Demon Within Cover

Inbox Stalking

So this is how it goes for a writer...or at least for me...I guess I can't speak for every writer.  So let's start over. This is how it goes for me.

I submit a story to a publisher. It's either a publisher I already have a relationship with or one I'm trying to get published with.  I follow their submission guidelines.

They tell me how long it's going to take to get a response.

I write trying to ignore the time going by.  Or at least I pretend I'm ignoring it. Because what I am doing is actually stalking my inbox.

All day long I check.  If my e-mail dings on my phone I jump to check it.  I cannot leave my Inbox alone.  It becomes a huge problem.

What do you do when you're waiting for something?

So Here is the Deal With Me and Conventions

I'm going (in 9 days) to Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City.  Before this year, I had been to two conventions. One in New Jersey, a fiction writers convention, and one in New York City when RWA was there.

This year, I drove to San Antonio and went to The Naughty Sleepover. It was fabulous.  I see the values of conventions. You learn a lot, meet people doing what you're doing, and also find out what hte readers are thinking.

But here is the deal with me and conventions. I get really, really nervous.

So first of all, I will be getting up really, really early to get there.  Its going to take me two planes.  I'm a really bad flyer but since I'm doing it sans children I can always take something if I need it.  If everything goes as it should, I'll get to the hotel about lunch time.

Then if I can immediately check in, I'll go to my room.  Where I am going to feel like hiding for the entire convention.  I tried to do this at the Naughty Sleepover but since it was a small convention I thought someone might notice and forced myself out of the room.  It was a good thing I did, I had a great time.

I will have all sorts of reasons for why I am hiding in my room. I want to write. I'm tired.  I'm ____ (fill in the blank)

Why? You might ask? Because I get really scared. You see there's a reason I sit behind a computer and tell stories.  I'm shy and I have a difficult time putting myself out there.  Oh, sometimes I can fake it but to believe me when I say my heart is racing when I do.

When I relax and know you, I'm very relaxed.  I've been told I'm a pretty good friend.  But make no mistake if you see me at RT.  I'm nervous. And I'm thinking about going back to my room.

Who are you reading this Sunday?

I just finished Hyde by Sherri L. King and I LOVED it.  Up next is Selfless, the next in the series.

How about you?

Wiccan Haus

Hi everyone

So excited to announce that I've written a book (and they want it!) for the multi-authored series The Wiccan Haus.  More information to come soon!!

Release Date For Lone Wolf

Its coming 6/10/2013...so stay tuned~

Jason? Deacon? Or Chad?

Hi everyone,

Now that Lone Wolf is in the safe hands of my publisher, I am finishing up my Warrior series.  Tell me, if you were writing it, who would Rachel end up with? Jason? Deacon? or Chad?  No one?

I know who it is already. I just want to see what you think...

Welcome Author Lynn Spangler

Please help me to welcome author Lynn Spangler who joins me today to talk about her book Whiskey Whispers of the Past

I want to thank Rebecca for having me on her blog today.

I’m going to chat a bit about inspiration. The inspiration for my sweet romance, Whiskey Whispers of the Past, came from the country song “That’s Why I’m Here” by Kenny Chesney.

The gist of the song is a man who realizes he is losing every thing because he’s an alcoholic. He sings of losing loved ones because the devil takes his hand and tries to get him to take that next drink.

The hero, Chance Daniels, is based off this song. He is a recovering alcoholic who moves to a small, dry town looking for a new start. Whiskey Whispers would not exist if it weren’t for Kenny’s gripping song.

Inspiration usually grabs me out of the clear blue and a story starts to evolve in my head. It could be a contemporary romance or a paranormal. A song, a TV show, or a conversation can trigger my muse. She’s ever present.

Thanks again, Rebecca for having me here today!

Blurb:

Kendra thought her life was her store; Chance thought his revolved around his addiction. What if they’re both wrong?

Looking for a new start, Chance Daniels moves from hectic, big city living to a small town in South Central Pennsylvania. He decides opening his own music store on Main Street will help him beat the demons of his alcoholism. He discovers the beautiful business owner from across the street may be the lift he needs to beat his addiction. But little does he know that parts of his past unbeknownst to him are about to come to light. Chance receives strange objects in the mail and the woman he falls in love with is nearly run down by a crazed driver.

Kendra Strafford, owner of Strafford’s Candle Creations, finds herself drawn to the tall, handsome man from Los Angeles after starting a standing weekday coffee date with him. She can’t help but fall in love with him, despite his addiction and the strange happenings that seem to surround him.  Her own brush with death only draws her closer to Chance.

Was her accident just an accident or was it part of a more devious scheme arising from Chance’s hidden past and will they overcome the bizarre occurrences besieging them to explore their developing love?

Excerpt:

     "I hear someone is looking at the old Donaldson's building."

     Kendra peered out the front window of her candle shop, Strafford's Candle Creations, toward the brick façade of the adjacent building. She saw the local real estate agent and her good friend, Nancy Lewis, walking toward the old structure. The converted row house had once contained Donaldson's Hardware Store, which had been a fixture of Main Street, right across from Kendra's establishment.

     "Oh, yeah? I wonder what business someone would put in there," her assistant Deanna commented.

     Kendra frowned as she sipped the now lukewarm coffee then set the cup on the glass shelf beside her. "I don't know. Rumor has it it's someone new to the area. A guy looking to make a fresh start, from what Nancy told me. She said the buyer told her he needed a change of pace and a new locale. Why he'd end up in such a place as Jonerstown is beyond me. This area isn't known as a hotbed of business like York or Harrisburg."

     "I don't know. Jonerstown is a nice town. Perhaps its charm won him over."

     Kendra nibbled her lip — a habit of hers when deep in thought. "Maybe." A quick glance at her watch indicated it was nearly time to open the shop. "How's our merchandise looking? Do we need to restock anything?"

     "No, we're good. I took care of that chore last night while you were in the dungeon replenishing our inventory."

     Kendra stepped to the counter, which was tucked in the back corner of the sales floor. "Really? A dungeon? Where I come from it’s commonly called a basement. Hand me the duster. It's time to open and I haven't completed the dusting yet."

     Glancing around her shop, she surveyed the three rows of gleaming glass shelves filling two walls of the sales floor. Floor units graced the center of her shop, reflecting the brilliance of the morning sun against the ceiling of the store. The shelves were stocked with candles in a vast array of sizes, shapes, colors, and scents. She inhaled, marveling at the combination. Oh, how she loved the fruits of her labor. Every day her wares brought a feeling of warmth and pride.

     She strode to the storefront, unlocked the door, flipped the Closed sign to Open, and went about dusting the shelves while rearranging a candle or two along the way.

     "Wow. You've got to see the guy meeting up with Nancy."

     Kendra spun around, gazed out the window again, and was greeted by a pleasant surprise. The man shaking Nancy's hand stood about six feet tall at a guess. He was dressed in well-worn blue jeans and a black t-shirt that fit snugly over his arms and chest. "Hmm. At least we'll have some eye candy to stare at. He reminds me of a boxer with the trim, muscular build."

     "I like the spiky hair sticking out in every which direction. Too bad we couldn't see his face."

      Yeah, too bad. The body is killer.

Author Bio:

I live in South Central Pennsylvania with my wonderful, loving husband and my beautiful daughter. I also have a son who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. I have a cat named Kolzig and a dog named Cede who allow us to live with them.

I love to write and read. I also make jewelry when the mood strikes. I'm a huge sports fan. I love football, NASCAR, and hockey. I'm also a bit of a game show freak. I love old game shows from the 70's and 80's like Match Game and $25,000 Pyramid. Television shows like Criminal Minds and The Voice are also favorites of mine.

Buy links:

Amazon

Astraea Press

Barnes and Noble

Love In One Night Has Released!

Please buy it wherever you buy your ebooks!

Melanie is a woman prepared for disaster. If the world as she knows it were to come grinding to a disastrous halt, her sustainable living community will be ready and able to take care of the people in their area. She doesn't have a man in her life anymore, but she has her daughter and that's enough. Until a tall, dark stranger drives into her life. Griffith is on a mission to find Melanie's ex-husband Victor, who has stolen a very expensive new drug from a pharmaceutical company. Griffith is a man who can find what others can't. He never backs down from a fight and he's never afraid—until he sees Melanie. She steals his breath and makes him wish for things he's never wanted before. These two people are prepared for everything, except the depth of their own need for one another. Genre: Contemporary, erotic romance, End of the World Heat level: 4 Word count – 14k Cover art by Tibbs Designs ~Excerpt~ “You didn’t get the message when I didn’t return one single phone call you made that perhaps I did not wish to speak to you?” She turned on her heel like a woman on a mission and stalked away from him. He couldn’t help the small grin that crossed his lips. She might live on some kind of hippie compound but Melanie Driscoll behaved exactly like every other woman he’d ever met when it came to him. She turned and walked the other way. “Well now, Melanie.” He walked at a brisk pace to catch up with her. “I’m afraid you have to speak with me. I’ve been paid to find Victor, and find him, I will.” She stopped her advance and whirled around to regard him. “I am not married to Victor anymore. However, I have no intention of discussing him with complete strangers who come looking for him.” Still in love with the man, then. Good information for him to have. “Look.” He hated to have to talk to her like this. Living in this place, she must be a gentle soul, the kind of person who didn’t believe in using antibiotics and refused to step on spiders. “I’m easy, okay? The pharmaceutical company Victor stole from sent me to find him. I’m not the police or the FBI or any kind of more notorious group who means him harm. They want their drug back. If I can find it, things might go okay for good old Victor. If I can’t, they will still find him, only it’ll be a less pleasant individual than me. The next person who comes might not be gentle.” Melanie put her hands on her hips, not looking particularly intimidated by his statement. “Are you threatening me?” He raised his hands up in a motion of surrender. “Not me. I would never.” “But others might.”

Download me for Free!

I never thought I'd utter those words. LOL. But, on ITUNES right now you can listen as a podcast the radio interview I gave last night.  Search for Rebecca Royce on ITUNES and you'll find it. Its free!

I'm going on the radio tonight

To talk about Forever.

Interested in listening or calling in? Here's how:

I'm going on the radio tonight to talk about Forever. I'm hoping some of you would like to listen and/or call in. To do both or either, Dial into the conferencing service: 1-267-507-0240 Enter the conference code:837056 at 8 PM Central Time. Hope you'll stop by!