KNIGHT OF RAPTURE ~ Release March 30, 20

He crossed the centuries to find her…

For months Lord Arik has been trying to find the right combination of runes to create the precise spell to rescue his wife, Rebeka, but the druid knight will soon discover that reaching her four hundred years in the future is only the beginning of his quest. He arrives in the 21st century to find her memory of him erased, his legacy on the brink of destruction, and traces of dark magick at every turn.

A threat has followed…

Bran, the dark druid, is more determined than ever to get his revenge. His evil has spread across the centuries. Arik will lose all. Time is his weapon, and he’s made sure his plan leaves no one dear to Arik, in past or present, safe from the destruction.

But their enemy has overlooked the strongest magick of all…

Professor Rebeka Tyler is dealing with more than just a faulty memory. Ownership of Fayne Manor, her home, has been called into question. Convenient accidents begin happening putting those she cares for in the line of fire. And then there’s the unexpected arrival of a strange man dressed like he belonged in a medieval fair—a man who somehow is always around when needed, and always on her mind. She doesn’t know who to trust. But one thing is certain. Her family line and manor have survived for over eleven centuries. She won’t let them fall, not on her watch… in any century.

KNIGHT OF RAPTURE - a Druid Knight Story

Available March 30, 2015 at Amazon   BN   iBook

Celebrate the new release with a Free read

 

The Druid Knight Tales: a Short Story

Amazon  BN   iBook

Other Druid Knight stories available at www.RuthACasie.com/books.html

Excerpt - KNIGHT OF RAPTURE 

        She took another step and past the stone marker.

The air chilled and the sky turned an array of colors. Everything around her began to swirl. She realized her mistake too late. The portal, she was in the portal.

Arik. Close to him now, she reached for him but her hand passed through the form. She examined her hand turning it over then spotted the shadow of the man.

An illusion?

The shadow turned towards her. She watched as the wind washed over his face and it changed. “Bran,” she whispered in disbelief. Her head swiveled while she searched for something, anything to grab on to. The portal had one use and she had no intention of leaving.

Get out, her brain shouted.

His lips twisted into a cynical sneer. He tilted his head in jaunty satisfaction, snapped his fingers and vanished.

“No,” she yelled. “Arik,” she closed her eyes and screamed in her head trying to mind touch him while the wind tore at her.

“Beka,” he boomed.

Her eyes snapped open. She shielded them from the dust and debris and stared at Arik on the other side of the opening. He stood at the high plateau, miles away. His hands were braced on the opening’s edges, which were nothing more than solid streams of whirling wind. He struggled to keep the portal from closing.

“Come.” His voice didn’t allow for any argument.

The wind whipped at her, pushed her back. She tried again. “I can’t. The wind. Keeps. Pushing. Me. Away.” She shoved her staff in front of her and anchored it in the ground. Against the gusting wind, pulled herself towards him.

“A little more, Beka.” He gripped the edge of the portal with one hand and stretched the other out to her. She shoved her hand towards him as far as she could. The tips of their fingers brushed. In a burst of effort he caught the top of her hand, a precarious hold. With a tight grasp she wrapped her fingers around his thumb.

Safe, she wasn’t far now.

She concentrated on his face. The corners of his mouth turned up as he pulled her towards safety. The wind grew stronger buffeting around them then changed its path.

Before she could brace herself for the new direction, the gust blasted them. Without a firm grip, her hand began to slip. She pushed through the building panic. His smile slipped. The expression on his face turned to determination. Again her hand slipped until he held her by her fingertips.

He held them fast—crushing them but that didn’t matter. He had to hold on to her. Every muscle strained. Inch by inch he brought her closer to him. She tried to help him the best way she could. Anchored to the edge of the portal, Arik encouraged her on. But his alternatives were limited. The closer she got to him, the stronger the gale blew. Just a little closer, that’s all she needed for Arik to grab her and get her out of the portal.

The wind exploded from another direction.

The blasting gale pushed her staff away from the opening, across the dirt, cutting an ugly scar in the ground and dragging her away with her staff.

Away from Arik.

Their bond snapped, Arik fell backwards, out of the portal. The wind kept them pinned where they were as cold air swooped around the entrance. When at last the wind eased, they stared in horror at the thick sheet of ice that sealed the portal between them.

They fought their way to the frozen sheet. Rebeka’s hands on one side, Arik’s on the other. In desperation they searched for a weakness.

Time was slipping away.

Arik took out his sword and slashed at the ice but he didn’t make any progress. He sheathed his sword and pounded on the ice with his fists.

Rebeka pummeled the ice with her staff. Chunks of ice flew off but nothing weakened it.

Desperate, they hammered away at the icy barrier.

She took notice as Arik moved his hands over the ice. She did the same. His lips moved but she was unable to hear him. He raised his hands in demand. What was he doing?

Lightning struck the ice and turned it fiery hot.

In horror, she stared at the agony etched on his face. She stood by and watched unable to help him. He pummeled the icy surface with his fists, his knuckles raw and bleeding. She fixed her stare on the runes on his chest. They pulsated in rhythm with his fists.

Small cracks in the ice appeared and his fists flew faster. He flashed her an encouraging glance but all she saw were the deep cuts in his flesh. His blood was everywhere.

Tears slipped down Rebeka’s cheeks. Helpless, his runes kept flashing faster and his heartbeat raced to keep time. She was certain his heart would burst.

She leaned closer to the barrier, her eyes begging him. “Stop,” she called to him in her mind. He kept on going. She spread her hands on the shield. “Stop,” she screamed, her voice raw with her effort. The vibration and low pitch moan of the surface made her flinch. She pulled her hands away.

Unsure, she touched the shield again. It was still. The scream, she was certain it caused the tremor. She searched Arik’s face. He wasn’t aware of it. The beat echoing in her head was almost a steady tone. Fear twisted around her heart. His blood stained the barrier. She was certain he would die if he kept this pace. She couldn’t wait.

She gathered her strength and with lightning speed built the chant inside her. When she couldn’t hold it back any longer she let it loose in a grief-stricken scream.

Everything stopped. The wind. His pounding.

They stood facing each other.

“No, Beka. No,” he screamed his arms spread out across the barrier. She watched the glazed look of despair spread across his face.

A small portion of the shield fractured, then another, and another. The tiny explosions gathered momentum until they built into a frenzy and every inch of the shield was cracked.

Then silence.

She hesitated but at last placed her hand on the shield. Arik did the same. Their hands separated by the splintered magick. The fractured shield trembled, small pieces tumbled around them. For a brief moment their hands touched and she felt his warmth and love.

A great force pulled them apart as if they were puppets at the will of a puppeteer. They struggled to their feet and ran to each other but before they could get to the opening the portal snapped closed and vanished.

His roar echoed through the mountains. “I will find you.”

“I love you,” she sobbed as the portal took her away.

Away from him.

A Spot of Tea

Afternoon tea is a tradition we associate with Great Britain. Traditionally, dinner was served at 8:30 or 9:00 pm – a long time after the morning meal which was served between 7:00 and 9:00 am.  To fill the gap, and stop the grumblings of many tummies,  tea was served.

High tea, an early evening meal, was served between 5:00 and 7:00. It included hot dishes followed by cakes and bread, butter and jam. Sometimes cold meats would also be served. For the most part, high tea was served at the dining table.

Afternoon tea, served in the late afternoon, was called low tea because it was usually served in the sitting room, salon, or library on low (coffee) tables. There are three types of Low Tea:

Cream Tea - Tea, scones, jam and cream

Light Tea - Tea, scones and sweets

Full Tea - Tea, savories, scones, sweets and dessert

The traditional time for tea in England was 4:00 or 5:00. Today tea is served in most tea rooms from 3:00 to 5:00. The menu has also changed to include three courses served in a specific order:

Savories - Tiny sandwiches or appetizers

Scones - Served with jam and Devonshire or clotted cream

Pastries - Cakes, cookies, shortbread and sweets

On my first business trip overseas I spent the weekend in London. I had several places I want to see or experience, including the Tower of London, Warwick Castle, Hampton Court, and go to a tea room. A friend at the office surprised me and took me to tea at The Savoy Hotel. That’s where I discovered clotted cream. How delicious to bite into the warm scone slathered with cream.  

I found the perfect place in my story, Knight of Runes, to include The Savoy Hotel and afternoon tea.

To celebrate Monday’s release of Knight of Runes, I will be hosting a virtual tea from 4:00 to 6:00 pm EST. Please come back tomorrow and leave a comment for a chance to win a tea basket.

Getting People to Buy Your Book

Not too long ago I was researching ways to promote Knight of Runes. Many of my author friends have been helpful in giving me ideas (thanks to all of you) and pointed me to wonderful sources. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned in this quest, a personality trait that makes my kid’s eyes roll, but that’s a story for another time. My search led me to the March 2010 post by author Derek Haines.

I knew my search was a success when I read the blog title, Ten Golden Rules For Successful Writing And Getting People To Buy Your Books. Now I either had the answer to my search or a clever hook to entice me to buy someone else’s book. I knew a little bit about Mr. Haines but not much. I read on and wasn’t disappointed. I’ve included his post below. If you’d like to read his other words of wisdom for authors, here is Derek’s original post.

For those of you who are either contemplating becoming an author, or those writers who want to get to the bestseller status fast, I thought I would share what I believe to be the ten prime factors for success. Some are highly technical while others require hours and hours of practice and perfection, but I am sure you will see the benefits very quickly from following my Ten Golden Rules For Successful Writing And Getting People To Buy Your Books.

1. Always include blank pages at the back of the book. This makes the book thicker, so looks like better value.

2. Be consistent with spelling mistakes. The reader’s brain will adjust.

3. Always dedicate your book to your mother. This increases the ‘Awwww’ factor, and also gives you an opportunity to include another blank pager after it.

4. If you have a long name, change it. Bestselling authors must restrict both their names to five letters or less.

5. If you are under fifty, do not put a photo of yourself on the back cover. Writers must look mature.

6. Use a lot of dialogue. It takes up more page space. (Helps point one) Narrative tends to be in good solid paragraphs, so stay clear on neat economical space saving paragraphs as much as possible.

7. Get your very best friend, wife or sibling to write the blurb for the back of your book.

8. Use short and simple words. Long words reduce your market potential to only those readers with high IQs.

9. Always start a sentence with a Capital Letter, and try to remember the full stop at the end. It helps readers navigate better.

10. Make sure you have some sort of story to tell. Three hundred pages of:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, sapien platea morbi dolor lacus nunc, nunc ullamcorper. Felis aliquet egestas vitae, nibh ante quis quis dolor sed mauris. Erat lectus sem ut lobortis, adipiscing ligula eleifend, sodales fringilla mattis dui nullam. Ac massa aliquet Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, sapien platea morbi dolor lacus nunc, nunc ullamcorper. Felis aliquet egestas vitae, nibh ante quis quis dolor sed mauris. Erat lectus sem ut lobortis, adipiscing ligula eleifend, sodales fringilla mattis dui nullam. Ac massa aliquet

has proven not to sell very well, even though it does speed up writing a lot.

Bonus Rule: Always include a 404 page not found link to help readers get back to where they were.

*** End of Post ***

Speaking of buying your books, Knight of Runes is now available for Pre-Order at Barnes & Noble.

What are some of your golden rules for writing and getting people to buy your book? I would really love to know.

Open Letter to My Editor

Dear Denise,

I finished my edits a little while ago and I will be sending them back to you tomorrow. I want to do one final read and make certain everything is just right. I see what people mean when they say you must love your story because you have to read it over and over. I’ve spent more time editing and re-editing than it took to write. *smiles*

I started editing the story before I finished it. I usually read what I did the day before. It sets me in the mood, gets the creative muse moving, and gives me an opportunity to tighten things up.

It seems whenever I read the story I see opportunity for changes. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. But there comes a time when you just have to stop tinkering with it and call it done. I thought I was in that happy place until Carina Press decided to publish Knight of Runes. *big smile* You’ve help get rid of the clutter which made the pacing so much better.  

I think you’d agree that point of view is my challenge. Since this story is about a Druid knight and the magical powers I give him, I was tempted to give him the power of mind melding just so he could read the thoughts of others. I thought that would do away with my problem *really big smile* but decided against it but only because it wouldn’t fit into the story.

Then there are those echo phrases and favorite words. You got me on ‘slow.’ I hadn’t realized how many times I had slow in the story. Although eye has it beat. It’s there 493 times. Thanks for helping me vet that. With this last round of edits even I was tired of hearing about eyes.

I’ve fix the grammar issue, the split commas. I must have an aversion to ‘and’ that it seems to get left out often.  

I’ve put back the exposition, mainly set up, that I took out a few drafts ago when someone told it wasn’t needed. I should have gone with my gut. I thought the reader would be a bit lost not having the background so it’s great to know you concur. It didn’t take me too long to re-write it. Next time I’ll definitely take your suggestion and save the deleted scenes.

I took a peek at my first draft and compared some scenes. I couldn’t believe the difference. I read the first couple of chapters before putting this together for you and couldn’t believe it was my work. I really love this story. Thanks for helping me make it wonderful.

Well, I’m off the sleep. I’ll finish reading tomorrow. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend.

By the way, I have a great idea for the next story. I’ll fill you in on that in a week or so.

Hugs,

Ruth

My Journey to Publication ~ Knight Of Runes

I'm just sitting here looking at the cover of my debut novel, Knight of Runes, scheduled for release, November 14 by Carina Press. Okay, so you may think I'm sitting and staring at it because he's a really hot guy. Only for a little while. I have one in residence, hot to me that is. The picture of Lord Arik may not be real but I realized that my novel is. 

I started this project March, 2009 with an innocent excitement to help a friend write her book. It quickly escalated into creating a series of romance novels. We each had stories in our head and made plans to connect them. After a few months of hard work and several tens of thousands words on each of our stories, we found that our idea of tying them together wouldn't work. The stories would work well independently so we decided to critique each other's stories and finish our books individually. 

Her life was filled with a beautiful daughter getting ready for high school graduation, college tours, New York marathon training, and a job that took her all over the country (and sometimes the world). My situation is very different. My three extraordinary children are independent and on their own. I use my treadmill as an extension of my closet, and my job is an ninety minute commute to New York City. 

I had the time and I had the story so, I went full out. I researched the renaissance, manor life, herbs, poisons, karate moves, survival training, field medical procedures, druids, magic, warding, myths, and knights. Then I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. By August, I had 105,000 words and a completed story. Now what? I looked for a support group and found Romance Writers of America. I spent the next fourteen months learning about craft, research, publishing, and career building. I pitched to agents and editors and kept on polishing my manuscript, my pitch, and my synopsis.

In October, 2010, I participated in an online pitch sponsored by Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal (FFnP), an online RWA special interest chapter. Carina Press requested my full manuscript. I gave it one more polish after taking Eliza Knight's, Edit Your Book in a Month, and sent it off January 2011. February 3rd, I got a call from Carina Press. They wanted to publish my story.  

After making her repeat her name, I must have heard it wrong, it sounded like she said Angela James, it finally sunk in. This was THE CALL. All that practicing in the shower going over and over what I would say, how sophisticated I would sound and the brilliant questions I would ask, must have floated down the drain. I sounded anything but coherent and witty.

For days I thought, Angela must be mistaken or she must be calling everyone that pitched. So many agents and editors told me that time travel romance wouldn't sell. I was certain Carina Press would change their minds. When the contract came I had to admit that it was real.  

My family, day job colleagues, and friends (writers and non-writers), all celebrated with me as the project moved into its next phase, ready for production. With my editor, Denise Nielsen, we've worked through the edits,  cover fact sheet, and back cover blurb.

So, I sat and looked at the cover and realized that all that hard work, the disappointments, and even the doubts were so worth it. I look at the cover, a symbol of reality to me, and get goosebumps. The excitement bubbles up all over again. And that hot guy, the one in residence, told me he knew it all along. 

The Top 10 Things I Learned From My First Round of Edits

For a new author, the thought of publisher edits can be intimidating. Review, re-write, re-plot, re-align subtext, and forget if you have action scenes.

My first round of edits reached me while I was getting on a plane at the Las Vegas airport. Paul and I were from a great vacation. The shows were spectacular. I was excited to see what my editor, Denise Nielsen, had for me. I tried, without success, to read her edits on my android phone before I had to turn off my phone. I would have to wait another five hours.

Once back home, I read the message and instructions, made a large pot of coffee and dug in. To start, I read all the track changes and comments to get an idea of what lay ahead for me. After 13 days (one day ahead of deadline), I got the edits back to Denise. I found I worked hard, got frustrated, made changes, had several aha moments, and fell in love with Arik, Rebeka and their story, Knight of Runes, all over again.

Here are the top ten things I learned from my first round edits. Go get your coffee and enjoy.

10. Well meaning friends, who are ‘in the know,’ sometimes don’t know. The advice of a good friend and published author was to remove irrelevant words in order to stay in the action and make things sound crisp and immediate. It’s the way to hold your reader attention. Not, however, when you splice commas. Words such as and, but, are essential, not extraneous.

9.  Cut extraneous exposition and let the reader see it. What some people see as extraneous exposition (which I went through and deleted) my editor said was necessary to set up the next scene or action.

8.  Don’t give your editor (and reader) a headache by head hopping. Head hopping, I mean real leaps in the same scene, may work for Nora but not for Ruth. Ever.

7.  POV is an art. If your POV character can’t see it, hear it, and doesn’t know it then it doesn’t exist. Unless, the other POV character says it or (this was an eye opener) thinks it in his head. Cool heh.

6.  Edits are a learning experience and my editor is a fabulous, and patient, teacher. I learned to see patterns, hear echoes, and feel rhythms. It only took the first 100 pages to get there.

5.  Immediate voice is much more powerful and compelling than passive voice. Chopping ‘ing’ to makes the action sound immediate. It’s is essential, although, passive voice has its place, but only occasionally.

4.  Filler words do not move a scene along. These words can usually be eliminated without changing the meaning and will also make it more immediate.

3.  Questions in the readers mind can be provocative. Some of Denise’s comments were questions that were answered in the next paragraph or scene. I made my reader think. Not bad!

2.  My deepest apologies to Mrs. X. My high school grammar teacher must be spinning in her grave. I won’t embarrass her by mentioning her name.

The number one thing I learned from my first round of edits…

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed working through Denise’s track changes and comments. She made me think, make decisions, see opportunities, and ultimately she helped me make the story the best it can be and isn’t that what we both want.

Come on Denise, I’m ready for round two.

What's In a Name?

Or a title for that matter.

I had this wonderful idea for the story. I brainstormed with my friend Maggie and outlined, diagramed and researched. Finally, after a few months, I was ready, eager actually, to write. My heroine’s name came to me quickly. Rebeka, yes with a ‘k.’ It’s a name I’ve always liked. It’s strong, yet romantic. It just fit my character.

My hero was another story completely. I inserted one name after the other into the text. Sometimes I’d go several chapters before I’d know it wasn’t working and start the name search all over again. There was Jason, Andrew, Michael, and on and on and on. None of those seemed to fit, that is until I tried Arik. I did a global replace and reread the chapters. At last, a story about Rebeka and Arik.

My working title was Rebeka’s Story. I knew it wasn’t the finished title but I thought the title would evolve as I wrote. At the end of 105,000 words, it was still Rebeka’s Story.  I called Maggie. Again we did some brainstorming.  As we talked through the story, I realized I had a recurring phrase/idea, to hearth and home. So, almost satisfied, I titled my story, To Hearth and Home.

I wrote my synopsis and query. I was ready. I pitched it. In February, I got a wonderful call from Angela James. Carina Press wanted to publish my story. It was a wonderful exciting call. I had to sit and think hard afterwards to remember all she told me. One thing that was clear, there would possibly be a title change.

I had to admit I wasn’t surprised with a title change. It did sound like a cozy contemporary and not an adventurous historical time travel. My editor, Denise Nielsen, worked with me and asked for suggestions, words and concepts. The team was ready to work on a new title. 

Earlier this week, I saw a post on the Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal (an online chapter of RWA) blog about book titles, Creating Compelling Titles. I was in the same boat as Anne Marsh, I didn’t know squat about titles. It’s a good read. I’ve included it below.

Oh, before you go, yesterday, Denise emailed me with the team’s result which hit all of Anne’s points.  Knight of Runes, it’s perfect!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at the FFnP Blog

Creating Compelling Titles

Guest blogger Anne Marsh

Titles were originally an afterthought for me—a handful of words that got slapped on my book right before I shipped it off. At best, the title was a convenient shorthand for picking out my current WIP from its fellow computer files. I wrote the Cat book. Next, I wrote the Goblin book. And the Amazon book. When, as an unpublished author, I decided to send a handful of manuscripts off on the RWA contest circuit, I simply had to give the blasted manuscripts better titles, so I sat down and considered the key elements in the book: my Cat book was sexy, with a big, shapeshifting hero. Plus, an erotic hunt figured prominently in the book. I came up with ”Caught by the Cat” and patted myself on the back. As titles went, it was marginally better than “The Cat Book” (which sounded like it should be coffee table fare filled with pictures of the African savannah). And, alliteration had to count for something—right? Since “everyone” knows that New York always changes your title, I figured the title didn’t really matter (besides, I had this fabulous midnight epiphany that I’d call the next books in the series “Claimed by the Cat” and “Charmed by Cat,” although, after that, I’d probably have to end the series as I’d already run out of words that began with the letter “C”).

I was wrong.

I didn’t know squat about titles.

“Caught by the Cat” sold to an editor juding the Orange Rose contest. Soon after I sold, however, my editor gently asked how I would feel about changing the title. She wanted to find something edgier, something that packed an erotic punch. That sounded great to me—right up until she asked me to brainstorm a list of possible new titles. Fortunately, I was able to brainstorm with both my agent and my editor—and we ended up going with one of my editor’s ideas.

Why do titles matter? First and foremost, a title makes the reader look. A good title conveys the flavor of a book in just a few words. My agent said that “The Hunt” jumped out at her and would make her pick the book up from the shelf (score!). It also shrieked “Alpha male!,” which was our goal. Strong. Forceful. Sexy. Just like my hero.

A successful title also connects the books in a series. Repeated words, elements, or themes work well. For example, we could have called a trio of shapeshifter books: The Hunt, The Game, and The Breakpoint. Instead, we decided to play with variations on a hunt: “The Hunt,” “The Pursuit,” “The Capture. Always think ahead: how would you pitch the next book in the series? How will you tie them together.

Things to consider when you’re coming up with a title for you book:

• The title needs to be short and to the point—it has to fit on the cover of a book and the graphic designer creating your cover doesn’t need the challenge of a five-line, polysyllabic tongue twister.
• The title should hint at the tone of your book. Is the book dark and sexy? Sweet? Hero-centric or focused on the heroine?
• The title of the book should also serve as a hook for the series (unless you’re truly planning just one standalone book). You may also want to brainstorm a series name -- especially for FF&P-ers, this is a fabulous place to introduce your world-building.
• Keep an open mind and get feedback from as many folks as possible. A truly successful title is marketable and hooks in as many readers as possible… so you want to get impressions from as many people as possible. What do they think of when you say your title? What kind of book would they guess the book is? What adjectives come to mind? If your beta readers are thinking “Oooh! Dark and sexy!” but you’re writing light paranormal—or vice versa—you need to rethink the title.
• Search (Amazon is a great tool). Has anyone else used that title? It may not be a deal-breaker if someone else has used “your” title (the title I proposed for my forthcoming sexy contemporary, for example, was apparently used by an anthology a few years ago, but my editor wasn’t too concerned as the other book was an anthology).

There are lots of great titles out there, titles that make me go “Wow. Wish I’d thought of that!” The titles for Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalkers series, for example, let you know loud and clear that, when you crack those covers, you’re going to read about strong, forceful alphas. Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien—these are forceful, honorable, no-nonsense Biblical names. Kathy Love, on the other hand, writes fabulously funny, sexy paranormal and her titles convey that message clearly– “Truth or Demon”, “What a Demon Wants”, “Fangs for the Memories.” Rebecca Zanetti’s two books—“Fated” and “Claimed”—use strong adjectives describing the relationship between the hero and the heroine in some very sexy terms. And, Karen Kelly’s books (“The Jaguar Prince,” “The Falcon Prince”) are tied together by the fact that her heroes are princes and shapeshifters.  

Each title reflects the different stories we’re going to find between the covers and draws us in, hinting and promising at what we’ll find. I’ve picked up more than one book based on the title alone because I love the kind of story line the title hints at (cough—Karen Kelly—cough). The next time you’re naming your book, think about what kind of story you’re promising your reader—and what message you want to convey. 

*****
A professional technical writer, Anne discovered that getting laid off was actually A Very Good Thing. While looking for her next writing gig, she picked up her pen (well, okay, she used her writing as an excuse to buy a new Apple laptop) and started writing. She soon discovered that writing was uncomfortably similar to sit-ups: add a few more crunches each day, wake up sore, but, by God, you will fit into that bikini. Or finish the book (she’s still working on the bikini). Now she cranks out software manuals during the daylight hours– and writes about alpha shapeshifters the rest of the time.