Catching a New Excitement by Paty Jager

There comes a time in everyone's career or life where they feel the need for a change. I believe it also happens to writers. I know in years past I've jumped around writing different genres and have finally settled on historical and contemporary western romance and murder mystery.

I'm comfortable writing western romance, whether historical or contemporary. I hadn't written a contemporary in a few years and when asked to write a novella for a box set, I was excited to pick up an idea I had written down several years ago and now, I'm writing a contemporary western series - Tumbling Creek Ranch. I love the idea of a working dude ranch with so many possibilities of love connections. And I like the families I've connected to the ranch. You'll find the first book of this series coming out in a box set tilted Cowboy Dreamin'.

Here's the blurb for my book:
Eight Seconds to Love
A Tumbling Creek Ranch Novella 
 

 Lacey Wallis has put blood, sweat, and tears into her dream of making it to the National Finals Rodeo and isn’t about to let an injury stop her. However, she didn’t expect the ER nurse to be the man she had a crush on years ago, or to discover that crush hadn’t been one-sided.

Jared McIntyre lived through loving and the death of one thrill-seeking woman, and wasn’t about to let that happen again. Especially not to Lacey. But that would mean he’d have to allow himself to love again.  

Which will it be, a life-long dream, or the love of a lifetime?

I've also started a new historical western series, Silver Dollar Saloon. This is a series about the women of the Silver Dollar Saloon and the men who own the saloon. It has been a fun project, populating the town and coming up with characters. The first book took me longer to get the heroine's dialog right. I was making the southern belle a bit to "Redneck" according to two of my critique partners. I hope readers now find her more refined but with enough twang in her talk to remind the reader she is from Jawja (Georgia).  

Here is the blurb for the first book in this new series:

Savannah

Silver Dollar Saloon

 

Escaping a past full of deceit and larceny, Savannah Gentry goes in search of her only kin, a half-brother she discovered after her father’s death. She hopes Shady Gulch in the Dakota Territory can give her a future. There she stumbles into the arms of Reverend Larkin Webster, finds herself working in the Silver Dollar Saloon, and soon fears she’s gone from the frying pan into the fire.

After dodging death and incarceration, the Topeka Kid decides to turn his life around and takes on a new identity. Reverend Larkin Webster. It works, until he finds a temptation he can’t resist and steals the heart of Savannah Gentry. When her past collides with his, he wonders if this theft could end up with him losing everything, including his life.

 

Happy Birthday to Me, and All September Babies!

My birthday is the 12th, and I'm another year older. I'll keep my mouth shut as to how many years exactly, but I still like celebrating it.
September is a crazy month for my family, with my birthday, my anniversary, and our son's birthday all within ten days of each other. Needless to say, not only a crazy month for us, but also very expensive! But I still enjoy it, nonetheless.
I wanted to wish everyone out there with September birthdays a fantastic month! Here are some interesting facts about September babies, including celebrities with September birthdays:

1. The birthstone for September is the sapphire.
2. The zodiac signs for September are Virgo (August 23 - September 22) and Libra (September 23 - October 22)
3. The birth flower for September is the morning glory.
4. On September 1, 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan were established.
5. On September 1, 1939, World War II began in Europe because German troops invaded Poland.
6. On September 2, 1789, the United States Department of Treasury was established.
7. On September 3, 1783, the Revolutionary War in America ended after Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris.
8. On September 6, 1901, William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, was assassinated.
9. On September 10, 1846, Elias Howe patented his sewing machine.
10. National Chicken Month
11. National Rice Month
12. National Potato Month
13. National All-American Breakfast Month
14. September 13 - Uncle Sam Day (his image was first used in 1813)
15. September 16 - Mexican Independence Day
16. September is the only month with the same number of letters in its name as the number of the month: it is the ninth month and has nine letters. 
17. September (from the Latin septem, seven) was the seventh month of the old Roman calendar. 
18. On an average September day more babies are born in the US than on a day in any other month. 
19. Famous celebrities with September birthdays:
• Salma Hayek (2), Keanu Reeves (2), Charlie Sheen (3), Beyonce Knowles (4), Michael Keaton (5), Jeff Foxworthy (6), Adam Sandler (9), Michael Buble (9), Colin Firth (10), Harry Connick Jr (11), Jason Statham (12), Tom Hardy (15), Tommy Lee Jones (15), David Copperfield (16), Nick Jonas (16), James Marsden (18), Jason Sudeikis (18), Jimmy Fallon (19), George RR Martin (20), Bill Murray (21), Maggie Grace (21), Will Smith (25), Mark Hamill (25), Jim Caviezel (26), Gwyneth Paltrow (27), 

To all September birthdays, I hope you have a fantastic month!!

Find more interesting facts here:

https://www.famousbirthdays.com/facts/facts-about-september.html

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/top10facts/705962/Top-10-facts-about-September

https://www.fandango.com/movie-photos/september-celebrity-birthdays-335

Susan writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women's fiction. Water plays a crucial element in all of her novels, and she's a strong advocate for Autism Awareness. Forced to give up Diet Coke, she nows functions on heavy amounts of French Vanilla coffee. Susan lives and laughs in Texas with her husband and two boys. Follow her at www.SusanSheehey.com, or on Facebook and Twitter. Join her monthly newsletter for goodies, giveaways, and sneak peeks. ~ Escape in romance and suspense!

The Cosmic Cork - getting past the bottleneck

The Cosmic Cork. 

I know what you're thinking... What? Wait, what?

But let's roll with it, okay?

A long time ago in a fandom far away, I ran a website that was an "Oral History" for actors, crew, and fans that were there on set. People would share pictures and first hand stories about the TV Show production. For about six months, no joke, I couldn't find new people, I couldn't get people to send back their transcripts or picture releases... and I felt like this ONE interview was the key to this whole broke-down moment... like that one interview was stuck and if I could get it to free itself... we would be GREAT.

The next day, I emailed the actor with a 'Hey... sorry to bother..." and the next day, DING! I got a reply from him with the final okay on his interview to post it on the site.

BANG! ZOOM! BOOM! 

It was like fireworks in the sky... or that resounding POP of a cork from the champagne bottle.

The rest of the week it was like the floodgates had opened up... people called me back, release forms poured in... WOW...

So *clears throat* Reina? What does this have to do with your writing?

Gosh, you ladies are really holding my feet to the fire on this!

I'm not a PANTSER NOR a PLOTTER - I get my story ideas in a really organic way. Moments of inspiration usually lead to jotting down ideas for a plot and snippets of scenes.

When I write the story itself, I don't always write it in Chronological order.... meaning that I don't always start with Chapter One. Sometimes I just start where the muse starts in my head... and then I'll go back to the beginning... and start moving forward...

But sometimes... that sneaky cork pops in... and then I'm stuck. And when I get there I hear Miss Mona Lisa Vito in my head. Remember that scene from "My Cousin Vinny"?

Mona Lisa Vito: The car that made these two, equal-length tire marks had positraction. You can't make those marks without positraction, which was not available on the '64 Buick Skylark! 
Vinny Gambini: And why not? What is positraction? 
Mona Lisa Vito: It's a limited slip differential which distributes power equally to both the right and left tires. The '64 Skylark had a regular differential, which, anyone who's been stuck in the mud in Alabama knows, you step on the gas, one tire spins, the other tire does nothing. 

That's right. I have one wheel that just spinning.. but getting no traction under me at all.

So what do I do?

Sometimes to Pop the Cork - I'll go to the end...

No, not THE END... but the last scene. Or the Epilogue. And then I work BACKWARD... to get to Z, then what's Y, and from Y... where was X... By knowing where this 'ends' I can almost see the path there.

I've been working on a book and (hangs head), I feel horrible because I didn't get my post added in early. I'll save that post for next month, because I felt like this post is where I am today...

What do you do when you're 'stuck' on something?

Reina Torres 

AMAZON Author Page

P is for Planning.. not Pumpkin

So here it is … 109 days before Christmas. I’m playing Christmas music via headphones

.  ... as if I am some Christmas junkie hiding my secret in shame.

It’s for work... yeah! That’s it! My WIP will be released Fall 2018... and when I think I fall I automatically jump to Christmas.

School is back in session

Football has kicked off

And most importantly… it’s Pumpkin Season.

 
Maybe it’s something about the scent and celebration of the arrival of pumpkin that brings on the festive move. These are the fastest few months of the year.

I’ve got my ear out for my monster-boys and the things they want for Christmas .. I’m making a list and placed things on alert when the go on sale.

I have my recipes printed out for the meals I want to try and experiment on the family for football games. It’s Florida... This is football country.

 I have my address list ready for Christmas cards.

I have this planned. The holiday season is when I feel I’m the most productive.

So here I am with all these lists and order for everything in my life besides the one P I need to work on.

Promotion!

When it comes to promotion, hey! I can re-tweet, share, or post your stuff. But when it comes to my work… I suck at it. I just want to write. If I’m promoting and submitting stuff… I’m not writing. Have you ever seen the Eddie Murphy/Steve Martin movie, BOWFINGER? There’s a scene in there that reminds me about having to promote and get the word out. Here’s my favorite scene. 

I am nowhere near the point where I can have someone do work for me. My kids—with all their savvy techno stuff have 0 interest in helping me... but that's cool...

I only shuttle to football games, cross country, track, swimming now, soccer, and now soccer-coach. Let's not even talk about the Jordans, the Abercrombie & Fitch.. the other trendy clothes they want. I am not bitter.. I don't hold a grudge. I can’t really travel to promote because of you know.. the 5-kids obligation… and I think I might be the only person in my city who writes romance. BUT ANYWAY.....I won't freak out about this.. I'm sure there's a pill for it..

So I have to rely on planning out a day or one morning to make sure I do my promoting. I can do this…right?

How do you other writers work in promoting yourselves? My eyes and ears are always open for suggestions.

  

Well.. I have to prepare for Hurricane Irma. I hope everyone stays safe. 

Happy Reading! Happy Writing 

You can find me and buy my work here 

Have a great month!

xoxo 

Carolyn

PS....

Eclipse, Friends, and Books by @JacquieRogers #western #eclipse

Eclipse, Friends, and Books
by Jacquie Rogers

Eclipse mania struck the Pacific Northwest.  I guess everyone went to Oregon because we didn't have to fight the crowds in Idaho at all.  Mr R and I went to my aunt and uncle's house in Garden Valley, Idaho.  My aunt and uncle weren't there--they went to Ireland!  But my uncle's twin brother, his wife, her sister, her brother and family, and our two friends took over their house.  We had a wonderful time even though not one of us knew everyone.  But by the time we all left, we'd all made new friends.  That's one of the wonderful gifts of life--friends.

Here are a few pictures of our eclipse party.  Yes, mimosas were involved.  Honey Beaulieu imbibed, as you can see.  

Of course, Honey traveled elsewhere while I was home writing.  She does that, you know, and is utterly unapologetic about it all.  This time, she and Diane took off for the Bristol Night Race.  And they had pit passes!  I guess after the eclipse mimosas, Honey was ready for some good ol' moonshine.

Honey seems to be annoyed with me because she thinks I should be writing her fourth book instead of Hearts of Owyhee #6: Much Ado About Mail-Order Brides, but she has to be patient.  After all, Bram McKinnon has had to wait an entire year to get his story.  I'm only at 7,500 words on that one, but poor Bram--perfect as he is, his family has managed to put him in an unsolvable dilemma.

I'll be writing for the next few weeks but then we're going back to Nampa, Idaho, for Mr R's class reunion and also for the Idaho NF Walk.  The latter is a benefit for the Children's Tumor Foundation, ending neurofibromatosis through research. To contribute, click on Mercedes Christesen, my daughter's team.  I'll be there and I hope to walk the entire mile.

And now, I better get back to my writing because I have a full day tomorrow.  The kids and grandkids are coming over and we're having beer-butt chicken, green bean casserole, buttermilk biscuits, salad, and something yummy for dessert.  We'll have plenty but we also have some big eaters, so don't be late.

If you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.  You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there.  And goofy pictures of her scribe.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

Pickle Barrel Gazette!
Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series

Hearts of Owyhee series

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