Nancy Gideon's Blog, page 11
April 4, 2023
IWSG: You Always Remember Your First
I’m thrilled to be co-hosting this April’s Insecure Writers Support Group alongside Natalie Aguirre and Jemima Pett, especially because of the question:
Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you're at the start of the journey, what are your goals?
The only thing I ever wanted to be “when I grew up” was a published author. By high school, I was sharing stories with a few friends who always wanted the HEA – but I was more interested in the action/adventure than I was H/H relationship. There was NO romance fiction genre (or ANY genre fiction back then), no mass market shelves for books, just the beginnings of the Big Five and their biggest sellers. And I knew I wanted to be one of them.We’re talking before the Internet, before writers’ organizations, before genre agents. There were just big books and big dreams. So I took the bus to the library and toted home all the big heavy books I could carry on the topic I was sure would be my breakout novel – a 600+ hand-typed page novel (on a manual typewriter before White-Out or even correction tape!) set against the China sea trade with about 40 characters and subplots. The only reference I had for guidance was an out-of-date WRITERS’ MARKET that only dealt with serious fiction. Obviously, most of the six nicely boxed sets of my novel disappeared. I did get a couple of nicely copied generic, “Does not meet our current needs” letters . . . and I got a request, not for the book I wrote, but for anything else I might have. They loved my style of writing but couldn’t “sell” my setting/time frame.
Back to the typewriter to finish the ever popular (newly popular then!) pirate book, and it SOLD—along with a contract for three more romances. That was 70+ books ago. The rest of it, as they say, was history (and romance and suspense). Now, back to the RS I’m polishing . . . and to the stack of books I’m reissuing.
AND to find out more about YOUR journey!
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 April 5th posting of the IWSG will be Jemima Pett, Nancy Gideon, 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...
March 25, 2023
WeWriWa: Sink Your Teeth into a Midnight Redeemer SALE - $0.99!
I love smart men and women playing dangerous cat and mouse games. But which one is playing which role? Scientist Stacy Kimball is looking for a cure for the blood disease that will eventually kill her, as it did her mother. Mysterious philanthropist Louis Redman could provide her funding . . . and the answer to immortality. All she needs is a sample of his rare blood type. What Stacy doesn’t know is they share the same driving interest. He wants her blood, too. Here’s a peek at MIDNIGHT REDEEMER. The Excerpt
I loved writing this book because it’s got a bit of everything I like to read: A paranormal love story, a Who Done It mystery, Frankenscience ethics, sneaky government ops, and a return of characters and complications I adored from previous books (You don’t have to have read them to appreciate them here). And a setting that’s almost another character – Seattle-the site of my first romance writers’ conference waaaay way back. All this for only $0.99 through the end of the month!
Stacy shuffled through the pictures once again, her breath quickening with agitation, for in each numbered square, one figure was conspicuously missing.
Louis Redman didn’t like to have his picture taken, not because he wasn’t photogenic, but because he didn’t show up on film.
“Sensitivity to light, my hind leg,” she muttered, studying the oddly empty photos, her stomach tightened with alarm and more strongly, with excitement.
Piece by piece, she was gathering evidence that Louis Redman was . . . what? A creature of the night, the undead? Her scientific mind rebelled against those superstitious labels as the toothsome image of Nosferatu played against more basic reason. But he was something, all right, something not quite natural that presented both threat and promise tied up in a mysterious and attractive package.
She would start unwrapping those layers tonight.
Until then, she would learn all she could about the sample from the dead girl.
Results that proved startling, and exciting . . . and unbelievable.
Midnight Redeemer (Touched by Midnight Series - Book 6)
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksPublished: May 3, 2011Length: 196 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→
Besides this fantastic sale, I’m updating (not rewriting!) the books in my “By Moonlight” series that I’ve gotten the rights back to. Talk about walking in two very different worlds. Vampires or Shapeshifters – which is your favorite?
I plan to spend the rest of this sunshiny hint of spring day visiting your excerpts before the cats start yowling for their first trip into the great outdoors (need a few more degrees for that! Try telling them that!)
Happy Spring! Write On, fellow Warriors!!
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...
March 18, 2023
WeWriWa: “Not Enough” . . . HUNTER OF SHADOWS
Two opposites from two very different worlds: A deadly huntress bound by a blood oath – An honorable outcast held by a long-ago vow. By the time they find each other, they’re denied the unexpected pleasure they’ve discovered together by other paths they’ve sworn to follow. What could possibly go wrong? Only everything.
Hunter of Shadows (By Moonlight - Book 5)
Length: 418 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→
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
It’s no secret: I ADORE Silas MacCreedy! He’s the ultimate hero in his struggle to do the right thing. Wearing an NOPD badge of honor to keep its citizens safe yet bound by a pledge to his own supernatural clan that owns him body and soul—but not heart. A heart promised to one and captivated by another. I love me a bad boy but there’s something about a true hero struggling to do the right thing for all concerned that’s simply irresistible!
“Silas, what if you were to bond with me?”
His head reared back as if she’d stretched across the table and slapped him hard.
“What?”
Nica held his stare, not flinching, laying out what she’d come up with over the course of the long afternoon in her desperation to keep him. “If you mate with me, if we’re bonded, our abilities will be joined as well. I’m powerful, Si. I could share things with you that would make you as strong as Savoie, maybe stronger, since Lottie is a human. Think of it. You could have what you want, you could take what you deserve, and I could help you.”
“Why would you do that?”
( . . . and a bit more . . .)
“Bonding is no casual thing, Nica. It’s permanent. You can’t try it on to see if you like it then cast it aside.”
She shrugged. “We like each other, we’re sexually compatible. Most matches are made between strangers who don’t have that luxury. We’d be starting off far better than most.”
Something in his face changed, shock giving way to distress. Or was it distaste. Her heart began to race. Panic squeezed about her chest.
“I want more, Nica.”
He wanted someone else.
I’m busy working to get all the “By Moonlight” books back out in print and e-format and HoS is next in line.
While you’re waiting, here’s a little something else you can sink your teeth into. MIDNIGHT REDEEMER, Book 6 in my “By Moonlight” vampire romance series, is on sale for just $0.99 until the end of the month. Here’s a link to tease you. More about it in next week’s post . . .Midnight Redeemer (Touched by Midnight Series - Book 6)Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksPublished: May 3, 2011Length: 196 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→
Hunt or be hunted . . . A centuries-old obsession stalks a noble family fighting to hide their dark secret from an ever-changing world. Sink your teeth into Nancy Gideon's Touched by Midnight series.
Will his dream . . . Centuries-old vampire Louis Redman is desperate to believe an inquisitive researcher's claim that she's close to finding a cure for his age-old curse. Determined to become human again, he must trust the lovely geneticist who has pushed her way into his guarded life . . . and heart . . . not to betray him to the government agency that wants to uncover his secrets for their own purposes.
. . . be the death of her? Scientist Stacy Kimball discovers potential fame and the answer to immortality in a murder victim's blood sample. But as she gets closer to the truth, danger stalks her from the shadows. Who wants to silence her from making the breakthrough of a lifetime? Is it the agency that funds her work? The killer who's terrorizing Seattle's night scene?
Or the mysterious Louis Redman, whose kisses seduce her beyond caring . . . ?
"A rare treat . . . this exciting thriller will keep you up all night as Ms. Gideon weaves her spell." — Romantic Times
"Nancy Gideon is one of the best supernatural writers on the market today!" — Midwest Book Review/BookWireHope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day and didn’t wake up “green” this morning!
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...
March 11, 2023
WeWriWa: Spring Ahead or Fall Back
The writer in me LOATHES Daylight Savings Time. An extra hour to work in the morning before the family gets up, LOST. I’ve always been a morning person who put in a day’s work at the keyboard before going TO work. Not so much now that I’m retired, but I still savor those hours of quiet time (after feeding the cats, of course!). I’m an early to bed, early to rise creature of habit. Spring ahead, Fall back upsets my creative Chi.
As far as my fictional life goes, this saying takes on new meaning. In order to kick my writing life into gear, I’m falling back ten years to reissue my “By Moonlight” dark shapeshifter series that I’ve gotten the rights back to. And I’m having a blast! This is my favorite series (well, maybe tied with my Texas historicals). I’m loving spending time with Max and CeeCee and their expanding circle of friends in steamy New Orleans in anticipation of my own trip back there this fall. Here’s a taste from SEEKER OF SHADOWS, Jacques and Susanna’s story . . .
Seeker of Shadows (By Moonlight - Book 6)
Length: 418 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→NANCY GIDEON CONTINUES HER COMPELLING, SENSUAL NEW SERIES WITH A SEDUCTIVE TALE OF FORBIDDEN ALLEGIANCE AND REDISCOVERED LOVE.
His town.Susanna Duchamps came to New Orleans to settle a debt and to temporarily escape the controlled constraints of her life among the Chosen. What she finds is an opportunity to make miraculous strides with her research into Shifter genetics . . . and an unexpected, but never forgotten, man from her complicated past.
Her rules.Shifter club owner Jacques LaRoche is fiercely protective of his freedom. Stripped of his memories of a former life, he longs for the mate he lost . . . until the enticingly familiar presence of a mysterious stranger from the north ignites a primal, nearly uncontrollable need to release the untamed beast inside him.
Their last chance.Susanna dares not tell Jacques it was she who sacrificed his past and her future years ago, to protect him and the secret she carried. But her arrival in New Orleans comes with consequences. When a bloody confrontation erupts between their enemy clans, will she betray her lover once again—or throw her own life on the line so they can finish what they started? The Excerpt
When I was a kid (even when I was a college student!), I hated the start of Daylight Savings Time. Losing an hour to sleep in. Who would want that, right? Less time to play outside with friends even though the sun was still shining. But as an adult, it comes with the grumpiness of old age. Set the clocks ahead or turn them back, which is it? That’s why the oven clock is an hour behind for half the year. What a pain in the neck. Thank goodness for digital watches, computers, and clocks that do the work for you. Are you in a DST state or do you stay the same all year? Love it or hate it?
He was exactly what she feared.
A rude brute, an unmannered beast, an untamed animal, growling, grabbing at what wasn’t his to take or desire. A primal, inferior species unable to harness his carnal needs.
Jacques started to reach for one of the jewel-like bottles stacked in tempting rows, but let his hand drop away as he stared at the face in the mirror behind them that had been that of a stranger when he’d first seen it seven years ago. He’d had no idea who those features belonged to before that moment. He could have been anything, anyone. What he’d become had been born in that instant of non-recognition.
What he did know was that he’d belonged to them, to those pitiless users in the north, who’d obviously trained him and directed him to serve their capricious whims. The scar between his shoulder blades told him that much. Had he pleasured their females, hunted, and killed his own kind the way the Tracker who’d died in the hallway had? Had he been a mindless drone who went about their business with a blind obedience, so conditioned to their commands that he had no self-control even now?
( . . . and a bit more . . .)
Resentment simmered as he paced, movements dangerously predatory even as his thoughts panted in raw confusion.
Why can’t I get a grip? This isn’t me. This isn’t what I’ve made of myself. Why am I letting her get to me? She’s one of theirs, not one of mine. She belongs to one of them, not to me. Not to me.
So why was every primal pulse of his blood denying that fact?
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...
March 4, 2023
WeWriWa: These Dreams . . . BOUND BY MOONLIGHT
Imagine, if you will, being so different that a life alone is the only future you can imaging for yourself. The happiness you see in other couples around you can never be more than a dream for one such as you—one so different, so unnatural. Then, someone unexpected, so opposite everything your own life is based upon turns your world and your emotions upside down. Do you thank your lucky stars . . . or are you living on borrowed time?
Bound by Moonlight (By Moonlight - Book 4)
Length: 370 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON’S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . .
THEY SWORE THEY’D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He’s determined to be accepted by her peers—so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?
BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max’s preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.
. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever. The Excerpt
Shapeshifter Max Savoie and NOPD detective Charlotte Caissie are as opposite as guns and roses, but both are determined to make their unusual and some would say, unnatural, romance last a lifetime. I’m so excited to get BOUND BY MOONLIGHT, this fourth book in my “By Moonlight” series (unfortunately the first three are unavailable) back out to readers. I’m in the process of going through my original manuscript for additional scenes and picking out steamy (hey, it IS New Orleans, sha!) cover art. Once that’s done, it’s off to my virtual assistant so she can do that formatting hoodoo the she do so well.
He’d dreamed of her for so long, the reality of her soft and naked next him sometimes took him by surprise upon waking. He’d find himself frozen with dread, fearing somehow it was just some cruel trick, that she wasn’t really there. So he’d carefully sniff at her hair, cautiously taste her warm skin, slowly curl himself about her as if expecting her to leap away in alarm. The sound of her contented sigh, the feel of her snuggling into him was every prayer of a lonely life answered.
Now he lay awake in the early dawn hours in solemn study of the scars marring the slope of her shoulder—the marks he’d put on her to claim her for his own in a savage taking he could scarcely recall. He’d been out of his mind for her, out of control. She’d pushed him to it, goaded him into throwing off the human guise he wore to become the beast that lived inside, to prove to them both that she was strong enough to be his match as he’d taken her with the primitive violence of his kind. He’d feared she’d regret it, surrendering herself to something so foreign, so different from what she knew and was. But she said no, and he believed her. Except on nights like this one when old worries haunted him, whispering through his soul with a spectral chill.
What a wild few days here in Michigan as our weather has gone from blizzardy ice and snow mix to gorgeous sunshine and melt runoff. Winter to spring in the blink of an eye . . . then back again for at least the rest of the month (Spring begins on the 20th but here that’s just a suggestion!). Let it do what it will says this retiree, as long as we have heat and internet!
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...
February 28, 2023
IWSG: Twisting the Night Away – Clever Plot Twists
Have you ever read a line in a novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?
Oh yeah! Sometimes, I find myself simply lost in the elegant beauty of words strung together in a not so simple sentence. I read it, reread it, then just wallow in the creative genius of it. Words are powerful. They’re sexy, strong, emotionally devastating, painful, terrifying . . . and I love it when they catch me by surprise. I’ll dissect them, study the order, the complexity and/or simplicity of their arrangement. Sometimes, I confess, I’ll pout and stew and grumble, wishing I’d written them. And the best thing, when it happens, is when you realize YOU wrote those words. YOU created that bit of brilliance that sets that bar so high for your next paragraph, your next chapter, your next novel.
On the flip side, words can be SO clever that they pull you out of the work you’re reading. Especially when the author tries too hard to impress with their vocabulary or imagery. If I’m continually pulled out of the story by a confusing turn of phrase or by wording so convoluted that you have to construct a sentence diagram, the author has lost me. Story should suck the reader in, not shove him/her back into 12th grade composition.
Touched by Midnight Series - Book 6Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooksPublished: May 3, 2011Length: 196 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→Hunt or be hunted . . . A centuries-old obsession stalks a noble family fighting to hide their dark secret from an ever-changing world. Sink your teeth into Nancy Gideon's Touched by Midnight series.
Will his dream . . . Centuries-old vampire Louis Redman is desperate to believe an inquisitive researcher's claim that she's close to finding a cure for his age-old curse. Determined to become human again, he must trust the lovely geneticist who has pushed her way into his guarded life . . . and heart . . . not to betray him to the government agency that wants to uncover his secrets for their own purposes.
. . . be the death of her? Scientist Stacy Kimball discovers potential fame and the answer to immortality in a murder victim's blood sample. But as she gets closer to the truth, danger stalks her from the shadows. Who wants to silence her from making the breakthrough of a lifetime? Is it the agency that funds her work? The killer who's terrorizing Seattle's night scene?
Or the mysterious Louis Redman, whose kisses seduce her beyond caring . . . ?
"A rare treat . . . this exciting thriller will keep you up all night as Ms. Gideon weaves her spell." — Romantic Times
"Nancy Gideon is one of the best supernatural writers on the market today!" — Midwest Book Review/BookWire
If you like a taste of dark paranormal romance, MIDNIGHT REDEEMER, the 6th book in my “Touched by Moonlight” series is on S*A*L*E for only $.99 from March 16-31. You needn’t have read earlier books to enjoy this vampire vs serial killer on the dark streets of Seattle tale that will keep you up at night.
Now to see what plots get you in a twist . . .
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 March 1st posting of the IWSG will be Diedre Knight, Tonya Drecker, Bish Denham, Olga Godim, and JQ Rose!
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...
February 18, 2023
WeWriWa: A lifetime means forever . . . LIFETIME INVESTMENT on S*A*L*E for $.99(!)
Breaking up is hard to do . . . more so if the other party is self-isolating on a nearly deserted Northern Michigan island after misunderstandings and manipulation have them both doubting their high-rise future together in Chicago that had seemed so perfect. Time for the couple in question to have that face-to-face . . . even if the surroundings are far from hospitable.
Lifetime Investment
$0.99 at Time of PostingPublished: 30, 2014Contemporary RomanceLength: 178 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books
Handsome hotel heir Wyatt Marston knew all too well what people would do to succeed. His status-hungry father and stepmother were prime examples. He married Bethany believing his sweet, honest bride loved him for who he was, not what he had. When evidence paints her as a gold digger, he retreats, heartbroken, to his childhood home to prepare for a future without the woman he still desires. Where he soon finds that to make his hopes a reality, he must rely on his wife to keep what's left of his dreams alive.
When working class Bethany married into the money that came with Wyatt Marston she was willing to do whatever it took to fit into his upscale world. But instead of being proud of her rise through the ranks of his family's corporation, Wyatt pulled away, becoming a distant, then absent husband, more interested in her stock shares than their relationship. Determined to fight for the man she believes in, Bethany follows her heart to the middle of nowhere where a leaky tent, a surly dog and dangerous situation prove how far she'd go to keep him. The Excerpt
Part of the fun of writing fiction is weaving what you know and where you’ve been into the fabric of your story. I vacationed in Northern Michigan every summer growing up (but unfortunately never got over the Bridge until I was an adult). It was like a flashback to those days while weaving the setting in almost as if a character of its own. Though I’d been to the rugged UP (Upper Peninsula) before, I’d never made it as far as Isle Royale which is the stepping stone for the wilderness getaway our hero flees to. If setting can become its own character, this would be the place . . . an inescapable marriage counselor in the case of our two misguided characters as they’re forced by dramatic circumstance to face their situation . . . and the cause of their problems.
Wyatt strode down the path in long angry steps. It took all his willpower, but he didn’t slow, and he didn’t look behind him. He knew what he’d see: A businesswoman in a rain-splotched suit and torn stockings, hobbling in her ridiculous footgear.
What possessed her to come to such a place dressed as if he was her four o’clock appointment? Had she expected all the civility of State Street or Michigan Avenue? Did she even know other worlds existed? That there were places untouched by concrete and inaccessible by cab? Probably not. Or she probably wouldn’t have come.
Why had she?
. . . and a bit more . . .
She could have sent the papers, but she’d insisted upon bringing them herself. So they could talk. As if that would change things. As if they’d ever been able to talk. But she’d said she’d bring them, and he’d been so hungry to see her, he’d foolishly agreed. He’d thought he’d be ready, that he could handle things unemotionally. More the fool. He’d come over to the island to get his thoughts straight, to plan out exactly what he had to say, how he was going to approach her. It hadn’t helped that the sudden bad weather delayed his trip back to the lodge so that he wasn’t there to meet her. He’d carefully choreographed their meeting in his mind, but then she’d gone and thrown everything off with her typical impatience, by rushing in, by crowding him into a back-against-the-wall position. All the calm, rational things he’d rehearsed immediately fled from his mind when he saw her standing on the trail, so lost, so engagingly distressed. Everything inside him had dissolved in an instant. Had there ever been another human being who could reduce him to such vulnerability with just a single look? No, he knew there wasn’t. And it made him angry all over again. Because during the few minutes with her, he wanted her so badly he was willing to forgive and forget everything.
LIFETIME INVESTMENT is on S*A*L*E for only $0.99 until February 28 (a kind of belated Valentine’s Day gift from me and BelleBooks!). Grab up a copy for a breathtaking getaway with all the feels and none of the mosquitoes!
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...
February 11, 2023
WeWriWa: A One-Way Trip . . . BOUND BY MOONLIGHT
When I first wrote BOUND BY MOONLIGHT, the fourth book in my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series back in 2010-11, NY publishers were hot for extra content to help promote their projects through early online book groups (at least S&S was, bless their hearts!). Most of my author friends grumbled about this additional PR duty, but I loved it. PR was one of my college minors and even early on, I could see the value of hooking reader attention as paranormal romance was taking off on the shelves. But what to do that would be different? Then one of the early online sites I belonged to suggested that participants rewrite a fable based upon the characters in their latest release. And Snow White and the Huntsman was the perfect fit for my seductively dangerous shapeshifter bodyguard and the NOPD detective determined to put the cuffs on him (and not in a fun way – at least not yet!) Here’s a peek . . .
Bound by Moonlight (By Moonlight - Book 4)
Length: 370 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON’S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . .
THEY SWORE THEY’D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He’s determined to be accepted by her peers—so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?
BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max’s preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.
. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever. The Excerpt
When I just came across this three-page fantasy sidebar, I thought “Eureka!” I’d hit paydirt. One of my goals was to find fun extra content to put in each reissued book of the series as an “extra” for my readers, and this little twist on a tale (or tail!) was just the thing to add in.
“Just how far do we have to go to meet with this informant?”
He didn’t turn. “We’re not meeting anyone.”
More cautious now, Charlotte pressed, “You said you had important information for me.”
“I believe what I said was I wanted you to come with me for an enlightening ride.”
More silence as he imagined her processing that in her coolly clever cop brain until she reached the proper conclusion. She stopped walking. Despite the ripe smell of the swamps, her scent enveloped him, a sultry tease of Voodoo Love that never failed to cast its spell. Contrarily, her words were as sharp as a knife’s edge.
“Did Jimmy ask you to take me for this ride?”
. . . and a bit more . . .
Even though she hid it well, alarm shivered through her voice. His reputation for seeing Legere’s dirty deeds done wasn’t exaggerated. He’d killed at his mentor’s command more than once, and always without hesitation. It’s what he was, what he did. But the thought of Charlotte on the other end of that order unsettled him, giving him pause when he should have been planning.
There was no place for uncertainty in Max’s linear world. Jimmy spoke, he obeyed. That’s how it would always be. He’d only deviated from that narrow path once before, when he’d broken all the rules to save a bold young girl from a terrible situation she didn’t deserve. That girl, who had no memory of her savior, was as fearless then as the woman she’d become was now.
“Jimmy believes you’re too dangerous,” he told her, moving his hands away from his body in a non-threatening manner, “that you can’t be reasoned with or ignored.”
A grim laugh. “He’d be right about that. So tell me, Max. Was this ride supposed to be round trip or just one way?”
Then he turned toward her, not surprised to find her in a defensive stance, her police issue in hand and aimed at his midsection. He smiled at her bravado. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Wishing you all a Happy Super Bowl Sunday/Valentine’s Day Tuesday. I’ve been eyeballing those pretty decorated cupcakes on the counter all morning . . . Now, I’m heading outside to enjoy this unseasonably warm and sunny weather here in the Mitten to resist the temptation. Maybe I’ll even dig out the cat leashes . . .
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...
February 4, 2023
WeWriWa: The Measure of a Man . . . BOUND BY MOONLIGHT
What creates more tension than the introduction of a father figure to the man he thinks of as a criminal? Charlotte Caissie practically grew up between her dad and his partner in their squad car. Chief Byron Atcliff assumed that role of parent after his best friend’s violent death. So imagine his “delight” when confronted with that beloved child who now carries a detective’s shield and her new significant other . . . one of New Orleans’ infamous “Most Wanted!”
Bound by Moonlight (By Moonlight - Book 4)
Length: 370 PagesAdd to Goodreads TBR→POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON’S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . .
THEY SWORE THEY’D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He’s determined to be accepted by her peers—so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?
BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max’s preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.
. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever. The Excerpt
The fun part of writing a continuing series like “By Moonlight” is the opportunity to build and weave characters and storyline together. Sometimes those two things mesh and strengthen the storyline . . . and other times, they create a delicious tension to introduce surprises and conflict (my two favorite things!). A series also establishes an intricate . . . history. I LOVE using backstory as building blocks to character development and story/emotional twists. And what place has a deeper, more mysterious past than New Orleans . . . especially when its shadowed streets and secret communities blend and conflict so deliciously? Welcome to my “By Moonlight” world of NOPD police and a mysterious shapeshifter society.
“I’m not in favor of this relationship,” the older man continued, “and I can’t say I approve of you parading it around.”
“Good thing for me your opinion isn’t the one that matters most.”
At the coolly mocking tone, Atcliff warned, “You break her heart, I’ll pull you out by the roots.”
Cee Cee stepped between them with an exasperated, “Would you two stand down? Uncle Byron, Max is my choice so deal with it, and Max, you will respect his right to be pissed off about it. Clear?”
They gauged one another again, measuring the degree of influence and threat—cop versus criminal.
“Take care of her, stay out from under my feet professionally and I won’t have a problem with you, Savoie.”
“I’ll stay out of your way unless you push that professional foot into our personal lives again. Then I’d have to make myself your problem. In a big way.”
. . . and a bit more . . .
Atcliff assessed the arrogant man who’d somehow managed to snag the heart of Tommy Caissie’s daughter. Did he have the steadfastness Cee Cee could depend upon, the strength to support her, and the wisdom to protect the best damned thing he’d ever have? Savoie wasn’t someone he’d enjoy seeing across the dinner table at holiday time. He doubted they’d ever make comfortable small talk while fishing off his boat together. But he was Charlotte’s choice, and Savoie didn’t give an inch when it came to claiming that.
And there was nothing wrong with a little arrogance.
Chief Byron Atcliff allowed a grim smile. “Understood.”
AND I’m looking forward to my welcome back to my home away from home in the Big Easy!! I just made travel arrangements for me and my virtual assistant to soak up the atmosphere and spin a few new plot threads in the French Quarter! She’s never been to Louisiana and I can’t wait to get back there for some beignets and blues! I see many a storyline in the future . . .
But first I need to put on a second pair of socks to keep my feet warm here in Michigan before reading what you’ve been creating!
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...
January 31, 2023
IWSG: Going Undercover(s) . . . Recovering and Reissuing
Our February 1st question - If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish traditionally, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?
When I started out decades ago, it was pre-self-pub, a time of big New York houses and little author input into the finished product – especially where the cover was concerned. It was a time of the infamous three-armed hero, bodice-ripping clenches, and Fabio. One of my author pals and I had the exact same art on our two very different books for the same publisher – released in the same month! We still laugh over it. I’ve had gorgeous treatments and I’ve had head scratchers. A dark-haired hero who was supposed to be blonde ended up with a hideous fixer upper that glowed in the dark. My first historical set in the Regency era (with explicit scenes!) had the most docile couple sweetly holding hands. (The reissue with another publisher was right on target!) Then my uber sexy vampire hero looked more like an ancient Barnabas Collins (I can’t be the only one who remembers Dark Shadows!) A post-Civil War book set in the South had mountains in the background! So I can honestly say, the one thing I’m most thankful for as a hybrid author, is complete cover control!
Okay, I’m a control-freak. I like to be involved up to the eyebrows with the rearing and unveiling of my babies. I’ve been lucky to have editors who encouraged input. And luckier still to have a virtual assistant, Florence Price, who works with me to create the art on my self-pubs.
I’m currently in the process of reissuing four of my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter books (that had gorgeous NY cover treatment). And I must say, spending entire days (!) scrolling through naked male torsos is laborious! Just put the shirt on or take it off, dude! But finding background images was a delight, especially since they’re set in New Orleans, my favorite place to visit (and revisit this fall!). But when these books are released, those will be MY heroes on the cover.
If every picture tells a story, every cover treatment sells (or doesn’t!) your book, so much so that some self-pub authors reissue the same title with several cover treatments (and even have readers vote on them!) to see which works best before continuing the series.
If you want readers to get to what’s inside, make sure the outside correctly represents what they’re looking for!
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 February 1st posting of the IWSG will be Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner!
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...
