DB Authors Speak up! What they were for Halloween

Enjoy this fun post as several DB authors talk about Halloween.




SADIE & SOPHIE CUFFE
Authors of: Arrow that Flies
"Sadie and I decided to dress up as farmer/writers, just for the day. hahaha. If we wore costumes, the goats would freak out! Although it would've been fun to dress up the goats... hmmmm, I'm thinking Nigerian Dwarf Unicorns. LOL."





CELIA YEARY
Author of: Texas Promise and Texas True
"I'm going to be a woman with silver hair sitting in my jammies with my feet up on my recliner, with a glass of red wine, my Kindle open to a Western Historical romance, and watching--half-heartedly--whatever we decide to watch on TV. P.S.We live in the country--it's dark as a dungeon out here--no street lights--our house sits back in trees--no Trick-or-Treaters come to our house."



BARBARA SCOTT
Author of: Talk of the Town and West of Heaven
"This year I have door duties. so I will not be anything. My most memorable Halloween was when I was Miss Piggy. I could not wear my glasses due to the pig nose and to stay in character. I was going to a party at a co-worker's I'd never been to before. I arrived and did not recognize anyone at the party. I was given a drink. Everyone complimented me on my costume. It wasn't until 20 minutes later when no one who came in was familiar that I finally realized I was at the wrong house. My co-worker lived three houses down the street!"




STEPHANIE BURKHART
Author of: Danube in Candlelight and Victorian Scoundrel
"I was going to go as Spongebob (and I still might because time is not on my side) But I got everything I need - including a blonde wig - to be Daenerys from Game of Thrones. I even got the dragons."




JILLIAN CHANTEL
Author of: Redemption for the Devil
"I'm going as a 1920s Gatsby girl. We're dressing up at work. I actually told a friend I got a great Gatsby dress and then realized my unintentional pun. Lol."






DANIELLE THORNE
Author of: The Privateer and By Heart and Compass
"I'm going as a voodoo witch, or Tia Dalma, from Pirates of the Caribbean. I dyed
my hair brown and rolled it in dreadlocks. Crazy, but fun. We "act" at our
neighborhood Haunted Mansion which also features pirate ships and now a swamp
with Tia Dalma's hut."







MARION KELLEY BULLOCK
Author of: Christmas Stranger and He Wants Me Dead
"Several years ago, I was "Bashful, the clown," stretchy face and all. In our parade, I I danced in the street. Can't manage that now. It almost did me in back then. But it was fun!"


So...fess up. What were you for Halloween?
Smiles
Steph

Author Spotlight - Excerpt from Talk of The Town

Enjoy this excerpt from Talk of The Town. Leave a comment on this post today, Saturday and Sunday and I'll pick a name out of a hat on Monday for one lucky commenter to win a copy of Barbara's latest release. Thanks so much for supporting Barbara this week.

Smiles
Moderator Steph

*****



No coffee.

It wasn’t the end of the world, just close to it.

Max rapped the empty can on the counter trying to shake enough grounds loose to squeeze out a cup of the vital fluid. No luck. He squinted at the clock. 4:45. His neighbor George would kill him if he came begging at his back stairs for java at this predawn hour.

With the crumpled rejects of his last five cartoons littering the floor and deadline looming, Max had no other choice. He’d have to siphon his bankroll for enough cash to spring a can from the Spee-dee Mart 24 on the corner.

Max raked his fingers through his smashed-flat hair. He cursed the four hours of sleep he’d snatched, slouched on the sofa. The TV with its monotone delivery of the all-night news was the wrong choice to keep him awake and alert through the wee hours. His ancient, ghost-ridden set blinked and wavered from its place on the window sill, antenna straining through the blinds to gather in the signal. On screen, angel-faced street reporter, Kari Bryan bubbled about the rescue of a scraggly cat from a house fire. Max shrugged and jammed his feet into his knotted hi-tops. If Kari Bryan could be chipper at this ungodly hour, Max Dawson could too, damn it.

The sultry night greeted him with a wet kiss fogging his glasses. He grabbed them off and shoved them into his pocket. The sweating street looked better hazed in the soft blur of his nearsightedness. At the corner, Spee-dee Mart’s neon spelled out a tentative welcome, minus the burnt out M. SPEE-DEE ART. Max wished the sign could be an omen for the cartoons he had to finish for his ten o’clock meeting with his agent. God, how he hated deadlines.

The "24" promised in Spee-dee Mart’s name did not come without effort on the customers’ part. Or the owners’. Harold and LaVonda Peebles struggled to keep their tiny store staffed through the graveyard shift. More often than not, their wayward clerks would plead the stomach flu, or a death in the family, or the cat having kittens to get out of working the scary, lonely hours between midnight and dawn. Then, Harold or LaVonda or both would man the store, double locking the door against shady characters, but allowing entry to their well-known neighbors, less shady only by virtue of their familiarity.

With his rumpled hair and stubbly chin, Max expected he’d have to shout his identity to Harold or LaVonda as they blinked at him like owls through the grimy windows. He was surprised to find the door hanging open, a greasy rag shoved against the hinge. He stepped into the shop which throbbed with heat like a pizza oven. Mrs. Peebles, bent and thin as a twig, stood behind the counter, beads of sweat clustered on her mahogany brow.

"Whew, AC out again, Mrs. Peebles? The open door isn’t helping. You need to get a fan."

"And you need to say your prayers, sucker," a voice growled from behind him.

Max started to turn and felt the nudge of something hard against his ribs.

"Don’t look. Put your wallet and your car keys on the counter."

Author Spotlight - Barbara Scott takes a look at the Bootheel of Missouri, part 2

When Kari and Dahlia of Talk of the Town left the Bootheel of Missouri for the bright lights and opportunities of the big city, they left behind a rural landscape of lore and legend. Comprising only 980 square miles of what should have been Arkansas, the Bootheel of Missouri has a history more varied and notorious than many similar sized patches of the United States.

From ancient times more than 2 million acres of the lowland region between the Mississippi and the St. Francis Rivers was covered with cypress-tupelo swamp. Under that blanket of primeval forest lurked the fault line of such power that it would produce a series of earthquakes in the winter of 1811-12 that were among the strongest ever felt in North America. Tremors were felt over 1 million square miles square miles and caused severe damage to houses in St. Louis and cracked windows and set church bells ringing in Philadelphia and New England. The most severe of the four major earthquakes changed the course of the Mississippi River and caused land movements that created Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee.

During the Civil War, two battles took place in the region. One in 1862 was a series of conflicts in a battle of the ironclads in the Mississippi near New Madrid. The Union victory opened the river for the North through to Ft. Pillow, Tennessee.
After the war, the Bootheel earned a reputation for lawlessness. During the 20 years between 1872 and 1913, US Marshals waged continuous battles with bootleggers that became known as the Moonshine Wars. More than twenty Marshalls were killed in the performance of their duties.

As the land reclamation projects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries began to open up more land to agriculture clashes began between migrant workers and African-Americans who moved to the area looking for work.

Author Spotlight - Barbara Scott takes a look at the Bootheel of Missouri

Lifelong friends, Kari Bryan and Dahlia McAllister of Talk of the Town grew up in the Bootheel of Missouri. It was there they developed their grand dreams of finding success in the city. It was there they hatched their pact to keep men out of their lives until they achieved their dreams. Men only complicated things. They'd seen the proof of that among their classmates and neighbors. They were serious enough to sign their agreement in blood.

The Bootheel is a unique geographic location at the southeastern corner of Missouri which got its name from its shape, jutting into the state of Arkansas like the heel of a boot. Stories of the reason for this border anomaly range from the accepted truth to folklore.

At the time the border was drawn, a pioneer plantation owner in the area argued for its inclusion in the new state because of his political and financial ties to St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, and Ste. Genevieve in Missouri. He was accommodated with the fifty mile jog south. Legend gives other explanations including fear of wild panthers, bears and copperhead snakes that roamed Arkansas territory and the story of a sympathetic surveyor who wanted to include his sweetheart's farm in Missouri when it entered the Union in 1821.

Plagued with frequent floods, the three counties in the Bootheel are mainly agricultural with rich soil supporting crops of soybeans, rice and cotton. However, until the twentieth century the area covered with native forests and swampland. The forests were cut and the swamps drained during a series of reclamation projects extending from 1893 to 1989. Its culture identifies more with the South than the Midwest and its residents are among the more impoverished in the state. It is primarily rural with no big cities.

The Bootheel's colorful history is ripe for storytelling. I'll delve more into it tomorrow.

Author Spotlight - Dear Santa by Barbara Scott

Dear Santa,

It's been years since I wrote you. Maybe you won't remember me. Maybe you put aside the memories of adults who have passed beyond your purview. I get it. I did the same with student names and faces in June to allow space for the new ones in September. If I can refresh your memory, I was the one who wanted a Shirley Temple doll for my fifth Christmas, and I promised never to comb out her curls. I should remind you I kept that promise. It was my sister who turned her Shirley's hair into a frizzy mess.

Speaking of my sister, why is it you always gave her the pink stuff and me the green, yellow or blue? If we had to have matching everything, even though we weren't twins, just once, I would have liked the pink.

But all that is in the past, Santa, snow under the ice bridge so to speak. I know it's early, but the stores are bright with Christmas already. K-Mart and Sears are talking layaway. You may have to use it for this gift if it exists at the North Pole. The item I want is a bit pricey. It has no place in my budget. Santa, you're my only hope.

Please being me an iPad2 for Christmas. I know I don't need it. Who does, really? The iPad2 is the ultimate want. And I want it. E-readers are cheaper, easier to read with longer battery life, much more practical for reading e-books. Anyway, I already have an i-Phone and a laptop to serve that function as well as several others. I don't need a newgadget to hide my growing TBR pile. Already, I have a mountain in both places and shelves full of physical TBR material.

So no, I don't need it. But Santa, aren't you the Wizard of Wants? If anybody could bring me that iPad2, you could. With its cameras and internet power, think of the Facebook status updates I could post. You can't do that with an e-reader. With its big, bright screen and aps, think of the angry birds I could launch and the words I could have with friends. Don't forget, the iPad2 has word processing abilities I could use to keep up with my writing. Best of all, I could do all of this, plus read e-books anywhere. Why should I have to be at home to be bombarded with distractions?

Don't worry, if the economy won't allow you to grant me this wish, I'll understand. Maybe by next Christmas, there will be an iPad3 to want.

Love, Barbara

**Moderator's Note: Barbara's latest release is Talk of the Town, released 15 OCT.

Barbara Scott
West of Heaven
Talk of the Town, Oct. '11
Listen with Your Heart
Cast a Pale Shadow, EPIC Award winner
Haunts of the Heart
www.barbarascottink.com

Author Spotlight - Q& with Barbara Scott

STEPH: I don't know much about Talk of the Town. What's it about?

BARBARA: Talk of the Town is a romantic comedy about a couple who play out their love-at-first-sight relationship in the full glare of the spotlight. Max and Kari meet when he's the hero of the day who foils an armed robbery and she's the first reporter on the scene. Sparks fly and the viewers take notice, clamoring for more. When they become engaged, they are invited to become the wedding couple on the channel's annual bridal event show.

STEPH: Where did you find the inspiration for it?

BARBARA: An old early 80's TV series, The Greatest American Hero, inspired the reluctant hero Max becomes without the paranormal elements or the suit, of course. Depicting Max as a man who struggles to overcome his impulsive tendencies came from years of working with kids who had similar difficulties. I taught them in middle school and often wondered how they'd cope in adulthood.

STEPH: How long did it take you to research?

BARBARA: Most of my research involved nailing down facts and flavor of the setting and workplace for this contemporary novel. I plunged into the book and did the necessary research as I moved along. I had the most fun with the pre-marital counseling scenes. The web abounds with sets of "essential questions" for potential mates.

STEPH: How important is the setting to the novel?

BARBARA: Since the Town plays a title role in this book, the setting, St. Louis, is very important. The landmarks and culture of the area play essential roles in the story.

STEPH: Hollywood is calling! Cast the main characters.

BARBARA: I see Max as Chris Pine who played the young Captain Kirk in the recent Star Trek retake. He has the right swagger. Emma Stone of Easy A and The Help would be good as Kari. Cam Gigandet charmed me as Jack in Burlesque. He would do the same as Todd. A younger Jennifer Hudson could bring Dahlia to life and sing the theme song as well.

STEPH: Are you a plotter or a pantser?


BARBARA: I do a little of both. I enjoy the surprises of pantsing when the characters get their head and take off in directions all their own. This method gives me access to creative corners of my brain where m muses come out to play. Plotting has a place in every book, however. Eventually a structure must be imposed and the happy ending must take place. I have one book which I plotted from beginning to end before I started. That book took me the longest to write. I already knew the story, so the drive to complete it was diminished.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

BARBARA: Lately, it seems my writing space is anywhere I plop my laptop. With two moves in the last year and a stint in a physical rehab facility, I've learned I don't need a familiar space surrounded by books in oreder to write. Have keyboard, will travel.

STEPH: Do you listen to music when you write?

BARBARA: I do have to have some ambient noise in my writing environment. It doesn't have to be music. Often it's TV in the background.

STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one.

BARBARA: I have an iPad2 on my wish list. Until I get one, I read books on my laptop or my iPhone.

STEPH: Fun Question: Who is your favorite football team?

BARBARA: I loved the old Cardiac Cardinals of the 80's before they went to Phoenix and the Super Bowl winning Rams when Kurt Warner was the QB. I haven't been into football much since then.



Barbara Scott
West of Heaven
Talk of the Town, Oct. '11
Listen with Your Heart
Cast a Pale Shadow, EPIC Award winner
Haunts of the Heart
www.barbarascottink.com

Author Spotlight week - Excerpt from West of Heaven

Hi all - enjoy this excerpt from Barbara Scott's upcoming novel, "West of Heaven." The novel will be released on 15 APR. Leave a comment and Barbara will chose 2 lucky posters to win either a PDF of "West of Heaven" or "Listen With Your Heart." (poster's choice) Also, comment on one of Barbara's other posts this week and your name will also go in the hat for the drawing to win her novels. Winners will be announced here - on this post on Monday, 28 MON. Please leave an email in your comment so it will be easier to get ahold of you.

Read. Enjoy. Leave a comment.
Smiles
Steph




Tom brought up a hardy mousey brown horse that should suit her. He had a sleekness to him and a wise look. He stood solid while Jean Luc saddled him. Marcella came up to take his reins, stroking the horse's nose and talking to him in soft reassuring tones.

"Does this one have a name, Tom?" Marcella asked.

"Redemption they called him."

"Redemption." From her mouth, the name whispered through the morning air like a word of endearment. The critter ate it up like sugar lumps.

"You got a way with horses." Jean Luc pulled the cinches tight. "Sweet-talking might be all you need to keep you seated. Maybe he won't buck at all. He ain't puttin' up a fight now, but, just in case, try to sit back and catch his rhythm and ride with it."

"Until I land in the dirt with the best of them." She whispered something else to the horse as Jean Luc came around to give her a leg up.

"Have a good ride." He stepped back to clear the way.

Marcella steered Redemption toward the center of the corral, taking an easy pace, showing a confidence that let the horse know he was in good hands. He responded with a cooperation that thrilled Jean Luc. They walked the boundary of the corral without a bump or a bother. A mumble of appreciation rippled through the townsfolk who'd been attracted by the unusual Sunday morning goings-on.

When she looked up, Jean Luc signaled his encouragement by snatching off his hat and waving it in the air. Ezra and Tom nodded enthusiastically. She urged Redemption into a post trot, raising herself in her stirrups so she was half-sitting and half standing, her body bobbing up and down in perfect rhythm to the horse's gait. On this go round she beamed at Polly's barely contained excitement and at Glory with her hands on her hips, no doubt puzzling out why she hadn't drawn Marcella's horse instead of the one she'd chosen.

In truth, Jean Luc suspected it was Tom's horse sense that had reserved this mount for her. Not too shy to show off, Marcella directed Redemption into some quick turns and stops before taking him one more time around. She brought him to a smooth stop in front of Jean Luc and dismounted.

Tilting back her hat, Marcella took off her bandana and used it to dab at the sweat on her brow. "I don't know, Jean Luc, do you really think I had to change clothes for that ride?"

Jean Luc rubbed his chin. "Well, how else do you think that horse knew you meant business? Now, ready for some breakfast? Or should we start right in on ropin' and tyin'?"

Author Spotlight Week - Barbara Scott talks about her favorite author

Reading was the road to writing for me. Even very young, I remember making up stories I hope would be as good as the ones in the books I read. Consequently, I am grateful for the requirements of the yearly reading lists imposed on us in both elementary and high school.

It was through one of those lists that I was introduced to Charles Dickens at an early age, I loved reading Dickens so much that I had a crush on him (yes, I knew he was dead; I was weird) and was disappointed when he appeared on a Ponderosa episode as a completely unlikable character.

Though Dickens died in 1870, his work still remains as a source of Dos and don'ts for the modern genre writer. Here are some I've learned:

Do write to entertain your reader. Dickens wrote many of his books in serial style, often not completing later chapters until the earlier ones were on sale in the street. This method kept him aware of and adaptable to the needs of his audience.

Do create memorable characters and settings. Hero, heroine, villain, ghost and scullery maid alike were given a distinct personality. No cardboard characters fill out the background of a Dickens book. Settings also took on a life of their own. From the debtor's prison in Little Dorritt to the Cratchitt's humble home, settings become almost another character.

Don't get lost in details. What keeps most time-strapped readers from Dickens today is his overindulgence in detail. Back when there was little competition for the readers' attention such detail may have been welcome. Writers can't get away with it today.
Finally, do write with a strong theme in mind. Much of Dickens work spoke to the need for social justice, the dignity of the poor, the possibility of redemption. Theme is what separates the book or story that generates a satisfied sigh when the last page is turned and the one that leaves the reader empty.

Author Spotlight Week - Barbara Scott talks about her favorite movies

When it comes to choosing favorite movies, it's hard for me to pick just one. Today though, I will limit myself to three that have influenced me as a writer. I don't know about other writers, but gone for me are the days when I could just lose myself on a movie for pure pleasure. Now I have to analyze them for strengths and weaknesses, for plot points ,and characters. (The Pirate of the Caribbean movies excepted; I love them but they defy my analysis.)


I don't remember whether I read the book or saw the movie of The Princess Bride first. It doesn't matter. Though neither should be missed, the move stands on its own. As both a parody and a tribute to the fairy tale romance, The Princess Bride has everything: a beautiful, spoiled heroine, Princess Buttercup, her devoted and scorned admirer, later turned hero, Westley, the evil Prince and his henchman, and the unforgettable sidekick, Inigo Montoya. The plot is a wild, fast-paced series of improbable events, and the climax is absolutely satisfying. It's no wonder this 1973 film has become a cult classic. As a writer, it teaches me to free my inhibitions and let my imagination take flight.

The original Star Wars is a movie that needs no description or explanation. It's plot is the supreme example of the hero's journey. A improbable hero is called to adventure and goes through a series of obstacles to achieve his goal. Most popular fiction follows this pattern. You can't find a better embellishment of a bare bones structure than Star Wars.


Finally, You've Got Mail is a romantic comedy that I will watch whenever it is on. Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) loses her beloved bookstore due to the opening of a mega-bookstore owned by Joe Fox (Tom Hanks.) With everything against them, these two still find their way to each other. Whenever I think to take it easy on my hero and heroine, I try to remember this movie and go for the harder odds.

*****
Barbara's upcoming release, "West of Heaven" will be released 15 APR with Desert Breeze.

Author Spotlight Week - Barbara Scott talks about her love for westerns

I think if I followed the advice to "write what you know" none of my books would ever be written. West of Heaven is my first historical Western romance, and I had fun writing it. Certain conventions of this genre make it very appealing. Who can resist the iconic cowboy, the girl who tames him, the vivid settings, and the colorful secondary characters filling the background of most Westerns? All of these combine with classic stories of white hat vs. black to make this genre attract devoted followers.

Historicals of many eras appeal to me. My first book for Desert Breeze was an historical, Listen With Your Heart. It was also set in 1871, but started at the Chicago Fire and moved east to New York, Connecticut, and eventually Ireland. I've written a Civil War ghost story trilogy and a YA historical set during the pre Civil War Kansas-Missouri border wars. I love the research involved. Usually something I come across researching one book is the spark for the next. I guess the consistency is the American focus.

The opportunity to go larger than life with characters is more acceptable in historicals than contemporaries. (Where would a swashbuckler fit in the twenty-first century?) I am very much a character focused writer. If I can redeem a disgraced trail boss who is also a murder suspect, or take a bunch of fallen women and send them on a cattle drive I'm happy.

One of the difficulties with Westerns is their familiarity. With a cattle trail book, you have to expect the difficult river crossings, the stampede, campfire talk, and rustlers. Making these fresh and memorable in West of Heaven was my goal, made easier by the cowgirls that make up the outfit.

I love reading and writing historicals, but I can't help but dabble in contemporary romance as well. In fact, my October book from Desert Breeze, Talk of the Town, will be a contemporary.

Author Spotlight week - Q&A with Barbara Scott

STEPH: I don't know much about West of Heaven. What's it about?

BARBARA: West of Heaven is a Western romance set on the cattle trail. Assumed orphan, Marcella McGovern comes to Texas for the reading of the will of her unknown benefactress, Sophie Castleman. To her shock, she discovers that not only was the woman her mother, but the owner of the local house of ill repute, Sophie was killed along with Marcella's secret father, a cattle baron.. Marcella inherits the bawdy house and all her father's marketable cattle. When her father's widow issues the ultimatum to take the cattle or pay an outrageous price for their keep, Marcella turns to disgraced trail boss Jean Luc Desloge and Sophie's unemployed "ladies" for help.

STEPH: Where did the inspiration for the novel come from?

BARBARA: The characters inspired the story. Jean Luc (Lucky) came to me while I was writing Listen With Your Heart. He was a cowboy so I had to write a Western for him. Marcella and Sophie's girls are based in the work life I had. No, I did not work in a bawdy house, but I did work with mostly female middle school educators. I thought it would be fun to cast that teamwork and spirit in a totally foreign environment.

STEPH: Where is it set? How important is the setting to the novel?

BARBARA: West of Heaven starts in the fictional south Texas town of Onion Creek where cattle is king. It them tales the cattle trail north to Abilene, Kansas. The year is 1871, the year which marked the peak traffic of the historic cattle trail, The setting dictates the plots progression, but it's what happens between departure and destination that's all important.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research?

BARBARA: I enjoy researching so it was no burden, but, yes, I had to start from scratch on this one, I've never lived in the West, never been near a longhorn, and I've seen one rodeo in my life. The last time I was on a horse was in Girl Scouts. Consequently, I had to research everything for cowboy clothes to grub, to horse terminology. I tend to research before and during a project. This time I researched up to the copy edit. A question asked by this final editor lead t a discovery that changed a big scene near the end of the book.

STEPH: How long did it take you to write?

BARBARA This book was written in bits and pieces, but the last two-thirds was written in three months.

STEPH: Cast the movie. Who are the leads?

BARBARA: I love casting my books as movies. My problem is the actors keep getting older. The longer the book takes to write and get published, the more often you have recast the roles. At this point, I see Jason Ritter as Jean Luc, Marcella could be played by Alexis Bledell, Rose McGowan could be Polly, and I see Sara Rue as Queenie. I'd cast Eriq LaSalle as Jasper and Nate Corddry as Charles.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?


BARBARA: I used to have a spare bedroom to myself, but we moved and my space is now part of the family room., I had to cut back half my book shelves, so I had to donate a ton of books . I'm down one set of file drawers which has made me think twice about what I keep. Working in the family room, I'm less isolated, but I've always been able to work with distractions. I think that ability comes from growing up in split grade classrooms where you never worked in complete silence

STEPH:. Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one?

BARBARA: I read ebooks my iPhone and computer.

STEPH: What was the last book you read?

BARBARA: Strangely enough, it was Moby Dick. I'm toying with the idea of writing a book called Ahab's Daughter.

STEPH: For Fun: What country would you like to visit that you haven't all ready?

BARBARA: I have to pick Ireland. Both sides of my family have roots there. I researched locales for Listen With Your Heart that I would love to see in person.


****

Barbara's book, West of Heaven, will be avail from Desert Breeze on 15 April. Here's a link:http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-150/Barbara-Scott-West-of/Detail.bok