Of Mice and Men and February Contest Info...

Mice: Could you consider one for a pet? The reason I'm asking: in one of my suspense novels, yet to be published, Tara--the detective--has one for a pet. Her twin brother gave it to her for a joke, and she ended up loving the little fellow. He's also sensitive to what is right and/or wrong in the cases she's trying to solve and he's able to give her animal hints (if she's smart enough to figure them out!)

So, would you have a mouse for a pet? Is it too icky? (By the way, I'm considering changing Tara's pet to an exotic cat) Are you afraid of mice? And are they more trouble than men?

That's what I'm getting at. Mice mess (uh hem) where you don't want them to. They get into the food you don't want them in and cause more work. But what else do they do? They scamper, but then who wouldn't when a monster-ish human form towers over you? I'd run for my life, too!

Men:
Not to be too indelicate (have you ever cleaned a toilet bowl?), but yeah, same difference. Then, ever try to hide the cookies? (homemade bread, pie, cake, etc. etc.) You'd think they were going through a worse persecution than some foreign third world country. They're much worse than children when they get sick. (I carry the phone around afraid any minute I'll have to call emergency.) And just let them prepare some document, manuscript, article, etc. You must, must, must listen to this. 

So why is it when I have a tiny bit of my novel I need proofread, "I'm too busy right now" is what I hear? Fair turnabout is what I thought it was all about.

Men!

They insist on heading to the most boring sections in Wal-Mart. They chat endlessly about sports and cars and jobs, but let us mention a baby! Oh, my, their eyes turn glassy and droop with a sudden syndrome called sleepiness.

Tell me this: is that fair?

But, hey, I gotta remember, I get warm cuddlings from one certain handsome man (hubby!), and I can't complain about him not taking me places.

He helps me in the house, strives to give me what I need--and want (most of the time--don't want to get too generous here!) He's good at keeping the fireplace stoked because he knows I love it. He puts up with my pets, when he'd just as soon not have any. He listens-- sometimes, or, at least, pretends to--to my eternal chatting about my writing. He buys me flowers. And I think he loves me.

Hmmm . . . I think I'll keep him around for awhile yet. 

CONTEST QUESTION TIME

(You must comment on every contest question I have this month--

February, 2018,

 and I will label them as such. 

One per week for the whole month.)

Contest Question:

So what is it to be:  Mice?  or  Men?  

VOTING TIME...

Oh, yeah, you want to know what you get?

This:

and a kindle copy of 

Knight in Shining Apron

Book 2

of the Appleton, WV Romantic Mystery series

How's that for a beautiful, romantic gift?

Happy Reading!

Guest Blog by Author Ann Gabhart

February always makes me think of roses and hearts, romance and love. Ann's giving away a copy of her book, Words Spoken True, to one person.  But you must comment and leave an email address!

Enjoy Ann's post . . .

Romances to Remember by Ann H. Gabhart

Don’t you just love a great romance story? Romance has been in the air ever since Adam was lonely in the Garden of Eden and the Lord gave him Eve. I can see Adam searching out the prettiest flowers to bring to her.

We need romance in our life. It makes the days brighter and the nights sweeter. And books more fun to read. Some romances are so much a part of our literary background that you only have to mention the names to conjure up the romantic scenes. Romeo and Juliet. Rhett and Scarlett. Anthony and Cleopatra. And from the Bible, Jacob and Rachel or David and Bathsheba.

What makes a romantic couple unforgettable? Passionate love and obstacles. The course of true love never runs smooth. I think Charles Dickens was the first one credited with saying that, but it’s been something many writers have used to their advantage. Take a woman and a man and have them fall madly in love. Enter the writer who throws complication after complication at them until the reader fears that the characters’ love is impossible. Then again, perhaps we shouldn’t put all the blame on the writer. Life can throw complications enough at us and that’s what writers try to do – present life in fictional form.

That’s what I intended to do with Words Spoken True. I took a slice of history, 1855 in Louisville when many of the citizens were very concerned, even fearful, about the increasing immigrant population. The newspapers wrote editorials worrying that the many Irish and German newcomers were going to take over the country once they obtained the vote. A political party sprang up to try to exclude these immigrants from holding office. So I dropped my characters down in the newspaper business and made my heroine, Adriane Darcy, an independent thinker who cares little for the social customs of the day. She only wants to keep helping her father get out his newspaper and stay the number one paper in Louisville. Then Blake Garrett comes to town and takes over a rival paper and becomes their main competitor.

Naturally, when the two finally meet at a benefit tea, the attraction is immediate. Ah, but there are complications. He’s the enemy who’s trying to destroy her father’s newspaper. She’s engaged to Stanley, the son of a socially prominent man running for office – a man her father owes a great deal of money. Blake’s bringing a new style of journalism to Louisville that includes headline stories about a serial killer. Adriane’s determined to beat him in the headline war even if she has to chase down the headlines herself. Her father keeps pushing her to marry Stanley. Blake’s determined to stop that from happening. On a terrible day in Louisville history known as “Bloody Monday,” Adriane and Blake are forced to make some dramatic choices. And the romance and obstacles escalate.

Words Spoken True is the most romantic story I’ve written in years. My Hollyhill books had a sweet romance line running through all three books, but it was just one thread among several story threads in that family drama. Then my Shaker books were definitely historical romances, but with the Shakers’ beliefs that all should live as brothers and sisters and that romance and marriage were sinful, the forbidden romances had to sneak into the story. With those books, I kept my readers wondering how the two main characters would ever be able to find romantic happiness or if they would. In Angel Sister, the mother’s and father’s romantic beginnings are a parallel story to the family drama as they work their way through obstacles to their happiness then and in the present time of the story as well, but again that’s only a part of the book.

But with Words Spoken True, I was able to let the romance take center stage. The historical background is there. The newspaper background is there, but so is the romance with plenty of obstacles that I hope will keep the readers turning pages to see how it all turns out in the end. Here’s a bit of what Camillia, a reviewer for Long and Short Reviews had to say about the story.

“Ann Gabhart weaves a beautiful tapestry of a tale with the golden thread of love shining among the varying dark shades of evil in political corrupt, prejudice, and disregard for human life. The iridescence of Adriane and true blue of Blake woven in with the golden thread make a beautiful design, while the pastels of society ladies create part of the landscape design that seems to get mixed with the dark designs of evil. However, some of the secondary characters have varying shades of golden threads, some rather tarnished and some finely polished with age, and some even a little dirty and unpolished, but they enrich this compelling story.”


You can read the entire review at http://www.longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/words-spoken-true-by-ann-h-gabhart.html

If you read Words Spoken True, I hope you’ll be rooting for Adriane and Blake to find true love in spite of all the obstacles springing up to keep that from happening.

So what are some of your favorite romances?

Thanks for reading. If you want more of a peek at Words Spoken True you can check out more about the book on my website, www.annhgabhart.com

• You can also find out about a great Louisville giveaway contest I’m running through February 29.
• I post on One Writer’s Journal, www.annhgabhart.blogspot.com most Wednesdays and Fridays and enjoy hearing from readers.
• My Facebook author’s page is https://www.facebook.com/annhgabhart#!/pages/Ann-H-Gabhart/132862247566.
• I’m on Twitter with a user name of annhgabhart, and . . .
• I just signed on with Google+, https://plus.google.com/u/0/stream?tab=G.

Lots of way to come visit me. So come on over, and we’ll sit down and have a cup of tea together before I have to get back to writing.



Comments and email addresses for a chance to win her book! 
Hope you enjoyed Ann's post. Be sure to check out her sites and her books!
Blessings!