Things That Make Me Go Mmmrrh … Memorial Day Weekend 2017
May 28, 2017 by A Slice of Orange in category Writing tagged as Marine Corps Memorial, Memorial Day, Memorial Day Weekend, Vietnam
Romantic Comedy author Geralyn Corcillo is grateful that her Dad came home from Vietnam.
Things That Make Me Go Mmmrrh … My Hero
May 23, 2017 by A Slice of Orange in category Things That Make Me Go Mmmrrh . . . by Geralyn Corcillo, Writing tagged as arlen black, awards, book boyfriends, chick lit, Contests, queen of the universe, romance, romantic comedy, Summer reading, summer reads. beach reads
Last week, I blogged on a special day to introduce you to Arlen Black, the hero of my romantic comedy Queen of the Universe. He was one of 30 contestants up for Book Boyfriend 2017. I am blogging again today on a special day to announce …
Arlen won!!! ARLEN BLACK won the title of Book Boyfriend 2017!
At my very first RWA meeting over a decade ago, I won that month’s first chapter critique from the incomparable Susan Squires, and when they called my name in the meeting, I screamed out from the back of the room, “Oh, my God!” It was my first meeting and I learned in later meetings that the drawing for 1st chapter critique is usually a bit more sedate. But I was EXCITED! And I was just as excited when I got the news about Arlen Monday morning. “Ron, Arlen won! Arlen won!!” In my
exuberance, I spilled my coffee all over my cat, Debbie. I cleaned her up, but she kept her eye on me.
Thank you to you all! To everyone who voted for me, cheered me on, and everyone who’s been loving book boyfriends over the years. This award thrills me because I have been loving books and book boyfriends all my life, and to have written some books that others find delightful just makes me so happy! Who are some of your favorite book boyfriends? Nat Eaton? Captain Wentworth? Michael Moscovitz? Ranger? Mmmrrh …
To see the Slice of Orange post that won Arlen the title, click here.
First and foremost, Geralyn Corcillo loves reader reviews! In other news…When she was a kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Geralyn Vivian Ruane Corcillo dreamed of one day becoming the superhero Dyna Girl. So, she did her best and grew up to constantly pick up litter and rescue animals. At home, she loves watching black & white movies, British mysteries, and the NY Giants. Corcillo lives in a drafty old house in Hollywood with her husband Ron, a guy who’s even cooler than Kip Dynamite.
10 1 Read more
SEW UP A BOOK
May 15, 2017 by Rebecca Forster in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster, Writing tagged as Rebecca Forster, thrillers, writing
Years ago, I worked in corporate America and my client was married to Danielle Steel. When I found out who she was, I uttered seven ridiculous words: “I bet I could write a book.”
One of my colleagues called me on that boast and that’s how I became a writer – on a crazy dare. Having never written before, I tackled this challenge in the same way I tackled a marketing plan: by asking questions about how I would go about becoming a published author. In the old days, all I had to do was write a pitch and hope someone paid attention; these days all I have to know is how to upload to Amazon. But the business of publishing begged the question that was most important: how do I learn to actually write a book?
I decided I would learn the same way I learned to sew; I would follow a pattern.
With one of Danielle Steel’s books in hand, I spent three nights with that book, a glass of wine and a yellow marker. As I read, I highlighted the ‘seams’ of her work. My pattern consisted of noting:
- When the main characters were introduced
- Where the plot points happened
- Where the emotional reveals came in
- How many pages of expository were in her book
- How long were the dialogue passages
- How many total pages were in the book
I wrote for months and when I was done I had exactly the right number of pages, all the characters came in on cue, and the plot was revealed appropriately. What a yawn.
My book was the equivalent of making a shift dress out of burlap. It was technically correct but plain and unexciting. My book had nothing to make it memorable to a reader. I didn’t want to just go to the published-author party; I wanted readers’ heads to turn. I needed to learn what sets an artist apart from a painter, a fashion designer from a seamstress and a writer from an author. Bottom line: I needed some buttons and bows, some satin and lace. I needed some style.
I am writing my thirty-fifth book and I have learned a great deal, but I still follow the pattern I created years ago. I have grown as an author, found my voice, honed my observations and come to understand my personal style. I hope that someday a writer will take a yellow marker to one of my books and make a pattern of her own from my work. Then I hope she will be inspired to kick it all up a notch with her buttons and bows.
Rebecca
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1 1 Read moreSummer Adventure
May 14, 2017 by A Slice of Orange in category Guest Posts, Spotlight, Writing tagged as Adventures, Kat Martin, romantic suspense, Summer
Please welcome best-selling author, Kat Martin, to A Slice of Orange
Kat is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written sixty eight Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Her last novel, INTO THE FIRESTORM, took the #7 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. This will be the 15th novel in a row to be included on that prestigious list. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.
Make sure you read about Kat’s special May contest. You will find more information after her blog post.
Summer Adventure
Every summer my husband and I try to have some kind of adventure. Not the hearty kind we used to undertake–like riding horseback into the high Sierras or tent camping for a week in Montana. But whatever we choose, summer is great time for a getaway.
This year, we’re driving from our home in Montana to the Western Writers of America conference in Kansas City, Missouri. We’ll take the back roads, meander two-lane highways that wind through six different states.
Along the way we hope to visit old writer friends, Kathleen and Michael Gear–authors of the PEOPLE series that takes place 10,000 years ago. They live on a buffalo ranch in Wyoming.
From there, we’ll head for the Dakotas, spend a little time in Rapid City, a great old West town. Lots of historic buildings and fun art galleries.
Staying off the beaten path, you can find all sorts of intriguing bits of history. Sioux City sits right on the Missouri, plenty of steamboat lore, and you can learn about Louis and Clark in Omaha. If you’ve never done a cross country road trip, it’s really a worthwhile adventure.
Speaking of highway adventures, BEYOND REASON travels the roadways of Texas. It’s the story of Carly Drake, a young woman who inherits her grandfather’s trucking firm and all the problem that go with it–including murder.
Carly’s biggest problem, however, turns out to be six foot-five-inches of solid male muscle–handsome, mega-rich, powerful and controlling, Lincoln Cain.
It’s high action all the way and of course plenty of hot romance. I hope you’ll watch for BEYOND REASON and that you enjoy it.
So…what’s your favorite adventure? Love to hear about it. Have a great summer and happy reading!
Kat
BEYOND REASON
She’s determined to be successful—no matter who tries to stop her.
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WEBSITE: http://www.katmartin.com/
VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7eAZvxU-VM
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SPECIAL CONTEST: http://www.katmartin.com/beyond-reason-giveaway/
To CELEBRATE the release of BEYOND REASON, enter Kat’s new contest for a chance to win a KINDLE FIRE 7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB and a Kindle copy of AGAINST THE WILD, AGAINST THE SKY and AGAINST THE TIDE. Contest runs from May 1, 2017 through June 30, 2017.
MAY CONTEST: http://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/
For May, Kat Martin is giving away to FIVE winners an audio edition of one of her AGAINST series books, plus a copy of INTO THE FIRESTORM.
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Spring’s Finest
May 13, 2017 by Sally Paradysz in category From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing tagged as kindness, life, Sally Paradysz, SpringThe Taste of Spring
When I was young, I lived in western Massachusetts. To earn money for a new bike, I picked blueberries at the large blueberry farm in our town. The owner, Blueberry Joe!, let me pick every day that I could get there as it was miles away, and it became something wonderful for me in those years before I turned sixteen and could get a real job. It took a very long time until I could make enough money for my bike, but the fault was mine as I ate more berries than I picked for sale.
I think the love of all berries, but especially blueberries, has stayed with me all these years. I have bushes of my own now in the field, and it is yet another one of the miracles of nature for me. We are having many bees pollinating this year, so the crop should be a good one. My uncle had bee hives in his back yard so I was able to watch the process of beekeeping and the honey that I still love.
As a child, I loved listening to the bees, and watching them fly free. At times, they were not even looking for a flower and it seemed to me that they were flying just for the feel of it. The wind on their body, the noise of the humming, the high-pitched zzzzzzzzz, all turning my heart into a love of mixed emotions much like the walls of honey-combs in my uncle’s white bee hives.
So now I move on from the taste of spring to the smell.
Lilacs are one of my favorite spring fragrances. I love to stop by a bush and inhale my deepest breath, wishing it would last all year round. Its time is short for flowers so one must do this as often as possible. My other favorite is viburnum. Mix these two together in a bouquet, and you almost cannot take the powerful aroma it gives. I then carry it forever in my mind, and I think the flowers know that.
Flowers are akin to kindness my heart says. If I didn’t have them now in my life a part of me would dissolve, I fear, and all I counted on for spring might be lost. For it is kindness that makes the most sense anymore, and it follows me like a shadow once I recognize that piece. It is tender and yet unbearable if you don’t receive it.
Like the sprout that is hidden within the seed, all of us struggle in our life to be seen and heard, and listened to. If we have this kindness in our life our sense of failure fades away, and we again trust ourselves to see things as we perceive them to be…and then rest.
Sally Paradysz
https://sites.google.com/site/sallywparadysz/
http://sallywparadysz.blogspot.com/
Sally Paradysz writes from a book-lined cabin in the woods beside the home she built from scratch. She is an ordained minister of the Assembly of the Word, founded in 1975. For two decades, she has provided spiritual counseling and ministerial assistance. Sally has completed undergraduate and graduate courses in business and journalism. She took courses at NOVA, and served as a hotline, hospital, and police interview volunteer in Bucks County, PA. She is definitely owned by her two Maine Coon cats, Kiva and Kodi.
Read more about Sally’s life in her memoir FROM SCRATCH; available in paperback and ebook.
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