Wow!  That post title was a mouthful!  Anyway, two years ago, I released my contemporary romance Two Out of Three. 

Two Out of Three took me years to complete and to this day Rob and Sarah are still the most complex characters I have ever dreamed up (that's saying a lot when you include a century old ghost in the mix).  I was so proud of that novel and just knew that the world would fall in love with it....

Much to my disappointment, Two Out of Three did not rocket me to literary stardom, but that's okay.  I've gotten some great feedback on it (of course, only the bad reviews made it to Amazon) and I still love it after all this time.

Two Out of Three
He said he needed her in his life...He swore that he wanted her more than he ever wanted any other woman...But love?

That was never part of the bargain.

Sarah Deardon loved two things: Dancing and Vincent Allen. She struggled for years to become the best at the studio while nursing her crush.

When a tragic accident destroys her dreams of dancing, Sarah turns her full attention to Mr. Allen and pursues him with the same relentless determination that she had used dancing.

Vincent keeps her at bay, trying to let her get through high school and college, even putting an ocean between them. His absence opens the door for the sexy rebel Robert Stewart.

With Robert in the picture, Sarah’s life takes a dramatic turn leading her across the country and back again. She seals her fate with a bargain and she finds herself torn between a life of stability and a passion that refuses to be denied.

It's no secret that I love books.  It doesn't matter if it's the rugged feel of a hard cover, the delicious smell of a paperback (yep. I'm that much of a freak), or the glowing comfort of an e-reader in the night.
Because of this deep love, I have a list of sins involving books that are absolutely unforgivable.  Are you guilty of any of these?

9.  Dogearing or Folding the Corners of Pages.  This is the least of all my sins.  While I personally find it to be a ridiculous thing to do (that's what bookmarks are for), it is also the sign of a well loved book.  But still.....

8.  Fake Books.  Okay, this is a sin against books in a round about way.  You know the fake books used in home decor?  Well, to me, these empty things are a slap in the face to actual books.  I mean really?  Go to Goodwill and buy some real books for crying out loud!  Maybe....just maybe, you might get inspired one day to.....I don't know, READ some of your home decor!

7.  Using Books as A Booster Seat.  This is an old one that you don't see that often anymore, but when it happens I am appalled!  You wouldn't put your kids butt on top of someone's head, so why would you put it on top of someone's thoughts and opinions?  I mean seriously!  Isn't that what they print telephone books for?

6.  Using A Book To Level Furniture.  Really?  If your furniture or floor is that crooked, you need a handyman, not a copy of Romeo and Juliet.

5.  Writing In/On A Book.  Why would anyone do this?  I mean with Post-Its, notepads, and junk mail, why would you ever be short of something to write on?  I mean, worse case scenario, write on your hand!

4.  Removing the Dust Jacket.  This one is a personal pet-peeve, but that jacket was put there for a reason.  Don't remove it and don't tear it.  It is part of the book, weather you agree with its usefulness or not.

3.  Breaking the Spine.  I get so angry when someone takes a paperback and folds it back and forth.  Stop!  Bent and creased spines eventually lead to pages falling out!  Treat books gently.....

2.  Tearing Out Pages.  Again, you have notebooks and things for writing, no need to use a book as your personal scratch pad.  Need to throw some gum away?  Use a tissue!  And for goodness sake, check the bathroom stall for paper before you sit down!

1.  Throwing A Book Away.  This one amazes me.  To me, books are old friends that I return to again and again, so it's rare for me to part with a book, but if you do decide to get rid of a book, why not donate it so that it can find a new home or trade it in for a book you haven't read yet?  Unless the book was damaged, why would you just throw a book away?  It just seems so disrespectful to the author and all the other people that may have loved the book.

So, that's my list of unforgivable book abuse sins.  Do you have any that you would like to add?

One of the first rules of writing is to write what you know, but what if your life is boring?

In my paranormal romance novels, I tried to follow that advice by setting the stories in the small town of Corydon, Indiana.

I grew up in Southern Indiana and most of the cities there have that small town feel, but there is something different about Corydon.  Corydon has a sense of history that New Albany, Georgetown, and Lanesville (although it comes close) can't match.

When you are using a small town in a paranormal romance, for me it makes it easier when the town is deliciously creepy and Corydon fits the bill perfectly.  I love how close history feels, like even though it's in the past, it's still an important part of daily life.

How deliciously creepy is it?  Creepy enough that every Halloween season there are walking tours through Corydon's Unsavory Past (Yes, I think the characters from my Spiritus Series deserve a featured spot) where visitors learn about the whipping post that used be in back of the Historic State Capitol and the story of the child murdering Mary Bouchet that hung for her crime.  They also mention that her voice can be heard through the square from time to time even today.

Suddenly, a ghost haunting the reincarnation of his murderous wife doesn't seem like such a far stretch does it?

Anyway, whenever someone asks me how can stand to live in such a small town, I have to admit that I couldn't live anywhere else!  Where else would I get all these ideas from?

So, we all remember that earlier this week, I entered the Bad Mother Hall of Fame for forgetting to get my daughter a promised book on it's release date. Well, thanks to me having my head up my butt, I needed it that exact day. This meant having to forgo Amazon and venture to my local Books-A-Million for an experience that can only be equated to having my teeth drilled without Novocain.

Well, first off let me explain that I am desperate to get my daughter back into reading. Thanks to the public school system, she hates to read. When she asked for this specific book, I just had to get it for her. So, since I forgot, that secured my place in the Bad Mother Hall of Fame and made me desperate enough to go to my local Books-A-Million.

As an indie author, I expected there to be some sort of armed guard to keep me from going in or they would have bloodhounds able to smell the Amazon publishing earnings in my pocket, but I was able to sneak in undetected. I walked past the coffee bar (because we all know that ALL readers drink coffee) and began my search for the elusive book.

The book in question is the New Moon graphic novel. My daughter read the Twilight graphic novels and loved them! (Thank you Stephenie Meyer)

I thought this should be fairly simple. The book is a graphic novel, so it should be in the graphic novel section.

So, the adventure starts. I walk the store looking for the graphic novel section, walking past like three employees before one asks if I need help. I say that I'm looking for the graphic novel section.

"It's over there," she says as she points to the other side of the store.

Really? That's the best you can do? Oh well, I go to the other side of the store in the general direction that she points. I finally find the section, I even find the first Twilight graphic novel, but New Moon is no where to be seen.

Okay, maybe it's in the Twilight section I passed earlier. So I go there, but no luck.

Okay, maybe it's on one of those randomly organized tables in the center...Nope.

FINE!  I give up!  Come out, come out, where ever you are.

Since I'm not quite finished torturing myself, I decide to go up to the service desk and ask them just where this book is hiding.  Boy was I in for a treat!  The first lady looks at me like I've grown horns. I mean, I was actually asking her a question when it was obvious she was stirring her coffee. The question must have been too hard for her, because she asks the other lady behind the counter. That lady tells me that it's in the Graphic Novel section.

At this point I'm trying to keep my head from exploding. Seriously?

I explained that I had looked there. She then tells me that it must be with the other regular Twilight books then.  I am now imagining her being pelted with bookmarks as I say that I looked there also.

"Let me just go get it," she snaps. Oh....Someone best get this woman away from me!

She comes back and I ask her where the book was....Are you ready?  "In the back."

Suddenly, it is so clear to me why these bookstores are becoming obsolete.  Their customer service SUCKS!  If a customer asks where something is, take a hint from indie bookstores (who I wish had carried this title to save me this agony) and walk your customer to the section!  Better yet, ask them which book they are looking for!  Indie bookstore employees know their stuff and can make recommendations. I didn't get the feeling that the Books-A-Million employees were up for that.  I sort of got the feeling that they couldn't wait for me to go away.

So, I survived my trip to Books-A-Million and next time I will make it a point not to forget when a book my daughter wants is coming out.  That way, I can order it from either an indie bookstore or heaven forbid....AMAZON.COM, so that I never have to cross the frozen tundra of book shelves and miserable customer service.