An Odd Thing Happened on the Way Home...Susan Sands

I left early this morning to drive two hours to Milledgeville, Ga to attend my daughter's sorority tea.
We visited with her "sisters" and their moms for a couple hours, and I hopped back in the car for the drive home. This is one of the many excuses I'll give for being late with my blog post today.

As I drove on I-20 headed back into Atlanta, pushing eighty miles an hour, a car with two large men in the front passed on my left. The passenger was unapologetically snorting what I assumed was cocaine. I tried not to look, but I was obviously surprised by the sight. As they continued around me, I noticed a very large and sparkly pageant crown displayed in the place of honor in the back window. Not a tiara, a full-out CROWN, like Miss America or Miss USA might wear. Or any small-town peanut, pecan, or fruit festival first-place winner in the South. Have you seen the size of those crowns?

Anyway, I digress. All I could think was, "Is there a body in the trunk?" I know that's macabre, and a large stretch, but the writer in me goes nuts when I see something the least bit interesting during a boring drive and it gets my imagination revved up for a good storytelling.

Too bad I don't write suspense--yet. LOL!

Readers always ask where we get our ideas from. I get mine everywhere! Today I got one on I-20 headed west.

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and is looking forward to more fun and festivities with family throughout the holiday season.

Merry Everything, y'all!

Susan Sands

Addison Fox: Friendship and Joy and Quiet Moments

I had a wonderful opportunity this past week – a dear friend of mine has been in for several days and it’s been so nice to simply sit still, catch up, laugh and relax a bit. It doesn’t happen all that often – that ability to shut down and focus and simply enjoy a few moments without other distractions.

Life is busy. The weeks begin and end in rapid succession and it’s easy to look up and find yourself wondering where the days have gone. That’s why those quiet moments – and the opportunity to sit still – is so lovely.

For me, reading often provides the same benefits (albeit without an ability to do a gabfest over a glass of wine!) Those quiet moments when I can shut out the noise and the clutter of the day and do something that’s enjoyable – simply for the joy of the thing.

So as we enter into summer – always a busy time – I wish you some of that quiet. Those little moments spent in a way that makes you happy. A conversation with a friend. A nap underneath a tree. An ice cream cone. Whatever it is, enjoy!

Thanks for joining me today!

XO,

Addison

Susan Stephens: Excitement in Sheffield

And a wonderful event to celebrate all things romance...

I was honoured to speak at this event. Part of Sheffield’s Festival of The Mind, I sat on a panel alongside editors, academics, and another romance author. It’s only when we talked about what romance means to us and heard readers expressing their thoughts that I truly realised what a wonderful life-enhancing experience we’re all engaged in. Love is a unifying force that brings people together from all across the world, and long may the world of romance prosper.

The general opinion of the academics was that love stories reflect the fashions, manners and politics of their time, and as such are extremely valuable records. Readers talked of how they escaped into the stories, and how those stories helped them, cheered them, warmed them, and left them with an optimistic feeling. It was humbling for me to hear this, though I recognised at the time, that I feel the same. There’s nothing better than a good love story to lift the spirits and put a smile on my face, and I know they do the same for you.

Here are some pictures from that memorable day. The event was held in an antique Spiegal tent, and you can see that the setting for our talk was quite spectacular.

Here’s the interior of the ‘tent’, (which was actually quite a solid structure), before our talk began.

Originally used for burlesque shows, the images depicted on the outside of the Spiegal tent were quite bizarre, but striking and beautiful in their way.

This image is particularly disturbing – note the claws on the little cherub, and those blood-red lips, are actually red with blood.

My next love story tackles a real dilemma for both the hero and heroine. A marriage of convenience—with a difference—as it’s my heroine Rosie Clifton who proposes marriage to proud Spanish grandee, Don Xavier Del Rio.

Rosie will do anything to protect her share of the island she loves and the people who live there. She will even marry this arrogant, heartless man, if she must.

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I’m also very excited about my Christmas book, which heralds the start of a brand new red-hot polo series...

 With a hard Russian hero just for you...

This is book 1 of 4 in my new romantic suspense series, Blood and Thunder.

1. Christmas Tsar

2. Argentinian Billionaire

3. Spanish Gold

4. Cold Cache

Release date for Christmas Tsar is November 8^th but it is available for pre-order now!

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Are you signed up to my Newsletter for regular giveaways and scoops?

http://eepurl.com/8aEJj

I look forward so much to seeing you there!

Speak soon,

Love Susan x

Addison Fox: Starting Fresh

I know it’s cliché to write yet another new year’s post, but there’s something about that flip from December to January that fills me with hope. I’ve always thought a brand new calendar has a way of providing perspective like few other things can. There’s something in the air – a slight hum that wraps its arm around your shoulders and whispers in your ear: “Here’s a fresh start.”

What’s interesting, though, is that as a writer, my work constantly revolves around fresh starts. Both the literal fresh start – beginning a new book – as well as the fresh starts I write on the page. In a novel, my hero and heroine can have a fresh start any day of the year, generally evidenced by the moment I choose to place them together.

Once they have that instant spark of connection, we know as readers that their lives will never be the same.

It’s with that spirit – the wonder of “anything can happen at anytime” – that I hope you will approach the new year. Yes, January 1^st has come and gone once again, but make no mistake, there are still interesting times ahead. There be good things on that path and I wish you a year full of fresh starts no matter the day on the calendar.

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 next book, SILKEN THREATS, will be out from Harlequin Romantic Suspense in February 2015. You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com

Maggie Jaimeson: What Shall I Be When I Grow Up?

Today is my 60^th birthday. Yes, I have actually been on this earth that long, though I think in my mind I’m still about 28. My body begs disagree, but it is my mind that counts.  When I look back on my life I have been pretty blessed. I’ve enjoyed at least three careers—computer programming and IT management, teacher and academic executive, and now full time author. I love learning and I’ve done it through education and travel and lots and lots of reading—both fiction and non-fiction.

One of the great benefits of being an author is that I am always learning—learning about my characters, learning about the craft of writing, and learning about the people and places and cultures and decisions that impact my characters and their stories. I get to vicariously live many lives through my characters, and most important I get to control the final outcome to be what I want it to be. I get to create a happily ever after no matter what tortuous journey my characters have undertaken.

All of my stories are some reflection of me. I can’t help but do that. It doesn’t mean I’ve personally lived those lives, but I believe our human experiences of grief and joy and discernment are universal no matter the country, the culture, or even a different world than earth. Often the lives of my characters are ones that I dreamed I could have for myself, but never had the guts or the time or funds to pursue them. For example, in my Sweetwater Canyon series I follow five women in an Americana band. I played piano and violin as a child and into high school and college. I had dreams of being in a band, but I never pursued it as a career. I couldn’t imagine supporting myself as a musician even though I often dreamed of it.

In my Forest People fantasy series, my young adult heroine not only has to figure out who she is and what her gifts are, but she has to save not one world but two. And she is only sixteen! I can remember being a teenager and feeling like the world was on my shoulders. I was bound and determine to make a difference and to do the right thing. Figuring out how to do that is really the journey of moving from young adult to adulthood.  I’ve learned that most of us re-evaluate that journey at every decade in our life. My path at 25 was not the same as my path at 40, and now at 60 there is even more that I want to accomplish in my life.

In my new romantic suspense Shadow Finders series, my Marine Corps buddies are backed up by the women who love them. They take on truly evil people, corporations, or governments to save those who are forgotten or lost. Though I grew up at a time when women in combat or as police officers or other typical male roles was not at all common, I still fantasized about being a big hero—whether that was as an EMT or a mercenary or my version of superman as a woman. Yes women can kick butt too, but I would do it with less violence and more thoughtful and permanent changes. Shadow Finders allows me to explore the tension between violence and peace and change while still believing that love conquers all.

What were your dreams for your future? Do you still have some of those dreams? Have your dreams changed over the years? If so, in what way?

Because this is an important birthday for me, I’m giving away a free fiction ebook of your choice. Anyone who answers my question about your dreams for your future can choose any ONE of my currently available fiction titles in the ebook format you desire.

Go to http://maggielynch.com to read more about each of my books. Choose one that appeals to you. Complete this form and I’ll send you the book of your choice.

Happy Reading!

After more than 30 years in careers including software development and training, distance learning, and executive leadership in academic computing, Maggie decided to follow her first love and pursue writing full time. She writes adult fiction in romance and SF under the name Maggie Jaimeson, young adult fiction under the name Maggie Faire, and non-fiction under the name Maggie Lynch. You can find all of her books at http://maggielynch.com 

To Boldly Go -- or, Susan is Changing Genres

I'm not a particularly adventurous sort. No trailblazing. No in-your-face confrontations. No boldly facing danger with fire in my eyes and steel in my heart. I leave that to my characters. So when I took the step from Women's Fiction to Romantic Suspense, I felt like I was really hanging myself out there. So many unknowns. So much risk.

And do you know what I discovered? Sometimes a little risk can be exhilarating, and the results can more than make up for the butterflies and the nail biting.

I absolutely loved writing this book. In my Women's Fiction novels, there was an undercurrent of mystery or suspense. And I found that by focusing on that aspect of my story, I opened up a whole new me. I was able to blend all that I love about Women's Fiction -- the character development, the integration of setting as a vital part of the story, a love story, and a family drama -- with a fast paced, page turning plot. I've never had so much fun.

I loved writing those scenes in which my characters are in real and immediate danger, as well as those in which the build up to that danger is hovering in the background. Makes me wonder about my darker side -- and what else might be lurking deep down that has thus far gone untapped. However for now, I'm going to enjoy my newly discovered passion for writing Romantic Suspense and save those other new worlds for the future.

PITCH BLACK will be released May 27. It's the story of Philadelphia journalist, Madison Wade who moves to a small Tennessee town with her newly adopted teenage son, Ethan in order to distance him from the pitfalls of his old life on the city streets. Just when Madison and Ethan are growing accustomed to their new, slower-paced lives -- Ethan has finally made a friend and Madison is sorting out how to balance her job as editor of the local daily paper, her role as mother and her fledgling romance with the local sheriff -- everything is changed by a seemingly innocent wilderness camping trip.

Ethan goes with three other boys and one of the boys' step-father into the mountains. The boys return late, in shock and without their chaperone. When it becomes clear the chaperone's death was no accident, both Madison and the sheriff realize the boys aren't telling all that happened on the mountain. Being the new kid from a rough world casts Ethan as a prime suspect. Then another one of the boys goes missing. Madison realizes she can’t count on anyone else to save her son, not even the man she was starting to fall for. Her search for the truth puts both her and Ethan on a collision course with a killer.

I hope you'll give my new genre a try -- and that you'll love it as much as I do!

Stop by my website www.susancrandall.net for an excerpt and reviews.

Happy Reading,
Susan