tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19593382027967341852024-02-18T23:34:12.029-08:00Author B.J. DanielsBJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-56583944912833858602016-08-28T16:10:00.002-07:002016-08-28T16:10:44.351-07:00Oatmeal Cake, It's My Fall Go To Recipe<br />
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By popular demand, here is the recipe for one of my favorite cakes. When I think fall, I think of Oatmeal Cake.<br />
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In a separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of hot water and 1 cup of oatmeal. Set aside.<br />
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In a mixing bowl, cream: 1/2 cup of butter, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of granulated sugar.<br />
Add 3 eggs. Mix.<br />
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Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.<br />
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Add oat mixture.<br />
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Pour into 9x13 greased cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes.<br />
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Frosting:<br />
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Combine 1/2 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups brown sugars, 4 Tablespoons evaporated milk. Boil 1 minute.<br />
Add 1 cup coconut, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup nuts (I used pecans) (If you don't like one of these ingredients, leave it out. The frosting will still be delicious)<br />
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While the cake is still warm, frost and stick back into the oven for a few minutes.<br />
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You can eat it either warm or wait until it cools. It is delicious and keeps well.<br />
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Enjoy! And think of me, still on low carb. :)<br />
BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-89127787907604928002016-03-22T06:26:00.002-07:002016-03-22T06:26:40.448-07:00The Writing Life: HARD RAINEvery book has its problems since I never know what is going to happen. But when I started writing HARD RAIN, I realized right away that I couldn't tell the story the usual way. I had a thirty-five year-old murder.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHp4fInsbXcs-O6dNUhAcCNQUZCUFZsjd8pLfXJur-C-TAXeA97MWejAr11DALBo54QQSvFZM-TB7To6Ct5_SCViIGDri-rPEOKfMXKf2lsoduG1XwWWLKRZLYyANnjNlty9SwO7Q0ShQ/s1600/Thumbnail-2.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHp4fInsbXcs-O6dNUhAcCNQUZCUFZsjd8pLfXJur-C-TAXeA97MWejAr11DALBo54QQSvFZM-TB7To6Ct5_SCViIGDri-rPEOKfMXKf2lsoduG1XwWWLKRZLYyANnjNlty9SwO7Q0ShQ/s400/Thumbnail-2.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" width="252" /></a><br />
Years ago I was told by a writing instructor that no one cares about an old murder. The people involved could be dead, often were. So what was the point of solving it?<br />
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I love old murders. Also the thing about history -- especially violent history -- is that it changes the lives of the people involved -- often for more than one generation. And that was important to the series. I needed to know what really happened that led up to the murder all those years ago. <br />
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I realized as I wrote, that the people involved wanted desperately to tell their own story. I wasn't sure it would work, telling the present story as my hero and heroine try to solve the murder -- and letting some of the people involved tell their story from 35 years-ago. What it revealed surprised and delighted me as I got more insight into my over-arcing characters.<br />
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HARD RAIN is Harper Hamilton and Brody McTavish's story. They have loved each other from afar for some time. But the murder that happened before they were born threatens to keep them apart as they realize how deep their families are involved.<br />
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The fourth book in the series, HARD RAIN will be followed by INTO DUST in June and end with HONOR BOUND in October. It began with WILD HORSES, LONE RIDER and LUCKY SHOT.<br />
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<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-74920016755722708482015-11-16T18:23:00.001-08:002015-11-16T18:23:52.270-08:00Why I Love This Series<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSh_-t-eSo2ph0j_Mh1B1cHMPNl0JSJ4jvWnkkY2YXHSx67BhgFqN0YCVcxI6xDCejaFH5XhvkOiN2lzVfgyY0iZQACU6jsjYtrSImx9KG4daov7AGrvMUNGOtTdQrREFhfOTBmUA77s/s1600/51EZEHdK1sL._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSh_-t-eSo2ph0j_Mh1B1cHMPNl0JSJ4jvWnkkY2YXHSx67BhgFqN0YCVcxI6xDCejaFH5XhvkOiN2lzVfgyY0iZQACU6jsjYtrSImx9KG4daov7AGrvMUNGOtTdQrREFhfOTBmUA77s/s200/51EZEHdK1sL._AA160_.jpg" width="200" /></a>I love to write series. If you've read my books, you already know that. Like readers who enjoy reading series, I love getting to hang out with the same family for a while. I get to watch them grow and change. But mostly, I get to learn their long-buried secrets along with my readers!<br />
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When I began writing my Montana Hamilton series, I knew there were six sisters. Since I am a seat-of-the-pants writer, that's about all I knew. Imagine my surprise when the six sisters' mother, Sarah Johnson Hamilton, came back from the grave the way she did. And why is she back now when her husband, Senator Buckmaster Hamilton, is remarried and about to run for president?<br />
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That was book one, WILD HORSES. Like my readers, I kept wondering what her secret was. In each <br />
book, I would learn a little more about her as each of her daughters had their own problems on their way to finding true love.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQcPH6Vm-6JqfcuN_mY4I0tVHxyoPj7H2TJhxOm5vGWAuz6o-jnc0dTzMa3kSwGczMvIO1m3ZF-tAXq_qtsc5qdWO7l8mL33ReB8ic6SjUFDvEsCUu0KMm_brQnVjncmNa3GSmxRXSkY/s1600/Lone+Rider+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKQcPH6Vm-6JqfcuN_mY4I0tVHxyoPj7H2TJhxOm5vGWAuz6o-jnc0dTzMa3kSwGczMvIO1m3ZF-tAXq_qtsc5qdWO7l8mL33ReB8ic6SjUFDvEsCUu0KMm_brQnVjncmNa3GSmxRXSkY/s200/Lone+Rider+Front.jpg" width="126" /></a>By book two, LONE RIDER, I knew a little bit more about Sarah thanks to continuing character Lynette "Nettie" Curry, the lovable town gossip who loves to dig for the truth. Nettie has had her own trials and tribulations on the way to getting back with her true love, Sheriff Frank Curry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhdPitAjzsIrKJ4e08aFS4XWo88aCm7QjQmYeqTs8L62MfQY4huxkHo4BgnEuhMCohAVvVL_1LUk4qbGevI5zycovh1QPxg0MMfp5vUUQ7cCOhJ-H10ZM4LCdk4lZO4Obs070FOpm7SM/s1600/Thumbnail.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhdPitAjzsIrKJ4e08aFS4XWo88aCm7QjQmYeqTs8L62MfQY4huxkHo4BgnEuhMCohAVvVL_1LUk4qbGevI5zycovh1QPxg0MMfp5vUUQ7cCOhJ-H10ZM4LCdk4lZO4Obs070FOpm7SM/s200/Thumbnail.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" width="126" /></a>Certain characters are just too fun to write. I recently asked readers on Facebook who was their favorite character in this series so far. Some chose one of the handsome cowboys who have stolen the hearts of the Hamilton girls. The #1 choice was Nettie. Readers said they knew someone like her and found her interesting and fun and would like to be her friend.<br />
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Nettie is just one reason I am loving writing this series. Sarah Johnson Hamilton is another. In book three, LUCKY SHOT, which releases Nov. 24th, we learn a whole lot more about Sarah and just how dangerous she might be. Meanwhile, Kat Hamilton has a secret of her own that only journalist Max Malone can uncover.<br />
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What I love about series families is that there are always both big and little secrets that come out as I'm writing their stories. Sure enough, in HARD RAIN (out in March), a rather large secret comes to light. This in turn exposes the main characters own smaller secrets. As another of her daughters finds love, (Harper), more of Sarah Johnson Hamilton is revealed.<br />
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By the fifth book, INTO DUST (out next summer), we are racing toward the presidential election. As they say, the plot thickens, as Cassidy Hamilton finds herself right in the thick of it. Also, remember Tiffany? She's the poor young girl whose mother poisoned her against Sheriff Frank Curry. She's been locked up in the state mental hospital since trying to kill the sheriff. I just want you to know I haven't forgotten her.<br />
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Right now I am working on book six, HONOR BOUND, (out next fall). It is hard to catch my breath there is so much going on as the last daughter, Ainsley, finds love where she least expects it and we countdown to election night as an evil plot unfolds.<br />
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It's all in a day's work. :) I'm having so much fun with this series. I hope you are enjoying it as well.BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-46891535210126325782015-11-08T19:49:00.000-08:002015-11-08T19:49:20.797-08:00A Favorite for Thanksgiving: Corn Spoon BreadWhen the weather changes, this is one of my favorite dishes. If you are looking for something <br />
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different for Thanksgiving, you might want to give this a try. It is a hit at potlucks because it is a lot more than cornbread.<br />
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Cheesy Corn Spoon Bread<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
1/4 cup butter, melted<br />
2 eggs<br />
2 cups sour cream<br />
1 can corn, drained<br />
1 can cream-style corn<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 teaspoon pepper<br />
1 pkg (8 1/2 oz) corn muffin mix<br />
1 medium jalapeño pepper, minced<br />
2 cups (8 oz) grated cheddar cheese<br />
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In a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Set aside. In a bowl, beat the eggs, add sour cream, both cans of corn, salt and pepper. Fold in sautéed onion, jalapeño and cheese.<br />
Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and serve.<br />
Yields: 12-15 servings<br />
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<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-91541119255690821622015-08-26T19:15:00.000-07:002015-08-26T19:15:18.507-07:00Celebrating Milestone: 75 books!I never set out to write 75 books and yet, right now my 75th book, LONE RIDER, just came out.<br />
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I wrote one book, then I wrote another and another.... Some did okay, others not so well. I just kept writing -- and learning, taking courses, reading, always trying to get better at what I did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49DZVGT2Vw74weisPHUNzVmd-9BnlOzZZtGvvlx549VZJYL5VuoPQEaZyqznlfkYcBsBWijudZpQSpKskgaS7NRwVnnpKHs8tNYNd4RLPgcCphBvSfDs1uOYEIgu3eeIxjCd8mtnZ9zw/s1600/51EZEHdK1sL._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49DZVGT2Vw74weisPHUNzVmd-9BnlOzZZtGvvlx549VZJYL5VuoPQEaZyqznlfkYcBsBWijudZpQSpKskgaS7NRwVnnpKHs8tNYNd4RLPgcCphBvSfDs1uOYEIgu3eeIxjCd8mtnZ9zw/s200/51EZEHdK1sL._AA160_.jpg" width="200" /></a>I'm not one of those writers who dreamed of making bestseller lists -- let alone the New York Times. My goals were small. I only wanted to tell stories. If I could and get paid, well, that would be great.<br />
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It is great. So thank you, all my wonderful loyal readers.<br />
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I just saw that my very first book, ODD MAN OUT, will be available again Oct. 1!!! I can't tell you how exciting that if for me. I feel as I have come full circle. And check out the cover!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCEWQX0JxBcaC5d_KiRXJbiuoe773G3_XD9T7lXrZjH-Gz5TDbQoJICcy5Rknj8wnHdCSL3BQiWOOdlD929k0MpjiNPG6id3DHoewVz4oXWb7cj-_g3ebl_ksS8H57CPSfZAUlVcnH-U/s1600/51GrxrL5DOL._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCEWQX0JxBcaC5d_KiRXJbiuoe773G3_XD9T7lXrZjH-Gz5TDbQoJICcy5Rknj8wnHdCSL3BQiWOOdlD929k0MpjiNPG6id3DHoewVz4oXWb7cj-_g3ebl_ksS8H57CPSfZAUlVcnH-U/s320/51GrxrL5DOL._AA160_.jpg" width="320" /></a>ODD MAN OUT is set where I dreamed of writing books -- on Hebgen Lake outside West Yellowstone, Montana. I used to write and read stories to my cousins at night inside the tent where we spent one summer camped out on the lake. Such great memories.<br />
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So there is a lot of me and what it was like growing up on the edge of Yellowstone Park in the book. The hero who comes back... Well, there was an old boyfriend (he didn't become a rock star -- at least I don't think he did. :) But haven't we all dreamed that a former love would come back into our lives and save us from...whatever? :)<br />
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Meanwhile, I am finishing the Montana Hamilton series. It began with WILD HORSES and LONE RIDER, and now continues with LUCKY SHOT, out the end of November, followed by HARD RAIN (March), INTO DUST (June) with the sixth book, yet titled out in October. (For a complete list of all my books, go to www.bjdaniels.com. Click on Books and print the pdf list.)<br />
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To celebrate this milestone, I will be giving away 25 of my favorite books!!! To sign up, find me on Facebook, like my B.J. Daniels page and tell me why you want to read one of my books.<br />
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<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-56253064878852619482015-06-03T19:17:00.000-07:002015-06-03T19:17:28.776-07:00Call on Your Inter-Meanness to Write VilliansThe other day I was having so much fun writing one of the more unpleasant characters in HARD <br />
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RAIN, my March 2016 book in The Montana Hamiltons series.<br />
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I realized why it is so easy for me to write mean characters. It's simple. I let out all the meanness I've ever felt.</div>
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All those uncharitable thoughts you've ever had? All those nasty things you wish you'd said. All that pent-up meanness you have when you're tired or don't feel well? LET IT OUT.</div>
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I know that for some of you, it will be hard to be mean. We often back off characters like that the same way we back away from real people like that.</div>
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But come on, most of us have had mean thoughts at some point in our lives. We just haven't acted on them. </div>
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That's why writing a vicious person is so much fun. You get to see just how mean you can be. Isn't there someone who hurt you? Someone who took advantage of you? Someone who made you feel bad?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxYQdym1jpzobKeMV5l6uqab7xjg9aItAtEdI5uTGRDW0u8SLp4C2avcyibKBnRYk86BLckJfDkTIHdNo7EIgo7nHoy5pkGtEDKzxBVFl1Y2efJyQYcSOau3b1b8bW1Xbj71o0ww8YRM/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxYQdym1jpzobKeMV5l6uqab7xjg9aItAtEdI5uTGRDW0u8SLp4C2avcyibKBnRYk86BLckJfDkTIHdNo7EIgo7nHoy5pkGtEDKzxBVFl1Y2efJyQYcSOau3b1b8bW1Xbj71o0ww8YRM/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a>Well, when you're writing a mean person or villain in your book, bring up those awful feelings and take it all out via your character.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTXiIVgw5sx4hENMFAa-hPIlcFIW6yvvreDxziXwMDqDiuvDakWYxFYg84_-7EnL8SuHb9FIN1wgpEWFBxOxQHWrum9QCp7U4fOrcIZB3phCzgqbFvs1clhq_5iVRh1C0UN6hBNW4lrs/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTXiIVgw5sx4hENMFAa-hPIlcFIW6yvvreDxziXwMDqDiuvDakWYxFYg84_-7EnL8SuHb9FIN1wgpEWFBxOxQHWrum9QCp7U4fOrcIZB3phCzgqbFvs1clhq_5iVRh1C0UN6hBNW4lrs/s1600/images-1.jpeg" /></a>Not only that, now is the time to seek your revenge. If you could pay that person back for hurting you without any consequences, what evil could you bring down on that person's head?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can tell that your mind if racing. See, writing a villain is quite fun. The character doesn't even have to be a villain. It can just be a miserable person in your book who wants to punish those around him or her. This character's behavior will force a reaction from your other characters. Thus you have what every book must have: CONFLICT.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So think mean. Think small minded. Think nasty disposition. And go for it. Enjoy it and don't feel <br />
guilty. </div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-59614487447162616812015-04-26T21:00:00.002-07:002015-04-26T21:00:27.655-07:00Getting Free of the PastIf you're like me, you've collected some baggage from the past without even realizing it. The other day I was looking at my bedroom furniture. It suddenly dawned on me that the chest of drawers we've moved four times was the cheap one I picked up before my daughter was born. That was over 40 <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyUtVRF1j4m5Hli4UtJ1wFT64sARoEobYxq5cb2ZP8ixBsAAkmy6dFZKuCwsqAMA_3MLyIA8vX0RBBGhd_qowwZCrrjUfSszHPZ4ylyJQCJhcgOzO41nP0PS7OhewA4P7NTJ6C17e5b8/s1600/IMG_1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyUtVRF1j4m5Hli4UtJ1wFT64sARoEobYxq5cb2ZP8ixBsAAkmy6dFZKuCwsqAMA_3MLyIA8vX0RBBGhd_qowwZCrrjUfSszHPZ4ylyJQCJhcgOzO41nP0PS7OhewA4P7NTJ6C17e5b8/s1600/IMG_1921.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
years and a divorce ago.<br />
<br />
A lot has happened in those forty years and yet I still have this yellow and white dresser from another marriage in my bedroom? How did this happen?<br />
<br />
I started looking around and realized I'd been carrying around furniture from my past marriage even though it had died over twenty years ago. The reason of course was because when my husband and I got together we had little more than love and a lot of bills.<br />
<br />
There are things we hang onto because they mean something to us. I have my grandmother's clock that has been handed down for several generations. We have a marble-top dresser from my husband's family. My daughter has a chair that belonged to her grandfather that I hung on to for a long time.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcktweLvNar_49KcLVX6VJRKz4Qc7pxyBMPA_Fq_cPes-GorpS9qdqnQCB_6tw7G-ucfdJje-FBAVhBleOQFNB4iz7VRI5pN0jYfjNNSGObP1BNuYc5ATZ9JW_pA6P8r0bNRQ2xFi5Z5k/s1600/IMG_1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcktweLvNar_49KcLVX6VJRKz4Qc7pxyBMPA_Fq_cPes-GorpS9qdqnQCB_6tw7G-ucfdJje-FBAVhBleOQFNB4iz7VRI5pN0jYfjNNSGObP1BNuYc5ATZ9JW_pA6P8r0bNRQ2xFi5Z5k/s1600/IMG_1916.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>There are other things that we just end up with. I know it probably sounds silly since we'd gone for more than twenty years with the cheap yellow and white chest of drawers, but I realized that it was time for it to go. It hadn't mattered what we had to put our clothes into when we first got together. We had each other.<br />
<br />
We still have each other, but now we have two large brand new dressers. The other day, we took <br />
everything out of the bedroom, working together to make it all ours. We admired how nice it looks now, how much more storage we have and how we were doing fine with the old yellow and white dresser, but that yes, we deserve this.<br />
<br />
Some of the past sticks with us for a while until one day, we realize, we're free of the real baggage we've been carrying. The rest is just a matter of having a garage sale.BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-62135970755021259232015-04-09T17:21:00.001-07:002015-04-09T17:21:26.616-07:00The Secret Formula Every Writer Should KnowI was scanning through my emails this afternoon after a day of writing and I spotted the answer to one of life's problems.<br />
<br />
What caught me eye was this: DO YOU SPEND HUNDREDS OF HOURS WRITING BOOKS?<br />
<br />
I do.<br />
<br />
I clicked on the site that promised to give me the solution for "CREATING GREAT WRITING OUT OF THIN AIR."<br />
<br />
I had to laugh. Writing out of thin air is exactly what I do. I had no idea there was a solution, though. The site went on to promise to teach me "UNDISCLOSED WRITING TACTICS" to help me write out of thin air -- AND MAKE BOATLOADS OF MONEY.<br />
<br />
Boatloads? You know how I love boats. The site assured me that there was NO TIME TO WASTE. The secret was only being offered for the first time -- and for a limited time. It promised to kill any writer's block I might have once and for all AND GENERATE ENDLESS "BESTSELLER" CONTENT DAILY.<br />
<br />
Wow. Where do I sign up? Along with all that content, it promised to GENERATE ENDLESS PLOTS AND CHARACTERS through a "special" easy-to-read formula.<br />
<br />
<u><b>There's a formula?</b></u> That certainly would have saved me years if I had known. But apparently it's been a...sh...secret.<br />
<br />
I don't mean to make fun. I'm sure the creators of this offer have tips that <i>will</i> help writers. Whether or not it would really be "GAME-CHANGING" is probably debatable.<br />
<br />
It wasn't that many years ago that I might have jumped at this offer. A SECRET FORMULA? Bring it on.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I've been in this business for more than twenty years and seventy-some books. If there was an easy way to do this, I would have discovered it.<br />
<br />
But I have a deal for any aspiring writers out there. I was going to sell it for $1 per person. But for a special, one-time offer, I will give it to you. (I also have a book on writing -- WRITE THE damn BOOK -- but it sells for $3.99 at Amazon.com or Smashwords.com)<br />
<br />
Anyway, here today for FREE are three secret formulas for success:<br />
1) Put your behind in a chair and write, write and write especially when it gets hard.<br />
2) Do it because you love writing. Don't do it for imaginary boatloads of money.<br />
3) Read when you aren't writing and LIVE. Stories come from living life.<br />
<br />
That's it.<br />
<br />
But like a lot of LOSE WEIGHT OVERNIGHT BY EATING HOT FUDGE SUNDAES sites, I want to believe there is an easy way to write good books and that one day I'll stumble across the secret. In the meantime, I'll just keep doing it the hard way.<br />
<br />
<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-90118966839666497442015-04-02T21:57:00.000-07:002015-04-02T21:58:10.936-07:00Is This the Life You Thought You Would Be Living?It's funny but I was thinking about this earlier. Then tonight, I was watching Grey's Anatomy and it came up on the show.<br />
<br />
<i>Are you living the life you pictured for yourself? Or are you dreaming of something bigger?</i><br />
<br />
Do you ever stop to wonder how you got to where you are today? I'm not sure what life I pictured for myself. Or if I ever thought about what I would have pictured if I'd had a choice. I think I was too caught up in surviving.<br />
<br />
I know during rough times, my husband would often say, "Things have a way of working themselves out." Right, I would think.<br />
<br />
Earlier today I found myself saying those very words. <i>Things have a way of working themselves out.</i> I think I'm learning finally that I have no control over the world around me. So I guess I can quit worrying, huh. Because I didn't plan this life and yet, here I am.<br />
<br />
Somehow I ended up in a life I never pictured -- but it is better than anything I can imagine. Even now I'm afraid I might jinx it. Do I dare say I'm happy? That when I think about my life I can't believe it? That it makes me smile? That I'm content for the first time ever?<br />
<br />
It isn't a penthouse, a mansion overlooking the ocean or even a white picket fence life. We live in a 100-year-old house with all the inconveniences that come with houses that old. We have three dogs so the house stays clean seconds rather than hours. We live in a small town hours away from the things that most people take for granted. And it was darned hard getting here.<br />
<br />
But I love the old house, the three dogs and the small town. I love my husband (I really lucked out with him) and I love my job which has turned into a career. I have friends who make me laugh, make me think, make me realize that creative comes in all kinds of packages.<br />
<br />
So I'm not sure what I did to deserve any of this. I probably don't deserve it. But this is my life and I am enjoying the heck out of it. Things really did work out, just as my husband had predicted. Better than I could have pictured it.<br />
<br />
So how about you? Is this the life you thought you would be living? If not, what are you going to do about it? Is there something bigger you're dreaming of? Or are you just happy where you ended up and wondering how you got so lucky?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-46893408066388807132015-03-02T08:33:00.000-08:002015-03-02T08:33:20.734-08:00How Did I Write That Many Books?When the third book in my Montana Hamilton series, LUCKY SHOT, comes out in November, it <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39edIPT7WCX68Oa1mOtRV40ioKaYNSDp_fHTrRlxkU2JNOyBYIdNeweuLXhn5QLgae_r33FqX-92aSaq3p5_omHjiz3SwVd4OjHR1whZu94hYcSDfo2auH0JCV_cKnIx7eyePi4XzoVI/s1600/Thumbnail-9.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39edIPT7WCX68Oa1mOtRV40ioKaYNSDp_fHTrRlxkU2JNOyBYIdNeweuLXhn5QLgae_r33FqX-92aSaq3p5_omHjiz3SwVd4OjHR1whZu94hYcSDfo2auH0JCV_cKnIx7eyePi4XzoVI/s1600/Thumbnail-9.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out in November</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
will be my 75th book!<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can't believe I've written that many books. It seems like only yesterday that I was working on my first, ODD MAN OUT (January 1995). I recently got a list of my books from my publisher. It was fun to see how I started out. At first I only wrote one or two books a year. That was because I was still employed as a reporter/editor at a newspaper.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When I quit, I began treating writing as my full-time job. It was sink or swim. I remember telling myself that if it didn't work out I would apply for a job at Costco handing out food samples. That year and the next, I wrote three books a year. That seemed like a lot at first.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then I realized I could write four books a year, then five and finally six. In 2007 and 2010, I had seven books come out. Last year I had five come out, two of those 85,000-word single titles.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I write everyday, shooting for 10 pages a day. Most days that is pretty easy. Once I get almost all the way through, then I go back and begin the editing stage, which takes longer. That's when the hard work begins, making the book make sense.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03l5xkDNr2Yq5urxuH3oi3C97AGnFr5k-BvMsM-MgL0rxgyBSRMNMEClWeJgZTpwRXpYvlaEgZSqeQa_dqF8PBqBEKjOIosT7EonFdFPyLiw9H-9n7k2Sv43vLGfBuDQldNCfeFi4eGk/s1600/Thumbnail-6.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03l5xkDNr2Yq5urxuH3oi3C97AGnFr5k-BvMsM-MgL0rxgyBSRMNMEClWeJgZTpwRXpYvlaEgZSqeQa_dqF8PBqBEKjOIosT7EonFdFPyLiw9H-9n7k2Sv43vLGfBuDQldNCfeFi4eGk/s1600/Thumbnail-6.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First book in series. Out now</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
It still seems unreal to me that I am about to finish my 76th book, REUNION AT CARDWELL RANCH, with Laramie Cardell finding his way to Montana. I have lived with some of these characters for years. They are more real to me than a lot of people I know. :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's the characters who have gotten me this far. Often before I finish one book, the next set of characters begin nagging me to get to their story. I keep thinking that I will wake up one day and the stories and characters will be gone. Fortunately, that hasn't happened.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Meanwhile, I'm still trying to learn how to do this. I keep going to conferences, taking workshops, reading and working to get better. Before I start a book, I think, "What haven't I done? How can I tell this story in a new way? What would be fun to do?" Ultimately, it has to be fun for me to write. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSKFKq6m1B2VpmqdiLHDmgiSX-COztmFMA1HTzTf-N1C6BGA7acBeIU7nca7Qa1z_MdFKR0UJ_4J-mjjciwQHX3Vf28-_EQTUO8xYiL9maJB9HxISX6UnDklajOUUscimfDdAo7N7Yes/s1600/Thumbnail-4.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSKFKq6m1B2VpmqdiLHDmgiSX-COztmFMA1HTzTf-N1C6BGA7acBeIU7nca7Qa1z_MdFKR0UJ_4J-mjjciwQHX3Vf28-_EQTUO8xYiL9maJB9HxISX6UnDklajOUUscimfDdAo7N7Yes/s1600/Thumbnail-4.ThumbnailServlet.jpeg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second in series. Out in August.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
To say I've had fun is putting it mildly. All I ever wanted to do was write books. I never thought it would turn into what it has though. My goals were very small. I only hoped to write books and make enough money to survive. I never thought I'd make the USA Today Bestseller List let alone the New York Times one. I never thought I'd have the career I do today. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also never thought I would get to meet my readers either in person or online and get to know them. When I started, there was no social media. Now I get to visit with readers who become friends. Same with other writers. I've made such amazing friends over the years through writing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have eleven more books under contract right now for a total of 86 books. Yes, I can't help looking at that 100 number and thinking I would love to hit it. But I'm taking it a book at a time -- just as I always have. Who knows what the future holds. I certainly never dreamed I would get to write this many books. I still have to pinch myself -- and then start my next book.</div>
BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-78493055382491703132014-12-31T12:14:00.000-08:002014-12-31T12:24:29.995-08:00Meet Harlequin Author Barb Han<div class="" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14798" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
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<div class="" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14798">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJvpuAr-p-TxXdxuy6svMMCCSiy3TGbXGOmgz_Pj-Crjl84asHt0_BLikd87PsykrMWMCaWdpYbCaUXhnsptIhPwKNI6KhyphenhyphenyPGmTZ1F6pE4qK8jXcA1q6ot4uldDgkbcBmbJwOgV7F7A/s1600/BJ+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJvpuAr-p-TxXdxuy6svMMCCSiy3TGbXGOmgz_Pj-Crjl84asHt0_BLikd87PsykrMWMCaWdpYbCaUXhnsptIhPwKNI6KhyphenhyphenyPGmTZ1F6pE4qK8jXcA1q6ot4uldDgkbcBmbJwOgV7F7A/s1600/BJ+and+me.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Barb Han</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14802">
My friend Barb Han is as fun as any author you want to meet. The woman loves to laugh and smile, so just being around her makes me laugh and smile as well.</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14802">
<br /></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14802">
Barb writes for Harlequin Intrigue and Harlequin Noir. Writing for Harlequin has been a dream-come-true, says Barb, who has a bachelor degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. Her debut Intrigue featuring a rancher from North Texas released February 2014. Her Campbells of Creek Bend mini-series is set to release in back-to-back months beginning December 2014, and will be followed by a new four-book series set around a fifteen-year-old cold case. To satisfy her darker digital side, her debut Noir featuring a female-spy-turned-on-one-of-her-own will release February 2015.</div>
</div>
<div class="" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14799">
</div>
<div class="" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14800">
I asked her to tell us about herself and her books.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOhDkDBmiTkph1HF3JsH76iGRa6Jf4MrIujOpUPfNRu4OiVrQRXuE03o-8IYnwQV-DetpJ7ho8tA2L7M1cY8gHDmADjkJZBaOyoK0xiKSMnpDErMsj1wHyGnBNQ7MCmB20YQakW2B9es/s1600/print+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdOhDkDBmiTkph1HF3JsH76iGRa6Jf4MrIujOpUPfNRu4OiVrQRXuE03o-8IYnwQV-DetpJ7ho8tA2L7M1cY8gHDmADjkJZBaOyoK0xiKSMnpDErMsj1wHyGnBNQ7MCmB20YQakW2B9es/s1600/print+cover.jpg" height="400" width="252" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span>1) Tell us a little about the book you have out now. <br />
<br />
In Gut Instinct (the ebook released Jan. 1, 2015), Julie interrupts a serial killer and becomes his prey. Her ex,
Luke, has been hunting this guy for two years. And now that Ravishing Rob has
set his sights set on Julie, Luke is running out of time. As feelings that were
dormant resurface once again, can he keep his focus, keep Julie safe, and win
back her love and trust? Can Julie take a chance on Luke again and trust him to
stay this time, and will she even survive to have the choice?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">2) How did you start writing for Intrigue? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">I
found my way to Intrigue through a Mills & Boon writing contest several
years ago. The journey was long and took a few turns, but I was so fortunate to
have an editor guide me as I learned to write romance. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">3 ) Tell us your life story. <br />
<br />
How about in the form of a Haiku?<br />
<br />
One spring day,<br />
a babe came along. <br />
Pen to paper a writer was born.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">How
was that? </span><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">4) What do you like best about writing for
Intrigue? Hands down, Intrigue has the best readers.<br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">5) How important is a sense of humor?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDbK3_s87MPLYnuRf9egzhZs07xpBbbBbgkHNUeb__YbPqZAg5idM2JwB7FHgr2azOax-G2hSNxgsTp3b906r4GeFFDNGwO07tdrcOGucs8fKF95XukEd1GWLfURxUnEl4RNChBqVro0/s1600/Hard+Target+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDbK3_s87MPLYnuRf9egzhZs07xpBbbBbgkHNUeb__YbPqZAg5idM2JwB7FHgr2azOax-G2hSNxgsTp3b906r4GeFFDNGwO07tdrcOGucs8fKF95XukEd1GWLfURxUnEl4RNChBqVro0/s1600/Hard+Target+Front.jpg" height="400" width="252" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><span class="apple-converted-space">I truly believe in the power of hard work and
never taking yourself too seriously. <br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="background: white;">6) What's next for you? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">Thanks for asking. HARD
TARGET, book three in The Campbells of Creek Bend, is coming out in February.
That same month, ATOMIC BEAUTY, my digital-only Harlequin Intrigue Noir,
releases. This story is too hot for the printed page!<br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">7) What is the one thing readers don't know
about you? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">Shhhh, don’t tell anyone about this, okay? Lean a little closer to
the screen…and I’ll tell you my biggest secret. *gasp* Here goes…I’m actually a
Ninja Assassin. There. It’s out. I feel so much better now. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">8) Will you be line dancing again in Dallas at
RT? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">Sadly, I will not be line dancing again at RT. I didn’t sign up for the
conference this year, however, it’s right in my back yard and I plan to hang
out in the lobby anyway. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">9) What do you look for in a hero. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">Great question!
Hotness goes without saying…so I’d say I love a damaged hero. Being able to
bench press 250 lbs will make for some awesome biceps, but the thing that really
makes me go weak at the knees is the amount of internal strength it takes to
overcome damage from his past. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">10) What about in your heroines? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">Another great
question! I love a strong heroine who’s ready to face her demons and grow from
the experience. <br />
</span><br />
<span style="background: white;">11) What advice do you have for aspiring writers? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background: white;">Put your butt in the chair and write every day. Take writing workshops from
experts within the genre you’re targeting. When it comes to building
relationships with other authors pay attention to the little things (saying
thank you goes a long way and you’d be surprised how many people ask advice and
then never circle back to say those two words). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14802">
Barb Han lives in Texas-her true north-with her amazing family, a spunky golden retriever/poodle mix, and too many books (if there is such a thing). She loves romance novels, thriller movies, and cooking. Her favorite hobbies include hiking, swimming and skiing. She can also be found near a basketball court or catching a game on TV.</div>
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<div class="" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14805" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
Barb loves to chat with readers every day on her <a class="" href="https://www.facebook.com/BarbHan" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1418918630956_14808" target="_blank" title="Facebook page">Facebook page</a>.</div>
BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-7297995099273847002014-12-01T21:20:00.002-08:002014-12-01T21:21:13.206-08:00I Found a Great Christmas Sugar CookieI used to make rolled sugar cookies. I love them, but they are so much work. Now that I spend so much time writing, I was looking for a good drop sugar cookie. It had to be crispy and buttery and close to a rolled cookie.<br />
<br />
I found a recipe online. I had to make a few changes in the recipe. They were a huge hit. I highly recommend them.<br />
<br />
<u>BJ's Drop Sugar Cookies</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBa5Ozef4qymMT8aodeojdsNOvGovBCikg8vta5p_tuEXf86msBE_ZDzYet8-a8r3uFns6QSoJwzUOUtQcWtCyY1s8zcDlF6ee4gMDurZvDyMqmz0oIiANtNb05Gw4rfvMetXMibf6Go/s1600/IMG_5004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBa5Ozef4qymMT8aodeojdsNOvGovBCikg8vta5p_tuEXf86msBE_ZDzYet8-a8r3uFns6QSoJwzUOUtQcWtCyY1s8zcDlF6ee4gMDurZvDyMqmz0oIiANtNb05Gw4rfvMetXMibf6Go/s1600/IMG_5004.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
2 cups butter<br />
1 1/2 cups confectionary sugar<br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 teaspoon either vanilla or almond flavoring<br />
4 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 teaspoon cream of tartar<br />
<br />
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs. Mix in flavoring.<br />
Add dry ingredients.<br />
Roll into balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Press down with a fork. Add decorative sugar (optional)<br />
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.<br />
<br />
<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-61555351474900567282014-11-20T19:24:00.001-08:002014-11-20T19:27:11.164-08:00Meet my friend and fellow author Julie Miller and NOIR <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GVwyh9FDxub3dC54a4rnCHYHmsfsPcFHwbcgGtQhAM1pCmdil6SzqAlGh8wpKCLd-qHnddhqiunwkqsKrKX7ofZf0mBMZN7Vsf7OBiZKEJSTeR_lGQMp_scq6mrTc-_bJQtaJW43-Ow/s1600/RTWinner09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GVwyh9FDxub3dC54a4rnCHYHmsfsPcFHwbcgGtQhAM1pCmdil6SzqAlGh8wpKCLd-qHnddhqiunwkqsKrKX7ofZf0mBMZN7Vsf7OBiZKEJSTeR_lGQMp_scq6mrTc-_bJQtaJW43-Ow/s1600/RTWinner09.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I invited my friend Julie Miller to tell us about Harlequin Intrigue's new line: NOIR and the book she wrote for it, BAD GIRL. Julie is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 50 books. She has won numerous awards and is a top selling Harlequin Intrigue author.<br />
<br />
She is one of the authors chosen to launch the NOIR line. I asked her to stop by and tell us about it -- and her book BAD GIRL.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
1) What is Noir?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Harlequin
Intrigue NOIR is a digital-only line of romantic suspense novels launched in
November.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
NOIR is a
sexier, grittier version of the romantic suspense Intrigue readers love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re familiar with other Harlequin
lines, I’d say the heat level is Blaze-ish—not erotica, but perhaps a sexier
premise or more frequent love scenes or love scenes written with more graphic
details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
It’s grittier in terms of
atmosphere and details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These heroes are
allowed to cuss—for example, he can call a bad guy who abuses the heroine a few
names that would not be allowed in an Intrigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7EvMxYzCcMxTbX68Cse61ITdKjGsIek04Bu2b1IvTWDiVRCp8pWD9kIZwT7JJ5PdLxBTmR3vrOwRR5rlcIPwixSEm4yjw7NktMS_RBI9_MilYZmRKk_XTkXwlAEI66cSx-SG1Kl9seM/s1600/Bad+Girl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7EvMxYzCcMxTbX68Cse61ITdKjGsIek04Bu2b1IvTWDiVRCp8pWD9kIZwT7JJ5PdLxBTmR3vrOwRR5rlcIPwixSEm4yjw7NktMS_RBI9_MilYZmRKk_XTkXwlAEI66cSx-SG1Kl9seM/s1600/Bad+Girl.JPG" height="400" width="252" /></a>The setting and atmosphere are dark, raw and definitely dangerous—bars,
nightclubs, back alleys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
characters?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the cops who don’t
always follow the rules, the private detectives who deal with the cases no one
else will take, the heroines who use seduction as well as brains and tenacity to
get what they want—the truth, justice, finding a missing loved one, her man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here’s the
official description of NOIR from Harlequin:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Harlequin
- Intrigue Noir - 40-70,000 words</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are looking for a darker, sexier,
unbound counterpart to the Harlequin Intrigue romance series. At Harlequin
Intrigue Noir we want authors to push the boundaries of the traditional
romantic suspense with gritty and edgy stories of hard-boiled crime.
Dangerous situations are foreplay for your hot, hot heroes and streetwise heroines.
Here there are no restrictions to their steamy and risky encounters. Revamped,
revved up and replete with graphic details—that's the Harlequin Intrigue Noir
crime story that we want. These novels range from 40-70,000 words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">High sensuality<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Movie Examples: <i>Out of Sight, Haywire, Tequila
Sunrise, The Last Seduction, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Blue Velvet</i></span> </li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
2) How is it different from regular Intrigues? How is it different from your
other series?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
BAD GIRL,
the NOIR I wrote, is shorter than my Intrigues—45,000 words vs. 60,000 words.
But as you can see by the guidelines, these stories can be even shorter or
longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s an advantage with digital
books—there are no printing/page count restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other big difference is in the
details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With my NOIR, my editor told me
to let my characters curse and talk and behave more graphically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No euphemistic sex in a NOIR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably more R-rated than the PG-13 of an
Intrigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hero thinks my heroine has
a beautiful a**, not a tush or backside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
BAD GIRL<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>aptly describes my
heroine, Riley, who uses her sex appeal to manipulate men into dropping their
guard and giving her what she wants—namely information on her missing sister,
who she believes has been kidnapped as part of the sex slave trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And Riley has a background that probably
wouldn’t fly in an Intrigue. She’s certainly turned her life around, but she
needs that streetwise expertise to survive amongst the villains she’s forced to
take on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Also, strictly speaking of my
books, my NOIR was much more heroine-focused than my hero-centric
Intrigues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truly, while I write some
Intrigues that are more about the heroine’s journey, most of my Precinct books
focus on that big, bad, protective hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Josiah, my undercover cop hero in BAD GIRL, ends up being very
protective—both physically and emotionally—of Riley, but initially, they’re
adversarial, as in if she causes any trouble, he’s throwing her out of the club
where he’s working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, although it
doesn’t apply to my story, NOIRs can be written in first person—they don’t have
to be; mine is in third person because I wanted the hero’s pov as well—but a
first person book won’t sell with Intrigue.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
3) What did you like best about writing it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The chance
to write something a little different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While I adore writing my Intrigues—that line has the best heroes in all
of series romance, imo—it was fun to use a little different thought process to
write my NOIR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creatively, I enjoy and
need to write something a little different from time to time—sort of exercising
my brain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still got to include my
Kansas City Precinct setting, and a longtime Precinct character many readers
will recognize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was like writing
the darker, more mysterious step-<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO2tkHLwNRpx1AA-5AOgHeThB9C9Aeqn8DH7IxMH2wTaAkl1G9UaN49BJ8PAv_2B6W1F1X-YMmqek2GPomtyaFUnuPiD-aCajnmDzx0PhUTYikwLP0HTcPhUa09mfwKe5nCx803hSaB0/s1600/Crossfire+Christmas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO2tkHLwNRpx1AA-5AOgHeThB9C9Aeqn8DH7IxMH2wTaAkl1G9UaN49BJ8PAv_2B6W1F1X-YMmqek2GPomtyaFUnuPiD-aCajnmDzx0PhUTYikwLP0HTcPhUa09mfwKe5nCx803hSaB0/s1600/Crossfire+Christmas.JPG" height="400" width="252" /></a></div>
brother to my Intrigues.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
4) Tell us a little about your book<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here’s the
cover blurb for BAD GIRL:<o:p></o:p></div>
<strong>"I warned you this would be dangerous."</strong><o:p></o:p><br />
Trouble has a way of finding me. This time I'm hunting it down—bartending at
After Dark, Kansas City's most exclusive gentleman's club. It's a world I've
tried hard to escape. But the plush interior and secluded booths are a front
for an illegal sex ring, tied to my sister's disappearance. And before I can
locate Megan, I have to get past big, sexy Josiah Kemp.<o:p></o:p><br />
The usual tricks—flirty smiles, subtle touches—don't seem to be working on
Josiah. Something in his dark gaze says he knows my secrets…and has a few of
his own. Learning he's an undercover cop posing as a bouncer complicates
things, but he's the kind of man you want on your side—and everywhere else.
With his help, I know I can get answers. Even if it takes a few rounds between
the sheets to get them.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
5) When was it released? What does it cost?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
BAD GIRL releases November 3<sup>rd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
on sale for $2.99.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
6) Anything else you want to add?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I don’t know
if I’ll get the opportunity to write another NOIR anytime soon because
Harlequin is keeping me very busy writing more Intrigues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My 50<sup>th</sup> Harlequin, CROSSFIRE
CHRISTMAS, also came out in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I’m current writing a new miniseries called The Precinct: Cold Case,
scheduled to begin in April 2015.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
4 NOIR
titles we're released November 2014, including titles by Carol Ericson, Kris Rafferty
and Melinda DiLorenzo, as well as my BAD GIRL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next NOIR titles, including ATOMIC BEAUTY by Barb Han, will be out
in February 2015.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
7) Tell us a little about yourself, the personal stuff. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
B.J. and I
have had this conversation before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do
a lot of community theater—acting and singing onstage, working backstage on
make-up or set crew, mentoring new talent, directing—with my husband and
friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s my hobby the way that
quilting is B.J.’s hobby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I’m also very
much a dog lover, and I’m blessed to have Maggie, a 15 pound Toodle (miniature
poodle/terrier mix) as my writing companion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I always know when the UPS man or mail carrier comes, I’m very well
guarded against squirrels and rabbits, and she reminds me to take a break every
hour or so to look away from my computer screen to pet her tummy or get some
exercise.<br />
<br />
USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Miller writes
breathtaking romantic suspense. She has earned a National Readers Choice Award
and two Daphne du Maurier Awards among many other prizes for both her series
and single title books. She was also honored to receive the RT
BookReviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Suspense. With
millions of copies in print worldwide, many of her more than 50 books have
appeared on the USA Today, Amazon and BookScan Top 100 Romances bestseller
lists. For a complete list of her books,
monthly newsletter and more, go to <a href="http://www.juliemiller.org/">www.juliemiller.org</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Julie
joined the Harlequin family when her first Intrigue, ONE GOOD MAN, was
published in 2000. Since then, she has crafted the best-selling, award-winning
Taylor Clan series for Intrigue, as well as its equally successful spin-off
series, THE PRECINCT. While she continues to write about cops and crime scenes
for Intrigue and other special projects at Harlequin, Ms. Miller has also
published military romantic suspense and paranormal romantic suspense books
herself.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Millions of copies of her books
have been sold around the world.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Julie
is a teacher who grew up in Missouri and now lives in Nebraska with her husband
(a teacher and YA author), son and an assortment of spoiled pets. She's been dubbed
the resident "Grammar Goddess" of her local writing group, The
Prairieland Romance Writers. You may write Julie at P.O. Box 5162, Grand
Island, NE 68802-5162, or contact her through her website at
www.juliemiller.org.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 13.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Check out Julie's </span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.juliemiller.org/contests_&_fun.htm"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">book giveaway contests</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, monthly newsletter and more on her website
at <a href="http://www.juliemiller.org/"><span style="color: windowtext;">www.juliemiller.org.</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-Xr0uFla-KEGnu4g7QDcENuRLY4s3-OIroyQlAEM0BfFjSbhN4B6fnGElCR2TRE_8io4L_XmLzSNuUTocsAsfN_P97VN4gGfTcEt1PjIxfiQpFEPVWU9J-xZ4_aiA5DgPoWOmzbKHjY/s1600/Think+Harlequin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-Xr0uFla-KEGnu4g7QDcENuRLY4s3-OIroyQlAEM0BfFjSbhN4B6fnGElCR2TRE_8io4L_XmLzSNuUTocsAsfN_P97VN4gGfTcEt1PjIxfiQpFEPVWU9J-xZ4_aiA5DgPoWOmzbKHjY/s1600/Think+Harlequin.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julie and I at a VIP party.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-69727552891896609762014-11-03T21:02:00.002-08:002014-11-03T21:02:37.587-08:00BOOKS: What's new?Some of you have asked what's coming book-wise. Well, here is the news.<br />
<br />
The year will end with DELIVERANCE AT CARDWELL RANCH this month. Meet Austin <br />
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Cardwell, a deputy sheriff from Texas, who discovers an injuries woman in a blizzard in the Gallatin Canyon near Big Sky, Montana.<br />
<br />
She doesn't seem to know who she is, but when a man comes to the hospital claiming to be her husband, there is no doubt in Austin's mind that the woman isn't who he claims she is. To make matters worse, she seems terrified of her so-called husband.<br />
<br />
The digital edition will be released on Tuesday, November 18. It should be on shelves by the end of the month.<br />
<br />
In 2015, the first book out will be WILD HORSES the first of March. WILD HORSES is the first book in a six-book series about the Montana Hamiltons. Senator Buckmaster steer Hamilton has six beautiful, headstrong daughters. A man on his way to becoming the president of the United States, Buckmaster is in for a few surprises as his daughters fall in love -- and his first wife returns from the dead after twenty-two years.<br />
<br />
WILD HORSES is daughter Olivia "Livie" Hamilton's story. Livie has found the love of her life. But <br />
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after an argument she finds herself on a lonely two-lane Montana road caught in a snowstorm. When she goes off the road and a handsome stranger saves her, her life takes a disastrous turn.<br />
<br />
In July, LONE RIDER tells the story of daughter Bo Hamilton. Bo runs the Sarah Hamilton Foundation, a charitable organization her father started after her mother's death twenty-two years ago. But when money goes missing, Bo panics and heads up into the Crazy Mountains to find herself in worse trouble than she ever imagined.<br />
<br />
LUCKY SHOT will finish out the year in October 2015 with Kat Hamilton's story. Kat is a photographer who crosses paths with one the reporters determined to get the truth about her mother, Sarah's mysterious return and her missing twenty-two years. Unfortunately, there are people who are just as determined to keep the past dead.<br />
<br />
The series will have three more books out in 2016 with the rest of the sister's story -- and the ultimate finale with the senator's run for the president. The truth about his first wife, Sarah's past, is finally revealed.<br />
<br />
Now you ask what about Laramie Cardwell? I haven't forgotten the last book in the Cardwell Cousin series. Laramie will find his way to Montana maybe in 2016. We'll see.<br />
<br />
Hope you'll join me in Montana for the two series. In the meantime... Happy Trails!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-45561664166255122032014-09-18T21:21:00.000-07:002014-09-18T21:21:10.553-07:00Easy Enchilada CasseroleI saw this on Facebook. It looked so good and easy, I had to make it. My husband and I both thought it was delicious! I will definitely make it again.<br />
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<br />
ENCHILADA CASSEROLE:<br />
2 cups chicken, turkey (or browned burger would work great too) (I used diced turkey)<br />
3 cups grated cheese (I used both cheddar and jack)<br />
1 4-5 oz green chiles (I used 4 fresh ones from the garden after taking the peel off under the broiler)<br />
1 pkg corn tortillas (12)<br />
1 16 oz can refried beans<br />
1 19oz can of enchilada sauce<br />
1/4 cup chopped green onions<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35-45 minutes in a 13x9 inch dish<br />
<br />
Mix meat with 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese and all of the chiles.<br />
Put a few spoonfuls of sauce in bottom of baking dish. Layer 4 tortillas on top of the sauce. (You can cut them to make them fit. I overlapped them to fit in the bottom)<br />
Spread beans over tortillas (I didn't, but I think they would spread easier if heated)<br />
Add half of the meat mixture and half of the remaining enchilada sauce<br />
Put four tortillas on top.<br />
Spread on remaining beans and meat mixture.<br />
Put remaining tortillas on top<br />
Add rest of enchilada sauce<br />
Sprinkle on 1 1/2 cups of cheese.<br />
Cover with foil. Bake. Garnish with green onions and serve.<br />
<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-46806739494854109752014-09-08T19:06:00.003-07:002014-09-08T19:06:47.338-07:00Want to have lunch?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSd3FDZFwEn2Yl5HquhjIgh2eRi4-vvk4o1AqZLQYTiKkIBMXd252rQ5jUnU792I6EECtJnUDVzrHS4psHzh2RWzPhx9alyECwInh0Ab3qHluGSP8TL1y3lMrcpuZsZpH24aS0NKi8NqQ/s1600/Daniels-BJ-Harlequin-Reader-Party-Author.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSd3FDZFwEn2Yl5HquhjIgh2eRi4-vvk4o1AqZLQYTiKkIBMXd252rQ5jUnU792I6EECtJnUDVzrHS4psHzh2RWzPhx9alyECwInh0Ab3qHluGSP8TL1y3lMrcpuZsZpH24aS0NKi8NqQ/s1600/Daniels-BJ-Harlequin-Reader-Party-Author.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Join me and other great authors for a HARLEQUIN READER PARTY on October 25th in Seattle!!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Meet, Chat & Have Lunch with Bestselling Authors, Plus Get FREE Signed Books!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Get your tickets HERE ► </span><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fharlequin.ticketleap.com%2Freaderparty%2F&h=RAQFJl_qj&enc=AZN9apA_O1NYlZzvGUNdP6z_F6zyd5vZ05US3xMreDRHHWc2ckEWZO79mSbThU2kq-4&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>harlequin.ticketleap.com/<wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block;"></span>readerparty/</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Featured Authors</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">#BJDaniels #MaiseyYates #SusannaCarr #BronwynScott #SusanWiggs #SusanAndersen #SheilaRoberts #SusanMallery #LyndaAicher #LaurenDane #KarinaCooper #DianaCopland</span>BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-71675629892284606392014-08-23T09:32:00.000-07:002014-08-23T09:34:11.768-07:00Writing Contest Judging? Please Not MeI recently volunteered to judge a writing contest. I'm kicking myself for doing that. I hate judging.<br />
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I've found that most people want you to read their work because they want you to tell them it is amazing. I remember only too well wanting to hear that when I started out. Heck, I still want to hear that. :)<br />
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Fortunately, that isn't what I heard. I belonged to a writers group in Bozeman years ago where I would read short stories I wrote for Woman's World. There was one woman in the group who stuck her finger down her throat as her comment. Another woman said she would rather read the label on a tomato soup can.<br />
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While their comments weren't that helpful, other writers in the group did help with theirs. I made all the dumb mistakes beginning writers make but no one told me my writing was wonderful when it wasn't and I appreciated that. I'm sure that has helped me get where I am today.<br />
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I belonged in another writers group where there was a distinct lack of honesty. Everyone was friends so they shied away from tough love. It didn't help them get published but they are all still friends.<br />
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I was hoping when I received the one scene I had to read and judge that it would blow me away. But unfortunately it was a perfect example of beginning writing. I'm sure the author thought there was emotion in the scene because she felt it while writing it, but it wasn't on the page.<br />
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I've found that some people can tell a story and they can learn to tell that story better and better if they keep learning. That is what I have tried to do. I've taken all the criticism over the years and tried to improve my work. The negative things people have said have helped me more than the positive because even at the time, if I hadn't wanted to hear it, later I would realize the validity of it and try to improve.<br />
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So I hope that I didn't crush another writer's spirit. Probably I just made her mad. When I've foolishly said I would judge other contests, I've some times heard from the authors. One not long ago wrote me to assure me how wrong I was about everything I said, but appreciated me judging. :)<br />
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I could have told her it was wonderful. I've heard other judges say that is the best approach, especially if you put your name on it.<br />
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Sorry, but I still think honesty put as politely and nicely as possible is valuable. I don't want to waste my time lying. Also maybe there is a writer who will get something out of my comments like I did those who tried to help me.BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-60654597354158460392014-08-16T19:46:00.001-07:002014-08-16T19:51:55.392-07:00It's All About Attitude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;">I met the most delightful woman at the Romance Writers of America conference this year. She told me a wonderful story. She said she loved to write historical romances, but when she didn't have any luck selling them to a publisher, she decided she didn't care. She was going to keep writing them for herself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;">I loved her attitude. As if was, that attitude, one we shared, has paid off for us both. We both found success by doing what we loved -- writing books to amuse ourselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;">All I ever wanted was to write stories. That seems like such a small dream now. After twenty years of writing stories, so much has happened, so many amazing things I never expected.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;">When I sold my first short story, I didn't think things could get any better. Then I sold my first book. After my fourth book, I quit my day job as a newspaper feature writer and editor, and began writing full time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;">I didn't know anything about the business, didn't expect much and I didn't spend any time worrying about any of it. I just wrote books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;">So everything came as a surprise from my first book review (4 1/2 stars from RT) to my first award to other firsts including the USA Today bestseller list and finally the New York Times bestseller list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Bold; font-size: large;">I have tried hard to worry only about the one thing I can control: the writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri,Bold; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Bold; font-size: large;">Then this happened:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRTpujVjorx5M6cRAoqnwgEJgwiLKhL27nFrKKtkIy_lirwH2uGqPN3wMYhs-lZPTGusr7AcfLYRfFoxH60TC9AdnCkkLaJiVy5JSQfcy3gDw71UNjZTD8fzXZXggMNHvYYlyokUGu-I/s1600/MB+-+Film-TV+Option+for+Cardwell+Ranch+series+by+BJ+Daniels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRRTpujVjorx5M6cRAoqnwgEJgwiLKhL27nFrKKtkIy_lirwH2uGqPN3wMYhs-lZPTGusr7AcfLYRfFoxH60TC9AdnCkkLaJiVy5JSQfcy3gDw71UNjZTD8fzXZXggMNHvYYlyokUGu-I/s1600/MB+-+Film-TV+Option+for+Cardwell+Ranch+series+by+BJ+Daniels.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 18pt;">An option doesn't mean that a film will ever be made of any of the six books. It just means they will try to sell them for possibly a television series, a tv movie or a feature film.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 18pt;">Any of those sound unbelievable to me. I can't help but be excited and hopeful. It would be extremely cool. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 18pt;">Meanwhile, I'm busy writing my next book and trying hard to stay with my original plan of just enjoying the writing and not getting caught up in the rest of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri,Bold'; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, Bold; font-size: large;">So if my books never come alive on even a small screen, it won't change anything as long as I never lose the joy of writing. </span></div>
BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-74118294532921070102014-08-01T22:11:00.001-07:002014-08-01T22:11:44.652-07:00Print versus Digital: Butter verus OleoIt wasn't that long ago that a self-published writer I met told me how stupid I was to keep working with Harlequin. Even when I told her that I was happy, she continued to argue that I had to do what she was doing -- self publish. Not long after that she signed with a publisher.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCOVJPkp-sZZV081r6zv3DGvcKjEPmzUF__mEIIVdzSPvK6m8F1Tx2Ub35BESQpp0emjydYQeE49SDrfu_UAg3NUu7JdHFaTazZe-l4pxlJ5Yyd-qvPPa7OMTj9BcGqQ9yW7iriXC2rI/s1600/71ajRNggq4L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCOVJPkp-sZZV081r6zv3DGvcKjEPmzUF__mEIIVdzSPvK6m8F1Tx2Ub35BESQpp0emjydYQeE49SDrfu_UAg3NUu7JdHFaTazZe-l4pxlJ5Yyd-qvPPa7OMTj9BcGqQ9yW7iriXC2rI/s1600/71ajRNggq4L.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out Aug. 26 in both print and digital</td></tr>
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<br />
But there are still those out there who are insistent that print books are dead, everyone who isn't self-publishing is a fool and that there are millions to be made by doing everything yourself.<br />
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Why this hard sell? I don't get it. If self publishing is so wonderful and everyone is making millions, well...just enjoy it and let me enjoy the route I have chosen. I'm not complaining. I'm not belittling you for your choice, so don't give me a hard time.<br />
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I keep thinking these writers are protesting too much -- especially on social media. If I were to advise them, I'd say, write more books and spend less time trying to sell everyone on the choice you have made.<br />
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But I would never presume to tell them what to do. Nor would I tell anyone what route they should take to get published.<br />
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Digital books are the new thing in town. I think they are great. They have given both writers and readers another option. I know lots of readers who love them.<br />
<br />
Personally, I don't. I have a bunch of ebooks on my iPad. I have read very few of them. I love how I can order then in a quick click late at night. But my real passion is print. I can't walk by a bookstore or a rack of books without stopping. I love the feel and the smell of books.<br />
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Recently I finished a good digital book (if I read at night in bed it's on my iPad so my husband can sleep) and I had this hollow unsatisfied feeling. It took me a minute to realize why I didn't feel satisfied. Because when I finish a book I like to hold it, look again at the cover, thumb through it and finally stack it by my bed because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye.<br />
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I know I am probably a dying breed. I have a friend who would be jumping up and down right now agreeing. He has been saying print is dead for a while now. But I think as long as there are people like me, there will be print books because we aren't ready to give them up.<br />
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I know digital books, or ebooks as they used to be called, are here to stay. But I remember when my mother was excited about something new on the market called "oleo." Back then, it was a blob of white that came with a packet of yellow dye that had to be stirred into it. Kind of a do-it-yourself substitute for the real thing.<br />
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Guess what? While variations of oleo are still around, some of us still prefer real butter. Just saying.<br />
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<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-78585591824806856182014-07-30T20:44:00.001-07:002014-07-30T20:45:43.697-07:00Authors are only humanYears ago I met an author who was famous -- at least famous in my eyes. I was anxious to meet her. But when I did, I felt as if she blew me off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book signings make me so nervous.<br />
I hardly remember my own name.</td></tr>
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Looking back, I realize that she was probably just having a bad day and her attitude had nothing to do with me. I understand now because I know what it's like to be a busy writer.<br />
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Even when I get away from my computer and go to a conference, I am often tired from my latest deadline and distracted. While I love meeting readers and other writers, I often have trouble remembering names. After a while everyone looks familiar to me but I couldn't come up with a name to save my life.<br />
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I've thought about those readers and writers who stop by my signings at a conferences and are disappointed that I don't remember them from a year ago or two years or even more. Heck, when I get nervous -- which I often am at book signings -- I forget the names of my best friends.<br />
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I remember one signing where a woman I used to work with 37 years before came through the line. She was so excited, saying how happy she was that she knew me when. I couldn't for the life of me remember her name. I foolishly didn't just admit it.<br />
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Instead, I asked her to spell her name. I remember with horror the expression on her face. She was so hurt. Her name was Pat. I signed her book and I never saw her again. I was so sorry I hadn't been honest with her. True, it was fairly unreasonable for her to be hurt that I hadn't remembered her name after all those years.<br />
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I once had a woman at a conference, when we were introduced, tell me it was the third time we'd met. I felt awful. Clearly she had hoped I would have remembered her. I find I remember people I spend long periods of time with. Quick introductions? Not a chance.<br />
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I feel bad that I misjudged that author of old who I'd wanted to like me. I had just published my first book and I looked up to that author. Recently I spent some time with that author. She was gracious and interesting. I found I really liked her. I also now understand that busy authors aren't always fun. They don't always remember names. They can seem distracted or uninterested.<br />
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From now on I will cut authors slack. I hope readers will do the same for me.<br />
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<br />BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-29122475475925715392014-06-30T18:18:00.001-07:002014-06-30T18:18:18.322-07:00My favorite summer cookie: LEMONI love lemons. I love the smell. I love a slice in any drink from water to tea to Coke Zero. I love lemonade.<br />
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So it's no surprise that I would jump at a recipe for Lemon Cookies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHs5oC2K7KvBBTQHOx71etiqFlKDSyzrpS9NS86CIslvWX1DzglG-AAZUJIT1mKM-VyiQK00-3_nZ2fm2PQNaMTzb0HOA7ZKF1fIK8R1r4H0KWtx1RRSu2eiEiOAeCkkP2gjDigpOPHo/s1600/IMG_4494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHs5oC2K7KvBBTQHOx71etiqFlKDSyzrpS9NS86CIslvWX1DzglG-AAZUJIT1mKM-VyiQK00-3_nZ2fm2PQNaMTzb0HOA7ZKF1fIK8R1r4H0KWtx1RRSu2eiEiOAeCkkP2gjDigpOPHo/s1600/IMG_4494.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once I made them, I was hooked. They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside and they freeze well. (Yes, I like them frozen very well. :)<br />
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So I have to share this recipe. If you love lemon -- and cookies...you will love these.<br />
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LEMON COOKIES<br />
2 3/4 cup flour<br />
1 teas. baking soda<br />
1/2 teas. baking powder<br />
1/2 teas. salt<br />
the zest of two lemons<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
1 cup butter<br />
l large egg<br />
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Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat until nicely smooth. Add the zest and dry ingredients. Form into balls and roll in granulated sugar.<br />
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Bake at 350 degrees for from 8 to 10 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned.<br />
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Enjoy!!!BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-4477971606271606852014-06-26T15:26:00.000-07:002014-06-26T15:26:06.794-07:00Ever Dragged a Dead Elk Out of the Woods? It's kind of like writing a bookI'm at that point in my latest book where it reminds me of when my husband used to elk hunt. He would hike way back into the mountains where his friends refused to go. He would kill our meat for the year, gut the animal, then he would hike out before it got dark -- or sometimes way after dark.<br />
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I remember him coming home, exhausted. The next day he would get up before day light and hike back into the mountains to quarter the elk and drag out what he could. He always hunted in places that you couldn't get a 4-wheeler or even a helicopter into. Even horseback was too dangerous.<br />
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It usually took him three or four days to get the elk out, then he would hang it up and once it cured, he had the job of cutting it all up, wrapping it and freezing it.<br />
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I know he enjoyed hunting. He's from that old school thinking <br />
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that more people should have to kill their own meat. He also raises his own garden.<br />
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But I also saw how much work it was. I admired him for being able to get up those mornings knowing what was ahead of him before hiking back into the mountains to get his elk out.<br />
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I know you won't believe this, but that's how I feel about writing books sometimes. Like right now. I get up every morning, sometimes I even shower, and I trudge to my office knowing what is ahead of me. Each day I write as many words as there are in me. I edit. I make notes for the next day.<br />
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And each day I face that book again wondering if I will ever get to the end of it.<br />
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I'm sure my husband felt like that each time he killed an elk way back in the mountains. Maybe he loved what he did, but still there had to be that moment when the alarm went off, that he didn't want to go do it again.<br />
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That's how I feel some mornings. The job seems overwhelming. 90,000 words seems impossible. And yet, I keep writing, one word at a time, knowing that I'm going to have to do the same thing the next day.<br />
<br />
I love this book, don't get me wrong. I love these characters. They definitely have a story to tell and when (if) I ever reach the end, I will be excited to write the next one. But some days it is a lot like dragging a dead elk out of the mountains. BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-81837938339720719762014-05-08T19:33:00.002-07:002014-05-08T19:33:27.020-07:00Finding That Elusive Thing Called Balance <div>
After days of rain and even snow, we finally got a beautiful day. I worked at my office all morning, but my gaze kept going to the window and the blue skies and puffy white clouds outside. The weatherman was calling for a return to bad weather for most of the next week. So this good weather was a fleeting gift just today.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHbHL3scHJAKJdvc1ZF4tVz8zcKLyB2OL-ooDXtF3_Lu4iv4ePAPUNoEmgdkYfpVkoBM2vQlogHR6bAhes7cDplnK40wT-NGnXRvtqpOMlOtf-VLmy_mibK7MGO6_-AwzcPBiW8tS6vY/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHbHL3scHJAKJdvc1ZF4tVz8zcKLyB2OL-ooDXtF3_Lu4iv4ePAPUNoEmgdkYfpVkoBM2vQlogHR6bAhes7cDplnK40wT-NGnXRvtqpOMlOtf-VLmy_mibK7MGO6_-AwzcPBiW8tS6vY/s1600/IMG_4236.JPG" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Rockies in the distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After working out, I went home for lunch and I told my husband, "I think we better go fishing."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He said, "Seriously?" (This is the man who says I work too much. The same man who has tried to teach me to stop and smell the roses with me kicking and screaming that I have to work.)</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyD4qEXMPQeeQRKcPoCzleLkxKNNCTengRt26NEaHWz_cQEBr1BEGKHEYvPpgW8crySPNNUh7NaDQGbIqsQKCJoVDDq2rJ2l7beAmScXnj1XJ5SBiVENnJhJLuSCX40MtpLUnMlmXwpI/s1600/IMG_4271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyD4qEXMPQeeQRKcPoCzleLkxKNNCTengRt26NEaHWz_cQEBr1BEGKHEYvPpgW8crySPNNUh7NaDQGbIqsQKCJoVDDq2rJ2l7beAmScXnj1XJ5SBiVENnJhJLuSCX40MtpLUnMlmXwpI/s1600/IMG_4271.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring flowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Seriously," I said.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We loaded up the pickup and headed south. Fifty miles of dirt road later, I casted a jig into a deep green pool and pulled out a bass. We spent the afternoon fishing and came home sunburned and tired. It was a great day.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UOeXR6vXZcyqa_9r7gLY_eAwXvPORyWFFGM6INqqTx-31X189tynaHo3lVzlt4i8mxmXZ48wYtscfBkQOk4TEmpEXTeVhXBYo623R3R1knHpj6JTNgw18BZTiR4uU-Duadswzatw5PM/s1600/IMG_4262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UOeXR6vXZcyqa_9r7gLY_eAwXvPORyWFFGM6INqqTx-31X189tynaHo3lVzlt4i8mxmXZ48wYtscfBkQOk4TEmpEXTeVhXBYo623R3R1knHpj6JTNgw18BZTiR4uU-Duadswzatw5PM/s1600/IMG_4262.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bass!!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
I am one of those people who feels I have to accomplice something every day. It is very difficult for me to not work when I know I have a deadline looming -- and I always have a deadline looming. Also I've found that it is easier to write some every day than take full days off.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
But after 70 books, I'm also learning how important it is to take advantage of time off away from the computer doing something fun. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How to find that balance is the hard part. I'm getting over feeling guilty when I'm not working. But still the book has to be finished. And as a pantser (I write by the seat of my pants) I often get stuck so I suspect it takes me longer to write a book.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pB_w75zjpq4e1Bk5PUFTe6AN2S2kNtugPY41ewaJJaUg1nfMrtEgcboYNIYVTAZNeEmpq-h8m1kxmBz1pD5DX-8k5NGd2D9ewaU9FUc3A5k_WaWx5jpjRSHyNvCbKYuFiXpMOVYcHqI/s1600/IMG_4261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pB_w75zjpq4e1Bk5PUFTe6AN2S2kNtugPY41ewaJJaUg1nfMrtEgcboYNIYVTAZNeEmpq-h8m1kxmBz1pD5DX-8k5NGd2D9ewaU9FUc3A5k_WaWx5jpjRSHyNvCbKYuFiXpMOVYcHqI/s1600/IMG_4261.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
Other writers make it look so easy. Me? I'm still trying to find my balance. In the meantime, I had a wonderful afternoon with my husband and fresh bass for dinner. It doesn't get any better than that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But tomorrow? It's back to work.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-26817729533919959382014-04-28T21:59:00.001-07:002014-04-28T21:59:09.804-07:00Sometimes being a writer is just too hard<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It had been the worst week. I finally had a major meltdown today. I was due. I lost the book I was working on. Carbonite didn’t have it. Seems my computer
hadn’t backed up because I’d been gone so much.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dropbox had
it but I didn’t have a clue how to get it back and no one was responding to my
desperate pleas for help. I finally had to figure out the darned thing for
myself, which took hours of going through lost files until I found it, then
more pleas for the chapters return.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I didn’t
get some of the updates since the chapters were gone while I was working on
them and I didn’t know it. But my notes are there, plus the unedited chapters I
had written. Not great, but so much better than nothing at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was overjoyed
just to see them again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is the
life of a writer. After 70 books, you'd think I would be tougher. But it isn’t enough to write. You have to learn about computers, backup systems, not to mention all the other technological devices
that go with being a writer now. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I know I’m set in my ways, but I
want to spend my time <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">writing</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I keep
saying this when I’m faced with doing more promo like tweeting or posting on
numerous websites: <u>I just want to write books</u>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unfortunately,
because of losing my chapters, I haven’t written in a week. I’ve spent my time
trying to get what I'd lost. Quite frankly, it was the first time, I really wanted to just quit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> But I'm a writer so I doubt I could quit writing, so I guess it has to be that tall bridge.</span><br />
After my
meltdown today, I was on my computer, begging again with Dropbox when I saw the
chapters begin to come back. I almost had another meltdown. I was positive they
would disappear again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They
didn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I took an
extra-strength Tylenol and tried to calm down. All week I’d wanted to jump off
a tall bridge rather than face trying to remember what I’d written since I knew
it wouldn’t be as good as the original. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
tonight I happened to see the sitcom Mike and Molly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I don’t usually watch this show.
The TV just happened to be on. So what were the chances that tonight it would
be about a writer who’d become a drunk so she didn’t have to finish her book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Boy could I
relate. Earlier I’d told my husband that I didn’t know how to deal with this
kind of stress. My family would have gone out and gotten drunk. But I’m not a
drinker. I am usually more of a knock-it-off, pull-up-your-bootstraps-and-get-back-to-work
kind of girl when things get tough. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But not
this week. I was ready to jump off that bridge.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fiction often mirrors reality – but it was eerie how much tonight on TV. When the writer (Susan Sarandon plays
the writer) tries to kill herself, Molly points out that she has a great
career. “Why can’t you just be <o:p></o:p></div>
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happy?”<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She explains
that she can’t write.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Just finish your book</i>!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Susan says
something that actually made me laugh: “One day if you work really hard and
you’re very good and you never give up, you are going to realize that suicide
is easier than writing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It felt
good to laugh instead of cuss and cry over my lost chapters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> On the show, </span>Molly tells
her that that’s crazy and points out that the writer had a really good day
writing that day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The writer retorts, “What about the
next day and then the next day, you have to keep feeding the beast, and I mean,
for what?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“To write a
great book.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And then
they want another one. Or they don’t want one and that’s even worse.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Seemed like
the perfect end to my horrible week. Like Susan on the TV show, ultimately, it's back to writing.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959338202796734185.post-41411119077891078662014-04-23T21:17:00.000-07:002014-04-23T21:17:01.555-07:00Working on WILD HORSES<div class="MsoNormal">
I love the idea of coincidence. You know, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pLNGXcP7rErQaGPxSsGNM-QaETPqhLmBsW2QPa2g8k8toG4oEGTD6Ga6YDZZRsZQdyw0ycuNWPPz1T5aaI_CtFX4AKBR0aPxjL0P0O803MoNUVgeTE_onxVMrjeN_8pZKGWsO6Mqayg/s1600/1911783_277771675715406_74735451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pLNGXcP7rErQaGPxSsGNM-QaETPqhLmBsW2QPa2g8k8toG4oEGTD6Ga6YDZZRsZQdyw0ycuNWPPz1T5aaI_CtFX4AKBR0aPxjL0P0O803MoNUVgeTE_onxVMrjeN_8pZKGWsO6Mqayg/s1600/1911783_277771675715406_74735451_n.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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One of my favorite movies is Sliding Doors. It
explores that idea. A woman misses her train home. The same woman makes the
train. The story splits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one who
makes the train catches her boyfriend in bed with another woman. The one who misses the train meets someone who will later be
important to her, but doesn’t catch the boyfriend. At least not then. Spoiler: The woman ends up at the same place in the end.</div>
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In the book
I’m working on now, I started with a small idea. What could one small mistake
cost you? The answer, of course, is <i>everything.</i></div>
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The book, WILD HORSES, is part of the Beartooth, Montana series and the first book about the Hamilton sisters. There are six sisters raised by patriarch Buckmaster Hamilton. It will take special cowboys for these headstrong, independent women and I can't wait to meet them.</div>
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BJ Danielshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04329516234226959246noreply@blogger.com0