For love? For money? No…for the perfect website.

As you can see from my blog (and myspace, and a really bad instant change to my webpage), I’m updating my website…again. This could get really expensive if I didn’t do it myself.

I’ll be really egotistical, and assume that YOU, too, might want to build your own website using my method. Now, I’m sure there are easier ways these days (I’ve heard WordPress is a breeze), but this is the way I know. So, I’m going to take you along on the ride.

Step One: HTML editor. I started my journey with NVu. This is a free HTML editor you can find at http://www.nvu.com (as with most free stuff, it has a few bugs). They have a new editor called KOMPOZER (which I haven’t tried out yet) so what I illustrate here will be using NVu.

I’m not a computer geek, I’m just a really good “tweaker”. I tried putting all the elements together in NVu and it was a disaster. I simply don’t have the ability to compose an elegant site; however, I know what I like.

Step Two: – The Template So, I went out and looked at website templates (Warning! This stage can take a long time! So, make sure you budget accordingly).
There are lots of sites out there with templates (free and for purchase). Now, I know I’m going to make lots of changes, so I hate to buy one. But I’ll list some of the sites I’ve looked in the past.

http://www.enchantingdesignz.com/ – if you write fantasy or love fairy/mermaid artwork, this is the site for you. The templates are reasonably priced and they also have some free ones you can download and use as is (or tweak).

http://www.csstemplateheaven.com/ – Dieter has some lovely classic, elegant, and artistic templates for sale. All of them are under $15. You can download them for free, but you don’t get the PSD file (Free might be okay if you aren’t planning on tweaking the layout much – for an example see www.pamskochinski.com)

Free templates: www.oswd.com (has over 2000 webtemplates, some are simple, some are simply stunning)

http://www.freecsstemplates.org/ : they also had a nice selection of templates.

I’m sure there are others, but these are the websites I select from.

Things to think about while selecting a templates is whether you want to use a header graphic (theirs or yours), a background graphic that stays fixed while the text floats (what size and shape is the graphic you want to use), and how much content you want/need. Do you want one, two, or three columns? The nice thing about free templates is that if you make a mistake, you haven’t wasted any money.

So, your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to go out and select and download a template.

I’ll talk about tweaking that template later this week.

Friends to lovers—it’s one of my favorite plot devices. I like reading Friends to Lovers stories and enjoy writing them. I love being able to jump straight into an intimate situation in the first few pages of a book. The characters are familiar with each other and have a history together. They might not realize they’re even attracted to each other until one pivotal moment that changes everything, or one of them might have developed feelings for the other over a period of time, agonizing about acting on them.

A relationship like this comes with problems: does the couple want this to be a one-time thing or do they want to play for keeps? What happens if the sex between them is so bad they destroy their friendship forever? Or what if one of the pair doesn’t feel the same way?

Yes, moving from friends to lovers is fraught with dilemmas for both parties.

In Lovers at Last Pearl and Justin are best friends. When Pearl’s current relationship fails, she seeks out Justin for comfort. Justin, who has wanted Pearl for a long time, decides it’s time to stake his claim.

Here’s the blurb:

Pearl’s master plan to catch a rich husband—results so far…A for effort, F for success.

Justin Collet wants way more than friendship from Pearl. He craves love, laughter and hot, down-and-dirty passion. A life partner. All he needs to do is convince Pearl.

A broken relationship, a few drinks and a string of pearls. Comforting Pearl takes a turn into carnal territory. Heat blossoms between them, fiery and consuming. Sweet kisses inflame and erotic whispers tempt. It’s all or nothing for Justin as he seduces Pearl into agreeing they’re lovers at last.

Where did you get the idea for your latest book?
Lovers at Last is part of Ellora’s Cave Gemstone series and is a pearl story. The pearls play a large part in the story and bring the hero and heroine together. I took one of my favorite plots, that of friends and lovers, added in the pearls and came up with a couple who knew each other well. The first scene popped into my head and the story came from there.

What makes a hero for you? Do you see them on the street, or are they simply in your head?
In short, my heroes come from my imagination rather than a real person. I have a liking for tall and dark heroes and usually start off with those two characteristics, although I have written a few blond heroes. Most of my heroes also seem to be on the alpha side and are heroic in the sense that they never abuse their position and bully those weaker than themselves.

What’s your writing schedule like?
I write full time and treat my writing like an office job, working set hours. I set myself a writing target for each day and also fit in promo and other writing related activities such as blogging, correspondence and maintaining my website. I think I work harder now than I ever used to!

What does your writing space look like?
In a word—messy! I do try to tidy up a little between books but while I’m writing I like to keep my reference books and notes, my dictionary and thesaurus close at hand. I also have a pile of promo related stuff on my desk and of course, I can’t get by without my calendar that lists my schedule for the month.

And the most important question: What’s your favorite snack or beverage while you’re hard at work?

I don’t usually snack or drink while writing, not when I’m in the zone. If I’m procrastinating I find myself making cups of tea all the time, but otherwise I’m write for several hours and make myself a cup of tea or coffee while I take a break.

Adventure into Romance
with Shelley Munro

Thanks Shelley! Below are some links to find out more about this talented author!

website: http://www.shelleymunro.com
blog: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/shelleymunro
Dynamic Trio: http://www.dynamicthree.com
Danger Zone: http://www.dangerzoneauthors.com
Buy book: http://www.ellorascave.com/AuthorsBooks.asp?AuthorCode=SMu
Excerpt: http://www.shelleymunro.com/books/lovers-at-last

I’m at Divas of the Dark today, blogging about Paraskavedekatriaphobia!

I’m out and about blogging in the upcoming months:

Every Friday, starting on Friday the 13th, you can find me at Divas of the Dark where I’ll be blogging with some really esteemed ladies of the night: Cynthia Eden, Emma Petersen, Tawny Taylor, Yolanda Stefsos, T.J. Michaels, Eliza Gayle, Leila Brown, Cathy Clamp, C.T. Adams, and Sable Grey

On the 7th of each month, I’m over at RomErotica Writers

On the 24th of each month, I’m Hitting the Hot Spot

You can also find me blogging about vampires at The Vampire Oracle and
chatting about my adventures in writing at the Cobblestone Press Author Blog.

Just posting this to get a url….

Needless to say, this is why I’m not a cover artist!

Come on over to Main Street today through June 8th and help Cobblestone Press celebrate their second birthday! There’s lots to do, Cover Art Madness (Sable’s giving a hands-on course in creating cover art), Memory Lane, and lots of author contests!

Or in this case…the fist of God (almost literally).

I don’t often blog about personal details of mine or my family’s lives, but in this case….well, it’s one of those stranger than fiction sagas that leave me in awe of how things work out. I do believe in karma and try to give more than I take. And although I believe in God, I, for one, don’t believe that SHE meddles personally in people’s lives. She created us, gave us free will, and left us to do the best we can. But this incident has left me wondering.

I have a 14 year old daughter who’s been plagued by a variety of symptoms since she was little. Headaches, ADD, short-term memory loss (mostly about turning in her homework, hmmmm), odd shaped retinas, teenage angst (she’s seeing a counselor and on medication), seeing shadows (is she paranormally sensitive?) and high blood pressure (also on medication). We’ve taken her to the Dr. to deal with all of them, especially the headaches which were timed for months and determined to have a 28 day cycle (and assumed to be related to her menses).

Then two weeks ago, one of our neighbors died suddenly. It was thought that he committed suicide. Well, it upset my daughter to the point where she excused herself from class one day to cry in the bathroom. Unfortunately, she didn’t let her teacher know, so since she didn’t make it to class, she was declared “truant” and sentenced to Saturday school.

That was this past Saturday. Concidently, a guy who had been teasing her was also in Saturday school. Throughout the morning, the teasing escalated into some name-calling, pushing, shoving, slapping, and finally a knock-out punch! My daughter (who was just as much to blame as she slapped him first) was taken to the hospital and given a CAT scan.

The diagnosis — no issues from the fight AND a possible brain tumor. A craniopharyngioma. Scary shit. A brain stem cancer that’s benign but malignant all the same breath. Wonderful!

My world slowed to a stop. Everything I thought was important is now so insignificant compared to this.

A trip to our Pediatrician yesterday resulted in an emergency MRI last night. Then, a call today — the radiologist needed yet another diagnostic test as the MRI didn’t quite agree with the CT scan. Okay. Not knowing what that meant, we rushed to the laboratory for blood work and then a three-hour wait for the machine as they had to work us into the already full schedule.

After the test was done, we rushed back to the Dr’s office to discuss the findings. What a difference 20 minutes can make. The diagnosis is still scary (an old calcified anuerism in her right temporal lobe), but nothing compared to the original CT diagnosis of a brain stem cancer. We see a neurosurgeon tomorrow to discuss the options.

This explains soooo many of her symptoms, all treated by so many different doctors and never strung together to make a diagnosis strong enough to warranty a brain scan. Which leads me to wonder if we would have EVER found this without the fist fight — until it was too late? I doubt it.

I feel like our family has been touched by the hand of God.

News

I heard from my editor at Total E-bound that my submission, Forget Me Not, was accepted! It’s tentatively scheduled for a September release. Squeeeee!

2 new reviews for my books.

The first is from Pam at Book Cravings: 5 Roses for Tinsel Time.
“Tinsel Time is a fun and fast paced adult Christmas fantasy with plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.”

The second is from Chamomile at Whipped Cream.

“Fool’s Gold is an interesting saga of Native American forklore, treaure maps, and deception. Mixed in with dream visions nd missed opportunities made right, I found Mica and Rae’s adventure to be an intriguing ride.”

I want to say thank you to everyone in the Armed Services who gave their life and limbs to keep us free.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Today is a very bittersweet day for me. My father, who proudly served his country for 20 years in the Air Force and then another 20 years as a civil servant is losing his battle with Altzheimers. This devestating disease has robbed him of family and friends. Although he has forgotten, he will not BE forgotten. Love you Daddy!

Sharona Nelson Cyber Tour

COVER ME by Sharona Nelson (http://www.sharonanelson.com)
Amber Quill Press
ISBN: 978-1-59279-664-9 (Electronic)
ISBN: 978-1-59279-691-5 (Paperback)
Buy/Read Excerpt

COVER ME—the story of a single mom, a single man, and a health insurance plan…

Single mom Sunny Montgomery survived a lousy childhood with hippie parents as well as a terrible marriage with the cheating Kirk Stanley (AKA Kirk the Jerk), so she figured she could deal with whatever life threw at her. In short order, however, Sunny loses her job, car, health insurance, and life’s savings.

What’s a single mother to do? Get married, of course—though not for love.

Sunny accepts a marriage-of-convenience offer from her landlord, Ben Hart, so that she and Libbie, her asthmatic daughter, will have health insurance. The only problem is, she’s falling in love with him—despite the fact she thinks he’s gay. And, while she sometimes craves more distance from the temptation known as Ben, heaven knows that good, affordable apartments in Boston are as rare as winters without snow.

Through it all, Sunny perseveres. Whether beset by estranged hippie parents, money troubles, a creepy new boss, an is-he-or-isn’t-he faux husband, or the Boston mob, Sunny sustains herself with her inner strength, her best friend Dulcie, odd-duck neighbor Ray, and lots of mac-and-cheese, hot dogs, and ice cream. Oddly enough, what Sunny’s daughter, Libbie, wants—comfort food and plenty of SpongeBob SquarePants on the tube—aren’t fundamentally different from what Sunny wants—happiness and love.

Sunny’s struggles teach us that making lemonade from life’s abundant supply of lemons isn’t too difficult, as long as we follow our hearts…

So Sharona – With which character do you identify most closely?

I partially identify with the heroine, Sunny, but also equally identify with her nutty hippie mother, Daphne (“Daffy”). Because both characters have elements of me in them, COVER ME was a pure hoot to write. I was very much a hippie chick for many, many years, and still hold a lot of the same political values. I also have a grown daughter, so I know how the mother would feel about the estrangement with her daughter. But, because I’ve also dealt with difficult parental relationships in my own life, I perfectly understand why Sunny might want to keep her mother and father at arms’ length, and why she might feel pissed off at them.

Where did you get the idea for your latest book?

A long time ago, I was living with the man who’s now my husband. We’d never felt any special impulse to tie the knot, but when my ex said he planned to remarry, that meant I’d lose my health insurance. So, my live-in of nearly ten years and I got married. Though we do love each other, we had some fun with the wedding, including putting the initials of the health plan on the arch over the bride and groom atop the ice cream cake (ice cream cake because my daughter doesn’t like regular cake.)

I told the complete story of my wedding to someone once, and they said, “You should write a story about someone who gets married for health insurance.” The idea appealed to me, and the inspiration for COVER ME was born.

I spent most of my adult life in the Boston area, so setting the story there was a no-brainer. By the way, the information about health insurance options for the unemployed was accurate when the book went to press. But now Massachusetts has a completely different system. (Just wanted Massachusetts readers to know that yes, I do the research, but the Commonwealth changed the game on me when it was too late to revise the manuscript!)

Do you have a favorite comfort food?
Like my heroine, Sunny, and her daughter, Libbie, I love most all comfort food: old-fashioned macaroni and cheese (not some low-fat imitation), ice cream, homemade soups, rice pudding with lots of cinnamon and raisins. I love pretty much anything chocolate, though peanut butter’s a close second, and I’ve been known to go ga-ga over a rich, cinnamon-y coffee cake, too.

And coffee—I love coffee (any anything mocha). I would drink it 24 hours a day if it didn’t destroy my sleep. Starbucks is on my speed dial.

What advice would you give to aspiring romance writers?
Write what you love, because if you become a hit, readers are going to want more books in the same subgenre. That’s one of the best reasons not to write to market in some genre you don’t enjoy—you might end up with a career in it.

I also suggest you take the time to school yourself on the basics of grammar and story construction. It’s rare for an editor to buy a story whose mechanics aren’t the best.

Also—as they say in “Galaxy Quest” (and what a wonderful, silly movie that is)—Never give up! Never surrender!

Don’t quit trying, no matter what.

Thanks Sharona…and on that note, I’m off to write!