Ghosts? Sasquatches? Aliens? by Sarah Raplee

This is a repost from 2016.

 Hi, I'm Sarah Raplee, author of Paranormal and Steampunk Romance.

For years my husband jokingly claimed there were only three items on his Bucket List. “Before I die, I want to:

1. see a ghost
2. encounter a Sasquatch, and 
3. be abducted by aliens.”

A great Bucket List for me, an author or Paranormal Romance! Right?

Frenchglen Hotel

Believe it or not, we stayed at Oregon’s reportedly-haunted Hotel at Frenchglen, Oregon couple of years ago, and he got to cross “see a ghost” off his list. The experience was not what he’d expected. He thought he’d be cool and nonchalant if he ever saw a ghost, but he was scared to death – even though he told me it was the ghost of a little old lady speaking a foreign language and smiling as she patted the bed. (I didn’t see her, but I heard her walking back and forth around the bed. Gotta admit, that was creepy!)

I suggested he may want to re-evaluate items two and three in light of this experience. After all, we live in one of the counties with the most reported Sasquatch sightings in the United States. “Watch what you wish for!” I say.

Sasquatch?

I’m adventurous, but of a more practical nature. I love trying new things or exploring new areas. I’m not claustrophobic or afraid of heights or a particular animal (although I have a healthy respect for Things That Can Hurt/Kill Me), and this propensity to seek out new experiences with an open mind has made life interesting.

“You never know what life will bring” is tattooed on my soul. Life surprises me all the time. I’m lucky to have an adventurous husband to share it with. 

Who knew we would live in eight different states, explore caves, hunt ghosts (not at the hotel – totally different time and place), hike a hundred miles of rugged, mountainous (and sometimes snowy) terrain, catch snakes, attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans, chase black bears away from a campsite, care for baby osprey, raise a big family, travel to Europe and Canada, sail across the Columbia River Bar into the Graveyard of the Pacific on a small boat, help an archeologist on several digs, raise chickens, mine geodes - the list goes on and on and is far from finished at this point. I plan to be around for a couple more decades.

UFO?

Which means there are plenty of adventures in my future, even without a Bucket List. Who knows? Maybe we will encounter a Sasquatch and be abducted by aliens – although I’d rather just admire the flying saucer from a safe distance. 

What about you? ~Sarah

©2016 Sarah Raplee All Rights Reserved

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Sarah Raplee

 

This month most of us are sharing what we are currently working on, our work in progress (WIP). I have so many unpublished stories that need final edits and covers, and outlined stories that are crying out to be written. Now that I’m in the right headspace (more like soulspace) to get back to serious writing, it’s hard to choose what to work on next.

 

My world has changed. THE world has changed. And I’ve changed, too.

 

The manuscript for Book 2 of my Psychic Agents Series went on the shelf nearly two years ago when my smart, funny, beautiful forty-seven year old daughter had her first meth-induced psychotic break. She still is not in her right mind. She may never be sane again.

 

Since then I’ve hardly written anything except blog posts and entries in my journal, which I titled A Series of Unfortunate Events. There were dark times when I doubted I would ever publish again.

 

This post isn’t supposed to be about my ongoing quest for serenity through gut-wrenching fear, mind-numbing loss, and heartbreaking grief. Or about all the new experiences that I can draw on in my writing:  Searching our property for bodies our daughter hallucinated were buried there. Testifying in court, having our home broken into multiple times, the ins and outs of security systems. Having a loved one who is homeless due to mental illness and addiction with no legal recourse to get her help unless she hurts someone or tries to commit suicide. Learning how many other families are suffering from addiction. Benefitting from counseling, NarAnon Family Groups and a restraining order…The list goes on and on…

 

By the end of 2019 we were beginning heal and to fully embrace the Serenity Prayer we’d learned to understand at NarAnon Meetings. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Then along came the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary restrictions to contain its spread, followed by the recession, and here we are in August of 2020 with millions sick and near 170,000 dead while thousands, maybe millions, teeter on the edge of eviction. Even so, what I've learned helps me cope.

 

Anyway, back to my difficulty in choosing a WIP to work on. Yesterday I was captivated by the Curse Series of novellas, of which one, Curse of the Neahkahnnie Treasure, is complete. Today my half-finished Steampunk alternative history Romance, Saving Mister Lincoln, is very tempting in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. And I have two more books planned in the series, The Mad Scientist’s Daughter and The Starman’s Undead Son…But it’s after midnight, and my Fantasy Romance short story (based on the children’s poem, “The Owl and the Pussycat”), Spellbound Lovers, seems to need to be expanded into a novella…

 

What’s a writer to do?  Ideas are appreciated.

Amazing Low-FODMAP Pumpkin Pie by Sarah Raplee

I’m Sarah Raplee, author of Paranormal and Steampunk Romance Stories.

I’VE ALWAYS LOVED PUMPKIN PIE. It’s my favorite. But now that I’m on a Low FODMAP Diet, my pumpkin pie has to be dairy-free, wheat-free and soy-free. It doesn’t have to be pumpkin-free, but I can only indulge in one slice per day, so it must be AMAZING! I savor pumpkin pie one tiny bite at a time.

In my efforts to find a really AMAZING pumpkin pie recipe, I modified a to-die-for recipe by Gluten-Free HomemakerLinda Etherton called Pumpkin Pie – Totally from Scratch. (Follow the link for the original recipe.)

I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill products. I use their gluten-free pie crust mix to make AMAZING pie crust.  (http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-pie-crust-mix.html ) This crust does not crumble like so many others! And it tastes like pie crust.

SARAH RAPLEE

Here is my recipe for Amazing Low-FODMAP Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients

·        1 gluten-free pie crust

·        1¾ cups mashed pumpkin

·        ¾ cup sugar

·        2 eggs

·        ¾ cup almond milk

·        ½ teaspoon vanilla

·        ½ teaspoon salt

·        ½ teaspoon cinnamon

·        1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

    Directions

1.     Combine all the ingredients (except the pie crust) using a fork or electric mixer to mix them together.

2.     Pour it into an uncooked pie crust.

3.     Bake at 400 degrees 45-50 minutes.

4.     Let cool before cutting.

Happy Holidays! I hope you savor every morsel. ~ Sarah Raplee

(First published December 27, 2016 on Romancing the Genres blog)

Amazing Low-FODMAP Pumpkin Pie by Sarah Raplee

I’m Sarah Raplee, author of Paranormal and Steampunk Romance Stories.

I’VE ALWAYS LOVED PUMPKIN PIE. It’s my favorite. But now that I’m on a Low FODMAP Diet, my pumpkin pie has to be dairy-free, wheat-free and soy-free. It doesn’t have to be pumpkin-free, but I can only indulge in one slice per day, so it must be AMAZING! I savor pumpkin pie one tiny bite at a time.

In my efforts to find a really AMAZING pumpkin pie recipe, I modified a to-die-for recipe by Gluten-Free HomemakerLinda Etherton called Pumpkin Pie – Totally from Scratch. (Follow the link for the original recipe.)

I LOVE Bob’s Red Mill products. I use their gluten-free pie crust mix to make AMAZING pie crust.  (http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-pie-crust-mix.html ) This crust does not crumble like so many others! And it tastes like pie crust.

SARAH RAPLEE

Here is my recipe for Amazing Low-FODMAP Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients

·        1 gluten-free pie crust

·        1¾ cups mashed pumpkin

·        ¾ cup sugar

·        2 eggs

·        ¾ cup almond milk

·        ½ teaspoon vanilla

·        ½ teaspoon salt

·        ½ teaspoon cinnamon

·        1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

    Directions

1.     Combine all the ingredients (except the pie crust) using a fork or electric mixer to mix them together.

2.     Pour it into an uncooked pie crust.

3.     Bake at 400 degrees 45-50 minutes.

4.     Let cool before cutting.

Happy Holidays! I hope you savor every morsel. ~ Sarah Raplee

GHOSTS? SASQUATCHES? ALIENS? by Sarah Raplee

Hi, I'm Sarah Raplee, author of Paranormal and Steampunk Romance.

For years my husband jokingly claimed there were only three items on his Bucket List. “Before I die, I want to:

1. see a ghost
2. encounter a Sasquatch, and 
3. be abducted by aliens.”

A great Bucket List for me, an author or Paranormal Romance! Right?

Frenchglen Hotel

Believe it or not, we stayed at Oregon’s reportedly-haunted Hotel at Frenchglen, Oregon couple of years ago, and he got to cross “see a ghost” off his list. The experience was not what he’d expected. He thought he’d be cool and nonchalant if he ever saw a ghost, but he was scared to death – even though he told me it was the ghost of a little old lady speaking a foreign language and smiling as she patted the bed. (I didn’t see her, but I heard her walking back and forth around the bed. Gotta admit, that was creepy!)

I suggested he may want to re-evaluate items two and three in light of this experience. After all, we live in one of the counties with the most reported Sasquatch sightings in the United States. “Watch what you wish for!” I say.

Sasquatch?

I’m adventurous, but of a more practical nature. I love trying new things or exploring new areas. I’m not claustrophobic or afraid of heights or a particular animal (although I have a healthy respect for Things That Can Hurt/Kill Me), and this propensity to seek out new experiences with an open mind has made life interesting.

“You never know what life will bring” is tattooed on my soul. Life surprises me all the time. I’m lucky to have an adventurous husband to share it with. 

Who knew we would live in eight different states, explore caves, hunt ghosts (not at the hotel – totally different time and place), hike a hundred miles of rugged, mountainous (and sometimes snowy) terrain, catch snakes, attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans, chase black bears away from a campsite, care for baby osprey, raise a big family, travel to Europe and Canada, sail across the Columbia River Bar into the Graveyard of the Pacific on a small boat, help an archeologist on several digs, raise chickens, mine geodes - the list goes on and on and is far from finished at this point. I plan to be around for a couple more decades.

UFO?

Which means there are plenty of adventures in my future, even without a Bucket List. Who knows? Maybe we will encounter a Sasquatch and be abducted by aliens – although I’d rather just admire the flying saucer from a safe distance. 

What about you? ~Sarah

©2016 Sarah Raplee All Rights Reserved

A German Tradition

In our house during the holidays we have a tradition. My mother's mother's side of the family came over from Austria in 1906 and with them they brought a Christmas tradition that we've kept up to this day. Pfeffernuesse. In our home it's simply called the German Cookie. Besides sugar cookies it is the most liked and asked for treat. Well, besides home made bread and cinnamon rolls.

Pfeffernuesse Recipe:
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup butter
2 beaten eggs
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

The first step is to cook and stir the molasses and butter on the stove until the butter melts. Be careful to keep an eye on the pot as the molasses can burn. Once the butter is melted, pull the pot off the stove and let it sit until it cools to room temperature. The trick to this recipe is to wait. Where I am at it usually takes 30 to 40 minutes.
From there stir in the beaten eggs. Then you add the flour, sugar and spices. Mix it well, as well as you can get it. Then set the mixture in the refrigerator and let it get cold. But don't let is sit too long. It should clump together but not be sticky. Once it is ready shape the dough into one inch balls and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
Once they are cool roll them in powdered sugar. And you have "German Cookies".

What food tradition do you have within your family?

A Year of Possibilities by Mae Pen

2015 started off bright and cold here in the Pacific Northwest. Like a ray of sunshine through the gray clouds this year screams of possibilities and moving forward. Of course with this being January, and not wanting to buck tradition, I've made my own goals for the year and going by my yearly horoscope things look great. I've come to learn over the years to keep goals few and manageable, so for this year I have seven.

1.) I will try new things out of my comfort zone.
        I am taking more time for my hobbies such as Cosplay and Scrapbooking and going to conventions and talking with people I normally wouldn't.

2.) I will take control of my health.
       After watching my father loose his battle with cancer I am determined to be more aware of my health and how things affect me.

3.) I will make my career a priority.
       I'll get back to writing and put at least one short story and one novel out this year and learn to market.

4.) I will reconnect with the earth and the magic of the world.
      The world is a magical place and as authors I feel like we bring the magical child wonderness to our readers, but in order to do so we need to see it ourselves.

5.) I will learn to become more self-sufficient (homesteading).
     As you know from last year this was something we were working on. This year we will be adding chickens and more gardening space as well as learning how to can.

6.) I will become closer to my community.
      My hope is to use the Cub Scout Pack my husband and I run to make a difference in our community. Several years ago our cult-de-sac would have a block party and I'd like to see that make a return. I'd also like to see a community garden make an appearance in our area and a service to help senior citizens with yard work and home repairs.

7.) I will dedicate more time and attention to the animals.
       We will be building a cat-run and enclosure for our cats, which aren't allowed outside due to a grumpy neighbor. As well as learning how to care for chickens. The kids are really looking forward to that.


So what are some of your goals for the year? Do you have any idea how you'd like to accomplish them?

Holiday Book Review: The Gifts of Christmas Anthology

Sarah Raplee writes scary, funny paranormal and steampunk romances. Animals have infiltrated every manuscript for reasons that are deeply buried in her subconscious. She writes because she can't help it, and it's more fun than most of the alternatives. Her first novel, BLINDSIGHT, will be available in January 2015.

The Gifts of Christmas - An Anthology from Windtree Press, edited by Susan Lute, is a charming, eclectic collection of stories set during the Holiday Season. I loved having short stories to read in what little down time I have at this time of year!

Variety makes this twelve-author anthology a delight. A single illustration on each title page hints at what is to come. Every story is like a present waiting to be unwrapped. Anything might be inside! Tales of romantic love; of miracles, magic and mysteries; of loss and new beginnings—some poignant, some humorous, some sweet—will whisk you away to recharge before your next Holiday errand.

I hope Windtree Press publishes a Holiday Anthology every year. I’ll definitely buy them. In fact, I’ll pre-order!

I'd love for you to visit my website at www.sarahraplee.com  

It's Reincarnation!

Have you ever met someone, a complete stranger, and instantly connected or hated them? Have you ever thought you know someone intimately but had never actually met them before? For some it's just coincidence for others like me, it's fate. It's Reincarnation.

Reincarnation is a big belief in my life not only as a normal everyday person but as an author. The instant I met my husband wayyyy back when we were teenagers I knew him instantly. I knew the good hard working honorable man he was even though he didn't see it himself.  Writing within the bigger genres of Sci-fi and Fantasy I believe there needs to be an instant connection between the hero and heroine, just like with us. My heroines always sense the good in the hero even when the hero can't see it himself and my heros always see the beauty in the heroine even when she doesn't see it herself.



Reincarnation gives me the attraction while giving me the availability to have different characters from the past to the present. It also gives me an added conflict in that maybe something in a past life has been influencing decisions or viewpoints even when there is no logical reason for them. Writing main characters that have extended life spans gives me the room for missed opportunities to be repaired. Just like my last blog post said, Love Conquers All, including time.

 Artwork copywrite 2014 Ellie Thiebaud

Love Conquers All

Love conquers all. Such a cliche right? As romance writers this is our motto. We can't write, or sell, without this cliche taking form. As humans we want to know that the world isn't as harsh and cruel as it seems. We desperately want there to be something that can swallow up the cruelty of the world.


Personally, and in my career, love really does conquer all... If your willing to fight for that love. The characters I write have their flaws, including some of them not believing they are worthy of such all consuming love, but they are all willing to fight for it. Weather it's against the outside world, against each other or themselves, they end up thriving in that love.

Take for instance my first novel, Key of Time. My heroine, Imogen, had been in love with the hero, Blaise, for years. Even though he didn't feel worthy of her adoration almost loosing her taught him that he had to fight for the love he desperately wanted.

In my personal life, I've watched my parents fight against illness while proving to themselves and each other how much they love each other. My husband and I have had out tough times, but without the fight for that all consuming love we would never be where we are today.

What is something in your life that you feel is cliche yet is completely true?

 Artwork Copyright 2014 Ellie Thiebaud

Dr. Truth & the Logical Lady by Sarah Raplee

SARAH RAPLEE

My first two manuscripts are Romantic Suspense novels. Not only do I naturally lean toward writing Romances with suspense plots, I have discovered that I like blending genres into complex stories that surprise my reader.

Curse of the Neahkahnnie Treasure, published in the Anthology LOVE & MAGIC from Windtree Press, is a historical paranormal romance with a suspense plot. A pirate's curse brought Samantha and Harrison together in the search for a fabled treasure. How will they elude the ruffians chasing them,win the race to find the treasure and get past its supernatural guardian? 

See what I mean?

A few years ago I discovered Steampunk Romance, a SciFi mashup of Victorian Historical Romance, steam-powered and/or clockwork inventions, airships, other SciFi or Paranormal elements, mad scientists, rebellion and alternate histories (and more.)

It was love at first read: The Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger, the straight Steampunk novels Boneshaker and Dreadnought by Cherie Priest, the Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare (which includes horror elements.) l devoured them all.

This new-to-me subgenre of Romance appealed to my cross-genre-loving writer’s soul. My first short story with a few Steampunky elements was a (FREE) Valentine’s Day flash-fiction piece entitled The Telltale Heart (forgive me, Edgar Allen Poe!) It was a blast to write and reader feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but there was no suspense plot—only SciFi and Paranormal elements. A clockwork heart holds three lives in the balance.

My second, longer Steampunk Romance short story is An Ill-Advised Experiment, a pure Steampunk Romance with no suspense plot. Dr. Franklin Stein’s bride, Prudence, wagers everything on her husband’s loving trust.

I have done the Pre-Writing for a Steampunk Romance novel entitled The Mad Scientist’s Daughter (planned for release in Fall 2015 from Windtree Press) (which title may change because I discovered a current book with that title at B & N yesterday. Drat!)

FINALLY, a Steampunk Romance with an action-packed suspense plot! Why the return to suspense? I love writing fast-paced stories that are heavy on action and dialogue. In Victorian Portland, Oregon, rebellious sixteen-year-old artist Sojie insists she hates her mad scientist mother for inventing a time machine that lost her father and brother somewhere in the Future. However both Sojie and her brother’s strange friend, Jett, know the accident was Sojie’s fault—yet for reasons of his own, Jett has kept her secret for five years. When a newspaper article inspires Sojie to run away to Idaho in search of a man and boy who may be her father and brother, Jett insists on accompanying her on the airship, leaving their scientist mothers to deal with the consequences of new experiments into re-animating the dead. Will Sojie and Jett return in time to save their mothers from a lynch mob?

For my New, FREE Short Story available July 18th at Free Reads from the Genre-istas (& Friends), I decided to write a prequel to The Mad Scientist’s Daughter describing the circumstances under which the heroine’s parents (both physicists) met in May of 1860.

Dr. Truth and the Logical Lady
In 1860, how will Dr. David Truth and Henriette Lafleur,the logical lady he meets on a soon-to-be-hijacked airship, foil a plot to assassinate Mr. Lincoln, Republican Nominee for President of the United States?

Thank you for reading my post today. I hope you will visit Free Reads from the Genre-istas & Friends on July 11^th to read my Steampunk Romantic Suspense story. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Summer Read

The sun warms the skin, the scent of roses and vegetables mix with the buzz of honey bees and dragonflies. In my hands sit the world I've currently lost myself in. It's that time of the year. Summer. With the breeze blowing my hair I suddenly find myself surrounded by misty clouds and airmen shouting out commands. Key of Time is the first book in my Phoenix Warrior's series.

Imogen has spent the last twenty-one years yearning for Blaise's love because he is the only person that makes her feel safe, but he's never around.

Blaise has spent every waking moment the last two decades working towards a Council position because it's the only way he can give his soul companion the life she deserves, but that life is threatened by the Vampire Nation and the machine they plan to activate.

Imogen holds the key to the machine. Blaise holds the key to Imogen's memory. Together they must find each other and stop the doomsday device.

Join Imogen and Blaise on the adventure of a lifetime while soaking up the summer rays. Available on the Kindle.

4 Tips for That Sensational Seasonal Story

1.) Pick the Holiday.
           Don't think that a seasonal story has to be Christmas. There are other holidays: Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine's and Halloween for some. Pick the holiday that speaks to you. A friend of mine, a starting author, R.T. Drake loves Samhain (sow-wen) so much that he wrote a short story, Guardian of the Banshee, that takes place in the days leading up to it.

2.) Have the Correct Setting.
          Each holiday has it's own settings. Halloween is typically spooky and paranormal. Thanksgiving is more about forgiveness and being grateful for the little things. Christmas is about celebrating others, good will towards everyone and letting people into your life and heart. Easter tends to be paired with the celebration of life.

3.) Include symbolism.
         Of course each holiday has it's own symbolism, but also think out of the box. Just because Christmas is usually linked with the baby Jesus, a barn and a mother and child doesn't mean those have to be the symbols you use. Choose ones that speak to you as a person. For me Christmas is about the pure (innocent) or the people standing alone outside the "normal" world and finding their place in such a chaotic world.

4.) The best tip of all... Make it Your Own.
             No one can tell the story the way you can and only you can infuse your personality and love of the holidays like you. The greatest thing about writing a holiday theme story is you get to share your love of that holiday with others. For me, as a historical author I get to bring to the modern reader some of the values and the glitz from an era relegated to the past.

I hope you'll visit our sister site, Free Reads from the Generistas, to view our holiday stories. R.T. Drake will be premiering Guardian of the Banshee Dec. 13th. I'll be premiering my latest short and the start to a new series, Copper Consecration, A Book of the Copper Dagger Sisterhood on November 29th.

What are some of your favorite holiday reads? What makes them so special to you?

Charity starts with the Heart

           When someone mentions charity I immediately think of two issues close to my heart. The American Heart Association and Cancer Research. For me all types of cancer are lumped into one category. Why these two you ask? Just like most others it's because my life has been touched by both of these issues.
             I grew up knowing that my grandmother had high blood pressure and a weakened heart. My great grandmother and my grandfather died of heart attacks. On the other hand my grand-aunt died of cancer and I had a cousin who contracted cancer from working in the ship-yards during World War II. I knew that my fraternal grandmother died of some form of cancer, but it wasn't until 2009 that I learned which one.
                Cancer Research is dear to me and someday I plan to do the three day walk, but the American Heart Association has grown even closer to my heart in the last couple of years. With this closeness has come a respect and gratefulness for the Doernbecher's Children's Hospital here in Portland, Oregon.
                Three years ago while taking our oldest to a new pediatrician we discovered she had a heart murmur. Of course like any concerned parent I requested to see a cardiologist. What we discovered made us really rethink a lot of choices we made every day.
               Our daughter had a hole in her heart. Initially, they believed it to be about a dime size. The cardiologist decided the best thing for her would be to put a device inside her heart that had a mesh grid that the heart muscle would eventually grow across. Kinda like a bridge. When they finally did get in there they discovered not a dime size, but the hole was actually the size of a quarter. In a ten year old's heart. Pretty shocking.
              Now taking care of her heart is standard practice. We watch what she eats, make sure she drinks plenty of water to keep hydrated and is active to keep her strength up. I completely sympathize with other parents who have children with heart conditions. If we hadn't found it and fixed it when we did she could have been one of those kids playing sports who just collapses. Which is why the American Heart Association is important to us.
             Whenever you have a chance please donate.

Which charities do you consider important? And why?


Mae Pen's Website
American Association for Cancer Research
American Heart Association
Find me at:
     Facebook: Mae Pen
     Twitter: @mae_pen
     Google+: maepen

To be a Mother or to be an Author?

To be a mother or to be an author? A question many mothers debate in this world is either to be a full time mother or to be out in the work force. I married and had my family young. That had been my plan all along, yet I never really thought about what that impact would have on my dreams. So many young women (and men) have these ellaborate dreams of what they're going to do as adults.


They plan and plan and plan. And then life gets in the way.
Isn't that what we always say? Life got in the way. My life? Three children. Now, I wouldn't trade them for anything in this world, but being a mother at the age of 20 isn't all it's cracked up to be. I had my youngest a day before my 25th birthday and for the next several years I spent all my time raising them to be intelligent, thoughtful, helpful people. But where did my dreams go? Unfortunately down the tube.

For as long as I can remember I told stories, acted out fantasical worlds and characters, wrote them down on paper or in the dirt, etc. etc. etc. When the kids came I told them stories and enthralled them with my worlds. But as with everything that time was short. They didn't need me as often. My dream began to rear it's head out of the desert sand. And so did the guilt. Sure there were plenty of mothers out there that worked for a living and raised their kids. I knew plenty of them, but I'd always felt once I had kids until they were grown they would need all of my attention.

Even now, after finally having self-published two of my short stories I still feel guilty when I'm working and they need me. My first thought is to drop everything I'm doing and go to them. Then I take a deep breath, wait for a second and if they are still asking I go. If the moment has passed for them I return to my work with a lighter heart.



What makes you feel guilty to do even though you shouldn't?



www.maepen.weebly.com

Steampunk Author Suzanne Lazear:What is Steampunk?

SUZANNE LAZEAR

Steampunkers party like it’s 1899--and what happens when Goth’s discover the color brown. Steampunk is set in a world where steam and natural gas, not coal and electricity are still the primary power source. It’s a world abounding with airships, gas lamps, gears, cogs, and brass goggles and populated with mad scientists, philosophers, adventurists, and air pirates.  HG Wells and Jules Vernon are huge inspirations for Steampunk. Examples include League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Boneshaker, and the Parasol Protectorate series.

Even though there’s a heavy 19th century influence and feel to Steampunk, there could still be extraordinary technology all done with 19th century materials and in 19th century styles. There can be Steampunk airships, space ships, computers, and brass robots. Technology may have simply evolved differently–or maybe a natural (or unnatural disaster) caused society to “regress,” though Steampunk stories traditionally lack the dystopian/anarchist elements that cyberpunk has.

INNOCENT DARKNESS
Coming August 2012

Steampunk stories can be set in the past, in the future, or on another planet. They can be set in Victorian London, the Wild West, Asia, another world entirely – you are only limited by your imagination.  They can be alternate histories, mysteries with hard-boiled detectives or cozy Victorian ladies, they can be gothic, or horror, or sweet romance. They can be bodice rippers, erotic, or “tame.” Steampunk stories can even feature the supernatural or paranormal elements. 

It’s in the setting, the language, the gadgets, and the characters–who could speak like Victorian ladies or fast-talking American teenagers. With Steampunk, there’s really a great opportunity to be creative and make amazing worlds ranging from gritty to opulent. Its basis is 19th century in nature, but it’s also fiction so you can do incredible and imaginative things.  The variety of Steampunk stories is only limited by the imaginations of those who write them.  


Are you ready to write?

~Suzanne Lazear

www.suzannelazear.com

www.suzannewrites.blogspot.com

--

Suzanne Lazear’s young adult Steampunk dark fairytale, INNOCENT DARKNESS, Book 1 of The Aether Chronicles, will be released from Flux in August of 2012. Visit her website at www.suzannelazear.com  
She’s also part of the Steampunk group blog Steamed http://wwww.ageofsteam.wordpress.com   

Suspense, Paranormals and Steampunks, Oh My!

I tried to stick to writing in one romance sub-genre from the very beginning. 

Really, I did. 

I told myself I didn’t have time to develop multiple platforms and author brands, so I’d better stick to one. But whereas my first novel is a romantic suspense story, the second insisted on morphing into a paranormal romantic suspense. And the third…Oh god, let’s not even go there yet!

I told myself I was experimenting with different subgenres in order to discover The One, that magical arena wherein my stories would germinate, grow and blossom like well-fertilized morning glories. Surely when I determined my one true subgenre I would joyfully cast aside all other subgenres and write happily forever after.

Ha.

Classes and workshops taught me more about the craft of writing, but didn’t help me settle into a comfortable niche. I did find my core story (the theme that unfolds in every book I write, no matter the genre.) Mine is you have to decide who you really are.

 

Irony; gotta love it.

Contest judges loved my ‘light, breezy comedic voice.’ A famous writing instructor told me I write dark romantic comedy. 

What the heck??? 

While struggling through my identity crisis, I researched and outlined two more paranormal romantic suspense stories. Was I on to something? Was this blended genre The One?

Then something happened to me that had never happened before. Out of nowhere, the phrase the fixer-upper boyfriend popped into my head as if someone had spoken the words aloud. I stopped in my tracks halfway through the living room on the way to the dirty clothes hamper. 

Great book title, I thought. Reeks of teenaged angst.

My monkey mind was off and running with a YA story. I wrote a rough outline of the book and the characters. Loved them! Who wouldn’t love writing about a mad-scientist mother, zombie boyfriends, a frustrated medium, a tragic accident with a time machine, and a runaway teen protagonist on a quest for absolution?

Other than the fact that this story was not a paranormal romantic suspense, the plot holes were problematic—until I took a Steampunk class online and found the story a perfect home in an alternate Victorian Age.

Me, write a Steampunk YA? Ack!

In desperation, I brainstormed commonalities among my stories. This is what I came up with:

•  Identity issues
•  Secrets
• Underdog protagonists
• Family
• At least one canine character whose actions affect the plot and/or character arc
• Second chances
• A comedic voice
•  Paranormal elements (That first story? The RS? Originally, I wanted the protagonist to have a psychic ability, but I talked myself out of it.

I decided to build my platform around these commonalities. Publishers need to know where to shelve my books, so I’ll brand myself as a paranormal romance author. Overall, I’ve found paranormal romance readers to be flexible and adventurous readers. I don’t think mixing it up a little will put them off, whether they are adult or young adult readers.

What do you think?