Free books? Hmm....

Once in a while, as a special promotion, Harlequin gives away books. This helps bring in new readers, so I’m told, although I don’t recall any of my books being part of such a promotion.

Whether to offer books for free—for a short period—is a topic of much discussion among authors. When we reissue our older books or self-publish new ones in ebook format, we do our own promotion, and that involves making decisions. Frankly, I find the idea of giving away my books scary.

Here are the drawbacks:

• Readers who paid for a book, even if it’s only 99 cents or $2.99, may be offended.
• Readers might refrain from buying a book in the hope that it will be given away.
• Some readers get the mistaken idea that because a book is free, that means the rights to the book are public. Piracy is a big enough problem already! 

However, there are advantages to offering a free download for a limited time:

• It draws in new readers for other books.
• It bumps a book higher in the Amazon search engines. Since more people can find it, more copies sell even after it’s no longer free.
• Because there are no printing or shipping charges, the author can do readers a favor with no direct expense. 

 I’ve decided to try an experiment. I won’t do this with many books (definitely not with my half-dozen Regency romances, which are my biggest sellers), but today, May 1, through Thursday, May 3, Amazon will be offering By Leaps and Bounds for free. Here’s the quick pitch:

She used to be a ballerina…

At the height of her success, Kerry Guthrie’s career was cut short by an accident. Now she’s on her feet again, teaching young dancers and hoping for a comeback…until she butts heads with the policeman father of her 15-year-old star student, and feels a new kind of spark.

If you’d like to read By Leaps and Bounds, you can download it free at By Leaps and Bounds Amazon. Don’t own a Kindle? You can download a free app for your computer, iPad or Android tablet, or smartphone here: Free Kindle App.

By the way, while reading on a phone sounds ridiculous, I’ve been glad to have my app when I was unexpectedly stuck somewhere with nothing to read.

 Will this be worth it? Will I regret it? We’ll see! Meanwhile, if you haven’t read By Leaps and Bounds, I hope you’ll give it a try. Thanks!

Cowboy Chow

Chuck Wagon Recipes

A little while back on my blog All My Heroes are Cowboys I talked about Cowboy Chow and posted a few chuck wagon recipes.  In response to that blog I had several readers share with me their personal "cowboy" favorites.  With spring upon us and summer picnics looming on the horizon I thought I'd share two of the recipes that I've tried and rated Five Stars! 

From Virginia C.

Cowboy Beans

1 ½ lbs. ground chuck,

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 (14 ½ oz.) can kidney beans

1 (14 ½ oz.) can pork & beans

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

½ c. brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp. steak sauce

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown beef with onion and green pepper in a 12' skillet; drain. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Delicious as a main dish served with grilled Texas Toast.  Lefto0vers make great hot dog chili.

*****

Cynthia from Mesa, Arizona recommends the following salsa recipe from the food network.  Cynthia swears by the Tyler Florence concoction so I tried it.  It was a lot of work but I made a huge batch and it lasted forever!  If you're entertaining a big crowd this is the salsa to make!

Salsa Roja

Ingredients

1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded

1 dried Anaheim chile, stemmed and seeded

2 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 cup hot water

8 plum tomatoes, quartered

1 medium Spanish onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs cilantro

1 tablespoon sugar

1  lime, juiced

Directions

Tear all the chiles into large pieces and toast them in a large dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and continue to toast for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is fragrant. Remove from heat and carefully add about 1 cup of hot water to just cover the chiles. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Put the quartered tomatoes, sliced onion, and whole garlic cloves onto a roasting tray, spreading out evenly. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs. Broil until everything is nicely charred, about 10 minutes (you want lots of deep rich color so don't be afraid if some of the edges get pretty black).

 Add the chili mixture to a blender and puree. Remove the tomato/onion mixture from the roasting pan and carefully add it to the blender, (it will be hot). Blend until smooth (you may need to work in 2 batches). Once everything is pureed, pour the mixture back into the pot over low heat adding a little water if the salsa is too thick. Stir in the sugar and lime juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve.

  *****

If you've got any great "cowboy" recipes please share them! I'm always looking for something new to take to family gatherings.

Happy Trails!

Marin
Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012) BUY!

A Cowboy's Duty (Aug 2012) Pre-ORDER!
Beau: Cowboy Protector (Nov 2012)
Happy Ever After...The Cowboy Way

Technology...How Did We Ever Live Without It?

IPOD's. MP3 players. Smart phones. Laptops. E-readers.

What would our lives be like without all that? Nowadays, could you even imagine a world without microwave ovens?

Without home computers?

My grandmother could.

Grandma, who passed away a few years ago, was born very close to the turn of the century. Not this century, of course—the previous one! And according to my favorite online encyclopedia, she was born before all of the above.

Also before the jet plane.

Before the airplane.

Before TELEVISION!

That's hard to believe, isn't it?

In a relatively few decades, so many new things have been invented that have changed our world forever. In just a few short recent years, technology has evolved so rapidly that even my twentysomething nieces and nephews were born before many of the inventions listed above.

Sometimes, I'm not so sure that "new" necessarily equates to "new and improved"—but I do know there are some things I can't imagine living without.

Number One, no doubt about it, is my desktop computer.

As a full-time writer who spends most of her day alone in a room with the imaginary characters from her books, I'd have to say my computer's a lifeline. I'd be lost without it!

How about you? What piece of modern technology could you absolutely not live without?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

Critters, Babies and Mid-Year Resolutions!!

Hubby and I at Easter dinner . . . 

In Los Cabos, because Little Terry was working as the waiter!!

What a week!!!  Let's see, in the past seven days we've done taxes, had a super sick kiddo (thank goodness she's now on the mend), discovered a new critter gnawing his or her way into our house, had a prom to find a suit for, celebrated Easter at a Mexican restaurant, got Daisy trimmed for warmer weather, discovered our two-year-old stove is breaking and four-month-old fridge is on the fritz, said some pretty major hellos and goodbyes, toss in a sprinkling of family drama, and in case that wasn't enough, today, on what was supposed to be me and Hubby's fun afternoon casino date, we both left the Osage as big sad losers.

In the midst of all of that, I managed to squeeze in some writing, but not nearly as much as I'd've liked.  Part of being a writer is tackling lots of questions--where do I get my ideas?  How long does it take to write one of "those" books?  Are you rich?  And the one I struggle with the most--how do you summon creativity and romance on demand?

Each New Year's Eve, when I'm trotting out my tried, true and often failed resolutions, along with losing bunches of weight, I always vow that this will be the year I don't let outside issues interfere with my writing time.  Why am I bringing this up now instead of back in January?  Because it's only April and here I am, already sweating the little and not-so-little things that take up valuable space in my mind!!

Meanwhile, poor Tristan needs me to help him come to grips with his ex's remarriage and cross-country move with his son.  Then there's Brynn--feeling thirteen months pregnant while single-handedly raising a sullen six-year-old and dealing with the fallout of her murdered superstar baseball-playing hubby having hidden secrets more devastating than she feels capable to bear.  Their problems make mine seem silly, so why can't I put their issues front and center?  Why does yet another squirrel or raccoon dining our house take center stage in my head when Brynn's baby is due any second??!!  See?  I must learn to set priorities, people!!

Okay, so I'm taking a deep breath and vowing that next week my fictional characters are going to feel far more real than the usual chaos ruling our home.  If an appliance breaks, I'm not going to let it get a rise out of me.  If anyone has drama, they'll need to make an appointment!!  As for all those pounds I'm supposed to be losing, I'm already down twenty . . . should I go for twenty-five? :-)

              

Superstitious?

I am!  Those around me will tell you I am one of the most superstitious people they know.  If I say “knock on wood”, you can rest assured, I will physically knock on wood.  When I sit down at a table to eat, the blade of my knife must face away from the plate.  I will casually flip it over before my patootie ever hits the chair if it doesn’t.  And, my grandmother taught me, if you enter someone’s home, you must leave through the same door, or bad luck will strike.

I do have my limits.  I don’t throw salt over my shoulder for fear it will get in my dog’s eyes.  But if I see a black cat cross before me, I will turn around and go in the opposite direction. 

Triskaidekaphobia defined me perfectly.  That is the very real and morbid fear of the number 13.  So, it’s ironic that my very first blog for Harlequin American Romance is today, Friday the 13^th.

Just to give you an example of the extent of my fear, a few years ago when I finished planting my spring flower beds, I stopped to literally smell the roses.  I counted 13 rose bushes.  That couldn’t possibly be right.  I counted and recounted.  How could this happen?  I’m more careful than this!  In a panic, I called my mother.  “I can’t believe I planted 13 rose bushes!”  Her response, “What do you want me to do?  Drive over there and pick you up so you can get some more?”  YES!  And she did.  I couldn’t trust myself to drive.  I already tempted fate by planting 13 bushes.  Who knew what would happen if I got behind the wheel of a car.

I have gone to unbelievable extremes to avoid the number 13.  Yet somehow, in a bout of extreme exhaustion, I submitted my first manuscript to Harlequin on December 13^th.  I didn’t realize my error until March 13^th, when I received THE CALL from my wonderful editor, Kathleen Scheibling.  When I looked back and saw my submission date, I nearly fainted.  Could it be the ever evil 13 wasn’t so bad after all?  A few days later, when Marin Thomas asked me to blog for American Romance, I was over the moon.  She asked me to choose a monthly blog date and low and behold, the 13^th was available.  

I firmly believe everything happens in threes.  Being here, with all of you on Friday, April 13^th completed the circle.  My irrational fear is replaced with confidence and positive energy.  I know this is sending a fit of laughter through those who know me best.  I would never even leave my house on Friday the 13^th, let alone celebrate the date.  That CALL was one month ago today – so now every 13^th reminds me of what I’ve accomplished so far.  And to boot, my first book, tentatively titled Double Trouble, will be out in the first half of 2013.  Too bad they don’t release books on the 13^thof the month.


While I’ve overcome my Triskaidekaphobia, I do have other superstitions when it comes to writing.  My biggest one…I Love Lucy must be playing on television when I write.  I can barely hear it, but it has to be on.  If it’s not, I can’t concentrate and I feel my work won’t be any good.


Yes, I’m quirky, but what writer is perfectly in their right mind?  But I’m also curious – I can’t be the only one out there with writing superstitions.  I’d love to hear about yours.


Happy Friday the 13^th


Amanda Renée
www.amandarenee.com

Cue the Marching Band

You’d think that I’d be used to it by now. After all, Rodeo Daughter is my third book for Harlequin American Romance. Yet, I can’t deny it. When I open the front door and see a box from Harlequin on the porch, I get goose bumps. Truly. Goosebumps. I only wish I'd known the books were on their way. I'd have hired a marching band to accompany the UPS man on his way up the sidewalk.

Opening the box, pulling that first copy of a book—my book!—from it. Well, that makes my tummy all a-flutter. What’s the first thing I do? Yes, I know. I should start contacting reviewers and sending them advance copies--that's why I get these books ahead of time, after all.

But for a few minutes, I can't resist. I fan the pages and inhale deeply. There’s nothing like the smell of a freshly printed book. Especially when you’ve poured your heart and soul into it, the way I did with Rodeo Daughter.

I guess that’s because Amanda and Mitch’s story included so many aspects of my own life. No, I’m not a lawyer. Or the divorced single parent of a four-year-old. But growing up on Florida’s east coast, I looked forward every year to the big Silver Spurs Rodeo in nearby Kissimmee. I spent the intervening months mucking stalls at a local riding stable. Each weekend, I plodded down dusty trails on horses that wouldn’t know what to do in a barrel race. But at night, I dreamed of becoming a rodeo star.

Rodeo Daughter is the closest I’ve come to achieving that dream. The heroine of this book, Amanda Markette, rode her way to a gold buckle in Las Vegas before walking away from the professional rodeo circuit to earn a degree in family law. After spending years performing in one arena after another, Amanda longed to put down roots. She swore that, if and when she ever married, home and family would be her number one priority.

His career is lead prosecutor Mitch Goodwin’s number one priority. He stands on the brink of achieving all he’s ever wanted when the DA plans to name Mitch as his successor. But the last person Mitch expects to represent his ex-wife in a custody suit for his adorably head-strong daughter is none other than Amanda Markette, the girl he fell head-over-heels for one summer at rodeo camp. And when a playground mishap forces Mitch and Amanda to spend time together they walk an ethical tightrope as old feelings come to the surface again.

I hope you enjoy reading Amanda and Mitch’s story as much as I loved writing it. Rodeo Daughter is slated for release in early June.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

HAPPY EASTER everyone!!

We had a big family Easter yesterday. Today we’ll go to
church and have a quiet lunch at home to recuperate from all the sugary treats.
I had my marshmallow chocolate egg, well, maybe more than one. So I’m good.

I don’t have much to blog about except to congratulate Tanya
Michaels for her RITA^® nomination for A Mother’s Homecoming. My book,
The Texan’s Bride, was also a finalist so I’m happy happy. It’s a Super Romance though. Still happy. Our wonderful Senior Editor Kathleen Scheibling edited both books. Yay for Kathleen!! Wish us luck on July 29^th at the Romance Writer’s of America conference in Anaheim California.

Enjoy the holiday! And the treats.

Linda

www.LindaWarren.net

Short Trips of Fancy

Hi, all.
I don't know what it's like in your part of the country, but St. Louis has a reputation for changeable weather. It wouldn't surprise me to hear this is where the famous saying, "Don't like the weather? Wait five minutes" originated. This winter and spring have lived up to that rep. We've had "winter" days so warm, windows were open and shirt sleeves were short. On Monday, we were in the 90s; now I'm in my winter pjs and fuzzy slippers.


So we treasure those brief glimpses of pleasant weather, and tend to run after them, as joyful as children catching bubbles. I dragged my mom to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the orchid show. It was a lovely day, in the high 70s, and windy enough to whisk us off our feet. Fortunately, the show itself was inside. There are more pix on my FaceBook page if you're interested.


My next mission is to meet my critique partner at the St. Louis Zoo and walk around all day, brainstorming and soaking in the sun. Of course, that'll have to wait until the good weather returns.

And you know I have to say it -- can't wait to catch a game in person!

One of my recent "mad adventure" days saw my husband and I at Crown Candy Kitchen. We've always wanted to go there, the sun came out, and off we went. It made perfect sense at the time. This place is a landmark for good reason. A small candy store from 1913, it became a soda shoppe in the 1950s. The booths are intimate and the food is to die for. Almost literally.
I had to try the Heart Stopping BLT, with roughly a pound of bacon, plus tomato, lettuce and Miracle Whip on toast. No kidding: see the bacon? Then the lettuce, tomato, and atop bread slice. And that pic is only half the sandwich. I had to take out a bunch of bacon just to pick it up! And yes, I teamed it with a chocolate shake. The shakes come with a challenge--can you drink five in thirty minutes? The answer is no. Trust me. They are huge.

Now that we've been talking raving about CCK, several friends have mentioned wanting to go for their first time or return again. I'm game, although I may try some other temptation. And of course, there's the candy...

So, is there someplace you've been wanting to go "someday?" Do you have a "mad adventure" day and jump in the car? Where do you wind up on those luscious sunny spring days?

Megan

www.megankellybooks.com

Try Something New... Continued

In February, I blogged about trying something new. Here’s my latest unusual experience. The other night, I was invited to a very interesting party. Included in the guest list was an honest-to-goodness medium named Jeffrey Marks. I have always been interested in metaphysical occurrences, those experiences that transcend the five senses, and have experienced a number of paranormal experiences first-hand. I’ll bet many of you have, too.

When it comes to mediums, though, I remain a skeptic. However, I do love good entertainment, and was excited to see Jeff at work. Plus, I just might write a book someday that includes a medium. Oh, how that gets my creative juices flowing. Just imagine what might happen if… But I digress.

I arrived at the party with all sorts of preconceived notions–Jeff would be an expert at reading body language and facial expressions. He would take his cues from the way others responded to him. These things may well be true. Face it, we all do take our cues from the way others respond to us. Some of us are better at it than others, and a good medium is surely among the best.

But the evening unfolded in completely different ways than I imagined. Jeff handed out blank cards and invited everyone present to write down a question, specific or general, include their name, and place the card in a bowl. He then drew out the questions one by one, invited the writer of the question to join him in front of the others, and did his thing.

He explained that he didn’t want any information from the person he worked with–only a yes, no or maybe–because talking engages his left brain, and this work requires the use of predominantly his right brain.

Jeff’s process was fascinating to observe. Each mini-session began with him holding the person’s hand for a few seconds in order to connect with their energy. His eyes darted back and forth, never looking at the person, instead seeing the unseen, what I assumed was the energy swirling around. Odd body movements and gestures followed, and continued throughout each mini reading. Sometimes he used a white board to convey crudely-drawn images of what he saw in his mind. Sometimes he got the information wrong and sometimes he was dead-on. Occasionally the wrong person came through, someone who wasn’t related to or involved with the participant. When that happened, Jeff took hold of the person’s hand again and started fresh. He was self-effacing, honest and engaging without being egotistical. At times he had us all in stitches. There were also moments my heart ached for the person he was working with.

All in all, it was a fascinating and wonderful evening. For more information on Jeff, visit http://www.spiritualexploration.com/sitting.html.

What about you? Have you ever worked with a medium? Do you believe in what they do, or are you a skeptic like me? Please share your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks for joining me, and until next month,

Ann… lover of new and different experiences

www.annroth.net

www.annroth.net

MARCH WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS CRYSTALGB! You’re the March winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Megan Kelly and Julie Benson through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.