Please help me welcome Paisley Kirkpatrick to my blog today. Paisley is giving away a copy of her book Night Angel to one lucky commentor so be sure and leave her a comment.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

Scotland would be my choice — anywhere in the Highlands would be an answer to a dream. My Mother’s family migrated from Scotland to the States several generations ago. While I was sitting in a boat on Loch Ness, I knew I’d come home. The feeling of familiarity on my first trip to Scotland has never left me. I choose Scots as my heroes, I get subscriptions to Scottish magazines, belong to a Celtic Hearts online chapter, and my addiction is Gerard Butler.

Do you have other talents?

My hobby is sewing. Over the past ten years, I’ve made and given away 33 quilts. Most of them have been crib size, made from bright colors and child prints of flannels. The others have keepsake photos on them, book covers, and favorite entertainers. Lately I’ve started making small pillows with print pillowcases. With all the hours we spend in front of a computer, they are perfect to fit behind your back or neck. On occasion I make tote bags. I’ve found that taking a break from the computer rests my eyes and gives my muse a chance to rebuild.

What inspired your latest book?

My great, great grandfather Charles Kirkpatrick came across the country in 1849. He kept a journal of the journey and it was so well written that it is kept under glass in the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. My Mother was able to get a copy of the journal and I found it so interesting that I used a lot of information he shared in this story.

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

September, 2013, is release date for the third book in the Paradise Pines Series: Forever After. Used as a wager in a poker game, Marinda Benjamin’s life is drawn into a devious scheme of adventure and revenge. She acquiesces to her blackmailing boss’s demands and takes a maid’s job at the Braddock farm knowing full well she is expected to spy on Dr. Braddock. Her father’s life and care of her ailing mother depend on whether she cooperates with the hateful banker and retrieves files on a fraudulent insurance scheme. When Ethan Braddock discovers her cleaning his medical office and realizes from the first that she is the pawn of his arch enemy, he gives her a chance to prove herself. Marinda survives being shanghaied and after a long journey ends up in San Francisco with Ethan. She is provided an opportunity to reclaim her self-esteem by providing the proof to have him jailed.

How does your family feel about your writing career?

I am so lucky to have the full support of my husband and daughter. Sometimes I think hubby is more excited about promoting my books than I am. He passes out postcards with my story information everywhere he goes. My daughter and I have lunch every Thursday and we brainstorm my story. I appreciate getting her input and am amazed at how many writer’s blocks she has crushed.

Do you have critique partners?

I am so blessed with my critique partners. They’ve been patient beyond words in helping me to learn the ins and outs of the writing world. I know they’ve been integral in me getting published. Recently I’ve found my first male CP and the lessons he’s given me in writing the male point of view are invaluable to me. He’s also pushed me into reading different genres and expanded my interests for new kinds of stories and characters.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am definitely a pantser. In fact, I love my characters to tell me their story and help me write it. Unfortunately, I find if I am doing something they are not happy with, they stop talking. There is nothing worse than a quiet muse. I’ve found that plying them with music from Phantom of the Opera brings them around fairly quickly. Of course, realizing what I am doing wrong and rectifying the problem helps a lot, too.

Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.

Tom Selleck came to mind when I created Chase, the wagon train scout. He just seemed to fill the role of protector, hunter, scout, and blood brother to a Sioux. He is used to giving orders and having them obeyed. Then, this sassy young woman walks into his life full of bluster and opinions of her own. He has to learn to have more patience than he is used to having and keep her and the other emigrants alive on the trail west.

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

Darrah is running from the betrayal of three men and is holding onto her heart as tight as she can when she makes a marriage bargain to wed the scout in name only to enable her to join the wagon train. The scout can’t understand why she would put herself into such a position, but she knows to return home as a failure wasn’t in her best interest. She has few trail skills, but learns how to keep up with the others on the westward trail.

What genres are you drawn to as a reader?

I have always enjoyed reading historicals and also prefer to write them. We live in the Sierra Mountains and history from the 1849 gold rush surrounds us. My grandparents also lived in gold country and we spent a lot of time exploring all of the old gold mining sites. Historicals set in Scotland are also favorites of mine.

Do you write under a pen name? Why or why not? How did you choose it?

I do write under a pen name because I liked the one I chose and it moved me up in the alphabet quite a few notches. Kirkpatrick is my Mother’s family name and Paisley is an old town in Scotland that not only was the birth place of one of my great, great grandfathers but was one of our favorite places to explore in Scotland.

EXCERPT FOR MARRIAGE BARGAIN:

He tossed his hat near the heat and raked his fingers through dark, tangled curls before he got up and rummaged through his saddlebag. He returned and handed her a pistol. “Here, if it’ll make you feel more secure take this for protection. You could scream, but I doubt anyone would come to your defense out here.”
She held the barrel of the gun between her thumb and index finger. After a fleeting examination, she handed it back. “Umm, no thank you. I don’t feel that threatened.”
He put the weapon in his saddlebag. This time he returned holding a knife. “How about my Bowie knife?” he said, grinning.
She stared at the twelve-inch blade and bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. He was being absolutely charming. “You’re a tease. The thing is so large you could gut a buffalo with it.”
He let out a deep, exaggerated sigh. “Well then, this is all I have left.” He hunkered down and pulled a four-inch knife from his boot. “You might keep it for your peace of mind.”
Darrah accepted the weapon. “This one’s more my size, but I don’t have experience using a knife of any length. Would you mind showing me the proper place to stick a blade this short? If I must protect myself, I’d prefer to inflect the most damage possible with the first thrust.”
His right brow quirked. “For my own preservation, I think not.” He slid the Bowie knife inside his saddlebag and stripped off his wet shirt, tossing it next to the campfire.
Frozen in fascination, she couldn’t tear her gaze from the mass of dark curls covering his tanned, brawny chest. He is handsome in a rugged sort of way she had to admit.
He sat next to her and tugged off his boots. “The offer’s still open. You can shed the wet skirt and crawl under my fur with me.” His mouth eased into a dimpled grin. “I can guarantee you’ll not be cold anymore.”

BIO:

Discovering that riding off into the sunset was a lot easier on a computer screen than in real life, not to mention those saddle burns, Paisley Kirkpatrick began her career as an author. Hiding in the Sierra Mountain Range of California with her husband of 44 years, Paisley Kirkpatrick spends her time roping in the cowpoke of her dreams, or can be found wandering the streets of California’s gold rush towns to find inspiration for her books. She might not have found gold in them there hills, but she did find a love for the old west and the prickling of the stories that make up her Paradise Pines series.
Drawing on family history and a healthy imagination, Paisley kicks off her wild ride on a dusty trail with Night Angel. Don’t worry your little heads, though. It’s the first of many adventures in a time when men were men, and women knew how to put them in their place. If you love your cowboys rugged with a sensitive side, and your heroines with enough fire to light up the western sky, you’ve got a home waiting in Paradise Pines. Just be sure to bring a six-shooter because the Lady Paisley aims for the heart, and when she fires, she never misses.

Website link http://www.paisleykirkpatrick.com/
Buy links:
Not available at this time for Marriage Bargain
Night Angel:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Pines-Book-One-ebook/dp/B00909PON0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362274363&sr=1-1&keywords=paisley+kirkpatrick
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paradise-pines-book-one-paisley-kirkpatrick/1112576086?ean=2940014889667

Please help me welcome Debra Holland to my blog today. Debra is giving one lucky commentor a Smashwords coupon for her book Sower of Dreams.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be, and why?

I’d live in Great Britain in a big old manor house. I feel an affinity for the country, as if I’ve lived many lifetimes there. Since I’d also want a sunny climate, I’d have a house in Hawaii as well. I love the ocean and being able to swim every day.

I live in Southern California and could swim in the ocean every day, but much of the year it’s too cold. And our beaches aren’t as pretty as Hawaii.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer?

I have other careers WHILE I’m a writer.  I’m a psychotherapist and a corporate crisis/grief counselor. I also teach martial arts. However, due to the success of my books, I’ve cut back on my psychotherapy practice and the crisis counseling so I have more time to write.

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

I write in several different genres because I like reading romance, fantasy, and science fiction. So I write sweet Western historical romance, fantasy romance, and science fiction romance.

I also write nonfiction. I have a book on grief—The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving—and am working on a book on boundary setting with difficult people.

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite?

I have six fiction books, one novella, and one collection of short Christmas stories. I also have one nonfiction book.

Tell us about your current series/WIP.

I’m finishing up Harvest of Dreams, which is the third book in The Gods’ Dream Trilogy. It has a lot of characters, including the heroes and heroines from the first books, and Gods and Goddesses. It’s proving to be a long and complicated (and thus frustrating) book to write. Sometimes I want to throw it out the window (which would probably destroy my laptop.) But I have fans who are eagerly waiting for the book, so I can’t give up on them. The thought of them keeps me going.

What inspired your latest book?

The Gods’ Dream Trilogy started out as a short story that I wrote to submit to Andre Norton’s Witch World anthologies. But she wasn’t doing them any more. So I changed the details of the story to make it my own world. Then I made the story into a novella, expanded it to a short book, then into a longer book, then to a trilogy. It’s the story that never stopped growing! (Still hasn’t. Harvest of Dreams is getting longer and longer…) The first book is Sower of Dreams, and Andre read it and gave me a critique. Then she endorsed the book. It was probably one of the last endorsements she gave before she died.

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

I’m writing some Montana Sky novellas with Caroline Fyffe. We’re doing a mail order bride series, and my brides go to my Western town of Sweetwater Springs, and her brides go to the towns from her books. We hope to have them out by the end of April.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories?

I will read, hear, or see something that will spark an idea. Then I keep playing with it until I have characters and a story. For example, while writing Montana Sky Christmas, my collection of Christmas stories, I was on a trail run through the hills with some friends. We jogged by an elderly man, and one woman said, “That man is known for always wearing red socks.”

We ran on, and I kept thinking, red socks, red socks…perfect for a Christmas story. By the halfway point, I figured out my hero was a cowboy who always wore red socks and why. On the way back, I figured out the heroine and the plot. Sure made that four-mile run much easier when I had my mind on the story! That idea became, Red Stockings for Christmas.

Something wonderful and unexpected about self-publishing is how it has opened up my creativity. I had a long stretch where my agent couldn’t sell my novels (they weren’t sexy enough.) Discouraged, I switched to writing nonfiction. I’d get ideas for stories and think, “It takes too long to write a book that doesn’t sell.” So I’d squash the idea. Now I have so many ideas, I’ll be writing for years.

What is your typical day like?

I don’t have a typical day, although I have typical weeks. Monday, Wednesday, Friday I take a women’s fitness bootcamp in the mornings. Tuesday and Thursday, I teach karate in the mornings. I write with a friend at her house on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for two and a half hours. I see counseling clients in my office on Tuesdays until late at night. I take a nap every day because I have hypothyroidism and my brain shuts off until I rest. I’ll usually work on the books in the evening.

Of course the schedule explodes when a crisis job occurs. I drop everything to drive to the company that has had a death, accident, robbery, or anything that upsets the employees.

How does your family feel about your writing career?

I’m not married and don’t have children. The rest of my family is thrilled. My mom is my best sales person. She carries around postcards of my books and tells everyone about them.

Of course, my family is benefiting from my extra income. I have three lovely nieces, and I love taking them shopping or out for a special event like going to the theatre. I’ll be able to help with my oldest niece’s college tuition when she goes to school next year. We’ll know in a few weeks if she gets into USC, my alma mater. I can also help other family members when there is a need. What a blessing!

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

I do very little promotion. Sometime I’ll write a blog or guest blog. But I’ve found if I’m doing promotion, I’m not writing. I’ve also found that the very best promotion I can do is publish another book.

In the last four months, I’ve become more active on Facebook, but mostly because it’s sort of fun. 

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

Don’t give up!!! Keep learning your craft. Keep writing. Enter contests for feedback, so you can see what you still need to work on.

Rejection is very discouraging. Believe me, I have a stack of rejection letters. However, it’s a whole new world of publishing, and writers have some amazing opportunities.

My one mistake was to let discouragement stop me from writing fiction for about four years. I would have had more books to self-publish if I’d kept writing stories as well as work on the nonfiction.

I NEVER dreamed I’d have the success I do today, that I’d make a USA Today list, have a book designated by Amazon as a Top 50 Greatest Love Story, that I’d make three times as much as a writer than I do as a psychotherapist. Wow!

EXCERPT

Dream threads wrapped around Daria, tugging her away from Seagem to an unfamiliar place.

She stood on a hilly desert, gritty beige sand under her bare feet. Overhead, a yellow sun blazed in an arching azure sky. The starkness of the color dried the air from her lungs, making her lightheaded.

Then she saw darkness stain the horizon behind him. A clear warning of danger swept through her othersense. She lowered her hand and backed away.

Then the dream threads unraveled. Daria slept on, dreamless.

Sower Amazon buylink: http://amzn.com/B005FA30V6

BIO

USA Today Bestselling author Debra Holland is a three-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist and one time winner. She’s the author of The Montana Sky Series, sweet historical Western romance, which she self-published as ebooks. In her first year, she had 97,000 sales, made the USA Today list with Wild Montana Sky, and sold Wild Montana Sky and Starry Montana Sky to Amazon Montlake. In February of 2013, Amazon selected Starry Montana Sky as one of the Top 50 Greatest Love Stories.

Debra is also the author of The Gods’ Dream Trilogy (fantasy romance.) She has a nonfiction book, The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving from Alpha Books (a subsidiary of Penguin).

She has a free ebooklet available on her website, http://drdebraholland.com: 58 Tips for Getting What You Want From a Difficult Conversation.

Painted Montana Sky is her latest novella.

Please help me welcome Jill James to my blog today. Jill has a new book, Love in the Time of Zombies, coming out soon and you get to see the cover here first. Also, Jill will be giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commentor, so be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win.

Tell us about yourself. I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. In the fifth grade we were given titles and had to write short stories. I still remember The Runaway Chevrolet and The Peanut Butter Airplane. LOL I hope my titles are a little better these days. I write under the pseudonym, Jill James because my husband is a cop and we like to protect our safety. I live in beautiful Northern California with my husband, two grown children with significant others, and one Brainy Grandson.

Have you had other careers before becoming a writer? Yes, I was a junior accountant with a tax firm and Accounts Receivable with a trucking company until I was rescued by my future husband to be a stay-at-home mom, wife, and writer.

What genre(s) do you write in and why? I have learned to never say never in regards to my writing. I used to say I would never write contemporary romance. Oops! I have a novel and a series in that subgenre. I used to say I would never write in first person. Oops again! I’m writing an urban fantasy in first person right now. I write contemporary and paranormal romance. It will probably always be romance, my favorite. I’m a sap for a happily ever after.

How many books have you written? Do you have a favorite? I have five published books. 1 almost at the publishing stage. And one under the bed never to be seen completed manuscript. My favorite is Dangerous Shift. That is truly the book of my heart. It wrote itself. I wrote 50,000 of its 76,000 words in two weeks.

Tell us about your current series/WIP. My current WIP is a soon to be published urban fantasy; Love in the Time of Zombies. Emily Gray is a rich, neglected wife in San Francisco until the day the Z virus took away all she knew and loved. She discovers her purpose, her power, her strength in the days that follow. She also learns of what love really is with Seth Ripley, a truck-driving poet. Love in the Time of Zombies should be out by the end of March.

What inspired your latest book? I’ve been on a zombie reading/watching kick for about 18 months. I seen good and I’ve seen bad. I believe if you can have zombies after your flesh, baddies after your limited resources, and living with just your wits and skills, and you can find love, how hard can it be in the normal world. Your own someone special is out there, go find them.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories? Most of my stories start as dreams. My dreams are mostly like films that run all night long. When I wake up I have a whole story ready to be on paper or computer screen, as it may be.

How has your experience with self-publishing been? As a whole, it has been great. I love getting the book covers I want, writing the story the way I want it told, and knowing that I have control of my future.

What advice do you have for other authors wanting to self-publish? It will be a roller-coaster ride. Some days you will dance with happiness over 1 sale and some days you will bang head to desk because of some mix-up that made your book unavailable during a massive promotion.

What was the hardest thing you’ve found in the process of self-publishing? What was the easiest part of self-publishing? The hardest part has been making my own deadlines. It is too easy to say “Oh, I’ll just add another week, even though I told everyone it would be out this week.” The easiest part has been learning formatting (I do my own. Print and eBook). It started out hard but I did computer programming in college and although none of those programs are used any longer, the skills are still there.

What advice can you offer to anyone deciding to self-publish? Learn. Learn. Learn. Listen to anyone who is already doing it. Try doing it yourself. Learn what you can and can not do. Learn what you want and don’t want to do.

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book? Very likely. I will use friends’ last names or first if I really like the name, but not their personalities. I will use conversations I overhear at Panera Bread or Starbuck’s where I write. If you tell me a funny story, be warned: it could end up in a book.

What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why? Hands down, conflict. I live in a family with an abundance of alpha males. I hate conflict. So it is really hard for me to add that element to my stories. I have to really work to have conflict and to resolve it realistically. Because my answer is to cry and walk away. 🙂

Are you a plotter or a pantser? A total anal-retentive, plotlines, plotting charts, white boards, index cards, plotter. The more, the better.

How far do you plan ahead? I usually plot out the planned books for the coming years. It can change from time to time if some opportunity comes up. But toward the end of one year I will plan the next.

Website: http://www.jilljameswrites.com
Blog: http://jilljames.wordpress.com/blog
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jill_james
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Jill.James.author

Please help me welcome Terry Blain to my blog today. Terry is generously giving a $10 Amazon ebook certificate to one lucky commentor, so be sure and leave a comment to be entered into the drawing.

What is your favorite part of writing?

The best part of writing? When you feel the story coming together, you really know your characters, and the story seems easy to write. I like writing the first draft, but I do a lot of character studies and storyboarding/plotting before I start the ms.

What is your least favorite part of writing?

Actually getting my butt in the chair and my fingers on the key board. I really like the writing process once I get there, but getting there? Just getting started each day can be a pain. I remember when I first started writing, one of the published authors said she knew she was avoiding getting started when she decided to pluck her eyebrows instead. So guess it not such an odd thing to have getting started the hardest part. Weird, huh?

What does your space look like?

I have an office and when I sold my first book, I bought a desk and several book cases. I don’t have a view from my office (so I don’t spend time looking and not writing). I’m surrounded by books, a big shelf of romance, several book cases full of research books for stories I’ve written and for stories I’d like to write. Collages for the historicals, and a bulletin board with anything I find interesting. Of course the computer and printer. Sorta an organized clutter.

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on another contemporary western.

Do you have any rejection stories to share?

My first rejection was for a historical romance (later published as Kentucky Green). The editor said “Your writing took me to another time and another place, I found you hero and heroine realistic and sympathic,” (and by this time I’m hearing the ‘but’ coming) so the editor continued “I took it to the senior editor (another ‘but’ coming?) and the senior editor liked it”, BUT (knew it was coming) “Marketing said ‘no’”’ as Kentucky Green is set in 1794, and marketing didn’t know what to do with it.
So I did write down the good things she said – to remind me that I should keep writing. Then the next historical ms. (Colorado Silver, Colorado Gold set in 1880s) I wrote was in a more ‘market friendly’ era. There is something to learn from every rejection, so now I write in both historical and contemporary setting.

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

My local San Diego chapter of RWA has been a big help and I’ve been a member for over twenty years. Those early years gave me a foundation in craft through workshops as well information on the business of writing. The actual writing, learning the craft came from my critique groups. In my first one, none of us were published, but we wrote and the critiqued each other every week. Then one of our long time published authors gave an eight week workshop attended by ten to twelve of us. Out of that class, we formed a new critique group, at that time all of us unpublished. Now that we’re all published, we morphed into a plotting group – which is where the New Year’s Eve Club novellas came from. If you’re in the right critique group, you’ve got the best learning tool and the best support group you can have.

Tell us a little about yourself and your latest book

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a large Midwestern family with a rich oral tradition hearing stories of ancestor s adventures with Indians, wild life, weather and frontier life in general. This gave me a love history leading to a BA and MA in History and teaching American History and Western Civilization at the community college. So the first books I wrote were historical. However, my latest novella, Sarah’s Cowboy, is a contemporary romance, part of The New Year’s Eve Club.

What inspired your latest book?

Remember when you were young and single and had an idea of that perfect guy you were looking for? Then life happens. The idea for The New Year’s Club series came from a friend of Jill’s and Teresa suggested we do a series of novellas. Our brainstorming/plotting group gets together one or two times a year to work on individual stories, but last year on one of our weekends we plotted all five stories, making sure they mashed and how they would overlap while keeping each story unique. My novella, Sarah’s Cowboy is about a practical school teacher who decides she wants a little adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a stuntman on a western film set.

BIO

Terry Irene Blain was lucky enough to grow up in a large Midwestern family with a rich oral tradition. As a child she heard stories of ancestors’ adventures with Indians, wildlife, weather and frontier life in general, so she naturally gravitated to the study of history and completed a BA and MA then taught the subject at the college level. Married to a sailor, now retired, she’s had the chance to live in various parts of the United States as well as travel to foreign places such as Hong Kong, Australia, England and Scotland. She currently writes historical and contemporary romance novels set in the American West.

This novella, Sarah’s Cowboy is part of The New Year’s Eve Club series, https://www.facebook.com/TheNewYearsEveClub

Please help me welcome Devon Ellington to my blog today. She will be giving away a copy of the book, and also a copy of her short romantic comedy/fantasy “Just Jump in and Fly” (under the Ava Dunne name). So be sure and leave her a comment.

Tell us about your current series.
The book releasing today is OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK, the second Jain Lazarus Adventure. HEX-BREAKER, the first book in the series, introduced Jain Lazarus, a hex breaker, who arrives on the set of an indie film to help out some friends having a problem with odd things happening. As the events escalate, Wyatt East, a local detective, steps in. When Jain decapitates a marauding zombie — who used to be a crew member — things get tense between them, but their attraction to each other and affinity for each other just keep growing.

OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK is told from Wyatt’s POV. It takes place a few months after HEX BREAKER, and the events of the short stories “The Possession of Nattie Filmore” and “First Feet” happen in between the two books. Jain disappears after a romantic weekend away with Wyatt, and he becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance — especially since he was the prime suspect in his family’s deaths years before. In spite of that, one of Jain’s employers hires Wyatt to bypass the paranormal investigative techniques that haven’t found her, and locate her via good, old-fashioned detective work. Along the way there are shape-shifting wolf and coyote packs, a pair of paranormally talented runaways teens, a cantankerous mermaid, and we find out a lot more about both their pasts.

Billy Root, who was a minor character in HEX BREAKER and turned out to be fan favorite with his own fan base (and now, his own blog), is not in this book, but the third book in the series, CRAVE THE HUNT, is mostly from his POV, so his fans have something to look forward to!

How likely are people you meet to end up in your next book?
I often joke that people who annoy me wind up meeting interesting ends in my books! 😉 Seriously, though, as a writer, everything we experience on any level is inspiration, so anyone who crosses our path fits the bill. However, when I do my job properly as a writer, the character evolves away from the inspiration and becomes a unique individual. By the time the book is done, there’s very little of the original person left, and the character is viable on his/her own.

Do you prefer to read in the same genres you write in or do you avoid reading that genre? Why?
I write in several genres. When I’m working on, say, urban fantasy, I read in mystery or non-fiction. If I’m writing a mystery, I’ll read fantasy. I prefer not to read in the genre I’m writing in at the moment. I like to be able to step away from the work and take a breath by reading. Since I’m a paid reviewer, that doesn’t always work — I have to read what I’m assigned. But I like to read as kind of a palette cleanser, so the reading and the writing genres are separate.

I like to read outstanding authors across genre lines and break down how they use structure, revealing character detail, etc., because one never stops learning, and one always strives to make the next book better than the previous one.

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring authors?
Sit your butt in that chair every day and write. Don’t make excuses. There’s no such thing as “no time to write”. If you have “no time” to write, it means you don’t WANT to write. Writing is a choice. Not writing is a choice. Both have consequences, and you are responsible for either choice.

Do you or have you belonged to a writing organization? Which one? Have the helped you with your writing? How?
I’ve belonged to several organizations over the years, some useful, some not. For me, the most life-changing is PEN — the international work they do to make the world a better place is amazing, and their World Voices Festival has changed my life for the better every time I’ve attended. As writers, it is our responsibility to entertain and to sow the seeds of positive change. In other countries, the power of the word is either revered or feared, and there are huge consequences to using words. We need to remember and honor that. Genre fiction is a wonderful place to explore social issues and imbalances, when it’s done well.

I was recently named to the Board of Directors of one of my other favorite organizations, the Cape Cod Writers Center. That’s a truly amazing place, and the way it supports and encourages writers at all stages of their careers is really beautiful. I’m excited to be a part of their growth. Their August conference is the best I’ve ever attended.

A good writing organization will offer a supportive environment that gives tough love when necessary, but doesn’t leave any participant as though they’re not “enough” of anything. A good organization has networking and promotional opportunities, but more than that, the best organizations show you new ways to view the world and communicate it effectively to your readership. They encourage growth in community.

What is your writing routine like?
Every day is different, thank goodness, or I’d be in a different line of work!

Mornings are fairly regulated. Up early, yoga, meditation, feed the cats, make the coffee, write my first 1000 words of the day. After that, I blog, check email, and switch back and forth on the contracted, deadlined projects, and work with my students. Since I make my living writing — it IS my day job — I can’t afford, on any level, not to show up and do the work every day, just like anyone else with a job. I’m lucky that I love my job.

I usually run errands and/or have client meetings in the late morning, early afternoon, then go back and do another writing or editing session in the afternoon. I’m getting better about logging off at a reasonable hour and keeping evenings for families and friends.

Of course, if there’s a tight deadline, you do whatever it takes to get it done. If it means getting up earlier or pulling an all-nighter, that’s what you do. I try to stay on top of everything so those are rare, but sometimes several good opportunities land in your lap at once, and you can’t drop any of the balls. So, I’m tired for a few days. But it’s all worth it in the end.

What’s next for you?
Working on the third book in the Jain Lazarus series, CRAVE THE HUNT. HEX BREAKER, the first book, was entirely from Jain’s POV. OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK, the second book in the series that released today, is in Wyatt’s POV. CRAVE THE HUNT alternates between Billy’s POV and Jain’s. The fourth book in the series, LOVE AND FURY, will either be entirely in Jain’s POV, or alternate Jain and Wyatt. I’m also working on an aviation mystery set in the 1940s, and a mystery set in a marine life hospital. I work with the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, and they’re so inspiring I wanted to set something in that environment. I’ve got several short pieces out under various names, and a couple of novels out in the pipeline — I’ll be sure to let you know what hits and where it lands!

Bio:
Devon Ellington is a full-time writer, who publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction, and teaches writing all over the world. Her Jain Lazarus Adventures are handled by Solstice Publishing (http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com) and her romantic suspense novel, ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT (as Annabel Aidan) is out with Champagne Books. “Sea Diamond”, featuring Fiona Steele, is included in the DEATH SPARKLES anthology, released in Fall 2012. She’s published hundreds of stories, articles, speeches, and scripts throughout her career. Visit her blog on the writing life, Ink in My Coffee (http://devonellington.wordpress.com) and her website, http://www.devonellingtonwork.com.

OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK
A Jain Lazarus Adventure
By Devon Ellington

Detective Wyatt East finds himself the primary suspect when hex breaker Jain Lazarus disappears after their romantic weekend in Vermont. In spite of the suspicions, Jain’s boss, Maitland Stiles, hires Wyatt to track her down, forcing him to face aspects of his own painful past and revealing more about hers.
Saddled with two rebellious runaway paranormal teens, he’s embroiled in a shapeshifter pack disagreement, and must learn to work with both a caustic dragon and a cantankerous mermaid to not only find Jain, but help her help an old friend who’s in over his head. Wyatt learns he is not without psychic abilities of his own, although he prefers old-fashioned detective work.

Excerpt:

“Again, Mr. Collins,” said Wyatt. “What can I do for you?”

“When did you last see Jain Lazarus?”

“We spent a four day weekend together about six weeks ago in Vermont.”

“Have you spoken to her since?”

“I left a few messages on her voice mail, but I haven’t heard back.”

“Yes, we know that. We have her phone.”

Wyatt felt a chill run down his spine. “Why would you have her phone?”

“Was she in good health when you parted?”

“We went skiing in the morning. We went back to change. She got a phone call – on the landline, not her cell, and said she had to go. She left before I did.”

“Interesting.”

“Why?”

“No one’s seen or heard from her since that weekend in Vermont.”

“Are you looking for her?”

“Yes. She was due in our office the very next morning to get briefed on a new assignment. The proprietor of the inn tells a different story.”

“What do you mean?”

“He says the two of you left in the morning, but you came back alone.”

“That’s not true.”

“And there’s no record of a call going through to your room.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Did you argue with Jain that weekend?’

“No. We had a great time.”

“Don’t lie to me, Detective. I’m every bit as capable of discerning a liar as you are.”

“Then you know I’m telling the truth.”

“Either that or you’re even more talented than Jain believed. You are the last person we know who saw Jain before her disappearance.”

OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK available from Solstice Publishing on March 4, 2012:
http://www.solsticepublshing.com

Excerpts, buy links, and information for the series on the Jain Lazarus Site:
http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com