Coming Soon!

Well, Septemberish... The first book in my new series will be out around that time frame and I thought I'd start sharing a little bit about the series and the book. Although not too much 'cause I'm evil like that :).  I don't have a series name yet and the first book's title will also be changing, but I'm currently in edits and I can't wait for it to be out. The first book kicks off a paranormal romance series with an overall story arc about regaining hope, re-establishing trust and loyalty, reclaiming glory and seeking redemption, the themes in each of the books. They're fast paced, action packed and hot. If I do say so myself LOL. The relationship and emotional journey of the characters are still my first and foremost as each book deals with a couple struggling to come to terms with who and what they are and how they fit, especially with each other. Oh, and there are no vamps, weres, dragons, ghosts or angels in sight. This is something a little bit different, but grounded firmly in the contemporary world, which I love so much.

Look forward to sharing more of Seth and Devon with you soon!

The Ramblings of a Writer's Mind: Grapes! - with Wendy S. Marcus

Please welcome Wendy S. Marcus to my blog today. Wendy begins her journey as a published Harlequin author this month. What an exciting time!

Hi Kaily! Thank you so much for having me to your blog today! I know I should be talking about my book or my journey to publication. But, odd as it may seem, I’ve chosen grapes as my topic for this blog post. Read on to see how this ties into writing.

You're welcome but...grapes? Grapes!? Okay, this has got to be good!

 A few weeks ago I volunteered to prepare and serve lunch at a local shelter. My food donation was 25 servings of fruit. I chose to bring grapes, which are not as easy as bananas or oranges because grapes need to be washed, cut into portions, and placed in single serving baggies.

During the washing process, after dumping a large package of grapes into the colander, I found a poker chip. Yes. I said poker chip. Now most people would have tossed that chip into the trash and got back to work. Not me. I’m a writer and my mind tends to wander.

I examined the chip. Dark blue with white lettering. Along the outer rim were pictures of hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs. In the center the number 25 next to a C with two short lines running horizontally through the middle.

Where had this chip come from and why was it in my bag of grapes? I wondered. My writer’s mind went to work. Maybe there was something hidden in the bag of grapes and the chip was to help someone locate it. Maybe a drug dealer. I sniffed my grapes, like I had any idea what the heck I was sniffing for, but certainly if there were drugs I’d smell them. Right? I inspected the grapes for white powder. Hey, I watch television.

Nothing.

So I carefully washed the grapes, palpating each for anything abnormal.

Nothing.

So I ate a few. I can’t very well serve them to strangers if I wasn’t willing to eat them myself.

Nothing.

Okay. The chip was probably not drug related. So I continued on with my task. But couldn’t get past the question: How did that poker chip wind up in my grapes?

What if it’d been in the pocket of some poor migrant worker, his last thing of value in the world? What if he’d meant to cash it in before work so he could feed his seven children? And now I had it and his children were going hungry. Because of me. I felt horrible.

I called my daughter, the movie fanatic, to share my concerns. She suggested maybe the poker chip was a tracking device. For what? Drugs! I actually imagined two burly men with Uzis tracking a red flashing dot that led to my kitchen. “But I didn’t find any drugs,” I said to my daughter actually starting to feel a bit nervous. “Oh no,” I cried out. “Maybe the poker chip is the drugs.” After all it was very light weight.

I picked up the poker chip like it would explode if mishandled. I ran my fingers over the edges. Solid. I tried to bend it. Solid. I threw it on the floor. Solid. All while my daughter laughed hysterically on the phone.

I am an absolute lunatic. Which, it turns out, is the right frame of mind for a writer. I don’t take things at face value. I question. I wonder why and what if. I imagine the possibilities.

I see a happy couple at the library and I wonder why they’re so happy. What were they doing fifteen minutes ago to make them all smiley and touchy-feely? And what if the librarian is the girl’s mother and she knows what they’ve been doing and she’s fuming? Does she make a scene? Maybe lay into her daughter or fling a thick autobiography at the boys head? Or does she maintain the strict librarian code of conduct…while she places a call to her husband…who grabs his shotgun and jumps into the family Ford?

It is exhausting being me.

But entertaining.

So, the reason I’m actually here is to tell you about my debut Harlequin Medical Romance, When One Night Isn’t Enough now available to any UK visitors on the Mills and Boon website here. Kaily has graciously invited me back for another chat on July 11th, my release day in the U.S. and Australia. I hope you’ll all stop by for another visit!

As part of my debut release celebration I’m running two contests with Amazon gift cards as prizes. Please check out my website for details on how to enter. And while you’re there check out the excerpts for When One Night Isn’t Enough and its sequel Once a Good Girl.

Now for my questions: Have you ever read a Harlequin Medical Romance? If yes, what did you think? If no, why not? And are you willing to make mine your first? Also, do you have a writer’s rambling mind? Give me some examples. Or tell me this, what do you think is the story behind my poker chip? One lucky commenter will win a copy of the 2in1 UK version of my book which includes a second complete novel by Author Janice Lynn.

LOL. Wendy, what a great story. Yeah, it's a chore being a writer sometimes! Thank you so much for stopping by. Much congratulations and best wishes for your book and I look forward to delving further into your journey to publication as part of Just Published in July!

Got a letter from Harlequn!!!!

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to explode. My stomach felt like someone had reached into my abdominal cavity, grabbed my guts and twisted as hard as they could. OK, graphic I know, but accurate! A letter had arrived. From Harlequin. It looked so harmless; a plain white envelope with 'Harlequin' emblazoned across the top. I felt it. It was very thin and my heart sank. Surely if they wanted to see my full manuscript it would be more than a one pager? I took a deep breath and opened it, thinking it had to be a form rejection, sure it was nothing else. It was folded in such a way I could just open it and peer inside without taking it out. I saw the words 'I would like to see your complete manuscript....' leap off the page and what I felt after that was just indescribable. I had accomplished another milestone on this journey to publication and it felt SO good. For a brief moment all anxiety was completely gone, washed away by the validation I held in my hand that I was on the right track, that I could be an author some day. Then it returned in full force. I had to polish that manuscript and get it back in her hands, putting myself out there again, raising the stakes. In that instant the familiar anxiety returned, but tempered this time with an increased confidence, a renewed enthusiasm and a fiercer determination to be successful.