April 2018

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Sunday, April 29, 2018

WeWriWa: Opposites Attract

The rescue of a damsel in distress followed by awkward conversation, moving to sparking attraction between an unlikely pair . . . and last week’s first homecooked meal . . . Next step, sharing intimate details. Hard to do when you both harbor secrets that will ruin everything once they’re told.


He’s from a warrior shapeshifter clan planted in her father’s household to find information to destroy her family. She’s . . . much, much more than the empathetic fortune teller who intuits more than she should. But opposites still attract . . .


"I wish I could meet them."

He drew up so suddenly, she almost upended the rest of the leftovers onto his very deliciously shaped rear end when he glanced over his shoulder, his expression one of almost comical surprise as he blurted out, "Really, you would?"

"Well," she amended, "I've gotten a pretty good look at your brothers." She grinned at her recall of their R-rated dance moves, then, her smile growing wistful, she added, "But I think I'd really like your family, your mom." That came out a lot more poignantly sappy than she intended, waking a tender light in his eyes that made her laugh uncomfortably. "I didn't mean that in a needy, poor little orphan way."

"That's not how I took it."

Guys didn't want to think about their mom and sex in the same calendar year. What had she been thinking to bring up such a thing?

She'd been thinking she wanted to get to know more about him than just how he was between the sheets.

Home to meet his mother? Whoa! That’s a big step . . . especially when she doesn’t know what she’s stepping into.

Hopefully, by the time you read this, I’ll have finished this portion of the book during our RWA chapter’s weekend Retreat from Harsh Reality with its hours upon hours dedicated to getting words on the page.



As PRINCE OF DREAMS revs up in its second half, here’s a reminder of what’s led up to it. There’s still time to catch up.



    

Prince of Honor: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads
Prince of Power: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads
Prince of Fools: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Goodreads

Happy Spring and Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!




Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Sunday, April 22, 2018

WeWriWa: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?


That first meal cooked for your hopefully soon to be significant other. Lights low. Anticipation high . . . That's where today's excerpt finds my hero and heroine from PRINCE OF DREAMS. Bon Appetit!

The kitchen was dark, a faint flicker of light leading him through an equally silent dining room to a bumped out private nook lit by candles . . . and by Ophelia Brady's tempting gaze. 

"I bet you're hungry," she purred, pulling out one of the two tapestry chairs for him to settle into. 

"Starved," he assured taking the seat, inhaling in anticipation, drawing in the rich flavors of the meal and the more appealing aroma of the female whose fingertips traced along his shoulders as she moved to sit opposite. Muted shadows played over her features in a caress as tempting and mysterious as her small smile. 

"I hope you'll find everything worth the wait." 

"Oh, I have no doubts whatsoever." 

They ate in silence, his low moans of pleasure and gratified glances as he devoured the meal conveying everything Phe needed to hear as she kept their glasses refilled with a very nice wine. The decadent spiced food, the tickling bouquet of spirits, the visual feast her dinner companion presented combined to overwhelm her senses. If Saint Peter snatched her out of her chair at that very instant, she'd have no regrets. Except one. The one promised in his simmering stare.

We’ll find out where this intimate dinner takes them next week . . .

FINALLY! With my new “Fridays are writing days” schedule in place (down to a 4-day work week), I'm past the halfway point in PRINCE OF DREAMS. After spending last weekend doing a complicated time line, because the events from all four books in the House of Terriot series overlap (Whose brilliant idea was it for THAT to happen?), things are really on a roll. Now, I’m looking forward to our Mid-Michigan Chapter of Romance Writers of America's annual Retreat next weekend. Because I'm job free on Fridays, I can attend the all-day Write-In that day and sneak off to my favorite inspirational window on the world for some snatches at the keyboard time on Saturday. Writer nirvana!


Now that it's FINALLY spring here in Michigan (Hope I didn't speak prematurely!), I'm looking forward to writing with windows cracked open to invigorate the ole brain pan. Hope all my WeWriWa pals are ready to bloom where their stories are planted!

Happy (finally/hopefully) Spring, fellow Warriors!


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Sunday, April 08, 2018

WeWriWa: PRINCE OF DREAMS – Meet the Family . . .


One of the least anticipated and anxious moments of a new relationship is that first meet and greet with their family. Will you like them? Will they like you? Will you fit in comfortably or wish you could run screaming in the opposite direction at first sight? Those first impressions can make or break a budding romance. Since I’m returning to my WIP, PRINCE OF DREAMS, it’s time for Ophelia to meet the family . . . who aren’t quite what she expected. They’re . . . more. But what, exactly?

Kip’s brothers shared the same brutally handsome looks. A powerful air of danger swirled about them like an exotic cologne. With the unblinking intensity of their stares and almost predatory body postures, their unnatural stillness produced a violent energy rippling from them with the force of an approaching tsunami. The uncomfortable press of a foreign presence closed in around her, creating an almost suffocating threat. 

What was wrong with these people? The diamonds in their ears, the flash, the suits, the eddies of danger. Illegal commodities dealers? Blackwaterish thugs? Her father’s profession gave her a foolproof underworld detector, and readings were jumping all over the place. Her intuitive nature urged her to run for her life . . . while she could.

Family seems an appropriate theme as I’m hosting my 10-year-old grandguy for his Spring Break. First you notice while most things are the same, some are subtly different. But what exactly has changed? It takes a while to pick up on the differences (and hey, kids are strange, foreign little creatures at their best!) as they evolve from cute, cuddly youngsters to opinionated near teens. But after an awkward adjustment, it’s like no time has passed at all.

At least I didn’t discover he’s from a family of powerful shapeshifters! (Or maybe that would explain a lot!).

It’s off to the mall to see if the little guy is more Toys R Us or Game Stop these days. The fun is in the discovery. I hope after a few chapters my heroine will agree . . .

Happy Writing, fellow Warriors and Happy Where the Heck Is Spring?


Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.


Spread the word, share the love, warriors - Hashtag #8sunday.

Wednesday, April 04, 2018

IWSG: Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling . . .

The OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question for April is, appropriately enough: When your writing life is a bit cloudy or filled with rain, what do you do to dig down and keep on writing?


We all have those gloomy days . . . the words won't come, and those that do, are awful at best. There's distracting drama on the publishing or family front. You've hit a plot snag or, like me, find out you're being downsized on your day job to the tune of 30% of your hours. Talk about a thunder storm! Sometimes, it's more a monsoon than just a passing shower and your brain gets too waterlogged to spin a creative phrase.

If I can't (and sometimes, I just can't!) power through it just to get those words onto the page so I'll have something to edit later, I give myself permission to step away. We're not talking a major Walkabout, just some breathing room until the juices start to flow again and the fickle Muses are appeased. I don't like to venture far from the keyboard on work time. Sometimes, all it takes is a brief read-through of what I've already done to get momentum going in the right direction. Sometimes, it's some research I skipped over or have on the horizon. When I bumped up against a puddle too deep and wide to jump over this past weekend with my WIP, I took advantage of the break in inspiration to use some perspiration instead to create a much-needed timeline to knit PRINCE OF DREAMS, the fourth and final book in my "House of Terriot" dark paranormal shapeshifter series, together with overlapping earlier books. And found some REAL potholes! They were much easier to fill now rather than later, once I'd completed the entire book upon a fault line.

Sometimes, a little rain is a good thing. Good for washing away grimy stuff that's built up to present a fresh new look. Good for making things grow and bloom. Good for encouraging roots to sink deep. Excellent for coaxing a rainbow!


Sink those roots, fellow IWSG friends, and let your creativity blossom!


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!

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.The awesome co-hosts for the April 4th posting of the IWSG will be Olga Godim, Chemist Ken, Renee Scattergood, and Tamara Narayan!

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG