C.H. ADMIRAND—WHEN THE STORY DOESN'T FLOW...

There are many ways writers work through knotty problems of characters not talking or plot points not working. My guest, romance author C.H. Admirand, tells us one of the ways she handles recalcitrant story issues—she bakes.

As an author, there are days when the story just isn't flowing the way it should and my characters aren't talking to me. This happens from time to time and to clear my head, I can either do mindless mundane household chores or wander into my sanctuary—the kitchen and
—start baking.

When my hands are busy smooshing butter in a deep bowl, adding in flour, sugar, spices, etc. my mind is free to go where it wants, oftentimes solving a plot point, or deciding just where I need to take my characters next.

But sometimes, all of that free-thinking has my recipes going haywire. Let me share a few pics of what was in my mind an epic failure—but the taste-test (provided free of charge by the men in my life) proved that while it might have looked like and epic failure, the flavor was stellar. LOL!

My daughter’s friend, Courtney, never tasted the chocolatey-peanut butter goodness of Funny Bones before Drakes’ Cakes closed their bakery. But, she heard about my sadness over not being able to buy them anymore and shared a recipe she had for peanut butter filled chocolate cupcakes.

They looked great in the picture, so I figured I’d give it a try. Well, there is one tiny tidbit you need to know. I never—well that’s not true, I rarely (closer to the truth) follow a recipe. I change it A.) Because I don’t have a particular ingredient, or B.) Because I don’t like a particular ingredient. LOL! Welcome to my kitchen.

Anyway, I didn’t have any paper muffin cups, so I decided to use my square shaped muffin tin instead. Mistake number one because the square shaped muffins weren’t as deep as the standard muffin tins.

Then I changed the recipe because A.) Things taste better with whole milk, and B.) I didn’t have any 2% milk. ;)

So far so good…

           

EPIC FAILURE

Here’s a picture of what they looked like after I struggled to extract them from the muffin tin—EPIC FAILURE! But I continued to salvage what I could. *sigh*

           
Meanwhile, I baked another batch and tried to add less in the muffin tins so they wouldn't do the whole Vesuvius-thing. The results were a little bit better—not so much oozing up over the sides of the muffin tin to form one large muffin. *sigh*

Here’s a pic of them iced before mega-consumption—yes and here is where I finally smile because although they didn't look like the picture, they tasted like “I’ll have another one—just to make sure.”

ICING HIDES ALL FLAWS

            

A BIG thank you to Ms. Courtney for sharing her recipe! And of course to my guys for being willing to try any baked good—no matter how ugly it might be before it’s iced. ;)

How do you handle creative projects when the ideas are flowing?

Happy Reading!

C.H.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

BUY: Amazon, Barnes and Noble,
Chapters/Indigo, iBookstore,
Discover a New Love

WELCOME BACK TO APPLE GROVE BY C.H. ADMIRAND – IN STORES DECEMBER 2013

There's No Place Like Home...

Grace Mulcahy thought she'd finally gotten Apple Grove, Ohio, out of her system. Then she's lured back for a family barbecue and spies a broad-shouldered hottie hanging out at the grill. He somehow seems utterly at ease, whether flipping burgers or horsing around with her hellion nephews. Why didn't her brother-in-law tell her he had such gorgeous friends? Suddenly her mouth is watering for more than her best friend's famous pie.

Some fires aren't meant to be fought…

When firefighter Pat Garahan sees Grace, it's like a five-alarm bell goes off and he's the one ablaze. She says she wants to leave Apple Grove, but he will do whatever it takes to keep her around. The life of a firefighter isn't an easy one though, and he'll have to prove their immediate spark can have a lasting chance at love…EXCERPT (Chapter 1, publisher website)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

C.H. Admirand was born in Aiken, South Carolina, but 
grew up in New Jersey. She has been delighting readers with her Secret Life of Cowboys Series, featuring three cowboy brothers with Irish charm, as well as the Small Town USA Series, with the quirky characters of Apple Grove, OH. She lives with her husband, who is the inspiration for all of her heroes’ best traits, in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.CHAdmirand.com. You can also find CH: Facebook and Twitter

GIVING OUR READERS OPTIONS

It's a pleasure to welcome back romance author CH Admirand to Over Coffee. She has such a passion for life and I admire that. Since she loves to bake I've decided to put her yummy Black Raspberry/Rhubarb Pandowdy on the coffee bar for us to enjoy with our coffee.
Speaking of yummy, she has a new book ready to whisk you back to Apple Grove and drool over  meet, Jack Gannon, and a cute pup named Jameson. Both will steal your heart.

Good Morning, Sia. Thank you for inviting me to guest blog today with your readers, I’m delighted to be here. So many things are happening right now in my writing life—and in so many different directions! After turning in the copyedits for my 15^th book, which will be the third book in my contemporary small town series: Welcome Back to Apple Grove (in stores December 2013), I had a chat with my editor at Sourcebooks and am so glad that I did. She asked what I’d be interested in writing next. The industry has many ups and downs and is always changing direction—as with all of the other aspects of my life, it seems—and keeping up with those changes while still being able to continue to write and publish your stories is definitely a challenge.

For instance, right now Sourcebooks and my editor is interested in seeing one of my favorite genres to write: Historical Western Romance!

I finally got the rights back to my Historical Irish Western Series, and after editing them to freshen them up a bit, and having new covers and a logo created for the series, I have released the first two books, with plans to release books 3 and 4 by summer’s end. They are doing really well as e-books, something that wasn't even available at the time my first book was published. Crazy thought, right? LOL!

But, what does my releasing my backlist have to do with the new idea I have for Sourcebooks? Everything.

Doesn't this mean that I’m in direct competition with my publisher? Not at all.

Let me explain. Readers who haven’t yet discovered my Irish Western Series will hopefully pick them up and realize that my stories are all connected. My Contemporary Cowboys for Sourcebooks are descendants of Marshal Justiss who first appeared in the 2^nd book in my Historical Irish Western Series.

During the Sourcebooks Spotlight at RT in Kansas City, Editorial Manager Deb Werksman explained that authors self-publishing their backlist is good for their current releases because it can drive awareness and sales to their current titles. It is a win/win situation for authors and publishers.

If a reader enjoys an author’s voice, what could be better than giving our readers more options? Not a thing—IMHO. Although I’m a huge fan of Julie Garwood’s Medievals, I love her contemporary series. Whatever Nora Roberts writes, I’ll read! I am a first and always a rabid Romance fan. :-)

I am planning to have a link between my new Historical Western Romance idea for Sourcebooks that will connect both my contemporary cowboy series and my Irish Western Series that I’m re-releasing myself. Although, I’m not sure what that will be yet. But I’m working on it.

Did I mention that characters from that wisp of an idea were arguing in my head while I was rinsing the gorgeous blueberries and cherries I’d picked up at the grocery store?

CH ADMIRAND

Anyway…berries make me think of baking and making jam…which makes me think of the recipes my editor encouraged me to include in each book in my contemporary small town trilogy.

It seems that one of my characters is always baking something—or working out in the garden (aka playing in the dirt. LOL)! Anyway, I was delighted to include some of our favorite recipes for readers. I have pictures of them and I've been posting them on my blog, Facebook and Twitter.

CH ADMIRAND

So be sure to follow me and find out what I’m baking next…I recently posted pics of the Black Raspberry/Rhubarb Pandowdy I’d baked along with pics of the new recipe I’m trying to create for baked Doughnuts. Both are yummy. Just ask my guys. LOL!

Baking reminds me of the hub of gossip in my series the Apple Grove Diner which brings me back around to ONE DAY IN APPLE GROVE. I loved writing this story and having the chance to include something I’m passionate about—respecting and helping our Veterans; and rescuing dogs from high-kill shelters into the plot of the story. I don’t batter the reader over the head with dos and don’ts, and I don’t get up on my soapbox and preach. The ideas just sorta worked their way into Cait and Jack’s story and I am glad they did.

• Do you have something that you are passionate about—besides reading Romance?

So brew a cup of tea or put on a pot of coffee, and let me tell you about my latest…

                                                                                                                                                                                                              
         

BUY: Amazon,  B & N, IndieBound Chapters/Indigo

ONE DAY IN APPLE GROVE BY 
C.H. ADMIRAND – IN STORES JUNE 2013

Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (pop. 597), a small town with a big heart.

Caitlin Mulcahy loves her family. She really does. But sometimes they can drive her to her last shred of sanity—from her dad ("I'm not meddling, I just want what's best for you") to her eight-months-pregnant older sister to her younger sister, who will do just about anything to avoid real work. Cait just needs to get away, even if for only an hour.

When she sees someone in need of help on the side of the road, of course she's going to pull over. She might even be able to fix his engine—after all, the Mulcahy family is a handy bunch. She's not expecting that former Navy medic Jack Gannon and a little black puppy named Jameson will be the ones who end up rescuing in her.

“The talented Admirand is able to write about these serious issues realistically but in a way that makes this book still feel light and fun.” ​—RT Book Reviews, 4½ Stars

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

C.H. Admirand was born in Aiken, South Carolina, but grew up in New Jersey. She has been delighting readers with her Secret Life of Cowboys Series, featuring three cowboy brothers with Irish charm, and is now working on the next book in her small town contemporary romance series, featuring the town and quirky characters of Apple Grove, OH. She lives with her husband, who is the inspiration for all of her heroes’ best traits, in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.CHAdmirand.com.

C.H. Admirand: I Will Conquer Or Perish

Western romance author, C.H. Admirand, is visiting with us today with her hot new contemporary romance series, The Secret Life Of Cowboys: Dylan.


One of the misconceptions about authors is the idea that they just sit and write their stories with ease and get paid big bucks. Cushy job, eh? Ask any author about that and you'll liable to reduce them to tears—of laughter. Getting published is hard, no matter how good your story is. Once you're published then comes the deadlines, the edits from hell, whole chapters, perhaps even several chapters need to be rewritten, the editor doesn't like the ending, the middle, the beginning, or the character or his/her name. Yikes!


C.H. talks a bit about her journey and her life of ease.


Welcome, C.H., I'm so glad to have you visiting!

Thanks for inviting me to blog today, Sia, it’s so wonderful to be here. It took me a bit of time to decide what to talk about today because I think my characters are far more interesting than I am. After attending Lora Leigh’s RAW in October, I know that readers do like a glimpse into the life of the author.

For those that don’t know me, I’ve been writing for the Library Market and Small Press for the last twelve years. I was delighted to publish my first book, The Marshal’s Destiny, in 2000, and devastated when I didn’t sell the second book in my Irish Western Series. More than once, I tried to quit, but the voices of characters demanding to have their stories told wouldn’t let me.

   

Nora Roberts is one of my heroes; it was her article in The Writer’s Digest that kept me going, she said that writers need the 3 Ds to succeed: Drive, Discipline, and Desire… To that I add Determination. While I wrote, I attended workshops and conferences, honing my craft—you cannot improve if you stop writing. But I also dug deep and kept my Purcell ancestor’s motto where I could see it every day: Aut Vincam, Aut Periam–translation: I will either conquer or perish! So I kept writing, submitting, receiving rejections, and six years later, I not only sold my second book, but five more!

I met Deb Werksman by chance at the NJRW Conference a few years ago after an unplanned trip to a ladies club during RT Booklovers Convention in Houston and a lesson well-learned—that I’m not the ladies club type—but helped me come up with the plotline for my hot cowboy trilogy and deal with my embarrassment at the time. I was there physically, but my mind was in the fictional town of Pleasure, Texas that my mind had just created. It was a blast writing about the Garahan brothers: larger than life, tall, dark, and gorgeous Texas cowboys.

This year had a really rocky start: our three-month-old grandson was hospitalized with a respiratory virus, but is finally home and recovering beautifully. The dog we adopted (after losing our 12 year old family member, Ginger, the day after my December 15th deadline) had fear/aggression issues and bit my husband and one of our sons. Although she didn’t break the skin, combined with the reality that she was terrified of my guys (they all wear black leather jackets and boots—and are not quiet), had us seeking help from a professional dog trainer (a first for us after 28 years of raising dogs) to evaluate the dog. She didn’t recommend having the dog around children, a red flag for us with our new grandson, and stressed that although the situation could be managed with her guidelines; the dog may not change and might always be afraid of my guys. She felt the dog showed bite inhibition by not breaking the skin, which is a good thing. We gave it a week, but the dog only grew more aggressive and fearful. It broke my heart, but after consulting with the trainer again, I called the shelter and they agreed that it would be best to return the dog before the situation escalated.

So right now, I’m surfing the internet for dogs in need of a good home when I should be working on the revisions for my November book. It’s hard to explain why I can’t seem to focus now that Ginger is gone, but at odd times, I hear her moving around the house and racing down the stairs when I open the door to feed the birds…it’s all in my head…or is it in my heart? I guess I won’t be able to concentrate until we fill that empty void in our lives with a dog that wants to be a part of our family.

I’m struggling, but optimistic that we’ll find the right dog for our at times busy (aka loud) and other times quite (aka tomblike) home. I need to get back in the groove because 2012 is going to be beyond busy for me. Dylan book two in The Secret Life of Cowboys, just released January 2nd, Jesse, book three, releases July 2nd, and A Wedding in Purity, the first book in my new Small Town USA series, releases in November. Then there are the 2nd and 3rd books in the Small Town series that are due in May and September…good grief I’d better get my head on straight now!

Thanks for letting me ramble on today, Sia. 

• For animal lovers out there, how have you coped with the loss of a furry family member? How long did you wait before filling that empty void in your life?

Meet Jamison, aka Jamie January 14th

As CH mentioned, she has a new furry baby. I asked for some pictures and she provided these. Isn't he a darling?

==========

DYLAN 

BY C.H. ADMIRAND – IN STORES JANUARY 2012

                                                                     

There was nothing he couldn't tame...

Dylan Garahan might be an old hand at lassoing fillies, but one night at the Lucky Star club, and he ends up wrapping his rope around someone that even his formidable strength can’t tame. She’s wily and beautiful… and she’s his new boss. Dylan’s had his heart broken bfore, but even an honest cowpoke has to wrestle with temptation…

Until he got his lasso around her...

Ronnie DelVecchio might be fresh off the bus from New Jersey, but she’s a hard-edged businesswoman and has had her fill of men she can’t trust—although she might consider getting off her high horse for that big handsome rancher with a Texas drawl. Excerpt (on amazon)

 Buy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Chapters Indigo.ca

#~#~#

C.H. Admirand was born in Aiken, South Carolina. She has published 9 bestselling novels for the library market. Her Secret Life of Cowboy series, published by Sourcebooks Casablanca includes Tyler (available now), Dylan (in stores January 2012) and Jesse (in stores July 2012). She lives with her husband, who is the inspiration for all of her heroes’ very best traits, in northern New Jersey. For more information, please visit http://www.chadmirand.com/ or follower her on twitter, @chadmirand.