Jennifer Anderson's Blog, page 22

Book Nibbles

First off, thank you for the comments and ideas about naming this segment.  I've combined the ideas and came up with Book Nibbles!  So, as a thank you to my commentors, I'm sending you both a prize.  Please email me at jenandersonauthor@gmail.com with your addys.

Now I just need a cute picture!

It's Thursday and that means a new book for you to nibble on.  Here are the deets:


Kentucky Blues by Cat Shaffer

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Kentucky-Blues-Cat-Shaffer/dp/1935817043/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323958973&sr=8-1

Review from Beyond Her Book: "Once I opened the cover of Cat Shaffer's book, I was hooked. I liked the characters, the suspenseful situation, and the concept of discovering one's mother might be a "cougar" challenges the imagination. In the end, Kentucky Blues was touching, intriguing, tense, exciting, and satisfyingly romantic." I haven't had the pleasure of reading this book yet but you can be sure it is on my TBR list.  Cougars?  Ex-boyfriends?  I think I could really enjoy this book.  If you've read it tell me what you think.  Here are some more vital stats:Author:  Cat Shafferwww.catshaffer.com Published by Turquoise Morning Presswww.turquoisemorningpress.comRelease: August, 2010Digital ISBN: 978-1-935-81712-3Category:  Romantic Suspense
Heat Level: Sensual
Length: 65,700 words
Price:  Print, $14.99; digital $4.99Blurb: Elise Drummond never forgot her first love—and never expected to learn via the grapevine that he was back in Brookville and living with her mother. Sam McCade had broken her heart, and she wasn't about to let him destroy her mother's as well. A quick trip back to Kentucky to lay down the law and she could head back to the safe life she'd built for herself in Kansas City. Happy Reading!

New YA Contest

Hey folks, for those that love YA and love a good and easy contest I think I've found one.  Check out YA Highway and their 3rd Annual Writer Giveaway.  Books, ARC, critiques...oh my!

Something New

To support my fellow authors, I'm going to try something new on the blog.  Each week, except during Christmas, I will feature a book.  I will include as much info about the book as possible as well as where you can get your hands on a copy. 

First in our line up is Raeliksen, Book One in the Emerald Isle Trilogy by Renee Vincent.  Here's where you can get your hands on a copy:
http://www.amazon.com/R%C3%A6liksen-Emerald-Isle-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003YDXNKO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323358374&sr=8-2#_

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Here's what Goodreads says:
Mara, the daughter of an Irish clansman, was raised to believe the men of the North are heathens - murderous pagans without a moral bone in their bodies. Despite warnings of the Northmen's raids, and the growing threat of another incursion, Mara is continually drawn to her favorite place - the River Shannon.

Here's an excerpt found on Coffeetimeromance.com:
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/showthread.php?t=11592

I'm currently reading Raeliksen and hope to be done today.  I'm a sucker for an Irish romance and Renee's book 1 is no exception.  Her description of the Irish country and sea are spot on.  I've visited the country and reading Raeliksen I feel I'm right there standing on the cliffs watching the water break against the rocks below. 

From the start of the book, there is action.  An attempted kidnapping, a bloody nose, racing horses, dark caves, and the smell of rain.  I feel like I'm there right along the Princess while she tries to wrap her head around the actions of the Viking she's with.

If you enjoy historical romances, especially with an Irish flare, I highly recommend this wonderful novel.  I can't wait to finish so I can start book 2.

Now, I need suggestions on what to call this new adventure.  Let's have a contest to have some fun with it.  The winner will not only get to name my book pushing endeavour but will also win a new, hot off the presses book mark!

Leave your ideas below and a winner will be selected before next Thursday.

Welcome Sarah M. Anderson!

First off, I have to say how excited I am to have you.  Sarah and I went to high school together and she and I will be doing a joint signing on December 11th!  She's got the kisses, I'll bring the hugs!

Welcome Sarah!  Tell us a little about A Man of His Word.



The official blurb is: Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat.  But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn't go according to script.  No one warned her that the COO of the company she's fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy.  But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in.  And yet, in Dan's strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….
Why a western theme?  Are you into Native American culture? Do you have a family history of it?
My parents were history teachers, so instead of vacations to Disneyland or Sea World, we went to Kitty Hawk (first plane flight) and Mount Rushmore. I was horse crazy when I was a girl, and the Lakota Sioux were a horse-intensive culture. The moment I showed the slightest interest in American Indians, my parents encouraged me to learn more. To them, it was about education. To me, it was almost an obsession. I learned how to bead and collected American Indian art (trust me, not normal for a twelve-year-old girl).
I grew out of it, however. I discovered boys and Jane Austen novels, and for a long time, I forgot about American Indians and horses. When I started writing, my stories were set on my in-laws' farm in central Illinois. However, the fourth book I wrote featured a heroine who wanted to get away from the family farm. She wound up going west and met a cowboy who was also an Indian. That book worked. The dialog was snappy and funny, the sex was sexy, and the characters were real. The whole thing didn't suck, which was a first. I had fun writing it, and people had fun reading it. My writing went west and I never looked back!
What attracts you to romance?  Were you always an avid reader of it? 
I will admit that, during the years I was pursuing Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the Victorian novel that I not only did not read romance, but I looked down my nose at it. Of course, I didn't consider Jane Austen romance—that was culture! But the nice thing about life is that it provides you with perspective. I discovered a few books set in Victorian England that seemed just like the books I had studied, but they were labeled 'romance'. My knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss them out of hand, but the thing was, they were really well written and I enjoyed the heck out of them. Plus, I've reached a stage in my life where the news—wars, recessions, abuse, death—feels very personal and hopeless. I've discovered that the happily-ever-after that is all but guaranteed by romance novels gives me more hope and satisfaction than reading CNN does. I'm a convert!
Often, romance writers take a pen name.  Did you consider one?
I did, but I already have a nickname, so I decided that I didn't want to add a third name to the list of things I have to remember. Some days, I wish I had taken a pen name—not because people bully me for writing romance, but because I'd like to have another layer of privacy between my public persona and my family life.
Switch hats for a minute.  Mom, wife - how do you manage it all?
You are asking that question at the wrong time! Normally, it's not that hard. I only work part time outside of the house, and I pick up my son every single day from school. It helps that I have an extremely patient and supportive husband. However, at this point, with the holidays here, A Man of His Word being released tomorrow (!), a book due on Jan. 6th, I don't think I'm managing much of anything right now!
What does your family think?  Are your kids old enough to understand what you're doing?
My son is in first grade, and this year I went to speak for career day. I took in bookmarks the kids could color and talked about writing. He's very proud of me being a 'real-life arthur', as he says it. I don't think he grasps the whole concept of 'romance', being as he still occasionally thinks girls have cooties. The rest of my family is very supporting. My grandmother, Goldie M. Lucas, was a published poet and author, and just about everyone in the family believes I received her writing gifts.
What are you working on now? What's next?
My second book, which will be out in July, just got a new title: A Man of Privilege. James Carlson is a prosecutor building a case, but he needs the testimony of a reformed hooker. The third book, tentatively titled A Man of Honor, will be out in September, which means it's due in January. Nick Longhair left the reservation to make his name. But when he has to go back home, he discovered his high-school sweetheart has a baby that may be his.
Both books take place in the same world as A Man of His Word—Rosebud Donnelly, the heroine from that book, pops up in each of the next two. However, they're not true sequels, just loosely connected stories.
Thanks for having me today, Jennifer! I'll give away a signed copy of A Man of His Word to a commenter who tells me what the first romance they remember reading was! I'm also giving away a custom-made Locket of Love (worth $185) on January first. Everyone who comments is entered to win!

This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered to win a signed copy of A Man of His Word. All blog comments are added to the Jewelry Grand Prize list. Jewelry Grand Prize announced on January 1st, 2012 to one randomly drawn name on the list. Next tour stop is the Writing Playground on December 6th.
Beginning December 6th, 2011, A Man of His Word is available! Visit your favorite bookseller, at Amazon, or for the Nook.
Bio: Award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson may live east of the Mississippi River, but her heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn't long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux.  She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they'd go.
When not helping out at school or walking her rescue dog, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son.

Where am I?

I'm busy these days.  And not just with holiday stuff, although shopping for both sets of in-laws takes up a bit of time and that NaNo things was time consuming.  I jest.  Ha Ha!

Anywho, if you don't follow me on Twitter you might not know that I'm over at BookBuzzed.com today giving away a copy of Men In Uniform.  Tomorrow I'll be blogging over at Honeycreekbooks.com and on December 11th, you can catch me and a writer high school bestie at Barnes and Noble in Fenton, MO doing a signing. 

My calendar hasn't looked so full in awhile. 

Come check out all the fun and if we don't speak again soon, have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Honey Creek is Alive!!!!

Just a quick note today.  Honey Creek, the small town I love and write about launches this week.  Please come check out our new site and enter to win some great prizes.  Remember, the first book, Bloom, doesn't release until January but we're having lots of fun until then.

honeycreekbooks.com

I'm a Writing Vampire

Or I have an aversion to sunlight.  I'll explain.
When I started out writing, I wrote at night.  After the kids were tucked in bed, after the dinner dishes were cleared and after I done any work from my day job.  Sure, I was tired but when else was I going to write.
Don't get me wrong, I still have kids, a husband, a day job and a new side job.  I'm still ultra busy and now that I'm published I need to continue to write.  I've tried to write during the day when I'm home on the weekends or when I get an idea I want to flush out right away.
But yet, I'm not as creative or productive.  It's like the sun sucks  the creative juices right from my body and I'm left frail and clutching onto any thread of an idea I may have had.  But when the sun hides away or sets, my fingers fly across my keyboard and the ideas can't stay in my head. 
So with a warm cup of coffee or tea (if I may be gross, like warm blood) and no sunlight to be seen, I can crank out 2K words or more.  I jump from one scene to the next, reaking havoc in my path.  I drain the life from my character and leave them grasping to hold on.  And with every sip from my cup, a new idea forms and I'm off again. 
Why do I even shed light on this little aversion?  I'm getting down to the last 8K words on NaNo and while my child was home sick yesterday, I could barely crank out anything.  I thought perfect, she's home, no day job work to stop me, I can try and finish or at least get close.  Yet, the sun shown brightly in my living room and I could barely do anything.  Yet, as soon as the sun sank, I cranked out 2K no problem.  And today?  She's back at school and it's a rainy, yucky, OVERCAST day and all I want to do is take my MC and throw her off a cliff and see what happens.
*rubs hands and grins* Yep, I'm a writer.  Only question is am I writing vampire.

Why November?

As many have heard, it's Write a Novel in a Month, month.  Throw the confetti.  Sound the horns.

I'm a newbie to NaNoWriMo (isn't it a cute abbreviation) this year but I can't help but ask, "Why November?"

And here's why I want to know.

November is the worst month for me and probably others as well.  November kicks off the holiday season.  My hub's bday is in November.  The launch of Honey Creek Books is in November.  November is one month prior to December and we all know what happens in December.  Why not February?  Or March?  Those months are open for me.

Except I'm sure when those months roll around, I'll be saying the same thing as I am now.

I'm busy.

Wake up Jen, we're all busy.  And that I believe is the hook for NaNoWriMo.
Let me explain.
Anyone can participate but to have a certified NaNoWriMo novel, you need to start with word one on November 1 and end with word 50,000 either on or prior to November 30.  So you have to make the time to write almost 2K words a day on average.  You have to push yourself and among the hustle and bustle of your busy life, crank out a novel.  Now, no one said it would be perfect.  The point is not to correct or rewrite.  Just write, write, write and fix later.

But I think the draw is the challenge of it.  It's like extreme sporting for writing.  Extreme writing.  And in the end, the survivor doesn't win money or a prize or ruler of the island.  The winner has a finished, an unperfected manuscript and the praise among their peers for the accomplishment.  Many have tried and failed.

So to my fellow NaNoers, I say write on and prosper.  Sure this month sucks but when it's all said and done, you will come out a better person.
 Happy Writing!  

Men In Uniform

In honor of Veteran's Day, the authors of Turquoise Morning Press have gotten together and written an anthology of sweet romance stories about men in uniforms.  These valuable men dressed in their best stand proud defending our country and we just wanted to say thank you!
Thank you!
Why did I felt I needed to write a story for this anthology?  I'll tell ya.
Various members of my family have enlisted in different branches of the military.  My grandmother even met and fell in love with one before he was shipped over seas only to loose his life defending our country.  I, like most, understand it's hard work and often times thankless.  And for me, my small little romance is just one way I can say thank you.  Not only to the men but to the woman that stay home waiting for their safe return.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you're interested in purchasing Men In Uniform or learning about the many books offered by TMP, please check out the bookstore at http://www.turquoisemorningpress.com/p/turquoise-morning-press-book-store.html.

Funny Cards

Before I can tell you the funny, I have to tell you the sad.  Some of you may know my grandmother passed away in July.  She'd been diagnosised in June with Liver Cancer and battled barely a month.  Coincidentally, the day I took her to the ER with symptoms, I was offered a contract from TMP for my Honey Creek novella.  Yeah, it was one of those days.

Anyway, so I'm the oldest grandchild by 10 years and I was even listed as her POA.  Not fun but I needed to step up and be an adult because you see in my eyes, I was always a kid when it came to her.  She was more like my mother and bestfriend and to say I'm healed would be a lie.

So, we've been going through her things slowly, weeding out 85 years of stuff.  And let me tell you, she had some stuff.  While it's hard to throw some away, others not so much.  If you've every had to clean out a loved ones stuff after they've passed you might understand.  Some of it is was sad, like you can't stop crying and others are so funny, you almost feel bad for laughing. 

My grandmother was very good about sending birthday cards.  And she took such care in picking out the perfect card.  She had two shoe boxes full of various cards from holiday, to get well to birthday.   I decided instead of throwing away the cards, I'll just add them to my dwindling collection and try to use them. 

While going through the box, sorting out bad ones and trying to find evelops to others I came across a few particular cards that I think were intended for me.  The first one was Merry Christmas Granddaughter and it was covered in red and green glitter.  Very pretty and I'm sure I would've loved it.  The second was a Mother's Day card for a granddaughter.  It too had a glittery butterfly on the cover.  Grandma knew I loved a little sparkle.

I cried a bit at the cards and then looked up at my daughter, who is 10 and said, "I have the perfect card for your daughter when you get older, married and have kids.  We can all thank Grandma for doing some advanced shopping for me!"

We all had a good laugh and maybe it was a be there moment but I couldn't help but share it with you.  I miss her everyday but it's moments like this with the card that I really cherish the time we had.

Thanks.