Peggy Jaeger's Blog - Posts Tagged "there-s-no-place-like-home"
to edit or not to edit...that is the question
I'm currently waiting for the final galley proof for my second book, There's No Place Like Home, while I'm also editing the first round of the third book FIRST IMPRESSIONS. That's a lot of editing and reading that needs to be done.
In addition, I just wrote a novella for submission, have been working on my website blog and this blog and am trying to get a jump start on book four. PLUS I need to start book two of another series I have outlined.
A lot of edits and reading and writing that needs to be done!
I also need to live my life which includes my paying job, my dance preparations for next month's Keene Dancing with the Stars ( I'm doing the cha-cha), running a household, trying to get my 10,000 steps minimum in per day and....I could go on, but you get the picture. Suffice it to say I'm busy.
Back to the edits. Before I submit I usually put the work through 4-5 edits. It astounds me that I have to do more once it has been accepted. But I will admit this freely - every edit I have done at my editor's suggestion has made my work better. Really better.
SO, I will neither complain, bitch, or bemoan the editing process because it means I am getting published.
Silver lining there, folks!
In addition, I just wrote a novella for submission, have been working on my website blog and this blog and am trying to get a jump start on book four. PLUS I need to start book two of another series I have outlined.
A lot of edits and reading and writing that needs to be done!
I also need to live my life which includes my paying job, my dance preparations for next month's Keene Dancing with the Stars ( I'm doing the cha-cha), running a household, trying to get my 10,000 steps minimum in per day and....I could go on, but you get the picture. Suffice it to say I'm busy.
Back to the edits. Before I submit I usually put the work through 4-5 edits. It astounds me that I have to do more once it has been accepted. But I will admit this freely - every edit I have done at my editor's suggestion has made my work better. Really better.
SO, I will neither complain, bitch, or bemoan the editing process because it means I am getting published.
Silver lining there, folks!
A little present and a tease....
May 6, 2015 is the official release date of my second novel THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Yippie!
Most of you know the Wizard of OZ is one of my favorite books of all time because it is so rich with psychological subtext and family drama, two of my favorite things to read. The title for my book comes from Dorothy’s famous line, spoken at the end of the movie, and I have always felt this statement is true. There really is no other place like your home. Home means warmth, shelter, comfort, safety, acceptance, love and nurturing. My heroine in THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, Moira Cleary, is at a crossroads in her life and has come home to rest, recover, and reconnect with her beloved family. She has been globetrotting around the world for over 4 years with a traveling symphony, when something happens to question the lifestyle she has made for herself. Coming home provides her with safety and surrounds her with love. Love of her immediate family, and of her best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton.
Here’s a little present from me to you. Hope you enjoy it and are intrigued enough to order your own copy of THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”
Confused, Moira nodded.
Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”
“I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”
He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”
Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”
“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”
Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote – felt safe with me – unquote.”
“What was I? Eleven?”
“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”
“Q—”
“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”
“And conceited.”
“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”
Most of you know the Wizard of OZ is one of my favorite books of all time because it is so rich with psychological subtext and family drama, two of my favorite things to read. The title for my book comes from Dorothy’s famous line, spoken at the end of the movie, and I have always felt this statement is true. There really is no other place like your home. Home means warmth, shelter, comfort, safety, acceptance, love and nurturing. My heroine in THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, Moira Cleary, is at a crossroads in her life and has come home to rest, recover, and reconnect with her beloved family. She has been globetrotting around the world for over 4 years with a traveling symphony, when something happens to question the lifestyle she has made for herself. Coming home provides her with safety and surrounds her with love. Love of her immediate family, and of her best friend, veterinarian Quentin Stapleton.
Here’s a little present from me to you. Hope you enjoy it and are intrigued enough to order your own copy of THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”
Confused, Moira nodded.
Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”
“I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”
He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”
Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”
“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”
Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote – felt safe with me – unquote.”
“What was I? Eleven?”
“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”
“Q—”
“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”
“And conceited.”
“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”
this should be getting old...but NO!
So, today my newest addition to the MacQuire Women Series, THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME is released. It is a scant two months since book 1, SKATER’S WALTZ went out into the book reading universe and you might think I am still basking in the wonderful-ness of the first release and that this new one is sort of taking a back burner to it.
Yeah, NO!
I feel as excited and giddy today as I did on March 3. ANY book, any work, any story I have sent into the world for public consumption has thrilled me. To know that tomorrow people will be reading about Quentin and Moira and how they fell in love is beyond exciting for me. The personal responses I have received from people who have read the first book is humbling and mind blowing. Even my father in law read it and I know he did because he was able to discuss things that happened in the book!!!
I remember my mother in law once told me she loved my husband ( her firstborn) so much she didn’t know if she had any love left over for another child. But when her first daughter was born, she realized a mother’s love knows no bounds or limits. She loved each child equally and thoroughly.
That’s the way I feel about my new release. I love the story and the people in it as much as I loved the first one.
So, I hope if you read There’s No Place like Home you will feel the same way I do.
Here’s a snippet to whet your appetite:
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”
Confused, Moira nodded.
Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”
“I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”
He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”
Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”
“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”
Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote – felt safe with me – unquote.”
“What was I? Eleven?”
“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”
“Q—”
“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”
“And conceited.”
“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”
Get your copy here or order it at your local bookstore:
Buy Links for THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1J1f3OZ
The Wild Rose Press: http://bit.ly/1GmM1Je
Barnes and Noble Nook : http://bit.ly/1JjMUG7
Yeah, NO!
I feel as excited and giddy today as I did on March 3. ANY book, any work, any story I have sent into the world for public consumption has thrilled me. To know that tomorrow people will be reading about Quentin and Moira and how they fell in love is beyond exciting for me. The personal responses I have received from people who have read the first book is humbling and mind blowing. Even my father in law read it and I know he did because he was able to discuss things that happened in the book!!!
I remember my mother in law once told me she loved my husband ( her firstborn) so much she didn’t know if she had any love left over for another child. But when her first daughter was born, she realized a mother’s love knows no bounds or limits. She loved each child equally and thoroughly.
That’s the way I feel about my new release. I love the story and the people in it as much as I loved the first one.
So, I hope if you read There’s No Place like Home you will feel the same way I do.
Here’s a snippet to whet your appetite:
“Remember when your cousin Tiffany got married in the backyard here?”
Confused, Moira nodded.
Quentin rubbed her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “When the Reverend told Cole ‘you can kiss your bride,’ and he swooped her off the ground, spun her around and kissed her silly? Remember what you said?”
“I think I said it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen.”
He nodded. “The exact quote was, ‘I hope someone kisses me like that some day.’”
Her grin was quick at the memory. “Pat snorted and said I’d better be satisfied with licks from the horses and Rob Roy because no guy was ever gonna kiss me.”
“He wasn’t known for tact back then.” He rubbed a hand down her back as he held her. “Remember what happened later on behind the barn?”
Because she did, she couldn’t stop the heat from spreading up her face like wildfire. When she nodded again, he said, “You wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed like that and since I was your best friend, you thought I should be the one to do it, because you – quote – felt safe with me – unquote.”
“What was I? Eleven?”
“Thirteen. And I was more than willing. Almost broke my heart in two when you said afterward, ‘I don’t see what all the fuss is about.’”
“Q—”
“Hush.” He kissed her forehead. “Ever since that day, all I’ve wanted is a second chance. Now,” he pulled her body closer, wrapped both arms around her small waist, his hands resting just above the dent in her spine. “We’re both a little older, a little more mature. Some of us are much more experienced—”
“And conceited.”
“Experienced,” he said, the laugh in his voice quiet and seductive, “and things can be so much better.”
Get your copy here or order it at your local bookstore:
Buy Links for THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1J1f3OZ
The Wild Rose Press: http://bit.ly/1GmM1Je
Barnes and Noble Nook : http://bit.ly/1JjMUG7
The Process of falling in love in a romance story
Storytellers use certain techniques to give their tales the most flavor and intrigue they can. The simple turn of a phrase, the order in which they divulge information, how the five senses are employed through the showing and telling of the story, are all ways writers tell a tale.
It’s no different, I feel, with a romance story.
How do your characters meet? Do they already know one another from their pasts? Are they friends of friends? Co-workers? Or do they glance across a Dunkin Donuts and see one another for the first time?
What past experiences have influenced how they see their present lives and how they deal with the people surrounding them? Are they receptive to love at this time, or do they shun it? Why?
Does one partner “fall” faster than the other, and if so, is it revealed or kept hidden?
Little physical nuances the characters show around one another and with no one else, provide clues to how fast and hard they are falling.
Now, take those characters, their backstories, and their present emotions, and weave a romance story around it.
It sounds a great deal easier to do than it really is. While many critics say romance stories are formulaic and predictable, there is nothing predictable about falling in love. Every human is different in how they think, react, emote, and live. It stands to reason the way they each fall in love is individual as well. A master storyteller is able to divine those differences, have the characters equipped with tools to overcome them, and create a happy ending for all involved.
In Pride and Prejudice, my all time favorite romance story, Elizabeth and Darcy fall for each other in totally divergent ways. You can see he is instantly attracted to her as a woman, but her station in life makes it hard for him to admit it to himself or anyone else. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Elizabeth despises him for most of the book. It is only when he reveals his true, kind self during the Wickham/Lydia incident, does she really get to know the person he is and her heart quite literally turns over for him. The obstacles they face of class difference and family connections make it a difficult road to happily ever after, but in the end, their love for one another helps them overcome these seemingly insurmountable problems.
Austin was a master storyteller in the way she doled out information about her characters to the reader. She shows Darcy, arrogant and haughty in his words and actions towards the Bennett family, so much so that most readers don’t like him for the first hundred pages or so. But when his softer, loving side is revealed in how he deals with his sister, we get a better feel of the true man he is. When Elizabeth is allowed to view this side of him, her heart begins to soften.
A true and gifted storyteller is able to make you think the hero and heroine will never get together, never be able to overcome the obstacles in their paths, never find that proverbial road to everlasting happiness. This is the old fashioned basis and tagline for a romance: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. When the hero and heroine finally make it to the last pages, the reader is rewarded doubly. First, with their hoped for happily ever after ending, and second, with the knowledge and satisfaction of watching two people struggle and yet still come out on top in the love department. This is the essence of a fabulously written romance.
Remember what it felt like when you fell in love for the first ( and hopefully last ! ) time. What was your story? A fast fall, or a slow, subtle buildup? Where you friends first? Co-workers? Committee members? Were you set up or did you meet by happenstance? All these little factors make your love story different from every other one, and THAT is the true process of a well written rom
It’s no different, I feel, with a romance story.
How do your characters meet? Do they already know one another from their pasts? Are they friends of friends? Co-workers? Or do they glance across a Dunkin Donuts and see one another for the first time?
What past experiences have influenced how they see their present lives and how they deal with the people surrounding them? Are they receptive to love at this time, or do they shun it? Why?
Does one partner “fall” faster than the other, and if so, is it revealed or kept hidden?
Little physical nuances the characters show around one another and with no one else, provide clues to how fast and hard they are falling.
Now, take those characters, their backstories, and their present emotions, and weave a romance story around it.
It sounds a great deal easier to do than it really is. While many critics say romance stories are formulaic and predictable, there is nothing predictable about falling in love. Every human is different in how they think, react, emote, and live. It stands to reason the way they each fall in love is individual as well. A master storyteller is able to divine those differences, have the characters equipped with tools to overcome them, and create a happy ending for all involved.
In Pride and Prejudice, my all time favorite romance story, Elizabeth and Darcy fall for each other in totally divergent ways. You can see he is instantly attracted to her as a woman, but her station in life makes it hard for him to admit it to himself or anyone else. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Elizabeth despises him for most of the book. It is only when he reveals his true, kind self during the Wickham/Lydia incident, does she really get to know the person he is and her heart quite literally turns over for him. The obstacles they face of class difference and family connections make it a difficult road to happily ever after, but in the end, their love for one another helps them overcome these seemingly insurmountable problems.
Austin was a master storyteller in the way she doled out information about her characters to the reader. She shows Darcy, arrogant and haughty in his words and actions towards the Bennett family, so much so that most readers don’t like him for the first hundred pages or so. But when his softer, loving side is revealed in how he deals with his sister, we get a better feel of the true man he is. When Elizabeth is allowed to view this side of him, her heart begins to soften.
A true and gifted storyteller is able to make you think the hero and heroine will never get together, never be able to overcome the obstacles in their paths, never find that proverbial road to everlasting happiness. This is the old fashioned basis and tagline for a romance: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. When the hero and heroine finally make it to the last pages, the reader is rewarded doubly. First, with their hoped for happily ever after ending, and second, with the knowledge and satisfaction of watching two people struggle and yet still come out on top in the love department. This is the essence of a fabulously written romance.
Remember what it felt like when you fell in love for the first ( and hopefully last ! ) time. What was your story? A fast fall, or a slow, subtle buildup? Where you friends first? Co-workers? Committee members? Were you set up or did you meet by happenstance? All these little factors make your love story different from every other one, and THAT is the true process of a well written rom
The things I love about my favorite book(s)...
I have 3 favorite books. They are all different genres, cater to different age groups, and I've read each one at least 5 times ( one waaaaaaay more than that- you'll see why in a minute.) I tend to reread them because they are such central, integral parts of the themes of my life and of what I write about.
As a child, I read The Little Engine That Could probably close to 500 times. When my daughter was born I read it to her an equal number. This is truly -in my humble opinion- the best book EVER about self actualization. Whenever I think I can't do something in life, whether it be get a book published, or learn a new tech savvy maneuver, I remember that little train, the mountainside, and the end result of his journey, and I KNOW I can do whatever I put my mind to.
The Wizard of Oz was quite simply the perfect book for me to read as a child because I had the same wanderlust and wishes to find my heart's desire Dorothy had. I never appreciated what I had, and I was frequently on the look out for something better. It was only when I was married with a child of my own did I realize the truth of this statement: there's no place like home.
So, Gone With The Wind was the first complete romance novel I ever read - and I don't think it was marketed as such when it was published. But it has everything a true romance reader loves: an amazingly strong, conflicted, beautiful heroine; a rakish, devilish and debonair hero who truly loves the girl; a sweeping cast of characters who live to show the H/H why they should be together, and a plot that continually pulls our main characters apart. Couple that with the heightened emotions of war, poverty and death and you have an historic epic of love and loss. Now, the H/H don't end with their HEA, but like the last line says, while putting hope in the mind of the reader that they will, "Tomorrow is another day."
So, each book has the same facets and themes that I love: a strong, central character; an internal need coupled with a struggle for acceptance; a journey or task that needs to be accomplished; a lesson ( or many) learned about self; and an ending where the main character is a better person(or in one case, a better engine!)
Why are your book YOUR favorites? Let's discuss....
As a child, I read The Little Engine That Could probably close to 500 times. When my daughter was born I read it to her an equal number. This is truly -in my humble opinion- the best book EVER about self actualization. Whenever I think I can't do something in life, whether it be get a book published, or learn a new tech savvy maneuver, I remember that little train, the mountainside, and the end result of his journey, and I KNOW I can do whatever I put my mind to.
The Wizard of Oz was quite simply the perfect book for me to read as a child because I had the same wanderlust and wishes to find my heart's desire Dorothy had. I never appreciated what I had, and I was frequently on the look out for something better. It was only when I was married with a child of my own did I realize the truth of this statement: there's no place like home.
So, Gone With The Wind was the first complete romance novel I ever read - and I don't think it was marketed as such when it was published. But it has everything a true romance reader loves: an amazingly strong, conflicted, beautiful heroine; a rakish, devilish and debonair hero who truly loves the girl; a sweeping cast of characters who live to show the H/H why they should be together, and a plot that continually pulls our main characters apart. Couple that with the heightened emotions of war, poverty and death and you have an historic epic of love and loss. Now, the H/H don't end with their HEA, but like the last line says, while putting hope in the mind of the reader that they will, "Tomorrow is another day."
So, each book has the same facets and themes that I love: a strong, central character; an internal need coupled with a struggle for acceptance; a journey or task that needs to be accomplished; a lesson ( or many) learned about self; and an ending where the main character is a better person(or in one case, a better engine!)
Why are your book YOUR favorites? Let's discuss....
AN interview with Pretty-hot.com
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve been many things in my life but the number one favorite is being an author. I’ve written 27 books from children’s tales, middle school stories, mystery to romance. Currently I’m focusing just on contemporary romance novels. I had my first romance published this year by The Wild Rose Press, titled SKATER’S WALTZ
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
There’s No Place Like Home is the second release in my series The MacQuire Women. It tells the story of Moira Cleary and Quentin Stapleton, lifelong friends, who realize they are nothing without the other.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Actually, no.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influences are Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jill Shalvis and Lisa Kleypas.
When I was a kid I was fascinated with The Nancy Drew books and Agatha Christie.
What are you working on now?
Books 4-6 in the MacQuire women ( book 3 is in copy edits)
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Twitter and my facebook author page the most.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing no matter how hard that first sale is. If you have something to say, say it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put your butt in the chair and write. No excuses – Nora Roberts
What are you reading now?
Sherryl Wood’s “Vows” Series
What’s next for you as a writer?
Book 3 First Impressions comes out this summer. I’m going to the RWA conference in July and I’m trying to find an agent.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Little Engine that Could because it’s the best book about self actualization and motivation ever written.
Author Websites and Profiles
Peggy Jaeger Website
Peggy Jaeger Amazon Profile
Peggy Jaeger’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Share this:
I’ve been many things in my life but the number one favorite is being an author. I’ve written 27 books from children’s tales, middle school stories, mystery to romance. Currently I’m focusing just on contemporary romance novels. I had my first romance published this year by The Wild Rose Press, titled SKATER’S WALTZ
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
There’s No Place Like Home is the second release in my series The MacQuire Women. It tells the story of Moira Cleary and Quentin Stapleton, lifelong friends, who realize they are nothing without the other.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Actually, no.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influences are Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jill Shalvis and Lisa Kleypas.
When I was a kid I was fascinated with The Nancy Drew books and Agatha Christie.
What are you working on now?
Books 4-6 in the MacQuire women ( book 3 is in copy edits)
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Twitter and my facebook author page the most.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing no matter how hard that first sale is. If you have something to say, say it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Put your butt in the chair and write. No excuses – Nora Roberts
What are you reading now?
Sherryl Wood’s “Vows” Series
What’s next for you as a writer?
Book 3 First Impressions comes out this summer. I’m going to the RWA conference in July and I’m trying to find an agent.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Little Engine that Could because it’s the best book about self actualization and motivation ever written.
Author Websites and Profiles
Peggy Jaeger Website
Peggy Jaeger Amazon Profile
Peggy Jaeger’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Share this:
Conference time again…
In less than 2 weeks I will be going to the National Romance Writers of America 2015 conference. For those of you who were here with me in the blogosphere last year, it was my very first time attending Nationals and I blogged about the experience while I was in San Antonio. This year it’s in NYC – my hometown – and I go a very different person and writer than I was in 2014.
Some of you may recall that at last year’s conference I found out from the person who would soon be my editor, my first book SKATER’S WALTZ was going to be published by the Wild Rose Press. I was speechless, terrified and excited all at the same time. I couldn’t tell anyone I knew at the conference because I hadn’t signed the contract yet and I didn’t want to jinx myself. Let’s face it, try as I might I can’t get away from my Irish Catholic mysticism thoughts. I had to hold that enormous news inside me until the contract was signed, sealed and delivered and it was a legally done deal. Then and only then did I let my crazed exuberance free!
This year, when I attend, I am no longer an RWA conference virgin, nor am I another unpublished author dying to network and get someone to read my work. I go this year as a published author with two books currently in release (Skater’s Waltz and There’s No Place Like Home ) with a third (First Impressions) coming out this Fall. I’ve also contracted for a Valentine’s Day novella 3 Wishes releasing early in 2016. I know vastly more than I did last year about the process and business of writing, publishing, and marketing. Plus, I’ve now got street cred because I’ve walked the walk of the published romance writer.
Having said that, I still have oodles left to learn, which is why this conference is so wonderful for any romance writer to attend. There are dozens upon dozens of workshops with topics that cover the craft of romance writing, to marketing, to independent publishing, and even how to write great sex scenes ( a personal fav of mine.)
In addition, RWA hosts the Readers for Life Literacy Autographing session where over 400 romance authors are available for a meet and greet and book signing. This year, I am a volunteer at this event and I can’t wait to meet all my fav authors and snap a couple of selfies with them.
The week culminates in the Rita and Golden Hearts awards ceremony on Saturday night and this year is extra special for me because one of my NHRWA chapter sistahs is up for a Golden Heart award. I’m so happy I’ll be there when she wins – nothing like a little cocky self assurance, eh?! LOL
So stay tuned and I’ll be blogging from NYC come July 21. And if you’re in NYC on July 22, drop on down to the Marriott Marquis from 5:30 until 7:30 for the author signing.
If you see me, give me a shout out!
Some of you may recall that at last year’s conference I found out from the person who would soon be my editor, my first book SKATER’S WALTZ was going to be published by the Wild Rose Press. I was speechless, terrified and excited all at the same time. I couldn’t tell anyone I knew at the conference because I hadn’t signed the contract yet and I didn’t want to jinx myself. Let’s face it, try as I might I can’t get away from my Irish Catholic mysticism thoughts. I had to hold that enormous news inside me until the contract was signed, sealed and delivered and it was a legally done deal. Then and only then did I let my crazed exuberance free!
This year, when I attend, I am no longer an RWA conference virgin, nor am I another unpublished author dying to network and get someone to read my work. I go this year as a published author with two books currently in release (Skater’s Waltz and There’s No Place Like Home ) with a third (First Impressions) coming out this Fall. I’ve also contracted for a Valentine’s Day novella 3 Wishes releasing early in 2016. I know vastly more than I did last year about the process and business of writing, publishing, and marketing. Plus, I’ve now got street cred because I’ve walked the walk of the published romance writer.
Having said that, I still have oodles left to learn, which is why this conference is so wonderful for any romance writer to attend. There are dozens upon dozens of workshops with topics that cover the craft of romance writing, to marketing, to independent publishing, and even how to write great sex scenes ( a personal fav of mine.)
In addition, RWA hosts the Readers for Life Literacy Autographing session where over 400 romance authors are available for a meet and greet and book signing. This year, I am a volunteer at this event and I can’t wait to meet all my fav authors and snap a couple of selfies with them.
The week culminates in the Rita and Golden Hearts awards ceremony on Saturday night and this year is extra special for me because one of my NHRWA chapter sistahs is up for a Golden Heart award. I’m so happy I’ll be there when she wins – nothing like a little cocky self assurance, eh?! LOL
So stay tuned and I’ll be blogging from NYC come July 21. And if you’re in NYC on July 22, drop on down to the Marriott Marquis from 5:30 until 7:30 for the author signing.
If you see me, give me a shout out!
First Kisses....
Think about your favorite fictional first kiss. That’s right – not your own, but two characters in a book you were reading, where you just thought this was the best kiss ever. EVER. It had passion, tenderness, desire; it made your heart beat faster, your hands shake a little and your insides get all swirly, and boy-oh-boy did you wish you could be kissed like that in real life.
Okay, so you’ve got the image of the kiss in your mind. How did the author make you feel so good about that kiss? What language did she use? What words? Where they descriptive? Sexy? Raunchy? Was the emotion of the kiss put on display? What about the characters who were kissing- did the author show you their feelings, emotions, internal thoughts when it was happening?
Was there a buildup to the kiss? Tension and suspense around it happening – or not? Anticipation isn’t only a Carly Simon song; it’s a tried and true way of a writer getting you sucked into the characters and what’s going to happen to them.
Personally, I’ve always liked fictional kisses that took a long time coming. The buildup, the expectation, the hope for it to come about is what makes a first kiss so special to me.
Here’s the first kiss between Moira and Quentin from my new book There’s No Place Like Home, Book 2 in the MacQuire women. It uses the buildup and the expectation I mentioned, but the added bonus is the surprise that fills Moira’s mind about the kiss:
Her first and last coherent thought was her best friend was going to kiss her goodnight. After a heartbeat, she forgot the best friend part and knew down to her toes friendship had nothing to do with this.
His lips slid across her mouth, soft and gentle, testing, tasting. Moira’s mind went blank as she succumbed to the sensation of them, hot and hard, pressing against hers in a kiss like none he’d ever given her before. Slowly, he traced her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, silently asking her to open for him. When she did, he entered her mouth and began to explore, each movement becoming more demanding, more insistent. Moira fell against him, fisting his jacket lapels to steady herself. When she felt his heartbeat pounding under her hands, she grew lightheaded with need. Quentin framed her face with his fingertips, softly tugging down on her chin, changing the angle of the kiss.
She’d been kissed before, but never, never with such all consuming need and longing. She heard a deep moan and was shocked to realize the sound had escaped from her. One of Quentin’s hands left her face to slide down her back. When he pushed against her backside and molded her body to his, Moira’s stomach jumped. This time, though, it wasn’t with the painful contractions she’d come to expect, but with a heart-stopping craving.
A craving for him.
She unfurled her hands from his jacket and, without thought, wound them upwards, weaving them over his shirt collar and up through his hair. She grabbed onto the ends, pulled his head down closer, and held on fast.
All aspect of time was lost. Nothing mattered but the delicious feel of his strong hands caressing her back and the taste of him as his tongue mated with hers.
This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a dream.
But no dream had ever made her want like this, feel like this. When he skimmed his lips across her jaw and down her throat, stopping to take her lobe into his mouth, Moira knew this wasn’t a dream.
They’ve been best friends forever, but everything changes the moment Quentin makes his true feelings known to her in that kiss.
I’ve got a new novella coming out for Valentine’s Day 2016 and the first kiss in this one – 3 Wishes – is told from the first person’s viewpoint of the heroine, Chloe. Here’s a little of what’s going on in her head when she’s kissed for the first time by the hero – a guy she knows nothing about – including his name.
…And, holy Mother of God, what a kiss. My toes curled, my thighs wobbled, and my girlie parts went zing. If I was never kissed by another man for the rest of my life, I would have died a happy little Italian girl right then and there.
You can read all about Chloe next year ( Now, that’s an anticipation tease isn’t it?)
So, back to your favorite fictional kiss. What book was it, who were the characters, and why was it your fav? Let’s discuss…
Okay, so you’ve got the image of the kiss in your mind. How did the author make you feel so good about that kiss? What language did she use? What words? Where they descriptive? Sexy? Raunchy? Was the emotion of the kiss put on display? What about the characters who were kissing- did the author show you their feelings, emotions, internal thoughts when it was happening?
Was there a buildup to the kiss? Tension and suspense around it happening – or not? Anticipation isn’t only a Carly Simon song; it’s a tried and true way of a writer getting you sucked into the characters and what’s going to happen to them.
Personally, I’ve always liked fictional kisses that took a long time coming. The buildup, the expectation, the hope for it to come about is what makes a first kiss so special to me.
Here’s the first kiss between Moira and Quentin from my new book There’s No Place Like Home, Book 2 in the MacQuire women. It uses the buildup and the expectation I mentioned, but the added bonus is the surprise that fills Moira’s mind about the kiss:
Her first and last coherent thought was her best friend was going to kiss her goodnight. After a heartbeat, she forgot the best friend part and knew down to her toes friendship had nothing to do with this.
His lips slid across her mouth, soft and gentle, testing, tasting. Moira’s mind went blank as she succumbed to the sensation of them, hot and hard, pressing against hers in a kiss like none he’d ever given her before. Slowly, he traced her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, silently asking her to open for him. When she did, he entered her mouth and began to explore, each movement becoming more demanding, more insistent. Moira fell against him, fisting his jacket lapels to steady herself. When she felt his heartbeat pounding under her hands, she grew lightheaded with need. Quentin framed her face with his fingertips, softly tugging down on her chin, changing the angle of the kiss.
She’d been kissed before, but never, never with such all consuming need and longing. She heard a deep moan and was shocked to realize the sound had escaped from her. One of Quentin’s hands left her face to slide down her back. When he pushed against her backside and molded her body to his, Moira’s stomach jumped. This time, though, it wasn’t with the painful contractions she’d come to expect, but with a heart-stopping craving.
A craving for him.
She unfurled her hands from his jacket and, without thought, wound them upwards, weaving them over his shirt collar and up through his hair. She grabbed onto the ends, pulled his head down closer, and held on fast.
All aspect of time was lost. Nothing mattered but the delicious feel of his strong hands caressing her back and the taste of him as his tongue mated with hers.
This couldn’t be happening. It had to be a dream.
But no dream had ever made her want like this, feel like this. When he skimmed his lips across her jaw and down her throat, stopping to take her lobe into his mouth, Moira knew this wasn’t a dream.
They’ve been best friends forever, but everything changes the moment Quentin makes his true feelings known to her in that kiss.
I’ve got a new novella coming out for Valentine’s Day 2016 and the first kiss in this one – 3 Wishes – is told from the first person’s viewpoint of the heroine, Chloe. Here’s a little of what’s going on in her head when she’s kissed for the first time by the hero – a guy she knows nothing about – including his name.
…And, holy Mother of God, what a kiss. My toes curled, my thighs wobbled, and my girlie parts went zing. If I was never kissed by another man for the rest of my life, I would have died a happy little Italian girl right then and there.
You can read all about Chloe next year ( Now, that’s an anticipation tease isn’t it?)
So, back to your favorite fictional kiss. What book was it, who were the characters, and why was it your fav? Let’s discuss…
WeddingsRUs
My baby was home this past weekend to attend the wedding of a high school friend and that got me to thinking about weddings and the months in which they occur.
Of course, a couple can be married any month, that goes without saying. While June and July have typically been the most preferred months for weddings – something I’ve never really understood – I wonder why a couple pick the month they do to tie the knot, jump the broom, get hitched, walk down the aisle…you get the idea. Hey, can’t help it…I’m a writer.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
I got married the day after Christmas. I know. There’s nothing you can say I haven’t already been witness to from all my friends and family. But…it was the only time he could come home from his job in Wisconsin to do it, so. I loved getting married on the 26th of December. Everyone – everyone! – was still in such a good and joyous mood from the holiday and more importantly, our families were still all together and didn’t have to travel again to celebrate the day. It was a cold, crisp day, about 27 degrees in NYC, a scant amount of fresh snow covered the ground and streets so everything looked pretty and my colors were – surprise, surprise – red and green. Beautiful. It really was.
Now, I lovedlovedloved my winter wedding, but autumn is my favorite time of year. There is something so rich and spectacular, so grand and breathtaking about the kaleidoscope of the changing colors. The harvest is bountiful and the food amazing. An autumn wedding would be a delight to plan just from the color spectrum choices for me.
A Spring wedding brings with it the beauty of rebirth and the threat of rain. I always feel anxious when I attend a wedding during the spring months because I don’t want rain to mar such a memorable day. Isn’t there an old saw that goes, “Happy is the bride the sun shines upon?” Now I personally happen to love rain. A rainy day is a gift to me for a number of reasons, but a beautiful bride bedecked in pure white with….rain spots on the back of her dress, is not a happy thought!
In my second novel THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, Moira Cleary and Quentin Stapleton marry on an august day in her parent’s garden. Instead of it being an uncomfortable hot and humid day, like any august day in Connecticut could be and often is, I flubbed the weather and made it a glorious, sunny, just-warm-enough afternoon for them to say their nuptials. Here’s a little sumthin’ sumthin’ from the day:
As the guests all stood and turned to watch the procession, Seamus leaned down to his daughter and said, “I married your mother in this garden twenty-nine years ago. It was the best day of my life.”
Moira squeezed the arm she held, touched.
“Until the day you two were born,” he added. “And now today. Baby, if you know a tenth the love and joy with Quentin your mother and I have had, then I’ll be a happy man the rest of my life.”
“I love you, Daddy. So much.”
He turned to her, his eyes shimmering in the afternoon glow of the sun.
So… you know what’s coming! What month did you marry in? Why that month? Was your wedding all you hoped and dreamed? Come on and share…we’re all friends here. Let’s discuss….
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME buy links
amazon The Wild Rose Press Nook
I love hearing from people, so…..
Tweet Me Pin Me Friend Me
Read Me Visit Me Picture Me
Google+ Me
Of course, a couple can be married any month, that goes without saying. While June and July have typically been the most preferred months for weddings – something I’ve never really understood – I wonder why a couple pick the month they do to tie the knot, jump the broom, get hitched, walk down the aisle…you get the idea. Hey, can’t help it…I’m a writer.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
I got married the day after Christmas. I know. There’s nothing you can say I haven’t already been witness to from all my friends and family. But…it was the only time he could come home from his job in Wisconsin to do it, so. I loved getting married on the 26th of December. Everyone – everyone! – was still in such a good and joyous mood from the holiday and more importantly, our families were still all together and didn’t have to travel again to celebrate the day. It was a cold, crisp day, about 27 degrees in NYC, a scant amount of fresh snow covered the ground and streets so everything looked pretty and my colors were – surprise, surprise – red and green. Beautiful. It really was.
Now, I lovedlovedloved my winter wedding, but autumn is my favorite time of year. There is something so rich and spectacular, so grand and breathtaking about the kaleidoscope of the changing colors. The harvest is bountiful and the food amazing. An autumn wedding would be a delight to plan just from the color spectrum choices for me.
A Spring wedding brings with it the beauty of rebirth and the threat of rain. I always feel anxious when I attend a wedding during the spring months because I don’t want rain to mar such a memorable day. Isn’t there an old saw that goes, “Happy is the bride the sun shines upon?” Now I personally happen to love rain. A rainy day is a gift to me for a number of reasons, but a beautiful bride bedecked in pure white with….rain spots on the back of her dress, is not a happy thought!
In my second novel THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, Moira Cleary and Quentin Stapleton marry on an august day in her parent’s garden. Instead of it being an uncomfortable hot and humid day, like any august day in Connecticut could be and often is, I flubbed the weather and made it a glorious, sunny, just-warm-enough afternoon for them to say their nuptials. Here’s a little sumthin’ sumthin’ from the day:
As the guests all stood and turned to watch the procession, Seamus leaned down to his daughter and said, “I married your mother in this garden twenty-nine years ago. It was the best day of my life.”
Moira squeezed the arm she held, touched.
“Until the day you two were born,” he added. “And now today. Baby, if you know a tenth the love and joy with Quentin your mother and I have had, then I’ll be a happy man the rest of my life.”
“I love you, Daddy. So much.”
He turned to her, his eyes shimmering in the afternoon glow of the sun.
So… you know what’s coming! What month did you marry in? Why that month? Was your wedding all you hoped and dreamed? Come on and share…we’re all friends here. Let’s discuss….
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME buy links
amazon The Wild Rose Press Nook
I love hearing from people, so…..
Tweet Me Pin Me Friend Me
Read Me Visit Me Picture Me
Google+ Me
Lessons I’ve learned about being a published author.
I found out my first book, SKATER’S WALTZ, had been contracted for publication while I was attending the 2014 RWA conference in San Antonio, TX. Shocked, thrilled, and terrified, I thought the hard part – finding someone willing to publish my novel – was over.
Yeah, not so much.
Lesson one: it’s not over when you type THE END. It’s just the beginning…
After I signed on the dotted line, the real work began. I’d been published for years in literary fiction anthologies and in non-fiction magazines and periodicals. The literary magazines accepted the work as is, the non-fiction articles were sometimes reworked and refined by editors to allow for spacing considerations. My point is that it was someone else’s job to get the piece publishing presentable.
Not anymore. Welcome to the world of book fiction.
Lesson two : the hard work starts after you contract for publication…
My first book went through 3 rounds of edits between my editor and myself before it was sent to galleys for actual publication. And even after it went out to the copy editor, there were still some changes that needed to be made. I was ready to rip my hair out at one point. All I kept thinking as more and more edit suggestions came my way was, “Why the heck did they want this if it needs so much work??”
Lesson three: Editors are the most underrated and undervalued people on the publishing food chain…
All editors are good at their job – they have to be. But the ones who are truly great make a good book even better. They find the little twists and turns of a phrase, or a word change, or a sentence deletion that is key to making the reader want to read more.
My editor is one of the great ones.
Lesson four: you should have taken marketing classes in college…
I will admit this freely – I was unbelievably naïve when I signed that first contract. I thought the publisher was going to do all the marketing necessary to promote my book, get it on a best-seller list, and generally skyrocket me to fame.
Yeah, AGAIN, not so much!
The minute your book is contracted and the editing begins, you need to start promoting it. Often and everywhere. FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest, your website, blog tours, newspaper press releases, your Aunt Maimie’s bridge club. Anywhere, everywhere, and as often as you can, so that when you finally have a release date, the buzz about the book will have started, grown to fever pitch and resulted in so many pre-orders your head spins.
Lesson five: before the first book hits the shelves you’d better be working on, or done with, book #2…
As a writer you can never – NEVER – rest on your laurels. It is a true axiom of publishing: you are only as good as your next book. So while you are doing all that dreaded marketing, take time each day and write…write…write. I had book two on my editor’s desk before book one was released. Same for book 3. Keep ‘em coming.
Lesson six: you need to take time to breathe and enjoy…
Yes, I was overwhelmed, naïve, frustrated and generally anxious with the release of my first book. But I was also thrilled at having my dream – finally – come true. It was a long road for me to book publication. I was 54 years old when the first one came out, a time when most people are starting to look toward the end of their working life. Not me. Mine was just beginning and I wanted to savor every moment of how it felt to hold my first book in my hands; see my name in print on the cover of a book I’d penned; sign my first autograph on a copy someone had actually paid cash-money for! Don’t let anything ever take away or overwhelm you from that sense of wonderful, soul-soaring achievement you’ve accomplished.
My fourth book, THE VOICES OF ANGELS was released on March 11. I didn’t feel as overwhelmed this time because I knew the basics. Promotion and marketing were all lined up and ready to go, I pre-ordered by print copies so I had them ready, and a book signing was waiting for me.
But the anticipation, the soul-empowering elation of having a book actually published was as spine tingling and heart-stopping as with that first one. And I think it will continue to be that way each and every time.
THE VOICES OF ANGELS
Love is the last thing Carly Lennox is looking for when she sets out on her new book tour. The independent, widowed author is content with a life spent writing and in raising her daughter. When newscaster Mike Woodard suggests they work on a television magazine profile based on her book, Carly’s thrilled, but guarded. His obvious desire to turn their relationship into something other than just a working one is more than she bargained for.
Mike Woodard is ambitious, and not only in his chosen profession. He wants Carly, maybe more than he’s ever wanted anything or anyone else. As he tells her, he’s a patient man. But the more they’re together, Mike realizes it isn’t simply desire beating within him. Carly Lennox is the missing piece in his life. Getting her to accept it-and him-may just be the toughest assignment he’s ever taken on.
Buy Links: Amazon /// TWRP /// Kobo /// Nook
If you need to find me, you can: Tweet Me// Read Me// Visit Me// Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
Yeah, not so much.
Lesson one: it’s not over when you type THE END. It’s just the beginning…
After I signed on the dotted line, the real work began. I’d been published for years in literary fiction anthologies and in non-fiction magazines and periodicals. The literary magazines accepted the work as is, the non-fiction articles were sometimes reworked and refined by editors to allow for spacing considerations. My point is that it was someone else’s job to get the piece publishing presentable.
Not anymore. Welcome to the world of book fiction.
Lesson two : the hard work starts after you contract for publication…
My first book went through 3 rounds of edits between my editor and myself before it was sent to galleys for actual publication. And even after it went out to the copy editor, there were still some changes that needed to be made. I was ready to rip my hair out at one point. All I kept thinking as more and more edit suggestions came my way was, “Why the heck did they want this if it needs so much work??”
Lesson three: Editors are the most underrated and undervalued people on the publishing food chain…
All editors are good at their job – they have to be. But the ones who are truly great make a good book even better. They find the little twists and turns of a phrase, or a word change, or a sentence deletion that is key to making the reader want to read more.
My editor is one of the great ones.
Lesson four: you should have taken marketing classes in college…
I will admit this freely – I was unbelievably naïve when I signed that first contract. I thought the publisher was going to do all the marketing necessary to promote my book, get it on a best-seller list, and generally skyrocket me to fame.
Yeah, AGAIN, not so much!
The minute your book is contracted and the editing begins, you need to start promoting it. Often and everywhere. FaceBook, Twitter, Pinterest, your website, blog tours, newspaper press releases, your Aunt Maimie’s bridge club. Anywhere, everywhere, and as often as you can, so that when you finally have a release date, the buzz about the book will have started, grown to fever pitch and resulted in so many pre-orders your head spins.
Lesson five: before the first book hits the shelves you’d better be working on, or done with, book #2…
As a writer you can never – NEVER – rest on your laurels. It is a true axiom of publishing: you are only as good as your next book. So while you are doing all that dreaded marketing, take time each day and write…write…write. I had book two on my editor’s desk before book one was released. Same for book 3. Keep ‘em coming.
Lesson six: you need to take time to breathe and enjoy…
Yes, I was overwhelmed, naïve, frustrated and generally anxious with the release of my first book. But I was also thrilled at having my dream – finally – come true. It was a long road for me to book publication. I was 54 years old when the first one came out, a time when most people are starting to look toward the end of their working life. Not me. Mine was just beginning and I wanted to savor every moment of how it felt to hold my first book in my hands; see my name in print on the cover of a book I’d penned; sign my first autograph on a copy someone had actually paid cash-money for! Don’t let anything ever take away or overwhelm you from that sense of wonderful, soul-soaring achievement you’ve accomplished.
My fourth book, THE VOICES OF ANGELS was released on March 11. I didn’t feel as overwhelmed this time because I knew the basics. Promotion and marketing were all lined up and ready to go, I pre-ordered by print copies so I had them ready, and a book signing was waiting for me.
But the anticipation, the soul-empowering elation of having a book actually published was as spine tingling and heart-stopping as with that first one. And I think it will continue to be that way each and every time.
THE VOICES OF ANGELS
Love is the last thing Carly Lennox is looking for when she sets out on her new book tour. The independent, widowed author is content with a life spent writing and in raising her daughter. When newscaster Mike Woodard suggests they work on a television magazine profile based on her book, Carly’s thrilled, but guarded. His obvious desire to turn their relationship into something other than just a working one is more than she bargained for.
Mike Woodard is ambitious, and not only in his chosen profession. He wants Carly, maybe more than he’s ever wanted anything or anyone else. As he tells her, he’s a patient man. But the more they’re together, Mike realizes it isn’t simply desire beating within him. Carly Lennox is the missing piece in his life. Getting her to accept it-and him-may just be the toughest assignment he’s ever taken on.
Buy Links: Amazon /// TWRP /// Kobo /// Nook
If you need to find me, you can: Tweet Me// Read Me// Visit Me// Picture Me//Pin Me//Friend Me//Google+Me//
