Welcome Sweet Cravings Blog Hoppers!

I hope you are enjoying hopping from one Sweet Cravings Publishing author site to the next. To celebrate our hop, I'd love to give away a copy of my book, Bent Boot Road. It's about a woman who works in a museum basement until a private investigator drops in and needs her help locating a missing professor. Since the missing man teaches archaeology, I'd like to select the winner from anyone who comments below and mentions their favorite movie that includes either a private investigator, a museum basement, or an archaeological site. Bonus points if you can think of one that includes all three.
Good luck, I'll announce the winner on Monday!

And Here's the Cover!

Isn't it gorgeous?
Musa Publishing will have it ready for purchase on September 9, 2013. As long I as I get the dedication and acknowledgement written in the next few days...
Here's the back cover blurb;

James Winchester is content with his predictable small town life. He lives alone, helps out at his family farm, and doesn’t miss an ice cream social. His life is so neat and ordered he could use one of his accounting spreadsheets to chart his upcoming years.

Evelyn Prentiss’s world is in chaos. She’s returned to her home town twenty years after leaving and the transition isn’t as smooth as she’d anticipated. Her home needs renovated, her parents are once again too hands-on, and she only has the summer months to settle in before she starts her new teaching job.

In an effort to be a good neighbor, James finds himself stopping by Evelyn’s house more and more to help with her endless to-do list. When a mystery from their past resurfaces and opens old wounds, the two find comfort in each other. And so much more.

Aww, I just love them!
Next blog post will be an excerpt...I think I have that selected already...

Sweet Saturday Samples

Hello and welcome all visitors from the Sweet Saturdays Sample blog. I’d like to share a PG-13 excerpt from my first novel, Bent Boot Road. It’s available on Amazon, B&N, ARe, and from the publisher’s website, Sweet Cravings Publishing.

The next morning, Carter placed a call to the local detective and discovered that there was nothing new to report. He was not surprised but he was pleased that the detective didn’t seem to have any objections to him continuing his independent inquiry. It saved the detective the trouble of doing some work himself. Carter didn’t care, he was feeling like they were getting close. And thinking of they, he began to consider Back again. Not that he’d really stopped thinking about her since he’d met her two days ago. He wasn’t sure what was going on in his subconscious. Get real, of course he knew what was going on, but she was fascinating him more and more. Her mind worked in mysterious ways and ever since she’d run her fingers through his hair he was desperate for her to touch him again. He kept bringing her back to his room, hoping that she would jump him. It hadn’t worked yet. Maybe if he fed her some more, something sticky that would require some licking of fingers she’d be overcome with lust and make a move.

Why was he being so pathetic? He was fully capable of seducing a woman, why was Lydia Back intimidating him? Carter shook his head and in an ironic effort to stop thinking about her, called her house from memory. When she answered, voice blurred and sleepy, his throat closed for a moment and he castigated himself for being such a fool.

“Back, you ready to go?”

“Who is this?”

“Carter Harris. Were you expecting someone else?”

“I’m always expecting something other than what I get. Eternal disappointment is my lot in life.” She sounded as dour as a heavily laden camel in the desert. She was such an Eeyore.

“Sorry to keep the streak alive Back, but we have work to do.”

“Frickity frack, is it really 8:45?” she croaked and he heard her shifting around. Visions of arms and legs tangled in rumpled sheets filled his brain. The ultra male part of his brain chanted “sleep with me sleep with me”, but that part of his brain was of no use while working. In fact, that part of his brain hadn’t been out to play in a long time.

 “Heavens to Betsy I slept late. You are wearing me out, Harris.” She sighed and he wanted to ask her to start talking dirty.

“I have some good ideas for today. Let’s have some breakfast and make plans.” Syrup was sticky, so waffles or pancakes could work. And then there was whipped cream….

“Gotta shower or something first. I’ll meet you somewhere in a half an hour.” Then she groaned and he lost track of the conversation for a moment as her moan vibrated somewhere deep in his ear. Focus, focus, focus, he ordered himself.

“It only takes you a half an hour to get ready?”

“Yeah Harris, a half an hour. It’s not that complicated to wash off and cover myself with clothes. What kind of women do you hang out with?”

Don’t answer that, the more civilized part of his brain interjected. “The kind of women who like to ride in cars and not hike everywhere like a Sherpa.”

“Ah, passive and squashy.” She sniped back and he grinned. He was going to miss her caustic wit when he returned to Columbus.

“Can you really be here in half an hour?” And no, he was not going to order room service despite great, overriding, massive temptation. They would eat in the restaurant like normal people.

“Yep, if you let me get off the line sometime this week.”

“Done, meet me in the restaurant.” A dial tone was her farewell and Carter decided to contemplate his depleted wardrobe. If he had to stay here much longer he’d need to go shopping. He could only imagine the look of dismay on Lydia’s face if he told her that. So far she wasn’t very impressed with his style, so it was unlikely that any of his current clothing would prompt her to fling herself at him in a state of uncontrolled arousal. What apparel did she like? Flannel shirts and ripped jeans? Baggy corduroys and tweed jackets with elbow patches? Maybe she was turned on by pipe-smoking. It was too horrible to contemplate.

 

I hope you enjoyed a little bit of Carter and Lydia’s story. Would you like to read more? Here are the buy links;

http://store.sweetcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=135&zenid=5538615d36a9122695a8a6d4c00d12d6

http://www.amazon.com/Bent-Boot-Road-ebook/dp/B00BOSI0DG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363545231&sr=1-1&keywords=bent+boot+road

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bent-boot-road-lynn-rae/1114761395?ean=2940016235455

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bentbootroad-1098105-148.html

Whew, I'm tired

 

This is how I feel every time I try to get my son dressed in the morning

 



Yep, I went to see Pacific Rim today and I am exhausted. I've never jumped, flinched, or gasped more in a movie. So yeah, it's pretty good.
I love monster movies because they combine my interests in special effects and disaster scenarios in one efficient package. Pacific Rim delivered both wonderfully. The CGI was the highest quality I've seen to date and the designers did some really unique things, like having debris floating around in the underwater fight scenes. I really appreciate details like that. Despite a lot of the scenes occurring at night/in the rain as is typical with these sorts of films, it was easy to see what I was looking at. They kept the contrast at a level that worked for me. The only time I squinted was when I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually see what was going on up there. The sound was mixed really well too, I didn't feel audio assaulted like I often do in an action movie.

Knife head kaiju lookin' for some fiber



The world-building was good too. Of course it needed to be since these monsters were going to tear it all up. Ha Ha. As a science fan, nothing throws me out of enjoying a movie more than when basic logic is ignored by a filmmaker. Pacific Rim didn't have any glaring problems once you accepted the idea that there was some sort of time-space crevasse in the bottom of the ocean. I'm willing to do that for a monster movie. The contrast between a digital jeager and an analog jeager was a little problematic for me, but it was a necessary plot device so I'm going to let it slide. I would have let a lot more slide because the monsters were superb; cool attributes, realistic movements, and diabolically malevolent. I loves me some monsters.

 

Hmmmmmm....what was I writing?

Here are my two criticisms. The movie needed more Idris Elba. Please? Pretty please? I could have watched him command people to clean commodes for two hours straight and been perfectly happy, but some other stuff happened too. Like giant monsters with acid vomit or electromagnetic pulse burps. But more Idris Elba would have made Pacific Rim even better. Last criticism; no sequel possible. Darn it.

Franklin Park Conservatory

Earlier this month we made a trip to the Franklin Park Conservatory. It was my son's birthday request, which surprised me considering all the more noisy and commercialized entertainments he could have chosen. Maybe he loves the place for the same reasons I do; peaceful environment, waterfalls, butterflies, an abundance of nature. In any case, here are a few photos I took on this latest visit.

A bald cypress bonsai dating from 1843

 

Buckeye butterflies on a bird of paradise bloom

 

 

Gingko bonsai

 

Golden Helicon on lantana

Common Sergeant

Raffle Madness

A sampling of lovely raffle baskets

I have returned from my first-ever Reader Author Get Together. It’s Tuesday as I write this and only today have I felt like myself. It was an overwhelming experience that I’ll soon discuss with another post but first I want to talk about a wonderful part of it; the Raffle.

Every year, authors, readers, publishers, you name it, donate gifts to a raffle at this event. This year, there were over 250 items donated and they raised more than 13,000 dollars for a charity, One Way Farm Children’s Home, www.OneWayFarm.org.

Since I only have one book out at this time, and my second isn’t going to be available until fall, I spent some time trying to come up with something interesting. Since I don’t shop at Bath and Body Works, a basket of spa items was out, so I decided to offer up the chance to name a character in my next published book. I thought it would be a fun prize for someone and I would enjoy sharing the experience of submitting, editing, designing cover art, and finally release day with an interested person.

My prize was drawn in the final round Saturday night. I stuck around despite being very tired and was excited to meet the winner, Joyce Boyd (Hi Joyce!). Joyce and I are going to work through this process together and I’ll be sure to post updates as they occur.

Here’s the first one; I met with two editors at RAGT, both requested full manuscripts, and I have sent those and synopses out as of today. Whew! It’s stressful to prep a submission because you want to re-read the whole manuscript for the umpteenth time, you second guess yourself and your story, and when the panic really hits, you try to think of reasons NOT to send the thing to anyone because you fear rejection. But I have overcome all those obstacles, hit the send button twice, and plan to celebrate tomorrow with a nice lunch out. Then it will be weeks of waiting and checking my email constantly and when I do get a message, being afraid to open it because of the aforementioned fear of rejection.

Oh, in case you are wondering, I didn’t win anything. I never win anything.

my raffle prize...kinda cute

Jitters and Guilt

These roses are pretty but my thoughts are not

 

 

I'm putting up a last blog post before I head off to my first romance writer/reader convention this weekend. This has been a difficult week with a death in my family and the rising tide of mommy guilt because I'll be away from my son for three days. At this point I'm doubting it's all worth it and I'm afraid I'll come home on Sunday exhausted, impoverished, and completely disillusioned. I'm a planner, and part of planning is anticipating the worst so this could be pessimism talking, but the negative feelings are getting to me and I'm hardly in an excited, anticipatory mood.

Part of my problem is my current WIP is reaching a hard place to write as I'm going to kill off a likable character and this puts my heroine in terrible pain. That's no fun to look forward to, and I haven't figured out how I'm going to get her and the hero to their first sexyfuntime so I don't have that as my reward for writing the sad stuff first. I think I'm going to bring the computer along with me so if the convention is too painful and awkward I can at least hide in the hotel room and get a little writing done. That's delusional I know.

Another part of my problem is my son's birthday is tomorrow and he's growing up. He's already reading, sarcastic, and independent, entirely ready for every day and all the fun it promises. I miss my little boy though.

I told my husband tonight I just need a win, even a little one, and I'll bounce back with some of the determination I depend on to keep me going.