Killer Christmas by Harper Lin

Emma Wild is an extraordinary singer.  She's lived her dream by hopping down to New York and singing songs of the trials of love.  Her fans see her as famous, talented, and living the life.  Even her now ex-boyfriend, Nick, was a famous movie star.
When she figured Nick had moved on to Victoria Secrets' lingerie models, she fled to her hometown in Hartfield, Canada, to celebrate Christmas.
Emma's sister owns a delightful coffee house where the chocolate and coffee go hand-in-hand.  That's where the mishap, or murder begins.  The killing of a fan of Emma's brings her former high school sweetheart, Sterling, a detective, into the picture.
It's quite uncomfortable when Emma clues into the fact that she had been the target and has to interact with Sterling.  Repeatedly.
Sterling never lost his love for Emma.  How is it possible he can be around her, investigate thoroughly, and keep his lips off her mouth?  From the tabloids, he knows she dates men much better than himself.
Glamour doesn't make one person better than another, and that's a lesson taught and hopefully learned in both their minds.
There may be murder and jealously intertwined in this Canadian Christmas, but it's a spectacular light lit on top the Christmas tree that can enlighten the heart with love.

Merry Christmas,
Dawn

Behind the Scenes at RWA Nationals-past experiences (Part II)

Behind the Scenes at RWA Nationals-past experiences (Part II)

Reliving the current Romance Writers’ of America’s conference got me to think about past conferences and the scenes I fondly remember.  Didn’t realize how funny some of them were until I looked back.

I vividly recall a pitch to an agent in San Francisco.  I encouraged myself that ten minutes was a minute amount of time to talk about my novel and convince an agent that he really needed me on his roster.  He finished our ten minutes by telling me to kick out a character, change the relationship, and a host of other minor changes, then we can be successful.

Kill me with the word successful.  That made me think he had the perfect resolution to my story’s placement.  I wandered from the “pitching den” and relayed my story to other authors to see what they thought.  As I approached the escalator, I stated “I need a hunk of chocolate and a sexy story to read.”  No sooner did I get to the bottom of the transit when a group of erotic writers had a table set up with Ghirardelli chocolates and erotic novels.  Then I wondered what else I should wish for!  

One more short story…In Washington D.C., the writers shared the hotel with a police convention and service men on leave.  I was oblivious of this until during a break on the outside patio at dusk.  Two Marines sauntered up to me and my friend.  “Do you have a cigarette we can bum?”  My friend and I glanced at each other, and before we answered, the men forgot their quest and proceeded to tell us their titles and that they had purposefully come to the hotel to find their soul mates-they thought romance writers could help them.  

How touching.  When I relay this episode to other women, they are touched also.  When I tell men of the meeting, a smirk creases their faces until they can’t help but laugh. 

What?!?  Apparently the Marines were hitting on us.  Call me oblivious and I don’t write inspirational (no offense, of course).  Maybe I should, but I think I’ll stick to suspenseJ

Happy