Author: Dee S.

I think it’s inevitable that writers tend to write the things they know—and that includes places, pets, and yes, people. The trick when it comes to people is not to write them so real to life that they recognize themselves. Most people don’t see themselves through the same lens that the rest of the world uses. If I say to a friend, “Why do you always seem to xxx?” they will say back, usually with a hurt or confused expression, “I don’t.” I probably would do the same. I read once that the flaws we see in others are often the same flaws we have ourselves. Yikes!!

 Just to be clear, I do not know these people and they are not in my books. 😉

So, ignoring the guideline I just set out, some of my friends might well recognize themselves in my books, but more through dialogue than through description. What someone says usually sticks with me and I use that for the basis of my character. So my husband might recognize himself as Tyler Birch in Impatient Passion when I have him say that his father told him he could go to any school he wanted but that dad was sending the money to Virginia Military Institute. That was true and we still laugh about it. Jack’s (and Tyler’s) relationship with their fathers came through in those few words.

By the same token, the grumpy but kind of endearing characteristics of Margaret in Passionate Destiny were based on a boss I had. He told me that he went to graduate school in Kansas. We had lived in Kansas and loved it because the people were so friendly. That’s exactly what Staten Island born-and-bred Joe didn’t like. “You can’t even stand in a X@%$ grocery store line without someone talking to you and asking about your ^%@! life story!” Without the expletives deleted, that’s the very sentiment Margaret expresses in the grocery of her new, small Virginia town. If Joe didn’t recognize himself in those words, I did something wrong!

On the other hand, my mom and her twin probably would deny ’til the cows come home that they are really Dan’s aunts in The Man of Her Dreams. They are two funny ladies who interrupt each other, contradict and agree, insult and quibble, yet obviously love each other dearly. They finish each other’s sentences just like Dan’s aunts, too. A conversation with them is like watching a tennis match, with your head turning back and forth as they deftly weave their words into single thoughts. Amazing!

When you write, are you more careful or less to hide the real person behind the character? It’s fun both ways as long as no one ends up with hurt feelings.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Gosh, is there any better feeling than finishing that manuscript you’ve been working on for months? Nope. It’s time to celebrate, dudes and dudettes! I’d like to say that I grab my honey love, give him a big ol’ smooch, and take him out for dinner and dancing. I’d like to say that we come home to climb under the sheets and light the night on fire! I’d like to say all that, but honestly…?

First, I take a nap. Then I take the opportunity to cook something for dinner. I mean cook something instead of imploring Jack to bring home Mickey D’s or slapping cheese between two slices of bread. Finishing a manuscript means I might prepare something as exciting as pasta with a bottled marinara sauce and salad in a bag. (That’s what passes for coking in our house.) Last, I kiss Jack goodnight and go to sleep. After all, tomorrow’s a big day. The manuscript might be finished but editing and polishing are waiting to start.

I love writing.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Glass breaks.

Well, that was a short post!

It’s never fun getting a bad review. I don’t care how much people say it’s a learning experience or how we grow through facing up to the negative. Poppycock! That might be true eventually, but at the beginning I find it just plain hard. That book was my baby. I nurtured it, fed it, held it in my arms until I released it into the cold, cruel world and I wanted nothing but good things to happen to it. And then some random person comes along and says it has no merit?? Where is that person? I have something to discuss with him (her).

But then I settle down and read the review again. Usually I find that the reviewer has a point in some small way. Maybe I didn’t fully explain why the artist shot the armadillo, or perhaps I overplayed the role of the dance hall girl in my contemporary thriller. All things are possible. By then I can see where I need to do better in the next book.

And I guess people who say a bad review can be a learning experience are right after all…

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Thanks!
Dee

Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines! eBook or print!

I am excited and so pleased to introduce our first blog guest, Kryssie Fortune! Her book, One Knight Stand, sounds fun–in a vampirish, sexy kind of way. I’m looking forward to reading it!

Confessions of a Serial Dieter

Do you struggle with your weight? I didn’t until I went off to university. Money was tight, and I didn’t want a mountain of student debt. I ate anything stodgy to keep hunger at bay, but do my hips show it. I’ve been dieting since I graduated and could afford decent food.

So, back in July, I started a low carb diet. That left me four pounds lighter and so hungry I felt lightheaded. As soon as I ate anything normal, I put those damn pounds back on.

August.
I tried the South Sea Diet. This made my breath stink and made me feel sick. I didn’t last more than a day and half.

September.
I thought I’d just go low calorie. I woke up at 2am, and boy was I hungry.

That’s another diet off my life.

October.
I tried the Cabbage Soup diet. Have you tasted that stuff? Just don’t, is all I can say.

November.
I thought I’d try the Ketonic Diet. There’s some science behind this one. Apparently, it helps epileptics, but get this: It works by denying the body its primary fuel – glucose. One of the listed side effects is death. I didn’t get any further with this one.

December.
Who diets at Christmas? Not me

January.
Oh God. I’ve put on weight over Christmas. I joined a slimming club yesterday, but all those points and that little calculator thing is such a fuss. I’m already fed up of salad.

February.
I’ve landed my dream job. Whitborough Castle has hired me as its archivist. Of course, no one knows what happened to the last two, but it was too good a chance to pick up. I’m stressing about it already. Now I need chocolate. I must be craving the B vitamins.

March.
I started my job a couple of weeks ago. I love it. Some of the high ups think I’m too young for my role, though. They made that clear when I showed them around this morning. Then this drop dead gorgeous guy—a tourist with a day ticket—starts telling me an alternative history of the chapel. Talk about Fake News. Anyway. Got to dash. I’ve got records to update and stuff. If you want to know about the castle, the archivists, and drool worthy Blaxton, you can read my story in Kryssie Fortune’s book – One Knight Stand.

ONE KNIGHT STAND by Kryssie Fortune
(This book was formerly sold as Knight’s Vampire.)

Buy here:
Amazon USA http://amzn.to/2pgAf24
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/2pnLBAe
Amazon Canada http://amzn.to/2FYZKhT
Amazon Australia http://amzn.to/2FSUUiV

BLURB
Crusader knight, Blaxton de Ferrers rises as a vampire after the Knights Defender steal his soul. Murdered by his cousin, he preys on the people he once swore to protect. His emotions leach out of him. Gradually, he forgets how to feel.

Eight hundred years later, he meets Harriet.

Harriet Mortlake’s a strong, sassy woman who battles her weight and her temper. She’s the modern-day archivist in the castle which was Blaxton’s childhood home. She’s supposed to ferret out the castle’s secrets. Instead, she finds the love of her life.

When danger threatens Harriet, Blaxton steps in. Harriet and Blaxton are a match made in heaven. Except… he’s a vampire and he’s destined for hell.

EXCERPT
“How dare you embarrass me like that?” Harriet Mortlake planted her hands on her hips and glowered at the man she’d cornered outside the cafe. Her normal iceberg cool deserted her, and she wanted to slap the condescending smile off his face. Around this stranger, she felt as though lightning bolts flashed from her eyes.

“It’s a temple, not a chapel,” he insisted.

Stubborn. Damn. Male. She’d been showing the big guns from the Castles’ Management Trust around the building. They’d already made it clear they thought her too young for the archivist’s role. This know-it-all had infuriated her when he sounded off in the chapel. Now he antagonized her all over again.

“As if!” Harriet snorted. “No way would medieval Christians build a pagan temple on their grounds. Superstitious locals would have accused them of devil worship. They burned heretics at the stake, remember?”

Despite Mr. Condescending’s interference, she’d impressed the big bosses—she thought. Now the sexiest male, ever, clung to his ridiculous belief the chapel had been a pagan temple.

He flashed her a smile which would have lit up the underground chapel where he’d embarrassed her earlier. He should keep his mouth shut and let her admire his looks. Everything about him radiated sex appeal. Looking at him almost made her anger evaporate, but he gave her the know-it-all look that made her bristle.
“You need to get your facts right,” he told her, determined to have the last word.

Stupid, arrogant male. She couldn’t decide whether to show him her diplomas and degrees or kick his shins. She’d reined in her temper while the higher-ups carried out their inspection. Now they’d left, she felt free to vent her rage. Hands still on her hips, she tapped her foot at him.

“Lost for words without an audience? Or don’t you have any facts to back up your cock-and-bull story? Put up or shut up, Mister. Tell me why you think it’s a temple.”

Mr. Condescending sat outside the castle’s tearoom as if he hadn’t a care in the world. His interference when she’d shown the bigwigs into the chapel could have cost her the job she loved. Whitborough Castle’s extensive records needed cataloging, and Harriet couldn’t wait to get her hands on them.

ABOUT KRYSSIE FORTUNE
Kryssie Fortune writes the sort of hot sexy books she loves to read. If she can sneak a dragon into her paranormal books she will. Her paranormal heroes are muscular werewolves, arrogant Fae or BDSM loving dragons.

Kryssie likes her contemporary heroes ex-military and dominant. Her heroines are kick ass females who can hold their own against whatever life – or Kryssie – throws at them.
Kryssie’s pet hates are unhappy endings, and a series that end on a cliff hanger.

Her books are all stand alone even when part of series. Plot always comes before sex, but when her heroines and heroes get together, the sex is explosive and explicit. One review called it downright sensual.

HOW TO FIND KRYSSIE
Website http://kryssiefortune.wixsite.com/kryssie
Blog http://kryssiefortune.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter https://twitter.com/KryssieFortune
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KryssiesFortune
Pinterest http://bit.ly/1OGFnjc
Goodreads http://bit.ly/2kxqabJ
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/2hA0ZVO

Thank you, Kryssie for joining me on Nomad Authors Blog!

Let’s just start out by saying that it’s really easy to go off the skids while researching! While preparing a book about the Outer Banks in 1903 I got caught up in North Carolina’s role (and specifically the OB) in the War Between the States. Not too pertinent. Actually, what I would like to do is type in a question in some magical online place and have the answer pop up. Is there such a place? If so, please email ASAP.

Because I typically write in contemporary time frames, I don’t do a whole lot of research except about a particular locale or a job. For a book I’ve yet to finish I found out what a creative project manager does for a fashion designer. It’s not a position I’d ever considered—or even knew about.

And for that book I mentioned previously, it was interesting to find out that the Outer Banks were not the die-hard Southerners found in other parts of Dixie. Because of their exposure to the shipping lanes, they were used to working with the North, and the distinctions between blacks and whites were more blurred. Makes sense, but I’d never thought of it. Too bad my book didn’t need that knowledge, lol.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

Now in print!!

I haven’t entered too many contests in my writing time, but I’m happy to say I’ve done reasonably well in the contests I have entered. Contests are a great way to receive feedback on your work without sending it to an editor or agent, and often the feedback can help you improve your work. This is true mainly because you will generally get that feedback from more than one person. If one agent or editor says, “Your characters need more conflict,” well, you can always brush that off as one person’s opinion. (Not that you should but you could.) However, if four out of five judges tell you that, it’s not something you can let roll off your back. It’s a pretty sure thing you need to take a second look at your conflict.

The thing I’ve enjoyed most about contests, though, is when I’ve judged them. It gives you the chance to see lots of different writers’ work—from really good to…maybe needs some work. And it’s not like grading papers, which, after 12 years of teaching high school boys I’ve done enough of. It’s like summarizing the good and bad points but without having to redline each and every sentence. Plus, you might spot a problem that reminds you of something in your own work, but which you can’t see in your own work. Judging is a win-win!

Based on my experience, I’d say we should all enter contests and volunteer to judge them, too. It can’t help but help us either way.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

There are a lot of tasks I really don’t enjoy doing that much, truth be told. I’m not crazy about vacuuming. I truly dislike dusting. I don’t mind putting dishes in the dishwasher but find I dislike unloading it and putting everything away. But I really truly hate going grocery shopping.

I blame the dislike on my childhood. We didn’t have much money when I was growing up—enlisted men in the Navy didn’t make much and even with Mom working to supplement the family income, we couldn’t afford to splurge on much. Consequently, Mom used to drag me away from the latest book I was reading to go to the commissary once a week where we had to compare weight to cost of everything, shake cans to see which green beans had more liquid than beans, and find the lowest price on the hamburger. No one could make a process out of shopping like my mother. Me? I had that book burning up the shelf at home. I would have thrown the food in the cart—weight/cost ratio be damned—and zipped to the checkout. Which, if you’re familiar with military retail outlets, you know is not the easiest of things. Food needed to be kept by type (no mixing the frozen food with the canned veggies) and with prices up and facing the cashier. Or maybe with scanners now that isn’t a worry. When Mom and I shopped, the checkout people could read you the riot act if everything wasn’t as stated clearly on posted information sheets in each cashier’s aisle. With the entire base’s military families to serve, the commissary was about speed as well as accuracy.

So that explains my dislike for hitting the grocery store. It’s still a necessary evil, but then, a girl’s got to eat, right?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
“Sexy, witty, and fun” Naval Maneuvers

Now, I’m not saying that no one but my family would understand this, but I know that the families I’ve met since growing up are not like mine in this particular regard: PDA. Yep, public displays of affection. My family—or at least, my mom’s family—knows no bounds when it comes to PG-rated affection in front of the world. I spent my childhood being hugged to near death by aunts and uncles, and wiping wet smooches (and lipstick) from my cheeks. All of the women in mom’s family thought it was their duty to make sure my face was smudgeless. I can’t tell you the number of times one of them would lick their thumbs (or a napkin or a Kleenex) and then swipe it across my cheek to remove some phantom speck of dirt. They always added a smile and a hug afterward, so I knew they did it only so I could be as perfect as they imagined I could be. Lol! Who wouldn’t feel loved?

Now the problem is, I grew up thinking all families were like that. Instead, to my complete confusion, I married into a family who thought a handshake was a bit too much emotion to display in public. They accept my hugs and kisses because they love me but I know my actions are alien to them, even after all these years. Acceptance is one thing, but I never would consider licking my thumb to wipe a smear of chocolate from my mother-in-law’s face. 😉

So, who has made the greatest adjustment in our marriage? I have, of course. It’s a lot easier to tone down a learned activity than it is to begin one. I still get all the wet smooches and hugs from my mom and aunt. And when hubby and I are alone, it’s Katie bar the door. I might not wipe off a smear of chocolate on hubby’s face, but kiss it off? Oh, yeah!

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here: MFRW Blog Hop.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers Available now as a pre-order for $2.99 until March 9!

I’d always heard you should write what you know and where you feel comfortable within your genre. And I had done that for years in contemporary erotic romance. But when I felt the need to change things up a bit, I listened to someone who said ménage was the best new big thing and that I could have some great success if I tried it. So I did—for many books and a lot of time. Not the smartest thing I ever did. It was fun to stretch my writing muscles, but I since I’ve never pictured myself in a ménage, I don’t think my writing came across as authentic.

I’m not saying that writers shouldn’t get out of their comfort zones, but for me it just didn’t work. On the other hand, I have also tried paranormal and historical and they worked out well, so maybe I was just too ingrained in my own sexual comfort zone to experiment successfully with the other. Or maybe I had the wrong purpose in mind. (Shame on me!)

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers Available now for pre-order at the sale price of $2.99 until March 9.

Gosh, answering this presents a smorgasbord of choices and I can only pick five?? On the other hand, it’s like someone comes up to you on the street and says, “Tell me five of your favorite things in the world,” and suddenly you can’t think of a one. So… (tapping index finger against chin while deep in thought) who do I choose?

1. Margaret Mitchell: Who wouldn’t want to meet someone who came up with the line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”? Mitchell wrote a soap opera about one of the worst times in American history and made us all want more. Then she dusted off her hands and didn’t give us more. That’s a woman who knew what she wanted to write and did it. End of story. Literally. (Shake turnip at sky and vow always to be hungry for more Gone with the Wind.)

2. Lauren Layne: I love her work! She writes some of the best dialogues and her characters are always interesting and multi-dimensional. I’d like to have coffee with her, and maybe a Danish? (A pastry, not a man.) And laugh. She seems like a person who would laugh a lot.

3. Agatha Christie: My mom was a great reader and loved Agatha Christie so I reaped the benefit of always having her books around the house to read with a good apple. Such staying power! She wrote really good mysteries (though not always fair mysteries—she did often make the killer someone no one knew about until the final chapter) and led a very interesting life. Once I wanted to be an archaeologist and I’d love to hear all about her journeys in that arena.

4. Jane Austen: Like most of the world’s female population, I too fell in love with Mr. Darcy. I was an adult when I first read Austen. I’m not sure I would have appreciated her humor and her take on the gender wars of her time if I’d read her in high school or maybe not even in college. I think she must have been quite interesting but I might have had to give her a shake if we’d met and yell, “Live a little for yourself, woman!” Doing so could have caused a stir in the Bath teahouse where we were enjoying crumpets and scones.

5. Henry Fielding: If for no other reason but than I loved Tom Jones (that eating scene was messy but still a bit sexy), I’d like to meet Fielding. But he also seems like a genuinely nice person. Learning about his times from his perspective would be a great experience.

Did you notice a food theme throughout? Time for dinner…

I consider myself truly fortunate to have met some fabulous authors when I became part of the Liquid Silver Publishing group. I wrote a book (Resolutions) with three of them: Leigh Wyndfield, Jasmine Haynes (for erotic romance, Jennifer Skully for the sweeter stuff), and Vanessa Hart (for erotic romance, Cheryl Norman for the sweeter stuff). Terri Schaeffer is also a friend from LSB, and another Terri, Terri Olson, I met later on. All of these ladies are smart, interesting, and some of the most fabulous writers ever. I’m so lucky to be among their colleagues!

Check out the next post in this blog hop.

Thanks!
Dee
Coming soon: Naval Maneuvers from Black Velvet Seductions