Is there any such thing as a ‘No Research’ book?

Why am I asking this question, I hear you ask – well, it’s exactly what someone asked me yesterday. In other words, the reader/aspiring writer had written a contemporary novella and felt worried by the fact she hadn’t done any research at all.

I knew absolutely she would have but probably didn’t consider that research comes in many forms and guises. She explained the book is a contemporary romance, set in a fictional town dealing with the changes the heroine goes through after the one-year anniversary of her divorce.

OK, straight forward, right? Wrong!

I can immediately see two things that would have needed an element of research:

1) The fictional town – entirely made up or loosely based on a real place? If you dig deep into a writer’s imagination, settings are more often than not connected to a place they know well or have at least visited. Research.

2) Divorce – has the writer experienced it themselves? Been closely involved with someone who has? I am never comfortable talking about something as emotional as divorce without being entirely sure I am capturing the true feeling what it feels like to go through such a thing. Research.

And it has to be true for every single story we write – romantic suspense and historical romance writers are most likely to have the most arduous research task taking into account police procedures, forensics evidence or Victorian clothes and food. I, personally, love research (especially for my historicals!) but have to be careful I don’t spend too much time reading and googling rather than actually writing some words.

So onto my latest release, Getting It Right This Time, available now from Lyrical Press. What was the research for this particular novel? Well, it’s a contemporary romance set in the fictional town of Foxton, England about a heroine who is mother to three-year-old Jessica and recently widowed. She is returning to her hometown in the UK after leaving five years before to live in Zante with her snowboarding husband. It wasn’t a life she wanted but after failing to move forward with her true love (the hero), she mistakenly believed she could be happy with another man.

When she returns she is a different person than the one who left…

So, research?

1) Mothering a young daughter – my own experiences, emotions, pressures were used to make this relationship as authentic as possible.

2) Losing a husband – this was different in that the heroine has fallen out of love with him by the time he dies but I did talk to family members who have lost a husband and also friends who have divorced. I wanted to truly understand and feel this type of bereavement/feeling of failure and guilt that comes so often with the end of a marriage.

3) Fear/lack of trust – again, a lot of my own experiences came out in this novel. I revisited emotions and situations I would rather forget but were necessary to add depth and believability to the heroine’s indecision and doubt. I hope I succeeded!

Here’s the blurb and buy link (if you feel so inclined!)

Two years after her husband’s death, Kate Marshall returns home a widow, seeking security and stability for her three-year-old daughter. But when her path crosses with ‘the one who got away’…her husband’s best friend, she has to fight the desire to be with him for the sake of further heartbreak for her,,,and her daughter.

A tough, straight talking theatrical agent, Mark Johnston is dangerously handsome, exceedingly rich, irresistibly charming – and branded by the tabloids as one of the UK’s most eligible bachelors. So even though he lost the girl of his dreams five years before to his best friend, Mark finds no hardship is being single. Or so he thought…but now Kate is back.

Determined not to lose her a second time, Mark has to find a way to convince her they can work. But can Kate cope with the media interest and ruthless, money-hungry clients surrounding him being anywhere near her daughter? Or accept that Mark Johnston is really the family man he claims to be?

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_25&products_id=296

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experience with regard to research!

Satruday's Salacious Suggestion

Her gambler father murdered, Rachel Garrett joins a wagon train west to be with her aunt and the fiancé she's never met. Her dream is to forget the life she led performing on stage to earn the money her father gambled away and settle down in one place. But along the trail, she is helplessly drawn to a priest--forbidden fruit--and her hopes are shattered.


Professional gambler Reno Hunter is wanted for the murder of James Garrett. His disguise as a priest on a wagon train is foolproof, until he discovers the woman the old gambler wagered in that fatal card game and Rachel Garrett are one and the same. Can he protect his identity and his heart, or will he surrender to his desire for Rachel and risk being apprehended by the law?

Jannine Corti Petska
Bringing History to Life - Feel the Passion
www.jcortipetska.com

Wednesday's Chow - Maine Corn Chowder

Here's another recipe from FARM JOURNAL'S COOKING & ENTERTAINING in AMERICA cookbook (see Yankee Pot Roast recipe).  According to the editors:

An Oneida Indian woman told them that Native Americans don't think of hamburgers and apple pie as typical American food.  "We think of corn soup, wild rice, milkweed, cowslip, ferns and other greens and venison ... as true American call native foods."

"A variety of corn soups copied from Indians became standard fare in colonial homes.  When cattle and hog production made haeadway in eastern colonies, milk and salt pork joined corn in the soup kettle.  Many women also added potatoes, which thickened the chowders slightly and contributed flavor. Maine Corn Chowder included potatoes, famous product of the region, especially Aroostook County.  Our recipe differs little from those that welcomed families to the supper table long ago, but because bacon and canned corn always are available, we use those ingredients instead of salt pork and fresh or dried corn.” (pps 30-31).

Maine Corn Chowder


Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, chopped
2 medium onions, sliced
3 cups diced pared potatoes
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 can cream style corn
2 cups milk

Directions:

Cook bacon in Dutch oven until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Sauté onion in bacon drippings until soft. Add potatoes, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduced heat; cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add corn and milk; heat thoroughly. Garnish with bacon. Makes 9 cups.

Guest Author - Lisbeth Eng

People are People, Even in Fiction
by Lisbeth Eng

Romance writers are adept at crafting characters for their novels. A hero and a heroine are essential, as well as secondary characters, and often one villain or more. Fictional characters, just like real people, must be complex – composed of both positive and negative traits. Heroes and heroines cannot be perfect, else the reader won’t experience them as real and will not be able to identify with them. Likewise, villains should have some redeeming quality to make them believable. Very few people are entirely malevolent. Even Adolf Hitler, perhaps the embodiment of evil, was friendly towards dogs and children, as long as they were Aryan, of course (the children, that is). Novels are much more interesting when the characters reflect people who could possibly exist in the real world. Besides creating sympathy for the characters, it also aids the “suspension of disbelief” necessary for fiction. I will never forget the advice of one of my writing instructors: “fiction must be true.” In other words, it must read as if it could be true. This is even the case in fantasy, sci-fi and time-travel. Since the plot will be outside the realm of reality, the characters must possess some anthropomorphic traits, even if they are vampires, aliens or elves. This is essential for at least temporary suspension of disbelief, or the reader will lose interest.

My debut novel, In the Arms of the Enemy, takes place in Italy during the period of World War II (1943 – 1945) when northern Italy is occupied by the German army. If you read the back cover blurb, you will find one woman, the heroine Isabella Ricci, and two men, either of whom could be the hero. All three main characters possess both strengths and flaws.

Isabella is a courageous member of the Italian Resistance, risking her life for her country’s deliverance from both the occupying German forces and from Fascist oppression. Her assignment is to infiltrate German intelligence through her acquaintance with Günter Schumann, a German army captain, whom she meets by chance through a friend. Günter doesn’t know that Isabella is a partisan or a spy and pursues a romantic relationship with her. Isabella is urged by her lover and commander, Massimo Baricelli, to employ any means necessary to uncover vital information, even if it means engaging in an illicit affair with the enemy. She continually questions whether this scheme makes her an immoral woman and is often plagued by self-doubt. Yet despite her reservations and fear of capture, she perseveres out of loyalty to the cause.

Massimo encourages his lover Isabella to get close to the enemy officer. He is ambitious, and urges Isabella to become involved in an intimate liaison with another man, something she is hesitant to do. Though his goal is noble, to free Italy from the grip of Fascism, his methods are to a degree self-serving. He believes that the success of this espionage mission will augment his status in the Resistance, and enhance his recognition by the Allies, to whom he passes on the military intelligence Isabella gathers. For that, he is willing to put his lover in a compromising and perilous position.

As an officer in the Army of the Third Reich, Günter must serve an evil regime, yet is devoted to duty out of loyalty to his country. Günter is a principled man who abhors the malicious rants of his Führer. But he is also naïve, averting his focus from the worst crimes of the Nazis until confronted with evidence he can no longer ignore. He follows the safer path as a dutiful officer, rather than speak out against the Nazis and risk almost certain execution as a traitor.

I do not want the reader to know whether Massimo or Günter ends up as the hero; I prefer to keep the reader in suspense as long as possible, though some may quickly guess which man it is. I’d like to think that this ambiguity makes for a more interesting and nuanced read. But whether hero or not, each man should be viewed as an individual human being, as should all of the others who populate In the Arms of the Enemy. As fictional characters, they must be real.

BIO: An English major in college, Lisbeth Eng has also studied Italian, German and French. Lisbeth is a native New Yorker and has worked as a registered representative in the finance industry for the past 25 years. Her first novel, In the Arms of the Enemy, is available in e-book and paperback at The Wild Rose Press, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other online booksellers. Lisbeth invites you to visit her at http://www.lisbetheng.com/.

Winter Wonderland Web Hunt Winners

Over 200 readers completed the Night Owl Reviews Winter Wonderland Web Hunt.  Congratulations!  Unfortunately, only 3 people could win. Major congratulaitons to you!

First Place: Phyllis Crabtree

Second Place: Connie Litwin

Third Place: Rita Jensen

Anna Kathryn Lanier

Saturday's Salacious Suggestions

Anne Marie Novark

Ms. Novark has woven a tale of trust betrayed and loved denied.  Damien is called to help his childhood friend recover from a devastating war injury, but doing so brings him face to face with Alexandra.   He learned from his mother that women were unfaithful and untrustworthy. So why is he falling in love with his best friend’s sister?  Alexandra has loved Damien as a brother for most of her life, but a fateful kiss when she was seventeen turned their relationship on its head.  Now, ten years later, they must face the fact they can never turn back the clock to the way things were. But can they face the future alone? ~ Anna Kathryn

Blurb:

Alexandra Turlington often wonders why Damien Avenall betrayed their special friendship. His kiss awakened her to passion, but she knows better than to fall in love with a rake. Or does she? When the Viscount offers to help nurse her wounded brother back to health, Alex discovers her heart has always belonged to Damien. But this time, she wants more than friendship; this time, she wants it all.

Available from Smashbooks or Kindle.

Anna Marie Novark

http://www.annamarienovark.com/   

Wednesday's Chow - Yankee Post Roast

I nearly forgot to post a recipe today…it is 8:00 here. I’m pulling a recipe from a cookbook I got a few weeks ago FARM JOURNAL’S COOKING & ENTERTAINING IN AMERICA (published 1983). It has ‘heirloom recipes for all occasions from America’s great rural tradition by Food Editors of FARM JOURNAL'. The blub says, “The first section of the book explores the origins of American cuisine, from the foods the Indians introduced to the Pilgrims, to the various ethnic influences of American immigrants.” I look forward to exploring this cookbook, which has over 550 pages!

Oh, I was going to do a soup recipe, but just now, flipping to it, I came across “Yankee Post Roast.” Here’s what the editors say, “Our recipe is practically the same as the women knew by heart 200 years ago and used at least once a week…[looking through their recipes] it becomes apparent that the gravy was of prime importance. It had to be rich and brown. For a perfect Yankee Pot Roast follow the basic rules established long ago: Brown the floured meat slowly so it will be deeply browned. Add a small quantity of water, no more than a cupful. Replenish as needed. Let the meat stick to the utensil (pot) at least once during cooking to insure brown gravy. Simmer slowly in a heavy, tightly covered utensil until post roast is tender.”

Wow, we haven’t even gotten to the recipe! But wait no more….here it is:

YANKEE POT ROAST

Ingredients:
¼ cup flour
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 (3-4 pound) chuck pot roast
3 tbsp cooking oil
½ c water
6 medium potatoes, pared and halved
6 medium carrots, pared and halved crosswise
6 small whole onions, or 1 large onion, sliced
1 small turnip, pared and sliced
Salt
Pepper
Water
¼ c flour
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
½ c water

Directions:

Combine ¼ cup flour, 2 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Pat into both sides of the pot roast. Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven. Brown meat for 8-10 minutes each on each side. Add ½ cup water; cover tightly and simmer 1 hour and 30 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, and turnip; sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper. Add more water if needed to prevent sticking. Continue cooking 1 hour or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove meat and vegetables to a platter to keep hot.

Skim part of fat from pan juices. Add enough water to make 1½ cup. Return to Dutch oven. Combine ½ cup flour, ½ tsp salt, 1/8 pepper and ½ cup water in a jar. Cover and shake until well blended. Add to meat juices. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Serve pot roast with gravy. Makes 6 servings.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
http://www.aklanier.com/

Three Minutes to Better Writing: Tension

Tension is the key element in storytelling.  Without it, a story has no urgency or suspense.  Tension is what keeps the reader up past their bedtime, flipping pages. According to Gary Provost, tension is "a cord or series of cords that stretch across every paragraph you write".  

Tension is produced by the conflict in your story.  How?  Because conflict creates uncertainty for your characters.  Will the young soldier die trying to save his comrade? Will the lady lose her reputation? How will an unemployed single mother take care of her children?  Tension is the "anticipation and dread" factor that readers want.  Your readers will anticipate the outcome of a character’s actions and dread what this will mean for the character as the story continues.  Also, creating tension means having strong opposition to your main character.  Strong enough so that the reader will be interested in how your hero finally wins.

The stakes for your characters must be high to create tension.  The higher the stakes, the more tension you create. Personally, I think life and love are the two most powerful “high stakes” because everyone can relate to them and those two are used most often in fiction.  Love at stake is universal in romances. You can have characters whose home is at stake, success is at stake, health is at stake, etc.  You can combine stakes but whatever is at stake for your main character, it must be significant to that character in order to produce tension.

Once you have your strong characters and your high stakes woven into your plot, look to your own writing to help create tension.  Use “tense” words.  Gary Provost suggests going through your manuscript and looking for places you can create tension by using:  Words of delay.  Words that imply fear.  Words of danger.  Words of urgency.

Below is an example using Provost’s word choice suggestions:

Original: "She stopped at the sight of the broken gate, its rusty hinges damaged.  His shoe had left a print in the soft earth.  He had come this way. Had he found the vault? She hurried past the broken gate and moved into the shadows. It was important she reach the vault before he learned the truth about her."

Revision: "She froze at the sight of the broken gate, its rusty hinges ripped loose. His shoe had left a deep print in the dark earth.  He had come this way. Had he found the vault? She rushed past the broken gate and stole into the shadows. It was critical she reach the vault before he discovered the truth about her.

To summarize, heroes/heroines with high stakes at risk, facing stronger opposition and continued conflict will create the kind of tension that will keep your readers holding their breath as they turn the page.

Thanks to Anna for having me today and thank you for stopping by.   If you're looking for a short fun read with a tall, dark and handsome rancher, a dazzling heroine, a few famous outlaws, a heartless bad guy, some steamy scenes and some suspenseful moments, you'll enjoy Almost An Outlaw! Links are on my blog.

Saturday's Salacious Suggestions

Marie Higgins

There's a new hero in town . . .

When Summer Bennett returns to Richfield after a five-year stint at her aunt’s finishing school, she discovers a lot has changed. Her father has suffered a crippling injury, and Summer is desperate to get the money to pay for surgery that could allow him to walk again. She hears of a reward offered for the capture of a cunning gang of bank robbers, and her years of etiquette training fall by the dusty roadside.

What Summer doesn’t count on in her quest to capture the bandits is the competition from her family’s longtime friend, Jesse Slade. Now a deputy marshal and local hero, Jesse keeps thwarting Summer’s plans, just like he did when she wore pigtails. She would like nothing more than to use Jesse’s head for a slingshot target, but soon Summer finds her aim shifting from his head to his heart. Problem is, Jesse is engaged to her sister Violet.

For seven years, little Summer Bennett was the burr under Jesse’s saddle. Now he feels a different irritation as Summer is always on his mind—whether he wants her to be or not. But Summer’s father expects him to marry Violet, and he won’t let him down. So why does Jesse find himself encouraging Summer’s attentions, and why do sparks fly every time they are together?

Available at your local bookstore, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Marie Higgins
http://mariehiggins84302.blogspot.com/

I'm Guest Blogging

I'm guest blogging all over the place today!

Join me at Joanna Aislinn's blog. I posted about the different methods to back up your files

Check out Skhye Moncrief's blog. I'm talking about Writing and Recipes.

I'm also at Sweethearts of the West, discussing Frontier Teachers.

I'm giving away copies of A GIFT BEYOND ALL MEASURE and its companion cookbook at Joanna's and Skhye's blogs.  At Sweethearts of the West, I'm giving away a 2011 Studs and Spurs calendar.  Just leave a message to be eligible for the drawings!

Wednesday's Chow - Italian Vegetable Soup

Note: This first appeared on my blog in 2008. But it actually FROZE in Houston last night, so I decided I needed to pull out this recipe and share it with you all again:

I've had this recipe for about 20 years now. One day I received a magazine in the mail "The Farmer's Wife" or some such title. It included all these hints on how to can or freeze food, work the farm and had several recipes, too.I think someone sent it to me by mistake, believing I was domesticated!
I have a couple of the other recipes that were in it, but this is really the only one I make. It's pretty simple, once you get all the vegetables chopped. And it's yummy, good for you and filling. You may want to add water (or red wine) to it when you put in the macaroni, because that really soaks it up. Oh, and I usually don't add the green beans, but I think that's because I have canned, since I hate frozen green beans. I do get fresh sometimes, so maybe the next time I make this, I'll add fresh ones.

Italian Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (16 oz) tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, undrained
2 cups water
5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules or five bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon sweet basil
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup frozen or fresh green beans, in 1-in pieces (optional)
½ cup small elbow macaroni
Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:

Brown beef in large heavy kettle; drain off fat. Add all the ingredients except cabbage, green beans and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Lower heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cabbage, green beans and macaroni; bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). If you prefer a thinner soup, add additional water. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese before serving.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
http://www.aklanier.com/

Getting Noticed in the Publishing World

Hello, and first off, I’d like to thank Anna Kathryn for the invitation to guest blog. 

My name is Carol Dunford, and in ‘real life’ I write scripts for televised government training.  Trying to make subjects like Government Pension Offset or Medicare Part D interesting enough to keep a captive televised audience awake takes a certain amount of creativity.  My scripts have to be factual, but I also try to keep people awake.

Like many of you, I’ve been writing fiction for a while and have yet to be published.  Life has sometimes intervened, and I decided to return to school for several years, but I’m back in the fiction-writing saddle again.  I’ve often been asked about various ways to improve the “odds” of getting published.  While there’s certainly no magic bullet, there are a few things ANY writer can do to move closer to a contract, and also make herself poised and ready to critically evaluate an offer to publish.

The very first thing is to become an outstanding practitioner of the English language.  I can’t stress this enough.  The days of an editor fixing your spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes are long gone.  Your manuscript has to be picture perfect when it lands in the hands of an editor.  The ONLY time grammar, spelling or punctuation mistakes are admissible are in dialogue.  Your cowboy with an eighth-grade education might say something like “I reckon it ain’t no problem.”  You, however, are not allowed to write things like ‘Large, puffy, bulky curtains was hung by the tiny, dark mullioned, windows’.  If you want to brush up your skills, try sites like Smashing Magazine’s 50 Free Resources That Will Improve Your Writing Skills or Mahalo’s How To Improve Your Writing. Also, the more you read, the more you’ll recognize and internalize good writing.

Write for others.  Try bidding for work on sites like Guru.com, elance.com, or others.  Warning:  you will not get rich.  But you will be able to build a resume of published work that you can reference in a query letter.  For example, I’ve written short articles for RV Trader Online, for a dental reference website, and for both British and Australian-based companies regarding specific subjects.  Freelancing will also teach you how much you can take on, how to meet deadlines, and how to deal with requested revisions.

Focus tightly on the Goal, Motivation, and Conflict for your book and for each of the main characters.  I can’t tell you how many contest entries I’ve judged where I can’t figure out a reason for what the characters are doing.  Classic example: heroine is investigating [insert event here].  Hero comes along, and she drops everything to have a hormone attack.  Why?  If solving the mystery is her goal, she’s going to see the hero as an impediment to that goal.  She’ll have to deal with the impediment, and in so doing will develop a relationship (probably adversarial) with the hero, and things will go from there.  But give your people goals!  Your reader wants to cheer these folks toward something, but they have to know what that something is.  Every scene needs a goal, and the entire story needs an overarching goal. For example, in the historical wip I’m working on, my heroine wants to get released from an insane asylum (goal for about the first half of the book), BECAUSE (motivation) she wants to free herself from her marriage and can’t do that if she’s considered mad, BUT (conflict) she has to get the hero (asylum superintendent) to sign the papers to free her, and his perceptions are colored by the fact that she’s in the asylum in the first place. Focus on the goals, and let the relationship between the two characters develop naturally. If you haven’t read Deb Dixon’s ‘Goal, Motivation and Conflict’ book, I urge you to do so.

Enter contests.  This can be a great way to support your local chapter if they sponsor a writing contest.  Otherwise, look for contests with final-round judges to whom you’d like to submit, and ones that offer written feedback or critiques of your story.  You can also circumvent the “I won’t look at you unless you’re agented” hurdle with contests if you make the finals. Contests aren’t free, so you can’t enter all of them, but this will also help you deal with deadlines and proper formatting of your manuscript.

Finally, find a trusted critique partner or group.  You want honest feedback, and you’ll want it on both the “big picture” things like GMC, as well as small things like repeated words or phrases, mis-matched eye colors, misspellings, and the like.  Finding the right person or group takes time and effort, but it’s well worth it.

If you can accomplish all this and keep writing while you’re at it, your craft will improve.  None of these will guarantee a contract in today’s super-competitive market, but they’ll definitely help you get a leg up on the competition.

I hope these tips help you move closer to your publishing goals.  It's a new year, so it's time to get going!

Saturday’s Salacious Suggestions

Ginger Simpson

Here's a new addition to my blog....suggestions for your reading pleasure.  I really don't do very good reviews.  Reviews, in my opinion, are like blurbs and I really suck at blurbs.  While I may give an opinion once in a while on a friend's book, mostly, I'll just be letting you know about the releases that my friends have out or are about to have released.  So, to get us started, here's a video of books available or about to be released by my friend Ginger Simpson.



Ginger

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE WITH GINGER
http://www.gingersimpson.com/
http://mizging.blogspot.com/

I'm guest blogging

Join me on Rachel Bimble's blog.  I'm promoting my new story, and discussing how a panster does (or doesn't) set goals for the new year.  Come give your opinion and you could win a copy of my new story and its companion cookbook.

Anna Kathryn
http://www.aklaniner.com/

Wednesday's Chow - Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here's a warm recipe for those cold nights.  Add some cheddar cheese and melt through if you want Broccoli Cheese soup.

Cream of Broccoli Soup


Ingredients:

1 lg onion, chopped
¼ cup butter
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
2 (10-oz) pkg frozen chopped broccoli
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup water
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Butter

Directions:

Sauté onion in butter, add water, 1 teaspoon salt and broccoli. Cook until tender. Add parsley.

Cool and puree in a blender. Place in a soup pot, add milks, and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat through. Do not boil.

Add a pat of butter in each bowl of soup.

Satruday's Salacious Suggestions

Blood Hunter - The Beginning

by Robin Badillo

For thirty years, Raven Prince has lived just fine with no mate and no hassles. The carefree vampire, happy to be the odd-girl-out in a small, close-knit coven, lusts for one thing and one thing only—human blood. The more handsome the snack, the happier she is.



Thorne Abbott, on the other hand, only has a taste for the blood of the vampire that savagely murdered his father eleven years before. The determined human won’t rest until that craving is satisfied, even if it means getting himself killed in the process.


A sexy game of pool in a small town bar throws a wrench in both of their plans and ignites a flame so hot, neither could have extinguished even if they wanted to.


The hunter and the hunted battle with themselves and each other as passion, love and a quest for truth sends them on a deadly mission that’s sure to either destroy them…or set them free.


Can lovers from different worlds manage to see past their differences, or are there good reasons why the two species should never unite?


Will it be friend or foe that goes bump in the night?

Available now at Devine Destinies.

Sometimes love’s journey begins with a glance,

sometimes with a kiss, but some journeys begin with a bite.

Robin Badillo

http://www.robinbadillo.com/

December Winner

Congratulations to Robyn L, she won the December drawing for a handmade western style bracelet and bookmark.

I'll put up the January prize, soon.....just gotta think of what that will be.

Anna Kathryn