For the last four months or so, our street has been a beehive of activity. We live in a neighborhood on the edge of town, with only two ways to enter it. Our house is about a half block into the neighborhood on the less used main street. Most of our usual traffic is during the morning and early evening hours, with school buses and people going to and from work.

During this fall, however, traffic has picked up during the day. I work from home, both with my writing and my other business.  My usual routine is to sit in the living room with my laptop during the morning and write. Then, after lunch, I spend some time in a back room on my other career. However, a new house is being built across the street – which is only two cars wide – and the noise from the various trucks and contractors has been very distracting.

For the last week, I’ve been thinking about a common phrase that is thrown around regarding romance: “formulaic.” Of course, the term is always said with a sneer and the reason the speaker isn’t about to read ‘those types of book.’ Watching this house grow right before my eyes has given me a different perspective . . . actually one that I’ve held for a long time and even used in a workshop talk once.

To me, a formula is what is used to create medicine (or anything else that has to be exactly the same every time). Each time you take a pill, you expect it to be the same so that it can treat your symptoms. Variety in prescriptions isn’t a good thing – since you need to know what’s going to happen after you swallow the tablet. Strictly speaking, though, even some formulas aren’t without variety, since scientists are always tweaking, which is how we end up with the ‘new and improved’ versions of a medicine.

Recipes may be seen to create the same food every time but most of us know that isn’t so. My sister and I have tried to replicate our mom’s brownie recipe many a time. Somehow, we’re missing something, even though we follow the directions she gave us very carefully. Ours taste fine but anyone who’s eaten our mom’s brownies knows our batches are lacking.

Which brings me back to the house across the street. . . and writing. If you drive up and down our street, you’ll find houses of all different sizes and shapes. No two are the same. One side of the road has houses with walkout basements. The other side, due to the mining that happened in our area, may have wider single story homes or maybe a second story to make up for the lack of a basement space.  All of the houses, though, have the same basic form: a roof, walls, windows, a foundation.

Inside you’ll find that the décor reflects the personality of the owners. We had a lot of baby gates and sturdy furniture when our children were younger. Now we’re slowly upgrading a bit to ‘adult’ furniture. My aunt and uncle are artists so we have a number of their paintings and sculptures placed around the main rooms. A neighbor is an international singer and mementos of his trips are very evident in their living room. Other neighbors are proud grandparents and the walls of their home reflect this pride.

Books and stories have form. A beginning , middle, and end. Characters and a plot or a situation. Even the experimental stories have some sort of form, even if it’s only that it doesn’t follow any of the other forms. When you’re involved with any of the arts, the medium determines the form to some extent. Some of my aunt’s paintings are watercolors. Others are oils. All are bound by the edges of her canvas. And within those edges . . . her world as she saw it.

Art in all its form is subjective. I never have understood why someone who doesn’t like a particular form feels led to tell everyone else why it’s awful. Certain styles of music don’t appeal to me. Obviously, though, others enjoy the style and either pay to watch the performers or buy the music. That’s great. Variety is the spice of life, to use a cliché that’s apropos. Their enjoyment costs me nothing and may cause us to have a happier connection when we see each other next time.

I write commercial fiction. I’m paid for telling a story that I hope will brighten someone’s life for a short time. My readers have an expectation that they’ll be reading a certain type of story and that’s what I offer, based on my experiences and  my ideas. If someone showed up for a basketball game and saw the teams playing soccer, they’d be upset. Doesn’t mean basketball is a better game than soccer, just not what was expected.

I love what I do and if someone else doesn’t like my stories, well, there’s enough other ones out there for different tastes. For now, I’ll keep working with the form that I have.

Tessa McDermid writes about men and women who fall in love and then have to work out the challenges of that relationship. Her latest book, WEDDINGS IN THE FAMILY, is published by Harlequin Super Romance and is the story of Nick and Caroline on the eve of their daughter’s wedding.

it's Samantha's favorite time of year!

Stay warm, and happy shopping!

I’m pleased to announce that Jane was won this week’s prize of BREATHLESS by Bonnie Edwards, available in stores now!  Breathless is an anthology of erotic romance novellas. Jane, please contact me at bonnie@bonnieedwards.com to provide your mailing address!  I’ll mail the book to you shortly….enjoy and here’s to leaving you Breathless!

Today I’m chatting with author Kimberly Killion. After reading Dante’s Inferno, Kimberly immersed herself in the classics and developed a love for all things tragic, passionate, and historic. A graphic artist by training, she has now traded her design career for that of an historical romance author. She resides in Illinois with her husband and two children. Her first novel, Her One Desire, won a Holt Medallion, and was a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards and the RITA®. RT Book Reviews described her second book, Highland Dragon, released in October, as “captivating, finely written romance” and “a tale to cherish.”

SUSAN: Congratulations on the great reviews for Highland Dragon. There were more I didn’t quote. Would you tell us a little about this book? And is it a stand-alone novel or part of a series?

KIMBERLY: Thank you, Susan. I’m still in awe of the positive response this book is receiving. Highland Dragon is a stand-alone, though I admit I would like to write Kendrick’s story some day. (He is the heroine’s brother.)What’s it about…well the back cover blurb aside, here is the original pitch I used in my query letter: Eighteen years after hiding the secret of his betrothed’s lineage, Laird Calin MacLeod must choose between avenging his father’s death and surrendering to the passion he finds in the arms of his enemy’s daughter.

 SUSAN: I can tell you love the classics. Your premise is the classic revenge plot-enemy’s daughter romance. Your heroine is thought to be a witch but she harbors a different secret. How do you juggle these elements and keep her secrets while building a romance with the hero?

KIMBERLY: Akira’s secrets are the main conflict of the hero, so I had to keep them undisclosed, otherwise the book would have come to a slamming halt. Building romance is the easy part when you are dealing with a randy Highlander and an innocent lass who’s eager to learn. *wiggles brows*

SUSAN: Not a retiring maiden, then. I look forward to reading it. Your RITA ® nominated book, Her One Desire, is also set in medieval times. Why did you choose this time frame and how does it enhance the stories?

KIMBERLY: I love the drama that goes hand in hand with the medieval era. The struggles and decisions faced by the Highland laird were no small potatoes. People were always at risk, as was land and status. I like to write with a dramatic flare. I have a voice for it, and I think that’s what makes my stories so intense.

SUSAN: What in your opinion is the hardest part of writing historical romances? What is the easiest?

KIMBERLY: The hardest: Getting the dialect down and weeding through pages of research. The easiest: There is nothing easy about writing anything, historical or otherwise.

SUSAN: I’m so glad you said that. Too many people seem to think this stuff is easy. LOL.

You’re ready to begin a new project. What’s the first thing you do? Character bios? Plot and plan? Or just jump in and let the muse take you?

KIMBERLY: I’m a pantser, but I have to know about my characters before I start. I do character sketches prior to typing that first line, which includes finding a picture of them, making a list of their GMC, their expletives, their habits, their fears, their flaws. The goal in doing this is to develop more believable characters.

SUSAN: Would you share your journey to publication?

KIMBERLY: I started writing a Regency in 1997, but my writing quickly went on hold after the birth of my son in 1998. It wasn’t until 2005 when my television broke, and I started writing again. I joined RWA and my local chapter, Missouri RWA, and also Hearts Through History Online Chapter of RWA. I became interested in writing Scottish medievals and joined a few critique groups at which point I realized I’d written my first book all wrong. Highland Dragonwas actually my second book and once I had it polished for publication (this took another year) I went to the 2007 RWA National conference in Texas with one goal–to sell. I had one completed manuscript, Highland Dragon, and one manuscript partially written, Her One Desire. I had two interviews set up, and luckily one was with Hilary Sares of Kensington. Though she perked up when I mentioned my contest wins, I didn’t have her full attention until I started talking about the book I had in the works. At the time, I only had five chapters written on Her One Desire.. Hilary was very interested in the premise of this particular story and asked to see everything I had written on it to date, in addition to Highland Dragon. Ten days after National I got ‘THE CALL’. Hilary wanted to buy both books from me. The catch…she wanted Her One Desire to hit the shelves first. Of course, I was exhilarated, excited, but I only had five chapters written. Long story short…I had to write 80,000 words in three months. The following weeks were a whirlwind of chaos. I set myself on a schedule of 1,000 words a day and 5,000 on the weekends in order to meet my deadline. I got up at 4:00 a.m. to write before work and then wrote at night until 10:00, 11:00, sometimes midnight. I locked myself in the closet with my laptop for privacy and when that didn’t work, I went to the ‘shed’. But, I DID IT! Within 10 weeks, I had 103,000 words written. Whew!

SUSAN: Whew, for sure. A marathon. What was the best piece of advice you got from another writer?

KIMBERLY: Perseverance. When you finish a book, and NY rejects it, you start another one. The old saying “suck it up and move on” applies here.

SUSAN: What advice can you offer to writers who are working toward publication?

KIMBERLY: Perseverance. (See previous answer.) If you want it bad enough, it will happen. You must continue to learn. Find a critique partner or group. I found it easier to learn the craft of writing from reading ‘bad writing’ vs. ‘good writing’. Join online writer’s group and take classes. Read all the How-to books and never, under any circumstances should you ever give up.

SUSAN: And lastly, the blog fairy is granting you three wishes. If you could have anything or do anything you wanted, what would they be?

KIMBERLY: I want to go to Scotland. I would like to have a month to simply wander about the country. And since this is a wish…I would like the year to be 1502 and I want Gerard Butler to be my tour guide.

SUSAN: A tall order (Gerard Butler, get it?). Oh well, but at least I’m sure you’ll get one third of your wish, the trip to Scotland. You can write off the expenses as research. Go for it!

My thanks to Kimberly for a great interview. I know everyone will be checking out both her books and visiting her website at http://www.kimberlykillion.com.

Recently, I received an email through Classmates.com. The message came from a high school classmate I don’t remember. We were in the same graduating year, but by then no longer in the same school.

For a time, though, she lived in Gleneden, a beach town in Northern Oregon best known today for its Salishan Lodge. I lived a little farther north in Taft, a town since absorbed along with other small area towns into Lincoln City. My former classmate  wrote a few lines, offering her memories. One in particular sparked my imagination and memories of my own.

“The souvenir-beach store in Gleneden,” she wrote, “had Japanese fishing floats that had washed up on the beach.”

In my mind’s eye, I see thick glass globes with rough pontil marks where they were broken from the glass blower’s rod. The globes are either clear or in tones of blue or green. They glint in sunlight while holding heavy nets in Japanese currents. A few wash free and begin their long journey. I imagine them bobbing beside ocean-going liners, perhaps bumped by whales, maybe caught for a time in a forest of kelp, then breaking loose and finally, rolling onto a distant wave slope with the wash of the tide.

I know those glass floats. I have three in the windowed breakfront of my home. My earliest years were spent farther north in a town called Rockaway located between Tillamook and Seaside. Our beach stretched long and straight in either direction. Usually, the sand was smooth except for occasional drift logs and scatterings of sea-polished pebbles, but after a storm, we liked to wander the wave slope. Then we could poke through debris sometimes two or three feet high. Occasionally, a Japanese float was caught among the flotsam, along with bamboo mats and miscellaneous trash.

Kelp we called sea onion was plentiful among the debris. My younger sister and I often towed the long smelly lengths home because Mother said they were good for the garden. On the beach, we liked to jump screaming onto the rubbery seed pods despite the smell because it was fun to feel and hear them pop. And of course, if we were lucky enough to find a glass float, we brought it home to treasure.

There is power in words. A few lines in an email and memory opens like a forgotten book. With Thanksgiving close, I’m feeling thankful today that as writers, we have the freedom to open our hearts and readers who care to listen to what we have to say.

Sorry about the groaner of a title for this post, especially since I write erotic romance. But when I’ve waited twenty-two months for this book to hit the shelves, I am literally short of breath today. The path to release today was a long and winding road full of Breathless moments.

My first Breathless moment came when I discovered the editor that bought this book had left the house. No worries, I told myself, you’re heading to the PASIC Conference in NYC where you’ll meet your new editor. You’ll make her laugh, you’ll have a nice lunch, you’ll talk about the second book of the contract. All will be well.

The second Breathless moment came as I stood in my hotel room and took a call from my agent. My brand-new editor had just left the house, too. I’m now editor-less in NYC at a conference where *everyone* but me is meeting with editors. Not only was I Breathless, I was rattled, too. I mean, was it something I said? Or worse, something I wrote?

Now some people would say, so? There are other editors and even editorial directors at the conference. Say hello to them. Let them know you’re wondering . . .

Not my style to loom (at 5′10″ I loom over a lot of editors) and ask pointed questions that could prove awkward for editorial staff who are scrambling with yet more changes. I didn’t want to put someone on the spot about where I’d land, and with whom.

By now you’re wondering if this will ever get better. (hey, so was I)

Take a look at Breathless moment number three. Is this one of the loveliest covers ever created? (I think so)

Editor number 2 had chosen this cover image before she left. I’m so grateful. Since a corset figures prominently in one of the novellas, I couldn’t have picked a better cover. I gasped when she appeared in my inbox. (A surprising number of my high school BFFs tried to take credit and insisted it was an old photo of them….ayup, right . Not on your best day ladies)

Then, I was fortunate enough to land with editor number 3, who’s been extremely supportive of this book. Teaser pages from Midnight Confessions have been included in the back. (Midnight Confessions (Mar 07)launched a short series of ghost stories set in a haunted bordello.)

Not only that, but my publisher’s teamed with Sony to provide free downloads of Thigh High (Feb 08) for Sony e-readers for the first month!

So, while it’s been a roller-coaster since my last book came out, I’m hopeful that Breathless will do well. Readers who’ve asked me for more stories set in that bordello will be pleased to know that I took a heroine back to 1913 via one gorgeous corset.

Happy reading and I hope I leave you Breathless, too! Don’t forget to check back on Saturday for my announcement of this week’s winner of a signed copy of Breathless.

Life’s Sweet, enjoy it!

Bonnie Edwards

It’s a rough time in my household right now. While the rest of the country is making plans to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday and looking forward to sumptuous feasts with those they love, my family is facing the demise of a very dear loved one. There will probably be no turkey with stuffing, no pumpkin pie, no football games, no laughter. For us, there will be the interminable waiting for an end we wish we didn’t have to see and the solemn comfort of each of us left behind.

So while I’d love to wax poetic about all the things I’m thankful for, I find my thoughts turning to the simpler joys in life. Rather than provide you with a list of family, friends, health, and prosperity who touch my life every day, I present you today with a list of the little things that can bring a smile to my face–however briefly. I hope you too can find a moment to smile in these day-to-day instances.

1. Music. Sometimes the right song conjures a memory or lifts my spirits or gets me singing along.

2. Chocolate. I’m a romance writer. Need I say more?

3. Coffee. I’ve already confessed my passion for my Keurig single-cup coffeemaker on my own blog. They have holiday flavors now! The right flavor at the right time is such a comfort.

4. Kittens (or puppies). Just a photo of a basket of furry creatures melts my heart.

5. Really good books.

6. A day without gridlock. Ever dread driving someplace because of the traffic you know you’ll hit but when you take the journey, you fly through all green lights and arrive at your destination earlier than you could have possibly dreamed? Yeah, sure, it’s as rare as an albino raccoon but when it happens, it’s pure magic.

7. Ice cream. Any flavor, any brand.

8. Raspberry margaritas. If you know me at all, this needs no explanation.

9. Children’s laughter. Yeah, I’m a sap. Wanna make something of it?

10. Butterflies. How could anyone be sad or troubled in a butterfly exhibit? The colors, the silence, and the fluttery activity all combine to exude peace and tranquility.

11. Bubble baths. Add some great music (or one of those really good books from #5), a scented candle or two and… aaaahhh, bliss.

12. Art. Whether it’s Monet, Chuck Jones, or a child’s finger-painting, the right artwork can refuel a drained soul.

13. A snowy (or rainy) day with nowhere to go. Is there anything more satisfying than being snuggled up warm and dry inside while outside, Mother Nature releases a storm?

14. Rick James. Sorry…just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.

15. Hugs. I offer them through cyberspace to all of you.

Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving this week, gather your loved ones together, revel in the warmth of love and renew your spirit. Life is brief, but wonderful. Take advantage of all the smiles you can reap for the days when sadness overflows.

In between torrential rainfalls and wind warnings and threats of power outages, I’m pleased to announce that this week’s prize is a signed copy of BREATHLESS,  my next release from Aphrodisia. I’m excited by this anthology because it contains another story of Perdition House, my haunted bordello.

Then I took a chance on a more suspense-y story (To Die For) and a hero I could easily fall for, Stack Hamilton. (so named because when he played football, he stacked his opponents – silly I know, but he’s always been Stack to me)

In the last novella (Body by Gibson) I explored artistic acceptance and self awareness. If you’ve ever been rejected or made to feel mediocre in a creative endeavor, you may find an echo here that helps. I hope so. And, it was a LOT of fun to write some of my dream scenes. ’nuff said there. (See an eyebrow waggle .)

One lucky commenter will receive a signed  copy of BREATHLESS. Please check back on Saturday November 28 when I announce the winner.

One of the odd things about finishing a book is the vaguely bewildered feeling I have after I rejoin the real world. I’ve been so utterly immersed in what I’m doing, I don’t notice the march of time.

I popped my head out Monday morning, a little like a dazed gopher, to discover the holiday season is upon us—at least according to the retailers. Where moments before grinning jack-o-lanterns had leered from every shelf, now Santa is menacing us with his reindeer. As I am in Canada, Thanksgiving is far behind us. There’s no pause for turkey; we’re right into the hard-core shopping with a vengeance. We may be a polite nation, but don’t come between us and the electronics store during a midnight madness event. Everyone has their dark side. Just check out the malls.

Naturally, I was asked for my Christmas list. My first thought was “sleep.” Really. Time to do nothing. No responsibility for seven whole days. Find my prettiest Laura Ashley bedding and hibernate.

When the chorus of laughter died down, I was left with the task of organizing my holiday cheer along with everyone else’s. So here goes: a gift giving guide for writers.
Stationery – Tell your elves to check out Levenger.com for nifty reading and writing toys. My personal fave is the “how to” links. I have a desk, they have “deskscapes.”

Dark gold – Extreme Chocolate is a gateway to everything chocolately goodness. On a diet? Don’t worry. There’s Organic Dark Chocolate Mocha Body Scrub from 100% Pure

Champagne – Need celebratory lubricant? There are a ton of sites that will deliver to your door. With live support and a zillion brands, shopping is easy.

If that’s too fancy, then spread a bit of simple cheer! Send a free holiday ecard and a donation is made to help an animal in need! Click here for a dose of AWWWW.

What does the author in you want for the holidays?

My November, Silhouette Special Edition, Merry Christmas, Cowboy! is available this month. It seems to be selling well. For the first week in November it was #77 on BookScan! In case you’re not familiar with BookScan, it monitors sales from chain bookshops, internet book sites, discount outlets and independent bookshops in the leading English language markets.

Merry Christmas, Cowboy is the third book in my Meet Me in Montana triology. I loved writing this book so I’m happy it appears to be doing well. Here’s a brief blurb about the book:

Lauren Van Meveren came to Big Sky country to complete the research for her dissertation. Unlike her two friends who unexpectedly found their perfect matches in Sweet River, Lauren has no illusions there’s a happily-ever-after for her in the Montana stars. The daughter of two prominent academicians, Lauren’s career path was determined long ago.

Widower Seth Anderssen vowed on his wife’s deathbed that he wouldn’t marry again until their daughter was grown. But when Lauren temporarily moves in to help him care for his injured child, keeping his heart safe proves an impossible task. But Seth is a man of his word, and he’ll keep his promise… even if that means the woman he’s grown to love can never be his.

My question to you is…if you were single, do you think you’d have an issue marrying a widower and raising his child (or children) as your own? There are no right or wrong answers. I’d just like to know your thoughts.