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February 28, 2013

PP Interview with Shawna Thomas & Journey of Awakening



How did you get from your day job to writing romance?  The kids were in daycare, it was costing a mint. I didn’t have time to write so I did the math and discovered if I free lanced and stayed home, I’d actually be netting only marginally less.

What are your three favorite books of all time? You want me to pick just three? Ack! Sunshine by Robin McKinley—This book for me is the ultimate in vampire fiction. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I know that’s cheating but you can’t just read one. I’ve read these over and over. And since I already did it: The Harry Potter books.

Morning, afternoon, or evening person? NOT morning. ; ) Evening. I used to be a night owl, but if I stay up past midnight now I’m nodding off.

February 26, 2013

MY IDEA OF FUN -- by Phyllis Middleton

What is your idea of having fun?

In recent months, 'stuff 'in my life got troublesome. Sickness, surgeries...you know the kind of stuff I mean. Okay, I'll admit it. That 'stuff ' just got down right scary and not only for me, but hubby, too. So scary in fact, I started thinking about putting together a bucket list.



Have you ever noticed that when you put a bucket list together you always think about the fun things to do? Aside from any of my writing goals, my list contains all the things I so enjoy. Here is a sampling:

February 21, 2013

PP Vicki Batman on Cuddle Up!

Cuddle up

With weather changing and the arrival of spring, I began thinking of where and how I like to read.

-On a couch, fire burning, a lap robe. A hot drink on the coffee table, a bowl of popcorn and my kitty warming my feet.


-Teeth-chattering cold. In bed, lots of blankets, down comforter, pillows piled behind my head. My cat under the covers and curled by my side.

February 19, 2013

1001 Movies to See Before You Die

With the Oscars right around the corner, I thought movies would be a great topic! As I glanced around my cluttered office wondering what to write about my gaze landed on the four-inch book standing at attention on my bookshelf-- 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

I’d ordered this book a while back. When it showed up on my doorstep, I tore open the box with glee and began a two-hour-long perusal. The book is Ginormous. It’s hard back with a dust jacket and 960 pages of Moviedom complete with a handy checklist at the front. This is the October 2008 edition, by the way.

It’s jam-packed with photos, a little synopsis of each movie and opinions by contributions, starting with a silent movie released in 1902: Le Voyage Dans La Lune (aka A Trip To The Moon). I can personally say I’ve never laid eyes on this movie but there are some iconic pictures that are widely recognizable. The Moon with the missile-like spaceship right in its eye, for example. According to the book, the movie “represents a revolution for the time” and clocks in at only fourteen minutes. But at the turn of the century there weren’t movie theaters with stadium seating and THX sound in every major town.

February 17, 2013

SWEETHEARTS' CONTEST (DAY 4)

PLOTTING PRINCESSES "SWEETHEARTS' CONTEST"




For the next four days (Thursday through Sunday) we'll be posting first kisses here on the Plotting Princesses blog. Come back each day, read these wonderful little vignettes and leave a comment.

Why should you leave a comment? Ah, now that's the best present of all. Every person commenting between Valentine's Day and Sunday, 02/17/2013 at midnight EST will be entered in our Sweetheart's contest. The Prize: A brand new NOOK! Yes, you read that right. We'll be giving away a Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight including a beautiful pink cover, to one lucky person who leaves a comment. That means every single day you have a chance to enter—just by reading the blog post and commenting.

What's sweeter than chocolate at Valentine's Day? A new e-reader so you can read about love, romance, and hope all year long. (Contest is open to U.S. Residents only.)

February 16, 2013

SWEETHEARTS'CONTEST (DAY 3)

PLOTTING PRINCESSES "SWEETHEARTS' CONTEST"





For the next four days (Thursday through Sunday) we'll be posting first kisses here on the Plotting Princesses blog. Come back each day, read these wonderful little vignettes and leave a comment.

Why should you leave a comment? Ah, now that's the best present of all. Every person commenting between Valentine's Day and Sunday, 02/17/2013 at midnight EST will be entered in our Sweetheart's contest. The Prize: A brand new NOOK! Yes, you read that right. We'll be giving away a Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight including a beautiful pink cover, to one lucky person who leaves a comment. That means every single day you have a chance to enter—just by reading the blog post and commenting.

What's sweeter than chocolate at Valentine's Day? A new e-reader so you can read about love, romance, and hope all year long. (Contest is open to U.S. Residents only.)

February 15, 2013

SWEETHEARTS' CONTEST (DAY 2)

PLOTTING PRINCESSES "SWEETHEARTS' CONTEST"






For the next four days (Thursday through Sunday) we'll be posting first kisses here on the Plotting Princesses blog. Come back each day, read these wonderful little vignettes and leave a comment.

Why should you leave a comment? Ah, now that's the best present of all. Every person commenting between Valentine's Day and Sunday, 02/17/2013 at midnight EST will be entered in our Sweetheart's contest. The Prize: A brand new NOOK! Yes, you read that right. We'll be giving away a Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight including a beautiful pink cover, to one lucky person who leaves a comment. That means every single day you have a chance to enter—just by reading the blog post and commenting.

What's sweeter than chocolate at Valentine's Day? A new e-reader so you can read about love, romance, and hope all year long. (Contest is open to U.S. Residents only.)

February 14, 2013

SWEETHEART'S CONTEST AND FIRST KISSES

PLOTTING PRINCESSES PRESENTS: SWEETHEART'S CONTEST AND FIRST KISSES (compiled by Kathy Ivan)





It's Valentine's Day and what better way to celebrate than with a first kiss. That special moment between two people, the attraction sizzling just beneath the surface, nervous, anxious, but needing a physical connection with another. Sometimes it's just a peck or a gentle brush of lips. Other times it's an all-consuming, lust-sparked wildfire.

In celebration of the most romantic day of the year, the authors at Plotting Princesses are gifting you (our very special readers) with a glimpse at the first kiss. These may be from books already published or may be from books in the process of being written, from both published authors and authors on the brink of publication.

Since we have such a plethora of scenes, we're dividing them up. For the next four days (Thursday through Sunday) we'll be posting first kisses here on the Plotting Princesses blog. Come back each day, read these wonderful little vignettes and leave a comment.

Why should you leave a comment? Ah, now that's the best present of all. Every person who comments between today (Valentine's Day) and Sunday, 02/17/2013 at midnight EST will be entered in our Sweetheart's contest. The Prize: A brand new NOOK! Yes, you read that right. We'll be giving away a Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight including a beautiful pink cover, to one lucky person who leaves a comment. That means every single day you have a chance to enter—just by reading the blog post and commenting.

What's sweeter than chocolate at Valentine's Day? A new e-reader so you can read about love, romance, and hope all year long. (Contest is open to U.S. Residents only.)

February 12, 2013

Warrior Lover - #FREE on Amazon on 2/13! by Karilyn Bentley


Yes, you read the title correctly! My latest release, Warrior Lover (the sequel to Magical Lover), is free at Amazon for 5 days starting Wednesday, 2/13.  My publisher is trying something new to boost sales on all their books. I’ve got to admit, I’m a bit nervous, but mainly really excited. It’s free! What do you have to lose to try it out? Go on, you know you want to download it to your Kindle. Really. You do. How’s that for a not-so-subliminal message? :)

To celebrate the FREE cost, my blog today is a blurb and an excerpt from Warrior Lover. I hope you enjoy!

February 7, 2013

Plotting Princesses hosts: Addison Fox & The Friends You Take on the Journey


The Friends You Take On the Journey


My thanks to the Plotting Princesses for hosting me today! I have a special place in my heart for the PPs as so many of them are my fellow chapter members in our Dallas RWA chapter. These are an incredible group of women – so generous and giving to the writers’ community – and I’m thrilled to spend the day with them!

Since this is a group of women I know pretty well, I thought this post could talk about the friendships you make on the publishing journey. Writing is a challenging profession – there are the inevitable ups and down, the hours spent crafting stories by yourself and the process of dealing with rejection – all of which require an ever-thickening skin and a desire so deep to have the publishing dream that that very same stubborn desire eclipses whatever difficulties get thrown your way.

Because of that, it’s absolutely essential to find good friends for the journey.

Whether you find them through your local RWA chapter or on writers loops, via the Goodreads community or on a common blog, developing strong, trusting friendships to see you through those ups and downs is as important as honing craft, learning the business and building your marketing plan.

It is your writer friends who will pave a path of camaraderie and support on your publishing journey. Your writer friends who understand why revisions induce the need to consume vast quantities of chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Your writer friends who understand why that smiley face from your editor in the margin of the manuscript means more than a promotion at the day job.

And it is your writer friends who will humanize the journey to publication, bringing such great love, joy and celebration to your life as an author.

They are necessary. They are beloved. They are invaluable. When you find them, hug them close and refuse to let them go.



Blurb:

CEO Keira McBride has put more than a decade of blood, sweat, and tears into restoring her family’s magazine empire and knows she can handle any business challenge thrown her way…until sexy billionaire and corporate raider Nathan Cooper makes a play for her legacy.

Nathan’s not accustomed to losing and neither is Keira. When an all-consuming attraction threatens to devour them both, Nathan makes it clear he wants to move their relationship out of the boardroom and into the bedroom. Keira knows it’s going to be the negotiation of her life and the stakes have never been higher. This time, her heart is on the line…

Find Tempting Acquisitions at:


February 1, 2013

Visiting at Plotting Princesses: Sally Felt talks Groundhog Day & the comedy gold of breaking out of "Same-old, Same-old"


Welcome, Sally, to the PP! And congratulations on Going Native.


In the dark of winter, nothing lightens my mood like a brilliant romantic comedy. I’m especially fond of 1993’s “Groundhog Day,” with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

When Phil Connors (Bill Murray) asks, “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?”  it’s easy to relate. Who among us hasn’t felt trapped by a stifling relationship or dead-end job?

In the film, Phil is doomed to relive the same day over and over until he gets it right. Only when he decides to transcend the monotony and take an honest interest in the people around him—and become a better man—does he win Rita’s heart and unfreeze the calendar. 

In other words, when we’re stuck, we can wait (and wait) for circumstances to change. Or we can take a risk and do the changing ourselves.

That’s the choice facing my heroine, Violet. Rather than go to Rio with the free-spirited friend she idolizes, she stays stuck in her dutiful Good Girl ways and offers to house- and dog-sit instead. But come Groundhog Day, there’s a rowdy block party at her new digs, a little champagne carbonating her blood, and before she knows it, Violet accepts a dare that lands her in a stranger’s arms. 

It’s her chance to try something different. To risk feeling sexy. To walk a mile in her friend’s sky-high heels. It’s not a perfect fit, and there’s a price to pay. But scary as it is, it’s a lot of fun.