Not much

Not a heck of a lot going on with me right now. Well, not worthy of writing a blog post about at least. Working on a rewrite now and about four other novels. I hope to have a release date for my latest soon. When I do, I'll post more about the book. Stop by and say hi on twitter sometime.

What I'm listening to

Love, love, love this. Both songs.

Candace Havens

I'd like to welcome the talented and fabulous author, Candace Havens! Thanks for stopping by my little ol’ blog, Candace. I haven’t had this much excitement around here since…since…well, never. Let’s jump right into this interview because, frankly, no one wants to read my blathering.

Tell a little about yourself. What’s your normal daily routine?

LOL, there isn't much normal about my days. It depends on what I have going on. When I'm hardcore into a book, I usually work on fiction those first few hours. Then I have to switch to the day job as a journalist, where I usually have some kind of deadline. Then it's back to the fiction. In between I work in movies, and television, as I review both for radio and print. And I'm the mom of two almost grown boys, who manage to take up any remaining seconds I have left.


Wow, you're a busy woman. Do you meticulously plot your novels or are you a pantster?

I usually have a brief synopsis to go by for my editors. But I'm a pantser for sure. I sometimes know how it my end, but I'm always surprised by what happens before I get there.

Do you enjoy all aspects of the paranormal? What’s your favorite?

I do enjoy all aspects of the paranormal. You know, I began by writing about a witch, and I have to say I'm most fond of witches. I will be going back to that with a new project very soon.


Not everyone believes in the paranormal. Ever get strange looks when people ask what your books are about?

Honestly, no one ever says anything about the crazy creatures, witches, psychic librarians or Guardians in my books, they seem to be more interested in the sex. There are some people who just won't give paranormal a try, but when they do, we almost alway shook them.


Your latest novel, Dragons Prefer Blondes comes out July 7. Can you tell us a little about it?

This one is about Alex Caruthers, who is a wealthy heiress and a kickbutt dragon slayer. The rest of the world sees her as a young woman who owns clubs all over the world and goes through men like jelly beans. What they don't see is that she's protecting our world from some pretty nasty creatures. There's a lot of humor, a couple of really hot guys and a relationship with a certain hunky man that just sizzles.


Sounds fantastic! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. So tell us, how long did it take to get your first novel published?

We were trying to figure this out the other day. I think it was about 18 months from the time I started writing fiction until I had my first book deal. It was one of those moments when all the elements fell into place and it just happened. That was in 2004, I think, and I still can't believe it.


I admire your writing discipline. How do you do it?

I once heard Nora Roberts talk about vomiting the words on to the page. That's kind of what I do. That first draft is rough, and its about getting the bones down. Then I go back and revise like crazy. I have to give myself daily and sometimes hourly goals to get everything done with my crazy schedule. Say I have 30 minutes before interviewing some celeb, I see how many pages I can get in. I try to make it game whenever possible.


Who’s your favorite author(s)?

Oh, goodness, that is one loaded question. I can tell you some of the writers who sort of inspired my style including Janet Evanovich, Laurell K. Hamilton and Nora Roberts. I loved their characters and the humor, so that's what I tried to do when I went to work on my own books. I read two to three books a week and I'm a big fan of so many authors you couldn't fit them on a single spaced page.


Do you have a guilty pleasure?

I take a hot soaking bath every day in my jacuzzi tub. Even when I don't have time, I do it. My biggest guilty pleasure is sleep. If I get to take a nap in the afternoon, well, that's my idea of heaven.

And one last question and possibly the most important: Chocolate cake or cheesecake?

I love them both, but I am Chocolate cake girl all the way!


Thank you so much for stopping by, Candace. I'm thrilled to have you here, and can’t wait to read Dragons Prefer Blondes. Visit Candace at www.candacehavens.com and make sure to pick up a copy of her latest book available July 7th.

Cuteness

Doggie cuteness. They're spoiled. Last night we sat in bed and ate strawberries. They love strawberries.




My son is taking me out to dinner for my birthday tonight. He's so sweet...and smart...and handsome...and kind...and, well, the list goes on and on.

Blurb

Thought I'd post a blurb for my wip. I should have posted it yesterday with the teaser. I'm scatterbrained. Anyway, here it is:

Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel

Lillian Pendleton hears and sees a lot in tiny Honeysuckle, Kentucky. She can usually distinguish the gossip from the truth. When her husband takes off with the town floozy, Lillian's forced to work two jobs. One at the tiny grocery store and the other at the old hotel.

It’s summertime in Honeysuckle and picnics are taking place, the county fair has wheeled into town and lazy afternoons are spent under the shade trees. Things soon change when a young mother disappears and Lillian discovers the body buried behind the old Honeysuckle Hotel. Suspicion is drawn to Lillian, which makes living in such a small town difficult. She knows the only way to clear her name is to find the real killer.

She sets out to discover what happened to the young mother, and stirs up a lot of trouble along the way with her best friend, Sharon, and the one-eyed town drunk, Henry.

Teaser Tuesday

I'm posting my teaser a little early. From my current WIP. A cozy mystery set in a small Southern town. Quirky characters and a lot of fun. Let me know what you think. Oh, and it's a rough draft, so no editing done yet.



“Have you seen my eye?”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

Henry sighed, one hand covering his eye. “My eyeball. I’ve lost it.”

My mouth dropped. “What do you mean, you lost it?”

“I mean, I lost it. Somewhere between here and home.”

“You mean to tell me there might be a glass eye sitting somewhere in here? I’m pretty sure I could lose customers that way.”

“Oh, Lillian Pendleton, you know good and well ain’t no other store to shop in within twenty miles. Nobody goin’ anywhere else to shop. You gonna help me find my eye or what?” His frown lines deepened.

Or what. I think I’d rather look for a bucket full of spiders.

“I found it.” Sharon yelled from over the cereal aisle.

She ran over to Henry. He eased the eye from her outstretched palm. In one fluid motion he popped the little glass globe back in the socket. I expected a ‘plob’ noise. Once in place, he looked up at me, then smiled, exposing the space were his front teeth used to be.

He turned to Sharon. “Thanks, Hon. I didn’t wanna have to wear my patch again.” He smoothed down his frazzled hair, then stuck the comb back in the front pocket of his overalls.

I kind of liked the eye patch better, but I didn’t tell him. It was hard not to stare at that one unmoving eye. Kind of like it was a gigantic zit on his forehead, or a huge mole.

What's going on this weekend

Today I'm having an early birthday lunch with relatives, then we're going to the bookstore after. My idea of a perfect day. Not that I need another book to add to my to-be-read pile, but it's an illness, what can I say?

My son is taking me out for lunch on my actual birthday. He's a sweetheart. Another year, another wrinkle, or fifty. I'll be 29 again this year. Same age as my mother. :)

Found out earlier this week I'm headed to the beach in August. I feel I should issue some sort of advance warning to the state of Florida. They'll wonder what the hell the insanely white object on the beach is. It'll just be me, sitting under an umbrella, reading a book.