The wonderfully talented Susan Behon talks about some of the many reasons why writers write, and opens up about some of her own writing struggles. 

Why Do Writers Write?
By Susan Behon

Why do writers write? Like Stephen King said, it's not for the money, and it's definitely not for the fame. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't turn down a fat paycheck, but I started writing because it felt like something I was meant to do. I hesitated for years before I finally took the plunge and tried writing a book. There were so many excuses...not enough time...not enough talent...or ooh look, there's something shiny! 

The years passed and every so often, my need to write outweighed my reasons not to. I'll admit it. I wrote fanfiction. I got my feet wet and I enjoyed the feedback. That still wasn't enough. I wrote a few pieces of satire and that wasn't enough either. My biggest obstacle was me. That inner voice that said, "You just aren't good enough to write something as big as a book."  

I love books and to my credit, I think I've read thousands of them. As for romance novels, my addiction to them started when I was thirteen years old and the school librarian wanted to get rid of a bag of Harlequins. It was a treasure trove! I sat on my bunk bed and read the lot of them. As an introverted kid, the stories took me to places and introduced me to people—characters—that were interesting, funny, dramatic, and, of course, sexy. My books were my friends. They still are.

One fateful night, my muse kicked my inner doubt's ass and I woke up wanting, N0--needing to write a book. My hand flew across my spiral bound notebook with story ideas, characters, and dialogue. Some were good, some were bad, some were downright awful, but my new mission in life was to write my own romance novel.  

By the way, let me tell you why I will never give another writer a bad review. Writing a book is hard and if you take the initiative to try it, you have my complete and utter respect. Simple words, but true nonetheless. Holy Hell, how did people do it?

Be sure to check out Susan's latest release, 

All or Nothing 

Security expert Christopher King had his dream woman until he was forced to let her go. Fiona O’Malley is determined to find out the truth and Chris will do anything to keep her safe. She is the key to unlocking his secrets, including the love he can no longer hide

Buy Links:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/28JCbIg
iTunes: http://apple.co/26LF0zm
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/24um1qR
BAM: http://bit.ly/1UsZjwG
                                                                             Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SVb9ND
                                                                               Googleplay: http://bit.ly/24umnxL

I'm fortunate to be home all summer when the three kids are off from school. Well, I use the word fortunate loosely. Some days I wish I'd signed them up for an away camp. The girls are 15 and 12 and fight nearly 24/7. Seriously. It's tough raising a diva and a tom boy. You'd think they'd stay out each other's way, but no. They insist on telling the other what is wrong with their music, clothing, food, make up, friend, and vocabulary choices. Even the way they breath, roll their eyes, laugh...fight. *sigh* 

The Little Guy is 10 and is content being a couch potato. However, being the terribly mean mom that I am, screen time is limited. After his initial whining, he's content playing with his Legos for a bit. And by noon all three children are bored, insisting we do something, not thrilled with the chore charts and reading logs. While this mom is quite content lounging by the pool with a book. The kids, however, only like to swim with friends.

So, the more the merrier. The Rice household is a much more calm and peaceful place when the kids have friends over. Sure, it's louder, but the noise is laughter, playing, friendly competition. My children have wonderful friends who like the siblings and actually enjoy playing in a big group. 

There's so much splashing and jumping and monkeying around in the pool right now that I moved myself to the patio (still keeping an eye on the kiddos) and am actually able to write a few sentences without being interrupted. Six kids...easier than three.

It's strangely odd that less food is eaten in the house with six kids then when it's just my three. Constant grazers, my tribe. Today they're so busy playing and...being kids that I had to call them in from the pool to eat lunch. Their friends are happy. The kids are happy. I'm happy.

Someone wants Season’s land. And they’ll do anything to get it. Even murder.

• Nominated for a Rone Award
• Finalist Independent Author Network Best Book

Blurb:
Season Scrimshaw isn't selling the land her parents left her when they died, not even to the gorgeous Rann Brogan who saved her life in the forest. Especially not after she finds out he was in the woods to survey her property.

The company Rann works for, his mother's company, wants the land for a luxury condo development and they want it bad. He never dreamed they'd go to such extreme lengths to get it.

Lives spiral out of control, lies and betrayal play center stage. Caught in the middle between his rich and powerful mother and the woman he loves, Rann discovers love is complicated...and sometimes lethal.

A stand-alone contemporary romance with elements of suspense.
 
Excerpt:
Looking at the road Season traveled, a sense of the unfamiliar hit her. Holy crap! This isn’t right. Don’t panic, take a deep breath. You’re not on Mars, at least I don’t think they have red barns and silos on Mars.
 
Cows grazed in the pastures, a black crow or two crossed the sky. She realized she must have made a wrong turn leaving the 7-Eleven. Was she supposed to go right to get back onto the Interstate or left? She’d have to backtrack and that shouldn’t be a problem since she couldn’t have traveled more than four miles. The gravel road didn’t want to cooperate with her plan. The straight path she’d been on had now turned into a bend, an elongated curve with no end in sight. Still no reason to panic. Hey, if it is a never-ending bend I’ll end up back at the little store.
 
About to reach for her cell in the passenger seat, she checked her rearview mirror first. A cloud of dust had formed behind her car, a whirling dervish that screeched fast and furious. If it didn’t slow down, and there wasn’t a lane on either side to pass her, how would it navigate around her?
 
Kaboom! The car slammed into her tailgate. Her neck whipped forward and then back again. Full-blown terror snaked down her spine. The car hadn’t stopped; it was still swerving and swaying behind her. She didn’t dare pull over. This was no accident but an intentional act. She wracked her brain. Had she pulled out in front of someone unknowingly? What about the clerk at the store? God, she couldn’t even remember what he looked like. Had he followed her?
 
Kaboom! A scream seized her throat. The Denali veered to the right. Tires squealed, hers or the other vehicle’s she didn’t know. Curve eternal still loomed ahead with no driveways or turnarounds in sight. Frantic now, she searched the seat for her phone. Her hand met flat leather. It must have fallen during the last ram.
 
With one eye on the gravel road, one in the rearview mirror, a beam of sunlight illuminated the maniac’s car. Spiders crawled over her skin. Silver SUV? No, it can’t be! An engine roared and then brakes squealed. She clung to the steering wheel and prayed.
 
Bam! The Denali screamed its outrage or was it the sound of broken glass? A steep bank ahead flashed in her line of vision. Dear God, help me! Oh no, oh, no! Like a spinning top, the Denali flipped, ass over tea kettle. Immense pain shot through her body. Something warm and sticky ran down her face. Why hadn’t the air bag deployed? Her vision faded in and out, and she couldn’t form a rational thought. Oh, Pearl, we’re dying. Duna! Oh, my God, Duna, I-I shouldn’t have listened to you this time, should have followed my aura meter.
Lying snake. 
Complete, utter darkness engulfed her.
 
Bio:
Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature. She adores animals and donates her time and support to local food and animal shelters.

Keta is a multi-published author in contemporary romance, erotic romance and gay fiction. She's also an Amazon best-selling author. Her erotica novel Decadent Deceptions was a finalist in the MOLLY contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America and was nominated for a Red Carpet Award in 2014. Her paranormal novel Meko’s Woman was nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark and her historical novel Sky Tinted Water was nominated for a RONE Award by Ind’Tale Magazine. Her latest contemporary romance novel, Season, Unforgettable, was a finalist in the romance category sponsored by Independent Author Network Book Awards for 2015.
 
Keta's books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Read awards from top professional review sites.
 
Download Season, Unforgettable
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1K1nXBr
Nook: http://bit.ly/23w8Qn3
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id992988050
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/season-unforgettable

Follow Keta on the Net:
Author Blog: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KetaDiablo.Author
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ketadiablo/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Keta-Diablo/e/B002BODURI/
 

​I'm looking for motivated readers to join my street team, the Ricecakes. As a Ricecake, you'll be the first to see my covers; at times I may share chapters or scenes from my WIP (work in progress) asking for your input/suggestions/critique; I'll be offering ARCs (advanced reader's copy) of my books BEFORE they're published in exchange for an honest review; free swag; and I'll be asking for your help in "pimping" my books. 

I realize life gets hectic and depending on the day/week/month, you may not be able to do it all (who can, really???). All I ask is that as a member of my street team you regularly help spread the word of my books. I'm not talking every day, or even every week, but being an active supporter is what a team is all about. 

Those who are selected to be a Ricecake will be invited to a closed Facebook group where we can chat, hang out, get to know each other. It'll be fun. Promise. A word of warning: I like posting pictures of sexy men (no total nudity...although a nice butt cheek every now and then may appear), wine, sarcasm and food. 

If you're still interested in joining, please complete the registration form and I'll let you know if you've made it in. I'm limiting the number of Ricecakes right now, but may open it up to another round in the future. Please share this form with other active readers who may be interested in joining the team. 

Thank you for your support,
Marianne

​Link to registration form: goo.gl/forms/upDLQ1ZAWtubmW7t1

PURCHASE LINKS: Available on Kindle Unlimited!
AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1WOpcce
AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/1XszP2T

Romantic Ideas to spend this spring with your favorite guy…

1. Visit an art museum
2. Walk on the beach (I know cheesy but it’s what my husband likes to do when we’re bored)
3. Go food shopping together and pick out something for each other to add to the cart
4. Plan a vacation or a cruise for a year away and talk about what you want to see or do (sometimes the planning is the fun part.)
5. Watch a movie together while snuggling
6. Take a dance class and use a groupon coupon
7. Visit a winery or local agriculture (perhaps apple picking)
8. Rent a boat or a canoe or kayak and hit the water (Or water ski if you’re adventurous)
9. Picnic in a local park somewhere
10. Go online to one of those places where you get coupons, like groupon, and pick something together that you’ve both never done… in Florida they have everything from helicopter rides, hot air balloons and 

Purchase Link: Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SrKB7I
 
Synopsis:
Penny moves back to Miami to start her new job. She must start on Monday, so she has a list of things to accomplish.
A: Find a place to live.
B: Avoid her mother.
C: Reconnect with old high school friends. There was her best friend, Sandra, the dramatic Eva, the dark Michael, her half-brother Wyatt, and her old high school crush Jay.
Jay had never looked twice at her except as a partner in math league, but at least these people respected her.
Jay spots Penny immediately and sets a plan in action. He needs her to pretend to be his date this week. She’s practical minded and stable, which is what he needs his investors to see in him.
Penny’s caught in a whirlwind of plots. Her gold digging mother, Jay’s, Jay’s mother whose out to stop him, and her own plans are being thrown off course. Worst of it is that she’s falling for Jay, all over again.

​Excerpt:
 
“Home, sweet, err…coffee.”
Getting out of her car, Penelope brushed her worn jeans to get out a small wrinkle. Not that it mattered. She smelled the coffee drawing her to the door. The delicious aroma of freshly brewed java that could wake her up waited inside. Gainesville had coffee shops, but nothing that held her heart like this place. In high school, this place was her mecca. Her stomach grumbled for the familiar drink.
The coffee shop looked almost the same as it had years ago, except for the aluminum tables and wooden chairs with red cushions. She remembered the plaid chairs and brown tables, but the place still calmed her, like she was coming home.
She stepped up to the counter. “I’ll have a cinnamon dulce nonfat latte, please.”
Leaving Gainesville after college had always been the plan. Just never back to Miami, but she’d changed. She could live here now.
She checked her lip gloss while she waited for the latte at the counter.
When she accepted the promotion from part-time to full-time, she knew she would have to face her mother and the catch of the month, Lars, her mother’s plastic surgeon. What that woman would do for a free tummy tuck.
The job she’d accepted had offered to triple her salary, provided she moved to the Coral Gables office. Somehow, she’d avoid her mother until necessary. What was the man’s name with money this week? Penny ignored that last call, knowing the man with the largest wallet always took precedence over whatever Penelope needed. She watched the barista get the nonfat milk and finish her latte. She’d succeed here, now. She had to.
She’d call Sandra, Eva, John, and Michael later. Wyatt, her half-brother, was stationed overseas, so she’d wait for his weekly call. These people were her real family.
The man handed her the latte. The first sip gave her the strength to do this. The tightness of the ride dissipated while she tasted her liquid savior. Sighing, she tasted heaven, the wake-up to her day.
“Penelope.”
Though the unmistakable voice was deeper, she knew who it was without even turning. Her high school crush, who never noticed her beyond her brain. Pulling at her pink tank top, she wished she’d worn better clothes. “John Jay.”
His steely blue eyes and sandy blond hair were the same color, but his build had grown more muscular. The leanness of his youth had given way to broad shoulders and hard, muscular arms. He had a straight, faded scar on his left cheek that was new—probably a bar fight. Rich boy wore his fancy, perfectly fitted polo and jeans, and was definitely hotter with age. His million-dollar smile and devastating dimples sparked a warm flush that sped through her all the way to the tips of her toes.
“I’m going by Jay these days. It’s less formal.” He winked at her, turning off his tablet and pointing her to his table.
“It’s a good name, but I still prefer Dimples,” she teased. “It’s what I called you on online whenever I needed you.”
His rich, deep laugh sent that familiar spark through her.
Damn. Rich boy knew his effect on women, including her. He could manipulate her when she went quiet, but she’d learned a lot in college. She’d not let him weaken her. 

​Contact Information
Website: http://www.victoriapinder.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriapinder1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/victoriapinder
 
Author Bio:
 
Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.
During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.
She’s always been determined. She is amazing, adventurous and assured on a regular basis. Her website is  www.victoriapinder.com.
Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Celtic Hearts and Savvy Authors.
 
For a free novella of Returning for Valentine’s Please Click here: http://victoriapinder.com/returningforvalentineshorttimeoffer
 

Excerpt:
Chris took Fiona by the waist and pulled her against him in an echo of their earlier embrace. “You want to know what it was? Why I dragged you back there?” She had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye. Chris’s heart thudded because he knew what he was about to confess. “It was me wanting you so much that every day without you has been my own special kind of Hell. And it was all of my own making. I couldn’t touch you or taste you because I forced you out of my reach. All that time, it was me seeing you, but not being able to stare, taking in your scent without being able to really inhale, and hearing your voice and not being able to say what was on my mind or in my…”
No, he’d said enough.
“To say what was in your what?” Fiona clutched at his shoulders. Chris didn’t know if her heart was pounding too or if it was the reverberations from his own slamming against her.
“Never mind.” Chris skittered back from the edge.
“Damn it. Tell me!” It was the closest he’d ever heard Fiona come to a shout. Her dormant Irish temper was wide awake now. “Come on, Christopher King, I’m right here.” She grabbed his hand and set it over her heart. Christ. Her upper chest was so soft and warm, it wasn’t much of a struggle to keep his hand right where it was. “Here I am. Feel me…see me…tell me what you want to say. Tell me what’s on your mind and in your…?”
“Goddamn it, Fee!” He felt goaded into raising his voice as well. “My heart, okay? I wanted to tell you what was in my heart. I love you so fucking much I ache with it.”
There. All his cards were on the table now. The absence of sound was deafening. Had they both stopped breathing? Fee hadn’t said anything yet and the suspense was killing him. He’d never told a woman he loved her before and waiting for her to either laugh at him or love him too, sucked. Screw it. He dropped his hands and stepped around her. “I’ll show you to your room. It’s been a long day. You’re probably tired…”
“I’m not tired.” She kept pace behind him.
He kept going. “The bathroom is to the left down the hall. You might want to take a shower…”
“I don’t want to take a shower…not alone, anyway.”
                                                                              * * * *
It took only long enough for Fiona to blink once before Chris had her back in his arms.
“Tell me that was an invitation.” The sensual gravel of his voice slid down her spine and spread out to all her pulse points. Still, the man was clueless.
“For a smart guy, you are the absolute worst at taking a hint. Should I sky-write it and really give the town something to talk about? I want you. I want you. I want you.”
Chris lowered his head until their lips were only a breath apart. “So, you’re saying you want me?”
Fiona closed her eyes and waited for him to close the distance. “Why else do you think I’m here?”
“So I can keep you safe?”
“That’s a bonus, tough guy.”
He stepped back and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “This is a bad idea. We need to cool down and figure out…”
“Where’s your room?”
“Down the hall, next to yours.”
“Fabulous.” Fee brushed past him and took off for the hallway.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m hoping in the right direction. It’s hard to tell in the dark.”

Author Bio:
Susan Behon, author of the Madison Falls series, enjoys creating a world that brings readers romance, laughter, and a healthy dose of sexiness. Susan graduated summa cum laude with a B. A. in English from Norfolk State University. She currently lives in Ohio with her very own romance hero of a husband and their two wonderful daughters.