Now That My Manuscript is Open… #amwriting

My biggest dream was to be an entertainer. I’d done some singing, played a couple instruments… At other times I toyed with the idea of being a writer. I wrote a few short stories about family in school and even wrote a couple of sentences for a novel but stalled when it came to description. I’ve never been a fan of that, either as a reader or writer. But, really, what did I have to write about?

After I met my father for the first time in my adult life (I may or may not met him when I was 3), and put together all the differing stories, I finally had a plot. So I started writing. Book 3 got me an agent and a publishing deal with a publisher that soon went out of business. Still, it got attention – I’d hit it toward the end of the chicklit boom and the beginning of the Indie publishing boom.

But, really, my best book, and my best seller for some years is Letters on Balboa Island. I wrote it for my dad and for me. He loved it. He told me, “Keep writing. You must fulfill your destiny.”

I love music. So when the publishing industry went wacko, I turned most of my attention towards music. But, now, I keep hearing those words of my father. And when he died 5 years ago now, I heard the song “Beyond the Sea.” I recently uploaded a YouTube short in honor of that. So how could I not combine music and writing? 🙂

So, here I am, listening to music that my father loved and opening the manuscript I’m working on. Jaclyn is its working title. I think he will love it. I just have to finish it. My mother is also the inspiration for this book. So what better day than Mother’s Day to open the manuscript?

Sinatra, Vegas, Martinis, yes, I do believe they will all be there.

 

“She’s Not That Good” – Producing Video, Mixing Audio in Logic Pro (#Music #Production #Audio #Excerpt)

I just had to do another video for “She’s Not That Good” on YouTube. Maybe because I was scrolling through my videos and saw this one of the Mariachi Band playing Jazz in the Piazza on the Crown Princess sailing the Mexican Riviera.

But this time I used the video editor in Logic Pro, meaning, I pasted the video I already had into Logic Pro on 1 track, which separated the video and sound into 2 tracks, and then ecorded my audio recording of a book excerpt on another. This way, I could match the video with the sound. It was so much fun!

 

And now here’s the result:

About “She’s Not That Good”

Meet Brandi Redwine from my latest release “She’s Not That Good”

Failing to launch an adult career, haunted by thoughts of never being good enough, Brandi Redwine searches for something she is good at. After chasing music and the exboyfriend in Nashville, she returns to San Francisco feeling like a loser.

Her best friend steps in and recommends her for an opportunity to compete for a job onboard a cruise ship. Her high school sweetheart is also on board, and his girlfriend is competing for the same job.

Will her entire future rest on a final performance, or will she finally realize she is good enough when she pursues what’s really in her heart?

Available now on Kindle

Chapter 1 Audio Excerpt
Chapter 4 Audio Excerpt
Chapter 7 Audio Excerpt

Cruising to Cabo, New Audio Excerpt from “She’s Not That Good”

Chapter 7 – Cabo – is the latest audio excerpt paired with my music from FAWM23

In case you missed the others, I’ll add the links below:

Chapter 1 – “She’s Not That Good”

Chapter 4 – “Vlogger Lady” (Parody)

“Lucky’s Last Chance” #Shorts #Clip #YouTube (“Take A Chance On This”)

Okay, so the YouTube clip I mentioned in yesterday’s post climbed to over 1200 views – so cool to share my kitty video and Wolf Kier’s music.

So today I could resist clipping another one of my favorite Wolf Kier songs (“Take A Chance On This”) paired with my novel “Lucky’s Last Chance.” Perfect, right?

Hope you enjoy the clip. And I wouldn’t mind if you checked out my book, too. Btw, this book was originally published as “The Tom Jones Club,” but when I got the rights back, I changed the title to Lucky’s Last Chance.

You can hear the entire song here. Doesn’t that voice inspire a leading man for your next romance novel? I know it does for me. 🙂

“French Martini,” New Title, Available Now

As some of you know, during FAWM (February Album Writing Month), I did some audio excerpts for some of my novels/short stories. And I asked people if the then titled “Deja Vu at the Blue Diamond (Saloon)” should be retitled “French Martini” and the response was overwhelmingly yes.

Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t allow retitling of books anymore so I had to create a new book called “French Martini” and unpublish “Deja vu.”

So, here it is, the brand-new French Martini Romantic Suspense.

Nikki Durrance escaped the worst nightmare of her life when she fled Las Vegas for San Francisco, leaving her husband behind at the Blue Diamond Saloon to build a new life. So when the perfect Dr. Mike Fischer proposes, she accepts. But when her new Mr. Right begins to transform into a guy just like her ex-husband, she begins to question everything, including her sanity.

Nikki longs to trust Mike, but with an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu, Nikki’s fear propels her into discoveries of betrayals and underworld connections that will send her running for her life again.

BUY NOW on Kindle.

And, in case you missed it, here’s the audio excerpt (with Screamie Birds music) on YouTube or on the Amazon book page.

Meet Cyn, Sandy, and Millie, the Ladies of the “Real Women Wear Red” Cruise

Okay, so I’m hanging out by the pool today and it hits me how much I love doing that. How much I love the beach, pools, cruise ships and how that is always my first choice for a vacation. No wonder so many of my books take place on a cruise ship, or Las Vegas, or a beach.

So, I had to make another one of those audios with music and spoken word excerpt like I’ve been doing all through February. This time I decided to hang out with Cyn, Sandy, and Millie of Real Women Wear Red.

Yeah, this book has been around for a while. It was my first published book and the one that got me an agent. I still love it!

FAWM23, Song #5: Vlogger Cruise Lady Parody (She’s Not That Good, Chapter 4 Excerpt)