Doreen Orsini

Dawn Thompson, author of paranormal romances such as Blood Moon and Lord of the Deep, passed away yesterday.  A woman who always greeted you with a smile, she will be sorely missed.  I can only imagine the tales she had yet to tell.  For me, Dawn played a major role in my tales making their way to publication.  As a new, unpublished author, I once asked Dawn for some advice.  I couldn’t understand why my manuscripts kept getting rejected.  After a few prodding questions from her and then some pointers and advice, I went home and rewrote an entire manuscript.  That manuscript was Hunting Diana, my first paperback.  Come to think about it, I actually wrote the first ten pages of No One But Madison using her advice.  Then I read it and realized that those ten pages blew away what I’d written so far of Hunting Diana.  Sadly, that was about 2/3 of it!  And so I rewrote it.  It would have been easy to pick at Dawn’s brain after that.  I had so many questions!  But I realized that her career was taking off.  And so…I would bide my time until we met at LIRW meetings or the luncheon.  She would greet me with that smile.  And with advice.  And excitement over the success of her books. 

Adieu, Dawn.  Your readers will miss you. 

Doreen

First let me say how sorry I am that I’ve been MIA so long.   Sometimes family comes first.  Well, it should always come first, but when you are a writer,  the line between the characters you created and the ones in your life grows blurry.  Your fifth grader asks for lunch just when your hero is in the midst of a life and death struggle.  Or, your teenager wants a ride to her boyfriend’s house–the boyfriend you despise–just when your heroine falls into the arms of your hero.  LOL Or you are in the middle of finally blogging and your teen son calls and asks if you could please, please drive him and his pals to Toysrus so they can buy a Ouija board!  Saying no, or telling them to wait becomes habit and if kept in check, works for both family and the writer.  There are times when your writing and communication with your readers must be put on that side burner while you give your family 100% of your time and love.  I’m sure many of my readers thought my absence was due to Triskelion’s bankruptcy.  No.  The two situations just came barreling into my life at the same time.

That aside…I have good news.  Ellora’s Cave has No One But Madison.   I’m looking forward to a long relationship with the publisher I have called my favorite since they first appeared on the internet.  I’m also writing like crazy and have a few agents asking to see my WIP.  I think I’ll keep the title a secret for now, but the book is as hot as No One But Madison and just as intense.  I’m trying something different…something that may test the limits RWA has put on romance. *chuckle* 

Tell me what you’ve been up to.  Authors are more then welcome to post about their new releases or sales here.  I’ve been out of action too long and would love to hear it all!

Doreen