Category: Guest Posts-2009

Your Family Constitution Blog Tour and Guest Post

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: Your Family Constitution: A Modern Approach to Family Values & Household Structure

AUTHOR: Scott Gale

PUB DATE: January 15, 2010

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Your Family Constitution Helps Busy Parents to Create Manageable Family StructureJust in time… a formerly stressed-out dad’s perspective provides a common-sense playbook to reach family harmony. As today’s parents cope with scores of competing obligations and responsibilities, raising kids with good core values is an extreme challenge. Combine this perpetual struggle with the effects of technological distractions, societal lack of discipline, and failures to communicate, and it is not hard to understand why so many parents throw up their hands in defeat and accept mere survival.
Author Scott Gale refused to settle for chaos. Instead, he designed a powerful tool that allowed him to alleviate family challenges through the thoughtful application of clarity, consistency and commitment (the “3Cs”). Your Family Constitution tells his story and provides a step-by-step process that parents can follow to balance schedules and produce time they never before had, improve family communication, relieve pent-up frustration, and wrap healthy boundaries around core values; applying rewards, consequences and accountability standards to maintain them.
A stressed-out parent downloaded the first chapter and replied, “You are easy to read, easy to understand and easy to identify with. It seems that intentional parenting has gotten lost, and you’ve provided a blueprint for creating a family with positive family values, ideals and rules to live and grow by. So, thanks for your courage to detail your own experience and offer personal insights for the benefit of frustrated, busy and untrained parents.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Scott Gale is an author and instructor at University of California Irvine. His passion is helping families communicate and re-connect in spite of today’s hectic lifestyle and increased demands. Scott’s new book, “Your Family Constitution: A Modern Approach to Family Values and Household Structure,” inspires readers to increase togetherness and progressively improve by leveraging clarity, consistency and commitment.
For more information on his book or to learn how to create your customized Family Constitution visit: http://www.yourfamilyconstitution.com/ or e-mail: sgale@yourfamilyconstitution.com .

I have to send a big thank you to Scott for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this guest post for me. Thank You Scott.

I asked Scott this question “Why Do Parents Accept Defeat?” and this is what Scott had to say about it.

As technology evolves and society accelerates at a staggering pace, parenting poses greater challenges than ever before. Many parents sacrifice their own time and sanity as they attempt to maneuver through the endless stream of obstacles to raising appreciative and well-grounded kids. Unfortunately, some parents yield to critical challenges, accepting defeat at the expense of their children’s well-being and their future.

So why is that? How can a loving parent “throw in the towel” on the most precious thing in their life? The individual answers lie somewhere between social phenomena, individual circumstance, and skewed priorities…but one universal reason prevails: “Raising good kids is really hard.”

It doesn’t matter what the definition of “good kid” means in that statement. Good values, sound work ethic, and outstanding health often top the list, but there are many other traits parents yearn to pass on. Regardless, parents today juggle so many competing priorities, that there is simply no way to get it all done. They want to be there for their kids whenever they can. They want to provide the best environment for their children and raise them to be exceptional adults. Unfortunately, when push comes to shove, something has to give.

It’s easy to burn away the hours at work, especially in current economic circumstances, because the boss expects it. Likewise, the television may serve as an affordable babysitter while mom or dad “catches up” around the house. Also, in the midst of perpetual chaos, the opportunity to escape the grind for personal re-charge may rank above a game of Candy Land with the little ones.

Are these excuses or failures? No. Work and personal space are two essentials ingredients to financial and emotional stability. In reality, they only become excuses if parents use these reasons to hide behind, instead striving for balance. Most parents contend that their family is the #1 priority in their life, yet they fall into patterns that directly contradict long-term family success. Crisis lurks as opportunities to improve are overlooked for more immediate purpose (i.e. sacrificing clarity and consistency to avoid discipline). “Fires” begin to burn without attention and eventually the ability to manage competing priorities becomes impossible.

Just when life seems like it couldn’t get any crazier, another emotional storm will inevitably work its way into the home. All of a sudden, the concept of defeat rears its ugly head. With no clear direction, boundaries cannot be effectively enforced and confusion ensues.

The acceptance of defeat is by no means conscious or intentional. Instead, too much effort becomes required to resolve constraints and problems. In the midst of an already busy lifestyle, the time for such focused effort does not readily exist. Problems compound as fires get hotter. In the end, the fabric of the family stands no chance against the flames of chaos.

So, what if you can see the fires, but you are ready to stand up and fight for your family? How can you unwind a downward spiral against such immense pressure? Try these steps:

-Understand what is important to you as a parent.
-Make time to resolve issues early.
-Focus on the problems that burn hottest and require the least amount of time and effort to fix.
-Create firm structure within the family.
-Cherish the time together and nurture bonds; after all, good relationships are at the essence of that #1 priority.

These are the steps that brought me and my family from unmitigated chaos to steady improvement and redemption. It took a lot of effort, but I’ve never understood myself or my family with such clarity as I do today.

If you would like more information on the steps you can take today to avoid eventual defeat, please visit www.yourfamilyconstitution.com.

Thanks again to Scott and Tracee for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Guest Post with Joy Preble

Posted on by Cindy


I am really honored to have first time author, Joy Preble of Dreaming Anastasia make a guest post of my blog.

I have to thank Joy Preble for taking the time out of her busy schedule to do this for me and to Paul at Sourcebooks for arranging this.

The topic that I asked Joy to guest post on was Road to Publication seeing as she is a first time author and here is her guest post.

Road to Publication

Joy Preble, Dreaming Anastasia, Sourcebooks, September 1, 2009
http://www.joypreble.com/

I’ve always been a writer. I wrote this absolutely insipid little Thanksgiving play in the second grade and whined and nagged until my teacher let me perform it in front of the class with some friends. My Pilgrims – who were all girls – had such classic Pilgrim names as Marsha and Julie. Actually, I think there was one guy Pilgrim – John – but I played his part in a dual role. That particular part consisted of a not particularly politically correct, “Hey Julie, look. Those Indians sure look friendly.”

Despite that early literary gem, I never really focused my efforts. Occasionally in my blog, I whine about this with amusing and self-deprecating statements such as I should have done this when I was nineteen and still had prodigy potential but seemingly I was too busy with bad choices involving tequila and rebound boyfriends. This has either had an amazingly profound effect on my work or not.

But eventually, the muse began to smack me around hard enough for me to actually listen, and, I started to sell some stuff in newspapers and magazines. I joined a critique group. And finally somewhere about five years ago when I was having one of those horrible years at work that either cause you to get off your butt or accept that you’re on the slippery slide to nowhere except possibly quitting everything, getting a blue vest and taking that job as a Walmart greeter (not that that’s a bad thing, just that I have a feeling it wasn’t what my parents had in mind when they were helping me pay for my private school English degree)- I found that I really did have ideas for novels that could actually have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Actually, that’s not fully true either. The full truth is that one day my main character Anne’s voice came to me. She was snarky and funny and smart and strong and the more I played with her as a character, the more I knew that I wanted to throw obstacles at her and see what would happen. And for whatever reason, from there, the rest of Dreaming Anastasia – a not so dead princess, a mysterious hottie guy who might or might not be good, a villain with a secret, a crazy Russian folklore witch – kind of evolved.

By the fall of 2005, I’d finished a first draft. I’d taken some pages to a Houston SCBWI conference at some point and had some thoughtful feedback. But no one was falling all over themselves to get a fuller look. I queried an agent or two. Got soundly rejected. And then on Super Bowl Sunday, Februrary, 2006, during half time, I queried four other agents. One actually sent back a no before half time was over! One never responded. And the other two – shock of the century – asked for partials. Eventually – and if you’re new to this business, this is a pretty average time line – after a little bit of revision to see if I could do what she wanted me to, I signed with the wonderful Michelle Andelman, who was then at Andrea Brown Literary. And in the summer of 2007, she sold Dreaming Anastasia – then called Spark – to Lyron Bennett at Sourcebooks. Along the way from then until now, Michelle left ABLA and I changed to my favorite cowgirl and agent extraordinaire, Jennifer Rofe, also of ABLA. Then Lyron left Sourcebooks and my new editor now is Dan Ehrenhaft, who is one rocking human being in all senses of the word since he actually plays in a rock band in NYC with none other than Libba Bray! (Okay, that freaked me out. And meeting him for the first time was a little crazy. But eventually you go okay. So he knows every author I have the literary hots for. This is a good thing.) And along the way I revised the heck out of the manuscript for both Michelle and Lyron and more recently a host of wonderful copy editors. Copy editors, if you don’t know, ask you questions like “So, Joy. I see you’ve got a little riff in here about Anne’s sweater. Don’t you think you drag it on too long?” or, when on like page 250, I had one character noting that another character was doing something he’d never done before, I was told, “Nope. He did it back on page 15.” And things like that.

But here’s the great thing. Eventually, I had written a book. I’ve made amazingly wonderful friends with my fellow authors in the Class of 2k9 and people I’ve met at conferences. I lost an agent and an editor – which let me tell you had the potential to turn out really, really badly – but it was okay. A wonderful cover artist created a cover that got all the story elements just right. People in the blogosphere have begun to buzz about my book. And most days, I have to pinch myself. I am deeply and profoundly grateful for this opportunity. I send people so many “thank yous” that I sometimes wonder if they begin to think I don’t mean it. But oh, I do!! And on September 1st, Dreaming Anastasia will get its chance to be born. Anne and Ethan and Anastasia can tell their story. And if I’m a lucky girl, this is only the very beginning

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joy Preble grew up in Chicago, though she moved to Texas and inexplicably began listening to country music, which she claims she didn’t like until then. She has an English degree from Northwestern University, and she teaches high school English. Dreaming Anastasia is her first novel. She can be found online at www.joypreble.com

Thanks again Joy for taking the time out to post this guest post for me and thanks to Paul for all the hard work he has done.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Beth Cornelison Guest Post

Posted on by Cindy

PUB DATE: September 2009

Healing Luke is the newest book by author Beth Cornelison. She is the author of several books and has two more that are coming out this fall. The Christmas Stranger (book 1) coming out in October and Blackout at Christmas coming out in November.

Thank you to Danielle at Sourcebooks for helping me with this guest post. I appreciate your help and for allowing me to do this.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Beth started writing stories as a child when she penned a tale about the adventures of her cat, Ajax. A Georgia native, Beth received her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia. After working in Public Relations for a little more than a year, she moved with her husband to Louisiana, where she decided to pursue her love of writing fiction.

Since that time, she has written many books, including her romantic suspense CHASING A DREAM, which reached the final round of the 2000 Golden Heart Contest sponsored by the Romance Writers of America.

In the summer of 2000, AVID PRESS, an electronic publisher, published CHASING A DREAM in electronic format. In 2001 her manuscript PROTECTIVE CUSTODY not only finaled in the Golden Heart contest but went on to win the coveted prize. Beth is active on the board of directors for the North Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance (NOLA STARs).
Beth lives in Louisiana, with her husband, one son, and three cats who think they are people.

Beth has graciously written up this guest post for me and I am honored that she took the time out of her busy schedule to do this for me. Thank You so very much Beth. I hope you will enjoy Beth’s guest post.

Classic food combos: What’s your favorite?

Okay, I know y’all are scratching your heads wondering what the heck classic food combos have to do with books and, more specifically, my new release from Sourcebooks, HEALING LUKE. Honestly, not much! But…

Although I’m a writer and story ideas pop into my head at unexpected moments, thinking up topics for blog posts gives me fits! So when searching for a topic for this post that was a little different and fun, I pulled out a book I have called “The Conversation Piece: Creative Questions to Tickle the Mind.” Don’t ask me where I got the book, because I don’t remember. But I thought it would be neat to find a question from this book of conversation starters and answer the question not only as Beth the author, but also as Luke Morgan and Abby Stanford, hero and heroine of HEALING LUKE.

When I was looking for a good blog question, my eye stopped on this one: Coffee and donuts, ham and cheese— a couple of classic combinations. What food and/or beverage combination is your personal favorite? Why did this question stop me, you ask?

Let me answer by sharing an excerpt from HEALING LUKE. Just before this snippet, Luke learned that his family lied to him about why Abby was hired by his father to live and work with the Morgans. Abby hated the idea that the family was deceiving Luke, and when questioned by him about her real reason for helping the family, she confessed that she was supposed to help Luke with his physical therapy. He doesn’t want her interfering in his therapy but gives her brownie points for being the only one who was honest with him. Fast forward to lunch that same day…
At noon, when Aaron returned and relieved her of her duty in the office, Abby trudged upstairs to the kitchen to find herself some lunch.
Luke sat at the breakfast bar eating, and at the place next to him, she spotted a second plate with a sandwich.
She pointed to the plate. “This belong to anyone?”
“You, if you want it,” he mumbled without looking at her. Abby’s heart warmed. Though it was a simple gesture, she guessed the sandwich was his apology for his behavior. She also knew he’d never admit as much.
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking the stool next to his.
“So why’d you crack? What made you tell me the truth?”
“I don’t like to lie. It goes against my nature. Besides, you deserved the truth. I’d expect as much from you if the tables were turned, and I want you to trust me.”
When he didn’t respond, she took a large bite of her sandwich.
And gagged.
Her eyes darted to Luke, who turned his head slowly to face her, his expression carefully blank.
She chewed and forced herself to swallow. “This is peanut butter and tuna, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” He gave her the same triumphant, lopsided grin he’d had before he manhandled her in the office.
“That’s disgusting!” She dropped the sandwich onto the plate and frowned at him. So much for her belief that he wanted to apologize.
“The other night you told me it sounded delicious. Don’t tell me you were lying… again?”
“I—”
Luke’s expression brightened. A spark of mischief flickered in his eye, and a chuckle bubbled up from inside her.
“Smart aleck,” she said under her breath.
Taking one of the sandwiches off his plate, he handed it to her.
She eyed it warily, the corner of her mouth twitching with amusement. “What’s this one, jelly and mayonnaise?”
“Something like that.” He turned away from her, his features more relaxed than she’d ever seen them. As she studied his profile, she ate the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, savoring every bite. Gourmet cuisine it was not.
But it was a beginning.
© Beth Cornelison, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2009
**********************

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that earlier in the book when Abby was trying to make friends with Luke and he was being all sarcastic, he told her he was making a peanut butter and tuna sandwich. So as not to let his surliness win, she teasingly told him it sounded delicious… thus the reference in this snippet.

So when I saw the question about food combos, I thought of this scene and of peanut butter and tuna… Gag!

I like this scene, too, because it’s one of the early glimpses of Luke’s wry sense of humor and the kindness and thoughtfulness he’s buried under his bitterness over his accident.
How would Abby and Luke answer the favorite food combo when not teasing about tuna and peanut butter? Abby: I’m a carb freak. Love me some pasta! Gotta say macaroni and cheese! Luke: Pizza and beer.

And me…ooooo, the sweets do it for me. I vote for hot chocolate chip cookies (or hot brownies) and cold milk. Mmmmm… now I’m hungry!

Okay, your turn! What is your favorite food/drink combo?

Thanks for the opportunity to guest blog today! I hope everyone will check out HEALING LUKE, out now from Sourcebooks! Have a delicious day….
Beth Cornelison http://www.bethcornelison.com/

CONTEST TIME:
Thanks to Danielle she is allowing me to giveaway 2 copies of Healing Luke to one US and one Canadian commentor. Please note that they can not mail to PO Boxes so a valid mailing address is required.

Please leave a comment in this post with the answer to Beth’s question… What is your favorite food/drink combo?

Please make sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you if you win and please let me know where you are from. Failure to do so will result in your entry not being included in the draw.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Millie’s Fling Tour & Guest Post by Jill Mansell & Contest

Posted on by Cindy


Millie’s Fling by Jill Mansell is the latest book to hit the US market. Its in stores now. If you like to read chick lit and in the market for a really good book then let me suggest this to you. You will love it.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
He’s the best thing that ever happened to her. He’s also the worst. He’s Millie’s Fling.

From one of the premiere contemporary authors in the UK, here is a fun and romantic tale that proves the road to matchmaking hilarity is paved with good intentions.

Bestselling novelist Orla Hart owes her life to her friend Millie Brady, whose rotten boyfriend has just left her. So Orla invites Millie to Cornwall, where Millie looks forward to a summer without any dating whatsoever. But Orla envisions Millie as the heroine of her next novel and decides to find Millie the man of her dreams. Except the two women have drastically different ideas about what kind of guy that should be.

With Orla and Millie working at cross-purposes, and a dashing but bewildered hero stuck in the middle, the summer will turn out to be unforgettable for all concerned.

Here is Jill Mansell’s guest post. I hope you enjoy it. I asked Jill Mansell about the internet. The good and bad about it as a writer.

–> Hi there, and it’s lovely to be guest-blogging my way across America and Canada! Isn’t the internet incredible?

When I first started writing, everything was done by snail mail and phone calls, and research was a nightmare. Now it’s all here at the click of a mouse! I feel as if I’m making new friends all over the world. And it’s not only readers – it’s so brilliant to be able to talk to other writers too.

I’ve been published for nearly 20 years and in the beginning I knew no other published novelists. Now, of course, I’ve met many, but a lot of the time we interact by email, Facebook and Twitter. This week I’ve been contacted by 2 old schoolfriends, one now living in Texas, the other in Australia, and it’s still completely miraculous to me that this is possible. And then we have my children, both teenagers who simply can’t comprehend the possibility of ever losing touch with people they know. They’re right, too. In the future it won’t be an option. Nowadays you can trace anyone you want.

The downside of the internet, of course, is the endless distraction it affords. I am a writer, therefore I procrastinate. I have it down to a tee. I check my emails all the time. Then my Twitter account. Then Facebook. Then Amazon. I find out all sorts of things I don’t really need to know. I recognise a face on TV and wonder where I’ve seen that actor before. In the old days, I could puzzle over something like that for hours. Now I just press a couple of keys and there’s the answer.

There’s also Google Alert: never mind finding out about other people; what about Me, me, me?! It feels like being locked in the cubicle in a ladies loo while people outside the cubicle fix their make-up and gossip about you, blissfully unaware that you’re there. You have to be strong for this. Comments about my books are usually flattering, but sometimes, well, they’re not. That’s OK, we all have different tastes, but the observations can be cruel sometimes. The urge to metaphorically leap out of the toilet cubicle and reply can be intense, but it’s never a sensible thing to do. Writers have turned themselves into laughing stocks attempting this. You just have to take it on the chin and send thankyou messages to those who have said lovely things about you instead.

I hope you enjoy Millie’s Fling!
Love, Jill Mansell x

About the Author:

Jill Mansell is one of the UK’s premiere contemporary authors who has written nearly 20 romances with multi-generational appeal and has sold nearly 4 million copies of her books in the UK. Releasing her latest novel this spring, Miranda’s Big Mistake, Mansell’s writing style can be best described as “Sex & the City meets Bridget Jones’s Diary.” She worked for many years at the Burden Neurological Hospital, Bristol, and now writes full time. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England. For more information on Jill in the UKplease visit http://www.jillmansell.co.uk/, and for info on her US releases, go to http://www.sourcebooks.com/spotlight/jill-mansell.html!

The next book set to be released by Jill Mansell in the US is Perfect Timing and its a set to be released in November. I am so excited and can’t wait to read this one.

Here are some of the places that Jill Mansell will be visiting:

September 4: Savvy Verse & Wit http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/
September 7: My Friend Amy http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
September 8: Night Owl Romance http://www.nightowlromanceblog.blogspot.com/
September 9: Scribe Vibe http://scribevibe.blogspot.com/
September 10: Books by TJ Baff http://booksbytjbaff.blogspot.com/
September 11: Diary of an Eccentric http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com/


CONTEST TIME:

Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks I am offering two lucky readers a chance to win their very own copy of Millie’s Fling. I am sure you will love it just as much as I do. So the contest is open to 2 lucky readers one Canadian and one American with a valid mailing address. Just let me know in your entry if you are Canadian or American please. Please make sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you should you be the winner.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Guest Post by author Sally Rippin

Posted on by Cindy

Today I am lucky to have the author of Chenxi and the Foreigner and of several other books and she is also an illustrator of some of those books as well.

Thank you to Sally Rippin for taking the time of her busy schedule to stop and do a guest post for me. Also thank you to Joanna at Annick Press for arranging this for me. If you haven’t read any of Sally’s books then I suggest you pick up her books.

GUEST BLOG POST by Sally Rippin

It is too difficult for me to choose my favourite YA novel because there are so many, but I can name some Australian YA authors I love, in no particular order: Markus Zusak, Margo Lanagan, Sonya Hartnett, Martine Murray, Shaun Tan – all these writers combine such fine storytelling with incredibly inventive language and imagery, the two things I admire most in writing.

If I had to choose my all-time favourite book I’d have to go for a picture book because it combines the two things I love most: writing and art. Probably Where The Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, would be my choice because it is such a great example of boundless imagination, both from the character and the author! I can’t wait until the movie comes out!

Thanks again Sally for stopping by to do this guest post for me and thank you for introducing me to some new authors. I actually have I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak on my to be read pile. I will be checking out the other authors you mentioned though.

(Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is a favorite of my son. Its a great story.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sally Rippin was born in Australia, but because of her father’s work, her family moved country nearly every two years, mainly around South-East Asia. This meant a lot of time in hotel rooms, so her mother provided a steady supply of paper, pencils and books to keep Sally and her two younger sisters entertained. Books became a way for Sally to connect, understand, learn from, and often escape from, the ever-changing world around her. When the supply of books ran out, Sally began to write and illustrate her own.

At nineteen, Sally went to stay with her father in Shanghai, China. To keep her busy while he was at work, he signed her up at the local art college to study traditional Chinese painting. She fell in love – both with the art and the country – and ended up staying three years. There, while studying art, she began writing again, at first merely to record the details of everyday life but also to make sense of what she was experiencing. Soon she found she could explore her emotions more deeply through short stories than through diary entries, or letters to her friends. Many of these stories and experiences eventually found their way into her first novel, Chenxi and the Foreigner (Spring 2009).

Her time as an art student in China allowed Sally a unique vision of this country that she wouldn’t have had access to in other circumstances. She feels lucky to have been part of a community of artists who were passionate and political, and taught her much about the importance of the role of the artist in observing, recording and analysing society. These are themes she explores in her novel. As Sally says through her main character, Anna: “Artists are here to show the viewer or reader or listener, things that we may never have thought about before—or even everyday things in a unique way.”

Sally now lives with her partner and three sons in Melbourne, Australia, where she writes and illustrates full-time. She has had over twenty-five books published, many of them award-winning. As Sally grew up in many countries where English isn’t the main language, she is familiar with the feeling of being an outsider and she continues to be drawn to stories or characters who express this, whether they be immigrants, troubled teenagers or rebellious artists. Now, as a writer, she appreciates the distance that having been an outsider allows her to reflect on the world that she lives in.

Please check out the following blogs for more stops that Sally will be making:

Thursday, September 3:
September 4: Hey! Teenager of the YearSaturday
September 5: Into the Wardrobe

She has also appeared here:
Monday, August 31: Tea Time at Annick Press
Tuesday, September 1: The Book Muncher

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Guest Post with Carolyn Brown & Contest

Posted on by Cindy


I have to thank Danielle at Sourcebooks for giving me the chance to have Carolyn Brown guest post on my blog today.

Thank you to Carolyn for taking the time out of your busy schedule to guest post for me.

If you haven’t read Lucky in Love yet then you really should its a good book.

Thank you for allowing me to join you as a guest today! It’s a delight to be here to discuss the difference between writing for the literary market and now taking things more main steam.

Lucky in Love, my second foray into the paper back world, has just hit the market and I’m so very excited about it. The first four books I sold were paperback books to Kensington for their Precious Gems line. When that line died I approached Avalon with a manuscript for the literary market. They bought it and that was ten years ago. The thirty fourth one was published last month. There are a few more still in the process so right now I’m still writing for both the literary and the main stream markets.

How do I keep them separate? Very easy! While I’m writing a main stream trilogy I focus on those characters and the qualities that make them who they are. When I’m writing literary, I do the same but under different guidelines. For instance, in the Lucky Series, I’ve got three strong women who’d fight a forest fire with a cup of water and expect to have enough left for a long cool drink afterwards. In the Black Swan series, I’ve got three sisters who are sassy and spunky but are not allowed to cuss out the local busy body next door.

My big four major differences are:

Length: The literary books I write are somewhere between 50-60,000 words which means the story must be told in a shorter form without losing any of the appeal. Main stream runs from 90-100,000 words and gives me more room to expand the main characters and work in all the quirky secondary characters my warped brain can come up with. Lucky in Love has approximately 350 pages as well as One Lucky Cowboy and Getting Lucky. My literary books run at least a hundred pages less than that.

Content: My literary market’s guidelines say no sex, no profanity and no drinking. It’s a wholesome family oriented market with a readers’ age base from thirteen to a hundred and ten. Sorry if I left out someone who is past that age. If you are still reading my books and you are over a hundred and ten, please leave a comment or visit my website and drop me a line. I’d love to hear all about your life. The main stream guidelines are more flexible and give me wiggle room with a brawling Texan’s temper in a bar fight or a heroine’s absolute rage when she finds out her man’s been cheating on her. If you are over a hundred and ten and like the new Lucky Series I’d really like to hear your comments and comparisons between it and the library’s hard back books.

Market: Literary markets rely mainly upon libraries for their sales so they do not publish the mass quantities that the main stream market produces. Plus literary market sells my books online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, etc. Main stream will show up in book stores, Wal-Mart and Target and be available to purchase right off the shelf. My readers are very excited that they will be able to walk into a book store and buy a book right then without having to wait for it to arrive in the mail.

Cost: Hard back books are wonderful for libraries. They can be checked out and read time after time. But they are more expensive than paper back books. The literary books which can be ordered online are now over twenty dollars per book. Lucky in Love will sell for less than seven dollars.

Whatever I write, it’s with the hope that I touch someone’s heart. That they laugh so loud their neighbors call the cops to calm down the ruckus next door, that they use up half a box of tissues during a sad scene, and when they finish the last page they want one more page, one more chapter or at least the promise of another book that mention the characters to continue the story line.

Here’s hoping Lucky in Love gives the reader all those things. If you run out of tissue holler right loud and I’ll send you another box. If you really want the story to continue rest assured One Lucky Cowboy is coming in November and Getting Lucky in January. If you laugh so hard the neighbor calls the cops, you are on your own!

Isn’t the ability to touch emotions what sets a good book out in front of the others? What book has made you giggle, made you weep or sigh?

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Lucky in Love—in stores September!

When hunky rancher “Lucky Beau” Luckadeau accuses spitfire Milli Torres of stealing his prize bull, she promptly shoots at him, triggering a feud that only gets resolved when they discover they share a steamy hot memory from a night long ago…

It was a night of passion that has always haunted Lucky. The mysterious beauty he seduced at a cousin’s wedding disappeared. He’s always been lucky at cards, lucky

with cattle, and lucky with land, but he’s never been lucky in love.

Now Milli Torres has come to southern Oklahoma to help out on her grandfather’s ranch. A cut fence and a big, mean Angus bull in the pasture are bad enough, but then she looks up and sees Beau Luckadeau. Great God Almighty, how did he get from Louisiana to Ardmore, Oklahoma, and what in the hell is she going to do if he recognizes her?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Brown is an award-winning author who has published 36 historical and western romance novels for the library market, many of them bestsellers in that market. She was born in Texas and grew up in southern Oklahoma. She and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma.

Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks I have two copies of Lucky In Love to give to one Canadian resident and one US resident. Please note that you must have a valid mailing address.

To enter all you have to do is answer this:

Isn’t the ability to touch emotions what sets a good book out in front of the others? What book has made you giggle, made you weep or sigh?

Don’t forget to include you email address so that I can contact you should you be the winner.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Guest Post by author Terry Spear & Contest

Posted on by Cindy


Today I am very honored to have the author of Tempt the Wolf her latest novel and of Heart of the Wolf and Destiny of the Wolf.

Thank you so very much Terry for stopping by to do this guest post for me.

Capturing the Reader’s Imagination
By Terry Spear

First, thanks to Cindy for having me on Cindy’s Love of Books. I had to smile when I saw your posting, Cindy, about the reading program at the library. I had a little different perspective since I work in one. For us, the beginning of school, means our library-reading program is over and the place doesn’t look like a tornado hit it once a week.

I asked fellow librarians what they thought about this question, what captures their imagination when reading a story?

One said she liked Coming-of-Age stories, seeing a character’s growth, if my friends could see me now, and how surprised other characters would be of their success. So whenever she finds a story like that, she feels involved and can share the character’s dreams and success.

One likes more realistic stories, mystery, no fantasy at all. He likes to puzzle through unsolved crimes and figure out who-dun-it. He saw Harry Potter, but couldn’t read the book because he couldn’t visualize the fantasy world until he watched the movies. For him, it has to be realistic, or he can’t envision it.

I tried listening to an audio book, but my thoughts kept straying. I tried another one, same thing. So for me, I have to read the written word to envision the story.

Some love young adult fiction, no matter the age of the reader, enjoying a more youthful journey. When I read young adult fiction, I take a trip through a teen drama that I didn’t when I was a teen. Would I make different choices if I were the teen in the story? Most often, yes. I love reading them.

Others enjoy historical fiction, a trip to the past, like taking a time-travel capsule trip, but not having to deal with all the problems of living in the historical past.

Some fall in love with characters more than plot and others want the meaty plot and don’t care about the characters as much.

So what captures a reader’s imagination? For everyone it can be different. For many the same. Creating a world that readers can fall into and feel that for the few hours while reading the story, they’re there, taking part, becoming the characters that are striving to overcome the conflict and reach their goals. Creating twists and turns so the reader has to keep on guessing how the story is going to end can stir the imagination. And what about those books that linger in our minds long after we’ve finished reading them? Yep, definitely, they’ve captured our imagination.

For me, it’s forgetting that I’m in this world, so immersed in someone else’s lives that I don’t want to leave it. Yet I can’t let it go as I strive to reach the end. And then? I’m looking for more of the work by the same author, or more of the same genre so I can fall into that alternate world once more and start the struggle all over again.

What captures your imagination when you find a book you truly enjoy?

Thanks again, Cindy, for having me!
Terry Spear

CONTEST TIME:
Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for allowing me to give away one prize pack of Terry’s three books (Heart of the Wolf, Destiny of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf). This is only open to Canadian and US residents with a valid mailing address. Sorry no PO BOXES.

To enter all you have to do is answer Terry’s question from her guest post which was:

-What captures your imagination when you find a book you truly enjoy?

Please leave your answers in the comments of this post. The contest will be running until Sept 7th/09. When you leave your answers please make sure to leave your email address so that I have a way to contact you should you be a winner.

To Tempt the Wolf—In Stores September 1

In this third in the series, wildlife photographer Tessa Anderson must prove her brother innocent of murder charges. But when she discovers a gorgeous naked man barely alive on her beach, she’s got a new world of troubles to deal with, not least of which is how he affects her with just a look, a touch, or a whispered word.

Hunter Greymore is a lupus garou, a grey werewolf. Hoping to keep a low profile at Tessa’s cabin on the coast, he’s drawn into her life—and into her bed. His animal instincts war with his human half, but in the end, the only thing he can do about this fascinating, adorable woman is to leave her forever —unless she becomes one of them.

About the Author

A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, award-winning author Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. An eclectic writer, she dabbles in the paranormal as well as writing historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas.

Her 2008 Sourcebooks Casablanca release, Heart of the Wolf was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Destiny of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf are in stores now, and more are on the way: The Legend of the White Wolf (February 2010) and Seduction of the Wolf (August 2010). For more information please visit www.terryspear.com

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.