Interview with Jacqueline Seewald

Harlequin

Jacqueline is the author of a romantic mystery series featuring psychic librarian Kim Reynolds, a paranormal historical romance (Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards) as well as a number of short stories.

How did you decide to become a writer? Is it what you expected?

 I began writing as a small child. I always seemed to be making up stories. When I was able, I started writing them down. My mother bought me my first typewriter when I was eleven and taught me how to touch type.

Writing wasn’t what I expected. It’s a lot of hard work and not much glory. The writing itself is the easy, joyful, creative part. It’s the constant rewriting that’s hard. It requires lots of self-discipline.

What did you read as a child?

I read the usual children’s books early on. But when I turned ten I decided to read the classics, the great literature of the world.  I read books like The Three Musketeers for example. Later on, I enjoyed Jane Austen, Charles Dickens.

 Which comes first, plot or characters?

For novels, it’s the characters. They live in my head for a long time before I write a word.

 Plotter or pantser?

I guess a little of each, although I do try to outline a novel before I write it.

I like to know where it’s going so that there’s cohesion in the plot.

Who would you like to play your main characters in a movie?

A hard question to answer! I love George Clooney but think he’s now a bit too old for the lead male character Police Lieutenant Mike Gardner in the Kim Reynolds mystery series. As for Kim, there are a lot of actresses that could play her part well.

 Which of your characters would you least like to meet in a dark alley?

Probably Detective Bert St. Croix, Mike’s badass homicide partner—she doesn’t suffer fools. So if you’re a bad guy, watch out!

What’s coming out next?

The next new Five Star/Gale mystery novel comes out in hardcover August 2013. It’s completely different from any of my other novels. It’s written with my older son Andrew. Entitled The Third Eye, the novel is set in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, an area I love and think is quite unique.

Anything else you want to say?

In the Kim Reynolds series, there are connected murders that need to be solved. The main characters become personally involved as in THE TRUTH SLEUTH when Kim initially finds the body of a murdered boy and later discovers another on the high school grounds.

At Amazon

Each novel in the series is an independent mystery. However, each develops Kim as a person and her life continues to change much as that of a real person.

I am pleased that THEINFERNO COLLECTION and THE DROWNING POOL are now available at low cost in all e-book formats. You can check them out at:

http://www.lldreamspell.com/JacquelineSeewald.htm

Harlequin Worldwide Mystery reprinted THE TRUTH SLEUTH, the third novel in the Kim Reynolds mystery series, in January 2013 so the novel is now available inexpensively as a paperback.

Could you give us a short excerpt from one of your books?

This is from the beginning of THE TRUTH SLEUTH:

Kim was developing an uncomfortable feeling of wrongness; a kind of prickling sensation slithered down her spine. She recognized the feeling for what it was but shook her head, trying to dispel the spasm of dread that suddenly gripped her. God, not this again! Would she ever be free of it?

Then Kim gasped, seized by a stab of pain. In her mind, she heard a silent scream, an astonished cry for help. She felt another’s panic and terror. She began to shiver and tremble.

“What’s the matter?” Bert asked, her dark brows rising then knitting together in concern.

“Someone’s been hurt.” Those were the only words she managed to choke out.

“Who? Where?” April asked, glancing around in confusion.

“Maybe we better have a look,” Bert said. Her height of six feet gave her an advantage over both Kim, who was five foot six inches, and April, who was barely five foot two inches tall.

The crowd was starting to thin out, many bikers revving up their engines in anticipation of leaving now that today’s entertainment was over. Kim led, Bert and April following behind her. Although she was not really certain where she was going, Kim plowed blindly through the garbage-strewn grounds. And then she saw him: a very young man sitting in an aluminum beach chair, head slumped forward as if he were in a deep sleep.

“He’s dead,” Kim heard herself say with certainty. Her voice sounded hollow, expressionless and faraway, as if it belonged to someone else.

“Oh, God, are you sure?” April asked, tossing her gold-tinted curls as if to deny Kim’s statement.

“Kim’s got this gift of knowing stuff like that,” Bert said.

More like a curse, in Kim’s opinion.

Bert knelt down, at first not touching the body. “I don’t think he’s breathing.” Bert’s voice had taken on a note of professional authority. She looked and sounded like the seasoned policewoman she was. Bert felt for a pulse, then shook her head. “Don’t touch anything. I’m calling this in.” There was a grim expression on Bert’s café au lait features. She pulled a small cell phone out from the pocket of her black leather jacket.

Before Bert could make the call, Kim turned and faced her.

“There’s something I think you should know.”

“I’m listening.” Bert stood very still like a figure in a portrait.

Kim let out a ragged breath. “I think that boy was murdered.”

You can check it out here: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=27323

FIRST FRIDAY! 3 Fab authors-1 Picture. Bonds. Fey. George.

Photo by Ivan Dzyuba

For February’s First Friday, I wanted a little more heart, so I asked Parris Afton Bonds, Yves Fey, and Rebecca George, three wonderful authors with backgrounds in romance. The rules, as always, are to tell what they see in this photograph in 150 words or less. 

BONDS

Her steps lagged as her eyes took in the old place. It had always been a retreat, a respite from the dutiful demands of family, work, and, yes, even her public persona. She had bought the little house with her first royalty check, as meager as the house. Over the years, as her checks had increased, she could easily have afforded to restore the place to a quaint luster. Yet she had kept its genteel shabbiness, something to hide behind, something real, something authentic, when she no longer knew who she was, when she needed to escape the demands of everyone, waiting for her to solve their problems. Now the children were in college, her husband claimed by someone else, her work schedule less demanding but more rewarding. And the little house was no longer shabby but serendipitous, for inside awaited, at long last love. Her steps quickened.

FEY

Standing in the rough grass, Cassie looked at childhood home, the sting of salt air sharp on her skin, salt scents teasing her nostrils.  Teasing her memory.  She’d been isolated here.  Lonely.  Protected - the doors and windows roughly carved with runes, curtains woven with spells, dreamcatchers snaring nightmares.

Silence embraced her.  Not silence without.  Even on the most sunbaked summer day, the air weighted with heat, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks floated over the cliff’s edge.  Sometimes, like now, a gull screamed.

But blessed silence reigned within.  The rising cacophony of voices – voices of minds screaming, souls screaming – they did not carry here.  They did not invade her.

Cassie walked forward, then gasped as a cold spike of fear pierced her spine, pinioning her where she stood. 

Someone waited inside.  Hid inside.  Anticipating.  What?

Had she not chosen to come here? 

Had she been summoned?

GEORGE

She walked toward the cottage.

Fifteen years, she thought, and it looks the same.

Her heart began to beat faster as it would have fifteen years earlier.

Would he still look the same, she asked herself, and now questioned her decision to come back to Ireland. When she left, it was never to return. Yet here she was.

She had changed her name and, with a new identity, achieved a certain peace in Dallas. For fifteen years she believed she had buried the past. Then his letter came, and it was as if those years meant nothing.

“Please,” he wrote, “come home. Until now, I did not know why you left. If only I had  known the truth then, I would have done everything in my power to stop you.”

Would you, she wondered as she opened the door.

He stood tall before her.

“Hello, Harry,” she said.

“Hello, Kathleen.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Parris Afton Bonds

PARRIS AFTON BONDS

Parris Afton Bonds is the mother of five sons and the author of thirty-five published novels. She is the co-founder of and first vice president of Romance Writers of America.

Declared by ABC’s Nightline as one of the three-best-selling authors of romantic fiction, the award winning Parris Afton Bonds has been interviewed by such luminaries as Charlie Rose and featured in major newspapers and magazines as well as published in more than a dozen languages. She donates her time to teaching creative writing to both grade school children and female inmates.

At Amazon

YVES FEY

Yves Fey’s debut mystery, FLOATS THE DARK SHADOW is set in the dynamic and decadent world of Belle Époque Paris. Aspiring artist Theodora Faraday and Detective Michel Devaux clash in their search for an elusive killer who has already claimed too many children.  Classic detection and occult revelation lead Michel and Theo through the dark underbelly of Paris.  Following the maze of clues they discover the murderer believes he is the reincarnation of the most evil serial killer in the history of France. Whether deranged mind or demonic passion incite him, the killer must be found before he strikes again.

At Amazon

REBECCA GEORGE

Rebecca George is the award-winning author of five novels. Her newest, SO WHISPERS THE HEART, was released recently on Kindle. Of her four previously published  books, DAPHNE  was a Romantic Times award winner, Best Historical – Love and Laughter, and was considered by Aaron Spelling Productions for a TV movie. CALL HOME THE HEART was a runner-up for Best Historical.

A native of Georgia, Rebecca was raised in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She went to the University of Georgia and majored in history. She lives with her four rescued dogs in a historical district in Upstate South Carolina.

Join in and tell what the picture says to you. Post 150 words or less in a comment.

Humorous Romance with Jan Romes

At Amazon

Today I’m interviewing Jan Romes, author of delightful humorous romances. Her stories will make you smile!

Who inspires you and why?

As soon as I read this question I grinned. The answer is easy: people with a great sense of humor inspire me the most. And I’d have to say that the ability to make people laugh or to be able to laugh at yourself is one of the most endearing qualities in a person and I tend to navigate to those kinds of folks. My writing is always laced with humor.

When and how often do you write?

I write every day. Sometimes it may only be a paragraph or two. It may be on a scrap piece of paper on my way somewhere, but thoughts fire through my mind all the time and I have to write them down right away.

When I’m home I try to write in the morning. First, I get a pot of coffee brewing and then I dive into writing.

You write humorous romance. Is that a reflection of your life?

Humor is definitely a reflection of my life. I grew up with eight siblings and I have to say, we’re a weird and funny bunch. Also, my husband makes me laugh a lot. He speaks in metaphors (i.e. We were watching a high school basketball game and he says from out of the blue, ‘that kid runs like he’s pushing a lawn mower’. Someone else might not find that funny, but I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. Guess you had to be there.)

In Three Days with Molly, Finn lives on a bus. How did you research that? Have you ever been in a celebrity’s bus?

I searched the Internet for custom made buses and also found a few blogs written by ‘road widows’ (wives or significant others of musicians). My husband and I stopped at an RV dealership and I snagged a brochure that showed a plush layout. I’ve not had the pleasure of stepping into a celebrity bus. It would be awesome to be able to though. 

In The Gift of Gray, Alexis takes a job as a masseuse. Wow! How did you research that one? (Inquiring minds would really like to know. J

I’ve had massages (not recently, darn!) so I was aware of the some of the techniques, plus I work as a fitness trainer so I am familiar with the muscle groups.

Do you have favorite book (of your own) or character?

Hmm. I love them all because of the special relationship I had with the characters. I felt what they felt. When they’re happy, I’m right there with them. When their hearts get broken I cry. Each book and each character’s situation is different, so it’s hard to choose. I’m going to pick One Small Fib since it was my first book published.

Which of your characters would you most like to spend an evening with? Why?

Wild Rose Press

Again, I’m going to pick Allie Blue and Kiptyn Thomas from One Small Fib. Allie because she’s sassy but sensitive. And Kiptyn because he’s ruthless with his business skills but underneath that staunch billionaire exterior lurks a guy whose looking for happiness and love, it just takes him awhile to realize it.

How do you determine your character’s flaws?

I try to pair flaws with upbringing and occupation. In Three Days With Molly, Finn is a self-proclaimed bastard. His early life was meager so he learned early on to be self-reliant and guarded. He became a successful country-rock singer and those traits carried over into his professional life.

Molly is a hard worker with trust issues too. She works for a divorce attorney and has seen her share of dysfunctional relationships. It didn’t harden her but it made her overly cautious.

Do you have photos of faces for your main characters? Or do they live in your imagination?

I often find photos to accompany my main characters. And I refer to them often. For Three Days With Molly, Finn Riley bears a striking resemblance to country star, Jerrod Niemann and Molly could easily be Anne Hathaway’s stunt double.

Thank you so much, Ellis, and best wishes for much success with your own writing career. Your books rock!

Here’s an excerpt from

At Amazon

Stay Close, Novac!

Jessi pulled her arm loose. The second she was inside, she realized the error of coming there. If Ian was the crazed person she’d been trying to shake, she just made things easy for him. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. In her romance novels she was careful not to write ditzy heroines. Obviously, in real life she was one. Her gaze zinged around the small living room. Wicker furniture with navy and white striped cushions filled most of the space.  A large conch shell decorated the middle of the glass-top coffee table, while a small TV and an array of silk plants took up the rest of the room. Nothing screamed stalker. Then again, it wasn’t his place.

Ian was dilly-dallying, and Jessi was getting irritable. “Is that French vanilla I smell?” It was a ridiculous question since there wasn’t a trace of French vanilla anywhere.

“No. Just plain old coffee.” Finally, he led the way to the kitchen.

Jessi’s mouth instantly filled with saliva. If she didn’t get a sip of coffee soon, she would need a bib. 

Ian pulled two coffee cups from a mug-tree on the counter. He filled one and grinned.

Slow torture. She wouldn’t have to fall asleep for him to kill her. All he had to do was withhold coffee. Before he filled the second cup, his cell phone rang. Ian wrinkled his nose and walked into a room off the kitchen. Jessi assumed it was the bedroom because their places appeared to have the same layout. Ian’s conversation was somewhat muffled, but she could still hear most of the words.

“Yeah, I know. I have it under control.” Ian dropped a handful of cuss words including the f-bomb. 

What did he have under control? Jessi tossed the question around while diving at the cup of coffee still setting on the counter. She took a test sip. Mmm. Some of the tightness in her shoulders let loose. She slurped another sip. Coffee was heaven. The ultimate. Way better than everything, including sex. Jessi snickered. According to the love scenes she wrote sex was a girl’s best friend. Another sip of coffee said that was rubbish.

Some garbled rambling met her ears, but suddenly Ian’s words burst loud and succinct in her brain. “I’m going to take her by the throat and choke the life out of her.”

The sip of hot coffee in Jessi’s mouth sprayed across the plastic table cloth decorated with starfish.

You can find Jan at:

Website:    www.janromes.com

Twitter:      https://twitter.com/JanRomes

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/jan.romes.5

Blog:            www.jantheromancewriter.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5240156.Jan_Romes

Magdalen Braden: Love in Reality

Amazon Kindle

 Magdalen Braden, author of the delightful romance Love in Reality, is my guest this week.

I keep wondering how things work. That’s curiosity, which—if it doesn’t kill you—is not a bad thing. Trouble is, my curiosity was never a very marketable skill…until I started writing.

My first contemporary romance, Love in Reality, is out this week. It’s the story of a law student, Libby, who ends up on a fictional reality TV show, The Fishbowl, pretending to be her identical twin, who’s a bartender. What really triggered it was my curiosity about shows like Big Brother, where contestants are locked in a house with lots of cameras and microphones. Each contestant has to talk to a camera about how the game’s going. Those “journal entries” end up on each episode of the show.

Only you know they’re not spontaneous, right? Someone has to ask the right questions to get the player to talk about the aspects of the game the executive producer most cares about. Turns out, those people—the one’s asking the questions—are producers.

So I had in my mind a rather intimate relationship between the producer—a man—and the contestant, who’s female. What if their conversations—after the camera was turned off—got personal? What if the producer was attracted to the contestant? What if they fell in love?

Here’s the thing about writing: It’s all problem solving. Every idea I have generates scads of problems I then have to solve. How did a law student end up on a show that would never cast a law student? Why’s she pretending to be her twin sister? Why is the producer attracted to her so much that he’s willing to break the rules to spend time with her?

And, because of my background as a lawyer, I asked really arcane questions no one else would even think of, like whether the heroine has committed “fraud in the inducement”? (Short answer: no.)

Well, it took a few incarnations before I was confident I had a workable plot. (Mind you, by that time I’d written the entire book two-and-a-half times. But that’s a whole different blog post!)

Here, then, are the answers to the questions: Libby (our law student heroine) is working as her twin, Lissa, at the South Philadelphia bar because of a family friend’s cancer. The producer, Rand, wants “Lissa-the-bartender” on the show because he hates his boss, Marcy, who’d never cast anyone that confident. He doesn’t realize it’s really Libby he wants to go on the show. And she would never have accepted if her summer law job hadn’t fallen through.

Oh, and she thinks he’s cute. Which is okay, because he’s really attracted to her too. But she’s not being honest to him, and he’s not being honest with himself, and reality TV is a really screwy environment in which to fall in love, so…let’s just say, they have a lot of work to do before their happy-ever-after.

And all of that started with the image of a man asking a woman questions.

Magdalen is a 2012 Golden Heart® Finalist
You can find out more about her at her website: http://MagdalenBraden.comJoin Magdalen on Facebook

The Love in Reality page at Harmony Road Press: http://harmonyroad.com/books/love-in-reality 

History Whispers to Her

At Amazon

Historical romance author Rebecca George is my guest. She's celebrating the release of her new novel, So Whispers the Heart.

Last week I finally published my historical romance, So Whispers the Heart, on Amazon Kindle. It’s a loosely connected prequel to my last book, Call Home the Heart, which was published by NAL in 1989. It was my first new book in 23 years and as I began this novel process of self-publishing an e-book, I could not help but reflect on the evolution—maybe I should call it a revolution—that has taken place in the publishing industry. Since I published my first book, Tender Longing, with Pocket in 1986, everything has changed!

Everything then, of course, was done via snail mail and writers used reams of paper. First, you sent a proposal that included a synopsis with three chapters. No multiple submissions allowed! Then months passed as I waited for rejection or acceptance. Make that mostly rejections. Only then could I send a proposal to another publisher. Now multiple submissions are allowed, you copy your material in an e-mail--no attachments – and usually hear back promptly.

Mainstream publishers today will only read agented or recommended material. In the beginning I had no agent, but in the 80s publishers did accept unsolicited proposals. So I sent my three chapters and synopsis of Tender Longing (not my title) to Pocket and amazingly it was accepted. At the time I had no idea just how unusual that was. It was pulled from the slush pile of unsolicited manuscripts. That would never happen today!

My editor and I then exchanged boxes of written material: partial manuscripts, completed manuscripts, copy-edited manuscripts and galleys went back and forth through the mail. Altogether I published four books between 1986 and 1989. Then I think I got too busy with raising my daughter and living life in general. But I never quit writing. And between 1989 and 2012 literally everything in the publishing world changed. Actually, you can amend that to read that everything changed within the last four years or so. And it’s still changing!

Since I did not even try to traditionally publish this fifth book I do not know about the status quo today, but I assume the amount of actual paper exchanged between authors and editors is minimal. Probably no hard copies at all are exchanged—far less paper is needed when email suffices. That's a good thing. I’m sure this makes the trees happy.

Next is the cover. As every writer knows, covers are so important. In my pre-historic publishing contracts I never had cover approval. Few authors did. I was fortunate that of my four book covers, two were beautiful and to my liking. The other two—not so much. Back then you took what you got and, as we all know, some historical romance covers can cross the line into…oh, I don’t know…call it “cheesiness.”

In self-publishing my first e-book, I had the final say in cover creation. This was a process I thoroughly enjoyed. I chose the pose, the background and the lettering. Polly Iyer, a great friend and fellow author, designed it for me. I couldn’t be more pleased. In fact, it is probably the favorite cover of my five books.

As for my first four books, I got back all publishing rights and plan to release them soon. Now another author friend and I have established our own publishing company, Valentine Press (named for the fact we both have Valentine birthdays). We purchased and use ISBNs. Although not necessary for e-books, I may want to also publish POD (Print On Demand)—so ISBNs are a good idea.

My first “baby,” Tender Longing, was written on typing paper and copied with carbon using a rented IBM Selectric. The other three books are saved in my attic on old-fashioned large floppy discs. I had all four professionally scanned—I wasn’t about to retype them—and other than a few odd letterings they were delivered back to me on a zip file perfectly formatted for e-publishing.

As I struggled (and I did struggle!) to grasp the intricacies and complexities of e-publishing, there were times (as when writing the blurb) that I thought about how wonderful it was to have a publisher do all this for me. Nevertheless, I forged on. Now that I’ve finally done it, I’m thrilled.

From the slush pile to the world of professional publishers to self-publishing an e-book…it’s been quite a journey. In spite of the glitches, hitches, frustrations and tears, I’ve mostly enjoyed it. In the immortal words of The Grateful Dead: what a long strange trip it’s been!

So Whispers the Heart

New Orleans, 1802. Even as Napoleon prepares to change the future of Louisiana, so too is the future of Ninon . Claire about to change. An orphan reared by her doting grandfather, the enchanting and unconventional Ninon enjoys an idyllic and carefree life. Then she encounters a roguish stranger in a dark alleyway. Although the attraction between the two is immediate, the developing relationship is doomed when she learns the stranger is not who he claims to be. Ninon’s life is shattered as she confronts the lies not only of this man she has grown to love but the deceptions of her beloved grandfather as well. Ninon is now compelled to leave her grandfather and travel to England with the stranger who destroyed her world. But a shipwreck alters everything between the two.

Once in London, more lies separate them, and Ninon flees to the security of her grandfather. Torn by love, Ninon struggles to find the truth, but only her heart can find the answer.

About Rebecca

Rebecca George is the award-winning author of five novels. Her newest, SO WHISPERS THE HEART, was released recently on Amazon Kindle. Of her four previously published books, DAPHNE (Pocket, 1988) was a Romantic Times award winner, Best Historical – Love and Laughter. CALL HOME THE HEART (NAL, 1989) was a runner-up for Best Historical of the Year. She plans to release all four previous books on Kindle soon.

A native of Georgia, Rebecca was raised in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She went to the University of Georgia where she majored in history. She lives with her three rescued dogs and one (temporary) granddog in a historical district in Upstate South Carolina.

A Romantic Hero …

At Amazon

Caroline Bourne, author of Shadow Marsh, a historical romance set in Louisiana, is my guest. 

Back in the early 90s I read a historical romance novel at the request of the writer. On the very first page of the novel, the hero sat in a saloon belching and passing gas.  It wouldn’t have mattered how good the story was; I was immediately turned off of the novel by this uncouth pig.  Whenever this man was with the heroine, all I could think about was him sitting in that saloon belching and passing gas…and why on earth was the smart, educated heroine even giving him the time of day?

Since then it has been my opinion that a reader’s first impression of the hero of a romance novel will set the tone for the story. It is much easier for a female writer to associate with the female protagonist, because she has those natural feminine feelings. It takes a good deal of patience, understanding and imagination to get into the head of her male protagonist and know just how much of a soft side he needs to win over the reader, or how brutal he can be and keep the respect of the reader. I like to think that I had some success in that regard, simply because I always gave the hero traits that I like to see in a man. Can the hero have a soft side? Certainly, he can. 

The reader of historical romance, typically women, will fall in love with a hero who climbs a tree to rescue a kitten or throws his coat over a muddy puddle for the heroine, or any woman, to step on. I have to admit that, to my recollection, the hero in none of my 14 historical romances climbed a tree to rescue a kitten or threw out his coat, but they all had their soft side. I fell in love with each and every one them. My 14^th novel, Talon’s Heart, out soon as an eBook, has two dominant men.  Only one gets the girl, but I was totally “in love” with the one who didn’t.  To right that injustice, his story continues in a sequel.

Coming soon from Echelon Press

The characters of a book are as important as the story. Their personalities must be consistent, and stir the reaction in the reader that the writer intends. And please, no belching “hero” passing gas in a saloon.

______________

She is Talon Rose, half-blood daughter of a Comanche chief and a white captive. As an outlaw who prides herself on never having killed, she rides the Arizona badlands with Mexican bandits, rustling livestock to sell south of the border, and eludes a “hang on sight” order. . . until a US Marshal captures her.   Taken to an American army camp deep in the Huachuca Mountains and forced to scout with Apaches, she is soon caught in a triangle wrought with desire.

John Nightwing, the Apache Chief of Scouts, proud and determined.

Major Laine Taylor, Officer of Scouts and a genteel Southern gentleman, stubborn and equally determined.

Talon's heart is captured between the two equally imposing men, but only one can gain her undying love and devotion.  Torn between her heritage and her heart, Talon Rose battles the demons of the world as fiercely as the ones within herself. But her struggle is not the only one as two suitors face off in a passionate battle that may cost one man not only his heart, but his life.

_______________

Caroline Bourne was born in Southampton, England, served in the United States Marine Corps, and is the author of 14 historical romance novels. She contributed stories to two holiday anthologies for Kensington Publishers of New York.  She currently works for a Southern Indiana police department, and has two daughters, six granddaughters and one great-grandson.    

Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone!

Wild Rose PressRead an Excerpt

Author Jan Romes is my guest this week. One Small Fib and Lucky Ducks are her humorous romances.

Hello, my name is Jan Romes, and I’m an introvert! (Oops! I thought this was Shy Persons Anonymous) Since I’m already here, I might as well stay and discuss something I’m commonly afflicted with – a bad case of RUT! Being a rather shy person, I take comfort in safe and familiar territory. As all of you know, however, safe and familiar equates to dull and unpromising, AKA Rut!

Inside every shy person lurks an extrovert dying to step out of their comfort zone, to rattle the bushes, to enjoy all that life has to offer. For years I was that person. I seldom strayed from what I knew. Boring! Then something spectacular happened – I had my fiftieth birthday! Reality hit me right between the eyes. My dream of becoming a published author was still out of reach, I was afraid of my own shadow, and had done nothing on my own. Some may define my awakening as a midlife crisis. I prefer to call it magic in the number 50! From that birthday forward, things have been different.

Always a lover of exercise, I took a part-time job as a fitness instructor at a local gym. This forced me to come out of my shell and I found that I enjoyed mingling. Strange but true.

With new found confidence, I started to submit the stories I had been writing for years. Of course, some rejections happened. The magic of 50 wouldn’t let me stay discouraged for long. I went back to writing and re-writing with a vengeance. Back to submitting. Finally, the heavens opened and voila! A book contract!

The publishing business has undergone a metamorphosis in the last few years, and authors are now expected to promote their books. Ack! No safe harbor for shyness. I wasn’t comfortable talking about my books until I embraced social media. I tiptoed out of the safety zone by making a Facebook page. A month later, a few more toes went across the line and I signed up for Twitter and Goodreads.

It took me little bit, but the extrovert that had been dying to get out has finally seen the light of day! I’ve stepped fully out of the comfort zone and would prefer not to go back in. In all that I do, I try to let people see the real me; the sometimes funny, self-deprecating person who does enjoy mingling, who isn’t afraid to put herself out there anymore, who loves all that life has to offer.

I have two humorous contemporary romance books that have been published and two more that will be released before summer. For my current work-in-progress, I’ve decided to mix things up by writing a romantic suspense. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve accepted the challenge.

I’ve revved up my life with joy and adventure by pushing the boundaries. Thanks to a good friend, I can now add ziplining to an ever-growing list of things I’m glad I’ve done. I go to writing conferences and get caught up in the fun and networking.

My life has changed tremendously; all because I decided to break out of the rut that had been my existence. Occasionally, I backslide. Sometimes, all it takes is an inspirational quote to get me back on track. ‘Nobody ever died of discomfort, yet living in the name of comfort has killed more ideas, more opportunities, more actions, and more growth than everything else combined’ ~ T. Harv Eker

About Jan

Jan Romes grew up in northwest Ohio with eight zany siblings. She likes to read all genres, writes witty contemporary romance, is a part-time fitness trainer, and enjoys growing pumpkins and sunflowers. You can find her at http://janromes.com/ and on Twitter and Facebook.

Those Kisses! What makes them memorable?

What are some of the greatest kisses you can remember—on-screen or off, if you care to tell? What made them stay with you?

Some screen kisses have been truly memorable. Who could forget the surprise and joy in Adrian Brody's Oscar night kiss of Halle Berry? He certainly did it well, holding her so carefully while bending over her. Such exuberance! Didn't it make you smile?

For sheer romance, there was the not-quite-kiss between Daniel Day Lewis and Madeline Stowe in Last of the Mohicans. Her expression and pose made that memorable, but it didn't hurt that he was the one holding her.  Be still, my heart! 

What about Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh in Gone with the Wind? What were the emotions in that kiss? Love and lust come to mind. He loved her, wanted her, and admired her spirit. Scarlett, having set her heart on Ashley Wilkes, could never admit to wanting Rhett, not until it was too late.

Kisses come in all kinds, romantic, tender, passionate, and everything in between. They can be fun, compassionate, or overflowing with love. They depend on so many things to make them memorable: the circumstances anand the persons involved are first. The kiss itself is important. What makes a kiss special to you? How do you describe it? Or do you avoid the specifics? Post some of yours. I dare you. I'll go first.

Here's a tender kiss from Cold Comfort. He turned and pulled her into his arms, kissed her swollen eyes. "I'll bring you back. I promise."

One with more passion: When she kissed him, snaked her tongue between his lips, he drew her against him, could feel the pounding of her heart.

Another from Haunting Refrain. He held her head between his hands and tilted it back, tracing the line of her throat with gentle kisses.

Searching for the word kiss in my manuscripts turned out to be an interesting exercise. Try it. You may learn something about your writing. Are they similar? Varied? Does the mood change?

Come on, share your thoughts. YYY

When Characters Won't Cooperate

The romance is gone—actually, it never was. What do you do when the two main characters in your romantic suspense refuse to go beyond "like"? I've tried forcing them, but the scenes are artificial and flat. Somehow they got to be friends, but the chemistry isn't there. No zing. Also, this book is too short. And I don't like the ending I had planned. I'm not sure where it all went wrong, but it did. If it doesn't interest me, why would it interest anyone else? When I start looking at the state of the house instead of wanting to write, I know I have a serious problem.



Mr. Very Right



The secondary characters work. It's the hero and heroine who are lacking. Yesterday I realized part of the length problem is because there's been no romance along the way, something that usually happens over a number of scenes. Ramona Long triggered that thought by asking if the romance overwhelmed the suspense. Nooooo, but it made me think. It's a good question. What do you ask if your story's not working? I don't want to trash 190 pages and other characters I really love. How do you figure it out?



Mr. Too Wrong?



The right Mr. Wrong? 

So what to do? I've tried making Mr. So-So into Mr. Right, but it didn't work. She keeps taking off on her own. After much nail-biting and procrastinating, I think I got it. He's about to become Mr. Wrong. I need to research how far I can go with a federal prosecutor, but if necessary, he'll have to drop out and find a new job. He's undergoing a personality transplant as I write this. She has to change a little too. Then maybe the ending will work itself out. We shall see, but I have hope.

THE MUSE HELPS THOSE . . .

Today my guest is Barbara Monajem, who writes historical and paranormal romance. Her words flow so easily, you'll be drawn into her stories from the first paragraph.  

The concept of “God helps those who help themselves” has been around since ancient Greece, and I’m convinced that it applies to that most enigmatic of deities, the Muse.

A few weeks ago I was mired halfway through a manuscript, wondering how (as a writer friend aptly put it) I would pull the rabbit out of the hat once again. This bog in the middle of the book is a familiar stopover in my writing journeys. In the interest of efficiency, I’ve been striving to find a path around it -- with limited success. Try as I may, I can’t think the whole story up ahead of time. I have an idea of how things will go, but it usually morphs into something else and something else and something else again, until at the end its origins are lost. I can dream up a hero and heroine with suitable motivations. I can think up scenes that might take place.  But none of these make a good story.

Sometimes the Muse gives me an opening scene, something I just *have* to write down, but it’s only a teaser -- a peek into the world of the story. I have to pay in real work to get any genuine understanding of the characters and their journey. The Muse wants to go for a ride, and then another ride and another, and unless I oblige her by writing, writing, and writing some more, regardless of whether I can see where I’m going, she won’t play her part. Somewhere in the middle, I end up in a sort of Slough of Despond where I wonder if I should chuck the whole thing and start over.

Not at all! I just have to do a bit of thinking and then a lot more writing to get through it…plod, plod, plod, and zing! Now the muse takes me for a ride, and this is when the truly wonderful stuff emerges – the deepest motivations, the awesome surprises, the “duh” moments when everything that’s buried in the story comes out.

Because amazingly, the story is all there right from the start! Stuff that showed up in the beginning magically fits with other stuff at the end. Missing pieces of the puzzle lock into place, and at last there’s a coherent whole. It’s an astonishing process, and at the end of each story I can’t help but believe in the Muse, because I couldn’t possibly have done it all on my own.

After writing a number of books, I’ve begun to have confidence that this is how story works for me – and to look forward to the plodding, because I’m so eager to see what the Muse will surprise me with next.

_____________________

About Barbara:

Barbara Monajem wrote her first story in third grade about apple tree gnomes. After dabbling in neighborhood musicals and teen melodrama, she published a middle-grade fantasy when her children were young. Now her kids are adults, and she's writing historical and paranormal romance for grownups. She lives in Georgia with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays. http://www.barbaramonajem.com/

Ellis's Note: I confess to sneaking this photo in--it's probably my favorite author photo ever. This woman is a writer!

Tastes of Love & Evil:

Rose Fairburn is on the run. Her vampire nature can’t protect her from everything, especially not herself. Now, when she should be worried about escaping her past, she can only think about one thing. Her kind can’t live without blood or sex. Love they must forego.

Jack Tallis can slake her thirst. Tall. Handsome. Trustworthy. And not a man alive can resist a vamp’s allure. But…Jack can. And he has other secrets, like why underworld hit men are on his trail, and how he can vanish into thin air. Love suddenly seems possible, but the shadows hide mysteries darker than Rose can even dream, and all will be revealed in the fetish clubs of one strange Louisiana town….
at Amazon

The Wanton Governess:

Governess Pompeia Grant thinks pretending to be Sir James Carling’s wife as a favor to his sister will be harmless. She is haunted by his rejection of her youthful advances, but she’s desperate for a place to stay after losing her last post.

When James unexpectedly returns home from America, she assumes the game is up—until James encourages her to stay, and enjoy the pleasurable consequences of their charade.
at Amazon