Lynn Raye Harris

To all those who have ever served, many thanks for the sacrifices you and your families have made. As a military brat and wife, I know that the family serves right along with the military member. The military is a great life in many ways, and it’s a hard life too. If not for Uncle Sam, I’d have never gotten to live in the cool places I did or travel to some of the most interesting places in the world.

In my family, we have a boatload of veterans. My husband, my dad, my mom, my grandfather, my great-uncle, and my father-in-law.

To all the families today who are celebrating Memorial Day without their loved ones, my heart goes out to you. May they come home safe. And for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, no words are adequate. All I can say is thank you.

Today I’m a guest on Blaze author Tawny Weber’s blog. Come on over and say hi!

Quick Six Interview

Hubby and I are mired in busy-ness. I’m trying to finish the current book I’m working on, which is almost there, and the hubby is working on his MBA classwork. The beautiful days of summer are beginning, and we’re too busy to go to the pool or enjoy the sunshine for more than a quick break. In fact, this coming weekend when everyone else will be going on Memorial Day holidays, we’ll be here, working. Well, he’ll be working, because I MUST be done by then. Other than a quick read through, I won’t have the pressure I’ve had for the past few weeks. Don’t know what I’ll do with myself — except, yes, I’ll probably start another book. I have ideas for the next few, so I want to get them on paper before I forget.

The most exciting thing going on at Chez Harris, for me anyway, is that you can now find THE PRINCE’S ROYAL CONCUBINE in stores! Here’s proof:

I don’t know why the book looks so orange in photos. It’s not orange at all! A reader sent me a photo too, and yep, it was orange. Have you seen the book in your neck of the woods? Is it orange?

Comment here, send me a photo at lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com, and I’ll enter you in a quick little blog contest for a choice of one of my backlist books and a $5 gift card to Starbucks!

NOTE: since I know you aren’t hovering in bookstores as I write this, the contest will be open for a few days.

Though I am completely mired in getting this book finished in the next two weeks, I took a short break this weekend to attend my chapter’s annual luncheon. Heart of Dixie puts on a fabulous luncheon, y’all! And I’m not just saying that because I have to. We have a huge ballroom, a sit down meal, and lots of prizes — not to mention fabulous guest speakers.

This year, Julia London was our speaker. Long before I was published, I was a Julia London fan. In fact, one of my favorite contemporaries of all time is a Julia London book: Beauty Queen. I love this book with a deep and abiding love! BQ was the second book in the Lear family trilogy — all the books were good — but something about BQ really resonated with me. Rebecca Lear, the former Miss Texas with no discernible skills, a young son, and a rich husband who divorced her and left her a mess, is just wonderful to see in action. You’d think it’d be hard to sympathize with a woman this beautiful, but in fact it really is easy because Julia makes this character so likeable. When Rebecca meets Matt Parrish — they have a misunderstanding over a quesadilla — things really get interesting.

I have hauled this book around the world, and when I realized Julia was coming to Huntsville, I took it down off the keeper shelf and carted it to the luncheon. Julia very graciously signed it for me — and I didn’t realize it was out of print until she told me. This book should be available on the Kindle! Everyone should have a chance to read the fabulousness that is Beauty Queen!

Okay, so I got Julia to sign my book. We chatted for a bit, and then it was time for the doors to open. I shared a table with the most wonderful people! Lonnie Payne and his wife Tabetha have been coming to this event for 10 years. They were also accompanied by Heather Hart and her mother (the only lady whose name I didn’t get!), and Patricia Lloyd (attending her 2nd luncheon) joined us as well. Rounding out the table were my mother and her friend, Margie.

We had a great lunch, and then it was time for the basket giveaways. When I went up to draw a winner for my basket, I drew Julia’s name! I hope Julia likes Harlequin Presents. My table won about 8 baskets between them, which was awesome. Apparently, Lonnie comes along because he has this knack of winning raffles. He doesn’t read romance novels, but he supports his wife’s love of them — and he won three baskets!

After the basket raffles, we had a book signing — and then several of us stayed and went to dinner later with Julia. It was a great day, and though I was completely worn out, I needed the break from this book. So now I’m back at work, but I’m glad I had that little bit of time away where I could chat with readers and other writers and have a generally great time.

With the peeps at my table

Julia London and me

Signing books

Wow, she’s back again! Yep, somehow I’ve managed to come back again when I’m pushing hard toward deadline — maybe it’s because writing so much requires an outlet of unrelated writing. I don’t know.

But I was thinking today, as I was rereading a portion of the WIP to remember where I was and what I was doing, about how easy it would be to let all those writerly fears and doubts crash down on top of me and grind me to a halt. I’ve certainly done it in the past, when I had no date set in stone on a legally binding document that I signed. I’ve let the doubt and uncertainty stop me and send me off into self-pitying mental gymnastics where I wondered if I would ever be published.

You might think, once you’re published, that these doubts and fears go away. They do not, unfortunately. That fear will probably always be there.

Another thing I do when I get slammed with work is compare my career to others. Never a good idea, I assure you. We know we shouldn’t do it, and yet we do. So-and-so writes six books a year, or so-and-so makes it look so easy, etc. If so-and-so were writing this book, she’d be done already and it’d be brilliant!

What’s really bad is when you start thinking that someone has it better than you do, not only career wise, but life wise. A big house, a fancy car, lots of friends. But you don’t really know what goes on behind the scenes of Jane Author’s successful and fabulous life. Maybe she’s lonely, or maybe her fears are as big as yours. Maybe the perfect looking life is a shield she wears that hides the truth. Maybe her life is every bit as crazy as yours, and maybe she wishes she could be you.

You just never know. Which is why you must learn to keep it together when these fears and doubts assail you. You have to look at what you DO have and know that it’s good. My life isn’t your life isn’t Jane Author’s life. I think it’s very normal for women to do this sort of comparison. And we have to learn to stop ourselves when it happens. Because the life you have is full of blessings and richness. You just have to stop and take a good look sometimes.

Keep it together, y’all. Keep it real. You are you, and that’s a mighty fine thing to be.

I don’t mean to be a terrible blogger, really I don’t. But I’m on deadline — in fact it’s a huge brick wall at the end of the tunnel and my train is going to crash headlong into it in the next 3 weeks. You might be wondering how I found myself in this predicament where the time is running out and I’m writing like crazy. “Doesn’t she know how to set a deadline?” you may ask.

Well, yes. But a couple of special projects came along, and I wasn’t about to say no. Not because I didn’t feel I could say no, but because I knew I could do the work. Yeah, it’s a bit grueling — but if I weren’t doing this, I’d be puttering around and making excuses as to why I couldn’t clean the house or something. Worse, I’d be at DSW, combing the clearance rack for new heels (actually that’s worse for my husband, not so much for me).

So here I am, writing two to three thousand words a day. Before I was published, I wrote regularly — but it was very easy to go do other things if the writing got hard. Can’t quite figure out that scene? Then go to the mall, or go shoe shopping, or call up a friend and go to lunch.

Now, I can’t do that. And I really don’t mind.

I’ll tell you the truth: when I see unpublished writers lamenting that they just can’t get the muse to work that day or that week or that month, I shake my head sadly. Because that used to be me, and I know it for the excuse it is. It’s an excuse, a cop out. Because if you ever hope to publish, you have to write. And once you get bought, especially in category romance, you’d better be ready to write at least two books a year (said at the RT Harlequin spotlight just over a week ago). Two books a year minimum.

There’s no time for finicky muses, no time to ‘get in the mood’, no time for procrastination. You simply must write.

My work ethic has always been good in that when something is expected of me, I will deliver. But what do you do when something isn’t expected of you, when you can go shopping instead of wrestle the book?

You have to find a way to make it work. If it’s setting deadlines for yourself, bribing yourself with new clothes or shoes, or maybe a nice weekend away somewhere, you must finish the book. And you must do it at a good pace. Two books a year isn’t unreasonable, and these days they kind of expect it in single title as well. Gone are the days when you could write one book a year.

So, I’ve rambled on long enough. I have a book due in 3 weeks. Have to write!

Okay, so I’m very busy writing a book that’s due in 3.5 weeks (yikes!!!!) and yet I still make my online rounds of Twitter, Facebook, and the blogs I enjoy reading. As I was looking at my incoming links, I clicked on the one for eHarlequin which took me to my author page. Shockingly, to me anyway, I have three books in print. THREE. The Prince’s Royal Concubine is available exclusively at eHarlequin this month in both print and ebook, which brings me to three.

It hasn’t even been a year since my first book hit the shelves, and the 3rd book is about to do so in a month. I simply can’t believe it. Not only that, but the same three books have come out in three other countries — and one of them has been printed in German and Italian so far. It boggles the mind. I have also just submitted, and had accepted, my 6th title for Harlequin Presents. What a ride it’s been — and I love it. I love writing these books, no matter that some people don’t seem to understand the appeal of the ruthless tycoon and his heroine. These books are Beauty and the Beast for me. That doesn’t work for everyone, and I understand that.

But I love them, and I’m proud to write them. And I just want you aspiring writers out there to know that you don’t need to apologize for what you write, and you don’t need to worry what people will think. There will be people who hate your work — and who proclaim it loudly and frequently — and then there will be what I like to call the vast silent majority who love what you do. They love it, they buy it, and they may never write a review or send you a fan letter. But they are out there, and they love what you do. Don’t forget that.

Keep writing and dreaming. The dream can come true for you too. And for my readers, thank you. I love telling these stories and I’m so thrilled you love reading them.

And now I have to get back to writing that 7th title!

P.S. Totally unrelated, but I blogged about the category romance panel I was on while at RT! There’s a picture too!

There will be an RT2010 post with pictures very soon, I swear. But today I’ve been recovering from the travel ordeal of yesterday (not to mention the non-stop pace of being at a conference, attending workshops, meeting people, having impromptu interviews, etc). Kimberly Lang and I drove up to Nashville, left a car, and boarded a flight on Tuesday of last week. You can pretty much figure out what happened on Sunday.

With the Cumberland River overflowing, the interstates shut down, and Nashville dealing with a torrent of water, flying into the city quickly became impossible. Kim and I had an evening flight, so we were spending our time in the Hyatt and the convention center in Columbus, surfing the web, watching the news, and waiting until it was time to go to the airport.

When we got the text message that our flight was canceled, we grabbed our bags and headed for the airport. The very helpful man at the Southwest counter, a gentleman named Russ, went into action when we told him all we wanted was to get close to Huntsville. Within moments, Russ had us booked into the last two seats to Birmingham, via Baltimore. He helped us rush our bags straight to TSA, told us there was a good chance they wouldn’t make it to Birmingham when we did, and then called the gate to tell them we were coming.

We made it to the flight, which was late boarding, made it to Baltimore, and then had another delay. Finally, the Birmingham flight boarded (both flights were jam packed) and we were on our way. We made it to B’ham in a driving rainstorm where Kim’s husband picked us up, then had to drive about an hour and a half home (did I mention the driving rainstorm?). I still have a car in Nashville; I’ve been told the long-term parking at the airport didn’t flood, so hopefully it will be fine when I can finally get it.

Kevin Smith may not like Southwest, but I’m very happy with them for doing their damndest to get us home. They succeeded–and the bags made it to B’ham when we did. I can’t complain at all. Southwest really does love bags. (You will notice there were no trains in the story, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if there had been. It was that bad trying to get home.)

I made it home by about 11, then fell into bed and slept like a rock. There’s nothing like being back in your own bed, is there?