Though I'm still not up to par, my health issues have just about cleared up. So, this week I've forced myself back into the grind. I've worked more on my YA W.I.P. and written up most of a new scene for You Were Wrong! Once again, a secondary character pops his nose into the scene to create havoc.
I mentioned before that Val is divorced, but I didn't tell you about Aidan. From the first day of school in Kindergarten when they meet, Aidan and Val had been inseparable. Other than Shayle, Aidan had always been Val's best friend. Their relationship naturally evolved into young love. They became high school sweethearts, then partners on the race track.
Aidan never asked her to marry him. They were so close that it was a given that everyone knew was coming. One day Aidan was doing some painting for Val's mother in the living room of the fancy penthouse she had gotten from divorce number three. He was working side by side companionably with Val and Shayle. Then, out of the blue, he stops, paint roller midway up the wall and turns to Val.
"We should really plan our wedding soon, so it is all done before we have to leave for Summer Nationals this year."
Unfortunately their blissful relationship didn't last more than two years after the wedding. Val started to become well known on the racing track, she got more endorsements and was promoted to head of their racing crew, while Aidan's rise came slower. Both of them have quick nasty tempers, add on to that being stuck constantly under each other during travel, working together on the track and garage. Add in Aidan's slow boiling resentment, racer groupies constantly hanging around him and the stress piling up.
When another crew contacted Aidan wanting him to come in and replace their head of crew, get a pay raise and new endorsements, Aidan didn't think twice. He packed a bag and left both his racing crew and Val for the new crew. When Val received the divorce papers two weeks later, she singed them with a sigh of relief, tired of all the fighting.
After this you would think a couple like them would hate each other, but to the contrary distance can make the heart grow fonder. When they run into each other at races now, they hug happy to see each other, hang out, go out to dinner together, still the best of friends.Aidan would always be the great love of her life, no matter how badly they had harmed each other in the past. But, when he bumps into her at the main race track on Petrus' home planet Franconia, he has other ideas.
Seeing his ex-wife involved with a younger man, Aidan realizes what he has lost and makes no bones about telling her he wants her back right in front of Petrus. Petrus learning that Val is still in love with her ex makes him turn possessive for the first time in his life and finds himself stacking a claim on Val. I really think the battle between these two men over Val is going to get nasty. We will just have to see which man can change his ways and win the girl.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Music Monday For the Strong Slightly Crazy Heroine-
When I write my main female character in any story, she has to be strong independent, the type of woman who can take care of herself. Sure, finding love and being able to depend on someone is great. But, being able to kick ass, take names and ask questions later makes a real character.
In Talkers when Shayle first meets the whole band, Petrus the womanizer being his usual self automatically tries to flirt with her. Shayle having been on a first name bases with a womanizing cheater (A.K.A her ex-husband) instantly shoots Petrus down.
His reaction to being flatly turned down is mumbling "Bitch!" under his breath. Her reply to that is a straight forward, "Bitch is probably going to be the nicest thing said about me before I'm done here."
Man, I love a heroine with spine, spunk and pure attitude. And Shayle's best friend is even more. More… out there. Val is wild and plain crazy. In My W.I.P. Book 2 in my Haven Sent Saga, You Were Wrong! Petrus finds his match in Val. Imagine, Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy) as a futuristic motorcycle (metrocycle) racer.
Divorced from her one true love since childhood, another metrocycle racer. Val travels across universes racing, barely home back on Earth. She is a born rebel, a free spirit and somewhat of a player herself. She does what she wants, sleeps with whom she wants, never planning to be committed again and risk getting hurt.
There might be a chance that Val and Petrus can change each other, but either way Val has to be strong enough to deal with what may come. To write heroines with enough back bone to make it through, I usually listen to what I lovingly call angry chick rockers. Here is one song that would totally fit crazy Val.
Since U Been Gone By: Kelly Clarkson
In Talkers when Shayle first meets the whole band, Petrus the womanizer being his usual self automatically tries to flirt with her. Shayle having been on a first name bases with a womanizing cheater (A.K.A her ex-husband) instantly shoots Petrus down.
His reaction to being flatly turned down is mumbling "Bitch!" under his breath. Her reply to that is a straight forward, "Bitch is probably going to be the nicest thing said about me before I'm done here."
Man, I love a heroine with spine, spunk and pure attitude. And Shayle's best friend is even more. More… out there. Val is wild and plain crazy. In My W.I.P. Book 2 in my Haven Sent Saga, You Were Wrong! Petrus finds his match in Val. Imagine, Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy) as a futuristic motorcycle (metrocycle) racer.
Divorced from her one true love since childhood, another metrocycle racer. Val travels across universes racing, barely home back on Earth. She is a born rebel, a free spirit and somewhat of a player herself. She does what she wants, sleeps with whom she wants, never planning to be committed again and risk getting hurt.
There might be a chance that Val and Petrus can change each other, but either way Val has to be strong enough to deal with what may come. To write heroines with enough back bone to make it through, I usually listen to what I lovingly call angry chick rockers. Here is one song that would totally fit crazy Val.
Since U Been Gone By: Kelly Clarkson
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday With a Stomach Churning W.I.P-- #sixsunday
9/23- Six Sentence Sunday With a Stomach Churning W.I.P-
This is a six from the YA sci-fi/thriller I recently started working on. After an alien invasion and an attack on her city my heroine is running through the city with her baby brother trying to make it home. The city streets after the attack is enough to leave the strongest person's stomach churning.
From YA W.I.P.-
The further she ran toward the city limit’s the more debris seemed to pile up and the site of some of it had her stomach turning. Cars, buildings and parking meters weren’t the only charred remains littering the city.
People had been driving the cars, standing inside those buildings, feeding the greedy meters quarters, even walking across the crosswalk, minding their own business.
At 3:30 PM on a normal weekday, everyone was just hustling along, waiting for the end of the work day so they could go home to be with their families. All the people she came across would never see their families again. They wouldn’t be seeing anything anymore, like her car, their bodies were charred, bleeding, broken remains of important parts of what had once been someone else’s lives.
This is a six from the YA sci-fi/thriller I recently started working on. After an alien invasion and an attack on her city my heroine is running through the city with her baby brother trying to make it home. The city streets after the attack is enough to leave the strongest person's stomach churning.
From YA W.I.P.-
The further she ran toward the city limit’s the more debris seemed to pile up and the site of some of it had her stomach turning. Cars, buildings and parking meters weren’t the only charred remains littering the city.
People had been driving the cars, standing inside those buildings, feeding the greedy meters quarters, even walking across the crosswalk, minding their own business.
At 3:30 PM on a normal weekday, everyone was just hustling along, waiting for the end of the work day so they could go home to be with their families. All the people she came across would never see their families again. They wouldn’t be seeing anything anymore, like her car, their bodies were charred, bleeding, broken remains of important parts of what had once been someone else’s lives.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Freaky Friday With a Sparkling Idea for the Future
Freaky Friday (Maybe the first of many!)
For a change this week I thought I would do a Freaky Friday, which just about describes my mood. My poor blog has been lacking off and on over the last few weeks, mostly from dealing with medical issues from some nasty reactions from a prescription.
I’ve been feeling so tired and crappy that I haven’t been doing much writing or read. (Other than the new Nora Roberts, which couldn’t be put on hold!) But I have been scheming away in my mind.
The most wonderful thing for a writer to hear is that they have inspired someone to become a writer. I have been blessed to hear that twice now. The first person to tell me I had inspired her was my niece, one of the great loves of my life. Her writing seems to get better and better every time I read it and I have to say I’m really impressed.
Over the summer we had talked about writing together. She is a member of a few sites where groups of people get together and write out role playing stories. Her idea was to start a small RP scenario together. Once I had read her beginning, I started to get a new idea. Maybe I’ll share this RP with my readers here on my blog, because I would love to share this wonderful young woman’s work with everyone.
So, what does everyone think? Would you like to see a Freaky Friday or Sierra Saturday or some such to read our RP? Leave a comment and tell me what opinion you would have on reading something free, fun and cover ever genre possible!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Music Monday With Extra Detail-
Over the last year or so I've learned I really love music that combins lots of sounds, with extra instruments you wouldn't normally hear from a normal band. It's like writing a first draft of a book and remembering to add in the details.
Years ago, before I was published, I was in a writing group. Once a week we would read a chapter for a member then talk about it as a group to help each other out. On one of my weeks there was a scene where a character gets mad an throws a vase. A friend said, "Um, Deb... I hate to point this out, but there is no furniture in that house. So where did the vase come from?"
It is all in the details. The writer might see a perfectly furnished room in their mind, but if they don't write out the details... Then, all you have is an unfurnished house and mysteriously appearing vases. It's all in the details.
Out of all the different types of music, from all over the world, the most detailed has to be Korean. The dramas that I am pretty much obsessed with always have the best OST's (Official Sound Track). A perfect example of that is the Korean Drama, Dream High. It is about a high school that is like a Korean version of America's Juilliard.
The song I am sharing is the main theme song for Dream High. It has so many different sounds and genres fixed together that it should be awkward, but actually is really great. The first version I'm sharing is the song with English subtitles and the second is actually a clip of them singing the song in the show. I hope you love it and it makes you hum it unknowingly to yourself all day.
Remember your details, love the music and read on!
Dream High OST 1 with English subs
Dream High club scene
Years ago, before I was published, I was in a writing group. Once a week we would read a chapter for a member then talk about it as a group to help each other out. On one of my weeks there was a scene where a character gets mad an throws a vase. A friend said, "Um, Deb... I hate to point this out, but there is no furniture in that house. So where did the vase come from?"
It is all in the details. The writer might see a perfectly furnished room in their mind, but if they don't write out the details... Then, all you have is an unfurnished house and mysteriously appearing vases. It's all in the details.
Out of all the different types of music, from all over the world, the most detailed has to be Korean. The dramas that I am pretty much obsessed with always have the best OST's (Official Sound Track). A perfect example of that is the Korean Drama, Dream High. It is about a high school that is like a Korean version of America's Juilliard.
The song I am sharing is the main theme song for Dream High. It has so many different sounds and genres fixed together that it should be awkward, but actually is really great. The first version I'm sharing is the song with English subtitles and the second is actually a clip of them singing the song in the show. I hope you love it and it makes you hum it unknowingly to yourself all day.
Remember your details, love the music and read on!
Dream High OST 1 with English subs
Dream High club scene
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Thoughtful Thursday-
Instead of my usual Hump Day Hunk on Wednesday, I'm doing a Thoughtful Thursday this week to share some interesting info. Recently I had my first guest author Jaleta Clegg. She has returned the favor by posting an interview with me on her site. Stop by and check it out to see some of the cutest pictures I shared and read this fun interview. Find it @ http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/
I also noticed the other day that I have signed up fortwo blog hops that start on the same day. The Autum Blog Hop goes from Nov 9th-12th, while Men & Women of the Military Giveaway Hop is Nov 9th-15th. I thought about which one I should do. But, I promised I would do both of them, so what the heck. I'll do both and give the readers more chances to win. For the Autum Blog Hop, I'm thinking of giving away a copy of One Wish. As for the Military Blog Hop I have to give away a copy of the third book in my ZogoneSeries, Ancient Enemy, becayse my hero Josh is the perfecr military man.
Keep a watch forthese two exciting blog hops and more to come in the future. Sign up to follow my blog and get a better chance at winning copies of my books.
Have a great weekend and as always happy reading!
I also noticed the other day that I have signed up fortwo blog hops that start on the same day. The Autum Blog Hop goes from Nov 9th-12th, while Men & Women of the Military Giveaway Hop is Nov 9th-15th. I thought about which one I should do. But, I promised I would do both of them, so what the heck. I'll do both and give the readers more chances to win. For the Autum Blog Hop, I'm thinking of giving away a copy of One Wish. As for the Military Blog Hop I have to give away a copy of the third book in my ZogoneSeries, Ancient Enemy, becayse my hero Josh is the perfecr military man.
Keep a watch forthese two exciting blog hops and more to come in the future. Sign up to follow my blog and get a better chance at winning copies of my books.
Have a great weekend and as always happy reading!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Music Monday- Music For the Uncommitted
I came across a song on Billboard recently and it just screams Petrus from Talkers. Petrus is my hero's twin brother and the hero of my W.I.P. (with the working title), You Were Wrong!
Petrus is a womanizer, a player of a celebrity who uses his fame to sleep with groupies daily. It is all too easy for him to think he is God's gift to women, when they flock to him like hungry pigeons chasing bread crumbs in restaurant parking lots.
But, even the best player will fumble when they are confronted with their destined soul mate. For Petrus, Val is 'the one' and even though he doesn't realize it at first, he still has to have her. Everyone who knows him laughs out right at his mentioning a girlfriend.
Petrus... be committed to one woman? Yeah, right! No one believes Petrus can be in a serious adult relationship and stay faithful. He wants Val, because he sees her as a challenge, the one woman who blows him off from her first sight of him.
The idea of falling in love scares the crap out of Petrus. He secretly worries he could end up an abusive husband like his father. Instead of having relationships, he has a new woman every day. That is until Val walks into his life and he starts to feel things that could shatter his resolve to never commit to anyone.
Uncommitted By: Xia
Petrus is a womanizer, a player of a celebrity who uses his fame to sleep with groupies daily. It is all too easy for him to think he is God's gift to women, when they flock to him like hungry pigeons chasing bread crumbs in restaurant parking lots.
But, even the best player will fumble when they are confronted with their destined soul mate. For Petrus, Val is 'the one' and even though he doesn't realize it at first, he still has to have her. Everyone who knows him laughs out right at his mentioning a girlfriend.
Petrus... be committed to one woman? Yeah, right! No one believes Petrus can be in a serious adult relationship and stay faithful. He wants Val, because he sees her as a challenge, the one woman who blows him off from her first sight of him.
The idea of falling in love scares the crap out of Petrus. He secretly worries he could end up an abusive husband like his father. Instead of having relationships, he has a new woman every day. That is until Val walks into his life and he starts to feel things that could shatter his resolve to never commit to anyone.
Uncommitted By: Xia
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday- #sixsunday
09/09 - From His Kiss-
Those had to be two of the hottest men on the planet, long, hard muscles were covered in that mouth watering red-brown skin. Both brothers had taken a minute to tie their hair back. Taylor actually braided half his hair in a quick expert looking move, leaving the other half hanging lose.
Her eyes tracked down each of them in a vivid study. Being Native American their chests were smooth and hairless like the most delicious mocha chocolate.
Want to see which brother she endss up with? Grab your copy of His Kiss here!
P.S. Don’t miss it tomorrow. I’m off to visit my fellow SFR Brigade member Jaleta Clegg to guest post on her blog site@ http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/
Those had to be two of the hottest men on the planet, long, hard muscles were covered in that mouth watering red-brown skin. Both brothers had taken a minute to tie their hair back. Taylor actually braided half his hair in a quick expert looking move, leaving the other half hanging lose.
Her eyes tracked down each of them in a vivid study. Being Native American their chests were smooth and hairless like the most delicious mocha chocolate.
Want to see which brother she endss up with? Grab your copy of His Kiss here!
P.S. Don’t miss it tomorrow. I’m off to visit my fellow SFR Brigade member Jaleta Clegg to guest post on her blog site@ http://jaletaclegg.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Hump Day Hunk Who Really Deserves a Beat Down, With Explicit Snippet!
Sometimes you’ll come across a villain you just love to hate. In my book Talkers the hero Ritter has a twin brother that is the perfect character to hate. Petrus thinks he is God’s gift to not only women, but the whole of existence. He is a womanizer, an arrogant jerk and honestly completely full of himself.
When Ritter has the nerve to warn him away from Shayle, it gets nasty and sibling rivalry goes from bad to down right ugly. If you have ever seen two brothers get into a fight you know just how ugly it can get.
I grew up in the south with five brothers all a year or so apart, so you can imagine I’ve seen some doozies. A bunch of redneck teenage boys rolling around like wild apes scraping was a regular occurrence in our house. Writing this sense was way to easy for me.
From Talkers-
Petrus had never liked being told what he could or couldn’t do. There was no way he wanted Shayle for a long term, meaningful relationship, but being told she was off limits pissed him off.
To keep their arguments contents private, they had it out in their own language of Old Deutsch. It was evident Petrus was just trying to torment him, because it had been a long day, he was tired and peeved, which made Ritter that much madder.
“She’s a good looking woman, so what if I want to have a go at her? Are you going to tell me I can’t sleep with whoever I want to?” Petrus shot at him.
Seeing red, Ritter grabbed the edge of the coffee table and flipped it toward Petrus. It sent flowers, magazines, candles and papers scattering. Ritter’s voice rose higher as he yelled and cursed Petrus for being a useless player who only cared about his dick and nothing or no one else.
Picking up the magazines, Petrus sent them flying at Ritter. “At least I’m not too much of a pussy to play with women. You’re always worried about hurting their feelings in case she is the one. Well maybe an old unloved maid like her would appreciate some action.”
The pure vulgarity spewing from his brother’s mouth set him off and unable to control himself, he sucker punched Petrus right in the jaw, yelling. “Ich Liebe Sie!”
Want to see what happens next? Grab your copy of Talkers today!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Tunes Tuesday with RomHop Winners!
Today is September 4th and a very special day for a lot of people. School started back this morning and my beloved has started the first day of the eighth grade. Amazing how time flies seems like yesterday he was running off gleefully to preschool, while I sat and cried.
Now a Senior in Junior High, gleefully ain’t happening. Instead today he woke up with a groan and would rather runaway, preferably to hide under the bed instead of climbing on the bus for another year of too much homework, lame textbooks and mean old teacher’s dirty looks.
This tune is for T.J.
Runaway By: Linkin Park
Now on to the Romancing the Hop winners.
Grand Prize Winners:
Thank you to everyone who stopped by and commented. Keep an eye out for more great blog hops coming soon!
Now a Senior in Junior High, gleefully ain’t happening. Instead today he woke up with a groan and would rather runaway, preferably to hide under the bed instead of climbing on the bus for another year of too much homework, lame textbooks and mean old teacher’s dirty looks.
This tune is for T.J.
Runaway By: Linkin Park
After over 9,000 comments our Romance Hop has some grand prize winners!!
Congrats!
Grand Prize Winners:
Kindle Fire Winner:
Laurie Goudge
(from It's the Journey that Counts's Blog)
$130 Amazon Gift Card:
Ellie
(from Carrie Ann Ryan's Blog)
Swag Pack:
Cassandra
(from Dana Delamar's Blog)
And for my site Michelle Bledsoe wins a copy of Old Dreams!
The grand prize winners have already been notified and have their prizes or the prizes are on their way!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Romancing the Hop With True Love
Welcome to one of Carrie Ann's Blog Hop creations
Romancing the Hop- Aug31st-Sep3rd.
http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/romancing-blog-hop.html
Starting on Friday August 31st, over 100 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about romance, reading romance, and dating. And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 100 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.
I'm giving away a copy of my e-book Old Dreams, the first book that started the Zogone series, my first book published and my personal favorite of all the ones I've written so far.
But that's not all.... We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times! Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!
Yep. ALL of that! Whoot! Be sure to come back here on Friday and over the weekend to enjoy some stories and facts about our favorite Romance events and reads and enter to win! And don't miss the talk about it on Twitter (Hashtag #RomHop)
* * * *
What does romance mean to me? When I think of the word romance, my grandparents always come to mind. As a child I heard millions of stories about the perfect love I had missed out on. Since my grandfather, Adrian died five years before I was born, so my grandmother Lettie told me all about him and their great love story, so I wouldn't miss out. These are memories of hearing them as a child, so please forgive anything I haven't remembered correctly.
When they were very young they met, fell in love and quickly married. Over the years they moved about through the Carolinas. They had four children, oldest Annie Frances, then Margaret Anne, whom everyone called Tootsie (my mother), then Linda and finally baby number four was a boy and Jack was always thought of as the sweetest thing. They eventually settled on a small farm in North Carolina were my mother grew up. During the day Adrian worked on the farm, while Lettie kept house and tended her pack of wild girls and one tiny angel. When Adrian wasn't working he was spending time with the family he was so devoted to, chasing boys away from his girls and taking his boy fishing.
Obviously running a farm was hard work and nothing is going to get acomplished with three giggling teenage girls in a field. So, here is where one of my own personal hero figures steps in. Adrian met a young man looking for work. Tommy was another Native American with a big family looking for work to help out at home. Lettie and Adrian loved the young man to death like he was family. Of course Tommy met Totsie and as they say, the rest was history and Tommy really became family.
By the time Margaret Anne (Totsie) was twenty, Adrian had become a grandfather. Over the next few years there were a number of little boys chasing after Grandpa Adrian, begging to go fishing. Grammy Lettie showed me pictures one time of Grandpa Adrian and my two oldest brothers as really tiny children and it was a sight to see. Grandpa was closer to seven feet than six feet tall and looked close to four feet wide. With his dark Native American skin and huge build the two tiny guys on either side of him looked almost like elves barely reaching two feet tall each. But they were happy as can be, hanging on Grandpa's overall legs grinning happily, while swinging red cane fishing poles.
Grammy said there wasn't anything Grandpa loved more than all his little grand babies. But that wasn't true. The thing Grandpa loved most in the world was Grammy and no one ever doubted she felt the same.When she looked at him her face shined and she might as well have had hearts painted in her eyes, or so my mother always told me. Farm boy Tommy who I call Papa, told me Grandpa Adrian looked at her like she was the most preious and beautiful woman in the whole world. *SIGH* They were beautiful together, loyal, loving and happier than any other couple I ever heard of.
But every great love story has a tragedy that is unchangeable. When Totsie was 35, she had given birth to five boys and was heavily pregnant with her first girl, my older sister Barbara Anne. Grandpa was out in the field working and when he didn't come in for supper, someone went looking for him, but it was already to late. The doctors said he had a brain anuresum, a blood vessel in his head burst instantly killing him.
In the seventies, being still pretty young, you would think my Grammy would have remarried. Absolutely not! When I asked her why, she told me Adrian had been the love of her life and he always would, alive or dead. She never once looked at another man, never wanted another man. All through my life she stayed alone, helping her kids and loving all 14 of her grand children and her numberous great grandchildren.
In 1999, I had my own son T.J. and vividly remember the day I took him to see Grammy. My mom laid him next to Grammy in her hospital bed and I took pictures of them snuggled next to each other. Every time I see the pictures it brings tears to my eyes and I think God I took them for my son. He was only a few months old when we lost her.
It was the strangest thing. My mother went in to see her one afternoon and called me as soon as she got home to tell me to prepare myself. As you can imagine I was horrified and refused to let up until she told me why. Grammy had asked her that afternoon if my mother had seen Daddy with the angles. She swore Granpa Adrian had came to her and told her to get her afairs in order, because he would be back in a few days and she would be going home with him.
Three days later I got the call at 1am. My Grammy had died in her sleep with a smile on her face. Happy because she was finally being reunited with the love of her life.
* * * *
Having faith, loyalty and undieing devotion, those qualities mean true romance to me and now you can understand why. So, when I write a romance it has to be worthy of the love I was taught. A perfect example of these qualities are the main characters of the first book in my Zogone series, Old Dreams.
When Brian's wife is murdered, he cryogfenically freezes his body for almost five hundred years, waiting for the day Colleen will be reincarnated. When he wakes he rushes to find her, an Earthling named Arlene along with a group of the alien Zogone soliders for back up. He will stop at nothing to get her back. But, when he realizes this new young woman doesn't remember him or even her past life as his wife, he has to be patient as memory by tiny memory resurfaces for her through nightmares and vivid daydreams, even the occasional nasty haulsination.
Arlene had a fresh start, in a different town, with new friends and a sweet, handsome roommate. Brian seemed to be a great guy and she was extremely attracted to him. The only problem was since the first day she had met him, her mind was filled with fantastic nightmares so powerful they made her physically ill-fantasies of Brian and a woman who wasn't her but strangely, at the same time, was.
To win a copy of the first book in my Zogone series- Old Dreams- leave me a comment and tell me what romance means to you with your e-mail address. Good luck and enjoy the blog hop. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you loved hearing about my grandparent's great love story. Don't forget the other 100+ authors and jump over to their sites for more chances to win.
Can't wait to win a copy, grab yours here!
Want to read excerpts from Old Dreams? Check the links below.
Excerpt #1
Excerpt #2
Excerpt #3
And if you were curious, here are the covers for the rest of my Zogone Series!
Book 2-Past Regrets
Book 3- Ancient Enemies
And Book 4- New Beginnings
Romancing the Hop- Aug31st-Sep3rd.
http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/romancing-blog-hop.html
Starting on Friday August 31st, over 100 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about romance, reading romance, and dating. And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 100 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.
I'm giving away a copy of my e-book Old Dreams, the first book that started the Zogone series, my first book published and my personal favorite of all the ones I've written so far.
But that's not all.... We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times! Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!
Yep. ALL of that! Whoot! Be sure to come back here on Friday and over the weekend to enjoy some stories and facts about our favorite Romance events and reads and enter to win! And don't miss the talk about it on Twitter (Hashtag #RomHop)
* * * *
What does romance mean to me? When I think of the word romance, my grandparents always come to mind. As a child I heard millions of stories about the perfect love I had missed out on. Since my grandfather, Adrian died five years before I was born, so my grandmother Lettie told me all about him and their great love story, so I wouldn't miss out. These are memories of hearing them as a child, so please forgive anything I haven't remembered correctly.
When they were very young they met, fell in love and quickly married. Over the years they moved about through the Carolinas. They had four children, oldest Annie Frances, then Margaret Anne, whom everyone called Tootsie (my mother), then Linda and finally baby number four was a boy and Jack was always thought of as the sweetest thing. They eventually settled on a small farm in North Carolina were my mother grew up. During the day Adrian worked on the farm, while Lettie kept house and tended her pack of wild girls and one tiny angel. When Adrian wasn't working he was spending time with the family he was so devoted to, chasing boys away from his girls and taking his boy fishing.
Obviously running a farm was hard work and nothing is going to get acomplished with three giggling teenage girls in a field. So, here is where one of my own personal hero figures steps in. Adrian met a young man looking for work. Tommy was another Native American with a big family looking for work to help out at home. Lettie and Adrian loved the young man to death like he was family. Of course Tommy met Totsie and as they say, the rest was history and Tommy really became family.
By the time Margaret Anne (Totsie) was twenty, Adrian had become a grandfather. Over the next few years there were a number of little boys chasing after Grandpa Adrian, begging to go fishing. Grammy Lettie showed me pictures one time of Grandpa Adrian and my two oldest brothers as really tiny children and it was a sight to see. Grandpa was closer to seven feet than six feet tall and looked close to four feet wide. With his dark Native American skin and huge build the two tiny guys on either side of him looked almost like elves barely reaching two feet tall each. But they were happy as can be, hanging on Grandpa's overall legs grinning happily, while swinging red cane fishing poles.
Grammy said there wasn't anything Grandpa loved more than all his little grand babies. But that wasn't true. The thing Grandpa loved most in the world was Grammy and no one ever doubted she felt the same.When she looked at him her face shined and she might as well have had hearts painted in her eyes, or so my mother always told me. Farm boy Tommy who I call Papa, told me Grandpa Adrian looked at her like she was the most preious and beautiful woman in the whole world. *SIGH* They were beautiful together, loyal, loving and happier than any other couple I ever heard of.
But every great love story has a tragedy that is unchangeable. When Totsie was 35, she had given birth to five boys and was heavily pregnant with her first girl, my older sister Barbara Anne. Grandpa was out in the field working and when he didn't come in for supper, someone went looking for him, but it was already to late. The doctors said he had a brain anuresum, a blood vessel in his head burst instantly killing him.
In the seventies, being still pretty young, you would think my Grammy would have remarried. Absolutely not! When I asked her why, she told me Adrian had been the love of her life and he always would, alive or dead. She never once looked at another man, never wanted another man. All through my life she stayed alone, helping her kids and loving all 14 of her grand children and her numberous great grandchildren.
In 1999, I had my own son T.J. and vividly remember the day I took him to see Grammy. My mom laid him next to Grammy in her hospital bed and I took pictures of them snuggled next to each other. Every time I see the pictures it brings tears to my eyes and I think God I took them for my son. He was only a few months old when we lost her.
It was the strangest thing. My mother went in to see her one afternoon and called me as soon as she got home to tell me to prepare myself. As you can imagine I was horrified and refused to let up until she told me why. Grammy had asked her that afternoon if my mother had seen Daddy with the angles. She swore Granpa Adrian had came to her and told her to get her afairs in order, because he would be back in a few days and she would be going home with him.
Three days later I got the call at 1am. My Grammy had died in her sleep with a smile on her face. Happy because she was finally being reunited with the love of her life.
* * * *
Having faith, loyalty and undieing devotion, those qualities mean true romance to me and now you can understand why. So, when I write a romance it has to be worthy of the love I was taught. A perfect example of these qualities are the main characters of the first book in my Zogone series, Old Dreams.
When Brian's wife is murdered, he cryogfenically freezes his body for almost five hundred years, waiting for the day Colleen will be reincarnated. When he wakes he rushes to find her, an Earthling named Arlene along with a group of the alien Zogone soliders for back up. He will stop at nothing to get her back. But, when he realizes this new young woman doesn't remember him or even her past life as his wife, he has to be patient as memory by tiny memory resurfaces for her through nightmares and vivid daydreams, even the occasional nasty haulsination.
Arlene had a fresh start, in a different town, with new friends and a sweet, handsome roommate. Brian seemed to be a great guy and she was extremely attracted to him. The only problem was since the first day she had met him, her mind was filled with fantastic nightmares so powerful they made her physically ill-fantasies of Brian and a woman who wasn't her but strangely, at the same time, was.
To win a copy of the first book in my Zogone series- Old Dreams- leave me a comment and tell me what romance means to you with your e-mail address. Good luck and enjoy the blog hop. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you loved hearing about my grandparent's great love story. Don't forget the other 100+ authors and jump over to their sites for more chances to win.
Can't wait to win a copy, grab yours here!
Want to read excerpts from Old Dreams? Check the links below.
Excerpt #1
Excerpt #2
Excerpt #3
And if you were curious, here are the covers for the rest of my Zogone Series!
Book 2-Past Regrets
Book 3- Ancient Enemies
And Book 4- New Beginnings
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
08/30- Thoughtful Thursday with Another Exciting Hop-
Don't miss the Romancing the Hop- Aug31st-Sep3rd.
What is your favorite thing about Romance? Well, we authors are ready to share our romantic tips and favorite romance reads! Starting on Friday and ending on August 31st, over 100 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about romance, reading romance, and dating.
And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 100 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger. I'm giving away a copy of my e-book Old Dreams, the first book that started the Zogone sagas, my first book published and my personal favorite of all the ones I've written so far.
But that's not all....
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!
Yep. ALL of that! Whoot! Be sure to come back here on Friday and over the weekend to enjoy some stories and facts about our favorite Romance events and reads and enter to win!
For this hop you can keep up-to-date on what is happening on Twitter. Just check out the Hashtag #RomHop . And don't forget to jump along to each blog for another chance to win starting tomorrow.
What is your favorite thing about Romance? Well, we authors are ready to share our romantic tips and favorite romance reads! Starting on Friday and ending on August 31st, over 100 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about romance, reading romance, and dating.
And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 100 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger. I'm giving away a copy of my e-book Old Dreams, the first book that started the Zogone sagas, my first book published and my personal favorite of all the ones I've written so far.
But that's not all....
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!
Yep. ALL of that! Whoot! Be sure to come back here on Friday and over the weekend to enjoy some stories and facts about our favorite Romance events and reads and enter to win!
For this hop you can keep up-to-date on what is happening on Twitter. Just check out the Hashtag #RomHop . And don't forget to jump along to each blog for another chance to win starting tomorrow.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Music Monday- For the Not So Okay and My Pitiful 100th Post
First off, please excuse the missing posts from Wednesday and Sunday. As a child I ran wild through the woods in the South happy as a bug without a care in the world and never had a problem with any plants. On Sunday I helped deal with a dead tree covered in climbing vines. By Tuesday I had gotten a rude awakening. Apparently you can never have a problem with poison plants as a child, then suddenly form an aversion to them as an adult.
By Wednesday both my arms were covered and my face had started to swell up. By Thursday My face was twice the size as normal and my neck had started to swell alarmingly too. Thursday afternoon meant a trip to the ER to be hooked up to an IV. All weekend it has been prescription meds, which will continue for 12 days, Benadryl, rubbing alcohol, calamine lotion, pealing skin and itching bad enough to drive me complete insane. Most of the swelling is gone now and a good percent of the rash is too, so I’m slowly on the mend.
But this song explains so well how I feel right now, while slightly woozy from meds and itching in an ungodly way.
My Chemical Romance- I'm Not Okay
Monday, August 20, 2012
Music Monday-Music for the Bizarre and Everyday
08/20- Music for the Bizarre and Everyday-
Some times you can be in the middle of a calm serene scene and not even realize the world is falling apart around you. In the YA sci-fi romance I’ve recently started working on my main character is spending her after school time in a sound proof dance studio practice room. She doesn’t hear anything, except her music and the steps she is reciting in her head. The fact that her world has been invaded by aliens never even registers until the building she is standing in starts to shake.
To have a great story it has to be more than lines on a page. There has to be substance to your words. In real life the world doesn’t revolve around you, so why should it only revolve around your characters. A co-worker might have spent the night dealing with a sick child, while another could have had a nasty fight with their spouse before coming to work. On your drive in you might have past some road work and a dump truck driver could have winked at you out of sheer boredom.
To make the story pop off the page and become 3D you need to add in details, because it is the little things that really matter. As you’ll notice from this video there are so many point-of-views and even amongst chaos there is always room for love. So, remember the details and bring your worlds to life.
Fun.: We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe-
Some times you can be in the middle of a calm serene scene and not even realize the world is falling apart around you. In the YA sci-fi romance I’ve recently started working on my main character is spending her after school time in a sound proof dance studio practice room. She doesn’t hear anything, except her music and the steps she is reciting in her head. The fact that her world has been invaded by aliens never even registers until the building she is standing in starts to shake.
To have a great story it has to be more than lines on a page. There has to be substance to your words. In real life the world doesn’t revolve around you, so why should it only revolve around your characters. A co-worker might have spent the night dealing with a sick child, while another could have had a nasty fight with their spouse before coming to work. On your drive in you might have past some road work and a dump truck driver could have winked at you out of sheer boredom.
To make the story pop off the page and become 3D you need to add in details, because it is the little things that really matter. As you’ll notice from this video there are so many point-of-views and even amongst chaos there is always room for love. So, remember the details and bring your worlds to life.
Fun.: We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe-
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday-Terrifying Hallucinations- #sixsunday
08/19- From Old Dreams-
A fat, three foot long, black rattle snake was curled over the top of the picture
frame. The tip of its tail softly shook, making the sound of a tambourine shaking and
almost half of its body stood up straight, head arched prepared to strike.
Arlene jumped up and screamed a warning. “Snake …!”
Brian swung around, glancing right at the snake, then kept scanning the
apartment, before looking back at her in confusion. “Where?”
Arlene pointed at the snake. “It’s right there. It's right in front of you. How can you not see it?”
Find Old Dreams Here!
A fat, three foot long, black rattle snake was curled over the top of the picture
frame. The tip of its tail softly shook, making the sound of a tambourine shaking and
almost half of its body stood up straight, head arched prepared to strike.
Arlene jumped up and screamed a warning. “Snake …!”
Brian swung around, glancing right at the snake, then kept scanning the
apartment, before looking back at her in confusion. “Where?”
Arlene pointed at the snake. “It’s right there. It's right in front of you. How can you not see it?”
Find Old Dreams Here!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Thoughtful Thursday With Special Guest Author Jaleta Clegg!
Just a few months ago I joined a writers group, SFR Brigade (Sci-Fi Romance). One of my fellow members is here today as my very special first guest, Author Jaleta Clegg. I'd like everyone to give her a warm welcome. Thanks for being here today to share your work and congrats on the release.
Jaleta is here today to tell us all about hunky heroes and introduce us to her newest book Priestess of the Eggstone, the latest addition to her The Fall of the Altairan Empire series.
Hunky Heroes
What makes a hero a hunk? That's a loaded question if I ever heard one. Ask ten different women and you'll get at least ten different answers.
For me, it depends on several factors. Appearance is only the surface. If a man is a total and complete jerk, I don't care how handsome he is, he isn't a hunk. Personality is the heart of being a hunk. Women really do care more about what's inside than what's outside.
In Priestess of the Eggstone, I had a lot of fun setting up a love triangle with three of the main characters. The two men couldn't be more different and yet they are both hunky in their own way. My main character, Dace, has her hands full trying to figure out what she feels.
Here's the description of Tayvis from when you first meet him in Nexus Point:
"He came out of the mist like a primeval god in a really bad romance vid–dark hair, darker eyes, and a face stolen from my most secret fantasies. He wore a leather vest with no shirt, tight pants, and tall boots. He stopped on the other side of the stream, muscles flexing as he folded his bare arms across his chest."
At the time, he's very threatening. He has to be. He's an undercover Patrol agent sent to find drug smugglers on a low-tech planet. Dace is where she doesn't belong and her story of crash landing in a damaged escape pod is too wild to be believable. But he's her best chance off the planet, so she agrees to work with him to catch the real bad guys. Tayvis turns out to be a decent, honorable guy and by the end of the book, she's in love with him.
Now enter guy #2, Jerimon, at the beginning of Priestess of the Eggstone:
Pursued by the Targon Crime Syndicate bent on revenge, the Patrol intent on recruitment, and the Sessimoniss who want their god back, the last thing Captain Dace needs is a handsome copilot with romance on his mind.
journal-store.com/bookstore/priestess-of-the-eggstone
Visit www.altairanempire.com for more information on the series, The Fall of the Altairan Empire.
Fantastic post Jaleta. For me the one characteristic that makes a hero hunky or otherwise is devotion, a man that is loyal and lives for the woman he loves. What about everyone else? Leave a comment for Jaleta Clegg and answer her question above!
Jaleta is here today to tell us all about hunky heroes and introduce us to her newest book Priestess of the Eggstone, the latest addition to her The Fall of the Altairan Empire series.
Here is Jaleta's guest post. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did. And, please leave her an encouraging comment.
****
Guest post - By: Jaleta Clegg
"The man waiting in the doorway was short, slender, almost too good-looking to be real. His voice was cultured and smooth as Sirian silk, surprisingly deep. His short hair was deep black, with blue highlights under the lights. My mind filled in more details than I thought I'd noticed.
He had only glanced up briefly during the short interview, showing dark lashes and just a hint of blue. His hands were elegant, fingers moving gracefully over the keypad as he entered his information. He exuded competence and polish. His face could make grown women swoon, if he were in vids. He made my skin crawl but I was prejudiced against handsome men."
Two very different men, but both hunky in their own way. Dace finds herself very physically attracted to Jerimon, but he's a bit of a whiny jerk at times. Looks aren't everything. But Jerimon is there and Tayvis isn't. Which will she choose? You'll have to read the book to find out.
What makes a hunky hero for you? Looks? Skills? Attitude? or his character?
~
Jaleta Clegg loves to play with words, writing stories filled with adventure and just a bit of romance, because that's what she enjoys reading. You can find more about her at www.jaletac.com
She can also be found at:
Monday, August 13, 2012
Music Monday- Music to Help You Keep Dreaming-
08/13- Music to Help You Keep Dreaming-
From Old Dreams-
In my book Old Dreams Arlene gets memories of her past life in pieces, through dreams, nightmares and hallucinations. Then, there is Brian. He was Arlene’s husband in her last life, though she doesn’t remember it and in this life she has no idea who he is.
Arlene might be the one having daydreams, but what about Brian’s hopes and dreams for the future. When his wife was murdered, he was cryogenically frozen for almost five hundred years until Colleen could be reborn as Arlene. The second the alien Zogone’s computer recognized her life force, Brian was awoken and rushed to her side only to find a lovely young woman who was attracted to him, but had no idea who he was.
So, while she recovers her past, he can only dream of the future they were meant to have together. I think this song fits him perfectly.
Here Without You By: 3 Doors Down
P.S. Don't miss my special guest Thursday. I'm sure Jaleta would love the support. So, stop by and comment Thursday.
From Old Dreams-
In my book Old Dreams Arlene gets memories of her past life in pieces, through dreams, nightmares and hallucinations. Then, there is Brian. He was Arlene’s husband in her last life, though she doesn’t remember it and in this life she has no idea who he is.
Arlene might be the one having daydreams, but what about Brian’s hopes and dreams for the future. When his wife was murdered, he was cryogenically frozen for almost five hundred years until Colleen could be reborn as Arlene. The second the alien Zogone’s computer recognized her life force, Brian was awoken and rushed to her side only to find a lovely young woman who was attracted to him, but had no idea who he was.
So, while she recovers her past, he can only dream of the future they were meant to have together. I think this song fits him perfectly.
Here Without You By: 3 Doors Down
P.S. Don't miss my special guest Thursday. I'm sure Jaleta would love the support. So, stop by and comment Thursday.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday- #sixsunday
08/12- From Talkers-
Her eyes traveled up to his face and he had to be the most beautiful man she had ever seen, with almost feminine features. His pointed nose was a bit thin, added to a tiny slightly pointed chin, high cheek bones, long cosmetically thinned eyebrows, one of which was pierced, which went surprising well with long dark eyelashes and a pair of dazzling bright green eyes. He was a man who could make even a woman like her sigh in pure enjoyment from just the sight of him.
Clearing her own throat with a delicate cough into her fist, she tried speaking, hoping she didn’t sound like an overheated lusty housewife. "My father is in the back taking a call at the moment, but I can help you if you like."
When he spoke his voice was heavily accented from naturally speaking an alien language. "I vas told I could find a Ms. Shayle Forester here.
Find Talkers here!
P.S. Don't miss out on my first ever guest, Jaleta Clegg Thursday. She will be here to introduce her newest book Priestee of the Eggstone.
Her eyes traveled up to his face and he had to be the most beautiful man she had ever seen, with almost feminine features. His pointed nose was a bit thin, added to a tiny slightly pointed chin, high cheek bones, long cosmetically thinned eyebrows, one of which was pierced, which went surprising well with long dark eyelashes and a pair of dazzling bright green eyes. He was a man who could make even a woman like her sigh in pure enjoyment from just the sight of him.
Clearing her own throat with a delicate cough into her fist, she tried speaking, hoping she didn’t sound like an overheated lusty housewife. "My father is in the back taking a call at the moment, but I can help you if you like."
When he spoke his voice was heavily accented from naturally speaking an alien language. "I vas told I could find a Ms. Shayle Forester here.
P.S. Don't miss out on my first ever guest, Jaleta Clegg Thursday. She will be here to introduce her newest book Priestee of the Eggstone.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Nero's Niche: Guest Post: Alien World Building
Last night a fellow writer, Michael Formichelli hosted me on his site. He has some amazing posts you should check out. Here is the link to my guest post on his site.
Enjoy,
Debra
Nero's Niche: Guest Post: Alien World Building: Greetings to all! Today please welcome sci-fi romance author, Debra Soles! Debra surprised me by providing an excellent guest post that ...
Enjoy,
Debra
Nero's Niche: Guest Post: Alien World Building: Greetings to all! Today please welcome sci-fi romance author, Debra Soles! Debra surprised me by providing an excellent guest post that ...
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Hump Day Hunks- For the Hunk in Rough Waters-
08/08- For the Hunk in Rough Waters-
Nero ran across the deck, then up another slick set of steps to the wheel room or bridge.
He had to hold tightly to the railings on the way up the wind thrashed violently shoving Nero back and forth on the stairs, while whipping his clothes to tangle around him.
Nero knew till the day he died he would never forget the deafening roar of the winds
whistle in his ears and the feel of the rumbling under his feet. Between the shifting of the stairs and the whooshing of the wind, it took everything Nero had to stay on his feet.
Nero trudged ahead, with rain piercing the skin on his face and him grumbling with each step. “I hate these blasted storms. They come in like a thief, silent and stealthy, to steal your boat out from under you.” Offhandedly he shrugged in his musing, “Or like a woman. When her wrath is shaken you feel the full fury of her temper.”
With great effort Nero finally made it to the wheel room where Georgey was fighting
desperately to keep the ship under control with the help of a few officers. Nero could tell that even for a man of such an extraordinary size, he was having a hell of a time with it. Nero knew it took more than shear bulk, it took skill, practice and a finer understanding of every inch of the ship you were trying to maneuver.
Nero took over with Georgey’s heart felt gratitude. Every thought left him as his
instincts took over. With his hands firmly on the wheel he took charge, feeling the vibrations of Mama Lee fighting back against the storm that threatened to take her under.
For a moment Nero thought Mama Lee might loose the fight as the ship tilted onto her
side. Shouts of ‘man overboard,’ rang out. There was a flurry of activity as every man ran wildly trying to save both the ship and the sailors that were lost to the angry sea.
Grab Your Copy of One Wish Here!
Nero ran across the deck, then up another slick set of steps to the wheel room or bridge.
He had to hold tightly to the railings on the way up the wind thrashed violently shoving Nero back and forth on the stairs, while whipping his clothes to tangle around him.
Nero knew till the day he died he would never forget the deafening roar of the winds
whistle in his ears and the feel of the rumbling under his feet. Between the shifting of the stairs and the whooshing of the wind, it took everything Nero had to stay on his feet.
Nero trudged ahead, with rain piercing the skin on his face and him grumbling with each step. “I hate these blasted storms. They come in like a thief, silent and stealthy, to steal your boat out from under you.” Offhandedly he shrugged in his musing, “Or like a woman. When her wrath is shaken you feel the full fury of her temper.”
With great effort Nero finally made it to the wheel room where Georgey was fighting
desperately to keep the ship under control with the help of a few officers. Nero could tell that even for a man of such an extraordinary size, he was having a hell of a time with it. Nero knew it took more than shear bulk, it took skill, practice and a finer understanding of every inch of the ship you were trying to maneuver.
Nero took over with Georgey’s heart felt gratitude. Every thought left him as his
instincts took over. With his hands firmly on the wheel he took charge, feeling the vibrations of Mama Lee fighting back against the storm that threatened to take her under.
For a moment Nero thought Mama Lee might loose the fight as the ship tilted onto her
side. Shouts of ‘man overboard,’ rang out. There was a flurry of activity as every man ran wildly trying to save both the ship and the sailors that were lost to the angry sea.
Grab Your Copy of One Wish Here!
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