I always get this compelling urge at the change of seasons to grab a pencil and pad and head outdoors to record the details of the passing season before forgotten and to capture the transformation occurring. No other equinox creates a stronger desire in me than summer to autumn.

Maybe it’s because my creative writing professor, whose class I took in the fall semester, gave my class an assignment doing just that. She instilled in me the importance of using sensory perception in my writing—all five senses.

In the task, after we wrote down all the visual details that popped at us, we were instructed to take notes blindly. Yes, with our eyes closed. It is amazing how our other senses become much more acute when one or two are shut down. Sounds that escape you everyday become apparent. Words to describe the things you touch will go beyond soft, hard, cold or hot. You’ll find the sunshine and the breeze has a taste. Odors are the most powerful in bringing lost memories to the forefront of your mind. You can use them to divulge a bit of character’s back story.

After we wrote all we could using the other four senses, we had to open our eyes and rewrite the visual using different terms. The world really does look different the second time around.

I’ve heard a great novelist uses all five senses on every page. I’ve yet to find any of my favorite authors doing so, but I do see they do at every opportunity. They make the world they’re building and the characters they’re drawing so real by using subtle meticulous details.

So, today, on the first full-day of autumn, join me. Grab your pad and pencil and head outside. Capture the world around you and then review the pages you’re working on and see where you’ve missed the opportunity to flesh out your world and characters. Come back and tell me something new you experienced.

Every woman has a different vision of how their fantasy man will both look and act. Like yummy snacks, not all of us crave the sweet. Some of us lean toward the savory or the even the zesty hot type. And still, sometimes we go to the dark side and crave the unusual morsel or even both at once?

In EVIL’S WITNESS, which releases at THE WILD ROSE PRESS today (June 18), I have several male characters, but two are images from my fantasies. You got it. My hero, John Dolton, and my villain, Victor. While both men are physically different and John would turn my head first, they both possess traits I find attractive.

Emotionally, John is a tortured, rogue agent. Sort of a badass kind of guy. He likes to get down and dirty, but he cleans up real nice. This quiet type always, always gets me. I don’t care if he is an FBI agent or a cowboy or regency count. My heart pounds. I want to save them from a life of loneliness. And John’s dark, soulful eyes… Well let’s just say I could stare into them forever.

Excerpts from Evil’s Witness:
…“And this is Agent Dolton.” Zohara indicated the man who stopped in mid-pace and faced the large pane mirror.

The gun which hugged the center of the man’s back made Stephanie shiver.

He turned and his coal-colored eyes traced over her.

She openly returned his assessment. Except for the gun, he didn’t look like an FBI agent. He wore his dark brown hair longer than she thought allowed by the FBI, curling at his shirt’s collar. His square jaw was shadowed with dark stubble. His casual light blue shirt pulled across his chest and looked as if it came from the dryer and not the dry cleaners. He wore jeans, well worn….
**********

Victor on the other hand, projects the persona of well groomed professional. Tall, olive-skinned, polished men always catch my eye. More than their good looks, I think it’s their air of confidence that draws me to them. And Victor is very confident.

Tidbit from Evil’s Witness:

Did the FBI think he was stupid?

Holding a bouquet of daisies, Victor leaned against the counter while a nurse checked for the room number of a Myrtle Haupt and glanced down the corridor checking where Steph Boyd was roomed. The room was easy to spot. An armed guard barricaded the door.

“Keeping track of patient’s names day in and day out is almost impossible,” Nurse Lillian Michaels said, glancing up at him with a shy smile.

“I’m sorry to take up your time. I’m sure you are very busy.” Victor smiled back. He knew the woman was impressed with him and planned to use her innocence to the fullest.

“Here she is. Mrs. Haupt is in room D133.” Her gaze dropped to the flowers. “Beautiful flowers.”

“Yes. My great aunt’s favorite. I know she might not know me but I’m hoping the flowers will help. She used to help me pick wild daisies for my mother when we visited at my grandfather’s farm.” Victor inhaled as if the memories were almost too much for him to bear, straightened and with a mask of confusion said, “D133. Which way is that?”

“I can show you. I’m going that way.” She grabbed a tray filled with paper cups.

“That would be so kind of you.”

They strolled down the hall, chatting. The agent gave them a minute amount of attention as they passed by, but Victor knew if the agent was worth anything he’d memorized a full description of him….
*********

While Victor tried his best to take over the story, John won out and my heroine Stephanie went for John of course.

Excerpt from Evil’s Witness

“Shh.” John’s hands found her hips and pulled her even closer—hip to hip. The butt of his gun poked her ribs. No protective vests shielded her from the feel of him.

His burning gaze told her of his plan only a moment before his lips, full and hot, crushed hers.

His hands trailed down her backside, lifting her into him. She ran her hands up his strong arms. The world reeled away, leaving her and John alone, enjoying the warm comfort of each other as their bodies molded together.

“Hey! Hey, buddy. What are you doing there?” A man called from a short distance.

John pulled back. Instantly the air between them cooled and Stephanie shivered, wanting more of him.

“Calm down, Mac. The lady and I are on a coffee break. Right, babe?”

Dazed, her gaze locked with his. She knew what he wanted from her.

“Miss?” The stocky man wearing a bloody butcher’s apron glanced at her purse before his hard glare landed on John. The man’s burly arms hosted clamped fists and his stance changed. He was ready to pounce on John at her word.

“Leave us alone. We’ve only got ten minutes.” Stephanie slowly laced her arms around

John’s neck and flashed a wicked smile at the man. She went up on her toes and buried her face in John’s neck and nibbled away, enjoying the salty taste of him.

So what type of man turns you on? Come one tell me. In celebration of my release today, I'm going to give one lucky commenter a download of my last release OBSESSED BY WILDFIRE. You can be anywhere in the world, but you must be 18 to receive, since the story is rated spicy. I'll post the winner Saturday noon EST, right here on this blog. So come on, tell me what's your fanasty man like?


EVIL’S WITNESS available from The Wild Rose Press, Barnes & Noble and Amazon NOW!


Visit Autumn Jordon at www.autumnjordon.com

Trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WrmpGf4l8

No part of this post may be copied or reproduced without the expressed permission of the author, Autumn Jordon.

It’s snowing in my area of the world today. A great day to keep my fingers on the keyboard, but where and how will I find inspiration?

IDEA! Brainstorming.

Let’s kick the muse kick out of bed.

How do we do that while stuck inside, you ask?

Simple. Pictures.

Look at each of the pics below and using the picture write the opening line or lines for a book. Do as many as you want. Make them as long as you want.

Come on. You can do it? Let’s have some fun.


#1






#2







#3



#4








#5








I’ll kick us off. Off the top of my head quick one liners as I need to get this posted. LOL.


#1 “She’s forming.”
#2 Ally Chase took the drop of Satan’s blood on her tongue like a good angel.
#3 She felt as old as the turtle in the tank.
#4 “Olives and spaghetti. Are you pregnant again?”
#5 “If only he had known, their kiss this morning would be their last.”



Autumn Jordon
2009 Golden Heart Finalist
www.autumnjordon.com
Obsessed By Wildfire voted best book of the week at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm

We’re in for a treat today! Meet our guest, Roxanne St. Claire. We’re barely a year old and already we have this fabulous guest.

Roxanne St. Claire is a bestselling, RITA-Award winning author of twenty-two novels of romance and suspense. She currently writes a popular romantic suspense series called “The Bullet Catchers” that features a cadre of bodyguards and security professionals. Her books have won many prestigious awards, and are routinely selected by Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs as featured selections. In addition to the RITA, her books have won the National Reader’s Choice Award, the Daphne Du Maurier Award, the Maggie Award, the Booksellers Best, the Book Buyers Best, The HOLT Medallion, multiple Awards of Excellence, and Borders “Top Pick” for Romance in 2007. In 2008, readers are enjoying the first “Bullet Catcher Trilogy” featuring three connected stories titled First You Run, Then You Hide and Now You Die.

Prior to launching a full time career as a romance novelist, Roxanne spent nearly two decades as a marketing executive and public relations consultant. She is a graduate of UCLA, a national speaker and workshop presenter at the regional and national level, and active in several chapters of the Romance Writers of America. She counts among her many accomplishments a brief acting career that included appearances on two classic television shows, and hosting one talk show. She lives in Florida, with her husband and two children. Visit her web site at www.roxannestclaire.com

Please welcome Roxanne St Claire, our very special guest blogger for this week. Her friends call her Rocki.

Hello Pink Fuzzies and thank you so much for the warm welcome to your fledgling blog. I’m honored to be here, among some of my favorite authors and good friends. These days, you can find me straddling two worlds: the ecstasy of a brand new release in the book stores and the agony of writing the last 20,000 words on a manuscript. I’m thrilled that the latest in my Bullet Catchers series, NOW YOU DIE, is in stores everywhere, and tickled to be getting such a positive response from readers. On the other hand, I’m at that critical point in a romantic suspense when there is non-stop action, lots of loose ends that need to be tied, a huge emotional juggernaut to get through, and…a deadline looming like an oncoming train and I’m tied to the railroad.

Mary asked me to answer a few questions today, which I’m delighted to do, and I’ll also pop in throughout the day, check your comments and answer any questions blog readers might have about writing, life, bodyguards, whatever!!

What was your first published book and who is the publisher?

My first book, a romantic suspense called TROPICAL GETAWAY, was published by Pocket Books in 2003. I’d spent about two years in Submission and Rejection Hell, and my first book was NOT my first manuscript. (That never sold!) Since then, I’ve celebrated the release of nine more romantic suspense novels, ten category romances, one chick lit, and three novellas. It’s been a VERY busy five years!!

Currently I write a series of romantic suspense books, still with Pocket Books, called “The Bullet Catchers.” This is an elite cadre of hot, sexy, fearless bodyguards and investigators run by a very shrewd and gorgeous woman. I’ve had six stand alone books released in the series, and the last three were “a trilogy within the series” – which was a lot of fun and very challenging to write.

What themes go through your books?

I don’t really think about the theme of the book until it’s done, or nearly done, then the theme becomes clear to me. Certain elements are always found in my books: strong external conflict that drives both the story and the problems within the romance; high profile characters/premises that include glamorous settings, international drama, and “big” crimes; and, finally, a delicate balance of romance and suspense, assuring my readers that they will get equal parts of both, the two aspects so intertwined that you can’t have one without the other.

How did you write with kids and deadlines?

It ain’t easy. ☺ When I was first starting, my children were 3 and 7, so I wrote early in the mornings or late at night. When my daughter entered preschool and kindergarten, I wrote every minute they were in school. Now my kids are 11 and 15 (HOW did that happen????) so I write while they’re in school, and even when they’re home. I also have an incredible secret weapon: my husband is retired and he shops, cooks, and chauffeurs the kids to all of their activities while I write. And he doesn’t just “cook” – he’s a gourmet chef! Go ahead, hate me. I understand.

How many other jobs have you held? There are some mentioned in your bio, but we want details.

Before I became a full time writer, I was an executive in public relations and marketing. I had a fantastic career that included many years as a Senior Vice President of the world’s largest public relations firm, and a very successful consulting business that I started when my son was born. I really loved the business of promotion and publicity, and, of course, that’s helped me a lot in this career. But I was quite happy to hang up my panty hose and say goodbye to the corporate world when I started writing. However, being in PR and marketing was great fun – it exposed me to dozens and dozens of different businesses and clients, and I’ve used a lot of that in my writing. Of course, it gave me some promotional tools that I use today. And, I traveled the world and met unforgettable people who I greedily use as characters. But now, I’m perfectly happy to write and be a mom.

Oh, yes, I was also an actress – and I can be seen briefly on TV shows like Bosom Buddies and LaVerne & Shirley!!!

What do you love most about writing and what do you not like?

I hate writing. Did someone say I loved writing? They lied! I do, however, love to REWRITE and I could do that all day and all night. But fresh writing – the blank page? It *terrifies* me. Writing is hard work. I just finished a love scene and, for fun, I calculated hours/pages. It took me 17 hours, total, to write a 14 page chapter that included the build up, the foreplay, the love scene, the aftermath, and the hook. And I haven’t even started the rewrite, edit, and polish on that scene. Writing is so hard! I do love when the book is finished and all I have to do is shine ‘er up. I love to hear from readers, to see my book in stores, and to fall in love with every new hero. (No matter how many hours it takes to give him a night he won’t forget!!!)

What are you writing now?

I’m writing another Bullet Catcher book that will be out in the summer of 2009. It’s Dan Gallagher’s book, in case there are any fans out there, and I’d love to say “it’s a blast” but see the above paragraph. It’s sheer hell on a daily basis, but I pray that it will all come together and be one of my best. I hope!!!

Also, I’m very busy promoting the trilogy that came out this year. The three books are FIRST YOU RUN, THEN YOU HIDE and NOW YOU DIE. They are all Bullet Catcher books, and each one can and does stand alone. However, there is a mystery story thread that starts in the first, gets knotted up in the second, and is untangled in the third. That was very challenging to write, but I’m thrilled with the final outcome and hope readers are, too.

What would you write if you could do write anything you wanted to write?

The End.

Seriously, I love finishing a book. That is my Happy Day. All the questions are answered, all the conflict is resolved, all the bad guys are destroyed, the happily ever after is complete and All Is Good In My World.

I love writing romantic suspense, but I also love other genres. I’ve done a lot of category books (Silhouette Desire) and although I’m not doing any now, I expect to again, one day. I love reading Young Adult and think I would totally enjoy writing it. I just want to *write* for the rest of my life, and I’m thrilled to have a job where I get to do it every day. And no pesky panty hose!!

Go ahead, Fuzzies. Ask me anything and I’ll be by all day. One commenter will win FIRST YOU RUN!

Xoxo
Rocki