GUEST BLOGGER: Jane Toombs

Hello everyone!
Today, I have the wonderful Jane Toombs on my blog.
She is here to give us some plot tips and share a little about her Historical romance "Bride of the Baja"
Please give her a round of applause *claps* and enjoy!

Thank you for coming Jane. The floor is yours. *g*

If you’ve ever been told your plot it too thin or too complicated, here’s something that may help you understand why:
Plot Problems: Too Little And Too Much
In a romance, confronted by too thin a plot line, a reader comes to feel she’s turning pages but getting nowhere. Something like peddling away on a stationary exercycle, in the same room day after day, instead of riding a real bicycle and confronting real scenery and action.
Thin plots arise from weak conflict. In romances, constant bickering between the hero and heroine over minor matters often reveals the lack of true conflict. Bickering is not conflict. Give your characters some potent differences to cope with. If she were an animal rights advocate intent on saving dolphins while he’s a part of an organization training dolphins for underwater demolition, these two are not going to see eye to eye and conflict will arise from their colliding viewpoints.
Too many secondary characters can also dilute conflict because the focus comes off the hero and heroine. So don’t stuff too many people into the story.
A top-heavy plot is also a problem. In a romance, if too much information and/or action is crammed into too few pages this leads to bogging down a romance. Yes, these are good in westerns, suspense and mysteries, but need to be using sparingly in a romance. Why? Because it takes away from the main purpose of a romance, which is to have the main characters finally figure out they were meant for each other.
Cliches in romance plots are all too common and tend to weaken the plot. The other woman is a common one. If you must have one, do make her something other than a a fluff-headed, sexy bimbo.
Another cliché is overheard information or an event secretly seen and misinterpreted.
The number one cliche is the cute meet. Do your best to avoid this one.
I’ve never forgotten listening to a talk by the fabulous Phyllis Whitney. Her advice was to give every major character in a story a secret in their background they’d rather die than have revealed. She said that when a plot seems to be developing a middle sag, one of these secrets revealed or threatened to be revealed provides a great way to keep the action moving right along, while still focusing on the main characters.
In my historical romance Bride of the Baja, which will be up as an ebook in September, I tried not to make it plot heavy, despite the theme of : Which of the three men will she choose?
If you decide to read it, do let me know whether or not I succeeded.

www.JaneToombs.com

 Thank you for the great advice. And I can't wait to read your new book.

(I Love the cover!)
So, what is some advice you folks have gotten that turned out to be handy? Share with me.

The Good, the bad and the Senile Dementia

Today, I am giving you a tour of my fabulous and exotic life. I have touched a little on my kids and my hubby, who is the other(better) half of Heather Geoffries but one thing I haven't opened up about is another rather large part of my life: My mother-in-law. She has lived with us for a few years and she is in the advanced stages of Senile dementia. Some days are kinda normal, some days lead to funny stories and some are difficult. The one overriding thing that happens when you take care of a person with Alzheimers or dementia and/or have small children is--You are exhausted.

The main thing that I have considered over the years is that unless a person has experienced this disease, it is very difficult for them to comprehend all the aspects of it. The closest I have come to seeing a good representation of it is in the movie "Folks!" with Tom Selleck. The movie is bittersweet and hilarious. Poor Tom ends up losing body parts and other things as the movie progresses. I cannot say more without taking the fun away. I'll just recommend that you see it and remember that as the horrifyingly amusing scenes happen---that is very much like my life.

Part of the reason I haven't shared before now is because of the Taboo of "picking on" people with mental illnesses and our world of "politically correct." Mind you, I don't want to pick on my pour MIL(mom-in-law) but, I come from a family that uses humor to deal with stressful situations--so, some of the stuff that has happened is pretty damn  funny.

The other reason is--Alzheimers isn't sexy. Heather Geoffries writes "Erotic Romances" therefore sharing some of my interesting days just doesn't jive with the smut writer(s) persona.

But then I thought, You know? One of the things I love about reading my favorite author's blogs is seeing the real them. Knowing that they are real people with real everyday issues. So, why not share a little of me? Why not? How about I show the world that yeah, I am happily married, yes, I have two small children that I home school, yes, I am a full time student and house wife and YES I am the full-time caretender of an elderly woman with progressive Alzheimers...and Me and my husband find time to write romantic stories that feature slightly messed up and jaded individuals who have to face their demons if they want a chance at happiness.

How do we get in the mood for smut when we have so many mood killers(kids screaming, MIL wandering, APA sucking the creativity from our souls?) And the answer is...

I do not have a clue. My husband and I ensure that we make time for romance and intimacy and we make time to put that down into word count. Also, there is some great advise I read in Em Petrova's How to write sex when you don't feel sexy. You should definitely check it out if you are struggling against the soul draining things in life.

I know my intro is long so I will save some of the stories and anecdotes for another day. Just know that there will be more to come. So hold onto your hats folks cuz the ride is just beginning.

Guest Blogging at Gemma's World

Gemma's World: Heather Geoffries and South Sea Siren: I am a very lucky woman and I will tell you that all day long. I have the pleasure of meeting some incredible authors and I get to call so ...

SUMMER LOVIN' BLOG HOP!

Welcome to the Summer Lovin' Blog Hop. 

Over fifty authors and bloggers have joined together to give you the chance to win an awesome bundle of books as well as read some great posts. Be sure to go to each blog  and comment with your email to up your chances of winning. Each comment counts as an entry! Our lovely bloggers are also offering individual prizes so be sure to check them out.

 

A copy of my first book "Nordic Prince" is among the other 40 books you can win!

Hello Everyone!

I'm not sure about everyone else but I can definitely say that summer is my favorite season. Can you believe that it is coming to a close?

I love how the summer sun heats my skin as I work in the yard and I love how green and full of life the plants are.

Whenever I picture myself on vacation, it is always on some warm tropical beach with a yummy cabana boy bringing me an icy cold margarita.  

That's what gave me the idea for my next story coming out this week.

"South Sea Siren" is part of Champagne Books Aphrodite Island series that follows Dr. Amanda Mills as she ventures to Ms. A's tropical paradise where fantasies can come true. 

It is a F/FM light BDSM erotic romance that is sure to steam up you sunglass

es!

Blurb: Amanda Mills knows how to have a good time and when she goes to Aphrodite Island she plans to embrace her naughty side but when her current squeeze turns out to be a creep she winds up alone on her romantic getaway. Then she sees Kyrna walk out of the ocean like Venus and is blown away. All of her charm and charisma fly out the door when flirting with the lithe redhead. As they delve into a steamy romance, Amanda realizes that she is in way over her head. Now she must decide whether to take a chance at love and trust or keep playing the game.

EXCERPT:

               Sucking in her breath, her gaze flew to the water, which bubbled and turned. Every Jaws movie she’d ever seen came to mind and she waited anxiously to see if she’d be eaten by a shark. Can they come up on the beach? She began to back up, but when the water parted and a woman, surely Venus, rose from the tide.

Breathless, she pushed back her thick ebony hair, which blocked her view. She could not tear her gaze away from the naked and beautiful Goddess who walked toward her.

Pale skin shimmered and glowed in the dim light, as if her flesh was made of ethereal moon luminosity. Pert breasts, small round globes, would fit in Amanda’s hand perfectly. Hard nipples, pebbled from the cool wind licking them, made Amanda wish she could lick them, too. Tall and nubile, the woman’s rich auburn hair fell in a cascade down to the small of her back. Her nether curls, trimmed into a cute heart shape, matched the vibrant color. Long legs carried her out of the surf and her green cat eyes never wavered from her face. Her pale lips quirked up in the corners with a secret little smile. The overall effect was stunning.

Amanda’s heart galloped in her chest and she grew moist. She always enjoyed the chase, liked looking at women, but this was the first time she had experienced lust at first sight.

“Do you like what you see?” The stunning beauty purred.

In order to be entered for the main prize be sure to comment and leave your email.

As my personal prize, I am giving away 3 free copies of South Sea Siren to those who follow my blog.

Also feel free to add me on Fb or follow me on Twitter!

Have a wonderful Hop All!! 

Heather

Find me here:Web