Tag! You're it! on #ThursdayswithTaryn @JudyAlter

My dear fellow TMP author and friend, Judy Alter, recently tagged my WIP. As I don't have one at the moment, but will be working on the 4th and final novel in the Pryce of Love Series for NaNoWriMo next month, so I thought I would take this opportunity to get my thoughts flowing about it before I begin writing it.

Judy discussed her current WIP, the next installment of her Kelly O'Connell series, on her Tag! You're it! blog post.

Here goes my 10 questions:

1. What is the title of your book? Heart of the Surf
2. Where did the idea for the book come from? It sprang from Noah Pryce, the hero in the 4th book of my Love By Series. As his family situation grew and I realized he was just one of five boys, raised by their single mother, I knew the other four brothers would have to have their own stories. Mark, who's the baby, and a surfer, is the last of my boys, so it's time to tell his story.
3. What genre does your book fall under? contemporary romance, but I like to believe that all my stories aren't just romance novels, but Life stories with heart. Their pasts aren't always spotless and sometimes it comes back to haunt them. Sometimes it's just a matter of the hardships they face that get them to their Happily-Ever-Afters. (I have high aspirations of transcending genre boundaries, can you tell? LOL)
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Oh, already I envision Mark Pryce played by Supernatural's Jared Padalecki, with soft tumbling sun-bleached wavy hair, a tan and that ultra cute dimpled smile. Alexa Stevens- his love interest, and his surfing competition, would be played by Kaley Cuoco, who plays Penny on The Big Bang Theory- a blonde, young and hip SoCal chick. She could give him a run for his money in the dimples department and together I think they'd make one really cute couple.
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of the book? For Mark Pryce and Alexa Stevens, the stakes are high during an invite-only surfing competition, but the title isn't the only thing at stake—they could both lose their hearts, to each other.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agent? I'm hoping to self-pub both the Love By Series and the Pryce of Love Series, in consecutive order, though I have no scheduled release dates at the moment.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I haven't started this one yet, but it will be my current WIP as of November 1st when I start writing it for NaNoWriMo 2012. I'm hoping to have 50,000 written by the end of November, and finish it before the year is over.
8. What other books would you compare this to in your genre? I'm honestly not sure. There are so many wonderful contemporary authors out there but I'm not sure who I could compare my own stories to.
9. Who or What inspired you to write this book? Mark and Alexa. They've slowly been feeding me info about themselves and I know they're story needs to be told just as much as Mark's brothers, just as much as my Galloway sisters from the Love By Series and any other characters who've egged me on to put down their story to paper or screen.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? The heroine was a teenage mother, so there will be tension. Mark's a good guy, but Alex's young daughter might not necessarily see him as a good guy, but rather the intruder who's trying to come between her and other mother.

I'm tagging 5 other authors and I will let you know when they post to their blogs. I'm hoping all 5 will participate! Would love to hear how things are going on their WIPs!
 Okay- I'm going to start adding links below-

1. Teresa Reasor
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3.  
4.  
5.  

#Writerly Wednesday~ The LOOK #Writing Challenge

Last week I was challenged to participate in the "LOOK Challenge" by my good friend and fellow author, Teresa Reasor, but I was out of town visiting my folks and having a yard sale with my mom and sister. I was tickled Teresa included me in her author-buddies to tag, so I'm going to rise up to the challenge and share my own and challenge a few to participate as well!

Here's how it works:
Find the LOOKs in your current work-in-progress.
Choose your favorite 3 and post the paragraphs that contain them.
Pick some of your favorite author-buddies to "tag" and invite them to participate, too!


Since I'm not currently working on a WIP, I'll choose from my current manuscript that I'm prepping for my 1st self-pubbed novel, the first book in my Love By Series- Love by Design.

1. This woman captivated him. With every icy blue glare she shot in his direction, he felt certain she despised him. She looked as though the very idea of having to tread the same ground he walked upon might make her ill, but it was the warmth that drew him in. The shimmering warmth of those golden flecks in her icy gaze left him wanting. Fire and flame flickered beneath her cold icy surface.
2. The sudden intensity in Derrek’s eyes startled her. Pinpricks of awareness danced across her skin and the aching desire she had fought over the past couple of days gave way to a heart-thumping response to his tender embrace. She swallowed hard and tilted her head back to look him in the eye, the fight gone right out of her.
3. She wanted his flesh against hers, yet she felt like a shy innocent girl as she stood before him. His hips pressed against her. Her backside collided with the kitchen cabinet. His eyes locked with hers. She couldn’t look away, but she felt his hand go lower to inch up under her shirt. It came to rest again over her breast as his thumb taunted the hardened nipple beneath the lace.
   
   
   I'm picking Amy Durham, Hallee Bridgeman and C.C. Marks to participate!
   
   
   Have a fantastic Wednesday!
   I can see the weekend from here!

Taryn Raye has an Author Interview on Menagerie Authors Blog

In the hustle and bustle of Fall Break for my kids, visiting with my family in my hometown and the hard work of unpacking and packing up for the yard sale my mom and I had, I completely forgot that I had an

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

on

Menagerie Authors Blog

Please stop by and visit me. It was a fun interview.

#Tuesdays with Taryn with Abigail Keam @AbigailKeam

Tuesdays with Taryn

Abigail Keam

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

Jim Chee mysteries by Tony Hillerman

The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

St James version of the Bible

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Poems by Emily Dickerson

Anything by Edgar Allen Poe

Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

I have read nothing in the past ten years that have influenced me like these magnificent works. 

What book do you read over and over again?

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

Tuesday Trio-

1)      Movie- Gilda with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford

2)      Music- The early Sun recordings

3)      Decadent Dessert- My mother’s devil food chocolate cake with marshmallow icing

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel?  Native Americans sold American and English captives to the French as slaves. 

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading?

The Kentucky River by Thomas Clark

Whom would you cast as your Main Characters/Hero/Heroine if your book became a movie? Oh dear!  Most people suggest Kathy Bates but I always think of Julianne Moore. 

Death by Bourbon Blurb (click image below for Amazon Kindle or Print)

Life takes a dramatic turn for Josiah when she witnesses a death at an engagement party for guess who . . . Matt. Matt? Yes, Matt.

Charming socialite Addison DeWitt falls into a fit after taking a sip of brandy. That would be upsetting enough, but Josiah is sure it is murder. However, no will believe her except for Lady Elsmere and Meriah Caldwell, the famous mystery writer. The three of them conspire to bring the murderer to justice. It turns out the suspect is always three steps ahead.

To make matters worse, Josiah’s daughter, Asa, decides to move to London, Franklin leaves town and Jake starts singing a different turn. Josiah doubts her ability to meet the future alone. Maybe it’s time to sell the Butterfly and move to Florida with the rest of the old folks.Biography

Ms. Keam is an award-winning author of the Josiah Reynolds mysteries, which are set in the Bluegrass.
“Death By A HoneyBee” won a Gold Medal Award from Reader's Favorite in 2010. 
“Death By Drowning”, her second novel, also won a Gold Medal Award for Best Mystery Sleuth in 2011. 
Both books were listed as finalists on USA Book News “Best Book List 2011”.
“Death By Bridle” was released spring of 2012.
“Death By Bourbon” will be released October 1st , 2012.
The Josiah Reynolds mystery books have been described a “quirky, funny and clever.”

Josiah Reynolds is a middle-aged beekeeper, who sells honey at the local farmers’ market in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. She lives in an iconic house, called the Butterfly, on the palisades of the Kentucky River.

Reviews of the Josiah Reynolds mysteries can be read on Ms. Keam’s website, www.abigailkeam.com 
Born and bred in Kentucky, Abigail graduated with Distinction from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Middle Eastern Civilization. She then went into private business and kept bees as a hobby. 

Ms. Keam has won sixteen honey awards at the Kentucky State Fair and was the first recipient of the Barbara Horn Award, given to those scoring a perfect 100 for a beekeeping-related entry at the Kentucky State Fair. In 2004, Ms. Keam traveled to South Africa to study beekeeping in Africa.  

Miss Abigail is a member of the Bluegrass Beekeepers Association, the Kentucky State Beekeepers Association, the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and the National Society of Arts and Letters. She is a past board member of the Lexington Farmers' Market and Women in Agriculture boards. Also past president of the Friends of the Lexington Farmers' Market, Lexington Rape Crisis Center and the Lexington Art League.

She lives in Fayette County along the Kentucky River in a metal house along with her husband and various critters. 

 Abigail's books can also be found at

Barnes & Noble

Abigail's Website

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