Monday Mayhem – Sunday report

Saturday morning I told Fodder that I felt like the summer was passing us by and that I needed to do something summerish.  I then informed him that he was taking me to the lake. So, yesterday morning we piled into the little red car and headed south in I-30. You may not know this, but Arkansas isn’t known as The Natural State because we all run around naked all time.

That’s only part of it.

I have to tell you, this state is beautiful. We have some of the most beautiful, unspoiled land in the country.  We also have some awesome state parks. So, without further ado:

How I spent my Sunday

By Margaret Ethridge

We headed down to Lake Catherine State Park just outside of Hot Springs. There, we sunned, swam, ate peanut butter sandwiches with potato chips, and raided the gift shop for trinkets. I don’t allow cameras near bathing suits, but here’s a pic of where we were:

lake catherine state park camping

After we baked for a couple of hours, we hit the Sonic Drive-In for ice cream cones and headed home. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the world’s cutest grandbaby. After a round of oohing and cooing, the young master and I settled in for a Sunday afternoon nap.

nap

We must have looked cute because the man offered to grill chipotle-marinated chicken for dinner. We chopped that yumminess to bits, added cheese, warmed some chips and called our masterpiece “nachos.” Clever, huh? I even sweetened the pot by throwing together some banana pudding for dessert.

banana

So that was my day yesterday. How about you? How did you spend your Sunday?

Happy birthday!

I’m helping my author pal Leah Braemel celebrate her birthday today!

Stop by for your chance to meet some awesome authors and win some even awesomier prizes!

(click the banner)

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Monday Mayhem – The 4%

Been doing a lot of writerly soul searching lately. I haven’t discovered much other than the fact that my thoughts are about as shallow as a mud puddle in July. You see, a couple of years ago I made a plan for my writing career…. If you know anything at all about life, you know that it likes to scoff at plans. This time it was no different. Oh, I did all the things a person is supposed to do: targeted goals, set deadlines, mapped my expectations. I rolled through some major changes to my day job and navigated the shifting sands of the home life as best I could. In the end, I made 96% of those goals (actual percentage for the stats nerds like me) a reality.

Not bad, huh?

Yeah…That 4% is driving me crazy.

You see, that tiny percentage represents a major portion of what I thought I would accomplish. But try as I might, it’s not happening. I’ve been beating myself up over that 4% for the past 6 months. You see, that 4% represents Containment.

I’ve circled, poked, and prodded this novel, but I can’t make it take shape. The story is all in my head, but my usual panster ways weren’t working, so I turned to plotting device after plotting device in hopes of finding the key to unlock the story. I’ve tried The Hero(in)es Journey method. I tried to Snowflake and Beat Sheet the darn thing but let’s face it, my stories aren’t that hip. I’ve even attempted to go all Dom/sub on it, but it just laughed when I pulled out the flogger. I’ve even written a synopsis for it. If you know me at all, you know I despise writing synopses. But I did this one voluntarily. Desperation does funny things to people.

A few people have asked when it can be expected. The answer is simply, I don’t know. All I know is that for the sake of my sanity, I’m going to have to set it aside for a while. I’ve hardly written anything this year, and I’m afraid that if I don’t find a horse that’ll run, I’ll forget how to ride.

Those who know me personally know it kills me to say this. I hate not being able to follow through. There’s nothing worse than feeling like I’ve let people down. But I’m not abandoning it. I still intend to write Shel and Josh’s story. I just can’t seem to do it right now.

Bear with me, okay?

So, how about a little good news?

Long Distance Love is done and coming soon! The week of August 26th soon. Yay! I just did the final galley read-through and I have to say, I still love Jack and Ellie. I hope you will too!

That’s all I have for now. I’ll be back next week. Oh! And keep your fingers crossed for Commitment – the GDRWA Booksellers Best Award recipients will be announced later this week. 🙂

Didja hear?

Not one, but TWO releases this week!

Roman Candles (Hot Nights in St. Blaise Book #7)

July LG

Pediatrician Mario Debrizzio is a single woman’s dream come true. He’s successful and confident, owns a gorgeous old home that cries out for a family, and is as talented in the kitchen as he is in the bedroom.

But when he loses his cool on the job, Dr. Debrizzio finds himself front and center with SBRMC’s chief headshrinker. Dr. Sophie Bernard is more than pleasant to look at, but the last thing he wants is to let the woman who has already messed with his head poking around in there.

No amount of distance can keep Dr. Sophie Bernard safe from the memory of the scorching kiss she and Mario shared at the SBRMC Christmas party. The man was hot as a firecracker and every bit as dangerous. She was also married at the time…technically.

Long after her divorce is final, Sophie fights the attraction. But when Mario holds a flame to her fuse, her fear and frustration explodes into a passion that burns up the hot summer night.

BUY NOW FROM: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | TMP Bookstore | All Romance

AND

Smokin’ Hot Firemen

SmokinHotFiremen_opt[1]

Who can melt any woman’s heart with a single smile? The sexiest icon of all—a fireman!

They enter fiery structures with selfless courage–the very definition of the word “hero.” Women understand their allure… A soot-covered face, sweat dripping from hard, chiseled muscles, the sharp snap of suspenders—yes, only a fireman can make suspenders sexy! Delilah Devlin’s burning-hot book includes thrilling stories teeming with gorgeous firemen from some of today’s hottest romance writers. In “Saving Charlotte,” Sabrina York’s firefighting Dom rescues a woman tied to a red-hot bed; from Cathryn Fox comes “Temperature Rising” where a fire chief fulfills some very steamy fantasies; Elle James’s “Chasing Fire” sees a daring smoke-jumper parachuting into the hot zone of a forest fire then setting his girlfriend ablaze with erotic heat; and Magic Mike ain’t got nothin’ on Delilah’s own fireman-turned-exotic-dancer-for-a-night “Johnny Blaze.”

With a list of award-winning authors that includes Ily Goyanes, Shoshanna Evers, Adele Dubois, and Rachel Firasek, Delilah delivers tales of these courageous men sliding down their big poles to steal readers’ hearts! Smokin’ Hot Firemen imagines the romantic possibilities of being held against that massively muscled chest by a man whose mission is to protect and serve…

Available from Cleis Press (Jul 16, 2013)
ISBN-13: 9781573449342 ♦ ISBN-10: 1573449342

BUY NOW FROM: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | B-A-M | Book Depository | Chapters | IndieBound

O Canada!

O Canada! La la la la la la…. O Canada!

La la la la la la. La la la la la, la la la la la, la la la la la la la….

We stand on guard for thee!

canadian-flag

So yeah. It’s Canada Day, and as an HonoUrary Canuck, I thought it would be cool to have my Canadian friend and anthology buddy, Evelyn Jules, stop by to entertain you.

You got your party toque on? Excellent! Say good day, eh!

****

Hello there, everyone! Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks out there, and Happy Monday to the rest of you! J

I’m a quirky girl. Some might even call me a bit of a clown. I love to juggle, I’ve been on a flying trapeze, and at the very top of my ‘things Evelyn must own’ list is a unicycle. Most of the time I’m loud and proud, but sometimes I’m awfully quiet too. Like a mime. It’s possible I took a four week introduction to physical theatre (aka: miming) course.

Here’s the funny thing. Margaret is kind of (or a lot) afraid of mimes and clowns. She’s also a very close friend of mine. Like an older sister, you might say. And since we’re like sisters we enjoy tormenting each other…which brings me to my reason for being here today. One day I heard that Turquoise Morning Press was putting together a collection of wedding-themed stories. I decided to write a love story about a mime and a clown. Then I laughed at myself because I think I’m pretty funny and stuff. But then I stopped laughing because OMG, this was a brilliant idea! So I found a scrap piece of paper and started jotting down all the bits of plot and dialogue that were floating and bouncing and cartwheeling in my head. And then I pitched my idea, including stick figure art, to the collection editor, and instead of shipping me off to the loony bin, she actually LIKED the idea. She liked it so much she actually gave me a spot in the collection!

Now, back to Margaret. Part of the reason why I wrote the story was to drive Margaret crazy. But you know what? Something amazing happened in the end. She liked it too! That’s when I knew I had to share it with the world. It’s not a dirty story. Shocking, I know. It’s actually a beautiful love story of two circus freaks…Oh, hell, just read the blurb.

All Action, No Talk

Alice Moore is a clown . . . in love with a mime.

Her parents have never approved of her circus-oriented lifestyle and in effort to deter her from wasting her life clowning around, they set her up with family friend, Grant Humphrey. A practical man. A businessman. And the last man on earth she wants to marry, but here she is, marching down the aisle toward him.

Alex Holiday is a mime . . . in love with a clown.

He’s silently followed Alice from venue to venue on the circus circuit, working alongside her, worshiping her in secret. He’s never been able to tell her how he feels . . . until now. When he catches wind of the upcoming wedding, he vows to put a stop to it. But will his objection be too late?
I have cover art too!

WeddingCollection_MD

 

The best part about being in this collection is that I get to share it with Margaret. Her story, Always the Groomsman, kicks things off to a hilarious start! I hope you all get yourselves a copy! And remember, clowns and mimes deserve love too.

Now, tell me, what’s the strangest romantic pairing you’ve ever written or read about it?

The Wedding Day Collection is available at these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wedding-Day-Collection-ebook/dp/B00DF2IJOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371389617&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wedding+day+collection+margaret

Turquoise Morning Press Bookstore: http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/products/the-wedding-day-collection-anthology

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweddingdaycollection-1222660-166.html

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wedding-day-collection-margaret-ethridge/1115674093?ean=2940016477282