When Good People Are Accused of Bad Things

The question I get asked most often, without fail, is 'where do you get your ideas?'  You'd think, after twenty years of writing and publishing books, I'd have the answer down.  I don't.  Because I don't know the answer. 

Except, this time, I do.  This Sunday sees the release of my newest series, "It Happened In Comfort Cove," with Book One, A Son's Tale.

This series - and this book in particular - came from life.  My life.  Two years ago I was in the basement of a downtown courthouse.  The place was many stories and imposing.  It housed offices of prosecutors and judges.  In the basement was the evidence room.  I was there because I'd been told there was evidence pertaining to me there and if I didn't collect by a certain date it would be destroyed.  I didn't know what it was, so I certainly didn't want it destroyed before I knew whether or not I wanted it!

Tim and I took my notice down to the basement, to the reception desk to which we'd been directed.  The evidence technician was very friendly, helpful, and assured me that she'd get it right away.  Right away turned into ten minutes.  Then fifteen.  I was nervous.  I had no idea what information this official building was housing on me.  I didn't want to be there, or have to stay there.  I looked around at all of the stacks of boxes and envelopes waiting for...I'm not sure what.  To be catalogued?  Shelved?  Or sent to someone who'd requested it?

After twenty minutes of waiting I was told that they couldn't find my evidence.  I went from nervous to paranoid.  And started asking questions.  Because that's what I do.  About everything.  I ask questions.  From anyone.  About anything.  I can't ever know enough.  There's always more out there.  I asked how the room worked, what they did on a daily basis.  I wasn't writing.  I was tending to my paranoia by re-focusing my thoughts.  I found out that when prosecutors were working on cases they'd go down to that room to check out evidence.

I wondered if someone had checked out my evidence.  Someone was out to get me.  I was certain of it.

My mind started to wonder.  The evidence technician returned.  She had an envelope in her hand.  It was for me.  It had a few sheets of information pertaining to a minor legal matter from the past.  That was it.  I was done.  Free to go.  But my mind was no longer in that particular basement.  I was in Comfort Cove, Massachusettes.  The envelope was a box.  And it had to do with a twenty-five year old cold case.

I rode the elevator back up to the ground floor.  Walked out into the blinding light of day.  I returned to my car.  But I wasn't alone.  I had new people in my brain, telling me their story.  So that I could tell it to you.

If you click on the book up there, you can be reading A Son's Tale by Sunday morning at the latest!

For a weekend preview, visit http://www.tarataylorquinn.com for the exclusive video!  And enter the contest to win an advanced reading copy of the second book in the series, A Daughter's Story.  



Ode to Sports Virgins...It's Not What You Think

by Liz Talley

So the other day something interesting popped up on MSN Sports homepage that I HAD to click - an article about athletes who are virgins. That's screaming for a link click, right? Tebow and LoLo Jones were the subject. Seems LoLo had professed to being a virgin and there was speculation about her dating the other "Virgin of the Gridiron" Tim Tebow. I'm guessing the general public (or talk show hosts) thought the blind should lead the blind...or is that the virgin should lead the virgin?

Well, anyhow, this caught my attention because my upcoming July release Under the Autumn Sky is both about a football coach and a virgin. I will admit to being a Tebow fan. Love a young man with conviction who can barrel into the endzone and do circumcisions on third world babies, so it was easy for me to explore the idea of Tebow and a virgin Olympian...even though it's none of my business who Tebow and LoLo date or when they decide to forego their status as virgins.

So, anyway, I wrote a virgin book, and it's mainly the fault of someone on some blog talking about how there aren't any twenty-something virgins anymore and that if a gal had reached the ripe ol' age of former spinsterhood (like 25, I guess?) she was a major loser and the book couldn't be legit. Well, that sort of made me mad because who says there aren't any twenty-something virgins? Or thirty-something? Or even older? Is there some unwritten rule that  declares a girl must have sex when she's nineteen to be normal? Hmmm...must have missed that. So anytime someone says you shouldn't write something in a book, I immediately think of a good reason why I should. So I knew I had to write a virgin.

Behold! Lou Boyd, my virgin.

She's atypical because she's a heavy equipment operator. And she's a virgin because a.) she hasn't found the right guy and b.) she's the guardian for her brother and sister, aka, a single mother. So for Lou, it becomes practical to put her life on hold while she raises her younger siblings. Lou feels like she's hit the pause button on her life and if she can get Waylon and Lori out of high school and into college, she'll be able to resume the life she had before her parents crashed their plane into the Ouachita forest. She doesn't really want to be a virgin...she just is.

And I think it's a fair portrayal. I don't like the idea that a life is unfulfilled if a gal isn't getting any. But that's the way popular society portrays older virgins. What's wrong with seeing sex as something intimal, personal and, okay, special? Shouldn't that absolute shedding of all reserves be somewhat sacred? I'd kind of like to think so. The romantic inside me insists that lovemaking be something more profound than a backseat groping, struggling, not so comfortable endeavor? I mean, backseat is fine, but the idea of shedding the "V" card just to shed it seems...stupid. Giving up a gal's virginity shouldn't be a capricoius undertaking. It shouldn't be given up to Christopher Whatzisname while buzzed on wine coolers on the back of a rusted out tailgate just so you can get it over with. Am I right? So, rock on, older virgins! Good for you for holding out for someone special. For something more profound than, "Oh, snap! The condom broke...and by the way, what's your name again?"

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Lou does lose her virginitiy...I just don't know when. I figure it isn't my business. I gave her a special guy who loves her more than himself, so it's up to her to figure the logistics out. So, no "V" card claimed in this book which is a little different. But I like different.

So what do you think about virgins in romance books? Is that so twenty years ago and thus unbelievable? Do virgins make good heroines?

Winner of BRING HIM HOME

Eli Yanti, congratulations. You won the draw for my latest release, Bring Him Home. Send me your details at: karina@karinabliss.com and it will be speeding its way to you. And a reminder that the online book chat about it starts at SmartBitches at 9pm ETA tonight. Click HERE for a direct link.
Happy reading everyone!

Karina

New-to-you authors

Let’s talk books! Ever discovered a new-to-you author and then spent several happy fangirl months wallowing in their backlist?
Maybe you avoided them because they write steampunk and you’re still confused about what that is, or thinking a NYT stalwart couldn’t possibly live up to the hype.  Maybe you decided years ago that suspense novels leave you colder than the dead bodies within their pages.
For whatever reason – and I’ve been guilty of all the above – certain authors have passed you by. So this post I’m plugging some new-to-you authors and hopefully hearing about yours.

Robyn Carr – A Harlequin superstar, her Virgin River series continues to grow in popularity with every book. I read the first one, (yep, called Virgin River) and was hooked. What I love most about Carr’s books is that her characters are grown ups. There are no plot contrivances, no forced misunderstandings. Carr heroes and heroines are good people who tell each other the truth and the conflicts keeping them apart are real and honest and consequently intensely moving. I have no idea how this master storyteller puts pace into these gentle, meandering stories but she does.

Tess Gerritson - Came in on book eight of her Rizzoli & Isles series and it didn’t matter. Her writing is lean and muscular, her characters complex. Not romance, though both women have ongoing love interests. It doesn’t matter, she’s that good.

Meljean Brooks - Steampunk…Um.  Jules Verne-ish  stories that mix fantastical machines with Regency. Sounds like work. Then I read Meljean Brook’s novella in an anthology called Burning Up which I bought for Nalini Singh.
Brooks worldbuilding and unique characters sold me on her Iron Seas series. I’ve already pre-ordered her September release, Riveted.

These are all established writers, but if you’ve uncovered a debut gem I’d love to get in on the ground floor.

Comment and go into the draw for a copy of my June release BRING HIM HOME, or if you already have it a choice from any of my backlist (except MR IMPERFECT, I’m out of those).

Note: BRING HIM HOME is this month’s Smart Bitches Trashy Books Sizzling Book Club pick. The online chat is at www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com on Wednesday June 27 at 9pm (Eastern Standard Time US). I’d love to see you there. Site owner Sarah Wendell said:  “I will warn that this book will likely make you cry and laugh. At one point I howl-laughed so hard I scared some ducks. It also made me sob, but all through the "OH SOB" was a big huge "OH WOW" for Bliss, who pulls off an amazing story.”
Read an excerpt on my site: www.karinabliss.com

THE WINNERS ARE...

Jeannie and Marcie! One will be getting a lovely slow pour draft with a shamrock etched in the head and the other will be getting an Amazon gift card, a copy of Ellen's The Long Shot and a book from Jeannie's back list.  Marcie--please contact us at jeanniewrites @ gmail .com.

The vote was close--7 Jeannies and 6 Ellens. Jeannie is thrilled because now she doesn't have to go looking for different colored beer bottles to get the glass for Ellen's mirror. That's not saying she won't be doing that in the future. Now that she's thought about this bottle glass mosaic, she really likes the idea. Ellen is thrilled because she really wanted to have a beer with Jeannie.

Thank you everyone who participated! It was lots of fun hearing from everyone.

Jeannie VS. Ellen: Part the Second

Girl Ellen was forced into dresses by her mom,
but secretly liked the corn-shaped barrettes.

Girl Jeannie styling in her horn-rim
glasses, cowboy boots and
cut-off jeans.

Please take the following quiz to determine if you are more like Superromance author Ellen Hartman or Jeannie Watt.

Why?

Because there's a prize involved.

Keep track of your answers, then follow the scoring directions at the end.

BOOKS

1) It's you, your hammock, a perfect summer day, and one hero from a classic novel. Who do you choose?
A. Rhett.
B. Heathcliff.

2) I reread favorite books:
A. All the time. If it's good, it's even better the second or twentieth time.
B. Rarely. Too many books, too little time—but I will reread favorite scenes.

3) Reading the end of the book first is:
A. WRONG. It's bad and wrong and should result in a loss of library privileges until you learn to read books properly.
B. Totally legal—especially if it’s an animal story.

NEW MOVIES  

4) The one movie I will not miss this summer:
A. Channing Tatum's stripper movie.
B. Magic Mike.
C. This is a trick question. Real fans of Channing Tatum's stripper movie know A and B are the same thing.
D. Who are these people?

OLD MOVIES 

5) My favorite old movies are:
A. 80’s teen movies
B. 40’s detective movies
C. 60’s beach movies

SPORTS MOVIES 

6) We agree that the all-time greatest sports movie ever is Slapshot, a hockey movie starring Paul Newman. So, what's the second-greatest sports movie of all time?
A. Remember the Titans. No...Miracle...No...One on One (young Robby Benson!!!!). Wait, Hoosiers is amazing and I have such a soft spot for Air Bud Golden Receiver. Ah, it doesn't matter anyway. Second place is really the first loser, so who cares what comes in next? Sports movies are awesome.
B. I can't believe someone made a list of sports movies that doesn't include Rocky.
C. The obvious answer is Major League. And number three is The Replacements.

LOOKING GOOD 

7) I have a separate dresser entirely devoted to my underthings.
A. True
B. False. And I'm laughing at you if you picked True.

8) When it comes to shoes:
A. My most exotic pair has high heels and zebra stripes.
B. My most exotic pair would be completely appropriate for an afternoon of tennis. (Playing or watching.)

9) In 1985:
A. I got my hair permed in the salon--only a pro could give me those perfect spiral curls. 
B. At the kitchen table--the smell of the solution will always remind me of my mom/sister/cousin-who-went-to-beauty-school.
C. I may have been a girl, but I was not a Material Girl. No perms for me.

WEDDINGS (AKA An Excuse to Mention the Goat)

10) My wedding memorabilia includes:
A. A snap shot of my mother and mother-in-law having coffee under the wedding goat.
B. A life-size wedding portrait. (Almost as good as having a wedding goat.)

ORGANIZATION 

11) The things I write on my calendar include:
A. Nothing. I have a calendar because my family makes a photo one, but I don't write anything on it. Live in the moment, baby!
B. My menu, my to do list, my goals, my deadlines, my appointments—and anything else I can think of.

12) I plan my outfits for the week:
A. Never. How would I know what I want to wear on Wednesday until it's...you know...Wednesday.
B. Sometimes, but I reserve the right to change my mind.
C. Always. It saves me time in the morning.

13) The one organizational tool (calendar, phone, receipt folder, notebook, etc.) I can't live without is:
A. Nothing. Organization stresses me out. I don't even have a watch. If it's important, I write it on my hand. If it's really important, I use a Sharpie.
B. All of the above. Organization makes it easier to procrastinate well while still making deadline.

COOKING AND OTHER NECESSARY EVILS 

14) Neither of us is the primary cook in our household, however….
A. When I do cook, I get deeply into it and love to try new things.
B. When I do cook, I put lots of raw food in pretty bowls and call it a buffet. Or else I make grilled cheese.

15) If I had to choose a household chore as a favorite, it would be:
A. Polishing the silver. 
B. Laundry. I love the chemistry involved and the satisfaction of successful stain removal.

STRESS 

16) When I’m stressed while writing or working, I:
A. Drink lots of coffee or tea and become wildly distracted by…well…everything.
B. Eat M&Ms and watch the Magic Mike trailer on repeat.

WINNING 

17) When people purchase beer for me as a prize after winning Internet bets, I prefer my beer
A. As a slow pour with a shamrock drawn in the creamy head.
B. In a bottle. 
C. In one of those big, red plastic cups.
D. I don’t really care, as long as I’m sitting with my friends when the payment is made.

SCORING

Each answer selection is followed by a J or an E. If you have more J’s, you’re more like Jeannie. If you have more E’s, you’re more like Ellen.

1. (a) J (b) E;  2. (a) J and E (b) no points  ;  3. (a) E (b) J;  4. (a) E (b) E (c) E (d) J;  5. (a) E (b) J (C) no points;  6. (a) E (b) E (c) J;  7. (a) J (b) E;  8 (a) J (b) E;   9. (a) E (b) no points (c) J;  10. (a) J (b) E;  11. (a) E (b) J; 12. (a) E (b) J (c) no points;  13. (a) E (b) J; 14. (a) J (b) E;  15. (a) E (b) J;  16: (a) J (b) E;  17: (a) J (b) E (c) no points (d) j and e

ANALYSIS

If you're an Ellen, you like your classic heroes broody and untamed, but your personal reading habits tend toward the orderly and well-loved. You not only know who Channing Tatum is, you've seen Step Up and the 21 Jump Street movie. When it comes to sports movies, you like your angst followed by triumph. You won't win any style awards based on the contents of your closet, but even Martha Stewart would approve the interior of your silver chest. Planning ahead gives you hives and you've been late for your share of RSVP's, but you can be flexible and like to rise to the occasion. Cooking will never be high on your list of fun times, but you have your staples and no one goes hungry (although they might go for takeout when your back is turned). Your favorite household chores are the ones with a stunning Before and After contrast--dusting just doesn't have the same rewards. Your favorite times are spent with good friends--beer's not necessary, but if they're serving it, you like yours cold. 

If you’re a Jeannie, you like your heroes with a touch of wry cynicism that hides a caring heart.  You wonder who Channing Tatum is and you’ve watched and loved the original 21 Jump Street. You like your sports movies raunchy, but have nothing against angst preceding triumph. You enjoy dressing up and your closet is organized—not because you’re OCD, but because you need to remember what all you have in there.  You also enjoy not dressing up—old sweats are your friend, but you don’t wear them to the grocery store...usually. You have a lucky shirt/socks.  You enjoy cooking, but you also love it when you can get someone to cook for you--no need to hog all the fun. Your favorite household chores are those that involve organization—like, say, laundry. Plotting, planning and scheduling make you very happy—as does a closet full of shoes. And yes, you may have a dresser dedicated only to your underthings--but it's probably a very small dresser, right? Your favorite times are also spent with good friends—who may well be buying the cold beer.

SHARING 

Please share in the comment section whether you are a Jeannie or an Ellen. We have a prize riding on the outcome. When Ellen wins, Jeannie will make her a glass mosaic mirror. In the very, very outside chance that Jeannie wins, Ellen will stop lying about who won the first time. And you, my  friends, have a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card and a copy of Ellen's book, The Long Shot and a copy of a book from Jeannie's back list--print or digital. We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi there! Pamela Hearon, one of the newbies on the Super Authors’ roster here. My debut SuperRomance Out of the Depths will be an August release, so you know I’m a writer. But I have another passion, and since we’re going to get to know each other well, I might as well let you in now on my dirty little pastime. It all started twenty years ago when my husband and I decided to put in a swimming pool. Now, a large section of our back yard is flat, but DH wasn’t willing to give up the nice flat area to a pool. Instead, he insisted the pool could be built on the back part that slopes down to a creek. (Yeah, I know. But have you ever tried to tell a man anything?) The area was a jungle of trees and undergrowth, so first we had to have it cleared. Then the pool company came and shot the slope. The pool builder shook his head and pointed to the flat area. “That’s where the pool needs to go,” he said. “But I want it here,” DH said. (repeat this dialogue three times.) Pool man walked off, got in his truck, and left, never to return. So, I had this nice, cleared section that would require sowing grass followed by a lifetime of mowing. Instead, I came up with the idea to put in a garden. No one in my family ever raised flowers. I had a great-grandmother who had a vegetable garden complete with bugs and snakes and pole beans that towered over my head as a child. I was terrified of that place. But the idea of a lovely flower garden caught my fancy. DH wasn’t keen on the idea, but that’s another post. And so it began. I laid out plans for beds and designed them using black garden hose. I dug trenches and fought with rolls of black edging. I tilled the soil using the same tiller Adam had in the Garden of Eden (that’s also another post). I bought seeds and plants. Fertilized. Watered. Learned the use of Round-Up. Years passed. We added a bench. An arbor. A gazebo. Lights and statues. Concrete paths. And now, these years later, the perennial flowers have become more to me than plants. They are friends who come to visit every spring and stay for months. I start watching for them in March, and my heart thrills to see who returns and frets at who was lost over the winter. It’s a lot of work and consumes a great deal of time, but I never begrudge that time because my garden is where I’m happiest. While I’m working that soil with my hands, my mind is plotting stories, fixing scenes, developing characters. And when the work is done, the laptop goes with me to the gazebo and the ideas get written down. Who could have known this hobby would get a grip on my heart like nothing else I’ve ever known (except writing, of course)? I look at this plot of land, and I feel wonder and awe at God’s handiwork. It brings me serenity, yet at the same time, sparks a continual passion. So do you have a dirty little secret? A passion that has a grip on you? C’mon, you can share. We’re among friends here.

7 Writing Reminders

In my home office, I have large sheet of paper scrawled with vital writing wisdom I’ve acquired over the years. Whenever I’m working on a scene and get stuck, I look at this list to see if these points need to be applied in order to make the scene work.

There are many ways in which these tools are used, and they draw from each other to help build and deepen stories and drive character development. Don’t take my definitions as the gospel truth—these are my oversimplified versions of these writing reminders. Each one could be a blog post on its own.

I hope they come in handy to you as readers and writers.

1. Raise the stakes.

What do the characters stand to gain/lose if x happens? Why is it so important to them? I try at every step to keep the characters’ goals in mind, so that if they give up or lose, they stand to lose everything that is important to them. An example would be the police detective who finds out that the murder she’s investigating is part of a global human trafficking and child prostitution ring…and now, the kingpin has kidnapped her son. Here are some good posts about raising the stakes: 

http://literaryagentny.com/write-a-novel-that-sells-raise-the-stakes/ http://gemstatewriters.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/raising-the-stakes/

2. Avoid coincidence, clichés and predictability: SURPRISE US.

Not only do I try to avoid clichéd writing, I also need to keep a vigilant eye out for deus ex machina, moments when key things occur coincidentally in order for the plot to progress, and anything that might seem a little too convenient. For example, characters repeatedly popping up in scenes and accidentally overhearing major plot points, magical solutions that appear exactly when they’re needed, and so forth. Whenever I catch myself doing this, I ask myself, how can I turn things upside down so that nothing comes easy? How can I surprise the reader and make things happen through conscious character action rather than coincidence?

3. Resist the Urge to Explain.

I learned this from my editor, Victoria Curran, during my first round of edits on my debut book, Her Son’s Hero. The readers can draw many of their own conclusions about a character’s past, their current dilemmas, etc. without needing to be told. This rule is also a reminder that I don’t need to write out every single detail so the reader can see what I’m seeing. Not every sentence needs a qualifier, not every question needs to be answered with a drawn-out explanation. I talk about RUE in greaterdetail on my blog: http://vickiessex.com/?p=43 and also here: http://vickiessex.com/?p=680

4. MAKE IT WORSE.

I learned this from literary agent and author Donald Maass at one of his fabulous workshops. Making your characters truly suffer and figuring out how to dig them out of their hole is much more gratifying for the reader than making things easy for the protagonist. In every scene, I try to make circumstances worse, stakes higher, conflicts tougher. One of the best examples I’ve seen is in the movie Children of Men, where the protagonist, played by Clive Owen, spends much of the movie running from danger through some truly horrible settings…and he’s not wearing shoes.

5. Conflict: 2 dogs, 1 bone.

The essence of conflict as described in Debra Dixon’s G M C: Goal, Motivation & Conflict (and credited to Dwight Swain) is that two parties are fighting, and one will lose. Whenever I have conflict, I try to ensure that the stakes are such that even the smallest battles add up to losses on both sides.

6. Give it urgency—put a timer on it.

Giving a scene or scenario a deadline ensures characters don’t drag out their actions. They need to make choices and they need the pressure on them to do so. Timers add conflict and tension, and can inspire your protagonists to make poorly thought-out choices, which lead to consequences that make things worse. An example is the spy who finds the time bomb and must cut one of three wires to defuse the bomb. In his nervousness, the first wire he cuts speeds up the timer.

7. When a character gets what they most want, make it the WORST thing to possibly have.

When I think of the hero’s and heroine’s goals, I think about the romantic conflict and how that goal will be the most detrimental thing to the romantic relationship between the characters. As Victoria Curran told me, “To love is to lose.” For instance, if the hero land developer really wants the heroine’s family farm and manages to get the bank to foreclose on her mortgage, he’s got what he wants, but he’s ruined her life and any chance at them being together. You can read more about romantic conflict on my blog post about romantic conflict: http://vickiessex.com/?p=42

Writers: what writing tips do you keep top of mind?

Readers: have you noticed any of these tools used in your favorite books, shows or movies? Comment below!

Broken Pots May Not Mend But Herbs Do

The Herb Garden--Smashed to Bits

 Since I was on the road promoting NAVY RULES  when I wrote my last post I was unable to upload the photos of my herbal catastrophe. It's great to be able to share them with you today. As you can see, the Italian pot was indeed very pretty. But even a crushing blow from a rogue breeze couldn't daunt my herbs. I immediately conducted a gardener's first aid--I separated the large clump of herbs into two, and re-potted. This time into Polish pots that yes, I bought in Poland when on a crazy road trip from Belgium with two other military spouses. That's another blog!
Since I've transplanted the herbs (and cleaned up the dirt) they are thriving. I've made 2 batches of mint iced tea so far. Sweetened with stevia, of course, to keep it sugar-free.
I'm thinking that perhaps the herbs are doing better than they would have in that one pot. It was sad to lose it, but now I have the most productive herb gardens.
It's like that with love, too, in my estimation. Sometimes we just need a new setting or new goal to keep those embers glowing and to allow for some fresh air to bring about new flames. My editor would probably roll her eyes at this blatant cliche, but I think it's true. What do you think?

After Surgical Interventions

Winner!

The winner of the $10 amazon.com gift certificate for 

the FutureMe post is: Jackie S.


please email me:  rogenna@aol.com

Winning Commenter from Lily Pad or Den!!!

Well, this is interesting. The randomizer chose an anonymous commenter without a name attached. That said, I'm about 95% sure I know who this is. So I'm throwing this out. Alicia, if that's you, Yipppeee!! You can respond here or send me an email.

If I'm wrong, if anonymous would email their name and address to me at mary@marybrady.net, that would be great and Yippee!! for you also.

Thanks to every one who picked a place to sleep!!

Mary Brady

FutureMe

Think back to your twenties...

If you can remember back that far.  Or maybe you don't have to go as far back as I do because you're in your twenties thinking, OMG--what's she talking about--thirty, forty, fifty so over the hill.  I never want to be that old--ew.  

In truth, tomorrow is just around the corner.

But no matter your age I bet you can remember a time when someone, your parents for example, gave you good advice that you simply didn't follow. 

Or maybe you reached the ripe old age of forty--ha, ha--wishing, "If only I had that twenty year old body to go with this forty-year-old brain.  I'd show 'em!"

Come on I can't be the only one thinking that :)  

My point being hindsight is 20/20, right?  You probably know exactly what you'd say to your past self if given half a chance.  

"Lay off the carbs."  

"Use sunblock."  

"Floss." 

But what would you say to your future self?  

FutureMe.org allows you to send yourself emails into the future--tomorrow or fifty plus years from now--it's up to you.  Will we even have email fifty years from now?  Something you might ask yourself if you're curious.

I first heard about FutureMe in the book Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff.  Which I discovered through an online workshop presented by Superromance author Kara Lennox.  Yes, You Can Quit Your Day Job.  

I'd love nothing better than to quit my day job to write full time.  Everyday I go into work and bite back the words, "I quit!"  Instead of giving in to that impulse I sent myself an email into the not too distant future.

I know what I want.  I have a plan.  What I needed was validation--a date.

Maybe you're going through a tough time.  Knowing this too shall pass, you send yourself a little pep talk.  You schedule that email for a year from now and then go about the business of forgetting all about it.  But then the email arrives on a day when you really need it.  Serendipity!

Could be things are great.  You want to tell yourself all about this person you just met.  The sale of your first Superromance--which believe me is a really big deal when it happens.  Whatever it is you send your time capsule ten years into the future.  And when you open that email, well...

Who knows?  

That's the brilliance of it.  One of the fun things about the site is reading all the anonymous emails.  What's it like to be an eighteen-year-old going off to Iraq for the first time?  God, I hope he made it back.  And that's just one of the many emails I read that left me vested in someone else's future.    

You can choose to keep your future emails private or make them public--while remaining anonymous--of course. 

Nobody knows you better than you.  What is it you want to tell yourself?  I'm giving away a $10 amazon gift card to one lucky commenter (drawn at random) so that you can be assured books are in your future :)

The following is the letter I sent to myself...   

Dear FutureMe,

Today is the day you get to give two weeks notice at your day job in order to write full time.  I'm proud of you for sticking to your plan.  You worked hard these past six months.  It wasn't easy, I know.  But look at all you've accomplished... 

~ You've paid off your eye surgery bills and two other bills hanging over your head. 

~ You've paid a year ahead on your car insurance and memberships.

~ You're current on your mortgage.

~ You've turned in that next super romance proposal, in fact you finished the book.  I hope they bought it.  I hope they keep the title <g>.  

~ You've published your first indy romance.  How many is that now, six?  And launched an erotica career under a pseudonym--shh.

How's your social media platform looking?  

Your social life, if you still have one?  Family life?

Thank God you're on your husband's health insurance plan.  You are still married, right?  Remember to thank him properly (see erotica pseudonym above) without his support none of this would be possible. 

Did you manage to save 20% from those last 13 paychecks?  Did you make any money from book sales?  Cashing in your 401K is a LAST RESORT.  If you've reached your savings target you should roll it over into an IRA.  

No running down the hall to deliver that resignation.  You can skip if you'd like.  Go, be happy.  Write!

PastMe

Lily Pad or Den

by Mary Brady

Do you sleep in a den or on a lily pad?

Since this blog is from and by SuperRomance authors (and editors), I thought we should discuss the something we've never discussed. The bedroom! Our blog labels go from "BEA12" and "beauty pageant" to "beefcake" and "beets". I do apologize for the beets. Now I'm going to apologize again. I am sorry, but I have to keep it G-rated. So we're not going to discuss what
goes on in the bedroom, but the room itself.

(Note: None of these is the bedroom of my friend or myself--though all of them have considerable merit.)

A friend of mine built a new house with a lily pad for a bedroom. That is to say, it's as bright as a lily pad in the middle of a pond on a sunny day. It has light carpeting, walls and bedding, and an entire wall of luscious windows. In the day it's so bright and beautiful. A lily pad.

I have a bedroom that is dark and den-like. The floor is dark, the bedding is dark, the drapes and wall hangings are dark. At night it feels, well, so dark and cozy, so safe and snug. A den.

The interesting thing is we like it that way. My friend loves her lily pad and I love my den and neither of us would change to the other.

So here is the challenge for the day. Look at all these wonderful bedrooms. Don't look for yours, but use your wishing hat and look at them again.

Now, pick a bedroom.
To make it easy peasy imagine:

--if you had to chose one of these 4,

--if it was being given to you for free,

--if no one at all would pick on you about it--ever--in fact they would compliment you on it.

Which of these would you chose?

Or simply, is yours a lily pad or a den?

To a commenter, I'll give a choice of one of my books or a set of TossOn™ bracelets.

Thank you so much for playing and I like your choice already!

Romance is for the birds

My apologies for the late post this morning. I'm having trouble with my Internet connection. I've been trying to download a pretty shot of lovebirds, but am giving up. So frustrating ;-( I'm hoping this will go through.

Mary Sullivan

A short while ago, I cleaned up my balcony and got it ready to plant tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers. Before long, it looked great and I had plants and tiny seedlings ready to grow. But then, I noticed something strange happening...

Whenever I played music, and had my windows open, I would hear pigeons come to my balcony and 'dance' about. Two males would puff up and dance for a lone female. Their mating rituals were interesting to watch, and not unlike some human behaviours. The males strutted about endlessly, struggling to put their heads over each others' necks to prove their superiority for the female. Sometimes she seemed interested, but a lot of the time seemed to just wander the balcony.

A while later, I noted that my pots were being dug up. My seedlings died, as well as my Morning Glory, and the tomato and pepper plants barely held on but managed to survive, probably because I'd bought large plants. I wondered who or what was digging and what they were looking for.

Every morning when I went out to water my plants, and grind my teeth over my dying 'garden,' I would scare off a couple of pigeons. They would fly off to another roof and sit and watch and wait until I returned inside. Later, I would hear their cooing and purring on the balcony.

I love birds but tend to think of pigeons as pests.

I found a lovely surprise on the weekend. I was watering the surviving plants after the pigeons had flown off--I will manage to harvest at least some tomatoes and peppers, but sadly no herbs--and a suspicion made me check out a couple of pots that I'd left empty and had pushed back against the wall. There in one of them lay two pearly, rosy, perfect eggs.

I finished watering and tiptoed back inside, filled with wonder. The following morning, I eased the door open carefully and found only the female there sitting on her eggs. The pot is only half-full of soil, so her head barely peeks over the rim. I managed to water most of the plants before the female flew away, all while I spoke to her softly--my new little friend.

I know I shouldn't encourage pigeons on my balcony, but this little lady is here for the duration. It was a dreadfully hot day yesterday so I put out a small cup of water, along with a tiny bowl of cornmeal. I noticed later that it had been disturbed, so I assume she is eating it.

I can't wait for the chicks to break open their shells. In the city, I often feel cut off from the wonder that is nature and to have this happening on my balcony is a real thrill. I know that by the time these little creatures fly off, the balcony will be a mess with feathers and bird droppings but I can't bring myself to scare the mother away from her eggs. It would be too heart-breaking.

I feel an almost childish excitement about what is happening right outside my window. Have you had any up-close and personal experiences with nature that left you full of wonderment and fascination? Does anyone have any idea what they might have been digging for? I know there are no worms in my plants. How long will I have to wait for the eggs to hatch?

Unraveling the Past Winner

The winner of a copy of Unraveling the Past is Eli! Congratulations! Please send your snail mail info to me at: beth@bethandrews.net and I'll get your book sent out right away. Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my Summertime Fun Blog :-)

My Herbs Jumped

In the interest of keeping on with my gardening theme, I must tell you about my herbs. I started out this winter with seeds for oregano and basil. The basil sprouted. It grew, a bit. By April I caved and bought a planter of assorted herbs from the garden center. Herbs like to be crowded in their container, so with delight I watched the mint start to vine and thyme lengthen. The herbs did so well and I'm so happy that we're finally settled in one place that I realized this was the time to put the herbs into perhaps my favorite planter. I bought the lime green and azure blue ceramic pot in Vietri Sul Mare, on the Amalfi coast, when we were stationed in Italy. Sounds so glamourous but at the time it was the equivalent of taking a forty-five minute drive to K-Mart or IKEA. Except it was to the rugged Italian coastline where shop after shop of hand-painted ceramics delighted any eye, but especially my artist's eye. Surely the weight of the planter with all the new, organic, hand-packed dirt and herbs was enough to keep it on our patio table. Well out of reach of the nefarious activities of George, my local groundhog (or Molly the mole or Randy the rabbit). Until... A huge gust of wind not unlike a mini-cyclone swept across the plain of our yard (.20 acres) and SMASH the herbs fell to a fate worse than any barrel-rider at Niagara Falls. My husband, the master-gluer-of-all-things remarked "I looked at that pot, Geri, and there's no way I can glue it. It's done." My primary concern was the herbs. I frantically searched for something, anything to put them in so their roots wouldn't be exposed to the storm and I wouldn't lose my dream of mint iced tea this summer. All I could find were two smaller pots, also treasures from Europe. I'd bought them in Poland. Yes, my name is Geri and I am a ceramic addict. Surgery was imperative. I had to divide the herb family into two and tuck them away into their new homes. I've been away on business this week and while my mind has been occupied with all that is the writing business, I hear my mind whispering "will the herbs still be there when I get home?" Stay tuned.

SNIPPET TIME!

By Jeannie Watt and Ellen Hartman


It's Snippet Time! I'd like to thank my buddy Ellen for coming up with this great idea while we were hashing out the details of our next showdown--which happens to be on June 21st. I'm going to start by posting a snippet from my December 2012 book Crossing Nevada. Please feel free to post snippets of your own, either from your own writing or from a book you particularly enjoy.

Here's mine: 

[Background:Tess O’Neil had a successful modeling career until her face was slashed by a vengeful relative who promised to keep taking pieces off her until he gets the money he thinks she has. Now she’s hiding out in a remote Nevada community, afraid of being recognized and trying to avoid her overly friendly neighbors who keep showing up with casseroles and trying to get her to join quilt club.  Widower Zach Nolan lives with his three daughters on a ranch across the road from reclusive Tess, whose barn was struck by lightning the night before and burned it to the ground.] 

Tess‘s eyes flashed open as the dogs started barking. A split second later someone else pounded on her door. It had to be another fireman, but that didn‘t keep her heart from knocking against her ribs as she went into the living room and looked out the window to see Zach Nolan standing on her porch.

Feeling relieved that it was at least someone she was vaguely familiar with and that he wasn‘t carrying food, Tess opened the door a few inches.

“I have to check the remains of the fire and I wanted to let you know.” He sounded utterly ticked.

“Thank you,” Tess said. What else could she say?

He didn‘t respond. Didn‘t move, didn‘t do anything except stare her down with cold blue eyes. Tess shifted uncomfortably and was about to close the door in his face again when he said, “What‘s wrong with you?”

“Pardon me?” she asked, startled. Was he asking about her face? Which she thought she was keeping out of sight.

“I said, what‘s wrong with you?” He planted a hand against the wall and leaned closer to the open crack between the door and the jamb, so close that she could feel the warmth of his body. Or was it her imagination? “Have you always been like this?”

“Like what?” Scarred?

“Like what?” he asked on a disbelieving note. “Like being a person who slams doors in people‘s faces, chases away grandmothers with food and scares little girls.”

Tess pulled back at the unexpected attack. “I just want to be left alone.”

“That shouldn‘t be a problem, lady.” He pushed off from the door frame and started down the porch steps, reaching the sidewalk before he muttered a few words she probably wasn‘t meant to hear.

Well, she had heard—or at least she thought she’d heard. Regardless of the words, there was no mistaking the tone. Tess stepped out onto the porch, no longer caring about hiding her injury from him. She‘d had been through hell last night. No, make that more hell. Who was he to judge?

“I don‘t see how my interactions with other people in this community is any business of yours.”

Zach came to a dead stop, and then he turned toward her. “Oh, it‘s my business.”

His certainty perplexed her. “How so?” she demanded. “Because I won‘t let your ruddy cows onto my land?”

“No. Because that little girl you scared off your property two days ago happens to be my youngest daughter.”

That's it. Now please, snippet away!  

A Typical Day in the Life of a Romance Writer ...

I often get asked what the typical day of a romance writer looks like.  I always laugh when that happens  because, really, there’s not much about my life that’s typical—and by that, I mean, I rarely have a day that is the same as any other.  Part of this(okay most of this) comes from the fact that I’m raising three rambunctious boys who make it their life’s work to ensure that I am absolutely crazy for huge chunks of the day. And that’s when it isn’t summer ;) And the rest of this comes from the fact that I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew.   I’m almost always scrambling to meet a deadline or publicize a book or remember to do prize mailings or brainstorm a new series or get to the grocery store or … You get the point.  So, with no further ado, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into what a typical, or not so typical day, in the life of a romance writer is like …  This was yesterday, June 5^th, the day my new young adult novel, Tempest Unleashed, came out.

12: 15 a.m.—Crawl into bed and toss and turn until I fall asleep (I’m always excited the night before a new book of mine comes out)

3:15 a.m.—Wake up and decide I’m not going to fall back asleep.  Get up and play 3 games of internet checkers.

3:45 a.m.—Update blog, facebook, twitter accounts with release information

4:15 a.m.—Work on lesson for on-line class for gothic villain-heroes

5:00 a.m.—Write, write, write as fast as I can on current WIP

7:00 a.m.—Youngest kidlet wakes up.  Run and climb into bed with him so that he can sleep an extra hour and maybe I can sleep an hour too.

7:45 a.m. – Give up trying to get youngest kidlet to sleep and get up.  Play with him and his brother, my middle kidlet.

9:00 a.m.—Write, write, write as fast as I can on current WIP.  Referee fight between kidlet #2 and kidlet #3

10:30 a.m. – Remember to feed children breakfast (I love summer vacationand wake up oldest kidlet who is still snoring because he is a teenager and this is what he does.

11:00 a.m.—Go for walk with youngest kidlets.  Live in Texas. So hot.  Melting.  Return to air conditioning

11:45 a.m.—Write, write, write as fast as I can on current WIP

1:00 p.m.—Take shower. Get dressed. Try out new lipstick. 

1:45 p.m.—Errands.  Return books to Library.  Go to Barnes and Noble, sign stock and buy three books.  Meet nice teenage girl and talk about books for a while.  Go to Post Office.  Pick up groceries as kidlets are eating me out of house and home this summer. 

3:15 p.m.--  Return home.  Make lunch for my starving children plus two others.  Referee three different fights.

3:45 p.m.—Get my butt kicked at Wii bowling and Super Mario Bros.

4:15 p.m.—Check in with Facebook, Twitter, Blog, online class .  I love my fans—they rock!

4:30 p.m. – Write, write, write as fast as I can on my WIP

 6:00 p.m.—Take kidlets swimming.  Much fun and chaos ensues

8:00 p.m.—Return home, shower, and feed kidlets.  Talk to hubby on phone (business trip)

9:00 p.m.—Check in on online class, facebook, twitter, email, etc. 

9:15 p.m. – Get youngest kidlet to sleep

9:30 p.m.—Write blog posts

10:15 p.m.-12:15 a.m.—Watch movie with Kidlet #1 and Kidlet #2.  Kidlet #2 falls asleep in the middle and then Kidlet #1 changes the movie to something that will terrorize me.

12:40 a.m.— Go to bed and try not to think about terrifying movie Kidlet #1 just made me watch.

3:50 a.m.—Wake up and write, write, write on WIP—and this blogpost.

So, that’s a  typical day in the life of this romance writer.  And at least no one ended up at the doctor’s or in the ER (a blessing when you have three boys).  How about you?  Tell me something typical about your day and be entered to win a summer prize pack that includes my two Superromances from this year:  From the Beginning and Healing Dr. Alexander, plus my newest YA book, Tempest Unleashed.  Have a great Wednesday J

Summertime Fun

Tomorrow morning I'm flying into NYC for BookExpo America. I'm only spending one night in the Big Apple but I'm really excited to be a part of BEA and back in NY. Best of all, I'll be seeing one of my dearest friends.

This trip also kicks off my summer traveling which will include several shorter trips to Buffalo, NY, a couple of day trips up to Erie to hit the beach at Presque Isle, two slightly longer jaunts to Pittsburgh for some shopping, a Pirates game, a tour of the Console Energy Center, a visit to the Pittsburgh Zoo and hopefully the Carnegie Museum of Art. There is also the possibility of several college visits with my older daughter in the Philly and/or DC area. Then in July, I'll be heading out to Anaheim for Romance Writer's of America's national conference.

We also have plans to hit the Drive-In movie theater at least twice, spend a week with my son's girlfriend when she comes up to visit and redecorate my younger daughter's room.

Oh, and in mid-August, the first book of my new series is due :-)

So it's looking to be a wildly fun and super busy summer at my house! I can't wait *g*

What are your plans for this summer? Are you doing any traveling? One commenter will win a copy of UNRAVELING THE PAST, the first book of The Truth about the Sullivans trilogy.

June2012

Unraveling the Past
by Beth Andrews
Harlequin Superromance
Jun 2012
ISBN: 9780373717828 (#1782)

How do you work for a guy who took the job you wanted? Every time Captain Layne Sullivan runs into Chief Ross Taylor, she struggles with that issue. It doesn't help that he's a by-the-book cop who expects everything done his way. It also doesn't help that he's hot. Ignoring that little fact is impossible—she's tried!

Then Layne's world is turned upside down when human remains are discovered…and the case has a personal connection. Suddenly she's glad Ross is so thorough, because he'll get to the truth. And his search brings them closer, fueling the attraction that's out of control. As secrets and lies from the past surface, Layne's biggest challenge is fighting for a future—with Ross in it.

Unexpected Family
by Molly O'Keefe

Harlequin Superromance
Jun 2012
ISBN: 9780373717835 (#1783)

Jeremiah Stone: rodeo superstar. Good-time guy. Father of three? That's one pair of boots Jeremiah never expected to fill. Then his three nephews are orphaned, and his entire life changes. Not only is he now playing parent, he's also running the family ranch. It's almost too much for this cowboy.

Until he encounters Lucy Alatore.

He recognizes that look in her eye and knows a steamy fling could make him feel more like himself. But the intense heat between him and Lucy is distracting him from three little boys who need his undivided attention. He's forced to choose one over the other…unless he can convince Lucy this family isn't complete without her!

Bring Him Home
by Karina Bliss

Harlequin Superromance
Jun 2012
ISBN: 9780373717842 (#1784)

Claire Langford is ready to move on. She's grieved for her late husband, and now it's time she made a different life for herself and her kid. She's got a new business in the works that should accomplish that. Before the plan gets off the ground, however, she needs Nate Wyatt's help. First she has to track the man down, then drag him to New Zealand.

Too bad Nate is complicated times ten. Given how difficult it was to persuade him to make the trip, she's not prepared for his kindness, his support…his captivating attention. And she's definitely not prepared to fall for him! But it just might be too late to stop that from happening….

The Only Man for Her
by Kristi Gold

Harlequin Superromance
Jun 2012
ISBN: 9780373717859 (#1785)

From the moment they meet, Matt Boyd knows Rachel Wainwright is The One. Doesn't matter that he's from the wrong side of town or that her family has bigger plans for her. They belong together—and they defy the odds to be with each other. Contrary to what everyone says, they will make it.

But when an unexpected tragedy drives a wedge between them, everything they share seems in jeopardy. Matt knows Rachel deserves the truth about what happened. Yet that truth could turn her away from him…forever. Before it's too late, he needs to remind her that this relationship is worth fighting for.

Navy Rules
by Geri Krotow

Harlequin Superromance
Jun 2012
ISBN: 9780373717866 (#1786)

Wounded during a military rescue, Commander Max Ford returns to a naval base on Whidbey Island to recover. And part of his treatment involves working with a therapy dog. Max is surprised to learn that the dog's owner is Winnie Armstrong, widow of his closest friend. She and Max were close in those months following her husband's death. But they drifted apart, until that one night two years ago. The night friendship turned to passion…

Now he's even more shocked to learn that Winnie has been keeping a secret from him. A baby girl. His daughter. It's even more important he heal so he can be a part of his child's life—and Winnie's. Because all the attraction that pulled them together that one night is still there…only stronger.

A Life Rebuilt
by Jean Brashear

Harlequin Superromance
Jun 2012
ISBN: 9780373717873 (#1787)

Special Forces veteran Roman Gallardo is a ghost. With the nightmares of his past weighing him down, the best thing he can do is keep to himself. So when a heroic act forces him out of solitude, he's not expecting a connection to a woman as vibrant and alive as Jenna MacAllister. Or as determined to help other people, no matter how hopeless, no matter the cost to herself.

He can't explain it, but he's drawn to Jenna and the rebuilding project she's started. And the more he works with her, the more he wants to leave his past behind and act on the intense attraction between them. The temptation is so strong, this could be his second chance at life…at love.

Popping in to introduce myself...Rachel Brimble

Good morning!

As I signed my first ever contract with Harlequin Superromance a few weeks ago, I thought it was about time I introduced myself. I am absolutely thrilled beyond words to be a part of this amazing family of authors! The welcome I have received both on the Harlequin thread and the Yahoo group has been so warm, I feel as though I have been here forever.

I have been writing seriously since my youngest daughter started school full-time in 2005. My first book was published by a small press in 2007 and I am proud to say my career carried along that path with a book or more a year ever since. Of course, nothing has compared to receiving an email from my agent to say Superromance would like to publish my next romantic suspense.

I am a Brit living in South West England and lucky enough to write full-time around my two young daughters, husband and mad black Labrador.  When I’m not writing, I like to read (of course!), knit, walk the glorious English countryside and wander around the historical streets and shops of Bath (just twenty minutes drive from where I live) and generally socialize with family and friends.

So, a bit about my new book…

Unfortunately, I am still waiting on confirmation of a title and release date but I am hoping for early 2013. The story is set in a fictional UK seaside town called Templeton Cove and is about a trio of estranged childhood friends. When one of them is found murdered, the surviving two join forces to find the killer…and each other.

I am so looking forward to getting to know you all and pray that I have a lovely long and happy career here at Harlequin!