Humankind’s need to explain our role in the universe has always fascinated me.  Even before the written word came to dominate our expression of explaining the way things are, human beings whispered stories of how the sun and the moon were living breathing essences that cared about the affairs of all humankind.  This ability of human beings to fill in gaps in our knowledge with the most outrageous tales is part of what made me a writer.  The thought of being part of a continuing chain of humanity, ancient and new creating a new universe though words was hard for me to resist.

During my college years, one of my favourite subjects was world civilization for the simple fact that world myths were discussed.  It was this interest in myths that helped me to hear the voice of Adam, a London cop who discovers he’s an Indian god-man in my latest release, ‘Nirvana.’   The myths of ancient India are very special and it’s no wonder.  Indian Civilization dates back to over 3300 before Christ and it is rich in very real imagery that allows for a contact between humans and gods that is truly unique in the world.  Indian gods have real drives that we can all connect with, they perspire and they seek love with a soul mate which at heart is the essence of a good romantic tale.

In the creation of my paranormal and science fiction words, reading amazing tales of how ancient people saw the world as taken me on journeys that I might not have ever experienced otherwise allowing me listen to the sad tale of a Demi God in my erotic release ‘Nirvana’ to fighting by the side of a 150 year old wizard in my paranormal novel release ‘The Dream King.’ In conclusion, I enjoy considering the higher and shadow meanings in life though my stories, the practice of reading world mythology continues to help me reach for it.

Tara Newlands is a UK Yankee currently living in the United Kingdom with her family.  She is an avid yogi who enjoys writing, dancing and spending time with her family.  She has contributed to an article in a popular US magazine and is currently a featured author in Literature and Fiction interviews, volume two.  Readers can learn more about Tara at www.freewebs.com/taranewlands, www.authorsden.com/taranewlands and at Red Rose publishing and Whispers publishing respectively.

Last week, I made my annual drive across the country. I left my home in San Antonio, Texas, in my mini-van (loaded down with four dogs) and headed toward Topsail Beach, North Carolina, where my family always spends a few weeks during the summer. As usual, I planned to roll into the small beach town the day before my husband and son arrived by plane.

To be honest, I hadn’t been looking forward to the drive. I just drove to Wisconsin and back in May for a national dog show and wasn’t feeling the love for spending 4 days in the van again. All that changed when I made plans to stop and spend the night in Atlanta, Georgia.

I drive through Atlanta every year, and each time I notice the signs and billboards for the Margaret Mitchell House. The former home of the Pulitzer prize winning author of Gone With the Wind is now a museum. I’ve always wanted to stop and take the tour of Margaret Mitchell’s apartment. How inspiring would it be to stand in the same room where she spent seven years writing one of the greatest American novels of all time?

I’d never taken the time to stop because I couldn’t leave the dogs unattended in the hot car. But, I decided this would be the year. I would simply spend the night in Atlanta and leave the pups in the cool air conditioning of my hotel room while I visited Margaret Mitchell’s home.

I arrived at the Margaret Mitchell House just in time for the last tour of the day and, to my utter delight, the very first room of the apartment was her writing room – the parlor – where she penned her classic Civil War romance. I took a deep breath and attempted to inhale some of her Pulitzer prize winning mojo. Maybe some of it would rub off on me. (Hey, it was worth a shot!).

Just as I was about to pull my camera out of my handbag, the tour guide told us the taking of photographs was prohibited in the apartment.

What? I thought. Oh my. All my writing friends will be so disappointed.

As we filed out of the parlor, past the author’s tiny closet of bathroom and into her bedroom, I hung back a little. A voice, with a very definite Southern accent, rang in my head.

This is what is said: What would Scarlett do?

So, I did what any spoiled Southern belle would do. I tiptoed into the parlor and snapped a few pics with my cell phone. I told myself they didn’t even count, really, as photos. No flash. No camera, even.

So, here you go…photos of the birthplace of Gone With the Wind. Fiddle-dee-dee.

Margaret Mitchell always kept a towel right next to her typewriter. When guests came to her home, she covered her manuscript with the towel to prevent them from reading her unedited draft.

Teri Wilson ~ Romancing the pet lover’s soul

www.teriwilson.net

Teri is the award-winning author of Cup of Joe and Rodeo Redemption, both available from White Rose Publishing. She is ordinarily an ardent rule follower, who rarely allows her inner Scarlett O’Hara free rein.

That infamous statement was what I cried when I received my first editing on a rejected manuscript. I had sent in a number of submissions and gotten the same number of rejections until that one came back. One person had taken the time to edit the first three pages. For the first time I was given a clue as to why my manuscripts weren’t wanted. The sight depressed me to the point that I was ready to give up. All that red, all those squiggles, all those symbols in the margins only meant to me that if I was ever going to be published I had to relearn all I’d forgotten from school all those many years ago–and learn all manner of new things that would basically entail rewriting everything I had ever written.  I literally tossed the pages away from me, ready to settle into a self-pitying brood. I couldn’t stay away from it, though. I few days later I picked them up and looked past the red to the symbols, seeing how many of them were repeated. I could throw all manner of sage proverbs at you; you know, those each journey starts with a single step” type of things. I won’t, but the principle applies. I started my journey, with the first symbol, studied what it meant and then looked for that weakness and changed it in my manuscript. To my amazement, with the marvel of computers, that didn’t take long at all. I went on to the next. Same thing. Then the next. Yes, for those of you who may ask, I sent the lady a thank you.

Some of you may also be asking yourself what has this story got to do with the title? I was 62 when that happened. I had written all my adult life, but aside from a couple of bursts of submitting and getting rejections, and quitting, I had never pursued getting my writing published with any kind of determination. I let those manuscripts pile up in the drawers and closets. Why? I had any number of excuses. Had to raise the kids, had to work and couldn’t concentrate when I had the time, oh and had to have a computer because my typing is so bad. My favorite was quoting something I’d read, that publishers didn’t want anything not submitted by an agent and agents didn’t want to represent you if you weren’t already published. Well, the kids grew up, I quit working outside of the home, and my husband bought me a computer. He and the kids had put up with me going into my own world for years when a story took off in my head and just had to be put on paper. They all wanted me to do something with the results. So did I. That last was the first thing I had to admit to myself. The second was that the real reason I played at it half-heartedly, without real perseverance, was I didn’t want all those rejections telling me I wasn’t a writer, that I didn’t have any talent. Some time, right around sixty, I had this serious talk with myself. I wasn’t a coward, and I could take it. Maybe it was just that the timing was right, but that first new burst brought me that little bit of editing. After six months of self-editing, I submitted again and the very first one was accepted. Since then eight more have been released and two more are under contract. I must have done something right when I decided I wasn’t too old to learn new things. Neither, at any age, are you.That, friends, is the point of this story.

Two names, one author, thousands of stories: http://www.larriane.com.  I have a contest running every month and freebies all of the time. Visit my contest page for details.

My latest release through Swimming Kangaroo Books.  See them all at http://swimmingkangaroo.com  and watch this coming spring for my first release from Museitup Publishing, another western romance, White Savage by Larion and a new science fiction from XOXO Publishing by Larriane.

I saw this question somewhere recently and it really got me thinking about all my favorite books. And the ones I’ve read way more than once. Do you do that? Or do you read ‘em once and get rid of them?

Which book(s) could you read over and over?

For me, there are a lot of Harlequin Romances I read when I first started reading romance. And any time I need a pick me up, I go back to them and reread. There are a few Susan Mallery books that always make me happy, no matter how many times I’ve read them. And pretty much any of the dark hunter books. They’re so complex there’s always something new to learn.

How about you?
Ally

Visit our sites:

http://www.cataromance.com

http://www.singletitles.com

http://www.sensualreads.com

I saw this question somewhere recently and it really got me thinking about all my favorite books. And the ones I’ve read way more than once. Do you do that? Or do you read ‘em once and get rid of them?

Which book(s) could you read over and over?

For me, there are a lot of Harlequin Romances I read when I first started reading romance. And any time I need a pick me up, I go back to them and reread. There are a few Susan Mallery books that always make me happy, no matter how many times I’ve read them. And pretty much any of the dark hunter books. They’re so complex there’s always something new to learn.

How about you?
Ally

Visit our sites:

http://www.cataromance.com

http://www.singletitles.com

http://www.sensualreads.com