HAUNTED

I remember always wanting to write paranormal romantic suspense of some sort. My editors at Intrigue always told me I couldn’t do it. But somehow I got away with writing HAUNTED, a book set at Halloween, another of many firsts for me. The first Intrigue with a paranormal element – a ghost who provides a fun twist. Well, a couple of twists.

Ever since I can remember, I was in love with the idea of paranormal anything. Blame my mother. She was born on November 1. I think she was born a day late. :)

The costumes she always made for me when I was a kid were spooky. And she took me to spooky movies. I was a latch key kid. I believed The Creature from the Black Lagoon lived in my basement. The basement door was next to my apartment door... Needless to say, I always got inside the apartment fast. And I never went into the basement unless I was forced to do it. I sat my way down, peering around the stairwell to make sure I wasn’t unpleasantly surprised.

As a young adult, I read books that made me keep the lights on all night. Rosemary’s Baby. Jaws. The Exorcist. I swore I would never see any of those movies. I did see them all, of course, and had to hold someone’s hand while doing so. The one I really wanted to avoid was The Exorcist. I think I slept with the lights on for a week after I read that one. And my mother made me take her to the movie anyway. She threatened to disown me if I didn’t. Ack! What else could I do?

Mom really, really was into the paranormal even more than I was. One year she asked if we could go to a haunted house for Halloween. I said sure. I took her to one of those cheesy (but scary) haunted houses that are such fun at Halloween. She was horrified. She meant a REAL haunted house. Yeah, Mom, like the owners would just invite us in.

Mom died at 60 of lung cancer. But every year just before Halloween, I think of her and wish her a happy birthday.

And this year, I get to bring HAUNTED, a Halloween book, to my readers who didn’t get it the first time around. With a new cover, of course.

Mom would approve. Happy Birthday, Mom.

What is the scariest or most fun memory you have of Halloween as a kid? Comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of HAUNTED. It would help if you would provide an email addy in your comment. If you don’t, I’ll announce the winner in -this- blog post on November 1 in my mother’s honor.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

                           








   

BIG SHOT

First Day of Fall

 

I know that for many of you fall started a month ago. But where I live in Montgomery County in Texas, fall is never in a rush to arrive. That's usually fine by us since October does see a gradual decline in temperature and humidity. We can actually sit outside late afternoons and watch the birds flit around the bird bath and feeders and the deer come wandering by.

 

But this morning, the first read cool spell of the season arrived. It's not six in the morning yet, but when I got my computer and coffee to sit outside and write as the sun comes up, the damp coolness sent me back inside for a blanket. I found it absolutely exhilarating. Makes me want to take a long walk along the lake and bake bread. Instead, I'll sit here and put the finishing touches on Trumped-Up Charges, a book set in the blistering heat of a Dallas summer. But I'll be thinking about pumpkin pie and hot chocolate as I do.

 

And tonight, I'll curl up under a blanket with a good book. If you are, too, hope it's an Intrigue. You might like BIG SHOT, the 3rd book in my Big "D" Dad series. Your weather might be cool. But Durk Lambert is HOT!

 

What's your favorite activity for a perfect fall day?

 

 

What Makes A Hero

 

This is a topic that I frequently think about, especially when I start plotting a new book. In BIG SHOT, the 3rd book in the Big "D" Dad series, Durk Lambert is a very different kind of hero. He's not only a rancher but is a very rich and successful oil businessman. But Durk is not only sexy and powerful, he is a hero in every way that matters.  Even when he thinks there is no hope for him with the woman he loves, he'll do anything to keep her safe, including put his life on the line.  And if you loved the Lambert family in Son of a Gun and Live Ammo,  you'll enjoy catching up with them.  I hope you'll stop by http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=27000 and read an excerpt.

Wayne hits all the right notes in this Big "D" Dads installment, with action, romance and a tidy mystery.           RT Book Reviews

 

Happy Anniversary, PRW!

Prairieland Romance Writers celebrates 20 years of excellence in romantic fiction

This past weekend marked a landmark event for my local writing chapter, the Prairieland Romance Writers.  On Sunday, we hosted an Open House celebrating our 20th anniversary!  We invited back our PRW alumni (aka former members) as well as the mentors who helped us get started by teaching us about critique groups, how to run a meeting, writing all those pesky but necessary by-laws for incorporation, and so on.  We also invited the events coordinator at the local Conestoga Mall, and the library staff at Grand Island Public Library--the two venues who have given us the space to hold our meetings for many years.

We decorated with autumn colors.  We drank some yummy sherbert & pineapple punch, and carved a cake designed by one of our members, Robin L. Rotham.  She put together our very own PRW romance novel cover--sweet!  We pulled out scrapbooks that featured pix of our members and their achievements over the past 20 years.  And we set up display tables for each of our current members to show off awards, books and other writing achievements.  That was cool!  We had everything from our newest published author, Niecey Roy, whose first book comes out from Wild Rose Press in early 2013, with just a rose and a photo--to members whose bling includes 2 RITA awards (Kristin Eckhardt, also w/a Kristin Gabriel) and so many books it required more than one table to display them all.

Julie Miller

Here's a look at my display, along with yours truly.  To be honest, I don't keep all the hardware out on display, and normally my books are tucked away on a shelf.  But it was totally cool, and humbling, and motivating, to set everything out on one place to remind myself of all the hard work, proud accomplishments and wonderful memories I've had with my writing.


PRW (as we usually call ourselves) also has the tradition of handing out silk flowers for Prairie Rose Awards (major accomplishments like selling a book, completing a manuscript or finalling in a contest) and Praire Wildflower Awards (other, non-romance writing achievements like publishing a poem and selling an article to a magazine).  In honor of our 20th anniversary, we presented real roses to our charter members in attendance, and to our mentors from the Omaha chapter (we represent mostly out-state Nebraska) who helped us get our group started.

We celebrated our history and each other, and spent a great deal of the afternoon trading hugs and catching up with old friends.  It was fun to hear how many remembered my son coming to a few meetings when he was younger, and playing off to the side of the room with his Legos and Transformers.  Now he's a senior in college.  Some of our former members have moved far away, and one, sadly, is no longer with us.

Personally, I treasure my time with PRW.  As my good friend, and our first president, Sherry James put it, "PRW is like AA for writers."  Yes, we help educate newer writers, refresh the skills of our veterans, keep each other apprised of changes in the market and publishing world, and promote each other's work.  But the best benefit for me is the supportive friendships among professional women who "get" what it means to be a writer.  We celebrate each other's triumphs, commiserate over disappointments, offer advice when asked and support each other through the high's and low's of working in this industry.

Thank you, PRW!  And Happy Anniversary!

So, what's something you've celebrated recently?  Or, is there a group you belong to that means a lot to you?  Please share your question or comment.  I'll give away a copy of my current release (it's a reissue of FORBIDDEN CAPTOR, packaged with Debra Webb's novel, STRIKING DISTANCE) to one lucky poster. 

Julie Miller
THREE COWBOYS, Dec. 2012

(if you're interested in learning more about our group, its members, and the wide variety of romance genres we represent, please visit our website at www.prwne.com)

Spotlight on October Intrigues: Thunder Horse Redemption

Another Thunder Horse brother meets his match in Elle James' Thunder Horse Redemption:

A WARRIOR WITH A BADGE

Life in the North Dakota badlands always has its dangers...but the shooter who attacks Roxanne Carmichael has definitely raised the stakes. Already struggling to keep her ranch from bankruptcy, Roxy is now faced with new threats around every corner. To make matters even worse, her ex-fiancé , FBI agent Pierce Thunder Horse, is visiting his family's ranch-and once the Lakota lawman learns Roxy's at risk, nothing will shake him from her side.

When she threw his ring back in his face two months ago, Pierce promised Roxy that he'd keep his distance. But leaving her without protection is not an option. Pierce is determined to stick close, mend old wounds...and strengthen the unrelenting desire that still rages between them.

Spotlight on October Intrigues: Christmas Conspiracy

Check out Robin Perini's latest riveting read and unravel a Christmas Conspiracy:

Four years ago, girl-next-door Kat Nelson had gone from being a tempting assignment to the fling P.I. Logan Carmichael never forgot. Now he'd been hired to find her by a king claiming Kat was heir to the throne. Locating her wasn't difficult.

Learning he was the father of her toddler twins, however, made him ache. But his job was to protect her from a madman who wanted her dead, and keep her away from the king who needed her alive. And yet one look at his children made the steely CIA vet yearn to be more than just a bodyguard. Defusing bombs and taking out terrorists wasn't as scary as being a father—and didn't get his heart racing as much as the thought of spending every night by Kat's side.…

RIDING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH WRITING

My new book BORN TO BE WILD from Entangled Publishing’s Dead Sexy line is something of a horse book. I love writing horse books. Whether they’re rounding up cows, being raced or being bred, I’m in.

Back in the day, I rode at least once a week for nine years. Some of you may ride every day, but if you do, chances are you own your own horse and may have your own barn.

I’m a city girl.

My first experience riding was visiting relatives in Brooklyn, NY, when my Uncle George took me riding through Prospect Park. I was (maybe) twelve. I was in love. The next time I went riding, it was in Mexico. My cousin and I rented horses on the beach. Then we and my mother took a long ride into the back hills and across a river. I was hooked.

I was so excited about riding, that I decided I was finally going to do it – take lessons in the far, far suburbs, even though I had moved to the city proper, an hour’s drive each way. Unfortunately, just after I started, I had an accident and needed major knee surgery. A month later, I asked the doc how soon I could start riding again and he said...well, he didn’t want to know about it, and if I did ride with my knee, I was crazy.

I was crazy.

And when I went back to see him six months later, he couldn’t figure out why I was not limping. That’s how bad the injury had been and how nasty the surgery. This was just before they started doing arthroscopic, and they took half my meniscus which set me up for a much later knee replacement.

But in the meantime, I rode. I took group lessons in English equitation and learned to post. I learned to ride Western. Rode through the forest preserves, then switched barns and took private hunt seat lessons, shared board on a horse and rode three times a week. I started driving up to Michigan where there was an adult only ranch with horseback riding twice a day. (Btw, Suicide Hill in BORN TO BE WILD was inspired by the ‘real’ Suicide Hill at the Michigan resort – and yes, I rode it). I learned to jump. The thrill of jumping is something like that big dip on the rollercoaster. I got the same sensation in my stomach every time.

So though I don’t ride now because of my bionic knee, I’ve been reading about people who do after replacement, and I am sorely tempted to take a chance that this time I won't do anything that gets me thrown. :) 

In the meantime, I let writing about horses give me the thrill that I so miss. For now...

BORN TO BE WILD is a digital book available at Entangled Publishing and at the usual books sites.

What gives you a thrill? Something out of your comfort zone? Leave a comment for a chance to win one of my backlist books -- TOUCH ME IN THE DARK (McKenna Legacy 3)--  in any digital format you choose from Smashwords.com






                           

Spotlight on October Intrigues: The Reckoning

Jana DeLeon takes readers to Mystere Parish as she begins a spine-tingling new series with
The Reckoning:

HIS JOB HAD BROUGHT HIM BACK TO VODOUN

In a tiny bayou town with far too many wicked secrets, the sudden disappearance of a six-year-old girl is a mystery Sheriff Holt Chamberlain is determined to solve. But teaming up with Alexandria Bastin is a complication he didn't expect. Nor is he prepared to collide with the dark side of Cajun culture-and his own troubled past.

SHE GAVE HIM EVERY REASON TO STAY

The frantic search leads them to a place said to hold magic, an eerie island where Alex is also working her charm on him. At one time, he'd been forced to leave her brokenhearted. And now­ , dangerously close to the truth, he'll do anything to protect her from the evil that surrounds them-an evil that might hold the key to sending a little girl home....

Spotlight on October Intrigues: Deception

Travel back to Coral Cove with Carol Ericson in Deception:

HE EXPECTED SMALL-TOWN POLICE WORK TO BE DULL...AND THEN SHE CAME BACK TO TOWN

Columbella House, a crumbling Victorian mansion on the coast, is packed with secrets and danger. Now it all belongs to Mia St. Regis. For police chief Dylan Reese, the return of the beautiful heiress rekindles an old attraction, one he thought ended long ago. Before he can focus on their past, though, Mia's reappearance rouses a killer, someone who's made her the ultimate-and most prized-target. Dylan knows keeping Mia safe is part of the job. Yet the image of an elusive enemy getting anywhere near her challenges his sworn vow to uphold the law-and stirs something all too personal inside by-the-book Dylan....

BIG SHOT

BIG SHOT, the third book in the Big D Dad series, coming in November. Available for preorder now!

PROTECTION WAS PART OF THE COWBOY CREED

Hunger for her was pushing him over the edge. If he kissed her—Hell. What was he thinking? He was supposed to be watching over her.

He walked onto the porch, seeking distance, but Meghan followed. “You know you really are a cowboy at heart,” she said. “Seeing you on the ranch, I get it.”

“I’m not that complicated once you get to know me.”

“How well did I know you when were dating?”

He turned to her. “I couldn’t say. We didn’t do a lot of talking. We were too consumed with the physical side of the relationship.” Somehow he’d let the conversation take a bad turn. “Are you sure you want to get into this?”

“What I want is for you to kiss me, Durk. The way you did when we first met.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Then stop thinking.”

WWW.JOANNAWAYNE.COM

Wishing you a happy harvest!!!

As I decorated the house for fall the other day, I was thinking that not that long ago, fall was the happiest time of the year for most people. A few decades ago, it meant bringing in the harvest. As a kid, I remember the whole family getting together several times in the fall, with friends and neighbors, to bring in the harvest. My grandparents grew wheat and corn, and every man in my family pretty much had his own vineyard. (Now only one uncle does.)The end of the growing season was a big deal! We handled it all as a group, with a few hired hands for extra muscle. (The farms were very small. More like farmettes by today's standards.)

Everyone worked like dogs, and the older women cooked up a storm for the huge meal at the end of the day. As much work as bringing in the harvest was, it was also almost like a holiday. There was laughter and joking and, let me tell you, plenty of wine! Being together like that several times a year, gave you a sense of security. People gathered around because you needed help. And you knew you'd go to their farm next. You were reminded several times a year that you had a support system that would not let you fall.

The end of growing season was also a sigh of relief. It meant you could stop worrying about the weather and the powdery mildew and all the other diseases that could threaten your crops. You did your work, God blessed it and now you could rest--both physically and mentally.

I do think of that sometimes as I finish one project just in time for deadline and start another one, in a never-ending loop. Somehow the season of rest has gone missing from our schedules. But I do still have the joy of the work. I LOVE my job. Writing is all I've ever wanted to do and I fell blessed beyond measure that I get to do it for a living. And it's made possible by you. Thank you for reading!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how grateful I am for that, and for your kind words when you email me or post on my Facebook page.

Another thing I'm extremely grateful for is the community of helping hands around me. This is something pretty amazing and, I think, exceptional. There are many occupations where office staff rotates in and out, where people compete for promotions and will step on their coworkers to get to the next level. I honestly have never seen the level of selfless support in any other job that I see in my romance authors groups. We Intrigue authors talk to each other every single day on an email loop. If I have a questions, it's answered the same day. If I need to promote a new book, people will tweet about it. Never mind that my books compete with their books. Julie Miller puts together an amazing newsletter for all of us, has done it for years, essentially promoting her competitors. Others manage this blog, and yet more people make sure everything looks good on our Intrigue Facebook page. We are united in our mutual fondness and respect for each other, and our desire to bring you the best stories we are capable of.

So today, as I write this, I'm wishing you a bumper crop of harvest in whatever job it is that you do, and a community of helping hands around you.

Dana

Spotlight on October Intrigues: Secret Intentions

The latest exciting chapter in Paula Graves' Cooper Security series is here in Secret Intentions:

AS A MAN OF ACTION, HE'D NEVER BREAK PROTOCOL. BUT HE'D NEVER BEEN SO TEMPTED...


Although he was trying to crack a global conspiracy, former soldier Jesse Cooper had an even more important mission: keep new hire and girl-next-door Evie Marsh safe. Shocked to learn Evie could be the key to bringing down this secret plot, the head of Cooper Security had to stifle his attraction to her. After all, the case was on the line-and so were their lives. But between dodging bullets and staying one step ahead of the enemy, temptation became impossible to resist. As a man made for danger, Jesse thought sweet Evie had no place in his world. Then, in the heat of the moment, she proved she'd always have his back-or die trying....

Spotlight on October Intrigues: Justice at Cardwell Ranch

B.J. Daniels takes readers back to the scene of one of her biggest hits in Justice At Cardwell Ranch:

The highly anticipated sequel to Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch, read by more than 2 MILLION!

CARDWELL CHARM WAS ALL HE'D EVER NEEDED... UNTIL NOW

Six years ago, Dana Cardwell found her mother's will in a cookbook and became sole owner of the Cardwell Ranch in Big Sky, Montana. Now happily married, Dana is surprised when her siblings, Stacy and Jordan, show up on the ranch... and trouble isn't too far behind.

As danger draws closer to the ranch, deputy marshal Liza Turner quickly realizes that Jordan Cardwell isn't the man the town made him out to be.

Stress Release

Rejuvenation

Where do you go or what do you do when you need to get in touch with yourself and escape your busy life?  I bet you all have those times. I know I do, usually when the characters in my book won’t cooperate with me. Hate it when they think they know more about what they should do than I do. Don’t they know I created them?

The stress also builds for me when there is just not enough time in my life to do everything I need to do. First priority for me is always my family. If they need me, I’ll be there. Fortunately, they don’t really need me very often but we do have some great times together. 

For those little stresses, I go for a walk or sometimes treat myself to a Starbucks. Love those iced soy lattes. Like the more fattening ones even better but have to really need a boost to go for a caramel macchiato.  Some good music on my iPod helps, as well.  Michael Buble if I need to mellow out, but sometimes I need that old time rock and roll, and occasionally I go for country.

But my absolute favorite place to getaway to is a beach, any beach, though I’m particularly partial to Orange Beach on the Gulf in Alabama. I even set a book there once called Another Woman’s Baby. I’m not sure you can find it any longer, but if you get a chance to pick it up used, give it a try. I guarantee you’ll want to meet me at the beach for oyster po-boys, playing in the surf, long walks on the sugary white sand and magnificent sunsets.

So again, what do you do when you need a little stress release? 

If it’s read, hope you’ll also check out my Big D Dad series. The next book in the series, Big Shot, is coming out in November.

www.joannawayne.com

Angi's Winners

CONGRATULATIONS

VJGreen, Colleen C, & Laney4

You've each won a $5 gift card.

Winning a $20 B&N gift card--

winner of my three blog combo:

LAURA (Loves2Read)

I assign each comment a number and use Random.org to choose a number for the drawing. Winners, please send me an email to Angi@AngiMorgan.com, I'll get your gift cards in the mail.

Thanks for supporting the blog.
~Angi
AngiMorgan.com

Only 4 months until 
DANGEROUS MEMORIES surface.

Pets Pets Pets

Our newsletter question this month is about our pets, and I thought it would be cool to continue the discussion here, posting a few pictures and finding out more about our readers' pets. Come take a peek at some of our furry friends and check back to see where the discussion goes.

SO HERE THEY ARE...

SPARKY

LENA DIAZ

SPEED

ANN VOSS PETERSON

HARRIET & OZZIE

REBECCA YORK

THE BEEVEL

REBECCA YORK

OZZIE

Looking out the "catio" door, 

where the cats love to hang out.

REBECCA YORK

BLOSSOM 

PATRICIA ROSEMOOR

BLITZEN 

PATRICIA ROSEMOOR

TOBY 

DANA MARTON

MAGGIE 

JULIE MILLER

MIKO 
...as a kitten...

PAULA GRAVES

MIKO 

...all grown up...

PAULA GRAVES

JEWEL

COLLEEN THOMPSON

BAILEY 

Bailey's my neighbor's dog, but I lure her over to see me with treats and she stays with me when they're out of town and can't take her along.

JOANNA WAYNE

BOOGEY

JANA DeLEON

DEXTER

CAROL ERICSON 

MOOSE

April, bluebonnet trip

Meridian, TX 

Moose is our part-time pet. She stays at our house when my daughter needs her to run in a big yard.

ANGI MORGAN

DALLAS & TEX

May, first trip

Davis Mountains 

Tex and Dallas are both recent adoptions. Tex turned one year this month and Dallas is 5 months. This picture was when Dallas weighed 12 pounds...she now weighs almost 50.

ANGI MORGAN

Be sure to tell us about your pets.

~Angi

Coming in 2013:

Dangerous Memories, February

& Protecting Their Child, May

Hill Country Holdup & .38 Caliber Cover-Up

Harlequin Intrigues, available on-line

Join me at Get Lost In A Story to meet your favorite authors.