The lure of Romance…

In today’s world of divorce, affairs, depression, terrorism, disasters and just plain out life, we’re looking for a way to escape. A lot of people use reading to do this. A large percent of the books read are romance. Maybe it’s the thought of true love, untainted love or even that dream of another life.

When I sit down at my laptop I try to get lost in the moment. I want my reader to feel the same way. If you can’t get lost in the moment as a writer, then how can you get a reader lost in the moment? I want to get my reader into another world and away from the worries of life. Just for a moment to give them something to dream about…

Romance has always carried me away to another place. Sometimes it’s to another country, another time period or just to see life from someone else’s eyes. As I read a book, if it’s a good descriptive book, I try to immerse myself in the story. I try to get lost in the lure that’s romance.

Everyone needs a little romance in their life. Maybe it’s not your thing. I spoke with a friend not too long ago that said she can’t stand to read a romance. She reads only mystery and science fiction. She said she wanted to read my books but was afraid she’d be too critical. I talked her into reading one of them. Well, she’s now into the third one. I smiled as she told me how she liked the first one. “I thought it would be just oozing with silliness and lovey dovey stuff.” I laughed and told her that not all romance books are that way.

Some people do put a stigma on romance books. They think that only housewives and lonely people read them. They’re so wrong. Some of my best fans are business women, teachers, and even some men. The men are the funny ones. I have to say that I was surprised at the amount of men that read romance. So, as I say everyone needs a little romance added to their life.

So go out and pick up a romance novel today and add some spice to your life, your marriage or just to be taken away from the business of life for just a moment.

As always, Good writing and May God Bless You…

This is to all the Mother’s out there.

This is to all the Mother’s out there. Hope you have a wonderful day today as you deserve it. My son was quick to hug me this morning and tell me thank you. Of course it brought on the tears. Then at Church our wonderful Pastor talked about Mother’s and their role in our lives. It was quite eye opening and honest. My hubby put his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder. Yep, I shed a tear or two. Bet you knew that already 🙂

It’s been a great day so far. My family met at a restaurant with a buffet and we ate until we were miserable then we went back to my mom’s to eat dessert. How you may ask? Well it’s Mother’s Day and I’m going to enjoy it.

My son asked what I was going to do on this beautiful Mother’s Day and I told him maybe a nap and then work on one of my manuscripts. Also I’m going to admire the beautiful pot of flowers my hubby and son gave me. I picked them out, but it’s the thought that counts.

If you’re mother is still living then make sure if you don’t see her today at least call her because you wouldn’t be here without her. She wiped your nose, changed your diapers, put bandaids on your cuts and nursed you when you were sick. She deserves some respect and show of love. SO if you haven’t called her or been to visit shame on you. It only takes a moment out of your busy schedule to make a call and just say ‘Mom I love you and thank you for everything.” It’s real simple. So just do it.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY…

As always good writing and May God Bless you…

Turn the light on…

Inspiration… Such an intricate word. How do you get? How do you keep it? Is it the right inspiration?

1: How do you get it? – Well this can happen in lots of ways. Inspiration can come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes I’ll be just simply watching people going about their normal lives and bam! I’m inspired to write about it. Daydreaming can inspire you. Use past experiences and expand on them, change them around and in some instances make them fly. Listen to music. I get inspired by certain types of music. It’s according to what mood I’m in.

2: How do you keep it? – Ok, so you’re inspired, but can you keep the inspiration going all the way to the words, ‘The End’? Well, make notes, extremely descriptive notes of what inspired you, the feelings, the sights, the sounds. Every time the inspiration starts to flee, pull out the notes and read them. Close your eyes and picture it. If it’s music that inspired you, replay the same song or songs and get lost in it.

3: Is it the right inspiration? – Have you ever been inspired to do something, but then realized it was not what you wanted to do in the first place? It happens all the time. Maybe the inspiration is coming from the wrong source. You may be saying, what? I’m talking about when you’re writing a book and it’s going a certain way and then you get the inspiration to take the book into another realm. Is that what your book needs to do? I was working on one of my published books and had a sudden inspiration to change the middle and ending completely from my original plan. Now sometimes this can work out, but as I neared the ending I realized that I’d totally messed up the whole meaning of the book by going with the new inspiration. Just go with your gut and usually your original inspiration is right.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Crying doesn’t show weakness, but strength…

I’ve talked several times about how I cry easily. It’s just a trait I have. A sweet love song, a romantic movie, a faith filled gospel song, or just a memory brought back to life.

In my opinion crying never shows weakness, but the strength to endure. When a song brings on a memory it’s the strength of heart to let your emotions open up. When a sweet romantic scene in a movie brings on emotions, it’s the strength of that emotion that brings on the tears.

Sometimes a sweet memory gets brought on by a smell, a song, a person, or just memories in general. This can bring on a silent tear that also comes from the strength of the memory.

Maybe you think differently, but I can tell you this, it’s the strength that we hide that brings on the tears. The strength of the memory that pours out as life’s sweet tears.

A good author can bring on tears in just a few words. I’ve cried reading before. A book that brings on tears usually get’s read several times and put to memory.

So let those tears flow and show your true strength.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Why is romance such a big draw?

Have you ever wondered why the biggest genre being sold in books is romance? It’s a huge market in any way. People are constantly looking for romance. In most cases people leave no stone unturned.

This is my thoughts on this phenomena. I think that everyone wants some kind of romance in their lives. It could be in their marriage, in their relationship with someone or just simply in their lives. Maybe it’s the fact that a good romance novel can take you to another place and let you live through the characters for a little time.

Sometimes people just need to read about it. It makes them feel better about things in their lives. Maybe it’s just the feeling of getting lost in someone else’s life. Do you need to get lost for just a little while? It’s a safe way to go to another world, to leave your own troubles for just a moment.

I know personally that I love to get lost in a good book. Especially if the book has a sweet romance or the promise of romance in it. It draws me in and makes me smile. I catch myself sometimes looking forward to picking the book back up to get to the next part. Have you ever been so into a book and just had to read through the night because you were so drawn in? Yep, I recognize that look, you have. What’s worse is when it’s a week night and you’ve got to get up early the next day, but you can’t help yourself 🙂

So pick up a romance today. Even men can get into a good romance novel. Men write great romance too.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You….

Weddings, a romance authors inspiration…

It’s a beautiful day here in Georgia. The sun is shining brightly, the air is clear, and the wind is blowing like a small hurricane. Well, my son had a bass club fishing tournament today so the house is all mine. I actually slept in this morning which is a luxury that I normally don’t indulge in.

Also today is a wedding at our Church. I love weddings. It’s so exciting to see the vows exchanged, the smiles of love, and the promise of forever. So many weddings today end up in divorce. I always say a prayer for the couple and hope that their union will be forever as it should be.

As a romance author I’m finely tuned into the feelings and atmosphere. I try to catch every ambiance and put it into my treasure chest of inspiration. A wedding is so romantic in it’s simplicity or in some cases it’s extreme elegance.

Romance is such an intricate part of our lives. I can’t imagine not having some type of romance in our lives. You may be sitting there thinking that romance is dead, but it’s not. It’s in everything we do, you just have to open up to it. Even the most simple thing is romantic if you’re open to it. My assistant says I could find romance in a bag of frogs 🙂 Well sure, haven’t you ever heard of kissing a frog to find the handsome prince.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday. Enjoy the day and remember to stop and smell the romantic roses. Live as though it’s the last day you have.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Life…Such an awesome opportunity

I was feeling a little let’s just say down to earth this morning. If you know me then you know I’m always floating around on a cloud of thought and wonder. I’m blonde, what can I say 🙂

Well in this frame of mind I got to thinking of the wonderful opportunities we are given each and every day to make a difference in someone’s life. Maybe not a big difference but at least a little bit of a difference.

As writers we are given the chance to inspire with our words, to educate, or simply to take someone’s mind off the real world if only for a little while. That’s what I think of when I’m writing. What if someone reading my work is needing a reprieve from something? Maybe they’ve suffered a loss and just need to get away for a moment to another world. Maybe they have a bad marriage and just need hope.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our own lives that we don’t stop to think of others. I see so many different kinds of people from different cultures, different backgrounds and different financial situations in my business. Sometimes I just sit and listen as they tell me their problems. Not real sure why people assume an Accountant is like a bartender, but maybe it’s just I’m a good listener.

I get down on life sometimes, yes even me. Then I think of the horror that a friend may be going through or maybe I think of someone who is terminally ill and I look up and say Thank You and I’m sorry for having self pitying thoughts. I’m sure He looks down and smiles. That’s life. We have our up days and our down days.

I try to give advice when I can, but I’m always careful how I do it. One thing that’s helped me is my Faith. I give it to Him and He helps me through it. Some people don’t know to do this or don’t believe in Faith. I don’t push mine on anyone but I try to be a good example and I do let them know what gets me through the day or rather Who.

When I’m having a difficult day I try to remember it could be worse, a lot worse.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Your Heart! Is it protected from your writing?

You may be saying, what??? What I’m saying is simply this, as writers we put our whole heart into what we do, or at least we should. To me it’s like pouring out my soul when I write. I sometimes finish a writing session as feel so drained and other times I’m cleansed from the incessant chatter in my head by characters that just have to be heard. Writers, you know what I mean 🙂

When you pour your heart into something and then it doesn’t go well, how do your heart feel? Sometimes it really bothers me when sales are down and then an upturn starts and I smile. But my heart does a flip flop and sometimes I wonder if it stops for a second to bask in the good fortune.

My newest novel has been doing really well, which is exciting. The funny thing is and maybe it shouldn’t surprise me, but it seems that people are buying it and the first book in the series together. The sales are coming in twos. One day I did really well and the sales were even on both books in the series. Maybe I should do more series, ummm,,,

So back to the heart of writing. If you go into your writing with both feet forward and your heart encased in the whole process, make sure that you’re ready for some aches and pains. Writing is a process and sometimes it doesn’t go like we want it to, but other times it goes better than expected. My heart stays on a constant roller coaster. i just hope it’s up to the challenge 🙂

In romance writing you have to put your heart in it. Sometimes it’s a lot of your own heart that you write about. Your fantasies, your flops in the love department or just what you’ve experience in the heart department. Some of my favorite writing has been from my own experiences, changed a bit for obvious reasons. Don’t want anyone to think I’ve lived a fantasy life.

So on this Saturday as you go about your house cleaning, your chores, your errands and hopefully your writing, put your heart into it, but put a protective hedge around it. Don’t let the downs affect your heart, keep the heart pumping and keep writing 🙂

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Getting ready for promotion Monday…

It’s crazy getting ready for a big promotional day. I’ve posted on as many sites a I can. My press release went out last night and has garnered some nice response. This has been a much awaited book release. Since it is the 2nd book in my “Flames of Love” series it’s been asked about for months. It’s been crazy the response I’ve had to the first book in the series “Tender Flames”. I’ve been really honored by the responses.

Here is the description for Rekindled Flames

He haunts her dreams; She torments his nights!

W Lydia returns home for her father’s funeral she’s forced to face hard reality. She left town two years earlier with a secret and a broken heart. As she sits at the graveside she sees the man that’s haunted her dreams for those two years. She realizes it’s time to tell him the secret she’s carried around for two years, but will he forgive her or turn away? The fire they started that fated New Year’s Eve two years ago has smoldered, building in intensity and heat. Can they rebuild the fire or will the secret put it out forever? Take the journey with these two and find out if loves wins or will they walk away?

If anyone wants to join the promotional Monday, just let me know.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Have I gotten too comfortable with my life?

Do you ever sit back and look at your life? I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I know that my life is way too busy most of the time. I’m a wife, mother, accountant, children’s minister, and now a published author. Sometimes I don’t have time to think straight, well that’s if I could think straight 🙂

Last night was Valentine’s and here is a rundown of my night. I worked in my office which is beside my home, until 5:30. I finally walked across the driveway to the house and gave my hubby his card and chocolate covered caramels. I gave my son a reese heart and box of m & m’s, plus a card. Then I made bacon, egg and cheese toasted sandwiches. I know really fancy for Valentines dinner, but it was scrumptious. Then I grabbed my laptop and worked on tax returns while we watched Duck Dynasty. (Our new favorite show.)

I know this sounds really unromantic, but it was actually nice. We sat as a family together, even though I was working, our son was on youtube, and my hubby was playing with his new I-phone. To me this is a great night.

But when I turned my laptop off and gathered all the paperwork back into the carry box, I thought about my life. I realized something that I’ve known for a while, I’m set in my ways. I’m happy just sitting home instead of going out to dinner with friends. I don’t care to go out, going to the store has gotten to be a chore. I work, I write, and I do my ministry, but I don’t do much of anything else. My husband says he feels the same way. Have we lost touch with the world. I don’t know if we’re just in a rut or what.

I’ve been struggling with a decision, which I won’t say what just yet, don’t want to jinx it. I’m feeling somewhat lead to make a change in my business that will surprise some people and some will say it’s about time. If I do this it will open up a lot of opportunities to further my writing.

So, as my friends, pray, cross fingers and I promise I’ll let you in on the secret really soon. I’m waiting a little bit longer to make the decision. I’ve discussed this with my husband and my assistant. They’re both very supportive. I’ve also let a couple of personal friends in on it for their input. I really think it will be a positive step in my life. So in the coming weeks I will let you in on some of the changes to come.

As always, good writing, and May God Bless You…