Shannon McKelden - Happy Readers

Many of you know that I run a blog called The Happy Writer, to help writers find their happy place(s). It’s important for readers to be happy, too. They should read what they want, how they want...and I happen to believe they shouldn’t have to defend themselves.

I talked in February about how I’d become an e-book convert. To recap, when I sold my book, The Kiss Test, to Carina Press to be published as an e-book, I felt I should probably give up my prejudice against e-books and get an e-reader and try some out. Didn’t take long before I was sold.

I’ve happily bounced between paper and e-books for the past year. My horizons have been broadened, and I’ve never been a happier reader. My (young adult) daughter, on the other hand, has been adamantly against e-books. We’ve had many a heated discussion about how she would NEVER read on an e-reader and never buy an e-book and that she would remain forever a loyal paper reader.

Until last week when she bought her own Kindle.

What changed her mind? I can’t remember what pushed her over the edge. Likely it was a book she wanted to read that was only available on Kindle. Then there was the sudden realization that she’d be able to carry with her and read all the graphic design books in PDF form that she’s been collecting for years. (Somehow it hadn’t occurred to her that THOSE were e-books?)

I spent several days telling her, “I told you so.”

Now she’s having to defending herself to a friend who is adamantly against e-books/e-readers. Shoe’s on the other foot, which works for me. :)

I have to admit I’m a bit baffled at the lengths people will go to to discourage people from reading e-books or owning an e-reader. I get that some people prefer books in paper form. I get that they like the feel of the books in their hands or the smell of the paper and ink. What I don’t get is why they seem so determined that everyone else should make the same choice they do. I mean, really, would they be as single-minded that everyone should have the same favorite color they do? Or drive the same car?

I figure, life is all about variety. In vehicles and colors and reading material. Readers have hundreds of choices from genre, to author and, now, reading formats. And the way I see it, there’s plenty for everyone to choose from, to make them happy. What I love, or what I choose to read, doesn’t take away from anyone else’s choices and what makes them happy.

Most of us readers of Tote Bags ‘N’ Blogs are romance readers, and none of us like it when people disparage the genre we like to read, right? So, I hope, even if you aren’t an e-book reader yourself, you’ll at least be open to the possibility that some day you might find yourself the proud owner of an electronic reader. And even if you never do read electronically, I hope you’ll support those who choose different methods of reading, just like we hope people are accepting of us reading romance.

Remember it’s all about Happy Reading!

Shannon McKelden is the author of three humorous women’s fiction novels, including her latest, The Kiss Test, a digital book from Carina Press. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, where she writes and runs the website TheHappyWriter.com.

Lisa Dale: Here Comes The Bird...

Hi all!

It’s been a whirlwind kind of a week. My new book, Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier, has hit the shelves everywhere—and I’ve been so so so lucky.

It’s been selected as a Barnes & Noble book of the month, as well as BookPage Magazine’s romance of the month. Can’t really ask for better than that!

The second chance love story of my hero and heroine, Garret and Thea, really seems to be resonating with people—and that’s exactly what I hope for as a writer!

In the meantime, I’m already starting a new project and also trying to get my wedding invitations out.

Actually, I thought I was going crazy—that perhaps all this wedding stuff had once and for all gone to my head!

As I was sitting in my bed this morning writing (what can I say, I do all my best writing in bed), I swore I heard a little bird singing, da-dum-da-dummmm (which is an interspecies musical transliteration of “here comes the bride”).

At first, I just shook it off. I figured I’d misheard. Or that it was a fluke. I mean—the wedding plans really have been keeping me very busy.

But the bird kept singing…here comes the bride, all dressed in white!

I thought—no way.

So, like any good professional writer, I decided, “screw this scene. It’s much more important to find out if that bird really is singing ‘here comes the bride’ than it is keeping writing!”

So I popped on to Google, and discovered something so neat I had to share it.

First, I’m not crazy. J Not about this anyway. It turns out there is a bird that sounds like it sings “here comes the bride,” which is also known as Beethoven’s Fifth.

The white-throated sparrow sings the first few notes of Beethoven’s Fifth! Here is a link so you can hear it! The bird in this recording is a little off key and more trilly, but the one outside my bedroom this morning was spot on with Beethoven.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/sounds

And maybe what’s more fascinating is this: Apparently Beethoven is said to have been inspired by birdsong to some extent. A little bird’s perfect fourths might have inspired Beethoven’s Fifth!

It felt so strange to think of that famous composer sitting in his study, listening intently to a little bird, and perhaps finding something inspiring in it—just like I was, though in a different way.

Anyway, eventually I got back to work. It doesn’t take much to distract me when I’m writing (that’s why I write with the curtains down, the shades closed, in a room with no “work stuff” around me, etc.). But the little guy singing outside my window was a good distraction.

So that about does it for me. I’m about to go to Michaels, then get ready for the book signing I’m doing tomorrow for Slow Dancing, then it’s back to invitations!

FYI—I’m hosting a contest for readers who check out Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier. The first 32 people to post a review on a book-related web site will get on my VIP list and receive a free thank-you-for-sharing-your-thoughts gift from me. So if you do read Slow Dancing, be sure to send me the link to your review (lisa dale books at gmail dot (.) com)!

All the best,

Lisa Dale

Time to be a Tiger Mother?

Today was the last day of school before the Easter break for my high school aged children. Because they are at certain stage in their schooling, they are both now facing A level revision and GCSE revisions. t\he exams are no joke and their future does depend on it. My daughter's university place depends on her getting certain marks and ultimately when my son does apply for university, his markswill be taken into consideration. Then through out their life, when they apply for a job, they will be asked to list their A levels and GCSEs. This can be a problem as I discovered when I first moved to the UK. I had a BA in Economics but no English qualifications. But where are your A levels? an interviewer once asked me. I'm American and we do things differently, I answered. It seemed to confuse him.  But sometimes, I think children do not appreciate the consequences until later.
My first experience with A levels came with my eldest. They are tough. And they are different to Advanced Placement courses in the US. They are taken over two years. They are also probably the reason why most UK university courses are 3 years instead of four. Also UK university students are accepted to do a specific course, unlike in the US wherre you choose your major at the end of your second year. The ability to change courses depends on the university. My eldest did fine and is enjoying his second year of university. But now it is my daughter's turn.
Anyway, my children need to do revision. The timetables are all done. The content of the courses are finished ( just as well given the Royal Wedding causing extra breaks) but I think the desire and determination  needs to come from them, rather than from their mother. I can see the consequences and know their capabilities, but can they? Sometimes it is hard to be parent and watch from the sidelines.
Michelle Styles when she is worrying about her children's study habits writes historical romances for Harlequin Historical. Her latest UK release is Breaking the Governess's Rules. She also is experiencing computer difficulties -- monitor woes.

To Marry a Prince : : Anne McAllister

Last autumn my dear friend Sophie Page -- who writes romances as Sophie Weston and grammar books and other fun stuff as Jenny Haddon -- was hard at work on a project that was Top Secret.

"I'll tell you all about it -- later," she promised. "I can't stop writing now."

As someone who appreciates when the words are flowing, I waited. And waited. And -- at last -- it was done. And now it is on the shelves -- Sophie's wonderful To Marry a Prince.

Just in time for the 'real' royal nuptials, she has regaled us with a splendid, moving, funny story of an Alternative Universe England in which the heir is Prince Richard and the soon-to-be princess is the very ordinary Bella Greenwood.

It's Cinderella, but it's not Cinderella. No wicked stepmother. No annoying stepsisters. No glass slipper. It's more fun, more real and absolutely compelling.

Sophie knows her royals -- and her commoners -- and I loved her take on what happens when a very believable, very beleaguered royal falls in love.

If you've ever thought how wonderful it must be to be a princess -- or to marry a prince -- you will discover that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Duty and Responsibility are the orders of the day. You never do what you want to do -- only what you must do. Richard is a past master of that. But is that all life is ever going to be?

Sometimes he really does wonder. And then he meets Bella at a party -- in the dark. And he's charmed because she's charming -- and funny -- and she doesn't know who he is.

Yet.

When she finds out, well, that's when things get really interesting.

And even more interesting when she can't quite forget him, when she falls in love with Richard. Prince Richard. Someday to be King Richard.

It's not a life she could imagine. Or ever wanted to. Bella has always had a life of her own. Suddenly she's Public Property. Her every word is scrutinied. Her choices are dissected. And while Richard has been raised to know how to deal with it, Bella has not.

Falling in love with a prince is a headache of monumental proportions. But watching Bella and Richard navigate the stormy seas of their relationship -- and his 'job' -- and her family -- is a delight.

If ever a marriage was not just about two people -- a royal marriage is it. Richard and Bella, though, prove up to the task. But exactly how they manage makes for a wonderful read.

I pretty much love everything Sophie writes, no matter what name she's writing it under (even the grammar book). Her voice, her wit, her charm -- all of the above -- sweep me right into her world. But I think To Marry a Prince is my favorite of all her books because every character, not just Richard and Bella, was so real to me.

I was charmed by Bella's friend, Lottie. I wanted to know Ian, one of Richard's security detail, a whole lot better (is there a book there, Sophie?). I thought Princess Eleanor definitely had a story in her. And I will not rest until I find out why Richard's brother George -- the 'spare' to Richard's 'heir' -- was riding his motorbike around Bristol dressed as a banana.

The King (in Sophie's England, we have a King on the throne -- and she can give you the entire genealogy if you ask her) is hard-working, the Queen is long-suffering. They both know that being the head of a country -- even a titular head -- is no picnic.

While they certainly love their son and want him to be happy, they know from experience that being prince -- and someday being king -- is not an easy destiny at the best of times. When Richard falls for Bella, they are hoping against hope that he hasn't chosen the wrong girl.

Bella's family are worthy of a book or two as well -- particularly her father, a loose cannon explorer nicknamed Finn for his Phineas Fogg tendencies. Her socialite mother is perfectly drawn, her steady-hand-on-the-rudder stepfather is the man everyone needs to depend on. The grandmother is great.

But it was Finn who well and truly caught me and made me laugh. An anti-royalist with Definite Opinions, Finn is appalled that his sensible daughter would ever fall in love with someone as useless as a prince.

That Richard actually idolizes her father for his adventurous lifestyle (and having no idea of Finn's Opinions, much less any inkling that he might actually, in one quarter at least, be disapproved of!)) makes things interesting indeed -- especially when the two finally meet.

To Marry a Prince was a delight from beginning to end. And when I did finish it reluctantly, I thought that if I were faced with all the rigamarole of a royal wedding of my own, I'd opt for reading this instead -- and then eloping!

If you can't get enough of royals and weddings this month, grab a copy of Sophie Page's To Marry a Prince.

It will make you smile and laugh and sigh with contentment. It's far more fun and far less stressful than the real thing!

Anne McAllister's own "royal" book -- The Virgin's Proposition -- just won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice award for Best Harlequin Presents of 2010. There's obviously something about that royal fantasy that appeals!

Kathleen O'Brien: Making love out of nothing at all?

The other day some writer friends and I were discussing …well, what else? Writing. :)

We were discussing the significance of conflict in a good story when one of us noticed something odd. We are always talking about how to keep our couples apart, she pointed out. But isn’t it equally important to think about why the hero and heroine want to be together in the first place? She wondered whether we were, as the song says, “making love out of nothing at all.”

Great question. But perhaps a hard one to answer. What is it, in the end, that draws two people together? What are the ingredients of true love? Can you lay them out in black and white, like the recipe list for great spaghetti sauce? 1 cup sexual chemistry. 2 cups common goals. 2 tbsp similar backgrounds…

Maybe so. The online dating services seem to have some luck with these mathematical formulas that match up goals, personalities, backgrounds, beliefs, sense of humor, looks, etc. And yet…

Don’t you just have a gut feeling that it isn’t really that simple? That it boils down to something almost…magical? We all know pairings so unlikely they should never, ever have worked—and yet they last a lifetime. Conversely, we all also know romances that looked perfect on paper, and didn't survive to the first anniversary. Sometimes we look at blissfully engaged couples and whisper to each other, "Huh?"

So what is love? What does a man offer that makes him “the one”?

My anniversary is this coming Saturday, and I will have been married an unmentionable many years. I really do believe in true love. But can I explain it? Can I tell you why this man was the man who felt like home to me?

Honestly, I can't.

We met when we both worked at the same place, so we had some interests in common, but I worked with about 20 other eligible guys with whom I did not fall in love. Other than that, we're actually quite different. But he's my safe place. He's where I knew I could both be a kid safely, and rear kids safely. It's actually darned amazing.

So in the end, maybe love really is a kind of magic. And there lies the real challenge of writing romance. How do you capture magic like a butterfly and pin it to the page? Can the writer make us feel what the hero and heroine feel? Do we know this emotion? Do we thrum in recognition? Do we believe its name is love?

As a reader (or as a writer), what do you think works best? In your favorite fictional couples, how did the author convince you that these two people belong together? Do they fit like jigsaw puzzle pieces, each filling a void in the other’s life? Or is it something more indefinable…that little sparkle of fairy dust?

Kathleen
http://www.kathleenobrienonline.com/

Never to forget-Kandy Shepherd

“What did we forget this time?” my husband asked me once we were on the road and too late to turn back home. Last weekend, we headed down the coast for a “mini break” to catch up with some old friends. For more than 13 years we’d spent a week of summer vacation with this couple and their daughter. Both girls are the same age, both only children so it was ideal.

Year after year we met up, hiring a holiday house as close to the beach as possible. We would often speculate on how long it would last before the teenagers would think the beach house break was way too uncool. But it was my friend’s battle with two types of cancer that halted our trips away. Now, after a break of three years, we were meeting once more for a long weekend at the beach (it’s early autumn Down Under). Just the adults this time, with one daughter overseas on a gap year and the other immersed in study.

But what did I forget to pack? The houses we stay at require you to bring bed linen, towels and essentials to augment kitchens stocked with just the essentials. It seemed that for each of those 13 years, I had forgotten something important. One year the towels. Another my underwear (yes, not one pair!) One summer I brought jeans and shorts but not a single T-shirt. Sunglasses. Swimsuit. Sunhat. All things I had to hastily purchase from supermarkets or souvenir stores using hard-saved vacation dollars I would rather have spent on something else.

My most memorable omission was shoes for my then three-year-old daughter. To avoid the traffic we left home at dawn, tucking a drowsy little girl still in her pajamas into her car seat. Her pajamas and no shoes. How could I have been so dumb? The only tiny sized shoes available where we were staying that she would consider wearing was a pair of fussy, patent leather mary-janes. They looked ludicrous with beach clothes and blistered her feet but that was it for a week. Thank heaven bare feet were fine on the sand.

So what did I forget last weekend? Toothpaste, yes, but our friends were happy to share their tube. Not so comfortable was the single fitted sheet I brought for a queen-sized bed.

But the weather was perfect, the surf superb, and everything I loved about the place still wonderfully the same; the memories of our daughters growing up so vivid. Most joyous of all was the chance to share the company of a dear friend when we had all feared that might never happen again. (The pictures above are of the view from the vacation house we rented at beautiful Bawley Point, New South Wales, Australia and of some lorrikeet visitors.)

One thing I share with my friend is a love of reading—and one of the things we talked about was the books we have read recently. What I did not forget to pack was a selection of good books!

Have you ever forgotten to pack something important for a trip away? Please leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of my contemporary romanceHOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS and include your email address if you want to be in the draw.

Anna Campbell: Meet Midnight's Wild Passion!

by Anna Campbell

It's always an exciting moment when an author is staring down the barrel of a new release. Particularly for an author like me who only writes a book a year. Actually, I'm not sure if that's true about it being any more exciting - I'll have to check with my more prolific colleagues.

The big news in Campbellandia is that in two weeks on Tuesday, 26th April, my sixth Regency historical romance for Avon hits the shelves.

MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION is my take on the classic Regency romance that we all love so much. You know, balls and parties and the marriage market and the Season and debutantes and companions and rakes. Particularly, in this case, companions and rakes as my heroine Antonia Smith is companion to an innocent debutante and my hero Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw, is a dyed in the wool rake. In true Regency style, you'll get waltzes and duels and elopements and house parties and scandal. All those yummy elements that make a Regency such a delicious dish. Oh, and some steamy love scenes as well!

Speaking of both delicious and steamy, aren't the magenta cover and stepback gorgeous? I look at that stepback and think I'll have what she's having! Although I have to say I always get a shock when I see that picture - because Ranelaw is blond, my first blond hero in fact. All my other guys have been tall, dark and handsome, but Ranelaw turned up as a fallen angel and that's how he stayed.

Anyway, here's the blurb for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION:

London's most notorious seducer, Nicholas Challoner lives solely for revenge…

The dashing, licentious Marquess of Ranelaw can never forgive Godfrey Demarest for ruining his sister - now the time has come to repay the villain in the same coin. But one formidably intriguing impediment stands in the way of Nicholas's vengeance: Miss Antonia Smith, companion to his foe's unsuspecting daughter.

Having herself been deceived and disgraced by a rogue-banished by her privileged family as a result and forced to live a lie-Antonia vows to protect her charge from the same cruel fate. She recognizes Ranelaw for the shameless blackguard he is, and will devote every ounce of her intelligence and resolve to thwarting him.

Yet Antonia has always had a fatal weakness for rakes…

Here's a link to an excerpt: http://www.annacampbell.info/wildpassion.html

You can see the lovely trailer Vanessa Barneveld made for me here:



The reviews so far have been great. Kathe Robin in RT Book Reviews gave MWP a Top Pick and said:

It isn't just the sensuality she weaves into her story that makes Campbell a fan favorite, it's also her strong, three-dimensional characters, sharp dialogue and deft plotting. Campbell intuitively knows how to balance the key elements of the genre and give readers an irresistible, memorable read.

Shayna at Joyfully Reviewed said:

Readers beware: do not start reading MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION late at night. You'll stay up, as I did, telling yourself you'll only read one more chapter before putting it down for the night. Next thing you know, you've finished this marvelous book and discover that it's nearly dawn. And, as you feel yourself dragging through the next day, running on little to no sleep, you'll say it was worth it. Because an evening spent with Antonia and Nicholas definitely is. Anna Campbell is a master at drawing a reader in from the very first page and keeping them captivated the whole book through.

Janga at The Romance Dish gave MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION five stars and said:

It has all the emotional intensity and sizzling love scenes that one expects in an Anna Campbell novel. It’s another AC keeper! If you are a reader who sticks to light-hearted romance, this book is not for you. But for those who love a passionate, poignant romance that shows the redemptive power of love, I highly recommend MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION.

You can preorder MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at the Book Depository (postage free worldwide).

And check out this beautiful Australian cover. I've got simultaneous releases in North America and Australia and New Zealand for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION. I can't wait to see the book on a shelf near me! I love the different takes each country has on my stories. And you'll notice that the hero on the front of this edition has got blond hair. Huzzah!

So tell me what you'd do to satisfy your own MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION. I promise it will go no further! Complete discretion guaranteed!

Christina Hollis: What is Closest To Your Heart?

Just about everyone who blogs and comments here at authorsoundrelations loves a happy ending, which must be why we read so much romance. But 'happiness writes white', so what keeps us reading?

There has to be some sort of huge problem at the heart of every novel, some boulder in the road of life that can't be tossed aside.  It has to be worked around, scaled, or tunnelled through. In the type of books we all love here, it's the sort of problem that takes two to solve. There's nothing like chasing your hero and heroine up metaphorical trees, and then throwing rocks at them!  Give them a past they're trying to escape - then throw the shadow of that past over their future happiness. 


In my most recent Harlequin Presents Extra, The Master of Bella Terra, (published in the UK as The Italian's Blushing Gardener) Kira fled to Italy after a disastrous love affair. She's made a completely new life for herself, independent and successful, but the arrival of a new neighbour threatens all that. Kira is in danger of losing everything she holds most dear. Unknown to her, Stefano is trapped in an equally difficult situation. Bringing Kira and Stefano together sowed the seeds of their self-destruction - and set the scene for them to create new identities for themselves as a couple. They each face the prospect of having the thing they held most dear snatched away. The drama led them to their ultimate happy ending.

What would you fight tooth and nail to protect? Your family? Your pet, or maybe your own little patch of heaven? There's be a signed copy of The Master of Bella Terra on offer for a comment picked at random!

Christina Hollis writes Modern Romance/Presents Extra for Harlequin Mills and Boon. You can catch up with her in the following places:
Website: http://www.christinahollis.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/christinabooksFacebook: http://bit.ly/9rv4dfBlog: http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com/  

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Patricia Sprinkle: Birds

I love watching birds. I have four feeders outside my office window, and as I started writing this, three bright goldfinches landed on the thistle seeds. Two dainty eaters each took a seed and departed. One little pig stayed so long he claimed squatter’s rights, and refused to let the other two return. Do you know people like that? I do.

Whenever I start to complain about the cost of birdseed, I remind myself that these pets never cost me a vet bill and are cheaper than a psychiatrist.

Birds play an important role in my latest novel, Friday’s Daughter. The bluebird on the cover, hovering but not quite perching on a birdbath, is where Teensie MacAllester is when this story begins. For fifteen years Teensie has hovered over life, caring for her aunt, her mother, and her crochety father. He promised, when he asked her to give up the nursing job she loved and come home as family caregiver, that he would leave her his house and money to open a small, gracious nursing home for impoverished elderly people.

The book opens with his death, when Teensie discovers he supported his lavish lifestyle by living off his capital, and he never changed his will. She must share a diminished estate with two grasping elder sisters. At forty, Teensie must create a new life for herself.

The story is about how one little bluebird avoids birds of prey around her and learns to soar with eagles.

I haven’t had any eagles at my feeders yet, but a gang of finches just drove off the squatter. Like Teensie, they discovered you can accomplish great things with the help of a few friends.

Patricia Sprinkle
http://www.patriciasprinkle.com/

Donna Alward: What Would You Do?

The title of my next release is a little deceiving. Honeymoon with the Rancher sort of implies that the heroine is on her honeymoon with her rancher husband, right? If I were reading that title I'd be thinking that the Honeymoon with the Rancher is at the END of the book, not the beginning. The result of their romance, and not the start of it.

Maybe it's not so much deceiving as a twist. Because they aren't on THEIR honeymoon. She's on hers. Singular. Tomas doesn't even see her coming.

Sophia shows up in Argentina alone. It's a brave thing for her, because she's been sheltered and told what to do for most of her life. Breaking off her engagement was a BIG step, but the right one. Her ex-fiance looked good on paper but, like Rebecca says in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, he wasn't "a very good investment". (Oddly enough, Isla Fisher was my heroine casting for this book!) Sophia doesn't know what she wants, really, but she knows it isn't what she had. And so she shows up - alone - at the Vista del Cielo estancia. And it's there that she meets rancher/gaucho Tomas Mendoza.

Her reaction is kind of extreme. I mean - what would you do if you walked in on your future husband with another woman? Would you be crushed? For Sophia it prompts her to analyze what sort of relationship they had - was it based on real love or something else? Would you kick him to the curb or try to work it out? Would you make him pay for a VERY long time - or leave him in your dust and start on a new life? Would you be like Sophia, thumb your nose at him and take your honeymoon ALONE?

It's the kind of situation that really makes a person discover what they're made of. And when the bravado of going it alone wears off, there are times Sophia's not sure that she's very strong at all. But then there's Tomas...and there's Argentina...both of which weave their spell around her. I mean how could you resist the wide open pampas or the gorgeous power of Iguazu Falls?

Honeymoon with the Rancher is out in the US in May, but it's available in print and e-book in the UK (it was a March release there) and it's available at eharlequin right now.

Here's the blurb:

One gorgeous rancher, one jilted bride!

Tomas Mendoza left the city behind when he retreated to a rustic Argentine ranching guesthouse after losing
his fiancée. He has found peace working the land…until socialite Sophia Hollingsworth plants her stilettos in front of him and demands to stay the week.

Sophia is nursing private hurts of her own—after all, she is on her honeymoon…alone. Her bravado is a cover act to show everyone she can stand on her own two feet.

Trouble is, she’s in danger of being swept away into the rancher’s arms!


So what would you do? Leave a comment and I'll draw for a copy of Honeymoon with the Rancher!

Donna

http://www.donnaalward.com/
twitter: @DonnaAlward

Laura Childs: Come Peek into my Author Cave

Before I became a full time mystery author, I had a notion of what my dream office might look like.  It would a technological marvel, of course, but set in an oak paneled study complete with roaring fireplace, ample bookcases, and a couple of fine-boned hounds lolling at my feet.

     Well, I’ve got the hounds anyway.  Two sweet and wrinkled Shar-Peis, who come bounding in to slobber me with kisses whenever they feel like it.

     But my office doesn’t exude quite the baronial splendor I’d originally pictured.  Basically, my desk is a large typing table that holds a computer.  There used to be two computers, but my husband finally took pity on me and trashed the one that had long since whimpered and died.  There are also boxes of books all over the floor, a narrow bookshelf piled high with dog-eared papers, and a printer sitting on an old dresser that never quite fit into our bedroom.  Crazy, huh?

     Well, yes and no.  I like it a little crazy because it keeps me humble.  My office has become a strict reminder that this is the place where I make my living and do some serious writing.  And until I write my mandatory 20 pages per week, those piles of papers are not going to get picked up. 

     This is a system that, believe it or not, works rather well for me.  In fact, I manage to write three books a year in this crazy, cluttered environment.  Would I get that much work done in my fancy dream office?  Hmm.  Doubtful.

     But write I do, pounding out as many words as I can with a writing philosophy that bears a striking resemblance to the Nike slogan, Just Do It.

     Because . . . I just do it.  It’s as simple as that.  No feng shui, burning of sage or wishful thinking.  When I set out to write a new book, I run a few “what ifs” through my brain and try to get an interesting murder scenario to lodge in my hard drive.  When it does (and, knock on wood, it always does) I noodle my concept around for a few days and try to puzzle out an interesting story.  Then I develop an outline/timeline, create a 50-page synopsis, and start chipping away at the writing.

     When it comes to developing characters, they pretty much pop into my brain in a remarkably well-formed fashion.  People always ask if I do index cards or plan intricate bios, but I can’t imagine doing anything quite that studied.  To me writing is about intuition and gut instinct – you’ve got to sit back, trust your inner writing instincts, and let your characters speak to you.  Luckily, my characters always seem to be buzzing around inside my head like people in a crowded elevator.  My job is to pry open the doors so they can elbow their way out.

     I also believe in doing research while I’m writing.  I know that many authors do their research ahead of time - they spend weeks researching and cataloguing facts.  There’s nothing wrong with this, but I’m far too impatient for all that.  For example, with my newest Tea Shop Mystery, Scones & Bones, I needed to pull up information on jolly roger flags, East Coast shipwrecks, and the pirate Blackbeard.  So I ran a few Google searches, pulled up a few pages of key information, then plugged the data into my manuscript and plowed ahead.  That way I can maintain my pace and keep my storyline humming.

     Probably, the number one question I get asked is “Where do you get your ideas?”  The truth of the matter is, ideas come from the imagination.  And one’s imagination is about 80 percent gifted to you through DNA and 20 percent compliments of your life experiences – the good and the bad.

     The other question I get asked is “What advice can you offer a would-be author?  My reply always runs pretty much along the same lines.  And that is, try to be very, very original.  Publishers are exceedingly picky these days and are getting even more irritable given the tough economy.  You have to sort of dazzle them with a story or characters they haven’t encountered before.  Also, there’s this crazy a-b-c-d-e thing you might want to follow.  Action, believability, conflict, description, and emotion.  If your can shoehorn each one of these elements into every single chapter, chances are you’ll probably end up with something worth publishing!  Good luck!

 Laura Childs is the author of 12 Tea Shop Mysteries, 8 Scrapbook Mysteries, and 3 Cackleberry Club Mysteries.  She has made the New York Times Bestseller List 6 times in the last 25 months.

Paula Roe: Australian Author month

April is Australian Author Month, with many bloggers and reviewers selecting Aussie authors to read and review. So today I thought I'd share with you nine of my favorite reads by some wonderful Aussie authors.

Kelly Hunter - Wife for a Week

This was Kelly’s debut book and an instant keeper for me. A pretend wife, an ancient vase and a comedy of errors make for one sexy, fun read.

Bronwyn Jameson - Addicted to Nick

I think this has to be my favorite Bronwyn Jameson book. Set on a horse farm, it involves a feisty girl, a bad boy and heaps of sizzling romance!

Elynne Mitchell - The Silver Brumby

Okay, so it’s not a romance, but Elynne Mitchell, for those of you who don’t know, is a superstar in Aussie children’s fiction. Her Silver Brumby series chronicling the lives and loves of Thowra, king of the wild horses, instantly transported me to a fantastic world of talking horses and the glorious scenery of mid-Australian outback.

Keri Arthur - Full Moon Rising
The first in Keri’s Riley Jenson books, this book sizzles and steams! Set in Melbourne, Riley is half vampire, half werewolf, working for a secret government agency that polices the supernatural races. It’s unique, fast and gritty. Beware – it’s addictive but totally worth it, and has a satisfying ending to the nine-book series.

Christine Wells -Scandal's Daughter
Christine’s debut book is delightful from beginning to end. A flirty Regency romance with heart and depth, it’s about an incorrigible rake who must find a husband for his childhood friend, the daughter of a notorious seductress.

CC Coburn - Colorado Christmas

If you love quirky small US towns, community, a by-the-book heroine and a charming rogue hero who goes after the woman he wants, you’ll love CC’s book.

Janet Gover - Girl Racers

Set in the beautiful Snowy Mountains near our nation’s capital of Canberra, two childhood sweethearts are forced together to win a charity car race. With lovely secondary characters, this story was a sweet, delightful read, with complex characters and a fast-paced story.

Denise Rossetti - Gift of the Goddess

Denise’s first book is a blend of eroticism and fantasy with shades of medieval life as our heroes (two guys, one girl) go on a quest to placate an angry goddess. Beware –not for the easily shocked as it has lots of hot, sweaty M/M/F sex and an unconventional ending.

Kirsty Brooks – The Vodka Dialogue

With heaps of 80s references, quirky characters and a luscious amateur PI heroine, this Melbourne-set chick lit/sleuth series featuring Cassidy Blair is a scream!

Got a favorite Aussie author? A keeper that’s set in Australia? I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Paula

Award winning author Paula Roe loves writing about Aussie characters and settings. Her fifth book, Promoted to Wife? Highlights the beautiful Gold Coast and cosmopolitan Sydney, two of her favorite places to visit. You can read more at her website http://www.paularoe.com

Jasmine Haynes: Power!

It’s my husband’s birthday today, and my mom is coming over to help me bake his favorite treat, Bakewell Tarts. It’s my mother’s old recipe from her days as a young woman in England. She was born in a little town called Hendon on the outskirts of London. She went through the war and the rationing that continued long past VE day and well into 1948. She’s the best baker! A few weeks ago she came over to help me make Bakewall Tarts, but I bought frozen pastry shells and thought I could just flatten those out and cut them into the correct shape. Not! In fact, it was a mess and I ended up throwing out the whole lot. So, we’re going to try it again, this time with the correct pastry dough and a rolling pin!

As those of you who’ve read my blogs before might know, my mother has much in common with Ladybird Long, Witt’s mother in my Max Starr series. In Power to the Max, the fourth installment in the Max Starr series, Ladybird is definitely up for being more involved in Max’s latest case! Thanks to Rosemary Gunn for the perfect cover! Thirty-something, down-on-her-luck accountant Max Starr has the unfortunate gift of being psychic, a newly-discovered wrinkle in her already messed-up life. Her husband, Cameron, is dead, killed in a botched 7-11 robbery two years ago. In her grief, Max has cut herself off from friends, moved out of her San Francisco home in favor of a studio apartment, and dumped her flourishing career as a CPA to do temp work.

Now Max has developed an annoying penchant for attracting the spirits of murdered women. Okay, they possess her. And to exorcize them, Max must unmask their killers. But how?! By stepping into the void their deaths created, taking their jobs, befriending the loved ones they left behind. Max goes wherever she has to go and does whatever she has to do.

In Max’s latest adventure, sonuvabitch Lance La Russa had a thirst for power, exotic tastes, and the money to pay for both. Angela Rocket, the beautiful, quirky call girl willing to fulfill his every fantasy, was the last person to see him alive. And the prime suspect.

To solve the crime, Max Starr must enter the world of sex for hire, much to the chagrin of her ghostly late husband Cameron and sort-of boyfriend homicide detective Witt Long. She’ll need all her psychic skills to save Angela from going to prison for a crime Max is sure she didn’t commit. Max also has a new challenge. Can she find the real murderer without being possessed by the murdered man’s spirit?

But the scariest thing of all? Witt’s Mom Ladybird Long wants to help do the detecting!

Check out the excerpt for Power to the Max. What does the man have in his left hand? Leave a comment with the answer the question and your contact e-mail address to enter my drawing for a copy of Desperate to the Max Desperate to the Max, the third book in the Max Starr series.

I also hope you’ll stop by my blog where I’m giving readers a free erotic read, a new chapter every week of Kinky Neighbors! You can find Chapters One through Four, starting with the March 14th blog! And don’t miss another e-release, Beauty or the Bitch.