Romance Writer's Weekly Blog Hop - Personal Space
Hello, and welcome to another Tuesday Blog Hop via our host, Romance Writer's Weekly.
I hope you arrived here after having visited with Dani Jace.
This week I'd like to feature her published work, White Doe [shapeshifter romance / romantic suspense]. which is on sale for only .99c on Amazon.
Hawk shifter, and bad-boy biker, Shane Cheveyo has spent years trying to outride his secret life and erotic memories of his first love who left without a word. When his great-grandfather, the legendary chieftain of their tribe passes to his next life, Cheyenne is drawn back home to the Outer Banks of North Carolinaout of respect for her heritage. Rekindled passion reveals their true nature, but will the magic of the white doe save them or separate their destinies forever?
This week's question comes to us from Elizabeth Janette, who's novel Redemption for Liars is also available on Amazon and in publication through Soul Mate Publishing.
Welcome to Hill's Creek, Texas, where the townsfolk like their secrets the same way they like their steaks . . . big and juicy. Don't worry. Nobody's secrets stay buried for long.
Until his socialite sister took a swan dive out her penthouse window, FBI Agent Jonah White’s life had been fairly simple: track down bad guys and slap a pair of silver bracelets on them. Nursing a guilty conscience gnawing at his heart, he heads to Hill's Creek, Texas, to investigate the one woman who just might be connected to his sister's death. Falling in love with her, a possible accomplice to murder, was never part of the plan.
Recently widowed Maya Savantes is barely keeping her head above water. With a precocious five-year-old to raise, and a growing pile of debt to wade through, she doesn’t have time for a romp through the sheets with a mysterious stranger – no matter how sexy he is. But when her deceased husband's trigger-happy loan shark comes looking to collect on old debts, Jonah might be the only one who can protect her.
Both novels are in my TBR pile, and I'm anxious to get to them, too!
Okay, so Janette wants to know the inside scoop on our writing space, and she suggests that we also include photos, if possible.
I'm keeping it real, so to speak (and L'ing OL at that).
So, I'm 53 and living with my mother in my childhood home. Unemployed and unemployable -- too old for this, too qualified for that, unqualified for this, not right for that.
No one wants or needs me, and I'm cool with that . . . now.
This is where I eek out an existence, in the former bedroom of my younger brothers, which is now referred to as the Den, or my space.
I can't do anything about the wall color, the ghastly carpet, or even the curtains, but the rickety old Sauder desk is mine and so is the Vaio laptop, the Dell monitor (so I can see what I'm typing), the chair, the Canon printer at the bottom (currently covered by a bag of TGIFriday's Potato Skins), the 20+ yr old Panasonic TV with a PSII attached to it for gaming purposes, and if you look real close, the tiny bottle of Beringer White Zinfandel Moscato on the floor beneath my desk.
All that belongs to me.
We're in the midst of an ice storm as I type, but the weather gods assure us it will switch over to rain by 4 p.m.
Every day I wake up, eat something healthy -- granola bar, fruit, berry muffin, sometimes not so healthy, like spam on toast or waffles with powdered sugar on top.
After gabbing with Ma for awhile and getting annoyed with her Newscast channel surfing, I get dressed and head out to the corner 7/11 for two 48oz Diet Coke drinks (one you will see in the righthand corner of the first pic above).
Yes, I know it's not healthy, and if I could, I would substitute it for tea -- black, Earl Grey, and Chai are my favorites -- but tea does not like me, either. I still drink it, though, believing that tea is good for me even if it does rip apart my stomach and give me a severe case of d ... skip that. I know you aren't interested.
After returning with my daily fuel (caffeine), I immediately check my 4 e-mail accounts. 1 for work, 1 for family, 1 for my writing, and Yahoo! because my PayPal and Facebook are attached, and it's a huge hassle trying to make the switch.
If it isn't a day when I have to rewrite a blog post for work, then I will browse my writing FB page and then return to my real-life FB page. For about two hours I will chat with friends, like posts, post what I like on my timeline, tag people for certain stuff, and then take care of business on a few of the games I play there.
At around 2 p.m., I get hungry again and will have my last meal of the day by either heating up a frozen meal or preparing something I crave, which I then eat while watching a Korean drama online.
I do exercise throughout the day as well. In summer, a few trips around the block, mowing the lawn, etc. In winter, it is up and down the basement stairs or pacing and stretching in front of the den wall window pictured above. I have an Aerobic Rider thing, too, but when my knees start to scream at me, I stop that kind of a work-out.
At around 4 p.m., I drive my daughter to work, and then for the few hours it takes her to finish, I spend that time going over notes and ideas for my WIP. It is the time of day when my thought processes are jotted down and thought out some more. After picking daughter up and taking her back home, THEN I get down to the business of writing.
Without any distractions, and from about 7pm until midnight or thereabouts, I am writing -- typing in Word.
When I start to get drowsy, I get ready for bed and read until I fall asleep. :D
I didn't mean to go on and on like that, so my apologies to those of you who actually read to the bitter end. :D
And now it's time for us to hop on over and visit with Fiona Riplee. Her latest novel, Circle of Lies, is due for release this summer.
Raz Donovan: Is Raz the savior of the Sixxer alien race or will his child bring mankind and Sixxers together in peace? Sixxers are a race of people with the ability to manipulate energy. As a former M83 solider and Transor, Raz vowed to never get involved in the fight against the humans again. His only purpose now is to protect his small circle and stay away from the one human female that could ruin all his plans. But once Raz realizes the extent of the Sixxer destruction he is forced into a battle that will include fighting his heart.
Sandra Robbins: Sandra always wanted a husband and a family. An ordinary life where she could grow old and be happy. Unfortunately, her ex-husband had a different ideal. Now wary of men, she is drawn to the mysterious man that takes care of her best friend. Raz is nothing like her ex and because of circumstances put into motion before she met him, she'll be thrown into a world where it's hard to tell the truth from the lies. Once a part of this world there is no turning back as her heart tries to convince her to fall in love again.
Will all of Sandra's dreams come true? Or will Sandra encounter a nightmare she can't escape?
It's good to be honest. I admire that you've carved out a space of your own when facing obstacles. And your view looks like mine - snow now melting slowly as the rain falls. I'm ready for spring!
ReplyDeleteOh, me, too, Fiona. Hope it arrives sooner than normal, too. Thanks for stopping by, reading, and responding!
DeleteOh my gosh, Raine, so sorry about your employment situation. My sister-in-law was let go of her job at 59 (because she was the highest paid) and can't find work either. My husband was pushed into retirement by a second level supervisor, by changing his reporting office to over miles away and then had to drive company truck back to within five miles of home. Thankfully had been there long enough to draw a decent pension and is now working again for 1/3 of the pay. Keep at the writing and I hope you write the next BIG one they make a movie about it!
ReplyDeleteLOL, and thanks, Dani. It's rough and depressing, and it's easy to let it overwhelm me, too. But, I promised myself not to go there anymore or look back. I just don't or can't care anymore. I am writing, I will continue to write, and hopefully it will sell. As for a movie deal . . . LOL - I'm not holding out hope. Glad, GLAD to know your hubby is making his own way! Hurray for great news :D
DeleteAt some point in the future, I know you'll find a way to use all of this in a story. In the meantime, it sounds like your days are full and you are making the best of things.
ReplyDeleteYes, always look forward and use it for your stories. You will be better for it in the long run. My husband and I have a saying, "Fall forward."
ReplyDeleteRaine I love that you shared your story with us. It's so cliche, but things happen for reasons - and I believe this is simply life taking you where you need to be. Keep on writing, woman.
ReplyDeleteAnd PS I am a total diet drink addict too. :)
Wow Raine! You certainly went for it and told us a lot about yourself! Love it! This is what readers want. To learn about us. To learn that we're approachable!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great and honest post. I think your New Year's Resolution is a great one :) Being honest with yourself is the best thing, especially when it helps to better accept how you are!
ReplyDelete