|
 More and
more, I am being asked to write articles on my love of history and the American
West, as well as on the business of writing. Several of these are posted here
on my website, and even more on my writer's
Blog.
Some very nice articles have also been written about me. To make all of them
easier for you to find and read, I've started this "Articles" page
with summaries and links to the articles and blog entries. I plan to update
this page monthly, or more often if I have a new blog entry I think will
interest you!
I recently
discovered that some of my wonderful readers have been sharing their copies of
my printed newsletters not only with their friends, but on bulletin boards in
break rooms where they work and at their local libraries! What a wonderful
idea! To make it easier for those who wish to share newsletters, I am making my
latest one available in pdf for download from my website. Go ahead and click on
the download link, and share, share, share! (Please do me a favor, though, and
ask permission where necessary before posting or leaving newsletters.)
 April 2020 E-Newsletter January 2020 E-Newsletter
4 November 2019 E-Newsletter 4 July 2019 e-Newsletter
Print Newsletter for Fall 2018! (pdf)
THE TOUCH OF LOVE:
 To all of my
faithful supporters, I am making available my novella THE TOUCH OF LOVE!
THE TOUCH OF LOVEis a 46-page novella about Robert Kingsley, the
half-Indian boy raised by Rising Eagle of my
Mystic Indian trilogy,
which was previously only available by download from Mightywords.com. In
action, it falls between MYSTIC
VISIONS and MYSTIC
WARRIORS (Books 2 & 3).
Read THE TOUCH OF LOVE
Articles on this Website:
What Goes Around, Comes
Around: The Beauty of a Backlist: I’m pretty old-school when it comes
to the publishing world. When e-books were first introduced, I couldn’t
believe they would ever be successful. After all, who would rather read a book
on some kind of device as opposed to having the real thing in their hands?
Today, I can’t imagine NOT having my books available as ebooks, and the
best part is that doing it has completely revitalized my backlist and my
writing career! Additionally, as a result of these advances, we get to discover
writers whose talents we might never have enjoyed otherwise.
Read more here!
Please ... Just Write!!:
WIth all the hype about internet and social media marketing, the most important
thing to remember is -- before you can market your book, you first have to
WRITE it!
The Power of
Passion: This three-part article was adapted from my Romantic Times
conference workshop, April 2012. "Passion … the word is used in so
many ways by romance writers and the industry as a whole - in our titles, our
blurbs, our dialogue, our love scenes, our plots … and it is the basis of
our dream to write - a passion for the art of writing, for our particular
genre, and for our characters. The word Passion holds power -- it covers all
aspects of life...,"
"Cowboys
and...Well, Just Cowboys!": "It’s the “cowboy” in
Americans that makes them dare to try new ventures, dare to leave the familiar
and take a new job or start their own business or move to a completely new area
of the country. There is a little bit of “cowboy” in our armed
forces, in that devil-may-care attitude of our veterans who fought world wars,
in those who dared travel into space, in a boxer, a football player, a race car
driver, even a reckless investor who risks it all on a hunch. It’s the
American spirit, and a whole lot of that spirit can be identified as the
“cowboy” in us."
2012 RT
Conference: Romantic Times holds a conference for writers, booksellers,
publishers, agents and fans every year in a different city as a way to reach
readers and connect them with their favorite authors. Here are my experiences
at the 2012 Romantic Times Conference, where I conducted a workshop and was
presented with Romantic Times' PIONEER AWARD, for longevity and for having 57
books published over the last 30 years and still selling!
2013 RT Conference: I had so
much fun at the 2012 Romantic Times Conference that I returned in 2013! I and
several other lovely "legends of romance" (as they called us) were
honored in many special ways at this conference and I felt a bit like I was
Queen for a Day!
Articles on my Blog:
Heaven
Only Knows: "I just finished watching an old 1947 western called
Heaven Only Knows, starring Bob Cummings. I know – most of you can’t
begin to relate to 1947 (I was 2 years old), and you probably have no idea who
Robert Cummings was (used to be a very handsome and popular actor). But old
movies and old actors aren’t the point of this blog. The point of this
blog is “hokey” movies and how many of them touched our
hearts.."
Read more here!
The
Little Girl Inside: "I’m sure I’ve written about memories
before – how and when I started writing and such. But this blog is about
my very first memories after being born. In my case, since I am 75, that means
going back at least 71 years. As far as I can dig into my past, I think that
first memory is from when I was four years old. I was sitting in the loft of a
barn and watching it rain."
Read more here!
The
Best Incentive for Cleaning Your House: "Do you have closets and junk
drawers, the back of which haven’t seen the light of day in a year? Maybe
two years? Maybe longer? I proudly call myself the Queen of a Fake Clean House.
Everything is lovely – neat and tidy. I scrub the bathrooms and kitchen
and I dust and vacuum and I do all the things required to keep a house clean
and orderly … but DO NOT – I repeat – DO NOT CHECK MY DRAWERS
AND CLOSETS! You will be arrested! I am also the Queen of shoving 10 cubic feet
of “stuff” into 5 cubic feet of space … hidden space … dark
places no one dares go. I have never feared some culprit might hide in my house
and attack me. I DARE anyone to even FIND a place to hide in my house. Every
tiny space, nook and cranny has something stored there. Hide and seek is a game
my grandsons always had trouble with, because there is no extra space
anywhere."
Read more here!
Bad
Men With A Good Heart: "Yes, the title of this blog is the basic theme
of nearly all my books – men others see as “bad,” and some truly
start out that way. Some of my heroes did do bad things and spent time in
prison – some are even wanted men throughout my story – some are
actually lawmen who deal a hard, hard hand – and ALL of them have a good
side and always have an underlying reason for their actions and
decisions."
Read more here!
Go
With Your Gut Instinct: "The third important lesson I needed to learn
is one I thought I’d conquered along with everything else. That lesson is
- “go with your gut” if something about your story doesn’t feel
right. I’ve followed that rule for years, but I failed to do so on my most
recent book, which led to this blog. I kind of knew there was a problem with
the book I wrote for my third “Men of the Outlaw Trail” series."
Read more here!
Changes
and Reflections: "Been doing a lot of thinking lately about my writing
– how far I have come and how things have changed over these 40 or so
years I’ve been writing. I sat down to write a book in 1979, after reading
THE PROUD BREED by Celeste deBlasis. I wanted to write a great
love story as well as a saga that covered 2-3 generations like that book did,
and off I went! Soon as I wrote that first sentence, combined with a dive into
extensive research about Native Americans and the American West, the ideas
poured into my brain and out through my fingers, starting with a 4-book series
that turned into 7 books (SAVAGE DESTINY) and ending with (currently) 70
published novels, including two series and several trilogies. Two more books
will be published in 2020, and I am working on novel #73. My goal was 100
books, but at the age of 75, I’ll just have to see how long God allows me
the energy, health and the use of my brain to write more."
Read more here!
Nobody
Does It Like A Cowboy: "I was recently asked about the tag line I
often use – “Nobody Does It Like a Cowboy.” The person wanted to
know what I meant by that. For me, that line has all kinds of meaning besides
the one that “romance” conjures up. You know what I mean. And in my
books, nobody “does it” like a cowboy. (I am smiling.)"
Read more here!
Excepts
# 3 & 4 from RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME
A
Good Problem To Have: "Lately I’ve been complaining about being
bogged down with a plethora of “things to do” that involve promoting
two new books. I’ve been trying to get started on the third book of my new
“Men of the Outlaw Trail” series (THE LAWLESS LAND) but haven’t
been able to type one word of it. "
Read more here!
Excepts
# 1 & 2 from RIDE THE HIGH LONESOME
To Tell
The Truth: "Real history means telling the Truth. And that sometimes
means not being politically correct."
Read more here!
I Need A
Hero: I write heroes, and I will ALWAYS write heroes. Why? Because I write
about women’s deepest passions and deepest desires. Romance readers want a
hero, a man with skills that were needed in a time of wild danger, a time of
settling untamed country where there was no law. And my heroines match my
heroes in bravery and that special independence that was once rare for women. I
love writing heroines who only make the men in their lives even stronger and
more able to defend home and hearth, able to hunt, to fight, and to lead.
Read more here!
Blogging
About Blogging: Just think if our pioneers could have had these methods of
instant communication! Once, we wrote long, long letters. Now we blog.
Read more here!
A
Day To Celebrate and Remember Our Pioneers:Few people today think about
what it took to build this Nation. They don’t think about the lives and
fortunes that were sacrificed so they could live with today’s freedoms.
For me, the Fourth of July brings to mind early settlers who risked their lives
on ships that originally came here over a dangerous ocean, who risked their
lives associating with America’s original natives, who risked their lives
fighting a very powerful King’s rule, who risked their lives against the
elements of weather, disease, wild animals, torrential rivers, unsurmountable
mountains, blazing hot deserts, the lack of doctors and the conveniences we
have today.
Read more here!
Hero or Heroine? Which Is Your Favorite To Write? : In all
the books I have written, and after all these years of writing, I realized that
for a book to come together for me, I have to be in love with the hero, and I
need to know his story. For some reason I can’t identify with the heroine
until the hero is completely in place. Once that happens, then I can more
easily flesh out the heroine and her feelings and where she is coming from as
it relates to the hero. If I start a book based solely on the heroine,
it’s hard for me to even like her or to care about her.
Read more here!
Second Excerpt from LOGAN'S LADY
Odd Comforts: I usually blog about writing advice, but
today I am thinking about the small, odd things that comfort us at times.
Things like appreciating being inside a warm house and looking out the window
at snow … and thinking about how nice it will be to walk outside and enjoy
a cup of coffee in my rose garden come spring … how pretty things will be
when the snow is gone and the grass is green and the roses are red and birds
are making a lot of noise in our pine trees and will flit past me and perch on
the bird bath or flutter around the bird feeders. I’ll watch the baby
bunnies hop around in my garden and nibble at the petunias I will set out just
for them.
Read more here!
First Excerpt from LOGAN'S LADY
Death to the Fainting Virgin!: Today, romance is finally
beginning to move away from the constant “young and beautiful and
perfect” characters, and publishers are beginning to recognize there is a
market in writing the older couple. Some publishers are beginning to actively
seek stories involving the older hero and heroine. I have always believed there
is a market for the older couple, even in romance. There is nothing more
beautiful (to me) than sex between two people, married or not, who know what
it’s all about – know what they want and how to do it right –
who are solid in their confidence (whether having sex with someone new, or if
they have been together for years and know each other’s bodies intimately)
– a man and woman who know what “turns on” their partner –
and who (as in most of my books) are so familiar with each other that one can
hardly breathe without the other and each usually knows what the other is
thinking.
Read more here!
That First Page: “That first page” is probably
the hardest thing there is for writers to deal with. When it is time to start
that “next” story, we sit staring at “that first page,”
trying to decide what to do with it. Sometimes we just want to write “Once
upon a time,” and hope that great idea strikes us then and there. But in
today’s time, we need something more catchy than “once upon a
time.”
Read more here!
Characters
And Covers: “In all my years of writing, I very seldom get a cover
that accurately depicts my characters the way I see them. Usually the
background scenery is perfect. The pose is perfect. The blurb is perfect. The
colors (usually) are gorgeous. But out of all 68 books I’ve had published
so far, only a few depicted the hero close to how I saw him.”
Read more here!
That
First Page: “That first page” is probably the hardest thing there
is for writers to deal with. When it is time to start that “next”
story, we sit staring at “that first page,” trying to decide what to
do with it. Sometimes we just want to write “Once upon a time,” and
hope that great idea strikes us then and there. But in today’s time, we
need something more catchy than “once upon a time.”
Read more here!
Characters
And Covers: As writers, we sometimes feel very possessive of our
characters. Deep down inside, I don’t always want to share my favorite
story and its characters with my readers. Sounds crazy, I know, but then I
haven’t been totally sane since I started writing. I often feel a little
jealous that my readers get to walk into my personal and private world, my
thoughts and loves, my personal story ideas that belong only to me. As a
writer, I am forced to give these things away once I finish a story. If I want
to make a living at this, I have no choice. And yet for me, it’s never
been about money. It’s always been about the stories, and my desire to
tell them and to share them. Yet when I do, I feel as though I’ve lost a
part of myself to the whole world and to a host of strangers who are reading
about my very personal thoughts and dreams.
Read more here!
Possessiveness
– A Roadblock to Finishing Your Book: As writers, we sometimes feel
very possessive of our characters. Deep down inside, I don’t always want
to share my favorite story and its characters with my readers. Sounds crazy, I
know, but then I haven’t been totally sane since I started writing. I
often feel a little jealous that my readers get to walk into my personal and
private world, my thoughts and loves, my personal story ideas that belong only
to me. As a writer, I am forced to give these things away once I finish a
story. If I want to make a living at this, I have no choice. And yet for me,
it’s never been about money. It’s always been about the stories, and
my desire to tell them and to share them. Yet when I do, I feel as though
I’ve lost a part of myself to the whole world and to a host of strangers
who are reading about my very personal thoughts and dreams.
Read more here!
Focus:
The Key to Finishing Your Book : I have talked to many “would-be”
writers who never seem to finish a book and/or never even start one. One thing
that seems to be a common problem in this situation is that many new writers
have so many story ideas in their heads that they can’t decide which one
to work on. Or, even if they have only one idea, they can’t decide on a
firm direction for their story. They spend months, sometimes years, trying to
decide how to flesh out their story. . . . Finishing a book means FOCUSING on
just one idea and developing it into book length, perfecting it, having it
edited and submitting that finished book.
Read more here!
The
Value of Those Voices in the Night : A few nights ago I woke up with a
great idea for a blog. By morning, I forgot it! I am so upset that I
didn’t write it down. That in turn gave me a different idea for a blog, so
I’m writing about the value of remembering to write down a good idea RIGHT
AWAY! Those voices in the night are simply the product of your writer’s
brain offering up ideas.
Read more here!
Riding
The Outlaw Trail …: I am currently reading THE OUTLAW TRAIL by Robert
Redford (yes – the actor). In the early 1970’s he actually rode the
old Outlaw Trail so that he could experience what it was like and then write
about it. The trail runs from Canada to Mexico. Mr. Redford started at
Hole-In-The-Wall in northern Wyoming, and traveled mostly by horseback to south
of Robber’s Roost in southern Utah. . . . My reason for reading this book
is to prepare to write my three new books for Sourcebooks, which will all be
set against the Outlaw Trail in one way or another. Each story will bring in a
cameo of sorts – of various characters from other books I’ve written
– characters who also visited the Outlaw Trail at some point in their
story. . . . I am hoping to have my new heroes not only meet some of my other
characters, but also some “real” outlaws of the time.
Read more here!
Nostalgia:
The nostalgia comes when I realize how special these characters and their
stories are to me, but are they special to anyone else? Why did I go to all
this work over all these years (since 1979) to write these stories, just to see
them here today and gone tomorrow? And then I hear from my readers, and I see
the fabulous comments posted on Amazon or Goodreads, and I know I am touching
other peoples’ lives with my books, and I am writing characters who are
special and memorable to others besides myself.
Read more here!
Writing
– A Joy, Not A Job: I was answering someone else’s blog a couple
of days ago, and I ended with saying writing should be a joy, not a job. Soon
as I wrote that, I realized it was a great topic for my own blog!
Read more here!
Birds
of a Feather Flock Together : This weekend I’ll be attending a small
weekend writers’ retreat, and I can’t wait! Writers love hanging out
with each other, because only other writers can counsel each other on our own
unique problems. . . . Only other writers know the joy of being around those
who know and understand all the trials and tribulations of being a writer, as
well as the highs and lows, the sorrows and the joys.
Read more here!
Becoming
History: Our area newspaper has a “Local History” section, where
it reprints news from 100 to 75 to 50 years ago and so forth. Recently, there
was a section under “35 YEARS AGO,” and it was about my first
publication, SWEET PRAIRIE PASSION, Book #1 of my SAVAGE DESTINY
series. Apparently, I am now a part of “history.” Well, being born
just five months before WWII ended, I guess I qualify, but I’m not
terribly happy about the fact that that was 73 years ago!
Read more here!
The
After-Book Let-Down: When I finish a book, and probably because my books
are so long, I feel a big let-down and am depressed for several days afterward.
After writing a 400-500 page book, usually 100,000 to 110,000 words, it’s
hard to let go of the characters and “send them away” to the
publisher.
Read more here!
What’s
In a Name?: What’s in a name? A lot - sometimes! You have to feel
comfortable with the names you are using in order to write a good story, or you
won’t be able to delve deeply enough into the character because the name
will bother you.
Read more here!
Fiction
vs Reality: Writers are often asked if their characters are based on
someone they know. I’ve been thinking about it and I realize I really
should say, “Yes - not on distinct individuals, but on their character
traits and what I personally know about real people, including my husband and
myself.”
Read more here!
Don’t
Get Sad … Get Mad! : Did you just get another rejection? Has someone
dissed your book? Has someone said that if you write romance, you’re not a
“real” writer? Are you stuck with your “sagging” middle? (I
mean your book, not your body).?? Is some other writer you believe isn’t
all that good more successful than you are? In all cases, don’t get sad
– GET MAD!! Tell yourself you’re a damn good writer and the book that
“x” didn’t want will sell to “y” – and in the
meantime, KEEP WRITING!
Read more here!
Focusing
Your Ideas: My purpose here is helping writers, especially new writers,
learn how to focus and decide on your next project. There are times when you
will wish you could clone yourself about 5 times, so that you could work on all
your great ideas at once and turn out 5 different books a year.
Read more here!
Stick
to Your Guns : “Stick to your guns” is not just fitting for my
theme, which is to write from your heart and write what you believe in, but
also fitting because “guns” are most certainly a big part of what I
write!
Read more here!
Turning
Your Great Idea Into a Book : I can’t count the number of times an
aspiring writer has told me, “I have a great idea, but I don’t know
how to make it into a whole book.” Or, “I started this book with a
great idea, but I’ve reached a wall that I can’t get over. I
don’t know where to go from here.” I’ve been in that same
situation more than once myself, but one thing I’ve learned over the years
is that if you’re a born story-teller, you can write your way through
almost anything..
Read more here!
The
Long Journey: Where do all the years go? I scan through some of my older
books and have no memory of when I wrote them – or even how I found the
time not only to write them but to do all the research involved. I worked full
time, was raising two active boys, helped develop some property we bought that
needed a lot of work, and I would stay up at night and write until about 2:00
am – get up at 5:00 am and do it all over again. I was lucky to get 5
hours of sleep some nights, usually 3 the other nights. I even put off needed
brain surgery once because I told the doctor I had a book to finish first.
That’s how devoted I was to my writing and my stories … and yes, to
my CHARACTERS, who always came alive for me and seemed so real. I’ve even
had readers write me and want to know if those people really existed. Yes, they
did, as far as I’m concerned, but in reality, only in my mind.
Read more here!
The
Benefits of Blogging, Social Media and Facebook Parties!: I remember when,
probably at least fifteen or twenty years ago, a former agent told me I should
create a blog. BLOG? What a weird word. I wonder who invented it.
Read more here!
400
Years Of Publishing and Hardly Anything has Changed for Authors!: I found
it interesting that in over 400 years of publishing, royalty percentages have
actually gone down, or in the best case, stayed the same; and that 200 years
after most American authors published at their own expense, a good many of them
are doing so again today!
Read more here!
Are You a “Writer-Holic?": When life hands us some unexpected
events that are hard to deal with, it’s so easy to turn to whatever makes
us feel great and forget our troubles. I can most certainly attest to that. But
there is one habit that comforts me that I’ll never give up, and
that’s WRITING!
Read more here!
Writing Can Be Your Meditation: My escape … my meditation … my
relaxation … is my writing. I have recently allowed personal problems to
shut down my writing. And the longer I go without writing, the sadder I become.
Last night I forced myself to get to work on a new story for Sourcebooks, and
doing so helped me see that not writing is probably the worst thing I can do
when things go haywire in my life. It only feeds the sorrow. Getting back into
the lives of my characters and into my beloved western landscape lifts my
spirits. We should never allow others’ actions to so deeply affect us that
it steals our writing spirit.Read more here!
The Dangers of Writing a Series: There are some drawbacks for the writer
when writing a series. For me, the NUMBER ONE PROBLEM is that I get so involved
with the characters that it is very, very hard for me to go on to something
entirely new. Often, the series continues because I simply cannot bring myself
to think about new characters. I am too much in love with the ones I have
“lived with” for months or even years.
Read more here!
Retaining
Your Inspiration: Life can sometimes take some pretty heavy turns. It
happens to most of us, and when it does, inspiration to write simply dies
… or so it seems at first. But always it is there, like the little gas
flame at the bottom of a hot water tank, keeping the water warm even when
it’s not being used. It sits there, waiting for us to turn on the faucet
and use it. Don’t let that flame go out. Keep the water warm for when you
will need it.
Read more here!
PTSD
– Yes, Even Writers Get It: Yes, indeed, writers can crash into deep
depression after finishing a book that took months to write. We all strive for
perfection – write – proof – edit – re-write – proof
– edit – then go through a series of more edits after we turn in the
book. All the hard work and extra hours catch up to us physically. ... I get so
involved with my characters that leaving them is actually depressing.
Read more here!
Poetry:
Oh, Mighty Mountains!: Is there anything more beautiful or majestic than
the Rocky Mountains?
Read "Whispers of Summer" here!
Poetry:
Whispers of Summer: I wrote this while working for the manager of the D.C.
Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, Michigan. There was a time when big companies
had their own small newspapers or newsletters. At that time they were called
House Organs. Wherever I worked I always contributed to the company house organ
because deep inside, years and years before I wrote books, I had that need and
desire to write, so I started with poems, which is why I have so many of them.
This one fits the season.
Read "Whispers of Summer" here!
Poetry:
Days Gone By : For some reason I have always been fascinated with the past,
or rather, what might have been or could have been … what has been lost
through progress … the mystery and memories of those who once lived. The
following poem reminded me of how nostalgic I am about the subject, which is
probably why I prefer to write historical rather than contemporary stories.
This is another poem I wrote a good 45 years ago, and it shows me that even
then I was imagining what life was like in days gone by. I think it’s sad
that too many people have been forever forgotten.
Read "Days Gone By" here!
Poetry:
War's Children: I wrote "War's Children" in 1981, 35 years ago,
and in reading it I realized nothing has changed in all those years or even in
the last 500 or 1,000 years. Man always seems to find a way to make war, and
the primary victims of war are children … children! Those in power seem
not to care about them. When our own government made war on our Native
Americans, too many children were simply shot down as though they were nothing
more important than rabbits. Recently we’ve seen the horrific suffering of
children in Syria … unforgivable abuse and annihilation. It blows my mind
what some men can do to children without concern. As you can see from this
thirty-five year old poem, nothing has changed. The sad part is, it probably
never will.
Read "War's Children" here!
Poetry:
Our Magnificent West! : I wrote this poem when I was in my 20's. I
don’t remember exactly when I became so fascinated or fell so in love with
America’s magnificent mountain ranges and its Western landscape. I truly
believe I lived another life, either as an Indian or a pioneer woman.
That’s just part of my weird side, and I think you need to be a little
weird to be an avid writer who is as much in love with his or her subject as I
am.
Read my untitled poem to the American West here!
Poems
Can Be an Emotional Release: I wrote this poem in 1967. I wasn’t the
child I was when I wrote my first poem in the second grad. I was twenty-two
years old and the war in Vietnam was happening … and my own husband was
involved.
Read "A Prayer For Our Nation" here!
The
Beginning: My Poetry: Long before I ever dreamed of writing a real book, I
wrote poems. In fact, I wrote my first poem in the second grade. Over the years
I wrote many poems, and our local newspaper published many of them until they
stopped that feature. I never did anything else with these poems, and they've
sat in a folder for years, some of them close to 50 years. When I read through
them, I am surprised by how some of them reflect feelings that are still
pertinent for today’s times.
Read more here!
The
Importance of the “Unexpected” Character : I love unexpected
characters because they help build my plot, help the hero or heroine grow or
change or make an important decision. They can end up being a sounding board
for the hero or heroine. Conversations and interaction with the unexpected
characters can even help tell back story in an entertaining way. And the
unexpected character always opens the avenue for a great plot twist or plot
enhancement … or … they can actually bring me an idea for an entirely
new story!
Read more here!
“It’s
Not the Sales - It’s the Readers That Count”: I am eternally
grateful for all my readers. They keep me going. With each new book I worry
about whether or not I will again please them – or will I disappoint them
this time? They mean everything to me – and many of them have actually
become good friends.
Read more here!
“When
It’s Okay to Procrastinate”: Anyone who knows me well, and my
Facebook fans who have read my comments and other blogs, know that
procrastination is NOT one of my faults. Still, there are times when you HAVE
to procrastinate. I’m not so sure it should be called that, but
that’s what it feels like to me when I get stuck on a decision of which
way to go with a story. I often go through a procrastination stage before I
start a new book, like the short story I am working on now for a Christmas
anthology.
Read more here!
“Finishing The Book”: Have you ever felt like someone just ran
over you with a semi, then pulled your brains out through your ears?
That’s how it feels after a two-month marathon of writing and finishing a
622-page historical novel. You’ve heard those stories about people who, in
matters of emergency and desperation, get a surge of adrenaline that helps them
pick up a whole car to get someone out from under it. I think that’s what
happens to a writer when she has a short deadline but a long book to write to
meet that deadline.
Read more here!
The Joys And Perils of Writing Series-Type Stories: All of this brought me
to think about the joys and perils of writing a series. The joy comes mainly
from being able to stay with the characters and their family for three, maybe
even six or seven books. And that means “living” with them for up to
three, maybe even five years or longer, because each book takes a good six
months to write, and when it’s finished it’s usually another six
months (at least) before it gets published. When you are totally in love with
these people, they live in your mind and heart constantly, and you hate leaving
them, so you get to pick up their story with the next book and continue being a
part of their lives.
Read more here!
Common
“Scents”: I recently purchased a diffuser that sprays a soft
cloud of scented water into the air, as well as one of those warmers that melts
scented wax. Both are lovely and do a good job of filling my house with
wonderful aromas. That got me thinking about how certain smells awaken memories
and can even be used in our writing.
Read more here!
The Last
Page: Just as with “Page One,” there are things to love and to
hate about “The Last Page.” As far as catching a reader’s eye, I
look at “The Last Page” with as much importance as “Page
One.” That’s because, believe it or not, when I pick up a book and
contemplate buying it, I read The Last Page as well as the first. For me, there
is something about that last page that intrigues me. I can tell if the book was
memorable, full of romance, if it ended happily, if there is a ring to it that
makes me want to cry, even though I don’t know the whole story. I judge a
book more by "The Last Page" than the first.
Read more here!
Page One:
Horrors! When we write a book, we have no choice but to start with “Page
One.” Yes, it’s that annoying, intimidating, proverbial Page One that
can bring a writer to his or her knees. We sit and stare at that blank piece of
paper (or the pretend piece of paper on our computer screen), and we realize
that what we put on that very first page is what the reader will see when he or
she takes a look at the book – that very first page that they use to
decide if they want to buy the book – that very first page that either
hooks a reader, or causes them to put the book back on the shelf – or to
not “click” order the book on-line.
Read more here!
The
Long Haul: I'm sure you've heard the trucking term “long haul,”
or the phrase “I’m in it for the long haul.” Maybe
“It’s been a long haul.” For anyone who writes, “the long
haul” perfectly fits your chosen profession – or even as a hobby, if
you see it that way. You’d better be in it for “the long haul,”
because that’s what it will be if your goal is a long-term career in
writing.
Read more here!
When
Fiction Becomes Our Reality: In my book IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAINS,
about the birth and first 25 years or so of the growth of Denver, Colorado, I
had my heroine build a monument to her father toward the end of the story. Her
father was one of the (fictitious) founding fathers of Denver, and the monument
was (in my story) in the foothills of the Rockies. After reading the book, one
fan wrote me wanting to know where they could find that monument because she
wanted to go see it. I had to explain to her that it doesn’t really exist.
It was just part of the ending of my fictitious story. But that letter showed
me just how real my characters become to my readers, and nothing warms my heart
more.
Read more here!
Are
Our Books Ever Good Enough?: I just finished the edits to my September book
LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE. One thing I advise other writers is
that before sending a book in to your publisher, if there is anything about it
that bothers you, fix it first. Ninety-nine per cent of the time it’s that
very part of the book that bothers you that will come back to you with editor
comments and/or requests for changes. It’s usually nothing major, but you
still want to kick yourself in the butt for not addressing your concern before
letting your editor read the book. Well, I didn’t follow my own rule, and
a couple of places in the book that nudged at me as not quite right are exactly
the places where my editor made comments and requests for a few changes....
Read more here!
The
Writing Curse: I have discovered something about writing that I should have
known for all these 30(+) years of sitting at the computer for thousands of
hours and getting arthritis in my lower back and suffering shoulder and wrist
inflammation and having carpal tunnel surgery and going through the incredible
highs and lows of writing for a living … having the talent to write can be
a curse… i.e. “if you don’t write, you die!” or something
like that. If I go too long without writing I literally get tired and
depressed. .. It’s a nice curse in most ways, but there are moments when I
want to tell that writing bug to leave me alone. It never works. In this case
the “bug” isn’t something you go to bed for and sleep it off. If
you go to bed and sleep you only get sicker. You have to get back to work in
order to get well and keep the “bug” at bay. Such is the life of a
writer.
Read more here!
The
Vicarious Life of a Writer: I have decided that most of us writers have one
thing in common – the desire to “be” like the characters we
write … or perhaps we are only writing about ourselves. When you consider
that we write in genres that we love, then we must be wishing we could actually
live in another realm, or perhaps in old England, or in the WWII era, or maybe
experience being a pioneer, or a gunslinger, etc. ...Whatever the fantasy, we
put it into our books, and I’m willing to bet that we choose our genre
along the lines of the way we’d really like to live ourselves, or perhaps
at least have the characteristics of our heroes or heroines. If you can’t
picture yourself as the character you are writing, the story won’t seem as
real. ... I have discovered something about myself. Since spending the last two
years working on my “outlaw” stories about Jake Harkner, I find
myself “feeling” his persona in me … and here’s the weird
part … I find I am carrying myself with a little more of an authoritative
attitude.
Read more here!
Religion
In Secular Fiction vs. The Inspirational Romance: Several years ago, after
writing at least 50 secular historical romances, I decided I wanted to try
writing (historical) inspirational romance. I have always had a desire to write
faith-based books and I hinted at faith and Christianity in many of my books up
to that point but never wrote straight inspiration. I sold FOLLOW YOUR HEART,
WALK BY FAITH and WHERE HEAVEN BEGINS to Harlequin’s Love Inspired line,
and they all sold well. WHERE HEAVEN BEGINS even won second place for the
prestigious WILLA Award from Women Writing the West … but I was wrong to
think I could stick with a genre that didn’t (in my opinion) involve
“real life.” In a lawless land where people have to struggle to
survive, sometimes what’s right and wrong gets all mixed up in the name of
life and death. And in the Old West, which is almost all I write about, there
was not much law, and there were few churches, and in many places none at all.
Read more here!
The Lost Summer (or) How Writing And Our Characters Can Take
Over Our Lives: I call this The Lost Summer, because I spent most of it
sitting at the kitchen table writing, or traveling to give talks and sign books
and went to Dallas in May for the Romantic Times Convention. I haven’t
stopped to take a breath....I am overwhelmed with guilt over the fact that my
grandsons are already heading back to school and I didn’t do much with
them this summer. I had my nose in my computer and one Sunday I wrote for 18
hours straight. When I get deep into a book it just takes over everything in my
life and it takes me a while to “come down” from being away from
reality for so long. My husband lives like a widower and house cleaning
suffers. I didn’t even spend as much time in my garden this year as I
usually do. I think my family understands, but I still feel so guilty!
Read more here!
What's In A Hero?: Let’s face it. Women love to read
about the bad-ass who’s vulnerable in some way when it comes to his woman
– a man who would die for her, who loves her unconditionally (actually he
adores her) – who always has her back and who is true to her. He might be
hard to live with, but what woman wants to live without him!
Read more here!
Savage Destiny Series - New Covers and Now Available in Kindle
and Print!: After over thirty years of being in print, my SAVAGE DESTINY
books are still selling. I consider this such a blessing, because I poured so
much research and hard work into those books, and the hero and heroine will
live forever in my heart – and from the feedback I get from my readers,
they live in a special place in their hearts too. The seven books in this
classic series cover about 45 years in the lives of Zeke and Abigail Monroe,
beginning when they meet on a wagon train west when Abbie is only 16 and Zeke,
half Cheyenne, is 25. From this union comes seven children and a herd of
grandchildren, stories about many of them wound into the main story about the
hero and heroine - all the tragedies and triumphs any family faces over the
years. . . SAVAGE DESTINY closely follows the real history of the settling of
Colorado (much like James Michener’s CENTENNIAL).
Read more here!
Why
I Wrote The Mystic Indian Series: Many years ago I read an article in a
flyer I receive from the Wind River Indian Reservation that was about a stone
medicine wheel on the top of Medicine Mountain in the Big Horn Mountains of
northern Wyoming. The article fascinated me because no one is certain which
Native Americans built this medicine wheel, or even when. At the top of a
nearby mountain peak is a stone arrow pointing to the medicine wheel, which I
found even more fascinating, because at the time someone created these places
out of stones, there were no airplanes. There would be no way to see the arrow
pointing to the medicine wheel except from above. Native Americans consider the
medicine wheel sacred, believing only spirits from above would see it. There is
a central cairn, with spokes coming out to join in a circle of stones so that
the entire site looks just like a wagon wheel. . . . The moment I read about
this stone medicine wheel, I knew I wanted to write a book that would be based
around this sacred site.
My Love of Writing: I wrote this close to thirty years ago
and thought it might interest you as to how much I love to write and how I
managed to write sixty big, historical romances over the past thirty years.
Read more here!
Why I Write American Western Historical Stories: I recently
came across something I hand wrote close to thirty years ago, and it says it
all when it comes to why I write American Western Historical stories. I was
just doing some musing, after writing a description of how I feel about certain
places out west. I thought this would interest my readers.
Read more here!
Historical Research: Anyone who writes about history must,
of course, do plenty of research. I am very particular about getting my facts
straight because doing so brings much more realism to my stories. I have at
times even brought real historical characters into my books, as with a young
George Washington in INTO THE WILDERNESS. Some people might dread the research.
NOT ME! I enjoy reading for research more than general reading, and always,
whatever I am researching not only helps me with facts I need for the book I am
working on; but it also leads me to a wealth of new ideas. So the research only
helps me find plot for future books.
Read more here!
Born To Write: I am sitting here thinking about the fact
that I have written 60 books over the past 30 years. That’s an average of
two books a year, and I have no memory of when or how I did that. Each book
takes about six months to write, some less, some more. That does not include
the edits and re-writes that come back once the book is finished and sent in,
so it’s a constant procedure of writing, reading, editing, writing,
reading, editing, writing …
Read more here!
Happy Holidays!: I can’t believe we are headed into
Christmas. It seems summer always disappears suddenly and without warning. And
the way the weather has turned, I am already looking forward to NEXT summer! I
am especially anxious for the Romantic Times conference next May in Dallas,
Texas, because there I will be pushing my 60th published book, DO NOT FORSAKE
ME, a sequel to OUTLAW HEARTS, which will be reissued and published next June,
right before the sequel. The covers for these books are outstanding, and I am
planning some wonderful promotional events for these two books, which I
absolutely loved writing.
Read more here!
The Ideal Hero: After 35 years of writing, even more years
of reading, and having completed 60 novels, I’ve come to the conclusion
that most female readers’ ideal hero (and yes, male readers, too) is the
alpha male who is tough and able on the outside, but vulnerable and tender on
the inside. I absolutely love the “tough guy” persona, a man
who’s strong and brave and can handle weapons and fists … but a man
who would never dream of laying a hand on the woman he loves.
Read more here!
Don't Try to Be God: At the MMRWA's June meeting the
discussion of omnipotence came up, and I have been thinking about that ever
since because it’s a problem I had earlier in my writing years. Being the
dense person I can be sometimes – as well as writing back when there was
no help of any kind in this business and no opportunity to learn through
others, it took me a while to catch on to what all this meant. In case you're
not sure what omnipotence is all about, I thought I’d offer some help. I
have realized that there is a strong connection between PASSIVE VOICE and
OMNIPOTENCE. If you are interested in reading more, please
click here!
Getting "In the Mood" -- Okay, I know that title
sounds like it has something to do with sex, and in a way I guess it does
because I’m talking about how certain songs get us in the right mood for
whatever book/scene/character we are working on when working on a book.
Sometimes the right music conjures up brand new story ideas. Want to see my
Playlist and hear some of my favorites? Please
click here!
Saying Good Bye -- On Monday July 7th, I turned in my story
DO NOT FORSAKE ME. It’s been a long journey, starting 20 years ago when I
wrote the first book about Jake Harkner called OUTLAW HEARTS, which will be
reissued next June, followed in July with its sequel, DO NOT FORSAKE ME. I have
lived with these characters all these twenty years, and during that time I
begged and pleaded and fought to be able to write this sequel and get someone
to buy it and publish it. Finally Sourcebooks actually ASKED ME to write this
book and wanted to reissue the first one, so that was like a dream come true.
That was last December, and by March 2014 I had finished the book – all
563 pages! I have since been working on edits and re-writes, and now it’s
finally ready to submit.
How do I explain to non-writers what it’s like to
“let go” of a book that is so dear to my heart? Think about saying
good-bye to a loved one for what could be the last time. That’s how it
feels. You are leaving your mother or father for some place far away and might
never see them again – or your child is going off to Afghanistan –
maybe just to college – but you have to let go of someone – maybe a
loved one who is dying – and you know you will never see them again.
Believe it or not, that’s how it sometimes feels to be
“finished” with a story that has been an integral part of your life
and your heart and your passion for months, maybe years.
Procrastination - The Good Kind -- Anyone who knows me
knows that I do NOT procrastinate when it comes to ANYTHING. More than anything
else, I never put off writing. If I procrastinate at all, it’s with
housework, or washing the windows, or getting my flowers planted, or any number
of other things all us women need to do in our daily lives.... However, lately
I have been procrastinating when it comes to my writing … sort of.
It’s not writing per se - it’s editing and re-writing my newest book
DO NOT FORSAKE ME – due July 1st.... I know that once I read Chapter One,
I’ll be hooked and I will lose sleep and won’t eat and will be a bit
grouchy when it comes to interruptions and I will remove myself from the
“real” world and find it difficult to stay in touch with what’s
going on around me.
What's In A Hero? -- Let’s face it. Women love to read
about the bad-ass who’s vulnerable in some way when it comes to his woman
– a man who would die for her, who loves her unconditionally (actually he
adores her) – who always has her back and who is true to her. He might be
hard to live with, but what woman wants to live without him!
Who Wants to Argue With Ghosts? -- Well, this is your
latest blog from this very crazy writer. . . I’ve been in “down
time” after finishing DO NOT FORSAKE ME (coming in 2015). I am forcing
myself not to start editing the book yet because I know that the minute I do,
I’ll fall right back into not being able to get away from the story and I
won’t get anything else done. I miss Jake so bad I can hardly stand it!
Most writers are far removed from the real world when they are “into”
a story. . . I, for one, believe all my characters really lived. They just
“visit” me in spirit form and ask me to write their story. And who
wants to argue with ghosts?
Am I Losing It, Or Is This the Way It's Supposed To Be?-- I
honestly think I might be losing my mind. I am so lost in the book I’m
writing that it is affecting me emotionally. I wonder if that happens to actors
when they “get into” the role they are playing. The last few days I
have been a little down and unsure of the book I’m working on – and
suddenly I am jumping-up-and-down happy and positive again. I figured out why.
For the last few days I’ve been working on a part of the book where hero
and heroine are apart. He is very worried about her health, and she is (always)
worried about him because he’s a U.S. Marshal in the unsettled Territory
of Oklahoma. While they were apart, I was low. Now I am at the point where
he’s coming back, and all I can think about is “he’s coming back
to me!” And I’m happy again because they get to be together. Am I
crazy? Is old age making my brain live in another time and another world?
Work or Vacation? Sometimes They Are One And The Same!: One
thing I've learned while on vacation is that vacation is what you make of it.
If you like lying around all day and (in our case) heading to a casino for a
few hours daily, and of course if you like warm weather in winter, Vegas is the
perfect spot. So, I should have been basking in that sunshine, right? WRONG!
I'm sure some of you will think I've lost my mind, but I was in my office
writing every spare moment. I finished 200 PAGES of my next project, a book for
which I haven't yet even signed the contract!
What Goes Around...Comes Around: Twenty-six years ago I had
an idea for a book. I was curling my hair and the idea just hit me out of the
blue. I had nothing to write on, so I wrote it on the back of a check book with
an eyebrow pencil. That book became OUTLAW HEARTS, with (other than
Zeke) my favorite hero of all other books. OUTLAW HEARTS was published
in 1993, and ever since then I have wanted to write a sequel. I dreamed of the
sequel. Jake Harkner lived in my heart and mind almost constantly. His story
wasn’t finished, which is why he continued to haunt me. Now, twenty years
later, I will be able to write that sequel!
When I first wrote the book that publisher wanted me to go
on to other things and didn’t want to think about a sequel at that
time.and hich I am calling Do Not Forsake Me. I have lived with this sequel for
so long that the book will pour out of me with little effort.
The Hero Who Never Was: I am wondering how many writers
besides me live with a particular hero in their heads but never tell his story.
I have lived with and loved Ben Colter for a good 20 years now. He’s the
hero from the contemporary I have never written because I don’t feel
confident writing contemporaries. More than that, though, it’s because I
can’t pin the man down as far as who he really is. He is this
“being” that haunts me almost constantly, asking me to tell his
story, yet I don’t know what that story is, and this character is so
special that I don’t want to mess things up by getting his story wrong.
The Writing Slut: Yes, that’s what I am. When it comes
to writing, I’m a slut – I can’t get enough of writing itself, I
can’t get enough of the genre I write – the Old West and its
magnificent landscape and explosive growth – the Native American –
the iconic cowboy - and I can’t get enough of my heroes....I write this
blog for other writers who might wonder how to become so engrossed in their
stories that they can forget about all the “do’s” and
“don’ts” of writing, all the worry over motivation and conflict
and goal of the story – you have to personally be passionately in love
with your characters. They have to be so real to you that you cry over them,
you dream about them, you long for them, you’re loyal to them, you hate
ending your book because it means leaving them, and you NEVER FORGET THEM
– EVER!
The Power of the Alpha Hero and Falling in Love With Him:
My Savage Destiny series (7 books) will soon be available as e-books for ALL
types of e-readers. That means proofing the books all over again, because a
different conversion program is used when converting a book for all types of
reading devices. Every single time I read these books again, I am totally lost
in them again, they are such good stories. There is just something about Zeke
Monroe that keeps you reading … and reading … and reading.
The Perils of Heroines and Due Dates!: I'll bet the last
thing you would probably think is that I would have trouble deciding how to end
a book, but that's what happened with DESPERATE HEARTS.
Places We Hold Sacred: There are places in this country
that will always, always be held sacred… places where you just get the
chills when you stand there, places where people whisper even though they
don’t need to … places that have a church-like affect on a person. I
am always fascinated and find it a bit surreal to be standing where some
monumental historical event took place.
The Joy of Life...and Change: I am grateful to live in
“small town” America, where people pray and sing hymns and neighbors
know their neighbors … where there is a church every couple of blocks and
one of them plays hymns on its church bells every day at Noon … where
people still say “under God” when they say the pledge of allegiance
… and where friends abound, some of them I’ve had since high school
fifty years ago!
Taking a Walk on the Wild Side: Lately I've been giving a
lot of thought to the "wild side" that is buried deep inside us by
the wisdom and common sense that come with age. My mirror may show me a
Grandma, but on the inside, I’m not old at all. Yes, this old gal might
spend a lot of time in her back yard enjoying her rose garden and the peace it
brings, but sometimes when she closes her eyes, she’s flying along a
winding road through Colorado or Wyoming or Montana on the back of a Harley.
Maybe she’s even walking across the prairie, admiring the rugged,
buckskin-clad guide who is taking her through dangerous country. For all you
younger readers, don’t ever underestimate what’s going on in the back
of grandma’s or grandpa’s mind. Yes, they were young once, and they
might look old on the outside, but they never change on the inside! “Young
at heart” isn’t just a phrase to be used in a song. It’s a state
of being.
Who Was Haym Solomon?: I received an e-mail that was full
of some interesting historical facts about the U.S. dollar bill. As much as I
have studied our history, I did not know all of this.... . My blog for today is
to give you these facts about the dollar bill, which I intend to share with my
grandsons. My readers can make a game of this with their own children and
grandchildren.
Read
more here.
Articles About Me:
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