Count Down to June 8th with Debora Dennis

Ack! Seven Days. I said it would go fast! I just didn't realize how fast until it snuck up on me and bit me in the... *cough* uh, behind.

I'm excited though, because for a week, I'm going to celebrate my book release with my closest friends. You...and my wonderful writing friends from Passionate Critters. Years ago, when I joined PC, I met Debora Dennis. She's the mother figure in our group, always with an encouraging word or a firm reminder to do what's right.

...plus, she's from my corner of the world, and on my last visit there, I got to stop in and have coffee with her. :D And it was just like we'd  done it a dozen times before. When my husband poo-poos the idea of meeting and truly making friends online, I have proof through Deb and my friends at PC that it is possible.

Thanks for being here, Deb! I've got my virtual bakery open because in my house, a celebration doesn't go by that doesn't include Cake and Ice Cream. So, what'll you have?

DD: Ice cream cake - I'm a sucker for the Carvel cakes with those chocolate crunchies in the middle yummo!
Oh man! Do you know what i remember and love about Carvel? We'd go during the summer with my grandparents and if you ordered a cup of ice cream with sprinkles, they POURED the sprinkles on with a fairly generous hand. I love sprinkles!


My followers know that I love history. Which is the reason why I can't wait to get a hold of your new book, A Pirate in Her Dreams. What do you love that drew you towards writing a story about pirates?

DD: History has always been something I loved, it was always my favorite subject in school. But, true to my eclectic style, I can't say that there is any one particular time in history I love the most. When a hero pops into my mind, he usually shows up dressed in period clothing and I hear accents in my head - that's when I know where I'm taking my readers next. My next hero happens to be a pirate and it's truly been a fun adventure.



Your most recent book is your first Indie Published book. Of your four books, which was the most fun to create?

DD:Whatever I'm currently working on is always fun, because I'm going to someplace new (in case you're wondering, I am known in my house for not paying any attention to my GPS and making turns to the unknown. There's just something special about finding some place new!) Indie Publishing give me the opportunity to take my readers to new times and places, and I love that.

Which Hero/Heroine pair is your favorite? [Mine is still Fistful of Fate's William and Rebecca!] I love their story, a true ghost tale. You captured my attention with that one, Deb.

DD: William and Rebecca from A Fistful of Fate will always have a special place in my heart, probably because they were truly my first couple. Their bond across two hundred years still resonates with me, I'm so thrilled to hear that they touched you too, Bethanne!

When you made that first sale, how did you celebrate? 

DD: My husband brought me home flowers and a chocolate mousse cake (and I think I ate most of it myself!)

That does sound good, though...

If there was one book--of all the books and stories you've ever read--that you could live, which one would it be?

DD: Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught. Alexandra Lawrence is just an average country girl and when she first meets her hero, the Duke of Hawthorne, she has no idea who he is, only that he's a man being robbed at gunpoint by highway thieves - she rushed to his rescue dressed in armor astride her twenty year old horse. She's a heroine with moxy and I was instantly drawn to her. 

Tell me about your next project? Will you continue on with Indie Publishing?

DD: When my pirate story is done, my next project will take me to the old west! Right now I plan to write my adventures in whatever time period calls to me. I will continue to explore all my publishing options with each and every book.

Oh yes! I love that you feature stories from all different eras. I've read a few good westerns, too! :)

Thank you  for being here, Deb. I wouldn't have gotten this far without your help and the help I've received from all the gals at PC.

DD: Thanks Bethanne, for giving me the opportunity to join in the thrilling ride of celebrating your first release!

Deb is offering a copy of her book, A Knight in her Arms to one lucky commenter. :D It's a good one! A time travel, too.

Excerpt:

Hannah Falcon loves her job cataloging medieval artifacts and setting up the displays at the Natural History Museum in New York City. What she doesn’t love is her friends insisting she date more. When a man dressed as a medieval knight shows up in the museum, Hannah mistakes him for her friend’s latest attempt at a blind date.


Sir Gavin of Rogueforth is a battle-hardened twelfth century knight who expects nothing more from life than to live and die by his sword. Sent through time to protect a woman named Hannah and claim her as his own, he expects a reward. He doesn’t expect a woman who refuses to be protected.


Can one passionate night, ten days before Christmas, convince a twenty-first century woman to follow her heart and show a medieval knight there's more to life than being a protector?

Brain Dead

That's a little how I feel right now.

Busy week... plus all the mental energy of putting this book release together.

I'm trying to stay in a calm place. It's mostly working, but when I sit down to write something on my blog and I have no thoughts to share. I know I've thought of things to write about but without writing them down, my brain can't conjure them up.

Give me a minute....

Oh yeah. My book that comes out in a week and a day. It's the different one. I've written romantic suspense [RS] for years, when out of nowhere, I decide I'm going to squeeze out a contemporary romance. What's the difference? Mainly, the mystery and intrigue. But also, the heat level. There's something about an RS that lends itself to a few steamy[ish] scenes--what is it about life-threatening crises that makes us hold onto a loved one so desperately? Or, as we see in RS novels, makes us bond with the first attractive body that enters, stage left? 

Like I said, my book For Love or Duty is contemporary romance. It's also sweet. I'd be tempted to call it a love story because it has that feel to it, but it's not. Love story is more about growing love rather than finding love. The romance is qualified by the boy meets girl. boy and girl fall in love. boy and girl have conflict, making the reader wonder if they'll be together forever. Blackmoment... and resolution, including Happily Ever After. Mine has all that, too. It just doesn't have the sex. 

Is it a thing for me? No. I didn't do it for moral reasons. It's actually the story that drives the heat level of my books. This one did not lend itself to those kind of scenes. Timing was too short, for one. People don't really get physical within weeks of meeting each other... do they?! 

No. Don't answer that.

Last but not least, the military aspect of this book. It could be a little off. I've learned a few things since my husband joined the Army. Not enough. Army life is surely a mystery to be learned over a lifetime. My main character is a Captain... with a name like Morgan, how could he not be? He executes a job I'm pretty sure a company commander would not do. I've been told, NCOs get shit done. So, if messed up details like that really bug you... you should buy my book, anyway[what did you think? I'd discourage you?]. I don't mind being proven wrong. If you're buying my book, you can prove me the Queen of Sheba and I'd smile and ring for room service. hahaha. 

This book was a work in progress a good year before my husband joined the Army. That's my excuse for any missed/inaccurate details. As my knowledge grows, so will by work. 

That's what writing is all about. A detail here, a detail there...

Rome wasn't built in a day [and a book should never have cliches!]. :D

Come back tomorrow for my first day on the countdown to RELEASE! I'll be giving away a copy of A Knight in Her Arms by Debora Dennis. 8 DAYS!

With Love,

Bethanne

A Countdown of Books

Here it goes!

Friday is the big day. The day I begin my week-long count down to the release of my new book, For Love or Duty. I've got my girls around to help me celebrate and we're going to talk about books! There'll be giveaways... ice cream... cake... and drink.

Stop by and join the fun.
And when it's all over and the crowds are gone, pick up MY book (or a virtual electronic copy thereof), relax on your porch [or in your tub or on your couch], and just enjoy a quiet moment.  {Better, Avery?!} :D Thanks!

I think I'll do the same.
I sure do love to read.
With love,
Bethanne

Memorial Day

I think we're the only military family that doesn't own a flag of the United States of America. It pains me to admit it. I've always wanted one, but never did anything about it. Why? Perhaps it was a budget issue. I don't know. When I've mentioned a flag to my husband, he brings up the maintenance aspect... who's going to bring it in at night? Or make sure it has a light shining on it?

Now that we're in the Army, I wish we had one even more. It's awkward to be the only house on your block that isn't flying Old Glory. So, I'll fly one here....

Remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and our freedom.

Celebrate the lives they lived and the families they left behind.

Memorial Day 2012

Although...but...

The irony is, I just had a conversation about this very topic with my son and daughter last week. When to use But or And. You can't use But if there's no ...what's the word, contradiction?, you can't use it! You can't say, "I really want to go to the pool, but I love to swim." It doesn't make sense!

It's ridiculous.

So, you have to understand how flabbergasted I was when I visited an author's webpage and she used the word Although... INCORRECTLY.  Although her writing is science fiction, she does her best to encourage readers to use their imagination.  [that's not the sentence on this author's page. I've written another in order to protect the innocent...myself]

I mean, come on! That sentence makes no sense at all. It should say, Although her writing is science fiction, she often teaches people to remain levelheaded and not live in the clouds. OR, Although her writing is often considered straightforward and real, she does her best to encourage readers to use their imagination.

So, disappointing, to say the least. This writer claims to be a professional editor.
Sorry Dudette. Not gonna happen.
You gotta put your best foot forward!

Photo courtesy of http://www.lsned.com

Have a great weekend, Friends, and Learn something worth using in your next manuscript.

Is there stress here?

I have a tendency to NOT recognize stress. I'm a laidback person--I am! I don't care about germs. I don't care about messes. My parenting skills are often guilty of inconsistency...

So, when I'm getting ready to move. I have a book coming out in two[ish] weeks. My kids are about to get out of school for good. And I'm planning a trip to FL... I don't always recognize that this could all be a bit stressful until a friend says, Maybe it's stress?

And of course, that makes me laugh. Duh, I think to myself. No wonder your sugars are off and you can't seem to gain the same kind of control you normally do!!! *eyeroll* No worries, people. I've been overdosing like crazy and wondering why... now I know why. So the issue of good blood glucose isn't critical. It's the why that was causing me trouble. Now that I know, I feel easier overdosing in order to gain that control.

Basal: 130%, Get used to it. Something tells me, we're in for the long haul until I settle down again in Colorado.

Another Week Down

Tonight, while listening to Pandora, I named a tune during the instrumental intro... not that hard a feat, believe me. It was the song Remember When by Alan Jackson--which by the way--can only be viewed on youtube. :( Alas, my daughter was amazed!

But I responded, "a whole intro?! That's nothing. On Name that Tune people would do it in one note! One note!" So we had to get online and find an old episode of the game show. Found a few, too. It was fun. Do you remember that show?

So much fun.

Sometimes, you just have to jump the track and find something fun to do.
Do it this week.
Find something fun.

THREE WEEKS TO RELEASE DAY!!

Dulldrums and Toilets

I've hit the Dulldrums.
There doesn't seem to be much to blog about at this moment... So, in order not to bore the decent public, I won't go on too long. Kids will be home from school for good in a week. I'm looking forward to it. I remember feeling that way last year, too. Must be a new phase of life I'm going through.

Also, about the toilets. I was thinking of my daughter the other day. She has a very melodramatic and angry reaction to toilets not being flushed. She's 12. Maybe she'll mellow out in the far future. But for now, the trauma of continually finding the toilet NOT flushed has left her jaded. And it's a big deal. I don't believe she'll ever be able to marry someone who has toilet issues or is careless in their toilet habits. The words deal-breaker come to mind.

It occurs to me that I don't have any characters who truly grate on each other's nerves. My characters, even when they are in conflict, often display my laidback temperament. [don't laugh, honey...I am laidback!] I would like to write a book in a vein of that annoying bickering that can both drive you crazy and make you want the MCs to get together. I have just the scenario, too. :D Yippeee! I love when a story develops while I'm not sitting in front of the computer.

So, what's your deal-breaker pet peeve?

Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day!!
My mom's a mother. I'm a mother. My sisters are mothers. My grandma's a mother...
Seems like mothers are a dime a dozen sometimes.
But then you hear stories that make you cringe, and you know.
Thank God I have my mother.

[insert pic here]

~~~~~~

Good gracious, what happened to my week?!
I'm deep in digital formatting mode... sorta.
It's been mostly simple so far and each publishing arm has it's own guide so it's a basic step-by-step following of directions. If you can follow directions, you can probably manage most of the formatting work. OTOH, I'm just starting the bookmarking links...creating a table of contents. I've heard difficult things about that. :P I'll keep you posted.

Hopefully it's a less crazy...more productive week.

Sunday Summations -- Cover Reveal

Here's something ironic.
I decided at the beginning of this year I was going to independently publish a novella. A short novel. You know that story...and I've had fun doing it, too. [hey! wanna see my cover?! :D] Me too! I'll show you after I talk about what's going on in my writing world.

Irony: having an editor email me and show interest in one of my stories...as well as a series I have written and partially written. Whoohoo! So excited about that. :D The timing is perfect. I'll already have my name out there with my indie...and vice versa, my indie will attract attention that I'll be able to direct to any book I get published through a company. Win-win.

OTOH, showing interest is not exactly a contract, so my fingers are still crossed. :)

And now...for the good stuff.... COVER REVEAL!

Prettiest cover ever. And Elaina Lee from For the Muse Design is completely responsible. If you ever need cover art... or web design. She is amazing!

PS If I mentioned that I was still looking for a title, I'm not anymore!! :D

The Last 30 Days -- SELF PUBLISHING

So, here it comes...
I have to smile when I use the word 'so' in my blogging and/or stories because when I use that word in real life, it immediately puts my husband's guard up. EX. Sooo, are you going to leave that open like that?  :D  Can you hear it?!  I do, and it sounds exactly like what it is, criticism. LOL  It's me, NOT wanting to be critical, but looking for WHY anyway. So softens the blow. Or, at least, it should. But if you hit a dog and say I love you at the same time, they will most likely shy away from the phrase I love you, eh?

Sooo, here it comes. The last thirty days.

As a self-published author, how do you spend those days before your release in order to make the MOST of that release day?

Exposure. I'd say that is the key element. Blogging, guest blogging, interviews, advertisement space, networking..twitter, facebook. I look ahead of me into the month of May, and I see an experiment. The truth is, you could start two or three months ahead of time putting together a marketing strategy. Guest blogging? Not easy to grab a spot on an author friendly blog without waiting. With the market so full of new authors and new books, exposure will require planning. LOTS OF PLANNING.

That's been a lesson for me.

Lucky for me, books will sell, even after the release day.

Budget comes in to play as well, and though I've got money set aside, I'm trying to spend as little as possible on this first book. That forces me to dig a little deeper to find a place to create hype. Who will do reviews? Who will let me guest blog? How many blogs can I visit in hopes of directing traffic BACK to my own blog?

I'm seeing the benefits of a PR department, not to mention marketing!!
Give it to me straight, people.
What efforts have you gone to in order to spread the word about your release day [self-published or not]?

BTW, i'm estimating...my release day is NOT June 1st. It's June 8th!!!
OMG, I have a release day! :D

I can't wait to show you my cover.

Sick

Sick Computer.... it's hardware, not viral.

Sick Kid.... it's probably viral, stomach bug.

No time for blogging or much else of anything for a few days.

:P

Hoping it doesn't turn into Sick KIDS. hahaha

Back later this week!

With Grace

When I was in my early twenties, I said I would never fight aging. I'm not going to be the lady who dies her hair every month, no crazy surgeries or therapies or what-have-you... Nope.

I am going to age with grace.

I just didn't expect it to come so soooon!!!

Do you see it?! My God! It's taking over...

I had to add this one... grandma much? I'm even sitting in a rocker. :D

Romancing an Era

I read something a few weeks ago.

I hear this from the critics of romance. And it makes me a little nervous about writing in certain genres. One, my time travel to WW2 and two, my contemporary military romance. I've heard people say it's too soon after WW2 to romanticize the events. If that's true, I'm in big trouble! 

There's always two sides to the story. Even today. When so many men are leaving their homes and some of those men are not returning, can we write the happy stories without feeling bad for the people living the unhappy ones, feeling as if we're betraying their sacrifice? That's what I wonder. Wanting to appeal to a certain audience is very different than actually appealing to them. Something tells me that the people who read military romance are not the people living military romance. I'm my own example! You ever hear of that show, Army Wives? I can't watch it.

Way. Too. Much. Drama.

On the other hand, I know Army wives who watch it...

So, maybe it's a crap shoot after all.

Captain Woolridge was right. War. It is what it is. But war is part of a bigger picture. Sometimes, life can be put into a different perspective. One a tad more hopeful. The end of WW2 is more than 60 years ago. Keeping the memory alive isn't about battles and dates and strategy, at least, not to a romantic. It's about the people and telling stories--partials, truths, even lies. That way we remember WHY we fought.

Guess that means I'll just have to put my stories down after all, even if they make people roll their eyes.