Quote of the Week!

"Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon."

~E.L. Doctorow

Good morning and welcome to Monday. I thought I'd start the week of with a quote from E.L. Doctorow. This quote says it all when it comes to writing. It's the old refrain all new writers here--show me, don't tell me.

You can say, "Emma went to her car. They were chasing her" That tells us what she is doing.

Or you can say, "Emma raced across the slick driveway, slipping once before catching herself against her car door. Her heart was pounding, but she dared not take the time to look behind. She could hear their footsteps on the pavement. They were right behind her."

Each sentence tells us the action, but the second way tells us so much more. :-)

Two New Reviews for Amethyst Moon!

Tina over at TwoLips Reviews has given Amethyst Moon 5 Kisses!

Here's a snippet of what she has to say:

"N.J. Walters brings action, adventure and heart into Amethyst Moon. Tor and Dak are strong, intelligent, and totally YUMMY...I did not want Amethyst Moon to end."

Thanks so much Tina and TwoLips Reviews. To read the entire review go to TwoLips Reviews.

Sonya over at Fallen Angel Reviews has given Amethyst Moon 5 Angels!

Here's a snippet of what she has to say:

"N.J. Walters is a fantastic author that I cannot get enough of...Amethyst Moon is a very hot paranormal romance that will heat up every reader to the point of crying for relief."

Thank you so much Sonya and FAR. To read the entire review go to Fallen Angel Reviews .

Quote of the Week!

"A single disturbed thought, creates ten thousand distractions?"

~Ryokan

Have you ever noticed how once you start thinking or worrying about something you can't seem to stop? That single thought can take your concentration away from work or keep you up half the night.

My plan for today--not allow myself to be distracted. LOL I'm off to work.

Have a great day.

Earth Day 2008

Today is Earth Day 2008, a day to reflect on how much our planet gives us daily and what our repsonsibilities are in order to protect and care for it.


What can you do to help the environment:


1. Walk or take public transit when possible.

2. Turn off lights when not in use.

3. Use cloth bags for groceries instead of plastic.

4. Only do full loads of laundy and wash in cold water when possible.

5. Turn your heat back in the winter and put on a sweater.

6. Buy used items when possible. Not everything needs to be new.

7. Don't throw perfectly good items in the garbage, donate them to local charities and thrift stores.

8. Recycle.

9. Buy energy-saving appliances when possible.

10. Ask yourself if you truly need something before you purchase it. Chances are you might not. Cut your consumer consumption.

11. Buy organic when possible.


These are just a few things off the top of my head.

What are you doing to help the environment?

Monday, Monday!

Good morning and welcome to Monday!

The sun is shining, although it's still hovering around the freezing mark. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I went to see a local performer on Saturday night. It's always inspiring to get out and hear local musicians.

The plan for this week is to try and get going on my new project. I won't say what it is yet, because I'm superstitious. LOL I like to be at least half way through a book before I tell anyone what I'm working on. Even after writing all these books, there is still a part of me that is afraid I might not finish it.

What are your plans for this week?

Saturday Snippets!

I know I haven't blogged very faithfully this week, I'll try and do better.

This week was my big Home Alone Party at the Cave. As always, I want to thank the authors of Ellora's Cave for being so generous. They donated excerpts from their books and prizes for me to give away. Some also dropped by to party for a while. You all ROCK!

We partied all day and into the evening, and boy, did I have a stiff neck and a sore butt the next day. But it was a blast.

Thank you to everyone who dropped by to hang out with me on party day.

I also attended another Home Alone party at Samhain yesterday afternoon. This one was hosted by TJ Michaels and had the theme of Secrets or Lies. I found out a whole bunch of interesting stuff about some authors and also let a secret of my own out of the bag. *g*

Work wise I'm tinkering around with some new ideas in my head and hope to start a new project this week. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a fabulous Saturday. It's raining here, but that doesn't matter. It's the weekend!

Home Alone at the Cave!

Not going to the Romantic Times Convention in Pittsburgh.

Then join me at the Ellora’s Cave Chat Group for the 4th Annual HOME ALONE AT THE CAVE PARTY on Thursday, April 17th, from 9 AM EST until 4 PM EST. (But probably later.)

The Ellora's Cave authors are always generous, but this year they've outdone themselves. This will be the biggest Home Alone party yet.

I have dozens of excerpts to share and 18 prizes to be won! So don't miss it!

Check out the participating authors:

Debra Glass
Kate Hill
Robie Madison/RE Matheson
Claire Thompson
BJ McCall
Sally Painter
Mardi Ballou
Nicole Austin
Taige Crenshaw
Cindy Spencer Pape
Lacey Thorne
KZ Snow
Ann Jacobs
TJ Michaels
Lise Fuller
Denise Rosetti
Ashley Ladd
Shelley Munro
Katherine Kingston
Marilu Mann
Rowan West
Madison Blake
Jory Strong
LA Day

Eppie Pictures!

It's taken me a while, but I've finally got a picture of my Eppie Award.







I've also got a picture of me in my office with my Eppie. This is actually a corner of the living room. You can see my bookshelf behind me and my computer keyboard in front of me. There is just enough room for my desk chair.

This is where all the magic happens. *g*

And of course, my covers are on the wall behind me.

Party and Contest Reminders!

While many writers and readers will be off to Pittsburgh this coming week for the Romantic Times Convention, I'll be at home.

If you're not going to be at RT, why don't you join me for my 4th Annual Home Alone At The Cave Party on Thursday, April 17th from 9 AM EST until 4 PM EST at the Ellora’s Cave Chat Group . There will be tons of excerpts for you to enjoy and loads of prizes to be won.

I hope to see you there!

CONTEST REMINDER:

Spring is in the air and, to celebrate, I'm giving away a whole lot of PRINT books!

There are really TWO Grand Prizes! Two lucky winners will each receive 3 of the Ellora's Cavemen Anthologies, which feature stories by me--Legendary Tails IV, Dreams of the Nile IV, and Seasons of Seduction III.

I also have Two Second Prizes! Two lucky winners will each receive a print copy of the Seasons of Seduction III anthology.

Just check out the SPRING FEVER CONTEST on my website for details on how to enter for your chance to win.

Win books at Night Owl Romance

Night Owl Romance is giving away 3 of my print books!

Check out the home page of Night Owl Romance and join their yahoo group for your chance to win.

The Samhain Authors are over at Coffee Time Romance until April 13th! There are tons of excerpts for you to enjoy and prizes for you to win.

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Just drop on over and check it out.

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You can check out all the excerpts at Coffee Time Romance Forms .

A Legal Affair!

I just found out that A Legal Affair, Book 5 of the Jamesville series, will be released on July 15th!

I'm so excited, I just had to give you a sneak peek at my new cover. Shhh...don't tell. :-)

Blurb:
Book 5 of the Jamesville series.

Alicia Flint enjoys her community, her home, and her career as a lawyer. But since her livelihood depends on her spotless reputation, it’s not easy to even date in this small town, much less take a lover.

Then a chance encounter with a stranger at a friend’s wedding tempts her to do something she’s never done before—have a red-hot, one-night stand. The guy will be gone tomorrow; no one need ever know her delicious little secret.

Gill Baron has come to Jamesville to visit friends and figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. As a newly retired, burnt-out cop, he’s not looking for love, but he won’t say not to a night of no-strings sex with the seductive brunette. A night that leaves him wanting more.

When she meets the newest investigator on her latest case, Alicia is shocked to come face-to-face with Mr. One-Night-Stand. Jamesville doesn’t need another lawyer-related scandal to gossip about, but the truth is, she needs Gill’s top-notch investigative skills.
Their attraction is too deep to keep the town clueless of their affair forever. When Jamesville finds out, Alicia wonders if her reputation—and her relationship with Gill—will weather the storm.

World Health Day

Today is World Health Day. The purpose is to bring attention to the health of the entire world. There are many people dying of preventable and curable diseases around the globe.

To find out more, check out these links:

http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/
http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/health/index.html
http://www.who.int/world-health-day/previous/2007/en/index.html

Summer Fun!

Although there is still snow on the ground, the promise of spring is in the air. That got me thinking about summer, and what I love most about the long, hot days.

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to this summer!

1. Sitting on the patio and soaking in the hot sun.
2. Taking a walk around the pond.
3. Eating an ice cream in the park.
4. Coming out of a summer blockbuster movie and it's still light outside.
5. Long, summer nights.
6. Cold, frosty drinks on steamy hot days.
7. Walking on the beach.
8. Seeing the flowers and trees in full bloom.
9. Listening to the birds when I wake up in the morning.
10. Being awoke at half past five by the rising sun.

Those are just a few things. What are you looking forward to this summer?

Book-A-Day Giveaway!

I'm participating in The Romance Studio Book-a-day Giveaway on Friday, April 4th!

If you'd like a chance to win a download copy of my latest Ellora's Cave release, Amethyst Moon, then go and check it out.

April Newsletter is Available!

Welcome to April!

The April 2008 issue of Awakening Desires--the Newsletter of Romance Author N.J. Walters--is now available! This month there is tons of news, an interview with the incredible Delilah Devlin, and a sneak peek at Jackson's Jewel, the next book in the Awakening Desires series, which has not been released yet.

2008 is the year of the print book! Each month, some lucky newsletter subscriber wins a print book. This month's winner is bebe431@... Congratulations! I've contacted you about your prize.

All you have to do to be eligible to win next month is to go to Awakening Desires Newsletter to join and read back issues.