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A Question About Questions

September 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, blogging, Linda O. Johnston, Questions

Iâ€™ve been blogging here on A Slice of Orange for a while now, on the sixth of each month. I donâ€™t get many comments, but, then, neither do most of our other bloggers–with a few exceptions. Maybe Iâ€™m just boring. Or maybe I havenâ€™t hit on topics that resonate with our members.

So… what would you like to see me write about here? Iâ€™m asking for you to post a comment and let me know! Iâ€™d love to address what our members and other blog visitors want to hear about from me.

Iâ€™ve got lots of ideas about writing, and ideas about selling what you write, and, yes, ideas about getting ideas! I write in different genres, and I write two series (my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series, plus my Alpha Force shapeshifter series for Silhouette Nocturne) and am about to embark on my third–a spin-off mystery series about Lauren Vancouver, pet rescuer. If you have questions about any of that, please let me know and Iâ€™ll be glad to address answers in future blog posts. Or–nearly–anything else relating to writing. Just ask, and Iâ€™ll try to oblige.

Meantime, I consider OCC an immeasurable asset to my writing. If youâ€™re a member, you know what Iâ€™m talking about!

Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

Linda O. Johnston is the author of 16 romance novels and several novellas, including a Nocturne Bites, with more Nocturnes upcoming. She also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime and will soon start working on the spin-off Pet Rescue series.

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Moon Watch

August 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Kendra Ballantyne, Linda O. Johnston, Silhouette Nocturne

Tonight is the night of the full moon.

How do I know? I looked it up. Finding out about the full moon is important to me these days, since I write a paranormal romance series for Silhouette Nocturne about Alpha Force–a covert ops military unit of shapeshifters!

Yes, my Nocturne ALPHA WOLF and the Nocturne Bites CLAWS OF THE LYNX, both published in January this year, will have sequels. Notice that the word â€œsequelsâ€ is plural! Already in the works is ALASKAN WOLF, which will be the next to be published. It now has a pub date: January 2011. Yes, thatâ€™s a long time away, but worth waiting for!

Meantime, Iâ€™ll be working on two more Alpha Force stories. Not to mention my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series and its spin-off Pet Rescue series. And practicing law. And–

Well, itâ€™s fun to be busy. But tonight I may just howl at the moon!

Linda O. Johnston

http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

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Networking

July 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston, Writing: It's a Business tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Linda O. Johnston, Silhouette Nocturne

Thereâ€™s nothing like it!

Writers are a solitary lot. We have to be, at least to some extent. Itâ€™s not possible to be surrounded by people all the time and still create our stories. I, at least, canâ€™t write with other peopleâ€™s voices interrupting my thoughts.

But we need other people around sometimes–including other writers who understand what weâ€™re going through during our creative process.

Thatâ€™s why Iâ€™m really looking forward to our upcoming OCC meeting. The afternoon session of the meeting is all about networking with published authors. Whether youâ€™re published or not, talk to us! Especially if youâ€™re attending the upcoming RWA National Conference in Washington, D.C.

Iâ€™ll be at the National Conference. I hope to attend some workshops. But mostly, these days, I go there to network–with other writers, editors at the houses that publish my books, my agent… as many people as I can. It helps to inspire me.

How about you? Will you be at OCC? The RWA National Conference? Both? And what do you hope to get from them?

Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

Linda O. Johnston is the author of 16 romance novels and several novellas, including a Nocturne Bites, with at least one more Nocturne upcoming. She also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.

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Grumbling and Conflicts

June 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Linda O. Johnston, Silhouette Nocturne

Last month I blogged here about so many writers events, and so little time. More on that theme today!

As I mentioned in that posting, I wonâ€™t see you at OCC this month. Instead, Iâ€™ll be at the California Crime Writers Conference in Pasadena, a joint program between the local Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime chapters.

The Los Angeles Romance Authors meeting, which is usually the third Sunday of the month, was moved to the same weekend, since it otherwise would occur on Fatherâ€™s Day. That means Iâ€™ll miss another meeting Iâ€™d like to attend.

I blogged a few days ago for the Mid-Valley Willamette RWA Chapterâ€™s blog site. My theme was my multiple personalities, which I cultivate because of writing in two very different genres: dark paranormal romance and light cozy mysteries. And then thereâ€™s my lawyer side.

There are times, like the second weekend of this month, that I wish I didnâ€™t only have multiple personalities, but that I could clone myself, too, and participate in more than one event that I know Iâ€™d enjoy.

Okay, I know Iâ€™m grumbling. Part of life is having to make choices, and Iâ€™ve done so.

But Iâ€™m going to miss my romance writersâ€™ meetings, especially this month when my Silhouette Nocturne BACK TO LIFE has been released! Itâ€™s definitely a romance, although thereâ€™s a mystery to it, too. And a very special K-9 cop heroine who has Valkyrie powers that allow her to bring some people back from the brink of death… people like the really hot SWAT-team member whose life she saves at the beginning. She becomes romantically involved with him, then realizes she might have inadvertently passed some powers along to him, too.

Iâ€™ll be at the July OCC meeting before heading to RWA National in Washington, D.C., and hope to sign BACK TO LIFE and my latest Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery NEVER SAY STY at the meeting.

I wonâ€™t be grumbling then!

By the way, today is D-Day. My hugs and kudos to those who were there. My dad landed at Normandy Beach a couple of days later.

Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

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So Many Writers’ Events, So Little Time!

May 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston, Writing Conferences tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Linda O. Johnston, Pets, Silhouette Nocturne

April was especially busy with events relating to books–partly, but not entirely, because of the publication of my seventh Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery NEVER SAY STY. I did some signings for STY and also gave a talk at the Writers of Kern.

More recently, I attended both days of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, signing at a couple of booths and also sitting at the Mystery Writers of America booth to promote the organization.

I also attended the Melody of Words, an event at a local high school to encourage students and members of the community to read… and write. It was a lot of fun, too.

I usually attend Malice Domestic around now, an event celebrating cozy mysteries thatâ€™s held in Washington, D.C., followed by an event hosted by the Mystery Lovers Bookstore near Pittsburgh, PA, where I grew up. However, this year my older son and daughter-in-law were visiting L.A. from Chicago on the same weekend, and since RWA National is also in D.C. this year I didnâ€™t necessarily need two visits there so close together. So, I stayed home and had a great time with family.

Next month, the local chapters of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime are co-hosting the California Crime Writers Conference, which Iâ€™m looking forward to.

And I of course love to attend OCC meetings! Iâ€™ve had to miss some lately because of some signings and other events–and the June meeting does, unfortunately, conflict with the California Crime Writers Conference.

Youâ€™d think I wouldnâ€™t have time to write with all these meetings and events going on… But somehow I manage!

What are your favorite writersâ€™ events?

Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/

Linda O. Johnston is the author of 15 romance novels and several novellas, including a current Nocturne Bites, with 2 more Nocturnes upcoming. She also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.

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