My Life As A Romance Novel (Or, Happy Anniversary To My Real Life Hero)

Happy Wednesday All,

Today is very special. Because today is me and my Real Life Hero's wedding anniversary. 

Our story begins many years ago...

Sometime around 11 years ago, Real Life Hero walked into my life. It was a late January evening and I was at a church sponsored young adult group. He caught my eye with his personable ways, and how handsome he looked in his black leather jacket (by the way, he doesn't have that leather jacket--he had to get a new one, and he still looks hunky in black leather jackets). However, I didn't think of having a relationship with him because I was with someone else. We had nice conversations, but I wasn't going to be disloyal to the other guy. Well, the relationship with the other guy fell through (and no, it wasn't because of Real Life Hero, there were a lot of other issues with that relationship and honestly, ex and I became better friends than we were romantic couple). 


Hero and I maintained a friendship, and he asked me out. But, being the timid goofball I was, I called off the romance some months later. I had a feeling Hero was the right guy, but I wasn't sure how I felt about that knowledge. I was in my early twenties and didn't know what to think. However, Hero had also figured I was the woman for him, and didn't give up hope. 

We maintained contact, and on New Year's Eve 2002, as we toasted the beginning of 2003, we talked about getting back together. I told him how I didn't want another relationship to fall apart. That I was tired of having my heart broken. He said to me, "You have to take a leap of faith." I replied, "If I fall, will you catch me?" He said he would.

March of 2003, he proposed to me after asking my father's permission. 14 months later on May 8, 2004, we were married. 

9 years later, he's still my best friend, my hero, and he still catches

me when I fall. He's an awesome father, and makes me feel special. The other guys I dated were nice guys, but my Real Life Hero, is truly the one God meant for me.

I love you, my hero! Thank you for loving me back. :-)

Do you have a special someone in your life? What's your romantic story?

Have A Wonderfully Wondrous Wednesday! 

A Little Taste...

Happy Monday All,

Wow...I know, it's so very long since I gave a real update. Things are heating up (in a good way).

I'm gearing up for July 10, 2013 when All's Fair In Love & Lion is released (YAY!) Yeah, it's still 2 months away, but there's several details.

In other news...the companion sequel to All's Fair In Love & Lion has a new title (originally I was calling it Inflamed, but I felt like that didn't really describe the book, so I came up with a new one, which I will reveal later). It's coming along and I like the direction it's going, so hopefully I can finish it up reasonably quickly. I really want to get through initial edits and get all fixed up as soon as possible. I sent a basic synopsis to my editor and she wants to see it when I'm done. So we'll see what happens with that one.

What can I tell you about AFINL&L? Well...let's see it's a Romance novel...there's aspects of fairy-tale in it (no, Monroe isn't a prince, but he's got a castle he inherited from his parents). Sasha is an high school English teacher who secretly wants her own Prince Charming and wonders if it could be Monroe. There's a whole cast of characters that were fun to write--from Sasha's exuberant best friend, to Monroe's lifelong friend, who is practically a brother to him. There's a cast of characters I had a blast creating. I just love this story. I'm so excited you, my readers, will finally have a chance to see it.

I know I'm teasing you, but I promise, you'll see more as time goes by and then, whoo-hoo, it'll be release day! So stay tuned. :-)

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!

Please Be Patient...

Happy Friday All,

My blog is undergoing RE-construction. I've been getting a lot of emails lately from people saying they weren't able to read the blog--that the dark background was bleeding into the white of the posts making it hard to read dark font colors. This year is the first time I've had this complaint. I have no idea what is going on. I had no trouble viewing anything on this blog from my computer (or the 3 other or so computers I've viewed it on) so all I can say is I'm trying to be as accommodating as possible.

I've changed the background design to a lighter design. I plan to continue to use the dark font because it's easier to see on the white background of the blog posts.

I've adjusted the content in the margins--unfortunately, not everything is behaving itself. For some reason, despite the fact that I changed the color to black, when I viewed the blog some of the font coloring is a dark-gray or some color like that. I'm not sure why. I'm not a techie, or a web designer (and right now it's not in the cards for me to have one) so I have to do it all myself.

So please be patient. I'm doing my best to make this as viewable as possible.

Thank you.

Have A Fantastically Fabulous Friday!

Ta-Da! Cover Reveal...

Good Evening or rather Good Wednesday Night and a Very Happy Thursday,

As promised, here is the cover art for All's Fair In Love & Lion!

 

 

Isn't it GORGEOUS??  I just love it! I really do.

 

The release date is for July 2013. I should have a more exact date eventually (I will let you know when I do).

 

Anyway, hope you like it.

 

Have A Tantalizingly Terrific Thursday!





Kylie's Story Comes To An End...

Happy Monday All,

Yes, I know the time-stamp on my blog post says Sunday, but this is actually meant to be Monday's post, I'm just posting it a little early. Part of the reason being because I actually have a moment and the other part being that this weekend has been rather rough. Offspring got sick with I don't-know-what, and so Husband and I were dealing with that all weekend. Once again, the Husband proved why I call him my real life hero (he was quite heroic, on more than one occasion, and trust me, I got all mushy talking to a friend of mine about it).

But setting that unpleasantness aside...

Author C.C. Hunter returns with the final installment of Kylie Galen's story is jammed packed with the return of ghosts, Mario--the evil vampire, and all our friends from Shadow Falls.

Kylie thought going to her species' hideout would mean feeling less of an outsider, but even worse than camp, the other chameleons regard her with fear and suspicion. Most of her kind have lived their lives in complete terror of being found out. So much so, that contact with the outside world is nearly unheard of. Teens who try to escape the compound find it almost impossible.

When Burnett appears after Mario and his gang are thought to be around, Kylie decides it's time to return home to Shadow Falls Camp.

However, if she hoped for an easy solution, Kylie is sadly mistaken.

A mysterious sword, even more frightening ghosts, and secrets await Kylie. How will she survive and can she? Kylie knows love is worth risking it all, but in the end, who does she really love, and who is she risking it all for?

The exciting conclusion of C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls Series, Chosen At Nightfall holds all the answers, and can be yours on April 23, 2013. Enjoy! :-)

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!

It All Started One Day (Or, "Once Upon A Time An Idea Was Born..")

Happy Thursday All,

 

I've been rather remiss about posting (FYI--if y'all are hoping this is a post about my cover art...sorry, that's not finalized yet, but I've seen a draft and it's gorgeous, dahlings! But keep reading, this is a behind-the-scenes look)

 

Over the weekend I hurried up after discovering I wasn't quite as far along on the edits as I had originally thought. Fortunately, I did get the edits turned in, so hurray!

 

My best friend, Sarah, (the one
who died in February) made this
for me years ago. I'm posting it
in this blog post since she played
a role in my journey. RIP Sarah.
Love you!

Lately I've gotten a little nostalgic thinking about my journey from first starting All's Fair In Love & Lion, to where it is now...with a draft cover, edits turned in, a July release (not sure of actual release date, but still) and in general, on its way to being available to the public.

 

I never thought I'd get nostalgic about it. I always thought I'd just be happy, relieved, and overjoyed. Now I'm sitting here thinking about the first time I came up with the idea, how Monroe insisted on being heard, and how Sasha evolved. It's incredible.

Early graphic I used when
I first started blogging

 

All's Fair In Love & Lion has led me on an incredible journey. 

One that isn't over, but one that's taken me through some amazing places that I never expected to be.

 



Monroe ornament on my Christmas Tree

From first finding out about the NWHRWA, to actually attending a meeting. I felt welcome. Everybody was warm, caring, genuinely interested, and supportive. I am supremely grateful to each and every one of those members. There's so much talent in that group, it's amazing it doesn't burst out like confetti all around the building where we meet, and onto the surrounding area. Maybe we've learned how to contain it to the room, or maybe the confetti is just invisible; either way, each of you is special to me for one reason or another, and I wish you the best on your own writing journeys. (P.S. Shamelessly going to plug the NWHRWA's Lone Star Writers' Contest--click here on how to enter this year's and the upcoming Oct. 5, 2013 Lone Star Writers' Conference featuring Donald Maass).

 

Throughout my journey, I've also had contact with writers outside the NWHRWA. Authors such as Lesley Livingston (whose Wondrous Strange Trilogy I adore), talented mystery author, Laura Childs, and this year I interviewed Lynn Kurland--which was a completely fan-girl moment for me since I've enjoyed her work for many years. And of course, just this year, also striking up a rapport with the talented Sophie Jordan and Mary Lindsey).





As to the writing side of my journey?

 



December 2012 I received this snowglobe
to commerate my first sale,
which  is All's Fair In Love & Lion
 



Throughout every story I've been writing, editing, pitching, querying, going to Conference, meetings, and brainstorming sessions with my invaluable and super-human critique partner (the illustrious Tess St. John) All's Fair In Love & Lion has insisted upon being told. Monroe has demanded I share his story. He growled at me when I faltered, got annoyed when it wasn't the center of my attention, and all around made a nuisance of himself...but he still is firmly planted in my heart. He's one of my favorite creations, no matter what other of my characters I've grown fond of, I still get a smile when I think of that shifter who just really wanted his story told. He has made sure I didn't forget him. And really...that's a huge part of why I kept up with the story. Because I loved it that much. Because the characters insisted I not ignore them...that they get their chance to shine. So, this is their debut as much as mine. I'm grateful to the story and the journey.

Everybody in AFILL (All's Fair In Love & Lion) has taught me something important and many of them hold a special place in my heart. I'm hoping to write a couple more of their stories (one is in the process, the other is being plotted) and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I have.

Keep watch...once the cover art is finalized, I'll reveal it. And those who are still craving that first sale...as so many published authors (including NY Times Best Sellers) have said to me and to my colleagues:  "Don't give up." Keep writing and keep dreaming. :-)

Have A Thrillingly Terrific Thursday!

A Mini Update & A Double-Treat...

Happy Thursday All,

Let me first apologize for having posts so few and far between. I'm working on the final proofs of the edits my publisher sent me, I've had some other stuff come up in my real life I had to deal with, and I've been reading, reading, reading.

Recently I finished two novellas. They're both YA, but they couldn't be more different from each other.

I'll start with the one that was out first (and that I read first):



Katie McGarry, who wrote the gritty, contemporary YA, Pushing The Limits has returned with another hit out-of-the-park with her follow-up novella, Crossing The Line. Lila, Echo's best friend, is the heroine of this short-story. One of the things I loved about this novel was that Lila and Lincoln get to know each other through letter writing (snail-mail style). Lila is facing the very first time being left alone at home overnight. As a high school graduate, she looks at it as an opportunity to get ready to go away to college. However, the noises she's hearing at night, and the fact she's certain she saw someone hanging around her house have her doubting whether or not she's brave enough to face the big world on her own. Her one consolation is that Lincoln is going to join her in Florida to attend college, as well. However, Lincoln's mess of a home life, and a secret he hasn't shared with Lila, might just put a wrench in their plans. Will Lila forgive him, or will this whole test Lila's put herself through be for nothing? Crossing The Line is a precursor to the upcoming release of Katie's newest novel, Dare You To, due out May 28, 2013. (Crossing The Line is only available in E-book form. You can get it on Amazon Kindle or on Barnes & Noble Nook).

The second novella was...

In anticipation of the final installment of the fabulously talented C.C. Hunter's Shadowfalls Series, we get a glimpse into the next

Shadowfalls heroine, Della, Kylie's best friend. Della is a no-nonsense, I-can-take-care-of-myself, sassy vampire. However, when sent on a special mission for FRU agent, Burnett, Della realizes that in spite of the pain and disappointment in her life, her heart still craves a closeness that sexy shape-shifter, Steve is willing to give. Not only that, but he's also willing to stand by her, save her life, and help her "save face" all while being one heck of a charmer. Yet, is it enough? Can Della let her guard down at all? As a fantastic lead-in to Chosen At Nightfall (due out April 23, 2013), and the subsequently anticipated stories about Della, fans of Shadowfalls series will not want to miss out on Saved A Sunrise. I truly enjoyed it. Della's a great character and I look forward to seeing what C.C. comes up with for her stories. (Saved At Sunrise is also only available in E-book form--Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook).

So, if you're looking for something to read, either one of these novels would be great fun. I'm reading another novella now. I'm planning on 2 other book reviews (one was an unexpected ARC on a June release, the other is one that I'll post closer to the release date this month).

What have you all been reading?

Have A Terrifically Thrilling Thursday!