Six Sentence Sunday, a taste of "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights"

Just as he reached over to touch her shoulder, there was a flash of
light.
“What was that...summer storm coming?” she asked.
“Maybe a flash, like from a camera?” he asked her.
Suddenly, she realized they were not alone.
“Oh, no,” she exclaimed, pulling herself up the ladder quickly,
grabbing the towel on the dock and rapidly wrapping it around her
naked, wet body as the flash went off two more times.
“Paparazzi!” she exclaimed. 

For great summer reading, try "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights":
Amazon
Nook
Astraea Press (all formats)Check out this review:

A little bit about the book:

Caroline “Sunny” Davis has it all, a rich husband, career as a well-known artist and a big, beautiful house, she has everything except happiness. Fleeing from a philandering husband, she returns to her family’s cabin in the woods. Looking to reconnect with happier times while she sorts out her life, Sunny is surprised to meet up with someone she hasn’t seen in twenty years.

Mike Foster, her friend, her protector from childhood is more handsome and devastating than ever. Tempted almost beyond endurance, can she resist him…if it’s for his own good? This story about rekindled friendship will warm your heart. 
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Notes from a Yard Sale Junkie

I love yard sales! I have furnished almost all of my little cabin from yard sales. Other people’s “no longer wanted” stuff can become my "gotta have it" find. Yard sailing is the most fun when done with a friend like, Julie Kelly. We bring each other luck and always find something we must have.

While we use the newspaper and shopper guides to set up a yard sailing route in advance, some of our best treasures and most fun experiences come from driving around looking for sales on a beautiful weekend in her convertible.

 If you're planning to have a yard sale this summer, here are a few tips from two pros.

Yard Sale Do's and Don't's

1.     Make your sign big, sometimes we miss small signs.

2.     Indicate how far to the sale on the sign. If it's five miles, we need to know.

3.     Post signs often along the way to keep us on track.

4.     Put your street name on the sign. We get lost easily.

5.     Take your down signs down after the sale is gone if you don't want to find us in your yard again.

6.     Don’t hover over us while we're looking.

7.     No hard sell, please. You may love Aunt Myrtle's lamp but maybe we don't.

8.     Bake cookies for your sale or lemonade on a hot day to sell for a quarter to give away.

9.     Tie up your barking dog, he scares us.

10.  Negotiate with us. Take down your price a bit to close the sale. It makes us feel like we got the bargain of the century.

For great summer reading, try "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights":
Amazon
Nook
Astraea Press (all formats)Check out this review:

A little bit about the book:

Caroline “Sunny” Davis has it all, a rich husband, career as a well-known artist and a big, beautiful house, she has everything except happiness. Fleeing from a philandering husband, she returns to her family’s cabin in the woods. Looking to reconnect with happier times while she sorts out her life, Sunny is surprised to meet up with someone she hasn’t seen in twenty years.

Mike Foster, her friend, her protector from childhood is more handsome and devastating than ever. Tempted almost beyond endurance, can she resist him…if it’s for his own good? This story about rekindled friendship will warm your heart.

A Tease from "Now and Forever 1, a Love Story

Here is a snippet from my new release coming out July 29 from Secret Cravings Publishing, a sensual contemporary romance, "Now and Forever 1, a Love Story."

Chapter One

Callie put the check for $15,000, half of all the money she had in the world, on the counter of the bursar’s office. Her palms were sweating, her eyebrows were knitted in a frown. Kyle, her fiancé killed in Iraq, left her the money. She hoped to do well enough to remain in the Masters of Education program at Kensington State University through the first year and earn a scholarship to pay for the second year. She needed to win this big gamble to get her life back on track.

Callie walked out of the building in the sleepy little town of Willow Falls in upstate New York, turned the corner and plopped down on the grass, leaning against a tree and thought about her last day with Kyle. It was Thanksgiving at his friend, John Weston’s house. While the turkey was cooking, some of the men played touch football. Callie went to take a nap in the guest room. Kyle wanted to be alone with her as they only had one more day before he deployed for the last time.

Callie undressed quietly and got under the covers. When he joined her, Kyle pulled the covers down slowly, aware of how bashful she was by the blush in her cheeks, even after being his lover for several years.

“Kitten, don’t be shy. I want to remember every inch of you,” he said, first placing his hand gently on her cheek then leaning over and kissing her softly.

    When he got into bed, his kiss became passionate. Kyle was so alive, the air around him crackled with his energy.

The sequel, "Now and Forever 2, the Book of Danny" will be released by Secret Cravings Publishing on November 2. 

SEVEN DO'S AND DON'TS FOR AUTHORS

Readers Rights – Seven Do’s and Don’ts for Romance Authors

I’m posting this list of romance reader’s rights as a lifetime reader. But I’m hearing this list as a writer. 

1..    Don’t be inconsistent. I have a right to consistency. Do not tell me your character took the train to visit mom and dad and then drove herself home! (read this in a romance from a major publisher who shall remain nameless).

                                 

2..     Don’t use “author’s magic”, which some writers use when they are stuck. They have a character who is in the way…so they conveniently kill him off. Or they throw something or someone in out of nowhere to bail out the plot. I don’t want convenience. Don’t wave your magic wand and throw something in the story to force your plot to work when you have painted yourself into a “plot” corner. I want stories to unfold naturally and make logical sense. Don’t kill off the ex-husband suddenly so your heroine can ride into the sunset with her hunky, new squeeze and take junior with her. That insults my intelligence.

3..     Don’t make heroines dumb. I hate stupid heroines. Don’t make her an idiot simply to force your plot to work. If your plot isn’t working, fix it. “She heard a noise and went to investigate the dark, lonely basement on her own, unarmed.” If your heroine is doing stupid things, I’m going to stop reading.

4..     Don’t call a character Mary in one scene then Jane in another. If you can’t remember the details of your book, how do you expect me to remember? Typos happen, but big mistakes like that are unacceptable.

5..     No sudden changes. Is your hero a creep who “suddenly” sees the light and becomes Prince Charming overnight? I don’t buy it. Come on, you can do better than that!

6..     Make your heroine likable. If I don’t like her, I’m going to stop reading. Bitchy, spoiled, vengeful heroines don’t work for me.

7.       Be accurate, especially with the setting and the facts. If seagulls don't live in the state you're writing about, leave them out! If there are no mountains there, you can't put in mountains. Nothing ruins a story more than a lazy writer deciding she or he can mess with what's real because she/he's writing fiction. Totally untrue.

What did I miss? Do you have some pet peeves with authors? not covered here? Please add them in a comment.


 Get "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights" ebook still only $1.99 for a bit longer at:
Amazon
Nook
Astraea Press (all formats)Check out this review:

A little bit about the book:

Caroline “Sunny” Davis has it all, a rich husband, career as a well-known artist and a big, beautiful house, she has everything except happiness. Fleeing from a philandering husband, she returns to her family’s cabin in the woods. Looking to reconnect with happier times while she sorts out her life, Sunny is surprised to meet up with someone she hasn’t seen in twenty years.

Mike Foster, her friend, her protector from childhood is more handsome and devastating than ever. Tempted almost beyond endurance, can she resist him…if it’s for his own good? This story about rekindled friendship will warm your heart.

Six Sentence Sunday, a taste of "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights"

Welcome to a snippet from "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights"

“It’s about time you called,” he said in a loud, angry voice.
“Brad, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! You disappear into the night,
the police think I killed you, the newspapers have already tried and
convicted me…don’t tell me to calm down,” he yelled.
“Brad, if you don’t calm down, I’m hanging up the
phone…then I’m calling the newspapers and telling them you did
try to kill me and that’s why I ran away!” she countered.
“You wouldn’t dare!” he gasped.


 Get "Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights" ebook still only $1.99 for a bit longer at:
Amazon
Nook
Astraea Press (all formats)Check out this review:

A little bit about the book:

Caroline “Sunny” Davis has it all, a rich husband, career as a well-known artist and a big, beautiful house, she has everything except happiness. Fleeing from a philandering husband, she returns to her family’s cabin in the woods. Looking to reconnect with happier times while she sorts out her life, Sunny is surprised to meet up with someone she hasn’t seen in twenty years.

Mike Foster, her friend, her protector from childhood is more handsome and devastating than ever. Tempted almost beyond endurance, can she resist him…if it’s for his own good? This story about rekindled friendship will warm your heart. 

 

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