RETURN TO PIKE'S RUN AND LEARN ALL ABOUT THE EDITOR'S KISSES!

Good morning, all! Please help me welcome, Stephen Dawson, the editor with those kisses! Let's find out more about him...

Tell me about yourself? 

My name is Stephen Dawson, and I’m the owner and editor of my hometown’s newspaper, The Weekly Times. As a young boy, I always hungered for information about the world, and I collected newspapers from all over. This interest turned in to a profession, so I saved up for several years to buy a printing press and start my own paper.

What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now? 

For most of my childhood, my family suffered under the neglect of my mother and her distaste for my father. I often tried to be whatever my mother wanted in hopes that she would become the person our family needed. It didn’t work. However, despite that, my brothers and I managed to form a bond as strong as hickory. We also have a close relationship with our father and step-mother. Family is important to me, and I use my paper to support the needs of others. No sensationalism.

What tangible object would symbolize you? 

You might think it would be a newspaper, but it’s really a fishing pole. If I’m not writing, I’m fishing with my brothers and father.

How did you meet Constance? What was your first impression of her? 

Constance and I grew up together and attended school together. The first day I met her, she won the class spelling bee. She didn’t gloat about it, either. She gets the job done without fuss. No nonsense -- that was my first impression of her.

What do you like about Constance? 

Her tenacity. She is also bright, loving and loyal.

What is it that you want out of life? 

To spend the rest of it with Constance. To raise our children to be happy, successful and caring adults. To leave a mark on the world that helps others in the future.

Has life handed you any major disappointments? 

Yes. My mother passed away when I was seventeen. Despite her neglect, I loved her very much. We all did. She made amends before she died, which helped some. But there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and wish for a second chance.

If you had an unexpected free day, what would you do with it? 

I’d go fishing.

Aside from Constance, tell me about your best friend. 

I have two. They are my brothers, Frank and Carl. Frank is older than me, and he’s the person I go to for advice. He’s calm, steady. He’s probably the backbone of our family. Carl is younger, and he’s the one who helps me lay down my burdens and enjoy life. I need both of them.

Thanks so much for joining us Stephen and Kara! Let's find out more about THE EDITOR'S KISSES...

Blurb ~

One kiss changes the whole game…

 

Constance Forrester is a suffragette determined to change society. When Stephen Dawson, her school chum, starts a newspaper, she asks Stephen to take a risk and employ her as a journalist.

Stephen immediately turns her down. But his interactions with Constance have made the town princess, Madeline Talbut, curious. Stephen has loved Madeline for years, and he concocts a plan: enter into a fake courtship with Constance, and in return, Constance can be a journalist for his newspaper.

It’s a chance Constance can't pass up. So what if she has to attend parties and withstand Stephen's heart-melting kisses? A suffragette must forge through barriers, but when Stephen changes the game, Constance finds herself the object of the editor's desire…

 

I am a huge fan of Kara's and I think 

after reading this excerpt you'll understand why.

A budding suffragette agrees to a fake courtship with the editor for a job…not love.

 

Excerpt ~

Setting: The Talbut Parlor

The Problem: An annoying parlor game

 

Madeline’s spinning of Constance was a little rough, but Stephen held his tongue. When their hostess let go, Constance fumbled for a moment before Stephen raised himself up and yanked her into his lap.

The shouts of excitement and delight that went around the room nearly deafened him. People playfully called out “cheater”, but Stephen didn’t care, especially when Constance whisked off her mask and looked immensely relieved to see he’d successfully caught her.

They headed to the closet without fuss. Constance almost looked as if she was dying to climb inside. She probably wanted to get the farce over with.

Once they were squeezed into the confining space, with their chests pressed together in a way Stephen had only fantasized about, she said, “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done—”

He covered her mouth with his hand, having dislodged it from his side. Then he leaned near her ear. “They might be able to hear us,” he whispered.

She flinched.

He lowered his arm, and she let out a slow breath. He wished he could see her face. For more reasons than to satisfy his worry she was all right.

He did everything he could to ignore the touch of her body along his front. He tried not to remember how she looked, how her eyes lit up, how her expression sharpened when she was interested in something. Why had he watched her all night?

But he knew. He knew very well. She was captivating. Intriguing. And so damned lovely.

Why was he having feelings for her? Wasn’t his love for Madeline strong enough to withstand attraction for another woman? But if it was, he would be in the closet with his hostess and not the lady he pretended to the world held his fancy.

He had to kiss her. He had to discover if this attachment was real. Besides, if he didn’t kiss her, everyone would wonder why. And for some strange reason, he needed every fellow out there to understand Constance Forrester was his. He closed his eyes and realized his attitude was no better than a caveman’s. But the need to possess and brand raced through him without pause, and he couldn’t fathom how to check it. Except to kiss her and get her out of his system once and for all.

“Constance,” he uttered. “I’m gonna kiss you.”

She flinched again.

“I won’t hurt you, I swear it. But if I don’t kiss you…they’ll all question us and our…attachment.” He was an ass. He was using their agreement to coax her into acquiescence, and while he knew it, and was ashamed of it, he continued. “It will only be for a second. I’ll just brush my lips with yours.”

In the darkness, he felt her slight nod against his chin. His heart pounded at her quiet surrender.

When she pulled back as far as the space would allow and lifted her head to his, heat slashed through him. He’d never needed a kiss as much as he needed hers.

 

Madeline had kissed him. Once. Behind the schoolhouse when they were sixteen. And that moment hadn’t caused nearly the anticipation this one did.

He lowered his head and swallowed her gasp. It wasn’t a brush, even though he only set his lips on hers. It was a fire. A shot of whiskey that whipped through him and pooled in his gut. He deepened the connection, and she let him, sighing and sinking into him despite already being as close to him as he could get her.

He melted. He needed to move to the ground and cover her, press her down and make her his. He used his tongue, tasting her. She capitulated instantly and opened her mouth under his. He took what she allowed without hesitation as his free hand came up to grip her waist.

The damn closet was too small. His left hand was wedged between her side and the slender door. But though he couldn’t get his arms around her, he didn’t stop the kiss. It went on and on, stealing his breath, tightening his chest and making him doubt everything he’d ever known about his heart.

Rapid footsteps had him surging backward, and he knocked his head on the wall.

The door flew open, and cool air blasted his cheeks. He and Constance fell out of the space, their limbs tangling as they tried to right themselves.

Peals of laughter rung around them as Stephen reached out a hand to balance her. She latched on as if she didn’t want to let go, and his muscles vibrated with hope she had enjoyed the moment as he had.

It had taken less than a few seconds for him to realize kissing her had been the wrong thing to do. But also the most right, most perfect, most sound judgement he’d ever made in his life.

As those who’d crowded around the entrance to the kitchen went roaring with laughter back into the parlor, he gazed at Constance. And his world tilted.

Her flushed cheeks and bright eyes made his heart constrict with an emotion he was too afraid to name at the moment. But he knew what it was. He knew.

How in the devil had it happened? Was he a fool? A fickle man?

He swallowed. “Do you want to leave?”

And before his eyes, he witnessed a transformation that set his blood on fire. Determination changed her expression, and she lifted her chin.

“Certainly not. I’m quite all right, I assure you.” She gave a shake to her skirts. “We’ve a job to do, Stephen Dawson, and I’ll not let you down.”

She exited the kitchen with a swirl of satin, and he followed with less sure steps. She wouldn’t let him down, he knew it. But he feared he might disappoint her, for if she knew the direction of his thoughts, she would never forgive him. Constance Forrester had no time for any man. She had plans. Plans that didn’t include caring for the heart of the newspaper editor.

 

Beautifully written and compelling! Thank you for sharing this, Kara!

To purchase THE EDITOR'S KISSES:

https://books2read.com/u/31Y1ya

Bio~

Born and raised in Texas, I had to make the state the setting for my first series. From the food to the fun, like floating the rivers, it is the fire in my blood that inspires me. My family and friends take center stage in my books. My sisters and best friends are my heroines, and my husband created my favorite hero. Love and family are the point of my stories, and I seek to entertain, relieve stress, and inspire people. Books can take one on a journey that one can relive over and over. I am extremely grateful to those authors who did that very thing for me. I learned and I fell in love with their words and characters. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

 

To follow Kara:

Website –  www.karaoneal.com

Bookbub –  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kara-o-neal

Amazon –  http://www.amazon.com/Kara-ONeal/e/B00FL19TH8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1465007993&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble –  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/kara+o'neal?_requestid=845025

Facebook –  https://www.facebook.com/KaraONeal84/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/KaraONealAuthor

Pinterest –  https://www.pinterest.com/karaoneal7/

Goodreads –  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7278350.Kara_O_Neal

Blog -- http://www.karaoneal.com/blog

Blog – The Story Continues -- http://www.karaoneal.com/the-story-continues

And catch these other wonderful reads!

 Thanks for joining us! Y'all come back now!

 

 

~ The Thing That Makes Getting Up On Wednesday Worthwhile ~ An Interview With The Creators of #1lineWed! ~

I am very excited today to be interviewing authors Kathryn Jane and Annelisa Christensen, who are involved in a little nugget called One Line Wednesday, the inspiration for my getting out of bed midweek. Seriously, you can ask my husband, I love One Line Wednesday. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the geniuses behind it!


First off, let me just say I love how the internet makes this a small world. Kathryn resides in Vancouver, Canada and Annelisa is from the UK (Ticehurst, Sussex). I’m from the Midwest, and you all are reading this from all parts of the world. Kinda cool, isn’t it? Some of you could be reading this poolside, and some of you, like me, are doing everything possible to avoid going out in that thing called “mixed precipitation,” something weathermen say to make conditions sound far more fun than they really are.


Before we hop into our discussion of One Line Wednesday, let’s find out a little more about these fine ladies. We’ll start with Kathryn. So you write a little romance, a little suspense...how did you get into this field?

K: I’ve been a Romantic Suspense reader for years, and when my fingers hit the keys, that’s what comes out. I’ve tried to write straight suspense or mystery, but heck even James Bond has a love interest so it’s only natural, right?


True! How long have you been writing and what are you working on next?


K: Writing started many many moons ago but it’s only been about eleven years since I sat down with the intention of writing a book. And this afternoon, when I typed the end for about the tenth time, I was just as thrilled as I was ten years ago.


All She Wanted, book six in the Intrepid Women Series, will be up for pre-order shortly, for an April 2016 release. This one is Angie’s story. She’s been a fun and feisty recurring character in the previous books, but now the single mom and high-tech helicopter pilot must confront both life-threatening and emotional challenges before she and Matthias can have a shot at their happily ever after.


Sounds awesome! And now it's Annelisa's turn. On top of being an author, you are also an editor and literary agent. You sound like a very busy woman! How do you balance all of the demands of a personal life and that of your professional one?


A: Personal life? What personal life?

Ha ha! No really, my personal life comes first, even above writing, the day job (Laboratory Technician in the local secondary school – physics being my specialty) or the more ‘minor’ roles of editor or literary agent. My children, though grown, are my priority, and if they need me, I’m there. Meeting up with friends, unfortunately, has to be squashed in between all the other stuff.

I try to wake up early, and spend an hour or so dealing with anything that needs doing and, hopefully, a bit of writing/editing…depending what demands attention most loudly. Then, in the evening, I’ll do another hour or two. The trick is, as is so often emphasized, to keep on doing it…a little bit every day. (You can imagine, I don’t have either time, or inclination, for such things as housework! :))


Oh, my! Are we soul sisters! What is the most difficult part of being an agent? An editor? A writer? What is the best part?


A: Of being a Writer:


I imagine that just about anyone reading this will know what the difficulties are, and it’s not necessarily the writing! For me, the writing is the fun bit, the bit that substantiates I am a writer. It’s the bit that humanizes me, puts me in touch with my childhood dreams, and extends them into the future and my dying days. It’s the growing of that seed of an idea, an idea that’s mine and nobody else in the World knows about, into a full-blown, hopefully exciting and thought-provoking story to be read by others. And they will ‘get’ the picture you’re trying to paint. If you’ve done it right, they will be privy to, and share in, your dream. That’s kinda cool. The hard bit is the uncertainty…did you achieve what you set out to do? Will anyone ‘get’ your dream? Oh, and time, of course.

Of being an editor/agent:


These play a relatively small part of my life these days, while I’ve been writing The Popish Midwife, but I still keep my hand in. The two roles often go together. First of all, if you find a book you like a lot, and think you could love, your first job is to bring it up to a standard others expect. The hardest bit of editing is sending an author their manuscript riddled with your comments, changes (that you’ve desperately tried to keep in their style) and suggestions…hoping with all your heart it doesn’t put them off writing for life, considering that you liked their writing enough in the first place to work on it! I always tell them, though, that they have three choices: accept or reject each change, or use my highlighting to re-create it in their own way.

Two worst things about being an agent – telling writers that their work simply isn’t good enough (that’s a killer, when you know how much time they’ve put into it ); and having a manuscript you love be rejected by publishers for the most silly of reasons, which you know are likely excuses pulled out of the air because they don’t believe it to be an absolute best-seller. I believe they pass over so many excellent books often because they worrying about that bottom line – money. Of course, we all want a book to be successful, but there must be many books in history that probably weren’t widely read when were first released, but are now seen to be ‘classic’.


Well, it was very nice to get this brief glimpse into your lives. Thank you for sharing that with us.


A: Oops! Was I supposed to be brief? :-D Lol

Yet another indication that we may be sisters as I tend to struggle with that whole brief thing, too. Don't worry.You did great! Now…One Line Wednesday is a Twitter event hosted by the RWA (Romance Writers of America) Kiss of Death Chapter. First, is this a local chapter, or an internet chapter? How did you both get involved with it?

A: RWA is Jane’s area of expertise (I don’t have anything to do with it) so I’ll leave that for her to answer.

But I can tell about how I became involved with my favorite Wednesday game :). I think I came across #1linewed not long after I came on Twitter – when Jane had already been running it about a year – and immediately got hooked into the creativity and energy…many a line being like a micro-story in itself, or a tantalizing glimpse of the whole. Some lines make you laugh, others evoke such sadness or horror. To me, that’s amazing.

To start with, I read every single line posted during the day. Yes, every single one, even if I had to lay awake until 4am to do it! (There were a lot less in those days, before it started trending!)


I soon realized that, though writers and authors were helpful, supportive and friendly (they rock!) many new writers floundered a bit, not knowing what the game was about. And Jane couldn’t reach all of them, especially once there started being so many, so I started letting folk know where to find the guidelines, when Jane was busy with other things. Now, so many writers and authors play, Jane and I can’t possibly reach them all. We can only dip in and out and hope, between us, we’ll eventually greet everyone and explain how the game goes. Luckily, many of the other authors are also ready and willing to answer a newcomer’s questions.


K: KOD is an online chapter of RWA with around 500 members. I signed up as a volunteer to help the VP Communications, and my project was to help members become comfortable using twitter.


So Kiss of Death comes up with a theme each Wednesday and writers can post, within the 140 character limit of Twitter, a passage from their work in progress (no links are to be included). You all are very creative with your themes and I will admit to peeking at the theme well in advance of Wednesday, just to see what you have in store for us. The theme may be first sentences, or action, or dark, or old…they are so fun! So as a writer you pore through your manuscript for these themes and it is interesting to find out what you come up with. It helps you look at each sentence in isolation, which is a valuable tool, and helps to rekindle that fire for your work in progress that may have fizzled out while you have been pulled away from it, out promoting your newest release. You also get to meet new authors, hear some great lines…I could gush all day. Tell us, how did you come up with this idea and what do you, personally, like best about it?

A: This is Jane’s baby, but like many, I quickly fell in love with it and adopted it. I love the camaraderie between the writers, both novice and experienced. I love the diversity of interpretation of a simple word, and the variety of lines for such divergent audiences as children and Young Adult to some pretty x-rated excerpts (although, on the whole, the authors do tend to keep it clean). Offerings of poetry sparkle between lines from any and many genres…none are excluded. Interpretations are as varied as the authors and writers playing…what’s not to love! It’s addictive.


It’s not just the variety, there’s the other side of it too. From the writer’s side, I find that choosing lines makes you think about your writing very carefully, and teaches you to eliminate the unnecessary – an exercise in brevity and being concise :). It also highlights some of your most overused words or ideas…and when you play you start to read around a word and end up editing a whole scene. You read objectively, knowing you’ll be sharing with other players, so it concentrates your attention with that in mind. And you take that with you into new writing too.


Lastly, the support that’s given by other writers is awesome! Writers around the World welcome other writers. They show their love with retweets, faves and comments, all appreciation freely given and gratefully received. Working in isolation much of the time, the weekly connections between players have become bonds of friendship. And that’s something you just can’t beat.


K: I came up with the idea of #1lineWed as a way for us learn about using Twitter, while staying in writer-mode. (Most of us are comfortable with the words we write in fiction, but when it comes to shouting at the rooftops that we’re authors with books to sell, we’d rather crawl under a rock… unless there’s a slithery type creature under there.)

Amen! Is there anything that makes One Line Wednesday difficult? I imagine coming up with themes is hard, but you do an awesome job! It may be a bit irritating for you when people don’t follow the simple guidelines you provide. Personally, it drives me crazy when someone just slaps up what they consider to be their best quote without paying any mind to that week’s theme! The rule-follower in me growls a little when I read these lines.


A: I suppose the things that irritate me are not necessarily what irritates others. I don’t mind if folk don’t always follow the theme, though I tend to only RT them if they do. I don’t mind if someone screenshots a slightly longer line occasionally (but whole paragraphs and longer chunks kinda break from the intention of the game, and doing this too often will make me simply skip over). And first ‘offence’ of posting a buy link is always forgiven, since the player doesn’t yet know the rules, but repeat buy-links are not pleasant for other writers to have to put up with. The point is to have sale-free fun. But my biggest bugbear isn’t to do with any of that. It’s simply the lack of time to read all the wonderful lines!


K: Yes! me too :) so I had to back away from policing #1lineWed. That’s when Annalisa happened along and saved the day. She is amazing at interacting with the players and letting them know about the themes and guidelines in a wonderful friendly way that never offends anyone. Without her help, I probably would have folded my tent and skulked away long before now!


I love choosing themes (I keep lists) and creating the posters. And I’m always impressed by the creativity of the players.

This has been so much fun! Thank you for taking time out of your busy days to share with us. I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday. And the Wednesday after that. And the Wednesday after that…


So, if you are an author wanting to play along with us, search for Kiss of Death on Twitter and find out what the theme of the week is. Find a line, but make sure you leave space for the hashtag, #1lineWed. It’s usually trending. Through the genius of Twitter, all of our One Lines are gathered under this hash tag so you can search it out and read what others have to say. Be sure to retweet and like the ones that resonate with you. And remember, no buy links. I’m telling you, you’ll become an addict! 

Author Bios ~

Kathryn Jane ~

Kathryn Jane writes the popular Intrepid Women Series. Novels filled with mystery, suspense, adventure, psychic abilities, and romance. Think MacGyver, I Love Lucy, Criminal Minds, and the Mentalist… Kickass women and the men who dare to love them.

Website: http://kathrynjane.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kathryn.jane.921

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_Kat_JaneAmazon.com Author Page: 

http://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-Jane/e/B00A58PHKA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1444683353&sr=8-1

Most recent release: LIES

http://amzn.com/B014CHM8ZQ

Annelisa Christensen ~

Blog: Script Alchemy
Facebook: Script Alchemy
Twitter: @Alpha_Annelisa
Debut novel to be published June 2016 in the UK by The Conrad Press.
The Popish Midwife is a historical biographical fiction based on the true story of courageous and philanthropic Seventeenth Century Catholic midwife, Elizabeth Cellier, during the English Popish Plot against King Charles II.

Thank you for spending time with us and may all your One Line Wednesdays be pleasant ones!