Janet Van Gorden's Blog, page 4
July 9, 2014
Newest Release
In celebration of my newest release Talk To My Heart and the summer reading season, I found this wonderful image that incorporated the beach and complemented my book cover.
I am so thrilled to finally share the fantastic love story of Sahara and Colin, two characters dealt a great deal of misfortune but graced by fate, because sometimes life is just full of ironic surprises.
July 7, 2014
The Countdown is on…
Finally, after many long months I have finished my book Talk To My Heart. The countdown is now on for getting it into the hands and devices of e-readers everywhere. I am so excited to share my story and characters (Sahara and Colin) with you!
June 1, 2014
My Second Book In Print
After much frustration, reformatting, and praying for patience, I finally managed to get my second book Take Me Home ready for it’s print debut! I am not quite over the hump yet, as the cover has to be accepted and I won’t know what awaits me until I hear back from the publishing company sometime within the next 24 hours. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out for the best.
April 6, 2014
Writing Challenge Day #4 Book Description
Day #4 — Today in my writing journey I have decided to tackle the one task that is by far the most difficult…writing my book description. For many authors, it is a part of the self-publishing process that causes the most struggle but is the most crucial. A quality book description can potentially make or break a book in the eyes of the reader. Meant to be practical marketing tools they should be approached as such, stripping the creativity out of the picture. A daunting prospect to those of us who have just poured out our creative hearts into a personal masterpiece.
While researching the theory behind effective descriptions, I discovered why we, as authors, struggle and what specific components are integral to crafting an elegant, compelling “hook” for readers. Book descriptions take time, patience and an ability to leave out everything but the most important of details. A difficult task indeed when all I want to do is tell you everything about my story! But I will learn to pare down my enthusiasm, and at the end of it all, create a buzz for my story that will draw in each reader who discovers my book.
Coming Soon — Talk to My Heart
April 5, 2014
Writing Challenge Day #3
Day #3 — I added another three pages today. Not a bad writing day considering it’s a weekend and there is a lot going on around me. While getting ready to clean the bathroom this morning I was struck with inspiration. Stranger things have happened! Needless to say the bathroom did not get cleaned and I was at the computer for several hours! My main characters overcame an emotional obstacle and did some making up for lost time…my favorite part!! Can’t wait to see where they take me tomorrow. 26 days, or less, to my completed draft. (Fingers crossed)
Coming soon — Talk to My Heart
April 4, 2014
Writing Challenge Day #2
Day #2 — WOW! An amazing writing day. I added eight pages to my story and experienced a true author moment. As I began one of my scenes, I had no idea where I was going with it, only that it was a conversation between my main character and her sister. I decided to just dive in and hope that it would evolve as I wrote. Well it did, and the scene took on a life of its own. I discovered something I hadn’t even thought about including in the story until it just turned up on the pages. So cool. I love when it becomes real. Page 115 and still writing… Looking forward to tomorrow.
Coming Soon — Talk to My Heart
April 3, 2014
Writing Challenge Day #1
Day #1– I feel like I have been working on my current story forever but life keeps getting in the way. Knowing that I am most motivated to achieve a goal when I set a deadline for myself, I have set the end of this month as my finish line for final completion of my first draft. I am so close! So this is officially day one of my challenge. Just to show myself that I am going to accomplish my goal, I got up at 5:30 this morning (despite going to bed at midnight) to get laundry and clutter pick-up done for the day. I may be a zombie at the end of this month, but it will be worth it. And just to keep me on track, I am going to do my best to post everyday, sharing my progress. Wish me luck. 106 pages and writing…
Coming soon… Talk to My Heart
February 18, 2014
Snow Much Inspiration
It seems that no matter where you live across the country, you have been affected at some point by Old Man Winter. The bone chilling cold and continuous parade of storms marching relentlessly from coast to coast have spread snow, ice and travel chaos in their wake. Daily life has become a struggle of “us” versus “nature”. But in all this misery a silver lining can be found. Long, cold, dark nights are perfect for cuddling by the fireside with a glass of wine and the one you love. A friend of mine boldly predicted a baby boom at the end of this brutal winter. ”What else is there to do?” she joked. Another plus to being stuck indoors, as crazy as it may seem to some, is reconnecting with your children. Play time, snuggle time and movies with popcorn or even better, hot chocolate, creates such wonderful family memories. If that isn’t for you, why not take advantage of the idle hours and do some”pre” spring cleaning, decluttering and self-organization. For those who crave creativity, hobbies are always a fun way to ward off cabin fever. But in the end, my personal recommendation for enjoying these gray, endless winter days… a box of chocolates, a cup of coffee and a good book.
*Post photo/image courtesy of Morguefile
February 17, 2014
His Second Chance Inspiration #1
For those of you who read the first book of my Paramour Romance Series (His Second Chance) you know that I go into detail describing the Victorian house in which Dawson Mitchell has his apartment. In my head, at the time I was writing, I had a wonderfully inspired feel for Dawson’s personality and what better way to convey that persona than by describing his element. Just like I described in detail, Duke’s bar, I did my best to capture the perfect reflection of his home in words.
While doing an image search recently, I came across the posted photo. It was almost exactly what I had envisioned. I was so excited I had to share it with you. If you have yet to read my story, you now have some visual insight into Dawson’s character.
(House image/photo taken from Morguefile — stock photo site)
February 13, 2014
Valentine Dessert
Nothing says love like a decadent dessert. Indulge your sweetheart with a frosty valentine treat.
Charlotte MacIntyre bakes delicious pastries, plans parties, and secretly harbors a love for her best friend’s brother. Unfortunately it’s a sticky situation and love is not simple. She’s convinced that she can ignore her feelings for him. But Nick is one sweet, persistent man.
