Edie Ramer's Blog, page 9

Changes

Today is the first day of February, and it’s fitting that I’m making changes. I’m taking STARDUST MIRACLE off Free or 99 cents everywhere, up to the previous price of $3.99. As soon as Kindle ups the price to 99 cents, I’ll change their price to $3.99, too. It will probably take a few days for the price changes to go into effect, so if you haven’t downloaded STARDUST MIRACLE already, now is the time.

That’s not all. On Jan. 2nd, I started my 5th Miracle Interrupted book. Early this week I realized I was going in the wrong direction. I changed the entire plot, keeping the same characters – but it still wasn’t working. I finally realized last night that with the change in the plot I lost all reasons to keep the couple apart. The biggest conflict was the heroine wasn’t ready to live with the hero, even though they loved each other. That just wasn’t good enough to sustain an entire book.

I came to this realization just before I went to bed. I don’t get depressed often, but I was depressed about this. I didn’t know what to do, whether I should start another Miracle Interrupted book or go in a different direction. That’s when a flood of ideas came to me for two characters from other Miracle Interrupted books. Even ideas for the beginning and the big ending scene. I went to bed and kept hopping out to scribble more ideas. This morning, I woke up and thought of even more plot points.

None of that happened with the previous story. I’m excited about this, and I wasn’t excited about the story I was writing. That should’ve told me something. I did lose a month, but I’m going to try to write faster.

What about you? Any changes in your life?

Photo credit: photo credit: Ico Oliveira via photopin cc

Contests, Giveaways & Mayberry

I’m blogging on Lee Hayat’s Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs, where I’m giving away an e-copy of one of my Miracle Interrupted books to a commenter. The theme of my blog is about small towns, and I talk about Mayberry from the Andy Griffith show (Lee even put up a video clip of Barney, Opie & Andy; it’s very cute and under 2 minutes). But before I sent her the blog, I wondered if everyone would know what I meant leading off with this series from the 1960s. I asked on Facebook, and the answers were a resounding yes! Someone said their kids watch it on TV Land. So a new generation of children are learning about Mayberry.

I think what I like about Mayberry is, first, the great characters. Next is the sense of community. That’s how it’s turning out in my fictional village, though it took four books before I realized that aspect of smaller towns and villages, as if everyone in the place was an extended family member. In some ways, that’s a plus for the characters. For other characters – especially those with secrets – it’s a huge minus. And in my work-in-progress, there are a lot of secrets.

Contests: I think tomorrow is the last day of my contest at Fresh Fiction where I’m giving away a $25 gift card and a signed copy of STARDUST MIRACLE. My new contest for February will be up by then. By the way, the digital version of STARDUST MIRACLE is still free most places. I might keep it free until my next book is out. I’m not sure.

Enjoy the Miranda Lambert video below. It’s starting to snow by us. We’re supposed to get 2 to 5 inches. Not fun. How is it by you?

Terrific reviews, a favorite author mention and a book club!

Like all authors, I love to get 5 star reviews, but this review of MIRACLE PIE from Amy R at So Many Reads is special because of what she says in her last paragraph:

Whenever I am done reading a Miracle Interrupted story, I always feel a strong sense of hope. I highly recommend Miracle Pie to anyone looking for a miracle.

Actually I love the whole last paragraph – and the whole review – but the ‘sense of hope’ is something I want the reader to feel in every book I write, and it’s especially true in this book. It makes me happy to know I achieved my goal.

I”m also delighted that STARDUST MIRACLE has gotten a great review at Fresh Fiction by Sherri M.

My favorite author mention is by Julie Kenner! She’s listed STARDUST MIRACLE (which is still free!) on her Hump Day Books: Check out These New or Notable Reads (Jan. 9 edition)! post. I’m a fan of Julie’s books, and she’s nice as well as a terrific author. I only had time to check out one of the other books she listed, and I liked it so much I’m going to download it.

My last news is that a book club in Arkansas is reading DEAD PEOPLE. I’m delighted! I’ve thought that a book club might be interested in my Miracle Interrupted books, but I’m thrilled that they’re reading Cassie and Luke’s story.

Except for the grinding noise my computer made when I turned it on this morning, it would be a perfect day. (It only lasted a couple minutes, and I’m hoping it was just spitting out a cat hair.)

How are things going for you?

Happiness and Contests

I recently read a quote that was almost right, but I wanted to reword it. I didn’t write it down and can’t remember who said it, but here’s my version:

“Any time you spend not being happy is wasted time.”

The thing is, as a writer – and perhaps as a human – I have to experience sadness and anger and even a little craziness… Otherwise, how could I write books? When my mom was going through a bad stretch and we knew it wasn’t going to get better, I can remember driving home from the rehab center, thinking that I should get a supplement that’s supposed to make me happier and calmer. Then I thought, No, this is a time when I’m supposed to be sad.

If I’d been to the point where I found it hard to function, then I would have done something. But I’m normally an even keel type of person. Still, I have a friend who’s been fighting cancer for many years, and she’s one of the most positive people I know. Unless she’s feeling really crappy, she doesn’t turn down opportunities. And if you need someone to help you do something, she’s probably the one you’ll turn to.

Maybe it’s just her normal disposition. Some people turn sour, and some people turn sweet. My friend turns strong and positive. She takes in all the happiness she can get, without denying the sad.

So maybe that’s the final version: “Unhappy happens, but when you have a choice, it feels a hell of a lot better to be happy.”

On my publishing news, STARDUST MIRACLE is still free most places. I expect to leave it free for a while.

I have a contest going on at Fresh Fiction. I’m giving away a $25 gift card. And Stardust is listed at Ask David, which is a great place to find new books. And if you’re an author, they list your books free. As soon as I have a chance, I plan to list all my books there.

Over the holidays, my husband and I saw Parental Guidance with Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marissa Tormei. It was my husband’s choice and I didn’t expect to enjoy it. I was wrong. I enjoyed it a lot. I’m looking forward to seeing Les Miserables. My husband doesn’t want to see it, so I’ll go without him some day. We’ll probably see Promised Land with Matt Damon.

What about you? Have you seen any shows, or do you plan to see any?

Miracle Pie is live!

MIRACLE PIE combines three of my loves: a cute dog, pies and people’s stories. And in the center of it is a love story and a miracle that really does take a village. All of this in 65,000 words. (I definitely abide by Elmore Leonard’s writing rule to “leave out the part that readers tend to skip.” Even so, my CP Michelle Diener, who is the master of that rule, still found places I needed to cut.)

You can read the excerpt and description here.

I love all my Miracle Interrupted books, but this is my favorite so far. I’m blogging at

Free! Stardust Miracle!

My 4th Miracle Interrupted book should be available in a couple of days, so I’ve decided to put STARDUST MIRACLE, the first full-length book of the series, up for free where I could. It’s now free at Amazon Kindle, iTunes, Smashwords, Kobo and All Romance.

My favorite new cheese is one I found from a free sample at a grocery store. I hope a lot more people find my series the same way. These books are a genre shift from my paranormal romances. The closest category is magical realism, but that isn’t an official category. So I’m saying that this series will appeal to people who enjoy romance, laughter, tears, love, puppies, cats and magic. It sounds like a ‘sweet’ series, but they usually have a couple steamy scenes, depending on the book. (Not the first one, MUST WORSHIP CATS, which is entirely in the point of view of a cat and has no sex scenes.)

I had a great holiday, and I feel like I’m ending the year in a very good way. How about you? How are you ending your year?

News! Free book!

MIRACLE PIE, the 4th Miracle Interrupted story and 3rd full-sized book, might be out in e-book form before Christmas. Definitely before the end of the year. I’m so pleased. STARDUST MIRACLE is available in print, and I plan on putting MIRACLE LANE and MIRACLE PIE in print, too. The print books should both be available in January.

The amazing Laura Morrigan already sent me a mock-up of the MIRACLE PIE cover. She’s going to polish it a bit, but I love it already.

This past year, I’ve written 4 Miracle Interrupted books. During this time, I haven’t done hardly any promo. I plan to write another 4 books next year, and still won’t have time for promo. So to help get the word out, I’ve decided to offer the digital version of STARDUST MIRACLE free. At Amazon and Barnes & Noble, it’s 99 cents now. (Neither place allows free books, though Amazon might price match.) I made all the price changes yesterday. Feel free to share with your friends!

I got a lovely review of STARDUST MIRACLE at So Many Reads. Amy R writes a lot of the reviews at Magical Musings, and this encouraged her to start her own site. She’s already reviewed books by some of my friends, and she has great insights.

Otherwise I have all my shopping done, and I’ve even wrapped my presents. We’re having a rain-snow mix in southeastern Wisconsin right now. We have blizzard warnings and are supposed to get over 7 inches of the white stuff. But we’re nice and cozy inside our house. We should have a white Christmas. How are you faring?

The Next Big Thing

The lovely and talented Marilyn Brant (HOLIDAY MAN) tagged me to take part in blogging meme to answer questions about my next book (hence The Next Big Thing title). MIRACLE PIE is done, but it needs to be read by my critique partners before I can publish it. I’m really happy to talk about it. I hope it’s The Next Big Thing! Enjoy the Q&A!

What is the working title of your book? MIRACLE PIE

I hope you love it and don’t think it’s a cookbook about pies.

Where did the idea come from for the book? This is the fourth story in my Miracle Interrupted series. Katie was mentioned in the previous three books. In the first, MUST WORSHIP CATS, her father brought one of her pies to a neighbor’s. From that, it came to me that she made pies for a living and delivered them to nearby restaurants that didn’t have pastry chefs.

For the hero, I’ve been watching the Top Chef series, which gave me the idea that a character in the book (Katie’s friend) would want to star in her own cooking show and the hero would be a director/filmmaker. But as I learned more about the subject, with advice from Gina Black and Sheila Clover English (Circle of Seven Productions) Gabe became a videographer. A lot of the plot evolved from the hero/heroine’s careers.

[image error]What genre does your book fall under? Magical realism & contemporary romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Maggie Gyllenhaal at age 28, and Simon Baker at 30.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Katie’s magic is pies, Gabe’s is being alive – but it takes more than magic for a happily ever after.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Self-published. MIRACLE PIE will probably be out in January, though there’s a possibility it will be available in December.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Less than two months for the first draft. It’s on the short side, about 63,000 words.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Books by Sarah Addison Allen, and the Friday Harbor series by Lisa Kleypas. They’re all in the same magical realism subgenre.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? When my mother was alive, she was the best pie maker, so I was very pleased to write about pies. Except for her baking skills, my mother was nothing like my heroine, but she was a huge reader and I know she would’ve loved the book.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? In this book, the village gets together to help members of the community who are in need. They do this in a unique way. I enjoyed writing those scenes. If you’re a dog lover, Katie has a 19-year-old Beagle named Happy who’s mentioned often in the book. Happy might even be on the cover. I hope so!

~*~*~*~

I tagged four wonderful authors to blog about their Next Big Thing next Monday on the Dec. 5th. I’m looking forward to reading their posts!

Michelle Diener (Her newest historical was released this Tuesday: THE EMPEROR’S CONSPIRACY)

Liz Kreger (PROMISE FOR TOMORROW)

Mary Hughes (Biting Oz)

Cynthia D’Alba (Texas Two Step)

What’s the next best thing in your life?

A MeMe and a Giveaway!

Michelle Diener is giving 2 copies of her historical novel, THE EMPEROR’S CONSPIRACY, at Magical Musings: one in the US, and the other outside of the US. I’ve read it already in its unedited form and it’s wonderful.



Marilyn Brant is answering questions at her blog about her very cool book that will be out soon: PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH.

Don’t you love the title and want to hear more? It’s a meme, and I’m doing one next week about MIRACLE PIE, my upcoming book.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Time to Breathe

If you ever wondered what the favorite author word is, it’s DONE! MIRACLE PIE is done and at my editor’s. I revised it twice this week, which was one time too many in a row. As I read it, I wonder if I’d said something similar or just remember it from the last read. Especially since I wrote the last half of the book in the three weeks previous.

I sent it to my editor, and she should catch any redundancies. Now I’m taking off the week to play catch up. When I start working again next week, I’m going to try for some time management. Wish me luck!

My husband cleaned carpets yesterday, and he’s putting up the Christmas tree today. Ack! Too early. But he’s determined. While I’m taking the week off, besides all the not-fun stuff like cleaning the fridge, I’m going to buy all the holiday presents. HOLIDAY MAN by Marilyn Brant is on my Kindle, and I’ll start reading it tonight. I love her light and fun Door County romances.

We’re going to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. I’m making a pumpkin pie and my husband will make carrot cake. I’m thinking of making two pumpkin pies. One for us, because I’m pretty sure there will be no leftovers to take home with us on Thanksgiving. I’ll also be thinking of my next book, which is not one of my series book. I got the idea, and I knew I should write it. After that, I’ll go back to my Miracle Interrupted series.

So, what are your plans this week?