Warm Ups:

It seems everything we do has a warm up. I coach swimming and we warm and we warm down. So it can also go in writing. To get the best writing during a short amount of time many of us warm up. When I'm writing daily, I like to warm up and/or warm down on my blog by giving a brief run-down of what is happening in my manuscript on that day. Many use writing drills to warm up and improve writing skills.

My favorite, a technique I use not only to warm up but to improve my writing.

Challenge: write 26 sentences begin each with a different letter of the alphabet. Make sure you write them in order beginning with 'A' and of course ending with 'Z'

What is your favorite warm up or drill?

Happy Dancing: Another great review Long and Short reveviews gives Forever His 4 books.

A captivating and intriguing story that sucks you in and takes you back into 1895 with a timeless tale filled with high drama, a ruthless criminal and two lovers who are intended to be together. If you want to keep on the edge of your seat , turning pages and wondering what will happen next or if Etta and Jacob will make it through all of their troubles, then this is the book for you.

Check it out the entire review at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/forever-his-by-christine-young.html

I'm hoping to find some time to write this winter break. But I'm not sure there will be time until this summer and possibly not until I retire. With RPP I'm trying to get a little bit ahead of the game so I won't feel so pressured as swim season picks up and finally come to a close in the middle of February. My faeries in the St. Patty's day anthology are waiting to play again as I read other people stories, hunt for comma mistakes and delete over used words. This can be frustrating and rewarding. I love it when I send a story to reviewers and it comes back with great comments and high reviews. Even though a story will never appeal to everyone, I have begun to appreciate other genres and I feel as if I am growing as a writer. I would also love to get back to the third story in my set of 12, A Marriage of Inconvenience. So you ask when will The Wager be published? I haven't heard. I alos haven't seen the new cover. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

I will be writing on my other blog tomorrow. Oh, I'm looking forward to the Oregon State game tonight. Go Beavs!!!

What makes people visit a blog? I am a member of serveral online loops. Sometimes I check on the blogs and the promos but I rarely leave a comment. How should someone aspiring to entice bloggers to read your blog and leave a comment? Do contests work? Does it help to have other authors become part of your blog? I'm really not too sure. I've studied a few and can never really decide what would be the best way to get people to particiate on my blog. I love to have readers leave comments. It is fun to have them turn up on my email and I always race to my blog to see what has been said. However, most of the time they are my friends and while I love that my fellow friends and authors leave comments I would truly like to hear from more people. And then, how does one know if they are successful of if the blog led to a sale of a book? Is all this just extra work?

Any one out there with comments? I'd love to hear from you.

So what if I am counting down. One day left. The first semester is almost over. I love all my classes except one. I guess that is pretty good. Better than in the past. So why talk about work? Probably because I just want to write. My creative outlets have been stifled. I have stories chasing around in my brain and no place to put them. How crazy is that?

Christmas is almost upon us. I'm looking forward to my family around the christmas tree and I am missing my husband's mother and father. I miss the Christmas' in Bend and all of his family. We are all spread so far apart now days that we hardly ever see them. I will be baking cinamon rolls for christmas morning and Ashley's and Arlo's favorite fruit salad. There is so much to enjoy.

And I hope I will have the time to work on my St. Patty's day anthology. My characters are going crazy.

There are just two days left untill winter break. Boy am I ready to have a few days to write and read. I've stretched myself too thin this year and will welcome a little rest and relaxation. I wish I could get away to the coast for a couple of days but I don't think that will happen. I am looking forward to spending a few days with Anaheim. It is wonderful to have a grandchild. She is a joy. Of course I don't have to get up in the middle of the night with her. We will be wedding shopping during the break. That will be lots of fun but coordinating the family to shop with Jenee will be challenging.

Still just two more days. Woo hoo!

Meet Author: Patricia Masingill, AKA Anne Patrick

What or who inspired you to start writing?
I've always had an over-active imagination, especially as a kid, and would often find myself in some kind of trouble. So my mother, probably as a way to keep me out of trouble, suggested I write these ideas down and turn them into make believe adventures instead of real life ones. It worked most of the time :o)
How did you come up with ideas for your books?
My writing muse comes at me from many different directions. Newspaper articles, conversations with friends, while driving, or walking the dog, and several have developed from a dream. Here's an example. Recently I was having lunch with friends and one of them was talking about the disappearance of some guy in a nearby state. Almost immediately I slipped into my zone. Then I hear one of my friends laughing and look over and she's handing me a pen and napkin. "Better write it down before you forget it," she says. It's scary how well they know me sometimes!
What expertise did you bring to your writing?
Lots of research and observation of people in their everyday lives. Plus I’ve had a variety of jobs over the years which helps.
What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
My faith in God is one of the driving forces behind my passion to write. I not only want to entertain and thrill my readers, I want to share my faith through the written words.
As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
To keep spinning the stories and to someday land on the NYT bestseller list. Hey, when I dream, I dream BIG!
If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?
That's a tough one because I put my characters through so much I'm not sure I'd want to trade places with any of them. If I had to choose though, I would pick Maggie O'Brien. She's the high spirited widow in my upcoming Inspirational Romance, Reservation for Two. I hope I'm that sassy and adventurous when I'm in my sixties.
Do you belong to a critique group?
If so how does this help or hinder your writing? I live a small town, so no. I have worked with an experienced editor/author who works with several well-known authors, and she has taught me a lot about the craft. Just as important, she has inspired me to keep at it when at times I was tempted to give up.
When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
My mother was the first to encourage me to submit my work in the late eighties. I would from time to time, but would get easily discouraged by the rejections. Then in 2007 I really got serious about my writing, jumped in head first you might say, hooked up with a very talented editor/author and just kept at it.
What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
Don't take rejection personally. There are many reasons a publisher will pass on your work, because you haven’t any talent usually isn't one of them. Keep at it and don't give up!
Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I begin with an idea and will make a brief outline of how I would like the story to play out. Once I've created my characters, though, and given them a voice, they inevitably take over and I just hang on for dear life. It's like riding a rollercoaster blindfolded and I love it!
Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you've gained from these carryover into your characters or the plot of your books?
Hiking, fishing, camping, and I love to travel out of the country. Oh, and I also like to play video games. I'm a big Tomb Raider fan!
Do you have an all time favorite book?
A series actually. The O'Malley series by Dee Henderson.
Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?
I'm working on two right now in between edits. One is an Inspirational Romance and the other a 'Sweet' Romantic Suspense involving another serial killer. I love writing and reading about serial killers. It's frightening how my mind works sometimes :o)
Your interview will be posted before Christmas. Is there a family Christmas tradition or recipe you would like to share?
Better Than Sex Cake (okay, so it's an exaggeration, but it's still really...really good!)
Yellow cake mix
Large can pineapple w/juice
1 cup sugar
1 sm pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 large carton cool whip
1 cup of coconut
1 cup of walnuts

Bake cake as directed, while cake is baking simmer pineapple juice and sugar. When is done poke holes in it and pour mixture over cake. Fold your pudding, cool whip and coconut together and spread over the cake, sprinkle on the nuts, then chill. Best if refrigerated overnight. 15. What is your favorite reality show?
I'm a little embarrassed by admitting this, but here goes. It isn't on anymore but I loved the Osbourne’s reality show. What can I say, Ozzy rocks! Now the only one I watch, when I have time, is The Office.
16. And even though I already know the answer (unless you changed your mind) who is your favorite sexy actor?
Yep, it's Matthew McConaughey.
17. Anything else you might want to add?
Be sure to look for Lethal Dreams and Dark Alliance coming in Jan and Feb 2010. I have a few more being released in 2010 also. For excerpts, release dates, and giveaways please visit: www.suspensebyanne.blogspot.com

Check out new review of Allura. Matilda at Coffe Time Romance gives Allura 4 cups. Check out the entire reveiw.

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/Allura.html

I really enjoyed this book by Christine Young. It has mystery, humor and, whew, steamy love scenes! An awesome group of characters make this read very entertaining, from the tough as nails Allura to her meddlesome younger sister, Aiden. There is never a dull moment throughout this book and you will surely not be disappointed. I can only hope that some of my favorites get a story of their own. Well done Ms. Young.
MatildaReviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Forever His is on sale now as an ebook at Rogue Phoenix Press:http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/ The print book will be on sale November 25th.

Forever His will be released as an ebook by Rogue Phoenix Press November 15th--tomorrow. Forever His is the last in a series of 5 beginning with Dakota's Bride published in 1998. Topping off the end of the series Forever His received a 5 heart review from Night Owl reviews.

I am currently working on a St. Patrick's Day Anthology with Rogues Angels.

The winner is JWlsley. Congratulations. I will contact you and send you a copy of Safari Moon. Anaheim Elizabeth Tofte was born Friday, November 13th. Yeah!!!

Night Owl Romance gives Forever His: 5 hearts and a Reviewers Top Pick. Check out the review at Night Owl.

http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=5007

Ashley and Tim's baby shower last night! Lots of fun. Baby Anaheim Elizabeth is due in November. On Thanksgiving Day I'll be a grandmother. What fun! I am so looking forward to meeting the new addition to our family. In honor of the new baby, I will be giving away a copy of Safari Moon. Safari Moon is my one and only comtemporary romance. Enter today with a favorite baby name. Drawing will be held on Anaheim's birthday.

Edits for The Wager--revisting England and the regency period. Hope to finish up by the end of next week. Found a section in one of my resource books where a certain Duke built a huge glass conservatory where he could keep exotic flora and fauna. He heated the building using seven miles of of iron pipes fed by an elaborate system of eight furnaces supplied with coal brought by a specially built tramway. At Chiswick the Duke had also had his own zoo, with an elephant, giraffes and other animals wandering in the gardens.

I've been working on edits for Forever His. So the St. Patrick's Day anthology story has been temporarily put on hold. Forever His is the last of the books beginning with Dakota's Bride which was first published by Zebra Books followed by My Angel. Here is an exerpt from Forever His which will be published in November by Rogue Phoenix Press

August 30, 1895
Near Buffalo Creek,
South Dakota

The sun beat down. Searing heat waves hit the hard packed earth, blistering, charring everything even the dry prairie grass. Jacob St. John, his arms stretched overhead and bound to a whipping post, no longer counted the lashes tearing into his back, no longer felt the horrific agony.
More than a half-dozen men and one woman were gathered in the sage-patched backyard of the run-down shack. So far not one person made a sound as they watched Chavez wield the whip, stripping the flesh off his back.
If Chavez weren't so angry and seeking revenge of his own, he would probably have just had him shot. Revenge was a powerful motive. Chavez wanted Jacob to suffer, to yell before he died. It seemed Etta Barringer did too. So far Chavez was toying with him, taunting and teasing him, cutting an inch here, ripping an inch there, not doing much damage but making mincemeat out of his back.
Jacob hadn't made a sound yet, not even a sharp, indrawn breath. He wasn't about to even though he knew Chavez would get impatient and start slashing. There was no hurry. Chavez had as long as he wanted. No one save Etta knew where he was, no one would come looking for him, at least not until the sun went down. By then Chavez would be done with him, and he would either be dead or buzzard-bait. For the life of him, he couldn't figure why Etta would hand him over to Chavez. She had always been Pinkerton to the core, yet she had betrayed him once before. If he survived this, he meant to have answers. He'd move heaven and earth to search out the lying Etta Barringer and find out exactly what she had against him.
The pain of betrayal at the forefront of his mind, and vows of revenge against the instigator of this kept him going. He focused on the woman's laughter and the scent of lemons that permeated his very soul.

Buy at http://www.roguephoenixpress.com/

Newest Release Meghan's Legacy Reviewed by: Val at eBookGuru

I picked up Meghan’s Legacy for the mystery/ suspense aspect alone and found it to be one of the best books that I have read. K.J. Dahlen most definitely knows how to write a chapter with one heck of a cliffhanger. I love how K.J. Dahlen’s mind works. Just when I thought I knew what happened, boom, another surprise! This book does contain a sensual romance and characters who sizzle together, but the main focus is on the mystery as, for this book, it absolutely should be. It’s what made the book a compelling and well crafted read. I found this book to be fast moving with a lot of sitting on the edge of your seat suspense. The villian is always lurking just one step behind Meghan and Quinn. I consider this book to be an instant pick me up book and I know that I will be reading it for a long time to come. I will definitely be looking for more work by K.J. Dahlen and this author has just become a mandatory add to my automatic to be read list.

For the entire review go to: http://www.ebookguru.org/2009/08/review-meghans-legacy-by-kj-legacy/

Shortly after her twenty-fifth birthday Meghan Thorp comes back home. There’s only one problem, she doesn’t remember ever living here. At age three she lost her parents and her grandmother when an explosion blew up a cottage on her grandparent’s estate. Two years later she lost her grandfather in what was claimed to be an accident. Now twenty years later she returns and strange things start happening to her.
When a friend of her grandfather tells her that her grandfather never believed the accidents that took her family were accidents at all, but murder, he encourages her to remember the two days in her young life that changed her forever.
She doesn’t remember anything about the explosion or her grandfather’s death but when the nightmares return she knows she has to before whoever murdered her family gets to her. When she finds out that the someone behind the murders of her family might be her own uncle, Meghan can’t believe it. Especially when she realizes the reason behind the murders are rumors of Union gold buried on the property.

1. What lured you to writing suspense?
I tried writing romance but I loved intrigue more. I love the fact that I can put my characters into a situation and watch how they get themselves out of it. Sometimes they just take over my story and make it their own. I like the fact that my books intrigue people enough that they want to keep reading. If I can make them want to turn the next page to find out what is coming next then I've done my job as a writer. When I first started writing someone told me that my books were predicitable. I vowed then and there that my books would have twists and turned you would see coming and I think I'm doing just that.

2. What is the hardest part of writing suspense?
I think the hardest part is coming up with new ideas. It's also the easiest part of writing suspense. Alot of the time my books come from a single idea or phrase. I can build up an idea into a book. I start with an outline and go from there. Sometimes I stick to the outline but most of the time the story takes on a life of its own and I never know where its going to go until I'm done.

3. How long does it take you to write a suspense novel?
I did a book in three weeks just to see if I could do it. It turned out to be a very good book, and led me to outline several more using the same characters.
Most of the time I can write about three to five books a year.

4. Does research get easier over time? Do you utilize information gathered previously for your novel?
Yes several years ago I began researaching by reading forensic and crime books. I have a very extensive library of my own with everything from forensic, to herbal medicine to criminal psycology. Some times I use the internet. I like to read and that knowledge is never a waste of time. I also like to impart of little bit of myself in each of my books.

Kim lives in a small Wisconsin town with her husband and dog. She can see the Mississippi river on one side and the bluffs where eagles fly on the other. She has two kids and two grandkids. Kim loves to people watch and she uses what she sees in her books. She loves to create intense situations for her characters and sit back and see what they do to get to get themselves out of trouble. Sometimes her characters even surprise her. Her characters come alive for her, and what starts out as just an idea becomes a story with unusual twists and turns. She loves to keep her readers guessing until the very last page.

Only a three day work week. Woohoo! Today I am going to work on my St. Patrick's Day Anthology. I think the fae folk must be up next. They seem to write the story, but I'm going to have to read through the entire manuscript before I start writing. I've been away for far too long. I've finally figured out what the feud is about. Oh, the simple things and faster fingers. No this is not a story about pickpockets although I have a pickpocket story. Interesting, but the pickpocket is a dog.

Look for the Valentine Anthology coming out in February. The Wager and Forever His in November. Check out the http://aidansmisadventures.blogspot.com/ for an excerpt from The Wager.

Back to school! Now I have to figure out how to get everything done. PBS training today and work on animation. I hope the animation session will help with book trailers and other things. Will be finishing a scene tonight. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'll get out of the first scene in chapter 5. Then what...

Finishing a book, wow! I saw on line someone blogging about the great feelings one has when the book is finished. Well, I'm a long ways away from finishing my St. Patrick's Day anthology. In the last three days I haven't even finished a page--a line or two maybe--but I've had other things on my mind. I will try again today. But I'm still working on the duel. I should be long past that point--ah, well--I'm not.

Check out my blog http://aidansmisadventures.blogspot.com/ for a new excerpt from The Wager coming in November from Awe-struck. Don't forget Forever His the last book in the series starting ten years ago with Dakota's Bride. Forever His coming in November from Rogue Phoenix Press

One of the groups I belong to asked the question: How is it working with other authors on a project? Good and Bad. The Rogue's Angels decided to work on Anthologies together. The first one will be published in 2010 on Valentines Day. The experience has been great. We are the best of friends and so we have been able to pull our combined talents into an anthology which will be a fun read. Our next project to be published in 2011 will be a St. Patrick's Day anthology. This one will be a little bit diffrent because we are trying to combine the three stories into one continuous one. I'm a little scared about how this is going to work but I think with lots of planning the story will come together. The problem with all this is that I'm not a planner. Sigh--it is a good thing Chris K. and Genene are excellent at this endeavor.

Look for The Wager coming in November from Awe-Struck books and Forever His in November from Rogue Phoenix Press. Yes, the date has been moved up. Go to http://aidansmisadventures.blogspot.com/ to read an excerpt from The Wager.

The heroine is racing to the park to stop the duel. Will she make it in time? Will her brother survive? This is an action packed scene with bullets flying, horses racing and oh my, I forgot how awkward and accident prone our heroine is. Will she survive the race to the park? Can she avoid the phaetons and other transportation devices that might get in her way? Will the fae folk intervene and sprinkle a little magical dust on her to keep her from hurting herself? So many questions and not even time.

Looks like the Valentine Anthology has a kick-off party planned for--you'll never guess--February 14th and I think it will be at the animal shelter in Salem. Mark your calendar and plan to be there. The three stories? Chasing Rainbows, The Lending Library, and The Gift.

I'm looking for some inspiration here. I'm sure the fae folk will give it to me once I start writing. The duel is about to take place. Ah--questions, how will the faeries interfere? Will there be trickery? Will the antagonist turn at 10 paces or will he cheat?

On another note, I'm looking forward to the phone call from my daughter. She is off to Greece. What an adventure. She was there for school last year and now cannot resist the place and is back. She has been to two weddings and traveled the countryside a little bit.

Look for another excerpt for The Wager coming in November from Awe-struck posted at http://aidansmisadventures.blogspot.com/