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Category: Beverley Bateman

Jana Richards Pre-Order Sale

When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.

In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com

To Heal a Heart – Book 2, Masonville series

(Pre-order until June 12, 2020)

Blurb for To Heal a Heart:

Garrett Saunders’ world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett’s rescue horse and he’ll help with repairs around her farm.

Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she’s hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett’s love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?

Excerpt for To Heal a Heart:

He pushed himself to his feet, disconcerted by his unsteadiness. He made a few halting steps toward the gate as Blair ran into the yard.

“I forgot my sweater,” she said, grabbing the garment from the back of a chair and slipping it on. “It’s cooler than I thought. Are you sure you don’t want to watch the fireworks with us?”

“No, I—”

His words were cut off by a loud explosion, and his only thought was that he had to protect Blair. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground, covering her body with his. He was under attack. Why was Blair in Afghanistan? How could he keep her safe?

Through the chaos and noise he heard her muffled voice beneath him. “Garrett, you’re crushing me.”

He shifted his weight slightly. “Shh. I’m sorry. You have to stay down and quiet. I can’t let them hurt you.”

She stopped struggling. “Who’s going to hurt me?”

“Can’t you hear the mortar fire? I have to protect you.”

Her hand rubbed his back in gentle circles. “It’s all right, Garrett. It’s only fireworks. It can’t hurt us. We’re safe here.”

He lifted his head and looked around. He was in Cole and Lauren’s back yard in Masonville. There were no bombs, no shelling, no Taliban. He looked down into Blair’s face, into the pity in her eyes. He rolled off her, disgusted with himself.

Disgusted and scared. He was losing his mind.

Buy Links: (Pre-order until June 12, 2020)

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

Amazon.UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

Amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

Amazon.fr: https://www.amazon.fr/Heal-Heart-Masonville-Book-ebook/dp/B0875SLGK6

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-heal-a-heart-jana-richards/1136868654?ean=2940162717966

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/to-heal-a-heart/id1508639914

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://www.janarichards.com

Blog:  http://janarichards.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards

Amazon UK Author Page:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG

Newsletter Signup: http:// janarichards.com/contact.html#newsletter

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards  

Self-Editing Tips

I just finished self-editing my book before I sent it off to an editor. And, of course, as soon as I emailed it off, I’m thinking I should have gone through and edited it one more time using Stacy Juba’s tips.

What about you? Do you self-edit? Do you need help with self-editing? Stacy Juba is an author and an editor. She has a helpful website and a free editing class at https://www.shortcutsforwriters.com/ Check it out.

She’s also written a book on self-editing, Book Editing Blueprint: The simple path to editing and transforming your novel – one step at a time.

http://shortcutsforwriters.thinkific.com/courses/book-editing-blueprint-a-step-by-step-plan-to-make-your-novel-publishable

Here are some of her tips to follow.

1. Search for these overused words: look, eyes, walk, stand, stood, gaze. For each use, evaluate whether you want to cut it, change it, or keep it.

2. Check for clichés, like eyes as big as saucers or hit like a ton of bricks and try to make a twist on them.

3. Cut down on -ly adverbs such as quickly, quietly, slowly, completely, angrily.

4. Are you telling an emotion rather than showing it?

5. Check for vague words: some, that, very, as, just. Cut down on them.

6. Remove excess prepositions. (words like above, at, by, down, for, in, inside, of, to, up, with.)

7. Look for too many sentences in a row starting with The, A, or An and vary the sentence structure

8. Run spell checks to clean up basic typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors.

These come from www.shortcutsforwriters.com Featuring the online course: Book Editing Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Plan To Making Your Novels Publishable stacy@stacyjuba.com Line Editing Made Simple Cheat Sheet.

Writing During Corona Virus

From a writer’s point of view we should be thanking the corona virus. We are supposed to stay-at-home or shelter-at-home. How awesome is that?       We’ll have time to write. Well, some of us maybe.

If you have children who are not in school, and/or daycare, you’re busy doing home schooling and planning activities to keep your children occupied. After a day of this I’m sure by the evening and after they’re in bed, you’re exhausted. You might try writing 100 words a day. It’s about a paragraph and over a period of time you can get a lot written. If you need accountability to do this, there is a Groups.io – 100 words for 100 days.

Or maybe you have your husband and other family members, older children or parents, also staying at home with you. There’s no place for you to write or a private spot where you can concentrate. A suggestion for you might be the bathroom – lock the door and write your novel by hand. It stimulates a different section of the brain and might work. Then when you have access to a computer you can type your work and edit at the same time.

Another option if you do have a space to write and can fit it in, you might find you’re not motivated to write. You stare at the computer. You reread what you have written so far. You doodle about where the story might go. You stare into space as you try to get inside your characters head, but they’re not cooperating. It’s possible you might even be a little depressed by what’s going on in the world and the isolation. Reach out to friends by phone or online. Again, maybe find a way to be accountable for writing even 100 words a day.

How are you coping? Any suggestions for struggling writers who aren’t getting the words down as they would like.

January News 2020

Happy New Year!

 

Can you believe it’s not only a new year, but a new decade? Welcome to 2020.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season, whatever you celebrate or not.

 

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions, because they place high expectations, they never last and most of the time they’re a good or bad and not measurable. I do set goals for the year. Then I assess them every few months and may adjust them. I usually set goals for different areas of my life. For example, - Nutrition goals. This year I want to work harder on following the Mediterranean Diet. Exercise – I need to get back to working out and my goal is to work out at least three times a week and try to do 7000 steps a day. I don’t usually make 10,000.

 

And I have writing goals. At the top of my list is Finish the Damn Book. I am still writing and editing Death Southern Style. I have a beta reader ready to read and share her opinion If anyone would like to be a beta reader for me, please contact me at babateman@shaw.ca . I’d love to have another person share their honest opinion of my book. I have an editor waiting for me to submit. I’m looking at another week it should be finished and edited by me and then off it goes.  I did get a cover. Yes! It hasn’t been revealed yet – so this will be the first time I’ve posted it.

 

Once it’s gone for editing, I want to get back to working on The Foundation – Lydia’s Story.

 

This month I’m not doing a lot of promotion. I want to finish Death Southern Style and start promoting it. Hopefully next month.

 

All month you can check out my book and be eligible to win a $50 amazon gift card at Rafflecopter http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e226730a42/ 

 

January 25 - Group Blog – start at https://beverleybateman.blogspot.com/and this month the topic is “How can contemporary fiction cope with the rapid changes of today’s world?”

 

Don’t forget to check out my blog and some great authors with their new books and other information at https://beverleybateman.blogspot.com/ and post comments.

 

 

Here’s here is a recipe from Death Southern Style for Red Beans and Rice

 

RED BEANS AND RICE (Serves 10 - 12)

  • 1-pound dried red beans, rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped ham
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch cayenne
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 1/2-pound smoked sausage cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2-pound smoked ham hocks
  • 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 10 cups chicken stock, or water
  • 4 cups cooked white rice

 

 

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

 

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped ham and cook, for 1 minute. Add the onions and celery to the pot. Season with the salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and stock or water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours.

 

Remove from the heat mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

April Update

While we have April Fool’s Day, Good Friday and Easter this month, we also have the Corona Virus or Covid 19. This affects everyone in both Canada and the United States and the usual Easter celebrations have all been canceled. That includes the church services.

 

I returned from the warm south and crossed the border into Canada to freezing, cold ice and snow. I immediately went into self-isolation. It’s been an interesting experience and after my fourteen days isolation are over, we move to stay-at-home, or shelter-in-place. Except for grocery shopping, picking up medications or emergencies, we stay home for probably the next month and possibly two months. We have our newly adopted rescue dog, who is adjusting to the cold weather. We do get to walk him but must stay away from anyone.

 

 

Schools are closed, all non-essential business are closed, many grocery stores are counting the number of people allowed inside at any one time. Wherever you are, and what ever the rules, laws or recommendations in your area, I hope you obey them, stay safe and hopefully keep others safe.

 

In our area the self-isolation and stay-at-home are laws. If you are found to break these laws, there are fines starting at $1000.

 

On the positive side, I finally finished Death Southern Style. I’m doing the last read and edit now and hope to send it off shortly. And since I’m spending more time at home, I’m doing some organization and plan to get back to work on Lydia’s story.

 

I’m also still not doing much self promoting for April, for several reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am doing Spring Break Bookapalooza on April 28 at https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/bookpromos/categories/spring-break-bookapalooza 

 

The most important things are to avoid large groups over 8-10 people, physical distance – stay six feet apart from anyone, and wash your hands frequently – at least twenty seconds with soap and water. Stay safe and have a good month.

 

 

 

Sara’s emotionally abusive husband dies unexpectedly. She’s struggling to reclaim the intelligent, independent person she was before she married. She vows never to let a man take over her life again. Now she’s part of a special team, training to help other women.

 

Mac is has been responsible for training women in special ops techniques so they are prepared when they are challenged to save other women. When he meets Sara sparks fly between them. He wants her to quit the training and let him take care of her.

 

Sara graduates and now she and her team have to save Sara’s daughter from a serial killer. Can Mac step back and trust her in a dangerous situation? Can Sara and Mac resolve their issues, or will they go in opposite directions?

 

May Update

May?? Not sure we will have a lot going on this month. Canada has Victoria Day Weekend and the US has Memorial Day. In Canada all celebrations have been cancelled because the Corona Virus is still with us. In Canada, as of today, we have 53,236 cases of the Covid virus and 3,184 deaths. And it doesn’t look like we’ve peaked. We’re doing still on an upward curve.

 

We’re still on lock down and stay-at-home. It’s an interesting time. Many parts of the world have had varying degrees of infection and they have handled them in different ways. Some are slowly starting to open up. We’ll see how it works. I have no comment on what appears to work better. Before we get a treatment and hopefully a vaccine. I do believe that the one thing that works is social/physical distancing, staying at least six feet apart. The second thing is hand washing, frequently and for at least twenty seconds. Avoid crowds. Face covering in close distances. All these things appear to help slow the infection, flatten the curve and hopefully reduce the number of deaths.

 

 

I’m doing stay-at-home. I shop once a week, wear gloves and a mask and stay at least six feet from anyone. Am I going stir crazy? Oh, yeah. The weather is finally warming up so I can spend a little time outside in the yard – but then we have the wind. Like many writers I have used the time to write. I was challenged to do 100 words a day for April. I accepted the challenge and wrote at least 100 words every day and reported in, to my challenger. It helped and I did write. I finished editing Death Southern Style.

 

I had to find a new editor, but the book is now at an editor. And I’m hoping to get it back, do the revisions, and get it to my formatter before the end of the month. I make get it up for sale yet. And with my 100 words a day I also pulled out The Foundation Lydia’s Story, the second in the series, and started back writing that book. I’ve heard many writers are getting lots of writing done with stay-at-home. That’s one good thing related to the virus. There should be lots of new books out there to read while staying-at-home.

 

There are also a couple of other positive thins with the virus. There is limited transportation and the air around the world is cleaner than it has been for a long time. Also, the SPCA’s and other pet control centers are empty. All the animals have been adopted. So, hold that thought, and let’s hope May is a good month for all, including writers.

 

 

 

I’m hoping Death Southern Style will be available for sale by June. Once I get a pre-order date, I’ll start to promote it. Until then I’m taking a break. Besides, with stay-at home I tend to be a little brain dead at time and I was too late to get in on a couple of promotions.

 

Since I’m working On Lydia’s story, here’s an excerpt (draft).

 

Hidden in the shadows they watched the guards change. The heavy Peruvian undergrowth prevented any sun shining through but keep the humidity locked in, giving the air a sauna-like feel.

"Ready?" Lydia whispered.

Sara nodded, and edged toward the path. She got the assignment because she spoke fluent Spanish. With her dyed black and make up darkening her skin she looked Peruvian. Mac had helped her dye her hair and use the skin darkener. He really had come a long way. With a quick glance at her team she pulled a scarf over her head and sauntered towards the prison gate.

Maggie beside her. She dropped into the undergrowth when they approached the guard.

The guard stopped Sara.

"I'm working in the kitchen today. Maria is sick."

He nodded and waved another guard to escort her.

"Scuse." Sara bumped into him as she passed, pocketing his gate key.

Maggie crawled close in the underbrush. Sara dropped the key. Maggie’s hand shot out and grabbed it. Sara proceeded into the prison.

In the kitchen Sara removed her scarf and pulled on an apron. The head cook shouted at her in Spanish to make the soup.

Sara swallowed a smile. The soup would be perfect. She added bouillon and water. She glanced around the room, pulled out a slim container from her pocket and dumped a large portion of the powder into the cauldron. She hummed a melody from her childhood and continued to stir the soup. This had been easier than they expected, but would the rest of the plan work as smoothly?

When she finished the soup Sara checked the coffee. She added more water and a generous dump of powder.

A few hours later, after finishing the menu for dinner Sara left the prison. Maggie put her hand out from behind a bush near the gate and returned the key to Sara.

The gate guard stared at Sara. She smiled at the guard, ran her fingers up his chest ss she returned his key. Then, smiling, she swaggered down the trail, hips undulating, as she headed toward town.  Around the corner she slipped off the trail into the darkness of the jungle where her team waited.

"They should sleep well." Sara grinned as they crept through the underbrush to the temporary camp they had set up.

Several hours later, in the pitch black of night, the four women made their way back to the prison gate. Dressed in fatigues and black face the women waited outside the prison gate for the change of guards.

Lydia nodded and they crept forward to the gate. Inside a guard slumped to one side, leaning against the pillar, snoring loudly.

Maggie pulled out the duplicate key they had made and opened the gate just enough for the women to slip inside.

Once in the courtyard Maggie grabbed the sleeping guard's keys. Sara led the way through the prison, at a fork in the path she turned away from the kitchen and toward the cells. In the cells they searched for Dr. Miguay. A few inmates woke, shouting to be released. Most slept soundly.

Dr. Miguay had a cell to herself near the end. Opening the cell door, Sara opened the cell door.  The doctor slept soundly.  "Damn, she must have eaten the soup. Quick, Maggie, the antidote."

Maggie dug into her pack and handed Sara a syringe. Sara shot it into the doctor's upper arm and waited.

She continued to sleep on her cot for several more minutes. Finally her eyes flickered open. She stared up at the four women.

Speaking in Spanish Sara said, "We're here to rescue you. We're Americans. We're taking you to the United States."

 

 

The Fourth Victim at N.N. Light’s Spring Break Bookapalooza giveaway

Looking for something to read these days? Check out The Fourth Victim at N.N. Light’s Spring Break Bookapalooza giveaway at https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/post/the-fourth-victim-sbb for a giveaway. #MFRWAuthor #RomanticSuspense #NNLight

Here’s an excerpt from  The Fourth Victim :

The four shadowy forms in black crouched low, inching closer to the Shiraz prison wall. Darkness blurred the outline of the prison and its towers. Dense clouds blocked any shard of moonlight from slipping through the ebony night, providing cover for the four. The fall rain had stopped.

The corner search lights swung slowly in a circle, cutting through the darkness. The first form held up a hand. The rest flattened onto the dry terrain. The lights swung back across the area. The total rotation took three minutes.

Two uniformed guards marched past. They followed the perimeter toward the far corner of the tower.

Several seconds after the guard’s past, the shadows raced toward the main road. Two dived to the ground by the side of the road. The other two raced across the road and disappeared into the bushes against the outer prison wall. They slumped down onto the Iranian soil.

After a quick survey of the area, Fareeda, the taller, sturdier figure, stood up. She checked her shoes and adjusted her harness before shooting a light-weight hook, specifically designed by The Foundation, to the top of the wall.

A thud echoed through the silence when it landed. Both women held their breath. There was no response from inside. They exhaled slowly.

Fareeda grabbed the rope attached to the hook and began her climb up the stone surface.

At the call of a heron from the other side of the road, Fareeda paused and flattened herself against the structure. Below her Assif dropped face first to the ground.

Two more guards advanced. They continued past on another trip around the perimeter and disappeared around the corner.

Seconds later Fareeda resumed her upward climb. She stopped briefly when the lights swept past. Three more minutes and it would be back again. She scrambled the last few feet to a small ledge where she swung a second large, grappling hook over the barbed wire. The hook locked onto the edge of the wall. The prisoner could slide down, once Assif rescued her from her cell.

Fareeda grabbed the ropes, swung out from the wall and rappelled down quickly. At the bottom, the shorter, smaller framed person grabbed the rope.

“Your turn, Assif. Be careful,” Fareeda whispered into her headphone. “There are more guards on they said, and the search lights are shorter than reported. Our information isn’t accurate. If she’s not in the cell, rappel down quickly. We can come back later if we have to. We don’t want to get caught in this country.”

Fareeda watched Assif grab both ropes and began her upward scale of the wall. She paused at a small window fifty feet above and peered through the bars.

Another heron cry broke the night.

Four guards marched into the escape area. Searchlights flashed on, focusing on the area.

“Assif, abandon the project! Get down here now!” Fareeda whispered into her headset.

A man’s voice shouted in Arabic. They ran toward Fareeda.

Assif rappelled down in two or three long jumps. She started to run as soon as her feet hit the ground. Over her shoulder Fareeda saw two guards grab Assif. They hit her over the head. Her last view was Assif being pulled toward the prison gate.

Shots rang out.

Buy Links for The Fourth Victim

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ97L8M?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-fourth-victim-9

Itunes https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-fourth-victim/id1440048796?ls=1&mt=11

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Beverley_Bateman_The_Fourth_Victim?id=_Od3DwAAQBAJ

Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fourth-victim-saras-story-beverley-bateman/1129787236;jsessionid=DCE3DC6D307F1874CC82403A3F744C44.prodny_store01-atgap02?ean=2940155751731  

Cynthia Terelst and her Latest The Cat’s Out of the Bag

Cynthia Terelst is a project officer by day and a writer by night. She is a contemporary romance writer who likes to share a little bit of history, some Australian scenery and a whole lotta love. Cynthia does not shy away from difficult topics, as she feels that they should not be ignored.

She lives in Queensland, Australia, where the sun shines at least 283 days a year.

Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?

Cynthia: I write young adult and contemporary romance. Young adult appeals to me because there are so many trials and tribulations that young adults go through, and I would like to be a voice of hope. I have always enjoyed reading romance. When I was a teenager, I read Sweet Dreams books, staying up late into the night to finish them. So, writing contemporary romance makes sense to me.  

Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?

Cynthia: I don’t think anyone influenced me.  My high school teacher gave me a lot of encouragement. An older friend, who was a published author, read my book and said I wrote well. It made me feel good to hear those words.

I stopped writing for thirty years as I enjoyed the adventure of life. Then a friend at work told me about the novel she was writing, and I felt the urge to start up again. She taught me an awful lot about writing, editing and the industry in general.

Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?

Cynthia: Everything. I look around and find creativity everywhere – in nature, through people, listening to stories. Sometimes while I’m writing I do so in silence. Other times I like to listen to music or have the TV on in the background. Sometimes I get stuck on a word or thought, other times the words just flow from me.

Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why?

Cynthia: I don’t watch cartoons much anymore. If I were to think back to my childhood, oh so long ago, I think I would say The Flinstones because they were a lot of fun.

Beverley: Who would you love most to meet ‘in person’ and why?

Cynthia: I’m not starstruck by anyone in particular.  I think I would like to meet other authors to talk about our experiences and to feel like part of a community.  Writing can sometimes be a lonely pastime/career. I connect with authors on Facebook, but apart from my friend at work I don’t know anyone else who writes.

Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day what would you do with it?

Cynthia: Read to my heart’s content! I am going on a cruise soon and I will be sure to take a couple of books along.

Beverley: What are you working on now?

Cynthia: I’m working on my next novel in my Love Down Under series, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. It is a second chance romance based in Sydney, Australia.  Shepherd has been floundering ever since Tara left him without a word five years ago. In the hope of winning her back he creates a million-dollar scavenger hunt. His plan is solid, until he learns that Tara has plans for the winnings which don’t actually exist.

Blurb for The Cat’s Out of the Bag

One van. Two hearts. Thousands of kilometres.

Jesse’s a self-made billionaire who yearns to get away from his empty life and the money-hungry parasites who inhabit it. The plan? Go to Australia, tell no one about his money and find himself. Instead of finding just himself, he finds Evie, who is everything anyone should aspire to be. Now, what he aspires to be, is hers. But to be hers, he needs to tell her everything.

Evie has left her past behind. She has rebuilt herself, and her life, into one of happiness. After she meets Jesse, while volunteering at a cat shelter, memories of her past filter back in. She is stronger now and wants to trust him. But after all she has been through, is trust even possible?

The quest to find a cat a forever home leads them to travel across the country together. Can the close quarters drive them to open up to each other? Or will it drive them apart?

Excerpt from  The Cat’s Out of the Bag

Jesse

The wave petered out, and I paddled back to the line-up. Sitting, watching, waiting. The constant breeze in my ears and the sound of waves breaking relaxed me. Lulled by the gentle rise and fall of the swells, I thought about Evie.

She was one of the most complicated people I’d ever met. Whatever she had been through had made her strong and independent. But underneath, she was all doubt. I could see her trying to be brave, but that could change in an instant as her insecurities took over. I felt like it was a fight between Nick and me, and I didn’t even know the guy. I didn’t know how to beat a ghost. But I would. I would figure it out, and I would gain Evie’s trust, bit by bit.

Her. Me. That’s what I would strive for.

Buy Link for Cats Out of the Bag

Social Media Links

Website http://cynthiaterelst.com/

Newsletter https://www.subscribepage.com/p9p9y0

Blog http://cynthiaterelst.com/blog/

Twitter @CynthiaTerelst

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cynthiaterelstauthor/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cynthiaterelstauthor/

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cynthia-terelst

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/author/ref=dbs_P_W_auth?_encoding=UTF8&author=Cynthia%20Terelst&searchAlias=digital-text&asin=B07ZCTX8SB

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/cynthiaterelst

Writing and Stay-at-Home Effect

How has the corona virus and stay-at-home or shelter-at-home affected your writing and maybe your life?

I’ve done the two weeks of self-isolation and then rolled over into stay-at-home. I’ve been doing stay-at-home for just over two weeks now, except for that brief visit to the hospital. Sometimes the day feels almost surreal. I get up and it’s like I meditate, do a few exercises, email, write – repeat.   Same as the day before.

I’m home all day. I should be pushing out the words and getting a book written. Instead I stare at the computer, do a little research, finally put some words on the page, stare at the page some more.  I feel brain dead. No inspiration. Okay, I’m going to write 500 words a day. Hopefully some of them make sense. But first I need to get something to eat. And maybe find a recipe I can make for dinner.

Okay, back to work. I get 300 words down on the page. My character feels wooden. Not sure how the plot is working. Maybe I’ll email a couple of people and see how they’re doing. I should check on dinner. After dinner I pound out another 100 words. I should watch the news and see how the corona virus is doing both in my area and world-wide. It looks like maybe it’s leveling off, but we’re going to be here for awhile. I figure at least another month. If I can get my act and mind together maybe I can finish a rough draft of my book in that time. Back to the keyboard and another 100 words. Done.

Okay, I got 500 words down. I’m not going to reread them tonight. Too depressing.   Maybe I’ll read a book for awhile. 

Tomorrow – repeat.

That’s a day in my stay-at-home. I grocery shop once a week or less, wear my mask and use disinfectant when I unpack my groceries. I find not having the freedom to go where, when I want and to talk to friends difficult. Phone calls aren’t the same as sitting with a friend. And it affects my writing. I’m not excited about writing. But I’ll keep writing and maybe I can finish a rough draft and when we’re allowed to go out a little more, I can revise, my mind will work better and I can turn it into a decent story.  

I’d love to hear how your days go and how it’s affecting your writing.  

Humor in Writing

How easy or difficult do you find including humor in your writing and/or have you ever incorporated a tr u e- life humorous event in your own life or the life of someone you know in a book you were writing ? Great topic. The answer is I find it very difficult to use humor in my writing. I write romantic suspense. I’m more into the plotting and darker aspects than humor. So, I looked up the definition of humor. It’s a comic quality causing amusement. I don’t write humor that makes you laugh out loud or chuckle, but maybe a tiny bit of amusement. I looked for a few examples.

In my present WIP, Death Southern Style, which I’m editing, here’s a couple of my “amusing” comments.

I wanted to talk about school and pick your brains.”

“Not sure there’s much there to pick but go ahead.” Laura grinned

“Would you like another cup of coffee?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks. If I drink any more, it’s going to start spouting         out of my ears.

In Hunted I used the Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C. as a setting. I have my hero kidnap the heroine and smuggle her across the Canadian/US border. Here’s a short blurb which uses my type of humor.   

She had no idea who the good guys or the bad guys were, but if she escaped, at least Matt would be safe. That was all that mattered.

“That won’t happen.”

“What?” She turned to meet his twinkling blue eyes.

“You ain’t goin’ anywhere, but with me.” A big smile spread across his face.

She couldn’t believe he’d read her mind.

“Because of how your mind works darlin’, I need to tie you up here in the truck while Matt and I head inside. Do you still take your coffee black?”

He remembered.

“Yeah, but you’re not seriously going to tie me up?”

“Watch me.”

“But, Matt…”

“I’ve explained to Matt that you don’t want to come to the ranch with us, so I may have to do some serious stuff to make sure we keep you with us.” He grinned down at her. “And he’s just fine with it.”

He pulled a piece of rope out from under the seat.

“What if I promised not to try to get away?”

“I don’t think I’d believe you. You’re so concerned about your son; you might just lie to me. Sorry, Magpie. You might be in the middle of nowhere and have no idea if one of these truckers could be the killer, but your first concern is for your son. I believe you’d do anything to save him and not worry about what happens to yourself.”

She bit her lower lip. He was right, but how could she convince him not to tie her up?

“No way, I’m afraid. Can I get you something to eat—breakfast sandwich, fries?”

“No thanks. I’m fine,” she snapped her stomach rumbling loudly.

Cody chuckled and picked up her good wrist with one hand and proceeded to wrap the rope around it. Careful not to bang her arm, he wrapped the other hand and tied both loosely to the bottom of the seat.

“Come on, Cody, you can’t just tie me up and leave me here.”

“It won’t be for long and it’s nice and cool in the truck. You’ll be just fine.” He winked at her. “Tell you what, since we won’t be gone very long, I won’t tie your feet together.”

“Gee, thanks.”

As he opened the door for Matt, he turned back. “I don’t want you to start screaming about being kidnapped or worse.”

He pulled out a white handkerchief.

“Cody, no, I promise I won’t scream, honest. It won’t help me escape and it will only call attention to us.”

He paused. “Good point. Okay, I’ll trust you on this, but you better behave. You don’t want to break promises in front of your son.”

She stuck out her tongue at him.

So, if you’re looking for humor in writing, maybe try some of these other authors.

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/

Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1Tb

Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/

Margaret Fieland http://margareetfieland.wordpress.com

A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/

Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/

Rhobin Courtright http://www.r hobincourtright.com

Check them all out.