Talking about the Blame Game

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Since Shades of Truth has hit Ebook readers nationwide…

and I know this because it actually appeared in the top 20 on 2 Kindle bestseller lists on Friday, yee!!…

I’ve decided to ask a reader question from the back of my book, today.

The hero, Ethan Reed, is working undercover in a youth detention center to ferret out the person who’s recruiting residents for a drug ring.

In his youth, Ethan did time in a similar facility, and based on that experience, he remarks that residents always claim incidents are never their fault.

We talked about this tendency in our Sunday School class yesterday morning. That is, we talked about how all sin begins with self-deception.

Self-deception such as:
~saying everyone is doing it or
~it can’t be wrong when it feels so right or
~I’ll just do it this once or
~I can always ask God to forgive me later or
~saying you can’t help it, it’s not your fault, because of A, B, or C

Whereas, true repentance is marked not only by an admission that yes, you did wrong, but an absence of rationalization for it, as well as a genuine sorrow about doing it (not just about getting caught!), and the desire to make restitution to any offended party.

So here’s the question: When you make a mistake in your life, do you tend to blame someone else or do you take responsibility? Since this is an intensely personal question, perhaps share an example of how doing one or the other (in your younger days!) had positive or negative repercussions and what you learned from that experience.

NEWS:

If you’d like to read an interview with my hero, you’ll find it here: http://craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/2012/03/shades-of-truth-interview.html

And there’s a giveway going on this week for a signed copy of SoT here: http://www.anitamaedraper.com/author-memories.html

Jury Duty Anyone?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

It’s finally happened. I figured it would one day.

Eventually the town had to work it’s way through the alphabet, and now my turn to do my civic duty has arrived…maybe.

I’ve been summoned to appear for a jury panel, which means that I may or may not be chosen to sit on a jury. The suspense writer in me is intrigued by the possibility. The practical-can’t-sit-for-more-than-an-hour-or-my-back-goes-into-spasms side of me is a tad apprehensive.

I can’t complain about the timing. I have no looming deadlines, and despite all the crime I write about in my fictional town set in this region, we don’t have any upcoming trials that would go on for weeks on end…at least none that I know about.

So…I’m excited about the opportunity to experience the process, watch the people and take lots of notes for future books!

Your Turn: Have you ever been called to jury duty? If so, how was it? If not, would you want to be? 

P.S. I emailed my newsletter last night. If you’re a subscriber and don’t see it in your inbox, please check your spam. If you’d like to be added to my subscriber list, there’s a link on the right side bar below the Goodreads giveaway (which btw ends early Sunday)

Today & Tomorrow’s Book Tour Stops: 

Fri Mar 2

read an excerpt from Shades of Truth
talking about love & romance
Sat Mar 3
View my work space & process ~ pics

Image courtesy of: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

10 Character Lessons from a Special Guest

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Hi Bella here. I’m the furry one.

My mistress is exhausted because she spent yesterday entertaining little miss, so… I volunteered to do this post.

I saw that my kissing cousin, Simba, did one for Kav last week, and have wanted to try my paw at it ever since.

Then I saw that a little dog was even at the Oscars, and actually spoke. People are finally realizing that we have lots of important lessons to teach! 

Now you’ve probably read some version of these lessons around cyberspace before, but honest (cause I can’t even cross my toes to tell a lie like all my mistress’s heroes do in their undercover work) I really live this stuff.

#1 Eat with gusto and enthusiasm…rubber boots, hubcaps, vinyl siding…it’s all good!

#2 No matter how often you’re scolded, run right back and be friends. Guilt trips are for cats.

#3 When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

#4 When a loved one comes home, run to greet them.

#5 Delight in the simple pleasure of a long walk.

#6 Be obedient…when it’s in your best interest.

#7 Avoid biting when a growl will do.

#8 Romp and play daily and take plenty of naps.

#9 Never pass up the opportunity for a joyride.

#10 When someone is having a tough day, sit close by and nuzzle them gently…and offer to write their blog. “grin”

Your Turn: How’d I do?

Oops, my mistress said I need a better question than that. How about…

What have you learned from a dog, or cat (since I know not everyone likes my species, but c’mon…
my mistress’s cat sits on the couch and waits for me to walk by so it can swat me. What’s with that?

I’m a good dog. I don’t lie on the couch. I, um, took a bite out of it once, but I’ve NEVER lied on it. lain? laideded? I can’t figure out your grammar. Anyway, thanks for reading this far. Hope you have a woofing good day!

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Welcome to my first newsletter of 2012. I hope you are enjoying a healthy and joy-filled new year.

I’m thrilled to report that my year is shaping up to be amazing!!!

Here’s the story… Way back in June of 2010, three months before Love Inspired contracted me to write my Undercover Cops series, my agent sent a three-book proposal to a number of trade-length publishers. And…

Last week one of them made me an offer!!!

I’m not shouting this from the rooftops, yet, because I haven’t signed the contract, but my agent said it would be okay to share that much. Yee! I received the news on the day before my son graduated from his apprenticeship training so we had a wonderful weekend of celebrating together.

This happened a week after this amazing article appeared in the paper:

 I couldn’t have prayed for better local promotion for my upcoming release. God has been blessing my writing in so many ways!

NOW IT’S TIME TO GIVE BACK
but first let me clarify, because I know I confuse people when I start giving away books before the book actually releases. 

Shades of Truth will hit American and Canadian bookstores (including Walmarts, grocery stores etc) around March 13th and will be on the shelves until they’re sold or until early April, whichever happens first. Bookstores will order in copies upon request as long as they are still available.

But… the novel is available NOW from Harlequin. Click Here to order at 20% off, and use coupon code FREESHIPAFFO to receive free shipping until Mar 31st.

GIVEAWAY # 1
From now until March 4th, I have a giveaway going on at Goodreads open to residents of Australia, Great Britain, Canada and US. If you’d like to enter, the link is: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/21413-shades-of-truth  For those not familiar with Goodreads, it’s a home for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike. Users recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they’ve read and would like to read, find their next favorite book, form book clubs and much more.
GIVEAWAY # 2
The winner of this newsletter’s giveaway of a copy of Shades of Truth is
Please email me your mailing information or if you prefer an Ebook that will work, too.
MORE GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITIES
Over the next few weeks, I will be touring the blogosphere to promote my newest release. Sometimes my blog hosts give away a book to commenters. The schedule of the tour is on my blog page: http://www.sandraorchard.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour-for-shades-of-truth.html
I’m giving away a copy on the March 4th spot for sure.
FUN CONTEST FOR THE CAREFUL READER
I belong to a writing group called WODE (Writers Off the Deep End). They challenged me to include our name in my novel. So I did. If you find “WODE” in Shades of Truth, email me your name, the page number, and the version of book (regular print, True Large Print, Ebook version etc).
I’ll be drawing a name from everyone who writes in and will announce the winner in my June newsletter. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the book retailer of their choice.  
UPCOMING BOOK SIGNINGS
 This is a photo of Eva Maria Hamilton at my debut book signing. 
Eva is from Ancaster (only 45 minutes from where I live) and her Love Inspired Historical, Highland Hearts, debuts in March. So… we’re doing a couple of book signings together. 
Saturday, March 17th  2 – 4 pm
@ Coles in the Limeridge Mall in Hamilton 
and on
Saturday, March 24th  1 – 3 pm
@ Heritage Christian Bookstore in the Grantham Plaza, St. Catharines
as I did at last year’s signings, I will have a basket of books that will go to one lucky visitor

 Thanks so much for sharing this writing journey with me. If there’s something you’d like to see in the next newsletter, please let me know. In the meantime, I wish you all the best and invite you to continue to connect between newsletters at: Conversations About Characters or on Facebook

Feel free to forward this email to someone who you think might enjoy it. If you received this email from a friend and would like to subscribe, click here.

What’s in your Heart?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

I’m blogging over on the International Christian Fiction Writers blog today.

I hope you’ll stop by and say hi! Of course, because it’s in a different time zone, it doesn’t go live until 7 am EST.

A recipe from Shades of Truth is also being featured today on The Yankee Belle Cafe

AND…did you notice the new widget on my sidebar? This week I’m having a giveaway on Goodreads for my March release. It’s open to residents of the US, Canada, Australia and Great Britain, although you have to join Goodreads to enter if you’re not already a part of the community of readers.

Have a great day!

Fun Friday – What would you do…?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Since reading Nipped in the Bud last weekend, a question has plagued me all week…

 

What would I do if someone threatened me with a gun? 

We see this happen all the time in TV shows and movies. The person with the gun usually gives the victim some compelling reason to come along quietly. Often a loved one is threatened if they don’t cooperate. Similarly the character in Nipped was presented with a couple of very compelling reasons to stall, but part of me was screaming at her to…well…SCREAM.

Unless there are other bad guys who have my loved ones this minute, I’m thinking this is between you and me, buddy. And I will not go gentle into that good night.

If there are people around, I’m going to scream, “Gun. Don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.”

Then I’m going to run like a mad woman. Most people really aren’t that good a shot. Chances are they’re not going to hit me, let alone kill me. Chances are even better that they won’t want to draw anymore attention to themselves so they’ll slink away and wait for another opportunity.

Of course, that’s where the being petrified for your loved ones ramps up to hyper mode.

But c’mon if I let him shoot me, how do I know he wouldn’t then go off and shoot them anyway?

Your Turn: You’re at an outdoor event, or a mall parking lot with other people around, and someone threatens you with a gun. What are you going to do?

A Rose by any other Name…

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Okay, getting back on track today with our “conversations about characters”!

Over the weekend, I read Susan Sleeman‘s cozy romantic mystery, Nipped in the Bud. I don’t often read cozies, but Nipped‘s quirky humor was a fun change from my usual fare.

Since I’ve written a mystery/suspense series that features a herbal medicine researcher, I was particularly taken with the clever idiosyncrasy Susan gave her character of thinking of each person she meets as a flower.

Lots of questions we could discuss on that front, such as if you were a flower, what would you like to be? Or what kind of flower do you think others would say you are?

I’d like to think of myself as a sunflower. My hero in my October release gives the heroine sunflowers because they are bright and cheerful like her. And like sunflowers, I strive to keep my face looking toward the sun (son)!

On the flipside, sometimes in life we attach labels to people the minute we meet them, and treat them accordingly, only to find out later that we were wrong.

Now, for my undercover cops, snap judgments are a survival skill, but most of us need to be careful about unwittingly doing harm to others as the result of a less-than-stellar first impression.

 Your Turn: If you were a flower or plant, what would you be…or like to be? Any suggestions for guarding against making snap judgments of those we meet.

A New Line of Mysteries for Your Ereader

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Today is a holiday here in Ontario, Canada–Family Day. So while I’m enjoying time with my family, I’ve invited my friend Susan Sleeman to introduce you to some great mysteries for those with Ereaders. Be sure to check out Susan’s The Suspense Zone, too, where you’ll discover listings of a vast array of Christian suspense, mysteries, romantic suspense and thrillers, plus author interviews and book reviews…including one of Deep Cover.  *grin*

Susan Sleeman here. Do you have an e-reader or maybe an iPad? Then I’d like to tell you about a line of cozy mysteries that has recently released with most books retailing for only .99 for a limited time. Spyglass Lane Mysteries are published by a group of cozy mystery authors who have joined together to bring you a new cozy mystery every week. Currently, there are over 25 wonderful mysteries in this line.

Stop by the website to view all of the available books and while you’re there, be sure to sign up for our email newsletter where we announce each new book that releases and our authors share behind the scenes stories about the books.

I’d also like to share a little bit about my Garden Gate Mystery Series that is releasing as part of this line. The first book, Nipped in the Bud has already released and book two, Read Between the Tines will release in February 23rd. Here’s a little bit about both books.
NIPPED IN THE BUD
WHEN YOU FIND YOUR BOSS PUSHING UP DAISIES. . .
Life in full bloom, landscape designer, Paige Turner, scores her first landscaping contract to spruce up the park, her radio talk show shoots to number one, and her retail shop is simply blossoming. Yes, her life is a bed of roses. Until she finds the city manager served up on the blade of her favorite shovel mere hours after she’s threatened to have his head on a platter, then the thorns come out. And there is none thornier than the local police chief declaring Paige the one and only suspect and threatening to plow her under.

YOU’VE GOT TO FORMULATE A PLANT OF ATTACK . . .

Paige teams up with dashing attorney, Adam Hayes to weed through the list of suspects, and clear her soiled reputation. And along the way, discovers that Adam just may be the man of her dreams.
» Read an Excerpt          »Order It Now

READ BETWEEN THE TINES

IF YOUR LIFE IS A BED OF ROSES. . .

Recovered from her near death at the hand of a killer, landscape designer Paige Turner is certain her life will soon be a bed of roses. That is, until her employee, Daisy Rose Plante, finds a dead body, and the thorny police chief looks no further than Daisy for a suspect. Paige digs in and weeds through the list of potential killers, and before long, her sweet smelling rose of a life is soundly trampled.

YOU’LL HAVE TO SURVIVE THE THORNS. . .
Paige would be much happier working over-thyme on her budding relationship with handsome attorney, Adam Hayes, but it soon becomes clear she’ll be in a hoe lot of trouble with him if she continues digging for the killer. Does Paige risk all and try to unearth the killer? Or does she settle down in peaceful bliss with the man of her dreams?
SUSAN SLEEMAN is a best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense and mystery novels. She grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books. Today, she channels this enthusiasm into writing romantic suspense and mystery novels and hosting the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com.
Susan currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law and an adorable grandson.

To learn more about Susan visit: Website, her Facebook page, or on Twitter

Fun Friday – The Plot Thickens

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Okay, before I start, let me just say, I’m cheating…
That is, I’m sharing a post I wrote for the Craftie Ladies blog a couple of weeks ago. But if you didn’t see it, it is fun. This is the beginning of a long weekend for us, so that’s my excuse. ~grin~
Once friends find out I write for “Harlequin”, they like to tease my hubby with questions such as: So what’s it like to be married to a romance writer? ~Elbow. Elbow. Wink. Wink.~
Well, let me tell you. It’s not all fun and games. Sure hubby’s happy to help inspire me when I need to experiment with a kiss to get all the details right.
But I’m an inspirational writer so it never gets any further than that, much to my hubby’s disappointment I’m sure.
Besides, I’m not really a romance writer. I’m a romantic suspense writer.
So more often than not, I’m contemplating means of killing people, and more importantly, how to get away with it.
This can be quite uncomfortable for my family. Especially if they happen to notice my book of poisons sitting on the counter as they sit down to dinner.
Did you know that too much…?
Hmm, never mind, I’d better not reveal that. I’m planning to use the tidbit in my next book.
My family has learned to take my quirky ways in stride. My hubby is quick to assure people that it’s not him I’m planning to do away with when after I ask, “How could someone in your profession get away with murder?”
Most of the time, people warm right up to the subject. After all, be honest, how many of you have never contemplated how you might kill someone?
I’ve had a lot of fun with this line of questioning.
One time on the way to the airport following a writer’s conference, I shared a cab with a forensic pathologist. I was working on a mystery in which I killed someone by… hmm, won’t give that one away either.
Let’s just say by an ingenious means.
So I asked him, “If I killed someone by such and such a means, would you be able to detect that?”
The cabbie’s gaze shot to the rearview mirror. After the pathologist said, “No,” and I rubbed my hands in glee, I think the cabbie spent more time eyeing the rearview mirror than the road.
We made it to the airport in record time.
Then in the plane, I sat beside an aviation inspector. This was a divine meeting since I’d written a plane crash story that I wanted to tweak, and I had a two-hour flight to pick this guy’s brain about the myriad of reasons a plane might go down, and how.
Let me tell you, if you knew this stuff, you’d think twice before you got on a plane. I’m pretty sure the woman in front of us clutching her armrests was.
I could go and on with examples of ideas that have blossomed from the most innocuous situations.
Of course, there are drawbacks to having such an active imagination. It makes relaxing difficult.
This past summer while kayaking with the family, I couldn’t help but notice how easy it would be to sneak up on someone’s house from the water. My daughter who is also a writer locked right onto the idea and before you knew it we were spinning a tale of mystery and mayhem, and eyeing suspiciously every person who paddled by.
Of course, while I have a lot of fun writing my heroes and heroines into the worst situations imaginable, in the end, with the love of God and a good woman, the good guys triumph.

Talked Out!

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Hi everyone. Yesterday, I spoke at two different libraries about my story ideas and on writing tips. It was a lot of fun. I met some wonderful readers and aspiring writers and a very nice young reporter who interviewed me afterward.

I love hearing from readers about what they enjoy reading, and I love encouraging new writers. 

I’d planned to come home and write all about it…but I was “talked” out. Not to mention that I really wanted to spend time with my hubby, being Valentine’s Day and all!

He had a lovely bouquet of flowers delivered to me a day ahead of time since he knew I wouldn’t be around. What an inspiration he is for the romance writer in me. ~grin~

Your Turn: How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?