The Author Encounter is doing a Blog Hop / Scavenger Hunt! The information is all available right here:  Military appreciation month officially recognized by Congress in May 1999, incorporates many holidays celebrating our women and men in the Armed Forces. Join us for a literary approach to celebrating the soldiers and families that proudly serve and protect our country. Crafting military fiction whether it’s romance, fantasy, mystery, or any other genre mix isn’t easy. Each story has unique challenges. However, creating believable, relatable characters, scenes and plot lines is a goal all authors aspire to no matter how they write. That is why so many authors use tropes to get their creative juices flowing in familiar ways to encourage their readers to fall in love with their stories. What is a trope? Or more specifically what is a military trope? A military trope is a commonplace, recognizable plot element, theme, or visual cue that conveys something about the military...

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Near the end of this month is Memorial Day, and in honor of it The Author Encounter is having a May We Remember Blog/Website scavenger hunt. In talking with my business partner (we're Co-Founders/Co-Owners of The Author Encounter) I got to talking about my grandfather who served in World War II. He was my dad's father, and he was a tall man who went by the nickname "Mickey" (no, I didn't call him that, I just called him Grandpa). My dad doesn't even know why his nickname was Mickey, nothing in his name suggested it (does the name Owen sound like Mickey?) But that's what he was called (apparently, my Grandmother even called him that--but I didn't know her, she died a year before I was born). Anyway, he was an MP (among many other jobs while in the army) and he went all over the place, including Italy. I've often wanted to go to Italy (not during a war, obviously, but on a visit--who knows when or if that will ever happen, bu...

Happy Tuesday All, I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend, and found something fun to do. My husband, parents, and I went to an Italian restaurant to hear author, Raymond Benson , play the piano. Not only is the man a multi-published author, but he's a very accomplished pianist. We had a great time hearing him play, and I got to visit with him, his wife, and a few of my chapter mates afterwards. My family and I also had a nice dinner at the restaurant. I got to introduce my chapter mates to my family, which was fun, too. Next week is super-duper busy for me, so I'll probably won't be posting any blog posts. I'm working on revisions for my YA novel, and working on the companion/sequel for All's Fair In Love & Lion , on top of everything else going on. I expect the 2nd round of edits for AFIL&L soon, too. (After all, July 10th is getting closer!) While I'm busy with all these many things, here's some books to keep you happily o...

Happy Memorial Day / Monday Everybody, Again I find myself apologizing for the silence on this blog. I really have been super busy. This past week was the last week of school for offspring, so I had that going on, as well as getting back to full speed after having a virus AND infection the week before. Now of course, you'll have to pardon more silence on my part as I prep this week for some family events I have coming up next week! I'm hoping after June 9th to be able to keep up better with the blog and every other "every day" thing I do. Life has been incredibly busy (some good ways, and some ways I could do without; i.e. virus/infection), but I have not forgotten my loyal readers! Not at all. The Lone Star Contest is coming to the deadline for entries (deadline is June 9, 2012). Please check it out and get your entry in. The prizes are really great, and an opportunity to come out to our annual conference is NOT to be missed (believe me, this is m...