Friday Freebits LOVE BY DESIGN Hobbies & Interests #frifreebits #excerpt

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There you can find MORE excerpts from other authors.

Derrek drags Jasmine along for a trip to the fleamarket- He loves model cars. He's figured out her interest in music- What are some of your hobbies & interests?

Derrek led her to one of his favorite sellers. The tables, covered with model car kits, as well as planes, trains and ships were overflowing.

“Now I know why you like coming here.” Jasmine ran her finger across the top of a model that sat on the main table. A ‘57 Chevy, cherry red. “This one’s gorgeous.”

He found the owner of the booth and inquired as to whether he had more model kits in that style of car. While he chose a few other kits, Jasmine wandered around inside the man’s booth.

Derrek paid for his purchases and found her waiting outside.

“I see you found some new toys.” Her laughter shone in her eyes as well as her smile.

“Yep.” He took her hand again, without her flinching this time. “There’s another place I thought you might like. The radio station made me think of it.

And note to our fellow authors- prepubbed or currently published-go find out how you, too, can hop on this party train by sending Miz Ging your permalink for your scheduled FridayFreebits excerpt blogpost early in the week so she can include your link in her post.

I still maintain- A party's not a party, till the gang's all here!
(And even better if we can rock it out all weekend long!)

Friday Freebits LOVE BY DESIGN "...I won't let you get lost." #frifreebits #excerpt

Click the image above to go to Ginger's Dishin' It Out Blog

There you can find MORE excerpts from other authors.

Get nervous in big crowds? I do sometimes, just like Jasmine. Thank goodness she's got Derrek!

Derrek found a parking spot nearest the huge flea market.

“So are you here to find something in particular?” Jasmine asked as she slipped out of the vehicle.

“No, just thought an outing would be nice. For both of us after the week we’ve had.” He crossed in front of the Grand Cherokee and strolled beside her, taking her hand in his. “If I do find something that catches my eye for the house, I might get it though.”

Derrek led her over to one of the buildings and they entered. The regulars inside had opened their booths and music came from various radios along the way.

“Wow. This place is amazing. There’s so much stuff.” She gripped his hand. “I feel like I might get lost in here.”

“As long as you’re with me, I won’t let you get lost.”

And note to our fellow authors- prepubbed or currently published-go find out how you, too, can hop on this party train by sending Miz Ging your permalink for your scheduled FridayFreebits excerpt blogpost early in the week so she can include your link in her post. 

I still maintain- A party's not a party, till the gang's all here!
(And even better if we can rock it out all weekend long!)

Friday Freebits LOVE BY DESIGN "It's so silly and sappy." #frifreebits #excerpt

 

Click the image above to go to Ginger's Dishin' It Out Blog

There you can find MORE excerpts from other authors.

Silly sappy love songs. They catch us when we least expect it. Have you ever been in public and had to fight back embarrassing tears over some song playing over the store sound system or when in the company of someone you don't know well enough to cry in front of? Share with me! I got teared up in the bra department once at Wal-Mart over a Christmas song!

“It’s so silly and sappy.” She sniffled and wiped at her face. “I’m just being stupid.”

“No, you’re not.” He smiled and gave her hand a small squeeze. “I’m sorry it made you cry.”

“Not your fault. I used to cry over this song all the time when I was younger.”

“Why?”

“I wanted what they sang about,” she admitted and wiped fresh tears from her face.

“You’ll have it. Trust me.”

And note to our fellow authors- prepubbed or currently published-go find out how you, too, can hop on this party train by sending Miz Ging your permalink for your scheduled FridayFreebits excerpt blogpost early in the week so she can include your link in her post.
 

I still maintain- A party's not a party, till the gang's all here!
(And even better if we can rock it out all weekend long!)

Spring into #Romance #Blog Tour What am I Working On? #WIP #Author Q&A

My fabulous fellow Kentucky author, Teresa Reasor, has asked me to take part in a blog tour and to tag three authors who might also be interested.

Teresa Reasor was born in Southeastern Kentucky, but grew up a Marine Corps brat. The love of reading instilled in her in Kindergarten at Parris Island, South Carolina made books her friends during the many transfers her father's military career entailed. The transition from reading to writing came easily to her and she penned her first book in second grade. But it wasn’t until 2007 that her first published work was released.

After twenty-one years as an Art Teacher and ten years as a part time College Instructor, she’s now retired and living her dream as a full time Writer.

Her body of work includes both full-length novels and shorter pieces in many different genres, Military Romantic Suspense, Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance and Children’s Books.

For more information about her and her books go to: WEBSITE
Amazon Author Page
Twitter
Facebook
Blog
Goodreads
Google +

Here's mine~

1) What am I working on?
I'm currently editing LOVE BY DESIGN, in preparation for publishing.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I'd like to believe I bring a fresh perspective and mix in a bit of humor and realism to my romance. I want the reader to remember the story long after they've read "The End." I hope that I do that with the written word and keep readers coming back to get to know more of my characters time and again because they can see themselves there, with the hero and heroine, perhaps even friends with them. (What writer doesn't hope for that though?)

3) Why do I write what I do?
It's deeply ingrained in me to believe in a happily ever after or at the least, a happy for now. I believe love exists to remind us that we are not alone in the world, that there's bound to be someone else out there who could use a shoulder to cry on, a soft place to fall when the world becomes too much and a heart to hold us- to embrace us and not only fill us with immeasurable joy, but make us feel that we found something here on earth that's as close to heaven as you can get. Sometimes we're lucky enough to find that a few times in this life, sometimes we pick a few bad apples, but it's nice when we find that "one" that fills the whole bill... Regardless of how we get there or what ends up being our destination, it's life experience and love experience and that's what makes this journey worth it.

4) How does my writing process work?
I have always written somewhere in the middle. I don't really outline, though I do have notes with details, but nothing so much as set in stone. I used to swear I was a pantser but I do have some general idea of where the story's going to go... but I tend to ride the fence and let the characters lead me in the direction they want to go---- most the time. Sometimes I hear them speaking louder than I can bear and they fill me in in great detail and other times they're so quiet that it's like pulling teeth, but I try to allow them the freedom to step into the spotlight when it's time and tell their story the way it's meant to be. That doesn't mean I won't go through round after round of edits later to tighten and give them more focus, but I like to allow the story to grow on the page more organically than with strict guidelines and rules. Just seems more natural for me as the storyteller.

 My 3 fellow tagged authors who will be posting May 19th are-

Sharon Hamilton NYT and USA/Today and Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author Sharon Hamilton’s SEAL Brotherhood series have earned her Amazon author rankings of #1 in Romantic Suspense, Military Romance and Contemporary Romance. Her characters follow a sometimes rocky road to redemption through passion and true love. Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany earned her a #1 Amazon author ranking in Gothic Romance.

A lifelong organic vegetable and flower gardener, Sharon and her husband live in the Wine Country of Northern California, where most of her stories take place.





Sondra Allan Carr lives in the Bluegrass state of Kentucky with her husband of more than four decades. A proud Boomer who loves to travel, she has watched bamboo grow in China, seen the Taj Mahal floating in the light of a full moon like a gravity-defying UFO, and looked on in amazement as the dawning sun set fire to Ayers Rock in Australia. She believes truth is stranger than fiction and fiction is often truer than truth.

Sondra admits to being a bit of a late bloomer, only recently discovering that she would rather write than eat. She hopes you will buy her books so she can continue to do both.

You can go to her website at http://sondraallancarr.com to sign up for email notification of new books, contests, and giveaways. Her books are available at AMAZON



Jean Thompson Kinsey writes sweet romance and light romantic suspense.  Most of her writing also contains an inspirational message. She lives in Brooks, KY. Her hobbies consist of doting on grandchildren, traveling, reading and writing. Jean has four books published which can be found at Amazon.com and most online book stores. Her stories appear in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Visit her blog here:

Jean Kinsey's Creative Writing Desk

Friday Freebits LOVE BY DESIGN It's Electric! #frifreebits #excerpt

Click the image above to go to Ginger's Dishin' It Out Blog

There you can find MORE excerpts from other authors.

Sometimes there are quiet moments that catch us completely off-guard- that first "zing" between yourself and your love- whether it's a new relationship just beginning, or even one that has stood the test of time. It's those moments that make your entire body come alive and makes your heart bottom out in your tummy. It doesn't always have to be a big romantic gesture- sometimes it's the unexpected moments that leave the lasting impression.

“No, leave it. I like this song.” He brushed his hand across hers to nudge it away from the radio. Electricity surged up her arm.

When he began singing along with the man’s lines, Jasmine thought she might lose it. She felt the sting of tears behind her eyelids and turned away to stare out the window at the scenery blurring by.

Clasping her hands in her lap, she bit her lip to inflict pain instead of the romantic feelings that flooded to the forefront. The lyrics were still just as beautiful as she remember from her childhood, but the way he sang them with such a sincerity left her yearning for him to feel those things about her.

When his hand found hers across the console, she almost jumped out of her skin. She couldn’t look at him with the tears flowing down her cheeks, but she allowed him to take her left hand in his as they continued on their way.

“Jasmine?” Derrek’s voice tiptoed across her thoughts. Without thinking, she turned teary eyes toward him. “Is this song upsetting you?”

Jasmine took a deep shuddering breath before she spoke.

And note to our fellow authors- prepubbed or currently published-go find out how you, too, can hop on this party train by sending Miz Ging your permalink for your scheduled FridayFreebits excerpt blogpost early in the week so she can include your link in her post.

I still maintain- A party's not a party, till the gang's all here!
(And even better if we can rock it out all weekend long!)

Life and Beta Reads and Edits, Oh My! #TuesdayswithTaryn #writerly #life #dreams

So, edits and beta reads are coming along, even with Life's little obstacles just littering the pathway. Between several automotive issues and a bunch of personal life problems, I'm run half ragged and zapped- mentally, emotionally and physically.

Just as with novels, life is one big work-in-progress and I constantly find myself working and reworking my thoughts, my routine, my goals.

I'm also quick to remind myself that I'm glad I'm at "this place" with my writing- I actually feel older and wiser and I'm making progress, slow but sure progress, that will help me win the race. I'm glad I'm not still that stubborn 20 something who couldn't take constructive criticism or see the good in creative suggestions.

From the editor I'm working with to the beta readers and fellow authors who've taken a gander at LOVE BY DESIGN, I'm finding so much VALUE in the grammar and typo catches, the clarity in character and plot points that need adjustment. Tighten a bolt here, loosen a screw there, it will be well oiled and as good as we can get it before I put it out there for your reading pleasure...Much as I'm eager to "deliver the goods"- I want to make sure I give you MY best- and Jasmine and Derrek's best, too.

And Jasmine- much as I love her- has some character flaws that are starting to stick out like nasty little brambles, catching on my clothing and I know I need to weed them out- snip out the ugly and replace it with something that doesn't leave the reader wanting to grab her and shake the snot out of her. I'm thankful for all the help I'm receiving- the kindness of strangers, indeed! And I'm hoping that I'm building relationships with people who will become my pre-readers, my cheering section and my friends.

Even with everything else going on in my life, I am thankful for these new acquaintances as well as my wonderful writers' group- the Kentucky Independent Writers are a grounding force, yet also inspire me to lift myself up and reach higher, farther and even jump just a little, to grasp at those dreams I have, to pluck them down and make them REAL.