Special Guest - Kim Watters, Harlequin Author

This week I have a very special guest, Kim Watters. Known for writing sweet romances, she has just had her newest book ON WINGS OF LOVE come out under the Harlequin brand. Leave a comment and receive a chance to win her book.

Alexis: Hi Kim. Welcome to Happily Ever After Thoughts. Thank you so much for coming. Can you start by telling us why you decided to be a writer?

Kim: Thanks so much for inviting me, Alexis. The pleasure is all mine.

I love to read. Even as a child I'd almost always had a book in my hands. When I transitioned to category romance in my teens I had this habit of rewriting the endings, so it's only natural that I would eventually write my own stories.

Alexis: Your newest release ON WINGS OF LOVE is your first for Steeple Hill. I know you are very excited about this new publisher. Can you tell us a little about how you ended up with them?

Kim: I've been trying to become a Harlequin author for years. They've always been my dream publisher so I kept writing stories and submitted, each time getting closer. One night after my last rejection, I asked God for some direction. The next day I heard that the Love Inspired Line had gone from 4 to 6 books per month. It couldn't get any clearer than that. The next story that I sent to the Steeple Hill line sold. Now I'm part of the Harlequin family.

Alexis: So what is ON WINGS OF LOVE about?

Kim: Ruth Fontaine's job is to deliver lifesaving organs to those urgently in need. But the gruff pilot of her charter plane has no kind words for her work. And then she discovers the heartbreaking reason why. Noah Barton lost his wife and young son. Grieving, he gave in to pressure to donate his child's organs--a decision he regrets. He's bitter against those who "take advantage" of people's anguish. Yet he still flies her on her missions, with his beloved dog, Houston, as his copilot. Now Ruth will have to show Noah he has two other copilots: the Lord and her love.

Alexis: What inspired you to write on this topic?

Kim: Organ donation is a subject very near and dear to my heart. My sister-in-law, for whom the book is dedicated to, is a double recipient and is able to live a more normal life through the generous gift from a donor and his family. My hope is that people reading this book will also come away with a new appreciation for organ donation, the many people involved to make sure everything takes place, and the wonderful gift that each and every one of us has a chance to give to someone else.

Alexis: How is this book different from your others, or is it?

Kim: Tough question. Well, the obvious answer is that it's an inspirational. While my other stories are sweet, this one includes the faith element. Plus I'd like to think my character, their problems, and how they fall in love are different.

Alexis: What are your favorite character traits of Ruth and Noah?

Kim: For Noah, it would be his sense of honor and duty. He didn't want to fly the medical teams around, yet because the people that worked for his company depended on him, he put his own bias aside in order to fulfill the contract and keep his planes flying.

For Ruth, it would be her unwavering faith and devotion to helping those in need be it spiritual or physical.

Alexis: What’s on the horizon for you? Do you have any works in progress that we can look forward to?

Kim: Right now I'm working on another partial for Steeple Hill. This one revolves around a Victorian Mansion in need of series of renovations and a hero and heroine who are both up to the task. Of course if you can't wait for that one, there's always my back list at http://www.kimwatters.com/

Alexis: Kim is giving away a copy of her new release ON WINGS OF LOVE to one lucky commenter this week, so be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win. Also below are some handy links if you would like to buy her book.

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Wings-Love-Inspired/dp/0373875827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263907670&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble http://search.barnesandnoble.com/On-Wings-of-Love/Kim-Watters/e/9780373875825/?itm=3&USRI=kim+watters

Borders http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0373875827

Read-A-Book Goal Realized

I met my January goal to read one book. Actually I read two, but one was for research so I won’t bore you with the details of that one. I promised to share my thoughts on my book-a-month reads, so today I am posting about the anthology HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS which hit the New York Times Best Seller List. In addition, I will tell you a little about the special guest I’m having here on Monday February 8!

HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS
I usually don’t read anthologies because the stories are too short for me. It always seems that I’m just making friends with the characters when the story ends, but I was thrilled to find this was NOT the case with this book. I’m not sure how they did it, but these four authors spun some very hot paranormal romances that had great depth. I was truly impressed.

The Vampire’s Ball by Angela Knight, an author I have never read before, surprised me. It was full of magic, self revelations, and a final battle. The depth of the characters is perfect, from the heroine, Kat, who is a kickboxing instructor that is frantically afraid her mother might give in to her ever-present depression, to the hero, Ridge, the hot vampire, with an over reaching need to protect after losing a loved one in a magic war. Even Lancelot, who is combination knight and vampire and Kat’s long lost father, has a few demons hiding in his proverbial closet. A completely engaging read. I particularly liked the garage that transports high end vehicles to the magic realm. Very cool. http://www.angelasknights.com/

A Little Night Magic was written by Allyson James, one of my favorite authors. This is a story about Jamison, a shape shifter, and Naomi, a florist with a deaf child. When the story opens, Jamison walks back into Naomi’s life after having disappeared for two years. Naomi is not happy, but her daughter is thrilled, and Jamison is determined to stay. We also meet Coyote, a drifter who is actually a god, perhaps the god of chaos, who does his best to help in his odd sort of way. This story handles everything from Jamison discovering he is a shape shifter, to Naomi’s angst about being accepted by Jamison’s Native American Grandfather, to the town’s celebration of the Ghost Train. There is a great battle between a skinwalker, a changer, a god and a human and if you don’t know what all of those are then you need to read this book. What’s even more exciting is that Allyson tells me this story sets-up a whole series of romances. I can’t wait! http://www.allysonjames.com/

Sweet Enchantment by Anya Bast is an escape into the world of the Seelie and Unseelie Tuatha Dé Danann. Bella is a high placed Seelie in the court of the Summer Queen and Ronan is an Unseelie mage who has been living in the Summer Queens court, but is about to be executed. The problem? Bella and Ronan had fallen in love decades earlier and he ended the relationship before they had even kissed. Yet, Bella comes to save him by offering him marriage which he turns down. The two find themselves dealing with a witch, staying in an hourly rate motel, escaping into the Boundary Lands, and bargaining for their lives before the Queen, all while Ronan is determined to find a way for them to be together. This is a “love sacrifices all” and “love conquers all story.” Truly an enjoyable read. http://www.anyabast.com/

A Christmas Kiss is by the well known erotic romance writer Lora Leigh. This story’s tension and thrill is based on the fact the hero, Hawke, a member of the Wolf Breed Compound, has decided that Jess is his mate and there is nothing that will stand in his way of having her. Neither Jess’ own guilt, or the person trying to kill her, or Hawke’s own community will keep him from having her, and have her he does. The great part of this story is the belonging theme as Jess is accepted back into the very community she once betrayed. Trust me, you’ll accept her too. By the way, Laura has a slew of “breed” stories published if you’re looking for more. http://www.loraleigh.com/

GUEST NEXT WEEK
I’m thrilled to have inspirational romance writer Kim Watters joining us next week to talk about her new release from Steeple Hill (Harlequin), ON WINGS OF LOVE. She handles an interesting topic in this romance with a heroine who delivers life-saving organs and a gruff charter plane pilot with a dog. One lucky commenter next week will win Kim’s gift. For more on Kim go to http://www.kimwatters.com/html/newest__release.html and be sure to stop by next week and leave a comment.

Setting Goals

There is something very intimidating about the word “resolution.” Maybe it’s the legal sound of it or simply the power of the consonants that give the word such and intimidating air. To me, a resolution is something that must be done which means there is absolutely no wiggle room whatsoever. Either you have met your resolution or you haven’t. There’s no grey area.

I like grey area. So, I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, besides January is the only time I ever think to make a resolution anyway. No, I set goals. I like the word “goal.” It has an optimistic ring to it, a belief that it can be achieved if serious effort is put into it, and inherent in the word is the notion that if it is not met, the world will not come to an end. Yes, I like goals.

In my last blog post I agreed to share some of my goals if others shared theirs. Well they did, so here I am with a few of my goals for the year. First off, one of my goals is to read at least one romance novel a month. It is said that the more you write the harder it is to read and yet the prevailing wisdom is that if you don’t read, you won’t keep up with the industry. So, one of my goals is to read a book a month and of course that means I’ll have to tell everyone what I thought about it right here on Happily Ever After Thoughts. I hope some of you will share your thoughts on books you read this year as well. You can either talk about them in a comment or email me at alexis@alexiswalkerauthor.com and I will put your thoughts up as a post.

Another goal I have this year is to finish my current work in progress by April 1. I think I can do this. It means writing approximately 72 pages a month plus revising. I have my schedule laid out with days off when I know I’ll need them, so I should be able to reach that goal.

As you can see from these two (of my 14) goals for the year, they come in all shapes and sizes and deadlines. I think it’s important to have little goals as well as big ones. That way when I achieve my little ones, I’m so energized by having accomplished them, that I’m ready to tackle the bigger ones. I call this self positive reinforcement.

Do you have any goals for this year, next month, tomorrow? Have you found a strategy to help you meet your goals? Do you tell your friends, write them down, promise yourself chocolate if you make them? If you have ideas on how to meet goals, please share. We could all use a little help.

Results of “Reading Over the Holidays”

I had 10 whole days free to tackle the to-do list I brainstormed which included six books. So the question is, did I meet my goal? You decide how I did.

I read Nicole North’s KILTED LOVER first since I told her I would. After that book I emailed her and asked if I could have a Scott too. I think every reader should be able to have a Scott (the hero). He’s hunky, a construction worker who is also a caber tosser. I’m talking muscular, but oh so sweet and very honorable. What more could you want? Wait, there was more, a whole lot more of him because this was an erotic romance.

Next, I read Jennifer Ashley’s THE LONGEST NIGHT in the anthology A CHRISTMAS BALL and I timed it perfectly. I started it on Christmas Eve and finished it on Christmas night. It was wonderful! I loved Mary, the heroine, because she was responsible and helpful and used a sword when she had to. And Valentin was hot as usual and honorable, and between them they saved the day. By the way, Valentin is a Logosh so he can turn into a wolf or this demon type thing with claws. Talk about feeling protected! I have to admit I was surprised by who the villain ended up being. Then again, Jennifer also writes mysteries so it’s no wonder I didn’t have a clue till the end.

After Christmas I read Kathryne Kennedy’s MY UNFAIR LADY. Okay, I have to gush here. I totally loved this book. In addition to a great hero, Byron, who comes to know Summer better than she knows herself, and a heart warming heroine, Summer, who carries a knife, is sweet and, well “Tarnation,” you just gotta love her, Kathryne pulls out all the stops. She adds to Summer a penchant for saving helpless animals and a worshipful young boy plus a number of funny happenings that make you smile. This book was a delight. I was cheering by the end. Truly a lovely read.

So I thought, three down, now what? I jumped into HEART OF GLASS by Kayla Janz. This book was well written, hot, and a “dreams come true” story about a man making it to the big time in the music business and a woman coming out of her shell. This one was true erotic romance and not for those uncomfortable with this subgenre. After reading this book I’m even more excited about having joined Kayla’s critique group.

Okay, so I had two more to go. I knew I couldn’t possibly read a nonfiction book on writing as fast as a romance (I really wanted to take it all in), so I decided to start reading a chapter a day of THE FIRE IN FICTION by Donald Maass. He gives a writer permission to go beyond what we’ve been taught to do and I think it will definitely improve my work. However, I have to admit that as of today, I still have two chapters left to read.

Lastly, I was to read Denise Domning’s LADY IN WHITE. I have started it, but have not finished it, so I’ll be posting about that book hopefully next week. So what do you think? How’d I do on my reading list?

It was incredibly motivating to post what I planned to read on this blog where anyone could see it and hold my feet to the fire. So since this is a New Year and goal setting is hot right now, please write and let me know what you would like to achieve this month, this year, by April 1st, whatever. Do you want to get a certain book read, re-read a keeper, complete a trilogy, clean your house (yuck)? Let me know. If you tell me your goals, I tell you you mine :-)

Happy New Year! Alexis

Reading Over the Holidays

Who doesn’t look forward to having time off, a break from the same old routine? I know I do. This holiday season I’m not traveling, or visiting family or anything. When I realized I had 10 days to do whatever I wanted, my mind started racing so fast it made me light headed! Ten whole days, what could I do with all that time, in addition to writing that is :-) It took a whole three minutes to make a list longer than my pad of paper, so I thought I’d better just share what I hope to read over this holiday season.

First, I must read Nicole North’s KILTED LOVER. I bought this eBook as soon as it came out and it has been waiting for me for over a month! I’ve read a novella by Nicole and really enjoyed it, so I am looking forward to this next one by her. Besides, who can resist a guy in a kilt? But beware, this is a very hot novel. http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Next, I just have to read Jennifer Ashley’s THE LONGEST NIGHT in the anthology A CHRISTMAS BALL. I absolutely love everything this amazing lady writes and I know reading her novella will add to my Christmas spirit! This story takes up where her novel HIGHLANDER EVER AFTER left off and that was a wonderful romance with a touch of paranormal. http://www.jennifersromances.com/NewSite/Books/ChristmasBall.html

I also plan on reading Kathryne Kennedy’s new book MY UNFAIR LADY. It’s set in 1885 London, but the heroine is from America and has come to England to get polished up. Her “tutor” so to speak, is an impoverished Lord and from what Kathryne has said, it is a fun and humorous book. I’m all for laughing during the holiday season! http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

In addition to these books, I simply have to read Denise Domning’s A LADY IN WHITE which has been re-released by CVS Pharmacy. Denise gave me some great pointers on improving one of my manuscripts so I can’t wait to read her book. With Queen Elizabeth pulling the strings, this book promises to be a great escape back in time. http://www.denisedomning.com/white.htm

This next book I want to read is Kayla Janz’ HEART OF GLASS which features a rock star and is an erotic romance. What a combination! This is the second book in her RIGHT MAN . . . RIGHT NOW series. Definitely want to read this one soon, especially as I will be joining Kayla’s critique group in January. http://www.kaylajanz.com/

Lastly, of great importance and edification, but probably not quite as fun as the others, I plan to read Donald Maass’ new book THE FIRE IN FICTION. I’m hearing wonderful comments about this book by this agent extraordinaire, so I’m hoping to learn a lot to utilize in my own work. http://www.maassagency.com/books.html

So those are my reading plans for the holidays, how about you? Do you have any plans to read? If you do, please share. I would love to hear what you plan for your reading pleasure.

A Take On Writing Contests

Here at Happily Ever After Thoughts I usually focus on romantic fiction, but this week I’m taking a side road to talk about nonfiction. Actually, it’s about my article that was published in this month’s Romance Writers Report and I’m so excited about it! The article is titled “Contests: Proving Ground” and it’s about how writers’ contests can help a pre-published writer develop habits and skills that will stand her in good stead when she becomes a published author. I’ve pasted the beginning in here, but if you want to read it in its entirety you can go to my website at http://www.alexiswalkerauthor.com/ and click on "articles." I hope you like it.

Contests: A Proving Ground

Unpublished writers can gain much from writing contests

Contests are a great way to hone a writer’s skill and develop good author habits as long as the contest route is taken with “practice” in mind. Like making the Olympic team, we need to develop a routine, exercise our muscles, practice our art, and enter competitions, so when we make the publishing team, we have a solid foundation on which to build and we won’t let our teammates down.

But we must be very conscious of how we approach this path and what our expectations are. If we enter contests simply hoping our entry will pass the test of the first-round judges who will pass it along to the final judge who will then request the full manuscript, and love it so much they’ll decide to publish it, then we are losing out on the education that can be gained from the experience itself. Not every competition will be won, but we can take something away from every competition entered.

The Reality
Feedback is probably the most controversial area of entering a contest. Horror stories abound about the belittling judge who told a writer never to write another word. To me, this type of critique tells me more about the judge than the work. However, it amazes me that a writer will receive feedback from three judges and two will offer wonderful praise and the third will trash it. The writer can’t stop talking about, and, yes, obsessing over, the negative feedback. Granted, positive critiques don’t give you a lot to work on, but, for some reason, we always focus on the one negative. Are our egos really so delicate? For writers, they’d better not be, or trips to the psychologist will far outpace trips to the bank!

Yes, getting a harsh critique can be tough, but guess what? Editors and agents are not all going to have the same opinion. They aren’t going to like the same genres, writing styles, voices, and plot lines. They will come to your manuscript with their own personal biases and beliefs, just as the many volunteer judges do for our chapter contests. Some editors will think my manuscript needs work. Others may think it should be thrown in the trash (though they won’t say so), and then, there will be that one editor who thinks my story has great potential and will want to publish it.

Notice the similarity? The judging portion of the contest world is simply a microcosm of the publishing world. It is a competition for your Olympic manuscript. Feedback from the “good” judges is like our coaches sharing their experience and wisdom. The feedback from the “bad” judge is the opposing team’s trash talk. Are we really going to waste time on trash talk?

To read more go to http://www.alexiswalkerauthor.com/index.php?id=20

Kathryne Kennedy - My Unfair Lady

This week I'm very excited about a new book that came out today, MY UNFAIR LADY. It's by one of my favorite authors Kathryne Kennedy. She is a great writer and a truly wonderful person. But instead of talking about the book and the lady here, I am posting a link to another blog where you can read a great interview with Kathryne and comment for a chance to win a book from her. I already left my comment so now it's your turn :-)

The link is for the blog Jenny Loves To Read. Join me over there to get an idea of why I'm so excited!

http://jennylovestoread.blogspot.com/2009/11/interview-and-giveaway-with-sffromance.html