Why Romantic Suspense for K.M. Daughters?

      Happy New Year dear fellow writers and readers! What a wonderful way to begin 2012 – with you. For K.M. Daughters the turn of the calendar represents a figurative career blank page. Although we look forward to writing new stories in new genres this year and in years to come, we wrote the last page in the Sullivan Boys romantic suspense novels in 2011.

      The series closes with the release of In The St. Nick Of Time. The five-novel-journey took us from first call (!!!!!) on January 26, 2008 to now. We had the luxury and privilege of working with the same Editor, Joelle Walker, on each of the five installments. Equal parts cheerleader, champion, grammar usage encyclopedia, comedian, and dear heart, Joelle invaluably guided our growth as writers. We dedicated “St. Nick” to her, of course.

        Why do three “normal” (if the adjective might apply to writers and editors in the first place) and law-abiding women enjoy closeting with psycho nutcases on crime sprees utilizing assorted weaponry? 

        As authors and readers, the pacing of RS is irresistible to us, as is the battle of wits and the inherent conflicts in apprehending the bad guys while the good guys juggle conflicts in their personal lives. Writing twisted, homicidal villains is fascinating. Apprehending them provides the satisfying secondary climax to a dreamy happily ever after.

        In this last book we explored the workings of a killer so cunning that three deaths occurred before the authorities categorized them as homicides, single parenthood, grieving spouses and parents, reverse bias in on-the-job nepotism and a hero/heroine both engaged in law enforcement. We had tremendous fun – especially in creating demented “Christmas carol” poetry. And as expressed in a promo quote for this book we penned, “Watch out Santa! Nobody’s safe with K.M. Daughters,” we secured Santa’s top spot on the elusive killer’s hit list.

Watch out Santa! Nobody’s safe with K.M. Daughters!

         But the evolution of the Sullivan family was our overall favorite aspect in creating the series. Incidentally, the series itself didn’t spring to mind fully formed. Danny Sullivan (hero in Book 1, Against Doctors Orders) happened to be one of six siblings trained in law enforcement, children of a retired police commissioner. After finishing book 1, Joe Sullivan and Bobbie Leighton (secondary characters in the first installment) haunted us to continue with their story. And so it went consecutively with the family ladies man, Brian, and the super-achiever, Patrick. We had thought that we finished the Sullivan saga with Book 4, All’s Fair In Love And Law. But Kay Sullivan Lynch, a grief-stricken widow at the beginning of that installment, later asked, “What about me?”

        We loved writing about the complexities, family resistance and myriad challenges associated with Kay’s return to the police force and her second chance at love. Despite the fact that we hadn’t originally planned to tell Kay’s story, it seems just right that the last Sullivan boy is a girl.  

~ K.M. Daughters

www.kmdaughters.com/

Auld Lang Syne and Other New Year's Traditions by Kimberly Gardner

That New Year's Song
Kimberly Gardner

“I mean, 'Should old acquaintance be forgot'? Does that mean that we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we happened to forget them, we should remember them, which is  not possible because we already forgot?”
-- Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally

In Times Square the sparkling crystal ball begins its descent as all over people start counting down. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six ... When at last the clock strikes midnight, we blow horns, shake
noisemakers, raise glasses and lock lips with the one we love, or the one we love for the moment anyway. Then someone starts to sing and we all join in.

Should old acquaintance be forgot 
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot 
and days o' auld lang syne?

This is the first verse of "Auld Lang Syne." It's the only verse that's sung on a regular basis, probably because it's the only verse most people know. But where did this New Year's song come from and what the heck does it mean?

The song began as a poem penned by Scottish poet Robert Burns after he heard it sung by an old man from the Ayrshire region of Scotland. It was first published in the 1796 book, Scots Musical Museum. Several verses appear to have been taken from an earlier poem by James Watson called "Old Long Syne."

But it was bandleader Guy Lombardo who popularized the song and made it a New Year's tradition when he and his band, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, played it at the Roosevelt Hotel New Year's Eve celebration in 1929. Subsequently the song was played every New Year's Eve by Lombardo at the stroke of midnight, first from the Roosevelt Hotel until 1966 then from the Waldorf Astoria until 1976.


New Year's traditions around the world

From Scotland, the birthplace of Auld Lang Syne, we also get the tradition of Hogmanay. One of the traditions associated with this celebration is known as "first-footing." After the new year has been rung in, neighbors visit one another and exchange good wishes for the coming year. The traditional gifts for Hogmanay were coal (for the fire) or shortbread. It is considered especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year is rung in.

The Japanese New Year's celebration is Oshogatsu. In December, various Bonenkai or "forget-the-year parties" are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a new beginning. It is a time for forgiving past misunderstandings and cleansing. At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times, in a effort to expel 108 types of human weakness.

In Spain the New Year's ritual is to eat twelve grapes at midnight. The tradition is meant to secure twelve months of happiness and prosperity in the coming year.

In Greece, New Year's day is also the Feastday of St. Basil, one of the founders of the Greek  Orthodox Church. St. Basil's cake or Vassilopitta is served. A silver or gold coin is baked into the cake and whoever gets the coin in their slice is said to have good luck in the coming year.

New Year's traditions at home

New York

Perhaps the best known tradition in the United States is the dropping of the New Year Ball in Times Square, New York City. At 11:59 P.M., thousands gather in the cold to watch the ball make its  one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. The original ball was made of iron and wood; the current ball is made of Waterford Crystal, weighs 1,070 pounds, and is six feet in diameter.

Key West, Florida

For those who prefer to celebrate in shorts and flipflops rather than mittens and snow boots, Key West has its own take on the midnight drop. Every year thousands of people gather to welcome the New Year with the "drop" of a renowned female impersonator perched in a super-sized ruby slipper.
Suspended high above spectators on the island city's famed Duval Street, lavishly gowned drag queen Sushi, whose real name is Gary Marion, has ruled the annual festivities at the Bourbon Street Pub/New Orleans House complex every year since 1996.

Seconds before midnight, the red heel carrying Sushi is lowered from the complex's balcony toward the crowd below. As midnight strikes, she pops the cork on a ceremonial bottle of champagne to welcome in the New Year. (video)


In my New Year's Eve theme novella, Drag And Drop, releasing today as part of the MLR 42 Days of Holiday Stories, a young drag performer struggles with whether to reveal his penchant for lipstick and lace to his new love. Set against a backdrop of New Year's Eve in Key West, the story has a little angst, a little heat and lots of yummy m/m romance.

So wherever you may find yourself this New Year's Eve -- eating grapes in Spain or visiting  neighbors in Scotland; counting down in Times Square or sipping champagne with Sushi on Duval Street -- take a moment to recall the past, anticipate the future and maybe treat yourself to some holiday romance from MLR.

And keep an eye out for that darkly handsome stranger, because you never know what the New Year might bring.

Happy New Year!



Kimberly Gardner is the author of four novels and a dozen novellas. She is honored to be part of the 42 Days of Holiday Stories from MLR Press with her New Year’s novella, Drag and Drop, releasing today.

You can visit Kimberly on her web site, www.kimberlygardner.com; on Facebook; @kimberauthor on Twitter and on the blog Fiction With Friction.

‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE NEW YEAR’S by Sarah Raplee

(with apologies to Henry Livingston, Charles Dickens and Dr. Seuss)

‘Twas the night before New Year’s, and all through my home,

There was no one awake; I was up all alone.

My husband reclined with the cat on his lap,

Dog dozed on the hearth near the fire’s pop and snap.

I curled on the couch, read romance on my Kindle

And hoped that my horrible funk would soon dwindle.

I munched on dark chocolate, drank peppermint tea,

And mourned opportunities now lost to me.

When out on the deck someone pounded the wood,

I shivered and wondered who’s up to no good?

On my way to the kitchen I shook like a leaf,

Afraid I’d discover a big scary thief.

The rain-soaked boards glistened in the porch light,

Shadows danced gracefully through the black night.

Then what to my sleep-deprived eyes did appear,

But a wizened old man sporting two pointy ears!

He was dressed all in brown, wore a cape of gold feathers,

His angelic smile split a face of tanned leather.

I instantly recognized Old Father Time,

He waved a bright wand and then sang out this rhyme:

 

Fee, fie, foe, fum!

It’s New Year’s Eve; Why so glum?

You’ve blessings a-plenty to celebrate

And time to re-live them—it’s just half past eight!

Then, dancing a jig, he crossed the red rug

And grabbed my cold fingers and gave a hard tug.

When magic exploded like fireworks around us,

I couldn’t believe the next place that I found us!

Intensive Care Nursery, babe wrapped in fleece,

Doctor-signed papers that gave her release.

My tiniest granddaughter would be okay,

My heart swelled to bursting with joy on that day.

In dribbles and drabs,

In bits and in bites,

Father Time showed me blessings

The rest of the night.

I’ve family closer, good friends within reach,

Trips to the desert, the plains, and the beach.

Living my passion for words as I age,

Entwined with my husband, my heroic sage.

So many hours later back home by the fire,

My spirits could not have been lifted much higher.

I gave Time a hug to express my elation

And thanked him for spiritual recalibration.

“You are welcome,” he said. “But now I must fly!

Then, in the magical blink of an eye

He was gone and I gazed at the clock on a shelf

And I laughed when I saw it in spite of myself.

‘Twas the morning of New Year’s; cat stretched & dog yawned,

I told my dear husband the old year was gone.

“But the new! Oh, the New Year has come, full of promise!”

A toast and a tumble in bed paid it homage.

So to all you sad people I say, “Never fear!”

Contemplate, meditate, celebrate the New Year!


© Sarah Raplee, 2011. All rights reserved.

10 Joys of the Season

Happy Holidays to All

Here are my 10 Joys of the Season, small and not-so-small pleasures that always make me smile. Think about your 10 joys and appreciate this wonderful time of year.

#1 The Smell of the Douglas Fir Trees in the Christmas Tree Lot. This year I didn't even buy a tree because we weren't going to be around enough, but I did stop at the tree lot to inhale deeply that holiday scent.

#2 Going to the Post Office. This is the one time of year I really look forward to going to the post office. I look forward to opening the holiday cards and occasionally finding a package. It's like it's your birthday every day.

#3 Fudge! It's the only time of year I allow myself a piece or two of fudge. Seems like I'm perpetually on a diet, but between Christmas and New Year's I indulge.

#4 Christmas Songs! I love walking through the grocery store with Christmas music on, not because I love the music so much, but because I catch other people walking up and down the aisles singing. The other day an older gentleman was quietly singing Jingle Bell Rock. I couldn't stop smiling.

#5 Snow! I grew up in Southern California where the only snow was on the Christmas cards. Now, while I still live in Southern Cal, I live in the mountains at 7,000 feet and we get snow, sometimes too much snow. But that blanket of white around Christmas makes me feel like I'm living inside of one of my favorite Christmas songs.

#6 Family. My family is weird. We like to get together for days at the holidays, not just one day. So we showed up on Friday morning and didn't leave until Monday afternoon. With 22 people, that's a big crowd but somehow it all works. Getting together with friends and family is my favorite part of the holiday.

#7 Quiet. After being around family and friends non-stop, gives me a new appreciation for moments of quiet.

#8 Something New. We all get something new around this time of year. Whether you buy it as a special treat for yourself or you received it as a gift, the newness of the thing makes it special. This year I got a new flannel shirt, yummy and warm. I could hardly wait to wear it and am wearing it right now. Within a few weeks it'll be just another thing in my closet, so I'm enjoying the newness of it right now.

#9 A Good Book. Something about curling up on a cold winter's day--a warm blanket tucked around your feet, a fire cracking--reading a good book that brings great joy. When I'm writing, I can't read, so I save up a stack of books to be read when I'm finished with my next project. My husband bought me three books for Christmas and I've dived into the first one already. Ahhh to lose yourself in a good book!

#10 A Warm Drink. I have several that I only drink at this time of year. First, my favorite, Baily's and coffee. Add that with the good book and I'm set for the afternoon. My second favorite is for if I'm feeling a bit under the weather and that's a hot toddy. Here's my recipe for those who have the sniffles or just want to warm up a bit.

Hot Toddy
Make yourself a cup of tea. Black tea is best for this recipe.
Add a tablespoon on honey,
A squeeze of half a lemon,
One shot of Bourbon.

This wonderful concoction will cure what ails you or at least make you not care so much that you feel under the weather.

Thanks for sharing my 10 Joys of the season. Drop me a line and tell me some of yours!

Worlds Apart/Worlds Together

Worlds Apart/Worlds Together

George Guthridge

I am writing this from Thailand, my second home – it’s winter in Alaska, you know – and lately have been thinking about verisimilitude and about smurfs.

A long time before the little blue Smurfs hit television, Theodore Sturgeon – one of the greatest science fiction short story writers the field ever produced – defined a smurf this way (I am paraphrasing here, but I’m pretty sure it’s close to verbatim: “If you create an alien, but it looks like a rabbit, smells like a rabbit, and acts like a rabbit, then calling it a smurf won’t make it an alien.”

When I read romance paranormals and romance science fiction I come to those subgenres with the eye of someone who has been publishing science fiction since 1976 and horror since 1980.   And while I often admire the romance portion of the writing, I find that the science fiction and paranormal elements sometimes are lacking in verisimilitude or otherwise haven’t been thought out carefully.  

A secondary problem is that for the hero to be appealing in, say, a vampire or werewolf story, then there is a conundrum: to be sympathetic he often is set up to forgo human blood or human flesh.  He sticks to supping on animals.  Hmmm.  But that creates a fundamental problem: he isn’t a vampire or werewolf anymore.  He’s what we call . . . well, human.  

The situation is exacerbated when science fiction is involved.  If an alien looks like a human, smells like a human, and acts like a human, then calling him a Whaptiliz from Planet X isn’t going to make him alien.  And yet to make him alien isn’t going to make him very appealing as a hero you’d want to kiss.  (Of course, all of that is resolved if the hero is Captain Kirk or some similar figure, which is the route most writers take, but then the situation has taken a step back from being the heart of science fiction, which involves the clash between cultures.)

So what to do what to do what to do.

I will tell you what I did three decades ago.

I chickened out.

In science fiction I started out writing about other worlds.  They are extremely difficult to build well – and world-building in the science fiction genre must be more exact and scientifically accurate than that in science fiction romance.  After all, readers who focus on the romance are apt to overlook scientific or sociological inaccuracies.  SF readers don’t.  They’re an unforgiving lot.

I got tired of the world-building.  Editors said I was very good at it, but my interest lay in building characters and I was spending the bulk of my writing energy worrying about the world in which those characters resided.

Then one day the obvious hit me.  Why was I working so hard creating alien worlds when all sorts of “alien worlds” are right now on earth?  In fact, my wife is a registered alien – she is Thai – so that’s not all that far-fetched.  Of course, she feels I’m a real alien, but that’s another story.

In college I majored in English but minored in anthropology.   So I began setting my stories in this world, but in other cultures.  Doing so enabled me to engage in a lot of research, something I love.  My first attempt was a story set among the Gwi, a Bushman tribe.  I am proud to say that to create the verisimilitude I went to the length of finding a Gwi/Japanese dictionary (no Gwi/English dictionary existed at the time, and still might not, for all I know) and then had a friend translate the Japanese to English.  The story revolved around the Gwi belief that the moon is hollow and that you go there when you die.  It involved a real woman named U! – she was alive when I wrote the story (incidentally, the exclamation point indicates a glottal stop) – who discovers that the moon isn’t at all like what she previously thought.

The story immediately sold to one of the two top magazines in the field, was reprinted in half a dozen anthologies, and was a finalist for both of science fiction top honors . . . and I knew I was onto something.

Since then I have published stories set in Germany, Ethiopia, South Africa, British Columbia, Alaska, Russia, Namibia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Mexico, Greenland, Las Vegas (about as other-worldly as you can get!), and Madagascar.  My fourth novel, which also was set in Madagascar, won the world horror award, and I am now writing two more Madagascar novels – a contemporary romance, and a fantasy romance.  Doing fiction set in other worlds that are this world enables me to explore the clash between cultures and at the same time concentrate on the clash between the hero and heroine.

The 12 Days of Christmas, a bad dream or a real message?

Have you ever wondered what's with that crazy song The 12 Days of Christmas? I mean really, what do all the birds and the funky people have to do with Christmas anyway?

Here's the meaning behind all those bizarre lyrics:

From 1558 until about 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, and a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ in the manger.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.


So the next time you hear that song, remember those who were not allowed to openly worship their faith, and be grateful for those who paved the way to religious freedom in America, and many other countries, today.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that your New Year will be filled with fun and friendship.