Baton Blog Hop

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Silver James

I’m over at MURDER SHE WRITES today, guest blogging with the awesome Allison Brennan. After you check out the The Baton Blog Hop, drop by MSW to say hi! Or I will be after Allison makes it live. 🙂

runawayThe Baton Blog Hop has been a thing for awhile now and I was invited participate by the amazing comedy suspense author JB Lynn. Seriously, she’s awesomely funny! Her Neurotic Hitwoman series is a must-buy for me! Check her out if you don’t believe me.

Anyway, the way this works is that I answer the following questions and then pass the baton on to three other authors. And see? I’ve already bobbled it because I was supposed to post this yesterday but I’d forgotten I had the equally awesome Alannah Lynne as a guest. But I digress and also firmly grasp the baton as I answer…

1. What am I working on?

COWGIRL’S SWEETHEART (working title). This is the second book in my new Harlequin Desire contract, which I hope will become a series — For the Love of a Cowgirl. The first book, COWGIRL’S DON’T CRY, is back with my fabulous editor. The series is about the Barrons–six brothers in a powerful Oklahoma family. SWEETHEART is a classic Romeo and Juliet trope with a secret baby thrown in for good measure.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is tough to answer because writing category romances means following certain tropes and hitting the right buttons for readers. In this case, the books are set in contemporary Oklahoma, which isn’t used as a locale and while set in the present day, there’s also a very western feel. For the paranormals I write, I have to say it’s my voice. For the longest time, I didn’t *get* voice. But a reader once told me she could pick up anything I wrote and know immediately that I wrote it. That’s Voice. 🙂

3. Why do I write what I do?

I write what I want to read. Today, it’s a contemporary category romance. Tomorrow, it will be a paranormal thriller with my Wolves, or another Penumbra Papers, or even a return to the world of the Irish fae. But today, I’m all about the contemporary romance full of powerful men, women who refuse to be doormats, and how they manage to fall and stay in love despite the odds.

4. How does your writing process work?

I’m a puzzler. I discovered Scrivener writing software and it’s really saved my bacon! When I sit down to write, I have the framework–those straight-edged puzzle pieces that define the outline of the story. I know characters, plot (usually–I have had characters throw me major curves!), the beginning and the end. But I actually write in scenes or short vignettes and then I have to fit those blocks of pieces into the puzzle’s whole. I know. It’s a crazy way to write but it’s what works for me. 😉

Okay, it’s time for me to pass the baton to these authors. Go visit them, next Monday, March 24th!

A friend to dragons and penguins alike, KERRY SCHAFER

Kerry is the author of the intriguing fantasy novels BETWEEN and WAKEWORLD, the first two novels about the Between, a place between dreaming and waking where anything is possible… She also has a trilogy out, The Dream Wars. You can check out her books HERE.

If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, it’s time to check out ALICIA DEAN.

Whether she’s writing contemporary romantic suspense or paranormal, Alicia provides lots of thrills and chills. Want to know more? Look HERE for her titles! And be sure to play her Want/Wed/Waste Wednesdays!

The fourth “leg” of our relay group is KATHY WHEELER/KAE ELLE WHEELER

Kathy writes contemporary romance and under her Kae Elle persona, a series of “refurbished” fairy tales based on Cinderella that are delightful. You can peruse her titles HERE.

Currently in my TBR pile: Leigh Evans

I’ve been a fan of her Mystwalker series since the first book, THE TROUBLE WITH FATE. Her current release, THE PROBLEM WITH PROMISES continues the saga of half fae/half werewolf Heidi Peacock and the love of her live, werewolf alpha, Robson Trowbridge, is the 3rd book and promises to be just as mystical and intriguing as the first two. If you enjoy fantasy, she’s an author to read.

Okay y’all, your turn to pass the baton: What authors do YOU recommend checking out?

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A St. Paddy’s Day Guest Post – Alannah Lynne

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Silver James

Irish toastLet’s talk titles…

Thanks for letting me hang out with you and your friends, Silver!! For the past 7 days, Sunny and Gavin (LAST CALL – Heat Wave Series #2), and I have been making the rounds. We’ve taken over blogs and Facebook pages, Pinterest pages and even jumped into the waters of Google + (OH MY!). I don’t know how many audio books and ebooks we’ve given away so far (close to 70), but it all wraps up today.
Gavin is spending the day with Liza over at Blogging by Liza (be sure and jump over there celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a huge feast!), while I get to spend the day here. Personally, I can’t think of a better place to be on the final day of this giveaway blitz than with one of my favorite people in the whole wide world!!

I was looking through some of your recent blog posts, catching up on all that I’ve missed (which was entirely WAY too much), and I saw your post about taking inspiration from song lyrics. I’d say at least 75% of my ideas come from songs, either the lyrics or the videos that go along with them.

Inspiration for story ideas isn’t a problem for me. I have at least 9 stories lined up in the queue right now, all I need is an additional 12 hours or so in each day to get them all written! LOL As you know, the thing I struggle with the most with is titles!
I typically have no idea what the title of a story is going to be until I’m halfway (or more) through a book, and they usually come from something one of my characters says (with the exception of LAST CALL).

SAVIN’ ME was completely finished and mostly edited before I had a title! I was going through it on one of the final editing passes, and I came across the line where Erik says, “There’s no savin’ me Kat…” At that exact moment, Nickelback’s “Savin’ Me” came on the radio. It was like divine magic had struck! I was thrilled!! I FINALLY had a title – I really don’t think the editor would’ve taken to kindly to receiving a query for “I Have No Freaking Clue What The Title of This Book Is.” 😀

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000039_00073]I think I talked about this on here before, but Silver totally saved the day on LAST CALL. Writing the story was easy! The scenes constantly played in my mind, the characters talked non-stop, and the words flowed without effort. From inception to final draft took me a little over two months.

But then, there I sat, no title. LOL I don’t even remember having a “working title” for this story. I can’t remember how it came about, but we were hanging out on Plotmonkeys, on a Saturday I think, and Silver said, “What about LAST CALL?” It was so perfect, I nearly jumped through the screen to pounce with a big hug and drown her with sloppy wet kisses!

The third book in the series, CROSSING LINES, was another challenge. The working title was “Chiaroscuro,” which was a perfect name… except no one knew what it meant or how to spell it! 😀 As I went through the second pass of edits, I came across a line where Kevin admitted, “That line’s already been crossed.” BINGO!! The title ended up being perfect for a couple of reasons: One, Kevin definitely crosses lines he shouldn’t. Two, the book itself crosses the line from steamy to erotic contemporary romance. Again, the title was perfect, but danged if it didn’t take me months to unearth it!

I’m currently writing the fourth book in the Heat Wave Series, and I’m happy to announce I’m making progress with this title stuff!! I don’t have the first draft completely finished yet, but I do have a title and a cover!! Again, the title came from directly from one of my characters.

Sam Mazze (from CROSSING LINES) informs Callie she believes Wade is already all in, or he wouldn’t be doing some of the boneheaded things he’s doing. Typical male! 😆 As soon as she gave me those words, I knew I had a title!! A quick search on Amazon showed there were several books with the title “All In,” so I added the “Going” to differentiate it slightly.

AlannahLynne_GoingAllIn_800x1200Now, I also have a cover!

GOING ALL IN (Heat Wave Series Book #4) will be out in late April or early May!! For now, you can get SAVIN’ ME (Book #1) for FREE at most retailers (Amazon is hit or miss, depending on how they price match), or you can enter to win a copy of SAVIN’ ME and LAST CALL here (see the Rafflectopter below).

SAVIN’ ME (Heat Wave Novel #1) is now free at all outlets! Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords.

You can also hop over to my blog, FB page, or website and sign up for my newsletter for lots of other chances to win (those giveaways will continue through the 19th). And don’t forget to visit with Gavin at Blogging by Liza (today only) for an awesome St. Patrick’s Day feast and even more chances to win!!
Thank you, again, Silver, for letting me hang out with you and your friends today! I always have a GREAT time when I’m here!!! I’ll be here all day, answering questions and replying to comments, so please don’t be shy. I love chat!!!

Link for Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Universal Time

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Silver James

universeWhen this popped up in my inbox, I splorted coffee. Considering the deadlines I’m under? Oh yeah, I need the Universe, angels, time, and maybe a few magical critters all on my side.

Fret not, Silver.

Time is on your side.

So are all the angels.

And “no” is never forever.

Yes, now, thank you –
The Universe
© http://www.tut.com ®

Besides, Silver, I’m with you at this very moment. Feel me?

Hey, I thrive on pressure, right? So is time on your side or do you feel under the gun on something?

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Wednesday Words – Just Read Edition

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Silver James

mobile phone and booksI had to go back a few books to find some passages that I marked. Sometimes I get so involved I forget to do so–especially if it’s a paper book. On the Kindle, it’s so easy to highlight. 😆

These are snippets that caught my attention–with the image created by the language, by the language itself, or just because. 🙂

From WICKED DESIGNS (Book of of the League of Rogues) by Lauren Smith (a Regency romance):

He thought he was entitled to her, but after the way he’d treated her in his study, he deserved no cooperation, not unless he groveled…on his knees…for at least an hour.

It made me laugh. The heroine is VERY feisty in this one.

From HARD AS YOU CAN (Hark Ink #2) by Laura Kaye (a sexy contemporary):

He knew Baltimore had some rough neighborhoods, but this one was so run-down that both sides of the tracks were wrong.

and

Some songs carried memories like the images were imprinted upon the very lyrics themselves, and she had no doubt this would be one of them.

And pulling up some “oldies” from rereading a few of the In Death books. From IMMORTAL IN DEATH by J.D. Robb:

Holding onto the memory was like trying to hold onto a fistful of water. [Eve Dallas]

and

The look in her eye had him rising, stepping back. He was a man who adored women, and understood their wrath. In other words, he feared them. [Leonardo, clothing designer]

What about y’all? Any words strike your fancy lately?

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Tuesday This-n-That

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Silver James

Meathiel_Winter8_zps5cbe488eW’sup, peeps? It still looks like winter out my window. All considered, that’s a good thing. It keeps me in my chair working. I’m 2/3 done with COWGIRL’s revisions. HE made some great suggestions. Oh, and it’s totally official now. Harlequin’s Executive Editor (the lady in charge of it all!) emailed me to say so. 🙂 She’s signed the contract and sent it downstream (upstream?) for the next step. How about a little tease? Here’s the current opening to the story:

Chance Barron always knew exactly what he wanted. At the moment, he’d set his sights on the attractive blonde sitting at the bar. Since the blizzard shut down Chicago O’Hare airport he wasn’t going anywhere in a hurry. The weather service predicted the storm would blow over by morning and he’d be on the first flight back to Oklahoma City. In the meantime, there was a pretty little gal all alone knocking back martinis like water.

How many of you are on Pinterest? Yes, I know it can be an absolute timesuck so I tend to stay away from it. Mostly. But The Only is on there all the time and she kept finding “hero material” for me. And most of the “pins” were definitely NSFW (Not Safe For Work), so I made a board and pinned them. Want to ogle some guys? This is my NSFW BOARD. I also have a board for ILLUSTRATING THOUGHTS that has lots of fun things dealing with coffee, among other stuff, and if you are into cool places, I have a couple of boards with scenery and settings, food, cool critters, kids, all sorts of stuff. 🙂

And one last topic–Mid-season shows! And pre-season baseball. Yay. Rizzoli and Isles is back on. I know, the show is nothing like the books but I enjoy it anyway. I hope Longmire comes back soon. What shows are you watching lately?

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Monday in Winter Wrap-up

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Silver James

winter glitterDang! It was 7 degrees this morning. SEVEN FREAKING-COLD DEGREES! And we had freezing rain, thunder-and-lightning sleet, and snow. I’m telling you, the people around here are idiots. When I was out in the storm yesterday, 1/3 of the abandoned/wrecked cars were SUVs. raised eyebrow gif Seriously!

I’m another year older. I celebrated my birthday by painting the guest room in The Only and Baseball Boy’s new home. It was Pepto-Bismol pink. *shudder* I hurt in places I forgot I had. Trust me, it sucks to get old and out-of-shape. We’ll be moving them next weekend. Fun times! 😆

Got a b-day card from my oldest best friend. It said: Happy Birthday to a woman who could survive in the wild….Yep. Just you, a couple credit cards, your cell phone, and a travel mug of coffee! She knows me so well! 😀

Lawyer Guy is home and continues to get better. I’m glad not to be running back and forth to VA. But now I’m running back and forth to Chez Only. Except not today. Too freaking cold and all that slickery precipitation that’s covering the streets. I’m staying in and getting back to work.

What’s up with the rest of you?

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TGIF and Bottoms Up!

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Silver James

[Edit: I hate when I goof and mess up the posting time and then decide to sleep in. Sorry!]

Wednesday’s topic was about song lyrics as inspiration and music setting writing moods. Well, this is my current favorite song. I LOVE the video and Iffy swears there’s a book here! No, really! Somebody take my Muse on spring break or something! I don’t have time for this.

In the meantime, enjoy Brantley Gilbert and “Bottoms Up!”

Happy Friday! I’m helping the kids paint this weekend, getting Lawyer Guy home, and maybe finding time for a birthday celebration in there somewhere. I’ll let you know Monday if my birthday daffodils bloomed.

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Universal Time Travel

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Silver James

universeI was doing the Muppet Flail(tm) yesterday when I realized it was already Wednesday. And this is the next to the last day of the month. Where has February gone? I’m not ready for March! *more Muppet flail*

When I was scrolling back through my saved Universal messages, this one caught my eye. The Universe was sounding all Frodo-like but the…I don’t know…ambiguity(?) of the message struck me.

Between here and there, Silver, the only thing that matters is what you think, from now ’til then.

Choices, choices, choices –
The Universe

© http://www.tut.com ®

Silver, the past is simply what you choose to remember, if you even choose to remember it.

But you know? This makes sense, in a weird-not-sure-I-can-put-it-into-words way. I can’t change what’s been. I have no control over what will be. But I can learn from one in order to meet the other. I will stop now before I leave Middle Earth and go all Yoda.

Choices, you have them you do. Make good ones.

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Wednesday Words – Sing It!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Silver James

As most of you know, I’m big on soundtracks to set the mood when I’m writing. I’ve been known to hear a song and immediately come up with a story idea. This would be the case with the currently-under-revisions COWGIRLS DON’T CRY. (Look for the song by Brooks and Dunn 😉 )

I’ll catch a song used in a TV show and the lyrics will grab me and won’t let go until I track them down. This is true of the following lyrics and songs.

From FLASHPOINT (a show I’m really sorry ended–about a SWAT team in Vancouver), the song START AGAIN by Illiyun.

And those mistakes you made don’t make you half a man.
There is weakness where there’s pride.
A broken heart don’t mean a broken girl within.
It’s not a sin to start again.

Trust me, that song and the image the chorus burned in my imagination will definitely make an appearance in a future Penumbra book. I think I know which one, but I’m not going to say. *bwahaha*

And a song that always reminds me of Hannah and Mac–in fact, it reminds me of all the Wolves when they find their mates. From IF I DIDN”T HAVE YOU by Thompson Square:

You are my heart, every breath I breathe.
I’m safe in your arms, you rescue me.
When I’m weak, you’re strong.
If you were gone I don’t know where I’d be.
You were made for me
(You were made for me)

And finally, one of my favorite songs and is perfect for all the Barron brothers and their cowgirls – Blake Shelton’s MINE WOULD BE YOU.

Happy Hump Day! May you have a song in your heart today–and if you do, share it here! 😀

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Tuesday Tastes – Coffee

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Silver James

Good morning coffeeIf you haven’t figured out I’m all about the coffee, y’all haven’t been paying attention. 😆

Ev sent me a really cool little desk calendar full of coffee facts. Here’s a few I stuck on the bulletin board:

The 1699 book “England’s Happiness Improved” states, “Moderately drunk, coffee removes vapours from the brain, occasioned by fumes of wine, or other strong liquors; eases pains in the head, prevents sour belchings, and provokes appetite.”

Well…d’uh! Or how about this one:

The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks. ~Sir James Mackintosh

Which I think I’ve quoted before but it bears repeating! And then there’s the famous “conversation” between Nancy Astor and Sir Winston Churchill:

Mrs. Astor: If I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee.

Sir Winston’s reply: If I were your husband, I would drink it.

*bwahaha*

And finally, here’s a recipe from the National Coffee Association USA for Coffee Alexander:

In a blender, mix 1 cup cold, strong coffee., 1 cup coffee ice cream, and 2 oz. brandy or cognac until smooth and creamy. Serve in 2 champagne flutes or wineglasses. Garnish each with a coffee bean.

Me? I’d forget the coffee bean and go for shaved chocolate. *nods*

So how do you take your coffee?

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