Raine Balkera - Romance Author

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF JUNE! Not sure about the rest of the USA or around the globe, but in my neck of the woods, we've been in a heatwave, with temps in the low 90s (Fahrenheit) and with the muggies as well. I love it! And, it's not even officially Summertime yet, so that is pretty cool. Except when I'm working inside a sweat box known as elementary school, then it isn't as 'cool' as I'd like it to be. Today's topic hits on the fact that I, for the first time ever, went to work in a sleeveless dress AND flip flops! It is part of the new-me Gift I'm giving to myself, to let go of the past, that way of thinking and feeling, and discovering someone new, someone alive, and someone I've never met before but wouldn't mind getting to know better. So, without further ado, here is this week's response! Hello, everyone, and welcome back for Week 22 of the MFRW Author Blog 's 52-Week Blog Challenge. This week, the to...

Hello, everyone! Welcome to Week 20 of the MFRW Author Blog's 52-Week Blog Challenge . This week, our topic is: My Favorite Social Media Platforms, and Why . *sigh... The most fun I tend to derive from these posts is creating the Banners for them. LOL IF Social Media worked the way I think that it should, I would be enamored of them all. However, all social media networks cater to the wealthy, the affluent, the successful, and the almighty popular people. Just like it works with people in real life. If Social Media sites worked in an inclusive manner FOR ALL, I would choose them all, but they don't and do not work for me. Goal-setters probably love Social Media and strive to gain recognition there, so I commend those types, believe me. For me, it is like whipping a dead horse, but that is because I am (currently) a nobody without a following. My content is seen by no one and easily lost among the more prominent, popular, and successful among us, so ...

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Week 19 of the MFRW Author Blog 's 52-Week Blog Challenge. This week, the topic is: My Most Romantic Memory . Is it cheating or bad form to participate when you don't have an answer? I hope not, because I'm thinking -- I joined this year's challenge hop, so I must participate regardless. Also, I don't want anyone to think I'm being lazy or facetious because it is beyond pathetically true! I have No Memory of any Romantic Memory , and yes, I was married once and have two, grown children to prove it. So, what am I supposed to say this week? One of the big reasons why I write Romance is because I have never experienced true romance. I married someone I practically grew up with and was close friends with in middle and part of high school, so it kind of just happened. Yes, my ex bought me things, but not  just because , and often quite grudgingly, including my birthday and for Christmas. Eventually, it boiled ...

Hello! Welcome to Week 18 of the MFRW Author Blog's 52-Week Blog Challenge . This week, our topic of discussion is: How I Work Up Character/Setting Profiles . If I'm not mistaken, we've discussed this before, only it was worded differently. And, if I'm not mistaken, this is asking me to discuss how I create or devise my characters and/or setting for each novel I write. Before I begin, let me apologize to those of you who participate, because, for the past few weeks, I've been suffering far more than usual with seasonal allergies. It affects a strip of my face and head that is crucial to writing and reading... the ears, the eyes, and the nose. Plus, I cough a lot, which causes a sore throat. Anyway, my eyes are crossed, blurred, double vision, and constantly itchy, making it nearly impossible to see, much less read. Then I get headaches from trying to read or stare at a screen, so... *Sigh, enough with the problems and on with the show. S...

Hi, there! This is Week 16 of the MFRW Author Blogs 52-Week Blog Challenge , and this week's topic is: Family, Friends, and Pets I've Written Into My Books. My immediate response is NONE, but something tells me I included my first dog in my first novel, and it probably sounds even worse that I don't remember, right? I know it is a dog that finally brings my H & h together near the ending, but I don't recall if I used Yukon or just a random doggy to do the job. Elelur.com Anyway, it isn't that I don't like the idea of using people I know and inserting them into my stories. For me, it just isn't Romance-inducing to think about Family, if that makes any sense to you dear readers. Thinking about my mom or dad while writing a Romance novel is counter-productive... the same way thinking about either one of them during sex would be. Right? However, and more and more, I've come to like the idea of slipping myself or someone I...

Hi, folks! Sorry about opting out last week, but the topic had no appeal, and I also had nothing to contribute to it, either. This week, Week 14, the Topic What I Learned from My Worst Review,  isn't much better, but I want to try and complete as many of these as I can without dropping out. I do have two ePub novels listed on Amazon, but no one is reading them, so I don't have any reviews. Well, I do, but they are from the five friends who said they were interested in reading it, which just means they left complimentary reviews of the high-caliber variety (in order not to hurt my feelings). So, for this post, I thought I could give examples of some really scorching reviews I've encountered when searching for things to read at Amazon, share them with you, and tell you how I would respond if they were directed at me and my work. So, without further ado... found at Amazon This is page one of three total, in the 1-star category, for a Historical Romance...

Hi, everyone. Welcome to Week 12 of the MFRW Author Blog's 52-Week Blog Challenge . This Week's Topic is: My Contest Experiences (Win, Lose, Get Signed?) (queue the laugh track, please) (crickets?) Yeah, I have nothing to contribute to this week's challenge topic, sorry. I think we've gone over this before, but, I'm too sensitive and spineless to set myself up for anything that involves the possibility of failure or judgement via peer evaluation. I play the Lottery when their jackpots go sky-high, but even then I don't get anything in return. An old friend of mine took her little ones down to some zoo in Ohio, and they were having a raffle that particular day, and of the thousands who went to that zoo that day, SHE came home with a brand new Chrysler convertible. She told me she 'just had this feeling' she was going to win, and she did. There was the time, ages ago, when some fitness club phoned to say I'd won thei...

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Week 11 of the MFRW Author Blog's 52-Week Blog Challenge . Today's topic is: If I Never Had to Do This One Task Again.... Oh BOY, am I going to get FLAMED this week, but here goes. Yeah, I hate work as much as the next guy, believe me, and being the Queen of Lazy isn't as easy as it sounds. I used to be a Teacher and am now a Sub, but my 'love' for the kiddies decreases by the assignment, so to say I wish I never had to Work Outside the House another day of my life is extremely tempting! Can I just say that if you are raising your child(ren) to believe they are super-special snowflakes, flawless and without guilt or the crime gene, or simply refuse to discipline them, will you please stop it now? CASE IN POINT This week, a second grader refused to shut her mouth all afternoon and despite numerous "Please, stop talking when I'm talking" and "Please don't talk when your friends are t...