Vacations Over!

My nine day reprieve went way too fast. Don’t they always? I managed to get a lot done though, so that is good. I’m 130 pgs into my new novel and having a thrilling time with it (I still don’t know who the killer is). I had some much needed repairs done on my house (a great big THANK YOU to my niece’s boyfriend for giving up his Saturday). I enjoyed some long-over-do time with friends and family. And I’m enjoying the new rocking/recliner my niece got me for my birthday. It’s so comfy I could sleep in it. And no doubt I probably will. For those of you who don’t know, I’m at my best while rocking with a laptop and I do have a tendency to nod off occasionally during a late night of writing. Speaking of which, I still haven’t heard anything on the six full manuscripts that are with publishers. I’m staying hopeful though. As with most writers, I suspect, the waiting game is the hardest part. After that first query you wait weeks or months, you’re thrilled when you receive a full manuscript request, then it’s another several weeks or months before you hear the final verdict. But the minute you get that phone call or email telling you they love your story and want to publish it, all that nail biting seems worth it. You can always get fake nails.

I’ve also gotten some more reading done while on vacation. Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag is fantastic! I haven’t spent all those late nights writing. Ms Hoag is a wonderful story teller. She’s a lot more graphic in the gruesome details than I like to be, but it is a thrilling read.
Now I better get out of here and get some work done on my own novel.

Stephen King and Phyllis A. Whitney

Well, two days into my vacation and I’m already rejuvenated. I haven’t done as much writing as I had hoped to but I have gotten several things done on my ‘To Do’ list. And I’ve read one book and started another. The book I read was Stephen King’s book On Writing. This is the second time I’ve read it. I love his straight forward approach and honesty about the ups and downs of the craft. I’ve also drawn inspiration from it. I may be in the boat alone here but I think he’s the Alfred Hitchcock of Literary world. And to be honest if I’m going to read a book about writing I want it to be from someone who has actually written and published a book—if you know what I mean. It’s like taking a writing course with a teacher who has never been published. He doesn’t recommend them, but he did suggest two books on writing: Elements of Style by William Struck and Warriner’s English, Grammar and Composition. Now years ago, I took a writing course through Writers Digest and can honestly say it helped me a great deal. But my teacher was a multi-published author, and to my delight, a good friend of the Great Dame of Mystery, Phyllis A. Whitney, who passed on just last year at the age of 104. Whitney is another author who has inspired me. Her career spanned over five decades and in 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. She was and remains one of the world's most beloved mystery and romantic suspense writers. To read more about Ms. Whitney and her career you can go to her official website. In re-reading King’s book On Writing, I was reminded that I have been neglecting one of the greatest tools for a writer and that is reading. Every good writer will tell you the two main tools of the craft are to Read A Lot and Write Every Day even if the muse isn’t there. So yesterday I purchased two new paperbacks to read while on vacation, The Killing Hour by Lisa Gardner and Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag. They’re pretty thick and I’m a slow reader (and I still have my own novel to write) so I’ll probably still be reading past my vacation but at least they’ll get me back on track. Now that you know some of the authors who have inspired me I want to hear from you. That goes for readers too. Who's your favorite author(s) and why?

Kreativ Blogger Award

I've been given the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank you to Danielle Thorne for thinking of me and Suspense by Anne.

Because I've won, I get to post seven things you probably don't know about me and nominate seven new blogs of my choice. This should be fun!


7 Things You Never Knew (About Me):

1. My first publication came in the form of a poem that was printed in the local paper when I was a teenager. That same year it was published in an analogy. Two more of my poems were published in different analogies before I moved on to writing suspense.

2. My first paying job was working in a convenient store. I’ve had a variety of jobs since.

3. I’m not a planner. I live in the moment. Life is too short to do otherwise I think.

4. My favorite desert is strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream, and I could live (if I had to) on salad and carry-out pizza.

5. I love trying new and exotic foods. My least favorites have been goat (when I went to Jamaica), fried bananas in Central America, and to top the list Liver and Onions in the U.S.

6. I flunked my first two driver’s tests. I’m a much better driver now however.

7. I love storm watching. Going on a tornado chase is at the top of my Bucket List.


Okay, now for my nominations. I love following a good blog and getting lots of unique information. I also enjoy visiting blogs by fellow authors and finding out more about them as they share their thoughts. My nominations go to:

1. The Sweetest Romance Authors Blog

2. Prairie Chicks Write Romance

3. Novel Journey

4. Ban Sidhe's Worlds

5. Shades of Suspense

6. The West Corner

7. Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog


Now, here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. (Thanks, Danielle!)

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link the logo to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might not know.

5. Nominate 7 Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

Good Luck!
Anne

I Need More Organization in My Life

I swear I don’t know how women with children and households to take care of find the time to write. I’m single—and the only children I have are the furry kind—and lately I haven’t been able to write squat. Well that’s not entirely true. I did do an edit on a contracted book. But most of my time as been spent promoting my upcoming release, Journey to Redemption, Sept 15th, and I have been neglecting my WIP’s. I usually only work on one at a time, but the characters in my latest were very persistent so I gave in and started it. The working title is A Familiar Evil. It gets very confusing when you have these little fellows running around in your head, demanding time, and you’re trying to edit and promote other projects. So I’ve come up with a solution that I hope will pacify them. I’m going to spend next week wrapping up my promoting efforts and then I’m taking a week’s vacation—nine whole days—and devoting it entirely to them. I’ve already fallen in love with the characters so I think it will be an easy task to put into motion. I have a good idea of where I want the story to go and they have very strong voices, it’s just finding the time to sit down with them and listening to what they have to tell me.

Now to change the subject, the Authors and Readers of the Yahoo Sweetest Romance Group had a great time yesterday in the Latte Lounge at Coffee Time Romance. We had close to 1700 views and had a wonderful time chatting with one another and the visitors who dropped by to see us. If you missed it be sure and go check it out. The link is posted below in my last post. Miss Mae snuck off with her flask of her special recipe lemonade but we had a great time anyway and since she was there the majority of the day, we understood. I wonder if she drank it all? MarthaE was the winner of my contest. She’ll be receiving a copy of Every Skull Tells a Story and a download of my new release, Journey to Redemption, once it’s available. Congratulations Martha! I hope you’ll enjoy them. There were other great contests and give-aways as well as a scavenger hunt. Speaking of give-aways, I’m planning a Release Party for Sept 15th, so I hope you’ll check back in the coming weeks for announcements. I should have already had this thing planned, but as I mentioned earlier, there just hasn’t been enough time in the day. I reeeally need to get more organized. I do know I’ll be giving away a free download as part of the main prize, along with some other gifts. The party will probably last a couple of hours—maybe 2-4pm—something like that. Anyway, be sure and check back. Right now I need to get off here and get some much needed house work done. Tonight I’m going out with friends to celebrate birthdays. Hers is today and mine is tomorrow. Again, please go check out our chat at Coffee Time Romance. The authors attending posted blurbs and excerpts of their books and you may still have a chance to win some great prizes.

One last note, for those frequent visitors I've posted a new link on the right that will take you to my Journal of My Travels. This is a Journal that I've kept since 2005 of my mission trips. I debated about adding it to my blog, people say it's risky telling too much about yourself on internet sites, but since these trips are a large part of my Christian testamony I've decided to add it. I've seen first hand God's powerful hands at work in the mission field and not to share those miracles doesn't seem right. I can see your eyes widening--WHAT, A SUSPENSE WRITER WHO WRITES ABOUT MURDER AND MAYHEM IS A MISSIONARY?--YEP!!! Now you know where I get some of my inspiration. Anyway, read and enjoy! My jornal comes from the heart after witnessing things that still bring awe to my soul.

ATTENTION AUTORS AND READERS

Come join the Sweetest Romance Yahoo Group in the Java Junction at Coffee Time Romance Friday, August 14th for an all day chat. Just copy and paste the following link, sign in, and start chatting http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=1091
We'll hold contests, and offer free books as prizes, and you ARE eligible to participate and win! So if you aren't signed up at the forum yet, I encourage you to do so ASAP so you'll be ready to go right after that first sip of java in the morning! I won’t be able to join the group until after I get off work, but you can bet I’ll be there after 4pm. Some of the authors who will be there are: Miss Mae, Danielle Thorne, Larry Hammersley, Laurean Brooks, Joyce DiPasteno. Many more will be dropping in throughout the day. This is a great bunch of guys and gals and I'm sure Miss Mae will bring her homemade receipe of lemonade for y'all to enjoy. So come join us and bring a friend or two.

Also I'd like to mention that yesterday I contracted my fifth novel, Fire and Ash. I'm so excited - I'm doing the happy dance. Unless you're a writer you can't possibly know what it feels like to get word that one of your babies is going to print, rather it be ebook or print, it's an awesome feeling. An author pours their heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into their works. Sleepless nights, missed meals, abandoned families and friends, because of this passion that burns deep inside us. We can't not write or we're not truly happy or content. My only regret to being a writer is that my mother didn't live to see my first book published. She was and still is my biggest inspiration and supporter. Of course I know she's watching from above, but I would have liked for her to be here that first time. Although I've written stories since high school I didn't let anyone but her read them. Several years ago she came to me with suspense novel she'd just finished reading and said, "You can write better than this." She had encouraged me to submit my stories before that but for some reason, that day, her words took hold and I swallowed my fear of rejection and starting submitting. There have been many hurdles and rejections since then, but looking back I have to say it was all worth it. No one likes to get rejections, but it's part of the business. Just because one publisher didn't like your manuscript doesn't mean the next won't. Just over a year ago I made myself this challenge. For every rejection I got I'd send out three queries. That challenge landed four contracts in a year. Now I bet you're wondering why I didn't do it sooner. Because I kept letting those silly rejections intimidate me. I kept taking it personally. There are many reasons a publisher may reject your manuscript, because you have no talent usually isn’t one of them. So those of you who are still searching for a home for your baby, DONT GIVE UP!

A Circle of Souls

When I was approached by this author and asked to review his new novel I was a bit hesitant. But I’ve just finished reading A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi, and I have to tell you it is one of the most fascinating books I’ve read in quite some time. It’s a gripping psychological thriller with a cast of characters that are truly compelling. Preetham Grandhi, M.D., a graduate of Yale, is Chief of Service at House 5 of the Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center. You would never know this is his first novel. The man writes what he knows and you can tell it by the passion in which it is written. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller. It is really a page turner!

Synopsis:

The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town s top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury s hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya s crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events. In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.


Other Endorsements for “A Circle of Souls”

Linda Fairstein, NYT Bestselling Author: "A fascinating debut – this novel takes the reader to the darkest places in the human soul, from a writer with the authenticity to lead us there. A stunning thriller and an important read."

Judge Judy Sheindlin, star of the Judge Judy Show: "The seminal work of this fine author kept me glued to my chair until the adventure was over and the mystery solved. A great read!"