Guest Blog + #Giveaway with Darlene Panzera ~ Bet You’ll Marry Me ~
We’re happy to have author Darlene Panzera stopping by the blog today to talk with us about her favorite aspect of writing, as well as share with us her the scoop on her latest release, BET YOU’LL MARRY ME! Darlene has also come with a giveaway prize!
BET YOU’LL MARRY ME – Book Blurb In Darlene Panzera’s BET YOU’LL MARRY ME, an entire town places a bet on just whom Jenny O’Brien will marry…and her choice surprises them all! When tall, handsome out-of-towner Nick Chandler first sets eyes on Jenny O’Brien, she’s storming into the Bets & Burgers Café, wielding a broom and threatening the safety of every man in sight. Hey, he figures, she’s got the right to be annoyed—the whole town seems to be laying bets on Jenny’s future. Nick’s annoyed as well. He didn’t think he’d have to propose to romance the land away from her, but to save his sister and his ill-fated business, he jumps into the fray and bets $10,000 that Jenny will marry him. Now the only thing stopping him from seizing her land…may be his own heart.
Darlene Panzera: My favorite Aspect of Writing
I usually come up with the best ideas for my stories while driving or when I’m away on a day trip. I keep a notepad and pen handy and if I’m the one behind the wheel, I’ll dictate my idea to my daughter and have her write it down. Ideas are always big and bright and colorful. Anything is possible in the idea stage.
Sitting down and putting words on a blank page is much harder. Where do you start? I use charts, templates, and index cards to help me sort out the story before I begin writing and then I put all the notes into an outline on my laptop. From there I expand here and there, sometimes not even writing in complete sentences. Sometimes I’ll flesh out middle or end scenes before I’ve figured out my beginning. Sometimes I rewrite the beginning several times, starting in different places in the story. The key is to have something to work with.
That’s when it gets fun again. I love the revision process. Once I have a scene I can go deeper into the characters personalities, motivations, goals, and make connections. I love finding the connections. A research of the area I am writing about can bring in the perfect festival event at the right time. A running joke from the previous scene can tie into the next one. One character’s triumph can lead to another character’s disaster. Let the games begin!
Many times the story will change when I write because new ideas will pop up. Before my story is complete it undergoes several drafts. Then once it’s finished, it’s time to start over with a new idea all over again!
Please leave a comment below or on my website at www.darlenepanzera.com and let me know when and where you are most creative? In the kitchen? On a boat? In the shower? I’m looking forward to all of your answers!
AUTHOR BIO
Darlene Panzera is the winner of the “Make Your Dreams Come True” contest sponsored by Avon Books, which led her novella, THE BET, to be published with Debbie Macomber’s FAMILY AFFAIR released July 2012. The full length novel, retitled, BET YOU’LL MARRY ME, releases December 12, 2012. She is currently working on a 3 novella set for Avon Books, a division of HarperCollins, to be published May 2013 titled, THE CUPCAKE DIARIES. Darlene is a graduate of the Writer’s Digest advanced novel writing school,
The Christian Writer’s Guild apprentice program, and a member of Romance Writers of America’s Greater Seattle and Peninsula chapters. Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene is now a resident of the Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband and three children. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her family and her two horses, and loves camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.
Write to Darlene Panzera at : P.O. Box 1876 Belfair, WA 98528
Or visit her website: www.darlenepanzera.com
Giveaway Details:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tanya
Sounds like a great read!! Thanks for the chance to win!
This sounds like a fun read that has the potential for a bunch of mishaps. I can’t wait. I bet the secondary characters are almost as fun as the main two.
Rhonda D
slinkydennis@yahoo.com
This sounds like a great book. I do love a book with humor. I’d love to read it.
Lol I am not creative at all. But a notepad next to the bed would be handy sometimes. I do my thinking in the bath tub though, nothing to distract me there.
Thank you everyone for your comments! And I’d like to say a big thank you to Novel Reflections for having me here today!
Thanks for the giveaway!! Sounds like a fun book!
This sounds like a lovely read!
I find I’m most creative (my mind seems most sharp and creative) is when I’m in the shower…of course when I have no pen and paper to write things down
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