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Ana welcomes Adriana Kraft!
Fourteen years ago last spring, my
husband and I sat down with a blank computer screen and began to sketch out our
first romance novel. Why? I’m not sure even we can answer that question any
more. We’d each always harbored a dream of writing fiction. We’d been writing
together in our academic and research careers for over a decade by then, so we
thought maybe we knew something about the craft. We were looking for something
exciting, different, and fun to do – and, believe it or not, we thought it
would be easy, compared to the painstaking publications we were used to.
Wrong. Romance is a world all its
own, with literary conventions like point of view, scene breaks, dialogue tags,
arc, pacing, character development and of course (in our case) those sizzling
sex scenes to create. We had a lot to learn.
We have a few mottoes that guide our
lives: “If not now, when?” and “Never give up” are two of them. We did our
on-line research, located Romance Writers of America, joined, and sent me off
to my first romance writer con, in Washington D.C. I can hardly describe the
immediate sense of belonging and camaraderie I experienced that weekend, to say
nothing of the steep learning curve. I’d never heard of a “pitch,” but by the
end of the pitch workshop, I had drafted, incorporated feedback, polished, and
memorized a pitch I used the next day with a New York editor, who was gracious
enough to request the full manuscript of our first romantic suspense. Looking
back, I think she may have said that to everyone she met with.
We threw ourselves into workshops,
continued writing and editing, read everything we could find on the craft of
writing fiction, and began to send query letters to editors and agents. We
count ourselves lucky to have received several helpful responses during that
phase, suggestions for how to improve our work, where else to send it, but
never a nibble or an offer. On the bulletin board over our desk, I posted
something I’d heard Judith Viorst say at a conference: She submitted her
creative writing diligently for fifteen years before she ever received a
contract. Never give up.
One editor’s response was pivotal. “You
write sexual tension extremely well,” she told us. By this time, erotic romance
was bursting onto the scene, and we decided to try adding that to our
repertoire. Several writers and editors encouraged us to keep on writing even
while we awaited that first elusive contract.
Five years after we started that
first novel, we sat down and wrote out the following goals for ourselves:
·
To get
paid for writing
·
To
write what we want (happy endings, hot sex, strong women, healthy
relationships, lots of fun, healing and personal growth, good stories, exciting
plots)
·
To be
under contract for something by the end of 2005
·
To get
published in print
·
But
not to spend time holding out for print publication.
By that
time, we had drafted six romantic suspenses and seven erotic romances. In late
November, 2005, just ahead of our self-imposed deadline, we received a contract
for an e-pub of a romantic suspense, in the days before e-readers swept the
market. I’m happy to say we reached all the goals we listed that day, with over
thirty romantic suspense and erotic romance novels and novellas currently
available, many in both print and e-book format.
Willow
Smoke, now
considerably revised and with a new cover for its re-release, was that first
contracted book. We’re thrilled to bring readers a true “heroine with heart” in
Daisy Matthews, who shows up as a teen-age street kid in Cassie’s Hope (Riders Up, Book 1), but has now
grown up and deserves a happy ending of her very own.
BLURB
When the chips are down, there's nobody there. Willowy blond Daisy Matthews has
survived the Chicago streets with this mantra but is unprepared for the much
older Nick Underwood's urgent pursuit.
The wealthy businessman receives a thoroughbred in payment for a bad
debt and is thrust into Daisy's world.
She teaches him about horse racing; he teaches her about love. When Daisy's seamy brother-in-law
threatens Nick's safety, she doggedly tries to stop him by herself, but flees
to the familiar streets when he attacks. Can Nick find her in time – and if he
does, will she still want him?
BUY LINK
EXCERPT
“So tell me,” Nick
said, “where can I find a horse named RainbowBlaze?"
"RainbowBlaze!"
Daisy gasped and glared at him again. "Why? What do you want with
her?"
"Damn, you've got
to be the most protective woman I've ever encountered. If you must know, she's
my horse."
Daisy opened her mouth
as if to speak. She glanced quickly at the chestnut mare. "There must be a
mistake," she stammered. "RainbowBlaze belongs to Michael
Barnes."
Nick crossed his legs
and leaned against the stable wall, giving Daisy Matthews a slow satisfied
smile. He'd found his horse. And he had a new employee. This could be more
interesting than he'd imagined.
Furthermore, being his
employee made Matthews safe to be around. He had a firm rule against personal
involvements with employees. He flashed a look at the slender woman's nipples
that showed faintly through an orange tank top. Didn't she know what she looked
like?
Too young. He closed
his eyes. He might be old enough to be her father. His eyes sprang open and he
appraised her again. Maybe, maybe not.
"The horse did
belong to Michael Barnes." Fright flickered across the blonde's face and
quickly disappeared behind a steely gaze. "Mike's fallen on bad economic
times. Turned out he couldn't pay his debts. Showed up at my office with a bill
of sale for some damn race horse and begged me to take it to clear what he owed
me. Against my better judgment, I agreed." Nick raised his open palms
upward. "So, here I am."
Daisy's hands, resting
at her sides, curled into fists.
"You look like
you'd like to slaughter me for your supper." Nick stood. Ignoring the
woman, he pointed at the horse with the oversized socks. "So I take it
this is RainbowBlaze." He glanced back over his shoulder at the woman. She
gulped and nodded. "Is the horse any good? How much can I get for
her?"
Daisy sputtered and
Nick suppressed a laugh.
"She's a damn
good mare. She'll run her heart out for you, if you treat her right. But she
won't work just for anyone."
"Sounds like
you've got a thing for my horse, kid."
"Suppose
so." Daisy studied the dirt at her feet. "I've known her since she
was foaled. Was there to help her mother give birth. I've been there every step
of the way when Rainbow was with Cassie Travers, and then when Michael Barnes
bought her it was with the understanding that she'd come to Sam's barn and be
with me."
When the woman stopped
to catch her breath, Nick said, "You didn't answer my question. How much
is she worth?"
Daisy shrugged.
"Maybe," her voice quaked, "fifty thousand. Maybe more."
"Hmm. Michael
said a hundred grand."
He watched the spirit
flow out of the young woman. Her glistening eyes grabbed at something inside
him that he hadn't experienced for a long time. Not thinking, he reached for
her chin.
"That
horse," he said softly, "means a lot more to you than a hundred
grand, doesn't it?"
ABOUT ADRIANA KRAFT
Adriana Kraft is the
pen name for a husband/wife team writing sizzling romantic suspense and erotic
romance. The award-winning pair has published over thirty romance novels and
novellas to outstanding reviews. Romantic pairings include straight m/f,
lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and paranormal
settings.
ADRIANA KRAFT ON
THE WEB
Welcome, Adriana! How cool it is that you live and write together. I can't imagine writing with my husband. In a perfect universe, I'd love to.
ReplyDeleteI love your persistence! Nice to see how it's paid off and wishing you luck going forward. And welcome to Heroines with Hearts.
ReplyDeleteI find it fascinating that you and your husband write together but can't help but wonder what happens when you disagree about the storyline or the characters!
ReplyDeleteOK - I'm intrigued on many levels. Just ordered for my Kindle. Nice...
ReplyDelete