Showing posts with label Cowboy Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cowboy Romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

The 100 Rejection Club Or How Writers Find a Support System By Connie Vines

 The old adage among serious writers is to aim for 100 rejections every year.

While I never garnered close to 100 rejections, I've spent my fair share of time on the revision marry-go-round.


At the start of my career, I wrote for magazine publications. While I published half a dozen romantic short stories, my primary focus was the children and young adult market.  

This consisted of historical events/famous people, craft projects/historical cooking and recipes, spooky Halloween stories, etc. Since both sides of my family had a strong oral history and many photos, making history fun was relatively easy for me.

Writing full-length fiction novels requires an almost hermit-like existence. When I was working in the education field, I wrote at night and Saturday afternoons.  

So, since I'm now a professional writer/full-time hermit, where is my support system?

I belong to several well-known writers' groups as a virtual member.






I log onto Zoom two mornings each week with half a dozen authors, all with our cameras off and mic on mute. 

We log on, say hello and a few words of encouragement, then go into dark mode for 4 hours of dedicated writing time. We check in at the end with a wrap-up of what we worked on, but we also just say goodbye until the next day/next week. It's a no-pressure way to socialize and get some writing done. 

The point is that we all need tools and mutual support to keep us motivated and on track.

Not everyone needs this, but I know I do.




Thank you for stopping by today.

Happy Reading :)

Connie


For my books, website, and more:


https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

https://connievines-author.com/  (blog link is here, too)


https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/vinesbwl












Saturday, October 28, 2023

My Not Too Scary Halloween Tips By Connie Vines #Halloween Romance, #Halloween Games, #Zombie RomCom


A Halloween Celebration Doesn't Need to be Too Scary!



Even though I write paranormal romance, I can't watch scary movies.

My Halloween shows are "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "Practical Magic" (though parts of the movie have me covering my eyes.

For this reason, my paranormal stories (adult and YA) have a lighter/comic voice. 

Here's a short promo video of my Zombie Romance to jump-start your Halloween Celebrations.



 


Now, on to the Halloween Party Games:

 Zombies Rising

Designate one partygoer to be the zombie hunter. Everyone else is down on the ground. The zombie hunter has to keep an eye on all the undead. You can move when they’re not looking at you — but if they are, you have to be motionless. The goal is to stand all the way up and be the first to reach the zombie hunter so you can get them before they get you.


Guess the Villain

Write the names of horror movie villains on cards. When each guest arrives, tape one of the cards to their forehead and make sure they don’t see what it says! The first guest who guesses their villain wins.


Horror Charades

Take regular charades, but make it spooky. Horror-themed categories only!


Of Course, it's Never a Party without Food!

This year, I'm making Pull-a-PartTurkey Sliders served on Hawaiian Rolls. However, since it is a new (and untried) recipe, I'm not sharing my secrets πŸ˜‰ 

Please post your favorite Autumn/Fall recipes and/or epic menu fails.

Has anyone else tried to make pumpkin pie fudge?? 


Happy Halloween, my little Candy Apple and Pumpkin Pie Eaters...

See you next month. πŸŽƒπŸŽπŸ«πŸ¬

Connie


Find the links to my books here: 

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/




Social Media:


https://www.facebook.com/ConnieVinesAuthor/

(also listed on my BWL Author page :)



Friday, April 28, 2023

When Your Main Character Organizes a Hostile Takeover of Your Novel By Connie Vines #Plotting a Novel", #Surprise Storyline #BWL Insider Author Blog

 Here I sit, night 3, in my cluttered office, excitedly plotting my contemporary novella.



I have the setting, the theme, and the plot points, and I'm fleshing out my primary and secondary characters. 

And then. Pow! I hear a voice. (Yes, writers listen to voices).

My main character doesn't like her name and is angry because I don't 'get' her. That's a bit combative, unlike the helpful information my characters give me. 

She also informed me she liked what I ate for lunch today. (That's a bit creepy 😲) FYI, She prepares her salad the night before, storing the toppings and dressing in separate containers.

Kale and Lettuce Salad w/ Smoked Salmon 
 rice croutons and almonds 
I wander into the kitchen to brew another cup of coffee.

Who cares if it's midnight? It's not like I can sleep anytime soon (probably for the rest of the week).

Fresh Start. Sigh 

Then it dawns on me πŸ˜’I listen to music when I write. I just know my primary character has a favorite artist 🎀🎹🎸🎼. Since I subscribe to Apple Music, I pick up my phone and look at what's featured.

Chanel, Gavin, and I now listen to Rosanne Cash: Deep Cuts Album.

My Heronie's theme song:" God is in the Roses." 

As the music plays on, I find her sharing her internal struggle.

Which is different from what I envisioned. An internal struggle that I didn't expect...it was true, what she said.  I really didn't get her.

I like my newest heroine. She made me laugh and cry a little.

Soon, I hope, she will share her name and secrets with me, too.

My current project boards


My blog post (in progress)


Chanel (Gavin sent himself to bed 🐾⏰)


Fragrance is a sensory signature, an extension of your personality, an aura of glamor and mystery, and ultimately feminine. 

What are your favorite Christmas scents?

What scent would you select if you could capture a fragrance in candle form? 

What fragrance do you wear during holiday events?

What fragrance would you love to try? Why?


.

A gift from my brother and sister-in-law.
Yes, I do run on caffeine and often sarcasm.


Remember, I have yet to answer any of the questions listed above. I'm eager to find out what my readers have to say. 

Please share your 'fragrance secrets' (good and bad) with me.

Due to problems with scamming, this blog can no longer allow comments.  

Follow me on Facebook to share your choices/ give me snippets of fragrance stories.

Facebook:

Connie Vines, Author 

Author Connie Vines


Find me on the Books We Love Author Page:

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

Book links and more are listed here!


Happy Reading,

Connie Vines













Sunday, August 28, 2022

Falling in Love with Your Book-Hero By Connie Vines #Romance, #BWLPublishingInc, #Book-Hero, #Writing Romance

Authors often speak about how a dream will lead to a novel or how their books seem to plot themselves... 

And then there's the 'I hear voices".
This means the characters speak to the author, and away they go on a book adventure.

I wish 😐 my characters were so forthcoming.

My writing life:

#1 I always dream in color (technicolor). Unless the dream is a rerun, then I dream black and white.πŸŽ₯

#2 If I do manage to dream about a book I'm writing, I never hear the dialogue. Why? Because a theme song is blaring throughout the dream. The decibel level in my head can be likened to "The Danger Zone" cranked up in a Dolby sound movie theater!  

#3 I do, however, hear the dialogue in my head in snatches. Just enough to start or end a scene. Picture yourself seated in a coffee shop, and a couple walked past you...it's like that.

#4 Authors always fall in love with their characters. I love each of my heroes. But my favorite (as it should be) was my first. Lynx Maddox.

Well, you know authors conduct research...

According to various sources (Wikipedia, Wikipedia How, fan blogs).

πŸ’–Falling in love with a fictional character is not unusual, and many people have found themselves emotionally attached to a surface in a book, movie, TV show, or video game. 

πŸ’žπŸ’‘ Romance with a fictional character can also be an excellent opportunity to find an outlet for creativity and learn more about yourself and what you need from a relationship. πŸ’’


Did you have a teenage crush?

Of course.πŸ’Ÿ

Who was your first book crush? 
Me: Edward Rochester (Jane Eyre).

Movie Hero?
Me: Sean Connery as James Bond (though I didn't see the movies until decades later).


Television hero?
Me: John M. Jackson as Rear Admiral A.J Chegwidden on JAG.


Alien? 
Me: Mr. Spock (Original Star Trek or movie version).


I'm sure you have your personal book crush.


Haven't decided?  Here are four choices πŸ˜‰





Stop by my blog (Dishin' it Out) or log in to my FaceBook (author) page.

Happy Reading,

Connie

XOXO









I am a 100% Night Owl.

My personal photo of my Pumpkin Spice coffee






Friday, July 28, 2017

A Poodle, a Wedding Anniversary, and a Opossum By Connie Vines

I had an article about the craft of writing written and ready to post.  I decided, instead, to share that post next month.

Why?

For those of you who follow my Twitter, Instagram, author Facebook page, or website, you know I often share stories about my little poodle-mix puppy, Chanel.

Please, no groaning from those of you who prefer cats.


Chanel, is lively, friendly, and poodle-like in her powers of reasoning.
Harvey

She is also serious about her friendships.

Well, before the SoCal winter rains, there was a young opossum who would walk along the block wall several nights a week at 2:00 A.M.  I know this because this is the time I usually finish writing and get ready for bed.  Chanel dance in a circle requesting to step outside.  She would run over to the wall and bark, causing the little white-faced opossum to dart away.

I would pick her up, instructing her to leave “Harvey” alone.  (Yes, I know he is a wild animal and does not possess a name.)  Chanel, however, knows every ‘thing’, be it a person, toy (bouncy-ball, Side-kick, blue bouncy-ball), animal, or ‘food’, has a name.

So, this opossum was dubbed Harvey.

Harvey didn’t return during the rains, or afterwards.  Then, magically, one night a larger, more attractive, and braver “Harvey’ returned.

This time he sat on the wall and waited for Chanel to bark at him.  I’d pick her up, bid “Harvey” good evening.  While the two of them stared at each other for a few moments.  We’d go in and Harvey would leave.

Where does “Harvey” live?  I believe he lives in the yard next door (the owner is a bit of a zealous ‘collector’), or perhaps in the shrubby in a nearby park.  I’m not too sure if he has a family.

It has never gone past the ‘flirting’ stage with Chanel.   And ‘Harvey’ never ventures into our yard when we are about.

Today, all of that changed.

Today was my wedding anniversary.  My husband and I went to local home-style diner for an early dinner.  We bid Chanel bye and promised to bring her home a mini-hamburger patty.  No. Sorry. No riding in the car this time.

When we got back to the car, packed left-overs and doggie meal in hand, my husband voice his concern about something handing from his side bumper.

I bent over to examine it.  While my husband kept saying he would yank the piece of the plant out from the bumper, I objected.

It wasn’t a plant.

It had an odd texture.  It was a pale color.  It was a snake, no. A rat. . .oh, no!
It was the hook of a opossum’s tail.

“Harvey!  I hope we didn't kill Harvey!"

“Harvey?” my husband questioned.

“Yes.  See, that’s Harvey’s tail.”  The tail went limp, they turned back into a hook.

“This could only happen to you,” my husband’s response.

“Harvey just wanted to join us for our Anniversary dinner.”

My husband stifled a chuckle.  “I doubt that very much.”

“Now at least we know where he sleeps during the day.”

So, we drove home via the city streets, so not to ‘over heat’ Harvey.  While my husband explained that freeing 'Harvey' was my responsibility. When we arrived home, Harvey had pulled his tail back up into the wheel well, waiting for us to leave.

Do you have an unexpected anniversary story to share?

Happy Reading,

Connie


*The chance of rabies in an opossum is EXTREMELY RARE. This may have something to do with the opossum's low body temperature (94-97ΒΊ F) making it difficult for the virus to survive in an opossum's body.*

They are beneficial to eliminate rodents, snakes, insects and carrion, and they provide a VITAL “grounds-keeping” function in most urban environments.




October 2017 Release
Purchase: Amazon.com
                                          KOBO
                  Barnes and Noble

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Cowboys and the Wild Wild West by Connie Vines

I love my tech toys but I am also a history buff.

I thought I’d share some interesting findings.  Since I spent summers in Texas as a child, I had inside information on several facts.  The other snippets came from watching the History channel and reading a multitude of historical documents.  The information is in parentheses are my personal discoveries.


Feral camels once roamed the plains of Texas.




The U.S. Camel Corps was established in 1856 at Camp Verde, Texas. Reasoning that the arid southwest was a lot like the deserts of Egypt, the Army imported 66 camels from the Middle East. Despite the animals’ more objectionable qualities—they spat, regurgitated and defied orders—the experiment was generally deemed a success. (Camels can kick side-ways with all four feet.)  The Civil War curtailed the experiment and Confederates captured Camp Verde. After the war, most of the camels were sold (some to Ringling Brothers’ circus) and others escaped into the wild. The last reported sighting of a feral camel came out of Texas in 1941. Presumably, no lingering descendants of the Camel Corps’ members remain alive today.


Billy the Kid wasn’t left-handed.

A famous tintype photograph of Billy the Kid shows him with a gun belt on his left side. For years, the portrait fueled assumptions that the outlaw, born William Bonney, was left-handed. However, most tintype cameras produced a negative image that appeared positive once it was developed, meaning the  result was the reverse of reality. There’s another reason we know Billy the Kid was thus a right handed. His Winchester Model 1873 lever-action rifle--Winchester only made 1873s that load on the right.


The famed gunfight at the O.K. Corral wasn’t much of a shootout and didn’t take place at the O.K. Corral.



One of the most famous gunfights in history—the shootout between the three Earp brothers (Morgan, Virgil and Wyatt), Doc Holliday, Billy Claireborne, the two Clanton brothers (Billy and Ike) and the two McLaury brothers (Frank and Tom)—didn’t amount to time-frame often depicted on the Silver Screen. Despite the involvement of eight people, the gunfight only lasted about 30 seconds. Furthermore, the shootout didn’t take place within the O.K. Corral at all. Instead, all the shooting occurred near the current intersection of Third Street and Fremont Street in Tombstone, Arizona, which is behind the corral itself. (I have visited the area.  Tombstone is brutally hot in the summer. The incest large. ) Bloodshed made up for the brevity.  Three of the lawmen were injured and three of the cowboys killed.


The Long Branch Saloon of “Gunsmoke” fame really did exist in Dodge City




Anyone who watched the television show “Gunsmoke” is well acquainted with Miss Kitty’s Long Branch Saloon of Dodge City, Kansas. What viewers may not have realized is that the Long Branch really did exist. No one knows exactly what year it was established, but the original saloon burned down in the great Front Street fire of 1885. The saloon was later resurrected and now serves as a tourist attraction featuring a reproduction bar with live entertainment. According to the Boot Hill Museum, the original Long Branch Saloon served milk, tea, lemonade, sarsaparilla, alcohol and beer.

What did Cowboy really eat?




Cowboy food used a limited number of ingredients, partly because imported foods were expensive and partly because they needed food that kept well on the cattle trail. Coffee was an essential part of breakfast, which was large and high in fats and protein. Lunch was commonly beans, and dinner generally included something sweet like vinegar pie or apple dumplings. Because a large percentage of cowboys were of Mexican origin, spices and flavorings of that cuisine were popular.
Cowboys loved "mountain oysters," sliced and fried calf testicles. These were harvested in the spring when preadolescent bulls were castrated so they would be steers. (Served with horseradish sauce and are very tasty).

The Wild West was Wild.

But when it comes to Western Romance--it's all about the booths, Stetson, and the cowboy who wears them.

Happy Reading,

Connie Vines







Sunday, June 28, 2015

The Horse in Your Western Novel – Horses are not Zebras or Misguided Unicorns By Connie Vines

http://amzn.com/B00DRPHILY
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Ten Pet Peeves, or Horse-Related Mistakes to Avoid in your Novel

1)   Misusing the specialized and precise vocabulary of horsemanship, especially the size, color, age and sex of the horse.

2)    Defying the laws of nature. AKA: Creating the ‘superhorse’.

3)   Horses trained or controlled by either ‘mastery’ or ‘magic,’ ignoring the real behavior of horses.

4)   Mixing up Western and English terms and styles.

5)   The stallion!  (Not the mount of choice).

6)   The self-conscious or uncomfortable expert rider.  An expert is an expert—no need to hang on for ‘dear life’.

7)   Good riders are relaxed in the saddle.  No kicking, kneeing, or flapping of elbows are needed.

8)   Forgetting that horses are animals and need to be fed and watered.  Even in modern times, your transportation requires gas, oil, and water.

9)   Talking horses—horses who neigh and, heaven forbid, scream on a regular basis.  Horses are generally rather silent beasts, though they will whinny if parted from their stable mates, or nicker softly in greeting at feeding times.

10) Tada! My personal favorite, and, unfortunately, too often seen in print and on television—the mare who takes all night to foal while the hero and heroine sort out conflict.  (Nature ensures that healthy mares foal fast.  A long labor requires someone calling for the vet—not working out ‘conflicts’.)

The Facts, please:
Since horses are flesh and blood creatures, the faster the horse goes the shorter the distance he can maintain that speed without harm. If the ride involves difficult terrain, jumping, or carrying extra weight, both speed and endurance will suffer.

Modern Endurance Rides: take 11-15 hours to cover 100 miles (part of this time the rider spends running beside his mount).

1860s: The Pony Express averaged nine mph over 25 mile stages.

For additional information, check the records from modern Thoroughbred Racing.

The Terms:

Mare: a female horse.

Stallion: a male horse that is not castrated.  Also called ‘entire’ in England and in the West, a ‘stud’ horse.

Gelding: a castrated male horse.

Foal: a young horse from birth to January 1 the next year. The female is a ‘filly foal,’ the male is a ‘colt’ foal  this may change per region).

Filly: a young female horse, up to 3 years old.

Colt: a young male horse, up to 3 years old.

Yearling: in the year after the birth year.  A yearling is too young to ride!  Most saddle horses aren’t worked hard until they are at least 4 years old.

Height: horses are measured from the ground to the top of the withers in ‘hands’. One hand is four inches. The average horse is 15 to 16 hands.  17 hands is very tall and only unusual specimens reach 18 hands.  Ponies are usually less than 14 hands.

Gaites (‘Paces’ in England): walk, trot, canter, gallop—also ‘pacing,’ ‘ambling,’ ‘running walk’ –describe precise and different ways in which a horse moves its legs. 

Rainbow Colors?  Certainly Not:

The English horsemen use fewer and simpler terms than Western horsemen, partly because English breeding has selected for fewer colors. Essentially two colors are taken into considering when describing horses. The main body color and the ‘points.’ The ‘points’ in this context are the ear tips, the mane and tail, and the lower part of the legs.

Black body, black points: A Black horse—may be smoky black, jet black, coal black, raven black.

Brown body, brown points: A Brown horse—may be seal brown, or standard brown.
Red-brown body, black points: A Bay horse—may be dark bay, mahogany bay, sandy bay.  Every Bay horse always has black points.

Reddish body, self-colored (non-black) points: A Chestnut/Sorrell horse—in the West, reds of All colors. Western horsemen use ‘sorrell’ to describe all red horses.  Light sorrel draft horses are known as ‘blonde.’

Yelllowish body, (generally) black points: Buckskin is the term used in the West.
Other colors and terms (you may wish to conduct additional research) include: A Grey, a Roan, a Palomino, a Isabella, a Paint or a Pinto, White horses and Albino, Piebald, and Skewbald.  There is also, the closest thing to a ‘horse of a different color’, the Appalossa.

Information online:


For fantasy (naming your unicorn):

Caring for your horse:

The dollars and cents factor of horse ownership:

A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. ~ Pam Brown
Happy Riding,

Connie

Two of my loves: Tulsa and Midnight
(during my rural life in Ramona, CA)


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