Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?? What's stopping you?

There are very few blogs I read, mainly because it's another excuse to procrastinate, but Murder She Writes is one of them. The link is for a post written by guest blogger and reviewer Andrea Sisco, author of A Deadly Habit : A Penelope Santucci Mystery. In her post Andrea writes:

"What if I’m an utter failure? Or, what if I’m a success and then people actually expect something from me and expect that something (a book) every
year?"

This my friends is what we call a Fear of suscess/fear of failure.

After the life I've lived, not much scares me anymore, but that above is it in a nutshell. What if my work becomes a big hit? What if my work tanks and the reviews are so scathing I'll have to change my name and have plastic surgery? (okay, the plastic surgery could be a good thing)

I've written two books and a novella in the last six years, only the latter of which has sold (the novels are still on slush piles so to speak). For nearly four years I've been working on my third novel, House of Cards. Why is it taking me so long to write this book? Again...fear!

Way back when, my former agent read the first hundred pages and said, "Finish this! It's going to be your breakout novel!" (great....no pressure there) Immediately my subconscious kicked in said what if she's right? Now you're going to have to make the follow-up even better. You can't do it!

Needless to say I let that fear stop me and the book hit an iron wall covered in six inches of concrete. Yep, I wrote 1/3 of the book and it stopped. Dead in it's tracks.

I told myself to just give up on the book that it ain't gonna happen (especially after my agent dumped me---so much for believing in me). But, try as I might, I can't give up on the book. Every time I do, new scenes pop into my head, which tells me the story wants to be told. But, am I the best person to tell it? (insecure much?)

Doubt comes second nature to a writer, we all feel it no matter how many books we publish.

I posed this question, the one about Am I the best person to tell the story--not the insecure question-- to another writer Robert Gregory Browne and his answer was "why not?" Okay, his answer was more detailed than that but I forget what it was.

The point he wanted to drive home (with a hammer no less cuz I'm a bit thick in the head) is, unless you're writing a non-fiction book, you don't need to be an expert in the subject you're writing...especially if you're writing about murder...that would be bad. hah Anyway, research is key in writing fiction and as long as you can Google or have a library card, you're going to find what you need to give your book the realism you're hoping for and give the reader that suspension of disbelief.

Is there a key to overcoming the doubts and fears that have you afraid to sit butt in chair and type? Not likely, but commiserating with other writers--either online or face to face helps at least quell some of the doubt so you can continue to write that breakout novel.

I'll let you know how that works out.

So, tell me, have you let fear stop you from reaching your goals/dreams?

And, for another great writer's blog, check out Murderati.

The Day the Music Died/ RIP Michael Jackson

I was visiting with my in-laws when my cousin Michelle sent me a text asking if I'd heard Michael Jackson died. I thought maybe it was a lame joke or something so I quickly turned the TV station to Headline News and sure enough....

Aside from losing an important part of our history, it's like losing a piece of your childhood. So many grew up with Michael and the Jackson Five. Even today children are singing his songs and imitating his dance moves. The world is mourning his loss.

Now, normally I wouldn't blog on my feelings about this because dying is a part of life, even the sudden, unexplainable deaths. What I'm blogging about is the callous reaction to Michael's death by certain people. They didn't care. Wait, that's being kind...they didn't just not care that he died, they celebrated it. One women in a forum I frequent said the reaction by a group of teenagers at her home actually laughed at the news. My sister-in-law's stepson smiled and pumped the air like it was a victory for the world. It not only pissed me off, it saddened me. Of course I let the kid know it was an inappropriate reaction....the man was an indelible part of history and regardless of what you think he did or became, no one will ever touch him as an artist and performer and he deserved the respect he once had.

The world has lost a lot with his death. He is a true Icon and will be missed.

Life without Limits

It's summertime and you know what that means? Lazy days of sitting by the pool or at the beach (or in my case the baseball field) working to even out the tan and catch up on reading.

I started my new TBR list last weekend with a trip to Borders. I ordered two books (because they were no longer in stock) and picked up four more. My family and I are going on vacation in June (16th) and we have a seven hour flight--two hours are a layover so I'm going to need some books to help pass the time. I'll likely bring all four books with me, if I haven't read them already by then. Of course I added to my list last night when I went to see Lee Child at the Scottsdale library. In case you don't know, I met Lee four years ago in Houston when he was doing a joint tour with an online friend of mine Cornelia Read...I went to the signing to support her because it was her debut novel. I got the book for my aunt for her birthday (she was supposed to pass me the book and never did...grr). Anyway, I'd never read any of Lee's books and only knew of him through another friend Karen Dionne (she's a big fan). So, I figured I'd better do the polite thing and pick up one of his books. Since he was touring for his ninth book (I think...maybe tenth) and his books are a recurring character--Jack Reacher--I thought I should start with book one, The Killing Floor. Suffice it to say, I now own eleven of Lee's books...don't know how I missed the other two but I'll grab them soon enough.
Anyway...I think I had a point...but I lost it. I have a house full of teenage girls...6 to be exact...so my brain is warbled right now.
So anyway, another thing we'll be doing this summer is preparing my daughter for her final year of highschool. Yep...she's a senior and she is seriously counting down the day when she graduates and can move back to Texas (wishful thinking on her part, but I'm going to do what I can to help.) In fact, she's decided she wants to go to cooking school. And this weekend we're going to go to an open house at The Arizona Culinary Institute in Scottsdale. Sounds like a plan, eh? Well, what you should know about my daughter is that she has cerebral palsy. It's a mild form but she's still physically limited with what she can do, and using cutting tools is one of the limits. But....Manda is a Life Without Limits kinda gal and believes she can do it (she cooks at home often but the cutting and dicing is usually done for her.) So, I'm going to take her to the open house and see what they have to offer and what she'd be required to do. If being a culinary chef isn't in the cards she can be a pastry chef...the kid makes some killer brownies. And, as a diabetic, she'll learn a lot about nutrition and maybe even make her own cookbook. Life without limits!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It's Baseball Season! Yay! I love baseball, always have, always will. I don't have a favorite team as I did when I was a kid...way back then it was the Cincinnati Reds....I totally LOVED Johnny Bench!! Yeah I know...I was born in Texas and by all accounts should have been an Astro or Ranger's fan. Well...I prefer the National League and I'm more of a closet Astro Fan...I only come out if they're winning but stay hidden when they're losing...which is often. The Astro's are the "choke" team of the NBL. A n y w a y...

The season also kicks off for my son, who's playing on his 8th grade middle school team. Jeremy has been playing baseball his whole life...I think he's even a ballplayer reincarnated. Even as an infant you could sit him in front of a game and he'd sit quietly and watch. He especially loved watching his older brother play little league. When he was old enough to stand he'd entertain himself by practicing his batting stance using a plunger as his bat.

By age 3 he'd started calling himself Jeremy Bell after his favorite Astro Derek Bell. He finally started playing t-ball at age 5 and has only missed one season in the last eight years (and that was because he decided to forgo fall ball for football.) He even used to be superstitious about batting...up until third grade he wouldn't go up to bat unless I blew him a kiss first. ha ha

Jeremy's dream is to play infield for the Houston Astros, he's even learning how to pitch and has a very hard fastball! He can actually and has actually played every position on the field including pitcher and catcher. I think this year they have him infield at 3rd base.

So, today is the first game for the Pueblo Bulldogs. I'm really looking forward to it. Sadly, my husband has to go out of town this week so he can't make it. But I'll have plenty of pictures I think.

Okay, this has become my brag about Jeremy blog. Ha! What can I say....as they get older I find myself thinking about how little time I have left with them before they go off and live their own lives. Of course, should Jeremy make it to the majors you'll find me front and center at the games...ready to blow him a kiss should he need it. =)

Long Time no Blog

Wow. Has it actually been four months since my last blog?? To all you (four or five) readers who stop by....so sorry.
Let's see if I can catch you up on what's happened since I blogged last. I'll try to condense so as not to bore. Well...I guess this won't be so hard after all since nothing much has been happening. Although the new year started out pretty crappy. My daughter, Manda, was diagnosed with Type One diabetes...it's the insulin dependant one. Totally came out of the blue! She spent three days in the hospital and they basically gave us a crash course on the illness and how to care for her. The hopsital staff at Banner Desert in Mesa were so wonderful! We couldn't have asked for better. Anyway her numbers are still up and down and for a while there the doctor thought she might be atypical and insulin resistant...she takes nearly 100 units a day plus a pill. Over the past week she's been having trouble with her feet, they're swelling like crazy. She's also put on about 25 pounds, which on a normal person would be overkill...on Manda, because she was only 83 pounds of bone, it looks very good....and she's very happy to be over 100 pounds now!! Goofy kid!

So, as for my writing....I'm actually working on another book. It's a stand alone sequel to my second book Dark Obsession. DO was Ray's story, the second book, which is currently called Body & Soul is Sylvia's story. Ray and Sylvia are siblings...for those who don't know. =) Both books are romantic suspense with paranormal elements and take place in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. I'm also still working on book three House of Cards---off and on---more off than on. I've had a few people ask me how I can work on two books at the same time and...well...it's just easier for me. Both books have the same theme which is ritual murders...although both go in two totally different directions. So, for me, it makes it easier to work on one or the other. When one stalls I move to the other. I did the same thing when I wrote my first two books Dark Obsession and Forget Me Not. Those two books also had a similar theme--stalkers. I'm hoping to have the books completed by summer....but that's a big HOPE because my laptop died on me. I guess that's what I get for ordering from Tiger Direct. *sigh* I have to use the kid's computer which has the most uncomfortable chair possible. And I use my husband's laptop on the weekends (unless he has to go to work). I would try to write in longhand, but it doesn't work out well...my handwriting gets to messy because I don't write as fast as I can type or think and when I try to read it back I can't figure out what I wrote. haha
Anyway.....I think I'm babbling. I should probably try to get some work done before I have to get the girls in an hour. Then it's run here, run there, run here again, run there again. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

So...thanks for stopping by. Hope I didn't bore you too much. I'll try to blog something a little more interesting next time...with in the next four months at least.

I've Been Tagged

And no, I don't mean as in a microchip implanted in my head.

I'm sure you've all seen those "get to know you" questionaires that go around. A list of questions you answer then choose to send to someone else. They're supposed to be a way to sort of get to know the person. I don't know how accurate they are unless you're a profiler with the FBI. Hmmm.....maybe I should be careful how I answer. hah

Anyway...I was tagged by Jane Taylor , who was kind enough to ask first. Me...I'm just gonna tag someone randomly, cuz when I was a kid (long before computers were invented...can you imagine???)....when you played tag outside until the mosquitos chased you in...you tagged the first person you reached. So, first, I'll post my Q&A then I'll post my Tagees.

And, uh, don't read too much into my answers Mr Profiler.

• If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

We have a dog, Lizzie. I’m not the big dog person I was as a kid, but I guess I consider her part of the family. My kids certainly do.

• If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

That my children have wonderful fulfilling lives when they move into adulthood.

• What is the one thing most hated by you?

Ignorance

• What would you do with a billion dollars?

First of all....who really needs that much money?? But, if I had it to burn, I’d first give every member of my family (but just the ones I know, not the ones who claim to be of my blood) and my husband’s immediate family one million dollars....cuz if you can’t live on that, you don’t deserve the money. Then, I take the rest and rebuild all the smaller, unknown towns along the gulf coast that were hit by Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike.

• What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

Spending the day out with my kids....they still make me laugh.

• Choose one letter from your name and come up with a word to describe yourself.

TERRI–I=Intuitive

• How do you unwind?

I watch TV...it’s the best way I can think of to stop my brain from over thinking. Haha

• What is your bedtime routine?

I don’t have one. When I’m tired I go to bed.

• If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

I don’t know. I'm more of a doer than a watcher.

• What kinds of books do you buy?

Since becoming a writer I’ve met a wide variety of authors. So, their books are what I now buy.

• Where do you want to be in ten years?

Alive, hopefully. And, living back in Texas with my books on the NYT Bestseller list for the tenth straight year.

• What’s your fear?

That I’ll die before I have a chance to see my children start their own families (yeah I know...morbid). Oh, and bugs. I really hate bugs!!

• What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

I only know Jane online, but she’s one of the sweetest online friends I could ever make. She’s very encouraging and supportive and always knows the right thing to say. I’m proud to call her a friend.

• What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Wake my daughter’s for school then go downstairs and grab a mug of coffee!

• What’s your favorite food?

Southern Fried Chicken!!!

• Formal wear or casual wear?

Casual...I’m a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal

• Sports: football or baseball?

Most definitely Baseball. I’m a Cincinnati Red’s fan....when I was younger I thought Johnny Bench was a hottie!! lol (in case you don’t know who he is, he was the catcher back in the 70's)

• What do you consider your guilty pleasure?

Mmmm....Oreos. I could eat a whole package in one sitting....which is why I had to stop buying them.

Now....who can I tag next? Hmmm.....I think I'll tag Brenda Birch . Sorry hun. If I can find more to tag I will...if you want me to tag you....I can do that too. =)

Oh, and one more thing. This is a Mutation Tag, so if there are questions you'd like to add or delete, feel free to do so. But, try to keep under 20 questions.

Thanks for stopping by.

National Hispanic Heritage Month--and Reminiscing

From September 15 to October 15 the nation will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. I'm not sure when the holiday started or rather, when the nation decided to acknowledge it, but for as long as I can remember, there was always a celebration in my hometown, Port Arthur.

Every third weekend in September my family (and I mean everyone in my family) would attend a three day "Mexican Fiesta" held by the Mexican Heritage Society in Port Arthur. At that time, was held in the parking lot of the local strip mall (can't remember what the name was, but there was a Woolco there...Geez, how old does that make me?)

Anyway, the festivities would start on Friday evening and consist of mostly food booths....what better reason to go to a fiesta I ask?? The food was so totally awesome! made by local families and the money raised for the Heritage Society and the Hispanic community. They also had a pagent to crown a queen (done on Saturday evening), mariachi players, Calpuli dancers, tamale eating contests (which my brother Dave won once) and a street dance (literally since we were in a parking lot) by bands from Victoria Texas or Corpus Christie and other towns. Most of the people attending either sat on the gates of their pickup trucks or brought lawn chairs to sit in, circling around an area designated the 'dance floor'. My brothers and sisters and cousins and I used to jump in when the band played The Cotton-eyed Joe....one of the few dances we could do without a partner. Occasionally we were allowed to work a food booth or drink cart...always fun when you're a kid. (and on a side note, I had my first kiss at the fiesta, but I won't say who he was or my age at the time.)

Nowadays the fiesta is held at the Port Arthur Civic Center and (imo) isn't the celebration it used to be. It's lost a lot in it's transition (mostly the tradition). Sadly though, because of Hurricane Ike, the fiesta was canceled this year.
Anyway, if you've never been to an actual Mexican Fiesta, you should go. Aside from the one in Port Arthur, Brownsville also holds a week long celebration called Charro Days. It's held yearly at the end of February to celebrate the sister cities of Brownsville, Texas and Matamoras, Mexico. I've never had the opportunity to attend this party, but one of these days I will. Especially since I've introduced it in my current WIP, House of Cards (soon to be sold...uh...once I finish it. )

So, how do you plan to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and National Hispanic Heritage Month? I know....why not curl up with a hot Latina Romance? Set in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas Her Will His Way is a lovestory you won't want to put down with characters you won't want to let go. Available now at Cobblestone Press for only $3.99

(oh, come on, you knew I was going to pitch my book)

Here we go again--Hurricane Gustav

For those of you who don't know, I'm originally from SE Texas, my family and friends are still in Port Arthur. With the threat of Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf, all of my attention will be trained on the news channels.

When Hurricane Rita hit three years ago, I lived in West Houston. My family and I chose not to evacuate because we were so far west I knew we wouldn't get any of the storm (and we didn't. Just 60/70 mph winds and a few hours of lost power). Plus, with the problems on the roads...no way was I going to suffer that with four kids and a dog! Just a five minute drive to the grocery store took 45 minutes to get home!

Anyway, my family (in the Port Arthur area) left a few days before the storm hit and were safely in Dallas when it pounded through...however, my brother, who's a CCU/ICU nurse supervisor couldn't leave until just hours before the storm hit because he was still evacuating patients. Of course he said by the time he hit the road, they were empty so his drive to Austin was short.

The day after the hurricane my husband was able to go into town (because of his job, he was in charge of the communication towers and had to inspect their damage) and took a side tour of the neighborhoods to see what damage was done to our family's homes. (Thankfully, not much on the outside). But, a week later, when residents were allowed to go back to assess damages, I went with my cousin (who had come down to stay with us so we could get the kids back in school) to Nederland to drop her husband home...he had to be back to work (at Dupont). The outside damage from the storm wasn't too bad. Her trampoline was now twisted metal leaning up against the neighbor's fence. Someone's metal roof was laying in the front yard along with a lot of branches (her husband quipped now he didn't have to hire someone to trim off the dead branches---humor is a great stress breaker). The woodslat privacy fence in the back yard was gone (most of the neighhorhoods lost their fences...in fact, that was the only damage my brother had at his house about ten miles away). But the worst damage to my cousin's house was the inside. Though they didn't have any major flooding in her neighborhood, what little there was got into the house. The 90 degree weather and loss of power....well, you can imagine what the carpet looked like. (I think one of those mold spores even moved! But the worst was the smell!! The grouper fish in the tank died, the freezer full of meat rotted (don't even get me started on why there was meat in the freezer!--I don't let her live that one down!) It smelled like a hundred people died in there! It was awful!

Anyway, with Hurricane Gustav possibly on a collision course with the area, no one is taking the evacuation order for granted. I really hate that I'm not still in Houston to offer refuse for my family especially since no one has really recouped financially from the Rita damage and therefore are going to really struggle with where they can afford to go. I'll be keeping a close eye on this storm via The Weather Channel and The PA News online edition. I'll also keep in touch via cell to my family to make sure they're okay.

So....where were you when the lights went out? And, if you're in the path, how are you preparing for this storm?

Godspeed everyone!

Outraged

Okay...I can't think of a song title for my title so I just went for the actual reason I'm writing my blog....feel free to find a song that matches.

Why am I outraged? Take a seat...this may be long.

My daughter has a friend named Holly. Holly is one of the sweetest, kindest, well-mannered young ladies you will ever meet and she is a very good friend to my daughter. Holly has one minor annoyance though...she has the tendancy to say "Sorry" a lot....and not because she has anything to be sorry about...it's just one of those automatic responses like "Hi, how are you?"
Case in point, she's been to my house several times. The first time she came over she asked something mundane like, "where's the bathroom". I pointed it out and she said, "Okay, sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't see it. I'm sorry." Seriously...three sorrys in one breath. I just smiled and said it's okay. It took a while to realize, this was just Holly. She says "sorry" in every breath.

Anyway...Holly runs cross-country track at school (she's a junior in high school). A few weeks ago she was riding her bike home after practice (like around 5 or 6 in the evening). Needless to say she was very tired. She crossed the street to get home, moving safely into the designated bike lane, however she was facing on coming traffic. Shortly after she crossed the street a woman came around the corner in her car and hit Holly. I don't know exactly how hard, but Holly managed to break the woman's sideview mirror (guess she used it to stop the car from taking her head off) and she sustained several cuts and bruises along her body, including a gash on her shin, a black eye, busted blood vessels in her left eye (whcih thankfully did not affect her vision) and she no longer has a bike because it was ruin, so I'm guessing--pretty damn Hard!

Now as you may be guessing, Holly's first reaction was to say "Sorry." Amidst her crying and bleeding all she could say was "sorry" over and over....and over. The woman, of course called the police to make the report. However, the asshole cop did not ticket the woman and told Holly it was HER fault for going against traffic. Uh....hello??? She was in the fricking BIKE LANE!! What the hell was this stupid woman doing in the bike lane!!!

Okay...sorry...when Holly told me this I was completely livid!! I mean, how stupid can that cop be??? He was probably related to that same jerk who killed someone's dog because he spent twenty minutes ticketing the guy for speeding when the guy was trying to get his dog to the vet. And on top of it saying.."It's just a dog!"

Now, the fact that this jerk cop told Holly it was her fault was bad enough, but now, the woman is apparently suing Holly for damages to her car! Can you F**KING believe that??? I told Holly if it came down to that (because they were afraid it would with Holly's "addmission of guilt" sorries) that my family and I would all stand up for her as character references. But it just so pisses me off that this woman...and if I knew who she was I'd egg her house every day!...has the gall to sue them for a $50 sideview mirror. Forget about the fact that Holly had to miss school, was laid up in bed for a couple of days, couldn't run track for a while and was totally traumatized...and still more so because of the lawsuit...this stupid woman needs a new mirror! Sofrickinwhat if Holly was going against traffic...that is still no reason this woman should have gotten off scottfree and be allowed to sue! And if she wins?? So wrong!! Makes me wonder if everyone who rides a bike against traffic in the bike lane and gets hit by a car will be the one to get sued. Heck, this morning I saw two elderly people riding their bikes against traffic in the bike lane....I coulda gotten a two for one lawsuit!

Arizona has a stupid motorist law where a person can be fined if they drive across a flooded road and have to be rescued...but what about the stupid people who drive 2 ton vehicles in the bike lane!!

Okay...rant over for now.

And, for the record...and to any cops who may stumble upon this...I love cops, have the upmost respect for them, even write about them in my work....but...sometimes I'll come across one in the bunch that makes me question my respect. So...apologies to those of you who aren't stupid jerks.

Day One (actually Two) at the RWA Conference

It's nearing the end of day two of the RWA national conference in San Francisco and this is actually the first chance I've had to post a blog. I actually wrote one up long-hand this morning while waiting for the Opening Session (or whatever they called it) to get started, but I left it in my room. Right now I'm in the "internet lounge" where I can access the web free. Hey it's worth it to lug the laptop for free accesss as opposed to paying thirteen dollars a day.

Anyway. The conference, as always is quite an event. The Marriott, where it's being held this year, is very nice but like most of the hotels they choose, there isn't much of a bar. (and I've yet to hit it up for a drink....first on my list when I'm done here.) The chattering of woman is pretty loud and it's hard to hear the person next to you much less your own thoughts. But it's still a good time, albeit exhausting, and worth the trip.

I arrived on Wednesday morning and immediately reported to work at the literacy signing. I had volunteered to help set-up and stayed through until about 7:30 that evening, when it ended. Although I was "working" I got a chance to meet up with several of my writer friends (as well as make new ones.). Here are a few of the photos I was able to take:


Toni McGee Causey at the Literacy Signing. She's such a sweetheart! If you haven't read her book Bobby Fayes Very (very, very) Bad Day....you're really missing out on a great book! Buy it...now...now....now!!

Robert Gregory Browne. This was his first RWA conference...can you tell he's overwhelmed? ;-) He's a great guy! I had lunch with him, Toni and Jordan Dane today (Day 2)...such great people. Toni and Robert even gave me some great advice about my book....and it seems Robert and I are both working on the same kind of story....guess I don't need to say who's will be better. ;-P

Then of course there's Ally Carter.

She's just as adorable in person as her picture shows.




She kept teasing me about stalking this guy.








Hello!! Barry Eisler!! (swoon) haha









It was purely coincidental that I just happened to be going in the same direction as he....a few times. hehe. I think she was just jealous because I took three pictures with him.















Oh, okay. She got to take one with him and her agent, Kristen.

But, I still got her two to one! =)







There is also the very lovely and very photogenic Danielle Younge-Ullman, who's book is out NOW!

Alexandra Sokoloff who looked totally exhausted!

Jenny Gardnier

all decked out in her June Cleaver outfit! Too cute!

Allison Brennan
A Double Rita finalist!! Such a wonderful person!

Eileen Rendahl. I met Eileen a couple of years ago when my friend Rhonda spotted her and said, Hey, you two could be twins! So...now we're long lost twins. She's a sweetheart!






Anyway...the signing was huge, as it always is. I was posted at the side entrance so I could let in the authors and other volunteers. Alot of the authors had their own personal entourage...husbands, mothers, children....one author (can't remember who...but she writes Vampires---which I figured out when I saw her 'fangs') even had a couple of official 'hotties' with her...I guess they were for role play or something. (not that kind of role play!) There was a big to-do when "the queen" showed up. Lights flaring, cameras rolling....okay...I love Nora...but give me a break, that entrance was soooo over the top! And, poor Stephanie Bond chose the exact same time to enter the ballroom and was smashed up against the door while the official entrance commenced.



After the signing ended I met up with my Houston chapter mates and went to dinner. Just that hour of sitting made me realize how tired and sore I was! I went straight back to my room, took a hot shower and went to bed!

This morning I got up early enough to make it to the opening ceremonies. Something new they're doing I guess. No workshops or appointments were scheduled. Well, actually, workshops were this afternoon. I went to two, which were good (Susan Elizabeth Philips--who's always great to listen to. And one by Hilary Sares...who came with her own cartoon drawings and was really fun to listen to as well).

The opening ceremony was okay considering it was a motivational speaker. No offense to motivational speakers, but I find them overly rehearsed and way too perky. But, she was an awesome pianst.


So...now, the day is over and it's time to hit the bar! Tomorrow will be filled with workshops, more booksignings, more schmoozing and likely more drinking! I may even try to worm my way into an agent/editor appointment...provided one I'm interested in opens up. We'll see.



Until tomorrow!

Heading to National!

In two days I'll be flying out to San Francisco for the RWA National conference. This will be my fourth conference in five years. I missed last year because I went to the Backspace Conference in New York instead. (Great time!) Unfortunately, for me, this year's Backspace Conference falls on my daughter's 15th birthday.

Anyway, I love going to conferences because it gives me a chance to meet up face to face with all my online friends and, as in the case of RWA, my idols.

The first day of the conference there's a huge booksigning with over 450 authors signing new and older books. The money raised from the signing goes to the local Literacy foundation of whichever city is hosting the conference. I have a lot of friends signing their books, which means I'll be bringing home a lot of books! I've been holding off buying them because I knew they'd be at the signing.

Anyway, the conference runs from July 31-August 2 and is filled with workshops by such wonderful authors as Lisa Gardner, Toni McGee Causey, Jayne Ann Krentz as well as spotlights on most of the publishing houses. The conference ends with an awards ceremony where we learn who won the Rita and Golden Heart contests.

I'm planning to blog from the conference, a day by day of the events as I recoup before crashing into bed. I'm also planning an article for the October issue of The Scruffy Dog Review. I'll even have pictures, maybe even a bit of a video, because my darling daughter is letting me use her digital camera. So I hope you'll join me for that.

Anyway...if you're not able to make the conference, maybe you can enjoy it vicariously through my blog.

Just some Updates

June was a very busy month, so I apologize for the lack of a blog update.

The virtual book tour I did with several other Cobblestone authors went well. I hope you enjoyed the wonderful guests I had. I had a lot of fun. But I have to admit, writing a blog a day for two weeks wasn't easy. Over the weekend of July 13 --I put in an appearance at Killer Fiction....we can blame my friend Christie Craig for that one. My topic was a witty look at Writing What You Know. It's still available if you want to swing by and read it. You should also check out Christie's weekly blog...that girl is a hoot!!

Anyway, sales for my book Her Will His Way have been looking good. And I've been getting some wonderful reviews from a handful of online writing sites. You can find them at these places:

Romance Junkies
Nightowl Romance
Joyfully Reviewed
Sensual Romance

And, finally, I want to send out a very big Thank You to everyone who participated in my contest last month...and again, I apologize for the delay in posting about it (time just seems to get away from me these days!).

There were some wonderful stories sent in but by popular vote (I had to recruit my daughter and her friend as judges to help me choose) the winner of the most romantic gift ever recieved by their significant other is Layla Aaron.
Layla wrote:

I'm hard pressed to select the *most* romantic gift the Welshman ever gave me;
however, I'll go with the CD of Satie music. I was visiting him in Wales, our
first face to face meeting, and as a farewell gift he bought me the CD. He told
me he'd been tempted to buy me flowers, but they would die and he wanted to give
me something I could take home, something for me to remember him by forever.

Layla, drop me an email at TerriMo2@yahoo.com with your mailing address so I can send you your prize.

As for other contests....stay tuned....I may come up with another one.

One more thing. I recently did an interview at E-Cata Romance. So if you're at all interested, you can find it here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Meet L. Shannon...Author Extraordinaire

Hello everyone. I'm Grant. You may bow if you want but I don't get off on all that scrapping and such.

I was asked to explain the basic rules of the nine realms (L. Shannon's view of the world). Feel free to ask questions, but I may or may not answer. If you want a more guaranteed response send it directly to L. Shannon at lshannon@hotmail.com.

• good and evil are in the eye of the beholder (yep- same as beauty)
• power is absolute, but it is not always misused.
• existence is only limited by imagination (this might not be true)
• in any battle, strength is the secret to triumph. (strength is found in more than muscles ~ never underestimate strength of will)
• the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.

Now if you've had enough of that zen shit, let me (Grant) tell you a little about the nine realms. If I miss anything ask me on my blog (actually it's L. Shannon's but if you ask me, I'll answer and I won't sugar or shit coat it.)

• If it's bigger or stronger than you- don't piss it off. If you do, put on your runners and haul ass, cause it will kill you or worse.
• If you care about something, DON'T set it free. (trust me-bad idea) I recommend kissing her ass until she wants to stay.
• When the big guy says duck, don't hesitate. He doesn't screw around, and he might find it funny if you suffer for your stupidity.
• Friends and family. Always protect what you love, even if the cost proves too high.
• Don't listen to me. I have been around for six thousand years and still haven't gotten it right. Find someone who has, and listen to them.

What you need to know about the nine realms.

• The world as you know it actually has nine realities instead of one. In some cases these are drastically different (like heaven and hell kind of different). The closest you could find reference to these realms is what you humans call Norse mythology. Although the records don't get it all right, they do hit the high points.
• There are nine primary races to which the Creator gave nine realms. Aesir, Dark Elves, Light Elves, Dwarves, Jotun, Humans, Tascryn (land of the dead), Valhalla, and Vanir.
• Though most people seem to think this is the first age, I'm not so sure. I think that perhaps Ragnarok has come and gone a couple times, though it is only my opinion. The predictions all point to the end coming (again) and I personally hope it doesn't come too soon.

What you need to know about demons

• Not all are bad. In fact I can be very good (really very good). You might hear about my breathren the Tascryn demons and they happen to be mostly the good kind. The Tascryn are the protectors of souls and help to maintain the balance of life in all nine realms.
  Being a Tascryn demon is mostly a thankless job. Very few people are happy to see us come to claim a soul, after all that means you either are about to die, or we are about to kill you. Our health plan is pretty good. Tascryn are extremely hard to kill and heal almost instantaniously. The vacation schedule sucks. Tascryn work 24/7 and are only allowed one vacation every thousand years. (yeah, I didn't think that was fair either)
  There is more than one kind of demon. Tascryn Demons live and work mostly in Niflheim, but a whole different kind call Abaddon home. The Abaddon Demons tend to have fewer rules and a significantly different job description.

What you need to know about werewolves.

• The kind of werewolf that I know the most about are called Valafrn werewolves. I have grown rather fond of them over the years. The Valafrn all descended from one fellow (who wasn't quite human) named Vali. You see, Vali went and got himself cursed into his furry form, but in his case it was much worse than others kinds of werewolf curses. Vali was a wolf for all but three nights a month. He took human form for the three nights (and 2 days) of the full moon. Yeah well it sucked for him and proved to be inherited, so all his children (and he was very productive) were cursed just like him. Vali did what any loving father would do; he went to the god who cursed him and begged. (Despite his usually furry form) he didn't beg very well, but Odin helped him anyhow. Together they found a way to let Vali's children use magic to control their physical form. As it turned out, the kiddies got more than they expected and ended up powerful shapeshifters.

If you liked hanging out with me, I invite you to read Tascryn Royals 1: Of Blood and Blessings which is my story through the eyes of L. Shannon (the voyeur, LOL) Or my mother, Sadrina's book, Tascryn Royals 2: Blood Reign. I have not and will not read about my mother and Pahele. Nope. Not gonna happen.

One last thing...I shouldn't, but because I've always been a pain in his ass, I'll share a friend's page that I recently found ~ http://heartoftheserpent.blogspot.com/.

Just do me a favor and don't tell him where you got the link. Ever since I was given to him as a slave way long ago, I've been able to piss him off in all the best ways. But I know one thing and that's if the end ever comes, I will be at his side one way or the other.

~~Grant.

Oh... PS Here's Shannon's site. http://lshannon.net

If you're a voyeur too, drop by and check it out.

Visit L Shannon at these locations to learn more about her. You'll be glad you did.

L.Shannon's website
my space
news
blog
books

Selena's Sex Tips

1. Get creative. Do some research. Read an erotic romance. Think outside the box. Look up new positions. Once you've got some new ideas, present them to your SOS.
2. Get your SOS involved. Send them links to articles, websites, photos. Rent a movie together, read a book together, or flip through a magazine.
3. Get out a scarf or tie and tie one end to your wrist and the other to that of your SOS. Spend a whole day like this and you'll find plenty of opportunities for kisses and cuddles.
4. Tell it like it is. This is really the key. Ask for what you want. Use words like faster, slower, harder, softer, to the left, etc.
5. Get out of the bedroom. Nothing like a new venue to inspire you.
6. Try a sex toy. With dozens (probably hundreds) of websites out there that will provide quality merchandise in discreet packaging, you've got no excuse not to try something new.

And now, a look at how Selena puts it all in play. ;)

The Cajun's Captive

by Selena Blake

Sebastian Deveraux is the Alpha of his pack and like all the Deveraux men, he’s sexy as pure sin. He’s waited for decades for just the right woman. For his mate. And ten years ago he’d been sure he’d found her in Amanda St. James. But she’d run from him.Now she’s back. He’ll do anything to keep her. Even if it means chaining her to his bed.

Book 1 - Stormy Weather series

Cobblestone Press

Available June 13, 2008

EXCERPT

The blonde peering into his bedroom window never heard him approach.

“Can I help you?” he asked mildly when he was within pouncing distance.

Shrieking, she whirled to face him, backing up at the sametime. Her hands came up to balance herself, but it was too late. He made no move to rescue her even though he could have. Her momentum toppled her over the railing and into the soggy grass below. She landed flat on her back.

From the edge of the porch, he stared down at her not feeling the least bit sorry for startling her. What did a man have to do to get privacy?

Her wheat colored hair covered her face and the rain slowly soaked her clothes. She seemed too startled to move. Finally, she eased up on her elbows. Her breasts heaved and fell as if she might start crying. The last thing he wanted was a crying woman. Or a lawsuit.

“You all right?”

With a perfectly polished hand, she flicked her hair out of her faceand glared up at him. The blue eyes that locked with his couldn’t have surprised him more if there’d been eight of them.

Amanda St. James. Alive and in his yard. Couldn’t be.

He narrowed his gaze and took in her features. Same cute pixie nose. Same rosy, heart-shaped mouth he’d longed to kiss. Same delicious curves that his hands itched to caress. Suddenly he was transported a decade ago when they’d all been hanging out on a hot summer day. It had been August. Suffocatingly humid. Then Amanda had grabbed the hose and proceeded to drench him and his brothers to the bone.

Her kissable mouth had laughed and smiled as they’d chased her. When they’d finally caught her, turning the hose on her, the water had plastered her clothes to her sweet young body. It had taken all his willpower not to carry her off that very afternoon. To kiss her all over—from that adorable nose, to those delicious berry pink lips, to her hot pink toenails.

The clap of thunder brought him back to the present. His eyes didn’t fool him. He sniffed the air and her scent filled his lungs. She smelled so sweet, so familiar, and so wonderful that he almost closed his eyes to savor it. Instead, he took in her pitiful form. She looked like a drowned cat.

He watched as the rain molded her shirt to her breasts. Either from cold or, heaven help him, desire, her nipples beaded beneath the fabric and stood out like pebbles. He clenched his fists. Long dormant need surged upward startling him with its intensity. Its rawness.

He hadn’t seen or heard from her in nine long years but he’d never stopped wanting her. It was the reason he dated a long stream of women, never settling down. He’d never felt this kind of urgency with anyone else. Although he’d tried to wipe away her memory, none of them could compare to Manda. His Manda.

But her presence now reminded him of how she’d fled all those years ago. She’d gone off to Yankee country for school. Then she’d gone onto work for one of the biggest broadcast companies in the country. Never looked back. Never called. Simply fled. Ran from him.

His inner beast had been too proud to let him chase. Had been sure she’d come back in a week or two. Weeks had turned into years and now almost a decade. Now the beast growled deep inside, for the years he’d lost, for making him want her so, making him wait. It lay coiled, anxious and ready to spring to life and take what it wanted.

He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to keep the dangerous animal inside on a tight leash.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Amanda St. James.” He couldn’t keep the disdain from his voice. He hoped to hell she couldn’t hear the hurt, the yearning… “Did the Yanks kick you out? Get too cold for ya up north?”

“What a mean thing to say.” For a moment, she looked genuinely wounded. But he told himself that was part of her game. The network probably sent her.

“Then what are ya doin’ here?” Probably snooping for a story, he thought. Figured she’d use her looks, her connections, to get it. Like hell, she was going to get her story.

Her tongue slipped between her glossy pink lips to lick a raindrop. That simple movement reminded him of all the times she’d licked her lips, stuck out her tongue at him—reminded him of everything he really wanted in life. And just how much he wanted to kiss her.

Once again, he took in her sad wet form and saw everything he’d wanted for hundreds of years. Everything he’d been denied and had denied himself.

Sebastian knew he couldn’t be angry; she was worth the wait. He couldn’t let her get away again. This was a sign from the Gods. She was meant to be his. He’d known it all those years ago when he’d watched her blossom in front of his eyes. While he’d waited for her to grow up. Waited for her to come to him.He still knew it. Nothing had changed, he reasoned. Except that he wanted her more now than he had nine years ago. And she was well over eighteen now. He would finally make her his.

With the effortless grace his kind was known for, he leapt over the railing and landed at her feet. Oblivious to the rain, he glared down at her.

“Get up,” he ordered. She started to crab crawl backwards but she couldn’t get away fast enough. In a lightning fast move, he hoisted her over his shoulder. She barely weighed more than a sack or two of sugar.

“What are you doing?” she cried.

“Taking what’s mine.”

He knew the instant she comprehended his words. She squirmed and wiggled like a bunny in a trap, but it didn’t matter. He had her where he wanted her.

For now.

About the Author

Selena Blake writes paranormal and contemporary romance for Cobblestone Press. Her series Stormy Weather will be available in 2008. Drop by her website to find out more about the handsome Deveraux men of Louisiana and for a free short story. Http://www.selena-blake.com

That's the Power of Love..or Writing to be exact.

The Writing Game

I started writing a little over a year ago. It all began with one story- a story that had been building in my mind for months, or maybe even years. It was a romance, a tale of soulmates and heartbreak and passion.

The story kept growing in my head until eventually I had to let it out. I wrote 75, 000 words in one month (my fingers were exhausted!). Of course, it was so full of head-hopping and passive voice and cliched characters that it never reached the eyes of an editor. But that didn't matter to me. I'd finished my first novel. I was damned proud of myself!

After I put that one onto the back-burner, I dipped my toes in the writing pool again. I wrote a couple of novellas and short stories, and over time I saw my writing improve. It was tighter. The characters were well-drawn. The sex scenes were hot!

The next step was finding a critique partner. After a few tries, I found one that fit. We worked together on our respective WIPs, helping and advising and commenting until we had polished manuscripts ready to be looked at.

I then spotted the Vampire Oracle call for submissions from Cobblestone Press and I absolutely had to be a part of it. I wrote a proposal for the Power card and, woohoo, I was accepted!

Since then, I've continued to write and submit. I've written thousands of words in one month, then suffered with writing block the next month. I've been accepted by both Cobblestone and Phaze but I've also had my share of rejections. All part of the writing process.

Looking back to a year ago when I was just starting out as a writer, I am so glad that I let the words come out. It's a big deal to put a pen to paper and allow yourself to be a writer. It's scary and intimidating to think of submitting a story to a publisher, or even showing a story to your own family and friends. But it's worth it. Believe me!


Coming July 4th from Cobblestone Press- The Vampire Oracle: Power
A vampire's promise lasts forever...

To learn more about Ava, visit her at her Website or Blog

A visit from Cassandra Moore

Artists use pencils and paints. Sculptors use their fingers and clay. But it wouldn't seem like a writer would use much more than a pen and paper, would it?
Not so! Writers use a lot of tools to organize their ideas and get them out for general consumption. Pen and paper is important to some, and others don't touch it. Here are my tools of the trade:
1. A spiral notebookMead Five Star, if you please. Usually five subject. It's got pockets for storing loose notes that get scribbled on envelopes, a sturdy plastic cover that doesn't rip or bend much, and is stable enough that I can write on my knee if I want to.

2. PensPaper-Mate Profile has a nice flow to it. It makes my handwriting almost legible. Almost.

3. Power StructureThere are a lot of writing programs for your computer out there. Some of them almost write the story for you, some are very bare bones. I've found that which one you like is really subjective. Power Structure works out for me, although I've been looking into some cheaper alternatives. Still, I can't deny that this helps keep my plots and characters organized.

4. A wikiPower Structure's great for plots, but it's not great for world building. For that, I use a wiki. Just like Wikipedia, but with my own content. I have character profiles, story synopses, notes, you name it. I copy and paste descriptions from my stories into it to keep track of what I've said about who. This is a really terrific tool that I just discovered, thanks to Moira Rogers.

5. MusicWriting without music is torturous to me. Give me my iPod, or the playlist on my computer. I sometimes have specific playlists for specific situations, like writing steamy scenes or fight scenes. My main playlist is 193 songs long (that's about 14 hours of music).

6. Colored paperclipsThis is about as organized as I get.

7. Messy deskIf it's too neat, how can I think?

8. Pretzels (or black licorice)I don't smoke. But I've been known to sit around, writing a particularly tetchy scene with a pretzel stick hanging out of my mouth like a cigarette. Sometimes, I have good black licorice. Mmm.

9. FirefoxI sometimes have three tabs worth of research material open at a time. Included in this are the online dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, and Wikipedia. Also, Google Earth and Google Maps.

10. PeopleNo one writes in a vacuum. I have my husband, my critique partners, my good friend, and other authors to bounce ideas off of, get told off by, and generally get help from. I use Pidgin to access multiple messaging services

To Learn More about Cassandra visit her at www.cassandra-moore.com

I Wanna Be a Paperback Writer

Meet Today's Guest Blogger--the Lovely,

Dee Carney

A DJ on the radio asked listeners to think about the careers they had once dreamed of having when they were children. I thought long and hard about it and ran through my list...I'd wanted to be a medical doctor (ugh. too much school), a vet (allergic to a million things), a child psychiatrist (wtf?), a chef (still holding on to this one), an artist (not enough money per my dad) and a writer. That last one took me by surprise because I'd completely forgotten that once upon a time, I'd wanted to be a writer when I grew up. So how, if I'd forgotten I'd wanted to be a writer, did I end up here?

Well, lemme tell you...Scroll back about fifteen years. Sitting in a sociology course, I had an instructor who loved to hear himself talk. I mean LOVED.

While sitting there bemoaning the mandatory attendance requirement, I thought up a story about a servant and a land owner (think pre-Civil War) who embark into a marriage agreement so that he can keep his inheritance. For the next year, whenever I had a course that bored me to tears, I whipped out my story idea and wrote an actual story to go along with it. When school ended, so did my writing. I had to go work in the real world...with only 1 1/2 chapters left to go.

To this day, I still have 1 1/2 chapters left of the story. One day I'll finish it. But I digress....Scroll back about eight months ago. While perusing a publisher site for kicks and giggles, someone mentioned joining NaNo. Being the internet detective that I am, I went to the site. After reading some more, I figured, what the heck...and signed up.

Since it was only October, I also figured I'd better practice since my writing was a little rusty. So I thought up a story about a man who dies. But then comes back - in a new time & place. After I finished the first two chapters, I gave them to my secretary to read. She became engrossed in the story and refused to talk to me until I'd handed her the next chapter. And the next. And the next. All of a sudden, I was writing The End.

I was very proud when I handed her that final chapter. If I say so myself, it was a pretty good story. She thought so too. She called me out of a meeting to gush over the story. And my head got too big to fit through doorways. And when she told me to submit it to a publisher, my head was so big it barely fit into the car for the ride home. Once again, what the heck? flashed through my mind. And I submitted it to this e-publisher with a good reputation and fair terms. The fact that their authors had positive things to say about them didn't hurt either. And on Christmas Day while sitting at work I opened up my email to find a letter from Deanna Lee letting me know that she enjoyed my story too.

SOLDIER released from Cobblestone Press in April of 2008. Since then I've been contracted for an additional two stories with Cobblestone. I'm only looking forward from here.

Who knew that a little kid a zillion years ago could have predicted the direction her life would head?

I'm glad she did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can find more about Dee here: Website Blog

Meet Cobblestone Press Author Michele Braden

Vampire Oracle - Harmony

I never thought I'd be writing a paranormal romance. I write straight contemporary. I also didn't write fully disclosed love scenes. So, when the call came out for proposals for the Vampire Oracle line, why did I jump at it? I have no idea.

I originally read through the descriptions for each card and thought they sounded great. For someone else. Not my thing. But then the Harmony card showed up (they were released for proposals five at a time, just like they are being published the same way). I was drawn to the face on the card: Then, the description captured me: Key Words: sustenance, without conflict Meaning: This is a time of happiness and constancy. But like all good things, they have been worked for and could slip through the fingers if taken for granted.

My storyline for Harmony immediately popped in my head and I rushed to open a document and start laying it out. Once I finished that, I carefully checked all the rules for the proposal and then submitted it.

It all happened very quickly, but I was in the middle of the pack for submissions and we were to wait until mid-August, or maybe it was the end, but either way, it was a long wait. However, we got lucky and Deanna and Sable made their decisions much faster.

When I saw the email pop up in my inbox earlier than the expected date, I assumed it was a decline and was afraid to look. It was a contract!! (Obviously, since I'm writing this, but still, very exciting for me.)

From then to now has been a busy time: writing, editing, blurbing and getting ready for release date. The first five Vampire Oracle novella's released yesterday (June 6/08). Vampire Oracle: Harmony will release August 1/08. And, if I do say so myself, those love scenes turned out pretty hot.

I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed stepping outside of my comfort zone and writing it.

Here is my blurb:

Recently engaged, Kara Staten and Marc Brodeur are in love, and life is good.
Kara has a brand new business, and they have both worked hard to get to where
they are. When things start to turn bad, they struggle for the harmony they once
had. The balance starts to unravel, secrets become harder to keep. Kara's
skincare salon's "Take A Bite Out of Love (TBOL)" campaign results in several
almost fatal love bites, and Marc doesn't know if he's the cause. He's a vampire
trying to live a normal life. As the vampire in him struggles to take control,
Marc is only sure that he can't be the man Kara needs. She doesn't know he's a
vampire--can't know. As their lives spin into separate paths, they will find
that the thing that could tear them apart is the one thing that will ultimately
keep them together.

To learn more about Michelle visit her at her WEBSITE or you can find her often at her BLOG

That's the Power of Love..or Romance to be exact.

The Power of Romance

Featuring

Guest blogger

Jamieson Wolf

A while back, I was talking to my co-workers and sharing my good news: Cobblestone Press had accepted Valentine, my gay erotic paranormal romance, and they were going to publish it!
Josh, the office admin, turned to me and said: “Did you just say your gay erotic romance?”
I nodded. “Yep.” I said.
"You mean like a fantasy right?”
"Yeah, but it’s a gay romance.”
"You write romance?” Lindsay, my other co-worker, huffed.
“For goodness sake, Josh! He just told us that his gay erotic romance was accepted. So yes, he writes romance.”
"But I thought you wrote fantasy stuff.” Josh said.
I sighed inwardly. The truth is that I write a lot of different things. I have a horror/fantasy series about soap operas and zombies. I have the first book in a dark children’s trilogy out now in paperback. So, I’m more known as a fantasy author. Only I like to call it speculative fiction.
Thus far, aside from my husband, everyone has reacted the same way when I’ve told them the news about Valentine: Bemused bafflement.
One of my friends reacted in a particularly amusing way. “You wrote a romance?” My friend scoffed. "Isn’t that a little tacky?”
For whatever reason, there seems to be this stigma about romance novels or erotic romance stories. People are always leery of either admitting they read them or that they enjoy them. \
I read tons of romances. Nora Roberts, Heather Graham, Diana Palmer, J.D. Robb, Carly Phillips, Caridad Piniero, Pat White, Pamela Palmer, all of them are fantastic.
I don’t know what it is about romances that I love so much. Perhaps it’s because there is no greater thing on this earth than passionate love and a happy ending?
Whatever the reason, I’m proud to be in the company of such talented writers. I’m proud to be writing stories that touch the heart, pull on the emotions and evoke feelings, something I think that is lacking in literature today. And though quite a few people might discount romances as smut, they are the only books I know of that consistently evoke a reaction: shock, envy, lust, contentment, sadness, happiness, a sense of triumph. I experience those emotions and more each time I read a romance.
I think the true power of romances is that it brings our fantasies to life and shows us its okay to dream, to hope, to want something better. They show us its okay to love. What can be more powerful than that?
Later on in the day, Josh came to my desk with a grin on his face.
“What?” I asked.
"Your romance,” he said sheepishly. “Can I read it?”
I grinned and shook my head. I guess some people can be lured by the power of romance after all.


For more info on Jamieson and her new release Valentine, check out her blog! www.valentineanovel.blogspot.com

And, while you’re at it, don’t forget to pick up your copy of Valentine by clicking here: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/valentinejw

Website ~ Blog ~ Myspace

Cobblestone Blog Tour Continues--I Once Met a Girl

An Interview With Leila Brown

Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Well let’s see…I’m an avid reader. Always have been, always will be. I enjoy a good story whether it’s romance, science fiction, or horror. I’m in it for the story. That’s what I strive for. In every story I write I try to provide my readers with a great story first and foremost.

Were you a reader before you became a writer?
Oh yes. I could read 3-4 category romances a day or one and a half single titles. I spent hundreds of dollars a month on books.

Did you always aspire to be an author? Was writing a passion of yours?
Yes. I started writing in the second grade. Unfortunately, I didn’t win that first writing contest. But it created the need to write.

Have you always had the writing bug? And how long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing seriously since 2002. I entered contest but didn’t start sending my work out to publishing companies until 2005.

Your real job is very different (non-creative) from writing. Does this difference drive your imagination?
Some days. My day job as a computer programmer/analysts can be a drain. If I’m dealing with a particular hard problem or training people then I use the creative juices try to come up with ways to explain technical things to non-technical people. Other days I find myself coming up with new ideas while I work. I keep a notebook handy for just such an occasion.

What is the best part of being a writer?
Creating stories that entertain me and getting paid for it.

How did you get your break and sell your first book?
It’s kind of funny. The first book I sold will actually be my fourth book released. When Cobblestone Press first came out with their Vampire Oracle line I loved the oracle card images. I submitted three proposals. Battle, Lust, and Hunger. On Aug. 10th 2007 (like how I remember the date?) the publisher contacted me and expressed how much she liked my Hunger proposal. But she felt it fit the Sacrifice card better. After reading through her reasoning, I had to agree.

Has your writing made you adjust your lifestyle in any way?
I’ve learned sleep is for wimps! No, actually I learned to take care of my family first. After that the day job and finally all free time is spent on writing and promoting my books.

Are you planning on writing any series books or do you have any more books that lead on from your existing titles that we should know about?
You betcha. The sequel to The Diamond Heartstone is The Pearl Heartstone. I am working on that one right now. It’s the story of how the nasty prince meets his match. The sequel to A Chance Encounter is also in the works. It will detail how Monique, Heather business partner and best friend, gets caught by her own set of powerful Faeries. Yes, it’s another ménage. And…as if that wasn’t enough, in September and October of this year I will be releasing Mastering Mirage and Making Mischief. These will be the stories of Soundwave’s sisters who are out searching for big sis when they cross the wrong men. Is that enough?

Not quite. But if you want to learn more about Leila just go to her website at www.leilabrown.com