Ginger Simpson's Blog, page 18
July 25, 2019
Writing Around You Day Job by Connie Vines
It’s a 5:00 world, at least that is what the popular “Vogues” song from yesteryear (1965) tells us. In 2003, the song was reborn via the movie, “Big Fish”.
Up every morning just to keep a job
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob
Sounds of the city pounding in my brain
While another day goes down the drain
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) but it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
No-one owns a piece of my time
As most writers know, writing hours are made after you complete your day job. You time is also doled out in little snippets while watching your child’s water polo practice, Harp recital, or while boiling pasta for the evening meal.
For those of us who may find writing until 1:00 AM and having the alarm set for 5:00 AM a bit fatiguing. It seems we are keeping good company.
Some of these stories you may be familiar with, others may come as a surprise.
He may be a renowned author of over 50 novels, but Stephen King wasn't always a full-time writer — his time as a high school janitor helped inspire the novel Carrie. King originally threw the first draft of the story in the trash, but his wife Tabitha fished it out and told him to keep going because she wanted to know how it ended.
Before she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee worked as an airline reservations clerk in New York. She eventually quit when her friends helped support her financially so she could finally write full time.
He's a well-known author now, but before Nicholas Sparks wrote The Notebook, he worked odd jobs, including selling dental products over the phone.
She was a talented science-fiction writer and awarded the MacArthur Fellowship — but before her success as a writer, Octavia Butler worked as a potato chip inspector. She also worked as a dishwasher and a telemarketer, using these day jobs to support her writing. And they really were day jobs, because Butler would get up at 2 a.m. to do her writing before going in to work! Amazing.
She's known as a mystery novelist; Agatha Christie was once an assistant apothecary. She reportedly knew a lot about poisons, which was no doubt helpful as she created the characters of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Just goes to show that you never know what knowledge will come in handy later.
Bram Stoker wrote Dracula while working as the manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, imagining Henry Irving, a famous actor and owner of the theater, playing the vampire himself.
So how about you? What is/was your day job(s)?
Does your day job get your creative ideas flowing?
I work in the field of education, students, staff, and events give me ideas—or at least creative thoughts.
Sometimes, after a long day. It will take me five minutes to write a sentence.
Five minutes of staring into space until the idea of writing an opening line about how long it took me to think of an opening line popped into my head.
In the grand scheme of things, five minutes isn't all that long. But for a writer, five minutes for nine words can add up.
Writing takes time. A whole lot of time.
I always imagined I'd write my first book in a vacation hideaway overlooking the beach or cabin in the Grand Tetons. Unfortunately, most first-time authors won't get to live out this literary fantasy.
In fact, circumstances will most likely be the opposite: writing during off-hours, scribbling notes in public, enjoying less sleep than you'd like and slowly losing your mind while trying to maintain personal relationships a full-time job and run a household.
Say you've finally found a quiet hour to yourself. You know you should write, but you're tired from work and are only on season four of “Game of Thrones.” What were once simple choices become tormenting tests of will power and resolution.
As George Orwell famously stated, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness.”
In his book “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” Stephen King shared a similar though more concise sentiment: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
So how do I stay on track to reach my deadline?
I’ve learned to say “no.”
I also participate online instead of driving to Orange County Romance Writers or L.A.R.A. monthly meetings; I sign-up for online classes. I miss interacting with other writers, and my plotting group, but talking isn’t going to write my novel.
This doesn't mean you have to say no to everything, but writing is always going to require compromise.
A large part of writing for me is preparing my environment. I like to have a cup of coffee by my side, music playing. I prefer to write from 8:00 to 11:30 PM every other day. On Fridays I write until 2:00 AM, Saturdays after the gym and running errands. I’ll write for a few hours, then spend time on other tasks, until about 8:00 PM I will write until 10 or 11:00. (though is writing until 2:00 this morning).
Sunday, unless I have a blog post due/or am on a deadline, I do not write. I may edit my week's work in the evening but that is the extent of my writing. This is family time for me.
Remember: If you keep waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect time, you’ll never get anything done.
Pencil in you time to write on your calendar, or task journal. Honor that time like you do all of your other commitments.
You may find your day job fits in quite nicely into your novel. After all, if you have life experience, no research in needed.
Happy Reading and Writing,
Up every morning just to keep a job
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob
Sounds of the city pounding in my brainWhile another day goes down the drain
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) but it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
No-one owns a piece of my time
As most writers know, writing hours are made after you complete your day job. You time is also doled out in little snippets while watching your child’s water polo practice, Harp recital, or while boiling pasta for the evening meal.
For those of us who may find writing until 1:00 AM and having the alarm set for 5:00 AM a bit fatiguing. It seems we are keeping good company.
Some of these stories you may be familiar with, others may come as a surprise.
He may be a renowned author of over 50 novels, but Stephen King wasn't always a full-time writer — his time as a high school janitor helped inspire the novel Carrie. King originally threw the first draft of the story in the trash, but his wife Tabitha fished it out and told him to keep going because she wanted to know how it ended.
Before she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee worked as an airline reservations clerk in New York. She eventually quit when her friends helped support her financially so she could finally write full time.
He's a well-known author now, but before Nicholas Sparks wrote The Notebook, he worked odd jobs, including selling dental products over the phone.
She was a talented science-fiction writer and awarded the MacArthur Fellowship — but before her success as a writer, Octavia Butler worked as a potato chip inspector. She also worked as a dishwasher and a telemarketer, using these day jobs to support her writing. And they really were day jobs, because Butler would get up at 2 a.m. to do her writing before going in to work! Amazing.
She's known as a mystery novelist; Agatha Christie was once an assistant apothecary. She reportedly knew a lot about poisons, which was no doubt helpful as she created the characters of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Just goes to show that you never know what knowledge will come in handy later.
Bram Stoker wrote Dracula while working as the manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, imagining Henry Irving, a famous actor and owner of the theater, playing the vampire himself.
So how about you? What is/was your day job(s)?
Does your day job get your creative ideas flowing?
I work in the field of education, students, staff, and events give me ideas—or at least creative thoughts.
Sometimes, after a long day. It will take me five minutes to write a sentence.
Five minutes of staring into space until the idea of writing an opening line about how long it took me to think of an opening line popped into my head.
In the grand scheme of things, five minutes isn't all that long. But for a writer, five minutes for nine words can add up.
Writing takes time. A whole lot of time.
I always imagined I'd write my first book in a vacation hideaway overlooking the beach or cabin in the Grand Tetons. Unfortunately, most first-time authors won't get to live out this literary fantasy.
In fact, circumstances will most likely be the opposite: writing during off-hours, scribbling notes in public, enjoying less sleep than you'd like and slowly losing your mind while trying to maintain personal relationships a full-time job and run a household.
Say you've finally found a quiet hour to yourself. You know you should write, but you're tired from work and are only on season four of “Game of Thrones.” What were once simple choices become tormenting tests of will power and resolution.
As George Orwell famously stated, “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness.”
In his book “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” Stephen King shared a similar though more concise sentiment: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
So how do I stay on track to reach my deadline?
I’ve learned to say “no.”
I also participate online instead of driving to Orange County Romance Writers or L.A.R.A. monthly meetings; I sign-up for online classes. I miss interacting with other writers, and my plotting group, but talking isn’t going to write my novel.
This doesn't mean you have to say no to everything, but writing is always going to require compromise.
A large part of writing for me is preparing my environment. I like to have a cup of coffee by my side, music playing. I prefer to write from 8:00 to 11:30 PM every other day. On Fridays I write until 2:00 AM, Saturdays after the gym and running errands. I’ll write for a few hours, then spend time on other tasks, until about 8:00 PM I will write until 10 or 11:00. (though is writing until 2:00 this morning).
Sunday, unless I have a blog post due/or am on a deadline, I do not write. I may edit my week's work in the evening but that is the extent of my writing. This is family time for me.
Remember: If you keep waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect time, you’ll never get anything done.
Pencil in you time to write on your calendar, or task journal. Honor that time like you do all of your other commitments.
You may find your day job fits in quite nicely into your novel. After all, if you have life experience, no research in needed.
Happy Reading and Writing,
July 21, 2019
July 20, 2019
WIP and Future Book Ideas by Connie Vines #Round Robin 74
What book (or type of book) are you currently working on? Do you have ideas for future books?
At the moment, I’m working on revisions for my anthology, “Gumbo Ya Ya” for women who like romance Cajun.
The anthology is comprised of 5 stories with the common element being the setting (New Orleans, LA) with one of the main characters of each story being a Cajun.
From Wikipedia:
The Cajuns (/ˈkeɪdʒən/; Louisiana French: les Cadiens), also known as Acadians (Louisiana French: les Acadiens),are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and in the Canadian maritimes provinces as well as Québec consisting in part of the descendants of the original Acadian exiles—French-speakers from Acadia (L'Acadie) in what are now the Maritimes of Eastern Canada. In Louisiana, Acadian and Cajun are often used as broad cultural terms without reference to actual descent from the deported Acadians. Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture.
While Lower Louisiana had been settled by French colonists since the late 17th century, the Cajuns trace their roots to the influx of Acadian settlers after the Great Expulsion from their homeland during the French and British hostilities prior to the Seven Years' War (1756 to 1763). The Acadia region to which modern Cajuns trace their origin consisted largely of what are now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island plus parts of eastern Quebec and northern Maine. Since their establishment in Louisiana, the Cajuns have developed their own dialect, Cajun French, and developed a vibrant culture including folkways, music, and cuisine. The Acadiana region is heavily associated with them.
Since I write cross-genre fiction, my stories will each be a romance, however, each story will reflect a different type of romance. Sweet Romantic Comedy, Sensual Romance, Romantic Suspense, Time-Travel, and Paranormal—all of which reflect Cajun culture and New Orleans, LA elements.
Since I always immerse myself in the WIP, I’m brewing chicory coffee, making gumbo and jambalaya. Since my husband is from Louisiana, he’s loving it!
Ideas for future books? Of course. Always.
I’m plotting books 2 and 3 of my Sassy and Fun Fantasy Series. I’m also working on a contemporary romance novel, too …well, you will just need to wait and see (I’m keeping this one under wraps for the moment).
Happy Reading,
Remember to stop by and see what these wonderful authors have to share with out:
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_seaMarci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1EWBeverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blogA.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.comJudith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
At the moment, I’m working on revisions for my anthology, “Gumbo Ya Ya” for women who like romance Cajun.
The anthology is comprised of 5 stories with the common element being the setting (New Orleans, LA) with one of the main characters of each story being a Cajun.
From Wikipedia:
The Cajuns (/ˈkeɪdʒən/; Louisiana French: les Cadiens), also known as Acadians (Louisiana French: les Acadiens),are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and in the Canadian maritimes provinces as well as Québec consisting in part of the descendants of the original Acadian exiles—French-speakers from Acadia (L'Acadie) in what are now the Maritimes of Eastern Canada. In Louisiana, Acadian and Cajun are often used as broad cultural terms without reference to actual descent from the deported Acadians. Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisiana's population and have exerted an enormous impact on the state's culture.
While Lower Louisiana had been settled by French colonists since the late 17th century, the Cajuns trace their roots to the influx of Acadian settlers after the Great Expulsion from their homeland during the French and British hostilities prior to the Seven Years' War (1756 to 1763). The Acadia region to which modern Cajuns trace their origin consisted largely of what are now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island plus parts of eastern Quebec and northern Maine. Since their establishment in Louisiana, the Cajuns have developed their own dialect, Cajun French, and developed a vibrant culture including folkways, music, and cuisine. The Acadiana region is heavily associated with them.
Since I write cross-genre fiction, my stories will each be a romance, however, each story will reflect a different type of romance. Sweet Romantic Comedy, Sensual Romance, Romantic Suspense, Time-Travel, and Paranormal—all of which reflect Cajun culture and New Orleans, LA elements.
Since I always immerse myself in the WIP, I’m brewing chicory coffee, making gumbo and jambalaya. Since my husband is from Louisiana, he’s loving it!
Ideas for future books? Of course. Always.
I’m plotting books 2 and 3 of my Sassy and Fun Fantasy Series. I’m also working on a contemporary romance novel, too …well, you will just need to wait and see (I’m keeping this one under wraps for the moment).
Happy Reading,
Remember to stop by and see what these wonderful authors have to share with out:
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_seaMarci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1EWBeverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blogA.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.comJudith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
July 15, 2019
My Blog Post at Romance Gems --The Key to Your Heroine--Is Hidden in Your Closet?
Stop by and read my latest post @RomanceGerms
Remember to sign-up for this month's Beaches and Boy Friends give-a-ways.
The Raffelcopter Contest Runs though July!
The Key to Your Heroine--Is hidden in Your Closet?
Remember to sign-up for this month's Beaches and Boy Friends give-a-ways.
The Raffelcopter Contest Runs though July!
The Key to Your Heroine--Is hidden in Your Closet?
June 28, 2019
June 22, 2019
Life Events in My Stories—Here’s the Real Scoop! By Connie Vines
This Month’s Topic: Has an event in your life, or that of someone you know, or one covered in the news ever worked its way into one of your stories?
I believe we are all influenced by our environment and, being social creatures, we are also empathetic to the people we encounter in life.
Each of my novels, short-stories, and blog posts touch on an event in my life, a factual experience in someone’s life.
When I was writing for children’s magazines my topics included historical events or modern-day mysteries. My YA historical novel, Tanayia-Whisper upon the Water, has excerpts from newspapers of the 1800's for chapter intros. I experienced the wind and the sadness which still surrounds Wounded Knee, I’ve dance at Powwows, and made fry-bread for hungry children.
Having been interview (unexpectedly) by a news crew, I know the irritation you feel when someone shoved a mic in your face (Lynx’s interview scene in Lynx, Rodeo Romance).
I believe the true test of a writer is researching a subject and making the event seem real to the reader that he/she can ‘live the story’. Obviously, writers have never been a 16th century pirate, or a vampire, however, these stories are written and are believable. Non-fiction worlds are created, we mourn the death of our beloved fictional characters, we fall in love with a hero or two.
Since I grew up in a military family, relocation was a way of life. My characters are seldom stay-forever-in-one town people. I am able to share the force of a hurricane, a tornado forming on the plains, sea-salt and sand in your clam-bake meal, the smell of a swamp, and fragrance of café au latte on a cool May morning in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana.
** From Tanayia—Whisper upon the Water:
My gaze narrowed. Each day I watched Anna Thunder hide her slice of bread in her skirt pocket. I did not why. Each night I watched. She did not bring the food from her pockets, nor were there crumbs leaving a trail among her belongings.
“Why? Why do you ask this?”
The Comanche was thin. Her arms were like the bare branches of a sapling tree. Anna Thunder did not eat the bread she hoarded.
“Will Apache bring bread?” she hissed.
My stomach growled. Sister Enid had returned last evening and supervised the breakfast meal today. The oatmeal had been thin. There was little nourishment for my growing body. The bread Sister Kathleen gave me kept the pains of hunger from my stomach. I did not want to give my food to my enemy.
**Please visit the blog sites of these wonderful writers and read the stories she/he have in store for you!
Happy Reading!
Connie
>> Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
>> Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
>> Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
>> Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1Dm
>> Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
>> Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
>> Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
>> A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
>> Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
>> Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
>> Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
BUY LINKS
Multiple Buy Links Tanayia
June 21, 2019
NATIONAL TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY – June 21, 2019
Every year employees across the country bring their dogs to work the Friday after Father’s Day. It’s National Take Your Dog to Work Day.
A celebration of the companionship between canine and human, National Take Your Dog to Work Day hopes to inspire others to adoptions from shelters and humane societies.
HOW TO OBSERVE
To find participating employers and to download a toolkit visit Pet Sitters International. Use #NationalTakeYourDogToWorkDay or #TYDTWD to share on social media.
HISTORY
Take Your Dog to Work Day originated in the United Kingdom in 1996. Then in 1999, Pet Sitters International founded the first day in the United States.
I am aware that there are companies: Amazon, Purina (and many others I'm certain) that allow you to bring your pet work.
However, I would check with your employer before bringing Rover or Boots to work to celebrate this special day.
To help avoid coworkers’ pet peeves, here are 14 rules for bringing dogs (and cats) to work.
1. Make sure no one objects
“The problem: not everybody loves pets. Staff may suffer from allergies/ phobias/or didn't enjoy animals running around. "
2. Check the company's or your insurance
“Even the most docile of dogs could become hostile in an unfamiliar environment or around other pets, so make sure you're covered in the event that a dog [or cat] acts out."
3. Establish pet-free zones
“It's a lot more distracting to have an animal join meetings than it is to have them wandering the main floor [or parked in an office]. Set some ground rules for where pets can roam free, and where they should steer clear.”
4. Ensure your office is safe for pets (pet-proofed)
“Things like cables, cords and open trash bins can all be tempting for pets. Pet proof your office space to be sure it's safe. It also helps if cats and smaller dogs wear a bell on their collar so you know when they're under foot.”
5. Pets must be supervised by its owner
6. The pet must be OK around other animals
7. The animal can't be super hyper
8. Come prepared
“Make sure that if you bring your dog in to work, that they have everything they will need throughout the day."
9. Clean up after your pet
10. Take a photo or two to remember the day.
Credit Photo: PetSitter
Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!
Connie
A celebration of the companionship between canine and human, National Take Your Dog to Work Day hopes to inspire others to adoptions from shelters and humane societies.
HOW TO OBSERVE
To find participating employers and to download a toolkit visit Pet Sitters International. Use #NationalTakeYourDogToWorkDay or #TYDTWD to share on social media.
HISTORY
Take Your Dog to Work Day originated in the United Kingdom in 1996. Then in 1999, Pet Sitters International founded the first day in the United States.
I am aware that there are companies: Amazon, Purina (and many others I'm certain) that allow you to bring your pet work.
However, I would check with your employer before bringing Rover or Boots to work to celebrate this special day.
To help avoid coworkers’ pet peeves, here are 14 rules for bringing dogs (and cats) to work.
1. Make sure no one objects
“The problem: not everybody loves pets. Staff may suffer from allergies/ phobias/or didn't enjoy animals running around. "
2. Check the company's or your insurance
“Even the most docile of dogs could become hostile in an unfamiliar environment or around other pets, so make sure you're covered in the event that a dog [or cat] acts out."
3. Establish pet-free zones
“It's a lot more distracting to have an animal join meetings than it is to have them wandering the main floor [or parked in an office]. Set some ground rules for where pets can roam free, and where they should steer clear.”
4. Ensure your office is safe for pets (pet-proofed)
“Things like cables, cords and open trash bins can all be tempting for pets. Pet proof your office space to be sure it's safe. It also helps if cats and smaller dogs wear a bell on their collar so you know when they're under foot.”
5. Pets must be supervised by its owner
6. The pet must be OK around other animals
7. The animal can't be super hyper
8. Come prepared
“Make sure that if you bring your dog in to work, that they have everything they will need throughout the day."
9. Clean up after your pet
10. Take a photo or two to remember the day.
Credit Photo: PetSitter
Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!
Connie
May 28, 2019
I'm blogging today at BWL Author Blog
Here's the link!
I'm blogging about Characters and Cooking. I've included a cheesy potato casserole recipe too.
I'm blogging about Characters and Cooking. I've included a cheesy potato casserole recipe too.
May 27, 2019
I can't wait, It's Almost National Paperclip Day!
National Paperclip Day is observed each year on May 29. Yes, even the paperclip has its own day of honor. It is about that well-known piece of curved wire that keeps our papers together and helps keep us organized.
The Gem paperclip, which was most likely in production in Britain in the early 1870s by The Gem Manufacturing Company, was never patented. It is the most common type of wire paper clip and is still in use today. It was introduced to the United States around 1892 and in 1904, Cushman & Denison registered a trademark for the “Gem” name in connection with paper clips. Paperclips are still sometimes called “Gem clips.”
Today, paperclips come in various sizes, shapes and colors and can make your paperwork look more fun and lively.
As you know, multi-colored paper clips, mini-clamps, and pens in bright-gel colors are my current favorite item(s)--along with calendars. Yes, my love affair with calendars continue.
Remember: There is still time to log on to RomanceGems Blog for our May Contest!
June will begin a new contest with more prizes!
Happy Reading,
Connie Vines
Novels with a Purpose by Connie Vines
Thank you Rhobin for a timely topic for this month.
What would I like to tell my readers about my novels and their purpose?
My stories, novels, novellas, and short stories reflect life. My theme usually revolves around a social issue or a past the hero/heroine must overcome.
My first romance, Lynx (HOLT Medallion, Orange Rose, Award of Excellence, and Golden Chance) dealt with emotional abandonment and physical neglect. Rachel Scott, my heroine, traveled the rodeo circuit with her parents during her childhood. Her father, a famous bronc rider, was also an alcoholic; her mother was self-absorbed and ignored her daughter.
Everyone has challenges is life. However, emotional abandonment is (in my opinion) is more damaging, long-term, than physical neglect.
As a teenager Rachel was left in her paternal grandmother’s care. Living in a small rural town, Rachel had a sense of belonging. However, after her grandmother’s death, Rachel was left, once again, on her own. She had friends, a job, and for the first time in her life, she was happy.
Enter, the last man-on-earth, she’d ever wish to fall in love with: Lynx Maddox, champion bull-rider, self-assured, and handsome.
Rachel found comfort n the small-town clannishness of Running Springs. It was why she’d stayed on instead of moving to Missoula, were she’d gone to college. It seemed the most reasonable thing to do, even after her grandmother’s death the year before. After all, the town and her small circle of friends provided the only emotional ties she’d ever known during her lifetime. Rachel couldn’t imagine ever wanting to leave.
Charlene patted Rachel’s hand then turned and tossed her purse on a vacant section of the splintery white bench. She tugged on Rachel’s sleeve then pointed to the arena. “Look, honey, there’s Lynx!”
The rodeo was well underway by then and Rachel scanned the circle of cowboys by the catch pens. She spied Lynx, off to one side away from the others. Her heart thumped against her ribs. She might as well admit it; she wanted to see Lynx again. She like looking at him. Watching him. But from a distance where it was safe.
He moved with confidence, a sureness just this side of arrogance. His walk was a cowboy’s deliberate, rolling gait as he headed toward the chute. In spite of her best intentions, Rachel couldn’t tear her gaze off of him.
***
Lynx felt a kick of surprise as he watched Rachel climb the bleachers. She stood perfectly sill for a moment, scanning the area. He studied her, letting his gaze scrutinize her in considerable detail. Her black hair gleamed in a single braid, dangling over her shirt and the swell of her breasts. Her tight blue jeans outlined the sweet sway of her hips.
The noise of the arena faded.
Lynx swallowed past the dryness in his throat. . .
I believe for a hero and heroine to fall and love and develop a lasting relationship, they must work together to overcome challenges together. They must also help each other become stronger and over-come past fears and insecurities.
This is how I achieve a Happy Every After ending in my stories.
Be sure and see what the other authors participating in this month’s blog have to say!
Happy Reading,
Connie
https://books2read.com/Lynx
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/connie-vines
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1BC
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
What would I like to tell my readers about my novels and their purpose?
My stories, novels, novellas, and short stories reflect life. My theme usually revolves around a social issue or a past the hero/heroine must overcome.
My first romance, Lynx (HOLT Medallion, Orange Rose, Award of Excellence, and Golden Chance) dealt with emotional abandonment and physical neglect. Rachel Scott, my heroine, traveled the rodeo circuit with her parents during her childhood. Her father, a famous bronc rider, was also an alcoholic; her mother was self-absorbed and ignored her daughter.
Everyone has challenges is life. However, emotional abandonment is (in my opinion) is more damaging, long-term, than physical neglect.
As a teenager Rachel was left in her paternal grandmother’s care. Living in a small rural town, Rachel had a sense of belonging. However, after her grandmother’s death, Rachel was left, once again, on her own. She had friends, a job, and for the first time in her life, she was happy.
Enter, the last man-on-earth, she’d ever wish to fall in love with: Lynx Maddox, champion bull-rider, self-assured, and handsome.
Rachel found comfort n the small-town clannishness of Running Springs. It was why she’d stayed on instead of moving to Missoula, were she’d gone to college. It seemed the most reasonable thing to do, even after her grandmother’s death the year before. After all, the town and her small circle of friends provided the only emotional ties she’d ever known during her lifetime. Rachel couldn’t imagine ever wanting to leave.
Charlene patted Rachel’s hand then turned and tossed her purse on a vacant section of the splintery white bench. She tugged on Rachel’s sleeve then pointed to the arena. “Look, honey, there’s Lynx!”
The rodeo was well underway by then and Rachel scanned the circle of cowboys by the catch pens. She spied Lynx, off to one side away from the others. Her heart thumped against her ribs. She might as well admit it; she wanted to see Lynx again. She like looking at him. Watching him. But from a distance where it was safe.
He moved with confidence, a sureness just this side of arrogance. His walk was a cowboy’s deliberate, rolling gait as he headed toward the chute. In spite of her best intentions, Rachel couldn’t tear her gaze off of him.
***
Lynx felt a kick of surprise as he watched Rachel climb the bleachers. She stood perfectly sill for a moment, scanning the area. He studied her, letting his gaze scrutinize her in considerable detail. Her black hair gleamed in a single braid, dangling over her shirt and the swell of her breasts. Her tight blue jeans outlined the sweet sway of her hips.
The noise of the arena faded.
Lynx swallowed past the dryness in his throat. . .
I believe for a hero and heroine to fall and love and develop a lasting relationship, they must work together to overcome challenges together. They must also help each other become stronger and over-come past fears and insecurities.
This is how I achieve a Happy Every After ending in my stories.
Be sure and see what the other authors participating in this month’s blog have to say!
Happy Reading,
Connie
https://books2read.com/Lynx
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/connie-vines
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1BC
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
