All About the Writing

Weekend Writing Warriors: Back on Track

Back on Track is releasing on Tuesday, yes, this Tuesday, April 2nd. I will be sitting over here, having a little squee-fest, and while I'm doing that, I've got eight sentences that I hope you'll enjoy.

In this section, Allie and Matt are on the Napa Wine Train, getting to know each other by telling lies. Baseball superstar Matt has (truthfully) confessed he hasn't dated much lately, and Allie wants to know why not. The playful lies continue:

“Maybe you live in the basement, with your mother and your maiden aunt.”

“I don’t have a maiden aunt.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And I’ve discovered the attic is actually a lot more comfortable.”

“But it must cramp your style, dating-wise.”

He expelled a huge sigh. “True. Mother hates when I bring women home, and women hate when I bring Mother along on our dates.”

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for your comments. They truly add to my excitement for this book's release.

The blog tour continues this week, and I'll be posting more info about the various stops later on. There are quite a few, especially on release day!

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Blurb:  What's a little lie between strangers?

A Strangers on a Train Story

Allie Whittaker is in a dating slump, too busy getting her fledgling marketing company off the ground to have a personal life. All that could change, though, if she can get baseball superstar Matt Kearns on the cover of a charity calendar. Except Matt won't even talk to her.

Matt is in a slump, worried his career might be over. A Napa Valley wine tour isn't enough to take his mind off his troubles--until sexy, funny Allie plops into the adjacent seat and tells him three things about herself. One of them, she says, is a lie.

Matt can't resist playing along, and soon the afternoon getaway becomes an interlude with lies, truths, and desire flowing as fast as the wine. Then Allie lets slip one truth too many...and they both realize they're playing for keeps.

Warning: A handsome hunk, a determined lady and a few glasses of wine. Throw in a little on-the-run action, and what more do you need to while away an afternoon?

Discover more authors at Weekend Writing Warriors!

Strangers on a Train Blog Tour: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Do you believe in serendipity?

Marg at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader blog is hosting me today, and I'm chatting about how serendipity played such a big part in the Strangers on a Train series, and even in certain parts of my book, Back on Track.

Stop by and add your comments. It will put your name in the contest to win a copy of Back on Track, which would be a lovely bit of serendipity!

Welcome to the TRR 2nd Anniversary Party People

Congrats to The Romance Reviews (TRR) on their second anniversary! You can't have an anniversary without a wedding, so here's a snippet from a wedding ceremony in my romantic comedy/mystery, I Do. . . or Die. I hope you enjoy!

*****

You just don't expect to see gunfire at a wedding.

I know, because I've been in a lot of weddings, despite my well-known aversion to them. "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride" is not just a cautionary adage, it's my personal credo.

Having a gigolo for a father might have contributed something to that philosophy. Who really knows for sure?

Today Alexa, my best friend since grade school, glided down the aisle of the chapel, to the accompaniment of a string quartet playing an elegant Handel air. For this wedding she wore a white strapless dress, complete with tulle and beaded embroidery that made all the women sigh as she passed. The low v-back and body-hugging mermaid shape, along with her icy blonde beauty, provoked quite a different response from the males in the congregation.

I clutched my single calla lily, watching her entrance with a mixture of awe and disbelief. How had Alexa persuaded me to be her maid of honor, again?

And again.

And yet again.

"Shelby, you’re my good luck charm," she had cooed while I suffered through the circle of hell known as "trying on bridesmaid dresses".

"How do you figure that?" I had asked, peeling off a poufy satin monstrosity the color of Mountain Dew. "Every time I’ve been your maid of honor, you’ve gotten divorced!"

"Oh, that has nothing to do with anything. Everything goes off without a hitch when you’re there."

"Maybe that's the problem. If I weren’t around, there would be some sort of hitch, and then you wouldn’t be hitched."

I admired Alexa's wildly unwavering enthusiasm for weddings, and commitment, and all that "'til death do us part" stuff. Especially since none of her marriages seemed to last very long. Two years was the record so far, and that was because her husband was working overseas for one of those years.

Which was supposedly the reason for the end of that union.

That, and the next husband was already in her sights.

When the evil wedding consultant gleefully rolled in another torture rack crammed with dresses for me to endure, I shuddered. "Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, marriage isn’t right for you?"

"That one." Alexa pointed to a strapless hot pink mini-dress that could have worked--if Hooters ever decided to cater weddings. "And why all these concerns? Don’t you like Jordan?"

"Of course I like him, silly. He seems perfect."

He was handsome, loving, and completely ga-ga for his bride. Alexa told me during our numerous wedding planning get-togethers, which thankfully required a great deal of wine, about Jordan's great sense of humor, and even greater job.

Who wouldn’t want him for a husband? If I was the marrying kind, even I would want him for a husband.

Although, as I recall, Husbands One through Three were pretty darn perfect too.

Alexa smiled, spinning her index finger to indicate I should twirl in front of her. "Maybe, Shelby, you're afraid all of these weddings will change your mind about marriage."

"Ha!" I, the eternal bachelorette, scoffed, and quite eloquently. Alexa raised her eyebrow as if debating whether to get out of her chair and start the Heimlich maneuver on me.

In the end, I gave up trying to make Alexa see the multiple incredible benefits to staying single. I’ll probably be her bridesmaid when we're bunkmates in the nursing home, although by then I’ll be adjusting the tapes of her adult diaper, rather than the tiers of her lace-edged wedding veil.

I agreed to be her maid of honor—just this one last time.

Of course, I didn’t realize when I made the promise this would be Alexa’s final chance to stand at the altar.

At the minister's signal, Alexa handed me her bouquet of cascading white lilies and then she faced Jordan, ready to promise to love, cherish, and obey the (fourth) man of her dreams. She beamed at him, a vision in his single-breasted designer tuxedo, eliciting a few more wistful sighs behind us at the evidence of true love. Or maybe it was for the handsome groom in his single-breasted designer tuxedo, beaming right back at her.

Reverend Deering asked Alexa to repeat after him the vows she most likely had memorized many ceremonies ago. I had heard them often enough that I could have stepped in to recite the words if either of them were prevented from completing their duties.

"I, Alexa, take thee Jordan—"

A ray of June sunshine chose that moment to burst through the chapel windows, highlighting the promise contained in the newlyweds' expressions. Even I felt swept up in the optimism that accompanied each and every one of Alexa's weddings. My heart beat with hopefulness, and I wondered if someday I would--

Out of nowhere, gunfire erupted, a quick succession of pop,pop, pop.

Screams quickly followed, along with the frantic sounds of the congregation scrambling for shelter under the wooden pews.

"Sonofabitch!" I tossed the bouquet over my shoulder, as I'd seen Alexa do millions of times, and darted towards my best friend, knocking her to the floor to prevent any further harm.

I looked up and saw the minister cowering under a pew, tugging at the tulle swag that moments ago had been decoration, not flimsy protection against wayward bullets. My heart pounded while my brain struggled with two wildly different thoughts. 

One, the blood spurting from Alexa's shoulder ensured I would never have to wear this peach-yogurt-colored dress again. 

And two, who could possibly hate weddings more than I did?

Strangers on a Train: Blogging by Liza

It's hard to believe, but release day can now be counted in days, rather than weeks. Yesterday I received the galleys for the print version of Back on Track, which will be released on February 4th, 2014. I know that date seems like a zillion years away, but then, April 2nd, 2013 did at one time too!

Today's stop for the Strangers on a Train blog tour is at Blogging by Liza. Ruthie Knox has a wonderful post about the tagline for the series, which is "Romancing the Rails". And I should really say Double RITA Award Finalist Ruthie Knox, since that exciting news was just announced yesterday, and we're all so thrilled for her.

So check out the post, and comment for a chance to win a copy of Ruthie's e-book, Big Boy.

If you missed yesterday's blog tour stop, it's a fun, and funny, interview with Meg Maguire, at the Raunch Dilettante blog. Stop by and learn more about Meg and her writing process. 

This is such a talented bunch of writers I'm hanging out with. Samantha Hunter is a finalist in the National Excellence in Romance Fiction contest, so we're cheering her on too!

Spring and Baseball: Visiting with Mae Clair

I'm visiting with the delightful Mae Clair today. She gave me a chance to talk about one of my favorite subjects -- baseball -- and I've included an excerpt of Back on Track, which happens to include a baseball pitcher for a hero. I hope you'll stop by!

While you're there, wander through and check out Mae's other posts. She does some fantastic Mythical Monday posts, each one focusing on a different mythical creature. Not only are they entertaining -- I also learn something new each week. Yesterday's post featured the Abominable Snowman, which definitely got me in the mood for spring!

The Strangers on a Train Blog Tour Is On!

I'm really excited, because the Strangers on a Train blog tour is starting today. The first blog we're visiting is Bookaholic Anon, and each of us has described our favorite train ride. You also have a chance to win ALL five of the e-books, so head on over and leave a comment.

I also wanted to share an awesome review of Back on Track, from Liz at Harlequin Junkie. It's fun and exuberant, and has a great rant about celebrities!

Don't forget, you can still get each one of the books at 30% off, at the Samhain website. 

 

Weekend Writing Warriors: I Do. . .or Die

Welcome! This is my first time participating in Weekend Writing Warriors, and I'm excited to get started. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's snippets, and I hope you'll enjoy mine.

Those of you who have stopped by for Six Sentence Sunday will be familiar with I Do. . .or Die, and Shelby, my commitment-phobe heroine who is the target of a gunman, the first time during a wedding she's in. Getting shot at happens to be the best thing to happen to her love life, though, because it puts her in contact with Detective Ryan Nichols, who becomes her 24-hour bodyguard.

In this snippet, they've been trying to come up with some likely suspects, but getting nowhere. Ryan suggests they take another look at the people involved with the wedding:

“I have a better idea--why don’t we crack open a case of vodka?”

“Maybe a little later,” he said with a laugh, clicking his pen off and on a few times. “Sorry. It helps me think.”

I decided I could be accommodating about that particular quirk, because I knew I wasn’t going to be here more than a few days, if that. Any longer and it would probably drive me insane.

Just one more reason to avoid that whole commitment thing. Ya gotta get out before the cute stuff becomes the motive for a murder charge.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'm looking forward to being a fellow warrior!

Blurb: “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” is Shelby Atwood's personal credo. She’s managed to avoid commitment all her life - no pets, no plants, not even a long-term lease. Heck, she’s had colds last longer than her romantic relationships. How could she be any other way when she has a gigolo for a father?

But then gunfire erupts at the latest wedding she’s agreed to be in, and it ends up being the best thing to happen to Shelby’s love life. Detective Ryan Nichols is assigned to the case, and when the shootings don’t stop, he becomes her 24-hour bodyguard. Shelby wouldn’t mind except Ryan is too appealing, too sexy, and too happy to remind her of the raucous bachelorette party when she mistook him for a stripper.

Shelby’s plan is simple: find the shooter, have a fling with Ryan, and return to her non-committal life. Unfortunately, the shooter is very elusive. Shelby’s feelings for Ryan are way more than adrenaline-fueled lust. And returning to her normal life is now impossible since, despite her lifelong resistance, she’s managed to put her heart smack dab in the line of fire.

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5 Enthusiastic Stars for I Do. . . or Die

'I Do . . .or Die' by Donna Cummings

Being A Golden Heart Finalist

Soon it will be that nail-biting time when people wait to find out if they are a finalist in the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart contest for unpublished writers. I know exactly what that is like, since I was a Golden Heart finalist, many years ago.

I had entered a couple of times previously with one manuscript, but I decided to try again with a different story. I polished the manuscript, and tweaked the synopsis to get it down to the correct number of pages. I mailed it on the last day possible, spending a small fortune getting it overnighted.

I remember feeling SO excited as I left the post office. I just knew this was the one. I had a crazy giddy feeling that wasn't mere hopefulness. I have no idea why I felt that way, but I did.

I also worried that I hadn't properly sealed the box, and that everything was going to fall out before it reached its destination. But that's how I roll. I can't feel elated for too long before I start worrying about something over which I have absolutely no control.

Fast forward a few months later. . .

I was vacationing in New Orleans, with a beau I was newly in love with. This was back in the day when cell phones weren't commonplace, and there definitely wasn't internet in the hotel room. We were taking our time getting ready to leave for the day, because honestly, nobody rushes in New Orleans. It's not that kind of place. The phone rang, and it was my secretary from work. She was also a friend, one of the few people who knew I'd entered the contest, so when she told me that so-and-so was trying to reach me. . . we both knew instantly what that meant.  

I'd mentally practiced what I thought I'd do in this situation, but I discovered it's surreal to have your fantasy interact with your reality. I remember feeling numb, like I was waiting for my brain to tell my body how to react. The best it could come up with was making my hands shake, and then making it nearly impossible to speak coherently.

Afterwards, we went out to celebrate the awesome news. What better place for revelry than New Orleans? Twelve hours and many alcoholic beverages later, the giddiness had not subsided. I can only hope my celebratory dance moves were as cool as I thought they were at the time.

Later, reality collided with fantasy again. I had hoped that being a Golden Heart finalist would end the same way for me as it did for many others--with a publishing contract--but it didn't. And then the category I had finaled in, Traditional Regency, kind of disappeared a couple years later, along with the market for those particular books, even though the popularity of Jane Austen movies was at its highest.

Since things didn't turn out like I hoped, I think I started viewing it as a fluke, or myself as a failure. I quit writing for many years after that, although the writing bug didn't go away. It just stayed dormant while I concentrated on other creative pursuits. Being a Golden Heart finalist didn't really seem to matter anymore. Even worse, mentioning it after so much time had passed. . . wouldn't it seem like I was clinging to a faded moment of glory?

A few years later, I attended a writing conference that encompassed all kinds of genres, not just romance. While I was at lunch with other attendees, we talked a little bit about our writing. I said I wrote romance, and for some reason I added that I had been a Golden Heart finalist. The woman next to me said, "I don't know much about romance, but I have heard of that. Good for you!"

And I realized I should celebrate that particular achievement. It is a milestone, and like other milestones, it doesn't have to have a certain outcome for it to be valid. In fact, that's one reason it was so important to me at the time: it validated me as a writer. When you're starting out, validation is important. Heck, it's vital no matter what stage you're at. But it's very important in the beginning, when you need proof that you won't always have "wannabe" on your writing resumé.

So I applaud everyone who enters the contest, whether you are a finalist or not, whether you win or not. You may get discouraged by the outcome, or you may find the route to publishing lined with even more gold. 

Whatever happens, I hope you celebrate.

Celebrate your unending desire to turn words into stories. Celebrate the stubbornness that keeps you moving forward, even when it feels like everything is pushing you back the other direction. Celebrate wrangling those unruly characters into place, especially when you'd rather do something easier, like brain surgery.

Celebrate all the victories, big and small, every chance you get. Even if it's just a momentary smile of satisfaction before you dive back into the WIP.  

Indie Author Excerpt: The Bawdy Book Blog

Today I'm at The Bawdy Book Blog with an excerpt from I Do. . . or Die. I hope you'll stop by for a read. If you're an indie author, make sure you check out the information on submitting your book for a possible feature.

I love the word "bawdy", and there just aren't enough opportunities to use it on a daily basis. But don't worry -- the excerpt is safe to read at work!

5 Enthusiastic Stars for I Do. . . or Die

I'm thrilled at this wonderful review from Erin at The Autumn Review. I love her delightful descriptions of Shelby, and how she'd like to have Shelby as a BFF. Here's a little snippet from her review:

"With action, plenty of steaminess to fog the mirrors, and humor that will have you grinning right along with Detective Smirky, this is a must-read and I highly
recommend it with 5 enthusiastic stars!!"

Now click here to read the rest!