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Finding inspiration in Seattle

I frequently feature actual Seattle landmarks in my Grayce Walters series, partly because I love my home city and partly to create a sense of realism for readers who are familiar with this region. Part of the storyline for Marriage Under Fire, the September release in my contemporary romantic suspense series, was inspired by Seattle’s local refugee and immigrant community.

One of my primary research resources for this was the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), an organization that provides assistance and support to refugee and immigrant women and their families. ReWA has been active in Seattle’s multicultural community for more than 30 years and their work is life changing. Here are some of their accomplishments and compelling facts:

• Services are available in more than 60 languages/dialects
• More than 30 percent of King County residents are foreign-born, based on the 2010 Census
• ReWA helps refugees learn English, find housing and jobs, and gain U.S. citizenship
• Services from ReWA also include domestic violence aid, youth & senior programs, and meals

Yet another reason I love being a romantic suspense author is being able to showcase incredible organizations such as this that make a difference in the community.

Authors' Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer are finally coming to an end, at least according to the calendar. Here in Washington state we’ve been experiencing a unusual heat wave. This July was a record breaker, going down as the hottest month in Seattle history since 1890!

The Dog Days of Summer run from July 3 to August 11 and refer to the sultriest days of summer. Early observers in the Mediterranean region discovered this period coincided with the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun.

In honor of the Dog Days of Summer, I’m featuring some of my author friends and their canine sidekicks. There’s also a little surprise squeezed in here. If you are still in need of summer reading, be sure to check out each author’s recent release!

Callie Hutton‘s four-legged friend Daisy. The Highlander’s Choice is a Scottish Regency historical.

Gunny, Chris Keniston‘s pooch pal, is also an aspiring author. If you like contemporary romance with military heroes, check out Aloha Texas.

Ava Branson‘s four-legged friend Cosmo is decidedly more feline than canine. Fiery Seas, a contemporary romance, makes a great beach read.

C.B. Williams is bound and determined to fit her Golden Doodle Miki in one of those designer handbags. Champion of Entean is science fiction romance with a splash of fantasy.

Sugar keeps Teri Riggs company while working on contemporary stories like her recent release, Sunsets and New Beginnings.

My two Golden Labs, Gus and Talley, provided inspiration for the canine characters in my contemporary romantic suspense books, such as Men Under Fire, from the Grayce Walters series.

Whose keeping you company during these steamy Dog Days of Summer?

Researching Seattle farmers markets for Marriage Under Fire

I’m currently working on MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, Book 4 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series. One of the scenes is set in the Columbia City Farmers Market where Maddy and Hunter are working undercover.

Seattle has seven neighborhood farmers markets, each of which offers locally grown produce, artisan food products, meat and seafood, and other farm-fresh products. South Seattle’s Columbia City farmers market features one of the most diverse populations of all the markets.

I love incorporating actual Seattle locations into my books, both to lend authenticity to the storyline but also to introduce readers to neighborhood locales they may not be familiar with. Researching local farmers markets was no hardship because I had the opportunity to experience the local Pacific Northwest’s bounty.

Photos from Columbia City Farmers Market Facebook page.

The making of a book trailer

My name is Maria Connor, of My Author Concierge, and I am Jacki’s assistant. Jacki invited me to write a guest blog on our recent experience in creating the book trailer for her new audiobook release, A CODE OF THE HEART.

There are many services available that will create book trailers, but in reality, these video teasers aren’t that difficult to put together and it’s fun to occasionally venture into a different creative sphere. Assembling visual and audio elements requires a different perspective than working with words, but it is no less rewarding.

Join me now for a behind-the-scenes look at creating book trailers.

Developing a book trailer starts with a script. This can be the book cover copy (also called the book blurb or book summary), an excerpt from the book, or something entirely different. For A CODE OF THE HEART, we used a brief excerpt that reflected the storyline, plus the tag line for the Code Breakers series. The script can either be narrated or added as text.

The next step in the process is to assemble the graphic and audio components. This can be a challenge, as you must comply with copyright laws. You must have permission or be authorized to use the content in your trailer. To avoid any problems, I either use images owned by myself or the author, or stock art/music I have purchased. You can also use material under a Creative Commons license.

Finding licensed images for Regency romance can sometimes be a challenge. One of the images we considered using for this book trailer was discarded when we realized the male model–posed in a classic historical romance cover embrace–was wearing a gold chain necklace. We didn’t want any readers complaining about the historical inaccuracy of such an image so we selected a different graphic. Another way to solve the problem of limited Regency England images is to look for photos that reflect the story elements without specifically portraying them. For example, in this book trailer, the “spilled” tea cup represents the poisoning, danger and betrayal incidents in the story, while the British flag was selected to signify the intrigue and danger to the British monarch.

I use Windows Movie Maker to assemble the audio and video elements into a finished product. For the audio “mixing,” I use Audacity, a user-friendly program that is essentially just cutting and pasting portions of sound tracks together.

A Code of the Heart Book Trailer from Jacki Delecki on Vimeo.

For a sample of Jacki’s new audiobook, listen HERE.

I hope you enjoy our creative efforts and that we’ve made you curious to learn more about Jacki’s Regency romantic suspense! If you’d like more information about Jacki’s audiobooks, you can find A CODE OF LOVE and A CODE OF THE HEART on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

Celebrating the Fourth of July

One of the highlights of summertime is upon us: The Fourth of July celebration! Across America, families and friends will come together in backyards, on beaches and at parks in honor of this holiday.

Independence Day is also a reminder that we are fortunate to live in a country that affords the opportunities and privileges as ours does. It’s also an opportunity to recognize those who serve to protect and defend our freedom.

Today’s military personnel serve with incredible dedication, proving that every man and woman has the potential to be a hero. That’s one of the reasons I often feature characters with a military background in my Grayce Walters series. Sergeant Nick Welby and his bomb-sniffing golden lab, the lead characters in MEN UNDER FIRE, are an example of this.

To those who have served or are currently serving, I offer a special thank you on this Fourth of July. Know that your service and sacrifice are appreciated.

How will you be celebrating Independence Day? Are you vacationing? Attending a family reunion? Cooking for friends? For those in need of culinary inspiration, check out these classic All-American recipes. One of our family traditions on the Fourth is making s’mores. If you’re interested in making homemade marshmallows and graham crackers, Martha Stewart offers a couple of recipes. Let me know how they turn out!

Happy fireworks and freedom!