Why suffer with writer’s block??? Instead of sitting and stewing, moping and groping, fill the creative void with a tie dye session! And remember–it’s more fun with friends! For this session, Bess and two other buddies joined me.

First you fold:

Fold until you have a bunch of stuff ready for dying!

Then move to the dying table, where there are more colors than you can shake a stick at. Yeah, it’s messy. But it’s fun.

Paint the dye on the fabric for the long method (which has to cure overnight), or do the quick bucket method (semi-instant gratification), below:

Now everything has to sit a couple hours, preferably in the sun to keep it all warm. This is an ideal time for lunch.

Crap! No pictures of the fun part–rinsing everything out. Why? I was too busy having fun. But here is the happy result of a day’s work (and it is work!):

And some very happy new tie dye owners (thanks to my neighbors for sharing the  picture of their beautiful children…in their awesome tie dye!!). Nobody rocks the tie dye like kids rock the tie dye!

The post Stuck with Your Writing?…Tie Dye!! appeared first on GroggSpot.

Here it is, Bess’s August review (part of the Austenprose Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge):

Pride and Prejudice -(A&E/BBC 1995)

This was my first introduction to Jane Austen, and it is still my favorite adaptation. Let us count the ways (hah! As if Colin Firth wasn’t enough):

1. Humor- Jane Austin was funny. This adaptation gets that.
2. Time- the 5-hour running time allows for some serious immersion into the world of Elizabeth Bennet. It’s 300 minutes of heaven.
3. David Bamber as Mr. Collins.
4. Elizabeth Bennet’s salmon-pink dress. I want.
5. Forget the lake scene you’ve heard so much about. We also have Mr. Darcy in a copper tub.

I could keep going all day here. I mean, I’ve seen this version of Pride & Prejudice at least a dozen times and I find something new to love about it each time. Yes, it just keeps getting better. So, if you haven’t seen it yet, go, and tell the husband to take the kids to the zoo for the day. You have a date with Mr. Darcy.

The post Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013: August Review appeared first on GroggSpot.

Ah, I hate it when authors whose work I love die. Dorothy Gilman and Ray Bradbury in the same year. Peter O’Donnell a couple years before. HATE IT. Not only does it mean no more great books (or comics!) from them, but it also is a strange kind of wake-up call. You think the people whose work you enjoy and admire are going to be around as long as you are. When they pass, it’s a forceful reminder that you will too someday.

Yesterday I saw that Elizabeth Peters, aka Barbara Michaels/Barbara Mertz, died last week, and the feeling descended upon me again.

Admittedly, I haven’t read her books in several years, but there was a time when I consumed them avidly. I thought it was cool that she had a PhD and became a writer instead of a professor. Her heroines are smart and funny–I still have every Vicky Bliss adventure she wrote. How could I not love a heroine who, in the first book that introduced her, opened with “When I was ten years old, I knew I was never going to get married”?! Not your typical romance. And is there a reader out there who doesn’t love Herr Schmidt?

The obituary in the Washington Post described Peters’s work as encompassing “adven­ture, romance, history, the supernatural and timeless themes such as the imprudence of standing in the way of a woman on a mission.” It’s that last one that made the books such good fun. All the women, whether Vicky Bliss, Jaqueline Kirby, or Amelia Peabody, had definite missions, and woe betide anyone who got in their way!

I also had to smile when I read that one writer dubbed Peters’s books as the “literary equivalent of multiple gin-and-tonics.” I was certainly drunk on them many times. Thanks again, Elizabeth Peters, for all the wonderful stories!

The post A Fond Farewell to Elizabeth Peters appeared first on GroggSpot.

“External conflict is why I think you’re a pain in the ass. Internal conflict is why you think you’re a pain in the ass.” ~Bess’s husband

Sometimes a simple explanation is the best.

The post GroggSpot Quote of the Week: External Conflict vs. Internal Conflict appeared first on GroggSpot.

Bess told me that when bad things happen, yell “plot twist!” and move on. So that’s what this post is doing: yelling “plot twist!” and pondering the up sides of a surprising development. I’m not going to say it’s a bad thing, it’s just–dare I say it?–an unfortunate event.

Here’s the visual:

And the backstory:

Whilst mowing the lawn Sunday, I stumbled (literally) into a sinkhole in my back yard. Sure, I’d noticed the lawn sinking down in that spot, but I thought it a result of gophers, not…sinkholes.

My parents took one look and said “Your sewer line has collapsed, call the city.” Home-owning neophyte that I am, this surprised me. But I did what they said, and once again, my parents have proven that they do actually know some stuff. Turns out the city’s main sewer line runs through my back yard and that it had indeed collapsed. But collapsed “with flow,” so there are no problems inside my house or my neighbor’s houses.

Today line maintenance workers came out and put up the lovely safety barriers, presumably warding off cats and the local raccoons. I’m just glad that the city will be fixing the line and that my tomato plants didn’t fall into the abyss.

Now I have to take my mind off the yard and put it back on the page. Of course, I do have a story idea from this, so that is an upside. Other upsides? That soft spot in my yard will be fixed once and for all.  My house is not going to fall into a sinkhole in the middle of the night. And I didn’t break anything falling into the hole. The plot twisted, and I’m curious to see where it heads from here!

The post Plot Twist! appeared first on GroggSpot.

I came across this today in James Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women (1766). Yes, that Fordyce. The one Mr. Collins chooses to read to the Bennett girls in Pride & Prejudice. I haven’t finished reading all the sermons yet, but what I’ve plowed through so far is just priceless. Here’s one of my favorites:

“We consider the general run of Novels unfit for you. Instruction they convey none. They paint scenes of pleasure and passion altogether improper for you to behold, even with the mind’s eye. Their descriptions are often loose and luscious in a high degree; their representations of love between the sexes are almost universally overstrained. All is dotage, or despair; or else ranting swelled into burlesque. In short, the majority of their lovers are either mere lunatics, or mock-heroes. A sweet sensibility, a charming tenderness, a delightful anguish, exalted generosity, heroic worth, and refinement of thought; how seldom are these best ingredients of virtuous love mixed with any judgement or care in the composition of their principal characters.”

Excuse me, I have to go check my work-in-progress for lunatic lovers.

The post Fordyce’s Sermons: Scenes of Pleasure and Passion appeared first on GroggSpot.

Here it is, Bess’s July review (part of the Austenprose Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge):

Bitch in a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps (Vol.1) -Robert Rodi

If you’re the type who prefers their Pride & Prejudice with all of the romance and none of the snark, STOP READING NOW, because you can’t unsee what you see (or unread what you read), and I don’t want to come between anyone and their P&P.

You have been warned.

Are they gone? Whew! I thought they’d never leave. Look, I love the Darcy/Lizzy thing as much as anybody. Seriously, I’ve seen the Colin Firth version of P&P a million times (and the Matthew Macfadyen version a half million times). But…

That’s not all there is to Jane Austen.

I know! It was a surprise to me, too.

This is where Robert Rodi comes in. The man has a tremendous appreciation for Austen. And HE MAKES ME LAUGH. And I think he gets it.

Here’s his opinion of the Bennet household:

It is “if anything a kind of capital-b Bedlam, with Mrs. Bennet as the chief lunatic and her husband the sadistic warden who keeps poking her with a stick through the grate.”

This is what he has to say regarding Lizzy’s arrival at Netherfield (with her dirty hem):

“To Bingley’s sisters she might as well be the Swamp Thing, shambling into the parlor dripping with moss and algae.”

See what I mean? I’m laughing myself sick right now and wishing I could Photoshop an empire-waist gown over a picture of Swamp Thing. Sorry.

Verdict: I love this book almost as much as I love Pride & Prejudice (well, okay, maybe not quite, but it really is funny)! I’ll be buying Volume 2 as soon as it comes out.

P.S. Robert Rodi has a blog at http://bitchinabonnet.blogspot.co.uk.

The post Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013: July Review appeared first on GroggSpot.

Pirate (current Best Dog Ever) is 4 years old today (roughly- he’s a shelter rescue, but he’s pretty awesome, so we had to give him an awesome birthday).

Now to the squirrels.

This is the picture I took yesterday of the rogue sunflower that sprang up next to the patio.

Savor it for a moment because what’s coming up is not pretty.

Now take a deep breath. This is what I saw this morning.

It was early. I hadn’t quite finished my first cup of tea. I was a little confused.

Then I saw this.

Not only did those rotten squirrels eat my sunflower, they left its tattered remains at the base of their tree. That’s just sick.

And that’s what I get for ignoring Ned.

Meet Ned. He’s our other shelter rescue. His “birthday” is April 1 (draw your own conclusions). Now unlike Pirate, Ned is not a Border Collie, and he occasionally suffers by comparison. But I will tell you one thing Ned knows:

Ned knows squirrels. And he barks his head off every time he sees one in the backyard because Ned knows that squirrels are EEEEEvil. He tried to tell me, but I didn’t listen.

So this is my public apology and my shame. Sorry, Ned.

Next time, I’ll know better.

The post It’s Pirate’s Birthday and I Hate Squirrels appeared first on GroggSpot.

It never ceases to amaze us how casually people entrust their dreams to others. In the writing world, everyone tells new writers to join a critique group. This is given as a flat-out ultimatum, as if all critique groups are equally good for you. But your manuscript is an integral part of your dream of being a writer, getting published, and sharing your stories with the world. Don’t hand it to just anyone!

Finding the right group means kissing some frogs. Not that we have anything against frogs, but our list here might keep you from having to smooch a whole pond full of them before you find the group that works for you. Do yourself a favor and watch for the following red flags before you get in too deep:

10. You write about zombies (or werewolves or fairies or elves) and no one else in the group knows what they are. Or you write funny stuff, and no one laughs. Ouch. The sooner you say sayonara, the better.

9. You feel like you have to apologize for writing sex scenes. Or show up with smelling salts. If your critique partners are too embarrassed to read your book, they can’t critique it. Find someone who can. Peace out.

8. They love everything you write! OR They hate everything you write! If you want to improve as a writer, you need people who will tell you the truth, not pat you on the back or crush your dreams. Hasta la vista, baby!

7. Your vocabulary is over their heads—and you’re writing for children. This goes hand-in-hand with number 4. If other members of the group are constantly asking what a word or phrase means, get out. You’re not a snob, you’re just in the wrong group. Chances are they’ll understand buh-bye now.

6. Other members submit a single scene, chapter, or manuscript over and over (and over) again. Sorry, once we’ve read something 50 times, we’re pretty much fresh out of new insights (and thoroughly bored). It’s hard to give a good critique when you’re not excited about what you’re reading. Tip your hat and say adios.

5. The group spends a lot more time socializing than actually critiquing. Sure they’re nice people and the weather is a fascinating topic, but you only have so much time. You’re there to work. Repeat after us: I am outta here. Live long and prosper, ya’ll.

4.  No one else in the group reads books. At all. (Sorry to say, this happens way too much.) So when you show up excited about a book, no one in your writing group has read it or even wants to. If a writer doesn’t read, he probably can’t critique effectively. You wouldn’t buy a travel guide to Scotland written by someone who’s never been out of Oklahoma City, would you? So why would you hand your manuscript to someone who doesn’t read a lot of books? When your non-writing friends read more than your writing group, it’s time for auf Wiedersehen. And maybe a tall, cold beer.

3.  You recycle your pages immediately upon returning home. You never look at them again or use the input from your group. Why spend the time if the feedback you get is useless? Say ciao, say au revoir, say McGoodbye, but go.

2. You are the only one showing up with any work to critique, the only one doing research into agents and publishers, the only one going to conferences, the only one submitting your work for publication. Really? In a good critique group, you share information and learn together. You inspire each other. That’s the point of having a group. If  you find yourself in a group like this, run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit. Don’t think twice; it’s all right.

And the number one sign that you need a new critique group?

1.  The critique you give is like this: “character motivation needs to be stronger here, tighten up the POV, what’s the purpose of this scene?” But the critique you get is like this: “Too many ‘thats’.” This is a sign of inexperience or laziness. Neither is going to help you get better. Say goodbye. In robot, if you have to.

Yes, join a critique group. But don’t settle. If this list shows anything, it shows the importance of two things: find people who get you, and find people who want to be a writer as badly as you do—and are willing to work for it.

These are your dreams we’re talking about. Put them in good hands.

The post The Top 10 Signs You Need a New Critique Group appeared first on GroggSpot.

Tolstoy wrote that happy families are all alike, but that unhappy families are each unhappy in their own way. Critiques are kind of like that. Good critiques are good; they make manuscripts better. You need good critiques.

But bad critiques are like bad families: each is bad in its own way. With that in mind, watch out for these bad boys:

The Softie: a shapeless blob of a critique filled with platitudes and pats on the head. Everything is positive, and the overall thought is “great, send it in now.” The softie is worse than useless because you feel both flattered and ripped off. Not that your work will never be ready to send out. But it doesn’t get to that point with softie critiques.

The Bitch: a vicious, mean-spirited, and hurtful critique, all criticism and nothing constructive. This critique might actually be a good sign because it could mean the reviewer is envious of your work (or maybe just the fact that you are working). Don’t take it personally, but don’t expose yourself to it again. One of these is one too many.

The Flake: a shallow puddle of a critique, all surface and no depth. This is the critique with occasional flashes of brilliance—maybe one jewel of a comment, but the rest leaves you wondering if the reviewer read more than the single scene where that comment is. Seldom worth it, because a good critique partner will catch the same thing, and lots more.

The Grammarian: an OCD critique where all you get are editorial corrections, notations of when you used the passive voice, and the observation that you used some adverbs. This type of input is useless on early drafts because everything is going to change anyway. When you’re polishing your very last final draft, yes, this is what you want. But until then, it’s a waste.

The Neophyte: an earnest critique, trying hard, but the reviewer is just not up to speed because he hasn’t read or written enough to critique well. New writers are told to find groups with writers who write better than they do. But if you are the better writer, you want neophytes with promise. You have to make the call whether a particular neophyte is worth waiting for.

The Know-it-all: this critique rewrites your manuscript. All of it. Some know-it-alls even give you a revised outline to follow because of course you’re going to revise it exactly like they tell you to, right? Of all the bad critiques, this is the most entertaining. And sad, because really, the know-it-all needs to be writing her own damn book, not rewriting yours.

Something to remember is that except for the bitch, these critiques are all well meant. People want to help. But critiquing is difficult and takes time to learn. In the spirit of learning, then, a good critique:

• Deals with big picture issues (i.e., story elements): plot, character, pacing, dialogue, setting, world building, etc. You know what I’m talking about. I hope.
• Gives specifics. Where is it boring or slow? Which dialogue is stilted? Why exactly is a particular character unlikeable?
• Doesn’t try to fix it. It tells you what might be wrong, but leaves the fixing up to you because guess what? You’re the writer. It’s your vision.
• Brings up things you’ve wondered about yourself. Sometimes you sense there is a problem, but you’re not sure. When a trusted reader raises the same issue, you know you were right and need to deal with it.
• Tells you whether you’ve succeeded in saying what you wanted to say. It doesn’t tell you what to say.

A final word on critiques: finish your manuscript first. When you show up with your first ten pages, you’ll get all kinds of ideas as to where the manuscript should go—which is great if you don’t know, but . . . why don’t you know?

Being a writer means having a vision of your work, not making your work a group project. You need to know what your story is, where it’s going, and what you want to say before you let other people interpret it. Being certain of your story also makes it easier for you to choose which comments to listen to and which to ignore.

I recently came across a quotation from Georgena Terry, the engineer who designed the first bicycle frames for the female physique. She was asked what she would tell women who were interested in starting their own businesses, and her answer fits here perfectly:

“ . . . you have to have the courage of your convictions. It’s about shutting out all the blabber going on around you. If you have a strong feeling about something and you think it’s right, don’t get too many ideas floating around in your head—just cut them all out and go for it. Take those pure thoughts and ride that exhilaration that got you going in the first place. Too many cooks spoil the broth!” (American Bicyclist, Jan-Feb 2013)

Ride the exhilaration of your manuscript idea. Get that first draft done. Only then should you bring in the other cooks to taste.

COMING SOON: Top Ten Signs You Need a New Critique Group

The post On Critique appeared first on GroggSpot.

With all the hullaballoo over Pride & Prejudice going on lately (a lot of it by me on Facebook), I thought I’d share a quote from another of Jane Austen’s books, Emma.

“It was rather too late in the day to set about being simple-minded and ignorant…”

I think it stands just fine all by itself, but if you want it in context… Emma has just confessed that Mr. Elton does not love Harriet, and Harriet grieves so beautifully that Emma feels

“to resemble her would be more for her own welfare and happiness than all that genius or intelligence could do.

It was rather too late in the day to set about being simple-minded and ignorant; but she left her with every previous resolution confirmed of being humble and discreet, and repressing imagination all the rest of her life.”

Ah, Emma. OK, now back to P&P…

The post GroggSpot Quote of the Week: from Jane Austen’s Emma appeared first on GroggSpot.

The $10 Amazon gift card:

Marlene Breakfield

Convince Me:

Kaylyn

Dawna

Karina V.

Congratulations to these four (you should be receiving an email from me today) and thanks to everybody who entered!

The post The Winners of the Bess Gilmartin Happy Endings Giveaway Hop… appeared first on GroggSpot.

***Head over to Fiction Vixen for a look at Convince Me

and your chance to win!***

The post Convince Me at Fiction Vixen Today! appeared first on GroggSpot.

#HEGIVEAWAY

Tell your happy ending story!

The Happy Endings Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

First, Bess’s very own happy ending (in story form).

Keep reading to find out what you can win!

Prologue
In which our hero and heroine buy their first home and a station wagon, and begin paying off student loans.

Chapter 1
In which our hero and heroine decide to start a family.

Chapter 2
In which our heroine learns infertility runs in her family.

Chapter 3
In which our heroine gives herself a shot with a needle the size of a lance because our hero is squeamish.

Chapter 4
In which our heroine vomits and discovers she is pregnant.

Chapter 5
In which our heroine finds pleasure in telling our hero he is to be the father of triplets, and our hero (whom we know to have a delicate constitution) nearly swoons.

Chapter 6
In which our heroine goes to work every day believing her black Doc Martens look fabulous with maternity leggings.

Chapter 7
In which our heroine wakes up bleeding in the middle of the night, our hero drives with great speed to the hospital, and our heroine jumps ugly on a nurse who mistakes a 5-month triplet belly for a 9-month singleton belly.

Chapter 8
In which our heroine is admitted to the hospital and is not allowed to leave, despite the fact that she has not even started her Christmas shopping.

Chapter 9
In which our hero hangs Christmas lights in the hospital room, and bravely prepares the nursery with the aide of our heroine’s dear mamma.

Chapter 10
In which our heroine has her cervix sewn shut on Christmas Eve, is given morphine, and dreams of tangerines, rats, and Darth Vader.

Chapter 11
In which our heroine eats as much Tortellini Alfredo as is humanly possible, yet still is forced to endure IV’s full of cake icing.

Chapter 12
In which 3 babies are born 9 weeks early, and the storks placed outside our heroine’s hospital room are stolen by nameless rabble who mistake them for extras.

Chapter 13
In which our heroine leaves the hospital 72 days after she entered and is very happy to see her dogs, but must leave her babies in the NICU.

Chapter 14
In which our hero and heroine are finally able to bring the babies home, though one weighs less than a bag of sugar.

Epilogue
In which our hero has lost a great deal of hair, the heroine’s hair is gray in places, neither of them can hear a thing because one of the babies just got an electric guitar for Christmas, and they all lived Happily Ever After.

***NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!***

***YOU CAN WIN!***

***LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER!***

One $10 Amazon gift card and three copies of CONVINCE ME (Kindle/Nook) are up for grabs. All you have to do is comment!

Number of winners: 4

Open to: the world

Comment to enter (by scrolling over “leave a comment” just below here or at the beginning of the post)

Click below to hop around to the other blogs!

The post Happy Endings Giveaway Hop appeared first on GroggSpot.

The post Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013: January Review appeared first on GroggSpot.

Helen will be putting in a sneak appearance at the Creative Juicer today, so stop by and say hello. And who knows? You might learn something about me that you don’t know already….mwahahaha!

The post Join Helen at the Creative Juicer appeared first on GroggSpot.

The winner of the GroggSpot Giveaway w/ Valerie Bowman is…

ki pha

Congratulations! Valerie will be contacting you soon about how to get your copy of A Secret Proposal.

The post The Winner of the GroggSpot Giveaway w/ Valerie Bowman is… appeared first on GroggSpot.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of

****A SECRET PROPOSAL!****

Valerie Bowman writes Racy Regency Romps with a focus on sharp dialogue, engaging storylines, and heroines who take matters into their own hands!

What’s not to love?!

Valerie’s first book, Secrets of a Wedding Night, was nominated by RT Book Reviews as the Best Debut Historical Romance Novel of 2012! Publishers Weekly called it an “enchanting, engaging debut that will have readers seeking future installments” and Romantic Times Book Reviews said, “This fast-paced, charming debut, sparkling with witty dialogue and engaging characters, marks Bowman for stardom.” Booklist gave it a starred review!

We are seriously honored that she’s come for a visit!

You’ll learn more about Secrets of a Wedding Night in a minute, but first here’s a bit about Valerie’s new novella, A SECRET PROPOSAL, which though it can certainly stand on its own, is a tasty treat for readers of Secrets of a Wedding Night.

She enlists the help of Mr. Thaddeus Hammond, a mere mister who is riddled with scandal, but worse, he’s her dead brother’s closest friend. Thad has never told the story of what happened the night Amelia’s brother died, but he did make her a promise. She issues him a scandalous proposal: spend the night with her to show her the real secrets of a wedding night.

OK, everybody take a minute to fan yourselves and read about Valerie, her writing process, and her path to publication.

1. Tell us about your career path. Are you one of those overnight successes we hear tell about? If not, how many rejections did you receive before you were a) offered your first contract? Or b) decided to self-pub?

VB: No overnight success here. I began writing in 2007 and wrote two complete manuscripts before I joined Romance Writers of America (RWA) and actually learned about all the mistakes I made. I wrote three manuscripts before I caught the attention of my agent (not on my first try with her, I might add), and then we sent out two stories that didn’t sell. In 2010, I wrote a brand new story to enter in the RWA’s Golden Heart contest and that one not only made me a finalist but it also landed me my first publishing contract with St. Martin’s Press! We sold the book on my birthday, too! 

2. Plotter, pantser, or a combination of the two? Give us the juicy details, baby! What’s your writing process like?

VB: I call myself a plotter. I definitely have to have the characters goal, motivation, and conflict (GMC) down before I begin writing and I need to know the “hook.” Once I have that in place it’s really just a matter of typing quickly. I wrote my third novel in less than a month! Which actually surprised me toom but it took me weeks to work out the plot beforehand so not *that* fast, huh? I tend to write in concentrated chunks of time like over an entire weekend from Friday night to Sunday night. I’m not one of those writers who can write a few hundred words a day, every day. I need to concentrate really hard on the story while I’m writing it and knock it out.

3. Your book. Was it easy to write? Hard? If you had any problems, tell us how you solved them. If you plotted this story out before you started writing, how much did it change during the writing of it? Were there any surprises?

VB: I always knew my first book, SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT, had two things that other people were going to think were problems. 1) It features a virgin widow and 2) the plot is based on a misunderstanding. I had contest judges tell me it would never sell based on those two things and I knew I was in for a rocky road. The virgin widow heroine is considered an old trope or cliche in historical romance and the misunderstanding plot (why don’t they just have a conversation and work it all out!) drives some readers batty. But I did both things very expressly on purpose as a sort of wink and a nod to old-school romance novels that I grew up reading and just adored. It was sort of tongue-in-check writing, if you will. I absolutely ADORE virgin widows and misunderstandings. Some of my very favorite books have both. It was sort of my homage to the oldies but goodies and I couldn’t be more pleased that the Golden Heart judges, my agent, and my editor all got what I was going for. I have them to thank for this book being published and I am very proud of it. I always knew I was going to do it, though, so there really weren’t any surprises for it. It was the fourth manuscript I wrote though and I’d learned a lot from the others. 

4. What’s next? Inquiring minds and hungry readers want to know.

VB: Next up is the second book in my Secret Brides series, SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE. It’s a fun story about a bride who keeps trying to runaway to GET married, not run from marriage and the hero in that story, Jordan Holloway, is (swoon) my personal favorite. He’s the best friend of the heroine’s brother-in-law and while his friend and the heroine’s sister are on their honeymoon, he’s charged with keeping an eye on “the runaway bride.” But he soon learns he wants to run away with her himself. ; ) 

After that is my next novella which will be out in the summer, than the third book in the Secret Brides brides series comes out in October. Beyond that, I’m already at work on an entirely new trilogy based on romp plays: Cyrano de Bergerac, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Much Ado About Nothing. I’m beyond excited about all of them!

And we’re excited to read them! Now, readers, here’s your chance!

****Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy (in any e-format) of A SECRET PROPOSAL!****

The contest ends tonight and the winner will be chosen at random and announced here on the blog tomorrow! Good luck to everyone and thanks, Valerie, for stopping by!

You can find Valerie on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com and on Facebook and Twitter, and you can buy A SECRET PROPOSAL at Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT is available now on Amazon | Barnes and Noble |  Books a Million and wherever books are sold!

SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE is available for pre-order now!

The post GroggSpot Giveaway w/…Valerie Bowman and A Secret Proposal appeared first on GroggSpot.

“I find that the only thing that really stands up, better than gambling, better than booze, better than women, is reading.” ~ Mario Puzo (author of The Godfather)

The post Quote of the Week: Reading Stands Up appeared first on GroggSpot.

Agent Mary Kole of Moveable Type Management announced last week on her blog, Kidlit.com, that she is now offering freelance editorial services. In addition to agenting, blogging, and speaking at writing conferences, Mary teaches webinars for Writer’s Digest and her first book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, just came out last fall. It is, as Dannette Haworth writes, the kind of book “that fires up your brain, makes you stop every few pages to grab a pen and paper, and dash out a line or two.” For the full review, go here. I am reading the book right now, and I love it. It is full of Mary’s insights into what makes a story work, and is already helping me resolve some issues in a revision.

Which is all to say—if you’re not familiar with Mary or Kidlit.com, she knows her stuff.

To check out Mary’s new website for editorial services, go here.

The post Mary Kole to Offer Editorial Services appeared first on GroggSpot.

Pride & Prejudice was published (finally) 200 years ago! A whole lot of folks are celebrating, and this here Bess Gilmartin is one of them.  I’ve signed up for the Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013- the brainchild of the amazing Laurel Ann of Austenprose.

The plan is to read, watch, or listen to different versions of (or takes on) P&P throughout the year (you choose what and how many). I personally intend to wallow in it. Here’s how:

Jan Pride and Prejudice -(Books On Tape 2000)

Feb Flirting with Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives On The Original Chick Lit Masterpiece -edited by Jennifer Crusie

Mar Letters from Pemberley -Jane Dawkins

Apr Mr. Darcy’s Diary -Amanda Grange

May Pride and Prejudice -(BBC/PBS 1980)

Jun Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy -Mary Lydon Simonsen

Jul Bitch in a Bonnet: Reclaiming Jane Austen From the Stiffs, the Snobs, the Simps and the Saps (Vol.1) -Robert Rodi

Aug Pride and Prejudice -(A&E/BBC 1995)

Sept Bridget Jones’ Diary -Helen Fielding

Oct Mr. Darcy’s Refuge -Abigail Reynolds

Nov Pride and Prejudice -(Universal Studios 2005)

Dec to be named later (but I’ll probably go along with Laurel Ann’s suggestion)

I’ll be posting one review each month on what I read. If you want to sign up, just head over to the Austenprose site and take a look. Did I mention Laurel Ann is giving away PRIZES?!?! It’s going to be a good year!!

The post The Pride & Prejudice Bicentenary Challenge 2013 appeared first on GroggSpot.

Meet me at the Creative Juicer blog today!! (me as in Bess, two exclamation points as in one is never enough), where you will learn all kinds of things you didn’t know about me and my writing process.

http://creativejuicer.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/creative-careerist-bess-gilmartin/

The post Join Bess Gilmartin at Creative Juicer!! appeared first on GroggSpot.

“If someone tells you that you’re being sent to a magical mermaid land, take my advice and spend the day at the aquarium instead.”

Only one MG heroine has the attitude and the know-how to be saying that—Jenny the Adventurer, the middle-grade go-to girl for magical kingdoms with trouble on their hands. Fans of Anna Staniszewski’s My Very UnFairy Tale Life will be glad to know two things: Jenny’s adventures continue, and a free e-prequel of Jenny’s very first adventure is available (read on . . .)!

My Epic Fairy Tale Fail–coming March 1! 

Jenny the Adventurer is back, and this time she’s off to the Land of Tales: the crazy place that all fairy tales come from. If she can defeat an evil witch and complete three impossible tasks—all all without getting eaten by blood-thirsty monsters—Jenny might finally get some answers about what happened to her parents. This is one adventure Jenny can’t afford to fail.

Yep—high stakes! And Jenny’s unique voice. Here’s more from her on those mermaids:

Mermaids are nothing like the gorgeous girls you see in movies. In reality, they’re bitter creatures who hate the water because it turns their skin pruney. Even though their tails don’t transform into legs, that doesn’t stop them from desperately wanting to live on land so they can spend their days basking in the sun. Which is why the Green Tails and the Blue Tails were fighting over an island the size of a school bus. And why I, Jenny the Adventurer, had been sent to stop them.

Who knew? Now for Anna’s bio, which is neither bitter nor pruney:

Anna Staniszewski lives outside of Boston, MA, with her husband and their adopted black Lab, Emma. She (Anna, not Emma) was named the 2006–2007 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. You can visit her at www.annastan.com.

And now, the four GroggSpot questions:

1.   Tell us about your career path. Are you one of those overnight successes we hear tell about? If not, how many rejections did you receive before you were a) offered your first contract? Or b) decided to self-pub?

I am anything BUT an overnight success. It took me over a year to find an agent, then over a year to sell my first book. I can’t even put a number on how many rejections I’ve gotten! Luckily, since my first book sold, things have picked up a bit. My second book will be out in March and I have four more under contract. It’s been a long road to get here, but I’m so glad I kept plugging along and didn’t give up.

2.   Plotter, pantser, or a combination of the two? Give us the juicy details, baby! What’s your writing process like?

I used to be the ultimate panster. I shuddered whenever I heard the word “outline.” But now that I have deadlines to stick to, I’ve becoming more of a plotter/panster hybrid (a plantser?) Before I start drafting, I write a synopsis of the book (usually a couple pages long) that details the main events of the story and the character’s emotional journey. After I draft the story and start revising, I make a spreadsheet that keeps track of the content, length, and setting of every chapter. If I decide to make any big changes in the story, I play around with the synopsis and spreadsheet first before I actually make them in the manuscript. I think I’m still a pantser at heart, but embracing my plotting side has helped make my writing process a little more focused.

3.   Your book. Was it easy to write? Hard? If you had any problems, tell us how you solved them. If you plotted this story out before you started writing, how much did it change during the writing of it? Were there any surprises?

I first started writing My Very UnFairy Tale Life more than five years ago as a break from a dark and depressing YA that was really bringing me down. It was the fun project I would come back to when I needed a change of pace. I wrote it in spurts over several months, which meant that when it came time to revise, it took a lot of work to make the story feel cohesive. After I signed with my agent (with a different manuscript that never sold) she helped me to streamline and focus the story, which included cutting out several major characters, changing the POV from third-person to first, and drastically revising the end. When I worked on the manuscript with my editor, the changes were less major, but I still wound up rewriting the ending a bunch of times. It was a loooong process, but luckily the main character has such a fun, spunky voice that it kept me excited about the story.

4.   What’s next? Inquiring minds and hungry readers want to know.

I’m so thrilled that it’s finally 2013 since my second book, My Epic Fairy Tale Fail, is coming out on March first, and the third book in the UnFairy Tale series—My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending—will be out in November. It’s strange to think that this series I started so many years ago will be all wrapped up by the end of the year, but I’ll also very grateful to have had the chance to tell Jenny’s story.

Thank you so much for stopping by GroggSpot, Anna! After visiting your website and seeing how many books you have scheduled, we are honored that you took the time to do it.

READERS: Don’t forget your free e-prequel: My Very UnFairy Tale Life: Jenny’s First Adventure. How does an average girl become a magical adventurer, anyway? Find out in this short e-prequel to My Very UnFairy Tale Life. (Includes fun UnFairy bonus content!)

In the words of the immortal Janis, get it while you can.

The post GroggSpot Interview: Anna Staniszewski and My Epic Fairy Tale Fail appeared first on GroggSpot.

Click where it says “comments” and tell me:

Is it a good thing or a bad thing if your writing inspires something like this?

The post The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins w/ Leonard Nimoy appeared first on GroggSpot.

The post Groggspot Giveaway w/…Emma Locke and The Trouble with Being Wicked appeared first on GroggSpot.