Thanks to Catherine Castle for hosting me on her blog today!
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Two weeks in a row! Romance Weekly #lovechatwrite
Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all….. About our writing of course! Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!
The sweet Jami Denise is the author of this week’s questions:
1.When writing your novel, do you know how it’s going to end before you write, or do you write from start to finish?
I always know where I am going when starting a new project. The end is always my favorite part – when love finally conquers all. The middle is what constantly changes for me. My beginning and end usually stay consistent from the start.
2. How do the people you know impact your writing? Are you influenced by friends and family for your characters?
Sometimes little parts of people make their way into my stories. I have a friend who is kind of a health nut and loves to eat …KALE. Kale makes me want to throw up but she is determined to get me to try it. I took her health food habits and gave them to one of the sisters in my new Chicago Sisters series coming out in September. Lucy is a fanatic and loves to pass on her healthy habits to everyone around her. Her sisters, on the other hand, still love to munch on the occasional Cheeto.
3. Describe the hero in your current WIP in three words.
This is hard! Charlie Fletcher is my current WIP hero for the second book in the Chicago Sisters series. Charlie could be described as big-hearted, good-humored, and optimistic. I kind of love Charlie. So. Yeah.
There you have it! Check out what J.J. Devine had to say about this over at her blog. Thanks so much for stopping by!!
xoxo,
Amy
Romance Weekly – #lovechatwrite
Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all….. About our writing of course! Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!
I’m emerging from the dark depths of a writing deadline to join this week’s blog hop. Thanks to Susan Peterson Wisnewski for sending some of you my way. Today’s questions come from the lovely Kim Handysides.
1.What’s your ideal: alpha or beta and why?
Well, I’m not sure what anyone would find appealing about a beta. I need my hero to have some charisma and physical presence. That doesn’t mean they can’t be sweet guys. Men with personality and charm win me over every time. Good looks don’t hurt, but attitude and confidence play a big part in attraction. I tend to write about guys who have hearts of gold and don’t hide it. On the flip side, I like to read about guys who seem a little heartless until the love of their life shows the world there’s more to him than a face and some ego. I guess I like to write about those alphas as well, they just haven’t been published … yet.
2.Do you have a male buddy or mate you use for confirmation or inspiration when crafting your heroes?
I have a husband, but I do not usually consult him when it comes to my heroes because he would say something outrageous just to be funny. I do steal things from him without him knowing. His sense of humor is his greatest strength and I have used some of his lines in my writing. I figure if he cracks me up, he’ll make others laugh as well.
3.What does any hero have to do to win your heart?
I like my heroes confident on the outside and just a little bit vulnerable on the inside. I need a hero who shows up like he owns the place but worries the heroine is going to figure him out any minute (which she usually does!) I need someone with a sense of humor, especially about himself. I can’t be all ego – he needs to be intent on doing somethings for others. There needs to be that part of him that wants to better the world he’s in, even if it’s only for the woman he loves. I like a man to be capable of being selfless.
There you have it. That’s what I look for in my heroes. Follow the link to see how J.J. Devine answered these questions.
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo,
Amy
THE WEATHER GIRL BOOK BLOG TOUR KICKS OFF!
We’re launching the April Showers Book Tour for
The Weather Girl
by Amy Vastine
4/21 – Tour Launch
4/22
4/23
4/24
4/25
4/27
4/28
4/29
4/30
5/1
5/2
5/4 – Grand Finale
The Weather Girl
by Amy Vastine
Clean Adult Contemporary Romance
January 1st 2014 by Harlequin
Turbulence is in their forecast
Summer Raines knows when it’s going to rain. She can feel it. That’s why the local weather girl’s so good at her job. Too bad she couldn’t have foreseen the tumultuous arrival of Travis Lockwood, everybody’s favorite star NFL quarterback. Make that former star NFL quarterback. Sidelined back to Texas after an injury, the golden boy is trying to steal her precious on-air time. Summer is reduced to reporting fromÖfootball games. It’s enough to make her quit and become a storm-chaser like her parents. She’s stuck with a career that’s going nowhere and a man who delights in her refusal to be charmed. Falling in love isn’t nearly as easy as predicting the weather.
More about The Weather Girl and Amy Vastine
What is your motivation behind this series? Why did you want to write it?
Well, I wrote this story for Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest back in 2012. I wanted to get some feedback from an editor in the romance business and the contest seemed like a low risk way of asking for some. I figured it was a big enough thing that my feelings wouldn’t get hurt if I didn’t win or get any response. I didn’t win. I did however get some feedback, which was awesome and exactly what I wanted. I never expected them to like the story enough to want to publish it!
The story itself was written to reflect my love of sweet romance. I like a little angst now and again, but sweet love stories makes me smile. I like to sprinkle in some humor and create characters people can root for.
What do you hope readers take with them when they read your book?
I hope people walk away with the idea that love doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice who you are for someone else. When you follow your heart and your dreams, everything else will fall into place.
Do you have a favorite scene?
Oh that’s tough because one of the rules I heard about writing is don’t get too attached to scenes because those are usually the ones your editor will want you to cut! I do love a couple scenes, though. One is when Travis has lunch at Summer’s grandparents’ house and they are trying to get him to realize he knows exactly what he wants out of life but he is completely clueless. Mimi’s frustration with him is priceless. The other one is the very end of the book, but I won’t say what happens because that gives it all away!
Share something about you that is unique – maybe about how/where you write… or favorite snack foods?
Well, I am a school social worker by day, so I write at night and on the weekends. I’m not sure how interesting that is! I love monkeys? I mean, I love monkeys. I have a collection of them at work (thankfully I work in a middle school so it’s not THAT weird!) It’s like a jungle! I have stuffed monkeys, figurines, candles, pictures, cups, stickers. It’s quite a collection. My students give me monkey gifts, so it grows every year! This is what happens when you tell someone you like something!
Tour-Wide Giveaway
– Grand Prize: $25 Amazon gift card, red umbrella, signed copy of THE WEATHER GIRL, umbrella bookmark, and decorative box (US Only)
– 5 ebooks of The Weather Girl (INT)
– April 21 – May 11
Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.
Love, Write, Chat
Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all….. About our writing of course! Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!
This week’s questions come from Meggan Connors…
Do you have a recurring theme in your work, either intentional or unintentional? What is it and why do you think you chose that particular theme?
I don’t think I have an intentional theme in my stories, but I do tend to write about heroes who have issues with their fathers for some reason. I have no personal history with this or anything. I have two brothers who get along quite well with my dad and my husband and his father were very close when his dad was alive. I guess I think the father/son dynamic is a powerful thing. Whether it’s living up to dear old dad’s expectations or trying to prove he can be better than his own deadbeat dad, my heroes tend to have daddy issues. The story I just finished writing has strong father/son themes. In The Better Man, my hero, Max, had a father who left his mother before Max was born. Max thought he’d have no trouble being a better father than his own, but he learned the hard way that being a dad is more than paying the bills and giving your name. He has a lot to learn about sacrifice and knowing the difference between what he wants and what his child needs. Do you carefully plot your stories, or do you plot as you write?
Why do you think this particular ethos works for you?
I do both. I plot out the entire thing before I start writing. However, as I write, things can take me in another direction. Sometimes it’s because I discover something new about the characters as I get to know them and sometimes it’s because something doesn’t play out the way I thought it would and it needs to be reworked. I jot down a lot of notes on plain old paper – scenes, dialogue, themes, things I want to make sure come full circle. I usually have a beginning, climax, and end figured out and don’t change much. It’s the middle part that’s always more fluid.I can’t write without knowing where I’m headed. I have to see the end and work toward it. Sometimes the path changes up on me, but at least I still know where I’m going. I think it helps me keep things consistent.
Is there a particular genre (within romance) you could never write? Why?
I guess I should never say never but there are probably a few I don’t think I will ever write. A friend of mine googled romance genres and there is quite an extensive list. I don’t think I would ever write historical. There would be way too much research involved because I would be so worried about getting something wrong. They didn’t have cell phones in the 1600’s, right?
Mystery is another tough one for me. I have a hard time thinking up enough twists and turns to make a mystery interesting. I give writers that write mystery a lot of credit. It amazes me when they create this puzzle and slowly give us piece by piece until we see the whole picture at the end.
Lastly, I chose Heartwarming/clean romance for a reason – writing explicit sex scenes makes me super uncomfortable. I can do it, but it is painful. There are words that make me blush simply by typing them out. I also like that I can share what I write with my entire family. I would not be able to leave erotica sitting around the house!
Alright, that’s it for me. Please head over HERE to author Jo Richardson’s blog to see how she answered.
THE 2014 OUR WRITING PROCESS BLOG HOP
Writer’s write, that’s what we do. Find out why and how in this new Blog Hop for 2014:
Thanks so much to J.R. Richardson for inviting me to join this blog hop. I have never done anything like this before so bear with me. I was supposed to find three people to tag at the end of this but didn’t manage that many. I did get two, though! The hop hops on!
1) What am I working on right now?
I actually just sent in the manuscript for my next book, The Better Man. The story centers on a widow and mother, Kendall Montgomery, who is not only dealing with the death of her husband but her son’s difficulty coping with it. Simon is a selective mute. His anxiety makes it impossible for him to speak in front of anyone other than his mother. That is until he meets Max Jordan.
 |
| This is my Max |
Max has moved to Chicago to be closer to his son, Aidan. Max hasn’t been the father he wants to be and his ex doesn’t believe he’s capable of caring about anything but himself and his career. When Max meets Simon and Kendall, he’s surprised the little boy finds him so interesting and his mother looks at him like he has a third head. That may have something to do with the fact that … he looks exactly like Simon’s father/Kendall’s husband. Let the drama begin!
With that off to my editor, I am beginning the second book in this series of three I am writing for Harlequin Heartwarming. The second book is tentatively titled The Better Plan. The series follows Kendall and her two sisters, each dealing with their own drama and finding love where they never expected to find it. I am so very excited to share these new characters with the world!
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
That’s a great question. I have been writing for Harlequin Heartwarming, which is their clean romance line. I think what I bring to clean romances is a good mix of humor and drama. I’ve been told my sense of humor is a strength and hopefully that comes through in my writing.
3) Why do I write what I do?
I often ask myself this considering that erotica seems to be the thing to write right now. Throw some sex in there and the book sells like hotcakes. I’ve chosen this genre because it was important to me that I could share what I write with everyone in my family, from my seventy-eight year old mother-in-law to my eleven-year-old daughter. I wanted something that my children could feel proud about showing their friends and teachers. One of my proudest moments was when my youngest son brought a copy of THE WEATHER GIRL to school to show his whole 4th grade class because he thinks it is so cool his mom wrote a book.
I write romance because I love putting my characters through all this drama only to find their happily ever after in the midst of all the darkness. I’m a sucker for a HEA.
4) How does my writing process work?
I love technology and I use a writing program called Scrivener. It is a fantastic tool that allows me to plot out the whole story on virtual note cards and move chapters and scenes around easily. But at the very beginning of any story, I always use an old-fashioned notebook and pen. I start out by writing an outline that simply consists of a sentence or two about the overall idea I want to get across chapter by chapter. Then, I write out more detailed notes on some key scenes and general character traits. What are the emotional stakes? Where is the hero/heroine at the beginning of the book and where do I want him or her by the end? Why are they the way they are? What drives them? Sometimes those things end up in the story and sometimes they are just for me to better understand my character’s motivations. I even write out little bits of dialogue that I hear in my head so I don’t forget. Once I do all that, I transfer the info into my writing program and start writing. Things usually (always) change once I start writing. I love how things evolve when you get into the heart of a story. Sometimes the characters take me in another direction once I get to know them a little better.
Well, that’s it for me. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Don’t be a stranger!
xoxo,
Amy
Amy
For next week’s entry, I’ve tagged two lovely ladies to find out how they answer the same questions. You won’t want to miss it.
Jennifer Garcia’s lifelong love for reading and writing was put aside for many years while she made her way in the world and nurtured her young family. Originally from Boston, she currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. Even though she is older, and life never seems to settle, she’s finding her way while attending college full-time in pursuit of a B.A. in English Literature. She also runs a business, and is still caring for her family. Believing she can do it all, with the help of her family, she worked on her first novel during the late hours of the night while balancing the rest of her life during the day. Her hard work paid off, as her first novel, My Mr. Manny, was released August 2013 and her first novella, In My Mother’s Footsteps, was released July 2013.
Jennifer’s website: http://jenniferfgarcia.com
Elks lives near London, England and writes contemporary romance with a dash of intrigue.
Carrie Elks lives near London, England and writes contemporary romance with a dash of intrigue. At the age of twenty-one she left college with a political science degree, a healthy overdraft and a soon-to-be husband. She loves to travel and meet new people, and has lived in the USA and Switzerland as well as the UK. An avid social networker, she tries to limit her Facebook and Twitter time to stolen moments between writing chapters. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can usually be found baking, drinking wine or working out how to combine the two.
Carrie’s website:owww.carrieelks.com/blogn, England and writes contemporary romance with a dash of int
Cursed be the Wicked by J.R. Richardson
I have a very dear friend, who just happens to be an amazing writer. Her debut novel is coming out this spring and I am thrilled to participate in her cover reveal today.
Title – Cursed be the Wicked
Author – J.R.Richardson
Genre – Paranormal Mystery Romance
Release Date – March 5, 2014
Synopsis:
Cooper Shaw lives his life under a pen name and enjoys the anonymity it provides during his journeys across the globe as a seasoned writer for a travel magazine. When his job lands him in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts to cover the famous Festival of the Dead, he soon realizes that he can’t stay invisible forever as he faces ghosts from a past he’s been trying to forget ever since he left.
The city holds nothing but bad memories for Coop until he meets a quirky young woman with an old soul and curious insights by the name of Finnley Pierce. While she acts as his tour guide through a town he thought he knew, Finn helps him unearth the truth of his childhood and might even begin to open up his heart.
By unraveling the mystery of his father’s murder, Coop may finally accept who he is, where he came from, and perhaps even realize what he wants for his future.
About the author:
A writer of stories and lover of life.
Jo grew up in Maryland with four siblings, three parents and an endless number of cousins within the vicinity. Today she lives in Florida with her two girls and a husband that shares her same sense of humor and basic take on life as we know it.
Life is too short to put dreams on the back burner.
She’s always loved writing, so in her spare time, she wrote a novel that’s been picked up by the good people at Soul Mate Publishing.
Links:
Website: http://jrrichardsonfics.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRRichardsonAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoFictionFreak
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JRRichardson
I was lucky enough to read a very early version of this story before she even submitted it to any agent or publisher. It didn’t surprise me that it was immediately snatched up by Soul Mate Publishing as soon as they read it. It was good then, I can only imagine how amazing it is now.
Jo has a wonderful ability to mix humor, drama, romance, and mystery into her stories. Her stories make me laugh, cry, and turn the page to find out what the heck is going to happen next!
I cannot wait to get my hands on this book when it comes out and I hope you will check it out as well.
xoxo,
Amy
The Release
My book is out there for the world to read and I still cannot believe this is happening. It helped when my box of books showed up a few days after Christmas. I may have stared at them for an inappropriate amount of time that first day, but can you blame me? This is totally crazy. I signed my first autograph!
I so appreciate all the positive feedback and support I have received over the last couple days. My family, my friends, and my readers are the most awesome people in the world. It has been an amazing journey, one that promises to just keep getting better.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. My family has been more than generous and supportive. My parents got me a storm cloud necklace and a framed Weather Girl picture. And for my upcoming birthday, my husband framed a copy of my cover. I did have to remind him that I am writing more books and we are going to run out of wall space if we poster-size all my covers! He says the first one needed to be big because this is BIG. And I couldn’t disagree.
So now what? Now, I get busy writing the next three stories in my head. I am looking forward to promoting this book. The Heartwarming authors have lots of fun stuff planned all over social media. Giveaways galore! If you haven’t checked out our Goodreads group HERE, don’t wait. There are lots of fun discussions about who and what you love to read.
Which reminds me, my Goodreads giveaway ended on publication day and The Weather Girl has now gone worldwide. I had a winner from Canada, Malaysia, and Belgium (thanks to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who live over there and took it back with them to save me some postage!)
Lastly, I hope to have some news about a book blog tour soon. It’s going to be fun, fun, fun. Thank you again for your support and I hope The Weather Girl provides a little bit of entertainment to those who have picked up a copy!
xoxo,
Amy
Christmas Countdown
One week until Christmas! The presents are bought. None of them are wrapped. And despite my son’s attempt at finding them by searching every hiding place in the house, they have remained hidden. It helps that most of them are in the trunk of my husband’s car or at my mom’s house!
This means TWO WEEKS until The Weather Girl officially goes on sale. I still haven’t received my box of books and I’m becoming as anxious as the kids are about Christmas. I’m so impatient! It doesn’t help that my husband texts me everyday asking if they came, forcing me to reply with a no and a sad face 🙁
I’m still hopeful they will arrive before Christmas. So, besides the Goodreads giveaway – which you can still enter by clicking on the link to the right – I am also giving away a copy over at the Heartwarming Authors blog today.
Head on over HERE and see what I have to say about the Christmas season … one commenter over there will be chosen at random to win a book and ornament, so get going!
Happy holidays, everyone!!
Sharing the Love
Another week, another blog post. December is flying by! With all the holiday preparation, I can barely keep up. Our tree is up, our stocking are hung, and a few of the gifts have been bought. But I still have a LOTS to do!
The gift I’m most excited to give this year is The Weather Girl, of course. I got word this week that my copies of the book are being shipped any day now. I won’t deny that I am constantly checking outside the front door for the big box to arrive. I cannot wait to hold a copy of this book in my hands.
The big news this week is that once they get here, I want to share them with some of you! If you look to the right, you’ll see a link to a Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win one of THREE signed copies of The Weather Girl!
Yep, you can get a copy fo’ free if you have a Goodreads account starting today. The contest runs until January 1st. If the link isn’t working today (since I set it up last night) keep checking back. It should be up sooner than later!
But if you need something to read in the meantime, I have couple suggestions.
Since Christmas is coming, I decided to read something to get me in the holiday spirit. Fellow Heartwarming author, Jennifer Snow, and her novel The Trouble With Mistletoe was exactly what I was looking for.
This is the first book in Jennifer’s Brookhollow series. This one introduces us to Luke and Victoria. These two were childhood sweethearts who were engaged to be married twelve years ago. Victoria, believing she needed to get out of Brookhollow, called the wedding off and moved to New York City to pursue her career. Luke didn’t follow. Now, she’s back in her hometown and has to face the man she left behind. The man she still isn’t quite over and who isn’t over her either.
I loved this story. It was sweet and funny and had a great supporting cast of characters (something I love about the Heartwarming line in general!) And Luke … well, I’ll admit I’m definitely a fan. He’s everything a girl would want and then some. If you need something fun to read over the holidays, this will do the trick! You can find it on Amazon by clicking HERE or get the paperback by clicking HERE.
My other reading recommendation is a Christmas anthology that includes a short story written by one of my very best and very dear friends. The anthology is called All I Want for Christmas is a Soulmate and the story I read and loved was Lost in Christmas.
J.R. Richardson, aka Jo, is one of my most favorite people and authors in the world. She has a way of writing characters who leap off the page. Their internal dialogue always cracks me up and she is a master of weaving together the most amazing mysteries with the sweetest romances.
In this short story, she introduces us to Crystal Springfield, a single lady who’s spending Christmas with her most trust companion … a Golden Retriever named Berkley. Away in mountains, she’s enjoying her solitude until a tall, dark, and handsome stranger gets lost and ends up stranded on her doorstep just before Christmas.
I won’t say much more because that would give everything away, but I loved the snowball fight and the way she told a satisfying story in just a few pages. This is a quick read and, I won’t lie, it kind of left me wanting more. I guess I’ll have to wait for her full length novel coming out in March!
Jo has highlighted and reviewed some of the other stories in the anthology on her website and blog, which you can find by going HERE. You can also pick up your own copy of this anthology for your kindle or e-reader over at Amazon by clicking HERE.
That’s all I’ve got for now! Happy Friday!
xoxo,
Amy