Sunday, April 29, 2012

My windows are open!



      Aaaaahhh! I just love it when the weather gets warm enough to open the windows so the scent of beautiful flowers can drift thru the house! Fresh air, new growth....I'm not even going to the weed thing...we'll ignore that until another day but perhaps I should venture outside.

      Spring also is a time for renewal, not only of the outdoor growth, but of the growth that happens inside our mind. Just like in our gardens, we have to rake out the old things that don't work for us anymore...specifically our dusty old way of thinking if we are to move forward with our lives and achieve what we want to happen for us! We are the only one who can make that change. No one else knows what thoughts we harbor, what thoughts hold us back from obtaining what we want out of life.

      Do you often look around and realize what you have really isn't what you want but you're afraid to take that step forward to begin getting what you want? I'm thinking happiness here but maybe you want more money - that would allow you to travel, improve your home, buy new clothes and so much more. To move forward, one needs to toss out the thoughts that hold them back. First, you need to know that YES, you DO deserve to have more more money and to be happy! First, you need to - 

Change your thoughts to change your life!

      We attract what we think so consider what your thoughts have been. Have they been about all the bills you receive and how much money you don't have? That could be why you're not attracting more money and only getting more bills. Experiment for one month - think about what you truly want, tell yourself you totally deserve to have what you want (and believe that!) and envision it in your mind!

      I invite you to take a chance on my motivational book, Unleash Your Inner Strength, for .99. Can .99 change your life? Why wonder? Click now and get your copy. You need to read it everyday if that is what it takes to remind yourself of what you're thinking! Daily positive thoughts will also attract happy, successful people into your life. The results can be amazing!

Change your thoughts and change your life!

I DARE YOU!










Monday, April 16, 2012

Patricia Rasey - Suspense/Paranormal Author



Patricia Rasey
Suspense/Paranormal Author

The e-Book Winner is:

Donna
Congratulations!!

     Thank you for stopping in to meet Pat today! We've known each other for fifteen years and I truly miss her since I've moved to the Pacific Northwest so it's with great pleasure that she's back to visit with us on my blog. Pat is great at getting into her villain's point of view when she writes to bring the reader even closer to those in her stories.
     Were at a small cafe across from a recent crime scene so grab your coffee because here comes Pat to join us! Hey, woman! Have a seat right here. I'm so glad you're here! I've missed talking to you, for sure! Our readers are anxious to learn more about you...


Pat: First, I'm glad to get together with you again and chat with our readers. I've missed you, too, but glad we've stayed in touch even if it is by long distance.

Deanna:  *sipping my raspberry mocha*  Do you mentor any other authors who look up to you?

Pat: Not at this time. Between working my full-time job, trying to write and market, it doesn’t leave me a lot of family life. Anything else has to take a back seat for now. That’s not to say I haven’t helped a time or two when asked. I just don’t have a lot of free time these days.

Deanna:  I know that working with you as a critique partner helped me immensely - thank you for that! What would you say is important for upcoming/aspiring authors to do?

Pat:  Never give up. You may never realize success is just around the corner because you gave up before you got there. I was told that by a friend once, and I never forgot it. If you think about it—it makes you afraid to quit…because what if it was your turn to succeed and you gave up.

Deanna:  Great advice. What has been your biggest help in becoming the writer you are today?

Pat:  Working hard to improve myself. To never let myself think I am great, because I’m not. So I study the craft, see where I can improve and try hard to be the best writer I can be.

Deanna:  I have to agree with you; it seems we can never learn too much with regard to writing. In your opinion, what should new authors avoid doing?

Pat:  Believing their friends wonderful praise. Not that you don’t want to believe you are as good as they say you are, but your friends will tell you what they know you want to hear. Find a good, honest critique partner and never stop working at improving your craft. Everyone has room to grow.
 
Deanna:  How has your life helped in creating your own characters?

Pat:  I am a people watcher. If I go to the mall, I love to sit and observe. I think by watching people, it helps you with characterization. My life does creep into my work. If something interesting has happened—you can bet it will make it into one of my books.

Deanna:  Readers love to know who we begin creating our worlds. What is the first thing you do when starting a new book - outline, synopsis, or just begin writing?

Pat:  I am a by the seat-of-your-pants type of writer. I will have a brief idea of what I want. I’ll sit down and start the book. After I have a chapter or two down, I’ll start doing a brief outline. As I get further into the book, I’ll make it more detailed. I use WriteWay software to help me plot my work.
 
Deanna:  I love that program and use it for my books, too. Thanks for telling me about it! Do you find a character photo first or wait until you’re further into the book to fill in those details?

Pat:   *motioning to the waitress for another round of coffee* Characters photos usually come first. I want to see my character in my head as I write them. If they are a minor character—I may not have a picture for them, but all the major characters’ pictures come first.
 
Deanna:  Mine, too, I have to know what they look like before I go too far into a story. What is your strongest trait as a writer - dialogue, POV, characterization, etc?

Pat:  Definitely dialogue. My books are dialogue drive. My weakness, I think, is narration. So I am always working to expand in that area.

Deanna:  What does your favorite male character look like?

Pat:  I have to pick one? I have a lot of fav male characters. My latest book, LOVE YOU TO PIECES, my main character Jaycen McCain looks like Colin Farrell with shorter hair.


Deanna:  Tell us about your newest book…where it takes place, how the characters came to you, teasing plot points, etc?

Pat:  My latest book started with my mom buying a vacuum food sealer. I thought you could vacuum seal body parts…and my murder plot was born. It takes place in a small Ohio town, a very rural area. I like the idea of really bad things coming to small towns and shaking up the community.  As for my characters, they just came to me as they always do. I really can’t explain that other than my romantic suspense plots start with who my killer is and how they are related to my hero/heroine. Then I start giving everyone flaws, things they need to overcome…and build from there.

Deanna:  All that has worked great for you. I am biased because I love reading your suspense books! What makes a reader keep coming back for more books in a series?

Pat:  I think the characters. If you can get the reader identifying with your characters, and leave a bit of a hook at the end—they’ll want to read more.

Deanna:  Let's do a few 'fun' questions - What's your favorite meal?

Pat:  Steak…right now I love Outback.

Deanna:  What is your favorite wine?

Pat:  Merlot

Deanna:  Who inspires you?

Pat:  Lara Adrian. We’ve been friends for years, but she is such a wonderfully talented author. That and she’s one of the sweetest people you will meet.

Book excerpt from Love You To Pieces:

     Jaycen picked up his bottle and downed the liquid. Deaden the pain, blessed numbness; ease the weight centering in his chest. His ears buzzed, his heart rate accelerated and he was having a devil of a time drawing breath. He needed to get these panic attacks under control before the PD clued in. He didn’t need any psych evaluations or anyone questioning his performance. But dear God, his wife planned to divorce him. He thought of their last fight, just before she had walked out. You’re such an ass, Jaycen. You never listen to me. And he hadn’t; he stopped long ago. You wouldn’t care if I left and never come back. But he would have, though he’d never said as much. Jaycen ran a callused hand down his face. He’d never get the chance to tell her now.
      He raised his bottle to the bartender, who quickly replaced the empty. Jaycen stared at the brown glass before tipping it back and taking another healthy swallow. Maybe he’d be drunk by nightfall. Inebriated or not, though, once his head hit the pillow, he’d be wide-awake and staring at the cold, empty side of his bed.
      "I’m sorry, Jay. I shouldn’t have told you."
     Hell, he didn’t even know what to say. Sara sat there staring at him like he should have some sort of reply. All he wanted was to be left alone.
     "Say something."
     "What do you want me to say, Sara? You just told me the woman I loved…spent fifteen years of my life with…wanted to leave me. Had already drawn up the damn papers."
     "You weren’t exactly the easiest person to live with at the time, Jay. You’d changed."
     "Kelly Jo changed, too, but I didn’t stop loving her."
     "No, but you stopped talking to her."
     He couldn’t argue with that. Many times he remembered shutting out Kelly Jo. How many times had he driven her from the house due to his silence? And never once had he questioned where she went. Sara hit the nail on the head. He had been so busy with his own misery that he’d failed to see the signs of a deteriorating marriage.
     "So, what did you drag me here for? The other day at your house, you told me you didn’t want my help."
     "I was being an ass."
     She rolled her eyes, earning him the understatement of the year award.
     "Look, Sara, I already apologized twice. What more do you want?"
      "For you to quit being such a jerk."
     Jaycen chuckled. "I don’t much like myself. How can I expect anyone else to?"
      "What do you want to know about Kelly Jo that you don’t already know?"
   Thankfully, she let the subject of his attitude drop. Finding Kelly Jo’s murderer was the priority, not his deep-seated issues and self-loathing. "What did she do with herself on the weekends?"
     "She never told you?"
     His face heated. Damn, he really had been uncaring. "I never asked."
     "She went clubbing."
     His brow furrowed. "Was she seeing someone?"
     Sara shrugged again. "I don’t know."
     "Would she have told you if she was?"
     "Maybe. She told me she was planning on leaving you. So why leave out the part she found someone else?"
      "I don’t know." He rubbed his jaw. "Which club did she frequent? Napoleon has none, so she’d have to leave town. Where’d she go?"
      "Toledo. She went on Saturdays because it was Goth night at some bar."
   "Goth?" Warning bells went off in his head, remembering his early conversation with Detective Miller. "What the hell would she be going to a Goth club for?"
     "She liked the music."
     Jaycen thought of the CDs lining the shelves at home: Stabbing Westward, gODHEAD, In Extremo, Dope. Groups he had never heard of, let alone listened to.
     "You ever go with her?"
     Sara shook her head. "It wasn’t my scene."
     "You know which club it was?"
     "No. She never said and I wasn’t interested."
     "Kelly Jo disappeared on a Saturday, which means she was more than likely headed to this club. Why didn’t you tell me about this before?"
     "I didn’t think it was relevant. You said her car was found in the Spring Meadows Shopping Center parking lot. Besides, I figured you knew what she was doing with her weekends."
     "Apparently, I didn’t know my wife at all."


 Be sure to watch her book trailer!
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Pat: Readers, thank you so much for stopping in to read about me and my books. Please visit my sites and connect with me online. I do have a newsletter you can sign up for also. Now, don't forget to leave a comment for the contest!

Contest:   On Saturday, April 21th, one lucky commenter will win an e-book of LOVE YOU TO PIECES in Kindle or NOOK format - Winner’s choice. Winner will be picked using random.org and please include your email so I can easily reach the winner!

Deanna: Pat, thank you so much for spending the week with us. Readers, you won't be disappointed when you read Pat's books. She tells intriguing stories and you'll love her villains, she does a great job! Mark your calendars now - Pat will also be our guest on our blog over at An Avid Reader's Haven April 22 - 27.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Sharon Donovan - April 11, 2012


 Sharon Donovan

Inspirational Romance Author

     It's with a heavy heart that I share this bit of information with you. I only knew Sharon online but we corresponded as though we'd known each other for a long time. She will be truly missed by many and the reading world will miss a wonderful author. Sharon fought diabetes for many years. I miss her already....

     As you know, Sharon Donovan has been fighting her health problems since Christmas.
    On April 11, 2012, our lovely Sharon has made her way back to the good Lord above. Thank you for being such a loyal and caring friend during her trials and tribulations.

Obituary  

     On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, Sharon A. Donovan, 56, of Avalon, beloved daughter of James and Pearl Donovan of Avalon, beloved sister of Thomas (Priscilla) Donovan of Milwaukee, WI, and Mary Beth (Mark) McCauley of Mars; beloved aunt of Kendall and Connor, also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends. Sharon was very giving and loving, and a great inspiration to all.
     She was an accomplished author and will be dearly missed.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Where to find my books...


Find me everywhere!

     For those new visitors who haven't checked out my books yet, I'd like to thank you for stopping in! Never Surrender is my Native American time travel that will pull you back to the Wyoming Rockies as Taima searches for his soul mate; No Turning Back is my 1778 English historical where you can ride aboard Nathan's ship as he takes Vanessa across the seas; and Unleash Your Inner Strength will help you learn to control your thoughts to bring more of what you want into your life!

     My books are available at a number of websites and I've listed them below so you can choose which site works best for you and also which download you prefer, such as Nook, Sony, or Kindle.










Again, thank you for stopping in!

YOU are who I write for and I'd love to hear from you.


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