Author name: DahliaDW

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Authors: Keep Ya Heads Up

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Usually I write a little fluffy post that talks about flowers, puppies, liquor or the like.  This week, I took some time to cruise the discussion boards, something that I haven’t done in a while.  On one hand, I see that I’m missing a lot while on the other, I think I’m not really missing anything. I have been in the author business for about three years, and I think that I’ve come a long way in the way I approach the business.  First it was all “write what you know”, then it was “write what readers want” then it was “write what you want” etc. etc.  Every author is bombarded with mounds of advice on how to write, when to write it and what to write. The veil is so thin between authors and readers that authors must be very careful to protect themselves.  It is so easy these… Continued

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Crocheting and Creativity

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Most authors don’t sit hunched over a keyboard or a yellow pad and fountain pen all day long.  We have lives, families, pets and we watch the occasional television program and/or movie.  In addition, we also have hobbies, that little thing we try to squeeze between real life and creating imaginary worlds. I am a crafter from way back.  My mother taught me crocheting, knitting, tatting and sewing.  The one thing that stuck with me was the crocheting.  I must have hooks in so many sizes and colors that I could open my own store.  And let’s not talk about the amount of yarn currently residing in my basement.  I don’t even know how many different colors I have. Crocheting (and knitting) is crucial to my creative cycle.  Whenever I’m stuck on a plot point, character arc or have had enough of looking at little letters march across the screen,

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Wild West Heroes – We Need More Diverse Books

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Please note – the #weneedmorediversebooks is not a condemnation of the books that are out now – it’s simply an observation that we need more of a good thing. The #weneedmorediversebooks campaign caught my eye this past week.  As a former teacher, a parent and a writer, I try to write diverse, non-typical characters.  When I was in the classroom, I made it a point to collect books that spoke about many different cultures. One of my son’s first chapter books when he was in third grade was called “Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World.”  It was a story about a boy whose father had passed away and lived in a household of females.  He believed cleaning and cooking was “woman’s work.”  In all, the poor child was suffering from a lack of a male in the house.  His smart mother sent him to live for the summer

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Hot n Sprung Blog Hop – Hot Summer Reads

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Usually the spring/summer season is when most television shows go in hiatus and we’re left to our own devices to entertain ourselves. Yeah, we could catch up on all the movies we refused to pay real money for last summer or try to get involved in a new series on Netflix or Hulu. Don’t do that though. Stick with your fall/winter shows and use the better weather and lovely sunshine to stick your nose in a few great reads. There are so many great romance novels out there that by the time you get from under your to be read (TBR) pile, it’ll be fall. (And you’ll have a great tan.) I like zombies.  They scare the crap out of me, but I like ’em anyway.  When I started watching The Walking Dead, then reading the graphic novel (highly recommended if you’re a fan of the show), I realized that

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Are Romance Novels Literary Peppers?

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I watch a lot of Food Network, courtesy of my  wonderful husband,  and I’ve learned that there were heat ratings for peppers.  It’s called the Scoville scale, named after Wilbur Scoville, who worked for the Park-Davis Company.  It is what is called “subjective dilution-taste procedure”. I’m not going into the whole science of it, but since this is not a foodie post, I’ll dispense with that. Basically, the heat factor of chile peppers is measuresd in multiples of 100 units.  A sweet, green bell pepper is at zero Scoville units.  The hot as Hades and beyond Naga Jolokia Ghost Pepper is measures at 1,000,000 Scoville units.  Talk about extremes. To put this in a bit of perspective, Frank’s RedHot Original is 450 Scoville Units.  Tabasco Sauce (regular) is 700 Scoville Units.   Frank’s RedHot XTRA Hot is 2,000 Scoville units.  I don’t mess with anything more than that.  However, there are

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Fame is Murder – Freakquency by Caddell Brown Review

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Welcome to Caddell Brown’s Book Tour. I am so pleased to host her today on my blog. Blurb: Rick Chamberland had it all, fame, fortune and women. Until a phone call from his mother forced him to come home and confront the dark secrets of his family’s past. With club singer and small-town girl Song Peters at his side, Rick discovers a demonic presence connecting their families that threatens to destroy all that they hold dear.  My Review: I had the distinct pleasure of reading an advance copy of Ms. Brown’s book. First of all, this is not a romance, but an erotic supernatural thriller, and it lives up to its promise. Without giving too much away, Ms. Brown weaves a tale of generational secrets come to light with the return of rock star Rick Chamberland to his hometown. Called home by his mother for the funeral of his childhood pet, Rick crosses the path

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