A New Release and Writing Community

Bri, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog.  I am so excited to start the blog tour of my second novel Raven’s Song on your site.  I really get a kick out of seeing you at different book events and following your posts on face book. You have so much energy and enthusiasm for the craft.  Sometimes I wonder where you find the energy to do all the things you do.  One of these days we will have to sit down to coffee and I will spend a few hours siphoning out your secrets. (Fab Lucinda, congrats. I'd love to sit down and shoot the breeze.)

How to Gain Blog Traffic from Writing Communities

Please welcome Nicole Pyles my first guest blogger in the month long "Guest Post win a Kindle" event. Nicole describes herself as "
I am a writer social networker bookworm and blogger that loves spending her time with family books the bookstore and the beach." She shares some great info on blogging and some basic do's and don'ts. Find out more about Nicole here. Enjoy.

Photo Copyright by Nam Nguyen

Since June of 2011, I have been blogging about the writing process and everything that has inspired me to write along the way. I have blogged about things that I have learned and I also have reached out to several writing communities to help me out with some posts. But what I have noticed the most about those communities is that if you treat them right your blog can actually benefit and see some growth from those communities. But if you don't...you may find that you are all alone in a desert

To Care or Condemn....How do we move past flowery words?

This beautiful painting is by Liz Lemon Swindle.  The story behind the art from Liz's website is such...The leaders of the Jews brought an adulterous woman before the Lord asking if she should be stoned. Christ simply said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Convicted by their own conscience, the crowd disappeared leaving only Christ and the accused. “Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?” he said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”

How do we move past flowery insincere words to meaningful heartfelt love for those in our lives that sin? While I may sound like I have the answer for this. I learned from anothers example: Jesus. Such as in the story of the Jews and the adulteress his life was the example that we should learn from. So taking that into account I will put up some points to think about when you find your self quick to judge

• Pray: When you are made aware of someone who needs help ponder, pray and ask whatever deity or guiding light you call to first how you should proceed.
• Don't ask: When someone asks you for help or needs someone to listen and you know it's a direct reaction to perhaps a separation, divorce or bad decisions made on their part. You are not entitled to their information in payment for your empathy. (keep in mind if this person was to be in your home or is in need of things that could pose a threat to your family, yourself or possessions. Then proceed accordingly. Use common sense.)
• Don't imagine: As an author I know the power of imagination. From personal experience do not try and figure out what happened to this person. I can personally testify most often your conclusions are much worse than the truth. So don't do it!
• Like them: Try to find something to admire about them. Even if it's that they have great feet or bathe regularly. There is always something that you can find to hang on to to try and appreciate them. Attempt to look at them as a parent would a child or perhaps even as God would his child. 
• Be Prepared: Often times you will be met with social or public disdain by those who know some of the person's past indiscretions or who were offended by them. Another consequence to this type of care is the reaction of one who you have come to care about. They may feel confident enough to persevere, to become the person they could be and when that happens you will find a loyalty from them that lasts longer than any public or social disdain.

In conclusion this is no easy process and the farther away personally the person is from you the easier it is. However, I've had experience with this more often now than before (reference this post) and I can confidently say that I have gained some truly amazing friendships and understanding about people that have made me a better person and writer.


Have you ever been in this situation? If so how did you react?

My Jesus Broke...Now I Can't Write...The Excuses Never Cease....

My beloved Christ picture broke...
It's my husbands fault...
How can I write in this emotionally charged atmosphere?





In the span of four days this is where my life was. Hubba hubby is in a wreck. A young woman tboned our family paid for mini van, totaling it, he was injured, missed work, we moved from an apartment to a house. While this is going on we still had church,basketball games and practices, chess club,piano etc. Needless to say life continued. On top of all that I had two writing deadlines.

First I'll start with the internal deadline. That deadline of the Internet doesn't come on until Thursday so I have until then to unpack, organize and decorate my big new house, seemed totally reasonable at the time. Did I ever mention I'm slightly neurotic?


So I'm pass the organizing and unpacking stage and now I'm into the decorating stage. This is the constant rant I'm hearing in the background, "No holes in the walls, don't mess up the hardwood, no holes in the walls, don't mess up the hardwood!" via my construction veteran husband hubba hubby. Did I mention he's totally neurotic. He can't help it he's a Yankee.

So I go and spend an obscene amount of money on damage free hanging hooks etc. I follow the directions precisely then hang my beloved Jesus picture. A picture I got 8 years ago and have moved over thousands and thousands of miles...and when we move less than a mile away it simply just falls off the wall shattering the glass!

For a brief second I regretted giving up my brass knuckles when I got put on probation that one time. I looked at hubba hubby and screamed "This is your fault!" Then promptly began picking up glass and crying. Jesus was placed in the garage and I was quiet. Quiet all through the car ride to the guitar recital, there and back. My thoughts were turning to how can I write with Jesus in the garage? That's the thing with excuses. You never run out.

So instead I long handed this post, broke the rest of the glass out of Jesus and hung him up anyway.Then got to cracking on the deadlines.

What excuses have you confronted when deadlines loom? How did you overcome them?

How Can An Old Jewish Tale Give Guidance In Todays Publishing World? Don't Worry I'll Tell Ya...

We as writers are essentially in a brother and sister hood of sorts. We all want the same goal publication success. However, on that journey we can handle ourselves two ways...we can be selfish and  self serving or we can have empathy and charity. We can impart our praise, patience, knowledge and time.

 An old Jewish legend tells of two brothers, Abram and Zimri, who owned a field and worked it together. They agreed to divide both the labor and the harvest equally. One night as the harvest came to a close, Zimri could not sleep, for it didn’t seem right that Abram, who had a wife and seven sons to feed, should receive only half of the harvest, while he, with only himself to support, had so much.

So Zimri dressed and quietly went into the field, where he took a third of his harvest and put it in his brother’s pile. He then returned to his bed, satisfied that he had done the right thing.

Meanwhile, Abram could not sleep either. He thought of his poor brother, Zimri, who was all alone and had no sons to help him with the work. It did not seem right that Zimri, who worked so hard by himself, should get only half of the harvest. Surely this was not pleasing to God. And so Abram quietly went to the fields, where he took a third of his harvest and placed it in the pile of his beloved brother.

The next morning, the brothers went to the field and were both astonished that the piles still looked to be the same size. That night both brothers slipped out of their houses to repeat their efforts of the previous night. But this time they discovered each other, and when they did, they wept and embraced. Neither could speak, for their hearts were overcome with love and gratitude. ⁸

This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves, ⁹ seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us. ¹⁰

^{Let us learn from the example of Zimri and Abram. As we gain success let us impart of our substance of time and experience to those authors that seek after it. I'm not saying that we should ignore deadlines and answer every scrap of email that comes through. Use your common sense and simply be willing. I have to say I would rather have just enough success and a network of friends and colleagues than a NYT bestseller and no one to share the joy with.}

Did You Know That Erotica Has It's Own Morals? My Interview With Sarah Ballance

Saulti Dear Reader today we will hear the fairy tale like story of Sarah Ballance and her road to publication. And during this interview I have learned so much about romantic suspense as a genre as well as sub genre's within it. On with the interview....

Sarah lives a charmed life as the mother of six incredible homeschooled children, all of whom are completely adorable when they're asleep. Her husband of many years (long, long years, he calls them) is the kind of guy who could teach those heroes from the books a thing or two about romance, not that he'd readily admit it. Completely supportive of her new found passion for writing, he's generously offered to help with any necessary research for "the good parts." She's never had to ask twice.

Sarah wrote her first novel because she told someone she couldn't.  It was accept by the first publisher she queried, and the rest, as they say, is history.  While the idea of writing novels initially intimidated her, it has morphed into a favorite pastime since her characters, unlike her kids, actually listen to her. Most of the time.

1.       Have you ever googled yourself? If so what did you see?

Not until a couple of months after my first book release.  What I found was about three pages of ME.  I was shocked.  Fortunately, there wasn't a horrifying entry in the bunch.  I mostly found news of my release and blog entries or interviews, and also discovered my book for sale at several third party vendors which was a nice surprise.

2.       Do you have a mentor/s? If so who and what have you gained from their relationship?

My crit partner wins this prize.  She read the first draft of the first chapter of my first novel and she's still speaking to me, if you can believe it.  ;c)  She's my hero, though.  I shudder to think what a crit group would have done to my "had" and "that" riddled manuscript, but she offered gentle guidance in those early days which, in turn, gave me the confidence to grow and improve (a LOT) as an author.  There's no way I'd be here, two releases down, without her.

3.       Have you considered self publishing? If so elaborate on whatever your decision was.

No, I haven't.  My first manuscript was accepted by the first and only publisher I queried, so it's hard to say what might have changed had I faced a rejection or ten.  But would I move forward without professional editing?  Absolutely not.

4.       Do you follow writing blogs? If so which ones and why?

I try.  Oh, how I try.  LOL.  There just aren't enough hours in the day, and I exist in a perpetual state of "frazzled."  So rather than frequent any one spot, I tend to make the rounds when I see a tweet or a message board entry with the news of a new blog or interview posted. 

5.       How/where do you gather inspiration?

I love music when I write.  My hubby is a total romantic (don't tell him I said that) and he keeps me inspired on a greater scale.  We've been together 15 years, but he still turns my insides to mush, which is handy when you're writing about those fluttery first moments of attraction and heart-pounding lust.

6.       How do you gather information/research for a book? What’s the most significant experience you had with research?

My first two novels, DOWN IN FLAMES and RUN TO YOU, did not require research.  The one I'm working on now required quite a bit and, in fact, I recently told the tale in a guest blog I dubbed The Riot of Research.  I spent hours asking my hubby about a gun, only to realize I really need to know about ammo.  It took a solid day just to gather enough info for a short two-page prologue, and now if I so much as mention "having a question" to him, that little vein on his head starts to throb.  It was hilarious.  (We won't ask him what he'd call it, LOL).

7.       What’s the best/worst writing advice you have ever received?

The best?  Be yourself.  You don't have to write 3,000 words a day – or even 300 – to be a "real" author.  No need to wait for the end - you can edit as you go along if you'd like.  You don't have to fit a mold and neither do your characters.  The worst?  Anyone insisting otherwise.

8.       What’s the best/worst marketing advice? Best advice, hands down, was "one reader at a time."  That said, the worst is a nonstop barrage of "buy my book" tweets and FB status updates.  As a reader, I tend to avoid the latter.  But as for an author who takes the time to connect with me?  Forget buying one book – I'll buy them all.

9.       What’s the best/worst publishing advice?

Do your research!  Period.  I didn't know enough to research before I had my first contract, but I couldn't have chosen a better publisher.  Noble ROCKS.

10.   What defines a great romance novel?

There's an X-factor. It needs to be well-written, obviously, but readers need to be able to connect to the characters in a way that touches them.  Any story that has readers emotionally invested in a believable, heart-wrenching, breathtaking plot scores big in my book.

11.   Do you feel that a romance has to have sex in order for it to be great?

Absolutely not!  In fact, the tension without sex can be incredibly erotic in itself. 

Thank you so much for having me here today.  It's been a pleasure having the opportunity to chat with you!  I'm going to hang out to answer any questions your readers may have, so, dear readers, feel free to bring 'em on. Anything goes – nothing's too crazy or too personal!  ;c)

Fabulous honest answers Sarah. Grazi...Grazi...And in order to get her to quit stalking my page people please ask some questions. (Kidding Sarah) Now lets learn about genre's and sub genres.


Those that know my work know that I write what is considered "clean fiction" in the romantic genre's. However, I do believe in the art of sexual tension. I have my own personal moral code of what is too far, words that are taboo and what's ethical--as I'm sure all authors do. I'm pleased to see  that publishers have that as well and it ranges from the strictest clean fiction publisher to the most erotic publisher. Here's two examples that I saw within the erotica genre. The first being that any writing of an erotic nature with in the books be from consenting characters 18 years of age or older no matter the genre or time period. Second they have what's called levels of heat or flame. Most have a scale from 1-5. 1 meaning less description. 5 meaning....well you get it.

Now lets talk about sensual romance. When I asked Sarah this her answer was , in reference to her book Run to You. " There's sex, but little to no mention of body parts - not graphic." Kathryn Anne Dubois defined three subgenres of romance in her article on Defining the Market as....

Erotica – explicit sex without emotion and commitment.
Erotic Romance – explicit sex with emotion and commitment.
 Sensual Romance – lot of unexplicit sex with emotion and commitment.

Now while I won't be writing novels with heat ratings...I have respect for those women that do and their craft. Just like I know those women I've befriended that write in the genre don't call me a prude. (at least not on my wall.) LOL. Now time for Sarah's latest novel Run to You

HEAT LEVEL:  SENSUAL ROMANCE (Run to You)
GENRES:  romantic suspense, romance - I love a good romantic suspense.  It's my favorite genre to read, and being able to write them is a dream come true.

BLURB (Run to You, romantic suspense)

Mattie James can't pinpoint exactly when she lost control of her life, but the moment she decided to take it back made the front page of the local paper. Desperate to dodge the fallout— and the tabloids—she jumps at the chance to spend an off-season week in a tiny resort community by the sea. Making the trip with her ex-lover is a complication she can live with; coming face to face with a dead woman is not.

The last thing Sheriff Wyatt Reed expected to find on the storm-ravaged beach was a beautiful blonde with a jealous sidekick, but one look at Mattie left him wanting more. Their first date takes an ominous turn when he gets the call that a woman was found murdered. With a killer on the loose and a troubling lack of suspects or motive, Wyatt has to put his feelings aside to focus on the case. But his vow not to become personally involved is shattered when he discovers Mattie's life is on the line, and this time the truth leaves her with a deadly choice . . . and nowhere to run.  
BUY LINK: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=214

Wow that's sounds like romantic suspense with a dash of adventure!! If you'd like to learn more about Sarah or her books please click on the links below. Thank you kindly Sarah for visiting. Keep up the good work...don't be a stranger now either.

Website:  http://sarahballance.com/
Blog:  http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#%21/SarahBallance

Facebook Fan Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Ballance-author/125956520788499

Facebook Friend Page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Ballance-author/125956520788499#%21/profile.php?id=100001580043965

Week One of 17 weeks of Fantastic Romantic Suspense...Author Leanne Dyck

Welcome Dear Readers to the first interview  in a 17 week series where we will visit and talk with different Romantic Suspense authors. Something that I have learned in my journey through in the romance genre is that you really can't judge a book by it's cover. (But you can get a pretty good idea!)

Just because there is a half naked man or woman on the cover does not mean that it is necessarily erotica, or what would be rated R if it was a movie....

Take The Sweater Curse by Leanne Dyck (published by Decadence Publishing on January 10, 2011) for example. It's more of a thriller than a romance. The premise is new and intriguing and I'm very excited to have it on TBR pile.

Aspiring knitwear designer Gwen Bjarnson is stuck in Purgatory. To escape, she must re-examine her life, journey through her past and right a wrong.

But which wrong?

Young and in love, she works to establish her career, except fate has different plans. One rash act and she loses everything. Never resting, always seeking, and yearning for what she can no longer have, Gwen faces the truth:  if she remains, others are destined to die.

How will she solve the mystery before it is too late?

Preface...

This isn't Heaven. It isn't Hell. And I'm not alive.

Picture this:  a bus stop, tons of people packed into the same small space all waiting to continue their journey. Many buses stop here. Some passengers get off, others get on. Young children with sickly white complexions huddle together in the shelter. Teenagers with rope burns around their necks get off the bus. Old men with bullet holes climb on.

Throughout this confusion, the only constant is me. I remain alone.

Why?

I don't know, but I must find the reason. I must examine my life to discover the momentary lapse. The wrong I've committed. The task I've neglected. It's my only means of escape.

Now to meet the talented Leanne Dyck.....

Author Bio:  Leanne Dyck began her knitwear design career in August 2002. Her patterns have sold in North America and internationally. Shortly after The Sweater Curse is published, Leanne plans to close this business to write full-time.

She earned her first writer's paycheck for an article published in a knitting magazine and is a member of the Mayne Island Writers Group, the Victoria Writer Society, and Crime Writers of Canada.

 

      

 1.  Have you ever googled yourself? If so what did you see?

Yes, I’ve googled ‘Leanne Dyck’. The first entry on page was “Author Leanne Dyck knows her craft, her audience, and her setting” (wow that's awesome)

2.      Have you considered self publishing? If so elaborate on whatever your decision was.

Yes, I have self published an audiobook short story collection and a mystery.

I’ve written an article about my experience. If you like, in a future blog visit, I could share the article with you and your readers.( well ain't she slick...of course we want you to come back girl)

3.      Do you follow writing blogs? If so which ones and why?

Following writing blogs is an affordable means of learning the craft. Some of the blogs I faithfully follow are:  Story Fix, Story Flip, The Creative Penn and Writers Unboxed.

4.      How/where do you gather inspiration?

I’m inspired by things I’ve heard, books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, songs I’ve enjoyed, dreams I’ve had and on and on…

5.      How do you gather information/research for a book? What’s the most significant experience you had with research? 

I gather information by reading books, talking with people and by using search engines.

6.      What’s the best/worst writing advice you have ever received?

A gem I gathered from a writing magazine was a writer’s job is to write and submit.

7.      What’s the best/worst marketing advice?

Once upon a time, I had a craft supply store. One fateful day in walked a tourist. He spent hours examining all the merchandise, finally he found me hiding in a corner—knitting. “Your store is so well stocked. You should be very proud. If it were mine, everyone within in a 50 mile radius would know I was here and what I had to offer.”

Now, as a writer, I try to follow his advice. (I'd call this a gem too.)

8.      Is there anything you want to share or wished that were asked that hasn’t been?

I’d like to thank my readers for their kind support. (Talented, beautiful, intelligent and well mannered, we will definitely be inviting Mrs. Dyck back.)

For more information on The Sweater Curse click the highlighted link. To purchase The Sweater Curse click here.

Grazi, Grazi, Grazi!!! to Leanne for spending time with us today and I hope to have her back again soon to talk more.

Bri

Don't Be A Copy Cat

Motivational Poster once again created by the talented Ricky Ross

  

Anyone who writes will tell you that what they read influences what they write. There is a distinct difference in between influence and plain plagiarism.

Most of the time children will write stories based on something that they have seen or read. Stephen King began his literary career at 8 based off characters in a penny comic he read. That's normal and it's how they practice their budding writing skills.There is even the extremely popular fanfiction sites. Fanfiction is where fans of novels, movies or comic books make up stories based on the characters they love. These are all great creative avenues that encourage people to think and to exercise their literary brains. I do not knock them. It's when you start using the same tone, voice, adjectives, plot and story lines where you need to stop and take a step back.

I know this from personal experience and will use those experiences to illustrate how to be aware of it and then correct it. 

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga was the first fiction I had read in 6 years. Afterwords It was like a dormant part of my brain had been unleashed and refused to be repressed again. Fantasies, ideas, and daydreams would appear out of no where--doing dishes, folding laundry, and exercising. I began to write them all down...then the Glazier Series was born.

Which brings me to my copy cat connection. I had about 165k words in that draft and asked a couple of friends to read it. While most of my friends gave supportive and positive reviews this friend went through with a red pen and literally edited my entire manuscript. She also added notes on the blank pages in the back. It was my first somewhat negative yet honest feedback. Not to say that my other friends were lying...just that hers was more detailed.

Needless to say I was a little taken back. I read over what she had written and mulled it over a few weeks. There were several things she had suggested that I had already put into play. The most significant advice she gave though was that I had used several of the same adjectives and phrases used in Twilight to describe Edward on my own hero. She was right. I have kept that book with the red marks as a reminder.

It was a little funny to me because Edward and Henry are two separate protagonists..the plots themselves are different. Nevertheless, there they were. I went back through the manuscript with vigor and enthusiasm making it my own creation. Which wasn't hard because it wasn't that bad after cutting the book into two.

So Dear Reader be aware of what you are reading and even more aware of what you are writing.

Bri

The Power of Senses

I had the great privilege of attending a talk by the multitalented Jason F Wright in November of 2008. He was speaking on the power of the hand written letter. While his words were poignant and true...and I agree with him in every way...the same potential for power hold true in other sources I believe.


Here are some examples for me...




 Music: The careful combination of strings by the guitarist, the skillful ambidextrous movement of the drummer, the tickling of the black and white ivories of the pianist coupled with the lyrics that a talented vocalist harmonized together to create music has the potential to enrage, sadden, empower, impassion or calm me. As an author I find music in the background to be a necessity for writing.

Pictures: Photographs, book covers and art any kind of sight enjoying piece is a picture for me. Pictures are the physical ability to conjure up recollections of memories, joys, triumphs or defeats. The power of sight is so strong, as strong as hearing, that once spotted the thoughts can appear without warning. As an author a book jacket is essential. While I often don't even have anything in mind for a novel I am confident that I will know what the dressing is that I require for my book when I see it.


Words: Awww...just the letters of word make me sigh with pleasure. As an author this is my euphoria on earth. Words can do what music and pictures do and more. Here is what words have done for me tonight. Lately I have been dealing with personal struggles, doubts and frustrations. I believe that for every situation that there are appropriate people that are in your life to help you. Most times this is a spouse, but other times it could be a colleague, a close friend or a relative, perhaps even a professional...it all depends on the situation. Really don't you want someone who is qualified to help you?


My friend that I find myself turning to for sometimes even just a distraction from the doubts in the form of a laugh or even advice on a problem they are qualified for, hasn't had much time for me. And as the large silence of their nonreplies pile up the doubts intensify and the sadness creeps in. Are they ok? (I always start with this worry.) Am I bothering them? There are plenty more because I am neurotic like that.

Once I asked that question Am I bothering you? The response was one that brought me great comfort. It was simplistic and honest...probably not even something they thought much of as they typed. For me it's message and it's delivery are an ongoing comfort...stored away safely to call upon as needed.

What is it that does it for you Dear Reader?


Bri

Every Woman Needs Romance...Even Crazy Irish Women....

 It's been 10 days since my last post....that is unacceptable. My sincerest apologies. In my desire to bring quality, entertaining and educational blogs I fell into the silence abyss.

 Let me set the stage for ya...
Here's what's playing on the Iphone on a perpetual loop...
Hiedi Newfield's Johnny and June
Christina Aguilera's Bound to you.

Why you ask? Because it's my date night and I have been pissed all freaking day!  



Here is how the anger kindled...(and in my husbands defense I am a crazy southern Irish woman, it does not take much).So I'm talking to my pawpaw and folding laundry while CC works on his school work and the little vampire watches Sesame Street. Then my iPhone beeps at me that I will have guests coming in an hour. As I hastily get off the phone I take a quick inventory....I stink, my hair is so slick that the Fanz would be jealous, the living room needs vacuuming and etc.

I quickly decide the essentials and then enlist my husband to vacuum. Here's how that played out...

Me "Hey my guest will be here in an hour and I still need to take a shower. Can you vacuum real quick?"

CC He looks up from his textbook.."You should have thought about that before you were chatting on the phone"

Me. (the temp she's arising) "I was speaking to my grandfather AND folding laundry."

He's moving toward the vacuum cleaner now.

CC "Well sometimes we should do our chores before we get on the phone?"  

 At this point all the blond dye as fell out of my hair only leaving the red of my Irish heritage because I am so furious, and I have the vacuum in my hand.

Me."Don't you dare touch that vacuum!"

He keeps moving...but with caution.

"Don't touch it!" I say.

He moves to his coat instead ,sets his bottle of water down and grabs his keys and books. I ask if he's leaving and he says yes but forgets his water. By this time I'm cooling. I grab his water and say hey do you want this as he is walking down the cement steps of our apartment. His gruff response is no.

The temperature rises again and for a split second I consider launching the bottle of water at the back of his head effectively knocking him out. Then I decide against it because I've never been one to attack an opponent from behind but really because it's date night and I figured that would put a damper on the evening.

As I vacuum my mind wandered as it often does while I clean. I considered that 6 years ago I would have just clocked him with that bottle of water. I was proud for a brief moment. Then I thought about how busy he is and how busy I am and how the epitome of each week is date night. That time with him is more sacred to me than anything else....Even more sacred than pride or anger.

So to self medicate I have listened to the new love songs that I have recently found over and over. There are is a set of lyrics in Christina Aguilera's song Bound to You that really stood out to me. I'm strong when I sure there's a fire in us.


Everything I write has romance in it and though my lead males are usually nothing like CC ...my writing is strong when I'm sure there's a fire in us.

Bri