Blog Radio Virgin

I had the presentation lined up in my head and on paper, just to make sure. My phone was sufficiently charged. I brewed a pot of rocket launcher coffee so that I, too, would be sufficiently charged. After all, it wouldn’t do to fall asleep and send a loud thud over the airwaves when the phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. Or worse, subject listeners to an hour and a half of oblivious, uninterrupted snoring. So at dial-up time, I was ready.
Or so I thought. At 8:00 pm last Friday I felt like a first-timer at the Apollo, shaking with fright and waiting for the big wooden hook to jerk me off the stage. Wes Craven’s movie title popped into my mind – The Hills Have Eyes. I was home alone, but I could swear those hills were right there in the room I could see them peering intently at me, shaking their heads back in forth in a naysayers version of the stadium wave, and silently critiquing my words as they unraveled like a ball of string in space, going absolutely nowhere.
But it got better as I went along, thanks to our host Ella Curry(www.edc-creations.com). I shared the air with Trice Hickman (www.tricehickman.com)and C. Rance Redman (www.carlosredman.com), great guests who spoke with ease and eloquence of their works. I finally got over my fear and joined in. It was my blog radio baptism by fire. And when it was over, instead of coffee, I could have used a very dirty martini. Next time I’ll be ready. I’m a virgin novelist too, and I’ve got a book to promote!

You Write What?

When I announced that I’d written a book, friends and acquaintances celebrated with me. As soon as I uttered the words “romance novel” some of their hearty congratulations turned to patronizing amusement. “Oh how cute,” one murmured, as if my book was a third grade essay I’d proudly presented to the world. Was it my imagination, or did they begin to speak slower and louder? To them, romance writing isn’t real writing – not at all. And when I heard the words “highbrow” and “lowbrow” from another aspiring author, I knew I was in the presence of a snob who believed that skill and storyline were mutually exclusive.
Speaking of snobs, I have to ‘fess up. Until the late 90s I had never read a romance novel. The covers turned me off. Instead of bodice-rippers, I referred to them as back-breakers. In those days, more often than not, the heroine’s entire body was bent back by 100 pounds of hair and an adoring glance into the eyes of a hero with a nearly-shirtless, Masters of the Universe chest.
But when I was presented with a box of Arabesque classics, I was hooked. Nobody was getting beat up or strung out. And on a week when everything that could go wrong did just that, escape into a love story was as soothing as a cup of hot tea or a glass of Pinot Gris. So when I picked up the pen, romance was the genre in which I chose to write. For some, knowledge that the hero and heroine will be together at story’s end is a turn-off. To me, what makes a great story is the journey they take from the beginning to the happily ever after end. Besides, who hasn’t experienced that magic moment when all is well with love? A romance novel leaves the reader with a sweet taste on the tongue; the next step on that journey is up to the imagination.

Dusk To Dawn Trailer - Enjoy!

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