Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 59

Richard Larson (Hero of Wagon Trail Bride) Interrupts Me While I Talk about His Convenient Wife

Ruth Ann Nordin: On Thursday, I posted Mary Larson’s apple pie recipe in honor of Kobo running the 3 for 2 sale on select titles (His Convenient Wife being one of them).  Today, I thought I’d discuss what inspired me to write His Convenient Wife.

Richard Larson taking a stand

Richard Larson: Whoa!  Hold on.  His Convenient Wife is old news.  It’s been out since January.  People don’t want to hear about a book that’s already out.  They want to hear about what’s new.  Today, we’re going to talk about Wagon Trail Bride.

Ruth: Well, actually, because of the Kobo sale, I should stick with the book that’s in the sale.

Richard: I’ve had enough!  I’ve been patient.  Unnecessarily patient.  You wrote books to everyone else but me.  Sally, Tom, Dave, Jenny, and Joel all got their books.  Dave even got his twice.  I spent all these years waiting in the shadows for you to finally get around to writing my book.  Well, I’m not taking this sitting down anymore.  I’m taking a stand.   You just spent a couple weeks over that idiot Malcolm Jasper, who thought counting his money was more fun than sex.  Then you made this big-t0-do about some stupid book Janet Syas Nitsick’s writing…as if you’ll ever really go into acting.  *rolls eyes*  Now, it’s my turn.  We are going to talk about my book whether you like it or not.

Ruth: Wow, Richard, I didn’t know you had this side to you.

Richard: What side?

Ruth: You’re being unusually demanding.  I’d say you were Dave Larson, except you don’t look like him.

Richard: My brother had the right idea when he called everyone to ban your books back in 2012.

Ah, remember when Dave Larson called for the ban? It seems like it was only yesterday. Where did the years go?

Richard: I wish I’d backed him up better than I did.  I told him you were a kind author, and that you took your characters’ wishes seriously.  But look at where we’re at!

Ruth: Lighten up, dude.  I wrote your book.  It’s on pre-order right now.

Click here to reserve your copy today!

Ruth: It’s even on pre-order at Kobo, where the sale is happening right now, by the way.   It’ll run until November 9.  The pre-order isn’t part of the sale, but His Convenient Wife is, and that book features Dave and Mary Larson’s daughter, Harriett Larson.  But even if you already have my book, there are other books over there in the-

Richard’s not-so-subtle cry for attention

Richard:  I don’t believe it!  You’re still harping on about that sale and that book. I’m right here!  Is Kobo here?  No.  Is Stan Craftsman here?  No.  Is Harriett Larson here?  No.  Are any of the authors covered in that sale here?  No.  But I am!  And since I am, I demand you pay attention to me!!

Ruth: Alright, alright.  We’ll focus in on you.  Don’t have a heart attack.

Richard: Finally.  Really fast, I want to thank everyone who took the time to send Ruth an email or comment asking her to write my story.  Without you, Ruth never would have gotten off her lazy butt and done it.  Nope.  She would have continued writing other books, totally ignoring me and Amanda, which is completely wrong since she’s told everyone else’s story in the Larson family but mine.

Ruth: Wait a minute.  That’s not fair.  I haven’t written about all of the other Larsons.  You are a large family.  I only made a small dent in the stories that would cover all of you.  However, since you’re bound and determined to discuss your book, let’s get down to it.  I’m sure the most pressing question on everyone’s mind is why you and Amanda left New York.

Richard: Because her parents were no longer alive, and we thought it’d be nice to be near someone’s parents.  Since mine happened to be alive, we went with them to Omaha.

Ruth: That was the story the other Larsons believe, but you and I both know it’s not the truth.

Richard: That’s all anyone needs to know.

Ruth: Not if your plan is for them to read your book.  If you really want to get up their excitement, you’d tell them the real reason.

Richard: I can’t.  I promised Amanda I’d keep her secret forever.

Ruth: But they’ll find out when they read the book anyway.

Richard: That’s different.  When the book is happening, I’m not telling anyone anything.  It’s just a part of the story.

Ruth: That’s a lame excuse.

Richard: Anyway, can we move on to the next question?

Ruth: Fine.  How long have you loved Amanda?

Richard’s finally happy (something I didn’t honestly think would happen in this post) …. But the happiness won’t last long.

Richard: I’m not sure.  It seems I always just did.  We’ve known each other since we were children.

Ruth: Hmm…

Richard: Hmm, what?

Ruth: Well, I recently read A Bride for Tom, and according to that, you had recently met Amanda before you two left New York.

Richard: I can’t help it if you got my backstory wrong.  What you put in A Bride for Tom is wrong.  The truth is, I knew her for as long as I can remember.  Our parents were good friends.

Ruth: This sucks, Richard.  Do you know how many people have read A Bride for Tom?

Richard: Perhaps if you had taken the time to do my story sooner, you wouldn’t be stuck in this very embarrassing situation right now.

Ruth: I’ll just have to change that part in A Bride for Tom and hope no one notices.

Richard: You’re a hack.  That’s what you are.  A professional wouldn’t have made the mistake in the first place because a professional would have taken lots of notes and put them into a binder or in a spreadsheet.  You have no one to blame but yourself.

Ruth: Now I’m beginning to remember why I didn’t work with you sooner.  You and Dave have way too much in common.  He’s a big pain in the neck, too.  Well, I’ve had enough of this interrogation…I mean, interview.  You revealed very little, and I doubt anyone is interested in your book.  Thanks for wasting my time when I could have been talking about His Convenient Wife or the Kobo sale instead.

Richard: We’re not done.

Ruth: I am.  We’re over 1000 words, and I’m exhausted.  I’m going to bed.

Richard: But there’s more to tell.

Ruth: Not really.  You won’t tell anyone why you and Amanda left New York, and you’re making things difficult on me by changing things around like when you met Amanda.  Seems to me, the longer I do this post, the worse off I am.  Good night, Richard.  *leaves*

Richard: But…but…  Will someone please bug Ruth to put me back on this blog?

****

Pictures purchased at Dreamstime.  Below are the credits:

Richard with stop sign: ID 28588709 © Otmar Winterleitner | Dreamstime.com

Richard with arrow: ID 28662433 © Otmar Winterleitner | Dreamstime.com

Richard happy at last: ID 29179573 © Otmar Winterleitner | Dreamstime.com

Kobo’s Get 3 for the Price of 2 Sale (On Select Books)

For those of you who buys books at Kobo, this is a great time to build up your reading list!  Even if you already have my book, His Convenient Wife, you might enjoy some of the other books on sale.

Click on this link or on the picture above to go to the sale!

Kobo Sale: 3 for the price of 2 Ebooks: good until Monday! (To Celebrate: This is Mary Larson’s Apple Pie Recipe!)

This sale is going on from today (November 5, 2015) to Monday (November 9, 2015).  This is only for selected ebooks in the Kobo store.  

One of mine, His Convenient Wife, happens to be one of them. :)

In honor of this sale, I will be doing a couple of blog posts dedicated to the Larson family!

Today’s post is based on a couple of people asking me what Mary Larson’s apple pie recipe is.  This pie recipe is from a Betty Crocker recipe I used to make while in college.  (I’m 41 now, so we’re talking 20 years since I last used it.)  I modified it a bit to make it sweeter because I LOVE sugar and cinnamon.

Okay.  Here goes.  Let’s see how well my memory works.  (The main recipe is from here, but I used to modify it to make it sweeter, and I share my modifications below.)

Homemade Apple Pie (according to Mary Larson)

ID 58919843 © Bhofack2 | Dreamstime.com 

Ingredients for the crust:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of salt

2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons of shortening

6 tablespoons of water (sometimes one or two more if you are having trouble mixing the crust)

Ingredients for the Filling:

8 medium size apples (you can use green or red; I like red because they are sweet)

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1 cup sugar because I love things sweet)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used a tablespoon or two)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (on this one I did as it said)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of butter

Directions

 Peel and cut all apples into slices and set aside in fridge to keep cool (otherwise, they brown quickly).
In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, (pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).  (Note: I always used more water.)
Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. (I added a lot of flour.  Lightly floured never seemed to work that well.)
Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.  (Note: I never refrigerated the pastry.  This might be why my top crust always fell apart.)
Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.  (Note: This never unfolded nicely for me.  It fell apart and I had to connect and press it together so it was as smooth as possible.  This left lot of fingerprints.  But no one notices since you fill the pie up.)
In large bowl, mix sugar, flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.
Roll other round of pastry into 10-inch round. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. (Note: I could never get the top crust to fold.  I’d do my best to get the whole thing on top, but it would fall apart at some point.  I’d carefully make it all “fit” as well as possible.)  Unfold top pastry over filling; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.  (I never put foil on the edges, but I can see why it’d be nice to.)
I eventually added sugar to the top for fun.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired.  (Note: it is very important the juice is bubbling and the crust is a nice golden brown.  Sometimes you’ll have to leave it in longer.  I can’t remember how long, so keep an eye on it.)

There’s the recipe.  I think it took about 1.5 to 2 hours to prepare (because I used a knife to peel and cut the apples).  It was a long and strenuous process, which is why I don’t do it any more.  Maybe I should try it again sometime and see how it turns out.

I can’t guarantee this will have people fighting over a slice of your pie like they did for Mary’s, but hopefully, it’ll be a good treat if you try it!

Bloopers During my Fabulous Audition

While I was taping my audition tape that I sent to Janet Syas Nitsick, I did mess up a couple times.  Below are some of the outtakes!

Blooper:

Blooper:

Blooper:

Blooper:

I’m Going to be an Actress!

Super exciting news just in!  I’ve decided to be the actress in Janet Syas Nitsick’s work-in-progress, The Bride List.  Some day it might become a movie, and if it does, I want the lead role.

Here’s my audition tape for all to see!

(It’s only around 1.5 minutes long.)

This is the first in a series of posts Janet and I will be doing together.  So stay tuned to find out if I’ll be a star!

Malcolm Jasper Wants to be the Hero in His Wicked Lady Again

This morning, I woke up to another email from Malcolm Jasper. Apparently, he wants to come back to His Wicked Lady.

Click here to reserve your copy today!

You remember him.  He’s the one who believes he’s much too good for His Wicked Lady.  He sent in his resignation, claiming I’m forcing him to spend too much time in the bedchamber and ruining his reputation.

You’ll further remember I granted his request and replaced him with Dr. Derek Westward.  I had been working on rewrites and working things out to fit Derek because Derek isn’t the uptight prude Malcolm is.

The results came in, and quite frankly, more people thought Derek was the better choice.

Malcolm can’t believe he’s been replaced by a much better gentleman

Malcolm: Whoa, whoa, whoa!  What do you mean people said Derek was the better choice?

Ruth Ann Nordin: I got a flood of emails from people saying they love the chemistry between Derek and Regan.  Apparently, those two sizzle when they’re together.

Malcolm: I can sizzle.

Ruth Ann Nordin: Considering your reluctance to have anything to do with Regan, I’m not sure you can.

Regan: The only thing Malcolm sizzles with is money.  Even if I wore a dress made up of money, he would only take enough interest in me to grab the money.  After that, I would be completely naked, and would he be interested?  No.  He’d take that money and run to one of his important dinner parties with Lord Steinblech.

Malcolm: First, it’s Lord Steinbeck, not Steinblech.  Second, it’s ridiculous to think you’d ever wear a dress made of money.  Those bills would never stick together.

Regan who doesn’t care who the hero is as long as he can burn the pages of the book

Regan: That’s not the point, and this is why you are boring.  We’re not talking about a physical dress made of money.  We are talking about your lack of enthusiasm for something as natural and as fun as sex.  Quite frankly, I had way much more fun with Derek.

Malcolm: You didn’t actually have a sex scene with him, did you?

Regan: We didn’t go all the way, if that’s what you mean, but he did hold me against his strong, muscular body.  I also got a chance to see him naked in the same scene you covered yourself up in, and quite frankly, he’s even more impressive naked than he feels when he holds me.

Malcolm: I’m not so bad when I take off my clothes.  Granted, I might not be as muscular as Derek, but I’m far smarter.  I didn’t get to where I am today by wasting time on worthless pursuits like getting drunk and engaging in meaningless dalliances with ladies.  I am one of the smartest gentlemen in London.   Intelligence is the sexiest quality a gentleman can have.

Regan: Actually, a sense of humor is the sexiest quality a gentleman can have.

Malcolm: I can have a sense of humor.

Regan: You have yet to prove that.  Derek, on the other hand, used the poorly edited rewrites Ruth has done and made it funny.

Ruth Ann Nordin: Poorly edited?

Regan: You aren’t getting those KDP Quality Report notices for nothing, Ruth.

Derek who really does look like this when he doesn’t have his shirt on

Derek: I just wanted to speak up and insert something in this senseless blog post where Malcolm is whining.  There is no denying I am strong, muscular, and totally gorgeous, especially without clothes on.  I defy anyone who’ve seen me when I took off my shirt at the Duke of Rumsey’s ball to say otherwise.  But Malcolm, it’s really a kick below the belt to suggest I spend my time drinking and sleeping around with ladies.  You must be under the impression doctors have nothing better to do than waste their time.  While you’re running around doing your investments to make yourself more money, I’m healing people from illnesses.  I don’t discriminate either.  I don’t shut out hurting people just because they haven’t led a squeaky clean, pristine perfect life.  Everyone should be treated as a human being.

Malcolm: I didn’t say I discriminate against anyone.

Derek: No, you just implied you’re better than everyone else.

Malcolm: I did not.

Derek: You said you’re one of the smartest gentlemen in all of London.

Malcolm: I am.  That doesn’t mean I said I’m better than everyone else.

Derek: It was implied.

Malcolm: I didn’t imply it.  You did.  All I stated was that I’m smart, and that happens to be the truth.  You laud your physical stature.  I laud my intellectual stature.

Derek: When it comes to romance, ladies want a gentleman who can be passionate in bed.

Malcolm: I can be passionate in bed.  Ruth, bring me back into the story, and I’ll prove it.

Ruth Ann Nordin: I’m not sure you can do it, Malcolm.

Malcolm’s new persona. Can he make love scenes so hot you’ll need a cool glass of water when he’s done?  I guess we’ll find out on January 9.

Malcolm: Sure I can.  Bring me into a love scene with Regan.  I’ll make the scene so hot it’ll melt the eReader.

Regan: And the whole humor thing?  Can you learn to lighten up?

Malcolm: Of course, I can.  I can be funny.  I can even tell jokes.  How many Logans does it take to light a candle?  Answer, none.  Logan doesn’t even know what a candle is. (Logan is Malcolm’s brother-in-law and hero in Ruined by the Earl.)

Derek: Seriously?  You call that a joke?  This book’s in trouble.

Regan: I have to agree with Derek.  That wasn’t funny at all.

Malcolm: Fine.  I don’t tell a joke.  But I’ll start laughing when funny things happen in the book.  Deal?

Regan: I guess we can try it and see how things go, but if it doesn’t work out, I want Derek back.

Malcolm: Regan, by the time I’m finished with you, you won’t even remember who Derek is.

Ruth Ann Nordin: Sounds like an interesting challenge.  Let’s see if he can pull it off.  In case anyone is wondering if we’ll ever see Derek again, I have assigned him to the next book in this series, which comes out May 8, 2016:

You can reserve your copy today by clicking on the book cover!

*******

Picture Credits (I did purchase all of these)

Malcolm shocked: ID 33145394 © Zigf | Dreamstime.com

Regan: ID 11244941 © Denis Raev | Dreamstime.com

Derek: ID 33943215 © Mystock88photo | Dreamstime.com

Malcolm new look: ID 55139661 © Viorel Sima | Dreamstime.com

Malcolm Jasper Has Been Replaced in His Wicked Lady!

After careful consideration, I have decided to replace Malcolm Jasper with another hero in His Wicked Lady.

Click here to reserve your copy today!

Since Malcolm made it abundantly clear he doesn’t want to be in this book, I have asked around and found out Dr. Westward will replace Malcolm.  If you read The Earl’s Stolen Bride, he was the gentleman who delivered Chloe’s baby at the end of the book.  This is the cover for The Earl’s Stolen Bride:

Book 4 in the Marriage by Deceit Series.

Chloe was the heroine.

Anyway, putting Dr. Westward in will change some things in the book.  I’ll point out some examples below.

Old Scene (with Malcolm):

In the ball scene where Regan took Malcolm by the hand and led him to the dance floor, this is what happened.

“I’ll tell you the truth. I just noticed you a moment ago. But,” Regan continued when Malcolm seemed ready to reply, “you’re a good looking gentleman, so I thought, ‘Why not dance with him?’”

Though a hint of red graced his cheeks, he said, “I don’t think you should be so bold. What if you get us into a scandal?” He glanced around them. “You’re fortunate no one noticed the way you hauled me over here.”

New Scene (with Dr. Westward):

“I’ll tell you the truth. I just noticed you a moment ago. But,” Regan continued when Dr. Westward seemed ready to reply, “you’re a good looking gentleman, so I thought, ‘Why not dance with him?’”

Dr. Westward clucked his tongue at her. “My dear lady, if you wanted to make this ball more interesting, you really should be more bold. What’s the point of being here if there’s no scandal?” He glanced around them. “Let’s do something to get everyone’s attention.” Then, in a very startling move, he pressed his body right up against hers and led her into a dance that shocked the whole Ton.

Malcolm (who won’t tolerate anyone messing with his reputation)

Old Scene (with Malcolm as the hero):

The butler came in with the tea and crumpets, and Helena waited until everyone had a cup before turning her attention to Regan. “I should explain how we do things,” Helena began. “We want to arrange a marriage for you with a gentleman who will be a best fit for you. We have quite a few questions to ask you. It’ll take an hour to ask them all. I hope you don’t mind, but we want to be thorough.”

New Scene (with Dr. Westward as the new hero):

The butler came in with the tea and crumpets, and Helena waited until everyone had a cup before turning her attention to Regan. “There’s no reason for us to arrange a marriage for you.  You and Dr. Westward were so scandalous at the ball the Ton is demanding you two marry.”

“Right,” Melissa Jasper (Malcolm’s sister) said.  “Because of what you two did, we have no role in this book.”

“Which is awful since the title of this series depends on us arranging marriages,” Helena agreed.

“This is not so,” Regan said.  “We are bending the rules.  For the sake of keeping the plot intact and preventing the author from massive rewrites, we’ll proceed with the arranged marriage.”

Old Scene (with Malcolm):

It wasn’t until his wedding day that Malcolm saw just who Lady Cantrell was. They’d already exchanged vows, sealing their fates together, when he lifted her veil.

He gasped and lowered her veil. Believing it’d been a trick of the eyes, he blinked a couple times, shook his head, and lifted it again. But it was still the same face that greeted him. And what more, the blonde had the nerve to wink at him.

“I bet you wish you’d taken the time to meet me now,” she said, a satisfied grin on her face.

He gasped again and put the veil back down. It couldn’t really be her. The lady from Lord Roderick’s ball. The one who’d brought her son over to his townhouse. It just couldn’t be.

He spun on his heel, went straight for his sister, took her by the arm, and practically hauled her out of the Duchess of Ashbourne’s drawing room.

Dr. Westward (whose favorite pastime is getting into trouble)

New Scene (with Dr. Westward):

It wasn’t until his wedding day that Dr. Westward saw just who Lady Cantrell was. They’d already exchanged vows, sealing their fates together, when he lifted her veil.

He gasped.  “It’s you!  The lady that scandalized the Ton with me at the ball.  I’ve looked everywhere for you, and here you are.” He picked her up in his strong, muscular arms.  “I have some ideas on how we can keep the Tittletattle writing about us for years to come!  Let’s see what mischief we can come up with!”

Without waiting for the others in the room to say anything, he whisked her off to their townhouse.

Old Scene (with Malcolm): 

Before Malcolm had time to ask Regan why she dared to come into his bedchamber, she opened the door and said, “You really didn’t think I had a key to get in?”

“I locked the door because I didn’t want you here,” he replied, feeling much too exposed, especially in the glow of the candlelight. She was, no doubt, going to be noting the differences between him and her first husband, and who knew if she’d find him lacking?

“This is our wedding night,” she said, not hiding the surprise in her voice. “Why wouldn’t you want me here? Aren’t you eager to get started on the children you want?”

“No. I can wait.”

“Malcolm, I didn’t think it was possible for a gentleman to be apprehensive about his wedding night.”

“I’m not apprehensive. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day. I need some time alone.”

New Scene (with Dr. Westward):

Before Dr. Westward had time to ask Regan why she came into his bedchamber, she opened the door and said, “You really didn’t think I had a key to get in?”

“That’s not what surprised me,” he replied, taking off the rest of his clothes.  “I’m just wondering why you’re using a key when the door was never locked.”

“Hmm…” She glanced at the key in her hand.  “I think the author forgot to edit that part out.”

“If that’s the case, I hope the author gets a good editing team because a big slip like that could take away from the steamy love scene we’re about to have.”

Taking a good look at his marvelous body, she threw the key aside and went over to him.  “If we make it hot enough, maybe they won’t notice.”

******

It’s changes like that which will make the story different with Dr. Westward in it.

Starlight Blogger Award!

I’ve been nominated for the Starlight Blogger Award by Rami Ungar The Writer.  (Thanks, Rami!)

Here the rules:

1. Thank the giver and link their blog to your post.

2. Answer the 3 original questions and then the 3 new questions from your nominator given to you.

3. Nominate your 6 favorite bloggers! In your nominees I would like for you to think at the light emanating from the stars the ones that truly touch your soul with their work, the ones that are the light for you a true STARLIGHT Blogger.

4. Please pass the award on to 6 or more other Bloggers of your choice and let them know that they have been nominated by you.

5. Include the logo of the award in a post or on your Blog, please never alter the logo, never change the 3 original questions answer that first then answer the 3 new questions from your nominator and never change the Award rules.

6. Please don’t delete this note:

The design for the STARLIGHT Bloggers Award has been created from YesterdayAfter. It is a Copyright image, you cannot alter or change it in any way just pass it to others that deserve this award.

Copyright 2015 © YesterdayAfter.com – Design by Carolina Russo”

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I’m going to do something a little different.  I’m going to take one of my characters and let them answer these questions.  Since I’ve been running posts about His Wicked Lady, I’m going to let Mr. Malcolm Jasper (the character who wants to be removed from my super awesome funny Regency) answer them.

Malcolm Jasper – Hero in His Wicked Lady (ID 17009622 © Zigf | Dreamstime.com)

Malcolm: I don’t want to be here.

Ruth: Oh, come on.  It’ll be fun.

Malcolm: I’m done with His Wicked Lady.  I refuse to be in it.

Ruth: Right now, we’re going to go through these questions.

Malcolm: Why?

Ruth: For fun.  Sometimes it’s okay to do something for the sake of having fun.

Malcolm: *sighs* Get on with it.  The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back to packing so I can leave His Wicked Lady.

Ruth: You’re so cute, thinking you’re actually getting out of the book.  But we can argue this another day.  Right now, we’re off to the questions people are dying to know about you!

The three original questions:

1. If you could meet anyone throughout history, who and why?

King Solomon, king of Israel, who had the greatest wisdom of anyone who’s ever lived on Earth.  He could probably tell me how to get out of your lousy book, not to mention give me great financial tips.  He was wealthy, too.

2. What is your favorite book and why?

Inferno by Dante Alighieri because it gives me all sorts of great ideas of what to do with my cad brother-in-law, Logan, and my dimwitted author, Ruth.  I can write a book, too, you know.

3. Who is your favorite fiction character from any medium and why?

Romeo (from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet) because there’s a hero who gets to die.  Oh, that I had such fortune in my own sad, sordid tale.

Now for Rami’s questions:

1. When was the last time you saw a scary movie? What was it, what did you think, and do you normally watch scary movies?

Well, in my time period, there are no movies.  We have the theatre.  The scariest play I’ve ever seen was “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare.  He was heir to the throne and could have had all the riches of his kingdom.  But instead of taking it, he killed himself, thereby losing all his fortune.  I didn’t sleep for weeks after that.

2. What are you dressing up for this Halloween? What are your plans for the holiday?

I’m not dressing up as anything.  I have no need to.  I’m perfect just the way I am.

3. What is something (book/TV show/comic book/movie) from your childhood that you still enjoy today?

I enjoy the first coin I was ever given.  I still have it safely tucked away.  Every time I look at it, I remember that my family didn’t start out with much, but with patience and hard work, we became wealthy.  It reminds me that what’s important is where we’re heading, not where we’ve been.

******

Now that I’m done with this blasted post, I’ll come up with three questions of my own for the next unfortunate soul who’ll be tagged.  (Sorry in advance.  My author is making me do this.  Feel free to send her all your hate email.  Or, better yet, leave a bunch of scathing reviews on all her other horrible books.)

 If you were a character forced to do something you didn’t want, what would be the best way to get revenge against the author?

2.  What is your most valuable piece of financial advice?

3.  What song best describes your life and why?

The poor bloggers I have to tag as part of this thing.  (This is what you get for being friends with Ruth.) *evil snicker*

Janet Syas Nitsick

Lauralynn Elliot

Dorothy Paula Freda

Rose Gordon

Melanie Nilles

Stephannie Beman

*I’d tag Joleene Naylor, but I see she’s already picked for this by Rami.*

Regan (heroine in His Wicked Lady) Responds to Malcolm’s Resignation Letter

Ruth: So after Malcolm sent in his resignation letter, Regan found out, and she’s not very happy.

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Regan: “Not happy” is an understatement.  I’m furious.  Let me at him, Ruth!  I got to knock some sense into him!

Malcolm: And people wonder why I sent that resignation letter?  Just look at her.  She’s wearing totally inappropriate clothes.  Look at her.  She looks like she belongs to a gang of bikers.

Regan: You have no concept of sexual desire, you dolt.  A lady can come up to you, wearing absolutely nothing, and all you can think about is your stupid investments.  I should be the one resigning from this farce of a book.  People are going to wonder why I wanted to marry him since he’s so unlikable.

Malcolm: *gasps* Unlikeable?  I’m completely likable.  Ask anyone.  Wait.  Ask anyone who matters.

Regan: I happen to matter, Malcolm, and yes, you are unlikable.  From the very moment we met, you’ve been difficult to be with.  I’ve had to degrade myself by pretending to actually care about investments.  But it’s gotten me nowhere.  You’re no closer to coming to my bed than you were when we married.

Malcolm: Pretending?  You mean you didn’t find that whole conversation about Mr. Raleigh’s shipping venture the least bit intriguing?

Regan: Some ladies fake it bed.  I fake it with dull conversations.

Malcolm: I am appalled.  Appalled, I say!

Regan: Not as appalled as I am!  When I suggested doing something fun to a certain part of your anatomy, you showed no interest in it.  You have the sexual desire of a cold fish. It would take me wearing a dress made of money for you to notice me.

Malcolm: That’s absurd.

Regan: It most certainly is not.  This is what you look like whenever something involves money:

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Malcolm: *gasps” I demand you remove that picture at once!   I look nothing like that.

Regan: That’s exactly the way you are in this book.  You wouldn’t dare show such interest if I paraded in front of you naked.

Malcolm: Ruth, now you see why I want out of this book.  There is no reasoning with her.  All she cares about is sex.

Regan: Making love, Malcolm.  When a husband and wife get together, it’s called making love.

Malcolm: There is no decency in any of the things you want to do.

Joel Larson: You want to talk about decency?  I’ll teach you about decency.  Malcolm, when you post a picture of someone, at least make sure it’s not the beloved character from another series.  I am not Logan.  I’m Joel Larson, hero in Shotgun Groom, and the one character who made the Nebraska Series so much fun with my quick wit and fun personality.

Logan: Joel’s right.  That is not my picture.  This is me.

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Logan: Way better, if I say so myself.

Joel: If you like the bored look, I suppose that works.  But that’s not the point.  The point is, the Larson family is practically a household name.  We are the centerpiece of all of Ruth’s books.  Malcolm, how could you not know you ripped off a picture of me?

Ruth: This is the picture Joel is talking about:

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Joel: Yes, that’s the one!  It originally showed up in the post where my brother Dave made a super lame ending to Isaac’s Decision.  Go on and check it out.  That was written back in October 22, 2011.  That was almost four years ago!  Words can’t describe how violated I feel to find out I’ve been used as another character.

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Malcolm: To be fair, no one even remembers who you are.  There hasn’t been a single Larson book out for what…forever?

Joel: His Convenient Wife just came out at the beginning of this year.  It featured Harriett Larson, my own niece.  I tended to her when she got sick after spending a night in a storm. I was in that book, you dimwit.  In fact, the Larsons have popped up in more than the Nebraska Series.  We’ve been in the Montana Collection (specifically in Boaz’s Wager) and in standalones like Catching Kent and His Convenient Wife.  Our first book came out in 2009 with Eye of the Beholder, and we’ll have another one out next year with Wagon Trail Bride, which begins the Pioneer Series.

Richard Larson: Joel’s right.  This means the Larsons will have shown up, in one form or another, in a total of three series and two standalones.  No other group Ruth’s written can claim that.  And to celebrate, I want to show the awesome cover Stephannie Beman made for my book:

The book where Richard Larson finally has his story!

Richard: I think I join everyone else in saying, “It’s about time!” I was beginning to feel like the forgotten older brother named Chuck on a popular TV show called Happy Days.  He was in a couple of early episodes, went to play basketball, and was never seen again.  But thankfully, I didn’t suffer the same fate.  Now that the book is coming out, it’s like Christmas!  

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Richard: Except, my book won’t be out at Christmas.  It’s actually going to be out on January 3.  But you can pre-order through the links at this book launch page!  Then you don’t have to keep trying to remember when it’s due out.  It’s not on Kobo or Barnes & Noble yet, but hopefully, it will be soon.

Regan: Seriously?  Since when did this become a huge plug for someone else’s book?  I forbid you to spam your book on my blog post.  We were talking about His Wicked Lady.  You remember.  This book?  This is the book we need to be focusing on:

Malcolm: And she acts just like the way she looks on that cover through the entire book. It’s all “ooh, Malcolm’s nothing but a sex toy.” She doesn’t care a single thing about me as a person.

Regan: Then give me something worth caring about.

Malcolm: Money can buy a lot of nice things.

Regan: But it can’t buy happiness.

Ruth: Don’t you two worry about a thing.  You’ll find happiness by the end of the book.

Regan: I find that hard to believe.

Malcolm: It’s true because I still quit. Ruth will have to find another boy toy for you to play with.  *leaves*

Regan: Please let me use the bat to knock some sense into him.

Ruth: No, I can’t let you hurt him.  We’ll figure another way to get him to stop protesting his fate.

Updates

I was going to do a post on Regan’s (heroine in His Wicked Lady) response to Malcolm’s resignation letter, but my mind isn’t in the zone to do that kind of post today.   I’m going to do a standard update post.  The good news is, I actually got some stuff done. :) So I actually have something new to report.

A Groom’s Promise is now on pre-order at all the retailers!

Click here to reserve your copy today!

This will be out December 20.  At the moment, I have an editor working on it, which is pretty intense work since the timelines in both full-length stories in this anthology need to match up.  I will be posting a couple of my favorite scenes in the weeks to come.  (My To-Post List is outrageously long.)

I’m finished with the first draft of Wagon Trail Bride 

(Pioneer Series: Book 1)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

I finished it yesterday afternoon. :D

All is set to go for the January 3rd release date.  I’ve started bugging my editing about going over this, but it won’t be ready for them until Monday.  I have three more chapters to go over before it’s in second draft form.  (I usually edit a chapter a night while writing a book to help speed up my time to get things ready for my editing team.  I used to go through and edit an entire book in 1-2 days, but I don’t do that anymore.)

Anyway, I want to do a blog post where you guys can ask any of the Larsons (from any books) a question.

Richard and Amanda are featured in the book, but you can ask any of the Larsons a question.  The Larsons will be the one who answer these.  So far I only have one question, and I need more in order to make this post a good one.  I’m going to submit a form where you can send me your question if you’re too shy to comment under this blog post.  If you’d rather comment below, please do.

[contact-form]

Tomorrow I start The Marriage Agreement

(Pioneer Series: Book 2)

I haven’t made a Book Launch page for this one yet.  (I haven’t had the time.)  I am starting it sooner than I expected, so it’s possible it’ll be punished before August (which is where I currently have it set at).  The heroine in this one befriends Amanda while they’re on the trail, and when they’re in Omaha, they remain friends.  This is a marriage of convenience story.

If you’re interested, it is on pre-order, but at the moment, it’s only on iBooks and Smashwords.

I’m at Chapter Fifteen in His Wicked Lady

(Marriage by Arrangement: Book 1)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

And, as you’d guess, in chapter 15, Logan is doing something to annoy Malcolm, but it’s for Malcolm’s ultimate good.  Malcolm just doesn’t know it yet.  (And I’m sure if Malcolm was here, he wouldn’t be agreeing with me.)  I will do that post where the characters respond to Malcolm’s letter.  I promise.

I got a title for Book 3 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series.

Knowing the title of an upcoming book is always exciting to me.  Now I have to start looking for some pictures to send to my wonderful cover artist, Stephanie Beman.  The title is His Wallflower Bride.  (I don’t have a cover or description for it yet.  All I know is that it features two characters we’re introduced to in His Wicked Lady, and neither character is going to be at all happy to be matched together.)

As a side note: Book 2 in this series, Her Devilish Marquess, will feature Dr. Westward.  I should be starting that one next month.

I’m now at Chapter 8 in The Convenient Mail Order Bride

(Love at Chance Series: Book 1)

Click here to reserve your copy today!

I was originally going to make the title of the series be Colorado Series, but I changed it.  So if you thought the series title used to be something else, you’re right.  This book is due out February 21, and I’d say this is right on track.  The dynamics in this one is pretty interesting.  I’m not sure if the characters like each other or not.  LOL  Eventually, though, we know they’ll fall in love.  It’ll be interesting to see what the turning point is that makes this happen.