Great Read for Spring Break

Alex illuminated the crypt with his light, and Teresa tried to interpret what she saw: uneven walls, a doorway surrounded by orbs, a floor littered with dried reeds. No, they weren't reed; they were bones. And the orbs were skulls! The catacombs! Her heart pounded in her chest like a jackhammer. Alex had withdrawn his knife. The blade glittered in the dim light of the torch which cast luminous shadows on the walls. What getter place to kill someone? What was another set of bones among the many? Lord, as you helped the Christians long ago who met secretly in catacombs, help me.

This excerpt from my suspense romance Hiding is an example of
why many readers have told me they had to stay up late because they wanted to find out what would happen next. Hiding makes a great spring break read. 

Author Mary Alice Monroe

Many people love M.A.M.'s book which center around the theme of conservation. She had written about monarch butterflies, sea turtles, and dolphins. Of course, her human characters are wonderful as well. She will soon be releasing A Low Country Wedding which is sort of a spin off from her trilogy: The Summer Girls, The Summer Wind, and The Summers End. Her book The Beach House is going to be made into a movie by Hallmark Channel and will start Andy McDowell in the main role. If you are looking for great summer reads, Mary Alice is the one to read. You will feel like you're here  in beautiful Charleston at one of our numerous beaches.

The Passing of S.C. Author Pat Conroy

     The beloved S.C. author Pat Conroy is to be interred in Beaufort, SC today, and I for one will miss him. My first exposure to his writing was of course The Water is Wide. I have visited Daufuskie Island and seen the small school house where he taught students many of whom had never been off the island in their lives. When I was a student at the College of Charleston majoring in English, Conroy came to visit and told us about meeting Jon Voight who played the author in the movie
Conrack. Conroy laughed that he felt so nervous about speaking to the actor and his voice cracked like a teenager's.
     The next time I saw Conroy was at a writer's conference for English teachers where he said that he had written Prince of Tides specifically for the English teachers of South Carolina. Prince of Tides is my favorite Conroy book because in many instances he waxes positively poetic when talking about the white dolphin, the tides of the Atlantic, and the beauty of the low country.
     The final time I met the author was at the Jewish Community Center about the time that Charleston was dedicating it's Holocaust Memorial downtown in Marion Square. Several Holocaust survivors were speaking that night, and Conroy was there because Beach Music had recently been published. The novel tells the story of descendants of Holocaust survivors. Conroy said that as a young teen his mother had made him read the Diary of Anne Frank and told him that if he ever did become a writer, he should write about important events like the Holocaust. Beach Music was written to fulfill  his mother's wish.
     As an author and teacher, I will always consider Pat Conroy an inspiration even though many of his books were controversial. He wrote from the heart.

Co-author with James Patterson

Have you seen the numerous books by James Patterson with co-authors?

Ever wonder how these authors got to work with the guru of fast paced thrillers? It just so happens that Patterson teaches a master class on the internet at www.masaterclass.com/jp-coauthor?utm
and holds an annual contest for student in the class so that they can win $5000.00 and a chance to co-author a book with him. Pretty interesting.

Romance Markets

Sally Williams@SallyWeditor
mira_booksUK@HarperCollinsUK

DeniseZaza@DeniseZaZa
Harlequin Intrigue

KathrynCheshire@CheshireKat3
Harlequin Historical

Another great outlet for romance writers is to contact local high schools and find if they offer courses in creative writing. If they do send an e-mail to the teacher offering to come talk to the class about publishing. Include you author bio and publishing credits.