Just a note to let you know that I have a Five Day Excerpt coming out starting on Monday, Jan 17th which will be from Eye on Romance and part of their e-newsletters. If you don't already receive this newsletter and would like to, go to: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001jYqn93s1IRB-TUYOByA... to sign up so you can read my excerpts of Never Surrender, my Indian time travel romance. Eye on Romance has sixteen other romance sites to roam through as you search for new authors, books, contests, and so much more! Thank you so much for popping in to read me! Please visit my other links and main website at http://deannajewel.com
 

For those who like to hop from blog to blog looking for new authors, I would love to have you follow my links and join me on my blog tour. My schedule and blog links are on my website at http://deannajewel.com/about.html. Most interviews will include a contest so I hope to see you enter those if that's what you like to do. Good luck and feel free to enter all the contests. Each blog will have specifics for entering the contest so be sure to follow the contest rules to be eligible.

Be sure to check my contest page at http://deannajewel.com/contest.html as I also have several other contests going on in November. Thank you for your interest in my writing, books and tours. Feel free to forward this to your friends or tweet it to others.
 

Thank you for stopping in. If you're here for the contest info, you can hop over to my websites below. I have two contests going in Oct and Nov plus a third contest in November over at Coffee Time Romance. I hope you're able to mark your calendars so you can get your name in the drawings!

Here is what's up for grabs:

- http://deannajewel.com/contest.html - regular monthly contest - I give away two gifts cards and a goody bag/tee shirt package

- http://deannajewel.com/contest.html - Word of the Week - beginning Oct 31 - Dec 11 - grab the word of the week each week and turn them all in on Dec 12 -16, winner drawn on 12/16

- http://coffeetimeromance.com - contest area - November - signed book and $20 gift card!


Places to find me in November: http://deannajewel.com/about.html

I have my appearances listed so you can hop to the websites where I'll be the guest author and each site will be running a contest to win one of my signed books. I hope to see you sometime in November! Come join me!
 

If you're looking for new authors and new reads, I post several author interviews on my blog   site. I invite you to hop over and read about them. Besides the current one that is posted, please check my archives for past author interviews. Not all interviews are with romance authors as I also interview mystery/suspense and self help authors. There is something for everyone so please hop over, check out the links and leave us comments. Most of the interviews host a contest during their interviews. Come see what's up for today!
 

Writing can sometimes be something so personal that we don't want to share it with anyone until it reads perfect to us. If you've ever written anything, then shared the piece with others, you know it's like opening yourself up to let them see a part of you that you don't share often with anyone.

Years ago when I started writing, that's exactly how I felt, too. Belonging to a critique group is such a great experience but one has to be ready to accept all criticism and know that it's meant in the best way possible so you can become a better writer. You must be ready to read what is said about your writing, then take a deep breath and think about what the critique means. They aren't bashing what you wrote but trying to help you become better. This is exactly what happened to me years ago and it is one of the best pieces of advise I received; no, two, of the best pieces. I don't remember who it was, just that they belonged to our group and every two weeks we'd mail a packet to the next person in our group, who then mailed it to the next member after adding their comments. That description alone tells you how long ago that was!!

I'm going to share those bits of advice with you and hope it helps even one writer out there or an aspiring writer. Let me begin by saying that I had already completed a novel and with these bits of advise, I had to go back to the beginning and edit all 500 pages but it was sooooo worth it!! OMG - the difference the changes made changed the way the story read and made it a faster read. When I'm finished, I think you'll understand because this opened my eyes as to why, sometimes, one book seemed easier to read than another.

Think back on some of the books you've read that may have been a struggle to read, you might have had to re-read sentences or go back to re-read a paragraph or worse yet, thumbed back through the pages because you thought you'd missed something about a character or an event.

The first bit of advice: watch how your character describes themselves!!

Let's say your character sees her dinner date coming toward her and it's their first meeting. Your character CANNOT SEE that her own eyes twinkle or her cheeks and neck may turn pink or red or that her hair is beautiful. Read that sentence again....

Which leads me to the next point - be sure you're in the Point Of View you need to be in. Know which character you want to describe to the reader because a character can't explain how or what they look like to the reader unless they're looking in the mirror.

Another thing about point of view - DO NOT HEAD HOP! Don't be in one character's head for two paragraphs then be in another head and yet another. This is what makes a reader have to go back and re-read what you wrote, so they can keep up with who's head you're in. Don't do this to your readers or after too many times, they will just close the book and never open it again. I've done this, I know. Some authors will stay in ONE character's head for an entire chapter while others will be in one POV for only a scene or two. But stay consistent so your reader doesn't have to go back and re-read your work. If you want to describe a character to your reader, you must be in another character's head to do this or at least should be. We don't like to read about people who stand in front of mirrors all the time either.

Perhaps a third bit of advice also told to me - avoid author intrusion. This is when we describe the characters as they did this or they did that. If you're in a character POV, the character doesn't describe themselves as 'they' so keep an eye out in your writing for this. Use your find and search setting in your word processor to find 'they' or 'them'.

I hope I've given you a few points to ponder that will help improve your own writing. Pls feel free to comment back.
 

I am determined to get my books in front of as many readers as I can, not only to boost sales, but because I think I can take the reader on a mini vacation to MY book setting in another place and time. If you're a reader who enjoys being 'a fly on the wall' in the books you read, here are a few places to find me as well as places to enter my contests for June. There are only two weeks left for you to get into my drawings and I'd hate for you to miss out. Thank you for stopping by my blog to see where to find me in June and July! I so appreciate it!

Contests:

Coffee Time Romance: June Jubilee - there are two contests here - one at my author site on this link for June 24th, another is drawn on July 1
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=5

My Monthly contest: http://deannajewel.com - two winners will be drawn


Find me at these sites and see both my books:

http://historicalromancewriters.com

http://timetravelromanacewriters.com

http://coffeetimeromance.com - print your own book mark for my novel No Turning Back

July 1 - I will become a Coffee Time Romance Limelight Author - please check me out there

July 16 -17 - I'm blogging at Coffee Time Romance

On my Blog site: http://deannajewel.blogspot.com

- I have author interviews with many other authors on Thursdays so please stop by. Starting in mid July, I will also be a host for Virtual Book Tours for authors on Tuesdays so that will be two days that you can visit to check out other authors to add to your shelves! I'm excited to present the fellow authors and many also run contests on their interview day so check back often.

Thank you so much for reading me! I do appreciate it and for those who order my novels, I thank you so much for your support!




 

I want to share with all of you the wonderful 4 star review I recd from Tracy Moore at Apex Reviews:

Having suffered the tragic death of his fiancée, Nathan struggles to open his wounded heart to love again...with a freshly broken heart and a child on the way, Vanessa strives to put the pieces of her fractured life back together...when fate finds a way to unite the two of them, will they be able to love again – or will the specter of heartache rear its gloomy head once more...?

In No Turning Back, author Deanna Jewel takes the reader through the familiar story of love lost, mourned, and regained – only with a considerably unique twist. Set against the backdrop of 1770’s London, Jewel’s engaging tale of budding romance is rife with the usual sentimental trappings, sure to gauge the interest of die hard romance fans. As an added bonus, though, Jewel provides the reader with lush descriptions of the distinctly aristocratic lifestyles of members of 18th Century London’s High Society, with a sharp eye toward historical detail. In so doing, Jewel ensures that her readers are caught up in a fantastical journey through the combined worlds of life, love, and history.

A rich, compelling narrative with a strong central storyline, No Turning Back is a welcome addition to the world of historical romance. A satisfying read.
_________

Apex Reviews is a seasoned team of authors and editors with a combined total of over 75 years' experience in the publishing industry. Our reviews have been cited in various media across the globe, garnering accolades from editors, agents, and booksellers.

June 2, 2010


OTHER news: I have my June contest running at http://deannajewel.com for those who enjoy entering contests. The winner will receive a print copy of one of my books, a gift card to Amazon or B & N, and a goody bag of other items.

NEWSLETTER: Sign up for my newsletter can also be done at my main website above.

MAIN BLOG SITE: My main blog site can be found at http://deannajewel.blogspot.com and I have a FB page and MySpace, look me up wherever you might be.

WIP: There is a tab for 'About Me' where I have info on my current WIP - which is a ghost in an abandoned lighthouse. The link on my website can give you more info and I'm also posting the first chapter here for critiques. I'd love to hear what your opinions are so write me here and I'll be back to read them.

Thank you for reading my news and I look forward to writing more later.

Deanna Jewel
Romance Author

 

Don't forget to enter my April contest, there are only a few weeks left

My current work in progress is about an abandoned lighthouse about to be refurbished and a ghost who resides there waiting to help the couple who will be doing the work.

Please visit by website at http://deannajewel.com for more info on the links I'm involved in as well as other writers and their links.

See you on the net!
 

Yes, that's right! I've had a few requests for the poster I give to book stores advertising my new novel, No Turning Back, so decided I would give one away to BOTH winners of my April contest.

There is still time to enter. Just send an email to deanna.jewel@yahoo.com with 'contest' in the subject line and you're IN! I KNOW!! That's pretty easy. I also give away one of my tee shirts and a gift card to Amazon or B & N so I will also need your shirt size and which gift card you'd like as well as your address. More details are listed on my website.

The link is listed below for book buzzer to read the first two sample chapters of No Turning Back. On Tuesday, the 13th, readers helped me get to the #1 spot for romance books for full page views. Thank you so much to those who have already been to the site and read me. Wow....how kewl is that to be #1 on a site even for one day, but...it's not been just one day, I've been listed at the #1 spot at least three times in April!

Thank you so much and I'll see you in my contest!