Romance…Not for everyone…

So many people ask me why I write romance. Well, I love anything romance and believe that everyone needs a little romance. Of course I’ve met many skeptics that don’t believe in romance. They often tell me it’s only found in sappy novels, Valentine candy or something similar, but they insist it’s only in the mind. For me I don’t believe that. I don’t consider most romance novels sappy, but sometimes the sappier the better, but I’m a romance novel junkie and I readily admit to the problem. Many have asked me when I started loving romance. My love for romance began when I was the tender age of 13 and picked up my first romance novel. I read many Harlequin and dime store novels, so many in fact that I carried them everywhere. One of my dear friends from school came to my book signing on Valentine’s Day and she told me that she remembered me carrying a romance novel everywhere I went. She said it only made sense that one day I’d be a romance author. But the day I picked up the book “Remembrance” by Danielle Steele, well let’s just say I was lost in a world of the imagination. She took me to foreign countries and many adventures that stirred this country girl’s young heart. That’s when I started filling notebooks with the words that sprang to my heart. That was when I woke up to the world of romance. Unfortunately not everyone shares my love of romance. Some people have been hurt by love and they turn away from romance. Some people look in the wrong places for the right person and they end up bitter and alone. But some try desperately to find romance and when it’s not found easily they become skeptics. I’m not saying everyone will find that once in a lifetime romance, but I will say this, in order to find romance you’ve got to believe in it with all your heart. That’s where romance comes from and if you believe, it will come. I know I’m just a sappy romance writer, but I know romance exists. I’ve experienced romance and it’s wonderful. That’s one reason I love writing romance. I want my readers to see how real romance happens. My books explore romance but in real life form. It’s not always easy and sometimes my characters struggle to find it. But that’s how life is sometimes. Some of my fans say I take them away from everyday life and immerse them into my world of romance for a while as they read. That always makes me smile.

So, do you believe in romance? I hope so because everyone needs to experience it at least once in their lifetimes. It can happen in a simple touch, dinner or just a look across the way. But it exists for those that believe and when you find it everything seems better. As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Book Signing on Valentine's Day!

Her Wish For Christmas... Pre Order up

Good Wednesday morning to everyone! It's a beautiful, chilly morning here in Georgia. I just love the crisp air that Fall offers. It's so invigorating and refreshes my soul. I begin to get more itchy to write which is scary because some days I could write for 24 hours a day. Yikes, that sounds a little obsessive, but if you're a writer you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm currently working on Her Wish for Christmas, the 3rd book in my Lean on Him Christian Romance Series. This book has torn at my heart and brought me to tears several times. I thought book 2 in the series, Faith Through the Tears was bad on my nerves, well this one has totally cleared out my tear ducts. Actually had a fan recommend sending out a box of tissues with each copy sold. Good Wednesday morning to everyone! It's a beautiful, chilly morning here in Georgia. I just love the crisp air that Fall offers. It's so invigorating and refreshes my soul. I begin to get more itchy to write which is scary because some days I could write for 24 hours a day. Yikes, that sounds a little obsessive, but if you're a writer you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm currently working on Her Wish for Christmas, the 3rd book in my Lean on Him Christian Romance Series. This book has torn at my heart and brought me to tears several times. I thought book 2 in the series, Faith Through the Tears was bad on my nerves, well this one has totally cleared out my tear ducts. Actually had a fan recommend sending out a box of tissues with each copy sold. If you're wondering why it brings me to tears, well it's a book about a problem that plagues this nation and it's something that just affects me so deeply. But it's the reactions of the characters that totally takes me by surprise. If you're not a writer, the last statement might seem strange, but sometimes as writer's we're surprised by how the characters take over. Also, for this book, it's on pre order through Amazon until the release date of November 14th at http://www.amazon.com/Her-Wish-Christmas-Lean-Book-ebook/dp/B00OJI0BN0. I'm donating 50% of my royalties from all the pre order sales and first week after release sales to a domestic violence charity. I want to help out with making a difference. This is such a problem and it breaks my heart that so many feel they have nowhere to turn. The first couple of days the pre order was out it was in the top 100 on Amazon which is exciting. I'm so touched by the response to this book and can't wait for it to be up and running. Since the book is almost completely through the editing process I'm crossing my fingers that maybe this book can inspire someone to speak out and get help. As always, great writing and May God Bless You...

Authors are like bees!

Authors are like bees! Ok, I know you’re saying, now where is she going with that? Well, let me explain. I was watching a bumblebee buzzing around my flowers and I was thinking about the pollination process. If you think hard about it you’ll get where I’m going with this :) As authors we start with the seed that grows into a flower which of course is our book. Once we’ve completed our work of art we start spreading it everywhere. Then of course other authors or bees in this analogy, spread it to other places and so on and so on. Are you getting the picture? Of course we do want to make sure to cross pollinate too. We need to work together as authors and helps other authors promote. It’s a win, win. Have you noticed that we do a lot of promoting on other authors sites and them on ours? I was asked by a non writer once why we do that and I laughed. I told them it may sound crazy, but it still gets our name out there. We all have followers that read what we post. Then of course if we recommend a book they’ll go over and check it out, then also when we cross pollinate, the original author gets more views from the other authors followers. It may sound confusing, but it’s really quite simple. It’s like a pyramid, but legal. So, have you cross pollinated lately? Don’t forget about Romancing September Across The World will start Septemeber 1st. I’ll be posting more in the next week regarding it. But I’ll tell you this, we’ve got 30 awesome authors involved and it’s going to be a great chance to do some pollinating, ummm…. you know what I mean, sharing :) As always, good writing and May God Bless You… For more info: http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/romancing-september-tour/ Also, the countdown is getting close for Safe In The Pirate’s Arms…

In Between Seasons by Cassandra Giovanni Cover Reveal

COMING JULY 31, 2014 From Show n'ot Tell Publishing NEW ADULT POST - APOCALYPTIC ROMANCE SERIES In 2021 the world as we know it changed. The government collapsed, and the worst characteristics of human nature were shown as the world fell into ruins. Years after The Fall, the Tribes that were established are still at war. They still fight to keep what they pillaged, and most of all, they fight to keep their lies a secret. In a world filled with deception, nothing is as it seems. I was born into this world. Hunter Marks was molded into this world; a General— a person cold and harsh. A person meant to kill me. We were told to just believe. We were taught to never question. We’re supposed to be robots, and accept our roles in this altered society. Too bad Hunter and I don’t follow the rules. And we’re a hell of a lot stronger than they ever thought possible. They’ve been searching for the world’s deadliest weapon. It’s me. And I’m not following the leader any more.

Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England their dogs, Bubski and Kanga. Cassandra Giovanni is published by Show n’ot Tell Publishing based out of Connecticut, USA.

TBT - "Field Of Dreams"

It’s Thursday and as I sit here watching the Today Show I’m in awe. Why? Well, they’re talking about Field OF Dreams being 25 years old. I dearly love this movie for many reasons. It’s such an inspirational movie. Even if you don’t like baseball you’ll love this movie. I just love Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. The movie takes you to another place where dreams come true and make you think. The main character makes his dreams a reality through many hardships and a lot of criticism. It makes me think about my dream to be a writer. My niece who is also my partner in our publishing business told me that if I write the fans will come and she was right. I compare my writing to the baseball field. When I publish a book I’m always amazed at the people that come out of the darkness and write to me about the book. Some call them inspirational and others say they love the clean way I bring about romance without having to go too far. I guess you could say my writing is my very own field of dreams and it’s been a dream come true. Yes I do meet some criticism, but I have a tough skin and let it roll off my back. I’m lucky that I have a great following and so many new friends from all over the world that support my writing, my blog and my craziness. Thanks to all of you for helping me make my dreams come true. As always, great writing and May God Bless You…

Throwback Thursday - Tender Flames

Well, another one of my books has turned two this week. Tender Flames turned two on Monday. Wow, time flies when you're having a blast. I always knew that writing was fun and rewarding, but the last two years have really proven this as fact. Tender Flames was a challenge to me. I pitted two brothers against one another and made it work. I cried and laughed while writing this one. But as with Ghost Lover it is under reconstruction. I've learned so much in the last two years and I want to make this book even better with new angles. Even the cover will be remade even though I dearly love the original, everything needs a face lift from time to time. Here's a little snippet from Tender Flames: They walked hand in hand back to the party. They were both deep in thought. She was thinking about how her family would react and how Wes would. Zach knew his family would be happy, well almost his whole family. He knew it was mean of him to want to hurt his brother, but his brother was a fool for not snatching her up long ago. They arrived back at the party. Randy ran over, “Hey sis, everyone wondered where you two had wondered off to. Judging by the look on your face I know what you were doing.” He grinned as he pulled his sisters hair. She blushed. Zach led her to the front of the dance floor. He whistled for the music to stop. Everyone turned to see what Zach had to say. “I have some wonderful news. I have asked Sara to be my wife, and she has accepted. We are to be wed before my leave is up.” There was a stunned silence then everyone whooped and yelled. There were a lot of handshakes and pats on the back for Zach and hugs for Sara. Her parents were stunned at first, then relieved. They had always hoped she would marry one of the Dawson boys. The same went for his parents, they were thrilled. His mother had even cried. Wes walked up and leaned over Sara. He whispered in her ear. “I hope you know what you are doing?” He then gave her a hug that was tight enough to press the air from her lungs. The look he gave her was full of something she did not recognize. She knew then that he cared more for her than she realized. She was suddenly angry with him. It served him right. He should have let her know a long time ago. She did not plan on waiting on him the rest of her life. He gave his brother a hug and said in his ear. “Brother, she had better not be pregnant. You had better make her happy.” He gave him a look that dared him to go against what he said. With that he had left with his girlfriend. Zach had noticed his brother’s reaction too. He was sorry for the hurt he had seen in his eyes, but he loved Sara. He would make her a good husband. Maybe one day she would learn to love him, but for now he was satisfied that she would be his wife. He knew deep down that there would always be a large part of her that belonged to Wes. He could live with that, he just hoped that she could. He turned to her and gave her a big kiss, which brought a lot of whistling and applauding. They danced together for the remainder of the evening. Sara was still a little shocked by the show of emotions on Wes’ face. She knew now that he loved her, but she had committed herself to his brother. She would not back out now and hurt Zach. In a way, she did love him, but she would never love him the way she did Wes. She would make him a good wife. This is from the original manuscript. Since the rewrite is already in process this scene will read differently but the emotion will be there. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Getting to the Heart of Romance...

As most of you know, I write romance. I also blog about romance and the need for more of it in our lives. As I've said many times, romance helps in so many ways.If you're married, you need sprinkles of romance in every aspect of that marriage. If you're in a relationship and it's leaning toward love, well you need romance. It just helps out with even the most tense moment. I've read hundreds, dare I say thousands of romance novels. Sometimes I have to laugh at the lengths a writer will go to when trying to tickle a readers ears. I know all about those lengths. I do it everyday in my writing. Are we giving people false hope? I don't think so, but I recently read an article on just that. The writer talked about teen girls today expecting to find that one man that will give them the romance and life they've read about in novels. She talked about having a trend of romance novels that actually talked of real life interactions. This made me think about my writing. Could a romance novel written from real life interactions make difference? Would the couple waking up with morning breath, totally avoiding one another until they've freshened said breath make a difference? What about those unglamorous moments when you have no make up on and your hair is scraggly? Do you write about that? Will it sell or will people laugh you right out of business? If you take a long look at your own life, how many times have you had a muscled man rescue you and sweep you away to a beautiful location to propose and give you a huge diamond ring, then kiss you into oblivion? Really, how many times? What about a virile cowboy sweeping you off your feet and taking you away into the sunset on his horse? I know, I'm being a little far fetched, but let's get to the heart of real romance. In real life it's the simple things. Maybe it's a flower picked from the yard, a card to say I'm sorry, maybe it's just a loaded dishwasher after a long day of work, but let's get real about romance. For me it's that look across the dinner table or simply a quick kiss as he passes me in the kitchen as I fix dinner. But in order to sell books, sometimes we have to go beyond the simple and blow the romance up to a higher level. But that's what sells books, so we'll continue to do it. I can say that I haven't heard of anyone being swept off their feet by a sexy vampire or shifter. But it makes for fascinating reading. As always good writing, and May God Bless You...

How hooked are you?

Good morning! I do hope all of you are safe and well after those nasty storms that came through the southern US. As for me, did you notice no post from me yesterday. Well, I had no power for most of the day. If you know me well, or even if you just know me from social media interaction, then you know I try to post most days. While my power was off and I was unconnected to all of my electrical devices, I had lots of time to think. Think? Wow that's a large word when you think about it. How often do we just sit and think? No really, how often? Yes we use our brains, but most of the time it's connected to some sort of electrical device, especially internet driven devices. Whether it's your computer, smart phone, or whatever it is that you use to do everything, you're probably hooked. I sat here thinking about how much power means to us today. It's like life shuts down when the power does. But if you think about it, we're so hooked on the gadgets that make life easier that we can't function when it goes south. I sat down on my couch and tried to figure out what I would do until the power came back on. The sad thing was, I had payroll for a client to complete, but my computer addicted brain had a hard time dealing with the process of manually completing the task. That's when I sat down and took a hard look at me life. When it's quiet and nothing is happening you can do that without interruption. I realized that I'm addicted to power. Whatever happened to actually doing something for ourselves without relying on a gadget to do it for us. I stood up and walked to my office with determination. Of course I had to drag my teenage son with me so he could hold the flashlight. I pulled out the employee paperwork on each employee, I dusted off the payroll tax sheets and I grabbed some checks and a pen. Oh yeah, and the solar powered calculator. I sat down with a old oil lamp and proceeded to figure payroll the old way. My son sat watching and shaking his head. He kept saying, 'Can't you wait until the power comes back on?' I just kept going and soon I had a completed payroll ready for delivery. The hard part was the social media disconnect. I sat for a moment wondering if I made any sales during the night, wondering how all my social media friends had faired the night of storms and wanting desperately to check my Twitter feed. Sad, but true. I realized again I'm addicted to everything power connected. Unfortunately, most of my work is connected to power. My clients files are loaded on my laptop, which has a battery of course, but my accounting program drains that battery really quickly. I did a couple of things that didn't require my laptop, but I was limited. I did work on some of my manuscript outlines. I still do those old school long hand. It's just the way I am. I tried putting those on the computer, but it's easier to have them beside me as I write, not in a file that I have to pull up. So, my question is this, How hooked are you on electricity or even the internet and social media? If you were without power for a week, would you pull your hair out or make the best of it? As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Let's do a Throwback Thursday

Today I'm getting ready to celebrate the two year mark of publishing my first novel, "Ghost Lover". That one book challenged me in so many ways. I wrote this book several months before I published it in May 2012, but I struggled with putting it out to the public. My editor and cover designer, Kaleigh, found the manuscript and loved it. She went about working on a cover and getting the information to publish this book on Amazon. I was thrilled, scared, excited, nervous and the list goes on regarding how I felt about putting my work out to the public. Then one day there it was. It was on Amazon and I was a published author. But a funny thing happened. Readers fell in love with Jess and Jared's love story. This book was a game changer for me. It catapulted me into a writing frenzy. This book still sells today and I've had several calls and emails about this book. But I do have some surprises coming in the near future concerning some of my first published books. As any writer will tell you, as you write every book you learn many things. You learn different techniques in writing and ways to make characters more vibrant. I'm working on some revisions to some of my first books. I might even do a couple of cover changes. So, as the weeks go on I'll be announcing some new releases and old made new releases. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

What's in a review?

I've blogged about reviews before and each time I get a lot of response from fellow authors. Reviews can do a lot for an author. They can cause readers to flock to your book, run away from your book or make them unsure. I've been reading several posts from fellow authors regarding the trend in reviews and in some ways its not good. As I've said before, if you're thinking about reviewing a book, please read the book first. It's so evident to an author when a reviewer hasn't even read the book. Let's take a look at some of the things fellow authors have told me about some of their reviews that either made them laugh, cry or smile. Some may have caused all of these emotions. 1: I really enjoyed this book but I'm giving it a 2 star because I didn't like the characters name. (This author was shocked when she saw this review. What's funny is, even though it's a 2 star review, which should be bad for the sales, the reviewer told readers it's a good book.) 2: This book is horrible. Why did it have to be so unrealistic? People just can't do this in real life. (Ok, this one made me laugh out loud. The book being reviewed was a Paranormal book about mythical creatures. I do give the reviewer credit, people really can't do what the characters did in this book because they aren't real. This author's book sales actually escalated after this review.) 3: Why? Please stop this. I didn't like this book at all. (This reviewer went on to email the author directly and tell her to stop writing. The author smiled as she was telling me about this review because she actually has hit the bestseller list in several countries with the very book this reviewer slammed. Her response was "It takes all kinds to make up the world". By the way, this book is free and the reviewer did not pay for it to begin with.) 4: Great book. I can't wait for more from this author. Waiting impatiently for next installment. (This author was thrilled with this review. It was her first book and she was afraid it wouldn't do well.) 5: I loved the book, but could have been a little more descriptive. The writing was good and the character development was well received. (This was a constructive review that was helpful to the author. She said that actually she went back and edited a couple of areas of the book to correct these issues.) This was just 5 of the responses I received after my last post on reviews. We rely on reviewers to be honest about their reviews of our work. The sad thing is many people out there are not very nice when they review a book. They strive to make the author look bad. What's really sad is that a post I read a couple of months ago, several authors were slammed repeatedly on Amazon and the reviewers were not verified purchases. The wording went along the same line and did not mention anything from the book. The reviewer was slamming the author themselves. It's sad but true. My advice to new authors or even veteran authors that haven't developed a thick skin is this. Use the reviews wisely. If the review is structured and they explain the flaws they see, then maybe check the flaws out. It could help. But if they're nasty and scathing, just let them roll off your back. It's hard, but as a published writer, you've opened yourself up to the public and sometimes they aren't very nice. So, tell me your experiences with reviews. How do you react? Just remember, smile you're a published author. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Character Interview...

Today I'm interviewing the main character from "Finding The Right Time". She's a journalist go getter that has a problem. I'll be talking with her about the issues and how she plans to work through them. SH: Good morning Lily! LS: Good morning. SH: Let's get right to the problem at hand. The dreams you've had since childhood still haunt you. Have you had any luck finding out why those dreams are important? LS: Actually, now that I've moved to Savannah the dreams have come to a head. The house in my dream is the house I'm renting now. Also, the man I'm renting from looks a lot like the man in my dream. SH: That's interesting. I heard you speak of time travel. How does that come into play? LS: Well, that put me in a tailspin. I've been drawn to the cemetery on the land. When I went to the cemetery, something strange came over me. I was transported to 1865 and to the man in my dreams. Rafe is a good man and he loves me. SH: But aren't you in love with Anthony, his great great grandson? LS: (She smiles) Well, that's part of the problem. It's as though they are the same man, but I know that can't be. I'm having a difficult time with this problem. It's hard when you love two men with all your heart. SH: That is definitely a problem. Do they know that you love them both? LS: I've made Anthony aware of it, but Rafe refuses to talk about it. How can I be in love with two men from different times? SH: That's quite a quandry that you're in. What's your plan? LS: I'm not sure at this point. I love Rafe dearly and also I love Anthony. They're both wonderful men. I'm drawn to Rafe by unknown forces and that keeps me going back. I pray that I make a decision really soon. SH: Well, let's hope the decision you make helps and you can make peace with it. LS: Thanks. I do hope the same thing. SH: Thanks for meeting with me today. LS: Thanks for writing me into your novel. I do hope all of your readers enjoy reading about what I do next. It could be a surprise and a pleasant ending or maybe not :) I do hope you enjoyed this little interview. The story of Lily's time travel romance is a many faceted thing. It's a wonderful love story that brings things that are important to us to the forefront. It's on preorder now on Smashwords. Check it out. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

What's your favorite romance genre?

Have you noticed the many varied genre's in romance books lately? You can pretty much find a romance novel or novella that is about anything you want. Some of the categories are a little scary and some just go beyond your imagination or my imagination. In writing romance I go with things I love or I'm passionate about. Some romance writers lean more toward the mystery genre, some toward the erotic genre and others toward the suspenseful. Most of my writing as you know lean heavily in the cowboy romance side of it, a couple of them are Christian romance and one that's coming out soon is a Time Travel but of course it has a cowboy ;) Did you ever start searching for a book and had to look up a genre because you had no idea what it was? I'm raising my hand because I've had several that needed some investigation.I wasn't sure what they were about. Of course some of those I have to look up I really wish I hadn't even went there. But that's just me. So, everybody should be able to find a romance that fits their style. The possibilities are endless if you search, but beware of what you search for. You might find something that gives you nightmares or in the very least the shivers. What genre do you love the most? As always, good writing and May God Bless You... Check out my new Christian Romance "Faith Through The Tears" the 2nd installment in the Lean On Him series. http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Through-Tears-Christian-Romance-ebook/dp/B00IHQKO2S https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-faiththroughthetears-1425289-149.html https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/409456

Valentine's Day - A Romance Author's Favorite Day...

Today of all day's is for romance. Maybe you don't have a significant other, but you can still curl up with a good book of romance or a romantic movie. Romance is in the air as we start this day. Luckily here in Georgia the sun is shining and the ice is almost just a memory as it faded into the soaked ground. As most of you know I love anything romance. I'm like an old soul with romance. I think it is needed in any relationship. I know, you're saying that it's not possible in some relationships, but it is. It could be the look in your eye for your lover, or maybe the little things you do to make things special. Maybe it's a little note in their wallet or on their pillow that can just have your kiss on it to make them smile. Romance is such a simple thing that can so mystifying. I was drawn to romance as a teenager with my first romance novel and it's been all uphill since then. I've always pined for that moment in a book when their hands touch and you just know it's the real thing. I get so excited that I'll sit up half the night reading to get to the end, hopefully a happy ending. Today is an important day to bring in some romance. Go all out. Everyone has candles in their house. Light a few. Even if you have children, make it a family thing. The kids have to go to bed eventually. Send him a look across the table that promises romance to come. You have to make time each week for each other. It's important to keep the romance and surprises going. It doesn't cost anything to leave a cute note for them. So try it and let me know how it goes. If you need to find a great romance novel, go to avonromance.com and you'll find anything you need in romance novels. It's a great site to shop from. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Faith Through The Tears in final stages!

As you know I've had several works in progress. One in particular is "Faith Through The Tears" which is the 2nd book in the Lean On Him Christian Romance Series. I'm in the final stages of it and getting really excited. If things go well, I look to have it up and run this weekend. It still has a couple of nudges and tweaks, but it's going smoothly. It's amazing when you get in the groove and everything just falls into place. Since the cover has been completed for months that makes the process much smoother. Now it's down to those pesky little edits that plague every writer. But this one has been close to my heart so I look forward to the final read through before we hit publish. Let me give you a little hint of what this book is all about. It's a continuation of come of the characters from "With All My Heart". It starts with Randy and Rachel's love story and her battle with cancer. But it takes a sad turn and yes, it's a box of tissues kind of book. I cried the whole time I wrote the first half of this book. It just tore at my heart. A couple of months ago I posted the first chapter on Avon Romance's blog site and I received responses ranging from 'you made me cry' to 'I've got to know how this comes out'. It's so exciting when you can grab the reader with just an excerpt. This book has some surprises from the first book regarding Luke and Amanda. So many readers fell in love with their story of faith and love through the challenges. I've brought out some of their lives too. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this one. It's filled with tremendous faith and the challenges that life brings when you lose your soul mate. So, I hope everyone is staying warm and safe from the world's crazy weather patterns. But for now it's time to pick up the ledgers and get back to accounting. At least I'm in a beautiful environment with the snow covered back ground behind me. But bring on Spring! As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

As the fire crackles and the pines crack!

Here we go again, but this time it's ice. I live in the south. For pity's sake where did the southern weather go? As I sit at my dining room where I've set up my laptop so that I can work, I hear the crackling of the fire in the den. But behind me is a set of french doors that lead onto our back patio, from there you hear the snap, crackle, and pop of the pine trees that can't hold the weight of the building ice. I did venture out earlier to grab some paperwork from my office and I could actually smell fresh pine. It's like I was walking into a room with a pine air freshener. I love snow, but not ice. Ice is dangerous and usually cause massive power outages. Luckily at the moment we have power, but it's flickered a couple of times. Even northerners have to say ice is different than snow to deal with. When we had snow a couple of weeks ago, people were still on the roads a little bit, but when you have ice it's eerily quiet. Of course the cold has brought out the beautiful red birds. I love to watch them as they poke around for a bit of food. I've got to admit the ice on the trees is beautiful, but the danger still looms. I'm staying inside for now and hoping for the best. As for my writing, I made some large headway last night on finishing up "Faith Through The Tears". I actually powered through almost 5000 words as the story unfolded in my head. I'm so excited about this installment to the "Lean On Him" Christian Series. Of course I'm working steadily on my other works in progress. It's fun to be a writer and get to live in so many different worlds with my characters. One moment I'm in a small town and the next I'm on a horse ranch or maybe I'm on a beach in Savannah. I get to experience so much diversity through my characters and they become a part of me. It's an awe inspiring experience. I do hope that all of you are warm and safe. Also a shout out to my friends across the pond as you're experiencing really scary winds. I send my prayers for everyone to stay safe. Bundle up with a good book and ride out the storm in another world. As for me, as long as I have power I'll be working on accounting, but if the power goes out I have several books and plenty of paper. The work will go on by candle light which could bring on a whole new inspiration. As always, good writing and may God Bless You and keep you safe...

Looking back at old posts...

I've been blogging for almost two years. It's been such a wild ride. This weekend I was going back through some of my more popular posts. This is one from my CreateSpace blog. If you didn't know this I have several blogs going. What can I say, I like to multi-task... First things First. You write the romance novel. Posted by SHurt on Aug 6, 2012 1:41:24 PM Well, I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember. The storylines came easily to me. That was the easy part. The hard part was putting it on paper. I could always see the story from start to finish, but it was the in between that got complicated. I decided to go old school. I sat down one day and made an outline of the story in my head. The outline ended up having 18 sections. SO, that was my story in a condensed version. I took the outline to the computer and started. I used each section of the outline to fill in my story. I would expand the section until it filled a chapter, sometimes two. Before I knew it, two months later, I had a completed manuscript. I looked at the manuscript in awe. I had finally done it. I had completed a whole story from beginning to end. Now what! ON my next blog I will continue the story. Get to writing. It can be very stress relieving. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Revisiting an Old Friend

As I wrote a couple of days ago, I'll be revamping some of my first books. They'll be longer and more descriptive. I've always gained more knowledge over the last couple of years regarding different wording and such. I'm excited about it. I started working some last night on the remake of Ghost Lover which is the first book I published in May 2012. Don't worry for those that are waiting on the release of two of my upcoming books, they're still in the works. But as I opened the dusty file of Ghost Lover I had to smile. This was my baby. I read the first couple of words and it was like revisiting an old friend. When you write a book you get to know your characters personally. As you write each word and describe each character in detail you gain so much love for your characters. When the book is finished it's like a sad moment. But, when you revisit the book it's exciting. I've been changing several aspects, but the feeling of the book stays the same. It's even going to have new categories. I've playing with the idea of changing the cover a little to honor the newly polished work since it is changing slightly. But the cowboy on the cover will stay the same because I just simply love him. I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. Yeah, it's finally Friday. I hope to post some this weekend on my progress, but I'm going to be busy putting programs into a new office computer. Yep, my tax program was way too large for my laptop, so I had to purchase a new desktop to replace my other desktop. Didn't see that one coming, but that's life. Good thing it's tax season and that will more than pay for the new computer. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Writing, the experience

I've experienced so many emotions as I write. It's amazing the things that go through your mind as you push out that story. You know what I'm talking about if you're a writer. Sometimes it's that feeling that makes you think you're going crazy. Ok, so maybe not every writer experiences this, but I do and I've talked to several authors who say the same thing. Here's what I'm talking about. It's the feeling of getting lost in the story. You get filled with the characters emotions and actions. It takes over your brain and at times you have to shake your head to get it out. I've been so lost in my writing that I'd block out everything around me. My family sometimes have to actually nudge me because I can't hear them. One of my books has a kidnapping section in it and when I was writing this scene I actually felt my heart racing with fear. It was as if I was feeling the fear my character felt. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the emotional bond you have with the characters you write. When the character was rescued I actually sighed with relief. Then you have those moments when you're out somewhere or working at your day job and the writing bug hits. It's like the flu. It hits quickly and rapidly takes your thinking processes away from what you're doing. The symptoms can range from breaking out into a sweat, intense staring (Nobody or no one person is immune to that stare), itchy fingers, the loss of logical speaking, and then the immense need to find something, anything to write on. It can be a napkin, envelope, gum wrapper(that's not the best thing but it works), or any writing surface that presents itself in front of you. I have notes everywhere, it's crazy. Of course the worst feeling for a writer is the dreaded writer's block. You're sitting there writing and all of a sudden you lose the whole feeling for the story. Your mind goes completely blank. It's as though the book in your mind has been erased and all you see is a blank page. You sit with your fingers poised above the keyboard, you break out into a sweat, you're disoriented and confused about the new feeling, then you get concerned. Maybe you have a deadline and this is not the time to draw a complete blank. The funny thing is minutes earlier your brain had the whole story completely outlined and now NOTHING! The best feeling to me is when you hit publish. Of course it's the most scariest feeling too. You're euphoric at finishing your baby that you've fed, cleaned and babied for what seems like forever and then you have to send it away. Then it hit's you, oh my goodness I just finished a novel and put it in someone's hands. Now you wait. You wait for the responses, the sales (this you just hope to see something), the criticism, and the rewards. Hitting that publish button can cause you a moment of every emotion imaginable. For me it's really a strange feeling when someone you don't know comes up to you in a store or event and says 'hey, you're that romance writer'. I know I turn red as a beet. I'm not a person that loves for someone to shower me with praises. I'm a shy person at those times. I get embarassed and excited all at the same time. Of course the hidden diva inside is jumping up and down, squealing with delight, but I'm not a diva on the outside by no means. There are so many emotions and experiences a writer goes through. It's different for everyone, but it all comes down to the experience of a writer. I love being a writer and expressing my love for the craft. It brings me great joy and it's a thing of pride to hold a finished book in my hands. I hope you find the joy of writing that I've found. Smile, someone might be reading your finished book at this very moment. You may be changing someones life with your writing. If you've been holding back on pushing that publish button then you're not giving yourself enough credit. Do it. You'll feel better after you do. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

How do you keep the Romance?

Today is the 20th Anniversary of my marriage to my hubby. It's hard to believe that we've been together for 20 years. That's a lot of water under the bridge. So, how do you keep the romance going for 20 years? Well let me give you some tips. By the way I use these in my writing as well :) 1: Never, ever go to bed mad. Not only does this cause you to have a sleepless night, but you don't get the problem resolved. 2: Always make time for your spouse. Even with a teenager in the house we find time for just us. That's a big priority. 3: Any time we part either to go to work, or to bed we always say "I Love You". Those are 3 very important words in a marriage. Without them you've got a serious problem. 4: Never shout at one another, well, not in anger. One day we'll have to shout for the other one to hear, but that's hopefully way down the road. 5: If you have a disagreement, which everybody does from time to time, just step back and take a breath. That always helps to get a little of the tension away. Then calmy discuss it and work it out. I know that was only 5, but I can't give away all my secrets. I've been lucky to have a good, hard working, handsome, caring, husband and father to our son. It's been a blast that's for sure. So, go give your hubby or signicant other a big kiss and tell them how you feel. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...