It's Friday!

Happy Friday Everyone,

Congratulations to Babz, who won yesterday's contest. I'll be getting Christie Craig's Don't Mess With Texas to you soon.

The NWHRWA is gearing up for the Lone Star Conference and so am I. There's still a little time to sign up!

Twitter and I have an interesting relationship. Half the time I get on there I have no idea what to say. So apparently, I don't have the hang of it, yet...but I knew that. However, I do post on there, so if you have Twitter find me.

Oh yes, and next week...I'm posting an official blog review! I finally finished the book and so now all I have to do is write the review. I have it scheduled for Monday. So be sure to check back Monday for the review.

I don't have a lot planned for this weekend, which is just fine. What do you all have planned for the weekend?

Have A Fabulous Friday!

Today Is The Day...

Happy Thursday All,

***THE CONTEST IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED!***

Today's the day to win a signed book! Yes, you read that right--today is the day you can win a SIGNED copy of Christie Craig's Don't Mess With Texas.

Here's what you need to do to get your hands on this adult Contemporary Novel... (be sure to read the ALL information coming up, because I'm going to have a particular comment you have to make to be entered to win this prize):

1.  BEFORE 11 p.m. Central Time today comment on this blog INCLUDING your name and email address. If, for some reason, Blogger is misbehaving and won't let you post, or you don't want to make your email address public, you can email me at this address and let me know you want to have a chance to win this prize.

In your comment (or email) please tell me what you think is great about Texas. It can be one thing or more than one thing. It can be anything (but let's keep the comments at PG rating, please).

The give away is limited to U.S. Residents ONLY. One entry per person.

I have ONE copy and ONLY one copy to give away. So there's only one winner.

All right...you know what to do, so off we go...

Have A Terrific Thursday!

Have You Caught The New Releases?

Happy Tuesday Everybody,

Well, I have discovered the importance of coffee in my life--although I knew it already, I was reminded again this morning...especially when I was trying to type in passwords on email and Twitter before I finished my first cup of coffee. Not smart.

Today is a release day! The Humorous Vampire Queen, Kerrelyn Sparks, and the Cool As Can Be, Will Graham, both have new books out today!



Kerrelyn Sparks has her brand new adult Vampire Romance, Love At Stake novel featuring my favorite character, Gregori out. You can find Sexiest Vampire Alive in paperback at Amazon or at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon Kindle, or if you don't have a Kindle on Barnes & Noble Nook.

Will Graham has his new adult Romantic Thriller novel, Spider's Dance is now available through Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. I've heard a lot about this novel and it looks like it'll be quite a ride!

Currently, I'm way behind on my reading because I've been prepping for the NWHRWA Lone Star Conference, but I hope to catch up sometime after the conference.

Are there any releases I've missed? I know I don't always catch them all (and that's not on purpose, either).

Have A Thrilling Tuesday!

What's Your POV?

Happy Monday Everyone,

This past weekend the illustrious Christie Craig gave a special workshop to the Northwest Houston Romance Writers of America, which, I'm proud to say I'm a member of this awesome group. The workshop was called "High Tea & POV" although, I don't know how many people actually consumed tea (I had water), but we sure listened in rapt attention as Christie talked about getting into your character's heads.

In fact...that's precisely what POV is. POV--point of view. Which character is telling the story? Is it your heroine? Then you see, feel, hear, smell, taste, experience intuition and thoughts of that character.

These are things that I've talked about with my C.P. but I'm not always consciously aware of them while I'm writing. When I'm writing I'm imaging how the character reacts based on what I know about the character. I'm reacting and visualizing. When I go back and edit I'm looking at the dialogue and thoughts and saying to myself, "Now would so-and-so really say it that way? Is that really their character?"

Christie made POV accessible. I had no trouble understanding what she had to say. I don't know if it's because my CP and I have talked about POV or if because I subconsciously knew some of what she had to say (or both). Either way, she made POV something you could grasp and understand. She made it make sense.

By the way...tomorrow Kerrelyn Sparks' Sexiest Vampire Alive comes out! I've been waiting and waiting for this novel. I love Gregori--he's my favorite character out of her Love At Stake series.

Another thing to note about this week:  I am going to be doing another giveaway! I have a SIGNED copy of Christie Craig's Don't Mess With Texas. I don't know which day I'm giving it away, yet, so don't be a stranger.

So, what about you? Is POV something you grasp or something you're still trying to understand?

Have A Marvelous Monday!

The Weekend Commeth And I Plan To Attend A Tea Party With Christie Craig...

Happy Friday Folks,

Well my household is doing much better in terms of health, so I am ready to do a happy dance. I'm feeling quite a bit better, myself, so I'm really happy about that!

I'm learning Twitter...slowly, but kinda getting the hang of it. But don't worry I'm not quitting the blog posts. Like I said, just super busy until after the Lone Star Conference--which by the way, if you're a writer, you're invited!

I am waiting with baited breath, excitement and impatience for September 27th! That's when Kerrelyn Sparks' newest Love At Stake book, Sexiest Vampire Alive is released. This is Gregori's story. He's my favorite vamp (the Vamps are the nickname for good vampires--Malcontents are the bad guys--fitting, huh?)

This weekend I'm hanging out with my NWHRWA buddies. Christie Craig is doing a workshop for us and I can't wait to hear what she has to say. If you ever get a chance to hear her do a talk/workshop--GO! She is funny, informative, encouraging, realistic, but also, incredibly helpful and fun.

Robin Badillo's* Flesh Wounds is out. So, you can order that for your Kindle and Nook from her publisher. It looks really good! *Please note that Robin Badillo's website is for people 18 years old and older Thanks!

So, what are you reading these days? I'm working on a novel for an official blog review in October.

Have A Fantastic Friday!

Can I Possible Smash Any More News Into ONE Blog Post...

Happy Thursday All,

Wow! I know I've been very silent lately. We've been battling infections--we thought they were allergies but turned into infections. I've been on an antibiotic for about 2-3 days now and offspring is going on an antibiotic and husband is trying to keep sore throat from needing to go to the doctor. Life is far from boring.

NEW THING-- I am on Twitter now. Yep, I finally decided to just go ahead. I'm still trying to find my way...but you can find me on there @WriteBethanyBethany --profile has a pretty purple background (very fantasy looking, kinda romantic, so I thought it worked. Don't have a background of my own to load up at this point).  The Twitter Feed can be found in the right hand margin of my blog.

I'm prepping for the Lone Star Conference--yes it's right around the corner--October 15, 2011--but there is still time to sign up to go! Beadmore Designs and authors Tess St. John (Adult Romantic Suspense, Historical and Mystery), Téa Trelawny (Adult Erotic Romance) and Christie Craig (Adult Contemporary Romance), are teaming up with me to donate a prize basket for the Conference. You won't know details unless you come. Plus there's keynote speaker Alexandra Sokoloff, 3 agents and an editor coming! This is going to be a really fun conference. It's my third year going and I've had fun at the other two.

What's going on with you?

Have A Terrific Thursday!

Spotlight On Author: Cheri Jetton

Happy Friday All,

Some people have mentioned they're having trouble posting comments on here. I apologize. I don't know why that happens, but I know it happens on some other blogs. You can always email me your comments and I will post them for you if you find you can't post them here.

Now...drum roll please...today's an author interview day. I'd like you all to meet my friend and chaptermate, Cheri Jetton. Cheri has published "Sweet" Romances and a Romantic Suspense. She's also worked as an editor. I've read one of her Sweet Romances and her Romantic Suspense.

Me:  Earlier this year you put out a Romantic Suspense entitled Crimson Snow. Can you tell us a little bit about what inspired the story?

Cheri:  I think the setting spawned this one, Bethany. I was born and raised in California and have spent all but a couple of years of my adult life here in Houston. Very little snow in either place, but in 2001 I went to visit my brother on Sugar Island, MI and ended up spending the winter. It was awsome! By mid-winter the snow was hip deep. He and his wife keep bird feeders outside the breakfast room windows. A show unto itself. The pristine expanses of snow were marked only by little bird feet, rabbit tracks, and fox tracks. The trees sparkled under heavy pillows of snow that weighed down the branches.

It was all new to me and I savored every snowflake. Then, like a good writer I began to think, "what if...".

Me:  Crimson Snow isn't the only novel you've published. Can you tell us about your other work and how it differs from Crimson Snow?

Cheri:  My other three books are traditional (read, sweet) romances published by Avalon Books. Although "Texas Dawn" has a bit of suspense to it when someone starts harrasing the heroine, they wouldn't be considered mysteries, or even suspenses. "Blue Plate Special" and "Jessie and the Ranger" have no mystery at all, just men and women looking for love.

Me:  You've done some editing as well as writing, what do you look for as an editor? What do you think makes a great novel?

Cheri:  My editing job requires evaluating the manuscript for continuity, balance, and pesky writing errors. I take out redundant and repeated words, every "that" I possibly can, and trim overly verbose paragraphs. In short, I try to make the story more attention grabbing and readable.

Me:  For Fun: What sort of movies do you enjoy?

Cheri:  Romantic comedies, hands down!

Me:  What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Cheri:  Study and pay attention! Nothing drives me battier when I'm working with a private client than to point out a problem, and find the author repeating that mistake again and again. If you can't learn from your mistakes, you aren't going to make it!

Keep it simple. Don't try so hard to impress with big words, long sentences, and unnatural dialog. Anytime you have the chance, attend workshops and take notes.

Me:  What do you think is harder: Writing or editing? WHY?

Cheri:  At this stage of my life, writing is probably harder, because I can't give it the time I'd like. I work full time with the public and unfortunately, I'm a person who needs a couple of days to decompress before my muse can come out of hiding. By then, it's time to go back to work!

Editing has its own frustrations, to be sure, but I don't usually need to call on my creativity to edit.

Me:  For fun: What's your favorite color?

Cheri:  Blue

Me:  How do you feel about the options authors have in publishing nowadays as opposed to 10-20 years ago?

Cheri:  I think they're awesome! It will be interesting to see where the self-published ebook trend takes the industry. I want to make a major point here, though. ONLY PUT UP YOUR BEST WORK!

Find an impartial critic to read your book. Listen to what they say. Maybe even show it to another one. These should be seasoned writers, with good publishing credits. If you go out there with weak, flawed writing, not only will you fail to win a following you'll weaken the market for everyone else who isn't Nora Roberts or Debbie Macomber.

The same is true if you go through an epublisher. Read some of the books they've published. Are they the same quality of stories you see in Harlequin, and the other print houses? If not, look elsewhere.

Me:  What's some of the best experiences you've had as an author?

Cheri:  LOL! I think the most special moment was when my youngest daughter called to tell me "Texas Dawn" kept her up all night. That is one of a writer's greatest accolades, and to have it come from your own child (who takes you for granted, right?) was just so special.

Me:  Who are some authors you admire and WHY?

Cheri:  I have the complete collection of Laveryle Spencer's books. I can't tell you why, I just love her writing. "Spring Fancy" had real emotional punch.

Me:  Anything else you'd like to add?

Cheri:  Um, if the man in your life needs a new suit, come see me?

Cheri Jetton's Crimson Snow is available on Kindle and Nook. You can find her other titles through Avalon Books / Amazon

Have A Fabulous Friday!