L.A. Sartor's Blog, page 15

Five Secrets From Amanda Cabot

Welcome back Amanda Cabot with a brand new novel A Tender Hope and more secrets to share. Take it away, Amanda.
From the time I was seven, I dreamt of being a writer.  You know how dreams are – not all of them come true, but that one did.  At current count I have more than thirty-five novels, eight novellas, four technical books, and dozens of technical articles that I describe as cures for insomnia to my credit. 
For more years than I’m going to admit I was a director of Information Technology for a major multinational corporation, a job that included collecting a gazillion – well, maybe a few less than that – frequent flyer miles, spending countless nights in hotels, and eating so many restaurant meals that fine dining quickly lost its appeal.  Now I’m a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with my husband in Wyoming. 
Amanda, please tell us Five Secrets we may not know about A Tender Hope or you, but will after today!
1)  My first published book, a short contemporary romance for the secular market was set in the Loire region of France.  My first historical, also for the secular market, was a medieval set in France.  My first book for the CBA market (the one that introduced readers to Thea, who’s the heroine of A Tender Hope) featured characters who’d emigrated from the Alsace region of France, and A Tender Hope itself has a major character who’s spent most of her life in France.  Does anyone see a pattern here?
2)  Having read #1, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that I majored in French and was fortunate enough to have studied in France.
3)  I also had the opportunity to live in Germany and was in Berlin one weekend when shots were fired over the Wall, but that’s another story.
4)  Now, let’s talk about the book.  The original title was Shrouded Hopes. As had happened with all the titles in this series, the titling committee chose more upbeat titles than my original ones, which is why it’s now called A Tender Hope.
5)   When I first envisioned this book, the hero was going to be Warner, the apothecary.  But since apothecaries are difficult to market as heroes, the editorial committee suggested I find another hero.  Enter Texas Ranger Jackson Guthrie.    Blurb :
As far as Thea Michener is concerned, it’s time for a change. With her husband murdered and her much-anticipated baby stillborn, there is nothing left for her in Ladreville. Having accepted a position as Cimarron Creek’s midwife, she has no intention of remarrying. So when a handsome Texas Ranger appears on her doorstep with an abandoned baby, Thea isn’t sure her heart can take it.
Ranger Jackson Guthrie isn’t concerned only with the baby’s welfare. He’s been looking for Thea, convinced that her late husband was part of the gang that killed his brother. But it soon becomes clear that the situation is far more complicated than he anticipated—and he’ll need Thea’s help if he’s ever to find the justice he seeks.  Buy Links: Amazon |Barnes & Noble | Christian Book Distributors
Find Amanda:Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog





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Super Helpful Photoshop Training Channel Video

The Photoshop Training Channel
You all know I love and use Jesús Ramirez's Photoshop Training Channel as my go to spot for all things Photoshop.

Here is a brand new video that is short and is almost a primer video for Photoshop, it's that valuable and why I decided to do more than just Facebook it.

I highly recommend subscribing to his channel and he has a series of courses I'm currently taking. I'll be back with a review once done. But so far they rock. 


~L.A.




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Cozy Mystery Week ~ Recap With 6 Top Notch Authors

This series of posts was a smash hit, so I decided to repost everything and put them all in one place so it would be easier to find for new readers or those who wanted to read these stellar authors' posts. So if you love cozy mysteries, and I DO, check out their articles and their books.


Cozy Mystery Week ~ Lois Winston on Can Murder Be Funny?


Cozy Mystery Week ~ Marilyn Leach on Cooking Up Delicious Red Herrings





Cozy Mystery Week ~ Paty Jager on Location, Location, Location for a Cozy Mystery Cozy Mystery Week ~ Nancy Haddock on Cozy Cover Artistry




Cozy Mystery Week ~ Kathleen Kaska on Cozy On Up



Cozy Mystery Week ~ Cynthia Hickey on The Love Of A Mystery










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Take Five And Meet Author Dana Ross

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Dana Ross.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book: Full Girlfriend Experience.Hi, Leslie Ann. Thank you so much for hosting me today. Here’s the backstory that inspired this novel. After a 20 year marriage, I entered the dating world. I made new friends along the way, one in particular whom I said I’d never date but felt an instant admiration for. He was kind-hearted, pure and innocent, the proverbial Prince Charming, but real. He also lived 1,000 miles away.

I immediately wanted to create a character based around him. But stories need balance, so I created my protagonist, a villainess who’d be the polar opposite of Prince Charming, by extracting real-life conversations from my best friend, a proverbial “bad boy.” I wanted the story to take place in D.C. (my hometown,) and bring readers into the magic of the city. Sidebar: After a year of friendship with “Prince Charming,” I broke down and agreed to traipse into a long-distance romantic relationship. We’ve been dating for the past four years.

How do you use setting to further your story?

I remember reading “Wuthering Heights” and how Emily Bronte manipulated the reader’s emotions using the gloomy Moors of England to set the tone. There are so many magical, eclectic parts of Washington, D.C., and I wanted to share both the “beauty and the beast,” of my hometown, so I used real-life settings--sometimes fictionalized to set the mood. 

For instance, a now-defunct bridge that I’d crossed in my youth whilst filming a PSA, is the backdrop for a pivotal scene in the book. The scene’s theme was “take a leap of Faith,” which is also a play on words with my heroine’s name. 

The garden in Dumbarton Oaks was a favorite haunt of mine, so I used it to set a romantic tone for Faith and Finn. I used the zippy music and spicy smells from a famous Cuban rum bar to spotlight “Faith and Finn’s” first date, and the gloom of springtime rain to set the dreariness my heroine felt at certain points in the story.

Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!

I grew up in the jewelry industry, worked in the family biz for a decade, and later taught gemology (the study of gems) at The Gemological Institute of America. Fun Fact: My “secret talent” is being able to go outside and accurately predict the weather to within two degrees, by feel. Weird, but true.


To you what makes a great romance hero or heroine?I love multi-dimensional characters, people that surprise you. Readers get bored with predictability, and I love authors that are able to create character arcs that don’t follow the norm. I researched unforgettable villainesses in 19th Century-present day fiction for my MFA thesis, and I loved Thackery’s Becky in “Vanity Fair,” Gregory Maguire’s Elphaba from the “Wicked” novel, Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” and the unforgettable Emma Bovary in Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary.”


What is the first thing you do when you begin a new book?Answer: The first thing I do is start working on a detailed character worksheet for my protagonist and a few key players. The more I flesh out their traits, the more I envision the story. Then I try to outline--even if its a few index card or a one-page synopsis. I didn’t outline when I first started writing and I found myself getting “stuck” midway through. Next, I start a music playlist named after the working title of the book, and I feed the list with songs from each chapter.If you were not a writer, what vocation would you pursue?Answer: I jokingly refer to myself as an ersatz deejay because I am utterly obsessed with music and have dated a few deejays in the past. Music is my second passion, and once I can save up for a mixing board/find time to mix and practice, I’ll set down my pen and fantasize about spinning in a club one day. Give us a brief summary of Full Girlfriend Experience: When DC Madam Faith Crawley receives a call from former client, Senator William Drummond, it's the answer to her prayers. The money the dirty politician offers her to smear his rival Finn Billings will save Faith's business, her lifestyle, and her girls.Raised in the shadow of a political magnate, Finn Billings has the credentials to get the job done, but he lacks confidence and wonders if politics is truly the life he desires.
Using the façade of her front business, a PR firm, Faith turns Finn into a political powerhouse while obtaining the evidence Drummond needs to destroy Finn's political chances. But Faith didn't plan on falling in love with her mark.
Now she has the toughest decision ever—give the sleazy senator incriminating photos of Finn to save her business or give up everything for the sake of love.
Buy Links:
Amazon |  Wild Rose Press

Bio:
Former gemology teacher Caryn DeVincenti, who writes under the pen name Dana Ross, left all things shiny to become a full-time novelist. She is the regional director of the Florida Writers’ Association, Palm Beach County and is an active member of the Women Fiction Writers Association and the Florida Writers Association. 

Caryn earned her M.F.A. in creative writing from Wilkes University and loves mentoring budding novelists. Her articles on love, divorce, and relationships have appeared on DivorcedMoms.com and The Good Men Project. 

When not writing, Caryn enjoys dancing to loud 80s music, obsessing over social media, and playing with her insane Cairn terrier. Her first novel: Full Girlfriend Experience, a contemporary romance, will be released through The Wild Rose Press on February 18, 2019. Find Dana:
Website | Twitter  | Facebook | Instagram | Blog



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Take Five And Meet Author Viviana MacKade

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Viviana MacKade.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your Crescent Creek Collection.
I didn’t really plan to have a Series, to be honest. It started as Scott’s and DJ’s story; through him, I met Rhett, fell for him a little bit. And he introduced me to Aidan, who started nagging in a very annoying Aidan’s way. So, I had to write his story too (for which he gave me endless grief…). And I ended up with a series.

Nothing inspired the series, but the characters pushed me to stay with them a little longer and tell their stories.
 How do you construct your characters?
I don’t. When they come to me, they are who they are. I get to know them, deeply, as I go on writing their stories. I don’t construct as much as I stay with them a lot before starting the actual writing (I do silly on-line personality tests with them, interview them, and so on). And even after all this, when I get at the end of the book I have to start from chapter one and make sure I got them right, because at the beginning I didn’t know them so well.
Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!
How many pet peeves I have. Some examples,
          I dislike phone calls because they always barge into whatever I’m doing and I can’t ignore them. I just can’t.          Unmade beds–what are we, animals that sleep in a dog basket? The bed needs to be redone daily, and very well. In fact, I’m the only one who can make an acceptable bed for me to sleep in.          AC set any lower than 75. It makes my nose drip and my eyes water. If I wanted to be cold, I’d go and live in the artic.          Crowds.          Salads. I hate when all those different vegetables, all so tasty that deserve their own space, mix together.I really could go on and on, but I think I’ll stop here because I already come off as grumpy. Which I totally am.
Have you been a lifelong reader of romance? What are some the first books you remember reading?

I started reading romance in high school. It wasn’t my first love, as far as reading is concerned. I loved historical thrillers, or epic adventures a la Bernard Cornwell, Griff Hosker, James L. Nelson, or Edward Rutherfurd. Then I met Nora Roberts, and that was it.
What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions?  Why?

Emotions, because they are not mine. They are the Character’s. I have to understand how he/she feels, and then borrow from some of my memory to understand him/her better, they write it. It’s twice as painful because I empathize with him/her, and then there’s the pain from my experience, a pain I have to resurrect to use it.
If you were a TV, film or book character, apart from one you've created, who would you be?  And why?
Answer: I’d be Meg Galloway, from Nora Roberts’ Northern Lights. Seriously, she could have been based on me. Her need for freedom and open space, her independence, her (not so great) manners, her bluntness that edges in rudeness. It was so uncanny it made it for a uncomfortable reading at times, because I was forced to see myself through another person’s eye.

Give us a brief summary of Crescent Creek Collection:

From the cold Canadian border, the US1 runs along the east coast with patience. Southbound, always south, until it reaches the Sunshine State.
Not the fastest way, sure, but if you have time to drive it all the way down, you might find yourself lost in one of the coastal towns that dot the US1 like little jewels.
Maybe that town’s name is Crescent Creek.
These are the stories of its people.

PRESALE DEAL – 3 stories, 0.99 cents until release day February 14th.
All Those Miles I Walked ~ Crescent Creek 1
At eighteen, DJ made a choice–her heart or her dreams. Neither was wrong, yet either would break her heart. She chose the world. Over a decade later, she returns to Crescent Creek and to the one regret she's ever had–Scott.
Scott’s always been steady as a rocky reef. He’d loved once and when she’d left, his strong heart had crumbled like a sandcastle. Now DJ is back, and Scott wants nothing to do with her. If only Eva, his and DJ’s old friend, didn’t need their help. Because of her, he’s stuck with DJ and he’d be damned, she still gets under his skin.
DJ is a free spirit who needs the road under her feet. Scott is a family man who wants to groom his roots. With danger on their doorstep and a baby to keep safe, how much are they willing to compromise for love?

Painted Love ~ Crescent Creek 2
Thou shalt not steal.
Oh, but Florence had, and would do so one last time. Ten pieces her grandfather painted for her because he loved her. Ten pieces her mother lost, along with anything else, for loving the wrong man. She couldn’t get back everything he’d wasted away, but she’d be damned if she’d give up those paintings.
Easy and genuine, Rhett loves his life–his family, his market, his town. Until he meets a British woman with grey eyes and a cute little smile. The woman he’s been waiting for. The thing is, to love her is easy, but can he trust her?
When Rhett pushes to uncover her agenda, Flo knows she will lose something–the man she loves or what she’d been fighting for years. Which road will she choose?

His Midnight Sun ~ Crescent Creek 3
Tormented, fierce, and broken, sculptor Aidan Murphy has judged himself guilty. He yearns for love but pushes everyone away. He longs for acceptance but has lost the key to open his heart. 
Until he meets Summer Williams. 
Beautiful and smart, Dr. Williams promises haven for a man who believes he deserves none. All he has to do is let her in and risk his heart and soul.
Summer’s managed to keep her inner light alive, even through tragedy. She’s created a new life for herself and her daughter in Crescent Creek with loving, caring and fun friends–well, except brooding, breathtaking Aidan. She’s used to keeping away from his type, though. All she has to do is ignore the pull of a man who’s turning up to be much more than snarls and storms. Will her compassion and medical instincts let her?
Love can heal a broken soul and shake up a timid heart. Or it can unleash devastation and revenge.
Will Aidan and Summer survive the hurricane?

Buy Links: Amazon
Bio:Beach bum and country music addicted, Viviana lives in a small Floridian town with her husband and her son, her die-hard fans and personal cheer squad. She spends her days between typing on her beloved keyboard, playing in the pool with her boy, and eating whatever her husband puts on her plate (the guy is that good, and she really loves eating). Besides beaching, she enjoys long walks, horse-riding, hiking, and pretty much whatever she can do outside with her family.
Find Viviana:Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author page




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R&R: Raves and Rants With Amanda Cabot

Yes, it's R&R Time with multi-published author Amanda Cabot.
I've said it before, these posts are keepers.


Compound Sentences and Conjunctive Adverbs
Are you yawning already? I’ll admit that the title isn’t particularly exciting and – if you’re like me – the term “conjunctive adverb” may be unfamiliar to you. I’d never heard it until I started doing research on compound sentences for my December R&R post. That’s when I learned about both FANBOYS (remember that term?) and conjunctive adverbs.

Simply put, conjunctive adverbs are another way of connecting compound sentences. You probably remember the definition of compound sentences, but since it’s been a couple months, here’s a refresher. A compound sentence has two or more independent clauses; a clause is independent if it has both a subject and a verb.
Many compound sentences are connected by the FANBOYS, with a comma signaling the end of one clause and the beginning of another. Conjunctive adverbs, however, are more complex than the FANBOYS and require different punctuation. (Did you notice that I did not use a comma before “and” in that last sentence? That’s because there’s no subject in the second clause, meaning that it is not independent.)


Conjunctive adverbs include the following (in alphabetical order):         Consequently         Hence         Henceforth         However         In fact         Nevertheless         Therefore         ThusYou probably don’t use these very often in either speech or writing, but it’s important to know the punctuation rule for those rare instances when you do.
The rule is simple: Place a semi-colon before the conjunctive adverb and a comma after it.
Examples:It was the second week in December; consequently, every storefront was covered with holiday decorations.
The snow was heavy and just right for packing; therefore, we planned to make a snowman and then go sledding.
If these sentences seem familiar, it’s because I used them in the December post. If you look back at it, you’ll see that the use of FANBOYS to connect the clauses made the sentences sound less pretentious than when I used “consequently” and “therefore.”
Although the rule is straightforward, I’ve seen confusion when one of the conjunctive adverbs is used outside of a compound sentence. This is particularly prevalent with the word “however.” That’s because “however” is both an adverb and a conjunction (aka a conjunctive adverb).
Consider this sentence:However you pronounce it, it’s still a tomato.
In this case, “however” is an adverb, modifying “pronounce.” As such, it requires no punctuation, and, in fact, if you were to put a comma after it, you’d be making a mistake.
This sentence is different:However, if you pronounce it toe-mah-toe, some people may think you’re putting on airs.
The reason for the comma after “however” is that it’s being used as a conjunctive adverb, even though there is no preceding clause.
If you’re wondering how to tell the difference between “however” as an adverb or as a conjunctive adverb, there’s a simple test. Delete the word. If the sentence still makes sense, you had a conjunctive adverb and do not need the comma following it. If it makes as little sense as “you pronounce it, it’s still a tomato” does, it’s an ordinary adverb. Keep it, and don’t follow it with a comma.


You can let out a sigh of relief now, because we’re done with compound sentences … at least for a few months. Next month we’ll be discussing another scintillating subject: dangling participles. See you then!
~Amanda


A lifetime of reading and writing, not to mention a host of teachers who believed that good grammar was one of the essentials of life, have given Amanda Cabot such firm opinions about the printed word that I asked her to share some with us in her Raves and Rants posts.  
Although her working career was in Information Technology, Amanda achieved her dream of selling her first novel before her thirtieth birthday and is now the author of more than thirty novels as well as a number of books and articles for Information Technology professionals.  
Her most recent book, now on pre-order (available March 5th), A Tender Hope, is the final book of the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Find all of Amanda's books, newsletter info and social media links here.


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Cluster Queen Class On Sale ~ By Digital Scrapper

This class Is On Sale ~ Limited Time 
Learning the art of creating beautiful clusters for your meme pages, for biz cards, postcards, occasion cards, stickers, scrapbooking--literally the list is endless--is something I've wanted to learn. While I've always admired the purchased clusters I own, they weren't unique to the project I needed them for.
Now I can learn to create beautiful ones with the 100's of embellishments I already own.



Become a Cluster Queen (or King)—someone who can create a beautiful cluster with skill and confidence—without agonizing over the process.



In this class, Jen White will show you her revolutionary 3-step process for learning how to create an awesome cluster every time. (see sale coupon below)


Here’s What You’ll Receive

~ 4 videos that teach foundational principles, to start you off on the right foot.

~ Jen's 3-step cluster process that guarantees your success. (Jen says if you’re not willing to follow these 3 steps with every lesson, don’t take this class. You’ll be wasting your money.)
~ 10 in-depth clustering lessons to help you grow in confidence and skill.
~ Secrets to shadows that make your clusters look believable and rich (Shadow action set included.)
~ 5+ unique elements with each lesson so you’ll learn to cluster with a wide variety of elements.
~ “Treasure Hunt” challenges designed to help you transfer your new cluster design knowledge to your personal stash of elements.
~ Loads of helpful hints and suggestions to help you think like a Cluster Queen!

Coupon Code: WINTER30
Exp: 2019-01-31 11:55 pm



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The Spring Craft Bundle From The Hungry JPEG~ $19

You all know I have a couple of favorite places to shop for my creative elements.  I'm pleased to bring you The Hungry Jpeg's latest offering.

SO, WHAT'S INCLUDED?The Spring Craft Collection is finally available! This interesting bundle includes 28 amazing packs which consists of 5 fonts, over 170 cut files, digital papers, calligraphy quotes plus ready-made cards! Grab them all for ONLY $19 now, that’s a massive savings of 88% off!!

Notice I said CUT FILES. Yep, if you're a crafter using a Cameo or a Cricut or other cutting tool, this bundle is for you, too!!

R&R: Raves and Rants From Multi-Published Author Amanda Cabot

Lessons from Little WomenShow of hands, please. How many of you have read Little Women? If you have, I suspect you recall how Amy, the youngest of the March sisters, complains about her fellow classmates who “label your father if he isn’t rich.” Older sister Jo laughs and says, “If you mean libel, I’d say so and not talk about labels, as if Papa was a pickle bottle.”
We can laugh at Amy and her attempts to have a sophisticated “vocabilary,” but the reality is, I’ve seen errors as egregious as Amy’s in a number of novels.  Consider the following:

Fresh bread and a large sallet would complete the meal.
When I read that line, I was intrigued, since sallet isn’t part of my active vocabulary.  I thought it might be an outdated way of spelling salad, so you can imagine my amusement when I discovered that a sallet is a 15th-century helmet.  Amy March would have felt kinship with this particular author.



Breathless when they reached the top of the hill, they stared in awe at the magnificent visage.
Perhaps they did, if the hill was near Mount Rushmore and the protagonists were gazing at the presidents.  Visage, of course, is a face, whereas vista, which is what I think the author meant, is a view.



Fortunately, she had been spared many of the humilities during her stay with him.
Since the author had been talking about the indignities that others in the heroine’s situation had endured, she probably meant humiliations rather than humilities.
She’d been raised in poverty, and that depravity colored the rest of her life.
Depravity is not necessarily part of poverty, whereas deprivation is.



What’s the problem with errors like these?  They diminish authors’ credibility.  When readers open our books, they trust us to give them stories that are as accurate as we can make them.  That means realistic characters, believable settings, and the use of the right word.  Quite simply, they expect professionalism.  If they encounter Amy March-like vocabulary mistakes, they’re justified in believing that the author is an amateur.  And that’s not a good thing.
While I won’t speculate on the reasons for the errors I cited above, sometimes it appears that mistakes are caused by blindly accepting what Spellchecker offers.
Daphne stuck another ribbon into her unruly curls in a vain attempt at creating a sophisticated coiffeur.
There’s a difference between coiffeur (hairdresser) and coiffure (hairstyle), just as there’s a difference between impetuous and impetus and between trundled and bundled in the sentences below.
He had created the impetuous for his takeover of the business.
The children were trundled up in their scarves, hats, and winter coats.
Accepting Spellchecker’s suggestions is an easy enough mistake to make, but that doesn’t excuse it.
I doubt anyone wants to have readers laugh at vocabulary errors, and I’m sure no one introduces them deliberately.  The problem is that as authors, we’re so close to our work that we don’t necessarily see the mistakes.  That’s why we need a Jo March in our lives to point out the errors.  Who are those Jo Marchs?  Editors.  What the mistakes I cited have in common is that I found them in either manuscripts I was reviewing or indie-pubbed books that may not have had the benefit of a professional editor.
The lesson from Little Women is simple: editors are an essential part of the publishing process, and anyone who skips or shortcuts that step is risking having readers laugh for the wrong reasons.

~ Amanda
A lifetime of reading and writing, not to mention a host of teachers who believed that good grammar was one of the essentials of life, have given Amanda Cabot such firm opinions about the printed word that I asked her to share some with us in her Raves and Rants posts.  
Although her working career was in Information Technology, Amanda achieved her dream of selling her first novel before her thirtieth birthday and is now the author of more than thirty novels as well as a number of books and articles for Information Technology professionals.  
Her most recent book, now on pre-order (available March 5th), A Tender Hope, is the final book of the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Find all of Amanda's books, newsletter info and social media links here.

Ready to try Amazon Prime:
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Sharing My To-Do List Method ~ A Version of the Kanban System

My To-Do List ~ It WorksIn December I had Sarra Cannon
I've modified the system even more.

You need to make a system work for you, and so I'm showing you in a very personal way what works for me.

Basically, a Kanban board is what you see below.  

To Do, In Progress and Finished. 
I don't have room in my office to place such a board, nor would I enjoy seeing such an in-my-face board, (I think it would be TOO much pressure