This Bad Boy is Done!

There is nothing sweeter than finishing a manuscript. All of the blood, sweat and tears, fist pounding, hair pulling, more gray hair (which in turn leads to coloring), swearing at the CP for yet another redo and a year of your life buried in your writer's cave... You better believe it was worth it! What a ride!

I am pleased to announce that Bewitching a Highland Rogue, Book 2 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series is complete! Declan MacGregor. I think everyone will love his arrogant alpha arse. Think of him as the Gannicus of the Highlands--a Highland rock star. Of course the beautiful Lady Liadain Campbell sees right through his roguish act. In fact, she's been known to put him in his place a time or two. ;-)

Highland Savior, Book 1 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series is scheduled for release in Fall 2012. Sourcebooks is deciding on the launch date this week. Woo-hoo!

That pretty much leaves me plotting Book 3. Mmm... Heroes and heroines are named, plot(s) are forming, I might need a few names for villains. Anyone tick you off as of late? Let me know and I'll slip them in or behead them. Frankly, I'll leave it up to you. 

I Signed!

And I believed writing a manuscript was the hardest part! Yep, that's pretty much what I thought. Boy was I naive!

Between synopsis hell--I mean writing, query letters, hooks, marketing, agents... it gives me a headache even thinking about it. Finishing the manuscript is only half the battle. What's your strategy? How are you going to sell it? Who's going to represent you? How are you going to market it? It is by no means easy. 

I finished Highland Savior. I completed the synopsis. I fine tuned the query letter. I polished my hooks. Now I have the most exciting news of all...

I just signed with Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency!

Career. Onward. Now.

I Got the Call... From My Mother

In my local chapter, we had conversed a time or two about letting family members read our own material. Just the thought chilled me to the bone. I had absolutely no intention of letting any blood relative read Highland Savior. My first m/s? My baby? My love scenes? Yikes!

Even though I write historical romance and the scenes are nowhere near as juicy or hot (no pun intended) as erotica, the thought of actually having a close relative read my literary masterpiece... *shiver* was too close to home. Then again, what did I expect would happen when I'm published?

Having one m/s under my belt, I started working on Bewitching a Highland Rogue and tucked away the memory of Highland Savior. So when my mom asked me to send her Highland Savior so she could read the finished product, I did what any daughter would do in the same situation... I dodged. 

She does not read romance novels. She reads everything else. What would she think of her oldest daughter writing romance? She's never read anything I've written. OMG! What would she think of my love scenes? *cringe* As you know, you can only put off your mother for so long. It did not take her long to call my bluff. 

Stammering a bunch of malarkey, I told her my concerns and she waved me off.   

"I will skip over any sex scenes and just read the rest. Besides, they say to write what you know," she chuckles, winking.

Note: Oh, yes. The dh takes pride in admitting he was the test subject for those scenes ;) 

Men.

Biting the bullet, I attach the m/s and press 'send.' OMG! What was I thinking? What had I done? She hates romance novels. I guess it's just like any other critique and I would just have to suck it up and pray for the best. I immersed myself in writing and forgot about it--intentionally. Oh, God. I wonder if she's at the part where Ciaran... You get the idea.

My phone rings and imagine my surprise and my speechlessness (which does not occur too often) when intense seriousness greets me on the other end. 

"I just called to tell you that I finished your manuscript and I'm just going to tell you honestly what I thought."

Oh, God. Here it comes. She hated it. Why else would she be so serious? *closing eyes and mentally preparing self*

"Once I got through all of the Scottish crap, it was really good."
Note: Mom hates romance novels and Scottish crap.

Recovering, I wipe my brow. "Really? Did you have any trouble with the dialogue?"
Note: I write with a slight Scottish brogue and throw in the occasional Gaelic.

"No! It was a quick read and I was done in four hours. I didn't have any trouble with it. I am not lying to you when I say that I could not put it down. I just had to finish it and know what happened. You tell a really good story. I enjoyed it and I was really impressed. You didn't preach to me or try to teach me a lesson and just entertained me. I even read the sex scenes and thought they were fine. I didn't even have to skip over them."

I had to admit, that was certainly a welcome shock. I guess when it comes down to it, a story is a story regardless of genre. Does it entertain? Romance or not. There's your proof. 

What about you? Do you let your family read your material and what do they think?

Men in Kilts

What could be better than writing about Scottish men in kilts? How about watching Scottish men in kilts?

I had the pleasure of attending the Foxburg Scottish Festival two weeks ago. The weather was steamy, but it could have been the men in kilts ;)

We started the event by sauntering through Clan Row. At the gate, the attendants presented Scotland passports to my kids with all of the clan names that were in attendance. Each clan had a tent set up with historical facts about their individual clan. When you present the passport at each clan tent, they stamp their crest badge into the passport. We had the pleasure of meeting Clan Donald, Clan Montgomery, Clan Campbell, Clan Oliphant, Clan Hay, Clan Stewart, Clan MacKenzie and St. Andrew's Society.

I was extremely pleased they had Clan Campbell and Clan Montgomery in attendance since they both play a part in Highland Savior.

My daughter pokes me and chuckles. "Do you think we should tell the bloody Campbells they are the bad guys in your book?"

For some reason, I did not think they would appreciate the humor. We refrained and kept our Campbell jesting to ourselves. Donna worry. There werenae battles with the verbal sword.  

We proceeded to the Highland games where verra strong men showed off their prowess in the caber toss. Aye, every mon was donned in a kilt! Boy, it was sure H-O-T that day!

 There were several events occurring at one time and we could not get to them all. We had the pleasure of listening to a lone bagpiper. In addition, the festival had a piper band.

Underneath the Scotland flag, a man narrated some of Scotland's history, but the kids got too bored and we walked away as he was speaking about Highland hospitality.

Meandering over to the Scottish tents, my wallet was smoking! Clan jackets, sweaters, tartans, kilts, kilt pins, flashes, scarves, sweatshirts, swords, daggers, sporrans, key chains, stickers... everything simply Scotland. I may have found a few things :)

As I was looking through the tartans, a man approaches his wife and says, "You know? I don't see anything MacGregor."

Needless to say, my daughter and I overhear the conversation and perk up. MacGregor? Wow! We've almost covered everyone in Highland Savior! We exchange a bemused look and smile--well, until the wife replied.  

"Of course there is nothing MacGregor," she spat. "They are nothing but a bunch of murdering thieves." Her nose crinkled up, the words like venom upon her tongue.

My daughter's mouth drops open. "Hey! Did you hear that?"

My eyes shot up. "Yes! Shh... She may stab ye with a dirk! I guess this isnae the place to be a fan of the MacGregor, my wee one."

And that's why the MacGregor's are the heroes in my manuscript. How would you like to be stripped of your name and hunted like dogs just for having the name MacGregor? Off my soap box, but I would have never believed that if I didn't hear it for myself. Geehz! What century was that?

Recovering from the MacGregor hater, I attended a Scottish Gaelic lesson. I am happy to report that my pronunciation was in tact and I was actually able to respond to the instructor with simple greetings and replies. When the kids wanted to go and see the horses, I told them to speak in Gaelic. The guy next to me was quite surprised when my kids replied in unison, "Mar sin leibh an dràsda." Goodbye for now.

On that note, I will leave you with this thought. Beware of spoken words that pass yer lips. Fer ye may ne'er ken who is on the other end to hear them.

A Little Red Dress and a Whisper of Encouragement

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would complete a romance manuscript. I have literally placed almost two years of my life devoted to this project. Sitting back, I sigh. I actually did it. Frankly, that was the easy part compared to now. I'm prepping for the Golden Heart and I will be actively pitching and querying soon. This has been quite an adventure.

When I started writing Highland Savior, I just wanted to get my ideas down. I wasn't even sure this was going to go anywhere. I was probably 1/4 of the way through my manuscript when I joined Romance Writers of America.  Through their wealth of information and on-line courses through my Chapters, I realized something very quickly. Boy, have I got a lot to learn!

Between first lines, beginning and ending hooks, goals, motivation, conflict, character development, pacing, synopsis writing, etc. it's enough to make a sane person crazy. After several edits, rewrites and hard work, it's done!

Frankly, I could have never done this without the support of many people. My husband has made endless dinners while I'm writing or editing. The kids know when 'Mommy is editing.' My CP, Mary Grace, for her unwavering faith in me and the strength to tell me when something really sucks or I wrote something really great.  Beth, my third set of eyes and now lover of everything Scotland--well, men in kilts ;) My late-night panic calls to L. Shannon for some last-minute advice, knowing that night-owl is up all hours of the night working on her next series or twisted plot. 

Whether it was Sabrina Jeffries giving me pointers on back story drop or Hannah Howell giving me advice on synopsis hell, I mean writing ;) , I cannot stress enough how important it is to have support. 

Some of my fellow Chapter members were mentioning that I should now be attending writing conferences and I have to admit, I was a little nervous about taking that next step. Now that I have one m/s under my belt, I need to do this. And just so I don't get cold feet and back out, I already booked my flight for Nationals next year in New York City.

I received a card the other day (pic at the top) from one of my friends and I really need to share her words. Whenever I feel the nervousness settle in or wonder for the millionth time why I'm doing this, I will pull out this card to refresh my memory. I am a romance writer!

* * *

Dear Vicki,

Red is the sign of self-confidence and success.

This is your gown for the formal you will have to wear in New York--the big reward for all the hard work and two years of everything in your heart and soul on paper to be read by millions of people. The satisfaction that people like me will be taken back to a different time, a romance we had or wanted.

The struggle, the passion that will take us with the characters to the ending. Where we will feel (with a sigh and a smile) the warmth of brighter futures, our feelings of love and dreams fulfilled.

Good luck. I will be praying for you.

Love,

Flo

*happy sigh*

Writing Good Luck Charms

Yes, yes....I know I have said it more than once. Sabrina Jeffries is my Regency God.

For all of us aspiring authors, we know how important advice can be from published, well-established writers. We literally hang on their every word, waiting for them to pass on some brilliant piece of knowledge or experience our way. 

When I initially started writing Highland Savior, I tried to gather as much information as I could on how our writing heroes/heroines go about doing it. What do they actually do when they sit down to write? Do they plot? Do they strategize? Do they outline? Do they say a silent prayer before they begin? What are their writing rituals? You get the picture.

It got me to thinking...Did you ever go to a Bingo hall? Did you ever see the Bingo Gods playing with miniature troll dolls displayed around their cards? Colorful trolls with purple, green, yellow and orange hair are strategically placed around their cards--their good luck charms. Does it work? I don't know, but it's their ritual. 

My Regency God actually has William Shakespeare and Jane Austen miniatures next to her work area for inspiration. I think she also has a few others, but I can't remember them all off the top of my head.

Anyway, my poor CP is mentally abused and it's my fault. She has read (and re-read) Highland Savior so many times that I think she recites lines in her sleep. I'll have to ask her husband! Imagine my surprise, when she handed me this Scottish doll today and told me he's for luck. He's even donned in the MacGregor tartan in honor of my hero, Ciaran MacGregor. 

He now stands proudly next to my daggers for inspiration and good luck!

What about you? Do you have any good luck charms? And more importantly, do they work?

Highland Savior Sneak Peek

Eliza Knight had a great post over at Mama Writers today and got my wheels turning.

So often I have also heard the phrase, "Don't piss me off or you'll end up in my next book!" I think anyone who has a creative craft uses real-life experiences to influence them. Whether you're a musician or a writer, I think real-life experiences play an integral part in what you do. 

Eliza's post had me reflecting on my current manuscript, Highland Savior. I would like to say all of my characters are real, but most were masterfully created out of this writer's head. Can you tell I've been editing a lot lately? Yes, yes, only to avoid synopsis writing! 

My heroine, Lady Rosalia Armstrong, was based loosely on my great-grandmother. My great-grandmother, Rosalia (pronounced ro-zal-yah), was a 16 year-old mail-order bride from Czechoslovakia. Her husband, my great-grandfather was 30+ years old. That could be a story in itself!

James Montgomery, Lady Rosalia Armstrong's BFF, was based loosely on my own childhood BFF, Jimmy. To this day, he still blushes when I thank him for all of those years of friendship!

I even threw in some pets!

Magaidh, Lady Rosalia Armstrong's dog, is the name of my sister's dog. Magaidh is Gaelic for Maggie. 15 minutes of fame, Maggie!

Noonie, Lady Rosalia Armstrong's horse, was loosely based on stories I gathered about my mother-in-law's first draft horse.   

Before I give you a sneak peek at Highland Savior, I need to seriously thank my CP, Mary Grace. Your brutally honest critiquing keeps me on my toes. From battle scenes to bedroom scenes, no subject is left unturned! You are awesome!

Highland Savior-Sneak Peek. I pulled out a few lines for your enjoyment! Please note: All material is copyrighted by me. 

* * *

The raucous sounds of laughter and snatches of song filled the air. As he glanced around the hall, men socialized and were dressed in their finery. To him, they all looked like exotic birds—peacocks mayhap. The heat was so unbearable he did not know how the women managed with so many layers of clothing. He pulled at his restricting silk doublet at the thought.

Ciaran and his men stayed within their inner circle and were not interested in courtly conversation. Having no tolerance for nonsense, he tried to blend into the woodwork with Aiden.

A raised, scolding voice caught his attention.

“How many times have I told you to watch that Highland tongue of yours, Rosalia? It makes you sound daft. I will not tolerate your deliberate attempts to thwart your chances with an English gentleman. You are a score and one. How many chances do you think you have left? No one shows interest in you. Did you notice your waistline is much larger than the other women in attendance? I will not tell you again—do as I say or suffer the consequences.”

Ciaran watched the English dragon scamper off, but not before she pinched the woman in the arm. Stains of scarlet appeared on the woman’s cheeks. When her heightened color subsided, her features were arresting. Loose tendrils of tawny hair softened her face. She had more curves than most, but she was a wild beauty.

For a brief moment, her azure eyes met his. He attempted to ease her embarrassment by offering her a gaze that was as soft as a caress. She offered him a small, shy smile and inclined her head in a small gesture of thanks before she walked off in the wake of the fiery beast.

“Och, I pray fer a son,” said Aiden, a suggestion of annoyance hovering in his eyes. “We need women as that on the battlefield—aye, brother? Her venom alone would bring a mon to his knees.”

Ciaran shrugged dismissively, but his eyes still followed the woman.

* * *

Lady Rosalia Armstrong of Mangerton was crimson with resentment and humiliation. She prayed no one heard her mother’s tongue. When she looked up to ensure no one was in earshot, he stood there, devilishly handsome. He exuded masculinity. She did not know who he was, but his profile spoke of power and ageless strength. Even in a crowd, his presence was compelling.

The muscles rippling under his silk doublet had quickened her pulse. She found it impossible not to return his captivating smile. That was the moment she realized he overheard her mother’s words. She became keenly aware of his scrutiny and knew he pitied her. Rosalia had to step away from his observant eyes.

To be continued...

MacGregor Clan

I am in the final stages of my manuscript, Highland Savior. Since my story is loosely based on the MacGregor and Campbell conflicts, I thought it only right to give the MacGregor's their 15 minutes of fame.

Clan Gregor, or Clan MacGregor, is a Highland Scottish clan. The Gaelic version of the MacGregor name is MacGrioghair. Their clan motto is 'S rioghal mo dhream (My race is royal).

Clan Gregor is believed to have originated in Scotland around the 800s. The MacGregor's suggest they take their name from Gregor (derived from the Latin 'Gregorius' and the Late-Greek 'Gregorios' meaning "Alert, Watchful, or Viligent"). Gregor is said to be a son of the Scottish king Alpin II Mac Eochaidh and younger brother Kenneth MacAlpin, Scottish king in 843 A.D. Alpin II was the son of Eochaidh IV 'the Poisonous,' High King of Scots, by his marriage to his cousin, the Pictish Princess Royal, and therefore had claims to the Scottish and Pictish Thrones.

They fought at the Battle of Bannockburn under chief Malcolm MacGregor during the 14th century. The MacGregor's suffered a reversal of fortune when the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, granted the barony of Loch Awe, which included the majority of MacGregor lands, to the chief of Clan Campbell. The Campbells, a greedy lot, ejected the MacGregor's from these lands. The MacGregor's fought the Campbells for decades and eventually lost their lands. Reduced to the status of outlaws, no thanks to the Campbells, they rustled cattle and poached deer to survive.

Iain of Glenstrae died in 1519 with no direct heirs. Clan Gregor was in disarray and the powerful Campbells asserted claim to the last remaining MacGregor lands. In 1560, the Campbells dispossessed Gregor Roy MacGregor, who waged war on the Campbells for ten years before being captured and killed. 

Argyle and his clan henchmen were given the task of hunting the MacGregor's down. After suffering severe losses, the MacGregor's were finally overcome.

The Battle of Glen Fruin took place in 1603. The MacGregor's were again victorious and defeated five hundred Clan Colquhoun men, three hundred of them that were on horseback, by four hundred MacGregor's. 

The MacGregor's were formally banished in 1603 by King James VI who made it a capitol offense to bear the MacGregor name. If they did not renounce their name, they were to suffer death. From this period comes the clan's most historical figure, Rob Roy.

Clan Gregor scattered and many of them took other names such as Murray, King, or Grant. They were hunted like animals, flushed out of the heather by bloodhounds. Such persecution continued of the MacGregors until 1774 when they were permitted to be reestablished.