All the Buzz

LaConnie Taylor Jones is back with her latest release, When A Man Loves a Woman. Click here to check out the trailer!


Also, check out the Affair de Coeur:

The Baptiste clan is back, and this time A.J. Baptiste is center stage. A.J. is a single father and pediatrician with eyes for Victoria (Vic) Bennett. However, Vic has sworn off men and promises to keep her heart closed to the option of love. Her feelings are so intense for A.J., but is it love or sheer hatred? In a moment of frustration, Vic speeds away from the Baptiste estate daring death to take her.

The accident that ensued would change all of their lives forever. A.J. is seriously injured and Vic decides to nurse him back to health. She also vows to care of A.J.’s twins during his extended recovery. Will this be too much? Will A.J. break down the tough exterior Vic has built up?

When A Man Loves A Woman is a powerful testament of perseverance. The character development flows intimately with the story line, making you part of the Baptiste family. The romance, while believable, instills hope in the love that is available in the world. Taylor-Jones’ sophomore project definitely proves she has the gift of writing page-turning romance. Can’t wait to see what she has coming out next.

Hello Kim! Thank you for the opportunity to spotlight you on All the Buzz!

First, tell me about your current release, The Foreigner’s Caress.

The Foreigner’s Caress is the “sister” story to my September, 2007 release, Soul Caress. In The foreigner’s Caress, the heroine, Madison Daniels, who is the younger sister to Soul’s Kennedy Daniels, is attempting to move past her wild, party girl reputation and find a more meaningful purpose in her life. She settles down in New York City and is comfortably getting herself together when she meets Stevenson Elliott. Stevenson is the son of a British billionaire. The Jamaican born Stevenson is immediately drawn to Madison and it doesn’t take long for the passion to ignite. Unfortunately, both of them have pasts that threaten to derail the romance and both will have to do some growing up in order to make it work.

How do you choose the titles for your novels?

Each title comes about in a different manner. Sometimes, I have the title early on either from a song, or a phrase I’ve heard somewhere and have to consciously work it into the story. More frequently, I finish the book operating under either a working title or no title at all. Afterward, I read through the manuscript from start to finish and find a thread that sort of stands out.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write as much as you can and read as much as you can. Learn your craft by doing it and studying others who do it. Surround yourself with writers by attending conferences and participating in workshops, neither of which have to be costly. Finally, do not try to control the story – let it come through you however it chooses to.

Do you ever suffer from writers block? If so, how do you get past it?

Because I, like most people, juggle life’s various obligations, I find that when I’m most fatigued or stressed, the first thing to suffer is my writing. At those times (and unless I’m under deadline) I don’t stress about not being able to write. I take those moments to read more – magazines, novels, etc. It helps tremendously because first, it relaxes me and second, it clears my mind of the road blocks, both real and imagined.

What dreams of yours have been realized thanks to your writing career?

The biggest dream to be realized is just seeing my name on books on the shelves of bookstores. It is also pretty amazing to have readers write to me or come up to me to say that my work has impacted them in some way.

When you’re not writing, what keeps you busy? What are some of your favorite things to do?

As a teacher, wife, mother and graduate student, I’m busy from the moment I open my eyes every morning. I have to admit, though, that I enjoy the crazy schedule I keep. However, when I have down time, everyone who knows me would say I love nothing more than lying in the middle of my king size bed, remote in hand, snacks on the headboard watching a movie with one or more of my family members!

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on two things. One is a romance between an East Coast entertainment lawyer and an actress, written from the male’s perspective. The other is a collection of short stories that I will submit as my thesis for grad. school next spring and hopefully get published later on.

What was the one book that most influenced your life and why?

I don’t know that I can narrow it down to one. I will say that in my late teens/early twenties Toni Morrison’s work influenced me greatly because of the sheer lyricism of her prose. I think I became aware of my love of language as a result of Ms. Morrison. Later on, the work of Terry McMillan and other African-American novelists in the 1980’s and early 1990’s helped me realize that I could actually pursue a career in writing.

What are three little known facts about Kim Shaw?

One -- I’m a foody. I L-O-V-E food (especially sweets).

Two – I was very very shy growing up, and still am to a certain degree today. People who know me vehemently reject that testament.

Three – Though I act like I can do it all, I don’t really have an ‘S’ on my chest.

Growing up, what were some of your favorite books?

Go Ask Alice, Sula, The Bluest Eye, all of the Judy Blume books, . . . the list goes on.

Thank you again for chatting with me on All the Buzz! Many blessings to you and yours!

Thank you and same to you.

Lovers’ Hollow is historical fiction but told through a contemporary lens and it weaves backwards and forwards in time.

When the novel opens the narrator , Jo Devereux, is hungover, lonely and in mourning. Her mother has died and so Jo journeys back from San Francisco to Mucknamore, the seaside Irish village that she left twenty years before. There she is thrown straight back into the path of her old flame – Rory O'Donovan - and into the heart of ancient family tensions and secrets.

Her mother has left her a suitcase full of diaries, letters and newspaper cuttings, with a request in her will that Jo should write a family history, focusing on the Devereux’s contribution to Ireland's independence war against Great Britain in the early 1920s.

Never one to do what her mother wanted, what Jo finds herself writing about instead is a chain of family secrets that lead her back to a mysterious murder. During the civil war that followed the independence struggle, Dan O’Donovan, Rory’s great-uncle was lured to his death on the sinking sands that are notorious in Mucknamore.

Jo cuts herself off from the world to pursue her investigations and spends the summer in a shed, watching the house she grew up in being demolished, avoiding her sister, Maeve, as she pores over the old papers and pieces together her family's complicated history.

Rory, now unhappily married, is the only person she allows into her life during this long hot summer. What are her feelings for him, so many years after their relationship was suddenly sundered? Can what they lost be regained or at least redeemed? Answering these questions forces Jo to confront her past and present struggles for independence.

She also retraces the steps of her childhood – the events that caused her to leave so dramatically and never return and comes to understand how those long-ago events, and the secrecy around them, poisoned her young hopes of love and fulfillment.

Effortlessly interweaving past and present, and building towards a compelling and surprising conclusion, Lovers' Hollow ranges across three generations and two continents to deliver a page-turning exploration of love, revenge and the true nature of freedom.

Orna Ross is my writing name (real name Áine McCarthy, which my publishers thought too difficult for non-Irish readers to pronounce). I’m married to Philip and have two children, Ornagh and Ross, who allowed me to borrow their names for my pseudonym.

I was born in Ireland in Co Waterford and moved to Murrintown, a small village in Co Wexford at the age of four. Primary school was a two-roomed building down the road and secondary was a convent boarding school. I left Wexford for college in Dublin at the age of 17 and I have lived in Dublin, London and in the North of England.

I spent my early twenties doing a variety of jobs, from waitressing to managing a gym to secondary school teaching before becoming a freelance features journalist, working for most of the major newspapers and magazines in Dublin and London. My real goal, though, was to write fiction and as my 40^th birthday loomed, I realized if I was going to write a novel, it was time I settled to it.

I thought it would take me about two years to write but I underestimated the challenges of writing fiction with two small children at home -- and also didn’t realize when I set out that I was going to write what was effectively three stories in one. It was a full five years before the 668-pages of Lovers’ Hollow were completed.

Then began the almost equally drawn-out task of finding the right publisher. After a London literary agent held onto the manuscript for a couple years while failing to win interest, I reluctantly took the task upon myself. I was soon fascinated by the business of publishing and interested in the struggles of other writers to write and publish well. From that interest I founded Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre.

In a short life I'm only going to produce so many books. I get as much kick from supporting other writers along their creative and publishing pathways as I do from nudging myself along my own.

Lovers’ Hollow was published by Penguin as part of a two-book deal. It managed to reach No 2 in the Irish bestseller lists and to keep the reviewers happy too. The second book, A Dance in Time, is due in September next and I’m at work on a third.

My interests include reading (of course), movies, jogging, yoga, dance and I’m getting into blogging and photography. And travel. Now that the kids are older, I am free to up and off again more often. I am currently investigating the possibility of buying a bolthole abroad. Where? Anywhere from Portugal to the US – but it’s got to be sunny. I love Ireland but I do not love its climate and intend to spend some of every winter abroad from now on.

Hello Nathasha! Thank you for the opportunity to spotlight you on All the Buzz!

Hello to you. Thanks for having me on All The Buzz. It is my pleasure and honor to be here.

First, tell me about the literary offerings of Nathasha Brooks-Harris.

My first romance novel was a full-length called Panache. It was set in Texas and featured my favorite hero yet, Chase Thomas—a sexy, wealthy cowboy/executive type. My next couple of books were my Can I Get An Amen anthologies. There were two: Can I Get An Amen and Can I Get An Amen Again. They each had four novellas written by 3 other authors I invited to write with me. Together, we crafted tales that took place in the fictional Red Oaks Christian Fellowship in Red Oaks, GA. There, men and women found love and God—with the help of Mother Maybelle, the feisty and nosey matchmaking church matriarch. She’s like a mix of Madea, Sister Betty, and any wise old elder who’s fun-loving an wisecracking. Our anthologies were contemporary romance with Christian themes in them. I also contributed an erotica story to an anthology called Erogenous Zone. That was a departure for me, but it was a fun change from what I usually write. I also have an essay about literacy in a book called Gumbo For The Soul.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a little girl, but professionally since 1987.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, as far back as I can remember. It seems that everything in my life has prepared me for writing.

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

The hardest part of writing is selling it! There are so many writers, so many books, and people with too little money for luxuries. All of us are competing for the same readership. My challenge is how to get readers interested in my work and keep them that way.

How do you come up with ideas for your novels?

My ideas come from everywhere: the news, gossip I hear inspires ideas, artwork I see, and plots often come to me naturally.

Do you write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your own creativity?

A bit of both, I’d say. I write what I think readers would enjoy and what I enjoy writing because I have to live with it for many months.

What challenges have you faced in your literary journey? How did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge so far has been getting back on track after losing my mother. I didn’t write or promote for a full year in 2007. She was very ill and later died. I was her caretaker. It was hard to even think about writing—much less do it. After she died, it was even worse because I felt as if I was on autopilot. Many times, I didn’t know if I was coming or going. I was just plain lost! I didn’t care about writing or traveling to promote. I couldn’t. Two weeks later, I lost my dear friend, Katherine D. Jones—also an author. This year’s Romance Slam Jam will be my first time in public doing “author business.” It’s bittersweet and scary because it has been so long. I overcame that with the support of my friends and allowing myself the time and right to grieve.

What is the best piece of advice you have received, from either a fan or a fellow author?

The best piece of advice I’ve received was from author Grace Edwards. She told me something a long time ago that still holds true today. She told me that when it comes to critiques, don’t take them personally. She said to take from it what I can use and discard the rest. That was the greatest advice and it has transcended time!

If you could create a perfect day, what would it consist of?

My perfect day would be to write full-time, create my dolls, have meditation with God, and come home to a good loving husband and children.

What’s next from Nathasha Brooks-Harris?

Wow, I’m hoping many more novels are next, some stage plays, and a gig writing for a soap opera. My choices would be As The World Turns, Guiding Light, or Young & The Restless.

Thank you again for chatting with me on All the Buzz! Many blessings to you and yours!

Thanks for inviting me. It was good fun. May all of God’s richest blessings be yours!

Guilty of Love
Pat Simmons
Urban Christian, September 2007
$14.95 US, ISBN 1893196992

Rating: 2

Letting go of the past…

As a college student, young and in love, Cheney Reynolds made the ultimate sacrifice for love; she aborted her baby because a baby wasn’t in her boyfriend’s best interest and plans.

The overwhelming guilt of this abortion weighs heavily upon Cheney’s spirit causing her to withdraw into herself, and away from her family. And as for ever loving or trusting another man again, it’s safe to say her ex-boyfriend effectively killed that emotion.

When Parke Jamieson VI comes along, he takes one look at Cheney and wants her for his own. But he soon discovers that getting close to Cheney will require help from a Higher power. Even though Parke and Cheney are at different stages in their lives, trusting and believing in God is not at the top of their list. But they soon realize that faith in God is the answer to every situation they face.

The overall premise of this book is good, but the lack of substantive editing made it difficult for me to read. The prologue of the story drew me in right away. But beyond the prologue, the pace of the story was extremely slow and the numerous grammatical errors I encountered did not help with my overall reading experience.

Also, I felt I was reading a contemporary romance more so than a Christian fiction novel. Generally, Christian fiction works contain some of the following elements – celebration of God’s presence in our lives, the characters relationship to God is the primary focus, and God plays a significant role in the plot and the outcome. While Guilty of Love did have some of these characteristics, they were not prevalent. I have no problems with reading romance novels because I’m a romance junkie to the bone, I do have a problem with novels that are classified as one genre, but takes on the traits of another totally different genre.

Pat Simmons’ underlying message of love and forgiveness shines through and I applaud her efforts on tackling the very sensitive subject of abortion and all of the emotions that go along with the life altering decision.

John Legend's poem/song "Again", from episode 2, season 5 of Def Poetry Jam