tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80999799157963616902023-11-16T06:07:23.341-08:00DESERT BREEZE PUBLISHINGDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.comBlogger832125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-17355090555749966132013-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-25T06:00:08.425-08:00Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "A Legacy of Lies" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMqNkoDHmuaBYID9BtJfToDPQ0UpjE3JD4-Gg_qg4FakTObB-8Ym2fkZdc_W1O1q_rz7KLkeaRHdiNx6w8KTpEnIRRhCmg_3h-nsok0Eua7Af4K5t2SmvB3JBrHMPv4x0xmpO6yIXryo/s1600/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMqNkoDHmuaBYID9BtJfToDPQ0UpjE3JD4-Gg_qg4FakTObB-8Ym2fkZdc_W1O1q_rz7KLkeaRHdiNx6w8KTpEnIRRhCmg_3h-nsok0Eua7Af4K5t2SmvB3JBrHMPv4x0xmpO6yIXryo/s320/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Thank you so much for supporting Stephenia's week in the spotlight. Leave a comment today, Saturday, and Sunday on the excerpt post along with your email and we'll pick a winner on Monday to receive a 10 GC for Amazon from Stephenia! Enjoy the excerpt!<br />
<br />
Moderator Steph<br />
*****<br />
<br />
It was cold.<br />
Too cold.<br />
<br />
The eerie silence of a moonless, starless night engulfed him.<br />
<br />
Jim shivered. It had been high noon only a few minutes ago. Had he fallen asleep? He didn't remember being tired. He shook his head and tried to focus his groggy mind. He peered around cautiously. Where was his horse?<br />
<br />
A rustling sound in the bushes startled him. His eyes darted to investigate.<br />
Nothing.<br />
<br />
No, wait. There it was again. Off to the left. His eyes strained, searching for the slightest movement or shape. Something. Anything.<br />
<br />
Silence.<br />
He felt like a kid afraid of the dark.<br />
<br />
Get a hold of yourself, man.<br />
<br />
Fingers of fear teased along the back of his neck. The hairs stood on end. He shivered. Where was that horse?<br />
<br />
"Ciervo!" His voice sounded weak even to his own ears. He tried again. Now he was completely hoarse.<br />
<br />
Swallowing the panic rising from the pit of his stomach, he took a cautious step forward. He heard stirring in the woods behind him. Squirrels? He listened intently.<br />
The noise came again. No. Definitely not a squirrel. Something was pacing in the woods. Deliberate. Stalking. Jim's mouth went dry.<br />
<br />
Mountain lion.<br />
<br />
His heart raced and he looked desperately around, scanning the darkness. Blackness blanketed the meadow. Jim hoped Ciervo hadn't wandered too far. He started to walk. Slowly. Calculating. He couldn't tell in what direction he moved.<br />
<br />
His cell! He could use it as a light source. Jim's hand brushed at his hip. It wasn't there. He frowned. It always stayed on his belt. He never left the ranch without it.<br />
Jim's eyes strained, but he could barely make out his surroundings. The farther he walked, the darker it got. His breathing came in quick, rapid intakes.<br />
<br />
A shrill sound broke the silence. His heart leaped.<br />
"Ciervo?"<br />
<br />
Where was he? Was the mountain lion after him?<br />
<br />
Hoof beats. Thank goodness.<br />
<br />
They were pounding quicker than his rapidly drumming heart. A shadow appeared about thirty feet in front of him.<br />
<br />
It wasn't his beloved horse. It looked like something galloping up from Hell.<br />
The horrid creature ran wildly toward him. The cold air caused the hot breath to billow from its nostrils like a smoking dragon.<br />
<br />
The monster's eyes looked like no earthly thing he had ever seen. The bulging orbs had a luminescent shine that came from deep behind the pupils. In the pitch black they glowed like a ghostly beacon.<br />
<br />
The horse-shaped beast lowered his head. The creature was preparing to slam into him. Jim threw himself out of its path and landed sharply on his hip. His right thigh slammed into a large, extruded boulder. Fire shot down his leg. Ignoring the pain, he jumped to his feet, eyes probing the darkness for the crazed brute. The ghostly version of Ciervo had vanished.<br />
<br />
Despite the cold, he began to sweat. Jim felt eyes boring into him. Someone or something watched him. He was exposed. Unprepared. His heart hammered in his chest. His body refused to move.<br />
<br />
Another sound. Different. It wasn't rustling limbs or bushes, and it certainly wasn't the horse's wild hoof beats. It was quiet, like a soft whisper. Crying? No, calling out for something.<br />
<br />
He strained to catch the garbled words. The voice grew louder. More urgent. Still he couldn't make out the woeful tone. Then, as if his brain finished translating some cryptic code, the word became clear.<br />
<br />
"James!"<br />
<br />
Again. Louder this time. "James... James..." The voice rose and fell in the darkness. Its eerie sound slithered into his ears.<br />
<br />
"Hello?" His voice echoed hoarsely. He held onto a feeble hope the voice came from someone nearby lost in the dark along with him. No one here knew him by that name. He stood holding his breath, listening.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, a freight train of frigid air knocked him backward. Terrified, he dared not to move. The voice came again.<br />
<br />
"You must help. Soon it will be too late--"<br />
<br />
An insidious roar erupted around him. Hot, musty breath bathed Jim's face. He struggled backward. He couldn't quite make out the figure standing over him. The silhouette was enormous. Its shoulders spanned at least four feet. An odd-shaped head swayed from side-to-side.<br />
<br />
It growled.<br />
<br />
Paralyzed with fear, Jim lay helpless. The creature rose to stand upright. Seven. Eight feet tall. Jim gasped for air. His feet tore into the soft ground, trying to gain footing. Desperately trying to get away. The creature came crashing toward hi<br />
<br />
Amazon<br />
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007K1LS58?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links<br />
<br />
Christianbook.com<br />
http://www.christianbook.com/a-legacy-of-lies-ebook/stephenia-mcgee/9781612521497/pd/28979EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=1012247&event=ESRCG&view=details<br />
<br />
Desert Breeze<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok<br />
<br />
"I knew it was a Christian romance when I started reading. I didn't know it would have such unexpected twists and turns. Desperately needing to know what would happen next, I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page." <br />
Judy T <br />
<br />
"McGee keeps her story moving and the reader guessing, expertly juggling the elements of gothic suspense, cowboy romance, divine intervetion, and inspirational fiction. I enjoyed Legacy of Lies for its characters and unique mix of story styling." <br />
Barbara Scott, author <br />
<br />
"This book has it all: a nice quick plot, a massive castle, cowboys, a dark mystery, a cold seductress and a story that leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the book. If you’re looking for one good read, I definitely recommend this book." <br />
Patty Froese, author<br />
<br />
"A Legacy of Lies is a heart-warming tale of a man's search for forgiveness. A blend of Western Romance and Big City Intrigue, Stephenia H. McGee takes the parable of the prodigal son and creates a modern twist readers won't see coming until the final page." <br />
Jennifer Lindsay<br />
Facebook<br />
www.facebook.com/StepheniaMcGee<br />
<br />
Twitter<br />
www.Twitter.com/StepheniaHMcGee<br />
<br />
My website<br />
www.StepheniaMcGee.com<br />
<br />
My book review blog<br />
www.fictionwithflair.blogspot.com<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-75413412918290441492013-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-24T06:00:04.398-08:00Author Spotlight - That First Kiss! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykJVwhTszHFjvb1HxFrOj9oZ3OTbLf8nSe-Vuh4w8qCEQuRlCJ_6S-WxHkTn98ZfBkaBevKo3dwziVfi8jKEPav0583ALdn-LqQRO324G3PhT26-EMYpm1VMcXgwHUxYTPw0zH0JGX7U/s1600/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykJVwhTszHFjvb1HxFrOj9oZ3OTbLf8nSe-Vuh4w8qCEQuRlCJ_6S-WxHkTn98ZfBkaBevKo3dwziVfi8jKEPav0583ALdn-LqQRO324G3PhT26-EMYpm1VMcXgwHUxYTPw0zH0JGX7U/s320/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Do you remember your first kiss with someone special? I still think it was that first, quick stolen kiss on my grandmother’s front porch that won my husband’s heart. I was (and still am) a very shy girl. He couldn’t believe I planted a quick peck on his lips and then dashed in the door. I must have intrigued him, because three months later we were engaged and married just three months after that. Six months from my quick peck to our “you may kiss the bride” kiss. =) We have now been married nine years, and I still love to kiss him!<br />
<br />
Here is an excerpt of my characters’ first kiss. Leave me a comment on theirs, mine or tell me about yours!<br />
<br />
They were alone.<br />
<br />
Her pulse quickened. He was close enough for her to smell his slightly salty, woodsy scent. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.<br />
<br />
His husky voice broke into her silent revere. "You worried me back there. I don't know what I would've done if you'd been hurt."<br />
<br />
Her gaze met and held his for a moment, but she quickly looked away. Sarah plucked a tall blade of grass and rolled it between her fingers. The emotion in his voice stirred the butterflies in her stomach. She straightened her posture. "I made it out okay."<br />
<br />
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he remained silent.<br />
<br />
Sarah lowered her head. "What I meant to say was thank you for saving me," she whispered.<br />
<br />
"You're welcome."<br />
<br />
Sarah smiled. "That bull sure did give me a scare. I'm kinda surprised my heart didn't explode from sheer terror."<br />
<br />
He cleared his throat. "Well, now you know how I felt. When I heard you screaming, my heart nearly stopped." His eyes locked on the dancing flames.<br />
<br />
Sarah swallowed hard, the tension thick enough to be palatable. She eased a little closer to him. Suddenly, he turned to her. His face was only inches away.<br />
<br />
For a moment, she openly gazed into his eyes. They were deep brown with tiny flecks of gold. Pools of mystery she longed to solve.<br />
<br />
"I'm sorry, Jim. I just saw that baby get stuck and I didn't want to see it trampled." Her hands trembled now. She needed to look away. She needed to break this hold he had on her. She couldn't.<br />
<br />
"I know. You're a sweet girl." He spoke so softly she nearly missed the words. His fingers traced her jaw and then lifted her chin.<br />
<br />
To her surprise, her lips eagerly met his.<br />
<br />
Amazon<br />
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007K1LS58?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links<br />
<br />
Christianbook.com<br />
http://www.christianbook.com/a-legacy-of-lies-ebook/stephenia-mcgee/9781612521497/pd/28979EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=1012247&event=ESRCG&view=details<br />
<br />
Desert Breeze<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok<br />
<br />
"I knew it was a Christian romance when I started reading. I didn't know it would have such unexpected twists and turns. Desperately needing to know what would happen next, I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page." <br />
Judy T <br />
<br />
"McGee keeps her story moving and the reader guessing, expertly juggling the elements of gothic suspense, cowboy romance, divine intervetion, and inspirational fiction. I enjoyed Legacy of Lies for its characters and unique mix of story styling." <br />
Barbara Scott, author <br />
<br />
"This book has it all: a nice quick plot, a massive castle, cowboys, a dark mystery, a cold seductress and a story that leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the book. If you’re looking for one good read, I definitely recommend this book." <br />
Patty Froese, author<br />
<br />
"A Legacy of Lies is a heart-warming tale of a man's search for forgiveness. A blend of Western Romance and Big City Intrigue, Stephenia H. McGee takes the parable of the prodigal son and creates a modern twist readers won't see coming until the final page." <br />
Jennifer Lindsay<br />
Facebook<br />
www.facebook.com/StepheniaMcGee<br />
<br />
Twitter<br />
www.Twitter.com/StepheniaHMcGee<br />
<br />
My website<br />
www.StepheniaMcGee.com<br />
<br />
My book review blog<br />
www.fictionwithflair.blogspot.com<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-32425804632572765642013-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-23T06:00:06.617-08:00Author Spotlight - Stephenia McGee shares her Chocolate Chip Cookie receipe <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOiAJGsI66hVmnCgvxOhBItgGfQjLdp494hjFh96ZrVlZoiMZuX-Gv4mdVWOjktC_ojtalco8tE4q68UyH8NaRqoNadvdkGReUcUsXUDsn037UbwNQoXyOJU8YV9PUlDK7a4T7FhJ9Nc/s1600/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOiAJGsI66hVmnCgvxOhBItgGfQjLdp494hjFh96ZrVlZoiMZuX-Gv4mdVWOjktC_ojtalco8tE4q68UyH8NaRqoNadvdkGReUcUsXUDsn037UbwNQoXyOJU8YV9PUlDK7a4T7FhJ9Nc/s320/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div>Here’s a great recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies that one of my characters makes in A Legacy of Lies. <br />
Montana Chocolate Chip Cookies<br />
<br />
Description:<br />
Soft and chewy, these sweet, triple chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate treat! Great for curling up on the couch with a glass of milk and a good book! <br />
Ingredients<br />
3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/8 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened<br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar<br />
3 large eggs<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1 12 oz pack semisweet chocolate chips<br />
1 12 oz pack milk chocolate chips<br />
1 12 oz pack white chocolate chips<br />
Preparation<br />
Step One:<br />
Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time; stir in vanilla.<br />
Step Two:<br />
Gradually add the flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate chips. <br />
Step Three:<br />
Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about two inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the dough slightly with the back of a fork. Bake the cookies until golden brown, about fifteen minutes. Transfer to wire cookie racks to cool completely. Makes five dozen.<br />
<br />
Presentation Suggestions:<br />
Serve warm with a glass of milk or top with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Amazon<br />
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007K1LS58?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links<br />
<br />
Christianbook.com<br />
http://www.christianbook.com/a-legacy-of-lies-ebook/stephenia-mcgee/9781612521497/pd/28979EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=1012247&event=ESRCG&view=details<br />
<br />
Desert Breeze<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok<br />
<br />
"I knew it was a Christian romance when I started reading. I didn't know it would have such unexpected twists and turns. Desperately needing to know what would happen next, I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page." <br />
Judy T <br />
<br />
"McGee keeps her story moving and the reader guessing, expertly juggling the elements of gothic suspense, cowboy romance, divine intervetion, and inspirational fiction. I enjoyed Legacy of Lies for its characters and unique mix of story styling." <br />
Barbara Scott, author <br />
<br />
"This book has it all: a nice quick plot, a massive castle, cowboys, a dark mystery, a cold seductress and a story that leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the book. If you’re looking for one good read, I definitely recommend this book." <br />
Patty Froese, author<br />
<br />
"A Legacy of Lies is a heart-warming tale of a man's search for forgiveness. A blend of Western Romance and Big City Intrigue, Stephenia H. McGee takes the parable of the prodigal son and creates a modern twist readers won't see coming until the final page." <br />
Jennifer Lindsay<br />
Facebook<br />
www.facebook.com/StepheniaMcGee<br />
<br />
Twitter<br />
www.Twitter.com/StepheniaHMcGee<br />
<br />
My website<br />
www.StepheniaMcGee.com<br />
<br />
My book review blog<br />
www.fictionwithflair.blogspot.com<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-88236710180883330822013-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-22T06:00:11.287-08:00Author Spotlight - Famous Quotes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihHT9IupNMaaRj_wHRvEHh-60i9bdRy4a7DfxSFPtklXqhIS9MrrrEE4BGaTC08WRgyebY9hiQIlCcVsJTVDqMB8wDMmU7vNwe4KqrE7za6hlzPdRrAhoJYjlaxBjeB1lXwnSvphBcD4/s1600/writingimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="256" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihHT9IupNMaaRj_wHRvEHh-60i9bdRy4a7DfxSFPtklXqhIS9MrrrEE4BGaTC08WRgyebY9hiQIlCcVsJTVDqMB8wDMmU7vNwe4KqrE7za6hlzPdRrAhoJYjlaxBjeB1lXwnSvphBcD4/s320/writingimage.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Can you name the famous book from which I got each of these lines? Answer as many as you can without Googling. Don't forget we are holding a drawing at the end of the week from all the comments. You could win a $10.00 Amazon gift card. Good Luck!<br />
<br />
1) “With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.”<br />
<br />
2) “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”<br />
<br />
3) "People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word."<br />
<br />
4) "But you see, Meg, just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist."<br />
<br />
5) "How doth the little crocodile <br />
Improve his shining tail,<br />
And pour the waters of the Nile <br />
On every golden scale! ..."<br />
<br />
6) "No, there wasn't much he drew the line at. He fancied he was going to enjoy himself at Indian Island"<br />
<br />
7) "I knew that nobody but a luckless man could ever need a doctor in the face of a cyclone."<br />
<br />
8) "If I can fool a bug... I can surely fool a man. People are not as smart as bugs."<br />
<br />
9) "Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments."<br />
<br />
10) "It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it."<br />
<br />
<br />
Amazon<br />
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007K1LS58?ie=UTF8&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links<br />
<br />
Christianbook.com<br />
http://www.christianbook.com/a-legacy-of-lies-ebook/stephenia-mcgee/9781612521497/pd/28979EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=1012247&event=ESRCG&view=details<br />
<br />
Desert Breeze<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok<br />
<br />
"I knew it was a Christian romance when I started reading. I didn't know it would have such unexpected twists and turns. Desperately needing to know what would happen next, I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page." <br />
Judy T <br />
<br />
"McGee keeps her story moving and the reader guessing, expertly juggling the elements of gothic suspense, cowboy romance, divine intervetion, and inspirational fiction. I enjoyed Legacy of Lies for its characters and unique mix of story styling." <br />
Barbara Scott, author <br />
<br />
"This book has it all: a nice quick plot, a massive castle, cowboys, a dark mystery, a cold seductress and a story that leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the book. If you’re looking for one good read, I definitely recommend this book." <br />
Patty Froese, author<br />
<br />
"A Legacy of Lies is a heart-warming tale of a man's search for forgiveness. A blend of Western Romance and Big City Intrigue, Stephenia H. McGee takes the parable of the prodigal son and creates a modern twist readers won't see coming until the final page." <br />
<br />
Jennifer Lindsay<br />
Facebook<br />
www.facebook.com/StepheniaMcGee<br />
<br />
Twitter<br />
www.Twitter.com/StepheniaHMcGee<br />
<br />
My website<br />
www.StepheniaMcGee.com<br />
<br />
My book review blog<br />
www.fictionwithflair.blogspot.com<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-55198964704546673522013-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-21T18:46:30.516-08:00Author Spotlight - Q&A with Stephenia McGee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgte2y7u9-ZBK4NBhbZorQk2aPIWy1905iG2AHSgDfxWd3UXkwLfMJEMxU2cYsxiLUnTkUeuVD3q1haUNrEV9sHVFdJexPz95tszeGlni_m_d1JM3mjwovIegTCFYuPjKVUDlzlM1WY7l8/s1600/Stephpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="186" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgte2y7u9-ZBK4NBhbZorQk2aPIWy1905iG2AHSgDfxWd3UXkwLfMJEMxU2cYsxiLUnTkUeuVD3q1haUNrEV9sHVFdJexPz95tszeGlni_m_d1JM3mjwovIegTCFYuPjKVUDlzlM1WY7l8/s320/Stephpic.jpg" /></a></div><br />
STEPH: I don’t know much about A Legacy of Lies. What's it about?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: It's about a life built on a legacy - a legacy built on lies. Haunting supernatural visions, grand adventure, mystery, intrigue, cowboys, suspense, the hand of God and an unexpected love. <br />
<br />
Sarah Sanders was always the reasonable sort, until she kissed a cowboy against her better judgment. Feeling strangely drawn to this mysterious ranch hand with a dark past, she finds herself swept up in an adventure that will force her to question everything she believes.<br />
<br />
Jim Anderson's cowboy gig is going pretty well. Except for one thing - he thinks he's going insane. Night terrors, hallucinations, and now a girl he has no business falling for. It's better to keep his distance. But when Sarah is nearly killed, he will risk it all to save her. <br />
<br />
When tragedy brings him back to the home he tried to escape, Jim will have to face the truth behind his strange circumstances and hope that Sarah will believe him. Digging up the answers to questions long buried, does he have the strength to face the dark family secrets that threaten to destroy them both? <br />
<br />
STEPH: How long did it take you to write?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: That’s a tough one. I worked on this book on and off for about six years. This was my very first manuscript, although the published version is a good bit different from the original. As I started writing, taking classes and going to conferences, I learned a lot. What I learned I applied to my story. It grew along with me.<br />
<br />
STEPH: How much research did you have to do?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: Most of the research I needed for this book I had already done in real life. My hero uses natural horsemanship, and it is something I have studied, practiced and taught for some time now. The other things, such as information for the ranch, average temperatures, and the names of local landmarks, I found on the internet. Miles City and the Tongue River are real places in Montana. <br />
<br />
STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XUHpP7uJSzaj1zwvhMnEE4MxPMIvrchnHW6U2CFIv362nK7_QCAVXQrTCk8-rPgZwFL1SbJLm4krYjs7ixsv-mb__nbQxgHCqYbR5B2Em-SVG8befJZ1Oi7hlZJFKYRG6bA6c5h9ZTY/s1600/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XUHpP7uJSzaj1zwvhMnEE4MxPMIvrchnHW6U2CFIv362nK7_QCAVXQrTCk8-rPgZwFL1SbJLm4krYjs7ixsv-mb__nbQxgHCqYbR5B2Em-SVG8befJZ1Oi7hlZJFKYRG6bA6c5h9ZTY/s320/ALegacyofLiesCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div><br />
STEPHENIA: You can see the two characters on the ranch at sunset. He is looking into the distance at his horse (symbolizing his lifelong dream). The most striking element is the evil eyes formed in the clouds. Hanging over him, watching his every move. <br />
<br />
STEPH: Sarah is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weaknesses?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: In a way, Sarah’s strength is also her weakness. She has become so self-sufficient that she has walled herself in, afraid of opening up to anyone or letting someone help her. But Sarah also has a very strong faith in God, and it this faith that pushes her to take risks.<br />
<br />
STEPH: What does Jim find appealing about her?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: Aside from her striking emerald eyes, Jim is drawn to Sarah first through their common interest and then to her quite strength, honesty, and spunk.<br />
<br />
STEPH: What is the theme of the novel?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: Redemption. The characters find that no matter how messy life can get, grace can heal all wounds.<br />
<br />
STEPH: As a writer, where do you draw inspiration from?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: Other than my overactive imagination? From the world around me. Anything I see, characteristics, funny comments, mannerisms is all food for the story always circulating in my mind. <br />
<br />
STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?<br />
<br />
STEPHENIA: I have a Kindle. I love being able to carry such a slim library and bookstore in my purse!<br />
<br />
STEPH: Fun question: Do you believe in New Year's resolutions? Why or why not?<br />
<br />
STEPHANIA: Believe in them, yes. Able to stick to them...well, not so much. But I am really trying to follow mine this year. Eat a little healthier, exercise a little more. <br />
<br />
<br />
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Christianbook.com<br />
http://www.christianbook.com/a-legacy-of-lies-ebook/stephenia-mcgee/9781612521497/pd/28979EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=1012247&event=ESRCG&view=details<br />
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http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-273/A-Legacy-of-Lies/Detail.bok<br />
<br />
"I knew it was a Christian romance when I started reading. I didn't know it would have such unexpected twists and turns. Desperately needing to know what would happen next, I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page." <br />
Judy T <br />
<br />
"McGee keeps her story moving and the reader guessing, expertly juggling the elements of gothic suspense, cowboy romance, divine intervetion, and inspirational fiction. I enjoyed Legacy of Lies for its characters and unique mix of story styling." <br />
Barbara Scott, author <br />
<br />
"This book has it all: a nice quick plot, a massive castle, cowboys, a dark mystery, a cold seductress and a story that leaves you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the book. If you’re looking for one good read, I definitely recommend this book." <br />
Patty Froese, author<br />
<br />
"A Legacy of Lies is a heart-warming tale of a man's search for forgiveness. A blend of Western Romance and Big City Intrigue, Stephenia H. McGee takes the parable of the prodigal son and creates a modern twist readers won't see coming until the final page." <br />
Jennifer Lindsay<br />
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Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-33455519914802559102013-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-18T06:00:13.837-08:00Author Spotlight - Excerpt from Substitute Lover <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XAKLNujrA_lUCuTAjIR2Fs-bylxZvI2R-2ZsY8iATP8ZuBiZrhBM5mGKI-O7HNjJ_BS01uwpVvQGtgtWLjXgx9P6XSX15qh5EIX3po2m-MB25W55-pQf89KkOT4AXJd3vOFG5tt4efk/s1600/full+size+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XAKLNujrA_lUCuTAjIR2Fs-bylxZvI2R-2ZsY8iATP8ZuBiZrhBM5mGKI-O7HNjJ_BS01uwpVvQGtgtWLjXgx9P6XSX15qh5EIX3po2m-MB25W55-pQf89KkOT4AXJd3vOFG5tt4efk/s320/full+size+cover.JPG" /></a></div>Thank you so much for supporting Delores' week in the spotlight. Enjoy this excerpt from Substitute Lover.<br />
<br />
Smiles<br />
Moderator Steph<br />
<br />
*****<br />
<br />
When she looked up at him, he clamped his mouth shut. "I heard Jasper had left town with you, and then it took me a while because you weren't in any of the places I expected to find a lady."<br />
<br />
"I'm so glad you found me." She smiled and stroked his arm.<br />
<br />
"We've got to talk, Tennyson. Have you eaten any breakfast?"<br />
<br />
Her stomach rumbled at the mention of food.<br />
<br />
"I guess not. Let's see to you, first." Caleb looked her up and down, and then turned her around. His big hands brushed down her long skirt. Bits of hay and dust fell onto the ground. Next, he fumbled with her hair.<br />
<br />
"Let me." She lifted her hands to tuck the stray locks away, refreshing her dignity back into place before he escorted her to the stage stop for breakfast. "Is this better?" She turned her questioning gaze on him.<br />
<br />
He narrowed his eyes and then he smiled. "A bit dusty, but any traveling lady would be. Let's go eat at the stage depot. Oh." He paused, and looked into the distance, chewing on his lip. He rubbed the toe of one flat-heeled boot in the dust. He sighed, then looked down and met her gaze. "Is there a ring on your finger?"<br />
<br />
The intensity of his gaze bored into hers.<br />
<br />
Her cheeks turned scarlet.<br />
<br />
"Why, no." She paused, her voice whispery as she stretched her hands out for him to see. <br />
<br />
"We never found the preacher, so we didn't get married." She swallowed. "And then Jasper left."<br />
<br />
He quirked his mouth in a cynical grin.<br />
<br />
"I'm not Jasper, but will I do for now?"<br />
<br />
<br />
Find Substitue Lover at: <br />
http://goo.gl/X3f5l (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1oqYI (Amazon.com)<br />
Also available at Barnes & Nobel, major e-book publishers<br />
<br />
Also available by Delores Goodrick Beggs:<br />
Place in the Heart Book One: Breaking Point, May 2012 <br />
http://goo.gl/lH5NE (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1BIuN (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Charming Champion, August, 2012, Contemporary single title<br />
http://goo.gl/mfYCR (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/r8J1U (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Coming June, 2013 - Place in the Heart Book Three: Perfect TenderfootDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-36022652650636216892013-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-17T06:00:08.886-08:00Author Spotlight - Going The Distance by Delores Goodrick Beggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQZ35_wULHIvO5Wv2EV_0UlbAz1Yj-nrWpHtmHtnhxWFj4BRtFxPQZUVC8r3vlgqNRuxYyGFY_SvFV4npaQz624yVKLD48zD_tt_QybkVO1uFRFKjCZrQ5WHJeGQt1EtVFWDZaMbrO6c/s1600/7893+Delores+gets+her+Finisher+Ribbon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQZ35_wULHIvO5Wv2EV_0UlbAz1Yj-nrWpHtmHtnhxWFj4BRtFxPQZUVC8r3vlgqNRuxYyGFY_SvFV4npaQz624yVKLD48zD_tt_QybkVO1uFRFKjCZrQ5WHJeGQt1EtVFWDZaMbrO6c/s320/7893+Delores+gets+her+Finisher+Ribbon.JPG" /></a></div><br />
As my 50th birthday approached, visions of over-the-hill accoutrement and skidding down into life's shadows vanished when I made an impromptu decision to participate in a newspaper-sponsored10K mile footrace. <br />
<br />
Why I made such a decision I didn't know, and still don't, any more than I ever knew why I'd taken up sewing as a 4-H teenager, or started my Place in the Heart western book series, typing evenings after a stressful work day before there were closed captions to interest me in television programs. It wasn't like I'd had an affinity for track as a teenager - in gym class we girls were required to run once around the track at the close of the hour, and I usually trailed in last. <br />
<br />
I spoke of my new goal with my adult son, who'd ran some track races when he attended high school. There was a moment of silence.<br />
<br />
"The 10k? I haven't even run in the 10k, Mom," said my three-sport letterman. <br />
"All I have to do is finish," I replied. "And I get a participant's ribbon."<br />
<br />
"You have to finish that same day," he reminded me.<br />
<br />
"You can coach me through this." I decided I needed some expert advice.<br />
I began to train hard at the local high school track, and felt a great sense of achievement when I could jog a bit further each day. "I'm soon going to be able to run all the way around the track once," I chortled to my coach son.<br />
<br />
"For 10K you need to go 25 times around the track," he replied.<br />
<br />
I frowned, somewhat shocked, before I gathered my determination again. I'd had no real sense of distance when I'd decided to do this. I just had an inner need to complete something new.<br />
<br />
I refused to be daunted, however, and kept on keeping on toward my goal. On race day, I started near the end of the pack, and stayed there; admittedly, I'd figured out some options to reach the finish line. I had to walk a lot of the way after the half way mark, running a bit, and then walking a bit, but I did finish the race that day, and while I was close to the end of the racers that trailed in, I had the satisfaction of knowing I wasn't last.<br />
<br />
Sometimes when I worked on writing my Place in the Heart western series, and I needed to decide what issue a character would run into next, and how he/she would handle it, my mind went blank. Then the 10K race would come to mind, and my determination to finish the book would firm up again, leading me to brainstorm fresh problems the characters might logically be involved in. <br />
<br />
For me, completing a book manuscript could be likened to running the marathon. Once started, I needed to go the distance and cross the finish line, or I didn't have anything to speak for the time and work I'd put into the creative process.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find Substitue Lover at: <br />
http://goo.gl/X3f5l (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1oqYI (Amazon.com)<br />
Also available at Barnes & Nobel, major e-book publishers<br />
<br />
Also available by Delores Goodrick Beggs:<br />
Place in the Heart Book One: Breaking Point, May 2012 <br />
http://goo.gl/lH5NE (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1BIuN (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Charming Champion, August, 2012, Contemporary single title<br />
http://goo.gl/mfYCR (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/r8J1U (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Coming June, 2013 - Place in the Heart Book Three: Perfect TenderfootDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-22320469434225017302013-01-16T06:00:00.001-08:002013-01-16T06:00:15.540-08:00Author Spotlight - Humpty Dumpty by Delores Goodrick Beggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSMr2DzgyB3LMc25n7zEP2hGsVaJQmo2WN6UpNkzoYvdiTIUWFuvFfrdpgeRVwrfy6GqjQeFwN7vPeolN8im2RnSHAmm2_AiCR_p3gvDjxQWNfKmnZiJbhwIYf-oYBhh48If-nmNFmmQ/s1600/full+size+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSMr2DzgyB3LMc25n7zEP2hGsVaJQmo2WN6UpNkzoYvdiTIUWFuvFfrdpgeRVwrfy6GqjQeFwN7vPeolN8im2RnSHAmm2_AiCR_p3gvDjxQWNfKmnZiJbhwIYf-oYBhh48If-nmNFmmQ/s320/full+size+cover.JPG" /></a></div>I have a problem I suspect is common to most writers. My days are unbalanced. I spend too much time writing at my laptop and not enough time exercising. In addition, I usually also have a small dish with a snack to nibble on while I pause to think what a character would say or do next. Although I try to concentrate on healthy, from time to time sweets slip in, compounding the original problem.<br />
<br />
I have tried various ways of exercising while I sit at my desk, but the appetite increases.<br />
<br />
I have tried breaks every hour, but my characters usually manage to be in the middle of an important scene I just can't drop without losing the original idea/flavor of it.<br />
<br />
For a while it worked to jump right into an exercise routine when I first got up in the morning, but soon my mind put a stop to that by popping up fresh ideas that I just had to capture on my computer before I lost them. <br />
<br />
There was no help for it. I had to find another way to add in more exercise to my daily routine. I needed something that got me outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine and busy moving. I needed a project, a big one.<br />
<br />
I wasn't good about dumping the daily and weekly newspapers often so the stacks grew pretty good-sized before I gathered them up and headed for the trash bin. One day I opened my extra closet and noticed I had enough brown cardboard rolls collected, the kind sheet gift wrap comes rolled around, to make stick arms and legs for numerous make-believe creatures, or a paper fence to enclose my garden. When the ideas flowed I always headed for my computer, not for the trash can.<br />
<br />
But on that particular day, looking at the high pile of old newspapers, and cardboard rolls, I was reminded of the various crafts projects I dabbled in before I started writing my novels. I searched my mind for something easy to make, and then gathered an armload of newspapers, some cardboard rolls, a mop bucket, and my canister of flour to make flour and water paste and headed for the back yard. <br />
<br />
A couple of hours and much bending and twisting exercise later I left my creation sitting in the sun of the back patio to dry. I needed to pick up some blue paint for Humpty Dumpty's suit anyway, and black to add his face and buttons.<br />
<br />
At that time we lived in a neighborhood where folks often put decorations in their front yards for the neighbors to admire. I worried though, that neighborhood dogs would make up-close visits to Humpty and make his suit run with streaks. Our house had a flat roof, so in the end, we sat Humpty up on the roof, his legs hanging over the edge.<br />
<br />
For a week, he drew admiring glances from the neighbors taking their daily walks. Then one morning a neighbor knocked on the front door and asked me where Humpty Dumpty was. I stepped outdoors to check the roof. He was gone. <br />
<br />
The neighbors assisted me in my neighborhood search for him. We didn't find him.<br />
<br />
I went down to the local authorities' office to make a report. The officer glanced at my report. "Humpty Dumpty?" he asked with a concerned face. <br />
<br />
"Yes. He's wearing a blue suit and he has black eyes and black shoes on his feet. He was sitting on my roof, and he's gone. I want him back." The officer studied me a moment, and then hollered loud enough for the crew in the break room to hear, "Humpty Dumpty's missing boys! Anybody sees him, bring him in to the station!"<br />
<br />
Sadly, Humpty Dumpty was never found. I still wonder what became of him. But I moved on to my next paper mache' project. I had to keep the exercise going.<br />
<br />
<br />
Find Substitue Lover at: <br />
http://goo.gl/X3f5l (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1oqYI (Amazon.com)<br />
Also available at Barnes & Nobel, major e-book publishers<br />
<br />
Also available by Delores Goodrick Beggs:<br />
Place in the Heart Book One: Breaking Point, May 2012 <br />
http://goo.gl/lH5NE (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1BIuN (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Charming Champion, August, 2012, Contemporary single title<br />
http://goo.gl/mfYCR (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/r8J1U (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Coming June, 2013 - Place in the Heart Book Three: Perfect TenderfootDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-59792549989141223812013-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-15T06:00:04.536-08:00Author Spotlight - Friendship learned with my horse by Delores Goodrick Beggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnMa9Ly22zAJGa1lesos8m1tApM0sHF66a24oE-40NGSSnc-r8VSL9KPSCTY0Tl3KS0uS334L2vXu7R9xgwgdvsoXBvxSwvcsAakzoLJsMlWZk7Z5uQUTNQDFxXglt2-ByVQfKxNWV3U/s1600/Beau+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnMa9Ly22zAJGa1lesos8m1tApM0sHF66a24oE-40NGSSnc-r8VSL9KPSCTY0Tl3KS0uS334L2vXu7R9xgwgdvsoXBvxSwvcsAakzoLJsMlWZk7Z5uQUTNQDFxXglt2-ByVQfKxNWV3U/s320/Beau+and+me.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It would be easiest to start this with saying "Friendship I learned FROM my horse,"<br />
but that is not the way it works. Learning, between a human and a horse, is a shared experience.<br />
<br />
In Place in the Heart Book Two: Substitute Lover, Tennyson at last learns what her older sister Mauranie has known all along, how to make friends with a horse. Or rather, the horse befriends her, and she is enthralled and eager to expand her friendship with horses.<br />
<br />
My father, known as "The Old Cowman" in our rural Wyandotte County, Kansas farm area, first taught me to make friends with a horse. When I met Snowball, his 14-hands-tall white mare, she ended up becoming my faithful riding companion. I moved close to her head, lifted her nose a bit, took a deep breath, and breathed into Snowball's nostrils several times. Dad told me that our horses remembered the smell of our breath and thus labeled us "friends." I have observed that horses in a herd share breaths this way in the process of selecting friends they graze with, groom each other's necks, and generally stand around with.<br />
<br />
I could be grooming Snowball in preparation for a ride when she would sometimes raise her head, ears pricked forward, and I'd feel her skin rumble with vibrating sound. <br />
<br />
Horses do communicate. A quick nicker alerts me something caught her interest. A neigh when she sees me coming for her in the pasture is a greeting to me, or a call to her wandering foal to come back to Mama. A snort may be caused by a tickle in her nose. The first time I saw one of our horses curl her upper lip in a "horse laugh" when I haltered her, I was shocked. It happened again the next day, the open mouth and curled upper lip. The Old Cowman asked if I was using a new hand lotion; I was. He suggested not using it until after I rode, so I followed his suggestion, and the horse laughs stopped. Something in the scent of my particular hand lotion caused the "horse laugh."<br />
<br />
Horses learn fast and in my experience remember very well what they learn. The most important word to teach a horse is "Whoa." I usually combine this with "Easy now," rather than repeat "Whoa" over and over when a horse is panicky. Horses sense my emotion in the stiffness or relaxation of my hands, in the sharpness or calmness of my voice, in the smoothness or jerkiness of my motions. An important lesson I learned, growing up, was if I remained calm, they will calm, but if I get panicky, they gather themselves ready to bolt and have to be held back.<br />
<br />
It is the "Whoa's" and the calm emotions that can make all the difference when I'm horseback and the unexpected happens.<br />
<br />
For example, in my teen years I rode my equine friend Snowball on the road going uphill and down, between our house and my best friend's house several hills away rather than walk it. It would have been a long, tiring walk under the hot Kansas sun; Snowball cantered it smoothly and quickly and the exercise of regular visits with my friend helped to keep her in good shape. Besides, I loved to ride horseback, given the slightest reason.<br />
<br />
But one day Snowball jumped straight up in mid-canter, all four hooves off the ground. I was riding bareback with a saddle pad as I often did, and when she jumped I tumbled forward over her shoulder, onto the road, still clutching the reins. She managed to land just on the other side of me, missing me with her hoofs, as I called "Whoa," and then she stood perfectly still, lowering her head to nuzzle me. I was confused by her action, but the mare seemed calm enough so I grabbed a handful of mane, and jumped back on, and we continued to my friend's house without further incident.<br />
<br />
A few days later the same thing happened again. This time my younger sister was riding a bicycle beside us while I rode Snowball, and when I stood up from my tumble over Snowball's head and dusted my jeans off, she asked me if I'd heard that.<br />
"Heard what?" I asked. I have a hearing impairment. <br />
<br />
"There was a loud bang," she said. "Then Snowball jumped."<br />
<br />
That evening, after I told Dad about it, the Old Cowman introduced Snowball to simulated sounds by banging on a metal pan and calming her so the sound no longer startled her. <br />
<br />
Also, when we'd returned home after the visit to my friend earlier that afternoon, I'd praised Snowball again for having avoided stepping on me when I fell and gave her an extra handful of oats. She never startled on me again. <br />
<br />
Friends watch out for friends, after all.<br />
<br />
Find Substitue Lover at: <br />
http://goo.gl/X3f5l (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1oqYI (Amazon.com)<br />
Also available at Barnes & Nobel, major e-book publishers<br />
<br />
Also available by Delores Goodrick Beggs:<br />
Place in the Heart Book One: Breaking Point, May 2012 <br />
http://goo.gl/lH5NE (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1BIuN (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Charming Champion, August, 2012, Contemporary single title<br />
http://goo.gl/mfYCR (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/r8J1U (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Coming June, 2013 - Place in the Heart Book Three: Perfect TenderfootDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-24342835845099983062013-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-14T06:00:17.587-08:00Author Spotlight - Q&A with Delores Goodrick Beggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf4dP4Rjou0HXjeHXO0U0BJdOmT9Smnp2iyRWl7FsMTSssCaztWrazKsr7CkD4YHE14_zVTOaZDVatNVywqGlzSrYDDPBZEn-pG4xrwaBydY1hj1_k2CqpFhhIcQA910wIWXVA_DXF9k/s1600/Delores+Goodrick+Beggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuf4dP4Rjou0HXjeHXO0U0BJdOmT9Smnp2iyRWl7FsMTSssCaztWrazKsr7CkD4YHE14_zVTOaZDVatNVywqGlzSrYDDPBZEn-pG4xrwaBydY1hj1_k2CqpFhhIcQA910wIWXVA_DXF9k/s320/Delores+Goodrick+Beggs.jpg" /></a></div><br />
STEPH: I don't know much about Substitute Lover. What's it about?<br />
<br />
DELORES: Substitute Lover is the story of Tennyson Wells, sister of hearing-impaired Mauranie Wells in Book One of the Place in the Heart series, and Caleb Cameron, who follows bad boy Jasper Greon to Mescal Flats New, Mexico, and appoints himself Tennyson's protector when Jasper's<br />
proposed larks go beyond fun.<br />
<br />
STEPH: How long did it take you to write?<br />
<br />
DELORES: I wrote the story during a period of time when I worked overtime and before captions were readily available on television (I have a severe hearing loss.) I usually got upstairs to my writing desk at home in time to watch the owl that nested in the palm tree in front of my bedroom window fly past on its nightly hunt. Then I'd sit at my desk and write for several hours. Completing Tennyson's story a few hours at a time took me the better part of a year. <br />
<br />
STEPH: How much research did you have to do?<br />
<br />
DELORES: Regarding research, I knew markers had been responsible for bringing a couple together, but I didn't know anything about how they were used or the tradition they represented, even though they were in universal use back in the 1800's. The family relation who had marker experience in her family line explained to me how they worked back then.<br />
<br />
STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZdrBJVuOL3EUi6Y9NTKkPXmVMVv5LqY1smtzgio7OXNElpbAS_RUqL5A6Ar75weVLUPR_P0RLs8mqbMB-o7bySku-i1T9lg6gf3ii2jgMVItAteHIoe0yCXbBKixlm_daU3OfUztJh8/s1600/full+size+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZdrBJVuOL3EUi6Y9NTKkPXmVMVv5LqY1smtzgio7OXNElpbAS_RUqL5A6Ar75weVLUPR_P0RLs8mqbMB-o7bySku-i1T9lg6gf3ii2jgMVItAteHIoe0yCXbBKixlm_daU3OfUztJh8/s320/full+size+cover.JPG" /></a></div><br />
DELORES: I think the cover is perfect, thanks to Gwen Phifer, who seems to effortlessly envision illustrations that capture the essence of my stories in her creations. Tennyson Wells loves to be in town and wear pretty dance gowns. <br />
<br />
STEPH: Tennyson Wells is the heroine. What are her strengths? Her weaknesses?<br />
<br />
DELORES: Tennyson is much more than a pretty woman who loves to wear new gowns and dance. She has a warm heart and she loves to help people, sometimes too much, because she sees the good in everyone and doesn't distinguish when bad has unexpectedly been thrown into the mix.<br />
<br />
STEPH: What does Caleb Cameron find appealing about her?<br />
<br />
DELORES: Caleb notices Tennyson because bad boy Jasper Greon, whom he has been trailing for some time, takes up with her, and Caleb feels a need to protect her when Jasper's larks take a wrong turn. Caleb is himself drawn to Tennyson's kind heart and her desire to help people.<br />
<br />
STEPH: What is the theme of the novel?<br />
<br />
DELORES: The theme of the novel is finding ways to help persons who need help. It has seemed to me everybody needs someone sometimes.<br />
<br />
STEPH: As a writer, where do you draw inspiration from?<br />
<br />
DELORES: I draw inspiration from everywhere as a writer. An act, an incident will stay upon my mind and formulate itself into the basis of a story. Or just jump into my mind unexpectedly when I am concentrating upon another task, and then I have to jot myself some quick notes before it will let me be to finish the task I was on when it struck me. I have scorched the breakfast bacon more than once because of this.<br />
<br />
STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?<br />
<br />
DELORES:I have a kindle e-reader and I love it. I always have a book on it ready to read when I have spare moments, usually to relax before bedtime.<br />
<br />
STEPH: Fun question: do you have any New Year's traditions you'd like to share? How did you celebrate New Year's?<br />
<br />
DELORES: Usually I make a small list of new things I'd like to try in the coming year. But this year I got waylaid by the idea for a new story and it wouldn't leave me alone until I captured the essence in words on paper. So I guess writing the new story is my plan for this year. <br />
<br />
Find Substitue Lover at: <br />
http://goo.gl/X3f5l (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1oqYI (Amazon.com)<br />
Also available at Barnes & Nobel, major e-book publishers<br />
<br />
Also available by Delores Goodrick Beggs:<br />
Place in the Heart Book One: Breaking Point, May 2012 <br />
http://goo.gl/lH5NE (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/1BIuN (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Charming Champion, August, 2012, Contemporary single title<br />
http://goo.gl/mfYCR (www.desertbreezepublishing.com)<br />
http://goo.gl/r8J1U (Amazon.com)<br />
<br />
Coming June, 2013 - Place in the Heart Book Three: Perfect Tenderfoot<br />
<br />
<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-34209759171641382512013-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-11T06:00:00.646-08:00Author Spotlight - Excerpt for "Forbidden" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLqIMyvUrHMaQ3u70LtKRDP3yZ3VLtAYJ7yQUYD-Vgom6u9gMewaLJzl8EYIC6rrNpyLCNWAV_egnw-klFEuS8dgh2EBni0YIaci-tLGSJyxLXxYkxw-Mff5bWQA8Vmc3faZ5GIZceMY/s1600/ForbiddenCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLqIMyvUrHMaQ3u70LtKRDP3yZ3VLtAYJ7yQUYD-Vgom6u9gMewaLJzl8EYIC6rrNpyLCNWAV_egnw-klFEuS8dgh2EBni0YIaci-tLGSJyxLXxYkxw-Mff5bWQA8Vmc3faZ5GIZceMY/s320/ForbiddenCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Thank you for supporting Barri's week in the spotlight. Leave a comment today, Saturday and Sunday along with your email (so we can get ahold of you) and we'll pick a winner on Monday, 14 JAN to receive a copy of Barri's novel, "Forbidden." Enjoy the excerpt!<br />
<br />
Smiles<br />
Moderator Steph<br />
<br />
*****<br />
<br />
Maggie grinned. "I would like to get off this horse for a while."<br />
<br />
They rode to the creek, dismounted, tethered the horses, and sat under the big oak.<br />
Maggie rested her back against the massive trunk. "Did you enjoy the dance last night?"<br />
<br />
Zoë pulled a dry blade of grass and twisted it between her fingers. "You didn't ride all the way out here on the back of a swaying horse to talk about a dance."<br />
<br />
"No, I didn't. Shall I come directly to the point?"<br />
<br />
"Please do."<br />
<br />
"Why did you marry Holt?"<br />
<br />
Zoë dropped her head. "He's rich and in ill health. Maybe I saw a way to become a rich widow in a short time."<br />
<br />
"Then why did you sign a prenuptial agreement cutting you off from inheriting anything Holt has after he was gone?"<br />
<br />
"How did you know that?" Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to invite Maggie to speak her mind.<br />
<br />
"There aren't many secrets at Triple H, Zoë, but in this case, Clint told me. He also said he paid you a great deal of money to get you to sign that agreement."<br />
<br />
Shame brought the heat of a blush to Zoë's cheeks. "I did take money from Clint, but not for the reason you think."<br />
<br />
"I don't want you to explain, and don't ask me how Holt keeps me virtually a prisoner at Triple H, because I can't tell you. I know how Holt Hamilton operates. I should -- I'm one of his victims." After a pause for breath, Maggie demanded, "Did Holt force you to marry him?"<br />
<br />
Zoë's fingers dug around in the dry grass. "Yes."<br />
<br />
"Great goodness, he's a vicious, conniving old reprobate."<br />
<br />
"He's blackmailing you, too, isn't he?" Zoë's own pain was quickened by sympathy for Maggie. "Clint doesn't suspect?"<br />
<br />
"I'm careful to see to that. Officially, I'm Holt's private secretary. The truth is Holt keeps Clint at Triple H by forcing me to stay. I have every reason to believe Holt keeps the damning evidence he has against me in a safe deposit box in a bank in Mason City. I can live with that." Maggie stared toward the far horizon. "But what happens when Holt dies and his safe deposit box key becomes the property of his sole heir?"<br />
<br />
Zoë recalled Holt once telling her he had the proof of her identity safely tucked away in a bank vault in Mason City. "When Holt dies, Clint will have access to that box?"<br />
<br />
Maggie's tone was grim. "Not immediately, but eventually, and what he will find there could destroy the lives of two people and hurt Clint immeasurably."<br />
<br />
Zoë reached to touch Maggie's arm. "I wish I could do something to help."<br />
<br />
Maggie's reply sent shock waves shivering through her. "You can."<br />
<br />
<br />
"Holt would never let me into that box."<br />
<br />
Maggie leaned forward. "He wouldn't have to know. I have a plan. It's risky, daring and complicated. If it works, you stand a chance of getting into that box before Holt dies."<br />
<br />
The naïve Zoë Martin who had come to Triple H two months ago would have been terrified at the thought of planning and executing a scheme that was both complicated and dangerous. She would never have considered conspiring against a man as powerful and devious as Holt Hamilton. A much wiser, disillusioned Zoë Hamilton who sat now, grave and melancholy, was willing to dare the impossible to keep safe dark secrets that could send her to prison. "Tell me your plan."<br />
<br />
"We will have to involve two other people and neither of them rates high in the trust department. You will be the one taking the risks." Maggie paused and caught her bottom lip between her teeth.<br />
<br />
So the plan required she break the law. Zoë would worry about that later, when she wasn't staring into the grim face of disaster. "Tell me what I have to do.<br />
<br />
Amazon:<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-ebook/dp/B00AVE3GNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357243934&sr=1-1&keywords=Barri+Bryan<br />
<br />
Barnes and Noble:<br />
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foBook trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pessC9ClzWY<br />
<br />
<br />
Buy links: <br />
Dessert Breeze Publishing:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-399/Forbidden-Barri-Bryan/Detail.bokrbidden-barri-bryan/1114054292?ean=2940016137636<br />
<br />
Find me:<br />
http://barribryan.com/<br />
http://pinterest.com/louhou85/<br />
http://www.facebook.com/BarrriBryan?ref=hl<br />
https://twitter.com/texpoetDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-33243649942860545932013-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-10T06:00:13.154-08:00Author Spotlight - Barri Bryan talks about expressive writing. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVnWIQ-nkPRmvke90Icw4-c83uOJwfeIdLSUziSBYPWPxmubTm2ePNX6k1m4XjRoUYFkUsB6mY1wsbICOWqWZ_ASLgmnkz9RxKpAljEYv8Yhy2F1yZD5Dd8HJlDjTsyFT_m487Gdd8TQ/s1600/facebook+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="149" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVnWIQ-nkPRmvke90Icw4-c83uOJwfeIdLSUziSBYPWPxmubTm2ePNX6k1m4XjRoUYFkUsB6mY1wsbICOWqWZ_ASLgmnkz9RxKpAljEYv8Yhy2F1yZD5Dd8HJlDjTsyFT_m487Gdd8TQ/s320/facebook+picture.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Learning to communicate expressively is not achieved the way one assimilates facts about geography or learns by rote the meanings of symbols. It is a process of practice, discovery, and creation. Writing is an art. Like any art form, it has an attending craft. There are skills and abilities that can be recognized and practiced to help hone that craft.<br />
<br />
Expressive writing is not accomplished speedily or through half-hearted efforts. To write expressively, a writer must be focused. Focus induces a state of concentration that is intense and absolute. <br />
<br />
An expressive writer is perceptive. Perception allows the creation of something where nothing existed before, thus filling a void. <br />
<br />
Empathy for the feelings and emotions of others is important in expressive writing. <br />
An expressive writer's work has unity. When writing about imagined occurrences, the objective is not just to relate what happened. It is also necessary to recount the vision in a way that recreates the mood, and develops the dramatic significance of the event.<br />
<br />
An expressive writer is aware. Awareness is an integral part of expressive writing. It begins by combining sensory messages with past knowledge and personal expectations, in order to examine more closely the blur of daily experiences. <br />
Imaginative thinking moves past literal applications to discover implied analogies and relationships. The intensity of searching and discovering requires time and effort. Those relationships are not always obvious. <br />
<br />
An expressive writer is a passionate lover of words who persuades and convinces readers. Wooing with words involves perceiving, feeling, and thinking with subtlety and precision. It also demands a good vocabulary. The more acquainted a writer is with a variety of words and their meanings, the more able that writer is to express thoughts and sentiments.<br />
<br />
An expressive writer relates to readers with honesty and candor. This is always a challenge and often a trial. It is never easy to disclose personal truths, discover and express intimate realities. Honesty, as a writer perceives it, is a deceptive concept that continuously slips away on the wings of sentiment and sensation. To be honest with readers requires that a writer be honest with herself or himself. Honesty with one's self can be disturbing and painful. I believe it is the first prerequisite to writing expressively.<br />
<br />
<br />
Amazon:<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-ebook/dp/B00AVE3GNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357243934&sr=1-1&keywords=Barri+Bryan<br />
Barnes and Noble:<br />
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foBook trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pessC9ClzWY<br />
Review snippets None yet <br />
Buy links: <br />
Dessert Breeze Publishing:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-399/Forbidden-Barri-Bryan/Detail.bokrbidden-barri-bryan/1114054292?ean=2940016137636<br />
Find me:<br />
http://barribryan.com/<br />
http://pinterest.com/louhou85/<br />
http://www.facebook.com/BarrriBryan?ref=hl<br />
https://twitter.com/texpoet<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-38821166082037619432013-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-09T06:00:03.058-08:00Author Spotlight - Barri Bryan talks about writing Description <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcerm6XSpmtlsSQdRMVM0bo18khzGKwFhp0HlK4Z7f1ZX06dHW9RZiqHhPxzuEtWPVpPoZ1yMIMtyqZ69ngZGxdiqATaLxGk8Q__pezWlU6L6zpyDeyF_BO9uaAflzGPyIkc8bUCR3OVo/s1600/southfork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="194" width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcerm6XSpmtlsSQdRMVM0bo18khzGKwFhp0HlK4Z7f1ZX06dHW9RZiqHhPxzuEtWPVpPoZ1yMIMtyqZ69ngZGxdiqATaLxGk8Q__pezWlU6L6zpyDeyF_BO9uaAflzGPyIkc8bUCR3OVo/s320/southfork.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Description has been called the essence of fiction. When properly related, descriptions can provide concrete illustrations of general principals. To my despair, I often find there was nothing in my vocabulary that will adequately portray the sights I see in my imagination or express the emotions I feel in my heart. I have all these wonderful thoughts in my mind and images in my head, but I lack the ability to give them vision or volume.<br />
<br />
I think of a description as a re-creation in words. My task is to create the verbal representation. To do this, I must choose the right words, and choose which words to exclude. Good description is never overstated. It reveals as it recalls and persuades as it presents.<br />
<br />
To write a good description I must not only see clearly, I must perceive clearly. Seeing refers to outward vision. It involves describing the concrete through sensory details. Perceiving refers to inward vision and involves describing the abstract thought figures of speech. A good description uses both sensory details and figures of speech. A great description maintains a delicate balance between seeing and perceiving, to produce a symmetrical and harmonious re-creation.<br />
<br />
Descriptive writing requires powers of observation. What we see is based to a great extent on what we know. What we see is also based on past experiences. The eye and the mind collect, sort out, and impose patterns on visual, verbal, and auditory stimuli. The mind relates those patterns to other patterns, enlarging, reinterpreting, and gives meaning to our experiences and observations by engaging our imagination. <br />
<br />
The sunrise was beautiful does little to stir the imagination. The rim of a yellow sun climbed over the eastern horizon causing the misty veil of morning to lift and float away, gives the description of sunrise depth and clarity. The rainstorm was frightening pales in comparison to: A driving rain struck with sudden force unleashing a howling wind that rattled windows and shook through the branches of trees.<br />
<br />
Is it any wonder that description has been called the essence of fiction? <br />
Amazon:<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-ebook/dp/B00AVE3GNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357243934&sr=1-1&keywords=Barri+Bryan<br />
<br />
Barnes and Noble:<br />
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foBook trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pessC9ClzWY<br />
<br />
<br />
Buy links: <br />
Dessert Breeze Publishing:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-399/Forbidden-Barri-Bryan/Detail.bokrbidden-barri-bryan/1114054292?ean=2940016137636<br />
<br />
Find me:<br />
http://barribryan.com/<br />
http://pinterest.com/louhou85/<br />
http://www.facebook.com/BarrriBryan?ref=hl<br />
https://twitter.com/texpoet<br />
<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-33427469029940783882013-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:002013-01-08T06:00:14.858-08:00Author Spotlight - Barri Bryan talks about Researching History and Writing Fiction <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_a3bOaNbXj8Wob2067XgycrxfmkdFaYtlv2u3PaSgX-rhDAdruIEuYvezsg2IqcsuXZyQ2FfeqSqvunW3j721Dk-6lwz9_zNGG0j12doFLvtI9Dlt88R0B-lYrpA4LOyB53kv5CHTXM/s1600/southfork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="194" width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_a3bOaNbXj8Wob2067XgycrxfmkdFaYtlv2u3PaSgX-rhDAdruIEuYvezsg2IqcsuXZyQ2FfeqSqvunW3j721Dk-6lwz9_zNGG0j12doFLvtI9Dlt88R0B-lYrpA4LOyB53kv5CHTXM/s320/southfork.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Originality does not always mean making something from nothing. It can mean making interesting changes in what has gone before. I have developed as a writer of historical romances by playing with material already in existence. Writing is always rewriting, it comes from the writer’s reading and synthesizing. I can enter into a world that previously existed and by innovation and imagination, make it my interesting and exciting little universe. I like to look at the decade that surrounds my story to get an overall view of events and happenings. I want to feel, as well as know, the attitude and outlook of that particular generation. I do this by zeroing in on important events, transportation, fashion, music, inventions, social movements and developments, politics, psychological trends, entertainment, and sexually related trends and movements of that time.<br />
<br />
When I can, I use the raw materials of history; primary sources like daily newspapers. Many newspapers are achieved on line. For a small fee, you can gain access. I look for first-hand accounts written by men and women who lived during the time I'm writing about. These kinds of accounts are not easy to find. When located, they are not always cheap. If they are authentic, they are worth the time and expense it takes to find and read them.<br />
<br />
I have learned to evaluate and interpret. When incorporating fiction with history, realism and background should blend with characterization and plot. I am careful to strike a balance between too many or too few facts. Figures of speech should fit the time and place. <br />
<br />
My research for Forbidden was extensive, sometimes exhausting. I researched the oil boom in Texas during the 1980's, events that were happening at that time, such as the eruption of Mount St. Helen's and the hostages being held in Iran. I looked at what music was popular, what books were best sellers… There were times when, in the midst of writing a scene, I realized I needed to research some subject that, so far, hadn't seemed important, or even relevant. <br />
<br />
Even if research is painstaking, sometimes painful, I love doing it.<br />
<br />
Amazon:<br />
http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-ebook/dp/B00AVE3GNS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357243934&sr=1-1&keywords=Barri+Bryan<br />
<br />
Barnes and Noble:<br />
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/foBook trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pessC9ClzWY<br />
<br />
<br />
Buy links: <br />
Dessert Breeze Publishing:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-399/Forbidden-Barri-Bryan/Detail.bokrbidden-barri-bryan/1114054292?ean=2940016137636<br />
<br />
Find me:<br />
http://barribryan.com/<br />
http://pinterest.com/louhou85/<br />
http://www.facebook.com/BarrriBryan?ref=hl<br />
https://twitter.com/texpoet<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-65596676092506797422013-01-07T05:00:00.000-08:002013-01-07T05:00:15.662-08:00Author Spotlight - Q&A with Barri Bryan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqPndwcL_WYUISU_iJjOwLpY9GJ5bftGD03Q-ZwOFHeX3mLjXBn137v12WbgSTAEckELRWlhAm_dP4eEno0i1vWCDUauwWTUmtcpBbbJTU6yeybSnXu5YTVzgT7OAxbTmIn1eS_mss4A/s1600/facebook+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="149" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqPndwcL_WYUISU_iJjOwLpY9GJ5bftGD03Q-ZwOFHeX3mLjXBn137v12WbgSTAEckELRWlhAm_dP4eEno0i1vWCDUauwWTUmtcpBbbJTU6yeybSnXu5YTVzgT7OAxbTmIn1eS_mss4A/s320/facebook+picture.jpg" /></a></div>STEPH: I don't know much about "Forbidden." What's it about?<br />
<br />
BARRI: Forbidden is set in 1980. It is the story of a young woman who takes a summer job with an over-the-hill billionaire playboy to help him write the biography of his recently deceased wife. She goes to live in his gothic castle on his ranch in far West Texas. She is caught in a web of mystery and intrigue, sharing secrets that could destroy all she holds near and dear, and falling in love with the one man she has no right to claim. <br />
<br />
STEPH: How long did it take you to write?<br />
<br />
BARRI: It took me a little over a year to write "Forbidden." That includes the time I spent researching.<br />
<br />
STEPH: How much research did you have to do?<br />
<br />
BARRI: I did a tremendous amount of research. I do for every book I write. The first thing I do, as I start my research, is print a calendar for the year in which the book is set. The next thing is to check the weather for the specific months in which my book is set. For Forbidden, I found the summer months of 1980 were some of the hottest ever recorded in Texas. Next I look at trends in fashion, transportation, music, books, and politics. If it's applicable, I look at movies and television. I immerse myself in that decade. I try to feel the mindset and hear the heartbeat of that generation.<br />
<br />
STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_KLt32dNUVeInf2XFLjL8FNLxbJ7WMFcjz4GKa7f-3sz2umPFCWCHSD-j3HxqAu-Oqdf45nIkOQpikd8t8cbIncqqUna9VRmZSi4bZJQhWfVDHXlshgzcBKezS02vLiqLK03QpJV2bE/s1600/ForbiddenCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_KLt32dNUVeInf2XFLjL8FNLxbJ7WMFcjz4GKa7f-3sz2umPFCWCHSD-j3HxqAu-Oqdf45nIkOQpikd8t8cbIncqqUna9VRmZSi4bZJQhWfVDHXlshgzcBKezS02vLiqLK03QpJV2bE/s320/ForbiddenCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div><br />
BARRI: I love this cover. It's beautiful. It also captures the mood of the story. The silhouetted couple in the foreground speaks of the intrigue of the story. The castle in the background set against the rough West Texas landscape, adds a perfect touch of ambiguity. <br />
<br />
STEPH: Zoë is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weakness?<br />
<br />
BARRI: Zoë's strengths are her loyalty, her naiveté and her belief in the innate goodness of people. As she finds herself caught in a snare from which there seems to be no escape, those strengths become her weaknesses. <br />
<br />
STEPH: What does Clint find appealing about her?<br />
<br />
BARRI: Clint is attracted first by her beauty, and then by the mystery that surrounds her. Is she naïve and inexperienced, or is she a scheming opportunist? <br />
<br />
STEPH: What is the theme of the novel?<br />
<br />
BARRI Money can't buy happiness. Often the opposite is true. It brings misery and unhappiness.<br />
<br />
STEPH: As a writer, where do you draw inspiration from?<br />
<br />
BARRI For me, inspiration is like happiness. If I go chasing after inspiration, it eludes me. If I fill my days with study, work, promoting, writing, and open my senses to the world around me, inspiration comes looking for me. It appears in the most unlikely places -- the last leaf hanging on a barren tree, the strange way the ears are set on the sides of the head of the man sitting across from me in my doctor's waiting room; a tattooed snake that winds up the leg of a slim young girl, as she pushes a basket down a grocery aisle. The way my granddaughter looks at her children with love shining in her eyes… <br />
<br />
STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?<br />
<br />
BARRI: I have a Kindle and I love it. <br />
<br />
STEPH: Fun question: Do you have any New Year's Traditions you'd like to share? How did you celebrate New Years? <br />
<br />
STEPH: Definitely, I have to eat black-eyed peas and cornbread. It's supposed to assure prosperity. I have my doubts about this being true. All the same, I always eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, just in case. <br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-72376859429236827862012-12-28T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-28T06:00:08.338-08:00Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "Undercover" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTISO91stco4qfFD295s5nDBWpWqGPsC_qsMD9cai7Gr7IHkZYut43mZ43ci-Fmm3wnh0hUfwjopvRoeTdYmqS-CC8uQF5MCHlnq1nfdLTZayC5CPOPv7sm-ufC2wzo-8nL5nfYAWRrA/s1600/UndercoverCoverArt72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTISO91stco4qfFD295s5nDBWpWqGPsC_qsMD9cai7Gr7IHkZYut43mZ43ci-Fmm3wnh0hUfwjopvRoeTdYmqS-CC8uQF5MCHlnq1nfdLTZayC5CPOPv7sm-ufC2wzo-8nL5nfYAWRrA/s320/UndercoverCoverArt72dpi.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Thanks so much for supporting Maria during her week in the spotlight. Leave a comment today, Saturday, and Sunday along with your email and we'll pick a random winner to win a copy of Maria's book, "Undercover." Winner will be announced on Monday here on the blog and on the DB Connections Loop. Enjoy the Excerpt!<br />
Smiles<br />
Moderator Steph<br />
<br />
*****<br />
Jenny and Alex shared the row with a talkative elderly gentleman who chattered away about business opportunities. His story of when he went to Russia and had to bribe the customs staff to be allowed to bring his money out of the country made Jenny bite her lip not to laugh.<br />
<br />
"So, where do the two of you come from?"<br />
<br />
Jenny answered with a friendly smile, "Oh, I come from around here. I was born in Adams, actually, but I've been moving around a little since then. Just in the state, though."<br />
<br />
Alex said with a lot of glee, "I'm Russian."<br />
<br />
Their new acquaintance exclaimed, "Oh," and fell silent. <br />
<br />
During the past few years, Jenny's unwilling brain managed to learn some of her husband's language, and she understood him very well when he said, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." <br />
<br />
She entwined her fingers with his. "It's really funny."<br />
<br />
It was of course too much for the man to resist. "Excuse me, you two are together, aren't you?"<br />
<br />
She nodded. This trip over the ocean was much more entertaining than she'd expected. "Yes. We've been married for five years."<br />
<br />
Glancing towards Alex, who made the seat look tiny where he sat reading the newspaper, visibly pretending not to listen, the man whispered, "Please, I don't want to offend you, but... Is it difficult?"<br />
<br />
"Is what difficult?"<br />
<br />
He kept his eyes on Alex. "You know, adapting between such different cultures. Don't they have very different ways of viewing things in Russia? Are you allowed to work or do you have to stay at home? What language do you speak at home? Are you allowed to handle money?"<br />
<br />
Neither his curiosity nor prejudice knew any limits. She wanted to formulate a killer answer, but Alex beat her to it. He smiled innocently and leaned over her, to make himself heard better as he exaggerated his accent. "Of course she stays at home, she has to take care of the children. We have seven; four boys and three girls. It would be unthinkable for her to take care of all of them, the household, tend to my needs, and work at the same time. My second wife works though. She has only been with us for three years, so she only has three children, but the fourth is on the way."<br />
<br />
Jenny had all the trouble in the world not to laugh. <br />
<br />
"Since both my wives are American we mostly speak English at home. I have decided it's best for the little ones. Regarding money, I give them everything they need, and they don't need any money of their own."<br />
<br />
The man seemed about to faint. He said, "Excuse me," and fled to the restrooms. Jenny laughed so hard she had to lean on Alex, and smacked him over the arm. "You're... you're terrible."<br />
<br />
"Me? What did I do?"<br />
<br />
Further up in the corridor, the man talked to the flight crew, all of them sending covert glances in Jenny's direction. She wanted to wave, and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from doing something stupid. After a couple of minutes a young stewardess walked by, looked at her with open curiosity, and peeked towards Alex. Jenny smiled her friendliest smile as the girl passed them. It only took a minute until she came back. "Can I get you anything?"<br />
<br />
Jenny shook her head. "No thank you, I'm good."<br />
<br />
The girl's eyes darted towards Alex, who now looked like the epitome of serenity and friendliness. He encouraged her, now sounding almost American. "Go ahead and ask. The gentleman who sits here had some interesting ideas about the habits in my native country. Perhaps he has taken time to share with you..."<br />
<br />
She looked relieved. "So, it's not true that you have ten children and several more wives, and that..."<br />
<br />
She turned to Jenny and whispered, "That you are his slave?"<br />
<br />
The corners of Alex's mouth twitched when he said, "Of course not. It's probably just an old man's fantasies."<br />
<br />
Their flight attendant exclaimed, "Thank heavens. You two look so good together, and it would have been a shame."<br />
<br />
"Look what you did. You're impossible."<br />
<br />
He regained his poker face. "I don't know what you are talking about."<br />
<br />
People in the row in front of them turned around to watch. They seemed amused. When the older man returned, Alex said in a tauntingly calm and slow voice, "I must apologize, what I told you earlier isn't entirely true."<br />
<br />
The man stared, not at all looking convinced, and Jenny filled in. "The only thing he's said that's true this far is that he's Russian."<br />
<br />
As relieved as the man looked, Alex wasn't able to leave well enough alone. His eyes sparkled with mischief. "We do have a lot of sex."<br />
<br />
Their neighbor looked as if he would choke on his coffee, and people all around them started to laugh. Alex put his new sunglasses on and leaned back in the seat, clearly very happy with himself.<br />
<br />
********<br />
<br />
Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o<br />
<br />
Review snippets: <br />
<br />
"This book was riveting and just when you are sure you know what to expect, Hammarblad completely takes you by surprise with an incredible finale. Amazingly fun and enjoyable" -- Mrs. Michael, reader<br />
<br />
"You easily connect with the characters and feel the tension of their various situations - You will be guessing at the outcome, which is very original! Well worth reading!" -- Robin Olsson, reader<br />
<br />
Buy link: http://amzn.com/B0098TGWTW<br />
<br />
Find me on the web:<br />
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com<br />
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info<br />
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarbladDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-55487437506544561162012-12-27T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-27T06:00:10.905-08:00Authors Spotlight - Maria Hammarblad talks about finding inspiration <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCcRj4g85L-ChWtbCEBDA38zHnNwM4baT0Hh_uY4pkFvn_tv7uCoJsDvYI4I_AlP7iYhth1yGwtuqhLnP2jLxLe0WbG7RYAvVbIGZn4SbIWrZwXkiDSR0zhOYjMonJ7PVOsJCSQ38Aic/s1600/Maria+Hammarblad+_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCcRj4g85L-ChWtbCEBDA38zHnNwM4baT0Hh_uY4pkFvn_tv7uCoJsDvYI4I_AlP7iYhth1yGwtuqhLnP2jLxLe0WbG7RYAvVbIGZn4SbIWrZwXkiDSR0zhOYjMonJ7PVOsJCSQ38Aic/s320/Maria+Hammarblad+_1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The holidays are a time for sharing, so today I will share a secret. Well, I guess it won't be a secret any longer after revealing it here on the blog, but anyway...<br />
<br />
I wrote the first draft of Undercover watching a Canadian TV show called Cra$h and Burn. The main character is called Jimmy Burn, and he works with insurance. When something goes wrong, he comes in to clean up the mess. He's stuck between an inner desire to do what's right for the accident victims, and management's demands that he give out as little money as humanly possible. His own past isn't exactly clean, and he also struggles with combining his sordid history with a wholesome girlfriend and her very enthusiastic family. It's a funny show. I don't think it was intended to be a comedy, but I had many laugh out loud moments when watching.<br />
<br />
Anyway, the show also features a lot of crashed cars, and a hilarious side story about a gang of Russians making a living on a body shop and fake accidents. I do think they give Jimmy Burn some fresh gray hairs as the cars are stolen over and over again. As time goes by, they expand their insurance fraud business into accidents and start a clinic in an old strip club.<br />
<br />
Canadian-Croatian actor Steve Basic plays the head of the Russian gang. He's one of my favorite TV and movie actors, and in this show he goes around saying, "Make it stolen" with a fake Russian accent to die for. When I first wrote Alexei in Undercover, Mr Bacic's mobster became his voice. This is years ago, and every time I look at the manuscript I still read Alexei's dialogue in that voice in my head. I don’t think there are any other similarities between the characters – they certainly don’t use the language in the same way – but the voice gets me every time.<br />
<br />
~<br />
<br />
Jenny cupped her hands around the warm mug. She should say something, but what? If she opened her mouth, something stupid might come out, like, "Nice weather," or, "What's the weather like in Russia?"<br />
<br />
Alex's eyes glittered. "You have good coffee."<br />
<br />
"Yeah, it's not bad. Mark usually makes a pot in the morning. He really likes coffee. So, what's the weather like where you come from?"<br />
<br />
There it was, the stupid weather. Great for stalling a customer on the phone, but right now, not so much. Why couldn't she talk like a normal person instead of going from mute to babbling?<br />
<br />
Alex chuckled, "Cold, colder, cold, really hot, and back to cold."<br />
<br />
~<br />
<br />
<br />
Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o<br />
<br />
Review snippets: <br />
<br />
"This book was riveting and just when you are sure you know what to expect, Hammarblad completely takes you by surprise with an incredible finale. Amazingly fun and enjoyable" -- Mrs. Michael, reader<br />
<br />
"You easily connect with the characters and feel the tension of their various situations - You will be guessing at the outcome, which is very original! Well worth reading!" -- Robin Olsson, reader<br />
<br />
Buy link: http://amzn.com/B0098TGWTW<br />
<br />
Find me on the web:<br />
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com<br />
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info<br />
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-30058490545577626582012-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-26T06:00:03.770-08:00Author Spotlight - Character Interview with Jenny from Undercover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnzJH33yP1s8CqvF8d0jbGeQAK9LmrKmzMXxwx4mxTK6yxb_XgBGAgTzTvFwZzNHf51FwvSxWsq2spvrsle3fcEqHD2bzQtdCSCAGnCiBken8wHNtrpwqbZO4pUz4f0Qh_t6r3DJaXbA/s1600/UndercoverCoverArt72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnzJH33yP1s8CqvF8d0jbGeQAK9LmrKmzMXxwx4mxTK6yxb_XgBGAgTzTvFwZzNHf51FwvSxWsq2spvrsle3fcEqHD2bzQtdCSCAGnCiBken8wHNtrpwqbZO4pUz4f0Qh_t6r3DJaXbA/s320/UndercoverCoverArt72dpi.jpg" /></a></div>Today, I’ll let my heroine, Jenny, take over the pen. She’s been slumbering in my mind ever since Undercover was published, and I think she wants to come out for some air.<br />
<br />
Jenny, it’s good to see you here today. Reviewers say you can be a bit air-headed, but have a backbone of steel. What do you think made you such a strong woman?<br />
<br />
Air-headed? How can I be air-headed when I’m stuck in my writer’s head? There’s no air in there, more like a vacuum… *fluffs hair* What was the question again? Oh yes, strong woman. I’d say breaking free from my first marriage. That taught me I really could stand on my own two feet and do things for myself. My friends and my job too. There’s nothing like solving a really tricky problem that seems impossible. The key is to believe in oneself. Even if you don’t believe in yourself at that very moment, pretend you do. If you can at least pretend to be on top of things, both your mind and other people will believe you.<br />
<br />
Can you tell us something about your story?<br />
<br />
Absolutely. I sat at work one day, pretty bored at that, and this amazing man appeared by my desk. I bet you know the type: tall, handsome, foreign… I had to figure out a way to talk to him, of course, so I made sure the guys invited me for lunch. He was interesting and charming, and as the day went by, I sort of fell for him. He seemed to like me too. Then, I discovered that he was a Russian spy. What a mess! It was really scary at times, but there’s nothing more important than family, and once you find the person you belong with you have to stick together, you know. <br />
<br />
Do you have a favorite quote?<br />
<br />
Actually, I do. Dalai Lama once said, “Be kind whenever possible. It’s always possible.” I like that one.<br />
<br />
It’s Christmas time. How do you feel about the holiday season?<br />
<br />
I love it. Love, love, love it. I think Christmas decorations are magical. I mean, imagine Christmas morning. The lights never shine brighter, tinsel never glitters as much, and the colors are never as full and bright as on Christmas morning.<br />
<br />
Anything else you want to share?<br />
<br />
Only one thing. Se-quel. Can someone please tell my writer to stop procrastinating and playing with imaginary space ships? She made such a big mess of my life she really needs to straighten it all up, she’s just too easily distracted to get anything done. From what I hear, my daughter wants a book too. She claims she’ll be kidnapped and locked in a box on some boat by people wanting to sell her as a slave. I think she’s just talking, but it might happen. If it does, I hope Alex and I taught her to take care of herself. You can’t imagine the worries of being a fictitious mom!<br />
<br />
Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o<br />
<br />
Review snippets: <br />
<br />
"This book was riveting and just when you are sure you know what to expect, Hammarblad completely takes you by surprise with an incredible finale. Amazingly fun and enjoyable" -- Mrs. Michael, reader<br />
<br />
"You easily connect with the characters and feel the tension of their various situations - You will be guessing at the outcome, which is very original! Well worth reading!" -- Robin Olsson, reader<br />
<br />
Buy link: http://amzn.com/B0098TGWTW<br />
<br />
Find me on the web:<br />
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com<br />
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info<br />
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-36285006871729387322012-12-25T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-25T06:00:00.490-08:00Author Spotlight - Merry Christmas from Maria Hammarblad - Christmas in Sweden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ruqZ88wmZPlbmCn3GBk4yqiQOyeZ94VXHry_hbtlRm5LUHc38CV3rN6GrCi-HBUi4v03x1cAtKAC0jh8LROnBkHhI0N8rnbmbgs1pSavxyZlaBYZSJv5qmC6Oq5SU0Z0wKMBApyk2xE/s1600/dec+25+christmas+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ruqZ88wmZPlbmCn3GBk4yqiQOyeZ94VXHry_hbtlRm5LUHc38CV3rN6GrCi-HBUi4v03x1cAtKAC0jh8LROnBkHhI0N8rnbmbgs1pSavxyZlaBYZSJv5qmC6Oq5SU0Z0wKMBApyk2xE/s320/dec+25+christmas+card.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Merry Christmas! I am honored to be here on the Desert Breeze Publishing blog on Christmas Day. Regardless of what you celebrate this holiday season, I hope it finds you well. <br />
<br />
I’ve always been especially fond of this time a year. For a few days, life slows down to a pleasant pace and most people make an extra effort to be nice. Even those who normally steal parking spots from old ladies make an effort to behave and be kind. Imagine if we could keep this spirit all around the year!<br />
<br />
I’m Swedish originally, and our Christmas habits are just different enough from the American to confuse me. Like… We celebrate Christmas Eve, handing the presents out late in the afternoon. No stockings, just presents. We have Santa nowadays, but when my mom was a little girl, back in the 1940’s, her family still adhered to an older Scandinavian tradition with a goat bringing presents. Many homes still have a symbolic straw goat we call “julbock” and many of our Christmas cards are decorated with a santa-like little man accompanied by a goat. One of these santas – well, we call them “tomte” -- were thought to live secretly on each farm in the countryside, helping the farmer care for crops and animals. Better stay on his good side, or he might not help!<br />
<br />
Most homes put the tree up December 23rd, and we keep all decorations up until January 13th. On that day we have a ceremony called “Julgransplundring” – plundering the tree. It’s a festivity mostly for the kids, with lots of candy and games. <br />
<br />
Even though I’ve been in the US since late 2008, I’m still in the Swedish rhythm. Early December my husband fidgets because we don’t have any Christmas stuff up. I’ll say, “But… It’s so early.” A couple of days into January each year, he says we have to do something, because everyone else already took all the lights down. I’ll be like, “C’mon, it’s just the third. They can sit for another couple of weeks.” Back home I’d happily leave them up until February, but I wouldn’t dream of putting them up before Christmas. When I look around I see he’s right; we’ll be the only ones with lights and glitter, and people in passing cars stare.<br />
<br />
This difference in rhythm shines through in my writing. My novel Undercover starts just after Christmas, when the main character Jenny returns to work after a well-deserved break. Observant readers will note I claim she took a vacation between Christmas and New Year’s, and when she returns, all decorations in the office are still up. No one moves a finger to take them down. I didn’t even consider people here might find it odd.<br />
<br />
Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o<br />
<br />
Review snippets: <br />
<br />
"This book was riveting and just when you are sure you know what to expect, Hammarblad completely takes you by surprise with an incredible finale. Amazingly fun and enjoyable" -- Mrs. Michael, reader<br />
<br />
"You easily connect with the characters and feel the tension of their various situations - You will be guessing at the outcome, which is very original! Well worth reading!" -- Robin Olsson, reader<br />
<br />
Buy link: http://amzn.com/B0098TGWTW<br />
<br />
Find me on the web:<br />
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com<br />
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info<br />
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-87201756347894524262012-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-24T06:00:00.289-08:00Author Spotlight - Q&A with Maria Hammarblad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFH6qVBbskHsBeRrs_swCNv4-grdWs1bee-en_Rgul99_tFH-zE8ocNvzUKKIrFwplOBclqFarb1Rb6gTfX2Ug1HWYT3cNc9yk-N-VTd49nQWIoHKth3jQLFjRkipxglQHk0wUPeyfloI/s1600/Maria+Hammarblad_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFH6qVBbskHsBeRrs_swCNv4-grdWs1bee-en_Rgul99_tFH-zE8ocNvzUKKIrFwplOBclqFarb1Rb6gTfX2Ug1HWYT3cNc9yk-N-VTd49nQWIoHKth3jQLFjRkipxglQHk0wUPeyfloI/s320/Maria+Hammarblad_2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
STEPH: I don't know much about “Undercover.” What's it about?<br />
<br />
MARIA: Undercover is a contemporary romance. It’s about Jenny Moore, whose life is pretty safe and a little boring. She dreams about adventure and being swept off her feet, and when this actually happens she gets more excitement than she ever wanted. If I may quote my friend Patty Froese, it’s about “dangerous men and the women who hold them back from the edge.”<br />
<br />
STEPH: How long did it take you to write?<br />
<br />
MARIA: I always have problems with that question because I tend to write in little bursts of energy… The first draft came together fairly quickly, a matter of weeks, but since then I’ve re-written it a number of times. It took either a few weeks or a couple of years, depending on point of view.<br />
<br />
STEPH: How much research did you have to do?<br />
<br />
MARIA: Quite a lot, actually. The book takes place in several countries, and I’ve been to most of them, but not to Russia and not to Mexico. When I looked at photos and talked to people who have visited these places, I realized my mental images were completely wrong. It’s a novel sprung out of my imagination, but I still wanted to get as much right as I can. <br />
<br />
STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7E5BK9bG_k944pwbFrZsMAkAFNy89IA0CCXG2KGNOR0hNfhnazTLxF3_EHdJmAIeO1rOLe-R6dbnYUWc79GFiz7aOAZVatcczEgebYB2aNYPhJft6zu6IxCzYVcugNW_h2ZXYDWdEpA/s1600/UndercoverCoverArt72dpi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7E5BK9bG_k944pwbFrZsMAkAFNy89IA0CCXG2KGNOR0hNfhnazTLxF3_EHdJmAIeO1rOLe-R6dbnYUWc79GFiz7aOAZVatcczEgebYB2aNYPhJft6zu6IxCzYVcugNW_h2ZXYDWdEpA/s320/UndercoverCoverArt72dpi.jpg" /></a></div><br />
MARIA: I think the cover artist did an amazing job conveying the feeling of the book, and I love this cover. It makes me think of spy movies and classic thrillers. My hero is a soldier -- and spy -- who has performed some horrific deeds. Love transforms him, and once he tries to fit into a normal way of life, he constantly has to put himself in harm’s way to protect those close to him. In my mind, that’s just what he does on the cover.<br />
<br />
STEPH: Jenny is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weakness?<br />
<br />
MARIA: Jenny is a romantic and naïve dreamer, and she’s so infatuated with the hero common sense goes right out the window. All of a sudden she puts up with things that would normally send her screaming and running in the other direction. Luckily, when put to the test, she also has a backbone of steel. When she sets out to do something, she’ll do it, and she’s strong enough to sort of the strangest situations, saving the day for both herself and him.<br />
<br />
STEPH: What does Alexei find appealing about her?<br />
<br />
MARIA: She’s kind, caring, and teaches him to appreciate the little things in life. He didn’t know how unhappy he was until he met her. He tries to explain the phenomenon to her in the book: "My life had been a black and white movie on a tiny little screen, and now it was full color IMAX with Dolby surround."<br />
<br />
STEPH: What is the theme of the novel?<br />
<br />
MARIA: Love conquers all. Definitely. They have to go through some horrible ordeals to stay together, but as long as they have each other, they’re okay.<br />
<br />
STEPH: As a writer, where do you draw inspiration from?<br />
<br />
MARIA: Everything. My head is quite a bizarre place, and my mind is always asking, “What if.” I can look at the vacuum cleaner and think, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if this thing could fly?” I sometimes see interesting people on my way to work or going to the store, and by the time I get home I have a complete story ready about them. It doesn’t even stop when I sleep. I often wake up in the middle of the night with a story burning on my eyelids.<br />
<br />
STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?<br />
<br />
MARIA: I do. I have a Kindle Touch and I really like that it can read aloud. It took a while to get used to the voice, I thought it sounded kinda snarky at first, but now I just think it’s practical. I also love that it works in sunshine. <br />
<br />
STEPH: Fun question: Do you put a star or an angel on the top of your Christmas tree? <br />
<br />
MARIA: We have a silvery star. I bought it for my first apartment in Sweden and it’s been with me for well over twenty years. I bet it didn’t expect to end up in Florida. ☺<br />
<br />
<br />
Book trailer link: http://youtu.be/YePFbRgPP9o<br />
<br />
Review snippets: <br />
<br />
"This book was riveting and just when you are sure you know what to expect, Hammarblad completely takes you by surprise with an incredible finale. Amazingly fun and enjoyable" -- Mrs. Michael, reader<br />
<br />
"You easily connect with the characters and feel the tension of their various situations - You will be guessing at the outcome, which is very original! Well worth reading!" -- Robin Olsson, reader<br />
<br />
Buy link: http://amzn.com/B0098TGWTW<br />
<br />
Find me on the web:<br />
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com<br />
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info<br />
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mariahammarblad<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-36679768183741873202012-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-21T06:00:07.523-08:00Author Spotlight - Excerpt from "Invitiation to a Wedding" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeV5Nui5RPW5ta_YuAqKiPhDcNKqWpndNfSpI3KsEKI_CZapqF44bizI3Wb2ddcsCMWvdf5dSyc4UEhdVV1jtKnpwwctGMVsDnVEger-0K71_5XepXgb8xTzub7FBWbdwMK9iLZlCFFk/s1600/InvitationtoaWeddingCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxeV5Nui5RPW5ta_YuAqKiPhDcNKqWpndNfSpI3KsEKI_CZapqF44bizI3Wb2ddcsCMWvdf5dSyc4UEhdVV1jtKnpwwctGMVsDnVEger-0K71_5XepXgb8xTzub7FBWbdwMK9iLZlCFFk/s320/InvitationtoaWeddingCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div>Thank you so much for supporting Michelle's week in the spotlight. Michelle has written a short Christmas story, that she will post on her website as a PDF that readers can download.<br />
<br />
The title is "One Small Child," and takes place just before Christmas at the end of Year One in the Tabor Heights Series. There's a nice blank gap between the last story of Year One, which ends in November, and when Year Two starts in early January.<br />
<br />
The links for Michelle's website are at the bottom of the page.<br />
Enjoy the Excerpt!<br />
Smiles<br />
Moderator Steph<br />
<br />
**********<br />
<br />
"Are you two fighting about something?" Drake asked.<br />
<br />
"We'd have to be talking to fight." Dinah lifted the cutting board and scraped the celery off it into the bowl. "She hasn't come by, hasn't called, since I got home."<br />
<br />
"Maybe she didn't know when you got home, and she's been waiting for you to call?"<br />
"She has a point, dear," Mrs. Ashcroft said.<br />
<br />
"Gretchen left messages for her." Dinah shrugged and reached for the tomato and concentrated on coring it before slicing. Drake knew it didn't take that much effort to take out the area where the stem attached. Something bothered his sister.<br />
<br />
Still, he couldn't help snapping at her. "You left it up to Gretchen to tell Stacy you were home? Mom, what's wrong with this picture?"<br />
<br />
"Gretchen has been very helpful. She's been helping even before the girls came home." Mrs. Ashcroft handed him the divided glass dish to hold the olives and artichokes. "All the things I would have asked Stacy to help with, Gretchen already thought of and took care of them."<br />
<br />
"You wouldn't have had to ask Stacy, either. If she knew what was going on." He grunted as he got the second jar open and dug in with two fingers to scoop out a piece of artichoke heart. He grinned when his mother slapped his shoulder -- after he had the piece in his mouth.<br />
<br />
"Something is bothering her," Dinah said, plopping the pieces of tomato onto the top of the salad. "She hasn't come by, hasn't called. She hasn't emailed, either."<br />
<br />
"Did you email her? Call her? Stop by her house?" Drake sighed when his sister just shook her head and wouldn't look at him. "Di, you're the one with the open schedule. Stacy has to work. You know she'll drop everything for you, but you have to let her know you're here, first."<br />
<br />
"She obviously knows I'm home, because she brought that present by."<br />
<br />
"We did send her an invitation to the party," Mrs. Ashcroft offered.<br />
<br />
"Stacy shouldn't need an invitation. She's just about family." He settled down on a stool pulled up at the counter. What was wrong with his mother and sister that they didn't seem to realize something was very wrong? Or was something wrong with him, that he thought Stacy was being hurt?<br />
<br />
"True," his mother said. "Did she say anything was going on, the last time you two talked, Dinah?"<br />
<br />
"We haven't really talked..." Dinah slid the salad bowl into the refrigerator. She barely met Drake's eyes before turning to their mother. "I got a Christmas card from her. That's about all the contact we've had for the last year or two."<br />
<br />
"How come? What'd you do to make her angry?" Drake asked.<br />
<br />
"What makes you think I did anything?" She glared at him and turned to walk out the door.<br />
<br />
"Because Stacy is like a duck -- most of the time it rolls right off. Takes a lot to get her angry," he said, catching her arm to stop her.<br />
<br />
"I wouldn't know. She just stopped writing."<br />
<br />
"Did you ask her what was wrong?"<br />
<br />
"If you're so concerned about Stacy, how come you don't write to her? How come you have to find out how she is by asking me?"<br />
<br />
"Dinah!" their mother scolded. She stepped over, somewhat blocking her in, so Dinah had to step around her to get out of the kitchen. "Why did Stacy stop writing? What did she say in her last email?"<br />
<br />
"I can't remember... exactly." Dinah wouldn't meet her eyes now.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
FIND MICHELLE AT: <br />
<br />
www.Mlevigne.com<br />
www.Tabor-Heights-Today.blogspot.com<br />
www.MichelleLevigne.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
buy:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-383/Tabor-Heights-Year-Two-cln-/Detail.bokDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-45696958146433753202012-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-20T06:00:02.011-08:00Author Spotlight - Michelle Levigne - Teasers vs Spoilers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYX5oLugFAxhM8SqitMLMxv0_sFR1dBG-mh5dZAyBts8jG-4jRHGNvtCDXi42mQt6vQ3KqwAH5EkzVfrkgdbV8q3aSuqkURiYx6vBuGNcL8-tUgN5ffTHHBBau31uE9RvKlGnuGU-dww/s1600/Levigne_Michelle_WebsiteImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYX5oLugFAxhM8SqitMLMxv0_sFR1dBG-mh5dZAyBts8jG-4jRHGNvtCDXi42mQt6vQ3KqwAH5EkzVfrkgdbV8q3aSuqkURiYx6vBuGNcL8-tUgN5ffTHHBBau31uE9RvKlGnuGU-dww/s320/Levigne_Michelle_WebsiteImage.jpg" /></a></div>Don't you hate it when someone does a book review, and they basically give you the whole plot of the story? They tell you the names of all the characters, the history between the hero/heroine and their nemeses, the "black moment," and the names of all their children from the epilogue.<br />
<br />
What's the use of reading the book, when you already know how it's going to end, and you know the most important points in the journey to get there?<br />
Some may argue that romance guarantees a happy ending, so you know how it's going to end, so what does it matter if someone tells you all the gory or glory details?<br />
It's the JOURNEY that matters in romance -- and yes, in a lot of other genres, too. And I hate it when the whole journey is revealed.<br />
<br />
When my Dad was alive, I hated watching movies with him, because at some point he would turn to me or Mom or someone else in the room and say, "So, what's going to happen next?" He wanted to know -- which is fine, but don't ruin it for the rest of us when you find out, okay? And he would ask when he knew it was a movie we hadn't seen before, or a new episode of a TV show.<br />
<br />
That's what we call spoilers, and it doesn't "make things better" when someone posts in all-caps SPOILER ALERT and then spaces down ten or twenty lines to create a blank space before discussing a movie they just saw or a book they just read. Because try as you might to not read it, you'll end up reading it. And then all the fun of "the first time" goes out of the movie or book or whatever.<br />
<br />
So, that being said ... why in the world did I go ahead and talk about events in other books in the year-long correspondence between Stacy and Drake in "Invitation to a Wedding"?<br />
<br />
To tease you and tempt you and make you wonder how a problem was going to be resolved -- or even more irritating, how the heck that situation got started in the first place.<br />
<br />
Because Stacy only mentions the aftermath of something, or an odd event, and because she's on the outside, or she's living in her "now," there's no way for her to give away important details that will ruin it for the reader.<br />
<br />
At least, that's the plan!<br />
<br />
Because hopefully -- she says, with fingers and toes crossed, which makes it really hard to write and walk -- you'll have no idea whatsoever what event belongs in what upcoming book of Year Two. And yet, when you read the book someday in the future (please, you will read the other books, won't you?), when you get to the event Stacy mentioned in her email, you'll hae one of those "Oh, yeah, now I remember" moments. And you'll feel connected, included in the story, someone with an inside pass and inside knowledge.<br />
<br />
At least, that's the plan. Please do contact me through my web site or one of my blogs, and let me know if it works, okay?<br />
<br />
FIND MICHELLE AT: <br />
<br />
www.Mlevigne.com<br />
www.Tabor-Heights-Today.blogspot.com<br />
www.MichelleLevigne.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
buy:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-383/Tabor-Heights-Year-Two-cln-/Detail.bokDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-89386876275132248522012-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-19T06:00:04.488-08:00Author Spotlight - Michelle Levigne casts the characters! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikXsE-cvfNhAkAprSgqS4vHKzopJ1jFR4LMiwUveG44vnfam60JAzUrJ4nOIHPqWzZyh-lHQ_aZxbHOGGpQBOCRv9ZWQGDfuh1YmhIZZJ_MwHSZy-LMRsj_IKyzh6AF9Dvyf3KV_NGZY/s1600/InvitationtoaWeddingCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikXsE-cvfNhAkAprSgqS4vHKzopJ1jFR4LMiwUveG44vnfam60JAzUrJ4nOIHPqWzZyh-lHQ_aZxbHOGGpQBOCRv9ZWQGDfuh1YmhIZZJ_MwHSZy-LMRsj_IKyzh6AF9Dvyf3KV_NGZY/s320/InvitationtoaWeddingCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div>This is a story where I had the germinal idea, and had to fill in all the blanks. Sometimes, I start with a character in a situation, and have the situation "come to a head," and work through it. For instance, for "The Family Way," in other books I had already talked about what a nasty man Mr. Montgomery was, and how people pitied his daughter-in-law, and I had even introduced Lisa and Todd and their on-again/off-again romance in a rough draft for a Quarry Hall novel (Blatant plug for the new Women's Fiction series, here!). So I had characters and situations already established for me, which actually gave me material to work with and a foundation to work on. <br />
So, starting from scratch, how do you cast a story?<br />
<br />
The germinal idea -- and I even mention the source of it within the story -- came from half an episode of "Northern Exposure." Anyone remember that show? How, you ask, could I work from half an episode? Well, I saw the first half, and never watched the second half! I think I was at a friend's house and watching TV while I waited for her to finish getting ready to go out. The story: a local celebrity was having his annual blow-out party -- gourmet food, fancy decorations, fancy plates, fancy invitations, etc. The new guy in town, the doctor, hears from everyone else what a great party it is. And of course, the doctor is invited -- but his invitation is lost. And before I turned off the TV, he was already facing the dilemma of not admitting that he didn't get an invitation to the big fancy yearly party.<br />
<br />
So, that's where "Invitation to a Wedding" started. What happens if your childhood friend is getting married, and you're invited, but someone doesn't just lose the invitation -- they make sure you don't get the invitation?<br />
<br />
The first question is: Why would someone do that? What kind of person is the heroine, that someone would want to keep her from going to a wedding? <br />
<br />
Other questions I had to ask, so the story was believable -- especially when Stacy and Dinah don't get a chance to talk and fix things in the first two chapters -- dealt with why they weren't talking, compressing the timeline and circumstances to make it believable that Stacy wouldn't be included. Then I had to work on the hero -- what kind of a guy was he, that he would find out Stacy wasn't coming to the wedding, at a very late date, and be so upset that he had to do something about it?<br />
<br />
What I came up with was: 1) Heroine is low on the social scale -- not that it matters to the hero and her childhood best friend. 2) Bride has been living in another state and lost contact with heroine. 3) Hero has been away from home for years, in the military and then seminary. 3) Bride eloped, so it isn't a wedding, but a weekend trip home for a wedding reception months later. 4) Childhood nemesis is living near the bride and pretends to be changed, so she is trusted with party details, and no one suspects when she takes over.<br />
<br />
Compressing the time element of the story helped with the "why don't the idiots just sit down and TALK?" factor. I don't know about you, but I hate stories where the conflict could have been resolved in chapter 2 if the two main characters could have just been face-to-face for half an hour.<br />
<br />
What I ended up with was a Cinderella story, and a year-long correspondence between the hero and heroine that gives everyone an overview of what else will be happening in Tabor Heights in Year Two.<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
FIND MICHELLE AT: <br />
<br />
www.Mlevigne.com<br />
www.Tabor-Heights-Today.blogspot.com<br />
www.MichelleLevigne.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
buy:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-383/Tabor-Heights-Year-Two-cln-/Detail.bokDesert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-18593152479107935142012-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-18T06:00:13.202-08:00Author Spotlight - Michelle Levigne talks about bullies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB60oDy8rIJM4CFBvC5HkaBls1aNavycWlSQSZY4POnwS1wlufKncLqEtgnDiW8-JF_IU1uNEdZJ6D2f7XCmtiFU5c_54r2steA-Km5gHWbtaoLS0y6e9BznwatBTH2pb8cwQspg2PQws/s1600/Levigne_Michelle_WebsiteImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB60oDy8rIJM4CFBvC5HkaBls1aNavycWlSQSZY4POnwS1wlufKncLqEtgnDiW8-JF_IU1uNEdZJ6D2f7XCmtiFU5c_54r2steA-Km5gHWbtaoLS0y6e9BznwatBTH2pb8cwQspg2PQws/s320/Levigne_Michelle_WebsiteImage.jpg" /></a></div>In "Invitation to a Wedding," our heroine faces the ultimate nasty trick, played on her by the "mean girls" who have come back to town for the wedding celebration of her best friend from childhood.<br />
<br />
Stacy was the housekeeper's granddaughter, and even though the Ashcrofts treated her like a member of the family, obviously the other "social elite" families in Tabor Heights didn't agree with them, because their daughters grew up trying to keep Stacy in "her place," and interfere with her friendship with Dinah Ashcroft. <br />
<br />
I've never had anyone play such a nasty trick on me -- try to keep me from a friend's party, or cut me out of an activity where I had every right to be there, but I've suffered other "slings and arrows" of abuse, criticism, mockery, and people telling two different stories to keep two sides apart. (Does that make any sense?) The best tactic when dealing with "social bullies," as I call them, is communication. Stacy and Dinah drifted apart and stopped communicating. The bullies never would have gotten between them if they had talked to each other.<br />
<br />
Instead of believing someone when they say, "Jenny doesn't want to hang around with you," confront Jenny directly. I wish I had learned that lesson years ago. There are people who believe I hate them, when it turns out that a third party told me they didn't want to be around me, and then told them the same thing about me!<br />
I dream of the day when these people who discouraged me and bruised my feelings and my dreams will want something from me ... and yes, I admit, I want to "get some back" at them. <br />
<br />
It's not nice. It's something I'm working on. My favorite scenario, practiced many times in my imagination, is for them to come up to me at a booksigning with some friends they want to impress. They'll exclaim about how great I look, and how well my books are selling, and they're so glad for me -- and when they try to hug me, I'll pull back and say, "Sorry, I don't recognize you. Where do I know you from?"<br />
I hope I grow to the point that I forget about the bruises, the hurt feelings, the lies people have told about me, the mockery -- so that when someone shows up, claiming to be an old friend, it's the truth when I say, "Sorry, I honestly don't recognize you. Where do we know each other from?" And when they tell me, I'll be glad to see them.<br />
<br />
That's the biggest triumph over bullies. To lose the hurt they tried to inflict on us. To succeed despite their mockery and lies and trying to put us in what they believe is our "proper place."<br />
<br />
<br />
FIND MICHELLE AT: <br />
<br />
www.Mlevigne.com<br />
www.Tabor-Heights-Today.blogspot.com<br />
www.MichelleLevigne.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
buy:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-383/Tabor-Heights-Year-Two-cln-/Detail.bok<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099979915796361690.post-32058310214177109812012-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:002012-12-17T06:00:05.079-08:00Author Spotlight - Q&A with Michelle Levigne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdUv_HlP8Fy1WKzyiKfxSBQRZbJ-s1LpzPxabzNw9JoDYgVphhuJ32mzqwxMC_Nr-yzcpok9KrgzWvA2MZOwEAuqPu5AWrYU2zFlEll3OV147uHtZnFMM730eHLNSytZuwY6_w4Y7E2Y/s1600/Levigne_Michelle_WebsiteImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdUv_HlP8Fy1WKzyiKfxSBQRZbJ-s1LpzPxabzNw9JoDYgVphhuJ32mzqwxMC_Nr-yzcpok9KrgzWvA2MZOwEAuqPu5AWrYU2zFlEll3OV147uHtZnFMM730eHLNSytZuwY6_w4Y7E2Y/s320/Levigne_Michelle_WebsiteImage.jpg" /></a></div>STEPH: I don't know much about "Invitation to a Wedding." What's it about? <br />
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MICHELLE: Drake Ashcroft, ex-Marine now in seminary, comes home for the wedding reception for his sister, who eloped with his best friend from the Marines. He finds a present on the back step, left there by Stacy Belmont, granddaughter of their former housekeeper. The problem is that Stacy grew up with Drake and his sister, Dinah, and he knows the two girls promised to be each other's maid of honor -- so why isn't Stacy helping with the preparations for the party?<br />
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As Drake investigates, he learns that the some people in town haven't outgrown their childhood rivalries and petty nastiness, and the "mean girls" still have it in for Stacy. It turns into a race against time to get Stacy to the party, but he's going to do it, even if he has to kidnap her.<br />
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STEPH: How long did it take you to write? <br />
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MICHELLE: The first draft took me a month. This year, I rough drafted six of the eight novels for Year Two, giving myself a month for each one. Then, after letting it sit for five months, I went back and revised it. I had to wait until all the books were roughed so I could put together my calendar of when and where things happened in Tabor Heights, because I needed to refer to that calendar when Stacy and Drake correspond for most of the year. I was starting to panic, because the deadline was approaching for turning the book in, and I hadn't started the revisions yet! But I made it. Somehow. And I'm pleased with the story. At least, I think so ...... Still too tired to be sure it turned out right!<br />
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STEPH: How much research did you have to do? <br />
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MICHELLE: Not much. I already had the setting, a good idea of the characters, their shared history -- and lots of experience with the problems caused by lies and social maneuvering and "mean girls" trying to rule the world. The biggest chore on my list was getting all the other books written so I knew what happened when in the different storylines, so Stacy could mention some of the events -- but definitely not all of them! -- when she emailed Drake through the year.<br />
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STEPH: How does the cover reflect the story within? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouRmmUwBt97za6Oen945Xn5ppWjzrA9fgG-TGfjJYnzA9gppgaSV4mneTzdfRrWCi7dg4dYNMhbLItlGegcQ5_I1KwgM3vKLRVTL7LwfYAaAmntA3G2Dj8Bw5nn5_3eoeO7ffkE39ZkE/s1600/InvitationtoaWeddingCoverArt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouRmmUwBt97za6Oen945Xn5ppWjzrA9fgG-TGfjJYnzA9gppgaSV4mneTzdfRrWCi7dg4dYNMhbLItlGegcQ5_I1KwgM3vKLRVTL7LwfYAaAmntA3G2Dj8Bw5nn5_3eoeO7ffkE39ZkE/s320/InvitationtoaWeddingCoverArt.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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MICHELLE: I think it arouses some curiosity, from the moment someone realizes it's an invitation that's been tossed into the wastebasket before it even got mailed. It's not an accurate picture, because the evil Gretchen didn't actually throw away Stacy's invitation, she just made sure it never got mailed. But as it reflects the "heart" of the story, the conflict, and the problem to overcome, it's spot-on. Jenifer and her staff always do an incredible job with the artwork. <br />
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STEPH: Stacy is the heroine. What are her strengths? Weakness? <br />
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MICHELLE: She is smart, and she is generally an upbeat, caring, kind, generous person. Right now she's going through a rough time in her life -- she just had her first Christmas without her grandmother, who raised her, and the family that treated her like she was one of their own has basically left her out in the cold because of some crises of their own that they went through over the holidays. Plus, a year of silence between her and her best childhood friend has culminated in "Retchin' Gretchen" (yes, you'll find out where the nickname came from!) acting as maid of honor, when Stacy and Dinah promised to be each other's maid of honor. Stacy doesn't want to dwell on her hurt, but it's hard. She has some pride issues, although the people who love her would argue with that. She's trying so hard to be strong and not let the "mean girls" know they hurt her, that she's hurting herself even worse.<br />
She needs a Prince Charming.<br />
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STEPH: What does Drake find appealing about her? <br />
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MICHELLE: There's no one specific characteristic in Stacy that smacks him between the eyes. She's the perfect minister's wife -- but Drake doesn't want to use that label, because Stacy herself is important to him, not just what she can offer. She has always been there, a key part of his life, but he doesn't realize it until she's gone, until there's silence when he expects some input from her. It's a situation of, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." As he scrambles to make things right, to bring Stacy back into the family circle where she belongs, he realizes that she's no longer an adopted kid sister to him -- she's become someone very important, and he needs to take some time to analyze just how and why she is important, and figure out what he's going to do about it. One thing he knows for certain: He's not letting Stacy slip out of his life again.<br />
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STEPH: What is the theme of the novel? <br />
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Ugh. I hate these questions! I'm thinking about the people, not what I want to say through them. In theater class and playwriting class, we were always told, "If you want to leave a message, use Western Union." <br />
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But the overall concepts being explored deal with communication, with ideas of family that extend past blood bonds, with the subtle ways we hurt the people we love without even realizing it, and maybe how we are so busy we lose things and people who are precious to us, and don't even realize it until it's nearly too late.<br />
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STEPH: As a writer, where do you draw inspiration from? <br />
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MICHELLE: Is it a cop-out to say "Everywhere and everything"?<br />
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STEPH: Yes! (grin)<br />
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MICHELLE: Inspiration comes from things that catch my attention. Like a snippet of a story or situation in a TV show or book or movie that sticks in my mind. Case in point, the half-episode of "Northern Exposure" that I mention in another entry on this blog. It presented an unhappy situation for someone, and it stuck with me, so when I was looking for story ideas, that one was waiting to be used.<br />
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Inspiration comes from things that make me angry -- issues and situations and injustices that I want resolved. Or I want to totally humiliate bullies, or bring about justice for someone who in real life will never taste justice. Things that make me say, "Wow -- cool." Even things that make me shudder and take a step back and avert my eyes -- but the image is still there, lingering at the back of my imagination, to eventually come out of hiding and say, "Use me!" when I need a painful or terrifying or unbalancing situation. <br />
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Story ideas don't come to me in one piece. I put all sorts of pieces together and trim them to fit, or melt them, or add water or whack them really hard a couple thousand times until they change enough to slide into the opening available. Some stories need major surgery before they work. Others just slide together as if they were always meant to be. Sometimes I only do two or three drafts. Other times I write and rewrite and rewrite and put it away for a year or two and bring it out and rewrite again and put it away and bring it out again and ... put it away, in the hopes that someday, I'll figure out what's not working, so I can fix it.<br />
Writing is craft and talent and inspiration and luck and stubbornness, all mixed together.<br />
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STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?<br />
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MICHELLE: I have one of the first Nooks, plus I have an iPod Touch and iPad with Nook, iBooks, and Kindle loaded on them. I like the flexibility offered by the three different programs. For instance, I have all the PDFs of my own books in iBooks, so I can show them to other people, let them read a few paragraphs if the situation presents itself, and I can also go through the PDFs to refresh myself on different people's stories. Much easier than getting into my computer and digging up the PDF. I like the instant connection of reading on the iPad -- no need to wait for the system to boot up and the menu to appear, like I do on the Nook. However, there's something simple and easy about my Nook, and I enjoy being able to sit down and read and not be able to do anything but read while I'm using it.<br />
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STEPH: Fun question: Do you put a star or an angel on the top of your Christmas tree? <br />
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MICHELLE: I don't have a Christmas tree! (waaaaaaah!)<br />
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I do have a ceramic Christmas tree my Mom made years ago, with an electric light inside it and clear plastic colored bulbs.<br />
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This year is my first year in my new place, and I've pulled out Christmas ornaments I haven't seen or used in years. I bought a spool of wide ribbon -- white with red snowflakes -- with wire reinforcing on the edges, and put a length across the wooden mantle of my fireplace, and another across the wooden frame of my living room window. Then I hung my ornaments on these ribbons. It looks pretty cool.<br />
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Maybe at the end of the holiday season, when everything is on sale, I'll go shopping for a tree topper to use next year ...<br />
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FIND MICHELLE AT: <br />
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www.Mlevigne.com<br />
www.Tabor-Heights-Today.blogspot.com<br />
www.MichelleLevigne.blogspot.com<br />
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buy:<br />
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-383/Tabor-Heights-Year-Two-cln-/Detail.bok<br />
Desert Breeze Publishinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04385863888693531283noreply@blogger.com1