You've Got Mail

Howdy, Pamela Tracy, here and yes, I used one of my favorite movies as a title for today.

Since email became more popular, most of the mail I get from 'fans' come via Internet.  Which is cool because it's immediate.   Another plus, is it's easy to file.   I've figured out who writes me for almost every book (I LOVE YOU) and I figured out some people cut and paste their fan letters (and once they forgot to change the title of the book).

Actual fan letter to me.
By the way, I Googled Fan Letters and discovered that there's a how-to site for
writing a fan letter to Taylor Swift.  I did not find my name mentioned in a similar manner .

Used to be (yes, I've been around a long time) fan mail would be sent to the publishing house.  Many editors had files with their authors' names and the mail would go into the files.  I'm not sure whether the editors (or their assistants) would simply transfer the mail to a manilla folder once the file was full or if there were a few times a year when they cleaned all the files.  Doesn't matter.  A decade ago, a few times a year, I'd get manilla envelopes full (okay, not full full) of fan mail.

There were a few different kinds.  Some simply told me what they loved about the book and promised to read all my books (Thanks Mom and Aunt Shari).  Others told me my mistakes (I once typed ASAP instead of ASSET for a teacher heroine).  Some were amazed that I used all the names of their relatives in my book (There are lots of Brittneys, Sarahs, and Mikes in the world).

Fan letters do touch the lives of authors.  I've gotten handmade bookmarks and recipes (I've always admitted that I don't cook.  Some readers think a recipe will change this character flaw.  So far, the perfect recipe hasn't appeared.  Hmm, methinks the only perfect recipe would be one used for the replicator on Star Trek).  I've had readers share poems and ask for prayers.

Yes, I've gotten the letters from prison inmates.

My favorite, though, came not because of a story but because of a dedication.

I dedicated one of my books to my birth mother who I met a little over a decade ago.

I got a fan letter because my birth mother's name is fairly common and one reader saw the name and the sentence I wrote as part of the dedication, called her friend who had the same name, and said, "Wow, you've had a book dedicated to you!"

The second lady said, "Uh, no, there's hundreds of people with my name.  Not me."

But, she went and found the book and read it, too.  Then wrote me and said, "God has blessed your gift of writing.  Thank you for following His path and sharing your life with us."

She was right.  God has blessed me.

A long time ago, I read an article in the Romance Writers Report.  It was a list of things authors should do.  One item was "Write one fan letter a year to an author new to you."

I've done that.  Sometimes I get a thank-you back.  Sometimes I hear from an author's assistant (I want one of those!"  Sometimes I hear nothing at all.   Best of all, I've made a few friends.

So, readers and writers, what are your experiences with fan letters.

http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=65173

Are You a Water Baby?

Keli Gwyn here with an admission: I'm not comfortable in the water.

I come by my fear of the water naturally. Neither of my parents was fond of being in the water. My mom summoned her courage and learned to swim when I was around eight years old. My dad never did learn.

Although I can swim, I'm not a very good swimmer. I didn't learn until I was in high school.

The first day of our swimming unit in P. E. class, the teacher told us to get in the water. Being an obedient oldest child, I did. We were then told to swim a lap. I just stood there.

I'll never forget the look on the teacher's face. She stared at me in disbelief. "You don't know how to swim, do you?" she asked. I shook my head. I'm pretty sure she was shaking hers, too.

That incredibly patient teacher spent the next few weeks making a swimmer out of me. While my friends were logging laps, diving into the deep end and having a blast, I was alone in the shallow end mastering the dog paddle. Talk about humiliating.

I took lessons at the local pool the following summer, determined to avoid future embarrassment. My parks and recreation class consisted of students half my age. I persevered and mastered all the strokes. The side and back strokes are my favorites to this day. Why? Because they don't require me to put my face in the water.

The hero and heroine of my August Love Inspired Historical, Make-Believe Beau, know a lot about water. The hero, Flynt Kavanaugh, is an irrigation engineer. Jessie Sinclair, the heroine, is working as his draftswoman. They and the rest of Flynt's team are helping design the El Dorado Canal, which brought--and still brings--water from the Sierras to the Foothills below, where I live.

Thanks to the efforts of the real men who built the canal, I enjoy water in my glass or in the tub. I give swimming pools and other bodies of water a wide berth to this day.

Questions for You

Do you enjoy swimming?

If so, what is your favorite stroke?

Are you a swimming pool person, or do you prefer lakes or oceans?

(Swimming pool credit here. Canal image is in the public domain)

The Courtship Charade


As a draftswoman in a man’s world, Jessica Sinclair causes a stir as her new male colleagues vie for her attention. And the company manager has an ultimatum: fake a courtship with her boss, Flynt Kavanaugh…or lose her job. But pretending to be smitten with the handsome engineer unleashes a real, complicated attraction—and could reveal the past she hoped to keep hidden.

Jessica is certainly the best person for the job. But as their make-believe romance escalates, Flynt knows that’s not the only reason he wants her on his team. However, with his past shrouded by a shameful secret, Flynt has always focused his ambitions on building a career, not a family. Now he has designs on Jessica’s heart, but can they trust each other with the truth?

Copyright © 2016 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Cover art and cover copy text used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited.
® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Tardy by Leann Harris

As I was standing in the kitchen this morning, it occurred to me this was my day to blog, thus my title "Tardy." Now I don't have to tell you what I did in a previous life. Only a teacher would think in terms of tardy, instead of late. Well, I was in the teacher mode, since on Saturday night I went to a reunion of the first class of students I taught. There were a handful of new teachers, deaf ed, hired to bring the school district up to Plan A, regional day school for the deaf. It was fun seeing those students, seeing how their lives changed. It

didn't take long to start thinking in sign, but reading the other person is what's hard, but isn't that how it is in any language? Now when I saw the picture I took, I told me daughter I looked mad. She told me I had on my teacher face. Also my latest Indie book is out, Stolen Secrets. It happened around the time I started teaching, but there's lots of murder, mayhem, and old secrets coming to light .

Living in Tune with the Seasons by Marta Perry

In today's world, it really is possible to live insulated from the changing seasons. Thanks to air conditioned homes, cars, and businesses, central heating, indoor malls, deliveries from Amazon, phones and Facebook and texting and Twitter, sometimes I think many people have no idea what the weather is like outside their doors!

That's not true of the Amish, certainly, and it's also not true, for the most part, of those of us who live in the country. A few years ago, at about this time of the summer, I was chatting with some women friends at a reception, where I'd been introduced to a newcomer in our community. Our conversation turned, as always in summer, to what our gardens were producing, what jams we'd made, which orchard had the best deal on peaches, and how many quarts of tomatoes we should can.

Finally the newcomer couldn't stand it any longer. She looked at us in astonishment and said, "Haven't you people ever heard of getting your vegetables in a can at the grocery store?"

Well, we had, of course. But to us, our way of life was normal and natural--if not, we probably wouldn't live where we do!

So I've continued to follow the seasons in my cooking and to take an interest in everybody's gardens. Here in Pennsylvania, the progression of pies is inevitable throughout the growing season: rhubarb, then strawberries, then raspberries, then blackberries, then blueberries. By the time we're picking blueberries, the peaches are ready, and there are plenty of orchards close at hand where we can get them fresh from the trees, followed by pears and then apples.

As for the gardens, our suburban grandkids love eating tomatoes fresh from the plant! Who needs them washed and sliced?

We're at the height of zucchini and yellow squash season right now. They don't last long, and I've never found a very good method of preserving them, so we eat and enjoy every day while they last.

Here's one of my favorite squash recipes, guaranteed to appeal even to picky kids, as long as you don't tell them it's squash!

Squash Chips

Thinly slice tender young yellow squash or zucchini, leaving the skin on if desired. Dip each slice in beaten egg and then in a mixture of equal amounts of Bisquick and Italian crumbs. Bring about an inch of canola oil to medium heat in a large skillet. Drop each slice into the oil. They'll brown very quickly, so flip them as one side browns. Transfer to paper towels to drain and keep warm, and continue to do batches until reaching the desired amount. Serve immediately, while they're warm and crispy.

What's your favorite fresh from the garden or farmers' market treat? Your top recipe?

If you'd like a copy of my brochure of favorite Pennsylvania Dutch recipes, just e-mail me with your address at marta@martaperry.com or sign up for my newsletter at www.martaperry.com/lists/?

p=subscribe.

Blessings,

Marta

Messy Manucripts

Keli Gwyn here to talk about making messes. Not just any messes, mind you, but messes of the manuscript variety.

I'm racing to meet a July 25 deadline for my fourth Love Inspired Historical, Her Motherhood Wish, which will be released in March 2017.

Until a couple of days ago, the manuscript was a mess. I have a hunch some of my fellow authors can relate.

I handed that messy first draft to my bright, beautiful daughter, who proofreads for another author, too, and is a line and copy editing whiz.

When Adriana completed her editing pass, I was reminded of a recent "catastrophe" she experienced when she accidentally flung cat food all over the bathroom floor--and counter, too. She had lots of little pellets to pick up; I had lots of little oopsies to address.

Adri returned the story full of notes telling me (nicely) about the many niggling ways I'd muffed up. Things like the heroine being blindfolded by the bad guy but not bound. Can you say oops? I'd made poor Callie look pretty clueless, since she could have just reached up and removed the bandana blocking her vision. Not to worry. That mistake has been corrected.

I'm happy to report that I've cleaned up the manuscript. There are only a few fixes left for me to make. I'm on track to hit "send" Monday. A huge sigh of relief will follow.

Questions for You

Think back to a time when your plate was overfull or your life got a bit messy. How do you handle such times? What works well for you when you're feeling overwhelmed? This fuzzy-brained, deadline-pressured writer welcomes your wisdom.

Such a perfect setting...

Story ideas can come from the most varied places, can't they? Completing a six week Citizens' Police Academy and also the local Citizens' Fire Academy, were perfect for gathering the right details for several of my novels. That's me on the left, in full fireman's gear. I still have no idea how a fireman can withstand the danger, as well as the heat of a fire plus hot summer weather in that heavy gear. I am in awe of those folks!

Travel to foreign countries in the last few years gave me fodder for indie novellas set in Ireland, Scotland and (coming out this fall) England--providing details that couldn't have been gleaned from researching books or the internet.

But my main love is writing for Love Inspired, and my settings for those are in the USA. When not using small towns, I often revert to my passion for the contemporary West--ranching, cowboys, veterinarians, high adventure in the mountains...or the pine forests of the north.

Speaking about pines, we've just returned from a long weekend up along the North Shore of Lake Superior, my favorite place in the Upper Midwest.

Superior is 1,333 ft at its deepest, with an average depth of 483 feet, and has almost 32,000 square miles of surface area. The rocky shores, crystal clear water and agate beaches are breath-taking, and the fresh, pine-scented air is delightful.

And goodness--Duluth itself is now a far cry from its shabby past many years ago, with its wonderful museums, restaurants, unique stores and hiking trails. There's even a downtown boardwalk and bike path that run along seven miles of the shore--barely visible in this night photo from our hotel balcony.

I've been going up there since the age of three--first with my parents, later on with my own family, and it never loses its appeal.  In fact, my very first novel was set along the North Shore...and returning to this beautiful place made me ponder the possibility of setting another book up there.

Right now, though,  The Single Dad's Redemption (Love Inspired) is out in the stores, and I'm working on the next book in that Aspen Creek series, which is set just a little more south--in the St Croix region of western Wisconsin.

What are your favorite types of settings when shopping for books in a store or online? Or does it matter to you?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Roxanne Rustand
USA Today bestselling Author
The Single Dad's Redemption, Love Inspired 7/2016
An Aspen Creek Christmas, Love Inspired 11/16
www.roxannerustand.com 
www.facebook.com/Roxanne.Rustand 
http://www.SweetRomanceReads.com
https://www.pinterest.com/roxannerustand

Book Release Day by Marta Perry

It always seems to me that book release day ought to be a bigger celebration than it is! Today is the day my new Amish romantic suspense, HOW SECRETS DIE, comes out, and it slips past like any other day, with laundry to do, supper to cook, a garden to tend, and a new chapter to finish. Where are the fireworks?!

Seriously, I suppose the actual birthday for a book, at least where the author is concerned, is the day we hit Send and shoot the completed manuscript off to our editors. That's the moment when our baby is launched on the world, so to speak, because someone other than us will see it. Will they ooh and aah over our triumph? Or will they be quick to point out that the baby's face is a bit red and it has no hair? We don't know yet, so for that moment, we can revel in the satisfaction of having completed yet another book.

I'm been writing for so long that I remember the days when I either used a carbon paper while typing the final draft or paid way too much to have it photocopied. When the book had to be done at least a week before its due date to allow for it to be mailed to New York. When the gremlins in the mail room actually lost your manuscript, and you only found out weeks later as the result of a plaintive phone call from your editor. Ah, yes, those were the good old days!

Seriously, though, I'm celebrating, all by myself. HOW SECRETS DIE is my 50th Harlequin release and my 60-something book. So lift a cyber glass of champagne with me and celebrate all the scribes out there who toil away in what must be the loneliest occupation on earth. Congratulations to all of you, and may your writing be swift and your ideas flow!

Blessings,
Marta Perry

Laurie W. is the winner of our quarterly giveaway!

Congratulations to "Laurie W." for winning our quarterly giveaway basket! (Laurie, I’ve emailed you so please contact me if you didn’t get it.)

Be sure to re-enter every quarter. Click here for the entry form.

Also, get extra entries by commenting on our blog! (One extra entry per person per blog post.)

Get a peek at the new giveaway basket here.

Thanks for reading and loving Love Inspired romances!

~The Love Inspired authors

Inspiration is unexpected places.... Roxanne Rustand

Inspiration for creative projects--arts, crafts or writing--can come from everywhere. Do you enjoy working on creative projects?  Where has some of your inspiration come from?

I've never lived in Wisconsin, but I love the state...the deeply rolling, scenic southwest, the breathtaking bluffs and streams and beautiful forests of the eastern border, the myriad lakes of the north country, which blazes with color  in the fall.

I've ended up setting several series of books there, because it all seems so perfect for a story setting. I took these Wisconsin photos a few years back.


My current five-book Love Inspired series, Aspen Creek Crossroads, is set in a fictitious town along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and has been such fun to write!


The third book in the loosely connected series, The Single Dad's Redemption, is out at the beginning of July, and I had such fun "spending time" with the folks of Aspen Creek once again.  They've begun to seem like old friends, and I know I'll miss them when the series in done.

Is it just me, or do you remember characters in your favorite books? Think about them later, and wish there were more books to  read about them? That happens to me all the time when I read a favorite author!

Best wishes to you all for a summer of  sunshine and plenty of time to read!
Roxanne Rustand

The Single Dad's Redemption, Love Inspired 7/2016
An Aspen Creek Christmas,     Love Inspired 11/16
www.roxannerustand.com 
www.facebook.com/Roxanne.Rustand 
http://www.SweetRomanceReads.com
https://www.pinterest.com/roxannerustand

Odds and Ends by Leann Harris

I am a geek and readily admit it. The other night on the ACH channel they had the program What History Forgot, and talked about actress Heddy Lamar and what a genesis she was. During World War II, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes, which used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of jamming by the Axis powers.

I was so awed by this information, and told my husband, thinking to surprise him. Yeah, he knew. He was in the army and was a munitions officer and a physicist. I didn't stump him. But he still can't find yeast in the kitchen cabinet.

WHAT DO THEY SEE? by Marta Perry

Your characters, I mean. What do they see when they look around them?

Most romance authors I know search diligently for just the right image for the hero and heroine of the story, collecting photos of actors in various roles, imagining them with different clothes or different hair color, seeing them walking through the plot. When it's time to fill out the all-important cover art form, a picture of the heroine is well worth a thousand words.

But setting is also a crucial part of any romance, and for the author, that means visualizing the surroundings before plopping the characters down in them. To mean, pictures are invaluable in this process. Even if the setting is one I know well, looking at a photograph or painting will push me to select just the details I need.

Take the lovely rhododendron in this photograph. I'm currently writing a book set in north central Pennsylvania in late May. If I were doing this writing in December, I might be hard put to remember exactly what was blooming at this time, to say nothing of how it looks and my reaction to it. But the photo, saved with the date, is there in my file to remind me, and the rhododendron with its enormous blossoms was just written into a scene.

When I'm planning a new series, one of the first things I do is begin to collect images of the place which inspired the location of the books. For me, it's much easier to begin with a real small town and then make the changes the plot demands than to start from scratch in creating the story world. Since the same location will be used for each book of the series, I try to collect photos taken in different seasons.

For instance, my upcoming Love Inspired Amish series, The Kings of Lost Creek, will take place over a span of many months. Each book will have its own distinct feel, and while readers like to return to familiar settings, I want to highlight a different aspect of that setting for each book. So building my treasure trove of images will be helpful over the long haul of writing a novella and three full-length novels.

The novella, coming out in November, will require the snowy scene, but once I move on to the next book, it will probably be spring. And the creek, which figures in the series' name, has to be included. Of course, that part of it will be easy--all I have to do is look out my window to see the creek!

The pictures provide more than an identifiable image, though. If I look at the creek picture, I remember the feel of the cold water splashing over my feet on a hot summer day. I hear the birds chattering in the trees, and I can taste the wild raspberries that grow along the bank.

Happy Imagining!
Marta Perry

Memorial Day by Leann Harris

Monday is Memorial Day. It is a time to think of those men and women who gave their full measure for this country. I remember going to visit my in-laws graves. They bought the plot during WWII. Although my in-laws died in the '70's the graves around them are young men who were 18 or 19, but they all died in December of 1941 or in early 1942. What promise was cut down, and they deserved my heart-felt thanks.

May, Babies, Books and Anniversaries

This month is a huge celebration for me. I will celebrate my 45th anniversary. Mind you, I was a teenager when I got married. Second, www.LoveInspired.com is offering the second book in my Rodeo Heroes series as a free down load. In addition, the first book in my Legacy of Lies will be a free download on Amazon May 19-22. In June the final books in the different trilogies will come

out.

And last, I have grandbabies. What a blessing.

Giveaway Prize Preferences

Upcoming Giveaway Prizes on My Blog

Keli Gwyn here with a question about giveaway prizes.

I saw a post on Facebook recently asking about author giveaways. The person posing the question wanted to know what readers thought about authors who offer prizes such as Kindles, Amazon gift cards and other items instead of books.

Since I've started giving away a newly released Love Inspired Historical on my personal blog each week, the question made me wonder if books are what readers are most interested in winning.

If you're an author, do you offer books for giveaways, or do you add non-book items as special prizes for online launch parties and other big events? What non-book prize that you've offered has generated the most interest?

If you're a reader, does a non-book prize interest you, or are you drawn to giveaways that offer nothing but books? What are some non-book prizes that made you eager to enter a drawing?

Allie Pleiter on Spring in Chicago

Spring is SERIOUS BUSINESS in Chicago!

We suffer—and I do mean suffer—through this region’s cold nasty winters only to dig our heels in for March and April’s wildly fickle weeks.  There was a time earlier this month where we got snow, rain, sleet, and sunshine in repeated cycles all in one day!  It was a different season every time you looked out the window.  Thirty degree temperature drops.  Snow on blooming daffodils.  You don’t know which clothes to keep in your closet, or whether to take the ice-scraper out of your car.  It can make a gal crazy.

Then, finally, Spring puts her foot down and declares her arrival.  It was 80 yesterday, and I did doing the very favorite thing about my work—writing on the deck.  Those are the day where I love the nature of my job, where writing feels like the best profession on the planet.  Sure, it’s 50 again today, but I know Chicago’s on the upswing of Spring.

I’m currently writing the fourth book in the Blue Thorn Ranch series—one you’ll see next year. But this month has also been filled with lovely letter and emails from many of you who have taken the time to let me know how much you’re enjoying the Blue Thorn Ranch series.  Books one and two are out and ready for you to read, and book three will show up in August.

Spring is my favorite time of year.  It’s optimism season.  Dog walks are happy affairs instead of bundled-up endurance tests.  Grass is emerald green and soft, flowers poke their perky noses up everywhere in celebration that Chicago’s winter is long gone.

What’s your favorite thing about Spring?

I'm so over April...

Good morning.  Jenna Mindel here freezing in Northern Michigan with a temp of only 33 degrees.  After a super mild March, April decided to mock us with two snow storms mid month.   Last night while watching the six o'clock weather, I noticed a 35 degree difference in temperatures between where I live in the Tip-of-the-Mitt and a town only a couple hours south.  We were at 36 degrees and they were 71!  That's just crazy!


This video was taken of my back yard on April 10th, after our last sticking snow.  

There have been some nice days in April though, like the one below, near the lake on a beautiful day last week. 

But this fine gray morning, as I work on a synopsis for my next book proposal in the Maple Springs, Michigan series, I know why Northern Michigan inspires me.  It's beautiful for sure, but also unpredictable and ever changing.   A great back drop for my Zelinsky family who are full of surprises too.   With the release of A Temporary Courtship this fall, I hope you'll agree. 

What is it that you love most about where you live? 

Writers and Readers Oh My!

Last Tuesday, after work, I drove to Las Vegas.
Nope, not a vacation location for me.
But, Romantic Times Magazine brought together readers and writers
for a six day conference.
Woo woo.

A bunch of us jumped in my mini-van
Drove through a strange town
to an awesome Italian restaurant
Back row: Vinnie the waiter, Jessica Nelson, Lisa Mondello, Pamela Tracy
Front row:  Danica Favorite, Lenora Worth, Allie Pleiter

We met with Farah who works for Harlequin.  

Harlequin did a book signing
Lenora and I were very happy.

I managed to get a few touristy things done
Like go to the Mob Museum

There was a giant book signing that featured Lenora

The final night, Danica and I plus Judy Devries get together for a party

So, now you know how Pamela Tracy spent the last week.  I'm home now.  The hubby is happy - he no longer has to help with homework. The son is happy - someone will go grocery shopping and buy the right food.  The dog is happy - she's always happy.  The cat isn't happy - he still doesn't understand why we're keeping the dog.

My next book
Available April 24th
Yeah!

Release Day by Marta Perry

Today is release day for my latest Amish book, THE REBEL, Book Three in the Keepers of the Promise series. I hope you'll look for it!

And watch for a brand-new Amish series, KINGS OF LOST CREEK, coming out from Love Inspired. It will start with a Christmas novella, THE MIDWIFE'S CHRISTMAS SURPRISE, in November.

Blessings,
Marta

The Final Episode by Leann Harris

I bet I wasn't the only one who watched Downton Abby's final Episode. I enjoyed how Julian Fellowes wrapped up the different story lines running the the series. Seeing the growth in the characters delighted me. Mary grew the most with helping Anna with her problem pregnancy and how she set up the meeting with Edith and Berdie, trying to undo the break she caused. If that hadn't happened, I would've pitched a fit. That's one of the main reasons I started writing, to put the right ending to a story. For me Downton Abby ended on a high note. I would've loved for the the series to go into WWII, but then that would've required new actors to play the children. The thing that is encouraging is this series has found fans all around the world. What did you like best about Downton Abby?

SHIFTING GEARS by Marta Perry

When I was learning to drive, a few eons ago, my father insisted that I should know how to drive a standard shift. It only took one lesson for both of us to decide that we'd be far better off if I learned to drive on automatic, leaving standard for later lessons and a different teacher. Eventually I did learn to drive standard shift, thanks to my husband who had more patience than Dad did. I drive it if I have to, but it's not usually a happy experience, especially if I have to stop and start on a hill. And that's unavoidable in Pennsylvania!

The trouble is that my preferred mode is to deal with one thing at a time, in driving and in writing. That being said, you can understand the difficulties I face when I switch from writing 100,000 word novels to 60,000 word novels to 25,000 word novellas and even the occasional 3000 word short story. In fact, I've probably blogged about it several times, not because I want to vent but in the hope my experience will be of use to someone else.

In another life, before I wrote for Love Inspired, I wrote a number of short stories for Woman's World magazine under my married name, Martha Johnson. I found that the most crucial thing in developing a short story was the size of the idea to begin with. That means, given the basics of a character with a problem, that the story begins as close to the crisis and resolution as possible. I knew that, of course, but I still wrote a number of stories that straggled on far too long before getting to the point. Then I hit upon the strategy of getting the character's problem out in the open in the first paragraph of the story. There's no space for a leisurely showing of the problem, so I sometimes resorted to opening with another character saying to the protagonist, "The trouble with you is...". Amazingly enough, the first story I wrote with that technique sold, and I was launched on a decent career in writing short stories.

So, when this winter I was tasked with turning from completing a 100,000 word romantic suspense novel (How Secrets Die, out in July from HQN Books) to writing a 25,000 word Christmas novella for Love Inspired, I had to go back to the basics once more. How do you write a compelling, satisfying story in only 25,000 words? The size of the idea came to the forefront again. While a longer novel might include several subplots and side issues, along with a few red herrings to throw the reader off the track, a novella has to stay focused on the main issue, meaning the love story and those things which immediately impact the hero and heroine on their journey to happily ever after.

As I planned the ten chapters that would make up the novella, I made sure that the heroine's external conflict and her romantic conflict came onstage in the first few pages. That done, I could focus on getting the hero onstage (on page 5 or so) and introducing his external conflict and his reaction to the heroine. Once the story was off and running, I could settle in and make sure that I gave the reader a satisfying trip to The End.

The novella I'm finishing up now, The Midwife's Christmas Surprise, will be out in November from Love Inspired. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Blessings,
Marta