Nancy Gideon's Blog, page 10
July 4, 2023
IWSG: The Eyes Have it! The Windows to the Soul
Since I rarely remember dreams, I had to give some thought to today’s question:
July 5th question - 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, my books would be nearly finished before I started. I’m a visual rather than a sensory writer. I need to get “into” my characters to develop motivation and background. What do they look like? What makes them tick? What is the most striking aspect of their appearance? It’s all in the eyes. A compelling stare. A wistful gaze. A dreamy look. A shooting daggers glare. A road map of the past etched into a weary glance. I need to “see” what my characters have experienced before I can bring them to life. Each line tells a story and adds depth to my character’s background. To tell their story, I need to “know” their story. I need to see them through their experiences, through their eyes – a technique not exclusive to book writers if this song list is any indication:
The Best Songs About EyesThis Willie Nelson song? It was playing at an outdoor music festival I attended with my former roommate in Chicago. The words, the achingly sentimental tone of loss and remembrance sparked a scene in my mind’s eye – a scene that became the backstory to the plot I made up during the train trip home. And later sold.
What sparks your story ideas?
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the July 5th posting of the IWSG will be PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Click Here →
To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
June 24, 2023
WeWriWa: Bite Into A Midnight Temptation You Can’t Resist!!
MIDNIGHT TEMPTATION was something new and exciting for me – the chance to expand into what would soon become one of the industry’s most successful mass market areas – paranormal romance. It combined a feisty coming of age heroine running from a dark family secret to lose herself in the decadent freedom and upheaval of pre-Revolution Paris, an honorable noble casting off his privilege to follow a subversive cause, and my favorite of all my dark heroes – a vampire too deliciously dangerous to resist. Now I HAVE to interrupt other plans and reread their story! But first today’s 2-for-1 post for both Weekend Writing Warriors and Paranormal Romantics each with their own different excerpt . . .Midnight Temptation (Touched by Midnight Series - Book 2)Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksPublished: August 14, 2015Length: 256 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→
The Excerpt
Writing Book 2 in my “Touched by Midnight” series was an unexpected pleasure. Selling Book 1- MIDNIGHT KISS had come as a delightful surprise after my first big writers’ conferences in New York and meeting with my publisher . . . because it came with a contract from Zebra/Pinnacle for THREE books in the historical market (there wasn’t a PNR line back then, just Horror). This was the kickoff for something brand new to me – and the industry. I’d written Regencies, Contemporaries, Historicals, and Western romances but this was different – these would be released under MY name. These were books with a different kind of BITE!
Her compelled gaze settled far back into the shadows, upon the figure of a man in stark silhouette. He jerked as if with some shock of recognition, then took one gliding step forward to the edge of lamplight.
Reflection played an eerie game upon his face, highlighting skin so fair it seemed translucent and hollows so sharp and deep they were like caverns. A face so startling, so unnaturally beautiful she came close to stumbling in her study. Beneath an arch of black brows, eyes of an icy, luminous blue entranced her. Even as she jerked her head away, she caught the impression of his smile, serene and sinister all at once.
Nicole had never seen the Devil, but on this night, she was sure he walked abroad. She was just as certain that he followed, safely back amongst the shadows. She could feel him, an essence so powerful it frightened her. The moment she crossed the bridge, the sensations faded, and she knew he was gone. But the fear lingered, lending a quickness to her heartbeats and an anxious panic to her mind.
Take a walk on the dark side with the continuing characters of the “Touched by Midnight” world as their stories thread through decades of danger and dark desires.
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.
Nancy on the WebBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
June 17, 2023
WeWriWa: “A Way to Let Her Go” – AN UNTARNISHED HERO
I’ve been spending the past week on vacation out West, enjoying the dry heat and sweltering combustion between an estranged man and wife . . . on my computer screen. While trying to decide what to work on next, I’d begun “thumbing” through old projects left dangling without a home and hit the jackpot—a solid gold modern Western sitting for far too long in a file instead of on my editor’s desk. Enjoy this scene from my romantic suspense, AN UNTARNISHED HERO.
The Excerpt
It’s funny how harsh or over-enthusiastic critiques can sour enthusiasm for a project you love. I came across this one from two years ago, all finished with just a rewrite of the ending left to do . . . that was never done. I’d gotten all the way through a final edit to the last chapter when my excitement for the project crumbled. Because of page after relentless page of comments that hindered rather than helped, instead of returning to it, after what seemed like (but after feelings calmed by time and some distance, really wasn’t too bad) an overwhelming beat down, I went on to the next book in the series (now finished with just a final edit to do!). Just this week, while waiting for the next episode of my latest “must binge” series to release, I began paging through my files and came across this . . . really darn good book, just laying there in the file. Well, no more. It’s been dusted off, spruced up and with just the ending to revise, ready to go to an editor who is anxious to see it. Moral of story – don’t let hurt feelings get in the way of what you believe in. My hero could have benefited from that, too!
He was a linear thinker, from here to there with none of the wasted stops in-between. He’d learned that growing up on the streets, living minute to minute, where quick reflexes were the only thing keeping him from a boot back into a crowded group home or before a judge in juvenile court. A survivor never had time to second guess because things were usually exactly as they appeared. On the job, they were black and white, shoot or be killed. He’d never dealt with shades of gray until . . . until he’d married Willamina Sayers.
She’d panicked him with all her subtleties. The lift of a brow, the calmly spoken, “It’s fine” or “It’s no trouble.” Searching for truths behind those mild replies purely terrified and exhausted him, so he’d taken every word at face value to back away from potentially explosive misunderstandings. A boat unrocked wouldn’t dump him in the drink especially since he didn’t know how to swim in waters social or otherwise.
( . . . and a bit more . . .)
But he wasn’t on the job now. It took driving away from her after the funeral to stab that home. He was here as her husband, looking for clues to their future, not as a lawman who didn’t have to answer to anyone but his oath of office.
He needed to answer to Willamina Redbone. And to do that, he needed to seal the wounds of her past as well as his.
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.
Nancy on the WebBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
June 10, 2023
WeWriWa: A Good Man Buried in Bad Deeds . . . BETRAYED BY SHADOWS
Ever since I was old enough to watch dramas on TV, I found myself reluctantly rooting for the bad guys - not the psychotic, series killer type, but the decent honorable folk forced into doing wrong for the good of others. I find self-sacrifice a seriously sexy trait! What could be a greater altruism than walking a dark path so others can enjoy the light. And my favorite conflicted bad guy has always been loyal wiseguy bodyguard Giles St. Clair from my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series who discovers walking on the dark side to save his family comes with an unexpected benefit: the chance to “babysit” his best friend’s troublesome sister. How big a problem could she such a lovely lady possibly become . . .?
The Excerpt
Adoring Giles St. Clair might have something to do with the fact that he’s a clannish Cajun from New Orleans who occasionally slips from his educated speech into the earthy patois of the Bayou. Sigh . . . That accent was one of the reasons I began my 15-Book “By Moonlight” series. And I can’t WAIT until November to head back to Nawlins to get an earful! In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for re-issuing books 4 through 8 to get those Good Times rolling again. I’ll keep you posted as re-release dates get closer!!
“I’d like you to keep an eye on my sister.”
“As pleasant a task as that might be, she’s a big girl who doesn’t look like she needs a babysitter.”
“Wrong on both counts.” Silas paced to the rail and Giles waited for him to continue. “I love my sister, but she is the most maddening female. Given a good or a bad choice, she’ll inevitably pick the bad one, whether it’s words or actions or men.”
Giles began to think being a bad guy might have its advantages.
“She’s going to be staying here until I get back and have time to decide what to do with her.”
“Staying here?” His heart rate took a giant leap. “What kind of trouble could she get into?”
Laissie les bon temps rouler!!
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.
Nancy on the WebBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
June 6, 2023
IWSG: Nothing Compares to You!
I’ve been making up stories and jotting them down since childhood. I’d create new episodes for my favorite TV shows, alternate endings for favorite books. And I was never without a spiral notebook on my lap, creating worlds with words. But a hubby who was embarrassed by a wife who loved “those kind of books,” two young children at home, and an income that didn’t stretch quite far enough prompted me to take a dare and submit for publication. First attempt: crash and burn. Second attempt: a sale, the first of over 80! Because I just couldn’t NOT write.Replace writing? I can’t imagine what could do that! Reading, television/movies, even life itself, create constant story prompts. The problem isn’t sitting down to write, it’s deciding what to write first. If there was no longer a market for what I love to write, I’d write for my own enjoyment, just like I did when I was a teenager. And I’d be fine with that. Because all my word garden needs to grow is love and a little water to keep me hydrated.
How about you?
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the June 7th posting of the IWSG will be Patricia Josephine, Diedre Knight, Olga Godim, J. Lenni Dorner, and Cathrina Constantine!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Click Here →
To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
May 27, 2023
WeWriWa: A Knight’s Paranormal Tale
My two favorite vacays were to Las Vegas – a glittery fantasyland where time and belief is suspended. While staying at the medieval-themed Excalibur the first time, it was easy to pretend you’d slipped back into the past (nothing says medieval like eating chicken with your fingers!), into a world of gallantry and honor where brave knights participated in tournaments and carried the colors of their fair ladies. Just the kick I needed to develop the last book in my paranormal romance contract with BelleBooks, MIDNIGHT CRUSDADER, the final book in my vampire romance series, “Touched by Midnight.” Nothing says romance like a lovelorn noble who damns himself in order to follow his love through centuries to save her and, hopefully, break his curse. Now a detective on leave in the City That Never Sleeps to find and reclaim the future he was denied, Gabriel must do more than rescue his fair Naomi – he has to get her to remember him. As a new Peruvian temple rises on the Strip, the evil it houses stirs to life, becoming not only a threat to the star-crossed pair but to humanity, itself. Enjoy a taste . . .
Midnight Crusader (Touched by Midnight Series - Book 9)Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksPublished: May 4, 2011Length: 228 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→
A love without end . . .
Having given up his mortal life to search for his lost love through the centuries, vampire Gabriel McGraw begins his final crusade to free her from an enemy’s grip against the glittery backdrop of Las Vegas. But is she the same woman he loved and lost or an equally dangerous foe who could betray all that he believes in?
Naomi Bright’s memories go back no farther than her arrival in Sin City. Does her hidden past conceal madness or a truth too terrible to be believed? Compulsion draws her toward a medieval fantasy world, and obsession to a man she instinctively knows but can’t remember.
Will finding the answers release her from her prison of fear? Or will it ensure that she loses everything - her life, her love . . . her soul?
“ . . . another enthralling and soul-stirring vampire romance.” —BookReview.com
I’ve just gotten back from a wonderful weekend filled with friends and fiction at a writers’ retreat in Grand Haven, Michigan. It reminded me of how much I need my writing time (even though I spent the weekend editing a romantic suspense that I started at LAST year’s write in!). It was a small group this year, just seven of us all working on vastly different projects but the energy was palpable. I came home with a completed revision and, unfortunately, a miserable cold. Worth it!
He sank back into the shadows, watching her confusion as she scanned the sidewalks for him. He stayed out of sight with an anguished purpose. He hadn’t meant to reveal himself to her, not so soon, not so spontaneously without planning the result.
But he had, and he had his answer.
He passed his hand across his eyes, covering the tender torment that came with beholding her image. The sound that escaped him was half strangled sob, half moan of longing.
She didn’t know him.
No recognition sparked her gaze. No awareness leapt at the sound of his name.
He meant nothing to her.
(. . . and a bit more . . .)
How could that be when she was the very breath in his body, the very reason for his heart to continue beating in its unnatural rhythm somewhere between heaven and hell?
The scent of her lingered. The perfume she wore had passed from her tender skin to his hand, and he inhaled deeply until intoxicated by fragrant memory. Violets. Her favorite. The delicate bouquet had teased him through centuries, quickening his hopes, his desires, his dreams.
She was here. And she would be his at last.
And he would never, ever let her go again.
Now, to get back to work at my own desk . . .May 20, 2023
WeWriWa: What Must I Do? . . . MIDNIGHT CRUSADER $0.99 S*A*L*E!!
I love the opportunity to introduce readers to the paranormal . . . especially to my first love, vampire romances! It started with a kiss . . . MIDNIGHT KISS, to be exact, one of the first vampire romances to mesmerize readers with an out-of-this world (that being the human world!) hero back in 1994. MIDNIGHT KISS was the first in my nine-book “Touched by Midnight” vampire romance series (all since reissued by BelleBooks). I was the second author to seduce readers with the idea of a supernatural love that started with a “kiss” and lasted an eternity . . . and once they sank their teeth into these dark, passionate books, they couldn’t get enough of them. Welcome to the “Touched by Midnight” world with this snippet from MIDNIGHT CRUSADER, now on S*A*L*E!!
Preview BookAmazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksPublished: May 4, 2011Length: 228 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→ The Excerpt
I’m in heaven this weekend (translation: at a writers’ retreat!) and hope to recharge my creative energies in the presence of like-minded wordsmiths. It’s my favorite escape not only for the actual butt-in-chair time, but also for the chance to talk writing during the drive there and back. A half-dozen (or more) of us rent a house for the weekend over by Lake Michigan and we write – well, we also go out to eat in lovely Grand Haven and we talk (when not at said writing tables), and, laugh and relax. Sigh . . . Just the kick in the creativity I needed to take my WIP to the next level toward publication.
“Tell me what I must do.”
“You need only survive, young sir. Survive to conquer the years, the centuries, however long it takes for you to seek out her tortured soul.”
“However long it takes,” Gabriel affirmed, not truly understanding the magnitude of his pledge.
“Then you will be transformed this very night so you might begin your search in an existence where time holds no meaning.”
He never saw her physically move.
One instant, she was staring at him with an almost hypnotic intensity, distracting him from the fact that the three of them were no longer alone in the room. Shadows shifted from within the unnatural stillness to become figures looming just out of the light.
He heard Rolland’s briefly uttered warning and the rasp of his sword, but Gabriel had no time to react with alarm or instinct. The crone was upon him, knocking him flat upon his back.
(. . . and a tasty bit more . . .)
His hands were gripped before they could find sword and dagger in his own defense. And then came the pain, swift and sharp, at his throat, at his wrists and elbows. He tried to cry out, but no sound of protest came either to mouth nor eventually to mind.
So this was death, this slow, chill sinking into dark oblivion.
He surrendered to the sapping weakness of body even as a part of him clung to the strength of his resolve.
For Naomi.
Good friends, good food, good conversation, and best of all, a good deal of writing. What more could you ask for from a weekend? Hope yours has been equally productive.
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.
Nancy on the WebBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
May 6, 2023
WeWriWa: Loyalties . . . HUNTER OF SHADOWS, “By Moonlight” Book 5 and a $0.99 Contemporary S*A*L*E!
Who can you trust? This question rears its head throughout my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series. No one is who/what they seem to be. Each has a dangerous agenda that weaves tensions and troubles from chapter to chapter, book to book. Family loyalty . . . or the lack thereof provides a dangerous undercurrent beneath seemingly harmless motives as a game of pretend and true purpose brings my characters together again for new alliances, deceptions, and treachery. The game is afoot in this scene from HUNTER OF SHADOWS, Book 5 in my “By Moonlight” series.
NANCY GIDEON RETURNS TO HER STEAMY NEW ORLEANS PRETERNATURAL WORLD WITH AN IRRESISTIBLE NEW SHAPE-SHIFTER ROMANCE.
The secrets he knows about her could get him killed.Transferring to the New Orleans Police Department, Detective Silas MacCreedy has a hidden agenda: to secure his clan’s place once again in the Shifter hierarchy. What he didn’t count on was stumbling upon a sexy assassin who could shred his best intentions and lead him into a dangerous dance that threatens to engage his heart.
But the ones he doesn’t know . . .Monica Fraser knows just how to make a man beg—for his life. But she has no clue how to fight her attraction to the fiercely intense detective who seems determined to get in her way, both professionally and intimately.
. . . could kill them both.When emotional attachments to the past and an unexpected glimpse of a different future have her questioning her deadly purpose, Nica must discover the truth about her secret abilities in order to free herself from the forces that control her. But that freedom comes with a price—trusting those she’s been ordered to eliminate. The Excerpt
I adore Silas MacCreedy. My publisher wanted more books in the series but after four revolving around Max and CeeCee, they didn’t want to continue with the same couple. So a seemingly harmless and heroic detective appears in New Orleans to help Charlotte Caissie with a new case. While complications abound and loyalties fray, he can’t seem to help himself around a particularly dangerous enemy.
As they left the sprawl of clustered communities behind for long stretches of tangled wilderness, Silas used all his concentration to control his breathing, his heartbeat, even his perspiration lest Savoie scent something was wrong. If the ruthless clan leader sensed the darkness swirling through his soul at being within reach of the cause of his ruin, Max would act without mercy. As his father had before him. So Silas calmed his respirations, quieted his fevered thirst for revenge, and played the role of cop and submissive rather than that of avenger, even as it beat savagely in his heart.
Wait. Patience would be rewarded.
He had to be very, very careful in his game of diplomacy. By making this offering to Savoie, he hoped to gain a level of trust that would give him access to other key opportunities. And if Nica became too great a danger, having Savoie as an ally wouldn’t be a bad thing. She wasn’t afraid to go boldly after him, but Savoie’s presence might give her pause. Silas didn’t want to be the one to take her life . . . and truth be told, he didn’t care to order it done.
(. . . and a bit more . . .)
If an alliance with Savoie could get her to stand down and give him room to finish his business, he would make it, temporarily. He would see to his family’s future first, then satisfy his own need for restitution. And maybe both he and Nica would walk out alive.
“Where do your loyalties lay, MacCreedy?”
Savoie’s question startled him. Had the mobster sensed the direction of this thoughts? “What do you mean?”
“Are you a cop or are you of the clans? Which comes first if you have to choose?”
“I enjoy being a detective, but it doesn’t define what I am inside.” He glanced next to him to find Savoie’s intent stare upon him. “Just like you’re a criminal but that’s not who you are down deep where it counts.”
A smile quirked Savoie’s lips at that cynical comparison. He gave a nod. “Then we are much the same. On the surface.”
I’m busy going through my original manuscript from 2011 that was purchased by Pocket Books and am surprised by how little was changed during the editing process of this tight, twisty-turny tale. I’ll be bringing it back to print and ebook this summer with a fresh cover around a tense, sexy PNR romance.
I’m also excited about a $0.99 S*A*L*E!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo BooksPublished: May 27, 2014Length: 190 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→LOVE’S OWN REWARD, my first Dana Ransom contemporary to be re-released by Bell Bridge Books with a gorgeous new cover, is now on sale for just $0.99. More info to come next week . . .
So, how’s your almost summer going?
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.
Nancy on the WebBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
May 2, 2023
IWSG: What Turns on the Story Light?
Our Insecure Writers’ Support Group question for May is totally open ended where I’m concerned:
When you are working on a story, what inspires you?
My answer: Anything and everything but hopefully not nothing!!
I’ve taken inspiration from Fortune Cookies, cloud shapes, TV commercials, and random conversations in the grocery store. Inspiration is that unexpected tug that turns the on imagination light bulb.
It can be anything: A line of dialog that flips character dynamics on his/her ear. That one tiny quirk that perfectly (though not irreparably) mars the hero. The snippet of a backstory clue that defines the villain’s motives. Any of those things can, and has, totally rewritten a story ending. But that’s the challenge and the fun of writing, isn’t it? Even with the best outline, you never know what’s going stir a sudden “Ah-HA!” that ups the stakes and changes all your hard work into a quick scramble of rewriting.And in my writing life, I’ve had more than a few of those moments. When an editor suddenly asked if I’d consider writing a vampire romance (HECK yeah! Eight of them!) or when my agent asked how long it would take me to come up with an idea for a new line of contemporary romances one of my publishers was going to be opening. (Answer: Pitched it that evening to the head of the romance line at a mixer and was fine tuning four books for my editor when I got home.
When opportunity knocks, in any of its mysterious and unexpected forms, be ready. Yank that door open, invite the project in and have a looooong sit down discussion of where you can take each other in your publishing future.
And that pitch at a conference to my editor . . . this is one of the four books that was sold in the 1990’s years ago then found renewed shelf life with another house twenty-two years later! LOVE’S OWN REWARD is on S*A*L*E for only $0.99 through May 15th!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo BooksPublished: May 27, 2014Length: 190 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→Off to find out about YOUR lightbulb moments!
The Insecure Writer’s Support Group
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. The awesome co-hosts for the May 3rd posting of the IWSG will be Joylene Nowell Butler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Meka James, Victoria Marie Lees, and M Louise Barbour!
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
Click Here →
To join the IWSG Blog Hop and view the List of Hop Participants!
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
April 29, 2023
WeWriWa: Lonely Nights . . . BOUND BY MOONLIGHT
I’m happily elbows deep in getting the fourth book in my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series back into readers’ hands! BOUND BY MOONLIGHT is the perfect place for “By Moonlight” newbies to be introduced to the 15-book series (unfortunately, I couldn’t get the rights back to the first three to get them back out into print, but they are still available in e-format from the original publisher!). Book 4, thankfully, brings new readers right into the over-arcing storyline, the romance, and the adventure with its unforgettable main couple, shapeshifter Max Savoie and New Orleans police detective Charlotte Caissie. It’s like falling in love all over again . . . Here’s a sample:
Length: 370 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→
“Bound by Moonlight has everything I want in a romance! Sizzling passion, a sexy hero, and a paranormal love to last the ages.” – Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author
It’s who I am . . .
Charlotte Caissie knows little about normal relationships. Driven by duty, she’s followed her father’s footsteps as an NOPD detective, compelled to see justice done . . . until a kiss from Max Savoie has her sharing his dresser drawers and making media news as his girlfriend. He expects things she can’t give, like commitment, trust. And a family. How did she lose control of her life to an enigmatic man who inherited a criminal empire . . . and is not even human?
It's what I am . . .
Max Savoie struggles to be what everyone expects of him, a difficult task when he doesn’t know who or what he is. His only certainty is his love for Charlotte Caissie. When a deadly situation threatens their city, CeeCee calls upon Max’s preternatural talents to find the serial killer holding a colleague’s daughter hostage, a move that could risk exposing him for what he is . . . something more monster than man.
Enjoy Romance . . . By Moonlight!
How many nights had she spent just like this one? Only instead of the fairly healthy turkey wrap and diet soda, she’d have been working through a six pack and bag of chips, lighting one cigarette off the butt end of another. With no hope of a ruggedly sexy paramour showing up at her window to seduce her, she’d have been eyebrow deep in work until the fatigue or alcohol caught up with her some time closer to dawn than dark . . . night after night.
And for years, it had been enough. No worries about saying the wrong thing, no fear of stepping on sensitive toes, no relationship rules to remember. . . just the freedom to do whatever the hell she wanted, whenever she wanted. No one wondering why she hadn’t called, crowding into her space, into her thoughts . . . into her heart.
For a moment, she thought back upon those times almost wistfully. When everything she had was in these few simple rooms and everything she was, was embossed upon the badge she carried. No deviations from right to slightly wrong and no question of where she stood or doubts about those who stood beside her.
No Max Savoie to cloud the issues with the swirl of murky grays surrounding him.
( . . . and a bit more . . . )
Things had been so easy then. Get up, go to work, do the job she loved and come home satisfied. Her home, here. Not to some mobster’s mansion where the floors were stained by blood and secrets. Where the lover who lay with her in the night wasn’t even human.
She flung her head back against the couch and rubbed her eyes.
What was she thinking? Wishing she could go back to that time when she was miserable and cold and alone, one drink from an alcoholic, one case from burn out? Why was she waxing sentimental for the isolation and silence that had defined her?
Why did the way Max Savoie filled that once empty life suddenly scare the hell out of her?
Hopefully, next week I can surprise you with the new cover concept my virtual assistant and I are working on. Max . . . sigh!
Since I’ve got to get back to the reissues, I’ll leave my post short and sweet so I can visit yours.
Happy Almost May!!
Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their #8sunday posts.
Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.
Nancy on the WebBlog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads | AmazonGoodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="https://nancygideon.blogspot.com//pla...
