Wading Through Life...
I’ve been immersing myself in some gothic-esque TV shows and movies as I work on book 2 of my contemporary southern gothic series to put me in the right frame of mind. I thought I’d share some of these with y’all this month. They’re perfect for a cold winter’s night with hot chocolate (shot of Bailey’s anyone?) and a fuzzy blanket, joined by one or more of my kitty babies to keep me warm. Some awesome options:
Haunting of Hill House (series-Netflix)
I do a rewatch of this series every couple of months. The characterization of this family is stunning. They are all SO flawed, yet I’ve come to love each of them. Then the setting and hidden ghosts…lovely!
Coco (movie)
I recently watched this with my daughter, who was re-watching it. Now—skeletons are my jam, so a whole movie of talking skeletons is right up my alley! But the music, the themes, all of it spoke to me.
We Bought a Funeral Home (series-Discovery+)
This is a reality show about a family who moves into an old funeral home to renovate it into a family home. The mother’s style is over-the-top gothic and I absolutely love it. Then all the neighbors curious about what they’re doing…the speakeasy in the basement is awesome!
These are all adding to the misty, gloomy atmosphere and ghostly activities of my second contemporary gothic novel.
What are your favorite atmospheric, spooky TV shows or movies featuring ghosts, supernatural themes, or just gothic style for a cold night in front of a fire?
Take Care,
Dani
Hot Irish Romance for a Cold, Cold Night...
STRIKING A CHORD Backstage Pass series
He has fame beyond his dreams … now he needs her to make it all complete.
Sean Rosslair, Irish drummer, is now a US rock legend. One with a craving for control—and his new PA’s sultry voice and smokin’ BBW body have him demonstrating what happens to naughty girls. Meghan Adams finds herself begging for more of Sean’s discipline. But can he share all his erotic secrets before a hidden enemy puts him out of commission—permanently?
Sean Rosslair has made his dreams come true, and then some--despite his turbulent break from a family who considered image more important than anything. Now Sean has a new goal--getting up close and personal with his new assistant, whose smokin' sexy voice makes him ache to show her what else he can do with his hands. But one look in her clear, innocent eyes tells him she's the kind of woman he should never have.
When Meghan finally exposes her plus-size presence to her new, uber-sexy boss, he doesn’t react the way she expects. She takes her punishment for her white lie well—too well. Meghan can’t refrain from begging her boss for another spanking … but when he takes her with him to his wealthy family's lovely Irish estate, this Southern girl finds herself surrounded by secrets. In the midst of Sean's painful past, can she let go enough to embrace romance with a rock star?
Caution: Contains crazy families, dark secrets, and a hero who knows how to transform pain into pleasure--get your copy of Striking a Chord today!
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What’s better than spooky season in America’s spookiest town?
As many of you know, my daughter and I recently went on a girls’ trip to Salem, MA. I don’t travel often, but I love it so! This was her first flights, so it was fun to experience that with her. Salem, MA, is actually a smaller town than I thought, and a lot of the tourist spots are in a very close area. The leaves had just started turning that week, which added to the autumn feel along with the cold temperature (hence my weapons of creation sweatshirt). I got to see enough spooky decorations to make my creepy-loving heart happy! But I also learned so much about Salem’s history and their current focus on tolerance, diversity and inclusion. Here are some of the highlights: Architecture: I love the “feel” that architecture lends a place. Salem (and Massachusetts in general) felt very New England/American historical with some quirky stops along the way.
Atmosphere: Let’s get real! We were there to celebrate Halloween, which Salem does all October long.
Some other fun things we did!
This trip inspired me so much to really think about atmosphere and the feel of a place, along with the unjust persecution and why this happened. All of the cool things that we saw and everything I learned fed my creativity in a big way! Inspiration has been hard to access easily during the pandemic, which added to my difficult case of Writer's block. From the "Feel" of Salem, the historical information, visual fodder, and architecture, it all came together to boost my creative energy and refill the well. Yay!
I'm also grateful that I experienced this place with my daughter. We share a love of spookiness, so these are memories we will both cherish.
I hope you enjoy a chance to see it too. Spooky season was wonderful this year and lasted extra long! But it gave me lots of thinking time, then and into the fall. How about you? Also, do you find travel boosts your creative juices?
Take care,
Dani
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fall has always been a season of beginnings for me. Weird, I know, but its traditionally a time when I re-evaluate or begin plans anew.
Maybe it’s a holdover from school, when autumn was time to buy new supplies and adopt new schedules. Or maybe its that the relief from the brutal southern heat as summer ends gives me a renewed sense of energy. (I’m never high energy anyway, so I have to take what I can get.)
A genuinely cool breeze. Tidying up the yard. Hiking. This is even when I get the urge to clean out my closets (no spring cleaning for me! That’s when I’m out in the flower beds.)
So I was also excited to start this month with Romance Author Mastermind, a conference for established romance authors. Most conferences I find a few things that inspire me, but most of it is about connecting with readers. At RAM, the ideas for leveling up your author career are like drinking from a fire hydrant. Massive amounts of inspiration, A little bit of overwhelm, and a lot of imposter syndrome (for me).
As an author with a day job, I have to be careful what I pick and choose to work on. But pairing up with this feeling of fall, and the start of a new year, I can look at the ideas with more motivation,. It’s really helpful that they encourage us to just pick a few things to start with, a few things to work on and implement, not the whole shebang.
Winter is a time that’s perfect for writing, hibernating underneath a fuzzy blanket while the scenes play out in my head. For me, the next year’s goal will be consistency. Regardless of what’s happening in other areas of my other journey, it will help my motivation if I can maintain consistency. The story will flow better if I can consistently hold the images in my head no matter what else is going on.
Hopefully that means you’ll be hearing from me more often!!
Take Care,
Dani
Discover more secrets from Covington Corner: She knew something incredible waited in the shadows of the abandoned mental institution, but she never imagined it would lead to love.
Jamie Dixon and her fellow video game developers set out to document the layout of the famed Harrington Institute for the Mentally Ill. Then an accident leaves her to explore the decaying buildings with only Ian, the one guy she’s crushed on since high school. Too bad he never seemed to notice she was a nerd of the girly variety.
But Ian Jameson has a secret agenda for coming to Harrington. As they uncover the ramblings of an abusive doctor, evidence of a secret prisoner and an obsession over an ancestral line, Jamie and Ian discover a passion that transcends their former workplace camaraderie.
Will the old trunk in the attic reveal a new kind of storm? Will his investigation into a long lost heir destroy the very love they’ve both been longing for?
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple Books
A genuinely cool breeze. Tidying up the yard. Hiking. This is even when I get the urge to clean out my closets (no spring cleaning for me! That’s when I’m out in the flower beds.)
So I was also excited to start this month with Romance Author Mastermind, a conference for established romance authors. Most conferences I find a few things that inspire me, but most of it is about connecting with readers. At RAM, the ideas for leveling up your author career are like drinking from a fire hydrant. Massive amounts of inspiration, A little bit of overwhelm, and a lot of imposter syndrome (for me).
As an author with a day job, I have to be careful what I pick and choose to work on. But pairing up with this feeling of fall, and the start of a new year, I can look at the ideas with more motivation,. It’s really helpful that they encourage us to just pick a few things to start with, a few things to work on and implement, not the whole shebang.
Winter is a time that’s perfect for writing, hibernating underneath a fuzzy blanket while the scenes play out in my head. For me, the next year’s goal will be consistency. Regardless of what’s happening in other areas of my other journey, it will help my motivation if I can maintain consistency. The story will flow better if I can consistently hold the images in my head no matter what else is going on.
Hopefully that means you’ll be hearing from me more often!!
Take Care,
Dani
Discover more secrets from Covington Corner: She knew something incredible waited in the shadows of the abandoned mental institution, but she never imagined it would lead to love.
Jamie Dixon and her fellow video game developers set out to document the layout of the famed Harrington Institute for the Mentally Ill. Then an accident leaves her to explore the decaying buildings with only Ian, the one guy she’s crushed on since high school. Too bad he never seemed to notice she was a nerd of the girly variety.
But Ian Jameson has a secret agenda for coming to Harrington. As they uncover the ramblings of an abusive doctor, evidence of a secret prisoner and an obsession over an ancestral line, Jamie and Ian discover a passion that transcends their former workplace camaraderie.
Will the old trunk in the attic reveal a new kind of storm? Will his investigation into a long lost heir destroy the very love they’ve both been longing for?
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Apple Books
The most frequent question authors are asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” Well, the idea for my upcoming contemporary Gothic series has been long brewing, but when it came to the setting – I have real life inspiration.
I had counted down the minutes and it was finally here – the long postponed trip to celebrate our anniversary with my husband. Last year was our 25th, but we had to put off our big celebration until this spring.
But I’ll admit, as authors often do, my trip had a dual purpose. Research! A huge part of my upcoming Gothic series is a grandiose, atmospheric prep school and I needed something sweeping and grand for story inspiration.
My research led me to America’s Largest Home—Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. The perfect place to refill my research well and spark creative ideas.
#1: Most of my research of the Biltmore had to do with the interiors (what kind of rooms? How many bedrooms? How are things arranged?). I wasn’t quite prepared for it to look and feel like a castle.
I can just imagine it in fog or a thunderstorm… Apropos, yes?
#2: My brothers-in-arms – brothers by choice, rather than blood—need a space to hang out and bond. Doesn’t this make a very elegant man cave?
#3: The ambience here is perfect for a prep school dining hall, even if it’s a little small. This school is a labor of love for these men – a chance to provide opportunity for those less fortunate. A way to make up for their own sins. Can you imagine the awe of eating here every day?
#4: I’ll admit – I wasn’t emotionally prepared for the library. It’s every book lover’s dream! I could have stayed for hours.
#5: Lots of touches the ad Gothic ambience. The creative hamster in my brain was working overtime. Imagine sneaking down this tunnel… creeping across the hall lit only by the flickering sconces… standing at the bottom of the stairs in the darkness wondering if something is coming down to meet you…
All around the Biltmore is beautiful and a must see. I found it inspirational. You see, research isn’t just about finding facts. It’s also an author’s need for new sights and unique experiences—oh, and hubby enjoyed it too. 😊
What’s the most inspirational place you’ve ever visited?
I'd love to hear from you!
Dani
She knew something incredible waited in the shadows of the abandoned mental institution, but she never imagined it would lead to love.
Jamie Dixon and her fellow video game developers set out to document the layout of the famed Harrington Institute for the Mentally Ill. Then an accident leaves her to explore the decaying buildings with only Ian, the one guy she’s crushed on since high school. Too bad he never seemed to notice she was a nerd of the girly variety.
But Ian Jameson has a secret agenda for coming to Harrington. As they uncover the ramblings of an abusive doctor, evidence of a secret prisoner and an obsession over an ancestral line, Jamie and Ian discover a passion that transcends their former workplace camaraderie.
Will the old trunk in the attic reveal a new kind of storm? Will his investigation into a long lost heir destroy the very love they’ve both been longing for?
Novellas in the Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple Books
But I’ll admit, as authors often do, my trip had a dual purpose. Research! A huge part of my upcoming Gothic series is a grandiose, atmospheric prep school and I needed something sweeping and grand for story inspiration.
My research led me to America’s Largest Home—Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. The perfect place to refill my research well and spark creative ideas.
#1: Most of my research of the Biltmore had to do with the interiors (what kind of rooms? How many bedrooms? How are things arranged?). I wasn’t quite prepared for it to look and feel like a castle.
I can just imagine it in fog or a thunderstorm… Apropos, yes?
#2: My brothers-in-arms – brothers by choice, rather than blood—need a space to hang out and bond. Doesn’t this make a very elegant man cave?
#3: The ambience here is perfect for a prep school dining hall, even if it’s a little small. This school is a labor of love for these men – a chance to provide opportunity for those less fortunate. A way to make up for their own sins. Can you imagine the awe of eating here every day?
#4: I’ll admit – I wasn’t emotionally prepared for the library. It’s every book lover’s dream! I could have stayed for hours.
#5: Lots of touches the ad Gothic ambience. The creative hamster in my brain was working overtime. Imagine sneaking down this tunnel… creeping across the hall lit only by the flickering sconces… standing at the bottom of the stairs in the darkness wondering if something is coming down to meet you…
All around the Biltmore is beautiful and a must see. I found it inspirational. You see, research isn’t just about finding facts. It’s also an author’s need for new sights and unique experiences—oh, and hubby enjoyed it too. 😊
What’s the most inspirational place you’ve ever visited?
I'd love to hear from you!
Dani
Interested in another gothic read? Try Dark Destiny, a Secrets of Covington Corner novella.
She knew something incredible waited in the shadows of the abandoned mental institution, but she never imagined it would lead to love.
Jamie Dixon and her fellow video game developers set out to document the layout of the famed Harrington Institute for the Mentally Ill. Then an accident leaves her to explore the decaying buildings with only Ian, the one guy she’s crushed on since high school. Too bad he never seemed to notice she was a nerd of the girly variety.
But Ian Jameson has a secret agenda for coming to Harrington. As they uncover the ramblings of an abusive doctor, evidence of a secret prisoner and an obsession over an ancestral line, Jamie and Ian discover a passion that transcends their former workplace camaraderie.
Will the old trunk in the attic reveal a new kind of storm? Will his investigation into a long lost heir destroy the very love they’ve both been longing for?
Novellas in the Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple Books