Musings about Janet Dailey, Romance Author.

I learned earlier today that a Romance writer legend had died over the weekend.  Janet Dailey was not just a favorite author of mine but the one who made me want to start my own writing career. 
I started reading Janet Dailey romances in the spring of 1978 when my best high school friend Mary gave me some books that she got through a subscription her dad had ordered for her.  She didn't like the books and gave them to me and a love affair of romance novels was born. (Yes Mary it is all your fault, and I am forever grateful to you for those books, thank you.) 
I couldn't wait to get new ones. I think I even packed one and took it along to church camp that summer.  When I bought Ms Dailey's Harlequin Presents Novel "Six White Horses," I was hooked forever.  That is my first Janet Dailey novel, and I still have it, and it is my forever favorite.  I read all of her Americana Series, a differnt romance in each of the 50 states.  With original covers.  (I love collecting books with thier orginal covers.)
But when  "Touch the Wind" came out, I was so excited and hook on mairstream as well.  When my Mom and I  bought it, (I acutally had to beg her to buy it.) she read the back blurb and said she had to read it first.  I was only 16 at the time.  My Mom let me read it which stuns me since it deals with some very real issues of kidnapping, murder and well the sex scenes were scandalous to a 16 year old, but my Mom figured I was mature enough to handle it. BUT she told me I was not allowed to blush while I read it, so I read it in my room, every chance I got till finished. ( side note:  she would not let me read Beatrice Small though, LOL. P.S I have and oh my, the age of the bodice ripper was upon us, I think


Just a few of the Janet Dailey books I have, upper middle right is "Six White Horses"


in Mom's stash back then was a book that mentioned something about a dildo made of leather, Now whose blushing? Mom? LOL didn't know I read that one...)

When I mentioned earlier that Janet Dailey made me want to start my own writing career was no exageration.  I used her novels for book reports in english class.  "Touch the Wind" became a newspaper edition, with headlines reading  "Heiress Kidnapped in the Mexican Moutains by Bandits" and the report of her boyfreinds murder, etc.  Oh and Mrs. Merchant my English II teacher gave me an A.  I think I may have the paper somewhere in my archives. 
Numerous other writing assignments featured writing with vivid description, like the time I had to discribe a home photograph and the main person in the picture was discribed as "weather beaten skin, with grey shoot through his brown hair and peircing ice blue eyes," my teacher at that time was impressed by my mature writing skills, something my classmates didn't have.  Non of them had thier nose in a book all the time like I did. I always had a book on my stack of books for each and every class.  My classmates will atest to that.  Even a photo of me in the class year book shows me reading on graduation practice day. sitting on the stage reading, its in the credits.  Book nerd was a very good discription of me only now it could be Bibliophile, or collector of books, thats me and always will be. 

I've traveled around the Unitied States and every where else in the world through romance novels.  I feel as though I got a pretty good geography lesson with all those other  Harlequin Presents authors, Ann Mathers, Fern Michels, Carol Moritmer, just to name a few.  Their discriptions of far off lands had me making a bucket list long before the term was even coined.  

In conclusions, Janet Dailey, I will miss you so much, even though I never got to meet you, was hoping you would be at RT2014, you have been a huge influence on me, and I am forever grateful.  Thank you. 

Adventures at the Romantic Times Convention.

I've been back now for alittle over a week now.  To say I had a blast is a HUGE understatement.
My Mom and I left on tuesday April 30 and had a wonderful drive from centeral Illinois, across Iowa and down through Missiori.  We were doing pretty good up until the Kansas City Police car cut us off and I missed my exit.
 
Well that was the beginning of a meltdown.  We finally get turned around and started to do the directions we had backwards.  Well that didn't go so well. (I even stopped at a gas station to get a street map and they didn't have any, are you kidding me, but she did know where Mcgee Street was so that helped).  We were at one point in the right area of our hotel.

 We found the Sheraton, (this is where all of the activities for the week were taking place) no problem the thing is the Westin (over flow hotel, we are registering earlier for next year in New Oleans LA to be in the main hotel make things much easier) where we were staying was connected by a walk way.  Well things didn't look right for where we were or so I thought.  So we asked a bell hop at the Sheraton "wheres the Westin" oh just turn right out of the driveway and its the next stoplight.  Hmmm that was not quite right either and I was headed in the wrong direction AGAIN. 

As I drove screaming at the top of my lungs and beating the steering wheel my Mother sat in her seat laughing her ass off at me.  The more she laughed the more I screamed and then I calmed down.  Just needed to get that out I guess.  Well turned around again and I finally found the Westin 5 minutes later.  Bell hops are very helpful there and were right at our doors helping us but when we told them we needed two luggage carts they were a bit surprised.  But yes we needed two.

OMG I WILL NEVER TAKE THAT MUCH CRAP AGAIN, Mom and I way over packed and then some, took way too much junk food along as well but live and learn right?  And we came home with even more stuff with all the swag we snagged.  Damn there were great giveaways, but more on that later.  Once we got settled we did change clothes and go scoop out the Shearaton so we had a good lay of the land.  That really helped we just wished they had had registation open so we could of gotten that done right away but the next morning when we did get our stuff I was very pleasantly surprised the line moved very quickly.  Badges on and it was off to get our bags, got those and then Mom and I split up and went out separet ways, she off to reader events and me to author ones. 

So workshop panels I attended were "write 50 books a year" that was their hook and it was great meeting Elle James and Delihla Devlin, (psst, who writes really smutty books, she'll tell you that) These two are sister and were a hoot to watch and learn from.
Next up was "Street Teams"  very good as well learned alot and plan to implement what I learned when the time gets here.  "Plotting Boot Camp" put on by the same sisters from before, that was really good too, hey I bought the book they have out about this so... And am using it, very helpful for me.
"BDSM, Does anyone REALLY do that?"  Loved this workshop presented by Kasi and Reggie Alexander, a couple who are involved in the BDSM/Kink scene.  Hearing them speak and dispel alot of the myths out there about what BDSM is, was very informative and entertaining.  Plus everyone who attended their workshop got free earrings from their business Poly's Pleasures, they make really cool and colorful chainmail jewelry.  Love my earrings.  (Hmmm note to self must order more jewelry from them, as well as books, bought two already, there are three more to get). 
"Research Notebook from Hell, Keeping your series straight", this was helpful for those authors who write series, books, continuing stories, and charcters and just how to keep those worlds straight and organized.  I also had a few others written down to go to but ended up at other panels which was ok and I'm glad I did that.  Kept me from missing anything important and useful.

 
I also participated in the PitchaPaloosa, where you have 3 minuets of an editors time in order to give them your elevator pitch of a current book your working on.  I must say I pitched 3 editors and they all expressed interest in my post appacolyptic nuclear war think goldilocks and the three alpha bears, yes its a meneg` titled:  "This Girl Comes with Knives".  Thank you to  Ellora's Cave, Intangled, and Total E-Bound for encouraging this writer to finish the project and send it in. 

Next time I'll write a bit about the parties that I attended.  Such fun and met such wonderful people.

What's going to be happening in the near future.

So things here are beginning to get busy.  I've been diligently working on my Novel "Found".  I did do a bit of a revamp of my heroine and changed her carreer from a fashion stylist to a Tattoo Artist.  It gives the story a little more zing I think.

I've also been working on the Dragon Truck paranormal called "On Through the Edge of Night", this one I've done quite a bit of research on and have an opening scene just about done. 

Now for the really big happineing that is coming up very fast is mine and my Mom's trip to Kansas City MO, for the RT Convention (Romantic Times magazines's convention).  We are so excited to be going!  THere is so much to do for five days, I'm going to be exhaused when I get home. 

I'm signed up for several writing classes and my Mom is signed up for alot of the reader panels.  Plus everynight is a cocktail party and then a dance party can you say sore feet, LOL

A while back I asked everyone on my facebook page if they would give me a suggestion of what I should take from the great state of Wisconsin and no one was allowed to suggest squeeky cheese, (yes we have squeeky cheese here) but I'm going to take Rum Chata, a drink that is bottled here in Wisconsin that has of course Rum but also cream in it.  Some of my freinds say it tastes like (gasp) "cum".  So for those of you who read this blog and are attending RT Con, ask me for a shot and you decide if it tastes like "cum". 

It amazes me how much has changed in the last 20 years.  Not just the advent of the internet, boy has that helped research "sort of" because you can't believe everything on the internet.  But in just the last 10 years e-books and e-readers have exploded onto the market.  Plus its so much easier to connect with fellow authors as well as readers and to learn this craft of writing.

Here's a short excerpt from "Found"

He had been watching her for a week now. 

No, he wasn’t a stalker. 

She had moved into his neighborhood a few weeks ago and stopped every morning at the local coffee shop, the same one he sat at, at an outdoor table.  Buying  a large coffee and a raisin bagel.   He watched her walk down the sidewalk toward the coffee shop. 

In the past week their eyes had met a couple times, smiles were exchanged.  Drew made it clear in his smile that he was interested in her.  He could tell she was not unaffected by him.  Each time she met his eyes, she smiled and looked down  as she entered the coffee shop, he noticed, more than once, her hand tremble as she opened the door. 

Over the course of the week he thought he’d gotten to “know” her.  Drew speculated that she might be a burlesque dancer by the way she dressed and the huge tote bag she hauled around, who knew what was in it.   Her style, that of a 50’s pinup girl like Betty Page.  Her makeup was light, with dark eye liner and red lipstick, that suited her,  dark hair just past her shoulders with little bangs coming halfway down her forehead.  She had a curvy body that invited hands to roam all over it.  Breast that seemed a bit too large for her frame and her ass invited a man to caress and fondle it.  Especially when it was incased in denim capri’s.  Her blouse was tied at her waist exposing her bellybutton and the piercing that winked in the sunshine.  Drew could just see the edge of a tattoo that seemed to snake up under her blouse.  He’d love to see what it was and where it went.  Little white strappy sandles encased her feet that revealed red toenails and calves he suddenly found he wanted to nibble on all the way to her ass.

Drew felt his cock stir as he thought about her ass.  A quick glance through the coffee shop window gave him an excellent view of the ass in question.  Yes, he was an ass man for sure.  But for now, that would have to wait.  He had been watching it all week, walk away after she got her coffee, its slight wiggle as she walked away captivating him. 

Flash Fiction Friday

So I wrote this little piece for a group I'm in on FB, but decided to share it here as well.  This was an exercise in writing a short 150 word peice using a photo.  I choose the one of light beams streaming in a window.  Sorry I don't have it to post here. 

Willow sat among the tangled blankets on the bed.  The beam of moonlight piercing the darkness of her room.  Wondering when he would come back to her.   When would he come back to her?  Why had he been gone so long.  The creaking of her bedroom door caught her attention.  She watched it open slowly, to reveal him to her.  Her lover stood leaning against the jam, arms folded over his bare chest his long legs clad in leather pants.    Long dark hair falling over part of his face, leaving most of it in shadow.  He walked over and sat down next to her.

 “Why so sad Willow?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.” She whispered.

  Putting his arm around her and pulling her close, he placed his hand against her heart. 

“I will always be right here.”  He tells her just as his lips touch hers. 

Hope you like it.  

Happy New Year 2013, ok so thats a bit late, oh well, thats how it goes.  This year is looking to be even better then 2012 which of course makes me very happy.  I have quite a few irons in the fire so to speak and so I had to buckle myself down this year and start completeing some projects and get them off to publishers. 

First up my paranormal erotica romance set in the trucking industry is pushed back to be worked on this summer, I've had a few plot snaffus and until those are worked out its on hold.  But thats ok because reasearch goes on all the time. 

My current work in progress (wip) is "Found" is a contemporary erotica romance about Carrie and Drew.  So with these two their first date has them leaving the restuarant just as the food arrives.  Hey have the waiter pack it up to go and off they go to Carrie's place, they can't keep their hands off each other, but could things falter along the way with their relationship, maybe.  You will just have to wait and see. I'm hoping to have Drew and Carrie's story done by the middle of February.  


Next up is Goldilox and the three alpha bears (ex-military soldiers) who own a 400 acre compound that is fortified with razor wire and sensor alarms, and how one little slip of a woman gets past all that and is found sleeping in their hay barn, in a hay bale cave, is a real head scratcher for the 3 men.  This is a post apocalyptic menege romance, so the heat level is going to be way up there.  This one I'm hoping th have done by early summer and sold as well. 

And of course the idea for this one came from all of the apocalyptic talk going around in  December 2012 and one morning while I was out feeding my horses, I was in my hay barn, (some people call them haymows but thats only if it doesn't have an outside enterence, mine does complete with a stairway.) and noticed how the last batch of hay had landed off the elevator when we had unloaded it from the truck.  It formed a nice little cave just big enough for someone about five foot tall to crawl into and sleep.  I imagine even in the cold, with a space blanket it could be pretty cozy in there, and then of course all the ideas of "what if" an EMP burst had happened and all that entails and the ole brain just started to kick in with a plot and setting so this one should be fun.  Oh and throw in 3 ex-military types who haven't seen a woman in a while and well you get the picture.