Monday, October 31, 2016

Being a writer is scary


How many people can say they kill people for a living and get away with it? Well, if you’re a suspense writer, you can. The ability to make up dangerous situations and then throw your main characters headfirst into the action, is both fun and a little scary.
 
I tell my husband all the time that I hope no one ever takes a serious look at my computer history. They’d see such things as what is the name of a fast acting poison? What’s the best long range weapon for a sniper? What type explosives can bring down a building? Research for writing suspense can take you to some strange places.
 

And yes, all those things are scary to think about, but there are other parts of writing that are equally frightening. Like sitting down to a blank screen and writing…something. There’s nothing more exciting or daunting than typing those first few words of a book, or trudging through the middle of a story when you’re really not sure where things are going, then finally limping battered and bruised across the finish line to be able to write, “the end”.
Then, just when you think your heart couldn’t possibly take any more excitement, it’s time for the edits. That in itself can be scary because most times your editor is asking you to stretch yourself as a writer in order to make your story the best it can possibly be.

With the edits finished, you ca relax, right? Wrong. The book is ready to be released, but what if no one likes it? Just because you wrote it, agonized over every single word in it, doesn’t mean the reader will have the same reaction you did.

So you see, writing can be scary, but let me just say, I wouldn’t trade a second of the terror, the rollercoaster ride of emotion, or the nail biting moments of doubts, for anything else. Because it is a true blessing to be able to say I am a writer, scary or not.

 

 
 
All the best…

Mary Alford


   

 

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Allie Pleiter's favorite Fall tradition

November 1 is coming in few days, which means it's time for my favorite Fall tradition: Snickers Bar Salad!
This started one year when I was speaking to a women's conference on November 1.  One of the attendees who knew my sweet tooth brought this to me as a treat. I loved it. Now, for something like 10 years straight, it gets posted to my email list and Allie fans everywhere celebrate November 1 as "Snickers Bar Salad Day." With so much fun-sized candy around from trick or treating, it's a cinch to make. And yes, I have it for breakfast!
Snickers Bar Salad

6 (or more—go ahead, you’ve earned it…) fun-sized Snickers bars, chopped into small bits (my friend says more are permissible if it's been a bad week!)
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk

In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snickers Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Glynna Kaye...and A Taste of That Most Wonderful Time of the Year!


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Yes, it’s only October, so maybe these snowy scenes seem a bit premature to you? But with my Love Inspired November release The Pastor’s Christmas Courtship already spotted on retail shelves (and Arizona mountain country experiencing a dusting of snow on the highest mountain tops), I couldn’t resist!
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As some of you already know from having read my books, this part of Arizona isn’t all desert heat and saguaro cactus. At a 7,000 ft (and higher!) elevation it’s a beautiful ponderosa pine-studded four-season region--which makes it such a fun place to set my stories. Especially a Christmas one!
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Have you started thinking about or even preparing for the upcoming holidays--Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year?
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If you’ve started preparations for Christmas, what might those entail? Making a To Do List and checking it twice? Gift shopping or making handmade gifts and decorations? (Don’t you just love the craft and fabric stores this time of year?)
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Perhaps you’ve picked up holiday-themed magazines for ideas and are reviewing your recipe file for family favorites? Or maybe your community or church choir is preparing for a cantata or a presentation of Handel’s Messiah? Have you been tempted, as I have, to read a Christmas novella to get a tiny taste of this most wonderful of seasons?
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What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
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In The Pastor’s Christmas Courtship, the heroine finds herself reminiscing about family traditions and gatherings held at her now-deceased grandparents’ mountain home. She’s retreating there for a healing time alone and to get the place ready to sell—never expecting that her former crush would be back in town or that her sisters would insist she provide their children a Christmas at the cabin just like the ones they used to love themselves.
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I hope Garrett and Jodi’s story gives you a taste of this most wonderful time of the year!
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Happy soon-to-be holidays!
Glynna
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Jodi Thorpe’s childhood vacation cabin seems the perfect place for her to heal her broken heart…and avoid Christmas cheer. After twelve years, nothing in Hunter Ridge has changed--except Garrett McCrae. The bad boy who was once her secret crush is now the town minister. And Garrett won’t let her miss out on all the hope and joy the holiday brings.  With every day he’s drawn to the vulnerable woman Jodi’s become, even as he’s about to leave for a mission halfway around the world.  But as they grow closer, their plans begin to change. Can Garrett make it a season to remember, with a love they can’t forget?
Click HERE to order Jodi and Garrett’s Christmas story!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Christmas In October

Hello, Terri Reed here.  I can't believe Christmas is only 73 days away!! Here's a link to a countdown you want to keep track: http://www.xmasclock.com

I have two books out this month, both are holiday themed. 
Identity Unknown is a fast-paced, edge of your seat romantic suspense. A man with no memory is marked for murder. A female deputy sheriff with trust issues is determined to learn the truth. They must work together to uncover the past and stop the threat or they won't live to see Christmas Day.
A Family Under the Christmas Tree is a charming, delightful story to warm your heart. A man juggling sudden parenthood of a five-year-old and a growing business doesn't need the distraction of his neighbors granddaughter. A woman with wanderlust is determined to keep her heart from growing attached. A matchmaking grandma and a rambunctious dog conspire to form bring these two together.

To celebrate the beginning of fall
, I
ve teamed up with more than
40
fantastic
inspirational contemporary romance authors to give away a huge colle
ction of novels
,
PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!
You can win my novel NAME OF NOVEL, plus books from authors like NAME and
NAME.
Enter the giveaway by clicking here:
http://bit.ly/contemp-inspy
To celebrate the beginning of fall
, I
ve teamed up with more than
40
fantastic
inspirational contemporary romance authors to give away a huge colle
ction of novels
,
PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!
You can win my novel NAME OF NOVEL, plus books from authors like NAME and
NAME.
Enter the giveaway by clicking here:
http://bit.ly/contemp-inspy
Good luck, and enjoy
To celebrate the beginning of fall, Ive teamed up with more than 40 fantastic inspirational contemporary romance authors to give away a huge collection of novels,
PLUS a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!
You can win my novel Double Threat Christmas, plus books from authors like Margaret Daley and
Linda Goodnight. 
Enter the giveaway by clicking here: http://bit.ly/contemporary-inspy

God Bless, and enjoy!
Good luck, and enjoy!