I’m on the road again! Blogging at the Bold Strokes Books author page. Check it out here!
New Year, new blog. I thought I’d use this first post of 2013 to introduce myself to those readers who might be unfamiliar with me, and to welcome everyone to the journey I’m planning to take in my blog this year.
I write lesbian romances, published by Bold Strokes Books. I’ve released three novels so far (Harmony, Worth the Risk, and Sea Glass Inn) and I have two more on schedule for publication in 2013. The first is Improvisation, a spin-off of Harmony. It’ll be out in May. And next fall you’ll be able to find my first romantic intrigue about a mounted police unit – Mounting Danger. I’ve also published several short stories in anthologies from BSB and Cleis Press.
In my blog this year, I’ll be talking about these books and stories, about my continued quest for inspiration and growth as an author, and about my struggles to balance writing and real life. On a professional level, I’ll have manuscripts to write, to edit, and to market. On a personal level, I’m anticipating quite a few changes, including my first move away from the Pacific Northwest. Thinking positive: Lots of changes will mean lots of new ideas for books and characters! Thinking like Eeyore: I think I’m developing an ulcer.
What characters will be joining me on my travels this year? My lazy-ass muse, Berty (check out my very first blog post from December 19th if you haven’t yet met her). I’m hoping to whip her into shape, get her out of the house, and motivate her to inspire me. You’ll get a chance to meet my animal family as well, including my three lovely goat girls, Shasta, Emma, and Gracie. I’m planning to host some guest blogs here, so fellow authors will be joining me from time to time. And at the heart of my world is my girlfriend and main source of romantic inspiration, C.
I hope you’ll stick with me this year as I explore the crazy, unpredictable, and oh-so-satisfying thing called ‘the writing life.’ Come along for the ride as I take my love of words and ideas and romance out for some much-needed exercise.
Welcome to the next stop on the Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Thank you to the awesome Jove Belle for tagging me last week. The purpose of this hop is to expose folks to writers and their work that perhaps they haven’t heard of, whether a new release or a Work in Progress (WIP). This is week 27.
What is the title of your book?
Sea Glass Inn
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I had several snippets of story ideas in my head. An ocean setting, someone trying to start a B-and-B, a story about an artist… Then, last year on my birthday, my parents gave me a sea glass pen. It’s covered with chips of glass in blues and greens and beiges. All of a sudden the different story ideas coalesced in my mind, brought together by the fragments of sea glass. An artist who lives at the beach – broken and scarred by a painful past. And a woman who arrives on the coast looking for a fresh start after her old life shattered into pieces around her.
What genre does your book fall under?
Romance.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’m never good at answering this kind of question, so I’ll let my readers answer it on their own.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Sea Glass Inn is about breaking free of the past and finding a second chance at love.
What is the longer synopsis of your book?
Melinda Andrews arrives on the Oregon coast with a dream of running the Sea Glass Inn. Still reeling after an unexpected divorce, Mel believes she has missed her chance to find love. All she wants is to make her business a success and regain her independence. She locates the artist who inspired her move so she can commission more paintings for her new inn.
Pamela Whitford runs a gallery in a small seaside town, planning events and supporting other artists while neglecting her own talent. Since being deserted by the love she thought was forever, she refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her again. But Pam can’t resist the struggling new innkeeper, and she agrees to paint for her even though it means opening herself up to creativity and the vulnerability that goes with it.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Sea Glass Inn, like my two other novels Harmony and Worth the Risk, is published by Bold Strokes Books.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wrote the first draft in a little over a month. Add revisions and editing, and the total is maybe three months? Hard to gauge when most of the time I’m just staring blankly at the computer screen waiting for my lazy-ass muse to send a little inspiration my way.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The sea itself. I’ve been drawn to the ocean since childhood. The waves, the tides, the creatures that inhabit the air and tide pools and sea. Feeling the vibration of the pounding surf deep inside me as I stand on the beach. I finally found the characters and story I needed so I could write my ocean novel.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
For all you dog lovers, there’s a lovely little spaniel named Piper in the book. For all you artists or lovers of art, there’s a series of sea glass mosaics. For all you fans of key limes and tequila body shots – well, there’s a little something in the book for you, too.
And now it’s time to pass the torch along to two talented and amazing women. Next Wednesday check out Yvonne Heidt’s and Victoria Oldham’s and Fiona Zedde’s blogs to find out about their Next Big Thing.
The New Year is fast approaching. Usually, this is my time to write a long list of resolutions with the futile intent of whipping myself into some sort of shape. But not this year. In 2013, I’m going to give myself a break, and instead focus my improvement efforts on my muse.
Let’s be clear, my muse is not one of the muses from ancient Greece, whose words “flow sweet from their lips and spread like honey.” Not one of those willowy goddesses draped in a silky, pale blue gown with a chain of gold around her slender waist. Not a mythical creature wearing a wreath of laurel and strumming gently on her lyre as she breathes inspiration into my soul.
My muse doesn’t have a name like Kalliope or Erato or Klio. I call her Bertha, Berty for short. At the moment, she’s sprawled on my couch eating Doritos and wearing a muumuu because, well, she’s really let herself go. She’s watching reruns of What Not to Wear, not that they’ll do her any good. (Here’s a hint, honey. Ditch the muumuu.) And when I asked her to inspire me, to gift me with glorious words for my blog, all she did was burp the alphabet. No help at all.
So my goal for 2013 is to breathe fresh life into my muse. To get her out of the house more. To at least get her off the couch and in front of the keyboard more. To make her laugh, play, and explore more. And I suppose I’ll have to go along for the ride. Who knows? Maybe I’ll manage to inspire, enjoy, and encourage myself along the way. Are you in need of some inspiration? Grab hold of your own muse and come along on this journey through 2013…
