April 26, 2008

In it for the Long Haul

I’m so thrilled to visit with you today. I appreciate Cindy inviting me!

My first book, a Steeple Hill Love Inspired titled Her Unlikely Family, just came out in February, and two things about this journey recently occurred to me:

1. I started writing when my middle child was nursing—holding him in one arm while typing with the other hand. He’s now 13.
2. When I used to need writing time, I would bribe my three children by telling them if they would let Mommy write, then I would use money from my first advance to buy them a swing set. Hmmm. My oldest is about to graduate from high school, and my youngest is now 11. She’s almost as tall as I am, and her feet would drag the ground on an old-fashioned swing set.

Obviously, it took much longer than expected.

When I started on the road to publication, I never, ever would have imagined waiting this long. In fact, when I sat down and first started to act as a professional and wrote down goals, my number one goal was to be published in 5 years.

Okay, you can quit laughing now. I realize how silly that was, not because it can’t be done in 5 years, but because it’s not something I can control. And yes, I was very naïve, then.

This business isn’t for the faint of heart. And it isn’t for those who give up easily. Stubbornness can be an asset (and luckily, I have those stubborn genes). I’ve also been blessed with lots of writing friends in my local RWA chapter and also online writing groups. They’ve kept me going through the years. As well as my children who kept cheering me on, hoping for that swing set. And my husband, who wondered when I would ever quit spending his paycheck on books, conferences, and contests and actually make some money. 

But maybe taking this long wasn’t such a bad thing after all. For one, I believe it happened in God’s perfect timing. But, also, my children are now old enough to really enjoy the thrill with me. When that wonderful box came from Harlequin in December, after everyone cheered for me, my 13-year-old, a reader like me, grabbed one out of the box and took off to his room to devour it. He also grabbed one for his lit teacher. My oldest took one to church to show it off. And my youngest picked up my Alpha-smart to continue writing her own story. And then in February, our whole family made a trip to Walmart to see it on the shelf and to celebrate. All well worth the wait!

So what’s your dream, and how long have you been pursuing it? (Not necessarily writing related.) If you’ll leave a comment with contact info, I’ll enter you in a drawing for a copy of Her Unlikely Family!

April 11, 2008

Guest Blogger Emily McKay

Robyn here…Before I turn the blog over to Emily I have to step in here to do a special introduction because I’m so excited that Emily is here today. You see not only is she my critique partner and closest friend, but she’s one of my favorite authors. If you like Jenny Cruisie, chances are you’ll like Emily McKay. She’s got great trademark humor and authentic emotion that will really tug at your heartstrings. So if you’ve never given her a try, then do yourself a favor and run out today to get you a copy of her latest Desire - and really how sexy is that cover?

Okay, now without further ado, I give you my partner in crime, Emily McKay.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a health scare. Not the kind of health scare I normally have (which usually consists of me googling obscure diseases and then calling friends and family to see if they think I’m exhibiting signs of … oh, say typhoid or sarcoidosis. No, this was an actual health scare. There were doctors involved and everything.

Don’t worry, it ended up being nothing.

But as I sat in the doctor’s office with my hubby and kids waiting to see if my number was in fact up, here are some of the thoughts that went through my mind: “If I’m dying, I want to do less laundry. I want to eat more Thin Mints and Cherry Garcia ice cream. And I’m definitely not finishing that mediocre book I’ve been reading. Hmm…I wonder what I should read instead. Maybe I’ll reread Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm. Or the last Harry Potter book. I’ll definitely catch up on Suz Brockmann’s Trouble Shooter series.”

It’s funny, now that I think about it. I didn’t give any thought to what I’d finish writing. I guess that’s because I was a reader long before I was a writer. I can imagine never writing again, but I sure can’t imagine never reading again.

So when I found out I wasn’t dying, what did I do when I got home? I folded laundry. But I did pick up a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book I’d been saving.

But what about you? What book is so good, you’d want it to be the last book you ever read?

For any who respond today, I’ll draw a lucky winner to win an autographed copy of my latest release, Baby on the Billionaire’s Doorstep.

P.S. I’m running a contest on my website. Be sure to stop by for a chance to win a one of two $50 gift cards from Amazon.com.

April 7, 2008

TJ Bennett Blogs on The Legacy

My debut novel, The Legacy (April 2008), is a historical romance about the destructive nature of secrets. Set in 1525 Wittenberg, Germany, the novel weaves events occurring during the Early Reformation period into an intimate love story played out on the canvas of history.

I was inspired to write this outside-the-box historical romance about a printer and the runaway nun he is blackmailed into marrying when I came across a book entitled Martin Luther Had a Wife. The book described how the sixteenth-century religious reformer met and married Katherine von Bora, an ex-nun. She and eleven other nuns engineered a daring escape from a convent and fled to Luther’s doorstep in Wittenberg, asking for help in starting a new life. Luther decided to help the women, finding most of them husbands in a round of hasty matchmaking. The twelfth nun, Katherine von Bora, decided she’d rather marry Luther than anyone else, and theirs became one of the great love matches of history.

It got me thinking: What must it have been like for the other eleven women? They went from nun to wife in such a short time, most of them marrying strangers. And what if one of those women hadn’t wanted to marry the man chosen for her as a mate? The idea morphed into one of intrigue and suspense: What if an escaped nun was recaptured by her family and forced to marry a certain man for reasons she didn’t understand? And what if his reasons for marrying her were just as mysterious? Thus, The Legacy was born.

I created the three Behaim brothers to tell the story, one of whom is thrust into an arranged marriage with Sabina von Ziegler, a runaway nun with a tragic past. In the beginning, neither plans to consummate the marriage they each want to have annulled, but they find themselves challenged by a fiery passion they cannot resist. In addition, they must also solve a mystery revolving around why Sabina’s adopted father forced these two together in the first place. In the course of their discoveries, they find love and a truth that sets them free from their past.

While writing The Legacy, I also came across research describing the lives of the 16th century German mercenaries known as Landsknechts, or servants of the country. These mercenaries were hired by the Holy Roman Emperor, among others, to fight territorial battles between the major powers of the day (France, England, Germany, Spain, and the Low Countries). I was so fascinated with the difficult and spectacular lives of these men, I decided to make one of the Behaim brothers a mercenary fighting in Charles V’s Italian campaigns. Günter Behaim meets and falls for a Spanish blade artisan’s daughter who believes she is cursed. Their romantic adventure is featured in The Promise, available May 2009.

I hope readers will find the settings for these books a refreshing addition to their usual historical novels. If you’ve had a chance to read The Legacy, let me know what you think! You can stop by my website and read excerpts, send me an e-mail, check out pictures of conferences I’ve attended, and comment on my blog.

In addition, I’m giving away a free book and a $40 gift certificate to either B&N or GermanDeli.com (a German foods importer) to any one who comments on at least two of the blogs I’m touring. Comment here. For a list of the other places, check out my blog. Good luck!

March 28, 2008

Christie Craig Blogs on Playing Favorites

It’s happening to me now. I sort of knew it would. How did I know? Because dadblast it, I’m guilty of doing it myself. Guilty of asking authors . . . “So, which of your books do you like the best?”

Now, with my next book coming out in June, the question is targeted toward me and I realize how unfair it is to ask an author this question. I mean, please, it’s just like asking a mother which child she loves the best. Or which child she thinks is prettier.

To an author, our books, and characters are like our children. To show favoritism is like . . . well, it’s just so wrong on soooo many levels.

As mothers it’s our job to make all our children feel like they are our favorite—without ever really saying it. Right?

Okay, I’ll admit it, mothers aren’t blind. We do see things. For example I know that one of my children has a prettier nose than the other. But gawd forbid I ever say it aloud. I’d probably scar the child for life, they’d sign up to get a nose job, expect me to pay for it, and would be discussing this very issue to a therapist long after I’m worm bait. (Don’t forget Mother’s Day is coming up and I always rate some really nice gifts. And in case one of my own read this: Think Gucci purse this year.)

And besides the child who inherited my great uncle’s nose has gorgeous to-die-for eyes, which almost, well practically, makes the huge honker unnoticeable.

My point is that while my books, Divorced, Desperate and Delicious and Weddings Can Be Murder have some things in common—i.e. They’re both humorous, sexy, and have a bit of murder in them—they are unique in their own way as well. Sure, you can look at them and know they are related, that they were written by yours truly, but it’s not like they are identical twins are anything.

Divorced is more of a romantic suspense, where Weddings is more of a mystery. My heroine in Divorced, was so finished with men, she swore she was never going to have sex again (you can guess how that turned out.) Katie in Weddings, on the other hand, is desperately seeking the perfect man to make her life complete. And just when she thinks she’s found him, Mr. Not-So-Perfect comes along (hey, he probably even has a big nose) and she totally flushes her life plans down the John. The fact that she already accidentally flushed her engagement ring down John almost seems like a sign.

So while the books are different, they are both books of my heart. Each special to me in their own way, just the way my kids are. (Seriously, think Gucci, kids.) I’m just hoping that the readers feel the same way.

So here’s my question to all of you. Do you have a tendency to love every book from certain authors? If you are a writer, (and yep, I’m gonna do it again) do you have your favorite book, or are you like me and love all your books, big noses or not so big noses?

Below is my video for Weddings Can Be Murder, which will be out May 27th and the video for Divorced, Desperate and Delicious.

Please visit me at my websiteand my blog where I joined forces with five other Dorchester authors to explore the crazy/humorous side of life.

March 24, 2008

Judy Duarte Blogs about Difficult Questions and Simple Answers

“Oh! You’re a writer!”

When people learn that I’m multi-published, most of them ask where I get my ideas. Some even want to offer suggestions for stories they don’t have the time or the confidence to write. But truthfully? I’m not in need of ideas. I’m bombarded with more than my share every day.

Sometimes a song on the radio will spark an idea. Or an article in the newspaper will catch my eye. Even a nearly forgotten memory will do the trick.

In fact, that’s how MULBERRY PARK, the book of my heart, came to be.

Do you remember those notes we used to write in school?

Dear Jimmy,
Do you love me? Mark the one .
Yes____ or No____

Well, that’s the kind of letter I’m talking about. But the one that tickled my imagination and sparked the inciting incident in MULBERRY PARK wasn’t written to a boy I had a crush on.

It was written to God.

When I couldn’t find a satisfactory answer to my question through ordinary measures, like asking the adults around me, I sat down and wrote a letter to God, tucked it between the mattresses of my bed, and went to sleep, knowing I’d have the answer by morning.

Of course, God didn’t respond in the way in which I’d expected–with the pen I’d included in my letter and a big X in the Yes or No boxes I’d drawn. So, needless to say, I was disappointed.

In retrospect, and with a few years behind me–I won’t tell you how many–I now realize that I’d had His answer all along.
You see, my mother had already given it to me. I just hadn’t agreed. So I went around her—and over her head. I’d planned for God to clarify things and set her straight.

Two years ago, during an RWA conference, I was sitting in a hotel room, resting for a moment between workshops. I was a long way from home and waxing nostalgic. Memories are often linked, and as one flipped to the next, that letter to God came to mind, and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if I wrote a story in which a child wrote a letter to God?”

Oh, wow. And wouldn’t it be cool if someone found that letter and wrote back, as if he or she were God?

Ooh. And what if the child began peppering that poor person with more notes…?

And there you have it–the start of MULBERRY PARK, my first women’s fiction novel.

God didn’t answer my question that night–nor did He eat the red licorice I left him. But He answered me indirectly, which is what He does in MULBERRY PARK.

When Analisa Dawson, a seven-year-old orphan, can’t find the answers she seeks, she takes a felt-tip marker and addresses God. Then she places her note in a flamingo pink envelope, decorated with globs of glue and glitter, and sets it high in a large Mulberry tree in the center of the park, believing the branches reach all the way to Heaven.

Claire Harper, a jogger whose faith was shattered by the loss of her son, finds the heartfelt plea and feels compelled to respond. That simple act sets motion to a miracle that touches the lives of nine different people, all strangers to each other, all lonely and hurting in their own way.

In the pages of MULBERRY PARK, the characters learn, as I have over the years, that sometimes God’s voice is a whisper in the wind, a peace within the storm. And that some of His biggest miracles occur when the heart listens and obeys.

March 13, 2008

Guest blogger Delores Fossen talks about cowboys as heroes

Cowboys as Heroes…

Those three words are a mouthful, and readers usually fall in one camp or the other: they love cowboys as heroes, or they hate ‘em. Me? I fall into the love ‘em camp. This might have something to do with the fact that I spent the first eight years of my life on a working ranch/farm. No, it’s not a glamorous life, but there’s something heroic about a man who earns a living through hard back-breaking work. Or maybe it’s just because they often look so darn good in their Stetsons and jeans.

Anyway, this whole idea of cowboys as heroes got me thinking, and I checked out the American Film Institute’s (AFI) list of all time heroes to see how many cowboys made the top 50. There aren’t many, but here they are:

Will Kane (Gary Cooper) High Noon
Shane (Alan Ladd)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Paul Newman and Robert Redford)
Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) True Grit

That’s a good start, but I’d like to add some more recent ones:

The Assassination of Jesse James (Brad Pitt)

3:10 to Yuma (Christian Bale and Russell Crowe)

And finally, here’s Dylan Greer, the hero of my latest Intrigue, THE HORSEMAN’S SON. I think he’s a great example of why I love cowboys.:)

So, where do you stand when it comes to cowboys? Do you love ‘em, or do you look elsewhere for your heroes? Anyone who posts a comment will be entered into a drawing to win an autographed copy of my February Intrigue, NEWBORN CONSPIRACY.

March 12, 2008

Sandra K. Moore Blogs on System Reset

System reset

Sounds technical and scary, doesn’t it?

And yet, that’s what happened when I embarked on a 10-day cleansing fast recently. You may have heard about the lemonade-based Master Cleanser — there must be about a dozen books about it and hundreds of web sites, both pro and con — and sure enough I did it.

Well, 7 days of it, anyway.

I’m not really sure why I chose to do this fast. I mean, sure, a coworker was interested in doing it, and sure, I had some other spiritually-oriented stuff going on in my life that seemed to synchronize with this particular activity. But going 10 days without eating solid food isn’t something I tend to just do.

But I just did it.

I learned a lot, too — more than I would have thought possible:

• I can live without Starbucks.
• I don’t have to have a huge lunch to survive the work day.
• Organic, grade B maple syrup is way expensive.
• A blood sugar drop doesn’t necessarily have to catapult me into Angry Bitch mode.
• Peppermint tea is really, really good.
• Every day is a good day if I choose to let it be.

So while the fast is meant to be a physical fast, it also turned into a spiritual one. I spent a lot of time being “present,” in the moment, as I listened to my body tell me how it felt. Most of the time, that feeling was, “Fantastic!” Other times, the feeling was a little tired, but I quickly learned that I’d not paced the lemonade drink correctly.

I kept a detailed journal of how I felt both mentally and physically, including the cravings that would pop up. One of the nuggets of wisdom I read about cleansing is that we crave what we’re detoxing, so I know there was quite a bit of red meat and Skittles detox going on!

After I ended the fast, I wanted nothing more than some nice raw fruits and veggies. Here’s what I’ve stopped craving and eating:

• Coffee, tea, and sodas (no caffeine!)
• Sugar of any kind, including my beloved Skittles
• Meat of any kind
• White flour
• Chocolate

I’m sure there’s more, but those are the big ones for me.

All sorts of doors have opened for me. For example, yesterday I had lunch with some coworkers at Lupe Tortillas, a fantastic Tex-Mex restaurant. I ordered a meatless, cheeseless burrito, and the chef actually came out to warn me that the beans were cooked with bacon and he could make some Portobello mushroom tacos if I preferred.

Maybe I should explain that I don’t like mushrooms. Nasty things. But I thought, what the hey, and told him, Sure, I’d try mushroom tacos.

Oh my god.

He’d sliced up the Portobellos and grilled them just like fajitas, and those tacos were the most delicious things I’ve ever put in my mouth…. Just fantastic.

So my little experiment with the Master Cleanser has been a great way to naturally reset my system — to eliminate the cravings for junk and processed foods, to remind me of my body on a moment-to-moment basis, and to give me a more open mind about food.

What resets your system?

Everyone who posts a comment will be entered in a contest to win a copy of my latest Athena Force: Without a Trace.

March 5, 2008

Sophie’s Winner

Sophie didn’t announce this contest, except on the Avon Bulletin Board , but she wanted us to give away a copy of Marked by Moonlight to one reader who commented. Marked by Moonlight is Sophie’s latest paranormal as Sharie Kohler. Fedora was randomly chosen. Congrats, Fedora!

Email Sharie/Sophie at sophie@sophiejordan.net with your address and who you’d like the book signed to.

Congrats!

March 4, 2008

Sophie Jordan on A RISING STAR — My Obsession with Shia LaBeouf!

Okay, we just came out of Oscar season , so I’m going to talk about someone that I’m convinced will one day be taking one of those Golden statutes home. This kid – ok, he’s not really a kid anymore – is an amazing actor! I first noticed him on Disney’s EVEN STEVENS.

I noticed him because he stood out so much from the rest of the cast – and he was maybe nine! ten years old at the time. I kept thinking that he was so funny. There aren’t many children capable of delivering humor in such a dry, age-wise manner. There was just something so compelling about him. Oh, he wasn’t all comedian. He could pull off the drama, too. Talk about range! I was glued to the screen whenever he came on. Even way back then, I said to myself, “Gosh, I hope this kid gets a break and moves out of the pond into the big pool.” And tada…

Notice the bottom type? The NEXT TOM HANKS? Hmmm….

Not only has the little boy grown up … he is receiving the critical acclaim I always hoped he would get. Is it weird to feel like a proud mama?! I mean, how many people saw him in EVEN STEVENS and said that kid has superstar potential? Ok, enough patting myself on the back.;)

I saw him in DISTURBIA the other night – ok movie, but I had to watch it since it was an updated version of REAR WINDOW (who could do better than Hitchcock, right?). Shia is in it!! DH just looked at me blankly as I proclaimed this, hopping excitedly on the couch. Still, despite the movie’s flaws, Shia gave a great performance.

So, can you guess my reaction when I learned he was cast in the new Indiana Jones movie? I can’t think of anyone better to play Indiana Jones’s love child! BTW, check out this photo of “Indy and son”!

Can’t wait to see it!!

Hugs,

Sophie

February 7, 2008

Sophie Jordan on Getting Serious in ‘08

Hey, everyone! At the kind invitation of the Jaunty Quills, I’ll be blogging here once or twice a month … sometimes I’ll talk writing, but probably more often than not I’ll simply share the chaotic ramblings of my neurotic mind. So here I go …

One of my many goals is to get in shape. I know, not too original, but it’s something I seriously need to do. After the birth of my son in September, I feel like such an out-of-shape slug. My primary focus is to get healthy – course I wouldn’t mind looking better, too. Honestly, some days my body just feels too old and tired for a thirty-something-year-old woman. So …enough is enough.

Well, there’s nothing like a little stomach flu to kick start one’s diet plans. For almost a week, I couldn’t even look at food without feeling queasy. Appetite back again, I’m eating right and determined to keep it up. I’ve even started back at the gym … and posting here is declaring to the world that I’m serious about getting healthy. You heard it here, folks. Sophie’s getting in shape.

Even DH, who is fit as far as I’m concerned, is getting on the band wagon with me. Of course, he really doesn’t need to lose weight – I know, sickening, right? He just wants to get “mean” and “ripped”. I’m trying to be supportive of his goal, but part of me is thinking, “Puh-lease!!” You’re at your goal weight already. Do you really need to look like Brad Pitt? Because I just want to reach goal weight! No one said anything about bouncing a nickel off my bottom! It reminds me of those commercials with the cartoon husband and wife who do the same thing to drop weight and the husband keeps losing weight while the wife doesn’t. Preaching to the choir, girl!

Which leads me to yesterday…

DH joined a boot camp. You know, one of those four week fitness courses that meet three times a week. Like I said, DH is in pretty good shape. He already works out several times a week, but just in case, he joined a beginners’ level boot camp. I was thinking a course like this might be good for me, too. Beginner to me implies that it wouldn’t be too strenuous. You know what I mean … some cardio but nothing to make me cry or puke my guts up. So I thought I might like to do this course next. Hey, I watch Biggest Loser and XWeighted (both great shows!) – they’ve inspired me into thinking I can handle at least a little pain.

WRONG.

When I came home yesterday it was to find the man I married sprawled face down on the living room rug, all the lights in the house turned off. The dogs were circling him and I thought he was dead. After a few moans and whimpers from his inert, 6 feet 1″, 190lbs form, I gathered he was not. Apparently, he came close though. So now I’m thinking “no” on the alleged beginners’ boot camp. I’ll continue to work out on my own and wish DH the best in claiming his Brad Pitt physique. Hey, I can enjoy that, too, after all.

What about any of you? I know Shana keeps in pretty good shape. Any of the rest of you vowing to get healthier in ’08?