RomanceEverAfter
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People You Should Know A Conversation with Ross Howard, A Cure for Kirby, Meet Monica Davis and Geir Ness. The Beauty of Change Series Historical Romance Column and Book Reviewer: Kaye Hatfield NEW! Sam DeMarco Have you dreamed of starting your own business? Sam DeMarco, owner of Compliance Team, did and he tells us how he made his dream a reality! Photo Gallery Romance & You (Articles) Romantic Memoir
Quotes & Poetry Expand your quotes and poetic horizons by visiting our various Quotes & Poetry categories: Thought of the Week: Time for New Beginnings A series of 8 articles by Melissa Hamilton comprising a collection of principles that will allow you to make your vision for the future a reality. Read about the Amish, India, Philippines, Greece, & Rome.
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Heidi Betts
Heidi let us know her new book, "Hannah's Half-Breed" has been released with a 4-star review from Romantic Times BookClub Magazine. Here is a snippet of her news:
Heidi:
" I'm absolutely ecstatic to share that HANNAH'S HALF-BREED received not only a 4-star review from
Romantic Times BookClub Magazine, but also a coveted K.I.S.S. Award (that's "Knight In Shining Silver", not "Keep It Simple Stupid") for the hero's character, David Walker. I've never
gotten one of these before, and I have to tell you, I'm tickled pink. I knew David was one of my all-time favorite heroes for a reason." _____________________________ What do you find romantic? I think a lot of things can be romantic, be they large or small. I would never turn down the offer of a Hawaiian getaway, but a nice back rub or quick call in the middle of the day to say "I love you" can be very romantic, too. And chocolate...did I mention chocolate? Any kind, any time, anywhere. Why do you like reading and writing romance? I can't think of a reason I *don't* love reading and writing romance. I ask people what they like to read and automatically expect them to name a Romance title or author. If they don't, I'm at a complete loss. It's like no books exist for me unless they fall under the Romance umbrella. Romances have everything, as far as I'm concerned, and there's so much to choose from. Romances can take place during any time in history; you can find a suspenseful or humorous contemporary; you can have stories about doctors, lawyers, cops, cowboys/ranchers. There's something for everyone, and enough variety that you never get bored.But the thing I think I like most about Romances is the focus on the hero and heroine. You're able to connect with the main characters so quickly, and then watch as they get to know each other, as their relationship builds and they fall in love. It's also very comforting to know that every Romance story will end with Happily Ever After, however that might come about. :-) As a romance author, what has drawn you to writing historical romances? I think history is fascinating and would much rather learn about some note-worthy event in an entertaining, enjoyable fashion than by having it drilled into me by a textbook. But more than just the details or realistic events, there's something special about putting yourself in the head or shoes of a character who lived back then, of experiencing at least in some small way what life was like in the 1700s or 1800s.What challenges do you face as an author writing a story in a historical setting? The biggest challenge, of course, is getting your details right. No one is perfect, and no one can really know what life was like back then, but we have to do our best and get as close to realistic as we can. Every historical author I know has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with research tomes. We love pouring through them just for fun, but we also use them to either research actual historical events that we want to use in our stories, or to double-check our historical facts.You have written numerous books for Leisure Historical. What do you enjoy about writing for Leisure? Leisure has been wonderful to me, and it would go against my nature not to say immediately that one of the things I like best about writing for them is the fabulous covers they've given me. I can't help it, I love them. :-) Another plus is that they're very good about letting authors write stories in their own vision. The editors are wonderful, and when they do ask for revisions they definitely help to improve the book. But they're not intrusive and don't ask for so many revisions that a story no longer feels like your own.Tell us about your July 2002 release "Callie's Convict"? In CALLIE'S CONVICT, Wade Mason has been convicted of a murder he didn't commit and is now spending time in prison. But when he discovers he's fathered a child, nothing is more important than finding his son, so he escapes and makes his way back to Purgatory in shackles.Callie Quinn is the woman who's taken Wade's son into her care, but little did she expect an unkempt stranger in iron manacles to appear in her home, announcing his determination to take Matthew away from her. She has no intention of handing the child over, of course, but when Wade refuses to leave without his son and decides to use her house as a hide-out from the lawmen who are hunting him, Callie suddenly realizes she's become the man's hostage. What characteristics did you create in your hero, Wade Mason, that made you like him as a character? Poor Wade. I liked him immediately, simply because he'd been wrongly convicted of a crime he didn't commit, forced to spend time in a filthy, deplorable prison. He didn't even know he had a son until after the fact. But when he did find out, his entire focus changed. He didn't only want to clear his name anymore; he wanted to clear his name so that he would be around to raise his little boy. What projects/new books are you working on at this time? Also, take a moment to tell us about your upcoming release "Hannah's Half-Breed" (January 2003). I'm not working on anything in particular at this very moment, just sort of putzing and taking a bit of a break after meeting my last deadline. What I hope to work on next, though, is another book in the "Welcome to Purgatory" series tentatively titled QUINN'S QUEST. Nathan Quinn is Callie's brother from CALLIE'S CONVICT. You never actually meet him in Callie's story, but he's mentioned and I can't help thinking that the story I have in mind for him would be a lot of fun to write. I don't have all the pieces put together yet, though, and I have to see what my editor thinks of the idea before I go ahead with it. :-) As for HANNAH'S HALF-BREED, I'm very excited about its upcoming release. Some readers may remember that Hannah and David made an appearance in WALKER'S WIDOW. Well, those two orphans are all grown up now and falling in love. I was actually really nervous when I first started this book, because I'd never done a "childhood sweetheart" story before; before HANNAH'S HALF-BREED, all of my heroes and heroines were strangers when they met. Hannah and David, however, grew up together in the Purgatory Home for Unwanted Children, and there was a bit of a connection even back then.Now, Hannah is the town's sole schoolteacher and David is splitting his time between his adoptive parents' home in Purgatory (Clay & Regan from WALKER'S WIDOW) and his Comanche mother's village. But when David appears on Hannah's doorstep, wounded and in need of a guardian for his young nephew, she doesn't hesitate to aid them--even if it means losing her job and tarnishing her sterling reputation.What are your three favorite bookmarks (web sites)? My first favorite would have to be http://horoscopes.excite.com. I bring up my horoscope first thing every morning. I don't know how accurate they are, but they're fun and once in a while I think something they say might actually come true. Next--and don't laugh when you see this--is www.armadillodance.com. It used to be Hamsterdance, but I lost the URL for that one after a hard drive crash and this is as close as I was able to get to the original. I can't help it, I just love that stupid song & sometimes leave it playing the background while I work. The dancing armadillos are a hoot, too. And then there's www.bn.com (Barnes & Noble online). I go there a lot and almost never leave without ordering something, especially when they're running those great specials like "free shipping when you buy two or more books." How can you resist?
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