Jan Romes uncovered (a little bit)

I've been tagged by romance author Katheryn Lane to answer the following questions, so here goes:

1.) What is the one book you couldn't live without?

I'm going to agree with Katheryn -- The Bible! Without it my life would run amok!

2.) What can you see out your window at the moment?

Serenity in the form of sunshine, blue skies, grape hyacinths, and robins flying in and out of a blue spruce.

3.) What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

It's a toss up being souse (omg!! what was I thinking?) and squid. Growing up my dad brought home lots of unusual food. I was brave enough to try souse - which is lots of unidentifiable meat scraps held together with a gel-like substance. Ewww! On a cruise I tried a seafood dish that had shrimp, scallops, lobster, and squid. Put a squid in my mouth and those small tentacles did me in. Yeah, that won't happen again!

4.) What fictional character would you most like to marry?

Right away I thought of Clark Kent. Nerdy guys are sexy! And his secret identity isn't so bad either!

5.) If ever a fictional villain was going to win, who would you want it to be?

Hands down, Jack Nicholson! Bad boy but charming as the Joker in Batman!

6.) How many types of cheese can you name off the top of your head?

Lots. Maybe two dozen. Colby is my favorite. Funny story from my high school days about limberger cheese.... (ah! best to save that story for another time)

7.) If you didn't want to be a writer, what would you be?

Nature photographer. I have a strange love for rugged beauty.

8.) Can you play a musical instrument?

No, but I wish I could. I'm not the least bit musically inclined. But I admire those who are.

9.) Do you own a Kindle or any sort of e-reader?

I have a Nook (a lovely congratulations gift from my son, daughter-in-law, and daughter when I signed the contract for my first book)!

10.) If so, how many books do you have on it?

At least 25. And there are a lot more books I can't wait to download to it.

11.) You just got published. In a glowing review, someone calls you the next (insert name of famous author). Which author has to watch their back now you're on the scene?

Ha ha! No one has to watch their back where I'm concerned. But I'd be happy to share the Best Seller's lists with all the great authors.


There - answered them all!

And now I'm tagging the following bloggers with the challenge to answer the same questions:

Jolyse Barnett

Suzanne Rogers writing as S. G. Rogers

Joya Fields

Sharon Saracino

Springtime in Ohio!

(From my garden!)

A PRAYER IN SPRING!

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day,

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteror that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfil.

~ Robert Frost ~

Have a beautiful spring!

ONE SMALL FIB.... (excerpt & blurb for your enjoyment!)

I'm always tweeting about ONE SMALL FIB and thought it was time to post the blurb and excerpt! Hope you can get a feel for the conflict, humor, and attraction that pulls Allie Blue & Kiptyn Thomas together!

BLURB:  Allie Blue's dream of buying the old Smithington mansion and turning it into a bed and breakfast is stomped by a mystery real estate developer with a fancy pen and loaded checkbook. With no bed and breakfast, Allie resorts to one small fib which lands her a flight attendant's job and the task of pampering Upward Airlines' most demanding frequent flyer -- Kiptyn Thomas, III. Something raw and potent snaps between them, but Allie fights the attraction for the guy who thinks he's at the top of the food chain. Kiptyn Thomas is used to getting what he wants, when he wants it. Allie Blue both annoys and intrigues him. Will some well-intentioned fibs, a deep dark secret, and similar personalities draw them together or keep them apart?

EXCERPT:

Every muscle in her body tightened when she approached him. Thankfully he was looking out the window so she had a moment to collect herself. She cleared her throat. "I hear it's snowing back home."

Kiptyn's head snapped around so fast he should've gotten whiplash. His gaze connected with hers and a slow smile spread over his face. "I heard. The wind is going to pick up later this morning too. If you have any pull with the captain, could you have him get this thing off the ground as soon as possible?"

Allie tried to read him. He seemed friendly enough all right. His body language wasn't as tight as hers and his smile appeared genuine. The biggest change she noticed was his attitude. He wasn't demanding or acting annoyed. This was the tabloid-Kiptyn, the one the public loved. "Sorry, no pull. This is my fifth day as an attendant. Everyone on the plane has more clout." She chuckled and waited for him to revert to mean ole Kiptyn.

Instead, he grinned. Not just a cheeky twinge that passed as a grin, but a full curve of his mouth complete with pearly white teeth.

An unexpected warmth took her over. It started in her face, slithered down her neck, spilled across her breasts, and dipped lower until it found its intended target. Allie drew her knees together to fight the surge of delight.

A warning voice whispered in her head. He's toying with you. She took a mental breath and shoved aside the remnants of the convoluted attraction. In no way could she allow herself to think for one second that any of this was real.

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=4609

A RISING STAR!!

SPOTLIGHT ON CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE AUTHOR:

                                                KATHY SCHINDLER!!

I am truly delighted to welcome, Kathy Schindler, to my blog today! Often I am in awe of Kathy's creativity and energy. She's a very dear friend, critique partner, champion of our men in uniform, and a rising star in the literary world! I wanted to introduce you to Kathy by way of an interview --

JAN: Kathy, you recently placed 22nd out of 5,000 in the Writer's Digest Short-Short stories contest. That's incredible! What's even more incredible is the subject of your story. You can't post the story since it will be published in the 12th Annual Writer's Digest Short-Short Story Competition Collection, but can you whet our appetite by sharing what your story is about?

KATHY: The story is about a soldier who returns from Afghanistan, but doesn't have anyone waiting to welcome him home. A photographer decides to take his picture which leads to their romance. If anyone is interested in reading my story you can purchase a copy of the 12th Annual Writer's Digest Short-Short Story Competition Collection, available on the Writer's Digest (www.writersdigest.com) website mid-summer.

JAN: You currently have a submission pending with a favorite woman's magazine. It takes a certain talent to write stories with a specific word count. Do you find it difficult to go from a full-length novel to a short story?

KATHY: I actually find it much easier to write short stories. You learn to cut out all the extras. In full-length novels you have to go more in depth. I like writing short stories because I get to experience the joy of typing 'the end' a lot sooner.

JAN: Besides writing, you're also a wife, mother, owner of Doodle Bug Early Learning (Daycare), maintain a few websites, and occasionally teach HTML classes to romance writers. How do you make it all work?

KATHY: Lots and lots of coffee!! I have never been a person who liked schedules, but I think the schedule found me. Daycare is open eleven hours a day, five days a week. In order to be productive, I have to stick to a daily routine. I work while my daycare kids nap in the morning and the afternoon. Most evenings after dinner with my family, you will find me at the computer.

JAN: One of the many things I admire about you is how much you give to others. Whenever I need a helping hand with my website, you're there. If I back myself into a corner with my writing, you pull me out of my funk with advice and your great sense of humor, and you don't blink twice when it comes to promoting my work and the work of others. At Christmas, you decorate a tree for hospice. Can you tell us a bit about this?

KATHY: The past two years, a very good friend of mine sponsored the tree. This monetary donation goes directly to hospice. Friends contribute money towards the ornaments and decorations, then my family and I decorate it. The tree is on display for one day at the annual Hospice of St. Mary's Festival of Trees.

Each year we brainstorm a new decorating theme for the tree. The first year was a military tree that was donated to the local veteran's home. The second year was a breast cancer tree that was donated to the local hospice house. Both trees had very special meaning to me and my friend. We haven't decided on this years tree, but we have already started to think of ideas.

JAN: Thank you so much for being on my blog today, Kathy! Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?

KATHY: As I always tell my kids... "Reach for the stars because dreams really do come true."


HOW TO FIND KATHY:

Website - http://www.kathyschindler.com

Blog - http://kathyschindler.blogspot.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kathylschindler

Twitter - https://twitter.com/KathySchindler

Sweet, loveable friend!

Meet my loveable pal, Karl! He's been a member of our family since 1999 - (by my calculations he's about to celebrate his 91st birthday!) What an amazing mix: part German Shepherd, Corgi, Boxer, & Labrador -- very low to the ground, but a fierce defender! (especially when the UPS truck pulls into the driveway)

Interview with romance author, Katheryn Lane!

Today, I’d like to welcome contemporary romance author, Katheryn Lane, to my blog. Katheryn was raised in England, is living in the Middle East, and writes sweet, heartwarming, yet sensual stories set in exotic locations.

I recently had the pleasure of reading her novel, THE ROYAL SHEIKH, and thought it would be fun to ask Katheryn a few questions:

Jan:  Katheryn, your book, THE ROYAL SHEIKH, is an amazing story, rich with details. Did you have to research extensively or are you surrounded by all the wonderful particulars in your book?

Katheryn: Thank you very much Jan. I’m so glad you liked my book! I did have to do some specific research for it, but that was mainly for the heroine, Clare, who is training to be an architect, so I had to check how a person qualifies for such a career and how long it takes.

For the Middle Eastern details, I did quite a bit of research about the region before I wrote the book, but that was mainly because I wanted to find out more about the place that I was coming to live in! Once I started writing, I tried to incorporate some of the details I had read about, as well as the things that I started to see around me. A few of the details are based on stories that other people have told me. For example, in The Royal Sheikh, when the heroine goes on board the Sheikh’s luxury yacht she sees a bunch of flowers made of gold with jewels in the centre of each one, such as diamonds, opals etc. This description is based on a vase full of golden flowers that a friend of mine actually saw when she visited a royal palace!

Jan:  When you created Prince Rafiq and architect, Clare McKay, did you know exactly how their adventure would go? Or did you let their story develop organically?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Royal-Sheikh-ebook/dp/B0052ZIQEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330787149&sr=8-1

Katheryn: I did a lot of planning and had the book all carefully plotted out before I started it, as well as detailed character profiles. However, once I began writing, the characters took over and began to change the story and make it their own. This may sound odd, but there were times when I could hear the characters saying ‘I would never do that’ about the parts of the original plot. Therefore, I changed sections to make them fit with what the Sheikh and Clare would really want to do and say in those situations. However, despite these changes, the basic structure of the story stayed the same.

Jan:  You not only write romance, but you’re also a mother, and a teacher. Is there anything you would like to share about how you make it all work?

Katheryn: With difficulty! Luckily as a teacher I have long holidays, as well as mid-term breaks and this is when I try to do most of my writing. I also try to write in the evenings once my kids are in bed, but often I’m too tired! I must admit that I do get very easily distracted by the internet and I can find myself spending hours on sites like Facebook and Twitter chatting to people when I should be writing. My New Year’s resolution this year was to be more disciplined and spend less time on social networking sites. So far I have been partially successful and I’ve managed to get quite a lot more writing done.

Jan:  What was your biggest adjustment when you left England to live in the Middle East?

Katheryn: I actually left England quite a long time ago to teach abroad and before I was in England, I lived in the USA. However, previous to moving to the Middle East, I worked in various Asian countries, so I found the Middle East to be very different. One thing that took me a long time to get used to was the desert, which seem so vast and empty compared to the jungles and mountains of Asia.

Wherever I live though, there are always certain things that I miss about England and the USA. I miss good English pub lunches and I miss the positive, can-do attitude of the USA.  On the other hand, I don’t miss the ridiculously high petrol prices or the government taxation!

Jan: You are currently writing another story set in an exotic location. Would you like to whet our appetites with a few details?

Katheryn: My next romance has a provisional title of ‘Her Latin Lover’ and is based in South America. I decided not to locate it in the Middle East because a key element of the plot is a poker game which takes place the night before the story starts and gambling is illegal in most (perhaps all?) of the Middle East. Also, the story depends on the heroine being in a very dangerous country, where she is threatened at gun-point by a local man (I won’t say who or what happens, or I’ll give too much of the story away).

Although the Middle East has dangerous areas, it’s generally a very peaceful, safe area (despite some recent press). However, I did once hear about some teachers that were kidnapped on their way to the airport in Yemen many years ago. Maybe a kidnapping could be the basis for another Sheikh romance in the future?

Jan:  Can you tell those of us eager to read this new story, when we will get the chance?

Katheryn: Although I’ve finally finished writing the book, thanks for my New Year’s resolution, I’m still at the editing stage and that can also be a long process as the book will need to go through several different readers, as well as myself, to check for errors, plot holes etc. I also need to have a cover designed which will capture the feel of the story. Like The Royal Sheikh, it is a sweet romance, so I don’t want the cover to imply an erotic story, but at the same time the cover design needs to indicate a sensuous romance.

Hopefully, the whole thing should be edited and available on Amazon as an ebook by late March - I’ve just set myself a deadline here!  As soon as it’s published, I’ll everyone know on my blog, Twitter and Facebook at:

http://Katheryn-Lane.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/KatherynLane

http://www.facebook.com/KatherynLane.Author  

Thank you very much Jan for the interview. It’s been great chatting with you.

About Katheryn Lane

Katheryn Lane works full-time as a teacher, mother and wife, but somehow also finds time to manage being a part-time writer as well! 'The Royal Sheikh' is her first book and is inspired by her experience of living in the Middle East. In her free time (on the rare occasion that she has any!) she loves to lose herself in a good book.

Cover for KISS ME

My next novel, KISS ME, will be released April 2, 2012, by Champagne Books!
cover designed by: Amanda Kelsey