Blogging over on the Suspense Sisters about my superhero ability….I’m never bored! Stop on by and post a comment to win an Amazon gift card!
Posts Tagged ‘giveaway’
23 Aug
Author throwdown…weird animals,and embarassing junk food choices.
Hey, all. So thrilled to be discussing the nutty world of fiction writing with fellow Harvest House author Virginia Smith! Take a look at our rockstar YouTube video. Like or comment on the video for a chance to win one of our books. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to enter the August prize pack giveaway. God bless!
15 Jan
Important Friday quiz…which Minion are you?
I told you I deliver crucial info on this blog. So which Minion are you? Post your answer and you’re entered in the January contest for a book and gift card.
11 Jan
Three ways to drive a romance reader nuts.
In the course of my career, I’ve been guilty of a few of these I’m sure. The learning curve is steep and readers will let you know quickly if you’ve created the following:
1. Unlikable heroes. Yes, that amazing hero has to be flawed, of course, unlikeable in many ways, but the reader has to like SOMETHING about them. In the course of the novel they are going to grow and change, hopefully improve too, but right from the get go there has to be that intangible something that makes us want to keep reading.
2. Weak heroines. Modern romance readers are accomplished women, smart, savvy, self sufficient. They know better than to walk into dark, deserted warehouses with no cell phone after hearing a scream and a chainsaw starting up. Heroines can’t be the “tied to the railroad tracks waiting for rescue” kind of ladies. Readers won’t respect that.
3. Dead pets. Readers will forgive a lot, but not the tragic death of Fido or Pussy Cat. If you hurt a beloved pet, you’re going to GET MAIL. Same applies to birds, as I discovered early on my career. It’s not just a rule for mammals!
So what drives you nuts in books that you read? Kicking off the new year with January prize-a signed book and an ITunes gift card.
Preorder Dana’s newest book, a rolicking romance. Here comes Tippy! Sit, Stay, Love
23 Dec
Holiday research trip….flip flops and ice skates required.
Since I’m deep in deadline zone, writing the fourth book in this series, thought I’d repost this gem!
Writing is tough job, of course, but someone has to do it, right? What better way to research for my Pacific Coast Investigations series than to visit the Southern California Island resort town of Coronado, home to the historic Hotel Del. Here are a couple of coolio facts about Coronado which may or may not have made their way into Dangerous Tidings.
Coronado Island isn’t really an island. It’s a peninsula. Back (way back) in the day, it was used as a manly destination for jackrabbit hunting, and was home to an ostrich farm. Go figure.
2. Spreckels (yes, that Spreckels) started Tent City, a luxurious self-operating village of several hundred tents and thatched roof cottages south of the Hotel del Coronado. Tent City flourished for nearly four decades, until it was closed in 1939 to make room for the highway.
3. Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis filmed Some Like it Hot at the famed Hotel Del Coronado.
4. Today, during the Christmas season, you can enjoy the festivities on the Hotel Del Grounds, including the ice skating rink which sits immediately next to the beach. No joke!
Where do you like to spend your precious vacation time, peeps? I would love to hear your comments.
9 Dec
Perfect gift for mom? A fun quiz.
The perfect gift for me? Well, according to this quiz, I’m gonna get a coolio crafty something from my kiddos! Imagine what your kids would say about you (or ask them personally!) and take the quiz.
30 Nov
Our November blog winner is….
Carrie Schmidt! Congrats and thanks to all who commented this month!
24 Nov
The green turkey confession
Yes, well, I can explain. There was this year, you see, when I was commissioned to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. This involves rubbing and salting and peppering and herbing and such. I was not informed of the fact that dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh. What’s a few tablespoons of dried parsley and sage among friends, ay? It turns out these spices, when used in concentrated amounts, can tint your turkey green. Fact. Too much is bad thing. That applies to certain topics in writing too. I will share.
1. Including many adverbs/adjectives. The young, sensitive woman tenderly clasped the quivering yellow feather in her quaking clammy fingers. Did you get bored somewhere in the middle of that? Readers do, too. They’ve got good imaginations. They don’t need a lot of clutter.
2. Including too many characters with similar names. Bob and Rob, Jenny and Lenny, even Jill and Jake are going to confuse things.
3. Adding too much figurative language. “Knock it off,” he yelled in a voice as loud as thunder. She trembled, as unsteady as the leaves in a storm. “Man,” she thought. “He’s mad as a bull in a china shop.” Figurative language is like salt. A little enhances, a lot ruins the whole thing.
Did you ever have a cooking disaster? Fess up and you’re entered to win the November prize of a book, iTunes gift card and a Christmas surprise. Winner announced on Monday.
Find out more about Dangerous Tidings, Dana’s new release
