How Inspiring

“What are the nicest or most inspiring things people have said or written about your writing? How did it affect you?”

Whether a writer wants it to or not, what a reviewer says about his/her book always has an impact. One exception to this rule is when the review is obviously written just to trash a book. I’ve had one like that, and I don’t think the writer ever even read the book. I can only guess that the reviewer didn’t like the good reviews the book had gathered.

Not all of my reviews have been five stars, and when they aren’t I always read them and try to decide if the reviewer is right. You can learn a lot from such a review. Can you learn a lot if the review is really great? Well, when I get a great review I never stop to question it. I just think the reader had great taste, LOL.

What a great review does is confirm my belief in myself. Sometimes when I’m writing I’ll have a moment of doubt and wonder if what I’m doing is good enough, but most of the time I always like what I write. Sure, I have to tweak it, but I usually think what I’m doing is good. Getting those good reviews encourages me to keep writing, and as I said it makes me believe in myself. Can you be a good writer if you don’t believe in yourself? I’m not sure. I don’t think I could be.

I’m especially proud of the Amazon reviews I got for Blue 52. Every one of them is five stars, and I didn’t know a single person who posted them so no one was trying to flatter me. I wrote one inspirational romance that got a review that warmed my heart, but I think the one I most loved was a review that I got for Rest Thy Head. It isn’t profound; it doesn’t discuss the various aspects of writing, but I think it came from the heart, and it pleased me to death. It gave me inspiration to write more. I made a meme out of it, and I’ll post it here for you. The review is exactly as it was written on Amazon. This is exactly the reaction I hope all my readers have.

Beyond the Book: When My Ship Comes In

If, suddenly, after all your years of writing, your “ship” finally came in and your titles were receiving wide acclaim (and sales… and INCOME), what would you like to do with that “positioning” to help aspiring writers? Any particular age of writers? Any particular genre?

Wow, I hope that really happens one day! Anyway I can think of several things I’d like to do.

First, I’d be available for workshops. I think that as you work on your craft you get better at it so I’d be glad to share what I’ve learned with aspiring writers. Most new writers have no idea how the publishing world really works. When I had my first book published they sent me advance reader copies that I had no idea what to do with. It would have been nice to have someone sit me down and tell me a few basics.

Second, I’d enjoy having interaction with young writers, maybe college age. I’d love to be someone’s inspiration, and if your ship really came in you’d have an inspiring story of hard work and dreams to share.

Third, writer’s retreats would be nice. It’s hard to find time to write. I used to be amazed by the number of books other authors could churn out. How did they find the time? I was a high school teacher and had a husband and children to take care of. A weekend in a nice place with lots of writing time would have been so welcome.

What about you? If you're an aspiring writer what do you need?

Beyond the Book

When I was a small child my mother taught me to love reading. Every Friday afternoon she took my sister and me to the public library, a one room building about the size of a large living room. We’d choose several books, and then she would take us to the five and dime store to spend our allowance which was about a quarter a week. Yeah, things were a lot cheaper then. Afterwards, she would take us to dinner. We looked forward to our Friday treat all week long.

So, from an early age books were associated with something good. Both my sister and I became avid readers. I remember thinking how incredible it would be to put words on paper and tell a story that people would enjoy reading. I daydreamed about becoming a writer, but it never occurred to me that I could really do it.

It was my younger son who showed me the way. He called me one day a couple of years ago and told me that he had written a book. I wasn’t surprised. I knew he had a lot of talent because he had won a prize for a short story he had written when he was in college. He told me that he had always made up stories in his head to amuse himself, so he thought he might as well write them down.  Glory be!  I’d always done that too.

Well, that did it. I sat down to write my masterpiece. The problem was, I couldn’t think of how to begin. There were umpteen dozen ways to do it. Finally, I realized that it didn’t matter. Pick one way and get started. I had a delete key, right?  I typed my first sentence, and from that point the words seemed to fly from my fingers to the computer screen. It was absolutely exhilarating!

I finished my first story in record time. Nobody liked it much. My husband didn’t want the hero to be crippled, and nobody liked the heroine. One of my friends said that the heroine was a good girl, so of course she wasn’t as interesting as a bad girl.

I wasn’t discouraged. I liked my story and decided to write another one. It was almost finished when I found out about a small publisher who sponsored a yearly writing contest. The first prize was publication of your novel. I sent my second manuscript in, and several months later I received a call from the publisher telling me that I was one of two grand prize winners.

From that time on, I was hooked on writing.  My house isn’t dusted as often, sometimes dinner is take-out, and I have been known to take my computer with me on vacation.  Since that first contest win, I’ve had around twenty books accepted for publication.   Writing is a part of my life that gives me great satisfaction.  My childhood dreams came true and were every bit as sweet as I thought they would be.  My only regret is that my mother died before I started writing.  She would have been super proud of me.

So what happened to the first book, the one nobody liked? Turns it they were wrong about it. Lots of people didn’t mind reading about a good girl instead of a bad girl. The book was published by Clean Reads and it’s titled A New Dream. Here’s a blurb to tell you about the book, and if you like the sound of it you can read the prologue and part of Chapter 1 at Amazon.

Blurb:

After an auto accident destroys his NFL career, Matt McCallum struggles to find a new dream for his life, but nothing engages him the way football did. After a stint in rehab, he takes a job managing a grocery store where he meets Violet Emerson.

Violet works in the bakery department, but her dreams carry her far beyond the doors of Chef’s Pantry. As soon as she can save the money, she plans to open a catering business. And she thinks the new manager’s broad shoulders and blue eyes are simply divine.

Thrown together at work, Matt and Violet find a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returns to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare?

Beyond the Book: Get a Nice Appointment Book

What do you constantly need reminding of?

What an easy question to answer! I have to be reminded of almost everything. Of course there are a few things I can remember. I know that I have a ladies’ luncheon every Tuesday, and I know that we go out with our friends on Saturday night, but other than that, the older I get the more reminders I need.

It really surprised me when I started forgetting things. I told my doctor that I was too young to forget things, and he laughed and laughed. Apparently you can be younger than ancient and still not have the recall of your younger days.

The thing which helps me most is a nice appointment calendar. For a while I tried just writing things down on random sheets of paper, but that didn’t work because I’d lose the paper. I found a very nice appointment book. It had larger than usual blocks to write things in, which I loved. Of course I had to learn that unless I used it faithfully it was nothing more than a nuisance taking up space.

Anyway, the system was working great for me, and then I lost my nice appointment book. Yikes! My life was in that book, not to mention a lot of passwords, phone numbers, and addresses. I went and bought a new book, but luckily I found the old one. That taught me a valuable lesson. Keep your book in its appointed place and you won’t lose it.

I suppose I could keep track of things on my phone, but by the time I can take it out and find my calendar, I could already have turned to the page I need in a print book.

If you’re like me and need constant reminders, try buying a nice book to write it down in.     What about you? Do you need reminders?

Beyond the Book: Real Life Inspiration

Have you used something that happened to you in real life in any of your stories? Did you change it at all?

As a rule, I mostly use my imagination in my stories. Sometimes one of the characters might like a food or piece of music I enjoy, but that’s about it. There’s one big exception to the rule, and that’s Fortuna. I included several examples of things that had happened to me or to someone in my family. To my surprise, a publisher told me it wasn’t very true to life. I laughed and laughed. My family is many things, but they aren’t boring.

One example is a food fight between my heroine Aimee and a lady she knew and didn’t like. That food fight is based on an incident that really happened. In real life no food was thrown, but with a little embellishment it made a really nice scene.

Another incident which is almost identical to the way it happened in real life is when a snake bit Aimee. It wasn’t really a snake, though. It was a briar sticking in the back of her leg, and since she’d been warned about snakes she jumped to conclusions. I remember when that happened. We laughed about it for years. It happened to my cousin, and I can still see her making laps around the yard with everyone trying to catch her.

Anyway, here’s a short excerpt from the food fight, which took place in a church fellowship hall.

From the corner of her eye, Aimee saw the priest hurrying their way. She fired one final bean ball, which hit the blonde’s forehead with a beany thud.

Rocky grabbed her arm. “They’re circling the wagons. Let’s get out of here.”

Practically running, they made their escape from the church. Rocky took the precaution of locking the truck doors. He sighed. “I guess we can’t come back to this church either. Are we going to become atheists?”

“Of course not!”

Sunk in gloom, they drove back to Fortuna. The jinx was still on as far as churches were concerned.

Beyond the Book: The Sentence

everal of my heroines have loved cooking, and one of them was Rachel Amos, heroine of The Sentence. I thought about what I’d have Rachel cook and decided that spaghetti was something a young woman would probably know about. In fact, one of the first things I cooked when I was younger was spaghetti. Rachel is proud of her culinary skills, and in this excerpt she gets into hot water because of it. First a blurb, then the excerpt.

Blurb:

How could he do it! How could her father bring the guy who burned the church into their home for six months? Yeah, it was an accident and her dad’s a minister, but if he wanted to help this man why didn’t he go to the prison to do it? Spoiled and slightly judgmental, Rachel has almost as much to learn as their unwilling guest.

Excerpt:

“What about you?” Clint asked, his face filled with curiosity. “Do you like to cook?”

Rachel preened and knew it. She was proud of her culinary skills. “I do okay,” she assured him.

“Oh, yeah?” Challenge lit Clint’s eyes. “Cook something for me and prove it.”

“You don’t think I can?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Rachel scowled. “No, but you hinted at it.”

Clint just stood there with a faint smile on his handsome face, so Rachel picked up the gauntlet he had thrown down. “Okay, I will. I’ll cook dinner for you tomorrow night.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Had she totally lost her mind? Why had she done that? She didn’t have to prove anything to Clint Hayes. Well, it was too late to cancel now. If she didn’t cook the stupid dinner for him, he’d think she couldn’t.

She stormed back to the house where she belonged and slammed the door behind her. “Goodness,” her mother exclaimed. “What’s got you in such a snit?”

“Clint!”

Mrs. Amos turned to Rachel and set her coffee down. “What did he do?”

“He manipulated me into cooking dinner for him tomorrow night.”

A faint smile crossed her mother’s face. “And how did he do that in such a short time?”

“He insinuated I don’t know how to cook.”

Mrs. Amos took a seat at the kitchen table. “Sit down with me, Rachel.”

Rachel pulled a chair out and joined her mother. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Honey, you be careful with Clint.”

Rachel’s mother has cause for concern. Burning down the church was an accident, but Clint only did it because he was drunk at the time and threw a cigarette where he shouldn’t have. His prior occupation was nothing to brag of either. He worked at a private club with a bad reputation in the town.

Now about that spaghetti. Here’s the recipe I had in mind when Rachel made her spaghetti. Try if if you like. It really is good.

3 or 4 stalks celery chopped but not too fine

1 stick butter

1 lb ground round or hamburger

4 cloves fresh garlic

½ bottle Worcestershire sauce (big bottle)

2 can tomato soup

1 can tomato paste  (small can)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can mushroom soup

1 small can sliced mushrooms drained

½ bottle garlic powder

3 cloves fresh garlic, not three whole heads

2 large onions chopped but not too fine

1 bell pepper chopped but not too fine

Fry the celery, onions, fresh garlic and bell pepper together with butter until tender.  Add steak, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and cook to gray color.  Add tomato soup, sauce, paste, and mushroom soup.  Last add mushrooms.  Let cook on low 15-30 minutes.  This sauce tastes better if you give the flavors time to blend.  It can be frozen which is good because it makes a lot.

Beyond the Book: Nothing to Fear

I thought I’d share a review with you today. I just read Nothing to Fear by Coralie Tate so here goes.

Blurb:

She needed a creative haven. She got a house with its own agenda.

An autumn storm—the likes of which should never happen in Sonoma County—plunges the residents of a neglected Victorian into a struggle against unquiet spirits, unraveling plans, and, worse, creeping water damage and black mold.

Eliza has a six-month plan: quit her building-manager gig, move her mom and cats to a less temperamental abode, and find a way to make a living doing what she really loves—drawing comics.

Joey has a two-week plan: recover from a concussion, write a kick-ass report for his boss, and land a promotion that will give him a break from wealthy security clients whose toxic behind-the-scenes lives are bumming him out.

Unfortunately, Chaste Tree Cottage is becoming more dangerous by the minute. Can Eliza and Joey cobble together a new plan that will get them out of this hellhole before their growing attraction gives old ghosts just the opportunity they’ve been waiting for?

If you like banter, humorous family dynamics, competent protagonists, houses with a little too much history, and happily-ever-afters that include decent career prospects, try Nothing to Fear! Heat level: toast your marshmallow without charring it.

My Review:

I found Nothing to Fear by accident. I was looking at my own book’s ranking on Amazon, and Nothing to Fear popped up. I read the blurb and liked the sound of it, but I thought it might be scary, and I don’t really read scary books. Or watch scary TV shows. Anyway, I was out of anything new to read so I though I’d try it. If it got scary I wouldn’t have to continue with it.

The first paragraph caught my attention with no trouble at all. It said:

Sometimes, when the sky was particularly pretty like at dawn or dusk, Pearl went out and visited the maple tree under which Willie had finally beaten her to death in 1906.

I kept reading. The book wasn’t scary, but it did give you a vague sense of anxiety. You were always waiting for something bad to happen. No apparitions made an appearance, but the author’s atmospheric writing made the sight of a ghost unnecessary. All of this was against the background of a nice little romance. I loved the heroine, by the way.

The book did have a little spice in it, and there was a little language I didn’t think was necessary. I had hoped for a slightly different ending, but I enjoyed the book anyway. If you’d like a ghost story without being scared to death this is probably a good one to try.

Beyond the Book: A New Book

Since staying home due to the coronavirus, I’ve done a lot of reading, and I’ve done some writing too. I’m working on a book that I started some time ago. I decided to share a scene with you. Here’s the scenario. A passenger jet has just gone through some strange and unusual turbulence. They think they’ve been thrown off course because they can’t find the city of Miami or the airport. Fuel is running low so they have to make an emergency landing on the beach. This is the end of that scene. You’ll meet some of the major characters, but our heroine and her rival aren’t in the picture yet. It’s a work in progress so if you see something I need to work on, do say something. I don’t know anything about airplanes so I might have something wrong.

He turned off the intercom, and they began the emergency landing procedure.  Brent had never had to do this before, and he prayed he’d prove equal to the task.  The ground rushed up to meet them.  Even a skilled pilot could come to grief making such a landing.  The plane flew ever lower and glided gently onto the beach.  And all hell broke loose.

The plane charged across the soft sand, its nose streaking toward the ocean.  They hit a small hump on the beach, and the tail whipped around, metal screaming in protest.

Miraculously the plane stayed upright, but it changed directions and slid sideways toward the trees.  It came to rest scant inches from the forest.

Brent let out breath he hadn’t been aware of holding and shakily rubbed his hands across his watery eyes.  The way his heart still raced and thumped in his chest he’d be lucky to stand up without falling down.  A great many lives had depended on setting down safely.

Beside him Healy fumbled with his seat belt.  “Brent?  You alright?”

“Yeah, I think so.”  Brent unfastened his own seat belt and leaned toward Anders who remained slumped in his seat.  He pressed a finger against Mike’s neck and felt a pulse.  “He’s alive.”

“He must have had a heart attack or stroke.”

“Probably.  I hope he can hang on for a few more hours.  By now we’re overdue, and they’ll be searching for us.”

“Thank God for the locator beacon.” Healy jerked at his tie and shrugged off his coat.  “I hope they get here soon.”

“Why don’t we see about our passengers?  One of them might be a doctor.”

Frank brightened.  “Yeah, good idea, and we can find Mike a more comfortable place to rest.”

They opened the cockpit door, but they didn’t see anyone in first class.  “Did everyone already deplane?” Brent asked.  “Those stewardesses are good.”

“Brent, look!  The doors are still closed!”

They walked from one end of the silent, empty plane to the other, but nobody answered their calls, and nobody hailed them from the beach.  They were alone.

Beyond the Book: Welcome, Spring

This week I'm talking about what I do to welcome spring. To be honest, I don’t think I do that much.

I always look over my spring/summer clothes and decide which ones still fit and look okay and which ones are to be donated at our local thrift store. Of course since I live in South Carolina many of my things can be worn year around. This year I needed to do some shopping in the worst way, but the stores are closed. So, I started to online shop. I’ve been pleased with most of it, but as soon as possible I need to do more shopping. I have very little that’s fit to wear this summer.

Some people always decorate their homes for Easter, but I don’t do too much. I have a small tabletop Easter tree that I usually set out, and I have a display of bunnies and crystal eggs that I always put on my dining table, but even though I have more decorations I don’t usually take them out of the box.

I need to do a good spring cleaning, but somehow I don’t much want to. Maybe I’ll skip it this year.

We’ve done some work in our yard which made it look a lot better, but we’ve done everything we can without going out and buying some mulch and annuals, and we’re trying to stay in as much as possible because of Covid 19.

What I like about spring is the beautiful colors in my daffodils, dogwoods, roses, and azaleas. I can sit outside on the deck and enjoy the colors and the fresh spring air. That’s better than house cleaning for me. I like to see the trees begin with a green haze and end up with pale green, new leaves. Spring makes me feel like everything is new again, including me.

Readers, what about you? How do you greet spring?

Beyond the Book: Many Genres

What genres do I read and why is the question we’re discussing this week. It’s a hard one for me to answer because I’ve read a lot of different genres.

I guess romance is right there at the top of the list. I like to write romance, which I don’t think I could do if I didn’t enjoy it. Romances by nature are emotional, and I do like a book that engages my emotions. Most of them have a happily ever after ending, which is so satisfying. People like to think that things can work out in our imperfect world.

I also enjoy reading alternative history. I read one book where the Nazis won World War II. It was very tense, but it did have a good ending. I guess most of us have wondered ‘what if’ at some time or other.

I used to read Stephen King and scare myself to death. I still shiver when I think of Salem’s Lot or Pet Cemetery. I can’t do that anymore, though. I don’t like being scared to go to bed.

I’ve also read a lot of young adult novels. I worked in the school system for thirty five years, and I wanted to be able to recommend something for the kids to read. I also was curious about what they were reading and liked. I read Twilight because that was what the kids were reading.

Science fiction can be fun if it doesn’t bog down in too many technological details as can cozy mysteries, dystopian fiction, westerns, and thrillers. I used Blue 52 as an example of a cross genre novel. It’s a cross between a mystery, thriller, romance with a dash of science fiction thrown in.

So, what about you? Do you have a favorite genre, or do you read all over like me?

Beyond the Book: Covid 19 Distraction

Since we’ve been staying inside due to Covid 19 I find that I’m reading a lot more than usual. I finished my last book pretty late one evening, and I didn’t want to start something new so late. Well, I pulled out my Kindle and decided I’d look over one of my own books. I picked Blue 52, which was always one of my favorites. Well, I read until pretty late that night.  I still love Blue 52. I’d like to share a blurb and excerpt with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Blurb:

“First Lady Kills President Lovinggood!”

December 5, 2018

Thirty years later, Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother’s innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him. Together Hank and lovely physicist Dr. Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, and merciless enemy who’ll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever.

Excerpt: This excerpt comes from the beginning of the story after Hank decides to start a new investigation into the murders. His Aunt Joan has amazing information for him. Aunt Joan speaks first. (Hank’s Uncle Scott was in the FBI. He was killed along with his daughters Tori and Toni.)

“How about starting with your Uncle Scott’s private files?”

“What private files?” Hank demanded as a shaft of excitement pierced him and set his heart racing. He set his cup on the coffee table and leaned forward. “Didn’t the FBI take everything from his office after he died?”

“Mostly, yes, but there’s one or two files left. I managed to hide them before the FBI got here. They searched his home office as well as his office at work, you know.”

“Why did you hide those files?” Hank asked.

“Because I think they pertain to Richard’s death, and I had no idea who I could trust. If Scott really was onto something, those files had to remain a secret or no Lovinggood would have been safe.”

Hank’s mouth went dry. “I think you’d better explain. If you had information that would have brought the killers to justice, you should have turned it over to the police.”

Her hands fisted. “The time wasn’t right. Originally, I planned to show the files to Dad once he got over Richard’s death, but as you know he never got over it. Then I decided to wait for you to grow up and give the files to you, but you didn’t seem like a man who’d know what to do with them. Not until now, anyway. You’ve changed, Hank, and that’s why I’ve brought you here.” Excitement filled her face as her eyes bored into his.

“As you know, the case against your mother seemed airtight. No one suggested a conspiracy or any kind of cover up. It seemed so straightforward they didn’t even bother to seal the investigation records. Every i was dotted, every t was crossed. No one doubted Elizabeth had shot and killed Richard. I don’t mind telling you I bitterly hated her, but Scott didn’t seem angry at all.

“I confronted him about it maybe three months after the murder. He said he thought things were almost too neat. He said in real life investigations were usually a little messier. He said Elizabeth wasn’t a violent person; it was out of character for her to shoot someone.

“I asked him if he had any proof she hadn’t done it. He said no, but I started to watch him and soon figured out he was working on something. One night, I walked into the study while he was in the bathroom. I saw Josh Stanton’s name on an open file. He rushed back into the room and slammed it shut before I could read it.

“This went on for almost a year. I teased him and carried on until he finally admitted he thought someone had framed Elizabeth.”

A look of incredible anguish crossed Joan’s face. “Two weeks after we had that conversation, he was dead. So were the girls. I suspect Scott too was murdered. I think he found out something so big the real murderers were afraid to let him live.” She fell silent and clenched her jaw.

Hank had never imagined his Uncle Scott’s death had been anything but an accident. If someone had murdered Scott to keep him from revealing what he knew, there really was a conspiracy! “I’m so sorry,” he said. He wanted to give Joan a hug of compassion and sympathy, but the cold glitter in her eyes warned him she wouldn’t appreciate his pity.

“I’m sorry too,” she said. “Torie would be thirty-eight and Toni thirty-five.” She sighed. “It’s hard to believe so much time has gone by.”

Hank gave her a pat on the shoulder anyway. They both knew far too much about grief and loss. “So, what do you think we should do now?”

Joan grabbed his hand and squeezed so hard it was genuinely painful. “I want you to go through the files. I want you to see if you think Scott was onto something. If so, I want you to nail them. I want them punished for every holiday we spent without our loved ones. I want them to suffer for every dance recital they cheated my girls of. I want their heads for every ball game you ever played that your father didn’t see. I want the whole world to know your mother was no murderer, and my Scott was smart enough to see through their horrible schemes. Get them, Hank, and if I can help you, I will.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hank softly replied as his eyes caught fire and his blood roared in his ears. “Get the files for me.”

Saving Raine

I've reviewed this book once before on my blog, but I did it again for a group blog that I write for, so I thought I might as well let you see it again. It's been a while since I did the review.

BLURB:

Matt, Raine went to California because her parents thought it was safe. It’s not. You’ve got to get her out as soon as possible. She could die, Matt.

When 19-year-old Matt Carney gets a cryptic message from his father telling him to go to California and save his girlfriend, Raine, he doesn’t hesitate—he grabs his AK-47, revs up his blue pickup, and gets ready to make the 2,300-mile roadtrip.

But cross-country travel in 2021 isn’t easy—or, sometimes, even possible. The U.S. has become a near-military state: 17,000 checkpoints severely restrict interstate movement, Predator drones target innocent civilians without cause, and explosions rock cities daily. Matt and his stepbrother, Benjy, face deadly attacks from a corrupt government, ruthless local law enforcement, and bloodthirsty terrorist groups as they embark on their trek. They’re about to find out that their trip is much more than a private journey, and their success could change the face of the country—forever.

Can Matt and Benjy outrun the drone missiles raining down on their heads? Can they avoid assassination by government officials hell-bent on taking over what little is left of the country? Can they outsmart the deadly schemes set in motion against them?

Break the rules.

Save the girl.

He only gets one chance before she’s gone forever.

My Review

Saving Raine is set in the year 2021. American democracy is almost dead, replaced with near-military rule. Technology has expanded and is used by both the military and civilians. Resistance groups dot the country, but with the futuristic technology, they have a hard time evading the  authorities.

Things I Liked:

1. The characters are well-drawn. They aren’t flat, and I don’t think they were terribly stereotypical.
2. There’s a lot of action and suspense which is also well done and keeps you reading.
3. The plot works well, and has some nice twists and turns to surprise you.

Things I Didn’t Like:

1. Personally, I didn’t care for so much futuristic technology, but it was woven into the plot, and this is a personal thing on my part. Some people won’t mind.
2. Again, a personal thing, I thought some of the scenes were too violent for a new adult book, but I know some people will disagree with me here as well.

Bribery Will Usually Do It

When on a trip (either a long vacation or a day trip) how do you occupy the travel time, or keep the kids occupied?

Traveling with kids is a whole different thing than traveling with just my husband. When my husband and I go somewhere we usually have an audiobook that we listen to. It keeps us from noticing how long we’ve been driving. It also keeps the driver alert. If anyone else is with us in the car we don’t do the book in order to be sociable and talk to our passengers. My husband and I are not great travelers. We’ve taken a few fantastic vacations in our life. We’ve even toured Europe. But all of that was when we were much younger than we are now. We’ve gotten to the point that we enjoy short day trips more.

Back when I was traveling with children we didn’t have movies to play in the car or video games to play on one’s device. So we provided them with a few favorite toys and books (They had no trouble reading in the car.) Our younger son always carried his best friend, a stuffed pink rabbit named Eddy. Eddy had a tendency to taunt our older son and create incidents in the back seat, but we couldn’t go anywhere without him.

I found that the best thing to do when the kids were along was to bribe them. Parents take note. There is no shame in bribery if it buys you a little peace and quiet. One favorite bribe was, “If you don’t fuss we’ll hunt a McDonald’s for lunch.” Or maybe this, “If you don’t fuss we’ll take you to Wal Mart and get you a toy.” Yes, I know that was bad parenting, but the kids turned out fine, and we didn’t lose our minds.

What about you? How do you handle the tedium of travel?

My Love Affair With Books

My love affair with books began when my parents read Little Golden Books to me.  I remember one that especially impressed me.  I wish I could remember the title, but it’s long gone.  It was about a family of pigs who were so messy no one would go to see them.  After they finally cleaned up their house, they had tons of visitors.  I also remember a book about Woody Woodpecker.  After my mother read that one to me, I wrote my first story which I dictated to my father who wrote it in pencil on a piece of notebook paper.  I was every bit of five years old then.  

Later, after I learned to read, my mother made a treat out going to the library each week.  The minute she got home from work she’d take my sister and me to the library.  Afterward, we’d go to eat hot dogs at the local diner.  It wasn’t anything special, but at an early age we learned to associate reading with good times.  

Having learned to love reading, I was never without a good book close by.  I read so many good ones!  Black Beauty, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, The Sherwood Ring, the Trixie Belden mysteries, My Friend Flicka, the Black Stallion series, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and so many more!  I wish I could remember them all. 

I was content to be a reader until about ten years ago.  I had gone through a period where nothing special caught my fancy.  At the same time my son wrote a book.  I decided to give it a try too.  To my surprise, it totally captivated me.  I spent long hours before the computer writing the kind of story I wanted to read and couldn’t find.  I became totally addicted to writing.  I even took my computer with me on vacation so I wouldn’t miss a single day writing.

Did I stop reading because I was now an author?  No indeed.  If you’ll check my Goodreads page you’ll find a sample of the things I’ve read in the recent past.  I just finished Careless in Scarlett.

Whenever I need an escape from my reality, books are always there to provide it.  My life is richer today because of all the wonderful things I’ve read in the past, and I know my future will be filled with many more happy hours reading.  Parents, read in front of your kids.  Teach them to love books.  Their lives will be richer for it. 

Beyond the Book: I Pick Elizabeth

“If you could be — even briefly — one of your OWN characters… which character would you be? Why? For how long?”

I always fall in love with all of my characters. When I’m writing I think that the ones I’m writing about are the best ones ever. However, there are a couple of heroines who stand out to me.

The first is Betsy McLaughlin, heroine of A New Leaf. Betsy had a charmed life and loved every minute of it, but then she fell in love with an ex-convict and found out how it felt to have everyone disapprove of her. Naturally she preserved and found happiness.

Second, I loved Violet Emerson of A New Dream. Violet was an inexperienced small town girl who fell in love with a more sophisticated man. She has a hard time dealing with his past, but she shows a lot of growth and they get their happy ending.

But my ultimate favorite is Elizabeth Lane of Return Engagement. Elizabeth had a very unhappy childhood with an alcoholic father who didn’t take care of his family. She eventually made her way to Hollywood where she became a big star. She also met Richard Lovinggood. Richard was the son of California senator Henry Lovinggood. Senator Lovinggood disapproved of Elizabeth and tried his best to break them up. He succeeded.

But then one night Richard and Elizabeth met by accident on a California beach and found that all their old feelings were still there. They vow that this time nothing will ever come between them, but of course it does, and in a way no one ever expected or saw coming.

I loved these characters so when the when the book ended I couldn’t bear to leave them behind. So I wrote a sequel titled Blue 52. I even named one of the characters Elaine. But ultimately, I wouldn’t want to be anyone but myself. Even though I’d enjoy a few weeks in their world I’d be happy to come home and just be myself.

Beyond the Book: It Was a Hard Decision But We're Glad We Made It

My grandson has high functioning autism. He’s a lovely young man with a good personality as well as a great sense of humor, and he is able to hold down a part time job at Wal Mart. He attends church every week with his parents. Recently, he started talking about someone named Zoe. It turns out that Zoe attends the same church. She too has high functioning autism and a part time job at a local hospital.

You may see where this is going. The two of them are now crazy about each and are talking about getting married. It almost broke my heart. The two of them can never have a totally normal life so how could they get married?

The entire family worried and thought and finally came to a conclusion. With some help there was no reason why they couldn’t get married. We want them to have as normal a life as possible, right?

I know that there are many people who won’t agree with the family’s decision, but we’ve decided that it’s in Simon and Zoe’s best interest to be together. So in a couple of years time, if they still want to, they’ll be getting married.

The picture below shows Simon and Zoe having dinner after he gave her a diamond. Those two faces look awfully happy to me.

Beyond the Book: Book Review Intervenus Part 1

Book Buyers Best Finalist in Upper Young Adult!

Octogenarian CEO Gwendolyn Mantis of Botany General didn’t create the ice age cold but keeps dwindling resources out of reach for the poor. Two hundred years before, a meteor bombardment threw Earth into a second Ice Age. Mars and Venus are habitable, but her company, BotGen, started a nuclear war on Mars. Venus is the next big hope. Cunning and meticulous, Ms. Mantis is always in control. Her right hand man, Vito Savage, knows mercy will not an option when he announces the space race to Venus.

Dedicated to her work as a subsistence gardener, teenager Yardley Van Dyke promised her dying mother she’d care for the family by growing food, but family dynamics have changed. Her father’s fiance wants to sell the greenhouse in order to move into the swanky Bioshere. After winning a prize for her intergalactic garden, Yardley learns of the installment of her prototype in all the shuttles. She yearns for recognition.
Tough, outspoken protector Marchand LaFont sails his ice boat across the frozen tundra to deliver fuel and food to the needy. Robin-hooding puts him on BotGen’s watch list. Groomed for the space race, Marchand calls the shots when he plans enters the space race and invites his best friend, Skeeter, Yardley’s twin brother, to join him as his crew.

When Skeeter decides not to go, Yardley, goes up against her father to go in his place. Hoping to start a garden on Venus, she signs on as Marchand’s crew. In spite of his brazen exterior, she falls for him. He cares for her too, but can’t let his emotions get in the way of his mission. He must keep evil Vito Savage from annihilating those who gets in his way while staying alive. Will Venus be their new address where they can fulfill their dreams?

I enjoy some sci/fi novels so I was glad when I won a copy of this book. I think it would be very appealing to upper young adults. There’s a nice romance in the book as well as a heroine with goals and a hero who’s strong, brave, and noble. The characters are nice and easy to relate to. I was unhappy that sections didn’t have a break between them, but it didn’t bother me enough to stop reading. I didn’t find a lot of punctuation, grammar, or spelling errors either. All in all, it was a nice read.

Beyond the Book: Sort Of

Do you dress in any particular color or style for holidays or special days?

When I was a child my mother always dressed us up for Easter. That was the only time of year we wore gloves and a hat, but they were mandatory on Easter. So was a corsage and curled hair. As I grew older I kept up the tradition for my kids. My boys didn’t wear gloves or hats, but they did sometimes have to wear little ties and dress pants, sometimes even a sports jacket. I continued the tradition for myself too. I usually bought something new to wear for Easter. These days, not so much. My closet is packed tightly enough as it is.

I like autumn colors so I do have a tendency to buy things in the fall. They’re just pretty to me, but I love summer clothes. They truly celebrate the season with their gorgeous colors and light weight fabrics. This year I’ll have to buy a few things extra. I lost some weight recently, and my old clothes don’t fit very well.

As a teacher I always dressed for special occasions. I had big heart shaped earrings for Valentine’s Day, green earrings for St. Patrick’s Day, a tee shirt with pumpkins for the fall season, a Christmas sweater with lots of beading, and several Christmas tees with Christmas motifs on them. The kids always loved it when the teacher’s dressed for the holidays. On football days I always wore blue, which is our school’s colors.

Since I retired I don’t really spend much time planning my outfits for holidays or special occasions. I have a few dressy outfits for weddings, funerals, etc, and I have some red in my wardrobe for Christmas, but I have basic pants in several colors and blouses or tees that coordinate with them. If I want to dress them up I usually add a little jewelry or a nice jacket.

Now that I’ve thought about it, I believe I’ll buy something new for Easter this year. Maybe something in turquoise which I love. Or maybe coral. I like coral too. What about you? Do you dress in a special way for holidays or special days?

The picture shows my husband and I at an autumn picnic. Note the browns and dark greens in the blouse? Nice autumn colors.

Beyond the Book: Oh, Yes, I Would

I was recently asked whether or not I’d ever do acupuncture. The short answer is yes. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it if necessary. 

I knew what acupuncture was, but one day I saw a documentary set in China. A woman was having an operation to remove a goiter from her throat. The doctor inserted some acupuncture needles while she lay on a table, and with her fully conscious he cut into her throat and removed the goiter. She showed no reaction at all. He then sat her up and gave her an orange to eat. She did eat it, and it didn’t seem to hurt her at all. I was impressed.

My next experience with acupuncture was when my sister decided to quit smoking. She’d been smoking since she was fourteen, but one day she just decided to quit. She had one acupuncture treatment, and she stopped smoking that very day. That’s it. She didn’t do anything else.

My father also had an experience with acupuncture. He had a really painful back, and his doctor said it wouldn’t hurt to try it. I was curious so I went with him to his appointment. Let me tell you, he was sweating bullets. He didn’t like the idea of having needles stuck into him. The doctor came in and started inserting the needles, but Daddy couldn’t see him doing it. After a little polite chit chat, my dad asked when they would get started. The doctor laughed and told him they’d been started for ten minutes. Did it help my father? It did, but not to the extent that it did my sister.

So, yes, I would definitely try acupuncture if it was recommended to me. What about you? Would you do it?

Beyond the Book: Princess Morgane

Today I'm interviewing the Princess Morgane, heroine of The Enchanted. I'm sure you will enjoy getting to know her.

1.  Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to your author’s attention? Occupation? 

“I am the Princess Morgane, daughter of King Maccus, wife of Prince Alan who is heir to his father King Bowdyn. The entire kingdom celebrated my marriage to Prince Alan, so I suppose that is how she heard of me. My occupation? I am a princess.”

A tall, blonde warrior enters the chamber where the interview is taking place. He hears the last thing Princess Morgane says. “Do not forget, my princess, that I have seen you washing dishes. Mayhap you would enjoy that occupation.”

The princess laughs, her eyes gleam. “My husband jests, though I did indeed wash the dishes when we fought the terrible evil in King Osric’s realm.”

“Fought and prevailed in large part to you, my dear.”

The princess nods to the interviewer. “As you can see, Madame, my husband is a practiced flirt!”

2.  What or who is the greatest love of your life? Why? What drew you to them?

Princess Morgane reaches for Prince Alan’s hand. “Our love story did not begin the way most do. Our fathers arranged a marriage for the two of us even though we had never met. I did not expect to even like him, but I grew to love him almost immediately. How could I not? He is everything a man should be. He is kind, generous, clever, protective, …”

“Nay, my love. These are qualities that should apply to you. If I possess any virtue at all, it comes out of my love for you.”

The princess blushes and turns back to the interviewer. 

3.  What’s your greatest fear?

Princess Morgane bites her lip. “I fear that one day I might lose the prince. We live in a dangerous world.”

Prince Alan scowls at the interviewer. “Think no more upon it, my princess. I will take very good care of myself.”

4.  What’s your motto in life?

“Aut viam inveniam aut faciam - I will either find a way or make one.”

The prince beams at her. “Well said, my princess. After our experiences I do not believe in the word impossible.”

5.  How do the other characters in your book view you? 

Princess Morgane considers the question. “With no false modesty, I can say that I have found favor with my husband and his family. To this day I possess the red banner given to me by King Bowdyn in appreciation of my service to the kingdom.” Her eyes twinkle. “Perhaps I do not look like a warrior, but I am held in high regard by the army.”

Prince Alan laughs. “Indeed. Madame Interviewer, you should hear the warrior Renweard speak of her bravery when she confronted the false princess. Even now he brags of how she killed an enemy to save me. In truth she saved me twice, once in Pygeria, and once when the false princess held sway over the castle.”

6. What do you prefer? To spread & hear gossip, or be the creator of gossip fodder?

“Well, if one must choose, I suppose I would rather be the creator of gossip fodder. It is much more entertaining that way.”

7.  What is it about you that is going to draw us readers in? 

Prince Alan clears his throat. “I will answer that one for you. She has the heart of a dragon and beauty beyond compare, but she is warm, nurturing, and loving toward all whom she meets.”

“Thank you, my prince.”

8.  What was your happiest moment? 

She laughs. “Oh, that is easy. My happiest moment was when Prince Alan broke the evil spell upon Pygeria, thereby giving us the chance for a future together.”

9.  What trait in others do you find most deplorable?

“I abhor greediness which leads to all manner of deceit and unkindness.”

10. The random question: If you were a color, what color would you be and why?

“Yellow. To me, yellow is a joyous, happy color full of hope and sunshine. I have suffered much in my life, but thanks to my adventures with the prince my days are now filled with sunshine.” She stands. “Come. Let me show you the lovely painting the prince did for me. It too is filled with the sunshine.”