Spring Break Reads

Happy March Break!

Well, almost. It's coming.

I've got a great deal going on right now.

 'Conquer My Heart' is on sale for just .99cents!

And  

Drum roll please

Love Never Lies & The Thief and the Rogue 

Are in Kindle select for a short time.

So load up your kindle

For some 

Hot Spring Break Reads!

Period Drama Montage "It's Raining Men" (REDO)

Medieval Cover Reveal

Hi guys, happy February!
Check out the cover for Conquer My Heart!

I'm loving it.

Hope your entire Valentine's month is filled with romance!

Wild West Romances

Loving the Lawmen is about to launch!
It's a boxed set of wild west romances.  
Four for the price of one.
Woo hoo!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and all of our Fab editors and
the rest of the gang at Crimson Romance.

I just love this cover. Doesn't this dude look like Roy Goode on Godless?

Merry Christmas!

 

Limited Time Offer

Hi guys, happy December.  Just wanted to let you know Evelina and the Time Pirates, 
the first book in the Evelina the Water Witch Series is going to be free for a wee bit 
longer, at least until Christmas.

So if you're looking for a lot of magic, murder, and mayhem, check it out.


 https://www.amazon.com/Evelina-Time-Pirates-ebook/dp/B006X7OUEG


Merry Christmas!

Halloween Cover Reveal

Evelina and the Reef Hag has a new cover!
Just in time for Halloween.
Though she isn't your average Witch.
She's a Water Witch.

A wonderful artist, Caitlyn Chisamore
did the artwork for this cover. I feel 
incredibly blessed to have the original
painting hanging in my office. 

Young Adult Witch Series

Evelina and the Flurry is out!

The third book in the Evelina the Water Witch series
has been launched. Whoo hoo!

Hope you enjoy it as
much as I enjoyed writing it.

https://www.amazon.com/Evelina-Flurry-Water-Witch-Book-ebook/dp/B06XC6RHX7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488382367&sr=8-1&keywords=Evelina+and+the+Flurry

More Water-Witch Magic

Hi everyone,

Here's the news. We're about to launch
Evelina and the Furry, the third book in the Evelina 
the Water Witch series. 

Very exciting and frightening.

Also, Evelina and the Time Pirates has a brand new cover. 
The cover art is by Caitlyn Chisamore, an amazing artist 
who brought our digital cover to life.  
Isn't it gorgeous!

Hope you're having a magical winter.
Happy February!  

Beauty and the Beast US Official Trailer

Can't wait to see this new Beauty and the Beast. It looks fantastic.

Bedtime Books

Hi guys,

Sorry I've been absent.  I'm not good at blogging, am I?
Writing the third book in the Evelina the Water Witch series is
keeping me pretty busy. This Young Adult Fantasy Series
is morphing into a wild, living, breathing thing- so many crazy
plot threads. Yikes!

But, I found some great poetry to add to my bedside collection for 
writing inspiration.  

It makes wonderful bedtime reading. 

Hope everyone's having a great summer!

The Wickedest Villain

A great villain needs to be monstrous. 

There are no half-measures when it comes to writing villains.  Go big or go home.

I knew that, but my latest villain for the third Evelina hadn't quite come into focus. Until, I dreamed about him last night.  Really, it was more of  a nightmare in that moment of drifting between awake and sleep. He was far more evil than I'd imagined.  He scared the pants off  me!

He was demonic--oozing all kinds of evil. I couldn't get him out of my head. I had to pray him away to go back to sleep.  

Now that's a villain.

It wasn't until I was cleaning my office this morning that I remembered the dream and realized who he was. Luckily, he's shown his face, just in time, when the story is taking off and I can't type fast enough.

Writing Clean Teen Fiction

If you're going to write Teen\YA fiction you have certain choices to make.

When I decided to write a YA Fantasy about Water Witches I had to decide on a heat level- sex or no sex. In the end, I choose to try to reach the broadest audience out there. I wanted to create a Teen\YA Fantasy with a lot of good clean fun --a wild witch adventure. There is some violence-- people die, it is scary, but nothing graphic.

I guess some of the older teens might be disappointed, but, I couldn't please everyone. There seems to be a lot of sex and violence out there already. Other authors have that covered. I really felt there needed to be more options for readers-- Teen\YA fiction without sex. 

Besides, I wanted it to be my story with a lot of wild and crazy magic.

In the end, I gotta be me.

Where to Hide and other Writer Tricks

Writing is thinking. For me that means silence.If you live in a busy household that's hard to find.
So you'd better have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Sometimes I escape to the garden to pick what's ripe, eat a few raspberries, pull a few weeds. Though, weeding can become as obsessive as editing, and before you know it, the day's gotten away from you, and there isn't a dandelion or a word left.

Mark Twain had it right, hunkering down in his little writing cottage. Sometimes an office just isn't  enough when the house is humming.  Especially if you like to jump up and down, make coffee, throw around laundry, or pluck your eyebrows, without leaving the story.

Deep conversation is the kiss of death. Sometimes even the clarification of a grocery list kills it. Hours of traveling to that certain place and time with all those wild emotions dissolves in a puff of smoke.

I'd settle for a tree fort.
Of course, I guess that wouldn't be settling.
It would be fantastic!
With a rope ladder and a trap door and a mossy vine to swing down with.
Well... you know where I'm going with this.

Writers on a deadline have been known to check into hotels. If you can't do that, jump into the car, go for a drive, find somewhere safe to park.

Hide under a bed or in a closet.
A board over the bath tub works just fine.

Good luck
I'll be cheering for you.

Happy New Year!

Here's to a wonderful year, filled with beauty, singing, dancing and laughter!
Lots of laughter.

And, many Happily Ever Afters that remind us of the magical power of love.


And, whenever you get lemons, remember, make pie.

Happy New Year!!!!!

The Perfect Hero

Yes!
A fellow writer asked, 'what's the most important quality in a hero of a romance novel'.

I only had to think for a moment.

This was my answer.

Strength of character---heroic. He does the right thing (it doesn't hurt if he's easy on the eyes, of course). I see my heroines the same way--struggling with adversity, but with the strength and courage to persevere. 

I want a power couple in the end, who complete each other, so that my reader experiences the delicious madness of falling in love, but also feels empowered when they're finished reading, to carry on and face whatever life throws at them.

Who's your perfect hero? 

He's out there somewhere.

Disney Artist captures Water Witch

Which witch indeed?
Good question!
Lucky for me, former Disney artist, Phil Barnhart, has solved that dilemma. 

I've always dreamed of having original art for one of my Evelina novels, since beginning this YA Water Witch series. So this is an absolute thrill!

Working with Philo and his agent Charles Moisant, who also acted as artistic director, was a pleasure. You really know when you're in the hands of experienced professionals. They just get it.

No wonder Disney hired Philo to work on such projects as 'The Little Mermaid' and 'Beauty and the Beast', just to name a few. He's got the magic.   

Philo captured the energy and magic of Evelina perfectly.  It's especially important for the third book, since this is when Evelina realizes her full powers.

But, shhhh.. keep it under your hat. I can't tell you more or I'll spoil it. Book three, 'Evelina and the Flurry', will be out soon.  You'll have to wait just a wee bit longer to discover what new secrets in the Water Witch world will change Evelina's life forever.

In the meantime, I'll give you a little peek at the cover Philo did the artwork for.  

Check out his other great projects on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004429998309&fref=nf&pnref=story

What do you think?

Well, back to writing.
Worky, worky, nosey, grindstone.
Hope everyone's having a fabulous summer!!!!!

ROMANCING THE STONE - The ultimate action adventure romance

Surfer Girl Workout:

Happy Friday!
Are you hittin' the beach?
Here's some great tips to get an Evelina bod. Live wild folks!
But be careful out there.

#5DayWorkout, Surfer Girl Workout: Tail-side Thursday

Free Nook book that Amazon will match!

Evelina and the Time Pirates, book 1 in the Evelina series, is FREE as a Nook Book!!!! Amazon will match it on Kindle. Check it out!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/evelina-and-the-time-pirates-ra-donnelly/1120519597?ean=9781500552985


http://www.amazon.com/Evelina-Time-Pirates-R-Donnelly-ebook/dp/B006X7OUEG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1433872742&sr=1-1&keywords=evelina+and+the+time+pirates

I think I saw a Fairy

I often see strangers faces when I'm getting ready for bed at night.  Weird eh?  Don't ask me why.  Maybe they're characters for my next book.  It's hard to say. 

But last night I saw a face that could only be a fairy or a pixie, or some other magical creature.  I have to use her in this third Evelina book.  She was so real and distinct in my mind--too great a gift to ignore. I don't usually remember these strangers the next day, but I can still see her face clearly. 

Hmmmm...

Maybe I'm seeing fairies because of the poster in my office....... 

Or the fairy over my computer......

                            Or maybe this garden fairy pining for spring....

Or the little lights zooming through the crystal ball on my desk.......

It's hard to say.  There's magic everywhere.


Hope you're finding some today!!!!!