In Between Land and Sea, I introduced Barbara Davies aka Isabella of the Mediterranean Kingdom.
She will be returning as protagonist in The Coming of Arabella, to be released by Soul Mate Publishing on August 19.
Before and while writing Book 2 of the trilogy, I touched base with Barbara. Here’s what she had to say during the interview…
Continue reading on the Heroines with Hearts blog.
I’m thrilled to welcome Soul Mate author Julie Doherty to the Power of 10 series.
Here’s Julie!
1. IT IS A CRAFT THAT MUST BE LEARNED AND PRACTICED
Confession time: I am not, and never have been, an insatiable reader. As a child, I loved Ingalls-Wilder’s LITTLE HOUSE series, and in my teens, I discovered the Brontës and Jane Austen. Our family had little money, though, to spend on books, and I rarely thought about using the school library for fun reading. The library was only a place to study, copy stuff verbatim out of encyclopedias, and ogle the smart boys.
I’ve been a storyteller my whole life, though, so when someone suggested I write a book, I thought, Why not? How hard can it be?
Um, it’s pretty hard, and it might surprise you (like it surprised me) to learn that you don’t just sit down and fluidly pen a story. There’s a craft to it, something a practiced reader knows intuitively from the many hours spent with a book in her hands.
My first completed novel was a disaster, but that didn’t stop me from querying every agent and publisher in Jeff Herman’s “Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents.” Amid the rejections stuffed daily into my mailbox was the response of one agent who’d written notes in the margins of my submission. “Head hopping . . . Whose POV are we in?”
WHAT? I knew then there was more to writing a novel than merely telling a story. I began anew, picked up every how-to book I could get my hands on, and—TA DA!—I started reading. I’m glad I did. Every book, good and terrible, teaches me something.
2. WRITING TAKES A LOT OF TIME
Pick up any book and look at the page. See those words? Yeah, those made it into the final product. For every one of them, there were buckets of others that didn’t. Still, someone wrote all of them, and that took time, the one thing most writers lack.
If you want to write books, you have to carve time out of your day to do it. If you have a day job or a family, this can be problematic. You might need to sacrifice sleep, lunch hours, even picnics, family reunions, your favorite television shows, and . . . clean pants. Eventually, your loved ones will complain, and you’ll need to figure out how to balance your real life with your dream. When you do, email me your secret. My husband is starting to complain about the scant fare at our establishment.
3. YOU WILL FACE REJECTION
Repeatedly. So much, in fact, that you will begin to think you should throw your laptop off a cliff (with you still holding it) and give up writing forever. Don’t. They are a necessary part of your journey, because they force you to reevaluate. Should you be lucky enough to receive a rejection that offers more than “Sorry, not for us,” see it as the gold it is. Even though it’s a rejection, the agent or editor who sent it saw something in your writing that made her want to personalize her response and maybe even give you some direction. That’s a foot in the door. Wedge your size 8.5 stiletto in there and pry that baby open. Use every bit of hope as fuel, make adjustments, and one day, you’ll have a contract.
4. A CRITIQUE PARTNER IS AS NECESSARY AS BREATHING
It can be hard to show your work to someone, and even harder to have it returned with red marks all over it. But a good, honest critique partner is something you can’t live without. You need that second set of eyes. A regular critique partner will know you and your work so well she’ll even tell you when you’re straying from your voice.
You will need to review your buddy’s work, as well. A lot of us struggle with this, because we don’t like to hurt feelings, or we think we aren’t good enough to offer anyone advice. You have to get over this quickly. Comments on another’s work aren’t a personal attack, and you can word them nicely. “While this is a great sentence, I think it might read better without so many adjectives.” You may find that critiquing another’s work is one of the best ways of learning what works, and what doesn’t.
5. UNLESS YOU WRITE A BREAKOUT NOVEL, THERE WILL BE NO LONG LINES OF READERS WAITING TO SEE YOU AT THE BOOKSTORE
This should be your ultimate dream, but the odds of it happening on your first try are pretty slim. You will have book signings, but they’ll be sparsely attended, and mostly by your family. They are wonderful just the same.
6. MOST OF THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WILL SEE YOUR WRITING AS A HOBBY
Until my first contract, just about everyone I know saw my writing as a hobby. This can be a downer and make it hard to stay focused. It also means fighting for your writing time, since those around you will ignore the boundaries you try to set. You need to believe, though, because if you don’t believe, who will?
7. WHEN YOUR NOVEL DEBUTS, YOU’LL THINK YOU’VE MADE IT
And you have! Sort of. But because you’re freshly published, you won’t understand that now the real work begins!
8. YOU’LL SPEND AS MUCH TIME MARKETING AS YOU DO WRITING
Unless you land a contract with one of the biggies, you can expect to market your own books. Small presses do what they can, but it’s not much. Your release will debut and sales will be pretty good, because everybody who loves you will support you with a sale. You’ll relax and start calculating how many books you will sell in a year based upon the current rate, and it will be exciting! You’ll allow yourself to think about that old dream again, the one with the huge line waiting to see you at bookstores. Unfortunately, around the three-month mark, if you’ve done no marketing, your book will start slipping in rank, and several months later, you’ll realize you need to get the paddles out and yell, “Clear!” to find your book’s heartbeat again.
I’m at this point now with my debut novel. I’ve done two blog tours, advertised online, sent press releases off to local papers, visited my local library, dropped off cards just about everywhere I can think of, purchased a Google Adwords campaign, Tweeted, Facebooked, blogged . . . it wears a writer down. But by your second book, you’ll have figured out what works (and what doesn’t), so you’ll be smarter and less burdened next time.
9. YOU WILL GET BAD REVIEWS
I was not prepared for how deeply my first bad review would affect me. No joke, it sent me to therapy and nearly ended my marriage. It wasn’t so much the content of the review, which was quite positive in parts. It was the way in which it was delivered, and it was, after all, my first.
The thing about a book (even yours) is that not everyone will love it. If you don’t believe me, look up your all-time favorite book on Goodreads or Amazon and check out the 1-star reviews. Those people hated the book you love.
When you get your first bad review, you will want to defend yourself and your work. Don’t. And don’t let Aunt Freda defend you, either. This will be hard, because it will seem like some of the reviewers either didn’t read—or skimmed—your book.
Remember why you write. Is it for praise? No, it’s because you love telling stories. So, tell them. If praise comes as a result, smile and strut around for a while. If not, consider whether there’s anything valuable in the critical reviews and then get back to your work-in-progress.
10. YOU WILL STRUGGLE
If you’ve read 1-9 above, then it should be clear that the road to publication is a bouncy one. You’ll tire of working non-stop for little return. You’ll miss your family, clean clothes, a tidy house, and cupboards that are filled with food, not research papers and writing books. You’ll look at the money and time you spend on your dream and wonder if it’s really worth it. Someone will post a bad review and you’ll throw your stack of unread “Romance Writers Reports” against the dining room wall. That’s it! You’re quitting! You’ll storm out of the house and go for a walk and a good, long cry. Halfway around the park, you’ll notice young parents sitting on bleachers watching Little League practice. The guy on the top row isn’t watching his son. He’s watching the single mom three rows down. And your mind begins to wonder . . . will he ever get the nerve to ask her out?
And then you know. You’re infected. Diagnosis: terminal writer.
Blurb
In twelfth century Scotland, it took a half-Gael with a Viking name to restore the clans to their rightful lands. Once an exile, Somerled the Mighty now dominates the west. He’s making alliances, expanding his territory, and proposing marriage to the Manx princess.
It’s a bad time to fall for Breagha, a torc-wearing slave with a supernatural sense of smell.
Somerled resists the intense attraction to a woman who offers no political gain, and he won’t have a mistress making demands on him while he’s negotiating a marriage his people need. Besides, Breagha belongs to a rival king, one whose fresh alliance Somerled can’t afford to lose.
t’s when Breagha vanishes that Somerled realizes just how much he needs her. He abandons his marriage plans to search for her, unprepared for the evil lurking in the shadowy recesses of Ireland—a lustful demon who will stop at nothing to keep Breagha for himself.
Trailer
Bio
Julie is a member of Romance Writers of America and Central PA Romance Writers. When not writing, she enjoys antiquing, shooting longbow, traveling, and cooking over an open fire at her cabin. She lives in Pennsylvania with her Irish husband, who sounds a lot like her characters.
Where to find Julie
Welcome to my Second Acts Series!
Today, we have actress and author Charmaine Gordon sharing an inspiring journey that has spanned six decades.
Here’s Charmaine!
Picture this, dear readers. Dinosaurs roamed the earth. I was the good daughter, the good wife, the good mother of way too many kids. My high school sweetheart and I married into Air Force Pilot bliss during the Korean War. From sheltered Chicago city life, I moved into a different world where flags flew, salutes all the time and husbands were on TDY-temporary duty-all the time so I became strong at twenty, no longer protected. The joke was when the men flew home with much fanfare, bands playing and all, they said to each other, “What’s the second thing you’ll do when you get home?” The answer was always, “Take off my parachute.” Nine months later many babies were born. Oh, what a time.
We became civilians, moved from one state to another and settled in NY. When my youngest, finally a girl, turned sixteen, an actress friend told me to head to the city. She’d seen me in community plays and said I was way ready to perform big time. I didn’t even know how to get to NYC. Sweet hubs drew a map and I got there. Soon I became a small fish in a big pond in middle age. Movies, daytime drama, and stage kept this homemaker busy with time to cook, help with our business, and still take care of the six kids. Until my voice was stricken with spasmodic dysphonia toward the end of a play Off-Broadway and I realized my Sweet Time was over. No more Working Girl, the movie singing happy Birthday to Melanie Griffith and sharing a hot dog with Harrison Ford. No more lunch with Anthony Hopkins during another movie and so much more.
Creative juices still flowed. In my seventies at this point, what to do? Without training, I had the nerve to write a book. Vanilla Heart Publishing asked for a few chapters of To Be Continued and an author was born.
You need courage to keep moving on, my friends. Don’t let anything get in your way. Believe in yourself and keep going. Wake up each day and greet yourself with a smile. I’m 84 and loving it. Married again after my first love suddenly passed on, we take care of each other. I wish you all the best. Remember “it isn’t over ‘til it’s over.”
Who knows what Act Three will bring but I’m ready.
Here’s a quote from a review for No Time for Green Bananas, a long short story in one of my mature romance/suspense series:
From LAS Reviewer
Delightful, heartwarming and unexpected, No Time for Green Bananas delivers an older main character still yearning for adventure – and still with something to learn about life and friendship.
Celeste Hamlin’s suffered a loss but she’s tough. She sets off to re-traverse an old and wonderful adventure; alone this time, not entirely strong enough, but determined. Unexpected help crops up along the way, but she can’t let herself rely on others, can’t waste time on friendship, can’t imagine forward to much future.
Paul is patient and endearing but she isn’t looking for any future relationship here; in fact, she seems to be determined to live in the past. Yet, Paul is hard to ignore:
“A lone guitarist played acoustic guitar over in a corner. Jazz renditions of old songs. Beautiful and so interesting on that kind of instrument. Softly he sang, “It seems we’ve stood and talked like this before…”
Readers will fall for Paul and so hope that Celeste will stop telling herself things like “Absurd you foolish old woman” and allow herself a chance.
Kudos to the publisher here. The author definitely stepped outside the box on the character and storyline. No Time For Green Bananas is a real gem of a short story that will delight romance fans and especially more mature readers.”
Thank you, Joanne, for this wonderful opportunity to meet you and your following.
Where to find Charmaine…
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon
Joanne here!
Wow!! I’m in awe of your extraordinary talents and ability to persevere. I hope you will consider writing your memoirs.
I am thrilled to share this cover with you today!
Blurb
On the day of her engagement party, an ex-mermaid’s life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of another mermaid—a sister she has never known. Under normal circumstances, Barbara Davies would be overjoyed, but her special day is already wrought with tension. While Barbara is not the first mermaid from the Mediterranean kingdom to settle in small town Ontario, she has yet to reveal her origins to her fiancé. So when Arabella, the gorgeous sister whose disturbing black eyes banished her to the island of Crete, saunters into her life, clutching the arm of Barbara’s discarded lover, a powder keg of emotion is released.
Relationships falter and careers stall as envy stirs in the hearts of the sisters. On the verge of meltdown after her fiancé leaves Canada for a teaching job in Vermont, Barbara flees to Arizona hoping for a reprieve. There, she finds solace at a retreat for ex-mermaids and a second chance at love with a charismatic preacher. As she contemplates a new life in the desert paradise of Sedona, shocking secrets emerge and tragedy strikes. A stronger and wiser Barbara rises up to face these new challenges and embrace the best parts of her mermaid heritage.
Enter the Giveaway – You could win a $10 Starbucks gift card.
Coming August 19, 2015
For over a year, I watched as fellow authors launched Rafflecopter giveaways on their blogs and Facebook pages. I even participated in several of those giveaways and was pleasantly surprised by the increase in FB likes and Twitter followers. Friends encouraged me to launch my own Rafflecopter, but I hesitated and produced a litany of excuses, among them:
I don’t have a new book to launch.
I’m too busy with edits.
It looks a lot of work and follow-up on my part.
I’ll let the blog tour company deal with all of that.
To be truthful, I just didn’t want to deal with one more new thing in my life. Content to drift, I had the reverse of the Shiny Object Syndrome.
Continue reading on the Soul Mate Authors blog.
Received a 5* review of A Season for Killing Blondes from Delta at The Romance Reviews.
Molte grazie!
I’m thrilled to welcome Soul Mate author Tina Susedik to the Power of 10 series. Today, Tina chats about her favorite authors and books.
Here’s Tina!
Like most people who love reading, I have my favorites, although picking ten among the many was difficult. Once I find an author I like, I’ll get copies of every book they’ve written and read all of them until I’m done. This works out fine if the author no longer writes, but there are several that I’m way behind on. They keep writing, and I keep finding new authors to read. I’ve kept many of these authors’ books on my Keeper Shelves, but recently have had to thin them out, as I’m running out of room. And even though I love their books, I know I won’t re-read them because there are so many new authors to read.
Two of my all-time favorite and the first romance authors I read are Kathleen Woodiwiss and LaVyrle Spencer. Their books are ones I’ll never let go and have re-read many, many times. I’ve lent them to friends and fret the whole time that I’ll never get them back.
The first romance I ever read was “The Flame and the Flower” by Kathleen Woodiwiss. It was 1975 and I was pregnant with my first child. Out of the blue, my brother called me and told me I needed to read this book, that I would love it. As I was no longer working, I bought the book for an incredible price of $1.50, and stayed up all night reading it. My husband was out of town, so there was no one to interrupt. The next day I called my brother and asked him why on earth he was reading a romance. He said: “I was in the bathroom longer than I intended and the only thing to read was Peggy’s (his wife) book that had been on the floor. I couldn’t put the darn thing down.” I loved the mix of romance, mystery, and history. Out of his five sisters, I’m not sure why he chose me to tell to read Ms. Woodiwiss, but I’m glad he did. It started my love of reading romance.
I’m not sure how I found LaVyrle Spencer, but I first read her books in 1988. There is something about her writing that is real. Her characters are ones I’d love to meet and become friends with. My favorite is Bitter Sweet, mainly because it’s set in northeastern Wisconsin. On a visit to Door County, I dragged my husband to the various places used in the book. He’s was great about listening to me rant: “Wow, this is the store where her father worked,” or “Here’s where her house is set.” This is one book I will suddenly find I have to read and read right now.
Jude Deveraux is another author whose books I love. I met her at the Romantic Times Convention three years ago. I was so excited, I’m afraid I acted like a crazed fan. I even told her that her books were on my keeper shelf. My favorite is “A Knight in Shining Armor.” There’s something about a hunky knight traveling into the future and falling in love with you.
Two authors that have been on my keeper shelves are Luanne Rice and Emilie Richards. Like LaVyrle Spencer her characters are real. They both write about families and the problems they can have. I couldn’t say which ones of theirs are my favorites, and even though I read most of their books, I know I need to catch up with both of them.
Of course on my list is Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series. My husband even reads them. I love a book where the characters make me laugh out loud. Right now I’m four books behind.
I enjoy reading mysteries, and two of my favorite authors are Ngaio Marsh and Lilian Jackson Braun. Marsh’s books are similar to Agatha Christie (whom I also like to read). Lilian Jackson Braun writes “The Cat Who. . .” mysteries. I love the character Jim Qwilleran, a down and out reporter who comes into a fortune. I devoured her books, one after the other. His two cats, Koko and Yum-Yum have a knack for helping him solve the mysteries. She wrote nearly until her death in 2011 at the age of 97, leaving her last book unfinished. Unfortunately, whoever finished the book made readers irate, including myself.
Carl Hiaasen is another author my husband and I enjoy. His humor and the way he twists plots keeps the reader on his toes. As an author myself, I often wonder how he comes up with the twists and turns and the crazy characters.
An author I recently found and enjoy is Tess Gerritsen. I hadn’t read any of her books until I registered for a Barbara Vey Reader’s Appreciation Luncheon where Ms. Gerritsen was the key-note speaker. I figured I should read at least one of her books, so I was familiar with what she wrote. One book turned to two, then three, then . . . I met her at the luncheon and had my picture taken with her. A very, very nice lady.
I know this is #11, but I can’t forget Nora Roberts. I’d been collecting her books for years. Read a few, but just kept collecting. At one point I had 157. In 2013 I decided my goal would be to read as many of her books as I could. I needed the shelf space. I read 91 of her books that year. I thought I was making progress, then my dear sweet husband, probably seeing how I was constantly reading her, gave me some Nora Roberts books for Christmas.
As time goes on, I’m sure I’ll add other authors to my favorite author list. I know I’ve read many new authors who could be added.
Bio
Tina Susedik can’t remember a time when she didn’t have stories floating around in her head. The last thing she thought she would ever do was write a book, let alone a history one. Six history books later, she was finally able to pursue her dream of being published in romance. Success came with “Riding for Love,” a romantic mystery. She plans on having many more books completed soon. In her spare time, Tina loves to read, hike, camp, bike, garden, take photographs and spend time with her five grandchildren.
Blurb
Eve Dayton, owner of a riding ranch, rose above her childhood past and overcame the emotional damage her boyfriend caused when he married another woman. When someone starts sabotaging her ranch, Eve is desperate to find the culprit before she loses everything. Is it a coincidence or is the return of Denton Johanson tied to the mystery?
Divorced Denton Johanson returns to his hometown to help convict the embezzling controller of the family business. When he runs into Eve, he realizes his feelings for her are still strong enough to try and win her back. His fear of horses won’t get in the way of his goal and decides the only way to be near her is to take riding lessons from her. Can he convince her that his love is real and he is not behind the mystery surrounding the ranch?
Eve Dayton’s former boyfriend returns to town just as problems start arising at her horse riding ranch. Can she believe his declaration to be part of her life again? Will she overcome the suspicion that he is part of the problem and accept his help in catching the culprits? Find out how Denton Johanson triumphs over his fears to win back her love.
Where to find Tina…
Website | Facebook| Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon | Goodreads
Today, I’m visiting with two Soul Mate authors and chatting about A Season for Killing Blondes…
I’m thrilled to present the cover for Katie Hamstead’s novel…
Blurb
When Donna is sent back in time to Classical Athens, she’s furious at Dr. Stephens for sending her against her wishes. Then a Greek soldier purchases her to be his wife.
She’s forced to learn a new language and culture, and faces her fears of never returning to her own time. The society hates her, especially because they think she’s an Amazon, which forces her to confront her issues—being compared to her genius brother, borderline abusive friends, and a cheating boyfriend.
But her husband, Peleus, is kind and patient. Although against her best judgment, she allows him into her heart. He counters all the negative voices from her past, but those voices drive a wedge between them. She must let go of her fears, her inhibitions, and insecurities, and admit her feelings, or she could lose him and the life they’ve built.
Bio
Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She currently works as an Acquisitions Editor with Curiosity Quills Press to help support her family.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
Where to find Katie…
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Joanne Guidoccio 