Judith Hudson's Blog, page 11

Tamra Baumann – It Had To Be

My guest this week on the small town romance series is Tamra Baumann.

Tammy writes stories she calls, “Fun, small town contemporary romance with lots of heart.” Sounds perfect for the series!

I Hi Tammy. What is your latest book?

– My latest published book is the third in my IT HAD TO BE series,  IT HAD TO BE FATE. Here’s the blurb:

Falling for a bad-boy rock star is the last thing single mother Casey Anderson-Bovier should do. Embroiled in a custody battle with her ex, Casey is fighting to raise her boys in their quaint Colorado hometown—a secret haven for celebrities. But when it comes to her hotel’s newest guest, Casey can’t connect the dots. Is Zane Steele the out-of-control rocker plastered all over the media, or the captivating man with a killer smile who’s charming her and her two boys?

Zane has a good reason for letting the world believe the worst of him—and that’s a secret he’s sure he can never share…until he meets Casey. After years of having fans fall at his feet, he’s found the one woman who brings him to his knees. Casey is beautiful and intriguing—and thoroughly justified in not trusting him one bit, especially with her family at stake. But the only way to be together is to convince her to take a chance on him, on fate, and on their crazy, unexpected love.

– What sets “your” town apart?

–  My town is a secret celebrity hideout, and the crafty mayor has provided incentives for all the townspeople to keep their guests’ identities secret.

– Sounds like a fun premise. Lots of room there for trouble. What attracted you to the small-town romance genre?

–  My parents both grew up in small towns in Iowa, while my sibs and I were Navy brats, moving constantly and stationed in much larger cities. It fascinated me how even strangers (to me) knew who I was. And I loved going into the town’s diner for ice cream on hot summer days.  We never needed money to pay for our treats because everything went on my grandparents’ tab. You couldn’t do that in Southern California!

– How much has your own life influences your writing?

– As writers, we have the opportunity to live vicariously through our characters. So while you’ll never open my closet and see row after row of Louboutin red soled shoes, some of my characters might have them.  I was a real estate appraiser for 25 years before becoming a full time writer last year, so I’ve seen thousands of closets! And seen lots of other things that I have used in books.  (With names changed to protect the innocent, of course.)

– Wow ! What a great resource for quirky characters.  How would you describe your writing process?

–  I’m a hybrid writer. I plot just enough so I know where the story will go and what the big turning points are in the story, and then I let the in between happen naturally. Now, don’t misunderstand, I WISH I could plot down to the nitty-gritty, but it’s just not how my busy brain works, so I end up going back and weaving in story threads all the time. Not the most efficient way to write, but it works for me.

– me too. What do you feel are the pluses and minuses of writing a series?

–  It’s fun to write series because characters from previous books show up, but it can be hard too.  I have to keep the characters consistent, the facts about the town the straight, and I can’t forget that the name I chose for a beloved character changed after I turned the book in because my editor didn’t like it. That happened to me in the second book of my series. I was talking to a fan who said how much they enjoyed a certain character and I had to stop and think for a moment who the heck she was talking about!  That was a “Duh!” moment for me for sure. LOL

– Do you watch any reality TV?

– Yes! I am a reality TV JUNKIE! I love all the Housewives on Bravo, their outfits and lifestyles are outrageous, and I have watched Survivor from the early years. I don’t actually know people like those on the Housewives, so I enjoy studying them and using parts of their personalities in my characters. I like The Voice and Dancing with the Stars because I love to root for underdogs!  It’s fun to see others striving for and living their dreams.

– What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

–  When I’m not writing I like to cook, take walks, play tennis, and travel. But my son is getting married next month, so I’m doing a lot less cooking and much more walking and dieting to fit into my dress! (And I bought some spanx as a backup plan!)

– I’m with you! That was me last year. What do you read?

–  I read many genres, but I try to limit other contemporary romance while I’m writing (which is most of the time) because I worry I’ll accidentally borrow a line or phrase that I admired in another book. I have no clue where my words come from sometimes, so I don’t want to risk stealing a good line.  I like to read historical novels and light mystery while writing, but while in editing mode, my must-read authors are Jill Shalvis, Nora, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kristan Higgins, and many more. They are my reward for getting through my copy edits. ;0)

Do you have a new book coming up?

– I do! I’m writing the second book in my Matchmaker series right now and don’t have a title as of yet. I’m hoping that one will be out in September.  And then the fourth book of my IT HAD TO BE series, IT HAD TO BE THEM, will be out October 11th.

Thanks Tamara. I’ll be giving away IT HAD TO BE FATE as this week’s contest giveaway, next Monday to one person who comments on this post. It could be you!

You can connect with Tamra on her website, www.tamrabaumann.com, and find her books at Goodreads and her Amazon Author Page.

Next week’s guest author is Nanette Day, so be sure to come back next Monday to see who this week’s winner is.

And watch for my own giveaway this coming Friday to celebrate the launch of Summer of Fortune, the first full length book in my Fortune Bay series!

Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to comment!

 

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Rosemary recipes – Anyone?

My Rosemary monster in the garden.

I love growing herbs. They are so easy, forgiving of not-perfect conditions, fragrant, useful all year round and they flower!

Rosemary thrives in the hottest spot in my garden, and earlier in the spring I heavily pruned the rosemary shrub to make room to plant my tomatoes. I laid the prunings out on a screen and left it to dry on the porch. I don’t really even need to dry any since Rosemary stays fresh in the garden all winter, but I couldn’t bear to throw it away. This will give us enough dry rosemary for the year, and I think I’ll be giving bottles of dried Rosemary for hostess gifts this year.

Rosemary skewers for Lamb kebobs.

We use fresh rosemary branches to skewer lamb kabobs for the barbecue to add even more flavour.

Just marinade lamb pieces for a few hours in olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, bruised rosemary leaves, salt and pepper.Thread onto rosemary branches before barbecuing. The sticks are quite oily and don’t burn easily.

I also like to sprinkle fresh rosemary leaves, with salt and pepper, on sliced potatoes to roast, but you can also use the dried herb. Easy and delicious.

If you have any ideas for other uses for rosemary, I’d love to hear them.

 

 

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Publishing. Step by step. Inch by inch.

There was a line from a movie in my childhood that for some reason we thought was hilarious and repeated over and over.

“Slow-w-w-w-ly I turn. Step by step. Inch by inch.”

I forget the context, heck I forget the movie, but sometimes indie publishing feels like you are dragging a log around behind you. Step by step. Inch by inch.

Today the words keep going through my head as I try to figure out if I have my first two books on all the online book sellers (probably not). As ebooks? Maybe.

Kindle, check. Kobo check. Barnes and Noble (that was a tricky one since Canada is not in their list of acceptable countries. Seriously?!) Check! and ITunes. Check.

There are quite a few authors named Judith Hudson though. On goodreads they had me confused with an author writing about a boy growing up in Africa, and on ITunes, well,

 

I’m pretty sure I didn’t write The Hudsons Go Farming.

Barnes and Noble, who don’t even sell in Canada, were closer, running an ad for a lodge (love the name! Logging Chain Lodge) the was about 10 miles away from our old cottage in Ontario that was so much of an inspiration for the first book, Lake of Dreams. Weird.

And what does it have to do with Errol Flynn as Robin Hood? In the end, I went looking for the “Slowly I turned” reference on Utube – Abbott and Costello and The Three Stooges, and all seemed too violent in retrospect. But one version had A & C with Errol Flynn (be still my beating heart) and one thing led to another. You know how that goes.

So I will leave you on a lighter note with  this trailer of Robin Hood, as they modestly say, “The Most Glorious Romance of All Time!” (Are those sequins on his tunic?)

 

 

Stephanie Berget – Romance Beneath a Rodeo Moon.

Stephanie Berget was born loving horses, developing a lifelong love of rodeo when she married her Bronc Rider. They traveled to rodeos throughout the Northwest while she ran barrels and her cowboy rode bucking horses.

Welcome to the blog Stephanie. And Happy Birthday! Tell us about your latest published book.

Thanks Judy. The book is called Gimme Some Sugar, the first in my Sugar-coated Cowboy series. It is set in the ranching country of central Oregon.

Sounds tasty. Coincidentally, that’s the book I’ll be giving away this week. What’s it about?

Pastry chef Cary Crockett is on the run. Pursued by a loan shark bent on retrieving gambling debts owed him by her deadbeat ex-boyfriend, she finds the perfect hiding place at the remote Circle W Ranch. More at home with city life, cupcakes and croissants than beef, beans and bacon, she has to convince ranch owner Micah West she’s up to the job of feeding his hired hands. The overwhelming attraction she feels toward him was nowhere in the job description.

Micah West has a big problem. The camp-cook on his central Oregon ranch has up and quit without notice, and his crew of hungry cowboys is about to mutiny. He agrees to hire Cary on a temporary basis, just until he finds the right man to fill the job. Maintaining a hands-off policy toward his sexy new cook becomes tougher than managing a herd of disgruntled wranglers.

I had so much fun writing this book. Micah West’s daughter, Willa Wild West, kept me laughing the whole time.

How much has your own life influenced your writing?

I started writing to bring a more realistic view of our western life style to the Romance genre. Some of the information on rodeo and horses in romances was so wrong and I try to fix that in my stories. Also, I married my own rodeo hero and most of my friends either rodeo or ranch. I try not to base my characters specifically on acquaintances and friends, but bits of all of them show up from time to time.

How did you find your most recent hero and heroine?

Out of the blue, Pansy Lark appeared as a secondary character when I was writing Gimme Some Sugar. When I got ready to write the sequel, Sweet Cowboy Kisses, she demanded to be the star. I wanted the hero to be a professional bull rider, and Pansy told me she had history with bull rider Kade Vaughn. Sometimes I have to work hard to come up with the characters peopling my books, but for this one, Pansy led the way. Sweet Cowboy Kisses will be out in August.

You sound busy. What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

I raise a salsa garden every year, tomatoes, peppers, and onions along with zucchini and green beans. Reworking old furniture is another thing I love to do, adding cowhide and rope to make it western. My biggest passion is training barrel racing horses and competing at rodeos. I haven’t found anything that matches the thrill of racing a horse I’ve trained at full speed.

Can we expect more books in your current series?

Yes, the third book in the Sugar-coated Cowboy series will be Byron Garrett’s story. He’s one of the cowhands on the Circle W Ranch. As a man who’s totally happy working for rancher Micah West, he’s not sure what to do when he finds out he’s not only inherited a wagon load of money, but a little girl, too.

You’re going to start your next project. What’s first?

The next book in line is the sequel to Radio Rose. The title is Love and Other Useless Things and is the story of Stevie, the blue haired twin. Her hero is saddle bronc rider, Will Bogarts, who after years of competing, just qualified for the National Finals Rodeo for the first time. He’s living the dream—at least until Stevie tries to help him out.

What do you read? Do you read different genres when you’re writing vs not writing?

I’m up for a wide range of genres, but contemporary romance is my favorite. I like mysteries, time travel, YA and anything really that is well written. Jennifer Crusie and Susan Elizabeth Phillips are my all time favorite authors and I reread them often. I’m on a humorous paranormal binge right now, inhaling Molly Harper, RL Naquin, Charlaine Harris and Darynda Jones. I’m also a big audio book fan and I’ll listen to anything read by Amanda Ronconi.

Judy here: You can follow Stephanie on Facebook, Twitter @stephanieberget or Pinterest at Stephanie Berget. And be sure to check out all of her books on her Amazon Author Page.

Come back next Monday to find out who the contest winner is, and catch up with Tamara Baumann, next week’s guest author.

Here’s an excerpt from Radio Rose:

The little red car was all she could afford. Though it got her where she needed to go, it could be finicky. She rubbed her hands together, the friction warming the key in her palm. As she patted the dash, she pumped the gas pedal three times. Holding her breath, she placed the key into the ignition and . . . nothing.

“Come on Miss Cool.” Stroking the steering wheel softly, Rose pumped the gas pedal once more. When she turned the key again, the engine ground a few times then stopped. She took the key out and reinserted it, stroked the dash with her fingertips and pumped the gas pedal one more time.

“I promise you nothing but super premium for the rest of the month if you’ll just start tonight.” As she turned the key, the engine caught, and when she pumped the pedal several times, the little engine roared.

“I wouldn’t trade you for a Ferrari,” she said, her good mood coaxing her frozen lips to curl into a smile.

The statement was an out-and-out lie, but she was talking to a car so what possible difference could it make? The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the parking lot bribing a stubborn red scrap of metal. 

Of course, if the heap hadn’t started, Rose could have gone back inside and spent the time calling Irwin on the office line to get advice on her own love life, which was nonexistent. But since Miss Cool had decided to cooperate, her love life could remain imaginary, at least for tonight.

With no snow or ice on the road, Rose was driving on autopilot. She’d taken this route so many times the last few years she could drive it in her sleep.

The quarter moon threw out just enough light to outline the stately lodgepole pines that stood sentinel along the edge of the rural highway. Since hers was the only car around at two in the morning, she let her mind wander to the subject of next Monday’s show, Aliens Hidden Amongst Us. She was right on top of it before she noticed the big black thing planted in the middle of the road.

 “Ohhhhh, shit!” She jammed her foot on the brakes, and jerked the wheel to the left. Panic sped through her veins on ice skates as she lost control. The car slid toward the barrow pit, teetered back and forth for a split second then dropped over the edge.

Flickers of pain traveled from her neck to her brain and back as momentum pushed her up so hard her head slammed into the roof. The flickers melded into an explosion as she collapsed, her forehead bouncing off the steering wheel. The hot burn of tears stung her nose, filled her eyes then flowed down her cheeks.

She really had to start wearing her seatbelt.

Though her mind was still spinning like a helicopter rotor, the feeling of flight had ended. The car had come to a stop.

Holding her head between her hands, she took several deep breaths, groaned and tried to figure out what had happened. One minute she’d been driving along minding her own business. The next she was flying through the air like a drunken duck.

The thought of the black thing in the road caused her heart to bounce off her stomach and lodge in her throat. Some of her callers described their alien abductors as floating, just like the thing she’d seen in the road.

Buzzing rang through her head like a cheap alarm clock, and she squeezed her eyes shut in a feeble attempt to drown out the sound. She pressed her fingers into her eyes, took deep breaths and waited until the pain receded to just-below-migraine level.

Concentrating on the ignition, she managed to turn the key, but of course, Miss Cool wouldn’t start.

A tap at the side window caused her to jump. As she slowly turned her head, all she could see were two dark, shadowy blobs, floating. Floating? Sharp, prickly spots of fear wormed their way down her back as she tried to crawl from beneath the steering wheel.

The door was wrenched open, and whatever was out there drifted inside.

Through the fog that inhabited her brain, she heard words. “Easy there. I’ve got you.” She turned toward the voice, leaning away at the same time, but could only see a shadowy splotch.

She was trying to make sense of what was happening when the dome light flickered, dimmed then went out. At the same time, she felt something take hold of her hand and pull her toward the open door.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God,” Rose cried out as she jerked back. Breaking free, she crab-walked her butt back across the seat until she bumped into the passenger door. With her left hand, she fumbled for the door handle, with her right she felt for the ridiculous helmet she never thought she’d need.

 She hadn’t believed in aliens, but then she’d never come across one before. Reality had a way of dispensing with untested doubts. Something was reaching into her car, grabbing hold of her hands. Then it hit her, and her skin turned to ice. Tentacles! With suckers!

Terrified, but determined to do everything in her power to survive, she tried to pull a sufficient amount of air into her lungs. She only succeeded in catching one single breath.

Rose swept her hand along the floor of the car, her fingers coming into contact with the rough edge of a nylon strap. Bursts of panic pulsed beneath her skin when she realized the helmet was wedged beneath the seat. Tears fell one by one from her chin.

Wrapping the strap around her hand, she jerked frantically. With one superhuman tug, it came free. Swinging the mind-protector up to her head, she fought through the fear, settling it into place. With her thumb, she flipped a switch on the side, and the bright colors lit up the interior of the car like a carnival carousel.

As she caught her reflection in the windshield, the hope she’d been holding on to disappeared. She looked like a porcupine decorated in Christmas lights, more ridiculous than frightening. She wasn’t going to scare the alien. Hell, she wouldn’t scare a girl scout.

She’d laughed at the horrible stories of abductions from little-used stretches of country lanes and of the excruciating experiments that followed. They’d happened just like this. Aliens appeared in the middle of the road, and the drivers lost control of their cars.

Though most of the stories had the cars just losing power, not crashing.

With her Novocain numb hands, she couldn’t get the damn straps on the helmet to stay hooked. She had to try. One thing was for sure. She wouldn’t let any creepy aliens make her a statistic.

As she fumbled with the mind-screen’s buckles, the door opened behind her and Rose felt herself being lifted out of the car. She had to get away, to save herself. She had to escape.

Pushing with her arms, and flipping like a fish, she dropped free of the being’s grasp. Her mind said run, but her feet were on strike, and she collapsed like a well-worn rag doll. As she attempted to crawl away, a force lifted her off the ground.

Swinging her legs in desperation, one foot connected with something solid. She heard a string of angry sounds as she was pushed face first, against the car. She tried to kick again, but found her legs pinned against the metal. She punched something hard with her elbow and was twisted around to face her attacker.

The thing grabbed her upper arms and shook her. “Stop fighting me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“That’s what they all say,” Rose shrieked, “just before they abduct you.”

“Stop it!” The tone and volume of the words penetrated the static in her head, and she quit struggling. This alien spoke perfect English in a deep voice with no sign of an accent.

She focused her eyes on the way his T-shirt stretched across his muscular chest then slid her gaze up until she came to his face. She was surprised to see a very good-looking man. No not a man, an alien in human form.

With dark blond hair, long black lashes surrounding his eyes and a delectably, kissable mouth, he was the personification of her make-believe boyfriend. She licked her lips and lifted one hand to touch his face before coming to her senses.

Boy, aliens had taken morphing to a whole new level. It would be easy to relax into his strong arms, but she needed to keep what senses she had left sharp.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

Rose was still in shock and shook her head. Glass shards of pain sliced into her brain. She slammed her eyes shut and sucked in a breath.

The helmet slipped to the side, and he gently lifted it off her head. Pressing it into her hands, he waited for her to open her eyes.

She peeked at her helmet and saw half the lights had burned out. “Damn, piece of shit helmet. This piece of crap is guaranteed for ten years. How am I going to make good on the guarantee if I’m abducted? Answer me that.”

“Are you dizzy?” he asked. “Can you walk?”

As she lifted her gaze to his eyes, firefly sparkles flashed across her vision. She’d forgotten he was there. She tossed the helmet to the ground. I must be out of my mind. Abducted by aliens, and I’m worrying about that piece of junk.

As she tried to answer, the words froze into little clumps of ice and melted back down her throat.

“How many fingers do you see?” he asked, holding up one hand.

“Hold them still so I can count.”

“How many?” he asked again, impatience riding on each word.

It seemed a stupid question for an alien to ask, but now was not the time to question these guys on their mathematical skills. Focusing her eyes, she counted the fingers slowly, twice then told the truth. “Seven.”

“You need to sit down while I try to get us out of here.” He carried her to a vehicle, opened the door and placed her on the seat.

“Don’t take me with you. Please. I’m not a normal human. I wouldn’t make a good specimen,” Rose pleaded as she stuffed her trembling hands between her knees to hide the shaking. “Really, I’ll skew your results.”

She focused her vision and concentrated on his features. Nothing was making sense. He looked like a human, a darn nice one, but her callers had told her aliens could change form at will.

He placed her helmet in her lap. Only a light, here and there, was blinking now. Forty-nine dollars and ninety-nine cents down the drain when she didn’t have money to spare. But if she disappeared into outer space to be experimented on, money would be the least of her worries.

She didn’t have the energy to fight him when he lifted her legs, put them in the spaceship and dug around until he found the straps to tie her down. He reached across her, belted her in and shut the door. Now she was trapped. Running her fingers over the door, she tried to find the handle. Before she could make her move, she felt the spaceship lifting off.

She’d listened countless times as her callers talked about their experiences with this exact thing. In her mind, she’d discounted them as being delusional.

Now she remembered what Louise, a regular caller, had said. “They put me in a huge, bright capsule. The takeoff was smooth as glass, and silent as a forest after a snowstorm.”

Her spaceship jerked. With each move, her head spun and noise burrowed into her skull with all the finesse of a jackhammer. There was no beautiful machine here, just a piece of junk, kind of like her Geo.

Just her luck she’d get this puny, puddle jumper of a spaceship. They probably didn’t even serve inter-flight drinks, and she could use a shot of bourbon. As the vehicle jerked again, she grabbed the edge of the seat. Make that two.

Many nights on her show, she’d pretended to believe the people who called in when they’d described this very thing. Some said their ship lifted straight up and some said it flew away, skimming the treetops.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the spaceship rocked back and forth several times then bounced off the earth.

She didn’t want to leave the earth. Heck, she didn’t want to leave Tullyville, Colorado or KTLY. Who would talk to her callers about aliens if she were abducted? Who would reassure them?

The only thing she could think to do now was pray, fighting aliens with God’s help. Some of her callers insisted it was the way to go. She hadn’t been inside a church since her dad’s funeral, but at this point she needed all the help she could get.

Birthing a Book

Torn by excitement and trepidation, I just sent the final manuscripts of Lake of Days and Summer of Fortune off to the printers.

Some people compare launching a book to birthing a baby. To me, it feels more like sending your children off to college or out into the world. The birthing comes much earlier.

There’s the “conception,” those magical moments when the germ of a story appears in your mind. Then the “incubation,” when you stare dreamily out the window or type furiously at the keyboard, depending on your method, as the idea takes shape.

I say it takes a village to produce a book because I have depended on the interest, kindness and inspiration of my friends and family so much in this process to read, give feedback and listen to me rant or spin off ideas.

Then the writing, when your story “family” becomes all consuming, you don’t have time to see you friends or, sometimes, do your laundry, and that might be more like the birthing and new-born stage to me. Editing? Those difficult, seemingly endless teenage years when so much depth and character is born out of turmoil and sweat, with occasional bursts of elation.

Then the launch. When, with tears of terror/fear/happiness you push/send the manuscript is out into the world.

Deep breath.

Now, to see to the next child, the final edits of the next book, The Good Neighbor.

Sound familiar?

Thanks for listening.

Lee McKenzie…writing fifty shades of pink

First – the winner of last week’s giveaway – Helena Korin! Helena’s copy of Jenny Andersen’s eBook, Stalking Bell, is on the way to her inbox.

Now on to this week’s guest author.

I’m so  excited to have my friend, multi-published Harlequin author Lee McKenzie as my guest!

This week’s giveaway!

I know it’s a much-used phrase, in fact the name of one of the Harlequin imprints she publishes under, but I’d truly have to describe Lee’s books as “heartwarming”. They always make me feel good, like there are still possibilities in life for a happily ever after.

And to celebrate having Lee here today, I’m giving away an eBook copy of her Harlequin romance The Parent Trap to one lucky reader who comments on her blog this week! (This contest closes Sunday June 6 at midnight.)

Let’s see what Lee’s been working on lately.

JH:  Hi Lee. What is your latest published book?

LM:  To Catch a Wife, (Harlequin Heartwarming, May 2016).

is my most recent book and as you can see, it was released just this month.

The story is set in the fictional small town of Riverton, Wisconsin, and it’s the first book in The Finnegan Sisters trilogy. To Catch a Wife is available online right now—in both print and eBook formats—and in June it the mass market edition will be available in select Walmart stores throughout the US. The second book in the series, His Best Friend’s Wife, will be out in December 2016. The working title of the third book is Cowboy, Come Home (release date TBA).

Here’s the back cover blurb for To Catch a Wife:

He’ll prove he’s back for good

Detective Jack Evans will keep proposing as many times as it takes. He never expected to come home to Riverton, Wisconsin, let alone to find himself lost in a night of passion with reporter Emily Finnegan—and he gets an even bigger surprise when he finds out she’s pregnant. Now he’s determined to marry the beautiful brunette. It took a world-shaking surprise to make him realize what was missing in his life. But Emily has been hurt before and isn’t convinced his desire to marry her is about love. He’ll do whatever it takes to prove his heart is hers…for as long as they both shall live.

JH:  You’ve described Riverton as a “fictional small town”, but is it totally made up, or based on a real place?

LM:  Riverton, Wisconsin, is a fictional small town loosely based on the town of Wabasha, Minnesota, on the bank of the Mississippi. I don’t know anyone who lives in Wabasha, but I have been there twice and fell in love with its wide Main Street lined with old, two-story brick buildings. I decided to fictionalize the town because I don’t know enough about Wabasha to make it realistic. The best part of making up my town is getting to make stuff up! If you would like a closer look, please check out my April post on the Harlequin Heartwarming Authors Blog, aptly (I think!) titled “Making Stuff Up.”

JH:  What attracted you to the small-town romance genre?

LM:  I love to incorporate a sense of community in my books and, for me, a small-town setting makes that a lot more fun. Anyone who has ever lived in a real small town knows there are always a few quirky people who make life interesting.

In To Catch a Wife, readers will meet Mable Potter, a retired high school English teacher who taught several generations of Rivertonians and now lives alone with her scallywag of a dog, Banjo. The title of this book is a play on To Catch a Thief, and Mable and her dog just might be involved.

Pets actually play a big part in my stories. The heroine of this story, Emily Finnegan, has a hamster named Tadpole.

I held a Name This Furry Friend contest and the name Tadpole was the hands-down favourite among my panel of judges. I had fun coming up with an explanation for the name, and the winner is acknowledged in the book.

JH:  I love your tag line,Lee McKenzie…writing fifty shades of pink. How did you come up with it?

LM:  Believe it or not, my husband came up with this one. I overhead him explaining to someone that I’m a romance author, and that person asked, “You mean like Fifty Shades of Grey?” My husband replied, “No, more like fifty shades of pink.” And my tag line was born. I think it perfectly reflects what I write…wholesome, tender romance with a focus on family, friendships and community.

JH:  What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

LM:  My favourite pastimes are, in no particular order, cooking, gardening, reading, DIY projects, and scouring thrift stores and second-hand shops for bargains and vintage finds.

I’m excited to share one of my latest vintage finds—a child-sized antique chair that was refinished with Annie Sloane chalk paint. Even the vinyl seat has been painted, and in a beautiful colour called Duck Egg Blue. This is not one of my DIY projects. The chair had already been refinished when I discovered it, and it now has a home beside my fireplace where it awaits the arrival of my first grandchild early this summer.

Then there’s other side of thrifting. I often encounter another person’s attempt at DIY that I find…what’s the word?…confounding. For example, this coffee table was made into a bench and upholstered with faux fur designed to look like feathers. Needless to say, this one stayed in the thrift store, but I couldn’t resist snapping a photo.



And no, you’re not seeing double. The price tag is $69.95!

JH:  What is your favourite TV show and why?

LM:  The Big Bang Theory is my all-time favourite sitcom. The writing is brilliant and the character development truly inspired. The show’s creators have taken a popular stereotype—the science geek—and crafted four believable and compelling archetypes. Genius! I’m so impressed, I’ve actually developed a writing workshop based on these characters.

JH:  Okay. The final question – Coffee or tea?

LM:  I love coffee—the darker and stronger the better—and every morning begins with a café con leche (equal parts espresso and scalded milk). I sometimes have a cup of green tea or herbal tea in the afternoon. Otherwise, it’s water, water, water.

Lee here. I want to thank Judith for inviting me to be a guest on her blog, and all of you for joining me here today. If you would like to keep in touch and find out more about my upcoming books, please feel free to drop by my website [www.LeeMcKenzie.com] and sign up for my newsletter, Life in the Slow Lane. For now, I will leave you with an excerpt from To Catch a Wife. Happy reading!

Excerpt:

EMILY FINNEGAN SETTLED onto the middle stool at the big kitchen island, sliding comfortably into her place as the middle sister. No matter what was wrong with the world—floods, famines, personal freak-outs—here in the heart of the Finnegan family farmhouse, everything felt right.

Her younger sister, CJ—Cassie Jo as their father affectionately called her—sat on the stool to Emily’s right. CJ was dressed for the stables in dark jeans and a faded denim work shirt, her long blond hair pulled back in a high ponytail.

Across the gleaming white Formica countertop, Annie, eldest of the three sisters, stood with carafe in hand. “Coffee?” She angled the pot over Emily’s mug. If the kitchen was the heart of the home, then Annie was the life force that kept it beating.

“Sure. Oh, wait. No.” Emily hastily withdrew her cup. “Only if it’s decaf.”

CJ clapped a hand to Emily’s forehead.

Emily ducked away from it. “What are you doing?”

“Checking to see if you’re running a fever. Since when do you drink decaf?”

A good question for which Emily didn’t have a good answer. Yet. “I haven’t been sleeping well, so I thought I’d cut back on caffeine, see if that makes a difference.” Only partly true, but at least it wasn’t a lie.

“It’s ten-thirty in the morning,” CJ said.

Emily shrugged.

“Not a problem,” Annie said. “I’ll make a fresh pot of decaf. It’ll be ready in a few minutes.” She looked amazing in a slouchy yellow pullover and crisp white slacks. Given everything she would have accomplished since getting up before sunrise—gathering eggs from the chicken coop, making breakfast, vacuuming, laundry—Emily had no idea how Annie kept herself looking fresh as a summer daisy.

While her older sister turned to the coffeemaker, Emily tried to ignore her younger sister’s scrutiny. Ever since CJ had been little, she’d had a talent for sniffing secrets and wheedling information out of the secret keeper.

“You’re being weird,” CJ said.

“I’m always weird.”

“Weirder than usual.”

“Don’t bug your sister.” Annie, ever the mom, filled CJ’s mug, then her own.

The coffee smelled like a little piece of heaven to Emily. How would she make it through nine whole months without coffee? Although, if the secret thing that had been keeping her up at night turned out to be true, it was now closer to seven months.

 

Don’t forget to leave a comment for Lee, to be eligible for The Parent Trap, giveaway. And come back next Monday to see who is the winner – and when Stephanie Bergett will be my guest.

Thanks for joining us.

A Retro Summer Album

Memories of vacations at the lake were a big inspiration for my Fortune Bay series.

 

 

 

 

On the first long weekends of the summer season – 24th of May in Canada (the Queen’s birthday, I know, how quaint) and Memorial Day in the U.S. – it’s time to celebrate the return of carefree summer days.

The vignetting and scratches of these family photos captured from old 8 mm film have the nostalgic feel of silent films. Memories you can hold in your hand, they will be familiar to family and friends who spent childhood summers in Ontario’s Muskoka, and I hope will resonate with other readers as well.

 

 

I’d love to hear your summer vacation memories.

Jenny Andersen’s Western Heroes

Today we are kicking off the Small-town Romance Guest Author series with Jenny Andersen. I recently read Jenny’s Calendar Girl, Book I of her Western Heroes series and loved it. A crazy cast of characters, great desert setting, a nice dose of mystery and, of course, the romance. What more could you want?

But, before I forget –

Each week of the series I’ll be picking a name from the comments for our weekly giveaway. This week, a free eBook copy of Stalking Bel, one of Jenny’s Western Heroes books. Check out the short excerpt at the end of this post, then leave Jenny a comment to enter.
Winner will be announced next Monday when Lee McKenzie will be my guest on the Small-town Authors series.

 

So Jenny, What can you tell us about your latest book in the Western Heroes series?

Well, this one’s a no-brainer, Judy.  My mind is always so full of the latest book!  It’s a reissue, but since it involved a fair amount of rewriting and rethinking, it’s still on my mind, competing with the new book I’m supposed to be writing.  ☺  Also, I stepped back to write my usual short story prequel to the book.  [The short stories are a perk I send to the people on my mailing list.]  In the case of Reckless Promise, the setting is a dude ranch in Montana.  Its name is The Montana Blue, which is kind of a strange name for a ranch, so I had to explain it.  [Since I’m a gemologist when I’m not writing, the answer is…sapphires.]

Sapphires! I’m already intrigued. But what attracted you to the small-town romance genre?

Does anyone need to explain the attraction of the romance genre?  I didn’t think so.  As for the small town part, it’s a direct result of my very schizophrenic upbringing.  I spent half of each year in a large city, being as urban and sophisticated as a small child can be.  The other months were pure liberation, spent on a farm in an area that can only be considered hillbilly.  Horses, dogs, cats, chickens, other kids…a creek to play in, wild persimmons in the woods…  I loved it!  And the nearest town had a population of about 400.  So of course I wanted to write about rural places and small towns.  Of course there were also chores, yellow jacket nests to step on, and rattlesnakes, but hey, conflict is necessary, right?

Right! How would you describe your writing process? 

Chaos.  That’s the short answer.  I yearn to be one of the truly dedicated and disciplined who sit down at the keyboard at—what, 9:02 and 30 seconds?—every day.  And turn out at least 10 pages of deathless prose in that time.  The wretched truth is that while I do write [almost] every day, it happens whenever that day allows it to happen.  And as for deathless prose…no.  Fortunately, I like to revise.  And I’m really lucky when I can write scenes that follow each other in order, a la the incomparable Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  Some writers are plotters [Suzanne Brockmann], some are fly-into-the-mist pantsers [SEP].  Corrina Lawson described my natural writing style as patchwork quilt.  And it’s fine, but stitching the disparate pieces together to make a coherent story is a lotta work.

What sets your town apart? 

This series is made up of stand-alone books with different settings but cross-over characters.

Are you self-publishing? 

I’m a hybrid.  I like the idea of a foot in each camp since the publishing industry is so crazy.

Can we look for more books in the series? 

You bet.  Glitter and Gold is coming up next.  A successful and ultra-urban jewelry designer inherits a Victorian house in a small town.  She also inherits three crazy old miners, a drydocked Navy Seal, and a lost gold mine.  Along with someone who’s ready to kill to get it.

Sounds like another winner. Now for the serious question – Coffee or tea?  Wine, whiskey, or beer? 

Sigh.  I’m a wine girl at heart, but my doctor interfered, so it’s pretty much coffee or water.

Thanks for starting us off Jenny.

Keep reading for an except from Stalking Bel, Book II in the Western Heroes series.

She was gone.

She had run, but it wouldn’t do her any good.  He’d find her.

Too bad she hadn’t died when he’d torched her house.  Watching it burn had felt good.  No.  Not just good.  Stupendous.  Like being God.  Everything flaming, roaring, melting, just the way he’d planned for her.  Except she hadn’t died.

Maybe it was better this way.  Now he could make sure she’d really suffer.  And suffer and suffer some more, until she begged to die.  He had destroyed her house and all her belongings, made her homeless.  Next, he’d destroy her career, her precious writing, see to it she lost her fame, her success, everything she’d gotten so unfairly.  Then…he’d end her life.

He imagined her trapped, shrieking in agony, flames laying waste to her just like they’d done to her house.  She’d die.  Eventually.

The stalker lifted a glass with one trembling hand and let the rich scent of red wine blend with his anger.  The burning had been good, an inferno leaping toward the sky, turning her life to ashes.  But not enough.  Not nearly enough.  Now, he had plans to remedy that.

* * *

She’d never seen a real palm tree before.  Palm trees didn’t grow well in Manhattan.  Elegant restaurants, chic stores, sophisticated people…yes.  Palm trees, no.

And smart people took taxis.  Bel Baxter, aka Belinda Beverly, elegant, sophisticated writer of best-selling historical romances, gritted her teeth and jerked the steering wheel to turn into the driveway of a borrowed hacienda in a decidedly not elegant,  not sophisticated seaside town in California.

The snappy little BMW that had been waiting for her at the airport whipped past the gate post and embedded its nose in a bush.

“It’s your own fault,” she told the car after she stopped screaming.  “No one drives in Manhattan.  I’m out of practice.”

New York.  She brushed a straggling curl out of her face, smearing a lone tear away, and told herself to suck it up.  California lay a continent away from the fruitcake trying to kill her.  California equaled safety.

This driving thing, though.  Not so safe.  She kept a car in the city and had a valid driver’s license, but only drove once a year when she went to the Hamptons.  She’d gotten just a tad rusty.

The driver she thought she’d hired had rushed off to his wife’s bedside to hold her hand while she had a baby.  Even after years on the NYT list, Bel didn’t have enough diva genes to object to that.  Anyway, she’d been sure the dealership could supply another driver.  But no.  “It’s like riding a bicycle, it’ll come back to you in no time,” the manager said on the phone.

Right.

After she backed out of the rosebush, she parked next to the wide, shady veranda, climbed out onto the gravel driveway, and inspected her new home.  White stucco walls and red tile roof, broad-leafed tropical plants…she might as well have landed on an alien planet.  No high rises, no doormen, no bustling crowds.  The whole neighborhood, the whole town, looked like something out of a surfer-dude movie.  And until her stalker was caught, she lived here.

All because of one nutcase.

Be sure to leave a comment to qualify for this week’s giveaway and check back next Monday to meet Lee McKenzie and see the winner of this week’s contest.

Until next time,

A Walk On The Wild Side

Boardwalk in the rainforest of Long Beach Nat. Park, Tofino BC

With all four books in different stages rattling around in my head this week I felt ready to explode. Or maybe melt down is a more appropriate analogy. So we decided to head for the wild west coast of Vancouver Island for a short respite.

How can it be that on an island that is only 30 miles wide, it can take so to get from here to there? It’s the mountains and the inlets. And the road. When we were finally sitting in a restaurant in Tofino, road weary German tourists collapsed into seats nearby and said, as if no explanation was necessary, that they had  Just driven up from Victoria. Only 200 miles, it’s all winding roads that get progressively narrower and windier. From 120 km/hr on the Island Highway near Nanaimo, it drops to 90, then 80, then 60 on the curves, which are pretty well non stop, then 50, 40 and finally 30 with the wiggly road signs.

Then you get to Kennedy lake, where the road snakes along the cliff side, and there in the middle of friggin’ NO WHERE is a big overhead sign that’s lit up (where did the power coming from?) that says DRIVE CAREFULLY – NARROW ROAD AHEAD. That’s where they’ve cut right into the rock enough that cars can get under. There is another thoughtful sign that warns that trucks can’t make it and will be swinging out into your lane on the curve up ahead so – you’ve guessed it – drive carefully.

But then suddenly you’re there, and it is worth it. Tofino and Ucluelet at the two ends of the 44 km beach, with Long Beach National Park in between. Both towns are a combination of fishing village and tourist town, Tofino being the more established in the tourism trade. I p

refer to stay in quieter Ucluelet, which is what we did.

Followed were two days of great food, Norwood’s In Uclelet with it’s Asian inspired

Now playing at Wolf in the Fog

decor and presentation and interesting menu of locally sourced produce and seafood, and BC wine’s. In Tofino we ate at Wolf in the Fog, named no doubt for the wolves that have lately started following joggers on the foggy beach. Named best new restaurant in Canada in 2014 by Air Canada’s enroute magazine, it is also famous for serving locally grown, fished and foraged foods on their menu.

But it’s the landscape you come for, so I’ll let a few photos speak for themselves.

 

Wild off the Pacific at Long Beach National Park.

Photographing a cedar at the Giant Cedars stop on Hwy. 4.

8 Weeks – 8 Guest Bloggers – 8 eBook Giveaways.

I’m happy to announce the beginning of a series of blog posts hosting eight authors from all over North America who write Small Town Romance. And, to add a little spice to the pot,

I’ll be giving away an eBook copy of one of their books each week.

Yes, I’m highlighting in red today because this is exciting! The small town setting is, to me, the perfect crucible in which to mix family and friends, through good times and bad, for better and for worse. And of course, the worse it gets the better we like it!

Relationships are brought under the microscope in a tight knit community, shining a light on things that I think we might prefer to keep hidden. It’s always intriguing because it’s the people and their journey that keeps us reading.

From spicy to sweet, that small town experience is something all these writers have in common and pass along in their books.

Jenny Andersen will be kicking things off with one of her desert westerns, next Monday, May  23.

If you like quirky characters, you’ll love Jenny. As she says on her website:

Should be fun. See you next Monday.