Sophia Kimble's Blog, page 11
November 30, 2014
Winners of The November Gobble Giveaway
November 26, 2014
Ryan Jo Summers Elevator Explanation Writing Tip
‘The Elevator Explanation’
As writer’s we eventually end up in that position in which someone says to us something to the effect of “You wrote a book. What’s it about?” It might come up at a book signing, convention, festival, at work, while shopping, while having your car towed (true story, happened to me) or hundreds of other places. And my stumbling block has always been answering the question. I either offer a succinct one or two line summary or I prattle on endlessly. Finding that middle ground of an answer has been most difficult.
To counter this quandary I have employed a few tricks of what business refers to as an elevator pitch. Designed to sell interest in a product or service in a few moments, elevator pitches usually follow a basic formula, which can be easily modified for a writer’s use. First, they have to start with a strong opening, much like writing. They have to be interesting, yet clear and concise. Think of this as a 10-20 second meeting in which to build initial interest.
Next, it’s important to know your audience. An agent or editor at a conference will want different information about your book then the people in line at the grocery store or the folks at a book signing or the nurse drawing your blood. (Another true story) So be flexible with your delivery. Keep it conversational, not sounding memorized like a robot. Yet all variations of your explanation should be consistent. The goal here is to connect with the person, hoping they find the snippet interesting enough to ask for more. So have more available if they want it. In business this is networking or building a relationship. I have something and they are curious.
Next step is to ask a question if possible, should your audience still be interested at this point. Lastly, you want to hook the listener, making them want what you have.
So to put this all together, you might end up with something like this: “I have written a book. It’s called _________ and it’s about ___________. People who like _________ will find it __________. “(Insert an appropriate adjective here) “It’s along the lines of ________, but different in that __________” If your audience is still interested, you can further the pitch by adding “Do you like ________ stories? So far the reviews ______________. Sales have been ____________” or “Critics are saying __________”. A good ending would be something like: “My website has all the details about all my written work.” (Hand a card at this point)
Don’t mention every example listed, only a couple for each explanation, tailored to your audience. It’s smart to have a wallet full of cards handy with your website, email and blog at a minimum, to end the conversation with. Of course your buy links should be available as well.
Practice your elevator explanation, trying different approaches for different situation. I know now that one never knows when they will be called upon to affirm they have written a book, or books, and someone will want more information. Another thought might be to video your more polished explanations on your smartphone or device and offer to send it to an agent or editor as a follow up to your conversation. And if you are ever stuck in an elevator with someone, at least you have something to talk about. Just keep the cards or wag handy.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
When Clouds Gather:
Darby Adams has a full, happy life with a successful Bed & Breakfast Inn called The Brass Lamplighter, her teen-age son, Matt, and a menagerie of stray pets she oversees. Then a guest is found dead in one of her rooms, murdered, stabbed to death. Suddenly she becomes Driftwood Shores' number 1 suspect. With her world spiraling out of control, she desperately needs a friend.
The surviving family wants answers so they hire Private Investigator Sam Golden to prove her guilt. Busy with his own rebellious, disobedient teen daughter, Madison, Sam takes the case. He begins in a dual role in the guise of a much needed friend for Darby yet still with plans to investigate and send her to prison.
Then strange things start happening at the B & B, scary things. Darby leans on Sam's friendship and he has to seriously question her guilt or innocence. Until feelings start to develop between them in the heat of the mysteries. Until the day arrives Sam has to tell her the truth. Until someone kidnaps their children.
Reeling from Sam's confession, Darby knows she has to trust him to get their kids back. But can she ever trust him with her heart?
Logan Riley, Civil War hero turned outlaw, was hanged in 1869. He survived, watching time progress for over a century. Anthropologist Dr. McKenzie Lynne is hired to find him. Once she discovers him and learns the real plans the scientists have in mind to study him, she bolts, taking their living treasure with her.
Pursued by obsessed physicists and the military, Kenzie and Logan race across the vast desert and mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, struggling to stay one step ahead of their hunters. But Logan has spent four years in the Civil War and five years running as an outlaw. He knows how to stay alive, survive on nothing, when to run and when to hole up. He may not understand much about this new world, but he knows how to outfox hunters and that Kenzie is one Thoroughbred of a woman and he vows to keep her safe.
Kenzie is not so sure she buys into this time travel stuff but there is no denying the physicists and military are anxious to get Logan back. There is also no denying his disarming smile and relaxed, easy charm. He could charm the hide off a buffalo. If they get caught, it’s a lifetime of imprisonment and tests for him and probably worse for her. But staying free means forever on the run, hunted and homeless. Her career would be over and she would never see her family again.
Running and hiding, hunted like criminals, they also find attraction and love blooming like desert flowers. Her Christian faith gnaws at him far better than the hangman’s noose had, convicting him of his past crimes. As their love grows, can Logan keep them continually safe? And can Kenzie’s Christian faith turn this bad boy’s heart around?
As their pursuers close in, their love will face the harshest test of all–Christian morals against nineteenth century outlaw justice.
November 19, 2014
Tip on Writing a Hook Between Land and Sea from Joanne Guidoccio
IN 25 WORDS OR LESS...
After completing Between Land and Sea, I attended a number of workshops where the facilitators stressed the importance of a hook or logline.
What is a hook/logline?
Very simply, it is a concise sentence that answers the question: What is your novel about? An effective logline provides enough interest to prolong the conversation with a prospective agent or publisher, encourages readers to pick up the book, and creates tweetable buzz.
At first, I found it a daunting task. How could I possibly condense 69,000 words into 25 words or less?
I started by looking at the some of the great hooks in literature and cinema:
A man goes into the jungle to search for a missing general. (Heart of Darkness)
A reclusive chocolateer opens up his factory to the lucky children who find golden tickets. (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
A sea captain forces his crew to search for an elusive white whale. (Moby Dick)
A train engine thinks it can make it up a hill. (The Little Engine That Could)
A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. (The Silence of the Lambs)
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. (The Shawshank Redemption)
Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny, eludes him. (Forrest Gump)
And my all time favorite…
Film Director James Cameron pitched his idea for a three-hour epic in just six words:
Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic.
My hooks
After a mermaid is aged, weathered, and abandoned, she embraces her new body and heals her bruised heart. (Between Land and Sea)
A brunette lottery winner never has an alibi when dead blondes turn up in dumpsters near her favorite haunts. (A Season for Killing Blondes – Spring 2015)
On the day of her engagement party, an ex-mermaid’s life is disrupted by the arrival of another mermaid—a sister she has never known. (The Coming of Arabella – Spring 2015)
Do you have a hook for your novel or WIP?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
After giving up her tail for an international banker, Isabella of the Mediterranean kingdom is aged beyond recognition. The horrified banker abandons her on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England, leaving her to face a difficult human journey as a plain and practically destitute fifty-three-year-old woman.
With the help of a magic tablet and online mermaid support, Isabella evolves into the persona of Barbara Davies. Along the way, she encounters a cast of unforgettable characters, among them former mermaids, supportive and not-so-supportive women, deserving and undeserving men, and several New Agers.
About
In high school, I dreamed of writing the great Canadian novel. I wrote several poems and short stories but decided to wait until I had more life experiences before starting a novel. The original plan was to get a general arts degree and take a few years off to travel and write.
Instead, I gave in to my practical Italian side and got degrees in mathematics and education. I planned to teach during the day and spend my evenings, weekends and holidays churning out best-selling novels.
How hard could it be?
The school day ended in mid-afternoon, and I had twelve weeks of holiday time. That would give me plenty of time to devote to my true passion—writing.
That was the dream.
The reality was very different.
Even though I had many satisfying moments, I found the teaching profession to be a very challenging and demanding one. I never had the time and energy to start a writing practice.
In 2008, I took advantage of early retirement. I filled my days with workshops, seminars and online courses. Slowly, a writing practice emerged and my articles and book reviews started appearing in newspapers, magazines and online.
On a whim, I took a workshop offered by dark fantasy and horror writer Sarah Totton. At first, I focused only on the writing advice, but later toyed with the idea of writing fantasy for boomer women. My debut novel, BETWEEN LAND AND SEA, a paranormal romance about a middle-aged mermaid, was released by Soul Mate Publishing in September 2013.
2015 is shaping up to be an exciting year!
Soul Mate Publishing will release THE COMING OF ARABELLA, the sequel to Between Land and Sea.
The Wild Rose Press will release A SEASON FOR KILLING BLONDES, the first book in the Gilda Greco Murder Mystery Series.
Joanne Guidoccio
November 12, 2014
That Magic Moment When You Type 'The End', a Writing Tip and Giveaway from Maureen L. Bonatch
When the end is just the beginning.
You’ve just gotten to that magical place when you wrap up your first draft. You wrote the two most beautiful words…The End.
Ahh, bask in that blissful, satisfying feeling. Enjoy it. Do something special to reward yourself because you deserve it!
Then…let your manuscript sit for a little bit…and get back in there with your red pen because you’re not done yet.
What? But I finished it, you might say. Sorry, but no, Grasshopper, you’ve finished the first draft and now you must start on edits.
Before you start to cry, and pull out your few remaining hairs after the harrowing writing traumas you’ve endured to get to the finish line let me reassure you…your story will be better in the long run.
Scoff at me; throw a few stones if you must… (I’m in cyberspace and I won’t feel the—Hey, that wasn’t encouragement to actually do it, come on!)
My writing tip is to share a prettier way to think about editing
(I just cringed, kind of like Fonzie from Happy Days when he had to say ‘I’m sorry’. Wait, you don’t know the Fonz’? Here’s a link, now quit making me feel old: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=162023&page=2)
Compare your story to building a house.
· Start with a piece of ground and a blueprint. The first stirrings of your muse and the birth of your story.
· Build your house. The evil synopsis, or if you’re a panster like me…it could be your rough draft.
Your new house is everything you’ve ever dreamed of, but it feels a little… empty.
· Carpets or nice wood flooring give your rooms a little character. Maybe a touch of colorful paint and that empty room is a bit brighter. This is the start of your editing as you tighten up by getting rid of repetitive words, making your sentences snap, and tossing out the garbage. You know, those words you love to use and don’t even realize it until you’re rereading your manuscript. (Fine, I’ll go first. My name is Maureen and a few of my favorite garbage words are: something, some and in fact. Do you wanna share yours? Don’t be shy, I don’t bite…remember, cyberspace.)
The rooms are beautiful, but where are you going to sit?
· Add furnishings. Contemporary? Country? Traditional? Make it a place that says a little about your personality. Define your unique character traits that make your characters stand out and your readers connect with them.
Almost done, just needs a woman’s touch.
· A throw pillow here, a fancy light fixture there or maybe a special cabinet knob. Expanding the emotions in a scene or deepen the POV subtly, to immerse your reader into the scene.
P.S. I’m not going to say it loudly…but this might take two, or even three passes through your house….err manuscript. Hey don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just sayin’.
There! I bet you found some things you didn’t even realize you were missing, but in the end you love your story even more. Now get out there with your hammer and nails… I mean red pen….and get ready to rebuild your story!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
That Magic Moment
Can love cross the boundaries mortals have erected to reject all that cannot be explained? As the last witch in the Turner line, Celeste doesn't know if she’s finally found true love or if her grandma cast a love spell to continue the Turner line.
Dane Johns is a man not easily forgotten, but that’s exactly what Celeste plans to do. Because he has one big flaw. He’s a mortal.Dane Johns doesn't know it but he’s under a spell, and Celeste Turner is the cure. Mysteriously healing his injury while captivating his heart, Dane is enchanted. Although once he discovers Celeste’s secret he must decide if he’s charmed enough to not only accept love into his life, but the world of magic.
Hope doesn't know if the man she can touch is a dream come true, or a nightmare just beginning.
Destiny Calling coming December 2014 from The Wild Rose Press.
November 10, 2014
Hear Melissa Snark's 'Battle Cry' and Win
Welcome Melissa Snark!
She has a recipe, a request and an awesome rafflecopter giveaway.
Hello! My name is Melissa Snark, and I'm a fantasy and romance author. If I could have a moment of your time, I'd like to ask for your help as a reader. Please consider nominating my Norse folklore fantasy novel Battle Cry on Kindle Scout.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amazon's new publishing program is called Kindle Scout, an innovative platform that provides readers with a sneak peek at unreleased books as well as the opportunity to have a say in what gets chosen. The timing of Scout was amazing. The announcement came just as I neared completion of my novel. The terms being offered are attractive. As a publisher, Amazon has as much clout as one of the traditional publishers. This simply seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass on, so I submitted Battle Cry for consideration.
Per the FAQ: How does Kindle Scout benefit readers?
Kindle Scout readers get to preview new, never-before-published books and influence which ones are made available to millions of readers on Amazon. In addition, any time a reader's nomination gets published, they will receive a free copy.
I appreciate your support! To nominate Battle Cry, you only need to be logged into your Amazon account. You can head over to the Kindle Scout website and view Battle Cry's profile page. If you like what you see, please consider voting for Battle Cry. Thank you so much!
Nominate BATTLE CRY to Kindle Scout
BATTLE CRY
Survival demands sacrifices; healing requires forgiveness.
Men revere him; monsters fear him. Jake Barrett, the notorious Hunter King, values loyalty to family and followers above all else. When the daughter of his closest ally murders Daniel, his oldest son, it sets off a chain reaction of violence and destruction that claims the lives of both wolves and hunters. Determined to avenge his son, Jake seeks the truth at any cost.
After losing her lover and then her mate, Victoria Storm simply wants to get on with building a new life in Sierra Pines, California. A vengeful Jake Barrett and his organization aren't going to make that easy, especially with the unwelcome attraction between her and the Hunter King's second son. Perils beyond the mortal coil plague Victoria.
When the Norse Fates predict Victoria will destroy the world, her duties as a priestess of Freya come into conflict with her responsibilities as a Valkyrie of Odin. When they tell her she will do it to save her unborn child, she's not so sure they are wrong.
Sawyer Barrett has been trying to kill Victoria for so long, he doesn't know whether he loves her or hates her. Desperate to end the war, he's willing to take chances with everything–except his heart. The hunter harbors a deadly secret he can't reveal without risking the ceasefire and his life.
At Sawyer's urging, Victoria agrees to peace talks with Jake. All the while, an ancient vampire plots the destruction of wolves and hunters alike. If the embittered rivalry between hunters and wolves doesn't end—and fast—there is no hope for Victoria's pack... or for their world.
Excerpt:
Shade enshrouded Skuld, and her voice manifested upon the air, thick and oppressive, closing in from all sides. "Your daughter will not grow to adulthood in Midgard."
Victoria's heart slammed against her breastbone. Her breath expelled in a horrified gust. The bowl dropped from her hands and flew to protect her abdomen. "What do you mean?"
"Your daughter will be taken from you on the eve of her third birthday," Skuld said. "The one you trust most, a member of your own pack, will give the child over to your greatest enemy."
A growl trembled in Victoria's throat, and her entire body shook under the dual assault of fear and rage. The suggestion of betrayal from within her own pack filled her with disbelief to the core of her being. It was unthinkable. Gritting her teeth, she sought a solution, refusing to dwell on it. "How am I to prevent this?"
"We speak of what will come to pass," Verðandi said in a sympathetic tone.
"Your predictions are not carved in stone," Victoria said. Arguing with Fate was a foolish endeavor, but she refused to accept their prophecy.
The old woman, Urðr, smiled with a frightening gleam in her eyes. "Predictions, carved into the trunk of the World Tree, carved into the spiritual fabric of the world."
Stubborn determination settled over Victoria like armor. Her mother had taught her there was no absolute fate, just as there was no absolute free will. Life consisted of a wide range of possibilities between the two extremes. She refused to allow her daughter to die at three years of age. She would move worlds, alter fate, slay gods.
Whatever it took.
"Do you wish to save your child?" Skuld asked.
Victoria answered without thought. "Yes. I'll do anything. Tell me. Please."
"The final days are upon us," Verðandi said.
Skuld took over speaking. "To save your daughter, you will side with Loki against the Aesir. You will use your enchanted dagger to cut the binding of the great wolf Fenrir. You will be responsible for freeing the beast that kills Odin."
Victoria's stomach turned. Her head shook in automatic denial. "When the gods imprisoned Fenrir, my people pledged fealty to the Aesir. We have served them loyally ever since. Even when we were driven from the homeland, almost a millennium ago, we remained faithful. I will never cut Fenrir's bonds. To do so would end the world we live in and doom us all."
Skuld's gaze held steady. "You will."
Victoria snarled her denial. "No. I will never become the servant of the Trickster or willingly take part in bringing about Odin's death."
Skuld turned her head and pinned Victoria with one black eye that rolled in its socket like a liquid marble. "To save your daughter, you will."
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I'd love to share a homey recipe with you. In my household, the holiday means more than just turkey and mashed potatoes. Every year we enjoy an assortment of delicious, fresh vegetables to brighten up the holiday menu. This wilted savory spinach salad is an excellent choice for a brunch menu, or an appealing accompaniment to the evening meal. It is tasty and super easy to prepare. Enjoy!
Wilted Savory Spinach Salad
1 pound bacon
1/3 cup water 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 pound spinach
1 chopped white onion
Optional:
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 boiled potato, skinned and diced
1 sliced bell pepper
Directions
1. Rinse and dry lettuce thoroughly. Chop into small pieces.
2. Cook bacon well enough to render fat. Drain and reserve bacon fat in separate container.
3. Chop bacon and mix into lettuce.
4. Add onion and any desired combination of potato, mushrooms, celery, and sliced bell pepper.
5. Combine water and vinegar.
6. Mix 2 tablespoons bacon fat into water/vinegar mixture and pour over spinach.
7. Toss and serve while warm.
To increase tartness, slightly increase apple cider to taste. Serves 4 to 6 people.
Fast Facts About Melissa Snark:
Melissa Snark is published with The Wild Rose Press & as an Indie author with five unique titles: A CAT'S TALE, THE MATING GAME, LEARNING TO FLY, THE CHILD THIEF, and HUNGER MOON.Her Loki's Wolves series includes THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON and BATTLE CRY.She lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children and a glaring of cats.She is a professional cat herder and unrepentant satirist who blogs about books and writing on The Snarkology.
Connect with Melissa Snark:
Email: melissasnark at gmail.com
Twitter: @MelissaSnark
November 6, 2014
Partner Writing tip from Sarah and Shannon Brady
Sarah and Shannen Brady are a mother/daughter writing team out of Washington State. Together they write paranormal romantic suspense.
Partner Writing
Sarah Brady
We get a lot of requests to talk about partner writing. That doesn’t surprise me. Creative writing is generally a solitary thing, and the fact we’re mother and daughter and writing steamy romance together moves us quite a few points up the weird scale. Everyone is always friendly and nice at the conferences we go to but by the third day I start to feel just a little like a fascinating zoo exhibit. (Poke, Poke. What’s it doing? How does it do that? Poke.) Seriously, we’re always happy to share but I don’t know if our particular methods would work for someone else or not. I only know that, with Shannen, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.
When we want to come up with a new book, it’s as simple as just sitting down and telling each other a story. We can argue about plot and characters, motivation and hooks for a couple of hours and come out of it with a completely plotted novel. We should be pretty good at that sort of thing; we’ve been arguing about one thing or another all her life. Once we have our overall plot and characters, the rough plot gradually turns into a detailed scene-by-scene outline that is essentially a rough draft. After that, one of us creates a first draft of the actual book and the other edits it.
A couple of key factors make this work for us. One is that I am a plotter to the point of neuroses. I make lists of my lists and like to plan my life and everyone else’s to the nth degree. Our method of outlining in such detail means that we can agree on exactly where the book is going before we ever write a scene. Left to her own devices, Shannen is a bit more of a free-thinker than I am but she’s adapted. I don’t think this particular method would work if she were truly a pantser. She’d stab me in my sleep.
I’ve heard of several writing relationships that have disintegrated over disputes about money, fair work load distribution or any number of other issues and have personal experience with what happens when a family business goes bad. (When they go bad, it’s not a firecracker, it’s a thermonuclear detonation.) That’s never going to happen to us. Our relationship comes first, and any money, prestige, work or anything else can’t ever be important at all compared to that. I started on this journey as way to stay connected with my daughter when she went off to college. Even as she finishes up multiple college degrees and launches out into the real adult world, complete with job and apartment and boyfriend and dog, she still has to call me a couple of times a week to discuss book stuff. Even if we never sell another book, I win.
Not that we don’t want to sell books. Just because I didn’t set out to become a bestselling author doesn’t mean I can’t SQUEEE with the best of them when I see our first book out there. What follows is a bunch of blatant, shameless self-promotion. Check out our new release info below and see what a multi-generational nerd squad can do.
Alexandra Grayson is an empathic healer, flying under the radar as a Spokane Valley EMT. Protecting her family’s secret from Homeland Security’s Gifted Agenda and the bigotry of a fearful populace is the most important thing to her. Getting close to men, especially super sexy cops, isn’t an option.
Tyler Kincaid is a man who knows what he wants, and what he wants is Alex. When she outs herself as Gifted by healing a child, Tyler helps her escape, but even his love is not enough to protect her. When Alex is taken by HOMSEC agents, Tyler has to lead a motley collection of Alex’s Gifted relatives in a daring rescue.
Shannen Brady lives in Western Washington with her boyfriend and their child, a rambunctious corgi named Chubberus Maximus. When she's not writing her latest sexy story, you can find her hiking, watching terrible SyFy movies and avoiding cooking of any kind.
Sarah Brady lives in Eastern Washington with her husband and teenage son, dividing her time between her real life and the voices in her head.
Sarah and Shannen are a mother/daughter team and together they write paranormal romantic suspense. Their first book, Healer, is book 1 of The Gifted, a series that will be four m/f romances, and published by Soul Mate Publishing. Their second book will be Sweet Fire, book 1 of a related series of m/m books, to be released January 2, 2015 by Dreamspinner Press.
Sarah and Shannen love to hear from readers.
website: www.sbradybooks.com FaceBook at SBradyBooks Twitter @sbradybooks.
November 1, 2014
November Gobble Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Can love cross the boundaries mortals have erected to reject all that cannot be explained?
As the last witch in the Turner line, Celeste doesn’t know if she’s finally found true love or if her grandma cast a love spell to continue the Turner line. Dane Johns is a man not easily forgotten, but that’s exactly what Celeste plans to do. Because he has one big flaw. He’s a mortal.
Dane Johns doesn’t know it but he’s under a spell, and Celeste Turner is the cure. Mysteriously healing his injury while captivating his heart, Dane is enchanted. Although once he discovers Celeste’s secret he must decide if he’s charmed enough to not only accept love into his life, but the world of magic.
After giving up her tail for an international banker, Isabella of the Mediterranean kingdom is aged, weathered, and abandoned on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England. She faces her human journey as a plain and practically destitute fifty-three-year-old woman.
With the help of a magic tablet and online mermaid support, she reinvents herself as a career counselor, motivational speaker, and writer of self-help books. Along the way, she encounters a cast of unforgettable characters, among them former mermaids, supportive and not-so-supportive women, deserving and undeserving men, and several New Agers. As Isabella evolves into Barbara Davies, she embraces her middle-aged body, heals her bruised heart, and learns to love again.
This contemporary version of The Little Mermaid offers hope and inspiration to anyone who has been dumped, deceived, or demoted. It will also appeal to mermaid enthusiasts.
Logan Riley, Civil War hero turned outlaw, was hanged in 1869. He survived, watching time progress for over a century. Anthropologist Dr. McKenzie Lynne is hired to find him. Once she discovers him and learns the real plans the scientists have in mind to study him, she bolts, taking their living treasure with her.
Pursued by obsessed physicists and the military, Kenzie and Logan race across the vast desert and mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, struggling to stay one step ahead of their hunters. But Logan has spent four years in the Civil War and five years running as an outlaw. He knows how to stay alive, survive on nothing, when to run and when to hole up. He may not understand much about this new world, but he knows how to outfox hunters and that Kenzie is one Thoroughbred of a woman and he vows to keep her safe.
Kenzie is not so sure she buys into this time travel stuff but there is no denying the physicists and military are anxious to get Logan back. There is also no denying his disarming smile and relaxed, easy charm. He could charm the hide off a buffalo. If they get caught, it’s a lifetime of imprisonment and tests for him and probably worse for her. But staying free means forever on the run, hunted and homeless. Her career would be over and she would never see her family again.
Running and hiding, hunted like criminals, they also find attraction and love blooming like desert flowers. Her Christian faith gnaws at him far better than the hangman’s noose had, convicting him of his past crimes. As their love grows, can Logan keep them continually safe? And can Kenzie’s Christian faith turn this bad boy’s heart around?
As their pursuers close in, their love will face the harshest test of all–Christian morals against nineteenth century outlaw justice.
Darby Adams has a full, happy life with a successful Bed & Breakfast Inn called The Brass Lamplighter, her teen-age son, Matt, and a menagerie of stray pets she oversees. Then a guest is found dead in one of her rooms, murdered, stabbed to death. Suddenly she becomes Driftwood Shores' number 1 suspect. With her world spiraling out of control, she desperately needs a friend.
The surviving family wants answers so they hire Private Investigator Sam Golden to prove her guilt. Busy with his own rebellious, disobedient teen daughter, Madison, Sam takes the case. He begins in a dual role in the guise of a much needed friend for Darby yet still with plans to investigate and send her to prison.
Then strange things start happening at the B & B, scary things. Darby leans on Sam's friendship and he has to seriously question her guilt or innocence. Until feelings start to develop between them in the heat of the mysteries. Until the day arrives Sam has to tell her the truth. Until someone kidnaps their children.
Reeling from Sam's confession, Darby knows she has to trust him to get their kids back. But can she ever trust him with her heart?
Golden Alexander is trapped in a nightmare.
Trying to flee her hallucination of a demon, she runs heart first into the brooding alpha male she’s been dreaming about for years, and then her nightmare really begins.
Kris Pietka is done with women . . . he’s broken. But when he meets Golden, an overwhelming need to protect her tests everything he thought he knew about himself, and the paranormal.
A bond forged centuries ago thrusts them together as they search for a way to break an ancient Druid curse prophesying their demise. Racing against the clock, they travel from Vermont, to the Carpathian Mountains in Poland, and the Scottish Highlands in search of answers and a way to break the curse.
But something evil watches—it covets, and time is running out.
Will fate allow love to prevail against unbeatable odds, or will Golden wake to find it was all a delusion?
October 31, 2014
Margo Bond Collins Writing Tip and Blog Blitz.
Writing Tips by Margo Bond Collins
The very best writing tip I ever got from someone else was this: keep writing new things. Always have a work in progress. Finish writing a piece, do a quick edit, and submit it somewhere for publication. Then move on to the next project. Don’t wait to hear back—that way lies madness! If it’s rejected (and often it will be; that’s the nature of writing for publication), don’t let it get you down. Just send it out again and go back to your work in progress. And that holds true for people who self-publish, as well: write, revise, edit, publish, repeat.
But of course that presumes that the writing days are easy, and we all know that's not true. Some days are harder than others. So the single biggest thing that I do to be able to write? I practice narrating. I have an internal monologue—and sometimes dialogue—going on all the time. I think in words; when I have a mental picture, I practice translating it into words in my mind. I tell myself stories and I work out plot lines and I figure out conversations. I think about the words to use to explain writing to my classes and I practice describing my surroundings. I think in my characters’ voices and in my own voice.
When I get blocked, I go for a walk and let my characters take over for a while until I have another scene. What I’ve learned in all my years of teaching and doing writing is that writing is a deeply personal process; everyone has different writing rituals, and those rituals can change over time. I used to have to have a clean space in which to write. Now I just need a place to put my laptop (having a four-year-old child might have influenced that change). I used to have to set rules for myself: writing two hours a day, not going out to the pool in the summer until I had written three pages, and so on. I still use those when I’m stuck or resenting the need to write, but these days, the only rule I have for myself (and the best tip I can share with others) is this:
Just write.
Sanguinary , by Margo Bond Collins
A Night Shift Novel
Only fifty years left before vampires rule the world.
When Dallas police detective Cami Davis joined the city's vampire unit, she planned to use the job as a stepping-stone to a better position in the department.
But she didn't know then what she knows now: there's a silent war raging between humans and vampires, and the vampires are winning.
So with the help of a disaffected vampire and an ex-cop addict, Cami is going undercover, determined to solve a series of recent murders, discover a way to overthrow the local Sanguinary government, and, in the process, help win the war for the human race.
But can she maintain her own humanity in the process? Or will Cami find herself, along with the rest of the world, pulled under a darkness she cannot oppose?
Excerpt
"Hey, Bradley." I beckoned the crime-scene tech, who had finally arrived and was snapping on gloves. "Is that a piece of paper under the vic's head?"
He bent down over my shoulder to get a clearer view from my line of sight. "Looks like it's tangled in her hair," he said. He pulled a pair of long tweezers out of his kit and snagged the sliver. "Yep. Looks like it has a word written on it . . ." We both peered at the brownish, spidery writing.
"Sanguinary," I said. "Is that written in blood?"
"Maybe. I'll get the lab to run a basic analysis on it. If it's blood, we'll be able to let you know pretty quick if it's human and if so, what type. DNA will take longer."
"Sounds good." I stared at the woman a little longer. Her dark hair—almost the same color as mine—spilled out around her, matted with dark, coagulating blood. The two bloody marks on her neck shone like black stars on a white background.
Vampire.
I knew that if I lifted her dress, there would be other puncture wounds all over the body, and strange symbols carved across her skin—pentagrams within circles and other ritualistic signs. Exactly like the others. Ten murders in the four weeks since the beginning of September—all centered in downtown Dallas, and many with affluent victims whose families demanded action.
The department had been in a barely suppressed uproar.
I stood up, my knees popping a little. Five years ago, they wouldn't have done that.
And five years before that? Vampires hadn't existed, except in books and B-movies.
It took time for the world to believe. We hadn't even realized how to fight back when they'd first shown up.
This victim's ragged, bloody fingernails suggested that she had tried to resist, but obviously failed.
The red dress she wore would have originally matched the color of the relatively scant splashes of blood surrounding her, but those stains had dried to a muddy brown, the same color as the writing on the paper caught in her hair.
Her clothing suggested that she'd been at the opera that evening, though the manager, roused from her bed, swore that the building had been cleared and empty when she left.
One black, high-heel shoe lay several feet away, toppled over onto its side, the heel broken, as if she had stumbled out of it when it failed her as she ran from a pursuer.
Sanguinary.
I'd heard the word before from vampires I had taken down—whispered as a threat, shouted as a warning: the Sanguinary is coming, the Sanguinary will kill you all.
The Sanguinary is here.
It was why I was about to go undercover among the vampires.
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Sanguinary-Night-Shift-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00MR5VGV8/
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sanguinary-margo-bond-collins/1120452301?ean=2940046208542
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/sanguinary-1
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Sanguinary-Night-Shift-Novel-1/dp/0990743322/
About the Author
Margo Bond Collins is the author of urban fantasy, contemporary romance, and paranormal mysteries. She has published a number of novels, including Sanguinary, Taming the Country Star, Legally Undead, Waking Up Dead, and Fairy, Texas. She lives in Texas with her husband, their daughter, and several spoiled pets. Although writing fiction is her first love, she also teaches college-level English courses online. She enjoys reading romance and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, monsters, cowboys, and villains, and the strong women who love them—and sometimes fight them.
_____________________________________________
Connect with Margo
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website: http://www.MargoBondCollins.net
Blog: http://www.MargoBondCollins.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin @MargoBondCollin
Google+: https://plus.google.com/116484555448104519902
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
Congratulations to the October Spooktacular giveaway winners!
Happy Halloween, and thanks for playing!
October 29, 2014
C. D. Hersh on collaborative writing and a giveaway..."What’s said in the office stays in the office."
Sophia, thanks so much for setting up the giveaway and having us today.
We thought we would share a writing tip related to collaboration since we are coauthors.
Never take what the other person says personally. Even if their voice is raised and they are pounding the table. :) Seriously, we’ve never pounded the table. However, we have raised our voices and said things like:
Donald: You want me to put that in?
Catherine: No.
Donald: Then don’t start talking like you do.
Catherine: Grrrr
Catherine: Ooh. Good word.
Donald: I do have a few good words.
Catherine: You do, occasionally.
Donald: Humph.
Donald typed: In the stummick like a succer punch.
Catherine: That’s not how you spell those words. You suck at spelling.
Donald: It’s colonial spelling, besides spell check came up with the right words.
Catherine: Hmm.
I laughed at what you wrote, but that doesn’t mean it was worthy of retaining.
When collaborating, remember, what’s said in the office stays in the office. It’s the only way to keep the relationship alive.
Be sure to scroll down and learn about C.D. Hersh's books and enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
When Delaney Ramsey is enlisted to help train two of the most powerful shape shifters the Turning Stone Society has seen in thousands of years, she suspects one of them is responsible for the disappearance of her daughter. To complicate matters, the man has a secret that could destroy them all. Bound by honor to protect the suspect, Delaney must prove his guilt without losing her life to his terrible powers or revealing to the police captain she’s falling for that she’s a shape shifter with more than one agenda.
Now here’s an excerpt that we both agree on, from our new book, Blood Brothers.
The minute Captain Williams lays eyes on Delaney Ramsey, he knows she’s trouble. Uncooperative, secretive, and sexy, he can’t get her out of his mind. When he discovers she has a personal agenda for sifting through all the criminal records in his precinct, and secretly investigating his best detective, he can’t let her out of his sight. He must find out what she’s looking for before she does something illegal. If she steps over the line, he’s not certain he can look the other way for the sake of love.
Pushing open the precinct door, she headed for Captain Williams’ office. At her light rap, the captain waved her in.
“Remember me?” Delaney asked. “We met in ER visiting Alexi?”
Wearing a broad smile, he rose and reached across the desk to shake her hand. “Yeah. Delaney, right? Delaney Ramsey.” He motioned to the chair opposite his. “How is Alexi?”
“Fine. Itching to get back to work, though. But that’s not why I’m here.”
He relaxed in his chair. “Didn’t think so. What can I do for you, Ms. Ramsey?”
She opened her notebook and pushed a file folder across his desk. “I understand Homeland Security thinks you’ve got some terrorist activity brewing in your area.”
“So I’ve been told by Ms. Riley.” When he said Sylvia’s name a scowl lined his forehead like jail bars.
Obviously, he had some issues with her. He’d probably hate having another fed in his office.
“I’m willing to cooperate with them,” Harry said, “but I don’t think a few unsolved homicides and burglaries points to terrorist activity.”
“Well, my boss does, and I’m here to make sure Ms. Riley gets her job done. My papers are in the file. I think you’ll find everything in order.”
He opened the file and reviewed her transfer papers. Under tense fingers, he crumpled the corner of each page, jutting his jaw out defiantly. She’d read him right.
“I understand how hard it is to relinquish jurisdiction,” she said, searching for something to soften his anger. “But we all want the same thing here. Find the bad guys and return things to normal. I promise you, I’ll try to wrap this up as quickly as possible and get out of your office.”
“I’m getting close to retirement, Ms. Ramsey, and I don’t want anything to go wrong to jeopardize my long, illustrious career. I’ll cooperate with you. Won’t like it, but I’ll do it.” He slapped the file folder closed and shoved it toward her. “What do you need?”
“A private office.”
“I’ve got the only one here.”
“I need something with a door. I’ll be discussing classified issues.” And secret society things.
“I’ll move out.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you.” That would put him off for sure.
“Then I’ll move in another desk and vacate whenever you need privacy. Will that work?”
“Are you sure that’s okay with you?”
“I’m absolutely freaking sure.”
She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. She scanned his aura. A soft blue with tints of muddy red and bright lemon yellow. He was sincere, irritated, but struggling to maintain control. “All right. We can work that out. I also need access to everything you’ve given Ms. Riley, copies of all the unsolved crimes the precinct has had in the past sixty days, and detectives Temple, and Jordan, when she returns.”
In a flash, his aura colors shifted to angry shades of red, and his lip curled into a sneer. “You want a latte with skim milk every morning, too?”
His impudence hit her like a slap, and she lost her temper. “That was uncalled for, Captain Williams. I’m here to help, and I don’t have to take your insulting behavior. If you want a gold pin at retirement, I suggest you cooperate to the fullest with me, which includes keeping a cap on your cheeky insolence.” She scolded him as if he were a schoolboy who’d been caught yanking pigtails.
He had the good grace to appear shamed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ramsey. I have a bit of a temper. That and my dedication to my job seem to get me in trouble with women, especially the good-looking ones.”
Did he think her good-looking? Her cheeks heated at the idea then she discarded it. She’d pushed all his hot buttons. Invaded his territory. Rising from her chair, she tried to compose herself. “I’m sorry also, but it may get quite fiery in here at times because I’ve got a temper, too.”
He chuckled.
“Did you find something I said funny?”
“Refreshing, Ms. Ramsey. Not funny.”
In the wrong hands, the Turning Stone ring is a powerful weapon for evil. So, when homicide detective Alexi Jordan discovers her secret society mentor has been murdered and his magic ring stolen, she is forced to use her shape-shifting powers to catch the killer. By doing so, she risks the two most important things in her life—her badge and the man she loves.
Rhys Temple always knew his fiery cop partner and would-be-girlfriend, Alexi Jordan, had a few secrets. He considers that part of her charm. But when she changes into a man, he doesn’t find that as charming. He’ll keep her secret to keep her safe, but he’s not certain he can keep up a relationship—professional or personal.
Danny Shaw needs cash for the elaborate wedding his fiancée has planned, so he goes on a mugging spree. But when he kills a member of the secret society of Turning Stones, and steals a magic ring that gives him the power to shape shift, Shaw gets more than he bargained for.
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.
Together they have co-authored a number of dramas, six which have been produced in Ohio, where they live. Their interactive Christmas production had five seasonal runs in their hometown and has been sold in Virginia, California, and Ohio. Their most recent collaborative writing efforts have been focused on romance. The first book of their paranormal romance series entitled The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles) is available on Amazon. The second book in the series Blood Brothers is coming October 29, 2014 from Soul Mate Publishing.
Where you can find CD:
