Welcome Guest Blogger: Ashley Ladd:)

I’m lost in Jane Austen’s world of “Sense and Sensibility” with Edward and Elinor, Marianne and Brandon. I love the poetry of the language, the comedy of manners, the intricacy of characters.
To think Jane Austen was the sole editor of her work boggles my mind.
Many critique partners and editors would testify they have edited my work. Some more than others.
Editing is not my forte although I am working hard at improving this. I am also starting to find joy in making books shine and in bringing them to life in the reworks.
Perhaps it’s my ADHD that kept me from enjoying editing. I was always eager to move onto the next project, to stop the new set of voices in my head from tormenting me.
But it’s so very important.
Editors and publishing houses will not wish to work with authors who submit inferior work. Critique partners may grow tired of sloppy writing. And if it reaches readers and reviewers? An author could be ruined.
Still, few authors have reached the stature of Jane Austen. Few novels have remained so popular so long, not that you need me to tell you.
I thank God for my critique partners and editors. Each has taught me something new about the craft. Each has helped polish my stories, has supported me through so many things in the writing world and even things that have nothing to do with writing.
This week I look forward to seeing my one of my critique partners in person at Lori Foster’s Readers’ and Writer’s events in Cincinnati. She has plans to bring her work on CD to me. And of course, I hope to have a lot of fun with her.
I’ve kept my critique partners and editors busy. To date, I have ten unique works published or that are soon to be released this year. That boils down to a lot of editing. 
Here’s a snippet from “Charity’s Auction”, my most recently released story, this week in fact.
Although head nurse Char Reynolds is desperately head over heels for bad boy Dr. Dexter Graham, he's moved on. Still she gets caught up in bidding for him at the hospital's auction for the new children's wing and wins. His smug expression drives her to also bid on and win the very hunky Dr. Ben Price, Dexter's nemesis and to plan a very naughty, very sexy night with both men.
Excerpt From: Charity's Auction
Charity “Char” Reynolds stared at Dr. Dexter Graham, her eyes narrowed, her heart doing the cha-cha while mathematical calculations flew around in her head. He was gorgeous with his dark, five o’clock shadow, the sexy glint in his eyes, and his broad, powerful shoulders. If it weren’t for that smirk on his lips, he’d be perfect. But he was far from it. He only looked perfect.
The good doctor was a bad boy through and through. It was a tossup whether he mended or broke more hearts. His record on the operating room table was stellar. Off, however, was horrendous. He’d broken so many hearts with that killer smile and huge dimples he should be thrown into solitary confinement for the rest of his miserable life.
Amy Koch, the hospital’s chief administrator, adjusted the microphone with her only hand. Then she tapped the instrument and blew into it. “Can you hear me?”
When the sound from the mic blasted through Char’s head, she clapped her hands over her ears in self-preservation. “Have mercy, woman.”
Once her brain stopped spinning and she was able to see again, she looked over a sea of other people holding their ears. Tentatively, she removed one hand, keeping it close just in case the mic went crazy again.
So far so good. Slowly, she lowered her other hand but kept it at the ready as she warily kept her eye on Amy.
Although, she felt sorry for Amy since the car wreck that had amputated the administrator’s left arm that she couldn’t find anything to like about her caused her to war with feelings of guilt and distrust. Even before the accident, Amy had only been out for number one, stepping on anybody in her way, claiming it was for the greater good. Now people overlooked her mean tempered whining—until they came into her sights. Char had been dead centre in Amy’s far too often. As head surgical nurse, she and Amy butted heads daily.
“Welcome to our first annual charity auction.” Amy beamed at the audience and batted her fake lashes. When she moved, the spotlight made her rhinestones shoot laser beams around the room.
Amy clapped her hand against the mic and shot a grin as fake as her lashes at the audience. “I hope your cheque books are fat and happy and your fingers are itching to write outrageous amounts for the new children’s wing. Let’s get this thing off the ground tonight!”
Cheering anew deafened Char, and her lips stretched so tightly over her teeth they ached.
Her best friend, Beth, another surgical nurse, elbowed her. She rubbed her hands together, and there was a hungry gleam in her eyes. “My cheque book’s ready, willing and able. I moved money from savings to bid on Dr. Hottie.”
It was all Char could do to hold her smile in place and not growl at the sweet strawberry blonde. Since she’d never breathed a word about her brief fling with Dr. Hottie, she couldn’t accuse her friend of trying to steal her ex-boyfriend, yet her claws extended and her skin crawled. When her throat stopped constricting, she said as airily as possible, “Oh, really? Great minds think alike. Me, too.”
Their third musketeer, Jody, a surgical intern jumped up and down and waved her psychedelic-coloured cheque book in their faces. “Me three! Let’s do a ménage à trois with him and have our wicked way.”
Beth scrunched her nose at the perky child. With a duh hanging in her voice, she said, “Ew. I don’t want to see your naked tits. Besides a ménage à trois is three and there would be four of us.”
The three of them would be much too good for the louse. What she wanted to do to him involved whips, chains and video. He’d be so sorry he’d ever broken her heart…
“Aw shucks.” Jody scrunched her nose and pouted. “You two make three times as much as me. I’ll be lucky if I can buy Dr. Rob. I might as well go home since you two party poopers won’t share. It’s way too smoky in here anyway.” She covered her mouth with her hand and coughed as if to add emphasis.
Char’s gaze landed on Dr. Hunky, aka Ben Price, plastic surgeon to the rich and ritzy Boca Babes. “What about Dr. Hunky? He’s mighty cute.”
http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=788
Ashley can be found at:
http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/ashleyladd
http://www.total-e-bound.com
http://www.ellorascave.com
Thank you for hosting me today, Rebecca.

CONTEST: ANYONE POSTING ON THIS BLOG FOR ASHLEY AND ON MY CONTACT WEBPAGE FORM... WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN FREE PDF OF REBECCA SAVAGE BOOK, ANY BOOK, YOUR PICK:)
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Welcome Christine Jeter: Guest Blogger: Article Below:)

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Welcome, Christine Jeter: Guest Blogger:)

WONDER HOW YOUR FAVORITE CELEBRITY LOOKS SO GOOD?
Considering how when Christina Jeter blogs everyone listens and she is one the best in the business when it comes to setting trends it was a no brainer to share with you all the lifestyle services I provide to those who seek the good life. If you've ever wondered how your favorite actor, actress or performing artist looks so good for so long you can bet that a professional chef had something to do with it. Imagine healthy food by request. If you've ever uttered the phrase, "I'd like to eat a healthy meal, please have one prepared for me chef," then you know you are living the good life. Hollywood is full of people who get paid to be beautiful and I am the one they would hire to stay that way. My name is D’Andre McCarter Private Chef to celebrities and owner of The Real Private Chefs(TRPC). Based in Atlanta, GA and though out the United States I provide private chef services to Families, Singles, Active Seniors, Famous Entertainers NFL and NBA Players, Film Makers, Movie Stars, CEO of Large Corporations, Hip-Hop Artist and Models. After serving in the hotel industry for many years I made a discovery. I was cooking for celebrities but no one knew it because I was not seen nor could I talk to the celebrities that I always admired. Upscale hotels prohibit staff from speaking to any celebrities for privacy reasons. Among those I have cooked for were Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Tiger Woods, David Banner, Tina Turner, Seinfeld, and many many more .

OWNER AND OPERATOR of (TRPC) I offer ‘palate-specific’ personal meals cooked from fresh ingredients in private homes. With so many households where people are working meal planning and preparation becomes an extra burden. Although frozen entrees and take-out food is convenient, it is loaded with salt, sugar, fat and preservatives. The most popular question I am always asked from potential clients is “How much are your services”? The average cost for a private chef is $60,000 to $80,000 per year. Now you might say that is a bit much, however you get a whole lot in return for your investment. You have a chef to grocery shop and prep in your kitchen, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at your home all when it's convenient for you. No wonder private chefs have become such a hot commodity. People who can hire a private chef might have famous people coming to the house, and you need life and etiquette skills with diverse people. And I respect the home as defined by the family I work for. Some families will let their private chef eat dinner with them or not, but that was not the case in the households I served. As an employee, I could not sit down on the couch after dinner and watch a movie with everyone. There are rules that must be followed when working in aclient’s home. Privacy is paramount to families with private chefs. Most high profile clients require their chefs to sign a confidentiality agreement for privacy reasons. Many people ask what is the is the difference between a Personal Chef and a Private Chef? A private chef is employed by one individual or family full time, and is often “living in” and preparing up to 3 meals per day. A Personal Chef serves several clients, usually one per day, and provides multiple meals that are custom designed for the client’s particular requests and requirements. These meals are packaged and stored so that the client may enjoy them at their leisure in the future. Hiring a chef to plan, shop for and prepare 20 meals in your kitchen to freeze and eat later costs from $300 to $400 on the low end for rural residents, but it's more costly for those in big cities like Hollywood Ca. Using a website referral and the phone book are good ways to find a personal chef, but choosing one to actually work in your home requires diligence. Follow these three suggestions to ensure your chef is top-notch.
1. Check each candidate’s references and inquire about his or her training and work experience.
2. Ask the candidate for a sample menu, and initiate a discussion about personal cooking philosophy.
3. Interview the candidate in person in your home, where he or she can do an assessment of your kitchen and your appliances.


***CONTEST: Rebecca Savage: Anyone who leaves a post here and on my webpage contact form will be entered to win free pdf of Rebecca's book...whichever one you choose:)
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Welcome Guest Blogger: Mary Alice Pritchard

1. What do you write and why?

I write mostly paranormal romantic suspense. I love to read them and it is just natural to write what you love to read. I enjoy creating a different type of world from what I live in.

2. What do you read and why, especially if it's different from what you write?

Mostly Paranormal with some suspense thrown in. I just love those shape shifters!

3. Who do write for?

I write for The Wild Rose Press and The Dark Castle Lords

4. How long have you been writing?


I have written off and on since I could read. I’ve only been writing to get published for about six years now.

5. How do you world build?

I start with the characters and develop the world around them. I learn everything about them I can first and then start filling in around them. How they react in their world helps me create it.

6. How do you write: the process and atmosphere?

I like quiet when I’m first starting out. I usually write in my office but have been writing in my bedroom lately. Once I get going, I love to have my music going. I’m a classic rock sort of person. Usually I also have a cat on the back of my chair as well.

7. How do you build characters and their personalities and looks?

The characters just come to me. Once they are there, I just write things about them. Let them tell me about themselves. I sort of interview them. What do you like to do when you aren’t working? Who is your favorite band? Stupid stuff like that. It makes them come alive to me.

Then I give them looks. Sometimes I have a definite idea of what I want them to look like, sometimes I use a picture I get from a magazine or calendar. Naturally, all the men are the type I like. ;-)

8. Tell me about some of your heroes and heroines:

In my latest release, the hero is a tall bald hunk of a man who is quiet and deadly. He’s convinced he is unlovable. The heroine is convinced otherwise. She is a psychic who’s dreams predict the future. This is in See How They Die.

In Jaguar Nights, the hero is a very alpha weir cat. He has long dark hair and hasn’t got Control of his temper. The heroine is a psychic human who is able to help calm his beast.

They compliment each other but it is a long bumpy road.

9. Are you a pantser or plotter?

I’m a pantser. Then, I do a little plotting. I start out with an idea, a character, or a crime. Then I write what comes to me as it does. Once I have things going, I’ll do a sort of loose synopsis and sort of follow it. Usually I don’t have a clue what the ending will be though.


10. What's your WIP?

I actually have three going on at one time. The first one is called Mirror Mirror. It is about a Woman who sees dead people in mirrors. She helps the local police capture the killer but The lead detective on the case doesn’t believe her at first.

Another one is the third book in the series, Tales of the Cats which Jaguar Nights is the first Book and Leopard Dreams is the second book.

11. What's your latest release and tell me about it:

See How They Die is my latest release from The Dark Castle Lords. It is available at
Fictionwise.com

It is actually the first book I ever wrote for publication. It is about the psychic who dreams about murders that come true. She tries to avoid connecting with people so she won’t dream about their deaths but when the next dream is about some teenagers close to where she lives, she decides she can’t hide anymore, she has to help stop the killer before he strikes again.

See How They Die pulls the reader along a harrowing journey where nightmares come true and stopping a serial killer falls in the hands of a woman who hides from the truth and a man who no longer believes it exists. Together they learn to trust and depend on each other as a madman plans his next kill. Available now at Fiction Wise and The Dark Castle Lords

12. Anything from your personal life you'd like to tell us?

My personal life, hmmmm, I have seven cats and one dog. The cats are my muses and blog about me and what I’m doing most every weekend. You can read my blog at www.maryalicepritchard.com/blog

Guest Blogger F. Solomon:) Thanks for being here for the rest of the week!

I am all about community within the romance community and thought it would be a really cool thing to do this "trade" that Rebecca suggested on the editor's loop. Brainstorming, she gave me a series of questions that I might want to use for my post. Since I do a regular series of posts for my chapter blog called Bits and Pieces, I figured it would only fair if I put myself in the hot seat and answered the questions interview style.



1. What do you write and why?


When I am sitting somewhere I am either looking for a pen and a piece of paper or I am on my MacBook or typing on my iPod Touch. It is instinct for me like birds build nests and spiders spin webs.




2. What do you read and why, especially if it's different from what you write?


I love erotica. I started with Anais Nin which I picked up from a friend who used to paint flowers like Georgia O'Keeffe and recommended Nin and (Henry) Miller to me. Everything I love in erotica is Ninesque, although not all the erotica I read is that quality. But it all inspires me...honestly I will read any genre though as long as there is real romance contained within.


3. Who do write for?


Myself.


4. How long have you been writing?


Almost my entire life, I started when I was 7 and like the spider metaphor, I just folded paper together like the Dell novels that my mother plied me with and tried to mimic one. It was a story about a haunted house with a kiss at the end--a juvenile version of what I write now!



5. How do you world build?


In a much less intriguing way that my counterparts who create paranormals! For me there has to be an angle or a dynamic that I want to explore between two people in a typically erotic way, but erotic is very psychological. I like to build the psychological world between my couple, that is where desire begins, that is where the power is.


6. How do you write: the process and atmosphere?


I am actually writing now on a laptop and there was drilling outside--I was really annoyed when I read this article this in the Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/20/2010-05-20_untitled__typewriter20m.html. If I have an idea I can be almost anywhere, I wrote almost a fourth of my (winning) NaNo 50000 words on my iPod touch on the train going to or coming from work. I was inspired by girls in Japan who wrote whole novels on their cell phones a few years ago: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2007/01/72329


7. How do you build characters and their personalities and looks?


I do not outline and I also and not obsessed with what people look like. I start from where my intrigue with the characters began--it is my Big Bang--everything just comes from there.


8. Tell me about some of your heroes and heroines:


I read an article in the Village Voice a long time ago that said love makes fools of us all. I like to write about people who are controlled, but love unravels them and becomes everything to them. I read an article in Cosmopolitan years ago about women who have to have that man, anywhere, any time and that is what I love. People who risk it all for love.


9. Are you a pantser or plotter?


Such a pantser!


10. What's your WIP?


Two short stories: an erotic horror that reworks itself every time I have the opportunity to write and a heroine who risks it all for a relationship that cannot end happily, that should not even be started.



11. What's your latest release and tell me about it


LOL. I have not published fiction but am in the process. I blog, I have a series of posts called Bits and Pieces. This is my latest with the sensational author Dee Davis: http://rwanycblogginginthebigapple.blogspot.com/2010/05/bits-pieces-dee-davis.html


12. Anything from your personal life you'd like to tell us?


Yesterday was my birthday!

F. Solomon is a published poet and blogger. She is a member of RWA-NYC serving as the Assistant Editor of their newsletter Keynotes, as well as being the chapter's Social Networking Coordinator and welcomes you to follow or friend them @


www.rwanycblogginginthebigapple.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rwanyc
www.facebook.com/rwanyc

Amber Leigh Williams...Photo and Blog Below:)

Guest Blogger: Amber Leigh Williams

Why do I write romance? I get this question a lot, as I'm sure many other romance authors do. Not so long ago, it made me go on the defensive. Now I see no reason at all because relationships are a part of everyday life. They fascinate me. Whether it's friendship, marriage, cohabitation or whatever else, the intrigue of relationship dynamics is the reason I turned to the romance genre. Many people think romance is about sex. I don't read or write romance for the lovemaking alone, however. Writing love scenes can actually be pretty excruciating. I write about realistic relationships. And in today's day and age, sex is a factor I can't ignore. Always, though, at the end of the day - it's about the love story. The meet. The build-up. The conflict. The attraction. The climax. And, finally, the resolution/HEA.

A real life love story led me to the premise of my first romance novel, FOREVER AMORE. It was the story of a British WWII soldier who was isolated in the Italian countryside. A local woman named Vonda risked her life by teaching him Italian and helping him to evade the Black Shirts and incoming German army. The story was adapted from Newby's book into a Hallmark film entitled In Love and War. As someone with an ingrained interest in the early '40's, I had planned on setting a historical romance against this backdrop. After watching this movie, my attention fixed on Veneto, Italy and I began to write LASR Best Book of 2009 Nominee FOREVER AMORE:


Was their love destined to last forever …



Engaged in a brutal dogfight, dashing American Lieutenant Charles Tyler crashes his broken plane into the Italian countryside. He prays for divine intervention—and is certain he’s found an angel from the very moment he looks up at Lucille Renaldi’s lovely face. Yet how can he be with her when his sense of duty tells him to stay away?



… or become another casualty of war?



Lucille’s attraction to the American is forbidden, her obligation to her family’s safety overwhelming. At great peril the Renaldis carry Charles from the crash site and disguise him as just another worker in their vineyard. Hidden there inside the ugliness of World War II is the beauty of a growing love, and a danger that could end their lives any day—when all they want is … forever.


Available Now: http://www.blacklyonpublishing.com/Forever%20Amore.html


I came into romance with romantic suspense when The Wild Rose Press contracted DENIED ORIGIN. Coincidentally, the first romance novel I read was a heart-pounding RS by Nora Roberts, Carnal Innocence. Relationships in RS often involve life/death circumstances. This makes the love story all the more intense. Also an RS trend is the "close quarters" factor. Throw two reluctant members of the opposite sex in grave ticking-time-clock situation and you've got the makings of a hot romantic suspense. This was the case with DENIED ORIGIN. What would happen if I revoked a rich heiress of her life and identity? What if she had to traverse the globe and a deadly terrorist organization to uncover her true life? The only missing ingredient was a sexy bullet catcher who would stop at nothing to see her safe:

Former FBI agent and bodyguard Mark Welles’s career and life are going downhill until he meets Marcisso Tuttora, the man his father died protecting years ago. Wealthy businessman Marcisso puts the life of his only child, Valentina, in Mark’s hands by asking him to return to Rio de Janeiro to guard her.

Less than a week later, Marcisso and his wife are murdered in their beds, and Valentina is running for her life for reasons she cannot begin to guess until she meets Mark Welles. A stubborn heiress to an oil fortune and the son of a highly decorated soldier, they must find a way to escape the country without getting caught and find out why they are chased by a deadly terrorist. In a matter of weeks, they are driven into a scavenger hunt across the globe laid out by Valentina’s parents and embark on a passionate, emotional journey as exhilarating and intense as the race for their lives.



Available Now: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/denied-origin-p-907.html



The one sub-genre of romance I never dreamed of exploring was western romance. When broken actress Stella Ridge strolled into my imagination, however, and demanded I send her back home to her ranching roots, I could not ignore her or her silent cowboy, Judd Black. So grateful am I do these characters. Not just because this novella placed 1st in the 2009 More Than Magic Contest's novella category, but because Judd and the heros of both sequels of BLACKEST HEART helped me to understand the romance hero as a whole a heck of a lot more. And, I will admit, writing western romance is just plain fun!



BLACKEST HEART: America's Sweetheart, Stella Ridge has been away from Wayback for fifteen years paving her way to the top of the acting business. When a car accident leaves her physically and emotionally scarred, the only place she wants to go is home to Texas and her family's ranch.



The changes that have taken place since her departure are enough to rock her world again. She uncovers a buried tragedy, struggles with the penetrating stares and questions from townsfolk, and comes up against an intriguing and unexpected spark with the silent cowboy and champion bull rider, Judd Black. Their wounded souls draw them together and Stella begins to realize that only in him can she find the solace she sought by leaving the bright lights of Hollywood.



Available Now: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/blackest-heart-wayback-texas-p-1058.html



BLUEST HEART: The Wayback bachelor is a dying breed, but that doesn't stop Casey Ridge from wanting to settle down. For this cowboy anyone but Josie Brusky would be an easy wrangle. Unfortunately for him, the Blue Bug singer and owner of Josie's Treasures doesn't believe in commitment much less marriage.



Years ago, Josie lost her heart to Casey's charm and dimpled smile. Since then she has done everything she knows to forget him. After all, she’s known as the local harlot and the daughter of the town’s biggest bigot. Casey could have any girl he wanted. Why would he saddle himself with her? In the wake of a shattering past, she refuses to give up her independence.



Casey digs down deep to win her over, but does he have what it takes to win Wayback's bluest heart?



Available Now: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/bluest-heart-wayback-texas-p-3830.html



BET IT ON MY HEART: Ante up! Keefe Ridge's bronc-busting days are nearly over. Despite that and the fact that he is slowly making his dream business venture a reality, Wayback's wildest cowboy doesn't see any reason to settle down. He is even willing to bet that marriage isn't in the cards at all for him.



Agent Calli Morlani came to Wayback on a mission: to bring Stella Ridge back to Hollywood. When Stella refuses, she dares Calli to take in some local color and see what Wayback has to offer. Whether that includes Stella's devastatingly charming brother becomes irrevelant once Calli finds herself in bed with him - in more ways than one…



Will it take a tough city girl to make the Wayback playboy finally fall long and hard? Or will Keefe give Calli a reason to stay? Place your bet!



Available Now: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/bet-it-on-my-heart-p-3906.html



The greatest lesson I've learned from romance is that, despite some preconceived notions, no two romances are the same. And if played out true to character and the right amount of conflict, there's always entertainment! Thank you, Rebecca, for letting me share today here. Readers, you can learn more at my website http://www.amberleighwilliams.com. What's your favorite aspect of romance?