Author Donna Fasano, In All Directions: November 2012

To Read Is To Dream

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

A dirty book is rarely dusty. ~Unknown

Medicine for the soul. ~Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting. ~Edmund Burke

He fed his spirit with the bread of books. ~Edwin Markham

Never judge a book by its movie. ~J.W. Eagan

Books are a uniquely portable magic. ~Stephen King

To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one. ~Chinese Saying

Reading - the best state yet to keep absolute loneliness at bay.

~William Styron

We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate. ~Henry Miller

Kobo Half-Price Cyber Monday Sale!

Kobo Half-price Cyber Monday Sale!

Promo code: 50Cyber

Take Me, I'm Yours: http://ow.ly/ePa6Q

Her Fake Romance: http://ow.ly/d4cbt

Return of the Runaway Bride: http://ow.ly/fArTb

Writers Talking Writing: Beat the Breakdown

I recently contributed to a blog post written by Ruth Harris and published on Anne R. Allen's blog. Check out our suggestions for beating the breakdown:

Frazzled? Frustrated? Going Mental? 6 Ways to Beat The Breakdown.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Wishing You a Peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving

There is nothing more delicious or more southern than pecan pie. Add a bit of chocolate and you have… HEAVEN in a pie tin! Here's what you'll need:

1 9-inch pie shell

For filling:

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light corn Syrup

½ cup butter

4 large eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

6 ounces of good semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, the syrup, and the butter, and stir over low heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Set aside and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the sugar/syrup/butter mixture. Add the chocolate and the pecans, mix well.

Pour filling into the pie crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until filling is set and golden. I cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil for the first 40 minutes of baking; remove foil for the final 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with fresh whipped cream.

Holiday Gifts for the Reader in Your Life

Box sets are a great gift for that special Kindle Reader in your life this holiday season (even if that Kindle Reader is YOU). These sets contain 3 or 4 books for a discounted price. There are many to choose from, but here are four of my favorites:

The Justice Series – great crime fiction

Titles:

Cruel Justice

Impeding Justice

Final Justice

Foul Justice

In the US Kindle Store In the UK Kindle Store

The Mark Taylor Omnibus – bestselling psychological thriller

Titles:

Genesis

No Good Deed

March Into Hell

Deeds of Mercy

In the US Kindle Store In the UK Kindle Store

The Wedding Series – fabulous romance

Titles:

Prelude to a Wedding

Wedding Party

Grady's Wedding

In the US Kindle Store In the UK Kindle Store

Criminally Funny Fables – mirthful mysteries

Titles:

Zo White and the Seven Morphs

Wendy and the Lost Boys

The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters

In the US Kindle Store In the UK Kindle Store

Laughter! Ha-ha-ha!

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than die with the saints.

~Billy Joel

Laughter is carbonated holiness.

~Anne Lamott

"Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it."

~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

"I'm thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out my nose."

~Woody Allen

"Laughter is the valve on the pressure cooker of life."

~Wavy Gravy

"God is in the sadness and the laughter, in the bitter and the sweet."

~Neale Donald Walsh

"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."

~Yiddish Proverb

"When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other."

~Alan Alda

"A laugh is a smile that bursts."

~Mary H. Waldrip

Thirty-book Giveaway! Kindle! Nook! Kobo!

Today, I'm giving away

30 copies of my books!

10 Kindle Titles!

Sorry, the Kindle editions are all gone

10 Nook Titles!

10 Kobo Titles!

Author Talk: Reversion of Rights

If you're like me--a traditionally published author who's gone Indie--then you'll want to read this article I wrote for Kobo Writing Life blog. I talk about the reversion clause found in all publishing contracts, and I even offer a sample reversion of rights letter. Check it out:

Kobo Writing Life

Going Indie: From OOP to Self-pub Bestseller

The Next Big Thing

I get to be Queen For A Day as I talk about The Next Big Thing. I’ve been tagged by fellow author Susanne O'Leary who writes terrific women's fiction. I’m supposed to tell you about my next book by answering the following questions, and then I have tagged five other authors who will tell you about their Next Big Thing. Let's get started!

What is the working title of your next book?

The Single Daddy Club: Derrick

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Many of my readers already know that I wrote for Harlequin Books for 20 years as Donna Clayton. I acquired the publication rights to 11 of my backlist titles and have been working hard to get them up for sale in the Amazon Kindle Store, B&N's Nook Book Store, the Kobo Store and in iTune's iBook Store. Some of them are available in paperback, and some are available in various formats at Smashwords.

The Single Daddy Club is a series of 3 books…Derrick's story is the first of the series...and these are my final 3 backlist titles.

What genre does your book fall under?

Sweet Romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Josh Duhamel (yum) and Jennifer Garner

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When Derrick Richmond suddenly finds himself the guardian of his 5-yr-old godson, he turns to the child's kindergarten teacher, Anna Maxwell, for some desperately needed daddy lessons.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Although I have a literary agent, I will be self-publishing this book because it was already published by a New York City publisher. I've updated the book and feel it has a new, fresh feel to it. I have connected with so many wonderful readers since I've become an Indie Author.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Four months

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Yours And Mine by Debbie Macomber

Heartfire by Karen Rose Smith

Maid for the Single Dad by Susan Meier

Single Dad by Jennifer Greene

Doctoring and the Single Dad by Marie Farrarella

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I love romance novels about new parents who are thrust into the job, completely bowled over by this new experience. They fret and worry about their ability to care for their children, but in the end…love always conquers all. And of course, they always find their happily-ever-after mate. That's just how romance novels work.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I love that this book is the first of a three book series. The other titles in the series will be:

The Single Daddy Club: Jason

The Single Daddy Club: Reece

I hope to have all three books available before Christmas. This will make a great holiday gift for the romance reader in YOUR life!

Here are some lovely authors I’ve tagged to tell you about what they're working on. Look for their posts and consider trying...their Next Big Thing!

Joan Reeves

Elaine Raco Chase

Dana Taylor

Melissa Smith

Traci Hohenstein