When Romance is Not the Focus by Susan Sands

I hope everyone is staying warm in your neck of the woods! The forecast in Georgia for the coming

week is finally looking quite nice and I'm excited to explore my new neighborhood on foot with my pup on his leash. Thus far, it's either been raining or too frigid to venture out beyond the mailboxes.

Great news! I've finished the book I'd been working on for a solid year! I realize most authors whip them out in a few months and are on to the next exciting story, but this has been an especially challenging one for me. It's not a romance. There's a little romance in it, and hopefully my heroine will find her HEA with the man of her dreams down the road, but that isn't the focus of this one. 

My young lady's challenges with memory loss and finding her way home to the family she's forgotten, along with regaining her identity trump finding true love in this one. At least the focus of those issues are bigger than the romantic relationship she finds later in the book.

I wasn't certain I could not write romance as the central storyline, as it's so ingrained in me as an author. But this will fall along the lines of true general fiction or women's fiction with Southern flavor. It has some genre elements, but isn't genre fiction.

Figuring out what I was writing was so important to how I wrote it. The story is with my agent now and I'm looking forward to getting her feedback. Fingers crossed!

Enjoy your week, everyone!!

Susan

Tawny’s Top Ten reasons for Writing

by Tawny Weber

edit: AND THE WINNER IS: LINDA HENDERSON!! Linda, drop me an email with your shipping info and which book you'd like!! tawny@tawnyweber.com

Woot! It’s party time. I’m celebrating my tenth book this week!! BREAKING THE RULES is a February Harlequin Blaze release and I’m super excited. I started writing nine years ago dreaming about having one book published, so ten is like a mega dream with lots of extra glittery sparkles and fireworks. While I was mulling this achievement (and giggling a lot), I started thinking of all the reasons I love to write – and I came up with the following list:

Tawny’s Top Ten Reasons for Writing
• I can do it in my jammies
• I get to focus lots and lots of attention on sexy guys
• The voices in my head have an outlet
• Happy Ever After is my business
• My husband get’s a lot of high-fives after people read my books
• I get to control my own little world
• I can do it from home, with my kids screaming around me
• When I talk to myself, people think I’m being creative
• I’m spreading the message of love
• Awesome people read my books

How about you? If you write, what’s your number one reason? Better yet, what’s your number one reason for reading romance?


To celebrate the release of BREAKING THE RULES, I’m giving away some Valentine’s treats to one Tote Bag commenter today! A hand-crafted (by me) heart-shaped tin filled with candy, and a book of the winner’s choice from my backlist!

BREAKING THE RULES BLURB:
What do you get when you mix a military hero on a mission with an independent artist hell-bent on proving something? A battle that can only be won between the sheets.

Sophia Castillo is finally calling the shots in her life, and she’s determined to stay in charge. The last thing she needs is a babysitter. Not even a babysitter as sexy as US Army Sergeant First Class and EOD Squad Leader, Maximillian St. James. But when someone is sabotaging her art gallery, she turns to Max for help. When he proves to be a challenge to her independence, she lays down their relationship rules. Hot sex, good times and a lot of laughs are all good. Anything involving their hearts is strictly off limits. Before they catch the vandal, Max and Sophia both have to decide just which rules they are willing to break, and how high a price they are willing to pay.

Be sure and check out my upcoming party!

Valentines Party!

I’m so excited that my tenth release, BREAKING THE RULES, is on shelves now! I loved writing this story, because it focuses on something near and dear to my heart – a Military Hero (my own hero-hubby was in the Army). Even more fun was making this a Valentine’s story, complete with hearts and flowers.

To celebrate, I’m having an invitation-only Valentine’s Day Party! Including:

• A downloadable short story written just for this party as a door prize for everyone who attends
• A sexy Top Ten to wind up my Top Ten tour: Ten Tips for a Hot Valentine’s Night
• One lucky person will win a Valentine’s Basket!

All you have to do to join the fun is go to the Breaking the Rules Valentines Party page on my website, and RSVP!