Have you ever seen Romancing the Stone? Well I just lived through the opening scene of that movie. My latest book was due 8/15, which I didn't make.  (I have to thank my editor for suggesting 8/15 for the due date instead of 7/15.) I did nothing for the last week and a half but write and proof. My husband did the shopping and cooking, but when he didn't go to the store, we ran out of nearly everything. Soured milk, no bread, nothing to eat unless we bought it.

Well, I was doing the happy dance after I copied the book on my flash drive and dumped it back in the little dish where I keep it. When I added something to the book, I looked for the drive and didn't find it. I kept looking and looking for the drive and found it in my cup of tea beside my computer. I raced into my husband's office and told him what I did. Put it in a bowl of rice to let it dry out was his advice. I ran out of our regular rice and had to use my husband's expensive sticky rice which he uses to make mushubi (sp). (That's spam, rice, wrapped in seaweed.)

Well, the husband was right. My drive was okay, but I didn't need that excitement. And I got a new back up flash drive.

Wonderful Friends

When I started on this journey of being a writer I knew nothing about writing except I wanted to tell my stories. I joined a RWA chapter, where other romance authors helped me. They were with me, answering questions,  reading my chapters, encouraging me and showing me the basics. That was over 25 years ago. If I hadn't  had their guidance, I never would've made it.

Things haven't changed. I've come out with my first Indie book, and my writer friends were right there with me, helping me through the process, answering questions, and pointing me in the right direction. Kathleen and Suzanne, met with me, answered my question and told me stuff I didn't know to ask about. I am overwhelmed with their generous spirit. And for me, knowing such great people is encouraging, and humbling. Thank you, ladies.

P.S. I went to the RWA conference this year and my friends were there, asking me how my energy was holding up, did I need anything. I had sisters who worried for me and watching over me. It was amazing.

Who Am I as a writer?

Julie Cosgrove asked me to be part of this rolling blog tour. Julie's blog is Where did You Find God Today? http://wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com/


This tour is just to introduce authors to difference audiences.
What am I currently working on?
I'm working on book 2 in my Rodeo Heroes series for Love Inspired. Joel Kaye is the brother of the heroine in the first of book of the series, LI, A RANCH TO CALL HOME.

How does my work differ from others in my genre? I've written in romantic suspense, inspirational romantic suspense, and inspirational romance.  How does my writing differ from others is in my style. How I see the world is uniquely mine. In the middle of searching for answers, or a killer, I have occasional moments that makes the reader smile. Cops often have a strange sense of humor to cope with what they see. My characters do that.

Why do I write what I do?  I write the stories God gives me. I want people to know if you've made mistakes in your life, you're normal and there is a way out of it. I write to encourage.

What's my writing process?  I usually set a daily writing goal and break up my writing times. I do half of my pages in the morning and the other half  in the late afternoon.  I can't sit down and knock out 20 to 30 pages in a marathon writing session.  My well fills up for 6-8 pages a day, then I run out of words.  Once my cursor rolls over to the page I needed to get to, and I've met my goal, I turn off my machine and get out of my program.  Five minutes later when the rest of the sentence or the next line occurs to me, I write it down, and I'm immediately  into the book.

My newest book is an ebook, THE LAST LIE, which is a inspirational  romantic suspense about a woman whose parents have disappeared, and when she sees her father, she pursues him. This book has MI6, KGB, CIA, Canadian spy agency and Interpol.  If you like fast action, you'll enjoy this book.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day.  This is a holiday that stirs in us patriotic feelings, making us proud to be Americans.  But I also think of all the men and women had given their lives for this country, and am humbled.

Several years ago, my husband took me out to the cemetery where most of his family is buried. They purchased the lots in the early 1940's.  When I  walked around the area, there were lots of grave that the end dates were 1941, 1942, 1943. These were young men in the prime of the life.  It is a sobering experience.  Or if you walk around Gettysburg, there is solemness that descends on your soul. There is nothing we can do except say thank you.  Thank you.

My Newest Book

This is the cover of my newest release, and my first ebook. 

When Catherine Lyons comes home from college she discovers her family has disappeared, vanished, leaving her alone.

Fifteen years later when Catherine is on vacation in France, she sees her father getting on a bus, but he's had a stroke. When she tries to talk to him the nurse taking care of him won't allow it. Cat shows up at the clinic the next day, but the people there claim to know nothing of the man. This time Cat isn't going to give up. A Scottish photographer, Colin Montrose, suddenly appears, offering to help. She refuses.

Cat learns the name of the nurse she talked to and goes to her apartment and finds her dead.  Colin follows Cat and asks if she murdered the woman. Before she can answer, they hear police sirens and flee. Cat quickly discovers Colin lied about being a photographer, and Cat can’t abide liars.

Colin Montrose is with MI-6 and doesn't know who this woman is who has stumbled into his operation, but he wants to know. Together, Cat and Colin chase after Cat's father, trying to discover the truth behind her life and her parent's lives.

Animals Know

Joel here. I learned early on to trust my horse, Razor, as a judge of character. Razor is an athlete.  He works in the rodeo arena, helping me to rescue cowboys off bucking horses. Unfortunately, Razor is known to be prickly and doesn't like strangers to come up on him and stroke him. More than one cowboy has found out the hard way not to try to touch Razor uninvited.

Well, I cautioned Kaye the first time she approached Razor. She offered him a carrot, and he acted like a puppy, loving to be stroked. I felt like an idiot with my warning, but noticed how my horse took to Kaye. Razor's reaction ran straight into my heart and I knew there was something special about this lady.

Branigan

I'm going to break in my characters chat and talk about the real Branigan that Billye Ludwig Zimmerman owned in the book.  Here's Branigan real information.  He is one handsome dog and as in the book, he is a hero.