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...

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...

Dust it off and see what happens

This weekend I was working on The Winner Takes All which is the 2nd book in The Winner series. I had to bring out the first book for a couple of references and as I read it was like visiting an old friend. I actually read a couple of chapters before I knew what I was doing. But I did see some things I'd like to change or expand on. Funny how that happens as you start to learn more about your craft. I've had a couple of fans say they'd like to know more back story of some of the characters in a couple of my books. One lady even put in a review that she'd love to see me expand one of my books. She loved the book so much that she wanted to know more about the back story of some of the characters. Well, that got me to thinking about doing just that. Of course, you know me, I did some research on authors revisiting old stories and was amazed at how many famous authors have done this. Even their best sellers they've revisited them and some even revamped the covers and did a whole re-release campaign. So, don't be shocked if I don't revisit a couple of my books. I actually have some ideas for a couple of them. Have you ever did this? Have you read a book lately that you wanted more of the story? It's funny how you love a story but you want to hear more about a particular character. Well, I've listened to these requests from my fans and plan on do just that. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Cleaning Up A Mess...

Have you ever started an edit on your manuscript and wondered what happened? It's the weirdest thing when you're writing it sounds good and then you start to edit and wonder who wrote it. You know it's happened to you before. I sometimes think that maybe I write in my sleep. That's my story and I'm sticking to it... I was working on one of my WIP and got a little sidetracked, well maybe a lot sidetracked. I couldn't seem to keep the story in my head. So, I decided to do a read through. I reached a section that I know I wrote several nights ago and I was really tired that night. Well, it was going well and all of a sudden it was like, What? I laughed out loud at my own mistakes. Several words were not even recognizable and some of the sentences were just plain out horrible. They didn't make sense and a couple of times I just drifted off into lala land. Well, to say the least, I spent a lot of time rewriting and I'm glad I did. While cleaning up the mess I made I actually had a ah ha moment and changed a whole scene in the middle of the book. It flows so much better and I'm happy with it. It makes the ending seem so much clearer. Funny how our clean up edits can bring about a whole new outlook on a story. So, as I sit here writing this cold Saturday morning, I hope all of you are writing or doing something you enjoy. It's Saturday. Give yourself a break and enjoy yourself. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Burr...Let's Talk Romance...

Well it's cold here in Georgia. Actually cold doesn't even begin to describe how it feels outside. I've set up my office in my den for the day. It's just way too cold in my office, so when you get lemons you make lemonade, but here it would be a frozen lemonade. Think summer :) So, let's talk romance and try to get warm. The last couple of nights I've had my nose in my kindle reading. Some days I just want to read and not write. Of course this could be called research or practice. With sports figures they work out daily, but a writer needs to read daily. For me reading helps keep my mind working correctly. As you know I write romance, so I read a lot of romance. It's like a inspirational time for me. As I read I think, yeah, I like the way this writer does this, or I think about what I didn't like in the book and I try to avoid it in my own work. As the temps continue to be below freezing I curl up in front of the fire with a romance to keep me warm. Currently I'm reading a Vampire series and it's been pretty good so far. I love how the writer handles every situation. I've been so into the books that I don't even realize I'm chilly. But I've got to put the Kindle down and get back into my manuscripts in progress. Especially the one that's going in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. It's in the final stages and I'm really excited about it. It's a step away from my normal style writing, so I'm anxious to see how it's received. So, if you're cold, pick up a romance and let the warmth spread through you. When you read about love it just has a warming affect on you. Go ahead and try it. If you need some good choices then go over to avonromance.com. They've got a great selection of romances to warm your heart and your toes. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

When Writing A Death Scene...

I've been working on a piece that includes death scene. I'm not talking about a shooting or stabbing death, but a death caused by cancer. Death scenes can be tricky, especially in these circumstances. If you're having a character killed off you just have them shot or stabbed and there's a moment of dying then that's it. But in this instance the character is in a hospital spending her last moments with her loving husband. Yeah, I cried all the way through writing the scene which took several days. It was mentally and physically draining. The scene spanned a chapter or two as this was a pivotal point of the story line. It sets the scenarios for the rest of the book. And no it's not a tear jerker all the way through. It's a really sweet romance from start to finish. The main character is just such an amazing man. He's so full of Faith, family and love that you can't help but fall in love with him. I've cried with him, laughed with him and now it's at another pivotal life changing event and I've just sat and sighed with him. Let's just say it's going to pull you up in your seat. In a death scene such as this, you have to be careful. I wanted the death scene to flow easily but not too quickly. The emotions and the last words are pivotal in the mechanics of the main characters decisions later on. Yes, I even put some romance in the death scene which is hard to do, but with these two it's easy. Their love was immense and totally empowering. It's also a little eye opening for my own life. I've lost so many family and friends to cancer so it was a little sad. It also made me think of my own immortality. How would I handle my last minutes on earth? Could I be as brave as Rachel? Would I be a complete mess? How would I handle my last moments with my child and my husband? It's something to think about. I spent a little time digging into my own heart. It was a reality check for sure. As always, good writing and May God Bless you...

Time Travel - Something new...

As I work on my latest manuscript I have to sigh. Have you ever gotten so lost in your work that you react to every detail? This has been such a step away from my normal writing, but I'm really enjoying it. I have some surprises in store for the readers with this one. And yes before you ask, there are horses and a handsome cowboy. I mean it's me writing it. I've based this story in one of my favorite cities, Savannah. It's so rich with history and beautiful places. I love history. That was my favorite subject in school beside literature. I wonder why I like literature... I thought I'd give you a little sneak peak of "Finding The Right Time" and as it happens, this books will not be coming out for a little while. I made a huge decision Saturday to enter this manuscript in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. Last year I entered "A Love Never Lost" and it made it through to the 2nd round which was exciting. Fingers crossed and hopes abound. Well, here's a little bit: Rafe walked around in front of her and held out his hand. “Would you like to dance?” “I don’t know how to dance to this, but if you’ll lead.” She smiled up into his handsome face which was full of mischief. “I’ll lead you anywhere my dear.” He said as he pulled her in amongst the other couples waltzing around the makeshift dance floor. Which actually was just a marked off area of the dirt road. She grabbed his hand and he gently placed his other on her waist. “You smell wonderful.” He put his nose to her hair as he pulled her closer. “It’s lavender from your grandmother.” She smiled. It was heavenly dancing close to Rafe. His muscular chest was under her cheek. Every movement caused his muscles to ripple. “This feels right holding you in my arms. Thank you for staying tonight.” He kissed the side of her head as he held her close. He didn’t care what anyone thought at that moment. All he could think of was holding her for possibly the last time. Could his heart take it if she decided not to come back? She closed her eyes and almost forgot where she was. Suddenly someone started to sing an old Irish sounding tune. She smiled up at Rafe as he didn’t stop moving to the music. Neither was aware of the whispering among the town. They were mesmerized by the couple in the middle of the dance floor. Brody sat down beside Mrs. Emma and put his arm around her. “Gran, I do think our boy has finally given his heart.” “As do I Brody. She’s a wonderful girl. I do hope she’ll make the right decision and stay with us.” Her voice quivered with worry. She’d seen the uncertainty earlier in Lily’s eyes. She knew that feeling only too well. She’d made the right decision for herself, but what was Lily’s? “Do you think she’ll leave again?” He watched the couple and had his doubts. He saw the love in their eyes and it was mutual. “I hope tonight will give her reason to stay.” She watched the couple. Then she looked around and everyone there was watching them and smiling. Everyone could see it, but would Lily? She just prayed it would become crystal clear tonight. After five songs Rafe pulled Lily off to the side. “Let’s get some air.” She followed as he led her to the edge of town away from the buzzing crowd. When they were out of sight of everyone, he turned and pulled her into his arms. His lips were suddenly on hers and she was lost. He pulled her close to his body. He’d held his emotions all evening, but he was about to snap. It was as though she was his water and he was thirsty. He drank of her as though he’d been without for years. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into the kiss. As she deepened the kiss he groaned. This felt so right to her, but could she leave everything. For tonight she’d be his. He ran his hands up and down her back. It was as though he couldn’t get her close enough. When he finally released her it was only to pull her between two of the buildings. He pressed her against the side of the building and kissed her passionately. Their breathing was ragged as passion took over their bodies. He knew he needed to stop but he couldn’t seem to muster up the strength to let her go, not yet. He wanted her badly and the knowledge that this could be their last time together was almost his undoing. She was the first to push at his chest. If they went any further she’d never be able to make a clear decision. This was so hard to not just give in to her desires. She knew it’d be so easy. He leaned his head against hers as he tried to control his breathing. “Lily please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me.” “There’s nothing to forgive. I wanted you too, I still do, but this will not help my decision.” She pulled away from his embrace and leaned against the wall. He put his hand on her shoulder. “If you want me as badly as I do you, then the decision is made.” He looked down at her face. It was hard to see her expression in the darkness. He knew his want was from mostly love and what he knew was also lust. “It’s not that easy Rafe. I don’t want to make a decision based on passion. That’s not love. I want my decision to be true to my heart, not my body. Can you understand that?” She turned to look up into his face. “I’ll have to understand it. I just want you to be my wife.” He ran his fingers through his hair in heated frustration. He could use another dip in the cool stream behind the house. He’d had several of those since Lily had come into his life. That’s where he’d been the night she’d seen him from her window. She realized he’d just laid his heart on the line. “Oh Rafe, you’re such a wonderful man. Please give me until the morning.” She laid her hand on his heart and it was beating wildly. He reached up and covered it with his large hand. “I am a man of my word. I’ll give you until the morning, but I will tell you this. If you decide to stay, I want us to be married as soon as possible.” His voice was stilled ragged with passion. “If I decide to stay we will be married before the next setting sun.” She reached up and grasped his face, pulling it down to hers. It was the most passionate, sweet, heart wrenching kiss. It touched her soul in a way she’d never expected. Rafe touched her soul, but was it enough? I know that was more than a bit, but I just love this part. It's going to be hard holding back on the publishing of this one. Hopefully I can restrain myself. I have to make my final decision before February 16th. If I get an offer for it before then, I'll jump but keep your fingers crossed. This book will be a game changer for me. As always, good writing and May God Bless you...

Cold Hands, Warm Heart...

Good Monday morning! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend filled with joy and lots of writing. Of course today is a school holiday so I got to sleep in. That's always a plus. As I sat down in my office I was met with a really cold chair and desk. My fingers are struggling with this post due to the cold. It was a little warmer on Friday when I left, so I didn't set the heater to come on as much over the weekend. That's what I get for not looking ahead at the forecast. It's freezing this morning. Have you ever heard the old saying, "Cold Hands, Warm Heart". That's me this morning for sure. I always have cold hands. Since I'm a hopeless romantic I guess you could say I always have a warm heart. When I love I do it with my whole heart. I don't love half heartedly. It's just not in my makeup. Maybe this is why I'm drawn to writing about love. I love every aspect of it. It mesmerizes me and draws me into it's depths until I'm lost in it's beauty. Now don't get me wrong. Love can be a tedious thing, like walking on a tight rope over a deep canyon. As you know, I'm afraid of heights so I try to keep off the tight rope as much as possible. I've had so many readers ask me if my writing comes from life experiences and I usually laugh. A writer never fully reveals the secrets behind their craft. I will tell you this, I've loved and lost, but in the end I've loved for eternity. There it is, a writer's answer. We love to write in riddles, never really giving it all away. When I was a teenager I looked for Prince Charming. He'd come up on his white horse, of course, and he'd have on a crisp white Stetson with a winning smile. You know the type, the one that's only in your mind. Oh yeah, I had it bad. I'd read one too many romance novels, if that's possible. Sometimes it can be dangerous for a girl coming of age. She looks for that one special man. Poor boys, I left several along the road side wondering what they'd done wrong. Hey, I didn't leave them literally by the roadside, but you get what I'm saying. One reader asked if I had a cowboy in my past, well I'm from the country and that's a resounding yes. You can't throw a stone without hitting at least one cowboy or country boy. As a writer you have to pull from things that are familiar but then you have to make them stand out and interesting. So, do you have a warm heart? Do you pull from your past experiences when writing? As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Friday and Romancing the Coffee

Good Morning! It's Friday people. It's the last day of the work week for most, but for an author that works a full time job it's the start of the long work weekend. I work everyday on my manuscripts. Some days not as long as others and especially at this time of year. I have deadlines all around me. There's W-2's to finish, end of the year balancing, 1099's, Tax return prep, manuscripts that are being finalized, covers to design, editing to do, VBS pre season prep, and dare I go on, on my! As I sit here nursing my second cup of coffee, I contemplate my morning. I have a hour or so of social media, blogging, and a little editing before I go to the office. It's funny the life of a writer. I sit down at my computer and my fingers automatically go to the keyboard ready to write. It's just natural for me to put my thoughts in writing. Do you use your morning effectively? The morning hours are very productive for me. It's the mid day that I sometimes get a little foggy, but then as I sit down after dinner I get creative again. Generally I'm not a morning person, but after about two cups of coffee I start to wake up and get inspired. This morning I have a crackling fire going and a sweet little bird on the banister outside the window watching me. Of course he probably thinks my head is a nest as I've yet to run a brush through my hair or even get dressed for that matter. This is "Me" time. The sun is spreading across the front lawn and the world is starting to come alive. As you know, I love romance and in the mornings I love to write a little and feel the power behind romance. Have you ever felt it? If you're a romance writer or reader for that matter, you've felt that power. It draws you in and refreshes your faith in life. Yeah, I'm a romance advocate. I had a reader tell me the other day that they don't believe in romance, well they received a long talk about the possibilites of romance. Needless to say they laughed and said they'd give it another try. But they have read all my books. That's a start. Well I'm almost done with my Friday morning rambling, but I must leave you with this question. Do you believe in romance? It's a simple question. I'm curious about your responses. With romance being the best selling genre in books, I'm pretty sure at least more then 50% of you do. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...Image

Romance A La Carte...

First off, this is my 100th post on this site. Yeah! Now to the 100th post. Enjoy! I've noticed some changes in romance since I was a teenager. There's many different categories to choose from and it get's more advanced with each year. When I was a teenager and new to romance novels, (No I will not say how long ago that was) let's just say it was a while ago, anyway, romance novels were pretty much categorized as romance, heated romance, historical romance and I do remember romance mystery. Today when you go to a site to order a romance novel the choices will astound you. Well it does me. How do you choose? Well, it's like sitting at a restaurant and looking at a menu. You go in knowing you want steak, but do you want a baked potato or fries? Do you want that baked potato covered and smothered or just lite butter and sour cream. Then you have to figure out how you want the steak. Will it be rare or well done? Oh let's don't forget the salad. Do you want a salad? Do you want dressing on the salad or on the side? Croutons anyone? It's the same with choosing what type of romance you want. I have the hardest time categorizing my romance novels. Someone asked me one day how I choose the categories that I put on my books. Well, it's not easy. I have the generic solutions in my head like Romance, Contemporary Romance, and Historical Romance, but if you do the math, they're used way too much. Funny huh... Do your homework? I usually go to Amazon and start with the most generic search of Romance. Do it, you'll be amazed how many there are to choose from. That's where the A La Carte sub categories come in handy. Look at your book. No I mean really look at your book. What makes it different? Does it have mystery? Don't just stop at Romantic Mystery, go one step further. Is it a Romantic Thriller Mystery, a Romantic Murder Mystery, or just simply a Romantic Mystery, but do look up that category and see how many other authors labeled their books that way. It makes a difference. Romance has come a long way over the years. Let's don't even get into the many Erotic labels out there, I'll blush, no really I will. I did my search of these also as I do have a publishing service so it's an important piece of my work. I've started actually making a list of possible categories as I write my books. Maybe it's a pivotal point in the main part of the story that inspires the category. Since I write mostly Cowboy Romance, try searching that one, yeah it's huge. I have to see what makes my Cowboy Romance books different from others. Well, maybe put Sweet in front of it, or Clean. But search it first. When I put Western in front of my category it worked well for a while, but guess what, others did that too and now I need to rethink my categories, maybe tweek a couple of them. So, check your A La Carte menu, which for us writers is our categorization of our work. Make it appealing to the eyes. Make it stand out amongest all the others, but don't choose an out there label that only you understand. Give your book it's best chance to be seen in this world of way too many choices. It makes a difference, believe me, I've played with this and it made the sales either go up or down. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Monday Morning Writing

Well it's Monday again! Were you ready for it? Me, well not so much, but it's a fact that it comes every week. Some Mondays I do better than others. This morning is cloudy and dreary yet again and I'm sleepy, but work beckons and it's the start of my busy season. The reason for my grogy ramblings is I sat up way too late last night writing. I guess you could say it's a writers lot to be sleepy and have blood shot eyes on Monday morning. I couldn't pull myself away from the current WIP. It's funny how a story gets under your skin and you just have to get past a certain point before you pull away. I know other writers know this feeling. You know the point where you can stop but until you get to that point you don't have the courage to stop. Does this sound obsessive, well maybe so? Writers are often carried away into obsession and that's what makes a good writer. Someone once asked me where all my stories come from. They often laugh and say that I must lead a very colorful life to bring about so many stories with vibrancy and life. I live my life just as anyone, well I guess that's true. A writer's mind goes beyond that of someone that doesn't have writing in them. I can look at the simplest object and spin a story around it. A writer's mind is constantly working on over load. Sometimes I think my mind actually spins around like a top. As for the unfinished manuscript I found the other day, well I've been spinning this one in my head, but I've put it to the wayside. I remember somewhat the path I was headed in with it, but it just doesn't feel right at the moment. For me, and I've talked to other writers about this, if the story is not with you, it's best to put it down and come back a little later. Unfortunately that happens in series too. You finish book one or two and when you start the next part and it totally goes out of the realm. So, how's your Monday going? As for me I'd love to get some love over at Twitter or Facebook. Come by and follow me on either one. I'm trying to get over the Twitter hump per say. Also, I'd love to have some likes or follows on Facebook. Let's put our heads together and have a follow Monday. Here's my links: Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/StephaniePayneHurt?ref=hl Facebook personal page: https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.hurt.330 Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephanieHurt4 As always, good writing and May God Bless you...

Yes, I talk to Myself, Don't you?

As a child I was always taught that you didn't talk to yourself because someone would think you were weird. Umm, well, I guess that philosophy was lost on me. My son told me the other day that he was looking for homes to put me in. As I tried to explain to him when he caught me arguing with myself, yes I know, that's a little overboard, but I'm a writer. That's my story and I'm sticking to it :) Sometimes when I'm writing and trying to work out a story line I say it out loud. The only problem with that is I most of the time write while in the room with my husband and son. I catch myself hashing out an argument with my characters and I start arguing out loud. Then I realize that I'm not alone. I usually turn to see my son and hubby looking at me like I've completely lost it. I just grin and start excitedly telling them what the argument was all about and that's when they roll their eyes and wave me off. They don't get into romance. Now if I wrote a romance about a fisherman or hunter maybe, but not my kind. Now you can't say you haven't fussed at your computer out loud, or hashed out a story out loud. It's just easier for me to read a part of the story out loud. It makes it sound different than in my head. I guess it's like I filter it when I silently read, I don't know. I do try to hold back when I'm in the general public. Although sometimes when I'm somewhere and a story hits me I'll laugh out and say something like, "Ooh that'd make a great one" or "Yikes I shouldn't have killed her off." Yeah, that last line really clears an aisle at the grocery store. Could this be why most writers are loners? What's bad is when I'm talking to myself and then start answering myself? My son has started just turning and leaving me alone with myself. I was so lost in a story line the other day that I didn't even realize I was actually doing a crazy giggling sound and some sort of clicking of my tongue. My son finally tapped me and asked if I needed medication. I just waved him away after giving him a look. So, do you talk to yourself? Come on you know you do. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Getting To Know Your Characters...

It's funny how asa writer I become close to the characters in my books. I know they're fictional people but when they're in your head all the time they become real to you. I guess that's what helps us as writers. They have to be real in order to tell their story. Sometimes I get so into a story I'm working on that I feel like they're not fictional. I'd really like to meet some of my characters. They would be fun to talk to and meet up with for lunch. Some of them I'd like to get to pop up side the head, but I guess that goes with the territory. I'm currently working on the 2nd installment of The Winner Series. I love this story line. It's a little reality mixed with fantasy. Who doesn't want to win a trip with a handsome movie star? Then to get to spend the trip in a romantic snow covered chalet. It does sound like a great thing to do. I sat last night getting in three chapters and almost 2000 words. It may not sound like much, but I kept having to go back to the 1st installment to get facts straight. Actually to tell the truth as I was looking up a part that would be mentioned I got lost in reading the 1st book. My son looked at me and I know he was wondering why I was reading my own book. If you can't enjoy reading your own work then how can you expect anyone else to. So my advice is this, make sure you know your characters. You need to know who they are, what color their hair is, their eyes, their likes and dislikes. It's like a bio for them that you need to think of. Ask yourself questions and interview your character. If you know more about them then their story will unfold and you'll fall in love with them. Have you ever seen a live person somewhere and thought they looked like what you see in your character? I have done this so many times. It's actually fun when you do this. All of my characters can be seen in my head. If only we had a program that could read our thoughts on our characters. Then we could put their picture on the cover. I think that's what makes designing the covers so hard. I have a idea in my head of what they look like and I won't settle for anything less. I drive my cover designer crazy... As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Do You Know How It Will End?

When I sit down to start a new story, most of the time I have an idea of how it will end. Sometimes I can see the whole story and other times it comes to me as the story unfolds. It's funny how a story comes to you suddenly and you just have to sit down and sketch it out. I love it when the whole story comes into my head, but then sometimes that makes it difficult because you rush to the ending and leave out the filler. The filler is the heart of the story in most cases. It's the descriptions, the character building, and the ins and outs of the story that make it build to the last page. Have you ever knew how it ended, but not the filler? I have done this so many times. I know how it starts and I know how it ends, but not the filler. But the filler will come. But what happens when you don't know how it will end? I have written what I thought were stand alone books and then when I neared the end I couldn't end it there. I had to continue the story. Sometimes it's the end that is far away in my mind which causes a series to be born. I can see many angles of the first story or bringing out the side characters in a story of their own. So we as writers don't always know how it will end. I have so many people ask me how many books are going to be in a certain series and I really can't tell them. They always ask why. Well it's usually not something that comes readily. If the story is compelling enough it could go on for several books, or if I see the story starting to wane, then I put a The End on it. The story decides how it ends and sometimes I just don't know how it will end or when. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Editing, a writer's worst nightmare...

Editing is a process not to be taken lightly. Sometimes I look forward to this process because that means the manuscripts is almost done, but other times I dread it like a shot in the arm. But it's a process that if you don't do it you'll regret it, believe me. I talked with a fellow Indie author one day about editing. She said the only thing she does is run spell check and grammar check. I was horrified. Can anyone say "Oh my goodness"? That's what I said and then I sat down with her and we had a long talk. I then picked up her finished manuscript and when I was finished reading it there was more red than black. She was shocked and mortified. She now goes through a detailed editing process. When I finish a manuscript I always step back for a day or two before I even start editing. That way I'm not too excited to do what I need to do. When I start I always run the spell and grammar checks just to get rid of those pesky extra spaces, oopsy words (you know the ones) and the bad grammar that always follows a wild writing marathon. This helps to make the editing process go a little smoother, but only a little. Then comes the fun part, I sit down and read the manuscript. Have you ever read over your finished manuscript and wondered at what point you lost your whole brain? Well I have. The things I've done while writing amaze me. I know I took english and writing in college, but sometimes when I read my own writing I laugh out loud. Where the heck did that come from? Surely I didn't write that sentence. Have you ever changed a characters name mid book? Come on, don't be shy. Well, I'll admit to doing that on a couple of occasions. I was reading a manuscript the other day and a minor character went from Betty to Betsy. I had to read the chapter over again to make sure I hadn't fired the housekeeper in the previous chapter. But alas, no, she should have stayed Betty. Easy fix, not hardly, but it was taken care of by the nice little editing tool called "FIND". Now as you are the writer, do make sure that someone other than your closest friend reads it too. My editor is my niece, but let me tell you she can be strict. I have been working and felt someone boring a hole in my head. She'd be staring at me like I'd grown two heads. Then she'd point out something totally off the wall that I typed. She has asked me several times if I was drinking something stronger than hot tea as I was writing. Let me give you some honest advice from someone who learned this the hard way. If you don't want to spend the money for a professional editor then please find several people who will be brutally honest and let them read it. You can't do it yourself. It's your baby and you don't want to change a thing. Believe me, nobody writes a perfect manuscript from the get go, NOBODY! I was reading a NYT bestselling book the other night and I felt pretty good with some of my errors. There in black and white was some really big goofs that had not been caught. It happens people, so get over it and try to do better. As always, good writing and May God Bless You... Photo above provided by Photopin/Flickr

Writing To Inspire...

What does your writing do for you? No, I'm not talking about the royalties or the fans. I'm talking about the inspiration. Does your writing inspire you? Do your characters inspires you to change things, make better decisions, or even change something in your life? I've had messages from fans saying some of my books have inspired them. That's the best message you can get as a writer. One fan said that one of my books inspired her to follow her dreams of writing. One said they inspired her to follow her heart in regards to a past love. Then one said she was inspired to reach out to her faith and renew her relationship with God. I've been honored to hear the comments and inspirations. Writing to inspire is writing from the heart. If you write like a drone and never put feeling in your work then you've only acheived the writing goal, not the inspirational goal. What you put between those covers is important to your reader. If you just put words there and don't feel anything then what have you accomplished. As a writer I cry, laugh and feel anger when I'm writing. I enjoy what I do and I pour out my heart with every chapter. Most of the time when I type The End I'm emotionally exhausted. I have to rest and recoop. That's in my opinion what makes it a work of inspiration. What inspires you? Is it something in your life or in a book you've read? For me it's a myriad of it all. I can be inspired by so many things. My faith leads me to many inspirations and that's a big factor in my writing. I hope that your writing leads your inspirations and leads to inspiration... As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

New Release and the holidays...

My new Christmas book is up and running. This has been a joy to work on. As you all know I love the Christmas season and adding cowboys and Switzerland which is on my bucket list just adds to it. I've been researching Switzerland for many, many years and to get to use some of that in this book has been awesome. What's funny is this was supposed to be a stand alone book, but this writer's heart just couldn't stop it at that. It's going to be a whole series on romance in the Alps. I'm really excited about this series as it explores the country I'd love to visit. Since I will probably never visit this beloved country, I'll live it through fiction. I do hope everyone is enjoying this week of Thanksgiving. Don't forget to thank those you love and those you need to love for the many things they do. I hope those that don't have romance can find romance. It's wonderful! Everyone needs it in their lives. Here's an excerpt from Open The Heart - Alpine Christmas Romance: When she emerged from the bathroom thirty minutes later totally refreshed, she saw lying on the bed a Christmas ball. She giggled. Where had he found a Christmas ornament? She opened her bedroom door and found bright red tinsel stretched all the way to the stairs. She picked it up and rolled it up as she walked. She glanced over the balcony and found him elbow dip in a huge box of Christmas decorations. She let out a laugh that echoed across the high ceilings. The look in his eyes when he looked up was like a young boy waiting on Santa. She joined him on the floor by the fire. “I thought you didn’t celebrate Christmas.” “I said I hadn’t celebrated in a while, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have decorations. These were some my mom had given me the year before…” He trailed off. Then he cleared his throat and turned toward her. “I’ve loved Christmas all my life. I just stepped away from it for a while.” She grinned and looked in the box. They had everything to decorate the house and a tree. “Do you have a tree?” He laughed and stood up, grabbing her hand. He pulled her to her feet. “That’s a funny question. We have a whole mountain of Christmas trees. I have one of the horses saddled and a cart attached just outside the door. The snow is falling lighter right now, so we’re going hunting.” She giggled in excitement. It had been years since she’d been out in the woods hunting a tree. “Do you have an axe?” She gave him her most serious expression. “Oh, you’re funny. Don’t you think I’d think of that first?” He hugged her and pulled her hat up and tied it under her chin. “Let’s go get a tree before the next storm hits.” This is just a snippet of the fun these two have in their snow filled Alpine Christmas adventure. As always, good writing and May God Bless You... Here's the 2 links already up and running: http://www.amazon.com/Open-Heart-Alpine-Christmas-Romance-ebook/dp/B00GW6T6AQ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/381389

Exploring Your Heart...

I'm a hopeless romantic and if you haven't gotten that through my blogs where have you been? In my writing I express the romance and love that's in my heart. I hurt when my characters hurt and laugh when they laugh, of course my son thinks I've lost my mind much of the time. I'll just laugh out as I'm writing. He just looks at me and shakes his head. Oh well, I have to be a little crazy to be an artist, right. Since I've been working on my Christmas romance I've experienced many feelings. I've been angry, happy, sad, mournful, cold, and then excited. This book runs the whole lot of feelings. I've tried to carry my reader into a new world. Hopefully one that they will want to explore further with the second book. Whoops did I just give away a secret? Yes I did. Well the cats out of the bag, There will be a book two for The Alpine Romance. It's funny how it just hits you when something needs to be carried to another plateau. I've also been working on finishing book two in the "Lean On Him" Christian series. This one has to be visited in spurts. The book has taken a toll on me emotionally. A couple of months ago I put an excerpt on Avon Romance submission pages and a kind lady came in to tell me how emotional that scene made her. It brought a smile to my face. My editor read the first chapter and when she turned to me she had tears in her eyes. Yep, it's going to be a emotional romance. I just hope it inspires my readers to find romance and hold on to it, because you never know when it will slip away. Sometimes we lose the love of our life, but there's always the chance to find love again, you just have to open your heart. So to me, writing romance explores your own heart. Can you write romance if you don't believe in it? I really don't think so. I think you have to believe with all your heart that romance is real and that love can be found in the oddest places. Every book I've written has taken a different angle of love. Maybe it's the love lost, then found again, or new love found, but held away by force. Whatever the way, the love always shines through. That's what makes romance one of the top genres right now. We all need something to hope for, to wish for, and to know it exists if only in fiction. My challenge to you is this. Explore your heart to find the part of it that expresses how you feel. Pull on it until you're just drained and then you're ready to pour it out in fiction. Some days when I close my laptop I'm exhausted, but content. I've explored the many emotions of my characters and made it through. That's what draws in the reader, the pull of your heart to theirs. As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Being whatever we want to be...

I'm a big kid, not just at Halloween as you can see, but in everyday life. My way of thinking is this, if we stay a child at heart how can you grow old. I know in numbers I'm almost 45, but in my heart I still get giddy at Halloween, Christmas and all the other holidays. My heart still pounds when I see buckets of candy. Well, that could be the chocolate rush, but it still beats harder with excitement.

Last night was our annual Church Trunk or Treat and it was a blast. We had so many children come through and they were very creative with their costumes. It was wonderful to see all my little Children's Church peeps and the many guests dressed in their favorite theme or character. Of course being the Children's Minister it's only right that I go all out with my costume and my decorations. I included my sons pumpkin on the tailgate with balloons, posters and buckets over flowing with candy. The weather held up for our celebration.

As a writer you can be whatever you want to. You can be that character and feel that characters happiness, sadness, anger, love or whatever they feel. We are able to change the ending, making it what we want. Why wouldn't anyone want to be a writer? Well for one thing it's not as easy as it looks.

You have a story come into your mind. At first you think, this is going to be easy. You may sit down and write the story in your head and then realize it only lasted 5 pages. As a writer you have to expand that story. The descriptions have to be expanded to allow the reader to be drawn in. Remember the story you hear in your head is real to you, but the reader doesn't have it in their head the way you do. You have to put it in their mind. We have to help the reader see it as we do, which means it has to be detailed out.

If you say, "I see a rolling green hill". Well the person reading this will only picture a hill of green grass. If you want them to see more then say it more like this. "As I sit here, I see a hill that goes beyond the eye. It is covered in wildflowers that are vibrant with color. The sky is dotted with a few fluffy white clouds and the blue is in deep contrast to the green grass. It is a breathtaking sight to behold." See how you draw in the reader and help them to see what you see.

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween and take it easy on the candy.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You...

Crazy Maybe, Thankful Definitely

How many writers have been told they’re nuts? I know I have. It’s almost hilarious the looks you get when you say you’re a writer. Some give you a sympathetic look. Some give you that ‘you can’t do anything else with your life,’ look. The one I love is the one where they look like ‘you’re nuts.” Ok, well maybe I am, but it’s something I love. 

Now anyone can say they’re writers, but how many can say they’re published writers? The first question usually asked is, “How’s that working out for you?” I always laugh and say it’s going wonderfully for me. I can finally say what I dreamed of years and years ago, “I’m a published author and am making money with my dream.” 

As for the “you can’t do anything else with your life”, well if you’ve read my bio you know I do a lot with my life. We are only given one chance at the pie so why not dip your fork into every slice you can. I run a successful accounting business which I built through experience and passion for the work. I’m a Children’s Ministry Director and dearly love what I do to minister to children. Then I get to do what only some sit and dream about. I get to put my dreams and thoughts into writing. I get to put romance, love, tears, heart and other emotions into someone’s life through my words. It’s a very humbling feeling to hear from my fans. Good or bad I have some faithful fans that ask when’s the next book coming out, where’s this character going from here, and so many more questions.

So where am I going with this post? I’m so thankful for the fans that support my writing. I’m thankful for the ones that write the adoring reviews and emails that I love reading every morning. This past year I’ve made friends all over the world and it’s been a very exciting time in my life. So, without further ado, I want to announce a huge sale. I’m doing a sale that will start today and run throughout Novemeber to show my thanks to all that follow me and even those that don’t but might start later.

The sales will be on all my stand alone books, not the bundles as they’re already reduced based on the amount of books included. You can find them at http://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Hurt/e/B00850W7U8 and https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/StephaniePayneHurt and http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Stephanie+Payne+Hurt.

Soon they will show up on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Sony and the other sites where my books are located. It usually takes about a week for the prices to show up on these sites, but the above link should start showing today and tommorow. So thanks and if you feel like it, give a review. I love to hear your thoughts.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…