Hot Authors to Help You Stay Cool

Haven’t posted all week and I apologize for that. It’s just that I feel like I should post something charming, witty, brilliant, or perhaps an expose on how to write the next bestseller. And nada. I got nothing.

Working in the heat makes my brain empty. So, in lieu of my own banter, if you’re looking for a summer read to take your mind off of this infernal weather we’re having, check out some of my favorite authors. I highly recommend them because by turns they’re charming, witty, and brilliant.

 

Buy It Here

 

She never imagined love could happen twice—until her husband returned from the dead.

Cassidy thinks she’s getting on with her life just fine after her husband’s fall to cancer. Life is quiet, which is just the way she likes it, half a continent away from her overbearing Irish family.

Niall doesn’t want to scare the fragile Irish rose, but her husband, supposedly two years in the grave, has been caught on security tapes at a secret government laboratory.

Together, they unearth evidence of industrial espionage and identity theft...and frightening connections to the Irish Mob that will put more than just their own lives at risk.

Sex, bullets, more sex, intimate body piercings and a few red roses. What more could a girl want?

Buy It Here

Madison Lee thought she'd put her European vacation behind her, until the full moon turned her into a hairy beast. A year later she has come to grip with her new life, now her whole world is blown apart. The man who gave her a night of incredible passion and an uncontrollable urge to howl at the moon shows up in town with his sights on taking over her family's business.

Hot on his heels a stranger comes to town with more than the rustic scenery on his mind. He's a monster hunter out for Nicholi's blood and just maybe hers if he finds out her not so little secret. How is a Southern Deb supposed to deal with lovers, killers and the biggest Cotillion of the year all at the same time? Madison soon learns Where there's a Were, there's a way and it leads straight to love.

Buy It Here

 

Has this frog finally found her prince?

 

From the moment Colleen confesses her deepest desire -- to experience the same passion she's read about in books -- she is swept away on the most daring escapade she’s ever experienced. Dressed in nothing but green paint, she attends a Halloween party searching for the man of her dreams. She finds him, but then fears she won’t be able to give him up.

Since the death of his wife five years ago, Dan's life has been on auto-pilot. But from the moment he meets Colleen, he starts to feel alive again. And he knows he can’t let this would-be princess stride out of his life…

Hope you'll check out these awesome reads. That's all for this week. Stay safe out there in the heat. Until next time...

Novel Work #1 – Start at the Beginning

Wow. That sounds simple, doesn’t it. But where exactly is the beginning?

This is a question I have to work through every time I start a new story. Over time I’ve learned that there are a few things I need to know before I can answer this question. Please remember, I’m a die-hard plotter. So if you’re a pantser, or just not as anal as I am, your mileage may vary.

The first thing I need to know is my characters. I need to know who they are. Their goals and their motivation for reaching said goals. I also need to know what the major conflicts are. I say conflicts because personally, I like an angst-y story so I want both internal and external conflict. And I’m talking skeletons at this point for plot because everything is subject to refinement, but it helps to have an idea where you’re headed so you can find your way.

During the process of critiquing and judging writing, I’ve noticed this is something new writers struggle with. They feel the need to get everything ‘set up’ before the story starts. That way the reader will understand completely when the action starts in chapter five.

Imagine meeting someone for the first time, and right after you’ve been introduced the person starts telling you their life story, from birth up until the moment you meet. Kudos to you if you can last through the whole thing. It’s an exaggeration to be sure, but you get the point. It’s boring! Isn’t it more fun to learn about people a bit at a time? The thrill of discovery makes things more exciting.

Not only that, but its way easier as a writer to just ‘set up’ everything. It takes work and creativity to delicately weave in the back story, setting details, and personality traits. But it also gives you, and most importantly the reader, a better reading experience.

The ideal place to start your story, IMO, is when the hero/heroine gets the call to action. In other words, at the point where their life changes forever. It can be good, or bad, and the character may recognize it immediately or not, but as a writer, you need to. You need to understand that after this particular moment, be it a choice made, a disaster unfolding, or circumvented, from here on out, they will be different. Change is the catalyst that drives the opening.

And the reader shouldn’t have to wait for it.

How you portray that change will be up to you. After all, it is your story.

Bowing to the Inevitable

It’s something I’ve known for a while now. Although people deal with it every day and are just fine, I didn’t want to face it. Call me vain if it makes you feel better, but it’s not vanity. Finally, it was fear that made me do it.

My eyes have been doing strange things for the past couple years. Store bought ‘readers’ solved the problem up until recently. Once the blurred vision and headaches started, it became more difficult to put off going to the eye doctor. It’s not that I’m afraid of doctors, it’s just that visiting them takes up so much time. Time I’d really rather being doing something else with.

But the other day, I had a thought. Imagine! If I keep screwing with my eyes, there could be something wrong I don’t know about. And if it gets worse, someday I might not be able to read. That one thought stopped me cold. I actually thought about it.

A world where I wouldn’t be able to read the letters printed in ink on the pages of a book collection I’ve tended and grown lovingly over the years. Or worse yet, flip pages with the touch of a button on my ereader without changing the font to extra-large. Okay, insert vain here. I tried the extra-large font already. Needless to say, this wild imagining got me on the phone for an appointment, and then got my dumb ass to the vision clinic, pronto.

So, yeah, I’ve got to wear glasses now. They should arrive in about ten days. I’m thrilled. My eyes are healthy, just not as young as they used to be. I guess that means they match the rest of me.

How does that song go? ‘I ain’t as good as I once was…’

About Cats

The title is no joke. If you are a person who believes the only good use for a cat is a doorstop, you can stop reading. Otherwise, let’s continue. Shall we?

Lately I’ve become aware of some interesting feline behavior in our household. It’s well, dare I say it? Almost canine. We’ve had our cats going on seven years now. They were one year old rescue cats when we got them. The first few years, they exhibited normal cattitudes about everything.

Now, if we’re in the house, they must be in the same room with us, or they will not stop calling until they are. Much like a three year old. Or a puppy. Not only do they come when called, they respond with a particular sounding ‘meow’. Each one seems to recognize its name.

If they are about to do something they shouldn’t, like get on the counter top, we can point at them, make an “Ah-ah!” sound and they stop what they are doing, and sometimes run the other direction. Again, much like a child, or a dog.

When we have been away, and come home they are both waiting at the door, and ‘talk’ to us as we enter. I find the whole noise making thing very interesting because they never, and I mean NEVER do it to each other. It seems like the longer we have them, the more interactive and personable they become.

And I must add that none of this is motivated by basic necessities such as food, water, litter, etc. They don’t get treats because one has a very sensitive stomach. And will not tolerate any of the several we’ve tried over the years. Food and water are available twenty-four seven so we’ve never had the ‘omg, feed me or I’m going to die!’ issue.

Right now, they are both on my desk sleeping. They seem to be normal healthy cats. But they are the first ones we’ve had so I have no idea if everyone else’s cats do this or not. And that’s the crux of this post. I’ve always heard cats behave in a particular independent fashion which is why a lot of people don’t care for them. Ours don’t seem to do that anymore. Do your cats interact with you in a way that’s really not catlike?

Celebrate Summer!

With free reads from Lyrical Press.

To celebrate summer, Lyrical Press will be giving away books. No contests, no rules...just visit their store to download that day's book! Yep, that's right. All you have to do is follow them on Twitter or Facebook to watch for the free book announcements.

Here are the links to Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Reading!

Help Author L.A. Banks

In case you've missed this information in your travels around the web, here it is, just for you!

I don't know Leslie, but I do know she's kept me entertained with her stories for hours on end. So how can I not help when she needs it?

Gathering as we do in times of need...

It is with profound sadness that we have received news that, Leslie Esdaile, ("L.A. Banks") is most gravely ill. She is facing an uphill battle in her struggle with serious illness. Please know that as Leslie needs all of her energy in this fight, she is absolutely not able to receive visitors, answer emails, texts or phone calls, or receive flowers.

While your prayers and thoughts are most welcome and needed, a special support website, including an auction has been set up in order to help Leslie with the mounting medical expenses facing her and her family. We'd like to ask if you would consider helping us spread the word about this auction by placing this button on your website, blog, facebook and in your newsletters with a link to this website: www.labanksauction.org for the duration of the auction.

Share Your Heart Auction for Leslie On Ebay

June 21-July 1, 2011
Bids begin at : 9 AM EST (6/21)
Auctions end: 9 PM (7/1)

you must register with Ebay to place bids for the auction (if you are not registered)

Thank you to The Romance Studio for providing this information.

Sushi Anyone?

Hey, All! Freshly showered and back from the evil day job which tends to take over my life at times. One thing I do love about all the traveling though is meeting great people and making exciting discoveries along the way. Here’s the latest one.

Have you ever been to Fairhope, Alabama? If not, you should make it a tourist destination if you love beautiful, quaint resort towns, lined with streets of unique shops, and galleries. The street corners are planted with amazing foliage. It was so pretty that when we stopped at the first stoplight, we didn’t go because we were staring in awe at the flowers. Needless to say, the people behind us honked a reminder. Check out the link if you want to see some photos. These are from a Fairhope website, I didn’t take them.

One of the best things about the trip however, was MasterJoes. When trying to decide where to dine for dinner, our clients suggested it. Being sushi lovers, we’ve eaten sushi at a lot of places around the country. And let me tell you, this beats anything we’ve had thus far.

Their website isn’t quite finished, but there’s enough information on it to give you a peek.

If you are ever in southern Alabama, it’s worth the detour to try this establishment. The prices are reasonable, and it’s easy to find since it’s on the main street of Fairhope. The service is outstanding, the staff is very friendly, and the food, well, I’m running out of adjectives. Let me just say it was so good, we went there twice!!