Sunday, December 10, 2017

Giving Thanks and Remembering the Reason for Christmas and Looking to the New Year

Whew! What a year. Busy in all aspects of my life, I am reminded around the holidays to look at what matters most.

Thanksgiving rode through here fast enough to take my breath and threw me right into December where the real whirlwind usually begins. But I am ready... I have a gift list.

I have, however, figured a few things out about where I am most thankful. As always I am thankful for my family and a healthy year and for friends who are always there and for those who are no longer with us. These things may seem simple but I think they count the most. And, as Christmas approaches, and I enjoy Alabama's new Christmas CD, I have been reminding myself and my girls to think about the real reason for all the gifts and celebration...a Savior born for those who seek Him still. I also want my girls to learn a bit about giving back so I think we may bake some holiday treats for a local nursing home or something they decide on.

As media seems to be taking over all our lives in one way or the other, on Dec. 1,  I started limiting myself on media to recharge the batteries and spend time with family and think about the things I am hopeful for in the new year and the goals I have for my writing journey.

This year was busy with three conferences including Romantic Times, Romance Writers of America, and Moonlight & Magnolias with Georgia Romance Writers. All are fantastic events but I think too many for one year and too expensive leading me to a new strategy in the upcoming year. Events are great and author events are great for networking and learning the craft and business. Reader events can connect you with more readers but not so much if you are not well known. So...

I recently posed the question about what marketing strategies really help authors sell books. There were a lot of varied responses and some good ideas but the one that stood out and was mentioned more than once was:

WRITE THE NEXT BOOK! 

And so my strategy for the next few years is to do just that-- get back to the story. It takes a lot to plan for and attend events so I may only choose, from now on, to go to one a year and one that is close to home. When I first started writing and had no events I managed to write so much more and it is time to get back to that for now. And so here it all stands:

Sawyer's Rose has continued to sell each month in eBook and print formats and is now available on Audible for those who would enjoy a listen. 

Sawyer's Rose Audiobook on Audible

Wyatt's Bounty is doing well in eBook and print and I am currently working again with the awesome Dawson McBride on the narration of this story as well. So look for it soon!!

Wyatt's Bounty Audiobook on Audible - Coming Soon!

And I have something a little different coming up. I pulled out a contemporary novel I wrote in 2013 and have spent since May making this story better. This one goes something like this:

What happens when horse stuntman meets nurse consultant on the set of a western television series? Stay tuned!

And I continue getting lots of requests for the third story in the McCades of Cheyenne series. Never fear, I continue to work on Dawson's Haven but in order to give you guys the story you want and the story he deserves, it is going to take a little more time. Trust me though... Dawson is the quiet brother who will have a few surprises. 

I will leave it at that for now and wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 



P.S. If you have read a good book or do in the future, go and leave a review. It really does matter!!!!

-- Kim

Sunday, November 12, 2017

When Did I Love Reading?

After 51 years on the planet and thinking about when stories and books first hit my life... it dawned on me that it was always there. My mama read to me and my sister from a young age, before we ever started school, each afternoon while we waited on my Dad to get home from work for supper. She would let us pick two storybooks each. Much to her dismay I am sure, we picked the same books a lot of the time. I was fond of DONKEY DONKEY, a story about a sad little Donkey finding his way home, and HOW FLETCHER WAS HATCHED, a story about a hound dog that gets neglected when his little girl owner falls for the newly hatched chickens so he and his friends on the farm plan an egg for him to hatch out of so his little mistress will love him again and it works.

When I started school, the weekly trips to the library opened a whole new world. I went through 3 to 5 storybooks a week most often about animals. And I believe around third grade Santa Claus brought me the whole set of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. The television series was new then and my family and I watched it every week. These books brought me the whole pioneer world that matched my love of camping and fishing as a child. I pretended to be Laura Ingalls Wilder when my friends and I played what we called "Old timey house."

Summer Mom carried me and my sister to the library and book stores, which was a perfect way to spend time for me. I brought home stacks of books every two weeks and was always sad when summer ended.

But I remember distinctly in 5th grade picking up my first novel type book. It was fairly thick according to me at that time and was called SCRUB DOG OF ALASKA. I had read lots of books but never one that I got so lost in the story I forgot I was sitting there reading it. That might have been the real beginning where I then always had a book in my hands.

Middle school brought bigger, better books and it was about that time I started sneaking the romance novels off my Granny's shelf every time we visited. Those books ,while educational in more ways than one, spun stories of adventure along with the romance. I fell in love with the historical novels especially the cowboy, pirates and highlanders. Sigh...

And high school became full of the stories we had to read in English. While the other kids moaned and groaned, I only pretended to and enjoyed many of those required stories though I always crept back to romance. Every woman needs a hero and I found them in those stories all the way through until college when nursing school put a halt on reading for fun. Nursing school was classes all week with two eight hour clinicals and more reading required in a week than possible in a month. Becoming a registered nurse is not for the meek!

And eventually college was behind me but it was probably a year or more before I would read a novel for fun. But once I discovered there was life after nursing school I picked up a few more books and, of course, went back to romance thinking...yep I remember how I loved this. And the rest is history.

It surprises me since I have started writing how many people are quick to say "oh, I don't read romance" like someone will think less of you because romance stories often get the "trash" or "not real writing" labels. My guess is most do or have and aren't willing to admit it. Walk down the beach and a lot of folks are reading...check out the titles...romance will be every other book. And for those who think romances aren't written well try to write one and get it passed an editor. People's reading preferences differ that is for sure but I kinda get tired of the instant reaction to the idea of defending oneself against the idea of a romance novel...just what is it you are afraid of? Me? Not a darn thing when I choose my reads.

And now my girls are reading novels and that is cool! I might suck a hard breath in when I see them with a romance in the future but unless it's off the chain filthy I will probably not say a word. Love is found in most of the romances I have read and I think that is a good thing! Read on!


Sunday, October 29, 2017

Happy Halloween! 5 Things That Scare Me

It's Halloween Time and as I plan to go out pumpkin shopping with my girls this weekend, I was thinking on the five things that have scared me most in my lifetime:



1) Spider spiders spiders....(shivers)... I have a long history with not squaring off well with spiders. I was maybe 5 when my back was itching and I had my sister age 3 take a look. She screamed "a fider, a fider." That set off a series of screams from me crying to my mom and while it was a tick and not a spider, I never did recover. The other most terrifying moment relates to these creepies was living alone and not having my Dad to take care of them. Lets just say Aussie spritzer goes a long way and freezing them where they are. Worked for me for years. But then there was that moment as I watched my two year old daughter, at the time, climb on her tricycle and a massive spider was hanging on the handle. In those brief 3 seconds I had to face my fears with 2 choices....leave my child at the mercy of hoping the creature would drop a web and fall away or become Mommie Spiderslayer. I jerked my daughter from the tricycle kicking it across the room, making my daughter cry and the spider scamper away to hide. I couldn't make my voice work to warn her and afterwards I had to sit because the adrenaline in my body had surged. I DON'T DO SPIDERS AND THE QUICKEST WAY TO YOUR OWN DEATH IS TO BRING ONE NEAR ME.

2) Scary Movies. I loved the scariest of movies as a teen though at the time I wasn't allowed to watch R rates movies. Since when do teenagers always follow the rules? So one night when my parents were gone for the evening and my sister was at a friends for the night, I turned on THE SHINING. That was not a wise decision and I had never been so happy to see my parents come home though I couldn't tell them why I had every light in the house on and every bolt locked down tight. I believe on of the scariest movies I ever saw was TERROR TRAIN with Jaime Lee Curtis. My sister and I watched this one too...when we weren't suppose to and it scared us out of our minds for weeks. So I continued my trend of scary movies until I lived alone in my own home. Then it got real. No more scary movies for me.

3) Interestingly enough another thing that scares me to death is public speaking. I taught nursing classes for over 28 years but teaching what I know is not like speaking to a crowd. I have always avoided obligations where I am asked to speak unless it was very important to me or I was given no choice. Those moments I can stress over for weeks and I have been told I am silly over and over by people who do not understand the true terror for me. I am a total INTROVERT. My cup is not filled by being around people. I have had to work at that for years. Those who have no true understanding of being Introverted have often told me " to just get over it"...it doesn't work that way. My first experience of true terror was at 4 years old when my parents had me a birthday party for the first time with neighborhood kids. I cried when they sang Happy Birthday and I think tried to crawl under the table. I am 51 and I have never had another birthday party like that again. My mom would ask me about a birthday party and I would say no. My husband and kids know I want Mexican food for my birthday supper but they had best not have the waitress bring cake and slap a sombrero on my head. They know I will walk right out the door if it is too intense. For real.

4) FLYING. I will fly because sometimes it is the only way to get to places I need to go. Before I board a plane there is always a sheer moment of terror that can halt me from functioning  normally or thinking right. After spending a small non-refundable fortune to get to an event I must attend it would be difficult to back out. Each time I get to my seat and I do make sure I have an isle seat near an exit I feel claustrophobic enough to think of bolting no questions asked. I have once given up my seat to take a later flight but the terror was still the same. I am not a drinker but there have been times when I was waiting to board that I have thought about a couple of shots of tequila though that might truly worsen the effects. Lets just say when I must fly, my relationship with God grows stronger to say the least.

5) Finishing the next book. Yes, this is a real fear and I have even heard seasoned authors speak to this. I have completed through publication two books and as I spend time now working on book three of the series I sometimes go through moments of panic that maybe I won't finish the story and if I do will it be good enough for my readers. I glance at the print books I have completed and remember when writing them I went through the same thoughts of not thinking I could complete them. Sometimes as I read back through them I panic even more...DID I REALLY WRITE THIS? Because it always seems my current story will never get there or until it is finished the moments of panic can be crippling. I suppose this can be self defeating but maybe for me that edge of fear pushes me to write a story better or give it more than I knew I had. Not sure but this is a true fear.

So there you have it. 5 things that frighten me. Have a great Halloween!!





Monday, October 23, 2017

From the Chuck Wagon

The South is finally getting some cooler weather for fall.  This Pinterest inspired Olive Cheese dip is the perfect indulgence to welcome in the fall colors and cooler temps.  Hope you enjoy it if you give this recipe a try.


Ingredients:

  • One (1) can of sliced green olives
  • 16 oz. of cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1 cup of cheddar cheese
  • Crushed red pepper

Directions:

  1. Drain the can of green olives
  2. Mix the olives with the cream cheese, mayo, and cheddar cheese
  3. Sprinkle with a taste of crushed, red pepper
  4. Bake at 350 degrees until golden bubbly (approx. 25-35 minutes)
  5. Serve toasty warm with chips or crackers

Monday, October 16, 2017

From the Blog...

Hi everyone,

It has been a couple of weeks since we have had a new post so wanted to provide some quick updates on things going on with Kim's writing.  Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions or just want to say Hi.

eBook Sale
Kim's eBooks of Sawyer's Rose and Wyatt's Bounty will be on sale for $0.99 now through October 20th.  If you haven't had a chance to check out one or both of these books, this sale would be the perfect opportunity to get your next great read.

Blog Follower Give Away
Kim had a great time at the recent Moonlight and Magnolias RWA conference in Atlanta (blogs and photos coming over the next few weeks).  She was able to come home with quite a bit of swag so she will be doing a give-away each weekend from now through the end of the year to lucky blog followers.  If you have not done so already, be sure to sign-up as a blog follower before Sunday and you will be eligible to win.  The prizes that will be given away each week will be announced after the first winner is randomly selected on Sunday from all blog followers.  Until then, you have to sign up for the blog for your chance to win.

Upcoming Blogs
Kim will be sharing with us some about what she has been working on recently and she will tell us all about the Moonlight and Magnolias event.

Kim and her husband love to try new dishes in the kitchen when they find recipes that sound interesting.  We will get a Chuck Wagon entry on a recent family favorite of Olive Cheese Dip.  Stay tuned.

If there is something you would like to hear about, please leave a comment below.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week.

Christie
KTW Staff







Sunday, September 24, 2017

A Lot of Good Things On The Horizon

Catching up on what is going on with my writing, it looks like there is a lot coming along and a lot to look forward to in 2018.

First, Sawyer’s Rose continues to sell little by little and Wyatt’s Bounty has been out since April and it seems people are already excited about more from the McCade brothers. No fear there as I am currently working on Dawson McCade’s story. The Indian Agent, quiet brother, seems to be a story everyone is anticipating and I promise that this McCade brother takes the cake one being a lover and not a fighter! (Well until he must fight for what is right.)

At the same time, I have pulled out an older contemporary manuscript and tweaked it for a few months now to get it in shape. My hopes are that everyone will love Aaron and Jenna’s story once I have it fine tuned and ready to submit. The gist of this story is: Horse Stuntman meets Nurse Consultant on the set of a western television series. She’s running from her past and he is running to her…but that’s all I can tell you for right now.

And little known news that I am mentioning here for the first time is that The Wild Rose Press has allowed us authors to expend our books into narrated books for Audible. I have been working with the narrator on Sawyer’s Rose and next will be Wyatt’s Bounty. I have to tell you that there is nothing like hearing a narrator read your own story. I sit and listen just shaking my head in amazement that dreams really do come true and I wrote this stuff! Who would have ever thought? So if you are an Audible fan, I am hoping we get these out soon! (If you are unsure of Audible it is an app you download and pay the monthly fee to listen to narrated books. I have been an Audible fan for some years now!)

And I believe I will also have an ad in the WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA magazine coming up in October. Seems I have some folks out west in this day and time reading the stories. Excited about that!

Presently I am gearing up and getting ready to attend Georgia Romance Writers Moonlights and Magnolia’s conference to also attend the Maggie awards. It’s an exciting year given Sherrilyn Kenyon is the Keynote speaker and I have been asked to do her introduction. Excited and a basket of nerves at the same time to say the least! A couple of friends and I will also be presenting a workshop on STORYBOARDING FOR WORLDBUILDING which will help aspiring and established authors plan out there books on a movable board to gain faster planning on book order and mapping. And another exciting moment will be that my husband, Chuck Turner, will be sitting on a panel of Husbands who are going to chat about what it is like to live with an author. There is a book signing at the event that is open to the public so check it out on the Georgia Romance Writer’s website or message me if you need more information.

I am sure a lot of you have noticed that my blog is getting a lot done these days and I owe that all to a friend named Christie who is helping out there, so I have more time to write. Christie has been huge in coming up with ideas ant new things for my blog to stay active and attract readers! If you are reading take a minute to enter your email over to the right so you will get a message any time we post anything new. And click on follow for the blog and when we have a few more contests you just might be a winner! The current winner of a $25 gift card was: Tanja Dancy. Congratulations Tanja! So look for more contests soon and you will win a small package of cowboy goodies from the McCade brothers which will make you the envy of any cowboy reading fan!!

Stay tuned….

KIM

Sunday, September 17, 2017

From the Blog...

A quick blog update for Sunday afternoon...

Blog Follower Give Away Winner
Please join me in congratulating Tanja as our August blog follower giveaway winner.  We are so appreciative of all of the blog followers, both the long-time followers and those newest to our group.  Be sure to stay tuned for future giveaways.

Upcoming Events
Moonlight and Magnolias
As a reminder, Kim will be attending the Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight & Magnolias 2017 from September 28 – October 1.  The event will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast (5993 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092).

Kim will be introducing the keynote speaker, Sherrilyn Kenyon on Saturday, September 30th.  In addition, there is a book fair and autographing session from 3:30 - 5 PM ET. Come say hello to Kim and the other members of the Georgia Romance Writers (GRW).

eBook Sale
Kim's eBooks of Sawyer's Rose and Wyatt's Bounty will be on sale for $2.99 for two weeks starting October 6th.  If you haven't had a chance to check out one or both of these books, this sale would be the perfect opportunity to get your next great read.

Upcoming Blogs
There will be some fun blog posts coming up in the next several weeks, but here is a sneak peak.

We have some exciting Author Roundups coming soon for CiCi Coughlin and Sheila Hollinghead.  Sheila has also shared a post about Kim's writing recently, so please make a stop on Sheila's blog to check out her post on Kim (link).  

Kim will also be sharing with us some about what she has been working on recently and she'll tell us all about the Moonlight and Magnolias event.  Stay tuned.

If there is something you would like to hear about, please leave a comment down below.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week.

Christie
KTW Staff






Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Wild Women Authors Blog Feature

So excited to announce that Kim will be featured on the Wild Women Authors blog from Sept. 6 -Sept. 10.  Stop by to check it out if you get a chance.  As a special treat, Sawyer and Wyatt will be making a guest appearance to answer a few interview questions.  Can't wait to see what they have to say.

Christie
KTW Staff

Sunday, August 27, 2017

From The Chuck Wagon


When out on the trail, a hearty meal like Western Enchiladas would be filling after a hard day's ride.  If you think your family would like this recipe, give this a try.  Yum yum!!

Ingredients:

  • Pre-made Burritos
  • 2 cans Van Camps Beanless Chili
  • 1 Lg. can of Enchilada Sauce
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Jalapenos
  • Sour Cream
  • Pam Cooking Spray

Directions:

  1. Spray a baking dish with Pam.
  2. Layout the burritos in the dish.
  3. Mix 2 cans of Van Camps beanless chili with 1 large can of enchilada sauce and pour over burritos.
  4. Bake until bubbly and burritos are done based on burrito instructions.
  5. Top with cheese, jalapenos, and sour cream as desired.
Leave a comment and let me know how the recipe turns out when you give it a try.

Don't forget, there will be a giveaway for one lucky blog follower at the end of the month.  
To enter, all you need to do is sign up as a blog follower if you haven't already done so.  The winner will be announced with next week's blog.

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Romance Writers of America (RWA) 2017 Fun!

Well, I didn't quite go all out for this event very well this year. I stayed at a cheaper hotel and only attended two days as I think it was more important to make some memories. My family and I went together to Downtown Disney and shopped a bit and had dinner a Bongos. Cuban food at it's best. We then spent a full day a Universal Studios where I rode every ride until Harry Potter nearly made me lose my biscuits. I was so looking forward to that ride but my motion sickness said NOPE. We spent the next day at Magic Kingdom which reminded me how much my girls have grown. With no interest in characters on the princesses, we rode a whole lot in the wonderful heat index of 107. But it was still fun and we did make some memories that will last. I left the family for Thursday and Friday to attend RWA and cheer on friends that were finalists in the Golden Heart and Ritas. It's always a lot of fun catching up with old friend and meeting new ones. Writing is often lonely until we have our conference and events and then it just way cool to hang out with people who get us!!!

Check out some of the fun we had in these photos.






Sunday, July 30, 2017

The Questions I Get Asked…

It has been a while since I have posted a new blog entry.  There has been a lot going on this year, which I talk more about later in the post.  To kick off what I hope will be a new series of posts, I am having a giveaway at the end of August for one lucky blog follower.  Be sure to follow my blog if you have not done so already.  Now, on to the Questions I Get Asked.

I am sure authors get tons of questions over the years but since I am fairly new at this writing world, it surprises me the questions people do ask. One of the most frequent questions I get is:

“Where do you find the time to write all you do?”
I think these questions come to me because I work as a full time Registered Nurse Quality Analyst for a hospital and I have children, daughters aged 12 and 9. I am not sure I always have the right answer for this because I tend to say it and people give me the ‘deer in the headlights’ look. My usual answer is that if you want something bad enough, you will find the time to do it. I started writing with the goal of publication in 2011. I can be very determined and do not give up easily. I wrote even when those around me thought I had lost my mind. There are things you give up in writing, like I no longer have a long list of television series I stay glued to. I do have a few but only here and there. Or I catch up on them by binging in between writing deadlines. Other things that happen are the dishes pile up in the sink, the laundry stays behind and my husband has become a ‘Mr. Mom’ of sorts to allow me time to write. I delegate things like the grocery shopping list and send my husband on that route too. I take my laptop everywhere I go even to soccer practice, gymnastics and any other event I might attend. And when I do not have my laptop, I have a Galaxy Note phone and can type away at a scene or jot down my ideas. And while there can be a little mommy guilt here and there I keep writing, because I cam showing my daughters that it is possible to go out and make your dreams come true.

“Where do you get your ideas?”
I have always loved reading historical novels. I think I love to escape back to a time that doesn’t exist anymore. I love highlanders, Dukes, and Pirates, but have always had an unquenched thirst where it come to the old west and the civil war era. So when I started writing, I knew I had to go for cowboys because you gotta write what you know and still you gotta research and make sure you are right. My ideas start running through my head while I drive or while I daydream of idea. I am a pantser for the most part that does very little plotting. My plots seem to evolve as I get to know my hero and heroine and begin writing. I have a general idea of where we are headed, but I often change the plan as I write when some better idea hits me and takes me and the character to something new. What the heck is the fun in planning it all out ahead of time? So my ideas come from all the westerns I have watched or read. I grew up on Little House on the Prairie and Gunsmoke. I am usually first in line for any western movie that comes out and I love Hell on Wheels, Christie, Deadwood, and me and my girls are on our third watching of the entire Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman series. Right now I am also reading the whole Longmire series, and even though it isn’t historical, it is excellent! So my ideas come from a lot of places, but most often from letting my characters take over.

“How long does it take you to write a complete story?”
It can take me more than six months to belt out a first draft, but my stories are over 100,000 words where most romances are by far under that word count. This first draft can also depend on what is going on in my life and how much time I am spending on editing a work already submitted. Once I have a rough draft, then it needs about two more edits by me before I start getting it out to critique partners and beta readers. It sounds like a long time but about a year if I want to make sure the story is what I was looking for. If I didn’t have a full time job, it might be that I would be able to do everything much faster, but to do service to my series and stay on track to make it all fall together, time is needed.

“How do you map out your stories and series?”
I usually have most of it in my head but I do storyboarding sometimes. I think it helps to have a visual in front of you as you think about where the characters are taking you. I sometimes just jot down ideas or scenes and eventually pull them together, but most often I just start at chapter one and keep going. I keep a ‘book bible’ so to speak, where I write down all the characters in a series and it lists things like their hair and eye color, their quirks and specifics about them. I add quotes I like from them and pictures and maps of the area they live. I plot a little there so I can make better order of the scenes, but I do not have a specific rule about how and where black moments come and when this or that should happen. I let my characters tell the story and so far it’s working.

“What are you writing now?”
Well, I am writing the third story in the McCades of Cheyenne called Dawson’s Haven. I am a bit more than half done but I am pushing hard to get that into my editor this year. I got a little side tracked as this has been a difficult year with losing my father in law, taking in my mother in law, changing jobs for the first time after twenty-seven years and deciding to dust off a contemporary novel I wrote in 2013. I am hoping to have this story turned into my editor within the month so I can get back to Dawson. I think it will be a nice surprise for my readers to be able to read something contemporary from me as well, but no worries, it’s all about a cowboy and the woman he loves….

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Wyatt's Bounty coming April 12th, 2017!!!!! Here is an excerpt!

Wyatt's Bounty Excerpt!



        "Wyatt?"
        "Huh?"
                "I loved you...long before Israel died." The confession rocked her thoughts. She had loved Israel, but she had longed for Wyatt years before Israel had died. It had been wrong and there were times it made her feel like she hadn’t done right by her deceased husband. She weaved her fingers into Wyatt’s, touching with tenderness where the fracture had been. “I did, right or wrong. I mean...I loved Israel, we had so much in common with his study of science and plants and my study of medicine, but I was guilty of dreaming for you long before...he died."
                His smile was tender as he lifted her chin. “I’ve known that for a long time, Doc. And I can’t count how many nights I lay awake, wishing I were holding you.”
                She held tighter to him. “And when you left Cheyenne, it was all my fault. I knew I had made a mistake. I wasn’t even myself without you. It was as if I kept falling and falling, never hitting the ground to land anywhere.”
                With that he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “I’ll always be here to catch you, Doc, always.”

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Less than a month now!!

Its been an exciting year since the March 18, 2016 release of Sawyer's Rose. And as I now wait not so patiently for the release of book two in the McCades of Cheyenne series...WYATT'S BOUNTY I can only smile. Dreams do in fact come true as always in my case with hard work, perserverance, determination and even prayer.

I was thinking back to when I started writing Sawyer's Rose. I had recently joined RWA and GRW and with what I had learned in a short few meetings, I realized the stories I had been working on didn't fit in the "romance box" of what was required to possibly get published. So I started over on a whim...I set out to write inside that box about some kind of mail-order-bride meets sherrif story to learn the ropes so to speak.

Well, what I learned was that I had done better at the process of writing though I still had a lot to learn and still do but somehow I hadnt written a story that fell fully into the romancs box. And so for those folks aspring to write...I rewrote Sawyer's Rose nine times with three major story changes on three of those writes. What I did finally figure out is while I wrote western historical romance, I didnt write enough western to identify myself in the category of westerns, i.e. my cowboys carry revolvers but I often do not describe exactly what kind. And for those true romance readers sometimes the cowboy stuff and family drama are not what they were looking for though many gave the story good ratings.

So I do think I have something going here but the biggest thing is you just have to keep writing what you write. I know I have likeable characters and romance and family saga and the old west all wrapped up in a story that still doesn't fall into that romance box but seems to leave readers waiting on the next story. And its been very humbling to have people I don't even know tell me they loved this story or that character or they cant wait for the next book. Wow...people are really reading.

And so as I anxiously await the April 12th release of Wyatt's Bounty I am excited and nervous at the same time. Will people like the story and will it sell as well as Sawyer's Rose has? The one thing that surprised me was the pressure I put on myself in finding the next story so hard to write. And now as I am working on the third installment Dawson's Haven...its just the same. It is hard to write the next story with the excitement of the one before and the pressures that go along with..."will this story stand alone", "will people like it", "am I giving the characters what they deserve as well as the readers"...and the list goes on.

It seems in the writing world everyone has advice, the good and the bad and the ugly. But every writer's journey is different and while I have asked questions and paid attention to what others are saying and doing...this is my journey to take and I have had to be careful not to let the ideas if others crush what I am accomplishing along my path. While there are those that support and congratulate...there are also those that think their journey is far better and you can not possibly understand whats on their level. I've let that kind of negativity pass by me and not deter me because there are good people in writing who will share ideas and boost you and those are the ones to follow.

The good thing was after nine rewrites of that first story and all that went into making it better while working with a very cool editor... I learned a lot. This second story was better written and so I would say I rewrote it twice and with only one major story change. If I wasn't such a panster it might be I wouldn't hit these road blocks. But hey, whats the fun in plotting it all out. I like to see where the cowboys in my stories are gonna take me when I type along with a general idea and they get crazy.

Writing is hard work. If it wasn't everyone would do it. So as I trudge along working on the third story, ignoring my chores and sometimes my family...sorry gang...I have to smile that I set out to seek publication and did it. It wasn't easy and these days in the writing world I take nothing for granted like getting that next contract. Yes it can be a scary thing. But I worked hard and things happened and yes I am proud and celebrate the small and large victories that go with it.

So as this journey continues I would like to encourage others aspiring to write for publication to never give up. Keep writing. Keep going to meetings and learning. Enter the contests for the feedback, find critique partners who encourage you to write your best. But most of all finish the book...and it will happen!!!