Writing and editing up a storm

As far as my writing career goes, I'm inclined to believe there's nothing quite so satisfying as writing, "The End." I finally finished the second book in my Paradise Pines series, SUMMER DREAMS. Whooooppeeeeee! BIG SIGH of relief!

I got that one officially submitted. It was way late, after our move to Texas, my broken kneecap and the subsequent surgery...but it's finished and in the hands of my editor. Actually, I just received the first edits back on it, so things are moving along nicely. (I sent it in on the 2nd of this month. This is a really fast turnaround - no doubt because my tardiness in getting the book written upset the schedule-cart at Pelican Book Group. I'm so sorry, PBG!)

Started the third book, AUTUMN FALLS, and got several chapters in with ease. Finishing SUMMER DREAMS seemed to oil my creative wheels. It feels to good to be making progress! Then I received the galleys on OH BABY. Joy, joy, joy! The other Heart's Haven authors and I have been patiently waiting for this series to start releasing. Looks like the ball is rolling, and we are so ready. I hope you are too.

That's my current "twitter-fest" about writing. Sometimes I just have to crow a little... 

Thought you might like to see the covers for the Paradise Pines series. Pretty, aren't they? Thanks to Nicola Martinez for always turning out covers PBG authors can be proud of!

On another note, this blog is brand new. I hope to keep it active - not only with my own ramblings, but with information, interviews and announcements from other authors too. Not everything will be writing-related, I promise. You'll find a bit of this and that and every other thing here on Chirp and Chatter. So hurry...quick...run out and grab the rest of your flock and ask them to wing it right on over here and give me a follow. My sidebar looks pathetic! lol

Announcing the "Love Is" series from Prism Book Group

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) -- 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Prism Book Group's "Love Is" series launches just in time for Valentine's Day. What fun! Based around the above scriptural text, the series promises a look at the many virtues of love, using the medium of fiction to make it real. How's that for a paradox?

I've agreed to post intro interviews/guests posts/info for each release here on Deela's Muse. I hope you enjoy the series posts...and the books by Prism Book Group authors.

Be here on Feb. 5th for the exciting announcement of the "Love is Patient" contribution to the series: Hounded by Anita Klumpers.

Santa Fe Sunrise (Tanya Stowe)

Beautiful imagery, unforgettable characters, and a riveting storyline!

Tanya Stowe always strikes me as a one-of-a-kind writer…but never so much as when she writes suspense. Her genuine love for the genre shines through in the extra ‘heaping heartful’ of edginess she doles out for her suspense readers. In SANTA FE SUNRISE, that little something extra adds up to pure magic.

Rafaela De Silva’s got a lot on her lovely Native American plate—not the least of which is the steady financial decline of her family’s art gallery. Then there’s the delicate younger sister who lays claim to a severe eating disorder, a super-sized artistic talent and ever-increasing night terrors that could easily land her in a room with fancy bars on the windows. Add to that the fact that the handsome stranger in town thinks someone wants to harm Rafaela, and the woman’s got more than sufficient reason to be a little on edge.

Brett is determined to find out who wants to hurt the woman who’s taken an unrelenting grip on his heart—even though that woman can’t decide whether to trust him or chase him out of town. While he quietly delves into why someone might want Rafaela out of the picture, Brett also sets out to bring a little joy back into the home she shares with her mother and sister. While he’s repairing a ramshackle villa, he’s also rebuilding his self-worth, mending his relationship with God…and making himself a bigger target for someone who will stop at nothing to get what the De Silva family don’t even know they have.

Stowe knows suspense, and handles it with all the aplomb of the seasoned professional she is. She also knows romance, and doesn’t mind turning Brett and Rafaela upside down and inside out while exploring the whole boy-gets-girl scenario. Her recipe for romantic suspense results in an extra bit of pizzazz in both categories.

A dash of ancient Indian legend. A generous helping of black market artifacts. A pinch of snark, a handful of hope—and chapter after chapter of top-notch writing. I can’t imagine any reader of romance and/or suspense not being utterly and completely captivated by Santa Fe Sunrise. Five GREAT BIG stars!

Eve (Wm. Paul Young)

Captivating. A little confusing, at times, but not enough to lose the reader. Nothing like The Shack, and yet...there are strains and shadows of "sameness" that make it wonderful. I loved it!

Beguiling (Nolan Carlson)

If you're looking for a good book for your teens to read, just in time for Halloween and all the "scary" stuff, you've found it! I'm certainly not a teen, but I enjoyed the story line immensely. Good writer!

Gabriel's Atonement (Vickie McDonough)

LAND RUSH DREAMS SERIES, BOOK 1


Vickie McDonough simply never disappoints. Gabriel's Atonement had me in its grip from the beginning, and never let go. Gabe and Lara are such fun, interesting, and REAL characters, one can't help but root for them...cry for their losses (and both had more than their share), and rejoice in their hard-won victories. Even the secondary characters are fully developed, and capable of inciting emotion in the reader. I loved Lara's four-year-old son, Michael. Children always add something wonderful to a book, and this author has a perfect handle on how to portray little ones.

McDonough also does a beautiful job of weaving in the love, grace, and goodness of God without turning the novel into a very long sermon. A perfect start to the Land Rush Dreams series, and I eagerly await the next book, Joline's Redemption. (That gal's gonna need some!)

Falling for Her (Debbie Macomber)

(Short Story)

Debbie Macomber doesn't know how to write badly. I don't like to rate a story this short, as it doesn't provide the author enough leeway to fully depict the characters. But the author did a great job, and left me wanting to read the rest of the series. That says plenty.