Saturday's Book Signing at Sherlock's

Marie-Nicole Ryan Ramona Richards

Photo by Trish Milburn

Last Saturday I participated with five other authors from Music City Romance Writers in Lebanon, TN, at Sherlock's Book Emporium. We had a great time and sold some books. My pal Ramona Richards writes for Steeple Hill's Love Inspired Romantic Suspense line, and I write very sexy romantic suspense for Samhain Publishing.

Some of our fellow MCRW members turned out as well as some locals. Sherlock's staff provided a chocolate fountain with strawberries, bananas, graham crackers and marshmallos. Tres yummy.

If you'd like to see more pix, click on over to Trish Milburn's blog.

Marie-Nicole

Rest in Peace, Farrah

I'm basically a nonconfrontational person, but I have to say I find it appalling that today's death of Farrah Fawcett, who fought a long hard and brave battle against cancer, is overshadowed by that of another celebrity. My condolences to her family. I wish all who really knew her and stood by her through the last days the strength to go on, especially her son, Redmond.


I can't say anymore without going into a full rant about what's fair and what's not fair in this life we're given. I guess it's ingrained oh-so deeply in psyche that if you can't say something good, say nothing at all, so I'll shut up.


Marie-Nicole

Work Work Work

This is just a quickie. I'm fully embroiled in my current WIP, Promises Not Kept. Prior to this, I've called it Alex and Bette's story which it still is, of course. But I thought I'd post a pic I came across because the H/H are based on the physical characteristics of these two actors: Vanessa Marcil (GH, ex-Brenda, Las Vegas, ex-Sam Marquez) and Josh Duhamel (AMC, ex-Leo, Las Vegas, ex-Danny McCoy). BTW, he must be sitting down in this photo because in real life, he's about a foot taller than she is. Another BTW, is these two characters were never a couple on Las Vegas, but I always wondered why not?

So back to work. Only five thousand words down and fifty thousand words to go.

Marie-Nicole

Believe in the dream... Beware the danger.

What to Say...

I don't know if theses are the dog days of summer--isn't that supposed to be August--but I find as the days grow longer and hotter that I have less inclination to write. And this is the perfect time to write! I'm waiting on edits for one book and another is under consideration at another publisher, so this is when I'm supposed to be working on something new.


And I am.



But sometimes a new story doesn't flow from the very beginning and this one isn't. I don't know if it's because I have the suspense part of the plot all figured out or because I'm just in the early stages of the story, feeling my way with the characters or what--I'm lazy you say?



That could be the problem. Right now, I'm working on Alex and Bette's story (they were the h/h in my freebie short story, PILLOW TALK,) so I already know them and some of their issues. BTW, if you ever wondered on who I sort of based Alex (you met him first in HOLDING HER OWN as the younger FBI agent) that would be former soap actor (AMC-Leo), now movie star, Josh Duhamel. He's tall and lean and a love'em and leave'em kind of guy. But he hides a lot under his cheerful exterior.

I don't know Bette as well, but she has some interesting secrets as well. That's all I'll say about
her secrets, but let's just say she's been running from them.

The most difficult thing about writing romantic suspense is BALANCE. It's easy for me to get lost in the external plot and forget about the romance and internal conflict, but you have to have all that stuff and it has to WORK for the characters and the story--oh, yes, let's not foroget the reader. It HAS to work for the READER.

So much to think about...and so much time to goof off.

That's it for today.

Marie-Nicole
http://marienicoleryan.com
SEDUCING THE SHERIFF, Coming 12/15/09 from Samhain

Baaa-Studs

Total nonsense, but you have to see this video. Obviously these Baaa-Studs have time on their hands, and I'm so glad they do.

http://video.telegraph.co.uk/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=17075685001

Thanks to author CJ Lyons who posted this on one of our loops.

I've had Border Collies and they are truly amazing dogs. Needless to say Shelties, like my Cassie, are bred down from Border Collies and Collies. You should see her try to herd the birds and squirrels in our back yard.

A New Week--What on Earth Shall I Do Now?

I find I'm at a loss--sort of. I've heard from my editor and my erotic historical western, formerly known as the naughty novella, is a go for sometime this year. YAY! And I've finished the final proofreading on my contemporary romantic suspense set in Nashville and submitted it again.

I could be working on tweaking an old book--rights reverted to me--and have it Kindled. I do plan to do that, but the real question is what should I work on next? I have two likely candidates. One is already 50k words along and is the second book in the Nashville set series I want to write. The other is a followup book to HOLDING HER OWN, featuring one of the secondary characters, FBI agent Alex MacGregor. Alex is also featured in a free short story called PILLOW TALK with a New Year's theme where he meets his future heroine, so I already have those characters working in my mind.

But the most important thing I'm doing today is NOTHING. Except maybe keep thinking about what I'm going to do next. Can I even write something new? I've been in revision/rewrite mode for so long I'm not sure I remember how to do anything else.


That's it for now.


Marie
http://marienicoleryan.com