KRISTEN PAINTER
HOUSE OF COMMARE, an Urban Fantasy series like no other... More »
EDEN BRADLEY
Eden Bradley / Eve Berlin, Edgy erotica and erotic romance... More »
GEMMA HALLIDAY
USA Today and the New York Times Bestseller... More »
KATE PEARCE
Erotic and Historical author... More »
SHAWNTELLE MADISON
Debut paranormal author... More »
Yoga for Writers
* HEALTH FOR WRITERS series
By JEANAN GLAZIER
Tired eyes? Been staring at your computer screen for a long time? Relief is in sight! (Pun intended!)
If you wear glasses, then please remove them. If you wear contact lenses, then it really is best to remove them.
Can you comfortably sit on the floor in some cross-legged position with your back reasonably straight? The key word is “comfortably”. Some people can easily sit on the floor; many cannot. If sitting on the floor is not comfortable for you, then sit in a chair with the straightest back you can find.
Wine Labels: Secrets of the Universe Revealed
* WINE 101 FOR BEGINNERS series
By GRACE DRAVEN
“In vino veritas (In wine there is truth)”, or so Pliny the Elder has been credited with saying. He would have been even better served if someone had slapped a wine label onto the amphora. Wine labels reveal the secrets of the universe.
Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration; however, wine labels can tell you a lot when considering what bottle of vino you want to buy for that romantic dinner, gift for a friend, etc.
There’s a lot to know about wine, such as varietals, proper storage, styles versus grapes, oak versus unoaked and why it is a seriously bad idea to fill your pool with Champagne and go for a swim, no matter how rich you are. Instead, I’m going to concentrate on the humble label. This way, when you’re standing in the wine aisle, staring at the 8,000 varieties of wines and feeling like you’ve been pole-axed, you can decide what to buy based on something more than a name like Honeysuckle Sweet or Batty Old Tart.
A New Romance Divas
Romance Divas has always been fully committed to the romance industry, our readers, and members. Our discussion forum is still as lively as when we opened our doors in 2004, but over the years we’ve been kicking around ideas that we hope will improve the site. With a solid 3 million hits a month and approximately 3400 members, it’s been an exciting and rewarding journey.
As we approach our 8th anniversary, we decided to make changes to reflect our own personal and professional transformations. Our new look is only the first step and we hope that in months to come we’ll be able to provide articles that will appeal to, not only our members in the publishing community, but also to our readers in cyberspace. Of course, with our new direction we know there’s still a lot of learning and growing pains but we’re grateful you’ve stayed around and supported us through the years!
A relaunch isn’t fun without a party…so stay tuned for our Divalicious Relaunch Extravaganza Party…we’ll provide details soon!
THANK YOU!
Somebody That I Used to Know
By EMILY RYAN-DAVIS
If you listen to the radio in the car, read Forbes magazine, watch Glee, or tweet, you’ve heard—or heard about—the hit duet featuring Gotye and Kimbra. And you probably know what you’re listening to, whereas up until about two weeks ago, I had no clue. No clue that I could nail down, anyway, because I existed in a pop culture void for the last four months, learning to live with a newborn baby. While in my void, the one predictable element was the opening melody of “Somebody That I Used to Know”, which popped up on the radio every time I got in the car.
After four months of telling myself to remember the lyrics and look up the artist, I finally did…and had “A Moment”.
Top Ten Reasons to have a Big Wedding
By ELYSA HENDRICKS
With spring in the air a young man’s fancy turns to love, but a young woman’s eye lands on an entirely different prize – a wedding, preferably a BIG one.
May and June are the traditional months for insanity – I mean weddings. So what is it about planning a wedding that turns normally rational people – Mom and Dad – into psycho parents? How can formally calm, basically boring people become raving lunatics? Turn Moms of the brides and grooms into overbearing frantic control freaks. And Fathers into misers who complain loud and long about every itty bitty expense? Like:
“Who needs a $10,000 wedding gown? You can only wear it once!”
Spotlight On, Julie Anne Lindsey
In a town filled with her past, she never expected to find her future…
Seven years ago Cynthia left Honey Creek with a broken heart. Three years ago Mitchell arrived with one. Now Cynthia’s come home, and these two hardened hearts can’t stop arguing. If they’d only take a break long enough to find some common ground, they might be surprised to find love can grow anywhere.
If they’ll let it, love will find a way to Bloom.
*Bloom is book one in my new Seeds of Love series. I’ll be planting those seeds all year.
Please tell us about yourself and what made you start writing?
My name is Julie Anne Lindsey and I am an obsessive reader, a writer, a blogger, a wife & a mother of three. I used to write for posterity, to log the ins-and-outs of my kids’ lives. I read a book a few years ago that captivated me, and a switch flipped. After that, I wanted to write a story that would affect other readers the way my favorite authors have affected me. Suddenly, I wanted to impact someone too. I want to reach out and put a smile on a stranger’s face. This is me trying.
Can you tell us a little bit about your new release? How did you come up with the idea?
Bloom is the story of a heart broken girl who ran away from her grief for a long time. Now, she has to come home and it’s harder than she expected. Everyone has moved on. She’s not the town sweetheart anymore. Her friends have families and the town has a new golden boy – who seems to hate her for no good reason.
The story was born of one of my favorite sayings: Bloom where you’re planted. And the sassy heroine was inspired by the Reese Witherspoon character in Sweet Home Alabama. Best movie ever.
What propelled you to write BLOOM?
I feel like I have a special connection with Honey Creek. I grew up in a small Ohio town and got into my share of trouble. Avoidance was my way of dealing with lots of things for many years. The head-in-a-hole method works amazingly well until it doesn’t. Writing Bloom, I wondered how a heroine who ran away from her life would handle having to come home…even just for a visit. Plus, everyone deserves an epic romance, a toe curling love, especially someone who’d been so sad for so long. I had to help her!
Did you have a solid support system when you chose to write romance or did you have anyone disapprove of your decision?
I write sweet romance, so I don’t have the same issues and considerations many of my fellow romance writers have. I didn’t need to consider a pen name or what my church, family, or children’s teachers would think. For what it’s worth, I think all that junk is extremely unfortunate. Writers are artists and we should be able to write from the heart, uninhibited, and tell the story we have to tell without all those stone-tossing-glass-house-dwellers…but then again no one asked me and who am I anyway? LOL.
Do you have a daily ritual to get you in the “writing zone”?
No, no ritual unless frenzy could be considered a ritual. I write all day every day, anytime I can steal a minute. I have three kids 8 and under, so those writerly moments are fast and fleeting. I do what I can before they get up and again after they go to bed. I’ve also been known to blog from my phone while locked in the bathroom. Though, a closed door isn’t much of a deterrence for these guys. I just keep plugging away believing every word counts.
What is the most difficult part of your writing journey? What is the most exciting part?
I have a tough time with the waiting and the rejection. Waiting is part of the life, I know but I am always waiting on things and it drives me bazonkers. The rejection is hard too, especially when you think something is perfect and others don’t. Again, I know, that’s how it goes. But, it can be tough. The “We love this…but no.” is the worst. LOL. Those can make a girl drink from the bottle.
My favorite part is all the other writers I’ve met, both online and in person. I feel a sisterhood with complete strangers and I love it. This is a great business to be in if you love people because the writing community is brilliant. They are funny and encouraging and downright inspiring. I keep trying harder thanks to all the wonderful friends I’ve made through writing.
What is the most extreme or wildest thing you’ve done and what did you learn about yourself?
Until I had my first child, my whole life was a series of crazy decisions and impulsivity. In high school I got a tattoo from a skeevy looking guy who accepted a 40 oz of malt liquor and a pack of Marlboro menthols as payment from a 16 year old. In college I had my belly button pierced during a night I barely recall. I’ve walked the plank form an actual pirate ship in Barbados and peed in a bathroom marked “Wenches.” It’s only during these last 8 years that I’m learning to find adventure in the understated. I know from my past that I’m fearless and from my present that I am tenacious. By looking at the big picture, it’s easy to see how much people can change.
Any last words for your readers?
Writing this sweet romance series was a wonderful experience for me. The characters are close to my heart and more than once I’ve thought of them in terms of calling for some reason, only to remember they aren’t real. LOL. Sleep deprivation +caffeine & a great imagination do those things. I hope you’ll consider a visit to Honey Creek. It’s a beautiful place where anything can happen. Kick off your shoes, relax into that porch swing and cuddle up to a steamy mug of hot tea. Taking a trip to Honey Creek is as easy as Amazon : ) See you there!
What should we expect from you in the future?
I have a series of sweet romances coming to Honey Creek this year. The series is called Seeds of love and I’ll be planting those seeds throughout 2012. I also finished a novel length sweet romance coming next year for the same line.
Outside of romance, the first book in my Killer Confections Saga is coming in April. The title is Death by Chocolate and it’s delicious tale of murderous proportions.
I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you’ll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.
You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile
Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey
Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads
And other books by me on Amazon
