Sunday, April 05, 2009

Guest Blogger: Barbara Sheridan

The winner of Barbara's books is: Dawn McClure! Congrats, Dawn. Send me your contact info and I'll pass it along to Barbara. Thanks to everyone who participated.
That Was Then, This is Now

It's hard to believe that ten years has gone by since April 1999 when my first book, Timeless Wish was published as part of the old Jove Time Passages line. I can still remember seeing it for the first time and thinking. The cover is so green, the photo album so wrong, the back blurb so very dull . . . *grin*

I was sad when the line folded and TW went out of print a few years later, but by then e-publishing was starting to take off and I was fortunate to have Cerridwen Press love the book as much as I did. They gave me a lovely new cover and allowed me to use the blurb I wrote, the one I used in my original query to Berkley/Jove:

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1898, Sheriff Corby Hillhouse makes this heartfelt wish: "Please send me a woman my love won't kill." Corby doesn't realize it, but his wish is granted in the form of 20th century interior designer, Laura Bennett. Like Corby, Laura harbors many regrets, but when she's hired as nanny to Corby's motherless daughter she finds the happiness she'd been searching for. But before Laura can enjoy her new life she has to get past Corby's suspicious nature, his spiteful ex-lover, and the man who wants both Corby and his daughter dead.

I suppose the oddest thing about Timeless Wish is that it's actually the third book in a loosely connected trilogy featuring members of the Hillhouse & McNamara families of the old Indian Territory/early Oklahoma. Only my Muse would be whacked enough to stick a paranormal in with two historical romances.

Then again . . . my formative years were spent being influenced by TV shows like Bonanza, Big Valley, and Gunsmoke as well as all the "woo-woo" happenings of Dark Shadows, Time Tunnel, and our local weekly Saturday night B-movie fest-Chiller Theater, so it all makes perfect sense.

If you'd like to see how my mad Muse managed to combine those early influences, leave a comment to this post. The winner will receive electronic copies of Bittersweet Surrender, Sweet Medicine and of course Timeless Wish.

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Barbara's winner will be selected and posted here on Tuesday evening.

20 Comments:

Blogger Becky said...

I like the new cover for "Timeless Wish". I agree the first cover just had to much green. "Timeless Wish" sound like a good book. I also always watched Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Dark Shadows. I wouldn't mind seeing how your Muse managed to combine those early influences of yours.

5:32 AM  
Blogger Zita said...

10 years goes by in a flash, doesn't it? I'd love to see how mad your muse is :D

6:23 AM  
Blogger Barbara Sheridan said...

Becky, Zita, thanks for posting. I really like Timeless Wish and the other two books as well. The characters have stayed with me.


FYI --I'm off to babysit in a bit and might not get to check in until later today or this evening.

6:28 AM  
Blogger Judy said...

I like your new cover better than the older one. This trilogy sounds like it is very good. Since getting older, 10 years just flies by :)


Judy (magnolias_1@msn.com)

8:00 AM  
Blogger Maureen said...

I know from working in bookstores, green can be a bad color for a cover. But then again...it depends on the trends at the time. I think the new cover really does the story justice...

Barb? Mad? Never!
- Maureen

When are we going to get that gothic vampire cowboy book everyone wants?

8:36 AM  
Blogger Dawn McClure said...

I like the new cover! Sounds like an interesting story. Ten years goes by fast, doesn't it?

9:04 AM  
Blogger Patricia Altner said...

History and the paranormal - a hard combination to beat. At least in my estimation.

I'm looking forward to reading the results from your mad muse.

9:39 AM  
Blogger JenB said...

I really enjoyed Timeless Wish. I read the e-book and liked it enough to hunt down the MMPB with the moldy green cover. ;)

I do plan to read Bittersweet Surrender and Sweet Medicine eventually (if my TBR pile doesn't come alive and kill me first), but no need to enter me in the drawing. I just wanted to stop by and say hi to Barbara. *waves*

10:58 AM  
Blogger Pugsley!! said...

It is so wonderful that it has been 10 years for you, Barbara!! \(^▽^)/

It is wonderful that you have been sharing so many wonderful stories with your fans for so long, and I hope that you spend 50 - 60 - 70 more years, sharing your very creative mind with us!!

Thank you for the love, Barbara!! (。◕‿◕。)

11:26 AM  
Blogger kerribookwriter said...

Wow Barbara! Well that just goes to prove how great the story is...as it has stood the test of time and is therefore "timeless" itself. What a huge accomplishment. Way 2 go!

Any advice for those of us out here struggling to "do it all"? I'm having a tough time finding enough time to write and chase around my toddler too! LOL

Enjoyed seeing you here!

12:25 PM  
Blogger Pamela K. Kinney said...

Love the news cover and congrats on getting it reprinted. :-D

12:39 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Judy & Dawn--Time is flying by way too quickly.

Jen, Stacey, 2nd Chance--*hugs* Thanks for stopping by and the kind words.

Kerri--Thank you. One of the best compliments I've had on the books is from an agent who'd asked to see past books along with a submission I'd queried on. She said she loved the Hillhouse books.

Sorry I have no advice on "doing it all". I still struggle with that and the babies I'm watching are the grandbabies. O_o
Pamela--Thank you.

1:41 PM  
Blogger Barbara Sheridan said...

*Headdesk* I'm on the laptop my oldest kid (Jessica)snagged from me and didn't realize she was logged in for Blogger

1:43 PM  
Blogger Lynda Hilburn said...

Barbara: Welcome to Paranormality. It's great to have you here. Congratulations on the rebirth of your book. I like both covers!!
Lynda

1:49 PM  
Blogger Kara said...

The new cover is gorgeous. Would love to sample these books - I too watched Gunsmoke and Dark Shadows.

2:58 PM  
Anonymous Tracie said...

I still have my original copy of Timeless Wish and still love to read it. I think I have read it at least 6 times over the last 10 years. It is starting to look a bit bedraggled, but that doesn't diminish the love of reading it.
The new cover is so classy looking!

Tracie
tbsrn96@comcast.net

5:05 PM  
Blogger Barbara Sheridan said...

Lynda--Thank you for letting me babble in your space ^_^

Kara--Thank you. I totally love all the characters in the books.

Tracie--Hi! Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm thrilled the book is a keeper for you. I've finally started doing a story for Laurie's friend Jake Hillhouse my gorgeous stuntman. Let's hop I can get my Muse in gear to finish it.

5:49 PM  
Anonymous Missy Jane said...

Barbara, I see you thought of something to say after all! That's hilarious that the trilogy is a mix of paranormal and historical, but I certainly see nothing wrong with that. Here's hoping for a few more decades of your awesome writing!
-Melissa

6:40 PM  
Blogger Barbara Sheridan said...

Hey Missy Jane Thank you. ^_^ It wasn't the most scintillating post but I managed.

7:22 PM  
Blogger Danielle said...

Bring back memories. I loved Jove's Time Passages line. I would haunt libraries and bookstores to find them. At that time there still weren't a whole lot of "paranormal" romance books out there; not compared to today. I was so crazy for anything different in the romance genre. I remember this book and countless others. Still have many of them on my bookshelves. I like the new cover!

8:43 PM  

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