Excerpt: Dragon Blues by Edie Ramer

Today's excerpt is the newly released novel by Edie Ramer -- I haven't read this one yet, but the description compelled me buy it and add to my to-be-read list! Check it out:

Once a dragon…
Saxophone player Noah Long shifted from dragon to human 2500 years ago, but the dragon blood still coursing through his veins has kept him healthy and virile. Now his secret is out, and the man who discovered it will do anything to make Noah’s blood his own. Noah’s only ally is martial arts expert Lila Fox, who heats up the fire in his belly…and his heart.

Twice a killer…
Lila Fox’s first kill was at age sixteen after her stepfather put her mother in a wheelchair. Fourteen years later, she kills another abuser to save a woman’s life. When the man who wants Noah’s blood kills her sister, she can’t let the death go unanswered. She teams up with the strangely compelling Noah, and discovers he’s not all man and has a few tricks of his own.

Review:

5 stars! “Edie is brilliant! I love her snarky characters, the humor, the sex, the incredible story and the perfect narration she is able to spin into a single novel. I was on the edge of my seat while savoring another Ramer masterpiece! This comes highly recommended!” – Aimee, Coffee Table Press

From Dragon Blues:

Noah flipped the Open sign to Closed. Triple locked the doors. Turned on the alarm. He trod to the desk, his footsteps nearly soundless on the wood floor, and left the jade dragon and the ring on the desktop instead of locking them away as usual.

Tomorrow. He would put them away tomorrow.

Something tore at his throat, at his chest. A weight pressed down on his shoulders. Darkness devoured him, and he knew its name. Loneliness.

He was a solitary creature by nature, but there was a difference between being alone and lonely. At least this time he knew better than to do something that would make it worse instead of better.

He turned off half the lights, then climbed the back staircase to his rooms above the shop. His furniture in the living room was dark reds and black, and the lamps and the pictures gleamed with touches of gold and silver. A meow came from the black chair in the corner. Mystic, curled up, wisely staying away from the fracas. On the table next to the black chair, a tenor saxophone glimmered in the dusky light.

Noah crossed the room, bent and picked Mystic up. Her body was warm, pliant. He sat, draping her on his lap. She allowed him to pet her, her body rumbling with purrs.

“I have you,” he said. Usually he had more than one cat, but he’d seen too many die. Every death wore on his soul. Even beasts had souls, and sometimes lately he thought his was rubbed down to translucency. Like a fine silk cloth, so thin only threads remained.

A siren wailed outside. Mystic meowed, jumped off him and padded into the kitchen.

He didn’t follow her. He needed something to fill the gaping emptiness inside him. To smooth his rippled emotions. To bring him peace.

A need roared in his chest. Not for food, not for liquor, not for women.

Music. That’s what had kept him sane this all these years. Kept him alive.

He picked up the saxophone, the metal smooth beneath his fingers, bringing him a small measure of peace, mending the torn threads of his soul.

Then he lifted it to his lips, took a breath, closed his eyes and played “Is That All There Is?” The Peggy Lee version. Slow and sexy and sad.

The sounds outside faded, and nothing mattered. Not Beauty, not the thief, not the lonely, lonely years. Just the music that poured through him and out of him. Out of his soul.

When he finished, he sat in the chair for long moments as night invaded the room, darkness falling around him like a magician’s cloak.

“Is that all there is?” he whispered to the silent room. “Is that it?”

A noise answered, someone knocking on the alley door.

___________

Edie Ramer loves her cat so much, she wrote CATTITUDE, a book in which a cat changes bodies with a woman. Edie tried to put herself in her cat's mind. She managed so well it was eerily freakish.

She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two dogs, and the original Belle the cat. She started writing in the 1990's, selling short stories in the mystery genre to National magazines and two Women Sleuth books. In addition to non-fiction articles, she wrote verses for greeting cards, and she possesses a drawer filled with cards for any occasion.

She's co-founder of Write Attitude (writeattitude.net), an inspirational website for writers, and a popular group blog, Magical Musings (magicalmusings.com).

You can visit Edie at www.EdieRamer.com.



CLICK HERE FOR NOOK










More Books by Edie:

Valentine's Special - An Interview with Romance Writer, Kristie Leigh Maguire

Valentine's Day is a special day, so today I bring you an interview with a special lady - author of romantic tales, Kristie Leigh Maguire.

I first met Kristie at The Spinning Wheel - a virtual bookstore and coffee shop on the discussion boards at Amazon.com. Kristie is the proprietor - readers and writers come together and chat in this virtual world. There is a fireplace, bookshelves galore, a coffee pot, and comfy sofa and a loft where some of the wilder patrons have been known to throw popcorn over the balcony to bounce off the heads of others. It is all in good fun - even if the popcorn isn't real! And there is a porch with a swing, and a path to a pond. But mostly why people come to the spinning wheel is to meet and share with others who love to read and/or write.

And Kristie Leigh Maguire made it all happen. She's there every day jumping into discussions and scheduling authors for virtual readings. She's an amazing woman with a load of her own stories to tell, and that's why I'm so excited that she's joined me for an interview today as well as agreed to share an excerpt of her romance, Second Chances.

Karen: Welcome to Fiction for Dessert, Kristie!

Kristie: Thanks so much, Karen! I appreciate you having me here at Fiction for Desert. What a lovely name for a blog.

Karen: When did you first start writing?

Kristie: Reading has always been my passion but I was a late bloomer to the world of writing. When my husband and I were living in Japan in 1997, I found that it was very difficult to find books written in English. Remember this was before e-books became so popular and available with the click of a mouse from most anywhere in the world. Since I couldn’t find books to read, I started trying to write my own books. I had no idea what I was doing. I’ve never taken a writing class in my life but I have read all my life. Because romance is what I loved to read, romance is what I wanted to write. Trying to emulate some of my favorite romance authors didn’t work for me at all. Fortunately, I soon discovered my own writing voice and a passion for writing that equaled my passion for reading.

Karen: What do you like about writing romances in particular?

Kristie: Love is the spice of life and is what makes the world go round. I like telling a good love story. It takes me out of the everyday world of troubles and woes and makes me feel good.

Karen: How do you formulate an idea for a new book? Do you write off the cuff, or do you plan intensively before you begin?

Kristie: Sometimes the idea of a character comes first; sometimes the idea of a storyline comes first. With my Desert Heat and Cabin Fever books (Affairs of the Heart series), the characters came first and then I developed the storyline. With my Second Chances book, the idea of the storyline came first and then I developed the characters. It just depends on what sparks my imagination.

I write off the cuff. How can I outline when I don’t know where the story is going to take me? As the story goes along, my characters take on a life of their own. Sometimes my characters don’t want the story to go the way I originally thought it should go. If I try to force them to go in a direction they don’t want to go, my writing becomes stilted and doesn’t flow well. Usually at that point, I throw up my hands and just let the story flow according to what the characters want. OK, take me away to the funny farm now because I sound totally crazy.

Karen: I know you’ve traveled extensively abroad – do you draw from your overseas experiences when you write?

Kristie: Not directly but my overseas travels have made me who I am today so I suppose indirectly it does.

Karen: I know that one of my favorite aspects of writing, is developing characters. Do you find that as well, and if so, do you have a favorite character or two?

Kristie: I love developing characters. My all time favorite character is Marcie Treyhorne in my Affairs of the Heart series (Desert Heat and Cabin Fever). Marcie is a feisty steel magnolia. She is fun and flirtatious but not easily intimidated. She won’t take no for an answer, or at least not easily.

Karen: Do you think you might try writing in other genres? If so, do you have anything planned?

Kriste: I have written a memoir/travel book based upon my overseas travels. The title is You’ve Got Mail from Japan. Other than that, I don’t know if I will ever write in any genre other than romance. I do have a few ideas in other genres floating around in my head but I don’t know if I will ever act upon them. I have learned to never say never though so who knows? We’ll just have to wait and see. 

Karen: Tell me a little bit about The Spinning Wheel and why you started it.

Kristie: The Spinning Wheel is a thread I started at Amazon’s Kindle Discussion Group. I created it as a safe haven for authors and readers. We are now on are second generation of The Spinning Wheel (Amazon has a limit of 10,000 posts to each thread).

The Spinning Wheel is located in a lovely old white brick building on the main street of Amazon Kindle Land. The navy shutters framing the double windows on each side of the door creates a nice contrast to the mellow yellow lettering against a sea foam green background of The Spinning Wheel sign over the door.

Inside we have rows and rows of books on shelves with pots of ivy and geraniums scattered around. The scent of mulled cider candles combined with the smell of homemade oatmeal cookies and coffee drifting through the air creates an enticing aroma that is hard to resist.

Miss Daisy, the resident cat, loves to curl up and snooze on the top bookshelf. Ralph, the resident dog, likes it best in front of the potbellied stove in the corner. It always seems cold on that side of the room so we keep the fire burning all the time. Feel free to wander over and warm yourself and throw a log on the fire if it needs it. Across from the potbellied stove is the lounge area with enough comfortable easy chairs for everyone to have a place to sit, relax, and enjoy a good book. There are so many books just waiting to be read. Open your mind. Explore new possibilities. Think beyond what has normally been your comfort zone. If you aren't up to exploring new genres, we are bound to have something you will like on our shelves. The possibilities are endless.

Karen: How can people find The Spinning Wheel?

Kristie: Go to: http://tinyurl.com/SpinningWheel2 … or if we have completed TSW2 by the time this is posted, just go to the Main Kindle Discussion Group and look for the thread with The Spinning Wheel in the title.

Karen: Would you be willing to share an excerpt from one of your books with our readers?

Kristie: In honor of Valentine’s Day, I would like to tell everyone about my sweet contemporary western romance, Second Chances. I got the idea for this book when a friend of mine told me about an ad she saw in her local paper: “Free wedding dress. Worn only once by mistake.” My imagination caught fire trying to figure out what was behind that simple little ad in the newspaper.

Description of Second Chances:

Jane Porter’s dreams of marrying Mike Farley, the handsome cowboy who lives on the neighboring ranch, are shattered when Mike suddenly marries a redheaded stranger he met at the Wild Horse Saloon in Casper, Wyoming. After Mike stomped all over Jane’s heart with his cowboy boots, can Jane ever trust her heart to a man again?

Mike Farley marries beautiful Samantha Jo Smith after a whirlwind courtship with no thought to Jane Porter, his childhood sweetheart and the woman everyone in Fremont County thought he would marry one day. Mike soon learns to regret his hasty marriage to Samantha. Can Mike win back Jane’s heart even though he had shattered it into a million pieces?

Longtime friends and neighbors Jim Porter and Liz Farley turn to each other for support after the unexpected death of their spouses. Will Jim and Liz’s friendship turn into something deeper even though they both feel they have had, and lost, their chance at love?

Is it ever too late for love? Is it ever too late for second chances?

Set in rural Wyoming, Second Chances is a sweet contemporary western romance that will warm your heart. One reader stated, “I read it through in an evening, and felt as if I had spent that evening with ‘salt of the earth’ folk.” Another reader said, “I loved the double, no triple, second chance. It was a very sweet ending.”

Excerpt from Chapter 1 after Samantha finds out that Mike is going to marry Samantha:

“You bastard!”

Jane slapped Mike so hard it rocked him backwards, leaving an angry red welt in the shape of a handprint across his handsome face. Mike threw up his hands to ward off Jane’s angry blows but he knew he had it coming. Jane had every right to punch his lights out.

“Why am I the last to know you’re going to marry somebody else? You could have at least had the decency and enough respect for me to tell me first before everybody on God’s green earth knew about it!”

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Jane. I didn’t know Mom was going to hightail it over and tell your dad before I could tell you myself. I was going to come over and tell you this morning but she beat me to it. I wish she’d mind her own business and keep her nose out of mine.”

“Mike, you’ve never even gone out with anybody but me. Who is it? Who are you marrying?”

“Her name is Samantha Jo Smith. I met her when I was at the Wild Horse Saloon a few weeks ago when I went to Casper to stock up on supplies.”

“You’re going to marry some floozy you met in a bar a few weeks ago when for years you’ve led me to believe we’d get married? Have you been lying to me all these years? Did you ever have any intentions of marrying me?”

“I haven’t been lying to you all these years. I did intend for us to get married one day but I never counted on meeting Sammy Jo. She came into my life like a devil’s twister and turned it upside down.”

Jane’s beautiful brown eyes filled with tears as she looked at the man she loved, had loved all her life, trying to understand what he was saying. It was as though he was suddenly spouting Greek. Nothing he was saying made any sense to her.

“I never wanted to hurt you, Jane. You’ve got to believe me.”

“You can’t marry her, Mike. You can’t possibly love somebody you just met! You love me! I know you do. We’ve been going steady since I was twelve and you were thirteen. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“I don’t really know how all this came about. Me and Sammy Jo getting married I mean. I don’t remember actually saying the words ‘Will you marry me?’ but she must have thought I did because the first thing I knew she threw her arms around me and said yes. Now the date is set. She’s already bought her wedding dress.”

Jane gasped, her face going pale. She sank down onto the steps and put her head in her hands. Even though she had never fainted in her life, she felt as though she were going to now.

Mike sat down on the steps beside her and gently stroked her back.

“Look at me, Jane. Please.”

Jane raised her head but she couldn’t look at Mike.

Mike turned her face towards him, his black eyes looking into her teary brown ones.

“I’m a man of my word, Jane. I asked Sammy Jo to marry me even though I don’t remember saying those exact words. I have to stick by it. Can’t you please try to understand?”

“No, I don’t understand it! I simply can’t.” Jane sniffed back the tears that threatened to clog her throat and spill down her face. “What about me? I know I don’t have your engagement ring on my finger but for years you’ve led me to believe we’d get married one day.”

“I know I did, Jane. I’m sorry. I never meant for something like this to happen.”

“Mike, I’m begging you not to do this to us. Don’t throw away our future like this. We’ve never dated anyone else but each other since we were old enough to know there was a difference between boys and girls. My whole life has been wrapped around you. What am I supposed to do if you marry someone else? I can’t even picture my life as anything but being Mrs. Mike Farley.”

“I don’t know but I am going to marry Sammy Jo. I have to, Jane. A man’s word is his bond.”

“But you don’t know anything about her, Mike. She’s a complete stranger.”

“It’s true we’ve known each other only for three weeks but Sammy Jo’s not a stranger to me. Being with her is the most exciting thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

The tears in Jane’s eyes disappeared, burned away by white-hot fury. She jumped up, tossing the single heavy brown braid that almost reached her butt over her shoulder and glared at Mike.

“Are you talking about having sex with her?” She hit him. “Damn you, Mike Farley! If you don’t think having sex with me was exciting enough for you, then whose fault is that I’d like to know! All I know about sex is what you and I learned together. I was a virgin when we first made love down on the banks of Badwater Creek. I was only fifteen! I’d never been with anyone else but you and didn’t know a thing about how to do what we were doing except what you showed me how to do. Now you have the nerve to tell me that our lovemaking wasn’t exciting enough for you. If you didn’t like what we were doing, then you could have shown me how to do something different. I’m not such a prude that I wouldn’t have experimented.”

She hit him again.

“You lousy son-of-a-bitch!”

Mike caught her hands and held them.

“Jane, I never meant for this to happen. It just happened.”

“Just happened? Things like that don’t just happen!” she shrieked. “You could have kept your damned pants zipped! Even if you didn’t have enough self-control to keep from poking it to her, you sure as hell didn’t have to ask her to marry you!”

Jane struggled to get loose from Mike’s iron grip to no avail.

“We were supposed to get married, Mike. We were going to live the rest of our lives together. You and me! Not you and some floozy you met in a bar, for crying out loud.”

“Jane, I know I’ve hurt you and for that I’m very sorry. Can we still be friends?”

Jane looked at Mike as though he had lost his mind.

“Friends? I don’t want to be just your friend, Mike! If I’m not going to be your wife, I don’t want to be anything to you. You can go to hell. I never want to see you again.”

“Jane, please don’t be this way.”

“Let go of me, damn it!”

Mike let go of her hands and Jane turned to leave.

“I’ll never set foot on Double F Ranch again not even to see Liz. If she wants to see me, she can come over to my house. And don’t you ever come over to the Double P Ranch again either. I don’t want anything more to do with you.”

“Jane, we live on adjoining ranches. Our families are tied too closely together for us to avoid each other. Your dad is like a father to me and my mom is like a mother to you.”

Jane laughed bitterly.

“You should have remembered that before you asked Ms. Floozy to marry you. If I catch you ever stepping foot on my ranch again, I’ll take the shotgun and fill your ass with buckshot!”

“Jane…”

“You are a bastard and a poor excuse for a man, Mike Farley! I hope you catch some kind of venereal disease from Samantha Jo Smith.”
***

Karen: That was wonderful – thank you so much for joining us here today and sharing. Do you have a website where people can learn more about you and your works?

Kristie: Of course I do. (smile)
Website: KristieLeighMaguire.com
Facebook Fan Page: KristieLeighMaguire
Sizzling Hot Romance and Other Genres (blog): Sizzling Hot Romance.

Thank you so much for having me, Karen. It has been my pleasure. (smile)

Karen: You can purchase Second Chances at Amazon.com for just $2.99.











Other books by Kristie Leigh Maguire:

Looking for Affordable and Great eBooks for you Kindle or Nook?

Chances are if you have a Kindle, Nook, or other eReader, you're looking for books to download without breaking the bank. Today, on his blog A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, bestselling author JA Konrath posted a list of independently published, affordable eBooks that are selling thousands of copies each month. I've read several of these books myself and can attest to their quality. Oh, and I have to admit that my own Take the Monkeys and Run is on the list!


Here are some other sources for finding affordable, quality reads for your fun new toy!!!!

Daily Cheap Reads

The Frugal eReader

Kindle Nation Daily

Red Adept Reviews

Two Ends of the Pen


Merry Christmas and Happy Reading!!!

Excerpt: Not What She Seems by Victorine Lieske

Today's excerpt is from Not What She Seems by Victorine Lieske -- a romantic suspense novel that's tearing up the Amazon Bestselling charts.

Steven Ashton, a billionaire from New York, and Emily Grant, on the run from the law... and when they meet he can’t help falling for her. What he doesn’t know is that interfering in her life will put his own life in danger.

Not What She Seems holds you in suspense from the moment you begin down the path of murder and romance.

When billionaire Steven Ashton couldn’t stand his high society social life anymore, he left the stress of New York on a vacation for his soul. The need to meet real down to earth people lead him to a small Nebraska town he remembered visiting as a child. He didn’t want to lie about who he was, but he couldn’t exactly tell them the truth.

Emily could have easily fallen in love with Steven, under different circumstances, but her past was catching up with her and she needed a new life. If the authorities found out about her, she could lose the one thing that meant everything, her four year old son.

There are many great reviews for Not What She Seems, but here's just a taste:

"I loved this. Edge of your seat suspense along with an excellent plot and great twists that keep you guessing. Pacy and well written, it's got everything you could want for an engrossing read." - Sibel Hodge author of The Fashion Police

I know! It sounds really good, right??? So now, for your reading pleasure, is. . .

Chapter One of Not What She Seems:

Steven stalked down the hotel hallway toward his room, gripping his briefcase, glad that no one was around. He needed to get out of his Armani suit before someone recognized him. Not that anyone staying in this run-down hotel would be hanging around his social circles. But someone might recognize him from the news.

Excitement shot through him. He almost felt like a little kid. If he could get away with it, he would be just another regular person by tomorrow.

He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A young tow-headed boy appeared, followed by his mother. The child ran down the hall sideswiping him, knocking his briefcase out of his hand. Files and papers spilled out onto the floor.

The boy turned around. “Oh, sorry.” He bent down and scooped up some files, while his mother rushed to help as well.

“No problem, I need to sort through these anyway.”

The young woman flashed a smile at him, and then turned to her son. “Connor, you need to be more careful,” she said, getting down on her hands and knees. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a loose bun, with several curly blond strands hanging down. She was quite attractive, despite her frumpy sweat pants and t-shirt. Steven found himself checking out her left hand. No ring. Then he mentally smacked himself. What was he doing? He needed to get away, and have some time for himself. Forget about women. They all wanted the same thing from him. He had six point four billion reasons why any woman would want to be with him. Unfortunately, none of them had anything to do with his personality.

Oh, he was good looking enough. He knew that. His jet black hair and bright blue eyes turned plenty of heads. But he could always tell the moment they recognized him, and the mild interest would be replaced with strong attraction.

The woman handed him a pile of papers, with an apologetic look on her face. “Sorry about that. He’s just been cooped up in the car too long I think.” She stood and brushed some hair from her face.

“It’s no big deal.” He adjusted his overnight bag on his shoulder. “Thank you,” he said, searching her face for any sign of recognition.

“You’re welcome.” She shied away from his blatant staring, looking to the floor, then to her son. “Come on, Connor, we need to get going.”

Steven turned around. She hadn’t recognized him. That was a good thing. His plan might work. Pulling out his key card, he walked to his door while they disappeared into their own room. He made a mental note of the woman’s room number. Maybe he would pay for her bill as well. Her tattered clothes gave him the impression the seventy five dollars a night might be a bit steep for her.

******

Emily opened her hotel door, and followed Connor into the dimly lit room. Richard sat on one of the beds, waiting for her.

“Who were you talking to in the hallway?” he asked, his hair hanging in his face, concealing his dark eyes.

“No one. Just some guy down the hall.” She turned her head away.

“Well, what were you talking about?” He glared at her, and she knew she had better satisfy him.

“Nothing. He dropped some papers, and we helped him pick them up. That was all.” She folded her arms and her eyes flashed at Richard, daring him to keep it up.

He stared back at her for a moment, and then lowering his voice he said, “Well, who is he anyway?”

“I don’t know. Some guy that looks like Steven Ashton.” She reached up to her hair, fiddling with it.

“Yeah, right. Like Steven Ashton would stay in this dump.” Richard kicked off his shoes, letting them land in the middle of the floor. “You and the kid get the bed by the air conditioner. The noise will keep me up all night.”

He stretched out on the bed and turned on the television with the remote. He fell asleep on his back, still in his dingy Iron Maiden t-shirt and jeans. Emily rolled her eyes as his snores filled the room. She dressed Connor in his green dinosaur pajamas, brushed his teeth, and tucked him into bed. She smoothed his long blond hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead. He desperately needed another haircut. She would have to trim it herself again. Richard would never let her spend the money to get it done at the barber shop.

Emily slipped into her flannel nightgown. Her life was a mess. Connor needed stability, a place to stay and call their own. This constant running needed to stop.

If only she hadn’t killed William, then none of this would have happened.

******

Steven stood, waiting for the balding man behind the hotel counter. The man seemed to be a walking advertisement for how one should look when needing a room at the Sleepy Time Inn. He punched some keys on the computer. “Do you have your key card?”

Steven flipped it onto the counter. “I’d like to pay for room two-fifteen also.”

The man scowled, and punched some more keys on the computer. “That room is already paid for.”

“Then when she checks out you’ll have to tell her there was a mix up in the computer, and that you have to give her a refund.” He smiled and added, “And you can keep this for your trouble.”

He pushed several bills at him and left before there were any more arguments.

The September sun wasn’t up when Steven slipped into his new truck. As he left Mesquite, Nevada and crossed the border into Arizona, he marveled at the beauty of the land. The rising sun danced off the vast open desert as it peeked above the mountains. Splashes of color changed before his eyes as the day began. Starting to feel renewed, he stretched back, glad that he had decided to do this.

Not that he had been planning to get away. It was actually a spur of the moment decision. After his Friday meeting in LA, he told his pilot that he wouldn’t need him for the return trip. A quick call to his mother to say he was going on a vacation, and he turned off his cell phone and split.

He probably wouldn’t have felt the need to get away if it weren’t for the last few gala events that he had been forced to attend. The women clung to him, babbling on about senseless things. Since when had his life become an endless sea of socialite cocktail parties and fundraisers which had little to do with saving the dolphins or AIDS research? He was so tired of being used.

Desperate for a break, he had decided to leave, to go where no one would recognize him. Where there were no social elite, where everyone just left you alone. He wanted to have a conversation with someone without wondering if they would be talking to him if he weren’t Steven Ashton the billionaire.

He used to visit his great aunt in the small town of Huntington, Nebraska when he was young. He had fond memories of the town. He figured it would be the perfect place to go.

******

The small cramped car, filled with everything they owned, radiated heat. Emily sat in the back seat with Connor while Richard drove, smoking a cigarette and flicking the ashes out the window. She had no idea where they were going, nor did she care. The only thing in the world she cared about was her son. She caressed his cheek with one finger while he played with his toy dinosaur.

Richard turned off the highway, following a road into a small town. Emily watched the scenery change from the outskirts of town, to the business district. Richard stopped in front of a pawn shop. He left the motor running. “Stay in the car.” He grabbed a duffle bag from the front seat and left.

Emily closed her eyes, and pretended she didn’t know what he was doing. He never took her and Connor on the jobs with him, but sometimes they were with him when he unloaded the merchandise.

What a life she was subjecting her son to. Pain washed over her as she thought of his innocence. He would be old enough for kindergarten soon. What would she do then? Richard would never allow him to go to school.

She would have to get some money somehow, and leave Richard soon.

_______

Victorine and her husband live in Nebraska where they manufacture rubber stamps for the craft industry. They own and operate Victorine Originals Rubber Stamps from their home, where they raise their four children. Victorine has a degree in Art from BYU Idaho, and designs many of the rubber stamps they sell. She has always loved to read, and in her spare time she writes.


Check out her blog at Victorine Writes and her website, Victorine Lieske.com.

Guest Blogger: Debbi Mack!

I'm thrilled today to have a guest blogger and fellow writer here today as she rides through the month of November on her Twenty Questions Blog Tour -- author of the hardboiled mystery, IDENTITY CRISIS, Debbi Mack. Please help me in welcoming Debbi, as she talks about something very near and dear to my heart - the movies.

Question 11: Can you picture your books being made into films? If so, who would you want to play your protagonist?

First, I'd like to say it's really awesome to be a guest on Karen's blog, Fiction for Dessert. I've gotten to know Karen from Sisters in Crime, Chesapeake Chapter. We both had short stories in the chapter's anthology CHESAPEAKE CRIMES: THEY HAD IT COMIN'. I feel like Karen is not only a kindred indie author spirit, but a friend.

One of the things I like most about Karen is her interest in movies. We're both hopeless movie buffs. Frankly, I can think of no better way to spend an afternoon (or evening or morning LOL) than watching a great movie.

Many of the books I've come to love I learned about by seeing the movie first. So, to me, movies are an essential part of the writing experience.



Having said that, I have to say I can totally see my novel IDENTITY CRISIS being made into a movie. There are a couple of reasons why this is so.

First, I tend to use screenplay writing structure when I develop my novels. This involves dividing the plot into three acts. The first act includes an "inciting incident." This is something that sets the plot in motion. It gives the protagonist a reason to do what she does (in this case, investigate a murder and identity theft scheme). The first act ends with a plot twist of some kind. This sends the story into yet another direction. And it should also ratchet up the suspense and conflict between the characters. In the second act, the story should keep moving forward and unfold with increasing tension and suspense. By the time you reach the third act, things (ideally) will look hopeless. The protagonist will reach a point where things look dire and she has to solve the problem in a creative way. This is the act in which the final puzzle piece falls into place and the protagonist reaches a resolution before the story comes to an end.

If this sounds formulaic or easy, think again. Coming up with creative ways to put obstacles in the protagonist's way and cause conflict between characters, while moving the plot forward is tricky stuff. And remember you need to be planting clues along the way and all the threads and clues have to be resolved and come together in the end. So, not so easy, huh?

I followed the three-act structure when writing IDENTITY CRISIS and have used it in writing other novels, including the sequel LEAST WANTED (and a couple of other novels I'd like to publish eventually).

Second, in writing my novels, I tend to think visually. In IDENTITY CRISIS, I created a couple of scenarios I hoped would translate well into film. The book has a rather gritty (and I think evocative) scene in which my protagonist, Sam McRae, gets beaten by mobsters. It also includes a couple of car chases. (What can I say? I like car chases. Think Bullitt. Think The French Connection. Think The Seven Ups. Heck, think The Rockford Files.)

Now, having said that, who would I want to play Sam? Wow, that's a good question.

I've thought Jody Foster would be particularly good. She has the All-American looks I picture Sam having. Blue eyes, reddish-brown hair. She's also played some tough gals (Silence of the Lambs comes to mind – *shiver*).

But then I thought, even if I sold the movie rights today, how long would it take to actually make the film?

So, my choices have become younger and younger. Kirsten Dunst, maybe? Um, Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars? Ellen Page from Juno?

You can see my problem here, can't you? I suspect the best person to play Sam is probably still in diapers. LOL

* * * * *

Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't forget to leave a comment with your email address if you'd like to enter the drawing for the 10 autographed copies of IDENTITY CRISIS I'm giving away. (One entry per person, but comment as often as you like.)

The drawing will be held on my blog My Life on the Mid-List after the tour is finished. Check my blog for the entire tour schedule.

And please join me at my next stop tomorrow: Tina's Book Reviews

* * * * *

Debbi Mack is the author of IDENTITY CRISIS, a hardboiled mystery and the first in a series featuring lawyer Stephanie Ann "Sam" McRae. She's also a short story writer whose ebook anthology, FIVE UNEASY PIECES, includes the Derringer-nominated "The Right to Remain Silent," originally published in The Back Alley Webzine. Debbi's work has also appeared in two of the CHESAPEAKE CRIMES anthologies.

Be on the lookout for her next Sam McRae novel, LEAST WANTED, which will be published soon (in print and ebook versions).

Debbi practiced law for nine years before becoming a freelance writer/researcher and fiction author. She's also worked as a news wire reporter covering the legal beat in Washington, D.C. and as a reference librarian at the Federal Trade Commission. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three cats.

You can find out more about Debbi on her Web site, and her blog My Life on the Mid-List. Her books are available on Amazon, BN.com, Smashwords and other sites around the Web, as well by order at stores. You can also buy autographed copies of her novel from her Web site.



Having read and THOROUGHLY enjoyed IDENTITY CRISIS, I highly recommend you take Debbi up on this offer to win a copy of her book - you won't be disappointed. Start leaving your comments today. Oh, and I vote for Ellen Page to play Sam MacRae!!!

Thank you for stopping by Debbi, and good luck on the rest of your tour.

Debbi is also guest blogging today at Lori's Reading Corner.

Why I LOVE Kindle!

Many readers out there may not understand how DIFFICULT it is to break into the big bad world of publishing. Well, let me enlighten you:

It's a LONG, HARD road of writing (and re-writing and re-re-writing) query letters just trying to find an agent, because nowadays, a writer needs an agent to do their bidding with the big guys (major publishers). So really, the first step is WRITE A WINNING QUERY LETTER. This alone (the learning process) is very time consuming. There are whole books, courses and conferences dedicated entirely just to the process of writing THE PERFECT QUERY LETTER. (Ugh)

Then the writer starts sending out those query letters. Of course, there are easily ten million writers out there querying (feels more like begging) agents. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating the number of writers out there, but only a wee bit, and I guarantee you, there aren't ten million agents, so odds are stacked against the writer, TRUST ME. Been there. DONE that.

So a writer can spend YEARS just trying to find an agent (not a publisher yet, keep in mind - just an agent). Now, I'm not one of those lucky ones to find an agent willing to shop my book. I did that for two years. TWO YEARS. I spent so much time trying to find an agent, that I wasn't writing my second book. I didn't have the time. Not to mention, that after a while, those rejections CAN start to get to you, no matter how many encouraging articles you read about the umpteen NY Bestselling authors that got over 200 rejections before landing that dream agent. Rejection always hurts - even if just a little.

But let's say I DID find an agent after that amount of time. Here's how it goes after that: my agent MAY or MAY NOT find me a publisher. That agent could take months or years just finding Editor Joe Book at Publisher XYZ willing to publish my little masterpiece. THEN, Publisher XYZ could take two years printing my book and getting my promised modest advance to my editor who takes 15% off the top, then gives me the rest. And I've lost control of my book. Publisher XYZ calls the shots now. I don't like not having control. I'm a CONTROL FREAK. I'm not a happy camper. And how about my sales? I don't get any sort of daily accounting of my sales figures. I could go for months not knowing how my book (my baby) is doing out there in Bookstore Land. One a day? A hundred a day?

Now REMEMBER - I never got the agent, so never got the publisher, so my knowledge of the above is based on experiences related to me through those writers WHO HAVE been so lucky.

But I have to say, I feel lucky for a whole different reason, and now I'm getting to the meat of my story: Why I LOVE Kindle!

One day, after getting a rejection I really wasn't expecting - I really thought this small publisher was going to take me on - I sat in my room, drying my eyes, deciding my future with this book. Do I quit? Do I keep taking it in the gut like this? I've never been a quitter, so even though I felt lower than low, the ultimate answer for me was to keep moving forward.

"Karen," I said to myself. "You don't really want an agent OR a publisher. You want readers. You wrote a book for people to read and well . . . no one is reading it."

Hmmm . . . I was right. I needed readers.

Somewhere, way back in the darkest recesses of my mind, I remembered someone saying that they had published their own book on Kindle. I ran to my computer and googled, "Publishing on Kindle."

Angels sang and trumpets blared. I read with excitement. Could it really be this easy? Would Amazon REALLY just let me upload my book at NO COST TO ME and on top of that, let me pick my price? AND make my book available right alongside all other books Amazon sells on Kindle? AND pay me a royalty? AND let me track my sales hourly? Was this all a dream?

Well, it turned out for me - it was a dream come true. On June 17th, 2010, my funny little book, Take the Monkeys and Run, went on sale at the Amazon Kindle store, and four months later, it has sold OVER 4000 copies and collected 34 Amazon Customer Reviews, with an average of 4.5 stars. Those are READERS. And fans. The people I wrote the book for in the first place. And all of that time I spent researching agents and writing and sending query letters? Now that's time spent writing The Chronicles of Marr-nia, Short Stories Starring Barbara Marr (due out soon) as well as the second novel in the Barbara Marr series. SO MUCH MORE FUN let me tell you!

Can anyone do this?

YES.

Should anyone do this?

Only those who have put a good deal practice into the craft of writing, have spent time (blood, sweat and tears even) into editing, re-writing, and producing a quality piece of work. Because what readers want is QUALITY. A great story, interesting characters, a compelling read - THIS IS WHAT A READER WANTS. Above and beyond that, they're not going to care WHO published it.

There. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

And that's why I LOVE Kindle! (and Amazon)

How about you?

The Antidote to the High Cost of Books?

Today I wanted to share a post I found on one of my favorite sites, Daily Cheap Reads. How I missed this post from August 30th, I'll never know, as one of my favorite Indie authors, Maria E. Schneider is featured with her Kindle book, Catch and Honest Thief. Many of you may remember that Maria was a guest judge for my last short story contest.

In any event, in this post, Cheapreader discusses how Independent authors are really the antidote to the high cost of books -- especially ebooks. I found it personally satisfying to read, and am posting a link, hoping you'll click, and find it interesting as well.

Oh, and just a little tooting of my own horn - I was pleased to find out that both Maria and I were Indie bestsellers on Daily Cheap Reads in September! (thank you, thank you very much) :-)

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for Book Video Fridays!

Check out Zoe Winters' Blog for a KINDLE GIVEAWAY!

So, author Zoe Winters is offering a chance to win a Kindle, while promoting the release of her omnibus novel, Blood Lust. How cool is that? There are many ways to enter, so rather than tell you myself, I'll let Zoe speak for herself from her blog.

So pop on over there, support a great author, and learn how to win a Kindle. :-)