IF THE HAT FITS...

Please help me welcome the incomparable Jill Marie Landis and her latest fabulous story, THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN. Jill has that special spark that brings characters and background to full, three-dimensional life. You are going to want to meet Hank and Amelia--personally. Glory, Texas is the town we first visited in Jill's HOMECOMING and I gobbled up the chance to return in this book.

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Thank you once again to Stella Cameron and the lovely talented ladies of Running With Quills for inviting me back to the Blog this month!

As you might guess, this is the point in time where I am to put on my publicity hat and find the words to make my latest release sound like a book that you cannot, must not, live without. For me this is the most ill-fitting hat in the writer's closet of costumes and secrets. (Believe me, I have more than my share of costumes...and perhaps a few secrets, too.)

Of course we think our books are fabulous. Well, after they are finished, that is. After we no longer have to look at them on the computer screen. After we are over the neurosis and panic of "Can I do it again?" After we have given up the "Why am I doing this again?" After we have stopped screaming as we bang our heads against the wall and realize it's time for the drama to end and the work to begin if we are going to get the sucker in on time. (Do any of you suffer from this malady or is it only me?)

My publicity hat is precariously balanced on my head right now, so I'd better get with it. THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN is a book set in the fictional town of Glory, Texas, which came to life in my last book, HOMECOMING. It's the kind of town you'd want to live in--if you were living in the old west. The kind of place where everyone knows your name and if you need something, they all show up on your doorstep without you having to ask for help. It's the perfect kind of utopia that only exists in fiction or back in the "good old days." Virtually, the Mayberry of the west.

Hank Larson is the hero of the tale, and he's a writer. He's foolish enough to think he can start a newspaper in a town where there is no news. Nothing ever happens--no headline making events, anyway. Not until he walks into the bank one fine morning to see about a loan and ends up foiling a robbery. Before Hank has time to blink, the good folk of Glory decide he's just the man to be their first sheriff. After all, he single handedly corralled a gunman in the bank, didn't he? Hank wants no part of it, but somehow he winds up taking an oath and now, being a man of honor, he's bound and determined to uphold the law.

The trouble is, one of the outlaws he's after just happens to be the brother of Amelia Larson who is the town healer, apothecary and the only doctor they have (not that she's got any kind of degree to prove it). Amelia is just the kind of woman who can heal Hank's wounded heart, a heart that was so filled with grief for his late wife that he moved to Texas to gamble on a dream. When Hank begins to fall in love with Amelia, complications set in for he is a man of his word, if not a man of faith. He promises Amelia he will do all he can to bring her brother in without harming him.

THE ACCIDENTAL LAWMAN is a story of falling in love, of commitment and honor, of promises made and broken and above all, the power of forgiveness. Hopefully it's a story that will touch your heart and bring you a few stolen hours of enjoyment. The book is on sale now, a June release from Steeple Hill. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it--once I finally stopped moaning about working, that is.

So, can I take this hat off now? It's beginning to slip off anyway.
It's time to head to the costume closet to slip on my chef's hat so I can rustle up some dinner.
And then? Well, there's that tiara I like to wear with my pajamas...

I'd love to hear any comments you have about writing, reading, or costumes.
Until we meet again,
Aloha,
Jill Marie

Kate Douglas Presents Alesia Holiday/Alyssa Day

I'm a fangirl. Big time. When a book totally blows me away, I want to know the person who created the magic that held me spellbound from the first page to the last. After I discovered the first of Alyssa Day's WARRIORS OF POSEIDON series, ATLANTIS RISING in March 2007, I knew I had to meet the author, and I'm so glad I did. The next book in the series, ATLANTIS AWAKENING, was even better and after reading an advance copy of ATLANTIS UNLEASHED, I can say that it confirmed my cause for hero worship...the book is wonderful, but so is the author. Alesia is an absolutely amazing young woman with a very special post to share with all of us. Please give Alesia Holliday, aka Alyssa Day, a great big Quills welcome.

Oh, yeah...did I mention that when I met Alyssa she had BLUE hair? No...I didn't think so.

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Sundays are the hardest

My husband left today. He'll be gone for six months — half a year — defending our country and standing up for the ideals that are not mere words to him, but the touchstones of a fierce patriotism that is built deep in the marrow of his bones. I am so proud of him. He lives the principles that keep us free. He stands up for the rights that my heart and soul believe in, such as one so cherished by an author: the right to use my words as I will, without fear of censorship or harm.

But Sundays are hard.

We have a deep and true love, a passionate love, an "it has been 14 years and we still laugh and hug and surprise each other" love. The kind of love that allows me to write romance novels and believe so very deeply in the strength of that lifetime kind of love. He's my husband and my love and my best friend. He's Daddy and Coach and homework helper and Broccoli Song singer and pancake maker. He's everything that we hope the heroes become in the "Epilogues" of our novels.

And now he's gone. We'll manage to keep busy and happy all week long, doing the things that life requires of us. But Sundays are family day. Sundays are when Daddy wrestles and throws the ball and cooks the pancakes. Sundays without him are lonely beyond the telling of it.

We have a . . . tradition . . . (Pattern? Hideous history?) in our marriage that everything stressful always happens at once. So my book that lightning and a computer virus killed, the one I'm reconstructing from notes and the 5000 words that were all I had left, is due now. The new book, ATLANTIS UNLEASHED, comes out June 2nd, so I'm on the promo tour. And we've spent the past few weeks getting Judd ready to leave; collecting what he'd need to be apart from us for six months. But yesterday things got really bad: we took our 3-year-old darling pug to the vet and learned that she has cancer. Things are not looking good.

These are the times that test a marriage—that cause Happy Ever After to stretch, strain, and sometimes fracture. The times that tell you, once and forever, if your hero is REALLY a hero. If true love is the forever-after kind, or just the flash-in-the-pan of heat and hormones and lust.

And that's the kind of love I want to write about—the kind that will survive. That's what I want my hero and heroine to find. I want my readers to close my books, content, knowing that this is a love that will survive deployments, sick dogs, teenaged children, unemployment, recessions, and every other kind of hard, hard time.

The kind of love we all deserve — the kind that gets us through lonely Sundays.

Thanks so much to Kate and the wonderful authors here at Running With Quills for inviting me to stop by!! And thanks to all of the military families out there for everything you do. May all of your Sundays be happy and your families return home to you safe and sound.

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Alyssa Day is the RITA-award winning and USA Today bestselling author of the Warriors of Poseidon series about a race of warriors from the lost continent of Atlantis who find forever love with human women with very special talents. Her newest release, ATLANTIS UNLEASHED, in a store near you on June 2nd:

Critics are raving:

Romance Reviews Today gave Atlantis Unleashed a rare Perfect 10!: ATLANTIS UNLEASHED is an epic thrill ride that should not be missed.- Romance Reviews Today

"Alyssa Day's Warriors of Poseidon series is fascinating, thrilling and deeply romantic. The perfect blend of fabulous world building and sexy romantic-adventure." — Jayne Castle, aka the fabulous Jayne Ann Krentz

Teaser for ATLANTIS UNLEASHED:

Lord Justice of Atlantis made the ultimate sacrifice for his brother and paid for it with an unimaginable torture. Now he's back, rescued from death, his sanity shaken, and his mission inescapable—the search for the lost Star of Artemis. But the beautiful human female whom he has sworn to protect has dangerous secrets of her own. When two hearts collide, power and passion must be unleashed!

Please visit Alyssa at www.alyssaday.com or watch her TV interview about being a Mom and Navy wife and writer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xboM0rGLpSA.

Susan is all Hot & Bothered seeing her reissue gain new life

Hello, me pretties.

I’m sooo pumped—the reissue of Hot & Bothered is landing on shelves of grocery and book stores even as I hunt and peck this to you! I’ve had a bunch of emails from readers recently who’ve been unable to locate a copy, so I’m very pleased to tell you that H&B is finally back in circulation.

What is it about, say you readers unfamiliar with this book? Thanks for asking, stranger. Pull up a chair and let me bend your ear.

Take one woman determined to see that her child gets all the love and attention she didn't, one man who never intended to be a daddy learning he is one, and a teenaged boy running scared in the belief he killed his own father. Add a murder victim whose heart was so black, the list of people with reason to kill him reads like a New York city phone book. Stir things up, and what do you get?

Hot & Bothered, my friend.

Says the back cover copy:
When Victoria Hamilton's vacation fling resulted in a baby, she began a new life far from her overbearing family. Now Tori's father has been murdered and her half-brother Jared needs her help to prove his innocence. But confronting her past when she comes face-to-face with Private Investigator John "Rocket" Miglionni sure isn't what she had in mind.

Thrilled to find the woman who once rocked his world, John takes one look at her little girl and gets the shock of his life. Now the rugged former Marine has two females holding a big piece of his heart, a troubled teenager who expects the worst in life...and a second chance to make it right for all of them.

For those who discovered my books with Coming Undone, this is your chance to see P.J. and Jared as teens living on the streets of Denver. Or if your Aunt Mary keeps “borrowing” your books and somehow never returns them, get the old broad—er, sweet lady—her own copy so she’ll keep her mitts off yours.

And since I'm on a full-blown promo rampage, here's a little teaser of John and Tory’s story.

He kissed her with an expertise that sent her resistance down the drain. His mouth was talented and his kisses were sultry. Forceful.

Familiar. God, so familiar. She knew these lips. She’d kissed them before, studied them as they’d shaped words, slipped bites of food between them with her fingers. It had been six years, but some things a woman never forgot.

Every last defense disappeared and she felt herself start to melt at the knees. For one wild, reckless minute, suffused with a blistering pleasure she’d only known once before, she kissed him back fiercely. She reveled in his hot, rich taste, in the slick inner lining of his mouth, in the tensile strength that supported her weight as she plastered herself against him in a futile bid to climb right inside his body.

Then before it even occurred to her to muster the will to pull away, John jerked up his head, released her, and took a giant step back.

“Damn.” He brushed the back of his hand against his bottom lip. Then, dropping his hand to his side, he dabbed his tongue against the lip he’d just touched and eyed her sourly. “It’s still there, isn’t it? I’d hoped it was gone, or at least one of those memories I’d blown all out of proportion over the years. But you’re still every bit as addictive as you used to be.” His hot-eyed regard slid over her from the top of her head to her crimson-polished toes. “Christ. You’re like cocaine in a red bra.”

Want more? Catch an excerpt of Chapter One here: http://susanandersen.com/books/hot.htm#chapter_one

But enough about me. What do YOU think about me?

Whoops. Way too needy. And just to prove I can play nice with others and don't really think it's all about me, I've got a question for ya. Is there a book you've been having a hard time finding that you'd love to see reissued? I've been thinking of one lately called Yonder that I read a couple times years and years ago and really liked. I might be able to track it down in my mother's library, but I doubt I'd ever find it anywhere else.

Hmmm. She's also got ice cream in her freezer.

Whoa. I feel a jaunt to Mom's coming on.

JAYNE AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING FERN

Every time I talk to a group of readers and/or writers I know one thing for certain: At some point in the chat someone in the audience -- you know who you are -- will ask the impossible question: How do you plot your books?

The simple and most honest answer is that I have absolutely no idea how I plot my books. But no one ever seems satisfied with that. Sometimes I try to explain that, for me, the process of plotting is the closest I will ever come to an understanding of Chaos Theory. Nobody likes that answer, either.

But just to prove how weird plotting is for me, I'm going to try to give you a brief glimpse into how I worked through one -- just one, mind you -- plot point for my new Amanda Quick Arcane Society novel, THE PERFECT POISON. For those of you who read the story and enjoyed it, this is how the fern got into the book.

I started out with the idea of a heroine, Lucinda, who possesses a psychic talent for detecting poisons that have a botanical base. That led me to the notion that she should have one of those lovely Victorian greenhouses of her very own. Pretty soon I decided that it would be really cool if everyone believed that Lucinda had poisoned her fiance. Next thing I knew I was dealing with a Renaissance era ring that could be used to conceal the poison, blah, blah, blah. But that road takes us into a different part of the story. We're sticking with the fern here.

Anyhow, eventually it occurred to me that one of the more interesting curiosities of the Victorian period was the passion for ferns. I mean, the whole fern thing was HUGE in those days, especially among women, in part because it was deemed a respectable, ladylike pastime. Women collected and classified ferns. They pressed and dried them and illustrated them in notebooks. They grew ferns in the drawing room and in aquarium-like structures called Wardian Cases. They designed gowns with fern prints on the skirts. In short, they were mad about ferns.

There was even a name for the fern craze that swept Victorian England: Pteridomania.

All in all, introducing a fern into my story began to make perfect sense. But it could not be just any fern. It had to be one that my heroine had discovered. Where? How about the Amazon? Plenty of opportunity for finding an unknown fern there. And given my heroine's talent, her fern should definitely have psychical properties. Sure. Like what?

Dang. First, I needed a unique name for my fern. For those of you who dozed through the class on botanical nomenclature, naming ferns (or plants of any kind) is a very arcane and complicated process. There are Rules. What's more, those rules change every few years. But for this problem I had a terrific answer. I consulted my wonderful sister-in-law, Wendy Born (a fern expert) and she teemed up with another fern expert, Barbara Knapp. They gave me a fabulous name for my mysterious fern: Ameliopteris amazonensis. Neat, huh?

Wendy and Barbara also gave me lots of information, not only about ferns but about other rare and exotic and potentially dangerous plants that might have appeared in a Victorian greenhouse. At one point Wendy took me to a nursery that specializes in carnivorous plants. Trust me, you haven't lived until you've walked through the nursery called California Carnivores in Sebastopol, California. Naturally the wonder of seeing all those flesh-eating plants led to another plot element....

But again, I digress. You see how hard it is to focus when you're trying to plot? One idea leads to another and then hops to something else and gets tangled up with another possibility and there you are, heading off in different direction again.

Back to my fern. Something bad needed to happen to this extremely rare specimen. Right. It gets stolen.

But how the heck do you find a missing fern? I mean, it's not like you can expect Scotland Yard to take that sort of theft seriously. Wait, how about using the Arcane Society's new psychic investigator, Caleb Jones? Oh, sure, like Jones is going to want the case. He's busy trying to track down the dangerous Doctor Hulsey who is working on the forbidden psychical enhancement drug. Give me one good reason why Jones might be interested in Lucinda's missing fern.

Sex. Right. That works.

Besides, he's a Jones, of course, and everyone knows he's a little different. He falls for Lucinda, big time. But this is the lady who is in the habit of poisoning her admirers. Then again, it's not like Caleb Jones is going to pick a boring lover now, is it?

Where was I? Oh, yes, my fern. You see how mushy and convoluted and chaotic this process is for me? The astonishing fact is that it all seems to come together at the end. I have no idea how I get there.

But I will tell you that my Ameliopteris amazonensis was way too much fun for one book. Yep, the fern gets its own cameo in the second book of the DREAMLIGHT TRILOGY (first book is FIRED UP in January. Book II is the AQ that will be out next April. And while I'm on the subject of the trilogy, Book III will be my Jayne Castle, summer of 2010 book and, no I don't have a title for it either. I'll get back to you on that). Are we sufficiently confused yet?

Where was I? Oh, yes, the cameo appearance of the Ameliopteris amazonensis. Look for it next April. Maybe I'll call that book THE RETURN OF THE FERN. Has a ring to it, don't you think?

Okay, so titles aren't my forte...

Your turn. What do you find chaotic in life?

Jayne

Hey everyone!
I have a SUPER special guest blogging for me today. My good friend, and incredible woman, Laurie Damron. For years now, Laurie has been helping me with... well, just about everything. She'll read for me to check for errors, do contests, blog, and best of all, she's the official coordinator for the "Troop Project." Laurie can explain that below.
Please give her a gigantic Quill welcome!

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It’s that time again!

Lori Foster and Dianne Castell are having their 5th annual Reader and Author Get Together in the Cincinnati area, the weekend of June 5th to 7th.

If you’re not able to attend, I’m so sorry. If you are attending, please be sure to say hello! I’ve never heard Lori or Dianne actually make promises or guarantees of a good time, but they very well could. I look forward to this weekend all year and while I go to Cincinnati a handful of times throughout the year, my favorite drive home is on the Sunday after the get together. I lose myself in thoughts of tearful hellos and goodbyes, conversations with old and new friends, laughs ranging from silly giggles to ones that come from deep in the belly, and of course, endless talk about books. I probably have a goofy grin on my face all the way up I-71 North!

There will be a used book trade at the get together (tickets in exchange for turned in books which are then used to shop for the traded books of others), a book fair and signing, and a reader favorite - dozens of raffle baskets. Several worthwhile charities (listed at the link above) will benefit from the raffles and a portion of the book fair proceeds.

There are over 100 authors signed up, and while I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with all of them, there will be several well-known and much-loved authors in attendance as well as several industry professionals. (This photo shows some of the "regulars" having lunch at Panera. That's Barb, Judy, me, Kaleen, and Lori.)

The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable and there is an abundance of time to meet and visit with authors and to catch up with your friends. Trust me, with over 295 attendees registered, you’re going to find someone to hang out with! Some of my favorite people ever are women that I only see once at year at this event; I can’t wait to see them again!

I will once again be taking tangible and monetary (for shopping and shipping) collections for the troops and there will be a raffle for great prize baskets for two lucky troop donors. There’s no such thing as a donation that’s too small. Donations can be tangible or monetary (cash, check, gift card).

Stores that I have access to for utilization of gift cards are: Target, WalMart, Meijer, Kroger and Giant Eagle. Feel free to email me at ljodamron@gmail.com if you aren’t attending but would like to make a donation, or if you have specific questions.

All troop donors will be entered in a raffle for one of two prizes. I don't know at this point in time the exact content of both prizes, but can tell you that there will be a $50.00 gift card to Barnes & Noble, two incredible book bundles (winner's choice, one dozen books each) generously donated by Michelle Buonfiglio of Romance: B(u)y the Book/Barnes & Noble.com, and other author and reader donated books and goodies. If you're an author and interested in donating books and/or other goodies or promo items, please let me know.

This project has been a huge success in the past and I'm thrilled to report that we have shipped over 900 pounds to servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, thanks to the never ending generosity of those in the romance community.

I would like to ask that if you have a child, friend, or other family member or acquaintance serving overseas (it doesn't have to be Iraq or Afghanistan, ok?) that you would like us to send a package to, please bring their name and mailing info with you, and feel free to include any specific wants or needs they may have. I always have attendees mention a child or loved one who is serving, but they never get back to me with their information - so please bring it with you!

If you would like to write a note to tuck into a shipment or have children who want to draw a picture or write a poem or letter, please do! If you’re not attending but have someone you would like to have remembered, please don’t hesitate to contact me with their mailing information.

While I enjoy putting the shipments together, the greatest reward is when I hear back from these young men and women - I have received emails, cards, notes and letters. It means so much to them to know that fellow Americans back home care about and are thinking of them. Two of these soldiers found a special place in my heart and I think of them often. I corresponded with one young woman for close to two years, and one young man and I became the most unlikely of pen pals for close to a year. Sadly, I lost touch with both once they came home, but that’s okay because now they’re with family and friends who love them.

As we go into this Memorial Day weekend, let’s remember those who gave their lives, those who proudly served, as well as those who are bravely defending us today.
I will be out of town the better part of today, but will pop in this evening to say hello.

Thank you, Lori, for asking me to be here today!

Laurie Damron
Laurie's Laudanum

Pre-Release Madness Meets Deadline Hell

Sitting in for Elizabeth Lowell this week is the always-fabulous Yasmine Galenorn. Yasmine will be giving away copies of NIGHT HUNTRESS, her January release, to two of the commenters on this blog!

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First, thanks to the ladies of Running With Quills for having me back-I’ve always enjoyed my guest stints here. (Waves at everybody).

When I was trying to think of something to write about for today's blog, because I don't *just* like promoting--I always like to add a little something else in--I didn't expect to be writing this on four hours of sleep. After a 15+ hour workday. But I am. It's 6:00 in the morning on a Friday (yes, I'm writing this in advance--that happens sometimes), I've been up since 5:00, I went to sleep at 1:00 AM, and I've already answered a bunch of email, posted the blog entry I wrote last night before bed, and started work on an interview/blog exchange I'll be doing with another author later this month. After I get done with this, it's back to work on the current WiP (work in progress), because yes--I have hit the mother of them all that eventually faces almost all writers who write more than one book a year: pre-release promotion month is clashing with deadline hell. Now this has happened to me before, but it never fails to slam me against the wall.

Talk about titans of necessity waging a war for time! Pre-release month is frantic, lots of promotion to do, the nerves over "How will the book do?" and "What will readers think of it? " and "Am I going to make it through this one without looking like a total idiot?"

It's a month fraught with sleepless nights and nightmarish visions of remainder bins for the hardcover authors or (for those of us publishing in original mass-market paperback) stripped copies being sent back to the publisher. And it's also a month filled with hopes and anxiously bitten lips: "Will I make the lists this time?" "Will I get rave reviews?" and most importantly: "Will my readers really love the book I hope—and think—I wrote?"

Take all that lovely stress and mix it together with the anxiety of "New book is due in four weeks and I’ve got 150 pages left to write on it" and you have a the makings for Zombie month. During these months, writers tend to live on caffeine and very little sleep and sheer adrenaline. Fun? Not so much. Occupational hazard? Muchly.

But you know what? I love it. I love the adrenaline rush. I love the deadlines--I never worked my butt off so much before I became a career writer and faced serious deadlines. I never cared so much about my work before I got that first contract and realized, "This is it—make or break time. This is not a dress rehearsal."

I love the late nights and early hours and staring at the screen and hoping--praying that the words I'm typing will make sense in the morning. I love grabbing that second latte and turning the music up loud and charging into the work like a demon on crack. I love the feeling when the words start to flow and I'm suddenly there--in the world I'm writing about--and the story splashes across the page as if I'd thrown paint on a canvas and wow--a real painting appeared.

I love it all--the high from writing, the rough, the late nights, the words yammering in my brain, begging to be set free. And most of all, I love it when my readers write to me and say, "I loved it! I couldn’t put it down! When’s the next one come out?"

Anyway, so yes, I have a new release coming out on June 2nd, 2009: DEMON MISTRESS, book six in my Otherworld Series (aka the Sisters of the Moon Series). I’ve been using the tagline: Revenge of the Nerds meets Hellboy meets Cthulhu. Which is—admittedly--a bizarre combination, but it works.

The series surrounds the world of the D'Artigo Sisters--three half human, half-Fae, wild and sexy members of the OIA--the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Camille, a witch, Delilah, a werecat, and Menolly, an acrobat extraordinaire turned vampire, are sent Earthside to keep them out of trouble by their superiors, who consider the girls nothing but a bunch of bumbling half-breed T&A. But they don’t count on the fact that the sisters are a hell of a lot smarter--and more resourceful--than they give them credit for. The girls soon find themselves smack in the middle of Demon-Central when Shadow Wing, the leader of the Subterranean Realms, decides to attempt a coup on both Earth and Otherworld. From their home in a seedy suburb of Seattle, the sisters must use every ounce of erratic power they have to thwart the havoc about to unfold.

In DEMON MISTRESS, told from the view of Menolly, the vampire, (each book is from the viewpoint of a different sister--the series plays round robin), we find that life's getting stranger by the minute for the D'Artigo girls. First, Menolly and a friend--Iris--unearth a diary from one of the bartenders at the Wayfarer who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. And when Menolly discovers a ghoul in the woods near the girls' home, they know there has to be a necromancer nearby--another sign that something’s wrong. But the blood really hits the fang when the sisters discover a secret society bent on winning Shadow Wing's favor. Now it's up to Menolly and her sisters to stop the chaos unleashed onto the city by the frat boys from hell, and to prevent the demon they summoned from devouring Delilah's soul...

Early reviews have been good, and I sure hope that my readers will agree:

"I've said it before, I'll say it again, if you like urban fantasy with some steamy romance and some kick-butt action, this is the series to read." Fran, Seattle Mystery Bookshop

"As always, (Galenorn) delivers intriguing characters, intricate plot layers and kick-butt action." Romantic Times-4 Stars

"This book pulls no punches; it's a boot to the head one moment and a full-mouthed kiss on the lips the next that leaves you begging for more. " Bitten By Books

FLAPDOODLE, FRIPPERY, AND FALDERAL

Stella introduces Alexis Morgan...

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You might well wonder what those three words have in common. That’s easy: they make me smile. I like the way they sound and how they look on the page. You see, I love words. Heck, I’ve been known to read dictionaries for fun. Then there is the embarrassing amount of time I’ve spent pouring over the pages of J.J. Rodale’s Synonym Finder, my favorite reference book. I keep it close at hand whenever I’m writing.

However, as much as I savor fun words like the ones listed above, it’s highly doubtful that I’ll ever get to use them in one of my books. They simply don’t resonate with the type of tales I tell. After all, another name for a writer is wordsmith, meaning words are the tools of the trade. To do the job right, I must choose words carefully because the only way I can truly bring my characters to life is through the way I describe their thoughts, their actions, and how they look.

One of my Paladin warriors would never wear frippery nor would he charge into battle screaming “Flapdoodle!” or “Falderal!” at the top of his lungs. (Though I will admit to snickering a bit at the image that makes.)

So as much fun as I have while dictionary-diving, I’m always on the lookout for the one word that will paint the sharpest picture. For example, when I was starting my Paladin series, I wanted to convey the idea that these warriors were treated as a commodity rather than cared for as individuals. To that end, the wounded are taken to labs where the medical staff are called Handlers rather than physicians. Even the exam tables are cold stainless steel with chains for restraints. These guys are offered nothing soft, nothing warm. In contrast, I chose to call them Paladins, letting the connotation of the word remind us that these men are knights charged with saving our world.

When I was hunting for the right name for the warriors in my second series, I stumbled across the word “talion.” It actually means punishment meted out in kind; an eye for an eye. What better name for the ones charged with hunting down and eliminating murderous renegades? Granted, my readers may never know the meaning of this rather obscure word, but I do. That helps me stay focused on what truths lie at the heart of my story.

Here’s the bottom line when it comes to good descriptive writing: word choice is everything. But that doesn’t mean I won’t still stop and smile when I run across flapdoodle along the way.

Bio:

Alexis Morgan is the best-selling author of seventeen books. Currently she is writing two paranormal romance series from Pocket Star. DARKNESS UNKOWN, her fifth Paladin book, was released in February, and her second Talion story, DARK WARRIOR UNBROKEN, will be released this August. Her first full-length vampire story will be a May 2010 release from Silhouette Nocturne. Learn more about all of her books at www.alexismorgan.com.

On the death of a character...

I’ve just started work on Wolf Tales 10 (yep, that’s a number ten, not a Roman numeral for those who are keeping track!) and already I’m dealing with something that’s never happened to me in a story before.

I know that one of my regular characters is going to die.

In an ongoing series, it’s not unusual to occasionally lose a character, but I’ve never actually come across this situation while writing. One thing I don’t want to do is spring it on my readers, because that’s NOT the kind of surprise I want when I’m reading a romance, but before I disclose the character’s identity, I thought I’d toss the question out to those of you who read this blog. I trust your opinions, as I know you’re all serious readers with a lot of ‘book experience’ in your background. I’m curious about your feelings—if a character dies, one you’ve “met” in the course of a series, do you want to be warned in advance, or is it something you’d rather find out about in the story?

Do you need to know their identity, or is it sufficient merely to know there will be a death that’s a necessary part of the story?

Personally, I want to know what to expect, but then I’m the kind of reader who will flip to the end of a book if there’s any doubt about the ending. I hate getting to the end of a story and finding out the hero and heroine aren’t actually going to have their HEA! On the other hand, I know that Wolf Tales 10 will have a very happy and satisfying ending to it in spite of the death, but it’s not going to be an ending that’s easily reached. And, because this is an ongoing series, it’s an ending that will be explored again in the next book as my characters grow and develop within the parameters of their roles.

The weird thing is, while I don’t plot my stories ahead of time, I do have a general idea what direction my tales will take. With this particular character, I realized almost from the beginning that she wouldn’t be in the series for long. I would reread my work at the end of the day and discover she’d been left out of a scene entirely, or when I’d go to write her dialogue, she would become uncharacteristically silent. It was almost as if, once introduced to the series, she made her appearance and then began to fade away. Preparing me, as the author, for her demise? I don’t know, but I do know that when I started putting together ideas for Wolf Tales 10, the very first thing that occurred to me was her death, and what it would mean to her mate and his future within the pack.

So that’s my question, and it’s one that will actually determine the blurb on the back of the book—do I let my readers know in advance that one of my Chanku won’t survive the first chapter, or do I keep it a secret and allow readers to find out on their own? And if I do announce that a Chanku will die, do I give her name or leave it to the reader to discover?

Thank you—your input is really very much appreciated! This is one of those situations where I honestly don’t have the answer.

SO, MOTHER'S DAY GOT ME TO THINKING...

That's always dangerous, I can hear you thinking. True. Because then I begin to wonder. And what I wonder this time is: What constitutes a mother (or father)? Is it the blood relationship they share with their children? Or the history they fashion over time raising them? I remember debating nurture vs nature in a long ago journalism class. At the time I didn't have a strong conviction either way.

But given the direction my own family has taken, I'm pretty firmly on the "nurture" side these days. Several members of my family are adopted. So I believe it's the day-to-day nurturing and the history you share that forges the tightest connections. Because except for the way in which various nieces, nephews, cousins, etc, came to us, there's no difference from those born of our bodies. They aren't thought of as the adopted neice, nephew, etc, etc. They're simply Jenny, Scott, Sam, Adam, Elliott, Grace and Noah. Each has contributed to the memories that make up our holidays and other important events: the births, the deaths, the weddings, the family reunions and birthday parties and other celebrations that weave the fabric of our family history.

I've been lucky to have a close relationship with my own mother. When I was growing up, she was a definite role model and her example gave me the base to build my own parenting skills. These days her dementia is worsening and our roles have been reversed. But the one thing the disease hasn't robbed her of is her sense of humor, so I have no doubt she'd tell me that if I really want to honor her I should quit killing off the mothers in my books.

Sorry, Mom, that's not gonna happen. Hey, I don't really kill them kill them. And it's actually a compliment to you that I rarely give my hero and heroine functional parents. Yeah, yeah, it's a backhanded one. Still, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. The stability you and dad provided grounded me. So doesn't it just reason, then, that screwed up parents provide all sorts of motivation for fictional conflict?

Or maybe it's just that I prefer stories where a dysfunctional mother or father has screwed up our protagonist's way of looking at relationships. Take Sebastian, Lord Dain in Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels. His father was a puritanical prude who told eight year old Sebastian his mother was an evil, godless creature, whose name was Jezebel, when she ran away from their bloodless marriage, then assured the boy she was going to Hell where she would be eaten by dogs. Then, disregarding that this was a little kid who'd just lost his mother, he shipped Sebastian off to Eton, where he promptly had every iota of sensitivity beaten out of him.

So begins a fabulous, well motivated book. So give me a stable family in real life. But I gotta love the dysfunctional in fiction.

How 'bout you? What's your poison when it comes to your hero and heroine's backgrounds? Do you have a fave dysfunctional bad boy/girl who is tamed in the end?

Inquiring minds wanna know.

JAYNE BRINGS YOU AUTHOR JANET DEAN AND COVER ARTIST JAMES GRIFFIN

Jayne, here, to introduce author JANET DEAN, who, in turn, brings you a fascinating interview with artist JAMES GRIFFIN who creates fabulous cover art for books like Janet's new release, COURTING THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER. Did you follow that? I hope so because cover art is a subject dear to all of our hearts, authors and readers alike!

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I’m thrilled to be a guest at Running with Quills today and to have this chance to talk about my second book COURTING THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical that releases tomorrow. Here's a peek at the story.

Mary Graves, a widow with three boys to raise, has no time for peddlers of phony medicine. She’s a dedicated healer working alongside her doctor father. When a handsome stranger blows into town with his “elixir of health” and asks questions about her newly adopted son, Mary’s determined to uncover the truth behind all his claims.

The heir to a Boston fortune, Luke Jacobs travels the country selling his herbal medicine while searching for his long-lost son. After meeting the feisty doctor’s daughter and her youngest boy, Luke has found what he’s been looking for at last. But can he convince her to let him into her home, her family—and her heart?

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I love the cover of COURTING THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER. When I noticed GRIFFIN in the left-hand bottom corner, I googled the name and found James Griffin’s Web site. His beautiful covers and paintings blew me away! At the time, we both happened to be in Sarasota, Florida. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet the artist and own a Giclee Print of my cover, soon to hang in my office. The Quills kindly allowed me to invite James to join us at RWQ to talk about how covers are made.

JD. Welcome James! How long have you been a cover artist? How did you get involved creating cover art? How have covers changed over the years?

JG. Thank you, Quills, for inviting me on your blog! I started illustration in 1976, so it’s been over 32 years. When I graduated from Pratt Institute I wanted to paint “pure art”, untouched by crass commercialism. It’s a fantasy about art a lot of people carry around. The idea that the world will find and support you because your work is so good and so original actually ruins a lot of young artists’ careers.

But back then, it was alive in me, so I scraped by helping to restore the old brownstones that lined Brooklyn’s lovely avenues. I was doing paintings that were ever more realistic in style, a profoundly unpopular genre during the heyday of abstract art. Galleries weren’t interested at all in my work, and I began to re-think the “pure art” thing. About that time I met Charlie Gehm, an experienced illustrator who was making a good living painting book cover illustrations. He thought I would be good at it and took me on as an apprentice for a little while, but long enough to get me started in the business. It was a novel concept for me, - making a living by painting!

I used photography and models from the start, shooting in black & white. It was a one-man operation, too, with me getting the costumes, setting up lights, directing and shooting and hoping it all looked good when the film was developed! Now, I work with a photographer, using digital cameras that show me instantly on a computer screen what I’m getting. There’s a person in charge of costumes, another assistant who books models, arranges schedules, sets up and breaks down the set and of course me, who sketches and plans it all and gets to direct the whole thing. One thing that hasn’t changed in the passing of time is that we still have only an hour to do a shoot, no matter how many scenes there are!

JD. That’s fascinating! How has the process changed? Please explain how digital paintings are done in terms we can understand.

JG. The computer has really altered the way I work. I was actually wishing for something like today’s computers, (only without the crashes, etc.). My way of designing had already incorporated the photocopier, which I used to print out enlargements and reductions that I then cut up and pasted down in order to paint over them. That was pretty primitive, but it was a method of sketching that opened up a whole lot of new design ideas for me. When I saw that I could do all of that cutting, pasting and resizing and way more in the computer, I was really excited.

But it wasn’t until the tastes of the book publishers changed almost overnight from the look of oil paintings to a sleek, almost mechanical style produced on computers that I was forced to invest in a computer and a bunch of accessories. Almost overnight the painted cover illustration became old fashioned. I took a course at Westchester Community College in New York and learned the basics of Photoshop, still a pretty young program then.

Photoshop is still my main program, though I have added others to it in my digital paint box, like Painter, Art Rage, Cararra, Sketchup and others. Some of those mentioned are 3D programs, which I use to construct 3 dimensional settings whenever I need a special or hard to find scene, like a dizzying view down a palace stairs, or a view of the deck of a sailing ship, from above, out on the water.

I never liked the slick photographic look that publishers had fallen in love with and kept pushing for a painterly appearance in my illustrations. Some times it helps to be both stubborn and patient, because eventually the publishers embraced my painted style and now of course, are urging everyone to copy it!

There is no one way to do a digital painting, but mine usually begin with a lot of research in my picture files and on the web. I usually form some kind of mental image of what the image could look like, but try not to be too stuck on that, because other ideas are often inspired by the research I do.

I try to get the Historical period across as convincingly as possible by paying attention to the costumes, architecture and scenery. I work with pencil sketches and hand-drawn computer sketches, using a pressure-sensitive stylus and tablet, to work out the composition. I figure out where the main action is going to be and how the foreground, middle ground and background are going to work together.

If it’s a cover with prominent figures, I’ll arrange a shoot at the studio I use in New York. That means picking out the models, providing costume sketches and detailed sketches with lighting and acting notes. When we’re doing the shoot it’s a bit like a silent movie, in that there are no lines, so the actors have to show their emotions by using their bodies, face and hands. It’s terrific training for actors and models, because they have to be able to jump into a part immediately, whether it’s a mystery, a romance or a sci-fi book. And for me it’s an intense directorial workout, because I’m the one responsible for capturing the right mood and look for my illustration and to get everyone to work together smoothly. It’s hard work, but it’s also a whole lot of fun!

When I have all my material together, pictures from the shoot, images that will be used to create the background and my sketches, I start assembling them in Photoshop. At this point it’s a bit like a collage, - a tree from here, hills from there, sky from somewhere else. If I am using a scene I invented in 3D, I’ll bring the rendering into Photoshop and integrate it with photographic elements. I usually do major “surgery” on the figures, strengthening a jaw line, adding muscles, adding to bust lines and hair, etc.

Once it’s all working I take it into Painter and play with paint textures, before bring it back into Photoshop. From then on it’s pure painting in the computer. This is when the magic really happens as the colors are brought out or pushed back, things are added and subtracted and a general whipping the thing into shape takes place.

JD. How much information do publishers impart to help create their covers? How much time do they give you? What skills have you honed over the years that enable you to achieve the author’s vision and your sense of art?

JG. In the past they used to send me whole manuscripts, which I had to read and figure out how best to portray the book in a cover illustration. Now it tends mostly to be vague one-sentence directions and I’m supposed to figure it out! Sometimes they don’t even give me the time period, or they say something like “Victorian”, which is a 60-year period with huge fashion changes from beginning to end. I get the editors to clarify, so I don’t end up having to make costume changes. Rarely do art directors give me sketches at all. They’re just too busy, so they depend on illustrators with a track record of getting it right.

Having such minimal direction isn’t as freeing, as you might think. It actually puts the marketing and positioning of the book on the illustrator’s shoulders. I handle it by looking at previous books by the author, if available, to get a feel for what market niche they’re in and how they’ve been presented before. Then I try to do something in that vein, but better. If no previous books exist I try to intuit the feeling of the book and just create something beautiful, with lots of room for type. Sometimes I’m completely off base and have to do a new round of sketches, but I’m determined to give them something that will help sell the book. When I realize how much work and care goes into writing these books and how much is riding on getting a decent cover, I feel humbled by the responsibility.

JD. In your bio, you estimate you’ve created around 3,000 covers for such clients as Avon Books, Ballantine Books, Berkley Books, Dell, Doubleday, Harcourt, Harlequin, Holt Rhinehart Winston, Little Brown, New American Library, Random House, Rounder Records, The Bradford Exchange, The Wall Street Journal, Viking Penguin, Italian Vogue, Zondervan and Zebra. An impressive list and number! For what well-known authors have you designed covers? Have any of your covers won awards?

JG.I’ve won various awards for my illustrations over the years and have had the pleasure of creating covers for many prominent authors, including Saul Below, Marilyn French, Charles Frazer, Jeff Shaara, Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber, Victoria Alexander, LaVyrle Spencer, Martin Cruz Smith and others. In some cases I’ve been assigned the same book years later when the publisher is re-doing the look for a new edition, such as with LaVyrle Spencer’s Morning Glory and Martin Cruz Smith’s Rose.

JD. Tell us about your passion—painting. When did you know you wanted to be an artist? What factors influenced you? Does creativity run in your family?

JG. I knew I wanted to be an artist at around 10, when I began to realize it was an actual profession. Art was a way for me to get in touch with myself, sort of like meditation and also got me attention in a large family where attention was scarce. My father was very musical and my mother drew well, but neither pursued these talents professionally. They did, however encourage me to follow what I was best at and I’m very grateful.

JD. In order to survive, authors may need to reinvent themselves, changing genres and using pseudonyms. How have you adapted to the marketplace? How has your art evolved over your career? What are you working on now?

JG. I always keep an eye on the marketplace and what’s happening in illustration, but I always lose my way when I try too hard to do what everyone else is doing. It’s also not fun. I’m constantly experimenting with techniques and ways of playing with imagery. Sometimes these experiments go nowhere but often the lead to a new way of working. It’s a process that keeps my work alive and evolving.

Currently, in addition to the illustrations, I am doing oil paintings for galleries that deal with Florida, Maine and New York City, three places I frequent. A long-running series of allegorical women who embody the forces of nature is also in the works.

JD. How do you manage two careers and your family while keeping your sanity?

JG. I think that ship has sailed, as far as keeping my sanity is concerned! But I try not to be too obsessive and have fun with whatever I’m doing. Sometimes it gets very tough, when a pile of jobs is due pronto and the gallery wants something right away, too. Home life is far from idyllic at those times.

JD. What galleries exhibit your work?

JG. I am represented by the Dabbert Gallery here in Sarasota. I plan on getting one or two more galleries in different locations to handle the different kinds of work I do. You can see if you visit my Art website, that I do several different kinds of work. It’s kind of like Winton Marsalis moving between jazz and classical genres and enjoying them both.

JD. How can we find you online?

JG. I have the blog, which I mentioned previously, www.Paintlayers.blogspot.com, and two websites, www.james.griffin.org, which is primarily for illustration and www.jamesgriffin.mosaicglobe.com, devoted to my gallery work.

JD. Thanks, James, for giving RWQ readers a look at your process of producing covers for our books.

JG. Thank you, Janet, and good luck with you latest book!

For a chance to win a copy of COURTING THE DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER, leave a comment on today’s post.

Blessings,

Janet Dean

Animal Lovers - Read, Win, and Make a Difference!

Hello everyone!

As I write this, it's raining like crazy. Again! The weather forecast has only 3 sunny days out of the next 12. If your weather is the same, then we could all use a pick-me-up!

That's why I decided to blog about an upcoming multi-author anthology where author and agent proceeds go to my favorite no-kill animal shelter, the AAF.
Animal Adoption Foundation - http://www.aafpets.com/

And... you could win some great goodies, just by posting! Read on!

TAILS OF LOVE is scheduled as a June 2nd release, but readers always spot books early, so I wanted to go ahead and get the word out there!

Authors include:

Lori Foster
Stella Cameron
Dianne Castell
Kate Angell
Ann Christopher
Marcia James
Donna MacMeans
Sarah McCarty
Patricia Sargeant
Sue-Ellen Welfonder

A Berkley Publishing trade paperback
ISBN-10: 0425227685
ISBN-13: 978-0425227688



In this irresistible romance anthology of never-before-published stories, 10 award-winning and best-selling authors come together to celebrate their love of animals and the wonderful, curious ways they take part in our lives.

From Seeing Eye dogs to the cat who sits in your lap, animals are there for us in more ways than we can count. Helping us get through the day with a wag of the tail and a tilt of the head, they let us know that someone is on our side—no matter what. They also have an uncanny ability to break down barriers between people, bringing families and loved ones closer, and giving strangers an excuse to strike up a conversation.

In Tails of Love, each writer draws from her own unique perspective on our loyal friends—exploring the many, mysterious ways they bring love into our lives.

*** All of the authors and our agents are donating all of our proceeds from this anthology to the Animal Adoption Foundation of Hamilton, Ohio. This project is an example of romance authors giving back to our communities. And, as you know, with the way publishing proceeds are paid, Tails of Love will continue to provide much-needed funding for this no-kill animal shelter for many years. ***



There's not enough room for me to recap each author's story, but if you follow the links, you can read more!

Here's a brief review from RT Reviews

"This endearing collection of 10 original love stories features notable authors such as Lori Foster, Stella Cameron, Kate Angell and Dianne Castell, who weave stories about love and animal companionship. Each story is entertaining and unique, with contemporary characters and larger-than-life four-legged friends. ... all-in-all, an entertaining collection that can be consumed in one sitting or divided up and enjoyed in small, luxurious bites - one story at a time."

Summary: Whether it's a playfully destructive goat or a manipulative and loyal cat, these animals have a creative way of bringing love into the lives of their humans. Highlights include: Foster's "Man's Best Friend," in which a broken-down car and a lost puppy force Erin Schuler to call the one person she knows she can count on to rescue them, long-time crush and professional mixed martial arts fighter Gary Rutledge. In Angell's "Norah's Arc," Mike Kraft has just about had it with Norah Archer's wayward goat, Houdini. When he finds it standing on top of his Corvette, it's the last straw -- until he sees how devoted Norah is to her rescued animals.

And a wonderful review at Kwips and Kritiques.

Romance is in the air and there are some animals who have their hearts set on seeing their people happy in TAILS OF LOVE!

Lori Foster kicks off the anthology with Man’s Best Friend. Erin Schuler can’t resist rescuing the bedraggled puppy she stumbles over in the park. But who will rescue her when her car won’t start during the torrential rainstorm? She’s forced to turn to SBC fighter, Gary Rutledge. Erin has known Gary since they were both kids but does she know he’s been waiting for her?
Lori Foster is one of the masters of romance, whether a full length novel or a short story and Man’s Best Friend is yet another example of why her stories are so loved. Who couldn’t help but lose their heart to the abandoned puppy and the two main characters willing to rescue him? Readers will note that Man’s Best Friend is part of the SBC Fighter series but one can easily read it without any knowledge of the series. However, be warned that once you get this tiny taste of the world of the SBC, you’ll likely want more!

There's an extended excerpt of my story at my site, LoriFoster.com, posted here: http://www.lorifoster.com/books/tails/index.php#excerpt

So what about you?
Do you have a funny, endearing, or just plain entertaining animal story to share?
Do you, like me, have a menagerie of pets that keep you entertained?
Did you find a pet in a unique way -as my son did while delivering pizzas?

For everyone who posts, I'll put you in a special Mother's Day drawing to win these fun prizes!

T-shirt
mouse pad
key chain
pen
small poster
and an early copy of my reissued book, due out in June, IMPETUOUS,
part of Harlequin's "Famous First" program!

I'll draw a name on Sunday evening, and post the winner here.
*** Then it'll be up to the winner to email me her snail mail address! ***

Happy rainy weekend everyone!
HUGS,

Lori

http://www.lorifoster.com/
http://www.llfoster.com/

LoriLFoster@gmail.com

ELIZABETH FACES CHAOS

Ah, sweet chaos.

Gotta love it, right?

*sigh*

I'm trying to. I figure that anything that is so much a part of my daily life should be close to me, as in I should LOVE it.

And before someone asks, "How's that working out for you?" let me say that it isn't. No matter the state of my smiley face, or lack there of, things keep...happening.

Our daughter sold her house in Arizona and moved into our winter house. Evan went down to help her. I stayed home because I have a ms due 10/01/09. (Don't ask. I ain't talking 'bout that.)

Six days later, Evan came home sick.

I was sick the first three days he was gone.

Yup, lovely. It's just a wee tad hard to concentrate on your writing when sprinting for the bathroom at unexpected intervals.

Then the realtor called with an offer on our winter home in Arizona. Yes, the one Heather just moved into. We did the counter offer and the counter-counter and the ... you get the idea.

Bottom line, we're in escrow.

If all goes well (or badly, haven't decided which), we'll be looking at houses closer to the grandkids in two weeks. If we find one or two that is/are suitable for the three of us or one alone and two together (if you can follow that, you're as crazy as I am), then we'll move there. All of us.

One way or the other.

And I?

I will be nucking futz.

*deep breath*

*I love chaos. I love chaos, I...arrrrrggggghhhhhh*

How's the chaos quotient in your life?

The Rise and Fall of Stella’s Brilliant Birdbath

Works of true originality are more rare than we sometimes think. A creation that transcends even the efforts of world-renowned artists in the field may only come along once in a generation–or less often.

As you will see from the photograph, Stella Cameron’s Tea Break was such a masterpiece. I discarded Jill Marie Landis’s alternate title–Crackpot–as too obvious. Jill tried to insist that there was a deeply meaningful subtext there. What can she have meant by that?

A Pictorial Account of Triumph and Disaster

A heavy box within a heavy box, twenty-eight feet of bubble wrap, and $38.00 postage later, and all I had left was a badly beaten-up package filled with mini-rubble. Out of respect, I knew I must save some small memento of what had been. In the third photo you see what I had to choose from. The rest was dust...


Happy May, my flowers,
Stella

Q: Do you remember an incident that left you disappointed? The loss of something that may have had no intrinsic value, but which held a lot of happy/sentimental memories for you?

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My friend, Alexis Morgan, brings her own unsinkable enthusiasm and inspiration to her fabulous Paladin Books. She kindly agreed to send a copy of DARKNESS, the fifth book in the series, to the lucky Quiller whose name we draw from visitors through Tuesday evening. Thank you, Alexis!