Day 9 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 9 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 Juliette Hill and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Juliette and her book A Clue For Adrianna.

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

My biggest challenge writing romance in today’s society is that the category of romance has so many subcategories—contemporary romantic fiction, being quite large. The competition is fierce! I think another big challenge is satisfying your market of readers. I truly believe writers should always stay true to themselves and their message and not change just because an audience/readership would prefer something else at a particular moment in time. I believe as long as you write a good story, readers will buy it and read it.

Biography

Charlotte Kent is the pseudonym used by Annie Acorn and Juliette Hill when writing their collaborative romantic women’s fiction series Captain’s Point Stories. Annie Acorn Annie Acorn is the pseudonym of a prolific, internationally published author, whose readership recognizes her mainly for her women’s fiction, cozy mysteries and richly woven stories with a warm southern flair. She is a founding member of From Women’s Pens – A Cooperative of Women Writers. Annie is the mother of two sons, one of whom is married to the best daughter-in-law in the world. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area, where she has done extensive technical writing as a contractor. She owned a tri-state medical outsourcing business for a number of years and was the Director of a behavioral healthcare firm. She once flipped a comic book and collectible retail company comprised of five stores, and she has managed cemeteries and funeral homes. She is the owner of Annie Acorn Publishing LLC. Ms. Acorn has published in The Inspirational Writer, and she edited an in-house publication for the State of Mississippi. She is a contributor of ezine articles. In her spare time, Ms. Acorn enjoys reading, writing mysteries, listening to classical music, playing cards, and spending time with her family and friends – often at a restaurant serving delicious food. Annie is the author of the blog at annieacorn.com. You can friend her on Facebook and tweet her at Annie_Acorn. She will respond to your email sent to annieacorn11@gmail.com. Juliette Hill Juliette Hill is the pseudonym for a creative writer who is passionate about all things vintage, traveling with her husband and exploring family history. She enjoys treasure hunting at local antique markets and estate sales, searching for her next great ‘find’ that will spark her imagination. Her desire to discover the story behind each treasure motivates the writer within. Juliette’s other interests include planning family gatherings, scrapbooking, cooking, shopping and dining out, to name a few. Her works, including Pink Lemonade Diary, Christmas Shoppe Magic, The Christmas Spirit of Starlight Cove, and Two Beaux for Christmas involve multi-dimensional characters and generational plots which bridge the gap between the past and present. She is a founding member of From Women’s Pens and is currently working on several projects for Annie Acorn Publishing LLC.

A Clue For Adrianna

Publication Date: April 13, 2013

The first novel in the women’s fiction series Captain’s Point Stories, A Clue for Adrianna, written by multi-published, internationally known From Women’s Pens authors Annie Acorn and Juliette Hill under the pseudonym Charlotte Kent, offers the reader romance, humor, and adventure in a story of love and personal growth.
Forced to return to her ancestral home in Captain’s Point, a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Adrianna Montgomery receives a shock and a challenge when the terms of her great-aunt’s will are read. Faced with a haughty attorney, a crumbling old house and a clue, she must draw upon the resources found in those around her as well as her own inner strengths in order to solve the riddle and secure her inheritance. Accepting the challenge, she ultimately learns who she is destined to be and discovers her true love.
Don’t miss this chance to fall in love again!

Go on over and check out A Clue for Adrianna.

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

Day 6 of Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 6 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 Briana Vedsted and I want to thank her for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Briana and her book The Untold Story of Margaret Hearst, alias Maugrim Valletta.

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

The biggest challenge for me is to keep my work ‘clean’. I write for young adults, meaning that kids as young (or even younger!) than twelve years old can be exposed to my work. I enjoy writing love stories, but I want them to be the kind of books that could be read aloud to young children and not be offensive to anyone. I write the books I wish could be available to all young readers, the books that I wouldn’t mind if my kids read. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against real romance novels, but for me, there’s no way I could even begin to write that way. The schooling I received since kindergarten was very Christian-based, and I’d want my advisers to be able to read my books without me worrying that they’d see the content as inappropriate.

Let’s Meet Briana!

Biography

Briana Vedsted lives in the country, on a ranch operated by my parents. For the past six years she has been employed by her father, Rob, working cows and irrigating his three hundred acre farm. Having grown up in a farming community, Briana has a deep appreciation for the nearby Indian ruins and all the Old West history. She’s a big fan of Louis Lamoure books and John Wayne movies. The smell of pine and aspen trees, trips to the mountains on horseback, and her highly imaginative daydreams inspired her to write western books. Briana’s love of magic and mystery, such as the movies Eragon and Brave, and books like Twilight and The Kane Chronicles, as well as a family history that includes the first King of Wessex, England and many princesses, knights, kings, lords, and even a saint, has really has influenced her yet-to-be-published fantasy books.
Two years ago Briana began focusing her attention on trying to get one of her books published. Briana mainly write books for middle grade, teens, and young adults.

About the Book The Untold Story of Margaret Hearst, alias Maugrim Valletta.

Daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the county, sophisticated Miss Margaret Hearst meets a young thief who steals her heart. Her parents forbid Margaret to ever see the boy again, but she runs away with him. Unbeknownst to Margaret, she is being followed by a man she’s known all her life: LJ Steffen. LJ loves Margaret and fears for her safety; he is determined to win Margaret’s heart. And one day, Margaret’s boyfriend casts her out of his life and she nearly dies, will LJ arrive in time to save her? And if he does, will Margaret finally love him back, even though she’s disregarded his feelings for her for the past several years?

So, go over to check out Briana Vedsted on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Untold-Margaret-Hearst-Maugrim-Valletta/dp/1482004739

Here’s a link to Rosie’s side of the tour today:

http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2qc

Day 5 of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 5 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 Robynn Gabel. A big thanks to Robynn Gabel for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Robynn and her book Windswept Hearts.

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

Having started my writing career later in life, I realize I may not be in touch with today’s younger generation. The taboos of my early years, may not apply in this day and age. For a writer to be successful we must take in the current trends, even if we may not like them. Morals have shifted, social settings have changed, and language is always evolving.

So first you must set what age group you are trying to reach, the era you want to write in. As a first time author I knew I had to write about something I knew about. It would have been easier to set it in a historical era that would have gone along with my comfort zone, but I knew more about the western culture I live in so I chose a more comfortable route. With any good story there is research, even if you live in it. Historical romance takes more research time than it does to actually write the book. I know this because I’ve been studying the Viking age for years, hoping to write a romance in that time period. But to test the waters, I chose to write a contemporary western romance, Windswept Hearts.

Then there are the questions, how far do I take the interpersonal romance? How much physical intimacy? I had to decide again who I was trying to reach. I also had to decide what I was comfortable writing. What level of erotica would I include? Ultimately, that was decided by my characters personalities, belief systems and age group. It is tempting to jump on the newest trend, but I have found it is my characters and the story they have to tell that determines what I will write.

Ultimately, I feel the genre of romance is a smorgasbord of choices, which gives me the greatest field of creativity. My only challenge is writing well enough to capture my readers interest and hold them captive until the end of the story.

Biography

When Robynn Gabel was a little girl, her mother was in despair over the tall tales she would come up with. Her mother would scold her saying, “I hope you can put that over-active imagination of yours to good use someday.!” So she decided to be an obedient daughter and follow her mother’s advice.

Robynn’s love of literature began with Dr. Seuss and hasn’t ever stopped. With the advent of the Internet she is never at loss for material. Through the years Robynn wrote extensively for business, blindly producing proposals, letters, advertising, convention fliers, and promotion material.

Several years ago, Robynn was talked into becoming the editor and producer of the church newsletter. During a search for material she ran across an ad for the Christian Writer’s Guild Convention in Colorado Springs. On a whim, she went and ended up sitting next to a publishing agent for Christian romances. After a nice chat Robynn was asked if she had any material. Amazed that someone thought she might be a writer, it ignited the fire that had been smoldering since high school. She signed up for a two year, on-line course through the Guild.

Since then, it has been a journey equal to that of any of J.R. Tolkien’s characters. She learned to blog, format, edit, Facebook, and Tweet. She has an interest in several genre’s but for now she wrote about the world she knows best, Romance.

Windswept Hearts is now available here on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. Set in the contemporary west, it chronicles the struggles of a city girl who has inherited a very unwanted cattle ranch. Robynn is currently working on several other projects including a paranormal story involving the mysteries of autism, and a history romance set in the Viking era.

Robynn would be happy to chat and answer any questions you might have. She looks forward to continuing in this amazing journey of creating stories and hope you want to come along with her!

Windswept Hearts

Publication Date: January 1, 2013

Anna Sanchez, a recent college graduate, has inherited the family cattle ranch. Having promised her mother she would take care of it, she is now faced with a tough choice. She is a city girl, and running a cattle business certainly isn’t in her plans. A lot of repairs need to be done and she hires Steve Johnson, a local handyman. Their first encounter leaves them both at a disadvantage. Through the summer’s adventures, including a wildlife encounter that turns deadly, and a shadow from her past, Anna will learn that things don’t always go according to even the most organized aspirations.

Go on over and check out Robynn’s Books

Here’s a link to the other side of the tour over at Rosie’s page:

http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2t6

Day 4 of The Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 4 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 Erica Dakin. A big thanks to Erica Dakin for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Erica and her book The Conspiracy.

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

I like the question! I think for me there are a few aspects to the challenge, but I think what it in essence boils down to is to avoid writing something that’s too cliche, yet remains believable. The staple romances of the seventies and eighties all had barely adult heroines who were impossibly naive, and heroes who were in their mid-thirties and arrogant to their toenails. They started off hating each other, yet somehow this then suddenly turned to love without any apparent motivation or believability. These days the discerning reader doesn’t accept that anymore, so as an author you have to play around with the tropes and twist them enough that the book remains interesting yet doesn’t lose the essence of Romance. I think it is also more difficult to get away with a dominant, alpha-male hero, because readers want their heroines to be strong, not submissive. It’s a fine line to tread!

Biography

I was born in the Netherlands and lived there until age 25, when I moved to Great Britain to be with my boyfriend. I married him in 2006 and have never regretted the move or the marriage.
I have always been an anglophile and started learning English when I was ten. I began writing short stories in English when I was about fifteen, and since my first love in books has always been Fantasy, my dream was to once write my very own epic fantasy novel.
When I got to about age thirty, I realised that whatever I wrote always ended up being heavily romantic, probably because my second love in books is for all things Romance. The short stories kept coming, until I finally got to the point where a short story just wasn’t long enough.
I currently have two books available. They are as much fantasy as they are romance, and the content is most definitely adult, mainly because I’ve always thought that there is little point in romance if there is no sex involved. I also feel that it is very important for your characters to be believable – few things used to annoy me more in eighties’ romance novels than heroines suddenly going from hate to love for the hero, simply because they reached chapter seven.
The Ritual is part one of my trilogy, and The Conspiracy is part two. Part three will probably not appear before 2014, but you never know. I hope that people will enjoy them, because I can’t be the only one who likes the combination of fantasy and romance.

The Conspiracy

Publication Date: May 23, 2013

There is no room for love at the royal court. There is only intrigue and political maneuvering.
For Veysita, a young half-elf courtier, this has been the reality of her life since childhood. Crown Prince Tionev is her best friend, but never more than that, even if she would like him to be.
When she uncovers a plot to assassinate the queen, her life is thrown into turmoil. Veysita discovers that she has not been trained to be the prince’s bodyguard, as she thought, but to be much more. She is to be a spy, thief and maybe even assassin, and she will have to travel into the lion’s den with little more than her wits to aid her. As if that isn’t enough, there is also the handsome, honey-eyed stranger who keeps showing up whenever Veysita least expects him.
Love may come knocking after all, whether there is room for it or not…

PLEASE NOTE that this book contains strong language and explicit scenes.

Go over and check out her books.

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

Day 3 of Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 3 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 V. Steele. A big thanks to V. Steele for blogging with me today. Here is a little about V. and her book Not This Time.

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

I guess the biggest challenge has been keeping up with the needs of my readers. I mostly have written paranormal romance, but I lean toward some cowboy romances and erotic romance. I don’t mean over the top erotic, but a little more than someone under 18 might need to read. I’ve tried to follow the trends of today’s top authors. Today’s readers of romance seem to need a little erotic element to keep them interested. My books with erotic elements and more erotic covers sell better. So I guess that’s my challenge, keeping up with what the reader wants, not necessarily what I want.

Biography

V. Steele is an author with romance on the brain. She spans several romance genres from contemporary to historical to paranormal. Most of her writing is more for the over 18 crowd. Steamy romance and gorgeous men fill the words coming from her fingers.

Not This Time

This is the 1st book in the “Chasing Cowboys” series. Rachel can’t keep from loving Luke. He’s a true cowboy from his dusty cowboy boots to his black Stetson. But the one thing Luke does best is leave when things heat up. Can Rachel keep him home this time? Luke has a passion for the rodeo, but he also has a passion for Rachel. Will love slip in and replace the rodeo? It’s a story of long lived Lust, Passion, Horses and one hot cowboy…

Go over and check out V. Steele…

Here’s the link to Rosie’s side of today’s tour:

http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-2qQ

Day 2 of Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 2 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 E. L. Lindley. A big thanks to E. L. for blogging with me today. Here is a little about E. L. and her book Family Ties.

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

I think the romance genre is having a bit of a renaissance period at the moment, where romantic fiction is no longer considered less credible than other genres and it’s become an umbrella for many sub-genres within it. As both a reader and writer, I think this can only be a good thing but there are still lots of challenges facing writers of romantic fiction. Ironically, not least because of the way the genre has diversified and grown which in turn makes it much more difficult to find your niche. The potential romance audience is huge but it’s never going to be possible to please everybody. For example, the burgeoning popularity of erotica has had an impact on romance. Lots of readers now expect much more explicit bedroom action whilst there are many others who prefer stories that leave the more graphic intimacy to the reader’s imagination. Consequently, I write the kinds of books I’d want to read and hopefully there are lots of readers out there with similar taste.

My own preference is for stories that are character driven and another challenge I face is to create characters that are credible and relevant in today’s society. I feel a massive sense of responsibility to create strong, independent female characters that will empower women readers. Female friendship is very important to me and all of my novels feature a cast of supportive, sisterly women. If a woman is cast in a somewhat villainous role, I ensure that the reader can understand her motivations for acting badly. I hate the way women can so often be represented as ‘bitchy’ or manipulative for no other reason than they are female. As a society, I feel we need to be reinforcing as many positive images of women as possible. Having said that, I am equally as committed to creating men who are more than the traditional, stereotypical romantic hero and I hope my leading men are as believable as the women in my stories. If I don’t fall in love with my hero as I’m writing then I know something’s not right. My male characters are basically men who I want to go out with.

In keeping with relevant characters, I also try to include themes that modern women can relate to such as, adoption, family break-ups, commitment issues etc. I enjoy stories where the characters embark on an emotional journey that sees them end up a better person than when they started. After all isn’t that what life is all about, trying to be the best human beings that we possibly can?

Biography

E.L. Lindley is an indie writer and general lover of books in all of their forms. She has written numerous contemporary novels, including the Georgie Connelly series as well as standalone novels. When she is not writing, she is devouring the works of other writers and is delighted by how indie publishing has thrown open the world of publishing. She sees it as a win win situation, allowing writers to publish their work, whilst providing readers with a richer and more varied choice.

Lindley has always loved writing but produced her first full length novel, Business As Usual, when she decided to move on from her career as an English teacher. She now supplements her writing by working on a free-lance basis. This also affords her time to travel and she has been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively throughout the world, using her experiences as a source of inspiration for her writing.

She currently resides in Sheffield in the UK but has lived and worked in many places including, London, Oxford, Southampton, Cheltenham and Brighton. She also studied for a couple of years at the University of Arlington in Texas and has consequently made many extended trips to the USA to visit and stay with friends. Her novels reflect this and tend to incorporate both sides of the Atlantic.

Lindley writes in a style which is both light-hearted and fun but with serious undertones, often tackling gritty subjects. In all of her novels, the characters reflect her belief in humanity and the fact that the human spirit will always prevail, regardless of the situation. Lindley’s primary goal is to entertain people but she is happy to take any response that she can get.

Family Ties

Beth Spencer’s world is torn apart when her mother dies, leaving her with no idea of who her family really is. Going through her mother’s possessions Beth finds a trail that leads her from her comfortable life, as a successful artist in Edinburgh; to a father she has never met in LA. As her father’s family welcome her into their life, Beth’s world is complicated even further by her feelings for her father’s stepson. Cal Anderson offers Beth the chance of a new life but can she find the courage to let go of her old one?
Family Ties is a novel about finding the courage to live the life that you’ve always hoped for.

Go over and check her out…

Here’s the link to Rosie’s part of the tour:

http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/romancing-september-author-e-l-lindley-day-2/

Day 1 of Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour

Welcome to Day 1 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 Marin Thomas. A big thanks to Marin for blogging with me today. Here is a little about Marin and her book Twins Under The Christmas Tree (The Cash Brothers Series) coming out October 2013.

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

When I read your question my first thought was… each year I get older, but my heroines and heroes stay around the same ages.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for me in penning romance novels today is writing characters and plots that keep up with society’s ever-changing standards, morals, values, vocabulary and technology. What’s especially challenging at times is writing young children or teenagers. My kids are now twenty-one and twenty-two years old. I have to draw on my own memories of raising them, but when it comes to little details like toys, clothing, even diapers I have to do research to find out what the latest trends are or I might slip up and use a word, a product from the 1980s or 1990s that’s no longer available. I’m constantly Googling things as I write. For example in my October book, Twins Under the Christmas Tree, Miguel and Javier have a Christmas wish list. I had to Google top ten Christmas toys of 2012 to see what kids were playing with these days. And I have to remind myself that today’s characters communicate with iPhones, email, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter and that many of them ask SIRI for help when they’re driving J.

Another challenge in writing romance today is keeping the stories relevant. They need to mirror the lives my readers are living. Today’s home and hearth books must reflect the challenges faced by couples today. My readers come from every sector of society and you can bet many of them have dealt with one or more of the following issues: blended families, multicultural relationships, gay or lesbian family members, single-parent homes with working mothers, raising kids with learning disabilities, raising troubled teens and confronting issues involving, drugs and sex, having to care for parents with Alzheimer’s, battling cancer, surviving natural disasters, the loss of a loved one in the military…I could go on forever.

I love writing home and hearth romances and I hope when my readers pick up one of my books that they’ll see that my hero and heroine struggle with many of the same issues they do. My heroes and heroines want the same things out of life that my readers do. And when my readers turn the final page in my book, I want my story to have restored their faith in the human spirit. It’s my fondest wish that all of my readers—no matter their background, educational level, upbringing, the car they drive, the house they live in, the clothes they wear—find their very own happy ever after!

Biography

Marin Thomas is a best-selling author for Harlequin American Romance. To date she has contracted 33 books, short stories and special projects for the line. Her current series is called The Cash Brothers, featuring six brothers all named after country western legends by their eccentric mother whose lifelong search left all her sons with different fathers.

She grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin and attended college at the University of Arizona where she played basketball for the Lady Wildcats and earned a B.A. in Radio-TV. Following graduation she married her college sweetheart in a five-minute ceremony at the historical Little Chapel of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the years Marin, her husband and two children have lived in seven different states but have now come full circle and returned to Arizona where the rugged desert and breathtaking sunsets provide plenty of inspiration for her cowboy books.

For more information on Marin’s books visit: http://www.marinthomas.com/ or stop by her blog All MY Heroes Are Cowboys at http://marinthomasauthor.wordpress.com/ You can also find Marin at these places:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarinThomas
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marin-Thomas-Romance-Author/118915338136945?ref=ts

Twins Under The Christmas TreeCowboy Up, Daddy!

Conway Cash is finally ready to settle down, and he has the perfect woman in his sights. The only thing is, he’s dead set against being a father—and Isi Lopez has twin four-year-old boys. When he finds himself roped into babysitting for them, life starts getting complicated!

Kids or no, Conway soon discovers he and Isi make a great couple. And hanging around with her kids isn’t so bad—that is, until they beg him to be their new daddy. The pressure is piling up for this formerly footloose cowboy…but with some luck, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit, Conway just may find himself in the center of his own ready-made family!

Go on over and check out Marin.

Here’s the link to Rosie’s part of the tour:

http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2013/09/01/romancing-september-author-marin-thomas-day-1/

Victoria, Official Release September 15th

Well, it’s official, Victoria will be released September 15th. It will be available for preorder on Smashwords.com, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple and couple of other sites after September 1st.

I’m really excited about this one. I’ll be doing a giveaway on Goodreads in the next two weeks ahead of the release. Also, will be doing a ebook giveaway, but those details will be released before the end of this week. Keep watching.

If you like historical romance, I hope you like this one. I’ve had it in the works for a while and am feeling a little release of breath as the release date is official. Finishing the final edits this week.

As far as other releases, the first edition of my newsletter was released yesterday. If you want to get on board for September, please message me. So far so good.

But back to my release. I’ll keep you updated on the upcoming events tied to the release.

Don’t forget to keep your eyes open starting September 1 for the start of the Romancing September Across The World Blog Tour. Go over to Rosie’s page and check out her part of the tour also at

http://rosieamber.wordpress.com/

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…