Becky Lower's Blog, page 32

Limitless Possibilities

The final book in my long Cotillion Ball series, The Forgotten Debutante, is at the publisher for edits, finally. While I love my Fitzpatrick family immensely, I'm ready to move on. But move on where?

And by moving on, I don't mean to a different publisher, necessarily. I mean moving on with my writing. Inventing new families for my readers to fall in love with, developing plot lines that are different from the Cotillion series. It's an exciting time for me, with my imagination being the only limitation placed on me.

So where do I move on? I could finish the time travel book, which has been languishing under the bed for years. Hmm, maybe. I could put a spin on a family tale and figure out why my grandmother and her siblings were ridiculed their entire lives for having Indian blood when a DNA test has proved that notion to be false. Hmmm. This tale has been discussed in depth for a number of years with my uncle, my dad's last remaining brother. He has his own version of what happened. And, after finding my great-grandmother's gravesite and realizing that all this time we referred to her as Missouri Belle when she was actually Missouria Belle, the speculation grew to the point where we did some hasty research on the subject. There was a tribe in the Great Lakes back in the early years called the Missouria, which merged with another tribe along the way. Could there have been a morsel of truth to the tale? And if so, how, since my DNA doesn't have a drop of Indian blood?

My mind began to spin in all kinds of directions. Yes, the latter idea proved to be the one with the most potential. I'm going to put an ending on the tale which makes sense. I just hope the Myers and Huffman branches of the family are not upset that I've stolen a leaf from our family tree to craft a story about.

Professional Jealousy

Romance authors are a tightly-knit group. At chapter meetings, we cheer each other's accomplishments, commiserate with each other if the news isn't so good, and pass out a lot of chocolate. On the national level, we get to know other authors who are enjoying the benefits of their hard work, and realize folks like Nora, Julia and Jayne Anne are really normal, down-to-earth types who have labored for years to get to the heights they're now at.

While I'm on the same page as my chapter mates with my pleasure in other people's success, I find myself occasionally wondering why one person is successful and another can't get any traction. I hold myself and my books up for comparison with others and find myself wishing that, for one moment, I could be in their shoes.

Most of you know by now that The Voice is one of my favorite shows. Not so much for the talent,  but because I love the interaction between the coaches. I always find some kernel of wisdom to take home.

This week, Pharell Williams told one of his team that if you wish to be like someone else who has made it in the industry, you'll always be second best. He said the only person you should compete with is yourself, and try to do better every week, every month, than you did before. Once again, Pharell's words resonated with me.

So, from here out, I will compete only with myself, and will continue to applaud the accomplishments and success of others. Thank you, Pharell, for once again reminding me of what is important.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

More Time In The Editing Cave

As most of you know, I've been editing and re-editing my manuscript The Forgotten Debutante. It's been going fairly well, but one scene, the Thanksgiving dinner, wasn't coming together as it should have. I had my two females, Saffron and Grace, discuss the menu, make certain the silver was polished and the tablecloth was clean. But then I glossed over the meal altogether. Left it on the proverbial table, as it were.

After thinking about it for a few days, I went back and added in one paragraph about the dinner, and thought I had it fixed. I just reread the section again and I realized my hero, Zeke, was jumping up and down trying to get my attention.

"I want to taste the pie, not just see it, Becky," Zeke yelled at me from across the table. "And what about the mashed potatoes and gravy? Did they just eat themselves?" When he picked up a dinner roll and lobbed it in my direction, I flung my hands in the air.

Okay, okay, Zeke, calm down. I went back to my paragraph about the dinner and added in some actual conversation, referred to the two available pies, and how Zeke could have a slice of both, etc, etc, etc. Finally, Zeke had a full belly and he quit yelling at me.

My dog, Mary, has lately been reacting the same as Zeke. She's decided she likes to cuddle, either with my sister on the couch, or with me in my chair. Since she's a puppy mill rescue dog, she never learned how to jump up on the furniture, so we need to pick her up each time. Picking her up is still a challenge, though, since she needs to be herded into her little bed (not the big one, mind you). But once she's in her safe place, she'll allow us to pick her up, and she'll loll for hours in one place or the other.

A few days ago, she sat quietly with Pat in the morning when I was working. Then, she got up for a potty break, came back in the house, and went to her little bed. I headed for my chair to check my emails. She got out of her bed, stared a hole through me until I looked up from the screen. When she had my full attention she gave a full body sigh, nodded her head in the direction of the bed and walked back to it, ready to be picked up. Thank goodness, there were no dinner rolls in the house.

So I missed Mary's cues, just as I had Zeke's. Time to pull my head away from the computer and pay attention to the folks that matter.

Hopefully, both Zeke and Mary have now been taken care of. I haven't heard either of them yelling at me today.

The Editing Cave

For about the past month, I've been in editing mode. The ninth and final book in my Cotillion Ball series is due to the publisher in a matter of weeks, and i'm tediously going through my checklist as I hone my rough first draft into a final version.

I took a workshop last month through RWA and the instructor made a comment that a first draft can be so rough it can sand wood. But, with the proper editing, no one will know what the first version looked like. As the child of a homebuilder, I love the analogy.

Stephen King once said, “To write is human, to edit is divine.” I knew we were kindred spirits. 

For me, the first draft is merely the first step. Each time I go back through my manuscript, from start to finish on each occasion, I have a set order to my process. Six, seven, eight times through. It doesn't matter how many times I comb through it. Each time, I'm looking at some different aspect of my work. Finally, when I can read through it with my hands off the keyboard, I can send it off. 

As I write this, I'm about 2/3 of the way through the fifth draft of the story, making what I hope will be my final edits–adding in the missing words, tying up the loose story threads, adding description and texture to the story. I should be able to finish it up by next week, and then read through it once or twice more before I send it off. But if it takes more read-throughs before I can keep my hands off the keyboard, so be it. Some books are harder to write than others. 


Every author has a different approach to the creation of a story. Some write out of order, laying down scenes as they appear in the author's imagination and then piecing them together like a big jigsaw puzzle. I admire these writers, since I can't do it. Some use an outline and synopsis to make it clear to themselves which way the story should go. I use this linear approach, but don't make it so detailed the story and characters can't surprise me as I write. 

Whatever process one goes through to get to the final, shiny, polished story, it shouldn't be rushed. There are too many books out there with typos and poor grammar, in both the traditional press and self-published works. I want my manuscript to be as clean as it can be when I let it go. If all the niggling little things are done when it goes to my editor, she can concentrate on the story line and strengthen that, instead of worrying over too many commas and the difference between heard and herd. 

For everyone participating in NaNoWriMo, I hope you take the month of December to turn your piece of sandpaper into a shiny, polished pearl before you send it off to an agent or publisher. Don't rush the process. The end result will be worth it. 

Welcome Historical Author Marin McGinnis

I'm so pleased to be able to host today's guest, Marin McGinnis. Marin and I are chapter mates at NEORWA and we both write historical romances, so we always have a lot to say to one another, and there's never enough time at our meetings. So here's a chance for us all to get to know her a bit better. Marin writes for Wild Rose Press, and has just released her second book. Take it away, Marin!
Thank you for having me here today, Becky!
Tell me about your new release.My second novel, Secret Promise, tells the story of Edward Mason (long lost brother of the heroine in my first book), and the sweetheart he left behind. It is reminiscent of the Odyssey, although it takes Edward a lot less time and fewer adventures to get back home to his lady love.
How does the release fit into your series, if it is a series?Secret Promise is a sequel to Stirring Up the Viscount, and answers a few questions left open in that book.
What one thing do you hope readers enjoy in the particular offering?I loved writing this book (except when I didn’t, somewhere in the middle!), and fell a little in love with my characters. Anna and Edward were childhood sweethearts, separated by circumstance (and perhaps just a wee bit of villainy), and through it all remained true to each other. I hope that readers will enjoy their story.
What do you have planned next?
I am currently working on a longer novel set exclusively in England in 1851, completely unrelated to the first two books. I do, however, have two more stories in the hopper featuring the Tenwick family from Stirring Up the Viscount, so we’ll see more from them eventually!
Blurb:
Falsely imprisoned as a blockade-runner during the American Civil War, Edward Mason yearns to go home. But when after seven years he finally returns to England, the life he expected is gone. His parents are dead, his home destroyed, his father’s legacy stolen, and his girl—his girl is now the single mother of a child Edward never knew.
Abandoned by the man she loved and disowned by her family, Anna Templeton has learned to stand on her own two feet and make a home for her son. Now the successful owner of The Silver Gull tavern, she's not about to put their happiness in the hands of the one man who let her down so badly.
Edward is determined to regain Anna’s love and be a father to his son. But when a series of suspicious accidents threaten him and those he loves, he must stop the man responsible, or lose everything.
Buy links:    The Wild Rose Press                                    Amazon
                  B&N
                  Kobo
Excerpt:
“Good day, sir. What can I get you? We have a very good cottage pie today.”
Edward frowned. “Aren’t you a bit young to be working in a public house?”

“Oh, I don’t work here,” the boy said. “Me mam’s the owner, and Molly didn’t come to work today.”
“Molly?”
“The barmaid, of course.” His tone held a hint of derision, as if he thought Edward an idiot for failing to know who Molly was.
“Of course.” Edward was amused. “Well, then, I suppose I shall have the cottage pie, and an ale. And perhaps I could have a word with your mother, when she has a moment?”
“What do you want her for?” The boy’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I used to live here, many years ago, and would like to speak to someone about…” Edward broke off as a woman emerged from the kitchen, carrying two plates piled with food. She had fiery red hair and a lithe figure, and moved easily through the tables. After setting one of the plates before a man sitting near the bar, she turned and scanned the room. Her gaze alit on the boy first, and she smiled. Then she spotted Edward. All color drained from her face, and the remaining plate slid from her hand, shattering on the stone floor.
“Mam!” The boy raced to the woman and clutched at her skirts, but Edward was unable to move.
“Anna,” he whispered.

About Marin: Clevelanders are tough, a bit cynical, and just a little crazy, and Marin McGinnis is no exception. When she's not chasing after big dogs or watching tweens skate around hockey rinks, she is immersing herself in romantic tales of years gone by. She lives in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, son, and two standard poodles.
You can find her hanging out at marinmcginnis.com, on her group blog at throughheartshapedglasses.com, on Twitter @MarinMcGinnis, Facebook at facebook.com/MarinMcG, Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12256384.Marin_McGinnis, or Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/marinmcginnis/

To Self-Pub or Not? That Is The Question.

Like most authors today, I've considered self-publication. The control of the entire process, from editing to cover design, to price, to placement, has a certain appeal. And the increased royalties and accounting from Amazon certainly have an appeal. All my friends who have already taken the plunge assure me that, although it involves multiple steps, it's not hard to do. A piece of cake.

Yet, each time I seriously consider it, something always happens. As is the case with a lot of us aging boomers, computers are a friend and a foe. Just when I think things are going along fine, and that I can take on the challenge of self-publication, I have a day like yesterday.

I needed to print out, sign and scan a document, which I was to email back to complete my transaction. My computer and printer have worked together fine for the last six months, so I thought my simple task would be quick and easy. A piece of cake. Yet when it came time for my printer and computer to relate, they refused to talk to each other. It was as if they were two little school kids, pointing fingers at each other.

"It's the computer's fault!" yelled my printer, flashing lights and refusing to scan.

"No, it's not! The computer's fine. It's the printer who doesn't want to work!" The computer showed me a screen with a grin, evidence it was hooked up properly to the printer.

I could get nowhere, so I decided to just put the document in the mail instead. The old-fashioned way. The way I'm used to dealing with things.

So, if I were to take on the challenge of self-pubbing, what would happen to my book if, once again, my computer and printer act like spoiled children in the school yard? I don't know. But I don't think I can mail it in.

And the not knowing is what scares me into once again resisting the urge to take the next step. If anyone has any ideas on how to get beyond this, I'd love to hear them.

Team Work, Dream Work

I'm so pleased to have not one, but two, guests on the blog today! I first met Cary and Deborah in 2013, at the RWA Conference in Anaheim. We were newly published and had a great time getting to know each other. Since then, we've each grown professionally. For Cary and Deborah, that means continuing to write complex time travel novels as a team, and following their own interests with books delving into science fiction and hot contemporary. Knowing how hard it is to write a book by yourself, I'm amazed that these two can write as a team without coming to blows constantly. Let's find out more about how they accomplish that goal. 
How Morgan and O’Neill created the Elizabethan Time Travel seriesBy Deborah O’Neill Cordes and Cary Morgan Frates

How many writing teams are there? We know of a few, but their rarity speaks to the difficulties of working together to create something as complicated as a novel, let alone multiple series. When we first began to work as a team, we had different styles and ways of approaching a scene. Our individual styles are still different, but we’ve learned to blend and edit our work so readers can’t tell who wrote what.
In addition to the blending of our writing styles we have to deal with the inherent complexity of time travel fiction. Our stories are woven with many threads, and in our Elizabethan series it’s particularly intricate because we have to contend with three separate eras––the present day, the World War II era, and the sixteenth century. They must be blended together on every level to make a cohesive whole.To make things even more complicated, we wrote the prequel, Begun by Time, after the publication of The Thornless Rose. It came to us that readers would enjoy a firsthand account of the story of Catherine Hastings, Jonathan Brandon, and Arthur Howard in the 1940s.  How did Catherine and Jonathan fall in love? What happened after he vanished? How did Arthur help her move on with her life? We wove this together with the plot of The Thornless Rose, keeping in mind that continuity must be maintained with our work-in-progress sequel, Ever Crave the Rose.
Blimey! Burnouts are avoided by lots of chocolate and wine!
We work hard to create rich and memorable time travel stories, with characters who will not be easily forgotten. We hope you enjoy all of our time travel series: Elizabethan, Roman, and medieval Italian.  Thank you, and happy reading ~ Deborah and Cary, writing as Morgan O’Neill.
The Thornless RoseAn Elizabethan Time Travel NovelMorgan O’Neill
Publisher: Entangled/Macmillan Select HistoricalPublication Date: December 29, 2014Genre: Historical/Time Travel Fiction
About the Book:No one ever knew what really happened to Dr. Jonathan Brandon back in 1945. He simply disappeared from a London pub, leaving behind an unsolved mystery and his fiancée—Anne Howard’s grandmother. Seventy years later, Anne herself is haunted by the strange tale, along with inexplicable hallucinations straight out of Elizabethan England. Including a scarred, handsome man whose deep blue eyes seem to touch her very soul....
Anne wonders if there isn’t something more to the story. Is it even possible that Jonathan disappeared into England’s dark past? And why does Anne keep hearing him whisper her name? Because now she too feels the inexorable pull of the past, not to mention an undeniable attraction for a man she doesn’t even know.
It’s just a matter of time before Anne will step back into history, and face a destiny―and a love―beyond imagining...
Entangled - http://www.entangledpublishing.com/the-thornless-rose/
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Thornless-Rose-Entangled-Select-Historical-ebook/dp/B00QRW3OH6?tag=entangpublis-20&link_code=ur2&creative=9325&camp=211189iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/thornless-rose-entangled-select/id949899897?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-thornless-rose-entangled-select-historical?utm_source=linkshare_us&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=linkshare_us&siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-WdKIVJZsRKhFaTZKc6UzawBN - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-thornless-rose-morgan-oneill/1120872044?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-je6NUbpObpQ-_-10:1

Here's an Excerpt from The Thornless Rose, an Elizabethan Time Travel novel, by Morgan O'Neill.
In this scene, time travelers Anne Howard and Dr. Jonathan Brandon are thrown together for the first time. Prior to this, Anne has only seen Brandon in an old photograph.
The lights suddenly dimmed, the atmosphere in Westminster Abbey hushed, expectant. She halted in her tracks. Flickering candlelight and deep shadows, no tourists. What the hell is going on?“Anne! Anne!”Stunned, she turned. A man in costume ran toward her.“Go back,” he shouted, “back where it’s safe!”She stood transfixed. As he came closer, she recognized him—his eyes, the scar.He halted and pulled her tight against him. “I love you, Anne,” he whispered into her hair, “but you have to go with him. Save yourself.”“But––”He stilled her confusion with a tender brush of his lips, and she responded instinctively, their kiss deepening as her body arched against his, her blood ablaze with sudden desire, until the rest of the world seemed very far away.When he finally drew back, he stared into her eyes, and Anne’s heart seized when she saw his pain, the sheer desperation in his gaze.The feeling was apparently mutual, because he pulled her close and swore under his breath, “Bloody hell, the bastard will pay for this.”I don’t understand. He opened his eyes and stared at something in the distance. “Anne, go now,” his voice cracked, “because I can face anything if I know you’re safe.”His fingers gently cupped her chin, his touch unleashing more heat. He lifted her face for another kiss, and then—nothing. He was gone. She fought for control, her breathing erratic, her legs threatening to crumble. She touched her lips, still feeling his caress, his soft breath on her skin, but he was gone.
Begun by TimeThe Prequel to The Thornless RoseAuthor: Morgan O’Neill
Publisher: Entangled/Macmillan Select HistoricalPublication Date: August 24, 2015Genre: Historical/Time Travel Fiction
About the Book:In 1945, a man disappeared into thin air...

In the final days of World War II, Catherine Hastings meets the man she wants to marry. Flight surgeon Jonathan Brandon isn’t just handsome—he’s everything Catherine could hope for in her betrothed. But her dream of a happily ever after is shattered when Jonnie disappears shortly before their wedding...leaving Catherine bereft, broken-hearted, and with a lifetime of unanswered questions.

Arthur Howard is smitten with the lovely Catherine the moment he sees her. He’s certain he’s found the woman he wants to marry. Yet behind Catherine’s sparkling green eyes is a haunted look—the look of a woman who has known loss. But can he love a woman who still grieves the loss of her fiancé? Now Arthur wants answers about the man Catherine intended to marry.But the truth about Jonnie’s disappearance is far stranger than fiction…Entangled - http://www.entangledpublishing.com/begun-by-time/Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Begun-Time-Entangled-Select-Historical-ebook/dp/B0122RZM92?tag=entangpublis-20&link_code=ur2&creative=9325&camp=211189 iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/begun-by-time-entangled-select/id1021176025?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4Kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/begun-by-time-entangled-select-historical?utm_source=linkshare_us&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=linkshare_us&siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-otoWgP7FvFPionsy_wAKeQBN - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/begun-by-time-morgan-oneill/1122360973?cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-je6NUbpObpQ-_-10:1

Living Life–Pantser Style

Most writers are aware there are two basic approaches to creating a manuscript–people who plot the story out, either by a detailed outline or a simple listing of the plot points (plotters)
or those who don't have a clue when they sit down at the computer where their story is going to go and prefer to fly by the seat of their pants. (pantsers)

In writing, I'm a loose plotter. I'll list the major plot points, get them in order according to Blake Snyder's Save The Cat. Then, I'll write up a synopsis in advance of the story, to see if there's enough story line for a full-length novel. Only then do I dive into the writing of the book.

However, in life, I'm a bit more of a pantser. My sister and I have our house on the market and have been searching for a new area in which to live. We go back and forth over whether we want to buy or rent, if we want to move to a warmer climate, or if we want a condo or a house. Then, you throw in cluster homes and 55-plus communities, and each day is a new adventure.

My California friends were excited for a brief moment when my sister came back from a week's vacation with a book of apartments for rent in southern California. Nice idea, but way too pricey for this girl. The bowling alley house in a nearby town was quite nice, but got snapped up by a buyer before we got our home sold. And the condo in town sold before we could even determine where our furniture might go. Now, we have plans to take a short vacation to Nashville in November. Maybe I'll end up being a neighbor to Reba McIntire. And I can go to the Grand Old Opry every Friday night. Might be fun.



You see what I mean about being a pantser in life? It kinda keeps things interesting.

But my quest for a new home doesn't overshadow my work. I've got a giveaway going on Goodreads, for two autographed copies of Blame It On The Brontes. And two of my books, The Duplicitous Debutante and Expressly Yours, Samantha have made it into the final round of voting on The Romance Reviews's site. If you click on any of the buttons on the right, you'll be directed to their sites. You'll need to be logged in to vote on The Romance Review site, but don't let that stop you. I need every vote I can get.

Special Guest Linda Bennett Pennell

I met Linda a year and a half ago, at the RWA conference in San Antonio. We were Soul Mate authors, and connected immediately. We attended a workshop on starting a group blog, which resonated with us. History Imagined is now celebrating its one-year anniversary. Caroline Warfield, our other partner on the group blog, was a guest here a month ago. Now it's Linda's turn. Please help me welcome her as she discusses her newest book, A Wild Rose Press release entitled Casablanca: Appointment At Dawn.

Tell me about your new release. 

Casablanca: Appointment at Dawn is set in 1943 during the weeks leading up to the First Allied Conference in Casablanca. It was at the conference that Roosevelt persuaded his Allied partners to set the policy of unconditional surrender of the Axis powers. During World War II, communications from both sides were intercepted and read. Even something as important as this conference could not be kept totally secret. The Germans knew that the conference was taking place, but the translator of the intercepted message made one critical error. He translated Casablanca, Spanish for white house, as White House, Washington, D.C. Imagine what might have happened if the error had been caught in time or had not been made in the first place! 

When I first decided to write a novel set in WWII, I began a love story between a ninety-day-wonder, as Army Air Corps pilots-in-training were known, and an army nurse. It was set in Hialeah, Florida at the now defunct training facility there. The story just wasn’t working for me. Another author, who had been a WWII pilot and with whom I was communicating, happened to mention a friend who had been stationed at Casablanca. The movie is one of my favs, so the leap in location was not difficult. My hero evolved into an OSS officer, while my nurse got transferred to the 8th Evacuation Hospital. Romance set among spies, double agents, and secret coded messages makes for much more exciting reading, no? 
Like so many authors of historical fiction, I like to play “what if” with events and facts. In writing Casablanca: Appointment at Dawn, that’s exactly what I did. By the way, I considered calling the book Unconditional Surrender. Might have made a nice double entendre, don’t you think? 

What one thing do you hope readers enjoy in the particular offering?

The setting is certainly exotic, but I hope that readers feel the excitement and danger of falling love during wartime against all common sense. I hope readers find Kurt and Sarah as irresistible and these lovers find one another. 

What do you have planned next? 

 My work-in-progress is set in Miami and Havana. It is told in dual historical and contemporary timelines, featuring Professor Liz Reams from Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel. This time, she is chasing information about the notorious Meyer Lansky, the "Mob’s Accountant" and a founding member of Murder Incorporated. It is romantic suspense. 

Blurb:
Casablanca: Appointment at DawnBy Linda Bennett Pennell
Will seven days be enough time to save the Allied war effort and the girl he loves? Casablanca, 1943: a viper’s nest of double agents and spies where OSS Officer Kurt Heinz finds his skill in covert operations pushed to the limit. Allied success in North Africa and the fate of the First Allied Conference—perhaps the outcome of the war—hang on Kurt’s next mission. The nature of his work makes relationships impossible. Nonetheless, he is increasingly torn between duty and the beautiful girl who desperately needs his protection and help.
Sarah Barrett, U.S. Army R.N., is finished with wartime romance. Determined to protect her recently broken heart, she throws all of her time and energy into caring for her patients, but when she is given a coded message by a mysterious dying civilian, she is sucked into a vortex of danger and intrigue that threatens her very survival. The one person who can help Sarah is Kurt, a man with too many secrets to be trusted.  
Buy links Casablanca: Appointment at Dawn:
http://amzn.com/B0121Q6S88  
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/casablanca-linda-bennett-pennell/1122378249?ean=2940150767867
Excerpt:
“I’m Heinz. What do you want?”
“Oh. It’s you.”
“Yeah?”
“From the restaurant on New Year’s Eve.”
Kurt was silent for a moment, then it came back tohim. “I remember. Sarah, right? You’re the girl who refused to dancewith me.”
A red flush crawled from her throat onto the applesof her cheeks. “Yes. I’m sorry if I was rude.”
“I’ve been cut dead before. I got over it.”
The girl’s eyes glittered. “I’m sure you did. Areyou going to keep me standing here on the doorstep foreveryone to see?”
“Why? I’m not expecting company. Would it be aproblem?”
“It certainly might if the people who tore myapartment apart followed me here.”
Kurt looked into her eyes with complete attentionfor the first time since opening the door. Whatever hadhappened to this girl, she looked terrified and angry.Not a particularly good combination for the covertactivities he and Phelps were up to.
Kurt made a quick decision. He stepped back andpulled the door wide while raising his voice. “Youbetter come inside and tell me why you think whathappened to your apartment has anything to do withme.”
When they stepped into the living area, Phelps haddisappeared. Kurt gestured toward the sofa and the girlsat down.
Propping himself on the sofa’s arm, he lookeddown into her frightened eyes.
“Now tell me how I can help you, Miss, uh…”
“Barrett, Sarah. US Army. RN.”
“Well, Nurse Barrett, what can I do for you?”
The girl stuck her hand in her coat pocket andwhipped out a scrap of paper that she waved in his face.
“By telling me what’s on this paper and why it’s soimportant that somebody took a knife to my furniture.”

As for my venture in writing, it has allowed me to reinvent myself. We humans are truly multifaceted creatures, but unfortunately we tend to sort and categorize each other into neat, easily understood packages that rarely reveal the whole person. Perhaps you, too, want to step out of the box in which you find yourself. I encourage you to look at the possibilities and imagine. Be filled with childlike wonder in your mental wanderings. Envision what might be, not simply what is. Let us never forget, all good fiction begins when someone says to her or himself, "Let's pretend." 
I reside in the Houston area with one sweet husband and one adorable German Shorthaired Pointer who is quite certain she’s a little girl.
Favorite quote regarding my professional passion:  "History is filled with the sound of silken slippers going downstairs and wooden shoes coming up." Voltaire  
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLindaBennettPennell
Website:  Twitter:  @LindaPennell
Buy link for Al Capone at the Blanche Hotel:  http://amzn.to/16qq3k5Buy link for Confederado do Norte:  http://amzn.com/B00LMN5OMIBuy ink for When War Came Home: http://amzn.com/B010RXNZROBuy link for Casablanca: Appointment at Dawn: http://amzn.com/B0121Q6S88  

Artistic Pursuit

The Voice is back on the air, and along with the shenanigans of Blake and Adam we are also witness to Pharell Williams. He's quiet, especially in comparison to the two other men, but he never fails to offer a phrase or two that resonate with me, as they could with any artist.

This time his pearl of wisdom was "Whatever makes you different makes you special."

If you read enough author bios, you'll see most of them say their love affair with words and writing began when they were children. A lot of writers are socially introverted, and prefer to spend their time in their own heads. My sister can always tell when I'm trying to work out a plot line, since I stare into space and my eyes go unfocused. She's learned not to bother me when I'm in this state. It makes me different, and according to Pharell, it makes me special. Who am I to argue?

I'm working on the last book in the Cotillion Ball Series now. I'm nearly done with the sloppy first draft, and I like the story line so far. I've taken a couple workshops recently, which I hope have made me a better writer. And I found a good beta reader who will let me know before the book is published if I'm overusing words, or rushing the story. I hope these developments will elevate me from being "special" and make me "extraordinary."

The Forgotten Debutante will be available in March, 2016.