And the winner is...

The HOT SUMMER HEROES BLOG HOP is history, and I am very happy with the results. Tons of wonderful comments were left but, unfortunately, only one person has been chosen as the winner of my book LOVE TO THE RESCUE.

I put everyone's name in a patriotic hat that I recently bought for my husband (see photo) and he chose the winning commenter. And the winner is....BLHmistress!

You will be contacted soon, and your name has been entered in the drawing for the $100 Barnes & Nobel GIFT CARD!

Nancy

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

Love is a curious thing. Is it a profound message from the Heavens? Is it fate? Or, is it an animal's response to a creature of the opposite (or same) sex?

Whatever you or I believe in does not matter. If we are fortunate to find love, we should enjoy the feelings and strive to protect it.

Is there a certain special someone out there for you? I hope so. I have been fortunate in love, and now use my experience to bring it to my many characters. If I can show how a Scottish dragon can leave all she's known, fly across the ocean, settle into a human existence, and fall madly in love with a soldier...you can find love, too.

How do characters find love? It is different for each one, especially when my characters are different as night and day. Here are some examples:

SECRET LOVE MATCH  Becca, 21, wants to play tennis in the Olympics. Taylor, 40, is a former TV star going for the big screen.
DRAGON'S CURSE  The ward of a Scottish Laird, Brianna works like a servant. Draco, exiled since his kin were killed, is cursed to turn into a dragon at inopportune times.
DESTINY'S MOUNTAIN Destiny works at a college dining hall and lives on a mountain. Jacob is a stuffy college professor going through a divorce.
UNWRAPPING CHRIS  Army widow Jayne is searching for a better life. In walks Chris, the one guy who broke her heart.
DRAGON IN THE MIST Nessia has left the water of Loch Ness to find love as a human. American Scientist, Rory, is searching for a missing link.
LOVE TO THE RESCUE  Josie is a paramedic firefighter with the hots for one guy. Unfortunately, Pete calls her 'Joe', treats her like one of the boys, and has a dark secret.


If you are looking for love, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. If you have found love, CONGRATULATIONS! Remember, hold on tight and give more than you receive.


Nancy

WHAT TO DO BEFORE A FIRE

October is National Fire Prevention Month so I thought I would share this important information with my readers, courtesy of FEMA at http://www.fema.gov/hazard/fire/fire_before.shtm

The following are things you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your property in the event of a fire:

Smoke Alarms

• Install smoke alarms. Properly working smoke alarms decrease your chances of dying in a fire by half.
• Place smoke alarms on every level of your residence. Place them outside bedrooms on the ceiling or high on the wall (4 to 12 inches from ceiling), at the top of open stairways, or at the bottom of enclosed stairs and near (but not in) the kitchen.
• Test and clean smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries at least once a year. Replace smoke alarms once every 10 years.

Escaping the Fire

• Review escape routes with your family. Practice escaping from each room.
• Make sure windows are not nailed or painted shut. Make sure security gratings on windows have a fire safety opening feature so they can be easily opened from the inside.
• Consider escape ladders if your residence has more than one level, and ensure that burglar bars and other antitheft mechanisms that block outside window entry are easily opened from the inside.
• Teach family members to stay low to the floor (where the air is safer in a fire) when escaping from a fire.
• Clean out storage areas. Do not let trash, such as old newspapers and magazines, accumulate.

Flammable Items

• Never use gasoline, benzine, naptha, or similar flammable liquids indoors.
• Store flammable liquids in approved containers in well-ventilated storage areas.
• Never smoke near flammable liquids.
• Discard all rags or materials that have been soaked in flammable liquids after you have used them. Safely discard them outdoors in a metal container.
• Insulate chimneys and place spark arresters on top. The chimney should be at least three feet higher than the roof. Remove branches hanging above and around the chimney.

Heating Sources

• Be careful when using alternative heating sources.
• Check with your local fire department on the legality of using kerosene heaters in your community. Be sure to fill kerosene heaters outside, and be sure they have cooled.
• Place heaters at least three feet away from flammable materials. Make sure the floor and nearby walls are properly insulated.
• Use only the type of fuel designated for your unit and follow manufacturer’s instructions.
• Store ashes in a metal container outside and away from your residence.
• Keep open flames away from walls, furniture, drapery, and flammable items.
• Keep a screen in front of the fireplace.
• Have heating units inspected and cleaned annually by a certified specialist.

Matches and Smoking

• Keep matches and lighters up high, away from children, and, if possible, in a locked cabinet.
• Never smoke in bed or when drowsy or medicated. Provide smokers with deep, sturdy ashtrays. Douse cigarette and cigar butts with water before disposal.

Electrical Wiring

• Have the electrical wiring in your residence checked by an electrician.
• Inspect extension cords for frayed or exposed wires or loose plugs.
• Make sure outlets have cover plates and no exposed wiring.
• Make sure wiring does not run under rugs, over nails, or across high-traffic areas.
• Do not overload extension cords or outlets. If you need to plug in two or three appliances, get a UL-approved unit with built-in circuit breakers to prevent sparks and short circuits.
• Make sure insulation does not touch bare electrical wiring.

Other

• Sleep with your door closed.
• Install A-B-C-type fire extinguishers in your residence and teach family members how to use them.
• Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your residence.
• Ask your local fire department to inspect your residence for fire safety and prevention

Also, in case of a fire, don’t be a hero…call 9-1-1 and wait for the people better trained to deal with the dangers of smoke and fire. Be safe!

Nancy, former EMT, Firefighter, and 9-1-1 Dispatcher,
now author of
LOVE TO THE RESCUE
Available from Red Rose Publishing
and Amazon

 

LET RESEARCH BE A WALK IN THE PARK!

Temperatures in our area in central North Carolina have hovered around 100 degrees for more than a week. Makes writing inside in air conditioned comfort the thing to do, but when the cool breezes returns, I’ll be talking a walk. I think when I walk. I think when I dream. I think when I am sitting in the doctor’s office. Sometimes, though, I need help.
Where does a writer come up with their story? Some claim images appear in their heads or they find an interesting subject, one they want to share with the world. A plot concept needs to fill enough pages to have a sellable piece of work.

This is where research comes in. Dreadful as that sounds, you can turn it around by listening to your characters. Say, what? Just listen! Your characters can help. What is their background? Their values? Their imperfections? How can you layer a story with emotion, action, conflict and more if you haven’t answered these questions?

For instance: in my contemporary romance, SECRET LOVE MATCH, I wanted my heroine to be good at something. Tennis came to mind. Why tennis? I remembered the tennis lessons my parents provided in my youth. I swung a tennis racket in high school and college, too.

It was the simple fact that I liked tennis that led me to research the rules of the game and the summer Olympics. How did my heroine feel when she raised her racket to play against the handsome hero who just introduced himself and asked her to play? I could relate.

My hero takes her to a museum on their ‘first date’. He remembered when he was younger he visited the Hayden Planetarium, part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. I remember frequent class trips to various New York museums and the Hayden Planetarium was a favorite. Research on the internet let me find photos, descriptions, history, and even its street location so I could knowledgably pepper my story with fact.

A walk in the park? Not always. In my latest romantic suspense novels, DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN and LOVE TO THE RESCUE, my heroes and heroines either meet on a mountain trail or in a fire department in the middle of rural New Hampshire. I was born and raised in New York, but graduated from a New Hampshire college in a little town nestled between a beautiful river and glorious mountains. I married and raised a family.

I’ve hiked those mountains, swam in the rivers, and fished. I used these memories to give my books desirable backgrounds for my characters. I also used my knowledge as a former EMT and firefighter to make the rescue scenes realistic. If I didn’t have first-hand knowledge of small town emergency departments and ambulance capabilities, I would have researched these via the internet, my local library, or by brainstorming with friends still living in the area.

Still think writing a story about what is in your heart is tough? Of course it is, but not impossible. I’ve wanted to visit Scotland ever since meeting the man I eventually married. We now volunteer at a large annual Scottish Highland Games held in New England and have used my experience to plot a time travel story set partly at the games. Someday, we will head over to Scotland.

I learned gathering research can be a long, yet enjoyable process. I had no idea I’d be an author one day. Luckily, my brain filed away the beauty of the mountains, the quaint historic village at the games, the sound of bagpipes, and the smell of haggis and shortbread. I used these memories to enhance my story. When my Scottish paranormal was released, I had set DRAGON’S CURSE on an island I discovered while doing research. I’d love to visit an island like Staffa or Skye. Then I’ll absorb enough atmosphere to create dozens of other stories.

What I am trying to say is that research can be fun. Take a walk. Visit a museum. Remember a moment in your life where you experienced something new, wonderful, sad, or life changing. The best stories start in your heart, not in your head. Be it your heart, your mind, or the park…take a walk!

Portions of this article by me were posted Sept. 8, 2010 on the Savvy Authors Blog.
Nancy