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The Rancher’s Runaway Princess by Donna Alward Harlequin Romance 4074 – Jan 09 This is another excellent book from Donna Alward and it’s going on my 2009 Top 10 list! Using the majestic Rockies as a backdrop, Donna Alward weaves lonely despair and heartbreak together into an emotion-packed story that had me crying on pg 46 no less. In the past few months, Lucy Farnsworth’s world has been ripped apart upon the death of her mother and she’s been expected to settle half a world away with strangers. The only thing that Lucy finds familiar are the palace horses where she shines in her knowledge. Not knowing what to do with his newfound daughter, the king sends her on a business trip to an Alberta ranch. Lucy wants to hide out and doesn’t tell anyone she’s really a princess. And there, in the stable, Lucy finds the daughter of a familiar horse from when her mother was alive and it threatens to be her undoing. And who happens to witness the scene but the ranch owner, Brody Hamilton who believ...

I'm blogging over at Prairie Chicks Write Romance today about the books in my childhood that sparked my love of reading as well as my writing journey. Come join us at http://prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com/ But if you don't have time, I'll tell you here: 1. The Poky Little Puppy (A Little Golden Book) 2. An Early Americana book that I describe but can't remember the title. Sorry. I also ask if a certain book sparked your love of reading or writing. .

Yesterday, I took my weekly trip into the city to chauffeur my daughter to her music lesson. It’s an hour’s drive each way. I use the time for plotting and characterizing which I dictate into my digital voice recorder. But yesterday, not only did I have all these fantastic ideas floating through my mind...I had an insatiable craving to write. That is to actually put my little fingers to my keyboard and tap away. Because I’m still playing catch-up with all the things that piled up while I worked on Translucent Trust during BIAW, I haven’t been able to get back to TT since midnight Fri, 19th. And, I miss it. I loved it when the high priority of the day was to sit down and write. No, I can’t write as if it were BIAW every week because, my family would disown me. My eFriends would forget me. And, my CP’s would fire me. You know what...you’ll have to excuse me...I have something I have to do... Have you ever had the urge to write when there was no physical way you could? When was the most ...

Family Ever After (Fostered by Love) by Margaret Daley Love Inspired #444 – May 08 This great story is the 3rd book in the Fostered by Love series. It brings together a wealthy confirmed bachelor, a single mother and 3 abandoned kids. Margaret Daley is an expert at emotional development and showed us the hero’s growth from a man who doesn't want kids to a caring foster father. It’s a poignant story where you see the characters wanting the same thing but running in the opposite direction because they can’t believe such a thing as a family is actually meant for them. We first met Cara Winters as the long-distance friend of the heroine in Book 1 of this series. Her husband has since died leaving her medical bills instead of insurance money. She’s trying to make a new life for herself and her child but first she has to find a job and a place to live. But she has faith that God has led her to Cimarron City, Oklahoma. Noah Maxwell is foster brother to the heroes in the first 2 books in t...

I’m trying to play catch up with all the stuff that waited while I wrote the first half of Translucent Trust during Book in a Week. So, if I missed your email, please be patient and I should get to you soon. I’m also trying to find guest bloggers for the Prairie Chicks Write Romance blog to fill the Sat time slot at www.prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com Guest bloggers can be published or non-published or people in the industry. If published, we’d like the post to be something about your journey to publication, like your ‘The Call’ story, or something about the writing craft. Unpublished writers can also post an essay of interest to writers. As most authors know, a good time to be a guest blogger is just prior to or when your new release hits the shelves. This can be a good promotional tool. So, if you’d like to guest blog and be an Honorary Prairie Chick, let me know and I'll get our guidelines out to you. Would you like to be a guest blogger? Or, is there someone you’d like...

Picture this: You're snug in your warm house but you want to walk to the end of the lane for your mail. You get your winter socks, hat, mitts...etc on until you feel like you're a penguin, then you step outside a few feet from the house. You breathe in and the sharpness bites your nostrils. The wind brings tears to your eyes which is scary because your eyeballs feel like they're freezing. You pool a gob of spit in the bottom of your mouth then spew it out in a ball. It crackles and shatters into hundreds of slivers halfway to the ground. You know it's cold outside. So, you take those few steps back to the house, go inside and close the door. And by the time you've unbundled yourself, you bow your head and thank God that you didn't get locked out. But, you feel more alive than you ever thought possible. Now, that's cold. .

This Saturday, Harlequin Romance author Donna Alward becomes our first Honorary Prairie Chick when she stops in for a visit at my Prairie Chicks Write Romance b log. Donna will be sharing her memories of her 2007 visit to Saskatoon where she presented a workshop entitled, ‘The Business of Writing’ which was hosted by the Saskatchewan Romance Writers (SRW). Donna will also be telling us about the contest she’s running for writers on her blog right now until the end of January. So come on over on Saturday to http://prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com/ and let Donna know you're there.

It’s over for another year. BIAW 2009 officially ended at midnight. My totals for the week: Final day word count – 5130 words Total BIAW count – 27,557 words Total page count – 105 pages Translucent Trust is now 50.1% complete . Yeeee hawww!!! Storywise – I killed somebody off. Didn’t want to do it, and it wasn’t like I had one too many characters or anything, but it just seemed natural. Wait – I should rephrase that – the villain killed somebody. There, that’s better. Just prior to finding the body, Dyler and Hayley finally started trusting each other enough to share information and personal suspicions. They now believe they are being stalked by either the person who murdered her brother 5 yrs ago, or by someone who knows who the murderer is and is protecting him. They are beginning to communicate more on an emotional level and the reader is starting to understand why Dyler and Hayley broke up after her brother’s death. I had skimmed the surface before, but now that I hope I have th...

I had a hard time concentrating on Translucent Trust today since I was also blogging at Prairie Chicks Write Romance . My post, Trolling for an Agent , showed my take on the agent issue. I was very curious to see what everyone thought and so, I kept going over and checking. It’s hard to write one thing when you’re thinking on another. Storywise – Some animals died in my wip today. It wasn’t Dyler nor Hayley’s doing...or was it? If they hadn’t been investigating the cold case, then the villain wouldn’t be stalking them. He only killed the animals because he could. He wanted to show Dyler and Hayley that he could get close enough to hurt them. And, Dyler definitely suffered when he saw what had happened to his herd. But, now I’m wondering about my readers – the animal lovers in the crowd. You see, in one of my other stories, the heroine isn’t crazy about dogs. So, when a smallish dog is thrust in her arms she just holds it awkwardly. In her POV, she refers to the dog as ‘it’. Someone wh...

Come visit me at http://prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com today where we’re talking about Trolling for an Agent? In particular, I’m curious about answers to the following questions: Am I missing the point? Do you have an agent, or wished you had one? How long does an agent/client partnership usually last in your opinion anyway? Have you used one of the methods in the blog post to find an agent? Which method do you think works best most of the time ? Come on over and let’s talk...

So finally, after 4 productive days of writing, LIFE got in my way. I awoke with my fingers itching to get at my story – but I made the mistake of checking my inbox and yes, there were 3 emails that required answers. With that out of the way, I opened my word doc for Translucent Trust – and my iPod Touch chimed. It was time to leave for an appt. I arrived back home near noon, checked my email and some blogs while eating my veggies, read what I wrote yesterday – and my iPod Touch reminded me I still had to write Thursday’s post for the Prairie Chicks Write Romance blog. After writing, revising and tweaking my post entitled Trolling for an Agent? – my iPod Touch said it was time to pick up the kids from school and head into the city for a music lesson. It was 9:30 pm when we arrived back home. I left the teen to put away the groceries and zipped over to my writing corner where I flicked my laptop off power saver and – I wrote. Ahh. What a relief. By the time midnight crept up, my word ...

Today was a good writing day. I awoke this morning refreshed, knowing what would happen next in my inspirational suspense story, Translucent Trust . As usual, I spent a bit of time in research but only for 15 mins or so. The 2 or 3 other times I needed answers and could have surfed the web, I just placed an inch of dashes in the spot and highlighted them. I then copied the relevant sentence and pasted it in my ‘Research Needed’ document along with the page nbr. I’ll have no problem finding it later when I do have time to go surfing. Storywise – The villain – who really doesn’t like Dyler and Hayley – takes a shot at them. I tried to set the scene where taking a shot was a possibility but not a certainty. Dyler and Hayley are away from the city crowds and she starts reminiscing. I tried to lull the reader into the peaceful scene she’s describing – sort of a false sense of security - and then, zing! The bullet just misses Hayley but only because she bent over to pick up her cola. Dyler d...

Day 3 was a bit frustrating. I had to re-type 3 pages due to a faulty/corrupt flash drive - long story, please don't ask. Anyway, I got those retyped and kept going. Then I had to stop for some research. Yeah, I know what you're thinking...that I wasted time on Facebook or surfing the net, checking and reading blogs. Well, I might have checked a couple, BUT I really did have to do some research. I spent about an hour or so on it before getting back to writing. Storywise I have to tell you things did not go as planned. My writing style is a cross between a plotter and a pantser - like a hybrid. I know how the story will play out but I don't know all the twists and turns to get there. When I started writing this morning, I planned to have the villain shoot at Dyler and Hayley today. It didn't happen. That's where the research came in. I used a different venue to bring them to a nerve shattering moment which ends with Dyler's arms around Hayley in comfort. You see,...

Okay, so Day 2 of Book in a Week has just ended and I thought I'd pass on how I'm doing. Wordwise I'm doing great at 15% completed. Of course if you add it up, you'll know I have to pick up the pace if I want to actually complete Translucent Trust by midnight Friday night. And I'm aiming for that goal, but I won't be disappointed if I don't make it. 55,000 is an awful lot of words to shoot for in a week and at the end of the day, any number over 1 is more than I started the day with. Storywise, it's going great. It's a reunion story since my characters, Hayley and Dyler used to be a hot item but they broke apart 5 yrs ago. I'm a bit worried because the first contact they have with each other in Translucent Trust isn't until page 9 but the preceeding 8 pages set the stage for why Hayley's calling Dyler up after all these years. I could write a prologue I suppose... And since it’s a suspense, I have to garner some excitement. So far the ...

Heart of the Family (Fostered by Love) by Margaret Daley Love Inspired #425 – Dec 07 This is a story of forgiveness given for a wrong done years ago but not forgotten. This is Book 2 in the Fostered by Love series. In this great book, we get a glimpse of what a group foster home looks like from the inside and some of the problems the manager encounters because yes, the manger is our heroine, Hannah Smith. But when Hannah took the job, she didn’t expect to find her arch enemy on the Board of Directors. And when she did find out that little bit of info she figured she’d be able to steer clear of him...but not if he keeps coming to the home. At first Hannah doesn’t know what to do. She brings a child in for medical care and comes face-to-face with the man who killed her brother over 20 yrs before. Since she was only 7 yrs old at the time of the incident and she’s using her married name, the pediatrician has no idea who she is and she’s not telling. Because she loves her job, she’ll just h...

Here's an update on the Fostered by Love series by Margaret Daley. In an email, I was telling Margaret how eager I am to read Book 3 - Family Ever After - since I'd hoped Cara and Noah would get together since they were first mentioned in separate instances in Book 1 - Once Upon A Family . In her responding email, Margaret mentioned there are more books in this series so I asked her what they were since they're not on her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com/books.htm yet. She emailed back the info so here is the new Fostered by Love series list: 1 – Once Upon a Family – Apr 07 – Peter Stone and Laura Williams 2 – Heart of the Family – Dec 07 – Dr. Jacob Hartman and Hannah Smith 3 – Family Ever After – May 08 – Noah Maxwell and Cara Winters 4 – Second Chance Family – Jul 09 – Whitney Maxwell's story (Noah's sister) 5 – Together for the Holidays – Nov 09 – Lisa Morgan's Story (Andy's mother) About Book 5, Margaret said, 'As you're reading she has...

It's Thursday and that means I'm blogging over at Prairie Chicks Write Romance today. In my post, I talk about my historical book An Outlaw for the Lady and show how one simple plot criteria turned into a whole lot of research. You know, I've never been called a Chick before. I kinda like it. Makes me feel young. Have a good day now, ya hear!

Once Upon a Family (Fostered by Love) by Margaret Daley Love Inspired #393 – Apr 07 This was a great book to start the Fostered by Love series (see below). This author has an affinity for people and animals that are in any way disadvantaged whether physically, mentally or emotionally. It shines through her books like no other author I’ve read. She uses this first book in the series to set the stage for the other 2 which all centre around the need for good loving foster homes for kids that need shelter for whatever the reason. In Once Upon a Family, Laura Williams is trying to get her life back together after a traumatic experience just prior to her husband’s death. Abused and disillusioned by a man she thought would protect her, she arrives in Cimarron City, Oklahoma with her 4 kids and accepts her aunt’s offer of a rent-free duplex. Laura doesn’t want to accept her aunt’s charity, but her children need a home and her aunt needs care so it’s more like an exchange, anyway. It doesn’t he...

Last November, I attempted to write a novel during National Novel Writing Month but had to pull out because of prior writing commitments that just wouldn't go away. Well, next week is Book in a Week (BIAW) with my local group, the Saskatchewan Romance Writers (SRW). It starts this Friday at midnight and it's only a week long. Basically, you write like mad for a week and try to accomplish your goal. My 2009 BIAW goal will be to complete Translucent Trust - the inspirational suspense novel I started last Nov. This novel has been on my mind since last Sept and it just won't go away so I might as well write it. In a day or so I'll put my word counter up and then you'll all be able to watch my progress. The only thing I ask is that you don't get ticked off at me next week if I don't answer your emails, etc. I'm hoping to do a bit of email and blog checking with my morning coffee, but otherwise, I'll be writing. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that i...

Snowbound in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad Love Inspired #465 Oct 08 This is an excellent read. It’s the 3rd book I’ve read this year and already the 2nd one to go to my Top Ten list – and the year just started! It’s also the 2nd book in a row to hit the top ten by the same author. I’ve read over a dozen of this author’s books and these last 2 seem to portray an emotional level above any of her earlier works. Jenny Collins is a widow with 2 kids. Almost penniless, she moved her young family to her only possession of worth – a small house on an acreage outside of Dry Creek, Montana. Barely any furniture and no job, Jenny has a tough time providing what they need but they have a roof over their heads and lots of love. Unfortunately there isn’t any money for a Christmas tree or decorations or even for the items on their Santa’s wish list but she’ll hope they’ll understand, young as they are. They won’t be spending Christmas alone, however. Rodeo champion Zach Lightning drives through town 2...

A Dry Creek Courtship by Janet Tronstad Love Inspired #459 Sep 08 This excellent book is the first book on my 2009 Top 10 list. I read it a week ago and I still get a warm, fuzzy feeling thinking about it. The author’s compassion shines through the pages. I’ve always liked her humor, and here she uses it to full advantage as Edith and Charley start to spread their arms in this, their freedom years. Actually, my hubby decided he didn’t want to read it before he even started and just skimmed through it, reading, ‘here and there’. And why didn’t he like it? Because he said it’s about ‘old people’. I looked at him and said they were just a couple years older than us and we still have love and have passion for each other – at least if last night was any indication...er...never mind that...what I wanted to say was - what does age have to do with love? It’s all in the storytelling and this author writes with just as much feeling, tension and conflict as any other LI book on the market. The ye...

My 2nd child turns 18 today. Of course, I knew today would come for quite some time, but I don't feel ready for it. My child was born 5 wks premature. After my water broke, we had to drive an hour through a blizzard to get to the hospital. She was welcomed into the world with her dad holding my right hand while her 12 yr old sister held my left. My child went on strike when she was 4 yrs old because she wanted to go to kindergarten in Sept but had to have been born prior to Dec 31st of that year. The sign she carried said, ' Age discrimination - Born 10 days too late! ' (Although I made the sign, going on strike was her idea after she saw a strike on the news and asked why the people were carrying signs. I told her the people wanted to make a change and that's how they protested. The next day, she told me she wanted to go on strike.) My child is a confident public speaker and has attended many Youth Leadership Forums. My child is a Worship Leader in church and uses her...

. Today I'm blogging over at Prairie Chicks Write Romance. My post is about using words out of their time-line and how it could affect your reader. Please join our discussion at http://prairiechickswriteromance.blogspot.com/

Dry Creek Sweethearts by Janet Tronstad Love Inspired #439 Apr 08 I love this author’s sense of humour. This great book has a fun plot where a singing star who used to be the town bad boy, gets his bus mired in mud and ends up in the only café in town which happens to be a 50’s style replica. But the author doesn’t just stop there...the singer and the café owner used to be a hot item and that makes for a very interesting story when the rest of the Dry Creek residents decide to protect their own. Linda Morgan fell in love with the town bad boy. It was only because of Duane’s financial support that she was able to buy the café that supported herself and her younger sister these past years. After Duane left town, a heartbroken Linda even went after him but when she realized he expected her to live on a bus with him, she came back to Dry Creek to run the café. Life on a tour bus was no life at all for her seven year old sister. Over the 7 yrs he’s been gone, Linda has come to realize Duane...

Oops - I forgot to add something neat that happened to me in December: I don't know how I could have forgotten this, but I was reading the Harlequin Medical Romance blog before Christmas and they were talking about the different versions of The 12 Days of Christmas . In the comment section of their post, I sent them the Ukrainian version I used to hear on the radio while posted to CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. I wasn't thinking of a contest, I just wanted to let those international authors hear the version I like the best. But, Lucy had a contest going and the process of picking my name as the winner is a phenomenal piece of writing the likes of which had me and my family getting twitches from laughing so hard. You can read it here: http://medicalromance.blogspot.com/2008/12/time-has-come.html I'll quote Lucy here to tell you what my prize was: "...I slowly unfold the tiny bit of paper and squint to focus my gaze on what has been written there... the person's name... the...

I’m eager to start 2009 but have one more thing to do before I part with the old year and that’s to let you know all the blessings I received in December. I made a conscious decision not to do any writing in Dec other than blog posts so that I could devote more time to my family. During the year, I tend to ignore their needs for my own especially when my head’s wrapped around a plot and I need to get it down before it’s gone. Once I’m pubbed I won’t have the luxury due to deadlines but I didn’t have that added stress this year. I did manage to enter a few contests and things and I was blessed to win some books and things: On Dec 11, http://www.eharlequin.com/ hosted their annual open house. It was a wild day of surfing the boards and visiting with over 100 authors. I won a couple of their fantastic prize giveaways: A trio of Shelley Galloway’s Harlequin American books plus a $10 Starbucks gift card. A 3 book pak by Dana Mentick including Love Inspired Suspense and Barbour Publishing ...

Out of the 115 books I read in 2008, these are my top 10...uh...top 16 choices. These excellent books had that special something – often indefinable – that really struck a chord. Long after I finished reading them, something about the story still resonated with me. Sometimes it was in the way it was written – like Radical Cure by Olivia Gates. Just thinking about this book is an incredible adrenaline rush. The pacing is tremendous and I literally heard my heart pound against my chest when I finally put it down for a breather. Many of these books had such a depth of emotion I found myself in tears just reading the words. Some of them hid their emotions behind humour or brusqueness and I cried for them as well. I waited for a couple of them for so many months and then when I finally held them in my hands, was afraid to read them in case the book didn’t live up to my expectations. I notice my reviews on Amazon don’t always match what other reviewers think but, that’s okay because this is ...