Friday, January 31, 2020

Friday, Dee S Knight is Visiting and Talking about being a Panster or a Plotter #MFRWAuthor #Plot #Characters


1. Are you a panster or a plotter or perhaps a bit of both?
There was a time when I was a total punster—never took a note or outlined ahead. Now I’m a combination. I don’t outline as such, but I do jot down notes and character descriptions. I even use whole character sheets at times. I must be getting older, lol!

2. Which comes first - characters or plot for you?
Plot, which is strange because I’m really more character driven both in my own characters and when I read. But for my books, I start with a plot idea. It doesn’t have to be much—a single line from a song, a line from the news, or something I see when people watching. Then I build the characters to fit the story line I have in mind.

3. What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series or something totally new?
Book 3 in the Good Man series. Book 1, Only a Good Man Will Do, featured schoolteacher Daniel. Book 2 had Jonah, the NASCAR mechanic as a hero, and now the third triplet, Mark, gets his book. He’s a genius who doesn’t understand women at all—especially the one who’s currently chasing him!

4. Do you have some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a lot, hospitals and caves.
I a way. I always put some trait of my husband’s in my books. Sometimes I even use forms of his name: Jack, Jackson, or something similar. He’s not always the hero! It depends on my mood at the time. 😉

5. Do you write everyday or just when the spirit hits?\
If I were a smart person, I would write every day, but I don’t. Hits and misses, I’m afraid. Can you kick some sense into me??

6. Where can we find you?


Thursday, January 30, 2020

Thursday's Fifth Scene from Past Betrayals, Past Loves #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Paranormal #Reincarnation #Romance


Mermeshu wished the evening meal would end. Dish after dish was offered. Where was Seshat? Would she be at the pool or had she changed her mind? Surely, he hadn't misunderstood her response to his touch. Just thinking about her made his groin tighten and his erection pulse.
Sehetep leaned back in his chair. Tonight, Mermeshu sat in the seat usually taken by the first wife. The nomarch clapped his hands. "Nefru, since Seshat is ailing, play the harp while I discuss what I will give these men and what I expect from them."
The rippling notes formed a background for the discussion. Mermeshu focused his attention on the older man's offer. Though a marriage wasn't mentioned, was this the string attached to such generosity?
When the older man rose, Nefru suggested a garden walk. Mermeshu shook his head. "I have much to consider. I'll see you tomorrow."
She rose. Light from the torches shone through the sheer linen of her dress. Mermeshu tensed. Was Nefru the bait Sehetep dangled? She was too willing to be seduced. As she glided away, her rounded buttocks moved in a sensual dance. He groaned. Slim women were to his taste. He also preferred women who enjoyed being chased and captured not those who pursued.
Intef followed him to the doorway. "Soon she will be yours. Why not sample her bounty?"
"Since you're so entranced with her charms, make her yours. Keep her amused tonight. Take her to your room."
"She will only toy with me for she wants the Commander of the Army. She wishes to become a pharaoh's wife. Take care. The spite of a rejected woman can be as poisonous as the bite of an asp."
Though Intef was right, Mermeshu only wanted Seshat. Nefru repelled him. He wiped his hands on his kilt. Tonight, he would bind Seshat with cords of love. Once she was enmeshed in the web, if he had to do what he had no taste for, she would willingly enter his woman's court.
He glanced into the garden and saw the moon had risen. "Go to Nefru. We'll talk in the morning." He strode to his sleeping room and removed his kilt and pectoral. After sponging his body, he strode to the garden.
As he neared the pool, alert for alien noises, he listened to the sounds of the night. He saw Seshat. His erection pulsed against his loin cloth. He wanted to seize and toss her to the ground, then thrust into her woman's passage. He gulped deep breaths. This was not the time for haste. By her presence, he knew she was his.
* * * *

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Wednesdday Murder and Tainted Tea #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Cozy Mystery #Santa Fe

Murder and Tainted Tea (Mrs. Miller Mysteries Book 3)

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com   for some great excerpts. Mine is another adventure for Katherine Miller as she visits her friend, Lars in Santa Fe

BLURB:
Katherine heads to Santa Fe, New Mexico along with a Maine Coon Cat kitten to spend New Year’s Eve with Lars. Her guilty feelings over the organist’s death have her needing an escape. When she reaches Santa Fe, she discovers Lars is missing. She seeks and finds him and steps into another mystery. Lars’ daughter dislikes Katherine but when the young woman is kidnapped, they are puzzled. The murder of Lars’ daughter and one of his employees makes solving the mysteries necessary. Can she learn before Lars becomes a victim.

Reviews:
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase



Top international reviews


Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

2019 Book Hooks



EXCERPT:


As the candles were lit at midnight, I prayed my role in Roger Brandon’s death would fade and I
 could forgive myself. I also knew my decision to welcome the New Year in Santa Fe, New Mexico 
with my dear friend, Lars Claybourne, was mete and right. Thoughts of the trip had become my
 golden dream.

* * *

The evening before my departure, I carried a half dozen tins of dried mint to the bedroom. These 
were the last items for the suitcase on the antique sleigh bed. As I paused in the doorway, the 
urge to laugh was almost impossible to contain, but a stern approach was needed.
     “Robespierre, an open suitcase is not a bed.” I glared at the Maine Coon cat who had curled 
among my neatly folded clothes. “You aren’t being abandoned. Maria and the baby are excited
 about your visit.”
     The look of disdain on his face brought my laughter bubbling forth. I dumped the tea on
 the bed, scratched his head, then lifted twenty-five pounds of cat from the case. “Be gone.” As
 he stalked from the room, his tail twitched to signal his displeasure at being banished.
     After tucking my stash among my clothes, I closed the case. With a supply of teas for every
 occasion, I felt prepared to face my flight to an unfamiliar destination. I wheeled the suitcase 
and carried a hanging bag to the kitchen where they would be on hand for my early morning 
departure. My son had grumbled about the hour, but he’d promised to get me to the plane on time.
     Robespierre now lay on the kitchen floor and stared at the case containing my belated
 Christmas present for Lars’ granddaughter. I plugged in the electric kettle, this year’s gift from 
one of my neighbors, selected an assortment of mints and stuffed a tea ball.
     Once the tea had steeped, I poured a mug and headed to the living room where I settled on 
the window seat. The lights from the Tappan Zee Bridge vied with the moonlight dancing 
on the dark waters of the Hudson River. Stars formed patterns in the sky. I’m never tired of 
watching the river and my early morning walks often end at the river’s edge.
     The shrill ring of the phone startled me. I grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
     “Kate.”
     “Lars, is something wrong?” Why was he calling when he’d see me tomorrow? Had
 something happened to make it necessary for me to postpone my visit?
     “Jitters. Afraid you’ve changed your mind. You’ve never come before. And...there is 
something...” His voice drifted into silence.
     Something was bothering him, but extracting a story long distance is hard. Face to face is
 better. “My bags are packed and the tickets are in my purse.”

     “Good. I’m looking forward to having you here.” He paused. “What are you doing with the cat?”


My Places

Buy Mark

http://bookswelove.net/wakters-janet-lane/

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Tuesday's Writer's Tip - The Middle of the Book #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Writing #Middle


For the middle of your book think about the complications you want for your characters to experience. I’ve selected two of the ones I decided would add to the tension and action in the story.
The middle contains a number of steps toward the characters' goals. Sometimes they appear to be gaining and other times they end up in a backward slide.

Giving the characters complications is the goal and if you're working with more than one character, they'll each have their middle ground.

!. I had to find a way to separate the two characters adding difficulty to them gaining their goals. Sowing how I developed the middle of the book comes from my latest release.

Part of this is through their lines. Their lines of fire work together. Lasara is sure this means they have a heart bond. Jens, the hero, is a Desert Rider and any bonds between a man and woman are for two years only. Neither can accept what the others mean. They separate. He to search for the camp of the renegades and she to carry the word about Petan, the villain, to the Hall. I decided there could be further parts to this parting. They both learn they can locate the other while thinking about each other while reading the lines. I decided one of them had to be in danger. This added a number of possible scenes.

2. My second was what would happen if one of their bihorns, their steeds, was wounded. This could add a complication and add to their trouble.

I’m sure as the book moved toward the end there would be other complications.


The middle of a book is where all the action happens. The characters are on stage and their desires are known as well as the stumbling blocks in their path. The writer has reached the middle. Here is where all the problems that need to be solves happen. Each problem leads the reader a step or two further toward the end.

There are scenes that follow, each looking at a step toward that goal. There are complications occurring that pull the characters forward and backward. Sometimes the complications become too complicated. The middle becomes snarled.

How does one unsnarl the mess the manuscript has become. The solution takes work. Finding an end and removing the knots that have formed. Find another strand. Sometimes this means cutting one of these strands and removing it from the story.

Do you  have too many villains? Find a way to combine them into one big villain. Villains can have more than one goal and can effect one or more of the characters.

Is the hero or heroine too weak? Is one of them strong and the other weak? Making them equal is the solution to this problem.

Are your characters dashing all over the world, the country, the town. Cut down on the number of settings and make each one important to one of the characters.

As you've looked at the snarled middle and have undone some of the threads, suddenly the story is heading in the right way so that the writer can see the end.
           
The middle is where the complications of the story are found. Without problems that seem to take the characters from their goals you won’t have a real story. The reader needs to see the characters’ dreams come close and then be taken away. Or some incident that mores them in a different direction.

While planning your story, try to come up with some complications. Use your imagination. They may not all fit as you write the story but you’ll have them as ideas.



Monday, January 27, 2020

Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Memories

Meander 1 - Memories - A different start this time. On Friday my husband of sixty years died. He has been critically ill since Christmas Eve and his death  has been expected. Still it is a shock. The children and grandchildren know and the few other relatives we have know. As I've told them "We'll celebrate his life" not his death. That's where the memories begin.

Our first meeting is one that could be found in a romance book. Not the crazy attraction you see in the books but a bit different. I worked on the US Steel ward in Pittsburgh, a forty bed unit with a large 20 bed ward, a small 10 bed one and private and semi-private rooms. The evening was one for the books. Several admissions in serious condition, some with burns from hot metal or acid. While I was busy with these, the intern, thinking he would help let a patient with metastatic cancer stand beside his bed to use the urinal. The man fell and fractured his hip. At this point I was unhappy with doctors. Denny came on the floor. He was a medical student and came to do histories and physicals on the admissions. He asked me if I would be interested in going to a party with him on Friday night. I told him to go away. No doctors, I said in a terse voice. So he left.

Several days later, I had a patient who "didn't drink" go into the DTs. He knocked the aide across the room. When he swung at me, I did a quick turn and you could hear the snap, I then limped through the rest of the evening. The next day, I saw an orthopedic surgeon who announced I had a football injury and would need surgery. I was quickly scheduled for the next day. One of my friends told Denny I was in the hospital. At 6 AM the next morning he appeared at my bedside bearing gifts, two books Hospital Humor and The Life of the Bee. Odd choice but I did read both of those books.

And that was how it began. Our first date was on Valentine's Day. We went to dinner at a place I think served Angus beef and then to the movies. Can't remember the movie's name. This is my memory for the week.

Meander 2 - Writing _ On Friday afternoon I finished the rough draft of Tainted Dreams. A fortunate happening. The final two chapters will need a lot of revamping but I'm starting the Plot draft, to make sure all is proceeding to schedule. There will be some time line things to clarify but that will happen during the draft for plot.

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Sunday's Book Past Betrayals, Past Loves #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Paranormal @Egypt #China #Britain

Past Betrayals, Past Loves

A curse sends Astrid on a journey to ancient lands. She meets deceit and betrayal searching for true love and to break the curse. The search begins in Egypt. When she touches an ancient Egyptian necklace she is hurtled through time into the turbulent life of another woman. She discovers the words spoken in anger holding her spirit captive. Seven more times she finds a piece of jewelry and returns to a distant past. In each of these lives she encounters and falls in love with a man who seems to be someone recently met in her present as do the enemy man and woman. The heat between Astrid and Duncan is instant and becomes incandescent. Her dislike of two characters grows. Eight realms await her. Eight chances break the curse holding her spellbound and to end the cycle of past betrayals and find love. Eight chances to foil the evil man and woman who follow her and Duncan from era to era.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Saturday's Blurbs featuring Books by Kate Hill #MFRWAuthor #Paranormal #Demon hunter #Magic


 Mysti and Starr (Wild Witches of Beaver Bay 1)
Wild Witches of Beaver Bay: Mysti and Starr
A blazing trail only he can see leads demon hunting biker Starr Johanson to his destined mate. A blessing placed on her family’s ancestral land summons Mysti Wild to the cabin where she’ll meet the man fated to share her life.
Each fears the other will be frightened by magic they don’t understand, but they quickly learn to trust each other, because no one can resist the person they were born to love.

Wild Witches of Beaver Bay: Trinity and Jeff
Denying her love for her childhood friend, Jeff, Trinity visits her family’s ancestral land, believing the Wild family magic has called her there to meet her soulmate. Instead she finds danger at every turn, but she won’t have to face it alone.
Jeff has loved Trinity his whole life, but settled for friendship after she broke his heart on prom night. Now this soldier turned firefighter faces the supernatural to protect Trinity and convince her once and for all that they belong together.

Wild Witches of Beaver Bay: Spirits of Christmas
On Christmas Eve twenty-five years ago, a brutal murder was committed at the house where Christa Wild works as a live-in maid. When the other servants leave for the holiday this year she stays behind, hoping that any spirits dwelling there will help her regain the psychic power she lost. She’s surprised when the intriguing but disturbed owner of the house appears several days before Christmas.
Action star Joel Connor has kept a terrible secret for most of his life. Despite his success as an athlete and actor, he is plagued by flashbacks of a gruesome attack that destroyed his family. This Christmas, Joel returns to the house where it happened to face the ghosts of the past, but finds he is not alone.
Joel and Christa are instantly attracted, but will his psychological state prevent them from finding peace and love?

Friday, January 24, 2020

Friday Join Kate Hill as she Talks about Panster or Plotter #MFRWAuthor #Panster #Plotter #Romance #Writing



1. Are you a panster or a plotter or perhaps a bit of both?
I'm a bit of both. I always work with a loose outline. Before I start writing, I need to know the beginning and the end of a story, and also a few major plot points in between, but I leave wiggle room for the changes that always happen.

2. Which comes first - characters or plot for you?
Usually the characters come first, but when I think of them, they're involved in a particular scene that usually, but doesn't always, end up in the final story.

3. What are you working on now? Is this a book in a current series or something totally new?
Right now I'm working on Amelia and Orion, the next book in the Wild Witches of Beaver Bay series. Amelia and Orion have appeared as secondary characters in other Wild Witches stories. They have been co-workers and friends for years and have feelings for each other that they keep hidden. A mix of demon, human, and vampire, Orion in particular fights his romantic feelings for Amelia.
4. Do you have some kind of object or place that figures in most of your books? I use gems a lot, hospitals and caves.
Many of my books take place in New England. In the Wild Witches of Beaver Bay series, the Wild family's magical ancestral land is located in New Hampshire.

5. Do you write everyday or just when the spirit hits?
Usually, I write every day. Some days I write more than others, but I generally try to write at least 1000 words a day. I also work on edits and promotions daily.

6. Where can we find you?
My website is https://www.kate-hill.com. There you can find info about my books, links to my social media, a newsletter sign up, and occasional giveaways.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Thursday's Fifth Scene Lines of Fire Challenged #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Fantasy #Swords #Duelists


Lasara’s thoughts filled with the things Misa had told her about being Petan’s prisoner. Her stomach curdled. How had the man who’d once been almost part of her family gained control of so many men? He desired women for their vivid lines of fire and he didn’t care if they died.
Her hands tightened on the reins sending Daro into a restless dance. She drew a deep breath. He and the men he’d corrupted had a secret lair. They raided farms taking what they needed for survival and any young woman who would serve Petan’s need to service the man he called Master.
When Misa had spoken about the pale lines, Lasara had thought of her mother‘s after a visit to the Swordmaster’s quarters. But her mother hadn’t died though days passed before her lines regained their scarlet color. Another thought occurred. Did her father meet this man and service him?
Shudders shook her body. She had to do something but she had no idea what. Returning to the Defender’s Hall was impossible. As long as her father ruled as Swordmaster all she could do was stay low. She refused to consider bonding with Petan.
Slowly she grew calmer. What could she do alone? Her goals had changed. She would find Petan’s lair and find some way to let the Defenders know. From all Misa had said there were at least two dozen renegades. Most were banished Defenders.
Trees rustled as she rode past. Soon she would need to stop for the night.
Her thoughts returned to Misa’s story. The presence of a stranger who appeared and disappeared at will chill her. Who was this man with ice blond hair and glacial gray eyes? Where had he come from and what control did he have over Petan? These troubling thoughts made her ill.
Stories she’d been told as a child flowed into her thoughts. She had always thought they were myths. What if they were real? The tales full of mystery and danger had kept her awake at night. What if there was a truth buried in the stories? Her ancestors had used some magical means to cross time and space. Their god had built the Citadel and the four Halls as refuges.
No on knew how the massive stone walls had been erected or the four Halls built. Defenders, Healers, Artisans and Justicars were the clans.
Slowly some people had left the refuge to establish farms and villages. Patrols were sent from the citadel to spend two years visiting those outside the walls and gleaning those with talents for the Halls.
Dueling had been established as a way to solve all quarrels when the people protested the Justicar’s rulings. From her early years, becoming a duelist had been her goal.
Lasara frowned. Had this man called Master found the way his ancestors had brought people to this land?
The sky darkened. She saw a pyramid of stones with no feather marking it as occupied. She pulled a gray feather from her pack, dismounted and set ir as a marker. Finding a campsite meant food for Daro, water and she hoped safety. She cared for Daro and started a fire in the pit. After erecting her tent, she prepared a meal using water from the stone basin. Then she carefully set her traps.
On the next day she continued the journey. Could she find a full patrol and tell her tale? Only if she saw tents showing the presence of Justicars with the Defenders dare she take a chance.
She had one other choice and thinking of meeting Petan in a duel brought a rush of uncertainty. As a duelist she had bested more experienced men and women. If Petan would fight fairly she believed she could win. Except he would cheat. If she found no other way she would challenge him. This decision felt right but she still worried.
She glanced at the sky. Dark clouds gathered. A change in the air boded a storm. Finding shelter for the night became her goal. Though she had a tent, summer storms were often downpours filled with thunder and bolts of lightning.
She noticed a spiral of dark smoke shooting into the blue gray sky. She slowed Daro and moved him from the road into the trees. The amount of smoke troubled her. Was there a forest fire? Then she and Daro reached a fence surrounding a grain field. A farm. What burned? Could she help? She rode along the fence and was about to enter a lane. She halted. Shouting and raucous laughter reached her. She turned Daro and retreated. What even happened at the end of the lane she didn’t want to barge in.
She dismounted. If there was trouble, she needed to know what to do. “Stay,” she commanded.
After climbing the fence, she crawled along a path between two rows of the tall stalks of grain. A view of the farmyard showed her the source of the fire and much more. The flaming thatched cottage burned. In the glow from the fire she saw men. A scream rose above the shouts of men. How many were there?
She counted nine saddled bihorns. Frustration filled her. Seven men and she was alone. She might be able to down two. Her hands clenched. She couldn’t draw her sword and dash into the fray. When the men mounted, a sense of relief filled her. Then she saw a young woman seated before one of the riders. Misa’s story came to mind. A scream died in her throat. The girl’s lines were a vivid scarlet. In this instant she knew these men were among Petan’s renegades.
Quickly she scurried back to the fence and pulled Daro into the shelter of the trees. She slid her sword from the back scabbard. If discovered she would fight.
An explosion of laughter followed by loud voices grew nearer. The string of mounted men reached the road and sent their steeds galloping away.
Again, she repeated her vow. She would find where they laired and somehow find a way to destroy Petan. Her honor as a duelist called for a confrontation. She shivered. Though she knew what she must do she wasn’t convinced she would win.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Wednesday Murder and Poisoned Tea - Book 2 #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Cozy mystery #Maine Coon Cat #Hudson Valley

Murder and Poisoned Tea (Mrs. Miller Mysteries Book 2)

Join the authors at #MHRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com  for some great excerpts. Mine shows Katherine and Robespierre involved in another murder.

Blurb:
The moment she hears his mastery of the organ, Katherine covets him as St. Stephen’s new Minister of Music. Handsome, charming and vastly talented, the women of the congregation adore him. Even Katherine is swayed by his manners and ability, But Roger not only brought beautiful music, he brings poisoned notes to the choir. Katherine seeks to find the secret of why he has changed churches yearly. She prays the discovery will be in time to prevent a tragedy.

Review
The Mrs. Miller Mysteries series is a sheer delight. Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher would love Katherine Miller. I know I do. ~~ Writer Gail Roughton


Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase



Top international reviews


Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase