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Have you ever read a romance set in an antique shop? I've read a few, and I loved them all. But especially this new story by my friend Heather Greer, part of our Pets Amore collection. The shop in her story comes from personal experience, but not from actually owning a shop herself. See what I mean.  It doesn’t matter how different a character’s personality is from mine, there is usually a little bit of me in every story I write. Usually, that means someone bakes at some point in the story. Doesn’t matter if it’s cupcakes or cookies or a pie. Treats will be baked.
For Pegboards, Parrots, and Pickup Lines, my story in the Pets Amore novella collection, I decided to go a different direction. I do have more I enjoy doing than baking, and I thought it was time to work some of those things into my stories too.
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Do you ever wonder how much of an author's real life actually ends up in her stories? Well, Beth Westcott, one of my fellow authors from the Pets Amore collection, is here to chat about just that today. Her story is delightful and I can't wait for you to learn more about it (and her).  At one time, I thought I’d become a schoolteacher but didn’t. Perhaps, if I lived my life over, I’d earn my teaching degree. I taught one year in a Christian school, homeschooled for twelve years, and substituted as a teacher’s aide for a couple of years in public school. I also taught Sunday school classes and Bible clubs.
Brianna Kinney loves teaching her third-grade students. However, when her school downsizes, she loses her job. Twenty-seven years old, a widow, and now without employment, Brianna desires change. She moves to Juniper Falls and becomes a bookstore clerk. Although she enjoys her new job, she misses her students. Maybe one day she’ll teach again. Can fictional murders lead to real-life ones? I'd like to hope not, but just listen to this funny story from my good friend Deborah Sprinkles. She writes mystery and suspense and this new series of hers is sure to pique your interest.  When I decided to write my Mac and Sam mystery series, starring Mackenzie Love and Samantha Majors, the first thing I had to do was choose a location. Would their private investigation firm be in an imaginary town like my first series or a real one? There were advantages to both.
I liked the idea of a small town close to a big city. It offered the best of both worlds. And, being from St. Louis, I knew the perfect location. Washington, Missouri, a small town on the Missouri River about forty-five minutes southwest of St. Louis. I’d been there a number of times and loved it. This time of year, it's easy to get caught up in cheesy holiday movies on TV, but do you pay attention to the ratings? My friend and fellow author, Regina Rudd Merrick is here today to tell us how those ratings inspired a scene in her newest book.  Christmas books are fun to write. Christmas Rewired is book 4 of my RenoVations, Inc. series, but, like last year’s Christmas story, 12 Days of Mandy Reno, it’s not a mystery—it’s just a little romance, a little fun, and a lot of Renos.
A few years ago, after years of avoiding them, my oldest daughter introduced me to the mindless joy of watching Hallmark movies. They come in all genres, and some are better than others. My favorites are the Rom-Coms. I realized, then, that these movies are exactly the kinds of stories I like to read as well as watch! It's that time of year. The time we all want to watch the cheesy holiday movies. Of course, real life isn't much like the movies, but that doesn't keep author Heather Greer from wishing to dive into them. Instead, she incorporates the fun ideas into her stories. Read on to find out about her most recent one.  I admit it. Everything people say about made for television Christmas movies is true. From the opening scene, viewers know how the story will end. We see the same actors cast year after year. Yes, there will be an almost kiss. And if there is baking, someone will get flour on their nose or cheek only to be wiped off in a moment filled with romantic sparks.
We devour them anyway. Why? How do you imagine authors coming up with their story ideas? Today's guest author, Lori DeJong just might surprise you with her latest plot. She's introducing her characters, as well as how she thought them up.  I was thrilled when asked to join the ladies writing the novella collection for A Match Made at Christmas, when another writer had to bow out due to a scheduling conflict. I’d never written a novella before, but was so excited to dive in. All I needed to do was come up with a synopsis and write the first two chapters for approval by our publisher. Problem was, because I was a late-in-the-game replacement, I had no story and only had a couple of days to come up with one.
When in a time pinch for a story idea, sometimes it's best to just stick with a classic. See how Sarah A. Crouch came up with her idea for her novella in our new collection which releases TOMORROW.  I remember reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I’d wandered over into the adult section of our tiny public library in Prairie Grove, Arkansas because I’d just about exhausted all of the options in the children’s section. Jane Austen was a name I’d heard before, so I knew her books were supposed to be some of the classics, but I didn’t know if she’d read more like Moby Dick or Tom Sawyer.
After loving Pride and Prejudice, I quickly consumed Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, and Emma. My parents let me watch the 1996 Gwenyth Paltrow Emma at some point, but Clueless was the first time I remember watching a modern adaptation of a classic story (unless you count the PBS show, Wishbone). I’ve since loved all things Jane Austen and Emma stuck with me as the quintessential matchmaking story. Do you pay attention when book characters drink your beverage of choice? Our guest author today, Christina Rost, is talking about her characters and their drink of choice. See if you can relate.  Tea or coffee? Which do you prefer?
I waffle between both, depending on my mood. During the afternoon, my go-to drink is a creamy latte with my favorite seasonal flavor combo: peanut butter and honey. But during autumn nights, you’ll frequently find me cozied up in my comfy chair, cradling a cup of Lady Grey. As I draft my novels, these kinds of preferences are fun to add to characters because it can add an element of realism to them. The human quirks also enable me to engage with my readers through my characters. Think about your family and friends. What are their preferences? What are their dislikes? We often keep these facts in mind when we make plans with them. Just like friends, characters become more layered and relatable when you uncover their unique quirks, favorites and dislikes and allow them to come alive on the page. Do you have a home away from home? What makes a place feel like home for you? Guest Author Kimberly Banet is talking about a place that felt so much like home to her she set her new book there. And hey! It's not too far from where I live. ;) Read on.  My book, Just Another Home, was released two months ago. It’s about a teen in the foster care system, Sam, who goes to live with a couple in their fifties, John and Abbie, whose biological kids have grown up and moved out of the house.
Something most people don’t know about the book is that the setting of the story, Franklin, Tennessee, was not just some random town I chose for the backdrop of Sam’s story. Franklin is a place that I’ve visited many times and is near and dear to my heart. Do you ever pay attention to reviews others have left for books you read? Authors tend to watch them more carefully than we sometimes should, but they can be such a help to letting other readers know what to expect from our story. Author Shannon Dunlap is here today to talk about one review that caught her off-guard. See what you think.  “Hilarious Story!”
“LOL a minute” “a complete HOOT!” “HYSTERICALLY FANTASTIC” Love Overboard began with a television feature I saw about a woman in her eighties who skipped the retirement home to live on a cruise ship. The idea captivated me. What if there wasn’t just one? What if a group of them spent their later years sailing the Caribbean? And what if they spent their days matchmaking the young people? The story experienced the growing pains of cuts, edits, pitches, and acceptance before it finally released in May. |
This is a place for me to tell you about what I'm writing, talk about the process or where some of my ideas came from, or even have other authors come in and talk about their books.
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