Contests,Blitz’s and so much more

Wow, it’s Monday. Where did the weekend go? Time flies when you’re working all weekend and get only a little bit of down time. Oh, but I can see the end of the tunnel and I’m running as fast as I can toward the light 😉

As far as my writing, I’m trying desperately to keep up with my word count, but I can see that next week while my office is closed for some much-needed r & r, I’ll be writing, writing, and writing some more. “A Light Upon My Heart” is now in my editor’s hands for the last and final edit before publication, yeah!

In among the tax returns and accounting, I’ve somehow managed to enter a couple of pitch contests. I received some good advice from an editor that helped me with one of my pitches. I’m working on another Blitz entry, but that will save until next week.

Do you get into the pitch wars or blitz’s that publishers do? Have you ever thought about it? I can say it’s a definite rush and so much fun. I suggest looking into the pitch contests on Twitter, even if you don’t get a request, some of the editors will come in and give you pointers. It helps!

Hope everyone has a great Monday~ I have one more week of tax season, then I’ll overload this site with posts, so get ready. I’m almost back to normal…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Putting it in perspective

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Good Wednesday morning! Today’s the day I find out if I made it to through the 1st phase of the #manuscriptmatch writing contest for Love Inspired Historical from Harlequin. Keeping fingers crossed and saying many prayers!

Do you organize your writing? By that I mean, do you put it into an organizer and set up your writing schedule? As you know from other posts, I’ve began to organize my writing so that I’m more aware of my deadlines and word count needs.

Of course, I have my handy journal calendar that has my deadlines for things like, word count daily requirements, also I have to give my manuscript to my editor, when it needs to be put into Amazon to meet the preorder requirements and when it officially releases. But this past week, I went one step further. I made a file for all of my releases for the next eight months. I now have a place to put research that I print, outlines, and a page with all of my important dates regarding the manuscript. I can even put a copy of any ads I’ve run on that one book.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it actually cuts down on the workload. I have all of the files in this nice, vinyl accordion file that looks nice and keeps all of the paperwork from cluttering my writing space. Try it, you won’t regret it. This is especially helpful when you also have a full-time job. I now have everything at my fingertips. Of course, I have a lot of this in my Scrivener program too, but this way I can do plotting without opening my computer if I don’t want to.

As always, Good writing and May God Bless You…

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Reading in bed…

Literature Onboard

It’s finally Friday folks! I can tell you this, thank goodness it’s Friday, but of course, I’ll be working all weekend. At least, it’s a more laid back work situation on the weekend.

How many of you grew up reading in bed? For me, when I was younger, I’d sit in bed and read every night. After my parents told me to turn out the light, I’d pull the covers over my head, with my trusty flashlight, then continue the story that had me spellbound.

I read many different genres back then. Some weeks I’d be hooked on suspense-filled mysteries. Yes, I was a Hardy Boy and Nancy Drew kind of girl. I’d devour them with such a thirst that soon I would be rereading until I could get to the store. It wasn’t like today, I couldn’t just scan and buy on Kindle.

Of course, as I grew older, my nightly reading turned to paranormal, fantasy type books. I’d read books about witches and ghosts. Then I moved to romance, which changed my young life. I would get lost in the romance of the story, the faraway places that the book took me to, it was great.

Everyone gave me books for Christmas, Birthdays, every occasion. I carried a book with me all the time, reading at lunch during school, on the bus, just about everywhere I could. I still have many of the books from my teen years, especially the ones that pulled me in. But they’re yellowing, packed in boxes, ready to be visited again. Often I pull out some of my favorites and read them again, enjoying the thrill of the story and remembering the first time I read it. My collection of Harlequin romances is extensive to say the least.

I still read at night, usually sitting in a warm bath, trying to lose myself for a little while. Some nights when I can’t sleep, I’ll go to the den and curl up in a blanket, then get lost in another story.

The cool thing about my love for books, it fueled the fire to write. I’ve penned books since I was a young teenager and all of this came from reading in my bed at night, usually with a flashlight as the rest of the house slept. Who needed sleep when the heroine was falling in love with the knight in shining armor and needed rescuing?

So, did you read in bed, or maybe you still do…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Seaside Beginnings Today!

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Well, Seaside Beginnings released today. This has been coming for a while and with its release today, I’m feeling really excited. If you haven’t picked up your copy, then grab it before the weekend when the price goes back up. It’s only $1.99 on Amazon for three more days!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Celebrating 22 years of Romance!

Today is our 22nd wedding anniversary! It’s hard to believe it. I talk about romance a lot in my posts, of course, I’m a romance author, but also I live it daily.

As I’ve always said, one of the tips to a great marriage is to keep the romance alive. We strive to do that in our marriage, daily. Whether it’s the quick kiss as we pass by one another or the hugs over the stove as I cook dinner, we’ve always showed our love, never embarrassed to express it in public. Of course, our son tells us to behave, which we don’t usually listen.

I’ve heard many people say that as the years pass by, the romance goes away. With us, it just grows each and every day. As the years go by, we begin to read each other’s mind, which can be a little scary.

So, with that said, how long have you been with your significant other? What do you do to keep the romance alive?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Release for Luke

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Stepping back …

Good Sunday morning! Here in Georgia it’s chilly but sunny. It will be a beautiful day. For me, I’m sitting by the fire, enjoying the early morning quiet.

This morning’s post is about the rough draft. I’ve had the rough draft completed and turned into my editor for a week. I haven’t looked at the rough draft since I handed it over. But it has work to be done. I want to embellish on the story, add several elements to help bring his story alive, but I had to step back.

What do I mean by step back? Well, it’s simple. During the writing process sometimes we get too close to a project, then get burnt out. For some reason, the story started slipping away. I still had the bare bones, but the flesh and all the other things that make it a whole story seemed to go out of my brain. I had to step away from it.

Now, I think I’m almost ready to step back into the story. Of course, I’m in the middle of Maggie’s story, but it helps to get into another story to get the one that slipped away back into your brain. It’s still a little foggy, but I think I’ll do fine.

Have you ever had to step back in order to get the story going?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Monday morning!

It’s Monday morning and my weekend was way too short, but exciting. Saturday was my book signing in Zebulon. It turned out really well and I’m excited about the future events that could spin off of it.

Now to add to my excitement, today the article I wrote for Southern Writers Magazine’s Suite T blog is available on their website. Here’s the link for you to go by to read and share: http://southernwritersmagazine.blogspot.com/2015/11/lining-story-up.html. The article goes over the way I line up a story before I write it. I do hope it helps other writers.

My manuscript that is on Wattpad is still racking up the votes and reads. The comments are really good and I hope that helps with the stories success. It’s still in the hands of Harlequin, so fingers crossed that it does well.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Friday, Coffee, and Writing

It’s finally Friday. Wow, what a week! My submission to Harlequin has gone from a ‘Received’ status to a ‘In Progress’ status. Per the help screen, that means it’s on an Editor’s desk. Let’s just say I’ve check my email and status so many times that my laptop should automatically go on the site as soon as it’s opened.

As for the Five Oaks Ranch series, well I’m five chapters in on Maggie, which means the series is almost complete, sadly. I’ve come to know these siblings so well. They’ve been a part of my daily writing for over a year. The last book will be like a keepsake as the final story, the parents will be told. It will include recipes and Christmas goodies. I’m excited about it.

Tomorrow is my local book signing, which excites me. With every book signing, I gain more knowledge on ways to make them better. Since this one is in my hometown, I look forward to seeing old friends. The last one at this bookstore was great. So many friends and family came out to support me. This time I have a really cool gift basket to give away and possibly some books every thirty minutes.

So, enjoy today because the weekend is only hours away!

As always, good writing and May God Bless you..

Time Travel

Just in time for Halloween, throwback to one of my older releases, “Finding the Right Time”. This book is really different as it slips in and out of the past. I’ve had mixed reviews on this one. It’s in the revision stage at the moment, but I still love it.

This story came to me in a dream and it pulled me into the mystery of time travel. You’ll fall in love with this unique love triangle that spans 100 years. Once the story starts you just have to know what happens and who she chooses, but the surprise ending will leave you saying, What?!

The revised edition will be available soon, but the story will stay the same. Romance can span the ages and this story sets out to prove it. True love never dies, even when one of the participants does. As I said, it’s a good read for Halloween.

Here’s a little excerpt to intrigue you…

He stood up and walked over to stand beside her. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but do you think that people sometimes do not cross over immediately?”

“I don’t know, why do you ask?” She looked back at the head stone. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“I believe that when someone has unfinished business that maybe they stay here to finish that business. Maybe that’s what a ghost is, someone with unfinished business.” He watched her reaction to that and noticed that she looked a little perplexed.

“Are you saying there are ghosts here in the cemetery?” A shiver ran down her spine.

He noticed her shiver. “I’m just saying that sometimes we bring on things with emotions so when you read that head stone try not to get emotional.”

She laughed and looked back at him. “You’re kidding right.” She quit laughing when she saw his face. He wasn’t kidding and she’d hoped he was.

“I’m just preparing you for the emotions that may come over you if you’re sensitive.”

“I’ll take my chances.” She turned back to the head stone and read it. “Lilliana Faith Kennedy – Loving wife of Rafe, caring Mother, dedicated Friend. Born August 8 1839 – Died November 20, 1899. Married on August 12, 1965. The love they shared will never die, but will last forever…” She sat back on her heels and tried to hide the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes. The words were so familiar to her and she couldn’t figure out why.

“I tried to warn you. I think it has a meaning more than just a saying on a grave marker. It carries a promise.” He looked down at her and he had a sudden feeling of protectiveness. Why did he feel like he knew her from another time? He didn’t want to tell her how he felt because it might scare her.

When he saw her the first time it was like a hit in the chest. His heart beat so fast that he couldn’t even think straight. Was it just the fact that they both were sensitive to time?

She stood up and walked over to the old oak tree. It felt as though a slight vibration came from the old tree. She looked back to see if Anthony felt it, but he seemed preoccupied at the moment. She reached out and placed her hand on the bark. Then suddenly the wind picked up and the chimes got louder and louder.

My favorite quote 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?”

So check it out!

As always, good writing and May God Bless you…