Tuesday, May 29, 2012

#WriterWednesday... with Robin Covington

Ladies and gents... welcome to another installment of #WriterWednesday, this time with the fabulous Robin Covington, a fellow Entangled Publishing peep, whose first book will be released in just a couple of weeks.

And because it's May, and hot, Robin's gonna talk to us about Christmas. Because that's how we writers roll.

Without further ado, here's Robin:

Christmas Carols by the Pool

I’m anxiously counting down the days to my first release! At the moment that I’m writing this blog post, A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT will be available from the Indulgence imprint of Entangled Publishing in 16 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes and 16, 15, 14, . . . seconds.  You get the picture.  To say that I am excited would be a little bit of an understatement!

 So, what am I doing in the meantime?  I’m writing a Christmas story, of course!

 Now, even on the best days it can be hard to summon the muse and get words on the page.  I have an evil day job (EDJ), a husband and two kids under ten — so sometimes I’m just plain tired.  And, this past weekend I sat by the pool with the two previously mentioned kids and the temperature hovered in the low 90’s (finally! I like it hot!) it was a challenge to summon the spirit of the Grinch — forget the jolly old elf!

 So, I went for the proven method to get me in the mood to write romance (get your mind out of the gutter!) — music.  I pulled up my 1000 song playlist of Christmas music and hit “play”. Suddenly, the water guns and pool floaties disappeared and were replaced by Christmas trees and twinkly lights.  Well . . . not really but it did help get the words on the page.

 These are the top five songs that helped summon the Spirit of Christmas not-so-distant-future:


  1. Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt
  2. Baby, It’s Cold Outside by the Glee Cast
  3. I’ll be Home for Christmas by Michael Buble
  4. Maybe Baby (New Year’s Eve) by Sugarland
  5. Snow Globe by Matt Wertz

Writer? Scrapbooker? Crafter? How do you summon the muse when you have to get down to business?

Since I asked for it, Robin was kind enough to share a bit of she wrote at the pool. I dunno about you, but I want to read more. 


"Turning in her seat, she was glad she was sitting when she took in the object of herinappropriate desire. Her best friend. Her boss.  Nicholas Boone.
            Even though he’d been in the United States for almost eight years, his demeanor still screamed “I’m sexy and British” and when he spoke it was like a sucker punch to her libido.  Man, she wanted to hear him whisper dirty things in her ear with that accent. Colin Firth, eat your heart out.
            With a slow grin, he pushed his glasses up on his nose and eased his hands into the pockets of his well-worn jeans.  The sleeves of his button up shirt were rolled up to reveal the lean, muscled forearms dusted with the dark blonde hair that also laid in unruly waves on his head and frequently over his forehead and into his eyes when he needed a haircut.  He needed one now and she bit back the reminder just perched on the edge of her tongue. Instead, she let her eyes travel down his long, lean form and back up again.  Damn, he even made a sweater vest look good."

 
Bio:

On her fortieth birthday, Robin Covington decided that having a mid-life crisis and finding a boy-toy were far too tacky, so she delved a little deeper into the “bucket list” and pulled out the long-shelved dream of becoming an author. Now, she spends her time writing sizzling romance where the hero and heroine can’t keep their hands off each other.

She doesn’t miss the boy-toy at all.

Her debut novel, A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT, coming on June 15, 2012 from the Indulgence line at Entangled Publishing.

Robin is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Washington Romance Writers, a faculty member at Romance University, a member of the Waterworld Mermaids, and a guest contributor to the Happy Ever After blog at USA Today.

Robin lives in Maryland with her hilarious husband, brilliant children, and ginormous puppy.  You can find Robin on her website, Facebook and Twitter (@RobinCovington).


18 comments:

Robin Covington said...

Jenna - Thanks for having me!!! It's been fun to push myself to get into the Christmas spirit with all the trappings of summer.

And, to help everyone cool off a bit, I'll give a commenter the iTunes playlist in listed in the post!

Robin

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Robin. I had to laugh because you are right-writing a Christmas story in the summer is very interesting. I'm writing one now myself. And definitely, go with Mr. Michael. Swoon!

Avery Flynn said...

I find eye of newt to work well for summoning the muse. :) Actually, I've found if I stop focusing 100 percent on the book and go do something relaxing that the must always returns.

Robin Covington said...

Thanks Vicki! It has created a new skill set for me - which is a good thing. And Mr. Buble us a very good thing!

Robin Covington said...

Eye of newt? Isn't that a hangover cure?

Jenna said...

I'll be starting a Christmas book myself next month. The 7th DIY mystery will be a Christmas book, for 2013, and since it's due to the editor a year ahead of time, ie November 2012, I have to write it over the summer. Should be interesting - although maybe it'll help me feel a bit cooler when it's 90+ outside.

Love the excerpt, Robin! And thanks for being here!

Willa Blair said...

Robin, if you like hot, come to San Antonio. We're well into the 90s now. I can't imagine crafting a holiday story in this heat. But your snippet is great. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it, say in December?

Robin Covington said...

Jenna-thanks so much for having me. It is strange to work so far in advance of the seasons but it is a nice break to think about my favorite season and to have a reason to play Christmas songs!

I am in love with Nicholas Boone right now. My heroine has got it bad but she's about to get lots of goodies under her tree!

Robin Covington said...

Willa- I'm on the next flight!!!!!

Yep, I am submitting this for a December 2012 publication date.

Sandy said...

Did it make you feel cooler writing a Christmas story while sweltering in the heat? lol I would have to add ice to my body to get in the mood for writing a winter story.

Alicia Dean said...

Love the excerpt, and LOVE the idea of writing a Christmas story when it's 90 degrees. Christmas is my favorite time of year. I adore Michael Buble, too, but I would have had to list Elvis' Blue Christmas and The Eagles' Please Come Home for Christmas, although about a million other people came out with it too. :-)

Congrats on your upcoming Entangled release. Can't wait to read it!

Unknown said...

Congrats on your upcoming Idulgence release, Robin. And thanks for sharing the yummy Santa pic!

Robin Covington said...

Sandy - Nope not a bit cooler . . . that's what the frozen mojito was for!!!

Alicia - Good song choices! (P.S. Keep an eye on HEA tomorrow - wink, wink)

Jenna - thank you! And you are very welcome! ; )

Alicia Dean said...

LOL, Robin. Will do! Thanks...

Stacey Joy Netzel said...

Great snippet, Robin. And I'm having trouble getting going on my current book, so maybe I need to find an Italian radio station online and see if that helps.

I'm looking forward to your release in 16 days! (I'll let you handle the hours, minutes, and seconds details. )

Jennifer Probst said...

HI Robin and Jenna! I Loved this post - it's perfect for showing a writer's creativity and, umm, eccentricity!!!! I, too, am counting down the days and cannot wait to download your book!

Robin Covington said...

Stacey - I think that Pandora probably has Italian music! Try it out. ; )

Jennifer - Thanks so much! And I cannot wait to read yours - I loved THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN!

Rachel Lyndhurst said...

Lovely post, Robin, I can almost hear the sleigh bells already! I simply cannot wait for A NIGHT OF SOUTHERN COMFORT much longer either. Squueak!xx