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

CURIOSITY ROVER FIFTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Hello Everyone!

Five years ago today, Curiosity landed on Mars. As a few of you might remember, my first interview on this blog was with my amazing sister-in-law, Joy Crisp.  Joy is Project Scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission. Here is a quick throwback to that original interview. 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 ...

I have always been inspired by people who follow their dreams.  Today, I’m so excited to introduce a woman I have been in awe with for years. Dr. Joy Crisp, the Mars Science Laboratory Deputy Project Scientist, is here to share with us how she learned to dream, and how her dreams led her to Mars.

Joy, I know that since the new Mars rover Curiosity’s landing in August, you have been living on Mars time.  I can’t thank you enough for taking time out of your crazy schedule to share what keeps your dream alive and how you handle the constant ups and downs.

Would you please tell us a little about yourself?

I received a bachelor's degree in Geology from Carleton College in Minnesota and a PhD in Geology from Princeton University.  My scientific expertise is in the mineralogy and formation of volcanic rocks on Earth and Mars. I have been a scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 1987, carrying out NASA-funded research on volcanic eruption clouds and lava flows on Earth and Mars.  For the Mars Pathfinder Project, I was the Assistant Rover Scientist and Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer Investigation Scientist.  After that, I was the Mars Exploration Rover Project Scientist for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers for six years.  In my current job as Mars Science Laboratory Deputy Project Scientist since 2005, I have worked to maintain the science integrity of the mission and to prepare for and carry out science operations for the Curiosity rover on Mars.

         People of all ages have forgotten how to dream. What inspired you to dream?

What inspires me to dream is being a “rock detective.” I like trying to figure out how rocks formed by studying and interpreting the clues revealed by textures, mineralogy, chemistry, and the local geology.  The rover missions on Mars have allowed us to answer a lot of questions about what Mars was like in the past, and have also taken us to the next level of interesting questions for us to ponder.  To be on the very edge of these discoveries, and to see the detective work as it unfolds, is awesome and exciting.  I am also jazzed that kids and people in the general public find the rover missions interesting and that it inspires kids to be more interested in science and engineering.

We all place obstacles in our path which brings our dreams to a dead stop. I call these obstacles dream killers. What was your dream killer and how did you overcome it?

I’ve never come to a complete dead stop.  But my work on the Mars missions has been a never-ending cycle of encountering problems and either overcoming them, working around them, or accepting them and resetting expectations.  The problems span a wide range of things that the whole team faces: tight schedule constraints, budget issues, technical challenges, complexity challenges, and new bureaucratic challenges!

         How do you keep the dream alive under extreme adversity – external or internal?

What keeps me going is seeing new pictures come down from Mars with amazing surprises and hearing about new things the science team is figuring out.  When working on a Mars rover mission that is years in the making, before it gets to Mars, the dream stays alive with the realization of how exciting it will be when the rover finally gets there.  It also helps that a whole team works through the problems together. The wide variety of people helps bring different ideas, attitudes, and team spirit into the mix and strengthens our ability to get through it. 

When you reached the top, how did it feel?

When each of the rover missions have landed successfully on Mars (Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity), I felt a huge sense of relief and happiness, but also realized my life was about to change tremendously once again as my workday life suddenly changed from planning and preparing for a mission to actually carrying out a mission. Each mission has been more difficult than the previous one so the psychological and scientific payoff keeps increasing.

         How did realizing your dream change you?

         It made all that hard work leading up to the success feel worth it. And it makes me really proud of the team – that we pulled it off.

        What's next? What new dream would you like to reach for?  

My current dream (which I share with the whole science and engineering team) is that we are able to use the Curiosity rover to its fullest and make it all the way over to Mount Sharp.  We won’t know what discoveries will be in store for us until we get there, but the pictures taken from about 5 miles away are stunning!  I want to help enable the science team to get the most out of the mission we can, and participate in the learning. 

Joy sent me two new outreach products that I thought you might enjoy. If you are an educator, you really want to check this out. Amazing information to use in your classroom.

Curiosity’s First Five Years of Science on Mars     

Five years of Martian discoveries after seven minutes of terror.

A Guide to Gale Crater   

The Curiosity rover has taught us a lot about the history of Mars and its 
potential to support life. Take a tour of its landing site, Gale Crater.

If you have any questions for Joy, please feel free to post them in the comment section before or shoot me a email, nancy@nancycweeks.com. You can keep up with Joy and the Mars Rover project HERE. 

Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks

WELCOME BACK SUSANNE MATTHEWS, AUTHOR OF SWORN TO PROTECT

Happy Friday, Everyone!

I'm so thrilled to have Susanne Matthews back on my blog today. She is here to share her new release, Sworn to Protect with us, but she also left us a wonderful post that I think we all can relate. 

"Sometimes, we hang onto those dreams for a lifetime before acting on them. At other times, we just let them fade in to the “just imagine” column..."

I hope you enjoy Just Imagine as much I as did. In my humble opinion, I'm grateful Susanne took the leap beyond just image. I'm off to pick up my copy of Sworn to Protect for my weekend read.  

Just Imagine!

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit your blog today. As I was preparing to write this post, I thought of a number of different topics before settling on Just Imagine, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s the perfect topic to introduce my latest novel, Sworn to Protect.

I began my writing career in the fall of 2012 when I penned my first romance/suspense novel, Fire Angel. Since then, I’ve written 19 novels, 2 novellas, 3 short stories and 3 episodes of a sci-fi series I intend to finish later this year. Sworn to Protect is my 12^th romance/suspense title. Crimson Romance will be publishing my 13^th, No Good Deed, in July. I look at the books on my shelf, and I can’t stop wondering where all the unique and unusual ideas have suddenly come from. I was a plain old English teacher for more than 30 years. Now, I’m a novelist—a dream come true. Just imagine how many books I might have written if I had started two years earlier when I first retired from teaching, or even 40 years ago before I started my teaching career!

I’ve always wanted to be a writer and, to be perfectly truthful, I have been a writer for longer than I have been a novelist. In my teens, I wrote poetry which I shared with friends, something I continued to do for many years. In the late nineties, I wrote children’s stories for our local newspaper. One of my dreams is to edit and put those stories together in an anthology. While it’s true that children’s interests have changed, many of the stories carry moral lessons and values still current today. Just imagine what might have happened if I’d opted to stay with children’s lit. Those stories are aimed at children in grades 3-8. The closest to that I’ve gotten now is a YA published last winter called, Prove It!

Before I retired from teaching, I wrote curriculum for the Ontario Ministry of Education’s e-learning courses. Just imagine what could’ve happened if I’d elected to stay with technical writing instead of going on to become a romance novelist.

We all have dreams and aspirations. Sometimes, we hang onto those dreams for a lifetime before acting on them. At other times, we just let them fade in to the “just imagine” column and smile regrettably, thinking of how things could’ve been. But for all the dreams we have, we are also plagued with regrets.

Do I regret teaching? No, not at all. I have some wonderful memories of my days in the classroom and I know I made a difference in the lives of my students. But do I regret not trying to write sooner? Maybe, but the entire landscape of writing has changed incredibly in the past fifty years. I doubt I could’ve done then what I can do today. Technology has made an incredible difference in the lives of authors and I am definitely one. Just imagine what’s waiting out there to be discovered for the authors of tomorrow.

In Sworn to Protect, my hero and heroine get to do something few of us do in our lives. They get a do-over—a second chance to fall in love again and find the happily ever after they lost the first time around. But, like everything else in life, the price is high. Just imagine how you would feel if you woke up tomorrow and didn’t remember the last six years of your life.

Main Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072MHFQJF

The book is available in print form from Create Space and will be added to Amazon within the week. https://tsw.createspace.com/title/7234619

The Blurb:

Four years ago, a car accident robbed Nancy Frost of her child and her mother, taking what was left of her marriage with it in the process. A forensic accountant, she agrees to look at a company’s books in a divorce case, trying to find hidden assets, but her meeting with the lawyer goes terribly wrong when the restaurant is attacked.

The moment US Marshal Neil Copeland discovers his wife has been shot in a Baltimore restaurant, he rushes to her side, determined not to let her down again. As the police investigate, evidence suggests the attack was a ploy to hide a specific hit. When a professional assassin tries to kill Nancy a second time, it’s clear that she was the target and whatever’s going on is a lot more complicated than they think.

When Nancy awakes after a month in an induced coma, not only does she not remember the attack on the restaurant, she doesn’t remember marrying Neil.

Faced with the challenge of protecting his wife from a powerful, faceless enemy, Neil must bring her up to date, dredging up all the sorrow that tore them apart in the first place, hoping something will jar her memory.

As he races against time, can he save her from an unknown assassin and convince her to give the love they once had a second chance?

Find more about Susanne Matthews Here: 

~~~

Happy reading and Hugs to All,

Nancy C. Weeks