Laurie LeClair's Blog

Look what came out today!

This is the latest in my bestselling Once Upon A Romance series! Her Brave Heart can be read as a stand alone. I hope you enjoy this enemies to lovers and best friend’s brother sweet romantic comedy!

 

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Enemies to lovers. Yeah, like that’s ever worked out for anyone. Ever.

He’s her best friend’s brother. She’s a spitfire who pushes all his buttons. When the chips are stacked against her and her back’s against the wall to create an honorable legacy for her family, can she convince him to set aside their differences—while she’s starting to crush hard on him—to help a girl out?

That’s right, I am arms-open-wide, fully embracing 2019! Why not, right? If you’re like me you had a roller coaster 2018, so it’s time to put that baby to bed. I am so over you, 2018! 

What’s in store for the new year, you ask? There’s plenty. First, I am ditching the one word theme for the year. Silly me, I forgot it always shows you both sides of it. Last year, I selected Believe as my word/theme. Of course, it pushed me to places where praying was a daily occurrence. (How’s that for testing the word believe?!) Yeah, not the good praying kind, either. It was the desperate, please help me or my loved ones kind of pleading. Not a pretty look at all. 

Next, I am not doing resolutions. I make them to only break them. Fail. Now, I’m making goals, attainable ones and slightly higher ones, to stretch myself to grow. I am setting my course, drilling down on focusing, and taking action. I don’t know about you, but this makes it more achievable to me. I have a plan. I have direction. I’m ready to make the moves to get there. 

Last, I am committing myself—not that kind of committing—to doing what I love—like writing romantic comedies! And I love writing great stories featuring unforgettable characters! I’m owning it, no matter what names some people call romance writers. Get a life! I’m taking mine back and loving what I do. 

So what are you going to do in 2019 to make it your banner year? Challenge yourself. Drown out the naysayers. Achieve that goal you’ve been wanting to for ages. You can do it! 

We’ve got this! 

Stay tuned for updates from me on how I’m making 2019 my year–in my writing and my personal life…

Best wishes,

Laurie

 

 

 

I stopped making resolutions years ago. (Who ever sticks to them, anyway? Unless if it’s, eat all the chocolate you want, that is. Now, that one I could keep!) Goals work better for me. However, I tend to do those every month, quarter, and year to readjust as I go in order to stay on top of what’s working and what isn’t—okay, skipping the flat-on-my-face failures make me feel better. Why wait until I hit rock bottom, right?

My last resort came down to finding a word or phrase to focus on for the entire new year. Bingo! Once I did that, I discovered a compass and set it to the “north star” and away I went. I had direction. I had a chance at achieving it. I had a winner. Well…

To be honest, there’s been years I wished I hadn’t picked that particular catch phrase—since I saw both sides of the coin. Who knew I had to experience sorrow to get to my joy? Yeah, that was not a pleasant year. And health? Oh, don’t get me started on that one!

So, hopefully, my 2018 word/focus/mantra will work through the little nasty glitches and get me somewhere. The one singular word Believe is my theme. Believe is a universal way to look at my little slice of the world. Believe in myself. Believe in the goodness of others. Believe I can overcome whatever life throws my way. Believe better things are there, waiting for me and for all of us. I can only believe…

Here’s hoping you find something to believe in in 2018, too.

Hope, love, and peace,

Laurie

In a few months, my husband and I will mark our 20th anniversary of moving to Texas. East coasters all our lives, imagine our surprise when we came to Central Texas on a vacation and promptly fell in love. Within a year, we were here.

There’s hardly a drive around town or a road trip to some quaint town that we don’t find something new, fun, strange, or even a little weird. (After all, the capital of Texas’s slogan is Keep Austin Weird.)

Needless to say, I’m always taking pictures of the charming sights (okay, also the slightly surprising). Here’s a few I’d love to share with you.

 

Texas yard art

 

Stunning gem hidden along the highway during the day. (I’m thinking a little creepy at night, though.)

 

I love Texas creativity!

 

 

That’s just a few images of Texas charm for now. I’ll be back in a few weeks with more to share. Stay tuned…

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Do you like surprises? How about winning a surprise prize?

What are you waiting for? Sign up now for a chance to win this treasure chest, the adorable male and female frogs guarding the bounty, and the mystery contents inside, worth over $200.00!

Big hint, one of the prizes is a Kindle Fire! The rest, well, you’ll have to wait and see…

 

Click on the Rafflecopter link below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hurry! Giveaway runs from December 8-15, 2016 at 9pm CST!

Good luck!

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So what did you do for your summer vacation? (Didn’t you just hate when your teacher asked you to write an essay about that the first day back to school?) Hubby and I took a road trip. I know, I said never again. But we decided to hop in the new SUV and hit the road to see family and friends. 12 days, 14 states, and 5,000 miles later, we had a great time! We wish we could have spent more time visiting, though. Next time… (Don’t hold me to that, okay?)

Here’s some places we stopped at and things we saw along the way.

How could we not help Jack Daniels celebrate their 150 year anniversary?!

The Corvette Museum in Kentucky. The crushed car was one of the cars pulled from the sinkhole a few years ago. Hubby and I are standing in front of a collage made up of tiny pictures Corvette owners sent in of themselves with their cars and displayed at the museum in the shape of the beloved Corvette.

There’s Foxwoods Resort Casino as we passed by. Here’s the rose garden hubby and I were married in. We like to go back and see it on our anniversary. This is the pond I used to swim in when I was growing up.

Ah, love Narragansett, R.I. (One of my happy places!) People stack rocks and create art here. Isn’t that so cool?

I loved seeing so many places displaying the flag!

Thanks for sharing my travels. I have so many more places to go and can’t wait to visit and hopefully meet up with you somewhere soon!

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In honor of the baking theme in my upcoming release, Baking from the Hart (August 23, 2016), I’ve decided to include a few recipes at the end of the story. How am I going to come up with the yummy treats, you ask? Well, I’m holding a baking contest!

That’s right. I’m asking for your help to find the winning recipes. Do you have a special go-to recipe for dessert? Or a favorite your family begs you to make? What are you waiting for?

Submit your recipe by emailing me at Laurie.Leclair@aol.com. Hurry because the contest deadline is July 31st! (Contest open to the first 50 entries.)

Winners get their recipes— along with their names—published in Baking From The Hart, an autographed copy of the book, special goodies, and a mystery prize!

Contest categories:

Snackatizers  (those little bites of sweet treats you just can’t resist)
To Die For (chocolate goodies)
Pies, oh my! (pie recipes)
Crazy for cookies (cookies, cookies & more cookies)
Cakealicious (cake deliciousness)

 

 

Baking From The Hart (Once Upon A Romance Series, Book 10)

When bakery owner Gretchen Hart crosses paths with billionaire wine maker Noah Blackstock will it end up being a delectable treat or a recipe for disaster?

Available for pre-order on iBooks.

 

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Do you need to load up your ereader before summer travel or a relaxing getaway you have planned? Then don’t miss the Romance Free Ebook and Giveaway! Discover new authors by downloading your choice of these free ebooks between June 22-24. You can also win Amazon gift cards.

More than 100 romance ebooks in all genres are available. What a great way to kickoff the summer!

A funny thing happened to me on the way to writing romantic comedy. I’ve learned a few tips by trial and error—okay, mostly error, but let’s not go there. Considering there were some do’s and don’ts never occurred to me when I started out. However, learn, I did. To guide you along in the process, I’m sharing the top 5 tips that helped me.

1. Strike a BALANCE.

Full-out laughter from page 1 to the end does not sit well. Like all other genres, there are ebbs and flows to every story. Forcing the reader to jump from one belly laugh to the next, over and over again, can be exhausting—for both the reader and the writer. (Who wants to be a wrung-out wet noddle by the end of a story?!) Believe me, balance matters here.

2. DON’T be a comedian.

Performing comedy is an art. So is writing comedy. Never the twain shall meet in writing romantic comedy books. Timing and delivery are key to both; however, being on stage is entirely different. One-liners delivered in rapid succession aren’t funny in print. (Kids’ joke books—yes. Romantic comedy—no. Tried it. Fell flat.) Short, funny snippets don’t have a place in a book. It’s jarring and disconnects the reader from the story. Leave stand-up for the stage.

3. THINK funny.

Prat falls, slapstick, and physical comedy get old fast in books, so use these sparingly. That said, a clumsy character does work, but, again, don’t overdo it here. Therefore, at least one of your characters’ internal thoughts MUST be humorous and/or snarky. It gives the reader insight—and connects them to inner thoughts—into how the character perceives the world, themselves, and the people around them. Also, witty banter between the hero and heroine is a MUST at times. Let’s see the give-and-take of their relationship with a light touch; a heavy dose of the swipes against each other with no substance or relevance to the story leaves a very dissatisfied reader. Too much equals burnout and disinterest in the romance, which is a surefire way to get a reader to give up on your book. A big NO-NO!

4. Characters are KEY.

If you know me at all, you know I have this love for unforgettable characters. When I finish a book, I want the characters to linger in my mind long after I turn that last page. To me, heart and humor go hand in hand when I write. For my romantic comedies, laughter takes a front seat and heart follows. With the other genres I write, heart is first and humor rides along.

In romantic comedies, one or both main characters MUST be funny, think funny, or have funny quirks. Make them believable, flawed, and relatable to your readers. Also, secondary characters can be—and often are—funnier and quirkier than the hero and heroine because there are no rules or boundaries for them, which makes for zany, loveable sidekicks. A side note here: be careful when writing your secondary characters—and giving them a goofy name— in case you decide to continue a series and make one of them a main character in another book. (Been there. Done that. Twice!) Remember: Funny is good. Stupid is not.

5. Story structure ALWAYS matters.

Some writers might think they can skip story structure (character and relationship arcs, goals, motivation, conflict, and so on) when writing a romantic comedy. Au contraire, my lovelies! Build your frame, set-up, acts, plot points, etc. to make a strong, solid foundation for your romantic comedy. In my opinion, skip this vital piece to the puzzle and your rom-com is dead in the water.

There you have it. These 5 tips to writing a romantic comedy may not seem monumental or new. However, every once in a while, we have to be reminded they matter to the overall tone and feel of a warm, fuzzy, funny love story.

Recommended viewing and reading:

Writing Romantic Comedies and Love Stories video by Michael Hauge

Writing The Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit

Until next time, here’s to love, laughter, and happily ever after…

Laurie

I love finding cute stuff for reader giveaways, and this month one lucky winner will receive some tasty goodies. Enter below for a chance to win. Contest ends midnight CST May 15th. Good luck!

Prizes:

Signed copy of The Dating Dilemma

Etched dragonfly candle

Yummy cupcake potholder and towels

Candies

Author swag

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