Cindy Sample's Blog, page 2
February 9, 2015
50 SHADES OF ROMANCE
As Valentine’s Day approaches, I am once again pondering the subject of romance. I’m also pondering how much post Valentine’s clearance chocolate I can consume without breaking the zipper on my black jeans. Someone may be Dying for a Diet in the near future. 
Everyone has a different definition of what constitutes romance. Romance readers, who represent 40% of overall readership, have preferences for love stories that range from sweet to steamy to erotic, (the latter a rising niche if you get my drift) as proven by the sales of over 100 million copies of Fifty Shades of Grey and an upcoming movie release.
I tend to favor the sweet side of the romance curve myself, although I probably wouldn’t complain if someone tied me to the bedpost using a chain of milk duds. And then had the good grace to leave me alone.
I also firmly believe that romance, along with beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Women love to be wooed, but your partner’s idea of a heavenly gift could be your idea of hell.
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, some women are happiest when their suitors or significant others send them flowers.
Other women are drawn to sparkly tokens of affection. Didn’t Marilyn Monroe once say, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Or maybe it was Kim Kardashian.
Ever hopeful spouses frequently buy naughty nighties and sexy undies for their wives. Honestly, you guys would be better off delivering a gift-wrapped faucet for that dripping bathroom sink.
So what is your preference? A candlelit dinner for two at an expensive restaurant? Spending a day at the spa? A dozen red roses? My own favorite, and that of my chocoholic protagonist Laurel McKay, is dark chocolate in any shape and poundage! 
I would love to hear your stories. Leave a comment about a memorable Valentine’s present or event, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $20 gift card to the chocolaterie of your choice (or anywhere else you choose). Also for everyone who comments, I’ll donate a $1 to the American Heart Association. Let’s all help make it a heart-happy month!
In honor of Valentine’s Day, DYING FOR A DATE, the first book in the Laurel McKay Mysteries has been reduced to only 99 cents through February 24th. Now that IS a perfect Valentine’s gift! 
AMAZON
http://tinyurl.com/DyingforaDateKindle
NOOK
http://tinyurl.com/DyingforaDateNook
iBOOKS
http://tinyurl.com/DyingForADateiBooks
The post 50 SHADES OF ROMANCE appeared first on Cindy Sample.
November 8, 2014
CUT TO THE CHASE
Cindy describes her ongoing love affair with chase scenes, sharing some of the wacky antics occurring in her own series. http://cncbooksblog.wordpress.com/201...
The post CUT TO THE CHASE appeared first on Cindy Sample.
August 30, 2014
AN INTERVIEW WITH CINDY SAMPLE
What a fun interview – learn all the secrets behind the Laurel McKay “DYING FOR” mysteries and what you can look forward to in coming attractions! http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/20...
The post AN INTERVIEW WITH CINDY SAMPLE appeared first on Cindy Sample.
June 11, 2014
WRITERS ON WRITING
Have you ever wondered how authors write their books? Heather Haven, a hysterically funny mystery author, asked me to participate in a blog hop devoted to how writers go through their process of writing. New writers frequently ask me for the secret to how they should write. The secret is that there is no secret. All writers eventually develop their own style and a process that works for them. Even though I’m almost finished with the fourth book in my Laurel McKay mysteries, my own writing process has continued to evolve. I’m far more efficient now than when I started. However, one thing remains constant for every author I know – we can find 101 ways to procrastinate. The other constant is that tenacity is our middle name.
WHAT AM I WORKING ON AT PRESENT?
I am eighty percent finished with the first draft of Dying for a Dude. Part of my growth was learning to be comfortable with that “sh***y” first draft that author extraordinaire Anne Lamott discussed in her book, Bird by Bird. Once I realized that every one of the 80,000 words in my first draft could be revised (and they frequently are) I felt free to explore the many paths my protagonist wants to take. I still marvel at the magic that occurs when my fingers hit the keyboard each day.
Please note my laptop is on my wet bar, conveniently located next to the wine refrigerator!
HOW DOES MY WRITING DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN ITS GENRE?
I specialize in what one reviewer referred to as “feel good” humor. My protagonist, Laurel McKay, is a thirty-nine-year old single soccer mom, the kind of woman you want to have as your best friend. She has plenty of foibles, but she is a decent person, intent on raising her kids properly. Eventually she hopes to settle down with that special man, the one who makes her heart and body sing. Of course, I keep messing with Laurel, forcing her to stumble over a dead body here and there. But if it wasn’t for those dead bodies, Laurel would never have met Detective Tom Hunter. I feel it’s important to have several relevant themes going on in the book as well as a basic whodunit mystery, all of which will enrich the reader’s experience.
WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?
Every day we hear about heartbreaking stories or tragic events that have occurred, sad tales of loss and despair. We all need something to brighten our day and that is part of my mission. While I love to solve a good puzzle myself, I also want people to enjoy an occasional laugh-out-loud moment when they are reading one of my mysteries. Many people have purchased my books as gifts for friends coming out of the hospital. The only requirement is that the patient does not read them until their stitches have been removed.
HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?
Process? I’m supposed to have a process? Come closer while I share a secret. I don’t write every day. Gasp! Except for emails so maybe that counts. In the early years, I was known as a binge writer. No, that doesn’t refer to the excessive amount of Kit Kat bars I consumed. My preference is still to carve out a week where I can write all day and night, with no social or author events to distract me. I can produce ten to fourteen pages daily in that type of immersion environment. I’ve also learned to treat my writing as a profession, so most days I churn out from two to six pages. Then there are the annoying days when I delete more words than I add. It’s all part of the process.
As far as plotting, every author occasionally reaches a point where he or she is stumped. I find it helps to plot and plod. I walk around the house with my cat, Zoey from the Bronx, following right behind me. I call this my creative exercise program. But it works for me. Then if I’m still in a plotting funk, I go look at open houses. Seriously –– whatever it takes to get those creative juices flowing! Chocolate works wonders to fuel your word count!
I would love to know more about your writing process, or any other creative endeavor. Leave a comment by June 22nd and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $10 Amazon gift card. Next week two of my favorite humorous mystery authors will discuss their writing process. Check them out.
LIZ JASPER writes curl-up-on-the-couch-with-chocolate paranormal humorous mysteries. Her first novel, Underdead, about a science teacher who is turned almost into a vampire, won the 2008 EPPIE Award for Best Mystery. The sequel was Underdead In Denial, The third in the series, Underdead with a Vengeance, is a new release. She also has published the first novel in a humorous demon princess trilogy for teens. Liz is currently working on the next book in her Underdead series. Visit her at www.lizjasper.com.
DIANA ORGAIN is the bestselling author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Bundle of Trouble, Motherhood is Murder, Formula for Murder, and Nursing a Grudge. She is the co-author of GILT TRIP the next book in the NY Times Bestselling Scrapbooking Mystery Series by Laura Childs. Diana’s new Reality TV Mystery series will be published by Penguin in Spring 2015. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.dianaorgain.com.
The post WRITERS ON WRITING appeared first on Cindy Sample.
March 16, 2014
DYING FOR A TITLE
I love making up book titles. Don’t you? But I have a feeling most authors don’t come up with a title first and then devise the plot!
DYING FOR A DATE was an easy choice for the first book in my Laurel McKay Mystery series. My single soccer mom was struggling to juggle her kids, a career and post-divorce dating. As a single working mom myself, I had plenty of stories to share. People frequently ask how much of DYING FOR A DATE is based on reality. My answer –– fifty percent memoir and fifty percent fiction. But I’m not sharing which is which.
Although no one has died on my watch. Yet!
Since I’d taken up ballroom dancing as a hobby, the sequel, DYING FOR A DANCE, was also an easy choice. Once I discovered the sleazy underbelly of competitive ballroom dancing, the book practically wrote itself. Picture MURDER SHE WROTE meets DANCING WITH THE STARS.
By the third book, I needed a vacation. I flew to Hawaii and dragged my protagonist along with me. Then I discovered there is no letter “D” in the Hawaiian alphabet. Luckily, for me, the restaurants and bars all serve delicious daiquiris on their menu. I readily admit DYING FOR A DAIQUIRI was the most fun to research.
I love accessorizing my outfits with a matching tropical drink!
My current WIP (work in process), DYING FOR A DUDE, brings the action back to the gold country during Hangtown’s Wagon Train week. I’m still plotting organically (AKA writing by the seat of my pants) and have no idea what will happen to Laurel and her gang. The only thing I know, for certain, is that a stagecoach chase scene is bound to show up somewhere in the book.
I’ve learned that a writer’s work is never done. While I’m plotting DYING FOR A DUDE, I also need to plan ahead for the next book in the series which will be DYING FOR A …
Hmmm. It looks like I’m short a title or two.
So that’s where you all come in. It’s time to vote for the perfect title for the fifth book in the Laurel McKay Mysteries. Here are my top choices:
The Apple Hill farms are dying for me to write DYING FOR A DONUT, and I’ve always wanted to powder sugar someone to death.
How about murder at the Golden Hills spa owned by Laurel’s best friend, Liz? We could call it DYING FOR A DIET. Or after a rigorous workout, Laurel might prefer…
DYING FOR A DESSERT!
A few people have previously requested DYING FOR A DIAMOND? Would that mean the romance between Laurel and Tom Hunter is heating up? 
Or IS she still DYING FOR A DETECTIVE?
It’s your turn now. If you choose one of the titles above, or comment with one of your own by midnight, April 1, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift card anywhere you choose.
Also, feel free to leave a plot concept or two. If it gets incorporated into one of my books, you’ll definitely be acknowledged. You may even play a part yourself!
To celebrate this terrific contest, the DYING FOR A DATE e-book is now on sale for the first time ever at the unbelievably low price of .99. The sale goes through March 25th so be sure to tell all of your friends. And even the people you don’t like. I’m sure they could use the laughs too!
The post DYING FOR A TITLE appeared first on Cindy Sample.
February 6, 2014
HOW TO KEEP THE SIZZLE IN A RELATIONSHIP!
Have you ever wondered how some couples maintain marital bliss for decades? What special secrets do they possess to keep their passion alive year after year?
You probably think I’m going to share those secrets with you. Nope. I’m hoping you’ll do it for me.
I’m in the middle of writing Dying for a Dude, book four in my humorous romantic mystery series, and I am stumped. I can’t decide how far to ramp up the romance between my feisty single soccer mom protagonist, Laurel McKay, and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Detective Hunter AKA Detective Hunk.
One reviewer has described my series as being filled with sexual tension. But that’s only because no one ever gets to have SEX in my books. So everyone is very very tense!
There’s nothing I enjoy more than creating romantic conflict in the pages of my books. And I should probably admit, the pages of my life – but that’s a subject for a different blog post. Still, I’m worried that once I allow my couple to unite, those exciting fireworks they’ve shared throughout the last three books could be reduced to embers.
It occurred to me that keeping the magic alive between a couple in a book can’t be much different than maintaining it in real life. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I can’t think of a more appropriate time for people to share their stories. I’d love to know how you and your loved one keep your romance going strong. It’s obvious my approach could use some work.
As for those authors out there, feel free to tell us how you keep those flames burning between the characters in your books.
With enough help from all of you, who knows what heights Laurel and Tom’s relationship can achieve. And given enough motivation, one of these days I might write a HEA (happily ever after) of my own!
Leave a comment by midnight on February 15, 2014, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a $20 gift card to the Chocolaterie of your choice or anywhere you want. It’s your prize!
The post HOW TO KEEP THE SIZZLE IN A RELATIONSHIP! appeared first on Cindy Sample.
December 12, 2013
THE CHRISTMAS TREE – FRIEND OR FOE?
Holidays are made of memories – some good. Some challenging!
When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to travel “over the hills and through the woods” to my Grandmother’s house. Unfortunately, our journey was over slushy freeways in wind chills below zero, to Grandma’s brick bungalow in Chicago.
I’d enter her house hoping for the scent of fresh-baked gingerbread cookies. But my grandmother’s kitchen was more likely to smell of blood sausage and sauerkraut than my sugar-coated fantasies! As for my other grandmother who hailed from Sweden – her specialties were pickled herring and fruitcake.
I was the only kid who lost weight over the holidays!
Putting up our tree tended to be less of a starry-eyed family bonding experience and more like an episode of 30 Rock. My dad was an engineer, which for some reason meant that stringing lights and hanging ornaments turned into an all-day affair peppered with expletives. It probably didn’t help to have me whining on the sidelines about our stupid smelly tree, as I kept hoping my mother and father would finally “get with it” like the rest of the neighbors. My friends celebrated Christmas in style–with an aluminum tree. I couldn’t understand why my parents wanted a boring Douglas fir when they could have a revolving silver tree complete with a brightly lit color wheel.
Fortunately, my taste has improved, and I no longer want to rock around a tree that resembles a skinny disco ball. When my children were young, I was determined they would have wonderful memories of their own. We live in Placerville, California, the Christmas tree capital of the world. What better holiday tradition for my kids than wandering through a tree farm or two and chopping down our own tree?
Chopping down a Christmas tree isn’t quite as romantic as it sounds. Every year we’d tour farm after farm, trudging up hills and sliding down muddy trails. We eliminated giant redwoods and Charley Brown pipsqueaks. Nothing but the best tree would do for us. My son, a “city slicker in training” continually lamented why our family had to slop around in the December rain instead of buying a tree from Safeway like normal folks.
I kept up the tradition even after I became a single Mom. That first year, the tree fell over daily, strewing broken ornaments everywhere. My daughter attempted to smooth the base of the trunk with the tiny saw from her dollhouse kit but to no avail. Just as I had given up and decided the Samples would celebrate with a horizontal tree, my ex stopped by and sawed down the trunk. It remains what it should be–a funny holiday memory.
I’m sure you all have great stories of your own. Share a holiday memory by December 21st, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Won’t that make a terrific present!
The post THE CHRISTMAS TREE – FRIEND OR FOE? appeared first on Cindy Sample.
July 9, 2013
Killer Cocktail Contest
Speaking of cool cocktails and hot celebrations, did you know that July 19th is National Daiquiri Day? I discovered this amazing tidbit during Christmas vacation with my kids. Surprisingly enough (or not), my thirty-year-old son informed me that he’d thrown National Daiquiri parties for the past four years.
How odd my invitation failed to arrive – four years in a row!
For a brief moment in time, I thought of releasing Dying for a Daiquiri on National Daiquiri Day. Then my inner editor kicked in and told me to get real. But there is absolutely no reason why all of you shouldn’t start celebrating in advance of the official October 1st launch.
• • • • • CONTEST ALERT! • • • • •
As far as I’m concerned, Dying for a Daiquiri wouldn’t be complete without a few great recipes tucked into the back of the book, but I definitely need your mixological help.
There are four different categories:
1. Best daiquiri (flavored is fine)
2. Best tropical drink (feel free to go wild and crazy with the ingredients and the title)
3. Best drink that involves Kahlua or any chocolaty liqueur (Laurel insists)
4. Best virgin summertime cooler
The winners of each category will have their recipe and name featured in the book, plus they’ll receive a Hawaiian collectible (of my choice)!
Submit your entries by midnight July 18th so I have plenty of time to “test” the results. This is a very scientific process and may require significant re-testing.
Enjoy!
May 30, 2013
Dying for a Daiquiri – Uncovered
I am extremely grateful that over 350 people took the time, not only to select their favorite cover, but also to analyze all of them. I loved the diversity of the comments. Oddly enough (or not), the only consistent trend was that 48 out of 50 men voted for option four – the cover my designer and I titled “Legs.” Go figure.
A number of authors commented that the use of chalk body outlines or crime scene tape was somewhat cliché. Yet readers in this informal survey frequently suggested I add one or the other to covers one and three, so they would know the book was a mystery.
One thing is certain. Whether it’s in paper or e-book form, people do care about cover art. The cover is not just the lure that draws them to research a book further, but it needs to represent the author’s work.
All of these comments helped me recognize what I offer to my readers, which is what one reviewer referred to as “feel-good humor.” After someone reads one of the books in this series, my hope is that she or he will be smiling for the rest of the day. I’m even happy with comments such as this: “It’s Cindy Sample’s fault I feel like crap because I couldn’t stop reading Dying for a Dance until I finished at 3 AM!”
It is now time for the big reveal. Although cover # 1 was not my initial favorite, it was the winner, and I realized it best demonstrates what I wish to convey to readers. Thanks to specific suggestions from Linda Townsin, Ingrid Lundquist, Jan Hudson, Vinnie Hansen, Sue Trowbridge, Robin Burcell and Caitlin Alexander, cover artist Karen Phillips has tilted, torqued and tweaked this cover to death. We can now reveal the latest Laurel McKay mystery, Dying for a Daiquiri.
Thanks to the hundreds of people, too numerous to mention, who suggested we change the glass featured in cover one. My lengthy research (big loopy smile here) determined that daiquiris are served in every type of glass you can name. But the deadliest daiquiri should definitely be the most delicious looking. Wouldn’t you agree?
Contest Alert!
Leave a comment by midnight June 6th (we’re still accepting suggestions) and you’ll be entered in a drawing to get a free copy of DYING FOR A DAIQURI when it’s released in September.
Mahalo to one and all.
April 11, 2013
The Deadly Daiquiri Cover Up
Sure, those beautiful islands offer balmy breezes, turquoise water, waving palm fronds, and sandy beaches.
But what about deadly sharks? Poisonous sea urchins? And the most lethal of them all?
Those fruity drinks tucked into a coconut shell, adorned with an orchid, a slice of pineapple, and a tiny pastel umbrella look so innocent. How could they possibly be dangerous?
Trust me. At 750 calories apiece, they are almost as deadly as Paula Deen’s cooking.
When an author sets a book in an exotic setting, a visit to said locale is required.
With a title such as Dying for a Daiquiri, I had no choice but to embark on a journey that included extensive research.
Cover Option #2 -•-•-•->
Fortunately, in Hawaii, there are numerous ways to work off those excess calories: Surfing, kayaking, hiking up and down cliffs and under waterfalls, and hula dancing.
The big island proved to be a mystery writer’s nirvana. Seven of the world’s nine climate zones are located there.
I had the option of boiling my victims in lava or freezing them on top of Mauna Kea. In her hunt for a killer, Laurel could fall off a cliff, out of a boat, into the volcano, or…
I guess you’ll just have to wait until the book is released in September to find out.
In the meantime, Laurel has requested that I finally make a decision about the cover art. My designer has come up with four fabulous covers.
Cover Option #4 -•-•-•->
Contest Alert!
Leave a comment by May 1st, noting your favorite cover (or covers) and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a pound of REAL Kona coffee, or a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. Your choice.
Better yet, if you make a suggestion that improves the appearance of the final cover, you’ll be included in the acknowledgements of Dying for a Daiquiri.
Daiquiris, like killers, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so we’ve used several versions just to make it even more confusing for you.
So get creative and go for it! Laurel can’t wait to hear from you.
