Paws for a Cause with Jan Scarbrough

I have this habit of rescuing dogs and cats. You can call me a foster failure because the only time I tried fostering, the dog stayed.

Being a romance writer, I often put bits of my real world into my books by adding my family pets.

In Kentucky Flame, I created a white English setter named Major after a dog I had rescued as a puppy from the Humane Society. The real dog, Flops, shared my life and my children’s lives for fifteen years. What better way to memorialize a faithful friend?

Kentucky Cowboy contains two of my former cats. Ginger, a tortoiseshell cat with a peculiar stripe down the bridge of her nose, was in real life Gloria, the cat my daughter brought home from college one Thanksgiving. My husband’s cat Jester also stars in the book as Joker, the hero’s black cat. Our late Border collie, Binky, was my inspiration for the heroine’s pet dog. For Kentucky Woman, I borrowed my daughter’s orange tabby, and I gave the heroine’s son a big, bronze-colored fuzzy dog inspired by my current rescue, Red, who by the way was my foster failure.

When I wrote Santa’s Kiss, I had fun giving the heroine a traveling companion named Little Bits who is the carbon copy of Lenny, my comical Pembroke Welsh Corgi. My upcoming release Kentucky Rain stars Folly, a fluffy calico cat. For the first time I used my real cat’s name for the name of the cat in the book.

Never kill a cat in a romance novel. I broke the rule when I wrote Tangled Memories! I’m pleased to report the gray cat Munster that met a sudden death in the book is really a domestic long-haired cat named Bugsy. This former blue ribbon winner lived to the grand old age of nineteen. But I’ll never kill another cat in a book again!

The animals I have rescued have enriched my life in many ways. I am happy to give them a little piece of immortality in the pages of my books.

Website: http://www.janscarbrough.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jan-Scarbrough-Reader-Page/204815941631

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/janscarbrough

Follow me on Twitter @romancerider

Paws With A Cause® enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities nationally through custom-trained Assistance Dogs. 

PAWS® increases awareness of the rights and roles of Assistance Dog teams through education and advocacy.  Founded in 1979, Paws With A Cause is dedicated to helping its clients who are challenged by many disabilities, such as Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Seizure Disorders, and Hearing Disorders to name just some.  Each of our dogs are trained to meet the specific needs of our clients. Tasks may include opening and closing doors, picking up objects, pulling a wheelchair, turning lights on and off, and alerting a person to particular sounds like a telephone, doorbell, smoke detector and many others. Our dogs change lives by enhancing the independence of our clients. By just opening a door, a dog opens up the world for a person with a disability and your donations will go to making that happen.  PAWS thanks you so much for your donation and allowing us to open more doors.

Paws With A Cause

4646 South Division

Wayland, MI 49348

How to donate:

1. Go to https://www.everribbon.com/PawswithaCause

2. Click on "Make a Donation"
3. Enter a amount you wish to donate. Everibbon will add a small fee to your donation for processing. My fee for donating $5.00 was .49 cents. So keep this in mind when deciding your donation amount. You will receive 1 entry into the giveaway for every $1 you donate.  
4. In the box that says "on the behalf of" please put your name. This is the name that will be listed on the everibbon website so put a name you do not mind being visible to everyone. Do not check the box to make a anonymous donation because I will not be able to track your donation to enter you into the giveaways.
5. Next it will ask you for your credit or debit card information. 
6. Then it will ask for your email address to send you a receipt. This is so that you can submit it for tax purposes.
7. Ta Da! Your all done making your donation. Now you need to contact Danielle to enter the giveaway.
8. Please email Danielle at RomanceBookJunkiesDanielle@Yahoo.com with the name you used to donate your money. For example the name I used to donate on behalf of was Romance Book Junkies. Do not send me your name off your credit or debit card because I will not be able to see this. Along with the name you used please tell me how much you donated and if you live in the US or are International.
9. Your all done. Thank you for donating! 

Warning: Do not try to email Danielle the name and donation amount of another person that is not yourself. If Danielle recieves more than one email with the same persons name and donation amount she will have to ask for your copy of the receipt from everibbon to verify that you are the correct winner. Thank you.

We will have 3 winners for the main giveaway.
We have 2 $65 gift certificates to any online book store.
Also we have a huge box of books and swag from Romance Book Junkies for US residents only.

Good luck to all and thank you for helping make this fundraiser a success.  

NaNo...Not Now

Okay, so the beginning of the month, I was all ready to tackle NaNo. A friend of mine insists that NaNo actually happens every month a writer writes. We all have deadlines and things we have to get done. She's right.

And yet...

It's fun to push yourself to get to that elusive word count. Its fun to really see what you can do. So yes, every month is a goal to get to the word count.

But...

For me it's been a little bit of a challenge and not just to get the words to flow. The words are there. I've got them just fine. What's the problem then?

Life.

I'm sure everyone who does NaNo has life stomp in and stampede. It's what happens. But in my case, there was vacation. Always fun and yep, I got lots of ideas. Lots of nice eye candy to look at, too. Then there was the birthday extravaganza - well, if you call eating Dilly Bars at Dairy Queen an extravaganza and since I do. Grin. Then the dog had her issues. Ever have a dog with a cyst? It happens a lot I'm told, but this one got icky. We're talking doubled in size, turned colors and burst. Yeah, gross. So I had to help with that. Now factor in a child in school, a DH with crazy work hours and yeah, I work myself in addition to writing.

What does all that add up to?

Writing whenever I can find the stray moment and having to take the laptop into the potty for privacy. No my family doesn't read over my shoulder, but sometimes you just need a moment with your thoughts.

How much have I honestly gotten done? About 20k. It's not much and well, it's really two shorts (maybe it's four [there were two really short shorts in there] I'm not sure) that I have compiled.

Ya think I'll make it by the end of the month to the full 50k of words? Here's to trying even when I'm sure something else (Murphy's Law resides at my house) will crop up and scream for my attention.

Do you ever have this problem? Coping suggestions? I'm all ears.

Reading, Writing and Owning an RV

I wasn't sure what to write about today and a very good friend of mine told me over promotion--taking about promo and your books ad nauseum - was just that. Overkill. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there's lots of things I want to talk about on my blog and lots of things I think are relevant. Are they to everyone? Probably not.

So what about the post title today? Yes, I read. A lot. I write. Not as much as I'd like to, but life happens. And yes, I (well, DH) own an RV. It's not a huge thing. Not even super fancy. It's not brand new, but it's in good shape, clean and well, does the job. Now back to that title.

I found out something very important when it comes to owning an RV and being an author. The idea of taking your work with you can be very appealing. I mean, think about it. You get the views around you, especially when you're in the front seat. You get the cushiness of sitting in a regular seat, not a car seat or a van seat. There's lots of padding in those camper seats, no small wonder why, just sayin'. Then there's the option of sitting on the couch. Unreal. Sitting on a couch, riding down the road. And if you're wondering, I'm laughed at by most of the family for the way I drive (hey, it gets me there and I've never--knock wood--had an accident since I put the Anne Geddes leopard baby in my vehicles), so no. I don't drive the RV.

I can read the ereader or write in my various notebooks while sitting in the front seat. I get stuff done and see where I'm going. I have a great time.

Now I've gone on more than a few trips in said vehicle. I did a add/revision on the way to a racetrack not too long ago and it worked out great. That being said, there's one small issue with riding in the RV in the winter. Summer there's the air conditioner and man, that thing works! But in the winter, there's the heater. I'm apparently now one of those people who needs cool air around me and to cuddle under a blanket. Stuff air? Sorry. You're asking for it. I probably should've taken some Dramamine, but since I was coming down with a cold, I thought mixing meds wasn't a great idea. Now here's where the fun came in. I wanted to work on a short story and thought, hey, there's no one bothering me. I'm riding along nicely. I'll work on it.

WRONG.

Between the too warm air, the fact I couldn't see the mountains (it was 7 pm), and I was sitting on the couch (the extra forward facing seat was filled with a 63 lb dog who believes she is a queen). Can you say sick as a dog? That was me.

So needless to say, on that trip I learned never ever to write in the dark, on a moving RV in the mountains.

But I still enjoy riding/using the RV. Having a potty on board is one of the best inventions EVER. (Yeah, my youngling is the one who asks to go to the restroom two miles AFTER we pass the rest stop. Why do you ask?)

Monday Moans and a Stop!!!

I had a Monday Moans post but hey, I get to talk about Ohio all week long over at Annette Snyder's blog. How cool is that? Here's the link: http://annettesnyder.blogspot.com/

Come on over and join me!!!

And while you're out and about, head over to Goodreads and check out this awesome review for Ever Fallen in Love. It's good to see a fellow author appreciates my work.
Read it here.

Did you ever make a really huge mistake that you regretted like forever? Well, this is Tucker’s problem. He thought he knew it all and had a grip on what was best for him in his life. He made the decision to turn away from Megan and go for the gusto and glory of stardom.

But as it turns out, Megan was the best thing that ever happened to him and life just wasn’t the same after his wilful decision. So how can he atone for the past and prove to her that he is the one for her and will be devoted to her from now on? Wow, a really tall order for a man like Tucker. And the story that follows makes for an exciting, sexy read.

I liked Tucker. He’s gritty and real. Strong willed and sexy. He is not a cardboard character by any means. Megan is strong on the outside and vulnerable on the inside. She’s determined to live life by her own desires. She’s a little in conflict with herself because one of those desires just happens to center around the man who let her down in the past.

They share kinky desires but this isn’t just another BDSM story with rigid rules and protocols. Tucker and Megan create their own games and their own fun and their coming together is smoking hot.

Wendi writes so well, she puts you right up there near the track and you can smell the fuel burning, hear the tires squealing and feel the vibrating pulse of the engines roaring. Check this story out. It will get your pulse racing.

Thank You Thursday - Summer

Now if you'd popped into my chats with my editor lately, you'd think I was crazy saying thank you for Summer. :::Shrugs::: There are days I love summer vacation. Then there are days when, doggone it, I wish I had my schedule.

I'm one of those people who needs my cds alphabetized, my books in publication order (after being organized by author name, alphabetically), and my schedule in order.

I like being able to get up, get tot off for school, get the day job accomplished, and then have a few hours of my own to write. Now this doesn't always happen. There are doctor appts., vet appts., grocery store runs...you get the idea. I like having that little bit of time to myself where I can pen my thoughts, pen my characters, and plan out the next stories.

A couple days ago I wanted to string up the person who invented summer vacation. I did. I had a ton of things to do and not enough time to get them done. I happened to be grumbling about it when my tot strolled up to me.

"Uh, mom, didn't you used to just NEED summer break when you were my age?"

Um...(hanging head) I did. When I was in school, man I couldn't wait to get to the summer break. Couldn't wait to get to the blessed time of the year when I could sleep in, do sort of what I wanted, and just be.

Can I blame the tot for wanting that? Heck no.

I just have to wrap my head around the fact that, gee, I need my schedule back.

So I really do love Summer break. We get to camp (I'm gritting my teeth as I smile...I am not a camper girl), go to the Rock Hall, take the top off the Jeep, and hang out. I'll get some writing done after they all go to sleep. I have the gentle evening breeze and the silence. I love it.

Yeah, I do love summer.

(But I'm ready for September...I didn't say that...maybe I did.)

Flirty Friday ~ It's Potty Time!!!!

Ok, so the pics don't want to line up. Story of my life - things are a little out of whack. Anyway, I don't have any thrilling wonderful updates for right now. I've not been doing much writing this week and not because life's in the toilet...well, actually it sorta is, but that's because we redid the potty. Ok, it's really the little bitty powder room on the first floor, but I did the tile work. I must say I am proud of myself. And don't be surprised if a character soon is a DIY-er. Write what you live. That's me.

Ta for now. Gotta get writin'!

I'm an AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT!

I've had three books pubbed at Total-E-Bound. I love it there. Really. Want to know more about me? Well, they've made ME the Author Spotlight This month! How cool, yanno?

Want to read it? Sure you do. I wrote it and I wanted to read it. :P
http://www.total-e-bound.com/aspotlight.asp?

Tell me what you think!

Flirty Friday

Megan stopped over today and wanted to know what the heck she should blog about. She's featured over at the Menagerie Authors blog, like she is every Friday. Now this is my Flirty Friday day... the day I generally talk about what I'm writing and what's on the docket. I suggest she does that.

She just winks.

Punk.

Yes, she's a dear friend, but she's a punk. Twirled a dark curl around her finger, smiled, and winked again.

Dammit.

See if I help her again.

So what am I working on...

Ghost Hunter (currently titled Careless Whisper) has gone to the critique partner. I dunno if she'll be happy with it, or if she'll come back and tell me it sucks. Usually the ones I love are the stories that the CP's tend to skewer. I know, I have more emotional investment in them. It's true.

I need to get back to me vampire Julian. (Why do I feel the need to say, the vampire Armand or Lestat...peculiar) No, my vampire in this story is Julian and his "brothers" Andreas and Vincent. I wrote a story for Whipped Cream which was posted a few weeks ago, but according to Julian, he wasn't done telling me his story. So on it went. I'll get to him very soon.

So much to write and so little time to concentrate when the characters are cooperating.

Back to the old aggravating vampires in the hopes they'll want to work.

Toodles.

Thank You Thursday

I have a couple of thank-you's today.

First of all, when a writer writes a book, there are more than a couple people who help that process along. For one, the author has a critique partner who will go through said book/novella/short story to make sure it flows, has no spelling errors, huge plot holes, and those darned telly spots where you know what's happening, but you can't really see it. I have to tell you, I have a couple of CP's and if you've read my blog before, you know I am thankful for each and every one of them.

Another person who is invaluable in the creation of a book is the editor. I know--what if you aren't lucky enough to get the book to publication because said editor doesn't want it. I'll give you a bit of insight. Editors, no matter how crushing it seems at the time, would rather accept your work instead of rejectig. Most editors are authors, too. They know how it feels to have a story kicked back because they've been there. One thing I've found that we, as authors, tend to forget when the dreaded rejection letter comes, is that generally, if you have a great story, but there are a couple of issues, the editor--especially if they LIKE the story--will tell you what to fix and how to improve. Now you're probably wondering why I think that is so great. If they see potential and they took the time to tell you what's wrong, either they are really nice people, or they really want to see you succeed with the story.

I'm thankful my editor at Total-E-Bound is great to work with. Yes, she's turned down my stories before, but she tells me, if you fix this, it'll make the story stronger/tighter/better, without decimating my voice. So thanks JB!

Another person who is vital to bringing a book to fruition is the cover artist. I have been extremely lucky to have beautiful covers. And being a self proclaimed cover snob--I tend to purchase new authors based on blurb and then cover. If the cover doesn't arrest me, I may overlook a really great book. Yeah, I want to look at those hunky half nekkid man chests. So I am super thankful that I've been lucky enough to have covers that, I think, will arrest the reader.

So the next time you shop for the next great e-book--I hope you choose one of mine, but I understand if you don't--take time to mentally thank the others who helped to get that book to you.

Some Things I've Learned....

In this world of writing and promo and getting yourself out there, I've learned a bunch of things. Don't mistake this post for complaining. I'm not. I'm just sharing some of the joys and frustrations I've picked up along the way.

1. Those voices in my head will not shut up.

Doesn't matter if my eyes are watering, if the phone is ringing, or if I have to get other work done. Nope, those voices just won't hush. And when they really want to be known, the shout at the same time. Yeah, there are times when I swear that I can't even hear myself talk.

2. Sales mean nothing. Reviews mean nothing.

Sounds a bit negative. It's really not. I happened to watch a show about Star Wars. Now lots of people have mixed emotions about the whole set of movies. Most love the first set and deal with the second set. Those who love it, LOVE it. Those who hate certain ones, HATE it. Now what's that got to do with sales? Plenty. The Star Wars movies have made a lot of money. So they must be great, right? Not necesarily. The critics lambasted the first one (the one with Anakin as a little boy). Heck, they said it was poorly acted. Now, I've seen all six movies. I have seen good and bad in all six. Does that make them great movies because they made money? Does that make them bad because the critics didn't like all of them? Nope. And this is something that's been a bitter pill for me to swallow, its one person's opinion. What you think is fabulous may not be what someone else thinks is wonderful. And yanno, that's ok. Really.

3. No one is perfect right out of the starting gate.

Sorry, and this applies to my favorite sport of NASCAR. (That includes you, Jimmie Johnson) No one is ever perfect with the very first book, first race, first at bat, any of that. We all have to learn and grow and even if you are one of those fluke-ish people who do hit it big, there's this little matter of the one-hit-wonder. And if you manage to get past two, then there's the matter of becoming stagnant. Yup, just because that first book was a smash (ask Truman Capote about this), doesn't mean everything else you touch will be gold. It's a tough world out there and no one has it easy.

4. When you fall, dust yourself off and start running again.

Sounds pretty simple, but I've had lots of conversations with authors who have those moments where they think that the rest of the world is out to get them or maybe they want to give up. DON"T DO IT!!!! I mean it. I've learned that if you give in and plop over, then you've let the nay-sayers win. I'm not gonna let that happen. I've come close to saying I'm done out loud, but then I decide it isn't worth it to give up. I had a wise friend say to me, she wanted to throw in the towel but if she gave up writing, then what the heck else would she do. I'm so there.

Now don't get me wrong, I review. I know what it feels like to get a book and find out it's nothing like I expected in a great way...I also know what it feels like to read one that's a real lemon, too. But I have to remember, what is my favorite won't be yours. And that's fine. It's how it should be. If we all liked the same things, then the world would be pretty darn bland.

But I've probably bored you. Oh well. It's writing. It's not always pretty and not always up. There are times when I've wanted to cry and lots of times when I want to tell the characters to just hush, but then I have a reader tell me my story really touched them and that makes it all worth it.

What do you think? What have you learned?

I'm a Busy Girl Today... Follow Me!

I'm gonna be busy today, so try to keep up!

First: I'm at Lisa Leibow's blog for the last stop on my tour. http://llleibow.com/blog/

Looking forward to it.

My interview is up today at Long and Short of It Reviews:
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/interviews.htm

And my dear friend Kiss Carson added me to her blog as well. Here's the link: www.romantix10.blogspot.com

Stop by at any of the places. It's sure to be a hoot!

Toodles.

More Random Musings

Over the past week, a ton happened. I know it seemed like I was around.

I wasn't.

Where was I? No I won't make you play a game of where's Waldo. I went to Bristol to watch the NASCAR races. And yes, it was a blast. I love NASCAR (like you can't tell) and being in Thunder Valley. I walked on the track and "Got driver rubber". Get your head out of the gutter. There is ripped/shredded tire rubber on the track and yes, we filched some.

At the same time, I turned in my farmer. That part wasn't so great. I know, I know, there are the highs and lows of publishing. And I know that 1-3% of stories will be contracted. Still, to be told that the story is good, the emotion is great and the interior is fab... but it's not what we want... that took a little brave facing. You know, put the brave face on it, take it on the chin... okay, enough cliches. Still.

I also found out that my vampire story is with the editor. No clue what will come of that. I want to get my hopes up, but gravy, I don't need any more Milk Chocolate Milano cookies. (Yeah, that's my weapon of choice when I get a rejection.)

But anyway, I'm back to blogging, reviewing (cause I'm way behind), and twiddling with my NASCAR story. Oh yeah, it's about a driver and yes, I got some major inspiration at the track, tough part is that it was a submission and was all done, but it wasn't at all ready when I subbed it. It will be one of these days.

Toodles.

Romance and Racing

Long ago, I wrote a series of three stories that had to do with romance and racing. Yessir, I love NASCAR and I love a love story.

So I wrote them and tried to send them in and found out how way not ready for publication I was at the time. Will I go back to them? Probably.

Why bring it up? Because every Sunday when they race, I think, gee, I should get that back out and dust it off to make it shine.

But for now, I'll settle in to watch the racing. Bristol is one of my favorite tracks.

Toodles.

Masochist Much?

I tend to bite off a tad more than I can chew on occasion. Don't we all, though?

Anyway, I got a whole slew of movies from the library, yanno, those ones that everyone says, "you gotta see this movie". So I tried to sit down and watch them. Easy enough, right?

Not really.

Why? Cause then I want to rewrite them. Yup, I say, gee, that was a tad expected or predictable.

Maybe I've read too much or read too much stuff that was quality. I dunno. But anyway, so I started rewriting, and then I thought, gee, I could DO better than this.

Here's where the too much factor comes in. I have three stories going right now. I really don't need another one to complicate things. But alas, I started penning the outline for it.

When will I learn?

Why I Write

I don't have much time today, but I wanted to share a little bit of my favorite move that maybe explains why, even when I get shot down with a story, I keep going. Now I can't find Burt Lancaster's dreams speech, but Ray Kinsella and Terrence Mann's little journey says it pretty well. And yes, I love the movie Field of Dreams.


Is this heaven?
No, It's Iowa.

So I've been gone a while....

I got a new job and it's fun. I love it, but it consumes time. Yup, that means my blog hopping, site hopping, and twiddling around is at a serious low, but it's all good thing.

What am I up to?

Well, kicking nosy heroes out of my blog, dangged it.

Besides that, I'm kicking my butt to get that rewrite done. Yep, still at it. And I have at least three ideas rolling around in my head that need jotted down on paper before I forget them. Plus, I want to finish my NaNo... yeah, yeah, I conquered it, but I want to actually get to the finished state--where a publisher would look at it. And then there's this pesky Christmas story idea with a shifter...

I need more time in the day...

OH! OH! And I have a free read up on Thursday at Whipped Cream, entitled Don't Look Away... about an artist and his model... Can't wait to see my cover... since some know what it looks like... (insert big grin)

What's up with you? I'd love to know!

Toodles!