WRITING RETREAT WAS A BLAST!

I am back from our three day mini writing retreat to Emerald Isle, North Carolina. I want to publicly thank our host, Lori Hayes Keizer. Comedy relief was added by Sarra Cannon. The two days of rain did what a huge snowstorm does for many people in America...made us stay inside and WORK! For us, that meant WRITE!


Me, Lori & Sarra kick up some sand


We snuggled around the fireplace, drank tea and worked on our WIPs (work in progress) A short break at the local coffee shop,
BEANS-N-SCREENS, gave us a few minutes of Internet, which is hard for me. Ignoring all those e-mails? They are a time suck.

Lori lucked out when the opportunity to interview the owner AND shadow the barista filled her head with everything she needed to create her story...set in a coffee shop! Things sometimes work out, that way. Sometimes an author has an idea, but doesn't have the background to keep the book accurate, which is why opportunities like this are FIRST RATE!

Hello Kitty shared our beach house because Sarra Cannon, a Young Adult author, was in her element. Typing away on one of two different laptops, and her fancy phone, but she is the techno-savvy author. YA titles of hers grace many e-book seller sites and she is selling her books right and left. She shared some great tips for getting the word out on my own Amazon titles (use their Forums), and has me considering self-publishing some of my stories (in the future).

For me, I worked on my contemporary paranormal, HEAVEN SENT WARRIOR. It is set in North Carolina and actually ends at the ocean, where my heroine drowns...don't worry, there is a happy ending. I love the ocean and it was great to wake up Sunday morning and finally see the sun. We took an early afternoon break to walk on the beach. The photos are fun, and the surfers were cute...I mean, inspirational.

Some day, hubby and I might rent one of the many pastel-colored beach homes and spend a week or two on beautiful Emerald Isle. 

Nancy

Time flies when you are WRITING

It has been awhile since I have posted, but I have an excuse. I have been writing. Writing is my full time profession. It is time consuming, hair-pulling, heart-wrenching....

I have enjoyed meeting other writers for breakfast, and lunch, and have shared chapters with query partners, while giving them feedback about their chapters. I've worked on our family taxes, worried about owning two ancient cars that could drop dead at any moment, and am planning my husband's birthday trip.

World news is filled with crazy stuff. Family members have suffered illnesses. Their pain affects me in many ways. Luckily, I am still well, so accepted a fellow writer's offer to join her and another friend for a weekend at the beach. No, the North Carolina coast is not the best place in February and the rain has come down for two days straight, but the ability to write, edit, and ask for opinions is a real treat.

As I write this blog post, I am sitting in a coffee shop, the only Internet available. I can't wait to get back to the beach house and continue my writing...shoes off, a hot cup of tea or a glass of wine by my seat, and no interruptions.

Heaven!

WEEKEND PROGRESS REPORT:
     1)I have polished chapters eight and nine of HEAVEN SENT WARRIOR. I plan to begin submitting the completed single title contemporary paranormal to agents sometime next month.
     2)I have polished the first 4 chapters of SPELLBOUND HIGHLANDER which I plan to submit to a publisher by the end of the week.

Sales for my current novels are adding up, but I am seeking representation in order to get a book published in PRINT FORM. I have goals and met several in 2010. 2011 is a new year and I am looking forward to more success.

Nancy

PAY IT FORWARD

     Today's saying on my desk calendar states "Before criticizing a new employee, remember your first days at work." How can this simple statement affect me? I retired from public service to write romance novels fulltime.

     Let's see. I am vice president of my local Romance Writers of America chapter. I feel a responsiblity to help our newest members. I have four books published in e-book format and I have busied myself by promoting my work on blogs and a newspaper interview. I attend our monthly meetings and eagerly answer members' questions.

     No, they aren't my employees, but this meeting might have been their very first venture into the world of romance writing. I remember how I felt back in December 2007. I had justed moved from New Hampshire to North Carolina and didn't know a soul except family. That first meeting was the annual holiday party held at Liz Carlyle's home.

     LIZ CARLYLE? The NY Times Bestseller? EEK!

     I did my best NOT to act like a fool. My fears were groundless. With fifty or sixty men and women crowded around her kitchen, with platters of potluck goodies and plenty of beverages, I fit right in and was welcomed.

     So, if someone you know is new to the fold-whether the jobsite or club or church-make them feel welcome. PAY IT FORWARD.

JANUARY & ANOTHER NEW START

The New Year's eve parties are a memory, and the holiday decorations are nearly boxed away. I cannot find a single gingerbread cookie in this house! The cat still plays with a satin gift bow. We experienced an unseasonally heavy snow on Dec. 26th which had us North Carolinians wondering what happenned to global warming?



Lori Keizer-Jenn Harrington-Me!

 Everyone is making and posting New Year's resolutions. I prefer to look back on the year and see how far I've come. I weigh less. That in itself is a miracle. I feel better. I decided to start getting my eyebrows waxed. (Hey...took me 50 years to decide to get my ears pierced!) I survived my first year as Vice President of my local Romance Writers of America chapter. I believe I did a good job. I enjoyed the annual Romance Writers of America conference held in Orlando this past summer.




Richard & his MacBean tartan

 I traveled with my husband and enjoyed watching one son graduate from military training, and the other sons enjoying their first new home together. I gathered research while my husband strutted around two Scottish Highland Games in his kilt.

Health issues for immediate family members gve us a scare or three, the worst being my Dad, Robert Beegle. Multiple visits to Florida ensued as he was in and out of the hospital, but he now looks great. Others are slowly returning to normal, but the threat of permanent illness loomed for awhile. We all lived through it and are closer because of it. Unfortunately, I lost two Aunts and one cousin lost her husband this year. There are others for whom a look back at 2010 is painful.



Rodin bronzes at NCMA

 I relished the feeling of having my first four novels published...two in June, one in September, and one in December. I reached my goal to be a published author and I am looking forward to my next goal. A resolution? Well, I cannot force an agent to represent me. I cannot twist an editor's mind into publishing me. But...I will write the best damn book I can.

I am currently editing my paranormal which starts and ends at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC. My characters also run to the Blue Ridge Mountains and then the Outer Banks. It is different, quirky, sexy, dark, and uplifting and I hope to sell the series. With my family's encouragement I will succeed in this endeavor.

So, back to writing! Again, since everyone is asking you your resolutions for the New Year, TELL ME and my readers how 2010 changed your life!

My Interview in the News & Observer

Alex Granados
Reporter for the News & Observer
Raleigh, North Carloina

Last week was another ‘first’ for me…I was interviewed by a reporter with our local paper who wanted to talk to me about my fledgling writing career. Hopes and dreams are coming true for me at the ripe old age of 57, and Alex Granados was kind enough to listen and put on paper what it has taken to get me to this point. Here is a short excerpt from the article…


"My plans right now are to get in print," she said. "And in order to do that I have to come up with the best book." To that end, she has enlisted the help of her family. Her two adult sons, 25 and 29, have both read her work. Badger says they don't feel weird about reading her romantic writing. In fact, her son Eric - the one who served in Iraq - helped her with military details for one of her e-books. Even her mother joins in by being what Badger calls her "best editor." The latest book Badger is working on is the first set in her new hometown. In fact, the book begins at the North Carolina Museum of Art. "A big adage that I believe in is write what you know," she said. "I'm not in New Hampshire anymore, so I like to incorporate the local area."

Please remember that I write under TWO names: Nancy Lee Badger and Nancy Lennea

Read the Raleigh News & Observer article in its entirety at http://www.northraleighnews.com/2010/12/26/5884/granados-local-writer-loves-allure.html

A Pen & Muse Review

A fantastic review is up for DESTINY'S MOUNTAIN! Read all about it at http://thepenmuse.net/archives/1833

UNWRAPPING CHRIS available now!

My contemporary military romance is available now for less than $2 from various download sites!

Here is the Book Blurb:
Sometimes the best memories are worth unwrapping once more.



Army widow Jayne Rockwell searches for a secure future for her and her two daughters. Staff Sergeant Christopher Hawkins regrets leaving young Jayne eight years ago to go off to war. A crash encounter a week before Christmas thrusts these two lonely people back into each other’s lives once more.


Jayne must learn to trust a man who disappeared with her heart. Chris must overcome the guilt of taking her innocence, and then leaving her heartbroken and alone.


A Christmas wedding brings them closer when Jayne spies him as a groomsman in Highland dress, complete with kilt. He cannot keep his eyes off the woman in green velvet wearing a wedding ring. Accusations, explanations, and remorse leads to a love that erupts among candlelight, Christmas carols, and a dark room. Who needs mistletoe?

To read a free excerpt and more, go to:
Whispers Publishing buy link: http://bit.ly/eGmOQI

Amazon for Kindle: http://amzn.to/i68Q3b