Thoughts and my author chat tonight

Yikes! I have my first author chat tonight from 5-11! HELP!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LindenBayRomance
I'm such a virgin to promotion. I just hope it goes well. I'm nervous, not sure what to say. I guess, talk about myself and my book and my upcoming book and my books in progress...lol. I hope at least one soul shows up...lol. It's hard when you're new, but the only way to NOT be new is to actively market and get your name out there. And that's what I'm trying to do.

I spoke about the hero of SWEET SURRENDER. I fell in love with Matthew while I wrote him. His name was Damon at first, but I changed it. At any rate, now I want to talk about how Rachel was created. After all, a romance hero is nothing without a suitable heroine. I needed somebody who could bring out Matthew's goodness and strength and make him feel worthy, however Rachel, first named Ally, really wasn't that person. At least not at first.

I thought of Rachel by taking bits and pieces from a real woman I know well (no, it's not me). She has been through so much, and is the strongest person I know. Her strength came from forcing herself to overcome her own demons. She was perfect fit physically--petite and beautiful with dimples and blond hair, but she never felt pretty on the inside. Her first husband had literally kept her hostage from others and abused her. Rachel's story evolved from that, but I gave Rachel a more positive slant. In spite of her rotten relationship with her ex, she'd had a good home life until her parents had died, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She had more to work with than Matt because she knew how it felt to be loved. She was feisty, bright, energetic and also vulnerable. So how could I link up two people who didn't trust relationships and didn't want love? That was my big challenge. I had my hero and heroine. I basically had filled in my story. I had to put the right emotion into my book. I had to make both of them characters that a reader would cheer for. That was the challenge. That was the fun. Lots of angst and laughter in the book, and some real bumps in the road. Rachel is pregnant from her ex--he raped her--Matt never wants to be a father, and this isn't even his baby. The more challenges I put before them, the more fun it became to help them deal with their problems.

They got their happy ending and it made me feel good. They deserved it. Until the end, though, it was a hard fought battle. Tonight I have to discuss this book. Tonight I have to see if I can get some readers to buy it, and love it as I do. Not an easy job, but I hope my enthusiasm wins over a few. In other news:

My son has already come up to me with the first "I'm bored" of the day. He will likely repeat it all day long. He is on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum and is just a delight. This kid is so even-tempered and sweet, I'd take ten of him. However, he can be obsessive and, outside of school and swim team, he prefers to be alone. "I'm bored" means he wants me to either take him to rent a videogame or drive him to the gas station, where he can get his favorite treat, "Flaming Hot Cheetos." On the other hand, my daughter, Nicole, will want to visit her friends as soon as she opens her eyes. It's a challenge to keep her home. She's so social.

I'm an adoptive mom. I have five kids in all. I'll tell you about them, because they all came to me in unique ways, and our loving family is not run-of-the-mill at all.

M. is my one biological son. However, his father is not his birthfather. My first husband had a very rare neurological disorder and could not father children, so my son is a donor baby. He's a lot like me, but sometimes I wonder about "the other side." He doesn't. He claims to have no interest. Knowing him well, I believe it. He is married to a wonderful girl and works in sales, which is hard for him as he is shy.

S. was adopted from Hong Kong at age six. I expected a scared little boy to join his brother M., whko was also six. S. danced off the plane like he owned America. I did find him crying in bed that night, but, for the most part, he didn't cry. He learned the language quickly and seemed to adapt well. He was brilliant, very independent, and not as attached to us as Mark, which makes sense. S. started building computers very young and has made his fortune in computers. We don't see him much since he got married. I miss him. He has become a very strict Christian (beyond most Christians) and his wife is Chinese. I think he's trying hard to reconnect with his roots.

J. was adopted from Korea at five months, my little spitfire. She was always beautiful and sweet and insecure. She gave me all my gray hairs when she was a teenager, but we are best friends now and I can't imagine my life complete without her. She is wonderful. J. is very creative and smart, but more street-smart. She has been in a relationship for three years and I like her bf very much.

I didn't want to embarass my older kids so I didn't use their names. Their last name is different from mine because their father was my first hub. Lucas is 13 and on the autie spectrum. Anyone who thinks autie kids don't talk, don't love, don't show feelings, etc. hasn't met Lucas, adopted from foster care at age 2. He is African-American (and so handsome) and has something called PDD-NOS, which is autistic traits, but not enough to qualify as classical autism (the type most think about when they hear 'autism') or Aspergers Syndrome. We think of him as....just Lucas. Lucas tries hard at everything he does. He should be fairly independent as an adult, with a little help from us. When we're gone, M. is very close to him. He has promised to look after him. J. will help too, and I am guessing that Nicole also will help. Except for S., who has recently started pulling away, we are a close bunch.

Nicole, well, she's ten and my social butterfly. Her ears are glued to her MP3 player and she's just growing up too fast. She is a beautiful girl. I know her birthmother and birthfather. Her birthmother picked us to raise her because she knew we'd love her, although she is biracial. WE DO!!! We wouldn't care if she was purple! Her birthmother was gorgeous and let us watch Nicole's birth and it remains one of our best memories. She has my hub, Tom, wrapped around her little pinky. I swear, he never gets angry at her. He can deny her nothing. Ya think she's spoiled??? Just a bit!

Nicole's birthfather was also incredibly handsome. If I'd been younger, I would have had a big crush on him and I see why her birthmother was attracted to him. However, they couldn't stay together. He agreed to let us adopt his little girl. We are grateful to both of them, and know that Nicole will see them both again one day.

I have to plan this menacing "author chat." I never realized that marketing a book could take so much time. I thought you wrote a book and others just magically bought it. Hmmmmm...maybe I should write a book about an author who can sell her books that way, but it would be in an alternate reality :)