Horses, Southern Belles and Beaches

I’ve been a reader for a long time. The way my mother tells it, possibly since birth. In fact, I used to get in trouble for reading. To be fair to my parents, that was usually because I was supposed to be doing something else – like cleaning my room.

I can pinpoint the time I decided I wanted to write my own stories to the third grade. At first, I wanted to write about horses and misunderstood girls. I loved a good horse story. Or a dog story. Or cats. Really any story with animals. (Although today, I try and stay away from those. I blame Old Yeller.) Then I moved into wanting to write mysteries because I was a major Trixie Belden fan-girl. Next up was historical. Heroines with lovely big dresses who persevered through empty root cellars with grit and brains. It was when I was edging my way into high school that I discovered romance. And romance has been my favorite genre ever since.

Now that I’m sharing those stories with people (my dogs have heard them for years), I’ve had to branch out into learning about promotion. And that includes coming up with my author brand. I’ve pulled my hair, brainstormed, mulled and sometimes cried trying to decide on a tag line. Tag lines are supposed to let your audience know in a few short words exactly what your product is about. It sounds easy. Not so much.

Every writer out there has a different reason for deciding to plan, plot, write and publish stories. I’ve always known the “why” of what I do. Indulge me for a few seconds longer and I’ll get to the point of this blog, I promise.

I think about my dream vacation. This includes a body of water, a chaise lounge, an umbrella drink and a book. Usually that book is a favorite author and it’s a story that I’ve been waiting to read. A book I’m so looking forward to reading that I’ve saved it for just the right location and the right time. Sometimes the book is a brand new author and I’m anxious to see if the story lives up to the intriguing back blurb. Realistically, I don’t take many dream vacations, so I can’t always wait for my lounge chair and umbrella drink, and I might have to cuddle up with blankets and cocoa for my read-time. But no matter where I am, beach, bed or hanging out in the bleachers at one of my darlings’ sporting events, when I read a beach bag story it takes me to that peaceful place, sucks me right in so that I nearly feel the sun on my face and smell coconut suntan lotion.

That’s what I want to give to you.  So there it is…my tag line: Natasha Lake, Romance for your beach bag. Just don’t let your parents catch you reading when you’re supposed to be picking up socks.