What Would Your Hero Do?
Last night, I caught a few minutes of Notorious on the Biography channel. I’d seen the episode, about a daughter accused of helping her boyfriend kill her mother, once before, and the scene I walked in on last night was one the DH and I had talked about the first time around.
Backstory: The teenagers brutally murdered the mother, then left in her van, using the ATM card for money to fund a multi-state ride across I-10. They were finally stopped after a high-speed chase in Texas, in a county where the sheriff (not sure if he’s still in office) prides himself on keeping crime and those who err on the side of it out of his territory. So when he and other officers attempted to stop the van, the teens made an egregious error.
They didn’t stop.
Translation: I’m defying your authority. Heck, I’m giving your authority the finger, with both hands.
The sheriff and his deputies made them stop.
So the video . . . deputies have the two boys, suspected of carving up a woman, out on the side of the highway. They’re prone, about to be cuffed. The sheriff walks over and plants his boot in the driver’s ribs. Not a toe-first kick. A flat, tight, boot-to-the-ass kick. He did not commence to whup up on the boy, as my fifth period freshmen would put it. One very controlled, well-placed, I’m-top-dog-and-don’t-you-forget-it, you-don’t-run-from-me-in-my-county kick and he stepped away.
My first thought was “day-um.”
My second was, “If I let Tick or Cookie or whoever do that and subbed to a crit group, people would be screaming about non-heroic actions.”
What about realistic actions? We like cop heroes because they’re masculine and tough, men who live on the edge of danger. And sometimes real men who are masculine and tough, men who live at the fringes of danger, will plant a boot on your ass if you piss them off.
Example: High speed chase on the interstate, several city officers and county deputies involved. Two of the deputies are brothers with a close bond. The suspect rams the side of one’s car, sending his unit rolling several times down an embankment. Because the brother is the officer closest to the suspect now, he must stay in the chase. As medics and other officers race to check on his brother, he continues the pursuit. Finally, the suspect is stopped. The brother gets to him first and drags him from the car. Still unsure of his younger’s brother fate, he slams the suspect down on the hood of his own patrol unit to search and cuff him, probably a little harder than necessary, while snarling, “That’s for hitting my brother.” He didn’t shoot the guy or punch him or beat the snot out of him, all of which he told us later he wanted to do.
So, reigning in adrenaline and anger is heroic, right?
I think, as a reader, I forgive a lot. I mean, come on. I love Rhett Butler. Can’t make myself read the book again, but I love Rhett. He’s a cad. A scoundrel. Not hero-material.
And I firmly believe if you made the mistake of running from him, he’d place a boot to your ribs.
What realistic, yet borderline-unheroic behavior will you forgive your favorite heroes?
Backstory: The teenagers brutally murdered the mother, then left in her van, using the ATM card for money to fund a multi-state ride across I-10. They were finally stopped after a high-speed chase in Texas, in a county where the sheriff (not sure if he’s still in office) prides himself on keeping crime and those who err on the side of it out of his territory. So when he and other officers attempted to stop the van, the teens made an egregious error.
They didn’t stop.
Translation: I’m defying your authority. Heck, I’m giving your authority the finger, with both hands.
The sheriff and his deputies made them stop.
So the video . . . deputies have the two boys, suspected of carving up a woman, out on the side of the highway. They’re prone, about to be cuffed. The sheriff walks over and plants his boot in the driver’s ribs. Not a toe-first kick. A flat, tight, boot-to-the-ass kick. He did not commence to whup up on the boy, as my fifth period freshmen would put it. One very controlled, well-placed, I’m-top-dog-and-don’t-you-forget-it, you-don’t-run-from-me-in-my-county kick and he stepped away.
My first thought was “day-um.”
My second was, “If I let Tick or Cookie or whoever do that and subbed to a crit group, people would be screaming about non-heroic actions.”
What about realistic actions? We like cop heroes because they’re masculine and tough, men who live on the edge of danger. And sometimes real men who are masculine and tough, men who live at the fringes of danger, will plant a boot on your ass if you piss them off.
Example: High speed chase on the interstate, several city officers and county deputies involved. Two of the deputies are brothers with a close bond. The suspect rams the side of one’s car, sending his unit rolling several times down an embankment. Because the brother is the officer closest to the suspect now, he must stay in the chase. As medics and other officers race to check on his brother, he continues the pursuit. Finally, the suspect is stopped. The brother gets to him first and drags him from the car. Still unsure of his younger’s brother fate, he slams the suspect down on the hood of his own patrol unit to search and cuff him, probably a little harder than necessary, while snarling, “That’s for hitting my brother.” He didn’t shoot the guy or punch him or beat the snot out of him, all of which he told us later he wanted to do.
So, reigning in adrenaline and anger is heroic, right?
I think, as a reader, I forgive a lot. I mean, come on. I love Rhett Butler. Can’t make myself read the book again, but I love Rhett. He’s a cad. A scoundrel. Not hero-material.
And I firmly believe if you made the mistake of running from him, he’d place a boot to your ribs.
What realistic, yet borderline-unheroic behavior will you forgive your favorite heroes?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 3:17 PM
3 comments
:~: Friday, January 04, 2008 :~:
Time's Not A' Wastin'!
I returned to work today, after a lovely two weeks of holiday break.
Oh. My. God.
Here's what lies on my plate for the next two weeks:
1) Edits on ABM due Jan. 18.
2) Print galleys for TAC due. . . Jan. 18.
3) Two papers, two discussion postings and follow-ups, two quizzes, all the reading etc. for my graduate courses.
4) Begin teaching The Scarlet Letter.
5) Begin teaching Macbeth.
6) Begin teaching Romeo & Juliet.
7) Begin the Personal Research Project for my 11th graders.
8) Begin the I-search Research Project with my 9th graders.
9) Supervise the transition to semester two of the Senior Project with my 12th graders.
10) Grades due Jan. 8.
Did I mention my house is undergoing eight weeks' worth of intensive renovations?
There are also a pair of Monsters roaming my house who require clean clothes, sustenance and parental attention on a pretty regular basis.
There's no room for wasted time in my life. How do I stay on track? I keep a daily/weekly/monthly planner with me at all times. If it needs to get done, it goes in the planner. I set daily goals -- i.e., if ABM is 280 pages long and I have two weeks to get it edited, I need to do at least 20 pages a day to get it done. Ditto with TAC. So, for the next two weeks . . . 40 pages of editing, daily. No excuses. If I miss a day, it gets made up the next day.
I also set reminders into my Yahoo mail. This runs them along the bottom of my mail when I open it and sends me email reminders. I use this for things like my appointments to blog at my publisher blog, etc.
That's two ways I keep my head above water.
Do you have a full plate? What time management tips do you have to share?
Oh. My. God.
Here's what lies on my plate for the next two weeks:
1) Edits on ABM due Jan. 18.
2) Print galleys for TAC due. . . Jan. 18.
3) Two papers, two discussion postings and follow-ups, two quizzes, all the reading etc. for my graduate courses.
4) Begin teaching The Scarlet Letter.
5) Begin teaching Macbeth.
6) Begin teaching Romeo & Juliet.
7) Begin the Personal Research Project for my 11th graders.
8) Begin the I-search Research Project with my 9th graders.
9) Supervise the transition to semester two of the Senior Project with my 12th graders.
10) Grades due Jan. 8.
Did I mention my house is undergoing eight weeks' worth of intensive renovations?
There are also a pair of Monsters roaming my house who require clean clothes, sustenance and parental attention on a pretty regular basis.
There's no room for wasted time in my life. How do I stay on track? I keep a daily/weekly/monthly planner with me at all times. If it needs to get done, it goes in the planner. I set daily goals -- i.e., if ABM is 280 pages long and I have two weeks to get it edited, I need to do at least 20 pages a day to get it done. Ditto with TAC. So, for the next two weeks . . . 40 pages of editing, daily. No excuses. If I miss a day, it gets made up the next day.
I also set reminders into my Yahoo mail. This runs them along the bottom of my mail when I open it and sends me email reminders. I use this for things like my appointments to blog at my publisher blog, etc.
That's two ways I keep my head above water.
Do you have a full plate? What time management tips do you have to share?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 1:07 PM
3 comments
:~: Friday, December 21, 2007 :~:
Excerpt 2: HOLD ON TO ME by Linda Winfree
I was going to write this spectacularly helpful post on crafting a marketing plan, but the cold medicine is working against me. Next week. I'll even share my marketing plans.
Instead, here's a second excerpt from my latest release, Hold On to Me, now available from Samhain Publishing.
She keeps a secret buried in the past. He wants the truth—now. But an unknown killer could destroy their future.
Hold On to Me by Linda Winfree
Book Three in the Hearts of the South series.
*
Outside, he glanced up at the thunderclouds gathering in the western sky, backlit by the afternoon sun. He couldn’t shake the gut intuition that said Caitlin’s disappearance had more to do with him than with something case related.
She waited under the porte-cochere, leaning against a column, staring across the parking lot, tapping her cell phone against her lips.
“Cait?”
Not looking at him, she straightened. “Ready?”
Her voice sounded raw, strangled, the aftereffects of tears plain on her face. His chest tightened and he reached for her. “What’s wrong?”
She pulled free of his light hold, her movements jerky. “Can we go, please?”
“Not yet.” A couple entering the lobby cast them a curious look and he lowered his voice. “You were fine earlier and you’ve been crying. Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s none of your business and I wish you’d simply leave me alone.” She turned on him, eyes narrowed to green slits, sparking with bad temper. “Which part of ‘we’re colleagues’ did you not get, Calvert? I don’t go around sharing my personal life with Cook or Schaefer. What makes you different?”
Her anger set him back for all of two seconds before his own rose to match it. “Maybe the fact we had a personal relationship? Remember that, Cait? That’s what sets me apart from Cookie or Jeff, the fact you all but told me you loved me, the fact I’ve had you wrapped around me and screaming my name.”
“So the sex was good.” She strode toward the parking lot. “Get over it. I did.”
“No.” He caught up to her halfway to his truck, grabbed her arm, spun her to him. He leaned down, his face close to hers. “It was more than that and you know it. Something got in the way and hell if I know what it is—”
“God, you’re stubborn.” She fairly growled the words at him, pushing away, continuing toward his dusty Z71. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I met someone else while you were gone? Or maybe I decided I wanted something different? Or even that maybe I just didn’t want you anymore! How many times do I have to say it before it sinks through that thick skull of yours?”
Holy hell, but he was tired of this. “So that’s it?”
“That’s it.” She tugged at the door handle. “Unlock it.”
“You don’t want me.”
Ire flushed her face. “Didn’t I—”
He smothered her protest with his mouth. For a half second, she stiffened in his embrace and lifted her hands, probably to shove him away, before she clutched the front of his shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him with a hunger close to desperation. Desire barreled through him, blending with the frustrated anger, making the kiss rougher than any they’d shared before. He flattened her back against the truck, opening his mouth over hers, stroking his tongue between her lips.
She wound her arms around his waist, arching into him, and he pulled her closer, as near to him as he could get her. She stroked the bunched muscles at his lower back and he groaned into her mouth. Lord, he loved the way she touched him and it had been too damn long since he’d had her hands on him. He’d needed this since she stepped out of that car at Ash’s, since he’d come home from Missisippi. Hell, he’d needed this, needed her, the whole damn time he’d been gone, pretending to be everything he wasn’t.
He splayed his fingers at the curve of her hips. She tasted of mint and passion, the essence of her rocking him to the core. He was growing hard and heavy, an uncomfortable snugness at his groin. Heat trailed through him.
She nipped at his bottom lip, then soothed it with the tip of her tongue, pushing his need higher.
An engine rumbled on the side street and brakes whined. A horn blared, followed by a piercing male wolf whistle. Caitlin went rigid in his arms. Tick pulled away and stared into green eyes almost black with desire. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath and get his body under control.
“Now tell me you don’t want me.”
Copyright © 2007 Linda Winfree
All rights reserved ~ a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Link to book (and another excerpt): http://www.samhainpublishing.com/romance/hold-on-to-me
Instead, here's a second excerpt from my latest release, Hold On to Me, now available from Samhain Publishing.
She keeps a secret buried in the past. He wants the truth—now. But an unknown killer could destroy their future.
Hold On to Me by Linda Winfree
Book Three in the Hearts of the South series.
*
Outside, he glanced up at the thunderclouds gathering in the western sky, backlit by the afternoon sun. He couldn’t shake the gut intuition that said Caitlin’s disappearance had more to do with him than with something case related.
She waited under the porte-cochere, leaning against a column, staring across the parking lot, tapping her cell phone against her lips.
“Cait?”
Not looking at him, she straightened. “Ready?”
Her voice sounded raw, strangled, the aftereffects of tears plain on her face. His chest tightened and he reached for her. “What’s wrong?”
She pulled free of his light hold, her movements jerky. “Can we go, please?”
“Not yet.” A couple entering the lobby cast them a curious look and he lowered his voice. “You were fine earlier and you’ve been crying. Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s none of your business and I wish you’d simply leave me alone.” She turned on him, eyes narrowed to green slits, sparking with bad temper. “Which part of ‘we’re colleagues’ did you not get, Calvert? I don’t go around sharing my personal life with Cook or Schaefer. What makes you different?”
Her anger set him back for all of two seconds before his own rose to match it. “Maybe the fact we had a personal relationship? Remember that, Cait? That’s what sets me apart from Cookie or Jeff, the fact you all but told me you loved me, the fact I’ve had you wrapped around me and screaming my name.”
“So the sex was good.” She strode toward the parking lot. “Get over it. I did.”
“No.” He caught up to her halfway to his truck, grabbed her arm, spun her to him. He leaned down, his face close to hers. “It was more than that and you know it. Something got in the way and hell if I know what it is—”
“God, you’re stubborn.” She fairly growled the words at him, pushing away, continuing toward his dusty Z71. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I met someone else while you were gone? Or maybe I decided I wanted something different? Or even that maybe I just didn’t want you anymore! How many times do I have to say it before it sinks through that thick skull of yours?”
Holy hell, but he was tired of this. “So that’s it?”
“That’s it.” She tugged at the door handle. “Unlock it.”
“You don’t want me.”
Ire flushed her face. “Didn’t I—”
He smothered her protest with his mouth. For a half second, she stiffened in his embrace and lifted her hands, probably to shove him away, before she clutched the front of his shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him with a hunger close to desperation. Desire barreled through him, blending with the frustrated anger, making the kiss rougher than any they’d shared before. He flattened her back against the truck, opening his mouth over hers, stroking his tongue between her lips.
She wound her arms around his waist, arching into him, and he pulled her closer, as near to him as he could get her. She stroked the bunched muscles at his lower back and he groaned into her mouth. Lord, he loved the way she touched him and it had been too damn long since he’d had her hands on him. He’d needed this since she stepped out of that car at Ash’s, since he’d come home from Missisippi. Hell, he’d needed this, needed her, the whole damn time he’d been gone, pretending to be everything he wasn’t.
He splayed his fingers at the curve of her hips. She tasted of mint and passion, the essence of her rocking him to the core. He was growing hard and heavy, an uncomfortable snugness at his groin. Heat trailed through him.
She nipped at his bottom lip, then soothed it with the tip of her tongue, pushing his need higher.
An engine rumbled on the side street and brakes whined. A horn blared, followed by a piercing male wolf whistle. Caitlin went rigid in his arms. Tick pulled away and stared into green eyes almost black with desire. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath and get his body under control.
“Now tell me you don’t want me.”
Copyright © 2007 Linda Winfree
All rights reserved ~ a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication
Link to book (and another excerpt): http://www.samhainpublishing.com/romance/hold-on-to-me
Labels: Excerpts, Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 9:49 AM
0 comments
:~: Thursday, December 20, 2007 :~:
Now Available: HOLD ON TO ME by Linda Winfree
{Pssst, E! This is an added scene in the new version.)
She keeps a secret buried in the past. He wants the truth—now. But an unknown killer could destroy their future.
Hold On to Me by Linda Winfree
Book Three in the Hearts of the South series.
For FBI profiler Caitlin Falconetti, immersing herself in her job is the only way to quell the memories of a vicious, near-fatal attack and what it cost her, including the only man she ever loved. Better to let him think she simply rejected him, rather than reveal a painful secret that she's certain would have destroyed his feelings for her.
Investigator Lamar “Tick” Calvert is determined to clean out the corruption-riddled sheriff’s department in his hometown. While he understands Caitlin's drive to excel at her job, that doesn’t mean he's happy about the prospect of working with his former lover, the one woman he tried and failed to hold onto.
A rash of unsolved murders, including a politician's daughter, brings them together to find the murderer before another woman dies. Daily contact re-ignites the lingering attraction between them, but Caitlin won't risk opening herself and revealing her secret. She plans to complete the killer's profile, make an arrest and get out of town for good.
Tick plans to solve this case, too, but now that Caitlin's back in his life, he also plans to finally dig up the truth about why she left him.
But there's an added complication—the killer isn't done, and Caitlin could be the next target.
*
The squad room lay quiet and deserted. A subdued rumble of activity drifted up the stairs from the dispatch area, mixing with the scent of stale coffee lingering in the air.
The few bites of chile relleno Tick had forced himself to eat formed a lump in his stomach. He tucked his cigarettes in his pocket, the two he’d smoked back-to-back on the way over here not really settling him down.
He paused in the doorway to the conference room. Jeff and Cookie were nowhere in sight. Caitlin sat, reading the red leather-bound journal they’d taken from Amy’s room, a cup from the local java joint at her elbow. He watched her, the thick black silk of her hair pulled into a loose knot, the Fibbie suit traded for jeans and a simple white T-shirt under a neat seersucker jacket. One loafer-clad foot tapped the floor, a frown of concentration wrinkling her brow.
Damn, she was beautiful.
Beautiful and scarred. Not visibly damaged, but something had stolen her away from him.
Damned if he wasn’t going to find out what. If he was trapped into this working arrangement, so was she. This time, he’d make it a hell of a lot harder for her to dodge the issue.
“Find anything interesting?”
She startled like a scalded cat. The diary slid to the floor and one flailing hand collided with her coffee, sending the dark liquid across the table.
“Oh, hell!” She jumped to her feet and righted the cup. He grabbed a handful of napkins from the shelf by the door and began mopping up the mess. She glared, her eyes big and dark with fury in her pale face. “Don’t sneak up on me like that, Calvert.”
“Who’s sneaking?” He dropped the sopping mass of napkins in the trash. “I just walked into my own department and asked a simple question.”
She leaned down to retrieve the book, but he reached it first. They straightened and he proffered it, merely the length of the volume between them. She took it from him with ill grace. “A little advance warning would be nice.”
“You’re awful jumpy.” He studied her as she sank into the chair again. The color didn’t return to her face and tiny tremors shook her slender fingers. A warning flag waved in his mind.
“I was reading.”
He pulled out the chair cater-cornered and closest to hers, an old interrogator’s trick. She flicked a glance at him and shifted to the farthest edge of her seat.
“So how’ve you been?”
“Fine. Thank you.”
“Busy?” He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. He stretched his legs, crowding hers a little, forcing himself into a semblance of casual relaxation. “Probably had to drop a lot of things to come down here.”
“Not really.” She scratched a note on a legal pad, her knuckles white. “I’ve been out of the field.”
That surprised him. She lived for the damn job. At one time, he’d been fully prepared to take a backseat to that drive of hers, as long as they could be together. “Why?”
Her Montblanc pen faltered, ink smearing on the paper. She dropped it and looked up, her eyes cool and shuttered. “Did I miss something, Calvert? When did we agree to play twenty questions?”
He smiled, the “aw-shucks-good-ol’-boy” one he used whenever he had to worm his way under the defenses of a local suspect. “You said it, Falconetti, we have to work together. I’m just playing nice, making conversation.”
“Try selling that line of bull to someone who’ll buy it.” Her hands were in her lap now, but he’d bet his next pack of smokes her fingers were wound into fists. The whole line of her body screamed with tension and the need for escape. How many times had he seen that posture on a perp? “You’re digging.”
“That implies you’re hiding something.”
She pushed her chair back, obviously preparing to flee. “Hiding something? You’re deluded—”
“What is it, Cait?” He grasped her wrist, holding her in the chair with a light touch. “What the hell happened while I was in Mississippi?”
“Let go.”
“Tell me.”
“Don’t touch me.” They stared at one another, the power struggle pulsing to life, growing and twisting between them. “I mean it, Tick, let go or—”
“Or what? You’ll slap a sexual harassment suit on me? Ruin my career?” He leaned forward, ready to call her bluff. “Go for it, precious.”
The endearment he’d only ever used with her slipped out and her eyes widened, darkened. She moistened her lips and tugged against his hold. “You’re hurting me.”
Not physically. He wasn’t holding her tightly enough to do that, but he released her. She had a trapped, hunted air about her now and grim satisfaction curled through him. Oh, yeah, she was hiding something. If he could just find the weak point, break through that damn control of hers…
“I’d never hurt you and you know it.”
“Stop.” Her voice trembled and his chest tightened.
“Not until you—”
“Until nothing. We’re colleagues, Tick,” she said, cold dismissal not quite covering the lingering nervousness in her tone. “That’s all.”
“We used to be friends.”
And lovers. The words hung in the air, unsaid.
“Well, this looks cozy.”
Damn. Tick smothered a wave of frustrated anger. Cookie had the worst timing known to man. Tick straightened, making sure his expression was blank before he looked around at the other man. Cookie’s face was a study in smooth guilelessness that didn’t fool Tick for an instant.
Copyright © 2007 Linda Winfree
All rights reserved ~ a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication.
Link to book (and another, longer excerpt): http://www.samhainpublishing.com/romance/hold-on-to-me
Labels: Excerpts, Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 3:21 PM
1 comments
:~: Friday, December 14, 2007 :~:
Fun Times: Linda's First Booksigning
I don't believe the author learning curve ever ends. I'm editing book five, after the recent releases of book four in ebook and book one in print. Some of the learning curve is fun, though.Like author appearances. Now, I'm a social animal at heart. I don't like crowds, but give me a gathering of likeminded people and I'm in heaven. You know, like people who want to buy my book . . . and have me sign it.
Now, let me preface this by saying I realize this first booksigning of mine was a fluke. I live in a relatively small town (okay, so small that almost everyone is a relative -- that kind of relatively small) and the release of this book generated huge buzz.
I sold sixty copies in a week, which included the forty-plus I si
gned during the two-hour booksigning.
gned during the two-hour booksigning. (That's me handing Carol her copy.)
Anyway . . . this part of promo I could get used to: talking to people about my book. Everyone wants to know where your ideas come from and they're eager to read it . . . which leaves you wondering what they'll say if they don't like it!
(Luckily, everyone who's read it so far has loved it. I'm figuring the ones I haven't heard from . . . don't.)
(Luckily, everyone who's read it so far has loved it. I'm figuring the ones I haven't heard from . . . don't.)
Being "famous" in a small town? Oh, that's fun. Former students bring you flowers:
(That's me and Kyle -- he designed the floral display. I taught him for three years. Isn't he a sweetie? Yes, my eyes are closed.)
Then, there's having your #1 fan show up. (I get flashbacks to Stephen King when I say that, but I don't think she'll chop my foot off.)
(This is me and my mama, definitely my newest and #1 fan. I don't thinks she's read the book yet. She keeps selling her copies to people every time I sign one for her. I think she's my top marketing tool right now.)
And then all the relatives (e.g. my sisters and my niece) show up as well.
My niece loves books. I told her to pick out books for her birthday present while she was there.
I, by the way, am in trouble because the relatives (mom, sisters, niece) are not in the dedication in What Mattered Most. I will fix that before Truth and Consequences releases in April!
Overall, even with my glitches (I called an old acquaintance I'd not seen in ages by the wrong name and offended him, then got rattled and spelled someone's name wrong on the title page -- try fixing that!), it was a really great, very positive experience.
So, this part of the learning curve -- surviving my first author appearance -- I like.
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 4:41 PM
5 comments
Contest
I am coming back with a "real" post later today. I promise. :-)
But first, go check out Kate's blog for a contest in which you could win a copy of your choice from my backlist.
But first, go check out Kate's blog for a contest in which you could win a copy of your choice from my backlist.
Labels: Contests, Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 8:21 AM
0 comments
:~: Saturday, December 08, 2007 :~:
How Do I Forget to Blog?
Let me count the ways . . .
1) I somehow lose an entire week in some weird timewarp
2) A Christmas party. I did win an awesome windbreaker with our school logo.
3) 90 literary analysis essays to grade
4) A graduate paper that I waited until the day before to write (I made an A, though. I'd done the reading . . . just not the writing)
5) Complete revisions on the March release, that I'd been working on for a month, but saved the last two chapters to do the same day my graduate paper was due. Obviously, I like being insane.
6) A booksigning. The same weekend my revisions and my grad paper were due. Lots of fun, lots of socializing, lots of sales.
Again, weird timewarp. Lost the entire WEEK. Not sure where it went.
Really hope I didn't forget anything beside blogging . . .
1) I somehow lose an entire week in some weird timewarp
2) A Christmas party. I did win an awesome windbreaker with our school logo.
3) 90 literary analysis essays to grade
4) A graduate paper that I waited until the day before to write (I made an A, though. I'd done the reading . . . just not the writing)
5) Complete revisions on the March release, that I'd been working on for a month, but saved the last two chapters to do the same day my graduate paper was due. Obviously, I like being insane.
6) A booksigning. The same weekend my revisions and my grad paper were due. Lots of fun, lots of socializing, lots of sales.
Again, weird timewarp. Lost the entire WEEK. Not sure where it went.
Really hope I didn't forget anything beside blogging . . .
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 4:06 PM
2 comments
:~: Thursday, November 22, 2007 :~:
A Couple of New, Different Firsts
It's been a wild couple of weeks. I've started graduate school on top of teaching, parenting and writing, so I've been really focused on keeping my head above water. Anyone who knows me can tell you having a conversation with me lately is an interesting experience -- I'm focused, as I said, on keeping everything going, so my ability to converse is less than focused. ;-)
But, I did manage to hold myself together for two recent (and pretty darn cool) author firsts . . .
1) I signed my first copy of one of my books. It's actually a pretty neat story. I'd gone in the local bookstore because Leigh, the owner, had emailed to tell me What Mattered Most had been delivered (early, I might add!). I'd had to take Monster #2 for a checkup and while we waited for his prescriptions, we went for a coffee and a slice of Patsy's decadent chocolate cake. Afterwards, we walked next door so I could pick up a copy of Bobby Dews's book, which he was scheduled to be signing that evening. I knew I'd miss his signing.
While I was purchasing his book and talking with Leigh, in walks Mr. Dews! He was early. So we chatted about his book and Leigh mentioned I was her next booksigning. He asked to see a copy of my book and ended up buying it right there then asked me to sign it. Overall, it was a great experience -- and he was so interesting to talk to. I can't put his book down, either. He's Southern and dark and realistic. I like that.
2) I survived my first newspaper interview. I'll be featured in two local newspapers this upcoming week -- my hometown paper and the larger metro newspaper near us. Wednesday, the reporter from the metro newspaper called to conduct the interview via phone. She was really nice, asked great questions, and overall it was a fantastic experience. I'm hoping that feature comes out well. The photographer is coming out Monday to take the photo -- that makes me nervous because I am less than photogenic, y'all! There should be an online link once the article runs and I'll post that here when it does.
I'm looking forward to another first -- my first booksigning on Saturday, December 1. If you're in the south Georgia, north Florida area, drop by The Bookstore in Camilla between 10:00 and 12:00. I'd love to see you!
Y'all have a great weekend. I'm off to recover from eating too much of Mama's famous thirteen-layer chocolate cake . . .
But, I did manage to hold myself together for two recent (and pretty darn cool) author firsts . . .
1) I signed my first copy of one of my books. It's actually a pretty neat story. I'd gone in the local bookstore because Leigh, the owner, had emailed to tell me What Mattered Most had been delivered (early, I might add!). I'd had to take Monster #2 for a checkup and while we waited for his prescriptions, we went for a coffee and a slice of Patsy's decadent chocolate cake. Afterwards, we walked next door so I could pick up a copy of Bobby Dews's book, which he was scheduled to be signing that evening. I knew I'd miss his signing.
While I was purchasing his book and talking with Leigh, in walks Mr. Dews! He was early. So we chatted about his book and Leigh mentioned I was her next booksigning. He asked to see a copy of my book and ended up buying it right there then asked me to sign it. Overall, it was a great experience -- and he was so interesting to talk to. I can't put his book down, either. He's Southern and dark and realistic. I like that.
2) I survived my first newspaper interview. I'll be featured in two local newspapers this upcoming week -- my hometown paper and the larger metro newspaper near us. Wednesday, the reporter from the metro newspaper called to conduct the interview via phone. She was really nice, asked great questions, and overall it was a fantastic experience. I'm hoping that feature comes out well. The photographer is coming out Monday to take the photo -- that makes me nervous because I am less than photogenic, y'all! There should be an online link once the article runs and I'll post that here when it does.
I'm looking forward to another first -- my first booksigning on Saturday, December 1. If you're in the south Georgia, north Florida area, drop by The Bookstore in Camilla between 10:00 and 12:00. I'd love to see you!
Y'all have a great weekend. I'm off to recover from eating too much of Mama's famous thirteen-layer chocolate cake . . .
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 5:49 PM
3 comments
:~: Friday, November 16, 2007 :~:
Characters, Once Again
Picture a classroom, decorated in lots of red, white and blue befitting an American Lit class, full of inquisitive, talkative teenagers hyped up on Halloween candy. For once, they've all done the required reading (Scary -- that might be the first sign of the Apocalypse). We're thirty chapters into Kate Chopin's The Awakening, and they're excited about the developing story.
The conversation veers into making connections between this novel and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which they finished earlier in October.
"Oh! So Edna and Robert are kinda like Gatsby and Daisy!" Brittany says. "They're in love, but they can't be together because both Daisy and Edna are already married."
Sara brightens as she leans forward, eager to talk. "Yeah, and both of them are unhappy in their marriages."
Colby looks up and I know I'm in trouble. I love this kid -- he's smart and funny and likes to participate -- but when he gets that little frown between his brows . . . oh, man.
"Ms. Winfree, what's up with all these books with adultery in them?"
See? Told you I was in trouble. All twenty-two pairs of eyes swing to me. At this point, they are convinced every novel in four hundred years of American writing revolves around some adulterous situation. They're wrong, of course, but somehow I inadvertently picked an entire semester's worth of major works that do involve some aspect of that particular issue.
What I point out to my students is that in all of the works in this series (The Great Gatsby, The Awakening, The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible), adultery is not the central conflict or event. In all of them, it serves as a tool for the author to build a character, to create or enhance a main conflict, to explore a theme. Fitzgerald uses Nick Carraway's rather unreliable point of view to gloss over Gatsby and Daisy's illicit liasons. Chopin's exploration of Edna's sexual and individual awakening has the character's destruction hinging on her emotional affair rather than her physical affair. Hawthorne and Miller both have their characters suffering consequences of their actions, but with different outcomes: Hester must own up to her affair and Hawthorne uses the Puritan's treatment of her to indict their own hypocrisy; Miller's John Proctor keeps his adultery quiet too long and loses everything because of it.
So . . . four authors, one taboo, four great reads.
Four books in which the reader is induced to basically overlook the adultery for the other major ideas. I don’t have a problem with Gatsby and Daisy having an affair. I understand why Edna makes the choices she does. I get John Proctor’s straying. Same for Hester Prynne.
But.
In my office is another book, the second by an author whose first book I adored. I've had this book over a year. I can’t finish it. Can’t get past chapter four or five. Because the protagonist is about to embark on an adulterous relationship and I can’t stand it. I think she’s stupid and ungrateful. I can’t read this book.
Different author. Same taboo. A really cruddy read, for me anyway.
Why? Again, it’s the character. If she were different, maybe it would work. But because her motivations seem weak, her character comes off as weak.
As Bonnie pointed out to us earlier this week, it’s all about the characters.
The conversation veers into making connections between this novel and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which they finished earlier in October.
"Oh! So Edna and Robert are kinda like Gatsby and Daisy!" Brittany says. "They're in love, but they can't be together because both Daisy and Edna are already married."
Sara brightens as she leans forward, eager to talk. "Yeah, and both of them are unhappy in their marriages."
Colby looks up and I know I'm in trouble. I love this kid -- he's smart and funny and likes to participate -- but when he gets that little frown between his brows . . . oh, man.
"Ms. Winfree, what's up with all these books with adultery in them?"
See? Told you I was in trouble. All twenty-two pairs of eyes swing to me. At this point, they are convinced every novel in four hundred years of American writing revolves around some adulterous situation. They're wrong, of course, but somehow I inadvertently picked an entire semester's worth of major works that do involve some aspect of that particular issue.
What I point out to my students is that in all of the works in this series (The Great Gatsby, The Awakening, The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible), adultery is not the central conflict or event. In all of them, it serves as a tool for the author to build a character, to create or enhance a main conflict, to explore a theme. Fitzgerald uses Nick Carraway's rather unreliable point of view to gloss over Gatsby and Daisy's illicit liasons. Chopin's exploration of Edna's sexual and individual awakening has the character's destruction hinging on her emotional affair rather than her physical affair. Hawthorne and Miller both have their characters suffering consequences of their actions, but with different outcomes: Hester must own up to her affair and Hawthorne uses the Puritan's treatment of her to indict their own hypocrisy; Miller's John Proctor keeps his adultery quiet too long and loses everything because of it.
So . . . four authors, one taboo, four great reads.
Four books in which the reader is induced to basically overlook the adultery for the other major ideas. I don’t have a problem with Gatsby and Daisy having an affair. I understand why Edna makes the choices she does. I get John Proctor’s straying. Same for Hester Prynne.
But.
In my office is another book, the second by an author whose first book I adored. I've had this book over a year. I can’t finish it. Can’t get past chapter four or five. Because the protagonist is about to embark on an adulterous relationship and I can’t stand it. I think she’s stupid and ungrateful. I can’t read this book.
Different author. Same taboo. A really cruddy read, for me anyway.
Why? Again, it’s the character. If she were different, maybe it would work. But because her motivations seem weak, her character comes off as weak.
As Bonnie pointed out to us earlier this week, it’s all about the characters.
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 2:39 PM
3 comments
:~: Friday, November 09, 2007 :~:
Yeah, Still All About the Characters
First, the skinny on my current contest:
I'm going to leave this open 9:00 PM EST Saturday, November 10. Okay, here's the deal:
1) Visit my author page at Samhain (http://www.samhainpublishing.com/authors/linda-winfree).
2) Peruse the blurbs and/or excerpts for my current releases (What Mattered Most, Truth and Consequences and His Ordinary Life).
3) Drop me an email with SAMHAIN CONTEST in the subject line to linda_winfree at yahoo dot com (you know what to do). In the email, tell me which title you would like if your name is drawn, along with 1-2 sentences telling me why you're interested in this particular title.
4) Saturday night, I'll draw for two winners and announce them at the Samhain Cafe as well as my blog.
***
Today, the Spanish II class gifted us with the annual Spanish play. These are always an excercise in hilarity and this year was no exception. Our Spanish students chose to translate Napoleon Dynamite. Yes, you read that correctly.
Now, let me preface this by saying I didn't make it through one entire viewing of Napoleon Dynamite. My students are always horrified to hear this because, you know, "Oh, man, Ms. Winfree, that's the funniest movie ever!"
Yeah. Sure it is.
But watching the play today and watching the audience reaction, I could somewhat see the appeal of the non-funniest movie ever.
It's the characters. The kids fall in love with Napoleon, Kip, Pedro . . .
I'm a plotter all the way, but I've been reminded again lately of how important character consistency is. I'm doing some minor revisions on my spring release, Anything But Mine, before my editor and I begin the major editing process. This book is closely tied to another in my Hearts of the South series, Hold On to Me. Over the summer, I rewrote Hold On to Me, changing the backstory to up the conflict and further focus the heroine's character. But it's not the heroine who changes the character layers in Anything But Mine.
It's all Tick.
He, of course, is the hero in Hold On to Me. The hero in Anything But Mine is his close friend and colleague. There's a minor backstory issue in HOTM that affects their relationship in ABM. It's not a major point, but no way is Tick going to be all smiling and happy in Stanton's presence in ABM. He's resentful, a little angry, that some of the pain he and the heroine suffered could have been alleviated if not for one act of Stanton's. So, even though my revisions aren't major, there's quite a bit of character layering to be done to keep the characters consistent.
Have you had to revise for character consistency before? Any tips you'd care to share? Or books where you think the characters should have been more consistent?
I'm going to leave this open 9:00 PM EST Saturday, November 10. Okay, here's the deal:
1) Visit my author page at Samhain (http://www.samhainpublishing.com/authors/linda-winfree).
2) Peruse the blurbs and/or excerpts for my current releases (What Mattered Most, Truth and Consequences and His Ordinary Life).
3) Drop me an email with SAMHAIN CONTEST in the subject line to linda_winfree at yahoo dot com (you know what to do). In the email, tell me which title you would like if your name is drawn, along with 1-2 sentences telling me why you're interested in this particular title.
4) Saturday night, I'll draw for two winners and announce them at the Samhain Cafe as well as my blog.
***
Today, the Spanish II class gifted us with the annual Spanish play. These are always an excercise in hilarity and this year was no exception. Our Spanish students chose to translate Napoleon Dynamite. Yes, you read that correctly.
Now, let me preface this by saying I didn't make it through one entire viewing of Napoleon Dynamite. My students are always horrified to hear this because, you know, "Oh, man, Ms. Winfree, that's the funniest movie ever!"
Yeah. Sure it is.
But watching the play today and watching the audience reaction, I could somewhat see the appeal of the non-funniest movie ever.
It's the characters. The kids fall in love with Napoleon, Kip, Pedro . . .
I'm a plotter all the way, but I've been reminded again lately of how important character consistency is. I'm doing some minor revisions on my spring release, Anything But Mine, before my editor and I begin the major editing process. This book is closely tied to another in my Hearts of the South series, Hold On to Me. Over the summer, I rewrote Hold On to Me, changing the backstory to up the conflict and further focus the heroine's character. But it's not the heroine who changes the character layers in Anything But Mine.
It's all Tick.
He, of course, is the hero in Hold On to Me. The hero in Anything But Mine is his close friend and colleague. There's a minor backstory issue in HOTM that affects their relationship in ABM. It's not a major point, but no way is Tick going to be all smiling and happy in Stanton's presence in ABM. He's resentful, a little angry, that some of the pain he and the heroine suffered could have been alleviated if not for one act of Stanton's. So, even though my revisions aren't major, there's quite a bit of character layering to be done to keep the characters consistent.
Have you had to revise for character consistency before? Any tips you'd care to share? Or books where you think the characters should have been more consistent?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 11:36 AM
4 comments
:~: Thursday, November 01, 2007 :~:
Free Read: Chapter One of THE BEGINNING (Prequel to HOLD ON TO ME) Now Available!
Over the next six weeks, I'll be posting a chapter weekly of The Beginning, the prequel to my December release Hold On to Me, exclusively to my newsletter group. To subscribe, send a blank email to Linda_Winfree- subscribe @ yahoogroups. com without spaces. If you join before December 1, you'll be eligible to win a gift basket full of Southern goodies and a signed copy of my debut novel What Mattered Most.
I'm including a snippet of The Beginning for your reading pleasure. Happy Halloween, everyone, and I hope you enjoy this little treat!
The Beginning -- A Prequel to Hold On to Me
Coming December 11, 2007 from Samhain Publishing
CHAPTER ONE
She wanted him gone? Fine. He was gone.
Jaw clenched, fighting off an intense nicotine jones, Tick Calvert rested his chin on his fist and watched the Atlanta skyline as the plane banked for final approach. Her voice, her words, pounded in his head, echoing as they had for days. He’d done everything he could possibly do to change her mind.
But you could only kick a dog so many times before it got the message it wasn’t wanted anymore.
As of yesterday, he definitely had gotten her message, loud and clear. Now it was time to move on. Maybe being home again would help him figure out a way to do that. The landing came off without a hitch and with his FBI credentials, he made it through security with relative ease. With only his carryon, he didn’t have to worry about looking for luggage and strode toward the rental car kiosks.
“Where are you going?” The familiar female voice, filled with teasing fondness and a hint of laughter, had him spinning around.
“Tori.” He barely had time to say her name, warmth and affection spurting through him, before his baby sister launched herself at him. His carryon hit the floor, and he wrapped both arms around her, giving in to the impulse to swing her around in his embrace. His eyes burned. Lord, he’d missed her.
Once he’d set her on her feet, she plopped a kiss on his cheek and pulled back, wrinkling her nose. “You smell like cigarettes. And you look like hell.”
“Don’t curse.” The correction came automatically and she rolled her eyes. He studied her, unable to resist a wide grin. Her dark hair was longer than he remembered, pulled into a sleek ponytail, and her eyes, the same dark brown as his own, sparkled up at him with a familiar impish light. “What are you doing here?”
He’d intended to surprise his mother and the rest of his family by turning up a day early.
She reached up to tweak his nose. “Stanton ratted you out. I couldn’t wait to see you and there really wasn’t any reason to let you rent a car if I could drive you home, so here I am.”
He leaned down for his bag and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad to see you.”
Her even white teeth flashed in a grin. “Same here.”
They walked toward the bank of glass doors and she nudged his side. “Mama doesn’t know you’re here, though. I can’t wait to see her face when we turn up this evening.”
The idea warmed him further, driving out some of the chill he’d carried with him since that final confrontation yesterday afternoon. Holy hell, he was ready to be home, to be surrounded by his family and all things familiar.
He needed that. Needed it to get Mississippi out of his head. Needed it to get her out of his head.
To read more, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Linda_Winfree.
I'm including a snippet of The Beginning for your reading pleasure. Happy Halloween, everyone, and I hope you enjoy this little treat!
The Beginning -- A Prequel to Hold On to Me
Coming December 11, 2007 from Samhain Publishing
CHAPTER ONE
She wanted him gone? Fine. He was gone.
Jaw clenched, fighting off an intense nicotine jones, Tick Calvert rested his chin on his fist and watched the Atlanta skyline as the plane banked for final approach. Her voice, her words, pounded in his head, echoing as they had for days. He’d done everything he could possibly do to change her mind.
But you could only kick a dog so many times before it got the message it wasn’t wanted anymore.
As of yesterday, he definitely had gotten her message, loud and clear. Now it was time to move on. Maybe being home again would help him figure out a way to do that. The landing came off without a hitch and with his FBI credentials, he made it through security with relative ease. With only his carryon, he didn’t have to worry about looking for luggage and strode toward the rental car kiosks.
“Where are you going?” The familiar female voice, filled with teasing fondness and a hint of laughter, had him spinning around.
“Tori.” He barely had time to say her name, warmth and affection spurting through him, before his baby sister launched herself at him. His carryon hit the floor, and he wrapped both arms around her, giving in to the impulse to swing her around in his embrace. His eyes burned. Lord, he’d missed her.
Once he’d set her on her feet, she plopped a kiss on his cheek and pulled back, wrinkling her nose. “You smell like cigarettes. And you look like hell.”
“Don’t curse.” The correction came automatically and she rolled her eyes. He studied her, unable to resist a wide grin. Her dark hair was longer than he remembered, pulled into a sleek ponytail, and her eyes, the same dark brown as his own, sparkled up at him with a familiar impish light. “What are you doing here?”
He’d intended to surprise his mother and the rest of his family by turning up a day early.
She reached up to tweak his nose. “Stanton ratted you out. I couldn’t wait to see you and there really wasn’t any reason to let you rent a car if I could drive you home, so here I am.”
He leaned down for his bag and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad to see you.”
Her even white teeth flashed in a grin. “Same here.”
They walked toward the bank of glass doors and she nudged his side. “Mama doesn’t know you’re here, though. I can’t wait to see her face when we turn up this evening.”
The idea warmed him further, driving out some of the chill he’d carried with him since that final confrontation yesterday afternoon. Holy hell, he was ready to be home, to be surrounded by his family and all things familiar.
He needed that. Needed it to get Mississippi out of his head. Needed it to get her out of his head.
To read more, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Linda_Winfree.
Labels: Linda's Posts, Thursday Reads
posted by Linda Winfree at 3:56 AM
0 comments
:~: Friday, October 26, 2007 :~:
A Promotional Primer
Many times as writers, we focus only on making that initial sale. Visions of The Call and our reaction dance in our heads. Very rarely do those imaginings include the realities of what lies in wait once that first goal is realized.
For the past few months, between edits and writing a new manuscript and teaching and . . . well, you get the picture, I've been slowly developing and getting a handle on my marketing plans. Luckily, the house for which I write has a marketing director who is very accessible and eager to help. I'm also surrounded by other authors willing to share their promotional expertise. So slowly, sometimes agonizingly so, I'm getting a handle on this new learning curve called promotion and marketing.
Here's the deal: whether one sells to a large New York house, a small commercial press, an academic small press or an e-publisher, a writer will have to promote herself on some level. Samhain, the house I'm published with, has several authors who also write for larger New York companies. They've said over and over, they are expected to do as much promo on their own for their New York books as they are for their small press books. Although the print runs and distribution might be larger, the need to promote is the same.
So what works, you ask? I'm not sure, I answer. (But I'm working on it.) Buzz and name recognition are key. Branding is important. I'm getting that much down. The best ways to build buzz, etc. still eludes me (but I'm learning).
The key, I believe, is knowing your target audience. With Samhain, I have two: those who buy and read e-books and those who buy print books. (That's within those who buy romantic suspense). Therefore, I have a marketing plan for my e-releases and one for my future print releases. Although some of the techniques are the same, the approaches are different. (Why do I have to worry about promoting for an e-release, I can hear people asking, I'm only subbing to print houses. Well, the reality is that many houses, such as Harlequin and Kensington, are now producing electronic versions of their titles. And people who read e-books often buy print titles as well. I sincerely believe targeting to both markets is a smart decision.)
Now that I've rambled, here are promotional ideas that seem to have worked for me:
1) Web presence. Website, blog, MySpace, somewhere readers can find out more about you and your books. Offer them a reason to come back. No, wait. Make it impossible for them NOT to check back. Connect with your readers.
2) Reader loops. I choose these over writer loops (although I also participate in a couple of writer loops as well). Rather than joining many, many loops, I have four on which I post regularly -- my publisher loop, one for readers of suspense books, a review site's reader loop and one for readers of romance. Because drive-by promotion is annoying, I strive to be a regular presence, taking part in everyday discussions so when I am promoting my books, it's less intrusive.
3) Chats. I have not had great luck with live chats, but I believe this is due to the fact I've always gone to free-for-all chats, where many authors can chime in. It gets cluttered. I'm looking at scheduling one or two with just me or a few other authors. However, I have success with chat loops, such as Novelspotters. My sales usually increase after one of these loop chats.
4) Newsletter. I have a Yahoo group I use solely for my newsletter, which goes out once a month. I try to offer my subscribers something they won't get just by browsing my blog or website. For instance, my free reads are available through my newsletter group and often I will run a newsletter-only contest.
These are my big four. I'm working now on developing an advertising plan and I'm learning to send out press releases in advance of print releases. Also, I'm working on bookmarks and postcards to use for mailings and conference goodie bag promo. In the weeks to come, I'll share those experiences as well.
Do you have unique promotional ideas to add here? What does or doesn't work for you? Please share!
For the past few months, between edits and writing a new manuscript and teaching and . . . well, you get the picture, I've been slowly developing and getting a handle on my marketing plans. Luckily, the house for which I write has a marketing director who is very accessible and eager to help. I'm also surrounded by other authors willing to share their promotional expertise. So slowly, sometimes agonizingly so, I'm getting a handle on this new learning curve called promotion and marketing.
Here's the deal: whether one sells to a large New York house, a small commercial press, an academic small press or an e-publisher, a writer will have to promote herself on some level. Samhain, the house I'm published with, has several authors who also write for larger New York companies. They've said over and over, they are expected to do as much promo on their own for their New York books as they are for their small press books. Although the print runs and distribution might be larger, the need to promote is the same.
So what works, you ask? I'm not sure, I answer. (But I'm working on it.) Buzz and name recognition are key. Branding is important. I'm getting that much down. The best ways to build buzz, etc. still eludes me (but I'm learning).
The key, I believe, is knowing your target audience. With Samhain, I have two: those who buy and read e-books and those who buy print books. (That's within those who buy romantic suspense). Therefore, I have a marketing plan for my e-releases and one for my future print releases. Although some of the techniques are the same, the approaches are different. (Why do I have to worry about promoting for an e-release, I can hear people asking, I'm only subbing to print houses. Well, the reality is that many houses, such as Harlequin and Kensington, are now producing electronic versions of their titles. And people who read e-books often buy print titles as well. I sincerely believe targeting to both markets is a smart decision.)
Now that I've rambled, here are promotional ideas that seem to have worked for me:
1) Web presence. Website, blog, MySpace, somewhere readers can find out more about you and your books. Offer them a reason to come back. No, wait. Make it impossible for them NOT to check back. Connect with your readers.
2) Reader loops. I choose these over writer loops (although I also participate in a couple of writer loops as well). Rather than joining many, many loops, I have four on which I post regularly -- my publisher loop, one for readers of suspense books, a review site's reader loop and one for readers of romance. Because drive-by promotion is annoying, I strive to be a regular presence, taking part in everyday discussions so when I am promoting my books, it's less intrusive.
3) Chats. I have not had great luck with live chats, but I believe this is due to the fact I've always gone to free-for-all chats, where many authors can chime in. It gets cluttered. I'm looking at scheduling one or two with just me or a few other authors. However, I have success with chat loops, such as Novelspotters. My sales usually increase after one of these loop chats.
4) Newsletter. I have a Yahoo group I use solely for my newsletter, which goes out once a month. I try to offer my subscribers something they won't get just by browsing my blog or website. For instance, my free reads are available through my newsletter group and often I will run a newsletter-only contest.
These are my big four. I'm working now on developing an advertising plan and I'm learning to send out press releases in advance of print releases. Also, I'm working on bookmarks and postcards to use for mailings and conference goodie bag promo. In the weeks to come, I'll share those experiences as well.
Do you have unique promotional ideas to add here? What does or doesn't work for you? Please share!
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 12:02 PM
4 comments
:~: Friday, October 19, 2007 :~:
Things I Learned from My Editor
# of pages I have to edit daily this week to meet my deadline: 47.
Anyway, little lessons I've learned from the Editor Goddess.
1) Less can be more.
2) Sometimes, you need more. (As in, I'm too subtle with my suspense clues sometimes.)
3) You do not need a scene break each time you change POV. (I knew this one, but she lets me use it to my advantage and sometimes she suggests it, so . . .)
4) The world will not end if sometimes there isn't a comma where the MLA handbook says one should be.
5) Readers are harder on heroines than they are on heroes. (Well, I kinda knew this one, too, but it was nice to have it confirmed, even if I'm the odd one out there who will accept a less-than-sympathetic heroine and root for her to change . . .)
6) Never, ever give the reader an opportunity to put the book down. This is more than the obligatory "hook" at chapter's end -- it's every sentence, every scene.
7) Fact check, fact check, fact check.
8) Each new release can sell more of your backlist. (Suspected that, nice to know it's mostly true.)
I'm sure there are two more, but my brain is fried.
What writing lessons have you learned recently, from other authors, editors, agents? Do share!
Anyway, little lessons I've learned from the Editor Goddess.
1) Less can be more.
2) Sometimes, you need more. (As in, I'm too subtle with my suspense clues sometimes.)
3) You do not need a scene break each time you change POV. (I knew this one, but she lets me use it to my advantage and sometimes she suggests it, so . . .)
4) The world will not end if sometimes there isn't a comma where the MLA handbook says one should be.
5) Readers are harder on heroines than they are on heroes. (Well, I kinda knew this one, too, but it was nice to have it confirmed, even if I'm the odd one out there who will accept a less-than-sympathetic heroine and root for her to change . . .)
6) Never, ever give the reader an opportunity to put the book down. This is more than the obligatory "hook" at chapter's end -- it's every sentence, every scene.
7) Fact check, fact check, fact check.
8) Each new release can sell more of your backlist. (Suspected that, nice to know it's mostly true.)
I'm sure there are two more, but my brain is fried.
What writing lessons have you learned recently, from other authors, editors, agents? Do share!
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 2:51 PM
6 comments
:~: Thursday, October 18, 2007 :~:
Newsletter and Contest Info
I wanted to share a little information about my newsletter group. I've recently begun sending out a monthly newsletter. It includes news (of course) about my books, trivia tidbits, a monthly recipe, reviews and contest information.
In the files section of the group, you'll find The Cutting Room Floor (scenes that didn't make it into the final versions of my books). Coming soon will be a series of online reads available only to my newsletter subscribers (the first one kicks off October 31 -- a nice Halloween treat!).
Also, by subscribing, you're automatically entered for the contest celebrating the print release of my debut book, What Mattered Most. On December 1, I'll draw from all subscribers for a goodie basket including a signed copy of What Mattered Most and some Southern surprises.
Interested? Send a blank email to Linda_Winfree-subscribe at yahoogroups.com (you know what to do!).
Linda Winfree -- Sultry Southern Romantic Suspense
HIS ORDINARY LIFE -- Available now, Samhain Publishing
HOLD ON TO ME -- December 2007, Samhain Publishing
http://www.lindawinfree.com/
In the files section of the group, you'll find The Cutting Room Floor (scenes that didn't make it into the final versions of my books). Coming soon will be a series of online reads available only to my newsletter subscribers (the first one kicks off October 31 -- a nice Halloween treat!).
Also, by subscribing, you're automatically entered for the contest celebrating the print release of my debut book, What Mattered Most. On December 1, I'll draw from all subscribers for a goodie basket including a signed copy of What Mattered Most and some Southern surprises.
Interested? Send a blank email to Linda_Winfree-subscribe at yahoogroups.com (you know what to do!).
Linda Winfree -- Sultry Southern Romantic Suspense
HIS ORDINARY LIFE -- Available now, Samhain Publishing
HOLD ON TO ME -- December 2007, Samhain Publishing
http://www.lindawinfree.com/
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 3:15 PM
1 comments
:~: Friday, October 12, 2007 :~:
Cops: Stranger than Fiction
Monday, Elisabeth blogged on writing about cops. One of the reasons I'm so drawn to writing about the law enforcement field is the fact I spent the first half of my marriage immersed in it, via being married to a dedicated police officer. (I'm still married to him, but he left the career shortly before our first child was born. He's a miner now. Big swap!)
Yesterday, a classroom discussion sparked memories of the years my DH spent working in Florida. He was a K-9 officer trained in drug interdiction and later served a year as interim chief for a smaller department. His road time coupled with his desk job gave me insight as a writer into the layers and complexities of LE life as well as the impact it can have on an officer's home.
But that's not what I'm writing about today. Today, I thought I'd share with you some of those "I could never get away with that in a book" scenarios that actually happened during the DH's LE days.
1) Naked Guys Want Coffee, Too: DH gets a call about a disturbance at a local Holiday Inn. When he arrives, a man is standing in the foyer, a bed spread thrown over his head. DH looks at the night auditor, whom he knows well. Sam looks back at him and shrugs.
"He wants me to make him a pot of coffee."
DH is exasperated, rolls his eyes. "Make him one."
"But he's naked."
DH turns to naked guy wearing a bed spread over his head. Naked guy says, "You can't see me. I'm invisible."
Obviously, even invisible naked people go to jail for indecent exposure.
2) Alligators, alligators and more alligators, oh, my!
A wetland area backs up to the section of I-75 where we lived in Florida. Many times, traffic would have to be stopped on the highway while everyone waited for the department of natural resources officers to come remove huge gators from the highway.
One night the DH and his partner are checking the parking lot of a local motel. They see a young man furtively trying to stuff something into his car trunk. They stop.
The guy is trying to put a four-foot alligator in the trunk of a Honda Civic. He was planning to take it home to New Jersey with him after finding it in the parking lot. He changed his mind after DH informed him this was a felony.
Another night, DH and his partner chased a pair of would-be robbers on foot from a gas station. The men ran into the wetland area. DH and his partner stopped at the edge of the swamp. DH yells, "Keep running! Maybe we'll find all the pieces after the gators get you. Maybe not."
The men emerged, chagrined and pale, a few minutes later.
3) Rookies really do stupid things sometimes.
The poor kid in this story shall remain nameless to protect his identity (although I understand once he had some experience on him, he became a pretty good cop later). My husband was training him and kept lamenting that he wasn't the brightest bulb in the socket in terms of common sense.
The rookie was married and his wife insisted he unload his gun every night when he came home. (We won't discuss the night he left the bullets ON THE STOVE and they exploded . . .)
So a traffic stop involving a stolen car evolves into a tense situation in which guns are drawn (btw, if you write LE, please, please, please understand that drawing a gun is a BIG deal -- it isn't done lightly because if one fires a weapon, the investigation is huge and stressful, even if no one is shot -- there are entry situations where the gun is automatically out and in hand, but if your hero/heroine is drawing on a suspect and preparing to shoot -- they don't just fire indiscriminately).
Anyway . . . shots end up being fired at this traffic shot. Then DH realizes he's hearing click-click-click from the other side of the car.
Someone had forgotten to reload his gun before the beginning of the shift.
If I had unlimited space, I could tell you about . . .
a) Local women speeding on purpose so the good-looking deputies would pull them over.
b) The deputy who tried to cross the median during a high speed chase who got stuck in the mud and his car was inundated by hundreds of frogs.
c) What happened when one deputy was the first to reach the suspect in a high speed chase . . . after the deputy's brother (also a cop) had been injured in the same chase. (It's true that sometimes cops react like real people, instead of the trained professionals they are)
d) The time the drug helicopter crashed. Guess who's afraid of heights and who was on said helicopter when it crash-landed?!
e) Multiple trips to the emergency room, including one memorable incident in which the DH, a tad high on painkillers, kept asking for his gun so he could shoot the PA in the kneecap if he hurt him again while putting in thirty stitches (They were old friends. The PA laughed and asked if he was going to have to strap him down to finish.).
f) The crazy things cops do on a slow night when they're bored.
g) The fabulous ways they look out for each other when things go bad (i.e., the night DH chased a suspect on foot and lost his handheld on the way. When no one could reach him, half the officers from two departments showed up as backup.)
Yeah, I write about cops a lot. Like Joan, I worry sometimes that it gets old. But I think it's all in the execution -- it's the writing and the story and hopefully the realism that keeps it fresh.
And real.
Yesterday, a classroom discussion sparked memories of the years my DH spent working in Florida. He was a K-9 officer trained in drug interdiction and later served a year as interim chief for a smaller department. His road time coupled with his desk job gave me insight as a writer into the layers and complexities of LE life as well as the impact it can have on an officer's home.
But that's not what I'm writing about today. Today, I thought I'd share with you some of those "I could never get away with that in a book" scenarios that actually happened during the DH's LE days.
1) Naked Guys Want Coffee, Too: DH gets a call about a disturbance at a local Holiday Inn. When he arrives, a man is standing in the foyer, a bed spread thrown over his head. DH looks at the night auditor, whom he knows well. Sam looks back at him and shrugs.
"He wants me to make him a pot of coffee."
DH is exasperated, rolls his eyes. "Make him one."
"But he's naked."
DH turns to naked guy wearing a bed spread over his head. Naked guy says, "You can't see me. I'm invisible."
Obviously, even invisible naked people go to jail for indecent exposure.
2) Alligators, alligators and more alligators, oh, my!
A wetland area backs up to the section of I-75 where we lived in Florida. Many times, traffic would have to be stopped on the highway while everyone waited for the department of natural resources officers to come remove huge gators from the highway.
One night the DH and his partner are checking the parking lot of a local motel. They see a young man furtively trying to stuff something into his car trunk. They stop.
The guy is trying to put a four-foot alligator in the trunk of a Honda Civic. He was planning to take it home to New Jersey with him after finding it in the parking lot. He changed his mind after DH informed him this was a felony.
Another night, DH and his partner chased a pair of would-be robbers on foot from a gas station. The men ran into the wetland area. DH and his partner stopped at the edge of the swamp. DH yells, "Keep running! Maybe we'll find all the pieces after the gators get you. Maybe not."
The men emerged, chagrined and pale, a few minutes later.
3) Rookies really do stupid things sometimes.
The poor kid in this story shall remain nameless to protect his identity (although I understand once he had some experience on him, he became a pretty good cop later). My husband was training him and kept lamenting that he wasn't the brightest bulb in the socket in terms of common sense.
The rookie was married and his wife insisted he unload his gun every night when he came home. (We won't discuss the night he left the bullets ON THE STOVE and they exploded . . .)
So a traffic stop involving a stolen car evolves into a tense situation in which guns are drawn (btw, if you write LE, please, please, please understand that drawing a gun is a BIG deal -- it isn't done lightly because if one fires a weapon, the investigation is huge and stressful, even if no one is shot -- there are entry situations where the gun is automatically out and in hand, but if your hero/heroine is drawing on a suspect and preparing to shoot -- they don't just fire indiscriminately).
Anyway . . . shots end up being fired at this traffic shot. Then DH realizes he's hearing click-click-click from the other side of the car.
Someone had forgotten to reload his gun before the beginning of the shift.
If I had unlimited space, I could tell you about . . .
a) Local women speeding on purpose so the good-looking deputies would pull them over.
b) The deputy who tried to cross the median during a high speed chase who got stuck in the mud and his car was inundated by hundreds of frogs.
c) What happened when one deputy was the first to reach the suspect in a high speed chase . . . after the deputy's brother (also a cop) had been injured in the same chase. (It's true that sometimes cops react like real people, instead of the trained professionals they are)
d) The time the drug helicopter crashed. Guess who's afraid of heights and who was on said helicopter when it crash-landed?!
e) Multiple trips to the emergency room, including one memorable incident in which the DH, a tad high on painkillers, kept asking for his gun so he could shoot the PA in the kneecap if he hurt him again while putting in thirty stitches (They were old friends. The PA laughed and asked if he was going to have to strap him down to finish.).
f) The crazy things cops do on a slow night when they're bored.
g) The fabulous ways they look out for each other when things go bad (i.e., the night DH chased a suspect on foot and lost his handheld on the way. When no one could reach him, half the officers from two departments showed up as backup.)
Yeah, I write about cops a lot. Like Joan, I worry sometimes that it gets old. But I think it's all in the execution -- it's the writing and the story and hopefully the realism that keeps it fresh.
And real.
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 6:16 AM
6 comments
:~: Friday, October 05, 2007 :~:
Thank God for Rejection Letters!
I was going to blog about reviews. I should probably still blog about reviews and whether or not reviews influence people to buy books.
But.
I thought I'd talk about how writing can prepare one for real life.
One thing I acquired pretty quickly when I started writing as a thick skin. Critiques. Rejections. You name it, it hurts, I had to learn how to slough it off.
I never thought I'd say this, but thank God for those fifty-plus rejection letters I have filed . . . somewhere. Because this week, the experience those letters represent has enabled me to pretty much slough off having something I worked very, very hard on (pretty much by myself, thank you very much) picked apart over several days, with more negative comments than positive. Granted, the last two feedback forms I found in my teacher box today did push me to the "Oh, my God, I'm going to cry now" point, but for the most part, I've shrugged off the criticism, looked for the nuggets of constructive feedback and moved on. A few years ago, before I suffered through "Not right for me" or "didn't love it enough" or "not special enough" or "not as special as other manuscripts under consideration" time after time after time, I'd probably have given in to those tears earlier. And they'd have lasted a lot longer.
So thank God for rejection letters!
What writing lesson has helped you in "real" life?
But.
I thought I'd talk about how writing can prepare one for real life.
One thing I acquired pretty quickly when I started writing as a thick skin. Critiques. Rejections. You name it, it hurts, I had to learn how to slough it off.
I never thought I'd say this, but thank God for those fifty-plus rejection letters I have filed . . . somewhere. Because this week, the experience those letters represent has enabled me to pretty much slough off having something I worked very, very hard on (pretty much by myself, thank you very much) picked apart over several days, with more negative comments than positive. Granted, the last two feedback forms I found in my teacher box today did push me to the "Oh, my God, I'm going to cry now" point, but for the most part, I've shrugged off the criticism, looked for the nuggets of constructive feedback and moved on. A few years ago, before I suffered through "Not right for me" or "didn't love it enough" or "not special enough" or "not as special as other manuscripts under consideration" time after time after time, I'd probably have given in to those tears earlier. And they'd have lasted a lot longer.
So thank God for rejection letters!
What writing lesson has helped you in "real" life?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 5:29 PM
2 comments
:~: Thursday, September 27, 2007 :~:
What Gets in the Way
That's the talk prompt over on the RWC list this week. It's timely, too, since I have done nothing writing-related since, um, Tuesday. I think. Possibly Wednesday. Hey, what day is it anyway?
Here's the deal: It's Homecoming week at school. I'm the SGA advisor. That means I'm planning the entire spirit week activities plus the dance. Oh, and I'm a senior sponsor, so I'm fearlessly leading the seniors through said activities. I'm taking care of my two Monsters, who must have spirit stuff for each day as needed. I've attended softball and cross country meets.
Did I mention my edits on Hold On To Me are due Monday?!
Luckily I planned ahead and worked steadily on said edits until I finished them earlier this week. I knew once Wednesday got here, that would be all she wrote! So one more read and tweak and I can probably send the manuscript to my editor with a happy heart.
What about you? Anything getting in the way? Or are you happy sailing, writing-wise?
Here's the deal: It's Homecoming week at school. I'm the SGA advisor. That means I'm planning the entire spirit week activities plus the dance. Oh, and I'm a senior sponsor, so I'm fearlessly leading the seniors through said activities. I'm taking care of my two Monsters, who must have spirit stuff for each day as needed. I've attended softball and cross country meets.
Did I mention my edits on Hold On To Me are due Monday?!
Luckily I planned ahead and worked steadily on said edits until I finished them earlier this week. I knew once Wednesday got here, that would be all she wrote! So one more read and tweak and I can probably send the manuscript to my editor with a happy heart.
What about you? Anything getting in the way? Or are you happy sailing, writing-wise?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 7:38 PM
2 comments
:~: Friday, September 21, 2007 :~:
It's All Nick's Fault
If I tell you what kind of reading glom I've been on lately, you'll never believe me.
M/M romance.
I'm blaming it on the Nick Carraway/Jay Gatsby discussion going on in my classroom constantly (hey, there are serious critics who argue that Nick is gay and secretly in love with Gatsby).
Actually, I picked up a handful of m/m romances from Samhain because a) they were summer short reads and b) I'd read reviews and comments about them (as well as excerpts on the Samhain Cafe loop).
Let me say that Nick Carraway and his unreliable narration and possible suppressed homosexuality aside, I've never read much gay/lesbian romance. (Does D. H. Lawrence's Women In Love count? There was the naked wrestling scene . . .) And I knew that most m/m romance is written by straight women for straight women.
So here's what I found:
1) Good writing is good writing. Doesn't matter if it's straight romance, romantic suspense, gay/lesbian romance . . . if the writer has mastered the craft, the reader is in for a great time.
2) It's really important, if you write men, gay or straight, to make your men sound like . . . men. Really.
3) In regular or gay romance . . . there has to be a strong conflict and a great plot. Sex scenes strung together do not a great read make.
4) Romance is romance. Good writing is good writing. Oh, wait, I already said that, didn't I? But it's true. Don't believe me? Go read KA Mitchell's Custom Ride. Her prose is to-die-for and the romance she crafts between the two male leads is incredible. She has all of the above -- 1, 2, and 3.
What about you? Are you a reader of gay romance? Or is outside your comfort zone?
M/M romance.
I'm blaming it on the Nick Carraway/Jay Gatsby discussion going on in my classroom constantly (hey, there are serious critics who argue that Nick is gay and secretly in love with Gatsby).
Actually, I picked up a handful of m/m romances from Samhain because a) they were summer short reads and b) I'd read reviews and comments about them (as well as excerpts on the Samhain Cafe loop).
Let me say that Nick Carraway and his unreliable narration and possible suppressed homosexuality aside, I've never read much gay/lesbian romance. (Does D. H. Lawrence's Women In Love count? There was the naked wrestling scene . . .) And I knew that most m/m romance is written by straight women for straight women.
So here's what I found:
1) Good writing is good writing. Doesn't matter if it's straight romance, romantic suspense, gay/lesbian romance . . . if the writer has mastered the craft, the reader is in for a great time.
2) It's really important, if you write men, gay or straight, to make your men sound like . . . men. Really.
3) In regular or gay romance . . . there has to be a strong conflict and a great plot. Sex scenes strung together do not a great read make.
4) Romance is romance. Good writing is good writing. Oh, wait, I already said that, didn't I? But it's true. Don't believe me? Go read KA Mitchell's Custom Ride. Her prose is to-die-for and the romance she crafts between the two male leads is incredible. She has all of the above -- 1, 2, and 3.
What about you? Are you a reader of gay romance? Or is outside your comfort zone?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 3:15 PM
2 comments
:~: Friday, September 14, 2007 :~:
The Autobuy
Isn't it amazing how an author's work can vary in quality from piece to piece? I have an author who is basically an auto-buy -- I might not pick up the new titles immediately, but eventually, I buy everything this writer puts out.
The last two books I'd purchased had been rather disappointing -- a little so-so, more sex than story, almost like they'd been rushed to production.
But I bought the latest release anyway. And I'm so glad I did -- a rich plot, great characters, sizzling conflict. This book was every reason why I can't stay away from this author.
What about you? Any autobuy authors whose work you must have, even if sometimes it disappoints?
The last two books I'd purchased had been rather disappointing -- a little so-so, more sex than story, almost like they'd been rushed to production.
But I bought the latest release anyway. And I'm so glad I did -- a rich plot, great characters, sizzling conflict. This book was every reason why I can't stay away from this author.
What about you? Any autobuy authors whose work you must have, even if sometimes it disappoints?
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 5:55 PM
6 comments
:~: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 :~:
Shhh!
Don't tell. I'm stealing Elisa's day to post.
Because His Ordinary Life is now available and I want to shout about it.
I love Del. I love his story. I loved writing about his conflict and his love for his children and his love for the wife he believed didn't want him anymore.
I love marriage in jeopardy stories and after rewriting the book this summer, that's what this baby is.
I love, love, love it. And I want others to love it too.
Okay, I'll stop gushing now and post my blurb . . .
Reunited by their teenage son’s possible involvement in a murder . . . their new needs and old passions are destined to explode.
His Ordinary Life by Linda Winfree
Book Two of the Hearts of the South series.
Del Calvert has spent his life in quiet desperation, trying to meet everyone’s expectations and feeling like he never quite measured up. From his teens, Barb was everything he wanted and needed, but knowing he wasn’t enough for her drove him out of the marriage.
Barbara Calvert is afraid to need anyone—especially the soon-to-be-ex husband she still loves. She’s reluctant to fall under his seductive spell of love and security once more.
But when their son’s secrets threaten his life, everything changes. Del must help his son as unseen and threatening forces move ever closer, putting the entire family at risk. And along the way, he hopes to convince Barbara to give him one more chance to win back the wonderful, ordinary life he didn’t appreciate until it was gone.
You can find an excerpt at the Samhain website here: http://www.samhainpublishing.com/romance/his-ordinary-life.
I'll leave you with a snippet of an excerpt . . .
Leaning up, Barbara covered his mouth with hers, cutting off his words, and he was lost, drowning in sensations he’d starved for the last few months.
She cradled his face, her lips teasing the corner of his. The clean essence of her surrounded him, a mingling of citrus, soap and woman. When she eased her tongue over his bottom lip, he hardened. A groan rumbled from deep in his throat.
“Barb,” he whispered, and as his mouth parted, she darted her tongue inside. At the taste of her, his knees threatened to give. He reached for her, gripping her waist and pulling her closer. Her body aligned with his, fit him with the same perfection as always. “God, I’ve missed you.”
He muttered the words into her mouth, sliding his hands lower to cup her bottom and lift her against him. She moaned and wound her legs around his thighs, the counter supporting her weight. Holding his shoulders, she urged him even closer and sucked his lower lip into her mouth, nipping him lightly. The sensation of pleasure-pain shot to his groin and he rocked into her.
With a rough laugh, he rested his palms on the counter on either side of her. Her head tilted back under his kisses, she tugged his shirt from his jeans. “Take it off.”
“Baby, you know where this is headed,” he murmured between kisses, her fingers leaving trails of fire on his skin. “Are you sure?”
“Take it off, Del.” She shoved the shirt up, helping him shrug out of it. Once it hit the floor, she fanned her hands over his chest, shaping the muscles, tracing the line of his ribcage. She ran a single finger along the scar bisecting his left pec, and he closed his eyes. Over the years, she’d done the same thing countless times, but this once, the simple caress brought tears to his eyes. She pressed a kiss there and he moaned, swaying closer. This wasn’t really happening. In a second, he’d wake up and find it was simply another dream.
Labels: Linda's Posts
posted by Linda Winfree at 7:58 PM
2 comments