Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Free Read!

I've updated my website and put up a short story called, Shedding Skin, for people to read.
I wrote it about five, maybe six, years ago and it was listed at a romance website to read for a long time, I'm not sure if it's still there.
Anyway, I thought I might as well add it to my website!
http://www.annewhitfield.com

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is Editor Appreciation Day at The Wild Rose Press.

I would have selected Valentine's Day to honor the hard working editors at this romantic fiction publisher, but nobody asked me to help make the decision.

Regardless of the specific day/publisher, there's probably a special editor who helped you polish your work until it glittered like a diamond.

An e-mail or snail mail thank you is guaranteed to brighten that editor's BUSY day.

Wishing you lots of chocolate treats and no tricks on Halloween!

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Did You Ever Notice How Time Flies ...

. . . even when you're not having fun?

. . . especially when you're not having fun!

I swear the hands of the clock set all-time speed records when you're tap dancing as fast as you can to finish an impossible amount of work.

And . . . have you ever noticed how additional projects and time-sensitive tasks pop up as if by magic?

Hope things are far less hectic in your author's life than in mine this week!

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Editor's "Throne" Not So Comfortable After All

This week has been a blur of activity. I did a live online writers conference chat (and am still doing the follow-up week long forum.)

Judging a writer's guild competition in my "spare" time made me feel like I'd suddenly switched places with an editor.

Instead of waiting on pins and needles to see if my "masterpiece" made its way to the top of the slush pile and actually got accepted, I had to fill out individual evaluation sheets and make comments directly on the manuscripts.

My first impression of the entries was NOT positive. I set them aside to start fresh the next morning. Knowing what it feels like to be a writer who has tried to send her very best work, I wanted to give other writers every possible advantage.

Unfortunately, the entries didn't look any better the second time through. Or the third.

Most of the stories didn't get started until the third or fourth page. Dialogue was stiff and didn't seem age appropriate. There were way too many spelling and punctuation errors to dismiss as the two or three even the most careful of writers may miss.

I finally forced myself to complete the task. It couldn't have been mere coincidence that I got a brutal headache when it was time to pick the "winners."

Even though it's plenty tough to occupy a writer's chair, I've decided it's more comfortable than an editor's.

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Let’s welcome today’s special guest, Stacy Dawn.






A mother of two young boys, and married to her first love, Stacy Dawn lives and works in a small town in Southern Ontario, Canada. Writing for many years, she is multi-published in both long and short romantic fiction. With a background in graphic arts and children’s photography, she has recently added a children’s ebook series to her portfolio as both author and illustrator of Harriet, the Half-pint Holstein.




Stacy, we’d love to We would love to get to know you. Could you please start by telling us a little about yourself?
I’m a proud Canadian, living in a small town on the shore of Lake Ontario. I write to steal girl-time from my sportsaholic, male dominated family. The good thing is that they are so busy either playing or watching sports that I get some decent writing time in LOL. Like many writers that I know, I’m a mother and wife, work outside the home as well as in and write around a busy life in general. Along with romance, I also write and illustrate a children’s ebook series, The Adventures of Harriet, the Half-pint Holstein (http://www.harrietholstein.com/)

What's your favorite genre to read?
Romantic Comedy. I LOVE humor in books and especially romances. That’s probably why I like to write them too.


What was your first published work and when was it published?
My first published work was a short romance story in Star Magazine. The funny part about it was that about a month after I sent it off, I met my future husband. By the time it was printed, we’d been dating a few months and everyone in his store who read it thought I’d written it about him so he got teased a lot.


What do you do on a typical writing day?
I don’t really have a typical writing day anymore. Fits and spurts is more like it, done around family and work. I do try for at least an hour a day—that could either be very early in the morning, mid afternoon, or evenings. Ideally, when I get a good day to write, I am most productive in the mornings.

When you have writer's block how do you break free?
I find that working in a different creative medium helps unblock creative writing. I love to sketch and paint as well as do beading and needlework. Usually when I’m blocked in one area, I’ll take up another for a few days to let the creative ideas form in a different way.
Can you please give us a sneak peek at any of your upcoming books?
I have two upcoming books. One is the third in my Noelle Christmas series, A Cinderella Christmas. This one takes the reader back to the loveably eccentric town of Noelle, Alberta where the local baker is about to get the Christmas present that doesn’t end. My second release comes this January in the first of a new short story series about a karaoke bar. Karaoke Cowgirl find one singer who, in trying to impress her cowboy, goes a little overboard and may just ruin her chances of singing him anymore love songs.

In 5 years, where do you see yourself? -In general and in you're writing career
Actually, this is an interesting question because I just celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary and my husband and I discussed this. We are pretty much where we wanted to be now—our own house with land, children, food on the table etc and my working on my writing. So, five years from now, I guess I’d like to see us a bit more financially stable and me with a few more novels under my belt as well as continuing in my short stories.

Is there a genre of book you would like to write but haven't yet?
Historical. I’d love to do a Regency and have ideas for one but part of a good historical is accuracy and I just haven’t had time to do enough research yet to feel comfortable with the era.

When did you first decide to submit your work? Please, tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.
I actually have my first rejection letter—I was nine and submitted to Highlights Magazine. For the most part, it was in my teens that I decided on romance. I was probably about twenty when I submitted my first short story in romance and I believe twenty-three when I got my first story published (after numerous rejections LOL) Each rejection though depressed me but at the same time taught me more or gave me a direction to learn from. My sister would have been my biggest aid in encouragement. Though my family is very supportive in general, no one thought my writing more than just a fancy. She was the only one who kept telling me that I could do it and to just go for it.
Now, I add my husband with her. He never once thought of my writing as just a hobby. He’s been one hundred percent behind me right from day one.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?
A bit of both. I give each story it’s own notebook and jot down the ideas as they come. This means that they are not necessarily in order but overall, if I write something down, I remember it better. When I feel I have most of the story somewhere in those notes—or at least a good first half, then I will start writing. From there, I have a gist of what to follow but a lot of the surprises and twists come out as I write—things that I didn’t even know would happen until I see them on paper LOL

Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder you?
I belong to a wonderful critique group. We call ourselves the Princesses of the Pen—our tiaras are a little crooked but then so is our outlook on writing, love, and life. We’ve been together a couple years now and they have been my rock in the publishing world (and life) in both support and encouragement. They don’t let me get away with anything, but have my back in whatever manuscript I’m working on. We are very honest with each other, which I think is the most important thing to have in critique partners. You need encouragement but you also need that someone to tell you when things aren’t working—there really are nice ways to say something stinks (chocolate usually helps) and they know most of them—yet, at the same time, will be the first to shout out praise when things work. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
One thing I will say about critique partners is finding them is like finding a man to marry. You’re lucky if the first one fits, but often you have to go through a number of them to find the right one. Same with critique partners. Not everyone’s personality will mesh. But once you find the right one—be good to them, and let them know often how much you appreciate their help.
How can readers find out more about you and your books?

A quick way to find all my titles with excerpts and links is at http://www.stacydawnebooks.blogspot.com/.

I just set that up recently.
You are also all more than welcome to visit my website at http://www.stacydawn.com/.
I post at least biweekly on my blog at http://www.stacydawn.blogspot.com/, and Mondays at http://www.princessesofthepen.blogspot.com/ .
I’m one of the hostesses at the Romance Bistro (http://www.yahoogroups.r/ )
And you can also find out more about my children’s ebook series at http://www.harrietholstein.com/ and http://www.harrietholstein.blogspot.com/

What would you like to tell your readers?
Thank you. Though I initially write each story for my own amusement, when I hit that submission button, I can only hope that the editors and then the readers will have as much fun with it as I did. As I said, I enjoy romantic comedy and my goals for my readers is to make them smile and hopefully even laugh out loud.
Thank you so much for having me here today!
To readers, thank you for just being who you are, lovers of a good story. And to writers, thank you for being who you are, a wealth of knowledge, inspiration and friendship!

And here’s a little taste of one of Stacy’s releases, Wanna Make a Bet?
Blurb:
When aspiring artist and purposefully single Sophie Montgomery mutters those four fateful words, her sexy neighbor, Jay Coltrane, pounces on the opportunity to prove she's not as immune to him as she thinks. Before she knows it, Sophie finds herself not only betting against a seduction, she's betting against her own ability to keep her dreams intact and a certain luscious landscaper out of them.
Excerpt:
Entering the small hallway connecting their two apartments, Sophie made a strategic mistake. She looked at Jay. The blue depths of his eyes instantly deepened to a rich sapphire.Uh oh.She backed up the two steps to her door, turned and fidgeted with the lock. Sophie desperately wanted to go right in, more to the truth, run right in and hide. Unfortunately, ingrained manners forced her to turn before entering.Jay stood close behind her, his moon-enhanced cologne teasing her senses. With a single breath, the temperature rose by degrees."Yes, well, I had a great time. Thank you." Sophie hated how her lip trembled when she offered him a smile.The first two kisses came as a surprise. This one she saw coming a mile away yet the hand she held to block his way seemed to be the only part of her body currently connected to her brain. Every other part leaned forward wanting to bury themselves deep within him. Her lips practically screamed to be touched by his.The pressure of his chest beneath her hand inched it back towards her. It took Herculean effort to hold him at bay and wrap a cloak of indifference around her. Sophie prayed her knees would stay strong long enough to finish this."You didn't think it would be that easy now did you, Slick? You're good—I'll give you that. But I have plans for my winnings." She forced an extra emphasis on the word my."Stella?" Jay guffawed, not a little in surprise. "You'd pick a car over a nice warm body like mine?" He sighed dejectedly, humor lighting his handsome face."I'm not looking for any warm body right now." She held up a finger in anticipation of his protest."And I don't ever plan to be someone's girl d'jouer. Not even for a little fun."For half a second, Sophie could've sworn his smiled faltered then it was back brighter than ever."How about a simple good-night kiss then. Between friends." He spoke to her lips as if he knew they wanted it bad.Sophie took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and grinned. "Sure." She eyed the stout bulldog waiting patiently at their feet. "Go ahead, Harvey. Give him a kiss."Obediently, the bulldog stuck his tongue out in a drool-fest pant. Sophie stole the moment of Jay's distraction to slip inside and close the door.Wooshing out a lung-full of air, she leaned back on the door. That was way too close.Jay's muffled, "Spoil sport," sifted through the door on a rich, deep chuckle. Beatrice's earlier question suddenly popped into her head. Who's winning?Available now from The Wild Rose Press




The leaves are falling...

It's autumn, so I just thought I'd treat you to a few pictures from the garden here in Yorkshire. The weather's been lovely for a few days, but there's sometimes a wintry nip in the air in the mornings now.

The roses are starting to go a bit quiet, but 'Shropshire Lad' is still going strong. There's a small chrysanthemum finally doing its thing after surviving as a sickly cutting on the bedroom windowsill over winter and battling the slugs all year.

The grass doesn't need mowing so often, the buddleias have been cut back for the winter and before too many more weeks the geraniums and pots of herbs will have to be brought under cover - but I noticed the other day that there's a primrose flowering! That's global warming for you.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Late For An Important Date

I didn't forget our weekly date. Just ran out of time on a couple of projects that couldn't possibly be postponed any longer.

Anybody have any bright ideas for stretching days and weeks a bit?

Given the financial crisis, we're already doing our best to stretch our money.

Next week is the Muse Online Writers Conference. If you registered, I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

If you missed this year's event, registration for next year starts in November.

May the Muse be kind!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

Friday, October 3, 2008

Introducing Lindsay

Hi, I'm Lindsay Townsend. Since this is my first post to SRNWrites, I'll tell you a bit about myself. I'm English, living in Yorkshire with a husband and a degree in history. I write medieval romance and ancient world romance mostly, though when I first started I wrote modern romantic suspense.

Currently I have two publishers. Kensington Zebra do my medievals, which are all set in England so far - A Knight's Vow, which came out in the spring, A Knight's Captive, which appears next spring, and two more to follow. Bookstrand have taken some ancient world books - Flavia's Secret, set in Roman Britain, is the first to appear - and a revised version of a short romantic suspense book, A Secret Treasure, set on the Greek island of Rhodes in the 1930s.

Details of my books are on my own blog at http://lindsaysbookchat.blogspot.com, if you'd like to visit sometime.

Although I'm a romantic at heart, I'm also keen to create as realistic a feel of the history as I can, which keeps my characters grounded. I'm also no fan of the lantern-jawed, self-obsessed alpha male, so my knights, centurions or what-have-you all have quirks and weaknesses. My heroines tend to be gentle but determined and good in a crisis. The one I'm writing right now, however - for the third knight book - is fairly spiky and I'm enjoying writing her because of the humour in the relationship between her and the hero - I'm not giving anything else away just yet!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Meeting Myself Coming & Going

I'm obviously not the only author doing the Quick Step around here. Looks like nobody had a chance to post since I dropped by last Thursday.

Shall I tell the polite fib and say that I'm getting caught up or tell the truth?

Always the truth ... no such luck!

The good news is that I finished all my Sept. 30th deadline projects (at least the ones I remembered.)

Still wish somebody could build some more hours into the day (a few extra days in the week would help too!)

Hope the week is productive for you (and for me too.)

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette
 

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