Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of History and Kings...: A Novel Conversation with Bronwyn Elsmore’s Gina

Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of History and Kings...: A Novel Conversation with Bronwyn Elsmore’s Gina:   In conjunction with Indie BRAG posted every Friday #IndieBragNovConv  T o be a little different from the usual 'meet the au...

The Book Readers Demanded~Healthy Scratch

Once the Clearing the Ice Trilogy concluded with This Piece of Our Being, readers immediately requested more hockey romances featuring characters who played a central role in Caryn and Andrew’s saga. One of the most requested characters, Lauren Gentry kicks off the new spin-off series, Tampa Suns Hockey, in Healthy Scratch.

If you’ve read any of the books in the Clearing the Ice Trilogy, you know that Lauren’s an independent and success-oriented person who’s likely to blurt what’s on her mind before she considers the consequences. Well, true to her nature, Lauren certainly took control of her story and traveled in a direction I never anticipated! That’s one of the best benefits for an author—at least for me! You may think you know the general plot structure…but many times as characters develop, they throw a curve ball at your plot and you find yourself writing something you had not considered. I’ve learned to go where the main characters lead and just enjoy the journey!

Dealing with cyber-bullying never once played a part in the Healthy Scratch I thought I’d create. But suddenly I found myself taking a look at adult bullying, especially online, and discovered the topic did play a large factor in Healthy Scratch. Likewise, I didn’t know the many layers that created the relationship-adverse Lauren Gentry, nor did I anticipate her journey to confront her demons and understand her past. Many authors call this style of writing “pantsters” (writing by the seat of your pants) as opposed to the more traditional method of developing structured outlines and detailed character descriptions before beginning that first draft. Honestly, I’ve hated outlining since I was in middle school—my brain just doesn’t work that way. So, as they say, you play the hand you’re dealt!

Just in case you missed the “New Release” promotion for Healthy Scratch, you’ll find the details below. (Who’d imagine that Facebook would go dark, along with its family of apps, on the day after we released Healthy Scratch.) 

As a little Saint Patrick’s Day Flash Sale, you can grab This Piece of My Soul for just $.99 through March 17. That’s a savings of $3.00—maybe enough to enjoy your favorite green beverage this Sunday!

Yes, I’m already collecting suggestions for the next book in the series. Feel free to add yours after you’ve read Healthy Scratch!

Nicole's Book Musings: *~Release Boost: Healthy Scratch~*

Nicole's Book Musings: *~Release Boost: Healthy Scratch~*: Healthy Scratch by Robyn M. Ryan is the hockey romance you've been waiting for! AVAILABLE NOW!

I Heart YA Books: #NewRelease for #SportsRomance "Healthy Scratch: T...

I Heart YA Books: #NewRelease for #SportsRomance "Healthy Scratch: T...:                                   Healthy Scratch by Robyn M. Ryan is the hockey romance you've been waiting for! AVAILABLE NOW! A...

Awesome Romance Novels: Healthy Scratch by @RobynMRyan #NewRelease

Awesome Romance Novels: Healthy Scratch by @RobynMRyan #NewRelease: New Release by Robyn M. Ryan He wants out of the friend zone...she doesn't believe in happily ever after. Relationships are no...

Music: An Author's Muse

Music sets the muse in motion…at least in this writer’s experience. When you need to concentrate on a task, do you have a go-to playlist? For me, playlists set the mood and are far less distracting than the radio or television in the background—or silence.

Yes, silence is distracting. You hear all the little things you normally don’t notice because you’re usually surrounded by some kind of noise. Birds chirping~What kind of bird it that? Is it that bird perched right outside the window. Lawnmowers~Don’t you just love the smell of freshly cut grass? Who’s having their lawn serviced today? A siren in the distance~What happened? I hope everyone’s all right. Was there a wreck? My dog snoring~Since when does Kenzie snore? As you see, it doesn’t take much to get me off-task.

Just by chance, I discovered that music provides a soothing, non-intrusive background when writing. It sets a mood, depending on the genre you choose. While writing The Clearing the Ice trilogy, I often listened to two of my favorite artist’s albums. You may not know this artist if you live in the US, but in Quebec and Europe, he is a mega-star. We discovered him by chance during a visit to Paris. Garou (Pierre Garand) is a French-Canadian singer with a voice that is very conducive to writing romance. He sings in both French and English, but that doesn’t matter one bit. Most of the time, I don’t even realize which language he’s using. It’s the tenor, the tone, and the mood his music evokes that counts.

GAROU’S MUSIC SETS THE MUSE

His 2008 English album Piece of My Soul and a recent collaborative album Forever Gentlemen provided the muse needed while the books’ plot developed, changed, then fine-tuned once more. And then there were the edits…round one…rounds two…three…four… His strong, sexy, sometimes raspy voice kept me plugging away. And when that break is long overdue, listening to him sing is pure blissful relaxation.

We were lucky to see him perform during the Montreal International Jazz Festival in an intimate setting, The Metropolis club. That evening sizzled the entire two —three hours he sang. This is the same star who performs in sold-out mega-venues in Europe and Canada… there in a small club, giving everything he has to his audience.

He wants out of the friend zone…she doesn’t believe in happily ever after.

Relationships are not in Lauren Gentry’s playbook. The only kind she’s willing to consider are friends-with-benefits and even a red-hot and sexy hockey player like Dave Martin isn’t going to change that. Right?

When those chocolate brown eyes threaten to melt her defenses she has to remind herself that demons from her past could rise up at any moment. Which is going to be pretty hard to do, since she loses herself every time they touch.

Dave used to love the benefits that came easily to professional athletes; especially when they were in the form of puck bunnies who only wanted one night. But when he meets the pint-sized girl with bewitching green eyes and sun-streaked auburn hair his outlook suddenly changes. 

He wants forever with Lauren. Now he just has to convince her.

Can Lauren risk everything for the man she’s secretly been falling for? Or will her past stop her from taking a chance on love?

Healthy Scratch—book #1 of the Tampa Suns Hockey Series—is a standalone romance whose main characters’ lives are intertwined with those introduced in The Clearing the Ice Trilogy. You don’t need to read the trilogy to enjoy Healthy Scratch. The book stands on its own, promises HEA, and no cliffhangers! To heighten your enjoyment of the Tampa Suns Hockey Series, you may wish to read The Clearing the Ice Trilogy.