My Cinderella Story; #MFRWAuthorBlogChallenge

I wasn’t relegated to sweeping, dusting, cooking, and being a house-maid, and I didn’t have a magical fairy godmother (just a wonderful editor-godmom), but my road to publication started with a contest and ended with a contract.

In the end of 2014 I entered the first romance writing contest of my life. I’d written my first romance novel and wanted to see if it had any chance of being published traditionally. I loved the book but I wasn’t sure anyone else would and I entered the contest, basically, for feedback. The contest called for the first three chapters, so that’s what I sent. And then, I simply forgot about it. I was still working full time, menopause was kicking my chubby tush, and I was uber busy in my personal life.

Four months after entering, I received an email from the contest chairperson telling me I’d won my division. Included in the email were my scores by the various judges and comments they’d made. Once the shock at winning wore off, I read all the comments and felt like I had a shot a getting published. A day later another email arrived from Rhonda Penders, the publisher of the Wild Rose Press. She was the final judge for my entry. She wrote that she’d liked what she’d read and asked if I had a completed manuscript. Boy, did I! Could I send it along to her? Boy, could I! So I did.

Two months after that I received another email from the editor Ms. Penders had assigned the book to, to be read. Condensed version here of the story : they were offering me a contract to publish.

When I scraped myself off the floor and stopped crying, I said YES. And that’s how my first book, SKATER’S WALTZ, came into the book reading world.

Three years later and I’ve had 11 books published and have just signed 2 contracts for 5 more in the next 2 years.

Story-book ending much? Yeah. Big-time!

Since this is a blog hop, hop on over to these other authors to get their  contest experiences.

 

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#GoddessFishBlogTour day 5. Wowza!

Almost a week in already and I’m still going strong. I’m over on Unabridged Andra 

In case you missed any of the previous stops, here are the links, and you should stop by because there’s a Rafflecopter for an Amazon gift card at the end of the tour ( April 13. You gotta be in it to win it!)

March 19: Romance Novel Giveaways
March 20: BooksChatter 
March 20: Sharing Links and Wisdom
March 21: Edgar’s Books
March 21: Christine Young
March 22: Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews

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#GoddessFishBlogTour Day 4. Smooth sailing so far…

Another 2-fer today!

I’m giving writers so sage writing advice ( don’t worry, it’s not mine!)  on Laurie’s Thoughts and Reviews

And believe or not there are 10 things you don’t know about me – even if you’ve read my bio! Candrel’s Crafts, Cooks, and Characters

And if you’ve missed any of the stops so far, here’s a recap:

And in case you missed any of the earlier ones, here are the links:

March 19 Romance Novel Giveaways

March 20 Books Chatter

March 20 Sharing Links and Wisdom

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#GoddessFishTour Day 3… Lot’s to talk about!


Day 3!. and another two-fer I’m over on  Edgar’s Books today talking about criticism and writing – two subject I deal with everyday!! and on Christine Young’s blog.

And in case you missed any of the earlier ones, here are the links:

March 19 Romance Novel Giveaways

March 20 Books Chatter

March 20 Sharing Links and Wisdom

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An #authorvisit with C.B. Clark; #WildRosePress

It’s always a pleasure for me when I can host a fellow Wild Rose Press sistah! Today I’ve got C.B. Clark visiting and tell us all about her new romantic suspense, Broken Trust. Have a look-see:

 

BROKEN TRUST by C.B.Clark

 

 

Blurb:

After five years of hell with an abusive husband, Natasha Hartford vows never to trust another man. Then she stumbles onto a murder scene and meets sexy, stubborn Homicide Detective Chase Brandon, a take-no-prisoners tough guy who’ll settle for nothing less than the truth. Sparks fly, but Chase’s suspicions and Natasha’s innate distrust block the way to happiness.

The detective struggles with his own troubled past and is determined to find the truth behind the shadows dimming Natasha’s eyes. As more murders occur and a possible connection to her ex-husband appears, Chase fears her life is in danger.

Natasha and Chase race to find the killer before he strikes again. Their survival depends on their willingness to overcome their mistrust of one another. Will they overcome their fears and find love again?

Excerpt:

The thick carpet muted the tapping of her high heels as she fled through the reception area and down the hall to the elevators. In spite of her cowardly retreat, she wanted to shout in triumph. She’d been terrified of angering the surly detective, but she’d dragged up her courage and told him what she thought. Blood buzzed through her veins, fueled by the adrenaline rush. Damn. It was good to have her old fire back.

She glanced down a short corridor on her left and stumbled to a stop. How had she missed the ropes of yellow police tape blocking the entry to one of the rooms? Her breath hitched in her throat. That must be where the grisly crime had occurred.

The shocking truth struck her like a blow—Jonas Waverley was dead. Murdered in cold blood. She staggered and grabbed onto the wall.

“Ms. Hartford, wait.”

She glanced back.

Detective Brandon strode along the corridor toward her, his long legs eating up the distance, a determined expression on his face.

Her earlier spurt of courage vanished, and she whirled and dashed toward the bank of elevators. Chest heaving, heart pounding, she hit the button for the elevator, jabbing it again and again.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, catching up. “I was hard on you, but I’m just doing my job. A man was murdered.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to examine every possible lead, question every person of interest.”

She shuddered and stabbed the down button again. Person of interest? Her? She was a person of interest in a murder investigation?

“Can we go somewhere and talk?”

She shot him a look, making it clear what she thought of his suggestion.

He lifted one shoulder. “Maybe we could grab a coffee? I have a few more questions I’d like to ask.”

The elevator pinged, and the doors opened with a hiss, revealing a middle-aged man and an elderly woman who stared at them with vague interest.

Natasha stumbled toward the elevator.

Detective Brandon grabbed her arm, holding her back. “Ms. Hartford, wait.”

Warmth from his large tanned hand seeped through the thin material of her raincoat and raised goose bumps on her arm. “Let me go.” Her voice was shrill with rising hysteria. She tugged, but he held on, his grip tightening.

Buy Links:

The Wild Rose Press: // Amazon // B&N // Kobo  //

Author Bio:

Broken Trust is award-winning author, C.B. Clark’s fourth romantic suspense novel published by The Wild Rose Press.My Brother’s Sins and Cherished Secrets were released in 2016, and Bitter Legacy in 2017. C.B. has always loved reading, especially romances, but it wasn’t until she lost her voice for a year that she considered writing her own romantic suspense stories. She grew up in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Yukon. Graduating with a degree in Anthropology and Archaeology, she has worked as an archaeologist and an educator. She enjoys hiking, canoeing, and snowshoeing with her husband and dog near her home in the wilderness of central British Columbia.

Social Media Links:

Facebook // Twitter // Blog // Goodreads // Instagram 

 

 

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#GoddessFishBlogTour day 2. What every #RomanceStory should have.

On day 2 of my tour I’m over on Books Chatter with the things I feel should always be in a good romance story and are, hopefully in my own! Stop by and take a chance on the rafflecopter and leave me some love!

I’m also over on Sharing Links and Wisdom talking about romance stuff! Drop by and say HI

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#GoddessFishTour Can’t Stand The Heat #LyricalPress

Day 1 of my GoddessFish Tour for Can’t Stand the Heat kicks of with a visit to Romance Novels Giveaways. Stop by and find out a few things I wish I’d known way back when…. there’s a rafflecopter prize, too!

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#SaturdaySeven #L&SR

I grew up in the era of family TV. Long before cable networks, long before censorship went the way of the dinosaur, long before the Internet and you-tube changed our viewing habits. During this era, I was a lonely, chubby, nerdy only child who longed for adventure, siblings, and a stable family life. It’s no wonder 6 of the 7 following shows were family based, moralistic, and portrayed the types of families I wanted tobe included in. The 7th was pure adventure, based on my favorite song of all time! So, for today, my 7 favorite tv shows of my childhood are:

Family Affair

New York engineer Bill Davis finds his life as a swinging bachelor turned upside-down by the arrival of his newly orphaned nieces and nephew — young twins Buffy and Jody and their teenaged big sister, Cissy. In time, however, Bill adjusts his lifestyle to accommodate his young charges, with a little help from his fastidious British butler, Mr. French.

 

 

 

Secret Agent Man

A security investigator travels worldwide. ( and one of the coolest songs ever written by Jonny Rivers.

Brady Bunch

Here’s the story … of a man named Brady, an architect widower with three sons: oldest Greg, middle son Peter and youngest Bobby. He meets and marries Carol, with three daughters of her own: oldest Marcia, middle girl Jan and little one Cindy. Tending to them is a wacky maid named Alice. They all live in a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the Los Angeles suburbs. The story lines deal with boy problems, sharing bathrooms, lost hamsters, the occasional football to the nose, and attempts at pop music stardom.

Partridge Family

A widowed mother and her five kids form a band and make a hit record, then travel around the country in a groovy school bus. The comedy contrasts life on the road with the cozy suburban life they return to after the show is over. There’s feel-good music, hapless adults, scheming kids and heartthrob teens thrown in for good measure.

The Waltons

The life of a Depression-era family in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the subject of this wholesome series. The show is seen from the point of view of eldest son John Boy, who eventually goes to college, serves in World War II and becomes a novelist.

Little House on the Prairie

Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series of “Little House” books, this drama series revolved around the 1870s adventures of the Ingalls family — father Charles, mother Caroline, eldest daughter Mary, middle daughter/narrator Laura and youngest daughter Carrie — who owned a farm in Walnut Grove, Minn., during the late 1800s, and the daughters all attended school where they were annoyed by bratty Nellie Oleson. As the years went on, Mary lost her eyesight and moved away to teach at a school for the blind, and the Ingalls family moved to the Dakota territory –and back. Laura met Almanzo Wilder, a man who would ultimately become her husband. During the ninth and final season, Charles and Caroline sold their farm and moved away, leaving Laura and Almanzo in Walnut Grove.

One Day at a Time

Divorced mother Ann Romano moves to Indianapolis with her daughters, rebellious Julie and wisecracking Barbara, where she struggles to raise the teens on her own. Ann tries to maintain a balance between being a career woman and caring for the girls, who she wants to be able to offer the independence she never had as a young woman. Schneider, the building’s quirky superintendent, is a frequent visitor to the Romanos’ apartment, where he offers the family his usually-unwanted advice on various topics. As the series progresses and Julie and Barbara get older, they head off into the workforce and start their own marriages, and Ann continues to mend her relationship with ex-husband Ed.

Check out these other authors who are participating the #saturday7

ELF the Reading Addict  4. Peggy Jaeger  7. M.T. DeSantis  2. Lisabet Sarai (giveaway too!)  5. Welcome to My World of Dreams  8. Megan Slayer  3. Marianne Arkins  6. Lydia Schoch

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#MFRWauthors If I never had to do this one task again….

I’m not gonna go the writing route today for this topic. I could probably pick out 50 things I never want to do again with regards to writing, like line editing, spellcheck, ensuring grammar and tense are correct. I simply want to write and not have to worry about all that falderall!

But I’m not going the writing route, instead, I’m taking a detour into adulting because there is/are somethings I wish I never ever ever had to do again: housework.

 

There are days I wish I had a real-life, true-to-form, living with me in my house, fairy godmother. Or at least a simple version of Cinderella, only without the whole going to the ball and being married to a prince subplot.

 

I am sososoossoososososoo sick of housework in general and dusting/vacuuming/polishing specifically.

Where does the dust even come from? I’m alone in the house for, like, 14 hours a day. I’m not swishing around from room to room churning up air motes or leaving behind evidence I’ve been in the rooms. Most of my window blinds are closed to keep the midday glare out. But lo and behold, within one day, if I scrape my finger across a table it comes back with….crap on it. Dust crap.

Arghghghghgh!

 

Sometimes, when I walk into my dining room after sweeping it no less than an hour before,  dust bunnies the size of friggin’ tumbleweeds will glide across the room, pushed forward by some unseen alien force hell-bent on making me crazy!

Seriously, I’m sosososo done!

 

 

I wonder what the other authors in this blog hop would love NOT to have to do. Check out their posts:


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#BookPromo Calling all #bookbloggers and #bookreviewers.

I’m so excited! Starting next week on March 19th, I start my next Goddess Fish Blog tour for my upcoming Lyrical/Shine release of CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, book 3 in the WIll Cook For Love series. I still have some dates open for any bloggers who would be willing to host me. If you’re a Goddess Fish Tour Guide, please contact them via the website and see if any of my open dates work for you. I’ll be awarding a $50 Amazon GC and a $25 Amazon Gc at the end of the tour to qualifying bloggers and readers.

Here’s a little about the book to help whet your appetite and decision making process!

With three successful TV series under her belt, including her cousin Kandy’s, executive producer Stacy Peters is ready to helm her own show. But to make that happen, she has to do her network boss one favor first—spend two months on a ranch in Montana wrangling the notoriously difficult director of Beef Battles. Apparently, he eats producers for breakfast. Yet all Stacy can think when she meets the lean, rugged man is how hungry he makes her . . .
 
Dominic Stamp—Nikko to his very few friends—has had enough interference from TV newbies. And when Stacy climbs out of the car in Montana, he’s not convinced she’s even old enough to drive, much less produce his show. But he can’t deny that the long-legged blonde with the stubborn will and the dazzling smile whets his appetite. And as Stacy proves her talent with the crew and the budget alike, Nikko vows to prove to her that love is on the menu for both of them . . .

Excerpt:

When Dan Roth caught her eye and grinned widely behind his costar’s back, Stacy lowered her head and bit down on the inside of her lip. If she hadn’t been looking down she would have noticed Nikko stop. But she hadn’t been looking where she was going and, subsequently, barreled right into him.

She would have ricocheted back and fallen from connecting with the solid wall of his chest as she hit if he hadn’t thrust his hands forward and grabbed her upper arms to prevent it.

Like a blast from a stun gun—quick, sharp and penetrating—she felt the heat of his touch burn through her blouse and sear straight through her skin.

Numbed, she dropped her tablet, her hands incapable of holding onto it. They splayed, open palmed, and sought purchase by grasping his elbows and clutching.

“Steady,” he commanded.

Stacy felt anything but. Words wouldn’t form correctly in her mind. All logical, rational thought had flown the moment the warmth of his hands seeped through the fabric of her blouse. It was as if she’d walked into an oven, the temperature set to broil.

His long fingers squeezed once, twice, then tugged her in closer.

Stacy couldn’t decide which was more intense: the heat in his eyes or the natural warmth radiating from his body.

“I’m—I’m sorry. I didn’t…I wasn’t…I—Sorry.” She tried to pull from his grasp, but he wouldn’t let go.

As earlier when she’d caught him staring at her, she once again felt the mesmerizing pull of his gaze and was powerless to look away.

And for some inexplicable reason found she didn’t want to.

The little shards of amber floating among the cognac color of his irises were lighter and brighter than she remembered. They looked like a wolf’s eyes, and, just like a wolf, their stare was predatory, alpha, and hypnotic.

“Nikko? We’ll all set to start up again,” Todd called from the doorway of the production trailer.

Without looking away from her, he called back, “Be right in.” He still hadn’t let go of her arms.

From deep down, as deep as she could reach, Stacy grappled for calm. She watched him watch her while she took a solid, full breath in, then relaxed it out.

“I’m sorry,” she said when she trusted her voice wouldn’t betray her again. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

She shifted back, away from him, but he kept his hands around her.

This close she could read the exhaustion floating in his eyes and his determination to ignore it.

This close she could see the fine, subtle lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes as he narrowed them at her.

This close she could reach out and smooth the corrugations grooving down from his mouth to his rock solid jaw. That she wanted to do just that, to offer him any comfort she could, to soothe the pain he tried so valiantly to keep hidden, stunned her beyond all thought.

Nikko Stamp was not a man who would ever tolerate being comforted or coddled.

Why, then, did she think it was exactly what he needed?

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