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Welcome again to the Virgins’ Blogs: Today’s guest is Donnell Ann Bell!
Donnell Ann Bell
Donnell is a lovely lady from Colorado whose debut romantic suspense is THE PAST CAME HUNTING. This book had already garnered attention before it was even published: in 2007, under the working title, WALK AWAY JOE, it was named a Contemporary Single Title Finalist in the prestigious RWA Golden Heart Awards. Her second book, currently titled DEADLY RECALL, is due out in late 2012, and was a finalist in the 2010 Romantic Suspense category of the RWA Golden Heart Awards. You see a pattern here? The lady can write. Check out this summary of THE PAST CAME HUNTING and you’ll see…
The Past Came Hunting
Fifteen years ago a young Colorado Springs police officer arrested a teen runaway accused of aiding a convenience store robbery and attempted murder. She was innocent, but still served prison time briefly. Her testimony sent the real thief to jail for much longer. Now she’s a young widow raising a son, and the man she put in prison is free and seeking revenge. She moves to a home in a new neighborhood—then learns that her next-door neighbor is the by-the-book officer who arrested her. Now he’s a Colorado Springs P.D. Lieutenant. Like it or not, he may be the only one who can protect her and her son from the past he helped create.
Doesn’t that sound like a suspenseful read? It is. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it.
So read on about how coincidences can alter your life, then leave a comment, and you’ll be entered in the drawing for a copy of THE PAST CAME HUNTING (either in print or digital—winner’s choice). And for more information about Donnell and her books, drop by her website at www.donnellannbell.com.
And now…Take it away, Donnell!
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Conflict or Coincidence: I had to Choose
If you’ve been writing as long as I have, chances are you’ve received your share of rejections. There are myriad reasons a book is rejected– Pacing’s off, too much backstory, failure to hone one’s craft, the story doesn’t resonate with the editor or agent, lack of conflict, the story feels contrived, it’s cloudy, the agent doesn’t care for her new haircut. . .
In my case, however, my book was rejected because the agent or editor couldn’t buy a coincidence. Which for me was a little hard to accept because I’ve been the recipient of coincidence my entire life.
When I was in grade school, my mother took my little sister, my friend and me to the movies. Charlene and I coerced my mom into letting us watch the show from the balcony, and eventually Mom relented. Excited, my schoolmate and I gathered our popcorn and soda, scrambled up to the second floor like the big kids, and while tugging off my coat, I knocked my soda off the railing. On the way home, my sister cried that some idiot above her had drenched her with a drink. Oops.
In fourth grade I had my appendix removed. A nurse entered my room and said that a boy around my age had been severely burnt in a fire. The nurse wondered if I might be willing to spend some time with him. I agreed. Turns out, I dated that boy my sophomore year in high school. At a dance I put my arms around him and felt the scars through his shirt. He explained he’d been in a fire as a boy. When I asked how it happened, we were both amazed as we remembered our talks in the hospital.
Last February when my husband and I went to Key West, my cousin ad her significant other gave us a tour of the island. After she took us back to our bungalow, she said, “You’re staying here?” Worried we were staying in a disreputable place, I replied, “So far. Why? What’s wrong?” “Nothing,” she replied. “It’s just that this is the same bungalow your mother stayed in with your brother when your dad shipped off to Okinawa 55 years earlier.
My future daughter in law and I were born in the same hospital in Lubbock, Texas. She lives in Fort Worth, I live in Colorado Springs. An innocent conversation about where we were born confirmed we were both born at St. Mary’s Hospital. I ask you: What are the odds?
Last but not least, the coincidence that hit me the hardest was learning that my dad passed away on the same day as his father, sixty-one years apart. That is an incredible, emotional coincidence I find myself thinking about every June 29th .
As you can see, I’m no stranger to coincidence, which brings me to the focus of this article. During my stint at the Citizen’s Academy, I asked some deputies what’s the worst thing that could happen during the course of their career? Without hesitation, one deputy answered, If an ex-con moved next door to me.
I’d been plotting THE PAST CAME HUNTING for some time by then, and that comment provided the ideal solution for me. I needed a conflict for my protagonists, one an ex-con, the other a police lieutenant. I heaped on additional conflict by adding their teenage boys to the scenario and making them inseparable. Contrived? Maybe. But I think I made it work. Further, if I would have moved Melanie down the street or into a different neighborhood, I would have lessened the conflict, and it wouldn’t have been the same story.
Conflict or Coincidence, I simply had to choose. For me, it made sense to pick the latter.
Have any coincidences altered your life for the better or worse? Leave a comment and maybe win a copy of THE PAST CAME HUNTING. Good luck!
THIS JUST IN: KOBO Books is promoting THE PAST CAME HUNTING in its Great Reads for under $4.99. http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Past-Came-Hunting/book-bAE7VJ2fa0mouqeVy6gpIg/page1.html And now Amazon Kindle has matched it. Check it out!
Posted in Virgins No More! | 44 Comments »
I’m participating in Romance at Random’s Reader Rally! So what, you say? This is your chance to win free books, that’s what! And not from just me, but lots of other romance authors. You can enter a couple ways. First, leave a comment here on my blog sometime before midnight on January 31st. You can simply answer the question How many romance novels do you typically read in a year? or just say hello, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Colorado Dawn, my latest release. Next, click on the Romance at Random image below to enter their Grand Prize Drawing as well as visit other participating author blogs. So easy even I could do it (and I’m pretty technology-challenged)!
I’ll be announcing my winner on my blog at the beginning of February. So be sure to check back to see if you won. Good luck!
K
P.S. Did you know you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter? Hope to see you there!
Posted in Book Giveaways! | 68 Comments »
Hey Everybody! Time for another VIRGIN NO MORE Guest Blog!
Genevieve Graham
Today I’m delighted to introduce Genevieve Graham, the ONLY Nova Scotian to be published by Berkley/Penguin, and one of only four Canadians to have that honor. Also, this is the first book she ever wrote and it sold right away! So she must be doing something right. (And just so you know, I’ve read UNDER THE SAME SKY, and she did a lot right.) This is an exciting, well-researched, captivating novel with a touch of magic and an enduring love story about two people who’ve lived an ocean apart and have never met, yet they’ve loved each other all their lives. Sound intriguing? It is. So read on, leave a comment and you’re in the drawing for a copy of her fabulous book.
Under the Same Sky
If you want to know more about Genevieve, or read a book summary of UNDER THE SAME SKY or her next book out next summer, SOUND OF THE HEART (which features another Scotsman!) then check out her website.
And now, please welcome Genevieve Graham, whose debut historical romance, UNDER THE SAME SKY, hit the shelves on January 3rd. Be sure to leave a comment to enter the drawing for UNDER THE SAME SKY, and good luck!
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Facts Behind Historical Fiction
I love reading great historical fiction, losing myself to adventure and romance. I started writing about 18th century Scotland after reading the most vivid, exciting stories I could imagine. When I ran out of authors, I decided to create my own adventure. Scotland? Why not? The Highlands: a wilderness bursting with adventures as yet untold. Plus, my ancestry is all Scottish, so what could be more perfect for my virgin foray into writing? My never having seen the country seemed a minor detail.
I launched into the story with more exuberance than brains, typing page upon page of ideas that … sort of worked, but lacked something. Oh. Right. Some kind of fact. I’d slept through most of my history and geography classes in high school and have a memory somewhat like a sieve, so the thought of actually researching my story was daunting. Then I looked through some of my dad’s old books, flipping through renderings of dapper, kilted men, dramatic waterfalls, and mountain ranges, gawping at remains of centuries old castles. I was hooked. I hit the library hard, bending double under the weight of too many musty-smelling books, taking so many notes I could have eventually compiled my own musty-smelling book.
Then I started nodding off. I admit it. There are only so many dry history texts I can handle.
So I joined the 21st century and googled everything I could think of. What a fantastic thing, this internet! Except … there are so many discrepancies online. One site says one thing, another says something entirely different. It was driving me nuts. So I decided to ask for advice. Who, I asked myself, cares about this stuff besides me?
Re-enactors, that’s who. Those guys who dress up in old uniforms, grow scraggly beards, and carry muskets. I visited their sites, hit the “Contact Me” button, and usually got one or two replies. I hounded those experts (thank you, HistoricHighlanders.com!). Oh, the things I learned! My Highlanders, who originally galloped wildly through the mountains, lost the horses. Only the very wealthy, I learned, rode, and they were on garrons, not horses. Those six foot broadswords heroes hefted around like toothpicks? Out of style by the time my characters were swinging them. The length of the hilt? The ingredients of grapeshot? The lack of windows/chimneys/ventilation in shacks that burned peat full time? The fact that clans did not originally have their own tartans? All this was incredible to me. I practically drooled as I incorporated it all into my novel. Rewrite after rewrite followed, and my book eventually became a relatively secure piece of historical fiction.
But when I learned that most Scottish Highlanders of the mid-18th century grew no taller than five feet, and their lack of both hygiene and attractive hairstyles gave them a close resemblance to the sasquatch, well, that’s when I recalled that I was writing fiction.
My Highlander hero is six feet tall, with brown waves that tickle his shoulders. He has chocolate brown eyes and a brooding gaze, but they are consumed with seeking the one woman he’s always loved … and never met. Oh. And he bathes.
So many different styles of writing, so little time! What’s your favourite historical fiction read? Would it be gritty and realistic? Or are you more a fan of romanticized and sanitized?
Posted in Virgins No More! | 32 Comments »
The 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS giveaway is now open! Be sure to participate for your chance to win copies of my entire Blood Rose Trilogy or an advanced copy of my new book, Colorado Dawn. Easy ways to enter include liking my Facebook page, answering the daily Facebook question, referring friends, and tweeting! So help me get the word out about this exciting giveaway and get ready to win Win WIN! Click here for more details and click here to go to Facebook now.
WINNER (1)! Chosen by random drawing, our first winner is DIANE McCORNACK! Diane, please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll get out your 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy right away. Thanks for participating.
TODAY’S QUESTION #2 (12-5): (In keeping with the Scottish trend)…Have you ever eaten haggis? Is it as awful as it sounds? Leave your answer at http://on.fb.me/u7eaVf. Good luck!
WINNER (1)! CHRISTINA LASSWELL! Christina, please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com, and I’ll get your copy of COLORADO DAWN off ASAP. Thanks for participating!
WINNER (1)! DEBBIE McLEAN please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com, and I’ll get your 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy in the mail right away. Congratulations!
TODAY’S QUESTION #3 (12-6): Neeps and tatties? Wear them or eat them? (Hint: bet most of you are familiar with them.)
WINNER (1)! JUANNA LANZENDORFER please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll send out your 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy right away. Congratulations!
WINNER (1)! HARRIETT KABRICK, please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll send out your advance copy of COLORADO DAWN as soon as the shipment comes in. Congratulations!
TODAY’S QUESTION #4 (12-7): In rembrance of those who fell at Pearl Harbor on December 7th…Do any of you have family in the military? Will they be able to come home for Christmas?
WINNER (1)! JOYCE WARD, please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll mail your 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy today. Congratulations!
WINNER (1)! TERRI ZINCHIAK, please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll mail out your 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy right away. Congratulations!
WINNER (1)! KIM CORNWELL, please send your mailing adress to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll mail out your advance copy of COLORADO DAWN as soon as it comes in. Congratulations!
TODAY’S QUESTION #5 (12-8): (And one of my favorite topics) Who’s your favorite? Brady, Hank, or Jack? What about Declan? (Just wait until you meet Ash. Mmmm.)
TODAY’S QUESTION # 6 (12-9): Do you have a unique or favorite holiday family tradition you want to share?
MORE WINNERS (7)! Copies of COLORADO DAWN go to Doughty Howell, Lisa Chance, Julie Hilton Steele, and Colleen Conley Cruff. Three-book sets of the Bloor Rose Trilogy go to Margaret Sholders, Claudia Arendt, and Amy Long. Congratulations, and thanks for participating!
TGIF AFTERNOON WINNERS (2)! Christine Taylor-Faltynowski gets a 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy and Donna Duffy Cuddihy gets an advance copy of COLORADO DAWN. Ladies, send your mailing addresses to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll mail out your books ASAP. Congratulations!
QUESTION #7! What’s your favorite part of the Holiday season–what do you look forward to most throughout the rest of the year?
SATURDAY MORNING WINNERS (2): Teri Iezek wins a 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy, and Jackie S. Thomson wins an advance copy of COLORADO DAWN. Congrats, ladies! Please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll send them out ASAP.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON WINNERS (2): Maureen Carol wins an advance copy of COLORADO DAWN and Tonia Harbour wins a 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy. Congrats, ladies! Please send your mailing addresses to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll send them out ASAP. Thanks for participating.
QUESTION #8: Are you having Christmas dinner at home this year? At Grandma’s? Traveling? Is there a special dish that marks this special day?
TODAY’S THREE WINNERS (3)!: Sharen Pierce Skelton, Kelly Mann, and Virginia Horton. CONGRATS! If you ladies will send your mailing addresses to kaki@kakiwarner.com, I get your signed 3-book sets of the Blood Rose Trilogy out right away. Thanks for participating!
TODAY’S QUESTION #9: Do you still believe in the fat guy? If not, tell us where and when you stopped believing in the REAL Santa.
MONDAY MORNING WINNERS (2)! An advance copy of COLORADO DAWN goes to Larisa LaBrant, and a 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy goes to Marsha Brooks. CONGRATS! You know the drill–send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll ship them out right away.
Only three days left to win nine more prizes. TODAY’S QUESTION: Do you have a favorite Christmas song or book? A favorite TV special or movie?
WINNER WINNER (2)! Terry Low Martini wins a 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy and Theresa Romain wins an advance copy of COLORADO DAWN. Congratulations, ladies. Please send your mailing addresses to Kaki@kakiwarner.com and the books will be on the way!
WINNER (1)! Christi Corbett wins an advance copy of COLORADO DAWN! Congratulations, Christi. You know the drill and thanks for participating!
QUESTION # 11: What is your favorite holiday dish or drink or party treat? Egg nog? Peppermint schnapps? Mulled cider? Hot buttered rum? Mmmmm. They all sound good.
WINNER WINNER (2)! Duffy Jane Towell wins an advance copy of COLORADO DAWN. Eli Yanti wins a 3-book set of the Blood Rose Trilogy. Congratulations! Send me your addresses and the books are on the way!
AFTERNOON WINNERS (2)! Advance copies of COLORADO DAWN go to Diane Sallans and Tiffany Rose Ibarra. Please send your mailing addresses to kaki@kakiwarner.com. Congrats!
TODAY’S WINNER (1)! Carole Fiore, please send your mailing address to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll send out your copy of COLORADO DAWN. Congratulations and thanks for participating!
This is the last day of my first 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway, and I’m sad to see it end. It’s been great fun reading your wonderful comments and getting to know so many of you better. Sadly, I’m all out of 3-book sets, but I’ll be giving away 3 copies of COLORADO DAWN to mark the end of the giveaway–one today, and two tomorrow morning. Thank you all so much for participating. I really appreciate it. Now for the final question…
TODAYS QUESTION: Print or e-book? Are you hoping to find an e-reader under the Christmas tree? Are you going to order COLORADO DAWN first thing? Excellent. Merry Christmas to me and to you.
FINAL WINNERS! Amy Kay Short and Jamie Khambatta. And because there were several readers who wanted to participate but don’t have facebook accounts, I had a special drawing for them, and the winner is Dee Pollack. Please send your mailing addresses to kaki@kakiwarner.com and I’ll mail out your copies of COLORADO DAWN right away. Thanks everyone, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
WELCOME to a brand new feature on my blog: VIRGINS NO MORE!
This is the place where debut authors get to spout off about their literary de-flowering, and their sometimes scary, sometimes confusing, always exciting journey from timorous writer to happily published author.
Today I’m very excited to introduce our first virgin-no-more…Sarah M. Anderson, whose debut book, A Man of His Word, is being offered by Harlequin Desire in both print and ebook on December 6th!
Sarah Anderson
Available Dec 6th!
This award-winning author may live east of the Mississippi River, but Sarah’s heart lies out west on the Great Plains. With a lifelong love of horses and two history teachers for parents, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves out in South Dakota among the Lakota Sioux. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how their backgrounds and cultures take them someplace they never thought they’d go. When not helping out at school or walking her rescue dog, Sarah spends her days having conversations with imaginary cowboys and American Indians, all of which is surprisingly well-tolerated by her wonderful husband and son.
Here’s a summary of Sarah’s first book–A Man of His Word: Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat. But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn’t go according to script. No one warned her that the COO of the company she’s fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy. But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in. And yet, in Dan’s strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….
Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?
So there you have it. Take it away, Sarah!
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Name that Author!
Okay, I’m going to give you the answer up front: The name of your guest author today is Sarah M. Anderson.
But it almost wasn’t.
Sarah M. Anderson is my real name. It’s on my driver’s license. The bills are all addressed to Sarah M. Anderson, and I pay them with checks that have Sarah M. Anderson printed on them.
When I started writing four and a half years ago, I thought about taking on a pen name. I didn’t for a good-at-the-time reason: I already had a second name. I have a family nickname, which means I already have what borders on a split personality.
I remember the first date I went on with my future-husband. We’d been set up through work, which meant he kept calling me Sarah. I knew pretty quickly that he was at least a man I was going to have a relationship with, if not wind up marrying, so I had to tell him on that first date to call me by the friends n’ family name. It took him a few weeks to get the hang of some people calling me one name, and other people calling me a different name, but he did.
When it came time to pick a pseudonym, I didn’t think I could handle adding a third name to my brain. So I stuck with the official name.
I did choose to add the M, however. Sarah Anderson, it turns out, is a pretty common name. I was trying to register domain names, and www.sarahmanderson.com was the only one available without having to add ‘author’ or some other additional word to the address.
So I had a name. And for three and a half years, I had no regrets about using my own name. Mostly because no one else really noticed it.
But then something wonderful happened: I sold a book! (A Man of His Word, available from Harlequin Desire this month!) Suddenly, I’m everywhere. On twenty different guest blogs. Doing radio interviews. Book signings. Websites.
And now? I wish I’d gone with a third name.
Why? Well, I have a six-year-old son. I am also naturally a little paranoid. I’m one of those parents who do not believe in putting my child’s name, face, and embarrassing activities out there in the cyber world where anyone, anywhere can see it. I want to preserve as much of a normal childhood as I can for him—which includes not having strangers come up to him and start talking about the time his mom wrote that hilarious blog about when he wet the bed (which, for the record, he doesn’t do.) (I do write about less embarrassing stuff, like when he lost his first teeth, though). Until he’s old enough to provide informed consent to having his name and likeness broadcast around (which, at least by Facebook standards, is 13), I’m not going to put him out there.
Except that I’m using my real name. Which means that if someone is really serious about it, they could track down not just info about my son, but much more personal information than I’m comfortable with complete strangers knowing. Chalk it up to that natural paranoia I have.
So, for all you other virginal writers out there, take a few moments to think about your name. What’s more important to you—seeing your real name on the cover of book, or preserving your privacy?
And readers—this is what I want to know. Do you care whose name is on the cover? Do you like it better when an author is using her real name, or does it not matter as long as the story is good? I’ll give away a signed copy of A Man of His Word to one lucky commenter, and I’m also giving away a Locket of Love on January 1st! You can find details on my website.
Giveaway on Jan 1st!
(NOTE: This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com.)
Posted in Virgins No More! | 33 Comments »
