Waking Up... Romance or Drama?

I was thinking about my recently released novel Waking Up and I realized that while there is romance in the story, there are darker themes that perhaps make it less romantic than other novels I previously grouped the novel with. It certainly isn't in the same category as my first novel Creole Escape.

Waking Up is a darker novel than Creole Escape. While Creole Escape is a light-hearted story of love conceived and written when I was in my teens and early twenties, Waking Up has more depth to the story, the characters, the themes. There are parts of the story may be uncomfortable to the reader.

As such, I may have been a bit hasty to label Waking Up a romance novel. While it certainly can fit in that category, it is more of a dramatic fiction novel about a contemporary woman's struggle to accept herself and her past in a world that she feels will not accept her as she is.

So the disclaimer's coming a bit late, but here it is: Waking Up is a darkly-themed novel thick with deep emotions. If you're looking for light-hearted reading, may I suggest Creole Escape?

Pre-Release for Waking Up

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Checking In

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Years' Day!

I have been very busy since my last blog, getting ready for the holdiays and working on revisions to Waking Up. I am happy to report that I finished the last touches this morning and just need to go through a few more steps with my publisher to wrap things up!

January 15, 2013 is the release date for Waking Up! 

Keep an eye on my Facebook page for contests to win a free copy! 

Rain Musings

Many people don't understand why I like the rain. A buddy of mine absolutely hates the rain. She hates the dreary days, the wet, the inaction of waiting for it to go away so she can go outside and get things done.

But the scent of the rain, the feel of it tapping on my skin, the cool wetness of it and the sound - especially the sound. I love to play in the rain. I love to listen to it pound on the roof. I love to watch it skate across the windows and form puddles. I love to walk out into it and turn my face up to it so that it dances across my cheeks. I love to smell it on the wind before it comes and after it goes...

And I find myself writing while I listen to the comforting sound. Rain is my muse, I've often said.

Honestly, I don't even understand why I love rain. But for some reason I find peace in it, even in the darkest, scariest thunderstorm. The rain itself is cleansing, washing away the dirt and grime of life. It is a herald of the brighter days to come.

The sun always shines the brightest after a hard rain, after all.

Creole Escape on Sale!!

Now only $.99 for this week only, you can get Creole Escape EBOOK on NOOK or Kindle! Sale ends September 22!

The Romantic Heart

       Writing the next Dice vs. DMs blog is going to hurt my romantic heart. I don't want to spoil it, but it makes me very sad to write out what happened in yesterday's game session. I don't know what I'd do in their shoes, but I have a feeling it would be something similar. 

      Does it take a tender heart to write romances? A couple weeks ago I killed off a character in a storyline and bawled my eyes out while I did it. It hurt as bad as if I had gone through a breakup and maybe it was. I get so attached to characters that it's difficult to see them leave, even more difficult to force them to leave. It's hard to know when to put down the pen and leave them alone, or pick up the pen and write something nasty into their lives. 

     But that's part of being a writer. I find that when I can't control something, I turn to my stories because I can control them. I can control how the people feel as I manipulate their lives. 

     But in the end, I want them all to be happy (except the bad guys. The bad guys should be in jail or dead). 

     Anyway, I know that if I don't finish writing the other blog today, I won't before the next game. So I'd better run do that, even though my heart breaks for the characters...one in particular...

Autographed Copies Available Soon!

I have received a lot of requests for autographed copies of Creole Escape. They will be available in early August! Shipping will depend upon where you live, so please contact me for specifics at my email or at my Facebook page.