Valentine from above!

Happy Valentine's Day to my blogging and facebook friends!! I just had to tell you about the sweet treat I received today! My heart is overflowing.

I mentioned that my second contract was on its way and I received it today, on Valentine's Day! But not only that, there was a small error in my other contract regarding my legal name and pen name, so I needed to re-sign the first contract. I received them both today in my email inbox and printed them off and signed them immediately. It was a double blessing to hold two contracts (one for each of my books) in my hands at the same time. I almost keeled over from the excitement! 


This was quite a special treat for me this Valentine's Day. I count it as a special gift from my Heavenly Father, the Lover of my Soul.  He sure knows how to romance this writer's heart.

To celebrate here's a little chocolate shaped like a book. I  hear chocolate is good for the heart. Oh, that's dark chocolate? Well, I know from personal experience that milk chocolate is just as good for any gal's heart! Enjoy!

Chocolate Book available in mass quantities at Choconet.

 

Writing Historical Romance: Historical Accuracy

In honor of Valentine's Day I thought I'd share a some posts this week about writing historical romance. So be sure to come by again and don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY (see above). To write romance with historical accuracy requires a good knowledge of certain elements that will be woven into your story. I've listed some guidelines that I use to help keep my writing on track in this regard with a few examples included in the bullet points.

It's Official: First Book Contract

The moment that I've been waiting for finally arrived, I received my very first book contract. This contract is for my novella Carving a Future in Colonial Courtships which will be released in May 2012.  It took me days to get up the courage to finally sign the thing believe it or not. I was so thrilled to get it, but it was such an important moment for me I was a bundle of nerves. Silly, I know.


Although I had the news of two promised contracts, I was reserving my full celebration until I had paper in hand. And my second contract, for The Shadow Catcher's Daughter (releasing Jan. 2012), is in the mail . Exciting times!

To celebrate my officially becoming a published author my husband took me out to eat to our favorite Chinese restaurant.  It was a fun evening venturing out in big snow storm. He also got me an external hard drive for my computer. Much needed. It's pretty and practical!

This is a wonderful season in my life. I'm doubly blessed! The Shadow Catcher's Daughter is complete and I will soon get the editor's revisions. But the real work is ahead...I need to finish writing Carving a Future. One chapter down, about nine more to go!

Bears, Blizzards, and Books

Thank you all for BEARing with me during my busy January. During this time I've done a lot of writing—two new colonial era pieces—and website design—two medical websites in HTML. I thought of you all often and am excited to sharing some of news now that I'm coming out of my hibernation.

As with many places around the country, Maine has been bombarded with so much snow. We had another double BLIZZARD this week. Today, as always, the day after a storm, it is beautiful with blue skies and the sun is glittering off the snow like tiny diamonds! I've been snuggly and warm in my writing room. My fingers and my keyboard have a fine tuned relationship and are almost one I fear.

I submitted the first BOOK proposal that I ever prepared by myself after gathering a group of authors for a novella collection. I sent this off January 11th and in record time—January 30th—I was notified that Colonial Courtships had sold! My collaborators on this project are Laurie Alice Eakes, Amber Stockton, and Lisa Karon Richardson. This makes TWO books that I'll have released in 2012 with Barbour Publishing. I'm doubly blessed! My debut novel, The Shadow Catcher's Daughter, will be released in January and now Carving a Future will be released in May. I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it!

Again, my dear blogging buddies, thank you so much for your good thoughts and prayers that have supported and encouraged me during my busy season.

"Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath,
for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me."
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh