History Repeats Itself, by Carolyn Hector

History Repeats Itself

 by Carolyn Hector

6 MORE DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL STARTS- I repeat- 6  MORE DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL STARTS!

Besides Christmas, y'all know this is my favorite time of year. Let the normalcy begin! I somewhat survived the summer. I cannot say the same for my 

-brick mailbox (no one knows how the bricks started falling right at the point where a foot would go in order to sit on top of the flat part of it) 

-base of the $800 basketball goal (which is cracked right where one of the boys loves to stand)

-squirt bottle of medicine which was for the guinea pig's foot and somehow emptied and replaced with Dawn dish washing soap. 

-the random soaking wet spots in the carpet

- white shirts that are now grey and deep brown in a color that I like to call ... "sweat"

I've learned that I will never get an honest answer out of the boys of how these things happened. BUT in order to not have history repeat itself next year, the did what I would like to call.... Realty Check with the local sheriff's office. I was worried it was one of those scared straight programs. I mean... here's where my overprotective coddling side comes out.... they're not BAD kids.. just .. they're not afraid of anything and think what I say is bologna. I met a bunch of other mothers/aunts/grandmothers who said the same thing about their boys as well.

So let's keep our fingers crossed. 

Of course afterwards I asked if this enticed any of them to want to go into law enforcement. It did not. Sitting in on part of the program when I went to pick them up however did make me want to continue my bad-ass lady team like in Mr. and Mrs. Rossi

Let's not ask me about how CampNaNoWriMo went. 

I have been trying new writing groups. I'm easily offended. You'd think with the amount of rejections I get as an author I'd build up a tolerance but eh.. I haven't. Not when it's face to face. I'm an ambivert.

So back to the new writing groups. There are none in Tallahassee that I know of that is designed for romance writers. 

While traveling I decided to visit some new groups and I attended one where a writer happened to be from the same place as me. I was so excited! Like.. OMG! Me too! I mean what are the odds right? Immediately a cold wind came my way. We all know the look. We all have written that type of woman who doesn't care for your protagonist.. and your protagonist knows she's not liked.  Yes.. I got the... #$@% Don't talk to me grin... and then she turned to face the woman seated next to her and started up a conversation. 

I wanted to be like... oh well... BUT it was like history was repeating itself. I was brought back to that insecure me starting a new school the same day as this other girl. We bonded over being new but a particular group of girls immediately accepted my new friend into their fold and I was left behind. Thank God for my bestie, Monique. 

Then there was another time I went to reintroduce myself to an author I met and each time I tried to break it down where and when we met she kept shaking her head no.. it was like... "Nope, I don't know you. You have me confused with someone else."  

I knew I knew her! I know we met!!! 

OR then there's that awkward moment when you gal pals post pictures of the group talking about how much they miss everyone...and you're not in a single one. 

So I've crawled back into my introvert self and I'm moving on to the next.  

Whelp, life has to get back in order for me. My deadline for a book has been bumped up so I've got to get busy. Of course, as always... 

Stay tuned for the update on Her Mistletoe Bachelor 

After a public breakup, CFO Donovan Ravens plans to spend the holidays alone in a small-town hotel. But beautiful science teacher British Carres has other ideas for the space that the sexy bachelor booked—a contest starring her students. In British, Donovan sees a future he never expected. As they give in to their chemistry, a threat from the past could keep them from finding true love…

Coming soon! 

Take care! 

Happy Reading, Happy Writing

xoxo

Carolyn 

Introvert Author Manipulates Characters to her Will by Paty Jager #MontanaSkyKW #WesternRomance #IndieAuthor

Last summer I was asked to write a book in another author's world. I was a bit leery. I not only had to gather information about that author's world, I still had to meet other deadlines. Could I do this and stay sane?

Several of my author friends told me I'd be crazy to pass up this opportunity to get my writing in front of another author's readers. With these friends urging me on, I signed on to be one of 14 authors writing in Debra Holland's Montana Sky World.

Debra graciously said we could put our characters from our series into her world. I had just came up with the idea of a new series and started brainstorming how I could incorporate my new Letters of Fate series into a book set in Sweetwater Springs and Morgan's Crossing, Montana. I needed a letter to arrive to someone in Morgan's Crossing that would change his or her life.

Upon several conversations with Debra and reading her book Prudence, which was her first book set in Morgan's Crossing, I learned there were many miners and only ten women in the town. So I needed to bring a woman to Morgan's Crossing. Debra had mentioned mine guards. Visiting more with her I decided to make my hero be one of the mine guards. He nurses the heroine's father when he becomes ill and eventually dies. The hero, Isaac, sends a letter and the man's last wages to the family believing he was done with that. He receives a letter from the man's oldest child and daughter saying she is coming to fetch her father's things. Isaac isn't happy. The man had two sets of clothes. The ones he had on when he became sick were filthy and he burned them. He'd sent the only thing of value to the family and was angry he had to lose four days work to travel to Sweetwater Springs and hand over the battered and filthy clothes to the woman, who'd set his hackles up with her tone in her letter.

I passed this scenario by Debra, she gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up and I started researching and writing Isaac: Letters of Fate, part of Debra's Montana Sky World.

While working on this project I enjoyed the back and forth between myself , Debra, and the other authors who wrote a book in this world, but I learned a lot about myself. I like to have complete control over my characters and the world they play in. My introvert self, came out in my story, sending my characters away from Morgan's Crossing and off on their own. This gave me more freedom to write without worrying about keeping true to someone else's world or characters.

This project taught me a lot about myself and my writing process.   

Isaac: Letters of Fate

 Historical western filled with steamy romance and the rawness of a growing country.

Alamayda Wagner’s life has left her cynical, but also vigilant, and that’s what propels her to Morgan’s Crossing, Montana in order to uncover the secrets her father took to his grave. She quickly discovers her only hope includes trusting Isaac Corum. That soon proves to be expensive, and not just financially. 

The last thing Isaac Corum needs or wants is a snooty woman telling him he didn’t do enough to save her father, which is what her letter implied. He’d helped the man more than most people would have, and swears he won’t go out of his way like that again. He’ll meet her at the Sweetwater Springs train station, deliver her father’s belongings, and send her back the way she came.

But, dang it all, the woman doesn’t do a single blasted thing she’s told, and Isaac can’t just sit back and let her go traipsing off into the mountains alone…

http://amzn.com/B01BL0HKJQ