Well, this has been a tough week for my word count. I did add just over a thousand words, but that's it. Sigh. I need to remember to be happy with any additions. I am moving forward, slowly but surely!
Part of what is holding me back is that I'm editing as I go along, which I know is a no-no, but I can't seem to help myself this time around. I've been working hard on getting rid of my gesture crutches, doing a structural self-edit with a side of digging deep into my characters' emotions.
There was an amazing class on gesture crutches and one on structural self-editing given at the Storymakers conference last week by Jordan McCollum. Both of the classes were packed with people standing or sitting on the floor. She has graciously put up notes and part of her presentation on gesture crutches here Her presentation and notes on structural self-editing can be found here Definitely well worth your time. (I should know, because those are what I'm focusing on right now! Great stuff!)
How did you do this week?
I'm an award-winning romantic suspense novelist, but in my free time I love to review books and my fave TV shows, as well as pass along great book deals, and eat Canadian chocolate---not necessarily in that order.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Beckett Finally Gets Her Man
Last night's Castle was one where I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entire hour. We start off with Beckett surveilling someone and snapping some pics of him at one in the morning. She enters her observations into a little notebook and from the looks of things, she's been watching him for some time.
Next we see a yawning Beckett talking to Castle on the phone. His book tour signings and events have been moved to after the wedding so he's coming home early. Beckett tells him about her surveillance activities and Castle isn't too pleased that she went out alone. He wants to involve Ryan and Espo, but she doesn't want to jeopardize their careers and nixes that idea. The phone rings and it's the precinct---they've caught a murder.
And surprise! The victim is the guy that Beckett has been tailing. She has them follow a hunch and track traffic cams in a five block radius. Since she was following him, she would know that, I guess. Hopefully they don't see her van tailing him because that would be bad.
The team does get a hit on the driver of the murder victim. He's someone Beckett knows well---Vulcan Simmons. The guy who tortured her. The drug lord. The guy who had a hand in her mother's murder. Castle says maybe this is a good thing because since Vulcan is being investigated for murder, she can have a full access pass to his life. That sentiment doesn't last long, however, because Gates takes Beckett off the case, saying she's too close to it and it just wouldn't look right. Beckett and Castle go back to the loft to look for links between Vulcan and the murder victim. Ryan calls to let them know they couldn't tie Vulcan to anything and had to let him go.
Beckett can't believe it and decides to find her own link. She goes back over her own surveillance and finds an old truck yard place in the photos. She glances at Castle and decides to go in on her own. Bad idea. It's creepy, it's dark, and she is alone. Of course she finds the bloody town car and Vulcan is there waiting for her. They face off against one another and he dismisses her. She moves forward with her gun, saying not til he answers her questions.
Next scene is of Castle being woken up by a call from Ryan asking if Beckett is there. She's being reinstated on the Vulcan case because . . . dun dun dun . . . Vulcan is now a murder victim as well. (Dangit! I really liked his character, too. Evil, yet had some great lines.)
Vulcan was tortured, shot five times in the knees, torso and then heart. Ew. Beckett is using her police officer blank face as she asks all the right questions. Espo and Ryan tell Castle they have a witness who says someone matching Beckett's description was there last night. Uh oh.
Castle and Beckett talk at the station and she admits she was there. Castle is upset because she promised she wouldn't do stuff like that alone. And honestly, for a crack detective she knew that was stupid to do without a warrant. While they're talking a bunch of Internal Affairs guys come in and talk to Gates and Caskett gets a call from a shaken Lainey who says that the bullet that killed Vulcan is from Beckett's gun. Uh oh. Beckett and Castle realize she's being set up and she high tails it out of there.
Castle finally lets the guys in on what's going on and that leads to a lead on Mr. Smith who was formerly a safekeeper for the file that kept Beckett alive. They realize he must have faked his death and Beckett and Castle (after a sweet reunion at the swings) go to the hospital to talk to the doc who signed the death certificate. He says he can't help them, but as they are leaving dead Mr. Smith calls on the burner phone. They meet him for a pointless meeting in a dark parking garage whose only purpose was to tell everyone that Bracken is looking for a recording and can't find it. And then Mr. Smith leaves with a "don't ever call me again." (Another weird plot point was the guys telling Gates everything. For no reason apparently since at the end she's all, yeah, we can't help her with no evidence. Weird. And waste of air time.)
Anyway, Caskett go to a sleazy motel and Beckett is going to change her hair color. Castle leaves to go get a car. Bad idea in leaving her alone, though. I thought she would leave him behind, but instead she's jumped by Bracken and two of his lackeys. She stands up for herself, tells Bracken to shoot her himself, but he declines, saying he has people for that. He's so deliciously evil, like Vulcan, but Vulcan just made it look good, you know? Anyway, the lackeys drug her and get her drunk so she can shoot herself. Only she didn't swallow the pill and takes the lackeys out quite spectacularly. Not before she's bashed on the head, though. She makes it out to the hallway, bleeding, where Castle finds her. He hightails it out of there with her and heads to Canada. What a smart man.
Only, while Beckett is out of it she remembers her first meeting with Montgomery (man I miss him! And it makes me see why I don't like Gates once we've had someone as amazing as him). Anyway, she remembers him telling her to go over her mom's belongings for tape cassettes and Beckett says she has to go home to get her mom's tapes. Ryan and Espo help her get in, and they find her mom's day book with a little code on the day she died, but then they're all caught and taken to the precinct.
While they're handcuffed, waiting to be taken to booking, Beckett sees the family of elephants figurine she has on her desk and puts the pieces together. That was her mom's. Her mom said the elephants were a family, just like them. She grabs for the figurine, struggling with the IA guys, and it breaks open, revealing the cassette tape. They all listen to it, and it is extremely incriminating against Bracken.
The next scene was one of triumph. Bracken is giving his interview to a boatload of press when Beckett walks in and arrests him. The look on her face was one of sadness and victory. Stana Katic killed it. Once he's taken away in a squad car, she hugs Castle. I loved that ending. And finally, finally, the Johanna Beckett murder storyline can be put to rest! Hallelujah!
Next week's previews is about the wedding! I'm so excited for that. Six years of waiting. I hope the writers don't let us down. *crosses fingers* Did you see it? What did you think?
Next we see a yawning Beckett talking to Castle on the phone. His book tour signings and events have been moved to after the wedding so he's coming home early. Beckett tells him about her surveillance activities and Castle isn't too pleased that she went out alone. He wants to involve Ryan and Espo, but she doesn't want to jeopardize their careers and nixes that idea. The phone rings and it's the precinct---they've caught a murder.
And surprise! The victim is the guy that Beckett has been tailing. She has them follow a hunch and track traffic cams in a five block radius. Since she was following him, she would know that, I guess. Hopefully they don't see her van tailing him because that would be bad.
The team does get a hit on the driver of the murder victim. He's someone Beckett knows well---Vulcan Simmons. The guy who tortured her. The drug lord. The guy who had a hand in her mother's murder. Castle says maybe this is a good thing because since Vulcan is being investigated for murder, she can have a full access pass to his life. That sentiment doesn't last long, however, because Gates takes Beckett off the case, saying she's too close to it and it just wouldn't look right. Beckett and Castle go back to the loft to look for links between Vulcan and the murder victim. Ryan calls to let them know they couldn't tie Vulcan to anything and had to let him go.
Beckett can't believe it and decides to find her own link. She goes back over her own surveillance and finds an old truck yard place in the photos. She glances at Castle and decides to go in on her own. Bad idea. It's creepy, it's dark, and she is alone. Of course she finds the bloody town car and Vulcan is there waiting for her. They face off against one another and he dismisses her. She moves forward with her gun, saying not til he answers her questions.
Next scene is of Castle being woken up by a call from Ryan asking if Beckett is there. She's being reinstated on the Vulcan case because . . . dun dun dun . . . Vulcan is now a murder victim as well. (Dangit! I really liked his character, too. Evil, yet had some great lines.)
Vulcan was tortured, shot five times in the knees, torso and then heart. Ew. Beckett is using her police officer blank face as she asks all the right questions. Espo and Ryan tell Castle they have a witness who says someone matching Beckett's description was there last night. Uh oh.
Castle and Beckett talk at the station and she admits she was there. Castle is upset because she promised she wouldn't do stuff like that alone. And honestly, for a crack detective she knew that was stupid to do without a warrant. While they're talking a bunch of Internal Affairs guys come in and talk to Gates and Caskett gets a call from a shaken Lainey who says that the bullet that killed Vulcan is from Beckett's gun. Uh oh. Beckett and Castle realize she's being set up and she high tails it out of there.
Castle finally lets the guys in on what's going on and that leads to a lead on Mr. Smith who was formerly a safekeeper for the file that kept Beckett alive. They realize he must have faked his death and Beckett and Castle (after a sweet reunion at the swings) go to the hospital to talk to the doc who signed the death certificate. He says he can't help them, but as they are leaving dead Mr. Smith calls on the burner phone. They meet him for a pointless meeting in a dark parking garage whose only purpose was to tell everyone that Bracken is looking for a recording and can't find it. And then Mr. Smith leaves with a "don't ever call me again." (Another weird plot point was the guys telling Gates everything. For no reason apparently since at the end she's all, yeah, we can't help her with no evidence. Weird. And waste of air time.)
Anyway, Caskett go to a sleazy motel and Beckett is going to change her hair color. Castle leaves to go get a car. Bad idea in leaving her alone, though. I thought she would leave him behind, but instead she's jumped by Bracken and two of his lackeys. She stands up for herself, tells Bracken to shoot her himself, but he declines, saying he has people for that. He's so deliciously evil, like Vulcan, but Vulcan just made it look good, you know? Anyway, the lackeys drug her and get her drunk so she can shoot herself. Only she didn't swallow the pill and takes the lackeys out quite spectacularly. Not before she's bashed on the head, though. She makes it out to the hallway, bleeding, where Castle finds her. He hightails it out of there with her and heads to Canada. What a smart man.
Only, while Beckett is out of it she remembers her first meeting with Montgomery (man I miss him! And it makes me see why I don't like Gates once we've had someone as amazing as him). Anyway, she remembers him telling her to go over her mom's belongings for tape cassettes and Beckett says she has to go home to get her mom's tapes. Ryan and Espo help her get in, and they find her mom's day book with a little code on the day she died, but then they're all caught and taken to the precinct.
While they're handcuffed, waiting to be taken to booking, Beckett sees the family of elephants figurine she has on her desk and puts the pieces together. That was her mom's. Her mom said the elephants were a family, just like them. She grabs for the figurine, struggling with the IA guys, and it breaks open, revealing the cassette tape. They all listen to it, and it is extremely incriminating against Bracken.
The next scene was one of triumph. Bracken is giving his interview to a boatload of press when Beckett walks in and arrests him. The look on her face was one of sadness and victory. Stana Katic killed it. Once he's taken away in a squad car, she hugs Castle. I loved that ending. And finally, finally, the Johanna Beckett murder storyline can be put to rest! Hallelujah!
Next week's previews is about the wedding! I'm so excited for that. Six years of waiting. I hope the writers don't let us down. *crosses fingers* Did you see it? What did you think?
Monday, May 5, 2014
Hawaii Five-O Says Goodbye to Catherine
I know I usually do a book review on Mondays, but this week I'll be reviewing on Thursday so I can talk/vent a bit about the exit of the character of Catherine from Hawaii Five-O.
Most of you know that I have watched the Hawaii Five-O reboot from the beginning. I loved the dynamic between the team of main characters. Catherine was introduced as Steve's longtime "girlfriend" (they had a thing) and she was recurring for the first two seasons. Then she started to have bigger roles and this season she was added to the Five-O team. I have to say I was looking forward to what she could bring to the table as a character because she had known Steve for so long and she seemed to be the one stable relationship he had in his life.
The first half of this season was so great with the two of them working through issues like her kidnapping, her leaving the Navy, finding a civilian job, Billy's death and her guilty feelings, it was just so juicy and good and really added another dimension to Steve's character. Things weren't always smooth, but they were working on it. (Especially with the Billy situation. It was really good.) Their relationship was what kept me glued to the show since the rest of the team was sort of flat feeling with Kono off with Adam, Chin grieving, trying to date that prison chick, Danny seemed here and there, nothing else was really drawing me in except Catherine and Steve.
Then the bottom fell out.
After such great episodes, the last half of the season has been disappointing for me. Catherine was barely on and became an info-dumper at the computer for the most part, which is what Kono used to do. (And when she came back from her Adam adventure, she returned to that role.) It's almost as if the writers don't know how to write strong women on the show, especially ones that are in Steve's life. For example, his sister is a flake, his mother deserted him as a child by faking her death, only to come back from the dead to throw his life into a world of chaos for no good reason. And she's the worst spy ever, close to bumbling status. Oh, and his favorite Aunt Deb is dying. Seriously.
Then we had women he worked with, Jenna Kaye, who betrayed him, and Lori Weston, who fell in love with him and couldn't do her job. Yikes. Catherine has been the one character that started out with great writing and really had a history with Steve. I thought it would continue, but again, the writers can't seem to write a woman on the team. Or anywhere else on the show really. (And yes, I like Kono, but she hasn't had great material in ages. She is stuck at that computer so often, it's getting ridiculous. What a waste of Grace Park's talent.) And to top it all off, they hired Grover and Jerry to be regulars this year, so we have two more men, but tell me, where are the women? This show is so heavy on the men it's glaring. But, is that because the writers are only comfortable writing men? Why not write a good strong woman on the show? Why not have an episode where Catherine and Kono could have done some crime-stopping with the men for backup? Why are the women written so poorly? Yeah, I have no answers, only questions. Sigh.
So, this is where I was at when I heard that Michelle Borth, who plays Catherine Rollins, was leaving Hawaii Five-O. I hoped it wasn't true. I wasn't sure I even wanted to watch her exit live (and I admit, I stopped watching the show live a couple of episodes ago and just DVR it to watch when I have time) but I tuned in, even though it's been a tough last half of the season for this fan. (Seriously, Danny and Steve used to sparkle with great repartee and dialogue, and lately it's just a whiny Danny and a Steve that puts up with the sniping. It's too one-sided and the carguments just grate now.) The show has lost its luster, but I've stuck with it. I keep hoping, you know.
But then last Friday came along and I knew it was Catherine's last episode. *deep breath* Here we go. We started out with a charity poker game and Catherine gets a call from Afghanistan. She goes outside to take it and Steve watches, a bit concerned. Catherine's friend, Amir, (a guy and his family who found her wounded in a field on an op years ago and took care of her), is asking for her help because his teen son, Najib, has been abducted by the Taliban to possibly become a suicide bomber. She is going to help him no matter what.
Her and Steve head off to Afghanistan and they put an op together to find Najib. Amir tracked the truck with the son in it and got beaten for his efforts, but Steve and Catherine hijack the truck's convoy traveling on the road. Catherine gets the kidnapped kids out of the back, but no Najib. Steve gets knocked out with a grenade and taken prisoner. And that's when my stomach tied up in knots because you know it wasn't going to be pretty after that.
They beat Steve, wanting info on where the woman took the kids. They're getting a camera and are going to use him as an object lesson. Thankfully, Catherine has been able to contact Danny who gets hold of Joe White and a military rescue is on the way. And it goes right down to the last second right before they behead Steve. So, so tense, but our hero is rescued.
Danny goes to Afghanistan to make sure Steve gets home okay and while at Steve's bedside, hears the military brass and CIA people tell Steve to go home and don't come back or he'll be thrown in jail. Steve tries to get out of bed to go help Catherine and Danny says, "she's a big girl, we don't want you in jail." I'm all, what? Did he really just encourage Steve to leave Catherine in Afghanistan with Taliban forces looking for her? Yes, yes he did. The same guy who was telling Steve at the beginning of the season that Catherine is the best thing that has ever happened to Steve. Oy. Oh well, I guess it sucks to be you Catherine.
I really thought Steve would do something, but he doesn't. Steve doesn't go after her. The next scene is him coming home. I did cut him some slack because he was wounded and recovering from torture, but this is a man who hasn't followed orders in the past to help someone he cared about. It seemed odd that he just left her there without even making an effort to locate her. (Hello, the man has resources, he could have called someone! Hired someone! Done something!) But he went home. (I guess the CIA and military threats of prison were bigger in his mind than I thought they were. Usually he doesn't care about stuff like that.)
Anyway, Catherine calls him from a SAT phone and they have one of the most emotional conversations I've seen on the show. Steve finally admits that he loves her, but the way he holds the phone from his ear, the way he chokes up as he says "I love you, you know," really tugged at my heartstrings. Catherine says she loves him, too, but she's going after Najib. They say aloha and she rides off into the sunset on a motorcycle. Honestly, Alex O'Loughlin and Michelle Borth killed those scenes. So, so great. Click here if you want to see that final scene. *sniffle*
The good thing is that the door isn't closed on their relationship and I hope the writers don't do that because it would trash Steve's character, his history, and the depth to him that we've come to love and want to watch for more. I hope we see Michelle on the show again and hear Steve talk about Catherine. I don't want the writers to let this drop. And there needs to be a bit of redemption for the way the character of Catherine was handled in the last half of the season. (And every woman on the show, really.)
As a Hawaii Five-O fan, I enjoy the relationships as well as the crime-fighting. I hope that next season we can see some stellar writing, especially for women, and get out of this slump that seems to have been front and center lately. Draw me back in, H50. Please.
So, at the end of the day, here's my little salute as an H50 fan---Aloha, Catherine. Your presence will be missed and I hope you come back soon!
(On another note, 24 is starting back up again tonight! And Castle and Blacklist are on! TV is good again, but what to watch first? Decisions, decisions.)
Most of you know that I have watched the Hawaii Five-O reboot from the beginning. I loved the dynamic between the team of main characters. Catherine was introduced as Steve's longtime "girlfriend" (they had a thing) and she was recurring for the first two seasons. Then she started to have bigger roles and this season she was added to the Five-O team. I have to say I was looking forward to what she could bring to the table as a character because she had known Steve for so long and she seemed to be the one stable relationship he had in his life.
The first half of this season was so great with the two of them working through issues like her kidnapping, her leaving the Navy, finding a civilian job, Billy's death and her guilty feelings, it was just so juicy and good and really added another dimension to Steve's character. Things weren't always smooth, but they were working on it. (Especially with the Billy situation. It was really good.) Their relationship was what kept me glued to the show since the rest of the team was sort of flat feeling with Kono off with Adam, Chin grieving, trying to date that prison chick, Danny seemed here and there, nothing else was really drawing me in except Catherine and Steve.
Then the bottom fell out.
After such great episodes, the last half of the season has been disappointing for me. Catherine was barely on and became an info-dumper at the computer for the most part, which is what Kono used to do. (And when she came back from her Adam adventure, she returned to that role.) It's almost as if the writers don't know how to write strong women on the show, especially ones that are in Steve's life. For example, his sister is a flake, his mother deserted him as a child by faking her death, only to come back from the dead to throw his life into a world of chaos for no good reason. And she's the worst spy ever, close to bumbling status. Oh, and his favorite Aunt Deb is dying. Seriously.
Then we had women he worked with, Jenna Kaye, who betrayed him, and Lori Weston, who fell in love with him and couldn't do her job. Yikes. Catherine has been the one character that started out with great writing and really had a history with Steve. I thought it would continue, but again, the writers can't seem to write a woman on the team. Or anywhere else on the show really. (And yes, I like Kono, but she hasn't had great material in ages. She is stuck at that computer so often, it's getting ridiculous. What a waste of Grace Park's talent.) And to top it all off, they hired Grover and Jerry to be regulars this year, so we have two more men, but tell me, where are the women? This show is so heavy on the men it's glaring. But, is that because the writers are only comfortable writing men? Why not write a good strong woman on the show? Why not have an episode where Catherine and Kono could have done some crime-stopping with the men for backup? Why are the women written so poorly? Yeah, I have no answers, only questions. Sigh.
So, this is where I was at when I heard that Michelle Borth, who plays Catherine Rollins, was leaving Hawaii Five-O. I hoped it wasn't true. I wasn't sure I even wanted to watch her exit live (and I admit, I stopped watching the show live a couple of episodes ago and just DVR it to watch when I have time) but I tuned in, even though it's been a tough last half of the season for this fan. (Seriously, Danny and Steve used to sparkle with great repartee and dialogue, and lately it's just a whiny Danny and a Steve that puts up with the sniping. It's too one-sided and the carguments just grate now.) The show has lost its luster, but I've stuck with it. I keep hoping, you know.
But then last Friday came along and I knew it was Catherine's last episode. *deep breath* Here we go. We started out with a charity poker game and Catherine gets a call from Afghanistan. She goes outside to take it and Steve watches, a bit concerned. Catherine's friend, Amir, (a guy and his family who found her wounded in a field on an op years ago and took care of her), is asking for her help because his teen son, Najib, has been abducted by the Taliban to possibly become a suicide bomber. She is going to help him no matter what.
Her and Steve head off to Afghanistan and they put an op together to find Najib. Amir tracked the truck with the son in it and got beaten for his efforts, but Steve and Catherine hijack the truck's convoy traveling on the road. Catherine gets the kidnapped kids out of the back, but no Najib. Steve gets knocked out with a grenade and taken prisoner. And that's when my stomach tied up in knots because you know it wasn't going to be pretty after that.
They beat Steve, wanting info on where the woman took the kids. They're getting a camera and are going to use him as an object lesson. Thankfully, Catherine has been able to contact Danny who gets hold of Joe White and a military rescue is on the way. And it goes right down to the last second right before they behead Steve. So, so tense, but our hero is rescued.
Danny goes to Afghanistan to make sure Steve gets home okay and while at Steve's bedside, hears the military brass and CIA people tell Steve to go home and don't come back or he'll be thrown in jail. Steve tries to get out of bed to go help Catherine and Danny says, "she's a big girl, we don't want you in jail." I'm all, what? Did he really just encourage Steve to leave Catherine in Afghanistan with Taliban forces looking for her? Yes, yes he did. The same guy who was telling Steve at the beginning of the season that Catherine is the best thing that has ever happened to Steve. Oy. Oh well, I guess it sucks to be you Catherine.
I really thought Steve would do something, but he doesn't. Steve doesn't go after her. The next scene is him coming home. I did cut him some slack because he was wounded and recovering from torture, but this is a man who hasn't followed orders in the past to help someone he cared about. It seemed odd that he just left her there without even making an effort to locate her. (Hello, the man has resources, he could have called someone! Hired someone! Done something!) But he went home. (I guess the CIA and military threats of prison were bigger in his mind than I thought they were. Usually he doesn't care about stuff like that.)
Anyway, Catherine calls him from a SAT phone and they have one of the most emotional conversations I've seen on the show. Steve finally admits that he loves her, but the way he holds the phone from his ear, the way he chokes up as he says "I love you, you know," really tugged at my heartstrings. Catherine says she loves him, too, but she's going after Najib. They say aloha and she rides off into the sunset on a motorcycle. Honestly, Alex O'Loughlin and Michelle Borth killed those scenes. So, so great. Click here if you want to see that final scene. *sniffle*
The good thing is that the door isn't closed on their relationship and I hope the writers don't do that because it would trash Steve's character, his history, and the depth to him that we've come to love and want to watch for more. I hope we see Michelle on the show again and hear Steve talk about Catherine. I don't want the writers to let this drop. And there needs to be a bit of redemption for the way the character of Catherine was handled in the last half of the season. (And every woman on the show, really.)
As a Hawaii Five-O fan, I enjoy the relationships as well as the crime-fighting. I hope that next season we can see some stellar writing, especially for women, and get out of this slump that seems to have been front and center lately. Draw me back in, H50. Please.
So, at the end of the day, here's my little salute as an H50 fan---Aloha, Catherine. Your presence will be missed and I hope you come back soon!
(On another note, 24 is starting back up again tonight! And Castle and Blacklist are on! TV is good again, but what to watch first? Decisions, decisions.)
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Women of TV United Against Lupus
May is Lupus Awareness Month and Women of TV have united against Lupus!
Today I'm doing a cover reveal of Empower: Fight Like a Girl, a special collection of short stories from top women writers that write for some of your favorite TV shows including Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Family Guy, Person of Interest, Grimm, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: SVU, Star Trek: Voyager, Eureka, Twisted, The 100, Malcolm in the Middle, Millennium, Being Human, The Shield, Castle, Chuck, Gilmore Girls, and Game of Thrones.
In this anthology, you'll discover supernatural thrillers, crime mysteries, horror, comedies, and more. All proceeds will be donated to the non-profit Lupus Foundation of America to help solve the cruel mystery of Lupus. Since Lupus has touched my extended family, I'm glad to be a part of the cover reveal today and while I haven't read the stories yet, the list of writers makes it sound like something I should pick up---and I'll be helping the Lupus Foundation at the same time.
Here are the links for Empower: Fight Like a Girl
Get it on Amazon
Find it on Goodreads
"Even non-girls will feel empowered by these stories about ordinary, flawed characters finding their own strengths. Highly entertaining and original." - Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Chase and King City, whose mother lost her hearing to Lupus.
Authors contributing stories to this volume include:
Friday, May 2, 2014
Friday Freebie--Home Matters
Today's Friday Freebie is Home Matters by Julie Ford, the first in the Ripple Effect Romance Novella series. I reviewed this one here.
Here's the back copy:
According to her mother, Olivia Pembroke was born to be a star. But how is she supposed to be famous when she can't even get a decent acting gig? Her lucky break comes when she lands an audition for a wildly popular home improvement show. Even though she has no design training and has never held a power tool, she refuses to let that stop her. She's confident that her destiny is finally within reach.
When her affections are torn between her heartthrob co-host and the irritating, yet somehow endearing lead contractor, does she continue to reach for the stars? Or does she design a new happily ever after? One that leads not to the fading lights of fame and fortune, but to a love that will burn forever.
The Ripple Effect Romance Series
Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors.
"Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."
Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford
Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin
Book 3: Righting a Wrong by Rachael Anderson
Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White
Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver
Book 6: Immersed by Jennifer Griffith
Here's the back copy:
According to her mother, Olivia Pembroke was born to be a star. But how is she supposed to be famous when she can't even get a decent acting gig? Her lucky break comes when she lands an audition for a wildly popular home improvement show. Even though she has no design training and has never held a power tool, she refuses to let that stop her. She's confident that her destiny is finally within reach.
When her affections are torn between her heartthrob co-host and the irritating, yet somehow endearing lead contractor, does she continue to reach for the stars? Or does she design a new happily ever after? One that leads not to the fading lights of fame and fortune, but to a love that will burn forever.
The Ripple Effect Romance Series
Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors.
"Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."
Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford
Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin
Book 3: Righting a Wrong by Rachael Anderson
Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White
Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver
Book 6: Immersed by Jennifer Griffith
If you think this is a book you'd like to read, download your free Kindle copy here
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Beat Sheets and Motivation
Today I have two things I want to share with you that are motivating me to finish up this novel. Here is the first one:
It's a "Beat Sheet" for planning out the romance in your story created by Jami Gold. Now, I'm not a romance writer per se, but there is a romance in my current work in progress and looking at this beat sheet has helped me see where I can fill in a few holes. If you want more information on beat sheets and some really great ideas on how to use them (with downloadable stuff, too!) you should definitely visit Jami Gold's blog (which is, as I mentioned, where I got this beat sheet in the first place, so show her some love!)
The second thing that is motivating me today is this picture. And my little boy who loves Marvel Superheroes loves it, too. :)
What's motivating you today?
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Word Count Wednesday
Dangit! Yesterday's post posted as a Wednesday post when it was really a Tuesday post! Oh well.
I had critique group and you know what they said? That my villain has to be meaner. Sigh. I guess I need to start hanging around meaner people so I can observe their behavior! Or get in touch with my evil side. So that's what I'll be working on this week.
My word count was pretty good at 4678. I'm proud of that. How did you do?
I had critique group and you know what they said? That my villain has to be meaner. Sigh. I guess I need to start hanging around meaner people so I can observe their behavior! Or get in touch with my evil side. So that's what I'll be working on this week.
My word count was pretty good at 4678. I'm proud of that. How did you do?
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