Looking for something to read? Short on time? Check out my sweet new short story.  It’s free to read.  All I ask is that you vote for what should happen next in the story. Simple huh?

Check it out: http://madison-chase.com/book_shelf/warm_autumn_wishes/21-about_the_story

It’s called Warm Autumn Wishes and the first Chapter is available now on my website.

If you’d like to reprint the story, there are details on that page.

MC: Hi Mia. Welcome to my front porch. Make yourself comfortable. Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? When did you start writing?

MR: Hi Madison. Thanks for inviting me! Today I live in Alabama. I moved here a little over a year ago from Tennessee. I started writing about five years ago on a regular basis, but I’ve always love to write stories even from a very young age.

MC: Do you remember the first romance novel you ever read? If so, what was it?

MR: I started to read my mother’s Harlequin romances when I was around eleven years old. I’ve always loved reading a happy-ever-after story, and I was hooked after I read the first one. I don’t remember the title of the book, but I know I had a favorite author by the name of Glenna Finley who wrote for a brief time and then seemed to vanish. She didn’t write for H/S, but her books were wonderful! I wish I could find out what happened to her, and if she still is writing under a different name. Her books went on my keeper shelf for years.

MC: You write for Cobblestone Press. Tell us about your books.

MR: I love writing for Cobblestone, and most of what I write has a Chicklit tone. I think that we should have some fun and humor in our life each day. That is what I hope to bring to my readers in my writing. I do writes some romantic suspense as well, and I always like to include a very unexpected twist in those that leaves the reader saying; wow, I didn’t see that coming!

Right now I have two books that have been released with Cobblestone and another one that will be out on October 31st. The first release is called Burnin’ Down Nash Vegas, and it is a romantic suspense. The second one is a fun Chicklit called, My Lips Are Sealed that I had such a blast writing.

MC: What’s coming up next from you?

MR: Next will be a romantic suspense that I just finished called Diamond. I’m currently looking for a home on that one. Right now I’m working on a Chicklit story for Valentines Day called Cupid’s Dilemma. It is turning into a fun romantic paranormal and I’m at around 9000 words on it.

MC: Tell us about Aaron Montgomery and Bailey Carson.

MR: Aaron is a very sexy firefighter who has a soft a caring heart deep down and a burning passion for Bailey, who is a country music singer. Both have been burned in relationships and are hesitant about taking a chance at love the second time around. The sparks that fly between them have them willing to take that risk. There are some unexpected events that take place in the book that really change their lives and the way they think.

MC: Do you have an advice for up and coming writers?

MR: The best advice I could give an up and coming writer is, never give up! Ever!

MC: Tell us about your kitty, Sherlock.

MR: Oh, Sherlock, where do I begin? LOL Sherlock is the most mysterious cat I’ve ever had in my life! I’ve always loved animals and had cats and dogs all my life. Out of all of them, Sherlock has made me laugh more than any other. He has an obsession for anything electronic–really! If I’m not up by five in the morning, he thinks it’s his duty to press the button on the alarm clock. Every morning! He loves to explore and usually gets into trouble. A few months back I caught him turning on the paper shredder in the office. He’s done this twice since then, and he thinks it’s fun to jump on top of it afterwards! It is a wonder he hasn’t caught his tail in the thing. Now I keep it unplugged unless I’m using it. His favorite toys are Beanie Babies. Each time he gets a new one, he carries it in his mouth through his pet door that leads into the garage. Once he gets in the garage with it, he takes it over to the litter box and stand there for a second as if to say, “See, this is the bathroom, I’m only showing you once, so pay attention.” Afterwards, he never takes them out to the garage again. He brings them in the house and places them on his pillow by the fireplace.

MC: What are your hobbies?

MR: I love to sew, cook and write–of course! I also love to do photography and some graphic art on occasion. I used to make wedding cakes, and I’ve sewn everything from my winter coats to curtains!

MC: How about some fun questions? Do you have a motto?

MR: My motto is this: If they say it can’t be done, then I’m going to prove them wrong!

MC: How about a favorite phrase?

MR: When you hit rock bottom, there’s only one way to go–up!

MC: Five words that describe you.

MR: Eccentric, Caring, Mysterious, Loving and Goofy

MC: Favorite food?

MR: Anything fried and fattening!

MC: Favorite beverage?

MR: Latte, Milkshakes, Margaritas

MC: Worst fear?

MR: Dying before I get a chance to write all the stories in my head.

MC: Favorite movies?

MR: Dirty Dancing, The Thomas Crown Affair, Under the Tuscan Sun

MC: Favorite TV shows?

MR: The Food Network

MC: If you could travel to any time and place, when, where and why?

MR: I would love to travel back to the days of the 1940′s in America. I think times were so much simpler then. People were less stressed, family was a priority and even though times were hard, there was a strong bond of honesty and integrity.

MC: Do you have a favorite sport?

MR: Ice Skating

MC: Are you running a contest for readers? Where can the meet you in the coming months?

MR: I will be doing some more contests in October for my Chicklit paranormal, Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Dead. In the coming months I will be traveling to Tennessee and back to Alabama. I am trying to be better about posting daily on my blog, so readers can keep up with what is going on with me.

MC: How can readers get in touch with you?

MR: I can be reached at romanobooks@yahoo.com

My website is www.freewebs.com/miaromano and my blog is www.miaromano.blogspot.com

There’s a new study (pdf, opens in new window) out this month that shows women believe more in paranormal than men.  Interesting, hmm?

I didn’t really have much to say about Banned Books Week, but I’ve seen some interesting posts around the blogosphere on the subject.  Here’s the first one I read. Sherrill Quinn has a few interesting things to say here and here.

Here’s a comment that I posted about the subject:

There’s a push at a local elementary school to remove Harry Potter from the libraries.  A preachers wife thinks they’d be bad for her kids because of the magical aspects.  Now, get this… she’s NEVER read the books and she freely admits to that. She’s basing her complaint on what other people have told her.

I agree.  This book wasn’t even required reading. But it was the most checked out book in the library! 

What do you think? Are there certain books that should be banned? I dare to guess that 99% of you will say no, simply because I think the people who do think some books should be banned aren’t the type who’d visit my blog.  But that’s just a guess.

I recently came across an interesting post from author Shanna Swendson and her views on Chick Lit. There are lots of opinions on chick lit right now. It seems some literary authors feel chick lit (and I’d dare to guess, fiction in general) isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Obviously as a fiction author, I don’t agree. But there’s a view out there right now that Chick Lit is destroying American culture.

While I don’t really like getting into political issues and name calling etc, I’ve been reading various posts on the subject with some interest. I’m truly interested in others opinions on the matter.

And one thing that I picked up on in Shanna’s post was this: “If anything is hurting America, it’s the fact that people aren’t reading much.”

I couldn’t agree more. I think part of it is that people don’t know how to read (a literacy issue), some don’t have time to read (scheduling issues), some people don’t have an interest in reading (they have yet to find something they like to read), etc. There are dozens of reasons for it. I’m not sure I want to get into all that.

I might revisit this topic, but for now, what do you think? Don’t hold back I want your honest opinion. Why do you or don’t you like fiction? Would you rather read a literary work about heartbreak and suffering? Do you enjoy reading the newspaper? Would you rather just read a cereal box? All opinions welcome. Call me curious Madison today.
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From time to time I like to cruise around my fellow authors’ blogs and see what’s new with them. So here’s a shout out to my fellow CP author, Jennah Sharpe, who got an awesome five star review from Ecataromance.

Another fellow CP author, Charlene Sands, just got some great news. A new contact for two (yes, count them) westerns.

I love seeing where authors have been. So check out Kate Bridges’ trip to the Yukon.

I also love when authors share favorite recipes. Like this Mushroom Tart that Kate Willoughby made.

Until next time, have fun!

M