Painting Pictures

Pictures:photobucket

Here's a picture of Josh Holloway.  I love the ruggedness of the setting, and the anguish that's conveyed on his face.  It makes you wonder what he's thinking.  Is he in total despair or is he planning something?

For writers it is harder to express a character's emotion.  We have to use words to paint the picture for the reader.  We must use the thoughts, action or dialogue of a character to convey the message.

In saying that, I personally have to find pictures of my characters before I begin writing a new story.  Only then can the character get inside my head and tell me what he/she wants to say or do.

And don't think the writer has all the control.  The characters have minds of their own and soon take over.  I relish when that occurs because the words begin to flow.

So, for the most part, pictures are an important aspect of my writing.  They stir the senses and initiate the questions of who, what, why and when.

It is when I hear the answers that I can begin to write.

A Work In Progress

Finally finished! Manuscript just needs to go to the next editor. Fingers crossed there's not too much to be fixed.

Book blurb:

Isabella Di Rossi’s idyllic life on the family vineyard, in the town of Yarloop, is about to change.  With sabotage of the grapes, and the unravelling of her parents’ secret past, Isabella is also confronted with a handsome stranger.

In possession of an old photograph, Louie McGregor is searching for a father he has never known.

Added to that, is the reappearance of the Di Rossi’s mysterious neighbour, Jack Cesario.

As the secrets begin to unfold, and Louie returns home, Isabella finds comfort with another.  But events are heating up at the Di Rossi vineyard, and Louie’s search is far from over.

Will the past be forgiven?  Will Isabella make the right choice?  And will Louie be accepted for who he is?

Candy's Man - an excerpt

 “What can I do for you?” he asked as he leaned back against the desk, his hands on either side of his body.  He was quite a package.

“Cleve.”  She said his name slowly trying to gather her thoughts that had become jumbled the moment he had smiled at her.

“I’m not...” he began.

Holding up a hand, she said.  “I need to talk about us.”

His eyebrows went up and she swallowed again.  “I know you’re angry with me for leaving the ship without saying goodbye.”

He opened his mouth to say something.  “No, let me finish,” she told him, wringing her hands.  “I’m not in the habit of going to bed with strange men and as wonderful...”  Had she really said that?  She cleared her throat, “...as it was.  I didn’t want you to feel obliged to keep in touch.  I mean I was only there for a...”

“A fling?” he finished for her.

Oh, God.

She knew he was watching her but she couldn’t meet his gaze.  His eyes had ways of making her do his bidding.  Her lids closed for a second as she rubbed her hand across them.  When she opened them she noticed the big grin on his face.  He certainly was enjoying himself.

She wasn’t going to get angry.  She had too much at stake, namely her house.  “Cleve you’re not making this easy for me and I know I don’t deserve it, but we have to work together and I can’t really afford to lose this job.”

“Is that all you’re worrying about?”

“Well, no...we need to be able to...”

He moved toward her then until there were only inches between them.  She felt his body heat.  Smelled his cologne.  She was getting dizzy.

“Are you sure that’s all you want?” he asked.  His warm breath fanned her cheek.

Taking a step back, she said, “What do you mean?”

“Are you sure you don’t want more?”

She gasped.  Was he asking what she thought he was?  She looked at him with a furrowed brow.  Only yesterday he had drawn the line in the sand.  ‘I never mix business with pleasure’.  And...he was married.  She had to remind herself about that fact.

“Well?” he said as he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

The room seemed to be spinning and she put her hands on his chest to steady herself.   Her fingers burned from the warmth emanating from him. 

She was panting.  He made her feel things she had not felt...ever.  His eyes bore into hers and she became confused.  His eyes had changed colour from brown to blue.  Was she going crazy?  “Your eyes...” she began and then heard the door open behind her.

“What the hell’s going on in here!” bellowed the voice, a familiar voice.

Candy’s head jerked back and she saw Cleve standing there with his hands on his hips.  She turned abruptly to face the man in front of her and felt every cell in her body turn to mud.  What the hell was going on?  She pulled away from the embrace.  “What...?”  She put a hand to her mouth, looking from one to the other.  There were two of them.

Child's Play

One of my childhood favourites

Life was simpler in the 60's and 70's.

As children, we didn't have much.  Toys, were few and far between.  One of my favourite things was this paper doll set.  I can still remember going to the newsagents and picking it out.

'NO SCISSORS NECESSARY  -  CLOTHES JUST PRESS OUT' is what it reads.  How appealing!  It was like magic.

I still remember those days of innocent play.  Life wasn't always fair but the simple things helped us through the dark days.

And for those who may not know, Twiggy's real name is Lesley Hornby - a distant relative of my husband I've been told.  Who knew all those years ago that one of my favourite childhood items was somehow connected to my future.

The world is a mystifying place.

Happy Sunday

Pictures:FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There's just something about Sunday that says 'unwind', 'take it easy', 'relax'.  The notion that Sunday is the day of rest seems to be ingrained within me.

It could be the years of Catholic education, the abhorrence of working on a Sunday in the family business as a teenager, or the bliss of not running children to school or sports games.

Whatever it may be, I now choose to spend my Sundays doing the things that matter to me.

Whether it is reading, writing, visiting family or friends, Sunday is my day and I intend to enjoy it.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Scars

I gave this novel 4 and half Stars.  Told in first person point-of-view, the story is powerfully and superbly written.  Drawing from her own experiences, the author has portrayed the teenage character and her angst to perfection while exposing horrendous abuse.  It is a compelling and emotional story.  A real page turner.

This is a poem from my collection of 'social poetry' that fits in with the subject.

'Her World' by Jeanette Hornby

She sits alone

sheltered only by

the darkness

which surrounds her

She is lost

torn from the

confines of ‘family’

discarded like an

old piece of furniture

She is high

on a long journey

away from her pain

The memories

seep in somehow

of a body

so long ago

weighing her down

heavy

hard

hateful

She hits the wall

kicks the ground

breaks a window

and watches

as streams of blood

pour down her arm

She revels in the power

she has

over her own

destruction

She sits alone

in the darkness

lost

high

hurting

in her own pain

and for a moment

she is free...

Candy's Man - The Journey

Well, it's finally here!  My first published Sexy Romance Novel. 

 Let me tell you a little history about this novel.  I penned the story a few years ago and it's been poked and prodded various times since.  I've added words and I've cut words, and then added and changed some more.

In the meantime, I have published two other novels and completed a third - all set in the local area where I live.

Candy's Man popped into my head one night and wouldn't leave.  It's as simple as that.  I had to get it down on paper so the characters would be satisfied, but they haven't let up since.

I found a good editor - Pamela Gifford - and her suggestions helped with compacting the story.

I picked the cover months ago.  The gorgeous Jimmy Thomas who graces the cover, is the perfect hero of the story.  He matched my character's description almost to a T.  And the red dress also fitted in with my tale.  

So, finally, I have the completed novel.  It is available as an ebook from Smashwords and Amazon, and will soon be available in print.

New Release

The moment Candace (Candy) Walker steps foot on a cruise ship, she begins a journey that will turn her world upside down.  Recently divorced, the last thing Candy seeks is a serious relationship.  She meets a sexy American stranger, throws all propriety out the window, and then relegates their passionate encounter to a holiday 'fling'.

On arrival back in Sydney, Australia, Candy doesn't know all hell is about to break loose until she meets her new 'boss', but that is the least of her problems.

Cleve Hammond is a man with a secret, and Candy is a complication he does not expect nor want.  Or so he tells himself.  When his twin brother, Nash, becomes embroiled in the situation, Cleve begins to question his feelings.

The emotions stirring within him may jeopardise everything he has worked so hard to conceal.  He can't afford to let down his guard after what happened in his past but Candy seems to be getting under his skin.

As for Candy, she must begin to wade through the ensuing chaos of Nash's affections and her twin sister's unexpected arrival on her doorstep.  But perhaps her biggest challenge is letting go of her past once and for all, and learning to trust again.

Read Chapter One on Goodreads

Ethos: Morning Star (Book #1 in the Ethos series)

                                          Amazon

Brief History of Desiree Finkbeiner’s writing: I’ve been writing and illustrating since grade school. My mother had kept dozens of my little books in her keepsake chest, and we got them out a few years ago to share a laugh. Though, in the beginning I was more interested in art and poetry, entering my work in shows and contests. I won certificates and awards all through grade school, middle school and high school but most of them were for my art. I wrote my first middle-grade, fantasy chapter book at age 12, called ‘Trail Of Faith’. It was a high fantasy about four friends who were separated by a “saprin wind” (similar to a tornado, but it sucked each of them through a portal into other realms). The story was about their journey back to find one another. I had intended to seek publication for it back then, but I had written it on my father’s old Tandy1000 computer, with a DOS operating system, and lost the entire work when the system crashed. It was 30,000 words and I was devastated because I had not backed it up on a floppy. Discouraged, I didn’t write another ‘novel’ until I was 17. It was called ‘Us and Them’, an urban fantasy about vampires that I never showed to anyone. In high school I wrote a lot of short stories and published my own little magazine full of poetry and skits. I was inspired by a creative writing teacher who really sparked my love for writing. I took several more writing courses in college and always looked forward to hearing encouraging comments from my professors, but since I was an art major, I focused more on building my portfolio and playing music with my rock band than writing. Though I did publish quite a bit of poetry in college, the writing bug didn’t really bite me until after college. I had given up music to run a business and start a family, writing a little in my spare time as I sold and licensed my art. But writing inspiration didn’t hit me again until after I had divorced an abusive man that seemed to kill my desire for creativity. I remarried and found such happiness that writing came to me easily. First, I wrote a biography documenting my life as a battered wife (to get it all out of my system) and once I felt purged of the hurt, I was finally able to write again. In 2010, I wrote a 155,000 word novel called, ‘The Establishment’ and shopped it around but got nothing but rejections. One publisher asked for the full manuscript but finally decided against it. It was a political thriller/urban fantasy. I set it on the backburner trying to figure out how I could improve character development and overcoming my plotting issues. So I took another creative writing course at the local college to force myself to form better habits. The critique group there really helped me build confidence and broke me of some really bad habits. The following winter, I wrote the first book in the Ethos series. Within a couple weeks of sending it out to publishers, I had three offers on the book! All that hard work and studying finally paid off. It wasn’t until I married my wonderful husband, Carl, that I found the courage to really pursue my writing as a career. And though I don’t think he’s ever read a book cover to cover in his life, he has really encouraged me to do whatever makes me happy. So my advice to aspiring writers is this… avoid people who do not lift you up as an artist/writer. Surround yourself with people who love you for who you are, who will be happy when you have small victories. People who constantly criticize your attempts to become great, will never achieve anything, because they aren’t willing to strive for greatness themselves. Keep writing! Amazon Author Page     Website     Facebook Fan Page    Author G+     Twitter     Publisher     Goodreads                             Action Adventure Fantasy Book Trailer #1 Paranormal Romance Fantasy Book Trailer #2