Fans of Bodine's Bounty

Hi All,

I just found out that Bodine's Bounty is nominated for the first Annual Christmas Award at Red Roses for Authors review site. If you're a fan of the story and would like to cast your vote - this is a reader/reviewer award, -- please go to:
Red Roses for Authors

Voting ends on December 15th

Thanks for all of your support!!

Charlene

Win in Winter Contest Up and Running!

To celebrate the release of my newest western Bodine's Bounty in bookstores in November we have a new Win In Winter contest. Prizes include a $20.00 Borders Gift Card and an autographed book from my available titles.

Bodine's Bounty is available NOW on Eharlequin.com and on Amazon.com.

Click here to link you through to the page and read an excerpt!

A HARD-BITTEN BOUNTY HUNTER HAS

NO TIME FOR LOVE...

Heiress Emma Marie Rourke is naive, innocent and very, very determined. She'll find her outlaw father and make it as a singer.

Bodine-just Bodine-has promises to keep. And looking for some spoiled flibbertigibbet runaway isn't top on his list. But, dammit, his conscience won't let him rest until he finds her. And at least there's a reward for retrieving her.

Protecting Emma isn't the easy job he expects it to be. Bodine is startled when he can't get his mind - or his hands-off Emma's diminutive figure! He's sworn to keep her safe - but who will save her from him?

And visit me on Friday, October 12 at Petticoats And Pistols where I'll be blogging and offering a free giveaway!

To Blurb or not to Blurb ...

Here's the back cover copy for Bodine's Bounty!

A hard-bitten bounty hunter
has no time for love…
Heiress Emma Marie Rourke is naive, innocent and
very, very determined. She’ll find her outlaw father
and make it as a singer.
Bodine—just Bodine—has promises to keep. And
looking for some spoiled flibbertigibbet runaway isn’t
top of his list. But, dammit, his conscience won’t let him
rest until he finds her. And at least there’s a reward for
retrieving her.
Protecting Emma isn’t the easy job he expects it to be.
Bodine is startled when he can’t get his mind—or his
hands—off Emma’s diminutive figure! He’s sworn to
keep her safe—but who will save her from him?
No spoiled heiress will stand in his way!

How many of you know what a flibbertigibbet is?

This was a new word for me, so I looked it up --

certainly not a word I've used before. This is what it means:

Main Entry: flib·ber·ti·gib·bet

Pronunciation: "fli-b&r-tE-'ji-b&tFunction: nounEtymology: Middle English flepergebet: a silly flighty person - flib·ber·ti·gib·bety /-b&-tE/ adjective

It wasn't in my Thesaurus either so I searched further

and found this in another dictionary:

A silly, irresponsible or scatterbrained person,

especially one who chatters and gossips.

Emma Marie Rourke isn't really any of those things. She's determined and a bit confused in how to go about achieving her goals, but she's a strong young woman. Can you tell I didn't write this back cover blurb? I thought it would be interesting to see how many of you have heard this word used before?

Sneak Peek at Bodine's Bounty - Getting Summer Write!

Here's a peek at my November cover.

I love the snowy background of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and it's the first time I've had a horse in the forefront of the scene. That's Lola - she's with my hero/herione for the entire story.

In the story, Bodine is a little older than the man here and more embittered by life, a bounty hunter by trade, but Bodine looks determined and rugged enough on this cover for me! I think the artist captured the essence of Emma well - she's a young woman who's run off on her own for the first time in her life. Our hero is secretly being paid by her protective grandmother to keep her unharmed and untouched.

STARTING BODINE'S BOUNTY IN THE RIGHT PLACE

I really struggled with the opening to this story. Did I need a prologue to explain some of the backstory and set up the book? Do I start with Bodine making the secret deal with Emma's grandmother? But after all my deliberation, I knew I had to START MY STORY WITH ACTION.

When in doubt, an action scene never fails to grab the audience getting them involved from early on. There's a brief set-up in the first few paragraphs, then WHAM! Emma gets herself in big trouble and Bodine comes to her rescue. The first scene tells a whole lot about both characters, their motivations and keeps a a fast pace for most of the first chapter. After three tries, I finally got it right and was happy with the result.

When starting the story, I really gave a great deal of thought on how to best depict my characters and their conflict in those first few scenes. Each character was on their own separate mission in the story, but their lives become entwined early on. I knew I wanted to begin the story there - at the point where they are thrown together. Their FIRST MEET was memorable. I put Emma in a position where she was forced to trust Bodine and from the start she wasn't sure she made the right decision. It was the right decision for me. Once the first chapter was written and it worked beautifully, I figured all the time and attempts at getting it just right had panned out.

Contest Continues --

Visit me tomorrow (FRIDAY) on Petticoats and Pistols and post a comment on my blog, MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN COWBOYS ... and their trusty companions. You'll be entered in a drawing for an autographed book and Free Harlequin/Silhouette coupons.