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These days, many readers are also writers. They've either published on Kindle or have a book in progress. This post is a reminder to all of us who write romance. Don't forget the foundation.

Everyone spends so much time crafting the hook - the first bit of the book designed to draw in readers. A lot of attention is paid to plot development, the cover and the blurb. But the truth is, a writer can do a phenomenal, grand-slam job at all of these things, and still lose readers partway through the book. How to keep the readers?

Hooking the reader is important. But, like hooking a fish, some books get thrown back. Some of those throw-aways have great hooks, gloriously developed plots, a killer blurb and a gorgeous cover. They're thrown back because they lack a solid foundation. What's the foundation? A romance is about a story between a hero and a heroine, surrounded by friends, family, associates and/or enemies. The stars re the hero and the heroine. They're the foundation, and they must be carefully crafted to garner emotion and empathy from the reader. If a reader doesn't care about the characters, he or she will never care about the story.

Oh, it's fine to throw in quirky characters. They're fun to write and to read. But the hero and heroine are where the story begins, continues and concludes. They can be, and often are flawed. A flaw is a fault that can be overcome. What writers don't want and readers won't finish are fatally flawed characters. Readers will put down a book where a rogue hero is too full of himself, too condescending, too self centered - too big of a bastard. They'll also put down a book where the heroine is too big of a bitch. She can't be too stupid, too selfish, too vain, or just too full of herself. And neither the hero nor the heroine can be bland. Bland inspires nothing, ever. Flaws are spices. A dash of this or a pinch of that may make a dish a winner. Too much spice will kill the flavor.

Suspense authors may be most often guilty of lacking a foundation. They spend so much ink on the murder or the mystery, on how the leads find the clues, are put in peril, and then solve the case. But if the best-plotted and most meticulous suspense isn't led by a hero and heroine whose relationship readers root for, the book is likely to be cast aside. A romantic suspense is first and always a romance.

Don't make the mistake of focusing so heavily on the architecture, the design, and the decor that you don't put in a floor. A reader is unlikely to give a throw-away author a second shot. Writers can't build a career on readers who don't return. Hook 'em and keep 'em by remembering that romance readers love the genre because they want to live the story. If they don't want to live the story, they won't finish it. Build the foundation first and make it strong with fascinating, empathetic leads. Then worry about the rest of it. The story flows from the charcters or it doesn't flow at all.

In my "Forever" series, I'm hard at work on Ian's tale. You'll recall that he's Nial and Heather's son. Their tale started the series - "A Faerie Fated Forever."

Since then, I've published "A Golden Forever" which is Colt and Viv's tale. Then comes "A Sixth Sense of Forever" -Boz and Lily's story. After that, there's Peter and Elle's story in "A Magical Forever." Finally, there's Vlad and Mala's tale in "A Forbidden Forever."

But, like I've said here before, I'm finally working on Ian's story and a lot of "Faerie" fans have begged for it. Until Ian's tale comes out, this is a great time to catch up on the whole series. A BIG OLE HEADS UP - "Magical" will be free on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1 and 2.

All books are available on Amazon. So, go ahead and pick up any "Forever" tales you may have missed (shame on you). That way, you'll be all caught up when Ian's tale is published.

Happy Reading!!!

What's the difference between a good romance novel and a great romance novel?

A good romance will catch your attention and keep it. The characters won't just be relatable - that may be good enough for other genres, but not romance. A good romance features a hero and a heroine who inspire empathy. The reader cares about the characters. The reader shares the feelings of the characters. It's the written version of a football game - you root for the hero and heroine.

So, what makes a romance great? A great romance is an experience. It's like taking a vacation whenever you open the book. And, like a great vacation, a great romance takes you to a destination you want to visit again and again. Yes, you know the story - like you know the attractions at your favorite vacation spot. But, you adore the characters, the plot and, mostly, the feelings that the tale creates. You'll read a great romance novel again, and again, and again.

I've been enjoying some great new reads on Kindle, but there in the back of my mind, was a destination I wanted to visit again. So, I pulled up "The Prize" by the late Julie Garwood. Julie was an amazing author, and a number of her books fall in my personal "greats" list. I wanted to go back to the era when William of Normandy's conquest of England was new. And his most favored Baron became the fourth warrior to take on the task of trying to take a particular Saxon dwelling - and to bring its Saxon owner to London to become a prize for some worthy knight. Three knights tried before the fourth succeeded. One favored plot point in the story is that the Saxon lady's heroism in London turns the tables and the knights become her prize.

After I finished that one, I was still in a nostalgic frame of mind, and I wanted to visit with my favorite Winston brother, Cletus, of Penny Reid's "Beard Science." I'm in the midst of that one now. All of Penny's "Beard" books are good - but IMHO, "Beard Science" is great. Cletus is blackmailed into helping a lovely young lady throw off her parental shackels and become an independent woman, making her own choices and taking her own chances. The tables turn in that one when the heroine inspires Cletus to reexamine his own life, and reevaluate the plans he'd set in stone long before.

I think Summertime is a great season to take a vacation to one or two of your favorite romance novel destinations. Yes, please, always take a chance by reading a new book from a new writer. If you don't do that, your list of "greats" can't grow and the careers of some deserving writers won't flourish. But while you're exploring the new, do revisit some of the books that taught you to love romance.

Happy reading!

I've been on a real kick lately, reading lots of Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunters books. BTW - and sadly - I'm not related to Heather Graham. Heather writes romantic suspense and her Krewe books are great examples of the genre.

The Krewe of Hunters is a special unit of the FBI. It employs Special Agents with paranormal abilities. All of them can see and speak with ghosts. The ghosts help solve the crimes involved in the stories and they occasionally save one of the main characters. The background Krewe will repeat, a bit, in each book, but each focuses on a particular agent who finds love in the course of investigating a crime.

One of the mega-neat aspects of the series is that Heather sets the books in areas of cultural and historical interest. They're in places where one might expect to find interesting ghosts - like New Orleans, Salem, Boston, etc. This allows the author to paint a picture of various historical events, settings and local legends. Heather does a great job of showing instead of telling, and even when she (occasionally) has to venture into telling, she does it with enough style and interest to keep the reader focused.

If only there was a real FBI unit like the Krewe!

I love the books and highly recommend. They do make me wish I had the 'gift' of seeing the spirits. I'd love to speak with my parents, grandparents or late Father-in-Law, but it would also be amazing to get to chat with an ancestor from long ago about the Civil War era or the Revolutionary War period. Picking up one of Heather's Krewe books is the next best thing.

Happy reading!!

Hi kiddies, Angry Old Fat Man here.

Well, Mary Anne, being the little old lady that she is, felt that her yappy little companion, Pixie Bear, needed an even smaller playmate.
She got her wish in January of this year. A North Carolina woman was selling puppies and Mary Anne got one. It's a Bichon-Frise/Yorkie mix, and it's really cute.

Mary Anne named her Dixie Belle. Dixie was born around Thanksgiving 2019, so she's very young, and she was very shy with Pixie. But now, ho boy, they get along famously and she attacks and jumps on Pixie incessantly now. Here's some video of the both interacting (download and watch it):

And there you are. Another four-legged victim of the Empty Nest Syndrome.

The Obese Man with Anger Issues here.

I gotta tell you, there are few things that make me more angry than pure, unadulterated ignorance.

So there is ignorance that is very understandable, for instance like quantum mechanics, regular old vehicle mechanics, computer operations, etc. etc.

Then there is stuff that is easily decipherable as garbage, but because of huge amounts of propaganda and gullible fools, is spread upon the society as if it was the gospel truth.

Let's look at slavery, particularly the American variety which was restrained to blacks from the continent of Africa.

...continue reading "Slavery – Common Sense vs. Conventional Ignorance"

If y'all love the Isle of Bliss as much as I do, then you'll be quite quackers to hear that part 2 of Adam and Evan's story is now for sale at Amazon.  If you read part 1, then you know that Adam and Evan have much more going on that any Guardian and Ward should.  Since this ward is also the Prince Regent's Godson, Adam's breach of duty risks much more than his honor.  It might even cost him his life.

If you haven't read Part 1 yet, do pick it up first.  And check out all my Olivia Outlaw titles.  I'm trying them at a new, lower price, but like all good things, it won't last long.  If you're a bargain hunter then you might want to pick up all the Olivia Outlaw titles now before I regain my sanity and raise the prices again.

I see you smirking out there.  Yes, I do have occasional periods of sanity.  Not often, mind you, but it does happen!!  It's not predictable, and I usually manage to cast off the chains of reality sooner rather than later, but while I'm sane, I'm apt to do terrifyingly normal things.  I'm thinking that raising the Olivia Outlaw prices might be amongst them.  So, grab them before the Demons of Sanity snatch me back!

The weather is getting warmer, and it's a great time to journey back to the Isle of Bliss.

First - a thought about a different "Grey" - as in Fifty Shades of Grey.  Ya know who I think would make a freaking awesome Christian?  JESSE WILLIAMS.  Grey's Anatomy fans know that he plays Dr. Jackson Avery.  Take a look at these photos and tell me Jesse wouldn't make a mighty, mighty fine Christian!  It would launch his career into the stratosphere.  Unlike Charlie, I bet Jesse's time on Grey's Anatomy has prepared him for the journey.  Just sayin'.  Yo - EL James/Erika Leonard, are you listening?

Grey's begins with the greatest truth Meredith ever voiced over - Being a mother requires more commitment than anything else - even surgery.  Not a mother in America disagrees.

Bailey and Mer fight over a surgery.  That seems like old times, doesn't it?

Callie thinks she, Mer and Der are in a relationship.  She's channeling "Big Love."

Of course.  Jackson's Mom walks in while he's heading towards the nasty in the on call room with his intern.  The same intern who walked into the room to show Jackson the shirt she picked out to prove to his Mama that she was a serious surgeon - not a gold digger.  The impression Mama got?  That intern Stephanie is a temp.  You know what?  That's the same impression I have.

I'm wondering if the theme of this one is going to be "revelations."  Mama Avery is revealing some truth to Jackson about remembering his position.  Yep, Jackson was thinking about a lot of positions.

And there's a man in the ER with a very swollen penis.  It was bees.  He rattles off a story about being outside and making himself a peanut butter and honey sandwich and falling asleep, but yeah, he must've gotten some honey on his howz-it.  Even intern Stephanie doesn't believe that and she's swallowed a bunch of lines from Jackson.

Then Mer needs someone to take over for her at a princess party with Zola.  To show Z that she hasn't been replaced by her new brother.  But instead, Z gets replaced by.........  a can't miss surgery.  (How long before Mer starts channeling memories of her childhood, and all the tea parties Her mama skipped for all those can't miss surgeries?)

Stephanie has to go get Mama Avery for the Giant Penis guy.  Of course, she walks in saying:  "Dr. Avery, I have a Giant Penis."  It goes downhill from there, which speaks to the skill of Grey's writers.

Callie promises to be at Z's tea party by 6pm.  It won't matter.  Callie's great but Mer knows better than anyone that there is no substitute for Mama who says 6pm is too late for a tea party.  It has to be a 4pm.  And if there is no tea party she's already started turning into her Mama.  It didn't take long.......

Jo gives Karev a lecture about how he should go meet his father and bond with him. Karev says - discharge him.

It takes Mama Avery 1 minute, flat, to get Giant Penis guy to admit he put his penis in a hornet's nest.  It takes her less time to totally flatten any hope intern Stephanie had of impressing her about anything.

Penis guy isn't impressed either.  He's busy learning the price of discovery.  Revelations aren't all they're cracked up to be....

It's a wee bit..... or maybe a NOT SO WEE bit sad how fast they've got Mer bonding with Bailey over breastpumping and walking away from "a moment" with Cristina to pump and bond.  **Big Sigh**

Mama Avery tells the chief she's going to save penis man's manhood and wants to come back and have a long talk with the Chief about him coming home with her- the peeps at the hospital pamper him too much.

Jackson tells Stephanie to keep it medical with his Mama..... Of course, he's telling Steph that his Mama probably already forgot the on call room when Mama walks up saying how nice it is to see them together again, and dressed this time.

Jo tries to get Karev's Dad into a treatment plan.  He says no.  Then she tries to make Karev go stop his Dad from leaving and he says no.  Both guys scream at Jo.  You know what Jo - when you've got TWO men telling you to shut up and stay in your place - it means you're doing a bunch of stuff right.  You go girl.   She's really the only intern whose name I remember on a consistent basis.  I have to check with Dr. Google to figure out who the rest of 'em are.  We all know what that means, right?  Yep.  I haven't bonded with them.

Paging Shonda Sunshine --- hang onto as many of Grey's Greatest as you can or there won't BE a Grey's.

Mama Avery doesn't make the penis surgery easy for Jackson or Stephanie.  She tells her son - this is what happens when men put there penises in places they don't belong.

Mer has to run to Z when she falls and hurts herself.  Mer asks if leaving her hurt child for surgery doesn't sound a little Ellis Grey.  Karev tells her to relax, that she's a good mother.  But Mer sees the writing on the wall...

And Callie tells failing kidney woman's spare parts younger sister that she can say no.  And Callie tells herself that she can say no, too.

Penis man's Mama knew her son hurt himself by putting his penis in the hornets nest.  Apparently, getting stung is his thing.  Hey Penis Guy's Mom, Did you ever see an episode of Criminal Minds? Go buy the whole series -- fast.

Cristina kicks Mer out of the surgery.  She's been replaced by Bailey - the Doc she stole the surgery from.  Cristina doing the right thing?  That's not at all like Cristina.  That hurt - everyone.

The Chief tells Jo to stop coddling him.  If his white blood cells are low, he needs a proper exam.  Mama Avery walks in just then and the Chief tells her he can't go home with her - these fools need him.  He's right.

Callie runs into Owen whose not leaving because spare parts sister decided to donate her kidney after all.  Callie looks crushed.

Mer yells at Cristina for stealing the surgery.  Cristina tells Mer she's not as good a surgeon as Cristina is.  Cristina tells Mer she can't be a great Mom and a great surgeon.  She tells Mer she knows that Mer doesn't want to be her Mother.  She tells Mer that she let up, that she took a different road.  That they are in different places with different priorities ow, and that's okay.

And Callie kicks Arizona out.  She says she's tired of taking care of other people.  I'm not discussing Arizona.  I choose not to do that.

Intern Stephanie sits down at Joe's with Mama Avery and tries to call her to account.  Mama Avery tells Stephanie that the reason she didn't have time to put in the catheter was that she didn't diagnose correctly.  Steph says she didn't have all the info.  Mama says, When in doubt presume he put it somewhere it shouldn't have been.

Mer yells at Derek.  For making her choose.  Derek tells Mer he never made her choose. Did he?

No - probably not.  Mer just never realized that in each little choice, she was making a bigger one.  That's her revelation.   Sometimes the job we ended up doing isn't the one we wanted.  I can relate.  I need to re-direct my day job into my dream job too.

CHECK OUT MY BOOKS - BUY ONE OR TWO OR FIVE AND HELP A LAWYER find her dream -- we all have to wait to see what Mer's dream turns out to be - but Shonda promised us that it would include Der.......