Give a big “Yee Haw” welcome to Lora Lee as she shares a bit about herself . . .
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Getting to Know Your Favorite (or new favorite!) Author: 20 Questions with Lora Lee
December 23, 2014
Give a big “Yee Haw” welcome to Lora Lee as she shares a bit about herself . . .
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
Ashes of Eden Review
December 09, 2014
Monday, December 01, 2014
The Gifts From Door-to-Door with The Christmas Wonder Giveaway Hop!
December 01, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
Black Friday Comes to the Booklover in Bewitching Book Tours’ Hot Holiday Giveaway!
November 28, 2014
I’m joining with a holiday crush of authors all eager to present you with great reading for the holiday season. From Black Friday to December 15, browse the bookcase below for the items being given away. See anything you like? How could you NOT!?
Thursday, November 20, 2014
New Contemporary Release: FROM THIS DAY FORWARD
November 20, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Winter Booklovers Contest!!
November 10, 2014
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
IWSG: The Voices in My Head
November 05, 2014
I glance at the clock.
3:45 a.m.
Cursing Daylight Savings, I try to go back to sleep. Just two more hours. Is that too much to ask after grueling weeks of non-stop editing, blogging and proofreading on top of my full time job? But it’s too late and I know it, because my mind is already drifting—not toward that desired sleep. The voices begin. I recognize them. Just whispers at first from those who’ve been part of my every waking hour for the last few months as we worked together toward Release Day in mid-October. Then a scene begins to unfold, rolling like 35mm film, filled with action and passion. Not one of the many that I’d been tweaking and polishing in that frantic race to meet deadline. But something new.
Something from the next book.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Halloween Haunted Open House and Giveaway Blog Hop!!
October 27, 2014
The doors are open from October 27 through October 31 for ghoulish fun! I’ve got a ghostly host of special guests including NY Times bestseller, Darynda Jones, tarot expert Arwen Lynch and ImaJinn Books editor Brenda Chin along with out of this world giveaways! And if that wasn’t enough to entice you to my creaky door, there are rooms filled with thrills, chills and appetizing yummies (Not mummies! Well, there might be mummies . . .) waiting. Booklovers, film buffs, horror addicts, TV junkies, fright fiends - there’s something for everyone! Expect a haunting good time.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Release the Hounds – Literally! It’s Release Day for Remembered by Moonlight!
October 13, 2014
Here it is – ready to read at last!
Monday, October 06, 2014
Ready – Set – One Click!
October 06, 2014
Release day (October 13, 2014!) is just a week away, but you can have RbM ready and waiting to read with a One-Click today.
I’m taking my show on the road!
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
IWSG: Stepping Out on Faith
October 01, 2014
There comes a time when you have to put up or shut up. You’ve talked the talk, now walk the walk. Each journey begins with that first step, and when it comes to writing, no one can take it for you. The longer you think about it, the more difficult and scary it becomes. Staring at a blank page, signing up to meet an editor/agent, sending out your proposal, taking a class, agreeing to teach one. The obstacle isn’t your talent or your project, it’s you.
There comes a time when you have to just do it! Here are some tips to help make that all important first step easier:
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
20 Questions with Author Rebekah R. Ganiere
September 23, 2014
I have a "thing" for fairytales! Look no farther than last week’s blog post accompanying the Fairy Tale Magic Hop for my reasons why. And I love discovering new authors who write what I enjoy. Ta Da! Meet Rebekah! I already knew of her enthusiasm for the paranormal genre through RWA’s FF&P loop, but the minute "One Click" brought the magic of her world to my iPad Kindle app, I realized something else: The woman knows her way around a fairytale! I’m devouring Red the Were Hunter and loving the way she can twist a familiar tale (and tail!). The second book in her Fairelle series, Snow the Vampire Slayer is waiting, crouching and ready to spring the minute it’s released, which is probably just as this post is getting uploaded. Pardon me while I sneak out . . . for a bite!
Monday, September 15, 2014
Fairy Tale Magic Hop . . . and COVER REVEAL!
September 15, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Feature Friday Block Party: Whetting the Appetite
September 12, 2014
A nibble. A tease. My favorite thing about eating out or a dinner party has always been the appetizers. Those quick, delicious samples that excite the taste buds and make the wait for the main course bearable. Too few make you cranky. Too many overstuff and leave no room for the meal. Just the right balance gives you something to whet anticipation while building the desire for more. Rather like the countdown to a book release.
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
IWSG: Pay It Forward
September 03, 2014
You don’t survive in a shark-infested industry like publishing without grabbing onto to life preservers. They’re the people who keep you afloat and your head above those choppy waters. They’ll toss you a ring, jump in with you, extend a hand to pull you out of the current just when you’re ready to go down for the last time.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
In The Name of Love Character Quiz with Jennifer Lowery
August 12, 2014
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
IWSG: Procrastina . . . where did I get that chip in my nail polish?
August 06, 2014
My name is Nancy and I’m a procrastinator. My motto might as well be “If it wasn’t for the last minute nothing would ever get done-oh, look! A squirrel!” Blessed/cursed with ADD, I can cruise blissfully through the day wasting time (that’s why God invented Solitaire and Facebook!) unless my OCD turns on the laser pointer to get my attention. Working full time, my writing time is too precious to let seconds tick away on YouTube scrolling cat videos (one can never get enough cat videos!). So how do you channel that distractibility into productivity?
Friday, July 25, 2014
Feature Friday Block Party Hop: New Release on the Block!
July 25, 2014
Nothing says Happy Summer like a Beach Read. I’m thrilled to offer my new contemporary release, TOTALLY YOURS, now available on Kindle and soon to be released in print and other e-formats, written under my pen name Dana Ransom for inclusion in your tote. Let the tempting beginning . . .
Start with a gorgeous cover. Can’t you just feel the warm sea air?
Friday, July 18, 2014
Feature Friday Block Party Blog Hop
July 18, 2014
Welcome - I'm participating in the Feature Friday Block Party Blog Hop hosted by Buy the Book Tours and this week's co-host, author MJ Schiller! Please be so kind as to #FF me on Twitter - My handle is @NancyGideon.
One of my favorite vacays ever was cruising the Virgin Islands. The sun, the warm breezes, the exotic food and music . . . can you spell r-e-l-a-x-a-t-i-o-n! So today I’m bringing a bit of the tropics to the Block with a yummy grill recipe I got off Pintrest and a tease from my next new (actually re-issued) release.
First, get your taste buds tingling with this juicy palate-pleasing delight that made my family’s 4th of July explode with favor!
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
20 Questions for Teresa Blue, Your Favorite (or Soon to Be Favorite) Author . . .
July 08, 2014
Teresa’s debut romance is all about family and choices made for or because of them. Leslie is a young woman desperate to break free of her smothering ties, and her fiance’s infidelity is just the push she needs to spread her wings. Jay has seen too much of the world from his jaded mother’s fortune teller’s wagon and the minute he rescues Leslie from a break down on the side of the road, he knows she’s trouble he doesn’t need . . . but he can’t stay away. What makes Man of Her Dreams a pure delight is the richness of the secondary characters. Bar-fly Sally who befriends Leslie, Les’s wacky family, and even Jay’s mother create a wonderful patchwork of emotions and laughs that aren’t to be missed.
I’m looking into my crystal ball and can see you want to know more about this talented new writer. Presto – meet Teresa Blue.
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
IWSG: GET OUT OF MY FACE FACEBOOK! JUST SAY NO!
July 02, 2014
In my younger years, I delighted in Huxley, Orwell and Bradbury tales of artificial helpmates taking control of humanity. Guess what? It’s here! Welcome to the Twilight Zone of technology.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Summer Lovin’ Giveaway Hop!
June 20, 2014
Summer vacation growing up meant one thing – traveling up north for two weeks to stay at my family’s trailer which later became a cabin in the woods. The worst thing – riding for three hours in the backseat with my two sisters and the dog with two smoking parents in front and all the windows rolled up, many years with no running water or TV and . . . the outhouse where spiders always hid until after the door was closed. The absolute best was walking to the lake and corner store every day with my cousins . . . unless it rained. Rain meant staying inside with two older sisters, wet dog and smoking parents with nothing to do unless I could talk my mom into making the three mile drive down the highway to ‘town’ where I discovered a lifelong love. The library! It was a musty old building with uneven shelves filled with tattered hardcovers of the classics and Reader’s Digest condensed books. But there was a small section for kids, just in case it rained. I’d load up my arms with those take-me-away adventures – Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series and Trixie Beldon and Hardy Boys mysteries - and read for hours, forgetting about the rain on the roof while I got lost in the pages.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
20 Questions for Constance Bretes: Getting to Know Your Favorite (or soon to be Favorite!) Writer
June 17, 2014
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
IWSG: Move on Down the Road
June 04, 2014
I just spent the past week moving my 9-to-5 office. In a word, moving sucks. It’s stressful, exhausting, scary, expensive . . . all the things that put my regimented OCD soul into a fight or flight mode and kept me up at night going over every detail and every possible snag. I thrive on routine and predictability. When the word spontaneous comes up, you will not find my face as an example. I will put up with just about anything so as not to rock my same ole same ole world. Case in point, those 24-years of marriage. But sometimes you just gotta move on down the road . . . even if you don’t have Mapquest to provide you with every turn and rest stop.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Happy Release Day for LOVE’S OWN REWARD!
May 27, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Sneak Peek Sunday: LOVE’S OWN REWARD
May 25, 2014
They say everything old is new again. While I don’t look forward to the return of low-riding jeans, I am excited about BelleBooks/BellBridge’s reissues of my Dana Ransom contemporary romances from the early ‘90s. LOVE’S OWN REWARD is the first of four 2014 re-releases to return to print and, for the first time, e-format after a slight makeover to bring it up to date, and it’s available on 5/27/14—my birthday! Here’s a Sneak Peek . . .
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
20 Questions with Kristen Brockmeyer: Getting to Know Your Favorite (or soon to be Favorite!) Writer
May 13, 2014
In the case of LUCKY IN LOVE, you can judge a book by its cover. The second it caught my eye, I had to pick it up. The minute I read the back blurb, I knew I had to buy it. And Kristen Brockmeyer’s first contemporary romance delivered everything promised, from the flirty print dress to the sassy seamed stockings, to the sexy heels and delightful prose. What a fun read! Charming characters, bubbly dialogue, and engagingly over-the-top plotline whisk you along on a whirlwind road trip to adventure and heartfelt romance with the top down.
Wednesday, May 07, 2014
IWSG: Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose Your Prose and . . . Cover Reveal!!
May 07, 2014
I’m a closet hoarder. I hate to throw away anything I spent time or good money on. When my daughter-in-law was a featured artist with her ReMary’d Originals reinvented jewelry at a trendy shop called RETRO, it got me thinking about all the discarded bits and pieces of story plot and characters I’d tucked away in folders, used, broken and forgotten because they didn’t fit industry standards or had outlived their shiny first run. How very un-Green of me to discard these buried treasures when, with a little polish, a few fixes, a couple of changes, I could bring them back to new life in this suddenly rejuvenated writer-centric marketplace.
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
20 Questions with Author/Editor Patience Bloom!
April 08, 2014
It’s a rare pleasure to feature the creative work of one of my book editors! Patience Bloom (then Smith) groomed my “Warrior” contemporary series as senior editor for Harlequin’s (then Silhouette’s) Intimate Moments (now Romantic Suspense) line. (I just got dizzy following those edits). After spending several delightful evenings with her memoir Romance Is My Day Job, I enthusiastically recommend this fun and often poignant insider look at the dating life of someone who makes romance their profession. From teenage daydreams of Duran Duran (tho’ I personally planned to marry Simon, not John!) to comparisons to literature’s famous doomed relationships, her path to finding True Love one fictional hero at a time is filled with heartbreak and humor and a glorious happily-ever-after. To prove that editors are really people who love books, just like us, Patience answers my 20 Questions and offers a teasing glimpse at this gem of a romance (she had me at the book trailer!).
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
IWSG: The Creative Process Cycle
April 02, 2014
Last month (when I was supposed to be doing my IWSG post . . . hanging head in shame) I participated in a chain letter-type blog hop about The Writing Process where authors shared their own method of getting words on the page. Every post I read offered something uniquely tailored to the particular writer’s own organic style. But in reading them, I couldn’t help but think about a more universal cycle that applies to each project no matter where we are in our writing career - that circle of life (cue Elton John singing!) called The Creative Process. We all go through a struggle to produce against a common enemy. No, it’s not finding time or whether you’re a pantser or a plotter. It’s more insidious than that. It’s our own Inner Author who starts a step-by-step dialogue in our head the minute we type Chapter One on the page. See if you recognize it:
Friday, March 21, 2014
Seriously Shifter Giveaway Hop!
March 21, 2014
Growing up, I LOVED scary movies. My favorites were the Creature Features. Though the monsters were the ‘bad guys,’ I always felt an affinity for their plight – alone, isolated, different and unloved. They just couldn’t get a break. It wasn’t until I saw the movie Ladyhawke with Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeifer, where lovers cursed to become a hawk and a wolf, one at night and one during the day could never be together in their human forms except for that brief moment in-between, that I realized that these tragic tales could also be romances. A keen creative interest in all things Shifter was born.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Twenty Questions for Dana Corbit: Getting to Know Your favorite (or soon to be favorite!) Writer
March 18, 2014
It’s always a special privilege to hype the work of one of your book buddies, in this case, my critique partner, Dana Corbit. The talented members of my band of merry critiquers come from all areas of the romance spectrum and beyond, often providing my initiation into a particular genre. Dana’s warm and heart-felt romances were my introduction to the inspirational market where I found it easy to embrace the characters in her Love Inspired series books (my favorite - the trouble-making Charity!). Many a plot was born during our brainstorming sessions and I’m especially proud to welcome FINALLY A MOTHER because today is Special Delivery Release Day!
Monday, March 03, 2014
Writing Process Blog Hop – Tag, I’m it!
March 03, 2014
I’m not much for playing games unless they involve cards on my computer. But that said, a girl DOES like to have fun. And some game play is informative fun for a good cause, in this case, a chance to promote one’s craft and one’s friends. The Writing Process Blog Hop is passed from writer to writer like a chain letter (oh, don’t get me started on those!) only no bad luck will befall you if you don’t respond within the allotted time. It’s all good. Maris Soule “tagged” me in her blog last week, passing me the baton for today’s post on four questions regarding how we writer’s write. In turn, my job is to pass this task on to three more authors who will post next week, and so on, and so on.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
How Very Pinteresting!
February 27, 2014
Then I was getting my nails done (my only self-indulgence – snort!) and talk turned to food (it was after work and my stomach was growling!). My nail tech/hair wizard whips out her tablet, cues up her Pinterest page and starts scrolling through recipes. How cool is that?! And then we go to her board on nail art. OOO! LOVE IT! Okay, I’ve got to get into this. I’m raging ADD/OCD so I crave organization and sorting of any kind. By the time my acrylics are dry, I am on a mission to make Pinterest my slave. But how does it work?
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
IWSG: My Favorite “F” Words
February 05, 2014
Let’s recap . . .
“F-words, learn to use them!”
1. Flexibility. Don’t get stuck in a repetitive rut especially when it holds you back. Instead of whining over market changes, learn how to adapt. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d write in 1st person. Guess what both of my next projects are written in? Don’t let a lack of knowledge hold you back from trying something new, be it in your own writing or when it comes to keeping up with technology. Make “Yes, I can!” you’re new buzz word.
2. Focus. Set goals. Think of them as those turn-by-turn helpers that come with Mapquest directions to get you where you need to go so you don’t get lost or detoured. Recalculate when necessary (If you like, you can do it in a snotty English accent!)
3. Fearlessness. From sending out that first manuscript to approaching an agent/editor to reinventing a career, fear is what stands in your way – not lack of name recognition, not your competition, not your bad sales figures. What have you got to lose? Success, if fear keeps you from trying. Go boldly! Ask for a push if you need one!
4. Failure. What fuels most of our fear? Failure. We’re terrified of having that big “Epic Fail” stamped upon our forehead. It’s paralyzing. We need to change our pattern of thinking. Failure doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t succeed. It means that particular route wasn’t the right one. Recalulating . . . Sometimes the highway isn’t the best way or the only way.
5. Forward. Forward motion builds speed and momentum. Write every day and those paragraphs become a novel. Tiptoe into social media with Facebook or a blog and soon you’ll be dropping in embedded code. Speak to fellow writers. Join groups and loops. Ask questions. Take classes. Each bit of ongoing exposure is a step toward finding that agent, solving that plot problem, cleaning up that manuscript, discovering who is buying what you’re writing. Be that big snowball that gathers mass as it rolls (not hard to do here in Michigan at the moment!)
And remember . . . Sam Jackson has his eye on you!
How do you define these invaluable F-words and apply them to your own writing? Which gives you the most trouble?
What is the Insecure Writers Support Group?
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! See #5 above!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.
IWSG rocks! That’s why I’m “Sharing the Love” in my 2-1-14 blog post below as part of the Share the Love Giveaway Hop. Help spread the warm fuzzies and earn more chances to win my $10 Amazon gift card. Another warm fuzzy – BETRAYED BY SHADOWS and PRINCE OF SHADOWS (links are below too), part of my dark paranormal Shape-shifter series with Pocket Star are STILL only $1.99 at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for Kindle and Nook. Hurry! Don’t know how long that price will remain.
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Share the Love Giveaway Hop
February 01, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Winter Wonder Man Blog Hop . . .
January 16, 2014
What warms you up faster on a cold wintery night than a deliciously hot romance hero? Believe me, when temperatures here in my home state of Michigan dip down to a -40 wind chill (Baby, that’s COLD outside!) there’s nothing I’d rather do than stay inside with a warm cat and a sizzling book boyfriend.
Just in time to save you from frostbite, join me and 57 author friends in the Winter Wonder Man Blog Hop!
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
IWSG: I Resolve to Evolve
January 08, 2014
As the clock strikes midnight and ticks toward a New Year (or now more realistically 10:00 p.m.) I start making resolutions for the upcoming 12 months. Years go by. The categories on that list remain the same. Health, finances, personal, spiritual, family, and professional. I’m embarrassed to say, many of the expectations are carried over, unmet. Still haven’t lost those stubborn pounds (actually, they’ve been lost and found again!). No condo or flush 401K. Haven’t retired to live off my writing income yet. The time I wanted to spend with my family, friends and beliefs has trickled away. Okay, I knew going in those were looooooong term plans (In my lifetime, please!). What has changed over time aren’t the end results I’m shooting for. They’re the specific and ever changing steps I need to take to get there, especially in the professional category.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
20 Questions for Alyssa Alexander: Getting to Know Your Favorite (or soon to be Favorite!) Writer
January 07, 2014
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