Mariposa's Musings

I’m pleased to have a fellow, Sierra Romance Writer, Meggan Connors join us today. What inspired you to become a writer? I've always told stories to myself to help me get to sleep at night. Sometimes, my brain just didn't want to shut off, and so I'd dream of far away places, of handsome men and the women who loved them. I wrote for years—a scene here, a scene there—before finally trying my hand at writing a novel. But then graduate school came along, along with the requisite thesis and the follow-up academic articles, and the writing for pleasure took a backseat for a while. About two and a half years ago, I woke up and told my husband, "You know, I think I'll write a romance novel." Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) Let's see. I like Colt Thunder in Johanna Lindsey's Savage Thunder . I also loved, loved, loved Dageus in Karen Moning's Dark Highlander . I love Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre (Michael Fassbender p...

I’m pleased Regina Duke, good friend and a fellow writer from Sierra Romance Writers, could join us today. What advice do you have for writers who are considering indie publishing? This sounds contradictory, but I would say, “Jump in! Then slow down!” By that I mean that there is a lot of non-writing stuff to learn about the publishing end. I had to figure out the various web sites, set up my accounts, create web sites (still learning there), find indie lists and support groups, and all of that was happening at the same time I was re-editing the novel I decided to publish first. Some people are gifted at web-related tasks. I didn’t even have Twitter or Facebook! So if you are in that boat, jump in as soon as possible and get busy with those areas. Then, once you have a book ready to publish, slow down and proofread it again. (Personal experience speaking, she blushed.) And once it is published, slow down your expectations a bit. We read about authors who are selling thousands of book...

No release date yet, but just got the cover art for Roar! and couldn't wait to share! Focused on the bottom line, corporate paralegal Linda Underwood answers to no one. Linda’s world is torn apart when a bear shifter turns her romantic weekend rendezvous into a desperate struggle to stay alive. Now a recently-turned shifter herself, she is determined to beat the affliction by ignoring her newly awakened beastly impulses. After the accidental death of his wife, shifter Flynn Cromwell finds solace immersed in his computer network security work in a remote mountain cabin. When he discovers Linda’s ravaged body near the brink of death, he’s compelled to protect her. Can Flynn save Linda from her own stubborn nature and defend her from a vicious shifter with a taste for her blood? If you like Kate and Jack, they also make an appearance in Roar!

What inspires your stories? You know that is the one question I dread answering as an author. Ask me on my characters, stories, upcoming attractions but ask me what inspires something and I am at a loss. Well I take that back…not exactly a loss but it is hard for me to get the right words to explain what inspires me. Everything inspires me…a news article, passing snatch of a song on a radio, heck something that may have happened in my life. All is up for fodder for ideas and yes, I do use creative license to make them a tad bit more interesting *grins*. I think writing a new story is like making a new recipe. You have a dash of this, a dash of that…stir it all up and add in some yummy bits to make something so decadent, you want more. For my Devon Falls series, I used a combination of my home town and my former places of employment to create the town of paranormals. Each time I wrote a Devon Falls book, it grew and more characters popped up to clamor for a story. For example, my ...

Thank you for having me as your guest. I’m Barbara Edwards, a native New Englander with a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Hartford. I’m a past president of the Central Florida Romance Writers and a member of Romance Writers of America. I founded the Charter Oak Romance Writers in Hartford, CT a Chapter of Romance Writers of America, along with several close friends. I’m married to a retired Police Sergeant. I love Civil War re-enacting, visiting museums, art galleries and battle sites. I taught Romance Writing at Manchester Community college for three years. I write historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance. What inspired you to become a writer? My biggest influence was my father. He read to my sister and I every night. We heard Robinson Crusoe, Tom Sawyer, Tarzan, Huckleberry Finn, Little Women, and many more a chapter at a time. It was magical and I wanted to tell stories of my own. Who are your favorite romance cha...

" When I was 9 I played the demon king in Cinderella and it launched me on a long happy life playing a monster.” Boris Karloff Like Lon Chaney, Karloff started his film career in the silent film industry. After nearly 20 years and 80 films, Karloff became an overnight sensation at age 44 with his portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster, even though the opening credits simply listed Karloff as “?”. A slim man standing 5’11”, Karloff wore lifts and padding to portray the monster. Karloff also played the monster in the sequels Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). A founding member of the Screen Actors Guild, Karloff’s diverse career included stage, films, radio, television and recordings. Much later he would give the Grinch his voice and narrated the tale ultimately winning a spoken word Grammy for the recording. “There is no such thing as a person that nothing has happened to and each person is as different as his fingertips.” Elsa Lanchester...

I met Ramona Butler through the Sierra Romance Writers Group and I’m excited to have her visit today. What inspired you to become a writer? I can’t remember NOT being a writer, so I think I was born one. In fact, I was barely old enough to read when I wrote a letter to the editor of a large, metropolitan newspaper complaining about a pitifully ugly comic strip character -- and my letter was published. After that, I was always writing something, primarily for my own entertainment. Yet it wasn’t until I retired that I decided to try for publication, thinking I’d like travel writing. So I enrolled in a class at the junior college and soon found myself writing restaurant reviews, a periodic public opinion column, and nostalgia pieces. I even became a stringer for a small newspaper. And yes, I sold a couple of travel articles, but then I decided to try fiction -- and was hooked. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) That’s a tough question, because ...

I had the good fortune to meet Regina Duke at a gathering of local romance writers and I’m thrilled to have her as a guest today. Regina Duke also writes dog books as Linda White. What inspired you to become a writer? As a child I read constantly. I have a memory dating back before kindergarten of copying the print off a page onto a piece of paper. I did not know what the page said at that time, but I felt compelled to write those symbols on paper. I was writing! My first trip to the library at five years old was memorable because they would only allow us to check out four children’s books at a time, and I read all four in the car on the way home. There were never enough stories! So I began writing my own as soon as I had access to pens and paper. I shared with girl friends at school. Ironically, although my writing skills always earned As in school, my male English teachers never enjoyed my creative efforts! Not masculine enough, I guess. Who are your favorite romance cha...

I'm visiting Karen Michelle Nutt's blog today chatting about that horror classic, The Wolf Man . Hope to see you there!

As a mother of two, I get enough teen drama without watching it on the small screen. While my daughter, a devotee fan of teenage serial drama, claims she is not keen on the supernatural. However, when MTV’s Teen Wolf is on, we grab the popcorn and head straight for the couch. The MTV series has a darker, edgier tone than the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie According to director, Russell Mulcahy , the mantra during filming revolved around 3 s-words “scary, sexy and surprising”. As if the daily trauma of high school wasn’t enough, Scott McCall, has to contend with the savage inclinations of his beastly self. Complicating matters is the fact his beloved Allison’s father is a hunter sworn to kill werewolves and his fellow werewolf and mentor, Derek Hale, is glowering loner driven to avenge his family (though I admit I wouldn’t mind basking in his smoldering glare). While cloaked with the mysterious aura of the paranormal, the actions of the characters are realis...