Happy Thursday Everyone, I had trouble with this site earlier, so I'm posting a little later in the day than I normally would... I'm going to verbally jump up and down for a moment here, so just bear with me. Finally, finally, finally! Tess St. John , one of my illustrious Critique Partners, is starting to release her Romantic Suspenses! Yesterday she released onto Amazon Kindle and Barnes &Noble Nook Don't Let It Show . This looks good and if it's anything like what I've read of her other work, it's going to be awesome! Okay, now that you've seen me be total fan girl (not the first time, right?) I can get into today's discussion: Yesterday I finished reading Lauren Oliver's Delirium . Can I just say, WOW? This dystopian novel took me on one wild ride. Even when there wasn't any running or looking over one's shoulder I had this feeling that any minute someone was going to jump out and yell "Boo!" (metaphorically speaki...

Hey Everyone, I'm behind on reporting on a couple of contests. I apologize to the contests hosts and to you, my readers, as well. I hope you all will forgive me. Anyway, TA-DA! Here's some information on a couple of contests I know about... Here's info on the contest that C.C. Hunter's holding . The deadline is September 1, 2011  and there's all kinds of prizes. Please go to her blog for more information. C.C. Hunter is the author of Born At Midnight. Her second one, Awake At Dawn arrives in print in October of 2011. It looks like a really fun contest, so I hope you'll take the time to go check it out. Fortunately the owner of the blog that's hosting this contest just posted about it on Tuesday, so I'm not far behind--I hope. Anyway, I need to tell  you all about the contest  Suzan Harden , author of Blood Magick and Seasons Of Magic: Spring (both novels available on Amazon Kindle  and Barnes & Noble Nook) is holding on her blog . T...

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Bet you never thought you'd see that on my blog, huh? "Bethany runs with lions? What in the world? Is she a safari fanatic and just didn't tell us?" No, I'm not a safari fanatic. In fact, I've never even been on a safari. It's just a reference to my novel, Surreal , which brings me to today's questions: Who do you run with? Who's company do you keep? What type of characters do you have running around in your head? Whether you're a reader, a writer, or both, you have all kinds of characters running in your head. Those characters are the people/creatures you run with. They are your company and companions through a story. They are your safari tour guides and help you navigate the world of the book you're either reading or writing. Sometimes those tour guides are all contemporary human beings. Sometimes they're extraordinary humans, like for example, knights in shining armor, wooing a damsel--the onl...

Hey All, I know, I posted for the day, but since I'm such a total fan of Lesley Livingston's work I just had to report on this. Apparently Once Every Never has released in select stores. I've checked USA Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites and it's not up, yet (color me disappointed). Hopefully it becomes available there, soon. Until then, you can look up where this new novel is available on Lesley Livingston's Once Every Never section of her website and enjoy an interview on A Cupcake And A Latte blog has posted with Lesley Livingston . Hopefully before long, I'll be able to report that it's available across the states, but for now all us Lesley Livingston fans must gaze longingly at the beautiful cover and wait. Have a great day and don't forget to go check out today's post on here entitled: A Rose For Your Thoughts?

Happy Monday All, Okay I'm loving my new background...the header is still something I'll have to toy with, but I love the rose background. Roses are my favorite flower (yeah you couldn't see that coming a mile away LOL). I've actually gone to a website to check out the meanings of different kinds and colors of roses. Through various ways, I've confirmed most of what this website says.  It's a little blurry but those are roses this is a picture of my wedding bouquet Red roses generally mean love and desire, which is fantastic for me since I write fantasy/paranormal romance. (Although, if I find a lavender/purple rose background, I'll probably use that since purple roses mean fantasy). Anyway, to see what I'm talking about, head over to this website and have a peek . Even if you're not a rose fanatic it's an interesting site. Roses play an interesting role in romance and courtship. In the fairytale, Beauty & The Beast it...

Hey Everybody, I'm trying a new design out. I like the background, I don't know if the header works, but after trying other colors out for header it's what I found works best. Every now and again I like to try something new just to see how I like it and how others respond. Hopefully it's not too big a shock. Have A Great Day :-)

Happy Friday All, Wow, is it Friday already? Time flies when you're having fun (or reading a good book as the case may be). I've been focusing on a Lynn Kurland novel, One Magic Moment --it's pretty good. I'm not done with it, yet, but it's good. This weekend I have a couple of things planned, so that'll be fun. Our cordless phone's base (with our answering machine) decided to stop working. So it looks like we have to get a new phone. Not fun, but it happens. I already have my eye on a couple of phones that I think we can use. We have another phone to use in the time being, so that's good. What's your plans for the weekend? Have A Fabulous Friday!

Happy Thursday All, Before I get started, you all might want to check out this explanation of High Concept done by Josin on her blog --I thought it was excellent. Okay back to our regularly scheduled  blog post... What makes a killer scene? Is it the emotions behind it? Not knowing what's going to happen next? The surprise plot twist? Perhaps all of the above. Authors are constantly working to put that "certain something" into their books to nail each scene. Whether it's an emotion they didn't know they had,  going to a dark place they never wanted to visit, or thinking outside the box. Every author wants their books to be unforgettable in the most positive way and one of those ways is having those scenes that grab hold of the reader and refuse to let go. An author also works on having scenes a reader will want to read again and again (hopefully read the whole book over and over, too). Scenes that strike a chord with the reader somehow--...

Happy Wednesday Everyone, There's a lot of people gearing up for Conferences. Romance Writers Of America (RWA) --the writers' group I'm a member of, is hosting it's annual conference in New York City this year. Unfortunately, I will have to miss it, but I know several people from my chapter are going, many of the authors I've mentioned here (I don't know all who are going, I don't have the final count, but several of them are). My friend and fabulous author, Jane Heller was talking about on her blog, Mainly Jane about a conference she's attending, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference . In the Fall, I plan to attend the annual NWHRWA Lone Star Conference (October 15, 2011). So are you attending a writer's conference? If so, which one?

I did post Tuesday's blog post, but this is one fun contest that I think a number of my readers wouldn't want to miss (and I didn't know about it until just now). C.C. Hunter's character, Kylie, and Suzan Harden's character, Sam are having a debate on who's life is harder. Come read the conversation and make your own decision. Christie Craig is sponsoring it on Killer Fiction and giving away prizes. The conversation was a lot of fun. Go see:  http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-life-is-so-much-more-worse-than.html HURRY! It ends at MIDNIGHT (I'm guessing Centeral time). Have A Great Day!

Happy Tuesday All, Raise your hands if you like Greek and/or Roman Mythology! *raises hand and waves it* I first was exposed to Greek and Roman Mythology when I was in Middle School. I was homeschooled at the time by my parents (5th through 8th grades). We listened to a dramatization on tape (yeah, this was back before CD players were the norm) of the Odyessy , Agamemnon and of Socrates death. I read about the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses (essentially the Greeks and Romans had the same sorts, just different names and the Roman ones tend to be fiercer, which is actually saying something considering how tempramental the Greek ones could be).  My favorite myth is Cupid & Psyche (yes, I have a romantic heart). I've read a couple of re-tellings of this story:  Cupid by Julius Lester (pretty close to the original myth, mostly from Cupid's point of view) Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors (offers a different pespective and told from a third party's point of v...

Happy Monday All, A relative of mine gave me a heads up about someone she knows who put out a novel (looks like a Romantic Suspense) I haven't yet read it, but it looks really good. His name is Stephen Younts and his novel, Sweeper is available both on Amazon Kindle and on Barnes & Noble Nook . Anybody like bagels? I'm suddenly in the mood for bagels. There's a shop (still in business) that my father would go to often when I was growing up and living at home. These were awesome bagels. My favorite flavor is Cinnamon Raisin (it's been my favorite since I was a kid. I'll eat other flavors, but to me, there's not a better flavor and it's absolutely fabulous with cream cheese--plain cream cheese, you don't want anything messing with the Cinnamon Raisin taste). Anyway, now that I made everyone hungry, go pick up a bagel and check out Stephen Younts' novel. While you're at it, go ahead and tell me what's your favorite bagel flavor? Hav...

Happy Saturday All, I don't normally post on the weekend, but there's a couple of things to mention... Before I get started on today's topic, Meb Bryant, the author of Harbinger Of Evil ( Amazon Kindle ... also available in print at Amazon   and available on Barnes & Noble Nook ) has put out a new one called Monster Spray available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook . Now, let me explain the title of today's post: Father's Day is on Sunday, so I thought I'd take the time to devote this post to my father and to all of us who want to pay tribute to our dads. My father has always been one of my biggest supporters. He's the one who took me to the park and taught me how to ride a two-wheel bicycle without training wheels. He tutored me in Geometry my Sophomore year when I was struggling to understand what a Theorem was and how in the world all this pertained to real life. I may have passed up 21 years ago, but Dad still calls me "...

Happy Friday All, Well, she's done it again! Melissa Ohnoutka has another story coming out. This is a suspense/thriller (not romance). Shattered Souls Of Innocence is on Kindle  and she plans to make it available on Nook soon. This is a short story that's a teaser to link between Faithful Deceptions and the next novel. What else is out this June? Well, let's take a look: I found out about Janet Evanovich's Smokin' Seventeen from Write By Bethany Blog follower, Tonette. (Thank you for the heads up, Tonette!)  Smokin' Seventeen will be available on June 21st. I don't know much about her series, so I can't offer many details (but if you click on her name it'll take you to her website). The rest of these I found on my web travels... Author Ann Brashares  of the  Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants  recently released a brand new book in the series, Sisterhood Everlasting . James Patterson is putting out a book for kids called Middle School ...

Happy Thursday All, Who or what is your muse and inspiration? To be honest, I don't know if I have the same muse for everything I write. I haven't figured that out, yet. I know for certain different things inspire me--it's not always the same thing.  When I started Surreal I had this thought in my head:  I like the paranormal genre, I like dark brooding male characters for my heroes. I missed a character I had written years before that got lost when computer crashed and I only had bits and pieces saved on diskette. Anyway, eventually I figured out I wanted to write Fantasy and Paranormal. But then I did something I never had done with my writing:  I listened to music while I wrote. I had to turn it on low, and I had to make sure it wasn't too distracting. That's when I  discovered my muse for Surreal . It was Chris De Burgh's music. Sure, I listened to other music, but if you look at my list in the margins, you'll notice there's several Chris De...

Happy Wednesday All, All right, before I get on topic, I got a quick question (and of course the question at the end of the post, too):  anyone keeping up with the show Castle on CBS? I used to, then I got interested in other things on TV. So now I don't know what's going on with Castle . Now that I got that out of the way... Okay, maybe I'm just being a little ahead of myself, but I'm already gearing up for the NWHRWA's annual Lone Star Conference  (October 15, 2011). Three agents, and an editor are coming, not to mention the keynote speaker sounds very interesting. I am hoping to finish my edits for Surreal so I can pitch. I have a draft of a pitch written up to help me get started, but I'll have to go over it. You do not, and I repeat, you do not have to write romance to come to our conference. I had a rhyming sales pitch for the Lone Star Conference written up here, but it got out of hand and very cheesy, so I deleted it...you understand. Ahhhh! I ...

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Before I get into today's topic, two things: 1-- I was made aware that yesterday W illiam Graham put out a new novel entitled, Sometimes, There Really Are Monsters Under The Bed available on Kindle and Nook .  2--Do you watch the Food Network ? Have you ever seen the  Food Network Challenge  show? While writing this post it came on and it was Romance Novel Cakes was theme. It's interesting to see the different perceptions people have of Romance Novels. One contestant wanted to take a more tragic approach as opposed to the Happily-Ever-After. By the way...  Romance Writers Of America President, Dorien Kelly was one of the judges. Now for our feature presentation: Every writer (no matter who you are) needs that break at one time or another. Whether it happens when they sign that contract with an agent and/or editor, or when they find something that assists them in their journey as a writer. The two websites I want to men...

Happy Monday All, Hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was pretty good. The Tonys were last night, so in honor of that and some things I've thought about... I've got a question... Lately it seems like everything is becoming a musical? Now, don't get me wrong...I love musicals. In fact, some of my favorite movies are musicals. However, I never thought so many movies, and books would become a musical. I mean, I don't have a problem with it, I love musicals, but it makes me wonder what story is next?  Cases in point regarding books and musicals: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy became a musical in the late 1990's . I recently learned that back in 2000, the book by Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre became a musical . Jekyll & Hyde is based off of the book by Robert Louis Stevenson. Some people aren't aware that Phantom Of The Opera is based off the book by Gaston Leroux (I read the book before I saw the musical, and I ended up reading the...

Happy Friday Everyone, A special shout out to my parents who are celebrating 45 years of marriage today--congratulations! Today I'm happy to introduce to you a friend of mine and a very talented author, Melissa Ohnoutka . Melissa's Faithful Deceptions , which I reviewed and definitely enjoyed when I read it. She's incredibly nice, cheerful, and a lot of fun to know. She also has a blog , where you can go and see what's happening in her world.  Anyway...introducing Melissa Ohnoutka: Me:   Faithful Deceptions came out in March, do you have plans for future releases? If so, what and when? Melissa:  Yes, I'm working on a short story called "Shattered Souls of Innocence." It will tie my first two books together and should be released soon. Then "Target of Betrayal" will follow this summer. Me:  What made you choose human trafficking for your novel? Melissa:  I watched a Lifetime mini series back in 2005 or 2006 with Mira Servino and ...

Happy Thursday All, Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I guess I needed a day off. Technically I didn't really take much of a day off--I had a doctor's appointment (went well) and I finished reading a book-- Debbie Macomber's An Engagement In Seattle (2 novellas). Good stories, I checked the copyright and they were from the early 1990's--I had read them back then, in fact I don't remember exactly what I was reading in the early 1990's. Do you remember what you were reading in the early 1990's? Speaking of the early 1990's isn't amazing how far technology has come? Laptops have gotten smaller, phones have gotten smarter, and the Internet has WiFi and all kinds of fancy options. What do you think our early 1990's selves would've thought? Would we have believed it? What do you think? If you could go back in time and tell your early 1990's self what to expect in the 2000's what would your other self have said? Have A Thoughtful Th...

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Instead of my usual The Nanny watching while I write this, I'm watching reruns of What I Like About You . Yes, I'm very delighted reruns are a part of cable networking.   Congratulations goes out to yesterday's winners of the Plum Crazy Janet Evanovich Giveaway--Kerrelyn, Tess, Barbie, Jeff and Stacey. Congratulations you all! Exciting stuff is coming up here. Friday is an author interview! No, I'm not telling you who the author is, you're just going to have show up on Friday. I finally finished reading Lady Of Quality by Georgette Heyer and it's fun, funny, and a good read. I recommend it! Over the weekend I saw  Gnomeo & Juliet . (It's brand new release on DVD & Blu Ray).  Very cute! It's basically a retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, but it's adorable and has a happy ending. Anyway, I recommend it if you're trying to choose a movie. So what new movie have you seen? Have A Tip-Top Tues...

Happy Monday Everyone, CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! One of my regular followers, Tonette, has 5 booklets with the first chapter of Janet Evanovich's newest Stephanie Plum novel , Smokin' Seventeen  to give away. In order to enter the drawing you need to do the following: 1. There's some adult content in the booklet, so Tonette requested that only 17 or 18 year olds and up enter . No offense to the younger readers, just don't want any angry mothers after us. 2.  Either email me or leave your comment on here. If you can't post a comment, email me . Include your email address and first name. Please note:  Blogger sometimes acts up for some people and not so much for others. If you can't post a comment, just email me .      3.   Have your entry posted in the comment section are emailed to me no later than 10:30 p.m. Central Time. I will email the winners and Tonette will send the winners t...

Happy Friday All, I'm a bit late posting this. Last night my Internet went nuts and decided to see if I was paying attention.  Today I got it to work despite electrical sockets deciding to go on vacation and not work for me. (And we just had the electrician come and check out these same sockets!) Anyway, I got this idea from a blog post that Shannon Hale did about an interview she had with Stephenie Meyer . Here's what I came up with: You get to ask ME questions. What do you want to know about me? ( Please note:  I reserve the right to not answer any question I deem too personal--this includes information on my age, personal information on family members and my sexual life ). However feel free to ask about my writing, inspiration, the NWHRWA, reading, movies I like, and things like that. You can also tell me if there's something in particular you want me to blog about or ask me about author interviews--make suggestions if you'd like. So whatcha wanna know? ...

Happy Thursday Everyone, There's a few releases that I've seemed to have missed, plus a contest (these are all novels that are now available): Jane Carver is making her mark with a new novel, Moonlust & Majick is available on Amazon Paperback . It's also available from Barnes & Noble in Paperback . Very pretty cover, that one! Yesterday Suzan Harden, author of Blood Magick (available at Amazon and at Barnes & Noble ), posted she's having a contest on her blog (it ends June 7, 2011). Check out Wild, Wicked & Wacky (Suzan's blog) for further information. Teri Thackston put out a new novel--a Western Romance.  The Abduction Of Miss Jenny Chandler  is available at her publisher, Ellora's Cave website. It's also available in paperback from Barnes & Noble  (you can also get it on Nook on that link). It's also available at Amazon in Paperback and on Amazon Kindle . (She doesn't just write Westerns, she has written in other genre...

Happy Wednesday Everyone,   Riverboat Ride in Frankenmuth, Michigan   It's June! Which means,  it's Summer time. School's out. There's heat, humidity, vacations...and there some Summer-y type feeling novels being released and some Summer releases coming out:  Jennifer Bray-Weber Blood And Treasure (a romance novel with pirates. Being out on the ocean--what's more summery than that?) (This one is already out). Christie Craig's Don't Mess With Texas (August 2011) If any place knows summertime weather, it's definitely Texas (as a Texan I can speak from experience). (You can actually find this one on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites already). Lesley Livingston has a new novel coming out July 2011, Once Every Never (I haven't even seen this on Amazon or Barnes & Noble websites, yet). Of course this isn't to say that Summer is the only time for exciting new releases. Fall will be on the heels of Summer and bring wit...