Next week is Valentine’s Day and other than having a romantic celebration with the one you love, I can’t think of much else better than reading a wonderful, romantic book! So I’ll give away a $20 g.c. to Amazon or BN.com to a random commenter to help you get something good to read. (There are some good books over on the side of this webpage, if you’re looking for some recommendations! (hee hee)

You know what to do, just leave a comment to enter. Check back on Sunday to see if you’ve won!

Once again I have a few things on my mind, LOL.

Last week when I discussed Shades of Grey, I think my point was unclear – I was mostly frustrated with the fact that people and even friends who won’t read my romance novels will read this one because all of a sudden it’s “in” and “oh so good.” I’m not saying that book is or isn’t good. I haven’t read it. I am saying the general world’s opinion of romance is annoying as is the following along with the masses instead of reading what feels good for you only. OK last week’s rant OVER!

Back pain – still hurts but I’m up and around this week. I just hate that when I take meds I can’t work because of being groggy and if I’m in pain I can’t work because … well I’m in pain. Vicious cycle.

Dog problems – Brady has turned one – and I think Bailey feels threatened. Some snapping (but deliberately not biting) going on. Have a call into the trainer.

I can’t wait for you all to read KARMA (Dare’s story) in May – and not just because I want you to read the story (I DO!) – but because then I can tell you whose stories are next and it’ll make sense to you!!!!

Valentine’s Day is next week. Despite being a Romance writer, we don’t make a big deal of it in my house – which is honestly fine with me. The fun part for me is that I’m the annual guest blogger at Fresh Fiction, so I’ll be sure to let you know the link and the giveaway I’m running there that day!

And finally, I have a new obsession – PINTEREST – I LOVE making poster boards online, pinning my favorite things, and now up next I’m putting together boards of my books and character profiles there! Here’s where you can find me: Carly’s Pinterest . I hope you’ll check it out even if you discover it’s just not for you.

Oh! And have you read Serendipity, Destiny, and Kismet yet? If not what are you waiting for?

So plenty to discuss!!

Sorry for the later in the morning post…I am knee-deep in revisions and I totally blanked! Apologies!

Speaking of revisions…I’m working on doing some changes to two different novellas, both of which will be released this summer. I’m posting about the process (for anyone who might be interested) on my Facebook fan page.

The thing that struck me–but that wasn’t surprising because I’ve been doing this for so long–is which story requires more work. Novella #1 is a 20,000 word novella that took me 5-6 months to complete. Novella #2 is a 30,000 word novella that took me two weeks to write. If you guessed that Novella #1 is the one that requires the big rewrite, you’d be correct. #2 needs a few tweaks I should be done with by the end of the day.

It didn’t strike me because the shorter novella needs more revision. It didn’t even really strike me that the short story that took me longer to write requires the most dissecting and reconnecting. What struck me was that after 40 books, I didn’t realize that my struggle came from an intrinsic problem within the story itself instead of because of ME.

I really did think, as I was struggling with this story, that I had totally lost my mojo. I really did believe that maybe I had simply told every story I had in me and it was time to put my computer out to pasture. I really did subscribe to the idea that my stressful life had finally caught up with me and that I had better start looking for something else to do with myself.

Never ONCE did I say…wow, maybe your character’s internal conflict isn’t strong enough to sustain a whole story or your characters aren’t coming to life on the page because they really aren’t materializing in your brain. Rest assured that all these problems will be fixed by the time the book goes to print. I’m doing a massive rewrite, adding scenes, deleting filler, honing in on the parts that were pretty good, but lacked impact because the reader had no reason to connect with my characters from the start.

I think the longer we write, the harder we are on ourselves. I know it’s a common misconception that writing gets easier the longer you’ve been doing it and I won’t deny that in some ways, it does. But with experience comes a whole host of other challenges and sometimes, those challenges get the better of us. Or at least, the better of me. Luckily, then my editor swoops in and helps me see the light.

(It also helped that I taught a story logic class last week online that brought me back to the basics again…the combination of good insight and a recap of very basic storytelling technique helped me decide what to do with my revisions.)

That said, thank God the second story came so easily and that when I re-read it, I really loved it…and that yesterday, both my editor and the other author in the collection (Kimberly Raye, squee!) wrote to me to tell me how much they loved the story, too. That boost of confidence will help me tackle the mess that is the other story…in fact, like I said, I’ve already started and I’m already liking the story much better.

So I have to ask…does hearing about the writing process here at Plotmonkeys, occasionally, bore you? I mean, do readers simply want to read a good story and not know about the man behind the curtain?

I know we all read/write romance, and romance novels, by definition, have to have a happy ending (or at least an emotionally uplifting one.) But I guess a “happy ending” means something different to everyone. I want to talk about that in terms of non-traditional happy endings, particularly in a movie I just saw.

This past weekend, Bruce and I took the girls and saw The Woman In Black. And for the most part, I liked it. It was VERY spooky–lots of scary moments that made me jump in my seat. We went on Friday night, 10:15, opening night, which meant we were in an audience filled with teenagers (my own among them) which meant there were a LOT of girlish screams. It was pretty predictable plot wise, but for sheer atmosphere, this movie really can make you flinch.

Daniel Radcliffe was very good. It’s so nice to see him in an adult role, and I thought he handled it extremely well. The scenery was awesome, the setting truly creepy and claustrophobic. He’s a lawyer–a widower, desperate to provide for his young child. His job depends on him going out to this tiny village and looking through the papers of a deceased woman who lived in this incredibly spooky house, which was built on a jut of land that can only be accessed at low tide. At high tide, the water washes over the tiny causeway (though, of course, I guess you could get there by boat!) Anyway, the setting did a great job of making you feel very cut-off and increased the skin-prickliness. Most of the scares were just creepy, not in-your-face scary. IE: The reflection over his shoulder in the mirror, a handprint slowly dissipating from a window, candles blowing out, that kind of thing.

So, I was on board with the whole thing, enjoying it even though I could predict all the plot twists from a mile away.

Until the ending.

Now, I don’t want to spoil this for anybody so I’m going to break this post up so you’ll have to click below if you want to read on. BE WARNED–if you plan to see this movie, it will totally spoil the ending for you so don’t read on!

During the movie, this malevolent ghost is luring children to commit suicide in brutal ways. If anyone sees her, a child will die. Daniel Radcliffe has to go to this spooky house she’s haunting, though the townspeople try everything they can to prevent him from going. Of course, he doesn’t believe in ghosts at first, and insists on going, but eventually he realizes what’s happening and totally believes every word of it and tries to “fix” everything.

Back to the ending…at the very end, Daniel’s little boy, beautiful and about 4, is with him at the train station, about to head back to London. He thinks the ghost has been vanquished, but of course she hasn’t. The little boy sees her and, as if in a trance, walks onto the train tracks. His dad sees the ghost, sees the boy, and dives onto the tracks to save him.

Ready for the part that so pissed me off? THEY BOTH DIE! They’re hit by the freaking train and die this horrible death!

Okay, so we’re supposed to be happy because the boy and his dad see the ghost of the dead wife, who had died in childbirth, and they all go off to heaven together.

Honestly, that kind of ending totally pisses me off. I guess if I bought into the whole world the film created–ie that ghosts are real and there is some kind of afterlife–it’s supposed to be a ‘happy ending.’ But I’m not a very spiritual person, I don’t necessarily believe in an afterlife, so all I could think was, “Are you kidding me? HORRIBLE death–hit by a train–and we’re supposed to think everything’s fine now because they’re going off to heaven?” Meanwhile, the bad ghost–the villain–WINS!

Okay, I guess my rant’s over. Just had to get that off my chest and see if anybody else had seen it and felt the same way!

So, I’m sure you all have heard of the TV show, The Biggest Loser, where a large group of people are brought together for the sake of losing weight.  Well, if you have some weight to lose and want/need support, there is now a “Romance Biggest Winner” contest!

I don’t do resolutions, but one of my goals this years is to lose weight and get healthy.  So far, for the month of January, I’ve lost 11 lbs, but I’ve long a LONG way to go.  A reader friend of mine mentioned the Romance Biggest Winner contest, and after reading what it’s all about, I’ve decided to join what is certain to be a fun and lively contest to lose weight!   I think a group setting will be so motivating!

Here’s some brief information you might like to know about the contest.  Much like The Biggest Loser, the entrants of Romance Biggest Winer are broken into teams of 5 readers, 1 author, and a personal trainer. (I’ll be the “author” for one of these teams!).  There will be a weekly weigh in and the group with the higest percentage loss wins free books that are donated by all the authors involved.  There will be cash prizes involved, too, for the winners!  The contest will start on March 1st, and ends the beginning of September (I believe).  And the cost is only $10.00 (which goes toward the cash prizes!)

Here’s the link to check out the other details involved:  Romance Biggest Winner 

So, if you made your New Years Goal/Resolution to lose weight, are you still on track, or do you need to be motivated?

The winner of yesterday’s contest for a $20.00 Amazon gift certificate is:

Georganna (Comment #86)

Congratulations! Please contact me at janelledenison @ sbcglobal.net and I’ll get that gift certificate sent out to you!

SUNDAY FUNNY — Since today is Super Bowl, I thought this was a cute joke!

A guy decides to bring his new blonde girlfriend to a football game. After the game is over, he asks her if she liked the game.

She replies: “Oh it was great, I loved watching those men in tight clothes, but there is one thing I don’t understand.”

“What did you not understand ?”

And the blonde says: “Well, at the begginning of the game, both teams flipped a quarter to see who would kick off first. Then the rest of the game everybody was yelling get the quarter back, get the quarter back, get the quarter back. So I thought to myself, gosh it’s just a quarter!”

I apologize to everyone who stopped by yesterday (Friday) to enter our weekly Jungle Madness Contest — which wasn’t posted. I have to admit that I completely forgot that it was my week to post, but never fear, we still have a contest for you to enter — TODAY.

I’m giving away a $20.00 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky winner. All you have to do is post anything today — and if you need something to chat about, who has big Super Bowl plans for tomorrow? The winner of today’s contest will be posted on tomorrow’s blog (Sunday). Good luck!

Let me start by saying I’m laid up with a bad back – in excruciating pain – and in bed for days now. So this is going to be very short. Here we go – people who are close to me, who don’t read my books (not my rant, they’re entitled to their book of choice even if it’s always the “in” book that people are talking about.) Which brings me to my real rant. Everyone around me is asking, “Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? OMG you HAVE to read it.” Yes, same people who sit at a table with me and ask, “anyone have a good book for me to read?”

Let me ask you? Is this erotica book suddenly OK to read because it’s IN? Whereas my “trashy” romance novels aren’t worth their time?
That’s my rant. Have at it, people. And if you have read said book, is it Romance the way WE here in the jungle think of Romance? Happily ever after Romance?

You all know that I homeschool. One of the most fun things my daughter has done this year is take a Spanish class. Okay, maybe she doesn’t think it’s so much fun (actually, she really does enjoy it) but I’m having a blast following along with her.

Most people who know me assume that I speak Spanish. I don’t and never have. My maternal grandparents spoke fluent Italian (and only Italian) and my paternal grandparents were tri-lingual, speaking fluent English, Spanish and Italian. Growing up, I heard a great deal of Spanish and Italian, but I never actually spoke it because my mother, who grew up with parents who did not speak English in the house, wanted us proficient and accent-less. She regrets that now and so do I.

Studying Spanish in high school, I was never very good. I would get confused between Spanish and Italian, because that’s what I heard. Then in college, I decided to study Italian…and I wasn’t very good at it, either. Same problem. The languages are very similar and I understood just enough of each to confuse myself. Now, it’s been so long since I’ve been exposed to either that it’s coming a little easier.

For my daughter, who has never heard Spanish on a regular basis (my father can speak Spanish, but he rarely does), she’s coming at it clean and doing pretty well. Yesterday, she had to listen to a whole conversation in Spanish and then translate it and she did very well. And learning Spanish is helping her with her English grammar because the lessons give us a chance to dissect the Spanish and discuss how we do it differently in English. (We put the adjective in front of the noun and Spanish does it in reverse, etc.)

So I have to ask…did you study a foreign language in school? Did you hear a foreign language at home? If you could study a foreign language, which would it be?

I’d still love to learn Italian. It is such a gorgeous language to listen to!

I’m sure you all read the title of this post and thought I was using it ironically, and would have some pithy sort of tie-in. Like, “News flash: Leslie’s hero in ONCE UPON A VALENTINE is SO SO SO HOT!”

Uh…wrong.

I’m talking about hot flashes. So, any men who visit here, either stick your fingers in your ears and go, “lalalalalalala!” or avert your gaze.

Holy crap. I mean, seriously, it’s not bad enough that women have to have periods for 30+ years, then when they finally get to the end of that hell, they get these horrible, unexpected, flashes of wicked heat to go with it?

I turned 47 last week (yes, I’m a 1965′er and proud of it!) I hadn’t had much problem with these things save for a one month period last spring when I suddenly started getting them out of nowhere, then they went away. They haven’t come back much during the day, but the night sweats are INSANE! Poor Bruce wakes up at night either shivering because I’ve kicked the covers totally off both of us, or baking because I’ve kicked mine off right on top of him!

It has gotten so bad that I started looking for “home remedies.” I found a bunch of women talking about the miracles of apple cider vinegar. A friend of mine swears she got pregnant after 10 years of childlessness by taking a daily dose of a.c.v., so I figured maybe it does have something to do with female issues. So I started last week–2 tbsp of a.c.v., plus 1/4 tsp of baking soda, mixed with 1 cup of water. GAG ME!! It was almost impossible to get down, even with a straw stuck way in the back of my throat. I cut down a little on the water so I wouldn’t have to drink so much, and added sweet-n-low, and I can now manage it.

I have to admit it…it’s working. I have no idea why, no clue what the chemical combination is, or if it’s just a placebo, or what. But the truth is, I’m having far fewer instances than I was a week ago. (Down to maybe 2x a night rather than every single hour like I was last weekend.)

So I’m curious, has anybody else ever heard of this or tried it? Any other “home remedies”? Anybody else want to share embarrassing hot flash stories? Hey, we’re all among friends here…

PS: My new release ONCE UPON A VALENTINE is in stores NOW! I got so focused on my Christmas Blaze that I sort of forgot to talk about this one. Suffice it to say it’s one of my “magical land of Elatyria” stories and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It’s called “Sleeping With A Beauty” so you ought to have a good idea what fairy tale it tackles. Think Indiana Jones meets Once Upon A Time and you will get the gist.

And since I haven’t talked or blogged about it, here’s a fun, long excerpt–only available here! You can click on the cover to order, if you’re so inclined.

Oh, and if you’d like to order a print copy, it’s available now from eHarlequin for 20% off!

Raine Fowler has just grabbed historian Ashlynn Scott and dragged her into the deep, dark woods to save her from a trio of hunters who are tracking her…

She felt good. Too good. He had hoped she wouldn’t, had hoped his deep, immediate attraction to her wouldn’t be a problem, considering he’d already decided she was a pain in his ass. From the moment he’d found her, he’d figured she was the kind of goody-goody he couldn’t stand, all righteous and holier-than-thou, who would surely look down her nose at a guy like him.

She was the purist, the haughty researcher, the historian.

He was the renegade who wasn’t allowed back in some countries, had people after him in his own, and who had four words, “Raine Fowler: Odd Jobs,” printed on his calling card.

She’d call him an opportunistic scavenger.

He preferred to think of himself as a man of adventure.

But none of that mattered a damn right now. Because this man of adventure was suddenly picturing the erotic adventures he’d like to have with the woman pressed so provocatively against him. He wished he hadn’t let his thoughts travel down the werewolf path, because the way she was positioned, it would be far too easy to drop them both to their knees and take her from behind, until they howled at the full moon overhead.

“Hell,” he muttered, feeling his body react to his mind’s imaginings—a far too frequent occurrence when it came to her.

“If I let you go, are you gonna stay quiet?” he asked. He didn’t entirely trust her, but figured he should release her before she noticed his reaction. Plus, it appeared the danger had passed, for now.

She nodded once. Raine lowered his hand and took a good-for-his-sanity step back. When she drew a shaky hand to her mouth, he wondered if he’d hurt her. Not that he was going to apologize—he had very likely just saved her life.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to scream, I was just startled when I saw him.”

“It’s okay. He obviously didn’t hear anything.”

“Who is he?” she whispered, her breaths sounding choppy.

“Somebody who’s been waiting here for you to come back across the border. Your description’s all over the village; they’re saying you came through a month ago.”

She swore softly, under her breath, as if both believing him and being immediately frustrated by the revelation.

“Now, how about we don’t wait here for his two buddies to come out and help him look. Let’s head back into the forest.”

She hesitated, indecision written on her face. He might have just saved her, but she still didn’t know him from Adam.

He stuck out his hand. “Raine Fowler.”

She eyed his hand warily, then, as if it pained her to release her ten-fingered grip on the travel-bag she carried, extended one of her own. “Ashlynn Scott.”

“I know.”

She yanked her hand away. “How do you know?” Then her gaze narrowed further. “And how did you know where to find me?”

“Sorry, lady, but I’ve seen sloths that move faster than you. I followed you across the border, then moved ahead of you and got here almost an hour ago. After doing some scouting, I backtracked to where I figured you’d be showing up.”

“You were following me?

“Yeah, lucky for you.”

Hearing a loud laugh back in the village, he grabbed her elbow and half-pushed, half-led her back the way she’d come, seeking the sanctuary of the deep forest.

His move apparently caught her by surprise. She took several steps, then stopped suddenly. Raine bumped into her, his mouth landing against that thick hair, his leg slipping between hers from behind. Worst of all, his groin mashed against her sexy ass.

He wished he could say he was gentleman enough not to enjoy the hell out of it. Again. He was, however, gentleman enough not to take advantage of it. Again.

Well, maybe gentleman wasn’t the right word—he was smart enough. This was the wrong place, the wrong time and the wrong woman. Though, something told him he was going to have a hard time remembering that the longer he spent with her.

She swung around and planted her feet, apparently oblivious to the whole man/woman vibe that was seriously messing with his head. Well, to be more accurate, both his heads.

Get your big head back in the game, man.

“I’m not going any further without an explanation.”

“Can we at least walk as I explain? I’d prefer not to get gang banged by a trio of brainless slabs of muscle tonight.”

She glanced back toward the village, which wasn’t far enough away to suit him. “Fine.”

They walked. He explained. And tried not to bump into her again.

“Like I said, I got here early enough to scout things out,” he said, keeping his voice low. “The locals say three strangers have been spreading the word that you’d be showing up tonight and have offered a reward to the first person who spots you and turns you on.” Realizing what he’d said, he called himself a jackass, but hoped she hadn’t spent enough time on Earth to learn all the lingo. “In. Turns you in.”

“How did they….”

Her gaze shifted up, where, between the thick canopy of trees, glimmers of moonlight were visible. The moon was enormous over here—a clear sign the border was open. Seeing that brilliant sky, Raine wondered, not for the first time, if Elatyria’s plane of reality, which seemed just one or two degrees west of Earth’s, was also a bit closer to the heavens. Sometimes, it seemed that way.

Then he remembered the downsides: Little electricity, almost no indoor plumbing, no McDonald’s, plus lots of dragons, giants and scurvy. No. Definitely not heaven.

“So they knew I’d come tonight?”

“Yep—the very first night the border opened. You did just what they thought you’d do.”

She shook her head. “Stupid. I should have known they’d wait for me here. I’d expected them to try for me in the borderlands.”

He almost tripped. “You knew there was somebody after you?”

“Yes. I’ve seen that Hunter before.”

The mind boggled. “And you still just…”

“I needed to go to Earth. Foxglen is a half-day closer to the border than any other village. What was I supposed to do?”

“Not leaving a trail two lost kids could follow without benefit of breadcrumbs would have been a good start.”

He thought he might have heard her emit a tiny chuckle, but probably had imagined it.

“I didn’t think they’d strike until they thought I had all four…”

“All four what?”

“You’re saying you don’t know?”

“I don’t.”

“But you do know my name, huh? How do I know you’re not one of them? This could be a scheme to get me to trust you.”

Raine put his hands up, palms-out. “Hey, you want to find out for yourself who’s a good guy and who’s a bad one, go right ahead. But, uh, just so you know, I didn’t get paid enough to put my life on the line. I’m not bailing you out twice.”

A lie. He might not have been paid enough to risk his life, but he’d do it anyway. Always finish the job. Plus, he didn’t like big thugs who picked on defenseless women.

The throbbing in his hand made him clarify that thought—mostly defenseless women, with sharp teeth. God, something was seriously wrong with him that he found that so damned sexy.

Her brow scrunched. “Paid? You mean…”

“Yeah. Somebody hired me to watch over you.”

“Who?”

“Frankly, lady, that’s what I’d like to know. Just who are you, and what, exactly, are you up to?”

Still sounding skeptical, she asked, “You want me to believe you don’t know why someone would be hunting me, or why someone else would hire you to protect me?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’ve been called a liar before.” He shrugged. “Considering I just saved your ass, though, maybe you oughta cut me a break.”

She sucked in a surprised breath. “You’re from over there.”

He knew what she meant. Most people here didn’t talk about Earth, just as most people on Earth didn’t talk about Elatyria. Considering he had roots in both worlds, he didn’t see the need to be coy about it. “I’ve been tracking you since Philadelphia.”

Her eyes widened more as she stared searchingly at his face. Her beautiful lips parted, her breaths audibly moving over them. Then, with a gasp, she looked away, long lashes sweeping over her eyes. “I remember you,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

He gaped, shocked that she’d seen him. “Seriously?” He must be losing his touch.

“You were at the store right across the street from the motel, buying a big box of chocolate candy for your…what is that holiday called? Your Valentine?”

He sighed heavily. “My mom.” Given this case, he’d nearly forgotten the holiday was this week, and had run out super early one morning to get a few gifts. He’d thought Ashlynn was still sound asleep in her hotel room. Apparently not. Shit.

Interesting that she’d remember him. More interesting that she wouldn’t meet his eye. Hmm.

“How long have you been following me?”

“Long enough to know you’re in some kind of trouble.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she proclaimed, even as her arms tightened around the leather satchel she always carried, which was about the size and shape of a laptop case. It didn’t take a genius to know there was something in that bag she was desperate to protect, and that it wasn’t a laptop…that whole “no electricity” thing again. While he wasn’t one to nose into other people’s business, if her precious cargo was making her a target for hired thugs, he’d like to know what it was. Especially because, as her temporary bodyguard, he was in the line of fire, too.

“Well, thank you for your assistance,” she said. “And for warning me about the Hunters. But now that I’m aware of the situation, I really don’t need your help anymore. I’ll wait until darkest night to go back to the village.”

He barked a laugh. “You’re not going to Foxglen.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

He stopped and faced her. “I was hired to protect you.”

“I didn’t ask for your protection,” she snapped.

“No, you didn’t, but here I am. So why don’t you stop arguing, and tell me what this is all about?”

He moved in close. She quivered as he invaded her space.

Raine took advantage of her distraction. Without hesitating, he reached out and grabbed the satchel from her. “Then you can fill me in on what’s in this bag.”