Goodbye and Farewell by Andrea Downing

      For some reason the song “So-long, farewell, etc. etc” from The Sound of Music is going through my head—probably because this is my last post here at The Roses of Prose.

      Good-byes are always difficult, no matter what the situation.  I was in London last week for a wedding, which was happily followed by seven days of nonstop visiting with old friends from when I lived there. After the final dinner with one, I burst into tears because we happen to be at that age where ‘ya never know.’ But let me not get too morbid.  Here on the Roses’ blog, we’ve had some pretty good times, many laughs, shared a lot of important information, and hopefully made friends for the future. As Thanksgiving approaches, I find I have a lot to be thankful for.

And the best good-byes are brief so I won’t linger.  It’s been highly enjoyable for me and I’ve appreciated all the support over the months, and reading everyone’s thoughts, both in their own posts and in comments. So, farewell everyone!

Oh, but it wouldn’t be an author’s post without one more thing.  I know my fellow Roses will be entertaining you with their Christmas stories throughout December, but let me also mention my latest before I go, available at https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cowboy-Keep-Contemporary-Collection-ebook/dp/B07JF6LYWD/   Curl up with some great Christmas reading:

The weather is cold, the atmosphere is festive, and the cowboys are hot. How do you keep a cowboy at Christmas?

Don’t miss this holiday collection of modern-day cowboys and the women they love, featuring USA Today, Amazon Bestselling, and Award-Winning authors.

CHRISTMAS, LIBERTY, AND THE THREE MINUTE MAN by Carra Copelin

Nashville event planner Liberty Ann Hart has come to Mistletoe, Texas, to set up and promote a Christmas fundraiser for country music star Lilah Canfield. She tries not to fall for the local carpenter building the outdoor stage, but his cowboy charisma is hard to ignore.

Daniel Dylan Layman is happy to live his life in obscurity in Mistletoe, until a sassy, headstrong woman removes her shoe and beats an ATM machine for eating her debit card. From that moment, he’s determined to show her a Texas country life away from the glitz and glamour of Nashville.

A CHRISTMAS CAROLE by Andrea Downing

When single mom Carrie Matheson inherits a Wyoming ranch and moves out of NYC, her six-year-old son is not happy. Trying to help Tim settle into life out west isn’t easy, especially when his pleas to Santa receive replies from a mysterious correspondent. Is it the crotchety ranch foreman upon whom she relies so much? Somehow, she doesn’t think so….

Tate Schrugge is amused by his new neighbor when she jogs over with some mis-delivered mail. But Tate has just finished with a long-term relationship, and the lithe blonde in front of him has just called him Scrooge.

If these two can get together, it might be the Dickens of a romance.

THE PEPPERMINT TREE by Kristy McCaffrey

Skye Mallory had always aspired to leave her family’s ranch, and she took pride in having achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer. But when an unexpected inheritance draws her home for the Christmas holidays, she’s surprised by a longing to set down roots in the wide-open meadows and woodlands of southwestern Colorado. Only one thing stands in her way—a cowboy who broke her heart nine years ago. 

In high school, Joe Carrigan had admired Skye for her spirit and her intellect, but he had known she was destined for a life beyond ranching. Turning down her romantic overture had been the best course of action for them both. But now, he’s returned to the community he left years ago, and it’s inevitable that he’ll come face-to-face with his one regret in life—Skye Mallory. This time, however, he wouldn’t be so chivalrous.

THE DEVIL’S CHRISTMAS KISS by Devon McKay

Kristen Kelly is returning home with a new attitude. No longer the shy, awkward girl of her past, she’s determined to show the small town what she’s made of. Especially Cole Lawson. When she’s challenged by Cole at a holiday kissing booth, she finds the wicked cowboy hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still the most frustrating, infuriating, and tempting man she has ever come across.

The minute he sees Kristen again, Cole Lawson can’t believe his eyes. She’s the one girl he’s never forgotten but convincing her they belong together will take more than a Christmas kiss. Kristen doesn’t trust him but, this time, he’s determined to not let her go.

SLAY BELLS by Hildie McQueen

Big-city girl Carmen Dias is prepared for the worst when she accepts a writing assignment in rural Montana, but she’s pleasantly surprised by the jubilant atmosphere and warm welcome of the townspeople. Unfortunately, as she begins working on an article about their small-town Christmas festival, she discovers a dead body, putting her face-to-face with a local—and hunky—detective.

Weary from his all-work and no-play schedule, Detective Jared Bowden braces for a busy season helping at his family’s Christmas festival. When a beautiful writer arrives in town, his holidays immediately take a turn for the better. But a murder investigation, possible charges against him, and a pesky ex-girlfriend don’t exactly spell romance.

Can Carmen and Jared find love amidst the mayhem and sleigh bells?

THE BEST CHRISTMAS by Hebby Roman

Sofia Rossi travels to Texas to re-connect with her estranged teenage son, Aaron, who’s at a ranch rehab-center. An immigrant from Argentina, she has managed to thrive in the tough New York world of modeling. And she’s a survivor of an ill-advised liaison with a wealthy, married member of New York society. When her ex-lover manipulates their son into living with him, Aaron gets into trouble. Sofia will reclaim her son at any cost.

Gar McCulloch, after losing his wife to her high school sweetheart and his daughter to a drug overdose, believes his life is over. He dedicates himself to turning a dude ranch into a juvenile drug rehab-center. Selfless and with twenty years of juvenile counseling experience, Gar is a wizard at reforming other people’s kids, but he can’t forgive himself for his one failure… his daughter.

As two emotionally-damaged people come together to save Sofia’s son, neither feel they’re entitled to romance or happiness. Their mutual attraction and admiration come as a surprise and an unexpected joy, making this their best Christmas… ever.

COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS by Patti Sherry-Crews

Melody Evans grew up as the only child of a single mother, never putting down roots. Instead, they carried family traditions from home to home, none more precious than those surrounding Christmas. Romance? Melody has put a wall around her wounded heart and turned a cynical eye to the concept of happily ever after, despite making a living as a wedding planner.

Veterinarian Leland Jennings IV has roots long and deep at his family’s ranch in South Dakota. What he lacks, according to his meddlesome sister, is someone to settle down with. But he continues to hold out, nurturing an unwavering belief that there is only one woman out there for him. Christmas? It’s a holiday for children, not a bachelor living alone.

Once Melody and Leland get over their initial animosity, they come together like two pieces of a puzzle, sparking emotions and nostalgic memories that bring magic to the holiday season. But when tragedy strikes, will the budding romance become a case of the right person at the wrong time, or will they forge a new path together?

Raising Ben by Betsy Ashton

No one would say I'm a poet. I'm not, but occasionally I write something that goes beyond my standard doggerel. I'm very happy to announce that my poem, "Raising Ben," will be featured in an upcoming anthology, which celebrates the30th anniversary of the Smith Mountain Arts Council. I hope you like it.

Raising Ben

hold my hand

don’t let go

I’ll help you walk

time to eat

it’s your favorite

I’ll feed you

give me a sign

a smile something

show me you know I’m here

speak

one word any word

let me hear your voice

Mama

No, not Mama

just me Kathy

your daughter

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of the Mad Max mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven. She also wrote a dark psychological suspense novel, Eyes Without A Face, about a female serial killer, who unpacks her life and career in first person.

Prepping for #NaNo

I think I'll do NaNoWriMo this year. I normally don't bother because I write every day anyway. But I'd like to finish 2 more books by the end of the year, so NaNo may be what I need to get that done.

I don't participate in the whole "track my words per day" thing. I never have. It's enough that I write every day and I stay on track to get the book done by X day. I'm about 1/3 of the way done with a current manuscript, and I may set my goal as not November, but the end of the year for both books.

It's good to have goals. I work best with a deadline, so we'll see if it helps. I have a bunch of other events going on between now and the end of the year, and this might not be feasible, so wish me luck!

J L
(jayellwilson.com)

Wait? You're a Writer? by Betsy Ashton

All of us who write get a series of questions, most of which are asked out of curiosity, a few out of envy, and even fewer to debase us.

• How long does it take to write a book?
• What's your "real" job?
• How long do you write every day?
• How much money do you make?
• Are you a best-selling author?
• I've never heard of you. You must not be very good.

The list goes on and on, like the road leading out of the Shire. Let's dig into these and see if I can clarify my answers:

• How long does it take to write a book? As long as it takes. Use "How long is a piece of string?" to give the questioner a sense of just how silly this question seems to those of us who write all the time
• What's your "real" job? Writing is my real job. Between my family, writing my allotted number of pages, interacting with readers, Skyping with book clubs, and promoting my materials through social media, it's a "real" job. It's even what I list on my IRS returns where the forms ask for occupation. I answer, "Author."
• How long do you write every day? I put in a good four or five hours each day in creating new material and editing older material. New material begins with a blank screen. On a terrific day, I fill up that screen and many more with words. On the next day, I look at those words and see how many I can keep. Sometimes it's most of the new work; other times most is designated "what the heck was I thinking?" and moved to the parking lot, a graveyard for what seemed good ideas at the time.
• How much money do you make? Best answered politely with "I never discuss money," when you really want to say, "How often do you have sex?" Same degree of "none of your damned business" questioning. Some people think it's fine to be snoops. They usually end up dead in a subsequent novel.
• Are you a best-selling author? If I was, you'd know it.
• I've never heard of you. You must not be very good. Well, that is a matter of opinion. My readers think I'm pretty good. As I add more with each book, I rise in the ranks of authors. So, if you haven't heard of me, shame on you. You're not paying attention.

It's hard sometimes to paste that smile on your face, but you have to do it. These people are future readers, most likely. They may not remember what you write but they will remember that you dissed them. Don't diss them. Honor the comment with a polite one of your own. No matter that we don't like being in public, the first time that pesky novel hits print, you are now a public figure. Enjoy it.

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of the Mad Max mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven. She also wrote a dark psychological suspense novel, Eyes Without A Face, about a female serial killer, who unpacks her life and career in first person.

Your Ever-changing Author Platform by Rolynn Anderson

Wisdom sharing time, team!

A colleague of mine, Mara Purl, and I are putting on an AUTHOR PLATFORM workshop at the InD’Scribe Conference. We’ve got a good handle on the talking points and I’ve developed a handout for attendees that encourages them to write down their ideas as we talk. We’ll have a wide range of experience in our audience…some of them in the biz as long as you have been.  We could use some tidbits from you!

We think the four ‘legs’ supporting an author platform are: GENRE, BRAND, GOAL, PASSION. The Hope: If an author can clarify for herself what she writes and can consistently articulate those premises to readers, she’ll find her niche…increase her readership.

Mara and I consider this a dynamic process. (Notice the table-top in my picture is quite worn :-) For example, my genre of choice these days is contemporary mystery with romantic elements.  (Used to be contemporary romantic suspense).  By examining my reviews and re-reading my own books objectively, listening to my editor’s comments along with my beta readers', I’ve see themes/patterns in my books I didn’t know where there.  As a result, I redesigned my website and aligned with new authors who were 'like me.' The path to pinpointing genre, brand, goal, and passion is quite a journey of self-discovery.

My questions for you…any one of these five or all:

1.  How much has your genre/brand changed over the years you’ve published?

2.  What do you wish you’d known about these concepts early in your publishing career?

3.  What’s your next step in polishing your author platform?

4.  What’s a author platform strategy that's worked for you?

5.  Critique all the above according to your experience. 

Thanks for your ideas, team.  I’ll be sure to give you feedback about what I learned from InD’Scribe workshops I attend (at InD’Scribe Oct. 4-7)!  Stay tuned for my blog entry on October 10. Cross your fingers for me, too.  BAD LIES is up for a Rone Award in the suspense/thriller category...at the conference.  Hope springs eternally!

Fire is Nice is coming out soon.  Here's the cover:

http://rolynnanderson.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rolynnanderson

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson

The Power of "We"

It's such a tiny word. We. W and E. And yet, it's such a powerful concept. It's the power of more than one doing something together.

For a writer, "we" is the writer and her characters. They don't exist in a vacuum. Writers need to listen to their characters to be certain she represents them the way they should be represented, the way they want to be represented. When I try to force a character to act not in accordance with the way it thinks, nothing works. Descriptions become stilted; dialogue becomes unnatural; characters become cranky.

And none of us want a cranky character.

For a writer, "we" is also our agent, publisher, and editor. I've talked to many of my fellow writers, most of whom think their agents are god. The agent works for the writer and sells the work to a publisher, who assigns an editor to polish it. I cannot tell you how many writers have told me they hate their editors. They hate having their ideas challenged, their words changed. I've seen posts on Facebook by new writers who think an editor/publisher should take what they write and publish it without a single question. That's what self-publishing is all about. And that's why so many self-published works show a lack of discipline that "we" bring.

Let me give you an example. In Uncharted Territory, the second Mad Max mystery, my editor questioned a technique I used to signal the presence of a certain character. This character tapped the main character on the cheek with an invisible feather. I thought I'd explained how this clairvoyant manifested his thoughts through the feather. I guess I didn't, because by the fourth time the feather appeared, my editor wrote, "What's with the f***ing feather?" Well, now. I guess I didn't explain it.
I hadn't seen the problem. I was too close to the story. So, when my editor pointed out the flaw, the story became stronger, clearer and more exciting when I explained it the first time it appeared.

"We" works in our personal lives as well. "We" is our family. "We" is our close friends. "We" is our country. When "we" all work together, "we" get great things done. And now, it's time to listen to my latest character, Toad, who is my current "we." He has a lot to say right this minute.

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of the Mad Max mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven. She also wrote a dark psychological suspense novel, Eyes Without A Face, about a female serial killer, who unpacks her life and career in first person.

Playing Adult Games by Betsy Ashton

Do you remember the cheesy games we used to have to play? Those ice breakers at camp, corporate retreats, training sessions? Those adult questions that were little more than "what I did on my summer vacation" but which were meant to share something most people wouldn't know about you? Well, I have a secret most of you don't know.

I LOVE SNAKES.

Always have. When I was five, I drifted away from Mom at the San Diego Zoo. The gibbons were over-gibboning. I didn't like it. I wandered off. When Mom discovered I was missing, she knew where to find me. The snake house. Yup, there I was, staring at an emerald-green boa, the prettiest snake I'd ever seen.

So, when I began writing, I knew I'd have to write about snakes. I haven't found a place for them in the Mad Max series, except to explain, in Max 3, why so many doctors and nurses at a New Mexico hospital carried guns. Rattlesnakes. The serial killer didn't use deadly toxins. Couldn't have a snake suddenly slither in. When I started writing about a family living on the high desert of Southern California, the setting was ripe for a rattler.

Here's the setup. Toad is around ten or eleven; his younger brother, Cricket, is about seven. Killing a rattler is a rite of passage, one Toad had experienced but one that Cricket desperately wanted. He had to kill a snake to keep up with his brother.

“I gotta pee before I do anything else.” Cricket jumped off the platform and tripped on an untied shoelace. He landed hard. Momentarily winded, he rolled over in the sand before sitting up to check the damage he’d done to an elbow. He heard buzzing before he saw the snake.

“Toad! There’s a big rattler about six feet off the deck.”

“Don’t move.”

“I won’t.” Cricket froze, eyes on the rattler, which had coiled in warning. He didn’t blink for fear the snake would strike. Ranger ran down the three steps to the sand and barked. The snake raised its rattles, head following the dog’s movement, tongue tasting the air.

“Ranger! Sit!” Toad jumped down, machete in one hand, forked stick in the other. “Want me to kill it?”

“Uh-uh. I wanna do it.”

“Are you sure you remember what Pops said?”

“Yeah. Give me the stick.”

“I think I should do it.”

“It’s my snake. I have to kill it.”

While the boys were arguing, the snake left off sunning itself and rattled a final warning, before it uncoiled and slithered off.

“It’s getting away” Cricket shouted.

“Kill it.” Toad yelled.

Cricket pinned the snake with the fork right behind the triangular head, exactly like Pops had taught him. Toad handed him the machete. His brother swung the sharp knife and severed the head with a single chop. It flew a few feet away from the body, poison dripping from its fangs.

Ranger retreated to the safety of the platform and barked encouragement. Both boys watched the snake’s body whip back and forth before the convulsions slowed to a stop. Toad walked around Cricket and kicked the head aside.

Cricket ran toward the outhouse. “Now, I really gotta pee. Don’t you do anything with the snake. I get to cut the rattles off.” When he was back, he collected his trophy. The boys skinned the snake before burying it, head and all. They nailed the skin next to a dozen others on the back of Shorty’s run-in shed.

When the boys' parents got home a couple of hours later, Cricket crowed about what he'd done.

“Daddy, I killed my first snake today. See. I have a rattle of my own.”

“Did you really kill the snake?” Dad looked skeptical. “Are you sure Toad didn’t kill it?”

“I did it myself.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Toad said.

And so Cricket takes one step toward adulthood. Not much of a step, but movement nonetheless. BTW, I killed my first rattler when I was little older than the fictional Cricket. I kept my rattles for decades in my treasure box. One day, it vanished. I don't miss it, but if I saw another rattler, I'd have no problem dispatching it.

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of the Mad Max mystery series, Unintended Consequences, Uncharted Territory, and Unsafe Haven. She also wrote a dark psychological suspense novel, Eyes Without A Face, about a female serial killer, who unpacks her life and career in first person.

Backyard #Landscaping Makeover by Rolynn Anderson

You've seen pictures of the front yard makeover and I promised pics of the back yard as well.  Note: what you don't see in this video and picture is our side yard with fruit trees: Orange, grapefruit, lemon, apricot, apple and plum.  Yup, it's a lot of area to tend!  Now, I have a couple more large cement balls to make to complete the look in the new patio area, and I'm planting a small cactus garden in an area you can't see, but this portion is 95% finished.  Now it's time to sit back and enjoy our landscaping makeover!

Here are the drought tolerant plants I included... such plants are required by the cash for grass rebate program:

1. 5 Mediterranean Fan Palms

2. 1 Roebelenii Palm

3. 3 Queen Palms

4. 6 Dwarf Cape Rush

5. 8 Kniphofia- Red hot poker (yellow and red)

6. 3 Little John Dwarf Bottlebrush

7. 6 Leucospermum (red and yellow-Veldfire and Royal Hawaiian Brandi)

8. 4 Cousin Itt Acacia

9. 4 Crassula Capitella (Red Pagoda)

10. 1 Blue Agave

11. 2 Agave blue glow

12. 8 Parrot’s Beak Lotus Berthelotii

13.  6 Euphorbia Meloformis (Eve’s Needle Crest)

14.  2 Yucca harrimaniae (Spanish Bayonet)

15.  1 Yucca jewel

16.  6 Elephant Bush Portulacaria afra

17. 2 White Bird of Paradise

18. 1 Orange Bird of Paradise

19.  3 Barrel Cacti

20. 1 New Zealand Christmas Tree - Pohutukawa

So I tried to put my video here but it wouldn't take.  The first pic is the left of the yard, the second pic is a middle shot, and the third pic is the far right shot, showing the new fencing. 

 CÉZANNE’S GHOST http://a.co/bQdl7jp  offers you a chance to go to France without leaving your comfy chair.  Read on!

http://rolynnanderson.com

Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rolynnanderson

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/author/rolynnanderson