Susan Edwards's Blog

I am so excited to announce that Autumn Dreams, book two in my Seasons of Love Series, is now available.  This book was so much fun to write (and it had its difficulties), but it is dear to my heart as I overcame a lot of personal difficulties during this book.  I enjoyed the paranormal world I created, which was both challenging and fun. I feel that as a writer, I did a lot of growing.

Here is a short blurb:   

Kangee is a SpiritWalker, haunted by dreams of her mother held prisoner by an evil spirit.  She turns to Night Warrior, a young shaman, for help. Together, they explore the dream world and come face to face with the father of evil.  Autumn Dreams  takes them into a world filled with beauty and terrifying darkness.

This book follows Summer of the Eagle, which is the first book in the series. Winter’s Heart follows and is slated for release November 2014. The hero and heroine are going to be so fun to write and the villain truly evil.

You can go to my website to read more:  Http://susanedwards.com   Click to the Autumn Dreams Page to read the first chapter. For fun, here is the link for the book trailer:

I also had a lot of fun creating a movie trailer for the SpiritWalker Legend. Part One. 

You can purchase Autumn Dreams for your Kindle, Nook, other E-readers, Tablets Computer and Smartphones at:

Smashwords:     https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/379813     
Amazon:               http://tinyurl.com/ne3qtfm
B&N:                      http://tinyurl.com/mv832w2
 
Contest: Win a T-Shirt & 2 free e-books: Summer of the Eagle & White Wind and a little something special. Enter here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway    
Visit my the contest page on my website and you can also enter the current contest there.

Party Time!:     To celebrate Autumn Dreams, I’m also hosting a Facebook Party November 25-27th.  Should be lots of fun!   I hope you can make it!    https://www.facebook.com/events/1396209007287363/

Here is a longer blurb:

Evil lurks in the shadows, just a dream away….

Night Warrior is destined to become a great shaman but it is an honor that he will not accept. He is a Dreamer, and no one knows better than he that power can easily be misused.

Kangee is a SpiritWalker, a child of the gods, whose mother disappeared during an attack. Her nights are haunted by dreams of her mother being held prisoner by a monster. She turns to the young shaman for help.

Together, Night Warrior and Kangee explore the dream world, searching for answers. They get more than they bargained for when Kangee learns that her mother is trapped with the Father of Evil, a monster believed to be only a myth . They embark on a dangerous quest to save not just her mother, but the world from the evil spirit.

Autumn Dreams is a story about love, passion, courage and acceptance as Kangee and Night Warrior find in each other a strength that neither knew they possessed before Autumn Dreams took them into a world filled with beauty and darkness.

I look forward to hearing what you think of this book!

Sunshine Jello Salad

Enter 2 contests + get a free ebook!  Details at end of post

    Granny’s Sunshine Salad

Sunshine Salad
2 Small Packages Orange Jello
2 ½ Cups Hot Water
1 Small Can Chunk Pineapple (do not drain)
1 Small Can Mandarin Oranges (do not drain)
¾ Cup Sour Cream

Blend hot water and jello until jello is completely dissolved.  Add sour cream and blend then add cans of pineapple and mandarin oranges, with liquids.  Mix well then refrigerate.

We tend not to decorate food (that plain, simple & efficient heritage) but you could decorate your Sunshine Salad with mandarin oranges in shape of flowers (circles) and sprigs of mint on top of a dab of whipped cream (or not). Here is my effort .

Many of my favorite recipes for the holidays came from my great-grandmother, Annie Laurie Ronk, affectionately known as Granny.  Last time I did a holiday hop, I featured Granny’s Lime Jello Salad which is my all time favorite. I have to serve it every Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This year, for this blog, I decided to share her Sunshine Orange Jello Salad. Maybe next year, I’ll share one of her great deserts. I love that all her recipes are easy and very down to earth, simple yet good.  My mother lives with me, and I told her about this blog and I just learned something new about my great-grandmother.

Granny carried her recipes with her, in her purse, so that she always had them with her. Of course, I’m sure a lot were in her head. It’s Interesting to compare a woman’s purse from way back then to our smart phones and other electronic devices of today. We both carry our recipes on us (me on my Ipad/Iphone)

This holiday season is going to be both busy and very special.  I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do a lot of baking/cooking. Two days before Thanksgiving, Autumn Dreams (Nov 26), book two in my Seasons of Love series, will be available for download at Smashwords.com, Nook Store and Kindle Store.

Here is a mini-blurb:

Kangee is a SpiritWalker, haunted by dreams of her mother held prisoner by an evil spirit.  She turns to Night Warrior, a young shaman, for help. Together, they explore the dream world and come face to face with the father of evil.  Autumn Dreams  takes them into a world filled with beauty and terrifying darkness. Can they find the courage to accept the changes in their lives that bring them closer to danger and to each other?

I’m also pleased to offer my readers a Christmas Read.  White Christmas (Dec 10) is book 12 in my White Series. I admit I’ve had a lot of fun revisiting this wonderful family and even  included one of my Granny’s receipes inside.  Blurb:

Bodil is a struggling rancher about to lose his land to a corrupt banker who isn’t above using sabotage to get the ranch. His godfather offers to pay off the bank. The catch?  Marry the man’s granddaughter who was raised by the Lakota.

A White Reunion is about to take place but when Beth Ann’s grandfather shows up, she  isn’t happy.  This is one reunion she wants nothing to do with for she blames him for the death of her parents at the hand of the Crow. Bo is a different matter.  He’s everything a young romantic woman needs and wants. Too bad she no longer needs or wants to be rescued.

Bo can’t believe the skinny, gangly girl of six has grown into a beautiful, strong woman. Suddenly, marriage doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.  He has two months to convince her that home is where the heart.

Forces gather against them. Someone is trying to kill Bo and another warrior has laid claim to Beth Ann. Can this couple  overcome the threats to their lives and find in each other a love that transcends time, distance and culture?

For more information, excerpts and where to find these books visit http://susanedwards.com

Now that you’ve read my blog, copied this great recipe to your clipboard, go blog hopping and visit these other great sites. More recipes and lots of contests to enter and lots of great prizes.

Please visit the Blog hop event page to find a list of stops, each featuring a holiday receive. Leave comments with your email address to be entered in the Grand Prize Giveaway ((First Prize = $450+ Gift Card) (Second Prize = 1 eBook from each participating Author). Each comment is an entry  into the grand prize drawing!

What a great way to start off the 2013 Holiday Season

In addition to the contest above, commenters to my  blog post will each be given a coupon to Smashwords.com for a free e-book of Summer of the Eagle, Book 1, in the Seasons of Love series. You’ll be able to download in whatever format you choose! Also, I have another contest starting to celebrate the release of Autumn Dreams. You can enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway Get a Tote Bag  and Cloth Book Cover. See pictures at end of this post.

Before you go, share your Thanksgiving Plans: Do you travel or host your family or friends. I’ll have my children here on Saturday for a nice meal. Probably tacos instead of turkey. Thanks for stopping  by!
Susan
http://susanedwards.com

Today I am trying to write and do some marketing but my desktop seems to be a bit crowded, more than normal.  Now aside from a lamp, monitor and keyboard, most people have an assortment of office implements: tape despenser, stapler, pen and pencil containers, maybe a photo and other, you know, stuff. Me? I have the lamp, the monitor and the keyboard and mouse.

And cats…

As usual, the two beds on my desk were quickly occupied by

first-come-first-serve opportunistic cats. And not unexpectedly, a third cat arrives to find all the prime beds taken. He was quite miffed so I put a knitted vest in front of the monitor and pulled the keyboard to the edge of the desk. Presto! Two cats has grown to three. But the third cat, Koko, isn’t quite happy with the vest today. Normally, it’s acceptable. So I pull down a small, narrow bed from elsewhere in my office and put it in front of the monitor. Okay, we’re good. Nap time commences and I’m back to working.

Except I’m multitasking on the computer and I’m having trouble seeing the progr

ams on the task bar with the way he’s sleeping.

No problem. Book under monitor takes care of that. Beneath my desk, at my feet, there are two dogs in dog beds and a stool for my shot little legs.

Not long after, a fourth cat decided he was cold and lonely. No room for this big guy who is 25 lbs. So into the “cat drawer” he goes (last time he actually broke the drawer).

This drawer holds my lap robes I keep there in case I get chilly.  Okay, I now have four cats, two dogs.  This is typical of my writing time at my desk.  I’m missing one cat and one very large dog.

No Lonely Writer Club for me.

After lunch, I went back to my desk and the fun began anew.  Fifi retained her pink bed, Molly decided she wanted front and center and Snowy, the  big cat, decided he wanted the big bed. Makes sense.  Then comes Koko, who  had the middle bed before lunch. He’s not happy. He’s not opposed to sharing but his sister Molly gives him a swat to the face. Hmm, not good.

I show him the nice, warm drawer bed. Nope, he wants to be closer to me. So he finds a small bit of space between Molly and Snowy’s bed. I move Molly, bed and all, over a tad, spread the vest out a bit and Koko pours himself into this narrow space and we’re back in business, right?  Well, except for not much space to put my arms to type, anyway.

A week ago, I had all five cats. Four on the desk, and snowy insisting my lap was his perfect place. Let me tell you, there is no writing at the desk with a twenty-five pound cat on your lap. Oh, he’s a good thirty-plus inches long (not counting tail

I’m shaking my head, wondering how come I’m not a mean cat owner who can just toss the lot of them out. I mean, I have a beautiful desk, and it’s huge. I bought it to put all my necessary office supplies there, and maybe my amethyst candle holder, a nice hunk of fluorite that I like to handle while writing or even my pretty, pastel kaleidoscope

. I’m a push-over. The cats want me, they got me.

What’s that you’re thinking?  SHUT THE DOOR!

My office is the family room. With no children at home to make use of both family and living rooms, we literally turned it into a shared office between myself and my husband.  It’s large and has a fireplace which is nice for ambience and warmth in the winter. Unfortunately, there is no door!

No door means my animals know where to find me and most of them are happiest when they are with me. And truthfully, I love my kitties and I’m never lonely when I write, though there are times when I’d love to give “lonely” a shot!

Oh, it’s not just cats on my desk I contend with. One of my pups has caught on to the cat tricks to be close to me. Abby loves to sleep in one of the cat beds. If they are taken, she’s game to curl up in front of the monitor.

Of course, this means that I can’t leave the desk for even a second in case she tries to jump down, and being a yappy, barker, she often has to go see what the other dogs are barking at.

How about you? Do you have writing companions? Do you put your foot down and tell everyone and thing to go away?

Susan Edwards Delivers Magic, Myth & Wonder
Historicals: Breathing Life into the Past with her White Series
Seasons of Love: Series: Paranormals with a Twist
Autumn Dreams Nov 2013 ***** White Christmas Dec 2013  *****  Autumn Dreams Trailer

Today’s post is about helping two writers who’ve created an amazing tool for writers.  http://writershelpingwriters.net/thesaurus-collections/  This is a website you must check out.  I absolutely love their Emotions Thesaurus, and their website is full of helpful entries to many different thesaurus collections as well as other tools for writers.  I have their Emotion Thesaurus and this week, is release week for two additional thesaurus collections.  You can bet I’m off to order both books.  I’ll now turn it over to Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi!

Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi at Writers Helping Writers (formerly The Bookshelf Muse) have added two more books to their Descriptive Thesaurus Collection: The Positive Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. To celebrate, they are hosting a race, and not just any old race, either. It’s the…

Writing is hard, isn’t it? Create the perfect hook. Make your first page compelling. Craft an amazing 25 word pitch. Knock out a query that will blow an agent’s mind. On and on it goes. And sometimes, well, you just wish someone would help.
WISH NO MORE!

From October 21st until October 27th, Writers Helping Writers is posting an OPEN CALL for writers. You can fill out a form, requesting help with critiques, book visibility, social media sharing, blog diagnostics, advice and more.

An army of Amazing Racers are standing by (ME INCLUDED!) waiting to help with your submissions. How many people can we help in a week? Let’s find out! Did I mention there are Celebrity Racers too–amazing authors and editors who know their way around a first page. Maybe one of them will pick your submission to help with!

Each day this week, there’s an AMAZING giveaway, too. So stop in at Angela & Becca’s new Writers Helping Writers website and find out how to take advantage of this unique, pay-it-forward event for writers. I’ll see you there!

Photo Credit: Tharrin

I recently started writing a new book, along with a new writing process, and decided to journal my journey. Be warned, I journal as though I am talking to you in person and this means I can be a very chatty, talkative person!

This all started when I decided to self publish my SpiritWalker series. Book one, Summer of the Eagle, had been published many years ago in print format. The publisher went belly up and I got my rights back. I decided to make it digitally available. Book two, Autumn Dreams had been around the publisher/editor block and back and I have two more unwritten books to this mini-series.  With no publishers interested in the first two books, I decided not to even try to sell the other two. But in order to build my readers again after so long a time since the first book came out in 2007, I knew I had to power up my writing, set up a production schedule and treat myself as though I were under contract and deadline.

First, a bit about me.

I AM A PROCRASTINATOR

I WORK MY BEST UNDER DEADLINE

Being out of contract for so long has been horrible because I had no one to answer too. So putting these books out there on my own is a great way to put pressure on myself.  But one of my problems is, that although I am a fairly fast writer, I am extrembly slow to start. When I start a new book, it takes me forever to get the first 3 chapters solid. This is due to the fact that it can take time to get to know the characters, the setting, and even the theme, even if it is plotted out. It can take me as much time to do the first three-four chapters as it takes to write the remaining fifteen chapters!!

This process does not make for very productive, fast writing. I can take three-six months on the first part of a book, then finish the rest of the book in two months or less—that’s when a deadline looms! And my writing is more polished and needs less rewriting once I’m past the beginning.

So I set my own production schedule and it is brutal, much more demanding than when I had contracts and deadlines. I’ve set myself the task of completing seven books by the end of 2014, (2 are done) seven books for sale, and at the end of 2014, I’ll be half way though book eight.

HELP!!!!

At the time I was setting this up, and getting Summer of the Eagle ready for release in July (I did my own covers, readied files for Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords, sent out for reviews, and created my own trailer and am working website updates), I was rebuilding my social media presence and noticed on facebook that an author friend was doing something called Power Writing and was very excited about it. I called her up and we chatted. Before I could ask her about it, she told me all about it and how wonderful it was for her.

Here’s what Power Writing is (at least the way she and her friends work it)

The rules are simple: write for one hour.

No interruptions

No stopping to research

No going on the internet to check facts

No distractions period.

No checking email, facebook, twitter, etc.

No phone calls.

Write. Write. Write. THIS IS SO SIMPLE

Warn your family that you are taking an hour—JUST ONE HOUR—to write.

My friend’s group scheduled 3 separate writing sessions during the day—early morning, afternoon, and evening.

At the start of the hour, everyone gives their word count for their chapter or document. Those in edit mode stated their goals. One person had taken charge of figuring out word and page count using a spreadsheet.

At the end of the hour, everyone reports their word count and is told how they did. After, figure out who is joining in the next session and who is in charge of calling.

The beauty is, you are held ACCOUNTABLE by people who are not going to sabatoge your writing time. It’s not like you’ll be yelled at or publically shamed, but you’ll know that everyone is expecting you to produce and no one wants to admit to others that they failed. A procrastinator like me needs to be held accountable!

Also, with a couple to a few hours in-between power writing sessions, there is plenty of time to do plotting, rewriting, as well as marketing and promotion and unfortunately, housework and other mundane chores. If you have kids, they can be given a timer and can look forward to some mom/dad time when the timer dings! Another plus is the fact that you can get up and move. Much healthier for our bodies than sitting for 4-6 hours or more.

I had tried something similair with my critique group. Problem was, we chatted too long before starting—you know, “how is everyone?” which always leads into long, drawn out conversations that often end in woe is me or bitch sessions or problem solving. Sometimes more than 30 minutes was spent on our greetings before we got to work.  Although we wrote for much longer, two or three hours before reporting back in, we were often back on the phone for another hour or more. Some of that was discussing our writing sessions but more often, it was gabbing. And because it took so much time, it didn’t work.

So back to my story. My friend invited me to join her group and try it. I jumped at the chance, and was hoping she’d ask!  On my first day, I was called and conferenced in to the others taking part in that writing hour. I was asked for my current word count. After, everyone hung up and the writing began. When the hour was over, one person called and we reported our progress. I was impressed with “the call” because:

There was no chatter.     No gabbing.     No wasted time

We were all told how we did—how many words we wrote that hour. Another great thing—each writer pretty much writes about the same number of words from one session to another and once you know what your average is, you can tell whether you had a good session or a not so good hour of writing.

That is what Power Writing is and how it works. Now I’ll take it a bit deeper for me—for this journal.

Day One I got “the call”. I was asked where I was. Well, I was staring at a blank page. I had not started this book which made it perfect for this experiment. Trouble was, I only had the basic premise of the story. I knew who the heroine was as she was a child in a previous book. I knew she had a grandfather looking for her and I knew she didn’t like the man. Being a romance, there was a hero in there somewhere—maybe hired by grandfather—but he had no name, no face.

Normally, I spend some time plotting a book before typing that first word and plunging myself into the writing process.  During this call, I almost said that I was going to be plotting for that first power hour of writing.  But the purpose of this hour is to write. To produce. So I took a deep breath and told everyone my word count was zero! I jumped in with both feet and figured I would drown!

After I hung up, I stared at the horrible blank page, not knowing where I was going to start or even which character to start with. But the clock was ticking so decided to start with the hero with grandfather in grandfather’s study.

I started writing. I pulled a name out of the air for the hero and just applied butt to chair and fingers to keyboard. I resisted all urges to do plotting, look up names, or research what city this first scene takes place in. I kept my focus and just wrote.

At the end of the hour, the phone rang. I was in the middle of a sentence but the rule is, you stop. No matter what. So I did. And a funny thing happened when I checked my word count for the report:

I had over 400 words!

The scene was solid.  And I already knew a lot about the hero and his goals and conflicts just from being forced to put words to that blank screen.  That first day I think I did 2 or 3 sessions with working on the plotting and characters in-between. And of course, in order to finish this book, I’ll add more Power Hours into my day.  What I came away with was a good, solid start to my book. I was jazzed, and wowed and impressed that I was able to break my “normal mold” of writing.

I didn’t start this journal from the beginning so don’t have a day by day to accounting, so to start, I’ll sum up the first 2 weeks of doing this.

Week 1, I ended with over 6000 words.  Unheard of for me. 

Week 2, I ended with 8584 words. I think I did around sixteen-eighteen sessions total for the two weeks and have an estimated page count of 50. This is 2.5 scenes, almost three complete chapters!

I am so happy with this progress. In the first scene in chapter three, the hero told the heroine something I didn’t know! It just came out and appeared on my monitor. I love it when that happens because it means I’ve breathed life into the character, or maybe it means he’s taking over—whatever—it’s a pretty heady feeling. My first sessions netted me 4-500 words. In week two, I was writing 6-950 words!! Whoo hoo!!!

June 18 The last three session were less as I am going back into each scene I wrote and doing some rewriting. So much was revealed that for me to continue, I have to get those early scenes set to reflect what is happening now. I liken my writing to pulling taffy.

I write until the “taffy/words” start to thin and become so stringy that it breaks. By going back and fixing and strengthening, I can then zip forward. I have a feeling that this method of focused writing will mean less having to go back and shore up my story, that I’ll be able to produce a more polished draft of at least the story/plot/character elements. I do write in layers, and part of revising, is adding layer upon layer, like a painter applies paint to the canvas, until there is a finished “picture”.

I will get one session in tonight and start off at 8772 total word count.

I will be adding my progress, thoughts etc. for this book, as much as for my own growth as for your look into the mind of a writer (I know, scary!) and even for your entertainment as I have at least 3 cats who do  not understand the concept of 1 hour, leave me alone.  Sigh.  I don’t have a door to my office as my office is the family room…

Today, I, and other Carina Press authors were challenged by fellow Carina Press author David Bridger to show a pic of ourselves at work in our office, or in our favorite place to work.  Sounded like fun, and of course, an excuse not to write.  I write here in my office, at Starbucks and in a comfy chair in my mom’s room.  Lately, a friend who went back to school has been coming over to do her homework so we end up in the livingroom.  Have laptop/netbook, will travel!

We converted our family room into office space.  With no children at home, our living room serves as a very lived in room and my mother has a studio set up in the master bedroom which just leaves 2 very small bedrooms.  One for us and the other a cozy TV room/craft room (my stash of yarn!).  The family room works nice and if there isn’t stuff piled in front of it, there is a fireplace for cool winter days or nights.  I used a roll top desk and hutches to form a wall blocking the kitchen and bookcases to make a “hallway”.  The other entrance is partially blocked by a hutch which if I suck it in, is my entrance/exit.  Hubby uses the kitchen “hall entrance”.

I love my office.  Before my mother came to live with us, I had the masterbedroom as my office as I also ran a home business.  This room serves us very nicely.  The walls and ceiling are 4 shades of blue which I love.  I surround myself with my books, and all my “pretties” and always have music of some sort playing and candles as well. A high up window has cystals and dream catchers and Native American is sort of the theme in my office along with my collection of cat statues and photos of my family. At the moment, it’s also shared by more than few webs and dust bunnies…

I usually end up sharing it with my animals who have to be with me. Out of 5 cats, there are usually 3- 4 somewhere in the room. I have to reserve space on all flat surfaces and even one drawer for cat beds or else there are some unhappy felines.  Sometimes a cat bed and a fleece on my main writing desk!  Below is Snowy.  In his defense, he is a huge cat.  Nearly 3 feet in length stretched out, not including tail.  He is about 2-3 lbs too heavy.  And he is going to get a lion cut as he’s getting too old to groom his fur and he and I fight like cats and dogs when I decide the mats have to go..

My pups sleep on bedding under the desk at my feet. Especially at night as I am a night writer.  Snowy claims the round bed if he wants.  At 2.5 times the weight of the pups, he wins….  Moments ago, the pup on the yellow blanket was curled up in the bed.

 And this blog on my writing space would not be complete without a picture of my office-mate and husband.  Yes, he has just a corner of this room that used to be ALL mine.  One of these days we’ll get him a  nice desk instead of a table.  He gave up the small bedroom office so we could have a cozy TV room.  What a guy!

This entry is part of a blog hop and is a bit late going up but I have a good excuse:  my mother was in the hospital and I remained with her for the 2 days.  Since coming home, I’m doing breathing treatments every 4 hours round the clock.  So I figure that’s a pretty darn good excuse.

When faced with what to write, I was undecided.   All I could really think about was that I was very grateful that my mother is with me for yet another Christmas.  You see, 9 years ago, she was given 6 months.  Stage 4 lung cancer.  She has beaten the cancer.  One of only 2% to pass the 5 year mark.  But a Thankful or Grateful post is more of a Thanksgiving blog.  So I decided on Christmas Wishes.

When this season rolls around, we are asked:   “What do you want for Christmas?”  And like everyone else, I sure have a list of wants and needs.  But when it comes right down to it, I have what I want.  I have my family.  I have my mother for another Christmas.

At the heart of Christmas, buried beneath the commercialism and brightly wrapped packages and the anticipation of tearing into those lovely wrappings, is Family.  Who do we share that morning with, the day with but Family.

We gather to celebrate the day and what it means to each family.  We eat, visit, laugh, gather around beautiful trees with music in the background and share traditions and of course, those lovely gifts.  But the greatest gift we share and receive this day is the love of Family.

I remember the first Christmas my mother was with me.  I  brought her to my home end of January, knew how close I’d come to losing her Christmas the month before when she was not with me.  That year, it was day by day.  Each day a blessing, each doctor visit a sigh of relief but when that first Christmas came, it was joyous.  I still had my mother with us.  And each year is a stolen year for she was not supposed to have survived 6 months, let alone nearly 9 years.

And every year that passes I am grateful to have that one so important part of Christmas to share:  Family.  My husband, my children, and my mother.   So when asked what I want for Christmas, I have a list for my kids and my children but in my heart, I have what I want.  Another year with each of them and another stolen year with my mother.

So what is Christmas to you.  Who are you most grateful to share this holiday with?

Books available at Carina Press (also on Amazon & Barnes & Noble)

Also, follow me on the following sites

.http://susanedwards.com

http://susanedwardsauthor.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/susan_edwards

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Edwards/40226247104

I know that this should probably have been posted closer to Thanksgiving when we really focus on thanks and gratitude but I believe we should practice gratitude daily.  Even hourly (something I am trying to do).  Their is so much in my life that I am thankful for but for this blog posting, I’m going to focus on just one:  my readers. November and December have been very exciting as I watched the rerelease of the first four books in my White Series in digital format by Carina Press. 

I am so pleased (and grateful) to have these books once again available to my readers:  new and old and those who missed some of the titles the first  time around.  This series is so close to my heart—each character became my brother, sister, best friend, etc. and to see them republished makes it seem like a long awaited family reunion!   And as I read each book myself, something I never did when the books came out in print format, I am eager to become reacquainted with each character! Even the villains, for there is nothing like seeing justice served! 

I loved writing about this family just as my readers have loved reading about their lives.  Especially Jeremy Jones and White Dove.  Readers weren’t just asking for their story  but began demanding it!  And honestly, I was right there with each and every reader for that was one story that just called to me and I chomped at the bit until the books before White Dove were written.



So from two people Sarah & Golden Eagle, who met by chance (first in my mind), eleven books were born. Over the years, I have received so many reader letters and comments and emails and have been amazed at how these characters from my series have affected so many different people: from the mother who read the books to her dying daughter, to the lonely women who found companionship and to women who appreciated the guts, and the willingness of the heroine’s and hero’s to do whatever it took to overcome adversity and so many more reader stories.

In my writing, I’ve tried to create more than a satisfying story and read.  I wanted to add value to these books by addressing some of society’s problems like abuse and handicaps. My blind heroine, Mattie (a child in White Dreams and not blind until her story in was one of the hardest books to write yet one of the most satisfying. I was so afraid that I would receive letters protesting the fact that she does not regain her sight by a “miracle” but I didn’t receive a single complaint. Mattie was so comfortable and in tune to her world, that “fixing” her would have cheapened the story and her courage.  

I am grateful that my readers agreed. Each of the White Books is a story that means something to me. Jessie in White Wolf is a lot like I was in my youth. Just try and tell me no back then without a very good reason and I was all set to rebel. I could go on and one with each book but then I’d be writing a book instead of a blog! I will say that so many of the letters I received were stories in and of themselves but with one common theme: a love of reading, love and appreciation for characters who made a difference in their own lives.  Even after the print version of the books were no longer available, letters still poured in from readers asking for the books, and even for new stories.

Just writing this letter makes me all teary and homesick for the lives and characters of this series but just as these books are once again available to my readers, they are there for me as I plan to become re-acquainted with each book and each character.  A reunion of sorts! Speaking of reunions, (you knew this might be coming, right?), I am planning a twelfth White book.  So many characters to choose from though!

But right  now, as the title suggests, I am grateful to see the White series available once more.  And I am grateful to Carina Press and very thankful for my editor Angela James, for making this series available once again. How about you?  How do you view “gratitude”.  Do you think of it often?  Rarely?  Can you sit down and write out 100 things you are truly grateful for in your life?  Could you do that today?  And again tomorrow?  And the day after?  What would we be as a society if each and everyone of us practiced gratitude and consciously gave thanks 24/7? 

I’ll start now by saying I am thankful for each and every person who reads this blog.  Oh, I started my list of 100. 

Susan

All historical writers in someway, and in various degrees do exactly that: we Romance the Past. You know what I’m talking about here. Take myself for example.

I write Native American Historical Romances. I have young, virile, handsome warriors who carry off (sometimes) helpless (well, how about victims of circumstance) women not of their culture and take them back to their tribes where the man and woman from two complete different worlds fall in love and overcome any and all barriers–including language!
Realistically, life for those women did not have a happily-ever-after. Sure, there were some who found happiness–maybe. I am hearing my husband snort of disbelief in my head as I write for he is a realistic person down to his engineering bones. I like to believe that not all were treated cruelly.

Okay, so why do we authors do this? Why take an era in time like the old frontier, the Civil War, any war, pirates, etc. and turn the ugly truth of what life was really like into stories of true love overcoming the impossible?

I can think of one reason: it is the era of that time period, the world long gone from us, that is somehow appealing. I’ll use my own expertise here. When readers of Native American stories, in the era where the white man and Native were dealing with territory issues, we aren’t seeing the spread of disease the white man brought to the Natives or the starvation during harsh winters or the savageness and slaughter that certainly was a big part of that time period. No, we see a freedom of living that we will never know in our lifetime no matter how many times we go camping or hiking.

The appeal is in living off the land, having no cumbersome possessions, no work demands, no bills in the mail box, no mortgage, no threat of foreclosure, no job layoffs, no mean, insensitive or jerk of a boss and–well you get the idea. When we look back, we don’t see people how they were. We see what we long for–if even for a few short hours. Sometimes, less is more?

Sure, there was work, hard work way back then. From sunrise to sunset and often long into the night but there was also plenty of time for celebration, for visiting the other women while working, the chatting and laughter, the bonding of males going off on hunts or a raiding party.

Then there is the appeal of never being alone, never wanting. Never having your children go hungry unless the entire tribe was hungry. For in those days, people shared. To own and collect and keep for the sake of owning was not a good thing. People shared what they had with those in need.

And the children! They were valued. Treasured. You’ve all heard the saying: it takes a village to raise a child? It’s true. Parents did not have to pay outrageous daycare fees so that they could attend to their duties for the children were looked after by everyone. Children were never tossed away like garbage. And a child grew up knowing he was loved. He was treated with respect, and taught to respect. After all, if a child is never given respect (or love etc) how can he give it later. Okay, there was probably mistreated children back in the era I write about but from what I know, in the pre-white man days, with most tribes, children were treasures. Unlike today where many are forgotten and swept away.

Hmm, I seem to have stepped a bit onto my soapbox. But I think you can take all my points using the Native American culture and apply it to any popular historical time period that we romance authors romanticize.

Does that mean its harmful to do what we do? I don’t believe so. There were storytellers in every culture, and not so surprisingly, stories of the same type (creation myths, moral stories, advice stories, and I’m sure some just for fun). But no matter the story, there were lessons buried beneath the words.

Today, we don’t have a tribal storyteller to pass down all that was learned from one generation to another. Instead, we have books and those books have themes that touch on all walks of life.

We today have so many things vying for our attention. I’m not even going to try to list those activities and chores, etc. I joke to my husband that if I were to write down everything I NEED to do, WANT to do, SHOULD do, FORGOT to do, I’d have a list a mile long and no hope in this lifetime of completing it.

So to keep from going slightly mad, many of us look to a time we believe or at least pretend to believe was much simpler and maybe a bit more rewarding. Sure, those stories are fiction but the world is at least in some part real but best of all, those wonderful characters in those fictionalized places become real. For at least the time we spend with them. If I as an author can take a reader out of the stress of daily living and bring them back feeling good about themselves and their world, then I’m happy.

And maybe, there will be something to be learned that can apply to our lives today. Some moral lesson, a bit of advice, that can ease the passage of our own day-to-day experiences. Most of all, when we read true-to-life stories about people facing tough times just as we are facing tough times, we know we are not alone.

Check back at my website for excerpts, reviews, and contest information (pages being updated over the next week)
http://susanedwards.com

Preorder Susan’s White Series starting with the first four books. Available November 21st.
White Dawn http://tinyurl.com/7js4u44
White Dusk http://tinyurl.com/7js4u44
White Shadows http://tinyurl.com/7vdpxwk
White Wind http://tinyurl.com/7ov7ghq

Recently, I’ve been going through all my notes and files on my White Series Books with the intent of gathering information in order to write a reunion book and perhaps spin off some more White Series stories. As I am doing this, I find myself amazed over all the wonderful characters in these books, including all the secondary characters!
I’ve forgotten about so many of these great characters who complimented my hero and heroine’s! Readingabout them after so many years is like meeting up with old friends! A few might even be ready to volunteer for their own book.
 
Then there are all the children. Anyone who knows me also knows (with much eye rolling) that I LOVE babies. So it’s not surprising that my characters have children. Lots of children. I am a grandmother-in-waiting. I think that says it all. I want grandchildren. Alas, I may have to settle for giving my characters lots of children for the time being. But back to my topic here. When I left off with the different books in the series, many of my hero/heroines had at least one child. Most were babies in epilogues and now as I plan out the timelines, I get to magically watch them grow up and even give them siblings (sorry children) and also, see who has the potential for the next generation of books.
 
It’s the creation process all over again. Adding 10-15 or more years to this series, not just adds to the series total, but it changes everything and makes it all new again as I map out character charts and contemplate new plots and stories.
 
For instances, there are two girls who were adopted into the tribe in White Dove, by the hero and heroine (Jeremy and White Dove). One embraces the new life. The other is torn. What can I plot for these two girls? Then there is the believed nasty grandfather who wants them found and returned. Is he a man who loves his granddaughters or is a future villain. I could wink and say wait and find out but as of yet, I am not totally sure myself! So you see, there are many hidden stories in this series just waiting to be dug out and brought to light or to paper!
 
In my own books, one favorite couple were an old man and woman, both feisty. Rook was a grumpy old man who found love in White Wolf with an equally strong-willed and no-nonsense woman. In books written by other authors, I love Lulu, Ranger and Morelli in Janet Evonovitch’s Stephanie plum books. Then there is Hermione and Ron in the Harry Potter books, and among my favorites, Peabody, Feeney and McNab in J.D. Robb’s In Death series.
 
So, for readers who’ve read my series, who would you like to see more of? Who were your favorite secondary characters and who should I write about next? What family of children intrigue you?
 
If you are a writer, what are your thoughts on secondary characters and their role in your books or other books. Who are some of your favorite secondary characters.
 
I love secondary characters and the depth they bring to stories. How about you?

(http://susanedwards.com White Dawn, White Dusk, White Shadows, White Wind due to be re-released November 21st in digital format by http://carinapress)