This, a Winner, and That part 9

IN THE NEWS: Mass. police: Shark sighting a practical joke. Read more HERE.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Tricia Mill's writing routine and hear about her new YA release WINTER LONGING!

(Massage appointments are going to go up now) LOL!

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

And the winner of Tricia Mill's book HEARTBREAK RIVER is...

Robyn Campbell!

CONGRATS!!

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

And now for the that...

Big thanks to everyone who entered to win a copy of my book GEORGIE ON HIS MIND and say such nice things about it and me.

You all are so sweet and supportive! And I can't wait until I can return the favor and cheer you on as well!

But now the important part. The book winner. :)

The winner of my romance GEORGIE ON HIS MIND is...

Sarah Forgrave!

CONGRATS!!

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

And now I'd like to leave you all with some chocolate.

No, not real chocolate.

According to this website chocolate-circle.com:

Impress your friends and colleagues by jotting notes into this this Brand New Chocolate-Bar-shaped Memo Pad.

It smells like cocoa too! ---->

Have a great weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: Tricia Mills

Hey, all you writers and readers!
It's another week of my new blog segment: Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until September 8th, 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!
Yes, only two more authors left! What will I do with myself after this blog segment is done? We'll cross that bridge then. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please welcome author Tricia Mills today and hear about her writing routine!

BIO: I began writing romance when I was in college, but I got serious about writing and trying to get published when my local RWA chapter was formed in 1996. It took me 11 years and lots of manuscripts before I finally sold two young adult novels to Razorbill in July 2007 (written as Tricia Mills) and two contemporary romances to Harlequin American in October 2007 (written under Trish Milburn).
In the years leading up to selling, I finaled in RWA's Golden Heart contest (the top award for unpublished romance novels) eight times, winning twice. My second Harlequin American, Her Very Own Family, recently won the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, which was very exciting.

FMI please visit her website.


Thanks for stopping by, Tricia!


**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'm not normally a crack-of-dawn riser, so I typically get out of bed around 8 when my husband goes to work, fix my breakfast (typically some fruit) and sit down to read e-mail and read/comment on blogs until around 9. I just recently joined the YMCA, so depending on what I want to do there on that day (certain classes at certain times), I work around that. For instance, if I go to the noon yoga class, I might get in a couple of hours of writing/editing and then check e-mail again for anything pressing before I head to the Y.
Really, after that first hour of my day, the rest of the day is flexible depending on what I have to do -- write, edit, freelance work, yard work, house cleaning, travel, RWA board duties, etc. I typically take a lunch break and watch something I've recorded on my TiVo while I eat.

**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.
Until early 2005, I worked as a magazine writer and editor. I still do freelance work for them, but I mainly work on my fiction writing. We don't have kids, so no mommie duties.

**Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer?
Laptop. It's kind of funny, but I do most of my Internet, e-mail, blogs, Facebook, etc., on my desktop computer, but I don't write on it.

**Plotter or panster? If you’re a plotter, how much time do think you put into plotting before writing.
I'm somewhere in between. I have to plot some because I have to do outlines and partials to sell to my publishers.

**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 do like to collage. And I didn't think I would, but I did one at a retreat I was at once and loved it. I don't typically listen to music when I write. I'm too easily distracted. I love movie and TV soundtracks though, and those can inspire story ideas.

**What’s your favorite book on writing?
Hmm, it's been awhile since I've read one, but I'd say Stephen King's "On Writing".

**What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year?
Can I mention three? :) Lover Mine by J.R. Ward, New Blood by Gail Dayton and Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. That's two paranormals and a young adult post-apocalyptic.

**What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book?
Going to the movies (I love seeing movies on the big screen) and getting a massage (to get out all the kinks from sitting at the computer).



Thanks so much, Tricia! I think I'm about due for a massage too! :)

Guess what? Tricia has a new YA release this month!

It's set in Alaska and is entitled WINTER LONGING.

Here's a little bit about it:

Winter Craig finally gets up the nerve and tells her long-time friend Spencer that she likes him as more than a friend. The best part? Spencer likes her as more than a friend too. With the perfect boy to love and be loved by, she begins her senior year at her small Alaska school and indulges in the dream of becoming a costume designer for the movie industry.
Life is perfect — until tragedy strikes.
Winter’s perfect life turns upside down as she deals with an unbearable loss, doubts about her future, a best friend whose home life is getting worse by the day, and unexpected feelings for an unexpected boy.


Check out the trailer!



Available at Amazon.com


CONTEST: Tricia has generously offered to giveaway a copy of her first YA book HEARTBREAK RIVER 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 own writing routine!

Georgie on His Mind is Now Available!

MENTAL STATUS: "Flighty". Almost missed my own book release!
RECENT IPod DOWNLOAD: "Half of my Heart" by John Mayer

Well, my new contemporary romance from Avalon Books, GEORGIE ON HIS MIND, is finally released!

And I almost missed it.

**cue the crickets**

I know. How can I possibly be that dumb? Well..I don't know. But I really thought the publication date and release date were kind of one in the same so I thought my book wasn't going to be out until October. My editor was kind enough to explain the difference when I emailed her after seeing all these Google alerts about my book.


Then...this weekend I got that special little package every author loves: free books. :)

So, alas, my trailer isn't finished and my library brochures aren't in, but...

the one thing I can do is have a book giveaway on my blog!!

Starting now.

Well, not right now. But soon. At the end of this post.

First allow me to share some interesting tidbits about this book.
(Or at least allow me to share what I think is interesting) :)

1) Georgie is my heroine. And when I first started writing her, the general consensus by my crit partners was that she was WAY TOO immature. So I honestly thought about changing the story and writing it as a YA.
But instead of doing that, I opted to tweak her character a bit first. Turned out that's all that was needed.

2)This book went through a number of titles as I wrote it. The first being BROTHERLY LOVE and then MY BEST FRIEND'S SISTER.
I finally decided on GEORGIE ON HIS MIND because I liked the similarity in the song title "Georgia on my Mind".

3) When I got about halfway through writing this book I started to have doubts about where the story was going, so I wrote a synopsis and thought I would submit the book before it was done to see if anyone would be interested and to see if it was actually worth finishing. So I sent the partial off and within ONE WEEK Avalon Books requested the full. The only problem was the book still wasn't finished.
The moral of this story was I will never ever ever ever ever ever do that again. That was a stressful writing month. BUT it was nice to know that I could quickly produce a sellable story going by synopsis alone when under the gun. :)

4) My hero's name is Walter. Yes, and I did have a number of my critique partners suggest that I should change my hero's name to something a little more...contemporary. I said I'd think about it--which loosley translated meant: NO WAY. I LIKE THAT NAME AND I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS. PS. I should also mention I like the name Vincent and would not be averse to having a hero named Vince. Just giving you fair warning now.


So without further ado, here's a little bit about GEORGIE ON HIS MIND:

Georgie Mayer has no boyfriend and rarely goes out. In short, she needs a life. Living with her brother doesn't exactly help matters. Since she's graduated college and returned back home, her brother's over protectiveness has been in overdrive, and she hasn't been able to have any fun, or at the very least get a date.

So what's a poor particularly attractive girl to do in a situation like this? The only thing she can do: find him a woman-er, distract him.

He'll thank her for it in the end. That is, if his best friend Walt Somers would stop interfering with her plans. Back in town to help run his uncle's business, the handsome pharmacist has made no secret that he doesn't approve of what she's trying to do. Unfortunately, having Walt hanging around does strange things to her mind, and suddenly she can't help but take a healthy interest in him. But how can Georgie entertain thoughts of the two of them together when Walt still treats her like his best friend's little sister?

Available and on sale at Amazon and Barnes& Noble.

Best yet, Avalon Books is primarily a library book publisher, so run (or walk or drive) to your local library and request my book! Or if you're feeling lucky, enter my book giveaway contest below. :)

CONTEST: To be entered to win a copy of my romantic comedy, GEORGIE ON HIS MIND, please leave a comment below.

NO, you do not have to be a blog follower. NO, you don't have to follow on me on Twitter. NO, we don't need to be Facebook friends. And NO, you don't even need to like me. (But I don't understand why you wouldn't. I mean, I'm pretty nice.) :)

*to be entered in the contest, please leave a comment below between now and Tuesday, August 24 11:59PM (EST). Winner will be announced this Friday along with the winner from this coming Writer Routine Wednesday**

Good luck and viva la romance!

Bloggie Update

IN THE NEWS: Pa. man, 78, rides roller coaster 90 times in day. Read more HERE.

Hey, all!

I have bad news. Sort of. Well, not really.

I'm taking the week off. Yay!

As a result, there will be no Writer Routine Wednesday this Wednesday. Boo!

But I'm not going offline entirely and still will be able to visit my favorite blogs. Yay!

Then I'll be back here next week! Boo--

Hey, who's booing me?

Anyhew, hope your summer is still going strong. (Mine is)

Enjoy your week!

This, a Winner, and That part 8

MOOD STATUS: "Thrilled". My obligations for the month are
DONE. And I'm going on a little vacation next week. Yay!


Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Heidi's writing routine! I know I wish I had a BIO like that!

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

And the winner of one of Heidi Bett's books is...

BOSSY BETTY!

CONGRATS!!!

Please e-mail me the address you would like the book sent to along with your book selection. You can check out Heidi's website for her list of back listed books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now for the this and that


Did you know that Harlequin is on the hunt for new authors for their Medical Romance line?

Harlequin®/Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™ is looking for new authors – and if you send us a first chapter, three chapters, or even a full manuscript of a romance in a medical setting, then we will give it a fast-track read…and get you a fast-tracked response this summer!

Here’s what to do to get fast-tracked:

• Send us a covering letter with a synopsis of your story and characters (no more than two pages) along with anything from the first chapter of the story to the complete manuscript.

• In order to be eligible for fast-tracking, submissions must be received between 1st and 24th August (12.00 Midnight BST, British Summer Time) 2010. Don’t miss out!

• You must email your submission (as a Word document attachment) to medicalfasttrack@hmb.co.uk and make sure you include your current email address in you covering letter as you will receive your response by email.

• Otherwise our normal submissions and format criteria apply (visit ‘Submit manuscript’ section at www.millsandboon.co.uk

Of course, we are open to unsolicited submissions at any time, but if you send us your Medical Romance submission in August then we’ll send you a response in August from one of our London-based editors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, are you looking for the perfect gift to give to one of your writer friends?

Oh, good. Here's a great website to check out then: http://www.cafepress.com/



They have cool stuff like writing journals with "Oh, this is SO going in my next novel" on it



T-shirts and mugs that say "Ask me about my next book"



Hats that say, "Future author"



and my personal favorite, the pink t-shirt with the saying

"I'm writing you into my next novel.

Your character will meet a painful, violent death.

Have a nice day."



That's it for me. Have a GREAT weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: Heidi Betts

Hey, all!
It's another week of my new blog segment:Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until September 1st, 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 Heidi Betts today and hear about her writing routine!

BIO: Heidi Betts is the daughter of an Arabian sheik and a Las Vegas showgirl, as well as the heiress to the Chocolate is Better Than Sex Candy Company fortune. Because of this, she eats chocolate in all its many delicious forms for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in-between snacks . . . without ever gaining an ounce on her perfect five-foot-nine, size zero figure.
Each and every one of her breathtaking, award-winning novels has been adapted to film and gone on to become a phenomenal box office smash, featuring such mega-stars as Hugh Jackman and Sandra Bullock, Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts, and Harrison Ford and Charlize Theron.
Heidi readily admits that she is only able to write such passionate love stories because of her real-life happily-ever-after romance with superstar actor Dwayne Johnson, who makes every day a fairy tale. When she's not writing or making hot, toe-curling love with her "Rock" of a husband, Heidi can often be found riding naked on horseback (a la Lady Godiva) along the beaches of Malibu or hobnobbing with the rich and famous on Martha's Vineyard.
You can reach Heidi any time, day or night, by calling 1-800-DIAL-TONE. And if you'd like to experience your own perfect, idyllic life just like Heidi Betts, be sure to take the little purple pill. (Not the red one. Never the red one.)
For more information, please visit: http://www.heidibetts.com/
Heidi is also a Silhouette Desire author and this year has a December 2010 release planned: INHERITING HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY (Dynasties: The Jarrods, Book 6),

Thanks for stopping by and taking time away from your hobobbing, Heidi! :)

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?
As soon as I get up, the hungry masses demand to be fed. There is no coffee or anything else (including the bathroom—ack!) until their ravenous appetites have been satisfied. Then I like to exercise for about an hour…as much as I hate it (I do, I really do!) I also love it because it gets my blood flowing and gives me the energy I need to tackle the rest of the day. After that, I grab some breakfast and much-needed caffeine (in the form of tea, not coffee, thank you very much) and check e-mail or catch up on whatever minor business issues have cropped up overnight. Then…then…I can sit down to write. And I write the rest of the day, stopping only if I’m interrupted (which, yeah, happens a lot more than I’d like *evil scowl*) or to grab a bite to eat. I write in the evenings, too, whenever I can; and sometimes writing at night actually works better for me, so I try to take full advantage.

**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 (you know, in theory) but I happen to be a bona fide cat lady, and despite popular belief, feline children are actually quite demanding. You know those “hungry masses” I mentioned earlier? Yeah, that would be my furbabies, waking me every single morning well before my alarm (why do I even bother setting the darn thing?) by walking on me, jumping on me, licking me, and yowling in my face until I get out of bed and feed them. And then they need to be fed several times throughout the day, as well, which explains many of those “*evil scowl* interruptions.”

**Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer?
I am an Alphie girl, hands down. Or these days, I guess it’s a Neo, since they’ve upgraded. (I actually have one of each and go back and forth, depending on my mood or if I’m juggling more than one story at a time.) I LOVE my AlphaSmarts, and have written every book, in its entirety, on my AlphaSmart since Number 4…that’s 16, plus 4 novellas—wow!
However, when it comes to revisions or editing, I do use a (borrowed) laptop or work at the PC because of the bigger screen and greater range of functions. And I both plot and outline (i.e. write my synopses) by hand…my brain just seems to work better that way on that sort of thing.

**Plotter or panster? If you’re a plotter, how much time do think you put into plotting before writing.
I’m a little bit of both, actually. I definitely plot about 80% of the time, because I find that if I don’t plot out my conflicts/motivations ahead of time, I get waaaaaaay off track when it comes time to write. I’m a very loose plotter, though, which puts me closer to the “pantser” category. I like to plot enough that I have a strong skeleton for my story, but leave enough room for creativity and inspiration to guide me through adding the muscle and flesh. (Okay, that just became a really weird, slightly gross analogy. Too many zombie movies lately, perhaps. :-p)

**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?
To be honest, I tend to write in front of the TV instead of to music. (Though music works, too! I think it’s a left brain/right brain thing.) But I do love to create playlists for my books, usually putting them together as I move along with the story. Then what I love to do is blog about the music I would put on a soundtrack to the book, if I were making one, and also ask readers what songs they think suit the characters and story best. (Doing this for KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP—in which the hero was suspected of cheating on the heroine—was a blast!)

**What’s your favorite book on writing?
I’m not sure I have a favorite book on writing. I can’t even think of one! Probably because I’m not much for how-to stuff, and if I’ve ever even read one, it was years ago. What’s your favorite book on writing? Maybe I’ll check it out, just for a change of pace. ;-)

**What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year?
I actually started reading them last year, but hands down I would have to say J.R. Ward’s “Black Dagger Brotherhood” series. To be perfectly honest, I’d put off reading these books because it seems that every time folks go wild over a book/series/author, I pick it up and have sort of a lukewarm “eh” reaction. But when it came time to start writing THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, I found that my brain was still too enmeshed in regular contemporary and drew a blank on anything even remotely otherworldly. So to get myself in the mood and in the right frame of mind, I started watching all my favorite vampire movies and televisions shows, and of course reading vampire books. The BDB titles seemed like a good place to start, and from book one, I was hooked. Majorly hooked. And I swear, even though BITE is nothing like J.R. Ward’s series, they got me through writing my own vampire romance with flying colors. (Thanks, J.R., I owe you one. *g*)

**What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book?
In my fantasies: A quick jaunt over to the Islands (we’re talking the Hawaiian variety, here) with my main hunka-hunka burnin’ love, Dwayne Johnson.
In reality: Usually once I finish a book—and it’s not truly finished until I’ve polished and handed it over to my editor, so there’s a very anti-climactic period between typing “The End” and hitting “Send”—I crash. Sometimes for a night, sometimes for a week, but there’s always a very Austin Powers moment when I almost literally deflate and think, “…and, I’m spent!” That’s when I first take a much-needed nap, then love to sit down with a good book and just read, or watch a few movies/TV shows I’ve fallen behind on. The stuff that’s fun, but doesn’t take much energy or very many functioning brain cells.
Once the crash-and-burn portion of turning in another book has passed, though, I really do like to go out and do something to celebrate. Nothing too big or elaborate, but going out to dinner or doing a bit of shopping, sometimes even seeing a movie in an actual theatre (what a concept!) is a fun change of pace.
And then…it’s back to work and on to the next book!

Thanks so much, Heidi! Wow, writing in front of the TV is a new one! LOL!

Heidi is very excited to announce that her first single title paranormal and first Kensington Brava, THE BITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS will be released September 28, 2010.

You can Pre-Order this book from:
Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or your favorite retailer.

Here's a little bit about it:

In Heidi Betts’s collection of holiday novellas, vampires turn to Angelina Bertolli—vampire matchmaker extraordinaire—to help them find that special someone to curl up with under the mistletoe…

“All I Vant For Christmas”
Connor loves trimming the Christmas tree, baking gingerbread cookies, and hanging the mistletoe. But his vampire siblings won’t help. His friend Angelina sends party planner Jillian to the rescue. But when Jillian, who’s mortal, discovers she’s decking the halls for a family of vampires, will she run—or will Connor have a beautiful woman to share the holidays with?

“A Vampire in Her Stocking”
When Vivian learns that her secret crush Nick is terminally ill, she’s heartbroken. Confiding in Angelina, Vivian refuses to turn Nick into a vampire. Deciding to play Santa, Angelina changes Nick and leaves him wrapped in a red bow on Vivian’s doorstep…

“It’s A Wonderful Bite”
Although Angelina is happy with her boyfriend Sergio, she’s ready for a commitment. After drinking eggnog and watching It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve, Angelina falls into a dream where she is mortal and Sergio isn’t interested in her. Talk about the nightmare before Christmas! But Santa must have checked his list twice because this Christmas Angelina’s wishes are coming true…

Check it out!

CONTEST: Heidi has generously offered to donate an autographed copy of one of her backlisted books to some lucky commenter. Winner's choice! (And there are many to choose from!) Check here for some ideas.

Her first western historical was released by Dorchester Publishing in 2000, with five more to follow. From there, Heidi moved into the modern world by writing numerous category titles for Silhouette Desire, and has since added both funny contemporaries and funny paranormals to her repertoire.



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 7

MOOD STATUS: "Groovy". This week of VBS went smashingly.
(But I have another week of it next week)


Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about MJ's writing routine! I think everyone was impressed with her early morning rising!

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

The winner of MJ's book BENEATH THE SURFACE is...

Belle!

Congrats!!

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


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

And now for the this and that...

Here's a cute little video made from the recent RWA 2010 Literacy Book Signing.

$62,000 was raised.

So, yeah,
ROMANCE RULES!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And one last that


My author friend Stephanie Taylor is very excited to announce that her first contemporary romance, Doubting Thomas, will be available for purchase tomorrow, August 7th from Eternal Press.

In honor of Doubting Thomas’s release, she’ll be hosting a scavenger hunt beginning tomorrow on Facebook. There will be daily prizes and a grand prize on August 14th!

Here's a little bit about the book:

He doesn’t remember...but she does.

For five years, Thomas has lived without a past. A motorcycle accident left him with scars, permanent amnesia and a lot of anger. But the scars aren't all on the outside. He knows one day he'll need to figure out who he used to be, but for now, he's content in his misery and denial. If his family doesn't care to find him, the feeling is mutual—until the love of a tender-hearted, sassy redhead changes his mind. Alyssa Morgan vowed to locate her missing husband and has followed every clue, every lead, every hunch, hoping to find him and the reason for his disappearance. But fate has something else in store for her and puts in her path an aloof man who has her husband’s voice and the disfigured face of a stranger.

Torn between his past and their future, can they put their doubts aside and let love in?

Don't forget to check out this special event and win some fun stuff in the process!

Whew!
And that's it for me.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Writer Routine Wednesday: MJ Fredrick

Hey, all!
It's another week of my new blog segment:Writer Routine Wednesday, where every Wednesday from now until Septemeber 1st, 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 MJ Fredrick today and hear about her writing routine!

BIO: I’ve been writing as long as I can remember, and joined RWA 14 years ago. It took me another few years to take it seriously, to really work to improve my craft, and I started finalling in contests, including four times in the Golden Heart and three times in the Emily.
I sold my first book, Where There’s Smoke in October 2007, and Hot Shot a month later. After 12 years of writing, I had my first two books come out two weeks apart! Hot Shot went on to win the 2009 Eppie Award. Since then, I’ve contracted another novel and four novellas with The Wild Rose Press, two novels and a novella with Samhain, a novel with Carina Press and another with Lyrical Press.

You can visit her for more information: http://www.mjfredrick.com/

Thanks for stopping by, MJ!

Describe a “typical” writing day for yourself.
During the school year, I wake up no later than 4:30, read email and Twitter while I eat breakfast, then write until it’s time to get ready for work around 6. I can usually get about 500 words in. Then when I get home around 4 PM, I catch up on email again, do promo and such until it’s time to start dinner, then write after dinner until about 9. My goal is usually 1000 words a day, or 10 pages revised.
In the summer (I have another week and a half), I get up early, do the breakfast/email routine, walk before 8 AM, clean while the dh is getting ready. Then I settle in my big chair and write until lunch. If I’ve met my goal, usually 2000 words, I can spend the rest of the day reading, hanging out in the pool, having fun. If not, I work in the evening again.


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’m a fourth grade teacher. Balance—what’s that? You see my routine, so that’s as good as it gets. Thank goodness I don’t waste a lot of time at school, so I don’t bring a lot of work home. The rough times are when we’re putting on our PTSO program or when tutoring starts. I cut back my goals during those times. Writing keeps me sane, though, so I try to write every day.
I don’t read as much during the school year, which makes me sad, and I depend on my Tivo, because I do watch a lot, but this way I can schedule my viewing.
My son is 19 and has a job and a girlfriend and goes to a local college, and my husband is in a band, so they don’t miss me so much, but I do make a point of having a meal with them.


Are you a laptop, PC, Alphasmart, or by hand kind of writer?
I got a netbook this summer and I am IN LOVE. It’s light, has an incredible battery life and doesn’t heat up like the MacBook. I thought it would take some getting used to with the smaller keyboard, but I adjusted quickly. I don’t like editing on it, though.


Plotter or panster? If you’re a plotter, how much time do think you put into plotting before writing.
Oh, dear. I’m a bit of both. Beneath the Surface was plotted at a plotting retreat and completely changed as it was written. Usually I have a pretty good idea about the first half of the story, then have to stop and plot once I know the characters better. Yes, this results in a LOT of revisions. I’m trying to plot a series right now. We’ll see how that goes. It’s a first for 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?
I do both, though I’m having trouble finding music that fits my work in progress. But I’ve found listening to the music while writing helps you dive right into the story. Also, I listen to the music while driving to and from work and it helps me brainstorm.
As for the collage, I’m very visual. I always have a picture of my hero and heroine. For my work in progress, I have a map of a cruise ship, and pictures of icebergs and quotes that match my character’s outlook on life.


What’s your favorite book on writing?
On Writing by Stephen King. Very inspirational. I have a shelf of writing books and I haven’t read most of them.


What’s your favorite fiction book you’ve read so far this year?
Oh, that’s too hard. I’ve read a few I’ve really enjoyed, especially this summer. Soulless by Gail Carringer was my first steampunk, and I can’t wait to dig into Changeless. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was amazing, an incredible example of world-building. Shannon Stacey’s Exclusively Yours was a fun contemporary romance and I’m looking forward to the sequel. I’m currently reading and loving The Search by Nora. After a rocky start, I have fallen in love with it.


What’s your favorite way to reward yourself after you’ve finished writing a book?
Would it be too sad to say I start another book? Okay, it may be, but I love starting a shiny new story that has none of the issues of the old book—yet.


MJ's new Samhain book BENEATH THE SURFACE is available in e-book and print at Amazon.com

Here's a little bit about it:

When past and present meet, secrets lie beneath the surface.

In retrospect, perhaps archaeologist Mallory Reeves shouldn’t have delivered the divorce papers to her estranged husband mere weeks before her marriage to another man. She knew seeing Adrian again would stir up memories, but she didn’t expect so many of them to be good, not after the mess they both made three years ago.

She also didn’t expect to want to stay at the dig site on the Yucatan Peninsula. But the lure of the ancient ship and, yes, her sexy ex provide more of a draw than the white picket fence she thought she wanted.

Marine archaeologist Adrian Reeves has good reason to trust no one. His former partner—and former best friend—made off with his last archaeological find. And his wife left him, frustrated by his obsession for professional revenge.

Now both Mallory and his nemesis have returned, and it can’t be an accident that they’ve turned up in the middle of the most important excavation of his career. Seeing her again unearths old pain—and rekindles never-forgotten desire. Now he has to decide if he can trust Mallory again. More importantly, if he can trust himself with her.


Sounds cool, huh?

CONTEST: MJ has generously offered to give away a signed copy of BENEATH THE SURFACE, 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!