WRITING INSPIRATION

I've gotten inspiration for my storylines in some of the most amazing places and from people that I would never have considered as creative sources! One day while I was getting my hair cut, I was sharing with my hairdresser that I was stuck and needed to create a breakup situation between my two lead characters. As she snipped away, she looked thoughtful and then said, "How about you have the guys ex-girlfriend show up unexpectedly with his child?" Taking her suggestion to heart, I pondered over the details and low and behold...it's in my second book, LONGING. Of course it turned out that it wasn't his child afterall, but it created quite a bit of havoc between my characters until the truth was uncovered. After having that experience, I give every person I meet and every place I go consideration for a plot, story location or personality trait.

DOES THE 50 SHADES TRILOGY MAKE WOMEN FEEL SEXUALLY INADEQUATE?

I had an interesting conversation with a woman recently, about the 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy. I am an erotica romance writer, but I do not venture into hard core like I perceive the 50 Shades books to be. The first interesting thing the woman said to me, was that she didn't find the books hard core at all. What??? I guess that begs the question..."what is considered hard core". The next thing she said, was that many women who come into her lingerie store and get talking about the books, think that because they don't participate in the same sexual activities as the main characters do, that they are somehow sexually inadequate. Really? Now it's been a while since I read those books, but that was not my take away at all. I truly hope the majority of women who have read E.L. James's trilogy don't feel that because they don't participate in those particular sexual practices, that they are in any way sexually inferior or inadequate. Let's face it, men are not that difficult to please sexually so whatever you're doing with your man, I am sure he is more than pleased!

North Carolina Mountains

Now is the perfect time of year to go hiking or camping in the North Carolina mountains. The temperature is perfect and the leaves are starting to turn. If you don't want to get caught up in the crowds that swarm the Asheville area this time of year, try checking out the extensive selection of hikes in Marion, NC. There are numerous trails for all skill levels, not to mention waterfalls and gorges that are breathtaking. Best of all, there won't be the crowds that you'll find around the Appalachian Trail between Boone and Asheville. Enjoy!

Halloween

There is no spookier or fun way to spend Halloween than in Charleston, SC!! Last year on Halloween night, I scheduled at 9pm Charleston Ghost and Graveyard walking tour. Arriving right on time to where the tour was beginning, I was more excited than ever as I listened to the guide introduce himself and give a brief explanation of where we would be going and what we would be seeing. The tour director explained that with more than 300 years of history, Charleston has a vast collection of true pirate stories, ghost tales based on historic events and fascinating legends of Gullah lore. He further explained that this tour was Charleston’s only on-site tour inside the city’s oldest graveyard and although there wouldn’t be time to share all of the legends, he would tell us his favorites. For the next 90 minutes, our group walked through graveyards and down alleyways of the historic district listening to ghost stories, passing by haunted houses and learning about voodoo and Low Country superstitions. Upon returning back to the graveyard at the end of the tour, I had goose bumps and a serious case of the creeps. As the tour guide pointed to a particular tombstone, he explained, “Many have spotted the ghost of Sue Howard there. That is her dead child’s grave and she has been seen many times kneeling there and praying from the spirit world. As if that wasn’t creepy enough, he finished off the tour by saying “I will leave you all tonight with this gruesome fact. Back in the day, Charleston doctors didn’t take many chances with contagious diseases. Often times, patients who fell unconscious in hospitals sometimes woke up buried alive in a grave!” Everyone gasped in horror and a chill coursed through my body. Needless to say, I had trouble getting to sleep that night! Even if you can’t get to Charleston on Halloween night, a visit to the city and doing the ghost and graveyard tour is something you will never forget!