Take my historical novel Slave Girl. Slave Girl by Sheniqua Waters is a tantalizing story of a young Egyptian beauty who is kidnapped from the banks of theNile
River and sold into slavery. She is placed on an auction block in
Constantinople and sold into a Turkish harem. Once there, she must deal with harem politics and jealousy from the other women when she becomes their Master’s, Kudar al Numan’s, favorite. Our hero, Kudar, must overcome tradition, distance and other obstacles to be with the woman he loves. While Slave Girl does contain some ravishing love scenes that is not what the story is about.  Is it possible to get those who don’t read romance to stop viewing the genre in negative terms and start viewing the genre in a different light? How can we get general audiences to see the genre of romance as one of love, hope and optimism?  What do you think? Is it possible to change the image of the romance novel? 

Sheniqua Waters

www.TheWorldsBestBook.com

by Jeannie Ruesch

Think on your favorite romantic movie.  Or heck, think about your favorite movie, period.  Now imagine your favorite scene.  Can you see it? Do you hear the witty dialogue between the hero and heroine clipping through your head? Or perhaps someone’s head being whacked off their body, if you’re a fan of horror movies. (Me? Not so much…One watching of Poltergeist as a child scarred me for life.)  Or the best chase scene from your favorite action flick.

Got the image? Remember the words?

Now… do you remember the music?

I’m going to guess with very few exceptions, the answer is no.  And yet, the music score and soundtrack from a movie plays an integral part in setting a mood.  Can you imagine Scarlett’s fierce decree that she’ll never go hungry again without the orchestra swells of Tara’s Song? How about Chariots of Fire?  Or really, who can look at a cool, quiet ocean without hearing Dum dum…dum dum… and wondering if a shark lurks just underneath.

Music plays a big part in my creative process.  In fact, it’s a bit of a quirk — when I’m writing, I only listen to piano versions of songs.  The song can be anything from classical to a piano-only version of a Disney song.  But it has to be piano. For me, that’s a connection to a passion of mine from my childhood, when I trained as a competition pianist.  I started playing when I was eight years old and fell in love.  Carpel tunnel syndrome at the age of fourteen slowed the progress of that and into my twenties, I had to make a choice — computers or piano.  Since computers paid the bills, the choice wasn’t easy, but it was necessary.

But to this day, hearing the sounds of a piano feeds my soul in ways I can’t explain.  So when I’m writing, I need that connection.  It truly is the soundtrack and score of my creativity.

When it came to select music for my book video for my recent release, SOMETHING ABOUT HER, one thing was certain. It had to be piano, but the song had to be just right.  Mournful, a little sad, a little dramatic…yet romantic all at the same time.  I searched for more time than I should admit for just the right song. What I chose? Serenade, by Schubert. This video is only a shortened version of the song, but it’s a beautiful one.

What do you think? What mood does it provoke for you?

—————————————————————————–

What music feeds YOUR soul? To one lucky commenter, I’ll give away a CD of your choice –
you pick it, I’ll buy it.

——————————————————————————-

Jeannie Ruesch

www.jeannieruesch.com

SOMETHING ABOUT HER

NOW available : Amazon |BN.com | ebook @ The Wild Rose Press
“…a rich, well-presented story.”~RT Book Reviews
~ “A wonderful debut!” ~NYTimes bestselling author Gaelen Foley

Read Chapter One & See the Book Video | www.jeannieruesch.com

Okay I have a confession. I love gadgets. (grin) Get me near an appliance section or in a computer section of a store and my eyes glaze over and I want to but everything. LOL. A few weeks ago when I decided to do some organization in my files and desktop computer when I decided to also organize my laptop. I haven’t really fiddled with it in a bit. As I did I realize I needed to make a trip to the office supply store. My heart started to race and I got a peep in my step. (grin) Did I mention I love visiting the office supply store? So off I went and when I got there I had to control my impulse to buy more than I needed. I was proud of myself I stuck to my list. So I had a nice conversation with the tech about external drives, wireless mouse, and wireless routers (yes I don’t have wireless on my laptop. I am so behind but I’ve been resisting it because I was trying not to buy any new gadgets).After comparing the different offerings I got what I went for. I couldn’t wait to get home to hook up everything.

I was busy with the day job it took me a bit to get the wireless for my laptop up and running. Now it is and I am so loving it. I’m wireless on my laptop. So now I can surf do research even when not on my main computer. This was definitely a good gadget buy. I’m actually writing this blog and posting it from my laptop. (grin)

So what new gadgets have you bought?

Happpy Reading!
McKenna Jeffries
http://www.mckennajeffries.com
…. sensual, edgy, unexpected

Blog: http://www.mckennajeffries.com/blog
Chat Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McKennaJeffriesList
Free Reads Site: http://www.satinnotes.com

Conquering Jazz - What’s a woman to do when she unwittingly makes a tantalizing proposition to her best friend?

Be brazen, bold and set some ground rules.
Her offer. One night of carnal bliss. No emotion allowed.

His counter offer. A continued affair to fulfill all their sexual cravings.

His hidden agenda. Conquer to make sure their affair never ends.

Buy here at Liquid Silver Book.

Let me say it up front and get the guilt out of the way. I am not a romance novel writer like many of the guest bloggers. Oh, I play around a bit with writing, but I am too book-obsessed to really invest the time needed to write. And did I mention that I am lazy? Writing requires discipline in which I am in short supply. I am so thankful there are writers out there who will get the writing done so I can have a regular fix.

And speaking of bad traits, I have been known to email my favorite writers and tell them to get their butt in gear because their latest book is taking too long. Obviously I have many weak traits – impatience, laziness and obsessiveness. But in my defense, I think it makes me the perfect buyer for the book industry and their authors. So my weak traits are actually great for the book industry and the economy!

I found Romance Junkies during a search for book reviews. I am always trying to find an author I overlooked or a new book that will make my day. Something in me flittered when I saw the post on Romance Junkies looking for guest bloggers. In my day job, I write for a workplace safety blog which is nowhere as interesting as a ROMANCE BOOK SITE for obsessed romance readers like me. Write about a new fall protection harness or about my favorite pastime?! No contest. So, yeah, I begged the powers that be at Romance Junkies to let me write.

 There were so many items on my list that I wanted to share and I quickly slashed my list down to the most important item for me.

Here is the topic: Book Shelf Worthy Books - What Are They & Why Does It Matter?

There is only so much space for books on my Book Shelves. In the past, many books got packed up in boxes, passed to friends or sent to Goodwill. Only the BEST remain on my Book Shelf. This past year I have had to drastically trim down my book budget so I have had to get more fussy about books I buy versus the books I get from the library (or Paper Back Swap). Book Shelf Worthy Books must have the potential to keep me up at night and have a “feel good” factor.

So, obviously, I research more books very well before I buy them. People, online sites, book review sites – I check them all before I spend a penny on a book.

To be honest - I also have a “lack of control” portion on my bookshelf . That’s where I’m at Target late at night and NEED a book right that minute. In fact, I’m in Starbucks at Target right now and I couldn’t resist checking out the books before I sat down to drink my coffee and write in a quiet place.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. Keep writing and sharing the good ones with me.