Becky Lower's Blog, page 53

Sometimes, it's the little stories...

I’ve been living in Oberlin for three years and have toured the historic society’s buildings and taken the history walks with very knowledgeable tour guides. I’ve seen the various monuments around town commemorating the Underground Railroad and I know the historical significance of the college, which, in 1833, was the first to admit both blacks and women.
Last week, I had lunch with Darlene Colaso, who works for the City of Oberlin. One of her jobs is overseeing the development of the Center for the Underground Railroad. While we were talking big picture, she mentioned a little boy slave who, in 1853, was too sick to travel on with his family to Canada. The family was still in danger, with their owner coming after them, so they had to continue on to Canada. Little Lee Howard Dobbins was left behind in Oberlin with some good Samaritans and died just days later. It’s only one little story in the overall complex problem of slavery and the incidents leading up to the Civil War, but the way the town reacted touched my heart.
A service was held in First Church, which still exists, for this small boy who nobody knew. More than one thousand people crammed into the church, to honor little Lee Howard Dobbins. Each person gave what he could (the recommendation was ten cents each), to pay for a gravestone for him. The words carved into the stone are Let Slavery Perish! and then tells the story of Lee Dobbins, and how his flight to freedom ended in Oberlin.
The gravestone of Lee Howard Dobbins will be the first permanent exhibit of the Underground Railroad Center. For more information on the Underground Railroad Project, visit their website: http://www.cityofoberlin.com/CityMana...
Lee Dobbins’ life and death could have been lost in the shuffle. After all, there were many slaves who risked their lives and were consumed by terror as they dashed from the plantations to freedom in Canada, and each had their own story, now lost in time. But Lee Howard Dobbins died in Oberlin. His little story lives on. 

Why We Live Where We Do

Have you ever thought about why you live in the town or state you do? Did you end up where you are now because of career obligations (either yourself or your spouse)? Was it to be near family? Or did you pick your town because of its lifestyle? Are you still living in the town where you grew up? Or did you just close your eyes in front of a map and point?
We each have many different reasons for ending up where we do. Personally, I’ve lived in seven different states as an adult and my reasons for hop-scotching across the country are as varied as the landscape. But the reason for my last move, boomeranging back to Ohio, the state of my birth, surprised even me.
Foolishly, I thought it was to be near family. Given my other choices—too hot North Carolina, too crowded and expensive California, or way too hot Arizona, Ohio made the most sense, despite the winter snow. I selected Oberlin for its small college-town atmosphere, its liberal nature, and its movie theatre. But actually Oberlin chose me.
Shortly after moving, I began to work on what would become The Abolitionist’s Secret, my December release from Crimson Romance, about a bashful young lady in New York and her handsome military officer, who happens to be a slave owner. She is involved in the abolitionist movement and helps a young slave escape the clutches of the slave mongers at an Underground Railroad stop. 
Ohio was an active route on the Underground Railroad, too, and Oberlin played a significant role in the movement. There are several monuments around town that herald the town’s involvement. And the city has taken on the restoration of an old Gasholder building with plans to convert it into an interpretive center about the Underground Railroad. I decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to this center, which is funded by private donations and grants. For more information about the center, visit their website at: http://www.cityofoberlin.com/CityMana...
So, tell me about your own personal experience. Where do you live, and why? Do you use your town in your stories at all? 
And, don't forget to return for the Crimson Authors blog hop November 17-21! We have gifts!

Crimson Christmas Wonderland Blog Hop!I'm participating i...

Crimson Christmas Wonderland Blog Hop!

I'm participating in my first-ever blog hop, from November 17-21, 2012! Readers will visit as many of the blogs as they can between these dates and leave a comment. All those who enter a comment anywhere along the way will be eligible for some pretty spectacular prizes in the form of Amazon gift cards. If you visit all the sites and leave a comment, you can enter into the drawing nearly 50 times.

If you've ever been carried away to another space and time while reading a book, you understand what the romance genre is all about. Like the Calgon bath commercial, sometimes a good book can take you away. And with the varied choices in the Crimson lineup, you can be swept away onto pirate ships, to America in the decade prior to the Civil War or back even further to the Revolutionary War. How about ancient Rome? Or maybe to a desert in the southwest where strange experiments are taking place? Or a ranch in Texas? Maybe fighting off demons is your cup of tea.The choice is yours.

Following is the list of participating authors. We jointly wish you fun on the hop, and a very merry holiday season. May your stocking be stuffed with romance books.

http://crimsonromanceauthors.com/crim...

The Mad Hatter

 <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 791.95pt; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">Lately, I’ve been feeling like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Take today for example. I have been blogging every Sunday morning since July, when my blog went live. Yet this morning, it was the furthest thing from my mind. I received a much-anticipated e-mail last night from a publisher who is interested in my contemporary novel. I need to run through it one more time and make certain it’s in pitch-perfect shape. So the blog took a back seat to my edits. This morning, at least.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Then, there was work. I have a weekend shift for a greeting card company in a big box retailer that just got expanded into two big box retail outlets. There went four hours of the day. Lunch, a quick glance at the paper, picking up my neglected, whimpering dog and snuggling took more time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So here it is. Not Sunday morning. Not even Sunday afternoon. It’s Sunday evening, and I’m only now getting around to the blog. I didn’t get my edits finished, and I haven’t opened the book I’m reading and reviewing for a fellow author. But I approach this blog like I do my writing. I have to make time to write a blog every week to stay on track. I’d like to think there are folks out there who, by now, have come to look forward to hearing from me every week. And I can’t let a single one of them down. Or myself. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>

I Miss The Magic

Lately, I’ve been mired in editing—first with my second novel in the Cotillion series, The Abolitionist’s Secret, which went back to the publisher late last week, and then with my third novel in the series, which is being polished up to send off. It makes me feel good when my babies walk out the door, but it seems like it’s been forever since I’ve done any creative writing. Consequently, my attendance at my various writing groups has fallen off, since I have nothing to share, and many edits to complete by a deadline date.
So what do I do with these characters who keep popping into my head? Right now, I have a young woman who is a nurse in the Civil War on the Confederate side and her husband, who is wounded in battle and comes to the hospital. Trouble is, he’s a Union soldier and if he gets better, he’ll be hauled off to a prison camp. What to do? This delightful dilemma has been rolling around in my head for a few weeks, but I haven’t had the opportunity to put anything down on paper. Maybe I can find time this week to begin.
I know we all come at writing from different angles—some do it to pass the time, some write because it makes them feel good, some like to set goals and reach them. I write because I can’t imagine life without the creative process. If I have a week where I’m at a conference or on a vacation, I find that I miss being able to sit down at my computer and have an idea that takes off. My fingers fly across the keyboard and, to me at least, it’s like magic when an actual story emerges from the corner of my brain. And, right now, I’m missing the magic. 
How about you? Do you feel like something's missing from your life if you don't write, or is writing something you do to escape from your normal routine to a more pleasant place? How do you balance the editing process with the creative one? 

Prelude To Winter

 <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Times New Roman"; panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3; mso-font-alt:Times; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:TimesNewRomanPSMT;} table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-parent:""; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 791.95pt; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style>  <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KIWFRovmGJg..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KIWFRovmGJg..." /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naPIvm2P7L8..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naPIvm2P7L8..." /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">When I decided to move back to Ohio, I knew I was walking into harsh winters, lots of snow and cold weather. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winter was not much fun here when I was a kid, walking through snow drifts that threatened to bury me, and freezing my little fingers and toes. Yes, there were some fun times, like taking the breathtaking ride on the sled time after time, down Dead Man’s Hill. But more often than not, it was simple drudgery.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As fall begins to creep into the air now, and I see the leaves start to turn from green to gold, I have to admit, I’m eager for winter to arrive. I love the textures and sounds of this time of year—putting flannel sheets on the bed to replace the cool cotton sheets of summer; curling up in my big recliner with a warm chenille blanket thrown over my body and my soft little dog lying next to me; adding a log to the crackling fire; the crunch of an early frost on the grass as I tiptoe out for the morning paper. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m in the middle of editing my second novel, which is due to be released before the snow flies, and working on the third book in the series. So, my days are spent at the computer, editing and typing away in order to meet my deadlines. But, when I do come up for air, and let my dog, Mary, out into the yard, I note how many more leaves now litter the ground. And how the air is a bit crisper than it was yesterday. As soon as I finish these edits, I’m going to put a leash on Mary and take her for a long walk in the neighborhood. We’ve both earned an afternoon where we can enjoy this pleasant time of the year, which arrived in the middle of the night and will be gone before we know it. Here’s hoping your fall is filled with apple cider, warm fires and love. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>

Meet Romantic Suspense Author Rena Koontz

I'm pleased to have as my guest today fellow Crimson Romance author and friend, Rena Koontz. Her debut novel, Love's Secret Fire, is being released Monday, September 24, but I couldn't wait any longer to bring her story to you. She's put on her crimson shoes to be here today, so let's meet Rena!

Hi Becky,
First of all, thank you for inviting me as a guest today on your blog. It's is my first "public" appearance as I approach the release of my debut novel, Love's Secret Fire, and I'm thrilled to be here.

Love's Secret Fire is a romantic suspense set in the fictitious city of Benton Falls, PA., although people who know my background as a news reporter may wonder if it's about the extraordinary firefighters in Beaver Falls, PA. I'm not telling!
The story is about an arsonist on the loose in the city, the undercover investigator who works to discover the firebug and a part-time news reporter who not only senses a major news story is brewing but is determined to prove that her twin brother is not the culprit behind the fires. With my hero and heroine working toward the same end -- finding the real arsonist -- their paths are bound to cross and sparks fly!

Okay, I'll concede this much -- I did indeed cover a string of arsons as a reporter.

Give us a little background about yourself.
I've always been a news reporter. My first job out of college was on a Pittsburgh weekly newspaper that was printed on green paper. I started as a part-time reporter and eventually became the editor, before moving onto a larger daily and finally a major daily. I ended my journalism career in Cleveland, proudly working for one of the country's top 20 newspapers. So I've always been a writer -- romance novels are simply a new road I'm traveling.

Why did you decide to veer down the path of romance novels?
I knew years ago, when I read my first romance novel, "The Flame And The Flower," that someday I wanted to write one of these. That's what I told my older sister who, of course, laughed at me. As my journalism career took me into the world of crime - I covered the cops and courts at almost every paper I worked on - the seedy side of life started to appeal to me, in a journalistic way, of course. With each murder I reported, I filed away bits and pieces of the how's and why's of the crime, pieces that I hope to use in future books. So, being a romantic at heart with a curiosity for crime, writing romantic suspense is the perfect blend.

It also helps that I'm married to a recently retired FBI agent. You wouldn't believe some of the conversations we've shared over dinner.

How do you approach a new book idea? Do you work from an outline?
When I begin a new book, I have a general idea what the story will be about but the details of the romance, the crime and the characters evolve as they come to life on my pages. Sometimes, when I read a day's work, even I'm surprised at what happened!

For Love's Secret Fire the arson story already existed from the details I remembered reporting. The characters are completely fictitious but it was easy for me to drop them into the middle of the crime and let them work their way out. Along the way, they fall in love. I love love!

There is a reason why my hero, Adam, is a country western good ole boy, and my heroine, Valerie, is a strong, professional woman. There is even a reason for their names. But that, my friend, remains to be told.
 
What's next for you? Anything percolating on a back burner?
I'm excited about my current work in progress, as yet unnamed. She's a fugitive and he's the law and yes, there is more suspense and more love. I have a healthy respect for law enforcement personnel -- police, fire and state and federal agents -- and I hope to pay tribute to them in all of my books.
My wish is that Love's Secret Fire leaves readers wanting to read more of Rena Koontz and I'll be able to do that.

Thank you for letting me discuss it here today.

I'm In Villete

One of the ladies in my writing group is doing a book translation to English from Portugese. It's a story about a young woman who decides to commit suicide, but survives the initial attempt. However, her heart has been so damaged, she has only five days before death takes her. She ends up, for those five days, in a hospital for the insane, called Villete (Vee-eh-tay). People who inhabit the hospital with her excuse their behavior, however bizarre it may be, by the simple phrase "I'm in Villete."

If I stop long enough to think about things, I realize that I have an awful lot on my plate. I'm revising the third book in my series about the Cotillion--this one features Basil. I'm back at work on the book that's been dogging me for years, about Jedediah Smith. My critique group has decided to compile a Christmas anthology for next year, which also has a deadline. Sometime soon, I'm going to start getting edits on my second book with Crimson. And, I'm trying everything I can to keep the word out in the public eye about my first book, The Reluctant Debutante. The job that buys my groceries is coming up on its busiest season of the year. Card companies don't talk in terms of months. Instead, September is Halloween, Sweetest Day and Thanksgiving. October and November is Christmas, January is Valentine's Day, etc. So our busy season isn't October through March. It's Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Oh, yeah, and since it's fall in Ohio, there will be leaves to rake next month.


So what do I do to ease my burden? I nominate myself for a huge volunteer job for January and February. What can I say? I'm in Villete.

Meet contemporary author Kwana Jackson!

Hello my loyal blog followers!

 Kwana Jackson, one of my fellow Crimson Romance authors, got out of bed early this morning to join me here so we can talk about her new book. Through the Lens, a contemporary romance, debuted September 3.

 Here's a taste of what it's about:

 
Mika Walters is a normal woman working in the not so normal world of New York Fashion. As long time assistant to uber sexy photographer Alejandro Vargas she’s tired of being the girl in the background. Just once she wants Alejandro to look at her with the same smoldering look he gives to his willowy models and now she has her chance.Stranded.After a travel mishap where the rest of the crew and the models can’t make the remote location shoot on the Surin Islands for another three days Mika is taking her moment to catch Alejandro’s eye and put herself in front of Alejandro’s camera and if all goes to plan, his bed… at least until the real world catches up with them.Alejandro doesn’t know what’s gotten into Mika maybe it’s the sand, maybe it’s the sun, but he doesn’t really care. All he knows is that he’s finally opened his eyes and is seeing her clearly for the first time as the smart, gorgeous and incredibly irresistible woman she is.But why can’t she realize that what he’s feeling for her is not one of his usual one, well, three night stands. This is real. Real love, real passion. What’s it going to take for him to prove to Mika that she’s the woman he wants? Now and forever.

I love the names you’ve given your characters. Do you spend a lot of time on names, or do they just come to you while you’re dreaming up the plot?
I’m so glad you like the names Mika and Alejandro. Sometimes the names of my characters just come to me but more often than not I’ll get one character’s name and then go batty trying to come up with the other, playing with different variations until I find the one that seems to fit the character I have in my head.
Do you have a background in photography or fashion? If not, how did you research your story?
I spent ten years as a designer of women’s sportswear so I do have some experience being a normal woman in that not so normal world. Though I was never lucky enough to go on any tropical island shoots, I did get a little bit experience in model casting and a few Central Park location shoots. Always a bit of a dreamer it was not so hard to come up with the idea of a girl who had dreams of sometimes being the girl with the lens trained on her for a change.
What is the first romance book you remember reading?
Now this is a tough question. I honestly have no idea. I just remember there being lots of well-worn paperback novels all around my house and at my grandmother’s house back in the 70’s and the 80’s. I remember my grandmother had lots of these slim Harlequins on the back shelf of her bed and for some reason they were off limits to my pre-adolescent self at the time. Well, that was all it took because you just know I was reading those books when no one was watching! I also remember seeing all those fantastic glitzy books by Judith Krantz, Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. I loved any book that was an escape into a fabulous, luxurious and romantic world. I was hooked.  
What authors have influenced you?
There are too many to count and I’m afraid I’ll leave some out so I’ll just say I’ve probably been influenced by all the authors I’ve read and those who I keep reading, I seriously bow down and am humbled by them each time I read one of their books.
What advice do you have for an aspiring writer?
My advice would be to not give up and to keep honing your craft. I hate that  ‘No writing is wasted writing’ saying, but darn it, it’s true.  You get better the more you write. And though this pains me, the more you re-write too. Ouch, that one really hurt to say.
You just signed a new two-book deal with Crimson. What are those stories going to be about?
Thanks for asking Becky. I’m so excited about these next two stories. The first, for the moment, titled, STILL LIFE is about Samara and Mark who folks will meet in THOUGH THE LENS. Sam is an aspiring artist with a dark past and Mark is the motorcycle riding bad boy who lives in her building. Sam does all she can to stay out of his way but these two getting together just seems unavoidable. The third book in the series, so far called, BY DESIGN, is about Gabby a regular women making her way on the world of New York fashion. Now don’t you all give me the side-eye, this is in no way autobiographical. But I do think it will be great fun to write since I have the most experience in this field. LOL.
How can people find out more about you?
I can be found on my website at www.kwana.com
Or on Facebook www.facebook.com/KmJacksonAuthor
Thank you so much for having me here today Becky. It’s been a real pleasure.