Judy Lynn Hubbard's Blog, page 2
November 22, 2011
At least 10 reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving
Don't forget to be thankful this Thanksgiving. I know times are hard for millions of Americans this year—jobs are few and far between, homes are being foreclosed on and many families don't know how they're going to make ends meet. These are scary times the like of which most of us haven't seen before; however, don't forget that we do have a lot to be thankful for.
If you woke up this morning, be thankful.
If you can read this post, be thankful.
If you are sound in your body and mind, be thankful.
If you have a job, be thankful.
If you have a roof over your head, be thankful.
If you have food to eat, be thankful.
If you have even one good friend, be thankful.
If you have even one dime in your pocket, be thankful.
If you have family to share the holiday with, be thankful.
If you're alive, be thankful.
I could go on and on, but I think you get my point—we often lose track of all the ways we have been blessed and instead dwell on the things we don't have. This Thanksgiving, take a few moments to be grateful for what you do have. Be thankful this Thanksgiving—I know I am.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
November 7, 2011
THESE ARMS OF MINE
Finally I can share my cover with you for my debut novel and here it is!!
October 11, 2011
Dracula, Frankenstein or the Wolfman?
My mind is a tangled web of sometimes weird ideas and questions, which is why I love writing; it gives me an outlet for my wild inner ravings.
For example, I was sitting around today and I started thinking about Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolfman.
[image error]Maybe it's because I was watching the Wolfman last night, or maybe it's because Halloween is approaching—I don't know. Anyway, I started wondering which of them do I feel the sorriest for? Hmm, now that's a good question. Let's face it, none of them asked to be what they are—all are cursed, but which has the worst fate?
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After a few seconds, my answer was crystal clear—The Frankenstein monster.
[image error]How did I arrive at my conclusion? Well, the Wolfman and Dracula lived human lives once. They were men. They experienced love, enjoyed good food, lived life and knew what it felt like to be surrounded by family. They were once a part of the human race; they know what it means to be completely human with our flaws, frailty and wonderful differences.
The Frankenstein monster on the other hand, never got to be anything other than a monster. He never lived life as a man. He was sewn together using other people's body parts at the whim of a scientist who just wanted to see if he could create life. Did he even really have a soul? He never experienced anything other than people's scorn, fear and hatred of him. He certainly never experienced joy, and especially not true human love. His was a life given to him by a madman for his own sadistic purposes and he would never fit into society because humans would always consider him an abomination, which he was, but through no fault of his own. He really was a pitiful monster whom I think at his core just wanted to be loved—something that would always elude him by virtue of his very existence—and how sad is that?
So, that's my weird thought for the day. Leave me a comment and let me know which you would choose and why.
I've just got to write a paranormal romance—this stuff really fascinates me!
Until next time boys and ghouls! Yes, I know that was really corny, but given the topic of this post, I just had to throw it in there! 
October 3, 2011
BOOK REVIEW: Temptation of a Good Man
The Temptation of a Good Man by Delaney Diamond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Roarke Hawthorne and Celeste Burton meet up one night in a bar where Celeste is celebrating her birthday with friends. The attraction is instantaneous and the passion is too. The chemistry between Roarke and Celeste is hot! After a night of hot lovemaking, Celeste leaves in the morning without a word not wanting to place more importance on what she and Roarke shared than he may be comfortable with, although their night was very special for her. Celeste agrees to accompany a friend to his sister's wedding and pretend to be his "lady"; there, she and Roarke are reunited and she is shocked to learn that her friend, Derrick, is Roarke's half-brother! The tension and anger flies and Roarke (who hates cheaters because of his father) believes Celeste slept with him while being involved with his estranged brother. The remainder of the book takes place during this weekend.
The book starts fast and ends that way too—which is the only complaint I have. The ending felt too rushed. I would have liked to see more of what happened between Celeste and Roarke after the wedding weekend and wanted to see Roarke integrating into Celeste's family life with her mother and daughter. Also, the resolution of Roarke's relationship with Derrick would have been nicer had it been allowed to develop more. However, this was a very enjoyable book and I recommend it for a fast read (it's about 82 pages).
September 26, 2011
BOOK REVIEW: Too Hot for TV By Cheris Hodges
Too Hot for TV by Cheris Hodges
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Raymond Thomas is a doctor of a free clinic in Harlem and Imani Gilliam is an aspiring actress looking for her big break. Both are talked into doing a reality TV show (Ray to raise money for his clinic, which is struggling and Imani for exposure she's hoping will lead to acting offers). Neither is looking for nor do they expect to find romance or love while shooting the "Let's Get Married" show in Hawaii—but, of course, that's what they both find! As a result of the show, both get what they want—Ray's clinic is saved and Imani's career is taking off, but what does this mean for their developing relationship? You'll have to read the book to find out!
This was a good book. It's really well written and the characters are fully developed. I wanted things to progress a little quicker than they did, but the foundation was being laid for Raymond and Imani's story. I liked all of the characters (secondary included). Keith (Ray's best friend) was a trip and Celeste (his girlfriend) made me laugh. Dana (Imani's best friend) was loyal and supportive and Ed (Imani's agent) was a nice guy looking out for her and her career.
Imani and Raymond shared very similar values and wound up being a very good match. Imani did irritate me sometimes with her insecurity issues, but she reminded me of a good friend who gets on your nerves, but whom you still love and want the best for. She was written very "real" and that's a testament to Cheris' great writing. I really liked Raymond; he made me wonder if there are any like him out here in the real world! He was such an understanding good guy with a heart of gold—you couldn't help but root for him.
If you want a read that takes the time to lay down a firm foundation and really build believable characters with sizzling romance thrown in, this is the book for you. I don't think you'll be disappointed, I know I wasn't.
September 21, 2011
BOOK REVIEW: Foretold by Raine Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Raine certainly saved the best for last! Wow!! This is my favorite of the trilogy. It grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go until the very end.
There was so much going on in the book as the sisters and brothers come into their full powers that I can't begin to explain it all. I'll just say that Foretold simply has everything one could ask for: romance, adventure, thrills, heartache, conflict between the sisters and their men, selflessness, a fierce battle, clinging to hope when all seems lost, the embracing of one's destiny with grace, fearlessness and determination and above all the realization that love is what makes life worth living.
This is Skye's story where she comes into her own and boy does she come into her own! Skye and Caleb were just PERFECT for each other. I loved the way Caleb dealt with Skye's emotional outbursts by appearing completely unemotional when he was anything but. It was great to see him struggle with expressing his emotions—especially love, because he was so logical and had to analyze everything. The way he finally came to the realization that he loved Skye (after she had a few brushes with the villain) and that wanted to be with her and the way he proposed to her were all so wonderfully romantic. Did I mention that I just loved Caleb? Skye is one lucky gal! I mean they sizzled on the page! I could go on and on, but the best advice I could give is for you to read this book (read all 3 of the books)!
This was a wonderful trilogy that I enjoyed thoroughly and as I bid farewell to the Estilorian world—for now, I look forward to reading future works from Raine Thomas, a truly great imaginative storyteller.
September 20, 2011
Welcome To My Blog!
Hi all! I'm Judy L. Hubbard, a new romance author for Harlequin Kimani Romance. My first book, These Arms of Mine is slated to hit the shelves in February 2012. I hope you all will look for it and enjoy it. Thanks for visiting my blog and feel free to comment/post on any and everything!
Visit me at JudyLynnHubbard.com, follow me on Facebook and/or on Twitter.
September 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW: Central by Raine Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Here's my no-spoiler review of Central, the 2nd book in the Daughters of Saraqael Trilogy. Central picks up in the sister's lives where Becoming left off. It is mainly focused on and Olivia and her love interest, James (both of whom I really enjoyed reading about); however, the other sisters, Amber and Skye also have good roles in the book, along with Gabriel and Caleb. I loved James—nothing is more romantic than not knowing you're romantic and Olivia was an excellent teacher helping him learn about human emotions—especially love.
One of the main themes in the book is the growing relationships between the sisters and the men in their lives and the formation of their family bond. It was great seeing the "family" naturally shape itself and watching James and Caleb learning to experience and deal with emotions—especially in their interactions with Olivia and Skye. Olivia's panther, Aurora, also has a storyline that I really enjoyed and there was a magical, thrilling scene involving unicorns!
Raine is a very descriptive storyteller—most of the time that worked brilliantly, but sometimes it resulted in information overload; for example, when the book centered on the relationships of the main characters (the sisters and their men) and the description of their surroundings (especially Central), I was enthralled and couldn't get enough, but when some of the Estilorian history was being explained, and all of the different classes and names of Estilorians (good and bad) were being introduced, I felt less would have been more and I couldn't wait to get back to the action involving the six main characters, which is why I rated the book 4 stars instead of 5.
Overall, though, Central is an entertaining, moving story and I can't wait to start the third book, Foretold, which I have already downloaded. This is definitely a series worth reading!
September 5, 2011
REVISIONS ARE YOUR FRIENDS
Cheer up—revising is a BIG part of writing. In fact, I daresay, it’s the biggest part. You furiously write your book to get it all down on “paper” and when you’re done, if you’re like me, you will undertake 1 or 2 re-writes/revisions on your own before you feel your work is presentable to send to your editor/agent. Then it’s their turn with the red pen, which will undoubtedly mean more revisions for you.
My number one rule is that revisions are my friends because they make me think outside of my comfortable little box and go in directions that I never would have. There isn’t just one way to tell my story, but there is just one way to tell it perfectly!
Don’t think you know it all and that your work shouldn’t be critiqued. Editors/publishers know what will and won’t sell. Chances are any manuscript you turn in will need revisions; that's just the way it is. I take my editor’s suggestions very seriously and give them due consideration and 99% of the time, their suggestions make my book better, but there is that 1% when I don’t feel the direction they want me to go in will be beneficial for my book/characters. What to do then? I tell them so—in a respectful, professional way.
One such instance occurred on my second book when my editors wanted me to change the profession of my hero; I tried to see it their way for 11 days and was stuck in perpetual writer’s block (something that never happens to me), so I left his profession as I had created it and the book just began to flow. I made the other suggestions my editor recommended and explained I couldn’t artistically see a change in profession for my hero and she relented. Your editors/publishers really aren’t trying to torture you when they ask you to revise "your baby"—really they aren’t. They want your book to be its best so that it and you can be successful—they’re only doing their job. Remember that!
Look at revisions with an open mind and ask yourself:
1. Do they make my book better or worse?
2. Am I just being stubborn not wanting to look at my story/characters from a different viewpoint?
3. Do the suggestions make sense?
4. Can I visualize my characters/book with the changes suggested or does it go against my creative vision?
5. Are the changes doable without destroying the essence of your story/characters?
If you’re going to be a published writer, you’re going to have to get used to doing revisions. Take them on with a can-do attitude and give them your best shot. Don’t ever be afraid or too stubborn to cut out a character or a scene that you love; I hate to lose scenes, too, but sometimes treasured lines and heartfelt scenes have to be cut to make the story flow more seamlessly.
When revisions do hit tackle them with a positive attitude and an open mind. Remember it takes a lot of hard work to make your book the best that it can be!
