Come join ‘we happy few, we band of sisters’ in celebrating our first year as published authors under the Crimson Romance banner. What sets us apart from other romance writers? The diversity of story, the quality of writing and the amazingly original concepts of our writers are unlike any found in usual formula romance. We are unique, as people, as storytellers, as women. So Blog Hop with us, share a comment, sign up to win free book giveaways and prizes, follow the original round-robin story from chapter to chapter and read excerpts from books that capture the imagination, scratch your itch for a really good love story and take you on journeys of the heart and soul. We’ll have a Blog Hopping Blast together! S
potlight Book:Montana MustangsChapter 11 (Right before the LOVE scene :} )Chapter ElevenThe sun slipped over the horizon, casting long shadows over the ravines and valleys that rested around the mountain. The blades of the helicopter chopped through the air as the EMTs loaded Ryan onto a stretcher and into the bird.One of the male life-flight nurses turned to Dane. “You sure you don’t want a ride out? We can send someone for the horses.”Dane shook his head. Aura had been adamant about staying with the horses and getting them down the mountain and back to some level of safety.“Hell of a day you picked to come up on the mountain. Didn’t you hear there’s another storm coming in?” The man looked at him like he’d lost his mind.Hell, maybe he had lost his mind. He’d spent his day on the frigid peak of a mountain, looking for a woman that was more than likely dead. The shit he did in the name of a good looking woman…What was wrong with him?Aura was sitting on a stump away from the chopper’s wash; she slumped down and kept glancing over, almost as if she was afraid of the helicopter. A woman was looking at her arm. The EMT shrugged as if she too was just as confused with the state of the new wound. Aura smiled and pulled her arm back and shoved her tattered coat’s sleeve down. His officer senses kicked into high gear. Something about her was just wrong.“Did you hear me?” the EMT yelled.He shook his head and looked back to the man standing at his side. “What?”“You and your friend need to get off the mountain as soon as possible. They’re giving a winter storm warning. I bet this place will get three feet of fresh snow by morning.”Any goddamned evidence that hid under the snow would be hidden until the spring now. Their odds of finding a trace of Natalie up here was as likely as his brother deciding to not be an asshole—which wasn’t ever going to happen.“We’ll get down the mountain as soon as we can.”The pilot pointed toward the horizon where the sun had disappeared, but a thin line of light still permeated the evening. “You sure you can get out in the dark? I don’t want to be back up tomorrow on a recovery mission where we try to find your bodies.”The man was right, it would be precarious heading back down the steep mountain trail in the dark, but he had a flashlight and blankets if they were forced to stop. He was a Montanan and a former Boy Scout—he didn’t go anywhere unprepared.“We’ll be careful packing out. If we aren’t out by mid-day tomorrow send in the cavalry.”The man smiled. “Will do.” He motioned for the other nurse.Dane walked over to Aura and put his hand on her shoulder. “You okay? You sure you don’t want to ride out with them? I can get the horses out on my own, you know.”She glanced over at the helicopter. “There’s no way I’m getting on that damned thing. At least not while I’m alive.”If they didn’t get out before the storm broke it was possible that she would be getting the ride she didn’t want. They needed to get moving...To See Other Crimson Romance Titles Taking Part in the hop, you can find the master list on Denyse Cohen's Blog!One lucky commenter will be the winner of a Montana themed package. To Take Part, please leave a comment or question below! Good Luck!
Top 10 Rules for Writers
I have had the honor of meeting many wonderful people who have wanted to become authors. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has a story to tell, but finding the time, the motivation, and the belief in yourself can be the biggest battles in becoming an author. For those who do follow their dreams, it still doesn't mean success--or merited publication. If you dream of becoming a successful author, I have put together a simple list of things you must strive for in order to make it in this competitive, critical, and sometimes brutal world of writing.10. Write every day.9. Write the story that is in your heart, not the story you think you should tell.*8. That being said, you must follow the rules for your genre (Which means you must know in which genre you write--And Yes, it is good to be labeled, but make sure you control what you are known for.)7. Once you know the rules, feel free to break them.
6. Edit, Edit, Edit... Let the book sit for a few months. Come back and edit again. If you are ever bored when you are writing, your readers will be bored when reading. Stop. Tear the section from your book and start over. Once you do this, you will have the strength of knowing this is the best book you can write at this point in your writing adventure.5. Never stop learning. The publishing landscape alters like brittle frost on a cold spring morning. One day something that was tried and true will fail and something you thought was crazy may be the industry standard.4. Always be kind to other authors (and people in general). This is a tough one, I know. There are times when you will face down the reader/editor/agent/author who will feel it is necessary to tell you exactly why/how you smell like dirty socks. Force your body to smile. Thank them for their time in letting you know their thoughts. Then take what you can from their comments and forget the rest. Under this rule, I also want to add if you help another writer do so in with a spirit of support and not competition. Your words will come back to haunt you if you let selfish motivations control your mouth (or typing fingers).3. Thank the people who work with you. It takes an army to be successful. You need to appreciate the time people take out of their lives to mention you, publish your books, promote you, and read your words. It only takes a second to make a good impression and graciously appreciate what others do for you. *Insert the Golden Rule Here* :)2. Remember that you are an entertainer at the most basic of level. Make your reader feel. Make them want more. This doesn't mean they have to love your characters, but they should feel the overwhelming need to keep reading. You achieve this by digging deeper. Delve into your emotions, search your soul, and learn how others may react differently then you. Even more simply, be empathetic to other personalities and use what you learn to strengthen your writing.1. Write for yourself. Write the story that keeps you up at night. If you write for yourself, regardless of what may come, you will be a success, you have succeeded in meeting your goals. In being an author, just like in life, there will always be someone who will be doing better than you. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses or the Koontzes. You will never be happy if you try to compete. You must find happiness within yourself and your work. If you can do this, you were meant to be an author.
Living In Montana
I consider myself blessed to live in a place in which the pounding of horse hooves and the song of the blackbird are its heartbeat. At night the sky is filled with the brilliance of a million stars, the Milky Way, and on some occasions the Aurora Borealis. I live in a place where grizzly bears, mountain goats, and elk are not strangers, but instead the stewards of the craggy, timbered mountains and the endless wheat-filled plains. I live in the Last Best Place, under the Big Sky, and in the unforgettable state we call Montana.Right now my ‘backyard’ has finally seen the last bit of the winter snows melt and the soil has begun to churn with the new lives of the delicate yellow kisses of the Glacier Lilies and the native purple and sage green Lupines. Soon the beautiful, but deadly, soft-leaved Arnicas will begin to dot the ground, filling the land with untouchable beauty. As beautiful as the spring and summer are in Montana everything is appreciated with a bated breath—nothing in this land of enchantment lasts long—nothing is permanent except the stars in the sky and the passing of time.
The constantly changing beauty serves as the backdrop for my new novel Montana Mustangs (out today!), the second book in the Nymph Series. In fact, Montana Mustangs takes place in Somers, Montana which lies just south of the (small and humble) city of Kalispell—the city that many fly into in order to visit Glacier Park, one of the best and most picturesque parks in the contingent United States.Somers, Montana lies at the edge of one of the largest (and coldest) freshwater lakes in the U.S., Flathead Lake. At the beginning of Montana Mustangs we first get the chance to meet our characters as they are standing at the edge of this picturesque lake, where they have made a macabre discovery—one in which sets the book into motion.My love of life, horses, and Montana are represented in every aspect of this book, but please know that just like our beautiful spring flowers, to everything there is possible impermanence—especially for the main character, Aura, a nymph cursed to never keep true love. Like the others of her kind, she has been struck with a curse by Zeus that if she falls in love, the man is fated to die a tragic death.When her sister is kidnapped, she must team up with a local Sheriff’s deputy, Dane, and work together to solve a case steeped in mythology, lies, and deeply hidden secrets. If you have a love of Montana, horses, the unexplained, and paranormal romance (which is centered in the not-so-supernatural world) then this book is a must read. Montana Mustangs is my own spring flower, a story filled with such beauty it will never be forgotten even long after you have turned the last page.Image Courtesy of http://www.gloriousphu.com/places/national-parks/united-states-canada/united-states/47-glacier-national-park