Up Close and Dangerous: A Novel by Linda Howard
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Linda Howard is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. And while the romance in this novel wasn’t as well developed as I would have liked, I’m amazed by the amount of research that must have gone into this book! The situation in which the hero and heroine find themselves is chillingly believable and beautifully handled by Howard. Although I had a few minor issues with the way the plot developed, the book enthralled me from the first page to the last. (A-)

View all my reviews.

How stunning is this lovely piece of art?! The fabulously talented Natalie Winters created this gorgeous cover for my upcoming single-author anthology, set to release from Loose Id in March.

We’re only a little over a month into 2009, but already my best laid writing plans have been turned upside down. The day job has been extremely chaotic, demanding and stressful, so my writing has taken a backseat to all the tension and anxiety.

Despite all that, I’m determined to get my writing back on track. I’ve been floundering since returning from Mexico, and I finally realized that, on top of all the work stress, I’ve been moving away from the kind of writing that really calls to me.

I made that critical mistake all authors are warned not to make: I started thinking I should chase the market, or try to do what everyone else has been doing. In the meantime, I forgot what made writing so much fun for me in the first place. So a few days ago, I let my muse run free. I grabbed a notebook, went to a coffee shop and wrote. By the time I was done, I had characters I already cared about (even though I didn’t know much about them), and a scenario that really intrigued me.

So now I’m commited to developing this spark of an idea into a new book. It’s time I make writing a priority again–and the only way I’ll do that is by following my muse… wherever she may lead me.