Tell me that photo doesn't just make you swoon. When I tell you that its my 19 year old "baby" who just happens to be a Lance Corporal with the Marines and he's standing in the dessert of Iraq, it adds another layer of emotion. You single gals out there are drooling, you Mom's are tearing up because you can't imagine what I'm feeling. But yep that's my boy. The romance author in me sees the perfect cover! Wonder if I can convince him to let me use it?? lol.

Two months to go. Two months until he's home in our house, less than that and he'll arrive back in the states. Saturday was his Dad's birthday and he was able to call home. Best gift in the world for both of us.

I look back and shake my head at all that's gone on since he left home in January, the changes - good and bad. A year is a long time in a family's life, but for this family certain parts of life have been on hold and we're finally coming to the end of a journey that while we were honored and proud to take, its not one we wish to go through again. When someone in your family serves his country, the entire family and their friends all sacrifice for that service. We worry and we miss him, but we are proud that these young men and women are determined to do the right thing and protect our freedom.

58 days to go.

A four leaf clover tattoo, three old friends; 1 guy, his sister, her best friend, a business, a heartfelt promise, a late night phone call, a quick plane ride, a plush office and ...nothing.

Does any of that mean anything? Nope. Its just gibberish, or at least to anyone who isn't a writer it is. To me and to probably those of you who write a story is already starting to take shape. I've had these phrases, these snippets of scenes floating in my head now for weeks and they are driving me crazy. If I wasn't a writer; I'd be worried.

As writers, we're used to ideas hitting us from literally out of nowhere. We're used to hearing "voices" in our heads and seeing movies play out in our minds before we ever put the first keystroke down. For me, the frustrating part isn't where to get ideas but rather how to find the time for all the ideas I've got. I've learned, through trial and error that when an idea hits, no matter what else you're working on, you have to at least take some notes, put down the scene on paper and get it out of your head or you'll never get any rest. Certainly, you'll never get back to the manuscript you're supposed to be working on.

I'm supposed to be hard at work on the fourth book in the Double B series. I'm supposed to have it all wrapped up before the holidays so it can get into edits and release in early 2010. I'm trying. Honest. But the reality is this "four leaf clover tattoo story" as I refer to it is driving me half insane. I wake up in the middle of the night and think about it, driving in the car, I think about it. There doesn't seem to be a time when I'm not thinking about some part of this story.

Its becoming an obession. Somebody has a story; it needs to be told and apparently I'm the lucky writer. Sigh. I just wish I knew....the rest of the story.

Hope your writing is going better than mine today.

As authors we're constantly thinking of new ways to tell the same story. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. That's the basic premise of almost any love story when you break it down. You need a hero to fall in love with, a heroine to identify with and a conflict to keep their love from ever happening. A good writer, one that we all aspire to be, is one who makes the reader keep turning pages trying to figure out how on earth this author will get this couple together.

I think about that as I write. Am I working hard enough to make this couple's story "page turning"?

As authors, our job is to give the buyer a product that not only will bring her back to us again and again, but also to make her not regret spending her hard earned cash. I've read a lot of books in my day, but maybe only half have given me that kind of reward.

I'm happy to report that the anthology "Finding Their WayBack" has received rave reviews. Another one came in today. I'm so proud to have been part of this project with Stacy Dawn and Cindy Pape. Wonderful cowboy writers for sure.

If you get a chance check out our anthology, available in ebook and print from http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ and if you'd like to read a fabulous review you can click on the following links.

http://mistressbellareviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/finding-their-way-back-wayback-texas.html?zx=6cdc4b737c64f599

or
http://theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/findingwaybackantho.htm

I wish all of you happy reviews!

Roni