Last week, I shared a sneak peek from my April Harlequin Desire release, ON THE VERGE OF I DO with you. :peekaboo

This week, I want to show you the celebrity inspirations I used for Kara & Eli, the wonderful heroine & hero in ON THE VERGE OF I DO, then let you decide how close the actual book cover came to my original mental images. :winkwink

This is Kara Kincaid.  Even though her family is quite wealthy & runs the family business, Kincaid Shipping, she’s struck out on her own to start Prestige Events, where she does fabulous event planning—everything from weddings to anniversary parties to bar mitzvahs.  When the story opens, she is actually planning a wedding for her sister, Laurel Kincaid, who is engaged to…

…Eli Houghton.  Oh, yes, a wrench in the works.  And sparks—lots & lots of sparks. :cuffs

This is Eli Houghton.  Rich & quite handsome, he started out in the foster care system, but ended up a self-made millionaire with a string of luxury hotels & resorts filling his impressive business portfolio.  When the story opens, he is engaged to Kara’s sister, Laurel…  But the heart wants what it wants, & when Laurel gets cold feet, Eli realizes Kara is the Kincaid sister he should really be with.

So whadda ya think? :peekaboo

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I don’t know how many of you are watching Project Runway: All-Stars, but it made me so mad during last week’s episode when Kenley was overheard saying “you can’t be a designer if you don’t sketch” in response to Mondo’s failure to sketch at the start of the challenge.

Excuse me?!  Never mind that I’m not a big Kenley fan to begin with, but who the hell does she think she is? :curses

There are no rules about that sort of thing when it comes to creativity.  Sketching a design before you begin putting a dress together is the same as plotting & writing a synopsis before you begin writing a story.  Some writers do very detailed synopses & know every little thing that’s going to happen in a story, plot-wise.  Others fly by the seat of their pants & make decisions as they go along.  But that doesn’t mean there’s a “right way” or a “wrong way” to go about it.  Everybody has to find their own process & what works best for them.

Personally, I tend to go back & forth a little bit.  For some books, I do massive plotting & very detailed synopses.  For others, I map out the general idea & all the high points, but my synopsis is a little on the anemic side & I do come up with new ideas & directions as I write.  And then, too, there have been times when I’ve had nothing more than a basic idea of characters, motivation, & storyline before I dove in & just started writing, pulling everything else out of my…well, you know.

I remember, too, when I first started writing & would attend a myriad of conferences, workshops, & writers’ meetings in an attempt to learn the craft.  And quite often advice would be given as though the way the presenter’s way was not only the “right” way, but the only way.  And that’s simply not the case.  Believe me, I tried.

Just about every piece of advice I heard or was given, I tried.  Some of it worked for me, some of it didn’t.  And even more often, what worked best for me was a mix of other writers’ processes formed into my own personal process via trial & error.  And I still do a bit of the trial-&-error thing to find what works for me today, because it seems to be ever-changing.  Which is why, when asked for advice about writing, I may tell you how I do something, but try to make it clear that’s only how I do it, & that my way may not work for everybody.

But even though it is far from “wrong,” Mondo’s way can be tricky, too.  By not sketching (a.k.a. plotting things out ahead of time or writing a detailed synopsis) one has to be prepared to be caught with their proverbial pants down.  Selling a story is going to be a little tough if you don’t have a detailed synopsis to show the editor what your plans are.  Or if your editor asks how you plan to solve a problem with your heroine when you haven’t gotten quite that far in your own head, there’s going to be a lot of mental “Uhhhhhh…” & dead air on the phone line.  Just as Mondo had to stumble through trying to convey his design plans to Nanette Lepour without a viable sketch.

That is the only caveat I would offer to finding the best steps in your own creative process, because you do want to be prepared & able to answer at least minimal questions when asked.  Aside from that, I would just say that Mondo’s designs eat Kenley’s designs for breakfast, & in case you missed it, Kenley was sent home while Mondo WON!  Take that, Little Miss Know-it-All. :moon

Happy Sunday!  Although, I have to admit, I’m not delightfully happy this Sunday…not knowing we’ve lost an hour due to this bloody Daylight  Savings hullabaloo. :sick   But I suppose I’ll have to suck it up & take it in stride eventually.

So what are we celebrating this week?  Big celebrations are okay, but tiny little personal ones work, too. :peekaboo

I AM HAPPY this week that the item I passed on a few weeks ago while out & about was still there this week when I dropped by the same store.  Well, there were two things I’d looked at, but decided against…then wished I’d gotten, after all.  Only one of them was still there, but it was the more coveted of the two, so I’m still happy. :twirl

I AM HAPPY, too, that my annual eye exam went well.  I swear, all of my annual appointments seem to fall at the same time every year; I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but running around—mostly to doctors—the past month & a half.  Blech.  But I’ve still got perfect 20/20 vision, & I’m doing so well that I don’t have to go back for two years now, unless there’s a problem.  Yay!

I AM HAPPY that The Kittehs seem to be loving the new crinkle tunnels I got for them this week.  I paid too much for them, of course (especially considering I found them at Big Lots, for God’s sake—isn’t everything there supposed to be el cheapo? :Huh ).  And sometimes it seems the more I spend or the fancier the toy, the more they like the box it came in.  But form the amount of crinkling I hear coming from the living room, they’re either playing in them or eating them.

Also thanks to Big Lots, I AM HAPPY I was able to stock up on some drinks I really like.  Fizzy fruit juices & tea-ish stuff. :drinkup   Those, at least, really were el cheapo.  And I know I’ve said it before, but when the Zombie Apocalypse hits, I really will be ready.  So far, I’ve stockpiled toilet paper, lip balm, books & DVDs (not purchased solely for the Zombie Apocalypse, of course :winkwink ) & now drinks.  I’ve probably also got enough mac&cheese & other assorted noodle dishes to keep me fed for a while.

Laugh if you must, but like I told one of my neighbors when he poked fun at the amount of stuff I’ve got stored in the basement. Don’t come crying to me a week into the Apocalypse because you’re thirsty, have no supplies, & are wiping your a** with leaves from the yard. Uh-huh. :muahaha

Last but definitely not least, I AM HAPPY that I’m closing in on The End of A Baby in the Boardroom.  (Working title for my current Harlequin Desire manuscript, very likely to change.)  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, know exactly how I want to wrap things up, & just need to get it written.  Of course, as usual at this point in a book, I can never seem to write fast enough.  But I’m working on it & hope the story turns out as great as I’m picturing it in my head. :jumping

So how about you?  What are you happy about or thankful for this fine post-Daylight Savings Sunday? :moon

Now to announce the winner of our latest Free Book Friday giveaway, another early autographed copy of my very own April Harlequin Desire release, ON THE VERGE OF I DO!

:twirl Pam Lowery!!! :twirl

Congratulations, Pam! :thumbsup Please contact me with your full name & mailing information, & I’ll get your book out to you as soon as I can!