October 28 2014 Romance Weekly

#LoveChatWrite

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

If you first stop is here or you are joining from Brenda Margriet's blog, welcome! Thanks so much for stopping by. 

This week Romance Weekly went with a spooky theme.  Jo Richardson wanted a spooky story real or not 300 words or less. I decided to base my story on a true life event as had been told to me several times as a child. I hadn't witnessed it nor was old enough to remember if i had witnessed but it sure does make my Dad laugh when he remembers it. I've changed names to protect the innocent and embellished a bit. 

It's a ghost!

depositphotos.com

Martin and Damien anticipated the camping trip for days. Mom and Dad gave them permission to camp behind the farm, alone. The best part? No girls. Last time Jill got scared and Rose had to take her home. The endless crying was ridiculous, especially since it had only been a woodchuck. Girls. They got scared so easily.

This time Martin and Damien told as many scary stories as they dared.

Their eyes fluttered closed. The camp fire died out and they had poured water over the smoldering ashes. The the half moon provided little light. Perfect for the last ghost story Damien made up. The zipped their sleeping bags tight. A chill settled over the ground but they were too tired to get in the tent.

Martin sat up. “Did you hear that?”

Damien chuckled. Martin didn’t scare him. The rustle and scratch in the distance did (a little). “It’s another damn woodchuck. I’m going to call you Jill.” 

Damien grabbed a stick from the fire pit to smack Martin in the leg and get a girly scream.

“Look.”

In the distance, a white shape hovered in the harvested corn field. “It’s a deer.” 

“That’s white?” 

Damien huddled closer to Martin. “It’s an illusion.” 

The shape moved closer. It moaned. Martin whispered. “Deer don’t moan like that.” 

They backed up together. Damien tripped over his sleeping bag, Martin ran into the tent, and a loud rip rent the air. The moan grew louder and the shape increased in speed toward them. They screamed. 

“It’s a ghost. Let’s get out of here.” Damien squealed.

“We have to go past it to get home.” 

“Run really fast. Don’t stop.” 

Martin choked. “You’re gonna get us killed.”

It's probably not as spooky written as told. The hilarious part was the white specter was actually my Dad who got up in the night to check on the boys as he saw the campfire was still burring. His white t-shirt apparently was the only thing visible after the fire had been put out. By then he was half way up the field to the location where the boys had decided to camp. When they ran past him scared out of their minds he wasn't sure what was going on and turned and ran after them which further scared the boys because now the 'ghost' was chasing them to the house. 

I'm excited to find out Victoria Barbour's spooky story. See you next week.

 

October 21 2014 Romance Weekly

#LoveWriteChat

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

Hi! Welcome back. You might be joining the hop from Dani Jace or found me another way, glad you did. 

This week's blog hop is flash fiction and becoming one of my favorite types of posts for Romance Weekly. Mishka Jenkins came up with this jewel and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. 

Flash Fiction Rules: Write a love letter 400 words or less (I used all 400) that has to include the words sweet, pumpkin, and brush. 

The words become reality.

My Dearest Henry, 

I miss you terribly. I’ve used these letters to stay close. Not being able to contact you has made the past months agony. I won’t make it another two weeks until your return.

Did I mention how I found this magic box of stationary? I longed for your touch and took out my depression and unfulfilled desire on a painting (a horrible piece you’d hate). I ruined my favorite fan brush and shirt (yours). I stripped it off immediately. The cool air on my bare skin eased some of the ache I had for you. Once I refocused on my art all I could remember was the argument. We splattered each other with acrylics and what started with flat brushes and anger soon turned to fingers and hard muscle and a masterpiece of loving only alive in memory. 

Kiss me.

I hadn’t realized I closed my eyes and retraced our loving embrace around the studio until I tripped over that stupid paper mache pumpkin you forced me to create last Halloween (what an abomination). I kneeled on the ground and your sweet kiss flashed into my mind. You were there before me. Your warm hands caressed my face and traced my lips until they opened. Your tongue invaded my mouth and touched mine in a heat of forbidden passion. My ache for you entered my lungs. A deep moan flared between my lips. Oh how I missed you. But the pumpkin came back into view and I threw it against the wall. The memories weren’t enough to ease my heartache. I lay there. The cool floor over-sensitized my breasts and I wept for the loss of your comforting embrace. 

How long was I there? I’m not sure. The next thing I remembered was the hum, low and strong. The box glowed under the worktable and called for me to open it. I know you’ll laugh at my foolishness but the magic is real. Each letter I write I experience greater pleasure in my dreams.  Do you dream about them as I have? It’s as if you are here. They are vivid and real. I have only to write on this seductive paper and stamp it with my red lipstick and I see you, feel you in my dreams. Do you feel my lips on yours when I seal the envelope with a kiss?

Hurry home my love.  

Elise

It was difficult to end the letter there. I sense more to the story but rules are rules. I hope to see you next week. Now, I'm anxious to read S. C. Mitchell's love letter. 

 Photos provided by depositphotos.com

Procrastinator's Delight

She looks innocent. Don't be fooled. 

despositphotos.com

I find myself doing things at the last minute these days. An evil witch has stolen all of my down time. There used to be moments when my objectives were completed several days in advance. I had time to work on writing, art, corralling a very inquisitive on-the-move baby, or devising a strategy on how to accomplish my to-do list and therefore have much needed creative down time. 

Now I’m spinning in circles. Tasks are half-assed and sometimes omitted by accident, forget about relaxing! 

There are people who have told me down time isn’t important. I hold them to high standards because if they can do it without a break then.... Yeah, I don’t work that way. 

These people hold the procrastinator’s delight, a wand of immense power. It’s usually in the possession of the same gleefully cackling witch who used it to cast a spell keeping me endlessly busy. I want to break my spell. Because believe it or not being endlessly busy and fighting the procrastinator’s delight prevents the cute little pixies of creativity from coming around. (You see pixies don’t like to be busy, I hear it messes with the effects of their pixie dust.) 

I want to take that delightful little wand and shove it.... okay I digress. Back to ending the spell of procrastination. The witch obviously wants to see me do a dance, a jig, and a skip and a jump but this only makes the spell linger and gives the wand more power. I don’t need diversions I need action. 

I’ve found the actions below work wonders for dealing with procrastination. I hope they work for you if you think you are spellbound by a similar evil witch.

• Sit in your chair, or on the couch, or your favorite writing spot. The next step is very important. Take a pen and paper with you or your trusty laptop. Now the witch will wield the wand and you could stare for a few minutes at the blank page but you aren’t fooled. You start writing not caring what the witch says. The pixies will show up momentarily to watch. It’s like movie night for them. 

• Put on whatever clothes you like to wear in your studio or craft room. Rummage around in your supplies and stash of beautiful art stuff. The witch is usually laughing and smacking you with that fudge nugget of a wand right about now. But you know if you let her she’ll just make you do the laundry. You get busy with paint, paper, or pencil. The pixies start to help by putting amazing pieces of media in your line of vision and creativity abounds. (Also, a good reason to not have a spotless clean art room. Like I said before, pixies don’t like to do too much work so if stuff is already here and there it will make it easy for those cutie pie pixies to help you.)

• Pick up those knitting needles and fondle some oh-so-soft yarn. Take out an unfinished project and look at the detail and joy you put into it. Find a cosy spot before the witch has you put the work of genius back into the bag of lost creation. The pixies will love to take a nap in the snuggly strands while your knitting needles make the comforting click shhh. As you create you might hear them snoring. 

• You’re eyeing the to-do list. You’ve had some fun and creative moments but it’s time to get something on it checked off. The witch is right there adding and adding. It becomes endless and all the pixies flee the house. Before depression sets in push that witch aside and tell her, it’s only going to take five minutes to do this and this then you’re leaving and I’m getting some down time. She’ll scream in terror and run out the front door. As you finish up your chosen chores the sun comes out and some pixie dust floats around you as you take your leisure time however you like. Those cute little pixies of creativity multiply.

It’s not as easy as it looks but with hard work I know you can break the spell as have I. Don’t worry if the witch comes back. The more pixies you have hanging out at your place makes it easy to chase her away again. No more procrastinator's delight for her.

Happy creating!