Just Sold Another Book

I received an email from Whispers Publishing with an offer of a contract for my short contemporary romance called A Betrayal of Friendship dated May 15.
Yes!
Today I send in all the paperwork and emails needed to finished accepting the offer.
My internet access is faulty right now, so I’m forced to use the library computer.
I want to thank all my crit partners for helping me out with this book. You’ve made it a better one.

Funny thing is I sold my first book, One and the Same, to The Wild Rose Press in May also.

Hopefully I’ll sell my third one before next May.

Just a quick post

I’m still alive.
The other day I was thinking about how I get from first idea to finished romance. Right now I’m doing five different things at once.
1. I’m promoting my first release One and the Same with The Wild Rose Press.
2. While waiting on a response from my editor for A Betrayal of Friendship.
3. I’m also editing Saving Pale Moon so I can start getting it critiqued.
4. But I’m also writing another one (at the end of chapter two now) tentatively titled Winning His Daughter.
5. While plotting out another book related to One and the Same.
In between all this I’m working at Cracker Barrol and looking for my summer job.
So how do you write?

And number two!

 Well, you won’t believe what I found while reading through some of the blogs listed in my blogroll.  You guessed it. Another review. This one is from WRDF and was reviewed by Tabatha Franc.

Here is my second review in full–

 

Title: One And The Same

Author: Theresa Stillwagon  

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Contemporary Champagne Rosebud   Rating: Spicy

ISBN: 1-60154-351-4

 

Blurb:

Ex-actress Kate Williams visits with her friend to discuss a possible acting role. High-powered executive, Matthew Hunter, thinks she’s in town for more than just a discussion. He thinks she’s the newest means the show’s producers are using to get him to financially back the show. This time their plan might work. After all, he had been half in love with the former actress for years. Matt thinks all Kate wants from him is his money. Kate thinks all Matt wants from her is her body. Will they ever be able to get past their beliefs?

 

Review:

After Kate’s husband passed away she felt colder towards men. Kate felt that no one could see past the character she had once played. The fact that Erin, Kate’s friend, is missing does not seem to hinder the intense chemistry between Matt and Kate. They have a deal with Matt’s mother and her friends, Ester and Grace, playing matchmaker. Erin had asked for money from Matt and Matt thinks that’s why Kate showed up. Kate thinks that Matt only enjoys her body because of a role she once played. You have to wonder through this story if both Matt and Kate will ever really give in to the attraction. Theresa Stillwagon gave a story that made the reader see past just words and into the lives of the characters.

 Reviewed by Tabatha Franc

Thank you Tabatha.

One and the Same got it’s first review

Yesterday I checked out The Wild Rose Press home page and found my contemporary romance, One and the Same, is sitting at number five. I’m in the top ten best selling books for the month. 

I can live with that.

I also found this nice review by Camellia for Long and Short Reviews.

Here the my first review in full–

One and the Same by Theresa Stillwagon

One and the Same by Theresa Stillwagon
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full (235 pages)
Heat: Spicy
Rating: 3 books
Reviewed by Camellia

Ex-actress Kate Williams visits with her friend to discuss a possible acting role. High powered executive, Matthew Hunter, thinks she’s in town for more than just a discussion. He thinks she’s the newest means the show’s producers are using to get him to financially back the show. This time their plan might work. After all, he had been half in love with the former actress for years.

Matt thinks all Kate wants from him is his money.
Kate thinks all Matt wants from her is her body.

Will they ever be able to get past their beliefs?

Ego destroying demands fragment Kat Williams’ personality causing her to deny part of who she truly is. Beautiful, successful, and naturally seductive, Kate searches to find her way back to her true self after her husband dies. Fear of being used again is a stumbling block as she becomes attracted to Matthew Hunter. She sees him as wanting only part of her just like her late husband—just a different part.

“When you don’t have love…. You can feel very alone” is a strong theme of One and the Same and is so true in both Matthew Hunter’s and Kate’s lives. Matthew distrusts all women after Anna’s deceit, making him steadfastly deny his true feelings for Kate—feelings he has had since age fifteen.

Theresa Stillwagon creates a romance with heartbreak and insecurities being overcome in spite of anonymous lies and the well-meaning meddling of Ester and Grace, two feisty old ladies who never give up on the people they love. I longed for more emotional depth in the love scenes between Kate and Matthew because they do so need to have a strong emotional connection as well as a physical connection with someone they love.

Ms. Stillwagon’s venue of the local theater gives the reader a chance to learn more about the antagonist but seems to be left a little unfinished. Yet, it did reinforce some of the needs, desires and hang ups of the characters.

By the time I finished One and the Same , I realized many women fragment their personalities to meet the demands of career, children, extended family, etc. They truly need someone who loves them to help put the parts back together—making them feel loved for who they are as individuals not just for the bits and pieces of them that meet the needs of others. This is a story many modern women can relate to—as they often strive to please others at the expense of their own well-being. Thoughts to ponder!

This review is from Long and Short Reviews.

Thank you Camellia.

Cover and Blurb of One and the Same

Ex-actress Kate Williams only wants to visit with her friend to discuss a possible acting role.  High powered executive, Matthew Hunter, thinks she’s in town for more than just a discussion.  He thinks she’s the newest means the show’s producers are using to get him to financially back the show. This time their plan might work.  After all, he had been half in love with the former actress.

Matt thinks all Kate wants from him is his money.

Kate thinks all Matt wants from her is her body.

Will they ever be able to get past their beliefs?

Released on March 4

The Wild Rose Press

So did I manage my goals?

Yes and no.

In my last post I gave five goals (plus one).  How did I do?

Well, I did manage to email my editor at The Wild Rose Press to find out how to submit my new manuscript. Unfortunately I misunderstood.  I sent her a synopsis and the first three chapters of A Betrayal of Friendship, but she wanted the full manuscript. I sent it out about a week ago. So that means I’ve achieved three other goals. Finishing the final edit, write a synopsis, and reread both manuscript and synopsis before sending it out. 

Now I just need to have patience–and wait.

I’ve also sent out an older manuscript called The Perfect Man for Allie to a new electronic publisher.  I sent a synopsis, first three chapters, and the last two chapters to Desert Breeze Publishing on January 29, and the editor-in-chief, Gail, ask me to send the full manuscript on Feb. 17.   Her email to me was actually the second one she sent. She sent the first one on–believe it or not–Jan. 29. Stupid email anyway!

Now I’m sitting here waiting on two answers.  Hopefully both will be an offer of a contract.

So what about my sixth goal? Finishing One Last Ride?

One thing is I changed the name and focus of this book.  The name is now Jamie’s Father and I’ve pretty much rewrote the first couple of chapters. The old stuff (after Jamie shows up will still be the same, I hope) but I changed the beginning to set up the new conflict. Now the conflict between Maddie and Ethan is his ten year old daughter. I like this story, but I’ve decided to put it aside until I  finish my romantic suspense called Gift. It’s going through critiques now even though it isn’t even written yet.

I need to stick to one of these romances and finish it.

So how is your writing going?

Oh, and just a reminder, One and the Same is out on March 4. Check The Wild Rose Press website.

One Woman’s Progress–Part 3

One of my critique partners just finished critiquing my sexy contemporary called A Betrayal of Friendship.  I’m looking forward to reading over her comments and changing stuff around in the final chapters. The first three are good to go, I hope. The last seven still need some work especially the last two.

By next week I hope to have the synopsis for Betrayal written, the editting finished, and the email with attachments sent to be editor, Cindy, at The Wild Rose Press.

So how am I going to manage that when I can’t seemed to get off the internet?

One small step at a time:

• I need to email Cindy and ask her how to submit.
• Finish final edits
• Write the synopsis
• Read over entire book and synopsis one last time
• Send it out.

Then I’m on to my second goal for the year–finish writing One Last Ride.

I read in an email I received today that breaking up a big goal into smaller ones made it easier to finish your projects.  I have these steps written on a piece of paper, sitting by my computer. When I finish one step I can easily cross it off the list.

I’ll try anything once.

One Woman’s Progress–Part 2

I’m stuck.

My WIP isn’t going well at all.  I’ve been stuck in the beginning of chapter three for the last couple of weeks.  I’ve managed to write a few pages (paragraphs really) the last day or so, but I’m not really sure where I want to go with this.

So I’m asking myself–why is that?  I was so excited about starting this project.  I’m thinking it might be because I’m trying to incorporate an already written romance with a barely there suspense plot. 

So what to do?  What to do?  I’ve decided to rewrite the entire book.  It’s actually freed me up.  For one think I’m making Dana a few years younger and Ben a couple of years older.  She’s still older than he is however.  And I’m also making her a bit more sure of herself as a woman.  Ben is still as sexy.

And there is one other reason I can’t seem to write this now.  I’ve just joined a second critique group and have uploaded the first two chapters of Gift to it.  I don’t normally have my critique partners look at my stuff until it’s finished, so I’m in a bind now.  I also have a finished contemporary romance called The Betrayal of Friendship being critiqued at another group.  I need to finish the finished one before I can concentrate on the second.

Another reason–I just started a new job at Cracker Barrel.

And another–it’s Christmas.

I hope you have a wonderful and joyful Christmas.

One Woman’s Progress–Part 1

So how do I do it?  Write, I mean?

I’m not really sure, so I decided to follow my own progress on my newest WIP.  (That’s work in progress, for the non-writers out there.) 

So what do I do?

I think every project starts in a different way.  For the one I’m working on now, two things put the story together.  The first is a short, sexy story with a Deputy Sheriff and an older woman just sitting finished in my hard drive.  (Well, the first draft is sitting there.)  And a new series called Men in Uniform just introduced for the Crimson Rose line of The Wild Rose Press.  This line is for romantic suspense books.  I like reading them, so I decided to try my hand at writing one of them.  Actually the very first book I’d ever finished writing, back in  the dark ages of the ’80s, was a romantic suspense targeted to Harlequin Intrigue.  I enjoyed writing that.

Enough of that.  More on my progress–Like I said I already had a completed romance, but I needed to find a crime for the suspense part.  I plotted out a possible one the past week or so–art forgery–and a possible reason for the heroine, Dana, to be in danger.  Her deceased husband is the forger. and he sold the fake picture as the original.  The guy who brought it finds out and is after Dana, thinking she knows where the real one is hidden.  I’m still working out the details.  Right now Ben (the hero) is helping out the cop in charge of the investigation by promising to keep an eye on her while she’s in Savannah.  He really doesn’t think she’s in any danger, though.  Dana doesn’t like the man because he’s a cop.  (Bad experience with the Altanta police here.)  And because he’s only 28.  (She’s 40.)  And because he’s obviously more than willing to show her how mature he is. 

The romance stuff is already written, hopefully I won’t need to change it.  I like the way Dana and Ben’s relationship is expressed in the older stuff.  I may have to change some of it,  but I like writing that kind of stuff.

So how do you write?  Would love to hear how other writers go about starting and finishing their great novels?

Finally…

I got my release date from my editor, Cindy. 

It’s–

March 4, 2009 

One and the Same is a spicy contemporary romance being release by The Wild Rose Press, Champagne Rosebud. 

Life has been kicking my butt again lately. (When isn’t it?) This news came at just the right time.  It tells me I may not be able to do much of anything else, but I do know how to write.

Here’s a short blurb of the story.

Ex-actress Kate Williams visits with her friend to discuss a possible acting role.

High powered executive, Matthew Hunter, thinks she’s in town for more than just a discussion.  He thinks she’s the newest means the show’s producers are using to get him to financially back the show.

This time their plan might work.  After all he had been half in love with the former actress for years.

Matt thinks all Kate wants from him is his money.

Kate thinks all Matt wants from her is her body.

Will they ever be able to get past their beliefs?