Guest Blogger: Rachel Firasek!

Good morning to all of my lovely fans!

Today I have an exciting treat for each of you....

No, not that. (I wish...but I'm on a diet.)

No...not that, either. Though I could really go for one of those.

*Shudder*

Okay, keep your focus! It's a guest post from the amazing blogger and published author, Rachel Firasek!

Rachel's book, The Last Rising, came out from Entangled Publishing this month, and I am about half way through it. (Review thus far: AH-Mazing and sexy. Good combo.) Her second book, The Last Awakening, will be available in October, followed by the last in the series, The Last Beginning, in November.

Out right now....go get a copy. Stat.

Back to back releases? Exciting, sexy, paranormal action? Um, yes please. Where do I sign up?

I have to say, I am enamored with this author. She reads, she blogs, she writes, she edits, she does it all...and she does this all on top of being a wife and mother. Impressive? Yah. I'd say so. Rachel said she'd do a little guest post for me, and came up with some pretty funny stuff. I love a girl who is talented and funny!

***Stay tuned after the guest blog, because I am posting a give-away for my loyal blog followers***

Does Real Life Romance Compare to Fiction?

Brooke asked me to give you all a post comparing my real romantic life to the romantic lives of my characters. *scratches head* I sat in a quandary this afternoon, wondering how I was going to do this and then I thought of Brooke’s love of pictures. Light bulb blinded me and here you go:

In most true romances there is always a sense of excitement. Knees forget how to work, heart rate thinks it’s at the races, and the world is perfect even if you are selling blood to eat your next meal. 

 See the giddy smile? Perfect. 

My budding romance wasn’t any different. My husband swept me off my feet and carried me to a white puffy cloud of “perfect” in the country. We were in love.  Now, in my stories, you’ll hardly ever see this happening. If a romance story started easy, what is there to look forward to? Where’s the conflict? 

But, at some point when the hero and heroine find themselves smitten, they will get this cheeky grin affliction that you see above.  

And like my characters’ lives, things happen. In my case, I grew up and realized that not everything is always perfect. Conflict wears on a romance and does its best to snatch the memory of those first moments. 

Kids take over your every peaceful moment.

Hubby plays away from home.

You’ve long forgotten what a bouquet of flowers smelled like. 

In other words, life happens. 

My stories aren’t so different. A god will torture the heroine, forcing her to step outside of her head. A hero will make a mistake—push too fast or say the wrong thing. It’s life only bigger. 

But…..

A strong woman/heroine will find her way back and force love to work. And that’s what I do each day. I find the time to trace a finger down his neck, kiss him goodbye, or stroke his ego when he’s down. (Ladies, as much as we think men shouldn’t need this, they do.)

My heroines are strong, willful women who will stop at nothing to make their lives work. And at the end of the day, I can only hope that my real life romance will be half as good as the ones I can conjure up on paper. 

So, three tips on writing a great romance and staying true to real life:

1. 1. Be bigger than life always. 
2. 2. Overcome the conflict and rise above the fear and pain.
3. 3. Remember those moments that brought you together in the first place. 
4. 
   

And maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll find out the true meaning of a life well loved.

The advice was free, but then again, love is priceless. 

Rachel Firasek grew up in the South, and despite the gentle pace, she

harassed life at full steam. Her curiosity about mythology, human nature,

and the chemical imbalance we call love led her to writing. Her stories began

with macabre war poems and shifted to enchanted fairy tales, before she

settled on a blending of the two.

Today, you’ll find her tucked on a small parcel of land, surrounded

by bleating sheep and barking dogs, with her husband and children. She

entertains them all with her wacky sense of humor or animated reenactments

of bad Eighties dance moves.

She’s intrigued by anything unexplained and seeks the answers to this

crazy thing we call life. You can find her where the heart twists the soul and

lights the shadows… or at http://www.rachefirasek.com. 

Thanks for the awesomely snarky guest post, Rachel. You completely rule. :) And for my give away, I am asking my blog followers this question:

What does Rachel remind us that every man needs, even when we don't think he should?

Answer that, and I'll know you're paying attention. If you leave your email address, I will enter you to win a CD of songs that inspired The What If Guy, some Fairfield goodies, CHEESE, and a signed copy of The What If Guy to enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping in, Rachel!

Brooke Moss.