Talli Roland's Blog, page 29

TGIS!

Why hello there, Wednesday. How did it get to be the middle of the week already? No matter, because today I have author Stephanie Haefner on my blog to celebrate the release of her new novel, Soap Dreams. Over to you, Stephanie!

TGIS - Thank God it's Summer!
Well, almost! It's not technically summer yet but the weather is nice and the days already feel lighter, lazier.

The meaning of summer has changed for me over the years. When I was a kid, it was 2-1/2 months of nothing. No more homework, early bedtimes, or alarm clocks. Swimming in the lake, basking in the sun. The nights were warm with no need for a coat. It was true bliss! Then I grew up a bit, and though I still was in school, summer meant a job to earn a little bit of money. But there was still tons and tons of time for being lazy!

Then I graduated from college, and the real world fell on me. It was summer, but I still had to get up early. I still had to go to work. All. Day. Long. And I had to be in bed at a decent time so I could do it all again the next day. Didn't matter if it was 85 and sunny. There was nothing worse than being at work and looking out the window at a gorgeous day. The only time for relaxation were my two days off each week. But Mother Nature didn't always plan her rain schedule by my work schedule.

Fast forward a few years to mommyhood. I am lucky enough to be able to stay home with my kids and work from home. It use to be a home-based business; now I stay home to write. And it's a combination of both of my old worlds. I can stay up late and sleep in if I want. I can make rainy days my work days, though I do still have to work on sunny days. I love the flexibility my life now has. My husband has wacky days off and they are different each week. While school is in session, we rarely get the chance to do anything as a family. But in the summer, our daughter doesn't have school and dad's days off are everyone's days off!

What was your favorite part of summer when you were young? And now?

A huge thank you to Talli for having me! And thanks to everyone for stopping by! I wish you all a fabulous summer. Any fun plans? All commenters will be entered in a drawing to win a digital copy of my newest release, Soap Dreams!

Cats and Frogs

I'm a big fan of animals in novels -- so big, in fact, that I've often put a few in mine for no apparent reason and ended up having to remove the poor things at later stages. Cats, guinea pigs and roosters have all abounded! And a few will even live to tell the tale!
Do you put animals in your novels? If so, which ones?
On the animal theme, today I'm over at Catt Hughes' blog answering her wonderful questions. And courtesy of India Drummond, here is the cutest cat video I have ever seen.



Happy Tuesday!

Monday Mash-Up

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a good weekend -- mine was spent in a flurry of dress shopping for the upcoming RNA Gala (nothing but mink, mink and more mink as far as the eye could see, thanks to the Duchess of Whatevershire for making that hideous colour so fashionable again)!
It's been awhile since I've done a round-up of recent books I've read, so here are a few for your reading pleasure.
In the Mirror, by Ann Carbine Best. It's been awhile since I've read a memoir as gripping as 'In the Mirror'. Written in a clear, forthright style, Ann Best's life story unfolds in a seamless manner, avoiding the mundane and tangents some non-fiction falls prey to. Dealing with not only her husband's homosexual affairs but also a tragic car accident and her second husband's alcoholism, one would expect a certain amount of self-pity to be present. But, in fact, it's nowhere to be seen. Instead, Ann gives us insight into a strong, brave woman who has coped and persevered -- and overcome.

Carpe Bead'em, by Tonya Kappes. Fun and fresh, it's a great read about finding what's important and hanging onto it.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Read this. Now.
Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe, by Jenny Colgan. Love. Cupcakes! Need I say more?
And a big thank you to Christine at the Imagination Station for her review of The Hating Game today! Much appreciated - mwah!
(Book links coming soon, after I throw-up. First run back after three months away... and I'm feeling the exercise-nausea.)

Can Medical Romances Be Funny?

Happy Friday! Today, I'm delighted to have Wendy S Marcus stopping by on her blog tour. But before we get to that, I want to thank Stephen Tremp for posting a lovely review of my novel The Hating Game (published by Prospera Publishing) over on his blog. Many thanks, Stephen!
Now, over to Wendy:
Hi Talli! Thank you so much for hosting me on the 10th stop of my blog tour to promote my debut Harlequin Medical Romance, WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN'T ENOUGH, which is currently available for purchase at the Mills and Boon website and Amazon UK. It will be in stores in the UK in June as well. It will also be in stores and online in Aus/NZ on July 11, 2011, and online in the U.S. as of July 11, 2011.

For my post today I've decided to address the question: Can medical romance be funny? It's a valid question. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of hospitals? Gorgeous doctors? Probably not. Most people think of the Emergency Room. Trauma and drama. Sickness, injury, and pain. Not much material for funny stuff there.

But being a nurse, I can tell you with first-hand knowledge, medical professionals are some of the funniest people I know. And in Medical Romance, like in actual medical settings, humor is most often found in the interactions between people and not in the medical situations themselves.

Something you may not know, in Harlequin Medical Romance, the books do not take place solely in hospitals. There are many different medical settings that span the continents. Our characters have full lives outside of work. And while there are medical scenes, the focus of our stories is on the hero and heroine. While we strive to make our medical scenes as realistic as possible, gore and tension and high-stakes medical drama is not our main focus.

Here's a scene from WHEN ONE NIGHT ISN'T ENOUGH. It may not be laugh out loud funny, but I hope it shows that medical romance can be light and entertaining, even in the midst of the medical setting:

"You okay?" Ali asked, coming to stand beside him.

Damn it. He thought she'd gone back inside.

"Just peachy. How about you?"

"You were great with Jimmy. I'm sorry you lost your dad so young."

He couldn't look at her. "It's why I became a physician, so no kid would have to deal with what I went through. I'm doing a great job of it, huh?"

"You're not God, Dr. P." She set her hand on his forearm, sending a flare of soothing warmth throughout his body. He craved her touch with a ferocity that excited him as much as it unnerved him.

"You coded Jimmy's dad twelve minutes longer than any other physician here would have," she said. "You did your best."

He tilted his head down and to his left, and their eyes met, held. Hers conveyed genuine concern, empathy. He'd seen it dozens if not hundreds of times over the months they had worked together, directed at her patients, never at him. Yet, instead of using the moment as an opportunity for a sincere conversation between them, he chose to ignore the unwanted, long-suppressed feelings starting to stir deep in his damaged soul for a chance to play, to forget.

"Careful, Kitten," he said in an exaggerated whisper, taking care to make sure there was no one around to hear his term of endearment that delighted him as much as it aggravated her. "I might get the impression you're starting to like me." His mood lifted. "That as hard as you're trying not to, you can't help yourself."

"Nah." She looked down at her watch. "The hospital pays me to be kind and compassionate. Lucky for you I'm still on the clock."

"Good." He leaned in close to her ear. "Maybe we can go someplace private and you can give me a little more of your commm…passion."

She pinched him.

Good for her. The girl had spunk. "Ouch." He rubbed his upper arm. "Where'd the kindness go?"

She looked up at him, her light blue eyes narrowed.

"I'm on the verge of breaking down." He wiped at his dry lashes. "Hell, I think I feel some tears coming."

She turned and walked back toward the E.R. without giving him a second glance. And she looked just as fine from the back as she did from the front, her lavender scrub pants hugging her perfectly shaped rear, her long brown hair up in a loose knot, and sensible little gold hoop earrings curving under her kissable earlobes.

"Don't women like it when a man shows his emotions?" he called after her.

She stopped. "Lust is not an emotion, Dr. P.," she answered over her shoulder.

"It sure is.

Come over to my place after work and we'll do a Google search. Whoever's right gets to choose what we do next. You wanna know what I'll pick?"

Ali hit the button beside the electronic doors.

As they started to open he called out, "Time's running out, Ali."

She hesitated before walking back into the ER.

Jared waited a minute, trying to contain his smile. He knew she wouldn't bite, but provoking her was so much fun. No one entertained him like Ali. For the first time in the two years he'd worked as an agency physician, traveling from hospital to hospital throughout New York State, Jared might actually miss someone when an assignment ended. A sure-fire sign it was past time for him to move on.

So wha t'd you think?

As part of my blog tour I'm running some contests. To enter for a chance to win an Amazon Gift Card, visit my website: http://WendySMarcus.com. While you're there check out the excerpts from my books.

And now some questions for you. Have you ever read a Harlequin Medical Romance? If so, did you like it? If no, why not? And would you be willing to make mine your first?

One lucky commenter will win a copy of my 2in1 UK release which includes a complete novel by Janice Lynn. Visit me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Thanks, Wendy. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend...

It's Thursday and folks, I fear my brain has temporarily left the building. But... my latest round of revisions is done, so I reckon I deserve a little downtime in the form of funny e-cards. Here you go! Have a great day, everyone.

Squirrels: The Next Big Thing in Publishing

I've got the inside track on a new trend in publishing: squirrels. First there was vampires, then dystopia, then Greek myths. Now, it's the secret lives of squirrels.
You know, all those things they get up to away from the human eye: shopping for new tails, eating mini-cupcakes, torrid love triangles... maybe even a little DIY. There's more than enough material for eighty-thousand words, and children and adults alike will flock to read about these vastly under-appreciated creatures.
But the novel I'm writing now has no squirrels, I hear you cry. Well, it's quite simple. Just take an existing query, and change out all the humans to squirrels. I'll give you an example, using the blurb of my new (now) squirrel-based novel, Watching Willow Watts.
For twenty-five-year-old squirrel Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop; nights watching fuzzy telly whilst the elderly squirrels of Britain's Ugliest Tree bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation is uploaded to SquirrelTube. A canny squirrel spots Marilyn's ghostly image hidden in the film and Willow becomes an international sensation. Her dire little tree is suddenly overrun with fans proclaiming her to be the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by fellow squirrels - whose shops and businesses are cashing in - Willow eagerly embraces her new identity, dying her fur platinum and scoffing nuts to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves. But when the only squirrel she has ever truly loved returns, seeking the old Willow, it's decision time. Should she risk stardom and the tree's new-found fortune on love? Or is being Marilyn Willow's real ticket to happiness?
See how easy that is? So be a part of publishing's next big thing. Bring on the squirrels!

Ten for Tuesday: Street Slogans

I live on a very busy street, and I thought today it would be great fun to offer you the first ten slogans/ adverts that pass by on the sides of buses, lorries, etc. (Who am I kidding -- the reality is, my brain has gone into slow-mo and this is all I can offer).
1. Sightseeing Tour of London - Big Bus Tours. Hello, tourists!*waves* (Bus.)
2. Bad Teacher. In cinemas June 17. (Ugh, it certainly looks bad. On a bus.)
3. Petit Forestier. Refrigerated vehicle. (Why in French? Who knows? On a white van.)
4. Celebrating 125 years of proper breakfasts. Anchor Butter. (Yum! On a bus.)
5. ServEquip. (Another French one! They're taking over! On a white van.)
Damn. A traffic jam. Come on, traffic, move!
6. Borderline. Specialists in carpets. (On a white van)
7. Sharm el Sheikh. Egypt: Where it all began. (On a bus)
8. Sightseeing Tour of London - Big Bus Tours. (Bus - again!)
9. Seville, Verona and Bologna. EasyJet. (On a bus.)
And another traffic jam...
10. Kung Fu Panda. In cinemas June 10th. (On a bus.)
Wasn't that informative? Let me end this super stellar post on a high note: fellow blogger Tracy Spaine needs our help for her book to succeed. For more details, hop to her blog or head over here to buy her book!
Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Dreaming of... Sleep

Happy Monday! And thank you all for the wonderful messages here and on Facebook about my last post. Very much appreciated.
I write this now with a heavy head and that oh-so-tired sick feeling in my stomach. Why, you ask? Well, it's because Mr TR had a conference call for work last night at 3 a.m. Yes. 3 BLOODY A.M.! Silly Australians, what are they playing at? Don't they know people's wives need their beauty sleep? I've always been a light sleeper, and having Mr TR shuffling around talking about God knows what kind of organisms in the middle of the night is not exactly conducive to resting.
But I've noticed a funny thing. Sometimes, the less sleep I have, the more writing I do. I reckon it's because my mind stays put -- I'm too tired to flit from Facebook to Twitter and back again. I can only focus on the document at hand. My butt stays put, too. No wandering around looking for floors to clean or Twizzlers to munch.
What about you? Do you write more when you're rested? Or does it matter?

When Will I Feel Like an Author?

Yesterday, in one of my daily fits of angst, I posted the following on Facebook:
I wonder when I will finally feel like a 'proper' author. When I have five books published? Ten? Or never?
Facebook friends being the wonderful people that they are, I got back a chorus of words of wisdom that made me feel like I wasn't alone in my angst. I thought I'd share some of the responses (anonymously), many from best-selling novelists I'd never in a zillion years suspect of doubting their 'proper' author status!
I don't think anyone feels like a proper author until they're had a feud with Martin Amis or VS Naipaul.
I'm still waiting....but on the otherhand being paranoid and insecure are the SURE signs of a proper author so.....we're in!!!!!!My mother constantly worried about her writing and whether she was any 'good', even after she'd published well over a hundred books and was a million bestseller. Knock that inner critic on the head and repeat after me, 'I am a proper author. I am a proper author. Not only are you a proper author, you're a *published* author! I suspect the *proper* feeling doesn't come until you've paid off the mortgage with the proceeds from writing. ;-)Remember when you were 5 sweetie and the world was your oyster..... When you could be whatever you wanted to be? Well..... What changed....... Get that feeling back.... Because whether you think you are an author or whether you think you are not..... either way you are right xx I don't feel like one - yet. For all kinds of reasons. And the reasons are probably becoming irrelevant anyway... I don't feel like an author at all when I'm writing - I keep thinking: Proper authors wouldn't just be writing train of thought stuff but have neatly arranged have post-it notes on the door and a detailed plan - and not have an illegible ms because they were so scared of losing the moment. They'd have coloured index cards for research and character arcs , not bits of paper all over the floor or a total flipping mess in their head. I know what you mean - it was like before I published anything (short story/essay) I felt funny calling myself a writer - even though that's just what I was doing - then when I was published, I thought "well now I have to have to be paid something" then that happened, then it was "well now I have to have a novel published" then that happened, then it was "now I need to have another one published" - then another one, then it was "I should be on a best seller list or win an award to really be ligit" GEEEZ-it'll never end, so best enjoy all the little moments and be proud of what you have accomplished - there are always so many people behind you who'd kill to be where you are right now :-Dnineteen books in and I still feel like I'm an interloper.xxxTalli, trust me, the 'big names' have the same doubts as those just starting out - it feels the same, no matter how many books you've had published and how many awards you've won. So I guess that makes you a proper author ;o) In a weird way, the doubts are a positive thing because it means you're trying to do the best you can for your readers - when you stop feeling that way and stop caring, that's when you're not a proper author, imho.
When you can give it as your occupation without feeling a fraud. :-)J K Rowling is my ideal of a proper author (that is, a multi-zillionaire) and I think she has written about nine books - the HPs and some little ones about Quidditch and fairy tales and stuff. So let's say ten?Never:) The more books the bigger the insecurities which lead to a desire to stack shelves in Tesco. Authors thrive on 'I am not worthy'. But we still do it so we must be okay really.
Interesting, hunh? It's funny, because I always thought that once I got published, I'd immediately feel validated. And although being published rocks, it's not the cure-all to the niggly doubts and worries that existed before publication. In fact, I might even say it makes those doubts worse! But the good thing is -- I'm not alone. Thank goodness for writer friends and their support and encouragement.
How about you? What will it take for you to consider yourself a 'real' author?

Write to Be Published by Nicola Morgan

Right, so I know I talked up a book yesterday, but I just have to mention Nicola Morgan's fantastic new book for writers, Write to be Published . It launched yesterday, and I have the pleasure of attending an event tonight at the world's oldest independent bookshop, Foyles, to see the Crabbit Bat in action.
Nicola's been such an inspiration to me. Back in the day when I was flopping about in a sea of rejections and had only just begun to discover blogs, I happened across one that gave such practical, clear and forthright advice I was hooked: Help! I Need a Publisher. I read each post eagerly, trying to soak up every little bit of Crabbit Bat wisdom. When I finally signed a contract to publish my non-fiction, I sent Nicola a thank-you email for all the help she'd given me -- and others -- through her blog. And she responded, inviting me onto her blog as a Blog Baby! I was truly honoured. It was there I met now-blogging-buddy Karen Jones Gowen, who won a copy of my book.
I've met up with Nicola a few times since. I have to say she's anything but Crabbit and has proven herself very adept at ham-eating and salad-sharing. With several zillion books published and her latest novel Wasted receiving critical acclaim, if anyone's qualified to give writers advice on how to be published, it's her!
Right, I must go pick out my shoes... but before I go, a quick apology for falling down slightly on blog commenting the past couple days. My wrists are hurting -- my body's way of telling me to STOP TYPING! And when my body speaks, I'm afraid I must listen. I hope taking a break tonight will mean I'll be back in full action soon.