Brenda Whiteside's Blog, page 98

Prairie Cold

Tortuga Thursday In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.
A couple of nights ago, an amazing full moon went down over the greenhouse. Wish I had a camera that would do it justice. The skies are so clear and bright here, far away from city lights. I'm usually in awe when I look up to the stars.

It's been cold for such a long spell. We do have sunshine that cuts that cold a bit during the day but with the regular wind, it doesn't always help. Nights are in the twenties so the greenhouse plants are not doing so great. They look alive and green but are stunted in growth. We don't have the finances to equip the structure with proper heating and airflow so we wait. Either they'll grow once the temps go up or they die. No sense planting anything more until we have a continuous upswing on nighttime temps.

Lance did a drastic trim on the orchard. From the looks of the trees, they'd never been properly trimmed. Since we didn't get any fruit this last summer, he decided it couldn't hurt to cut them back. It may be a year or two before we see any fruit again. They look so thin and everything is so dead right now, I wonder if they'll ever come back. Our microclimate is death on fruit anyway. Not sure why the prior owners bothered to plant so many fruit trees.

Frank and Rusty did the clean up on the limbs. At least we'll have firewood now.

No new news on the pickle business. We are waiting for the certificate from the county before we can schedule some farmers markets. Down in the valley they run until May so we have time. Once we have the health certificate, we need insurance and food handlers licenses. Add studying for the license to my list of to-dos.

Make My Book A Movie - I Wish

MUSE MONDAY
A few days ago, my husband and I went to see Saving Mr. Banks. I hadn't read any reviews or seen a movie trailer beyond a preview a few months back. The fact that it had something to do with Walt Disney and Mary Poppins was enough to hook me. I love Disneyland and so many of the stories Disney brought to the screen.

I totally enjoyed the movie which was about P. L. Travers', the author of the Mary Poppins series, long avoidance of allowing Disney to make a movie from her books. She said no for twenty years. How crazy does that sound? Assuming Hollywood didn't embellish the truth too much, it was a delight seeing how they turned her story into a movie. Her abhorrence of the process had me wanting to slap her upside the head for most of the movie.

At dinner, my husband asked me if I would be so obstinate if I was offered a movie deal on any of my books. Would I feel like I was handing my baby over? Giving up part of myself? Losing my creation?
Travers and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum on offering up our novels to film. Without hesitation I answered. "Are you serious?" I would loooooove one of my books to make it to the screen.

We decided Sleeping with the Lights On would adapt the best - good chick flick. My leading man came to me immediately. Matthew McConaughey would make a great country singer from Texas but now gracing the stages of Las Vegas. Carson Holiday. Swoon inducing. He's a little young, but they could make him look fifty with the magic of Hollywood.

My leading lady would be Meg Ryan. She's a couple of years too old but close enough to fifty to pull it off. Sandra Holiday faces life with a sense of humor. Meg Ryan has an effervescence about her that would be perfect.

The quirky millionaire, Wesley, who Sandra thinks is her new love would be played perfectly by Nicholas Cage. He does quirky proud. And the redheaded stalker would have to be played by Nicole Kidman. She could be obsessed and a bit crazy.


So, we have the cast. Now if I can just get the ear of some Hollywood director... It certainly is fun to dream.



After two failed marriages and countless relationships, Sandra Holiday thinks she’s met the man to end her years of less than perfect choices; choices that not only derailed her travel-related career plans but also left her single and broke. 
Carson Holiday, a Las Vegas country crooner with swoon-inducing good looks, spent his adult life pursuing a recording contract and love, never holding on to either. After eighteen years, he drops back into Sandra’s life, reigniting an attraction he can’t deny.
When Carson reappears, Sandra must choose again.  Only this time, nothing’s as it seems.  A secret admirer, a redheaded stalker, and an eccentric millionaire throw her on a dangerous path, with Carson her only truth.
As life confronts her with yet another turning point, will her decisions find her eternally sleeping with the lights on – or will she finally discover a way to turn them off?

2012 vs 2013

 Tortuga Thursday In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.Two years under our belts. And we're still learning and still planning. This was the year of the pickle. We canned hundreds of jars of pickles and relish. Pirate Pickling was born. This week we've been steeped in paperwork to get all our ducks in a row for doing farmers' markets.

Frank and I got the RV this year. Not that we can afford to do much traveling yet, but our short trips and adventures were fun. And when I need a quiet place outside of the house to write, I have the perfect escape.


This was also the year of Sadi Belle. Becoming grandparents for the first time was the highlight of the year. Nothing tops it.

Here are a few comparative pictures from year one and two.


A few jars of pickles canned in 2012
Hundreds of pickles in 2013
We had fruit in 2012, none in 2013. Corn in 2012 and lots of wind.









We skipped corn in 2013 but boy did we have cucumbers. I'll never forget the tumbleweed wars of 2013.

A Muse With a Mind of Her Own by Barbara White Daille

MUSE MONDAY Please help me welcome Barbara White Daille to Muse Monday. Her muse keeps her guessing sometimes! 
Thanks so much to Brenda for inviting me here to chat with you on Muse Monday.
I'll let you in on a little secret.  I don't know about other authors, but my muse can be one fickle female. 
Sometimes she shows up for work with her shirtsleeves rolled to her elbows, ready to tackle the day ahead.  When she's in that mood, her cooperation comes as a gift, a solid chunk of an idea I can build on to create a story I love.
This happened with Court Me, Cowboy.  One of my earliest books, it's also the one that led to "The Call" and my first publishing contract. 
My muse gave me a nugget in the form of an image that wouldn't go away:  a man sitting on the edge of his bed and tossing his no-longer-needed wedding ring into the air and catching it.
With that flash alone, I learned Gabe had been married after a whirlwind relationship, then abandoned by his bride soon after their Las Vegas wedding.  I also knew my loner hero wasn’t going to be at all happy when his wife returned to his ranch to share the very startling news she was carrying his child.

Of course, at that stage, I had no idea why Marissa summoned the courage to come back—or heck, why she'd run off in the first place.  Or how Gabe found the strength to believe Marissa was telling the truth.  But in that first tiny glimpse of an idea, my muse gave me a foundation that never changed throughout the writing of the book.
On the other hand...
With my newest story, Rancher at Risk, my muse took a long time to let me in on any details.  A four-books-long time, as a matter of fact, as this is the fourth book set in the small town of Flagman's Folly, New Mexico.
My hero, Ryan, is brand-new to me.  He's a man who lost his family in a tragic accident and is now on the verge of losing everything else, including his job and his self-respect.
The heroine, Lianne, is someone I've known since way back in book one, where she plays a small role.  Because she's deaf and not in town during that story, her "page time" came mostly from text messages and e-mails to her sister, the heroine of the first book.
Unfortunately, around the time I met Lianne, my muse was in one of her fickle stages.  Though she knew darned well Lianne had a story to tell, my muse would only offer the tiniest bits of information.
While I was still floundering, trying to find out more about Lianne, she appeared on-page in another of the Flagman's Folly books.  After a while, I was able to coax her into telling me what I wanted to know—with almost no thanks at all to that unpredictable muse of mine!
When the muse hands me her gift—that story nugget—I'm so excited to be able to jump right into the book.  Yet, when she makes me work my tail off to figure out the story before I can start writing, I always find it's well worth the effort, too.
Hmm...
Readers - what do you think—maybe my muse knows best, after all?
And if you're a writer—got any tips for getting along with a muse?


Rancher at Risk
A Fresh Start
After the loss of his family in a tragic accident, Ryan Malloy has been given one last chance to change his life. His boss sends him to Flagman's Folly, New Mexico, to run his ranch, but unfortunately, Ryan's troubled attitude lands him in hot water with the locals, especially the ranch's manager, Lianne Ward.
Deaf since birth, Lianne has never let her disability define who she is. But, she's yet to meet a man who treats her as an equal. Ryan seems different…that is, when they're not butting heads over the ranch's new school for disadvantaged boys
Forced to work together, Lianne and Ryan discover an unexpected attraction beneath their quarreling. But will Ryan's painful past drive them apart…permanently?

Rancher at Risk:
Amazon     http://amzn.com/0373755058    Barnes & Noble     http://bit.ly/Rancher-at-Risk-Barnes-and-Noble Harlequin Books     http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=49780Powell's Books     http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780373755059-0    IndieBound     http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780373755059

Barbara White Daille
Originally from the East Coast, award-winning author Barbara White Daille now lives with her husband in the warm, sunny Southwest, where they love the lizards in the front yard but could do without the scorpions in the bathroom.
Barbara's newest title, Rancher at Risk, debuted this week in both paper and e-book formats.  An earlier book, Court Me, Cowboy, has just been re-issued as a Cowboy at Heart Special Release, available as a standalone e-book (at your favorite retailer) and in Larger Print (exclusively at www.Harlequin.com). 
Barbara would love to have you drop by her website:  www.barbarawhitedaille.comand to see you on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraWhiteDaille
and Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

Mother Nature Mother of a Freeze

 Tortuga Thursday In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.
Chard in cinder blocks in greenhouseHaving fresh, organic greens in the winter can be a challenge. We've had broccolini, kale and collards without much trouble because they were left from the summer crops. We've also managed to keep a couple of varieties of lettuce going.

A side note here on broccolini: Some think the long, thin vegetable with a smaller head is baby broccoli, but it is not. Broccolini is actually a hybrid of broccoli and kai-lan. When I say we have broccolini, I'm fudging a bit. We didn't plant the hybrid. Due to several factors of our lingering Broccolinisummer, greenhouse broccoli, the stalks are long and slender with small heads. They are sweeter and much more tender. However we did it, we have broccolini!

Then my farmer son planted spinach, chard, more kale, more collards, arugula and broccoli sprouts, cabbage and brussel sprouts in cinder blocks along the sides of the greenhouse. These are all cold weather plants. (Dill, not cold weather, took up a large portion of the center. We need to start stockpiling dried dill for pickling in the summer. The dill took a freeze hit early on and we need to replant.)

Broccoli sproutsThe greenhouse is not totally weather proof if the temps drop too low which is why the dill is sick. We have one small heater inside that keeps the temps above a hard freeze if needed. Three days ago, the door was left open overnight.

Next morning ALL of those gorgeous baby plants were frozen solid.

You could break off shoots and leaves with a crunch. We can spread the blame around as each one of us thought the other one had it under control. Skip over that part.

I hit the Internet to research if there was anything we could do. Nada. But I did find hope in one site which said arugula, chard and spinach can freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, etc. and continue to grow as long as the ground doesn't freeze - in theory. We held a pinpoint of hope and moved on. We'd just have to replant.

The next afternoon, I decided to see if any of the greens were salvageable for a salad that night. What I found left me speechless. The babies looked as if nothing had happened to them. They were beautifully green and perfect to the touch. We'll be watching to see how they grow. They could still die or be sickly, but we may have lucked out.

Green bean survived for a while in the houseWe've had a few helpings from our indoor green beans, but finally gave up on them. Some experiments don't work. Green beans are not cold weather. Lance started them in pots in the greenhouse and moved them to the front room window when temps dropped. Unfortunately, they pick up bugs too easy and indoor carpet harbors critters.

I thought about doing a wrap up for 2013, our second year on Tortuga Flats Farm. The struggle to get our greens going for the winter is noteworthy, so I'll do a recap and look  back next week.

Do I Drop the F-Bomb?

MUSE MONDAY
Many years ago, in my first Creative Writing class, I wasn't wowed by one of the other students like the instructor was. I have to admit, he certainly was easy on the eyes. Watching him read his short stories was...pleasurable - his hair had that who-cares-I-look-like-this-when-I-wake casualness, he always had a two day growth beard, his jeans had just the right amount of holes. And all of this long before it was stylish. But listening to his stories - nah, not so impressive. He used a heavy sprinkling of four-letter words, dropping the F-bomb frequently. This seemed to impress the instructor. I've always felt there are so many more descriptive words in the English language that the use of profanity just isn't needed.

Nowadays, profanity is expected in all forms of art. I avoided using them for a long time. It wasn't that I hadn't heard those colorful words or that they made me uncomfortable. I grew up with a father that worked construction most of his life. I think the only men who swear more than construction workers are sailors. At least, the saying "swears like a sailor" must be an indication. Eventually, in the name of realistic dialogue, my own writing became laced with a few four-letter expletives. I write contemporary for the most part, and all you have to do is stand in a shopping mall near a group of high school students to get the feel for contemporary language. Luckily, I don't write teenagers. I've been able to sprinkle the realistic dialogue with everyday guttural words but avoid the F-bomb.

Where am I going with this? My current work in progress has a character that keeps threatening use of the avoided word. So far, I've held him at bay with the alternative word friggin'. My husband just read my rough draft. He's not a romance reader but when I write a romantic suspense, he always gives me good feedback. He knows how to help me beef up the suspense. Well, this time he says I'm half-stepping. The guy's a murderer and crass. He wouldn't pussyfoot with his swearing. Ah man...really?

If my bad guy doesn't come off bad in a realistic way, I'm sunk.

So what to do? I've sent off a letter to my editor for some direction. My critique partners are mixed on their opinions. I'll be starting revisions in the next week so I really need to make a decision and go for it. I don't think my publisher would want to see %$#& just because I have trouble putting the word to paper.

Would love to hear any and all opinions on my dilemma from a writer's point of view as well as a reader's feelings on the subject.

Writing Saved Me by Katya Armock

FEARLESS FRIDAY Please welcome Katya to Fearless Friday. She has a touching real life experience I know you'll want to read.  Five years ago, I had a stable job that paid well and could draw the arc of my career in a logical, ordered way. I had it all according to many people’s definition of success. The problem was I felt incredibly depressed, stressed and angry. My body couldn’t take the insomnia, the repression of negative emotions or the fact I like to eat when I’m upset. I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Thank the powers that be for my husband’s diligence to see me through, a supportive friend and some unknown inner strength to change.It didn’t happen overnight, but I took baby steps toward change, and that in and of itself lessened my burden. I started by asking my employer if I could work part-time. They agreed. I did this for about a year while I researched other options for a potential career change. I worked with the Enneagram, read The Pathfinder and took several courses through Landmark Education. I finally decided to pursue a degree in Veterinary Technology. My ego made this a harder decision than perhaps it should have been. To be a vet tech, you get an associate’s degree. I already had a master’s in social science. It also paid a whole lot less than my current job. Yet I took a part-time vet assistant job and started back to school. In many ways I loved what I was doing. Working with animals had been a hobby for most of my life and now it was my vocation. As the program went on, it became apparent that changing my life was not going to be such a smooth road. I didn’t excel at some of the hands-on work. I also suffered two injuries. The second was a bulging disk in my back that pretty much ended my career before it even really began. The physical work of restraining large dogs and standing for hours on end just wasn’t possible with the way my injury manifested, and after months of treatment and physical therapy, it was obvious that this was going to be a lifelong condition I would need to manage.I felt like I wasted the last two years going to school for a degree I now couldn’t use and working at a low paying job. My ego reared its ugly head again, telling me I’d ruined my life. I fell into depression again. It didn’t help that I took a third shift office job that showed me that sitting and doing menial tasks ended in back pain too.I started to think again about writing. I once dreamed of being a writer when I was in college. Back then I was a good deal less jaded than the demands of bills and my own expectations for a certain standard of living made me over the years. I had once enjoyed it just for the fun of the experience, but when I tried to turn it into a career, the passion became drudgery. With all I’d learned about myself and life, I began to wonder if I couldn’t try writing again with a different attitude. This time I’d do it for fun—and only fun.I started out on a romance, writing off and on. I went to RT with a friend and found it invigorating. I completed my manuscript and entered it in my local RWA Chapter’s writing contest thanks to a friend who kept pestering me to just do it. Turns out I placed second and got some very helpful feedback from the judges. I decided to pitch it to some small presses. All four asked to see the manuscript and two offered me contracts.A few years later, I now have two books published. Some days my ego runs rampant telling me I ought to try to make more money and push myself until my eyes or fingers bleed just to churn out books to sell. So far I’ve pulled myself back from the brink and remembered I’m doing this for fun, and the little bit of money I make is just a perk. And I even found a way to use my Veterinary Technology degree. I also pet sit part-time, which is much easier on my back, lets me set my own hours, and still lets me work with animals. My degree has helped me market myself—especially to owners with older pets or those with medical conditions.Is my life perfect? Nope. But I don’t expect it to be. Do I have bad days? Yes. I still struggle with depression and the difficulties of dealing with chronic pain and physical limitation. But I am blessed in so many ways, and for that I am grateful.  Author Bio:I like books that are funny and fun to read (and hot!) but also make me think or look at the world in a new way. My first two books, To Hiss or to Kiss and To Growl or to Groan, are steamy paranormal romances featuring a jaguar shape-shifter and an animal psychic. Book Three of the Hidden Lines trilogy is in the works and is tentatively titled To Snarl or to Snuggle.
These days you’ll find me writing, pet sitting, juggling a number of freelance gigs, and reigning as my home’s domestic goddess. I live in the Midwestern U.S. with my husband, dog and cats. Alas, I have, as of yet, been unable to teach my husband how to purr. Website: http://katyaarmock.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katyaarmockTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/KatyaArmockAmazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Katya-Armock/e/B00BN29T7YEtopia Author Page:  http://etopia-press.net/authors/katya-armock/ Blurb:Her gift could save a missing girl…or destroy her relationship forever.
After receiving a troubling Tarot reading, Chloe just knows something big and bad is about to happen. Her ability to communicate with animals and shape-shifters is going awry, and her growing psychic abilities are beginning to scare her. Despite her unease, she won’t let anything interrupt her trip to Scotland to spend the holidays with her shape-shifter boyfriend’s family. Jorge is everything she’s always wanted, and the fire between Chloe and the passionate panther-shifter burns hot. But meeting his family has her nerves in knots.

Any Drugs in Your Bag, Santa

 Tortuga Thursday In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love. I do love the Christmas season, but have to be honest, this one makes the record books for all the wrong reasons. Oh wait - one very right reason - Sadi Belle and her very first Solstice/Christmas. My beautiful granddaughter is just nine months old, so much of the traditions meant nothing to her. But we sure had fun. She started to get the hang of tearing off wrapping paper by the third go round. She had a little practice. We do Solstice and Christmas, and keep in mind there are two sides to the family with separate celebrations which meant a few packages to unwrap.

Christie's homemade cream of broccoli soup on SolsticeSolstice was a lovely celebration, but I'm sure we would've all enjoyed it more if my husband hadn't been ill. All of our veggies were from our fields, as is our tradition. Christie made broccoli soup using what we froze during the summer. Our leg of lamb roasted in the oven surrounded by sweet potatoes, golden potatoes and carrots - all from our fields. We had a thankful, quiet Solstice.

Frank continued to worsen, so he missed going down to Phoenix for the family Christmas. I woke up Christmas morning sick, but I made the trek down by myself to deliver and pick up packages.The brunch was great but my energy waned and I left early.

We also have the battle to get enough out of our totaled car simmering on our minds. The first offer was ridiculously low. Only days before Christmas a woman in a mini-van ran a light and totaled our car. My hand is still recovering and luckily the only damage. I've never had airbags deploy. Quite a scare. The week before that accident, my husband was caught in a squall on Lake Mohave. He ended up in the rocks but not hurt. His boat on the other hand is undergoing $10,000 in repairs. Oh my...glad for insurance. He won't touch the water again for another six weeks.

The symbolic Solstice fire.So...this has been an eventful Christmas season.We figure fate got it out of her system all at once at the end of our 2013. Jeez. Thirteen used to be our luck number.

I hope your December was eventful in many good ways!

How I Love Templeton Cove! by Rachel Brimble

MUSE MONDAY Please welcome Rachel Brimble to Muse Monday. She has a fun "getting published" story for us.    When Harlequin Superromance accepted my seventh completed novel, “Finding Justice”, it was one of the most fulfilling and happiest days of my life. When my agent told me four months later they wanted to contract a second book, I practically fell over in a dead faint!
The books were linked – set in the fictional town I created and loved. Templeton Cove is a UK seaside town and all the characters in my books so far, are British. When I learned British set stories, with British characters was a Superromance first, I was so damn proud J
So, of course, with books one and two contracted, I began to get excited that I could possibly have a series on my hands. As a huge fan of Nora Roberts’ trilogies and series, Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series and Jill Shalvis Lucky Harbor series, it has always been my dream to write a series of linked books where I can not just focus on the protagonists but the cast of support characters too.
Just this past May, I signed for books three, four and five. Templeton Cove is well and truly on the UK map and I really hope the series continues to run for as long as my ideas continue to form. The first in the series, Finding Justice, centers around Cat Forrester and Jay Garrett, childhood friends who are reunited when a mutual friend is murdered and Jay becomes the prime suspect. It turns into a race against time to clear Jay’s name…and fight his and Cat’s simmering attraction.
Book 2, A Man Like Him, centers around Chris Forrester (Cat’s brother) and Angela Taylor, a woman in hiding at the Cove.  When a flash flood means Chris and Angela appear on the front page of the national press in an embrace, Angela knows it’s only a matter of time before her violent ex-husband finds her…
I really hope one (or both!) of these stories catches your interest and leads you to follow me as I pen more adventures from beautiful and mysterious Templeton Cove!
Finding Justice blurb & buy links:
Old friends, new secrets 
Sergeant Cat Forrester lives by her own set of rules. When her childhood friend is murdered, Cat's world is thrown into chaos. Especially because Jay Garrett-a man from her past-is a suspect, and he needs her help to prove he's innocent. After all they once shared, how can she say no? 
The attraction flares between them, and getting involved with a suspect is a huge risk. But the more time Cat spends with Jay, the stronger the tug on her heart. He is the same caring, irresistible man she remembers. Yet she can't let her emotions interfere with the case—solving it is top priority. But as she digs deeper, she discovers Jay has secrets that may jeopardize any possible future together.
Amazon US
B&N
Book Depository UK
A Man Like Him blurb & buy links:
Changing her life...again 
After two years in hiding, Angela Taylor knows her independence is worth it. As long as she can escape her past, she has everything under control. Until a flash flood hits the park where she works, and hot Chris Forrester shows up the exact moment she needs a hero. 
Chris proves he can save lives-and weaken a girl's knees. But how can she make him understand that she's off-limits, that getting close to her will endanger hislife? Her happiness or his safety: it shouldn't even be a choice.
Because when you love someone, you protect them, no matter the cost. At least, that's what Angela keeps telling herself....
http://www.amazon.com/Man-Like-Him-Harlequin-Superromance/dp/0373718691/ref=tmm_mmp_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1374137289&sr=8-7
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-man-like-him-rachel-brimble/1114668447?ean=9780373718696
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Like-Harlequin-Super-Romance/dp/0373718691/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1374137395&sr=8-5&keywords=rachel+brimble
Rachel’s bio:
Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK.  After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. In 2012, she sold two books to Harlequin Superromance and a further three in 2013. She also writes Victorian romance for Kensington--her debut was released in April 2013 and she has since signed for three more.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family and beloved black Lab, Max. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!Links:WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebook

CAN YOU TELL A BOOK BY ITS COVER?

MUSE MONDAY
It's that time again, when the book is in edits, and I get the cover art from the artist. This can be the moment when I do the crazy dance of excitement or tears of disappointment trickle down my face. I've had it both ways.

When I published my first book, I had no idea how important a cover can be. I'd never purchased a book because of cover appeal. And since a cover had never influenced me, I didn't realize how much a cover can make or break a book.

I've been lucky enough to work with the artists on some of my books, but on others, all I've been able to do is make a vague suggestion and hope for the best. That method has not always made me happy.

Since I sort of fell into writing romance, I thought no way did I want the typical romance cover with some hunky hero and/or gorgeous heroine. What was I thinking? Ah, but I'm so much wiser now. I've embraced my genre. It also helps to have an artist that seems to know my mind better than I do at times.

I wish I could reveal my cover for my next book, The Art of Love and Murder. I've seen the prototype, and Rae has done it again! Yes, I'm doing the crazy dance of excitement. I'll give you a hint. The models are Jimmy and Ionica who are the models for this blog header and the main page on my web site. As soon as the publisher puts their stamp of approval on it, I'll post the cover.

Meanwhile, it's only two days until the worldwide release of Amanda in the Summer, my short eBook from The Wild Rose Press. Until now the book has been available only on Amazon. As of the 18th, Amanda will be available wherever eBooks are sold.

This beautiful cover is the handy work of the same artist, Rae Monet.

Buy Links:



The Wild Rose Press: http://tinyurl.com/ltatmmf
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly