Re-release of Picture This

Finally, after spending months revising the previously published version, I've finished Picture This. It's now available on Smashwords and Amazon Kindle.

I was so proud that Picture This had been a 2011 EPIC finalist! It received some great reviews too, although some said it would have been better with both the hero and heroine's POV.

I heard you. The new release now shows Ben's point of view. When I began rewrites, Ben was more than ready to step out of the shadows and tell his side of the story. And it's a rather compelling story too. 

I hope you'll check it out! :)

Of the previous version, reviewers have said: “The author grabs you from the first chapter and takes you on a great ride” and “It mixes a little humor and romance together into a snappy and readable package that will leave the reader with a smile as well as a renewed belief in happily ever after” and “The heroine is intelligent and resilient. The hero is sexy and charming. And the political background made for an exciting source of external conflict.”

Here's the revised trailer:

Tomorrow, I'll show you the Casting Call for Picture This too. Can't believe I didn't already! Ben especially embodies the mannerisms of the person who occupied my head while I wrote it.

You can find more about Picture This here.

Book video for The Bridge Between

I'm hoping The Bridge Between will soon appear on The Whiskey Creek site for sale.
Stay tuned!


Meanwhile, here's the video I completed today. Let me know how you like it!

Casting Call: The Bridge Between

 

While I wrote The Bridge Between, the story was most vivid in my mind, like a movie playing in my head. Yes, that happens much of the time. :) But particularly for this story, because it's set in my hometown of Lambertville, New Jersey. 

Though it's not a straight romance, it has a love story at its center. Actually, more than one. :)  The characters practically wrote the story themselves, and I merely took dictation. I love those kind of stories. :)  And who were these characters? 

Jessie Moore is the photojournalist whose life seems out of focus. 

She returns to Lambertville for the funeral of an old friend, and rekindles her affair with her first love, Billy Black. 

Claire Danes was always Jessie, in my mind.

And Billy Crudup was always Billy Black. I even named him Billy for that reason. :)

Who can resist Billy Crudup? Smart, sensitive, artistic, incredibly sexy, but oh so screwed up. Jessie can't help fall in love with him again. 

 I fell in love with him when I saw Almost Famous. :)  My sisters and I even went to NYC to see him on Broadway. Outside the stage door, we caught up with him, and he was nice enough to pose with me. (sigh) Do I look like I might lick his cheek? I think it occurred to me at the time. :)

Ahem. Back to the story. :) 

Billy heals Jessie's heart after her crushing breakup with Matt Cleary.

Ah, Matt could be no one else than Luke Wilson. I fell in love with Luke after watching The Family Stone. It's now one of my favorite holiday movies (though not just because of Luke, lol).

For a secondary character, political reporter Alec came through loud and clear too. Paul Bettany's suave, sophisticated and charming to a fault, just like Alec. 

Finally, Spencer Tipton, another of Jessie's suitors - rich, handsome, driven by success. Matt Damon seemed to embody all these things and more.

Here's the story blurb:

Once, Jessie Moore had inexhaustible energy for her art, but after this past year, her art – like her life – feels out of focus. Working at the fledgling Philly Times newspaper with reporter Matt Cleary proves draining after their breakup. When a longtime friend dies of AIDS, Jessie travels to her hometown of Lambertville, NJ. At the funeral, she reconnects with her first love, Billy Black, who becomes a bridge back to the safety of her old life, and also to the origins of her inspiration. But Billy’s more lost than Jessie. Too often, he drowns his worries in beer, threatening to drag her down too. After she rekindles their affair, Matt’s jealousy confuses her. Before she can truly give herself to anyone, Jessie must learn to be true to herself.

March is Women's History Month

The stories of women fascinate me. Whether historical or contemporary, if the story contains some message of hope or embodies a universal struggle, it's got me hooked.


It's important to honor those who've made inroads for women. While I celebrate the stories of important historical women such as Amelia Earhart, too often their stories overshadow those who perhaps never saw the limelight, but were every bit as important.


For that reason, I love finding books such as Lynn Santa Lucia's Ladies First, which celebrates "History's greatest female trailblazers, winners and mavericks." It features well-known women such as Amelia, Indira Gandhi and Marie Curie, but also lesser knowns such as Hildegard of Bingen and Wu Zetian. I highly recommend you pick up a copy.

Another longtime favorite is Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel. It features no famous females, but their stories are extraordinary.

As National Women's History Month reminds us, "Our History is Our Strength." Read more here. Or here.

I don't know about you, but it inspires me to write. :)

Writing Off the Past - Contemporary chick lit

Availablein ebook

for Amazon Kindle

and from Smashwords

(formerly titled Liberation via Pen)

Krista’s perfect happiness bubble bursts when Ethan tells her goodbye, but setting her emotions on paper helps her redefine herself – with Todd’s help. When Ethan comes back, wanting his share of book profits, Krista’s finally ready to take a chance with Todd – but is it too late?

Reviews

LIBERATION VIA PEN is a great story. Cate Masters does an exceptional job working out her plot. I could feel Krista's emotions and sympathize with the upheaval of her breakup. The empowerment displayed towards the end was uplifting. Any woman who has been in Krista's shoes will enjoy this read.

Romance Junkies: 4 Ribbons

Excerpt

They talked about their aspirations as the steam evaporated from their cups. Krista confessed her literary insecurities while admiring the black flecks within his grey irises; eyes that invited close inspection. His lips likewise taunted her, whether involuntarily or not. She couldn’t tell if he intended to tease, or if he was just being nice. She hoped the former. Nice guys tended to bore her.

Todd set his gaze on her. “Follow the age-old creed–write what you know.”

Krista took the advice to heart, literally: what she’d known for the past two years was Ethan. She’d let him infiltrate her life, her apartment, her thoughts, herself. Thinking his invasion was laying the groundwork for a future, she’d dated him exclusively, rearranged her life to accommodate his likes and dislikes until she could no longer remember her own.

She wrote to rediscover herself, divine her innermost thoughts and feelings. From their seemingly serendipitous meeting to their breakup, Krista chronicled and dissected their relationship, building to the crescendo of their eventual fall.

She copied the first five pages for the critique group the following month. The chick lit writer said: “Your dialogue’s too stiff; make it sound more realistic.” “Make your prose more lyrical, but get rid of the adjectives and adverbs,” offered the poet. The mystery writer advised: “Foreshadow your events to build suspense.”

Krista nodded, noting each writer’s advice for her revision. She spent the next two weeks pouring over each sentence, mercilessly slashing words, constructing setting and scene, the cadence of her prose flowing lyrically. Like music, the words streamed luxurious legatos punctuated with sharp staccatos as demanded by the scene. They lifted her spirit, excited her neurons in a way that made her hunger for more. The high of writing a well-structured sentence was addictive.

As a bonus, certain aspects of her former relationship came clear. Ethan lived on the cutting edge of pop culture, always had to have the latest gadget, widget or gizmo. He was exceptionally good with technology. With people, not so much. Had she possessed the foresight to commit his faults to paper earlier, Krista might have been spared much heartache. The exercise allowed her to see, finally, that Ethan was an ass. By setting her emotions into words, she not only defined them, but her writing informed her self-definition.

Thanks to Wild Child Publishing for first publishing this ebook (as Liberation via Pen)