Becky Lower's Blog, page 40

The Romance Review's Sizzling Summer Blog Hop Is Hot!

Remember what it feels like to walk on hot sand in your bare feet on a hot summer day?

That's the Sizzling Summer Blog Hop.

One entire month to win prizes, gift cards, books, meet new authors, answer fun questions, and read steamy excerpts from new novels. What better way to fill up June?

On Thursday, June 5, you'll need to head over to TRR's site, http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php, and look for my question about The Road To Comfort. Then, come here for the answer, which appears in the excerpt below:

"Holy shit." A narrow band of destruction was carved through the field of corn by the side of the road and the car was nowhere in sight. He jumped out of the truck and began to comb the ground, looking for tire tracks. Maybe it had already been towed away. Juliette was momentarily forgotten. She vaulted out of the truck cab and joined him beside the road. "What happened? Where's my car? Are you sure we're on the right road? The right place?" Her questions shot out of her in machine gun fashion. "Yeah, we're at the right place. It seems a small twister touched down after we left last night. Funny, I didn't hear any sirens when the storm came through. Must have been just a bitty one. But, see how the corn is mowed down?" He waved his hand in the general direction of the field. "It tore through the field and then jumped up here onto the highway and roared down the road." Juliette's face lost all its color. "You mean, my car just..." she whirled her hand through the air."Yep. And if you'd stayed here while I went for my truck, you'd be Dorothy." He imitated her whirl in the air. And barely caught her before she hit the ground in a dead faint. 
Here's what My Book Addiction  had to say about The Road To Comfort:A deliciously exciting read by Ms. Lower! Such a fun and playful read.  http://mybookaddictionreviews.com/2014/04/13/the-road-to-comfort-by-becky-lower/ 
And from The Reading Cafe : I loved The Road To Comfort, it was an endearing and smoky read. The words flowed, the pages swiped and before I knew it, this book was done and I was believing in love at first sight! Great shorter read one can enjoy while relaxing this summer. http://www.thereadingcafe.com/the-road-to-comfort-by-becky-lower-a-review/
The Akron Beacon Journal had this to say: The Road to Comfort, is the very spicy contemporary fish-out-of-water story of Juliette, a refined Ohio history professor.  http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/booktalk/book-talk-blinded-by-grace-the-road-to-comfort-a-summer-to-remember-an-american-history-lesson-and-a-wake-up-call-for-america-1.490460 
Let's go to the hop and have some fun!

TRR's Sizzling Summer Blog Hop and Collette Cameron

The Romance Review's Blog Hop. The Road To Comfort
"Holy shit." A narrow band of destruction was carved through the field of corn by the side of the road and the car was nowhere in sight. He jumped out of the truck and began to comb the ground, looking for tire tracks. Maybe it had already been towed away. Juliette was momentarily forgotten. She vaulted out of the truck cab and joined him beside the road. "What happened? Where's my car? Are you sure we're on the right road? The right place?" Her questions shot out of her in machine gun fashion. "Yeah, we're at the right place. It seems a small twister touched down after we left last night. Funny, I didn't hear any sirens when the storm came through. Must have been just a bitty one. But, see how the corn is mowed down?" He waved his hand in the general direction of the field. "It tore through the field and then jumped up here onto the highway and roared down the road." Juliette's face lost all its color. "You mean, my car just..." she whirled her hand through the air."Yep. And if you'd stayed here while I went for my truck, you'd be Dorothy." He imitated her whirl in the air. And barely caught her before she hit the ground in a dead faint. 

Today begins The Romance Review's Sizzling Summer blog hop, and I can think of no better way to begin than to have as my special guest the busy Collette Cameron!

Her latest book, The Earl's Enticement, has just been released by Soul Mate Publishing. She's taken the time to answer my probing questions, so here we go. 
What is your current project about? The Earl’s Enticement is the last book in my Castle Bride series, and is about an unconventional Scotswoman, Adaira Ferguson who locks Roark, the Earl of Clarendon in the dungeon of her brother’s keep. Believing him the blackguard who attempted to abduct her sister-in-law and spied for the enemy during the Napoleonic War, Adair is quite proud of herself. Until she discovers the man she has locked in the dungeon is who he says he is, and not his brother, the real spy. 
What's next for your readers?I’ve started a new series, The Highlander Heather Romancing a Scot Series and have the first book, Triumph and Treasure done. I’m about one quarter of the way done with the second book, Virtue and Valor.  
Why do you write in the genre you do?I adore historicals of all kinds, but especially Regencies and Scottish/Highlanders. It seemed only natural to gravitate to writing the genres I love reading the most. 
Have you ever written a character based on someone you know?Chuckling here. Not a main character on anyone I know though I have given several of them middle names or characteristics of people I know. But I did create a minor character based on a specific person. 
Do you have an idea for "the"book of your career? Have you already written it or is it still an idea bouncing around in your head?I have so many book ideas bouncing around in my head. I don’t know that any one is “the” book of my career. I do have an idea for a book that I’ve just barely started that is very unique, but I’m not writing it in the hopes it will be a bestseller. I don’t actually write any of my books with that thought in mind.
Where do you rank in the family hierarchy? First child? Only child? Baby? Somewhere in between?I’m the second oldest and the oldest girl which meant I had a lot of responsibilities growing up. 
What haven't you done as a writer that you'd like to attempt?I have ideas for a couple genres other than historical I’d like to try, and I  think a writer’s retreat would be fun to attend. I keep hoping someone will put one together in a castle somewhere! . Are you a dog or cat person? I have both dogs (2 labs and 5 dachshunds) and four cats, but I’m really more of a dog person. 
Would you rather vacation at the beach or the mountains?Oh, the beach! I grew up along the Oregon Coast, though the weather there isn’t as warm as I like. Give me a nice tropical beach and I’d be very happy. 
The Earl’s Enticement Cover Blurb:
She won’t be tamed. A fiery, unconventional Scot, Adaira Ferguson wears breeches, swears, and has no more desire to marry than she does to follow society’s dictates of appropriate behavior. She trusts no man with the secret she desperately protects.
He can’t forget.Haunted by his past, Roark, the Earl of Clarendon, rigidly adheres to propriety, holding himself and those around him to the highest standards, no matter the cost. Betrayed once, he’s guarded and leery of all women.
Mistaking Roark for a known spy, Adaira imprisons him. Infuriated, he vows vengeance. Realizing her error, she’s appalled and releases him, but he’s not satisfied with his freedom. Roark is determined to transform Adaira from an ill-mannered hoyden to a lady of refinement. He succeeds only to discover, he preferred the free-spirited Scottish lass who first captured his heart.
Collette Cameron Bio:Award winning, Amazon best-selling, and multi-published historical romance author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching.  A Pacific Northwest Native, Collette’s been married for thirty years, has three amazing adult children, and five dachshunds. Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, the beach, trivia, birds, shabby chic, and Cadbury Chocolate. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels. Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers. She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list. 
Connect with Collette:Website    Blue Rose Romance Blog   Twitter   FacebookYou can connect with Collette on Goodreads, LinkedIn, and Google+  too. Go to her website for the links, her email address, and mailing address.
 http://amzn.com/B00KLO64



Excerpt:Smiling, a heart-wrenchingly sad smile, she said flatly, “I’m quite used to being the source of gossip and disapproval. One really does become immune after a while.”Shoulders sagging, she dropped her gaze to her hands, and fidgeted with a ribbon on her gown. Like hell one did. People erected barriers and defenses and lived a lonely life of isolation. Or behaved outrageously, keeping the company of those even more scandalous than themselves. Or they became bitter and unfeeling, afraid to hope for anything better than the harsh hand they’d been dealt. He couldn’t let that happen to his free-spirited Adaira.Stifling an oath, Roark straightened his shoulders. The infernal pounding in his head and throbbing in his nether regions affected both his patience and his ability to focus. “You’d prefer censure and ostracism?” Adaira tilted her chin, meeting his eyes. “I prefer them over being compelled to marry a man who doesn’t want me. You have made it very clear you disapprove of everything about me. I’m not foolish enough to mistake your lust for anything more than what it is, pure animalistic drive.” She gave him a cynical smile and shrugged again. “You forget, my lord, I have a stallion that becomes crazed with the need to copulate. He doesn’t give a rat’s whisker about the mare he’s mating. She’s a means to an end. Humans are little better in my observation, at least the males of the species.”By God, she’d compared him to her rutting stallion. Roark almost touched his jaw to make sure it wasn’t sagging open. 

My Writing Process--Blog Hop

I recently wrote about how my writing process is similar to building a house, and my friend Debora Dennis, http://deboradennis.blogspot.com challenged me to continue the story by answering four simple questions. #mywritingprocess

So here we go! 

1)     What am I working on?  Earlier this month, I turned in Book Six in my historic series about The Cotillion Ball. Then, I began writing a contemporary trilogy about three generations of women in the same family. Since I decided going in that it was going to be a series, I had to think about all three, and decide the story line for each. That kind of advance planning helps me, not only in where the story will go, but which one to start with. Since all my characters will factor into each different book as secondary characters when they're not in the spotlight, I needed to spend some time thinking about each one's problems, not to mention mannerisms and eye color, etc., for each. 
2)     How does my work differ from others of its genre? I write both historical and contemporary romances, and even though they're set in different centuries, I like to think the story elements are the same. I like to write about women overcoming the odds to make their lives truly great, regardless of which time frame we're in. My historicals are set in America before the Civil War. And my contemporaries place women in different settings from their normal routines. 

3)     Why do I write what I do?  I love history. Not the boring memorization of dates and places, but I like to take normal people living their normal lives and have them react and respond to events in history. I live in a town that was a big underground railroad stop in the decades prior to the Civil War, so I think that's been influential. Or maybe it was kismet that I moved here. Either way, the rich history of my town has worked its way into my writing to some degree. I've had the opportunity to live in a variety of places in the US, and I tend to set my contemporaries in the places I've been. And for some reason, there seems to be a body of water close by in all of them. Oceans, lakes, pools, ice skating ponds, which is odd, since I can't swim. Who knows what will be next?

4)     How does your writing process work? I am at my most creative in the morning. So, I get my coffee, let the dog out for her morning constitutional, and turn on my computer. I check emails, overnight sales, visitors to my website, the whole time thinking about the next scene. I write a flash first draft, with my own kind of shorthand, then go back through it from start to finish and add details, senses, emotions, and extra dialogue or description. Then, I go through it with my checklist, eliminating the words I tend to overuse and making certain I include the senses. I go through it several times after that's done. So, by the time I'm finished with it, I've read through it five or six times. And that's before editing! When I'm in the early stages of the story, I can usually write around 1,000 words, or one big scene, a day.

That's it for me, next week (June 2), I hope you'll visit this talented author: 


 Bio:  Rena Koontz is the author of "Love's Secret Fire" and "The Devil She Knew," both romantic suspense novels loosely based on true cases she covered as a news reporter in Pittsburgh, PA., and Cleveland, OH. Having gained an enormous respect for law enforcement personnel during her career as a journalist, cops are the good guys in all her books. Her third novel, "Thief of the Heart," releases next month.Blog link: http://www.renakoontz.wordpress.com/renas-ramblings

Meet Historical Romance Author Jessica Jefferson

I'll be the first to admit I was intrigued by Jessica Jefferson's latest release, Taming Miss Tisdale, from the moment I first heard the title. Miss Tisdale sounds like my kind of lady. I'm as interested in the woman behind the woman. Let's dig in and find out more about Jessica, shall we?
Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it—almost Chicago.  She is heavily inspired by classic sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy.  She invites you to visit her at jessicajefferson.com and read more of her random romance musings.
What is your current project about?My latest release, Taming Miss Tisdale, is about the feisty Tamsin Tisdale.  This character was introduced in my first book, Compromising Miss Tisdale, as a younger sister to the heroine and the readers really seemed to enjoy her.  This story starts after Tamsin leaves London to stay with her cousin in the country.  There she meets Mr. Winston, who’s the first man she’s ever really taken a liking to.  He’s the opposite of the stereotypical London gentleman – he’s honest and genuine.  Only, he’s not.  The story is really about his struggle to reveal the truth, and her resistance to fall in love.

Why do you write in the genre you do?
I love historical romance because for as much as it’s an escape from reality, it’s still grounded in reality.  The stories always have some sort of truth in them, no matter how far-fetched the plot maybe.  And I love the predictability of a happy ending.

Why do you write romances?
I write romance because I love to read romance.  But, when I was in college I had published a humorous essay in a college journal.  I love humor, so I always envisioned myself writing some sort of autobiography with a lot of funny content.  I’d love to be the next Erma Bombeck. For now though, I focus of regency and I’ve dabbled a bit with new adult.

Have you ever written a character based on someone you knew?
My characters usually have some element of reality.  I draw a lot of inspiration from real life interactions and experiences.  I’m developing a character now that’s kind of a hodge-podge of some women I worked with that I thought were just fabulous.

Where do you rank in the family hierarchy? First child? Only child? Somewhere in between?
I have three older siblings from my father’s first marriage, and then three siblings from his marriage to my mother.  So – in the grand scheme of things, I’m the middle child.  But at the same time, I’m the eldest of the second batch.  And anyone who knows me knows I have total middle child syndrome with first born tendencies.

What advice can you give writers who are getting started?Learn.  Don’t assume you know too much.  Take advice.  Join RWA; participate in author groups so you can learn as much as you can about the business you’re entering.

If you could choose two people to have dinner with, from any time period, real or fictional, who would you want at the table?First, I’d love to have Oscar Wilde with me.  I think he’d be a spectacular conversationalist.  Second, I would love to have Elizabeth Bennett because she just seems like she’d be a good time.

Dog or cat?Dog.  
So, now that we know something about Jessica, let's find out more about her book. 
Miss Tamsin Tisdale believes herself to be completely unsuitable for London life. After a myriad of social mishaps, and the potential ruination of her family name, she’s shipped away to her cousin’s northern estate. Only after she accepts the type of existence Society dictates she must follow will she be welcomed home.Marcus Winston, the Duke of Grayson, has a lackluster reputation. The last in a dying line, he’s endured a protected life—rank with privilege, but encumbered by isolation. After a brief encounter with rebellion, he learns the devastating consequences of his carelessness and willingly accepts living life from inside his gilded cage.However, a chance meeting with the brazen Miss Tisdale gives Marc the opportunity to reinvent himself into the man he’s always dreamed of being. But when his deception comes to light, and ghosts from both their pasts threaten to unravel the intimacy they’ve come to cherish, will either of them set their fears aside long enough to embrace love? Or will Miss Tisdale’s stubbornness divide them?

http:// www.JessicaJefferson.com Like me on Facebook  Follow me on Twitter  Add to your Goodreads shelf Purchase from Amazon

Building A Novel

I recently had company in town for a couple of pleasant days. We went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland, caught a movie at the old Apollo theatre, and got wet and cold at the beautiful Brandywine Falls, which was roaring big-time, due to our record-setting rains.

While we were driving around, the topic spun around to my writing, as it always seems to do. A simple question of how I get my ideas turned into a description of how I put a story together. The approach varies from writer to writer, but my method is to do a vague outline, plotting turning points on a grid, then to write the book from start to finish in an abbreviated form. I want to make sure I have it starting in the right spot, the middle is solid and the end is complete before I go in and add details and polish it up. My friend's husband listened to what I was saying and said "It's kind of like building a house, isn't it? You start with a sound foundation, add studs and beams, put a roof on it to make sure it's water tight before you paint, wallpaper and add trim and light fixtures."

I'm surprised I'd never looked at it that way. After all, my dad was a builder and I spent the better part of my youth on one job site or another, learning how to operate tools and put things together. But my friend's husband's analogy is spot on for my style of writing. I'll worry over the details at some point, but I first want to make certain there's a story to be told, that it starts at the right place, and that the end is satisfying. It doesn't matter if the book is historic or contemporary, the procedure, at least for me, is the same each time. How about for you? What is your writing process like?

Happy Mother's Day!

As a merchandiser for one of the major greeting card retailers in the country, I've been inundated by Mother's Day cards for over a month now. But this weekend is crunch time, so before I head out to put out the last of the cards for those who are late to the party, I thought I'd talk about mothers.

When I began thinking about writing a series of historical romances, I decided to create the perfect mother. Creating a 19th century American family meant lots of children, that much I knew. I figured anyone who could birth nine children would obviously love her babies to distraction, but I was pretty vague about anything else, except that she would be involved in her children's lives. Sometimes to their distraction.

From the first book, The Reluctant Debutante, Charlotte Fitzpatrick took on her own life. She is funny, at times clueless, loves to pull the wool over society's eyes, still flirts with her husband, and has made it her business to find good matches for her children as they get to marriageable age. I've been fortunate enough to have the same editors from the first book, and they know the characters almost as well as I do. During my last round of edits, my editor made the comment that Charlotte wouldn't say what I had her saying. The editor was right. I'd drawn my character so well, her personality is now known to all. Now, I'm thinking about a prequel to my series, about how Charlotte met George, and their family's journey began.

But that will have to wait a while. I've got three more books to write to finish up the Cotillion Ball Series. Valerian, Pepper and Saffron are each impatiently waiting for their turn in the spotlight. And you can bet, Charlotte will be in the middle of each one's story.

So Happy Mother's Day, Charlotte, and all mothers everywhere!

Excerpt from Voice Of An Angel

I attended my chapter's conference this weekend, part of which included a book signing. My most recent release came as a surprise to my chapter mates, since it appeared on Amazon with no fanfare. There was no ARC available for review a month in advance of the publication date, so not many people got to read it before it hit Amazon. Even the release date was a nebulous factor. One day, it magically appeared. It was definitely a soft launch.

What better time than the present to include an excerpt on my blog? Since the conference took up my weekend, and I had company in town for the conference, I didn't have my usual Saturday afternoon to stare at the wall, trying to come up with some blog content. My tablemate for the book signing told me she runs excerpts of her books on her blog all the time, which was a revelation to me. It takes me awhile, sometimes, to figure things out. So, without further fanfare, here's the blurb and excerpt for Voice Of An Angel:

Blurb:

Max Bainbridge is an ace newspaper reporter who gets all the biggest assignments, most recently covering the fighting in Afghanistan. When he is shot on the battlefields, he is operated on and then flown home. The nurse responsible for his subsequent care is Evelyn Hammer, a 35-year-old woman who ran for her life from the musical spotlight, when she was 17 and on the cusp of fame. Her new identity has been in place, and impenetrable, ever since. Over the years, she’s found singing is a more soothing way to wake people from surgery, and they are usually so foggy they don’t realize she’s been singing to them. Until Max, that is.

Evelyn knows she’s breaking one of the cardinal rules of nursing by dating a patient, but she can’t resist Max. What begins as an innocent affair with a definite expiration date when Max leaves for his next assignment becomes a real threat to unmasking Evelyn’s hidden identity. Max can’t control his journalism instincts as one clue after another emerges and he realizes he doesn’t know the person he’s fallen in love with.

Only by uncovering Evelyn’s secret past can they move forward with their future. But her past is still there, and threatening. Some secrets are better left alone.

Excerpt:


She stared at him. “You’re willing to go through this fiasco again?”

He leaned into her then, and kissed her lips, giving in to the urge he’d had all night. “For you, Nurse Evelyn, I’d walk through hot coals. A simple shattered coffee cup doesn’t faze me.”

She brushed her lips with her fingers.
 
“Okay.”
 
The simplicity of her statement, and its hidden meaning, was nearly his undoing. He didn’t try to touch her again, although his fingers itched to do so. She accompanied him to the door and they stood awkwardly in the foyer for a moment. He was surprised when she reached for his forearm, her touch light as a summer breeze.

“Thank you, Max—for everything.”

Even though he told himself not to touch her again after he noticed her slight recoil, he couldn’t help himself. His hand covered hers on his arm. He craved her touch and, unless his radar was way off, she needed to feel him, too. So, they’d take this a step at a time. He leaned in again for another serving of her tempting lips. Not the kiss he longed to give her, full of possession and potential, but a gentle, sweet caress of her mouth.

“Honey, the pleasure was all mine. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Lunch Period

You know how it was when you were in high school? You could actually feel wrinkles developing in your brain as you concentrated on what was being taught to you. Or you were involved in test after test without relief.

Until lunch time came.

That 45-minute period was the highlight of the day. You got to eat, first and foremost. Second, you got to socialize with your friends. Third, it was just down time, give your brain a rest time.

That's what I'm about to do. Take a lunch period break. I just turned in book 6 in the Cotillion Ball Series, so while I await a verdict on its outcome, I'm going to kick up my heels for awhile. I've got friends coming into town for several days in May, I've got a chapter conference to go to, which is always a good time to socialize with friends who speak my language. I'm going to eat good food and give my brain a rest. With three books being released so far this year, I think it's time for a break. And having friends coming to visit gives me a really great excuse to clean the house within an inch of its life--something that has been woefully neglected in light of releasing three books in four months' time.

So, if you hear someone giggling manically from the confines of my house, I haven't gone over the deep end. I'm just kicking up my heels.

Easter Symbolism

As a romance writer, symbolism is of tantamount importance. It ties a story together and brings us, and the reader, to a logical conclusion.

Growing up in the Lutheran faith, I attended years upon years of catechism classes, so I'm very familiar with the use of symbolism in the Bible. The Easter story is my favorite. As a child, I thought "If Jesus would only turn his back on the course he's taken, his life could be spared." But then, of course, all the symbolism--the water turning into wine, the never-ending fishes, the stone not being able to keep Him in the tomb--would have been for naught.

I had my own bit of symbolism happen the other day. I had just written "The End" to my next historical. This time it's Rosemary's turn. She's a writer, long before the days of the typewriter, and her ink-stained fingers proved her undoing. With my head still in my story, I had to go put in my hours on my grocery job, which is restocking greeting cards. I went to the designated store, wrote down my start time in the log book, loaded my cart full of boxes from the warehouse, and rolled them to the card section of the store. I cut open the box and started to pull the plastic off the cards when I noticed ink on my fingers. I thought the pen I used to sign in had leaked, but a quick check proved it to be still intact. There was no explanation for the ink being there. Fortunately, the greeting card company had to foresight to provide each of us with a hand sanitizer, so I cleaned the ink off my fingers before I began putting away the cards. But it puzzled me for hours.

When I got home, I realized the symbolism my day had. I can't turn my back on the course my life has taken either. I'm a writer and, even though some parts of it are tedious, the sheer magic of having a story come together is still so cool to me. Rather than having the ink stains be my undoing, they freed me. I'm cutting back even more on my grocery job and will be able to spend more time putting my stories together.

Happy Easter, everyone.

The Karaoke Bride

I began writing a guest blog post last week. The question I have to answer is where I write. Fairly simple question, I thought as I began to put my post in order. All of my writing is done in my study. It's a lovely room, and I have a very strict order in which my stories get written.

The better question is where am I when I get my ideas for my stories. Take Friday night, for example. I had written a contemporary about a man who was an ex-bull rider. He had a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle with a suicide clutch stashed in his barn. The person who gave me all the information about the motorcycle is a man who I became friends with forty years after we first met. He still lives in the small town where we grew up and went to school. And I have only one way to get hold of him because every Friday night is karaoke night in one of the local bars in this town. The same people show up every Friday, sit in the same seats, and sing the same songs. I've been dragged to karaoke night a couple times now, and fetched my notepad out from my purse when this man showed me the picture of his motorcycle. I wanted to know everything about it.

The book has now been released. The Road To Comfort features Cyclone Kelley, a man who made his fortune as a bull rider, but at great cost to himself. I have a book signing coming up next month, and thought if I could get a photo of this man's vintage motorcycle, it would make a great postcard to promote the book. My problem was the only way I could get in touch with him was at karaoke night.

So, I twisted the arm of my sister, and voluntarily drove 1-1/2 hours to get to the bar where people sing to canned music every Friday. It was the first time I really wanted to enter karaoke night. The only problem? The bar decided a week ago that karaoke wasn't paying the bills and pulled the plug--literally. There was now no way to get hold of this man.

My sister and I drove around town for another half hour or so, hitting every bar we came to, trying to find where the crowd had now moved on to. I told her it reminded me of when we were in high school and would cruise around town searching for the action. But it was always one step ahead of us, as it was this night. We finally drove home, empty-handed.

Except for a title of a story. The Karaoke Bride. The problem is, it sounds like a paranormal, and that's one genre I don't write. So, if anyone wants to claim my brainstorm of the evening, help yourself. I'll look forward to reading The Karaoke Bride. Oh, and if anyone knows how to get in touch with this man with his vintage Indian Chief, please let me know.