Month: July 2013

What about a mature leading lady?

Have you ever noticed that most romance novels are based on twenty somethings? What ever happened to thirty to forty somethings? We still have it going on.

My thoughts are this. I had a reader when I first published a book ask me why my leading lady was so young. I shrugged and told her aren’t they usually in their early twenty’s. But that one comment got me thinking about the fact that we usually write our leading characters as young people.

What would happen if we wrote more romance novels using more mature characters? It’s a little food for thought this morning. I’m thinking about a series about mature characters that have hormonal issues, wrinkles and have had children and maybe grandchildren. Why not? I should be able to do this as I’m a mature woman (Well, I try to be :)) but I still feel like I have a lot to offer from my experience.

You don’t have to be young to be sexy. Just because the younger generation is still buff and tight bodied doesn’t mean we can’t be too. Maybe the mature novels will take off. Maybe it will fuel a generation to remember we’re still very much alive at forty something and we still feel romance…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

In A Writer’s View…

Have you ever thought about what a writer was thinking when they wrote their books? Take for instance Romeo & Juliet which is a great, tragic romance, but what on earth was he thinking. I just wonder how popular he was at the time of his big debut. Did he get good reviews? Maybe he would have made it to the top of the New York Bestseller’s list if it would have been available then.

Then you have some of the more recent literature and you wonder where they learned about what they wrote about. Sometimes I wonder if horror writers sit around and try to figure out the grossest way to kill someone. Makes for good conversation over dinner with friends. “Hey, how would you like to kill someone?”. Good way to end up alone on Friday night.

Oh and don’t let me forget romance, my favorite genre. I’ve read some books that I wonder if the writer had experienced personally what happened in the book because it was so real. Then other times I wonder if they even know what romance is. I’ve read romance novels that don’t even show any romance and yet they’re supposed to be a romance. 

I’ll tell you how I feel when I write. If it’s a sad part I usually cry. That’s when I know I’ve gotten to the core of the emotion. Then when I’m writing a really sweet, romantic part, well I usually cry again, but the point is I try to put as much emotion as I can. I was writing a part the other night where the main character was very angry and I laughed when my son asked why I was scowling so hard. I was actually angry with the other character. I guess that’s getting lost in the Writer’s view.

In my opinion God gave us emotions and we need to show them. Well sometimes we need to know when not to show them, but in writing the more emotion the better. Make the reader feel what you feel. I’ve had fans tell me they had to use a box of tissues reading one of my books. One even said they started really liking cowboy romance after reading on of them. I try to make my cowboys have feelings, but still be ruggedly handsome and able to take care of any situation.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

The Last Night By: Heather Kirchhoff

 

 

 

 

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Check out this new book by a talented young lady I met on Facebook. Here is a little about the book and the author. Go by check out her pages.

Summary:
 After Sarah Hill’s boyfriend dies, everything changes. Caught up in her grief and desire to see him again, Sarah is challenged in moving on. She’s sucked back into the world Sarah was in before they started dating-being invisible, bullied. She slowly begins to pull away from everyone, unable to do it anymore. Then one day her reality comes crashing down all around her, pushing Sarah to the edge…
 
Excerpt:
“More tears crept down my cheeks, leaving them burning. Everything felt wrong. I was wrong. I didn’t belong here. I don’t fit in well enough, I never have. I’m always just that girl. The one who’s so quiet. The one who dated Ryan. The one who is constantly bullied. All because no one sees me for who I truly am. I’m just there. That’s all, nothing more, nothing less. I opened my eyes and stared at the wall, letting my thoughts go insane, letting everything I’ve ever known slip even farther from me. I don’t try to get a grip on anything anymore. I’m done. I’m sick of being bullied, sick of being ignored, misunderstood. I’m tired of being alone. I don’t want that. I don’t want people to see me differently. I don’t want to go through this anymore. I don’t want someone to become my friend and then leave nor do I want to suffer. I can’t live like that. I’m always looking behind me, waiting for someone to expose my secret. I go through the same motions everyday,
burying my thoughts deep down, taking a deep breath, and facing the world. But eventually those thoughts come back to the surface, building my wall once again. I felt it happen, noticed how my hand started to shake as I became overwhelmed.”Image

Bio: 
Heather Kirchhoff lives in a small town in Missouri with her three parents, siblings, an energy-filled dog, and three cats. She became a bookworm back in sixth grade when her teacher suggested the Phantom Stallion series by Terri Farley and instantly fell in love. She loves reading paranormal stories, plus some love ones here and there. Besides reading and writing, Heather likes to go for walks-especially in the woods-hunt, fish, spend time with her animals/family, and listen to music. Writing is her passion-it helps her escape the world for a while, as well as reading-she doesn’t know what she’d do without it. She just loves it. When she isn’t writing, Heather is doing odd jobs, reading, taking walks, or spending time with her animals/family. Heather is currently a junior in high school. 

Links where you can find her books and friend her on Facebook:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Last-Night-ebook/dp/B00DQT46YI/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Night-ebook/dp/B00DQT46YI

ttps://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Heather-Kirchhoff/376618135776063

Romance the genre

Have you noticed the number of genre’s in the romance field. It’s amazing how many sub genre’s there are. When setting up for your book to be published they ask what genre. You have to make sure you hit it right.

One of the first publishers I looked for in a romance was Avon. They always had a great selection. I remember years ago you had historical, contemporary or series. The historical covered anything not contemporary. Now you have the different time periods. You have so many sub genres. What’s funny is some of them are so new that I have to google them to see what they include.

When publishing you have to make sure you put your work in the correct genre. Then let’s don’t forget tagging. That’s for a whole new blog post.

But for me romance is romance. Everyone needs a little romance no matter how you get it. I’ve been reading romance since I was a teenager and it’s still the same. Now you just have a lot more to choose from. I used to sit and wait for the next book to come out, but now you just go to your favorite book site and choose from thousands and thousands in every subject you want. If you tried to read everyone of them, you’d never make it.

If you want to check out some great romance and reviews go over to avonromance.com. They offer a great selection of romance and commentary that keeps you intrigued. I’ve enjoyed being a contributor on their site. I know you won’t be disappointed.

As always, great writing and May God Bless YOU…

Sometimes I wonder…

Have you ever wondered what would have been if… Sometimes I sit and wonder what things would have been like if I’d have followed my original life plan. I would be playing in an orchestra and probably in another country. Funny how things change, for the better.

As I was sitting last night working on my historical romance I got to thinking back to two years ago. My manuscripts were in a drawer in my desk. They were hidden from the world for only my eyes. Then my neice which is also my assistant and now my editor and business partner, she found them and read them. Oh my! It felt odd having my work read. I felt suddenly vulnerable.

It’s the same way I felt when she persuaded me to published the books. Of course we had to polish them up and make them ready. I felt open to let down. But amazingly enough I gained some faithful fans and many new friends.I’m so glad she gave me that gentle nudge, well it wasn’t real gentle, it was more of a push. Now I’ve embraced the experience instead of wanting to run and hide my head. I still don’t tell a lot of people I write. 

But sometimes I wonder what would have happened if she’d never found them. Would I have eventually followed my dreams and published them? Would they have collected dust until I passed away and my son found them. Would he have published them or thrown them away? Hard to tell, but sometimes I wonder what if…

What do you wonder about? Is it something from the past or someone? Do you have a manuscript hid in a desk desperately wanting recognition? What do you wonder about…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…Image

 

That’s Messed Up!

This is a wonderfully faith filled post. Especially poignant for all us ladies in the throws of hormonal misery.

Annie B's avatarEyes Wide Open

As I begin to write to you tonight, dear friends, I must pause to laugh at myself. (This I can always count upon – the fact that I can entertain myself by laughing out loud at the way that my crazy little mind works).

Anyway, the reason I am laughing so hard right now, is due to the fact that I really wanted to make this blog post one that would be uplifting, full of praise and fun-filled joy and enthusiasm. Ha Ha!!!

But as always, I write what the Lord places upon my heart – and He works in such really neat, yet mysterious ways, does He not?

So, instead of a funny or sunshine-filled post tonight, this is what you are getting from me instead. Get ready!

Rather than go into a lot of detail, I just want to say that I really am “messed up” right about…

View original post 1,218 more words

Friday morning Post – 2nd cup

As I start my second cup of coffee I smile. The day after the 4th of July celebration is always sad to me. It means summer is almost over. School will start in a little over four weeks and I need to start thinking about Christmas shopping. Wow time flies when you’re having fun 🙂

I spent my 4th of July at my mom’s lake house which was fun. Although it rained we had a great time with a fish fry and lots of conversation with friends and family. It was the first morning in a while that I didn’t get up and blog. No WiFi at the lake 😦

As for writing I’m busy working on two novels that are taking over my brain. The first one is a historical novel based on the time surrounding the Civil War called “Magnolia Hill” and the other is the 2nd book in the “Lean On Him” Christian series called “Faith Through the Tears”. Also just sent in a guest blog post to the Southern Writer’s Magazine and hope to hear soon when it will be posted. I’m still on a smiling high from being in that wonderful magazine this week.

I think I may need a 3rd cup of coffee before I head across the driveway to the office. Hope everyone had a great holiday.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

A Love Never Lost

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A Love Never Lost is my longest book to date. I enjoyed writing this book. It covers romance, suspense, mystery and horses. Who doesn’t like a cowboy romance with a twist?

It’s available on Amazon, Smashwords.com, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Diesel, Apple, Allromanceebooks.com, Google Play and Sony. Check it out. It’s available in paperback and ebook. 

Hope everyone has a great 4th of July and a safe one.

As always, great writing and May God Bless you…

My post in the “Southern Writer’s Magazine” here!

Yep, I’m all smiles. I just got my copy of the July issue of Southern Writer’s Magazine. I was honored to be featured in this months issue in their Magnolia Corner. They featured the cover of my novel “Rekindled Flames” and my answer to this question:

Do you base any of your characters on people you know? To find out my answer go to http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/ and subscribe. It’s a great magazine for writers and readers.

Thanks for all the support!