Canadian Bestselling Author Sharon Page

I'm Sharon Page, author of over 20 Regency historical romances and now two 20th century historical women's fiction novels—An American Duchess and The Worthington Wife, both published by Harlequin HQN.

Research Trip to England

I’ve had many fun experiences as an author, but taking a research trip through England was one of the most enjoyable. My plan was three-pronged: to see Regency settings in London, the streets where Jack the Ripper prowled (for a future book idea), and the moors of Dartmoor.

My research on Dartmoor would lead to my first major self-published book, Escape with a Rogue. (The gorgeous cover is by Croco Designs.)

 Here's one of my first views of the moors:

Here's the blurb for Escape with a Rogue:

Can a gently bred young lady prove that a notorious gaming hell owner who escaped from prison is innocent of murder? Wrongfully convicted, Jack Travers has spent two years in jail, first on a dismal prison hulk, then in isolated Dartmoor Prison. Can Lady Madeline Ashby heal his wounded heart and troubled soul?

In the story, Lady Madeline is determined to prove Jack’s innocence and she helps him escape Dartmoor Prison. At that time, local farmers brought in their goods for market days, a fact that allows Madeline a chance to sneak in.

Above is the entry gate to the prison. I stayed in a lovely inn that was the former prison governor’s house. I was able to walk in my character’s shoes—even following a track across the moors that I use for their escape route. All went well until I found a fork in the trail. Desperate, I even asked the sheep for directions and they weren’t impressed. In the end, I made a choice—fortunately it was the right one.

The moors are still remarkably desolate. There are many dangerous bogs.

Back in London, I toured Mayfair and even went up to the front steps of White’s Gentlemen’s Club on St. James’s Street, a setting I have used in many Regency England-set romances. A friend and I took our pictures there (though the doorman came out and told us it was for members only).

It was a dream trip. I took hundreds of photographs to have for reference (including the ones here). And the research came in handy for my latest book, The Worthington Wife, set in the 1920s in England.

Thanks so much for having me here.

Sharon

About the Author

Sharon Page is a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller of historical romance. She has also penned two romantic women’s fiction titles, An American Duchess and The Worthington Wife. A mother of two, she lives in Canada.

See all of Sharon's novels on her website www.SharonPage.com. 

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Fair, Fair, Oh, how I love Fairs!!!

by Diana McCollum


Diana writes paranormal romance, always with a happily ever after. In her latest book "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo" you'll find a heroine and hero to root for as they fight against an evil force set on killing all life in the oceans. Along the way are colorful characters. A teenage mermaid with pink hair who can come on land for short periods of time,  an octopus familiar named James, and a host of others.




A great summer read, "The Witch with the Trident Tattoo".


Fairs have been around since before 500 B.C. Fairs were mentioned in the bible as places to socialize and sell goods.

Over time, the fair morphed away from religion and commerce and into periodic gatherings attended by crafters, food brokers, clothing stalls and livestock for show and sale. People bartered for, and exchanged goods, not that much money changed hands, but lots of goods did.

The actual first date of the original fair is unknown. 

The first fair in America was recorded in 1765, in Windsor, Nova Scotia. In 1792, the first fair of Niagara was held, by the Niagara Agricultural Society. Both of these fairs still occur each year right through the present day.

Today, there are around 2,000 fairs each year in North America.

Now days fairs include, but are not limited to: food, shows, rodeos, games to play for prizes, carnival rides, 4-H exhibits, horticulture, livestock, all kinds of new innovated things for sale!

Personally, I love the fair! Hubby and I try to go every year. Here in Deschutes County there is one day , usually opening day, when seniors get in free. We missed that day this year, hubby wasn’t feeling well, but did go the next day to walk through the exhibits. 

What I learned is there are so, so many talented people in this world. From paintings by 13-year-old kids to gorgeous photography to quilts that are definitely a work of art, it humbled me to see all the creations by everyday amateur individuals.

Most exciting, unusual thing we saw? A couple cowboys riding Long Horn Bulls through the streets of the fairgrounds!

Most beautiful craft was this quilt.

Most beautiful flower? This two toned gladiola. 

The most exotic thing? This Styrofoam head decorated with food and flowers.

Do you have a fair near you, and if you do, what do you like doing the best? For me it’s the inside exhibits, including the animal barns.

My Writing Dream Come True by Lynn Lovegreen

I’ve been lucky enough to have many writing dreams come true. When I first started writing, my dream was to finish a book. Once I did that, thanks to NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org), then my dream was to write a good book, one people would want to read. After many years of writing, critiquing, and revising, I did write a decent novel, which became Fools Gold.

The next, and in some ways the hardest, step was to reach my dream of being published. After lots of learning and rejections, I entered a blurb contest at savvyauthors.com and found my publisher. Prism Book Group had great editors and helped me polish my novel and several others in my Gold Rush series. My words were released into the world! It was a thrill to see my books in print and have readers enjoy them.

But businesses change, and after a while my publisher was bought by another, and my books went out of print. I’m not crushed by this, any more than I was by all the rejections and setbacks before this. I have a new writing dream, to get my WWII series published. And I’m sure I can make that happen, with the same perseverance and dedication to my craft I’ve had all along.

I love writing, and I will keep at it. My biggest, overall writing dream is for my words to touch readers, to inspire them to keep going and reach their own dreams, whatever they may be. 

First posted at www.lynnlovegreen.com

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for almost fifty years. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

#RWA2018 and Inclusion

Hi everyone! 

I am YA, and now MG author Barbara Binns , writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. My tagline tells you what I am about - Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  My debut middle grade novel, Courage, was recently published by Harper Collins.

Romance circles are going crazy discussing the Romance Writers of America's 2018 conference. Many of the comments centers around the speech on Inclusion given by Suzanne Brockmann as she received a Life Time Achievement Award from RWA. She spoke of things she had kept inside her heart for years under the direction of industry professionals and earlier RWA leadership. That left her torn inside by the internal strife silence had on herself and her conscious.

A lot of people have been saying, Me Too.

So have I.

Racism, classism, homophobia and other isms are rife in the world, and in the romance community. The place where love is expected to conquer all, remains one of the last places in the publishing industry to embrace what "all" should mean. The number of people who walked out while Ms. Brockmann talked about love provides a perfect illustration. Many others refused to applaud at the end of her call to action. Detractors described her words as "out of place" and "political", as if remaining silent in the face of injustice is not in itself a powerful political statement.

A white, bestselling author using her place of privilege to be a true ally and advocate for real inclusion. For an RWA where differences are not just tolerated, they are embraced. For a world where every lover of romance, from any and all walks of life, can find love and romance on the pages of a book.

I first heard of Suzanne Brockmann almost ten years ago when a group of white women readers were talking about their favorite books. Several eagerly informed me and anyone else who would listen, that we absolutely had to read Suzanne’s latest book and the love interest of her gay character.

Say what!?!

Yes, these typical romance readers read about a gay hero finding love, and found that awesome enough to spread the word to anyone who would listen. Meanwhile the author had to deal with industry “professionals” who feared even the mention that her book contained a gay hero would alienate readers.

We are told books with characters outside the mainstream don’t sell. That might have been true in the days when they were shoved in the back corner of a bookstore, a place where most romance readers never ventured. I remember years spend wandering the romance shelves, subconsciously accepting the idea that people of color like myself were unworthy of being written about. I felt forced to either read about heroes exalting heroines with “alabaster skin” or not read romance at all. Eventually I chose the latter.

The industry's decision to segregate romance books by race led me to miss out on many good books. Publishers and bookstores lost a lot of business. Thanks to social media and Amazon, those books are nolonger gathering dust in a dark corner.


Kristan Higgins, the RITA® Award winner in the category Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, said it well during her acceptance speech.

“The absence of a single African American finalist has shown us more than ever that we have a problem in RWA … Let’s carry the message of inclusivity and openness in our hearts and in our works, because we are Romance Writers, our lives are devoted to imagining a better way and bringing joy to our readers.” 

She added that we can all keep our hearts loving and full of light by reading from a variety of writers of all backgrounds and all experiences. Her words, and the message in Suzanne Brockmann’s speech, is that inclusivity is not about quotas or being “pc”, but about truly representing humanity and reflecting the real-world.

Had a gay or lesbian or author of color made either speech, even more people would have been incensed. I know, because it happened to me recently. I mentioned there was value in including different people who look at the world differently in our stories. That’s a direct quote, (since we conversed via facebook I could go back and check my exact words). Somehow, an author apparently looked at those words and decided I was really saying was that she had to write about repression and segregation. 

Reading fiction is one way people learn empathy. Mirror books let us see and understand ourselves better. Window books give us insight into other people and possibilities, and show us that “the other” is really just like us.

We need BOTH window and mirror books in our to be read piles.

And in our finished piles. Our world is not all white, all cis-gendered, all able-bodied. Neither should the books we read.

Below is a link to a YouTube video of the Awards ceremony. Suzanne's speech starts at the 56 minute mark. To get the hole effect, start at 46 minutes with her son’s introduction.  Kristen Higgins' acceptance speech begins at 1 hour, 56 minutes.  



(I didn’t attend this year's conference, but watching those speeches left me tearing up.)

Bonus: Award winning author Sonali Dev gave the Librarians Day Luncheon Keynote Speech (Click HERE for the audio file) She called for librarians to think about the voices which have been silenced and pledge to help them be heard. Librarians have power when they make decisions about which books to order for their libraries.

Finally, in keeping with the themes of diversity and inclusion, Avon has announced the creation of "The Beverly Jenkins Diverse Voices Sponsorship to cover the costs for an #ownvoice writer to enter the RITA® and/or Golden Heart® Competitions and to attend the RWA conference (registration fee, travel and lodging) in coming years. The application deadline for this sponsorship is February 22, 2019.

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PS, I am once again offering my six-week online class on inclusive writing this October. If you are interested, take a look at http://www.babinns.com/spice-class/ for more information on class content, and how to sign up.

Elle Wright’s Made to Hold You: The Good & the Bad of the 1980s

Note: Made to Hold You by Elle Wright is the ninth book in the Decades: A Journey of African American Romance series. This series consists of 12 books, each set in one of 12 decades between 1900 and 2010. Each story focuses on the romance between African American protagonists, but also embraces the African American experience within that decade. Join the journey on our Facebook page, http://bit.ly/2z9sMrd.

My contribution to the Decades: A Journey of African American Romance series, is set in the 1980s.

Made to Hold You takes place during the decade that I remember as big and bright, good and bad. Although I was a kid during the ’80s, I have so many fond memories of that time. The thought of doing a historical set in that decade gave me life. When I was 14-years-old in 1988, I never envisioned my life in 2018. I couldn’t imagine being able to communicate to multiple people at a time, send a letter in under a minute, or even rewind my favorite television show as it aired.

At the same time, I often longed for that simpler way of life. I miss the days when families actually sat down to eat dinner together, when a missed phone call wasn’t a big deal, or when I could walk to the store without a second thought. Choosing the 1980s for my novella allowed me to explore adulthood in the ’80s. I lost myself in the fashion, the movies, the television, and the music of the 1980s.

Exploring the African American experience through my writing has given me a chance to delve into the issues that affected many couples during that pivotal time in history for the African American community.

Made to Hold You deals with the effect the “War on Drugs” had on families. I remember going to assembly at my school and hearing the message, “Say no to drugs.” For many of us, being so young at the time, the message went over our heads. Personally, though, I had already been exposed to the toll drug abuse took on a family. Drugs were not a new phenomenon in the ’80s, but the surge of crack cocaine use in the United States during this decade destroyed many lives and ruined many marriages.

Layla and Lincoln thought they would be together forever. But Lincoln’s addiction made those dream nearly impossible to attain. Although Made to Hold You explores the dark side of addiction, the underlying message is hope. It is possible to overcome addiction, but there is a lot of work involved. I wanted to write a story of redemption, give readers a happy ending for a couple involved in the devastation of drug use.

It has been such an honor to be a part of this series. Each author has a unique story, and I hope the readers are enjoying the journey.

Made to Hold You – Decades: A Journey of African American Romance, 1980s by Elle Wright

Layla Johnson had a picture perfect life: a career as an educator, a beautiful daughter, a son on the way, and a loving husband. Only Layla didn’t count on the effect the burgeoning war on drugs would have on her family and her world. And on one rainy night, everything that she worked to attain is destroyed. Now, she’s on her own, with two young children, a mounting pile of debt…and the past knocking at her door.

Lincoln Wilson broke the one thing he treasured most. Instead of spending the rest of his life doting on his beautiful wife and children, he’s alone, haunted by his many mistakes. Determined to make amends, Lincoln works to put the pieces of his life back together again. And although it’s an uphill battle, he is up for the challenge. The last step in Lincoln’s program is to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs. When he shows up on her doorstep ready to reclaim his life, will Layla let him in?

Author Bio: Elle Wright

There was never a time when Elle Wright wasn’t about to start a book, wasn’t already deep in a book—or had just finished one. She grew up believing in the importance of reading, and became a lover of all things romance when her mother gave her, her first romance novel. She lives in Michigan. Connect with Elle online at:

Website: http://www.ellewright.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElleWrightAuthor

Twitter: @LWrightAuthor

Instagram: @lrwrightauthor

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Elle-Wright/e/B00VMEWB78

My Dream Almost Came True by Paty Jager

Acceptance, that seems to have always been my struggle. Growing up in a small rural community where most of my classmates were from families that homesteaded the area, I felt like the "California Girl" all of my childhood even though I was 2 when we moved to Oregon.  I didn't fit in. I read all the time, I was shy, and I was always around boys when I wasn't at school. My two brothers and my mom's best friend's boys. Our families did lots of things together so it was me and six boys.

I went to college for one year. It was my father's choice of my career not mine. But I wanted out of the county. I felt it would help me find me and find acceptance. The college I went to was mostly male. I ended up hanging around with guys in the diesel program more than with any girls. I made one close female relationship, but that wasn't until halfway through the year. But the last trimester when I was only taking classes I wanted to take, I had a creative writing class. I loved that class but felt picked upon. When the papers were handed back out mine always had more red marks all over it. I finally got up the courage to ask the instructor why. Was I that bad at writing? He told me "No, the opposite. He saw potential in me and therefore took more time in correcting my work. That made my little heart pittypat. And I worked harder at getting less red marks.

Time passed. I married, had three kids and they were soon to all be in school full time. I told my hubby I wanted to take some college writing classes and an art class. He loves me and indulges my creative side. :) I took the classes, loved them, and started writing children's stories. My daughter's kindergarten teacher loved my short stories I wrote about trips the kindergartners made(this was before kindergarten was put into public schools in Oregon) I also wrote and illustrated a story about Zero the Hero. That inspired me to attend a Children's Writing conference by Highlights for Children in New York. I saved up the money, my mom took the kids, and I flew to New York. Only to be told by Dayton O. Hyde and several other instructors that I wrote too adult.

Undaunted I returned home, and started writing what I loved to read- Mystery. I volunteered in the school's new computer room at my children's school to learn how to use a computer because I hated making revisions on the typewriter. Soon the head instructor allowed me to come in early and type up my work on a floppy disk I bought. When I received a small bit of inheritance money, I bought my first computer. I was in heaven. Revision were so easy now and I was cranking out the pages. 

But I was wise enough to know I didn't know enough about mystery writing to do it justice. Unfortunately, at that time, none of the mystery groups allowed anyone in who wasn't already published. How was I to find help? There wasn't as much online presence as there is these days. I gave up on mystery writing and turned to writing historical western romance. I'd read LaVyrle Spenceer and loved her stories. They felt like something I could write. Then I was introduced to Romance Writers of America and I had my place to learn craft and hone my skills.

I attended the RITA awards during their 25th anniversary. This is like the Oscars for romance writers. That year they gave everyone a chocolate RITA that was wrapped in silver paper. I kept that for years, wanting to be a finalist or recipient of that award. It hasn't happened.

However, this year I was a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier award. This one is given out by the Kiss of Death chapter of RWA and is one of the top 3 mystery awards. While my dream hasn't come true, I came pretty darn close this year. I'm hoping to eventually win one of the top mystery awards and maybe, just maybe a RITA.

Paty Jager is the award-winning author of the Shandra Higheagle Mystery series. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. This is what Mysteries Etc has to say about her Shandra Higheagle mystery series: “Mystery, romance, small town, and Native American heritage combine to make a compelling read.”

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Photo source: Canstock