It's Getting Harder to Breathe

Hey there friends! To pull a quote from classic rock heroes Aerosmith, "I'm back in the saddle again!" I'm ramping up to help you all get up close and personal with Frozen Heart in time for it's release on August 7th. I'll be somewhat like a chicken with my head cut off, minus the bloody mess (I hope) as this locomotive gets running down the track.

Lots of fun stuff is planned in the coming months. I'll be working hard all summer on the promotional tour for Frozen Heart. Check back here for excerpts, pictures, links to interviews, and other fun stuff like give aways and in-person signing events. I'll even be posting a playlist to share with you the musical inspiration for chapters and scenes in Frozen Heart. 

Don't forget to "Like" my Facebook author page  to see the most up to date information or follow me on twitter. If you're a "pinner" you can find me on Pinterest with lots of pictures that remind me of Frozen Heart and an endless array of Adam Levine worship, as always. 

For now, I leave you with the song that inspired me to write those very first words that eventually became Frozen Heart. 

Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5

Hello, my friends. It's been forever, I know. I'm posting a big old
THANK YOU
to everyone who came out to see me at the Thousand Oaks Library Author Fair on May 20th. As promised, I am awarding a free copy of Frozen Heart to one winner who stopped by to chat and entered to win. Using Random.org, I have selected a winner!

The list as entered:

And the list with a winner chosen:





























Congratulations to Sandra S. ! I'll be emailing you the details.

The event itself was rather quiet but a wonderful experience overall. I met several other local authors, including Amazon Best Seller Kyle Fitzharris, and had a lovely time chatting with both long time lovers of books and unpublished authors looking to break into the publishing world. In all, I would liken this event to having a soft opening of a restaurant. Not too many people and just enough to begin to build some word of mouth.

I'll be back again soon, my friends. I miss waxing poetic about my life and my writing. In the mean time, I hope you've found some great books and talented authors with the monthly installment of Author Spotlight.

XOXO

Who's got a cloning device?

I have been the worst of the worst, terrible, totally MIA bloggers in the history of blogging. Well, except that chick that secured "the best blog name ever" and only blogged one day in 2009, screwing the rest of us out of that awesomeness. Anyway, to my followers and my friends, I apologize. Anyone else can bite it.

As you know, I'm having a blast writing The Bombshell Mommy for Vitacost.com. If you haven't read the blog, it's fun and informative. I never dreamed I'd get the opportunity to write about an issue that is dear to my heart in a national forum. I also never imagined I'd own quite so many sex toys. It's win-win.
If you haven't "liked" the Facebook page yet, please take a moment to do so. I promise not to spam your newsfeed. We had a chat on Facebook last week and it was a great time. I hope more of you can stop by and say "Hi" next time.

Additionally, I'm still taking freelance projects. Therefore, I'm still writing for magazines and have a big, huge, daunting project that is totally kicking my ass. I will be scarce until June, at the earliest, as I wrestle this project into submission.

I'm eager to get the project finalized because, my friends, I have a new WIP planned that I know you will love. A contemporary erotic romance. I know, I know, contemp isn't my thing, but this story will not be without its dark and derelict elements, I promise. I am ridiculous excited to get this book written. So, let's all say a prayer or meditate or sacrifice a goat or whatever we need to do so that the freelance project flows smoothly and quickly.

Of course all of this comes secondary to my kids. They have to be feed and clothed and bathed and what ever else they are demanding at that moment. They're like little dictators with loose teeth.

Truth be told, my house is generally in shambles. There are constantly dirty dishes and the laundry is going to grow legs and put itself in the washing machine soon. I can't do it all, so the housekeeping is what gets left behind.

Therefore, if anyone has a cloning device, help a girl out! I could use at least one more of me, maybe two. Three would be a bit much, though, don't you agree?

Author Spotlight: Cyndi Tefft

I'm a blogging failure, I know. My most sincere apologies. In my defense, I'm still learning how to juggle my freelance jobs, The Bombshell Mommy, and the publishing of Frozen Heart. Not to mention trying to squeak in work on my new WIP. 


Meanwhile, I'd like to introduce you all to Cyndi Tefft, the author of Between and the newly released sequel Hell Transporter.  Her YA books come with a heavy dose of skillfully written sexual tension. They are not to be missed. Plus, a grim reaper with a Scottish accent, how can you resist? Cyndi recently took time away from working on the last installment of Aiden and Linsey's journey together to chit chat with me about her books and her writing process.  


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Between 
It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.


What inspired you to write such a unique version of a grim reaper? And how did you decide on the delicious idea to make him Scottish? 

I wanted to write a good versus evil story, but I felt angels and demons had been done pretty extensively. Having always been fascinated with near death experiences, I thought it would be fun to create a world in between earth and heaven with a guide from one to the other.

Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series made me a Scot fanatic and I had just finished her sixth book when I started writing mine. Her seventh was not yet out at that time and I was hungry for some more Scottish Highlander hunkiness, so I decided to make one of my own!

Did you plan to write a romance novel with a strong religious theme or did it develop as the story evolved? 

Because the story is set in the afterlife, I knew God and heaven would play a strong role in the book, but things definitely evolved as I wrote. I am much more of a pantser than a plotter (I just start writing and see how things develop, rather than outlining ahead of time). 

The faith themes in the book are an integral part of the story, as I would imagine that in death, most everyone would wonder how the God thing comes into play.

You write fantastic sexual tension. What advice do you have for other authors *cough*me*cough* when it comes to writing the tension that comes before the actual sex? 

Thanks! *grin* Writing love scenes is one of my favorite things to do. It’s much easier for me than writing fight scenes! Between was actually an adult book when I finished the first draft. It went through countless revisions and finally ended up a YA novel. There are three *deleted* sex scenes from the book that I’ve made available upon request to readers who want to know the characters a bit more... intimately. hehe

As for writing sexual tension, I believe the key is making the reader want it to happen as much as the main characters do. We all want to fall in love with the characters and when we do, their longings become our own, and the ultimate satisfaction of that longing is all the sweeter.

Every writer comes across pitfalls in the writing process. What is your biggest challenge and how did you learn to overcome it?

When I finished the first draft of the story, which was actually one big HUGE book that I later split into Between and Hell Transporter, I thought it was done. *shakes head* Little did I know that I would spend years revising those books and that they would bear little resemblance to the first draft once they were finished.

My biggest challenge early on was underestimating how much I still had to learn about writing. Now I know much more about the craft, but more than that, I know I still have much to learn. That knowledge, rather than being depressing and defeating my spirit, actually provides me with grace for the present and excitement for the journey ahead.

I am a better writer than I was and not as good a writer as I will be.

Quick three:

Favorite Book: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Jamie Fraser- swoon!)

Favorite Drink: Diet Pepsi (followed closely by espresso)

Favorite Article of Clothing: My Sketchers tennies. I wear them every day!

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Thank you again to Cyndi Tefft for visiting the blog and sharing her insights. For more on Cyndi you can visit her website , her Twitter, and on Goodreads. Her books are available at her site, as well as Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.