C. Margery Kempe's Blog: Lady Smut, page 162

Death of A Hard Drive

My hard drive is dying. I could tell by the constant freezing and the corrupted files.  At first I thought it was a virus and ran the virus program but found nothing.  I ran anti-spyware and found nothing.  At this point, The freezing worsened.  The startup time lengthened.  I did restore after restore and you know when that happens, something bad is afoot.  I looked up all the symptons and realized the hard drive was failing.

Then I did what every author with a new book contract would do.  I backed up my book.  I had been all along, so it wasn’t too bad.  I backed up it and everything on my laptop on a portable hard drive, then I backed up using Dropbox, and also saved my book files on a flash drive.  You can’t be too careful.

Because I have a Lenovo laptop, a facility within the computer gave me a popup window with a critical notice.  It said that my Seagate was critical, gave me a code, and said to call Lenovo support and give them the code.   I did and they are very pleasant. I had bought the three year extension warranty.  (Excellent thing to do!)  They knew the code right away and are now sending me a new hard drive and system disks.   So when all that arrives, I will begin the GRAND REINSTALLATION.  You know how that is.

Several years ago, I would have cried over this.  I mean here I am with a new book contract and my laptop is in jeopardy.  But somehow I’ve managed a little bit of wisdom gained over time and a more philosophical view on the matter.  It all reminds me of an old Zen Buddhist story I had heard and somewhat embraced.  It’s called the story of “The Broken Cup”.

The Zen master Ikkyu was clever even as a boy.

One day he happened to break a tea cup that his teacher had cherished. It was a precious cup.

Hearing the footsteps of his teacher, Ikkyu crossed his hands back holding the broken pieces behind him. When the teacher arrived, Ikkyu asked : “Why do people have to die someday?”

The teacher replied, “This is natural. All that  exists will have to perish someday.”

Ikkyu immediately produced the broken cup and said, ” The time has come for your cup to die”

*

So even though I didn’t break my laptop, I’ve come to realize that it is time for my laptop to die.  We tend not to think that mechanical things have to abide to the same laws as nature.

So I will continue in the time being albeit a little more slowly on my little netbook.    Remember:  Don’t mourn for a computer and back up everything.  (In multiple places.) And getting the extended warranty is not a bad idea.

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Filed under: Susan Hanniford Crowley, What A Writer Needs, Writer's Life, Writing Topics

Meet the Author of Unsafe Haven, Char Chaffin by Gerri Brousseau

Good Day! Char Chaffin reporting for blog duty! First of all, thanks, Gerri, for hosting me today.

I thought I’d jump around a little, and talk about not only my newest release, Unsafe Haven, but the inspiration behind it, and what I’ve discovered about myself since I began my own writing journey.

Wait, come back!  ::panics at mass exodus of Gerri’s readers:: Ah, they’ll return as soon as they find out I’ve got a fab giveaway! Which I’ll reveal, later on. Always like to keep my audience riveted . . .

I’ve learned a lot since that first moment when I sat down at my keyboard and (naively) exclaimed, “I’m going to write a book!” I started later in life than most writers, never dreaming I’ve ever want to publish anything. I was almost fifty years old when I updated my writing, from a way to goof off, to writing in earnest. Still, it was more of a lark at first, something to do late at night when there was nothing on the tube and I’d exhausted my bookcase for unread material. But once I got into it, I found out that maybe I’d like to “Be Published,” after all. And I thought, how hard could it be? Look at how many writers fill up the shelves with all kinds of books. I figured I could write as well as any of them.

Yes, I was a bit overconfident, not to mention idiotically misinformed. Writing a book takes far, far more than I’d ever have thought, back when I sat there and fiddled around with my keyboard and my own version of, “It was a dark and stormy night.”

Beyond the hours and hours away from family and friends, missed outings, hastily scraped-together dinners, forgetting to clean the house, do laundry, or sleep, writing takes up a bit of time in your life. ::cough majorunderstatement cough::  It can make your children run amok and your Significant Other think you don’t love them anymore. It’s so utterly, completely absorbing. Talk about a greedy mistress, writing definitely qualifies. If you tell yourself, “Oh, I won’t let that happen to me,” then you’re lying to yourself, because it happens. Ask any writer and they’ll tell you all about it.

Writing is the single most uplifting and yet often despair-inducing profession in the world. Of course, this is only my opinion, but I bet plenty of writers will agree with me.

The words flow: “Yay! I’m up!” The chapters drag and suck canal water: “Boo! I’m down!”

You send out your manuscript to three dozen agents, convinced you’ve sent them the next Gone With the Wind: “Whee! I’m amazing!” The rejections come back as form letters or emails that give you no clue why three dozen agents just refused your work: “OMG, my life is over!”

And that’s only the first few years of writing.

But, when it hits, when everything comes together and you strike gold: wow, what a feeling. It makes you think of yourself as utterly invincible, as if you could scale the highest rainbow barefoot, then dance down the other side and fall into a pot of gold.

Then the edits come. Pages and pages of them. And life sucks, all over again. It’s a roller coaster of frayed nerves and high/low emotions and pep talks that never seem to help—and I wouldn’t trade a single day of the process, because as Nora Roberts once said, “Like baseball, if writing were easy, then everyone would do it.”

I was in the middle of a major move from Alaska to the Lower Forty-Eight when I decided I wanted to Be Published. Nothing like making that kind of a decision during the most nerve-wracking move of my entire life, right? I’d already plotted out what would become my debut novel: Promises to Keep, set in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We settled in Upstate New York and I began crafting my book in earnest, thinking I’d have it finished in a few months and published a few more months after that.

Eight years later, I published it with Soul Mate Publishing, and count myself lucky it didn’t take any longer than that. I worked on edits and polishing for over two years.

Writing’s a slow process, but it’s well worth the time writers invest. Critique groups and/or partners, crafting workshops, writing conferences, all the little and big things that guide you through the process, are necessary and vital. Can you get published without that lengthy procedure? If you’re very, very lucky and you submit your manuscript during a “dry spell…” Gad, what am I saying? There are no dry spells! Publishing houses are always looking for the next fabulous book, and for each of those rare finds, about a thousand authors vie for just ten minutes of an agent’s or editor’s time.

Competition? In the writing biz? Oh, you bet.

That said, once you get a novel under your belt, so to speak, the second book comes a bit easier and is usually published quicker, too, especially after you establish yourself with a publisher who appreciates your writing and knows how to help you promote yourself. Again, I lucked out, because my editor at Soul Mate Publishing loved my second novel, and published it with wonderful enthusiasm.

Which brings me to my newest release, Unsafe Haven. If my first book was the realization of a long-anticipated dream, then Unsafe Haven could be considered the novel of my heart, because I set it in Alaska, where I lived for sixteen years. Where Promises to Keep is sweet and romantic, Unsafe Haven is passionate, suspenseful and, in certain places, raw.

I began Unsafe Haven last year when I was visiting Fairbanks, helping daughter Sue Ann, son-in-law John, and newborn granddaughter Faith Charlene. I had two wonderful months with my girls and my guy, and I savored each and every day because I knew I’d have to make it last quite a while until I could get up to see them again. I thought to myself, “Okay, I can extend the warm fuzzy being home gives me, by starting my Alaskan novel set in the Interior.”

Alas, wrong region.

My heroine, Kendall, wouldn’t have felt safe in Fairbanks. It’s too accessible. Anyone can just fly right into FairbanksInternationalAirport, handy as you please. Easy accessibility to The Last Frontier is a wonderful thing. But not when a character has to escape a sociopath fiancé and run for her very life. That’s when the remote regions come in handy.

I decided on Southwest Alaska, creating a small, predominantly Native Alaskan village set about a hundred miles from Bethel in an area surrounded by small lakes and a low mountain range. Because I did want it to be somewhat prosperous, I created a zinc mine near enough to the village that a decent, twelve-or-so mile road would be necessary. Just long enough of a road to hook my village to its slightly bigger (but not prettier) sister village of New Mina (also fictional), on the KuskokwimRiver. I researched terrain and tundra to make sure I could describe the flora with enough accuracy that my readers would be able to ‘see’ my village of Staamat.

Now I had my setting, obscure enough that a person could stay easily hidden but not so obscure that a determined nutjob wouldn’t be able to find my girl. I gave Kendall a lovely face and form but her true beauty is on the inside where it counts the most. She’s tall, slender, with golden brown curls and eyes that have witnessed more than her share of pain and horror. She’s very leery of men, and for good reason. Alaska is a place of sanctuary for her, a final hiding place where she doesn’t have to answer questions about herself, where she can live a safe life. Romance is the furthest thing from her mind when she gets to Staamat.

Then I threw a monkey wrench in her plans and gave her a hero.

A Native Alaskan cop with a big heart, a need to protect and a real love of family seemed like the perfect match for my vulnerable Kendall. My hero, Denn Nulo, is tall, muscular, amber-eyed and black-haired, devoted to his little sister, and wants to cherish Kendall. He’s got a dry sense of humor and a strict sense of right and wrong. When he and Kendall meet, there are plenty of sparks: hers are reluctant and his are eager.

After that, the story kind of wrote itself.

Writing what you know is a lot of fun, I must admit. But writing in familiar yet unknown territory is even more fun. Especially when my husband Don willingly joined in and helped with some of my research. I’d say, “Here’s what I want to do,” and he’d jump on his laptop, make a few clicks and shake his head. “You can’t do that, but you can do this,” he’d say.

Unsafe Haven was a labor of love the way any novel is, when it comes from a writer’s mind and heart. You pour your blood onto those pages and hope they’ll gel into a story others will enthusiastically embrace. All along the way, you question yourself: did I put enough cliffhangers and plot hooks into it to keep my readers engaged? Is the romance romance-y enough, are the characters fascinating, the scene settings detailed, the overall tone a real page-turner? Will my cover art make a browser do a double-take? Will my book blurb fire them to fork over the cash to buy it?

Well, here’s my cover, so you can see for yourself:

 

 

 

 

And here’s the book blurb, which hopefully will leave all of you panting for more:

For Kendall Martin, a small, remote village in Southwest Alaska seems like a good place to start over. On the run from an abusive relationship, she leaves everything familiar behind and begins a new life as owner of a small souvenir and sportsman trading post in picturesque Staamat.

Denn Nulo knows everyone in town: he’s the Chief of Police in Staamat. He’s lived there all his life, except for his college years, spent in Anchorage. Originally planning on practicing criminal law and living in Anchorage permanently, Denn is forced to change his plans when he receives word that his widowed mother has passed away, leaving his young sister, Luna, alone. Denn comes back to Staamat to care for Luna.

When Kendall meets Denn, she begins to believe there are truly good men in the world. Denn is everything she wants: strong, loving, dedicated to family, protective . . . and patient. There is instant attraction between them, but Kendall is leery of men, and Denn craves a serious relationship that includes marriage and children. Their courtship is a conflicting mix of hesitancy and passion, with Luna, desperately needing a mother figure in her life, cheering them on.

As Kendall learns how to trust again and her romance with Denn grows more intense, a local woman who’s had her eye on Denn for years releases a torrent of damaging jealousy. . .and the nightmare from Kendall’s past discovers where she’s hidden herself.

Unsafe Haven is available at Soul Mate Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope you enjoy reading about Denn and Kendall, taking a short vacation from your day, and spending it in Staamat, SW Alaska, in the amazingly amazing Last Frontier.

I promised a fab giveaway: not only will I send an ebook copy of Unsafe Haven to one lucky commenter, but that commenter will also receive a print copy of my debut novel, Promises to Keep! Just leave your email address in your comment so I can find you.

Want some links? I’ve got ‘em:

Char Chaffin: http://char.chaffin.com

Book Trailer for Unsafe Haven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJieck3U17Y

Come find me on Facebook and Twitter:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/char.chaffin

Twitter: http://twitter.com/char_chaffin

And, here’s an excerpt from Unsafe Haven, to further tempt you!

Kendall unlocked the front door of the Last Outfitters Post and stepped outside. In the sunlight the ‘Grand Opening’ banner she’d affixed over the entrance flapped in the brisk morning breeze, accompanied by the occasional caw of a raven. On each side of the portico, hanging baskets of petunias, fuchsia and lobelia grew a bit more each day, adding a nice splash of color. The urge to clap in delight proved too much to resist, and she didn’t care if anyone saw her. Even so, she checked out the parking lot, just to make sure she hadn’t been observed, then shook her head at her silliness.

Her first two weeks open for business had surprised her with its success. A steady, daily flow of customers reinforced her certainty she’d done the right thing by moving to Staamat and starting a new life. It amazed her, how many local people planned hiking and fishing adventures and came to her for their supplies.

They weren’t all local. Tourists now came to Staamat, some staying in New Mina, Aniak or Bethel, and others vying for a reservation at The Four Hills Inn. They zipped around on rented bicycles or on foot, cameras clicking away, willing to pay for a quick airlift to some of the villages sporadically scattered from here to Bethel. Several enterprising locals who owned vehicles hired themselves out as impromptu cabbies, and even a few boat owners ferried visitors up and down the Kuskokwim. One of Frank Purna’s cousins ran a seasonal air and water taxi service.

A retired musher, who lived fifteen miles north of Puffin Circle, brought his dogs into town and offered dogsled rides, substituting special wheels for the standard sled skis. Tourists loved it. The bustle of activity and commerce added life to the usually quiet Staamat streets.

Summer had come to Southwestern Alaska, and Kendall found herself utterly charmed by the longer days and the sun’s welcoming warmth. Much of her nervousness about hordes of tourists streaming into Alaska had diminished, too. Perhaps the cheechako was slowly becoming a sourdough, after all.

With the exception of a few high school students nosing around without buying anything, she’d had decent sales every day. Now, on Saturday, she anticipated another six hours of hearing her cash register ring.

Moving to the main counter, she straightened a display of teriyaki jerky and refolded a stack of sweatshirts emblazoned with a grinning mosquito and the words, Alaska State Bird. The goofy looking, bloodsucking insect—wearing bunny boots, no less—reminded her to spray her arms with Deet when she ventured outside. Otherwise, she’d end up with plenty of bites.

The string of bells over the doorway jingled, and Kendall smiled with pleasure as Luna ran in. “Kennie, Denn says you’re putting me to work.” She threw her thin arms around Kendall’s waist and gave her a breath-stealing squeeze.

“Umph.” Kendall made suffocating noises while Luna giggled and squeezed harder. When she could inhale again, she dropped a kiss on Luna’s head. “How are you feeling today? Denn said you had a rough evening.”

“I’m okay. I had a reaction to some salad dressing Jo gave us. She puts fireweed honey in it, and I kind of forgot I wasn’t supposed to eat lots of it.” Luna pulled away and prowled the nearest rack, flipping through tee shirts and hoodies. She sent Kendall a mournful look. “It was so good, I took twice as much as I should have. But I felt a lot better after I puked.” Her grin back in place, she dashed to the counter and swiped a piece of jerky. “See, I’m good to go.” She bit in with enthusiasm.

“Drink some water after you eat that, you nimrod.” Denn stepped into the store, a stern expression on his face. He winked at Kendall. “Make sure you dock her pay for snacking on the job.” He closed the door and removed his cap, shaking his hair loose.

Kendall’s pulse stuttered at the sight of that fall of black silk. He caught her stare and a languid smile broke over his face. She blushed, and the smile widened.

His advance toward her set her heart to pounding. Dressed in his uniform, his rolled-up sleeves a concession to the warm day, Denn cut an imposing figure. Yet his size had ceased to intimidate, not after a month of getting to know him. He reached her side and curled his arm around her shoulders, pressed a kiss to her forehead, as comforting as the one she’d given his sister.

“Hi. I’ve brought you slave labor. Please wear her out so I can strong-arm her into bed right after supper.” His low words teased the stray hair at Kendall’s temple. The heat from his lower lip, as it caught one of her curls and brushed it aside, would have buckled her knees if she hadn’t been holding the edge of the counter.

He chuckled softly in her ear, an acknowledgment of what his nearness did to her. When she reared back, the gleam she spotted in his amber eyes couldn’t be mistaken for anything but desire.

I’m not ready for this. Her brain admitted the truth even as her body relaxed, leaned into his, and made itself at home. The moment lengthened into seconds as she enjoyed his warm strength, refusing to further question her need for caution. He would never hurt her; she knew this.

Luna skipped closer, wearing a camouflage baseball cap boasting a set of stuffed moose antlers. “I don’t think this cap’s gonna fool any moose.” She viewed herself in a nearby mirror, striking a pose. “You should send me to Anchorage, Denn. I could be a model.”

“For what? Bullwinkle?” Denn yanked the cap over his sister’s eyes. “Get real. You’ll go in the mines with a pick and a shovel, and give me all the gold you find,” he growled, twirling an imaginary mustache.

“Ha, as if.” Luna danced around him, caught random locks of his hair and yanked them, fast and sly.

He lunged after her and stuffed her under his arm.

“Let go! I have to work for a living, you know.” She wriggled like a slippery eel, her brows scrunched in a mock frown. “Let go, or I scream police brutality.”

“You watch too much CSI. Go make yourself useful.” He released her with a swat to her jeans-clad bottom, and she ran toward the back storeroom where Kendall had left the door unlocked. Luna would spend the afternoon unpacking and pricing several boxes of Alaskana souvenirs.

He turned to Kendall. “What a screwball. You might have to handcuff her to the storeroom to get any work out of her.” His comment and their antics had made her grin even as the residual tenderness for Luna, reflected in his eyes, simply melted her.

“She’s your entire world, isn’t she?” Kendall heard the catch in her voice.

Denn nodded. “Yes, she is. Luna is the only family I’ve got left. Her health problems scared the crap out of me when we first discovered she had diabetes. Try explaining to a five-year-old why she can’t eat grape jelly or a Hershey bar. She tried my mother’s patience not only daily, but hourly. I still shudder to remember what it was like to give her insulin shots.” He leaned against the counter, his mind obviously dwelling in the past. “When I left for UAA, it was hard on Mom even though she knew it was best for me to go. Luna had only been on insulin for maybe six months. I honestly don’t know how Mom got through it.”

He scraped a hand through his hair in the gesture of frustration she’d come to recognize. “I’d fly home between semesters, and they’d both be wrecks. A couple of times I thought, what the hell, I’ll just quit school and come back to help Mom. But whenever I brought it up, she’d get mad and forbid me to drop out.”

“She sounds like an amazing woman.”

“Yeah. Mom was one in a million. Her faith in me kept me in school. But then she died, and I had to quit, anyhow.”

“Denn . . .” She didn’t know what to say. Five years wasn’t nearly long enough to get over such a tragedy. He still dealt with the pain of his mother’s passing. She could sure relate, even if the words wouldn’t come so easily.

Kendall moved closer and laid a hand on his arm. Quietly, she said, “Your mother would be proud of the life you’ve made. The way you are with Luna, loving and devoted . . . if your mother were here, she’d tell you what a wonderful job you’re doing, parenting your sister. Not everyone could handle her health issues, either.” Her hand slid up his arm, curved over his shoulder and reached his cheek, to cup it gently. “You should be proud, too. Coming back here was the right thing to do, and you never hesitated. Did you?” She searched his eyes as she spoke.

“No. I never hesitated. I packed it all up and moved here, and I’ve never once regretted it. Well, maybe a little,” he admitted. “It was hard to say goodbye to a college degree, only eight months away from the damned diploma.”

“Well, nothing says you can’t take some online courses, or whatever’s available out this far, and finish, get your diploma. Right?”

He smiled at her, one heart-stopping, breath-stealing smile. Taking her hand from his cheek, he brought her palm to his mouth and pressed his lips there. Against her skin he murmured, “Nothing at all.”

~~~~~

Wow. That was great! Thanks Char.

Thanks so much, Gerri, I had a blast hanging out with you today!

Filed under: romance

The Rhythm Around You

Okay, I’m trying for a mellow blog this week because my day job has been beating the pants off of me and I’m almost down my WIP and hope to be sending it out soon, yay! Anyhow, as I got to thinking about this blog, I thought about how I’ve been feeling lately. It is October and 101 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I mean, really?!

I’m an east coast lady by birth and every summer I’m asking myself why I moved out to the desert. Still, my roots and my longing for the changing seasons seem to be ingrained into me. Hence my reason for craving leaves changing, windy fall days and apple cider on display when I walk into the grocery store (along with all sorts of pumpkin treats).

For me, the change of seasons as a kid created a sort of rhythm around me. An expectation of fall colors, creepy Halloween costumes, and tables stuffed with goodness for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It still amazes me that just a time of year can create a feeling and along with it, inspiration for all sorts of holiday tales. As I walk into the bookstores I can already see the Halloween stories out; more ghosts, witches and vampires. Before I know it there will be holiday magic romances littering the display tables. Either way, I can’t get enough of it.

To me, fall brings a slower, more relaxed rhythm. Just as summer introduces a fast-paced, fun in the sun sort of attitude. The seasons seem to infuse their way into those around us as well, breeding more of this rhythm and inspiration. So what about you all? Any plans with fall around the corner? What has the rhythm around you inspired you to write?

Happy writing this week!

 

Filed under: Emotions, Toni Kelly, Writer's Life

Friends Don’t Let Friends Help Design Book Covers by Leia Shaw

As a self-published author, one of the many things I’m responsible for is making my own book covers. Whoever said “don’t judge a book by its cover” was a wonderfully idealistic person whose advice is never followed. People do judge books by their cover so it pays to have a kick ass one. Most people – the smart ones – pay someone to do this.

But my husband is a photoshop wizard. I don’t need to waste money having someone else do it when my very best friend in the whole wide world is so good at it, I naively thought.  What I didn’t foresee was having to bug him to get a project done, putting up with eye rolls when I asked for small changes, and general marital discord. It got annoying so I thought, ambitiously, who needs him anyway? I am smart. I am powerful. I am woman. Now move the fuck out of my way while I call in a professional.

Just kidding.

I begged my super talented awesome husband (yes, he’s reading this) to give me a few lessons. And I watched some online tutorials by a kid who couldn’t be over the age of 12 (an unforeseen blow to my ego). But I figured out enough to pretty much do a cover myself.

I have a new book releasing on Halloween. It’s called The Dom with a Safeword and it’s co-authored with Sorcha Black and Cari Silverwood. The writing itself hadn’t been too frustrating. Sure we’d tossed death threats here and there, name-called a bit when it came to choosing a title, but mostly I adored them and had hardly any urges to physically harm them.

This weekend I made the cover – while Cari and Sorcha spewed super helpful (sometimes unwelcome) advice on facebook chat. My husband started off as moral and sometimes technical support but abandoned me about two hours in. Four hours frustrating hours later, we had a cover.

At the end of that four hours, my face was flushed despite it being cold in the house, I’d bitten off all my nails, my hair was a wreck from trying to pull it out, and I could have, quite possibly, strangled my beloved co-authors. Good thing they live in two different countries.

Here’s one little snippet that demonstrates why I had to smother such violent urges.

Cari: I don’t like the thin font.

Sorcha: no, the thin font doesn’t stand out enough. Try a thicker one, but nothing cartoony.

Leia: All thick fonts are cartoony.

Cari: we need a masculine font

Leia: What the fuck is a masculine font?

Sorcha: yes, a masculine font that’s thick and not cartoony

Leia: grrrrr

Sorcha: and try a brighter color.

Leia: the neon blue isn’t bright enough for you? I can barely look at it without sunglasses

Cari: yes, a font that glows and changes color while blinking that’s also masculine but thick and not cartoony

Leia: *shops for discount plane tickets to Australia and Canada while packing a suitcase full of weaponry*

You see my frustration? This is how photographers feel when their 300 pound client comes in and says, make me look skinny.

I can’t just DO anything you want. There are limitations. I am not a magic genie. I don’t have a Harry Potter wand. If I did, I would send my patronous to kick your ass. Expecto patronum!

That being said, book covers are important. Very, very – and I can’t stress this enough for self published authors – important. A cover needs to be visually appealing, professional, something that stands out but also gives a clear idea of the type of book the reader is buying. It’s a tall order, especially when it comes to romance and erotic books as the market is saturated. Luckily, there are a lot of bad covers so hopefully ours stands out. And my advice to self-pubbers – if you can’t produce a cover that can be compared to a professional one then hire someone to do it. It’s worth the cost.

And the next time I make a cover for any co-authored book, we’re video chatting through all four hours. With Celine Dion playing in the background. If I’m in misery, they are too.

In case you’re wondering, here’s the final product.

 

Filed under: romance

Weekly Paranormal-Scope

While I’m not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets, I am intimately linked with the paranormal in the world.  In many ways, so are you.  This week is filled with energy.  Do you feel it?  When I walked out my door this morning, I knew a lot will be happening this week!

The week ahead for:

Aries
One lone faery walks your way on route to help a friend.  Does someone need your help?

Taurus
Hilarious.  That’s what pixies playing football is!  Oh, no!  Sounding like Yoda?  Be careful of how you express yourself this week.

Gemini
The ice queen is coming your way.  Keep warm with a new wardrobe.  Don’t catch a chill.

Cancer
What do you get if you put a vampire in the kitchen?  A meal masterpiece, that’s what!  So invite a friend over and cook like a mad hatter.

Leo
A gray lady floats over your path.  Take another path home.  Make safety your priority.

Virgo
Shapeshifters love football.  Get the dip and chips and other refreshments and invite friends over.  It’s going to be an exciting week for the game.

Libra
Dragons are flapping their wings.  Brace yourself for a blow.  Everything is being blown around and changed.

Scorpio
A hobbit has admired you from afar and wants to get closer.  There’s an old saying:  Home is where is the hobbit is.

Sagittarius
A blue bull sits in your yard.  Ok, forget the bull and move on in life.  It’s time to take charge of things and get it done.

Capricorn
One elf thinks you are the best.  Where there’s one there’s a lot.  Yay for you to be so highly thought of.

Aquarius
One pixie can’t do that much harm.  Um.  Oh, yes, they can.  Pay attention to small details this week.

Pieces
Wolves are at your door bearing gifts.  It’s a good thing to have tough friends.  Invite them in to party.

–Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley
http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

 

Filed under: Susan Hanniford Crowley, Weekly Paranormal-Scope

Break the Code: Get a Date with Chas

by C. Margery Kempe

Want a free book for your Kindle or other reading device? You can win a copy of book one of the sexy thriller Chastity Flame this week with a little bit of ingenuity. If you examine the fabulous cover art by S. L. Johnson you’ll notice something interesting: there’s a pattern of number in the background, the ones and zeros of computer coding. It’s so ingenious! I marvel at the cleverness of the QoE and her amazing design sense. It’s just the perfect thing.

But what does the code mean?

If you want to figure it out you can have a chance to win a copy of Chastity Flame: Book 1! Just remember the adult content klaxon: her wild adventures are not for everyone so genteel readers beware. This is scorching erotic romance!

If she only scorches, you’re lucky…

Chastity Flame works for a nameless organization. You won’t hear about the work she does either. But if you run into her, you won’t be able to resist trying your luck. Maybe it’s her amber eyes, or maybe it’s her dangerous curves. Whatever it is, you’ll be in for a memorable night — as long as you’re not on her “to-do” list.

Chastity Flame loves her job as a secret government operative. She foils criminal masterminds, travels the world, and finds new lovers in every city. When she meets art historian Damien Michelet in front of one of her favorite paintings, she discovers there’s more to life than just lust (although there’s plenty of that, too).

But Chastity doesn’t have time to think about what this sexy distraction. Her job is amusing herself with various lovers across the continent in an effort to try and uncover a vast computer virus scheme that will destabilize European currency.

Hence the computer code background! How can you win? It’s easy –

1. Take a close look at the full size art over at Stephanie’s blog.

2. Figure out what the background coding means.

3. Post your response at Stephanie’s blog. The first five people with correct answers get a copy of Chas in the format of their choice:

I’ll announce the winners next week as well as on SLJ’s blog! Get puzzling puzzlers!

Filed under: C. Margery Kempe, erotic romance, Kit Marlowe, romance

World Creation–Quasi Existing Worlds

I come from years in science fiction and fantasy as a short story author and more recently an associate editor with Space and Time Magazine (not a romance venue).  When many of the female science fiction and fantasy authors turned their attention to romance, the genre began having greater in-depth world building.

A lot of romance happens in the real world whether contemporary or historical.  Then there’s the paranormal authors.  They have a choice.  To create a world or to use an existing world.  This week I’m going to talk about Quasi Existing Worlds.

It’s easier to use what you have and know than to create.  So start with a place you know very well, and alter just one area or put in an additional area that only your hero or heroine can see.  An example would be Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

For my Vampires in Manhattan series, I used New York City extensively.  My supernaturals run businesses that serve both humans and the supernaturals alike whether it’s working in the garment district, having a florist shop, or being a waitress in a coffee shop.   Then there are places that look like an office building, but it serves the the supernatural community.  I believe in using hide in plain sight.  Make the differences subtle and intriguing so they are more memorable. But for the human populations, these places and buildings blend in.

In The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, I moved the action from the Big Apple to the Big Easy.  Hurricane Katrina was a natural fit as it caused mayhem for the humans but didn’t appear to affect the vampires in the book.  I say appear since in fact, the hurricane moved the plot with a fury.   I used what I knew about the French Quarter and added Marchon’s bar that caters exclusively to vampires.

In When Love Survives, I was inspired by the heroism on the darkest day of New York City history when the Twin Towers fell in a terrorist attack.  New Yorkers came together.  In the story, the supernatural community came out to help, including two rescue workers that fell in love while working to save lives.

To create your quasi existing world, you can add a little or just use your real world and filled it with a diversity of human and supernatural characters living together in a day to day existence.

Next week I’ll explore creating worlds of your own.

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Filed under: A Writing Sirloin Tip, Characters, Emotions, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, Settings, Susan Hanniford Crowley, vampire books, vampires, What A Writer Needs, What inspires you?, Writing Topics, writing workshop

The Benefits of Writing Classes by Marian Lanouette

 

First, Happy Birthday to my nephew Louis, I hope you’re having a wonderful day! Love ya!

What I’m reading this week—Frozen Heat by Richard Castle.

This week I want to ask you if you’ve taken writing classes or seminar and which ones you felt you benefited from the most.

No matter what you chose to be in life, you needed to study or train for it to succeed. Writing is the same as any other profession, but more fun. Your skill set will set you apart from the crowd.

Me, I could have been a professional student. Learning and experiencing new things brings me such joy. So it seemed natural when I decided to take my writing seriously I’d research the field thoroughly, to see what it would take to be published.

I put grammar classes at the top of my list. Thinking that would do the trick, I signed up for all the free grammar courses or websites I could find. Yes, it was a great beginning but not nearly enough. With all those classes and advice under my belt I started to submit my work. Well, rejection after rejection (form letters) told me nothing. It couldn’t possibly be this Brooklyn Girl’s grammar or speech pattern. Could it?

No feedback meant the problem couldn’t be fixed. How do you target a problem when you don’t know what it is?

I continued my research and found organizations that brought like minds together. Organizations like Sisters in Crime (NE) and Romance Writers of America (CT); and online writing communities like Savvyauthors.com is another source to check out. These are phenomenal organizations that work to improve the skill set of mystery and romance writers alike. I suggest you look into them.

Finally, I got a rejection letter with some information. A kind editor pointed out where I needed help. You can bet the house on it, I ran out and took all the classes I could find on POV (point of view).  And voila! I’d like to think a great readable novel was created. Make no mistake. I still rely on editors. As a writer the story unravels so fast, what you thought andwhat  hits the paper might leave a few gaps. A good editor is worth their weight in gold, in my opinion.

Did I stop there? Oh no. I started attending seminars, conferences and became an online course junkie.

Here are some of my favorites: If you ever have the opportunity to take Deep Story with Carol Hughes, don’t hesitate, sign up first. How to write multi-novels in a year  by Kerri Nelson is also great. Here are some more; Revising by Sylvie Kurtz, Pitching on Savvyauthor.com, Edit-Palozza to name a few.  I’ve taken so many which are too numerous to mention here but I really want to hear what your favorite craft class was.

Remember, creativity comes from the heart, the mind and the soul!

 

Author bio: Marian’s debut novel hit the shelves on September 7th. She’s currently working on the third novel in series.

http://www.marianl.com

http://www.marian-l.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/#!/marian.lanouette

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMarian

http://www.amazon.com/Fail-Carring ton-Mystery-Series-ebook/dp/B0095GCVX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348799881&sr=8-1&keywords=if+i+fail Buy links:

Watch the book trailer click here: http://youtu.be/MlTDOdydRsI

 

Filed under: romance

Meet Author Rebecca Heflin by Gerri Brousseau

Nights of Passion is excited to have Rebecca Heflin here with us today.  Welcome, Rebecca.  You have some exciting things going on – not only do you have a new release in e-book, “Rescuing Lacey” but you also have a book being released in print, “The Promise of Change.” 

Please tell us a bit about both.

 Thanks for having me Gerri. In my debut novel, The Promise of Change, my heroine, Sarah Edwards, loves stability, but finds life has other plans for her. Divorced, bored, and twitchy, she’s convinced her impulsive, sometimes irrational decisions are the sign of a mid-life crisis, and the contradictory actions and emotions are giving her family and friends mental whiplash. Her abrupt resignation from her job is the final straw. But a two-week trip to England seems the perfect pick-me-up for this Anglophile and Austenite.

Enter Alex Fraser, a.k.a. the Earl of Rutherford, who although a member of the lucky sperm club, prefers to be known for what he’s accomplished, rather than a fate of birth. Despite his family’s disapproval, he is determined to work in his chosen profession of acting. He’s always preferred casual flings with beautiful women who have no illusions of marriage. That is until he literally bumps into Sarah in an Oxford pub.

Despite an idyllic week together, Sarah gets cold feet and returns to the states determined to come back down to reality. A year later, the realization of Sarah’s life-long dream unexpectedly brings Alex back into her life, in what she believes is an ironic twist of fate. Will Sarah’s decisions leave her life in shambles, or will they lead to the promise of change?

My second upcoming release, Rescuing Lacey, is very different in tone, setting, and personalities. Where the tone and setting of The Promise of Change is polished, the tone and setting of Rescuing Lacey is rough around the edges.

In that novel, tough battle-scarred photojournalist-turned-wildlife-photographer Lacey Sommers travels to Costa Rica in a last-ditch effort to save her job, where she meets beach-bum-gorgeous Luke Hancock. An outdoor guide, environmentalist and expert on economics and sustainability, he’s been hired by her magazine to serve as her pilot and wilderness guide for the duration of her stay.

It’s clear from the outset there is a powerful physical attraction between the two, but strong personalities, pre-conceived notions, an unexpected and contentious family connection, and the scars from a tragic death and a terrifying event threaten to keep them apart.

Will Lacey shed the mantle of Kevlar she’s worn for so long and allow Luke inside her heart? Or will her ostensible strength be her downfall?

How long have you been writing?

I’ve always wanted to write but never really had the courage to sit down and do it. It took a mid-life crisis of sorts to finally push me out of my comfort zone. So, about three years ago I sat down and started writing. I haven’t stopped since.

Please tell us a little about your journey to publication?   

From first word to publication took about two years. After I finished The Promise of Change I submitted it to multiple contests and received valuable feedback. Taking that feedback, I tweaked the manuscript and submitted it my first publisher, who kindly rejected it. I was devastated – silly I know, but your first rejection is always your hardest. In the meantime, I had started Rescuing Lacey, but I set it aside and returned to the first manuscript determined to make it better. Some 30,000 additional words later I sent it out for more contests. This time the feedback was promising (no pun intended).

A few more tweaks and I sent my baby out into the cold, cruel world one more time. Got more rejections, but they didn’t sting quite so much this time. About a month before I got ‘The Call,’ I learned that it had finaled in the Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards. I felt vindicated. Then Soul Mate came calling and the rest, as they say, is history.

What were your biggest obstacles?

My biggest obstacle then as now, is time. Working full time as an attorney for a major research university, running a non-profit my husband and I co-founded, and trying to learn as much as I can about writing, while writing, well, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. If only I were a vampire and didn’t need to sleep.

What compelled you to write The Promise of Change?   

During my mid-life crisis, I found I needed a creative outlet. I can’t sew or knit or paint, but I’ve always enjoyed reading and love putting words together to build a story. I can honestly say that writing saved me from myself.

Who do you write for?  (I don’t mean Soul Mate … I mean do you write for yourself, your audience, etc.)

I write for myself mainly, but of course, the reader is always there in my mind. Otherwise, what’s the point if no one wants to read your work?

Do you have any productivity tips for other writers?

I’d like to say I have a daily word-count goal, but my schedule just doesn’t permit that kind of daily discipline. For me, if I get a block of time free, say a couple of hours or more, I can really make it count. I have long-term goals set. My plan is to finish my WIP by September. That may mean a few hundred words a day, when I can swing it, or it may mean whole weekends when hubby is out of town, dedicated to writing thousands of words. One way or the other, I get it done.

But in an excellent example of do as I say, not as I do, I’d recommend having a daily word-count goal if at all possible. Publish or perish doesn’t just apply in the academic world, but in the publishing world as well, and the best way to increase your readership is to release at least two books a year. The more productive you are the better your chances of succeeding with that goal.

If the Gods smiled down on you and Hollywood were to make one of your books into a movie, who would you envision playing the roles of your hero and heroine?   

That would be awesome! Let’s see. For The Promise of Change, I’d like to see Ashley Judd play Sarah and Colin Firth play Alex. For Rescuing Lacey, Charlize Theron as Lacey and Matthew McConaughey as Luke.

In all the books you have read who is your favorite hero?

Fitzwilliam Darcy is still my favorite hero. All dark and broody, but I like to think that the side Elizabeth sees is fiercely passionate, steadfast, and loyal.

I’m with you on that one. I love Mister Darcy as well.  Tell me, when you are not writing, what do you enjoy doing?   

I enjoy reading, working in my garden, trying new recipes, and spending time with my hubby.

What is your guilty pleasure?   

Okay, here goes. A cold, rainy day curled up on the sofa in front of the fire, watching the BBC’s entire five-and-a-half hour production of Pride and Prejudice, with plenty of hot tea and fine chocolates.

Thanks, Rebecca, for sharing here with us today. Readers, if you would love to read The Promise of Change, you can get it at any of these sites.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Promise-of-Change-ebook/dp/B006QR2HL6

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-promise-of-change-rebecca-heflin/1108122547

Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/the-promise-of-change/

Filed under: romance

You are Your Own Worst Roadblock

Okay so maybe this title is not always true but whether in the writing world or outside of it, it can be true for a good portion of the time. I’ve just about finished a manuscript. You see, I can’t even say I finished because I’m not sure if it is completely done (I’m not including editor/publisher run-throughs) and ready to be queried. The truth is I’m not sure it will ever be done in my mind though. Why? Because I am my own worst roadblock.

I admit it. I’m scared to death of sending my latest manuscript out. And the weird thing is that it isn’t completely the rejection because I’ve been rejected both in the writing world and outside of it and it really isn’t a big deal. My biggest fear is sharing something that will be picked up and published before I feel it is of sufficient quality to be shared with readers. At least I can say my concern has good intentions. I do worry a lot about the readers and whether I am setting my best foot forward. The truth is that I know that no matter what I send out “there”, there will always be someone who will most likely love it and someone who will most likely hate it. That is the nature of humanity.

So why do we do this to ourselves? A tendency to overanalyze? Most likely. A need to please? That’s a good bet. Fear? A definite to the umpteenth degree. I can sit here and asking myself what I have to fear but the only thought that goes through my mind is what do I not have to fear! But then I remember I’m a writer and that deciding to write in itself is taking a huge plunge. I think about all the roadblocks I’ve overcome just to get to this point and all the roadblocks I will still need to overcome.

All right, I’ll stop stalling. What am I waiting for? Beats me… I’m off to start my querying. Wish me luck! Oh, and happy writing to all of you this week.

 

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life