Dust off that old manuscript in your attic!

Back in 2007, I finally became a published author after a boat load of rejections from publishing houses all over the world. My second novel, Canyon Wolf Bride was finally released after waiting three long years. I'd written it in 2004 after the birth of my second daughter. For some weird reason, after having a baby, I like to write books. Well, not really weird reasons but I have to quit my job to stay home with the baby and every time I have a kid, my brain says...psssst...."Hey, Mommy! Yeah, you over there. The one breastfeeding your offspring like there's no tomorrow, get your butt in gear and write that novel you keep telling yourself you'll write. You know it is your dream before you die to get published. You tried this back in 1996, remember? And that crusty, old, dried up, curled on the edges ancient manuscript is still in your freaking attic!!!"

It was true. I'd written a full length romantic suspense back in 1996 when my first daughter was born. My very first attempt at writing a novel. And I tried to put as many twists and turns into that baby and boy..was I fond of secondary characters! Well, I never submitted that baby. I did take a very cool screenplay class at a community college and had the coolest old gay screenplay writer/instructor dude in all the land. We'd even go to his house on Friday evenings and read our screenplays out loud. He loved to embarrass the shit out of students. If your work sucked, he told you to your face. And let everyone else know too. Cruel old bastard but I liked him. And he LOVED my work. Wonder if he still meets with students in his home. Lord, he was like 90 back then and that was like 12 years ago! Wow! Well, he was a mean old fucker...excuse my French but he was...but he was honest and I really did respect his opinion. He was a horror writer in the 50's and a published romance author. He wrote many screenplays for silver screen horror movies. Now no one knows who he is but back then, he was huge. Well, he loved my first novel and urged me to try my best to get the damn thing published. He even loved my romantic screenplay which still collects dust to this day. Hate to say it but I haven't done a damn thing with the screenplay but I finally had my old ass manuscript totally edited after a total revamping and indie pubbed the sucker!

I have to say I really loved revisiting the old characters and it was cool to see how much I'd grown as a writer. My writing style has totally changed. My voice is different and even my former voice is heard loud and clear in this book. I didn't want to alter the book totally. I was a little interested to see how well the book would do with my old voice in a genre I rarely write today. Romantic Suspense. Mostly now I write paranormal books.

And damn, it sure felt good to dust off that baby and send it out into the world. So dust off your old manuscripts, revisit your old characters and send your old friends out into the world. Just make sure you have a very good editor and be prepared to cringe...A LOT! I only recommend revamping one old manuscript per lifetime.

Here she is! Tada!!! My first manuscript: Deadly R&R by Ruby Vines


And this old bird will be on sale for .99 because back in 1996, you could buy two cokes for that price, not one.


BUY LINK FOR DEADLY R&R

Deadly R&R is NOW AVAILABLE for .99!!!

For all my Texas readers who are still dealing with this HEAT WAVE from Hell...hang in there...there is a cold front coming! Next week it will be in the 90's and we will have lows in the evening in the 70's! Can I get a hell yeah? HELL YEAH!!! Woot! I need to go get some firewood..lol!

Ruby's debut novel, Deadly R&R, IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE FOR YOUR KINDLE
Here's the blurb! Have a fantastic day and don't forget to spread love!

Blurb for Deadly R&R

Shay Reynolds was raised solely by her father and abandoned by her mother at an early age. Old enough now to take the reigns of her father's business, R&R Advertisting in Palm Springs, Florida, she's about as happy and as successful as a modern woman can get without a mother. Engaged to handsome Chase McMillan, an anchor on the popular national morning television show in New York City with her ads regularly nominated for the prestigious Clio Awards, she's a woman accustomed to life handing her roses. Her good fortune takes a nose dive when her fiance dies mysteriously. Falling into a deep depression, Shay confides in her chauffeur, Tommy Smith and agrees to hire his father's private eye service to investigate. Afraid to be alone, Shay shares her thoughts and broken dreams with Tommy. A serial killer is on the loose. Bad timing for Tommy who has always had it bad for his boss. Hot on the trail of a sicko who enjoys the shock factor of cryptic messages and creeepy packages sent to the object of his affection, Tommy fights to shield the only woman who has never treated him like a hired hand

Guest Blogger ~ Author, Alex Sinclair: Five Days Notice

Alisha: Please welcome Alex Sinclair to my blog today. I'm thrilled to have him here! Alex, please tell us about Five Days Notice.

Alex: I originally wrote, Five Days Notice, a few years ago, but when it was due to come out the world went into financial meltdown. Due to the nature of the story I thought it would be far too depressing to put out at that moment in time. Five Days Notice is set in a world where the global economy has collapsed and the third world war has left the planet a dark and dangerous place. I decided to allow the novel to wait for its fifteen minutes of fame and I believe that was the right choice.

The reason I created such a harsh reality was because I wanted to stress how important a low paid dead end job actually was. Due to the economy there are no new jobs, which split society in two. You have the poor and the damned. The poor are the ones that work long hour for nearly nothing, but the job is the lifeline for their family. So the horrible world was created to cement the fact that this tedious job really was a matter of life and death.

The novel follows the lives of seven characters. They are told at the start of the book that by the end of the working week three of the members of staff will be let go. Malcolm, the manager, has five days to decide who he will keep on and who he will fire. I worked as a Christmas temp in a big superstore and after Christmas the manager came to us and said that three of us would be kept on, but the other seventeen temps would be let go. I was one of the people kept on, but it was horrible. People were gossiping, back stabbing and just being rude and nasty. It really made me wonder what lengths they would go to if their lives depended on that job. So, like reality, the character relationships start off nice and friendly, but when the pressure and the realization of losing their jobs sink, things turn bad!

Five Days Notice is a romantic suspense. The story follows the main relationship of Ariel and River. Ariel was the best friend to River’s mother. She has watched out for him and guided him these last few years, but when the boy turned into a man his feelings for her turned into something beyond friendship. She is nearly twice his age, but in a world without hope the two of them found their own little private piece of happiness. River knows that he must keep his job so that he doesn’t mirror his father. His father sponged off of his hard working mother for so many years. If he lost his job he would have to leave Ariel, which is the fuel for the fire that drives him forward.

All of the characters have justification for what they do. Hope is a depressive that needs the job to survive. It is the only reason she continues to exist. Kerry is a single mother that will do what is necessary to ensure she keeps her job for her daughter, no matter how low she must go. Alan is the victim of domestic abuse and is manipulated by his own wife. Michael is a man filled with hatred and anger for the manager, Malcolm. Bad blood between means that Michael knows he will be the first to go, but how far will he go to make sure he doesn’t lose his job?

There are no “Bad Guys” in, Five Days Notice; every character has a reason for the things they do. It is a battle of survive where friends become enemies, strangers become lovers, lovers become deceivers and it is every man or woman for themselves. The story is filled with love, passion, corrupt, betrayal and deceit. Due to the amazing reviews and fantastic sales I have already started work on a sequel. The sequel is titled, Five Days Notice: Hand of God, the story follows the characters that keep their job at the end of, Five Days Notice, but takes the story in a new direction that no one could expect.


Book Title: Five Days Notice

Author: Alex Sinclair

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Price: $0.99

Links

AMAZON LINK

Sinclair Books

Facebook


Blurb

The global economy has collapsed and third world war has left the planet a dark and deadly place. Having a job is like winning the lottery. It is a rare and cherished thing. Society is split into two classes, the poor and the damned. Only one superstore remains in the city. The seven staff members work long hours for hardly any pay, but they are considered the lucky ones.

River is in love. He is in love with the woman of his dreams. Only she doesn’t know it. Ariel lights up his dark and lonely world. She is the reason he wakes up every single morning. Her friendship and company give meaning to his existence, but when job cuts are announced his world is turned upside down. The staff are given five days notice. By the end of the week three members of staff will be fired, but how far is River willing to go to ensure that the love of his life keeps her job?

With uncertainty and doubt fuelling the fires of fear each member of staff sets out on a dangerous path of deception. The flesh of the weak is food for the strong. It is a dog eat dog world. Friends become enemies. Lovers become deceivers. You can trust no one. You can rely on no one. You must do what needs to be done to make sure you survive. You must steal, you must betray and you must kill. Betrayal, deception and corruption have never looked so sexy.

An Interview with Sara Thacker and A Contest!

Please welcome the very talented Sara Thacker to my blog today!

Alisha: How did you meet your husband?

Sara: He was dating my roommate in college. She wasn’t that into him, just stringing him along. I asked if she minded if we dated, she said she didn’t mind. We’ve been married for eighteen years.

Alisha: Wow! Tell us about the hero and heroine in your latest release.

Sara: Jake, in Smooth Lies, is more like a superhero than a normal guy. Of course, I made him that way. He’s smart, sexy and muscled up. Jake knows he’s made mistakes, but he’s dedicated to those he loves. When he finds out Sophia is in danger, he’ll do anything to make her safe. He’s got a load of trouble haunting him and that trouble is threatening everything he knows.

Sophia is strong and beautiful. She wants her life to change but isn’t sure how to make it happen. Her life is in danger, her memories sketchy. Sophia run’s away from the man threatening her. Now she has to stay alive, but her skills are lacking. Finding Jake saves her, but can she save their relationship?

Alisha: If you were granted three wishes by a genie, what would they be?

Sara: That’s a tough question. If you could wish for world peace and prosperity then that would be my first. Second would be a house on the beach. And third would be Starbucks for life without any weight gain.

Alisha: If you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?

Sara: The beach.

Alisha: If you could see anyone tomorrow (dead or alive), who would it be?

Sara: My granny. She passed away when I was twelve. I would love to talk to her again.

Alisha: If you could choose six people to spend one week on a desert island, who would it be and why?

Sara: My husband and children, that would be three. Then I would ask McKenna and her two kids. Too bad her hubby couldn’t come along, but we would have fun.

Alisha: Well, I guess you can have seven..lol! What word or phrase tingles in all the right places for you?

Sara: I don’t think I have a word or phrase that does that.

Alisha: Not one? If you had one day to spoil yourself, what would you do?

Sara: I would go to the beach and read a book.

Alisha: If you could change one incident in your life, what would it be and how would you change it?

Sara: There’s so much that could be changed, but the events that happened made me into who I am today. So I’m not sure I would change anything that happened.

Alisha: What’s the sexiest thing a man has ever done for you or said to you or both?

Sara: My husband bought me a new computer. Trust me, it was great.

Alisha: Oh! I happen to find that very sexy! My husband did the same thing. Very sweet and supportive for a man to do that when he understands our passion for writing!


CONTEST: LEAVE A COMMENT FOR SARA TODAY AND YOU'LL BE ENTERED INTO A DRAWING FOR ONE OF HER EBOOKS!

Excerpt from Smooth Lies
Sophia sat up, her heart thumping wildly. Someone had shouted. She was sure of it. No noise followed from the rooms above. Hearing nothing, she decided to seek out a cup of hot tea to sooth her frayed nerves.
Padding softly down the hall to the kitchen, she came to the decision she could no longer pretend she wanted to stay with Jake. He wanted her to sleep with him, and she couldn’t. Jake wasn’t the man her memories conjured up as her husband. Her Jake was kinder, gentler. He never would have forced her to take medicine. Damn it, either her memories which had been coming back to her with such detail were wrong, or Jake was a liar.
With her hand poised, ready to flip on the light, she heard a voice. She froze. Turning her head slightly, she focused on the direction the sound came from. Someone was talking. She crept to the basement door and placed her ear near the crack, straining to hear the words.
“I’ll get it done. Don’t worry, before the end of the week I’ll have what we want. I’ll get the damn code.”
Sophia’s heart quickened. Jake wanted a code. She pushed down her fear and stayed put. She had to hear more.
“Listen, the bitch will be in my bed tomorrow night. I’ll do her over good and confuse the shit out of her. She’ll fall completely in love with me and won’t know the difference. I’ll tell her I forgot where I put the code and she’ll give it to me. Then we can get rid of her and Wendy can bring Randy home.”

Alisha: Oh my! Now I have to read this! Great excerpt, Sara. You tease! Come back anytime!

An Interview with Toni Anderson!

Please welcome Toni Anderson to my blog today!

Alisha: Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? Favorite memories?

Toni: I spent the first six years of my life in Ironbridge, Shropshire which is the site of the Industrial Revolution. Contrary to expectation it is one of the most rural landscapes in England with leafy copses and the meandering River Severn snaking through its heart. As a kid I remember all the children in the lane, about 12 of us in all, building a den in the woods and making rope swings. I also remember my dad constructing an igloo in the ponies’ field behind our cottage after one rare winter snowstorm and me and my siblings tramping around in our wellies getting cold toes.

Alisha: How lovely! I can see you ducking into the igloo, freezing and giggling. Tell us about the hero and heroine in your latest release.

Toni: The heroine in HER SANCTUARY is Eliza Ward, an ex FBI agent. I think it is fair to say she’s a feisty scrapper but at the start of the book she’s been through the worst life can offer and she’s scared and she’s running.
My hero is Nat Sullivan. Nat is struggling to keep the family ranch from going bankrupt and trying to look after his ailing family. He’s a classic cowboy: determined, hardworking, loyal, dependable, smart and sexy as hell—picture a young Paul Newman on a gorgeous grey stallion.

Alisha: Sigh...I can picture that little piece of heaven! If you were granted three wishes by a genie, what would they be?

Toni: An end to the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. A united, international approach to the conservation of the worlds’ oceans (I was a marine biologist). And ‘World Peace’.

Alisha: If you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?

Toni: To my hometown to visit my family.

Alisha: If you could see anyone tomorrow (dead or alive), who would it be?

Toni: It would have to be my grandad. I haven’t seen him for 2 years because we moved to Canada. He’s just turned 88. I dedicated this book to him actually, although I’m not sure what he’ll think about the sex scenes...

Alisha: Snicker...isn't it funny how we're all so worried about our grandparents reading the sex scenes? My grandmother told me I was writing about "life" and it was nothing to be worried about..lol. What word or phrase tingles in all the right places for you?

Toni: Chocolate :) Yep, I’m tingling.

Alisha: If you had one day to spoil yourself, what would you do?

Toni: I’d go to the cinema and have a movie marathon. I haven’t been to anything except kids movies for ages and I really want to see the new Bond movie and AUSTRALIA.

Alisha: Oooooh, I'm dying to see Australia too! If you could change one incident in your life, what would it be and how would you change it?

Toni: I would have pursued writing novels much earlier than I did.

Alisha: Me too. If we could plan it all out and do it over, we'd have many more books under our belts. What's the sexiest thing a man has ever done for you or said to you or both?

Toni: My husband tells me he loves me every day. He’s Irish so I think that’s pretty sexy.

Alisha: Woo hooooo! Those Irish men are just plain HOT! That accent alone is enough to make me melt like ice cream on a hot summer day!



Short Excerpt from HER SANCTUARY…

Though it was pitch-black, Nat’s eyesight was sharp and well-adjusted. He knew every inch of ground, every stone, fence, and broken-down piece of machinery on his land. Picking out shades of gray, he moved towards the car. Flicked off the rifle’s safety and peered in through the frosted-up glass. It was like trying to see to the bottom of a riverbed in the middle of winter. He couldn’t make out a damned thing.
With one finger, he lifted the handle of the driver’s side door. It clicked open, but no interior light came on. Nat took a step back and peered inside, made out a bundled up figure in the back seat, curled up, unmoving.
Gripping his rifle he felt the tension crackle like static on a dry day. The fine hairs at his nape sprang up, tensile and erect.
“Drop the rifle, mister.” The voice was softly feminine.
“Now why would I want to do that?” he asked.
She was silent. He could feel her apprehension; almost see her weighing her choices in the concealment of the Jeep.
His teeth locked together. “I don’t think so, ma’am.” He might have been raised to be polite to women, but he wasn’t dumb. “Not ‘til you tell me why the hell you’re sneaking onto my property in the middle of the night.”
She shifted slightly. He heard the rustle as she pushed aside the blankets.
“What’s your name?” she asked. There was a lilt, some sort of accent in her voice that sounded both warm and aggressive at the same time. It undid some of his irritation and sparked a glimmer of curiosity.
“Well, ma’am.” Pitched low, Nat’s voice was steely with courteousness. “A better question would be what the hell’s yours?”


HER SANCTUARY

ebook available 19th December 2008
PRINT available 20th March 2009
ISBN 1-60154-418-9


Running for her life, ex-FBI agent Elizabeth Ward escapes to Montana with a new identity. She craves peace and solitude, but instead finds handsome rancher Nat Sullivan.

Nat is trying to hold his ailing family together, while struggling to keep the ranch from bankruptcy. The last thing he needs is a beautiful stranger reminding him there is more to life than work.

But Elizabeth isn't what she seems. And when a murderer and rapist track her down to the remote ranch, they all find out about the power of revenge.

Revenge or Redemption...Which would you choose?