Dear Oliver with Linda Nightingale

Hello and welcome to another episode of Dear Oliver! Today’s special guest is the author of steamy romance, Linda Nightingale. You don’t want to miss her pet peeve, especially if you’ve ever had to deal with one of those dreadful rejection letters. So, come on in and belly up to the bar. And while you’re eavesdropping on Oliver’s sound advice, why not treat yourself to one of his legendary martinis! You’ll find his impressive venue listed on the sidebar. Not a martini fan? Not a problem. Oliver will make whatever drink strikes your fancy and serve it with a wink and a smile. And rumor has it that his taco bar sizzles with award-winning recipes entered in south of the border contests. With no further ado, let’s give a warm round of applause to Linda Nightingale!

Oliver: What can I getcha to drink, love?

Linda hooks a hip on a bar stool. Hello Oliver! A Cosmopolitan, please.

Oliver presents a perfectly chilled Cosmopolitan to Linda with a wink and a smile. Noticing her pout, he adds a festive umbrella to her cocktail. Why so glum, chum?

Linda: I just got a rejection on the third book I sent an agent. She gives me great feedback and encouragement, but a no is a no. I understand these opinions are subjective, but it hurts when someone calls your kids ugly. Like most authors, my books are part of me—like children. Perhaps that’s why the ego takes such a direct hit. I’ve been working on taking the rejections with a “Next!” for a long time but, as yet, haven’t mastered the technique.

I talked to a friend who is a writer, too, and like me, she says she goes into a real funk with a rejection.  So I’m in a funk, Oliver, until I get back on the horse and ride again.

Oliver: My sweet bonita, he fans himself. I’ve just finished reading

HOT SPANISH NIGHTS

and, my pet, if I might be so bold to say, any agent that isn’t man or woman enough to pluck you right up has to be plum loco! With a long stemmed red rose between his teeth, leans a little closer and growls. Sweet thing, I’m your biggest fan. And for the record, if I were an agent, I’d snatch you up in a heartbeat. Now, tell me, love, who can I play for you on the jukebox to chase your blues away?

Linda: Phantom of the Opera. The thundering piece always reminds me of my Andalusian stallion Bonito. In days gone by, we performed a musical freestyle (in costume) to the Phantom.

Linda and Bonito

Oliver presses his 007 remote and The house lights go out. A moment later, under a surreal sunset, Linda and her Andalusian stallion Bonito perform a musical freestyle in costume to the explosive Phantom of the Opera.

When the lights come back, the bar rocks with applause. Oliver hands Linda another Cosmo and a mouth-watering taco. When Linda opens her mouth, Oliver feeds her, dabbing the hot sauce dribbling down her chin. He smiles a beguiling smile. Nicely done, hats off, my pet. So tell me, when did you develop this pet peeve?

Linda: It’s been rapidly creeping up on me with every rejection since the dawn of time (in my case 1992 which is when I picked up my pen again to write after a 20 year hiatus because of some negative feedback).  Tell me, Oliver, don’t I need to develop thicker skin?

Oliver winks. Sweet thing, as much as I’d prefer living in a world where life is beautiful all the time, there simply is no such place as Utopia. Life’s a continuous struggle, filled with a long and rocky road of endless rejection and challenge. So, to answer your question, yes, you must develop thicker skin in order to survive. But here’s my tip for the day. Live every day to the fullest and make every day count. Eat, drink and be merry! And another Cosmo couldn’t hurt either. Wink. But if such a place did exist, where do you think utopia is, sweet thing?

Linda: Definitely by a crystal blue ocean with temperate weather year round with a view from my bedroom window and my living room. Or maybe The Battery in Charleston, South Carolina--the gorgeous house where Morgan (the hero in my unpubbed vampire novel Sinners Opera) lives! I wouldn’t mind living with him either. He is introduced in Black Swan from The Wild Rose Press.

Oliver pumps his biceps and grins. I love a good vamp story! But while we’re sitting here, how can Dear Oliver help, my pet?

Linda: Give me a massage and another Cosmo. No seriously, I meant a message like that agent called and wants all my novels or an editor is at the door begging for my fallen angel series!

Oliver mixes a perfect pitcher of James Bond martinis, shaken, not stirred. Whistling, he fills two chilled Gibson glasses. He hands one to Linda and winks. Here we are then, love. Lets see how you do on my house special!

Bianca, my evil twin, would like her moment now. She drinks chocolate martinis and lives on the Wilder side of The Wild Rose Press garden. Her latest release is Hot Spanish Nights, a saucy erotic novella about a dynamic bullfighter, a Southern vixen and the spectacular Spanish horses.

If you’d like to read an excerpt and view the trailer, Dear Oliver, you can go to my blog: Bianca’s Blog. Hot Spanish Nights is available from The Wild Rose Press.

Bianca also has a pending release from The Wilder Catalog of The Wild Rose Press called Celestial Sin:

Blurb: Essie McBane set her standards high. She had hoped that one day she’d find her dream man, but didn’t expect him to be a warrior angel with chestnut curls and a heavenly body. Cam-ael, an angel of the Order of the Powers, had never considered mortal sin until he was wounded in the Second War in Heaven and plummeted into Essie’s arms. The most difficult task of his long existence will be to convince her that he is willing to fall from grace to win her love.

You mix a primo Cosmo, Oliver. And thanks for letting me whine. Now I’d like to cry on your broad shoulders. Not because I want to cry but because you have such broad shoulders. The next time I get a rejection, I’d love to drag my fanny back in here and let you soothe my troubled spirit.
Thanks for being Dear Oliver.

Linda Nightingale

http://www.lindanightingale.com

http://www.pinkfuzzyslipperwriters.blogspot.com

Black Swan available from The Wild Rose Press