Moonlight Romance Authors

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Are YOU Up to the Challenge?

Forget kids say the darndest things: try priests say the damndest things. From News4Jax.com:

The pastor for Relevant Church in Ybor City is challenging the couples in his congregation to get busy in bed every night for a month.
Wirth said the supposed 50 percent divorce rate is the reason behind the 30-Day Sex Challenge.
He said too many couples let the stress of jobs and daily life get in the way of intimacy. But there's a catch to the pastor's every day sex challenge -- it's for married couples only.
Unmarried people -- even if they are in a long-term relationship or living with someone -- are asked to abstain from sex for 30 days.

Now, there's even a website for the Challenge. Anyone else think, like Katrina Strauss and I, that it looks like a bad ebook trailer?

Sunday, February 17, 2008

The contest for The Violin ended on Valentine's Day. The winner of the basket loaded with goodies and the violin pin is Chrystal Broyles. Congratulations, Crystal. I announced the winner during my featured author chat at Talking TwoLips on February 14th. I was so glad to have the opportunity to be their featured author and I am gratuful for their invitation.
The Violin is available on amazon.com, Fictionwise, Amira Press at www.amirapress.com and from my website at www.sarahmcneal.com .
THE VIOLIN by Sarah McNeal (unedited excerpt)
www.sarahmcneal.com
Amira Press www.amirapress.com in print or ebook
Also available at Amazon.com , Fictionwise
Here is a little snippet from THE VIOLIN:

The house was quiet and dark as John led Genevieve to his room. He lit a kerosene lantern when they entered the room. The lantern’s light threw a soft, yellow glow around the small quarters. A nightgown was draped over the end of one of the twin beds indicating that Matilda expected Genevieve to stay and left it for her to wear.
John patted the bed where the nightgown lay. He grinned wickedly as he moved toward her and pulled her close. “If I had been thinking of taking you to my bed, this wouldn’t exactly be what I had in mind,” he whispered close to her ear and chuckled.
Before Genevieve could answer, John kissed her lightly on the lips and said, “You sleep tight now and dream about me. I’ll see you in the morning.” Then he closed the door and Genevieve stood alone in the little room John shared with his brother with her heart still racing in her chest from the kiss he had just bestowed upon her and the memory of the one he had given her earlier.
God, this was madness. A few short weeks ago, she didn't even know who these people were and now here she was in a place she didn't belong and in love with a man who died a very long time ago. She couldn't help it though. Why did it all seem so comfortable and so normal?
Genevieve shook herself from her thoughts and changed into the nightgown that smelled of lye soap and sunshine and sat on the edge of the bed to look around the room.
Jimmy’s side had shelves filled with models of clipper ships and other sailing vessels, rocks, nature books, books about birds and a picture of his parents nestled in the corner. Tin and celluloid toys were bursting out of a wooden box at the foot of the bed and on his bed was the canon Genevieve had given him.
John’s side of the room was tidy and well kept. His shelves held math books, a drafting set, two cameras, and several photo albums. Leaning against a little desk was a mandolin and a case containing what she knew was a violin.
Her heart rolled over in her chest. She got up, laid the violin case on the desk, and opened it. The case looked new and, inside the case, the violin glowed in the soft light. It was in perfect condition and not a scratch on it. She held her breath as she opened the tool pocket but all she found was a tuning pipe and a box of rosin. There was nothing else.
Her hands trembled as she closed the lid of the violin. She put the violin back where it had been and sat on the edge of the bed. She felt weak and dizzy. She ached inside. This just couldn’t be happening. But it was.

It won't be much longer until Springs arrives bringing us warm days, leafy green trees and colorful flowers. It makes me happy just thinking about it. My work in progress brings my heart joy, too. HARMONICA JOE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE is my first turn of the century western and it's cheering me up just writing it.

Until next week when I write another blog on Sunday, I hope you all have a wonderful and joy-filled week.
All good things,
Sarah McNeal www.sarahmcneal.com

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Fairy Folklore

I don't know when it was that my interest in the fantasy genre became a little bit more particular. I remember it wasn't that long ago that I couldn't conceive of a workable urban or mythical fantasy story. It was like the perfect vampire story. I'm intrigued by the idea of writing an epic vampire novel. I just don't think that what I could put out there could compete with the multitudes of vampire fiction already in circulation. Maybe one day...

When I started with my "Of Elves and Men" trilogy, I remember taking a very loose look at the difference between such a magical race as the elves, in comparison to the men who perhaps were less magically inclined, and how the interrelation between the two kinds would work in a modern setting. That was the premise for "Changeling". I spent hardly any time going into the background of the magic used. I gave more time to the background mythology, which I suppose was why I couldn't leave it there, and soon went back in time, to approximately the Dark Ages, where "Ascent" starts. I endeavored to write a story over how magic was first passed between elves and men and how it was kept from being abused. "Haunted" will be the third book in that trilogy, and that tells of how the magic was lost in the rush forward of technology, within a Georgian setting.

I only ever meant for that to be a standalone trilogy of three books, but this idea of another race existing alongside our one is something that still fascinates me, even now I've finished writing the "Of Elves and Men" books. There is still so much on the subject to be said. Not to mention read about, and researched, and explored. All things I delight in doing every time I find an interesting subject! :D

In Celtic mythology, the Sidhe (pronounced "shee") are seen almost as god, or spirits of ancestors and nature of that culture. European folklore sees fairy kind as the sort who would steal human children and sometimes leave one of their own in their place. There have been countless stories and poems written around this folklore, including

"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue, based on the William Butler Yeats' poem of the same name. William Butler Yeats wrote "The Stolen Child" in 1886 and it was not the only thing he wrote on the Fairy Folk. "Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry" and "Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland" were written in 1888 and 1892 respectively. W. B. Yeats was an Irish poet who grew up in Sligo.

Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/

"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm

Beautiful new cover art!!!

I am just blown away by the cover for Journey's End which is the thirteenth and final installment of the Legacy of the Celtic Brooch Series at The Wild Rose Press! RJ Morris designed the cover and she did such an AMAZING job on it!!! Thank you so much, RJ!!! You have blessed me with a most beautiful cover!
I'm off to stare at it some more!

~Marly

Thursday, February 14, 2008

When Dreams Come True Release Date

By Pat Cromwell

My second book, When Dreams Come True is scheduled for release on February 28. It will be available at Red Rose Publishing.

Synopsis
Chris is jaded. After a disastrous relationship with an obsessive ex boyfriend she has adopted a love-them-and-leave-attitude. The last thing she wants is to get involved on an emotional level, but she finds him sexy, off the wall, and very charming, so she has no qualms about pursuing a no strings attached relationship with him. Kenneth, however, has other plans.The minute he saw Chris he made his intentions clear to her that he wanted more than a one night stand. straight shooter, live for the moment guy, Kenneth pursues Chris with a sometimes comical edge, but always with a determination to overcome their biggest obstacle – Chris’s refusal to believe that love at first sight is real and that he is serious when he says he loves her. But how do you convince someone, who has been burned in the past, that the flame he’s carrying for you now is meant to give warmth and not to burn? Kenneth is up to the task, after all, when dreams come true the bumps in the road are worth it.

Happy Reading!

Pat Cromwell
http://www.freewebs.com/patcromwell/

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

RWA Online's Valentine's Day Party Chat, TONIGHT!

Join us for RWA Online's Valentine's Day Party Chat tonight starting at 9pm EST and running until 11pm EST! We have several of our published author members attending. There will be prizes to be won, including books, a box of Godiva Valentine's Day Truffles, and a pair of Sterling Silver Gemstone Earrings! Please drop by and join in on the party! We'd love to see you there!
Here is the link to the RWA Online Public Chat Room!

RWA ONLINE CHAT ROOM

Here are a few pics of the available prizes!

~Marly

Monday, February 11, 2008

Come chat with me tomorrow...

I have an upcoming chat tomorrow 2/12/08! I along with other Amira Press authors will be chatting in the Romance Room tomorrow all day. You do have to join the group to participate but it is well worth it! I will be giving away another copy of Destiny's Holiday, and maybe another goodie or two so be sure and stop by! Go here to sign up and participate.

Hope to see you all there! :-)

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Regina Paul

Natalie-Nicole Bates

Natalie-Nicole Bates may be new to the world of publishing, but she’s always been a fan of books and is an active book reviewer. Now she gets to see what’s it’s like on the other side of the book fence when her paranormal romance, Antique Charming, is released through Books To Go Now Publishing this fall and her contemporary romance, Change of Address, will be published in January 2012 by Secret Cravings Publishing.

In addition to her love of books, Natalie also has an uncharacteristic love of hockey which can be attributed to the fact she was born in Russia. Natalie now resides in the UK with a collection of Victorian and Edwardian era photography, her favorites being the post-mortem photographs. Visit Natalie-Nicole online at Natalie-Nicole Bates.com

Tara Fox Hall

I'm an OSHA-certified safety and health inspector at a metal fabrication shop in upstate New York. I have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a double minor in chemistry and biology from Binghamton University. My writing credits include nonfiction, horror, suspense, erotica, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. I am the author of the paranormal action-adventure Lash series and the vampire romantic suspense Promise Me series. I also coauthored (with Eric Dietrich) the nonfiction book Forbidden Conversations. I divide my free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice. Visit me at Tara Fox Hall.com

Lindsay Townsend

Lindsay lives in Yorkshire, England, where she was born, and started writing stories at an early age. Always a voracious reader, she took a degree in medieval history and worked in a library for a while, then began to write full-time after marriage.

Her first unpublished historical found her an agent and the second got a publisher in London interested. They wanted her to write with a modern setting, which she did – several romantic thrillers set in Greece, Italy or on Dartmoor in the English West Country - and enjoyed it, but historicals are really her first love. Lindsay is currently writing medieval romance for Kensington, who published ‘A Knight’s Vow’in 2008 and are following it with ‘A Knight’s Captive’ in spring, 2009.

She is also fascinated by the ancient world, especially Rome, Egypt and the Bronze Age. ‘Flavia’s Secret’, set in Roman Britain, came out from Bookstrand in 2008, and two more historicals, ‘Blue Gold’, set in ancient Egypt, and ‘Bronze Lightning’, set in Bronze Age Greece and the Britain of Stonehenge, have also just been released early in 2009.

Please visit Lindsay's blog.

Linda Sole

Linda writes as herself and under several other names. As Linda Sole she iscurrently published by Severn House of UK and USA. She also writes as Anne Herries for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She is happily married and lives in England with her husband. Linda enjoys visiting Spain where she loves to walk, swim and lie in the sun. Writing is her passion and she manages a few words every day, but she also loves animals and especially squirrels. She is known as the squirrel lady at her local supermarket because of all the nuts she buys for them!

Visit her website for more information.

Sarah J. McNeal

I became interested in writing at a young age. My parents didn’t allow us to have a television so my sisters and I became avid readers. We read everything from Shakespeare to my mother’s True Detective Stories that, by the way, scared the hell out of me. I submitted my first story and received my first rejection when I was thirteen years old.

I am particularly drawn to writing fantasy and time travel and have created a magical place called Valmora where winged people with various magical abilities are in constant struggle against the evil forces of the Dark Isle. Two of the books in this series are presently available at New Concepts Publishing: THE DARK ISLE and LAKE OF SORROWS. I am writing the third now: THE LIGHT OF VALMORA. I have written a time travel novel in which a woman goes back to the 1920’s to save a man from dying in THE VIOLIN that has been submitted to New Concepts Publishing. I intend to write a series of musical instrument stories including THE PIANO and one that I intend to start in the near future titled, HARMONICA JOE’S RELUCTANT BRIDE.

Until recent years, I wrote short stories, two of which were the early inspiration for the Valmora series and three other stories that were sci-fi and paranormal.

I have also written nonfiction including an article in The Charlotte Observer and a monthly newsletter from the emergency department of CMC Mercy Hospital that, unfortunately, I no longer have time to write.

Writing brings me a joy and fulfillment that nothing else can. I love creating magical worlds and people who want to make a difference. I hope that anyone who reads them will love them, too.

Please visit her website for more information.

Patricia Richardson

My desire to write began at a young age; my mind was always filled with great stories. However, my dreams, and aspirations were put on the back burner and even at times forgotten after I became married with children. Later the divorce came, which meant I had to become both mother and father to my children. I worked overtime and weekends just to support my family. The struggle to survive and give my children a healthy, loving home lasted until they were grown. Late author, Gracie Cornish, Ph.D. inspired me to follow my destiny. I met her at a place of employment, "just sit down and start writing," she told me and I did just that. I wrote every chance I got; at work, on the subway, and in my spare time at home. This all started in the latter part of 1998. That very same year God impressed upon my heart to relocate from New York to Maryland. I was obedient and moved.

The move meant that once again I had to put my writing on hold to become familiar with my new environment and learn to cope with the conditions of a highly stressful job. Most evenings when I arrived home the only thing I wanted to do was turn the ringer off the telephone and sleep. I seldom picked up my manuscript, which was kept under my bed just waiting for me not to be too tired and stressed to write. The time for writing again did not come until late in 2001 when I finally came to the realization I would always be stressed and tired from working and if I did not use the gift God gave me I would never achieve the independent financial freedom I wanted. After this epiphany I set a goal for myself; to have the manuscript completed and sent to my editor in March of 2002. Finally, in March of 2003 the book cover for my first novel, "A Place for Ida," was approved and I was published! This of course came with a price. I lost work, I cried, and I virtually had no social life. I was on a personal lockdown. I was on a mission. Most of my spare time was spent researching publishers, cover letters, and anything else I felt was pertinent to my success. Since then I established Leap of Faith Publishing and republished "A Place for Ida" and soon after published the sequel, "A Time for Jonathan."