Welcome Ann Omasta

These bios are generally rather dry, so I thought I’d shake up the format a little bit. Here are ten not-so-interesting tidbits about me:

1. I despise whipped cream. There, I admitted it in writing. Let the ridiculing begin.
2. Even though I have lived as far south as Key Largo, Florida and as far north as Maine, I landed in the middle.
3. If I don’t make a conscious effort not to, I will drink nothing but tea morning, noon and night. Hot tea, sweet tea, green tea––I love it all.
4. There doesn’t seem to be much in life that is better than coming home to a big dog who is overjoyed to see me. My other family members usually show significantly less enthusiasm about my return.
5. Singing in my bestest, loudest voice does not make my family put on their happy faces. This includes the big, loving dog referenced above.
6. Yes, I am aware that bestest is not a word.
7. Dorothy was right. There’s no place like home.
8. All of the numerous bottles in my shower must be lined up with their labels facing out. It makes me feel a little like Julia Roberts’ mean husband from the movie ‘Sleeping with the Enemy,’ but I can’t seem to control this particular quirk.
9. I love, love, love finding a great bargain.
10. Did I mention that I hate whipped cream? It makes my stomach churn to look at it, touch it, smell it, or even think about it. Great––now I’m thinking about it. Ick

Tell us about your book

Would YOU like to take a peek inside my diary? I guess I’m jumping ahead…we haven’t even been introduced. My name is Fern Burns. (Yes, I know it is a ridiculous moniker. If you met my flighty mother, you would understand.) By some wonderful stroke of good luck, I live in the beautiful, tropical Florida Keys. Oh, and I am not your typical Contemporary Romance heroine.

In this journal, I share the sometimes wacky, often wild, and always entertaining stories of my life for the year. From the love-hate relationship I develop with the book, The Secret, to having to deal with cursing parrots and a road filled with skittering crabs, the summations of my offbeat daily life should make for an interesting and fun read.

I treat my diary like my best friend as I openly write about my hopes and dreams, my thoughts and fears, and my triumphs and embarrassments. This is a particularly exciting year because I finally meet the man of my dreams! Or is he?

This fast-paced story is an intimate look inside my life as I go all-in and hand over the keys to my diary. Go ahead…Take a PEEK! 

Available as a FREE download at most major e-book retailers!

Tell us three things we’d find if we looked under your heroine’s bed? How about the hero’s bed?

Heroine:

• The plate of crumbs from last night’s peanut butter cookie binge.
• Dust bunnies.
• This year’s diary.

Hero:

• See above. He likes to warm Fern’s bed every chance he gets!

What is the theme of this book? How does this book fit into the series?

The Keys to my Diary ~ Fern is Fern’s actual diary. In it, she shares all of the intimate and funny details of her crazy life in the Florida Keys. It is the first book in the series and is currently free, in honor of the release of the second book in the series, The Keys to my Diary ~ Marina. Marina is recently divorced, so Fern (her BFF) gets her a diary of her own to work through the feelings of betrayal that stem from her newly acquired, but unwanted status. Marina decides that a fling with a hot, young, motorcycle-riding tourist is exactly what she needs to move on. She’ll just need to remember that it’s a temporary dalliance. No problem…right?

Why do you write this genre? 

I love reading Contemporary Romances that have a little bit of humor thrown in, so writing fun RomComs seems natural. My goal is always to write a book that I would enjoy as a reader.

What inspired this story?

This particular story was inspired by the years I lived down in Key Largo, Florida. Many of the most fun and carefree times of my life were spent down there, and that’s also where I met my hubby. In fact, some of the characters and silly stories in the diaries are loosely based on actual people and events. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, of course. Oh, and I’m not telling which parts are true.

Do you write any other genres?

I just finished penning my first erotic romance serialized novel, The Neighbor. I wanted to stretch my wings a little bit to see if I could write one of these, and I had a blast researching it. Kidding. Sort of. Actually, I read dozens of erotic romances in preparation for this and found the ones I read to be rather formulaic––featuring a strong, dominating male (or two) and a submissive female. I decided to write a steamy story that featured a sensual heroine discovering her own strength and following her chosen path. I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

Any tips to share with fellow authors/aspiring authors? What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard?

It’s such a cliché, but just sitting down and writing is the key to success. I hear so many people say that they’d like to write a book or that they started writing a book, but without regular writing sessions, they will never achieve the goal of hitting the Publish button. You have to keep at it on a consistent basis. Many people say to write every day. I don’t do that. Some days I just don’t feel the urge to write, so I know if I did, it would end up going in the trash. I try never to go too long without a writing session, though. Also, I do like to accomplish something productive towards my writing career every day––even if it’s just answering an email from a reader, scheduling an ad for a price promotion, or watching an instructional video––each little item I check off the list gets me a tiny bit closer to my goal of becoming a full-time author.

Excerpt: 

Tuesday, March 17^th

It’s my birthday! Okay, that isn’t nearly as thrilling as it was 25 years ago, but it’s still somewhat exciting. At least I no longer get pinched if I’m not wearing an abundance of kelly green. A St. Patty’s Day birthday kind of limits your special-day outfit choices in your youth. I remember one year, in particular, when Grandma gave me a beautiful, pink, frilly dress to wear to my birthday party. Mean Jimmy (as I used to call him) pinched me hard on the arm, and that started a barrage of pinching from my so-called friends. I ended up hiding in the bathroom for a good portion of my party.

I must have forgiven Mean Jimmy because less than ten years later, I started calling him James, and I let him slide into third base with me in the back of his souped-up, cherry-red Mustang. How’s that for not holding a grudge?

What am I thinking? That’s no way to start this year’s diary. I haven’t even introduced myself. What if some handsome stranger finds this book several years from now and wants to track me down? I’m sure I’d be happy to meet you, Big Fella. <Wink, Wink>

My name is Fern Burns. Yes, I am well aware that it’s a ridiculous name. Anyone who has met my scatter-brained, flighty mother gets it. Mean Jimmy had his fair share of fun chanting my silly, rhyming name, as well. ‘Fern Burns never learns’ or ‘Fern Burns makes my stomach churn.’ Thinking back on it now, I’m amazed that I was able to forgive him so quickly. That must be part of the magic of youth. Now, I would probably hold a grudge and plot diabolical revenge against him.

Since my middle name is Mable, it’s not really much help in cutting the unusual factor down in my name. Sometimes I throw the ‘M’ in when I state my name aloud, hoping that I’ll be taken more seriously. I don’t think it helps very much.

I have kept journals of my day-to-day life since I was 12-years-old. Gosh, I guess it’s officially been 30 years today. How is that possible?? On my 12^th birthday, my grandma gave me a beautiful, sequined diary that locked. In one of my mother’s few serious moments, she told me that I shouldn’t write anything down that I didn’t want the whole world to see. Being a rebellious pre-teen, I started writing everything down in my new journal, mostly because my mom thought it was a bad idea.

 

Thanks Ann! Be sure to catch up with her on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and her website. In case you missed the link above, click here for the free download of Keys to my Diary, Fern and don’t forget to sign up for Ann’s reader group to get a free download of her novella, Aloha Baby.