Breaking News

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Not really.
I merely had a few days when I wasn't blog hopping and I wanted to come over and wake my own sleeping blog with updates on life.

~Book released on November 25th. You can find links for buying it HERE.
~I am finishing Dark Summer, which is a story about "OLD" people. Just kiddding. They're not that old. But they are late thirties, early forties.

...i'm sorry for being 37 [but not really]. I have a lot of life in me yet, and I can still kick your ass, run from the bad guys, drive fast, drink AND make mistakes. So, yeah, all the makings of a good book, btw. :D And a little bit of torture, but not a ton of gore. It's different than my happy contemporaries. Might be a huge flop. But that's also life...

~I started a "secret baby" book, The Billionnaire's Home. The second book in my Home series...yes, I just made that up right now. Letters From Home. The Billionnaire's Home. Yes, a secret baby. And thought it's cliche and so cheesy, I'm really excited about this story, another novella. Maria, the sister in Letters From Home, has a great story!!! Leaving an excerpt here:

He shattered every wrong with a touch.His breath was hot on her neck, his hands soft at her sides, gripping her hips and pulling her against himself. His mouth worked her over, his lips pressing softly against hers, nibbling, tasting.And she gave. She gave without thought, without hesitation. The want of it raged through her like an unexpected cold front and flattened her resolve, her good sense.He brought his hands to her face, traced her brows, and ran a finger along her cheek to her jaw. A smile came to his face—the square jaw and full lips. The dimple on the right that appeared at the most unexpected moments. His laughter had been just as startling, just as thrilling.Seduced by a stranger.Her heart pounded.She wanted him.With shaking hands, she began to unfasten the long row of buttons down the front of his shirt. Her choice. No regrets.But he covered her hands. “We don’t have to do this.”“I want to.”He dug strong hands through her hair and massaged her scalp, making her smile. His eyes shone, the twinkle in them as familiar as the night sky. And then he pulled her close, tucking her into the crook of his arm as he kissed her—slow and easy. As if they had all the time in the world.
Something tells me they didn't really have all the time in the world...

Blog TOUR schedule

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This is it, People!! The day has arrived.
Four New Flirts are out on the shelves.
Join me on my virtual tour as I celebrate a great Christmas story about finding love where you least expect it.



November 26: Bookworm2Bookworm

November 27: Sarah Ballance 

November 27: Shut Up & Read 

November 27: Booker Like a Hooker

December 3: SOS Aloha


December 9: Manga Maniac Cafe


When you forget--

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Don't you hate it when you get so excited about not having anything to do...For. The. Rest. of. The. Day. that you forget to take care of the stuff on your list?

Well, that was me today.

Should have cleaned out the car... oops. Thankfully, I have a husband who spent ten extra minutes doing the deed before he left this evening.

And I get to sit here, with my younger kids, and do nothing but...work or read or watch television. Even go to bed early!! Whooot. What a great Friday night.

Enjoy your weekend.
With Love,
Bethanne

CountDown -- 5 days!!

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Ack!! Five days. Five days to release day!
OR, five days until you can actually read my book!!

So excited. I've spent this week working on promotion, finding spots to advertise,...and yes, I'm watching my Amazon sales ranking, which isn't bad for a book that hasn't even come out yet. And it's fluctuating, so...either other people are selling books or I am. <3  I can't tell. hahaha.

Don't forget to get your copy of Letters From Home, kay? It's a romantic story of life in the military, of love where we least expect it. Or, as one reviewer already said,

This story was well written and unfolded perfectly for the amount of pages it contained. It's a sexy, romantic, feel-good Christmas story. I loved it!
                                 ~Cheryl Sanders, Goodreads Review

Click the cover for a quick, painless, virtual trip to Amazon. :D
And have a great week, friends.
With Love,
Bethanne

Turkey Run?

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Matt and I are doing a 5K this morning. [We're going to freeze our rears off!!]

I've been thinking about this whole running thing for a [little] while. I'm okay with it, even if it's not my favorite thing in the whole world, because the idea of running [and the actual running] has added an element of discipline to my life, which wasn't there before.

And guess what?

I'm writing a lot more than I ever did five years ago. Oh, I wrote plenty back then, but it was always on a whim, never by the determination to work daily and get it done. I let my muse lead the way...

And sometimes, a person [me] needs to take success by the reins.

How about you? If it's not writing, what helps you take your own life in your hands and do something with it?


Why Write?

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Write for the fun of it...

I keep telling myself that, and it really helps as I rewrite the ending to one of my romantic suspense novels and as I start a new novel.

When I'm scared to death that no one will like my books, I have to remember--I love this story. I love these characters. They are fun. They are just what I would want to read.

Then it's okay. I don't mind that not everyone will appreciate every part of my book. If they smile at just one page, one sentence, even one word!!

I'm happy.

Stay tuned for news about the new release, book covers, and blog tours...and prizes!
Have a great week,
With Love,
Bethanne

Psst....

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I just sold another manuscript!! This one, Unwanted Vows, to Boroughs Publishing Group. I had a few nibbles on this one. One from HQ. Another from an agent. And I sent it to Avon, too. But I wasn't happy with HQs take on the story. Never heard from the agent. Never heard from Avon, either.

I really liked the look of Boroughs Publishing Group and I'm excited to get into the company with this manuscript...as usual, with the hope to sell a few more to them.

Looking forward to another exciting year!! Whoooot!

I LOVE THIS BUSINESS!!!

Don't worry, I will get back to that list of things I wanted to blog about... but for now, enjoy the holiday and your weekend.
With Love,
Bethanne

The Book Post

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I've started this blog about four times now...
I have so much running through my head that I want to get into it, that I've decided to focus!! Focus in on one topic rather than spew half-heartedly about several--love, sex, faith, family, books...

And so, I'm going to talk about the book I finished today. It's called Enchanted, and it's by Elizabeth Lowell. She has a small series, a trilogy, of  Medieval Romances, which I absolutley adore. In my early romance reading days, I'd favorite an author and then read through their entire back list... She was one of those, with her romantic suspense--Pearl Cove (LOVE THAT BOOK) and The Diamond Tiger (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that book). She has a Western series that I love too....

Are you seeing the pattern? haha.

As you can see, Enchanted was a re-read. And it made me cry. And that made me think that I haven't written anything that good yet. I hadn't hit that depth...the true, raw emotion that makes you cry. As a student [of life...yes, I just said that :P], I'm always questioning. I want to know what makes this book so good. And then....I read her Afterword. And that made me cry, too!! [maybe there's something wrong with me, after all.] Though we don't always know where a story comes from, Lowell was nice enough to share how she'd come to write her Medieval stories. [yes, you'll have to borrow the book from the library and read it yourself.] I was so touched by her words, by her inspirational journey that lead to these strong characters and this incredible story in which she didn't skimp on anything... the hate, the evil, the good, the sex, the love.

She just put it all out there.

So that I could read it.

And cry.

I think, when I am finally able to do this, I will have a measure of success... a measure still much smaller than that of Elizabeth Lowell's.

With that in mind, National Novel Writing Month, here I come.
Have a great week.
With Love,
Bethanne

Fiction Friday

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I actually lost track of what I was supposed to be doing on Fridays... fiction? Fake? Fabulous? haha.

So, for today, it'll be fiction. A little snippet--yes, to take place of Saturday Snippets tomorrow--for your reading pleasure. From Dark Summer [being revised and rewritten] -- when the ache of betrayal puts more than a marriage at risk.



Stacy took a detour to the indoor hot tub and soaked for about twenty.

Lunch had merely been an excuse to leave, but now she was starving.

Reality had been the clincher this afternoon. She could see now. Too close. Too friendly. Too flirty. And when he’d laughed, she’d seen something in his eyes--too real.

She could be sure of her own feelings, her own thoughts. And though having the attention of a man had been lacking in her life for some time, this was definitely not what she wanted. It had taken a few shakes. Okay, maybe a knock upside the head.
But truth was truth, and she owed Miguel an apology. Unintentional or not, she’d led him on, made him think…ugh! She slammed the locker closed, leaned her forehead against the cool metal, and a tear slid down her cheek. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!


Mondays are FUN!

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Well, since my husband is home today--federal holiday and all--I decided to sleep in. He has Darla this morning, and I'm supposed to be working, which I'm not...yet. In any case. I got out of bed at 5:30ish and came to the office to do a few things... when all of a sudden I realize it's 6:20!! And the house is a tomb! No one is up!! All the lights are off and no one has come in to bug me.

Needless to say, things picked up quite quickly and we all ran around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to get out the door by 7:05. ha! Only one was late, because he forgot his trumpet and begged me to take him home to get it...apparently, if a parent drops an item off after school has started, the teacher keeps it. A lesson in not forgetting stuff. OTOH, when I asked him what happens if he's tardy, he said, "Nothing." Well, that was an easy one for me. I drove him home to get his trumpet. Maybe that makes me a sucker, but if a parent is going to have mercy on their child and bring something in for them...like hell if a teacher is going to waste that mercy AND time. Just my opinion, though. :D :D

BTW, I thought you'd be interested in knowing... I sold a story to Boroughs Publishing Group!! Can I tell you how excited I am about this? SOOOO EXCITED. It's a break from all the category romance I've been writing, trying to write. And I'm pretty psyched about the novel, too because it's a good one. This is the same publisher who published By Proxy, which, if you're following along, is the book I featured last week on my blog. I'm looking forward to making my story even better than it is, and getting it out there for all my readers to read. Very excited. Definitely a step in the right direction.

So, it's back to work for me before my alone time disappears...
Dark Summer rewrite.
Down a Dark Road plotting.
There's always something to do, always another story to tell...
Have a great week!
With Love,
Bethanne

Sunday Summations

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I read a great story this past week.
By Proxy by Katy Regnery. It was so much fun! The characters jumped off the pages...and for the first time in a looong time, I was completely amused. This book was not typical. Oh sure, the love story rang true, and I knew the hero and heroine would get together in the end--somehow. But the author grasped these two, never wavering from the integrity of their characteristics. Truly a country girl. Definitely a city boy.

The heroine didn't give in to some socially acceptable version of what a heroine should be. The hero actually questioned the why of his life--a life that had been going nowhere but up.

But don't we want the hero to go up? Isn't that what we're all looking for? Good looks, wealth, charm, position, status...virility?

I know from church last weekend that being rich isn't a sin. And if there was one complaint about the book, it would be the outlook--no redeeming value for the city lifestyle portrayed in it. Even so, it was the hero's life. And the author pulled no punches. He went from being lost to found. It was wonderful!

They saved each other. And it was so sweet...and not completely annoying innocent, either. Which was another great quality. Sexual desire between two people. Reality, even for people of faith, with an inner voice telling them they should wait. Chemistry, not glossed over or ignored in order to sell to the Christian romance market. Nothing overtly bold or mainstream romance... yet it is. It's just a wonderful blend.

Our sweet heroine discovering the passion of a real kiss. Awww. It was a fun read. Light yet emotional.
And totally Christmas!! Yippee. My first Christmas story of the year. :D

I'm so excited for my own Christmas story to come out.


Monday Morning Coffee

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Don't you just love when your morning gets off to a GREAT start?
Well-slept and rested, I wake up, avoid a slightly grumpy spouse, and hit my office running. Get a few pages written and network with a few people. All before 6am!!

There's just one thing.
My first batch of coffee, put together last night, was WAY. TOO. DARK!
My second batch, made when I couldn't stand the taste of the first, was so light it looked like tea.

Ha! Now that the kids are in school and I've returned home, cleaned up breakfast [and yes, a few dinner dishes from last night], I'm making the third batch.

Fingers-crossed!

Have a great week!
With Love,
Bethanne

Plotting is Hard

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Does plotting kill the story or make it better?

I'm struggling with this right now. I believe I have a talent. A story-telling talent. I see a story in my head. The natural ebbs and flows, ups and downs come easily to me. But sometimes, if I sit and try to identify the elements I've created, I can't.

How do the characters grow?

I don't have the analytical mind. I can't always see those types of things.

Have they grown? Sure. They have to! They did this and that and the other thing to get to their Happily-Ever-After. That doesn't happen without change. No. Don't ask me to tell you how they grow!! They just grow, darn it!

So...this is why plotting and narrowing the storyline is hard for me. I love to have a story plotted. Don't get me wrong. I think having the end in sight is crucial to getting there. I didn't used to be a plotter at all, and those stories need the most work.

I might have to fight the plot i'm working on, but I'm determined to write a story that has as little revisions as possible. Lots to think about. Lots to do.

...and did I mention I'm still editing and revising? *eyeroll*

Flashback Friday -- 9-17-08

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Fun to go back and read old posts. In September of 2008, I bought a domain...
I was still working on my WW2 spy novel, which has since gone dormant on my hard-drive.
As a matter of fact, I will always love this story for being the one that forced me to start over...
I was NOT a plotter yet and have since become an avid and enthusiastic one.
Hard to believe all I've done in the ensuing years... Enjoy the look back!

~*~*~
~ My Manuscript is running away without me ~

In other words, How to keep it Simple.

I don't know how to do this well. This morning my secondary opened his mouth and said, "I have a problem with my radios."

I was like, What? What the hell are you talking about? No! No problems with radios!!! Stop it. Just stop it.

Then a friend of mine Inez Kelley said something to me that really helped!

Make the story about One Thing. [not those exact words, but that's what I got from it]

Okay, I can do that. My story is about one thing. Each thread doesn't have to be another story, it just needs to add to the ONE THING.

So I took out my pencil and started writing down all the things that would affect ONE THING. Let me give you an example. I have this ww2 setting...and spies. BUT, my main characters are actually part of a civilian unit that is working to extract refugees from occupied Europe, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland...

So, the point is...

Everything that is highlighted in this story must somehow affect that objective. I'm doing okay... I haven't completely lost my focus. Most of the revision changes will be minor... *cough* of course, i'll probably adding a scene here or there.

OMGosh. this is totally why I'm going to plot my next story.
Also, when do you quit?
I mean, the revisions just keep happening! When do I step away from the keyboard and say, this is a good story, but you're still learning to plot your craft... you might want to take what you've learned and start new, start fresh?