EXCITED ABOUT MY FAVORITE STORY

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I usually don't do this on my blog, but I'm excited to announce that the reviews are in for BUNKING DOWN WITH THE BOSS. Yes, it's a Silhouette Desire, but don't let the title fool you. It's the most emotional, heartfelt story I've written to date.

And it's my favorite.

You can't help but love sexy Sam Beaumont, the man running away from his past. I hope you get a chance to read this story. And you'll meet his hunky brother Wade, the hero in my current WIP, The CEO SEEKS REVENGE!

Cataromance 4 1/2 stars

Bunking Down With the Boss is one of those stories that will tug at your emotions. Charlene Sands shows us that taking a chance on love is always difficult. Both Caroline and Sam are dealing with issues that make taking that chance even more difficult. Loveable and realistic characters, you can't help but root for them to be true to their hearts and take that chance. An engaging tale, Bunking Down With the Boss proves that Charlene Sands is a gifted storyteller. I highly recommend the enjoyable Bunking Down With the Boss -- Debby Guyette

Romantic Times Book Reviews Magazine 4 ****

Blaming himself for his family's deaths, Sam Beaumont walks away from his father's company, all his money and his life when his daughter and wife are killed in a helicopter crash. Caroline Portman believes Sam is a down-on-his-luck drifter who could help her get her place ready for a re-opening when she hired him as a ranch hand. Though he fights it, Sam finds himself falling for the feisty widow with the big heart in Bunking Down With the Boss (4), Charlene Sands' emotional and enriching tale of redemption. -- Pat Cooper

Writer's Unlimited

Charlene Sands bring you into a story of grief over the loss of a child. Caroline fights for the right to be her own person, Sam has so much guilt that it seems to be eating him alive. I was drawn into this story and I felt I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see if these two people could find love at the end of this story. Pick up a copy of Bunking Down With The Boss settle back and see how love can find a way. --- Helen Slifer

And here's my dynamite cover. I love those contemporary cowboys!

When a millionaire in disguise meets a Cinderella in blue jeans their romance
is guaranteed to be unforgettable.


Available for preorder on Amazon.com and on Eharlequin July 1st!

CONTEST ENDING -- NEW PRIZE ADDED!

Hi all,

I'm taking a break from my online class and my current work in progress, to add one more prize to my contest, ending this week. It's a Desire Tank Top, perfect for summer and exactly like the ones we all wore at our National Romance Writer's of America convention in Dallas! It was specially designed for us by Desire author Laura Wright's talented artist husband, and there's only a few like it. It's a silhouette hard body and says "What do you Desire".

I ordered extras just for my contest! Here's a pic of all of us wearing them at the Dallas Literary Signing. We had a blast!

THE CEO TAKES REVENGE

It's amazing how when I get to a certain point in my story, I can't seem to stop writing. I'm there now. I'm into the black moment, the second turning point of the story, where everything that looks good, goes awry. I love it. It's easy to write. Though, these scenes are pivotal, and I must chose my words carefully and the scene has to be written just right, it's really going well.

This is the time in the story where I wish there were more hours in the day. The story wants to pour out of me. I want to write until the conclusion. But I have other commitments, more to do today. Life happens, as they say. But if my eyes and brain could hold out, I'd love to sit here all day until I'm finished.

It's great to actually not find it a chore to sit at the computer. Now, I'm streaming along. I know exactly what will happen in each scene and how I plan on writing it. But my eyes are hurting now, and I have to do "life" things now, so I guess it's going to have to wait until later. Or tomorrow. Darn -- I was on a roll!

Husband and Wife Writing Team

The other day I had the honor of doing a booksigning and sitting next to Tori Carrington aka Lori & Tony Karayianni, who write for Blaze and now have ventured into single titles. First of all, I have to say that they are the two most delightful people I've met in a long time. I also wondered how in the world can a husband and wife write together, day in and out. But just seeing the two of them together, answered my questions. Tony is Greek and his beautiful accent is catching. Lori has a great sense of humor. They both do, and as they gave a little chat about their lives, the writing business, and how they tend to take risks, I saw how they work together.

Beautifully.

But as a team, I found that Lori does most of the writing and Tony does the plotting. They usually do a series of books, and have to use threads and tie-ins from their characters to continue the series to its conclusion. For that, you need a master plotter, and as they say, two heads are better than one!

What floored me entirely was when Lori said that they write 8 books a year. Now, that's impressive, but she went on to say after the book is plotted, it takes two weeks. TWO WEEKS! The books are 75,000 words. And these are highly successful, award winning authors. Still, two weeks?

And as they ventured into the world of single title, having their first hardback title, they say that the writing had to slow down. They wrote that book in one year.

I'm impressed with the two of them. They have been doing this for over twenty years, working and writing and promoting together. I wondered how many of us could work with our husbands? If my husband wanted to -- I think I'd love it. Though he's not a writer, he always helps me with plot. And he'd love to stay home and help me with the business of writing. Maybe one day....

COBBLESTONE PRESS

I'm happy to announce that I resold my 2000 Kensington romance My Girl to Cobblestone Press. The book will now revert to its original title - THE WAY TO A MAN'S HEART and will be sold as digital downloads as well as other formats on their site.

This is a story that's close to my heart, fashioned somewhat after my father's memory. "Pop" is gone now, but when his son, one-time high school jock and ladies man, Kyle Warren comes home to settle his small estate, he meets up with the girl next door. Christy is smart, pretty and available and just like in high school, refuses to have anything to do with Kyle. Will their mutual love of "Pop" finally bring them together?

I'll keep you posted when THE WAY TO A MAN'S HEART will be released. I'm happy this out-of-print book will finally be on the shelves again ... and only a click away for purchase. Check out Cobblestone Press.

Join Charlene for her comprehensive Online Class in June:
FORGIVE ME, DAVID LETTERMAN - TOP TEN WRITING MISTAKES.
You know you're making a mistake if ....
For details and registration go to: http://www.occrwa.com/classes_June.html

Friends and Research!

Lately, and always, my friends and family have been a big help to me with my contemporary research. So this message is a big THANK YOU to them!

Presently, I'm writing THE CEO SEEKS REVENGE and I have to admit, I'm having a whole lot of fun with my alpha hero. I set the story on Catalina Island, a small tourist attraction off the coast of Los Angeles, that I've been to many times in the past. But not recently. And a good deal of the story takes place on the hero's yacht and I fashioned the boat to resemble my dear and longtime friend's yacht docked right here at Marina Del Rey. My friends have been wonderful in sharing their boating knowledge with me, offering to take me out on the boat again, (I've been many times, but not with an eye for research) and sharing their pictures and stories with me. It's wonderful to have friends I can rely on for research. Their generosity and willingness is greatly appreciated.

And last week, my cousin took a trip to Catalina for pleasure and offered to take many pics of specific areas I needed for my story. I have my own personal photographer! The timing couldn't have been better and again my thanks go out to them for their help.

Of course, if I could, I'd love to do my own research which means taking a trip to the island myself, but time is of the essence with the next few projects I'm doing, so I'm relying on my friends and family. They never let me down!

Join Charlene for her comprehensive Online Class in June:
FORGIVE ME, DAVID LETTERMAN - TOP TEN WRITING MISTAKES.
You know you're making a mistake if ....
For details and registration go to: http://www.occrwa.com/classes_June.html

Don't Lie to Me -- The Break-Up

Usually, I'm not one to criticize, but the other day, after my husband recovered from a bout with the flu, we decided to see a light-hearted, fun movie. Neither of us were in for anything heavy. If we were, we might have opted for something different, but The Break-Up seemed like a good choice.

We sat there -- hoping that somehow this movie would get better. Get funnier. Get us out from the uncomfortable feeling of watching two people fight right in front of you. Oh - yes, there were a few funny lines. A few things that made us chuckle, but even a hardcore war story does that at times. Breaks the tension. This movie is one big lie. It's not a comedy. Not a romance and surely it shouldn't have been labeled a romantic comedy.

What's weird is that it was too real. The sadness in J.Anniston's eyes, the frustration, the anger she felt over a man she should never have married (they were as different as night and day) and honestly the husband, V.Vaughn had no redeeming qualities. Even the way the movie opened, proved him to be an annoying jerk and the next thing we see, the two living together, apparently, they skipped over all the happy times. Fast forward to a couple miserable with each other and trying to find ways to hurt each other.

Did I say real? It was so real, that I felt uncomfortable watching it, squirming in my seat, wondering where the comedy was? If they wanted to make a movie like that, fine-- but don't lie to me. Don't lead me to believe that this story would make me laugh, make me forget the daily grind of life. Make me believe there would be a satisfying ending. A Happily Ever After. This time -- I should have listened to the critics. This time -- they got it right.

Join Charlene for her comprehensive Online Class in June:
FORGIVE ME, DAVID LETTERMAN - TOP TEN WRITING MISTAKES.
You know you're making a mistake if ....
For details and registration go to: http://www.occrwa.com/classes_June.html

Good-bye to Katie

I'm usually writing in the mornings, but when I take a break, sometimes I sit down and watch the Today show. It's been a ritual in my house for so many many years. I wasn't glued to the set, some segments didn't even appeal to me, but Matt and Katie and Al and Ann had, unwittingly on my behalf, become my comfort zone. If I needed a break, I knew I could turn on the TV and see Katie and Matt do interviews, sit on that couch and tease each other, find out the weather and the news.

I'm not crushed that Katie left. It's not that deep an emotion, but I will miss her. For someone who doesn't like change too much in her life, when I find my comfort zone, be it, TV shows, writing style, or family, I hate to see it go.

That's how I feel about Katie. And I forgot it was her last day yesterday. I spent the morning writing, and only later in the day, did I see ALL over the news, snipets of Katie's final farewall for the Today show. I know she'll anchor the news, but I don't watch network news, and that's not the role I'm used to seeing her in anyway.
So for me, who's sorry that I missed the last of Katie, good-bye and good luck.
I'll miss you in my comfort zone.

Join Charlene for her comprehensive Online Class in June:
FORGIVE ME, DAVID LETTERMAN - TOP TEN WRITING MISTAKES.
You know you're making a mistake if ....
For details and registration go to: http://www.occrwa.com/classes_June.htm