Good Morning! I’m Back and Raring to Write…

As I told you Friday I took a short social media vacation. I’m actually on a real vacation from my accounting job, but not my writing. I spent the last three days at my mom’s lake house with my hubby and son. It was so relaxing to get up and bring my coffee to the front deck. I sat every morning and watched the sun rise above the trees.

We had reservations at Mexico Beach for the weekend, but the threat of Tropical Storm Karen cancelled that. It would have been nice to go to the beach, but we still enjoyed our restful weekend. The boys were able to fish and I did manage quite a bit of writing. I was able to get in a little over 5000 words. That was a great thing. We arrived back home yesterday. Now I’m just lounging around in my pjs catching up on my sites. I did cheat a little this weekend. I was able to get a weak signal but not strong enough to do too much.

Friday Avon Romance sent me a special message. I was crowned with the Star Member Badge. For the month of October I’ll be listed as a Top Contributor on their front page. That was so special. As a writer and blogger I’m humbled to receive this award. Especially from Avon Romance which is one of my favs.

Now, today is the last day to enter the SYTYCW 2013 Contest with Harlequin. Since I entered the work in progress “Finding The Right Time” over a week ago I’m starting to sweat with anticipation. I’m so excited about this one. Some writers have blogged that someone called them even though they didn’t advance. Wouldn’t that be the coolest thing… I’ll keep you updated.

Well, it’s time to get back to work. No, not accounting… Not this week. I’m doing my fun work which is writing. I’m so pumped. Not to mention it’s so gorgeous here in the south. Of course I love Fall so that makes it even better.

As always good writing and May God Bless You…

Weekend on my mind…

At 4pm today I start my vacation. I’ve been so excited. Had planned a trip to Florida, but anyone that’s been watching the weather reports know why this has been cancelled. It’s going to be a writing vacation and a social media vacation.

I’ve entered my newest work in the So You Think You Can Write contest on Harlequin’s site. I’m really excited about this contest. The fun thing is the manuscript is not completely finished. Yikes, this means I’ve got to spend a lot of time finishing it up. I have it completed in my head, but unfortunately I can’t print directly from my brain. So, I’m taking a social media vacation to keep down distractions. I’m not going to check my sites or post on them for a couple of days, but I’ll be back up and running at full speed next week.

Do you have weekend plans? For me I’m planning a restful, writing excursion. Not sure where it might take me, but my laptop will be attached to my fingers. If you get a chance go over to this link: http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/manuscripts-sytycw-2013/finding-the-right-time/ and read my first chapter submission. If you feel inspired write a comment and forward it on Facebook and Twitter.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll be back on here when I come out on the other side of this writing frenzy. I just hope I can stay away from my social media sites and book sites.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Social Media and writing…

I was a little leary about starting a lot of social media accounts. Then when I started publishing my books it was a must. My editor/assistant got me started with a blog, then came Twitter and after much anxiousness Facebook. I’ve never been one to push myself in anywhere.

Of course now I get up, drink a cup of coffee and look at all my many sites. It’s funny how many I have now. What’s really funny is when I tweet or send out my book links on any of my sites, the sales go up. What would happen if you didn’t do social media in today’s world? Would you sell a book? If you’re in book stores and various chain stores you would do alright, but people rely on social media and the internet to find books. It’s just part of life.

Make sure you keep your sites updated. Keep the posts going and don’t do anything that you don’t want the whole world to see. So go by and check out my sites. I have links on this page…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Researching Romance

As a writer of romance it’s not always easy to just put your thoughts in the computer and be done with it. Even a run of the mill romance needs a little research. Have you done your research?

With my newest book “Victoria” I had to do a lot of research. I printed 3 different Civil War Timelines. Each one had a little different description that went along with the timing of the story line. It’s amazing how a reader can pick up on even the smallest misstep in regards to history. I made sure the time and date was correct with aspects concerning the war itself.

A fellow author friend wrote a medical romance. She laughed telling me she felt like she was studying for the medical exams. Before she started the book, she wrote down her outline and got in touch with a doctor friend. She then told him what the book had in it medical wise and he gave her several books that would help make the medical part look real.

Another author was writing a thriller/murder mystery. She had to study several serial killer cases with the local police. They were more than happy to help her with the research. As she has a weak stomach she said a lot of the reading was hard to get through, but she made sure she did it on an empty stomach.

I’ve even researched romance itself. There’s a lot on it if you look around. It helps when you are coming up with story lines. You don’t want to write about what everybody is writing about. If everything coming out is about cowboys, well, maybe put cowboys but give it a different spin. Make your writing stand out.

So the next time you pick up a romance novel, think about the hard work the author went through to get it where it is. Especially when you look at the price. So many people want them for free or nearly free. That’s nice but the author put their heart, soul and hard work into that book you’re holding.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…