Friday, October 25, 2013

Pants-er!

Are you a pants-er?  Do you sit down and make it work no matter what happens? Then you might be a great Nano writer!

Last week I covered the way that I do Nano, but that isn't the only way, no sir, you could Pants it!  I tried the technique a few years ago and failed miserable so it doesn't work for me, but it might for you.  As far as I can tell you don't do much planning at all, accept maybe a concept and a title, the latter less important than the first.  Then when November 1st rolls around you just start pounding it out.

I can see the appeal in this method. A great idea can flow better then something plotted down to its last breath, and you have all the creative liberty in the world not being married to an idea.  I have on occasion Panted parts of my manuscript, and it can be quite liberating. The reason it doesn't work for me all the time, is because I tend to clam up when I can't come up with the next idea. I like some sort of idea as to where I am going, so if I get stuck I can refer back to my notes and pick up the pieces and move on. 

Still if you choose to Pants I wish you all the luck in the world. Technically, spontaneity and free flow really are the purpose of Nano in the first place.  It helps you to put away the annoying personal editor that talks to us all the time, and have a great time doing what we love, writing!  No matter how you plan on approaching this feat of writing craziness I wish you all the luck in the world, and may the Pants be with you!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Meet Mortianna DeWinters, the villain for my upcoming Nano book.  She looks harmless enough until you know just what is going on with her.  Fueled by jealousy for her dead half sister, she is determined to ruin the reputation of the newest young Opera Star, her niece.  When the girl is married to a wealthy Count Mortianna did what every other crazy woman would do, she murdered him!

There you go, how do her open arms look now? Hehe!

One of the things I have done in the past for Nano books, that has stuck throughout all of my writing is assigning a picture to my characters.  After my character interviews I start looking for someone who fits the bill.  In Mortianna's case I knew I wanted a woman who was still beautiful even thought she was older.  I wanted a red head of sorts, mostly because I think red heads are very clever and have a whole lot of common sense, even if they are on this side of crazy like Mortianna.  (Let me preface this by saying I have a number of red headed friends and family members and they are all great!) I also like this picture because she has very innocent quality about her until you find out that she is a murderer.  I wanted her to be eccentric enough that she could pull off her character traits but also have the qualities of a normal human.  Also Julianna' Moores performance in "An Ideal Husband," played largely into my choice. 

Having a visual also helps me to refer back to some of my characters traits without having to scroll through the bio's.  I can clearly see their features and the look on the faces that help me to write a more believable character. 
This is Paige Orr the niece in my new book.  She is beautiful and innocent looking as well. But the look on her face is also determination.  We can get that she is young with dark hair and eyes.  She looks rather petite and quiet but again the look on her face says a whole lot more.  She may have been beaten once but she isn't going to put up with it anymore, and if you don't believe her, just try something. 

Sometimes when I write I get characters mixed up with other, especially if they have a lot of the same characteristics. It is easy for me to look at this picture of Paige and remember many of her traits that is important to her character.  In this case I choose an actress I know nothing about so I haven't been influenced by her acting so I can't make her anything I want as long as she fits my character. 


Sometimes I browse pictures of actors and actresses online until I find what I am looking for. Take this talented man for example. If you know who he is you know exactly how he can be cast as a book character.  Not only his appearance but his amazing presence can lend itself to a character. 

Nano tip of the day.  Use visuals when you write.  This isn't limited to characters. Landscapes, buildings, maps, flowers, etc. can help make your story more down to earth and bring it closer to home for your readers. 

Happy planning!!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Nano Planning!

So my writing friends, the time is again upon us to plan for Nano! For weeks I had no idea what I wanted to write about, but a grand idea has come to me and now I am excited about the upcoming Nano month.  Today I wanted to talk about planning.  How do you get ready for your writing?  Some years I have just gone into the month without much planning at all, other times I have done quite a bit of writing before hand in an effort to get to know my characters.  This year was a planning year so I am excited to share some ideas. If you do something different, or find something that works really good for you feel free to share it.Today I am going to cover just one of my techniques, and hopefully we can cover others through out the rest of the week.

1. First off you need to have a good idea of what you want to write about, what you wanted my plot to be like and picking characters that fit with your ideas. Also a time period, setting, and lesser characters all need to be decided.  In my case I needed a hero and a heroin, but there are a lot of players in this new book and I wanted to be able to keep them all straight, but how?

2. Character interviews, or reviews.  Sometimes it is helpful to ask your characters questions about what they want from the story. What is their end goal? What do they want to succeed?  This is a good way to get to know your characters.  I read somewhere that even our villains think they have good intentions.  Not every one is purely evil, most good bad guys have very human, understandable traits. Make sure that you know what everyone wants from the story so that you can understand why they do the things that they do. Things like age, birth, childhood memories, and physical characteristics are helpful in this stage so you know what their proper reaction to things will be.  A twenty year old woman is going to react differently than a thirty five year old woman. Maturity or perceived maturity is a big thing in writing to make it believable. Rich, poor, strong, weak, all of these characteristics will lend life to your character.

Also background checks are incredibly important. There isn't a lot of time to fill your manuscripts full of background, but that doesn't mean that your characters don't have one.  The things that happen in our lives make us who we are, influence what we do from here on out.  We can't just assume that a person is a villain because we want them to be, there has to be a real reason for the story to be valid.  The same goes for our hero's, they are human but something about their past has caused them to be heroic, what was it?  These are good questions to ask your character so you know them before you start writing their lives. 

I find if I know my characters and what motivates them I don't spend time trying to figure out what they would do in a certain situation. It would be completely natural to write what happens next because I know them better than I know myself. Don't be afraid to do this because you think there will be no spontaneity in your writing because that just isn't the case.  Sometimes, more often then not, I still manage to surprise myself with what I do.  Just because you know someone doesn't mean they can't surprise you. 

Those are two of my preparations for writing Nano.  I should really take a lesson from myself and be better at doing this for my other manuscripts.  If you do something similar let us know it, comparing notes is the best way to improve our writing. 

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Back to School!

I don't know about you but getting back into the swing of school is hard!! The kids don't want to get out of bed, and I spend the bulk of my day trying to put my house and myself back to order after a crazy summer.  I told myself this week I needed to buckle down and get some writing done.  You would think with all the kids in school for most of the day that would be easy, but it just isn't.  Then it hit me the other day, I only have two months to get my first draft done on my most recent manuscript, and then I need to get crakin on NANOWRIMO!! Can you believe it is only two months away! AHAH.

My hubby asked me the other day if I have any ideas, and I am flat out.  Often time things that happen in my everyday life catches my eye and I can form a plot around it. Sometimes it is a crazy dream, or something I witness in the grocery store, but no matter how hard I look I can't come up with a good idea.  Some years for Nano I have great ideas, I can't wait to get them down on paper, and for months before November 1st I am playing over and over the opening pages. Sometimes I have pictures printed out and detailed outlines waiting to go, but this year I have nothing, nada, capoot! 

Talk about stressful for a writer.  We make a living on having good ideas and making them into great stories.  It is fun to think up a character and develop their lives, get to know then, want for them and hurt for them. In a way it is like being a parent to a whole slew of people.  I love the creativity that comes along with the stories and the escape to a different place and time it affords me.  I guess I have to say that is my favorite part of the story writing process, getting to know the people in my books. 

So alas I may start Nano with no idea at all but I am determined to succeed!  Just like my kids, who don't want to get up, or do homework we preserver, and I will preserver.  But...if any of you have a good idea, I would love to hear about it. :)

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

End of Summer!

Saturday my husband and I were walking through our back yard, and I mentioned to him that we were nearing the end of summer.  The end of long warm nights and summer flowers.  The time when kids get ready to go back to school, and we struggle to regain some kind of schedule.  Some years this is a hard time for me because I love summer! I like to be able to go outside in bare feet. I like to hear the sprinklers and watch my garden go from nothing, to full out explosion of green and yummieness.  It is true that after three months of summer my kids are a little bit on edge, and there are days they drive me crazy, but I love the smell of their hair when they come in from playing all day, all warm and smelling like the sun.  Or how they look covered in Popsicle, after swimming in the pool. These are the memories I won't easily forget.

Still a schedule is something I crave.  I would like to get up in the morning and have my day planned down to the hour.  I work so much better when I know what is happening and when it is going to happen rather than wandering around wondering what I should do next.  I look forward to getting everyone to school and having two or more hours to work on what I want to work on. I look forward to two hours of writing when no one needs me to do anything, and I can really get in deep to the story instead of stopping to help someone get a drink, or turn on a TV show.  Don't get me wrong, I love to spend time with my kids, but school offers me time to be me.

Anyway, I was walking in my beautiful back yard thinking about how much fun we have had this summer, almost wishing it wouldn't end but I realized that is the ebb and flow of life.  We have days in the sun, and days when it is almost to cold to do anything.  Right now my children are young and spending long days at the pool with cousins is part of the living process.  School will start and we will move on from Summer of 2013, but somethings never leave you.  So here we go school year 2013, bring on the homework, fall leaves, Halloween, apple cider, and snow boots, I'm ready!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Best Laid Plans!

You have heard it before, "The best laid plans of mice and men!" Well that was camp Nano for me last month. I wanted a reason to write every day, but I didn't take into account all the other things that I needed to do last month.  While I did get a good start on my Nano book I ran into problems along the way, and needless to say, I was not successful.

There have been times in my writing career that I have found myself unsuccessful and it had managed to get me down. There was a time when the reviews on one of my books made me want to give up all together. I didn't take into account that people have every right to express their opinion, and I just needed to take what they were saying and learn from it. Sometimes our success only come from our failures.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend the week up at Girls Camp. Monday through Friday I spent all my time with wonderful leaders and a huge group of amazing girls. We did crafts, talked, laughed, hiked and stayed up way to late. Wednesday when we went on our hike I found myself struggling to make it down the mountain. I had been up since 4:00 am and I was tired!  A sweet girl walked with me and kept me company, and we had a good conversation. I told her about the last time I hiked that particular hike, and I came across snail making its way down the path. I told her how I picked the snail up to look at it the put it back up on the mountains side so it wouldn't get stepped on. It didn't occur to me until later that I might have set the poor thing back several days worth of work. It reminded me an awful lot about how life can set us back when we already felt like we put in so much work. I couldn't help but point this out to my hike companion, and she managed to change my perspective on everything in a few short sentences.

She was quick to remind me that sometimes a set back is really just giving us a head start on something else. I may have felt like I was moving that snail away from his goal, but maybe I moved him closer to something that would be of more help to him at that time.  I don't know about the snail, but there are times when my setbacks really have been the beginning of something I never would have imagined.  I hope from now on I can learn and grow from the frustrations I face in my life and use them to boost me in a better direction.  I hope that for all of you too.  Happy reading, and or writing and know you can do great things!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Using Your Thinker


Because I write mostly historical novels I have had to do a lot of research to understand the way things use to be.  I actually like to do the work, it is interesting to me and I find life in the old west fascinating.  I also enjoy reading historical novels of all shapes and sizes, because I have always enjoyed learning.

My current Camp Nano book takes place mostly on a ship, an old ship, and I have done some looking around and learning about ships and the process it takes to actually make on work. I have a printout of a ship taped to the wall in my writing nook for reference, and this morning as I was getting ready, my daughter asked me what the picture was. I told her I needed it for the book I was working on and she asked, "Why?"

I think a lot of people who don't write don't understand how much work goes into the book before you even really start on it. Once you learn the information it is a lot easier to write a second, third, fourth book in the same time period, but if you decide to change to something different you need to do the research all over again.  Like I said before, this is a process I really enjoy and I think it really adds to the story when you have correct facts and information in your book.

One caution I give about information though, is not to have information dumps in your book. It is cool to learn about new things but if you just dump the information in different parts of your book, your readers are going to feel like they are in a history class and loose interest. Remember that tidbits here and there are much better, kinda like those little Dove chocolate nuggets, bits of sweetness through the story.

The beauty of the brain is that we get to use it for some amazing things.  So use your thinker this week, learn something new, even work on something new, and definitely eat chocolate!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Voices in my Head

I have yet to put my fingers back on the keyboard for my CampNano book, darn life getting in my way, but last night I just could not sleep.  It was about one o'clock and I was playing over a conversation my hero and heroin will be having in the book.  Over and over I played the scene in my head until I wasn't sure if I was even awake anymore. Finally I was able to sleep, but those voices sure were persistent.

It reminded me of a time I was working on a manuscript, and I was having a conversation with the main character in the shower.  It must have been afternoon, probably after a morning of cleaning and playing mommy, but the shower curtain opens and there stands my husband.

"Who are you talking too." He asked.

Scared the heck out of me! He just laughed and left the bathroom. Apparently he is use to the crazy conversations I have with myself.

Another time I was grocery shopping, and I was standing by the cereal having a conversation with a character, and this lady pokes her head around the corner and gives me a funny look. Slowly she crossed over to the next isle keeping her eye on me the whole time.  Apparently she is NOT use to the crazy conversations I have with myself. Hahaha!!

I can't say I mind the voices so much, unless it is 1:30 in the morning. They sure have given me some good laughs, and some great ideas, and as long as the special people in my life except them, then I guess things are peachy.  Now lets see, the voices are telling me I need chocolate.  What? I was up until 1:30 people!!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Back in the Saddle Again!

Day 9 of Camp Nano and I regret to inform you, that I have written nothing in two days.  AHHAHAHHA!!! OK, now that I got that out of my system I need to re-focus.  I would like to use a weekend of camping and swimming, game playing and pretty much being lazy as an excuse but we all know that doesn't work during Nano.  So today I recommit, I say, write, write, write!  The beauty of Nano for me though is that I open the manuscript and I keep going, I don't go back and read anything, I don't worry about flow or congruency, I just write and it is fun!

I remember a couple of years ago being stressed about my story at the time. I was worried about everything working out, keeping my readers attention, following all the rules. It was a very stressful time for me. I remember sitting down at the computer and not knowing how to do something that I have loved doing forever.  I expressed my concern to my wonderful hubby and he told me to stop worrying about everything and just enjoy writing, enjoy the process.  That is when I found Nano.  One whole month of throwing the rules out the window and just having a good time.  Since then I have looked forward to November so I could let my hair down and just enjoy. 

Today, when I open up Capturing Lady Jane and start plunking away, I will remember how much I love what I do.  How much I enjoy living in another world for a couple of hours every day, and knowing that, no matter how my stories are received, I loved writing them!

Friday, July 5, 2013

Happy Independence Day!

Yesterday I took a break from writing to spend Independence Day with my family and friends.  We went to the parade and had a BBQ at the park. Spend the afternoon watching cartoons with the kids and then played cards with friends until dark, then set off fireworks.  It was a fun day, but no writing got done! Good thing I worked hard the day before!

Camp Nano had given me a reason be be a crazy writer, you know the ones in the movies who wear
sweaters, drink cup loads of coffee (hot chocolate for me please) and look all pensive all the time.  It's fun to be that person, feeling all angsty about things while I write poignant phrases like:

"She stared into the deep, feeling the turmoil of the black waves within her own soul."

Yesterday I got to watch my children enjoying the full measure of life and it made me wonder why I can't just let myself live every day like I do when I write during Nano? Don't get me wrong, I don't want to wear sweaters all the time, and to much hot chocolate would relegate me to the bathroom for a good portion of the day, but that doesn't mean I can't write with all the passion and abandonment that I do twice a year for Nano. 

What I am trying to say is, yesterday on Independence Day I learned a few things about myself. I'm going to try to not be so hard on myself and enjoy the process instead of trying to make everything perfect.  Just like a firework, life is more exciting when you don't know what is in the package. :)


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Time to Hit the Keys!

OK friends, yesterday I managed 4,000 words and it was a lot of fun.  Sometimes I feel like I get stuck in a rut trying to pound out the same old thing every day.  I love what I do, but just like every job, I  need a change of scenery to keep the juices flowing.  I had no idea what I wanted to do for Camp Nano until about 9:30 yesterday morning but the story is really coming along.  I like the characters and the plot line is fun, something I haven't really done before.

I was talking to a friend yesterday, and he was saying that he likes the idea of Nano because you can just put it all down and lock your editor in the closet without food or drink for a month.  I agree!! It really is fun to throw all the rules out the door and know that it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be creative.  My neighbor calls it hamburger writing. It isn't pretty but it is full of all kinds of goodness!

Anyway, I encourage all of you out there to work on your Hamburger Manuscript today, and hit the keys!!!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

As the Fates Would Have it!

This morning I was looking around on the web, (when I should have been writing) and I came across a mention of Camp Nanowrimo.  As most of you know I participate in Nanowrimo in November, where you write a 50,000 word novel during the month.  Well, the wonderful people at Nano decided to help our writing along and offer us another chance to write untethered for a month. A month where we throw it all out the window and just write. And that month is this one!

So, I mentioned yesterday that I was going to set a writing goal to work towards this month and as the fates would say Camp Nano has handed me the way.  While my brain seems to be stuck when it comes to A Runaway Heart, I have decided to spread my wings and work on another manuscript for the month then hit A Runaway Heart hard next month after I have blown off some writing steam.

Camp Nano started July 1st so I am a day behind, but I am insistent on finishing, so I better get started.  I have chosen a Pirate Romance this time. I guess there is a first time for everything! Wish me luck.

Day One!

I did it friends. Day one of writing has been completed.  I worked really hard to get something down on paper.  Some days writing is hard! I worked and worked to get something at least readable down yesterday.  I think it is interesting, some mornings I wake up and just have to write, the words just beg to come out and I can spend hours writing. Other days it is like pulling teeth to get anything worth reading!

I have began to realize that the more the story is in my head, the easier it is to write. It's just like talking with a friend, I find that when I am more in touch with my characters it is easier to write about them and their lives.  I told my husband once that it is hard having all these people in my head because sometimes I don't know who I am talking too! 

Anyway. I am looking forward to another hour of writing today.  I think if I have a good long conversation with my characters this morning, we can have a good long writing session later in the day when it is to hot outside to do anything. 

Good luck in your writing and I hope you have success in your day.

Monday, July 1, 2013

A New Month!

So I am going to challenge myself this month to write every day.  I think I'm an going to try for an hour of writing every day through the month of July.  I am working on the next novel in the Heart collection.

In A Runaway Heart, Kit and Macey are trying hard to make it work, but being an ex US Marshal has it drawbacks, especially when bad guy Jamison comes back for revenge. It is a fun story and I really hope to make some process on it this month.

If there are any writers out there in the blogging world I challenge you to the same writing goal. I don't care it if is an hour or twenty minutes. Maybe you only want to do 2000 words, or something similar, but lets do it. Lets make some stories guys!!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Finding a Little Time.

As a busy mommy of four kids I have a hard time finding writing time.  I have tried hard to get up early in the morning to get some writing in before they all get up and start needing me, but summer time is hard.  If your house is like my house we go to bed late and get up late and still have all the same chores to get done every day. Some days I find myself not getting a single thing written in a day, which really puts a damper on my writing goals.  If you have a great idea on finding a little bit of time let me know and I will see if it works.




A Ransomed Heart is now Free!

A Ransomed Heart is now Free! 

Today through the 2nd. 

Get yourself a copy of this great clean historical romance. 

Leave a Review for others to read!

Click Here to buy at Amazon!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

A Ransomed Heart Free Run!

Just wanted to let everyone know that A Ransomed Heart is going on a free run on Amazon.com June 28th-July 2nd.  Also you can pick up Sweetwater Springs for just $0.99, also at Amazon.com.  Please enjoy and leave a review so others know what you thought of the book.

I also wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone who had supported and encouraged me through everything. First off my Hubby, he is an amazing man, and my children who drive me crazy and give me the best ideas! Also those who help me put the manuscripts together such as Mel, my cover art designer and Raighne, who helps me get everything edited. 

Thank you also for those who have read my books and written reviews. It is so helpful to hear from my readers so I know how the books are being received. If you have read either A Ransomed Heart, or Sweetwater Springs, please take just a minute and write a review, so my next books can benefit from your words. 

Thanks Again.

Alex

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

May 31, 2013

I wanted to announce that we are re-releasing Sweetwater Springs this Friday!  I listened to my readers and my reviewers and realize that it needed a more thorough edit job, so I made it happen.  My amazing editor, Raighne Kotrla, who edited A Ransomed Heart, has gone through it with a fine-toothed comb, and now edits won't be a problem! I am also excited to say that my very talented book artist, Mel Fowle from Melchelle Designs, has redone my cover and it looks amazing!  I am so blessed to be able to work with such talented ladies! 

In celebration of the re-release, we will soon be running A Ransomed Heart on a free promotion for a limited time. I hope you will choose to read it and leave a review. I also hope all of those who have not yet read Sweetwater Springs will pick up the newly revised copy and enjoy a sweet little love story.

Sweetwater Springs

In the spring of 1900, Katie O'Hare returns to Sweetwater Springs ten years after being orphaned by a murderous act that left her with nothing but an old pocket watch and scattered memories. Reluctantly she begins to fall for Tyler Reynolds, a rugged young cowboy with a troubled past. As their romance deepens, they find themselves tragically connected to a secret that puts their love and their lives in danger.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

What's In a Cover?

So I have mentioned before that I worked with a wonderful and talented lady for my cover for A Ransomed Heart, but I wanted to give her a little more credit.

Mel Fowle from Melchelle Designs was so great to work with! She was conciterate to my personal preferances, and worked hard to give me exactly what I wanted.  I have never had a cover desgined for me before, and I have to say there isn't anyone else I would go to after my experience with Mel.  I was so pleased with her quick responses and her frienedly personalty.  So, HUGE shout out to Melchelle Designs and exepcially Mel! 

I know there have been lots of times that a cover has caught my eye and I am a true believer now of great cover art.  A great story deserves a great cover.  When you are getting close to getting your book out there to the world, please consider getting the cover professionally done for it, I guarantee it will boost sales. 

Think of it this way. If your husband, boyfriend, significant other asked you to fly to Paris eat at Le Meurice and attend the Opera, your not going to ware jeans and a T-shirt, right!?! No your going to go get that smoken' hot red dress and strappie shoes you've been thinking about. Then you go get hair hair done and look your very best. Obviously a lot of time, preparation, and money has gone into his planning so you're going to look your best! When you work, and sweat, and cry over your manuscript, and hope that it touches the rest of the world, you want your book to call out to other people. There are very talented people out there who do cover art for a living, and they want to give you something perfect for your book!

So, because I can, here is a shameless plug for my friend Mel and Melchelle Designs. Take a look at her work, I promise you will be impressed! http://melchelledesigns.com/

Monday, March 18, 2013

Information Dump!

Just a quick reminder that A Ransomed Heart is now available at Amazon.  We are also running a special on Sweetwater Springs, you can download it for FREE March 22-24!  What a deal right! 

For those who want to know I am now working on A Runaway Heart the second book in the Heart Collection.  We first met Marcus Kittlinger, or Kit in our first book A Ransomed Heart. Well Kit has come back to Regency after leaving the US Marshals. Settling for a Sheriff job back home he finds himself escorting the Mayors daughter Macey Waters, back into town after their train crashes. An adventure awaits them both. I am really enjoying the writing process on this book because I know Kit so well from the first book. I feel like I am really pulling for him because he is such a likeable character.  I am also enjoying following some story lines throughout the collection and I am anxious to introduce you to some new characters that hopefully you will fall in love with, like US Marshal River Johnson, ladies man, mans man, and man about town. A super hot hunk who loves himself just as much as we do, but is a great sport about it. And Mayor Waters who wants the best for his head strong daughter Macey, and Sheriff Kit who he has grown very fond of. Sometimes love needs a push from a knowing father. I will keep you up to date on the progress of the manuscript in the coming months.

For now I hope you enjoy my two available stories, and when your done I would appreciate it if  you left an honest review so I know how to keep my readers happy!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Can't Keep this Secret!

A Ransomed Heart is now available!!! I was surprised when I got up this morning and saw it didn't take the 48 hours Amazon said it would to get it published.  I'm not going to complain!!! You can now find A Ransomed Heart at Amazon for $2.99.  Please download and enjoy, and when you're done with the book please leave a review, good, bad or otherwise. 

Friday, March 15, 2013

It's Here!

My youngest daughter
I got my edits last night from Raighne!

I was late getting home from choir and didn't get my email until after ten so I made myself go to bed so I wouldn't be tempted to work on it all night.

When I got up this morning I rushed the kids out the door and sat down to see what she had to say.  I was so impressed at some of the things she found. When you write the story it is part of you, so reading through it sometimes you don't see what is on the page, instead you see what you want on the page. It was so helpful to have her proof it, and I feel confident it is great.  There were a few small changes that needed to be made, but I pounded those out pretty fast. My sweet hubby is helping me get it formatted and adding all the fluff before we get it up on Kindle, but it is going smoothly so far.

On to the great news!  A Ransomed Heart will be available for purchase Monday, March 18th!!! Look for it on Amazon.  I would hope that after you read A Ransomed Heart, that you would choose to leave a review when you are done, or simply rate the book honestly.  I appreciate all reviews so please tell me what you think.

If you enjoy A Ransomed Heart you will be excited to know that I am currently working on a second book in The Heart Collection that follows our good friend Kit, and we get to meet the sweet girl who steals his heart. Look for A Runaway Heart.  Coming Soon!

You may also be interested in Sweetwater Springs, my first novel about Katie and Tyler and their struggle to overcome a past that could destroy them both. Also found at Amazon.

Again a great big thank you to all those who have supported and encouraged me over the years. Thanks for all you do, and happy reading.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Excitement and Reflection

There is a lot of excitement revolving around the upcoming release of A Ransomed Heart.  I remember when I was working towards the release of Sweetwater Springs it felt like it wasn't really happening; like it was a dream come true, but I wasn't really doing it, I was just watching it.  However, working on the cover for Ransomed and waiting on edits, is really putting things into perspective.  I have been writing for a long time and hoping to send my work out into the world and I am really doing that!

The other day I found some little books that I wrote in the fourth grade.  My sweet mother had the sense enough to keep them safe for me, for which I am eternally grateful! It was fun to look through them and see how my story telling has changed over the years, it also made me thankful for spell check!  But it has also shown me how far I have come as a writer. 

I really enjoy writing, I have a whole folder on my computer full of stories I have been working on, but for a long time it was hard for me to share them. Of course my family has always been supportive and my husband has been my biggest fan but I think I have started rooting for myself too, and that is a really neat feeling.  I know my stories aren't for everyone and that's just fine, I only hope that they can reach someone and bring them a little joy. 

I hope all of you out there who are striving to accomplish hard things can find the strength to go for it. I know it is really scary, and there are a lot of critics out there, but I hope you know that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.  Confidence is a great thing and success will follow if you just stick to it. Good luck with all your adventures and know that you always have a fan in me!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Coming Soon!!!

I am excited to announce that my next novel A Ransomed Heart will soon be released.  I want to thank Mel from Melchelle Designs for my beautiful cover, and my editor, Raighne Davidson for all her hard work with this book. Here is the cover and a quick peek at my new book.



Annabelle Casey hasn't met Robert Seiver yet, but their engagement saves her entire family from destitution.  This isn't the fairytale wedding she had dreamed of, but a marriage of convenience seems to be her only choice.  When her trip to the Seiver Ranch is interrupted by a band of outlaws, she may find that her overturned stagecoach in the barren Wyoming badlands is where her future really begins.



Logan Bailey has plans for revenge, but the fiery young redhead he kidnaps for ransom is changing them all. Years of anger have hardened him, but Robert Seiver's fiancé is giving him second thoughts, and not just about money.  Can he put away a lifetime of hate for a girl he hardly knows? Can Annabelle marry Mr. Seiver and save her family, or will she choose Logan, the man who holds her heart for ransom?


A Ransomed Heart is a stand alone novel in The Heart Collection. A clean Historical Romance that will make you fall in love with Romance all over again.