Tag Archives: Entangled Publishing

Psst…Kerri Mermaid Releases A New Hit!!

A FUN CHAT WITH OUR VERY OWN KERRI MERMAID ABOUT HER NEW ROMANTIC COMEDY, OUT TODAY … READ MORE ABOUT IT AND GET YOURS HERE!

Carlene Mermaid: Miss Sparkle Pants, firstly Happy Book Release day! The cover is fantastic and I’m so happy the world gets to enjoy Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend for themselves! Secondly, you have emerged as a fresh and fabulous voice in writing stories with really fun and intriguing romance secrets. You did the amazing three book series about the mysterious Bayside Blogger and now this new book which brings the hero and heroine together via some really juicy … secrets!

So I have to ask, what is it you love so much about the written secret? 

Kerri Mermaid: First of all, thank you so much for the wonderful compliments! You know, I never really thought about how many “secrets” I was writing about. Ha-ha! I actually consider myself to be much more of an open book in “real life.” I don’t think that all secrets are bad. Do I look fat in this dress? No! Is she prettier than me? No! But in general, I try to be as honest as possible. I guess I get to live out a different side of me in my writing.

Carlene: Very cool. Have you ever had anyone find out any of your secrets and how did that go or have you ever had to keep someone else’s secret?

Kerri: I’m very good at keeping secrets! And I don’t think I’ve ever had any secrets that were all that exciting. Oh, well, except for the fact that I’m actually working for the CIA and moonlighting as a romance writer. I’m currently somewhere in Eastern Europe wearing a black sequined dress and swirling a martini while I wait for the dealer to shuffle the deck. Whoops!

Carlene: OMG, that sounds so very intriguing and risque! I wonder, do you find that people come to you with their secrets? Are you ever tempted to work these into your stories?

Kerri: I can say without a doubt that I RARELY put things from my real life into my books. Well, I may use small, inconsequential stuff. For example, in Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend, my heroine Lola plays bocce in a rogue bocce league. Just like me in real life. But I would never reveal a secret from one of my fellow bocce sisters.

Carlene: That does not surprise me at all because you are a wonderful, loyal friend and mermy sister. Okay, so outside of your immediate real life, any unsolved mystery out there you’d love to be the one to solve? Which one?

Kerri: It doesn’t have to be me who solves it, but I would definitely like to know more about Area 51. Are we alone out there in the universe? I don’t think so. I just need some proof!

Carlene: Right!! Although, I have just started dipping my fins into the land of podcasts and I bet you can find some pretty credible proof in that realm. Okay, so for your romance loving super fans out there, is Kerri Carpenter even your real name? Have you ever thought of writing under a pen name? If so, what would it be?

Kerri: Is Kerri Carpenter my real name? Please see above question about me working for the CIA. Would I ever use a pen name? I’d tell ya, but I’d have to kill ya.

Carlene: Zoinks!!! No, that definitely won’t be necessary and we’ll just keep it at the very sparkly and fabulous Kerri Carpenter Mermaid. Well, it looks like our time is about up. One last question, perhaps the most important, burning one of them all: Hottest Sherlock Hottie: Robert Downey Jr or Benedict Cumberbatch?

Kerri: Chris Pratt! What’s that? Chris Pratt isn’t one of the choices? Shhhh. That will be our little secret!

Carlene: Hold that thought….. Fishy friends, before we duck out of the lagoon, be sure to grab your very own copy of Kerri’s new book HERE.  Thank you so much for joining us! Now, about that OTHER matter…..I don’t think it is humanely possible to keep Chris Pratt a secret so, here ya go!

photo credit: www.123rf.com/profile_buzzfuss

 

Photo credit: Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_buzzfuss’>buzzfuss / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

 

 

 

 

Tempting Mr. Wrong

Hi everyone!

I’m thrilled to announce that I have a new book out today called Tempting Mr. Wrong. This is book 2 in the Wrong Man series. *GLITTER TOSS* Okay, let’s get right to it, because I’m too excited to wait one more minute. All the info you need is below. Happy Reading!

TMW Cover

Blurb:

Lance Townsend craves freedom after years living a structured existence in the Army. But just as he’s about to start on his bucket list, Lance receives an unexpected request: check in on his goddaughter. The problem? The adorable little girl’s aunt is the one woman he’s never been able to forget.

Carly Quigley can’t believe her brother’s best friend, the man who jilted her years ago, is at her door. He claims her brother asked him to check in on her niece and their fixer-upper, but all either of them can focus on is their undeniable attraction. Carly knows Lance is counting down the hours to leave, which makes him the wrong man for her. Unfortunately, the wrong man has become oh-so-tempting.

Buy Links

Amazon

B&N

iTunes

Kobo

If you would like to learn more about Tempting Mr. Wrong, or see Kerri’s other books, please visit the Entangled Page.

Author Bio IMG_6441

Award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter writes contemporary romances that are sweet, sexy, and sparkly. When she’s not writing, Kerri enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) rescued poodle mix, Harry. Visit Kerri at her website, on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to her newsletter.

Excerpt

Carly started a pot of coffee. While it brewed, she meandered over to the window again. Thank God she wasn’t holding her coffee cup because it would have most definitely been dropped and splattered into a million pieces on the floor. Lance was working out in the backyard. But not just working out. Half-naked working out. And currently he was doing one-armed pushups as his rippling muscles quivered with the exertion.

Damn. She knew something else that was currently trembling, and she had to cross her legs to keep from losing it completely. Her mouth dropped open, and she knew that drool was soon to drip out of it. She knew Lance was built, but witnessing his naked top half working out really drove that point home.

Holy hell.

As if he felt her presence and knew she was standing there gawking at him, Lance looked up. No time to even pretend to be doing something else, she was totally busted. Taking it in stride, Carly winked and then strolled back to the kitchen and fixed her coffee. As Lance sauntered in the back door a few moments later, she took a long, deep gulp, the hot liquid scalding her throat. Not that she felt it because Lance still remained shirtless and her brain therefore remained inoperable.

 

Kissing Mr. Wrong releases today!

Friends,

We are flipping our fins and throwing glitter in the mermaid lagoon today! Why? It is the release date of Kissing Mr. Wrong, a novella by our very own Kerri Carpenter!!!

This novella sounds AMAZING — kinda like Kerri herself. So amazing, in fact, that I had to corner Kerri in the lagoon and ask her a few questions about her latest book.

1. What was your favorite scene to write in this book?KMW Cover

This question took me the longest to answer because I couldn’t decide! It might be the opening scene where Vanessa and John have a HUGE misunderstanding. She’s just lost her job and he thinks she’s going to throw herself off a bridge. In the end, she almost goes over the side anyway, he saves her, and they, um, having a little sexy time.

2. What makes Vanessa different from other heroines you’ve written?
Vanessa actually doesn’t differ much from my other heroines because I love writing contemporary women that I would want to be friends with in real life. They’re on the verge of something great happening in their life, if only they can just cross that one hurdle that’s been dogging them.

3. Before Vanessa discovers her one-night-stand is her best friend’s brother, she and her best friend have an . . . interesting conversation about her experience. Care to tell us about this conversation?
Well, we all know that girls talk. At least with their BFFs. However, it’s not until Vanessa and John discover who the other is…
“OMG – you’re my best friend’s brother!”
“OMG – you’re my sister’s best friend!”
…that a certain realization dawns for Vanessa. Yep, she tells her BFF everything including… well, um, ahem, penis details. Oops!

4. Not only is John the brother of her best friend, but he’s also two years younger than Vanessa. In Vanessa’s eyes, which is a bigger deal-breaker? What other ways is John Mr. Wrong? What ways is he Mr. Right?
Being her best friend’s brother is definitely a bigger deal breaker. In fact, she’s really just grasping at straws with the age thing and John calls her right out on it. But the fact that he doesn’t plan on staying in town definitely puts another check in the Mr. Wrong category. Yet, somehow she’s still attracted to him. Maybe because he sees how talented and beautiful she is, and when she’s with him she feels like the best version of herself.

5. Can you give us a few “Easter eggs” about this story? Inside jokes you’ve hidden that the reader may not necessarily pick up on?
I love Easter eggs and I definitely have a couple in this story!

Since I adore The Walking Dead, I named quite a few periphery characters after people on the show. Carol and Beth both make appearances.

If I’m drinking, I go for wine. But every once in a while, I’m tempted to have what I call “a big girl drink,” and my hard liquor drink of choice is a good old gin & tonic. That drink plays an important role in one of the scenes of this book.

Like many people, I must have my coffee. And I truly believe that when you move into a new house the first two things you should do before any other tasks is set up your coffee machine and get sheets on your bed for that night. That’s why a Keurig plays a prominent role in one of the scenes.

* * *

Thanks so much for answering my questions, Kerri! I am sooo looking forward to reading!

Blurb: Three months ago, graphic designer Vanessa Hewitt slept with the ridiculously hot guy she met after nearly falling to her death while stargazing on a bridge. The adrenaline-fueled night of we’ll-never-see-each-other-again sex fulfilled every fantasy, but with her best friend’s wedding on the horizon, Vanessa can’t stop thinking about what would happen if her sexy stranger passed through town again.

Haunted by his time in Afghanistan, soldier John Campbell returns to his sister’s town just long enough to help plan an engagement party for her. When he realizes her best friend is the sweet one-night stand he’s been fantasizing about for months, he’ll do anything to have her again…though getting trapped together in a storeroom wasn’t quite what he had in mind.

Vanessa is in hell. Or is it heaven? Because with every touch, their forbidden connection grows, until kissing Mr. Wrong starts feeling more like kissing Mr. Right…

Author Bio:

Visit Kerri at her awesomesauce website here.  Follow her on Twitter here.

Kerri Carpenter began writing in her grandmother’s kitchen at the age of seven in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating from Georgetown University, and working at The Washington Post and several nonprofit organizations, she began her freelance writing career. Happy endings called to her so she turned her focus to romantic fiction. Now, Kerri writes contemporary romances, usually set in small towns. She enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) poodle mix, Harry.

You can buy the book here!

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  iTunes  Kobo

Kissing Mr. Wrong

I’m a very excited Mermaid today. Why? Because my new book, KISSING MR. WRONG, comes out in less than 3 weeks!!! *glitter toss*

This novella is the first of three stories in the Wrong Man series being released by Entangled Publishing on May 26. Here’s a short blurb:

After a lousy day, graphic designer Vanessa Hewitt decides to drown her sorrows in a sexily satisfying man she’ll never see again. Three months later, however, she learns that her hot hook-up is actually her best friend’s younger brother, John Campbell―and they have to plan an engagement party together. Now John and Vanessa have to hide the truth. The only trouble is that Mr. Wrong is starting to look a lot like Mr. Very Right…

Sound good? How about a cover reveal? Sound better? Enjoy…

KMW Cover

Even better yet? KISSING MR. WRONG is up for pre-order on Amazon.

And if you want to stay up-to-date on all Kerri-related sparkleness, make sure to sign up for my newsletter or follow me on social media.

Newsletter

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Off to count down the days until my May 26 Release Day…. Happy Reading!

 

 

 

Kerri’s Debut Book!

Hello Waterworld Mermaid Lagoon!!!

I may or may not have shivved a couple of crabs to elbow my way back in here for the release of Kerri Carpenter’s Flirting with the Competition, but there’s not a court in the world that would convict me. After all, you know I’m not missing any of this awesomeness. How could I? Flirting with the Competition is a fab quick read involving hot lawyers, stuck elevators and Jordan. Oh, you don’t know Jordan? Hold on, here’s Jordan:

Flirting with the Competition

Flirting with the Competition

Roll your tongues back up, ladies (and gents). 🙂

I cornered Mermaid Kerri so I could ask her about Flirting with the Competition (out today – go get it!).

OK, I totally teared up and had a few sniffles when I saw the dedication for Flirting With the Competition. You have to share who Nunnie was and why she was right (and she totally was).

Nunnie is my maternal grandmother. When I was about seven or so, I sat at her kitchen counter and wrote a poem. From what I remember, it rhymed and was generally cute. But Nunnie took one look at it and declared that I was a writer. She told everyone in my family that I was a writer and she never stopped believing it – up until the day she passed away at 97 years old. Because she believed with unwavering conviction, so did I.

Now that we’re all reaching for the Kleenex, let’s bring this back to happy land. I want to hear about where the idea for this story started.

*sniffle sniffle* Okay, moving on. In spring of 2013, I was listening to a webinar given by former lovely and talented Mermaid, Robin Covington, who was talking about writing sexy time in novels. (I don’t think that was the actual title.) She said something about utilizing objects in the environment and I thought, what if you don’t have any objects? What if you’re stuck in an elevator? Then I wanted to know who was stuck in an elevator and where they were trying to go. I started writing Flirting with the Competition the next morning. So thanks, Robin!

You realize you are going to be the reason why a lot of readers start fantasying about getting stuck in an elevator. Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?

No, and that’s probably a really good thing because I suffer from a touch of claustrophobia. Although…if I was stuck in an elevator with someone like my hero, Jordan, I’d probably be just fine. Of course, with my luck I’d get trapped with the person who hadn’t bathed in 16 days and started whistling. (I HATE whistling!)

You live in the Washington DC area, is that why you decided to set Flirting with the Competition there? What about the story is true to life when it comes to living in DC?

Secret about Kerri – I set almost every story I write in either DC, Virginia, or Pennsylvania. I’m from PA, went to college in DC, and currently live in VA. Makes research a breeze. 😉

Setting Flirting with the Competition in DC was a no-brainer. People in DC like to work and love to talk about it. In fact, the first question you usually get when you meet someone new is, “where do you work?”

Did you know the ending before you wrote the first word or did you find your way to it?

I knew from that first night that I wanted two enemies trapped together. By the next day I had decided they would be competing for the same job. But who would get the job in the end? No clue. I’m a total pantser (For non-writers: this means I don’t plot out my stories before I start writing) so I came to the ending rather organically. And the ending you’re reading today is actually different from my original version. But I love this one so much more!

What inspired you to write Flirting with the Competition?

I’m a huge fan of reading novellas and I wanted to try my hand at writing one. At the time, I had just finished the 713th revision on a long contemporary romance I was writing and I wanted to do something fun, flirty, and SHORT!

Casting couch time. Who would you cast for Whitney and Jordan?

A lot of writers use actors as inspiration for their characters. I don’t really do that. But if I had to pick…I would go with either Molly Quinn (she plays Richard Castle’s daughter on Castle) or Rachelle Lefevre (who was in the Twilight movies) for Whitney. Jordan kind of looks like Mike Fisher (who plays hockey for the Nashville Predators and is married to Carrie Underwood). But really, any super-hot, super-alpha guy with a heart of gold underneath will do. 😉

Avery and Kerri hanging out in San Antonio this past July.

Avery and Kerri hanging out in San Antonio this past July.

Don’t leave us hanging, what’s next for you?

I have a full-length contemporary romance called, The Best Kind of Love, coming out with Soul Mate Publishing in December. (See above – those 713 revisions totally paid off.) I’m also writing another novella where two people get stuck in a confining space. Any guesses where I’m putting them this time?

 

Thanks Mermaid Kerri! So everyone go out and grab your copy of Flirting With the Competition! Short blurb and buy links below.

*** Giveaway Alert***

Kerri would love to give one lucky person a $10 Amazon gift card. Lots of fun stuff to buy over at Amazon – like a debut novella perhaps. 😉 To enter, all you have to do is answer the following question in the comments by midnight tonight. Winner will be announced in the comments tomorrow morning.

Question: Who would you love to be stuck with in an elevator?

Flirting With the Competition

The sexiest things happen in confined spaces…

Lawyers Whitney March and Jordan Campbell are interviewing at a prestigious law firm. For the same job. And Jordan is determined to win, despite his sexy, capable, and fiery rival. But when the elevator they’re sharing comes to an abrupt stop, they’re stuck—together.The only thing they have in common is determination to get the job…and an unexpected and escalating attraction. And it’s only a matter of time before these competitors indulge in a very sexy little connection between floors.

You can buy Flirting with the Competition here.

Visit Kerri’s website here.

Or Tweet her here.

Or “like” her on Facebook here.

 

Mermaids & Friends: Avery Flynn

Guess who’s back in the Lagoon today? That’s right, it’s our very own Avery Flynn. Yay! *Throws Glitter!* (Man, I’ve missed throwing glitter at Avery!) Anyhoo, Avery has a new book out and she stopped by to share an excerpt and get everyone entered in a $500 – that’s what I said, $500 – giveaway.

I won’t take up any more time. Welcome back, Avery Flynn….

Hola Waterworld Mermaids! The lagoon is looking awesome, I don’t mind if I do dip a toe back in. 😉

Thanks so much for letting me swim with you and share an excerpt from my latest, This Year’s Black. It’s the second in my Killer Style series, but don’t worry it can be read as a stand alone. It’s about a private investigator who only wears black, Allegra “Ryder” Falcon, and her client, Devin Harris – an ex-MMA fighter turned fashion guru who just happened to have an amazing one night stand with Ryder before she blew him off. Now they have to work together to find an embezzler.

Here’s the excerpt! This Year's Black

If she hadnt run a background check on Devin, Ryder would have sworn hed grown up, like her, in the working class neighborhoods of Waterberg, far from the ritzy urban enclaves of Harbor City. Talk about being dead wrong. Even if she had a hundred dollars for every pasta noodle shed eaten in her life, she wouldnt put a dent in his trust fund.

Devin cleared his throat, never pausing his pounding on the keyboard or bothering to look her way. Youre staring.

Yeah, so damn hard her eyeballs were about to fall out. Blinking rapidly, she straightened in the bucket seat and picked an invisible piece of lint from her black chiffon tank top while running through a mental list of shitty ex-boyfriends to remind herself of why she needed to stop ogling her client. No matter how hot he was.

I was wondering how a white-bread, private-school-attending, eating-Sunday-brunch-at-the-club dude like you ended up with a healthy start to a tattoo bodysuit. There. That should put him on the defensive.

His fingers paused on the keyboard. Ten years as a carny. The clickity clack revved back up to full speed.

Score one for the rich kid. Tilt-a-Whirl?

The clacking ceased. He leaned back in his seat and arched his neck from side to side in a move natural to every jock shed ever dated. Next, he rolled his shoulders under the perfectly-tailored shirt and leveled a heated gaze at her. Appraising and full of dark promise, the look made her clothes too tight to contain her suddenly aching boobs, and her lungs too small to hold the proper amount of oxygen.

Kissing booth. He turned his attention back to his laptop.

Years ago, Ryders mother had warned her never to poke a bear with a stick. While shed always remembered her mothers advice, she hadnt taken it then and she wasnt going to now.

Big, grumpy bears didnt scare her. She liked hearing them growl.

Ryder tsk-tsked. Funny, I figured you for a big draw at the dunk tank.

His fingers froze.

A shiver of anticipation danced down her spine. Picking a fight with a client might not be the smartest move, but it was so much better than sprinting across the aisle and jumping his bones at five thousand feet. The butterflies in her stomach disagreed, but what did they know about anything?

Oh yes, there is trouble ahead for Ryder and Devin! 🙂 Now I’m going to swim on over to that cute mer-bartender but before you join me be sure to enter the This Year’s Black $500 Escape giveaway! (See below.)

This Year’s Black by Avery Flynn

“Incredible writing with witty humor and scorching sex scenes. This Year’s Black belongs at the top of everyone’s TBR list.”– New York Times bestselling author, Gina L. Maxwell

A fighter since birth, Allegra “Ryder” Falcon would rather trade in her all-black wardrobe for head-to-toe hot pink than let anyone ever see the cracks in her tough exterior. But one night with a stranger changes everything.

Devin Harris may have given up his MMA fighting dreams for high fashion, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t always in control. So when someone embezzles millions under his watch, he isn’t going to let the private investigator working the case go it alone–even if she is the woman who blew him away in bed and then blew him off.

Just when it seems like it couldn’t get any hotter between Ryder and Devin, the case takes them to a tropical paradise where the danger increases. From the catwalk to the pineapple fields, they have to work together to track down the missing millions before the thief finds–and kills–them.

About Avery:

Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. Find her here: WebsiteTwitterPinterestFacebook page, Facebook profileGoodreadsBookLikes

Rafflecopter Giveaway

 

A Night of Southern Comfort – an exclusive, sizzling excerpt

Hi!  My debut release, A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT, was released on June 15th and so far it has been a roller coaster! A fun roller coaster.

I want to thank all of you who bought the book, left a review or sent a message to me about how much yo enjoyed AN0SC – it means so much.  Reviews have been amazing – 27 5-star reviews! WOOT!

So, since my brain is too fried to think up an original post, I’ve decided to post an exclusive excerpt here at the the Lagoon!  Enjoy! Robin

Pink tinged her cheeks as she shook her head and looked down at the tabletop. Her hands gripped the edge with white-knuckle tension. He guessed she struggled with whether she should stay here in Elliott. She was too smart not to have a backup plan. The fact that she needed one pissed him off. He’d been on edge since the meeting with the governor in Richmond and now he was wound so tight he either had to fight or fuck the anger out of his system before he blew.

Jack moved in his seat and jostled the table, causing Kayla to look at him.The jolt of cellular recognition crackled between them like a live wire. He’d read about it—that crazy moment when your body remembers where it has been, whom it connected with, and yearns to be there again. Frankly, he was surprised that the Formica covered table hadn’t gone up in flames.

“I guess this is a pretty crazy coincidence.” With a shaking hand, Kayla smoothed her hair back from her forehead.

“I don’t believe in coincidence.”

A furrow creased her brow. “What? How can you say that? The bar? My father’s house? This town?”

Jack leaned forward and placed his hand on the table, only a hair’s breadth from where hers lay. It took everything he had to resist closing that gap. “Doc, you went to the bar looking for a man and I happened to be in the right place at the very right time. That’s not kismet—that’s just probabilities.”

“No.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper that curled around his gut in a tight clench. “I wasn’t looking for a man at all. That changed when I saw you. I picked you because I couldn’t not pick you.”

At her words, his entire focus shifted to include only her. Kayla’s expression was defiant, daring him to refute what she’d said. He couldn’t. He couldn’t even speak, much less argue. Frankly, he didn’t know if he wanted to. The thought that someone like Kayla might actually want him scared the hell out of him.

His mom approached the table and “tsked” at the untouched pie on his plate. “Y’all want anything else?”

Never breaking eye contact with Kayla, Jack closed the distance necessary to cover her long, delicate fingers with his own.

“Dr. Roarke will take the pie.” He briefly calculated just how dumb his idea was, but with all of his blood flowing to his crotch, he couldn’t count that high. “To go.”

Blurb:
One night of passion…
Detective Jackson Cantrell never imagined that one night with an irresistible stranger would turn his life upside down. He’s spent years living in the shadows, but Dr. Michaela Roarke awakened a passion inside him he’d buried years ago.
He never expected the woman would turn out to be the governor’s daughter…and his next assignment. The governor blackmails Jackson to secretly watch over Michaela and protect her from a stalker, or kiss his dream job at the FBI good-bye. Swearing to keep things strictly professional, Jackson moves in with Michaela. Too bad his heart can’t keep the same promise.
But when the stalker’s attacks quickly escalate beyond mere photographs to bodily harm, Jackson must race to save Michaela’s life. And he’ll have to figure out how to keep her once she discovers his lie.

What I have learned so far as a debut author

Hello friends! I am back with another installment of my journey as a debut author.  I have completed my 2nd round of edits and my manuscript is now going into the copy edit stage – yes!  Rumor is that it will be released in June . . . but that isn’t written in stone.

Oh – and the title changed from SOUTHERN COMFORT  to A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT.  Cool huh? It evokes more of the “one night stand” trope of my book.

Okay . ..  back to my post.  I decided that I would share with you the top five things that I learned during my edits process. So, here we go:

1. I write like I talk . . . alot!  I’m Southern, so it’s no big surprise there. But, I was shocked when my editor pointed out all of the extra (I say necessary – but she won the arm wrestle) words I use in my writing. So, she was absolutely essential to help me see that. Has it changed the way I write? A little bit but I still use LOTS OF WORDS on my first draft.

2. I can crank it out on a “real” deadline.  Yeah, I set goals for myself but I also let myself cheat, so there was a moment of panic when I saw the deadline. But, I work well under pressure and being the first-born and Type A – I need to please. ‘Nuff said.

3. I am not “hot shit”.  Okay – I never thought I was but this whole experience showed me how much I still have to learn.  I soaked in my editor’s comments and put them into action. No ego. No hard-headedness.  Just being open and honest with myself.

4. Trust is key.  I trust my publisher, Entangled – so I trusted the people they assigned to work me.  My managing editor and editor wanted me to succeed, wanted my book to be great and everything they did and said made that absolutely clear. It was easy to make revisions when I knew that fact.

5. Reading is sherbert for my brain.  When I got stuck or had to work through a problem I needed something to “cleanse my mental palate”.  That was reading for me.  I could shut my mind off and let my subconscious work on the problem while I relaxed.

So, now I’m working on a book proposal for the new Covet line and am waiting to get a R&R letter on a second submission.  Meanwhile, juggling the business side of the of the writing business is taking up lots of time.

So, that is where I am. Thanks for joining me once again as I talk about my favorite topic – me! ; )

As a thank you, I’m giving away a copy of the book that gave me such a boost when I needed it.  Harper Fox is one of my absolute favorite authors and her new release, SCRAP METAL, left me tender, raw, and joyous when I read the last word.  She does that to me every time.

fishy kisses,

Robin

Look Ma! I have a process!

I was torn about what to write about today. Life has been crazy for me lately and I’ve not had a lot of time to think about blogging here today.

Now, the stuff I’ve been doing is the fun stuff:  incorporating myself as a writing business, signing my contract with Entangled, getting new headshots taken (see one to the right), and filling out the cover art fact sheet for my book (my favorite question was the one that asked what I didn’t want on my book cover.  (The first thing that came to mind was, “cowboys, babies, and the Cialis bathtubs”)

I also received a rejection. Not fun. But after a one-night pity party with the Mermaids, I got back up on Seabiscuit and got to work. I sent that manuscript to another publisher and now I wait.

And the EDJ (evil day job) . . .  let’s not go there.  In fact, I don’t want to go there right now. Again, working through some stuff which will likely work out but it’s a pain getting there.

But, even with all this stuff needing to get done the thing I was struggling with was writing.  And, it was driving me crazy! See, I decided that I needed to change how I did this writing thing.

Why?

Not.  A. Clue.

So, I decided to monkey with the system and do it differently. Change it up. Get jiggy with it.

And, I couldn’t get it done. Couldn’t make progress. Nothing.

So, in a moment of brilliance I trashed everything I had done and went back to the tried a true.  I wrote my bulletized plot outline. I started on page one instead of in the middle. And . . . voila! . . . I was writing!

So, what’s the moral of that story?

Don’t mess with what’s working.  There is no set way to write a book. No right way. No wrong way

Just my way.

What’s yours?

Robin

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE: Since so many people commented on my boots. Here they are up close. I love them . . .