Jodi Thomas | The Birth of a Book...

Today is the day REWRITING MONDAY hits the stands. For a writer it's kind of like the birth of a child, without all the pain of course. This is my 28th book and still I love going into the bookstores and just holding a copy in my hands. For my first ten books my husband and I made a habit of driving all over town and seeing the books on the shelves in every store.

Sometimes I'll buy three or four of my own book that first day. One kid checking me out late one night asked, "Are you aware all three of these are the same book?" I laughed and said, "Yes, but I just love to read it over and over." This one will make you laugh and hopefully, you'll fall in love with the characters.

Now finish the blog by clicking here and comment to win your own copy...

Jodi Thomas | Writing the West, Texas Style

I’ve been lucky in writing. I’ve been in the game 20 years with twenty seven books on the shelf with my name on them. I’ve had a wonderful time, lots of fun, many dear friends and only a few bumps along the road.

My brother says we have Irish Luck in our family. He knew it the month after he came home from Viet Nam wounded. Someone said to him, “Man, are you lucky. You were hit bad enough to send you home but not so bad that you won’t recover.” My brother’s one thought was that if he’d been lucky, he wouldn’t have been hit at all.

Sometimes I feel the same way about my writing career. Man, am I lucky. Lucky it only took me four or five years to find an editor. Longer to find an agent. Lucky I picked a field, Historical Romance, about the time it died. Lucky my wonderful editor kept getting pregnant and finally quit.

But, remember, I have Irish luck. In all those years of waiting I kept writing so when I did sell, I sold five books in 15 months. Lucky I picked Historical Romance and stayed in until finally as it comes back I’m at the top of the game. Lucky my editor kept having babies because after she quit, she became my agent.

So, after twenty years, I doing what I love, I’m writing the west in Historical Romance and in present day fiction. My newest book, TALL, DARK, AND TEXAN is the story I feel like may be the best I’ve ever written. It’s a tender love story that will make you laugh and cry and feel good all over. It’ll make you believe that even people who’ve never loved can find someone they’ll love forever.

So, before I say happy trails to you, I wish you all Irish Luck. May whatever you want in life come to you, not always when you want it, but always when you need it. In the mean time, I’ll meet you when you open one of my books and we’ll take an adventure together.

See you soon,
Jodi Thomas
www.jodithomas.com/

Sara Reyes | Do You GLOM?

The decorations at our back!
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

Yikes, it's Saturday and I'm supposed to blog if I can't find a fill-in. So, okay, an eventful week to recap!

First we had our annual Scary Spaghetti Book Club at the Shilhanek house in Garland. LET ME TELL YOU, you needed to be brave to sit and EAT in this decorated to the gills house! Mike S. took his passion for scary stuff and over the years has a collection that is UNBELIEVABLE. Plus it moves, moans, walks, talks and is generally extremely frightening. Even going to the bathroom takes courage! TMI I'm sure, you'll have to meet us in person to get all the "gory" bathroom details!

THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER by Angie Fox
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

So, if you don't believe me, check out our photos on Flickr...even my son was impressed! And you know it takes allot to impress guys when talking spooky stuff! BTW, the food was as always amazing and very fattening! The wine helped too *grin*

Well, we had the scary atmosphere and our call-in guest was Angie Fox author of THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER

But the best for the week is my glomming of Jodi Thomas. I've only recently discovered her books, say since 2006, so I've got a HUGE back list to pick up and read.

TALL, DARK AND TEXAN, not to be confused in any way with the Diana Palmer romances.

Pat Cat has been helping me find all the books and it's so much fun to sit down with a collection from an author and just dive into that particular author's world. Especially when you'll get glimpses of characters from one book in another and start to wonder "how are they doing?" Yes, I might be strange but I believe well drawn characters continue outside the confines of their pages. Really, they do!!

So I've glommed all the Whispering Mountain books including the final one in the series, TALL, DARK AND TEXAN coming out November 4th (thank YOU, Jodi) which you better not miss! Pre-order it now either online or call your store! I'm serious, this one is SO good!!! Yeah, and the cover doesn't hurt!

Next up was the "Lottery Brides." We found all but the third one and re-reading the excerpt in the back of number 2 was NOT helpful for my mental state. I hope Pat finds A TEXAN'S LUCK really really soon! Then I have the McLain series. I know I own some of those, just where in my collection, I'm not sure. So like I said, I've got some glomming to do!

So, if you've got a minute tell us, do you glom? Even familiar with the term?

See ya on line!

Sara Reyes
FreshFiction.com ... for today's reader
DFW Tea Readers Group...friends, books, chat & high tea
Readers 'n 'ritas ... celebrate passionate literary obsessions November 13-15, 2009

Jodi Thomas | How do we get back up when we fall.

When considering a topic, I've decided to go with one few writers talk about--How do we get back up when we fall.

In my writing career of nearly twenty years, like most writers I've had my ups and downs. Once, just after my fifth book came out, my numbers were so bad my editor assured me I wouldn't be writing another book for them, except for the fact I'd signed a two book contract. I was down and almost went back to teaching. I'd already written book six, so I decided to try one more time. I won a RITA with that sixth book.

Since then I've learned to take the ups with the downs. I love the ups---the awards, the lists, the money---but I think it's been the downs I've had that have taught me the most in this game of writing. Sometimes I've learned to try harder. Sometimes I've learned to trust myself.

This year I decided to take another chance. With my next Historical Romance, TEXAS PRINCESS coming out in November, I'm hard at work on something different. In April I'll have a book of a different kind released. TWISTED CREEK, I can only hope my readers love it as much as my agent and editor do. This was the first book I've ever written with the door closed. No one saw it before I mailed it. I needed the story to develop without suggestions.

Now, don't think I'm leaving historicals, I love writing them and I'm in the middle of a series. I think I've been very lucky in my life to step so easily into the past and meet some really nice people there. In TEXAS PRINCESS, I enjoyed the adventure of my characters. Sometimes it seems like the stories already there, I just have to find it. This book ran full speed out of my head. I'm at home in the ranch setting.

I'm looking forward to chatting with you all.

Jodi Thomas

http://www.jodithomas.com/