Yolanda Renée—A GLAMOROUS LIFE

I asked Sia what topic she wanted for this post and this is what she suggested:  

"Remember they don’t see us in our ratty jammies, torn jeans, growling and cursing at everything, or with no makeup, and our hair looking like a herd of horses ran through it. Thank God for that, right? They see you as your author pic shows you and the online personality you've developed.
 "To your readers you’re a glamorous author. Okay, quit laughing," she wrote. 

I was laughing, because glamorous means exciting and desirable and my life is anything but exciting or desirable.

A framed picture from
Sia's office

I live in an old house in constant need of repair, go barefoot in the summer, and wear socks, sometimes several pairs, all winter. And yes, I write in my nightgown. Sometimes I'm so caught up in the process, it's afternoon when a knock at the door reminds me I'm half naked, still have bed head, and have forgotten to eat! Almost daily, I pick up socks from the living room floor, a discarded pair of jeans from a kitchen chair, and underwear from the most curious of places. My hubby has a habit of shedding clothes as soon as he walks in the door, and since I love him, I don't nag, at least not any more. He has to deal with my writing moods, and that's an even exchange for sure.

Just recently, I helped my son take an air conditioner out of his window and capture stinkbugs by the dozens as they sought the warmth of our house for shelter and hibernation. The word yuck, doesn't describe the chasing down of the little buggers or the smell if you accidentally touch them, and don't even consider smashing them. Their odor is almost worse than a skunks. We captured them in empty plastic bottles, where they suffocate in their own bouquet. Getting rid of stinkbugs is a horrid job and one that gives me the heebie-jeebies, simply because bugs are just so, so gross!

Does any of that sound exciting or desirable? Yet many folks see it all another way. I did too, once, after all authors are revered, not as much a rock stars or some movie stars (if you measure it by screaming hordes of fans) but they do appear as guests on television talk shows, act as consultants on movie shoots,  and the more successful ones have bank accounts in the millions. The pinnacle of success, money in the bank, and while it's a dream we all share, it's a vision few of us will achieve.

I'll bet the life of most writers is not far from mine. Therefore, while the life of a few of the most successful authors may be glamorous, most of us are just regular folk.

Although occasionally, something cool does happen, and it touches the ego, right where a writers ego needs to be touched. Just this week I handed a very nice lady my business card and a bookmark for my most recent release. I asked to speak to the manager, and told her about my book, and that I wanted to arrange a book signing. She gushed, and I do mean gush.

"Oh my gosh, you're an author. Really! It's so exciting to meet an author."

And I'm like, "It's so nice to meet someone who thinks so." I laughed, but it was.

At our favorite restaurant the other night, the cashier says to me. "Are you that book lady?"

So for me, in between scrubbing toilets, dusting, vacuuming, and laundry, I keep trying to convince folks that I've written a book they can't live without, therefore, while glamour would be nice, it's certainly not reality!

I'll know I've arrived the day I can hire someone else to do the mundane for me! I know, keep dreaming, but if all I get from my glamorous writing life is to be known as that book lady, I'll take it!

Well folks, that pretty much describes the glamorous life of this writer, what about you, what glamorous tale of success, or ego boost, can you share?


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

BUY:  AMAZON, B&N, KOBO

MEMORIES OF MURDER

Decades ago, the seeds were planted...

Today, dark, fathomless eyes rake the image before him. One final task and the transformation is complete. Steady fingers screw intricately carved horns on each side of a stiff brow, and a gargoyle suitable for Notre Dame scowls from the smoky mirror in satisfaction. A jagged smile rips through his smooth, hairless face, and inked, reptilian scales caress his naked body. A laugh of hideous resonance emanates from his gut as the demons of hell welcome Lucifer into their fold. 

In a dungeon-like chamber, his Lilith awaits. The kidnapped daughter of a nun, groomed to fit the final piece in the complex puzzle for world domination. Will Lucifer marry his bride, on the summer solstice?

Only two things stand in his way. His greed... ...and Detective Steven Quaid.  
EXCERPT

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Yolanda Renée really wanted to be a drummer, or a racecar driver. Obviously she's neither, but they are on her bucket list, that, and owning her very own fire breathing dragon!

Renée claims to have always loved books, and that it was through books that she escaped and experienced all the things she'd only been able to dream about. Through the stories, the characters, and the places created by talented authors, such as Caroline Keene, Margaret Mitchell, and Stephen King. She now reads K J Larsen , Jennifer Hillier, Joanie McDonell, J D Robb, and well, pretty much everyone and anyone who gets their words in front of her! SHE LOVES BOOKS!

Renée says she's always been a writer, and that making things up gets her through the day - a crazy imagination is a good thing - right?

An adventurous spirit took Yolanda Renée to Alaska where she hiked the Brooks Range, traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and learned to sleep under the midnight sun.

She claims her vivid imagination as a blessing, a habit, a hobby, a calling and sometimes a curse.

Renée now resides in Central Pennsylvania with her husband, two sons, and Boston terrier, Patches.

You can find Yolanda:

~ Defending The Pen ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest ~ 

THE COURAGE TO PURSUE A DREAM

My guest is historical romance author, Victoria Roberts. She's the author of Bad Boys of Scotland series and her current release is To Wed A Wicked Highlander.

Many writers look at those who have made the cut, gotten the agent, or the contract, as lucky. In some ways, yes, they are. They were in the right place at the right time and with the right story. Of course, they worked their butts off to get there and probably have enough prior rejections to paper a room or two in their house, but they had the courage and tenacity to follow their dream of being published and got the brass ring. A writer's life does change when they sell and chances are they have now added writing deadlines, editors, and promotion to their already busy lives of juggling jobs, kids, and life. 

Victoria talks about her life as an author before and after getting the contract. 

Thank you so much for having me today. It’s great to be back.

Being an author isn't easy. Really. Most of us aren't fortunate enough to be J.K. Rowling or Nora Roberts. I have a full-time day job, husband, two kids (8 and 12 years old) who have homework every night and who are both involved in sports. I’m a laundress, taxi service, cook, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt—yep, I think you get the point. When in the world do I find time to write?

I make time.

It all starts with goals. I used to scoff at the idea of setting them. I didn't have enough time in the day to even figure them out. When I started my writing career, I knew setting a personal target was a must. In fact, it took me a week to figure out not having a goal was definitely not working in my favor. Without goals, I wouldn't have much of a word count. Without a word count, my story took forever to finish. So how do you pick a reasonable goal?

Start small.

Everyone is different and we all have craziness in our lives. Figure out what you can easily handle and then gradually increase your writing goal. For instance, I used to have my goal at 500 words/day or 2,500 words/week (no weekends.) As my kids got older and my day job changed a bit, I was able to increase that goal to 1,000 words/day or 5,000 words/week. If I did not meet my goal by Friday, I worked the weekend until I reached the mark. You want your goal to be challenging but not overwhelming.

I also found that surrounding myself with supportive writer-friends helped me to plug along. How many times have you tried talking shop to a friend who is not a writer? It’s quite difficult. I've lost track of how many times those friends gave me the “deer in the headlights” look. No one understands your struggles and personal triumphs better than a fellow writer because we've all been there. Heck, we still are there! This job is not easy, but writing stories is our passion. It’s something we choose to do. And that’s the basis of what makes a story great.

Writing the book is only the beginning…

At least 25% of time is spent marketing, promoting, blog tours, interviews, guest posts, book signings, etc. Don’t forget, this is all done while you’re still writing the next book! Oh, yes, word counts still apply. I don’t think they ever really go away. 

So why write?

If you have to ask yourself that question, this is not the job for you. Write. Your. Passion. Believe me, I wanted to be traditionally published in the worst way, but even if I wasn't  I would still be writing. At sixteen, I remember pounding out stories on an old typewriter. There was nothing like that feeling of being so engulfed in the story that you could feel it, taste it. This is your baby. You have all the power. Tell your story to the world. And if you keep knocking, one day someone will answer.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote.

“All dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”—Walt Disney

Thank you so much for having me today. Now back to the darned book. 

• Name your passion whether it’s writing, reading, music, etc. 

Sourcebooks will give away one copy of To Wed a Wicked Highlander to a lucky commenter. (US and Canada only, please)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

She always wanted to be one of the boys...

Sybella would do anything to prove she's just as valuable to the MacKenzie clan as her brother is. She'd go on any hunt, take any dare. But her father has a different sort of mission in mind: marriage. It's simple, he explains. All she has to do is marry Alexander MacDonell and report back on his family's secrets. It will be easy, he says, as long as she doesn't do anything foolish...like fall in love.

Until she got a man

As laird of the MacDonells, Alex has a duty to produce an heir. It's a duty he won't mind with the lovely Ella as his wife―even if she is one of the dreaded MacKenzies. He's wooed and won many ladies, but Ella is a challenge like no other. He can tell she's holding something back. But not for long. Because inch by inch, he plans to expose everything she's been hiding and claim the ultimate prize: her heart.

“Roberts has created the baddest boy of the Highlands for her third in her series. This action-packed romance has everything Roberts’ fans adore: a strong heroine who meets her match in a to-die-for hero, deception, betrayal, love and redemption..." 

―RT Book Reviews Reviewer Top Pick

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Victoria Roberts writes Scottish historical romances about kilted heroes and warriors from the past. She was named by RT Book Reviews as "one of the most promising debut authors across the genres" and was also a 2012 Reviewers Choice nominee for Best First Historical for Temptation in a Kilt. X Marks the Scot and To Wed a Wicked Highlander (Bad Boys of the Highlands #2 and #3) were reviewer TOP PICKS, and the first of Victoria’s new Royal Rebellion series is scheduled for release fall 2014. 

Represented by Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, Victoria is a member of Romance Writers of America®, Celtic Hearts Romance Writers, several local chapters, as well as a contributing author to the online magazine Celtic Guide.

Victoria lives in western Pennsylvania with her husband of twenty years and their two beautiful children—not to mention one spoiled dog. When she is not plotting her next Scottish romp, she enjoys reading, nature, and antiques. She also drags her clan to every Scottish festival under the sun. You can find Victoria:  Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Celtic Guide