The HEA Cafe

This past year has been an adventure to say the least. I managed to do book research with a bunch of Harley riders and their dogs – without falling off a bike once (at least not while the bikes were moving). Then I met a building inspector for the city of Henderson, Nevada, who took me down into the bowels of the Hoover Dam to research the second Accidental Demon Slayer book, The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers. And then The Accidental Demon Slayer hit the New York Times bestseller list, prompting me to utter the words “Get out!” over and over to my agent before making her email me to make sure I wasn’t phone hallucinating.

They say you’re only as good as your next book, though and I have to tell you I’m really excited about this next one. Lizzie and the gang are going to Las Vegas to confront a she-demon who has her eye on world domination – and worse, Lizzie’s man. It’s chock full of biker witches, smart aleck fairies and steamy romance.

Plus, I love quirky research and The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers gave me an excuse to do it. The climax of this book takes place inside the Hoover Dam, and of course in order to write about it, it was necessary (and fun) to talk my way into some behind-the-scenes places. An engineer took me far down into the inspection tunnels they used in the 1930’s and 40’s, when the cement was still curing. It was amazing to see the notes these inspectors made on the walls, to hear the stories of those that didn’t quite make it out and to walk the same old metal steps that they did. All of that made it into The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, along with lots of things I had a blast making up (this is fiction after all).

And to celebrate the upcoming release of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, we have the highly un-scientific Are You Part Demon Slayer? quiz. Post your score on my blog and enter to win a walk-on role in the next Accidental Demon Slayer book. Good luck!

Today I’m taking a turn blogging about a strong woman in my life.

She was Jane Jordan Browne, my literary agent. She acquired me in 1997 just before I sold my first book to Love Inspired. I knew I had made the right decision in signing with her when I told the editor who called to offer me a contract that Jane Browne was now my agent. In an awed tone, she asked, “Jane Jordan Browne?”

Jane was a fantastic agent who took a real interest in the careers of her authors. She read all my early manuscripts and critiqued them before my editors saw them. She made sure I connected with editors who would help grow my career.

I often still hear her voice in my head giving me advice. After every conversation we had about a new project, she would end it by saying, “We shall see,” as in “We shall see how it will turn out.” And it usually turned out WELL.

I was horribly shocked and saddened when she died suddenly of pancreatic cancer the first week of February 2003. (Pancreatic cancer is hard to diagnose.)

Before her unexpected death, Jane had asked one of the interns she had trained in the 90’s to come back and begin taking over the agency so Jane could retire. I’m so thankful that Jane did this because her successor Danielle Egan-Miller was there to take up where Jane had left off.

Danielle has been a real blessing to me too. And neither of us will ever forget Jane’s impact on our lives both personally and professionally. Jane and Danielle have been blessings not only in my career but in my life. Thanks.

Image via Wikipedia

Ooops.  That’s what happens when my blogging day falls on a Saturday, especially a stunningly gorgeous Saturday in spring.  Thoughts of sitting and staring at a screen completely leave my head.

North Florida has three seasons–a looooong summer, and a delightful spring and autumn.  Between autumn and spring there are some cold days which I won’t dignify by calling them “winter”, but they offer a chance to build a nice fire and drink hot chocolate.

Right now though it’s definitely spring.  I’ve been wiping yellow pollen down from my porch nearly every day.  It finally rained, which was a good thing.  We needed the rain and it cleared much of the pollen away.  Yesterday was a breathtakingly beautiful day, with highs in the upper 70’s F and lows in the upper 50’s. I enjoyed my daily neighborhood walk and tried not to think about what it’s going to feel like in August.

It’s also time for spring cleaning.  In addition to the porch, I’ve been cleaning all over the house, clearing out clutter (including a ton of books to donate to the library book sale), catching up on put-off chores, and thinking about the relationship between spring cleaning and our writing.  In the first (and even second and third) draft, it’s not uncommon for my manuscript to get cluttered and messy.  But  I don’t worry about it.  I figure I’ll write it, and then I’ll clear out the clutter, when my mind is better focused on what stays and what goes.  If I try to do too much cleaning as I go, I get bogged down and end up with perfectly polished chapters 1-3…and nothing else.

So do your spring cleaning, and if you’re writing, remember it’s OK to let the clutter build.  Eventually a fresh breeze will blow through, and you’ll get it all cleared out and neat and shiny again.