Welcome Desert Breeze Publishing author, Theresa Stillwagon!

Happy to welcome Theresa today to show off her beautiful book cover and talk about how the pressure with writing doesn't end when that beloved manuscript is sold...oh no!!

Over to you, Theresa....

A new kind of pressure

Everyone needs goals and deadlines. If we didn’t set goals for ourselves, we’ll never feel a sense of achievement when we meet them. And if we didn’t have deadlines, we probably wouldn’t meet them at all.

Before I sold my first book in 2008, I didn’t really have any set goals or a good, firm deadline. Why bother? I’d been writing for over twenty years, and what?

Then I sold my first book. I still remember the excitement of signing that contract, the dread of going through edits, and the thrill of looking at that first cover.

Then… nothing.

I sold my second book, to a different company and the process started all over again. When I sold a second book to this company with just a synopsis and first three chapters, I thought I was finally in the big leagues.

Then a bunch of manuscripts were rejected.

Until… I sold a series called The Sisters Callaway. Saving Pale Moon is the first book of this series. It was released in April. Book two, Renovations, is finished and waiting for edits. Its release date is in November. Yesterday I just started writing the third one in the series, A Difficult Choice, and I’m feeling a new kind of pressure. This one is due at the publisher in March. And while writing book three of the series, I have one line edit and two full edits to get through. Plus I want to write a second book in a second series called Winter Creek, Montana. The first one is out in August.

No more messing around.

Twenty years ago I actually gave up writing.

I’m glad I decided to stick with it.

And, as if we writers don’t have enough on our plates, I decided to step out and try to do a book trailer.

Yeah, that was interesting.

Buy links for Saving Pale Moon

Desert Breeze Publishing:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-151/%3Ci%3EThe-Sisters-Calloway-Book/Detail.bok

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Calloway-Book-One-ebook/dp/B004V9KBV4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1306002749&sr=1-5

In case you’re interested, a book trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivWW-oJs5wY

Great post, Theresa - I couldn't agree more. In fact, I think the pressure only increases once you are multi-published because it's important to keep up sales on ALL your books and not just your latest. If you want readers to 'follow' you, they should know about your entire journey. Don't you think?

Comments?

Welcome Lyrical & Breathless Press author, Gwenna Sebastian!

Today, my guest is fellow Lyrical Press author, Gwenna Sebastian who is here to talk about her chosen and loved sub-genre of romance, military M/M. The reason I host guest bloggers is for this very reason, how much do you know about M/M romance? Do you read it? Want to write it? Want to learn more? Then Gwenna's here to help!

Hi, I'm Gwenna Sebastian and I'd like to first thank Rachel for having me as a guest on her blog.

I thought I'd start with a little bit about what I write—which are romances of course! I write military romances, mostly set during Vietnam and WWII. And they are about men. When people find out what I write, they generally have two questions: 1) why Vietnam and 2) why M/M, in the military no less?

I've been fascinated by the Vietnam era for quite a few years and have done an extensive amount of research about it. The Sixties was such a turbulent time in our history, a time when we were not kind to the young men sent into a situation not of their choosing. They were often only eighteen or nineteen years old, never been away from home and then found themselves with a rifle, fighting to survive from day to day.

You learned to rely a great deal on your buddies and sometimes that could become more than just a close friendship.

It was not easy being a homosexual in the Sixties. It didn't have a cute name like "gay" back then. And if you were in the military, it was dangerous. It could get you killed.

It's against this backdrop that I write about men who, despite the odds and the danger, somehow find themselves becoming lovers. Whether it's just a one time fling or a deep emotional attachment that can't be denied but must be hidden at all costs, it makes for exciting storytelling. After all, there was no such thing back then as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

And now, thanks to SEAL Team Six, readers like you want to find out more about men in the military, be it a het or gay relationship. I couldn't be more thrilled!

My first novel, Lost and Found, dealt with Mark, a Vietnam vet who never got past the loss of his lover, Ryan, during an ambush in the jungles of Vietnam. He blames himself, and wishes he'd died back there with Ryan. Mark deliberately avoids any chances for friendship or love until a former Marine named Josh comes into his life.

My upcoming new novel, VN2, is a futuristic look at a Vietnam-like war, but it still explores the same issues of intolerance and ignorance with the idea that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here I give you a fractured military with a caste system of officers, enlisted/NCOs and what are called "Bonded." Bonding is physical, emotional and empathic and occurs between two men. More importantly, it's not a choice for either man.

Bonded pairs, for the most part, aren't looked on favorably. Often they are treated with disdain, ignorance and outright loathing. Lieutenant Ian Davidson finds himself on an unforgiving jungle world, Bonded to Sergeant Nathan Williams. Ian has no idea what it means to be Bonded and decides to fight it with everything he has. He's confused, angry and in tremendous pain from refusing to accept the Bond with Nathan. He's willing to die before submitting to it. All of that changes when Nathan and the team's commander are taken prisoner in a raid on the camp. Now Ian finds out the hard way that he not only needs Nathan, but that he may have fallen in love with him. And that it might be too late to do anything about it.

Thank you again, Rachel, for having me stop by and chat up my love of gay military romances. It was wonderful to be here.

Gwenna

www.gwennasebastian.com

Blog: http://gwennasebastian.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002124574734

Now available from Lyrical Press: Lost and Found.

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=82_86&products_id=239

Available July 29th from Breathless Press: VN2

www.breathlesspress.org

Your books sound great, Gwenna! I must admit I have neither written nor read any M/M romance but know it is going from strength, in the US especially. And the fact your books are set against the Vietnam war make them even more interesting. What would you say is the male emotion that should be taken into account first and foremost when writing M/M romance? I know men feel the same emotions as women, yet they express things very differently.

Questions or comments?

Rachel's Reviews - Part ii

Now for Part 2 of my weird and wonderful review day, yesterday - the wonderful review site co-ordinator was so perturbed by my first review that she sent it to a second reviewer which she really didn't have to do, but I am very grateful she cared enough to do so. Here is review number 2...

Getting it right this time by Rachel Brimble is about Kate who is raising her daughter alone after her husband passed away. She wasn’t looking for romance, she just moved back to her home town to raise her daughter. When Kate sees Mark again, all her feelings came back for him. But will she get involved with someone like Mark, and even if she does can they last with Marcia around? Kate has Jess to think about. This book had a fantastic storyline with characters you could feel! A very intriguing story with hot, sweet romance and a happy ending for Kate!! I love this book, and would highly recommend it to my friend.

5 out of 5 stars

Great review, yay!! And then I find out something else that just blew me away....the reviewer who gave me 1 star for Getting It Right This Time also reviewed The Arrival of Lily Curtis. Here's that review...

The book The Arrival of Lily Curtis was very, very good. It would be impossible to compete with detail-oriented and interestingly plotted (not to mention amazingly sensual) books like those by Stephanie Laurens, but this book comes somewhat close. The plot was interesting, the humorous parts hilarious, the heart-wrenching scenes almost tear-enducing, and the characters alive and real. The ending was not as up to par as the rest of the story, but it was not horrible by any means. All in all, this was a fantastic read that this reviewer could not put down.

Rating: 5 out of 5

So there you go, reviews are what they are...and I personally love them, good OR bad!

R x

What the aspiring writer needs to learn from reviews...

Yesterday I received the strangest review I have ever had.

It was for my latest release 'Getting It Right This Time' and I wanted to share it with you as well as using it as a learning tool for any aspiring writers who visit me here.

The review received 1 out of 5 stars and here it is - once you've read it, we'll talk more!

The book Getting it Right This Time was, in a word, horrid, from start to finish. Not once was this reader able to connect with the main female character, and that is a horrible feeling to have through an entire book. Far beyond being just stubborn, the main character was whiny, cowardly, spiteful, shrewish, and disgusting in her attitude toward the main male character. Her reasonings for her actions were appallingly ridiculous and uneducated, and her obsessive control over her daughter was unbelievable at best (and as this reviewer is a mother very into her children, saying that means something). By a third of the way through the story, the book takes a force of will to finish reading. Female power, the knowledge that a single mother CAN overcome any challenges is important and interesting (not to mention uplifting), but the author of this story took it way too far. The only positive thing this book has going for it is it is well-written: no grammar errors that I could see, lots of accurate and clear details, and a nice, flowing story line. Beyond that, it was wretched.

What do you think?

The reason I decided to post this review was not sour grapes or upset but the fact that the reviewer rips the book to pieces and then ends saying the only thing wrong with it is that it was well-written, no errors, accurate and clear and a nice flowing storyline.

I neither understand that nor the one star...

So the lesson I want to pass on to other writers, reviews are reviews. Read them, don't read them but at the end of it all they are one person's opinion and you are the writer. You are not doing this for praise (or at least shouldn't be!) but because you can't NOT do it. Happy writing!!

Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Gail Macmillan!

Although I have introduced Gail as a Wild Rose Press author, I popped along to her website earlier and she has written for many different publishers and had a plethora of books published! Really happy to have you here, Gail and very much looking forward to learning more about you...

1. Do you have goals for 2011?

Yes, I want to complete two currently half-written romance novels and start on a third.

2. What is the best part of the writing process for you?

The first draft, when you can run free with the story.

3. The worst part?

When I find what I call plot holes, places where I've glitched on something that should have been obvious.

4. What is the book you wish you'd written?

Big decision here. Jamaica Inn or Frenchman's Creek.

5. Favorite author/s & book/s

Currently M. C. Beaton as an author, also Elizabeth Peters, L. M. Montgomery, Jane Austen, Maureen Jennings and any of their books

6. Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is today...a historical romance entitled Caledonian Privateer. It's set in England, the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and the Caribbean during the War of 1812. The heroine has stolen a priceless necklace that once belonged to Marie Antoinette and later teams up with the captain of a privateering ship to make her escape from England and a marriage she's determined to avoid.

7. What is your favorite attribute of the hero and heroine?

Their courage and determination. They're ready to take on the world and (especially in the case of the heroine) do it with a sense of humor and good will.

8. What's next?

Three more romance novels, I hope, plus a memoir and a few magazine pieces.

9. Tell me where you write?

Sometimes at my computer, sometimes in front of the fireplace in winter, in the gazebo in summer.

10. Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

I'd like to have either an award-winning or best selling romance. My dog books have already won awards but never my romances.

11: Where can we find you?

You can find me at www.gailmacmillan.com

Thanks for being here with us for the next couple of days, Gail - I'd love to hear more about your dog books. I love dogs! My black Labrador, Max is my third child...we're currently considering get another dog in the very near future, yay!

Comments?

Welcome fellow Lyrical Press author, Silke Juppenlatz!

So looking forward to sharing Silke's post with you today...It's all kinds of animalistic wonderment, lol!

Take it away, Silke!

Thank you, Rachel, for letting me run amok on your blog.
I promise the wolves are housetrained (sort of) and won't do nasty things to the houseplants.
Much. Can't vouch for that one. *points at a slender white wolf*
Anyway, I'm here to tell you about "Howl", my-- *is interrupted by six wolves, "singing"*
Shush! Man, can't take them anywhere.
Where was I, ah yes. I was going to tell you about *eyes a bunch of expectant wolves* Eitch Oh Doubleyou Ell, which was released yesterday.
You see, I've always liked wolves. I think they are amazing creatures. However, I was never really into werewolves.
Then that one came along. *points at a dark brown and tan wolf*
Yeah, you.
That's Zalin. He was quite annoying. Made noises in my head until I was so distracted, I couldn't write the story I wanted to work on. Oh no, he made me write his, instead.
Typical Alpha wolf. *rolls eyes*
Okay, maybe not so typical. You see, he actually likes being on his own, but doesn't want to be alone, if you know what I mean. He likes having a pack, but that's as far as it goes. One thing he's not so keen on is being Leader of the Pack, so to speak. Normally he leaves before it comes to a confrontation. *glances at the wolf who sports a "Who, me?" expression* Oh don't look at me like that, it's true. Shirker.
He was going to leave this time, too, but Tiffy *points at the white wolf who is trying to dig up a houseplant* went missing. Ran away. He had to find her and said he would, and he keeps his promises. *drags white wolf away from plant pot and grins sheepishly* Sorry. She's still a puppy.
So while he's out looking for Tiffy, he got himself into a little hot water with Lucia's dad. Lucia thought he's a wolf though, but no matter what she did or said, it didn't stop her dad from shooting Zalin. Luckily Lucia managed to save his bacon, or this would be a rather short book.
Howl-- *rolls eyes upward to stare at ceiling when every wolf starts to sing again* I really wish they didn't do that. Drives my neighbors nuts. Are you guys done? Can I carry on now? Yes? Thank you.
The book is the story of what happens between Zalin and Lucia afterward. How she finds out about his dual nature and comes to terms with it, along with a whole bunch of secrets, lies and betrayal that follows in the wake of her discovery. Zalin has to make a decision. If he stays, it'll get bloody. If he leaves, he'll lose Lucia.
There is a lot going on in Howl. *stares the wolves down* Don't.Do.IT.
I swear, some day I'll...I'll... *sighs*
Now, originally Howl-- *White wolf starts singing, gets bored and slinks off* Why thank you. Can I finish?
My apologies for the cacophony. Anyway, Howl was not intended to be a series, but since then I've had a brainstorm. Well, it started as a joke, with my editor, at the time.
The sequel is almost finished, and hopefully my publisher will like it. It's about-- *frowns when ripping sounds can be heard from the conservatory* about Tiffy a few years later, and how she gets her mate.
It's called "Watch me", and well... *sighs* you've seen that white wolf. She's into everything. So I think it's aptly named, though she's not quite that bad when she grows up.
I think we've taken up enough of Rachel's time for today. Now if someone could find Tiff-- *stares in horror at the carnage in the conservatory* Oh. My.

Gosh. Uh, Rachel...are those your bunny slippers? Yes?
*pales and drags wolf out of room*
We really gotta go! Bye!
*races out of the door, a bunch of wolves almost knocking her down in the process*

When life hands you wolves -- Howl.
The alpha wolf in Zalin's pack is slowing going insane, which is tough enough to contend with, but the guy is gunning for the woman Zalin loves--the rancher's daughter who saved his hide. He's torn between taking off to avoid a confrontation with the Alpha, and sticking around to protect Lucia. Opening his heart to her is not an option-- he's had enough rejection to last a lifetime.
Lucia is fascinated by the "wolf" she saved--at the time unaware he was more than a canine. Zalin seems out to save her from his Alpha, but she wants more than protection from him. When spilled family secrets make her doubt everything she knows, she turns to Zalin for stability, only to learn he's planning to leave.
Will Zalin desert the one he loves when she needs him most, or will he howl a challenge on her behalf?

Bio:
Silke grew up in Germany and is used to things going bump in the night -- and it wasn't always the acrophobic cat, or someone hitting their head on a low beam on the ceiling. She writes paranormal romance, usually at night, and blames Anne Stuart to this day for all her ambitions and strange stories, after reading one of her books.
These days the only thing going bump at "oh-dark-thirty" is her -- usually when she smacks into the sofa while creeping to the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

Silke likes to hear from her readers. Feel free to contact her via her blog at http://www.evilauthor.com, follow her on Twitter, or become a friend on Facebook.I haven't had a paranormal writer on my blog for quite awhile and after such an interesting post (!!), I can't wait to read your comments. Come on, Silke and I want to hear from all those WOLF fans out there, grrr!!

Upcoming Romantic Novelists Association conference, yay!

The days are ticking by, bringing the RNA annual conference ever closer, I can't wait! With each passing year I am a member of the RNA, the more knowledge I acquire and the more friends I make. I have been a part of this wonderful organisation for seven years now (with a two year absence in between) and since then the confidence in my writing as well as personally has increased ten fold.

Last year was my first conference and I was SO nervous, it was bordering on the ridiculous! But this year, I feel entirely different about it. I am looking forward to meeting the many, many new friends I have made online through Twitter & Facebook as well as catching up with old ones (as in existing, rather than age - although you would wonder about that if you'd read a recent article in the Daily Mail about the RNA' Summer Party! We were portrayed as the largest group of ageing, rain bonneted, support tight wearing writers in the UK).

The RNA offers a great New Writers Scheme to unpublished authors offering the opportunity for their entire manuscript to be read and critiqued by a successfully published RNA member. These critiques are in-depth, encouraging and totally worthwhile. And after you're published? The ongoing support, laughter and mutual understanding is invaluable.

The conference is a great chance to socialise but also learn a huge amount from the numerous lectures running all day every day. Agents and editors abound, walking amongst us mere mortals, daring us to step out of our comfort zone and charm the pants off them with our sparkling new story! Pants aside, these women are a great credit to the industry and our futures.

So all I have left to say is bring on the 8th July when this writer will be headed to Caerleon ready for a weekend of fun...and wine!!

Rachel x

Author Toni V Sweeney is sharing her writing career with us....

Prolific author, Toni V Sweeney is here with a great blog post idea that I hope she will give me permission to shamelessly steal for my own post sometime (hoping she won't mind because the idea inspired Toni from another blog too, lol!). Toni has written a great step by step account of her career and bits of her personal life over the last 36 years. Inspiring and informative, read on!

Toni V. Sweeney: A Retrospective of Her Rise to Writing Fame

I love that title. It makes me sound so much more important than I really am! (Please note tongue firmly in cheek concerning the words after the colon.)

The other day I was reading a blog in which the author was going over her past triumphs—and failures—as far as what she’d had published. Brilliant idea: Since I had a blog coming up and was stuck as to a subject, I decided I was going to take a page from her book (pun intended) and do the same (concentrating on the successes more than the failures, of course.)

And if you think what’s coming is an egotistical brag-fest, you’re absolutely right!

So here we go…

1975: To recover from a devastating automobile injury and the subsequent divorce in its aftermath, Toni Sweeney finds herself a single working mom with little extra money for entertainment. She begins to write, supplying herself with the kind of stories she loves to read but can no longer afford.

1975-1989: During this period, Toni moves from her home in Georgia, taking son and dog to live in Kearney, Nebraska. There, she writes Bloodseek, Blood Curse, Barbarian Blood Royal, and A Singing in the Blood; Sinbad’s Last Voyage, Sinbad’s Wife, Sinbad’s Pride, and Sinbad’s War; The Rose and the Dragon, Dragon in Chains, and Murder in Old Blood. She shares the manuscripts with co-workers at the clinic where she’s an insurance clerk.

1989: One of her co-workers dares her to submit a manuscript to a publisher.. Toni accepts with alacrity (and a cup of coffee to go).

1989: Toni asks the local bookstore to look up a certain publisher in their directory. They give her the wrong address. She sends them Bloodseek; they reject it, but ask if she has any childrens’ stories. She says yes; they ask for one. She sits down to write the story. They accept it, and Spacedog’s Best Friend is published.

1990-1997: Fired up with success, and armed with the Novel and Short Story Writers Market for 1990, Toni begins submitting other manuscripts to various media.

1992: In observance of the celebration of Nebraska sesquacentennial, Toni writes Walk the Shadow Trail and Vengeance from Eden. A boyfriend who likes Westerns, gives her pointers.

1993-1997: She sends Vengeance from Eden, Walk the Shadow Trail, and The Last Voyage of Sinbad Singh to Books in Motion and they are accepted as audio books. Walk the Shadow Trail is accepted a year after submission and the contract received the day before Toni has surgery to replace a worn-out artificial hip. A bit of a cheer-up there.

1998: Jericho Road places 8^th in National Writers’ Association novel writing contest.

2000: Following the death of the man she loves, Toni moves from Nebraska to California. She works for a temp agency while writing stories at night.

2001: Diagnosis: breast cancer. Under the auspices of the American Cancer Association, Toni undergoes two lumpectomies and 6 weeks’ radiation therapy. She continues to write during her post-surgical convalescent and beginning Tamoxifen therapy.

Granddaughter Johanna Sophia is born.

2004: The Rose and the Dragon is accepted by PublishAmerica.

2004: While Net-surfing, Toni discovers Double Dragon Publishing. She submits Murder in Old Blood to them.

2005: Hurricane Katrina strikes and Animal Magnetism, featuring “The Cat’s Letter to His

Mistress” is issued with proceeds going to help animals abandoned during the storm.

2006: Dragon in Chains, the sequel to The Rose and the Dragon is accepted by Publish

America.

Murder in Old Blood is released by Double Dragon as a pdf and in print.

2006: Toni is dismissed from cancer treatment.

2007: Bloodseek—the novel which started the whole thing—is released by Double Dragon.

Walk the Shadow Trail, Sinbad’s Last Voyage, and Vengeance from Eden are also published by Double Dragon in ebook and paperback.

Toni also begins writing romances under the pseudonym “Icy Snow Blackstone.” The Irish Lady’s Spanish Lover by Icy Snow is released by Double Dragon.

2008: Class Act Books contracts for Bargain with Lucifer.

Three Moon Station, Love, Vampire Style, and Demon in Blue Jeans are published by The Wild Rose Press.

Toni discovers how to make trailers and invades Youtube with videos of her novels.

Wolfsongs 11, featuring “One for Eternity” is released

Toni receives news a good friend has committed suicide. She’s in the process of writing Bargain with Lucifer, and is stricken with writer’s block which will stay with her to a certain extent from then on.

2008: Driving from Orange County, California, to Lincoln, Nebraska, Toni moves back to

Nebraska to be with her family.

2009: Sinbad’s Wife is released by Double Dragon

Leucrota Publishing releases Blood Sin

Earthman’s Bride places first in Maryland Romance Writers’ “Reveal Your Inner Vixen” contest, Earthman’s Bride, When the Condor Returns, and Jericho Road are

Released by Lyrical Press.

Toni is guest at Con-Jour SF convention in Houston, TX

Toni also guests at Osfest-2 in Omaha.

2010: Toni moves into Old Folks’ Home where she dazzles the residents with her novels and

become minor celebrity (so she says!)

2010: The Rose and the Dragon is released from contract by PublishAmerica. Jericho Road, Earthman’s Bride, and When the Condor Returns are freed by Lyrical Press.

Serpent’s Tooth, and Brother Devil (sequel to Bargain with Lucifer), are released by Class Act Books.

2011: Toni signs contract for ten novels with Double Dragon

Contracts are signed with Class Act Books for Wizard’s Wife, Gypsy Charm, and For the Love in Adler’s Brain.

June, 2011: Toni’s current WIP is Bride of the Beast (working title). She has a blog to do for

Rachel Brimble and can’t think of a subject. She reads a blog by another author…

…and here we are!

That’s the way it goes…during all that has happened, my writing has been the only constant, keeping me sane through thick and thin, joy and sorrow, births and deaths…all the things Life throws at us…or has it? Some people say writers are crazy to begin with. After all, why would we waste so much of our time sitting before a computer screen, telling stories about imaginary people who seems so real to us, and hoping that other people will feel the same connection we do. Our characters are as genuine to us as living breather members of our families…some of us actually call them our children, we speak of them as if they were there with us…so…to quote mystery writer Sandra Brown (with the slogan appearing on my website):"Writing is damned hard work. It's borderline masochistic. If your heart's not in it, you're doomed before you start.

My heart’s been in it for a long, long time…as this blog shows.

The novels mentioned in the above blog may be purchased at: http://www.classactbooks.com and http://www.double-dragon-books.com/guidelines.php

All others are currently out of print.

What a fantastic journey you've had Toni! Let me be the first to congratulate you on such a consistent writing career and also the fact that you beat off cancer with a big and hefty stick - it's great to have you here! I am sure there will be lots of questions and comments coming your way. Do you mind if I steal this idea/format too for a later blog post of my own??

Welcome fellow Wild Rose Press author, Barbara Edwards!

Today I am interviewing new Wild Rose Press author, Barbara Edwards. This is the first time I have 'met' Barbara and looking forward to learning more about her and her work. Welcome, Barbara, shall we get started??

Hello. I’m Barbara Edwards. My stories are dark and edgy. My heroes have something broken, either their spirit or an important aspect of their lives. Meeting the heroine sets them on the path to healing. All of my heroines are independent, stubborn women. Life has handed them problems that they face with resolution, intelligent, and love.

1) When and why did you decide you wanted to be a published author?

I’d been a member of Romance Writers of America for several years. A guest speaker did a talk about career goals and I wish I could remember her name to give her credit. She mentioned keeping a writing schedule, pages accomplished each week and being consistent. Then, TaDa!, she said—you need to stop treating writing as a hobby. If you want to be published, treat your writing like a job.

I took that advice to heart. I write when it’s not fun, when I’d rather be gardening or at a movie, and when I can’t think of what to put in the next scene. Because its what I want more than anything.

2) What is the best and worse thing you have learned from an editor/agent? They both fit together like those famous coin sides. Leslie Wainger rejected my manuscript. When I met her at a later conference, I wasn’t brave enough to ask why. She did mention that the most important thing to remember is: Not everyone will like your work, not because it’s good or bad, but because of personal preference.

3) Favorite author/s? My list is so long. JD Robb, Jayne Anne Krentz, Linda Howard are up near the top but I could fill the blog with a hundred more. I love complicated stories with flawed characters.

4) What is your typical day?

Up early since I like to watch the sunrise and get any gardening done before it gets hot. I drink a cup of tea on my porch, and then settle down to write. I really try to avoid checking my email first since it eats so much time. On a good day I write 10-15 pages. On a bad day I scream, stamp my feet and keep at it. I play CDs with a music that fits the mood I’m trying to create.

5) Share your blurb or short excerpt from your latest release with us

Ancient Blood: Finding Rhodes End Series, Book Two
A Black Rose Available From The Wild Rose Press
By Author Barbara Edwards

Blurb: After narrowly escaping a stalker’s vicious attack, Lily Alban is left with the ability to see human auras. After moving to the tiny hamlet of Rhodes End, she finally feels safe, and against her better judgment, falls in love. But she soon discovers the man she loves is not a man at all. As a botanist, werewolf Cole Benedict has dedicated his life to researching healing herbs to find a cure for Lycanthropy. He resists his attraction to Lily to protect her from the beast inside him. But when Lily’s stalker threatens her again, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Even if that means embracing the instincts of his wolf. Together they must use extraordinary gifts to catch Lily's stalker before he attacks again. But will revealing their inner-most secrets to one another destroy their growing love or save them both?

Available from www.thewildrosepress.com

Print ISBN: 1-60154-916-4

Print ISBN 13: 9781601549167

6) Who would you cast to play your hero & heroine in a movie?

Ask me a question I can answer. I don’t go to the movies so I don’t have any idea who is the current shining star. If I do watch a movie it’s from the thirties or forties. Maybe Alan Ladd and Lauren Bacall? I’d love to have a younger Mel Gibson (Remember Road Warrior?) or Tom Selleck.

7) Did you plan this book? Or write it as it came?

I always know the beginning and the end when I start my stories. It’s the way my mind works. I dream the story, or in the case of Ancient Awakening, have a nightmare. The middle is the hard part. That takes work, research and plotting.

8) What surprised you the most when you became a published writer?

A number of things: the publicity part, learning the business end, the time necessary away from my writing. Most shocking? The second book was as hard to write as the first and it’s never become easier.

9) Do you have a dedicated writing space? What does it look like?

At home I have a real office with a desk, files, a comfortable chair and bookshelves stacked with reference material. When we travel in the RV, I have a two-shelf bookcase and a folding tv table for my laptop. I also have an Alphasmart for when my husband is driving long distances.

10) What’s next for you?

I’m working on another paranormal tentatively titled Ancient Artifacts. It’s Book Three in the Rhodes End series.

When it gets too dark and scary, I move to a contemporary romance about re-enacting the Civil War.

Check out excerpts from my books at http://www.barbaraedwards.net

Come and friend me at http://www.facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards.Author/

Ancient Awakening-Bookpage on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AncientAwakeningbyBarbaraEdwards/

Or I hope have enough time to keep up with my blogs: http://barbedblog.barbaraedwards.net/ and http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Rachel for having me as a guest. I’ve enjoyed it.

Really nice interview, Barbara. Can I ask where you live? When you say you garden before it gets too hot and then sit on the porch, it evokes such Southern images in my mind. Maybe that's because I'm from the UK, lol!

Barbara would love to hear from you!

To enter or not enter...that is the question!

I thought I'd throw the subject of Romance Writers of America chapter contests out there today! Do you enter? If yes, why? If no, why not? For the last three years now I have entered each of my manuscripts in three selected chapter contests for a specific and calculated reason.

Anyone guess?

Feedback, feedback, feedback!

I am published six times over, I have received numerous lovely five star reviews, I have been top of The Wild Rose Press bestseller list BUT I feel the same with every book I write...Can I really do this??

Self-doubt is a writer's best friend and nemesis all rolled into one - I strongly believe we need it to stop us developing egos that will lead to self-destruction and at the same time it can be paralysing. So this is where these contests become vital in me pushing forward on a particular manuscript.

If I received positive feedback (or better final!) from a contest with regard to a new project, it gives me the confidence I might be onto something worthwhile - and on the other hand, if the feedback from two or three different judges concentrates on one area that they didn't like/understand/agree with, it gives me a place to work on, something that I know needs changing or improving.

What do you think? Do you agree or do you avoid these contests like the plague?

I'd love to hear from you!

Rachel x

Welcome my friend and fellow Blue Ridge Agency author, Julie Anne Lindsey!

Hi Julie, great to have you here!

Really looking forward to reading your post and would love to hear more about your recent trip to the Lori Foster conference in the US. Romance writing is given so much more appreciation in the US than here in the UK so please share and give us UK writers a much needed boost! ; )

Thank you so much for having me Rachel! I’m excited to be a part of your blog.*claps & whistles* I’m also pretty thrilled to tell you all about my debut romance, Bloom.

I didn’t think I could write romance because I didn’t know I read romance. I’ve never reached for the steamy covers or pined over television love stories. So, when I took a chance at writing a romance, it seemed like a lofty goal. What I didn’t see at the time was how my favorite part of the YA novels (I devour like thin mints and coffee) was the romance. Teens love to fall in love a lot and in nearly every YA I read regardless of the story (paranormal, mystery, comedy) one great romance threads through the pages making it fabulous.

Turns out I love romance ß proof you’re never too old to learn something about yourself. LOL.

Online one day, I stopped at the Turquoise Morning Press website. A twitter friend of mine writes for them and loves it there, so I was being nosey. I’d never considered submitting there because I didn’t write romance. When I got to the site, I was surprised to see they represent many different genres and they were looking for books to start a new line called Honey Creek.

Honey Creek books will be available in different genres, by different authors, but all books will revolve around a fictional town, Honey Creek, Ohio. I requested the information on Honey Creek and fell in love. I am so painfully Midwestern. It’s ridiculous. I think maple syrup runs in my blood. (It would definitely explain my energy level). Writing about a place I understand so well gives me a thrill. I understand the mentality, the American pride, the seasons and country music and pickup trucks. LOL. I know firsthand what it’s like to spend the day shopping and the evening night fishing, or to play horseshoes and eat watermelon with an entire small town during the afternoon in cut offs and a Johnny Cash tee shirt, only to slide into stilettos and Sephora for a trip to the city that night. The Midwest is great place to live. It’s the best of everything all tied with a bow. Writing about it is like hitting a jackpot for me.

I made up my mind to give it a try, and I set out to write a kickin romance in the fashion of all those YA’s I love. Bloom was born. Bloom is not a YA, but it is a sweet look at a surprise love. My main characters are closer to 35 than 21 and they’re ready for something real – they just need a little push in the right direction. I love them so much and I hope you will too. Bloom will be available in February 2012. I hope Rachel might ask me back when it gets closer. *cough* *winks wildly* I’d love to share an excerpt, cover art and a trailer with you when I get them.

Meanwhile, I have to say…I hope you’ll never be afraid to step out and try a new genre. Sometimes we put ourselves in a box without knowing it (I certainly did) and it’s so much fun to discover you’re capable of something new. Try it! and stop by and see me at Turquoise Morning Press.

You can find me online – alllll the time ;) I blog my thoughts, tips and tricks on writing over at Musings from The Slush Pile. I am addicted to twitter @JulieALindsey – the absolute best networking tool ever! Links to find me everywhere else are on my blog J I love making new bookish friends, so don’t forget to say Hi!

Bio:

As an only child Julie had plenty of time to people watch and make things up. When she didn't think she could make a living at the latter, her love of people led her to a BA in Psychology instead. A few years and three kids later, she discovered the thrill of writing. Hopelessly caffeine addicted and bouncing through life, writing became a harness for her seemingly endless supply of energy and enthusiasm. Best of all, writing created something of value in the wake.

**Her three book womens fiction series – the Killer Confections Saga will begin in August 2012 with Death by Chocolate, thanks to the complete amazingness of kNight Romance Publishing.

Wow, missy, you are on a roll - A release with Torquoise Morning Press and a three book deal with kNight Romance Publishing? That's amazing! I wish you all the luck in the world, feel free to tell us more about the Killer Confections Saga, I'm intrigued.

And of course, you're welcome back anytime! Oh, and now I want to live in the Midwest, it sounds so...American!

Julie is waiting for your comments & questions....

Welcome fellow Eternal Press author, Kerri Williams!

So good to be able to welcome a visitor from all the way across the globe in Australia. My eldest daughter's best friend emigrated to your shores about a year ago, Kerri and she misses her terribly but her friend tells her she could not be happier. Apparently the people, the city and the food are all twenty times better than here in the UK, lol! What can I say to that??

Looking forward to reading your blog and really hope you enjoy your visit with me!

Thanks for having me here today Rachel, it’s a true pleasure.

Today I thought I might share what it is that has my fingers flying across the keys like a humming bird on crack.

In the land of OZ we are in the midst of the 50K in 30Day Challenge. Many writers from here and across the globe are contributing and letting their creative juices flow in attempt to meet their goal for the end of the month.

Now I’m sharing this because my first novel TAKING BACK HIS WIDOW was written a couple of years ago during this challenge and then my upcoming novel NUDGING CUPID was plotted in the consecutive year also during this challenge.

That being said just goes to show how motivating this challenge truly is.

I described it on my blog as being similar to weight watches because who the heck wants to get up in front of everyone, weigh in and have the proof that you have been a very naughty girl- the challenge is much the same as at the end of the week you submit your numbers and it’s public. If you have been a little naughty or a lot- it will show. But like weight watches there is no judgement because we are all in the same boat and know all the contributions to those naughty moments. How cool is that?

Anyway since this blog entry doesn’t count toward my numbers I thought I might share an excerpt from TAKING BACK HIS WIDOW. I would give you something from the upcoming novel but it’s going through edits- you know what that’s like right.

Happy writing and reading

Kez

Taking Back His Widow Excerpt.

She tried to say his name.

The words were there—Dean Stone. Only her throat restricted the

sound.

“I knew it was you,” he said.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard a hint of triumph or

possibly accusation in his tone.

“It’s been a long time, Livinia.”

“Dean.” It came out in a whisper and more like a question than

a statement. After all this time, why is he here?

There was something tugging at her mind, something important

she knew she should be more worried about than anything

else, but her mind wouldn’t cooperate.

Before she could decipher what was so important, Dean’s voice

invaded the fog.

“Is that all you have to say to me?”

The dark, challenging look in his eyes made the blood simmer

within her veins. Even in the dim light of the station’s security

lights, she found herself glued to his vivid brown eyes.

Once upon a time, she would have bathed in their brilliant

depths with love and passion, lured like a deer to headlights.

Now, sadly and dangerously, was no different

http://kerriwilliams-writerofromance.blogspot.com

http://kerri-williams.com

Great excerpt, Kerri and good luck with the writing challenge! As busy as Kerri is, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you, lovely readers!