The second blog I ever wrote from February 4, 2014
The Origin of TAWK TO ME…
Those of you who know me personally and have heard me speak, know there is little doubt that I grew up in Brooklyn, NY. My diction, the way I can’t pronounce the letters “er ” at the end of words ( I say “mutha” for “mother”) and my oftentimes nasal twang all give my birthplace a shout-out. So instead of calling part of this site “Talk to Me,” I wanted you to really hear my voice when I said it, so “Tawk to me” is how it would sound if we were face to face.
This got me to thinking about my writing and writing in general when you want to bring your characters to life. The United States language is a huge mix of accents, colloquialisms, and cliched metaphors all melded together to form our wonderful country. No one speaks the same way as someone else, and neither should your characters. They can share phrases, accents, and even diction, but each character should “sound” different even if they are from the same place.
I lived in Wisconsin for seven years and the natives called a water fountain a “bubbler,” and soda, “pop.” In Brooklyn, my aunt called “Oil”, “Earl,” as in “They delivered some earl to the burna ( Burner!) yesterday and now I’ve got to pay for it.”
Wouldn’t you recognize someone who was from Ireland, if they said, “aye” and ‘Tis?” Or our neighbors to the north when they end every sentence with “eh?” Valley girls in California spew “Oh, m’Gawd! and “Fer sures!” to this day. In the U.K. the words “Brilliant” and “bloody” are descriptive staples. Australians call each other “Sheila” and “Mate.”
Southerners say “Hey,” while Northerners say “Hi.” Highly educated people wouldn’t think of saying “Gotta” or “lotta,” and my cousins would never end a sentence with “Don’t you agree?” They’d be more likely to say, “ya know?”
I live in New Hampshire now. Wicked weather, eh? (Get it?!)
So, “TAWK TO ME.” Tell me something, ask me a question, give me some needed guidance. Just “TAWK TO ME.”
So I’m doing something different for my next release. I’m going to be selling print copies of RETRIBUTION directly from my website. The link is on the menu on the home page, but I’ll provide it here, too. The cost is $15.00 per book and that includes shipping and handling. Now, this offer is only available to US residents because shipping costs overseas are prohibitive. In that case, if you want the print book Amazon is the best place to get it.
One advantage of getting it from me is that it’s autographed!
Last week I did my top 5 non-fiction favorite books. This week, the fiction ones. And you’ll be surprised that they’re not all romance books (!).
THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now. Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
NAKED IN DEATH The first EVE DALLAS book. In the year 2058, technology completely rules the world. But for New York City Detective Eve Dallas, one irresistible impulse still rules the heart: passion…
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all—and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire—and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it’s up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about—except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.
New York TO DALLAS My favorite of the series. When a monster named Isaac McQueen—taken down by Eve back in her uniform days—escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to take up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS ( Novella) my favorite Christmas romance. Identical twin boys Zeke and Zach only want one gift from Santa this year: a new wife for their lonely single dad, Mac Taylor, a builder who fixes things up in their small town. But convincing their love-wary dad that their music teacher, Nell Davis, is not only part of Santa’s plan, but Mac’s soul mate, isn’t quite as easy as they’d hoped
FRENCH SILK , My favorite Sandra Brown book. When she becomes a murder suspect, a New Orleans beauty and lingerie tycoon must share her most deeply buried secrets with a disturbingly handsome district attorney in order to clear her name.
Like the city of New Orleans itself, Claire Laurent is a vibrant beauty laced with mystery. As the founder of French Silk, a fabulous lingerie company, she has fought hard to achieve worldwide success. Then a TV evangelist attacks French Silk’s erotic sleepwear as sinful. And when he is killed, Claire becomes the prime suspect.
District Attorney Robert Cassidy knows Claire is damning herself with lie after lie about the murder, even as he feels her drawing him into her world and her very soul. But neither Cassidy nor her protests of innocence can save Claire unless she reveals a shocking truth — one she has sworn to take to the grave . . .
Okay, so it’s 6 but one of them is a novella so that only counts for half, lol!
Just like the graphic says, I’ll be one of many authors participating in this year’s HOLIDAY HOOPLA over on the WCC AUTHOR AND READERS FACEBOOK GROUP
The party goes from 9am – 930 PM EST and I’m slotted for 2-230 pm!!! So come on over. I’ll have games, giveaways, prizes, and fun facts. It’ll be jammed 30 mins for sure, lol!
Tell your romance reading friends, too! The more, the much merrier. See you Tomorrow!
Today’s snippet comes from the 9.18.2023 release of A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: DYLAN, the third book in the POB series.
As the name implies, Dylan Keane is front and center in this one. A cyberspecialist/bodyguard/hacker, Dylan has been hired to suss out a corporate thief. He centers on a dream team member named Harper Vale. Here’s Harper’s impression of Dylan:
“Guys like you always have an agenda.”
“Guys like me?”
She lifted a shoulder, then a hand in a careless wave, slicing the air. “Good-looking, likable. The kind who only has to smile to make a girl feel like she’s the queen of the world. Guys like you always have ulterior motives when it comes to me, so let’s get to it and forget all the schmoozing.”
She counted to ten while he simply gaped at her. She figured the insults alone would make him leave her to her desired solitude. Her dismissive attitude would certainly add to the swiftness with which he’d go.
After she got to ten, she took a breath, astounded he still sat across from her. Then, something happened that she’d never counted on: he smiled. Not the full wattage aren’t-I-just-the-hottest-thing-you’ve-ever-seen smile he’d tossed her a few minutes ago. No, this one was real. She’d bet next week’s pay on it. And, holy crap, it was more devastating and…alluring, than anything she’d seen prior.
Her face scorched with heat at his gentle perusal. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He tilted his head to the left and tucked his cheek between his teeth. “You think I’m good-looking?” he asked in a voice so filled with conceit she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her.
When his grin broadened, showing off the second mortgage his parents probably took out to pay for his perfect orthodontia, something shifted low in her belly, something she hadn’t felt in quite some time: arousal.
“Do you own a mirror?” she asked.
He nodded. “Couple.”
“Well, then.” She sliced her hand in the air again in a there-you-have-it gesture.
Hey Peggy, great to return to your blog with my new release, Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic to chat about my inspiration. I have also included my book trailer. I just love it.
My inspiration for Writing Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic
What possessed me to write Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic? Several things actually. This book is kinda a follow-up to Meringue Snowflake Magic (Both books can be read as stand alones). I wasn’t ready to let the characters or town I’d created in Meringue Snowflake go. They were so fun, and still had stories to tell. So, Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic was born. I take a look at how the characters have settled into their new town. Then add in a few new quirky characters, a romance, a mysterious ancient jelly bean machine, a disappearance, and time travel an poof you have a new and exciting tale. I love jelly beans. Don’t you? I guarantee after reading Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic, you’ll never look at jelly beans the same way again. Am a finished with Raven’s Hollow and the characters? Only time will tell. <grin>
Now let’s see what my new release, Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic is all about.
How about a sneak peek between the pages of Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic?
“Does it work?” He dropped in a penny and twisted the handle. A couple jelly beans rolled out. “Is that all?” He jiggled the handle. It turned another quarter turn and gears whirred. The glass globe sparkled, etchings of the countries around the world appeared as it tilted and slid to the side. On the opposite side a control panel slid out revealing a panel filled with tokens in the center. The group gasped and silence ensued for several beats.
“What the heck?” flew out of Wynter’s mouth as she clutched at her chest. With her other hand, she reached out to touch the machine only to have her hand slapped away with a pair of black gloves Blaze had pulled out of his pocket.
“No one else touch this—or anything in here.” He slipped on the protective gloves and removed one of the tokens holding it up to the light. “It’s inscribed in Latin around the outside. My Latin may be rusty, but rursus in tempore means a turn in time.” He picked up another token and read the inscription. “Fatum suum aspicientis moderatur – Beholder controls its destiny.” Carefully, he returned the tokens to their slots turning his attention to the control panel. “Look here…”
Wynter pointed at the panel. “There’s a slot for one token in the control panel. You don’t suppose this is a—
Tena Stetler is a best-selling author of award-winning paranormal romance/mystery with an over-active imagination. She wrote her first vampire romance as a tween, to the chagrin of her mother and the delight of her friends. Colorado is home; shared with her husband, a brilliant Chow Chow, a spoiled parrot and a forty-five-year-old box turtle. When she’s not writing, her time is spent kayaking, camping, hiking, biking or just relaxing in the great Colorado outdoors.
Her books tell tales of magical kick-ass women and mystical alpha males that dare to love them. Travel, adventure, and a bit of mystery flourish in her books along with a few companion animals to round out the tales.
Peggy Jaeger, Author 