NEWS

September, 2010 Letter

Dear Reader,

My life is a shambles.  I’ve got workers in the living room removing stucco and ancient knotty pine before painting.  I also have a plumber in my master bathroom fixing things so I can finally have a double vanity. And I’m supposed to be writing my next book!  Of course, I’m happy to add to the economy by employing these workers, but my concentration is shot.

As we’ve all figured out in life – anything worth having takes a lot of work and sacrifice, and I eagerly await my updated living room and bathroom, while gritting my teeth and bearing the noise.

Keeping that in mind, my letter will be brief this month.

I’m thrilled by the kind reviews coming in for The Heart Doctor and the Baby, and I’m also getting a kick out of the multiple book covers.  Let’s see, there’s the UK version, The Australian version, the French version, and the US version.  Four different covers for one little book.  The good news is, I love all of them!  And I thoroughly enjoyed writing Jon and Rene’s story last summer.  It is always so gratifying to see last year’s labor in print.  I also look forward to the final book in the series – The Christmas Baby Bump, which will be released in the UK and US in November.  Next month I’ll post an excerpt from that book.

In August, I gave an online class on revisions, and in it, there were a few authors who were still working on completing there first novels.  It got me to thinking about all of you aspiring authors out there, and what I would have liked to have known while I struggled down that long and oftentimes lonely road to publication.  So this month, I’ve written some words of advice for those of you pursuing your writing dreams.  I hope you find the article useful!

Hey, the workers are taking their lunch break - I’ve got to get back to writing!

Have a great September,
Lynne

 

 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT....

Average Customer Review
5 Stars
Candy Calvert (San Antonio, TX)
Posted on her blog September 14, 2006

Fabulous Medical Romance Debut--I'm hooked! 7 Dec 2006

Who needs medical TV when you've got offerings like Lynne Marshall's debut Medical Romance, Her Baby's Secret Father?

I'm a new fan to Mills & Boons Medical Romance line and--living in the United States--thought I had to tune into shows like "ER," "Grey's Anatomy," "Scrubs" and "House" to get my medical "fix"--not true! And I must say that Lynne Marshall's debut has all the elements that satisfy, and much-much more:

The book starts, "STAT," with Pulmonary nurse Jaynie Winchester, going into premature labor during her hospital shift--a stoic single Mom unprepared for a complicated birth . . . and for her renewed feelings for Terrance Zanderson, the handsome Respiratory Therapist who becomes a hero for Jaynie and her newborn.

Author Marshall weaves a story of tenderness which will touch the heartstrings. She gives the reader both breath-catching medical action and characters so vulnerable and charismatic that they come alive on the page--flaws, strengths, humor and courage all portrayed beautifully.

I couldn't put Her Baby's Secret Father down--and I can't wait for Lynne Marshall's upcoming release, Her L.A. Knight. Just what the doctor ordered!

HER BABY'S SECRET FATHER
Kate Willoughby
Posted on her blog September 14, 2006

If you want to read a feel-good book, I highly recommend Lynne Marshall's first novel, Her Baby's Secret Father. Yes, the title is a little goofy, but you really just have to get past that, because if you let that stop you, you'll miss out on a great story. This is, admittedly, the first Mills & Boon Medical that I've ever read, but if this is par for them, then I should probably be reading more!

Lynne obviously knows her medicine, but the terminology and procedures were explained well enough so that I didn't feel like I was wading through tons of technical jargon. I actually enjoyed it. I'm just weird enough to enjoy learning odd facts. For example, polydactyly is having an extra digit on the side of the hand.

I'm always amazed when authors can work around a post-partum heroine and still manage to get in a good love scene. It's tricky to make the reader believe that the heroine is interested in sex, having recently given birth, not to mention toeing the line between breasts for nursing and breasts as errogenous zones, but Marshall did a masterful job with this.

Finally, as popular as alpha heroes are, I like a nice beta guy once in a while. Terrance is definitely a manly man. I can still picture him in those jeans with the slash on the back of the thigh or in his running shorts. Yum! But he has a sensitive side that really made me want to get cuddled by him. (Can I WRITE a more passive sentence? LOL)

Anyway, go to the Mills & Boon website and order this book. You won't be disappointed. Reading Her Baby's Secret Father is like getting a warm hug that lasts one hundred and eighty six pages.

HER BABY'S SECRET FATHER
CataRomance.com
5 Stars
Reviewer Trang
Posted August 8, 2006

Jaynie Winchester wants a family and won't let anything deter her from her dream, even the fact that she doesn't have a man in her life! She's planned it all...working double shifts to save money, chosing the perfect donor sperm, and finishing everything in the nursery. But even she couldn't plan for premature labor or the consequences of an early birth. Now baby Tara is in the NICU and needs specialized care. Thank goodness Terrance is on the job! Although things never worked out for them romantically (they'd only dated a few times before Jaynie realized Terrance did not want a commitment), he was the best therapist around. Now if she could only keep her thoughts on her preemie's needs and off of hunky Terrance, things would be perfect.

Although regretful that their relationship never developed past friendship, Terrance can't help but imagine how things might be different if baby Tara were his child with Jaynie. But his past fears as well as his drive to become a doctor has left having a family out of the picture. Yet he still finds himself getting more and more involved with the little baby struggling for survival, as well as her mother. When he begins to suspect that their connection may be stronger than either he or Jaynie ever imagined, how will the commitment phobic Terrance handle the situation?

Ms. Marshall's debut is simply smashing! I fell in love with each of the wonderful characters. Jaynie is the single-minded young woman, determined to make her dreams come true. But she soon realizes that although she's capable of living her life alone, having someone to share the burdens and joys would make it so much better. Terrance is just as single-minded but for different reasons. He's suffered unimaginable pain and heartache and doesn't want to ever be in that position to be hurt again. He has purposefully pursued his own dream of becoming a doctor and has not let anyone or anything interfere with that dream...until Jaynie and Tara come along. As for Tara, she's what brings these two together. Her Baby's Secret Father has a great flow and while medically descriptive, is very easy to follow. The love scenes are just right for the story's setting and length. Congratulations Ms. Marshall on your wonderful debut!