remarks. She was in her element. “My name is Lily Fox and I’m here to entertain you tonight.”

With the flick of her hand, she caught the attention of the stunned piano player. “Play something quick and lively, will you, honey?” She glanced around the room of excited faces and turned on her brightest smile.

Website: http://www.paisleykirkpatrick.com/
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Paisley+Kirkpatrick

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-333/Paradise-Pines-Book-One-cln-/Detail.bok

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Paisley-Kirkpatrick?keyword=Paisley+Kirkpatrick&store=ebook
Blogs:
Sweethearts of the West http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/
Scandalous Victorians http://slipintosomethingvictorian.wordpress.com/
Voices from the Heart http://voicesftheart.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1272262167

An Interview with Lois Winston

Please help me welcome Lois Winston, writing as Emma Carlyle, to my blog today. Lois will be giving away a paperback copy of her book Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception, so be sure and leave her a comment to be entered into the drawing. Also for the month of August she will donate $500 to breast cancer research for every 1000 Emma Carlyle books sold.

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

I write romance, chick lit, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, and mystery. The first book I sold, Talk Gertie To Me, was humorous women’s fiction. The next book, Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception, was a romantic suspense. Then I switched gears and began writing the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun and Death By Killer Mop Doll are the first two books in the series. Revenge of the Crafty Corpse will be out in January with at least two more books to follow. And now I’ve also embarked on an indie career, publishing some of my older romance, romantic suspense, and chick lit books that won awards but for one reason or another, never sold. Why I write in all these genres? Simple. I write in the genres I love to read.

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

I’ve never put a stop watch to the amount of time I spend doing promo, but like most authors, I’d really rather spend the time writing. Unfortunately, we all have to get the word out about our books because if we don’t, no one will know they exist.

That said, because I’m so new to indie publishing, I can’t say what works best for me. I’m trying to do lots of guest blogs. I also use Twitter. I don’t do Facebook. I know some of you will gasp at that, but it’s the rebel in me. I don’t like FB’s tactics of switching privacy setting without telling people, and I don’t like that it’s so easy for hackers to access what’s supposed to be protected information. I also don’t like the fact that FB has become a haven for bullies and sexual predators. So I’ve vowed to become the last person on the planet not on FB. Will it hurt my sales? Nothing I’ve seen (and I’ve done quite a bit of research about this) indicates that authors on FB sell more books than authors not on FB.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

I’m relatively new to the world of indie publishing and am publishing under the pen name Emma Carlyle. I released my first indie book, Hooking Mr. Right, the end of June. Finding Hope followed a week later. Both are romances, and both were RWA Golden Heart finalists back before I sold my first book. I’ve since also released Four Uncles and a Wedding, which is chick lit, and Lost in Manhattan and Someone To Watch Over Me, both romantic suspense.

I decided to indie publish because…well, why not? So many other authors were publishing books that NY didn’t want for one reason or another, and they were finding an audience for those books. Just because no NY publisher is interested in a book, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the book. In traditional publishing there are many factors that come to bear on whether or not a manuscript will be bought. Often the reasons for rejecting a manuscript have nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the story and everything to do with the bottom line. Publishers buy books they think will make them a profit.

Am I making tons of money? No. I’ve been told that it takes several months and quite a few books. However, I have seen a steady increase in sales. Hopefully, both time and word-of-mouth will eventually increase sales even more.
Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Most of my story ideas come from either news stories, observation, or both. I’m a total news junkie. I read two newspapers a day and watch the news in the morning and evening. When I’m in the car, I usually listen to the all-news station.

The idea for Hooking Mr. Right came to me after a friend divorced her husband. Remember The Rules? That book became her bible in her search to land a new husband. One day I went to the bookstore with her, and she spent over $200 on a stack of how-to-catch-a-man books. My head began spinning with ideas.

Finding Hope came about from a combination of my cousin’s unsuccessful attempts with in vitro fertilization and a story in the news about a fertility doctor who was using his own sperm to fertilize his patients’ eggs.

I got the idea for Four Uncles and a Wedding after seeing a news story about speed dating. One very funny scene in the book is based on a German study from several years ago that said men who ogle women’s breasts live longer. Another is based on an ad I saw at the back of a car magazine. (I was desperate for something to read while waiting for a doctor appointment and had forgotten to bring a book. I had my choice of outdated copies of Car & Driver or Sports Illustrated. The doctor was running way behind, so I wound up flipping through all of them. You never know where you’ll find inspiration!)

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

Depends on the person. ;-D Some of the characters in my books are based either in part on someone I’ve known or a combination of people I’ve known. In my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Anastasia’s mother-in-law is based almost entirely on my own mother-in-law. I’m sure that’s why some of my husband’s family no longer speaks to me. However, in my defense, my sister-in-law loves the books and thinks Lucille is hilarious.

One of the great things about writing fiction is that instead of getting mad, you can get even, literarily if not literally. Have a nasty neighbor whose dogs are constantly soiling your yard? Kill her off in your next book! It’s quite cathartic!

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?

Neither. It was fraught with frustration. I wrote for ten years before I sold my first book. During most of that time my pile of rejection letters more often than not contained the phrase, “love the story/voice but…” On too many occasions, I was the victim of either editors leaving, lines folding, or marketing not knowing how to sell the book. Traditional publishing is all about the right book landing on the right editor’s desk on the right day. For me, it often turned out to be the right book and the right editor but the wrong day.

What do you have planned for the future?

I’m contracted right now for a total of 5 books in my mystery series. I’m currently writing the fourth book. I’ll also be writing at least one 10,000 word short between releases of the series books. These are stories connected to the series but will only come out as ebooks and sell for $1.99. The first, Crewel Intentions, will be out October 1st.

With my indie career, I have several other books to finish editing and release. My goal is to have them all available by the end of the summer.

I have the rights back to Talk Gertie To Me and Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. They’ll be coming out as ebooks soon, along with an original novella that’s a sequel to Talk Gertie To Me.

I also have ideas for other books, and at this point I’m not sure whether they will be Emma Carlyle books or Lois Winston books. So much is happening so fast in publishing that I’m not quite sure whether or not I want to bother submitting these books to NY. I’m taking it one day at a time and keeping my options open.

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

I wanted to be an astronaut — the first woman astronaut in NASA. The problem, though, is that I suffer severe motion sickness, and NASA wasn’t interested in astronauts who toss their cookies at the least sign of turbulence!

Writing came to me much later in life. I always enjoyed writing while in school, but the last piece of fiction I wrote was for Freshman Comp in college — until about 17 years ago. I was on a business trip, and although I rarely remember my dreams, one night I had a quite vivid dream that stayed with me.

The story unfolded over consecutive nights. I wasn’t part of the dream, nor did I know any of the people in the dream. It was like watching scenes from a movie. I started thinking about these people during the day. They wouldn’t go away! Finally, I decided maybe if I wrote the story down, I’d get it out of my system.

It didn’t work. I’d been bitten by the writing bug and couldn’t stop writing from that point on. By the way, that first story, after many revisions and eleven years later, became Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception, the second book I sold.

Amazon Buy Link:

One lucky commenter will receive a paperback copy of Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. So be sure to leave a comment.

Bio:
Once upon a time there was an author who began writing romance. She won awards for her unpublished manuscripts and eventually sold two romances, both of which also won awards. Life was all hearts and flowers and hunky heroes until one day she was attacked by a glue gun wielding amateur sleuth who forced the romance author to write her story. Thus, author Lois Winston turned her attentions from romance to mystery, writing the critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. However, Lois found she had more romance stories to tell. So she decided to split her personality, remaining Lois Winston for mystery, becoming Emma Carlyle for romance, and diving into the digital publishing revolution. Visit Emma at http://www.emmacarlyle.com and visit Lois at http://www.loiswinston.com.

Excerpt from Hooking Mr. Right:
“The trouble lies in the Y chromosome.” Thea took a sip of her coffee and glared across the black Formica-topped desk at her editor, waiting to pounce on Grace if she challenged her statement.
“How so?” Grace leaned back in her chair and sipped her own coffee. Over the rim of the cup an amused expression played across her face.
“Simple genetics, really. Women have two X chromosomes. Men have an X and a Y. Do you know what the definition of Y is?”
Grace set her coffee cup on her desk and raised her eyebrows. “No, but I suppose you’re about to tell me.”
“Y is an X with a broken leg.”
Grace stared at her as if Thea had lost more than a suitcase in her recent, abrupt move from San Francisco to New York. “And your point?”
“Broken! Don’t you get it? Defective!” Thea slammed her hand onto a pile of unread manuscripts teetering on the corner of her editor’s desk, nearly toppling the unwieldy stack onto the floor.
Grace grabbed for her cup, barely averting a brown tidal wave.
“Ergo,” continued Thea, waving her hand in the air to punctuate her explanation, “there is no doubt that women are superior to men. No defective genes. Obviously, man was a rough prototype. God looked at Adam and said, ‘I can do better than that.’ Then he created Eve.” She placed her cup on the edge of the desk, leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and offered her editor a triumphant smile.
“So this explains why you cancelled your wedding and high-tailed it out of San Francisco? Defective male genes?” Grace shuddered. “Do me a favor, will you, Dr. Love? Keep these newly developed, radical theories to yourself. Unless, of course, you want to go from the New York Times Bestseller List back to an auditorium-size classroom packed with bored freshmen.”
Doctor Love. Thea winced at the nickname the press had dubbed her secret alter ego, Dr. Trulee Lovejoy. In truth, she did wish she could return to the classroom and the comforting monotony of teaching Sociology 101 to less-than-eager first year students. Not that she possessed an all-consuming passion for her chosen career in academia, but with everything she had lost over the past few years, at least she’d still have her integrity. However, she could no more turn back the clock and regain her compromised professional ethics than she could restore her family’s lost fortune. At least her popular how-to guides for finding the perfect mate had kept the collection agencies at bay.
“Some love expert! I couldn’t even keep my own fiancé from sleeping with my sister.” Thea raised her head and challenged Grace. “Now aren’t you glad I chose to publish under a pseudonym? Think of the public relations disaster I’ve averted. News flash: Doctor Love Causes Coitus Interuptus after Catching Sister and Fiancé in Flagrante Delicto on Eve of Wedding. Update at eleven.”
“Too erudite and wordy.” Grace brushed away the imaginary headline with a wave of her hand. “Who’d understand all that Latin?”
Thea grimaced. “I can think of at least two people.” Her brainy, Stanford-educated younger sister came to mind. As did her sister’s equally brainy, MIT-educated research partner who also happened to be Thea’s ex-fiancé. Too late Thea had discovered Steve and Madeline were engaged in far more than metaphysical debates while researching distant solar systems and spatial anomalies.
“Yes, well…” Grace fidgeted in her chair, her gaze dropping to her lap.
“It’s okay, Grace. I’m dealing with it. Putting three thousand miles between myself and them helps.”
“Out of sight, out of mind?” Grace raised her chin and met Thea’s eyes. “Come on, I know you better than that. You’re hurting.”
Thea exhaled a deep sigh and shrugged. “Guilty as charged.” She glanced over at the large scheduling calendar covering half of one wall in Grace’s office and laughed. The sound hung in the room, echoing with pain and resonating with irony.
“Just think, three weeks ago today my biggest concern was that the rehearsal dinner was getting cold because Steve was off in some corner deconstructing the theory of relativity. I used to dream we’d someday travel to Stockholm to pick up his Nobel Prize.” She leaned forward, propped her elbows on the desk and scowled at her nearly empty mug. “It just never occurred to me that the award would be for causing my world to stop spinning on its axis.”
Grace reached across her desk and patted Thea’s hand. “Trust me. You’re better off finding out the truth before the wedding rather than afterwards.”
“Speaking from experience?”
“More than I like to admit. Maybe I should take some of Trulee’s advice.”
“Get real! If you have any sense, Grace, you’ll let me out of my contract and forget about that third book. Finding Mr. Right? Hooking Mr. Right? I’m a fraud. I don’t know the first thing about how to get a man and keep him. I’m a thirty-two year old sociologist with a lousy track record when it comes to the male species. How can you trust me to write credible books on the subject when I can’t even trust my own judgment where men are concerned?”
Grace shrugged. “Maybe we both need to follow your advice. Others do and swear by your books. Besides, I’m not letting you out of your contract. Trulee Lovejoy is the best thing to happen to this company in years.”
“Trulee Lovejoy.” Thea shook her head. “What was I thinking? How did I ever let you talk me into that awful pseudonym?”
“If I remember correctly, I had a little help from a lady named Margarita. Several ladies named Margarita, actually. Besides, I’m hurt. You insisted on an alias, and I came up with the perfect nom de plume for you. After all, who would you believe when it came to matters of the heart, Dr. Trulee Lovejoy or Dr. Althea Chandler?”
Thea scowled. “Right now I’d suggest you might have better luck with Lassie.”

Paperback vs ebook

I’m getting my paperbacks for Tame A Wild Bride on Monday and I can’t wait. As much as I love my kindle there is still something about a brand new paperback that is magical. Especially when it has my name on it!

I know there are still a lot of people out there who don’t have an ereader and still buy paperback books, though to look at my sales of it you wouldn’t know it. I want to know if are finding the same thing in your sales? Do any of you sell paperback books very well or like me are they mostly a promotional tool?

I give away my paperbacks to contest winners, blog comment winners, as raffle prizes as part of gift baskets. I only sell one or two a month. So given this why do I bother creating them on Create Space when I know I’m not going to sell many?

Because there is nothing like having that book in your hand with your name on it. It is positive proof of you success as an author. We still have that mentality, at least I do, that I need a tangible book for it to be real. I know, it makes no since, since 99.99% of my sales are ebooks. I still own hundreds of paperback and hard cover books. I should give them away. Instead, I’m buying bookshelves to put them out on. Why would I do this when they’ve been in boxes for more than three years and I haven’t missed them?

Because they are books and I love books in all shapes and forms. They may be outdated, most of my treasured books are not in print any more. They are beginning to be released in Kindle format so I’m rebuying them. My paperbacks have such little type that I can’t read them anymore. I know when I design my books I make them with a larger type so that someone like me can read them. I don’t need a large print book yet, but I need something bigger than what they print. Another thing that I love about my kindle is that I can adjust the type size with the push of a button.

But I’ve rattled on here long enough. I’m going to give away a paperback copy (or ebook if you prefer) of my new book Tame A Wild Bride to one lucky commenter who tells me what kind of book, paper or ebook, that you prefer and why. Oh, I’m also giving out a $5 Starbucks card to another lucky commenter, so you have two chances to win.

Procrastination or pantser?

I’m sitting here writing this blog when I should be writing on my next book. I know this. So why do I persist in ignoring my inner voice that tells me to write. Because I don’t know what I’m going to write.

You see, I’m a pantser. So I get stuck easily. I don’t plot because every time I do, I don’t want to write the book anymore because in my mind it’s already been done. I know it doesn’t make sense; it’s just how my mind works.

I’d love to be a plotter, know what the scene is before I write it, know where the book is going. I know the beginning and the end. I write romance. All of my books end with a happily ever after. It would be so much easier. At least that’s what I think, but I know some of my critique partners are plotters and they still struggle with scenes as much as I do. They may have a general idea what the scene should be but not the exact layout of it. Who says what to whom, where they are standing, who else may show up in the scene.

Maybe what they really are is a plantser. In other words a combination of the two. They might have the general idea for all the scenes but no details. They fly with the wind and write the scene and move on to the next one. They might have one line for the scene, i.e. Bob meets Carol, Bob and Carol make love, Bob loses Carol because he won’t admit his feelings for her, Bob discovers he can’t live without Carol, Bob admits his love for her, Carol forgives Bob, they live happily ever after. To me this is a plantser.

Whoops! Got sidetracked again. Just showing my procrastination. Did you ever see the movie UP? In it is a dog who can talk but his attention span is that of a gnat. Any squirrel gets his immediate attention and he says “Squirrel” and takes off after it. That’s me. Squirrel. I’m out chasing after it rather than doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

Ah well. Such is the life of a pantser. I’ll get back to my book and I’ll make my deadline. I always do. Maybe everyone needs some time to procrastinate, to let the story percolate in their minds before they can get it on the page, whether you are a pantser, plotter or plantser.

So what kind of writer are you? Leave me a comment, tell me what you are and why you like writing as pantser, plotter or plantser. I’m giving away a $5 Starbucks card to one lucky commenter and a copy of my latest book, TAME A WILD BRIDE to another.

Adorable Heroes by Marie Higgins

Adorable Heroes

What makes a hero adorable? Is it because he’s good looking? Built like a body-builder? Or is it because he has a funny personality?
Well…I happen to think it’s all the above plus more! If the hero doesn’t know how to treat the heroine – he’s rude to her, doesn’t respect her, doesn’t want to do special things for her – then he isn’t a very good hero, in my opinion. Heroes can start out with faults in the beginning of a story. Let’s face it…nobody is perfect. Right? Stories are about character development. It’s not fun to read about a perfect hero all the way through the story. At least not for me.
When I write a story, I want to make my hero physically attractive, but usually there’s something about him the heroine doesn’t like. Usually it’s because they’re a rogue and the heroines are after a family man.  Regardless, slowly and surely, the hero becomes more adorable in the heroine’s eyes by their actions…by the way they make my heroines laugh…by the way they enjoy a flirtatious conversation. It may be the little things he does to help his family – or hers – or strangers in town.
Several years ago, I started writing a sweet Victorian romance series about three brothers: Nicholas Fielding, Gregg Fielding, and Ian Fielding. I fell in love with all three of these heroes…but it didn’t stop there. They had friends and were involved in their friends’ lives as well – Edmund Knight and Andrew Dean. So, my series soon became a saga – The Fielding Brothers’ Saga. I adore all of these heroes!

 

 

Nicholas Fielding in “Love Me Always” (book 1) – http://amzn.com/B007ZJC2DC
Destined for a lonely life – Nicholas Fielding loves his uncle’s soon-to-be bride, and has loved her since they were children. Now Nick must choose between his dying uncle’s last wish to marry, and the woman who will make Nick happy for the rest of his life. No matter how hard Nick tries, he cannot stop his love for Catherine.

Edmund Knight in “Charmed by Knight” (book 2) – http://amzn.com/B007ZV5Y7Q
Edmund Knight will stop at nothing to take back the deed to his goldmine. When he meets the thief’s daughter, Edmund sets his mind on charming her in order to get back his treasure. Will he find the real treasure beyond his precious gold?

Andrew Dean in “True Love’s Deception” (book 3) – http://amzn.com/B0082R8OEW
Andrew Dean is tired of being the stable help, and jumps at the chance of playing Miss Juliana’s pretend husband. But he doesn’t believe in marriage unless it happens in a church. He hopes Juliana doesn’t discover they are legally married until he can make her fall in love with him. But a secret that has been hidden in his memory for twenty years may just keep them apart.

Ian Fielding in “Belong To Me” (book 4) – http://amzn.com/B0084VC37A
Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Ian Fielding has his hands full with proving his innocence. His wife picks that moment to show up on his doorstep, and he’s forced to take her with him. Matters become more complicated when he becomes unexplainably attracted to her. The timing couldn’t be more inconvenient. When the couple take refuge in an old castle own by a recluse beastly lord, they soon become aware that the owner has plans of his own.

Gregory Fielding in “Love Comes Blindly” (book 5) – http://amzn.com/B0086K791O
Gregory Fielding has been wounded when he travels to Scotland to find the next big story for his London newspaper. Now blinded, he relies on the soft, comforting touch of one of the nurses at St. Mary’s Abbey. He thinks she’s a novice, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to give her his heart.

(add book trailer here) Check out the book trailer for my saga – http://youtu.be/998Pgly_BuA

Tell me what kind of hero do you love to read about? Leave a comment with your email address to win a PDF copy of “Love Me Always” (book 1).

Marie Higgins is a multi-published author of romance; from refined bad-boy heroes who makes your heart melt to the feisty heroines who somehow manage to love them regardless of their faults. Visit her website / blog to discover more about her – http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com

 

An Interview with Rachel Firasek

Please help me welcome Rachel to my blog. Give her lots of comments and you get entry into a prize drawing.

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

I write paranormal romance, erotic romance, and am dabbling with some contemporary romance, but I’m pubbed in both para and erotic. I like my para rom for the worlds I can esc ape to. The creatures follow my rules, and I’m the dictator in their lands, lol. Erotic romance I write for a much more personal reason—I think it’s the absolute most basic truth in life.

What move best describes your life? Why?

My life is boring chaos, so maybe Bridesmaids—yeah, I’m that girl. I’m a little hardwired to be different. I think it frustrates those that love me. I’m sure they’d like it if I followed the same path as everyone else—at least every once in a while.  But, for the most part it is boring. We go to work, we come home, I write, hubby finds some way to entertain the teens…or just hides from them. It’s pretty normal.

How has your experience with self-publishing been?

Hmmm…self-pubbing has been a lot of hard work, and as of yet, it hasn’t really shown to be any more beneficial that traditional. I’m sure that’ll change as I gain more works beneath my belt. I do like the total control, but then I also hate it. It’s nice to have someone take the responsibility out of your hands every once in a while.

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

Hire an editor. Readers are smart. Book reviewers and critics, even more so. Don’t insult them by polishing your work, thinking it’s “good enough” and throwing it out there.

Do you have critique partners?

My critique partners change quite often, but yes, I always have them. And sometimes I use a crit partner on one project but not the next. I try to find people that I can match skills to book. And sometime I already know where my biggest problem is, so I’ll ask a crit partner that is awesome in that area to help me out.

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

Oh, this is easy. It’s emotion. I’m not an overly emotional person and if you ask my friends, I’m not always the most empathic, so it’s difficult to really put myself in a situation and understand what those emotions should be.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park?

Hmmm… A little of both. I will admit that it happened a lot faster than I thought it would or maybe even that it should, but I’m glad it did. I had a great editor that took a chance on me and taught me so much with that first pub. If it’s too easy, I don’t trust it.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like?
My writing space is a 4’ wide by 6’ long nook. I have three bookshelves and a desk crammed into this little hole. It’s usually mostly tidy—my teen daughter doesn’t let me get too out of hand (she has OCD.) I do have a view. We own 26 acres of beautiful, river country, Texas land. In the spring it’s vivacious and green, and in the summer its burnt. Yeah, I know that’s not a color, but it’s the truth. Oh, and there is a tank directly behind my pc. 

Title: Creating Fate
(An Unspun Novella, #1)

Author: Rachel Firasek
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella
Release Date: July 10, 2012

She gave away her heart…

Giving her heart to a mortal wasn’t something the First Fate planned. Losing him nearly shattered her soul. Upon his death, Clothos swore never to love—or weave life—again. Hoping she’ll change her mind before it’s too late, Zeus commands the spinner of life to take a much needed vacation from her immortal responsibilities.

He had to hide his…

Dane is close to cracking the drug ring he’s spent the last two years infiltrating, but needs to perform one last heist to meet the head man and prevent an impending war. An undercover agent, he’s now on the run from drug lords, thieves and with the very woman whose tears make him forget his purpose.

Together they’ll find a way back from the dark.

Chloe will have to put her trust in the man walking the same path as the murderers that killed her fiance, or face an eternity on Earth. Without the desire for life, hope could slip through the cracks of time if he doesn’t love away her sorrow.

About the Author:
Rachel Firasek grew up in the south and despite the gentle pace, she harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature, and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairytales, before she settled on a blending of the two.
Today you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments of bad 80’s dance moves.
She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and lights the shadows… or at www.rachelfirasek.com .

https://twitter.com/#!/RachelFirasek
https://www.facebook.com/RachelFirasekAuthor
https://www.rachelfirasek.blogspot.com
ADD TO CREATING FATE TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR HERE!

An Interview with Vicki Batman

Please help me welcome Vicki to my blog by leaving her lots of comments. Don’t forget that if you leave a comment you are entered in the prize drawing.

How did you get started writing? A friend posed a question in a game and I took it to heart. Two days later, I’d written eight chapters. She said to keep going. Since I follow directions well, I did.

What genre(s) do you write in and why? I write sexy and funny romantic short fiction. The easy answer is it just came to me!

What movie best describes your life? Why? Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. It’s the trials and tribulations of remodeling, and more about one’s past and future.

What inspired your latest story? I just submitted one based on a little black dress episode and Handsome’s reaction.

What is your favorite part of writing? It’s exciting to get the first draft of any and everything down.

What is your least favorite part of writing? promotion

What is your next project and when will it be released? Store Wars will be available August 2012 from MusieItUp Publishing.

What is your typical day like? I work out, clean up, and sit down at the computer until five-ish. Toss in some errands mid-day.

How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you? About an hour plus. I haven’t a clue yet what works best. I believe word of mouth is the best kind of promotion. I mean, truly, how does one find their plumber?

How has your experience with self-publishing been? Not truly self-published.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories? Handsome has been a great source. He says hilarious stuff. My head goes BING!!! And I have to write it down. Other times, it’s just as simple as a word and saying I’m going to write a story about this.

Do you have critique partners? Absolutely. And they have made me better.
What is your favorite dessert/food? There’s a lot–good queso and chips; Hershey’s chocolate with toffee bits; strawberry cake.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book? They have a good chance.

What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why? Emotion, especially the falling in love part. It is important to get the stages . Linda Howard has a good talk on this.

Was your road to publication fraught with peril or a walk in the park? Peril, I guess. I wrote three books and nada. Not in the right place at the right time. Wrote a short story and three years later, have sold twenty-one.

Do you have a view in your writing space? What does your space look like? I sit at a desk with special stacks. Desk top in one corner. A lamp fashioned from a silver pitcher. Sticky notes lined up in front of the monitor. Monitor with a sound bar (love it!). Mechanical pencils. A diet Coke.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader? I read a lot of mystery, romantic suspense, romance.

Has your muse always known what genre you would write and be published in? Probably more than me. My funny stuff gets a lot of laughs.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book. Me? I’m an ordinary ol’ gal.

Here’s a BIO:

Like some of her characters, Vicki has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything gal” at a financial services firm. The list is…endless.

Born in Dallas, a graduate of Texas Tech, she is married to Handsome, has two big boys, an attention-demanding cat, and two adorable poopies.

She has completed three manuscripts, written essays, and sold many short stories. She is a member of RWA, and the DARA, Elements, and RWA-WF chapters. In 2004, she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010.

Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking “What if??”

Store Wars features Janie and Fletcher, once a couple. Janie’s heart’s desire is to open her own store, but that could be thwarted when her old love is back in town, running the competition’s business.

Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not? I use Batman. I married a superhero and rarely is that last name forgotten. LOLOL

What are you currently working on? A new Christmas story. Another short story collection. And I have six things waiting on my computer for the right spot.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors? Persevere, work hard, don’t let others define you.

What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? At one point, a teacher. In college, a department store buyer. I began writing poetry at age nine. I evolved.

Do you or have you belonged to a writing organization? Which one? Have the helped you with your writing? How? I belong to RWA and several chapters–DARA, Elements, RWAWF. Savvy Authors. Plotting Princesses. Yahoo groups. Oh my, the support they bring to the table! And the friendships are awesome.

When did you start writing toward publication? I began eight years ago.

Why have you become a published author? Honestly, once I began my book, it felt natural to continue.

Do you have any rejection stories to share? The worst one for me came from a contest. A judge wrote “Why are you writing?” I took the comment to mean my writing is terrible. And cried. I told my friends who were supportive and listened. Two days later, I gave myself a pep talk and determined no one will be defining me. A year and a half later, that manuscript took third in a contest.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing? Each sale is a pure treat.

What’s next for you? I’d love to sell my romantic mystery and am hoping my magazine submission’s are bought. Then, there’s short stories I haven’t sold and will this next year.

Excerpt from “Store Wars:”

“This stuff is crap.” I ran a finger along the edge of a faux-finished table parked inside the store’s entryway, flicking more than a hint of dust from my fingertip. My best girlfriend, Tracy, and I were scoping out the competition in the Sommerville Historic District, one of which was Tejas Souvenirs owned by an old flame’s mom. So far, no business we’d visited had measured up. The other stores all looked…tacky touristy.

I walked through to the next section, thoroughly disgusted with what lay before me. This store needed major first aid. No quality merchandise anywhere. The overpowering scents of vanilla and cinnamon from the cheap candles loaded on another table top caused me to have a major sneezing fit.

Tracy passed a tissue. “Janie, need this?”

“T’anks.” I stuffed the used wad in my pant’s front pocket, praying the urge to let loose again would bypass. “Why in the world is a huge candle display by the front door, assaulting a customer when he-slash-she walks in? I can’t be the only one who’s allergic. And look…” I pointed to the section at the top of four steps, “room diffusers up there. Another brand of candles over there. And yes, people, let’s combine those with scented bath products. A whole lotta stinky people and stinky homes are out there in the big wide world.”

Tracy scribbled notes as I surreptitiously took pictures of the store’s contents. “Undoubtedly,” she said in a hushed tone. “So what else turns you off?”

In one corner, imitation leather purses embellished with rhinestone crowns had been stacked on a glass and chrome shelving unit. Cheap, gemstone bracelets decorated a nearby display stand. I pointed to a shirt rack and said in a soft voice, “I’d never wear these clothes.”

With a frown, Tracy cupped her mouth. “Me, neither. They’re aimed for the nighttime crowd—if you catch my drift.”

“I do. Yuck.” Taking in the whole enchilada, I stopped when I spied the jean-clad backside of a male employee sweeping the floor. God, I hope he hadn’t heard us. I steered Tracy aside and whispered, “We’ll have no problems with Twinkle Toes succeeding in the Depot District. Even better than the mall.”

“I agree. Let’s split up, take mental notes, and meet out front in fifteen minutes.”

I peeled off to the left, and she went to the right. The man cleaning glanced over his shoulder and straightened. “May I help you?”

Instantly, my body froze like an icicle. It couldn’t be— Could it? Fletcher? As in my once upon a time boyfriend, Fletcher Babcock? When had he abandoned the bright lights of Big D and return to Sommerville?

Find Vicki at:
Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/VickiBatman
Twitter: @VickiBatman
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatman/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Vicki-Batman/e/B005AY5ZN8/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1342561369&sr=1-2-ent

Find “Store Wars” at:
MuseItUp Publishing: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?keyword=vicki+batman&Itemid=1&option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse