Yesterday I received the new cover for my next release: RHINESTONE COWGIRL... WOOT!
From Siren Bookstrand Publishing

Genre: Contemporary, Western Romance
ISBN: 1-61034-590-8
Length: Novel
Price: $4.99
Publication Date: August 16, 2011 (in e format; print due Dec '11)

Cover art by Jinger Heaston

Poppy Dumphy is Beverly Hills born and bred with everything money can buy except a connection with her father… after his death she learns why. She leaves her posh life, travels halfway across the country to expose a long-kept secret.

The other day I was driving somewhere with one of my kids and a song came on the radio. I looked at my child and said, “that’s my book.” His reaction was pretty much a tilted head, raised eyebrow, “Whaaa…??” I laughed and said never mind. He wouldn’t get it even if I tried to explain it to him.

You see, when I write, or even when I read for that matter but especially when I write, I hear a song in the background. Theme music if you will. I guess it’s the "*feel* for the story that I get while it’s churning in my head. Now I must admit, I listen almost exclusively to Country music and I write almost exclusively books with Cowboys and a contemporary western feel (even if it has intrigue or suspense) so I suppose it’s not such a far stretch that I’d hear my books in the music on the radio. (and believe it or not, when writing sex scenes it’s not that cheesy porn: bom-chicka-bow-bow music either )

Still, not every song fits every book. Does that make sense? So as I said, I am driving and the song comes on that perfectly matched the book I have been working on (I am finishing up the last bit edits for my August release). I could see a scene with the opening of the song and feel another scene with the chorus. It was almost spooky. Though not altogether surprising. When I wrote my first book, I listen to one country artist over and over the entire time I wrote the book—to the point the family complained at hearing it over and over . Eventually I finished the book and on to the next, had a different artist and similar complaints. Stranger to me though, when I went to really get down on the edits, I needed to put on the artists I wrote it to. I could *feel* the book as I worked through it .

As a little side note: I don’t often have music playing when I read, I end up completely blocking it out when I really get into a book. But in the back of my head the theme music is ever-present.

And as I write this a thought struck me, the times when I struggle with a book—writing or reading—the theme music is low or lacking altogether. Hmm… and interesting bit. I am sure to some this all sounds uber-strange and you maybe be giving the monitor a tilted head, one eyebrow raise, “whaaa…???” But for some this may make perfect sense.

Tell me what you think. Do you *hear* the theme music or am I out here in the strange-musical-world all alone?

Every now and again, I think we have to step back and say, "no thanks". To any or everything. This is a lesson I took *years* to learn how to do—just ask my chapter-mates and all the various committees and boards I have been on since joining nearly ten years ago. You need me to do that, no prob, I'm our gal. You need that chair occupied, my arse fits just fine, thankyouverymuch. After a while, you've yessed yourself into mental and physical exhaustion. (Let me tell you, it ain't a pretty sight).

It took me a few years before I realized it was okay, and perfectly acceptable to say *no*. Crazy concept for some I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, I am good at the word *no* just ask my kids—they might profess I say it too much (but really I don't, I swear!). What's more than learning the word was learning that I was okay with myself for saying it. It's not letting someone down because you said no. You (and I had to learn at the time this meant me) are not responsible for every little thing. You can't be and keep your sanity.

There are times when I get back to saying yes. If I have the time or it's something I want to make time for. And (this was another lesson I had to learn) if I don't have the time or inclination doesn't mean I don't believe in whatever's asked from me, it just means I don't have the time or inclination. Am I blowing your mind right now... Let me repeat that: just because you say no, doesn't mean you think the question/responsibility asked isn't worthy, it means you just can't do it at that particular time. Take a moment to let that sink in if you will...

While it might sound like I have the hang of it, I still have those weak moments when I shouldn't but pop my hand up and nod a quick, oh crap what did I do nod. But now that I am not inundated with yesses, the one or two that trickle through are manageable and end up being rather enjoyable, because I am not overloaded and pulling hair out at the lack of time and/or energy.

So take my advice and say no every once in a while... it's okay really.

When you think of Cowboys, (at least for me) you think of the hats, jeans, boots and their horses. The men who work the land and their animals and make a girl swoon inside on a sigh. You say Cowboy and (as long as you’re not talking to men during football season) folks will conjure up just that picture. But I got to thinking on it a little the other day–oh, how my mind wanders. To me while it is the trappings that go with it, it’s so much… more.

It’s their honor and familial pride as well as work ethic. The down-to-earth temperament. You know all the characteristics that do make a gal gush on the men. Hell, I’ve stalked admired from a close-afar a cowboy/country singer once because he exhibited all those strengths while he made my toes curl when he sang. And don’t get me started what he did to a pair of jeans…

Maybe some other men are cowboys at heart, they just don’t have the trappings of the “rancher”. Starting back in medieval times, the knight for instance. Cut to today and you have firemen or police men. They just have a larger family as the community they serve and protect. There are any number of men who are Cowboys at heart but are lacking the few key pieces such as the horse/ranch.

My character Quint Walters from SECOND CHANCES and WRONG TURN, RIGHT COWBOY didn’t start out as a cowboy–but it *was* in his heart. He moved to find that piece of him that he was missing and his found it and so much more.

 WRONG TURN, RIGHT COWBOY will be out in print beginning of August. And RHINESTONE COWGIRL will be out (tentatively) Aug. 16, 2011. 2011 is my Cowboy Summer!