Humpday Help - Plot Bunnies

For the next several weeks, Humpday Help will attempt to explain Plot Bunnies. First of all, a Plot Bunny is an idea for a story that gnaws at the brain until written.

Some well known plot bunnies that have been positively identified. There are various breeds, thousands of them, and many aren't even tied to writing. Inventors and scientists have their own breeds of plot bunnies that lead them to discoveries where A leads to B which jumps to G or even Z.

Here are a few Plot Bunnies that commonly plague writers.

The Lop-eared Sitting Around Talking Shorthair

Physical Characteristics: Lop ears, short brown/grey flecked fur

How to identify his presence: When your characters inevitably come to a point where the plot simply won't advance, so they sit on a couch/the ground/ a golf cart/ a pirate ship and start talking about nothing in particular. Some couple thousand words later, a plot bunny pops up, grins, and heads off! It can always be discovered in this kind of plot stall, and it's known for waiting until the last possible moment (the moment when you are about to throw your laptop across the table) to come and create a diversion.

The Mystery Plot Bunny

Physical Characteristics: Black, short hair with small, pointed ears.

How to identify his presence: This bunny is attracted to plots which aren't usually intended to have any mystery. The bad guys are known, the goal is visible, but suddenly the Mystery Plot Bunny appears and there's a piece of information lacking, a lost object, or an unknown baddie that needs to be discovered and stopped.

This bunny is known to complicate plots far more than they need to be. Usually can be made happy with a missing item, but sometimes demands the more involved mysteries.

Killer bunny

Physical Characteristics: Small, white, red eyes

How to identify his presence: Not unlike the much-feared Monty Python variety, this little white bunny looks harmless as you're writing along, and then up close, abruptly kills off a character you weren't expecting to kill - at least, you didn't intend for it to go right THEN! In its wake, it leave behind a host of new plot opportunities... as well as some definite Closed Paths.

Join the 1 Night Stand Blog Hop

1NS Blog Hop

July 5 – 8, 2012

32 participating authors!

Thanks to the generous donations from participating authors AND Decadent Publishing, we are offering THREE Grand Prizes!!

1^st place – A Kindle Touch

2^nd place – a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate

3rd place – a box of Goodies from Coffee Time Romance – US ONLY (books, swag and other goodies)

Plus, win prizes at every stop of the blog hop!

On July 5, start here, and have fun hopping!

Participants for the 1NS blog hop

1.	Jessica E. Subject (INT)	17.	Zee Monodee
2.	Kerry Adrienne	18.	Angela S Stone
3.	Heather Long	19.	Clarissa Yip
4.	Lia Davis	20.	Emily Cale
5.	C.R. Moss	21.	D L Jackson
6.	Jenna Jaxon	22.	Kate Richards
7.	V.S. Morgan	23.	Olivia Starke
8.	Stacey Kennedy	24.	Valerie Mann
9.	Diane Dooley	25.	Deena Remiel
10.	Shiela Stewart	26.	Liz Crowe
11.	Mary Quast	27.	Cara Bristol
12.	Arlene Webb	28.	Erykah Wyck (Int)
13.	Dominique Eastwick	29.	Becky Moore
14.	Cate Masters	30.	Stephanie Beck
15.	Kali Willows	31.	Ashlynn Monroe
16.	Barbara Elsborg	32.	J.M. Madden

Join the 1 Night Stand Blog Hop

1NS Blog Hop

July 5 – 8, 2012

32 participating authors!

Thanks to the generous donations from participating authors AND Decadent Publishing, we are offering THREE Grand Prizes!!

1^st place – A Kindle Touch

2^nd place – a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate

3rd place – a box of Goodies from Coffee Time Romance – US ONLY (books, swag and other goodies)

Plus, win prizes at every stop of the blog hop!

On July 5, start here, and have fun hopping!

Participants for the 1NS blog hop

1.	Jessica E. Subject (INT)	17.	Zee Monodee
2.	Kerry Adrienne	18.	Angela S Stone
3.	Heather Long	19.	Clarissa Yip
4.	Lia Davis	20.	Emily Cale
5.	C.R. Moss	21.	D L Jackson
6.	Jenna Jaxon	22.	Kate Richards
7.	V.S. Morgan	23.	Olivia Starke
8.	Stacey Kennedy	24.	Valerie Mann
9.	Diane Dooley	25.	Deena Remiel
10.	Shiela Stewart	26.	Liz Crowe
11.	Mary Quast	27.	Cara Bristol
12.	Arlene Webb	28.	Erykah Wyck (Int)
13.	Dominique Eastwick	29.	Becky Moore
14.	Cate Masters	30.	Stephanie Beck
15.	Kali Willows	31.	Ashlynn Monroe
16.	Barbara Elsborg	32.	J.M. Madden

Tormented Soul

Blurb:
Erick McAlister is known as London’s Most Dangerous Bachelor; he enjoys scotch, women, and spending time in the London underground club The Skunk’s Den. He’s never had a real relationship, women only want him for one thing but he desires more. When the one he vowed he would never toy with, Lynn Westmore, gives him an unexpected proposition, his life takes an enjoyable turn.

Just as he is beginning to find happiness, tabloids headline him, a woman from his past announces she’s expecting his child, someone is trying to kill him, and he finds himself questioning his relationship with the young courier he’s hired to teach him to ride his new motorcycle. Even though his life is in torment, he begins to believe in love, something he never thought he’d feel. Unfortunately, Lynn doesn’t think Erick could ever be faithful to one woman, let alone be in love with her, so when she finds herself in love with him she runs.

Erick falls into a spiral of depression, and it takes his brother and closest friends to bring him to his senses. When he finds out a magazine has rated him as the World’s Most Dangerous Bachelor, he agrees to do the interview only if Lynn is the photographer and uses the opportunity to let Lynn know how he feels; he offers his heart to her one more time.

EXCERPT 1
“British Airways’ Flight 112 to New York will be boarding through gate sixty-five momentarily.”

Lynn quietly reached down and picked up her flight bag. She looked at the boarding pass in her hand. Funny that she didn’t feel like she was going home, but more like she was leaving home. This last trip had been so different from all the others and had taken an emotional toll on her. Perhaps an uneventful stay at her father’s would be just what she needed before returning to finish her photo shoot.

Erick McAlister reached out and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. He glanced toward the gate Lynn would be going through and noticed a young couple saying their good-byes. They spoke softly in between tender kisses, holding each other in a tight embrace. His black heart thudded in his chest. He wondered if that would ever be him; if he was capable of loving, or being loved.

His best friend, Andrew, had been a tormented soul like himself, and against odds found love and happiness with his sister, Elizabeth. Erick thought back to a time when he tasted the sweetness of comfort and contentment. Andrew had been determined to pay Elizabeth and Lynn a surprise visit at Hampton House and persuaded him and his brother Michael to join him.

Through Erick’s life, Lynn Westmore was the only woman to affect him like she did, and he didn’t like it. The night he was changed, he drank himself to oblivion to avoid his uneasy feelings. Unknown to him, his sister had put her best friend in his room during her stay. After retiring in a drunken state to his old bed, he woke in the morning with Lynn in his arms.

She had become a first of sorts. The first woman to sleep with him in his bed at Hampton House, the first to wake with him in the morning, and the first woman to share a bed and not be ravished. As tempting his lustful desires were that morning, he enjoyed the quiet conversation and her presence more than any sexual conquest. With Lynn he found a small piece of serenity he’d only dreamed of.

“Well, it’s almost time,” Lynn’s voice brought him back to the present. “I’ve been gone from the States so long; I hope I haven’t forgotten where I live.”

“Well if you can’t find it, Erick said, “you know you are always welcome at Hampton House. When did you say you will be back?”

“Some time in the spring; depends on the weather. I have a couple of locations I need to go back to. These books on English gardens are scheduled to go to press during the summer, so I have a time factor to work with.” She tilted her auburn head, her brown eyes sparkled, her smile teased. “Are you going to miss me?”

“Yes. I will.”

Lynn put her arms around his waist to give him a hug before she boarded. She felt his arms tighten around her and wondered what it would be like to be loved by him. She felt she could never compete with the beautiful women he surrounded himself with; he was just out of her league. She knew he was a man with worldly knowledge of women, a man capable of incredible passion; a man with such sexual prowess and confidence he would never find satisfaction in someone with her lack of experience.

Erick wanted the moment to last forever. He felt faint stirrings in his black heart. He had broken hearts and strained some marriages. Over the years his reputation grew as a lover, a prince of seduction and passion. To him, women couldn’t be trusted and were nothing but a sport. But he refused to get involved with Lynn because he couldn’t bear to hurt her. Lynn was too good of a person to be played with. He trusted her and her friendship.

He ran his hand up her back, along her neck and cupped her face. He looked deep into her eyes.

“Sweet Lynn,” his voice was a husky whisper. “These last few months have probably been the best as well as my worst. You have heard my secrets and you know of the monster that lives inside me, yet you’ve been a good friend to me. I want you to know I trust you as I would trust my own sister. Thank you.”

He caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her lips were so inviting. He remembered the shock he had felt when he kissed her on New Years Eve. Only a few days had passed and he still felt their heat. He dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers.



“Good bye, Lynn.” He pulled away from her. “Have a good flight.”

It took everything Lynn had to remain on her feet. On the inside, she shook head to toe, from his touch and his kiss. Looking into his green eyes, she saw sadness. She smiled as she bade him farewell, then turned toward her boarding gate.


What a lousy way to start the year, he thought. All alone. His best friend had married his sister over the holidays and they were honeymooning in the American Southwest. Lynn was gone. His father and brother would be leaving in a few days. Perhaps he should visit the Underground Clubs as soon as he returned to London and find someone to warm the cold winter nights. For some reason, the thought didn’t sound very appealing at the moment, but would surely change by the time he dressed in his favorite leathers and disappeared into the London night.




To celebrate, I'm giving away two special items this month.
A signed copy of Tormented Soul and a gift from my favorite store, Lover's Lane.

All you have to do is leave a comment on any post from Feb.1st until midnight the 14 th, the holiday for love... Valentine's Day .

Names will be placed into a drawing and the winner will be picked and announced on February 15.

Words from the Author - Tormented Soul

Authors sometimes will put alot of energy to produce a story and sometimes the story simply happens. Tormented Soul was a delightful combination.

Painted Soul was not written to be the first book in The Soul Series, but actually happened accidentally. While writing Painted Soul, I enjoyed creating the supporting characters. As the book progressed, the main character’s two brothers, Erick and Michael, began to develop. Around the same time, I read “Seduced by a Rogue” by Connie Mason. I was infatuated with the cover and that became Erick to me; until he turned into more of a Val Kilmer.

Erick’s story took a year to write and was fun to research. I studied speech patterns of young Englishmen and poured over maps of London as well as personal photos. I went online to “look” at homes for sale that Erick would consider living in. Feeling like a fish out of water, I visited a local motor sport shop to find out what kind of motorcycles my characters would ride and what kind of gear they’d need.

(Thanks goes out to Birch Run Motor Sports for putting up with all my questions!)

At one point, I stopped writing when I wasn't happy with my ending. When it finally came to me, I wrapped it up! The final draft of the second book, Tormented Soul, was complete at 136,217 words.

Thanks to my mom for pushing me to find love for my rouge character... because "he deserved to be loved".

To celebrate, I'm giving away two special items this month.
A signed copy of Tormented Soul and a gift from my favorite store, Lover's Lane.

All you have to do is leave a comment on any post from Feb.1st until midnight the 14 th, the holiday for love... Valentine's Day .

Names will be placed into a drawing and the winner will be picked and announced on February 15.

Fire Up For February - Tormented Soul Celebration Give Away

Tormented Soul is the second book in the Soul Series.
Tormented Soul was released in February, the second month of the year.
Tormented Soul was released two years ago.

To celebrate, I'm giving away two special items this month.






A signed copy of Tormented Soul



and a gift from my favorite store, Lover's Lane.















All you have to do is leave a comment on any post from Feb.1st until midnight the 14th the holiday for love... Valentine's Day.


Names will be placed into a drawing and the winner will be picked and announced on February 15.

Get excited and celebrate with me!

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week 2009
Celebrate Your Freedom to Read
September 26–October 3, 2009

Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2008-2009
1.And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2.His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
3.TTYL Series by Lauren Myracle
4.Scary Stories Series by Alvin Schwartz
5.Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
6.The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
7.Gossip Girls Series by Cecily von Ziegesar
8.Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen
9.The Kite Runner by Kheled Hosseini
10.Flashcards Of My Life by Charise Mericle Harper


Pick up one of these books or check out the following links.
Visit Banned And Controversal Books

For a list of banned authors


READ A BANNED BOOK

A Summer Reading List

Books Recomended By Chelle Cordero

Ready, Set, Go... Summer ReadingDon't forget to pack some terrific reading material in your suitcase this summer!

It's definitely cost effective - it is truly the cheapest and most convenient way to travel to far reaching places and even different realms and times - and think of all the new friends you can make.

The following are some interesting reads I've come across recently (& yes, including some of my own)




Painted SoulBy Mary Quast
A contemporary romance with a twist, Painted Soul is a story that takes the reader on a wonderful ride in an artist s life, through the streets of London, and into the shadows of the underground. Elizabeth McAlister was only eighteen when she met the art student, Puzzola in a London nightclub and gave him her heart. Ten years later, they meet again when a summer of intense passion and dark secrets begins. As Elizabeth falls deeper in love with Puzzola, she tries to rescue him from tortured memories he refuses to discuss. Eventually, his double life and erotic past are exposed in a local newspaper just as he is involved in a life-threatening accident. ***Part of the "Soul Series"




For the May Queen
By Kate Evans
It's 1981 and 17-year-old Norma Rogers' parents drop her off at the college dorms. Soon, Norma finds herself drunk and nearly naked with three strangers. The strip poker event is the first of many experiences that prompt Norma to question who she is and who she wants to be. Norma's relationships with an array of characters induce her to grapple with society's messages about women, sex, and freedom. Ultimately Norma comes to see that there are many ways to live and love.




ForgottenBy Chelle Cordero
One of the last things a woman wants to hear from the man she is making love with is “Who are you?” When Brandon asks that of Caitlyn less than a day after their Las Vegas wedding, her life begins a wild and out-of-control spin. Even though Brandon can’t remember Caitlyn, Brandon can’t understand why he is so attracted to a woman that his fiancé tells him he has no right to be in love with. Forgotten is an unforgettable romance about two people who meet by chance, love by choice and are torn apart by intrigue. Their romance survives a foreign threat to national security, kidnapping, personal tragedy and a murder attempt.




Loving HerBy L.E. Harvey
Loving Her is a collection of short stories celebrating love and life between women; each story tells a story, and together, they create a depth and understanding of women's love for each other and for life.



Once Again, Now
By Charmaine Gordon
Suddenly widowed at age 59, Kate Harris emerges from a dark year of mourning and tried to find her place in the world. Can she learn to be an independent woman and find happiness, or will forces beyond her control derail her attempts to put her life back together.



Within the LawBy Chelle Cordero
Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiance. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him. Alli and Tom share a mutual and passionate attraction but Alli refuses to make any commitments. She is hiding a huge secret. Tom falls in love with her and pursues her despite a false arrest, kidnapping and attempt on his life. ***Readers first met Tom Hughes in Forgotten by Chelle Cordero.



Listen...: Death
By Sir Pierre
Detective Sean Hogan has everything: a beautiful wife. A loving, athletic daughter. A charismatic, artistic son. And a secret family. Things change in April 2003 when he finds his mistress home with her lover. His actions create an uncomfortable situation between Daniel and Faridah as they sit trapped in a Nor'Easter in February 2006. Young Gabriel undergoes an identity crisis after meeting his son Abraham that same year. Maybe things would have been different if Minnie never talked to Sincere in September 2001.



ObsessionsBy Janet Lane Walters
Romantic Suspense: When Susan Randall finds the body of the hospital's "gossip queen" in the orthopedic storage room, she is unaware she was the intended victim and the obsession of a stalker. Susan has her own obsession. The death of her over-protective husband has made her want to be independent.



The Amoveo LegacyBy Sara Taney-Humphreys
What if everything you knew turned out to be a lie? You find out that you aren't even human--at least not entirely. What if, one day, you realize your world will never be the same again? These are the questions that Samantha Logan must face in "The Amoveo Legacy". A dream on her thirtieth birthday compels her to leave her artists loft in New York City and move back to the beach with her Grandmother, Nonie. However, the instant Samantha steps foot on the salty shores of her childhood home, she realizes the landscape has changed.




Beyond the Quiet
By Brenda Hill
"To all of our years together," Lisa Montgomery s husband said one evening, raising his glass in a toast, "some of them good." They laughed and clicked wine glasses. But after his death, Lisa discovers he hadn't been teasing. When the contents of a secret post office box shatters her illusions about her marriage, she struggles to come to terms with his betrayal. It's the story of how a quiet, passionless widow becomes spirited enough to climb onto her lover's shoulders for a piggyback ride... in the nude.




Final SinBy Chelle Cordero
Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full with the investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife when he meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. He is immediately drawn to her and finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. Julie finds herself just as drawn to him. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of their lives in extreme danger...




The House on the Shore
By Victoria Howard
When Anna MacDonald leaves Edinburgh to find peace in the Scottish Highlands, she gets a twofold surprise: a lost sailor teaches her to love again...while a mysterious stranger has plans to kill her.




Werewolf SanctuaryBy Eva Gordon
Wyatt Weylin, alpha male of the Montana pack, and leader of a team of mercenary lycans, flies to a World Wolf Conference in San Francisco, where he hopes to convince leading authority on wolf diseases, veterinarian Dr. Madeline Styles to come to his wolf sanctuary and find a cure. The minute he sees her he feels drawn to her striking good looks. The sensory chemistry is instant. He tries to suppress the feeling, knowing that he is forbidden to fall for a human. Wyatt discovers that the vegetarian animal doctor has the mark of the wolf and he claims her as his life mate. ***First in the series The Wolf Maiden Chronicles

Tormented Soul - Excerpt 1

EXCERPT 1

“British Airways’ Flight 112 to New York will be boarding through gate sixty-five momentarily.”

Lynn quietly reached down and picked up her flight bag. She looked at the boarding pass in her hand. Funny that she didn’t feel like she was going home, but more like she was leaving home. This last trip had been so different from all the others and had taken an emotional toll on her. Perhaps an uneventful stay at her father’s would be just what she needed before returning to finish her photo shoot.

Erick McAlister reached out and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. He glanced toward the gate Lynn would be going through and noticed a young couple saying their good-byes. They spoke softly in between tender kisses, holding each other in a tight embrace. His black heart thudded in his chest. He wondered if that would ever be him; if he was capable of loving, or being loved.

His best friend, Andrew, had been a tormented soul like himself, and against odds found love and happiness with his sister, Elizabeth. Erick thought back to a time when he tasted the sweetness of comfort and contentment. Andrew had been determined to pay Elizabeth and Lynn a surprise visit at Hampton House and persuaded him and his brother Michael to join him.

Through Erick’s life, Lynn Westmore was the only woman to affect him like she did, and he didn’t like it. The night he was changed, he drank himself to oblivion to avoid his uneasy feelings. Unknown to him, his sister had put her best friend in his room during her stay. After retiring in a drunken state to his old bed, he woke in the morning with Lynn in his arms.

She had become a first of sorts. The first woman to sleep with him in his bed at Hampton House, the first to wake with him in the morning, and the first woman to share a bed and not be ravished. As tempting his lustful desires were that morning, he enjoyed the quiet conversation and her presence more than any sexual conquest. With Lynn he found a small piece of serenity he’d only dreamed of.

“Well, it’s almost time,” Lynn’s voice brought him back to the present. “I’ve been gone from the States so long; I hope I haven’t forgotten where I live.”

“Well if you can’t find it, Erick said, “you know you are always welcome at Hampton House. When did you say you will be back?”

“Some time in the spring; depends on the weather. I have a couple of locations I need to go back to. These books on English gardens are scheduled to go to press during the summer, so I have a time factor to work with.” She tilted her auburn head, her brown eyes sparkled, her smile teased. “Are you going to miss me?”

“Yes. I will.”

Lynn put her arms around his waist to give him a hug before she boarded. She felt his arms tighten around her and wondered what it would be like to be loved by him. She felt she could never compete with the beautiful women he surrounded himself with; he was just out of her league. She knew he was a man with worldly knowledge of women, a man capable of incredible passion; a man with such sexual prowess and confidence he would never find satisfaction in someone with her lack of experience.

Erick wanted the moment to last forever. He felt faint stirrings in his black heart. He had broken hearts and strained some marriages. Over the years his reputation grew as a lover, a prince of seduction and passion. To him, women couldn’t be trusted and were nothing but a sport. But he refused to get involved with Lynn because he couldn’t bear to hurt her. Lynn was too good of a person to be played with. He trusted her and her friendship.

He ran his hand up her back, along her neck and cupped her face. He looked deep into her eyes.

“Sweet Lynn,” his voice was a husky whisper. “These last few months have probably been the best as well as my worst. You have heard my secrets and you know of the monster that lives inside me, yet you’ve been a good friend to me. I want you to know I trust you as I would trust my own sister. Thank you.”

He caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her lips were so inviting. He remembered the shock he had felt when he kissed her on New Years Eve. Only a few days had passed and he still felt their heat. He dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers.
“Good bye, Lynn.” He pulled away from her. “Have a good flight.”

It took everything Lynn had to remain on her feet. On the inside, she shook head to toe, from his touch and his kiss. Looking into his green eyes, she saw sadness. She smiled as she bade him farewell, then turned toward her boarding gate.

What a lousy way to start the year, he thought. All alone. His best friend had married his sister over the holidays and they were honeymooning in the American Southwest. Lynn was gone. His father and brother would be leaving in a few days. Perhaps he should visit the Underground Clubs as soon as he returned to London and find someone to warm the cold winter nights. For some reason, the thought didn’t sound very appealing at the moment, but would surely change by the time he dressed in his favorite leathers and disappeared into the London night.

Purchase Tormented Soul now.

Come to a party!!!!

My publisher, Vanilla Heart Publishing is really getting into Love this year. On Valentine's Day, they are hosting their own first Annual Love Festival of Books in the forum.

Drop by between 12:01 am and 11:59 pm February 14, 2009, start a discussion (or add to one), introduce yourself, leave a favorite recipe, chat about favorite characters - just about anything, really - and win an entry to the 1st Annual VHP Love Festival of Books Gift Basket drawing!

I'll be there too. My second book in the Soul Series, Tormented Soul, is being released that day with many other VHP titles!

Erick McAlister is known as London's Most Dangerous Bachelor; he enjoys scotch, women, and spending time in the London underground club, The Skunk's Den. He s never had a real relationship; women only want him for one thing- he desires more. When the one he vowed he would never toy with, Lynn Westmore, gives him an unexpected proposition, his life takes an enjoyable turn. Just as he is beginning to find happiness, tabloids headline him, a woman from his past announces she s expecting his child, someone is trying to kill him, and he finds himself questioning his relationship with the young courier he s hired to teach him to ride his new motorcycle. Even though his life is in torment, he begins to believe in love, something he never thought he d feel. Unfortunately, Lynn doesn't think Erick could ever be faithful to one woman, let alone be in love with her, so when she finds herself in love with him she runs. Erick falls into a spiral of depression, and it takes his brother and closest friends to bring him to his senses. When he finds out a magazine has rated him as the World's Most Dangerous Bachelor, he agrees to do the interview only if Lynn is the photographer and he uses the opportunity to let Lynn know how he feels; he offers his heart to her one more time...


To purchase books of the Soul Series visit Amazon.com for special prices today

A Special Boy

Today is my son's 12Th birthday. Not a day goes by that I'm not amazed at how time has flown by. He's growing too fast but I'm very proud of him. Trevor loves books... reading and writing them. He hopes to publish a poetry book and/or a short story some day. I believe he will do this! (His 8 yr old brother already has!)

My little man already thinks about college... looking at Alma - Go Scots! He plans on being a scientist, a writer, and a book shop owner!

I've tried to take him to book signing events promoting children's and young adult writers. He's met Johnathan Rand at least five times. (See photo of Trev & his favorite author above.) He's even attended some of mine knowing that he's not allowed to read my work until he's 18. LOL.

It seems to me, that when a young person actually meets the author they in turn will read more work by that author and more books. This all being good!

So the message I send to writers of all genre is to be available to your fans, encourage young people you know to attend book signing events. I also send the message to those who enjoy books and reading; attend events with a friend, take a young person to an event of their favorite author.

Book Signing

At first I was a bit disapointed with the turn out at my first book signing until other author pals told me I did ok, then I felt better.

Around 20 ladies showed up for my talk, reading and book signing. I sold 7 books. But I made some new friends and fans! It was fun meeting people and chatting with them. I had a blast! My mom was in her glory. I think I am very lucky to have a mom who has always supported my creativity.

Just as I was leaving the show, my editor (Tricia Gingras) called my cell. She was in town from Minnesota. So she & I and our hubbys went out for drinks and food. I was introduced to an adult beverage called Frog Piss. I loved it!

Painted Soul Excerpt 1

A contemporary romance with a twist, Painted Soul is a story that takes the reader on a wonderful ride in an artist’s life, through the streets of London, and into the shadows of the underground.

Elizabeth McAlister was only eighteen when she met the art student, Puzzola in a London nightclub and gave him her heart. Ten years later, they meet again when a summer of intense passion and dark secrets begins.

As Elizabeth falls deeper in love with Puzzola, she tries to rescue him from tortured memories he refuses to discuss. Eventually, his double life and erotic past are exposed in a local newspaper just as he is involved in a life-threatening accident.

EXCERPT 1

She looked from her empty glass across the dancing ocean to where he was standing just a moment before. Her body still tingled in a way she didn’t understand. Perhaps she felt something because he looked like a musician or an artist; she had always been interested in expressive people. Somehow, there was something more drawing her deeper to this phantom punk. Elizabeth continued to scan the crowd desperately hope to see him again, until Erick interrupted her thoughts.

“Arm yourselves my dears,” Erick danced up bringing them two new drinks. He flashed a smile and yelled, “Happy hunting!” as he slid down the rail again.
He had come and gone as fast as lightening. They watched Erick disappear into the massive wave of writhing bodies.

Lynn quickly downed her drink and yelled, “I’ve got to try that!” She climbed onto the rail and held onto her skirt with one hand, “Watch out below! Ya-hoo!”

Caught in the arms of a smiling stranger, Lynn was carried off into the deep mass of dancers. Elizabeth was alone and laughing when she felt a burning gaze upon her. She looked down to the dancing wave below. There he was, standing still amongst the dancers, an outstretched hand with a wide gold band on the thumb, his long fingers slowly beckoning her to join him in the dance. Yet his eyes and smile seemed to beckon for something else. Elizabeth felt a silent desire escape from the caverns of her soul.

“Breath, Elizabeth, breath,” she willed herself.



Format: paperback perfect
ISBN: 978-0-9814739-3-2
Retail Price: 15.95
page count: 360

To purchase Painted Soul visit Vanilla Heart Publishing online bookstore http://shop.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=9