Welcome a New Face to TWRP!

The Wild Rose Press have done it again! They've unearthed another wonderful writer and helped her along the road to publication. I can't wait to dive into the pages of Kat's Fifty-eight Faces and indulge.

Kat has kindly offered a copy of her debut novella to one lucky commenter. Make sure you're in to win, but in the meantime, lets learn a little more about this latest Jewel of a story.

How long did you give yourself to write it?
I found out about the call for submissions in November 2009. Since the deadline was the following March, I gave myself until the middle of January to write it and another few weeks to edit and polish. I saw it as a challenge to be able to pretend I was writing on deadline to see if I could measure up against published authors with real deadlines. Funny that this self-imposed exercise led to my debut publication!

What was it like writing for a series? Where did you come up with the idea for the plot?
The series guidelines were pretty clear and none of the other books in the series had been released yet, so I was on my own for ideas without knowing how similar I'd be to others who answered the call. The idea for the plot came from a long drive in the car with my RWA chapter mates. There were four of us in the car and we all bounced ideas around, each coming up with scenarios and characters that fit them.

How smooth was the publishing journey and was it different to others because of the tighter deadline?
The publishing journey was pretty smooth. I submitted the manuscript and promptly forgot about it and went back to work on other projects. I was surprised to get an email from an editor asking for edits. I immediately dove into the edits and reviewed them with my critique partner. My editor, Anne Seymour, was good about establishing deadlines and great with suggestions and ideas. I didn't find it difficult to meet the deadlines at all and I must credit Anne with really making the story shine.

Favourite part of the book/favourite character? Why?
My favourite part of the book is the motel scene where Evan and Caroline have to come to terms with their new relationship as partners, and come up with a plan to defeat the villain. I like this scene because they are each able to give in a little and let the other person into their private world. It could have been a very long drawn-out tense scene something like group therapy, but I interjected a bit of humour that fit their independent personalities.

Anything else you'd like to add : )
It's an honor to be a small part of such a fantastic group of authors. I hope my fellow Jewel of the Night Series authors had as much fun as I did in writing these wonderful stories. I'd like to celebrate my debut release by giving a copy of Fifty-eight Faces to one commenter. And I'd like to invite readers and writers alike to visit me on the web:

Webpage: http://www.katduncan.net/
Blog: www.katduncan.net/writeabout
Twitter: @write_about
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/WriteAbout/150069588366130

Buy Link: http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=137&products_id=4366

Blurb:
Jewel of the Night Series
Chief of surgery at a small children's hospital, Caroline's last hope to save it from financial ruin evaporates when she loses the Blue Diamond case to greedy Evan Quinn. When Evan buys the hospital property for high profit condo conversion, Caroline's hatred shifts into full red-alert.
But Evan is not her real enemy. Rolf, the hospital's chief administrator, has had his eye on the blue diamond since he learned of it from his Nazi grandfather. To be the 58th face to possess the Blue Diamond, one for each of its facets, grants the owner unlimited power. Rolf plans to kill the current owners and use the diamond to build his Neo-Nazi regime. Can Caroline give up her hatred and Evan his greed before Rolf kills them both?


Excerpt:
"If I wasn’t sworn as a doctor,I’d pull this trigger.”
A flash lit the darkness. An ear-shattering echo reverberated in the concrete vault. Evan staggered. Caroline dropped the gun, and its over-sensitized trigger fired again. It spun like a top on the concrete. She rushed forward.
“Evan. Evan. Are you hurt? Where? I didn’t pull the trigger. It just went off in my hand.” She grabbed his shoulders, bracing him, scanning him for a wound.
He steadied himself and pushed her aside. “You missed.” He stared at the gun lying on the floor. He picked it up and hefted it, his brows pinched in thought. Pointing it away from her, he firmly grasped the weapon and gently tapped its side. It fired.
He turned on her, his mouth thinned into a grimace, his eyes squinting.
She put up her hands. “Evan, don’t…”
He tipped the gun toward the ceiling and, with a snap, removed the clip. He tossed the pieces in opposite directions. They spun and clattered on the concrete floor. In a few quick steps, he closed the distance between them. His broad hands engulfed her shoulders, infusing her shivering body with a surge of solid warmth.
“That gun was rigged by an expert. An expert who arranged for us to meet here. Then disappeared.”

And the Winner Is...

None of you answered the question correctly, so you all went into the draw. In case you're wondering, Dazzled is the ninth book in the Jewel of the Night series. They're all worth a read!

Congratulations to Cherie Le Clare - you have won Jennifer Schmidlin's "Dazzled"

Enjoy!

Jennifer will be contacting you shortly with your prize : )

Dazzled and Diamonds!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas this year and Santa got you all you deserve! I must have been a very good girl this year, as I received the very best present in the world. My two newest nephews were finally brought home to New Zealand from Tsunami-ravaged Samoa. It's been a hard road for all the family, waiting and praying, writing letters and waiting again. But finally they are here! They are amazing, as are their new parents, and I so look forward to all the time we have together in the future. I've felt truly blessed this year...

* * * *

Congratulations to Vonnie Davis for winning Rachel Lynne's "A Ring of Lies"

I must admit to being a little green Vonnie! Enjoy : )

Come say hi to Jennifer Schmidlin, tell me what number in the Jewel of the Night series "Dazzled" is - and be in to win an e-copy of her fabulous story! You'll be sorry if you miss the opportunity to win!

(Hint - check out The Wild Rose Press site as some have been missed on this blog!)

In the meantime, here is a peak behind the scenes of what went into the making of Dazzled. Enjoy!

Jennifer - welcome to Novel Natterings. Could you tell us how long it took you to write Dazzled, and what attracted you to the series originally?
I gave myself a little over three months to write Dazzled. The more I thought about the series the more intrigued I became. It hounded me for weeks before I actually sat down and began writing.

How was it writing for a series and how did you come up with your plot?
I enjoyed writing Dazzled because it gave me specific guidelines to follow as well as a creation deadline. I work better under pressure. I'm not a plotter, but after I figured out what I wanted to do with the jewel, everything naturally fell into place. This is actually my second series book. I did not intentionally write my first novel with a series in mind, but The Wild Rose Press added it to their Men in Uniform line.

Was the writing journey smooth and were there any snags along the way, particularly because of the tighter deadline?
This journey started out smooth, but hit some rough terrain along the way. My editor loved the first three chapters, which inspired me to keep going. However, half way through the book she informed me she was moving on to pursue a teaching career. Thankfully, she stuck with me until the end, and made Dazzled her final project.

Do you have a favourite character? (please excuse the Kiwi spelling!) : )
My favorite character is Gerty, the hero's mother who resides in a nursing home. She's a feisty lady, who sadly, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I love her interaction with the heroine, Josie, and how baffled she makes her at times.

Blurb:
Magic? Death by fornication?

Josie Melbourne is not a superstitious woman, but when she is given a blue, heart shaped hunk of glass from a ninety-two year old woman, her life drastically changes. Is it coincidental that moments after she receives the gift, she seduces the elderly woman's son? And in a bathroom of all places?

Travis Bramble has loved Josie for months, but she barely tolerates his presence. A prudish demeanor often accompanied her to the rest-home during visiting hours, but the evening she rubs her cute little behind against his groin, things begin changing…for his benefit.

Excerpt:
“Hi, Gerty, where’s mom?”
“Shush. They'll hear you, child.”
Not again! Josie pulled a chair beside Gerty and sat down. In case she needed to make a quick exit, she left her coat on. “Gerty?” She lowered her voice. “Gerty, I want to apologize for what happened yesterday with Travis. You know…” she nudged her head toward the bathroom. “In there. My behavior was inappropriate.”
Slowly, Gerty turned her head and looked into Josie’s eyes. A big, toothless grin formed across her mouth. “You don't need to apologize.” She patted Josie’s hand. “I understand, child. It was the jewel.”
“What jewel? You mean the heart?”
“Yes. I told you it’s magical. It made you do those things to my son.”
Josie understood Gerty’s superstitions, but she refused to play along today. She opened her purse and removed the heart from the bottom. Why was it so warm when it'd been sitting in cold leather? “I can't keep this.” Maybe it does have special powers. No, it doesn't. Carefully, she took Gerty’s frail hand and placed the piece in the center of her palm. Think about it, Josie. What if it did? Let’s just take for instance, you hated Travis, but you seduced him almost the instant you dropped it in your pocket. Stop it! It’s a little piece of glass. Got it! “It belongs to you. Pass it onto your son. It should stay in your family.”
Gerty scowled. “I told you, men cannot possess the gem. Bad things will happen.”
“Like?”
The elder woman moved closer, took hold of Josie’s arm with a firm grip, and whispered, “It turns them into animals. They have their way with women and can't stop. They've been known to fornicate themselves to death.”

Buy Link: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=172_196&products_id=4352