Have you subscribed to my newsletter? No? You should! After spending the week in Atlanta for the RT Booklover Convention, I have more goodies than I possibly can handle…so I’m giving them away.
After spending a fabulous five days in Atlanta for the RT Booklover Convention, I have more goodies than I possibly can handle…so I’m giving them away. Each month, one lucky reader will when some fabulous swag and amazing books. No contest to enter. No liking, sharing, or commenting involved. All you have to do is subscribe to my newsletter, open it when it arrives the 3rd Monday each month, and look for your name. That’s all! Simple!
May’s goodies include: signed bookmarks and a koozie from Sasha Brummer, a bookmark from Ciara Knight, 1 free download of COUNSELLOR by Celia Aaron, HUNT FOR CHRISTMAS novella by Tina DeSalvo, excerpt booklet of MONSTER IN THE CLOSET by Karen Rose, and full-length novel HERE AND NOW by Cheryl Etchison!
Somewhere, way back in time, before Meredith Grey married Derek Shephard, she dated a veterinarian. A very handsome Dr. Finn Dandridge played by none other than the very handsome Chris O’Donnell. It was short lived, most likely because Mere’s BF Christina Yang didn’t approve, but the relationship gave birth to one of my favorite lines. Ever.
“He’s not a real doctor…”
For years, I have taunted the Happy Hippy with variations of this line. From the original, to why didn’t you become a real doctor, or too bad you’re not a real doctor. We’ll just ignore the fact that Dr. Happy Hippy supports my broke behind! But hey, who’s counting?
Well, apparently the Diva Princess, that’s who?
Knowing that my darling little princess has been learning about the different parts of a book, I asked her if she knew any authors. To which she said no! NO!?! I’m sure my chin hit the floor! What do you mean you don’t know any authors? I’m a dang author! I wanted to pout, but instead of climbing up on my high horse, I simply replied, “are you sure about that, Honey?” “Well,” she says, “I guess you, but you’re not like a real author. You just do the writing part.” Sword to the heart! Apparently, I don’t have enough pictures for her taste…not that she would be allowed to see any of those pictures if they were in my books.
Like mother, like daughter, I guess I earned this one! I also conceded and told the Happy Hippy I would consider him a real doctor now!
When it comes to my writing career, most of my time is spent hiding behind my laptop, staring at the blinking cursor, waiting for the words to magically appear. I swear, it’s the only way it happens! But every now and again, I get the opportunity to do some super-fun non-typing things!
Now Available
Recently, I had the honor of interviewing Julie Tetel Andersen, whose latest release LOVE AFTER ALL is still hot off the press. On of my favorite hobbies is spending time with fellow authors, learning about their style, and where they draw their inspiration. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and join me while we dive into the world that is Julie Tetel Andersen!
You have quite the residential resume with time spent living in Germany, France, Romania, and Vietnam. As a romance writer, which country do you find most inspirational to your writing?
To me, the most inspiring country so far has been Vietnam where I lived for six months a few years ago. About three months after leaving Vietnam I woke up one day with the beginning of a story set in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Then it turned into the Forest Breeze trilogy. I loved reliving my time there through three interrelated adventures: Tied Up (BDSM-inspired), Captured (Motorcycle Club-inspired), and Knocked Out (Mixed Martial Arts inspired).
Because I spend summers in Bucharest – where I am at the moment and loving it! – you’d think I’d find Romania inspiring. However, I’ve used Romania as the setting for only part of one of my books, namely The Crimson Hour. I don’t currently have plans to feature Romania in a future story – but who knows?
For our romance readers who may not be familiar with the historical subgenre, can you explain the different between a straight historical and a regency romance novel? Which century is your favorite time period to write?
I’ve heard that the definition of a historical is any time period in the past beginning with your grandmother’s childhood. So, Gone With the Wind is a historical, because Margaret Mitchell, who was born in 1900, would have had a grandmother who was a child during the Civil War.
A Regency romance takes place during a very specific time period, namely 1811-1820. It is so-called because this was the time when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince Regent, ruled in his place. When King George III died in 1820, the Prince Regent became George IV. The stories take place in England.
Jane Austen wrote during the Regency period. However, she wrote what would be considered contemporaries. It’s Georgette Heyer, whose writing career spanned 1921 – 1974, who single-handedly created what we now know as the Regency romance.
When I first began writing, I thought I would always write medievals – lords and ladies and castles! But I’m restless, so I moved on to other centuries. I’ve even written three Regencies. However, in the past five years, I’ve been writing contemporaries, such as my Forest Breeze series and now Love After All. So, right now, the contemporary era is my favorite.
In your latest release, LOVE AFTER ALL, a contemporary romance novel set in the grand New York City, you explore the lives of “two fifty-somethings who are at the top of their game professionally but seriously out of practice when it comes to dating and romance …” What was the inspiration behind this story?
My life!
In LOVE AFTER ALL, Laurel Jennings is a thriving NYU professor, while Gino Milano is one of New York’s most successful restaurateurs, do you find you identify with either character? In what ways?
I’m a professor at Duke University, so, like Laurel, I know the academic scene. Gino is a widower whose wife, Rosie, died of breast cancer, and I lost my husband a few years ago to pancreatic cancer. So I know his journey, too. For instance, the dream Gino has of Rosie is exactly the one I had about my husband a few months after he died.
I lived in New York City one semester when I taught in the Duke Arts & Media NYC program and just loved it. There I took an improv class at the People’s Improv Theater. Naturally I have Laurel doing improv.
Usually, I don’t write myself as a main character. I often put myself in as a secondary character or a cameo, like Hitchcock did in his films. But this time, it’s all me, one way or the other – although Laurel is a lot nicer and more thoughtful than I am, and Gino is more of a celebrity than I am. It’s fiction!
LOVE AFTER ALL is a story of finding second chance love later in life. Do you commonly write second chance love or do you prefer a different romance trope?
Good question! I do love to read second chance love, but this is the first time I’ve written such a story. One of my favorite tropes is the arranged marriage, and the historical past is the time when this plot line is believable. It’s more difficult to make an arranged marriage plot work in a contemporary, but I see writers try it – some with success.
Mostly what I like is throwing two characters who do not know one another into a situation where they have to figure out not only how to deal with whatever crisis is at hand but also how to deal with one another.
Thinking outside of the box, you found a way to combine your love of historical and contemporary romance in what you describe as your own version of the time-slip novel. What inspired you to write a double-romance series where your characters not only stand the test of time in a historic setting but are incarnated in the modern world to face the consequences of years past?
My time-slip novels – The Blue Hour, The Crimson Hour, and The Emerald Hour – were my first forays into contemporaries, and they were inspired by all the international travel I was doing. I realized I wanted to write about the places where I was living and visiting. So, Paris is one of the settings in The Blue Hour, Romania and Hong Kong in The Crimson Hour, and London and Brazil in The Emerald Hour.
I wasn’t ready to give up historicals, and the time-slip plot line let me have my cake and eat it to.
If you take the idea of reincarnation seriously – which half of my brain does – then you have to take the idea of karma seriously, too. I can’t see writing a reincarnation romance where the contemporary story isn’t affected by whatever went wrong in the past. A present unaffected by the past doesn’t make sense. Back to the Future is clear on that point.
The characters in all three time-slips first have to understand that they’re having past life regressions. When it dawns on Eloise in The Crimson Hour, she’s put out and exclaims, “What, my life is a rerun?!” Then they have figure out what went wrong in the past in order to get it right in the present. It’s karma.
As authors, we are often approached by aspiring writers for advice. What is the first piece of advice you give every aspiring writer on becoming a novelist?
Honor your talent!
I can hear the voices in your heads (because they were and still are sometimes in my head) telling you there’s no point trying to write because nothing will ever come of it, it’s too difficult, there are too many writers anyway, anyone can do it, you’re probably a no-talent hack anyway.
Here’s my 3-step plan for you:
1) Turn off those negative voices and listen to your creative self. If you aspire to be a writer, then there’s a reason for that aspiration. You have it in you.
2) Your job is to write. You job is not to judge what you write (that’s what editors and critics are for). Of course, your job is to write your story to the best of your ability, but judgment is not part of it. If you think your story is crap, you’re wrong. Flip side: if you think your story is marvelous and everyone will love it, you’re also wrong. (Here’s some more of my ideas about the qualities of ‘real’ writers.) In order to write, you need to stop doing all the stuff you deliberately do to avoid writing: binge watch whatever, go on more-or-less useless errands, hang out with friends who are energy vampires.
3) If you’re well and truly stuck, read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s a 12-step program. Do all 12 steps. It works.
Doesn’t she sound wonderful folks? Below are Julie’s links, go check her out…
The other day, I found myself pondering what exactly are my life goals? Sure, I have plenty of things I want to do, but what are my real goals in life?
My #1 goal was pretty easy to admit…to be the couple that can stand up at a wedding and say they have been married over 50 years. I figure since I got married three weeks after my 21st birthday, it’s pretty doable. 70 is the new 50, right?
My #2 goal wasn’t much harder to decide but may prove much harder than making it 50 years without killing The Happy Hippy…to become a NYT best-selling author.
But beyond that, I wasn’t really sure. There are plenty of things I want to see/do/experience, but those aren’t really goals. Then I found this and it pretty much summed up the rest of my life…
So, it’s almost Valentine’s Day…if you missed that small little fact, we’re going to assume you have been snowed in a small cabin in the middle of Canada for the past thirty days with no internet, which poses the question of how you are reading this? But since you are, well, Hi!
Although we’re not V-Day celebrators, the Happy Hippy and I, mostly because we’re cheap and forgetful – okay, really we’re just cheap – I still enjoy sitting down with the Diva Princess and making Valentines for her classmates. And by make, I mean open a box and write names on cards. #NotAPinterestMom
So last night, we broke out the box that I had bought a month ago and started making a list of her classmates, when the following conversation ensued…
Diva Princess: “None of these are boy cards.”
Me: “Well, that’s because they are Monster High. Here, this one has Gil on it, he’s a boy.”
DP: “Do you know I like the Ninja Turtles now?”
Me: “Yes, but we bought these a month ago.”
DP: Long pause…”Guess we’ll just have to be happy with what we got?”
Ah ha! She does listen to me…at least once.
Me: “I think that’s a great idea.”
We start to work our way through the list. She picks a card and tells me who it’s for…
DP: “This one is for me.”
Me: “What do you mean for you? These are for your friends.”
DP: Another long pause…”Well, if giving these to my friends makes them happy, then I should give one to me, so I can be happy, too. That’s a great idea, right momma?”
Me: With a smile, “It’s a wonderful idea!”
Life lessons from a 4-year-old…Love yourself! Make yourself happy! Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you.
Unbeknownst to me, I stepped on an emotional rollercoaster Saturday, and have yet to get off. Newest woke up Saturday morning with a low-grade fever. Nothing alarming, but considering we had just been to the doctor the Monday prior for bilateral ear infections, it was a little frustrating we were headed down the sick path yet again. By that evening, she was rocking a 102.8 temp. Still, I didn’t panic. She was on a strong antibiotic (they had already tried one antibiotic which didn’t clear up the ears, so now we were on day 7 of a stronger one) so logically, I assumed it was a virus. By Sunday midday we hit 105.5.
Yes, you read that correctly…105.5! Queue the first wave of panic.
We dropped everything and headed for the pediatrician. By the time we arrived, the ibuprofen was kicking in and the fever had dropped marginally, but still high. They tested her for the flu and RSV (please note, I felt like the worst parent in the world when talking to the doctor, we realized we never took her back for the second part of the baby flu vaccine. I just knew it was going to be the flu then). Both tests came back negative.
You know that moment when one doctor leaves the room, but two come back in and you know things are about to hit the fan??? Yeah, that was us!
Turns out her white blood count was hanging out around 30K. Now, if you’re like me, this doesn’t mean much, but let’s put it in perspective…it should have been around 10K. Off to the hospital we went. By the time we reached the ER and were taken back to the room, the ibuprofen was in full effect, her temp was normal, and she was determined to climb every surface in the place. The resident MD looked at us like we were crazy, and said maybe the pediatrician’s chemistry machine just wasn’t reading accurately.
Ha!
When his lab work came back with her white count hitting 39K, we suddenly had the attention of not only the resident but also the attending, as well as, a med student. They couldn’t believe the kid they were looking at had a white count of almost 40K while on a strong antibiotic, which meant the alarms for some very serious issues were ringing all over the place. The hours of torture that ensued were some of the darkest of my life. Outwardly, I was trying my best to hold it together, staying positive. But on the inside…it was ugly. Every terrible thought crossed my mind.
It was truly as though the world continued to move at a fast, blurring pace, but I was frozen, viewing my life with profound introspective. They say you should pray without ceasing…but I hit my knees begging.
As it turns out, she has a bacterial infection that was resistant to the antibiotics she was taking. They don’t know why or how it happened, but with a lot of poking and prodding, and three shots of a “nuclear” antibiotic later, she is well on the bend. We have more testing ahead of us and hopefully answers to come, but for now, we can see the tree line.
There have been a lot of events, between Sunday and today, that damn near gave me a heart attack, and I still jump every time the phone rings, but for the first time in nearly a week, I was starting to feel like I could breathe again.
Until I was nearly stranded on the side of the road today.
My own fault, really. Clearly ignoring the fact that I needed gas last night and this morning – as in the light had been on – was a great idea. So was coasting into the second gas station parking lot at lunch, only to find my bank card wouldn’t work. For the record, it didn’t work at the first gas station either, I just decided it was them, not me. Turns out, I apparently demagnetized my card…who knew you could really do that without a strong magnet.
So this is me, waving the white flag. Throwing in the towel. You can have this week Life, because I don’t want it anymore!
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade….when life gives you a very high ranking military officer, you get inspired.
I started LOVE IN THE WIND with the idea that my hero, Miles Scott, would have a background in the military. The only problem…I know nothing about the military. Sure, you can Google just about anything, but I wanted the truth. The real side these men and women live every day.The stories you’ll never find on a website. And boy did I find it…
Yesterday, I set out on a road trip to sit down and have lunch with a man I had never met. Not a norm for me, but it turned out to be the most insightful two hours of my life. I promised him anonymity, so we’ll refer to him as Delta Whiskey – mostly because I just Googled the phonetic alphabet and that sounds pretty badass. And let me tell you, he’s full of badassery.
I have to admit, prior to my conversation with Delta Whiskey yesterday his title wouldn’t have meant anything to me, but as it turns out…it pretty much means badass! As a NCO, he has hit the highest rank possible in his career. And at only a few years older than me, he could retire if he wanted – as for me, I can’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s more than just his rank and the fact that he stands among the elite few in his branch of the military that makes Delta Whiskey all kickass…it’s the stories. The sacrifice. The dedication. Several times while we were talking, his eyes would glance out the window, and I knew…he wasn’t seeing the world as I was. He was in another time. Another place. Drawn back by the memories of his journey. You could see both the pride and the pain as he talked about his tours. The joy in his smile when speaking of fonder times. He was so freely giving of information – all non-sensitive, of course – that I was rendered – nearly – speechless. Lost in his tale of bravery and brotherhood.
“Ask me anything…” he would say.
But what took me – even more so – by surprise was his eagerness to help with my story. With my promise of anonymity, he’s allowing me to tell parts of his story through the life of Miles Scott. Here I was, just a contemporary romance author, wanting to turn his badass life into a love story – which I half expected him to laugh at – and he was all on board. Throwing out ideas and scenarios. Ready to fire off details all for the sake of my fiction. It was beyond anything I could have imagined.
I went into the interview knowing it was a one time deal. I would gather as much intel as I could (yes, look at me practicing the lingo) and be on my own. Little did I know I would walk away with a contact and an open invitation to any information I needed.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to bring Miles Scott and this story to life! This is going to be the most amazing project yet.
One of my favorite questions from readers is, “how do you pick your character names?”
On a good day, they drift to me like a whisper on a summer breeze…
On a less than creative, time-crunch kind of day, I may be known to peruse the internet and social media waiting for something magically to smack me in the forehead…
Then there are the characters whose names don’t quite seem to stick…
Generally speaking, I usually know my main characters before I start the plotting process. But many times, the secondary characters names don’t come to me until later and have been known to change several times before I settle on the right one. And those poor minor characters…well, they get named on a whim.
With my Spruce Pine series, it’s been smooth sailing for awhile, as everyone already has a name. When I started FORGIVE ME (coming soon) I didn’t have to think about names, but now that I have started working on my new Carefree series, I’m back to square one. So I thought I would try something new…and let one of you pick a name. Fun, right?
So who are we naming???
You can read a brief synopsis about LOVE IN THE WIND under the “Carefree Novels” tab and get introduced to my two new favorite friends Julia Hawthorne and Miles Scott, but it’s Miles’s quick-witted, smooth-talking deputy who’s looking for his perfect name.
So give me your best shot…what’s your best bad boy name? Oh, and did I mention…Mr. Deputy may be lingering on the sidelines for now, but he will get his own HEA in book two of the Carefree series…which means, you get the power to name one of my main characters.
On Friday, Jan 15th, I will announce which name, submitted by a reader, I am choosing.
Names can be submitted in the comments below or on my facebook page. Feel free to share this post with all your book lover friends!
Who am I kidding? The only thing changing around here are my clothes…I swear, I thought the dryer stopped shrinking them after the first few washes? Clearly, I have a magic dryer!
In all seriousness, I need to lose weight…like a four-year-old kid amount of weight. No, really! I need to lose as much as my four-year-old weighs. After Newest’s arrive back in May the struggle has been real. The problem is I like Food. And Food likes me. We have a great relationship. Our love is carefree and endless. It’s like Food just gets me, you know? I don’t have to be anyone different for Food. I don’t have to change the way I think or feel. It’s just me and Food against the world. Two peas in a pod. Partners in crime. We’re perfect together. I mean, so what if I cheat a little with his cousin, Soda? It’s not like any of us are really perfect. I will always love Food, to the moon and back.
I decided this year not to jump on the “Healthy Resolution” train. Mostly, because I hate failure…and I will fail. Let’s just go ahead and ignore the Diet Mountain Dew on my desk. But also, because I wanted to be a little more realistic about my expectations for the New Year. 2015 was an amazing year for me. We completed our family with Newest’s arrival, my debut novel was released, and I attended my first author event (just to name a few), but with the addition of all those wonderful things mean less time.
My time is kind of like that thin strip they call peanut butter between the two round Lance crackers. It’s barely existent.
So, for 2016, I decided to focus my goals around my writing. Starting with this blog. It’s been months – 6 to be exact – since my last blog. (Does that sound oddly like a Catholic confession to anyone else??? Forgive me WordPress for I have sinned, it’s been 6 months since my last post…) 6 months is insane! Where does time go? Anyway, here are my resolutions for the New Year:
Blog…more than once every 6 months. Hey, baby steps here.
Jump start my street crew…I’ve done a lot of talking about this, but not a lot of action. Don’t know what a street crew is? Ask me about it.
And lastly, write more.
Three simple things, right? Not hard at all, if you ignore the fact that those three simple tasks will sufficiently leave me with about 4 hours of sleep per night!
Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. Tumblr. Flickr. WordPress. Blogger. I’ve done it all.
Except YouTube…I haven’t ventured into the home video realm…yet!
When it comes to social media, I am more of a sharer than a reader. Don’t get me wrong, I scroll through my newsfeeds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, but for me the joy is in sharing. Maybe not so joyous for you lately…but then again, you are reading my blog. 😉
I admit, I can be a bit ranty. Sometimes sound bitchy or ungrateful. And we all know I love to express my undying love for the newborn stage (insert heavy sarcasm). But it’s all real. No hiding behind the perfect photos of the perfect family. No pretending I have my act together when some day I barely know my own name. For me, it’s all just who I am.
Typos and grammatical errors due to sleep deprivation included.
Lately, I feel like all my post have been a bit on the downer side. Woe is me with the newborn baby that is kicking my ass – I swear I had more energy when I did this four years ago. Sometimes I get so caught up in sharing the hellish moment of endless infant crying that I forget there are a lot of wonderful things happening in my life. For one, the Diva Princess.
See, I was so worried when we got pregnant with Newest that there would be a relentless regression from the Diva Princess. There were signs throughout the pregnancy that she was trying to revert. Things like calling us “mama” and “dada” again. But each time a regressive behavior showed itself, we tried to nip it in the bud. It seemed to be working, but only the birth of Newest would really tell.
Then Newest came along…and I waited for the shoe to drop. I figured the first week was a fluke. An overwhelming sense of joy to finally have a baby sister. Surely, “this too would pass”. Right?
It’s been a month since Newest’s arrival and I’m still waiting for the shoe that I don’t think will drop. Every day people tell me how much the Diva Princess has matured since Newest came along. From teachers to grandparents, I’ve heard endless strings of praise for her behavior and I can’t help but wonder…maybe we did something right?
So for all the over-sharing whiny post I make, this one is about the amazing (almost) four-year-old who continues to impress me every day. I may not say it enough, but I am lucky to have such a bright, intelligent, and loving little girl.
