February Newsletter Now Available!

The February 2012 issue of Awakening Desires—the Newsletter of Romance Author N.J. Walters—is now available.

Be sure to check out all the latest news, contests, my husband’s popular column—Confessions of a Romance Author’s Husband—an excerpt, and this month’s interview with the very talented Mari Carr!

As always, some lucky newsletter subscriber wins a prize. All you have to do to be eligible to win is go to Awakening Desires Newsletter and join. While you’re there, you can check out back issues of the newsletter.

Be sure and check out Mari's latest book Because You Love Me

Sleepy Sunday

A picture is worth a thousand words and this is how I plan to spend my Sunday. Hope you're having as much fun as I am.

Happy Birthday Robert Burns

Robert Burns was born in Scotland on January 25th, 1759. He's best known poem is undoubtedly Auld Lang Syne, that song we all hum on New Year's Eve, but most of us don't know the words.

Here's a taste of Robbie Burns...

A Bard’s Epitaph


Is there a whim-inspirèd fool,
Owre fast for thought, owre hot for rule,
Owre blate to seek, owre proud to snool,
Let him draw near;
And owre this grassy heap sing dool,
And drap a tear.

Is there a bard of rustic song,
Who, noteless, steals the crowds among,
That weekly this area throng,
O, pass not by!
But, with a frater-feeling strong,
Here, heave a sigh.

Is there a man, whose judgment clear
Can others teach the course to steer,
Yet runs, himself, life’s mad career,
Wild as the wave,
Here pause—and, thro’ the starting tear,
Survey this grave.

The poor inhabitant below
Was quick to learn the wise to know,
And keenly felt the friendly glow,
And softer flame;
But thoughtless follies laid him low,
And stain’d his name!

Reader, attend! whether thy soul
Soars fancy’s flights beyond the pole,
Or darkling grubs this earthly hole,
In low pursuit:
Know, prudent, cautious, self-control
Is wisdom’s root.

Robert Burns

Happy New Year!

Today is the Chinese New Year! Happy New Year and welcome to my year--The Year of the Dragon!

Relaxing the Writer

Saw another author talking about this blog and thought I should pass on the link. It's focused on writers, but I think it's great for everybody!

Check out Relaxing the Writer.

The Renovation Starts Now...

Okay, so I'm not exactly doing renovations. What I am working on is edits for an upcoming book. But, really, it's not so different from a full-scale renovation.

What do they have in common? Well, for one thing, tearing things apart. Sometimes a book has a problem that requires a writer to cut some things out of a scene and rebuild it. Sure it requires time and work and can make you want to rip your hair out. But, in the end, the book is much better for it.

The revision process can be a long one or a short one. It really depends on the book. Sometimes something that might seem like an easy fix will really require a lot of fancy maneuvering and quite a bit of time. Sound familiar. Sure, honey, I can just take down this wall here. It won't cause any extra work. NOT! The revision process can be very similar.

The whole idea of both is to make whatever your working on better. And that's why I love the revision process. Sure it's messy. Yes, it requires ripping apart something you've already sweated over and built over weeks and months of work. But it's worth it when you see the final product and the book is even better than you imagined it could ever be.

So, thank you to all the editors I've had the honor to work with over the past seven years. You've all taught me so much and made me a better writer.

Now it's back to edits before my editor catches me goofing off.

Have a wonderful day!

Best Books of 2011

I've been asked several times what my favorite books of 2011 were. I read so many great books it's hard to choose just a few. But these five were standouts!

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb. This series just keeps getting better and better!

Water Bound by Christine Feehan. Original and emotional. A paranormal read that is really stands out from the rest. The second book in the series--Spirit Bound--is out and is as good as the first.

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh. Angels just weren't my thing until I read Nalini's Singh Guild Hunter series. This series is really worth a look if you haven't already read it.

Valiant by Laurann Dohner. If you haven't read her New Species series you're missing out. All the books are fabulous, but I freely admit that Valiant is my favorite.

KGI Series by Maya Banks. I came to this series late, which wasn't a bad thing as the first three books were already out. It's one of the best, if not THE best, romantic suspense I've read in years. If you love this genre, you must read this series. It starts with The Darkest Hour. The fourth book, Whispers in the Dark, was just released and I devored it the same day I downloaded it to my reader. You won't want to put it down.
These are just a few of the incredible books I read last year. What are some of your favorite books of 2011?

Snowboarder Crow

First saw this video on the news. Too cool. Crows are extremely smart birds!

Snow Day!

Today was a snow day for many people in the city, but not for me. Working from home means that I can always go to work. At least I no longer have to put on boots, coats, gloves, earmuffs, etc...and slog to the bus stop to go to work. I am eternally grateful for that blessing.

So, I spent the morning writing and took a break this afternoon to watch a movie with my hubby. Watched the original Fame movie. Great performances, but slightly disjointed and not well ended. I enjoyed the TV series more. :)

Hope you all had a great day. And yes, like the cat in the picture, I can't wait for spring!

Website Updated

The house is back in order, but my website still insisted it was Christmas. So today, I embarked on that trecherous journey into HTML code and updated my website. (I really don't do HTML code, but I do a mean cut and paste.)

So, it's finally done!

All the news, new covers and such are up on my website. Be sure to stop by and check it out!

Old Christmas Day

It's January 6th, otherwise known as the Twelfth day of Christmas or Old Christmas Day. Many people have probably never heard of Old Christmas day, but in my family, it's always been a tradition to leave all the decorations up until today. As an adult, I've always taken down the tree whenever it felt right, which means anywhere from New Years Day to January 6th. This year was one of those years where the holiday seemed much too short, so I kept them up.

I've spent the afternoon packing away all the decorations and taking down the tree. Everything has been vacuumed, swiffered and dusted and I'm exhausted. lol But it does come down quicker than it goes up. :)

The apartment always looks so big and empty once everything has been taken down, but I like it. I haven't gotten much new writing done since Christmas. I think it's mostly because I've still been in vacation mode. Now that the cold of January is settling upon us, it's time for me to get back to work doing what I love--writing books!

Resolutions...

Resolutions...we all make them this time of year. But do we keep them? I'm talking about my resolutions for the new year over at The Romance Studio Blue Blog.

Stop by and check it out!

Year in Review!

At the start of a new year it's good to look back at the year that just ended and remember the high points.

One of the high points of 2011 was that Hubby and I took two trips related to his work. One was only a three and a half hour drive away, but we stayed at a lovely beach cottage and met a lot of wonderful people. The other trip involved a plane ride (the first time we'd been on a plane in more than a decade). This trip was to a city we both were familiar with so it was a lot of fun. Both trips were weekend excursions but we enjoyed them quite a bit.

I even went to my 30th high school reunion. How the heck did that much time go by so fast? I'll never know. It was fun, but strange. I haven't kept in touch with anyone from my high school days. Some people looked exactly the same, while there were others I never would have recognized if they weren't wearing a name tag.

I also reconnected with an old friend this past summer after several years of no contact. It was wonderful to spend time with him and his family. There are no friends like old friends. You have so much history together. He was actually the one who introduced hubby and me, for which I will always be grateful.

Career wise, 2011 was a fabulous year:

January 14th--Tracking Talia was released by Ellora's Cave
January--Jackson's Jewel was released in PRINT by Ellora's Cave
March--Woven Dreams was released in PRINT by Ellora's Cave
May 3rd--Legacy Found was released by Samhain Publishing
June 29th--MacNamara's Lady was released by Ellora's Cave
July--Isaiah's Haven was released in PRINT by Samhain Publishing
August--Stefan's Salvation was released in PRINT by Ellora's Cave
August 23rd--Dreams of Seduction was released by Samhain Publishing
August 23rd--Mammoth Book of Hot Romance, featuring my story "Blind Date" was released in PRINT
September 12th--The Gift of Shayla was released by Carina Press
September--A Touch of Magick was released in PRINT by Samhain Publishing
September 23rd--Lady's Minstrel was released by Ellora's Cave
October 25th--Love in Flames was released by Samhain Publishing

That's a total of 7 new ebooks and 6 print books in 2011, including my first book for Carina Press (The Gift of Shayla) and my first historical (Lady's Minstrel, a Quickie for EC).

I'm looking forward to a wonderful 2012. I'd like to find a better balance in my life, get a little healthier and try something new just for the hell of it.

Hope your 2012 has gotten off to a wonderful start and that the year brings you everything good life has to offer!

Featured Author at Kat's Blog

I'm the featured author over at Kat Holme's blog for the month of January. I'm thrilled to be there. So stop by Kat's Blog and check out my interview!