Tuesday, November 4, 2014

4 Days Down and A lot of Words to Get There

Gia, My Great Motivator!
I have to admit, I haven't had the blazing start I was hoping for these past few days. But I have made progress. Not only am I trying to reach that NaNo goal of 50,000 words, but I'm also trying to finish up edits on my next book. Crazy I know!

Four more chapters to go on that!

Yes, I'm excited! LOL

My NaNoWriMo survival kit:

Trusty Laptop
Music
Earphones
Beverages (lots of beverages)
Snacks
Notebook/Pens and Pencils (for when I need a boost in the creativity department.)
Flash drive to save my work
Do Not Disturb or Else signs for family :)
Picture of Captain Jack Sparrow ( My secret muse...crap. Not a secret anymore.) LOL
Jacket for when I get cold

That's about all I can think of right now. Time to quit procrastinating and see if I can get a few more words in before bedtime. Who needs sleep anyway! Ha!

Here's to more progress!

Monday, October 27, 2014

It's That Time Again!


I’m gearing up for another NaNoWriMo round. J

Yes, it can be addictive! And if there was a support group in my area, hubby would make sure I was all signed up and first in line when the doors opened. LOL

The truth? My favorite part of writing is just to do it. No editing. No worries. Just let the words flow as the ideas filter through my scattered brain.

Maybe not the best strategy since there is so much editing to do when I finally do go back through the manuscript. But the adrenaline rush and new story produced at the end makes all the hard work worthwhile. You can’t fix what you don’t have, right?

Number one reason I participate:

NaNo gets my booty in the chair every day. Helps me remember why I love writing so much. And that in my book is Priceless!!

So who else is Nanoing?   :)

Need another friend to support you along the way?

You can find me under: mdohno


Best of Luck!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Tasty Book Blast for GOD WHISPERER by Kimberley Troutte



Enter to Win
$20.00 Amazon Gift Card, or 
Digital Copy of GOD WHISPERER (3 Copies)



God Whisperer
Kimberely Troutte
Released July 15th, 2014
Astraea Press


A frightened mother on the run

LONNIE HOGAN has lived and breathed fear for the eight years she and her son have been on the run. She cut ties with the past and is hiding out in a small offbeat Danish community in California. Will the killers find them? She’s ready to run again, or fight for her son’s precious life, but she won’t let anyone take David.

A desperate man searching for his family…

Few people on St. John, Virgin Islands, know their favorite doctor, MARK NORTON, is a desperate man searching for the life that was stolen from him. After hours, he surfs the internet for leads and retraces paths gone stone-cold to find his missing family. He’ll do anything to find them and get his son back.

Will sacrifice everything to protect the boy who hears God…
DAVID HOGAN is a regular kid, if you don’t count the one-ear thing. He didn’t mind being deaf in one ear, but it hurt his mom, way down deep, as if she caused it. Why won’t she see bad things can happen for good reasons? Like the ear surgery that allowed him to hear God. Talking to God is one of the greatest things to ever happen to him, even if Mom doesn’t believe it. But the killers can find them now. Can one little kid save them all?





a Rafflecopter giveaway



New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Kimberley Troutte, is a top 100 Amazon author for romantic suspense. GOD WHISPERER was inspired by her sweet son who was born with one incomplete ear. When surgeons created an eardrum and canal for him and he could hear with both ears for the first time, Kimberley wept with joy and gratitude.

10% of the author royalties will be donated to the American Society for Deaf Children.





WEBSITE   |   FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER   |   GOODREADS




Monday, April 14, 2014

NEW Release: Kick-Ass Heroines & Hot Heroes

ON SALE NOW FOR JUST .99 CENTS!
A collection of romances that will thrill and captivate readers with their strong heroines and oh-so-hot heroes. 
 
 
 
The Wedding Wager
Regina Duke
Megan leaves the hospital whole, but in despair. Can Kevin heal her heart and save his fortune? Sweet romance from USA Today Bestselling Author Regina Duke.
 
The Silver Cross
Debra L Martin
Detective Lacy Gardner is the best at what she does – hunting down vampires that prey on the good citizens of Boston. Her skills will be sorely tested when a powerful new adversary comes to town, but her greatest threat will be losing her heart to one she may have to kill.

Murder, Mi Amore
Cara Marsi
Jewel thieves, murder and terrorists intrude on American Lexie Cortese’s Roman holiday; can she trust the sexy, mysterious Dominic Brioni who comes to her aid?

Kiss Me, Tate
Karen Cantwell, USA Today Bestselling Author
Tate Kilbourn was Bunny Bergen’s secret high school crush, but that was 24 years ago, and a lot has happened since. When she lands a job at the nature center where Tate is the lead naturalist, will sparks fly, or will Bunny be disappointed all over again?

Eyes of Jade
Tess St. John
After multiple attempts on her life–that oddly mirror her action movies–America’s sweetheart, Eve Knight, must put her faith in the FBI agents assigned to her case. After Agent Jake Dane’s special care of her, not only is her life at risk, but so is her heart.

Target of Betrayal
Melissa Ohnoutka
Kathleen Landon thought her life would finally get back to normal after the bizarre death of her husband. But a “chance” meeting with an old boyfriend throws her and her family on a dangerous and emotional journey full of secrets and betrayal.

Love by Secrets
Debra Elizabeth
Emily Stanton is falling for the dashing and handsome Connor Preston, but when her father objects and forces her to accept the proposal from Lady Tisbury’s shy nephew instead, her heart is broken. How can she love her new husband when her heart belongs to the man who wrote her such beautiful love letters?

Forgotten Soul
Sandra Edwards
A con-artist, hired to locate a buried treasure, finds more than she bargains for in this enchanting tale from NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards.

Get Your Copy Today!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

KICK-ASS HEROINES & HOT HEROES

CALLING ALL ROMANCE FANS!
New boxed set coming soon. Release day SALE will be awesome! More details to come soon.


Seven Authors -

Sandra Edwards
Cara Marsi
Debra L. Martin/
Debra Elizabeth
Karen Cantwell
Tess St. John
Regina Duke
Melissa Ohnoutka

8 Great Books

Forgotten Soul -
From NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Sandra Edwards
Soul Searchers Series

A con-artist, hired to locate a buried treasure, finds more than she bargains for in this enchanting tale.  

Murder, Mi Amore -
From Cara Marsi
Redemption, Book 1

Jewel thieves, murder and terrorists intrude on American Lexie Cortese's Roman holiday; can she trust the sexy, mysterious Dominic Brioni who comes to her aid?

The Silver Cross -
From Debra L. Martin
Vampire Nightlife, Book 1

Detective Lacy Gardner is the best at what she does – hunting down vampires that prey on the good citizens of Boston. Her skills will be sorely tested when a powerful new adversary comes to town, but her greatest threat will be losing her heart to one she may have to kill.

Love by Secrets -
From Debra Elizabeth
Age of Innocence, Book 1

Emily Stanton is falling for the dashing and handsome Connor Preston, but when her father objects and forces her to accept the proposal from Lady Tisbury's shy nephew instead, her heart is broken. How can she love her new husband when her heart belongs to the man who wrote her such beautiful love letters?

Kiss Me, Tate -
From USA Today Bestselling Author, Karen Cantwell
PG-13 Romantic Comedy, Sweet Love Story

Tate Kilbourn was Bunny Bergen's long-forgotten, secret high school crush. But that was 24 years ago, and a lot has happened since. Devastated by a nasty divorce, trying to juggle kids, bills and her new job - not to mention a boatload of insecurities - the last thing Bunny needs is to fall for Tate again. But then she finds herself working with him, and gee, he sure did grow sexier with age...


Eyes of Jade -
by Tess St. John
Undercover Intrigue Series

After multiple attempts on her life, America’s sweetheart Eve Knight must put her faith in the FBI agents assigned to her case. After one agent’s special care of her, not only is her life at risk--so is her heart.

The Wedding Wager
From USA Today Bestselling Author Regina Duke
Sweet Romance

Kevin Wake hates being rich. He despises everything his father stands for, but he can't abandon his kid sister and baby brother. Their future is tied to his own. When his father threatens to rob them all of their mother's legacy, Kevin takes bold action to protect what should be theirs.

Megan Mully is out of the hospital at last. But she's homeless, jobless, broke and alone. Love is the last thing on her mind. Kevin is just a means to an end. She never expected him to steal her heart!


Target of Betrayal -
From Melissa Ohnoutka
Mystery/Suspense

Kathleen Landon thought her life would finally get back to normal after the bizarre death of her husband. But a "chance" meeting with an old boyfriend throws her and her family on a dangerous and emotional journey full of secrets and betrayal.


MORE INFORMATION TO COME SOON!



 

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Writing Truths

Did you know writers are readers too?

Yep, sometimes when I get stuck on a scene I'm working on, the best thing I can do is put it aside and dive into a great book by one of the author's I love. Never fails to open up those creative juices.

This is how I know Readers love to get lost in a book, be taken away to far away places they never might have the chance to experience otherwise, or just escape their chaotic lives for a awhile. But how many readers stop to think about what really goes into writing, promoting and selling those beloved books?

When I was younger, I thought authors sat in their quiet offices, relaxating in pj’s as they pounded away at those keys. Then when the book was finished, they'd sit back and watch the money roll in. Geesh…talk about not even close. I wish that’s how it worked. LOL

Blood, sweat and tears! That's more like it.

Writers work non-stop on their masterpieces even when not at the computer typing those brilliant words. The story and characters preoccupy pretty much every moment of every day. Late nights, early mornings, lunch breaks, carpool lines, doctors waiting rooms, you name it. There is no turning the switch off. The plotting and writing oozes out of every pore regardless of whether we want it to or not.

With the invention of e-books, the publishing side may have gotten a bit easier to wade through for authors like me, wanting more say over covers and pricing, but it also opened up a can of worms as well. Now authors can have that control by self-publishing their work, but they must learn to format, find and hire good cover artists as well as editors, and then promote, promote, promote!

Did I say how much I hate to promote? Ugh...

Even choosing to go the traditional route and have a publisher take care of the formatting, editing, covers, etc. still leaves the majority of promoting up to the authors.

All of this and they still must carve out those precious moments to write the next book. It’s a brutal balancing act. Exhausting doesn’t even come close to describing the end result. Finishing a manuscript after months and months of hard work is just the beginning. Worthy of major celebration. But then comes the real work. The polishing, the cutting (ouch), the adding, chapter by chapter and after reaching the end, it’s time to do it all over again. You see, in an author’s mind, the story is never really finished. There will always be something to change, tweak or rewrite completely.

I've talked to lots of others, so I know I'm not alone in this madness.

Turning your baby over to someone else to critique, or reject (gulp) is the toughest part of writing in my opinion. This is where an author’s skin must become tough as nails or their dreams will be torn to shreds. So many different views on how one should write, so many different options on how one should publish, an author must be strong and stay true to their own ideas, and yet be flexible enough to change in order to grow. Another critical balancing act.

I know what's going through your head right about now. Writers/Authors must be crazy to continue on with this obsession, right? LOL Well, in a sense, I guess that’s true. Crazy in love with a passion churning from deep within. The rewards hard to explain, but like no other.

Even after all this, trust me when I say, it’s the ultimate addiction ever.

And I absolutely LOVE IT!  :)

 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

My New Year Revolution

Happy New Year!!


Don't know about you, but all I want is for time to slow down a bit. You know, so when I lay my head down on the pillow at night I can remember what I did that day. I hear people say how time seems to speed up as they get older, but I had no idea this is what they meant.


The sad part is, I don’t feel like I’m really all that busy. I listen to what others have on their plate and I am amazed at how much they get done.  And here I have laundry spilling over on a daily basis, housework that never seems to get done and groceries to buy.  LOL  I mean, I have three kids who take up a lot of my time, but I love that. I just didn’t realize exactly how many different projects and activities I’d participated in until I sat down and looked back over the past year.



This is why I’ve decided not to write New Year’s resolutions for 2014. Instead I’m planning a New Year’s Revolution.  That’s right.

A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, “a turn around”) is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.


A change in power. (the power I give others. Just say no.) A change in organizational structure. (the chaos. I will find order.) In a short period of time. (hmmm…I wonder if a month is a reasonable goal?)

Yep, that’s exactly what I need! I’m not getting any younger, so I better get on the ball and make it happen. LOL


In case you’re curious.  Here’s my game plan in 10 easy steps:

  1. Love more.
  2. Laugh more.
  3. Stay calm no matter what – it’s usually never as bad as I make it out to be anyway.
  4. Enjoy every moment – even the tough ones.
  5. Make more great memories with my kids, family and friends.
  6. Embrace nature and all its wonder.
  7. Write every day – even if it’s only a few paragraphs because it’s fun not because I have to.
  8. Stop trying to please everyone – it will never happen.
  9. Be myself and not who others think I should be.
  10. Stop trying to control everything!
The last one is a doozie. You have no idea how hard it was for me to even write it down. LOL  To be completely honest, this is the source of most of my frustration. Time to face the music. The kids are pretty self-sufficient now so I should start relaxing a bit more.  Surely I can do that. It can’t be that hard, right?  :)