New Review for Dancing With Fate

I received this wonderful review from AUBREY DIONNE, who is herself a talented author of such  Science Fiction and Fantasy Romances as 'Messenger In The Mist' and 'Nebula's Music', as well as being a professional flutist.  Here's what she said about 'Dancing With Fate':

"Mythology expertly spun into romance and fairytale

The Celts’ spirits are down from battle, and Apollo asks Terpsichore, the muse of dance, to return to Earth and inspire them. She must forgo her powers and roam among the people as a mortal woman, trying not to be noticed. But she is noticed, for the Gods have secret plans.

When Terpsichore, known as Cora on Earth, finishes her task, she decides to swim in a mountain spring in the forest. After drinking a sip of enchanted wine, she loses herself in dance and song. Her nude dance by the spring captivates a man named Myrddin, who invites her to share his evening meal.

Terpsichore is drawn to Myrddin. Although he is human, there is something special about him, and she longs to get to know him better. She accepts his offer and joins him for dinner. At dinner, she learns he is on a quest to save his betrothed. Both of them hold secrets from each other, and only time will draw them out.

Little does she know the Gods have plans for her, and the stakes are high.

Sweet Terpsichore may be immortal, but she has the same feelings and urges as any woman, and I wanted her to find happiness with Myrddin. With poetic prose and sizzling romance, this story is a must read for mythology and fantasy fans alike."

Thank you so much for the lovely review, Aubrie, and I'm so happy you enjoyed my book.

You can purchase 'Dancing With Fate' HERE

and if you love Science Fiction and Fantasy Romance, please visit Aubrie's site HERE






'STARQUEST'    'CHILDREN OF THE MIST'  (The sequel to Starquest)  Dancing With Fate      'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH'

                  Also available on Kindle

Paula Martin, author of 'His Leading Lady' - Writing then and now

I decided to have a short break from 'Monday's Word' and hope you'll join me in welcoming Fellow  'Brit Author' Paula Martin to my blog today.    A bit later we'll hear about her new release 'His Leading Lady' but now relax, and let's hear from the lady herself. 

Over to you Paula:

Writing Then and Now

My writing ‘career’ started in the mid-60’s when I submitted my first novel to Mills and Boon here in the UK.  At the time they produced only hard-back ‘library’ romances, with the strap line ‘Pleasant Books.’  No sex before marriage – correction, no sex, not even the hint of it.  They didn’t get near enough to the bedroom to close the door, let alone leave it open!  A chaste kiss was all that was allowed.  Divorce and illegitimacy were also completely taboo topics. 

And what about the actual writing?  I wrote everything in longhand.  Masses of crossing out, insertions, extra paragraphs stapled to a page – however did we manage? Then came the laborious job of typing out the MS on an old upright Remington, with carbon paper to make a copy.  One mistype and, if the correction paper wouldn’t hide it, the paper was ripped from the typewriter and you had to start the page all over again. 

I was a complete innocent when it came to submitting.  I didn’t know anything about agents or query letters or synopses.  I had no critique partners, just a couple of friends who read my story and liked it.  But I parcelled up the MS and put it in the post to M and B.  I fully expected it to come winging back within a few days.

Six weeks later, I had a letter signed by Alan Boon himself.  He (or the editor who wrote the letter – I’ll never know, since Alan signed everything) liked my story and my writing but there were a couple of chapters about which he had some reservations.  He said that if I was prepared to revise, they would consider my story for publication.    If I was prepared?  Of course I was!  I did the revision, typed the whole thing out again and sent it off.  After two weeks, I had an acceptance letter, and a contract for two more novels.

First novel, first submission, and I was accepted.  How lucky was that?  And nothing at all about any promotion or marketing on my part.  My first novel was published in May 1968, and my second and third novels were accepted immediately without any revision or editing.  I had no input whatsoever into the covers of these, or the blurb on the back, or the longer summary on the inside cover.  All I had to do was proof-read. 

When Mills and Boon merged with Harlequin in the 70’s, everything changed. Sheiks, Greek millionaires and Latin Lotharios abounded. All arrogant, brooding, domineering males and wimpy females who finally (and happily! – what?) ‘submitted’ to them. Explicit sex became the order of the day too, almost rape in many cases.

Not my scene at all.  I did submit another novel in the early 70’s which was rejected because it no longer fitted the new ‘formula’ – my hero was not dominant enough and there was no sex. 

I abandoned fiction writing for many years and finally came back to it about 4 years ago when I re-discovered my muse by writing fan-fiction, and then started writing novels again.

And what a difference there is between writing in the 60’s and writing now.

First of all, computers!  How much easier now to write, to change things as you go along, to cut and paste and to edit, to spell-check and to search for repeat words and phrases.     

And the internet of course.  In the 60’s, I was writing in isolation, I knew no other writers.  Now I belong to several yahoo groups and have made many contacts with writers from all over the world.  I’ve been lucky enough to find two critique partners who are honest, constructive and supportive.

How much easier, also, to do the research for a story.  Back in the 60’s, I wanted to set one novel in an American college.  This meant a visit to the library to find out the names and addresses of some colleges and then some letters to ask for their prospectus which, if I was lucky, arrived about two months later (airmail was FAR too expensive).  I never completed that story.  Now, of course, it would take only a few minutes to bring up hundreds of websites about American colleges and to download a full prospectus. 

So what’s the downside?  It seems that it’s now so much ‘easier’ to write a novel so the market is flooded with would-be writers.  There’s a lot of advice out there about query letters, blurbs and synopses, all designed to grab an editor’s attention, and there must be thousands of ‘how to write a best-selling novel’ articles. 

There also seem to be dozens of different genres, and I must admit I get a little confused at times about just what constitutes the different romance genres.  Okay, I know the difference between sweet and erotic, but between sensual and sophisticated?  It seems as of every publisher has its own interpretation.

Another change is that you are now expected to promote your own work, a task which can take a lot of time and energy, and which diverts you from actually writing stories.

It’s a different world but, on the whole, I DO prefer the present to the past!  I realised that when I got an idea for a novel when I was in Egypt last October.  I bought a notebook from the hotel’s bookshop, and scribbled furiously – and yes, there were all the crossings-out, insertions, extra paragraphs on separate pages with asterisks to denote where they belonged.  I felt as if I had stepped back in time.  When I got home, I couldn’t wait to transfer it all on to my computer, and to continue the story on the screen!

Thank you so much Paula. Yes, I agree with so much of what you say - and especially with how the internet has opened up the world for writers.  Not just for research for for the wonderful comeraderie that seems to exist between writers the world over!

New Release:  ‘His Leading Lady’ published by Whiskey Creek Press in June 2011 (www.whiskeycreekpress.com)

Jess Harper’s predictable life is turned upside down when she discovers that Lora, her twin sister, has disappeared.  It’s just a week before rehearsals are due to start for a new West End musical in which Lora has the lead role.  Jess decides to pose as her sister in order to save Lora's career.  This brings her into close contact with arrogant theatre director Kyle Drummond.  Attraction sparks between them but there’s also evidence that he had been dating Lora.  So is Jess simply a substitute – in real life as well as in the show?  And what will happen when Lora eventually returns?   

BIO

Paula Martin had some early publishing success with short stories and four novels, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years. She has recently returned to writing fiction, after taking early retirement from teaching.

She lives near Manchester in North-West England, and has two daughters and two grandsons. Apart from writing, she enjoys travelling and has been to many places in Britain, mainland Europe, America, Canada and the Middle East.  She loves visiting both familiar and new places, but Ireland is her very favourite place.

Contact Paula at:

Website: http://paulamartinromances.webs.com/

Personal Blog: http://paulamartinpotpourri.blogspot.com/

Writers Blog (with 4 other writers): http://heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulamartinromances

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulaRomances

Monday's word - straddle

 No, I'm not straddling a fence or anything like that!  This is a word that Michael Quinion has featured in his 'Worldwide Words this week:
 "Readers of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy may recognise this as the name of one of the villages of the Bree Land. It suggests the strength and stoutheartedness of a people who for him meant all that was solid and dependable about traditional England. Like most of Tolkien's words, it's no accident. He was borrowing an Old English word that meant variously a foundation or support.

We've almost entirely lost it today, though it survived for some centuries in English dialect, most commonly in the south of the country. One sense was of a stump of a tree that was left in the ground after felling so that a clump of thin stems could grow from
it, a technique called coppicing. It could also refer to a tree left in place when all around had been felled, so that it would grow to full size, called a standard, unencumbered by neighbours. The connection between these senses is that one form of woodland
management was called "coppice with standards", which combined the two methods. "Staddle" seems to have been used indiscriminately for
both components.

The sense you're most likely to encounter, however, especially if you visit a museum of historic buildings, is of a stone carved in the shape of a mushroom, with a conical stem and a wide rounded top. This isn't a staddle, strictly speaking, but a staddle stone. It was one of the supports that kept the actual staddle, the wood or stone base of a hay rick or granary, clear of the ground.

I think this is a good example of names being used effectively, to give a place name a sense of purpose. It's also a word that you might find useful if you write historical fiction, to add touch of authenticity.


*World Wide Words is copyright (c) Michael Quinion 2010. All rights reserved. The Words Web site is at http://www.worldwidewds.
Reproduced with permission

'Out Of The Blue' released today!

HL: I'm thrilled to welcome Caroline Clemmons to be my special guest today.  First of all, Caroline, Congratulations on your Release Day.  Grab a celebratory virtual Marguarita, Make yourself at home and tell us a little about yourself.  For instance, what do you do for fun when not writing?

CC: When I was a child in California, I wanted to grow up to be Dale Evans. When I realized that job was taken, I decided to ride the range with Dale and Roy Rogers, saving the West from rustlers and bank robbers until my dad clued me in that was strictly in the movies. Later in Texas, I wanted to be just like Nancy Drew and planned to open my own detective agency with my best friend Karen when we were old enough. We skulked around looking for clues to who knew what until we drove our parents and neighbors nuts. You see that I'm not that into reality, so it's only natural that I became a fiction writer. Now I can daydream all day as long as my fingers are attached to the keyboard.

When I'm not writing, I read, read, read and watch movie DVD's. I love spending time with my family. One of the things I especially enjoy is browsing antique malls. My youngest daughter and I used to have three antique booths. If we ever win the lottery, we'll go back into the antique business until all the money is gone. Okay, so we weren't the best businesswomen ever. Actually, we realized that we loved the buying part; the selling, not so much. My husband also enjoys reading and watching movies on DVD, so that works out well. I am into family history. My brother and I are writing a book on our father's family and my daughters help with that. My husband and I both like to travel. Our last overseas trip was to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. What a lovely trip that was! We hated to come home.

HL: LOL, your childhood fantasies sound very much like mine! I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to these shores.  When you're starting a new book, what comes first: the plot or the characters?

CC: The characters show up first. Usually a strong hero or heroine lets me know the opening scene and it appears like a movie in my head. I find out his or her problem and then I plot the book. My next time travel is TEXAS SHOWDOWN, a work in progress, and is also about a woman who comes forward in time. She starts out running from rustlers in a heat lightning storm in 1896 and arrives at her home in a rainstorm in present day only to find someone else living there. The heroine is named after my new sister-in-law, Penny Jane, but Penny is not a time traveler as far as I know. In fact, she lives in North Carolina and seems to be a nice and above average individual.

HL:  What a great tribute to your new S.I.L., and Texas Showdown sounds just my sort of book. I like to start with characters too - let them tell the author the story, it's so much easier! LOL. Tell us about your new release and what you think readers will enjoy about it.


CC: OUT OF THE BLUE is a time travel about a clairvoyant healer from 1845 Ireland. The local bully has incited a mob charging her with cursing their rotting potato crop. They are in a remote fictional village named Ballymish and don't realize the potato blight is nationwide. When she leaps off a cliff to avoid the mob, she lands in a present day Texas lake beside the bass boat of a police detective. What's fun about it is that the detective, Brendan Hunter, is an uptight guy who always follows the rules. Thanks to the time he spent with his rigid grandparents, there are no gray areas for him--it's all black or white. Into his life comes this beautiful woman, Deirdre Dougherty, who says she's from 1845. Not in a million years would he believe that's possible. So, one of the things he has to learn to accept is that he can't control everything and she has to learn to rely on her instincts. There are some fun characters in it, such as Brendan's former hippie mom, Blossom, who owns a health food store. It was such a fun book to write. My friend Sandy Crowley helped me plot it and it was the easiest book I've ever written.


HL: Oh that sounds fantastic, Carline.  OK, if someone were to play one of your characters in a movie, which character and what actor would it be?

CC: I think Keanu Reeves would be good as Brendan Hunter, the hero. He wouldn't even have to talk--we could just watch him throughout the movie. Ashley Judd could play Deirdre Dougherty except Deirdre is um, er, um, well-endowed.

HL: Following on from that, who is your favourite hunk - film star or personality?

CC: My friend Ashley from the La Madeline group gave me something of her late mom's. It's an autographed photograph of Gregory Peck in western attire. Ashley thought the photo looked like the kind of hero I write, and he does. I know he is older now, but in this photo he is such a hunk! It inspires me. Knowing that Ashley is so supportive of my writing that she would share her dear mom's prize with me also inspires me. How could I let her down by not doing my very best?

HL: Oooh, I loved Greg too! What a great gift. So what have you learned about writing that surprised you the most?

CC: When I first began writing, I wanted to make big bucks and be famous. I especially wanted to make enough money to buy my husband a nice car. Ridiculous, right? Now, I just want people to read my stories. It surprises me that the money is not more important. Okay, I'd definitely enjoy reaping big bucks (who wouldn't?), but that simply would be an added benefit. Mostly, I just want people to like my books and get what I'm trying to say. Thinking of big bucks reminds me of seeing Janet Evanovich speak several years ago. According to the press, she'd just signed a $7,000,000 contract and paid her daughter $300,000 a year to be her webmistress. My elementary school librarian daughter who accompanied me to the lecture said, "Oh, Mom, I'd work for you for so much less." So would I. Wait, I DO work for less. Much, much, much less.

HL:  *Grin*  Absolutely!  I think most of us would.  Getting back to writing though, what’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

CC: My process has changed big time. When I first started, I knew the beginning and the end but struggled with the middle and the books turned out to be too short or too slow paced. Also, I wasn't mean enough to my characters. I liked them, right, and didn't want them to suffer. Ouch, no pain, no book. Years ago I attended an all-day workshop, "Story Magic," given by Laura Baker and Robin Perini. Lights flashed, bells rang, and I GOT IT! Fortunately, several of my friends attended the same workshop and also "got it." I don't always have to use a plotting board now, but the thoughts are organized in my head as if I had used the plotting board.

HL: *Sigh*  It's a hard lesson to learn to be mean to our characters isn't it!  But we just have to make sure their reward at the end is worth it.  :) Do you have a support system? Did you have a writing community? What valuable lessons have you learned from them?

CC: I'm blessed with terrific support groups, which includes my husband and daughters. Also my writing friends: my friends in the Yellow Rose RWA chapter, my online group at the slipintosomethingvictorian blog, my Raven Mavens mystery group (who are willing to critique romance with only minor snide comments), my LaMadeline group (we meet at a restaurant by that name), the wild writers, The Wild Rose Press writers, Jeanmarie Hamilton and Sandra Crowley. Plus my husband is always willing to handle those pesky computer problems that crop up as well as handle some household chores to free up my time. In fact, he just brought me my supper so I wouldn't have to stop and deal with those nasty four-letter-word kitchen things like cook and clean.

HL:  Aw bless!  Well that's quite a list, and it's great to have the support of friends on and offline, and a supportive husband is probably the best of all!  And following on with that, what is your personal definition of success?

CC: Being happy with what you have. I am a happy person.

HL: Simple - yet very profound! Now a fun question to end up with -  if you were an animal, which one do you think you would be, and why?

CC: Probably an indoor cat. Naps, petting, food, petting, naps, petting, food, naps. Doesn't sound bad, does it? No, I'd rather be me.

HL: True - 'family' cats have a great life - but they can't write can they!

Well sadly this brings us to the end of the interviw.  Thank you so much for sharing your release day with us, and giving us a little insight into Caroline Clemmons the writer, and your new book 'Out Of The Blue'. Now we've just got time to get changed and head off to your Release Party at the Author Roast and Toast.http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/
 Come on folks, you're all invited!

(Sharon Donovans sexy butler is serving marguaritas!)


'Out Of The Blue' Purchase Link
http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/
Caroline's Website

Roasting and Toasting Barbara Edwards

You're invited...

to a midnight graveyard party.  Yes, you read that right, nothing's ever humdrum or ordinary at the Author Roast and Toast!  Join hostesses, Sharon Donovan, Mary Ricksen and myself.  Come and see Oliver, Sharon's hunky butler, dressed in his vampire costume.  Let's Roast and Toast Barbara Edwards  today, and  find out more about her great paranormal thriller 'Ancient Awakening'.
http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/ 

'Spaced Out' at the Author Roast and Toast

You're invited  over to the Author Roast and Toast where we're entertaining my Fellow Wild Rose Press  'Faery Rose' line romance author,  Emma Lai..  Come and join us for an Author feature with a difference, as we discuss her book 'His Ship Her Fantasy' and find out more about this talented fantasy author and her books.

http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/

MONDAY'S word

Not so much a word today, as a phrase.

"She would love him to the BITTER END"

Noting particularly unusual about that espression, you might think. But where did it orginate from?

The question of whether it originated in
nautical references to the end of mooring ropes that are attached to bitts, that is the posts on jetties and quaysides, was asled on Michael Quinion's 'World Wild Words'* recently.

Michael answered: "The idiom has had two senses. "To go on until the bitter end" today means that someone will persevere with something until it is quite finished, no matter how unpleasant or difficult that is. However, some dictionaries add a second sense: to continue to the last and direst extremity, such as total defeat or even death. The two are obviously linked, the former being a weaker version of the latter.

As you say, in nautical terminology the bitts are posts for fixing ropes to. The word is usually plural because bitts normally turn up in pairs, so that a sailor can speedily wind a rope around them in a figure of eight pattern to hold it fast without having to tie a knot. Alternatively, he can take a turn of a line around the bitts to control the rate at which he's paying it out. They're a standard part of shipboard equipment. They also turn up on quaysides, though
these are often larger and singular and are called bollards.

The word "bitt" may be Scandinavian, though nobody knows for sure. "Bitter" goes back to the early seventeenth century...

"Admiral William Smyth explained in The Sailor's Word-book in 1867 that "When a chain or rope is paid out to the bitter-end, no more remains to be let go." Hence, so the argument goes, the meaning of the idiom. But there's nothing that's necessarily unpleasant or difficult in that definition. And it's hard to imagine its giving rise to the second sense - the ultimate and direst end. Modern works usually say that the idiomatic meaning arose when a ship was trying to anchor but the water turned out to be deeper than expected; the whole cable would then be run out without the anchor touching ground.

"There is another possibility. Some larger dictionaries note this:

For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
[Proverbs 5:3-5, from the King James Bible, 1611.]

"It may well be that two distinct strands developed in parallel - a literal one from the maritime world and a figurative one based on the Biblical quotation. They may well have influenced each other. We have no way of knowing. But enough evidence exists for us to be able to say that it wasn't just a sailor's expression, conceivably even that the figurative meaning isn't nautical at all."

*Thanks to Michael Quinion of WORLD WIDE WORDS. World Wide Words is copyright (c) Michael Quinion 2009. All rights reserved. The Words Web site is at http://www.worldwidewords.org

Announcing the release of 'His Ship, Her Fantasy' by Emma Lai

Today sees the release of 'HIS SHIP, HER FANTASY', By Emma Lai:

Ellie Woods is in love…with a ship. When an argument with the ship results in a bump on the head, she finds herself in the strong arms of Alastair. But, who is he, and where did he come from?

Alastair has loved Ellie from afar for years, but duty has kept him from revealing himself to her. When a grave threat reveals his true identity, he hopes that Ellie will choose reality over fantasy


Here is an Excerpt:

She fought to stay aware by focusing her gaze on the intriguing cleft in her rescuer’s chin. After a few moments, she tried to tilt her head back to get a look at the rest of his face, but the action made her dizzy once again. She gave up with a sigh and relaxed against his firm, broad chest.

She shrugged. Chances were she would not recognize him anyway. Over two hundred people served on the ship. She knew the dozen or so engineers who worked the first and third rotations and maybe another dozen crewmates by sight, others who worked the same rotation and happened to eat their meals in solitary silence at the same time she did. She would guess from the fact that he had to ask her name that he was not any of those two dozen individuals.

Maybe she should not have told him her real name. At least that way, when he talked about finding a woman helpless in the bowels of the ship, no one would have known who it was. Yeah, right, whom was she trying to fool? She was the sole person assigned duty to this area during fourth rotation. Her breath caught, and she stiffened in his arms. Who was he, and what was he doing in a restricted area?

“Relax,” he said.

“Who are you?” She tried to sit up in his arms, determined to get a look at him and an answer to her question.

He lifted her higher in his arms, which wedged her head between his head and shoulder and prevented her from getting a good look at his face. “Alastair.” His warm breath fluttered against her forehead and cheek.

This is what Emma says about her book and the character:

Ellie’s character is the primary driving force behind the story. Her difficulties in being the only female space engineer lead to the story.

But, how did I get inside her head?

I pursued my Electrical Engineering degree with a handful of other women. When I started looking for a job, I went where the money was. When you live in Houston, TX, this means oil and gas, specifically a large service company.

The industry has always been male dominated with a healthy dose of chauvinism. My first day at work I had one engineer ask me if my daddy put me up to this…meaning a career in engineering. For the entire five years I was with the company, one engineer outright refused to speak to me…even if we were supposed to work together. However, as with the bad, there is good as well. My manager did an excellent job of helping me grow professionally.

I took the remembered frustrations, grouchy characters, and silent support of the few and used them in His Ship, Her Fantasy. My hope is the reader will see Ellie’s strength and understand her quiet determination. She is a part of me.

As for the question, did my daddy put me up to this?

We’re all influenced by people in our lives, and my dad was a huge reason I went into engineering, but he was still surprised when I told him what I wanted to study. I’m not sure why. After all, he helped me put together my science project on series and parallel circuits, let me take apart his radio to see how it worked, and bought me my first computer, which I promptly used to write a program in BASIC, all when I was eight.

What comes next?

His Ship, Her Fantasy inspired a whole series of shorts that cross over into multiple genres to include sci-fi, fantasy, and time travel. The second story, His Hope, Her Salvation, of the Mates of the Guardians series has been contracted with The Wild Rose Press and has a tentative release date of Wednesday, December 16th. It is the story of Judith and Donovan. However, as with all strong, determined women, Ellie has decided her story isn’t done. I’ll be offering her continued story on my website next year.


This sounds wonderful, Emma. I'm looking forward to reading this series. The covers are beautiful too. To find out more about Emma and her writing see her blog and website:
http://emmalaiwrites.blogspot.com/
http://www.emmalaiwrites.com/

I'll be putting all the names of anyone who comments here today, into a hat and will draw the names tomorrow- the winner will receive a download of Emma's new release 'Her Ship, Her Fantasy'. Please leave your email address if you'd like to be in the draw, or pop back here to see who the winner is.

Monday's Words - is there such a thing as a 'white lie'?

Many people will claim they never, and never would, tell a lie. Most, however, if pressed, will confess to telling the occasional 'white lie', in order to spare someone's feelings, or avoid a confrontation. A slight deviation from the strict truth with no harmful or malicious intent.

In fiction, sometimes telling a 'white lie' can get the hero or heroine out of a tight situation, or deepen the conflict, causing all sort of problems, depending on the circumstances. Most of us use the term without thinking too much about it - but what is the origin of the phrase "white lie"?

According to Michael Quinion, my usual source of reference, "It's based on the ancient Western idea of polar opposites, represented in popular culture through "white" meaning good and "black" its evil antithesis. We have "white magic", for example, beneficent magic that's opposed to the malign black variety. The term "white paternoster" meant a prayer or charm recited to protect against evil at night ...The opposite was a "black paternoster", a spell recited to conjure up evil spirits or devils."

Well that's fairly logical when you think about it. Black and White in fact! What do you think? Is a white lie ever justified? Would you allow one of your main characters to tell one? As a reader does it make a character seem less worthy in your eyes?

*Thanks to Michael Quinion of WORLD WIDE WORDSWorld Wide Words is copyright (c) Michael Quinion 2009. All rights reserved. The Words Web site is at http://www.worldwidewords.org

INTERVIEW WITH MISS MAE

I have a very special guest to interview today - someone who, as her tagline on her website implies, is a Real Genteel Southern Lady. I am thrilled to welcome Miss Mae (otherwise known as Lula Thomas) to my Blog.

Miss Mae writes romantic suspense - here's the blurb for 'See No Evil My Pretty Lady:

New maid Dorcy Edwards spurns her wealthy employer's attempts to seduce her. When he becomes a victim of the person the newspapers call "Jack the Ripper," estranged son Gareth Davenport returns to London to handle his father's affairs. Dorcy puzzles over what the brooding, handsome heir might be hiding behind his eye patch and black leather gloves. As circumstances unfold to expose the killer's identity, Dorcy's plunged into a nightmare, convinced Gareth is none other than the infamous murderer. But is Dorcy's life what Gareth seeks? Or nothing more easily broken than her heart?

And I can promise you the twists and turns of the plot will leave you breathless!

Miss Mae - tell us a little bit about yourself.

MM: I’m married and live with my husband and three dogs, each rescued by us when they were throw-aways. We all live in a small home in a small town in Georgia, USA. I guess I can say I’ve been writing for about 30 years, but not seriously until about the last 3. This past January my first ebook, “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady” was published by The Wild Rose Press. My second book, “Said the Spider to the Fly” will be released by the same company in February 2009. This one will also be in print!

HL: Congratulations on your books Miss Mae. I have had the pleasure of reading them both, having had an 'advance copy of 'Said The Spider To The Fly' and I absolutely loved them. I've heard your style compared to that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie and I certainly agree. These stories both kept me on the edge of my seat and I was totally unable to guess the endings - and the hero and heroine found their happy ever afters too!

You sound like a busy lady. Tell me - what you do for fun when not writing?

MM: Hmm, play first-person action role games on my computer! I love the Nancy Drew interactive games!

HL: Oh that sounds fascinating - I daren't get involved with computer games myself - I'd never get anything else done! When did you start writing?

MM: As said above, about 30 years ago. Those little stories were all starts without ever being finished!…LOL…I had no concept of plots, you understand. So while I could shoot off about maybe ten or twenty pages, I hadn’t the faintest idea of what was supposed to follow!

HL: And whhat comes first - the plot or the characters?

MM: This is a good question. For “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady” the plot came first and I then developed the characters to place them in the plot. For “Said the Spider to the Fly” this began as a NaNoWriMo project, so just writing SOMETHING is how the first pages came about. So I had the characters first, and then I wove a plot around them.

HL: Tell us about your latest release and what you think readers will enjoy about it

MM: My latest release is actually a free read, called “Dove Island”. It’s a short story of about 12 pages. I think the readers might enjoy the surprise ending.

HL: That sounds great. 'Free goodies' are always nice to have and I'm sure anyone reading Dove Island will be impressed by your skill and style and want to read more. Tell me - I'm curious about these things - If someone were to play one of your characters in a movie, which character and what actor would it be and why?

MM: Oh, I love this question! I already know the answer! For “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady”, my hero, Gareth Davenport, is a darkly handsome, brooding fellow. And the hunky English star, Colin Firth, (who portrayed Mr. Darcy in A & E’s Pride and Prejudice) fits this role like a hand in glove! (Read my book and you’ll understand those words!)

HL: Oooh, Colin Firth! You have me (and countless others I'm sure) drooling! And by sheer coincidence - guess who's the featured 'hunk' at the moment?

*grin* OK, now I have myself back under control, what have you learned about writing that surprised you the most?

MM: The formula that must be structured in the plot. But not only that, the greatest surprise is how much marketing effort is required. Shew, I’d assumed I’d done all my part with creating the story – Wrong! Now it’s required that I have to go out and sell myself too! Eeek! Look out, World!

HL: I think all small press authors will certainly agree on that one! What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

MM: My process is just to pound out on the keyboard those first opening sentences and keep typing away until the story is down in front of me in black and white. So far, that hasn’t changed, but it might in future! Maybe I’ll write the ending first and go backward!…LOL…

HL: Now that would be interesting...do you have a support system? Did you have a writing community? What valuable lessons have you learned from them?

MM: One of my support systems is, of course, my wonderfully patient husband. He roots for, and encourages, me. But yes, I do have a writing community of online author friends – and online friends who aren’t authors who have been superb in their enthusiastic cheering me on-- who are always there to help and give support. My fantastic critique partner is the best of all. Since “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady” is set in London – a place I’ve only glimpsed through television – but my crit partner lives in England (how fortunate is that!), she has been a wealth of information. She is extremely kind, patient, and has a broad shoulder that I’ve leaned on more than once when I’ve boo-hooed over a rejection! The lessons I’ve learned from these incredibly talented ladies is that I’m not alone and that there’s someone out there who can readily understand not only any frustrations I encounter, but who is as excited and thrilled as I am over my successes!

HL: Amen to that Lula! We all need someone to cheer on our successses and encourage us and support us when things don't work out as we'd hoped, and I'm sure it works both ways and your crit partner and on-line friends gain immense support from you too.

Now, I'm sure everyone has their own ideas of success - what is your personal definition of success?

MM:Without trying to sound morbid, I’d have to say that’s when it’s all said and done and I’m lying in my final resting place, that the words “She was a good wife, mother, and friend” might be spoken over me.

HL:When all's said and done, I don't think anyone could ask for anything better! Last question coming up. We're both animal lovers and I just wonder - if you were an animal, which one do you think you would be, and why?

MM: I love all animals, so this is a hard one. But I will choose a bird. I love their beautiful colors, their gentleness, and since I’ve owned several parakeets, I know the depth of their loyalty and affection. Plus, I’d love to be able to soar through the sky. What an awesome thing that’d be!

HL: Absolutely! I saw a film the other day where they strapped a tiny camera to an eagle's back and showed the view it had when it was flying. It was so amazing! Well Lula - Miss Mae - this has been a fascinating interview and thank you so much for agreeing to be in 'the hot seat' with me today. All that's left is to remind readers that your books are available at The Wild Rose Press and more details can be found on your Blog and sites below.

Thank you again, it's been wonderful having you here and getting to learn more about you.

You can find out more about Miss Mae and her books at these sites.

Miss Mae's Blog
Miss Mae'sWebsite
Miss Mae's 'My Space'
My Space for 'Said The Spider To The Fly'
Purchase Miss Mae's Book and download her FREE read at The Wild Rose Press

DANCING WITH FATE is available NOW

I am thrilled to announce that 'Dancing With Fate, the sixth book in the anthology 'Song Of The Muses' is released today. The next three stories will be released during August and they will be available as three paperbacks of three stories each in October.

I am also running a contest to win a waterdrop shaped pendent on a silvery chain. The details are in Terpsichore's My Space blog and also on the contest page of my website at http://www.hywelalyn.com/

I will be posting a short extract from 'Dancing With Fate' but meanwhile here is a trailer for a 'taster'. There is a link to the details and purchase page' in the title of this post.

When Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit the land of Wales, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.

Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.
Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever. Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved? Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE.