07.07.07

On this seventh day of the seventh month of two thousand and seven…

Okay, so you get the idea. Today is a big day for a lot of people, and not just those who are superstitious. Seven is believed by many to be the luckiest number, so today, with three sevens in a row - well, many believe today will hold extraordinary luck for them.

Everyone seems to be honoring this day in their own way, so I decided to join in the fun. Do you believe the day will bring you luck or is it just another day? If you’re a believer, are you planning something special?

Maybe your bit of good luck has already come to you this week? If so, I want to hear about it. Did you get a raise? Find a last minute babysitter? Discover a new author? Receive a fantastic review or sign a new contract?

Read More

Happy 4th

My kitchen needs cleaning.

My head is killing me.

I really want to go to the movies and eat lots of popcorn while losing myself in a world where robots from outer space come to destroy us. Yes, I admit it, I want to see Transformers.

What will you do today? Whatever it is, stay safe and happy.

Read More

I've got mail!

I just went out to check for mail and what did I discover? Something that always brings joy to my day. A box labeled Amazon.com. Okay, so I knew the box was coming. In fact, yesterday I was wondering why it hadn’t arrived yet, but that doesn’t detract from the thrill of receiving a new shipment of books. Seriously, you’re readers, you must know what I mean?

What did I order?

UNDEAD AND UNEASY by MaryJanice Davidson (what can I say, I love Queen Betsy!)

YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY by HelenKay Dimon (I read an excerpt on her MySpace page and was hooked!)

and

WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program

Honestly, I’m not sure which book I’m most excited about receiving or which I will read first. I have been forcing myself to spend a bit of time each day, brainstorming a new story. About a week and a half ago I believed I had my story idea. Then, a few days ago a new story popped into my head. A story that I can’t seem to let go of. A story about a woman in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

So, I sit at my desk, with my three new books strewn alongside my laptop and I wonder…which to read, which to read…

I might have to resort to a game of Einy, Meiny, Miney, Mo.

Did you get anything fun in your mailbox today?

Read More

Story Ideas

As a writer, the question I get asked the most is ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ The answer to this question is very simple. It is also a bit complicated. Confused? Hang in there, I’ll clarify.

Story ideas come to me all the time, from lots of different places. Sometimes it is as simple as a line in a song sparking my imagination. Usually a line of dialogue comes to me first. From there, I begin to imagine just who said it, the hero or the heroine. Or maybe it’s something the villain says. From there, I begin to see the scene unfold. (Yes, as odd as it sounds, my stories come to me like movies in my head.) I have written an entire book around one particular scene.

In fact, this is how AFTER MIDNIGHT came to me – as the opening scene. From there I had to figure out who the characters were. That brings me to the next part of the creative process for me. Who are the hero and heroine? Why are they doing what I envision them doing?

Again, I’ll use AFTER MIDNIGHT. The book opens with the heroine playing the piano in a bar after closing. Why, you ask? Well, that’s one of the questions I asked myself. Why is she doing this? Why is she drawn to play? Why doesn’t she play more often?

However, not every story idea starts with a line of dialogue. Sometimes it begins with a question. For NOT WITHOUT RISK, it was this question:

What if a killer set his sights on you and the only way to survive was to revisit a past you swore never to look back on?

For me, story ideas that come to me in the form of a question are easier to flesh out than those where I ‘see’ the scene in my head or that begin with a line of dialogue. Why? Simply because when I have one question, it’s simple to come up with a second question:

What if you then had to trust the type of man experience told you was untrustworthy?

Then, a third:

What if you fell in love with that man? Is love worth the risk?

Oops, I guess that’s four. LOL

Anyway, as you can see, for me at least, answering the question “Where do you get your ideas?” is not easy. I get my ideas from everywhere - people, movies, a line in a song, a news report on the television. From there they either become dialogue, scenes, or questions I feel the need to answer.

Still confused? I think I am. Which brings me to my favorite quote - so true in my case.

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." ~ Margaret Chittenden

Read More

Getting back on track

With everything that has happened recently, it’s would be easy for me to sit on the couch and stare at the walls in self-pity. Easy, and I must admit, some days very tempting. After all, I should be celebrating a new release right now. Not agonizing over the fact that my favorite bit of writing so far was out for a mere five days before I learned that not only would it not be available any longer, but I face a long wait before I get the rights to the book back and can publish it somewhere else.

Sorry, a bit of a temper fit there…

Okay, so I have decided that sitting on the couch and stewing will get me no where. It is a colossal waste of my time. What have I been doing instead? I have been getting ready to start my next book. I finally purchased a desk and set it up in the corner of the dining room. I’ve hung my corkboard, replaced the castors on my office chair with ones that will not damage my hard wood floor, and after a quick trip to the local Costco, I will set about moving my laptop from the kitchen table to my new work space.

Am I excited? Definitely. Not only will I have my own space, but the clutter will no longer cover my kitchen table, and tonight I can begin plotting out my next book.

What do I plan to write? A hot and sexy romantic suspense, of course. I’ll post further details soon.

Until then, stay safe and well.

~Sarah

Read More

Important News about Triskelion Publishing

Dear Readers,

I received some sad and disturbing news today. My publisher, Triskelion Publishing, is planning to file for bankruptcy. As of this afternoon, I have formally requested the rights to my books, NOT WITHOUT RISK and AFTER MIDNIGHT. I'm hoping to get those rights back so that I can find a new publisher and the books can become available again.

I want to thank all of you who've purchased my books and supported me over the past year. It has meant the world to me.

I will continue to write and move ahead with my career. I’m certain that good things will be heading my way and I will have news to share with you soon.

Until then, keep safe and be well.

~Sarah Grimm

Read More

Flavored Condoms

I have two sons, ages 13 and 12. Two sons as different as night and day.

My twelve year old is learning about puberty in school—And not just male puberty, but females as well. As a romance author, I don’t have a problem with this. I believe that when it comes to sexuality and more specifically sex in this day and age, ignorance is NOT bliss.

No, this post is not about sex education in school. But I am very open about sexuality and my children know they can come to me with their questions and I will answer them as honestly as possible. Let me tell you, a few days ago I was questioning my decision when my youngest came to me with a question.

Why? Well, this was his question:

“Mom, is there really such a thing as flavored condoms?”

“Yes, there is.”

“Why? What’s the point?”

“Ummm…”

I was a bit perplexed about how I was going to explain flavored condoms to a child that still thinks kissing is disgusting. Picture it, I’m sitting there, stuttering, frantically running explanations through my mind and trying to decide the best way to explain this.

I’m happy to say I survived, after a few shudders and a heart felt ‘Gross!’ my son survived, and now has more information than he ever wanted. LOL

Read More

Changes in print schedule

I am posting this today to let you all know that there have been a few changes at my publishing house in the post month, changes that affect me as an author and you as a reader. Specifically, the change that affects us both is this—Triskelion has made the decision to scale back their print titles.

Unfortunately, this means that the print release of NOT WITHOUT RISK has been put on hold. At this time, the book is still listed for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but I expect the August release date will be pushed back.

Don't want to wait? You can always dowload a copy today.


~Sarah

Read More

I've been tagged.

Okay, so I’ve been tagged by Melanie Atkins. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means that I am supposed to tell you eight things that no one knows about me, then tag eight people.

Wow, eight things…

1. Let’s see, the first story I ever wrote was in the fourth grade and I won a contest with it. It was titled MY CAT SNEAKER and was the true story about the cat I’d had since I was four years old. I still have the story and the award it won.

2. When I was fourteen, I met my best friend, Lisa. I swear we got into a fight at least once a year through High School. Twenty-three years later, we’re still best friends.

3. At twenty-one that same best friend and I decided on the spur of the moment to move to Kentucky. We went down for the weekend, rented an apartment and moved a few weeks later.

4. I got bored easily. I mean, very easily. I change my hair color or hair style often because it is one thing that can easily be changed.

5. I’d known my husband for six years before we ever went out on a date. It wasn’t that we weren’t interested in each other, we were just never unattached at the same time. Then one night I had a dream that we were married so I moved back to Michigan and hunted him down. We became engaged two weeks after our first date. This summer we will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and he still makes me laugh harder than anyone.

6. I love the smell of coffee, but can’t drink it. The only way I can stand coffee is to put a lot of sugar in it. I mean, a LOT of sugar. So I don’t drink it. Instead, I start my day with Diet Coke.

7. The worst thing anyone can say to me is that I can’t do something. That is, unless you really want me to do it. I take statements like ‘it’s not possible’ or ‘I can’t foresee you ever being able to’ as direct challenges. You tell me something like that and I will go out and show you why you’re wrong.

8. I have no problem approaching people and talking to them. I’ve always been this way. Even people others are intimidated by, I will approach just to say hi. I’ve met a lot of people this way: agents, editors, publishers, NYT bestsellers, even rock-n-roll stars. It’s just a part of who I am.

Is that finally eight? That was really hard for me to do. Now, I’m supposed to tag eight people. So, here's who I tagged:

Jennifer Loy
Rita Karnopp
MK Mancos
Tess Harrison
Maggie Nash
Sloane Taylor
J Morgan
Cindy Spencer Pape

Don’t forget my latest romantic suspense eBook, AFTER MIDNIGHT, releases in June from Triskelion Publishing. I’ll be back soon to tell you a little about it.

Read More

Promos & Ads & Chats... Oh my!

As a young girl who dreamed of one day being a published author I imagined what life would be like. I would have nothing else to do but sit at my typewriter (computers weren’t the norm then, you know) and transfer the stories from my head to the page. I would spend my days doing the thing I loved most, and once the book was written, my job was done. Oh, how wrong I was.

Since the release of my first romantic suspense in March, NOT WITHOUT RISK, and the upcoming June release of my second, AFTER MIDNIGHT, I have been busier than ever. There’s brainstorming the next book, kids, husband, three dogs… you know, the normal everyday things that as a young girl I never figured into my plan. Then there is everything else that we as authors do to prepare for a release and promote: ordering postcards and bookmarks, setting up advertisements, and scheduling chats.

The World Wide Web has made some of these things easier, and some of them more complicated. It doesn’t take much time at all to jump online, design and order postcards. This, I’m certain, is far easier than having to make telephone calls or fill out order forms and snail mail them in. Using email, it’s fairly simple to advertise with an online reader’s site. However, there are so many now, how do we as authors know which are the best? What sites should we chat at? How many chats should we do?

These are some of the issues that I, as a new author, have faced since the beginning of the year. Some of these things I believe I have done right (even if it was by luck), and some of them I most likely need a bit more work at. It’s a learning process, one that my fellow authors have made that much easier for me, since some of them have been doing this longer than I and have shared their knowledge.

So when during all of this ordering, scheduling, chatting, mailing, editing, taking-care-of-family time do I find the time to write? That’s a good question. Honestly, this week, there won’t be much time. My edits are coming, my dog needs to see a specialist who is a three hour round trip from home, and there are a few more promo items I need to order so that I can do a bookstore mailing. But hey, there’s always next week, right?

Oh my…

Read More

Changes...

Changes happen in everyone’s life and mine is no exception. There are a lot of changes going on in my house. From new cars, to the possibility of job changes for my husband. For some, changes as dramatic as a job change can be very stressful. For me, this is an exciting time.

Currently, my husband is self-employed. For those of you out there who are also self-employed, you know that while there are some very wonderful things about it (making your own hours, no boss to answer to, etc), there are a few down sides. Well, my husband is working on a deal that would give him the good things about being self-employed, while eliminating most of the bad things.

This would be a very big change for this house. Very. Big.

But as I said, I am excited. You see, besides writing, I also keep the books for my husband’s business. I do bill paying, taxes, billing of customers, etc. During the planning and negotiations about this job change, it has come up that they might like me to move my bookkeeping duties from my home to the new place of business.

Yup, I would be employed. GULP! I haven’t worked outside of the home in thirteen years. Yes, you read that correctly, thirteen! Could I handle it? Of course. After all, it’s nothing that I don’t do now for the business. But it would be a change. A big change.

I’m spoiled, I know, because my first thought is: “I don’t want to give up the freedom I have right now.” At the moment, if I want to take my kids to the beach, I shut down the computer and take them. If I want to set aside billing for an hour and watch a show on television, I do it. If I want to chat online in the middle of the day, no problem.

But there are upsides to this change as well. Tempting enough that I will give it much thought. If I make the change, I will have to re-train myself, actually get one of those schedules that my friend, Jennifer Talty talks about. Yikes! Me? Structured? I usually fly by the seat of my pants.

The biggest change, of course, will be in my writing time. That’s where I would have to make the most changes. And, perhaps, that would be a good thing. To have a structured writing time, a time that I sit down at the computer and write every day. Yeah, that could work for me.

Maybe. I’ll have to think about this some more.

Read More

5 Rose Review

I'm excited to say that NOT WITHOUT RISK has received Five Red Roses from Red Roses for Authors Reviews.

Here is what the reviewer had to say: "Not Without Risk is hot and sexy and thoroughly exciting. Sarah Grimm has written a real page turner full of crime, romance and sexual tension. A great story not to be missed! I Award five red roses."

You can see the full review here.

Read More

Back and ready to write

Yesterday I attended my local RWA chapter’s annual retreat, officially titled Mid-Michigan Retreat from Harsh Reality. Like many authors I know, I attend conferences and retreats in order to interact and bond with authors like myself. I also attend to learn what I can from these others and this year, I was looking for a bit of inspiration.

I had a wonderful time. As always, my Mid-Michigan family kept me laughing. We talked, caught up, plotted out our next works and cheered on those who had exciting things happen to them over the last year. I received an absolutely beautiful plaque in honor of my first sale, with my book cover, title and release date.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

As for that inspiration? Well, I’m brainstorming the next book as we speak. Or, to be more specific, the next three books. Yup, I have three of them that I’m trying to work out on paper right now before I start writing. Having never attempted more than one book at a time, this should be interesting.

Wish me luck, I just might need it.

Read More

Now what?

Okay, the good news is—wait, let me rephrase—the great news is, I finished AFTER MIDNIGHT and turned it in to my editor. YEAH!

I’ll tell you this book was very hard for me. I don’t know why, but it gave me fits right from the start. Getting this story out of my head was a struggle, but worth it. I couldn’t be happier with the story.

So now what?

I have been playing catch up for a week now, sleep, housekeeping, bills, groceries, etc. Some things I have caught up on, others, I’m still working on. But everyday I ask myself, ‘now what’? What do I write next? Do I take a short break or do I dive right back into it? Do I work on another 80,000 word book or go for the 100,000 word single title? Do I even have an idea worth 100,000 words?

I’m not sure what the answer is. For now, I guess I’ll just keep promoting my first two books, while brainstorming the next book. Maybe I’ll drag out some notes I have scattered throughout the house. There has to be a great idea in there somewhere.

Or…I could read a good book and forget about my own for a while. I finally have the time.

Now there’s an idea.

Read More