Ahh . . . April. Don’t want to see it go. Cool nights, warm days. Hard to stay indoors and write, but I have no choice. My passion calls me to sit in front of my laptop hour upon hour. Today’s schedule includes polishing a synopsis for my new book (working title – Relative Consequences) which must be completed soon in order for me to enter the novel submission contest for the Southeastern Writers Association Conference held in June. Also working on a difficult chapter.
But first on my agenda is welcoming my guest blogger and author, Karen Ginther-Graham, who is a long-time Okie but hails from Southern California. Her writing often reflects those two places. Her livelihood includes management and renovation of apartments in a re-emerging part of Oklahoma City. She studied literature at the University of Central Oklahoma. She and her husband live in Edmond, Oklahoma.
As a soon-to-be published author, I am excited to be a part of Jody’s call for submissions. I am drawn to women’s fiction, and imagine most of you are as well. Women’s fiction has plenty of exciting scenes, but those scenes are for the most part devoid of car chases, vampires, and gun fights. They are gentler in tone, and often focus on a woman’s journey through a life-affirming experience. I love experiencing a character’s response to a particular event, and imagine my own reaction in the same situation. Sometimes I gain new perspectives from these fictional characters that come alive solely from an author’s imagination.
Writing came late in life for me. I breezed through my college lit writing assignments, and the first inkling took seed that I might someday try my hand at penning a novel. A defining moment came when someone at my twenty-fifth high school reunion recited verbatim a haiku poem I’d written for the school paper all those years ago.
I approached middle age and longed for more romances between mature adults. Of the hundreds of fantastic novels I read, few were exactly what I sought. In response, I embarked on a journey to write just such a novel.
Here is an overview of my debut romantic women’s fiction novel titled Finding Rose Rocks:
When Jennifer Ellis’s business fails, she decides to leave Oklahoma in a cloud of red dust and to return to her San Diego roots. Then Troy Stanhope comes along with a solution to her company’s woes, and she falls for his velvety voice and appealing confidence. Their relationship deepens but she is called to the west coast on a family matter and decides to stay for the summer. She meets a new man and finds herself drawn to his irresistible charm. Her newfound self-enlightenment mingles with salty ocean breezes and eucalyptus-scented air to place her in his arms. Their liaison is heartfelt but brief, midlife’s last hurrah. Jennifer realizes her heart is back on the southern prairie and returns to Troy’s ranch, but she may be one adventure too late.
Happy Reading!
Please follow Karen on:
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ginthergraham
Her Blog: http://www.karenginthergraham.blogspot.com
See you in May,
Jody
Jody Herpin 