Adventures N Writing

I am very pleased to have my dear friend Gayle Carline blog today. Gayle is one of the funniest people I know and an extremely talented writer. Plus we both love horses, which automatically makes us friends. She gives me way too much credit here but it did make me feel good. :) She is a lovely and amazing lady who I enjoy spending time with and reading her material. Check out Gayle's books and enjoy today's blog! Riding and Writing When Michele asked me if I'd like to guest on her blog, my tail started wagging. I became friends with her at a writer's conference, when I was in one of her workshops and she mentioned horses. I have horses, too, and we both love to talk about horses, so it was karma for us to become friends. Of course, our riding disciplines are completely different. She likes to jump, over… stuff. I compete in something called trail, an arena event that's basically a horsey obstacle course - with NO jumping. In my defense, I took my first riding...

It's been a little while since I posted a yummy recipe from one of Nikki Sands' recipes.This recipe is for when I want something rich and want to go a little gourmet. It's lobster bisque, which I think is so tasty. I hope you will try it and pair it with a nice white wine. I like a nice glass of Riesling with the bisque. This recipe is out of "A Vintage Murder." Hope you enjoy! Cheers, Michele LOBSTER BISQUE WITH RIESLING The 2006 Pewsey Vale Riesling Eden Valley South Australia is a medium-bodied wine combining citric fruit flavors of lime, lemon, and tangerine. It has a midpalate richness leading to a long finish. This is a wine to savor. 2 tbsp minced shallots 2 tbsp chopped green onions 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cup white wine 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp Tabasco sauce 1 tsp dried thyme 6 tbsp dry sherry 1 tsp paprika 1 cup hot water 1 tsp lobster base (better than bouillon) 4 oz tomato paste 2 bay leaves 2 cups hea...

You know how when you do something that in the moment seems like it is probably an okay thing to do, but then you later think, "Huh. That was stupid." Yeah well, that would be me right about now. I decided yesterday to go on Kindleboards (for those of you who don't know what Kindleboards is, it is a place where Kindle readers and writers can go and check out what others are reading, writing, etc). There is a section in there called Writer's Cafe where writers can post stuff. Well, silly me decided to post how green-eyed I am with envy over J.A. Konrath's e-book sales (I won't even mention Amanda Hocking). A good friend of mine read it and didn't see a problem with what I wrote, but you know how when something nags you for several hours, then you should trust your gut. I didn't write anything negative, just truthful.  The replies were nice. No one was a jerk and people had some really great suggestions, but I felt icky and dumb for writing it in the f...

 I hope if you haven't read this book, you will take a chance on it. I loved writing it and the book means a lot to me. Cheers, Michele ZOVA Books Releases the first must read of the summer season ZOVA Books announces the release of Happy Hour, by acclaimed author Michele Scott. Los Angeles, CA, March 21, 2011 - ZOVA Books announces the release of Happy Hour, a new novel by Michele Scott. ZOVA Books is a boutique publishing firm representing such acclaimed authors as Dances With Wolves novelist and Academy Award winning screenplay writer, Michael Blake, as well as the Pulitzer Prize nominated bestselling author of Sacagawea, Anna Lee Waldo. Their partnership with Michele Scott brings them a wide body of previously published and wholly new material. Michele Scott's Wine Lovers mystery series, released through Berkeley Prime Crime, achieved wide acclaim upon its release. Scott has since established herself as one of the preeminent writers of the mystery genre, following her ...

I have been asked why I am using a couple of different pen names now. I am writing thrillers that are pretty dark and a bit twisted, as well as ramping up the romance in them versus the light romance I write in my mysteries. I am writing these types of books under the pen name A.K. Alexander. I actually wrote them many years ago and had sent them out prior to having an agent. One of the scripts was actually picked out of a slush pile and went rounds at Harper. At the time (7 years ago) I kept thinking "this is it," because the editor even contacted me over the phone! However, after nine months of waiting, I received a letter that stated it wouldn't fit into their line. I was so disappointed that I can remember standing in my kitchen in tears. My middle kid who was nine at the time came in and saw me crying. He asked me why. I told him that I didn't think I could keep on writing. I had finally reached a point where I felt beat. I had been submitting for 12 years at tha...

Hi Everyone, I am posting the first three chapters of Saddled with Trouble here, and FYI--it's on sale for those of you with a Kindle for .99 cents! Hope you enjoy. ONE MICHAELA BANCROFT DIDN’T HEAR HER SWORN enemy walking up behind her until it was too late. “Working overtime?” Kirsten Redmond said. Michaela whipped around in her desk chair, where she’d been sitting for thirty minutes going over finances. She immediately stood up. “What do you want, Kirsten?” “I know you received some very important papers early this afternoon from our attorney, and I’d like them signed, sealed, and delivered as soon as possible, so that Brad and I can get on with our lives.” Michaela brushed a patch of dirt off her Wrangler Jeans. She’d been working with the horses and out in the barn all day and knew that her appearance wasn’t remotely close to Miss Glamour Puss’s here. The thought caused a flutter of discomfort. “You amaze me. What, do you have your little hair-sprayed, fake-bake...

I didn't want to write this at first when I was asked to do so. It took me over a month to actually get it down and after talking with my boys they were okay with putting it out there. Many of you have asked about what has happened and I have been quiet as it has been a painful road we have been traveling for the past few months. It is my hope that by writing about what has happened in our family that a life will be.  Here is the article I wrote for the New York Times: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/a-fathers-suicide/

I know I have mentioned before on this blog about the new e-book craze and self-publishing and I am a huge fan of J.A. Konrath who has basically pioneered this trend and done an amazing job doing so. A few years ago I would have never suggested to anyone out there to go this route. However, things in the publishing world are changing and that much is obvious. I decided that I would jump on this ride and see where it would take me. I am still publishing some titles traditionally and that is because I have found an amazing publisher who has a different attitude than most (at least from my experience). This boutique house (ZOVA) runs on the premise that they are not simply selling books (units), but more importantly it is the relationship they build with their authors in the hopes and goal of building careers. I like that attitude a lot. There are real people behind the books that get written and their books mean something to them. So, I am grateful to have inked a deal with this...