This, a Winner, and That Part 6

MOOD STATUS: "Stressed". VBS starts next week and I'm still ill prepared to teach it. Plus I'm behind on a few deadlines. Wah.


Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Holly's writing routine! What a fun day! (and what a great promo for Taco Bell) LOL

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of Holly Jacob's book UNEXPECTED GIFTS is...


LORRAINE NELSON!



Congrats!!


Please e-mail me the address you would like the book to be sent to and I'll get it to Holly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


And now for the this and that...


I am now the proud owner of an IPad. Yes. You saw right.
I now have an IPad.
Unfortunately the only thing I've done with it so far is log my ITunes account onto it. And then I couldn't get out of it once I did it, but then my 8 year old kidlet came over and easily showed me what to do. (Uh, that didn't make me feel too old) LOL!



Also, I will be blogging at the Samhain blog tomorrow. About what, I have no idea. I guess we'll all be suprised. LOL. Stop by--if you're around.



And that's it for me. Don't forget to stop by next Writer Routine Wednesday, where you'll get to meet another great author and hear her routine. :)

Have a great weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: Holly Jacobs

Hey, all!
It's another week of my new blog segment:Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until the end of August, I will host an author. We'll get to know them better and their books as well as hear them describe their usual writing routine.

Maybe you'll pick up an idea they use for yourself!
Lots of great prizes are scheduled too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, please welcome author Holly Jacobs today and hear about her writing routine!

BIO: Holly Jacobs leads a life full of romance and adventure. From skydiving to jet-setting around Europe, from snorkeling in coral reefs to writing while wearing beautiful silk peignoir sets and popping chocolate bonbons, Holly Jacobs leads a life that is the epitome of romance.

Okay, well, my fictional life sounds more interesting, but not better than my real life. Really, I'm the happily married mother of four. I mainly write for Harlequin Superromance these days. Let's see, awards.... well, EVERYTHING BUT A GROOM was one of Booklist's TOP 10 Romances of '08 and one of my recent releases, UNEXPECTED GIFTS won a Golden Quill and is a finalist in the Readers Crown!!

You can visit her at http://www.hollyjacobs.com/.

Thanks for stopping by, Holly!

Describe a “typical” writing day for yourself.
A typical day...well, let's preface this with reminding you all that I'm the mother of four, so no day is really typical, but give or take, this is what most of them look like:

~I wake up between 5 and 5:30...start the coffee, let out the dogs, get the paper, pour my coffee...ahhhhhhh.

~I check my email/Facebook/eHarlequin stuff, dress, eat and by 7:30 I'm making the school run, then come home, walk the dogs and straighten the house.

~Generally I'm writing by 8:30.

~Lunch break about 11.

~Back to work until about 1:30/2. Then run around doing whatever housework needs done, school run at 3.

Do you have another job outside of writing? (Being a mommie definitely counts!!) If the answer is yes, describe how you balance the two and how much time you devote to each.
I am a full time writer and mother. It is a bit of a juggling act, but I try to be sure to remember the family motto--Family First. It sort of puts everything in perspective. That being said, my family is great. They really try to respect my writing time. Of course, the fact I growl at them when I'm writing and they interrupt might help! LOL

Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer?
I have all the above, but do most of my writing these days on my laptop. The dogs (Ethel Merman and Ella Fitzgerald) enjoy snuggling next to me on the couch as I write.

Plotter or panster? If you’re a plotter, how much time do think you put into plotting before writing.
I was a pantser when I first started writing. And why not? I didn't have deadlines and no one was waiting anxiously for the book to arrive. But after I made a few sales, I was able to sell on proposal, but this meant I had to learn to plot a story before I wrote it. It was a tough thing to learn, but I've managed. So now, I do write a synopsis before I write the book...but I try to leave enough wiggle room to allow my old pantser self to have some fun!

Some writers make collages or listen to or create music soundtracks for their work-in-progress? Do you do any of those or have you thought about doing one of them?
Nope. Wow, that makes me sound so boring. LOL But again, four kids, two dogs and let's not forget the husband! I enjoy my quiet. I tend to write while the kids are in school with no music or tv going. Now, anyone who's met me and talked to me might be surprised to hear that, but there it is. Holly Jacobs likes quiet and frequently goes from 8 am until 3 pm without talking at all. LOL

What’s your favorite book on writing?
I'm not a big how-to reader. I do love Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, or Barbara Kingsolver's High Tide in Tucson for inspiration.

What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year?
I've been reading the Harry Dresden book (Jim Butcher) and loving them!

What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book?
Well, we tend to get Taco Bell. It's pretty much a tradition and it started with my editor at Silhouette Romance. You see, she called and bought another book and I said, "Oh, we're going to Taco Bell and celebrate." She made a little noise to indicate that wasn't her idea of a celebration, then told me that her brother, Larry, loved Taco Bell. So, in that book, A Day Late and a Bride Short, I had a little taco scene and Larry was a secondary character. I fell in love with him (the fictional Larry, not my editors brother...I've never met him. LOL) and he got his own book afterward, Be My Baby.

Thanks for inviting me over to visit, Jennifer!

That's too funny about Taco Bell! Thank you so much for sharing a little of your writing routine and life with us today!


Holly's most recent book, A One of a Kind Family, was a great read (if I do say so myself). Here's more info on it:
A One-of-a-Kind Family
by Holly Jacobs
ISBN # 978-0373716159
Harlequin SuperRomance
Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble.com

She’s kind of special…

Anna Chapel believes in people. She believes in helping them lead exceptional lives. Now the dedicated life coach wants to do that for different, yet special Colm Franklin. If Colm’s breath-stopping, over-protective brother Liam will let her.

But the guilt-ridden computer programmer refuses to believe, to dream. Or could it be he simply needs to learn how? Anna’s biggest challenge may be ahead: can one woman with a head full of wayward curls and a smile a mile long convince Liam they have a fighting chance? That, together, they can overcome anything to create a family that’s truly one of a kind?

Be sure to check it out!

CONTEST: Holly has generously offered to give away a signed copy of UNEXPECTED GIFTS, the first in the new Whedon, PA series from SuperRomance, to some lucky commenter!
Unexpected Gifts won a
Golden Quill Award & was a finalist in
The Readers' Crown!


Please leave a comment below to be entered to win. The giveaway contest will run from now until Thursday 11:59PM (EST). I will announce the lucky winner this Friday!


Good luck and get into your writing routine!

This, a Winner, and That Part 6

IN THE NEWS: Mo. diners flee without paying, but forget purses.
Read more HERE.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Patti's writing routine! Isn't Patti a sweetheart?

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of one of Patti Lacy's books is...

Piedmont Writer!


CONGRATS!!!

Please go to Patti's contact page HERE and let her know you are the WRW winner and tell her which book you would like her to send to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the this and that...

Bummed out you're not going to RWA Nationals this year?

Me too! But fear not! Romance Divas is hosting the
Not Going to Conference Conference...

The Conference You Don't Have to Get Out of Bed For!

From July 28-31, come hang out with some terrific, savvy authors -- and you don't even have to brush your teeth (although, seriously, good dental hygiene gets you extra points.)

We'll be hosting panels on:

The Power of Three: A crit group tell-all (Paranormal)

Crystal Jordan

Patti O'Shea

Dayna Hart/Rowan Larke

The Lolitas of STEAMED! Present Writing the Steampunk Romance -more than leather corsets and brass goggles!

Marie-Claude Bourque

Theresa Meyers

Whips, Chains, Slings, Oh My: It Really Isn’t About the Toys (BDSM Erotica)

James Buchanan

Joey Hill

The Great Big YA Panel

Rhonda Stapleton

Shannon Delany

Kiersten White

Carrie Ryan

Linda Gerber

Saundra Mitchell

Lara Zielin

Brenna Yovanoff

Register for free at Romance Divas, then come join us on the forums for the discussions, as well as some terrific prizes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, looking for another forum dedicated to answering your questions on romance writing? Check out: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/wrqforum/

All day Thursday, July 29, 2010, come and spend the day with Harlequin Mills and Boon author, Nicola Marsh.

Grab the opportunity to ask her everything you wanted to know about cracking the HMB Modern Heat and Romance market!

Whew! A lot going on, huh?

Well, that's all for me. But be sure to stop by next Writer Routine Wednesday where Harlequin and Avalon author Holly Jacobs will be sharing her writing routine with us!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: Patti Lacy

Hey, all!
It's another week of my new blog segment:Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until the end of August, I will host an author. We'll get to know them better and their books as well as hear them describe their usual writing routine.

Maybe you'll pick up an idea they use for yourself!
Lots of great prizes are scheduled too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, please welcome author Patti Lacy today and hear about her writing routine!

BIO: When Patti Lacy left the Louisiana swamps for college in 1972, she returned to the home she’d lived in as a five-year-old, the boys’ athletic dorm at Baylor University. Patti’s two hundred big brothers entertained her with magic tricks and tales of wild escapades, planting the love of stories in her heart.
The influence of her schoolteacher parents led Patti to pursue an education degree at Baylor and master’s work in literature at Indiana State. She taught in public schools and at Heartland Community College until she resigned in 2005 to write full-time.
Patti’s first novel of women’s Christian fiction, An Irishwoman’s Tale, explores the first memories of a feisty woman grappling with scars inflicted by two dysfunctional mothers. What the Bayou Saw, Patti’s second novel, takes a chatty Southerner from Normal, Illinois, back to a Louisiana swamp. Patti’s first two novels were finalists in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year contest. In January 2011, Kregel will release The Rhythm of Secrets, Patti’s third novel. Reclaiming Lily, a story that took Patti to the hutongs of China, is a work in progress.
The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to capture Patti’s imagination. She writes full time, teaches Bible studies and seminars, and attends book signings. Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal. They have two grown children and a dog named Laura.
FMI: http://www.pattilacy.com/



Thanks for stopping by, Patti!

Please describe a “typical” writing day for yourself. For example: Do you get up have your coffee, check e-mail, then write to a certain time? Do you have a set word or page goal when you do write?
The alarm buzzes me out of bed at 5:00 to 5:45. I usually trip over Laura the dog on my way to that first cup of coffee. Then I check e-mails, post my ART BITE of the day on Facebook, eat, guzzle more caffeine, and spend time in worship and praise.
Properly fortified, I glue my seat to the computer chair and try not to budge until three to six pages are written. In sports terms, that task gets me to first base! Other chores, including the typical mom/wifey shopping and cooking and general family social coordinator, follow. If the cylinders are firing, I write more on the WIP. Rewards come in the form of blog and Facebook checks. By noon, I’ve rounded second base and coast to third with lunch and my reading time. I trot on home with publicity stuff, blog posts, and e-mails. This year, I’ve tried to reserve evenings for family and friends.

Do you have another job outside of writing? I run the household here in Normal, where life is anything but! Occasionally I accept speaking and teaching engagements, like this past week, when Monday and Tuesdays took me to a retirement village and memoir writing classes. I love to intersperse (and fund!) my writing life with contracted engagements.

Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer? I am definitely PC on several levels.

Plotter or panster?
Dear Jennifer, I’m plotting this very moment. In fact, I’m in a police station in Fort Worth, Texas. Sigh. I plot for at least a couple of months, mulling things over with a couple of writer soulmates and agent Natasha. My first two novels flew by the seats of their pants and needed lots of in-house and out-house (yikes) unrumpling. Hopefully my conversion will smooth out these little wrinkles I seem to develop…

Some writers make collages or listen to or create music soundtracks for their work-in-progress. Do you do any of those or have you thought about doing one of them?
Music fuels me, along with chocolate, coffee, and tea. I have a wonderful and eclectic collection of CDs…which I cherished until my son taught me, like, two months ago, about www.pandora.com. Yeah, I was a real dinosaur. So far I’ve downloaded Sigur Ros, David Crowder Band, Corrine Bailey Rae, Tenth Avenue North, Jamey Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Passacaglia. You wouldn’t believe the “special mix” those little people in the Pandora site have concocted for me!

What’s your favorite book on writing? Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Hands-down.

What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year? Sigh. Jennifer, you’re shoving me into a dark corner. I GOBBLE up books! I just can’t stop at one, so…Hotel at the Corner of Bitter & Sweet, Wild Swans, Chasing Lilacs (Carla Stewart’s new book), The Good Earth, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Madonnas of Leningrad…I’ll stop now!

What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book?
I call up my special soulmates who’ve propped up my hands when they are sick of the keyboard and we meet at Thai House, our favorite restaurant. No menus are needed as we order family-style and celebrate with praise in our hearts and delicious food on the table!

Thai sounds fun, Patti! Thank you so much for sharing a little of your writing routine and life with us today!

Patti has two books out now. Here's a little about both:

An Irishwoman’s Tale
Mary Freeman’s earliest memory has haunted her since childhood: An old oaken table, bitter faces guzzling tea, a heated argument about what’s to be done with the “little eejit”—her. Now she is far removed from this family that didn’t want her, and separated from her native Ireland. Living in the United States Heartland, Mary searches out fulfilling roles—businesswoman, wife, Christian, mother, community servant—but her loneliness and torment remain as acute as ever.
A crisis in her youngest daughter’s life—and the encouragement of Sally, a plucky Southern transplant—propels Mary back to the rocky cliffs of her home in County Clare, Ireland. Her harrowing journey unveils her tragic past and forces her face-to-face with God.
Available at ChristianBooks and Amazon
Watch the trailer HERE.


What the Bayou Saw
Since leaving Louisiana, Sally Stevens has held her childhood secrets at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband Sam, has heard the truth about what happened to her and her best friend, Ella Ward, when they were twelve years old.
Now a teacher in Normal, Illinois, Sally has nearly forgotten her past. Then Shamika, one of her students, is violently attacked, and memories of segregation, a chain-link fence, and a blood oath bubble to the surface like a dead body in a bayou. Lies continue to tumble from Sally’s lips as she scrambles to gloss over the harsh reality of a betrayal that refuses to stay buried.
Finally cornered by the Holy Spirit and her own web of lies, Sally and Shamika embark on a quest to find Ella in post-Katrina New Orleans. With the help of friends, family, and God, Sally can glimpse a life free of the mire of deceit and truly begin to live with joy. Will she pay the price for a lifetime of deception? Can she save Shamika?
Available on Amazon and B&N
Watch the trailer HERE

Don't they both sound wonderful?


CONTEST: Patti has generously offered to give away a signed copy of one of the above books-- An Irishwoman’s Tale or What the Bayou Saw (winner's choice) to some lucky commenter!

Please leave a comment below to be entered to win. The giveaway contest will run from now until Thursday 11:59PM (EST). I will announce the lucky winner this Friday!


Good luck and get into your writing routine!

This, a Winner, and That Part 5

MOOD STATUS: "Busy". Trying to finish up judging my RWA chapter's romance writing contest.


Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Eileen's writing routine! Eileen was really feeling the love.

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of Eileen Cook's book GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD is...

Samantha Bennett!

Congrats!

Please e-mail me where you'd like the book sent and I'll send it on to Eileen ASAP.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the this and that...


I've been on a fresh flower kick these past few weeks. I've been clipping a lot from my garden and putting them into vases all around my house. It just makes me happy to look at them. Like a little pick-me-up. :)

Now, I didn't grow these sunflowers but when I saw them on sale at the supermarket, I HAD to have them. HAD TO HAVE THEM, I tells ya!


Don't they make the kitchen cheery?

That's all for me.

Mom is coming to visit today and she's bringing my niece, so I need to tidy up a bit.

Have a great weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: Eileen Cook

Hey, all!

It's another week of my new blog segment:Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until the end of August, I will host an author. We'll get to know them better and their books as well as hear them describe their usual writing routine.

Maybe you'll pick up an idea they use for yourself!
Lots of great prizes are scheduled too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, please welcome author Eileen Cook today and hear about her writing routine!

BIO:
Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Her latest release, Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood was released in Jan 2010.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at http://www.eileencook.com/. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

Thanks for stopping by, Eileen!

Please describe a “typical” writing day for yourself. For example: Do you get up have your coffee, check e-mail, then write to a certain time? Do you have a set word or page goal when you do write?
I roll out of bed and take the dogs outside. In addition to the unconditional love that comes from having dogs there is the added benefit that you rarely oversleep because they want out. Then a quick dash on the treadmill and a shower. I am not a coffee drinker, which is practically a crime here on the West Coast where there is a coffee shop on every corner. I am however, a total tea junkie.
Tea in hand, usually around 8am, I tackle my email first. I secretly hope that every day there will be something fabulous in my email. If there is no email from Oprah begging me to be on her show, then I let myself check out a few blogs before I realize that I am never going to hit my writing target for the day if I don’t get started. I don’t set a daily word count goal, but I do have a weekly goal. This gives me the option to write like a crazy woman one day and then take the next day off if I want. It seems easier to give myself this flexibility, because life changes for me one day from the next.
I start writing by reading over the past few pages that I’ve written. I try to never stop writing at the end of a chapter if I can help it and instead like to leave off in the middle. This lets me jump right into the middle of things. The day then progresses between writing and beating my head against the desk- depending on how things go.

Do you have another job outside of writing? (Being a mommie definitely counts!!) If the answer is yes, describe how you balance the two and how much time you devote to each.
My “day job” is as a counselor. I specialize in working with people who have had catastrophic injuries or illnesses. When I sold my second book I went to part-time. So far this is a good balance for me. I have enough time to write, have at least a couple days a week where I put on grown up clothing and find I’m more productive on the days I do write. I wrote my first two books while working full time. It can be done, but being able to work part time has let me had more balance. I don’t write well late in the evening and I’m not even functional before 6am, so being able to write during the day is a luxery.

Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer?
I am a total Apple junkie. If Steve Jobs made it, I probably own it. I have an Apple laptop that I use for most of my writing. When I get stuck (and there is a point in every manuscript when I’m stuck) the way out is to switch to pen and paper. Something about writing by hand seems to shake things free.

Plotter or panster? If you’re a plotter, how much time do think you put into plotting before writing.
I am a panster by nature, and a plotter by practice. This is due in part because my editor wants to have some idea of what I’m planning to do before she’ll write a contract. (Those publisher people are so fussy) The more I write the more I find it handy to spend at least some time plotting things out before I start. I tend to spend a couple of weeks thinking about the plot, the characters and brainstorming different options. When I’m done I have a plan for the book, but I leave myself open to chucking the plan and going where the book takes me if a new idea comes up.

Some writers make collages or listen to or create music soundtracks for their work-in-progress? Do you do any of those or have you thought about doing one of them?
I’ve tried EVERYTHING. I’m made collages, music play lists, made alters to the muse, interviewed my imaginary characters, and created mind maps. If someone tells me they know a way to make the writing easier or better I’ll give it a shot. I own pretty much every writing guide available.
So far I’ve found different things work at different times. I haven’t found one secret trick that works for me every time other than to keep moving forward. As the saying goes- you can’t fix a blank page. I’m also quite fortunate to have a great editor and agent who are available to bounce ideas around.

What’s your favorite book on writing?
Can I pick more than one? I love On Writing by Stephen King, Save the Cat by Blake Synder and The Anatomy of Story by John Truby.

What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year?
Can I pick two? I know, I know, but I read a lot. I loved The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.

What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book?
I feel like I should say something exciting like swilling champagne on a yacht, but I typically kick back on the sofa with my husband, our two dogs, a bottle of wine, and catch up on what I’ve missed while I had my head down.
The absolute BEST reward comes a year or so later when you finally get to see the book on the shelf. I still feel like busting out my dance moves every time I see the books there.

Congrats on your success, Eileen! And thank you so much for sharing a little of your writing routine and life with us today!

Eileen's recent YA book is Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood and is available on Amazon, B&N, and a book store near you! Here's a little bit about it:

Popularity is the best revenge.
In the final weeks of eighth grade, Lauren Wood made a choice. She betrayed her best friend, Helen, in a manner so publicly humiliating that Helen had to move to a new town just to save face. Ditching Helen was worth it, though, because Lauren started high school as one of the It Girls--and now, at the start of her senior year, she's the cheerleading captain, the quarterback's girlfriend, and the undisputed queen bee. Lauren has everything she's ever wanted, and she has forgotten all about her ex-best friend.
But Helen could never forget Lauren. After three years of obsessing, she's moving back to her old town. She has a new name and a new look, but she hasn't dropped her old grudges. She has a detailed plan to bring down her former BFF by taking away everything that's ever been important to Lauren—starting with her boyfriend.
Watch out, Lauren Wood. Things are about to get bitchy.




Doesn't that sound fun?

CONTEST: Eileen has generously offered to give away a signed copy of her book GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD to some lucky commenter!


Please leave a comment below to be entered to win. The giveaway contest will run from now until Thursday 11:59PM (EST). I will announce the lucky winner this Friday!


Good luck and get into your writing routine!

This, a Winner, and That part 4

MOOD STATUS: "Tired". The heat has finally gotten to me...

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Kristen's writing routine!

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of Kristen Painter's book ALL FIRED UP is...


CrystalGB!!

Congrats!!

Please e-mail me the address you'd like the book sent to and I'll let Kristen know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for a little of this and that...

I meant to blog about this last week but forgot. Have you seen the winners of the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest? It's a contest for BAD writing that San Jose State University has sponsored since 1982. Yes, bad writing.

Check out what won top prize:

"For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss--a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil."
--Molly Ringle

The literary competition honors the memory of writer Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton, who famously opened his 1830 novel "Paul Clifford, with the much-quoted, "It was a dark and stormy night." Entrants were asked to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels in various categories.

This won the detective category:

"She walked into my office wearing a body that would make a man write bad checks, but in this paperless age you would first have to obtain her ABA Routing Transit Number and Account Number and then disable your own Overdraft Protection in order to do so."
~Steve Lynch

(That one cracked me up!)

This won the western category:

"He walked into the bar and bristled when all eyes fell upon him - perhaps because his build was so short and so wide, or maybe it was the odor that lingered about him from so many days and nights spent in the wilds, but it may just have been because no one had ever seen a porcupine in a bar before."
~Linda Boatright



See? Don't you feel better about your own opening sentence now? :)



Have a great weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: Kristen Painter

Hey, all!

It's another week of my new blog segment:Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until the end of August, I will host an author. We'll get to know them better and their books as well as hear them describe their usual writing routine.

Maybe you'll pick up an idea they use for yourself!
Lots of great prizes are scheduled too!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, please welcome author Kristen Painter today and hear about her writing routine!


BIO: I’m a former college English teacher, personal trainer, advertising exec, maitre d’, runway model and two-time Golden Heart finalist. When the characters in my head started to take over, I decided to exorcise them onto paper and share them with the world. My print books include a paranormal romance, ALL FIRED UP, from Samhain, and HEART OF FIRE, a book I chose to publish myself through Smashwords and Amazon. Both of those books were Golden Heart finalists. In October, I have a steampunk romance, MISS BRAMBLE AND THE LEVIATHAN, coming out from Samhain and in fall 2011 the first three books in my gothic urban fantasy series, BLOOD RIGHTS, will be out from Orbit. I’ve published short stories and poetry. The first publisher to pay me for my words was Cosmopolitan magazine.
If I’m not writing, I’m probably in the forum at Romancedivas.com, the award-winning site I co-founded. I'm on Twitter. You can also find me on my Facebook fanpage.
I live in FL with my retired Air Force husband and five feline dependents. I’m represented by The Knight Agency.

For more info, please visit: http://www.kristenpainter.com/

Thanks for stopping by, Kristen!

Describe a “typical” writing day for yourself. A typical writing day for me often starts with me catching up on some DVR’d shows. I often work late and go to bed early, so most of my tv watching is in the morning. Is that weird? It’s my schedule. I used to feel guilty about it, but then I realized that I’m still working a pretty full day, just different hours. At some point, I workout, spend some time on promo, then I’m ready to write. Or edit, depending on what’s due next.
When I’m in “production mode” I try to write about 5 pages a day. That’s a good pace for me. Sometimes I can do more, sometimes not that much, but it evens out and keeps me on track without wearing me out. I write in my office, at my desk, but I edit in our library on hardcopy (don’t be jealous, library is our fancy word for a room with two bookshelves.)

Do you have another job outside of writing? (Being a mommie definitely counts!!) If the answer is yes, describe how you balance the two and how much time you devote to each.
I write full time. And by full time, I mean when I’m not cleaning up after my husband and our herd of cats.

Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer? I write on my PC, but when I travel, I use a laptop. I also do something I call “methodize” and that’s long hand on a legal pad.

Plotter or panster? If you’re a plotter, how much time do think you put into plotting before writing. I’m a pantser by nature and a plotter by force. I have to plot a little in order to map certain aspects of my Orbit series out – it’s a continuing series with the same main characters, so there has to be some continuity and arc. Also, I had to provide the publisher with a synopsis for each book, so they kind of expect me to follow it. They may be lowering those expectations now that they know me…

Some writers make collages or listen to or create music soundtracks for their work-in-progress? Do you do any of those or have you thought about doing one of them?
If that stuff works for you, great. I’m a sit down and see what happens kind of writer. I like to think of it as organic writing. I do listen to music to help me get into a specific mood, but I really like silence to write. In fact, I sometimes wear noise cancelling headphones.

What’s your favorite book on writing? I don’t think I really have one. That’s not to say I haven’t found craft books helpful, I just haven’t even read one straight through (save Stephen King’s On Writing). Most of them are kinda dry and boring. Or maybe I have the attention span of a gnat.

What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year? Hmm. That’s a tough one. There are so many! I’m going with The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. It wasn’t one of those books that gives you warm fuzzies, but it definitely inspires thought.

What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book? Spa day, baby! That’s pretty much my favorite indulgence for any reason. I love a good massage, a nice body wrap, a facial…whatever you’ve got, I’ll have one.


A Spa day sounds great! Thank you, Kristen, so much for sharing a little of your writing routine and life with us today!

Kristen's recent Samhain e-book ALL FIRED UP is out in print now at MyBookStore and More and Amazon.com and B&N! Here's a little bit about it:

Desire can heal the coldest heart-or burn it to ashes.

Alrik Gunn knows from bitter experience that change isn't always for the better. From the woman who annihilated his Viking clan to the goddess who tricked him into centuries of slavery, betrayal has dogged his existence. The Goddess of Love is going to let him avenge his family, but for a price. As a Phoenix-a merchant of change-he must grant a human woman three chances to change her life.

When former Irish dancer Calleigh McCarthy tosses a carved-bird statue that belonged to her ex into a roaring bonfire, she unwittingly summons an honest-to-god Phoenix. A sexy, irresistible Viking who offers her an unbelievable bonus-three get-out-of-her-crappy-life-free cards. She'll take it, even if it means guarding her cautious heart against the dark pain behind Alrik's eyes.

Alrik has vowed never to let love sway him again, but Calleigh's innocence and kindness throw him off balance. Yet even as his need for revenge fades and his love for her grows, he is bound to let her make her choices without interfering.

One wrongly chosen word, and any chance for happiness-for either of them-will go up in flames.

Sounds great, huh?


CONTEST: Kristen has generously offered to give away a copy of her book ALL FIRED UP--which I bought and read and absolutely positively enjoyed--to some lucky commenter!


Please leave a comment below to be entered to win. The giveaway contest will run from now until Thursday 11:59PM (EST). I will announce the lucky winner this Friday!

***THIS WEEK'S CONTEST IS FOR U.S RESIDENTS ONLY***


Good luck and get into your writing routine!

This, a Winner, and That part 3

MOOD STATUS: "Busy". Jane, stop this crazy summer!

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writing Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Rhonda's writing routine!
I'm having so much fun reading all the author's writing habits. :)

But, yes, now the important part.
The book winner.

The lucky commenter who will receive Rhonda's YA book PUCKER UP is...

Julie Musil!!!

Congrats!
Please e-mail me the address you'd like the book mailed to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



And now a little of this and that...

I'm pleased to announce that my writing friend Chicki Brown has a book just released out on Kindle called HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

Here's the blurb:

If she’d stayed any longer, her husband would have killed her.

Frantic to escape his drug-induced brutality, socialite Marcia Hadley escapes Santa Barbara and flees to Atlantic City. She’s sold everything she owns, rents a seedy inner city apartment and attempts to disappear as Dani Reynolds, cocktail waitress at Frenzy, a neighborhood nightclub.

Taylor Villanova, the club’s sexy multi-racial bouncer recognizes her naiveté and volunteers to teach her about surviving in the “hood.” Fearful and suspicious of men, Dani is at first repelled by his violent profession yet drawn to the compassionate nature that contradicts Taylor’s macho persona. But when her well-laid plans go awry, and Dani discovers someone is following her, she must put her complete trust in Taylor. Her time is running out.




The great news is that you DON'T have to own a Kindle to read it. You can download the FREE Kindle app for your PC or phone. Now that's convenient. :)

Check it out!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, that's all for me folks.
Last day of surf camp for the kidlet is today then we're hitting the beach again this afternoon. (And probably the rest of the weekend, too)

Have a Happy Independence Day!