Hello, Everyone Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. A lot has happened during the last post I made and this one. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say my muse has taken a nose dive, and only now, 3 – 4 years later am I feeling the tentative tinglings of a new book working its way into my mind, determined to be told. (Even if it takes a year or two to get it down on paper so to speak).  I’m not ready to give up so easily. I was born with a creative mind, and I’m determined to do what I love best – create. After a drought of nearly 4 years, I have a long way to go. I’m being realistic, this may take a while. I hope you will all bear with me.  In the meantime, I shall begin reviewing books and writing about them here. I have read some great books over the years, so why not talk about them here. I will share the good and the great with all the many friends I have made over the years. Thanks for listening Jan Bowles

With my latest book Seduced by Her Texas Billionaire Boss, coming out tomorrow, I thought I would let you into my secret obsession ~ cover making. You may not be aware that I have just started making my own cover art, and I have to confess that’s it’s become something of an obsession. It goes beyond deciding what the hero and heroine should look like, but encompasses some of the emotion in the story. First I had to choose a hero Kyle Brannigan in my latest book, is a wild, devil-may-care guy who has built an empire with his own bare hands. His expertise in well control is second to none, and I needed to choose him carefully. I think he really looks the part, don’t you? Next I had to find a heroine for my hero   Tess Morgan had to have sex appeal, and a vulnerability all rolled into one. She was more difficult to find, and I spent hours trawling the web for someone who I thought fit the bill. I think I found my perfect heroine, with just the right amount of sassiness to keep my hero on his toes. Yep, she really fits the part….

What is the fascination with cowboys?  Since as long as I can remember a cowboy has always held the imagination of both men and women, especially in our family. My grandmother would read nothing else, and my father followed suit.  During my formative years, I grew up watching several cowboy series. The most memorable series being, The High Chaparral. It was not Billy Blue Cannon for me, but Manolito Montoya, played by Henry Darrow. He just had that sexy roagish charm that held me enthralled. Other notable series were The Virginian, and Bonanza. My favourite cowboy series has to be Alias Smith and Jones. All my friends preferred Jedediah ‘Kid’ Curry played by Ben Murphy, but I just loved Hannibal Heyes, played by Pete Duel. Again he had a certain roagish charm that I fell in love with. For someone who has lived in England most of their life, they conjured up the Wild West. The pioneering spirit that made America what it is today. I’m sure all the men who watched these action packed films wanted to be them, and all the women wanted to know them. So who is my favourite cowboy of all time? It just has to…

Following a recent blog I did on naming the hero and the heroine of my books, I have thought about the terms of endearment used to enhance the love between the main protagonists. The usual ones appeared to mind straight away. In my latest book SHACKLED BY THE COWBOY DRIFTER, the hero Zack Delaney often uses the term, baby. In other books I have written, such as LOVE LESSONS WITH THE TEXAS BILLIONAIRE, I used darlin’ and honey to further enhance the heroes character. In another book DARK SECRETS, I used the term sweetheart quite often to amplify the romance between the main characters. Where I live, the term duck is often used to convey feelings of affection. I couldn’t possibly imagine writing a romantic scene with that term. Other ones I noted are baby cakes, chicken, cutiepie, dumplin’, dearest, darling, honeybun, kitten, love, lover, lover boy, lamb chop, poppet, precious, pumpkin, sexy, sugar, sweet thing, sweetie, sweetie pie, the list goes on. What strange terms have you come across? Any you’d care to share? What is your favourite term of endearment?online surveysPlease leave a comment I’d love to know your thoughts. Jan x

Guess what, I was 50 a few days ago. So what do you think I had to mark that special milestone in my life? It is half a century after all.Perhaps some slippers? Or a book on how to look ten years younger? Maybe an eternity ring from my husband?No.I chose a belly piercing. WHAT? Little old me, who used to be the shy retiring girl? Well, I’ve news for you. I just found out life’s not a rehearsal. Time to grab it with both hands, before it’s too late.Am I making sense?So why the piercing? My heroine in DARK SECRETS has one, and so does the heroine in my WIP. I guess I thought why not. Why can’t I have one?My husband who bought it for me, is over the moon. He likes it. I mean he really likes it.So this got me to thinking. Do you think I’m too old? A sad case hankering after her youth? Or do you think I did the right thing? After all, when today’s youngsters get to my age, they’re hardly going to hang up their piercings.Now for the POLL. Feel free to vote as you feel. At the bottom of the…

Hi everyone, so glad you could make it to Siren-Bookstrand Author’s Seven Days of Valentines. Check out the other contemporary authors Barbra Novac, Sandy James, and Karenna Colcroft, on contemporary day 7th February 2010. Information available on the Siren Loop Please read through my blog, and leave a comment. If you would like to take part in the competition, read-on and answer a simple question. With Valentines Day just around the corner, I guess our thoughts turn to love. Love can come in many forms. It can hit you straight between the eyes, and you fall instantly in love, or it can be a slower process. Cue light romantic music playing in the background. I first met my husband twenty-seven years ago. I don’t think it was love at first sight, but there was something going on. I remember the night in question as though it was yesterday, when he spilt his beer all down my clothes, and said, “Don’t worry, it’s only an old coat.” Eh? Did you hear that pleasant music grind to a screeching halt? Now, I can almost hear you ask, why did you even consider him as a potential lover? Well, I suppose I’ve always had a…

What’s in a Name? Readers and authors alike may have pondered this question many times. What exactly is in name, and does it really matter? Speaking specifically as an author, a great deal of thought has gone into naming the characters, and title of a book. We just want to get it right. Just suppose that Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind had been called John Butler. Would we have still thought him the hero? Margaret Mitchell the author of Gone with the Wind had originally planned to call her story ‘Pansy’, after the main female protagonist. She later re-named her ‘Scarlett’, and re-titled her book, Gone with the Wind. I deliberated long and hard on naming my current novel and characters. The male lead had to exude authority. I wanted to show his English heritage. I chose Robert Tremayne. For the female lead, I actually chose a French name. I called her Marielle Stevens, hoping to bring a little intrigue and mystery. The title of the book eluded me. What to call it? After much deliberation I decided on The Return. Robert Tremayne is held hostage for two years, and then returns to Britain, and freedom. Unfortunately, Robert…

It was January 2009, when my husband went into the loft to return the Christmas decorations. “Remember these?” he asked as he handed me three manuscripts. They’d all been written over fifteen years ago. “I do remember them,” I said. “Put them back.” But he insisted I read them again. I’m glad I did. I thought I can do better than that. Now I’ve had a recent release published by Siren-Bookstrand, and ‘Lessons in Love, to be published early 2010. I’ve also just finished writing ‘Dark Secrets’, another emotional roller-coaster of a book. Just goes to show what’s lurking in the loft, and not to give up on dreams. We’re almost full circle. What will 2010 bring? HOPE EVERYONE HAS WONDERFUL NEW YEAR FILLED WITH DREAMS COME TRUE – JAN

When I’m not writing I love to paint. Here are several paintings that I have done over the years. Each one is made using just household paints, and canvas blocks. I found that I could repaint the canvas many times. This proved very useful in the early stages, as I hadn’t painted for years. I particularly like lighthouses and seascapes. The man standing in this one is my husband in silouhette. A lovely desert scene. It shows a sandstorm raging in the background. The ice scene is made using pearlescent paint mixed with household paints. This one, is a project still to be finished. I really enjoyed painting these pyramids. Another lighthouse, with dramatic sky. This really is an inexpensive way of creating dramatic art work. Be assured that all the paint used is just household paints. In effect these are acrylic based paints, and work particularly well. After the painting is ready, I spray with a protective layer of varnish. Hope every one has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year Jan

Sometimes opinions change. Sometimes ideas that have stayed with you a lifetime suddenly alter and shift, and you find a different angle with which to view. Take poetry. Apart from having a poem published in the school magazine I really couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. For years, the well formed verses never quite did it for me. They were just words, structured, yet with little meaning. Then everything changed. Life changed. Feeling at a particularly low point in my life, I just happened to be browsing a large book store. I picked up book after book. Just glancing briefly at them, and then placing them back on the shelf. Then I pulled one particular book off the shelf. The Nations Favourite Poems as voted for by the British public. I scanned the pages, then read the poem that had been voted No.1. This poem had received twice as many votes as any other poem in the book. The words leapt from the page. Surely the poem had been written for me. Every word had meaning. I remember tears streaming down my face. The author had connected with me. Years after he’d died he actually spoke to me….