The Exchange

When a long-forgotten college acquaintance sends Kate McMillan a friend request on a social media site, it seems harmless enough. But what follows sets off a chain of events, which puts her beloved family at risk and her very life in grave danger.

Homicide Detective Mark Bartelli is part of a highly trained task force assigned to serve and protect. He’s also deeply attracted to Kate. When a dangerous stalker kidnaps Kate, he vows to move heaven and earth to find her.

THE EXCHANGE digs deep into the psyche of a deranged killer, who has a singular goal and one deadly obsession—Kate McMillan.


http://www.amazon.com/Exchange-Patricia-Hudson-ebook/dp/B00Y1HTEX2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1432640634&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Exchange+by+Patricia+Hudson

Patricia Hudson was born in Wales, U.K. As a young girl she moved to America with her family and currently resides on a small horse farm in central Illinois, with her husband, David, two dogs, and her beloved quarter horse.

She has written seven books: Stolen Hearts released in 2013. The Call, Love on the Double T, Love’s Deception, and The Exchange to be published in 2015. Also in production are The Circle, and Jana Morgan, PI.

Join her on http://www.facebook.com/AuthorPHudson
Tweet on http://www.twitter.com@AuthorPHudson
Read her blogs on https://patriciahudson1011.wordpress.com

My Particular Lack of Promotion

Why do I punish myself . . . I’m a masochist. Masochism is an eponym — a word named after a person. Leopold von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer in the nineteenth century who described the gratification he got from his own pain and humiliation. There are many self-proclaimed masochists out there today.

Oh glee! The word was named after a  writer. That explains it.

I cause myself pain. Not for any sexual gratification, but for some warped belief that I must worry, berate, exhaust and embarrass myself endlessly. Daily. Hourly.  I must get my book out there. I must sell. I must become a best seller. I must or DIE.

I’ve become a beggar, a madam of books, and the worst; a salesperson. Ugg! If you have a blog, I’ve talked to you. No, I’ve begged you to feature my book. I’ve posted the link on my Facebook page ad nauseam. I can no longer look my friends in the eye.

My author friends have gone so far as to create ads for me so they don’t have to look at the same cover over and over again. Sweet.

I’ve spent our vacation money on Facebook advertisement. Seriously, who does that? I’m hoping my royalties will replenish our savings. Laughing hysterically. Picking myself up off the floor. My royalties may get us into the local museum. If we’re lucky, a stop at the local fast food joint after our outing. Oh, Yay! The rewards of endless late nights, pouring my heart out. Fast food is evidently why I do this?

Those in the know, the authors who’ve got Best Seller linked to their names, advise the wannabe’s to write. Please, explain to me when I’m supposed to write when I’m too busy offering my soul and my body to anyone who will give me space for my book.

I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever I’ve done in the past doesn’t work so I’ve turned to a more unorthodox method. I light candles, I chant, and I’ve built a pseudo offering to - Seshat an Egyptian goddess of writers and her male counterpart; Thoth, the Egyptian god of scribes and writing. It’s a fairly new approach. Results are pending.

However; my new techniques are very relaxing. I lump them into the same practice as yoga. If nothing else, I’m calming my butt down and smiling instead of wearing the scowl that always graced my face. That’s a step in the right direction.

At least the new methods take no more than thirty minutes a day. Plenty of time to start my next book. And best of all, I can look my friends in the eye, again.

What’s my point? I don’t have one. I guess that’s my point. There are no set rules. Do what you can live with, not what kills you or makes your life a miserable hell. Write because it makes you happy. Get off the roller-coaster that’s propelled by nervous authors who promote everything in all ways remotely connected to the masochistic practice of self-promotion as if it’s a sure fire way to a best seller.

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Pat has written seven books: Stolen Hearts released in 2013. The Call, Love on the Double T, Love’s Deception, and The Exchange to be published in 2014. Also in production are Bear Run and Jana Morgan, PI.

Join her on:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorPHudson
Tweet on http://www.twitter.com@AuthorPHudson
Read her blogs on https://patriciahudson1011.wordpress.com

The Call

I’ve often wondered why I wrote The Call. I understand why I chose the setting. It is Wales, my homeland; the country where I grew up and where my family still lives. But why did I choose witchcraft? I don’t practice the craft, but I do remember the magic of my youth:



•Crossing the field behind my house to go to movie night at the school I attended and listening to my brother inform me that a witch lived in the house at the top of the lane.

•Walking past the cemetery behind the church across from our school and running for my life when my brother told me witches walked there after dark.

•Hearing footsteps outside my bedroom door, not knowing it was my brother sneaking around when we should have been asleep.

•Hearing strange noises at night because my brother hooked up some contraption that sent sounds through a wire from his bedroom to mine. Sounds he swore were made by the walking dead.

•Walking on the cliffs with my father and brother and lying on my stomach to peek over the edge to the ocean crashing below.

•Visiting my auntie who lived in an old thatched cottage.

•Getting caught in an apple tree by the surly old man who owned the apple orchard at the bottom of the field.

•Listening to my mam’s friend read tea leaves and begging her to read mine.

•Staying at the Thomas Arms Hotel with my friend, Louise, because she was lucky enough to live there with her guardians. At night, we listened to the ghosts wander the hallways.

•Going to a pub with my parents and listening to the haunting voices of the patrons sing Welsh hymns.


All of these memories are woven into my book along with the magical lore that belongs to Wales.

The Call: Is it witchcraft or madness? Angharad Jones heeds the call. Relocating to Wales, hoping to discover her heritage, she is unprepared for the battle of power unleashed upon her arrival. Angharad, a successful author, seeks answers to the visions plaguing her since childhood. In a drastic move to uncover the mystery behind them, Angharad moves to Wales, the one place her mother refuses to talk about. While renting a cottage in Fishguard, she meets Rhyse Williams, the handsome Chief Inspector, who is investigating the death of two students found naked and bound together on the beach below the cliffs surrounding the village; the same two students in Angharad’s vision. Their attraction to one another is immediate and intense, but can she trust Rhyse or will he run for the hills when she tells him about her visions. It is all unleashed when Angharad discovers that Rhyse is part of the call. Are they destined for love or betrayal? Murders are uncovered, spells are cast and love is found. The battle of power between good and evil begins.

 

About Patricia Hudson: Patricia Hudson was born in Wales, U.K. She moved to America with her family and currently resides on a small horse farm in central Illinois, with her husband, two dogs, and her beloved quarter horse.
She has written eight books: Stolen Hearts released in 2013. Love on the Double T released in 2014. Love’s Deception, The Exchange, and Bear Run to be published in 2015. Also in production are The Circle, and Jana Morgan, PI.


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Words Escape Me

I’ve stopped writing. It’s not a joke. I wish it were, but I can’t think of a freaking thing to say. I’ve frantically read the posts about writer’s block, but seriously, they don’t pertain to me.

I’ve never considered myself to be a writer, so the advice doesn’t apply. Not an honest to God writer like, Norah Roberts or some of the other famous well-known romance authors. I DABBLE with words. They poured out of me when I could write. Not necessarily in a way that made sense, but at least they flowed through my fingers and ended in some makeshift form onto a page. Now, all I have is a blank screen. It’s been that way for weeks, and it’s beginning to freak me out.

Writers tell you to write every day. Sorry, but I’m sick of writing grocery lists or things-to-do lists. Does that count? Is it writing? It’s barely two-hundred words, certainly not the minimum twenty-five hundred words they recommend. I don’t have twenty-five hundred words in me.

Deep down, I knew this would end. I was an accountant. Accountants don’t write. They understand numbers, not words. At least now I have a cause for my dried up brain.

My writer friends try to encourage me. “Write anything,” they say.

“Like what? I can’t think of anything. That’s the problem,” I counter in despair.

“Write one sentence. It will come.”

“Okay.”

I open a new word doc and write, ‘Mary loves John.’ I DON’T THINK SO.

“It’s not working,” I lament.

“Then read. It will inspire you.”

So I read. And I read. And I read. Great books and not such great books, but I read. All day. All night. I read until, my eyes blur, and I fall asleep clutching my Kindle. 

It doesn’t help. I hate the authors. How dare they flaunt their talent in my face?

“Trust me, you’ll get it back. One of these days, it will be there.”

“Shut-up, you wench.”

I hear laughter. My friends find this amusing. They’re laughing at my distress. They are so not taking me seriously. But it’s better than the ‘tut-tut’ of sympathy.

“It’s back,” I lie. “I’m writing.”

“I knew you would. What’s it about.”

“It's the best, ever. It’s a secret.” More lies.

“Can’t wait to read it.” The ‘pat’ response to any writer. I’m beginning to see how fake some of these phrases are. No one can read that many books. Not even me, as I devour at least six a week; more if I don’t fall asleep.

“How’s it coming?” My concerned writer friends ask.

More lies. Always lies. I pretend I’m about to unveil the greatest book since the Outlander series took the romance world by storm. Instead of Mary loves John, I should start with; Claire loves Jamie. Maybe that would inspire me.

I disappear for days. Not literally disappear, but I am absent on social media and messenger. My lies begin to get to me.

I gradually make my way back. I miss the quizzes. You know, like; which house should you live in? Castle, if anyone is interested.

“Hi.” What else can I say? I throw it out there hoping they haven’t forgotten me.

“Hey,” I was worried about you. I called, but you didn’t answer. I thought you were probably deep into your manuscript.”

Oh, God! I must confess. “I scrapped it.” It’s better than saying it didn’t exist. A half-lie.

“Why?” 

“Outlander has already been written.” I start to laugh. Hysterically. Losing it.

“Oh my God! You need help. Write a blog.”

So I did.

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Pat has written seven books: Stolen Hearts released in 2013. The Call, Love on the Double T, Love’s Deception, and The Exchange to be published in 2014. Also in production are Bear Run and Jana Morgan, PI.

Join her on:
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorPHudson
Tweet on http://www.twitter.com@AuthorPHudson
Read her blogs on https://patriciahudson1011.wordpress.com

 

 

 

The Writer's Angst

Angst is a powerful word. I prefer it to worry, anguish or torment. It sounds like a word that belongs to the struggling…you fill in the blank. I can’t use angst to describe my emotions when I write. That word belongs to much loftier writers than I will ever claim to be. James Joyce was the king of angst. He spent days anguishing over just the right word for his sentence.

Regardless, I do suffer from angst, not while I write, but the minute I type The End. Angst attacks and invades my brain like a possessive demon. I totally fall apart. First, my angst questions the worthiness of my manuscript. It’s not good enough. No one will read it. Trash it, all thoughts that rage in my head. That’s when I turn to my critique partner who assures me that it’s great. Not great, as in the next great American novel, but great enough.

My next bout with angst comes when I submit my first three chapters to my publisher. Four weeks after my submission, I expect to hear back asking for the entire manuscript. I have a timeline. If they don’t meet it, I’m thrown into the depths of hell. “I knew it. They hate it,” I wail to my critique partner. An entire week of cake and cookies has passed, feeding my angst. I finally get the request for my manuscript, only to have angst strike again when I think they’re going to pass on publishing my work. I hate that phrase “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to pass at this time.” Does that mean they’ll take it next week? My angst doesn’t end until I have the contract in hand.

It’s over you say. No. It’s only begun. My next bout begins as soon as the final edit is returned to the publisher. I’m beginning to hate this book. Marketing…this is where angst grows to mammoth proportions. Selling myself is not high on my like-to-do list. I feel like a prostitute beating my drum for readers. I won’t even say it’s limited to Facebook because I’m all over the place. I stand on the corner of Twitter and WordPress if anyone’s interested. I do everything that’s required. I attend book signings. I tweet. And I blog. All creating greater angst. 

And then, we have the rankings and reviews. Hours, days are spent dissecting these dreaded author haters. I stand in judgment as they strip me of my confidence. It’s only when I get a good review that I can raise my head and stare the beast in the eye.

The worst is when a friend or family member informs me that they’re reading my book. Angst goes through the roof when I hear this. I feign a contagious disease to avoid the holiday dinner. Anything is better than listening to them dissect the book I bled over.

Writing is a roller coaster of angst. It’s a good thing I like the word.

 

First published on Southern Writers Magazine: Suite T

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Patricia Hudson was born in Wales, U.K. As a young girl she moved to America with her family and currently resides on a small horse farm in central Illinois, with her husband, David, two dogs, and her beloved quarter horse. She has written seven books: Stolen Hearts released in 2013. The Call, Love on the Double T, Love's Deception, and The Exchange to be published in 2014. Also in production are The Circle, and Jana Morgan, PI. Join her on www.facebook.com/AuthorPHudson Tweet on www.twitter.com@AuthorPHudson
Read her blogs on http://patriciahudson1011.wordpress.com

Southern Writers: Suite T: The Writer’s Angst

Southern Writers: Suite T: The Writer’s Angst: By Patricia Hudson Angst is a powerful word. I prefer it to worry, anguish or torment. It sounds like a word that belongs to the s...

Both are now available on Amazon.

The Call: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=The+Call+by+Patricia+Hudson

Stolen Hearts: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Hearts-Pat-Hudson-ebook/dp/B00E3LMF7I/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1399585809&sr=1-2&keywords=Stolen+Hearts

 

 

Ranked #63 in Amazon Hot New Releases in Paranormal/Witches

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