Ric

In yesterday's blog I talked about odd locations, in either fiction or factual.  I did get quite a few private messages, I can understand why you would not want them to be public and I very much enjoyed reading them all.  A friend who wants to remain nameless.  It reminded me of an incident in my bar many years ago and said I could share it.  He and his wife were regulars in the bar and I have to say they have a fantastically naughty sense of humor.  They were out shopping at a local supermarket and he was feeling...

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No, I am not thinking of buying a house.  What is the strangest place you have ever made out?  Anything from heavy petting to full-on sex.  This line of thinking was brought about by a message I received the other day from a reader.  She wrote and told me that she had read a sex scene in a book and it really worked for her.  It involved risk-taking and the scene took place in a public bathroom in an art gallery.  The lady wrote, “This was from a book I read ages ago, but the idea has stuck with me. ...

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As Woody Allen said sex between two people is a beautiful thing, as long as you pick the right two people.  Writing is a tricky business.  Sex sells, for sure, but surely as writers, we are looking at selling the dream too?  In romance, it has to be that happy ever after.  Right?  So we have to make it a subtle blend of sex and the dream.   This also harks back to judging a book by its cover. I have had a dilemma.  We have a great story, well I think it is a great story, that is set in...

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Do you find writing stressful?  Or is it something you do to relieve stress? I am very interested in the writing process and what drives us to write.  I talked about writer’s block a while back, and that can be a problem.  Deadlines.  I remember a quote from Douglas Adams “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”   If you are up against a hard deadline and you have to get something out, what do you do?  My approach when writing nonfiction is to think of a topic, obviously, it depends on what you...

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We have a string of great books due out shortly, all of these are in production and getting ready for release “Out of the Shadows” and “Shadow Visions” as e-books by Gabriella Hewitt, two great supernatural romances.   We have a historical romance, “A Woman’s Secret” by C. L. Koch the story is set in the reign Queen Elizabeth I.   This steamy, historical romance, combines a complex mixture of intrigue, spies, and pirates.  A lovely romance story by Yolonda Elliott called “Her Lover’s Face.”   Next is a series of three military romance stories published in a single volume called “Naval Maneuvers” by Dee...

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A few tips writers might find helpful. I have had a day of reading scripts and sadly writing notes which will be the basis of some rejection letters later.  A lot of the scripts I receive seem to have the same shortcomings.   I am always in two minds about writing blogs about writing tips.  As a dyslexic, there is a great irony in offering advice to others about writing.  I was chatting with a BVS author the other day and I mentioned my reminder sheet.  This piece of paper I laminated and sits in front of my PC monitor.  It has...

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I was putting Christmas decorations up today.  Ok, it is a bit early but it is that time of year, right?  Before we get too deep into the festive season, what is it you like about this time of year?  Is it food?  The sparkle?  The smell and taste of mulled wine?  Or is it seeing friends and family at this time of year?  The exchange of gifts and dare I say it, discreet kisses under the mistletoe.   What have been some of your best moments at Christmas?  What has been your funniest moments?  Christmas Day is the number one Engagement...

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I like to start the day with a double entendre.  I am thinking of time management more than anything else.  A writer friend asked me, how do you fit what you do into 24 hours? Before I start, I know there is a danger of me sounding like a smart arse and I really don’t want to come across like that.   We manage in one form or another, whether we realize it or not.  I have a number of jobs that I do on a daily basis, I run a publishing house, an art business, I am a writer, illustrator and...

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I love the change of the seasons here in the UK, I would not really want to live anywhere where it was the same all year round.  There is something about the change that I like, each bringing with it something new.  Fall, the colors, the cooler weather after summer.  Winter the crisper air, wearing the big coats, sitting by a log fire.  The rebirth of Spring and the start of a new growing season, the colors the smells.  Onto summer and the warmth, freedom to be out in a t-shirt not to be thinking about coats.  Out in the...

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Still in a reflective mood what with the holidays and all.  I was thinking when you have time on your hands over holidays or during and after Christmas, do you read something seasonal?  For example last Christmas, I read Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, I think I enjoyed it more because of the time of year I read it.  Have you ever done that?  If not what books do you turn to?  Usual genre? Or something new? I had the opportunity to go to a bookshop the other day, a genuinely lovely experience.  It had a coffee shop and encouraged...

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