Happy New Year!
January 6, 2014 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Harlequin Romantic Suspense, Linda O. Johnston, Pet Rescue Mysteries, ShapeshiftersCan you believe it’s 2014 already? I can’t–and yet I can. Time passes quickly, especially with lots going on.
I’m looking forward to the first OCC meeting of the year. Will you be there? I will! The topics all sound great–including the afternoon one about writing military heroes. I do that–although mine are shapeshifters.
The PAW topic will be a discussion of blog tours, and I’m in the middle of one right now to promote my new Pet Rescue Mystery, TEACUP TURBULENCE, just released this month. I may be signing it, as well as my December Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel COVERT ATTRACTION, at the meeting.
Meantime, I’m planning for another three books to be published this year–two Harlequin Nocturnes, both part of my Alpha Force miniseries about a covert military unit of shapeshifters, as well as my first Superstition Mystery later in the year.
And of course in addition to promoting, I’m working on proposals for additional ideas that I hope to be able to write… and will soon be starting another book under deadline.
How about you? Are you doing a lot connected with your writing career this new year? My fingers are crossed that we all have a happy, productive, and utterly fun year!
I’m still active on Facebook. Please come friend me there!
Happy reading,
0 0 Read moreSeason’s Greetings from the OC
December 16, 2013 by Linda McLaughlin in category The Romance Journey by Linda Mclaughlin tagged as Linda McLaughlin
Wishing you a happy holiday and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Linda McLaughlin aka Lyndi Lamont
0 0 Read moreLeaving PAW
December 6, 2013 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Harlequin, Karen Fulbright, Linda O. Johnston, Oodles of Poodles, PAW, Tailored Book Trailers |
Okay, I’m not really leaving PAW. In fact, I hope to remain a proud member for a long time to come. But I’ve been helping to run PAW for several years now, starting when our dearly missed Charlotte Lobb was in charge and now being Debra Holland’s backup.
Soon Tara Lain and Skylar Kade will be taking over. I’m delighted! Debra’s done a great job despite my limited backup, and I’m sure our new PAW people will do it well, too.
This month, Karen Fulbright of Tailored Book Trailers will be our guest for part of the PAW meeting. She did a book trailer for me–the one I won from her at RWA National, for my Pet Rescue Mystery OODLES OF POODLES, and it’s really fun!
Hope to see you there or at the regular OCC meeting.
emaginings: Indie Challenges and Rewards
November 17, 2013 by Linda McLaughlin in category The Romance Journey by Linda Mclaughlin tagged as anthology, Debra Holland, emaginings, indie authors, Linda Carroll-Bradd, Linda McLaughlin, Romance Super Bundle, Sweetwater Springs Christmas, Western romance, writingThis has been a year of challenges for me, since I started seriously indie publishing. I’ve learned it’s a lot harder to do everything myself, even though it has been rewarding. The one thing that has got me through it is the support and camaraderie from the romance community, including OCC.
Two of the challenges and rewards have involved group projects. Being part of the Romance Super Bundle brought me together with a group of wonderful indie authors: Amy Gamet, Dale Mayer, Donna Marie Rogers, Edie Ramer, Kate Kelly, Pamela Fryer, Lois Winston, Barbara Phinney and Wendy Ely. I’ve learned a lot about marketing and promotion from these ladies, including my first ever Facebook Launch Party.
Monday, Nov. 18, is the Facebook launch party for the other project. I was honored when Debra Holland invited me to be part of her second holiday anthology: Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology (Montana Sky Series) by Debra Holland and Friends, namely E. Ayers, Linda Carroll-Bradd, MJ Fredrick, Paty Jager, Jill Marie Landis, Trish Milburn, Linda McLaughlin, Bev Pettersen, Tori Scott, and Cynthia Woolf.
Writing my story, The Best Present, was both challenging and rewarding. It’s not easy to write in another author’s story world, plus I was unfamiliar with Montana in 1895 (or any other time.) Some research was required. (That was okay since I love research.)
For once, I shed my romance persona and wrote about a ten-year-old girl having the worst Christmas of her young life. I drew on some personal experiences, including my memories of my tenth Christmas, which took place two weeks after the death of my grandmother. Allison’s story has a different ending than mine did, but it’s the most personal work I’ve ever written, and it was an emotional experience. I was reminded of the old saw about opening a vein.
Sweetwater Springs Christmas: A Montana Sky Short Story Anthology releases Nov. 18 on Amazon but is available for pre-order now.
I hope some of you will join us on Monday to celebrate the release of the anthology at Facebook. It runs from 9AM to 6PM, Pacific time, and I will be there alone (gulp) from 10-11AM.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy writing!
Linda McLaughlin
0 0 Read moreRWA National 2014?
November 6, 2013 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston, Writing Conferences tagged as 2014 RWA National Conference, Linda O. Johnston, Rita Finalist
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