Why are Sunday evenings so hard on us? For one, we know Monday is just hours away and our weekend is almost over. But why do we let it take away from the joy of those last hours of our time off?
I love to write on Sunday evening. It’s like my mind begins to just speed up as though it too knows that the work week is about to begin. I do tend to get in my best word counts on Sunday evening. Strange…
And if you’ve had a busy weekend, you sit and wish for just one more day to rest and recoup from the craziness. Let’s just face it, Monday’s come whether we wish for them to wait a little longer or not. Sunday evening should be spent enjoying life because it’s still the weekend until that alarm clock goes off on Monday morning. So, focus on family, writing, or whatever makes you happy.
Good Monday morning! With tax season officially over, I’m finally getting my head wrapped around my works in progress. As deadlines loomed over my head for taxes, my writing took a hit. My brain wouldn’t focus on the words that wanted to be written. But, I’m back in the saddle and loving the feeling. I’m writing this morning with a fresh head.
As a writer, we need positive response to our writing. This weekend I received one of the most amazing reviews of Highlander’s Heart. The reviewer saw the vision behind the book and the review showed it. She saw what made this book tick for me. To say I was amazed, well, that doesn’t even begin to express my feelings. If you haven’t read the first book in the Cowen Clan series, then maybe this will encourage you to grab a copy.
Here’s the review:
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
Highlander’s Heart is the first novel in the Cowen Clan Series by Stephanie Payne Hurt. Evina McLeod is trying to escape the clutches of the cunning Laird McKinney. Sadly, being a woman, she cannot run far away unless she has a powerful guardian to protect her. That protection appears in the form of the handsome Laird Ewan Cowen. Ewan is enamored by her beauty and he is ready to provide her with protection as long as she agrees to marry him. They weren’t expecting to fall in love with each other and they weren’t expecting to be loved in return. However, the reach of Laird McKinney is strong and long. He has a plan in place and he will not stop until he has what he wants. Ewan and Evina are just pawns in a game that he plans to win. What are these two going to do?
This was an intense story of love, acceptance, and safety. I loved the dynamic between Ewan and Evina; they were perfect for each other in the most satisfying way possible. The author has done a wonderful job creating a plot that is believable, enjoyable and perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction. Ewan is a provider and a protector who thinks he doesn’t need love, but once Evina melts his heart, he realizes how important love is. Evina may seem vulnerable at the beginning of the story, but she blooms and develops to become a protector as well. The flow was amazing, the narrative was beautifully intricate and the plot was fast-paced enough to get you involved in the story. This is brilliant!
Good morning! We’ve made it to the halfway point of the week. So, how’s your writing going?
Let’s talk about what happens when the story goes away. All of us at one time or another, have experienced writer’s block. Maybe it’s not necessarily writer’s block, but just a lack of motivation for a particular story. Recently this happened to me.
I was working on a story and it was going well. But then, well, I hit a wall. Before the wall, I could see the whole thing, then the wall shot up and nothing. Every word I typed made no sense and it didn’t seem to go anywhere. The story was fizzling out right before my eyes.
So, you might be asking, what did you do? Well, I stopped working on that story and began plotting the next book on my list. The other story never left my mind. Then, as if the wall started to crumble, I began to see the continuation of the book that went away.
All it took was to step away. So many writers continue beating on the wall until they’ve gotten so frustrated that either they stop writing all together, or put together the rest of the book without thinking, which is a huge mistake. Always listen to your heart. When that wall goes up, back away. If it’s meant to be, the wall will crumble, I promise.
The writer brain is complex. With multiple characters running around, shouting out their stories. Then you have places and stories filling in the blanks. I’ve often wondered if a writer’s brain is different from a non-writer’s brain.
I saw a post yesterday on Twitter that explained it best, ‘What do non-writer’s think about?” LOL! With all the stories and characters running through my brain, I don’t remember not having them.
I’m excited to share the cover reveal of “The Knight of Her Heart”. This sweet and funny romance will be coming soon! It’s the first book in The Journal Series. #timetravel #sweetromance #series
It’s time for a Tuesday Teaser. This week I’m teasing you with a new series that will start releasing this summer. It’s call The Journal.
So, what is the series about you might ask? This series will be a Time Travel Romance series that will take you on many adventures. You will spend time in medieval times with knights, in the old west with handsome cowboys, and many other places in time. You’ll find out in the first book what causes this time warp. It will be fun, exciting and romantic, so keep watching for the cover reveal that will be coming soon for ‘The Knight of Her Heart’, the first book in the series.
Yes, it’s Saturday! Didn’t think it would ever get here, but finally it is here… So what now?
As a writer, you owe it to yourself to take an adventure. Even if it’s just taking a walk in your backyard. I do my best plotting on long walks. Oh, and don’t forget about people watching. It’s a great way to study mannerisms. So get out the door and explore the world around you.
In this sweet love story, Lily slips back to a time 100 years earlier and her life takes on a whole new meaning. Can you imagine living in two worlds?
Here’s a snippet:
When
she stepped out of the car the breath left her lungs. The house was an old
Victorian with beautiful, lavender wisteria covering the porch. On the porch
was a swing and there was a red barn to the right of the house. Her legs went
weak as she stood there. This was it. This was the house in her dreams. Was she
dreaming? This couldn’t be real.
“Lily,
are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He lightly touched her
arm.
“I’m
fine. It’s just like I’ve seen this house before. Has this house ever been in a
film or magazine that you know of?” She tried to rationalize all of this.
“Not
that I’m aware of. Could have been in a home magazine, but I don’t think so.”
At that moment a man walked across the front porch and waved at them. “There’s
Anthony. He’s the owner of the house and my nephew.” She heard the pride in his
voice.
When
they walked up on the porch she had the feeling she’d been on this porch. She
walked over to the railing and looked out across the yard toward the barn.
There was the fenced in area that was in her dream. She turned to meet the
owner and almost lost it.
The
man standing in front of her looked like the man in the dream, not exactly, but
it was definitely the same eyes. She was in complete shock. How could this be?
Anthony
held out his hand to her. “I’m Anthony Kennedy.” He noticed the strange look
she gave him. His heart took a somersault as he looked into her eyes. This was
unbelievable. He just knew this was a coincidence.
“I’m
Lily Smith and this is a gorgeous old house. How long have you owned it?” She
had to figure this out.
“Well
Lily this house has been in my family since the mid 1800’s. Old Thomas here is
my uncle. His grandmother was my great grandfather’s sister. It’s a great old
house.” He beamed with pride.
“Lily
said it looked familiar. Has it been featured in a historical magazine or
anything like that? I couldn’t remember.”
“No, but maybe you lived around here in a previous life.” He winked at her and walked over to open the front door.
********
Like I said, things get crazy in this time travel romance. Surprises fill this sweet romance with each new chapter. It is under rewrites even as we speak. It’s crazy how our writing styles change, then we go back and rewrite our previously published books. This is one of my favorite stories.
Here’s one of my favorite quotes from this book:
He bowed his head and shook it from side to side. “I don’t understand how a man that’s been dead for over one hundred years can just take over your heart. How can you even think about going back to him? If you love me, how can you love him too?”
It’s Wednesday, we’re halfway to the weekend! Today I want to talk about something that affects most writers. What is that, you might ask. Well, it’s being yourself in your writing. What? Go against the grain? Yes!
As writers, we have our own style and if you didn’t know it, our own brains. When a story comes to us, it’s from us, not what current trends dictate. We need to stay true to what we know and love. If you do that, then it will show in your writing. But if you try to write to make the trends happy, it won’t be from your heart. So, be yourself in your writing.
Stephanie Hurt - Romance Author 