I’m so please to have my pal Stacey Joy Netzel guest-blogging with me today. Stacey writes award-winning romance across several different genres; she’s a multi-talented, accomplished author, and one of the hardest working ladies that I know. I’m going to turn the blog over to Stacey, so she can tell us what she’s been up to:
Hello! First, thanks to Vanessa for having me here, and thanks readers for stopping by!
Ever since my first book was published in 2007, my dad’s been bragging to everyone that his daughter is an author. Then he proceeds to say, “I’ve never read any of her books.” Nice, huh? Which always leads to “Why not?” “Well you should!” “Shame on you!” We’ve come to the conclusion he likes the added attention, even if it’s negative. 😉
However, he recently had foot surgery that’s put him on his butt for 6 weeks and he promised he’d read one of my books then. Which he has! One, then two, and right now he’s working on the third!! He says he’s impressed, he’s had a hard time putting the books down, but I’m the one who’s impressed–in the past 40 years, I think he’s read one, maybe two, books.
Anyway, the point of my story is that he’s been asking all kinds of questions. “How do you know this stuff? Do you know where it’s going when you start, or just start writing and see where it goes from there?”
And sometimes he has to look words up, or reread something again to figure out what the sentence meant. There was one such paragraph he asked me about as we were sitting around the campfire, and when one of my brother-in-laws mentioned that they didn’t know the word either, I thought it’d be a great question to post to readers to see if I’d explained sufficiently, or if I’d failed as an author in that instance, even though I thought I’d made it clear and my editor never commented on it.
Here’s the book clip from Shadowed Trust, book 3 of my Colorado Trust Series:
He unzipped his duffle and withdrew a bottle of Jack Daniels before going over to the knotty-pine cupboards to find a glass. Outside on the small porch with its two wooden lounge chairs in dire need of a fresh coat of stain, he sat down, poured a glass, then leaned to place the bottle within easy reach.
He held up the glass, considering the amber liquid. Wasn’t his usual Lagavulin, but given his current situation, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
My question for you (without Googling it!): do you know what Lagavulin is? If you don’t, and go back a paragraph to reread, can you figure it out?
Another question…are things like this frustrating for you as a reader, or do you not mind figuring things out? (Assuming it’s just occasionally in a book, and not every other paragraph, which would completely annoy me.)
I’d really love some reader feedback on this, so please leave your comments and I’ll give one randomly drawn winner their choice of one of my backlist ebooks, gifted to them, via whatever ereader they choose.
I’d also like to let you know I have a brand new contemporary romance out this month and share an excerpt, so thanks again for coming by and have a great day!
When a kiss…
All reporter Sadie Barton wants is to be taken seriously and judged on her own merits, not her stepfather’s money. She and her actress sister left Wisconsin to get out from under his controlling thumb and leave behind the malicious whispers that they’re no better than their gold-digging mother. But California isn’t all sun and fun, and paying the rent while trying to prove herself is harder than she ever imagined.
…is more than a kiss…
Something about Sadie drew self-made millionaire Zach Robinson—and it wasn’t just the amazing kiss they shared as impromptu actors in his company’s commercial. He’s used to women being interested in his wealth, and Sadie’s fierce independence is an enticing breath of fresh air. He’s falling fast—until his brother suggests acting runs in her family and Sadie might not be exactly what she seems…
EXCERPT:
“You should’ve iced this right away.”
The first touch of the cold cloth on his sore lip triggered a reflexive jerk away. He hissed air through his teeth before relaxing to let it out slow.
She raised her other arm and laid her palm along his stubble covered jaw to hold him still. It seemed strange, her fussing over him like this when he could take care of himself. Warmth spread from her touch and started his heart thudding in his chest. As if someone smacked him upside the head, he realized this was the closest she’d gotten to him since they’d kissed on the set of the commercial. Voluntarily, anyway.
With her concentration fixed on his mouth, Zach let his gaze wander over her long, down-swept lashes, smooth skin, and enticing lips. Discomfort shifted to center below the waistband of his shorts. Didn’t help that she had the corner of that lush, lower lip caught between her teeth again. He wanted to nibble.
When he raised his gaze to find her watching him, his pulse stuttered. Color stained her cheeks, but she didn’t break the connection.
“I didn’t thank you yet,” she said softly.
“Sure you did.”
His grip tightened on the cold bottle in his hand. Shut up, idiot! Let her thank you however she wants.
“Not for taking me to get Gemma, I didn’t. Or helping us get out of there and taking the hit for us.”
“Two,” he reminded, throwing in a grimace for good measure. “I took two hits.”
A smile tugged the corners of her mouth upward. “Don’t worry, I was counting.”
“Good.”
She lowered the hand with the ice pack to rest on his shoulder, bracing herself as she leaned closer. The minty freshness of her breath filled his nostrils and he swallowed hard at the thought of tasting it on his tongue.
“So…anyway…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Zach held still, afraid to even breathe in case she changed her mind. Anticipation sizzled through his body and what had been a refreshing ocean breeze now became a teasing caress on his heated skin.
Sadie’s lashes lowered as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. Stomach muscles tightened in his effort to lean into the kiss, but she pulled away.
Well, damn. He had two chances here and one was already over? To hide his disappointment over the all too brief contact, he joked, “That’s one.”
The thumb of her right hand whispered across his lips. “How does your mouth feel?”
“Cold.”
He barely had a chance to draw a breath before she leaned in for take two.
More Than A Kiss links:
Amazon AA link: Sand http://amzn.to/AAMTAKSC
Black http://amzn.to/AAMTAKDC
BN: Sand http://bit.ly/BNMTAKSC
Black http://bit.ly/BNMTAKDC
Smashwords, All Romance eBooks
Find Stacey and her other books online:
Website and Blog: http://www.StaceyJoyNetzel.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/StaceyJoyNetzel
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StaceyJoyNetzel
Vanessa, here. Great post, Stacey, and I love the excerpt. Okay, readers. You heard the lady. Comment on Stacey’s question for a chance to win one of her wonderful books!
Darn… I know I’ve seen that before.. without looking it up, I do know that it’s some kind of alcoholic drink… but specifically, no.. But those kind of things don’t bother me.. I’ve learned a lot of trivia type of things by reading… BUT! I have to know .. so I’m off to find out!! Thanks!
Good for you, Cate!
Ok… now I know.. and it is something I’d like to try.. pretty pricey thought..
Yes, it is!
I thought the same that it is some kind of alcoholic drink that he usually drinks. I don’t mind having a few words like that in a book, but I have to say it is much easier now that I have a Nook. I can just highlight the word and it tells me the meaning.
That is one of the cool things about e-readers, Mary!
Hi Vanessa and Stacey!
Stacey, you mentionned Jack Daniels and amber liquid, so Lagavulin must be a brand of hard liquor too. I sometimes have to figure thing out when I read books because my first language is French. I like to learn new words or expression in English, so it’s really not a problem for me!
Thanks for the chance to win!
Kanya 😉
kanyachhetATyahooDOTca
Your English is very good, Kanya!
It’s alcohol, another variety of Jack Daniels – whiskey, is it? I could tell enough to know what it was talking about, it didn’t bother me!
So cool that your dad is reading your books! 🙂
Close, Robin!
That word didn’t bother me while reading because it was something you could figure out. I have no problem looking things up in the dictionary (but that Nook sure sounds easier lol). It’s when it’s a word that I don’t understand, can’t figure out and can’t find in a dictionary that it bothers me. Luckily that doesn’t happen too often.
Frustrating when you run across a word like that, isn’t it?
I think it’s an alcoholic drink. Is it like brandy? I enjoyed the excerpt.
Getting warmer!
I can usually figure out words and their meanings but this one I would have looked up in a dictionary. One or 2 a story is not bothersome, but a lot seems to stop the flow of the story. So does a character’s name that I have to try and say correctly or figure out how to say it.
Joy, I’m the same with names. I have to figure out how to say them correctly.
Joy, the name thing gets to me, too. I once had to quit reading a book because the heroine’s name was so strange, I couldn’t get past it. Only happened once to that extreme, but there have been others that bugged me, too.
Sorry to be late here–was delayed on my return from up north due to some heavy thunderstorms and downpours. Crazy!
Anyway, if I replied to each one of you individually, I’d basically ‘ditto’ what Vanessa said, so I won’t.
It is good to see that the meaning was fairly clear and not too confusing. But it is something I’ll make sure to be aware of in the future.
Keep the comments coming and I’ll pick a winner either later tonight or tomorrow!
Glad you made it back safely, Stacey!
Thanks, Vanessa. We saw numerous downed trees and at the lake the rain came across sideways!