Haste Ye Back--release date!

Well, it's that time! Release date for Haste Ye Back-- Feb 28th!

Sean Casey, Trace Adkins and Me

This blog originally appeared on Decadent Publishing 1 Night Stand site in August. If you haven't seen it, hope you enjoy it! And to find out more about Deanna Wadsworth and my project for 1 Night Stand, check out Carrie Ryan's blog, Monday, Sept. 12th --a chance to win FREE books as well!

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What in the hell would those three things have in common this 1 Night Stand story which is on sale now?!

Well, it all goes to the process of how I write. I 'see' a character and I start writing about 'them.' I usually have NO idea what the women look like, but the men, well, no problem there. Now, granted my idea of a good lookin' dude might be completely different from someone else's. My mother once said about my being 'hooked' on some movie star, 'You have all your taste in your mouth.' Oh, well, to each his own and beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.

  But, back to Sean Casey. I just think he's cute as a button in a older athletic-guy way. Helps that he's a strappin' 6'4" and, at one time, played a mean first base. I needed an unassuming, all-American type for my hero and he just fit the bill. (I will ignore his one flaw- he hasn't returned my Tweets!)

 
Trace Adkins, on the other hand - well, you can blame that on Deanna Wadsworth - she got me into this whole 1 Night Stand thing, to the tune of THREE stories! Yes, there will be more (granted the Gods of Submissions look kindly on us) because to find out what happens to her massive bear-of-a-character, pseudo-Trace-Adkins look-a-like from Bear It All you'll just have to read The One He Chose! 


Then to find out what happens to my Sean Casey-esque character, well, who knows what Deanna will call her next 1NS story!


It's been a hoot working on this story. To be honest, I feel closer to them than I do/did with my characters in Respite. Don't know why that is, but maybe it's a 'writer thing.'


Anyway, The One He Chose has made people cry. I quote Valerie Mann (submissions editor), 'I read this and couldn't find one stinkin' Kleenex in the whole house and had to resort to toilet paper. You are scum for making me cry.' Best acceptance email ever!

The trailer has been well received as well. 'It gave me goosebumps,' one comment read.

I'm thrilled to find out what you think of it! There's an excerpt below.


Happy reading! 

 

“Grace.” The deep voice worked its way into her consciousness.

She sighed in her haziness and clutched the imaginary hand resting on her tummy. Whoever or whatever held her carried a familiar scent, one that elicited trust and caring.

Out on the porch, the mountain air had chilled. Despite the comfort of the presence around her, her body responded with a shiver.

A hand slipped into the lace triangle of her thong, caressing the area between navel and Nirvana.

Definitely not a dream.

She blinked, slowly coming to life. The frightened tone of her inquiry shocked even her “Who are you?”

“Relax.” His lips lovingly met her shoulder. “Ben sent me.”

He didn’t seem to have any malicious intent—well, at least not at the moment. And Madame Eve wouldn’t allow something hurtful to happen.

“What do you…?” The hand cupped her waxed-for-the-occasion pubic area. His callused digits followed a natural path. It’d been so long since someone had touched her in this manner, nearly two years. She didn’t blame Ben for the extended dry spell, only the disease which had dampened his interest and stamina.

 “I want you to relax and let me make love to you. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

So, this is how this Madame Eve stuff works.

With little thought, she relented to her physical loneliness. She closed her eyes and shoved the lace below her hips. The stranger assisted until her legs were completely bare. “Yes, please.”

He was strong, agile, and wonderfully gentle.

A warm, sincere, somewhat familiar voice tickled her ear. “Grace.”

She leaned into him, wanting to sigh in happy relief and cry in terrible sadness. His arms about her, she slowly turned into his embrace. She closed her eyes, waiting for the initial kiss.

Then, it came, gentle yet deep and although he was a stranger, she felt a profound connection, a silent conversation. She raised her hand to touch his cheek in encouragement. Blinking in the darkness, desperately wanting to see her soon-to-be lover, her eyes finally focused and the world came to an abrupt halt.

Wendy is a displaced Cheesehead, proud to have been born and bred in Wisconsin. She was a migrant worker for years in the radio business, until she landed in Ohio and refused to leave. When she isn’t writing for pleasure and publication, she is a TV newsroom assignment manager.She shares her clean, yet perpetually dusty, house with her chef husband and two spoiled rotten cats.  Decadent Publishing has been a godsend for her as she can finally stop talking to the people in her head and allow them to speak for themselves!

Find her on Facebook (Wendy Burke Author), Twitter @WendyBurke1994 or send her a nasty email: wendyburke1994@bex.net 

What's really important?

 I know I've been absent for more than a month now. Well, I was a bit busy. Doing what? Well, finding out what's really important.

And, what really IS important can be summed up by this photo: my brother Denny and me circa 1965. As you can tell, he's a bit older than I am, which made for some interesting interactions growing up. I stayed with him for more than a week in June as he's again battling another serious health problem. Yep...that's what's really important...family.

Even more important than getting books written, edited and published. More important than any steady employment. It's a wonderfully-accepted duty and the ultimate honor to help him in any way I can. He's my biggest fan, not of my writing, but of just plain-ole me. Which is the highest compliment.

So, that's where I've been, zipping six hours over turnpikes and interstates to and from where I live, to my hometown where he lives. Even though his couch is lumpy (and always has been!) and I have limited access to Internet (which makes me feel a bit closed in), the important things are getting done - he is getting better, and I've been spending some busy, paper-work entrenched time with him. And, you know what? I actually enjoy climbing over those little bumps in the road with him...it makes us both stronger, and it's what's really important.

At the same time, I can't neglect this 'side-profession' I have.

I don't concern myself with book sales, as to be honest, I don't know what they've tallied! It's said you have to 'spend money to make money.' In my situation, that means GIVE STUFF AWAY. Which I am, Tuesday, 7/19 at Deanna Wadsworth's blogspot and Saturday, 7/23 at The Romance Studio. Go to either site and register to win a copy of my first release, RESPITE, from me and Decadent Publishing. The low spots as of late, have been lessened by some great reviews!

And, what's next? Well, working on the next story for DP. A short, 1 Night Stand series work titled, The One He Chose. Keeping my fingers cross for an August release date.  Dara England of Decadent Publishing again hit the mark with this beautiful cover.

So, that's what I've been doing - finding out what's really important. Those 'dark days' can be harried and stressful, but if you sit back, relax and let 'nature take its course,' you will find those nuggets of peace, joy and happiness in the midst of the chaos.

I know...because I have.

Thanks for reading!
 Wen

When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy is a TV newsroom assignment manager. She lives with her chef husband and two furry feline children in the Great Lakes region of the Midwest. You can find her on FACEBOOK, Twitter @WendyBurke1994, at her local writers' website and lurking about the internet.

Moving right along...



Sean Casey

It's hard to believe that a week after RESPITE's release, I have the first mock up for cover art for my next story with Decadent Publishing. (Yes, that would also be a blatant plug for a possible book purchase!)
 

The One He Chose is a DP 1 Night Stand story, as I mentioned in my last blog. And, because I have this 'thing' for baseball players, the main male character looks like Sean Casey, as you know.  As soon as the cover art is complete, yep - I'll share it with you ASAP.

Brad Ausmus

The whole baseball-player thing with me just can't be helped. If I haven't mentioned it before, the first 'book' I ever really wrote was/is A) WAAAY too long, some 300,000 words and B) the main character was/is a baseball player who just happened to look like former Detroit Tiger/Houston Astro/San Diego Padre Brad Ausmus. The odd thing about this situation is, the photo of Brad Ausmus seen here was taken by me in the lobby of the Cincinnati Westin Hotel- and still I had to Google search for it and find it on some other! website!  (Just to clear the air here - I am a patron NOT a stalker!)

What can I say, I have a thing for athletic heroes!

Anyway, another reason for today's blog is to direct you to yet another blog for Monday, May 30th. I'm musing over at the Maumee Valley Romance Writers blogsite. A little insight on the impetus of RESPITE. Memorial Day holds special meaning to me.

So, Happy Memorial Day. Happy 'First' Day of Summer Attitude!

Wen

Wendy Burke can be found on Facebook – Wendy Burke Author, the Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America blogsite, TWITTER @WendyBurke1994 and of course, at Decadent Publishing. When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a fine life with a chef husband (YES – no cooking!) and two furry feline kids and a full-time job that keeps her from writing fulltime in ‘beautiful’ Toledo, Ohio.   Oh, yea - and she has a book out as well!

News and blogs and blogs...

Howdy everyone...

Well, you already KNOW the news - RESPITE releases Friday at Decadent Publishing. In the near future, watch here and other sites for your chance to win a copy!

Sean Casey

And, speaking of releases, the fine folks at Decadent's 1 Night Stand division has accepted a little ditty I wrote, titled The One He Chose. For those of you who are baseball fans, the main male character looks a little like Sean Casey. He's pictured here as a Boston Beaner, but he was a darn fine Detroit Tiger, along with being on other teams! TOHC will be in edits soon.

And, last but not least - check out ADDD - A Daily Dose of Decadence tomorrow - Thursday - for the things I'm thankful, thoughtful and thirsty about.

I can't say thanks! enough to a bunch of folks who are making Friday and this little 'job' possible - DW insisting I submit, Heather & Lisa for accepting and holding my hand, Meredith for repaving the road, Katy for pulling me and RESPITE out fo the muck, Val for being a great blogmaven (and allowing me to make her cry with TOHC), Dara for an amazing cover, Colleen for keeping track of author minutia, Katelynn for the super trailer, MVRWA for constant support and my dear Ktn - for allowing the people in my head to compete for his attention on occasion! I hope I didn't leave anyone out!

So, I guess I'll see you all Thursday at ADDD and Friday, when RESPITE is released.

Thanks again!
Wen

Wendy Burke can be found on Facebook – Wendy Burke Author, the Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America blogsite, TWITTER @WendyBurke1994 and of course, at Decadent Publishing. When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a fine life with a chef husband (YES – no cooking!) and two furry feline kids and a full-time job that keeps her from writing fulltime in ‘beautiful’ Toledo, Ohio.   Oh, yea - and that book of hers is out as well!

My Neighbor STILL isn't wearing pants!

If you didn't catch this at A Daily Dose of Decadence awhile back, here's another blog about the weird stuff that seems to surround me!  Enjoy!

Is there no shame? (Or – PUT ON SOME PANTS!)

    My mother used to say about a neighbor as he worked in his garden, “The MOON is out early today!” Needless to say, said neighbor usually wandered about is yard with the most hideous plumber’s crack known to man. Problem was – A) he wasn’t a plumber and B) I’m thinkin’ he didn’t even know it.

     I know, I know, ‘Where the hell are you going with this Wendy?!’ Hear me out.

     My huz and I live in a townhouse condominium complex, on a nice long cul-de-sac, complete with (just recently – those condo association trustees are so clever!) a PRIVATE ROAD sign at the entrance. The turnover in this complex is minimal – we’ve been here almost twenty years.

     I digress – which is common for me ---

     Awhile back, the ‘Clampetts’ moved in across the drive from us. Well, at least that’s when my dear betrothed has deemed them. Unfortunately, it’s in name only, as ‘cee-ment ponds’ are not allowed in our complex. The moniker begins with the fact that most of their stuff for some time was stored in the driveway and once inside the double garage, could be seen trying to bust its way out!

     I don’t have any problem with ‘The Clampetts,’ I’m really not outside enough to socialize. But there is one problem, which I’m sure won’t be addressed by our illustrious condo association - ‘Mrs. Clampett’ doesn’t wear pants!

      

     Now, I know ole sweet Granny on the TV show was always properly attired  -on occasion, Elly May was skimpily dressed for the times - and Jethro was shirtless now and again….but this woman DOESN’T WEAR PANTS!

     I know you’re sayin’, ‘How the heck do you know that, Wen, and WHY are you dwelling on it?’

Well, the huz leaves for work at about 630. Mrs. Clampett has a habit of going out into her garage, with the big double-door open, to grab a first-of-the-day smoke and yak on her cell phone (loudly) at that time.  (She’s out there every day without fail, regardless of temperature – she’s been out there in a blizzard!) Usually she’s attired in one of many house-dresses/nightgowns she has in her ready stash.

     Let me be the first to say, I don’t have a body like Elle McPherson, I’m not nearly as cute as, say, Rachel McAdams. Yes, I’m a bit self-conscious about my ‘zaftig-ness’ – so, I’m careful to cover anything I wouldn’t want to look at, let alone the public.

     Maybe she’s comfortable in her complete ‘naturalness,’ but do we have to be subjected to it? Her home is obviously her realm and she doesn’t give a crap (or doesn’t know) and doesn’t realize the horrendous mental anguish she’s inflicting upon poor leaving-for-work men as she ‘tupples’ around outside at that hour, dressed as she is.

     I’m getting ready for work one morning and the phone rings. I see it’s my huz on his cell phone and when I answer, ‘Yah?’ and he can give me is a huge ‘OH!’ a la Tony Soprano, then launches into the story about getting a full posterior view on the way out of the garage this morning as ‘Frau Clampett’ (as he calls her) decided to weed the flowerbed at 630 AM and bent over in her ‘housedress’ to give my huz a not-so-stunning view of the WAZZER VALLEY!  (Ah, I think you get my drift!)

     ‘OH!’ indeed. (Thanks to Frau Clampett, my huz now wears completely dark ‘cataract’ glasses when he leaves the house – he’s concerned about a ‘relapse,’ as she continues to waltz about her domain in such a state. Although, I am thinking, the blue nylon spaghetti-strapped number she wears on every Tuesday is becoming my favorite.)

     Anyway, that’s why I ask, ‘Is there no shame?’ It’s the same with people (male and female) who think ‘muffintops’ are the latest in haute couture and the word ‘sassy’ stretched across their size-18-stuffed-in-a-size-4 pair of sweats is ‘cute.’

     As my dear pal, Fred, from Queens, New York once commented as were standing in Herald Square people-watching, ‘Nice outfit, did it come in your size?’

    

    Then, there’s the ‘flannel brigade.’ I love flannel – I have nothing against flannel, I’m wearing flannel right now. BUT – c’mon people, can’t you get dressed to go in public? Really, if you’re 18-35 (or older) and you go to the grocery in your Sponge Bob flannel jammy pants and slippers, sorry, you are not cool….IMHO.

   But – at least you ARE wearing pants!

                                     RESPITE now has a trailer! Click here to see it. 

Wendy Burke blogs regularly for A Daily Dose of Decadence and should have a release date for RESPITE within weeks. She can be found on Facebook – Wendy Burke Author, at her local writers’ group site and lurking around the Internet.  When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a fine life with her handsome chef husband and two furry feline kids. She also has a full-time job behind the scenes at a Toledo, OH  television station which keeps her from writing fulltime but gives her great fodder for stories.

Storytelling - another view

If you didn't catch this a few weeks ago at the Maumee Valley Romance Writers blogsite, here it is again! Enjoy!


While most of us might think of stories in written form, probably the oldest form of storytelling is through song.

I admire anyone who can play a musical instrument and carry a tune, because I can do neither!

Think about it - the verses of a song are a story in themselves:
So just where to start the story
Titanic comes to mind
Imagine my excitement
As they cast away the lines

Are you thinking, Leonard DiCaprio and Kate Winslet? (Uh, that was too easy, huh?) Probably, but no one involved with that movie wrote that stanza, which in itself is the beginning of a wonderful story.


A dear friend of mine is an amazing musician and storyteller. Kerry Clark has been strumming a guitar and writing stories for a long time. (And, he's not that old!) It is he who wrote that verse, the beginning of his song ROW from the CD On the Road to Human Being. I first met Kerry some twenty years ago.

It was about 6AM, in one of the concourses of Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, OH. Kerry had graciously agreed to get up at the crack of nothing and perform on the radio morning show, of which I was a part. It was Christmas-time and my morning show partners and I were doing a special broadcast from the mall.

I was standing with a few other women. We had to admire his butter-blond hair which was styled in the style of the early 90s – business in the front, party in the back! I must say, Kerry’s was the most appealing and un-mullet-like rock-star mullet I have ever seen!

And, WOW – that boy could sing! To top it off – he was---and still is! --- a sweetheart!

I have found over the years, the stories Kerry tells in his songs aren’t just his stories. Sure, they may have originated in his mind, were scribbled on a napkin with his pen, arranged, sung and recorded in his studio. But, once shared, they transcend who he is.

For instance, ROW – ya gotta keep pluggin’ away even if the ship is sinking! We’ve all been in ‘that boat’ once or twice in our lives. I often pull up that song on my Ipod when I’m in the car on my way to work, because regardless if I’m in love with my job or not (and many days it’s not!) I still have to yank on that oar and get movin’! Not just to work – but to life.

Which, to me, makes writing and the process of being published that much more exciting. Not that ‘getting a book published’ was on my Bucket List. Writing a story was something I always knew I was capable of doing, getting it published was the pat on the head – from a completely unbiased source – that I needed, that all of us need on occasion to make our lives ‘extra’ worthwhile.

So, dear writing friends, keep putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboards, keep telling stories, because not only may those tales mean something to you, they may mean even more to someone else.

And, to my dear friend, Kerry, if I haven’t done it in the past, please consider your head patted, smooched and yourself hugged immensely. Your musical stories, love and friendship from you and your family mean more to me than you’ll ever know.

Row to the rhythm of your heart - row till you find out who you are
Row like you’ll never face defeat - row till you fill your life complete

Amen, my brother, amen!

                                                      

Wendy Burke blogs regularly for the Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America and A Daily Dose of Decadence. She is dangerously close to getting RESPITE, a post-WWII romance published by Decadent Publishing. She can be found on Facebook – Wendy Burke Author, at her blog site, Whatever Wendy! and lurking around the Internet. When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a fine life with her handsome chef husband and two furry feline kids. She also has a full-time job behind the scenes in television which keeps her from writing fulltime in the somewhat pot-hole-free suburbs of Toledo, Ohio.

Learning a new language-- one not taught in school!

     You may have missed it awhile back, when at A Daily Dose of Decadence, I was giving lessons in speaking the language of my hometown - Sheboyganese. If you want a lesson, read below! Enzoah!

 I must admit, at one time I had a terrible accent – no not that gorgeous Southern Belle ‘Nawlin’s drawl. I mean a SHEBOYGAN accent. That’s Sheboygan as in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. (There’s another blog lurking about how allegedly native of Wisconsinites pronounce the state WisGONsin, but that’s for another day!)

    Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Since, I left college hoping to make my living in radio; the quaint, yet obvious, Sheboygan accent had to go.

     Before you go running to your medical symptoms dictionary, a Sheboyganese accent is not a physical malady (well, not ANYMORE for me) but at one time, it was fairly prominent.

     To set the stage, Sheboygan, Wisconsin is a lovely – and I do mean BEAUTIFUL city of 50-some-thousand right on Lake Michigan half way between Milwaukee (or M’waukee in Sheboyganese) and Green Bay. It was an outstanding place to grow up.  The accent of the true Sheboyganite, however, is so pronounced and so specific that even those in other parts of Wisconsin can tell if someone is from Sheboygan.

    Lovely, lovely town, but, it has its linguistic idiosyncrasies both verbally and in verbiage.

    To set the stage, think of Frances McDormand in the movie FARGO. I have to say, one of the reasons I will watch that dark flick every time it’s on, is BECAUSE of the true-to-life accents – Sheriff Marge Gunderson (married to Norm – that son of a Gunderson) is what I at one time sounded like and what many of my friends and relatives STILL sound like back in that fine berg. (GRUMPY OLD MEN also falls into that ‘homey accent’ category.)

    My dear friend from the time I was two years old, Laurie (last name withheld to protect the innocent) has the most beautiful Sheboygan accent. During a visit one Christmas, she conjured up the spirit of Marge Gunderson and said to my husband as he sipped a beer, ‘Youah knoah that lady in Fargoah? I was soah embarrassed, I thought I sounded just like her.’ It’s a good thing we all knew the Heimlich, we had to dislodge the beer can from my betrothed’s throahat, (throat in English) he sucked it in while laughing so hard….with Laurie of course! (Love ya, Laurie Jean Punkin… last name withheld to protect the innocent!)

    Going along with that style of accent, I grew up counting like my very old uncle, ‘one, tooah, tree.’ We would ‘go der’ and ‘take dat,’ and ‘bring deez ones, enso.’ (To translate: ‘go there,’ ‘take that,’ and ‘bring these, okay.’)

     Any word with or ending in a long ‘o’ or ‘a’ automatically had it drawn out – ‘Where are youah goahing?’ ‘Take your coaht if you’re going to buy soahp.’ ‘Noahp, doahn’t knoah where to goah. But maybe by the Laaaake, ensoah?’

   Oh, Yah.

     Growing up, my (and others’) speech was dotted with ‘Yahs,’ and ‘enzoahs.’ (Which I will explain momentarily, enso?)

    Going back to the title of this blog, ‘down by’ is in regular-standard-American English ‘to’ or ‘at.’ ‘Bei’ (pronounced BY) in German is ‘at’…so with all the Deutsche in the area it made sense. ‘I’m going by my friend’s house,’ or ‘You want? I’m going by the store, enso.”

   So now that you know where you are (or ‘are at,’ if you’re from Toledo, Ohio – but that’s another topic for yet another blog) it’s time to learn some of the more ‘colorful’ phrases in Sheboyganese! Yay!

    ‘Let’s ‘goah down by the Laaake, once yet, ensoah?’ This statement includes proper (well Sheboyganese pronunciation.) As for translation – ‘Let’s go to the Lake.’  Say that to anyone in Sheboygan, they’ll point you east…Lake Michigan is always east if you’re in Wisconsin.

     But, hey, der! (Or ‘hey there’ in English) look at all those extra words!

    For some reason, everything in my hometown was done once. ‘C’mere once,’ ‘let’s goah by the mall once.’ And for some reason, - once- a vast majority of the time was followed with ‘enso.’ Or ‘and so.’  Who knows why!’

    And ‘yah’ is a given – direct translation form the German ‘ja’ or ‘yes.’

    Zoah, now that you got dat down, once, you can talk like a Cheezer! J (That would be a Cheesehead – Wisconsin natives - for those of you who haven’t heard.)     

                   

Wendy Burke blogs regularly for A Daily Dose of Decadence and is in the final editing process on RESPITE, a post-WWII romance to be published soon by Decadent Publishing. She can be found on Facebook – Wendy Burke Author, at the Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America site and on TWITTER: @WendyBurke 1994. When not playing with the people in her head, Wendy has a fine life with a chef husband (YES – no cooking!) and two furry feline kids and a full-time job that keeps her from writing fulltime in ‘beautiful’ Toledo, Ohio.