FEBRUARY WINNER!!!

Congratulations KRIS!! You’re the February winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Marin Thomas and Trish Milburn through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

Creating a series

I recently signed a contract with Harlequin American for three more books—bringing the total to twelve--in my Safe Harbor Medical miniseries. While this is great news, for me, it’s a challenge, too. Although I’ve written several series before (among a total of 93 books sold), the longest encompassed five books. Twelve? That’s new territory for me.

Initially, the plan called for three books. Then six. Well, the eighth book, The Baby Dilemma, comes out in April, and the ninth, The M.D.’s Secret Daughter, in September. Then I discovered I wasn’t done yet.

I don’t ever want to grow stale or predictable. That’s hard in a long series set in the same town, and in a hospital that focuses on pregnancy and fertility issues. Despite some similarities of theme, each book has to feel fresh to me—and especially to the readers.

Characters are essential. If I “plant” a future hero or heroine in an earlier book, I make sure that person is a genuine part of the community, not just a pretty face waiting for a turn on stage. In addition, I create offbeat and/or older people, like volunteer Renée Green and sarcastic anesthesiologist Rod Vintner. Having important secondary characters adds texture and richness.

What else does it take to write such a long series? Being organized! My list of characters runs to forty pages, my list of settings to nine. Plus I’ve drawn maps of the town and floor plans of important buildings.

And so I’ve begun writing book ten. Already, the characters are refusing to do what I expected. They’re taking me along on a ride of their own, and that’s exactly as it should be.

If you’re curious about the series, I’ve put together a web page with the covers, an overview and brief summaries. I hope you’ll visit http://www.jacquelinediamond.com/news1.html

Name That Character!

Here I am, sitting at my desk in snowy Calgary...

...writing the second book of my Coffee Creek series, and the story is flowing. The hero and heroine have just had an argument and parted on tense terms. The hero (a vet) leaves the heroine’s ranch and starts driving toward another property, thirty miles away, where a lame cow requires his attention. Suddenly a call comes in from his office. He patches in the Bluetooth and--

Full stop.

I have to halt writing at this point, because I need a name for my hero’s office receptionist, the person who is about to tell him that an emergency requires his immediate attention. I know a lot about this character already. She will be married, with four children. She is one of those super-organized people who not only keeps his large-animal vet office running smoothly, but also tries to run his personal life too. Because she is happily married, she believes everyone should be happily married. This includes the hunky man she works for, of course.

But what is her name?

Some people might think naming characters is one of the fun parts of being a romance author. I used to think so. But now I know the truth. Having to stop and choose a name for a new character is terrible for momentum. Especially since picking names is harder than it seems. I have several “Baby Name” books--but these are not as helpful as you’d think. I’ve heard that some authors used to turn to the phone book (before they became archaic) to find names. Not me. Too overwhelming.

Over the years, I’ve come to rely on two sources for finding good names. One is magazines. The other are the obits of my local newspaper.

If my character is fifty or older, I tend to turn to the obits first. You heard it first here, folks. My novels are full of dead people.

For younger characters, I look at the editorial board of various magazines for inspiration. My definition of “magazines” also includes the program for the Calgary Stampede. God bless the mothers of cowboys. They sure know how to name their babies.

Now that you know my evil, name-stealing ways, I must redeem myself, at least partially. I rarely use the first and last name of any real person. So Candy Smith and Sally Jones becomes Candy Jones. Who says I can’t be creative?

Okay, time to get back to my writing...And that pesky receptionist? I’ve just christened her “Liz Moffatt” (Compliments of a woman mentioned in Cowgirl Magazine and the author of a book that is sitting on my desk.)

Tell me--if you were writing a book, what name would you choose for your hero or heroine? I’ll send out an autographed book from my Superromance backlist to one randomly selected respondent.

Happy Leap Year everyone! (Did you know that leap years that are divisible by 100 don’t have an extra day? It’s complicated...check Wikipedia.)

CJ Carmichael

Teen Celebrity Crushes

We've all had them, those crushes on the famous and oh-so-unattainable guys we saw on the Ed Sullivan show, whose movies we swooned over at the Saturday matinee, or whose records we listened to over and over again. You know the guy I mean.

At various times I had several teen crushes. James Darren as Moondoggie in the Gidget movies. I was too young to have a crush when the movie came out but when I saw it on TV in the '60s, I was in love! George Harrison, my favorite Beattle, and Herman from Herman's Hermits.

We lived in a small town in 1967 and I remember begging my parents to let me and a girlfriend go a Herman's Hermits concert in the city. I might as well have asked to go to the moon.

Instead I had to settle for listening to their records, over and over again. I knew all the lyrics, and I used my babysitting money to buy Tiger Beat magazine so I could pour over all the tantalizing details of Herman's life.

Last year, almost forty-five years after surviving the disappointment of missing the Herman's Hermits concert, my mother and I went to see Peter Noone (Herman) perform.

It wasn't the concert I so desperately wanted to see in the '60s but it was fun, and I even got my old LPs autographed.

I haven't played these records in years, but I did have a look inside the covers before I went to the concert. I'm so glad I did, because look what I found.

Two drawings I made of Herman when I was about thirteen.

They were drawn on looseleaf paper, no doubt while I supposed to be doing homework. Peter/Herman was a good sport and signed them for me, asking if I'd become any better at drawing over the years. Sadly, no! But I did discover that while I got over my crush, I'll always be a fan.

Okay, now it's confession time. Who was your teen crush?

Until next time,
Lee
www.leemckenzie.com
The Christmas Secret ~ available now
A Christmas present with a hidden past
The Daddy Project ~ December 2012

Giving Away Copies of Arizona Cowboy!

As most of us authors are doing with February releases…I'm out and about promoting the latest book in my Rodeo Rebels series…Arizona Cowboy.

BUY!

From the back cover…..

Last Cowboy—Or Cowgirl!— Standing...

Rachel Lewis is a bona fide city slicker. Still, when her estranged father asks for her help, she ends up in dusty Stagecoach, Arizona, to manage his rodeo company for the summer. Being clueless about rough stock is nothing, though, compared to the confused feelings Rachel has for sexy ranch foreman Clint McGraw... because he's also her main competitor for her father's affections.

Clint can hardly believe it when his boss hands over the reins to his long-gone daughter. What the heck does a spoiled city girl like Rachel know about rodeo? Why, she's crazy enough to offer a competition event to women bull riders! And for sure she's going to nudge her way back into her father's heart—leaving Clint high and dry. Even so, he can't help falling hard for Rachel. But only one of them can be the head honcho of this round-up!

 

Following are 5 ways you can win a copy of 

Arizona Cowboy

 1) Sign up for my Newsletter.  Each month I run a Wild West Trivia contest and select a winner from all the correct answers turned in. 

At the end of each month I'll send a copy of Arizona Cowboy to someone who…

2) Follows my blog  by email All My Heroes are Cowboys..

3) "LIKE"s  my Facebook page… 

4) Enters my GoodreadsGiveaway!  For the month of February only I'm giving away 5 copies of Arizona Cowboy.

5) And I'm also offering a copy of Arizona Cowboy to one lucky poster at the American Romance Blog.  Linda Warren will announce the winner at the beginning of March.

I speak for all of the Harlequin American Romance authors when I say "Thank You" for your continued support...buying our books, helping us spread the word about new releases, taking the time to post online reviews and stopping by our blogs to chat!  Our Fans are the BEST!

Happy Reading!

Marin

Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)

A Cowboy's Duty (Aug 2012)

Beau: Cowboy Protector (Nov 2012)  

Happy Ever After...The Cowboy Way

Lasting Impressions

I'm happy we have an extra day in February this year because, so far, it has been one fun, exciting, and busy month!

I'm on tour. A virtual tour around the Internet to celebrate my current release, THE RODEO MAN'S DAUGHTER. In this book, my hero takes a trip—back to his own hometown. It's a trip he'll never forget, as the visit brings him smack up against a number of memories, some good and some terrible.

Today, I'd like to talk about good memories.

I once took a trip—a real-life tour—that made a lasting impression: ten days in Europe with a large group of students. And with a smaller number of teacher-chaperones, all of whom actually survived to return home and teach again. LOL

Our adventure began in Spain, where we stood in hushed awe inside churches in Barcelona, felt our blood pulse to the rhythms of the Flamenco in Seville, and—for those who chose to do so—held our breath during a bullfight in Madrid.

We spent two beautiful, sunny days walking the beach and chasing the surf on Palma de Mallorca.

And before the trip ended, we took a ferry to Morocco, where we rode camels and ate exotic food and spent an afternoon at the Kasbah.

I sound like an ad for a travel agency, don't I? (smile) Sorry. But I can't help it.

In those ten days, we probably saw more breathtaking sites and came smack up against more history than I ever had in my life. The photos we took faded, but the memories have stayed bright.

Have you ever visited a place that's made such a lasting impression?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

V-Day Fairy vs. Fixing the Hot Water Heater

Hubby's sweet gift came early this year with this hot pink Oilers 
jersey from one of my fave players, Jeff Terminesi!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Funny, how over the years the day's meaning and/or events have changed.  When I was a kid, Mom and I couldn't wait for Dad to get home.  He'd always have one or two tin-foil-wrapped gifts for each of us.  For me, sometimes as simple as a teen magazine I'd been wanting and a big candy bar.  In my teens, I usually got a special piece of jewelry--my favorite, a tiny mouse set atop a gold ring.  He even has ruby eyes!  Mom and I were just talking with Dad about how much we looked forward to seeing him, guessing at what surprises he might bring.

As a teen, of course the big day was all about romance!!!  The year I received a bouquet from my boyfriend, one from my parents and another from my ex-boyfriend's mother who I'm pretty sure still wishes we were back together, was a super exciting year!!

In college, the day became less about what I got and more about what I could give.  Back then, the University of Arkansas choir sold singing telegrams for five bucks!  God bless Whitney Houston, as her songs were the best for wooing and landed my hubby!!  Music holds the power to transform all of us into time-travelers and for me, her voice and lyrics transport me to those special college times.

Fast forward a few years and the twins were introduced to the Valentine Fairy!!  I was always Little Terry's Valentine and hubby was Hannah's.  The Valentine Fairy always added a little extra sparkle--a Barbie or Pokemon cards.

Now, Hubby and I are pretty content lounging in our PJs in front of the fire and romantic gifts usually consist of fixing something broken around the house!!  LOL!!

This year, however, Hannah will be doing her Ice Girl thing at tonight's Oilers game, so we'll romance over a shared order of Billy's onion rings at the BOK Center!!  Wish the hot pink jersey we won at auction Saturday night would be ready to wear, but alas, it's still being fumigated!!  (Hockey players might look good, but wow, do they work up a sweaty funk!!  LOL!!)

What phase of Valentine's Day are you all in?  Whichever it is, hope you're surrounded by LOVE!!!    

Florida Has Cattle, Too

Fourth-generation cattleman Ty Parker looks into his childless future and wonders what will become of the ranch he’s worked so hard to preserve. His answer might be a five-year-old boy abandoned on DCF’s doorstep, but only if the rancher convinces a jaded social worker that he’s good father material on a two-week cattle drive through Florida’s version of the Old West.

I have to admit that my story about a cattle drive set in Florida raised some eyebrows when I first pitched the idea as a Harlequin American Romance. Cattle? In Florida? A state more known for its orange groves and theme parks didn’t seem like the best setting for a story about a fourth-generation rancher. And yet, it’s more fitting than a lot of people might guess.

Cattle ranching has been a staple of Florida’s economy for a long, long time. I think it’s fair to blame Ponce de Leon for that. He brought seven head of Andalusian cows with him on his second visit in 1521. People have been ranching here ever since.

Did you know that today Florida is the third-largest beef-producing state east of the Mississippi? Or that 1.1 million head of cattle graze its pastures?

We use term “Florida Cracker” when we’re talking about someone who was born and raised in the state. The term harkens back to the days when cowboys would snap long, braided whips over the heads of the cattle they were herding. “Crack!”

The cattle drive in Rancher’s Son, my December release for Harlequin American Romance is pattered after an old-fashioned drive that takes place across the state each spring. Over the next few months, we’ll talk more about Rancher’s Son and why Florida makes the perfect setting for a book about ranching.

RAIN. RAIN. LET IT RAIN!!

As I’ve blogged about before, Texas has been in the worse drought since the fifties. I don’t remember that one, but the last year has been brutal with parched pastures and lakes, ponds and creeks drying up. Everyone has been praying for rain for a solid year. Our prayers have finally been answered. In January we had several small showers and then a two inches rain, but Friday night we got the big one—at least five inches. Along with the rain though came bad weather. We were under a severe thunderstorm watch and then that turned into a tornado warning, which the weatherman was predicting would touch down near our neighborhood.

What do you do when a tornado is headed toward you? Panic is always my first choice, but luckily my husband is very calm. He gathered flashlights, bottled water and carried them to a bathroom in the center of our house. He grabbed a big comforter from the closet. I added Snicker bars. If I’m going to be stuck somewhere, I want a snack.

It was dark and pouring buckets outside, but the TV and lights were still on. Then the TV started beeping with an alert: People in these areas take cover. Our neighborhood was listed. The wind howled and rain pounded our roof, but other than that everything remained the same. The lights and TV stayed on. Strange. Then we got the news that the tornado had touched down about five miles from us. It did a lot of damage, but thankfully no one was hurt. Due to all the stress, I decided to eat a Snickers anyway.

The tornado has been the topic of conversation and it always ends with one sentence: But we got rain. Yes! Look at the difference. Lots of water.

I told my husband we needed to be more prepared. What would you do if a tornado was headed for your house?

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

Linda
www.LindaWarren.net

Marriage

We're a week away from Valentine's Day and a question from the past popped into my mind. Why do people get married?

I had this topic as a college writing assignment, and to be honest, I'm still not sure of the answer. Which is different than why do we strive for the Happily Ever After. That I could have written about. And, hey, I do! lol

But the ceremony itself? I think it's because of tradition and societal expectations. For sure, a piece of paper doesn't hold all marriages together, but the trouble of ending one can be an obstacle to just walking away.

Matthew McConaughey is marrying the mother of his children after being together for several years. Wouldn't one think they already established a solid relationship? (No, mentioning Matthew wasn't just an excuse to put up this amazingly sexy picture of him.) Don't Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell have a successful long-term relationship without the official document that sanctions it?

Sanctions. Hmmm. That takes us back to societal expectations, religious beliefs, parental pressure, etc.

I loved my wedding. I used to watch the tape of it every year on my anniversary until the kids became bored to tears with me pointing out their relatives...and they were only toddlers at the time. I had the whole shebang and don't regret it. But then, I'm a traditional girl.

The ceremony must be important because people are fighting about same sex marriage rights across the country. Those that want laws approved must value marriage (and want their lifestyle validated). Those that oppose such laws must have feelings about what marriage means that surpasses a couple being together forever.

So, why do you think people choose marriage or don't choose marriage? It's a highly personal choice, but Matthew's proposal made me curious. What did he feel was missing from his relationship that being married would add?

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.
Megan

Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com

Trying something new

I happen to love chocolate. I also enjoy wine. But putting the two together? Until a few weeks ago I had never considered such a thing. Then my husband and I were invited to a wine and chocolate pairing party.

Guests were asked to bring chocolate and a wine that paired well it. Say what?

I needed help and information, but none of our friends knew anything about this kind of pairing. So I turned to the internet, where I found tons of information, including a nifty chart about which goes with what.

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/chocolate/pairing-wine2.asp

I printed out the chart and brought it with me to my favorite grocery store. After selecting a small box of gourmet chocolates from the specialty chocolates section, I headed for the wine department. Using my chart and the chocolates, the helpful wine expert found just the right wine.

The other three couples who came to the party brought their own chocolate and wine, and our hosts supplied at least half a dozen types of chocolates and the appropriate wines. They set out small squares of each chocolate on separate little plates. (So many to sample! I was in heaven) Each plate was labeled with the brand of chocolate, the percentage of cacao and the spice content (If any). Our hosts supplied pen and paper for us to jot down any favorites we wanted to remember.

I not only thoroughly enjoyed myself, I also learned quite a bit about pairing chocolate with wine. Did you know that some wines greatly enhance the flavor of the chocolate, and vice versa.?

If you haven’t tried something new lately, maybe you should. After all, this is leap year and leap month! You might have fun and better yet, learn something.

If you have tried something new and different, please share your experience.

Until next month,

Ann

www.annroth.net

JANUARY WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Tammy Yenalavitch! You’re the January winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Jacqueline Diamond, Cathy McDavid and Linda Warren through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

My book cover quest continues

What makes you pick up or click on a book? I mean, apart from the author’s name and the title?

I had no idea how tricky this subject was until I started revising and posting my older books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. After all, Harlequin does a beautiful job of creating covers for my Safe Harbor Medical miniseries, as you can see for my February release, The Detective’s Accidental Baby. All I do is provide the art department with a few descriptions and the storyline.

Among the books I’m reissuing are half a dozen Regency romances set in Jane Austen’s era. They’re traditional, which means lots of fun complications but no sex. I’ve been using flowers as the background, simply because I like them.

A fellow writer, Anne Glover, who maintains the Regency Reader site (http://anneglover.wordpress.com/) , reviewed one of my books, Lady in Disguise. She loved it—except for the cover. I emailed her to ask why, and we began corresponding. Anne prefers the traditional type of cover, featuring a heroine of that era in an old-fashioned setting.

She recommended graphic designer Kelly at customgraphics.etsy.com. Kelly has now designed a charming new cover for my Regency The Day-Dreaming Lady. It tells the reader right away what genre this is, with an elegant touch. I’m posting it here. I’ll be eagerly watching the sales figures!

Then there are my contemporary romantic comedies. How do you stand out in the crowd? After rewriting and updating Unlikely Partners, the first of two books that form the Runaway Heiress series, I got inspired…by my teddy bears. I created the cover shown here and another for the sequel, Capers and Rainbows.

What do you think? Cute or confusing?

Meanwhile, I’m grateful to Harlequin for the terrific way the art department handles my covers. Thank goodness I don’t have to do those too!

A Sweet Sewing Project

Wouldn't these cute 'n' cosy slippers make a great gift for your Valentine?

I found the pattern here at Craftsy.com and just had to share.

They would be so quick and easy to make for yourself or to give as a gift. I think they'd also be fun to have on hand for overnight guests, who could then take home and have a lovely memento of their visit.

Happy crafting!

Until next time,
Lee
www.leemckenzie.com
The Christmas Secret (November 2011)
The Daddy Project (TBA)
Daddy, Unexpectedly (TBA)

From Supers to Americans--Taking the Leap

After writing about thirty books for Harlequin Superromance , this year I decided to try something exciting and new: writing for Harlequin American. So for the next few years I am going to be all about Cowboys and Montana--and what could be better than that?

 My first American will be released in August as part of a continuity series called Harts of the Rodeo. I was honored to be included with a group of amazing and talented American authors. Do the names Cathy McDavid, Roz Denny Fox, Shelley Galloway, Marin Thomas and Linda Warren mean anything to you? J I thought so!

I’m excited about the new direction  and want to celebrate by offering an autographed set of a trilogy I wrote for Superromance called: Three Good Men.

To enter the draw, please leave me contact me via my website: www.cjcarmichael.com . If you also “Like” my Facebook profile http://www.facebook.com/#!/authorcjcarmichael  you will be entered twice. I will randomly select a winner on February 1^st.

Cheers from CJ!

Taking the Plunge

So many "first" things in life can be scary, in my humble opinion.

The first haircut, when those awful scissors snip close to your ears.

That first plunge into your best friend's three-foot swimming pool, which looks about the size of the Atlantic Ocean.

And don't forget that very first walk into a classroom where everyone stands staring at you. They won't say a word because they're just as frightened as you are—but how can you think clearly enough to realize that when you feel like you're ready to upchuck on their shoes?

Just imagine, all those things can happen even before we graduate from kindergarten! It's a wonder we all make it into first grade. LOL

I'm talking about "plunges" and "firsts" today for a couple of reasons.



Caleb Cantrell, the hero of my February book,
THE RODEO MAN'S DAUGHTER, has literally taken a plunge. Thrown by an angry bull, he lands hard and does serious damage to his body—so serious, it's touch-and-go as to whether or not he'll survive. He barely makes it through and is left with the scars to prove it.

Those current scars are nowhere near as bad as the ones he's carried from the past. To heal those, he's got to take another plunge and go back to where his life began. To his little hometown of Flagman's Folly, where the reception he gets from folks isn't quite what he expected....

I'm taking a plunge today, too. Luckily, it's not a scary one. Then again, for someone who tends to stay at home with her characters and concentrate on telling their stories, it's a bit of a big deal. (smile)

With this post, I'm kicking off a virtual blog tour to celebrate the release of THE RODEO MAN'S DAUGHTER. There will be many stops along the way, and I look forward to seeing you on the Internet trail. (Visit my website to find the full list.)

Also, take a look at the end of this post for two chances to win a copy of A RANCHER'S PRIDE, the first book set in Flagman's Folly.

But first, please share! What's one big plunge you've taken in your life?



For a chance to win an autographed copy of A RANCHER'S PRIDE: answer the question asked above.

For a second chance to win: 1. Like my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or sign up for my Yahoo group newsletter (link available at my website)—or do all three. (smile)

2. Then send me an e-mail via the Contact Form on my website letting me know which you've done.

(Drawings will close at midnight tomorrow, January 18. Check my blog www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog on Thursday to find out if you've won and how to claim your prize.)

Thanks for reading and responding to this blog, and again, I look forward to seeing you on the trail!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

Fort Worth Stockyards

If you’ve followed my blogs over the past few months, you’ve probably noticed that my hubby and I have been making an effort to get out and do different things. Having moved to a small town, it’s been fun to check out the local culture and activities.

But this month was our anniversary and we decided to just go bumming around for the day. One of our favorite pass times. No agenda, no plan. One thing leads to the next.

Hubby is a Fort Worth historian. He has shelves of books, old bottles, and tokens he’s collected from Forth Worth. And my current work in progress is centered around a Texas cowboy. So we ended up in the Fort Worth Stock Yards. Toured the cowboy museum, watched the cowboys herd the longhorns down Main Street. Checked out the local shops and watched a couple two-step to the tune of a guy strumming a guitar in front of one of the shops. We ended our day at the Flying Saucer Bar in downtown Fort Worth, sipping a beer and watching the sun fade away.

Quite a fun day given that we had no plans. Something a little different than dinner and a movie anyway.

What type of local activities do you have where you live?

My Not So Glamorous Writing Life

For several years, I attended a writers’ retreat that was held in a somewhat rustic location. Among the lists of what to bring (and what not to bring) where instructions that encouraged attendees to “dress in whatever you wear when you’re writing.” That always gave me a laugh ‘cause no one—not even door-to-door salesmen—see me in my writing clothes. I’ve heard there are authors who dress, wear makeup, select jewelry and shoes for the day before sitting down to the keyboard. I’m not one of them. My writing day, and those of my writing friends, is more about hard work than glamour.

A couple of months ago, I told you about attending Blaze author Candace Haven’s Fast Draft workshop, and how that amped up the pace of my writing. Candace encourages writers to form groups that hold individuals accountable for meeting daily word counts. Lately, several graduates of her course have taken that accountability to a new level by working together. No, we don’t write each other’s books. But we do meet frequently in each other’s homes for days we like to call writing marathons.

Of course, we all know what happens when you put three or four women in the same room—we talk. And email/internet shopping/texting can be such a distraction. Then there’s lunch and coffee and breaks to deal with. We found out quickly that we needed rules to keep our get-togethers from dissolving into coffee klatches. So here they are:

Arrive on time. 15 minutes, max, of chit chat while we settle in, power up our laptops, grab a cup of coffee. The house phone is taken off the hook, internet connections are severed. Cell phones are muted and stored out sight (where, hopefully, they’ll remain out of mind). No Spider Solitaire, Mah Jong or other computer games.

Here’s the kicker--Each participant must write 1000 words before the group can stop for lunch. (I’ve heard a few tummies rumble as everyone waits for me to make that goal.)

After a quick lunch break, it's back to work. The afternoon session is usually even more productive, and several of us routinely hit the 3000-word mark before the day is over.

So, no, writing for a living is not a glamorous life. It’s hard work. It requires persistence, dedication and it’ll put calluses on your gluteus maximus. :)

But seeing your work in print, especially as a Harlequin American Romance, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

A NEW YEAR - A NEW COVER

All authors have stories of how they started writing. I’m no different. I’d read so many wonderful Harlequins that I wanted to try my hand at writing one. I had an idea for characters and a plot so I started writing longhand in a spiral notebook (a true panster), just playing with it and enjoying it more than I’d ever thought. I wrote for a solid year when I could and I had about ten notebooks full. I wasn’t sure what to do with them until my husband gave me a computer for Christmas. I was in business. That book, The Silent Cradle, made the rounds of rejection, over and over. I finally put it away and started on another and another, which I never finished, but I was hooked on writing.

I finally finished another book and sold it. It took two years. I was still ecstatic. While my editor and I were working on revisions, she asked me about The Silent Cradle. Yes, she was one of the editors who had read the manuscript. She remembered the plot and wanted me to send in another proposal on it, keeping in mind that I’d have to rewrite the book. Again! I did and she bought it. The Silent Cradle was titled The Christmas Cradle and became my 10th book and my first Harlequin American in 2004.

This book is very close to my heart because it was my first attempt at writing. I rewrote it so many times I’ve lost track. The final manuscript hardly resembles my first clumsy effort. I learned by trail and error. I’m so happy it’s been given new life with a re-release and a new cover. I love it. What do you think? Which cover do you prefer?

Happy New Year!!
Linda
The Texan’s Christmas – Dec ‘11





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