Lyn's Thursday Bits and Pieces

Hi everyone.  As promised earlier this week, I'm devoting Thursdays (or perhaps Friday if I have a prior booking) to chatting about me, my books, my animal friends, and anything else that pops into my head.

When I first started writing, and had my novel 'Starquest' accepted by The Wild Rose Press, I hadn't a clue what I was doing, or how to go about that all important thing 'promotion'.  Yes, that word strikes terror into the heart of most writers, especially new ones, because unless you're a best selling author who stands to sell millions of copies, you have to get the 'word' out about your book yourself, because very few publishers these days will do much in the way of promotion for you.  I was thrilled to be published by the Wild Rose Press, although as a British author, this made promotion even more difficult, because I had to try and promote to two audiences, so to speak.  The Wild Rose Press does with some of the promotion, but I still had a lot to learn and knew I had to do most of the work myself.

Now if you're a reader, you may be thinking that this writing lark is all about making money, but you would be mistaken  Don't get me wrong, if I were to suddenly sell millions and make enough money to return to my beloved Wales and buy the small horse farm of my dreams, I would be ecstatic. However, to be realistic, this is about as likely to happen as an alien landing in our small front garden and offering me a ride in his starship (although that would be very exciting.) Most writers, or at least most of the ones I know, write because they love writing, and make very little in the way of Royalties. Even when  our books are selling well, the return is usually not all that great, we have to purchase print books to sell at conferences or book signings ourselves, and pay subscriptions to organisations like the RWA (Romance Writers of America) or the UK based RNA (Romance Novelists Association). Then attending conferences, writers groups etc. all costs money, (and if the author self publishes the costs are even higher as they have to also pay for editing and cover design.)  So most of what we make tends to get ploughed back into the writing business.

The real reward is to know that one's book has touched someone's heart and they have  spent a couple of happy hours reading the book we worked so hard on.

Believe me, there is no greater thrill (apart from receiving  an acceptance letter from an editor) than receiving  a letter or email from a reader saying they 'loved' your book, or to see a five star review. What I'm trying to say, in a long winded way, is that in order to reach readers, you have to be able to let them know that your book exists - and there is no more supportive or helpful community than that of Romance Writers.  As I said, when I started out, I knew very little about the art of promotion, but soon discovered that there were many other writers out there, willing to host me on their blogs, mention me on the loops, and generally offer help and support.  To start with, most of these were other authors with  theWild Rose Press, but as time went on I got to know other authors with other publishers as well.

 I have made so many friends among the writing community I can't count them, but each one of them is valued and special.   Several of them have become such close friends I feel I have known them all my life.  One such was Sharon Donovan, who having lost her sight and being unable to paint the pictures she so enjoyed creating, turned to writing and published some heart warming Inspirational romances and several wonderfully exciting romantic suspense novels.  Those of you who visit the Author Roast and Toast, the Blog I host with Mary Ricksen, P L Parker and Mac Crowne, will know  about 'Oliver' Sharon's hunky virtual butler, who she kindly allowed to 'moonlight' at the Roast, and who appears as a character in her WRP novellas 'Charade Of Hearts' and 'Kiss Of Death'.  She brought such fun to The Roast, where she was also a 'hostess.'  Tragically Sharon passed away a year today, after a second major heart operation.  She is sorely missed by all her friends, but she lives on in her books and our memories, and I will forever be grateful that I came to know her through  the world of writing and books.  I flew to the US last year and met up with Mary and together we visited Sharon's family, although it  was so sad that Sharon passed just a month before I was due to fly out.


So I'd like to raise a virtual glass in Honour of Sharon, and all the wonderful friends I've made, including the readers who are kind enough to leave comments  on this Blog.
Thank you all  for your continued friendship and support. And Sharon, I'm sure you're up there, watching over us and knowing that our friends still love and miss you. Your spirit lives on and you will never be forgotten.

PS:  If you get a moment, don't forget to visit me at Evelyn Cullet's Blog: http://evelyncullet.com/blog/
Until next week,


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

Festival Of Romance - Sue Moorcroft

www.festivalofromance.co.uk

The Festival of Romance takes place Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd October 2011 at Hunton Park, near Watford, Herts, UK.
and I'm really looking forward to it.


As one of the Authors taking part in the Festival of Romance 'Author Blog Hop' It's my great pleasure to introduce multi published romance author SUE MOORCROFT





 For this tour we were asked to answer three questions. These were Sue's answers:


1. What are you looking forward to at the Festival of Romance? The chance to soak up the company of readers, writers and industry professionals who love romantic fiction as much as I do. I've always wanted an event like this in the UK, having read so much about America's equivalent, so signed up the moment I heard about the launch.

What will you be doing at the Festival of Romance?
On Friday I'm giving a workshop on writing romantic fiction - I've written a how-to book, Love Writing, on this subject, as I'm a creative writing tutor, too. On Saturday I'm part of a panel, From Hen Lit to Chick Lit, which I feel fits me well, having written for various markets. And I'll be talking to loads of interesting people, attending other workshops, drinking wine - all the usual fabulous conference buzz stuff.

3. Why should romance readers come to the Festival?

For the opportunity to meet and mix with writers, other readers and - particularly important if you want to write romantic fiction or otherwise get into the industry - editors and agents. There are one-to-one pitches, group opportunities ... and the chance of sitting beside someone fab at lunch or chatting with them in the queue for the loo. I'm impressed by the publishers we have on board (not just my own Choc Lit). In America, the events where readers get to chat to the writers are hugely popular, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that works. And there's the ball on Saturday night - so many reasons, to be honest!

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes for Choc Lit. Combining that success with her experience as a creative writing tutor, she’s written a ‘how to’ book, Love Writing – How to Make Money From Writing Romantic and Erotic Fiction (Accent Press). Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles and courses and is the head judge for Writers’ Forum. She's a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner.

Sue's website is www.suemoorcroft.com and you can visit her blog at http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/ for news and writing tips. You’re welcome to befriend Sue on Facebook or Follow Sue on Twitter.

All of Sue’s Choc Lit novels and Love Writing are available as paperbacks and ebooks. Her early stuff is available in ebook format.

Sue is featuring FENELLA MILLER at her own blog today, as part of the Tour HERE

Check out the answers I gave when I was featured on  Charlie Cochrane's blog as part of  the Festival of Romance tour: http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/135374.html

FESTIVAL OF ROMANCE

I am  really looking forward to the Festival of Romance on 21st and  22nd October. Apart from meeting authors, agents and publishers I'm also sitting on a couple of panels. For more details of the festival please go to www.festivalofromance.co.uk.

Today I'm featured at Charlie Cochrane's Blog which is at:

http://charliecochrane.livejournal.com/135374.html and wll be talking about what I'll be doing at the Festival and what I'm especially looking forward to.


Please drop in and say 'hello' if you get a moment.  

I'm shortly going to feature Sue Moorcroft here on my Blog as part of the Festival of Romance Blog Tour.
 



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

                  Also available on Kindle

Monday's Word - Criticaster

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver

As authors, we all look froward to our first review of a new book with a mixture of anticipation and dread.  We all hope we'll have a positive review, one that the reviewer likes, if not 'loves', although that is always a thrill.  If it's a 'professional' review, even if the reviewer finds our book not to their taste, hopefully they'll find something nice to say about it, so as not to make us feel completely useless and untallented, but more importantly that they'll explain why they didn't like it, and how they feel it can be improved.  All right, it hurts to be told your 'baby' is not perfect, but after a few days, if we go back and reread the review, if the reviewer has done her job properly, we'll know what might not work for some readers, and how to improve next time.

What about the 'casual' reviewer though?  Many of us have come across the person on a site such as Amazon or even, sometimes, commenting on  a blog, who feels they need to tell the world how bad your book is, and how much they hated it.  I've had one myself.  These so called 'reviews'  sting but the only consolation is that often you'll find the same 'reviewer' casting aspersions at several other books, and usually with spelling and grammar that leave something to be desired Some people seem to get a 'kick' out of criticising other people's work, without seeming to realise that there is a world of difference between 'constructive criticism' which can be very helpful to a writer, and plain ol'  'criticism' for the sake of it'.  Michael Quinion in his 'World Wide Words' has found the perfect word for this person -'Criticaster'.  This is what he says:

 
"It's not much met with now, more's the pity. This is one of its rare modern appearances in print:
If I were deemed kosher by that classist, racist, misogynistic bunch of criticasters, I would consider it time to retire my pens and legal pads.     [A letter by Erica Jong in The New York Times, 1 Feb. 1998, on learning that her book, Of Blessed Memory, had been nominated for The Literary Review's Bad  Sex Award]
You may gather it is uncomplimentary. It refers to those who set themselves up as arbiters of taste and literary discernment butwhose sensibilities are inadequate to the task. A blast against such petty critics was penned 150 years ago:

What amount of obtuseness will disqualify a criticaster who itches to be tinkering and cobbling the
noblest passages of thought that ever issued from mortal  brain, while at the same time he stumbles and bungles in   sentences of that simplicity and grammatical clearness,  as not to tax the powers of a third-form schoolboy to explain?   [Notes and Queries, 11 Jun. 1853.]

It was coined in the late seventeenth century by adding the ending"-aster" to "critic". The suffix came directly into English fromLatin, where it meant an incomplete resemblance. English adapted it to refer to a person of inferior or inadequate qualities."

So take heart if you are the victim of one of these 'Criticasters'.  For every one of them who hates your book there will be many genuine readers, as well as professional reviewers who love it.  As the old saying goes 'can't win 'em all'! 

*World Wide Words is copyright © Michael Quinion 2011. All rights reserved The  original post can be found at:  http://www.worldwidewords.org

Linda Yezak is being roasted!

Come and meet best selling author Linda Yezak at the Author Roast and Toast. We're celebrating with a Texan Barbeque, everyone's invited to join in the fun.

http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/

Thoughts on Promotion by Avril Ashton

I'm very pleased and thrilled to welcome Avril Ashton to my Blog today.  She is one of the founders of 'Wickedly Sexy Writers, a site geared to helping authors get their word out there.  I asked how the site came about. She said "We’re new authors, fresh on the scene, with no viable ways to promote ourselves and our books without spending an arm and a leg. After much brainstorming, and a million emails back and forth, this idea was born. A promotional site for authors, by authors, free of charge." She explained that the site caters for writers of all heat levels, and I must admit I had to fan myself a little after visiting *grin* but I understand that writers of 'sweet' stories would be just as welcome!

A Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y with a Spousal Equivalent of almost eight years. Together they raise a 6 y/o daughter who loves reading and school (wonder how long that will last). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew with a very encouraging mother 

Always in love with the written words, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Avril remains a believer of love in all its forms. 

Without more ado, I'll let Avril tell you more about the site and what promotion means to her, in her own words.

Thoughts on Promotion

I freely admit to not even considering the promo aspects of being a writer. That was never on my radar. I figured I just had to write the damn thing. Naïve, I know. My complete and total wake-up call came when I focused on epublishing. I began researching the various epublishers, reviewing their contracts, really decipher the gibberish and understand what they were willing to do as far as promoting authors’ work.

The bulk of promotion remains squarely on the newbie author’s shoulders. A layperson—like myself—who had no idea what the business fully entailed. I felt completely hopeless. What do I do? Where should I even begin with this? Fortunately, this community that we’re in, the writing community, is amazingly helpful. I asked, many authors answered. I got the blogs, the social networking, the yahoo loops. All great. All things I participate in.

Then came the questions about placing my book cover somewhere, my banner. Most places I found on the net cost money. Sure five dollars to have you put my banner on your site sounds cheap, but what if I have to choose between that and sending the money to the offspring’s school for a class trip? Guess which one loses out. And since your site has a high traffic volume, there goes a good promo op. Same thing with the book covers. To have it up on your site for say a month, I pay you what? Twenty-thirty dollars. But this month the offspring’s winter jacket has decided not to zip. Guess where that money is going? And all this is happening in my release month. Good promo op lost. Again.

The idea of WickedlySexyWriters came from these very happenings. I can’t afford to pay, no matter how small it may be. I know there are many out there who can’t. So here we are. Authors helping authors. One week a month is dedicated to covers/blubs and excerpts only. You simply send me your info in an attachment and it goes up that week. We automatically add your banner to our Author Alley with your links. The rest of the month is SexySpotlight; an author gets a week on the site all to themselves. All the works: interviews, guest blog, excerpts and cover and blurb. Yours.

All free. Our only requirement is you post our banner on your websites/blogs. Tell your friends. Mention us on Facebook, twit us on Twitter. We’re pretty small, still growing as far as traffic, but we’re getting there. It’s a lot of work, but it is worth it when an author, new like me says ‘thank you, this is a godsend.’ There are, I’m sure, promo sites out there who don’t cost a thing. I couldn’t find them when I was tearing my hair out wondering what to do, what to do. Still can’t find them.
Avril Ashton


http://www.wickedlysexywriters.wordpress.com/



Sasha Forde has hung up her thieving stilettos, but a visit from a mobster sends her right back to her old life. In order to save her family-and herself-from jail, she must steal evidence hidden in a lawyer's office. She sets out to do what she considers a simple B and E, but someone else has arrived first. And he holds her life in his tattooed hands. Not for long.

Niko Davaris is all about revenge on the man who tried to kill him. The evidence he stole is the first step in that direction. He's not thrilled to wake up with a gun to his head. The woman on the other end is cocky, smug, and too damn hot for her own good. He wants her, she wants the evidence. When she takes it and disappears, he gives chase. Battle lines are blurred as they give in to temptation, but on a ride like this someone has to come out on top. Who will it be?

http://www.avril-ashton.blogspot.com/
http://www.avrilashton.weebly.com/
avril.ashton@yahoo.com
Facebook

Monday's Word: Aposematic

 This cute little creature is the subject of Michael Quinion's ' 'Weird Words' this week. Sadly this gorgeously colored little frog is now quite rare, having been another victim of the 'pet trade'. Michael says:

"I came across the word in an article about Bristol Zoo, which has
set up an amphibian sanctuary to breed two endangered species. One
of them is the golden mantella frog native to Madagascar, which is
a brilliant golden-orange. The colours are aposematic, referring to
the bright markings or hues exhibited by some living creatures to
warn predators that they are poisonous. (The frog cheats: it isn't toxic but the colours fool its enemies into thinking it is. Some writers restrict "aposematic" to such false warnings.)

Though this is common enough in the biological sciences, it's notoften encountered elsewhere..."

Well, this is the opposite to the 'wolf in sheep's clothing' which is fairly common in literature.  As most of you know, I write futuristic and fantasy romance, and in my first book 'Starquest' I had a  race of  huge sea creatures known as the 'Gru' which although ferocious to look at, were actually very peaceful and gentle - I didn't realise at the time that I was writing about something that was 'aposematic'.  Another word to add to my writer's dictionary!

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

A special party at the Author Roast and Toast

INVITATION

Today we're doing things a little differently and have a special guest hostess at the Author Roast and Toast - Tess Kincaid, heroine of Sharon Donovan's latest romantic suspense novel 'Her Biggest Fan'.

I'll be there as well of course, along with Mary Ricksen, and we're joined by Tess's handsome sheriff friend, Mike Andretti, (who Tess secretly fancies). We're all trying to solve the mystery of who's stalking Tess, and what's causing all the spooky goings on at the old mansion she's inherited from her father.

Sharon's hunky butler, Oliver will be on hand to dish out lots of yummy virtual food and drink, so please come and join us - and leave a comment to win a download of 'Her Biggest Fan'.

Come and help our dear sister hostess celebrate her latest release!

http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/

If you've never visited the Author Roast and Toast before, we think you're in for quite an experience!

New Fantasy award from Aubrie Dionne

I received a lovely surprise in my inbox the other day from Aubrie Dionne.

 Drum Roll...........

It's the Fantasy/Sci fi Blogger Award

What a beautiful Blog Award!  It came with this proviso:

"This Award should be given to any blogs that promote the genres of Fantasy and Science Fiction, whether it be through author interviews, reviews, your own writing, etc. The rules are: you must state 5 of your favorite fantasy/SF books and or movies that inspired you.  "

It's difficult, because there are so many books/films that have inspired me, but although there are more I'd love to include,  I narrowed it down to five, in no particular order:

The Ship Who Sang (and the Dragon Books) Anne McCaffrey
The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov (Book trilogy)
The Earthsea  Chronicles - Ursula Le Guin  (Books)
The Lord Of The Rings trilogy  - JRR Tolkein  (Books and film)
The Martian Chronicles -  Ray Bradbury (Book)

I'm awarding this Honour to:

Sky Purington
Michelle Hart
Skhye Moncrief
Alisha Paige
SFR Brigade

HIGHLAND ANTICS

It's fun and frolics in Bonnie Scotland for the Author Roast and Toast special guest Helen Hardt.
Come join the fun - this is one blog where one never knows quite what's going to happen. Our hostessess, together with a mischievous kleptomanic unicorn and a telepathic German Shepherd, not to mention a devastatingly handsome but flirtatious butler, will be entertaining Helen while she tells them about her latest book, 'Blood Wolf', while seated in the grounds of a castle, overlooking Loch Ness.

Did anyone mention monsters?

Come and join the fun, leave a comment and you could win a free copy of Helen's story from the 'Got Wolf' series from The Wild Rose Press.
www.authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com

ANNOUNCEMENT - THE 'AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST'

I'm very excited because today four friends and myself are proud to announce the launch of:

A New Blog Promo Opportunity - THE 'AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST':

Your latest release is ‘Available Now’ – or is about to be set loose on the world. It’s wonderful, the cover’s beautiful, and you can’t wait for people to buy it (or for even more people to buy it if it’s been out a while.) We all know how important it is to promote and get your book out there; Loops, Groups, Blogs, Interviews. Everyone’s doing it these days – so how about something a little different?

Do you have a whacky sense of humor? Do you fancy a book spotlight in an unconventional setting, with five hostesses waiting on you hand and foot (and occasionally taking the Mickey, oh OK, taking the Mickey rather a LOT with a little help – or hindrance – from their own personal little helpers or ‘specialities’, not to mention an alarmingly good looking and seductive, flirtatious cyber butler? (see my 'featured hunk', I'm only 'borrowing' him though!)

Four fun loving ladies just as crazy as I am, and myself have got together to run a blog/bar that’s a little bit zany and a lot of fun. You may remember the ‘Book Roast’ which, sadly for its countless fans, hung up its spurs after riding off into the sunset? We felt it was time for something to fill the void: To this end, in memory of, and in tribute to the late ‘Book Roast’ the ‘Author Roast And Toast’ Blog was created.

If you fancy putting yourself and your book forward for roasting and toasting in a somewhat unconventional environment – if you can take a lot of good humored ‘ribbing’ and give it back – if you want to have FUN promoting - then the Author Roast And Toast is the place to be.

We do, of course have to have a few rules and regulations (Nothing too heavy, but Oliver the butler insists on it) If you want to view them and find out how it all works, you are invitedc come over to http://authorroastandtoast.blogspot.com/ On August 28th , between 9.00 and 4.00pm, for our Grand Opening where we will introduce our first 'Roastee', author Danielle Thorne. You'll be able to find out how you can submit yourself for roasting, and have fun with the hostesses and their unique 'helpers'. There is also a rumor that there’ll be some prizes flying around for those kind (or brave enough) to leave a comment.

This is your own personal invitation to The Author Roast and Toast Blog - bring along your sense of humor and be prepared to have fun.

Permission to forward to your groups granted and encouraged

AR&T reserves the right to accept submissions at its discretion

Monday's Word

Is your book 'unputdownable'?
That's what we writers all aspire to write isn't it? A book that's 'Unputdownable'

But where does the term originate from? It's a fairly recent, 'made up' word, surely. Well according to Michael Quinion, "the earliest example mentioned is usually the one in a letter byRaymond Chandler, dated 5 January 1947, because that's the first citation in the entry in the Oxford English Dictionary."

Apparently, there are earlier examples, though in a slightly different sense, i.e., someone who can resist being 'put down' or 'taken down a peg or two'. However, the modern sense is of a book that's so good you can't stop reading it .

So what books have you read lately that are absolutely 'unputdownable'?

*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

WELCOME TO MISS MAE

SAID THE SPIDER TO THE FLY

Available Feb. 4, 2009 in ebook and in print March 20.

A pre-release review from Cheri Jetton of Novel Editions

gives this story a four-star rating.

HL: I’m thrilled to welcome back to my Blog the talented Miss Mae. Miss Mae has already achieved great success with her wonderful romantic suspense ‘See No Evil My Pretty Lady, which was an intriguing twist on the Jack The Ripper story and an exciting and romantic tale in its own right, but today I am nearly as excited as she is because her long awaited second book ‘Said The Spider To The Fly is released today!


For those of you not familiar with the delightful Miss Mae, here’s a little bit about her.

Ms. Thomas enjoys writing humor and non-fiction articles. The Front Porch Magazine, Good Old Days, and WritersWeekly are a few of the publications where her work can be found. Under the pen name of Miss Mae, the Pure Southern Genteel author, her first book, “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady”, published by http://www.thewildrosepress.com/, earned highly acclaimed reviews and won the Find a Great Romance ‘Reader’s Pick of the Month’ award. MyShelf.com has listed, “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady” in their Top Ten Reads of 2008. With her experience as a best selling romance novelist, she’s headed a critique group for aspiring writers. Her second book, “Said the Spider to the Fly” by the same publisher, and “It’s Elementary, My Dear Winifred” by Class Act Books are both 2009 releases.

Congratulations on your release, Miss Mae, Perhaps we should give the readers a little taster first, with the ‘backpage blurb’!


MM: Mona Murphy returns to Copper Springs to attend her grandfather’s memorial service. His passing appeared ordinary enough—the official report stated he’d tripped and fallen down the staircase. Yet Preston Hitchcock, the insurance agent who’d sold a half million dollar policy to Mona’s grandfather days before the old man died, isn’t convinced, especially when bloody towels are discovered in the backyard.

And that’s only the beginning. Who is the hit-and-run driver who attempts to run Mona down? Why is her old boyfriend more ardent for her affections now than ever before? And why is Mona helpless to guard her heart from the devastating influence of Preston’s practiced lady-killer smiles?

Secrets Mona never knew existed in Copper Springs become exposed. But none is so revealing as the one she fights to hide—and the very one that might save her life.


HL: Oooh that Preston is quite a hunk! And what an exciting blurb, How could one resist not wanting to delve into the pages? Right let’s dive in and read an excerpt then!


“Ah.” Preston inhaled an appreciative sniff. “Strong coffee and warm doughnuts. What could be better?”


“Nothing at the moment,” she agreed, stepping beside him to the counter. After he paid for their order, Preston extended his hand to receive change from the cashier. A five-dollar bill slipped off his palm, fluttering to the floor. Mona bent and retrieved it, then paused, rubbing the currency between her fingers.


“Something wrong?” Preston threw her a sharp glance.


“No. Nothing.” She shrugged against the curious look the cashier gave her.


Folding the fiver, Preston stuffed it in a shirt pocket, a speculative expression in his eyes. “You sure?”


“Hey, I know you.” Recognition rang in the cashier’s voice. “Yeah. You’re the girl that helped a bunch of us find Terri Smith’s lost cat. We never figured out how you knew it was stuck in a drainpipe on Jeff Toombs’ property.” She flashed a toothy grin. “We reckoned you must have had a spiritual connection with the cat. You know, like a psychic or something.”


“Sorry, but you’re mistaken.” Mona twisted on her heel and strode to an empty table. She kept her gaze lowered as Preston settled the tray before her. The edge of his coat grazed her knees when he sat down, his broad-shouldered frame blocking the view of the cashier. Trying to ignore the goose pimples that swam down her arms, Mona stirred her coffee, catching the whispers that floated through the air.


“…I know that’s her…”


“…no one could find that cat, but she led us straight to it…”


“…heard say that she gets premonitions…”


How can she remember me? It was years ago.


People don’t forget, Mona.


She rubbed her forehead with cold fingers, fighting the urge to jump to her feet and rush away into the night. Preston’s chair squeaked as he distributed his weight evenly. Laying the Fedora on the tabletop with one hand, he reached for a sweet roll with the other.


“These doughnuts are almost sinful, but I can’t resist.” Icing oozed down his scarred fingers, and one by one, he raised them to his mouth, his tongue licking the sticky mess. Then he sank his teeth into the pastry, tearing off a large bite. He winked at Mona, speaking between sugar-glazed lips. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for these babies.”


“Don’t apologize. Enjoy.” Picking up a plastic fork, she cut her doughnut into small pieces. Preston chuckled. “It stands to reason that a gal who makes coffee wearing jeans and heels would eat a doughnut with a fork.”


“You have a problem with that, mister?” Her gaze lingered on a crumb stuck to the corner of his mouth. Without thinking, she reached over to brush it off, her thumb stroking his bottom lip. The contact sizzled a sensation so sharply pleasurable that she gasped.


HL: That’s really got me wanting to read more, Miss Mae – and I gather you’ve already had a rave review – I know Miss Mae’s a bit shy so I’ll just copy a bit of it here, shall I!


“Ms. Jetton, of Novel Editions says: “…This author has a marvelous sense of timing which keeps you turning pages even when the hour grows late…Miss Mae is definitely a writer to watch…”


You can read the whole review here:

http://noveleditions.com/noveleditions/?p=276


Wow, it’s great to receive a review like that, before the book was even published, isn’t it! Tell us what else you have in store for us, Miss Mae.


MM: “It’s Elementary, My Dear Winifred” is due to be released from Class Act Books, in April 2009


Here’s the Unedited Blurb:

Schoolmarm Winifred Merryweather guards her identity as the daughter of one of London's most notorious villains. Separating her life from his, she spends her lonely existence with her cat, Theodore, and meeting twice monthly at the estate of Lord Nelson Chatham, head of the local reading club. Losing herself in the pages of an absorbing mystery story tickles a delicious chill down Winifred's spine -- until the day that she and her group are forced to live through one.

Enter Remington Hawthorne, a newspaper reporter whose flirtatious charms thaw Winifred’s icy reserve. Thrown together in the midst of a chaotic adventure, can they complete the meaning of the clues before the tale reaches the page that reads, ‘The End’?


HL: That sounds fantastic Miss Mae can’t wait for the release of that one too! I know you’re quite a busy lady on the web, where can the readers expect to find you next?


MM: Feb. 10, I am scheduled for an all day Romance Party at Brenda Williams Yahoo Group. Join me—to keep me company!—and to learn more about “Said the Spider to the Fly”, read excerpts from “It’s Elementary, My Dear Winifred” and read excerpts/reviews about my best selling romantic mystery, “See No Evil, My Pretty Lady” a MyShelf.com’s Top Ten Reads for 2008! I’ll hold a contest and the winner will receive a free copy of “Said the Spider to the Fly.”


HL: Noted in my diary! I can certainly promise the lucky person who wins ‘Said The Spider To The Fly’ a thrilling and thoroughly enjoyable read (Yes, I was privileged to have a sneak preview folks, and it had me guessing all the way.)


Well many thanks for sharing your release day with us Miss Mae, it’s been wonderful having you here, and I wish you mega sales with ‘Spider’.

If you’d like to find out more about the talented Miss Mae, you can visit her at the following sites:

http://www.missmaesite.com/
http://missmaesite.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/monamurphy
http://www.myspace.com/missmaeauthor


(And Miss Mae got to choose the hunk for February, check him out in the right hand column, about half way down.)

Coffeetime Romance Author chat day in the Latte Lounge

On August 27th, a whole host of authors will gather at the Latte Lounge at Coffee Time Romance for a chat. Readers are more than welcome - in fact we writers would be lost without you! There will be prizes, contests, and plenty of fun! Come along and meet your favorite authors, ask questions and read some excerpts.

I hope you'll be able to join us. Twelve hours from 9am Eastern time until 9 pm. Coffee and chocolate along with some scintillating conversation. Oh and did I say prizes? Come on all contests are free, you have nothing to lose and there's lots to win. Join us at:

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/index.php