Phantom's Rest

This week I received my print copies of Phantom's Rest! And yeah, it was cool to hold them in my hand and check out the beautiful cover--front and back! But the book is also out in digital format and I'm just as proud of the digital book as the print books. Whatever your style--I hope you'll grab a copy and read it!

Just to wet your appetite, here's the blurb and a short excerpt!

When Beauregard Barker leaves his military career due to injuries, he takes refuge at the Phantom’s Rest RV Park, expecting no more than a place to recover as he helps renovate the park. First he discovers the place is full of ghosts. Then Emmeline Fairchild arrives for her annual stay and everything changes. Beau falls hard for the shy calligrapher who’s being stalked by a killer. Whatever it takes, he’s determined to keep her safe and persuade her he’s the man for her.

Excerpt:

Narrow shafts of sunlight sneaked past the blinds to bombard him in the face. Grumpily, Beau rolled over and pulled the lumpy pillow over his head. A series of muffled thumps from outside invaded his restless sleep.

Woobie whined.

Beau groped in the covers for Woobie’s “baby”—a tattered, ragged teddy bear—and tossed it in her direction.

Then the familiar strains of a man singing something Italian wove their way from next door. Vaguely, he recognized the artist as one of Aunt Agatha’s favorites, though his name escaped Beau at the moment. When the volume abruptly grew louder, Woobie lifted her head and howled along with the singer in a doggie duet. The music soared to a towering crescendo as Woobie ended on a high note.

Cursing, Beau sat up and glared at the door. The melody sounded a lot like opera—his least favorite genre of music. When the singer switched from operatic Italian to a hypnotic Spanish number accompanied by flashy guitar work, his patience reached its limits. While Woobie soulfully howled along with the new song, Beau knuckled his burning eyes, listening to his dog in disbelief. He leaned over, groping on the floor for his clothes. Finally, he snatched up his plaid boxers, jerking them on wrong side out before leaping from his camper to storm his way to the driveway next door.

His eyes were bloodshot from the inside out. Tiny leprechauns were lustily hammering in his head. He yelped and cursed as he stepped on a sharp stone. Hopping sideways on his bad foot, he twisted his ankle, landing squarely on his butt in a small puddle of water. Clapping his hands over his ears, he tried to block out the soaring music as the singer reached a powerful finale with Woobie howling in the background.

Abruptly, the music stopped. He closed his eyes, savoring the exquisite relief.

        And then she laughed.

Hope you enjoyed it! For buy info and a longer excerpt, click HERE! 


anny

Sex is Boring

First let me hasten to say that is not a personal statement about my private life...

Had you going there, didn't I? Actually, I thought I would write about the many erotic romance writers who complain about how bored they are with writing sex scenes. My take on that? A) Maybe they should write a non-erotic genre story. Or B) Maybe the characters aren't interested in having sex.

I am no doubt gonna get bopped on the head for saying this, but realllly? Maybe your female characters would rather have a sinful chocolate dessert. Or a decadent candle-lit bubble bath. Maybe your male characters would rather have a beer and watch football. Or maybe he would rather have sex...

I have a confession. I don't plan when my characters are going to jump in the sack...or bend over the kitchen table...or whatever. I just pretty much follow along and they carry on with life. Sometimes they do boring stuff like paint their nails or build a fence. That's the way life is. Sometimes couples have this out-of-control screw-me-quick-against-the-wall thing going on. And other times, they kinda wish their partner would spend a week in Timbuktu.

As a reader, I like to see both sides of the mattress, you know? For one thing, it makes me feel like the characters might be real. I'll never forget reading about a woman who'd had a bad day. Sick kids, broken washing machine, sink overflowing with dirty dishes...and the guy comes in and says, "How about it?"

And her answer? (Come on, now, ladies! What would your answer be?) No, no, no. She says, "Oh, baby, I love when you growl like that."

Huh? What planet is this woman from?

OR how about the guy who's shot all to hell, beaten within an inch of his life, bleeding all over and??? His ladylove jumps him in bed. Hmmm. If I was him, I'd be tossin' her out the window. In the snow. Stark naked.

Here's what I'm suggesting. If your characters seem a little recalcitrant about making whoopee, it might be because they're tired. Or hungry. Or they just want to cuddle on the couch. Maybe it's time to let our characters decide something this personal. That's what I do. And I don't ever find it boring because they're just carrying on without me.

What about you? How do you deal with boring sex?

anny

Details, details...

After a day with no writing (doctor's appointment, Valentine lunch, shopping...) I'm back in front of the computer. On my day off I compiled a list of odds and ends I wanted in my current work in progress.

Telling the story isn't the only job when writing. The author (that would be me) also has to fill in the details. Every writer has a different working style. Some are even lucky enough to have those pesky details just come to them when they write.

Unfortunately, I tend to get down to the nitty gritty, leaving out the details until I go back for a second or third pass. That's where my detail list comes into play. For instance:

First pass: They went to the village.
Second pass: Sketch description of village.
Third pass: Probably should mention the skulls over the doorways.

See? Yesterday I compiled a list of details I need to add to my story--not just for the fun of it (though I'm sure it won't be quite as boring with the occasional description), but because some tiny details have great significance to the story line. Without those bits and pieces that story is missing something.

That's what I'm doing today. Adding in the skulls over the doorways. If you're a writer, how do you handle the details? Or are you one of the lucky ones they just flow for?

anny

Phantom's Rest release day!

It's release day for Phantom's Rest! Check it out HERE!

When Beauregard Barker leaves his military career due to injuries, he takes refuge at the Phantom’s Rest RV Park, expecting no more than a place to recover as he helps renovate the park. First he discovers the place is full of ghosts. Then Emmeline Fairchild arrives for her annual stay and everything changes. Beau falls hard for the shy calligrapher who’s being stalked by a killer. Whatever it takes, he’s determined to keep her safe and persuade her he’s the man for her.

Excerpt:

Narrow shafts of sunlight sneaked past the blinds to bombard
him in the face. Grumpily, Beau rolled over and pulled the
lumpy pillow over his head. A series of muffled thumps from
outside invaded his restless sleep.

Woobie whined.

Beau groped in the covers for Woobie’s “baby”—a tattered,
ragged teddy bear—and tossed it in her direction.
Then the familiar strains of a man singing something Italian
wove their way from next door. Vaguely, he recognized the artist
as one of Aunt Agatha’s favorites, though his name escaped
Beau at the moment. When the volume abruptly grew louder,
Woobie lifted her head and howled along with the singer in
a doggie duet. The music soared to a towering crescendo as
Woobie ended on a high note.

Cursing, Beau sat up and glared at the door. The melody
sounded a lot like opera—his least favorite genre of music. When
the singer switched from operatic Italian to a hypnotic Spanish
number accompanied by flashy guitar work, his patience reached
its limits. While Woobie soulfully howled along with the new
song, Beau knuckled his burning eyes, listening to his dog in
disbelief. He leaned over, groping on the floor for his clothes.
Finally, he snatched up his plaid boxers, jerking them on wrong
side out before leaping from his camper to storm his way to the
driveway next door.

His eyes were bloodshot from the inside out. Tiny leprechauns
were lustily hammering in his head. He yelped and cursed as he
stepped on a sharp stone. Hopping sideways on his bad foot, he
twisted his ankle, landing squarely on his butt in a small puddle
of water. Clapping his hands over his ears, he tried to block out
the soaring music as the singer reached a powerful finale with
Woobie howling in the background.

Abruptly, the music stopped. He closed his eyes, savoring the
exquisite relief.

And then she laughed.

Blogger Crusade and Phantom's Rest

First off, I've joined Racheal Harrie's Writers Platform Building Crusade. Curious? Check it out here. I confess I have no idea how it works, but I'm willing to try anything once. And hopefully I'll meet a lot of other bloggers!

Second of all, thanks to Lance Cheuvront who pitched in to offer his thoughts on ancient weaponry. I really appreciate his suggestions. (And a couple points I hadn't thought of...) Check out his poetry and other writing on Facebook. The man has a way with words.

Third of all, Phantom's Rest will be released at Passion in Print tomorrow! Check it out! I'm very excited about this book--so much so I'm busy working on the second on in the series.

Blurb:

When Beauregard Barker leaves his military career due to injuries, he takes refuge at the Phantom’s Rest RV Park, expecting no more than a place to recover as he helps renovate the park. First he discovers the place is full of ghosts. Then Emmeline Fairchild arrives for her annual stay and everything changes. Beau falls hard for the shy calligrapher who’s being stalked by a killer. Whatever it takes, he’s determined to keep her safe and persuade her he’s the man for her.

That's all for today!

anny

Phantom's Rest

When Beauregard Barker leaves his military career due to injuries, he takes refuge at the Phantom’s Rest RV Park, expecting no more than a place to recover as he helps renovate the park. First he discovers the place is full of ghosts. Then Emmeline Fairchild arrives for her annual stay and everything changes. Beau falls hard for the shy calligrapher who’s being stalked by a killer. Whatever it takes, he’s determined to keep her safe and persuade her he’s the man for her.

Isn't my new cover beautiful? Phantom's Rest will be released February 12th from Passion in Print. I LOVE my new cover!

Woke up this morning to about eight inches of new snow. Very beautiful out there, but cold and wet! So thankful I don't have to go outside today. I suspect our feelings about snow are directly related to whether or not we have to be out in it!

Wherever you are, keep warm, keep dry, and have a good book handy!

anny