Monday Funnies: Why Cats Aren’t In Retail…
Little Things Blog Hop – Join Me & Over 100 Authors/Bloggers!
? Little Things Blog Hop ?
Hi, everyone! My name is Margaret Locke, and I am one of over 100 authors & bloggers on the Little Things Blog Hop! Make sure you visit each stop and enter the posted giveaway.
Be sure to enter the amazing Rafflecopter, too, which has a ton of prizes to be won!
For those of you don’t know me, I write the Matters of Love series, which includes:
- A Man of Character, a contemporary romantic comedy in which 35-year-old bookstore owner Cat Schreiber must choose between fantasy and reality after determining the men she’s dating are living versions of fictional characters she created long ago.
- A Matter of Time, a time-travel Regency romance in which modern-day Austenite Eliza James’ dream comes true when she lands in the arms of a Regency duke, only to discover some fantasies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be when he proves less than a Prince Charming.
- A Scandalous Matter (set to debut later this summer!).
I hope you’ll look around my page – I’ve got great #WriterWednesday and #ThrowItForward Thursday interviews to peruse, and more!
?Giveaway for this stop is a $10.00 Amazon gift card
?To Enter:
➜ Sign up for my newsletter! http://bit.ly/MLockeNewsletter
➜ Comment below with the one place in the world you most want to visit (for A Man of Character’s Cat Schreiber, it’s Florence, Italy. For A Matter of Time’s Eliza James, it’s Regency London)!
? Visit Dena Garson next: http://denagarson.net/
? Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba44e54f2/
? Join the Little Things Blog Hop Event for more fun: https://www.facebook.com/events/562506680576207/
? Link to all the Blog Hop spots: http://theclubbookpromotions.blogspot.com/2016/02/LittleThingsBlogHop.html
Thank you for hopping by!
Winner (s) will be chosen by random and announced on this page and on the Little Things Event Page by April 6th.
? Good luck! ?
Writer Wednesday: Meet Kathleen Duhamel!
Put on those party hats! It’s #WriterWednesday!
Today we get to learn about Kathleen Duhamel, writer of romance featuring older characters with youthful personalities, and fellow member of the Virginia Romance Writers. Hooray!
She gives us insights into her own writing life, and shares about her new novel, Deeper, which debuts March 20th.
Excited? I am! Here we go… 🙂
What inspires you to write?
I am motivated by the people in my life. In particular, my husband of 15 years, Tom, whose devotion and commitment to my writing career have made it possible.
I’m inspired by my BFF Diane, who makes the world a better place every day. She was the prototype for the character of Denise Hrivnak in my Deep Blue novels.
Mostly, I’m inspired by love itself.
Tom and I recently attended the wedding of a couple we know who’ve been through a long and circuitous journey to matrimony, and I was reminded once again of what a hopeful event a wedding can be. We go into marriage knowing there’s a 50 per cent chance it will fail, but we’re still winning to take an emotional risk for love.
Which type of romance do you love most, and why?
I write and love contemporary romance, and my work features older characters with youthful personalities. I enjoy writing about present-day situations (and I’m far too lazy to do the research needed for historical romance).
Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book:
One of my characters works for an organization whose mission is to end childhood hunger. I learned that there are at least 16 million children who go to bed hungry every night in the United States. Personally, I find this situation inexcusable in a country that has so many resources. It’s shameful.
Name two things people don’t know about you:
I live in Virginia now, but I spent 30 years in Colorado where I hiked, biked, fished, camped and snowshoed. Someday I hope to return.
I began my career as a newspaper reporter and editor. That past work experience probably has shaped my writing style more than anything else. My writing is pretty straightforward. I try not to bury my readers with lengthy descriptions that stop the flow of the story.
What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?
The same piece of advice someone recently told me: “Trust your gift.” Don’t give up, no matter what.
What’s your favorite romance novel of all time, and why?
Valley of the Dolls, by Jacqueline Susann.
Even though it was written about 50 years ago, the themes explored by the author are still relevant today: marriage vs. independence, the high personal cost of fame and the temptation of drugs.
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A Bit on Deeper, Kathleen’s novel debuting March 20th:
Secrets of the past seldom stay buried forever…
Now married to the love of her life, landscape artist Claire Martin’s peaceful world is rocked by an unexpected revelation that crushes her dreams of the future and causes her to question everything she thought she knew about her famous husband, legendary singer Robert Silver of the band Deep Blue.
Although Robert is now clean and sober, and embarking on a new opportunity with his musical partner Art Hoffman, the consequences of one night long ago fracture his family and threaten his marriage to the woman who loves him like no one else.
Will love survive, or will career pressures, family turmoil and the ever-present specter of the paparazzi destroy their new life together?
A Bit About Kathleen:
Kathleen Duhamel wrote and illustrated her first short story at the age of eight, and has never stopped writing. Her love of the written word continued throughout her varied career as a newspaper journalist and editor, public relations executive, freelance travel writer and owner/operator of two small businesses.
A native of Texas, she spent most of her adult life in Colorado before relocating to Virginia in 2014, where she lives with her husband, a standard poodle and a geriatric cat. She is a lifelong devotee of rock and soul music, contemporary art and pop culture. Please visit her at .
Want to connect further with Kathleen?
Website: https://kathleenduhamel.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kathleen.duhamel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kathleenduhamel
Thank you so much for stopping by today, Kathleen! We loved having you here.
Monday Funnies: A Different Kind of Flash (Not Fiction)
Writer Wednesday: Meet Julieann Dove!
That’s right! It’s Writer Wednesday! Time to PAR-TAY!
And by party, I mean read this whole interview, because learning about authors is way cool.
The weather is stunningly gorgeous here in Virginia today – a true spring masterpiece. I hope you can say the same wherever you are. Speaking of Virginia, I’m delighted to have fellow Virginian and romance author Julieann Dove with us today, sharing about her life as a writer, and giving us a glimpse into her newest book, Waking Amy!
Welcome, Julieann! And away we go…
What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?
I would’ve liked to be told that no matter what skill set I thought I had, or how I might’ve thought my imagination was good…go take at least two or three writing workshops before submitting anything to an agent. Let’s face it, you get one chance to make an impression, and although I got my fair share of requests, it always came back to a craft problem that enabled me from getting representation.
What’s your favorite romance novel of all time, and why?
Wuthering Heights. I can feel the love Heathcliff had for Catherine. Right down to my bones. The way he wanted her to haunt him when she died. There was such passion between these two characters. I never tire of reading it!
What inspires you to write?
Music. I can hear a song and write a novel around the lyrics. I wrote my first novel from listening to the song Gravity, by Sara Bareilles. I even titled it “Gravity!” I’ve since changed the title, but I won an award for it, and I have the certificate with the original title. That was neat. 🙂
And now, a bit on Waking Amy:
Amy Whitfield is blindsided when she comes home and finds a note on the fridge from her husband, Wesley, stating that after four years of marriage, he’s leaving her. Amy was in the midst of trying to spice things up, to bring life back to their boring marriage. It seems now that she was too late.
As Amy sits with her head between her knees, trying to figure out what to do next, a call comes from Mercer General Hospital. The ER nurse is telling Amy’s answering machine that Wesley has been in a car accident.
When Amy arrives at the hospital, she finds her husband in a coma. The doctors say there is no sign of brain damage, and Wesley will eventually wake up. Relieved, Amy sees this as her second chance: the chance to get it right this time. To channel the girl Wesley won’t leave when he regains consciousness… She just needs some help to pull it off. After all, she was voted girl most likely to die a virgin in high school.
Amy would never figure on getting that help from Mark Reilly…Wesley’s doctor! He’s a non-committer, too-cute-for-his-own-good bachelor, and completely the guy Amy begins falling for. It’s a race against time to see who wakes up first—Amy or her husband.
Find Waking Amy on Amazon!
A bit about Julieann Dove:
Julieann lives in Virginia, yet longs to live everywhere else. It doesn’t come as a surprise that along with her gypsy soul, comes an active imagination. That’s why she loves to write and invent worlds and people, so that she can formulate their happily ever after. Hobbies include cooking new recipes, sewing, and spending time with her cute boyfriend/husband and five fabulous children. Vacations happen in Nantucket or the Carolina beaches—anywhere there is inspiration for her next book. One day she hopes to travel to Italy, drive one of those little cars around the countryside, and speak the language fluently!
Thanks so much for joining us, Julieann! Wishing you great success with Waking Amy!