CONGRATULATIONS to all who won the wonderful prizes at the Honky Tonk Hearts Launch Party last night.

And to all of you who took time out of your busy schedules THANK YOU for joining us. It truly was a hopping party.

A big THANK YOU to Stacy Holmes - Great way to kick off a wonderful series.

Dont forget to join me and some of my author friends of the Honky Tonk Hearts series at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheWildRosePress for chances to win lots of great stuff.
Hope to see you there.....

2012

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Things have been a little crazy with the holidays, which I am sure is the case with most families. This year I am hoping to make a fresh start - new goals - personal and not. Hey, I already started cleaning out cupboards and making room for new junk :-)

This week things have slowed down a bit and its time to get back to the day to day routine of kids going to school, cooking, cleaning, laundry, work, and WRITING.

I am very excited about starting a new journey with two new characters - Jared Randall a mountain man trying to give life to his deceased sisters dream and Angelina Cox who is the Montana DEQ specialist who can put a stop to it all.

Stop back and see what is going on with these two. I will be sure to make random posts about their journey as they reveal it to me. ;)

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DEBBY CONRAD

Hi Debby. Thank you for being with us today. Why don’t you tell us a little about the first book you sold.

The first book I sold was LUST’S BETRAYAL.
here is the back blurb –

Steamy adultery, romance, secrets and murder – that’s what the McLaughlin family is made of.

Ross McLaughlin hasn’t loved a woman since his wife died, and his teenage daughter Emma is enthralled with a wannabe rock star. When they receive a letter from a sick loved one, Ross reluctantly heads home. The naïve Emma can hardly wait to meet her family and find out about their past, yet Ross harbors an unspeakable secret: a member of the family might just be her mother’s killer. After this summer on the lake, the McLaughlins’ lives will never be the same.

Where were you when you got your first book contract? Who did you tell?

I was at work. I called my good friend and fellow writer Mary Campisi. She was the one who tipped me off about the publisher wanting new authors for their romance lines.

What draws you to write your genre and sub genre?

I love to read romantic comedy and romantic suspense so naturally I chose those genres to write. You can never have too much laughter in your life, and the suspense
elements keep me guessing.

Do you have any tips for new writers? Yes, I actually have a few. 1) Write a page a day, no matter what. A page a day equals a book a year. I don’t always do this, but when I am disciplined, it works. There are days that my planned 1 page per day turns into several pages per day. If you step away from your book longer than a day, it is extremely difficult to get back in the habit of writing daily. I have learned anything
can turn into a habit once you do it 21 days in a row. 2) Find a critique partner or critique group. Make those critique partners accountable to you and you to them. This will keep everyone writing and moving toward the finish line. The prize – A
completed novel!

What is your guilty pleasure?

I love to play mindless computer games. After a stressful day at my full time job, I enjoy coming home and playing games so I do not have to think about anything else.
Those computer games are also my worst enemies—they keep me from writing. They are time wasters, so try to limit your time on the computer to checking emails and playing games to 30 minutes per day, or only after you have written your page for the day.

Where can your readers reach you?

Email: DKAY@aol.com or my web site: www.debbyconrad.com

Are you working on another book?

Yes, I am working on a body switching story that is a Romantic Suspense. The working title is CHANCES ARE.

Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share?

Jenna Caldwell left the big city of Chicago in search of her birth mother. But along the way, a car accident changes her life forever. She is now living in the body of another woman, married to a man who despises her. And how can she blame him once she finds out she may have hired someone to murder him?

How did you come up with the title?

I was thinking “Chances Are” this will never happen and it just clicked.

Do you work on one project at a time or mulitples?

One. I am too scatterbrained to do multiple projects, but I admire those who can. J

Is there one particular thing that you find challenging about writing?

Yes. Believing in myself. Every author goes through periods of self doubt, and I am no different. I try to tell myself if I never publish another book I have had a good life and should not be greedy by wanting something I may not be able to have. Then, I kick myself and say, “But I really need this. My life would not be complete without writing and seeing my stories published.”

Who is your favorite author?
I don’t have just one. I love to read books written by different authors. I love Sandra
Brown’s romantic suspense novels and Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s romantic comedies. I love Leland Barclay’s witty humor and bad guy characters as well as Nelson DeMille’s ability to mix humor with his terrorist plots.

What are you reading now?

RETRIBUTION by Jilliane Hoffman.

Are your characters a reflection on you or anyone you know?

Not normally. But then again, I will never say never. J

Do you use more than one pen name?

I do not use a pen name.

What do you do to get in the mood to write?

Absolute quiet. I cannot stand background noises like TV. I sometimes like to take a hot bath, relax with my eyes closed and let my imagination run wild. And the third thing is I sometimes think about my characters and plot while I am on a road trip.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

I love losing myself in the writing and playing out the character roles. Real life is so exhausting sometimes. It is fun letting the imagination take control.

If you were a supernatural creature, what would you like to be and why?

Probably an angel. Angels are nice. I hate the thought of being something mean or scary.

How long have you been a writer?

Since 1996. It took me 10 years to publish my first novel.

How many books have you written? How many have been published?

I have completed 14 books and published 3.

Do you have a favorite character from one of you own books? Who and Why?

I would have to say Pepper Delaney from EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
She witnessed a mob murder then dressed as a hooker to slip out of town unnoticed. She continues the charade as she has no idea who to trust. She’s a gutsy heroine.

What is the easiest and hardest thing about writing?

The easiest part is being able to escape reality and the hardest part is the discipline. Life always seems to get in the way of everything.

Do you find love scenes difficult to write? Absolutely. A writer tries to be unique with every scene, but there are only so many ways to write a love scene that does not cheat the reader out of the fine details. It is the most uncomfortable part of the writing, at least for me.

Are any of your personal experiences reflected in your writing?

There are always personal life experiences which help an author make her writing more authentic, but none of my characters are based on me personally.

How long does it usually take you to write a book?

I have written a book in as little as 6 weeks, when I wasn’t working, but my current work in progress has been ongoing for 7 years now. Normally, 4 months is my average.

Do you set timelines when you’re writing or write when the feeling hits you?

Normally when the feeling hits me or when I need to take something to critique group. Several years ago, when I was fortunate enough to stay home and write full time, I wrote every day.

Do you characters talk to you?

Sometimes they do. When I am really into my writing, I can feel my characters’ emotions and it is as if they are real people.

Who controls the storyline, you or your characters?

Mostly me, but on occasion I have surprised myself by moving in a different direction based on what I feel a particular character wanted to do.

What is your writing day like once you start a book? Because of my day job I do not have a writing day.

If I am lucky enough to have the weekend to write, I like it to be my project for 2 days
straight. I will write for an hour, get up and do something else, then come back and write another hour or so. In between, of course I waste time playing stupid computer games or checking emails, doing laundry and cooking.

Do you promo your backlists when you’re writing a new book, or dedicate your time solely to writing?

I am bad about self promotion, although I am putting 2 of my books, which are out of print, up on Amazon as a Kindle selection along with another book. They will be available in a few weeks.

How many books do you write in a year?

When I was on a roll I could write 2-4 per year, but I am slow as molasses right now.

Thank you again, Debby for answering all our questions. I personally look forward to reading more of your stories and cannot wait for your next book.

Coffee Time Review

Another great review for HOLDING ON! Stop by http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/holdingonbook2bysherrithomas.html

Thank you Matilda for your wonderful review!

Fall

Fall is fast approaching and we are almost done with our canning. I believe we have canned enough tomatoes, froze enough watermelon, cantaloupe, green peppers, and onions, to last until next season. However we still have peppers to do, and grape juice to make. (Maybe some applesauce. I love homemade applesauce.)

Our garden didn't do as well as we hoped as this was its first year (we moved in our new home about a year and a half ago). But we did get a lot of watermelon and cantaloupe and thanks to a few good friends (who has two green thumbs) we were able to stock our pantry. I'm sure ours will do much better next year.

Fall is by far my favorite season. I can't wait for the leave to start changing. So go put cinnamon potpourri in the slow burner, throw on a blanket, and grab a good book.

What is your favorite season? How did your garden do this season? Do you can your vegetables and fruit?

Six Sentence Friday

This week has been crazy with the kids going back to school and hubby had hernia surgery, but I think things are finally setting down in time for the weekend - I hope ;) I was going to post 6 sentences from my latest book Greenhorn Heart, but we are just beginning edits so I will wait on those. In the meantime here is 6 more from HOLDING ON. Enjoy and feel free to post your own 6 sentences.

He needed answers, and he should have the results in another day or two. Did it matter? Not anymore. Inch by inch the knowledge that he fathered Suzy seeped in through his pores. He approached Brandi's room and rapped on teh door. Suddently hearing Suzy's cries throught the door, Dex burst in.

What are you reading?

So I thought it would be interesting to have everyone write down I am not a sentence from a book they are reading. But then I realized I'm not reading anything right now -due to crazy days (kids going back to school, hubby home waiting for surgery). Hopefully I will be able to hide away behind a romance novel, in the meantime here is a sentence from Mad About Maddie. Page 37 sentence 16.

His gaze cut to her and then the door, torn between running like hell or staying.

I look forward to reading every ones posts. Please post page 37 sentence 16 from the book you are reading, WIP, or another source.

Six Sentence Friday - Holding On

His eyes narrowed. "What are you afraid of?"
"This works out better, don't you think?" "Troy doesn't know, does he? About us, I mean." His look hardened.

Six Sentence Friday

Holding On -

Hearing a noise, she spun around. Dex stood in front of the bathroom door, naked except for the white towel secured around his waist.
How will I get out of this one?
She swept her eyes over his body and swallowed.
And how can a man look so damn good?

RELEASE DATE

HOLDING ON - the second installment of The Double M Ranch is scheduled to come out August 15. Liquidsilverbooks.com Find out what happens when Brandi McNeal - Troy's sister - returns to her family's ranch - baby in tow.

HOLDING ON

Excerpt:

"What gives you the right to make the decisions? Brandi pushed her hair out of her face. "Are you listening to me?" She clutched Dex's forearm. "You are the most chauvinistic man I know." She yanked on his arm.

"And you're the most stubborn, hardheaded woman I know." Dex's muscle burned with the imprint of her skin. He searched her face for a reaction. His eyes reached her mouth. Her tongue slipped between her lips.

His lips met hers in a punishing, savage kiss. His arms went around her. She tasted sweet. Her body molded to his. Within seconds, desire flared hot. He changed tactics to slow and seductive. He persuaded her lips apart with his and slipped into her wet crevice while his fingers threaded in her hair. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip. His tongue soother her swollen flesh. She moaned. He plunged inside once again leaning her back in his arm.

Too much timme passed since he last touched her.

He ran his hand down her thigh, pulling it up his. Her center rested on his leg. Her fingers skimmed down his back to his buttocks.

He work his way across her jam to her ear and continued his journey down to the dip by her collarbone. He removed her shirt up from the waistband of her jeans with one hand. He brought the other up to stroke the soft skin on her face.

He wanted inside her. Widening his stance, he bent his knees to gain further contact. He held her close. His tongue dipped between the valley of her breasts.

This is what he missed, the surge of adrenaline overtaking his body when he touched her.

He groaned and assualted her mouth for a second time. He pressed his fully aroused state to her.

Brandi gasped.

Dex kissed her eyes, her neck, her mouth. He tilted her backward in his arms when he wanted to lay her down in the grassy field and rip every last shred of material from their bodies, ridding the barriers.

Her hands pushed at his chest. He let go. She tore her mouth from his and pressed the back of her hand to her lips.

"This is wrong. Too much has happened."

"What's happened? Tell me, damn it."

She remained silent.

"One of these days, you're going to have to stop running."
"Yep, sure." Her head moved negatively. "I have things to do at the house." She crossed to her horse.

Needing space of his own, Dex dropped the subject. " What about the fence?"

"You're the one who was hell-bent on fixing it yourself, so go for it, cowboy. By the looks of it, you could use the time alone." Her eyes fell to the strain on his zipper.

RELEASE DATE

My first story in The Double M Ranch - MAD ABOUT MADDIE is being released tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST at Liquidsilverbooks.com Then if you have minute tomorrow stop by Liquidsilverbook.com SEx blog for my "Morning After" blog.