Alison Chambers

Watch my Book Trailer for "The Montezuma Secret"

2012-03-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here is my brand new book trailer for "The Montezuma Secret!"

Visit Me on ibookbuzz.com and Read "The Montezuma Secret!"

2012-03-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who voted for “The Montezuma Secret” as best romantic suspense for March on http://www.ibookbuzz.com/. I enjoyed ramping up the romantic tension between the two main characters, Erica Kingsley and Trey Zacco, two complete opposites, who find they have only one thing in common—a strong physical attraction to each other. I particularly liked developing the jealousy angle between Erica and Morgana and had the fun of putting hunky Trey in the middle of these two very determined, sexy women! Watch for Trey struggling to control his libido (sometimes unsuccessfully) and laugh at Erica’s exploits in the jungle minus her stiletto heels, trying to survive on smuggled vitamins, hand sanitizer and mini-bottles of Stoli vodka!

Here’s how I came up with the idea for “The Montezuma Secret.” I don’t know if any of you have seen the show ‘Man vs. Wild.’ It’s a show on the Discovery Channel starring Bear Grylls, a former member of the British Special Forces Unit. In the reality show, Bear strands himself in remote locations to demonstrate survival techniques. I thought what if a survivalist tough guy was stranded in the jungle with a really attractive woman who was his complete opposite, a girly girl glamorous type who hosts a show dealing with all the luxuries in life? I decided the character had to be totally averse to roughing it and a bit spoiled. So that’s how I created Trey Zacco, host of “The Wildman Show” and Erica Kingsley, hostess of “The Lap of Luxury” show, on the fictitious Holiday Channel. Then, to raise the stakes, I thought what if the channel is in financial trouble? To increase ratings, Erica’s father, who owns the channel, suggests a special reality show in which Trey and Erica are thrown together in the jungle and viewers must vote for their favorite (like on American Idol) to determine who they like best. Only one show can survive.

But that wasn’t quite enough. Being a fan of lost treasures, I researched treasures that might be lurking in Central America. I learned Montezuma’s gold has never been found. Legends abound that after Montezuma was killed in the 1500's, the Aztecs took Montezuma's treasure and hid it from the Spaniards. Some believe the treasure was hidden on the outskirts of Mexico City. Other suspected hiding places include Guatemala and even Kanab, Utah! So I decided Trey and Erica would search for Montezuma’s gold to further raise ratings. Since Guatemala was adjacent to Belize, I decided Belize was the perfect setting for “The Montezuma Secret!”

I hope you enjoy Trey and Erica’s story as they struggle to survive and find love, the greatest treasure of all!
Reading Schedule on http://www.ibookbuzz.com/:
March 1-7: Chapters 1-14
March 8-14: Chapters 15-30
March 15-21: Chapters 31-48
March 22-31: Chapters 49-59

Romance Reviews Anniversary Party All This Month

2012-03-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

Want to be eligible to win the Grand Prize of $100 Gift Certificate and other major prizes? Here’s how.

The Objective!

Match up all the book covers in the Matching Covers Game. If you complete it, that’s 1 chance. Play and complete the Matching Covers Game everyday, and that will give you maximum of 31 chances to win any of the major prizes. Each player starts the game with 10 clicks (number of times to open the covers).

Get More Clicks (chances)! Each correct Q&A you answer gives you 2 additional clicks. The more Q&A you answer, the more clicks you have to match all the covers. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Click on the “Reset” button, and the number of clicks you earned will be restored and you can try again to complete a new Matching Covers Game. http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php. Don't miss out and watch for my question about "The Montezuma Secret," the ibookbuzz.com book of the month, on March 30 in The Romance Reviews contest!

March Romantic Suspense Book of the Month on ibookbuzz!

2012-02-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

I won as the best romantic suspense for "The Montezuma Secret" for March at ibookbuzz.com! Watch for news on the exciting chats, blogs, discussion, excerpts, etc. going on over at www.ibookbuzz.com all month. Thanks to everyone who voted for me! Your support means a lot!

"The Montezuma Secret"

NOW Available on www.amazon.com Click to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JU0IX6 Only $.99 in e-book format for your Kindle, PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, or Android

Also available on Smashwords!
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49140

FIVE STARS: "Excellent writing! Enjoyable hero and heroine! Great romance! Fast pace! I read it straight through! Author thorough in research! I lived the experience!"--A reader on Amazon.com

FIVE STARS: "Erica Kingsley, a twenty-nine year old spoiled woman had to be taught a lesson and her CEO father planned with the help of her ex-lover to do just that! Does Ms. Chambers hold her readers captive with a book that you just can't put down and gives her opinion on where the king's daughter buried his gold! From the descriptions of the jungle, the visions fairly leaped off the pages and I can't wait to read her next!"--A Reader on Goodreads.com

FIVE STARS: "A Wild Sultry Ride! Wonderful, action-packed story! I was completely lost in the author's words. Ms. Chambers created quite a world for us to lose ourself in. The chemistry between Trey and Erica is fantastic. With curves, twist, romance and action. Take the chance, The Montezuma Secret is well worth your time."--A reader on Amazon.com

Alison Chambers

http://www.alisonchambersromance.com/

Vote for "The Montezuma Secret" on ibookbuzz!

2012-01-31T18:25:00.000-08:00

My book "The Montezuma Secret" has been chosen as one of the final FIVE in the Romantic Suspense category, and one will be iBookBuzz's Book of the Month for March. Please vote for me! Go to www.iBookBuzz.com and click on Vote.

You can vote for me between February 1st and 14th, with the book accumulating the most votes being announced on February 15th. Amazon links to my book are conveniently located next to the Review boxes.

Please be aware that multiple voting is not allowed and those votes will be deducted at the end.
Check out my reviews:

FIVE STARS: "Excellent writing! Enjoyable hero and heroine! Great romance! Fast pace! I read it straight through! Author thorough in research! I lived the experience!"--A reader on Amazon.com

FIVE STARS: Does Ms. Chambers hold her readers captive with a book that you just can't put down and gives her opinion on where the king's daughter buried his gold! From the descriptions of the jungle, the visions fairly leaped off the pages and I can't wait to read her next!"--A Reader on Goodreads.com

FIVE STARS: "A Wild Sultry Ride! Wonderful, action-packed story! I was completely lost in the author's words. Ms. Chambers created quite a world for us to lose ourself in. The chemistry between Trey and Erica is fantastic. With curves, twist, romance and action. Take the chance, The Montezuma Secret is well worth your time."--A reader on Amazon.com

Thank you!

Excerpt "The Montezuma Secret"

2012-01-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

NOW Available on www.amazon.com

Click to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JU0IX6

Only $.99 in e-book format for your Kindle, PC, MAC, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, or Android. Also available on Smashwords!

FIVE STARS: "Excellent writing! Enjoyable hero and heroine! Great romance! Fast pace! I read it straight through! Author thorough in research! I lived the experience!"--A reader on Amazon.com

Does Ms. Chambers hold her readers captive with a book that you just can't put down and gives her opinion on where the king's daughter buried his gold! From the descriptions of the jungle, the visions fairly leaped off the pages and I can't wait to read her next!"--A Reader on Goodreads.com

FIVE STARS: "A Wild Sultry Ride! Wonderful, action-packed story! I was completely lost in the author's words. Ms. Chambers created quite a world for us to lose ourself in. The chemistry between Trey and Erica is fantastic. With curves, twist, romance and action. Take the chance, The Montezuma Secret is well worth your time."--A reader on Amazon.com

A Blurb from “The Montezuma Secret”

Hunky Trey Zacco, gritty survivalist and host of the Miami-based Holiday Channel’s hit "Wildman" series and glitz and glamour girl, Erica Kingsley, host of the channel’s "Lap of Luxury" show, are thrown together in the steamy jungles of Belize as a publicity stunt. Erica’s father, Arthur Kingsley, the owner of the Holiday Channel, has proposed the angle, not only to boost ratings, but also as a way to toughen up his spoiled daughter. And Kingsley wants them to search for Montezuma’s lost gold, presumably moved to Belize from the Guatemalan jungle. Zacco cannot hide his resentment at having to share the spotlight with the flighty fashionista Erica, and he locks horns with her every step of the way even as both try to ignore the strong physical attraction growing between them.

But when Arthur Kingsley’s plane crashes in the jungle on his way to film the opening of the show, Trey and Erica launch a desperate search to find him. And when, one by one, members of the camera crew are killed and the equipment sabotaged, Trey and Erica find themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle with sultry producer Morgana Montez, Trey's ex-lover, where no rescue crew can reach them.

An Excerpt from "The Montezuma Secret"

"Up?" she pointed, unable to believe her ears.

Trey gave her a hard shove.

"Get going!"

"But how?"

"Grab the vines and pull yourself up!" he shouted over the thundering rain.

"You must be joking! It’s got to be one hundred feet high!"

"Good calculation. Now move!"

She stood her ground. "But why?"

"A. There’s no other way. B. I’m ordering you to. And you’ll listen if you ever want to get out of here."

Trey stifled an urge to smack her luscious wet bottom and watched in amusement as she struggled to grab hold of the slick vines, then smirked as she scrambled up a few feet and then landed in the muck with a splat. Her thick mane of black hair, once so splendidly coifed, was heavily matted and caked in mud.

"Again!" he yelled.

Raindrops, big as bullets, pelted her mercilessly. "I can’t do it. It’s impossible."

"Watch the master," he said, stowing the camera in his backpack.

He brushed her aside and grabbed one of the sturdier vines, then pulled himself up arm over arm with the agility of a spider monkey until he reached the top of the cliff where he had a perfect view of the lush jungle canopy and could see for miles.

"Now you know how it’s done. Get your ass up here or I’ll leave you behind."

"You can’t do that. You wouldn’t."

"Pull yourself up, Kingsley. If you have to, use the side of the cliff to push off and boost yourself higher. But watch out for the holes. There may be spiders and bats hiding in those nooks and crannies."

Erica re-tied her sagging ponytail and pinned it to her scalp. Her breath was ragged, her heartbeat erratic.

From above, she heard the sudden monotonous drone of a plane’s engine cutting through the rain splatter, then listened to the sputter as the motor spit and coughed, struggling to stay aloft. Wings slashed through the jungle over her head five hundred feet from her, both turbo props flaming. The plane wobbled and rolled before hitting the ground with an ear-splitting shriek of steel against steel followed by a blinding explosion of light that knocked her off her feet.

A sickening sensation shot through her and she suppressed the urge to vomit. The stench of black smoke as dark as blood filled her nostrils. She knew what had happened. She hoped to God she was wrong, but more than ever she wished with all her heart and soul that she was still safely home in Miami Beach and that she had never come.

From a safe distance, comfortably positioned to witness the entire spectacle, a smiling figure breathed a sigh of relief. It had all gone according to plan. On schedule and on time. They were right where they needed to be. Soon they’d both be dead and no one would be the wiser. Untimely accidents. Marauding terrorists. Ancient Mayan curses. Any excuse would do. Completely believable, considering the dangers of the jungle. They’d just disappear. Perfect. Simply perfect.

The Rhythm of the Word, Part 2

2012-01-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Rhythm of the Word continues with more sentence selection choices to vary your writing style and engage your reader:

Repetition of a key term. Example: We all inhabit a mysterious world—the inner world, the world of the mind.

A variation: same word repeated in parallel structure. Example: Romeo and Juliet captures a moment of time, a moment of passion, a moment of desperate indulgence.

Emphatic appositive at end, after a colon

Example: Atop the back of the lobster is a collection of trash: tiny starfish, moss, sea conchs, crabs, pieces of kelp.

A variation: appositive (single or pair of series after a dash)

Example: Many traditional philosophies echo the ideas of one man—Plato

Interrupting modifier between subject and verb

Example: A small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, can make millions think.

A full sentence as interrupting modifier

Example: Juliet’s famous question—early in the balcony scene she asks, “Wherefore art thou, Romeo—is often misunderstood; she meant not “where,” but “why.”

Introductory or concluding participles

Example: Overwhelmed by the tear gas, the rioters groped their way toward the fountain to wash their eyes.

A single modifier out of place for emphasis

Example: Frantically, the young mother called for help.

Prepositional phrase before subject and verb

Example: Despite his master’s degree in economics, the only job Chester could get was making change in an Atlantic City casino.

Object or complement before subject and verb

Example: His kind of sarcasm I do not like.

Complete inversion of normal pattern

Example: Down the street and through the mist stumbled the unfamiliar figure.

Paired constructions

Example: The more the Texas Ranger searched through the country, the more elusive the trail of the train robbers became.

A paired construction for contrast only

Example: Genius, not stupidity, has limits.

Dependent clause as subject or object or complement

Example: What man cannot imagine, he cannot create.

Absolute construction anywhere in sentence

Example: His blanket torn and his finger burnt, the small boy cried on his father’s shoulder.

The short, simple sentence for relief or dramatic effect

Example: Days passed.

A short question for dramatic effect

Example: What caused the change?

The deliberate fragment

Example: Fair enough.

Keep all these sentence styles near your computer to help you remember all the different variations. And pay attention to the rhythm of the sentences, the syllables and the words. The ear is the best writer. If you keep your writing lyrical, you're writing will sing!

Weeks to come: Shameless Promotion

The Rhythm of the Word

2012-01-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

Words are like musical notes. They have to form together properly to make a pleasing sound. That’s why they say the ear is the best writer. Sentences have to have a certain rhythm otherwise they sound choppy and discordant. As a piano player, I draw on my musical skills to understand when writing sounds right and when it doesn’t.

Sentences have to flow like music. The number of syllables in the word also makes a difference when determining which one to use. Too many long sentences won’t work and the same is true of too many short sentences. In music, staccato means a note of short duration. Lunga means long and sostenuto means sustained or lengthened. Forte means loud, adagio slow, pianissimo, soft. Andante means moderate, crescendo means growing progressively louder. When a pianist is unskilled, all the notes may be played exactly the same, without emphasis or feeling. He or she hasn’t put his soul into the music. When a virtuoso pianist hits the keys, we can immediately tell the difference. Some parts of the melody are played soft, others strong. It stirs us emotionally. We hear not just the notes, but the emotion behind it. The same is true of writing. The key is variety. And the ultimate key is to know when to differentiate between all the different options and make the words sing—with emotion, intensity and fire. It can make our writing not only readable, but memorable.

There are 20 Patterns for sentence structure. Here are the first 10:* (I’ve copied these and pasted them next to my computer)

1. Compound sentence: semicolon, no conjunction. Example: Hard work is only one side of the equation; talent is the other.
2. Compound sentence with elliptical construction. Example: A red light means stop; a green light, go.
3. Compound sentence with explanatory statement. Example: Remember what the old saying advises: Be careful what you wish for because you may actually get it.
4. A series without a conjunction. Example: The United States has a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
5. A series with a variation. Example: Peering down from the hill, Merlin could see the castle swathed in gloom and fear and death.
6. A series of balanced pairs. Example: Antony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Lancelot and Guinevere were all famous lovers in literature.
7. An introductory series of appositives. Example: Vanity, greed, corruption—which serves as the novel’s source of conflict?
8. An internal series of appositives or modifiers. Example: My favorite red wines—Zinfandel, Cabernet, Pinot Noir—blend well in making California rose wines.
9. A variation: a single appositive or a pair. Example: A sudden explosion—artillery fire—signaled the beginning of a barrage.
10. Dependent clauses in a pair or in a series. Example: When he smelled the odor of pine, when he heard the chatter of jays, when he saw the startled doe, the hunter knew he had reached the center of the forest.

What writers use words that flow the best, ones that are the most pleasing to the ear? What writers make you say ‘gee, I wish I’d written that,’ or ‘gee, that sounds great!’ My favorite wordsmiths are Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They can create an atmosphere like no other and string sentences together with truly imaginative words that have life and rhythm. Who are your favorite wordsmiths and what special tricks do they use that make you love their writing?•

*From “The Art of Styling Sentences: 20 Patterns for Success” by Waddell, Esch and Walker
Next week: The Rhythm of the Word, Part 2

What Makes a Successful Blog?

2012-01-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

What's the Secret Formula to Success?

1. The day you blog?
(Are weekends the best?)
(Or Mondays when everyone is more active, back at work, etc.)

2. The time?
(Early or late in the day?)

3. Name recognition?
(Does this matter?)

4. Subject matter?
(This has to matter!)

5. What’s the most popular topic?
a. Writing tips?
b. Personal Recollections
c. R-rated book excerpts?
d. Promos?
e. Great photos?
f. Great links?

6. Social Media
a. Facebook
b. Twitter
c. Linked in?
d. Writing Groups
1. Coffee Time Romance
2. All Romance Reviews
3. Wild Rose Press
4. Long and Short Romance Reviews
5. Others?
6. Amazon Author Page
7. Facebook Author Page

7. Long list of followers to establish credibility?

8. Length of Time the Writer has been Blogging?

9. Number of Books the Author has Written/Experience Level?

These are things I’ve wondered about since I first started seriously blogging a year ago. What things contribute to creating a big following? I’ve heard it takes six months to establish that following. Is this true? Does it contribute to sales? Is it better than paid ads? My New Year’s resolution is to grow my blog and its followers. How best to do that? And is it worth it? Am I wasting time with this when I should sooner be working on my novels?

Next week: The Rhythm of the Word

My favorite holiday movie: Hugo and the Creation of a Fantastic Story World

2011-12-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

I don’t know how many of you have seen the fantastic new movie “Hugo,” currently out in theatres. But we could learn a lot from the movie in terms of creating a fantastic story world, one that hooks you in and won’t let go.

Without giving away too much, Hugo is a little boy who lives in a giant clock in a railroad station just after World War I. His father dies and he is forced to live with his uncle (a very mean drunkard—shades of Charles Dickens.) When his uncle dies, he lives in fear of the evil train station security guard, who will whisk him off to an orphanage if he learns Hugo has lost all of his relatives. The boy finds a fabulous mechanical man, called an automaton, and tries to get him to work using his father’s special tools. (His father was an expert at fixing things). The automaton does give him a message which leads him to a fascinating old man who works at the train station selling toys, from whom he has originally stolen the mysterious metal figure. This man has a connection to the early days of moviemaking and to his father.

The story is set in a miraculous fantasy world and is shot in the best 3D I’ve ever seen. The pictures literally leap off the page. Can you make your settings and characters do that? Can you create a fantasy world that mesmerizes and amazes? Will your readers get lost in the story because of it?

Whether you’re writing a fantasy or not, you still need to create that kind of world. A special world that your characters inhabit, where evil lurks and love triumphs. One that’s above reality, one that’s special. It’s hard to do, but using our imagination can work wonders. And, of course, like Hugo’s world, there must be hope and there must be a happy ending.

What’s your favorite book or movie whose setting literally swept you away to another world—Star Wars, Harry Potter, the Twilight saga—or? Let me know!

Next week: What makes a successful blog and what’s the best day to blog?

Do Book Trailers Really Help Sell Books?

2011-12-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

Last week, I blogged about how to create a book trailer the easy way and I often wonder do these things help sell books? They may be a quick YouTube production or a more detailed and expensively produced one, but does it make a difference? Do they sell your books? I’m more apt to read a blurb than I am to watch a trailer, maybe because they’re still a new promo option to me. And if you go to the Wild Rose Press, Amazon or to Smashwords, potential buyers are more apt to read a description of your book and its reviews rather than watch a trailer, which is often only posted at your website.

It’s funny, we watch movie trailers all the time because it’s such a common thing and usually the main way we hear about new movies. While watching TV, a movie trailer will often pop up or we see them in the theatre (for about fifteen minutes before the actual movie we’ve paid for starts). Sometimes I even get bored with them, like enough already, let’s just start the movie. There aren’t as many for books that I’ve seen, though occasionally I do see a book ad on TV or hear one on the radio (usually for some mega best-selling author like James Patterson).

Like paid advertising, the jury’s still out on the value of book trailers, though they seem to be a necessity these days like everything else in the book marketing world. I still think the best promotional tool is the books themselves, how many you’ve written and the fan base you’ve developed over the years. That’s how I buy books. When I hear a new book is out by an author I’ve enjoyed, I rush to buy it (at a discount, of course).

What do you think?

Next week: My favorite holiday movie: Hugo and the Creation of a Fantastic Story World

How to Make a Cheap Book Trailer Yourself

2011-12-11T05:55:00.000-08:00

While on a recent Caribbean cruise, my boyfriend and I shot additional footage of Belize with his video camera as a promotion for my latest book, “The Montezuma Secret,” which is set in Belize. He filmed me explaining the plot of the book, and I began by saying: “Here I am, in beautiful Belize.” He also shot footage of me doing an interview with a local TV reporter and camera crew. It’s set to appear as a book trailer on my website.

So whenever you travel, either cross-country or abroad, take your video camera! It doesn’t have to be expensive to shoot a book trailer promo. You can do it yourself! Use backgrounds that look similar to your book’s setting, even while at home. It doesn’t have to be the real thing. Go to the zoo. Shoot pictures of exotic animals and call it the jungle. Go to a nearby lake, pretend it’s the ocean. Visit a forest or national park. Go to the airport, film planes taking off. Shoot a train or sailboat in miniature. Film the sky, a sunset, a rainstorm, a blizzard. And don’t forget to include a picture of your book’s cover! Movies are all about imagination. You’ve heard the term “movie magic.” That’s what it is! Get friends and family in on the act. And use your own voice to promote the book. Read your blurb. Read an excerpt. Be dramatic. Let the actor or actress in you take over. You’re an artist too, a very special one. An author. So sell it! Post it on YouTube, your website and blog. People love video. A picture speaks a thousand words!

Any video camera will do. And if you don’t have one, buy one! Cheap video flip cameras abound, all for less than $100. Even your phone has a camera option. You don’t have to have a professional videographer and expensive camera crew. So the next time you think, I’d love to do a book trailer, but I just don’t know how, think again. Keep it simple and see what you can come up with! It’s a lot of fun to star in pictures!

What is your experience with making book trailers?

Next week: Do Book Trailers Sell Books?

How to Creatively Promote while on Vacation and During the Holidays

2011-12-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

How Just a Little Initiative Can Make Things Happen

Case Study #1: While on a Caribbean cruise two weeks ago, we stopped at Belize, which just happens to be the site of my latest book “The Montezuma Secret.” When we went ashore, we stopped at an art gallery where a TV camera crew was filming award-winning paintings for that evening’s newscast. My boyfriend went up to the reporter and said “She wrote a book about Belize.” The reporter’s interest perked up and he came over and talked to me where I explained about how “The Montezuma Secret” had been set in Belize, was available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com and how it had received Five Star Reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. His interest perked up further. He congratulated me on giving him a new angle for the story and agreed to interview me. We went outside, where there was a lovely backdrop of the river and sailboats behind me and he asked me about how I decided to set the book in Belize. I explained that it was a beautiful exotic place that I always wanted to visit and how I wished I had more time to stay in the country other than the short cruise ship stop. I also explained that “The Montezuma Secret” was about a search for Montezuma’s lost gold which has never been found, although rumors abounded that the gold might have been moved to neighboring Guatemala. I added that I fictionalized moving the gold to Belize because I had wanted to set a story there. The interview was set to air that night on local TV. Moral of the story: You never know when a good promotional opportunity will come along so keep your eyes open, be gutsy and be prepared!

Case Study #2: I live in a small quaint village in Wisconsin, just south of Milwaukee, which celebrates every holiday with verve and panache—thousands of tiny lights, hay rides, craft fairs, horse-drawn sleigh rides at Christmas, you name it, they’ve thought of it. All of these events are very well attended, drawing thousands of people from Milwaukee and the surrounding suburbs as well as neighboring Illinois. While visiting the downtown area this past October, I happened to notice a poster on one of the charming little shops promoting someone’s book for the upcoming annual “Hay Days” celebration. I went inside and talked to the clerk, who told me it was her book and said the owner had graciously agreed to let her promote it inside her shop during “Hay Days.” I asked her how I could participate in future events. She told me to contact the village and noted that everyone had been very helpful to local vendors, artists, and authors. I contacted the village via their website, but heard nothing back. (There were several different websites, one for the shops and business, one for the village itself and I wasn’t sure which one was the correct venue.) After two attempts and still hearing nothing back, I contacted the mayor directly. He was kind enough to give me a return phone call and advised me to contact the manager of all the local businesses, which I did. The manager told me to contact one of the shop owners to act as a sponsor for a future event: “Dickens of a Christmas,” “Valentine’s Day,” etc. I am in the process of doing that and hope to be a participant in the next Valentine’s Day event as a great tie-in for a local romance author. Moral of the story: If at first you don’t’ succeed, try, try again!
What’s your favorite promotional story?
Next week: How to Make a Cheap, Quick and Easy Book Trailer

Happy Cyber Monday!

2011-11-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

Simple Promo Tips in an Increasingly Complex Electronic World

Many authors (including me) are using independent distribution sites like Amazon and Smashwords to sell their books (either brand new titles, titles that weren’t picked up by traditional publishers or titles that were once published elsewhere but are no longer in print) in order to find a new audience in this wonderful Kindle, KOBO, Nook, and tablet-happy electronic world we now inhabit. It’s tough to be an indie author, but there are ways to make it easier. Here are a few tips I’ve found helpful:
Converting books for Amazon’s Kindle and Smashwords can be a chore, especially for first-timers. Here is a list I’ve found and I refer to it closely when I have to upload a new book. It’s worked wonders and saved me a ton of time. It also helps to have a new computer and a new version of Microsoft Word.

* “Save As” to create Kindle file copy
* Insert cover image on first page
* Remove blank pages
* Remove headers
* Remove footers
* Set margins to 1” all around, remove gutter
* Replace section breaks with page breaks
* Set two carriage returns before each pg break and one after each
* Insert page breaks before each chapter heading, if necessary
* Replace double spaces with single space between sentences
* Standardize body text style
* Turn off auto-hyphenate (Tools > Language > Hyphenation)
* Remove any tab or space bar indents, replace w/ ruler indents as needed
* Set line spacing to 1.5, max 6pt spacing after paragraphs
* Standardize chapter headings
* Standardize section headings
* Remove/replace special characters
* Reformat graphics as needed to 300dpi resolution & optimal size (4×6” or smaller)
* Verify images are “in line” with text
* Insert page breaks before and after full-page images
* Modify copyright page to reflect Kindle edition verbiage
* Add correct ISBN to copyright page
* Insert hyperlinked TOC (From The Indie Author Guide by April Hamilton)

Other great resources: Taleist (www.taleist.com), Kindle Boards Author Tag Exchange and Kindle’s Direct Publishing Newsletter. Also dearauthor.com, where you can list new releases as well as thebookbreeze.com. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers at www.fundsforwriters.com, Sandra Beckwith’s Build Book Buzz, www.buildbookbuzz.com and Dana Lynn Smith’s The Savvy Book Marketer http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com are also wonderful resources.

Books: The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing by J.A. Konrath and Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters

Join the following groups for great writing and promo tips: Authors, Writers, Publishers, Editors and Writing; New Image Writer’s International Network; Reader’s Entertainment; Books and Writers; and Romantic Fiction, all on Linked In.

Post at: Long and Short Romance Reviews, Coffee Time Romance, Love Romance Café, All Romance Reviews (Put their banner on your website and get a free headline ad each month), and Twitter and Facebook, of course.

Happy Cyber Monday and I hope your sales skyrocket!

What’s your favorite free promotional tool?
Next week: How to Creatively Promote while on Vacation and during the Holidays

What Sells Books?

2011-11-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

Simple question: what makes books sell the MOST?
1. Plots
2. Characters
3. Title
4. Cover
5. Good Cover Blurb/Plot Synopsis
6. Price
7. Good Reviews
8. Word of Mouth
9. Established Author with multiple titles
10. Facebook/Twitter/Other Social Media
11. Successful Blog with large number of Blog Followers
12. Popularity of Genre (Vampires, Shapeshifters, Werewolves)
13. Good Publicity/Promotion Plan
14. Paid Advertising

What do you think? Personally, I think good reviews and word of mouth help the most as well as being an author with multiple titles and a good track record. What do you think?

Next Week: Help for Indie Authors

What is Your Favorite Type of Romantic Hero to Read or Write About?

2011-11-06T04:55:00.000-08:00

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy…an Internet poll says these are the most popular professions of romantic heroes: (not in any particular order)

1. Doctor
2. Cowboy
3. Boss
4. Prince
5. Rancher
6. Knight
7. Surgeon
8. King
9. Bodyguard
10. Sheriff
11. Police Officer
12. Detective
13. Spy
14. Pirate

So how many have they left off the list? Vampire and shapeshifter comes to mind. How about a soldier? Another heroic possibility. Are there any others you can think of? And what’s your favorite type of romantic hero? Since I’m also fascinated with anything mysterious, I vote for spy. You never know what the guy is up to or what side he’s on. Sounds appealing. Keeps me guessing and turning the pages. James Bond…Jason Bourne, especially Jason Bourne because he doesn’t really know who he is and why everybody is chasing after him. The amnesiac spy. Even better. Bodyguard is another one of my favorites. Creates all kinds of romantic possibilities. He’s got a reason to hang around and he can’t leave the heroine’s side and when he does, all kinds of trouble follow him.

Detective also ranks high with me. Another mysterious brooding guy with a lot of psychological problems that usually get peeled off layer by layer within the book. Makes for an interesting character study. They haven’t included FBI/government official which I suppose sort of goes hand in glove with the spy category. Another they haven’t included is politician—traditionally the handsome senator or Presidential candidate in trouble, being stalked by some crazed supporter. How about reporter? A guy digging for the truth can get my vote for best hero too. Anyway, it sets your mind spinning when you start to write, which exciting romantic type to choose. That’s half the fun. But I’m sure every writer has their favorite.

What’s yours?

Next Week: What sells books?

Yes Party at The Romance Reviews

2011-11-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

Visit the Romance Reviews site today and answer the questions for a chance to win over 200 prizes (including the Grand Prize of a $100 gift card). Other prizes include: gift cards, e-books, print books) Join in the fun! PS, Mine is Question 13 today!

The Objective!
Match up all the book covers in the Matching Covers Game you'll find at The Romance Reviews. If you complete it, that’s 1 chance. Play and complete the Matching Covers Game everyday, and that will give you a maximum of 30 chances to win any of the major prizes. Each player starts the game with 10 clicks (number of times to open the covers). Get More Clicks (chances)! Each correct Q&A you answer gives you 2 additional clicks. The more Q&A you answer, the more clicks you have to match all the covers.

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.
Click on the “Reset” button, and the number of clicks you earned will be restored and you can try again to complete a new Matching Covers Game.

Here's the link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php Don't miss out! And go to my website www.alisonchambersromance.com to find the answer to question 13 today for a chance to win an e-copy of "The Montezuma Secret!" Five Stars on Amazon and Goodreads!

Alison Chambers
www.alisonchambersromance.com

Trick or Treat! The Twists and Turns of the Big Surprise!

2011-10-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Do surprise endings really surprise? Do you love being surprised and tricked? Do you enjoy being led down a path filled with a string of puzzling red herrings and a frightening cast of characters only to discover that was not where the author was really headed? Or do you like the straightforward ending where you guessed the climax ahead of time and was really satisfied that you had figured it out correctly? You wanted the main characters to get together, you knew he or she couldn’t be the evil culprit, it was a simple but good story and you were pleased when everything played out just as you suspected.

The ‘Boo!’ I’m behind the door ending or the ‘gotcha’ moment can be great, but only if it’s well done. If it’s contrived or feels fake in any way, you’ve lost the element of surprise or diluted it so much that you probably shouldn’t have bothered. A good surprise is often one the reader did not see coming because of misdirection and because of false clues the author planted in a logical, progressive sequence.

For me, I always prefer to surprise. I like twists and turns, I like the tricks because they always turn out to be treats. When you think the book is about one thing, but it really turns out to be about another completely different thing, that’s what makes me want to read more by that particular author. When I first became interested in writing, I loved the clever puzzles of Agatha Christie and the suspenseful menace of Mary Roberts Rinehart. Rinehart wrote sixty novels and was the favorite of American presidents. Crime fascinated her. An editor once said that the key to publishing success was sex and murder. She, like other famous mystery and suspense writers did the ‘clue striptease.’ They revealed only a little at a time. I also enjoyed reading the stories of the English writer Alistair MacLean. In one of his famous stories “The Satan Bug,” you thought the villain had stolen a deadly virus merely to terrorize the English populace. But in reality, the villain only used the virus as a threat to empty the entire city of London so he could steal its most precious treasures. Surprise! This is what got me! The trick won me over and made me a fan of surprise endings for life. If I’ve surprised the reader and made him gasp (in a good way), I feel I’ve done my job.

What’s your favorite trick, your most devilish surprise ending? Fatal Attraction, when Glenn Close playing Alex Forrest shows up at the end to torment poor Anne Archer one more time and then Anne Archer shoots her or…BOO!

Next week: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy--What is Your Favorite Type of Romantic Hero to Read or Write About?

What is Your Heart's Desire? Leave a Comment, Win an E-Copy of “The Montezuma Secret”

2011-10-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Recently, I opened a fortune cookie that read "You will get your heart's desire." In romance, so much emphasis is placed on winning our heart’s desire. But what is that really? It’s not necessarily what your brain wants, but your heart. Is it finding true love, a great career, financial success, regaining our health, having a big family? In other words, it all boils down to happiness. What is happiness?

Is happiness individual prosperity or something else? Aristotle thought happiness was the goal of human activity. You could find happiness only in a life filled with virtue and just actions. President John F. Kennedy alludes to Aristotle when he defined happiness as the full use of one’s talents along the lines of excellence. He thought the Presidency afforded him the opportunity to do just that. Mick Jagger, on the other hand, reminds us that “you can’t always get what you want, and if you try sometime, you find you get what you need.”

My heart’s desire always was and is living the writer’s life with someone I love. Simple, but honest. And I’ve done that, though at times I’ve had to alter that goal to include working at other jobs, while remaining focused on what I love most: writing and romance. So sometimes, I’ve had to live the Jagger philosophy—not necessarily what I want, but enough so that I have what I need.

Romance novels are supposed to end happily, thank goodness. And they usually end with the couple getting it all: marriage, family, success in their careers. That leaves the reader (and the writer) satisfied. But in our real lives, that doesn’t always happen, no matter how hard we try. So how hard is it to attain our heart’s desire? It must be different for everyone, though basically I find we all seek out the same things—health, happiness, love, prosperity. When crimes are committed, they often are because the person lacks one of these things.

In “The Montezuma Secret,” Erica Kingsley must find her heart’s desire. She thinks money is everything, but learns it isn’t. The hard way. And while searching for her own personal truth, she realizes what matters to her the most and finds her heart’s desire.

What is your heart’s desire? EVERY commenter will win a free e-copy of “The Montezuma Secret.” Read a brief blurb and excerpt below.

Hunky Trey Zacco, gritty survivalist and host of the Miami-based Holiday Channel’s hit "Wildman" series and glitz and glamour girl, Erica Kingsley, host of the channel’s "Lap of Luxury" show, are thrown together in the steamy jungles of Belize as a publicity stunt. Erica’s father, Arthur Kingsley, the owner of the Holiday Channel, has proposed the angle, not only to boost ratings, but also as a way to toughen up his spoiled daughter. And Kingsley wants them to search for Montezuma’s lost gold, presumably moved to Belize from the Guatemalan jungle. Zacco cannot hide his resentment at having to share the spotlight with the flighty fashionista Erica, and he locks horns with her every step of the way even as both try to ignore the strong physical attraction growing between them.
But when Arthur Kingsley’s plane crashes in the jungle on his way to film the opening of the show, Trey and Erica launch a desperate search to find him. And when, one by one, members of the camera crew are killed and the equipment sabotaged, Trey and Erica find themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle with sultry producer Morgana Montez, Trey's ex-lover, where no rescue crew can reach them.

Excerpt: “The Montezuma Secret”
Five Stars on Amazon.com and Goodreads

Reappearing ten minutes later, dressed in a tiny gold lame bikini with a fresh layer of lip gloss applied, Erica stopped short at the sight of a half-naked Trey astride his Harley, a pair of sleek wraparound Rayban sunglasses perched atop his head.
Without his shirt and his shoulders buffed to a bronzy glow, he looked like a young Adonis. He fixed her with a mesmerizing gaze, his peacock blue eyes piercing hers, an obvious sexual come-on, she was sure of it. A shock of thick wiry hair flopped forward onto his forehead, adding a charming touch of boyishness that only added to his alluring all-male appeal.
And the way he ogled her in that bikini, she knew he liked what he saw. It hugged every curve, accentuated her ample cleavage and made her legs look as long as an Amazon’s. She felt like one too, brazen, aggressive and totally lacking in inhibitions.
She got on the motorcycle behind him, riding it sidesaddle. This time she needed no encouragement. Her arms flew around his naked waist and she let her long legs dangle so they made contact with his thigh. She leaned forward so her breasts caressed his bare back and when the photographer turned on the wind machine, her long hair flew behind her in the breeze. His body heat and strong muscles acted like an instant aphrodisiac.
The photographer handed them each a glass of champagne in tall crystal flutes and began snapping. Trey could not keep his eyes off her legs, she noted with pride, as the photographer had to keep reminding him to stare into the camera. Finally, he asked them to clink glasses and stare into each other’s eyes. She knew she had him then. She’d apologize to her father later for reneging on her promise not to fall prey to Trey’s charms again.
After a few more shots, the photographer motioned them off the cycle, then removed the vehicle and the backdrop, leaving them awkwardly standing next to one another, half-dressed, champagne glasses still clutched in their hands.
Trey broke the stalemate first and grinned mischievously before downing his champagne in one gulp. Erica copied him and they both laughed. Trey walked over to the food cart next, slathered some caviar on a cracker and popped it into his mouth before pouring himself more champagne and re-filling Erica’s glass.
Suddenly feeling wanton and not the least bit self-conscious, Erica picked up one of the sinfully rich pastries loaded with whipped cream and fed it to him. When some of the cream landed on the corners of his mouth, she wiped off the excess with her index finger and made him lick it off. She watched his tongue slowly swirl off the cream and take her finger in his mouth until he stopped at her knuckle.
“Mmmm,” she purred in approval.
“All right, you two. I don’t want to get out the fire hose,” the photographer joked.
He’d changed the scenery again. An oversized wing chair, one big enough for giants, sat where the motorcycle once stood. The Paris skyline, complete with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, now served as the new backdrop.
“All right, Trey. Climb up into that chair and Erica, you sit on his lap. Get it? ‘Lap of Luxury.’ And fill those glasses again.”
After pouring them more champagne, Trey clambered up onto the huge chair while Erica held the glasses for him. He gave Erica a careful boost so as not to spill any of the champagne and then she maneuvered herself onto his lap, throwing an arm around his bare shoulder. The liquor had loosened his inhibitions and that was just the way she wanted it. Getting him back again was going to be easier than she’d planned.
Standing on a ladder, the photographer prepared to film some additional promotional spots, this time using a hand-held video camera.
“Feel free to ad lib some dialogue, guys,” he instructed, zeroing in on both of them with his lens. “So far, it’s looking great.”
“Contrary to public opinion,” Erica began, a little giddy, as she downed another glass of champagne, “Trey and I do get along. Even though we’re from opposite sides of the program guide. As a matter of fact, I like wild things and I think wild things like me. Tune in to see the fur fly.”
Trey laughed uproariously at the pun.
“Cut!” the photographer yelled.
Erica inched up higher on his lap, feeling Trey’s swelling erection poking her bottom.
“Do you like it wild, Trey?”
He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly eager to remove her from his lap. He shimmied off the chair, leaving her sitting alone and feeling foolish perched atop the gargantuan thing, still wearing the tiny bikini. She wondered what she’d done to cause such a strange transformation.
Straining to see what was behind Trey’s agitation, she scooted off the chair seat and leapt down, then followed him to the doorway, her high heels clacking on the slick hardwood floor.
Morgana Montez, Trey’s beautiful producer and his most recent ex, stood in the door way. And behind her lurked the threatening hulk of Gordon Gosich.

Next week: Who is your favorite romantic hero type to write about and why?

Stand In for a Dead Man: My Newest Release

2011-10-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Available Now on Amazon and Smashwords

Gunfire erupts on a Chicago sidewalk and controversial secretary of State Henry Landis lies bleeding from an assassin’s bullet. But who really pulled the trigger? GLOBAL magazine reporter Stephanie Bosworth Thornton, the Deputy Secretary of State’s estranged daughter, fears the worst when her dying father tells her the President was actually responsible. She threads her way through a labyrinth of mystery, danger and romance searching for the truth in an attempt to exorcise her own demons of guilt and betrayal. On the way, she meets handsome Danny Flint. But is he only using her to cover up his own involvement in the crime? And as her suspicions mount, her editor and former fiancé, Nick Orlan, warns her to stay away from Flint. But she wonders about Nick’s true motives and still has feelings for him, even though he has a new girlfriend in tow. Stonewalled by government officials, pursued cross-country by unknown assailants, threatened by renegade CIA agents, and even the President himself, Stephanie is caught up in a dangerous web of intrigue that spirals out of control as the story hurtles to its startling conclusion, one almost everyone nearly overlooked.

Excerpt:
A horseshoe of humanity began forming around the main entrance to Chicago's famed Blake-Warren hotel. The double doors were still closed, the soft yellow carpeted lobby barely visible through the rain-spotted glass. Metal posts with thick purple ropes stretched in front of Stephanie, where she stood waiting with the rest of the media. Some reporters had TV cameras sitting atop shoulders, others had microphones, muffled from the rain, and pocket tape recorders at the ready, should they catch sight of the controversial Secretary of State, Henry Wadsworth Landis. Electrical cables curled everywhere under her feet, like black snakes on the wet concrete, heavy insulation tape shielding them from the moisture.
She didn't want to be here, but events beyond her control had dictated otherwise. It wasn't the Secretary of State she dreaded interviewing. It was the Deputy Secretary, her father, Jennings Bosworth. Things hadn't been right between them for years, ever since her mother Lois had died. Stephanie blamed him for her suicide and he knew it.
Anticipation assumed a heavy presence of its own, adding to the damp autumn smell and sharp chill hanging in the air. Feverish whispers flew through the crowd like wildfire, in response to Landis' latest bombshell, his questionable call for a worldwide U.S. defense policy. Klieg lights forged a strange daylight glow flashing on and off and the buzzing of the voices around her intensified. Rain dappled the oversized glasses Stephanie wore as she squeezed next to her ex-fiancée and former editor, Nicholas Orlan, and the GLOBAL magazine photographer, Earl Taber.
"Well Radar, what are you going to ask?" Nick asked, huddled inside his customary rumpled khaki raincoat, stained at the cuffs and spotted with rain.
Stephanie flinched at the sound of the familiar nickname he’d given her. Radar. Because she’d always been able to read his mind. She didn’t know if she could do that anymore. "Why is he so confident the President's response will be favorable--"
"And?"
"And does he feel it's the function of the Secretary of State to make policy without consulting the President?"
"Won't Jennings Bosworth be surprised when he sees who's asking the questions!" Nick teased, but Stephanie ignored him.
She twisted her head to study the twenty floors of the white concrete and smoked glass façade of the newly remodeled hotel, wondering when her father would emerge. Her heart skipped a beat as her gaze returned to street level. The doors swung open and Secret Service agents dressed in bland gray and blue suits wrapped themselves around Landis and her father like a blanket so that only the tops of their heads were visible. She caught a glimpse of Nick's brother, Peter, one of the hotel's security guards, bringing up the rear. Agents continued shielding them when suddenly a mass of bodies surged behind Stephanie, threatening to squeeze her out of position. Flashbulbs popped like lightning and the TV cameras rolled, bathing the scene in a surreal yellow glow.
"Secretary Landis, " Stephanie shouted, holding up her tape recorder, and elbowed her way to the front of the pack with a vicious shove. He glared at her and suddenly her father's face emerged over Landis' shoulder. A split second later, a dozen others drowned out her voice. Her father's eyes widened, registering shock, but raised arms soon blocked her view. Across the street, hordes of spectators booed and applauded, hoisting protest placards and chanting peace slogans. Reporters' questions were lost in the madness of what Stephanie feared might soon turn into an ugly and dangerous mob scene. On an impulse, Stephanie threw her tape recorder in her purse and reached in her pocket for a digital camera, thinking she might have a better angle than Earl Taber.
Landis was smiling and looking down when it happened, the right arm raised, acknowledging the crowd, the other clutching a leather portfolio. Three gunshots exploded like cheap firecrackers, slamming into his body, hurling him backward. Landis' arm dropped to his side, his portfolio flew out of his hand and splashed down into a puddle. Blood spurted from his stomach and head.
Still instinctively snapping pictures, Stephanie zeroed in on Landis until Nick yanked her to the ground and her legs flipped out from underneath her. She landed painfully on her tailbone, but kept a tight grip on her camera, her fingers depressing the shutter repeatedly. A blonde woman on her left tumbled across her lap, screaming. Stephanie strained her eyes for another view of her father amid more screams and piles of shuffling, scrambling bodies, her mind numb with shock, her body paralyzed with fear.
"Over here, over here, over here!" someone yelled, sharp and staccato.
Stephanie scrabbled up on one knee, pushing the woman aside, and watched a mound of struggling police restraining someone. Nick grasped her arm again and flung her backward on top of him. However, the image of the bloodstained suit of Landis and two other crumpled figures lying around him near the street still blazed in her brain. Nausea welled up in her throat, preventing her from screaming.
She fought to stand again and managed to peer above the crowd. A distraught Secret Service man shielded the body of one of the other victims, who lay twitching beneath him, blood dribbling from his mouth. She struggled to her feet for a closer look, her stockings bloodied, wet and torn from scraping the sidewalk. A wall of bodies still blocked her path and she began shouting her father's name. A reporter was standing over Landis snapping pictures. Stephanie pocketed her camera, unwilling to capture any more of the gruesome scene. Another Secret Service agent placed a towel beneath Landis’ head, applying pressure to the gaping wound on his left temple. A dazed group of strangers circled the other victim curled at his feet.
Her father.
Next week: What is your heart's desire and a giveaway of "The Montezuma Secret"

Baaaaaad Reviews: Teaching Perseverance

2011-10-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

Many blogs and groups bemoan the presence of bad reviews. And they are terrible. I got a one star on Goodreads once and was devastated. However, we can learn from them (at least, some of them) and learn to rise above them. For example, one reviewer said I referred to the heroine’s pulsing Adam’s Apple, pointing out women don’t have Adam’s Apples. I checked this out. They do have Adam’s Apples, they just aren’t as prominent as men’s. And it was only mentioned twice in the whole book. But I do know not to use that comparison anymore. And I am learning to make the heroine as likeable as possible, based on what a few reviewers said, even though she may have a few flaws.
And for fun, I checked out the reviews for one of my favorite books, Nora Roberts’ “The Reef.” There were plenty of negative reviews. I thought how could there be? This book was excellent. Yet there they were. Almost thirty three, two and one star reviews—one person even called it the worst book they had ever read, another said it was disappointing and yet another said the story didn’t go anywhere! It just goes to show you everyone sees things differently, has a different opinion, just like taste buds, and there is nothing you can do about it, except move on and not let any of it get to you. And don’t take it personally, unless there are some despicable ad hominem attacks, which are uncalled for and can be removed from the review sites, upon request.
When we put a book out there, it’s in the public eye, whether we like it or not, kind of like running for office. And all of our good points and our bad are up for inspection. Most people tend to concentrate on the good things and offer constructive criticism, but some wish to only focus on the negative. They may be motivated by a variety of things. Maybe they’ve wanted to write a book and couldn’t or maybe they’ve just had a bad day. The important thing is to keep your “eyes on the prize” and don’t let anyone deter you from your goals. It’s amazing to read the biographies of famous actors who have been rejected hundreds of times but keep going or if they finally do get a part, they describe the dozens of bombs they’ve appeared on, either on stage or in the movies. The same is true of writers. Jack London collected 266 rejection slips. When HG Wells wrote “War of the Worlds,” some described it as “horrid.” The first “Chicken Soup” book was rejected 140 times until it finally found an independent publisher.
We can’t erase very bad review, no matter how much we want to. We can cry, yell, pound our fists, flail our arms, and swear like a sailor. But we should never, ever stop writing and doing what we love. If there is any valuable constructive criticism in the review, we can learn from it. I will never stop writing, no matter what. I love putting myself in the main character’s role too much. I love slugging it out with the bad guys and the good guys, putting my heroine in jungles and snake pits, and enjoy writing the sexy love scenes. So stay strong and persevere, no matter what anybody says!
What’s the worst review you’ve ever got? You don’t need to mention the book. And what is it that they hated the most? Or if that’s too painful, I understand. How about describing your reaction and what you did in response? Did you learn anything?
Next week: What is your Heart’s Desire?
Also: Book Giveaway of “The Montezuma Secret.”
Five Stars on Amazon and Goodreads

New Release: Dangerous Charade by Elizabeth Means!

2011-09-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Alison, for having me as a guest on your blog! Today I’m going to talk a little bit about how and where I come up with story ideas. The short answer is…I get my ideas everywhere. My “writer’s antennae” is up all the time. Every juicy bit of news, gossip, current event, personal drama , interesting historical reference, natural disaster, etc., etc. that the antennae picks up eventually ends up in the writing corner of my mind. There it gets filtered and sorted into one of three categories: A. Yes! This would make a great stand-alone story hook. B. Meh, this could make a great kernel or sub-plot to weave into a different story. C. Junk, mental delete.
I write down the ones I want to keep on an index card and put them in what I’ve come to refer to as my idea box. It’s an old, oval-shaped wooden box that sits on a shelf. I’ve been doing this for years and the box is currently overflowing with ideas. It would take me multiple lifetimes to flesh them all out into finished stories.
Sometimes when the mood strikes me I’ll get the box out and play mad scientist with the ideas. I’ll take one idea and see what would happen if I added an element of another. Or two others. Or somehow turn the idea on its head. A word of caution, though, this method could lead to a super-story discovery that will have you up writing for nights because you’re too excited about the idea to sleep. On the other hand, it may lead straight to a horrific “Franken-story.” Beware!
This is partly how I came up with my idea for “Dangerous Charade.” I love James Bond stories. The idea of an elite, larger-than-life, (and oh-so-sexy) agent working for a mysterious boss named “M” to solve a mystery, catch a bad guy and not get killed at the same time draws me in every time. Plus, he gets to use high-tech, top-secret weapons and gadgets and go toe-to-toe with some of the world’s worst criminal minds.
But what if James Bond was a young female? Living in England in the 1880’s? What if instead of wearing a fashionable watch that’s also a Geiger counter this female James Bond carries a fashionable black-fringed parasol that’s also a gun? It’s been a lot of fun dreaming up gadgets for my Victorian era heroine.
I hope my idea process has inspired you. I find the initial, conceptual phase of a writing project to be the one that makes me the giddiest with excitement and anticipation of what’s to come. I strive to enjoy it to the fullest because after it comes the business of writing. Then re-writing. And that’s a completely different animal!

BLURB: Dangerous Charade
To escape an arranged marriage Gabrielle Broussard flees her home to become an undercover investigator with an elite, all-female investigative agency. Her first assignment, as governess at Westford castle to investigate the suspicious death of the Countess of Westford, quickly becomes complicated when she finds herself attracted to her number one suspect.
Lord Julian Blackwell is a survivor. After his father’s bankruptcy, he becomes a self-made man in Victorian England’s booming industrial era. Trapped into a loveless marriage, he has survived the shock of his wife’s sudden death. But now he must survive rumors and outright accusations. Hiring a private agency to investigate and prove his innocence seems like a good idea…until desire threatens to compromise both the case and the life of the investigator.

EXCERPT: Dangerous Charade
Gabrielle raced across the lawn toward a side entrance most often used by the servants at Westford. Dawn was breaking and she needed to move fast. If anyone saw her, she would be hard-pressed to explain why she was returning from a ride at this time of day, in the dark. And carrying a fancy parasol, no less.
She’d almost reached the door when Julian’s voice cut through the still morning air like a knife.
“Gabrielle.”
“Oh!” Her free hand flew to her mouth as she whirled toward the sound of his voice. He stood close to the building, hidden in the shadows. “My lord, you nearly scared me to death! I didn’t see you there.”
“Clearly.”
“Just what are you doing out here, lurking about in the shadows?” she demanded, adrenaline pumping.
“What am I doing?” He stared at her incredulously. “Not that I owe you any explanation for my actions while on my own estate, but I came out to watch the sunrise. What the devil are you doing?”
“I was…checking on Buttercup. I’m told she’s been acting strangely.” Gabrielle took a few more steps toward the building. “But—good news—it appears she’s doing fine.”
In a flash Julian was between her and the door. He regarded her closely. “That doesn’t explain why you’re lugging a parasol around in the dark.”
Gabrielle swallowed hard. She saw his green eyes narrow. “One never knows what one might encounter lurking about in the shadows. I may have needed it to defend myself from something. Or someone,” she added pointedly.
Julian stepped closer to her; they were less than an arm’s length apart. “Do you think you need it now?” The suggestive tone in his voice was unmistakable.
Her breathing quickened, and she averted her gaze. “What I think is that you are most unnerving.”
Julian reached out and tilted her chin up with his fingers. “What kind of game are you playing, Gabrielle?”
She didn’t answer. And he didn’t ask again. Instead he brought his head down very slowly and claimed her mouth with his own.

Author Website:
www.elizabeth-means.com
Buy Link: Now available from the Wild Rose Press!
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=4629

Good luck with your new release Elizabeth, sounds very exciting. PS, I love your 'what-if?' It sounds like a winner! Writers take note: turning an idea on its head is a great gateway to success!
Next week: The Importance of Bad Reviews

What Makes a Best-Seller: The Masses or the Media?

2011-09-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

What Makes a Best-Seller, The Masses or the Media?
Suddenly a book or movie catapults to life, seemingly out of nowhere, an instant success. What fueled this sudden rise to prominence? The media posting good reviews, the author or its stars appearing on talk shows touting its excellence? Or is the success independent of its reviews? Are the people flocking to it first or are they only flocking to it because the media told them to? Which came first: the masses or the media? From Jacqueline Mitchard’s Deep End of the Ocean, getting a huge boost from Oprah’s endorsement or more recently, the critics heaping praise on Like Water for Elephants and The Help, these books became tremendously successful at both the box office and the bookstore because of a positive media spin.

While I’m not sure, all I can say is that they all came to my attention because of what I’d read in the news media first. My first thought is ‘well it must be good, it’s getting good reviews. I have to read it or I have to see it.” Sometimes the praise is justified, some not. And conversely, some books and movies that are a huge hit with audiences are a flop with critics. National Treasure and The DaVinci Code are two examples that come to mind.

Like with any good or bad review, ‘caveat emptor,’ the buyer needs to be beware. In the case of Deep End of the Ocean, I didn’t think the praise was warranted, but that’s just me. I don’t care for those type of stories and I didn’t think it was terribly original, kind of a paper tiger at the end. Too much inner angst. Not my thing, just like Jodi Picault or Joyce Carol Oates. Too maudlin and too sad. But that’s my opinion. Other people love it. I don’t like vampire stories either. Other people eat them up, pardon the pun. Then again, I loved The Help and thought Like Water for Elephants was good, but not great. So reviews must be in the eye of the beholder. Everybody sees things differently. And that’s OK. But does the media have too much power in making or breaking an artist’s work? Are we slaves to what they like and don’t like? Or can we rise above it and make our own choices, come what may? I think we can and do, whether it comes to the arts or choosing a political candidate. Public opinion can be a very powerful force. But who shapes it: the masses or the media?
Next week: Elizabeth Means is my Guest

Bending the Romantic Template: The Eternal Triangle, A No-No in Romance?

2011-09-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

One hero, one heroine. Once the hero meets the heroine and vice-versa, he/she can’t look at, drool, or otherwise be attracted to anyone else, much less make love with anyone else. The Romantic Template. Can we break, bend, tweak, or fiddle with or if we do, do we do so at our own peril? The romance novel is a highly successful genre. Is it heresy to deviate from this established tried and true formula? Would it be a fatal mistake to introduce a third party to compete for the hero or heroine’s attention? I think the addition of a third party, known as the eternal triangle, adds the possibility of vengeance and my favorite—jealousy—to the equation. Both aspects can heighten conflict, spice up suspense, add mystery and sexual tension, etc. Who is the villain, which one is the knight in shining armor? Isn’t that what we do in our everyday lives when we date people and choose which one to marry? Plus it could even evoke sympathy for the main character. Nothing is more heartbreaking than watching the hero or heroine think that the love of his/her life has just been lost to a romantic rival. It pulls at my heartstrings every time. And when the tide turns and he/she gets him/her back, nothing makes me happier when I reach the ending of the story. Justice has been done!

The eternal triangle has been around for centuries, playing a central role in both real and fictional life. Many wars have been fought for love. Think Lancelot and King Arthur. Helen of Troy. Many crimes have been committed in the heat of passion, all because of a third party’s unwelcome intrusion. In my stories, I like to either have two women lusting after the hero or two men chasing after the heroine. Their motives can either be good or bad. The trick is to guess which one is doing what and a mystery unfolds as to who the real hero is. I’m not suggesting anything illicit, just good old-fashioned competition. In The Secret Sentinel, Savannah Rutledge is kidnapped by the mysterious Antonio Desada, but still carries a torch for Eric Gale. In The Montezuma Secret, TV star Erica Kingsley is still in love with handsome survivalist Trey Zacco, but must compete for his attentions with his lovely producer, Morgana Montez. One of my favorite authors, Sandra Brown, writes in Envy about a book editor who is married, but has a strange attraction to a mysterious writer. In Brown’s Chill Factor, the main character has an ex-husband who wants her back, but instead falls for a guy who might or might not be a serial killer. It’s so much fun to figure out who she’ll end up with and why.

I remember reading once that romances are usually about “two dogs fighting over the same bone.” Kind of an unattractive analogy, but true. The two main characters are usually squabbling over something they both desperately want: the family business, the ranch, the country estate, a treasure, etc. as well as fighting for each other’s love. The end, we know, will be a happy one. Thank goodness! They get what they want in love and resolve their ultimate quest. And doesn’t it add something spicy and complicate things if they’re also competing with a third party to win the love of their life?

Here's an excerpt from my latest book The Montezuma Secret:

Reappearing ten minutes later, dressed in a tiny gold lame bikini with a fresh layer of lip gloss applied, Erica stopped short at the sight of a half-naked Trey astride his Harley, a pair of sleek wraparound Rayban sunglasses perched atop his head.
Without his shirt and his shoulders buffed to a bronzy glow, he looked like a young Adonis. He fixed her with a mesmerizing gaze, his peacock blue eyes piercing hers, an obvious sexual come-on, she was sure of it. A shock of thick wiry hair flopped forward onto his forehead, adding a charming touch of boyishness that only added to his alluring all-male appeal.
And the way he ogled her in that bikini, she knew he liked what he saw. It hugged every curve, accentuated her ample cleavage and made her legs look as long as an Amazon’s. She felt like one too, brazen, aggressive and totally lacking in inhibitions.
She got on the motorcycle behind him, riding it sidesaddle. This time she needed no encouragement. Her arms flew around his naked waist and she let her long legs dangle so they made contact with his thigh. She leaned forward so her breasts caressed his bare back and when the photographer turned on the wind machine, her long hair flew behind her in the breeze. His body heat and strong muscles acted like an instant aphrodisiac.
The photographer handed them each a glass of champagne in tall crystal flutes and began snapping. Trey could not keep his eyes off her legs, she noted with pride, as the photographer had to keep reminding him to stare into the camera. Finally, he asked them to clink glasses and stare into each other’s eyes. She knew she had him then. She’d apologize to her father later for reneging on her promise not to fall prey to Trey’s charms again.
After a few more shots, the photographer motioned them off the cycle, then removed the vehicle and the backdrop, leaving them awkwardly standing next to one another, half-dressed, champagne glasses still clutched in their hands.
Trey broke the stalemate first and grinned mischievously before downing his champagne in one gulp. Erica copied him and they both laughed. Trey walked over to the food cart next, slathered some caviar on a cracker and popped it into his mouth before pouring himself more champagne and re-filling Erica’s glass.
Suddenly feeling wanton and not the least bit self-conscious, Erica picked up one of the sinfully rich pastries loaded with whipped cream and fed it to him. When some of the cream landed on the corners of his mouth, she wiped off the excess with her index finger and made him lick it off. She watched his tongue slowly swirl off the cream and take her finger in his mouth until he stopped at her knuckle.
“Mmmm,” she purred in approval.
“All right, you two. I don’t want to get out the fire hose,” the photographer joked.
He’d changed the scenery again. An oversized wing chair, one big enough for giants, sat where the motorcycle once stood. The Paris skyline, complete with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, now served as the new backdrop.
“All right, Trey. Climb up into that chair and Erica, you sit on his lap. Get it? ‘Lap of Luxury.’ And fill those glasses again.”
After pouring them more champagne, Trey clambered up onto the huge chair while Erica held the glasses for him. He gave Erica a careful boost so as not to spill any of the champagne and then she maneuvered herself onto his lap, throwing an arm around his bare shoulder. The liquor had loosened his inhibitions and that was just the way she wanted it. Getting him back again was going to be easier than she’d planned.
“Feel free to ad lib some dialogue, guys,” the photographer instructed, zeroing in on both of them with his lens. “So far, it’s looking great.”
“Contrary to public opinion,” Erica began, a little giddy, as she downed another glass of champagne, “Trey and I do get along. Even though we’re from opposite sides of the program guide. As a matter of fact, I like wild things and I think wild things like me. Tune in to see the fur fly.”
Trey laughed uproariously at the pun.
“Cut!” the photographer yelled.
Erica inched up higher on his lap, feeling Trey’s swelling erection poking her bottom.
“Do you like it wild, Trey?”
He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly eager to remove her from his lap. He shimmied off the chair, leaving her sitting alone and feeling foolish perched atop the gargantuan thing, still wearing the tiny bikini. She wondered what she’d done to cause such a strange transformation.
Straining to see what was behind Trey’s agitation, she scooted off the chair seat and leapt down, then followed him to the doorway, her high heels clacking on the slick hardwood floor.
Morgana Montez, Trey’s beautiful producer and his most recent ex, stood in the door way. And behind her lurked the threatening hulk of Gordon Gosich.

The Montezuma Secret available from Amazon.com
Click on the cover at right to purchase.
Also available on Smashwords
FIVE STARS on Amazon and Goodreads
Next Week: Who makes the bestsellers? You and me or the news media?

Welcome Marie Tuhart and Saddle Up!

2011-09-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks for having me Alison.

My current release Quick Silver Ranch: Saddle Up wasn't a book I had planned to write. I'm sure you're all wonder how it happened. Well, I had turned in Quick Silver Ranch, which later turned out to be titled Quick Silver Ranch: Roped & Ready, my editor sent me an email and asked me if I was willing to write the secondary characters book and we could put out the two books as a series keeping Quick Silver Ranch.

I sat at my desk reading the email going back between yes and no, yes and no, but I wasn't going to let opportunity pass me by, I told my editor yes. And two seconds after I sent the email my head hit the desk. What was I thinking? I had no plot, no conflict, no idea of who these characters were or what I was going to do with them.

Luckily for me, my critique partner met me on Sunday for lunch and we brainstormed the book and the following week I started writing it. I had done 15,000 works when I realized, my hero Jared was a very different person than how I was trying to write him. Head hits desk again.

Back to the beginning, but this time, I knew my hero, I just started writing. Six weeks later I had a rough draft, another month after that I had a polished manuscript and I sent it to my editor praying she would like it.

She did and she bought it. So this was the book that I never thought I write, but it was a great experience to write it and learn from writing it. I've learned never to say never to anything, and just when you don't expect opportunity is dropped into your lap.

So have you ever had an opportunity drop into your lap? Did you take advantage of it or not? I want to hear, it can be about anything.

Quick Silver Ranch: Saddle Up

Angie Davidson finds herself at loose ends after
her best friend's wedding and in need of a vacation,
so when sexy yet aloof co-owner of the Quick Silver
Ranch, Jared Turner, insists she stay to explore
their sexual attraction, she agrees. Though she loves
being a submissive in the bedroom, Jared's distant
air after lovemaking brings back bad memories. Can
she show this strong sexy man he has nothing to
fear from her, or will he abandon her like everyone
else in her life has?

Sexy yet aloof Jared, co-owner of the Quick
Silver Ranch is eager to explore Angie's submissive
side with two weeks of toys and other naughty play.
However, the last time he was this attracted to a
woman—mentally and phyiscally—she wasn't able
to put up with his Dominant streak. Can Angie see
that her vacation with him can be the perfect way of
life?

Except:

Angie drank in the feeling of his body against hers. His hardness to her softness, and part of her wanted to melt in a puddle at his feet, another part wanted to be bold and daring.

“Becca mentioned that you're closing down the ranch for a while.” Maybe a little flirting would work.

“Two weeks. There needs to be some renovations done, and the staff needs some downtime. It was a good time to do it with Tyler gone.”

“How much can be done in two weeks?” She thought back to when they were renovating the offices she now worked in, it seemed like it took months and with every little problem the workmen came to her.

“A lot, if you know how to motivate people.”

“Really?” Angie tilted her head up and fluttered her eyelashes. “And how would you do that?”

The corners of Jared's lips tilted up. “Lots of money.”

Okay, subtle flirting wasn't working with him. Her fingers trailed over his broad shoulder, to his neck, where she stroked his dark brown hair. His hand tightened on her lower back, bringing their hips together. And Angie swore she could feel his hard erection. Good, he wasn't immune to her.

She let her fingers skim from his neck, down over his shoulder blade, down his spine, over his well-defined ass, until she could rest her palm over his butt cheek. Then she squeezed it.

“Behave.” His breath brushed her ear and he swatted her ass.

“You hit me.” She couldn't believe it; he actually smacked her on the ass. Not that it hurt, but heat flowed through her body making her nipples grow harder. She’d never realized a little swat could make her so hot.

“I'll do worse if you don't behave yourself, Angie.”

“Promise?” The word was out of her mouth before she even realized it. The music ended, Jared escorted her back to the table and pulled out her chair.

His palms cupped her cheeks, tilting her face up to his. “We'll talk later.” He dropped a hard brief kiss on her lips before striding away.

Angie's heart skipped several beats while she observed Jared cross the room. She put her fingers to her lips and sank down onto the chair with her core pulsing with need and her panties wet. If he met her later, they wouldn't be talking if she had anything to say about it.

You can buy Quick Silver Ranch at any of your favorite e-tailers (Amazon, B&N, Bookstrand, Fictionwise) Or you can buy directly from The Wild Rose Press http://tinyurl.com/6jcwda5

You can find Marie at number of places:

Website: www.marietuhart.com
Facebook: Marie Tuhart – I'm the only one
Twitter: @marietuhart
Blog: www.escapetoaneroticfantasy.blogspot.com
Group blog: www.wildandwickedcowboys.wordpress.com

Thanks, Marie. Hot excerpt and hot cover. Good thing you didn't pass up this opportunity and good luck with these two exciting books!

Next week: Bending the Romantic Template: The Eternal Triangle, a No- No in Romance?

Welcome Amber Leigh Williams & the Importance of Good Research!

2011-08-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

I’ve always had a keen interest in how things work and the history or stories behind them. That may be why I spent no less than a year researching my first romance novel, a historical set in the Italian countryside. Though I don’t spend nearly as much time researching my current novels, the research process still fascinates me to such a degree that I have to limit myself or I get carried away. As beautiful as Veneto, Italy is, no one wants to read a two-page description of the panorama. In the first draft of this book, the heroine (daughter of a winemaker) takes the hero on a tour of her family’s winery, explaining every detail of what happens to the grapes once they are harvested. This segment, eventually cut, was ten pages long. Thankfully, I now know how to pick and choose what readers want to know. It never hurts though to know how something works because it might just add a scene or element you didn’t expect to the storyline. Here’s a list of some of my all-time favorite research topics….

Winemaking – This research was for Forever Amore, my historical based in Italy, which was eventually published after several revisions. Before I wrote Forever Amore, I didn’t drink wine. During the research, however, it became inevitable and I eventually grew to love it. There’s so much history in winemaking. I find the organic process – especially that which was utilized in the early twentieth century – fascinating in itself. I watched many videos, printed out many pictures, and read many books that revolved around vineyards and winemaking. My favorite part of the winemaking research (besides the tastings) was the vineyard work. I even made my hero a worker in the heroine’s vineyard to better help him blend with the people around him and avoid capture. A lot of work goes into a vineyard, but there’s something romantic about it. In spring, when the buds begin to burst on the vines and the vines have grown tall enough to conceal the hero and heroine in a sunset stroll, romance was simply inherent!

Italian – While researching Forever Amore and reading books based in Italy, it became pretty clear that some knowledge of the Italian language was necessary. The plot revealed that the heroine would have to teach the hero Italian if he were to journey through the Italian countryside safely in disguise. I enjoyed learning French in school so I took to teaching myself rudimentary Italian. It came pretty easily, all except for distinguishing between the different greetings people use at different parts of the day. I transferred this confusion to the hero, Charles, in one of his first conversations with the heroine, Lucille….
“I already know a bit Italian,” he said in earnest as he followed her from the room that he would share with Roberto indefinitely.

“Really? How do you say ‘good morning’?”

He frowned. “Ciao?”

With a sigh, she descended the stairs ahead of him. “We have far to go.”

Rodeo – I joined the ranks of western romance authors with relish by signing up to write a novella in the Wayback, Texas series for The Wild Rose Press. And I dove into researching cowboys like a fish into water. For those who aren’t familiar with the series, Wayback is a rodeo town. I love cowboys. I love western animals. Research was no chore, especially when I was invited to a local rodeo and got to experience the whole thing firsthand. In other words, I was the eager wannabe cowgirl in pigtails and blue-jean skirt taking diligent notes in the first row. I uncovered those notes the other day and found both the name of the bull the hero of the first book in my Wayback trilogy rides as well as the hero’s first name. Somewhere in the world a bull named Jack the Ripper and a rodeo cowboy named Judd have been immortalized forever :)

Taj Mahal – This research was for my romantic suspense, Denied Origin, in which the hero and heroine are taken on a fast-paced scavenger hunt around the globe to uncover her true identity. One of the locations the scavenger hunt leads them to is India, the town of Agra, and the beautiful Taj Mahal. There is a wealth of fascinating information surrounding this monument both historically and architecturally. It is a shrine, first and foremost, to love and devotion. I needed an element of danger, however, to add to my story so I focused my research on the Taj Mahal’s water system, which during the period the Taj Mahal was built were way of their time. With its canals, fountains, and the river flowing beside it, I created a frightening scene involving water tunnels beneath the Taj Mahal. Despite its scary elements, it’s one of my favorite scenes of the book.

Mythology – Currently, I’m working on research for a paranormal concept that involves a great deal of Greek mythology. I love mythology – it’s my storyteller paradise! At the moment, I’m learning a great deal about the god of war as well as the origins of mermaids of folklore – sirens! Sparta is another key area of research. It’s all too easy to get carried away. However, one of the best parts of research is uncovering new passions or indulging old ones. I’ve always loved Greek mythology and wanted to include it in some aspect of my writing. Now that I’ve found the perfect opportunity, my job just got a lot more fun!

Today I’m including an excerpt from Denied Origin, a romantic suspense available in paperback and ebook from The Wild Rose Press….

He knew all about the Taj Mahal’s tragic history. He knew it wasn’t the only great temple in India, but it was the most cherished, a very fitting tribute to beauty, a shrine of love and devotion. He knew it’d taken over two decades to complete and had been built by a Mughal emperor in honor of his beloved wife who’d died in childbirth.
Mark wondered how love such as that of the Mughal emperor and his Muslim princess could still exist now in a time defined by its greedy and power-hungry society. In a world where terror and fear reigned, Mark found it hard to believe a love like that was still a reality.
He glanced at Valentina and realized he was living that reality. He was full proof of it. He turned away from her, tried to convince himself he had no choice. But even with his mind determinedly set against it, this feeling was digging a home in his core, refusing to be stemmed or ignored.
As the train pulled into the station, Valentina stirred. It was midmorning and the sun was out, bright and full. She squinted out the window at Agra. “Are we getting off?”
Mark nodded as he rose to get their luggage. He threw the duffel over his shoulder before helping her to her feet. He tucked an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t leave my side,” he whispered as they wandered into the station.
He kept his eyes sharp. A sniper could be perched just out of view, a knife could be held just out of sight. His eyes passed over every face, studied them, judged them. He checked over his shoulder many times to make sure no one was following them. “We’ll go straight there.”
“Good,” she muttered. He knew she was also watching the crowd. “The sooner we leave this place the better.”
He didn’t relax, but slowly began to take in the sights as they walked quickly through the city streets. They walked through a large bazaar where the smell of spices was so strong he could almost feel them filtering through his lungs as he breathed deep to admit them. There weren’t many cars. There was the occasional elephant, more than a few horse-drawn carts, and various bicyclists.
All the people were tan with exotic eyes and peasant dress though they had a carefree air, a sense of peace and gratification. They’d been walking for some time when they came to a crowded iron bridge.
“Are we close?” She pressed close to Mark’s side as they squeezed into the traffic on the bridge.
He nodded, his eyes darting every which way, searching for the glare of a weapon. “This is the Yamuna River. The Taj is just across the bridge.”
After wriggling their way through the suffocating crowd, they broke out into the sunlight again. As soon as she saw the monument in the distance, she let out a surprised gasp. “Oh, Mark…”
He couldn’t help but grin at her surprise. “It’s even better up close and personal, huh?”
Her gasp melded fluidly into an awestruck sigh. “Oh, it’s gorgeous—more than I imagined.”
“We have to go through the south entrance,” Mark advised, guiding her onward. “Not much further.”

Find out more about Denied Origin, Forever Amore, and my western romance trilogy at my website: www.amberleighwilliams.com! Thank you for hosting me, Alison! I enjoyed talking about my favorite research topics.

Readers, what people, places or things do you most like learning about through your TBR list?

Thanks, Amber! Great advice and information! Denied Origin sounds like my kind of scavenger hunt and who can resist a title like Forever Amore!

Next week: Marie Tuhart

Welcome Ilona Fridl's Dangerous Times Series!

2011-08-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Now, with the release of Bronze Skies this past July, the Dangerous Times series is complete. I'd like to take a look at all three, which are available online at The Wild Rose Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many sites that sell ebooks.

The first is Silver Screen Heroes and it takes place in 1920 at a silent movie studio in Hollywood, California. This was my suspense historical. We meet Addy Garcia and Zeke Shafer, who work at Majestic Studio that has been sold to a crime family. Addy gets sucked into the intrigue, because her cousin, Muriel Carter, elopes with the boss' son.

Excerpt:

“I’m happy you could come to the party tonight.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
He maneuvered a turn toward a quiet hallway.
“I want to talk to you about a problem that’s causing
me a lot of trouble. I think you can help me. Seeing
that I gave you a little leverage to advance at the
studio, maybe you can do something for me.”
Addy felt her face burn. What did he want?
Surely he couldn’t be going to make advances toward
her, too. It would be so awkward, with him being
Muriel’s father-in-law, but she would fight him just
as she had Mr. Abrams and John. “What is it?”
“The master ledger for the studio has been
missing for a while.” He tightened his grip on her. “I
think you know where it is.”

The second, Golden North, takes place in 1921 in Juneau, Alaska Territory in a theater/restaurant called Golden North. Addy and Zeke have married and fled the wrath of the crime family to help Zeke's brother, Josh Shafer, restore and operate an old opera house and bar. Muriel follows her cousin north. She is a widow with a small daughter, whom the crime family wants. This is my murder mystery.

Excerpt:

Muriel’s heart went out to Josh.
He had put his head in his hands and leaned his
elbows on the desk as Muriel told him what
happened at Millie’s, and now he looked the picture
of despair. He slowly raised his head. “Well, that’s it,
isn’t it? Muriel, I’m sorry you had to come into this.
You seem to have traded one problem for another.”
Muriel caressed his shoulders. “I’m sure Sarah
and Amos can find out what really happened. When
they do, the townspeople will come around.”
“We may not be here by that time.” He
straightened and threw his hands up. “I really
wanted to prove to myself that my father was wrong,
that I could make something of my life. Well―” One
hand slammed down on the ledger.
Muriel’s chest tightened. He could be right
about having to leave. She didn’t want to think it,
but her eyes swam with tears. How could he blame
himself, though? He had worked so hard.
Josh looked at her through the mist in his own
eyes. He stood and took her in a gentle embrace,
then pulled back quickly. “I’m―I didn’t mean to―”
Muriel put her fingers on his lips. “Don’t
apologize.” She drew him toward her again, and they
gazed at each other for a moment before she put her
hand on the back of his neck and kissed him.

The third book, Bronze Skies, takes place in the 1940s in Alaska Territory during World War II. This is the war story. Lt. Tom Shafer is the son of Addy and Zeke, who is in the Army Air Corps. We see the conflict through his eyes and the home front through the eyes of his girl, Pam Wright, who lives in Juneau.

Excerpt:

“Will you tell me where Vic Houston is?”
Jake nodded toward an old blue Oldsmobile.
“He’s working under the hood over there.”
“Thanks, Jake.” The smell of gas, grease, and
rubber hit Tom's nose as he made his way to the
Olds. He saw Vic with a wrench, tightening
something in the engine. Tom leaned against the
fender. “Vic, do you have a moment?”
Vic looked surprised, and Tom noticed his
grease-grimed hand clench the wrench tighter.
“What do you want, Shafer?” His voice was rough.
“I didn’t come here to fight you, but before I
leave to go back to base, I have something to say. If I
hear you’ve hurt Pam in any way, I will find you.”
Vic's fingers bunched the dirty cloth that
covered the radiator grill. “I don’t plan to hurt Pam,
but that doesn’t mean I won’t try to date her. And
the big-time flyboy didn’t bring any charges against
me. Are you too chicken?” He spit on the floor by
Tom’s feet.

I want to thank Alison for hosting me today and giving me a chance to celebrate my series. My web site is http://www.ilonafridl.com I'm also on Facebook and Goodreads.

Thanks, Ilona. This sounds like a wonderful series!
Next Week: Amber Leigh Williams

Welcome Amie Louellen & Brodie's Bride!

2011-08-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

What You See Is What You Get

I recently read a book that was very different from what I normally read. But I had committed myself to reading it, so I did. And I enjoyed it. I’m glad I read it. When I finished the last few words of story and turned the page, I found a Book Club Guide.

Now, I enjoy a good book as much as the next person, and I love to sit around with my friends and/or family and talk about something we’ve all read. But my goal as an author is to never-ever write a book that needs a guide to help readers and their friends and/or family talk about it. I write what I consider to be mid-length romantic fiction with a great deal of comedic moments. Light-hearted, fun. And you won’t need a reader’s guide to enjoy it. Or “get” it. It is what it is.

Not to say that having a reader’s guide is a bad thing. There are a lot of books that have such subtle issues and changes with the characters that a reader almost *needs* the guide to define what they have read.
Not my goal.

So here’s a peek at Brodie’s Bride. Summer beach read or whatever you want to call it one thing is certain—
What you see is what you get.
Enjoy! Amie
Amie Louellen--Brodie's Bride
Available now from the Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com

Amie Louellen loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and maybe homemade tacos…and shoes. But reading and writing are definitely high on the list. When she's not creating quirky characters and happy endings she enjoys going to little league baseball games and boy scout meetings. Born and bred in Mississippi, Amie is a transplanted Southern Belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, a spoiled cat, and one very hyper beagle.

Amie Louellen--author FaceBook
www.amielouellen.com
http://amielouellen.wordpress.com/
www.twitter.com/AmieLouellen
email amielouellen@gmail.com

Blurb--Waking up next to a beautiful golden-haired stranger isn’t the worst thing that has ever happened to Brodie Harper, but staying in a fake marriage in order to gain a new construction contract could very well be.

Savanna Morgan just wanted a way out of an engagement to a man she didn’t love. Marrying Brodie seemed liked the perfect answer at the time. Less perfect the next morning when she finds herself disowned by her father and flat broke. Now she must make it through the weekend. Monday they can get it all annulled and forget it ever happened.

The real problem may be keeping their hands off each other until then.

Excerpt—
“On Monday, after our appointment, you’re leaving.”
“I have to go home,” she said quietly, turning away from him to stare into the postage-stamp sized back yard.
“But we have an agreement for the weekend. I think we should have some ground rules.”
“Good idea.” Savanna clapped her hands, then rubbed them together as if she were ready to get down to business. “Like what?”
“We only have two working bedrooms here,” Brodie said. “Mine and Nan’s. Do you mind sharing a room with me?”
Her pupils dilated, and he knew she was thinking about the scarlet room they had shared last night.
“My room has two beds,” he continued. “We can be like Lucy and Ricky.”
She smiled. “If it was good enough for the Ricardos, I’m sure I can handle it for a few days.”
“We may not so lucky at the Sullivan’s.”
Sobering, she nodded. “If there’s only one bed there, we can just take turns sleeping in it.”
“Fair enough.” Brodie said. “Now, as a married couple—especially at the ranch—we’ll be expected to act like a married couple.”
“Okay. But only around others. When we’re alone, we can act like we’re not married.”
“Correct. But sometimes…” He took a step closer to where she leaned against the porch railing. “Sometimes married people hold hands.”
He reached out and took her fingers into his own. Her skin was velvet soft and smelled so sweet, like the mountains after a rain.
“I—I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Sometimes married couples put their arms around each other.” He placed her hands behind his neck, then slid his arms around her waist.
“That’s okay,” she whispered. He watched as she swallowed hard.
“And sometimes married people kiss. Just a peck here and a peck there. Are you going to have a problem with that?”
“Huh-uh.” She shook her head.
“Maybe we should practice,” he rasped, bending his head close to hers.
“Maybe,” she repeated before he brushed his lips across hers once, then twice.
His intent had been the small, nearly chaste kiss of old married couple, but once he got close to Savanna, once he could smell her sweetness and taste her heady essence, he couldn’t stop himself.
He pulled her close to him, gathering handfuls of her tank top, securing her to him. Over and over he slanted his mouth across hers. Over and over, deeper and deeper, until her whimper brought him back.
He released her, his breath rasping in and out of his lungs in hard painful gasps.
She grasped the edge of the porch railing, looking as disturbed as he felt.
With demonstrations like that, they may not ever convince Blair and Nan their marriage was an accidental twist of fate, but they would surely convince Red Sullivan their passion was for real.
Brodie ran his fingers through his hair, just one more gesture to keep from reaching for Savanna again.
“There,” he managed to croak. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”

Thanks, Amie, great read and I couldn't agree with you more about Book Club Guides! Just finished reading a bunch of old Sandra Brown books. "Slow Heat in Heaven," "Mirror Image," "Best Kept Secrets." Boy, you sure don't need a Book Guide for those! Whew! Steamy and great! Best of luck with "Brodie's Bride!"
Next week: Ilona Fridl

Are Independent Bookstores Dead--Not Yet!

2011-08-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

An interesting article appeared in yesterday's Milwaukee Journal, explaining how a few independent bookstores are surviving in today's digital age. The local stores profiled say their principal concern is no longer the huge brick and mortar stores--of which Barnes and Noble is the only one left standing--but the Internet. It's so much easier to go online to buy something and have it instantly downloaded. Case in point, yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble to check out the new releases and the bargain books. I always enjoy Holocaust literature and found a new hardcover called "The Warsaw Anagrams." It was priced at $25.95. I made a note to check out the e-book price when I got home. I went on www.kobobooks.com (I have a Libre e-reader, which is compatible with Kobo rather than Kindle) and found the e-book priced at only $2.79. I bought it and downloaded it in a few seconds. Amazing savings!

Independent booksellers in the Milwaukee and surrounding area (most are in the suburbs) say they survive by holding book club meetings, having book signings with best selling authors and offering discounted books to students. They depend on local community support and loyalty. They have also added cards and other non-book items to their inventory. Stuffed animals sit next to the children's books. Some even sell e-books on their websites.

Another interesting note. The only brick and mortar store that has expanded in recent years is Half Price Books, one of my favorites, since you can also find so many out of print books there as well as on Amazon. My problem with Barnes and Noble (besides the high prices) is the fact that they only stock current stuff and few items from indie publishers.

Even those bookstores that are thriving say they could make more money doing something else and cite concerns about the future.

For the complete article visit:
http://www.jsonline.com/business/127152613.html

Next Week: Amie Louellen

Welcome Vonnie Davis and Storm's Interlude!

2011-08-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

Sandra, many thanks for having me here today. Since the release of my debut novel, Storm’s Interlude, I’ve morphed from a fulltime writer into a blogging and promotional fool with little, if any, time for writing. Thank you for making me one more degree the fool.

Frankly it would be easier for me to fly a propeller airplane with a banner trailing from the back like you see at the seashore. “Eat at Joe’s…dial 1-800- TOMAINE” Only mine would say, “Beach read hot enough to melt sunscreen!”

Silly me, I thought all I had to do was write a book, find an agent and get published. My books would be in bookstores everywhere, and the publisher would promote me.

So, here I am blogging, posting on facebook, tweeting and keeping my fingers crossed that someone will buy my book.

I read somewhere that the best way to sell books is to write a good story. Now, we’re talking! Don’t we all love a romance? One populated with people who charm us, shock us and, at times, irritate us. A couple who fuss and fight on their way to happily-ever-after. Don’t you just love a good lovers’ spat? Followed by some mighty fine making up, of course.

Here’s an excerpt from Storm’s Interlude. Rachel is in a major snit after seeing Storm talking to his ex-fiancée. Not that she’s the jealous type, but she saw Storm tuck the lady’s hair behind her ear and stroke his knuckles down the side of her face. Once they get home, the fireworks escalate.

When Storm pulled in front of the ranch house, Rachel was the first one to barrel out of the SUV. Before she’d made it a dozen steps, Storm grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder like a bag of grain. “Put me down, you lunatic!”
“Like hell.” He stormed into the house, his boots echoing off the hardwood floors of the large foyer. “We’re going to have this out right now. I’m tired of your peeling my hide with your accusations.”
Jackson rushed out of the den into the large hallway. “Storm? What the hell?”
Storm had one hand on the doorknob to his office. “You got all the security measures in place? Anything that demands my immediate attention?”
“Put me down this instant, you…you caveman cowboy!” He smacked her bottom. She yelped. Once he put her down, she was going to tear him apart, limb by cheating limb.
Jackson had a hand over his mouth to hide his laughter. “Have at it, buddy. I’ve done my job.” He took a sleeping Sawyer from Noella. “Sunny and I will put tiger here to bed.”
Storm opened the door to his office, waiting until the couple had the sleeping boy upstairs before he yelled his announcement so the entire first floor could hear: “Anyone who knocks on this door before Rachel and I have worked things out takes their life in their hands. Is that clear?” He slammed the door shut behind them and turned the lock before setting Rachel down on the floor.
She was so incensed, so humiliated, so livid she couldn’t speak. She kicked him in the shin with her sneakered foot. Storm winced before stalking over to the liquor cabinet.
He poured himself two fingers of whiskey, neat, and downed it. He poured another and downed it, too. He hung his head, his hands fisted on the cabinet. “You can make me so damned mad I can’t see straight. No one has ever pushed me over the edge the way you do.”
She fisted her hands on her hips, hiked her chin and glared at him. “Yeah, well, I’d like to slap you into next week, you lying, cheating, poor excuse of a man. You told me things. You told me you loved me. I surrendered to you. I had sex with you.”
“Would you just listen to me for five damn minutes?” He turned to face her and ran both hands through his hair, a sign of frustration.
She folded her arms under her chest. “Okay, but this better be good.”

Buy Links for Storm’s Interlude:

http://amzn.to/pkkcLq -- Amazon.
http://bit.ly/pb9DQd -- B & N. – Nook only
http://bit.ly/rcCIMa -- The Wild Rose Press

Thanks, Vonnie for the hot, hot, cowboy story and thanks for being such a great guest!
Next Week: Gloria Marlow

Welcome Lyndi Alexander! Before Page One: The Creation Process of a Story

2011-07-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much, Alison, for the chance to visit your blog today!
I’ll be talking about the genesis of a book, from beginning to end. What I’d like to say is that I sit down at the computer and the words magically flow from my fingers. Sadly, that’s not the case.
For example, with my urban fantasy series, the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot, what came to me first was the image of a glass slipper, a twist on the Cinderella story. What if…. What if a young woman found a glass slipper lying on the sidewalk, and tried it on? That would be kind of an odd experience, but still not fascinating.
So. What if a young woman found a glass slipper lying on the sidewalk, tried it on, and it broke? A little more interesting, but not compelling. Yet.
What if a young woman found a glass slipper lying on the sidewalk, tried it on, and it broke—and then a bunch of tiny men ran out from the blood on the sidewalk and disappeared under the buildings around her?
Now that’s a mystery.
And so Jelani Marsh, heroine of The Elf Queen, was created. I needed to make her interesting, too, outside of her job as a barista, so I created her enigmatic past, as an orphan whose parents vanished under mysterious circumstances. She’s also a quitter. Dropped out of college, got dumped at the altar, she’s never finished anything in her life.
I wanted to set it in a place that could be mystical, so I chose the western end of Montana, in the Bitterroot Mountains, which are pristine and beautiful. Seemed to be the kind of place elves might live in the real world.
But of course, she can’t go through this adventure by herself! So she needs friends. Life skills coach Iris, computer geek and online gamer extraordinaire Lane, and “Crispy” Mendell, an agoraphobic abuse survivor filled out the cast well.
Then I needed to create the elves she comes to meet—and also their nemesis, the evil renegade elf Bartolomey.
What I find is that when the characters are right, the story tends to flow well, and this was the case here. Each chapter leads her further into the mystery of her past, with the help of various characters, until she reaches the hidden truth that she never expected to find.

Her adventures with the elves continue in The Elf Child, as the ruling entity of the clan, The Circle, takes over her life in ways she doesn’t want. She finds being a queen isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and in fact, new dangers surface because of her status. But her friends come through to save her, and this story continues in The Elf Mage, which comes out in early 2012.
Once the story is written in first draft, I circulate it among some trusted readers, making sure my story arcs are complete. Since I’m a pantser, I don’t write outlines and plan chapter by chapter. I let the story take me. Sometimes it takes me on a rather circuitous path—and I need to be yanked back in line! I take suggestions into consideration and then polish the manuscript up for submission.

For more information about the Clan Elves, see http://clanelvesofthebitterroot.com. Like us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Elf-Queen-Clan-Elves-of-the-Bitterroot-Series/158076904227479 The series is available at amazon.com, or can be ordered from your local bookseller.

Lyndi Alexander dreamed for many years of being a spaceship captain, but settled instead for inspired excursions into fictional places with fascinating companions from her imagination that she likes to share with others. She has been a published writer for over thirty years, including seven years as a reporter and editor at a newspaper in Homestead, Florida. Her list of publications is eclectic, from science fiction to romance to horror, from tech reporting to television reviews. Lyndi is married to an absent-minded computer geek. Together, they have a dozen computers, seven children and a full house in northwestern Pennsylvania

EXCERPT:
LANE drove Jelani to the airport.
She had really expected him to return from his investigation with his trademark smarmy look and snappy comeback about how it was a real cute trick and ha-ha-ha, you got us. But that hadn’t happened.
“Sent your video to a couple friends of mine,” he said, after the engine on the ancient truck had finally rolled over, followed by a roar from the rusting tailpipe. “They verified it wasn’t faked. It’s legit.”
Wishing the seatbelt still worked, she eyed him from the passenger seat as they lurched forward. “Well, gee. Thanks.”
He grinned. “I had to test it out, Jelly Bean. Not that I don’t believe you, but—”
“But?”
“But that’s one helluva story. Your foot healed up right then and there, and the shoe—”
“Disappeared before I put my boot back on.”
Lane stared forward, waiting for a traffic light to change. “You know some of the Magick-type games hold that wizards use an injured creature’s own healing power to mend injuries. By focusing their energy on the pattern of a healthy body inside the injured one, they can speed the process of natural healing, even drawing from their surroundings and other living creatures nearby to jump start the process.” He glanced over at her, an odd look darkening his face. “But as much respect as I have for Iris, she’s no wizard.”
“My life is no D&D game, either.” Irritated, Jelani hunched back into the seat. “What about the little men?”
“Yeah, well.” Lane accelerated onto Broadway, heading west to the airport. “Those are a little more difficult.”
“No, no, Lane, listen. This is where you’re supposed to tell me there’s no such thing as little men, blue, green, or otherwise. And I should put it out of my mind as a piece of undigested potato or something. You know, like Scrooge and those damned ghosts.”
“Blue?” He looked over at her curiously.
“Never mind.” She fidgeted with her purse for a moment. Then split her attention between passing cars and the river running alongside the highway.
“My research showed a lot of references to the homunculus, or little man, in all kinds of scientific circles, both biologic and alchemist. Back in the Middle Ages, they had mondo theories how you would make little men, just like you described. Did you ever hear of a mandrake?”
“The magician guy?”
Lane cackled. “I thought you didn’t know about comics. No, not that kind. This is a kind of plant whose root grows to look like a human form. Legend held that mandrakes would grow from the sperm hitting the ground when a hanged man convulsed and ejaculated.”
“Ugh! That’s disgusting.”
“Do you want to hear this or not?” Lane gave a dramatic sigh. “You had to have a black dog retrieve the root for you. You’d feed it milk and honey until it became alive. Then it would do your bidding.”
Jelani snickered. “Better than a real man, apparently.”
“Not really. The homunculus would run away from its creator after a while.”
“Oh, just like a real man.” She looked out the window, her own left-at-the-altar experience still raw after nearly three years.
Lane was silent, and she could see she’d hurt his feelings. Like Crispy, he often took serious offense to what she considered gentle teasing. “Is that the only way?” she asked to draw him out again.
He sulked for a few minutes. “Sometimes, alchemists would take a bag and put in bones, pieces of skin, and human sperm. Then they buried it in dung for an entire lunar cycle, during which the embryo formed. Then presto! One home-grown homunculus!”
Lane pulled into the turn lane, waiting for the cross-traffic to pass. Then turned onto the wildflower-lined airport drive, and continued along the route to the Departure gates.
Surely, Lane didn’t believe all that crap. “But that’s all myth, right?” Jelani asked. “I mean, alchemists aren’t really scientists. Not like, you know, doctors? Right? They’re quacks.”
“Well, true. There aren’t a whole lot of them around today. The most common uses I found of the term ‘homunculus’ in modern times are a bio-psychological theory of a small man inside a brain, kind of overseeing the body. And, second, some women finding dermoid abdominal cysts with hair and teeth in them. But they’ve got to be surgically removed. They don’t just appear out of your blood on a sunny sidewalk.”
There were a fair number of people waiting to check their bags, as they pulled up at the departure curb. Already nervous, she hoped they wouldn’t all be on her flight. “You think those little men came from my blood?”
“Where do you think they came from?”
“I thought they must have come from the shoe. I mean, I cut myself at work all the time. If little guys were going to escape through my blood every time I needed a bandage, I’d have repopulated the city with them by now.” She climbed out of the truck and retrieved her overnight bag and her purse, planning to carry everything with her to avoid delays. She’d steadfastly emptied all her liquids and chosen thin-soled sandals she could just slip off at the security gate.
Lane set the hazard flashers. Then climbed out and walked around the truck. He studied her for a moment, concern etched on his face. “I’ll keep researching while you’re gone. You sure you’re going to be all right with the wicked stepmother?”
(read more here http://www.dragonflypubs.com/dfp/elfqueen.html or http://stanza-ebooks.com/sample/19803/the-elf-queen)
Thanks so much, Lyndi! Your stories sound fascinating! What a great imagination!

Visit Alison Chambers on the LASR Birthday Bash July 30! http://lasrguest.blogspot.com/
Next Week: Vonnie Davis!

Welcome 1st Place Prism Contest Winner Kathy Lane!

2011-07-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Those Hunky Heros
Aaah, the Hero. (With a capital H, of course.) Where would a good romance novel be without it’s hunky protagonist? Whether he swoops, swaggers, stomps, or strides into the Heroine’s life, he’s an essential part of every standard romance. We simply can’t do without him.
Heros thrill us with their confident, alpha attitudes. They’re protective and possessive, and we wouldn’t have them any other way. Even a strong, take-charge heroine needs a man who can stand up to her. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Shahara Dagan in Born of Fire, is a the best bounty hunter in the universe. Stands to reason the man who steals her heart is the most notorious thief alive. And what about Alexis Morgan’s Lusahn q’Arc in Redeemed in Darkness? She can swing a sword better than most warriors in her homeland. No surprise that the powerful Paladin and swordsman extraordinaire, Cullen Finley, is the one to slip past her guard. (Doesn’t hurt one bit that she thinks he looks magnificent with his shirt off.)
Let’s face it, nothing suggests romance like a sexy, half-naked man on the cover of a book. Be he a doctor, lawyer, Indian chief…oh, wait, that’s another list. Actually, the most recent list I’ve seen of popular Hero professions does include doctors, but sadly, no lawyers or Indian chiefs. Cowboys and ranchers made the list. So did bosses. (Definitely not my favorite.) Surgeons, too, though I rather thought they should be lumped in with doctors. Kings and princes (as in Prince Devlin in my first Bloodsworn book), and sheriffs, knights, and, what do you know, bodyguards.

Bracca Cu-Laurian, the Hero of Bloodsworn II: Linked by Blood, is a kind of bodyguard/knight. He’s a Blade, a sword-wielding warrior whose duty it is to protect his Bloodsworn, Lady Avera St. John. Which means he has no time to fall in love. Of course, that doesn’t keep him from feeling desire when he meets Sheren Ni-Annun. Sheren is a young widowed mother who, at first, wants nothing to do with Bracca because, well, for her, he’s in the wrong profession. Her late husband was a Blade, and she’s determined her next husband will lead a safer life. Funny how love doesn’t take a woman’s determination and a man’s devotion to duty into account.
Check out Bloodsworn II: Linked by Blood, and find out how fate and a five-year-old boy bring our Hero and Heroine together. You can purchase Linked by Blood at www.thewildrosepress.com or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

www.kyrlane.com
http://www.kyrlane.blogspot.com
Live, Laugh, Love, and Read Lots of Romance ;)

Available now from www.thewildrosepress.com & www.digibookscafe.com
Bloodsworn: Bound By Magic - 2011 PRISM 1st Place in Fantasy and BEST FIRST BOOK!!!
And don't forget to check out Bloodsworn II: Linked By Blood now available!!

Thanks, Kathy and Congrats one more time!
Next Week: Lyndi Alexander

Welcome Sharon Noble! Comment for a Chance to Win Velvet & Topaz

2011-07-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Alison, for allowing me to ramble about my books, my life, and my small pleasures. I’m a new author with only three published romances, but I’ve been a voracious reader of romance novels since the days before they existed. As a prepubescent, I read Edison Marshall and Frank Yerby back in the old days and fell in love with the romance genre, even though, strictly speaking, these gentlemen wrote romance/adventure novels.

I never thought about writing. I thought that, in order to write, you had to be a writer. I know, garbled thinking, right? So I moved to Canada with my Canadian husband and became an actor. Flushed with success and making a living as an actor, I continued for another bunch of years, finally moving back to the U.S. and settling in L.A. Unfortunately, enough years had passed so that I’m now an o-l-d actor, and we know what happens to female actors as they get older. Except for Meryl Streep, of course.

Then I discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss, and I was in romance heaven. After reading and absorbing for another bunch of years, I broke the ice with Autumn Desire, a contemporary romance published by The Wild Rose Press. My mother went back to college at age 50 and had a great four-year adventure, so I thought that might be a stepping off point for a romance novel.

I wish I had the discipline and skill to plan my books and write an outline, but I’m a complete failure. I guess I’m either lazy or just inept, but I wait until I hear the first line in my head, then I just follow where that leads. The result is that it takes forever to get started. I think that’s called seat-of-the-pants writing, and I don’t recommend it as a writing technique. I frequently find I’ve written myself into a corner with nowhere to go. That’s the point at which I invite my son out to brunch and ask for help. He’s cleverer than I am, and he usually offers at least three solutions to my problem.

My Autumn Desire heroine, after being widowed suddenly, decided to go back to college at the university where her husband had been a respected chemistry professor. There she met his detested rival, and (of course) sparks flew – hers in anger, his in attraction. You know where this went, of course.

Passion’s Design took my heroine to South America where she was to design an elaborate wedding for two aristocratic families, but (silly girl) she fell in love with the groom – who just happened to hold all things American in contempt. You know where this went.

Velvet and Topaz was the result of a trip to England to indulge my love of all things Tudor, so my heroine followed in my footsteps, but she actually indulged in carnal relations (yep!) with one of the courtiers who reenact the history of the castles. Bad move. But you know where this went.

Velvet and Topaz is the giveaway today. It’s an ebook, so no fuss, no bother to send it along to one of you.

So while I wait for that first elusive first line, what do I do? I read romance novels, of course.
Thanks, Sharon!
Next week: Kathy Lane

Welcome Sue Fineman and Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with a pretty blue convertible.

The fireworks show had ended, but traffic over the bridge toward home had come to a full stop. So my friend and I turned in the other direction, toward the beach.

I saw the pretty blue convertible parked at the drive-in restaurant. Two men sat in the car, but I didn’t pay much attention to them. At that point, I wasn’t interested in men. My last boyfriend had been arrested for selling something that didn’t belong to him, and I refused to have anything to do with him again. I wouldn’t even take his phone calls.

I worked as a secretary at Patrick Air Force Base, and there were plenty of Air Force guys around, but they didn’t make much money in those days, so the guys were usually broke. Some of the men who worked in the same office building hit on me, but most of them were married, and I absolutely refused to date a married man. An old boyfriend proposed and I turned him down. He was a sweet guy, but I didn’t love him, and his family made me uncomfortable. The engineers who worked downrange were so love-starved, it was like dating an octopus, and I wasn’t that kind of girl. I was so discouraged, I’d just about given up on men altogether that Fourth of July when I saw the pretty blue convertible.

These guys in the blue convertible were looking pretty good, so I pulled in beside them and my friend and I ordered something to drink. My friend complained about the song blaring from the jukebox, and one of the guys in the blue convertible walked up and selected another song. Baby Elephant Walk. It was quite popular that year.

The two guys in the blue car struck up a conversation. They slid into the backseat of my Corvair and we talked for over an hour. They said they were in the Navy, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, and they served on the Polaris submarines.

The guy who drove the car invited me to go to the movies with him the next evening, and I accepted. He seemed really nice, and I figured anyone who owned a car like had to have something going for him. He was good looking and had the sexiest brown eyes.

Two weeks later he sold the car, but by then I was already smitten. We only dated three and a half weeks when he proposed. I said yes, then had second thoughts. He was Jewish and except for one boy in my high school class and some merchants in Miami Beach, I’d never known anyone who was Jewish.

I went to the library and tried to find books on the Jewish religion and traditions, but this was Central Florida. In the early 60’s. The schools were still segregated. I couldn’t find any books to tell me what I’d be getting myself into if I married a Jewish guy. No surprise there. If you weren’t a white Christian, you didn’t fit in.

I didn’t know if his family would accept me. Would they expect me to raise our children Jewish? I had no idea. He said it didn’t matter, he loved me and wanted to marry me, and I could raise our kids however I wanted. So we set the date.

We only knew each other six months when we married in January, 1963.

If I hadn’t pulled into the drive-in, we wouldn’t have met. And if he hadn’t been driving that pretty blue convertible, I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention. Now, instead of driving a pretty blue convertible, he drives me crazy. But after 48 years, we’re still married. I don’t know what I’d do without him.

That’s my Fourth of July story. What’s yours?

Sue Fineman lives in Central Washington State with her husband of 48 years. They have three grown children, one adorable grandson, two cute little doggies, and multiple grandkittens and grandpuppies.

Sue has written over two dozen books. The Gregory Series: ON THE RUN, ON THE LAM, and ON THE EDGE, are available exclusively at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. THE MITCHELL MONEY is available through The Wild Rose Press, DigiBooks Cafe, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Win a free Kindle at DigiBooks Café. You can find the link and a clue to the puzzle for the contest on my blog at http://suefineman.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Sue, great post!
Next week my guest is Sharon Noble

Welcome Calvin Davis & the Mysterious Phantom Lady!

2011-06-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome Calvin Davis and his mysterious Phantom Lady! So nice to have you as my second blog guest and my first male romance writer guest! It's a pleasure and yes, Calvin, I will be gentle!

Thank you for having me on your blog, Alison. This is a first for me—being a guest and stepping into the dynamic blogging world of romance writers. Even though I live with a romance writer, this is a new milieu for me. You will be gentle, won’t you?

We all know story ideas come from countless sources: a dream, a newspaper article, a snippet of an overheard conversation, thoughts on the human condition and so on. For me, the idea for The Phantom Lady of Paris stemmed from a theft.

I was living in Paris at the time. I’d gone there in 1968 on sabbatical to write and study French culture. What better place to do that than Left Bank cafés? I rented a studio apartment at 21 rue Galande in the 5th arrondissement (Paris is divided into neighborhoods or wards called arrondissements). I was living in the heart of the Latin Quarter, so named because centuries ago students at the Sorbonne spoke only Latin as they conversed and argued philosophies on the streets of this neighborhood.

Soon I settled into a daily routine. I’d shower, dress, snatch a few notebooks and pencils from the desk, bolt down the three flights of steps, dash up the street to the boulangerie (bakery) and buy a few croissants and then step across the street to the cremerie (dairy) for some yogurt. Purchases in hand, I’d stop in the foyer of my building to retrieve my newspaper from the mailbox. Then I’d meander the streets until I came to my favorite writing café, settle at a table, sip an espresso, read the paper and then write for several hours.

I must interject a description, at this point, of mailboxes in French buildings during this era. Mailboxes were one large, open wooden box attached to a wall in the entry foyer. There the postal person would dump the mail for all the residents of the building. Each tenant would sift through the contents, hunting for mail addressed to him or her. Outside of a weekly letter from my mother, my copy of the English Herald Tribune was my only daily mail—and I looked forward to it. My subscription was my lifeline to the English speaking world while I sat immersed in French culture. One morning, it was gone. The address band that encircled it was there, but not my paper. I was livid. Who would steal a man’s newspaper?

Once my temper cooled and my writer’s imagination heated up, I thought “hey, there might be a story in this…a teacher on sabbatical, much like me, has his newspaper stolen…and the thief has the audacity to leave a note on the bulletin board above the mailbox…yeah, a note…and the teacher leaves a reply…and then the thief leaves another note…and…” Well, all you lovely ladies know how one’s imagination takes flight on the breeze of “what-if’s.” So, thanks to a theft, the Phantom Lady was born.

Here’s an excerpt from The Phantom Lady of Paris where Paul, my hero, finds the first note from the phantom lady.

On this particular morning with a liter of milk, a croissant, and a cup of yogurt in hand, I hurried into the foyer of Twenty-One rue Galande. I glanced into the mailbox, and, to my dismay, my Herald Tribune was missing. Had the mail carrier made his rounds? He always did, religiously and on time, regardless of the weather. Besides, mail for other tenants was in the box. So why wasn’t mine?
I rummaged through the huge mound of letters, finally fishing from it an address band with the Herald’s logo on it, beneath which was my name, address, and that day’s date. I didn’t need to be a forensic scientist to realize that some midget-minded SOB had stolen my newspaper, and, to add insult to injury, brazenly left the address band in the mailbox. Of all the rotten, dirty…
With the discarded mailing band in hand, I glanced at the bulletin board that was just above the mailbox. On it was a note addressed to me, scrawled on a piece of torn notebook paper. A hastily scribbled peace sign adorned the top.
Dear Mr. Paul Lasser,
I borrowed your newspaper. I would say, Thank you, but as nice as I know you are, I don’t have to thank you. Do I? Of course not, darling. So, why bother?
And oh yes, do have a good day! I’m sure I’ll have one. Reading the morning paper always makes my day—as I’m sure it makes yours. For your information: the weatherman predicts mild temperatures, sunny, cloudless skies. Should be a gasser. So, enjoy. Peace and love.
Signed, your neighbor and fellow-newspaper-lover,
The Phantom Lady of Paris.

A suspense-filled love story, The Phantom Lady of Paris tells of American Paul Lasser and his sojourn to the City of Light, where he meets the mysterious Phantom Lady, Bonnie Silver, a woman who is more question marks than periods.

Why is she in Paris and why do the French police investigate her and her “persons of interest” friends? One friend, a flower child, overdoses on drugs. Another morphs into a terrorist, bombing cafés. Is a Communist agitator an associate of Bonnie’s?

Slowly Paul unearths answers, and even as they quench his desire to understand, they will forever haunt him.

Thanks you again for having me. You’ve been a most gracious host, Alison.

You may buy my novel from the publisher, Second Wind, http://www.secondwindpublishing.com/index.html

Or from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_25?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+phantom+lady+of+paris&sprefix=the+phantom+lady+of+paris

http://www.calscosmos.blogpsot.com

http://www.calvindavisbooks.com

Thanks, Calvin...this sounds like a truly intriguing 'what if?'
Next week my guest is Sue Fineman.

Welcome AJ Nuest as my First Blog Guest!

2011-06-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

As a current Wisconsinite, I am happy to welcome as my first guest former Wisconsinite, romance author AJ Nuest, discussing her fond memories of life in our state and the unique accent we Midwesterners have. She also shares an excerpt from "Jezebel's Wish," her latest book available from The Wild Rose Press. And one lucky commenter will receive a free .pdf of "Jezebel's Wish," so please enter for a chance to win!

Wisconsin, doin cha’ kno?
“Where, exactly, are you from?”
This question has plagued me more than any other throughout my life. Born and raised in the unspoiled wilderness of Northern Wisconsin, I grew up blissfully unaware of my northern twang, until I graduated from high school and moved to the center of the universe (aka Milwaukee, WI) to attend college.
But even then, my accent was most often met with mild curiosity. My assumption is most folks either didn’t hear it because they carried the same inflection themselves, or they ignored the way I sounded altogether, instinctively knowing I must be from the Great White North. Still, I got the occasional query, people asking if I hailed from Canada or Minnesota, how come I said words like door (dowr) and out (ouit) so strangely and wasn’t I cute with my quaint country lingo.
In all honesty, I hated the way I sounded. Living away from home for ten years, my ear became attuned to the way others spoke, and when I returned for a visit I was horrified to learn the true nature of my voice. Did I really sound the same as all those backwoods hicks? Did I carry that same disturbing lilt which immediately made the listener doubt my intelligence? Why couldn’t I have been born with an accent like Audrey Hepburn? Maybe I could take lessons and learn to speak like Grace Kelly? For crying out loud, how had I made any friends?
Aside: If you’ve ever seen the movie Fargo, you know exactly what I’m talking about (aboot). Although Frances McDormand portrays a quick-witted, highly intuitive police officer, when you first heard her speak, didn’t you instantly think, “Boy, she’s a couple of watts short of a bulb.” I mean, come on! Who actually says, “Is there a phone down here, do ya’ think?” People from northern Wisconsin, that’s who! Ms. McDormand nailed that accent like she’d been reared a stone’s throw away from my childhood home.
Ten years after my move to Milwaukee, I made an even larger step and moved to Chicago. With nothing more than a job interview and two hundred dollars in my pocket, this country girl was making good on her dream to live in the big city. This is when the questions began in earnest. I literally couldn’t meet someone without them asking where I was from. Being a single, young woman looking for love, I can’t tell you how annoying this was.
I tried to rid myself of the northern drawl. I thought the longer I lived away from home, the more it would fade, right? RIGHT!? No such luck. Twenty-five years later, I still carry the same silly sound.
The other night my family sat down to watch America’s Got Talent. As luck would have it, the auditions took place in Minnesota. So I wasn’t surprised when several of the contestants arrived on stage and answered the judges’ questions with the standard, “Oh, yah” we northerners like to use.
One gentleman in particular carried a very heavy accent, and when he came out in his goggles and bike helmet, everyone in my family laughed. Heck, everyone in the auditorium laughed. The guy had to be a complete doorknob. But, not so..not so, at all. Turns out he performed a special “chain reaction” talent by arranging popsicle sticks so they snapped into the air, and when he received three YES votes from the judges, I smiled and heartily applauded.
You see, now that I’m older I’ve realized something. My accent didn’t stop me from meeting the perfect guy, having two beautiful children or becoming a published author. If anything, the way I speak helps me stand out in an area where people say “warsh” for “wash” and “pin” for “pen”. I know sometimes I sound silly and people may assume I’ve got an empty noggin, but that’s okay with me. The way I speak is a part of who I am.
Now I carry my northern twang proudly, and hope that it never fades. So, go ahead and ask me where I’m from. I’ll smile proudly and answer, “Wisconsin, doin cha’ kno?”

Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel came to Redemption Ranch to escape the past—except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he’s completely obnoxious and knows how to push every one of her buttons.

Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to deal with Matthias Saunders, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet—even one with disturbing blue eyes. Can't she?

Jezebel’s Wish Excerpt:
Jezzy stopped. “I thought I was having a riding lesson.”
“You are.” He nodded toward the empty paddock. “Go in.”
“Go in?” Jezzy propped a hand on her hip. “You sure you know what you’re doing? Because it was my understanding that an actual horse is needed for a riding lesson.”
“Don’t you think it would be wise at this juncture to leave the understanding up to the professionals?”
Jezzy rolled her eyes. “You’re making this way too easy. Professionals? Please. Don’t get me started.”
“Why not? Getting you started is exactly what I’m here for.”
Jezzy’s jaw dropped. She didn’t quite know how to interpret that remark.
He held out the rope. “Now go in. And take this lead line with you.” Steely blue determination glinted in his eyes. There was no way he was going to give in.
Jezzy snatched the lead line from his hand and stormed through the gate, then turned when he closed it behind her.
He put a foot on the bottom railing and rested against the gate, facing the horizon. “Take the chair to the center of the paddock and sit down.”
“And just exactly how is that supposed to teach me to ride?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You want out of the deal?”
Jezzy’s fist clenched tight around the lead line. What she wanted was to march back to the fence and smack his face.

AJ Nuest lives in northwest Indiana with her loving husband and two beautiful children. She is the author of two contemporary romance novels.
Visit her on the web at:
http://ajbooks.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/ajnuest
Email: ajnuest@yahoo.com
Facebook: Tattered Pages http://tinyurl.com/3qvxyn6

Jezebel’s Wish Buy Links:
The Wild Rose Press: http://tinyurl.com/446f7r3
Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/3b89ogb
Check out the trailer:

Coming June 27: Guest Blogger Calvin Davis discusses "The Phantom Lady of Paris!"

Should you Write what you Enjoy or what you Think will Sell?

2011-06-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

If you want to imitate someone else, you probably will have a tough time. But what you could do is study the techniques of writers you enjoy and then see if there's something you can borrow from them and then restructure or rewrite it in your own voice. In advertising, there's a saying: "deconstruct" (the original idea) and "reconstruct" (refashion and reorganize it in your own words with a fresh idea).

You know that if you want to write something as long as a novel, you have to write about something you enjoy. That's really why we all started writing, isn't it? For me, it was writing about mysteries and suspense with a romantic twist added to heighten the tension and raise the stakes. The subject you write about should be something you feel comfortable with, because of your own personal experience--loss, divorce, vengeance--or something that fascinates you and you've studied or want to study. It could be a particular period in history or a place you've visited. If you've ever read the biographies of many famous authors, you realize how much of themselves they put into their work. And then you understand the focus of their writing--divers write diving and archeology books, attorneys, stories about law, etc.

No offense to vampire novelists out there, but I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to write a vampire story and the few times I've been bitten, I haven't enjoyed it. But if that's your bailiwick, go for it! It's a hot genre and if you like writing about it, great. I have always enjoyed suspense stories, not the slasher movie, car-chase, everything blows up kind, but the edge of your seat Alfred Hitchcock kind. Will the bomb go off or won't it? Will she see the murderer in the closet or won't she? Wringing out every last second of tension so that we can't turn the pages fast enough. I recently enjoyed reading Sandra Brown's Chill Factor where the main character was snowed in with someone she thought was a serial killer. Was he or wasn't he? It was a great book.

I also enjoy reading stories about lost treasure, World War II, unsolved mysteries and disasters and political assassinations--Titanic, Hindenburg, JFK, etc. I like the concept of the innocent person getting caught up in a maelstrom of trouble through a simple mistake or through no fault of his or her own. Amnesiac stories are another favorite and stories that center around vengeance, getting back at the person who wronged you. Or "Little Match Girl" stories where the heroine is a pitiful, ugly duckling mess in the beginning and then through her own gumption and tenacity, transforms herself into a tough, smart beautiful woman. I guess you could call them rooting for the underdog stories.

Just because someone made a fortune writing books about vampires or time travel or some other subject doesn't mean it can work for you, especially if you don't enjoy reading those kind of books. And perhaps that's the best advice of all--write about what you enjoy reading.

June 17, AJ Nuest will be my first blog guest!

Keeping Track of your Plot Ideas

2011-06-06T08:16:00.001-07:00

It started out as a few scraps of paper, hastily scrawled and sometimes barely legible, then grew into a bunch of tattered newspaper clippings thrown into a shoebox or a bulging manila folder. I had no idea what any of it meant. I had forgotten why I put the things there or when. Sometimes I even forgot where I put the shoebox. I ignored the problem for a while, telling myself I'd deal with it later. But then it started to make me nervous and feel out of control, especially for an organizational freak like me, someone with an obsessive, compulsive need to know where everything is at every given moment. To lose something as important as an idea for a book or a character, drove me crazy. The next time I needed a new plot idea, what was I going to do?
So I finally began to organize my ideas with a vengeance. I bought brightly-colored three-ring binders and pasted all the newspaper articles in it, organized by topic. (World War II has always been a favorite--missing people, missing treasures--I've always wanted to write a romantic suspense novel set in that time period). Then I took all the little snibbles of paper and pasted them down in a separate section, once again, organized by topic, the best ideas toward the front. Whenever a character name popped into my head (which happens often), I consolidated all of the names in one place, along with a list of distinguishing characteristics. I made a separate piece of paper for names of places I'd dreamed up, restaurants, cities and towns, the whole imaginary gambit. And tab dividers also helped, along with the color-coded binders.
For the plots that I'd developed beyond a line or two, I took another binder and put the detailed chapter by chapter outline in it, along with a personality sketch on each character, and all the research I'd done to date, including the location where the book would be set and the history, character occupations, etc. These binders got very thick, but they certainly restored my sense of calm. Plus, I put them in an easily recognizable place, on top of or inside a bookshelf, rather than hiding them away in a desk drawer or filing cabinet. Everything was right at my fingertips and I could relax. But what about new ideas, now that the binders were finished? I left blank space in the front and back of each one, for any new kernels of story ideas or people that might pop up.
P.S. Paperless world, be damned. I still print out a hard copy of everything I write or research. Too many computer crashes or freezes convinced me this was the safest method.
So what are your suggestions? How do you keep track of all of those marvelous plot ideas that you dream up? You've got to find a safe place to stash them or they'll be gone forever.
For those of you that have tried to leave comments in previous weeks and couldn't, I apologize for the problem with Blogger. I hope the situation has been rectified.
Thought for the Day: …"we are as good as anyone else, with as much to say as the next person. The only thing that stands in our way is not saying it."--Maeve Binchy

Next week: Write about what you enjoy or write what you think will sell?

Metaphors and Similes: The Bane of My Existence

2011-05-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I've always had a problem with metaphors and similes. First, telling the difference between them, and then coming up with imaginative ones to make my writing pop.
Why are metaphors and similes so important? According to Aristotle, figurative language can lend "metaphorical life to lifeless objects." And isn't that what we, as writers long to do, create something from nothing, make readers believe the truth of our story and our characters' story world? Make things come alive so that the reader can shout "Yes, that's right; that's exactly how it looks! That's exactly how I feel! I can identify with that!"
Aristotle said language should be appropriate in "sound and sense" and make the audience see things by using expressions that represent things in a state of activity. In other words, not just create word pictures, but moving pictures.
Here's the difference between a metaphor and a simile.
Simile: uses like or as (I try to remember the "s" in simile as referring to the "s" in the word "as". If you have a better way, let me know).
Example: "Your hair is like a river."
Metaphor: "Your hair is a dark river."
My next problem: How do you think of creative similes and metaphors? The simplest way and one that helped me is to ask: "What does this object remind you of?" Do the clouds remind you of gum drops? Do fireworks look like shimmering fairy dust? I just finished reading Sandra Brown's "Chill Factor", a wonderful book I recommend. She describes a face that looked like wild dogs had been gnawing on it and a falling power line tower as resembling a landing spacecraft with red warning lights flashing.
Here are some other ways that can help (From a marvelous book called "Word Painting" by Rebecca McClanahan):
1. Create your own "Constellation of Images" based on an event in your life. For example, the author lost her twin sister and found her writing laced with images pertaining to that loss--like sidekicks, twins, doubles, rubber dolls.
2. Play mind games with common objects like a colander, an egg beater, or chopsticks. The chopsticks could look like drumsticks or oars to you.
3. Spend time with children and watch how they create things from unusual sources: forts from Popsicle sticks, swords or riding horses form broomsticks.
4. Read a lot of poetry rich with metaphorical images.

If you have other ways for creating colorful metaphors and similes, let me know. I would love to hear them!

Next week: Keeping Track of your Plot Ideas

Plotwreckers

2011-05-23T08:13:00.001-07:00

When a Good Plot Idea Goes Bad

A good ending is like, dare I say it, an orgasm, that perfect moment when everything in a book comes together in a perfect explosion of understanding, satisfaction and enlightenment. The ahhh moment. Am I wrong in wanting more from a story's ending--kapow--something I never saw coming, gripping and mind-blowing, a sudden burst of energy when everything becomes clear? Here are some good plot ideas gone bad: (Warning, contains plot spoilers. If you'd like to watch these movies and do not want to know how they end, please stop reading now!)

Mister Buddwing: This movie, starring James Garner (book by Evan Hunter) is the story of a man wandering around New York with amnesia (I always love amnesia stories). He thinks he may be an escaped mental patient and he meets three women who may help him unravel the truth. Unfortunately the ending is a clunker. After all this mystery and stunning intrigue, which frankly left me riveted, it turns out he only blocked out an accident involving his wife. Ugh, big letdown.
Deadly Encounter: A Lifetime Channel movie where a woman is involved in a road rage incident because a man is angry with her for cutting her off. Afterward, she receives threatening calls, is stalked, her mother is severely injured in a car accident and her son is kidnapped. Another clunker ending: after a deadly confrontation with her armed attacker in a deserted quarry, the man explains the reason for his rage: "You cut me off!" he shouts. So it's only because of the road rage, no surprise. I was expecting so much more.

Better Endings, Better Plots:

Mirage: Great amnesiac movie (one of my favorites) starring Gregory Peck as a man with amnesia in New York in lovely sixties black and white. His life is threatened and he is stalked because of what he knows. A woman claiming to be his former girlfriend feeds him tantalizing clues. More mystery surrounds the death of a big industrialist who has fallen from a high-rise building. Turns out Peck is really a chemist who has invented the formula for a perfect bomb--one that produces no fallout. He wanted the formula destroyed because it would make war too easy and munitions companies rich while his boss (the industrialist) did not. The irony is that the industrialist was also the head of a renowned peace foundation and Peck was responsible for accidentally causing his fall from the building because the man was reaching out for a copy of the formula Peck was trying to burn. Great ending, great irony.
Unknown: Another excellent amnesiac movie starring Liam Neeson as a doctor attending a biotechnology conference in Berlin with his wife. When he realizes he left his briefcase behind in a cab, he tries to retrieve it, but winds up getting involved in a car accident and is in a coma for four days. When he returns to the hotel, his wife does not recognize him and she is seemingly married to another man, who has assumed his identity. Once again, his life is threatened and he is stalked. In reality, he and his wife and the other man are really assassins supposedly sent to kill a Saudi prince. But there's another surprise, the target is actually a scientist who has discovered a new breed of corn with the ability to survive in any climate, easing the world's food supply problem. Once again, surprise and irony apparent in the fact that he thought he was a doctor, but in reality was a cold-blooded assassin.

While reading Writing Suspense and Mystery Fiction,I learned that Sherlock Holmes wrote stories that had surprises in them, but Edgar Allen Poe wrote stories that contained both surprise and irony. So really good endings should have both as well as providing the reader with that big kapow they were waiting for.

Next week: Metaphors and Similes, the Bane of My Existence

Secret Couriers, Secret Codes

2011-05-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Six Unsolvable Ciphers

With the recent capture of the world's most wanted terrorist, a lot has been said about the importance of couriers. In my upcoming political thriller The Time of the Eleven, codes and couriers also play a substantial role. In ancient Greece, couriers had their heads shaved and secret messages written on their scalps. When the hair had grown back, the courier was sent on his way. After arriving at the destination, the messenger would shave his head to reveal the hidden message. When a more secure form of delivering messages was needed, (as well as a speedier one) the science of cryptography was born.

Derived from the Greek word Kryptos, meaning hidden, the purpose of cryptography is not to hide the existence of a message, but to hide its meaning, in other words, to scramble it. Hiding an already coded message is called Steganography, meaning covered writing. Invisible ink and microdots are examples. Today secret messages can even be hidden inside tiny pixels on a computer.

From the cipher of Mary, Queen of Scots, (the discovery of which led to her death) to the Zimmerman telegram during World War I and the Enigma machine during World War II, codes have been used extensively during wartime as a means of transmitting top-secret information. However, these codes have been solved. The ones listed below have not.

Kryptos--a large sculpture located in the courtyard of CIA headquarters in Virginia. Hidden from the public, the code on this sculpture is written in four parts. Three parts have been solved, but the last ninety-eight characters remain a mystery. The creator of the sculpture has been asked whether the rest of the code refers to something buried on the CIA grounds, but has declined to answer. Dan Brown made reference to this in the Lost Symbol.

The Voynich Manuscript--A rare book dealer bought this strange manuscript in 1961. Lacking a title and unsigned, the book is filled with eerie full color plates, strange symbols that do not match any known language and may be at least 400 years old. Now in the possession of Yale University, it can only be viewed under strict supervision and is valued at millions of dollars. This is the world's oldest and longest unsolved public cipher. Read Brett King's The Radix for a fictional account.

Shugborough--the Shepherd's Monument--The text is only ten letters long and is found in the gardens of Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, England, engraved on a stone monument, commissioned in 1748. The code is as follows: O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V. and beneath that, the letters "D" and "M" are written. Above the inscription is a carved marble relief of a painting: Les Bergers d'Arcadie II.

The Beale Papers--Anyone who solves this code will find a huge treasure trove hidden in Virginia--over 2,921 pounds of gold and 5,100 pounds of silver, worth over thirty million dollars today. The three ciphers consist of a series of numbers. Only the second cipher has been broken using a book code, where specific pages, words and letters on a page are each given a numerical value. A very famous text was used to solve a portion of this cipher. Think National Treasure. I also used the idea of the Beale papers in my book The Secret Sentinel.

Dorabella Cipher--a coded letter written by the famous British composer Edward Elgar to Dora Penny, dated July 1897. Consisting of eighty-seven characters over three lines, the code could be based on a twenty-four symbol alphabet or may even be more complex. Elgar, best known as the composer of Pomp and Circumstance, was interested in ciphers. The note lay in a diary for forty years and has never been solved. It may have contained sentiments of affection from an older man to a much younger woman. Romance authors, take note!

The Zodiac Killer's Code--The Zodiac serial killer operated in northern California in the late 60's and early 70's. His identity remains unknown. He sent a series of letters to Bay area newspapers, which included four cryptograms. Only one was ever solved. The code utilized a strange mixture of English capital letters, plus other symbols (the inverted V and the V filled in). In all, the killer used sixty-five symbols. It's suspected that the remaining three ciphers could have been written by someone obsessed with the case, rather than the killer.

Does anyone know what the picture above represents?
(Thanks to the wonderful book The Six Unsolved Ciphers by Richard Belfield)

Next Week: Plot Wreckers: When a Good Plot Idea Goes Bad

Top 5 Amazing Lost Treasures

2011-05-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

5. The Treasure of the Pharaohs--Herihor, a high court official during the reign of Ramses XI, placed himself in charge of reburial proceedings at the Valley of the Kings after Ramses' death. This gave him an opportunity to pilfer treasure troves on a grand scale. Fate: Herihor's tomb has never been found. If it is ever located, historians believe many missing treasures of Egypt's pharaohs will finally see the light of day. For decades, mummies, pharaohs, and lost gold have been mega-hits, both at the box office and book stores.

4. Lost Inca Gold--The Spanish commander Francisco Pizarro captured an Incan King called Atahualpa. Pizarro promised to release him in exchange for a large amount of gold. The Incan people collected the gold and delivered half to Pizarro, but before the remainder could be delivered, Pizarro had the king killed. Fate: Many believe the king's followers buried the treasure in a mountain cave. In 1886 Barth Blake claimed he found the treasure, describing "golden vases full of emeralds" and giant gold statues. However, Blake died at sea before he could arrange an expedition to the site and no one has been able to locate it since. Remember Clive Cussler's "Inca Gold?" A real life account of the search for lost Inca gold can be found in "Valverde's Gold," written by Mark Honigsbaum.

3. The Ark of the Covenant--Described in the Bible as a vessel containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, along with Aaron's rod and manna. One recent study suggests the Ark represented man's first harnessing of electricity. Accounts of people dying after touching the Ark are consistent with high voltage (Remember Indiana Jones?) Fate: In the year 600 BC, Jerusalem was attacked and conquered by the Babylonians. When the Israelites reclaimed Jerusalem, the Ark was gone, possibly destroyed by the Babylonians, but some believe God reclaimed it. Indiana Jones loved this theme!

2. El Dorado--The legendary "Lost City of Gold." is actually the name of a tribal chief who covered himself with gold dust as an initiation rite and then dove into a highland lake. El Dorado became the city of this legendary king. Francisco Pizarro's half-brother, Gonzalo, would depart 1541 in an expedition towards the Amazon, which ended in disaster, with many dying from hunger, disease and attacks from hostile natives. Fate: Though many have searched for years to find the "Lost City of Gold," nothing has ever been found. In the movie and book, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls," El Dorado is actually the location of the hidden skulls.

1. King Solomon's Treasure--Sacred artifacts looted by the Romans from the Temple of Jerusalem,including silver trumpets heralding the Coming of the Messiah, golden candelabra, and the bejeweled Table of the Divine Presence. These were among pieces shipped to Rome after the looting in AD 70. Fate: Though long suspected of being hidden in the vaults of the Vatican, archeologists now believe the treasure that left Rome may have been taken to Carthage, Constantinople, and then Algeria before being hidden in the Judean wilderness, beneath the Monastery of Theodosius. "King Solomon's Mines," a famous book about the lost treasure, is only one of many written about this fantastic missing treasure trove.

Next week: The Six Codes No One Can Solve!

Amazing Treasures-More Great Fodder for Fiction

2011-05-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Fascinating tales of lost gold and treasures beyond belief, amazing expeditions, daring adventurers. Writers have used these real-life treasure hunts as the basis of their stories for decades.

1. The Amber Room--Dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World," this eleven foot square hall consisted of large wall panels inlaid with several tons of amber, large gold-leaf-edged mirrors and four Florentine mosaics. Inlaid with precious jewels, the room was created for Prussia's King Friedrich I and given to Russian czar Peter the Great in 1716. Located at Catherine Palace, near St. Petersburg, Russia, it is valued at over 142 million today. Fate: Taken by the Nazis to Konigsberg Castle during World War II, but missing at the end of the war. Speculation: Russians destroyed the Amber Room when they bombarded the castle. Or it could have been buried in a bunker somewhere. Novelist Steve Berry penned a hit novel about this one.

2. The Lost City of Atlantis--According to the Greeks, Atlantis was a highly advanced island society that supposedly sank into the sea in 9600 BC. Philosophers say Atlantis was greater in extent than Libya and Asia, with luxurious palaces, abundant gold and silver and the best soil and climate in the world. However, Plato wrote that the people of Atlantis were defeated in war by other tribes and then disaster struck, destroying the island, perhaps by earthquakes and floods. Fate: Possible location 620 miles off the northwest coast of Africa near the Canary Islands. No treasure has ever been uncovered. Too many popular books and movies on the Atlantis theme to mention!

3. Blackbeard's Treasure--Edward Teach, known as Blackbeard the pirate, plundered the high seas for only two years (1716-1718) but managed to amass a great deal of wealth, pouncing on Spanish treasure ships returning from Mexico and South America. Fate: Researchers believe they have found the wreckage of Blackbeard's ship "Queen Anne's Revenge," in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Thought to have run aground near South Carolina, the wreck contained gold dust, apothecary weights, a mortar and pestle, and many other artifacts. However, the pirate may have transferred the treasure to another ship before his own vessel sank and none of his booty has ever been found, despite many searches in the Caribbean and the Cayman Islands. Remember "Pirates of the Caribbean?" Or what about "Treasure Island?" Some say Jack Sparrow is really Blackbeard!

4. Montezuma's Gold--Legends abound that after Montezuma was killed in the 1500's and the Spanish were driven from the Aztec capital, the Aztec people took Montezuma's treasure and hid it from the Spaniards. Fate: Some believe the treasure was hidden underneath mud and sludge on the outskirts of Mexico City. A former Mexican president even had a lake bed dredged, but found nothing. Other suspected hiding places include Guatemala and even Kanab, Utah! Read my book "The Montezuma Secret" to find out where I hid it!

5. Oak Island Treasure--Oak Island, on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, is believed to hold a variety of missing treasures: the gold of Captain Kidd, Marie Antoinette's jewels, even the Holy Grail of the Knights Templar! Fate: After 200 years of searching, nothing has been found. Oak Island has often been called the "Money Pit," because archeologists found a deep pit 31 meters down, and layers of logs, along with a large stone inscribed with symbols deciphered to mean "Forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried." However, the pit is described as a natural phenomenon of the islands, similar to a sinkhole. Novelists Preston and Child wrote "Riptide" about the mysterious Money Pit.

Next week: More Lost Treasures!

Why Conspiracies Make Good Fiction-The Top Five

2011-04-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

To believe or not to believe, that is the question and one pondered by millions. Here are five of the top most hotly debated conspiracy theories.

5. The End of the World, December 2012--The ancient Mayan calendar (claimed as amazingly accurate) has an end date of 2012. Many researchers believe "something significant" will happen on this end-date, perhaps even a cosmic catastrophe. Plausibility Level: Low. If the Mayans had such prescience, why couldn't they prevent their own civilization from being destroyed? Spawned many books and movies about 2012, though.
4. The Third Secret--The Three Secrets of Fatima are three prophecies given by an apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherds in 1917. The secrets were said to be a vision of hell, the end of World War I, leading to World War II and the shooting of Pope John Paul II in 1981. However, much controversy erupted over the third secret, with some alleging the entire contents were not completely disclosed, and could contain information about the apocalypse. Plausibility Level: Low, but fascinating. Great fodder for a story. Novelist Steve Berry had a hit with this one.
3. Aliens at Roswell and Area 51--Were aliens really discovered after a crash in Roswell, New Mexico? Were their bodies taken to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio? Is alien technology being used to develop new weapons and aircraft at Area 51? Plausibility Level: Maybe. It's hard to believe we're alone in this vast universe. Besides, many respected scientists, politicians and military men have provided compelling evidence of UFO sightings. Think about all the movies and books written about this one! Try X-Files!
2. JFK Assassination (and RFK's)/Connection to Watergate--Was there a conspiracy to murder JFK in Dallas and was the assassination of his brother, Robert Kennedy, and the resignation of Richard Nixon connected? Some claim the disasters occurred because all three were involved with the plan to oust Castro from Cuba. Plausibility Level: Likely. Thousands of top-secret documents have revealed the existence of multiple plots to topple the Cuban leader. The subject of countless books, "The Legacy" by Stephen Frey; "Promises to Keep" by George Bernau, documentaries and movies, (JFK) and many TV mini-series, most recently "The Kennedys" on cable.
1. Shadow Government--The New World Order is the name for a global elite believed to be behind the events that have shaped history and current events. Secret societies such as the Bilderbergers and the Illuminati include the who's who of leaders in international politics, industry, and finance. Plausibility Level: Maybe. Powerful people can do powerful things. Most of the thriller writers, including David Baldacci and Dan Brown have used this concept to captivate millions.

Fun to speculate, even more fun to write about. The important thing is not to take any of them too seriously. After all, they're just theories.

Next week: The Top Ten Missing Treasures

Why Conspiracy Theories Make Good Fiction

2011-04-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

Conspiracy theories, unsolved mysteries, the riddles of the universe, the end of the world, time travel, crystal skulls, vampires, the secrets of eternal life, UFO's. Great fodder for scores of movies and books. Sets the imagination soaring with thoughts of what if, if only…Things that puzzle us can be both amusing and entertaining. Questions no one has been able to answer intrigue us, obsess us. Why are we here? Where are we going?

Here are ten top conspiracy theories:
10. Apollo Moon Landings Faked by NASA--Believers think this landing never took place--photos altered, no stars in the photos, flag flapping in spite of the fact there's no wind on the moon. Plausibility Level: Low, hard to believe. But made a good movie. Remember "Capricorn One?" Though that was about a faked Mars landing.
9. Jesus' Bloodline-The idea that Jesus had children after marrying Mary Magdalene and that these children then emigrated to France, creating a dynasty known as the Merovingians. The secret is protected by the Priory of Sion. Plausibility: Who knows? Based on the non-fiction best-seller, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", this theory has been around long before "The DaVinci Code" ever became a mega-thriller.
8. Princess Diana was Murdered--The car crash in 1997 made many wonder if the accident might have been "arranged" by MI5, the British Intelligence organization, because Diana planned to marry a Muslim, Dodi Fayed. Plausibility Level: Maybe. Sometimes there's more to these deaths in high places than meets the eye. She certainly was overshadowing the Royal Family with her activities. However, from many of the biographies I've read, she really had no plans to marry Dodi. Books and movies galore about this one.
7. Pearl Harbor was Allowed to Happen--President Roosevelt allegedly provoked the attack, had foreknowledge of it and covered up his failure to warn commanders in Hawaii. This was done in order to make the U.S. enter the war, since the American public and Congress had been against it. Plausibility Level: Maybe. Other governments had warned the US about the attack, since Japanese codes had been broken. (Even by the US). Plausibility Level: Maybe. It certainly jump started the economy and reversed the American public's thinking dramatically. And Hitler had to be defeated. The non-fiction book "Day of Deceit" and several History Channel documentaries covered this topic.
6. The Philadelphia Experiment: Time Travel--An alleged military experiment where the US destroyer escort, USS Eldridge, was rendered invisible in Philadelphia for a brief period, then mysteriously reappeared in Norfolk, Virginia, 200 miles away. Plausibility Level: Maybe. Based on a scientific application of Einstein's Unified Field Theory dealing with gravity and electromagnetic radiation, it was thought possible to bend light around an object to make it invisible. (Remember cloaking from "Star Trek?") Certainly invaluable for military use. Supposedly a botched experiment to make ships impervious to radar, though the log books and records for the time period in question are hard to find. The subject of many books, two movies, and documentaries. I love time travel books and wish it were possible.

Speculation is fun and fascinating and whether they're true or not , bizarre or believable, these theories really get the writer's mind going, asking that wonderful question: "What if?"

Next week: The Top Five Conspiracy Theories

Memories of the JFK Assassination or How to Learned to Love History

2011-04-11T07:35:00.001-07:00

"The Kennedys" mini-series on REELZ channel concluded last night with the assassination of JFK. All in all, I thought the series was entertaining, well-acted, and reasonably accurate, drawing on well-respected JFK biographies. But I was disappointed that the assassination in Dallas was more or less glossed over, with Lee Harvey Oswald depicted as the only assassin. Also, there were factual errors. For example, Abraham Bolden, the first African-American secret service agent on the Kennedy detail, only served JFK in 1961. In the movie, Bolden was shown as still serving in 1963. Bolden was reassigned to duty in 1961 after he complained of racism. In November 1963, he learned of a plot to assassinate JFK in Chicago. JFK's visit was cancelled. When he tried to inform the Warren Commission in 1964 of the Chicago plot as well as misconduct (drinking on duty) by his fellow agents, he was arrested for allegedly taking a bribe and served a six year prison sentence. The principal witness later recanted and Bolden claims he was set up. No information about the Chicago plot was released to the public, probably because two Cuban nationals had been under surveillance. They were never captured. Please read "Echo from Dealey Plaza," Bolden's account of all this for more information. An excellent read. Anyway, "The Kennedys" was still a good show. It brought back my own memories of the assassination nearly forty-eight years ago:

12:30 p.m., November 22, 1963. Set for a long boring afternoon of history, social studies and geography with our equally boring homeroom teacher. 12:40 p.m. The teacher from across the hall enters, looking upset and leans against the wall whispering to my homeroom teacher. Something is wrong. They both look disgusted and my teacher says "Was she hurt?" I think he means our star gymnast, who was carted off in an ambulance after a bad fall earlier that week. Then my mind blanks. Years later, my friends remind me the teacher had told the class the President had been shot and had a TV wheeled into the room. The principal had allowed us to go home early. But I don't remember any of this. All I remember is not taking any of it seriously and goofing around with a girlfriend as we walked through the park in the rain. And it was raining when I crossed a busy street to get to my house. I remember the headlights shining on the dark pavement as I ran across. The porch light was lit and my father was already home, the old 1957 green Buick Riviera parked outside. When I sat in front of the black and white TV, the plane with the President's body was just returning to Washington, DC. It was five o'clock, Central Time. And my father said "You're watching history being made today." I didn't know what he was talking about. It only meant another death and I didn't want to be reminded of it because I had just lost two grandparents recently. I hated cemeteries and I hated death, picking weeds around the graves. It was so depressing. But the next day I watched. And the next day. And the funeral on Monday, when we had off from school. I was riveted and sad but I couldn't stop watching. And my memory of it raining Friday is correct because it did rain on Saturday, November 23, in Washington, DC, when visitors viewed the President's body. The rain that had been in Wisconsin the day before.

From then on, I was hooked, devouring every new book about the Kennedys and the assassination, becoming a skeptic like much of the population--two-thirds according to a 2004 poll--that didn't believe in a single assassin or the single bullet theory. What I don't understand is why two assassins were considered so dangerous? So two people concocted a scheme to murder the President. Why does the existence of only two people signify a sinister conspiracy? Unless there was more to it than that. Why was the government so insistent on covering up evidence of any additional participants and we know they did because they were afraid of possible links Oswald had to Castro and to Russia. Coming just after the Cuban Missile Crisis, this could easily have ignited World War III. And the Kennedy administration was allegedly planning a coup against Cuba set for December 1, 1963. (See "Ultimate Sacrifice" by Lamar Waldron, another excellent read). And why was Lee Harvey Oswald allowed back into the country so easily after defecting to our arch enemy, the Soviet Union? I remember thinking that even as a teenager. It defied common sense. Obviously these questions still stir controversy.

But in spite of the awful events, I became obsessed with history and tragedies and how they could have been prevented, whether it was the Titanic, the Hindenburg, the assassinations, September 11, or the rise of Hitler. I majored in political science and history in college. And it also helped me to develop my 'what if's?' when I write books. Like what if a Presidential candidate long thought dead (RFK) was still alive? ("Sworn to Secrecy") What if the assassination of the Secretary of State was all a mistake? ("A Question of Conspiracy") What if a foreign leader was killed on American soil? ("Time of the Eleven") And my treasure hunt books: "The Secret Sentinel" (Lost Confederate Gold), "The Montezuma Secret" (Montezuma's Lost Gold-One of the Top Five Missing Treasures). Amazing to think how a little twist of history could have changed the world. And when I visited Dallas and stood where Abraham Zapruder stood and afterwards met Robert Groden, a consultant on Oliver Stone's "JFK", he signed one of his books for me. And when I toured the Sixth Floor Museum in Dealey Plaza, I wrote in the guest book that my love of history had come from the day my father had said…"You're watching history being made today."

Next week: "The Top Ten Conspiracy Theories-My Take"

The Kennedys and Romance

2011-04-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

With the debut of "The Kennedy's" mini-series on the REELZ cable channel timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inauguration, it's time to return to Camelot again. While this one does not reveal anything new, it's fun to visit, flaws and all. After all, no one's perfect. The Kennedy family did problems, some of their own making, some not. The period of the early 60's is always viewed with a sentimental eye, blotting out some of the more troublesome things--the struggles over integration and civil rights, the fights over Berlin and Cuba, the latter nearly escalating to nuclear war. Times were not as placid as we think looking back. And having just read "One Minute to Midnight," Michael Dobbs' gripping account of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I realized just how close we came to annihilation. If not for JFK's restraint and insistence on diplomatic solutions in defiance of his generals, none of us would be here today. Yet we do romanticize those times, largely because of the Kennedys' appeal. They represented youth and beauty, grace and style and yes, romance. Beautiful dresses, wonderful culture. They were special times, we believe, innocent times, an era before Vietnam, Watergate, and 9/11 terrorism. Even though, behind the scenes, things were not as perfect as we hoped, we wanted them to be. And still do.

Having lived through those years, but at a very young age, and studying about such mundane matters as the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Aswan dam, we seemed to be insulated from the crises in Berlin and Cuba, but not from the duck and cover drills we all took in stride. When one history teacher suggested a future war might occur in the Middle East, I thought it was nonsense, since everyone in that region was our ally. History can be unpredictable.

And frankly, I wasn't aware of the Kennedys' superstar appeal during their reign. That came later. Since then I've read and re-read every book about the Kennedys and the Kennedy assassinations, (both JFK's and Robert Kennedy's), seen every movie, documentary and mini-series multiple times. I've seen Jackie's dresses up close and personal at the Field Museum in Chicago, I've toured Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas. I've come to believe in the magic of those times, even though I know down deep they were far from perfect. I just want to believe. I've always been a cockeyed optimist and a romantic. And what's wrong with that?

Next week: Memories of the JFK Assassination

Amanda Hocking's Success, Part Two

2011-03-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

I self-published my last book "The Montezuma Secret" as an experiment, largely due to what I had read about the success of such authors as JA Konrath. As a business owner and entrepreneur for many years and someone who believes in self-study, I thought this was a great achievement--people making it on their own. Then I heard of Amanda Hocking. That really convinced me. Now that I'm a published author with Amazon's Kindle, I receive a wonderful blog several times a week called "Kindle Writers." I read yesterday that self-publishing legend Amanda Hocking has signed a seven-figure deal with Macmillan after a "heated auction" for the rights to publish her books. Several major publishers, including Random House, Simon and Schuster and HarperCollins, were involved. According to the The New York Times, the bidding "rose beyond $2 million for world English rights." The first thought that popped into my head was "Wow, she's really made it now." And then I stopped myself. Does this somehow "legitimize" her success? And then--whoa--wasn't her amazing success as an indie self-published author enough proof of that? Ms. Hocking states on her blog that she took the deal because she wanted to spend more time being a writer and less time on being a publisher, though she still enjoys marketing. She says she didn't do it for the money or the validation but because she wanted more people to have access to her books (Even Barnes and Noble can't order them for people) and because she wanted better editors and career stability. Whatever her reasons, it's still a fantastic achievement and one that should be celebrated by writers and readers alike and makes people in the publishing world stand up and recognize indie authors as a talented bunch, many of whom are capable of appealing to millions in the same way established authors like Nora Roberts or James Patterson can. On the other hand, New York Times bestselling author Barry Eisler recently turned down a $500,000 book deal in favor of self-publishing. He said that based on the experience writers were having with self-publishing, he thought he could do better long-term on his own. These inspiring stories certainly open up the options for writers interested in achieving success on their own terms and I hope it continues. And whether she took the deal or not, Amanda Hocking's success is still legitimate, whether it's self-published or not. What do you think?

Next week: Romance and the Kennedys

The Problem with Amanda Hocking's Success

2011-03-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

We’ve all heard about the “99 Cent Millionaire”, Amanda Hocking, who has sold hundreds of thousands of self-published e-books online and become a millionaire in the process. While this is good news for Amanda Hocking and good news for writers and the e-book/e-reader explosion, there is also a downside. Because of her success, everyone tries to emulate it. What did she do? How did she accomplish this monumental feat, especially in a down economy? I remember years ago when John Grisham became an instant millionaire when he was offered huge advances for his legal thrillers. Everyone wanted to get in on the bandwagon whether they were good writers or not. Publishing houses and agents were flooded with thousands of manuscripts from would-be authors, many of which were poorly-written, full of typos, and amateurish attempts to cash in on the big bucks. Because of this, more publishers clamped down, requiring agent-only submissions. Agents clamped down as well and it became much more difficult for good authors to rise out of the slush pile. I’m afraid the same thing is happening to e-books. Already, over 800,000 e-books are available for download on Amazon. It has become difficult, though not impossible, to stand out from the crowd. Amazon does not charge for self-publishing, but it does take a share of the royalties. And while there are many, many talented writers out there who are now being given an opportunity to share their writings with others, including Ms. Hocking, there are also many writers whose works are less than stellar and should never have seen the light of day. Complaints abound about the quality of some of these self-published e-books. While I hope that Amazon and others do not crack down on the self-publishing craze, it does raise concerns about quality, especially with everyone wanting to become a “99 cent millionaire.”

The Romance Reviews Grand Opening Party!

2011-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

You’re invited!

From March 1 – 31, 2011 at http://www.theromancereviews.com

It’s The Romance Reviews’ Grand Opening!

Play the games. Explore new books. Chat with authors. Vote for Best Books of 2010.
Rack up your points!

CAN YOU UNLOCK THE PUZZLE?

Visit everyday to increase your chances to win awesome prizes!

134 participating authors! Over 200 prizes waiting for you!

PRIZES

Weekly Prizes
$10 Gift Cards – 32 winners!
(8 winners each week)
Over 150 Book Giveaways in total
(paperback, hardback, ebook)

Major Prizes
Grand Prize: $100 Gift Card
2nd Prize: $70 Gift Card
3rd Prize: $50 Gift Card

For Authors (based on results of book votes)

Grand Prize: $200 TRR Advertising Package
2nd Prize: $100 TRR Advertising Package
3rd Prize: $50 TRR Advertising Package

Main Sponsor: Dorchester Publishing

Are Bookstores on the Verge of Extinction?

2011-01-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

In talking with local independent book store owners while doing book signings, many expressed fear for their future, even wondering whether one day bookstores themselves will be extinct, considering the meteoric rise of e-books. Several independent bookstores have already gone out of business in my area, due to the bad economy. What will the future hold?
Eight track tapes became cassette tapes, cassettes became CD’s and iPods took over after that, gaining a substantial market foothold with electronic and affordable downloads. More recently, we’ve witnessed the downturn in popularity of large video and DVD rental businesses. I have a DVR on my TV so I buy fewer DVD’s than I have in the past.
What does this all mean with the explosion of e-readers? Every month, the readers become more affordable and user-friendly, with non-glare screens and now color. Already big bookstores are offering deeper discounts on print books and reminding people when they walk in the door how much cheaper e-books are compared to print. And it’s true. Having been in public relations and communications all my life, I know how expensive it is to print something, whether it’s a simple brochure or a more complicated newsletter or membership directory. When you consider the rising costs of ink and paper and the staff needed to produce and create books with hundreds of pages, you can understand the benefits of electronic delivery.
And what about publishers? Many only accept manuscript submissions via e-mail. Print versions of many magazines and newspapers are only half their size. I remember when they were thick, stuffed with ads and special full-color sections. Postage has also gone up because fewer people use the mail due to online banking and shopping and the availability of newspapers and magazines on the Internet.
So what will happen to bookstores? Will they evolve into virtual bookstores, offering snippets of e-books for sale on sample e-readers? Or will they become used or antique bookstores, filled with these quaint memories of the past?

Let’s look at the advantages of books over e-book readers:

1. You can hold them in your hand.
2. They are easy to read.
3. They have flashy, eye-catching covers.

E-Readers:

1. You can hold them in your hand.
2. They are easy to read. (using non-glare screens)
3. They have flashy, eye-catching covers. (e-readers are now offered in color)
4. You can store THOUSANDS of books in a device the size of one paperback book.

Today, there are boundless opportunities for writers with the explosion of e-publishing. And with many wonderful websites on the Internet to help writers get the word out, we are truly fortunate.

So what do you think?

How to Create Satisfying Endings or Avoiding the Paper Tiger

2010-11-15T07:03:00.000-08:00

How to Create Satisfying Endings or Avoiding the Paper Tiger
By Alison Chambers
www.alisonchambersromance.com
The Secret Sentinel Now Available from The Wild Rose Press
www.thewildrosepress.com
Go on the Treasure Hunt of a Lifetime!
5 Stars and a Top Pick Night Owl Reviews
4 Stars The Romance Studio
Watch for The Montezuma Secret Coming Soon!

Ever notice when a movie ends abruptly without a satisfactory ending, the audience groans or elicits sounds of surprise, as though they’re unhappy? Books are that way too. Have you ever finished a book and been so disappointed with the way the story ended that you slammed it shut in disgust or worse yet, threw it against the wall or into the trash?

What causes such disappointment in readers?

1. Characters act irrationally, i.e., out of character. A weak character suddenly becomes strong or vice-versa, without any explanation concerning why he or she is suddenly changing and turning into Superman or Superwoman.
Solution: Characters should have proper motivation. If a character is about to do battle with snakes in the ending and hates snakes, foreshadow that fear by mentioning it in the beginning of the book so readers know what to expect and it makes sense. If characters change, explain why they are changing throughout the book.
2. Things are tied up by coincidences, i.e. deus ex machina: “A plot development that didn’t previously exist and has no logical explanation behind it; a coincidence that is too unlikely to be believed.” The phrase comes from the Greek where the god suddenly appeared through a trap door in the stage to solve the writer’s plot problem.
Solution: If it seems too unlikely a solution, it probably is. Don’t get your characters into a situation you cannot logically get them out of. If they’re in a cave hunting treasure, don’t let them accidentally find a weapon that will allow them to escape. You don’t want readers to say: “What a lucky break!” or “I don’t buy that!”
3. Loose ends are not tied up, leaving questions in the reader’s mind. Readers are scratching their heads, asking themselves whatever happened to this or that character or subplot line.
Solution: Carefully review each scene and character to make sure everything is explained in the last few pages.
4. Paper Tigers
You think the characters are dealing with a terrible villain or problem. They are facing insurmountable odds. You can’t wait to uncover the solution in the last chapter. When you learn the problem is not as great or as dangerous as you’d feared, that’s called a paper tiger and that’s when you want to throw the book against the wall. You say to yourself: “What a let-down!” The story is forever diminished in your eyes, you feel as though you have been tricked, and you vow never to read a book by that author again.
Solution: Make sure your problem or your villain is truly dangerous, the situation is life-threatening and the stakes are high so readers are not disappointed.

And remember, romances always have a happy ending. When you bring your characters back together in the end to live happily ever after, you should have a good reason in mind. They shouldn’t reunite just for the heck of it. Again, good character motivation and logical reasoning is the key.

Let your readers close their books with a smile, satisfied they have just finished a great ride and hopefully, they will remember your name and want to read more!
You owe it to them and to yourself!

Does Romance Slow Down the Action?

2010-11-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

Does Romance Slow Down the Action—Adventure, Danger and Romance—Maintaining A Balance
By Alison Chambers, author of The Secret Sentinel
5 Stars and a Top Pick Night Owl Reviews
www.alisonchambersromance.com
Available Now from the Wild Rose Press

Writing critics often maintain that love scenes tend to slow down the action, deaden the suspense and bring the plot to a screeching halt. I disagree. Since the romance is so closely interwoven with the suspense, one offsets and complements the other. If neither story is dull, both will work well together. But it is a delicate balancing act. You are essentially telling two stories—one built on top of the other. Keep them both lively, keep the reader guessing and in love with the two principal characters. Make sure something is happening at all times and not bogged down with excessive backstory, information dumps and useless conversation.
And since even the best writing instructors suggest that the reader take a breather after a particularly gripping and suspenseful moment, what better way to do that than with a romantic scene? However, many readers of romantic suspense (and there are countless millions) contend that this type of ‘action’ is very bit as exciting as the suspense that preceded it. Often this type of scene prolongs the suspense. The readers are not only stewing about the danger the characters just faced and what will happen next, they are also wondering about the romance just beginning to ignite.
Here are a few tips for keeping the reader turning the pages to keep the adventure, danger and romance blazing hot and working:
End as many chapters as possible with a cliffhanger.
Make sure the romance as well as the suspense continue to build, always keeping the outcome in doubt.
Make the backgrounds exciting and ever-changing—the desert, the jungle, a cave, an abandoned mansion, a raging storm—the more dangerous the setting, the hotter the romance. Let the emotions explode!
Make sure the romance and the suspense are both integral to the plot, never thrown into the pot, just to make it sizzle.
When you do have a romantic scene, tease the reader, adding a little bit at a time—the classic ‘will they or won’t they?’ Remember, the romance should be shrouded in mystery too.
Keep your eye on each main character’s goal. Desire should be strong and each chapter should make the goal less attainable, not more.
The main characters should be strong and ever changing for the better as the book progresses, though this doesn’t always happen in a straight line.
Set the romantic climax against a background of danger, smack-dab in the middle of the ever-deepening puzzle, then separate the lovers afterward to create the two ultimate black moments in the reader’s mind:
How will they ever survive? (answering the suspense question)
How will they ever get back together? (answering the romantic question)

Mastering the Muse at Midnight

2010-05-28T06:10:00.001-07:00

Mastering the Muse at Midnight

Why do so many good ideas come to you to just as you're about to go to sleep or when you can't sleep? Maybe because your mind has finally begun to dlear itself of the fog that's built up during the day? At any rate, it's important not to ignore those ideas. In fact, it's vital you don't. Thinking you'll remember that great new character name in the morning or the solution to that plot point that's been baffling you just doesn't work. Like your dreams, these precious nuggets of inspiration are gone like a will-o'-the-wisp in the blink of an eye. That's why it's so important never to let any good ideas go, even if it means losing a little sleep over it. You'll thank yourself for it in the morning. Keep a pen and pad or a tape recorder near your bedside to record any moments of brilliance that come to you. For example, in "The Secret Sentinel" now available from The Wild Rose Press, I wanted the main character, Savannah Rutledge, to work in a museum and have access to a treasure map and search for the treasure. But the motivation seemed weak. It bugged me for days. How could I make this more interesting, but also more true to Savannah's character? Why would a rather shy person suddenly be daring enough to go off on a cross-country treasure hunt with a mysterious stranger? What would make her do that? Then, suddenly, when I couldn't sleep one night, it came to me. What if (the two best words for a writer's imagination) she stole the treasure map, not from the museum, but from her father, who always warned her to leave it alone? And what if, as a result of this hasty action of hers, he was killed? Here was the solution--to atone for her father's death, Savannah realizes she must seek out the treasure and find her father's murderer, no matter what dangers she would face. Here I had my motivation and my theme--atonement. When I woke up the next morning, not only did I feel refreshed, but I felt I had a lot better story than I had the day before. So don't ignore the muse at midnight. It's waiting for you! P.S., I originally wrote this at 12:30 a.m.