WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR

Welcome to the continuing Writing Process Blog Tour where authors are invited to answer the same four questions.

My appreciative thanks to KC Klein, author of the fabulous TEXAS WIDE OPEN and many more amazing stories, who invited me to join this wonderful tour allowing us to learn a little more about authors and get a peek into their world.

What am I working on?

I’m proud to say that I just completed my first suspense romance, KEEPING FAITH, and hope to find a home for it soon. In the meantime, when I’m not busy with helping other authors ready their work for submission or publication, I’m working on another suspense romance, which has a lot less scary moments than KEEPING FAITH, but that I hope touches the heart in a way most suspense stories don’t.

***Here’s a small teaser:
          I heard the hurt in my daughter’s voice and it pained me to know she felt the need to be responsible for her parents when she should be caring for her own family. I watched my over-concerned daughter turn away, toss her shoulder-length, still nearly black hair over her shoulder as she pulled a chair from the edge of the attic, and placed it near a stack of boxes.

          “I appreciate all of your help, honey, but I’m not ready to be an old woman yet.” I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

          I looked deep into those soft green eyes that carried far more of her father’s beautiful brown than my blue. “It’s difficult enough watching your father fade from the man I married. I feel like I lose a little bit more of him every day.” Tears stung my eyes so I glanced away and I cleared my throat yet again. “Let’s start with those boxes.”

          Tina dipped her head and wiped away a tear she hadn’t wanted me to see before she pulled a box over in front of the chair. I smiled at her and was relieved when I received a small grin in return. She snagged another chair and set it nearby before pulling another box from the stack. I watched her as she concentrated on what she was doing. I knew all of this was hurting her as much as me. Her father was her world. He was the first man to ever dance with her, twirling her around to the sounds of Elvis Presley singing Can’t Help Falling In Love. He’d been the first man to give her roses, and he was the man who escorted her down the aisle when she married her own knight in shining armor.

          I sighed as the recollection of those times sprinted across my thoughts. Where had the years gone? What would the next years bring – good memories or only sad? 

          – Untitled Work in Progress

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I’m not sure how my work differs from others in the same genre except that I believe I focus more on the relationship between the characters more than the suspense/mystery of the story. Especially this new one which, when my mother read this passage, she had to stop because she was crying. And it's only in the first chapter. 

Why do I write what I do?

I’ve always had a desire to create. At one time, I seriously considered art school but even as much as I love to create art, by the time I was roughly fourteen years old, I’d fallen in love with creating stories, characters, and of course, I’d discovered romance. Creating a story is like painting a portrait of a moment in the life of my characters. If what I create brings a touch of joy, sadness, fear, or delight to my readers then my creation has done what it was meant to do. Just as my tastes in reading vary, I suspect my writing will also. I never know where my muse may take me next and that’s part of the fun.

How does your writing process work?

I am a pantser, which means I let my characters take me where they will. Yes, I pull together ideas as the story progresses. I even make notes, but I don’t plot out the story before I begin. I do consider my characters relation to each other, their back stories, and setting but I let my muse lead me to where my characters live and then let the characters tell me the rest.

With KEEPING FAITH, I woke up one morning, and for whatever ungodly reason, I wrote a scene of murderous terror where an unnamed man kills a woman by coating her body in oil and puts her in a crematory oven. Where it came from only my muse knows, but it certainly inspired me to keep going even as it made me cringe. The idea for this new story came from a desire to take my characters back in time but show how love can last forever, even under the most stressed times in a couple’s life. Even though my own marriage is ending, I still believe in love and a happily-ever-after. Maybe someday I’ll realize my own outside the pages of my work. 

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you'll continue to follow the Writing Process Blog Tour for a chance to get a peek into more authors' worlds.

Your next week's traveling companions are:

Alexandrea Weis, the award-winning author adult contemporary romance like COVER TO COVERS and paranormal romance fiction like GHOSTS OF RUE DUMAINE, is also a nurse, animal lover, permitted wildlife rehabber, as well as avid New Orleanian.

Brandy Dorsch, who is living her dream in Pittsburgh, Pa with her husband and two sons, is the paranormal author of EVERLASTING HUNGER.

Nikki Lynn Barrett, author of BABY STETSON, who lives in Arizona with her husband and son, runs a book blog, an online used bookstore, and writes various genres of romance.

Thank you for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment and of course, share the news of the Writing Process Blog Tour! 

As always -  Happy Reading Everyone!

And A Copy of BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett goes to ...

THANK YOU EVERYONE

for taking the time to visit

my stop on the Tasty Book Blog Tour
for BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett

I hope you will all enjoy

reading this sweet contemporary romance.
It is available in all vendors. 

 As promised, one lucky commenter is

going to win a  digital copy of
BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett
 

so without further ado,

the winner is: 

 

SOFT FUZZY SWEATER

 

 Congrats to Soft Fuzzy Sweater! She has been notified by email

and she will be receiving a digital copy
of BABY STETSON from her choice of vendor. 
 

 Please check your SPAM folder so you don't miss the message.

If by chance, I don't hear from her by end of day,
Thursday, May 30, 2013, or she is unable to accept the
prize copy, I will choose another winner
from the valid entries. So ... SOFT FUZZY SWEATER, 
please check your mail!

 Thank you to everyone who visited and played.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Unwrapping: ERRORS IN PUBLISHED BOOKS!

Hi dear readers! I’ve been hitting you with a lot of reviews lately, mainly because I eliminated one day a week from my blogging schedule, but still had many books to review. I thought I’d take a day to ask you about something that may well be affecting me some day.
ERRORS IN PUBLISHED BOOKS!

As a writer, as well as blogger, I do my best to present my posts with no errors if possible but since I’m only human, sometimes after posting, I discover spelling errors, missing words, and on occasion, words that don’t belong. If I can, I correct them so as not to hinder your reading but many times, I miss them altogether. After all, I’m only human. But what about books that you pay good money for, only to find errors aplenty? 

I read a lot of ARCs – Advanced Reader Copies – and so have learned to ignore most errors, although they do register in my brain. I can only hope that all or most have been caught before the final copy is released to the public but I’ve seen them there after publishing. Some of these errors are just annoying but some are so outrageous that they make me laugh when I should be feeling what the characters are about in the story. 

Examples of outrageous errors are wrong names – for real, I’ve read a few books where a name pops up that doesn’t even belong in the book but is, in fact, a character from another in the series. Another type of error that throws me is when the wrong pronoun is used as in –  he kissed her and in response, he eagerly pressed her aroused bosom against his hard body. That’s an amazing bit of biology!  

I realize in this age of spelling and grammar check, it’s easy to utilize these tools to aid in editing, but only blatantly incorrect items are going to be caught. I admit that as readers we tend to skim, even if we’re not aware of it, and if you’ve read the same thing over more than a few times, your brain really skips and skims, and even fills in the blanks. Yes, missing words easily go unnoticed because our brain actually fills in those missing words and letters for us. 

There’s a message that is posted across social medias quite often and they claim that only a certain percentage of the population can read it - 55 out of 100 people or some such thing. I don’t believe that. I think we all can read it, if we allow our brain to do its job. Can you read it?

 

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

 

If you could read it with little or no trouble, it’s because your brain recognizes the words rather than the letters. The same thing happens when you’re reading a book. So do you notice typos and errors in the books you read? Does it bother you? I’ve actually written to authors and given them the page number and quote when it’s a really huge blunder – have you ever? Have you thought about it? I'll bet you have. *wink*

Like I said, I’m just curious. I hope that someday I’ll be asking you to read a book I've written and when I do, that I have very few, or better yet, no errors in mine. By the way, my current work-in-progress is coming along nicely and I’m very excited about it. It’s a suspense romance. If you haven’t had a chance already, please feel free to check out two chapters I have posted at Avon Romance. It’s not finished yet, and no, it’s not been published, but some day, some day! Click HERE to read two chapters from KEEPING FAITH written by me! Also, while you’re there, if you like it, please click the heart at the top. The higher my rating, the better chance I have of one of the editors taking notice. Feel free to let me know what you think of it - good or bad! Thanks. I love my readers! 

 

Don't forget there is a double giveaway happening on my Wacky Wednesday post - a chance to win a digital copy of BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett and also a Rafflecopter chance to win a $20 Gift Card. Stop by and enter if you haven't, it ends Friday night!

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

Wacky Wednesday: BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett Tasty Book Blog Tour + #Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett Tasty Book Blog Tour. Nikki is one of my Avon Addict sisters and has written and self-published two books – braver than me! BABY STETSON, book one of her Love and Music in Texas series is her second published work. Her first, THE SECRET SANTA WISHING WELL, came out at Christmas. I have not had an opportunity to read that work, so BABY STETSON was my introduction to Nikki’s talent. I hope you’ll enjoy an introduction to a new young writer, take in an excerpt, and stick around for a giveaway!

***ecopy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review. 

Blurb for BABY STETSON:

In small Texas towns, strangers come and go...

Left in a Stetson hat, on the steps of the local bed and breakfast, Avery Callimer came into the world on a wing and a prayer. Raised by loving adoptive parents, she's never lacked for love...only the knowledge of her past.
By day, she works the Inn, but by night...Avery comes alive as lead singer in a band. Life was good...stable, until new guests blew into town. 

Some strangers come with secrets and lies.

Lucas Bennett is one such stranger. Drifting from one mess to another has left him jaded. Doesn't matter the dramas are never his doing. Giving it one last shot to make a fresh start lands him Harmony's Echo, Texas and smack dab in front of the tantalizing Avery.

Despite his best efforts to ignore the burn Avery's ignited within, he's intent to keep his distance. Secrets have followed him. Secrets he doesn't want Avery to know. Each time they're near the other things heat up like a brushfire on a dry Texas prairie. But maybe, after the dust settles and the smoke clears, love can bloom with a fresh start.

                               *                   *                    *                   *                    *                                              

At only days old, Avery Callimer was left on the doorstep of the Callimers' bed and breakfast in a Stetson hat, but she never lacked for love from her adoptive parents. She grew up with questions in the back of her mind, but never wished to hurt her loving parents by asking those questions or pursuing her birth parents. One day, the question of searching for her parents came directly to her front door in the form of a letter – a letter from the father that claims he never knew about her until now. Avery’s life has always revolved around her family, their business, and her love of music. Just when she’s questioning everything in her life – the possibility of a singing career somewhere other than Harmony’s Echo, Texas, breaking things off with her boyfriend who is also her best friend and part of her band, and those nagging thoughts of her birth mother and father – her birth father wants to meet her.

 

Lucas Bennett has come to this small Texas town on a mission. He carries secrets with him. Secrets that he keeps close, because he owes a debt to the person who sent him to Harmony’s Echo. The woman he seeks has a voice like an angel, and tempts him like a devil, with her pretty face and sexy figure. He knows he should keep his distance but finds it difficult. He knows that the secret he holds will shatter any opportunity he might have with Avery Callimer, yet he’s unable to stay away from her.

 

When the truth comes out, it opens the door to more secrets, betrayal, and a danger that may cost Avery more than a broken heart.

EXCERPT:

Cool, crisp air greeted them as Avery and Lucas exited the inn.  Not too bad of a night weather wise.  Nearby, a twig snapped.  Avery jumped.  “What was that?”

“Probably an animal,” Lucas guessed.  “A little jumpy tonight?”

Avery’s mind went back to that text from earlier.  “Maybe a little bit.”  She wasn’t fully sure why.  A combination of stress and lack of sleep, maybe.

“I’ll protect you from the big bad wolf,” Lucas teased.

“Oh?  So what if you’re the big bad wolf?  Who’ll protect me from you?”

Lucas halted.  “You think I’m the wolf, eh?”

“Well, you haven’t proved that you aren’t yet,” Avery shot back.  God how he riled her.  She hated how much she enjoyed it sometimes.

“I’m guessing you like the wolves then, because you liked this before.”  Lucas reached for her, and his lips met hers.  Avery’s heart melted.  She wrapped herself into Lucas, leaning into his kisses.  He tasted sensational.  Each kiss drove her further over the edge.

“Lucas.”  Avery groaned.  She went in for another kiss, but a strange sound startled her, and she pulled away from him.  “Do you hear that?  If it’s an animal, it’s nearby.”

Lucas whipped his head to stare in the direction.  “I don’t know.  Maybe we’d better go, get away from whatever it is.”  Lucas put his arm around Avery and pulled her close.  They strolled to the house, his arm around her the entire time.

Once they got in front of the house, Avery wasn’t ready to let him go.  “Do you want to come in for awhile?”  It wasn’t just that she longed for Lucas.  The strange sensation that someone was near, watching, the fact that her parents weren’t home ... she just didn’t want to be alone.

“Is that such a good idea?” Lucas asked.

“I don’t want to be alone, Lucas,” Avery pleaded.

“Okay then.”  He squeezed her hand.  That must have been all the convincing he needed.

Avery fumbled with the keys and got the door unlocked.  Once inside, she felt a little safer.  She closed the door behind Lucas and flicked on the light.

“You’re so jumpy.  What’s going on, Avery?” Lucas asked gently, brushing back loose stands of her hair that had fallen over her left eye.

She swallowed.  “I just- I got a strange text earlier.  I keep feeling like I’m being watched.  Mom and Dad aren’t here.  I may be overreacting, but I’m afraid.”

Lucas frowned.  “A text?”

Avery pulled her phone from her purse, searched for the text and handed it to Lucas.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he scowled, handing her the phone back.

“I wish I knew.  It came out of nowhere.  It may even be a wrong number, but for some reason, it’s got me a bit freaked out.”

“I can understand that.  You’ve got a few new people in your life lately.”

“That includes you.”

“Do you trust me, Avery?” Lucas challenged.

“I think I do.  Sure, you have your secrets, but something about you makes me feel safer than I have in a long time.  I don’t know how to explain it.  Maybe the question I should be asking you is can I trust you, Lucas?”

He hesitated.  “You can trust me.”

                                    *                   *                    *                   *                    *                                    

BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett is a good story. It’s sweet, and it will snare you into wanting to know more. It will keep you reading on to discover the answers to the many questions that form in your imagination as you delve further into the mystery that surrounds the birth of Avery Callimer, and who Lucas Bennett actually is and why he’s in Harmony’s Echo. I had a little trouble getting into this story at first, not because it didn’t capture my attention but because I found the writing in much need of work, editing, and a more relaxed voice. Nikki has great potential. She’s a natural storyteller, but at times, the characters speak too formally, and too unnaturally, which detracts from the story. The first chapter threw me because I had no idea who 'he' was even though I quickly surmised it was Lucas. I found myself skimming more times than I would’ve liked, to get past filler that I found unnecessary, in order to get to the guts of the story. Keeping the person who sent Lucas a secret, worked well until he started having phone conversations with her. Had this been written in first person, the name could have remained secret, but to continue to refer to Avery’s birth mother as such long after she should’ve, just didn't work for me. Having known the woman’s name would not have pulled anything from the mystery that kept us entangled in the story. Knowing her name would have been merely an essential that kept the story intriguing, flowing, and something to which we could relate.

The mystery was good, the resolution complete, and the ending came together well after some tense moments. I liked that.

 

From a writer’s point of view, I have a hard time recommending BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett simply because it was clumsy at times and caused me to backtrack to reread so that I knew who was doing what in relation to the story. From a reader’s point of view, I can heartily recommend BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett because it is an intriguing story with a mystery that keeps you entangled in the life of Avery Callimer and the need to see a happily-ever-after for her and Lucas.

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

About the Author:

Nikki Lynn Barrett lives in Arizona with her husband and son. She's an avid reader, a dreamer, and loves everything about books. She runs a book blog, an online used bookstore, and writes various genres of romance. Nikki can also be found outside with her camera when a storm is near, snapping photo after photo. Her dreams of becoming a writer started when she was young, when she started writing books in one-subject notebooks by the fifth grade. The Secret Santa Wishing Well is her debut book. You can visit Nikki's website for more information. She is working on her next book. Nikki would love to hear from readers. Email her at nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com

Feel free to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

GIVEAWAY:

In addition to the Rafflecopter Giveaway being sponsored through Tasty Book Tours, Unwrapping Romance will be giving away ONE DIGITAL COPY of BABY STETSON, a Love and Music in Texas novel by Nikki Lynn Barrett to one lucky commenter. So if you’d like to enter both giveaways, please do.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

To enter for a chance at a digital copy of BABY STETSON by Nikki Lynn Barrett, please leave a comment about anything you read in this blog post. Any comment will do.  : )

In order for your comment to be eligible for entry, you must leave a VALID EMAIL ADDRESS as well. This Giveaway is OPEN TO EVERYONE. (void where prohibited)

Remember the MAGIC FORMULA for valid entry.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Thank you for playing.

This GIVEAWAY will run until 11:30PM EDT on Friday, May 24, 2013 at which time one lucky entry will be chosen by randomizer to receive a digital copy from their choice of vendor. The winner will be notified by email and announced in a special post on Saturday. Good Luck!

As for the Rafflecopter Giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card – your comment left for one will make you eligible for the other by using the Rafflecopter. Feel free to enter both if you’d like.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BABY STETSON, a Love and Music in Texas novel by Nikki Lynn Barrett, self-published, available in ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobobooks.