An Easy Way to Make a Difference

Seems like I'm supporting all sorts of causes these last few weeks! This one is super easy. Just head on over and vote for Coach Rose's charity the "Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation." I think this is an awesome charity to support and doing so is VERY easy.

http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/infiniti/2012/

TBR Notice: My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions

A new feature on my blog! Books in my pile of To-Be-Read's and why.

My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite
Why: It's fairly well-known around these parts that I stalk Sarah Eden on a regular basis. (Don't worry; it's a purely online obsession since I live several hundred miles from her.) A few months back she featured an author named Becca Wilhite and talked about her book--Sarah stated that Becca and she were twins. And anyone knows that a friend of Sarah's is a potential-stalkee of mine. So I put "My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions" on my TBR list and bought it a few weeks ago with my Amazon GF's.
Buy the book.
Learn more about Becca.

National Grammar Day Contest!

March 4th is National Grammar Day. And you all know that's one holiday that MUST be celebrated on this blog. What better way to celebrate than with a contest??

I picked my brain about what would be appropriate to give away on such a day. A grammar book? Hmmm, a possibility . . . but then I hit on it. Something that would benefit me {and} the winner. You'll get a chance to polish an manuscript and I'll get the chance to spread the word about editing to a lucky winner.
Yup, you guessed it.
**In honor of National Grammar Day I'll be giving away a FREE Line & Content Editing Combo **
What's that? You don't have an MS ready? This FREE edit will be good until December 31, 2012. And entering is SUPER easy. Just use the Rafflecopter entry form below!

And don't forget to stop by my favorite grammar link: Grammar Girl

Pronouns

This is a GREAT podcast that clears up why using proper pronouns in their proper place is important. I think you should all click right over and listen or read. :D

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/pronouns-and-antecedents.aspx

Variety Excerpt: From "Small Deceptions" by H. Linn Murphy

Francesca Kennington merely wants to be left to her studies, despite her mother's best efforts to saddle her with a rich husband. Then she meets a mysterious gentleman, who leads her on a romp through the ballrooms and countryside of Georgian England. Their romance blossoms but secrets cause Francesca's house of cards to tumble. She must find a way to put her life back together, while still following her heart.

Excerpt: 

Chapter 1—Mr. Hedge

Larks trilled in the hedges, filling the warm breezes with song. It was a languid, cerulean afternoon, dotted only with a very few shreds of cloud. A russet-headed and bespectacled young lady strode rapidly down the lane, muttering to herself and occasionally swiping at the weeds at the side of the road with a stick she had found. One could almost say she stomped pettishly, punctuating her angry diatribe with swipes of her stick.

Check This Out for a Good Cause

Considering I've been dubbed by my family as "Fertile Myrtle," it's difficult for me to understand the heartbreak of a couple who wants to have kids, is able to conceive, but each baby has a 75% chance of having a genetic disease that will kill them before they reach their first birthday. For some friends from my hometown, the heartbreak is real. (You can learn more about their story here.) To offset the costs of In-vitro fertilization, some crafty people are banding together to hold an auction fundraiser for them, running from today through Saturday. My participation is a "Your Love Story" book; written by me, of course, and will include photos scrapbooked by my talented cousin, Karen (who is also the orchestrator behind the fundraiser).


I'd appreciate all my readers at least going by the link to check out KJ and Luke's story--and if you want, donate a little bit over there. There's tons of auctions to check out, not just mine, so you might find something in there you can't live without--and the upside is, it all goes to a good cause. 


You can see my auction here.


For sharing this on Facebook or Twitter, you can win a prize! A random winner will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Certificate



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grammar Tip: Should it be an ellipsis or a dash?

First off, let's talk about ellipsis. Most of the grammar sources I look at frequently (Grammar Girl, Chicago Manual of Style) don't spend a lot of time on using ellipsis in fiction. So let me clear up some things for you.

1. An ellipses in fiction writing is used to indicate a pause or a sentence trailing off.
Ex: I love to eat French fries . . . most of the time.
"She says she loves to eat French fries. . . ." <--That is not four ellipsis dots. Regular punctuation must be included (we'll talk about this later). It is the period at the end of the sentence and then the three ellipsis dots.
2. Ellipses should be formatted like this: word[space]dot[space]dot[space]dot[space]word
Or in less confusing terms it should like like this:
Jane loves . . . to run.
There is a space between the words and the ellipsis, as well as a space between each dot.
3. All regular punctuation should be included.
At the end of a sentence: I need to go to the store. . . . (period, followed by ellipsis)

Now on to the question of the day: Should you be using an ellipsis or a dash?
What's the difference between these two sentences?
"Stop right now or I'll shoot. . . ."
AND
"Stop right now or I'll shoot--"

The ellipsis at the end of the first sentence indicates the speaker is pausing or letting the sentence trail off. The dash at the end of the second sentence indicates that the speaker is being interrupted or making a dramatic stop in speech.

For more information, I suggest checking out the following two podcasts (or their transcripts) from Grammar Girl. Very helpful!
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/dashes-parentheses-commas.aspx

(Actually, I would recommend listening to ALL of GG's podcasts. It's a great way to improve your writing.)

Short Story Saturday: "Angel" Part 6

Read Parts 1-5.


Abigail's shattered life finally starts coming back together, just in time for her to realize exactly who her "guardian angel" is.


Angel: Part 6
The conclusion.

Variety Excerpt: From "To Finish The Dance" by Serena Casey

Serena Casey grew up in the wild and beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the setting for "To Finish The Dance" as well as the novel she's writing now. She and her husband and their two lazy, non-mousing cats live just a bike ride from the shore of Lake Superior. She's been writing since she was old enough to put stubby pencil to lined paper but has only pursued it in a serious fashion for the last five years.


The following excerpt is from her novel "To Finish the Dance."


COMMENTARY

I wrote most of "To Finish the Dance" during two weeks in 2006 while recuperating from a health crisis. It had always been difficult to find good romances that weren't explicit but focused instead on the love story itself, so I decided it was time to write one!

It was an incredible experience. I did most of my writing between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. each night. It simply gushed out of me like a geyser, and I felt like I was just there to take dictation. I'm still not sure I'm the one who wrote it! :)

The story takes place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a very rural and secluded area that's sometimes a few years behind the rest of the world. I have lived there all my life and always felt it would be a wonderful setting for a love story. Especially since it's where I married my own high school sweetheart and we're still going strong over 26 years later.

The main characters in the novel, Joe and Lucy, were childhood best friends and high school sweethearts, but they have not seen each other for over twenty years. This excerpt takes place immediately after they go to lunch to catch up on each other's lives. I hope you enjoy it!

Serena Casey

My Favorite Romance: Five First Kisses

. . . From the places you forgot about!

All those creative people out there I know and love who gave me their best romance from sources I would've never thought of gave me an idea. First kisses in the books that aren't known for their first kisses. :)

My Favorite Romance: Jane Eyre

I know there's probably a few people out there who are falling over at the thought I'd praise anything about Jane Eyre. Especially in a blog series on romance and in the same sentence as "favorite." In case I haven't shocked my readers enough over the couple years I've been writing here, brace yourself. I don't like Jane Eyre. I've read it twice and can't make myself love it. Gah! I HATE it. Me, being the conservative, moral person I am--still all for Jane and Rochester shacking up until the mad wife kicks it. I can't help it. *hangs head in shame* Or seriously, why doesn't he just divorce her and still take care of her? Plllleeeeaassseee??

I digress.

My Favorite Romance: Sarah M. Eden

There's a few authors I can count on to provide me with a good, spine-tingling romantic moment. I'll try not to go on and on about how Sarah is one of them. So of course I asked her opinion on favorite romances and got exactly what I expected: 


My husband hates buying me Valentines Cards. Hates. Why? you ask. Because I am ridiculously particular about romantic sentiments in written form. I consider this both a weakness and a major failing. I cannot stand cheesiness. I melt at sincere, heartfelt expressions of love. I also get embarrassed really easily. (Just ask my critique group--this last week my face was redder than my hair at one point because I'd say something that embarrassed myself. It was actually very entertaining.)

My Favorite Romance: Mandi Slack

I "met" Mandi when I asked her to participate in an interview after I reviewed "The Alias." Her book had some wonderful romance, and one pretty darn romantic scene that included a gun. This Wyoming girl can't help but love that. So here's a scene from Mandi's latest WIP, "Basachi Sky." (Can I say, I can't wait??) 

Short Story Saturday: "Angel" Part 5

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4.


After one hitch Abigail's plan seems to be going smoothly. She gets through a session with Chad and even shows up in public to satisfy her uncle--who appears to be on her side.


Angel: Part 5
Abigail talks about her fiance. 

When I lay safely in my bed that night, I consider the memories that seem to bring me down. Without too much pain, I come to the logical conclusion that it centers on someone Father had flown with that day. Who?

My Favorite Romance: The Quotes

Every book has them. I like to write them down. Or highlight them so I can go back and remember them. And that's what today is about. My favorite romantical quotes.

First some romanticals from Shakespeare:

No sooner met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed; no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy; and in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage...

"Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love." 

"To be wise and love exceeds man's might." {Probably my favorite!}

Variety Critique: From "Lodore" by Ranee` S. Clark

Surprise! That's right. What kind of monster would I be if I didn't subject myself to the same torture I ask of all of you? So I've decided to try and entice more critiques out of you guys by ripping something of my own up. I chose the opening pages of a finished first draft of "Lodore." It is a light-fantasy set in an imaginary kingdom in a time period that has the feel of the twenties. (One of those historical periods I really like.) It took over two years for me to complete this draft (I set it down numerous times), and I haven't looked back at it in a while (as will be obvious by the amount of red you see below). I wish I could look at all my work with a clean set of eyes, the way I was able to see these two pages.

My Favorite Romance: The Guys

So we've all had to do it. Drag our husbands into the living room and duct-tape them to the couch so they'll watch Leap Year with us. (Love that show . . .) And of course there's the greatest "guy" scene from Sleepless in Seattle:

My Favorite Romance: Rachel Rossano

Living Sacrifice

(an inspirational speculative novel)

By Rachel Rossano

Introduction -

This selection is told from Zezilia Ilar’s perspective. She is in love with her teacher, Hadrian Aleron.

In a world where some people have “talents” (the ability to speak mind to mind and move matter with an invisible energy), Hadrian and Zezilia are the two strongest Talents. They have been experimenting with a technique called commisceo, a linking of minds.

Right before the beginning of this section, Hadrian left Zez behind in the main camp to complete a mission in secret without severing the connection. Too late, they discover the dramatic side effects of commisceo-linking over a great distance. Zez goes after him. As the excerpt begins, she is traveling via horseback toward him.

Notes -

- ConProp is the term for a violently abrupt severing of all mind connections. Zezilia has the rare ability to perform it at will. However, she has been known to throw men several feet with the backlash.

- Italics indicate mind to mind speech.

Excerpt -

Zezilia Ilar

He was close. My entire body tuned into his location. His pain filled my senses, causing echoes in my own head and leg. At least the compression of my chest had eased and the sensation of isolation was decreasing. Then I spotted him. He sat under a pine tree, leaves and needles in his hair and clinging to his cloak. His eyes closed, his head lay back against the trunk, exposing his throat.

I drew my mount up a few feet from him and dismounted, tying the leads to the low branch of a neighboring pine.

“Why didn’t you ConProp?” he demanded before I turned around. I heard him rise to his feet as the pulled muscle in his left leg complained. “You could have ConPropped ages ago. I have asked you to at least four times.”

“Seven.” I turned to face him. “You begged me to once, asked me twice, and ordered me four times, which brings the total to seven.”

His face drew into haggard lines. Pain pulled the features taut and exhaustion haunted his eyes. He looked as though I could push him over with one finger. I wondered if he could even stand on his own considering how he still clung to the tree.

“I can so stand on my own.” Pushing off, he stepped forward. He could stand. However, he couldn’t hide the wince of pain from the pulled muscle. He straightened to his full height and frowned down at me. “Now, tell me. Why didn’t you ConProp?”

“I couldn’t.”

His frown deepened.

“Somehow I knew if I did, I would lose you.”

His face didn’t change but his eyes softened slightly. “Are you sure it wasn’t the commisceo speaking?”

“No, but I wasn’t about to try it to find out.” I stepped over to where I could see him more clearly in the dim light of dawn as it crept through the trees. “What happened to your horse?”

He grimaced, shame flickering between us. “He bolted.”

“The side effects of the commisceo?”

He nodded while examining my face with his eyes. “Are you all right now?” The concern in his voice caused my chest to warm. It was foolish since I already knew he cared for me as a brother, but it did all the same.

“The isolation sensations still linger, but I can breathe again.”

He nodded. “Let us not try that again, okay.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. It was a relief to have the ordeal over with. I never wanted to experience that fear again. Abruptly my laughter transitioned into a sob. I tried to stop it, but the emotion won. Before I could get a hold on the pain, I was crying tears of release. Hadrian stepped forward and gathered me against him. I buried my face in the front of his cloak and struggled to regain my composure.

Relax and let it go. His warm and gentle thought soothed my fear that he would think that I was being childish.  I half feel like crying myself. I thought I was going to burst from wanting to be near you.

His thought passed between us. He stiffened slightly as though regretting admitting it, but he didn’t withdraw.

I was afraid I would lose you, I admitted. That is why I couldn’t ConProp.

I know. His embrace tightened slightly. I felt the same thing.

Then why did you keep telling me to ConProp?

He eased back from me. When I looked up at him, he touched my cheek, brushing aside a tear. I was afraid of losing you. I am going to rescue Eldivo, and I didn’t want you to come with me.

I am coming, I informed him.

He nodded. As much as I don’t like it, I suspected as much.

“So, you know where Eldivo is?”

He stepped away, completely releasing me. Everything within me wanted to catch his hand and pull him back, but I couldn’t. Now was not the time.

Why did I choose this one?

Even now, years after I wrote it, I am drawn to the intimacy and raw emotion between the two of them. The unspoken love sears the page. Their restraint makes the passion all the more powerful.

My Favorite Romance: Kaylee Baldwin

Kaylee is one of the many people I know only online but wish I was best friends with in person. She's the author of Meg's Melody and knows her romance! She's also a ton of fun, as you'll see by her post.

 

It's hard to decide favorite romantic books and scenes! Sometimes I love the funny scene, sometimes the kiss scenes, and mostly the tender scenes (I cried during a Lifetime commercial a few months back-they were doing a series of movies on breast cancer all directed by various Hollywood stars. I ended up not watching any of them, but in the commercial, I believe the girl just had a double mastectemy and was feeling bad about her body, and the husband starts unzipping her hoodie, and it's all tender and sweet and possibly inappropriate for this audience, idk, but I'm getting teary-eyed just writing about it. I love stories when husbands/bf are tender and caring and committed)

My Favorite Romance: Ashleigh my Sister-in-Law

This is the girl that happens to be perfect for Brother #1. If anyone knows about real romance, she does. She happens to have an amazing husband (maybe I'm biased?? I don't think so) and the best part--she knows it. They spoil each other, and they're so cute. So of course I asked her about her favorite romance scene and she chose something awesome, as I expected she would.

My Favorite Romance: Rachel Rossano

The King of Anavrea - Book Two of the Theodoric Saga

(currently in editing)

A fantasy romance by Rachel Rossano

Introduction -

The climax has passed and all has been resolved, sort of. I can’t give details without giving away the book’s whole plot. Lirth Theodoric, Queen of Anavrea, suffered some abuse over the course of the story. She is blind.

Excerpt -

Lirth woke to the sound of hushed voices and muffled movement. Someone dropped something with a heavy thump.

“Don’t wake them,” a voice hissed. “They need their sleep.”

The transgressor didn’t reply, perhaps to avoid risking another reprimand. Instead the two moved out of Lirth’s range of hearing. Other sounds crowded into the stillness. Someone slept close by. She recognized the rough breathing of deep, exhaustion induced slumber. Considering her memories of her last waking moments involved Ipore, the Royal Healer, she suspected that she lay in the ward of the healers’ tent. The sleeper in the next cot was probably another patient.

Carefully, she tried to sit up. She only managed to raise herself onto her elbow before she had to stop moving and catch her breath. The pain in her ribs ached worse than yesterday. The person in the other cot shifted in his sleep with a grunt and fell into soft snoring.

She moved again, more slowly this time. She managed to get upright and one leg dangling over the edge of the cot when the agony stopped her a second time. In the silence, she realized that her companion no longer snored. He was unsettling still.

“Are you awake?”

“I have been watching you a few minutes.” The low, husky voice thrilled her heart. Heedless of the consequences, she lowered her other leg over the side and slid off the edge of the cot.

“Whoa!” Ireic leapt out of his cot.

Her legs buckled beneath her weight. He caught her as she went down and then set her on his lower cot. “Where are you going so fast?”

Reaching up, she found his cheek. The beginnings of a beard caught her fingertips. She smiled up at him. “I was trying to get to you.”

He laughed. The sound deadened the piercing agony of her ribs. She couldn’t remember the last time she heard that sound. Winding her fingers into his hair, she tugged gently.

“You are still healing, Lirth,” he said suddenly serious. “You are not allowed on your feet until Ipore says so. Promise me.”

“Only if you come down where I can touch you.”

He complied by kneeling before her. The action brought his head even with hers. He caught her head gently between his hands.

“Is the rebellion put down?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” His thumb caught her bottom lip.

“Answer the question and I will drop it.”

Leaning his forehead against hers, he sighed. “Yes, all is under control. Now answer my question. Can I kiss you? Will it hurt?” His thumb brushed her lips again. The cracked surface was tender, but Lirth found she didn’t care.

Slipping her hands up through the circle of his arms, she pulled his face to her and kissed him instead.

Why I love this scene -

After all the two of them have been through as a couple, they still stand at the beginning of their relationship. New love, fresh and innocent despite the bruises, pulls at my heart. They have so much before them. Their hope and joy in each other will make their journey together all the sweeter.

Short Story Saturday: "Angel" Part 4

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 here.


Abigail Emsley just wants to get rid of the "guardian angel" her uncle insisted on, but after collapsing from grief in her very first session, she doesn't have high hopes for a speedy recovery.


Angel: Part 4
Abigail's second encounter with Chad

My Favorite Romance: Jolene Perry

One day I asked my writing group for a critique of my Superhero novel. That's how I met Jolene Perry. She volunteered, and despite not finding enough wrong with it, I kept her on speed-email anyway. :D She's another one of those trusted voices I turn to and an amazing Romantical. She's super fun, and I'm excited to have her guest post. And I have to advise you to check out this post on the YA contemporary blog she contributes to. (Your heart will be pounding, I assure you.)

My Favorite Romance: Rachel Rager

Rachel is a fellow Wyomingnite and PM Writer. I haven't known her for long, but she's a great romantical. :)


Rachel: I'm sorry to say this is really long. This is an exerpt from Sweet Ivy which is in the submission process. I love this scene because Sterling is so gallant and yummy. Ivy is so far below his station that she constantly sees the social gap between them and he ignores it at every turn. As much as I love a really good kissing scene (and I have pleanty of those too) there is just something magical about this scene to me!

Variety Short Story: "Tragedy" by Rachel Rossano

In 2006, Rachel Rossano and seven other authors, two other veterans and five newbies, began an exciting venture. They resolved to write eight fantasy novels that begin and ended in the same place. The characters would be a family of eight siblings. Each writer adopted a sibling for their own and wrote that character’s story, posting each completed chapter on a blog dedicated to that character.

Rachel Rossano’s novel following Wren Romany, one of the middle siblings, took over five years to write. Three years of that time she was not writing due to pregnancy or newborns. Pregnancy and sleep deprivation make her brain disconnect. However, once she finished Wren’s story, she realized she couldn’t leave the world or the characters alone.

Tragedy is part two of a series of flash fiction pieces that follow Svhen Bejork. This installment picks up a few weeks after BlondStranger. The third installment is still in the author’s head somewhere.

Wren Romany is available free at http://wren-romany.blogspot.com/.  Currently in editing with the intention of publication, hopefully it will debut 2012 or 2013. For more information about the status of the other novels (also available online) go to http://romanyepistles.blogspot.com/.

Tragedy               

By Rachel Rossano

Rain pelted my head, ran in rivulets down my face, and plastered my wool cloak to my back. Frigid moisture seeped through to my bones. My body absorbed the cold, unable to repel the deluge. My heart declared it would never warm again.

My Favorite Romance: Kristin Baker P.

. . . Don't ask me to spell her last name. I don't want to embarrass myself. You guys have heard me rave about my friend Kris and have read my critique of her WIP "Cobalt." She's a familiar face around here. She's also one of the voices I trust most in my writing. Like all those who critique my work, her voice is unique from any other. Because Kristin doesn't write romance (and blushes whenever her characters brush hands . . .), I thought she'd be PERFECT for sharing her favorite romance. And she was. She reminded me of a scene I hadn't even thought of in connection with romance (because the book is NOT a romanctical book!) But of course, it is one of my top tens as well, because it helped me reconcile something I didn't like about that book . . . I'll just let her explain. Without further adieu--

My Favorite Romance: Countdown to Valentines Day

February is cool for a lot of reasons. It's a short month; that's usually good. There's President's Day & Black History Month. Basically a lot of reasons to celebrate.

Like Valentine's Day!

It's true. I'm a hopeless romantic, despite the fact that's not technically what I'd say I write--generally speaking. You all know I've been dipping my toes into it lately. So I asked around, and I'm about to compile an amazing list of romantic scenes for you to revel in in my Valentine's Day countdown. (Believe me; considering the blush-inducing authors I checked in with, this should be good.)