TBT – “Field of Dreams”

It’s Thursday and as I sit here watching the Today Show I’m in awe. Why? Well, they’re talking about Field OF Dreams being 25 years old. I dearly love this movie for many reasons. It’s such an inspirational movie.

Even if you don’t like baseball you’ll love this movie. I just love Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. The movie takes you to another place where dreams come true and make you think. The main character makes his dreams a reality through many hardships and a lot of criticism.

It makes me think about my dream to be a writer. My niece who is also my partner in our publishing business told me that if I write the fans will come and she was right. I compare my writing to the baseball field. When I publish a book I’m always amazed at the people that come out of the darkness and write to me about the book. Some call them inspirational and others say they love the clean way I bring about romance without having to go too far.

I guess you could say my writing is my very own field of dreams and it’s been a dream come true. Yes I do meet some criticism, but I have a tough skin and let it roll off my back. I’m lucky that I have a great following and so many new friends from all over the world that support my writing, my blog and my craziness. Thanks to all of you for helping me make my dreams come true.

As always, great writing and May God Bless You…

Not a cowboy in sight…

Well my pirate romance is coming along nicely. I’m actually enjoying it immensely. Since pirate romance novels were my favorite when I was younger it’s like going back in time. I have suspense mingled in with romance and a lot of sea air. I want the reader to feel as though they’re on the ship.

Captain Caleb Tanner is not like most pirates. He’s got morals and does things for others. But he’s been dubbed as a pirate and he’s alright with that. The first time he sets eyes on Serena Wilimgton, he’s smitten and wants to know more. He’s a great reader of people and he sees something is not totally right with things.

Serena Wilmington loves the sea and everything that goes with it. When her mother dies suddenly, leaving her dying wish for Serena to leave quickly from her childhood home to stay safe, she goes where her heart leads her. The only thing is her heart has led her to stowaway on Caleb’s ship. It gets crazy when she boards a pirate ship as a boy, but Caleb figures her out. Just wait till you see how it goes. It definitely doesn’t go as Serena thinks.

I will be doing a cover reveal soon. It’s still in the works, but the bones are there. The book is coming along quickly. I did well over 5000 words this weekend.

So, do you like pirate romance?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Giveaway of free Audio Books…

I’ve been working on two of my latest manuscripts a lot lately. I know I’ve been blogging only here and there. These two books have demanded my complete attention and I’ve been giving in to the calling. But I do have a special message for all my readers and friends. Audible.com has given me 25 codes to the audio book for Open The Heart.

If you haven’t had time to read Open The Heart, then why not listen to it? So, here’s the deal. All you have to do is message me at stephaniehurt4@gmail.com and the first 25 to send me a message will get the code to unlock your free audio book.

So run, don’t walk to your email and send me a message.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday morning question…

I’ve been throwing around the idea of writing a Pirate romance, but I had been wondering if it was a good idea. Of course as you know I don’t go with the flow, but I didn’t want to just be left out in the dark. I started to check out current Pirate romances and noticed that not many exist in current writing.

I received my Romance Writers of America magazine this weekend and was reading an article from several editors and agents. A couple of the agents were telling what they’d like to see less of and more of in the future. Guess what? They wanted to bring back the Pirate romance. I did a little happy dance and started my outline and cover details as soon as I finished the article.

When I was young the craze was Pirate romance. I still have a box full of great ones. I’m excited about getting it started really soon. I made sure the outline was very detailed so that it stays fresh in my mind. But as most of you know, I can’t just work on one manuscript at the time. I also want to assure the fans that are eagerly and impatiently ( 😉 ) waiting on Emma Rose that it’s still in the works.

So, what are you writing this week and have you ever read a Pirate romance?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday Morning Coffee…

Good morning! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. My weekend was great and I got a lot done. I cleaned my house Saturday morning and then grabbed my laptop and headed for the back deck. I recently purchased a large dark green market umbrella for my table, so I opened it and sat down to work. I was able to get in a couple of thousand words which is great.

Writing outside is so awesome. I enjoyed the slight breeze that was blowing and the sunshine all around me. The birds were singing happily in the trees and I was playing one of my writing playlists on the computer. Of course I had my new puppy outside with me. She was running everywhere and biting my toes, but I still managed to get in a lot of work.

As most of you know I have several books in the works. This weekend I worked on Emma Rose which is the 2nd book in the Women of Magnolia Hill Saga. It’s crazy how you get into a piece of writing and then you’re taken away on the adventure. I enjoy this series so much because I love history. It’s fun to write about the history of the great state of Georgia.

As for today, I’ll be back to the office. I do need to work on my other job some. My accounting clients don’t like it when I don’t keep up their work. Some days it’s hard not to pull up a manuscript and write. Since all of it is on the same laptop the books are always there taunting me. Most days I can be strong, but Mondays make it hard. Maybe I need another cup of coffee before heading out to the office. Yeah, I think that’s what I’ll do. I hope everyone is having a great Monday so far. So I’m off to refill my mug and then back to the real world.

As always, good writing and may God Bless You…

Throwback Thursday – A Love Never Lost

It’s Thursday and time for another look back. As a writer I have several books that are my favs, but this book held a special place. It’s such a sweet romance and with a thrown in suspenseful element it takes you to a different place. As I wrote this romance I could see the ranch as if I was walking with the characters.

Some of the parts of this book were pulled from true life events, but I’ll just let you play with that comment. This cover was phenomenal in it’s design. I was so pleased when it was finished.

Everyone wants someone to love, but when it happens to be someone you’ve known all your life, things get interesting. Then throw in another man who wants the same woman, well you have fireworks that spark a firestorm. Yep, this one has some surprises in it.

Here’s a little excerpt from A Love Never Lost:

She slowly turned in his arms. She heard his sudden intake of breath. She looked up into his eyes and saw what she had feared. He was feeling the same thing as her. His eyes were dark with desire. She had to get a grip, but that was past reasoning.

He looked down into her eyes. It was as though this moment was made for them. They were the only two people on earth. He ran his hands slowly up her arms and framed her face with his hands. He was holding his breath. He finally took in a cleansing breath.

He knew he had to kiss her. If he didn’t he would surely explode. He slowly lowered his lips to hers. She realized what was about to happen. This was wrong somehow this had to be wrong.

She pulled her head back and turned back toward the window. He just stood there. He was unable to move. He wanted to kiss her so badly. His whole body was vibrating with desire for her.

He turned her back toward him. She kept her eyes focused on his boots. He reached out and lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. He could see desire and confusion in her eyes.

“What’s happening here?” He asked the question, but he knew the answer.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s the circumstances.” She tried to pull away but he held her steady. He leaned his forehead toward hers. They stood there for a moment just trying to breath.

She put her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating wildly. She knew that he wanted to kiss her. She was so afraid that things would never be the same for them if they kissed. Her heart told her that it would never be the same if they did not kiss.

This book can be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo, Apple iTunes, Diesel, Oyster, Smashwords, CreateSpace and many others.

Also, go over and check out the video trailer at Youtube. Just search Stephanie Hurt and look for my picture. All of my book trailers will be listed.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Friday morning Inspiration

Good Friday morning. Here in Georgia the clouds are rolling in and we’re expecting storms this afternoon. But this morning I’m feeling inspired. It’s funny how just reading your social media posts can inspire you. As a writer inspiration is a big thing. It’s really hard to write if the inspiration is not there.

I love to see other authors posts and their success. It inspires me. I talked with a couple of authors one day and they said it makes them depressed to see how well other authors are doing, but for me it inspires me. I’m proud for my fellow authors. It’s great to see the authors do well. It gives me some hope in my own career.

What really inspires me is the posts from once traditionally published authors that have gone Self published and succeeded. It makes me give a fist pump in the air, knowing I made the right decision. Self publishing is getting more recognition. With self publishing you are the publishing crew, the editor in most cases, the cover designer in most cases and the cheering committee. But it’s your business and you can run it the way you want to. It just seems to work if you’re inspired to take the big steps. So watching other authors succeed makes that step a little easier.

How are you inspired in your writing?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Guest post from Sonya Loveday

First off, I want everyone to meet my friend and fellow author Sonya Loveday. Sonya Loveday, first and foremost is a reader, an avid one. It is of that love that brought her to the realization that this was the answer to the nagging persistent feeling that ‘there’s got to be something more’. The dream came alive in 2009 when she purchased her laptop and began the tedious step of becoming a published author. When she’s not reading, she’s writing. When she’s not writing, she’s reading. And when she’s not doing either of those things she’s sleeping, shuttling her children back and forth to school, letting the dogs and cats in and out of the house for the umpteenth time in the last hour and dreaming of a clean house. You can find Sonya Loveday on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and WordPress on the links below: http://www.facebook.com/sonyalovedayauthor?ref=hl http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11660396-sonya-loveday https://twitter.com/SonyaLoveday – @SonyaLoveday http://www.sonyaloveday@wordpress.com

Now I want to give you a look at her newest book which will be released officially March 31st. If the cover doesn’t draw you in then the description will. I just love her covers.

This looks to be an awesome book. But let’s not forget the 1st book in this series. Casted came out July 2013.

If this doesn’t pull you in, well you need to go back to the start of this post and try again. Let’s go out and support Sonya.

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…

Character Interview…

Today I’m interviewing the main character from “Finding The Right Time”. She’s a journalist go getter that has a problem. I’ll be talking with her about the issues and how she plans to work through them.

SH: Good morning Lily!

LS: Good morning.

SH: Let’s get right to the problem at hand. The dreams you’ve had since childhood still haunt you. Have you had any luck finding out why those dreams are important?

LS: Actually, now that I’ve moved to Savannah the dreams have come to a head. The house in my dream is the house I’m renting now. Also, the man I’m renting from looks a lot like the man in my dream.

SH: That’s interesting. I heard you speak of time travel. How does that come into play?

LS: Well, that put me in a tailspin. I’ve been drawn to the cemetery on the land. When I went to the cemetery, something strange came over me. I was transported to 1865 and to the man in my dreams. Rafe is a good man and he loves me.

SH: But aren’t you in love with Anthony, his great great grandson?

LS: (She smiles) Well, that’s part of the problem. It’s as though they are the same man, but I know that can’t be. I’m having a difficult time with this problem. It’s hard when you love two men with all your heart.

SH: That is definitely a problem. Do they know that you love them both?

LS: I’ve made Anthony aware of it, but Rafe refuses to talk about it. How can I be in love with two men from different times?

SH: That’s quite a quandry that you’re in. What’s your plan?

LS: I’m not sure at this point. I love Rafe dearly and also I love Anthony. They’re both wonderful men. I’m drawn to Rafe by unknown forces and that keeps me going back. I pray that I make a decision really soon.

SH: Well, let’s hope the decision you make helps and you can make peace with it.

LS: Thanks. I do hope the same thing.

SH: Thanks for meeting with me today.

LS: Thanks for writing me into your novel. I do hope all of your readers enjoy reading about what I do next. It could be a surprise and a pleasant ending or maybe not 🙂

I do hope you enjoyed this little interview. The story of Lily’s time travel romance is a many faceted thing. It’s a wonderful love story that brings things that are important to us to the forefront. It’s on preorder now on Smashwords. Check it out.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

What makes a good romance for you?

Romance novels come in many genres. It’s amazing how they’ve changed since I first picked up my first romance. I remember the intense feelings that the book brought out. It was based in Europe in the World War 2 era. I remember crying, laughing and being inspired to find my Prince Charming. I also remember finding out through reading that my Prince Charming would not always be perfect as the fairy tale goes.

For me a good romance needs to take you to another place. I want to be taken away from my normal world and transported into a exotic place, mystical place or just another time. I want the book to carry me away with emotions. The writer needs to make me think I’m there with the character, feeling the emotions, the anger, the sadness, the love, and especially the romance. I want to be able to still feel it even after I put the book down.

I can’t even imagine how many romance novels I’ve read in my lifetime. Recently I went through my collection of novels that are stored in my attic. I had to put them in plastic storage boxes as the boxes were falling apart from age and over use. It’s amazing how many times I’ve read some of them over and over. I even pulled some of them out and read them again. There’s nothing like the feel and smell of a aged book. The yellowed pages pull you in and keep you engrossed.

I had several authors that I bought everytime I saw a new book in their collections. As I reboxed them I separated them by author. The publishers of most of them are still around, such as Harlequin, Avon and many others. I always knew if it had the Harlequin or Avon symbol on the side that it would be great. I remember going to flea markets and browsing hungrily through the many shelves of used books. As a teenager it was like a scavenger hunt for more titles from some of my favorites.

A couple of my favorite books have been purchased a couple of times. You may be wondering why, well let me explain. I would lend them out and they never got returned. Then I would go on a mad search for them. When I’d find them again, they would stay with me.

So for me a good romance needs to make an impression. I want to think about it again and again even after I’ve read The End. I want to read it over and over and still fall in love. The characters need to pull at my heart strings. I want to be able to see them in my mind’s eye and carry that throughout the book.

Recently I heard from one of my dear fans. She told me that the descriptions of my characters made her see them clearly. She said that she felt like she knew them personally as she read through to the end. I was pleased that I’d accomplished that goal. Sometimes that can be a hard thing for a writer. You have to make sure that your character is well thought out and explained. If they are blonde, make sure they are blonde throughout. I read a book not too long ago and the main character started out as a blonde and the writer somehow I guess forgot and by the end their hair was ebony. And no they didn’t change hair color out of a bottle. It totally blew my mind.

I love to read a romance that makes me cry. It doesn’t have to be from sadness, but it could be just the sweetness of the romance. I have several books that I read over and over that make me cry every time. It’s just such a sweet, tender romance that it draws out the emotional part of me.

So as you write, think about what draws you in. If you like time travel, then write about time travel. If you like a good, sappy romance, then write that sappy romance. If it’s erotica you love, then write erotica. Everyone has a niche and you have to find that niche. For me it’s the tender, sweet love story that builds throughout the story. I try to throw in a little intrigue and mystery, but in the end it’s the romance that draws you in.

So, as always, good writing and May God Bless You…