Welcome Brenda Whiteside and her Rafflescopter Giveaway #contest

WHERE DO THOSE IDEAS COME FROM?

Thanks so much for having me today on Dishin’ It Out. I’m excited to have your readers learn about my latest release, The Art of Love and Murder, the first book in my Love and Murder series. I hope everyone enters the Rafflecopter drawing for a tote bag of items that relate to the book. The more you enter, the more chances you have to win. This link will direct you to all the blogs on my tour: http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/p/contests-and-give-ways.html

Stories come to me from a phrase, a song, people I know or any other number of ways. This isn’t unique to me. Writers find inspiration in many different ways, at times not even recognizing where or how the idea came to them.

My Love and Murder series started a bit differently this time. There was no zing of inspiration from something I overheard, a phrase I read or a song on the radio. I purposely set out to write a series – and I wanted suspense and murder to be part of it. My husband is an avid reader of suspense. One night at dinner, I announced my intentions and asked for some brainstorming help. He’s a big supporter, but I’ve never asked for input. Once I described my heroine and steered him away from his first suggestions involving the CIA, we rolled along. He’s been instrumental in helping me brainstorm the first three books – The Art of Love and Murder, Southwest of Love and Murder and The Legacy of Love and Murder.

Books four and five are still vague ideas, but I know who I can count on to help me brainstorm.

Blurb for The Art of Love and Murder:

Lacy Dahl never questioned her past until the deaths of her adoptive parents and her husband. A husband who wasn't what he seemed. Her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her life.
Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the murder of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts may make that impossible. As they move closer to the truth, saving Lacy may be his only salvation.
Lacy begins to think the present is more important than her past...until Chance's connection to her mother and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. Will the truth destroy Lacy and Chance or will it be the answer that frees them?

Excerpt for The Art of Love and Murder:

Lacy quickened her pace. The footsteps behind her did the same. As fast as her feet touched the bricks, her heart beat twice that speed. If only she could clear the narrow alley, step onto the lit sidewalk… Like a magnet, the street light pulled her forward, and she lunged out of the darkness. Her hand slammed to her chest. After a hard intake of breath and a fast exhale, she cast a furtive glance over her shoulder. With the strap of her purse in a tight fist against her breast, she whirled around to cover the last block at a trot.

She didn’t see him until too late.

As if she’d hit a cement wall, she careened off balance, but his hands grabbed her shoulders keeping her upright. She gasped and reared back and out of his arms. Her fisted purse became a weapon as she hurled a defensive blow to his chest. Her knee came up, landing a jab to his thigh. “Ehhh,” she cried out from the pain of contact.

“Lady, I’m not going to hurt you.” He held his ground and loomed over her, his hands at his chest fending off the swing of her fist.

Her vision filled with the imposing figure, and a chill shivered her body. Run screamed in her head. This time the swing of her purse missed her target when she turned to escape. His hand caught her arm and pulled her close.

“Help, help me!” Her voice came high and hysterical.

“I am trying to help.”

Both hands gripped her shoulders now, and her feet came partly off the ground, forcing her to look into his face.

“What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”

Her head swung side to side, but the empty street and sidewalks could have been a ghost town. In the distance, a jazzy tune drifted through the air with voices too far away to help. She gulped.

He waited.


Buy Links:
TWRP http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=726&zenid=d06039eba05c5b010fb8a707eecd4259

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Art-Love-Murder-Brenda-Whiteside-ebook/dp/B00K0N0Y6M/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399254400&sr=1-1&keywords=the+art+of+love+and+murder

ARe https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theartofloveandmurder-1496046-149.html

KOBO http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-art-of-love-and-murder

About the Author:
Brenda spends most of her time writing stories of discovery and love. The rest of her time is spent tending vegetables on the small family farm she shares with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Together, they’ve embraced an age-old lifestyle that has been mostly lost in the United States - multiple generations living under one roof, who share the workload, follow their individual dreams and reap the benefits of combined talents.

Although she didn’t start out to write romance, she’s found all good stories involve complicated human relationships. She’s also found no matter a person’s age, a new discovery is right around every corner. Whether humorous or serious, straight contemporary or mystery, all her books revolve around those two facts.

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com. Or on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/brendawhitesid2 She blogs on the 9th and 24th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com She blogs about writing and prairie life at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/ a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tootin' My Own Horn

This is a re-run from 2009, of course, I've updated my backlist and added some more current info:

Today, I'm going to share my interview that was published on All Romance Ebooks. It wasn't very well publicized, since I couldn't  find it to promote it, so without further ado...more about ME, courtesy of Julie from All Romance: Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see what else I'm undertaking. *lol*

Julie: How long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create characters that capture the imagination? 

Ginger: I think I've written most of my life. I even took delight in English class when we focused on writing business letters.  I've always been the person in the office who people called on to create silly poems and write scripts for plays, and after years of reading every historical novel I could find with "savage" in the title, I decided to write my own. So, in 2002, I sat down at the computer, cracked my knuckles and started Prairie Peace. 

Julie: What influenced you to get published? How long did it take for your first book to get published? 

Ginger: Once I finished Prairie Peace, the next obvious step was trying to find someone to publish it. Knowing I didn't have an agent to try to get a foot in bigger doors, I started querying Internet publishers. I was lucky. My first query resulted in an acceptance. It took less than two months. Oh, if only it was so easy today. All those people who were 'readers' when I started, now have their own books published. The arena is getting crowded. 

Julie: What makes your characters so vulnerable yet strong? Can you describe them to us? What do you do when characters stop talking to you when writing? 

Ginger: My characters are vulnerable because I am, and they're strong because I give them the power I wish I possessed. I think somewhere you'll find a trace of every author in their characters. I never worry when my characters stop talking. I have so many of them roaming around in my head, one is always screaming for my attention. The question for me: how do I make them shut up? I already have so many projects started, the last thing I need is another hero or heroine showing up with yet another great idea. 

Julie: What about the heroines for these determined heroes? What makes them strong enough capture the heroes' heart? 

Ginger: Unless someone is a 'pantser' rather than a 'plotter,' my answer probably won't make much sense. I'm just own the fingers that do the typing. Writing a book is like telling myself a story. I can't wait to see how it plays out. When a character comes to me, they already have a hero or heroine in tow, totally devoted to them and ready to capture the heart of the readers. Oh, I have to add a word here or there, but mainly, it's my characters who unveil the essence of the story to me. 

Julie: When a new book comes out, are you nervous about how readers will react to it? 

Ginger: Of course. Every book is a labor of love. Mother's everywhere understand. Debuting a newly-released book is like taking your baby out in public. You certainly never want anyone to chuck the child's cheek and tell you how ugly it is. *lol* 

Julie: Who are you favorite authors to read? 

Ginger: Like everyone else, I appreciate a ton of mainstream authors, but this year, I'm devoting my attention solely to my e-pubbed peers. Mainstream authors have so many avenues of promotion open to them, they don't need my help. My fav list grows everyday, but I'll mention some of my very favorites: Anita Davison, Ciara Gold, Phyllis Cummings, Margaret Tanner, Tricia McGill, Jaydyn Chelcee…the list just continues on and on. If only everyone knew the wealth of talent they are missing by not checking the Internet. 

Julie: What is your writing process? Do you outline, fly by the seat of your pants or a combination of both? 

Ginger: As I mentioned above, I'm purely a 'pantser.' I've tried plotting and it doesn't work for me, because my characters tell the story, not me. 

Julie: What do you feel is the most important thing that first-time authors should know? 

Ginger: Grow a tough skin. The industry is growing in leaps and bounds, and even publishing on the Internet level has become competitive and harder to achieve. The saying that best fits is, "If you can't stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen." As much as you want everyone to love your work and tell you how wonderful you are, you're bound to find someone who will find fault. The secret is gleaning helpful hints from the negative and turning them into positive. 

Julie: What's next for you? 

Ginger: Finishing any ONE of the projects I have going. After the re-release of Sisters in Time by Eternal Press in July, I'm going to be dead in the water unless I get my butt in gear. (This book is now released by BWL as Time-Tantrums...it's nice to have an opportunity to go back over a book and correct things you might have done differently if only you'd known.)

Julie: What are you working on now? 

Ginger: I currently am dividing my time between First Degree Innocence, The Locket, Odessa, Shortcomings, and all the other tasks that come with being an author.  ((First Degree Innocence, The Locket, and Odessa are all finished and available...have been for a few years.  Shortcomings is under review by the editors and Books We Love and will be re-released with a new cover, but same title since it describes the essence of the story so well.)

Julie: What do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself? 

Ginger: I'm very proud of my accomplishments, but I've always wanted to climb just one step higher in whatever I did in life. When I started this, I set goals for myself, and the final is seeing at least ONE book published by a company that places them in an actual brick and mortar store. It's never been the amount money for me, and I'm glad because I would have been sorely disappointed. I just want to be able to tell my friends they can waltz into Walmart or Borders and find my book. (Well, I'm still proud of all my accomplishments, but I gave up on seeing one of my books in a store since I hid one under my coat and smuggled it into Walmart and took a picture of it on the "Best Sellers" list.  Hey...you gotta do what you gotta do to make those dreams come true.  Sure...it was only a minute of fame, but hey!!!)

Julie: What books are currently on your nightstand? 

Ginger: It's very hard to find time to read anything these days outside my critique group. When I do read, it's only internet books, so there is nothing on my nightstand except a lamp, my white noise machine and a little dust. I keep hoping for a Kindle, but I don't see it happening until they fall into the same price range as a McDonald's Happy Meal. *lol* (Good news...I finally got my Kindle but it's filled with books I can't find time to read.)


After taking an early retirement, Ginger lives in Tennessee with her husband Kelly. When she's not quelling the screams of the characters in her head, she's babysitting her 6-year-old grandson, Spencer. He suffers from autism, and the true goal she wants to achieve in life is seeing him mainstream into an independent, happy and healthy young man. Writing is her passion, but Spencer is her life.  (Can you believe Spencer is Eleven and in the fifth grade?)

Backlist (updated to current)

Destiny's Bride, Books We Love
White Heart, Lakota Spirit, Eternal Press
Culture Shock, Books We Love
Betrayed, Books We Love
Discovery, Books We Love
Ages of Love, Books We Love
Odessa, Eternal Press
Forever Faith, Eternal Press
Ellie's Legacy, Books We Love
Time Tantrums, Books We Love
Sarah's Heart, Books We Love
Sarah's Passion, Books We Love
The Locket, Eternal Press

Coming Soon:
Shortcomings - Books We Love
Beaches - Books We Love


Update note:  Seven short stories that were previously published solo are now compiled and appearing in Discovery.  Ages of Love includes three novellas that were previously published under their own names.  My current WIP is Yellow Moon, and I hope we all live long enough for me to finish it.  :)