What traits would you like your scientist protagonists to have or what do you expect? I’m taking a poll to match reader expectations with reality. Thanks for taking this poll for me. Check all that apply and add your own ideas.
Input needed: writing about science in fiction
Scientists as characters. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? I have a survey here to start the discussion. Please let me know your opinions.
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to me!
1. I share a birthday with Ringo. And my father-in-law.
2. I’m the same age as Madonna.
3. My due date was July 27th.
4. I was born bald. Calvin means “little bald one.”
5.Here’s a tweet from my publisher: Happy Birthday to author @hausteinc1 whose #book, Natural Attraction, is only $2.99 on Amazon 2day! @pennerpub #IARTG http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Attraction-Western-Historical-Romance-ebook/dp/B00W8E2WTI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436286630&sr=1-1&keywords=catherine+haustein …
20 Questions from Romance Readers’ Club
20QS with Author Catherine Haustein
Today we’re pleased to welcome Catherine Haustein to the 20QS spotlight.
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1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m a writer and an analytical chemist who graduated from the University of Iowa. I teach at Central College in Pella, Iowa, and am the mother of three and grandmother of five. My writing features female scientists. Natural Attraction is my first novel, and this fall I’ll have a short story in the anthology The Female Complaint (Shade Mountain Press).
2. Please tell us about your most recent release, when it was published, and what it’s about?
Natural Attraction was released May 11 by Penner Publishing. Natural Attraction is an adventure told by Clementine, a young Dutch American scientist in 1871 who must pose as a man to further her career as a naturalist. With the help of a mysterious tonic, she transforms into a man, discovers new species of animals, and falls in love with a preacher.
3. What else have you published?
I’ve only published short stories before this.
4. Have you always written in the romance genre? If not, what else have you written?
I have written romance and sci-fi, but the sci-fi almost always includes a romance, too.
5. What or who inspired you to be a writer?
I think I got my start telling my mom stories about what happened in school. Not much happened to me, but I watched other kids getting in trouble and told about it as if it was me. She was afraid to go to the parent-teacher conferences and was shocked to find I really hadn’t spent all day in the office. I also admit that when I heard the Beatles’ song Paperback Writer, I longed to be one. I really got my start in college, though, after taking Short Story Writing.
6. Where in the world are you?
In Pella, Iowa, USA. A quiet town of about 10,000 people.
7. What do you love best about being a writer?
Living a whole different life and entertaining others while doing so.
8. What’s the biggest challenge being a writer?
Finding the time and daring to do something so personal that will someday become public.
9. What’s your favorite romance trope?
Opposites attract.
10. What’s your typical writing day like?
I write in the morning when I get up, then go to work, then come home and write after dinner.
For the other ten, click here.
An Excerpt.
Thank you DeAnna Cameron for publishing one of my favorite passages from Natural Attraction!
My first romance?
My cousin found parts of my first romance script. The plot? A sexy woman is torn between a bad boy and a mama’s boy while other women look on in envy. The resolution, the bad boy turns out to be Pat Boone!
Strawberries: does size matter?
My cousin brought me some tasty strawberries from Michigan that got me wondering, why are grocery store strawberries so big? The answer is pretty simple, big strawberries are easier to pick. That’s about it. Strawberries are picked by hand and less labor is involved and fewer strawberries fill up a container when they are big.
Strawberries and other colorful berries are good for us because they contain chemicals that can reduce inflammation and lower the risk of many diseases including cancer, cardiovascular troubles, and obesity. The main chemicals associated with these healthful properties are also what give strawberries their color–anthocyanin pigments–but there are over 25 compounds in strawberries associated with health promotion. The content of these compounds varies with the type of strawberry. One study done at Universita Politecnica delle Marche in Italy found that wild strawberries, which tend to be smaller and softer, contain on average, more healthful chemicals with the strawberry Elsanta falling short compared to the wild types. The new variety Romina (developed in Italy) was more nutritious than Elsanta. But does size matter? I can’t come to a strong conclusion except that maybe yes, if the berry is also on the wild side. I’d say that eating a variety of sizes is preferable since nearly every type has its chemical perks. And when it comes to strawberries, small and squishy is nothing to be afraid of. 
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Milkweeds and butterflies
Milkweed loss in the US has affected monarch populations so I tried to grow some from free seeds. It wasn’t that easy. I managed to get one scraggly plant. But that was all it took. Three years later, I have a patch. Yes, it attracts monarchs and all sorts of butterflies. The flowers smell luscious–like lilacs. Here’s a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and maybe a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele). Milkweed contains carenolides, toxic steroids with a bitter taste. Predators that eat insects which have eaten milkweed sicken, throw up and avoid similar insects in the future. Monarchs eat milkweeds as larvae and sequester the poison for their remaining lifespans. Milkweed is poisonous to cattle, pets, and people. The milk or latex is harmful to your eye. How did I not know this? In any case, smell them, enjoy the butterflies, but watch out for milkweeds.
Another project for unruly women (and those who love them)
I’ve often been called unruly, bratty, bossy, or whatever–what in a man might be called “take charge.” This fall, one of my stories will be in this anthology
Catherine Haustein 