I’m happy to have a fellow Desert Breeze and Whimsical Publications author here today. It’s nice to share two publishers with such a talented lady. Linda writes the kind of books I love to read - thrilling romances. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or pop (where I live we say pop instead of soda) and enjoy Linda’s wonderful interview!

Let’s get started. Linda, share a bit about yourself with us.

Wow, what a wide-open question this is. Well, I was born…no, let’s skip that. I married young and still have my one and only husband. We have a son and daughter and son-in-law who live in Nashville. And my husband and I are natives of Kentucky and now winter in Florida. This is one of the few advantages to being old enough to retire. Did I say retire? I spend more time working now than I did when I was employed in public education. I love reading, traveling, beach picnics, and ballroom dancing. But most of all, I love writing.

Winter in Florida sounds lovely. What genre or genres do you write in?

Fiction is my love, both historical and contemporary. I have evolved from first writing poetry to articles to plays and short stories to books. I gave up writing articles, although it paid best, for two reasons. I wrote mainly profile articles and I always found the best stories people told me they also said “Don’t quote me on that” which left me with a bland article. And anyway, it is more fun to write made-up stories than the truth.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I soon learned that when I create characters they come alive and take control of “my” story . Once I get characters talking with each other, and sometimes this is hard to do, they take over. After that, I record what happens. I have found if I try to take their story in a different direction, it just doesn’t work as well.

How did you and your husband meet? What was it about him that made you know he was “the one”?

We met at a teen dance. And we didn’t go to another dance on a regular basis for years. You see, I was a very poor dancer and so this wasn’t fun for either of us. Then about ten years ago we signed up for a ballroom dance class. Now we dance once or twice a week.

At the dance where we met, he was asked to play the piano. I always dreamed of playing piano well, had taken lessons but they didn’t “take” on me. So what could be better than to marry a piano player and have beautiful music in my life? And our children are musicians, too, so I got my wish in a round-about way.

How would your husband describe Linda Swift?

I’m tempted to ask him but I won’t cheat by doing so. I know he would say that I am persistent. I suffer from “Dog With A Bone Syndrome.” I think he would say I’m loyal, ambitious, very organized, a good mother, and a good writer. Notice I did not mention cooking or housekeeping here?

Tell us about your new release, Summer Love. Where can readers buy it?

Summer Love is a story about a woman whose husband left her to “find himself.” Paula is forced to go back to school to get certified to teach and here she meets a retired Naval Officer who is also training for a new career. But the story is more than falling in love again; it is also about Paula’s relationship with her children and her mother. And it is about making friends with other women and realizing her full potential as a person.

The book will be available April 1 at Desert Breeze Publishing: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-152/Linda-Swift-Summer-Love/Detail.bok

An anonymous person left you a gift of $10,000 on your front porch. How would you spend it?

First, I’d invest some of it in my children’s names, then I’d establish a number of scholarships for needy college students, and last I’d ask my husband to go with me to England for a month’s visit.

I like all your great ideas how you would spend your $10,000. Where can your fans find you on the internet?

I invite you to visit me at www.lindaswift.net

Available April 1!

Readers, enjoy Linda’s excerpt of SUMMER LOVE!

Amy fastened her hair into a neat ponytail as Paula completed her makeup. “I hope you haven’t neglected studying because of me. Everyone but you seemed to be spending an awful lot of time on class assignments.”

“Let’s just say I planned ahead,” Paula said, knowing it was worth whatever it had cost her to have this weekend with her daughter.

“I wish Sharon could have gone with us,” Amy said. “She’s missing a great opportunity to be with Derek.”

“I don’t think she’s interested in Derek,” Paula said mildly.

“Well, she should be. He’s a great guy.”

“But he’s old enough to be her father, honey.”

“Well, Dad is dating someone that young.”

Paula drew her breath in sharply. “He is?”

“Oh, I thought you knew. Haven’t your friends–?”

“I’m not in touch with anyone back home,” Paula said quietly and sat down on the closest bed, feeling as though she had just received another blow to her solar plexus. “Do you know — who she is?”

“No, Mom. I don’t know her name, and I don’t think she’s from Tuscumbia. I’m sure he met her through the band.”

“Band? What band?” Paula asked faintly.

“Haven’t you talked with Dad lately? The country-western band he plays guitar for.”

“I didn’t know… about that either.”

“Well, neither did I until I went home to get my things. As Dad was driving by our house, he saw Chris’ car so he stopped to talk with us.” She shook her head. “He looked so… different.”

“How do you mean?” Paula asked, dreading the answer.

“He was wearing faded Levis and a tee shirt with the band’s logo and gold chains. His hair is a lot longer now, and he’s grown a beard.”

“I see.” And she could see it all in her mind’s eye. Quent changed into a man she didn’t know, a hip musician who moved in a world that was totally alien to the life they had shared together. “And the… girl?”

“She was sitting in his convertible, and the top was down so we saw her clearly, but we didn’t meet her.”

What did she look like? Was she pretty? “Convertible?”

“Yes, a red BMW. And Dad just said she was a singer in the band. He seemed sort of embarrassed about it.”

“Then maybe they’re not–”

“Oh, yes, they are. I asked a couple of my friends who follow the band. And they said Bootsie was about my age, and they’d seen her out with Dad.”

“Bootsie?”

“That’s her stage name, because her trademark is all the different boots she wears. But they didn’t know her real name.”

“I… see.”

Amy crossed the room, put her arms around her mother. “Don’t look so shocked, Mom. Chris says it’s just a stage Dad’s going through. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if Dad came back to you when he gets it all out of his system.”

“That isn’t going to happen, honey,” Paula told her sadly.

“I’m really sorry if I upset you, Mom. But I thought you already knew.”

“I didn’t. But it’s okay.” Paula made an effort to sound more cheerful. “And I’m glad I heard this from you instead of someone else. I’m sure the whole town knows about it.”

“I guess so. Oh, Mom,” Amy’s voice was tearful, “I wish everything could be the way it was before…”

“Me, too, honey.” Paula hugged her daughter closer. “But it can’t be. So we have to make the best of the way things are.”

“I know.” Amy sniffed and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “And I’m proud of you for what you’re doing. You have some really nice friends and you’re different, too, but not in the silly way Dad is. I could never imagine you going out with a younger man.”

Amy’s words reminded Paula of Derek. “We should have been downstairs by now. Derek is probably double parked and wondering where we are.”

Amy picked up her flight bag. “All set, Mom. Let’s go.”
~~~~
Linda, thank you for visiting my blog! It’s been a pleasure. Readers, hope you leave a comment for Linda. If you do, you’ll be entered in my EARLY SPRING GIVEAWAY and have a chance to win ONE of these books in ebook format: SUMMER LOVE by Linda Swift, LETTING GO by Michelle Sutton, WHERE LOVE ONCE LIVED by Sid Frost, and DEFENDING GLORY by Anne K. Albert.

I’m going to give a list of reasons why people might write. I have various reasons why I write so some of them are going on the list - well, probably all of them are why I write on certain days.

Please feel free to share why you write. If you have other reasons, please include them in comment section. You don’t have to be published for this survey. It will be interesting to hear from all types of writers!

LIST OF POSSIBLE REASONS WHY PEOPLE WRITE:

1. You don’t have to put on makeup, get dressed, and drive to work. Of course, you might want to eventually get out of the pjs so when the UPS man comes to the door, you can greet him and take a break.

2. For the prestige. Friends, Relatives, think you are a cool person and living an exciting life. They might say, “I’m so impressed that you write. How glamorous!” Or they might say, “It must be nice to have time to write. I wish I did.” Don’t hit them for acting superior and how you only write because you have nothing better to do. Unless, of course, you want to learn what it feels like being in jail. The research might be helpful for a future book.

3. Writing is an escape from real life. I started writing to keep sane while raising a houseful of kids.

4. You get to research all kinds of topics for your books.

5. If you are serious about writing, you can write off your legitimate expenses. (Don’t try to say the $2,000 spent on your office was necessary to get the creative juices flowing. Or you had to buy an expensive wardrobe for your book signings. The IRS frowns on these types of expenditures for a writing career.)

6. You feel that your only talent God gave you is writing! (That’s me but that’s a stretch some days.)

7. You can live through your characters and say and do things you never would in real life.

8. One reason to write is for your health. If you need to work thru a grieving period or other challenges in your life, writing is therapeutic. Working thru negative emotions by writing has helped me to move on with my life.

9. For money. Royalty checks are nice but would be better if larger for me. Hint: Buy my books, please!

10. Writing brings joy and fulfillment to you. It doesn’t matter if you make a dime, you will continue to write for the sheer satisfaction received when putting words to a blank page.

11. It is rewarding to hear from readers how much they love your books. When readers tell you that your writing has changed their lives for the better, you feel validated. (I show these comments to my hubby.) In some way, your characters and story lines have touched a chord in them and they can relate to what your characters have experienced.

12. You feel incomplete when you aren’t writing. Something is missing from your life, so write you must.

With March Madness going on right now (I’m rooting for Ohio State - my alma mater), I decided to share some of the sports played by my characters or that I researched while deciding which sports would be appropriate for my characters!

The very determined and handsome Luke Brunsman in NO GREATER LOSS plays on the rugby team in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of my boyfriends played rugby in college so decided to use this sport for my hero. Luke is thirty-four years old so he plays on a professional team called the Wolfhounds.

Excerpt from a rugby scene in my inspirational romance, NO GREATER LOSS:

She was glad Luke had insisted she come to the game. It was just what she needed to get over the telephone calls from hurting people. After a Sunday broadcast, she usually attempted to recover emotionally by going to her office to do paperwork on her cases, or sometimes she went home and read the Sunday paper.

But this was definitely more fun. Male bonding at its peak, she decided while watching Luke wrap his arms around the opponents’ shoulders. Men grabbed shirts and shorts. The group bunched in a compact formation with their heads and backs down. She picked out Luke’s bottom in the crowd. He certainly had a nice firm butt.

Luke pushed hard against the opposing forwards as both teams tried to hook the ball backward to their halfbacks with their feet. What had Luke told her about this? Oh, yeah, it was called a scrum. They’d been in his car driving to the field when he’d said, “It’s like a hockey face-off.”

Suddenly, the players broke from the scrum when the forward managed to kick the ball to his teammate. The ball was in play and the backs ran down the field. Her eyes kept moving to follow the action of the game. The guys were fast and extremely rough. Number Twelve kicked the ball downfield and passed it to Luke. Once over the goal line, he touched the ball to the ground to score.

Jennifer jumped up, put her fingers in her mouth and gave a big whistle. Other people yelled, “Way to go, Wolfhounds.”

More clapping sounded after the successful conversion kick.

The game didn’t slow down. Both teams fought to win. Jennifer knew the feeling. In tennis competition, she played to win. She loved the adrenaline flowing, the pumped up sensation, and her whole body focusing on sharp and exact ball hits. No other feeling like being in control of a game. Playing well meant power.

With only minutes left in the first half, Luke carried the ball to the opposing goal line. Before he got there, a big guy tackled him. Luke fell hard to the ground. Jennifer flinched. That had to hurt. He wasn’t getting up. Where was a doctor? She started climbing down the bleachers, but stopped moving when she saw Luke was up again.

Blood spurted from his face. She squinted, trying to see better. Why was he bleeding? It had to be a cut. Her heart pounded at the thought of Luke being injured. From the sidelines, the coach tossed a rag to Luke. He wiped his face and the game resumed. She sighed in relief, but felt uneasy she cared too much about a man she’d just met.
~~~~~

Jake Michaels from my chick-lit mystery, A FIERY SECRET, was on the track team during high school and college. Because of a track meet, he missed taking Catherine Steel to the Prom. She reminds him of this fact when they see each other ten years later. No excerpt because just have a few references to Jake’s time on the track team.

~~~~
NEVER THE SAME has two very athletic characters. Victoria Moorhead plays soccer and basketball. She’s offered a college scholarship for soccer. Her boyfriend Ryan plays football and is on the wrestling team. The following excerpt is from a basketball scene between Tori (Victoria Moorhead) and Maddy, an ex-girlfriend of Ryan.

She took a deep breath. Getting back into her routine and playing basketball was what she needed to do after the crash. She couldn’t do anything about the people who had died. Was she being callous, thinking how she needed to go on with her life? In a few months she’d have a baby and wouldn’t be playing soccer or basketball, so of course she wanted to make the most of the remaining time.

But what should she do now about the game? Did cramps mean she could have a miscarriage? She should’ve told Kim about the pregnancy. Kim would know what to do.

During the third quarter, Tori sat on the bench because of her fouls and she was relieved. She needed to take time to decide what to do if the coach wanted her to go back in. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, her cramps had subsided. The Rockets were ahead by four points, and Tori went in the game. Maddie shot and missed. Tori got the rebound and passed the ball to Courtney. Within seconds Courtney did a quick bounce pass back to Tori. She shot her fourth three-pointer. The Cougar fans cheered.

Under her breath, Maddie said, “You better watch it, bitch.”

“Your threats don’t scare me,” Tori said softly. Actually she was lying. Maddie’s words did concern her, but she wanted to scare Maddie with her toughness and not act like a wimp.

The Rockets took the ball down the court and Maddie made a basket.

Courtney was fouled when she scored on her lay-up. Tori said to Courtney, “Way to go, Court.” She was confident her friend would make her foul shots.

The crowd roared when Courtney’s ball went cleanly into the hoop. The scoreboard showed forty-eight to forty-eight with fifteen seconds remaining.

The Rockets missed their next shot, and Tori scored two points. She closely watched the Rockets’ center dribbling the ball with five seconds remaining. She needed to get the ball without fouling her. The center released the ball and Tori jumped, grabbing the ball. She turned quickly and didn’t see Maddie’s foot in her path. Maddie tripped her, and Tori lurched, falling into the bleachers. Her head smacked hard against the seats before she crumbled into a heap on the floor.

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Leave a comment and be entered in my EARLY SPRING GIVEAWAY! Drawing - April 8th!

I thought it’s be fun to share a few humorous comments by various well-known people and book characters in today’s post! Also I’m listing what two famous writers do for exercise to get the creative thoughts flowing and to stay in shape. Physical exercise sharpens the brain and sitting in front of the computer for hours isn’t good. Moving around is important! If you’re visiting this blog, you’re probably a reader or writer or of course, both so leave a comment and share what you do for exercise. You’ll be entered in my Early Spring Giveaway. Details are in the previous post to this one!

By the way, I use a treadmill or try to (it’s hit and miss these days ) and during warmer weather, I go bicycling and swimming. I enjoy plain old walking too.

Exercise Humor

“I ran three miles, staggered into the lobby, and took the elevator back to my apartment. No point to overdoing this exercise junk. –Stephanie Plum”
— Janet Evanovich (Two for the Dough)

“squats are a form of torture designed by people who don’t need to do squats in the first place”
— Nora Roberts (Bed of Roses)

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.”
— Ellen DeGeneres

“I believe that every human has a finite amount of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.”
— Neil Armstrong
~~~~~
Romance writer, Debbie Macomber, gets up at an early hour and swims. A typical day for Nora Roberts starts with a workout in the pool or on her elliptical trainer, then she likes to write for eight hours.

So what’s your favorite exercise? How often do you enjoy it?

CONTEST ENDS: Friday evening, April 8th!

Giveaway: Winner gets to choose ONE ebook from this list: Light of the Heart, Letting Go, Where Love Once Lived, Defending Glory, OR Summer Love. I’ll buy the Kindle edition or another electronic format of the winner’s choice!

ENJOY READING THE BOOK BLURBS AND VIEWING THE GORGEOUS COVERS!

LIGHT OF THE HEART BLURB:
A stained-glass artist based in Boston, Cascade Preston’s world is a kaleidoscope of color and beauty. She has overcome a dark childhood, deeply shadowed by domestic violence, in the town of Sterling Lakes. When she is approached to design new windows for a refurbished church in Sterling Lakes, she ignores the request. But when the no-nonsense Project Manager Dan McQuay appears looking for the window plans, the project takes on a whole new light. Will Cascade be able to keep the dark, protective cocoon she has built around herself intact, or will McQuay break through and shine new light into her heart? Is it possible that God’s plan for Cascade will lead her to forgive the town that ignored the situation her family?

LETTING GO BLURB:
Sometimes for dreams to come true, you have to let go . . .

Outwardly Diane Simmons appears to have everything a woman could want. A successful attorney, she’s beautiful and talented, and yet she always seems to be attracted to the wrong men. Longing to be loved for who she is, not for what she looks like, she finally realizes the world’s view of love is totally unrealistic and distorted and gives up on romance. She wants to find a better way but has no clue where to look.

Dave Passel can never father a biological child. He loves his foster son deeply, but something goes terribly wrong before the adoption can be finalized. When the State tries to reunite the child with the birth mother he has never known and the new caseworker accuses Dave of sabotaging visits with her, he hires Diane to fight for him in court. He believes in God’s sovereignty, but bad experiences with his late wife make it hard for him to trust Diane as she advocates for his son. If only he didn’t struggle so much with letting go . . .

DEFENDING GLORY BLURB:
Suffering from survivor’s guilt and unable to resume his career with the FBI, Mac McKeown moves to northern Minnesota to start over as a general contractor and forget that fateful day that changed everything. When he discovers the body of his nemesis on Glory Palmer’s property, along with a warning for her to leave while she still can and abandon her dream of building a Christian retreat, Mac realizes his past has come back to haunt him and an innocent woman’s life is in grave danger. He vows to keep her safe during construction of the retreat… but how will he protect his heart?

SUMMER LOVE BLURB:
When Paula’s husband leaves her to “find himself” after years of a good marriage, she is devastated. Adding to her hurt and anger, he joins a band and dates the band’s sexy young singer. Forced to start over again in the job market, she goes back to school for a degree in Special Education.

Here she meets Derek, a retired naval officer, back in college to qualify for a second career. As Paula learns to cope in a whole new world, she is surprised to “find herself” falling in love again. And starting over proves to be better than she could have ever imagined.