When the story throws the outline out…

If you’ve followed my blog for very long you know I’m a outline girl. As soon as a story comes into my head I sit down while it’s fresh and outline it from start to finish. It helps so much especially when you get a case of writers block and need to be reminded of the story.

Well, I’ve been working on a manuscript that is outlined already, but guess what, the outline is going astray. As I followed it for the first eight or so chapters, but things have changed. A couple of the characters just won’t cooperate and now I’m forced to change the outline. Thank goodness it wasn’t set in stone. Things change right? Well as for this story they do.

Sometimes we have to accept change and just go with it. I try to go with the flow in everything I do, but my writing has always been streamlined or I tried to keep it that way. The outlines have always kept me on track, but this story just wants to speak for itself. So as any writer will tell you, the story has the ball and it’s the stories game. So I guess I’ll play nice and see how it goes.

As always, great writing and May God Bless you…

Being whatever we want to be…

I’m a big kid, not just at Halloween as you can see, but in everyday life. My way of thinking is this, if we stay a child at heart how can you grow old. I know in numbers I’m almost 45, but in my heart I still get giddy at Halloween, Christmas and all the other holidays. My heart still pounds when I see buckets of candy. Well, that could be the chocolate rush, but it still beats harder with excitement.

Last night was our annual Church Trunk or Treat and it was a blast. We had so many children come through and they were very creative with their costumes. It was wonderful to see all my little Children’s Church peeps and the many guests dressed in their favorite theme or character. Of course being the Children’s Minister it’s only right that I go all out with my costume and my decorations. I included my sons pumpkin on the tailgate with balloons, posters and buckets over flowing with candy. The weather held up for our celebration.

As a writer you can be whatever you want to. You can be that character and feel that characters happiness, sadness, anger, love or whatever they feel. We are able to change the ending, making it what we want. Why wouldn’t anyone want to be a writer? Well for one thing it’s not as easy as it looks.

You have a story come into your mind. At first you think, this is going to be easy. You may sit down and write the story in your head and then realize it only lasted 5 pages. As a writer you have to expand that story. The descriptions have to be expanded to allow the reader to be drawn in. Remember the story you hear in your head is real to you, but the reader doesn’t have it in their head the way you do. You have to put it in their mind. We have to help the reader see it as we do, which means it has to be detailed out.

If you say, “I see a rolling green hill”. Well the person reading this will only picture a hill of green grass. If you want them to see more then say it more like this. “As I sit here, I see a hill that goes beyond the eye. It is covered in wildflowers that are vibrant with color. The sky is dotted with a few fluffy white clouds and the blue is in deep contrast to the green grass. It is a breathtaking sight to behold.” See how you draw in the reader and help them to see what you see.

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween and take it easy on the candy.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

When the words flow…

Have you ever had a moment when the words just flowed from your fingertips? As a writer this is wonderful. It’s the times when your fingertips seem to stop up that’s a problem.

Another problem is when too many stories flow from your fingertips. That’s my problem, again. It’s of course a good problem to have, but then your mind seems to be a web of stories. As you work on one story, the other lobe of your brain is working out the outline for another story. I actually dreamed about one of my stories last night. It’s filled my head so much that even my subconscious can’t get past it.

So, hopefully the five different stories I’m working on will come together quickly. My brain is on overload and with tax season over I have a little more time to finish and polish. I’m just giddy with the aspect of five stories before Christmas. One is a Christmas story so that’s a good thing.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday Morning’s Second Cup

If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s Monday morning. Yes, I know, don’t remind you.

Yesterday I went over one of my manuscripts in process. It’s the 2nd book in the “Lean On Him” Christian Romance series. The name is “Faith Through The Tears” and tears are the main point. I’ve been working on another manuscript and decided to get back to this one. I read over the manuscript to get my mindset on it and was blown away at the emotions.

As I read the opening 1st chapter tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn’t help but get emotional. I don’t know whether it stems from the emotional week I’ve had or what, but it affected me. Yes it’s a romance, not a dramatic thriller, but the first chapter is to draw you into the story. I will attach some of the first chapter below for your opinion. It’s funny but I have this whole book in my mind already. It’s just the emotional strain that’s made me walk away a couple of times.

Why does a fictional story evoke so much emotion? As a writer its like I know these people and what happens to them affects me. I feel like I’ve experienced the losses they have and the happiness they have. Maybe that’s a sign of good emotional writing, I don’t know, but I do know I’m keeping the tissues close as this one unfolds.

So, here’s a excerpt from “Faith Through The Tears” :

As he watched her lying in the hospital bed, tears streamed down his face. It was so hard watching her like this. They knew this moment was coming, but it’d happened so quickly. The doctor confirmed that she was out of remission only a month ago. He told them it didn’t look good for another round of chemo. They prayed on it and decided not to even try any more treatments.

He held her hand and watched for any sign that she might be in pain. She was a real trooper. Luke and Amanda brought the girls by and Rachel held up the strong act. They tried to hide the extent of her illness from the kids. The girls were so strong. Audrey was five and Shelby six. Audrey’s lip began to quiver a little as she looked at her mommy lying so pale on the bed. Shelby was quiet as she kept her eyes on the floor. When she did look at Rachel it was plain that she was holding back tears. They were too small to lose their mother. He was too young to lose the love of his life.

The nurse came in and checked her IV bag. She looked at Randy and gave him a smile that said how sorry she was. “Can I get you anything?” There was so much compassion in her eyes and the tone of her voice. She knew the same thing he knew. The time was near.

“Thank you, but I’m alright. I don’t think I could keep food down anyway.” He tried to smile, but it came off wobbly and moist from his tears. How could he even try to eat when his stomach was clenched in misery?

“If you need anything just buzz the nurse’s station. You’ll make yourself sick by not eating. You need to keep up your strength.” She gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and walked out. All the nurses knew him since he was on the police force. This was a small town and most of them went to their Church.

Their pastor and his wife had been wonderful. They took turns with Luke and Amanda watching the girls. The Church had even done a prayer vigil two days ago. He knew that God would do His will. He knew that Rachel was a good woman and had given her soul to the Lord a long time ago. She wasn’t afraid to die. They’d discussed and prayed about it on many occasions. The only fear she had was for him and the girls. Her eyes filled with tears just talking about the girls growing up.

Well, this was the unedited excerpt, hope you like it. Let me know your thoughts.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Day 30 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 30 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?” I can’t believe it’s the last day. It’s been a great tour, thanks to all the great authors that participated. Thanks ladies!

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Cynthia Harrision and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Cynthia and her book Blue Heaven.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

My answer to that question is some of the things that publishers (not my publisher, they are the best!) think readers want and so we romance writers must write them even if it is out of our comfort zone. A good example is the “condom mention” which to me always seems awkward, stops cold the momentum of a hot scene.

Biography

Cynthia Harrison

Cynthia Harrison had already published one novel “Sister Issues” through Amazon’s Kindle Digital Platform as an eBook when The Wild Rose Press offered her a contract for her second novel “The Paris Notebook” available in print and eBook editions from a variety of booksellers, including Amazon.

Set at the popular 99 cent price point, “Sister Issues” comically illuminates the relationship of half-siblings Cher and Ariel. Spoiled younger sibling Ariel thinks “half” means she gets half of everything that belongs to Cher. Cher’s not perfect either, and both sisters make mistakes as they seek their true hearts’ desires.

“The Paris Notebook” is part campus romance, part comic caper. Jack and Deena, two teachers sharing an office, fight their attraction all year. Then Deena’s rock star ex steals a notebook of Deena’s poetry, claiming the words are his original lyrics. Jack offers to help Deena get back her notebook, and soon they act on the desire that has been building for two college terms.

The award winning “Your Words, Your Story” Harrison’s non-fiction manual for writers, again at that great 99 cent price, is available in print and Kindle editions. The text is part memoir, part instruction manual, for writers at all levels. Harrison uses the text in the popular creative writing classes she teaches at her local community college.
Harrison has been posting writing-related entries at “A Writer’s Diary” since 2002 at http://www.cynthiaharrison.com. Her work has been published in national magazines, journals, and anthologies. She has been a staff reviewer for “Romantic Times” and “Publishers Weekly.” Cindy’s poem “Africa” recently won an excellence award from the heritage organization Detroit Working Writers and her short prize-winning memoir “Snow Day” has been anthologized in “Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women.”
An avid Tweeter (CynthiaHarriso1)and Facebook fan (Cynthia Hines Harrison) Harrison is busy at work on her next novel. She loves to hear from readers and writers. Email her at cindy@cynthiaharrison.com.

Publication Date: July 23, 2013

With a tight budget and two months, Eva Delacroix has to turn six dilapidated cottages on Lake Huron into a shabby chic tourist destination. Fulfilling her father’s renovation dreams and her own needs for family, Blue Heaven is Eva’s last resort.
Daniel Bryman will do anything in his power to stop city girl Eva from destroying the integrity of the historic structures his ancestor built. But as they work together to rebuild the main cabin, Eva’s determination makes him question his own life choices.
Despite their opposing views, they do agree on what to do with the attraction between them. When everything they’ve built threatens to crash down around them, will love be enough to save Blue Heaven?

Go over and check out Cynthia.

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2sp

Day 26 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 26 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Cassandra Giovanni and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Cassandra and her book Love Exactly.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

The biggest challenge writing romance in today’s society, at least for me, is overcoming the stereotypes. As a New Adult romance author the biggest stereotype I face is in that New Adult is often considered only to be “Young Adult Smut”; my novels are anything but that. Yes, my characters have sex, but I refer to it as “clean steam”–essentially, they are adults, so yes they are having sex, but you don’t have to read all the dirty details. The sex scenes concentrate on the emotions of the action as opposed to the physical aspects. My novels also don’t concentrate on physical, physical, physical like smut novels often do (although, I wouldn’t really know because I only once happened upon an excerpt that could be described as such…and it wasn’t to my liking). My novels concentrate on the development of the characters are human beings, and overcoming the struggles which occur in everyday life. New Adult is a wide genre, just like Adult is a wide genre–and should be recognized as is such. Are there New Adult smut novels? Hell, yes, and there are a lot of them–my books just aren’t one of them.

Biography

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children’s novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Just One Cup, in the Spring of 2013. Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company’s photography. She is currently studying to receive a degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Love Exactly Blurb:
Emma Walker was a writer who’d lost herself to someone else’s anger–who had given up on ever feeling like herself again.
Evan Levesque was a rock-god–the one all the woman wanted, but he’d never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life.
With just one cup of coffee they’ll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan’s fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma’s checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words…they’ll destroy my soul–Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she’s become because of it?

You can find my links below in my signature, and here are the book links in case you need them:

E-BOOK only $1.99

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo

Paperback $12.99

Signed Author Direct (US-Free shipping + Free Bookmark + Free Swag)

Go over and check out Cassandra’s books.

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2vN

Day 24 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 24 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Kylie Sabra and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Kylie and her book The Singing Dagger.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

The world is fast-paced—people rushing to and fro with little free time. No one wants to slow down, or worse, they fear they can’t slow down or they will fall behind. Even as a professional writer and artist, I suffer from this same delusion. So. I understand it well. In this digital age where movies, news and scoops du jour are delivered to our televisions, PCs, pads and phones; I fear that people are put off at the thought of picking up a 300+ page novel. To propound this problem is the growing number of e-books that call themselves novels—many numbering less than 100 pages. I could not for the life of me figure out how people who were 20 years my junior had 30-50 books under their belts. That’s when I discovered that these were really stories—maybe novellas.

How do I react to this craving for instant literary gratification? I don’t.

Mastery of language is a magical gift. I would prefer to anguish over the exact choice of one word to achieve that perfect nuance than to bash out 20 pages, just for the sake of writing to appeal to the masses. I love to excite all of the senses when I write.

I talk about scents.

“The comforting smells of smoked sausages and boiled potatoes hooked their fingers beneath the sleeping Shadows’ noses and pulled them into consciousness. “

I try to bring imagery to something as simple as the sound of silence . . .

“Just as suddenly, quiet quilted the room.”

. . . or the pain of loss.

“The clear sky turned sickly green. Ominous clouds gathered over the ocean and fingers of lightning beckoned Finn to the cliff’s edge. The wind whipped his golden hair back from his contorted face. As thunder hammered the earth, Finn and the climaxing gale released their pent up fury in one rending wail after another.”

I don’t believe these are things achieved without careful consideration. So my greatest challenge is not to fall victim to the demand to proliferate words, but rather to stay my course and choose my path—and my words—carefully.

Biography

Kylie Addison Sabra was born in the middle of the U.S. in 1956. She grew up in Texas and has lived the last 19 years in the Seattle area, which she thinks of as her forever home. She is the mother of two grown sons, Jason and James, and is fiercely proud of them both. Her husband Scott is her best friend, love and chief supporter.
Ms. Sabra has been writing and creating art for most of her life in one capacity or another. Now, they are her full-time children to foster and grow. For the past three years she has served as curator for The Rose Theatre Galleries, a virtual gallery in the Second Life Grid. It was here that she found the courage to make art her living as well as her life.

Visited by tragedy and heart-wrenching deception, Erin retreats into self-imposed isolation. But the Fates are not finished with her and she is uprooted from her respite to face the dark forces that threaten to swallow her entirely. Aidan, fettered by his dark parentage and past, is drawn to Erin by the duties of his position and is held to her by the love she awakens in him. Bradach is powerful, beautiful, immortal and ever struggles with his all-too-human jealousy. Erin can’t understand his hatred for Aidan, nor can she shake the feeling that she has known him from some other time, but the feeling is fleeting and can’t be held to grasp. Brieanna, Erin’s life-long friend, wears wisdom like a comfortable old shawl, and her quiet confidence is just what Finn, Aidan’s brother, needs to escape the terrors that drive him. The four humans find themselves the central figures in a centuries-old prophecy and bind themselves together to fight the encroaching horrors from the south that threaten to cover the four kingdoms of Tara in shadow. Tara must now return to the magic that was such a rich part of their heritage, now reviled, in order to save the lands they love. Standing together with the four immortal Elders of Tara; Erin, Aidan, Brieanna and Finn take their predestined places as the Bearers of the Promise and the saviors of Tara.

Check out Kylie’s book, you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2uU

Day 22 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 22 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Candace Knoebel and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Candace and her book Embracing Flames.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

The biggest challenge I’ve found with writing romance today is sticking true to my values. There are so many different categories of romance and they all sell equally well. For me, I am not comfortable with writing erotica or explicit scenes. I haven’t approached that road in my writing just yet. But I know there is a huge market for it and a lot of avid readers who enjoy reading the simplicity of a love story, sex and all. So I guess that leads to the question, do you try to go mainstream or stick with what you believe in?

With Born in Flames, the focal point of the story was never meant to be about Aurora (the protagonist) and Fenn’s relationship. It was about her journey to self-discovery and self-belief. Don’t get me wrong, there is an element of romance in there and a hint of a relationship to come, but the story is so much more than that. However, I noticed in the feedback that a lot of people were missing the romance element. They wanted to see more of the gorgeous hero and how the feisty heroine would fall in love with him. Like most YA today. When I thought about it, I saw that the story would eventually come to be about their relationship. They were right. I myself always want to know more about the relationship than the actual story.

This in turn led me to struggle with how much romance I wanted to add in book two of the trilogy (Embracing the Flames) that was mostly epic fantasy.

When I wrote Embracing the Flames, I tried to incorporate a little more romance without selling out or jumping out of my comfort zone. Naturally, there would have been romance any how. Fenn and Aurora are drawn to each other (as they are soul mates), so in order for the story to progress, their relationship had to too. The next question would be: How far is too far in YA? Since my characters are between 18 and 20 (depending on which book you are reading), there would obviously be the conflict of the progression towards sex in the relationship.

I now found myself questioning how to broach that tastefully without jumping out of YA. I chose to leave subtle hints. While there is kissing and lots of flirting, I didn’t jump into the actual details of what transpires when they approach their ‘first’ time together. It was mentioned. I feel it rings true to who I am and to who my characters are and their values. If I went any further with it, I would have to move the genre into NA.

It has all been a learning experience. I have to remind myself how I feel when I read a good romance and then try to write from there. Stick to what you are comfortable with. I don’t think romance can be written wrong. There is an audience for everything. It’s just finding the right one for you.

Echelon out ♥

Biography

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-a young adult fantasy trilogy. Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013.

Candace Knoebel dreamed of being a dancer ever since she could remember. With a love of all things art, she saw herself moving to New York and pursuing her passion as an artist. But all that changed on October 10th, 2002 when she met the love of her life. Her dreams diverged and after marrying her high school sweetheart and having two beautiful children, she realized she missed her creative side. Through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, she built a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. Since then, she crawled out of Purgatory and has devoted her time to writing and sometimes heelying.

Author Links:

Blog: http://candaceknoebel.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Candace-Knoebel/190993824332540?ref=tn_tnmn

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/candaceknoebel

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6458922.Candace_Knoebel

Publication Date: June 15, 2013

The Stone of Immortality has always been kept under the watch of the Draconta. That is, until the betrayal of a Fate. Now, everything is about to change.
Aurora Megalos accepted her destiny without blinking-even if it meant succumbing to her dragon side. Deemed the Progeny, she left the ordinary life she knew and has done everything in her power to learn the ways of her new home and what it means to be part dragon. But when her mentor, Astral, suddenly disappears, she is forced to take the reins with war on the brink. She sets out on an epic journey to find what her arch enemy, Zordon, is after. What she discovers is far worse than she could’ve ever imagined. She will be tested and pushed to the limit. Lives will be lost, love will be found, and most importantly, a battle will begin.

Go on over and check out Candace’s books. Candace has been my guest a couple of times and I can tell you that you won’t be let down by her series of books.

Here’s a link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2w3

Day 21 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 21 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Sonya Loveday and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Sonya and her book Casted.

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

That’s a really great question! For me, I’d have to say the biggest challenge is making sure there is enough romance to catch the readers’ attention but still hold true to what the story is about. Everyone loves a good romance brewing between your main characters and root for them all the way through to the end.

For me, I have to keep focused on the balance between romance and storyline, enough of both to keep the reader coming back for more. After all, my novel Casted has a lot of different aspects to it; magic, romance, mystery and action. Balancing them out gives the reader a little of everything, enough so, that I can only hope they look forward to the next book.

Another challenge is breaking into the genre. Being a new author there is a lot riding on your shoulders. Bringing attention to yourself in such a huge category like romance takes time. It’s time well spent, if you can get a following that really enjoys your books. It’s all a new author like me can hope for.

Biography

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

Publication Date: July 29, 2013

Jade had spent the majority of her life running from the Triad. The Triad, are a powerful group, who would stop at nothing to obtain Jade and the missing spell book for leader, Lorenzo’s, nefarious plans. And now that she has absorbed the highly coveted magic contained inside the missing book, there is nowhere left for her to hide.
With the help of her friends, Jade steps out from the shadows and learns how to fight back. But no one is prepared for Elinor-the woman bound inside of the book that’s trapped in Jade’s mind. Now she not only needs to protect herself from the Triad, but from what’s hiding inside her mind as well.
Jade never expected the answer to it all would revolve around love.
Edge is dark, mysterious, and a sworn member of the Triad. He also hides a secret past that threatens the thin line he walks between good and evil. Lives are at stake when Jade and Edge’s two worlds collide. Can Jade learn to trust him when he says he is her pre-ordained and vows to do everything he can to protect her? But more importantly, can she trust herself and the woman in her mind?

Go on over and check out Sonya. She’s been featured on my blog before and I know you will not be disappointed with Casted.

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2rZ

Day 19 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 19 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. The question I put out to all of these authors was “What challenges do you face in writing romance in today’s society?”

Don’t forget to go over to Rosie Amber’s page and check out her page too. I’ll put the link at the bottom of this post.

Today my guest author is Jade Reyner and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Jade and her book 12 Days – The Beginning

What Challenges do you face writing romance in today’s society?

Great question – what is my greatest challenge writing romance in today’s society? Okay, here goes…

“For me, I think the greatest challenge is finding an edge. I grew up in the Mills and Boon era when romance was written a certain way and many books were written in a similar vein. In recent years however, I think that romance has moved on massively and has expanded into much more risque areas which is kind of where my book sits. Whilst this is a popular and rapidly expanding arm of romance, it is also hugely competitive and for me, it is trying to give my book something slightly different so that it can hold its own in amongst the much bigger names in terms of reviews and ratings. This is what I mean when I talk about finding an edge and it is something that I find the hardest to achieve.

In ‘Twelve Days – The Beginning’ which is my debut novel, I have included a thriller element which builds throughout the book and is explored in further detail in the sequel, ‘Twelve Days – The Future’ which is due for release later this year. I have also added an unexpected ending and as many twists and turns as I can to keep the reader engaged and guessing, and I hope that by combining this with a fantastic cover design and competitive price, I can begin to reach readers who will enjoy and even maybe identify with my work. To have complete strangers reading something that you have written is mind blowing and if I succeed in doing this, then I will hopefully have found my edge and thus my tiny slice of this fantastic and wonderful genre.”

Biography

Jade Reyner is nearing her fortieth birthday.. and has finally got around to publishing the book she always promised herself she would! She’s had a varying career working in a number of different industries including hospitality and surveying, before finally becoming a full time Mum, ten years ago. Now that both of her boys are at school, she has found the time to sit down and write, and after starting a creative writing course, she has found the courage to publish her first novel, Twelve Days – The Beginning. This is the first in the Twelve Days series that Jade plans to write throughout 2013/2014.

Jade lives in the UK with her husband, two boys and a cat.

Publication Date: April 29, 2013

Elise Grayson lives a life that no one should have to. Beneath the professional exterior lies a troubled existence, one whose ugly truth is known only to her best friend. With his support she gets through her day to day existence – just.

When Elise crosses paths with Vaughn Granger twelve days before Christmas, nothing could have prepared her for the impact that this man and this meeting would have on her life. During those brief twelve days, her world is turned upside down and as she begins to find the courage to leave the ugliness behind, forces outside of her control relentlessly work against her as friends become enemies and fear, betrayal and addiction form part of everyday life.

Ultimately the repercussions of those twelve days have a shattering impact on the lives of everyone around them and before the past can be finally left behind, a decision has to be made which has consequences more far reaching and emotionally devastating than either Elise or Vaughn could ever have foreseen.

Twelve Days – The Beginning is a powerful book about love, desire, hope and betrayal and is the first in the brand new Twelve Days series from Jade Reyner.

Go over and check out Jade

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of the tour: http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2rE