Blog Hop Question of the week -

QUESTION: Genres- What two do you think mix together best? 

Since I write romance -  romance/mystery and romance/paranormal (mostly ghosts) I have to say those two mix very well together.
Mine are romance with mystery undertones or paranormal undertones. The main part of the story is the romance.
I also write contemorary romance.  I enjoy mixing the two genres.  So I guess I'd have to say those are the two that mix together best.
On the other hand, I know authors who write romance fantasy and although I've not read them, I'd have to say they're probably a pretty good mix too.
Going away from the romance genre - I've heard of scifi/mystery and fantasy/mystery. I think well done any of them can be the best mix. There's no limit to genres that mix together well if the writer can create them.

Review for Stranger on the Shore

from Romance Junkies

Stranger on the Shore

Author: Roseanne Dowell
Publisher: Muse It Up Publishing
Release Date: March 2011
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4
Format: EBOOK

Author Jordan Blake values her privacy. She lives alone at her home along Lake Erie. When an unexpected storm occurs she finds herself securing her outside furniture. Looking out at the sea she finds herself drawn to what looks to be a body.
Jordan rushes to the figure and sure enough it is a man’s body. Thankfully, he is alive, but he is unconscious. She manages to drag him to her house to care for him. In the back of her mind she knows that she could be endangering herself by inviting a stranger into her home.
The stranger awakens feelings Jordan thought long dead. Having suffered abuse from her ex-husband, she never thought it possible to have feelings for another man. The two find themselves waiting out the storm. Their close quarters have both of them experiencing feelings they never anticipated. Will they throw caution to the wind and give into their intense attraction?

STRANGER ON THE SHORE is one fast moving novel. From the beginning you will be caught up in all of the drama that unfolds in a fast pace right before your eyes. I was highly impressed with Roseanne Dowell’s writing style. She exhibits talents of a writer who knows how to write with a level of undertone suspense. I highly anticipate her next novel.

http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/contemporary/Stranger_on_the_Shore.shtml

National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day

When : Always March 29th
National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day celebrates small business owners. These individuals spend countless hours nurturing and growing their young enterprises. The workload demands, and lack of a hired staff, often translates into long and late hours, and many missed family and personal events. But, all in all, they love what they do. After all, they are their own boss.
New businesses have always been a vital, yet not fully appreciated, part of the U.S. economy. On they retail side, they bring different and unique products to the marketplace. They provide stellar and personal service support. When you call, you are more likely to get a real, live person. And unlike big national chains, they know their products. They are outstanding performers in niche markets. In manufacturing, they create many new concepts and ideas, making them creators of new products.

Celebrate National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day by showing your support....shop their stores today, and everyday.

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Origin of "National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day":

According to the son of the "mom and pop" this day was created for:

" This holiday was created to honor the business that my parents started on 3/29/39 in Everett , MA —a hat shop called Ruth’s. It later developed into a woman’s specialty clothing store and moved to Medford , MA , increasing in size to 10,000 square feet with over $2 million dollars revenue until it closed in 1997."

Rick Segel, Poinciana, FL 34759
Reprinted from: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/March/mpboday.htm

Six Sentence Sunday

Another six from my book, Double the Trouble.  But first a little background on the book.

Kate Wesley left Twinsburg, Ohio five years ago after her fiancé jilted her. Now she’s back, happy and content with her single life. She doesn’t need men to fulfill her dreams, she has her florist shop.


Widower, Mark Westfield wasn’t interested in women. He had  five-year old twins to raise, and they took all his time and energy. But Kate sparked something in him he hadn’t expected to feel again.

Adam Shaffer left Kate two days before the wedding. Left a note and took off to Las Vegas. Biggest mistake of his life. But now they were both back, and he aimed to win Kate back.

My six:
“The least you could do is give me a chance to explain. Not that I’m sure I could. I’m not sure, even now, why I took off. Cold feet, I guess.”


Kate trembled at his touch. A spark of something familiar tumbled in her stomach.

Another Great Review

Customer Reviews:


suspektme (Saturday, 26 March 2011)

Rating:



What an entertaining time I had reading this book! I read it almost straight through and only put it down briefly due to a routine day-to-day errand.

Soon I was back in this author’s fantasy and I can say, Stranger on the Shore exemplifies the assertion of this author’s ability to entertain. As much as the story portrayed the myriad of emotion and depth of characters, the time reading it flew by way too fast. Thank you, Ms. Dowell. I can recommend this book to anyone who wants to escape for an afternoon.rn

Latest Review for Stranger on the Shore

STRANGER ON THE SHORE 4/5


Jordan Blake is in a bit of a dilemma. Should she save a complete stranger on her shore or let him die in a raging storm? This strong, stubborn woman must make the decision that could change her life. I enjoyed the powerful word pictures Ms. Dowell painted of raging storms and passion. I raced through the short story because I had to discover the outcome. Easy and captivating read.

Characters- Are the names of your characters in your novels important? What about the titles?

Characters names are very important. Usually they name themselves. In fact, recently, I tried to change the name of one of my characters. I even took a survey of names she thought might be appropriate - and let me tell you, she didn't have many choices.

When the vote was finished, I tried to change her name and nope, she absolutely refused to change it. So what could I do? I changed it back and she's very happy about it.

That's not to say all characters are that stubborn. I had to change both hero and heroine's name on one of my other novels. Once I found the right combination, they were very cooperative and the name change was done.

To me, charachters names have to fit. Seriously, think about names for a minute. Let's take Candy - do you see her as tough, serious-minded with a man's job? I don't. I see her as a sexy, sultry woman that all the men drool over. That's not to say she can't be serious. In fact, it might be kind of interesting to write a story with her just the opposite as her name. But you'd have to make her believable to your readers. I just can't picture her as a cop or fire fighter.

It's funny how we picture people with certain names. What I might see as a pampered rich girl, others may see as a sweet, innocent needing protection. I think a lot has to do with our life experiences.
Where we grew up and how. Not to mention who we knew or know with the same name.
When I had my first child and told my inlaws what we were going to name her, my mother in law wasn't overly thrilled. She knew a girl by that name growing up and didn't like her. I stuck with the name and my mother in law learned to love her.
Funny how things like that stick in your mind.
I have a difficult times with titles. Often they don't come to me until I write the last sentence. Once in the while they'll hit me right from the beginning, but that's not as often.