Finally Finished New Manuscript

Just finished the first draft of my new manuscript, "Checkmate." The dang thing is almost 800 pages, which means now I get to tackle the job of cutting it down to size! Below is a short synopsis of the new book. Take a look and let me know what you think!

"Caryn Deaver survived a nightmare. Seventeen years ago, her abusive ex-husband bound Caryn and her children hand and foot, locked them in the bathroom, and set the house on fire. They managed to escape with their lives, and Dan Hamilton was sentenced to twenty-six years in prison for the crime. He’s due for mandatory release now, though, and Caryn is sure her days are numbered—unless she can convince the Parole Board to keep him behind bars.

Zach Riker is the Fire Chief in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He was on the scene seventeen years ago when Caryn and her children barely escaped their burning house with their lives. He and Caryn form a quick bond when he is asked to testify at her ex-husband’s parole hearing, but, despite the mutual attraction, neither of them is willing to test the waters of a 40-something romance and become more than just friends.

Love becomes the furthest thing from their minds, however, when Dan Hamilton is released from prison and begins his reign of terror anew—and this time he’s determined to kill them both."

My Virtual Book Tour Begins!

I am proud to say that my Virtual Book Tour for "The Ultimate Passage" starts today! Please stop in at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com and say "Hi!" I'll be checking the blog off and on all day to answer any comments or questions, so hope to see you there! I am excited!

My Life As A Writer

I started writing when I was 21 years old--that's 30 years ago and, yes, I'm disclosing my age. Writing is as much a part of my life as eating and breathing. I can't live without it. If I don't write something each day, I feel like I have failed myself and my readers. My writing career, as it were, began one day in 1977 when I was talking to my mother on the phone. I was always a doodler and, out of the blue, this...line came out on the page. I still remember it: "Jenny McCall awoke with a scream on her lips." Hey, I thought, that would be a great first line for a book! That's how it all began. Of course, I had to decide then just why Jenny McCall awoke with the scream on her lips. After I did that, I was only my way.

That manuscript and two others never saw publication, and with good reason. First of all, they were awful! Secondly, upon my divorce from my first husband, they found their way into the wood stove in our former home. (Then his home.) It was probably just as well. Like I said, they needed a lot of work. Writing was in my blood, though, so from that point on I got book after book on writing from our local library. I continued to write, and I honed my craft.

I am proud to say that I have come a long way since those days. With 11 books now in print (3 on my own and another 8 co-authored with Kathe Birch) I am well on my way to becoming an established author. I've even developed a fan base! I'm still looking for that elusive "best seller", though; maybe my new manuscript, a romantic thriller called "Daddy's Revenge" will be the one...