DAY 2 OF AWESOME SALE ON THE EYEWITNESS AND THE ANALYST, NEW CONTESTS AND CHAPTER ONE!

Happy Thursday, Everyone! 

I hope your week is going well. This is a rare occasion, two post in one week. I hope to do this more often. When I don't blog, something is missing in my life. 

Okay, what to talk about first...

This is Day 2 of the Kindle Countdown Deal for The Eyewitness. Grab your $0.99 copy now on AMAZON. 

Next, I have an awesome new contest that features The Eyewitness. Here is what you need to know. 

PLOTTING MURDER

GIVEAWAY

Mystery, Thriller & Romantic Suspense 

August 9-29

Kindle Fire 7 • Amazon Gift Cards • Ebook Packs • More Prizes

How would you like to read that next bestseller on a Kindle Fire 7 tablet? Win an Amazon gift card, a cool lamp that opens like a book, or a pack of ebooks on your TBR list? Enter August 9-29 and you could decide which books we’ll buy for you from millions on Amazon.

Plus, don’t forget to shop our book fair and play the bonus scavenger hunt game, where we have a tea and brownie brittle bonus prize pack up for grabs. Plus, everyone scores a freebie, a short story download by C.J. Zahner exclusive to this event!

https://bookwrapt.com/plotting-murder-book-fair/

(This giveaway is sponsored by the authors listed below)

Amanda Uhl • Anne McClane • Barbara Barrett • C.J. Zahner • Curtis Bausse • D.B. McNicol • Danielle M. Haas • Dawn Greenfield Ireland • Eichin Chang-Lim • Em Petrova • J.J. Cagney • Jacqueline Diamond • J.C. Andrijeski • Joan Reeves • Karen D. Bradley • Katherine Gilbert • Kerry Blaisdell • Kristy Tate • Lisa Lieberman • Mimi Barbour • Nancy C. Weeks • Naomi Bellina • Sierra Kay • Stephanie Queen • Susan D. Peters • Taylor Marsh • Tricia Tyler

I wish you the very best of luck and have a great time!

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Newsletter Contest

I mentioned this yesterday, but in case you missed it, I have an exciting contest on my newsletter this month. Have you ever dreamed of becoming a character in a book? 

I will pick one of my newsletter subscribers and recreate him/her into a secondary character in my next release, The Protector, Book 3. To learn more about my newsletter and join, clink HERE.

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As promised, Chapter One of The Analyst, Book 2 of The D'Azzo Family series. It is up on AMAZON for Pre-Order for only $0.99 until it releases September 24th. Happy reading! Please let me know what you think in comments below. 

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

The Analyst

Chapter One 

November, Richmond, Virginia, 10:00 p.m.

There was a time to hold your tongue. This wasn’t it. 

“Excuse me, Captain Logan.” Tessa D'Azzo swallowed the screech as twenty law enforcement officers from three different agencies froze, their glare on her. “We’re not done here.”

“I think we are.”

Logan turned his back to her. Tessa raised her chin, straightened her spine, and willed the heat in her cheeks to dissipate. “Regardless, I’m going to need a minute of your time.” 

Short-sighted, stubborn, pinheaded—the damn man challenged every word she uttered.

“Fine, D’Azzo. You’ll get your minute.” 

“Take a breath, Tessa,” FBI Special Agent Leo Lake whispered, slamming his notebook shut. “Sometimes you have to go with the plan.”

“The plan is wrong.”

BOOK COVER REVEAL THE ANALYST- BOOK 2 THE D'AZZO FAMILY SERIES --AND SALE!

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Today is the official Book Cover Reveal for my new release, The Analyst, Book 2 of The D'Azzo Family series. I love this cover and so very proud of the story. This is what my wonderful editor, Julie Sturgeon, has to say about it. 

"Every career has a high point, and it’s rarely the glitzy moments. It’s that moment of deep satisfaction, a personal joy, something that awes you. This story is that for me."

AMAZON

You waited a long time for this story. It's been an interesting road since March 2018 when Simon & Schuster closed the doors unexpectedly to my imprint, Crimson Romance. The Eyewitness and The Analyst sat for months in the mess that followed. But that's in the past. 

Thank you for your patience. I'm placing The Analyst is up for PRE-ORDER for only $0.99. It will return to its normal price right after it releases. 

In honor of this book cover reveal, I have also placed the digital version of The Eyewitness on a Kindle Countdown Deal for only 7 days at $0.99. 

AMAZON ONLY--GET YOUR COPIES HERE

The Analyst Blurb:

Fans of Blue Bloods won’t want to miss this chapter of the D’Azzo family. 
FBI analyst Tessa D’Azzo has been tasked with a tough job even for her unusual skills: tear decorated police officer Oliver Gates’s life apart to find out why he went on a killing rampage before the Beltway sniper put a bullet through his heart. Anyone else would have missed the one link Tessa uncovers that connects Gates’s death, the sniper, and her own father’s murderer. 

But she reports to the one detective whose goal in life is to bury her career. Just let him try to distract her from using her advantage to hunt down this murderer. 

Gates’s replacement, Captain Eric Logan, has had his fill of Tessa’s brilliant but erratic mind, her unfounded theories, and the way she haunts his dreams. He owes Joe D’Azzo a great debt and is determined to find who’s behind his friend’s murder without Tessa’s interference destroying his case. 
Yet when grief overwhelms Tessa’s focus, Eric’s closeness is the only thing that centers her. And he can’t squelch the desire to convince her that life is about more than working the case.  Maybe this time, she doesn’t have to fight the battle alone. 


With the killer close enough to touch and Tessa the target, will love transform them to true partners?

~~~

Come back tomorrow for Chapter One excerpt, but before you go, I have an exciting contest on my newsletter this month. Have you ever dreamed of becoming a character in a book? I will pick one of my newsletter subscribers and recreate him/her into a secondary character in my next release, The Protector which releases this winter 2020. To learn more about my newsletter, clink HERE.

~~~

That's it for today.  Don't forget to drop by tomorrow for Chapter One of The Analyst. I have one more contest I can't wait to tell you about. I hope you can find a few stolen moments to relax and read a wonderful book. 

Hugs to all, 

Nancy C. Weeks

*** Don't forget to join my Facebook Fan Page, Nancy's Corner, join my Newsletter and follow me on BookBub. 

WELCOME J. ARLENE CULINER, AUTHOR OF DESERT ROSE

"I’ve discovered forgotten communities, have met strange characters and had some very odd conversations."

Hello Everyone!

Today, I sitting down with a very dear woman, J.Arlene Culiner, author of Desert Rose. We have a wonderful conversation in store so I'm just going to get right to it. But first, let's meet J. Arlene. She really is lovely. 

Thank you J. Arlene for sitting down with me.  To start off this interview, tell us a little about yourself--the real Erin behind the writer.

Thank you for inviting me to your blog Nancy. Write about myself ? Well… it’s a bit complicated… When very young, I set out to have a life of adventure and discovery, not one of security and comfort – although those things can certainly can be appealing when confronted by life’s more dangerous moments. I’ve since crossed much of Europe on foot, traveled, by bus, train, car or truck throughout North and Central America, Europe and the Sahara, and lived in unique places — a Hungarian mud house, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, on a Dutch canal, in a lonely, very haunted stone house on the English moors, and presently in a 400-year-old former inn in a small French village. 

My sort of lifestyle has meant staying flexible and taking up any sort of work that presented itself: belly dancer, fortune teller, translator, model, b-girl, story teller, radio broadcaster, actress, social critical artist, photographer and writer.

Along the way, I’ve discovered forgotten communities, have met strange characters and had some very odd conversations. I cherish these experiences because they’ve kept me on my toes, way beyond my comfort zone. Of course, I do incorporate these experiences into my books. 

So far, I’ve had five romances published and, as Jill Culiner, two mysteries and two narrative non-fiction works, and I have another non-fiction work looking for a publisher. I also narrate audiobooks and I have a storytelling podcast — Life in a Small French Village — which can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/j-arlene-culiner

Wow! What an amazing life. J Arlene, you have taken the motto, 'living life to it's fullest' to new levels. You mentioned above you used your life experiences in your writing. How did you come to write Desert Rose? Such a cute cover. 

My latest romance, Desert Rose, is set in Blake’s Folly, Nevada, a rundown semi-ghost town of trailers, shacks and old cars. This quirky community with it’s strange local characters was the setting for another of my romances — All About Charming Alice (a new version of the book will soon be released by Fire Star Press) — and I wanted to return to Blake’s Folly and write about Alice’s best friend, Rose Badger. To tell the truth, Rose had been nagging me for quite some time, demanding the limelight, and I’m glad she did. She is a delightful character: gutsy, original, open-minded. As soon as the very appealing, honorable and sexy Jonah Livingstone (he’s part Paiute, part Italian) walks into her shop, he’s entranced too.

Of course, it’s the secondary characters in Blake’s Folly that I particularly love. True misfits, they don’t fit into neat houses and tidy gardens. Rebels — not by choice, but by character — they’re the real thing. And they’re also nosy, interfering and truculent.

As for the locale, I have managed to wander into two desert communities that were very much like Blake’s Folly. They have a special place in my heart and I wanted to share them with romance readers who are looking for an original, out-of-the way setting.

WELCOME ANGELA SMITH, AUTHOR OF DARK RIDE

"My own fear, tangled up in passive sentences and light plot structures that fall flat...that is no way to win it except to confront it head on and keep pushing through."

Hello Everyone!

I'm thrilled to introduce you to a new author on this blog. Angela Smith has been one of my author buddies from the very beginning. I'm so glad she could stop by today and talk about her new release, Dark Ride. 

Meet Angela Smith. She's offering a wonderful giveaway at the end of this interview.

Angela asked me to beta read Dark Ride a few months ago. Let me just say, this novel will plunge you into a high-paced tell of intrigue, and then hurl you into ringside seats of a captivating romance between an over-worked nurse and a deep undercover agent fighting for their lives. But in the end, you will be left with the most charming happily-ever-after. 
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Lets first take a look at Angela's Dark Ride.

Adrienne Fuller is used to working late hours and long nights. As a nurse, her job is to save people, but when she witnesses a wreck on the road in front of her home and sees the men involved leave a dead body in a crumpled car, saving anyone is the last thing on her mind. This was no accident, and she’s already learned a hard lesson about the criminal justice system. She vows to tell no one what she saw, even the cops who come knocking on her door the next day. 

Henry “Zan” Duncan is deep undercover investigating a human trafficking ring, and in his line of work he has to pretend to be the bad guy. During a horrendous car chase, it’s either kill or be killed. When he spots a woman with fiery red hair hiding in the bushes, he goes back the next day to save her life, unaware he just raised the stakes on his mission, blew his cover, and failed in his effort to never fall in love.

Dodging bullets, fights, and explosions, Adrienne must learn to trust the man who claims he wants to protect her, and Zan must open his heart to the woman he is starting to love.

Dark Ride's and blurb give you a great introduction into what you can expect from this wonderful novel. 

It's time to meet Angela Smith, the amazing woman behind the nine novels. My questions and comments are in italic.

Angela, thank you so much for doing this interview. As you might have guessed, I loved Dark Ride. Can you tell us how you came to right this romantic suspense.

I started Dark Ride with an idea of a woman who witnesses a terrible accident outside her home. She’s outside in the dark hunting for her cat. She watches the accident, realizes it wasn’t an accident, and decides not to call the cops. Later, the “hero” AKA the man she thought was the villain, and caused the accident, comes to “rescue her” AKA she thinks he is there to kill her. I wrote the first scene and the one where he goes to her home before I ever had the actual story idea. I melded it and rewrote to fit the rest of the story once I finished it, but the first scene is how Dark Ride came to be.

I have never began a book in that way before. Lets talk about the basic possess of writing a book. You would not be here today if you hadn't figured out how to turn that one scene into a full length novel. What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it? In other words, what do you think drove you to complete an enormous project like Dark Ride ?

Oh Gosh! My biggest obstacle was in finishing it! I had this image of what I wanted to happen, and the beginning was easy. The ending was a mess as I tried to figure out the best way to bring this to a climax, and it changed from my original intention. Even when I tried to rewrite it to my original intention, I froze, got stuck, I couldn’t move forward. It’s like my characters knew that’s not how it was supposed to end and they stopped me from proceeding. But slugging through the middle, adding scenes, removing scenes only to add them back. All the while I was trying to remodel my home, and dealing with issues at work can make a difficult time even more so. But what drove me is the characters not wanting to shut up, like an intrinsic part of my pulse that made me keep on writing and pursuing this story. I couldn’t give it up.

Wow, do I get all of that! Just living life gets in my way, and things that come up I couldn't possibly see in my future. I also have the constant voices in my head from my characters demanding I get their story out there. I'm sure you will agree that the day the voices stopping making demands is the day I discover something else to do. 

My next question ties nicely into this discussion.When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Probably by the time I could read, but definitely by the time I was 17. I checked out a book about writing from the library—this is when they still had library cards you signed—and my mother, who had died two years before, had checked out that same book. I wrote off and on but every time I stopped, I felt restless. It’s like that quote, and I’m sorry I can’t remember who said it, but it basically says:  “writing is the only thing that, when you’re doing it, it doesn’t feel like you should be doing anything else.” I get pretty restless if I haven’t been writing.

Great quote. I did a little researched, but came up clueless of the author. But his/her words are priceless. My next question I look forward to learn about from every author I host on my blog. Do you believe writers are born or made?

I believe you are born with the desire, but not necessarily the talent. Although there are some writers who probably were born with the talent also.

That's an interesting response, born with the desire. I wish I had the insight in my teens to see that my English classes were providing the talent to fulfill my desire to write. Maybe I would have taken everything more serious than a good grade.

So for something a little lighter. What is your ideal writing space? 

An office full of space, books, dictionaries, and lots of room to breathe. Overlooking a beautiful mountain countryside. Must include water. A lake, river, pond, or swimming pool. But honestly, this will do! 

OHHH that's adorable. He/she wants nothing to take away your constant focus on her/him, or your pet can nap anywhere. And I'm jealous. #naplesswonder Earlier, we talked about the struggles of writing. What moment in this journey are you most proud of?

The fact I did it.

THE PROTECTOR QUEST: WRITING THE NEXT NOVEL

"Nothing worth doing comes easy." 

Happy Friday, Everyone!
I'm beginning a blog series, The Protector Quest. What the heck is that? Well, The Protector is the title of my ninth novel. Each new post will be presented in chapter form--because I'm a writer and I love getting through one chapter and going on to the next. This series is a bird's eye view of what I put myself through with each new novel. So lets get to it! 

Chapter One--The Beginning

I have nothing!

Well...that's not exactly true. I have an amazing title that the members of my wonderful Facebook group, Nancy's Corner, helped me select. The image above depicts the road I have ahead of me. It's that disorganized, unpredictable, and at times, so disheartening. AND...I constantly hear my sweet, wise mom's voice in my head. 

Nothing worth doing comes easy." 

I'm not overstating when I say I have nothing planned for The Protector.  This is how every new novel of mine begins. While I have a soft foundation for my hero, Nathan D'Azzo, Emersyn and Tessa's older brother, that's where things get sticky. I haven't a clue what comes next at this point.

You met Nathan for the first time in chapter two of The Eyewitness, and he has a much bigger role in The Analyst. The Protector will be the third book in my The D'Azzo Family series. Here is what it looks like: 

The Eyewitness--starring Emersyn D'Azzo and Alec Pearce

The Analyst-- starring Tessa D'Azzo and Eric Logan

[More to come about The Analyst below.] 

The Protector--starring Nathan D'Azzo and ???

Another truth: I know that The Protector is Nathan's journey, and that the man I introduce you to in the first sentence will not be the same man on the last page. I don't know how Nathan will change, but if I do my job, he will have envolved in ways I can't even imagine today. That is the magic of writing, the reason I love what I do so much.

So.... no name for my heroine. I'm thinking about Olivia, again, a name suggested from Nancy's Corner. It is beginning to fit the image I have of her in my head. What I can give you is by the end of chapter one, Nathan will put up every shield he built over the years and protect himself against her. 

But this is a romantic suspense with an HEA, right? 

I'll get there somehow. Next post, I hope to get your help choosing what she looks like---and what Nathan looks like, the inspiration I will use to create two amazingly strong characters. I know my villain, and they are going to need all the help they can get. 

This is your front row seat on my quest, writing of The Protector. I hope you will stick around and invite your friends too. As you can see, I have a lot of work to do. I want this book done by October. 

Unsettling News: The Analyst

I know you have been waiting patiently for  book 2, The Analyst. A month ago, out of the blue, Simon & Schuster closed the doors to my publisher, Crimson Romance, effective immediately. This came as a shock to everyone. I signed a contract on Friday three days before, and was so excited to announce it to you. Monday afternoon, The Analyst's contract, gone. All my books are still being sold by S&S, but I'm looking for another home for The D'Azzo Family series. Until I find it, I'm going to do something positive, write the next book.  I hope you will all be a little patient with me as I figure this out. It's time to take a deep breath and allow the dust to settle. I love what I do, and I love living my dream--even after this last month. 

That's it for today. Next week, I have invited the wonderful Bethany-Kris to sit down for an author interview. I'm so impressed by Bethany's confidence and drive. I can't wait for you to meet her. Until then, I hope you can take a break in your busy life and read a great book.

Hugs to all,

Nancy C. Weeks

***If you haven't heard about Nancy's Corner or joined Nancy's Newsletter, please do so today.  I would love to have a closer relationship with my readers.

WELCOME DEBUT AUTHOR ERIN KANE SPOCK AND COURTLY PLEASURES

"The storyteller in me was born that way, but the writer in me came from learning how to work hard and follow through."

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

I am thrilled to introduce you to a debut author who just join our Crimson Romance family, Erin Kane Spock. 

Erin's first novel, Courtly Pleasures is out for all of us to enjoy! And can I say, the reviews so far are wonderful: 

• "A real pleasure to read."
• " Engaging characters, real struggles and a bit of intrigue makes for a satisfying romance"
• "Full of great imagery, entertaining dialogue, a touch of humor, and a whole lot of sexy."

Erin, I would love to start off this interview with you telling us a little about yourself--the real Erin behind the writer. How did you come to write Courtly Pleasures? 

I majored in history partly because of my love of historical costuming. My costuming brought me to Renaissance Faire and I became part of a living history group portraying the court of Queen Elizabeth. 

Here is a glimpse of costumes modeled by my girls ... So adorable ... RIGHT!

My character was a real person from history, Frances Pierrepont. In researching her I found very little so I created details. The character, as I chose to portray her at that point, was a flibbertigibbet and a lot of fun. Years later, after the birth of my second daughter, I took a second look at Frances from the perspective of a young mother. I thought about how life would have been, how she would have dealt with the infant deaths recorded in her history, and this became the starting point of the story that would eventually be Courtly Pleasures. After the first draft (written entirely in dialect!), I changed her name to Frances LeSieur and modified her genealogy so I could call her a truly fictitious character.

That is a wonderful way to begin your career as a writer. Completing a book is an enormous challenge. What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it? In other words, what do you think drove you to complete this enormous project?

I wrote the book in stages and kept putting off the end (and the sex scenes). The Elizabethan world grew and grew but the story stagnated. My first challenge was ending the book. The next was streamlining the actual story and pruning out the fluff. I think I probably cut about 75,000 words. 
Writing the next books was smoother. I had a direction and an understanding of the process. By then I’d also started to research the Romance industry. After writing three more books, I came back to Courtly Pleasures and rewrote it with a focus on the romantic elements and brought it to the place it’s at now.

You're very brave to admit that you cut 75,000 words. I cut about 40,000 words on my novel, In the Shadow of Greed. FYI Readers: One of the hardest things for a writer is hitting that delete key and erasing parts of the story that's become a part of us. But it's an necessary evil.
So, I have an interesting question I like to ask new authors. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I always liked to write – journaling, poetry, short stories, plays… nothing I ever took seriously and never with the intention of making them public. Courtly Pleasures started out just for me as well. It wasn’t until I finished the first draft that I realized I had a real book and could think about publishing.

Erin, I write first for myself. That ideal keeps me grounded. Since we have mentioned Courtly Pleasures often in the last few minutes, lets give everyone a peek at your first novel: 

Drum roll.....

What’s a neglected wife to do when her husband doesn’t know she exists? Create a scandal, of course, in this delightful Elizabethan romp.

After ten years of marriage, Frances LeSieur has faded into her role as a lady wife and mother. She has no idea who she is as a woman. So Frances joins Queen Elizabeth’s glittering court and discovers a part of herself she never knew existed—and one she’s sure her neglectful husband would never notice.

Henry has always done his duty to family and crown despite his own desires. When Frances asks for a separation then transforms into a confident and vibrant courtier, he’s floored—and finds himself desperate to learn what makes her tick, both in and out of the bedroom. After years of silent alienation, can he woo her back, or will he lose this intoxicating woman to one of the rakes hell-bent on having her?

As Frances and Henry come to realize that living is not merely surviving, can they create a second chance at love before it’s too late?

Amazon

Such a sweet moment, right? You can read an excerpt here. Courtly Pleasures's Excerpt.

On with the interview. Here's another question I love to ask new authors? Do you believe writers are born or made?

I think writers are born creative, raised in a place that fosters imagination, and shaped by experiences into men and women of determination with the ability finish what they start. I’ve heard many people say they have great ideas for a book, but they’re not writers if they don’t write. I’m not necessarily more creative or skilled in writing than the person next to me, but the difference is that I actually sit down and write. The storyteller in me was born that way, but the writer in me came from learning how to work hard and follow through.

That's the best explanation to date. You're so right. Writers write. How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for a writing career?

WELCOME DEBUT AUTHOR, LAINEE COLE AND AT MIDNIGHT

Good morning, Everyone!

I would like to introduce you to a new author today. Let us all welcome Lainee Cole and her wonderful first novel, At Midnight. Special note! Lainee has left a wonderful #Giveaway at the end of this post. 

I’m so thrilled to have you here today. To start off this interview, tell us a little about yourself so my readers get to know the person behind the writer.

I’m really excited to visit with you and your readers, Nancy! Where to start? I’m the oldest (some would say bossiest) of five kids. I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for 27 years, although we have a mixed marriage – I’m a Cardinals fan and he’s a Cubs fan. Our 25 year old daughter is a race-car driver, and our 21 year old son doesn’t like to tell his mother anything. Besides writing and reading, I enjoy scrapbooking, hiking, and camping. I love horses and dogs, but am allergic to cats. At work, they call me Queen of Chocolate because I am never without a stash of chocolate!

Oh, Lainee, I love you for the chocolate alone. As a mother, my heart skipped just a little when you mentioned your race-car racing daughter. My sweet daughter is a rocking climbing, high adventure hiker. We did something special raising such adventuresome kids, didn't we? And yes, my son doesn't tell me anything either. Oh, and for the record, I'm a Washington National's fan, and yay, playoffs start this weekend!!

So on with the interview.  Tell us a little bit about how you came to write Midnight Casanova? 

Amazon 

Three talented authors. Three love stories. Three approaching deadlines.

Midnight Casanova by Lainee Cole

Stranded at midnight by a broken-down car, dog trainer Maddie Lockhart finds refuge in a deserted farmhouse. When the owner of the house, Chance Marlow, tries to oust her, Maddie uses the stray mutt he calls Casanova to convince him she can help with his collection of homeless animals. While their paths seem incompatible, working side-by-side to rescue animals, they discover otherwise.

Two Days Until Midnight by Lynn Crandall

Time is running out for reclusive billionaire Tamier Rein to save himself from transforming into a cheetah, and bird-shifter Lark Ellis is his only hope for surviving past midnight. 

Midnight Deadline for Love by Rena Koontz

T.B. Amanscott is Harrison City’s wealthiest man and his kidnappers want one million dollars ransom by midnight or they will kill him. Every possible resource is available to Sergeant Ariana Jeanne Lozione, who is heading up the rescue attempt. There’s only one problem. A.J. wants him dead.

At one time, Lynn, Rena and I were Prairie Hearts RWA chapter-mates. We kept in touch after they both moved away. Last winter, we started talking about doing an anthology together, and At Midnight was born. Midnight Casanova is my second short story featuring shelter dogs. It came about partly because of the anthology, and partly because I had the idea to do a series of stories on shelter dogs. When I was looking for a dog to feature, I stumbled on this picture and fell in love with it.  This is Casanova.

Oh, what a handsome boy!! Completing a book is an enormous challenge. What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it? In other words, what do you think drove you to complete this enormous project?

My biggest obstacle was making time to write. Outside of work, some unexpected family responsibilities took me away from writing. But I made a commitment to my co-authors and I had no intention of letting them down. Every spare moment went to writing, while some other things went on the back burner so I could finish my story.

Adjusting my daily life with my passion to write is a daily struggle, and I think that's true with all authors. When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? 

Way back in grade school. I read Black Beauty many, many times and then started writing my own stories about horses. In junior high, I took every opportunity I could in English class to write stories. Then I started writing love poems that got passed around by my friends – and even had a few published in poetry anthologies! My best friend and I traded Harlequin romances like they were candy and when I read Janet Dailey’s Tidewater Lover, that’s when I knew I wanted to write romance.

Do you believe writers are born or made?  

That’s a tough one. I think writing comes easy to some, but for the most part, I believe writers are made. We can study and learn how to write. With practice, we can improve. That doesn’t mean we are automatically successful, though. We work hard at what we do.

Lainee, becoming a writer was a dream of mine all my life too. You should take enormous pride in how you took that dream and made something of it. That's the challenge and where the real work comes into play. Do you think your life experiences have prepared you for a writing career?

I’m a people person. I try to be respectful and nice to everybody. Years ago, I went through a period of time where several acquaintances randomly started talking and telling me details about their life that I didn’t need to know. I asked a close friend “Do I have a sign on my back that says ‘Tell me your life story’?” She shrugged and told me I’m just easy to talk to. I don’t have all the answers, heck, I’m not even sure I have some of the answers! But everyone needs someone to listen and care. Through listening, I’ve seen how important perspective is. You and I can experience the same event and yet have totally different experiences and reactions due to our perspectives. That’s important to remember when creating realistic characters. We’ve all become who we are through our experiences. 

So on a lighter note, I would love a little insight into what your ideal writing space looks like? 

With a family, the family room has long been the center of our life. I didn’t want to miss things, so I learned to write in a chair with all the family noise going on around me. I’m often accused of not listening but hey – I’m busy writing! I have a favorite chair, with a footstool and a lap desk. Not the best posture, I know. But I find it difficult to write in a quiet place because I’m so used to noise!

Ha! I do the same thing. My writing space is my kitchen table right off the family room. What is up next for you?

I’m editing my contemporary romance, Fugitive Heart in preparation for submitting it. I’m also brainstorming ideas for a third shelter-dog short-story. 

Where can readers find out more about your book and yourself?

At Midnight is available on Amazon. 

I would love to hear from readers at:

Lainee Cole's Amazon Author Page 

Lainee Cole's Facebook Author Page

Facebook Author Profile Page

 

Lainee Cole's on Twitter 

Leave a comment telling me what you like best about anthologies for a chance to win an e-copy of At Midnight! 

Don't forget to also check out my co-authors!

Lynn Crandall
http://lynn-crandall.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lynn.crandall.3
Lynn Crandall on Twitter

Rena Koontz
https://www.renakoontz.com/
https://www.facebook.com/rena.koontz.5
Rena Koontz on Twitter

Nancy, thank you for having me on your blog today! 

Lainee, it has been my pleasure hosting you. I wish you, Lynn and Rena the very best success with this new anthology. Please come back very soon. 

If anyone has any questions for Lainee Cole, please don't be shy. If you have trouble posting in the comment section below, you can drop me an email at nancy@nancycweeks.com and I'll post your question here for you. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend where you can find a few moments to relax and read a great book. 

Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks