THE DISTRACTIONS OF SPRING

I should be editing a novel. It’s due soon, and I need to go through the whole thing, trimming wordy sentences, adding character development, and making sure I tied up all the loose ends in the plot. Instead, I keep slipping outside to wander through the garden. So far I’ve only got daffodils, vinca and violets blooming, but the redbud is about to pop. And the pear trees across the street are beautiful white mounds. The tulips I planted last year have come up, and the annuals like hostas, tall phlox and black-eyed Susans are poking their heads up through the ground.

This year I did some very unusual planting–a new rock in my front yard. It’s hollow, to hide the cleanout for the sewer line. (Not a very romantic reason, I know.) But I love the effect. It might be plastic, but setting it in place was a major construction effort. It looked so massive sitting in my front yard, that I dug a hole big enough to bury it four or five inches all around–under the disapproving eyes of watchful neighbors who were doubtless wondering if I’d gone crazy. To commemorate the occasion, I’ve posed with my new lawn ornament. I’m wearing the great dragon jacket that I got in China last year.

But my favorite spring event is a trip to Brighton Dam Park. I tell people that if they live around here and don’t go there in the spring, they’re crazy. It borders a reservoir, and the Water Commission made the acres along the water into azalea heaven. There are lots of natural trails, leading through acres and acres of flowering bushes. They’ll be fantastic in a couple of weeks. Many of the plants are twenty or thirty years old, and they tower over you. So you walk through a woodland that takes your breath away. Or you can climb the hill and look down on a panorama of pink, salmon, purple and white. The National Arboretum has similar trails. But it’s farther away. So we’re more likely to drive the fifteen minutes to Brighton.

My own yard’s not quite so spectacular, but my azaleas will be out soon. I call them my spies, because they tell me when it’s time to for a trip to azalea heaven.




My latest release is ETERNAL MOON, out this week.

Rebecca York

Have you noticed holidays = food?

It is almost Easter and all I've been thinking about this morning -- instead of writing -- is what I'm going to cook. Not that I don't think about food a lot. If you've read my books, you know that my characters always eat. I actually hate characters who don't eat.

I remember one mystery writer's book where her heroine was captured by bad guys. One of them was making his famous enchiladas and what did she do? She escaped before she dinner. Can you believe that?

So I've been going through my recipes (I have stacks of torn-out magazines recipes that one of these days I'm going to organize) looking for something fun to make.

Have you noticed the lines at the grocery stores before any holiday? It doesn't matter how minor a holiday it is, we use them all as an excuse to eat -- and usually something we probably shouldn't be eating.

So what are you planning for Easter Sunday? My husband and I are going to some friends house. There will be tons of food. I'm still undecided what I will make.

But I did stumble across this cookie recipe, one I think the kids would like. They always arrive hungry and like to snack before the meal. :)

It's called Devil's Food Sandwich Cookies. On second thought, that might not be appropriate for Easter huh. Maybe I'll just call them Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. :)

Here's the recipe:
A box of devil's food cake mix
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 t. almond extract
16 oz. powdered sugar

Combine cake mix, shortening and eggs. Form balls and flatten slightly on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. In medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter and almond extract. Gradually blend in powdered sugar until desired consistency. Beat with a spoon until smooth. Refrigerate.
When cookies are cool, spread filling between two cookies. Repeat. Keep refrigerated. Makes 2 dozen.

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter. If you have a recipe to share...email me at bjdaniels@mtintouch.net

The Whitehorse, Montana series continues this month with Shotgun Bride as the five Corbett brothers hit town and of course there will be lots of eating and lots of good food. www.bjdaniels.com

Behind the Scenes: A Stranger's Baby

This month marks the release of my third book, A STRANGER'S BABY. In the story, the pregnant heroine finds herself targeted by people who are after her baby, and even with the killers on her trail, it's hard to tell who endured the tougher gestation: the heroine in this book, or me while trying to bring this story to life. ;)

When I wrote my first Intrigue, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT, I had stories in mind for four additional books. Unfortunately, when I turned to the second of those stories (what was intended to be the third overall), I ran into a few problems. One of the reasons I write romantic suspense is for the emotion, something I hope comes across in my books. Not only do I enjoy writing action, mystery and suspense, I particularly enjoy exploring the emotions of the characters caught up in these life-and-death situations and puzzling mysteries, seeing how they react and how they're affected on a personal level by these events. For me, that's one thing that makes Intrigue so great. In the case of my original story, I had a premise that I loved and a great mystery I had entirely plotted out, right down to identity of the killer. What I didn't have was the emotion. There simply wasn't enough of an emotional investment in the mystery for the main characters, or a deep enough emotional conflict for the romance. Without that, I wasn't excited enough by the story, even with a great premise and plot.

Suddenly I needed a new story that 1) fit what I had in mind for the hero; 2) was different from the other four books; and 3) had a premise that allowed for a title with the word “Stranger” in it. Eventually I had an idea: What if a woman had a one-night stand and became pregnant, something she thought was an accident, only to learn it might not have been an accident at all? I immediately loved the idea, as I thought about what it might mean to this woman to learn her child’s conception might have had something sinister behind it. How would she respond to learning the baby she carried had been fathered by someone who may have been a bad guy? How would those revelations affect her feelings about the baby she’s about to have? Then there was the hero. I thought about what it would be like for a man who's never really known what it is to have a family, who thinks he has no business or interest in getting involved with a woman about to have a baby, to be drawn into the heroine’s mystery. I finally had what I was looking for: a premise with the potential for not just plenty of mystery, but plenty of emotion as well.

Unfortunately, I soon ran into the opposite problem. I had my emotional premise and characters I loved. Now I had to figure out the plot and answers to the questions I'd raised.

I don't know whether it says more about how my mind words or how scary the world can be, but I had no trouble coming up with reasons why someone might have targeted the heroine or why someone would be after her baby. Finding a reason that worked for the story was much more difficult. Some of the reasons I came up with were too dark, some didn’t offer enough story to sustain an entire book, some had too many plot points I couldn’t resolve. As a result, this is a book I wrote and rewrote numerous times, going through multiple versions as I tried to find a solution that I was happy with. Characters were added, then dropped. Entire chapters were written, then rewritten multiple times, or deleted entirely. The motives and explanations behind everything were changed again and again. There were at least three times when I got good distance into the story, stopped and thought "This isn’t working," and scrapped most of it to start over.

Through it all, one thing remained the same: the main characters. These were two people in whom I was greatly invested and whose story I wanted to tell, if only I could figure it out. At times, it certainly seemed as though it would be easier to scrap this idea too and try to come up with yet another one. But my level of investment in these characters kept me determined to bring their story to life.

Finally, though there were many (many) times I thought it would never happen, I came up with a solution and a plot I was satisfied with and was able to finish the book. Of course the only thing that really matters with any book is the finished product, and it will be up to readers to decide whether I succeeded in finding the right plot and satisfactory answers to the mystery. I hope anyone who decides to give the book a try enjoys it, and will be as caught up in the emotion of these characters' story as I was.
------------------------------
To celebrate its release, I'll give away a copy of the book to one lucky winner. All you have to do to enter is comment on this post sometime today (4/8/09). The winner's name will be posted tomorrow.

Movie Review Tuesday: I "Heart" INKHEART

Earlier this year I got to see one of my all time my favorite books that had been adapted to the silver screen. INKHEART by Cornelia Funke. It’s one of my family’s favorites as well. We listened to the book on tape on a long car trip several years ago and all fell in love with the story. I remember that special family vacation every time I think of INKHEART. The movie had some “big shoes” to fill.

For those of you not familiar with the book, click here for the Yahoo movie synopsis or (spoiler alert) here for the Wikipedia book synopsis.

For me, INKHEART is a magical tale about the power of the written word—the unique worlds where books can take you and the wonderful escape they can be. It’s everything I love about writing and reading all rolled into one.

I approached going to the movie with misgiving because, as we all know, Hollywood can sometimes monkey around with a good book. But I was pleasantly surprised. While some aspects of the story did change, for the most part they stayed very true to the central message. And they gave a satisfying ending that didn’t leave me yearning for a sequel (even though the book has two other installments.) One didn’t have to have read the book to understand the movie (big plus) and you didn’t leave wondering what in the world was going to happen to these characters you’d come to care for so much.

My question of the day you can answer one of two ways: what have been your favorite (or least favorite) movie adaptations of books?

Kay Thomas
BULLETPROOF TEXAS ~ April 14, 2009
4 stars ~ Romantic Times 4 1/2 stars Cataromance reviews
KayThomas.net

The Yin and Yang of my Writing Life

I currently write for 2 different lines at Harlequin--Intrigue and Blaze. In the past I've written for other special projects, and for another publisher.

On many days--say the currently chaotic first two weeks of April when I'm on a mid-April deadline, I'm prepping for going to the Romantic Times conference April 21st, I'm trying to work a second job to help catch up on bills (putting a hubby and son through college at the same time is expensive!), gearing up for my hubby's graduation from grad school in early May (a big woo-hoo to him for completing several years of hard work!) and all those regular day to day things that we have to do to keep our homes and family running--I wonder WHY? Isn't there enough stress in my life? Why do I feel the need to keep 2 different editors happy? Why do I force my brain to transition from one plotting/storytelling frame of mind to another? Why don't I just give up this crazy writer's life where my dual storyline work requires me to multitask out the wazoo, and just go back to teaching full time? (well, okay, parent-teacher conferences, state assessments and biannual curriculum rewriting have a lot to do with why I don't teach full-time anymore)

The truth is, I like writing more than one kind of book. And I know I'm not alone. There are many authors out there who switch from contemporary to historical, or suspense to fantasy, or series to single title work, etc. Their reasons may be different than mine, but here are two reasons why the whole creative split-personality works for me.

1. There some good business savvy in the idea. An adage learned long ago in childhood. Don't put your eggs all in one basket. IOW, if the market changes, an editor leaves, a line closes, or something else beyond my control that makes me unable to earn a living writing a certain type of book, then I have options. I won't be completely out of a job. I can refocus my energy on one line/publisher/genre or another, depending on what's currently working. And in today's economy, especially, keeping job opportunities open just seems smart.

2. Good economy or no, changing the way my brain thinks is actually very good for me creatively. While almost everything I write has some element of romantic suspense (What can I say? I write what I love!), I find that writing for Intrigue and Blaze satisfies two very different creative needs in me. Intrigue is a much more intellectual process for me. I'm a puzzle-lover. I've read mysteries since I was in the second grade. I love the plotting and planning and where can I insert this clue and what's a good red herring and just how wicked can I make my villain or what kind of heroics can my larger-than-life hero accomplish, how twisted can I make the backstory, how complex can I make the emotions, etc. Writing an Intrigue exercises the intellectual side of my brain. Writing an Intrigue is an intense experience, but a very satisfying one.
On the other hand, writing a Blaze is a much more by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of writing for me. Sure, there's some plotting. I focus especially on characterization. I keep the mystery elements at a minimum, though I've been know to throw in lots of danger and action in and out of the bedroom. But I feel my steamier romances really do use a different part of my brain. It's a lot more instinct and a lot less planning ahead of time. It relaxes one part of my brain and engages another. I know I want my characters to face danger; I know I want their relationship to become more intimate at a faster pace than in my Intrigue--but beyond that? Well, it's a lot of... I know I want them to be in this place or this situation by Chapter 6. This morning, I'm going to sit down and see what happens between now and then. How I get to Chapter 6 will be a process of discovery rather than planning.
In other words, by writing for more than one line, utilizing and resting different parts of my brain, I find I avoid the burnout of tackling one type of writing over and over. And trust me, I know about burnout.

In my current release, OUT OF CONTROL, from Blaze, I did have to do quite a bit of research and interviewing to get some background on the world of drag racing, which is the setting for the book. It's part of the "From 0-60 miniseries" of books set in the drag racing world of Dahlia, TN. They're unconnected stories, save for the location and racing backdrop. But beyond that research, it was very much a process of , "Let's see what Detective Jack Riley is up to today." Or "Just how much trouble can I get Alexandra Morgan into this morning?" In fact, Jack's and Alex's backgrounds changed as the story progressed and I got better/deeper ideas for their characters. It was very much a journey of discovery.

In my June Intrigue, PULLING THE TRIGGER (I'm still lusting after that cover, btw!), though, I found myself plotting more chapter by chapter. Partly because I needed to make sure I coordinated my story with the bible for the series and clues other authors wanted me to plant, but mostly because I was back to deep, complex romantic suspense. I had a particular challenge because my H/h spend most of the short 72 hours in which the story takes place stranded up in the mountains. Alone. Beyond the beginning and ending, once they're cut off from civilization, there's no one else to interact with. Yet, I still have to move the story and series along. I had to make sure I had enough story to sustain a 2 character book. I was given a general picture for a puzzle, and I had to come up with the pieces and make them fit. Crazy challenge. But I loved it!

I enjoyed both writing processes. As I'm speeding toward my April deadline, my brain is glad I gave it a break and switched it up a bit.

Does anyone else out there have a similar Jekyll and Hyde personality? One that's necessary for sanity and survival? Maybe you have two diverse hobbies? Read more than one genre? Please tell me I'm not alone in my craziness. ;)

Happy Reading!
Julie Miller

Available in April

Here's what's coming in April from Harlequin Intrigue:

1125. SHOTGUN BRIDE by B.J. Daniels
Handsome as sin and wild as the western wind

That's the Corbett brothers for you, and Shane's no exception. No way is he settling down just because of some ridiculous marriage pactespecially not with a cowgirl from smalltown Whitehorse who seems so young and naive. At least that's what this hardened lawman keeps insisting.

But when Maddie Cavanaugh's kidnapped and drawn into a world of violent greed and despair, Shane jumps into action. While he has no trouble subduing her captors, resisting the force of Maddie's charm is harder than he could've imagined, and it seems as if stubborn Shane may be the first of the Corbett boys to surrender his bachelorhood.


1126. CRIMINALLY HANDSOME by Cassie Miles
Criminologist Miguel Acevedo had come facetoface with his biggest challenge--Emma Richardson, guardian to a newborn baby and admitted psychic. The Native American beauty claimed to have information that could bring down a notorious criminal, but Miguel wasn't about to buy into her "abilities" so fast. Before long, though, Emma's leads attracted a killer and Miguel became her bodyguard. Now, as he watched her with the innocent baby and became captivated by her blue gaze, Miguel sensed his ordered world tilting on its axis. First he'd gone from skeptic to believer. Could the switch from confirmed bachelor to family man be far behind?


1127. BABY BLING by Elle James
Shipping tycoon Jackson Champion hadn't become a Texas billionaire by crumbling under pressure. So when his sexy assistant, Ysabel Sanchez, decided to walk away from him and his megasuccessful corporation, he wasn't taking no for an answer. After all, memories of their recent onenight stand had consumed him, and now Ysabel's inability to meet his eye made him wonder what she wasn't telling him. But exploring their feelings had to wait. An unknown enemy intended to bring down Champion Shipping, and Jackson was an expert at protecting what was his. But could he also lay claim to Ysabel and the secrets she had yet to reveal?

1128. RESCUING THE VIRGIN by Patricia Rosemoor
Quinlan McKenna Farrell has seen the family legacy of love work for other McKennas, but he has also seen the darker side of human nature. Hounded by his failure to bring down a human trafficking ring, the rugged special agent has returned to Texas more determined than ever to succeed...only to discover temptation beyond his wildest fantasies.

Luz Delgado is the virgin sold to Quin as he works undercover, but she's hardly the underage illegal he is expecting. The abducted American is courageous, true of heart and in desperate need of his help. To save her and reveal the identity of the ringleader, he enters into a reluctant alliance with the beautiful captive. Except survival isn't a guarantee.

1129. A STRANGER'S BABY by Kerry Connor
Jake Armstrong had no intention of getting involved with his very sexy--and very pregnant--nextdoor neighbor...until the night she was attacked. His only goal these days was recovering and getting back in the game, not playing bodyguard to the most vulnerable of victims. Still, leaving her to fend for herself was out of the question, especially once they learned it was her baby someone was desperate to get their hands on. As they unearthed shocking truths about her baby's family history, Jake sensed something growing between them, an attraction that became more intense as her due date approached. He knew this tiny family had no place in his future, but walking away seemed impossible--and practically broke his heart at the thought....

1130. BULLETPROOF TEXAS by Kay Thomas
Escorting Dr. Maxine O'Neil into the cave known as Devil's Hollow was Zach Douglas's job. Relishing the sparring matches with the typeA scientist was his pleasure. He ran the show in the Texas Hill Country cavern--until sabotage and murder struck the site. Hours spent in the dark, cozied up in tight quarters with Maxine had shown Zach her passionate side. Now he wanted to see the truthful one. What was in that cave that was worth dying for? Only one thing was for sure: whether Maxine liked it or not, Zach would do everything in his power to keep them from being Devil's Hollow's next casualties.

Take stock of your blessings

Many times I have to stop and give thanks for the good things that happen in my life. I have a book coming out this month with Harlequin Intrigue called Baby Bling. It was action-packed and a fun book to write. I spent last week in lovely Colorado skiing, in fresh snow, snowmobiling in the national forest and loving every flake of snow that fell. I came back home to Arkansas to spend the weekend at the hospital with my 72-yr-old father who had triple bypass surgery. He's not in good shape, so losing him at that point was a definite option. I can't describe to you how wonderful it was to see him wake up after the operation. He smiled despite the pain of having his ribs cracked open and a large slice run down his leg for a spare vein to use in the bypass. The smile was so wonderful, because he was so happy to be alive! He's not out of the hospital yet, but everyday is a blessing to have him around still. It reminds me how inconsequential a lot of things are in life that we think are so darned important and how important some things are that we take for granted.

Look around at the good things in life and take stock of your blessings. If you'd like to share what you are grateful for, please leave a comment. Have a glorious day!