The Heroine Confesses (How I Found the Author of My Story)

A blog post by Brenda Moguez
http://www.brendamoguez.com


Nothing Is Lost In Loving
Release April 13, 2016

Finding my author

Brenda was sitting in the Barnes and Nobel loft overlooking the entrance when I saw her. The instant we locked eyes, I knew, I just knew she was the one to tell my story.

Finding Brenda spurred an odd déjà vu moment when you’re totally aware of the universe and know something WOW has just happened, but you’re too freaked out to understand it. I knew something had happened, but was in a frantic state and slow to process our connection. In my defense, I was having a bad day. It was the second anniversary of Bobby’s—my husband—death, and I had lost my job. I wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

My boss, Jack Francis, the stuff dreams are made of, had called, and over the phone kicked me to the curb. He cited economic challenges and a change in corporate direction, but really, it was all BS. He was the consummate actor, claiming how much he had struggled with the decision to lay me off knowing I was a widowed mother, even feigned concern over my loss of financial security. I was screwed. I was barely holding on when Jack said he wanted to stay in touch, and maybe become friends. “What the hell,” I remember the voice in my head screamed. How could I? I had had one too many colorful daydreams about the man involving birthday suits. No way, I wanted to be friends with the guy who had just fired me.

If Santiago, my seven-year-old, hadn't come barreling down the hallway, I would have lost it then and there. I got off the phone ASAP. After dropping my sweet boy off at school, I headed downtown. By the time, I reached Barnes and Nobel I was a basket case. Brenda was sitting in the loft lost in her own thoughts. I like to think she was waiting for something challenging.
For the record, I'm not the sort of woman to cry in my Chardonnay or whimper for the sake of it, but since I didn’t have a plan, I was scared. I didn't have much of savings and was worried my nasty monster-in-law would come after me. I was terrified she'd try to take Santiago away from me claiming I was an unfit mother. I wasn't, but since she needed some to blame for Bobby’s cancer, I was the lucky one she was fond of torturing. I supposed if my only son had died young, I’d have looked for someone to blame, but at that moment, I was too freaked out about being fired, and frankly, irrational and panicky.

I explained my mess to Brenda, hoping to pique her interest enough to tell my story. She was understanding but swore she was the wrong person for the job. I listened to her ramble on about her inadequacies, desperately trying to convince me, she was all wrong for the job, but the quirky and utterly frank way she spoke about passions, and heartbreak, convinced me otherwise. I needed her voice to help me find mine, her dogged tenacity she had drawn on to survive her own colorful life was exactly what I required to face my past and begin a new chapter in my life. Since Brenda and I were both at a crossroad, there was no doubt she was the one, actually she was the only one whom I would trust with my own dire tale.

Meeting Brenda so unexpectedly was a sign. Bobby used to say everything in life happened for a reason. Losing my job was a cruel twist of fate, but meeting the woman who would ultimately bring me out of past and into the present was definitely a signal from the cosmic forces it was time to get on with living my life.

I had spent two years lost in a time warp, reliving the moments in between the start of my love affair with Bobby and his final breath. Death is a funny thing, and one day when I start writing again, I might take a crack at breaking the secret to healing. For the present, I am taking life on day at a time. How about you?

Nothing Is Lost In Loving

Blurb: When Stella Delray unexpectedly loses her job a week before Christmas, which is also the anniversary of her husband’s death, she is forced to stop talking to his ashes, come to terms with her loss, and get her life back on track for her young son’s sake as well as her own. She never expected that posting an ad on Craigslist would send her into the arms of not one but two men, one of whom is her former boss. Now she’s working as an admin for a retired Broadway star, bookkeeping for an erotic video production company, and writing love letters for the mysterious "Oaklander." Adding to the craziness of her new life, her monster-in-law resurfaces and the father-in-law she never met shows up on her doorstep. With the guidance of her best friend, Bono, Stella will learn to redefine the rules she’s always lived by.

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Gambler's Choice - Inspiration

Surrender to imagination. Envision a fairy-tale horse prancing across the mountains and plains of ancient times, his unshod hooves lifted high in a dramatic trot. This white stallion, his thick mane unfurled like a flag, canters boldly toward an angry bull and the cheers of the crowd rise into a blue-hot Spanish sky.

The Andalusian is an ancient pure breed that has been carefully preserved over the centuries. In Northern Spain, cave paintings depict men leading Mesolitic horses with convex heads, solid muscular bodies, elegant necks and luxurious manes. Circa 1,100 B.C., Homer refers to the Iberian horse in his Iliad. Xenophon, the 'father' of modern equitation, praises the gifted Iberian horses and horseman who fought in the Peloponneisian Wars in 431 B.C. Julius Caesar wrote of the noble steeds of Hispania in "Del Bollo Gallico." The Iberian horse carried Hannibal across the Alps in his invasion of Italy (though the elephants got all the credit!). History records Richard I and many of his knights mounted on "airy Spanish Destriers".
In the heyday of European monarchies, the Andalusian's flair, style and formidable carriage made him the mount of choice for the aristocracy. Not only did the Spanish horse excel in battle but he was a fancy parade horse and an elegant fine harness animal. This popularity earned the Iberian horse a grandiose title, "Horse of Kings" or "Royal Horse of Europe." Indeed, there was a time when no crowned head would consider having a portrait painted on any horse other than an Andalusian.

The 17th-century Flemish painter, Peter Paul Rubens, chose the Spanish horse, with its robust body and flowing mane and tail, for his paintings. The artist is noted for his voluptuous, full-bodied nudes, and the Andalusian horse epitomizes the term "Rubenesque." The Spanish horse and Rubens' passionate style were the quintessence of the opulent Baroque era. As a popular painter and a pro-Spanish diplomat, Rubens' work and his pro-Spanish politics accompanied him on his diplomatic missions. Thus, via canvas, the Spanish horse was introduced to the high courts of Europe.
Rubens painted portraits of such famous personages as the governors of the Spanish Netherlands, King Charles I of England, King Philip IV of Spain, the Spanish Duke of Lerma, Kings Henri IV and Henri XIII of France, the Polish Princes Ladislas Sigismund and the Duke of Lerma. In "Capture at Juliers", Rubens allegorically depicts Marie de Medici mounted on a Spanish horse. Many of his works, including "St. George and the Dragon" (c. 1606-1610), feature the Spanish horse in powerful and fierce battle poses, which seemed to satisfy his taste for depicting violent action and lovely women.

Van Dyke, Rubens' most celebrated pupil, depicted Charles I on an Andalusian, and the Spanish painter Velazquez painted Philip III and Queen Isabel of Bourbon riding Andalusians. But in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the trend to greater size and scope in horses began to adversely affect the Andalusian's popularity.
Then a tragic plague followed by a devastating famine nearly swept the breed into oblivion, but, fortunately, in a few mountainous areas of the country, the Carthusian monks carefully preserved the depleted blood stock and began the long journey to re-establishing the breed. In order to conserve these rare horses for breeding, the Spanish government placed an embargo on their export and, for over 100 years, the Andalusian was virtually unseen by the rest of the world. Only a scattered one or two Andalusians came to this country prior to the 1960's, and it was virtually impossible to see one outside art or film.
Throughout history, the Spanish horse has remained remarkably pure. The Andalusian is very sturdy, with a long sloping shoulder which gives him a lofty and pleasant trot. His wide chest, deep heart, strong, short back and well-rounded hind quarters give him the ability to sit down on his haunches and balance on his hind legs. The crested neck with its curtain of silky mane and the thick, long tail add elegance and a story-book beauty. Though most people imagine the Andalusian as the dancing white horse, the Spanish Registry recognizes blacks and bays as well. The Andalusian ranges in size from 15 hands to 17 hands, with the average being 15.3-16.0.

In an era when the mounted soldier trusted his life to his horse, the Andalusian's strength and natural gift for collection made him the premier warhorse of Europe. When mortal conflict waged hand-to-hand, the Andalusian was the soldier's best friend or worst nightmare, depending on which side of the battle you faced him.

Dressage, today's fastest growing sport, developed as a means to school the superior warhorse. The so-called airs-above-the-ground, capriole and courbette, were designed to strike terror in the enemy foot soldiers. In capriole, the horse leaps into the air and kicks out with his hind feet. In courbette, he rears and jumps forward on his hind feet.
It is easy to see why a horse, so bold and quick, that he can dart near enough for a mounted bullfighter to place a rose between the horns of a maddened bull then whisk away before being gored, is a definite advantage in battle.

My experience with these magnificent horses was the inspiration for Gambler's Choice.

Linda Nightingale
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A NEW MYSTERY ROMANCE SERIES FROM VINTAGE ROSE WITH THE RELEASE OF PORCELAIN DOLL by Joe Cosentino

Didn’t you love the 1980’s? Layered hair, shoulder pads, lace gloves, eye shadow, and songs like “Sweet Dreams,” “Billie Jean,” “Every Breath You Take,” and “Maniac”? Such decadence and so much fun! I couldn’t resist setting my new mystery romance series in those glorious days. 

As a kid I adored child stars like Shirley Temple, Hayley Mills, and Patty Duke, seeing their movies over and over. So I created a heroine for my series who was the biggest child star ever until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. Paper Doll tells that back story. Now at thirty-nine, Jana Lane lives with her family in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York. In PORCELAIN DOLL, releasing on March 16, Jana makes a comeback film, a murder mystery thriller. Life imitates art as Jana has to uncover who is being murdered on the set and why—before the murderer gets her! Jana’s heart is set aflutter by her incredibly gorgeous romantic co-star in the film, America’s number one heartthrob Jason Adonis. The other suspects include Jana’s James Dean type young co-star, her older John Wayne type co-star, her children’s Eve Harrington type nanny, the film’s gossipy makeup and hair artist, a local reverend trying to stop the film’s production, and Jason’s colorful agent.

How was I able to write about the ins and outs of a movie set? After college, I was an actor on stage, screen, and television, playing opposite stars Bruce Willis, Nathan Lane, Rosie O’Donnell, Holland Taylor, Charles Keating, David Paymer, and Jason Robards. As an avid mystery reader, it was clear to me that my novels would also be page-turning mysteries with clever plot twists, engaging characters, romance, and lots of clues leading to a surprising yet earned conclusion. Since coming from a funny Italian-American family, I also knew humor would play a role in my novels. As a reviewer wrote, I used my insider knowledge of show business to devilish ends!

And the fun has just begun. Coming throughout the next few months are more Jana Lane mysteries. In Satin Doll, Jana and family head to Washington, DC, where Jana plays a US senator in a new film, and becomes embroiled in a murder and corruption at the senate chamber. She also embarks on a romance with Chris Bruno, the muscular detective. In China Doll, Jana heads to New York City to star in a Broadway play, enchanted by her gorgeous co-star Peter Stevens, and faced with murder on stage and off. In Ragdoll, Jana stars in a television murder mystery series and once again life imitates art.

The early reviews for PORCELAIN DOLL have been amazing. For example:
"Porcelain Doll is Joe Cosentino at his finest. We are drawn back to the fashions and attitudes of the 1980's in a character-driven story full of intrigue and passion." -- Kirsty Vizard, Divine Magazine

“Beautifully written and intensely detailed, Porcelain Doll is one not to be missed. Flirtatiously decadent with a strong moral undertone, set in a decade of extraordinary social change this is a story of its period that is as poignant today as it was then. Joe Cosentino controlled the emotions that the book encouraged with a deft but delicate touch. Suspenseful and mysterious, Porcelain Doll is a masterful creation, one that was impossible not to be affected by.” -- Carol Fenton, BooksLaidBare Reviews

“Murder, mystery, and suspense are high inside of this brilliant masterpiece by Joe Cosentino.” “Every page fills the readers with intrigue.” “Edge of your seat mystery that lures readers instantly.” “Once you read it, you can't put it down.” -- Danielle Urban Universal Creativity Inc.

So let the camera roll, slate board crack, and spotlight shine on the world of movie-making and its captivating inhabitants in these romantic, entertaining, fast-paced whodunits with shocking endings. Lights up on the Jane Lane mysteries!

PORCELAIN DOLL can be purchased at any of the following:
Publisher website
Amazon
BN
All Romance

For more on Joe Cosentino: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com

Who Are Your Characters? By Jacki Moss

“Are your characters patterned after anyone you know?” That’s a common question interviewers ask a fiction author, because that’s often what readers want to know. As an author, I love when people ask that question! That means they want to know more about a character. It means that for some reason, they care. That’s always a good thing.

Characters are the most important part of a story. After all, the world revolves around people, the characters in our own lives, in our own stories. Isn’t everything really about people, about relationships, about how people interact with one another?

Accordingly, character development is key to drawing readers into a story. If you do it right, readers somehow identify with your characters. They either have similar traits, or hopes and dreams, or feelings, or fears. Or they may know someone like your characters.

You want to develop your character into a multi-dimensional, relatable actor, as well as cultivate a relationship between your character and the reader. It can be a friendship or an adversarial relationship. It can be a combination of both, depending upon the complexity the character and the situation he or she is placed into.

Allowing, drawing readers to put themselves into your character’s shoes creates a bond. Quirks and eccentricities give characters depth. We all have them. We are all amazingly alike and uniquely different.

It’s the author’s job to craft characters from the millions of similarities and differences we have.

So, the answer to, “Are your characters patterned after anyone you know?” is yes, and no.

My characters are bits and pieces of people I know, of people I’ve read about, of people who I only know from family and friend’s stories.

For instance, Cafton, my main character in With A Bullet, is loosely patterned after me, at my best and at my worst. His name, Cafton, is an old family name, first popping up in the mid-1800s and ending as my father’s middle name. I’ve always loved that name. It’s unique, memorable, and seems to have an implied quality of reserved integrity to it. Those are the qualities I wanted for my Cafton character.

Cafton and other characters have habits, eccentricities, and traits of other people, from friends, family, or perfect strangers who happen to come into my awareness.

And, yes, it is certainly possible that if an author notices you, you may recognize a smidgeon of yourself in a book.

http://www.jackimoss.com

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The Hundred Year Old Desk

My Writing Space

by Gina Rossi

This is my absolute favourite place to write: at home, in an upstairs room of an old farmhouse in The Channel Islands. From here, I can hear the birds in the garden—particularly a vociferous, super-territorial, bossy robin—but not see them, so that means less distraction for me. This is important, what with me actively seeking each tiny nuance of distraction as a vital part of the procrastination process.

I bought this oak roll-top desk when we lived in South Africa way back in the eighties, for the equivalent sum of what is now sixty-five dollars. Horribly expensive back then, but I really wanted it. It’s a great organizer with all those pigeonholes, plus the little drawers. The big drawers on the lower section are deep and long.  Beneath the central drawer, there’s a small brass plate:

THE SHANNON, LIMITED,

Ropemaker St., London, E.C.

This was one of the many office furniture manufacturing companies active in East London between the mid-1800s and mid-1900s, all of which have now sadly disappeared.  This desk has travelled some, with at least two long sea voyages to its name, if that plate is to be believed. How old is it? The dealer I bought it from told me it was “about a hundred years old, from around 1880.” Hmm, sceptic that I am, I cut that in half. I reckon my desk is turning a hundred around about now.

The pile of paper on the left hand side is my to-do pile and on the right is a stack of rough paper. If things get messy, I simply roll down the ‘roll top’, from which the desk takes its name. Above the desk hangs a watercolour of Cape Town Harbour in the 1800s (painted in 1990), by my late father, an amateur watercolourist. The antique box with mother-of-pearl detail contains precious cassettes (yes, those), recordings of the chatter of my four children when they were little. My well-thumbed reference books fill the bookshelves, along with travel, poetry, gardening, history, all sorts of stuff.

The daffodils bring an extra-welcome burst of sunlight into the room.  They’ve flowered early all over the islands, following an exceptionally mild winter.

The desk isn’t tidy. It never is, but it confines me to a defined space. If, needing a change of scene, I work someplace else, like the dining room table, usually I look up after an hour or two and think: “Who ransacked the room?” Somehow, I manage to spread everywhere.

So, I keep going back to my wise old desk, the daffodils, the birdsong, my father’s painting, my own space.

Quite simply, it’s the best place to write.

***

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please visit me here if you have a spare moment: http://ginaginarossi.wix.com/gina-rossi-website

A Writer's Musings

Jen Conrad lost her husband last year; this Valentine's Day was a lonely one. She could have paid more attention, could have told him her secret, could have, should have, known where she was financially. But she let him and his law firm handle all the finances. She didn't even know where the checkbook was. By the end of the story, of course, she stands on her own, but not without suffering over her own foolishness and having others take advantage of her.

Stitches, the first book in the Heritage Art Park series, is a moving account of a Jen Conrad, middle-aged woman who has to recreate her own life, but first she has to get past her own privilege and expectations.

It occurs to me there are several lessons here: 1) know where your money is, what you have and what you owe; 2) keep some of your own money separate; 3) get credit in your own name (you'd be surprised how many women rely on credit cards are tied to their husband/father), and 4) be aware of everything that happens in your assets. Get educated.

Today's women have it far better than my generation - beginning to work in the early seventies meant getting my father's approval to get a credit card. When I was married in 1980 I had to have my husband co-sign for a card in my name. Thank God that has changed. But I believe young women today need to heed the call to keep their own counsel.

To read what happened to Jen, go read Stitches!

Kathy Weyer, Author
Stitches
www.kathyweyer.com

A little post-Valentine’s Candy…

I’ve had several readers write to me asking for Chloe’s candy recipes. Now what kind of a professional chocolatier would she be if she divulged all her secrets and recipes?? She was persuaded to give you all one, though, and I’ve listed it below.

You’re welcome, from Chloe!

Caramel Oreo Cookie

***I’m giving you the easy recipe for this one – you don’t have to be a chocolatier to make it. Just know in my shop I make and temper my own caramel and chocolate pieces. Chloe San Valentino

1 bag of Oreo cookies – the REAL kind, not the generic, cheaper kind.

1 bag of baking chocolate ( Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate pieces is the best brand commercially.)

1 package Brach’s caramel pieces

1 bag of white baking chocolate ( again Bakers is the best)

Method:

1. line a huge baking sheet with parchment paper because nothing sticks to that.

2. Melt the white chocolate in a double burner under a very low heat until it is smooth, stirring constantly. The color will be slightly dull. Pour it into a decorating bottle or into a pastry bag and add a #1 or # 2 tip to the bag. You want a small round opening to drizzle the chocolate out.

3. At the same time you are melting the white, melt the baking chocolate in a double burner under a very low heat until the chocolate is completely melted and smoothy. Dip each individual Oreo into the chocolate letting the excess drip back into the sauce pot. Place on parchment paper and let cool at least 15 minutes.

4. Once cooled, drizzle the Oreos with white chocolate forming criss-cross, thin lines around the entire cookie. Place on the parchment paper again let cool at least 15 minutes. ( you may have to heat the white chocolate up a little before decorating – just put the bottle into the bottom of the double boiler to let it stay hot, or don’t put the white chocolate into the bottle or pastry bag until you are ready to drizzle. Either way works.

5. When all the cookies are decorated in white chocolate and the outer chocolate coating, melt the caramels using the double boiler method until they are smooth and shiny, stirring constantly. Once again, you can drizzle the cookies, but I use the prong ends of a fork because the caramel will harden by the time you get it in a pastry bag or decorating bottle. Let cool.

6. Eat..Enjoy..Share.

Love, CSV

New release 3 WISHES (A Candy Hearts Romance)

Valentine’s Day is chocolatier Chloe San Valentino’s favorite day of the year. Not only is it the busiest day in her candy shop, Caramelle de Chloe, but it’s also her birthday. Chloe’s got a birthday wish list for the perfect man she pulls out every year: he’d fall in love with her in a heartbeat, he’d be someone who cares about people, and he’d have one blue eye and one green eye, just like her. So far, Chloe’s fantasy man hasn’t materialized, despite the matchmaking efforts of her big, close-knit Italian family. But this year for her 30th birthday, she just might get her three wishes.

Get it here: Amazon // The Wild Rose Press

For Those Who Love Horses

I have always been a lover of horses—from birth I think. I always wanted a pony for Christmas, but we didn’t live anywhere I could have an equine friend. Finally, my parents bought a small farm and my first Welsh pony First Fling, a black-and-white paint. Much later in life, I bred, trained and showed the magnificent Andalusian horse (the horse of the bullrings in Spain—either quick or dead). The Andalusian is known for its balance and ability to perform the old battle movements that now are only seen in classical dressage (like the Spanish Riding School). My stallion Bonito was three times National Champion in the conformation class.

I was, at some point, predestined to write a book about horses and the people who love them. I never participated in 3-Day Eventing, a very demanding and dangerous sport, but my friend in Florida was an eventer. If I ran into a problem with the technical information, I called Helen. She’d walk me through the event. I didn’t ramble off into too much detail because I didn’t want to bore the non-horsey reader. The techniques of the half-pass, the shoulder-in, and the canter pirouette are probably not familiar to most people outside horsey circles.

Gambler’s Choice is the name of a jumping class in a horse show. I think that name and the excitement of that race against the clock inspired the book. In this class, each team (horse and rider) that makes a clean round goes on to the next. The fences are raised, and again they must beat the best time of other entries. A sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of experience.
I named the equine star after the class. Though the book is a romantic suspense, the story is really about two people who love one horse. Becca is willing to pay any amount for Gambler’s Choice. Austen is not going to sell his best friend for any price. Perhaps, a horse person is the only one who’d understand how dramatic this conflict is!

http://www.lindanightingale.com

A terrifying plane accident inspired Blue Angel

I’m sure there are a million things that can inspire an author to write a particular story. Here’s how BLUE ANGEL was born:

I started writing my first draft more than three decades ago. I was newly married to a wonderful man who was an officer on a nuclear submarine, the USS Haddock, stationed in San Diego. I was incredibly impressed with his sense of honor and duty. He loved being out to sea, and he loved helping to protect our nation.

When we were married only a year, he was deployed on a West-Pac (Western Pacific) sea tour. He was gone for six months straight (with brief stops at ports in the Pacific.) Our only communication was through family grams (50 word “telegrams” that could be sent to my husband while his boat was submerged.) Each wife received six family grams during the six-month deployment.

Since I was alone in San Diego, I decided to try my hand at writing a novel. In the local media I’d heard a new romance writer’s group, the Romance Writers of America, was hosting its first convention in town. I was curious. While I didn’t attend that convention, I did sit down at the typewriter and start typing.

My first hero was a submarine officer who had lots of dinner dates with the heroine, a nurse. It didn’t take a professional editor to tell me it wasn’t working, so I started again. This time, I decided my hero would be a Navy pilot who had lost his best friend to a flying accident. Understandably, he develops anxiety about being in the cockpit. That plot twist comes directly from my experience flying.

When I was a 21 year old college student in Boston, I was returning to school after winter break and my plane (a DC-10) overshot the run at snowy Logan Airport and landed in the Boston Harbor. It was a terrifying experience. I was sitting toward the front of the plane, and I watched in horror as the nose of the plane separated from the body and descended into the icy water. Two men, a middle-aged man and his elderly father, had been sitting in the from row and they were never found. I had to walk on the wing, wade through hip-deep water and climb up an icy incline to get back to safety. (It wasn’t easy as I’d been wearing Candies shoes at the time.) While I was unharmed, I never got over the experience. I do fly today, but I never relax and enjoy it.

So, it seemed fitting to me to create a scenario where a fear of flying (and getting over a fear of flying) played a key role in my story. Also, most of BLUE ANGEL takes place in San Diego where I lived during my husband’s Navy sea tour. I loved the city–truly the most fabulous weather in the world–and hope that comes out in my book.

I hope you enjoy Blue Angel.
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A Sprinkling of Candy Hearts!

Sometimes our favorite live-in- every-day Valentine heroes do pay attention!  (Even without a gentle nudge). Early in our marriage, I got a lamp one Valentine's Day. It was a "light bulb" moment for me. The man I married was witty or practical or tired of reading by candlelight!? (We lived on a shoestring budget in a 2 room apt. with pitiful furnishings as newlyweds.)  

     

It took years of re-training, but eventually he moved up to roses and chocolate, even jewelry on rare occasions.              

There were setbacks.

 

    When I accidentally flushed my wedding rings down the toilet and cried for days, I made him promise never to buy me expensive jewelry again. I am a klutz. It is painful, even for a self-confessed klutz to own something that can be lost...and can scar you forever by the memory.

 

     I was happy with a plain gold band to replace my rings. Costume jewelry--when an occasion called for it--almost looked as good as real gems. I wasn't the type to sport dangling earrings or jingling bracelets or chains of gold, anyway. Instead, I collected things like ceramic owls, mugs, souvenir vacation spoons, nutcrackers, stray dogs and cats, rescue horses. All objects larger than anything that would fit in a jewelry box. I was happy to get a "gift" that expanded my collections. Especially 4-legged gifts.

 

      When I started writing, I quickly learned that writers don't wear uniforms or dress up for a daily meeting with their laptop. Some don't even wear bras when they work, even preferring baggy fleece and slippers!  I'm content with the metamorphosis to hubby's practical sphere. But that doesn't mean I've shedded layers of sentiment to get there. So when I wrote "Hot Stuff" for the new Wild Rose Candy Hearts Line, hubby paid attention to gift possibilities and found conversation heart earrings made to order-- online. My Valentine passed on a new lamp this year and bought me 2 pair: one pink, one white--imprinted with "Hot Stuff." I'll keep them all. (Hubby and the earrings.) I may even wear the earrings to work. My laptop needs a change of scenery. 

 

     By the way, the heroine in "Hot Stuff" is also a redheaded klutz. Truth in fiction is like a sprinkling of candy hearts, eh!?

 

 

 Order  "The Accidental Wife" or "Hot Stuff"

                Cj's Website         Cj's Newsletter          Cj's Books

Friends to Lovers by Tamela Miles

Of all the writing tropes abounding, there's one that has a special place in my semi-warm little heart: Friends to Lovers.  Think about it for a moment...hot and sweet, right? There's the thrill as you dive into a new book with this set up - Girl X and Guy Y begin the journey with light, playful banter about their daily life situations and deeper conversations about painful setbacks. All of these small moments serve to bind them closer together until one of them experiences a flash of insight that things are definitely heating up and the question becomes: hit the bedroom sheets and, hopefully, progress to another deeper level or avoid the risk of losing the connection by remaining simply friends?  

If you're familiar with me and my work as an author, you know I'm a paranormal romance/horror lovin' kind of chick. I live and breathe angels, demons, vamps - all of it. Oh, and I have a thing for little black kittens who always seem to bring me the best of luck. What writing paranormal and horror allows me to do is marry intense romance to all things scary.  I've written several stories about Friends to Lovers, against the backdrop of spooky, and I'm happy to share some things I've learned along the way:

Make Sure There's a Real Friendship

Some of the best stories in this trope feature a strong, abiding connection between the hero and heroine. He may see her as a little sister type he needs to protect from any and all  nefarious men. She may see him as a buddy that she would never consider hopping into bed with, even while drunk. A friend who provides comfort, advice, and a listening ear are always welcome in real life so the same rules apply to your book couple. Using a "cookie cutter" type friendship to quickly springboard into sex only rarely works well in fiction.  Show the depth of genuine caring between Girl X and Guy Y before proceeding to the hotness of their attraction.

Make that First Love Scene Pop Off the Screen

If they've been flirting like mad and are each debating whether or not to make that move to lovers, it should be an explosion of passionate fireworks when they do get together physically. Craft each moment of their big event carefully, highlighting the wonder they both feel of finally being together.  Some authors naturally veer to sensual while some stay sweet but, either way, reveal touches of the complex layers of their friendship in the love scenes, whether it's a deeply touching first kiss or a marathon lovemaking scene. Make it clear to your readers that these two characters have been in a drought and are thirsty for each other.

Hope this helps an abundance of authors out there and I wish you all a 5K writing day!

One last thing - Book 1, entitled "Heart of a Hunter", in my short series, Hell On Heels is coming soon from The Wild Rose Press!

Check me out on my Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Tamela-Miles-Books-350618404965591/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Ooh La La! by Doreen Alsen

My Candy Hearts Romance novella is my sixth story using characters from my At The End Zone series. A big event ties the books together in all these books, the Addington, Massachusetts Ballet Guild Gala.

  Everyone loves a big party, right? A chance to get all dolled up, eat fancy appetizers, drink champagne, dance with handsome men in tuxedos. There’s no bad in that!

As my End Zone series has come along, with each story the Gala got a little more elaborate. By the time we got to the third Gala, in Charming Dave, it was called the Mirror, Mirror On the Wall Ball. Artists donated artsy mirrors for auction and everyone had to dress up as a fairy tale character. The fourth Gala in A Taste of Hope had fancy tables to auction and a cooking competition for the best restaurant in Addington, called Addington’s Tables.

We check back in with the Addington Ballet Gala in Ooh La La! Simon, my hero is a highly trained dancer and choreographer thirsty for his chance to choreograph full time for a real ballet company. He dreams big! After all, he’s from Texas. At the moment, he an adjunct professor at Addington’s Barrett University, teaching non-major dance classes, which doesn’t pay the bills, not even close. To make ends meet, he dances at Hardbody, an exclusive male exotic revue in Addington.

Veronica Cooke is an accountant and the daughter of one of Addington’s upper-crust families. She teaches accounting at Barrett and has two left feet. Make that three left feet. Look up klutz in the dictionary and her picture is right next to the entry. She runs down Simon in the halls of Barrett and just stole his heart!

Her family is big in the arts and is a huge supporter of the Addington Ballet. She’s happy to snag Simon as her date for the Gala, but there are some obstacles on the way to the ball!
Ooh La La is part of The Wild Rose Press’ Candy Hearts series, out on February 8, 2016! It’s also part of my At The End Zone series. If you’ve read the earlier books, you might recognize some old friends.

At The End Zone books in order:
Mike’s Best Bet
What Ian Wants
Charming Dave
A Taste of Hope
Ooh La La

Lobster Cove books with End Zone characters, in order:
Working My Way Back to You
Worth A Thousand Words (coming soon from TWRP)

 

Doreen Alsen

doreenalsen.com

On The Wild Rose Press

And, the Plot Thickens

When I started writing Affliction, I had main characters in mind, the skeleton of a plot and a vague idea of how the book would start and end. The middle was a vast abyss of nothingness. When it comes to plotting, I usually fly by the seat of my pants. I’ve always trusted the process. The act of writing stimulates the creative part of my brain, resulting in forward progress. Sure, once in a while, I’d write myself into a corner and have to backtrack. But, it was usually an easy fix and I considered it a learning experience. Six chapters flew by and then my fingers froze on the keyboard. I was stuck. Here’s what happened next:

 

1.      I brooded and indulged in a lot of negative self-talk. What the heck’s wrong with you? Yikes! After eight books are you out of juice?

2.      I forced myself to write. As the saying goes, you can’t edit a blank page. When it took me an hour to write two sentences, I knew it wasn’t working. This was followed by . . .

3.      More brooding.

4.      I tried writing in long hand, a technique that sometimes works for me. Not this time.

5.      I comforted myself with junk food which, in turn, led me to . . .

6.      The Solution. Concerned about putting on weight from the aforementioned junk food, I hit the elliptical machine at our local fitness club. Something about the music feeding directly into my brain via ear buds, mindless repetition as I sweated and pedaled, plus the oxygenated blood surging through my body did the trick.

 

Remember my term, “vague idea of the plot line?” I realized I was a little too vague. I was writing romantic suspense, for Pete’s sake! I had a spunky little heroine named Mel. I had a sexy Harley-Davidson riding ex-Marine named Billy. I had dead bodies, nasty villains, stolen babies and human trafficking. Way too many moving parts for an author flying by the seat of her pants. I needed details. I needed more characters. I needed more plot details. OMG, was I becoming a plotter? Were my pantser days over?

 

Happily, I was soon back on track after taking some time to answer the obvious questions. Who? What? Why? Where? When? Part plotter, part pantser. It works for me. And, if it happens again, I know how to get through it.

 

Eat junk food.

Exercise.

www.marileebrothers.com

http://bookblatherblog.blogspot.com

Romance Reader Conferences:What You Love Most

Readers, how appealing are major reader conferences to you? Conferences such as RT Convention (RomanticTimes), RWA Conference (Romance Writers of America), and RomCon (RomanceConference)?

For those of you who have never been to one, or don’t know what they are, they are massive conventions where readers can not only have their books signed by the authors, but you get to mingle, party, and become friends with these authors. Most of the time they are a Saturday or Sunday event, sometimes a full weekend, or even a week-long event in large hotels with events going on all day and into the evenings. There are huge giveaways, free swag, great food, and even plenty of chances to meet a bunch of cover models, depending on which one you attend.
Last year was my first RT Convention in Dallas. The year before, was my first ever RWA Conference in San Antonio. I loved both conferences tremendously. It was a huge bonus that I was a published author by then, and could participate in the book signings.
As a brand new published author, though, I was an unknown. Therefore I didn’t sell many novels at either, so the cost of the conference registration alone put me in the red. But bottom line, I’d never had so much fun at an author event ever.
For those who know what they and have been to one, do you think the registration fees or ticket prices are worth it? Do you like to bring in your own books to have them signed, or do you like purchasing brand new books on the spot? Do you attend these events for specific authors, or are you that avid a fan of the genre, and love the opportunity to meet new authors and find new characters to read?
As a fairly new published author, I don’t have the budget to attend all of the events I’d like to in a given year. I normally have to pick 1 major conference a year, and then attend small signings more local to home. I LOVE interacting with readers, making new friends, and of course I always love an excuse to party! Not to mention all of the fabulous books! This year I’ll be attending RT Convention again, this time in Las Vegas in April.
Here are some of the major reader conventions coming up throughout the year. Can you add more that I’ve forgotten? Let me know which ones you’ll be going to!

The Novel Experience Event, Atlanta, GA – April 7-11th, 2016
RT Convention, Las Vegas, NV – April 12-17th, 2016
Book Con, Chicago, IL – May 14th, 2016
Romance Novel Convention (RNC), Las Vegas, NV – June 1-5th, 2016
Fresh Fiction’s Boas & Tiaras, Allen, TX – June 11th, 2016
RWA Conference, San Diego, CA – July 13-16th, 2016
Authors After Dark, Savannah, GA – August 3-7th, 2016
Historical Romance Retreat, Spokane, WA – Sept 22-25th, 2016
RomCon, Denver, CO – Sept 30th-Oct 1st, 2016
InD’Scribe Author & Reader Con, Burbank, CA – October 6-9th, 2016
Fresh Fiction’s Readers & ‘Ritas, Allen, TX – Nov 11-13th, 2016

Susan Sheehey
www.facebook.com/SusanSheehey 
 
 

CERTAINLY SENSIBLE _ A New Release

I'm thrilled that my Contemporary Romance CERTAINLY SENSIBLE was released on Dec. 2, 2015. So far a few great reviews have been posted on Amazon and I'm optimistically hoping for more.

I wish I could say how I got the idea for this novel. I had never written one before, so the fact that I suddenly started writing a book amazes me. I think what nudged me along was a(nother) viewing of the Emma Thompson 1995 film "Sense and Sensibility." With a degree in English literature, a love of all things Jane Austen, and the naivety that first-time authors sometimes have, I sallied forth. I finished it, refinished it, re-refinished it...You get the idea. It took years. I want to thank TWRP for taking me on, and thank my editor Kinan Werdski who saw the potential and helped me whip CERTAINLY SENSIBLE into a salable form.

CERTAINLY SENSIBLE is set in 21st century Indianapolis, and I hope Austen fans will embrace my novel, as well as readers who just like a nice romantic story. Spread the word! Check me out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Pamela-Woods-Jackson-1523690337865060/?ref=hl

Hello From a New Wild Rose Press Author

Wood rotates against stone as the grinding wheel of writing is slowly set to motion. Low rumbles and a high-pitched squeal register its complaints. Five solid years of studying craft, writing, revising, and searching for representation has finally gained me some notice. The cog completes a full revolution. The Wild Rose Press has accepted my story. Let the edits begin!

"Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about." Winston Chruchill

Karen Ginther Graham
www.facebook.com/ginthergraham

Review: Melt My Heart by Marie Tuhart

Release date 1/20/16

I received a free ARC copy of Melt My Heart in exchange for an honest review.

Veterinarian Lexi Mallory wants to submit to the sexy new Dom from the club, but trauma from her past keeps getting in the way.

It's a good thing Gabriel Huntington has a special way with difficult subs and sees the gorgeous Lexi as a delicious challenge.

Relinquishing control is an issue for Lexi, but when Gabriel brings an injured puppy to her clinic, she takes control to save the puppies life. Gabriel is happy to stand back and watch her work. The mutual respect is just what Lexi needs to let Gabriel  take their relationship to the next level. Will it be enough?

 Can Lexi lower her barriers and allow Gabriel's touch to melt her heart?

From beginning to end, I was invested in the characters and their struggles.  The puppy was an unexpected, adorable addition that added interesting insight to both characters.  I highly recommend Melt My Heart.  It’s a wonderfully romantic Valentine read worth five stars!

Tena Stetler

www.tenastetler.com

Remember the Magic for Happily Ever After!

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Review: Sweet Kiss by Judy Ann Davis

I love small towns, hence why I was immediately drawn into Sweet Kiss. The characters are ones you might expect to see in your own home town, at the coffee shop & bakery where Kate works. Her little shop was described in such detail that I could envision it perfectly in my mind, and it had my mouth salivating for the baked goods! Two sweethearts, who still carry the flame of their youthful romance must overcome misunderstandings, gossip and family drama to find love. A heartwarming story to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day, and an opportunity to reminisce about your own youthful memories as you share in Kate and Tappe's walk down memory lane. 

 

Maureen Bonatch

Making the ordinary extraordinary and laughing all the way.

 

On Amazon

 

Release Date - January 6, 2016

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Review: For Keeps A Candy Hearts Romance

FOR KEEPS (A Candy Hearts Romance) By Veronica Lynch

Reviewed by Peggy Jaeger

5 stars

Decisions, decisions. How does a girl decide between being with the greatest guy she’s ever known and a job that fulfills her in every way? For Meghan Muldoon it’s no easy choice.

Or is it?

In 1986, women’ s defining roles in law enforcement and victims counseling services were in their infancy. Meghan Muldoon is a trailblazer. As the Director of Crime Victim Services in upstate New York, she works hand in hand with the police, one member of law enforcement in particular, Keenan Rossi. They keep their relationship a secret, separating their personal from their professional lives, but it’s a hard fought battle. Rossi wants to take their relationship public and have everyone know Meghan belongs to him. Meghan’s not sure she wants to belong to any man. Her work is soul-satisfying and important, and she doesn’t want to have to make compromises or sacrifices between job and love life.

But Rossi is a determined man and he loves Meghan – the lifelong, happily ever after kind; the FOR KEEPS kind.

When an incident at work with her boss brings the question full force again, Meghan knows where she wants to be. With Rossi. For ever. For Keeps.

 

Pre-order on Amazon

Veronica Lynch’s FOR KEEPS is a wonderful addition to the Candy Hearts Romance series. Keenan Rossi is that rare kind of hero: alpha with a sensitive side, and I am so happy Meghan decided to stick with him FOR KEEPS.

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From the Writer's Eye

How do those characters readers fall in love with look before they finally come to life in a book? Before they're fleshed out, before they make readers laugh or cry by almost marrying the wrong man, by spilling soup all over their date right before the prom, by singlehandedly keeping the bus from careening over a cliff? Were they always that beautiful, that endearing, that comical, that needy? Yes - in the author's heart, but no - in the author's first draft(s). Characters go through their awkward years on a page - those miles of paragraphs where they're gangly, dull, and sometimes with a mind of their own. With the power of "Backspace" I have wrestled Paul, in "Mine to Tell," into the role of being the most annoying brother a heroine could expect to have. I have kept Martha, in upcoming "Love on a Train," heading into a marriage she knows in her heart isn't right. I kept Cletus as the villain throughout pages and pages in "Asked For" no matter how much my heroine begged me to knock him off so she could be free. Characters - great characters - begin with a vision, something only the writer sees. But after months of hammering away on the keys and hammering out the character's resistance, a hero worth crying over and a heroine worth dying for are born.

Colleen L. Donnelly, Author of
Amazon #1 Bestseller "Mine to Tell"
"Asked For"
"Love on a Train"

Review: Be Mine

Beth waits tables at a local diner.  Since childhood she had a crush on her best friend’s big brother who left town to join the military.  Now he’s back and at their first encounter she trips and dumps a hot plate of lasagna in his lap.

After running into each other, on the street, at the gym, and at her friends home, Mark asks her out.  He is sure that he is the man for her but experience has taught Beth not all men can be trusted. Can Mark convince her to be his for Valentine’s Day and forever?

This was a cute, quick read.  I enjoyed the story, laughed at the characters mishaps and sighed at the satisfying ending.  A great Valentine’s Day story! 

Release date January 11, 2016
Review Tena Stetler
Five stars

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I’m Casey, Adam’s Dog

I don’t know about you, but it seems awfully unfair to me that I had to die in the first chapter of Still Counting. I’m not saying Adam’s not a nice person – he was a great owner and we had lots of good times together – but he could have started off with me splashing through the waves on Cape Cod, or maybe told a heart-warming story about that time I finally caught a squirrel and then coughed up fur balls for the next two hours just like some stupid cat or something. (And yes, I said it. Cats are stupid.)

 

So here I am in doggie heaven – where thankfully the good Lord had the sense to separate us from those finicky felines (did I mention cats were stupid?) – and I’m trying to work my way up the social ladder. I could’ve had a slam-dunk express lane to the top-tier if I’d been featured in a book. How many dogs can say that? It would have been dope. Primo dope. I’ve tried to haunt Adam about this when he sleeps, but his response is a pathetic and whiny series of trite platitudes:

“You’re one of the main characters,” he assures me. “Everyone talks about you.”

 

“But I’m dead,” I say. “Like the proverbial doornail.” 

 

“Only in the physical sense,” Adam retorts. “You’re alive in my heart.” 

 

Yeah sure. With that and fifteen good old American dollars, I can cross the George Washington Bridge and maybe not get mugged when I get to Jersey.

 

“You’ll always be in my heart,” he continues. “No matter how many dogs come after, you’ll always be number one.”

 

Sometimes I think Adam is more feline than canine. Just saying.

 

 Phil Fragasso

https://www.facebook.com/PhilFragasso/

 

For more on Still Counting, click here

 

 

Author meet and greet with Eve Dew Crook

The Wild Rose Press author, Eve Dew Crook, took part in the Meet the Local Authors event at the Joyner-Green Valley Library in Arizona on Jan. 13th, only days after a car crashed into the building and knocked out the large meeting room. No one was hurt, and some hardy souls showed up to enjoy the library’s resources. Here’s her picture in front of the table displaying TAKING THE TUMBLE and PERIL, PASSION, PERU.

More about Eve's books, click here

Review: Me + You - A Candy Hearts Romance

Me + You By Brenda Gayle

Teacher Lori Tait has always wanted a family. At 40 her biologically clock is ticking with no man in sight that measures up to her standards. All the good ones are taken. So she devotes herself to her students. One little girl, Grace, in particular has a brilliant and artistic mind but is unable to comprehend math.  Against her mother’s wishes Lori is asked by Grace’s dad to tutor the girl in math.  

Mark Wilder’s fling resulted in his daughter, Grace. Mark did the right thing, married the mother, a free spirit, only to divorce a short time later.   He loves his daughter, but being from a family of boys, has a tough time connecting with his little girl.  

When Lori discovers Grace’s problem, Mark’s world is thrown into turmoil; he’s the last person who can help his daughter. He pushes everyone away, confirming Lori’s thoughts about men. Grace has other ideas and puts her plan into action to create a Valentine Surprise.

I enjoyed reading this book.  It’s well written with characters that tug at your heart strings.  I highly recommend Me + You and fun flirty Valentine’s Day read.  5 stars

On Amazon

Tena Stetler

www.tenastetler.com

Author of A Demon's Witch release 9-25-15

Charm Me release date 1-6-16
and A Witch's Journey late 2016

from The Wild Rose Press

 

Remember the Magic for Happily Ever After!

 

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW what a ride!"

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Review: For Keeps - A Candy Hearts Romance

Review: For Keeps by Veronica Lynch:

What a fun, quick read about two successful people who are devoted to their jobs, and each other. Their demanding jobs put a strain upon the time they have for each other but when they're together, they make the most of it. I enjoyed the personalities of the characters. Meg is a strong, independent woman who won't compromise her values, and Kee is the sexy alpha male who doesn't make her. The author does a suburb job of drawing you into the characters with seamless, expressive writing. 

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review.

 Maureen Bonatch

Making the ordinary extraordinary and laughing all the way.

 

Pre-order on Amazon

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