Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 60

Writing Romantic Suspense

In Romantic Suspense there are two distinct stories. The suspense and the romance.

RWA defines romantic suspense as a romance novel in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.

You need a strong suspense story and a strong romance. Then you weave the two together perfectly. Today I’m only going to talk about developing quick physical and emotional relationships.

In this genre the action moves fast and the story takes place over a relative short pe...

The WINNER of the Grand Prize Swag Basket from the Halloween Blog Hop Is…..

Thanks so much to everyone who joined us for the Halloween Blog Hop!! We had a fabulous response, and had a great time getting to know more readers! You folks are an energetic group of Trick or Treaters! We had many, many correct entries from participants who tracked down all the hidden candy treats. With the help of random.org, we’ve selected one winner for the Grand Prize Swag Basket (with mystery gift cards!!!): JOY ISLEY, it’s all yours!! We’ll be in touch via email to arrange delivery. T...

NaNoWriMo 2016 Has Begun!!!

WOOOT!!!! It’s that wonderful time of year again, when over 300,000 writers around the world make a crazy pledge to each write 50,000 words of a novel during the 30 days of November!

“Winning” NaNo (nanowrimo.org) means averaging 1667 new words every day, which isn’t easy if you have pesky things like a day job or a house or family to worry about at the same time. But it CAN BE DONE!!

This will be my EIGHTH NaNo, and–with a little help from my Muse–stands to be my 6th “win.” And, trust me, my...

Ruby Halloween Hop!

Bwahahaha! It’s almost Halloween, and the Rubies are feeling a little witchy! To celebrate, we’re starting the trick-or-treating early! Don’t worry, no costumes are required. This trick-or-treating can be done right from your computer with zero calorie input. It’s easy and fun! Here’s what to do: 1. “Knock”on theRuby doors by clicking each link below and hopping to Ruby FB pages, web sites or blogs. 2. While you’re enjoying the trick or treat on each Ruby post, look for the candy name or pic...

Extended Metaphor

I have to start with a funny story: My first paranormal romance, TASTE ME (2011), is about an incubus security specialist, Lukas Sebastiani, who finally learns to trust his love for Scarlett Fontaine, a siren rock star who can manipulate his emotions with her song. While discussing final tweaks to the manuscript at 2010 RWA National, my then-editor grinned at me, clasped her hands against her heart, and said, “And you completed the extended metaphor!” (At the end of the book, Lukas “boldly cr...

Announcing the Ruby Spooky-Fun Halloween Blog Hop (with Prizes!!!!)

You know the Rubies like parties….and prizes!!! And we’re doing something new this Halloween! Jump on your broomstick and call your Flying Monkeys, ’cause we’re inviting you to fly around our author sites and Facebook pages, where we’re offering all sorts of special treats–books, gift cards, exclusive excerpts, and prizes like these fun Brighton earrings (you’ll find your chance to win those on Lara Archer’s website). At each stop along the Halloween Hop, we’ve also stashed a specific CANDY...

Two book debuts this month!

Debut Number One: Why murder a dying man?

Young widow Olivia Denis finds herself forced to investigate another murder, this one involving her noble relatives, in DEADLY WEDDING, by Kate Parker, out now. The sequel to DEADLY SCANDAL takes place in London in the spring of 1938, where Olivia’s cousin is marrying a rich commoner. The bride is still living at home with her mother, the wife of a lord, and her grandfather, a very elderly earl, in a mansion in the far suburbs of London. Olivia rides...

Cast Away with The Intern

I’ve seen a few movies lately that have stuck with me. I think that’s the hallmark of a good story – those words and images and feelings you can’t quite shake, long after the lights have gone back up or, in the case of a good book, when the last page has turned. In my case, both were unexpected catches on cable that have just dug in and grabbed me.

Last week I saw most of Cast Away, the Tom Hanks movie that was out about 15 years ago. I hadn’t seen the movie when it first came out but I knew...

October Chills & Thrills

The tang of wood smoke hangs in the Autumn-crisp air. Geese honk overhead, and pumpkins are showing up on everyone’s door steps. Halloween is just around the corner, and it brings out my love for chills and thrills. I’m talking about suspense – ghost stories, campy horror flicks, full-moon walks, and romantic suspense books.

Click to Read about my Haunted House

When I lived in that haunted house (which I wrote about a couple weeks ago), we allowed a farmer to grow corn in our fields. One week...

5 Tips for a Successful Multi-Author Collaboration

A few months ago, fellow Ruby Liz Bemis and I went out for a night of country music and mechanical bull riding (as you do). Midway through our margaritas, Liz told me a story about the awesome author goddess Erin McCarthy getting mixed up with another Erin McCarthy and a similar event in Liz’s own life when she’d tried to look up a blast from her past only to discover there were hundreds of men out there with such a common name. Little did I know then that several months and several hundred e...