Jennifer Wilck's Blog, page 32

Welcome to Kathryn Knight

My friend Kathryn is talking about turning her novel into an audio book.Thank you, Jennifer, for having me here to celebrate the release of Gull Harbor as an audiobook!  Since this steamy romance/ghost mystery came out in print, it’s been a #1 Bestseller on Kindle and Nook platforms, so I’m thrilled it is now available on Audible and iTunes for readers who love to listen.  This is the first book I’ve had made into an audiobook, so I thought I’d talk a little bit about my experience with the process.When a publisher is involved, as in this case, they usually have contracted the rights to publish a story in all formats, so the first thing I had to do was sign a contract extension with my publisher to get things started.  I actually did this first for a different novel of mine, Haunted Souls.  Then, as the author, I got to chime in on what type of narrator I envisioned and which section would make a good sample (one with lots of voices is a good choice, and for me, choosing a suspenseful scene was a must).  Then the sample can go up on the ACX site and wait for a narrator to maybe find it and be interested enough to send a sample recording to the publisher for consideration.Except I’m not good at waiting.  And I’m a bit of a control freak.  So I went with another option: searching for available narrators myself, and reaching out to the ones I liked.  I quickly discovered there are various models of payment for this work, with some narrators agreeing to share the royalties of sales (RS), and others only working for an upfront fee per finished hour (PFH), some accepting both, depending on circumstances.  Since my publisher was strictly doing RS, I had to narrow down my search with that filter.  I also felt I wanted a female narrator, since the majority of the book is from the heroine’s viewpoint.Eventually I found a narrator I liked and who was interested, and my publisher approved it, and the papers were signed.  I knew going in, however, that this narrator was a bit behind in her schedule.Then something exciting happened.  Another one of my books, Gull Harbor, was featured on BookBub, and it received a lot of exposure.  I had several narrators contact me after finding the story intriguing and noticing there was no audiobook.  I listened to a sample chapter one of them sent me and was blown away by her talent and range.I replied to tell her I was very interested in having her narrate the story, but per my publisher’s guidelines, this was an RS agreement.  Fortunately, Gull Harbor’s past sales in other formats met the threshold, and a contract was extended.I love the finished product!  And when the first narrator slated to do Haunted Souls had an equipment breakdown, we had to break that contract, so now Haunted Souls is under production with the narrator who did Gull Harbor.  I’m so excited for my second audiobook to release—please follow some of my social media accounts or join my newsletter mailing list below for updates!


Author bio: Kathryn Knight spends a great deal of time in her fictional world, where mundane chores don’t exist and daily life involves steamy romance, dangerous secrets, and spooky suspense. Kathryn writes contemporary romance spiked with mysterious hauntings as well as YA paranormal romance filled with forbidden love. Her novels are award-winning #1 Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestsellers and RomCon Reader-Rated picks. When she’s not reading or writing, Kathryn spends her time catching up on those mundane chores, driving kids around, and teaching fitness classes. She lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her husband, their two sons, and a number of rescued pets. Please visit her at www.kathrynknightbooks.blogspot.com.


Author Links:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KathrynKnightbooks/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/k_knightbooksNewsletter sign-up:  http://eepurl.com/dmzSs1Blog:  http://kathrynknightbooks.blogspot.com/Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477115.Kathryn_KnightAmazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-Knight/e/B00919ENJA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathryn-knight



Gull Harbor blurb: 
When Claire Linden's job sends her to the sleepy town of Gull Harbor, she never expects to encounter her ex-boyfriend. As a medium, the prospect of tackling a haunted house is less daunting than seeing Max Baron again. Throughout their passionate college relationship, he promised to love her forever. Then, without explanation, he abandoned her on graduation day.

Max never intended to break Claire's heart--a cruel ultimatum forced him to disappear from her life. While he's shocked to find her in Gull Harbor, he isn't surprised by the bitter resentment she feels for him...or the fiery attraction that remains between them.

Claire is determined to rid her temporary home of its aggressive ghost, but Max soon realizes she's facing a danger beyond the paranormal. When Claire risks everything to help a desperate spirit, Max must race to save her--before another tragedy tears them apart forever.

Excerpt: 
            She shook her head vigorously.  “I can’t spend your money to do my job.  That makes no sense.”“It’s not about that, Claire.  It’s about keeping you safe.”  He closed the distance between them, setting off alarm bells in the back of her mind.Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath.  “I realize you’re trying to help me, and I appreciate that.  But what gives you the right to worry about my safety?”“I don’t need the right.”  He stood over her, and she took a step backwards, bumping up against his desk.  His words shouldn’t have sounded menacing, but for some reason, they did.  She nodded weakly.“I am going to keep you safe, Claire,” he said, his eyes flashing.  He reached out and stroked her arm.A shiver ran through her, and she gripped the edge of the desk for support.  “Okay,” she breathed.  Every nerve in her body was calling for him.  She closed her eyes as his hands moved up to cradle her head.His mouth seized hers, and her lips responded urgently.  She lost herself in the kiss, her fingers weaving themselves around his neck and tangling in his hair.  His hands moved to her waist, and she gasped as he hoisted her up on the desk.


Audible Buy Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Gull-Harbor-Audiobook/B079RLC5YH

Amazon Buy Link https://www.amazon.com/Gull-Harbor-Kathryn-Knight-ebook/dp/B00BK9QWNY

iTunes audiobook Link  https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/gull-harbor-unabridged/id1348774021

B and N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gull-harbor-kathryn-knight/1115863349?ean=2940016510637

It's Back!

Electricity is a beautiful thing, especially after you lose it for five days. When you get it back, along with your heat, a working sump pump and eventually, hot water, life takes on a rosy glow, birds chirp and unicorns fly.
Practically.
The reality is a little different. Yes, it’s true, I have immense gratitude for the things I take for granted. I’d make a whiny, teary pioneer who would probably be left on the side of some random horse trail in exchange for some peace and quiet. I like warmth, I need hot water and candlelight really isn’t romantic when it’s not by choice.
My basement didn’t survive the ordeal, although most of the “things” in the basement did. Luckily for us, there is a door I can close so I don’t have to see the dusty cement floor, the cut-out drywall, or the mess. And we have enough towels and mats and slippers strewn about to trap most of the dust we track.
But the living area of my house looks like a flea market. Random things we brought up from the basement to save from the flood are distributed without much thought throughout different rooms.  It’s temporary, and it could be much worse, but it makes me itchy every time I walk by something that doesn’t belong where it’s currently located.

So for the moment, I’m living in a state of flux. But it’s better than last week—warmer and drier, too!—so things are looking up. And I’m starting to find time again to prepare for my book launch on the 21st. Stay tuned!

Meditation

My friend and I went to a meditation presentation a couple of weeks ago. It’s been a really stressful 2018 so far, on top of a fairly stressful 2017, and I figured since everyone is talking about the benefits, I might as well try it. It was interesting and offered a variety of quick relaxation techniques to use when stressed.
Well, I’m stressed now and not using any of them. My house is 46 degrees, I’m typing with gloves, and waiting for some random company to come with a generator to start pumping the water out of my basement so they can remove the rug to prevent mold. Notice I said, “start.” Because until the power comes back on fully, the sump pump won’t work and my basement is just going to refill with water. But hey, no big deal. I’m just going to massage my hands at the pressure points.
We’re staying with my parents who live in the next town over. They’re great and happy to have us. More importantly, they have heat and electricity, so even if they weren’t great, I’m pretty sure we’d be there anyway. We’re not picky.
The dog however, is, and she can’t figure out why the heck we’re all there. I put her in the car and as soon as she saw we weren’t going to the vet, she was psyched. We arrived at my parents and she assumed we were leaving her there, since that’s where she stays when we go on vacation. Except we keep coming back. All of us. So she follows me around and positions herself exactly in the middle so she can see all five of us. And every time we leave, she tries to come with us and every time we come back she’s super excited and can’t figure out why we’re all still there. Believe me, I need a vacation. I’d love to be leaving her there and lying on a beach somewhere warm. But instead, I’m just going to visualize a beach, because that’s just as good and will relax me.
The child has to get to school and to work and to band practice. There are twice as many drivers now, but it takes twice as much planning to make sure we know who is going where, with what objects and did we leave those objects upstairs, downstairs or at the freezing cold house. But I’m just going to do the deep breathing exercises I was taught.

Yeah, this meditation stuff is awesome!

Walking...

My husband jokes (at least, I think he’s joking) that there are about three days a year whose temperature satisfies me. I think he’s exaggerating—it’s probably more like five. Since my main form of exercise is walking around our lake with our dog, the other 360 days of the year are problematic.
I don’t walk every day, even though I should. And, since I walk the dog, I’ll usually blame my not walking on her. I don’t walk in the rain—she’s afraid of water, and juggling her and an umbrella are just beyond my abilities. And in the really bad heat of the summer? Well, she’s got black fur and it’s not good for her to overheat. Plus, her paws will burn on the hot pavement. In the super cold temperatures of winter, I can’t walk her when she steps outside and starts shivering. See how this works?
In reality, I probably walk about nine months of the twelve and just adjust my outerwear or timing accordingly. My Fitbit can attest to the abysmal number of steps I’ve achieved over the past six weeks or so. While it’s exciting to see the numbers increase over the year, looking at the low numbers when I’m stuck in the house is embarrassing. And no, I’m not a mall-walker.
This week is looking promising, so the dog and I ventured outside for the first time in ages. Not sure who was more excited, her or me. We didn’t go far because she just had surgery and I didn’t want her to overdo it or force me to carry her home—she’s just heavy enough to make me miserable if that happened. Even though we didn’t walk more than a few blocks, as opposed to our normal 3.5 miles, we saw several similarly minded people, most of them also walking their dogs. We all looked at each other like, “Hey, I remember you—or at least, I remember your dog!”
Hopefully we’ll get back up to speed this week and then the exercise can continue. Because in addition to feeling like a slug, the words just don’t flow as easily, even though we’re about 30 degrees colder than my ideal.

Happy almost spring!

Silence

I’ve hesitated to write anything about the Parkland shooting because I don’t have a right. It’s not my tragedy. It’s a national tragedy and we all feel awful, but I’m not the parent of any of the students. I’m not a teacher in the school. And writing about it, up until now, has seemed like jumping on the bandwagon and trying to get attention.
That’s not me.
But the thing is, I don’t talk when I’m upset, I write. And not writing about this is worse for me than the chance that someone will think less of me for doing something I shouldn’t.
I’m not a parent of a Parkland student. But I am the parent of someone whose best camp friend goes to Parkland. I watched as my daughter received real-time texts while her friend was in hiding. And I am the friend of another set of parents whose children were inside the building. All three kids were physically unharmed. I know them all and I am grateful.
I can’t imagine how any of the parents felt. I can’t imagine what that experience was like. But I do know how I feel and I’m in a strange limbo right now. Watching the news and scanning the faces of the children escaping the school—looking for specific faces—is very different from the horrified curiosity of the rest of the nation. Texts were read to me, and I had to help my child deal with the sudden silence of no texts. It makes the experience more intimate. At the same time, I have the luxury of distance. It wasn’t my child I was searching for as the news loops played the same video over and over again. I can, for a time, forget.
But that distance? It’s really not far. I know those three kids. I played with two of them as babies. I’ve hosted one of them in my home for weekend visits. I’ve hugged one at camp. And I’m raw, even now.
That rawness is making me understand a little bit the desire not to discuss how to stop these tragedies, that’s it’s “not the time.” Don’t get me wrong—any politician saying this should be trashed right now, right away (and behind the scenes, I’m doing it—the time for grace is long past). But in this age of social media, a lot of the information I relied on came from updates posted by my friends as a way of reaching the hundreds of people who had concern for their children.
As I scrolled through my feed, it was physically painful to see other people’s vitriol. Not that it isn’t justified. I get it. I really do. This country needs gun control and we needed it yesterday (countless yesterdays, actually). But the last thing I wanted to see were photos from the scene, graphic cartoons, guns. I needed some time and space to heal. I still do.
Yet I have no right to complain. They’re not my children. I should be focusing on mine, on helping her deal with this tragedy that could have been so much worse. So that’s what I’m doing. And maybe that’s how we fix this. Because if the tragedy only affects those directly in its path, little will get done. They are in mourning and shock. But the rest of us, we need to make sure someone does something. And soon.
Yes, this post is about me. And some will think I’m selfish for writing about myself when others are so clearly hurting—I’ll be judging myself as soon as I hit “publish,” trust me. But if it takes a village to raise a child, then when the child is hurt, the village suffers.
As it should.
Silence doesn’t help. And even though I, personally, haven’t been able to stomach the current anger, I’ll get there. As much as I’d like time to breathe and recover, I know that’s not right for everyone else.
So please, somebody do something. And keep doing it, so that the rest of us, as soon as we are able, can join in.

Release of Don't Let Him Go

Please welcome Kay Harris on her release day!

I am grateful to be here on the release date of “Don’t Let Him Go.” This is my sixth novel, but the first one being published, and I am thrilled the The Wild Rose Press is making this dream come true for me.
“Don’t Let Him Go” is an opposites attract, contemporary, multicultural romance that takes place in the stunning setting of San Francisco. While I have always been inspired to write romance novels by my sincere admiration for the depth of human relationships and the strength of the human heart, this particular story has its own unique journey to being written.
While the characters in my novels tend be different from one another in many ways, the idea of people who appear on the surface to be opposites but are at the center one, comes from my own love story.
Even our closest friends are surprised that my husband and I found one another. But while the differences in our heights, our demeanors, and even our choices in careers seem to be so vastly divergent, deep down we are one soul separated at birth and reunited at last.
So it should come as no surprise that I finally wanted to address in writing this dynamic in relationships where people appear on the outside to be mismatched puzzle pieces when in fact they are a perfect fit. In today’s climate, this seemed all the more poignant. 
Candace is a conservative-minded corporate lawyer. All she ever wanted was to leave behind her hippy parents and make a life filled with a large salary, nice apartment, and regal career. An assignment at her brand new dream job slams her into constant contact with Jack Morrison. In a rebellion of his own Jack rejects his family’s business and wealth. He strikes out by starting a non-profit that fights his father’s corporate greed.
Opposing goals, dichotomous worldviews, and jobs to be done that run in direct conflict to one another—none of this will stop Candace and Jack from finding the common soul they share.

I hope you will take the opportunity to dive into the story of this unlikely couple. Thank you for your time and happy reading!
Release date: February 14, 2018 Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Genre: Contemporary Romance, Multicultural Romance Length: Novel Series: I Want Morrison (Book 1)

Blurb:Excerpt:I folded my arms across my chest and glared at Jack as he moseyed into the room. “You ambushed me.” Jack came to a stop a few feet away and nodded. “I did.” “That’s it?” I spread my arms out and leaned forward. My voice rose despite my effort to control it. “That’s all you have to say?” “What do you want me to say? You’re smart. You can see what I did back there. I used you for my own gain.” “You’re a prick!” “I’m not surprised you feel that way. But I am sorry you had to get caught in the crossfire.” He moved to the couch and took a seat in the middle of it, purposefully giving me the high ground. He slung his arms over the back of the couch casually, making him look like an arrogant ass. And that is exactly what I thought of him at that moment. So I called him on his supposed apology. “Are you?” “Yes, I am. But you’re not innocent, Candie. You put yourself in this position by going to work for Morrison.” “It’s Candace!” I shouted, on the edge of insanity. He didn’t respond. He just looked at me with that infuriatingly handsome face and waited, an amused grin dancing on his face. Buy Links:AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2BoiLDOB&N: http://bit.ly/2n6FeQXAMAZON CA: http://amzn.to/2GadB20AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2DwlHjLAMAZON AU: http://amzn.to/2E2G1u8THE WILD ROSE PRESS: http://bit.ly/2EQeBHj
Social Media Links: WEBSITE:  http://www.kayharrisauthor.comBLOG:  https://www.kayharrisauthor.com/blog/TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/KayHarrisAuthorFACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKayHarris/GOODREADS:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15060640.Kay_HarrisBOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kay-harris
Author Bio:
Kay Harris has had a diverse career with jobs ranging from college professor to park ranger. Now she adds author to her repertoire. Kay writes romance novels that contain a little bit of sweet, a dash of sexy, a touch of heartbreak, and a whole lot of fun! 
Kay grew up in the Midwest and has since lived all over the western United States including Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. She loves to hike, is obsessed with museums, and enjoys taking her extremely tall and very handsome husband on adventures.

Sorority Life

So, the Princess is rushing. Actually, I’m told the correct term at this point is new member education, since she’s already been accepted into a sorority.
As you can tell, I’m not a sorority person. When you’ve been bullied as a kid, the last thing you want to do is be in an organization run by girls whose goal is to judge you—at least, that was my impression at the time and it’s why I chose to join APO, a co-ed service fraternity whose goal was to help others. If you could perform service projects, you were in. But I digress.
The Princess has loved the idea of sororities probably since she watched her first movie that had them as characters. She applied to colleges where they were a part of the social life and told us she planned to rush. I didn’t like the idea, but I wasn’t about to lay my fears on her.
And, the more she told me about her thought process, the more impressed I was. As she went to open houses and then through rush, she evaluated the girls based on their personalities. She was drawn to the houses where the girls weren’t cookie-cutters of each other. And she eliminated sororities based on their philanthropy—were they serious about helping or were they just going through the motions.
She ended up getting a bid from the sorority she wanted to join even before she started rushing, and she’s happy. Very happy. The girls are nice, there’s no hazing, and although they are putting her through a lot of requirements that seem silly to me, she’s bonding with her sorority sisters and having a lot of fun.
Now my biggest problem is remembering their names. Because I am TERRIBLE at remembering names, especially of people I don’t see all the time. Both of my girls can go on for hours making fun of me for not remembering the names of their camp friends, or being unable to identify them in pictures (trust me, I have other good qualities, but remembering names is not even in my top ten*). She’s been calling and texting daily telling me about all the girls she's gotten to know. It's a big sorority and there are a lot of girls. That means a lot of names. As far as I can tell, the only thing saving me so far is that apparently most of these girls’ parents chose their daughters names from the Top 10 lists of their birth year. So really, I only have to remember about 10-12 different names. Out of about 50, that’s not too bad!



*You might think I use “Princess” or “Banana Girl” to protect their identities. Could be. Also could be I can’t remember their actual names. ;)

Love Is Lovelier...Isn't It?

Welcome to my friend, Donna Simonetta, who's new book, Love Is Lovelier, is releasing . She agreed to stop by today and provide us an interview with one of her characters, so I hope you'll join me with a cup of coffee or tea and get to know Mrs. Wilson!

The population of Rivers Bend has been watching with great interest as the single members of the Braden family have been falling in love one by one. And the person with a front-row seat to it all is Mrs. Wilson––head of housekeeping for Jeff Braden and the Retreat at Rivers Bend. Let’s see if she’ll let us in on any behind-the-scenes action.
Q. Welcome, Mrs. Wilson! In A Sweeter Spot , you were right there when Jeff and Magda fell in love. What can you tell us about that time?
A.  (Claps her hands together, and beams) Magda brought such happiness and love to Jeff and his daughter, Sam. It seemed like circumstances were going to keep them apart, and that about broke my heart. Anyone could see those two were made for each other!
Q.  In Love is Lovelier , it seems like Jeff’s sister, Heather Braden, and Mick Evans, who both work at the Retreat with you, get off to a rocky start. What’s going on there?
A. Oh my, yes they did have a rocky start. Heather was not at all pleased to have Mick working with us––and as her boss, no less. But, I’ve seen a lot in my years on this earth, and I suspected mutual attraction was at the root of their animosity. I also had a hunch there was some history between them, from back when they both lived in Portland years ago.
Q. You’re a wise woman, Mrs. Wilson. Can you let us know, just between us, if things worked out in the end between Heather and Mick?
A. (Shakes her head and wags her finger) Oh, no! You’re not going to trick me into spilling the beans. Those two have a lot of issues to work through, but if you want to know if they get their happy-ever-after, you’ll have to read Love is Lovelier like everyone else.
Q. You’re a hard woman, Mrs. Wilson! Okay, then, let’s change direction. The youngest Braden brother, Jason, is quite the ladies man. With the Bradens being taken off the market one by one, do you think he’s the next Braden to find love and get his own H-E-A?
A. (Tsks her tongue) That one may never settle down. It’s going to take a mighty special woman to tempt him away from his playboy ways. But, I get to see a different side to him, when he’s with family, and he’s a good man at his heart. (Smiles and winks) One little secret about Love is Lovelier that I can tell you, is that in it, I saw some signs that he might have met his match, and his time might be coming sooner than he thinks!

Mrs. Wilson, thank you so much for being here today, and giving us a glimpse into the goings-on in everyone’s favorite small town, Rivers Bend, Virginia, in the second book of the Rivers Bend trilogy––Love is Lovelier.
Love is Lovelier Blurb: Heather and Mick have a long history together, and Heather wants to leave it in the past where it belongs. Yet, here Mick is, very much in her present, thanks to her brother Jeff, who hired Mick to be her boss at the Retreat at Rivers Bend.
It wouldn’t be so bad, except Heather and Mick are still attracted to each other like metal to a magnet. Oh, and her brother is considering offering Mick a partnership in the Retreat, which by rights should be hers. And even if they act on their attraction, Heather is a small-town, country girl, and proud of it, whereas Mick can’t get far enough from his West Virginia coal-mining roots.[image error]
Will they be able to get a second chance at their first love and find their happy ending together in Rivers Bend?
Excerpt: “Stick close. I’ll get you out of here.”He used his broad shoulders as a wedge to propel himself though the crowd; Heather scurried to keep up with him so she could take advantage of the gap he created, not wanting to be so close that she could feel the warmth of his body through his elegant suit, but because she needed somehow to beat this crush of people to the Retreat to make sure that everything was in place for the post-christening party she’d planned for Bethanne – only perfection would do for her BFF.She watched Mick’s back as she stuck close to him; he looked so strong and fit – it was hard to imagine him the way he was ten years ago, when he’d suffered his NFL career-ending injury, but the same business acumen that kept him with the Portland Pintos organization back then was the reason Jeff and Cisco hired him at the Retreat. He’d be good for business – she’d just have to keep chanting those words in her head like a mantra, or else she’d do one of two things she’d regret – kill Mick, or kiss him, and she’d gone the kissing route with him before. It did not end well. And tempting as the killing option was at the moment, it probably wouldn’t end any better. Buy Links :Amazon: http://a.co/evyW3O3Barnes & Noble:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-is-lovelier-donna-simonetta/1127826062?ean=2940158723117The Wild Rose Press:https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/5637-love-is-lovelier.htmlAmazon UK:http://amzn.eu/avKGJZq
Author Bio: My career has been a winding road. I worked in the business world for years, got my MLS and worked in a school library, and am now living my dream as an author. I love to read and write contemporary and fantasy romance. I live in Maryland, with my husband, who is my real-life romance hero. We both enjoy traveling to visit our far-flung family and friends, and spending time on the beach with an umbrella drink and a good book.
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/donnasimonettaauthor https://twitter.com/donna_simonettahttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15422407.Donna_Simonettahttps://www.amazon.com/Donna-Simonetta/e/B06X415TWW/https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-simonetta

Juggling...Or Not

I’ve decided there are only so many writing balls I can juggle at one time, and I think I have finally reached my limit. Usually, I write one story and edit another one. But for the past month, I’ve been editing two full manuscripts, polishing a third and doing galley proofs on a fourth. My head feels like it’s going to explode and my eyes are going to bug out of my face.
When I write, I get to disappear into the story, kind of like a viewer disappears into a movie or TV show. It’s fun and a bit like dreaming while being awake. It takes a while for me to join reality again, which can be frustrating for the rest of my family when they want me to do something or pay attention to them.
But when I edit, not only do I disappear into the story, but I have to analyze everything as I’m doing it. What would I feel if I were in this situation? How would I react? What would I do next? And sometimes, it’s figuring out the opposite of what I would do or think or feel, because after all, I’m not my characters.
Copyediting requires a different focus. I have to NOT disappear into the story, instead focusing on every word, every space and every piece of punctuation, making sure they’re all correct, nothing is missing and everything is in the right place. In fact, if I do it correctly, I shouldn’t have any idea what the story is about, because that isn’t the point of what I’m doing.
Although all of these things require a different type of focus, and in theory, should each provide a break from the other, doing too many of them at the same time is killing me. So in the future, I’m going to try to limit how many things I do at once.
Of course, I’m about as good at that as I am at being patient.

Also, hi, Zack!

Welcome Cat Dubie!

Thanks so much, Jennifer, for hosting me on your entertaining blog today! I’m happy to have an opportunity to showcase my Historical Western Romance, The Queen of Paradise Valley.
Source of my writing inspiration:When I was about twelve I started sneakily reading novels from my father’s library, naughty bits and all. Mysteries, thrillers, men’s adventure, historical from biblical times to the 19th century, and a slew of Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey Westerns. Each of these novels became a cog on the wheel of future writing possibilities, a permanent fixture in my mind.As I grew older I discovered family sagas and gothic romances, women in jeopardy, and semi-sexy historical series. For me, reading always leads to writing. I planned on writing mysteries, historical sagas, and Western novels, all with the strong heroines many of the early books lacked. I was writing a historical western at the time I discovered sensual Historical Romances. I revised my story to include a passionate romance, and at once the queue of stories in my head insisted on similar romantic freedoms. My heroines demanded equally strong heroes and a happy ending. I could not deny them!   
Blurb:Diana Rennie, daughter of a wealthy rancher, attempts to persuade mystery man Del Russell to leave his grievances behind and forgive her father for past mistakes. Her careful plan goes awry and results in a shotgun wedding and a prison sentence for Del. 

Four years later, Del is back in her life with a vengeance—back for his rightful share of Diana's ranch, back to prove he isn't the criminal she thought he was, back to finish what the two of them started years ago in a passionate daze. And he isn’t going anywhere, no matter what beautiful, treacherous Diana does or says to try to get rid of him. 
Excerpt:But eventually she went to her room. So warm. Someone was keeping the fireplace well-fed lest the invalid get a chill. Without a glance at the bed, she strode to her bureau and opened a drawer. Why didn't he say anything? If he was asleep she could avoid a confrontation. She took a chance, looked into a mirror and saw her own pink-cheeked face, and Del, gazing at her with half-closed eyes, a cryptic smile on his lips.Flustered by the weight of his gaze, she lifted several nightgowns out of the drawer, then turned to face him. "I needed some things. Teresa refuses to fetch them."He didn't speak but continued looking at her. Propped up by pillows, a quilt drawn to his bandage, he was bare-chested, all black hair and hard muscles. Much too masculine for the lace trimmed pillowslips and the elegant roses embroidered on the quilt. Ebony dozed on the floor at the foot of the bed. Another traitor.  Like everyone else at the ranch.She licked her dry lips. "Will you be able to move back to your room soon?"A shrug lifted one shoulder. "Soon's doc says I can. Are you keeping my bed warm?""I've been sleeping in Randy's room." Face tingling, she hugged the clothes and looked aside. "Why don't you ask Alfredo to give you a shave?""Alfredo's busy. Why don't you do it for me?"Her gaze swung back to him. "Ha. Put a razor in my hand I just might slit your throat."“Diana." His tone was softly chiding and she stared at him in surprise. "I trust you. Why don't you trust me? Come sit so we can talk."Despite her reluctance, she perched on a chair beside the bed and looked out the window.  What did he want to say? Why didn't he get it over with? She asked, "How do you feel?"“Like I’ve had a bullet carved out of my side. Like I've had my flesh stitched together. Want to see it?""Oh no. No!" Embarrassed, she added, "I can't look. I–I have an aversion to the sight of human blood. I panic. I can look at animals covered with blood, dead or dying. But wounded people--never." Damn, she was jabbering. She rubbed her brow.  "I--didn't mean to shoot you. It--just happened."
Buy links:Amazon  https://www.amzn.com/B most moved out 075X58S8R The Wild Rose Press  https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=Cat+Dubie&submit_search=Barnes & Noble  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-queen-of-paradise-valley-cat-dubie/1127176154?ean=2940158564567indigo   https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-queen-of-paradise-valley/9781509217557-item.html?ikwid=The+Queen+of+Paradise+Valley&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0
Author bio:Cat Dubie believes she was destined to write. Her love of words began early – she was making rhymes soon after learning to talk. With a crayon in hand she first drew stories, with a pencil she wrote them. As for reading, she was the girl who always had her nose in a book, the one who read with a flashlight under the covers or, when the moon was full, sat by a window for hours laughing, crying, loving characters whose adventurous lives wouldn't let her sleep.
She has traveled the world in books. She has traveled back in time and into the future in books. er keen interest in history determined the nature of her books, and the first Historical romance novel she read, settled the genre.
After working for various levels of government, she retired and now lives in the beautiful province of British Columbia, where she indulges in her need for creating stories about romance, adventure, passion, mystery, love ...
Social media links:My blog: https://catdubie.blogspot.caFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorcat.dubie.7 twitter:  @CatDubie        https://twitter.com/catdubie