Sweet Temptation 02

Once a month, Bria Quinlan and Alexia Reed host a bunch of authors who get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just be a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above!

If you missed last month’s installment, you can read it at Sweet Temptation 01.
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Sweet Temptation 01

Once a month, Bria Quinlan and Alexia Reed host a bunch of authors who get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just be a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above!

This month’s excerpt may feel a bit familiar because I’ve featured a snippet of the story here before, but I’d ask that returning readers be patient with me. I’ve decided that in 2011 for Excerpt Mondays instead of jumping all over the place from story to story to instead do an installment from the same story each a month. So from now until December, we’ll be visiting with the same characters and watching to see how their story unfolds.

I’ve come to harbor a certain fondness for this couple, although their story might not be as big as some of my others, it’s still one that I feel I must finish. So without further ado, let’s join Camilla and Hubert on their journey and I hope you come to love them as I have.

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Excerpt Monday: Take 17

Once a month, Bria Quinlan and Alexia Reed host a bunch of authors who get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just be a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above!

This month’s excerpt is from an abandoned holiday themed contemporary. There’s still something about the characters that keeps me from simply deleting the file, so I hope you enjoy this snipped and don’t have to experience anything similar to their travel woes. I’ve got something different in the works for Excerpt Mondays in 2011, but you’ll have to come back in January to find out what exactly. Until then…

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Excerpt Monday: SYTYCW Opening

Once a month, Bria Quinlan and Alexia Reed host a bunch of authors who get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just be a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above!

This month’s excerpt is an extended version of the opening of Revealed which got a total revamp during Bria’s SYTYCW contest. I learned so much with this contest. I think the biggest thing was that I could tell people that I’m writing a romance novel and most of them didn’t laugh at me. Ok. You got me. None of them did, at least not to my face. The other things I learned were don’t overthink/overwrite the life out of something. Sometimes you have to go with your first instincts and always get someone else to read it before hitting send. If you decide you don’t like the second sentence, for example, you’re stuck with it in this type of contest — make a note in your word file to change it later and move on!

If you’re one of the many that I begged votes from, you can read the original 2400 word version of Marcia’s story by clicking on it. It reveals something of the trauma she experienced at her first ball. After going back and rereading it just now, I’m surprised to see what I’ve kept and what’s been tossed or changed in taking the original 2400 words and expanding it to its current 41,000-word length. It’s definitely still a work in progress.

Read on below to see the new opening chapter and get a chance to meet the hero (if you’re not a regular reader here at the blog).

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Excerpt Monday: Take 15

Once a month, Bria Quinlan and Alexia Reed host a bunch of authors who get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just be a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site or click on the banner above!

This month’s excerpt isn’t exactly an excerpt, but more of the spark for one of my works in progress, Sweet Temptation, a Regency-set Romantic Comedy which explores issues of identity and gender. Part of the idea came from listening to When I Was a Boy by Dar Williams and speculating on what would happen to similar characters in the Regency Era. The identity issues came from the similarity of the two female friends’ names and wondering what if neither the heroine or the hero are who they present themselves to be. Then I thought, “But what if they fall in love with each others true selves?”

I thought it might be interesting to share this behind the scenes look for a change. Where do you find your inspiration?
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Excerpt Monday: Take 6

August 10th is Excerpt Monday! Has it REALLY been another whole month?

Bria and Mel are hosting Except Monday again! Once again they’re inviting everyone to play along with Excerpt Monday! You don’t have to write romance or belong to any special group, you just need to write and want to share your stories. If you’d like to join in this meme, visit the Guidelines page for more details.

This is another excerpt from The Flower Queen’s Daughter. As always, any comments or criticisms are welcome.
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Excerpt Monday: Take 5

July 13th is Excerpt Monday! Has it REALLY been a whole month?

Where is the summer going? *sigh*

Bria and Mel are on a roll! Check out the snazzy cards they had made to hand out at RWA Nationals this year, that I’ve stolen for a banner. This month they’re inviting everyone to play along with Excerpt Monday! You don’t have to write romance or belong to any special group, just write and want to share your stories. If you’d like to join in this meme, visit the Guidelines page for more details.

This excerpt is from Revealed. In the spirit of summer and the Italian Ice kiosk that’s opened near us, I’m taking everyone back to Gunter’s again this month! As always, any comments or criticisms are welcome. Enjoy and stay cool!

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Excerpt Monday: Take 4

It’s Excerpt Monday again!

Bria and Mel are at it again. Everyone wants to play along with Excerpt Monday! If you’d like to join in this meme, visit their Guidelines page for more details.

This month’s excerpt is from Sweet Temptation. We’ve been sick as dogs at my house, so I’m hoping this’ll be coherent! I went for something that put me in the mood for summer: ices at Gunter’s! Apologies to those who’ve read this before.

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Excerpt Monday: Take 3

It’s Excerpt Monday again!

Bria and Mel are at it again. Everyone wants to play along with Excerpt Monday! If you’d like to join in this meme, visit their Guidelines page for more details.

This month’s excerpt is from The Flower Queen’s Daughter. It’s a bit longer than I had intended to post, but I didn’t want to cut the scene in half as neither half felt complete without the other. And I didn’t want people hunting me down and torturing me to find out what happens in the end. I hope you enjoy and, as always, any comments, criticisms are welcome. I’ve already found LOTS to rewrite and redo, but not this month!

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Excerpt Monday!

Bria and Mel have a new challenge up to post an excerpt on Mondays, just cause. Well, ok.

I’ve been pounding away at redoing the opening to Beneath His Touch, a Regency-set Historical Romance that I’ve described before over on my Writing page. Anyway, the new opening scene is after the jump. Feel free to let me know what you like, what you hate or what confused you, but I’m hoping you enjoy it. 🙂

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