Some Visual Branding

As with all writers, my name is my brand. I hope my name denotes heartfelt emotion, humor, well-written stories, and, quite often, some heart-pounding action and suspense.

I recently decided my Scottish Bear Shifters, formally known as Highlander's Beloved, will continue into other parts of Scotland, as well. These will be self-published books.

To tie them all together, I needed a visual brand. Enter Farah Evers who took the bits and pieces of info I gave her and created a logo I'll now have put on every bear shifter book. The navy and green Matheson tartan is also within the circle.

I really love it and hope readers will soon come to recognize the bear in the circle as belonging to me.

As for my contemporary and suspenseful romances, well, my name will have to do it there. In time, I hope more people recognize it, too.

In Less Than a Week I'll Turn 69...

....and I still don't know what I wanna be when I grow up.

Pitiful, isn't it?

Maybe I should clarify that by saying, I still don't know what I want to write.  Most romance writers have a sub-genre they stick to. Not this old chick. I tend to flip-flop like an ungirdled ass in a pair of stretch pants. 'Nuff said there. You get the picture.

I'm not poking fun at the woman. If she'd have short, red hair she could easily be me...if I'd have nerve enough to step out of the house like that.

Back to writing. I'm going to try my best to stick to contemporary and bear shifter romances. I think. See, an idea might sneak into my mind. Or a dream might slip into my unconscious some night. Or I might overhear a snippet of conversation that snags my attention.

My mind is like a clump of chewing gum and ideas, especially odd ones, stick. And they won't unstick unless I write about them. The problem is the ideas aren't always contemporary or paranormal in nature. So there goes my plan to be a two-dimensional writer.

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

How about you? As a writer, do you tend to write in one vein? As a reader, do you follow a writer you enjoy no matter what types of books he or she writes?

The Amazing Mackenzie Crowne Presents-...

To Win Her Smile, Players #5 is set to release on July 18th. Throughout this series, these larger-than-life athletes and their ladies have made readers laugh, cry, and sigh while producing some heady steam as they searched for their individual HEAs.

Like the first four books, To Win Her Smile can be read as a standalone, but Wyatt and Piper’s lighthearted tale is the perfect conclusion to the series. Seriously, when a story begins with a superstitious pro quarterback accidentally breaking the nose of a down-on-her-luck baroness, you know you’re in for an off-beat, wild ride.


To Win Her Smile is available for preorder. Reserve your copy now @ http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/35098

Sometimes love and luck collide . . .

When sultry British Baroness Piper Darrow falls on desperate times, she needs a diversion—and cash. As a talented photographer, she jumps at the chance to travel to the U.S. for a Manhattan Marauders football event. But she gets more than she bargained for when buff quarterback Wyatt Hunter’s errant pass lands…in her face. And when it results in Wyatt’s comeback of a lifetime, the superstitious athlete is convinced Piper is his good luck charm . . .

With his sights on the Super Bowl, Wyatt will do anything necessary to keep Piper close. The fact that she’s a feast for the eyes is a bonus. And as they get closer, he discovers that beneath her proper English surface is a sweet, sexy seductress. Soon the notorious playboy finds himself genuinely smitten, and surprisingly open to love—until his powerful family uncovers something about Piper that threatens to shatter his trust. Now he’ll have to decide whether to team up with his fears, or his heart.

Once More With Extra Feeling

I thought long and hard about revamping the Red Hand Conspiracy Series. I had such a good time writing it, yet the series didn't sell well. Was it because of the titles I'd chosen? I'm not the best at that. My recent editors always change them, and I'm not always pleased with their choices. But what do I know?

Could it have been the covers? I loved the covers The Wild Rose Press created for the series.

Could I chalk it up to my being relatively unknown? Heck, I'm still a minor blip on the romance writers' scale.

Yet, the fact remains I loved those books. They took me back to Paris, my favorite city to the magical times Calvin and I spent there. I'd gotten the rights back, so I could spruce them up and freshen the technology used. Add and delete as needed.

What fun I had doing it.

I changed the series name from the Red Hand Conspiracy to Paris Intrigue. I self-published book one on April 25th.

Book two releases on June 13th

Book three will come out sometime the end of August

You know I write bear shifter books and contemporary romance. I'd stopped thinking of myself as a

romantic suspense author. Now I have to add that sub-genre to what I write. I'm not really known for suspense. Readers have to wonder if I can effectively write it. I like to think I can...or hope so, anyhow.

What is the series about?

The first two books contain American female travelers in Paris who attract the attention of Red Hand, a terrorist group. They're put under the protective care of French counterterrorism agents as they also try to find and apprehend gang members. The last book is about Niko's sister who is attracted to a German jazz saxophone player who is also a spy searching for the Red Hand member who killed his brother.

These books contain fast-paced action, smoldering passion, humorous situations, and family closeness. I hope readers give them a chance.

There are Days When There's a Direct Disconnect Between My Mind and the Computer Screen.

I'm in the process of updating a book that was originally published as MONA LISA'S ROOM, a romantic suspense set mostly in Paris. It was released roughly five years ago, so any technology mentioned is out-dated. Something I need to correct. Someone asked me about my lack of humor in the book. Would I be adding some?

I hadn't thought of it.

Maybe that's why the book didn't sell. I'd blamed it on the title. I'm renaming it NIKO: LICENSED TO KILL. And if I could think of a good place to insert humor, by golly, I'd do it because I love laughing when I write. Especially if tears of mirth blur my seeing the computer screen.

Over a week ago, when I laid down for my afternoon nap--to rest my eyes, now. Not because I'm old, mind you. This idea came to me. I could see it happening in my mind. Boy, oh boy, was it funny. I laid there and laughed until the bed shook. This was it! The bit of humor the book needed.

I wrote the chapter leading up to it--a blend of the original chapter two and new segments setting up THE scene. I'm telling you, I couldn't wait to start chapter three. It was going to be hilarious. My readers would love it!

Today was the day and I was out of bed two hours earlier than usual, eager to get started. I wrote what I had seen in my mind.

Not one chuckle.

I rewrote it. Changed normal verbs to more powerful ones. Threw in more description to slow down the pace.

Meh.

How could this be? It had been so darn funny in my mind. I couldn't think of it without breaking into hysterics. Reading it on the computer screen barely made me smile. Maybe I was being too hard on myself. You know, reality just couldn't live up to my expectations

Obviously, between my mind and my fingertips, there's been a great disconnect.

Calvin read it and smiled at a few places. Didn't laugh. Smiled. I sent it to my CP. She told me it was funny as hell. Okay, I feel a little better. I'll move on. In a week I'll go back and read over it again. No doubt make some more changes because...you know...a writer is never satisfied.