From the Call to the Bookstore

February 25th-26th at Romance Divas


Featuring:

KRISTAN HIGGINS


Want to know what it takes to get from “the call” to the bookstore in New York publishing? Romance Divas is hosting a 2-day workshop with RITA award winning author Kristan Higgins, who can answer that question and many more! It will take place at the Romance Diva Forum. All are welcome. To get access to the forum you will need to register.

Furlough Day

Off work today and catching up on a few things that need doing. It's good to be off work but the part I don't like is the "no pay" part of it. Today's one of the furlough days the company is making everyone take. I've still got two more to go this quarter and according to the rumor mill I'll probably be required to take more every quarter till the end of the year. But I'm trying to make the most of it. I ran my errands this morning and this afternoon I'll be writing. That's not such a bad thing.

Home

I read a great blog post this morning about Getting Focus. I never really thought of going home for a visit as a way to gain focus on my life, but as I look back that's definitely what happens. There are so many people back home who are glad to see me when I get there. And there is so much love in the air down there that you practically burst with it.

At the same time, it's like taking a trip in a time machine. Things have changed of course, but so many things haven't. The pace is still a slow walk. The people still wave when you drive past. When you enter the grocery store you're called by name. The big city doesn't offer those kinds of day to day personal touches and sometimes I find that I miss that most of all.

So, from now on I'm going to try to get back home as often as I possibly can. This once a year thing isn't going to cut it anymore.

Help!

I think I'm trying too hard. Writing used to be fun. I loved putting words to paper and telling the story the best way I knew how. But now I'm focusing too much on the "process" of writing and the "right" way to write the story. When I sit down to work on my WIP I can't seem to find the right words. Before I decided to "become" a writer I had no problems putting down exactly what I wanted to say. Now I can't seem to say anything at all. I want to go back to the way thing were. Help!!!

It's a Good Day

I just had lunch with my honey. His job doesn't allow for him to visit me at lunch so today was a total surprise. He's such a sweetheart. He kept telling me he loves me and that I looked beautiful. Finally I just had to ask what he was up to...LOL But of course he just wanted to do something nice for me today. Isn't love grand?!?!

Happy Valentine's Day

Today is the day of love. Everyone is giving gifts and candy and flowers are being delivered to countless women across the country. And I just want to send a big I Love You to my husband. He's a wonderful man, a loving husband and a great stepfather for my kids. Happy Valentine's Day, Honey!!

Better

Ok. I'm feeling a bit better today; not quite so grumpy. People are still getting on my nerves but I'm handling it better than the rest of the week.

As you know from a previous post everyone in our company has to take a full week off with no pay. Well, now there's a rumor that all hourly employees will have to take a full day off work with no pay every pay period until further notice. Hourly workers can't afford to take a day off with no pay. Now, I know salaried workers can't afford it either, but they're not being affected so that's neither here nor there.

Maybe the reason I'm so burned out at work is because I'm feeling less than appreciated here. I know the economy is down and things are looking bleak for everyone, but it's a pain in the butt when the MEDIA company you work for hides things and refuses to be honest with their employees until rumors make their way online and force them to open up. Then report in their news articles that other companies are cutting back & laying off but make no mention of their own issues.

Oops. There I go getting grumpy again.

Grrrrr!!!

I've been in such a foul mood the past few days. Every customer gets on my nerves; they either talk so slow I'm waiting 30 seconds between each character I type or they talk so fast I can't even hear what they're saying. Or they all seem to have no clue at all. My co-workers get on my nerves because they can't seem to recall the first thing about how to do their jobs and they call me to fix everything they can't seem to do right the first time. I'm blaming it on mother nature, but I'm afraid that might only be a small part of the problem. I really think I'm getting burnt out at work. I hate getting up in the morning to drive to work and sit at my desk and answer stupid phone calls from people who want to yell and complain about things I had no hand in. I've been doing this for 6 years and frankly I'm getting tired. Only I can't quit because we need both incomes and any other job I find wouldn't pay me half what I make in sales (when I actually make goal). Not to mention the 3 weeks vacation a year, sick & personal time. So, I guess I'll just keep plugging along and try to immerse myself in my writing when I'm feeling down.

Blurb:

Paige Jacobs lives the perfect life with her fiancé, Ryan, but the memory—or fantasy—of a gorgeous boy with silver eyes consumes her. Her sister Aimee, the only one who knows the dangerous secrets of her past, refuses to talk about them.

Feeling very much alone and obsessing over haunting memories, Paige decides to write a book in hope of finally dispelling the ghosts of her past so she can move on. Every chapter she writes brings her closer to the boy she'd loved so much in her youth. Then one morning in a coffee shop, she encounters a man with silver eyes.

Has she crossed the line between fantasy and reality?

Available Now from Freya's Bower

Highland Rebel by Tess Mallory - Revised

I love Tess Mallory's books. She can always get me to sit up all night because I just can't put it down. I haven't read Highland Rogue yet because I couldn't find it at the bookstore the other day. I'm heading over to Borders this week and should have it finished by the weekend.

Edit: Tess also has a new book coming out March 3rd. You can pre-order here or pick it up at your local bookstore next month.

The Jealousy Plot – By Jolie Cain

For as long as she can remember, Callie has been in love with her next-door neighbor Trey, a firefighter on the Oceanside Fire Department, but he has never seen her as anything more than a good friend, a pal. Then for her birthday, Trey gives her something wonderful ... not the usual tire jack and mace spray. No, he gives her a beautiful antique locket, and Callie begins to dream that maybe he has changed the way he sees her. After all, when a guy gives a girl jewelry, it means something special--right? Only her friend Marianne Riley isn’t so sure. She thinks Trey needs to be nudged just a bit in the right direction. So she enlists the aid of her brother, one of Trey’s fellow firefighters, in a plot to make Trey jealous. But Ben Riley seems interested in more than simply helping Callie out. And he arouses feelings in Callie that Trey never has. While Trey has always made her feel safe and secure, Ben makes her feel wild and out of control. He pushes her and fulfills her darkest desires. Eventually Callie must decide ... which firefighter is the one that sets her heart on fire?

Captive Flame – Rhiannon Leith
As a djinn, a being formed of fire, Adara has spent centuries enslaved to the human Magi, passed from one to another, made to do their bidding. She yearns for freedom. She yearns for love.

When firefighter Peter O'Connor pulls her out of an inferno, he snatches her from her current Magus. This new master has no idea of what or how powerful she is, and the opportunity to break free finally becomes a real possibility. If only her body didn't react to him with such abandon. If only his touch didn't make her lose the will to do anything but be with him.

With the Magus closing in on them, and Peter's life in danger, Adara must choose between her desire and her dreams.

And with supernatural arson attacks sweeping the city, Peter must decide if a firefighter can ever really trust a fire?

BUY IT HERE

Good-Bye

I'm finally back to the future. I went home to Arkansas for a funeral this week and spent four days with no internet. I don't mean just dial up; no I mean there was no internet at all. My parents only recently got caller ID on their phone so there is no way they have a computer, let alone internet. Whew! There for a while I thought I'd go crazy. LOL

The service was nice and simple, just the way he wanted it. He'll be missed by not only his children but the rest of the family and his friends as well.

I remember how he loved to joke around with us all. He was a musician and his humor could always be found in his work. I will NEVER forget the song he used to sing to Aunt Debbie. It made her so mad sometimes but all us kids thought it was the funniest thing we'd ever heard. "Those Scaggy Baggy Drawers That Debbie Wore". She hated that song, but she loved Mike and always gave him a smile when he finished.

At the service they played a tape of him singing a beautiful gospel song; "Daddy Needs No Marker to Mark His Grave For Jesus Knows Where he Lays". He went to a Pentecost church and he knew where he would be in the end. When his time came he was glad to go meet the Father.

Rest In Peace, Uncle Mike. We'll See You Again Soon.

Family

Another of my uncles passed away this morning and I'll be preparing soon to go back home to Arkansas for the funeral.

My grandparents had 14 kids, 13 boys and 1 girl (my mother). 2 died at birth, 1 in a fire, 1 drowned. That left me with 9 uncles; Leroy, Jack, Mike, Eugene, Clarence, Leonard, Henry, Bartley and Doyle. Uncle Leroy died before I was born of Polio. My grandfather passed away of a heart attach in 1991, my uncle Jack in January of 2000, my grandmother of breast, lung & brain cancer in February of 2000, my uncle Eugene of lung cancer last year. And now my uncle Mike today of lung, brain & stomach cancer. My uncle Bartley has been diagnosed with lung cancer and been given 3-6 months, maybe longer with treatment. That's not a good record for a single family, even a large one like mine.

I grew up with all my family almost side by side and we were close. I miss all my family who's passed before me and I'm grateful to still have so much left. So many people don't and that's just sad.

I Took a Step

Last night, for the very first time, I told a complete stranger, someone I didn't know and had just met, that I'm a Writer. I've stepped out into the unknown. And it felt good. Someone besides family and friends (online and off) wanted to know about my writing. I feel all giddy inside.

You've Come a Long Way Baby

I was just thinking about a place I lived in about 5 years ago. I was recently divorced with a job that paid almost nothing, supporting 3 kids and trying to keep it together. I had already moved out of a couple of places because I couldn't afford them and then had moved to this place because the people who owned it were nice enough to overlook my past problems.

The house, or trailer that was passing as a house, was back in the woods on a small hill. The air conditioning was a window unit in the kitchen and the only heat was a wood stove situated in the middle of the living room leaving no room for furniture. But since I didn't have any furniture I guess that didn't really matter. The kids all had beds so it was okay that I slept on a small foam mattress on the floor.

My car had broken down and could not be repaired; at least not without considerable cost I couldn't pay. A friend gave me a 1987 GMC Suburban and I drove that thing around until I got back on my feet and could afford something else. In the winter I had to plug the truck in to keep the motor from freezing up and some mornings it took forever to start it, but at least I had a way to get back and forth to work.

Times were tough but we were all together and had plenty to eat. I think back sometimes and wish things could have been different but I realize at the same time that living in those conditions made me stronger. Another reason "The Person I was Made Me The Person I Am".

It's Freezing

I swear sometimes this company drives me nuts. In the summer we had no air conditioning. Now, there's no heat. Of course they're "replacing" the chillers that should have been replaced during the summer when they were not working at all. Now, they're working, putting out heat like they should, but the decision has been made to switch them out now when the temp is down to 29 outside? WTH?? Don't they understand that people could get sick from sitting in cold temps all day? And working the front counter is worse because the door is open all day for customer. I hate being cold!!

Gypsy Afterglow is out now!!

GYPSY AFTERGLOW by Jennah Sharpe

Genre: Torrid Romance Contemporary

EBook formats ISBN: 978-1-60313-490-3

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-60313-491-0

Rating: Sensual Romance - Sensual

Brynn Parker was warned to stay away from the gypsies from her first summer in Spain. Ever since then, her curiosity has piqued her interest in a certain young Gitano. As she grows into a woman, her illicit involvement with Marco Kaldera becomes more intimate until she must return to her home country. Years later, through a mutual friend, a funeral and Marco’s fame, Brynn works to earn his forgiveness and convince him to love her once again. But…he belongs with the gypsies. Can the sacrifices they must endure to be together bond them forever?

Visit Jennah's website today!

I Found Him

This is Captain Montgomery, the hero in my civil war romance "Rebel Union". He'll be the perfect Union Captain. I can't wait to write about him. As soon as I'm done drooling over Stephen while writing "A Knight's Peace". *smile*

Part of My Story

Since I've committed to writing my story of Abuse I've been thinking a lot about my first marriage. Though I myself have not suffered "real" physical abuse I did suffer A LOT of emotional and psychological abuse.

My husband spent a lot of time telling me I was worthless and could never do anything right. He would wear a shirt one day that would be dirty when he got home on the few occasions he actually went to work, but the next day he would insist on that shirt again. Of course, when I would tell him he wore it the day before and it wasn't clean, it would be all my fault because I didn't wash it. The fact that we did not own a washer or dryer never entered his mind. In his mind I was supposed to anticipate that he would want it and wash it out in the bathtub that night then hang it on the shower to dry so it would be ready for him when he wanted it. I spent quite a bit of time in that marriage crying and trying to convince him that I was worth his love. Now, looking back I know it was not worth it, but at the time he was my husband and I loved him.

We also fought about money a lot. What few times he held a job the money he made would go toward buying drugs instead of paying bills or buying what the kids needed. There were to many times to count where he would come home from work, bring his paycheck, tell me to put it up for groceries or bills, then come the next day or so and want it all back because he needed a fix. And many times we pawned things we owned for him to get his fix.

The straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, was my middle son's first birthday. My husband had gotten paid that week and I had planned a nice, very small, party for JWM. But the day before the party I was told to give the money back and that JWM didn't need a birthday party because he was only a year old. I had to sell some of our food stamps to my mother for enough money to buy a small gift from the dollar store and we only had cake and ice cream for the party. I finally realized that my children would be better off without him in their lives. So I left, and though it was hard and I almost went back a couple of times, I stuck it out and have done so much better for my kids than if I had stayed.

Unfortunately, I see some similarities between what my kids do and what their father did. Some people may not think of selfishness as a form of abuse, but I do. Especially when that selfishness could possibly deprive others. I'm sad to know that sometimes my kids are selfish and have to spend money on (or steal) things they don't really need (thankfully not drugs anymore - though a few times that has been an issue with them) because they feel they "need" them and they "deserve" them. And I can understand wanting things because you never had them in your life before. But I also realize that sometimes you have to sacrifice what you want right now for your family. Maybe those things can be gotten later when you've saved enough to buy them without putting a strain on your budget and without causing others in your life pain because you couldn't wait. I sacrificed a lot for my kids and I'd do it all again. But I tried my best to be patient when it came to things I wanted for myself. Someday I hope my own children will pay attention to the lessons I taught them and the sacrifices I made for them instead of only seeing and feeling what their father showed them in his short time with us.

Strange Dreams

I had the strangest dream last night. Or I should say early this morning before being awakened by KAM because CDM was sick all night and she didn't know what to do for her.

Anyway, I remember dreaming that I was riding a horse and watching some famous football player (have no idea who) argue with his girlfriend (but not fighting) and then I tried to ride the horse away and it fell over on top of me. I wasn't hurt but the girlfriend called out "Are you okay, Charlotte?" and I woke up.

Now, how weird is that? And what exactly is that dream supposed to mean? Am I overwhelmed by something? Maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me that if I want to be published I need to get off the horse and write!!