MONDAY MOTIVATION - Find the Office

 Good morning, everyone!

I had a nice weekend in Springfield. Bob wound up not getting home until Thursday afternoon around 1. We ate an early supper then I was on the road by 3. I was flat tired by the time I got to the hotel. I didn't even go out for supper. Just a quiet night in the room visiting with writer friends in Chatzy.

Friday I got some work done at the hotel, a little magazine/ coffee time at Barnes & Noble where I fell in love with this beauty. 

I refraind from spending almost $40 on her... at that moment. I went back and got her Sunday afternoon. I decided that since I knew there wouldn't be a Mother's Day present coming my way, I'd just treat myself. Hand-tooled leather from Tusany, Italy. I haven't decided what I'll use her for yet, but I wanted her. Sometimes that's all you need.

While in the city, I bought a compact external 1T hardrive to put a copy of the manuscript files on. I don't think I can lose this 3x4 drive. 

My sister and I had lunch together after my talk on Saturday. Was nice to just sit and visit with her for a couple of hours and talk writing. She is an excellent writer just not interested in the publishing end, but she's a great sounding board and bouncing ideas off of. 

The writer's group meeting with OzarksRomanceAuthors went well. Was great to see old friends. I belonged to the group as well as their sister group Sleuth's Ink, but Springfield is a four-hour round trip plus the meeting time, followed by lunch.Since I was coming into the city anyway, I wanted to do some shopping so the Saturday meeting turned into usuallya 2-night stay at the hotel. Mind you, I get an excellent rate based on the number of years I've been staying but I just couldn't afford the expense anymore. 

Saturday night, several of us met up again for dinner at Mikado's Supreme Buffet for Chinese and crab legs. 

Available May 17th

Pre-Order now for .99

I spent time Sunday morning before check-out trying to get blog posts set up. Tomorrow, I'm kicking off nine weeks of the Something Blue series. There are eighteen authors in this series. Rather than the normal Author Spotlight on Tuesday's, I'll be running them Tuesdays and Wednesdays until you've had the opportunity to meet all of these talented ladies and read their sweet romance stories.  

I'll start by showcasing the anthology overall. Then I'll kick off the series with the first author, Susan Sands and her story, THEN, AND NOW.

I look forward to sharing this anthology with you. In the meantime, click the pre-order link above so you'll have your copy as soon as the book releases to Kindle. 

With this being Bob's first week home, I only have one goal this week and nothing to do with writing.

I have a friend in the states from England. She will be here later this week. I MUST find my studio. LOL So, I'm picking one project in there per day until I've made it possible for us to sit in there to craft and visit before she heads for another artist friend's house in SE Kansas for a crafting retreat. When the project is done for the day, then the rest of the time will belong to Bob.

All My Best

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Allison Merritt

Today, I am pleased to be one of the stops on The Heckmasters Blog Tour and to introduce you to a talented author from my local group, Ozarks Romance Authors. If you've not read her books yet, make sure you click on the buy link at the bottom of this post and be prepared for an enjoyable read! Also, Allison has brought an awesome Rafflecopter along.

Welcome, Allison!


You write in several sub-genres romance. Do you have a favorite?
Historicals have been my first love since I read my first one. I picked up Roseanne Bittner's In the Shadow of the Mountains when I was a teenager and I've been hooked on historicals ever since. But it's pretty clear I love adding wackiness to the Old West.

I’m always asked where I get my ideas. Where did you get the idea for WYSTAN?
This is my favorite where-did-it-come-from ever. In 2012, I was with my mom and brother at Northpark Mall in Joplin, MO when I saw a kiosk selling tombstones (that's so weird). There was one kind of sitting by itself and the name on it was HECKMASTER. I just knew the guy buried under that headstone was a serious badass. Not only that, but he was probably a demon-slaying hottie.  

If WYSTAN were to be made into a movie, who do you see a the Hero and Heroine?
You better believe I've thought this through. Henry Cavill would make the perfect Wystan and Anne Hathaway is my pick for Rhia.

Every good movie needs popcorn. Pick one – extra butter, caramel, kettle?
Extra butter!

You’ve had the experience of various publishing avenues and I’m sure you’ve come away from each with something different. What do you feel has been your most valuable lesson overall?
You actually have to make the attempt to get anywhere. I started out self-publishing, but was dumb chance that led me to Lyrical. A friend had an editor taking pitches on her blog, so I just wrote up a 3-line pitch for a book and threw it out there. I waited until Breathless was having a 5 page chapter critique, and submitted a book I'd written for them and the editor loved it. I entered Wystan in a contest and—surprise!—the editor wanted it. Take a chance.

When you began writing fiction, what was your main GOAL and have you achieved that goal?
Don't get me wrong, I love being on a best seller list and watching those numbers rise, but the main thing I always wanted was just to entertain. When The Wrong Brother's Bride came out, I did a review tour to promote it. The things people said in the reviews blew me away. Even the bloggers who didn't regularly read historical romance were saying things like 'I don't usually read this genre, but this book made me re-think my TBR list'. Knowing you've satisfied a reader is worth all the trouble of writing a book.

Do you have a writing mantra?
One hundred more words. One hundred more words. I took that from something I read when I used to run. Ten more steps, then you can finish. Works great for writing too.

What’s next on your writing agenda to close out 2014?
I've absolutely, positively got to finish Tell (The Heckmasters). Wystan's releasing, Eban is on the schedule for April 2015, and I've got to get their little brother finished. I have a good start to it though, so I'm not worried. Erm, much. I better get serious about NaNoWriMo this year.

Thank you, Allison. Here's a blurb from Wystan's story - the first book in The Heckmasters Series:

Blurb:

Her search for safety lands her in a totally new kind of danger.

The Heckmasters, Book 1

Certain that an ad for a job in a small New Mexico Territory town is the answer to her prayers, Nebraska schoolteacher Rhia Duke packs her sister into a rickety wagon and heads west.

Except when they reach the near-deserted town, she learns the truth. There is no job, no future, and no welcome in the bleak blue eyes of the handsome sheriff.

The minute Rhia’s runaway team thunders into town, Wystan Heckmaster feels the change in the air. One of three sons of a demon who dared love a human, he keeps watch over a Pit guarded by seven seals, and slays any Hellbound demon that attempts to free the master imprisoned within.

With a gut full of regret and a forgotten town filled with reformed demons, Wystan is certain of one thing: he can’t be the man Rhia needs. But when the truth behind Rhia’s flight from Nebraska comes to light, Wystan must open his soul—and pray there’s enough love between them to overcome the darkness rising from the Pit.

Warning: Contains a take-no-prisoners sheriff, a woman who can’t outrun her supernatural secrets, and a dusty town where hope is as thin as dust in the wind. Author recommends keeping a glass of cool spring water at your elbow while reading.

Excerpt:

Something changed in the air the moment the wagon crossed the town’s border. Too

early to be a supply train, and there was no way in hell it was visitors. Berner didn’t host

town fairs, theatre troupes, peddlers, or bible thumpers.

Wystan Heckmaster slapped his battered Stetson on his head, collected the keys to the

jail, then stepped out the door. The first thing he saw was a pretty woman with hair the color

of maple sugar—a rich brownish-blonde. The frown on her face spoke volumes, and the air

around her pronounced trouble. She made a straight path for him.

“Mr. Heckmaster. Or should I call you Sheriff? Or Mayor? I need to discuss the ad in

the Lancaster County Republican with you. Someone placed an ad, but your brother tells me

there is no school here. I’m sure there has to be a mistake. There’s only one Berner in New

Mexico Territory. I’m very capable at reading maps. If I wasn’t, I would be ashamed to call

myself a teacher.”

He doubted she had taken more than two or three breaths during the speech. If she

made talking in rambling paragraphs a habit, no wonder she looked so peaked.

“Teacher?” He glanced along the street, but it was deserted as usual. “Lady, we don’t

have a school here. Certainly no need of a teacher.”

Buy links:

Samhain  

Amazon  

B&N 

Google Books 

About the Author:

A love of reading inspired Allison Merritt to pursue her dream of becoming an author who writes historical, paranormal and fantasy romances, often combining the sub-genres. She lives in a small town in the Ozark Mountains with her husband and dogs. When she's not writing or reading, she hikes in national parks and conservation areas.

Allison graduated from College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri with a B.A. in mass communications that's gathering dust after it was determined that she's better at writing fluff than hard news.

You can follow Allison on her various Social media links:

Blog 

Facebook  

Twitter 

G+ 

Goodreads  

Pinterest  

If you like FREE Stuff then make sure to check out this Rafflecopter for your chance to win a FREE copy of Wytan's story and a $10 Amazon Gift Card! ~ Thanks for visiting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONFERENCES & CONTESTS - ORACon 2014

Okay... you made the deadline and got your WETA Nichols entry in last week, right? Next step is to plan to attend the conference where you can meet with editors, an agent, other authors - you know... people who speak your language.

Have you been to ORACon?  If so, then you know what an awesome time we have.

One day FULL of GREAT : 

SPEAKERS

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

MOTIVATION

SUPPORT

FOOD

PITCH SESSIONS

PROFESSIONAL PHOTO HEAD SHOTS

RAFFLES

GOODY BAGS (these are FULL)

FUN!

Seriously, who wants to miss out on all of this and MORE! 

One KEY thing to know:

Although ORACon is sponsored by Ozarks Romance Authors - this conference is NOT JUST Romance! We cover writing mechanics, marketing/ promotion, plotting.. anything having to do with WRITING.

ORACon 2014 takes place on Saturday September 21st at the beautiful University Plaza Hotel in downtown Springfield MO. 

For all the details about how to register, sign up for a pitch session, schedule your photo session

GO HERE

And I'll see you at ORACon 2014

BARBARA BETTIS - Guest Author

I have a lovely surprise for you today. Barbara Bettis is a member of Ozarks Romance Authors in Springfield MO. I've known her for several years. I find her to be delightful, generous and fun. She pours her heart and soul into her writing and her debut novel, SILVERHAWK, is a shining example. I hope you'll enjoy our visit today. Then scoot on over to AMAZON to get your copy.

 Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for hosting me today.
My pleasure, Miss Barbara. I've compiled a list of questions for both readers and writers. A little something for everyone. Let's get started!


Where is your favorite place to write?
My favorite place to write new words is at my desk, where I can be alone. I edit at the dining room table when there’s no one else in the house. Otherwise, it’s back in my office.

Do you have a writing routine?
Yes. It’s bad.  Actually, I do have to work on getting social media and promotion in balance with writing.

Which comes first – Characters or Plot?
Character. Sometimes character and plot come together, but usually I see the people in my mind first.

Which of the following do you struggle with the most: Characterization, Plot, Emotions, Passive Voice  And do you work through the challenge?
I think the one thing I have to really work on is emotion. I always have to go back and layer it in. But the positive thing is, I’ve realized that it’s okay to do that. I don’t have to have everything there the first time through.

What is the best writing advice you’ve received?
Don’t worry about making it perfect the first time through. For years I thought I had to have the first part just right, and the rest would flow from there. I took me awhile to see for myself that no matter how ‘right’ I thought the chapters, they’ll probably be changed when I go back for the edits.

If you could travel forwards or backwards in time, which direction would you go and what would you most like to experience when you arrived?
No doubt—back in time to the Regency period or the Middle Ages.  Although I’d love to see my knight and live in a castle,  in actuality, early castles could be cold and damp and uncomfortable and smelly. Life, even for most nobles, was hard compared to what we have today. Although I might want to visit, I don’t think I’d want to remain there, because—no pain meds and the sanitary conditions were appalling.

Tell us something that can make you smile, even on your worst day.
Of course, my grandchildren. But they’re not always around. If I want a guaranteed smile, I read the back pages of my Columbia Journalism Review for all the headline and wording errors from newspapers and magazines. I remember making some of my own. But they weren’t nearly as funny. LOL

Most romantic thing a guy has ever done for you?
My husband was wonderful to do little, unexpected things for me and his support was absolutely phenomenal. One of the things I recall is his surprising me by moving with me for six months to Fayetteville, Ark., while I was doing my resident status for my doctorate. I’d thought I’d have to take a room somewhere for the week and drive home on weekends, or drive back and forth every night. He treated the months as a ‘vacation.’ We closed up the house and took an apartment in Fayetteville.  It turned out to be among the most wonderful experiences we shared. To me that was more romantic that all the flowers, etc., that he ever brought me. (Oh how sweet!)

Favorite Comfort food?
Anything chocolate. I absolutely believe in its calming effects. LOL. However, after hugely stressful and traumatic events—ice cream. I don’t have a favorite flavor. But I do love hot fudge. 

Favorite thing to do to relax?
I actually like to talk to friends. Otherwise, a good book, especially one by an author I know and like. I have a keeper bookcase and if my TBR pile is down, I go for a book I’ve already read and that I love. It’s like revisiting old friends.

Tell us a little about SILVERHAWK
He’s everything a proper lady should never want; she’s everything a bastard mercenary can never have.

Would you share an excerpt with us?
This scene is taken from the Lady's Garden. 

Lady Emelin knelt at a patch of straggly flowers. As Giles advanced, the bright moonlight cast his shoulders as a darker shadow on the ground ahead. By the rigid set of her back, he knew she heard him. He couldn’t explain what had prompted him to veer off course, to seek her out.

Now he stood in the midst of a dead garden, in the heart of Lincolnshire, unsure of his intent.

Emelin sat back on her heels with an exaggerated sigh. “Would you move your shoulders, Sir Knight? They block what meager light I’ve found.” If a tone could cross its arms and tap its toe, hers did. A lightness inside him felt shockingly like a smile.

That’s why he was here. She amused him.

“Where would you like me to move them, my lady?”

“London, I should think.

You show her attitude well and I love her candor as to where she'd like him to move. That line always makes me smile.

So where can our visitors purchase your book?
SILVERHAWK is available at Amazon -  http://tinyurl.com/m49lzkq


SILVERHAWK will be in wide release in November 2013

That's wonderful, Miss Barb. Thank you!  And thank you for being with us today. 
Here's a little bit more about Barbara Bettis:
Award winning author Barbara Bettis has always loved history and English. As a college freshman, she briefly considered becoming an archeologist until she realized there likely would be bugs and snakes involved. And math.

She now lives in Missouri, where by day she’s a mild-mannered English teacher, and by night she’s an intrepid plotter of tales featuring heroines to die for—and heroes to live for.

Visit her at: http://barbarabettis.com and www.barbarbbettis.blogspot.com

You will also find Barbara:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraBettisAuthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BarbaraBettis

The deadline is fast approaching for the Weta Nichols Writing Contest, hosted by Ozarks Romance Authors!!! Be sure to enter the first 3000 words of your novel, along with a summary paragraph (flap copy) to orient and hook the judges!

Categories are:

Contemporary

Historical

Paranormal

YA

The best part is the final judges-- Lucienne Diver with the Knight Agency and Cori Deyoe with Three Seas Literary Agency! Both are looking for great new authors to expand their client list!

Details are available at www.ozarks-romance-authors.com

So go polish up your novel and submit before April 1st, 2012!!!