Housekeeping and Other Dirty Words - Dani Collins

I'm on deadline as I write this. Sort of.

I'm taking some time off this month and want to send my WIP to my editor before I go. I reached The End last night after a marathon writing sprint. It needs polishing before it's fit for submission, but it felt good to finish. The downside is that my house is a pig sty, mostly because I'm trying to get a book in early. Also because the unending wildfire smoke has left a fine layer of soot on every surface, especially since it cooled off enough to open some windows.

Naturally, with all of that hanging over me, I spent the day on making travel arrangements for December, catching up on emails, pre-writing blog posts and going for a walk in the sun...

It's been a day of mental housekeeping and, for me, it's as necessary as the real kind. When I'm pushing for those final eight or ten thousand words, it's very common for me to go on complete strike where being human is concerned. Cooking? Forget it. Shower? Meh.

Last night, as I was pounding out a terrible epilogue just so I could go to bed after writing those final, magical two words, my husband came into my office. He was on the phone to his mother. And he kept coming back. I near about lost it. "No. YOU text our daughter and get her postal code for your mother. What makes you think you can come in here? Read the room."

I have arrived back at the station of 'rational' now, but my post-sprint brain demands I catch a breath and look after everything I ignored while I was making that final push. Bills. Crumpled notes that read, "I never fit. Knew why she left. Broken."(Your guess is as good as mine.)

Tomorrow I'll do my edits and get the manuscript off before I leave.

And this blog post will come out while I'm away, hopefully enjoying some nice pub food with my sister and her husband or maybe taking a selfie with a Viking statue in Gimli, Manitoba. Yes, these are the glamorous rewards for the hard labor of finishing a book--early, no less.

The truth is, I have no use for housekeeping until I need it to distract me from other things. Like writing. So I will go attend to some actual, physical housekeeping, but before I go, I'll take care of one more task here...

Watch for 
His Mistress With Two Secrets 
to go to 99c Sep 18-23.

His Mistress With Two Secrets is Book Two in my Sauveterre Siblings quartet about two sets of identical twins. This one has, you guessed it, another set of twins on the way!

Pregnant with the billionaire’s babies! 

After the painfully public demise of her intense fling with renowned tycoon Henri Sauveterre, Cinnia Whitley discovers she’s pregnant…with twins!

Cinnia burns with the memory of his touch, but bearing a new generation of the Sauveterre dynasty will bind her to Henri forever—unless she keeps it a secret…

Henri is infuriated when he discovers Cinnia’s deception. His little sister’s abduction ended all his intentions of having a family—but any Sauveterre deserves his full protection. Henri must make Cinnia his wife, and he’ll show her just how pleasurable their reunion can be! Buy Links are here.

Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with some laughter and heat thrown in, just like real life.

Mostly she writes contemporary romance for Harlequin Presents and Tule’s Montana Born, but her backlist of nearly fifty titles includes self-published erotic romance, romantic comedy, and even an epic medieval fantasy.

When she’s not writing—just kidding, she’s always writing. She lives in Christina Lake, BC with her high school sweetheart husband who occasionally enters her attic office uninvited.

Nothing Like a Little Added Deadline Pressure...by Jenny Gardiner

I don't know what I was thinking when I emailed my editor and told her I'd love to do one additional book with her this year.

I adore this editor and we work really well together, but as is the case with indie editors, you need to plan well in advance to line them up. I'd already done two books with her this year, and had long ago scheduled another terrific editor for three more books. But when she offered to squeeze in one more with me, well, I couldn't help but give it some thought. Of course this happened just as I was brainstorming some new series ideas, and then I thought, well, if I start another series I'd better get three books ready to launch at once, and well, that would mean it would be just perfect to have that extra edit lined up!

At the time I'd just finished a book and had what I madly viewed as idle time in front of me for a few weeks. Sure, I had a crazy May lined up: my youngest graduating from UVA undergrad, my oldest graduating from UVA with 2 Masters degrees, and my middle coming home from halfway around the world in Australia for a very infrequent visit to coincide with graduations. Throw in some 18 people staying at my house for graduation (I think I was in deep denial about that).

Oh and did I mention our house is on the market and there's all sorts of extra work involved with keeping a house clean and organized for any sudden showings? No worries...All under control...

But 5 weeks ago, this was hardly on the horizon! I had time on my hands, baby! I was going to crank out that additional book in no time flat and be in bed by midnight! Not only that, I'm going to confide in you my little secret: I was also planning to resurrect my all-but-dead daily mindfulness-based stress reduction meditation practice and also get my fat ass off the couch (where it's been parked writing books) and resume my anaerobic interval spin workout so I could try to get back in shape. And maybe get back to regular yoga classes. Let me tell you, people, I was going to be Wonder Woman (minus the metal breast plates)!

Um, er, well...Graduation is this weekend. I'm too stressed without free time to do any stress reduction (I had been doing it! I swear it!). Finding a daily hour for the bike workout? Are you kidding me? I have been running around like a crazy person preparing for the onslaught of houseguests and graduation and graduation breakfasts for 20 people both mornings before the ceremonies and then the combined graduation party mid-day Saturday for some 50 people as well as lunch mid-day Sunday for another 30 and, yeah, very little writing has happened.

Plus, I am releasing a book in less than a week and kind of need to figure out my marketing strategy for that, eh?

So just now, instead of writing? I gave my dog a bath. In my defense, with all of these houseguests showing up, we don't want the poor thing to be shunned because she smelled like, well, dirty dog.

Ah, well...the good news is I was the girl who pulled all-nighters studying for exams in college and self-conditioned to crank out papers one after the other shortly before their due dates. It must be the former journalist in me, but I definitely thrive under time constraints, so...the good news, is I just sort of lit a fire under my butt, which isn't such a bad thing after all. Now if I could figure out how to burn the fat in that butt with the fire now scorching it, I'd be good to go!

Hope you can check out my upcoming release: It's Getting Hot in Heir, book 7 in my It's Reigning Men series! 

It's available for pre-order, coming out May 24! You can get it here: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, GooglePlay

And I tell you I really am writing book 8! Just not as fast as I'd planned to. Here's the cover--what do you think? It's available for pre-order here:   iBooks   

Oh and for a limited time I've got an awesome free book for you if you sign up for my newsletter: Something in the Heir, book 1 of the It's Reigning Men series! Sign up here  and you'll be first to hear about deals and giveaways.

    

           

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The Zone Authors Crave....

As I begin to compose this post, I realized -- and really for the first time since I started posting here -- that my scheduled day IS the beginning day of all four seasons. I never noticed that before! Uh-DUH!!  Worse, I just checked my last post and it was on the Spring Equinox - in MARCH! 

So -- apologies for once again falling off the face of the earth! Since March, I've written another book -- my next Harlequin Historical - Scotland, Highlanders, brave and brawny men and the women who bring them to their knees! All good!  Since March, I suffered the first and second-worst asthma attack of my life -- spring allergies killed me. And since March, I spent 17 days in. . . this place. . . 

Standing Stones at Drombeg

Cliffs of Moher

Poulnabrone Passage tomb

Waterford Castle

Kilmalkedar Church

View from Slea Head

 I spent 17 wonderful days in Ireland -- mostly to see places I need to use in an upcoming book, but also to see Ireland. I spent the first 5 days on my own - driving my little Irish car on LITTLE Irish roads, visiting standing stones, burial cairns and any megalithic site I could find in the north-west coast. Poulnabroune, Knocknarea, Carrowmore and more -- all magical! 

Then I joined up with writer friends to see the south-eastern and central areas - and then we headed for a writers' week on the Dingle peninsula. It was simply incredible - the views were unmatched and I watched some of the most beautiful sunsets ever. We visited neolithic and medieval sites and ruins AND, in a serendipitous twist, spent several hours interviewing the leading archeologist of the area! My thanks to Eileen Dreyer, author and tourguide extraordinaire!, for arranging the "50 Shades of Green" trip....it was everything I could have wanted on my first trip to Ireland. 

But the zone authors crave is not really visiting the location of the next book - though that IS wonderful. It is finding that place in our creative brain where and when the story magic happens. It's the place where the voices stop screaming and begin to tell the story and reveal their secrets. It's the place, for me, where the book writes itself. 

And whether brought on by the magical trip to Ireland and/or the deadline pressure, I came back from my trip and wrote half the book in 2 weeks! The characters spoke to me. The scenes unfolded before my eyes. And best, I reached a place in the story when I had to stuff tissues in the neckline of my pjs because I was crying so much while writing the scenes! I love that place! Writing friends have asked me to take a selfie of it, but that won't happen...! LOL! 

So, my question to you as Summer 2015 begins is - do you have a 'zone'? It could be while doing something you enjoy - reading, a craft, your work? It could be a place you go to 'zone-out' - the beach, the mountains, vacation. It could be any place or space when you lose yourself and just live in that zone.  Post a comment and tell me about it and I'll pick a couple of people who will receive a book and a souvenir from Ireland....! 

 Terri is home now and writing her next book - Blazing Earth - the third in her Stone Circle series for NAL. BTW - the 4th and final book will end at Drombeg Stone Circle in a cataclysmic battle between good and evil for the future of humanity! Visit her website or her FB page or profile for lots more info! 

Happy Summer Solstice to you all! 

Addison Fox: The Fall

I finished up copy edits on my October manuscript this morning, delighted at several spots where my editor had made smiley faces in the manuscript. This book was a toughie and it was especially satisfying to get this one over the finish line.

Some books write hard and some write easy and this one was definitely in the former category. There was something about this hero and heroine. I’ve had them sparring with each other for the past two books and now that it was their turn to find happy ever after, they clammed up on me.

Fortunately, I knew them well. Even more fortunately, my editor had a keen eye to what I was missing. Namely….they needed time to fall. Not down, although since this is a romantic suspense that does happen.

But fall in love.

The problem was, in my mind, they were already there. They’ve known each other for some time, bickering with a smoldering intensity that any right-thinking soul would label as verbal foreplay. Their best friends have gotten together and are already on the way to their own forevers. And, well, it’s the third book in a series - (sorry, spoiler alert) - OF COURSE THEY’RE GETTING TOGETHER!!

So what was taking the two of them so long?

Part of what I love about being a writer is working with an editor. They see the manuscript with both the fresh eyes of the reader and the sharp of eyes of someone who understands what’s needed to make the work better. Sure, I know Max and Violet are destined for each other and my readers likely know it, too.  But now that they’re getting their own story, it’s essential I make that fall fun, exciting and well-paced.

After all, the fall is the reason we keep turning the pages. That slide into love is what keeps us coming back for more and whether the hero and heroine are life-long friends or people who’ve known each other only a short while, we readers want to see each and every moment of their love story.

The reader in me knows that. But the writer in me needs a good reminder every now and again!

Thanks for joining me today.

XOXO,

Addison

Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in Dallas and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest book, SECRET AGENT BOYFRIEND, is out now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense. You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com

Playing Hookey aka. When the Deadline Has Passed - Annie West

Bliss - waiting for someone else to serve afternoon tea

I love, love, love it! I have just, an hour ago, sent my latest book to my editor. I've spent months working on it, dreaming about it, fretting over it and polishing it. I've had voices in my head and sudden revelations and last minute tweaks. Now, for a short time (till my lovely editor gets back to me about any revisions) I'm in that glorious state of existence that's 'between books'. That means at last I'm going to take those couple of days for myself that I didn't manage to fit in at Christmas. It means that I'm officially now playing hookey, not writing or plotting or thinking about the next deadline. Those will come soon enough, as will updating my tax, clearing the clutter of papers that have accumulated while I wrote this book and a stack of other chores I've been avoiding. I feel FREE!

Maybe this feeling of 'school's out' liberation is so much stronger because, like other self employed people, I rarely feel I can walk away from the job. Being a writer isn't just about developing a great story and getting it down on paper. There's always so much else to do - administration and promotion and lots and lots of extras that build and build while you're not watching. In fact, if you let it, the work would never end.

 

But for these next few days I intend to ignore them all and take a well-earned break. My body needs it after the hours at the computer, and so does my head. I adore writing romance but it's also taxing work and I'm feeling the need to refill the well, soak up more of the world than I can see from my computer desk.

 

I thought I'd share with you some of the things I love to do when I have time off. First up there's spending time with family and friends. The photo above and the one below were taken when I sneaked a couple of days alone with my lovely daughter. I think you can tell by the smile that we were having a great time. Add to that the fact that I didn't have to prepare any meals...bliss!

Speaking of meals, how about this for breakfast? No, no, I didn't have the berry pancakes, though they looked yummy. Mine was the amazing fruit salad. It would have taken me ages to prepare all that fruit. Now I have that time. I wonder if I'll spend it in the kitchen?

What else will I do with my time? Books of course! I'll be reading. In fact, I'm rather hoping tomorrow to stay at home with my stack of to be read books, and linger over the fun of choosing which one next. Then, with luck, I'll stretch out somewhere with a book or three and a cold drink (it's summer here in Australia) and lose myself in someone else's story. Sigh. Did I say how much I was looking forward to this?

 

Then there's the chance to tune into what others are doing. I can catch up on current affairs (I've let the news slide the last few weeks) and find out about movies, plays and TV shows. Some outings too, definitely. Here's a photo of one taken not so long ago, when I was lucky enough to attend a day at the Australian Open Tennis. As well as watching a number of matches we got to see a number of players warming up. Here's Rafael Nadal, the world's number 1.

 

I'll also be spending time outdoors, enjoying the gorgeous, warm Aussie summer weather. In addition to my usual early morning walks I'm thinking of visiting a few parks and beauty spots just to take the time to enjoy something different. Maybe a long drive to a few scenic spots or a picnic by a river. I love having choices!

 

Treasury Gardens, Melbourne

So between reading, walks, eating, seeing friends and family, checking out movies, plays and TV series I've missed, I think I'll be busy. Perhaps I'll fit in a morning at the beach, or a trip to the markets. What about antique browsing or picking up some craftwork I haven't done in ages?

I'm so excited about this 'me' time, even though I know I'll only get to do a fraction of the things I'd planned. But whatever I do it will be fun.

How about you? What's your favourite thing to do when you've got time for a treat? Do you have any suggestions for me?

I'll give away a copy of my book AN ENTICING DEBT TO PAY to one person who responds.

To check out my latest releases, go to your favorite bookseller and look for AN ENTICING DEBT TO PAY or RUTHLESSLY ROYAL (a UK anthology release). Or you can visit my website for excerpts.

What do you depend on?

I had a heck of a Tuesday. Not sure if I woke up with some sort of magnetic force-field but the day started with my computer crashing. Not just a hiccough but a full-on, mega, catastrophic fail. Corrupted everything. My first reaction was, 'I have a book due in a week!!!!!'  My second thought was, 'Thank goodness for Dropbox' and my third was, 'Crap, I have no clue about the password.' .

 I rushed the computer to the 'computer doctor' and then tried to ring my husband from the shop. My phone said, 'No SIM card.' Hello? My SIM card was in the phone. I rebooted the phone three times and then trudged home only to find the brand new home phone wasn't doing its job either!  So obviously I was supposed to be out of communication with the world, and with a deadline I am usually happy with that but I didn't even have my computer  :-(

I tried to find my husband's desk under the mountains of paper and turn on his computer. I was being thankful that we had a spare computer (Ahem or two) in the house until I discovered that my version of 'Word' and his version are not the same. Still,trying to be Pollyanna, I reasoned  I could read my manuscript and still write, even though it involved making copious notes to insert into my version later.

The computer shop marked me as urgent (sweet!) and 30 hours later I had my computer back except it isn't really back as nothing is on it. It is a shell of its former shelf and I see hours and hours of work trying to restore it all. Actually I see hours and hours of my husband's time, installing it all. Still, I have my data so YAY on that as it could have been so much worse.

Anyway, I am hoping next Tuesday, Valentine's Day  is going to be a better day for me. Maybe flowers or chocolates rather than failed technology? And to celebrate that thought and earnest hope, I'm having a little competition.

The last time I was really at sea with failed technology was when my washing machine died. We really do get attached to our machines!  What do you miss the most when it fails?

Fiona Lowe is an award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch. A current RT Book Reviwers' Choice Award nominee, you  can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Boomerang Bride is available now from Carina Press,Amazon Kindle, Nook and all other online book stores. Her medical romances are available from The Book Depository and harlequin.com