Sara Reyes | Books As A Solace

What a difference a week can make! Who knew! I guess everyone, but sometimes days go by without effort; work is done, food is made, eaten, drank, family listened to, friends are seen, all very very routine. And then like a Texas tornado, something happens that can be life changing or enough to jolt one out of the ordinary mundane. My week's twister makes me reflect on what I do to overcome the, well for lack of a better word, stress.

I was greeted at 4am last Sunday with the embodiment of Carrie, yes, from the movie. Blood covered hair, dripping onto the white Greek flokati rug, ripped clothing, and generally messed up figure. Crying, gasping and semi-hysterical. Semi, because she lost her voice screaming during the run home from the flipped car, otherwise, I'm sure she would still have been screaming. Not to worry now, she's okay and healing, the car, electric pole, and retaining wall, not-so-much. But that figure looming in my memory is much harder to be vanquished than I expected after all the excitement had lapsed.

So what to do? Well, I turn to that old stand-by I've used for over 45 years. Books. And what kind of books? Definitely not paranormal this time. The vampire ones I read sitting in the ICU waiting room when my husband had a heart attack some how comforted me then, but not now. The blood I see in my mind is much too vivid to be reading about blood-suckers. Thrillers, fast paced as they may be are not filling the gap or relieving the heart-stopping moments of fear when I replayed my voice messages and realized that could have been the last one I had from her. Yes, so for the Gwen incident, I've gone to the old favorites of romance. Lovely, relationship, character-driven romance. Misunderstandings, no big mystery, just characters in search of each other and sometimes a plot. Ah, I love romance. Romance always soothes me.

There are romance authors where, to quote a friend, "I'd be willing to pay to read her grocery lists." Those authors have a way of crafting a story of a relationship I know will come to a very successful satisfactory ending but whose journey will allow me a couple hours relief from my reality and those gray-hair causing worry spells.

So this week I'm just thankful to all the romance authors out there toiling away, thinking they are underpaid and unappreciated. Not true, my darlings. Weeks like I had are the reason I SO love you all and will buy you, cherish you and rave about you forever!!!

Well, until next time...

Get out there and READ a book...
Sara Reyes
DFW Tea Readers Group
Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 13-15, 2009!

Linda Bilodeau | OH Those Intriguing Characters

I'm often asked about the characters who live in my stories. Are they based on someone I know? Is there a little of myself in these characters?

The answer to both questions is yes, and I believe the talent to create characters comes partly from creativity and partly from understanding human nature.

When I construct a story line, I think of who is going to live in that world and what their motives are or should be. Depending on plot, I decide if the women need to be tough, weak, courageous, deceitful or honest to a fault. What makes up their basic personality? In other words, stick that tea bag in a pot of boiling water and see how it holds up.

Curious? read the rest of Linda's blog!

James LePore | The Suspense Novel

I’ve heard it said that what drives a genre novel is plot, a comedic novel, voice and a literary novel, character. My novel, A World I Never Made, is a genre novel, a thriller, or, as it says on the cover, “a novel of suspense.” It seems to me, however, that a suspense novel can--and should--be character driven as well as story-driven. This is what I aimed for in A World I Never Made, the story of an estranged father and daughter who struggle to reconnect under an extraordinary set of circumstances. Those circumstances include a faked suicide, a betrayal inside the French government and the workings of a little known but extremely deadly terrorist organization. I hope that readers find both the story and the characters compelling and that they have as much fun reading the novel as I did writing it.

Jaye Wells | Conquering Fear Through Fiction

When I was in fourth grade, I convinced myself that a vampire loitered outside my bedroom window waiting for me to go to sleep. Being a precocious child, I decided to outwit this fiend. So when I'd get in bed, I'd lay still and flat as a plank under the covers with a pillow over my head. I'd leave the bedside lamp on too, for that added touch of authenticity. "Nothing to see here. Move along." My plan must have worked because that vampire never found me. He also never, as I'd hoped he would, bypass my "empty" bed and go down the hall to take care of my sister. Oh well.

A few years later, Michael Jackson's Thriller video gave me nightmares for weeks. In fact, I still can't watch it now. I didn't watch the Exorcist until I was in my late twenties, and then stayed up nights imagining that tribal mask peering through my windows at night. Basically, what I'm telling you is I'm a big old sissy.

Click here to read the rest of Jaye's blog and to leave a comment.

Sherryl Woods | Introducing Chesapeake Shores

As many of you know after finding a character accidentally renamed in my Trinity Harbor trilogy, I am very much a right-brain writer with a terrible tendency to lose track of such pesky little things as names. Imagine, then, the challenge of creating a whole new world...and then trying to keep everyone straight.

Even so, I'm so excited to be welcoming you to Chesapeake Shores and the completely dysfunctional and complicated O'Brien family. Kicking off with THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, this new series captures everything I love about family dynamics, romance and the kind of small towns in which we all wish we lived.

As the oldest of five siblings, Abby O'Brien Winters took her role as surrogate mother seriously when her parents divorced, especially when it came to Jess, her youngest sister. So when Jess's dream of renovating The Inn at Eagle Point is threatened by a bank foreclosure, financial whiz Abby comes home to Chesapeake Shores to set things right.

Abby's exactly the kind of take-charge woman that Jess needs, but her bossiness grates and threatens their strong bond as sisters. Add in the complicated relationship each of them has with their father, famed architect Mick O'Brien and tension abounds.


Hooked? Read the rest of Sherryl's blog...

Donna Lea Simpson | Bucking My Own Trend

I wrote traditional Regency romances for six years with Kensington. I read Regency romances. I researched the period, read about the period, loved the period, so when I switched to longer format historical romances, I would naturally write about the Regency period, right?

Well, no.

I veered off to the late Georgian era. My Awaiting series (Awaiting the Moon, etc.) was set in 1795 Germany, and Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark (Sourcebooks Casablanca – April 2009), the first book in a new series, is set in Yorkshire 1786. Why? At first, I didn’t know a thing about the period, except that George the III was mad (he wasn’t really… oh, he was ill, but it was physical not emotional or mental) and… well, that was pretty much it.

You think I’m exaggerating?

Click to read the rest of Donna's blog and to leave a comment.

Laura Griffin | Who doesn’t love a good page-turner?

My favorite experience as a reader is to be riveted by a book and simply unable to stop reading while time ticks by all around me.

As you can imagine, this drives my family nuts. I have certain favorite authors (Linda Howard, Karen Robards, Patricia Cornwell, Lee Child, just to name a few), whose books seem to grab hold of me, shove me into a chair, and demand that I stay there until the very last page. Occasionally, I do get up to answer the phone, feed my family, or grab an Oreo, but sleep and other unnecessary activities fall by the wayside.

What are your favorite page-turners? For me, they’re often mysteries or romantic suspense stories.

Click here to read the rest of Laura's blog and to leave a comment.

Sandi Shilhanek | Dining With Authors

In my little corner or the world this past week was quite exciting. I had the chance to not only meet but to have dinner with the entertaining author Lisa Lutz. I got books signed for several of my friends, and managed not to forget one for myself.

Saturday my friend Yvonne arrived from England, and her visits are always a pleasure, and while we do many varied things we always hit the bookstores;

To help welcome her to Dallas in a way that was more special than how I usually welcome her which is take her home and say now what I took her to dinner with the ever delightful Dakota Cassidy and some friends. While paranormal romance might not be my preferred genre I do read selected ones. So when a box from Amazon arrived on my doorstep I had to open it and see what Yvonne was ordering to be picked up when she arrived. The contents…the three current releases from Dakota Cassidy’s Accidental Series. The explanation…Yvonne said, “I’m meeting the author I’m going to buy her books so I can have them signed, and then read them.” I’m taking this comment to mean that Yvonne’s descent to the paranormal side or romance has begun.

So, now back to the bookstore visits, I believe that both Yvonne and I could use some recommendations for adding to our TBR piles. The preferences are for contemporary romantic suspense and biographies, but needless to say all recommendations are more than appreciated. Who knows you might find one yelling your name from another comment as well.

Until next week I wish you happy page turning

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Sandi

http://readers-n-ritas.org/