I’ve been a published author for approximately seven years. Since I started to write, I enjoy writing about subjects that intrigued, puzzled, or upset me.Circles of Love was a book that explored a painful topic. For years I pondered the idea of having no clue to where you came from. The heroine in Circles of Love went in search of her mother after realizing she couldn’t marry the hero until she knew who she was. That story earned me a 4-1/2 Gold review from Romantic Times Book Club. While negotiating my latest contract my editor suggested that I write connected books. I didn’t want to write about another large or extended family so I opted for stories connected by a large company. Living in the Detroit area, my ideas swirled around the automobile companies since Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporations are all located in metro Detroit. I didn’t want to use any of these companies so I created my own. French-owned and operated Gautier’s International Motors was born. I had no idea that the auto industry would stall, fail, or file for bankruptcy protection to stay in business and start new. Chrysler would offer the hand of partnership to…

I know a lot of aspiring writers (and I’ll likely meet a lot more, during the writer-in-residence program at the Toronto Public Library this fall. And every July, after aspiring romance writers attend RWA’s National convention, many of them come home determined to sell their first book by the next annual conference. Selling a book by a specific date sounds like a good goal, but think about it. We say that authors make sales, but who is really is charge of that part of the process? Publishers buy books – specifically editors working for publishers – while authors write books. So, it’s not really up to you when your book is sold. This makes selling a poor goal, as the biggest part of it isn’t in the realm of your influence. That said, there are a lot of awfully good goals that can put on the right path to making that sale, and – good news! – they are all within your powers To read the list of ten things to do please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

A discussion in one of my yahoo groups brought up special holidays in September. I’m sure if we all took a moment and stopped we could think of the more “traditional” holidays that September holds, but I wanted to think of something different. That sent me to Google and what I found was that September is Read A New Book Month. To read more about September being read a book month, and to leave a comment for a chance to win our weekend only contest please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

I had cheesecake for breakfast this morning. Completely self-indulgent, right? Not on the diet at all, let alone for breakfast. Saturday morning PSA cartoons really did teach me better than this. But it was integral to my writing process. It’s working cheesecake. Really. As writers, we’re told to include all five senses in our descriptions. Sight and sound come pretty naturally. Touch, well, I dare you to write a romance novel without it. Smell is supposed to be one of the most emotionally evocative senses, something about the olfactory part of the brain being close the memory storage unit… or something. But cheesecake is making me think about taste. To read more about food in books, and to comment for a chance to win a copy of Rosemary’s newest release please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

If you live in the United States then this is perhaps a holiday weekend for you. It is for me, and I’ve been looking forward to it with much anticipation. Ideally I would spend the weekend lounging with a book, but I’m sure my reality is going to be much different. I have no real plans. My youngest son might wish to compete in a local bowling tournament, but I don’t know if he wants to or not. The last time we discussed it he was rather non committal. He does have an appointment with the eye doctor, but that’s the only thing carved in stone in my appointment calendar. I would like to get my house clean, but that’s something that’s usually accomplished when I don’t have people looking over my shoulder as to what I’m dejunking, so reading sounds like a nice staycation escape.. To read more about Sandi’s Labor Day plans, and to enter the weekend only contest click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

One of my pet peeves are the drug commercials on TV that show happy, smiling people who seem totally oblivious to the Voice Of Doom in the background that’s listing all the dire side-effects of whatever they took to get them that happy. So…I got to thinking that nobody warned me before I started to write. No, I just hauled out a typewriter (yes, it was that long ago) and started pounding away. By the time I graduated to a computer, I’d noticed all kinds of side-effects. As a public service, I thought I’d list a few: Symptom: Writing can be hazardous to your health. Long hours spent at the keyboard can lead to eye fatigue, joint fatigue and a whopping case of secretarial spread. Treatment: To relieve eye strain from writing, ensure your computer has several solitaire games, which should be practiced regularly for medicinal purposes. To combat joint fatigue, get a swivel chair or even better, a desk with plenty of interesting things in the drawers that you can take out and play with. Tape dispensers are ideal, as are pens with flowers on the ends. As far as secretarial spread, accept the inevitable and get a bigger…

This week I’m listening to The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews, and while listening one term really struck me. The term was empty literary calories. It was used in reference to tabloids such as The National Enquirer. but I got to wondering if some people might not use it when thinking about romance or other genres which they don’t wish to read themselves. I’m confident that there are people out there who look down upon those people who read anything that is not necessarily thought of as the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. It’s my personal belief that reading is wonderful regardless of what the reader is reading. My family is not compromised of readers, but when my son asks for a strategy guide for a video game I’m eager to comply, because after all doesn’t he have to read it to get the information he is after? To weigh in on the discussion click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

August 18, 2009 Day fifteen of the blog tour TORTURED, erotic medieval, Harlequin Spice, Aug.’09-Amanda McIntyre) See the book trailer at: TORTURED. (Available now, Harlequin Spice, Aug. ’09) “How did you come up with this idea?” This is probably the question I have been asked most since this book was released. It’s a bit darker than normal for me, but it is also a love story, laced with hot scenes, drama, villains, mystery and more. To read more about how Amanda came up with the idea for Tortured and to enter the one day contest click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

FAKING IT! Raise your hand—who loves designer purses? We all do. They’re gorgeous, glamorous and desirable—and they look like they cost a million bucks. But wait—you see them in discount stores and on street vendors’ tables.  Why? Because many of those hot-looking bags are phony. Ever wonder where those knock-offs come from? And who’s getting rich? And biggest question of all—how they sell obvious knock-offs without taking heat from the authorities? In life and love, how do you tell the real thing? Charlotte McNally #3MiraSeptember 2009On Sale: September 1, 2009Featuring: Charlotte McNally288 pages ISBN: 0778327191EAN: 9780778327196Mass Market PaperbackAmazon Charlie McNally is hot on the trail of knock-off purses in this action-packed mystery. I’ve spent the last thirty years chasing good stories—and I knew this was a great one! As an investigative reporter in Boston, I went in disguise and undercover to explore the world of counterfeit couture—and the behind-the-scenes business of high-fashion fakes. I also learned some of the secret ways you can recognize the real from the rip-off. We talked to investigators specially trained by the designers to scout out what’s real and what’s fake. They have elaborate manuals chock full of trade secrets, revealing the actual number of…

Though I’m a devoted fan of the vampire tale, you wouldn’t know it by how few books I’ve read in the genre. That’s because I’m very picky. I’m looking for a vampire story with certain elements: 1) No whiny vampires 2) No mandatory killing of food, because it puts a serious damper on sexual interaction related to feeding. 3) No holds barred on the eroticism. To learn more about the type of vampire story that Joey W. Hill likes and to comment in the one day contest click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.