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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Writing for Fun - Donna Alward

I love writing.  I think I have the best job in the world.  I get to write in my jammies if I want, I don't have a commute...it's all good.  I love writing for Harlequin Romance as well.  The Romance line is a warm, feel-good place to be.  I'm surrounded by great authors and I have a fantastic editor.

But once in a while it feels good to mix it up and do something different.

That was the case when I started writing Sold To The Highest Bidder.  I wanted to write something just for fun. When I heard about the Samhain Cowboy Round-up call for submissions, I thought, oooh, perfect!  I surely could fit in a novella to my writing schedule, and satisfy that urge to break loose from my normal fare.

Only I never subbed it.  It didn't take me long to realize that this book was going to be a full length, not a novella.  It went through a few different versions, trying to see just what kind of story it was going to be before I finally settled on one I was happy with.  I'd just been assigned a new editor at Samhain too, and I had heard she liked cowboys.  It seemed...kinda providential.  So I sent it off with a wing and a prayer.

Lucky for me, my editor liked it a lot and today it hits e-shelves with the print version coming in Feb of 2011.

Is it different from my Romances?  In some ways, yes.  It's a little bit hotter.  It's set in the US, rather than in Canada.  It pushes a few boundaries I don't push in the Romance line....some of the differences are obvious and some are more subtle.  And yet I think anyone who reads it will realize it stays true to the way I write - an emotional ride with characters trying to find exactly where they belong.  And like any good romance, we all know that place is TOGETHER.  Geography rarely has anything to do with it.

All in all, breaking routine was really fun - and I hope you enjoy it too!  You can check out the deets HERE.

http://www.donnaalward.com/
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/

10 comments:

Bev Pettersen said...

Oh, Donna! The excerpt is marvellous. And on sale now--perfect. Congratulations on Sold To The Highest Bidder.

Donna Alward said...

Thanks Bev! I really did have fun writing this story.

Caroline said...

Great cover Donna - and congratulations on your release. Caroline x

Donna Alward said...

Thanks Caroline!

GladysMP said...

I love stories about cowboys! There is such intrique in the life these rugged characters live! I imagine you had fun changing the type of story you were accumstomed to writing and I hope your experience proves highly successful!

Pat Cochran said...

Hey, Donna,

Your cover certainly caught my
attention! Nice! It's now been
added to my TBR list!

Pat Cochran

Pat Cochran said...

OOPS! Didn't mean to leave the
impression that the cover was
the only reason for purchasing
the book! I've read some of your earlier works which were all very
good! I'm definitely a fan!! The
cover is just a bit of lagniappe!

Pat Cochran

Donna Alward said...

Pat, lol, I LOVE the cover so I don't blame you one bit. I'll admit to being a cover buyer at times. The big hope is that what's between the covers meets expectations.

I could make something of that, but I won't. ;-) Devin would though. He can be a bit of a scamp.

Christina Hollis said...

Wow, Donna, what a story - and the cover looks great. Congratulations!

Michele L. said...

Thanks for sharing the excerpt! It sounds fantastic! Definitely have to buy this book!

Congratulations on your book! That is so awesome!