More Digital Reissues!

I'm delighted to announce that Harlequin has reissued two more of my older books in digital format. They are

THE SAXON

Set in Dark Age Britain
From the back cover:

Endredi

Endredi haunted his every waking thought...a sun-burnished Valkyrie with a beauty as wild as the open sea. But Adelar's deepest passion was also his darkest secret. For the woman who held his heart belonged to his lord....

Adelar

Always would Endredi remember the boy who had awakened her to love. Yet she cursed the fates who brought her face-to-face with Adelar the man, for she was now nothing more than a bartered bride in a Saxon stronghold rife with danger and deceit.

Read An Excerpt

Inside scoop about THE SAXON: The heroine is obviously pregnant on the back cover, not something you tend to see a lot. It's also the sequel to THE VIKING.

THE WELSHMAN'S WAY

Book Four in my Warrior Series
From the back cover:

Reluctant Bride

Never the docile, obedient maid, Madeline de Montmorency railed against her fate, proclaiming she'd not go willingly to the marriage bed of a stranger. Especially since her heart had chosen another alliance -- with a man branded as an outlaw, and a thief!

Rebel Outlaw

Dafydd ap Iolo was weary of the fight until he laid eyes upon the fiery Lady Madeline. For here was the first Norman he'd no desire to call an enemy, and his longing for the green hills of Wales dimmed against the burning flame of their mutual desire.

Read An Excerpt

Inside scoop about THE WELSHMAN'S WAY: This is the book that also introduces Sir Roger de Montmorency, hero of THE NORMAN'S HEART. The heroine of THE WELSHMAN'S WAY is his sister, and at the start of the novel, she turns around and there he is. And there he was to me, too. Fully formed, complete. So fully formed, in fact, I was afraid he was going to take over the book. Fortunately, I found a way to prevent him from being too domineering until he could get his own story.

Haven't read THE VIKING or any of my other Warrior books? Not to worry! I always write each book to "stand alone."

Two Excellent Writing Guidelines

Like many authors, I've gone to several writing workshops, and I have many how-to writing books. Some things I remember easily, some don't seem to apply. The really good points, I never forget and they are in my mind every time I start a new project.

Here are my two most memorable writing guidelines.

"What does your character do at the end of the story that he or she would never do at the beginning?"

There's the climax to your novel, folks - as well as giving you a way to show how much your character has changed over the course of the story.

The second memorable lesson:

"The beginning of your story should ask questions, not give answers."

That's not only a great guide to what the opening of your story should do, but it also tells you what it shouldn't do. If you follow this piece of advice, you'll likely avoid the dreaded info dump.

I believe I heard the first guideline from Gayle Wilson. It's been years since I first heard it, though, so I could be wrong.

The second came from Molly O'Keefe. She may have been quoting someone, though.

Whatever the original source of these pithy statements, they are both well worth remembering when it's time to plot and write a novel.

And...we're back!

We've just been visiting the fabulous Pacific Northwest. The weather wasn't great until the fourth of July, which was sunny and warm. However, clouds and chilly temperatures didn't stop us from driving through the spectacular Olympic Mountains, seeing flora and fauna, the temperate rain forest and sampling some of the fabulous food of Seattle.

First up today - the fauna, starting with an inquisitive deer that approached our car.

This deer lives on Hurricane Ridge, where, as you can see, there was still snow.

We didn't see any mountain goats, and judging by this warning, good thing!

For all you Twilight fans, we went to Forks and the temperate rain forest, where a family of elk browsed the verge. The temperate rain forest is fascinating, beautiful and yep, really creepy.

Last Day of Digital Sale

Just briefly, because I'm visiting family this week - This is the last day the digital editions of my Avon books will be on sale. The previous blog post lists the titles and links to more information about the books.