Battle Born Love

Good morning, readers! :)


Today, I want to tell you about a book I just read called, Battle Born Love, by author Lynda Bailey.

Be sure to check out her page at http://www.lyndabailey.net/



And also be sure to check in NEXT WEEK, when Ms. Bailey stops by with a guest blog for us all! :)

A hopeless romantic, yet not one to necessarily paruse the romance section right away, I wasn't sure what this book would be like.



Let me tell you that even though I had no expectations, I was STILL pleasantly surprised with it. This book gave me the raw reality of addiction; an honest look at a strong, hard-working, independent woman; a great love story peppered with some steamy scenes and a good, strong plot.



I loved the characters and their depth. There is emotion, these are not two-dimensional paper cut-outs. I loved how the families were functioning dysfunctionals. I could easily see these dynamics and communication patterns in real life. And then you can see how those family histories affect the two main characters, Rory and Kane, and how they interact with each other (everyone's family, familial communication styles, etc. affect how we interact with each other).


This was a fun read, a quick read and a good read.


If you're looking for a new good romance author to read, I would definitely recommend Lynda Bailey! :)


H

appy reading, y'all! ;)

P & E Poll

Good Thursday morning, y'all. Today's blog post is short and sweet. :)

Please vote for my newest short story, Amnesie, in the P & E poll under short story romance. Your votes are MORE than appreciated! :)

Thanks and happy reading! :)


http://critters.org/predpoll/shortstoryr.shtml

2013

Well, here we are folks, on the cusp of yet another new year. Where has the time gone? For me, this year went in the blink of an eye.

Part of that is my overwhelming day job and my fantastic ability to over-commit myself to things. I have also spent a decent amount of time this year working on some medical issues.

Though I got married this year and have had some wonderful events and blessings, I am hoping to make 2013 even better! I made a promise to myself and decided it would be my new year’s resolution. My resolution is to get better. To get better physically, mentally, emotionally – in every facet of my life and in everything that I do. To “get better” as a writer, as a wife…you name it.

I don’t know what the future holds; I know it will have its fair share of ups and downs. Hopefully I will be prepared, strong and smart in all the decisions I make.

My goal is simply to be a better me every day of 2013. I do that already, but it is still my new year’s resolution. I pray every morning, asking to be and do the best that I can in everything I say, do, am. I pray to be the best wife that I can be – to be the wife that she needs me to be. I pray to do the best that I can in my day job, not to be compared with others, but to give my all throughout the day. I pray that I don’t hurt others, but rather help. To truly be the best Lauren that I can be.

So, I will continue my daily prayers. And I am going to focus on being much more cognizant of my every word & action. To make smarter decisions in what I say or how I say things. To do only that which will help my wife/family and the people around me. To continue to grow and improve.

The dark side of this is to look at myself realistically. I will need to admit fault and change some old habits. Will it be worth it? I know it will! I will be happier and healthier, as will the people around me. So, I shall focus on the positive as I walk down this path of true self-improvement.

I wish each and every one of you the absolute best in this coming year. I pray that you are blessed beyond belief, that you are genuinely happy. I also pray that we can continue to see movement towards true equality.

Here’s to 2013 being OUR year!

Happy new year! Much love and many blessings from our home to yours!

The Next Big Thing: Candles on the Spinnet

Good morning, everyone! This week, I'm doing something a bit different (as in I'm posting on a Monday! LOL). I am participating in The Next Big Thing chain, where writers talk about their next book/story. So, without further ado, here is my next big thing...

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?
Currently, it’s titled Candles on the Spinet. I have reasons to change that title and reasons to keep it, so we shall see what it really ends up as! :)

Where did the idea come from for the book?
An old, dilapidated piano I found in the basement of our new home. It was built in 1907. It spoke to me the first moment I saw it, and it continues to do so. It’s a magnificent piece and I hope to do justice by it with this book.

What genre does your book fall under?
Hmmm…Paranormal, mostly. There are elements of self-discovery, romance and good old contemporary fiction as well.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
For Corinne, our heroine, a British actress named Charity Wakefield would be perfect. I’d like Olympia Dukakis to play Margaret and Vanessa Redgrave to play Agnes. They’re all beautiful, talented women who could really help these characters come to life.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A new home for Corinne while her husband is deployed changes her life - and her perspective - in more than one way!

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I will submit it to my publisher, Vanilla Heart Publishing, and see what happens.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m still working on it. It’s only been a couple of months, and I’m really taking my time with it. I feel the need to be patient and specific with this one, so I’m not rushing it! :)

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Eeek! I don’t know. This is my first paranormal story, but it’s not strictly paranormal. I think it’s safe to say that the story line is akin to If These Walls Could Talk 2 as far as a house and a piano that spans decades and the connection between the generations.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Again, that piano in the basement just spoke to me as soon as I saw it. The more I thought of it, the more I saw there was a story to be written there. So I did! :)

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
There is so much to this story. It is a love story, a story of self-discovery, an historical fiction piece AND a paranormal story. There is depth, fear, emotion – this story has something for every reader!


I hope that you will all read it when it comes out. No worries as I will keep you posted on my progress! :)

Happy reading! :)

Writing Chores

Happy Thursday morning, gang!

Today, I want to talk about chores.

We all hate them. BUT, they are a necessary part of our lives.

What happens when chores become a necessary part of our careers as well?

What am I talking about? I'm talking about writing what you don't really want to write. Most college students would say, that's their 10 page paper that's due tomorrow. For a writer, though, there are writing chores. There are things we don't necessarily want to do, but we do them in the hopes of advancing our careers.

To some extent, these chores separate the men from the boys. With self-publishing and e-books, anyone can call themselves a writer. As I posted in my last blog, I've been seeing a lot of that lately, even from people who I thought were actual writers. Unfortunately for me and their readers, that is not the case. HOWEVER, when I see a writer pursuing articles and venues of all sorts, my hopes are lifted. A real writer will write. That's what we want to do. Just like there may be some parts of your job that you don't like, we writers will write things we don't necessarily want to write. We write what we can when we can so that when the opportunity to write what we want to write comes, we can savor every minute.

Recently, I was asked to watch a movie and review it for a local LGBT newspaper. I did. I had never reviewed a movie and I had no real interest in movie reviews, but I loved the opportunity for exposure. I hated the movie and I struggled in writing a gentle review. I got through it. It's another writing accomplishment for me. It pushed and challenged me. It has given me the opportunity to expand as a writer as we ll as broaden my reader base. And sitting through one crappy movie to do one review takes me one step closer to my dream of being a full time writer and writing what I want to all the time.

Writing chores like ay chores are no fun. We don't like them as much as we don't like cleaning a nasty toilet. But it has to be done. And the rewards, just like a clean, shiny toilet, are well worth it! :)