How many times can one writer reinvent herself? Is there a limit? I’m doing it again. The day before Halloween I sold a book to Harlequin SuperRomance, my first for this line. I couldn’t be more pleased. For one thing, I am returning to my first love, romantic suspense. But, let’s face it, my career is all over the place. This is the seventh category romance line I’ve written for. I’ve written fifty-plus books under two names, for more than a dozen editors in two countries. (I swear I don’t have A.D.D. … oh, look, a squirrel.) You might be thinking, Jeez, settle down already. If…
Romance Novels
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Romancing the Blog
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Starting All Over Again
6 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am -
We know your secrets
5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amThis topic came to me recently in a way I hadn’t considered before. We librarians know your secrets. This was one of the things we frequently discussed in the ethics class I took in grad school. But the secrets I’m thinking of go beyond your medical history, your marital status and your legal issues. We librarians know you intimately. We know what you like to read. A librarian who is good at reader’s advisory builds relationships with the patrons she serves. She learns the patrons most intimate likes and dislikes. She *has* to earn the patron’s trust. It’s like a… -
I’ve Gotta Be Me…Or NaNoWriMo, My Way
4 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amNational Novel Writing Month, otherwise referred to as “NaNoWriMo” or simply “NaNo”, has begun. The challenge? Begin a new novel and write at least 50,000 words in the 30 days of the month of November. The NaNo website lists 46 novels that were begun as NaNo projects and went on to publication. (Well, they’re actually a bit buried, but you can find them here.) Mira author Tori Andrews began book 2 in her Mercy Holling series, Angels of Mercy, as a NaNo project. This year, I’m participating. Sort of. I’ve done NaNo before. The first few years I heard… -
To Prologue or Not To Prologue . . .
2 Nov 2009 | 11:24 pmWhen I was in high school, I took a class where one section was on Obedience to Authority. We read about and discussed Nazi Germany, for example, as well as not-so-violent examples of citizens conforming. To prove the point, we created an experiment. Patterson Hall was a long, L-shaped building with six double-door entrances and a long, narrow hall. We printed signs declaring that the hall was now One Way Only, that when you entered you could only walk to the right. We SAID we were the administration on the signs, but we weren’t nor did we get permission–it was an experiment,… -
Ready to Launch
2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amI’m getting ready to launch my Fall 2010 list and reflecting on all that goes into that process. Launching involves a presentation of each title to our entire sales, PR, marketing and design teams, and ahead of time there’s an enormous amount of thinking that has to go into each piece. What’s the ideal publication date? Is it better to launch for the holidays? Or for Valentine’s Day the next year? With September and October such big months for the heavy hitters to release their new books, should I be piggybacking on that increase in store traffic? Or timing toward a…
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To Be Read
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A Picture Says a Thousand Words
30 Oct 2009 | 6:43 amA picture says a thousand words, but what are these pictures saying? You’ll see the four pictures below and the best caption will win a copy of Divorced, Desperate and Deceived. So go ahead, get creative, and let’s have some fun. Write a caption for one, or write a caption for all three. And speaking of words, here’s some words from two reviewers on my November 24th release. My hubby is poking me saying, “See I told you didn’t have to worry.” And he’s right, now I can stop worrying about this book and start obsessing over my next release in June 2010,… -
Success
29 Oct 2009 | 11:31 pm“Success – a definition. Success means doing something sincerely and whole-heartedly. And you have to have the help of other people to achieve it.” — Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts For Christmas last year, I bought my dh Striking Thoughts. I really love that book, which is why it spends more time on my writing shelf than on his side of the headboard. lol For Mother’s Day, my youngest bought a chick flick that just hit DVD. She’s my chick-flick buddy. The oldest is my scary movie buddy. So, the youngest and I stayed up and watched the movie and we saw two… -
What’s your season?
23 Oct 2009 | 6:06 amThe great contrast in colors has arrived: the sky is gray, very very gray, so very gray (actually, that’s usually what people say about Seattle anyway), but what you don’t expect are the trees turning golden and bright red. Those trees aren’t native to the area, you see. Mind you, that’s what the Hub reminds me whenever we see a splashy display of deciduous leaves dropping. What’s mostly native are the green conifers, those pines and firs rising high. The splashy displays were brought in from elsewhere, not only in recent years, but when the pioneers first… -
It’s Never What You Expect
20 Oct 2009 | 10:10 pm. Like Sharon (see her post below), I recently attended a conference. Mine was the wonderful Emerald City Writers Conference. I had a fabulous time (and didn’t come home sick, so I’m one up on Sharon). Writers, both published and unpublished, often ask whether it’s worthwhile to attend conferences. What will be the benefits, and do they justify the outlay of time and money? Of course there are all sorts of benefits to be enumerated, but what I’ve learned is that often some of the best ones are things you couldn’t possibly anticipate. For example, when I signed up for PASIC’s… -
Halloween’s a-comin’
18 Oct 2009 | 11:00 pmWho in the US doesn’t enjoy, or at least indulge in, Halloween? I happen to love the holiday. To get into the spirit of things, I thought I’d share some memorable Halloween moments with you. Way back in the olden days when I was a pre-teen, I volunteered to collect money for UNICEF while trick-or-treating. As I recall, most people graciously dropped their extra change into my UNICEF milk carton. At one particular house, though, that didn’t happen. A middle-age babysitter answered the door. “Trick or treat!” my girlfriend and I said, and she gave us a couple of mini candy bars.
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Marianne Arkins
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Running Late
6 Nov 2009 | 5:38 amPerseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt GingrichI completely forgot I hadn't set up a post for this morning. I'm telling you what, having DH home has really messed up my week. I don't know what day it is, half the time I don't know what time it is. I barely know my own name.He goes back to work on Monday, but then is off again for a week starting Wednesday. I can NOT wait until January. Life will once again return to normal. I love normal.Writing is crazy. You can find an update on my NaNo-ing at the JaNoWriMo blog.in the… -
Thursday Things
5 Nov 2009 | 1:00 amIf you made a list of the reasons why any couple got married, and another list of the reasons for their divorce, you'd have a hell of a lot of overlapping. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960Again, I'm writing this on Wednesday night for Thursday morning. :-)DH is home until Sunday, and it's driving me wonky. DD is having trouble sticking to her school schedule, and we won't even talk about MY schedule! OY. But... there is some good news! We didn't haul wood today!! Yay! Unfortunately, the reason for this was because DH badly sprained his ankle on Tuesday evening while we were… -
What, When, Where, Why and How with Yvonne Eve Walus
4 Nov 2009 | 1:00 amGive a hearty welcome to Yvonne Even Walus!What would you prefer: a tornado or an earthquake?Hmmm. I've already been through a small earthquake: I woke up one night in a hotel room and saw the big wooden wardrobe move. It was fascinating and I wanted my husband to see it too, but I fell asleep before I could call out his name or nudge him. I've never had a tornado. So I think I'll stick to small earthquakes.When would you kill your own food?Only if I had no other choice.Where would you spend your vacation?Oh, so many places, so little money! But if cost and time were no object I'd go for:a… -
Bloghopping and Dog Torture
3 Nov 2009 | 1:15 amBeing an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum. ~Graycie HarmonOnce again, I'm writing this the night before so that I can use the morning to write in the NaNoWriMo challenge (my word counts can be found at the JaNoWriMo blog).So, it occurs to me that I'm going to get some weird keyword searches with "Dog Torture" in my blog. Let's get that out of the way first...HERE is our version of dog torture:Yes, DD made Dakota her own witch's hat. As you can clearly see from the dog's expression, she was underwhelmed by the gesture.Okay -- I took the time to do a little more… -
Today, the Night Before
2 Nov 2009 | 1:15 amTalent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. — Stephen KingI'm writing this the night before, so that I have plenty of time to write in the morning. If you want to know my word count for the day, check JaNoWriMo a little later for what I've accomplished.Today was crazy -- I had lots of work to do on the LASR/WC site, but despite this, DH decided to cut down a huge oak tree in our back yard. DD and I went out to help after it was down: dragged brush, moved logs, stacked them in the place where the OLD stuff we just…
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Amanda Ashby
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Thank you
3 Nov 2009 | 1:06 amYup, this is a big thank you to everyone who has given my book trailer some love - so pleased that we all seem to agree on the universal language of plasticine!!!! I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been going out there and buying Zombie Queen. I finally got to see it in one of my local bookstores the other day and even better, I noticed it had gone into a second print. I had known this was a possibility but it was nice to see it had actually happened. And in a rare fit of bravery on my behalf, I even went up to the counter and introduced myself as a local author. It was very… -
The Mint Chicks - I Don't Want To Grow Old
29 Oct 2009 | 5:59 pmWell after not blogging for about a century I'm doing a cheat and posting a song. Oh, but what a song. It's by Kiwi band The Mint Chicks and it's actually on a bread commercial over here, and it's completely awesome. It's sort of got a Cheap Trick feel to it, don't you think?Anyway, I've just finished plotting out a new book and I really, really, really hope I get the chance to write it because I think I'm in love with the hero. HInt, hint, he's a geek! What's everyone else been up to? -
Zombie Queen of Newbury High book trailer
23 Oct 2009 | 10:08 pmWoot! I'm so happy to let you all see the book trailer for Zombie Queen of Newbury High!!!!Obviously, no expense was spared in the making of this trailer and though my children weren't exactly paid for their time, I did let them keep the plasticine afterwards, which I think was very kind of me!Anyway, in order to celebrate my new, fancy book trailer, I'm running a competition. To enter all people have to do is either post a copy of the trailer on their blog, link to it or even post a tweet. Then, once they've done that they just need to send me an email to:amanda at amandaashby dot com (no… -
Another interview
18 Oct 2009 | 12:07 pmI'm talking zombies and halloween over at Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem. You can check it out here! -
Back to the eighties
16 Oct 2009 | 9:26 pmYes, bear with me folks because I'm having a little flashback to the eighties and what better way to flashback than with Blancmange's Living on the Ceiling?
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Ann Aguirre
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Ultimate Winners & places you can win
2 Nov 2009 | 10:09 pmThe Nook Winner = Riles Buy.com Winner = RKCharron Book certificate Winner = Sonya Allstun A Drop of Red Winner = Maered Bone Crossed Winner = the book girl Arc of Waking the Dead = Tiffany Email me your names and addresses to collect your winnings. Note; I am going on vacation on Wednesday, so if I don’t have your info tomorrow, it will be the following week before we can wrap up prize delivery. Congrats to everyone. Y’all were great. ETA: There are four five places you can win Skin Game right now. (If you know of more, let me know and I’ll add the links). Romance Bandits… -
Ultimate Skin Exposure
26 Oct 2009 | 12:07 pmThis is it, the last week leading up to the release of SKIN GAME, and I need your help to launch it in a big way. How can you do this? (1) Twitter about the book. Not random “buy it!” spam. Mention what you liked about it in 140 characters or less. If you haven’t read it, say why you want to read it. Use the #SkinGame hash tag so people can find what you have to say about the book. Talk about it with people you follow. Be my buzz-leaders! (2) Post the cover on your blog, MySpace or Facebook page, along with the blurb. (3) Tell people about the book by whatever means you feel… -
2nd Week Orgy Winners
23 Oct 2009 | 6:32 amLike last time, if you guys don’t email me your addresses within a week, then I keep the book money and taunt you with the books I bought for myself instead. And so without further ado, here are our winners for the week: Mandi – Set the Dark on Fire Sara M – Bitter Night Jonathan – Norse Code Julie D – ARC of Finding the Lost Congrats, people! The sooner you email me, the sooner we can send your prizes to you. On Tuesday, we begin our final week of celebrations leading up to the release of Skin Game — with a special mystery prize along with the book orgy. -
2nd Skin Game Book Orgy
19 Oct 2009 | 9:27 amSo here we are, just over two weeks before release. Are you guys excited? I need y’all to be revved up about this book, as it’s my first romance and my first release as Ava Gray. That’s why we’re having another week of the book orgy. There are more awesome books up for grabs this week. To win, all you need to do is show up. The more you comment, the better your chance to win because I’ll be picking my winners through a random number generator. As always, no spamming, no random links. Here’s who I have in store for you this week: Jill Sorenson I’ve had… -
Orgy winners
15 Oct 2009 | 10:05 pmWow, that sounds wrong, doesn’t it? Anyway, I am allotting the books to winners in order names were drawn. Here we go: Quatrain – CC Gateway – Mishel The Last Will of Moira Leahy – Laurie F Wicked Enchantment arc – Pam K Y’all need to Email me your names and addresses. If I don’t hear from you within a week, then I’m keeping this book money for myself. Mwahahaha! And I will taunt you with the books I bought. On Monday, we’ll have the second week of the orgy with more books and arcs. Yummy.
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Jenifer Ashley
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Interviewing Nalini Singh
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 amPlease join me over at The Chatelaines (http://www.thechatelaines.blogspot.com) for an interview with the incomparable Nalini Singh (we're giving away a book, of course). :-) -
Shopping Early for Book 2 in Lord Ian series
1 Nov 2009 | 9:53 amI saw this morning that Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage is up for pre-order on Amazon. It's out next July--I call that stocking up early! :-)No cover yet, but link is here:http://www.amazon.com/Isabellas-Scandalous-Marriage-Jennifer-Ashley/dp/0425235459/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257097942&sr=1-25Or click here if that doesn't workIt's also at Good Reads for Good Reads folks:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7070067-lady-isabella-s-scandalous-marriageExciting!! -
Updates
9 Oct 2009 | 3:03 pmI finished and submitted the manuscript of Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, where it now awaits my editor's eyes. We're working on the cover, and I've seen the back blurb which I like (not the art yet; that will be a month or so).That book will be published by Berkley Sensation in July 2010. More (blurbs, cover, excerpts) as we go!I have added a bunch of information about the upcoming Pride Mates book, which introduces a new series (another one, can you stand it?), which will come out in Feb. 2010. Click here to go to the series page and read about Shifters, along with a message by my… -
Happy Official Release Day!
29 Sep 2009 | 5:15 pmToday is official release day of two books for me:A Christmas Ball anthology ("The Longest Night," by Jennifer Ashley)Read an Excerpt here:http://www.jennifersromances.com/NewSite/Books/ChristmasBall.html andHot for the Holidays ("A Little Night Magic," by Allyson James)Read an Excerpt here:http://www.allysonjames.com/alittlenightmagicexcerpt.html Ready for Christmas??(OK, I'm so not! But maybe the stories will put you in the mood!) -
Updates
14 Sep 2009 | 12:54 pmAh, I love finishing things. I just typed THE END on Mac and Isabella's story. It's just the draft--will be tearing it apart and putting it back together in a couple of days, but for now, Ahhhhh. (I love Mac, though; am looking forward to the second draft with him.)I updated my website with some new stuff: Freebies (I have goodies sitting in my house--might as well give them away!)New covers/links/excerpts on my Coming Soon pageNew excerpt for A Christmas Ball (out first of Oct.)New contact info for snail mail--sending cards through my publisher takes forever (it could be months before they…
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Mechele Armstrong
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Friday Five
6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am1. Yes, I know I missed last week. *sigh* I think I mentioned the cold and flu season has hit hard here? I've been sick for what feels like forever. I finally started feeling better only to get knocked down again. I'm trying to dry my head out in the hopes I'll resume the living. LOL went to bed at 9:30 on Wed night and was probably asleep before kidlets and took an hour nap on Thursday. Between the head drying out meds and not feeling good, I'm wiped out.2. As you read this, I'm probably on a bus to Luray Caverns. Going on a field trip with oldest. Have to be at school at 7:15. It's going to… -
The introvert's view of the AADPW Conference
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 amI heard a quote once that a writer's conference was where you had a bunch of introverts all pretending to be extroverts for the length of the conference.Oh yeah.I admit I'm an introvert. I'm quiet. I listen a lot. I can fake talking but I'm more content to find a corner somewhere and hide out.At big conferences with several hundred (or more) people, it's easy to do. You can get lost in big groups. I know, I'm an expert at doing it.Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend was different. It was a small, intimate conference.No hiding allowed. There weren't really any good corners. I know, I looked. -
31 Oct 2009 | 7:11 am
31 Oct 2009 | 7:11 am -
Whooo hooooo! Surge is out!
27 Oct 2009 | 6:03 amBloodlines 6: Surge released late last night. Yay! I'm so excited to get to share Roc and Cheyenne with everyone. Roc is super sexy. This story does standalone. I consider those who have read the previous books to get "extras" because characters from the previous books do appear in Surge. Blurb: Sexy dreams haunt the vampire Cheyenne as she struggles with her schizophrenia. Her call awakens the man from her dreaming. Only he’s not a man. He's Marroc. The first vampire ever made who took to ground a thousand years ago where he's simmered, feeding on souls and dreaming of Cheyenne, dreaming… -
Authors after Dark Paranormal Weekend
26 Oct 2009 | 5:49 amI'm still deconstructing the weekend that I spent in Suffern, NY. I almost lost my voice and have developed an annoying cough, so still am not 100%well but better than I was last week for sure.I really think this con is going to grow and I can't really wait to see how it develops over the coming years. This was the very first one. Heh, I can say I attended. It was small. But oh, the energy that flowed through it was tangible. Amazing. The charity raffle had SO many prizes. And it raised over $1500 for Pets Alive, an amazing animal rescue organization.The atmosphere was casual and intimate. I…
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Meg Allison
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A dose of reality
6 Nov 2009 | 8:40 amWhat I can possibly say when most of us are still reeling and/or shaking our heads regarding the news this week? As of this morning, we've uncovered one 'new' serial killer -- not the anti-hero, Dexter type, I'm sad to say; a bizarre kidnapping plot; and have faced the fact that not even secure facilities are secure... and sometimes the craziest ones among us might be the ones trying to heal our pain. :\ My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the horrors in both Ohio and at Fort Hood.Yes, as you can probably deduce, I've had a bit too much reality this week. It reminds me not… -
Halloween '09
31 Oct 2009 | 1:53 pmToday is actually Halloween, but we had our church's trunk or treat last night. It was wonderful! So many people turned out and there were many cute costumes. Here's some pics of my own clan of spookies. We love Halloween ... the dressing up... the candy... the creepiness of it all. But I do NOT like slasher movies or gore, so we try to keep our costumes to the cute/pretty/creepy categories.Celtic ElfRed from www.forthewicked.netRock StarThe whole gangGreek PhilosopherEgyptian Servant'Headless' HorsemanHope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween! -
Birthday present!
30 Oct 2009 | 10:07 amIt's my birthday, but I'm giving away the gift! A wonderful conincidence came about when the editors at the Samhellion scheduled my own Halloween freebie to go live today! So I get to give all my readers -- and hopefully some new readers -- a small gift. :)Follow the link and then the instructions -- just one small hoop, but it's easy, I promise. Happy Halloween, everyone! -
Write what you know???
29 Oct 2009 | 11:29 amOne of the very first pieces of advice I ever heard regarding writing fiction was the simple statement: "Write what you know."Okay, sure, on the surface it seems simple. Logical. Then follows the assumption that the only way to truly know something is to have lived it. Ah, yeah... I really don't think anyone wants to read about a stay-at-home mom with five kids. Hey, I could be wrong, but my life is not that interesting. Happy, but rather dull -- just the way I like it. ;)So, does this mean if I haven't been an astronaut or a CIA agent, then I probably won't write a believable story about… -
Archetype or stereotype?
28 Oct 2009 | 9:41 amI've loved all the recent posts on Shades of Suspense. Particularly the last regarding archetypes. It really got me thinking, which may or may not be a good thing. ;)My main concern as a writer: How do I effectively use an archetype without it becoming a stereotype?Just so we're all on the same page, here's how Dictionary.com defines the word stereotype:noun1. a process... for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mâché or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.2 & 3 are more of the same and then we reach...4.
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Melanie Anderson
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I miss my interviews...
19 Oct 2009 | 2:26 pmI really do. I feel like it's time to come out from my year long hiatus (or however long it's been) and start them up again.So if you've sent me an email asking for an interview and I never followed up, I apologize and please send me your request again! I will also go through my email as well, and see who I might've missed.I apologize for neglecting this blog and those who'd started reading it, but I'm back now.For real this time! :o)Mellymelly48@gmail.com. -
Fore!!!
16 Apr 2009 | 7:34 pmTomorrow I am taking off work to participate in a golf tournament. Yes, you read that right. Me. At a golf tournament. Me, whose idea of a workout is having to go to the other lunchroom far away when the one close to me is out of Mountain Dew. Yes, me.But before you start thinking you are on the wrong blog, this is for a good cause. You might've remembered me mentioning my husband's cousin Kevin, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident last year. They are having a charity golf tournament. The proceeds will benefit his son's trust fund. So yes, I'm volunteering. A word that is… -
Happy Easter!
12 Apr 2009 | 7:23 amAs I was sitting here waiting for my son to wake up so many memories of Easter's past went running through my head.I can remember as a child waking up and finding the Easter Bunny had come during the night and left baskets and hid our eggs all over the house. I can remember getting that Donald Duck toy that scared me for many years to come. It had huge scary eyes! I used to make my dad take it out of my room at night. There was that year I got Strawberry Shortcake dolls and then another one where I got a Puffalump. (Those hideous pillows that were popular during the 80's).Of course it wasn't… -
Lions, tigers and dancing queens, oh my!
6 Apr 2009 | 7:20 pmAs I sit here with the song, "Dancing Queen," running through my head for no apparent reason-well, except for the fact that I apparently like to torture myself, I thought I should blog a little. Not a lot. Just a little. Baby steps. What have I been up to? Well, not a lot. I'd like to say that I've been writing, but well, no, I haven't. I had a really good writing jag back in January and thought it was the real thing, but it wasn't. I've mostly been working. And working. Oh and watching TV shows! Not new TV shows (other than my Grey's, of course), but older TV shows on DVD.My latest obsession… -
Broken
24 Feb 2009 | 7:15 pmI'm a bad blogger. I am. I keep saying I'm back and then I just disappear again. I'm sorry. I love this blog. I do. But I just lost something last year that I can't seem to get back again. There were many more interviews I planned to do and ideas that just got lost. That's where I am right now. Lost. My mind kept telling me I was fine and ready to get back to what I was doing before I lost so much, but then I just find myself sliding right back down. I'm still broken.That's not to say I can't find my way out of this. There's still a spark there. I'm just waiting for it to grow back into that…
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Ally Blake
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birthday girl
6 Nov 2009 | 12:17 amToday my baby girl turned 2. Wow, how crazy fast that time has flown by! She's this long, lanky creature with the softest curliest hair and such bright laughing eyes. She loves pulling faces in the mirror and running full throttle with her head thrown back, laughing at the sky. She loves sitting in the corner reading book after book, and thinks herself best friends with The Little Mermaid and Nemo and Horton. She's sprouting full sentences and counting everything in sight. She amazes and delights and challenges and surprises me each and every day.Celebration wise we've had balloons, a flower… -
director's commentary...of sorts
2 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pmI looove the director's commentary function found on most DVDs. Especially for movies I've loved. They can be fun and full of fabulous info like which extras were memers of the producer's family, like Sandra Bullock's commentary on Miss Congeniality. The commentary can be filmed live and shown on a split screen alongside the film in the ever so slightly booze assisted comentary on Jerry Maguire (listen, it gets funnier the more they drink!). Or it can shed wonderful, beautiful light on how a romance that was never in the orginal piece was layered into the film on the insistence of the star,… -
go yankees!
29 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pmI looove the Yankees.Have done since I was a kid and all I ever wanted to do was one day see New York. My nickname in high school was, you guessed it, Yankee. It is a deep and abiding, blood-tingly, butterflies in the tummy kind of lurve.Jeter. Rivera. Pettitte. Mmm, mm, mmm.My Yankees jersey has come out of the cupboard. My Yankees cap - bought in New York - is on my head as we speak. The NY gold charm my hubby bought me for Christmas one year is on my bedside table (not around my neck as Itty Bitty Girl would have that thing snapped off in a heartbeat!)My blood's a tingling. The Yankees… -
i heart the "meet-cute", how 'bout you?
28 Oct 2009 | 3:00 amCheck out the faaabulous I Heart Presents site - the destination for lovers of all things Harlequin Presents - today!Why? 'Cause I'm bloogging thereupon about the classic Hollywood set-up, the "meet-cute" and how it's just as relevent in romance novels. "What's a meet-cute?" I hear you say. Well, Eli Wallach's character in The Holiday, an old screenwriting ace who befriends Kate Winslet, sum it up thus: "Say a man and a woman both need something to sleep in and both go to the same men's pajama department. The man says to the salesman Ted, I just need bottoms, and the woman says, I just need a… -
meet dylan kelly
19 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pmI'd like you all to meet Dylan Kelly, the hero of my current novel, GETTING RED-HOT WITH THE ROGUE.Ah Dylan. What a pleasure he was to get to know. The second son in Brisbane's wealthiest most infamous family. The cheeky, irreverant, ambitious, playboy spare. Oh, was I ever inspired by Mr Brad Pitt. The flat blue stare. The shaggy dark blonde locks. The confident charm. The deep, lazy drawl.Sound like your cup of tea? Well, here's a little taste...Finally the crowd cleared, and through the parted waters came a man.Standard light blue shirt.Discreetly striped tie.Dark suit.So far not so much…
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Ann Bruce
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The Sweater
3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amIs it Christmas yet? No? Well, it is close enough for me to share one of my favourite childhood memories: “Le chandail de hockey” (”The Hockey Sweater”). If you grew up in Canada and are a hockey fan (really, Canadian and hockey fan should be synonymous), you probably know this classic short story: Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshiped Maurice “Rocket” Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, he was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton’s. Unable to… -
Three Days Grace’s “Break”
1 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amLove the song, confused by the video. And is it just me, or is this tune incredibly upbeat for 3DG? Also, it looks like Adam Gontier put on a little weight. Hopefully, that means rehab actually worked for him. A higher quality video can be seen on YouTube (no embedding ). -
It’s Shiny, It’s Pretty, It’s Tiny…Can It Be?
31 Oct 2009 | 11:39 amSince Dell is still dragging its heels on the netbook front, I decided to postpone my early Christmas present to myself. I looked briefly at HP, but the netbooks with the features I want are only on the 11″ models, which defeats my purpose of getting a netbook. I want something decent I can carry around in my shoulder bag. However, I think the true reason for the delay is because I absolutely adore my Apple MacBook Pro with its merging of stunning design and functionality and can’t bear the thought of taking a step backwards. However, Apple currently isn’t interested in the… -
Social Code’s “Satisfied”
30 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amThe theme song for all urban fantasy and Harlequin Blaze heroines: (The more I listen to this song, the more I like it. Too bad the same can’t be said for some romance sub-genres.) -
Fuming
29 Oct 2009 | 5:55 pmSome jackass without a life hijacked my web site, so give me a few days to fix things.
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Annalee Blysse
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The Sweater
3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amIs it Christmas yet? No? Well, it is close enough for me to share one of my favourite childhood memories: “Le chandail de hockey” (”The Hockey Sweater”). If you grew up in Canada and are a hockey fan (really, Canadian and hockey fan should be synonymous), you probably know this classic short story: Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshiped Maurice “Rocket” Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, he was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton’s. Unable to… -
Three Days Grace’s “Break”
1 Nov 2009 | 5:00 amLove the song, confused by the video. And is it just me, or is this tune incredibly upbeat for 3DG? Also, it looks like Adam Gontier put on a little weight. Hopefully, that means rehab actually worked for him. A higher quality video can be seen on YouTube (no embedding ). -
It’s Shiny, It’s Pretty, It’s Tiny…Can It Be?
31 Oct 2009 | 11:39 amSince Dell is still dragging its heels on the netbook front, I decided to postpone my early Christmas present to myself. I looked briefly at HP, but the netbooks with the features I want are only on the 11″ models, which defeats my purpose of getting a netbook. I want something decent I can carry around in my shoulder bag. However, I think the true reason for the delay is because I absolutely adore my Apple MacBook Pro with its merging of stunning design and functionality and can’t bear the thought of taking a step backwards. However, Apple currently isn’t interested in the… -
Social Code’s “Satisfied”
30 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amThe theme song for all urban fantasy and Harlequin Blaze heroines: (The more I listen to this song, the more I like it. Too bad the same can’t be said for some romance sub-genres.) -
Fuming
29 Oct 2009 | 5:55 pmSome jackass without a life hijacked my web site, so give me a few days to fix things.
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Carol Burge
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Submission Call From Wild Rose Press Crimson Rose Jewels of the Night
3 Nov 2009 | 6:18 pm*snipped from the Behind the Garden Gate blog*The Wild Rose Press Introduces a Special Submission Call from Crimson Rose Jewels of the Night… WHAT MAKES THIS SUBMISSION CALL SPECIAL?One submission will be chosen at random to launch the series. The selected contract will be given a premium publishing slot during Crimson month (November, 2010) as well as a featured review and interview with the review site Once Upon a Romance. The selected story will be showcased on the Crimson Rose Page of The Wild Rose Press website and the Behind the Garden Gate blog. The Wild Rose Press will… -
Blog Pitch Contest With Kensington Assistant Editor Peter Senftleben & Marcel Lyon Literary Agent Kevan Lyon
1 Nov 2009 | 6:20 pmHere's an AWESOME contest for those of you who are UNPUBLISHED and have a COMPLETED manuscript(s). On November 30th, Historical Romance Author Beverly Kendall will host a pitch contest on The Season blog. Judging will be by Beverly's own editor and agent, Peter Senftleben at Kensington and Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Lit Agency.THE SEASON PITCH CONTEST rules are as follows (snipped from the site): 1. Accepting only pitches for novel length manuscripts that are complete. And I mean complete as in polished and ready to go within a week of any possible… -
Candy Haven's Writing Game Starts Tomorrow
1 Nov 2009 | 11:23 amI know everyone is busy doing NaNo, but for those of you who aren't, here's something you can do to boost those pages and words. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Candy Haven's Fast Draft Challenge. If not, I blogged about it here. Well, in addition to Fast Draft, Candy now also host's another challenge called The Writing Game. What is The Writing Game, you ask? Okay, I'll tell you. The rules are simple. Here's is how it works... Each day for about a week, Candy will draw a number out of a hat and you write that many words that day. It could range from 250 words,… -
Happy Halloween!
31 Oct 2009 | 5:29 pm -
NOR Under The Mistletoe First Kiss Contest
30 Oct 2009 | 3:55 pmNOR (Night Owl Romance) Under the Mistletoe - Kiss Scene - Writing ContestPlease Carefully Read The Entry Information* Free To Enter - 400 Word Max - Romance Novel Kiss Scene - those submissions that are over 400 words will be cut down to meet our requirements* There Is Only Space For Up To 50 Entries. 1 Entry Only Per Person.* Published and Aspiring Authors Can Enter* Entrants Need To Promote The Contest To Readers & We Will Promote The Contest As Well* First Round Voting Will Start 11/12/2009 and end 11/30/2009 (The top 10 Entries will go onto the finals)- Readers Will Vote.* The Finals…
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Carol Burnside
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It's Guinness time again
5 Nov 2009 | 9:38 amCan't resist. This weekend we took all three dogs out for exercise and put the youngest two on birds so I could get some pictures.The first picture is of Guinness at 14 weeks, exhibiting a nice point. In the second, it's hard to see that he's still holding a point, but I snapped it because you can see what is holding his attention.And the third picture is of Murphy, whom you may have seen on this blog before. Murphy is now 4 years old and didn't need a lead to keephim in check. He knows better than to move inon the bird. See how that beautiful tail is extended and not moving? He's so intent… -
Tuesday Tidbits
2 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pmNaNoWriMo is in full swing. Know how I can tell? I can't get on the site half the time, and when I do it says there are 5,872 others on their with me and the pages take 45 seconds to a minute to load. Sheesh!Who was I kidding with that last post. I've been doing nothing on my NaNo project. I'm combing through Bittersweet Obsesssions, trying to make it the best it can be. That also entails a lot of work on the ending. Maybe I'll get to the NaNo project next week.I needed a laugh today and definitely got it plus some when I happened on Amie Stuart's blog. Oh my. There's just no describing her… -
NaNoWriMo is here!
31 Oct 2009 | 9:01 pmIt's NaNo Day 1!!!Are you writing?I am, or will be. Give me a break, it's only 12:02 AM. LOL.I've got some GOOD writing NEWS! Bittersweet Obsessions placed at third in the Heart to Heart contest, so no win, but I did get a full request. Yay! Guess I'll have to work on that a bit during NaNo too. -
Happy Halloween?
30 Oct 2009 | 10:05 pmMy hubby asked me last weekend if I wanted to buy pumpkins and a hay bale or some kind of decor for the front yard. Uhm, no. I've got mums in a hanging basket and an autumn wreath on the door. That, and the porch light will have to suffice to let Trick-or-Treaters know I'm home and handing out candy.These days, with my kids grown and out of the house, Halloween means a night of ringing doorbells. And ringing doorbells means all three dogs will be barking most of the evening. Talk about a headache in the making!I'd raid the liquor cabinet and make it a more enjoyable night, but I have to be… -
I Scream, You Scream at PF&HT
25 Oct 2009 | 9:45 pmI'm blogging today at PF&HT and confessing what makes me scream. Wouldn't you like to know? Uh-huh. You know you do.While you're over there, check out the latest FREE reads in the October Treasure Hunt.
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Elizabeth Boyle
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The Excerpt is Up
3 Nov 2009 | 4:38 pmYes, that’s right. The excerpt for How I Met My Countess is up, which also means it won’t be that much longer before the book is hitting the shelves. If you read it and love it, will you do me a favor? Hit one of the social networking buttons at the bottom and share it with your Facebook and MySpace friends. You never know who amongst them might be starting to think about what to get you for Christmas. Just sayin’ it’s always nice to make it easy for them. And along with the excerpt, there is also a very special and very FREE downloadable on the site as well. Yes, this… -
An Open Letter to the Writers of All My Children
19 Oct 2009 | 7:49 amThis post should be subtitled, “It’s the romance, stupid!”. But that probably wouldn’t be polite. Apt, but impolite. Now I’ve watched All My Children (AMC for us junkies) for 30 years now. Basically since the last time I had pneumonia. I started watching when Erica had her disco. A disco, for goodness sakes. But this is why, for 30 years I’ve kept watching: the romance. Yes, writers of soap operas, it’s the romance. Tad & Dixie, Erica & Jack, Haley & Mateo, Kendall & Zach, Ryan & the Princess. Why do we watch the shows that keep us… -
An Open Letter to An Anonymous Cat
12 Oct 2009 | 7:14 amSince I know there are very few cats who read blogs (most have far better things to do, like ignore you or sleep or weave through your legs when you are bringing in the groceries), it is my hope that all you cat owners will read this short note to your cats, and being the gossipy creatures that they are by nature, they will tell their friends, and eventually . . . well, it will get to the right cat. And yes, I am well aware that cats will embellish whatever I write when they pass it along. So here goes: Dear Anonymous Cat, Thank you once again for your kind offering. The bevy of rats, mice… -
Refreshing the Well
5 Oct 2009 | 10:45 amNeedless to say, this hasn’t been the easiest year for me, but I finally feel like I’ve found my feet again. (I am so Irish, that as I wrote that, I thought to myself, “oh, you’ve gone and cursed yourself now.”) Curses aside, I ended up having to cancel a lot of things, including speaking at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference and at Emerald City Writer’s Conference, both of which I hated having to say “I can’t”, but I just couldn’t. Between the lost time writing and now trying to catch up, speaking would have been impossible. -
Fall?
22 Sep 2009 | 7:15 amI really don’t need the calendar to tell me it is Fall. All I have to do is look around. Some of the trees in my neighborhood have already started to turn colors, despite our lingering and lovely summer weather here in Seattle. If you ever decide to visit the Emerald City, consider doing it in September. Mid-September is always lovely–downtown and the sights aren’t crowded with tourists and the weather is just perfect–upper 70s with lovely sunsets over the Olympics. But it isn’t just the trees who give Fall away. For me it is my asters: My husband spends all…
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Heidi Betts
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sexy Saturday
6 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmWhat can I say? Thinking I saw him on Crossing Jordan this week put me in the mood. -
a Friday funny
5 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pmMistress Heidi likes this one. *vbg* “The Black Bra” (as sadly told by a wife) Last week, I had lunch with two of my unmarried friends. One is engaged, one is a mistress, and of course I have been married for 20-plus years. We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by wearing a black leather bra, stiletto heels, and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes. Here’s how it all went… My engaged friend: “The other night my boyfriend came over and found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos,… -
let’s talk pizza
4 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pmSadly, we do not have a Papa John’s pizza in our area, but last weekend I made a point of stopping at one a few towns over because they’re running this special where if you buy a regular pizza you get a cinnamon dessert pizza free. (Yeah, yeah; they always look better on TV than they actually are, but it was still yummy. ) The regular pizza, though, was sooooo good. It was all I could do not to stuff the entire thing in my mouth all at once. I’d forgotten how much I love Papa John’s. (I haven’t had it, I don’t think, since the Romantic Times… -
what emoticon are you?
3 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pmSince yesterday was Election Day, I thought this was a good word for today. Word of the Week: erectoral vote — 1. A vote on something that means dick. 2. A vote on something where, with the outcome, someone or everyone gets dicked. Considering how fond we are of emoticons around here, I just thought this one would be fun. Your Emoticon Is Laughing You’ve got a wicked sense of humor. You’re everyone’s favorite IM buddy… at least today! What Emoticon Best Represents You Right Now? -
reminder! reminder! reminder!
2 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pmSince I forgot to post a wee small reminder on Sunday, I’m going to take advantage of today—Election Day—to post a duo of reminders. First, for the political & patriotic one: And second, for the cuddly, furry one. There is only ONE WEEK REMAINING!!! to send in your entries/donations for the Animal Friends Book Bonanza Fundraiser. I will be drawing a winner next Wednesday, November 11th. So if you love animals (which we know you do ) & you love books (duh!), this is your chance to help one & enter to win 30 of the other. (I will try very hard not to mix up the…
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Jen Black
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Smoke and sheep
30 Oct 2009 | 9:10 amOur moorland roads are pretty, but there are hazards.Definitely not the place to drive in ice or snow. Even in mid-summer and autumn there are heather fires and sheep on the road. There were several plumes of smoke on the hillsides when we drove this way a week or two back, and driving through the down drift we got a lovely whiff of heather smoke. Made me think of garden bonfires we had as a child. Now of course we live in smokeless zones. We've definitely lost something in our modern life with central heating and plain walls instead of open hearths. I still remember crouching by the fire,… -
Bad Guys
28 Oct 2009 | 3:28 amHow bad do bad guys have to be before they are unbelievable? These days such horrid crimes are committed in real life that almost anything might be considered believable in a fictional character. Not that I want to move into Stephen King territory with my current wip, not at all; but I find that most of my characters qualify for the label villain in some way. I've come to the conclusion that the times about which we write dictate the villainy level of the characters. Possibly genre matters, too. I would expect a Thriller villain to be a worse villain than a Romance villain. Your average… -
When it goes smoothly
26 Oct 2009 | 8:24 amMatho's Story is going well at the moment. I hope I'm not risking theterrible finger of fate turning in my direction when I say this, but it all seems to be falling into place in the most pleasing way.I could be totally off the plot with it, but I hope not. Perhaps I feel at home in the time period; perhaps it is because I'm not conciously trying to write romance any more.But whatever it is, I'm happy with it, and happy with the writing, too. If I get to the end of a chapter and get up and walk away, I tell myself I'll go for a walk, or do the ironing and I'll think about what is to happy… -
Style
23 Oct 2009 | 3:10 amSo many things go to make a writing Style. Each one of us must find our own and not allow anyone change it.It is probably the hardest part of writing, for anybody can string words together. But do they tell the story in a good way? Here are a few snippets to help get it right:-do not misuse long words;-don't use cliches;-use the best word to express the idea;-do not abuse commas, em-dashes and exclamation marks - use them correctly. For example use an exclamation mark in dialogue only when your character is shouting. -description should be unobstrusive and lend substance to a… -
Characters must have
21 Oct 2009 | 2:30 amMore words of wisdom, this time on CHARACTERS. First of all, Don't Introduce a Character to No Purpose. Always remember your character has to have one; he must be more than a gender stereotype. Err on the side of the specific, concentrate on features and qualities.Above all, Ignore that Mirror!Remember that a POV character knows what she looks like, and that a POV character "sees" whoever she thinks about.Don't overdescribe clothes, and don't use politics as an accessory.Lastly, but important - perfect people are boring.As for SETTINGS - don't stop in the middle of an action sequence to…
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Jenna Bayley
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NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 6
6 Nov 2009 | 11:13 pmIt felt like I got a lot more done than my word count shows. Thank goodness the weekend is here! I need to get a jump on this book before it gets away from me!In other news, there is an interview of moi up on Authors Toolbox and I'm gushing about NaNoWriMo on The Pink Heart Society tomorrow. -
NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 5
5 Nov 2009 | 10:57 pmI still haven't managed to get them out of the restaurant (the goal was to be in Malibu today). Tomorrow is another day...SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS 9532 / 50000 words. 19% done! -
NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 4
4 Nov 2009 | 1:12 amSo...I thought I was done for the day because I...um...put my character to sleep. Hey, it happens and can be fixed later according to the WriMo gods. Anywho, I loohed onto http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and saw that too many of my so-called buddies were 'beating' me...and decided to write 200 more words. Peer pressure can be a good thing.SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS7338 / 50000 words. 15% done! -
NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 3
3 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pmMy favorite advice from the NaNoWriMo site today is ::If you write a paragraph or chapter you don't like, just put it in italics (or change the font color to white). Do not delete! After you write your way across the 50,000-word finish line, you can double back and clip out all the parts of your book that make you cringe (I think you'll surprise yourself with what you decide to keep). For now, just keep moving forward! There's an old folk saying that goes: Whenever you delete a sentence in your NaNoWriMo novel, a NaNoWriMo angel loses its wings and plummets, screaming, to the ground. -
Day The Second
2 Nov 2009 | 10:22 pmI barely got 700 words today and only just managed to get my hero to stand up. Tomorrow has to be better.
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Jessica Burkhart
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back to blogging
4 Nov 2009 | 11:45 amI think (hopefully!) I'm back to regular blogging. I was really sick for 3 days or so and am finally back on my feet and feeling like normal. I was going stir-crazy after forcing myself *not* to do work after the 2nd day of being sick. But I think it was good to take a break. I'm only going to work for a couple of hours today, then I'm done. Got a sparkly event on Friday that I have to be in perfect shape for, so I'm okay with taking a slow week and then working like a crazy person over the weekend.I hope everyone had a great Halloween! If you dressed as a Canterwood character, please email… -
Oops!
3 Nov 2009 | 5:13 pmMissed one of the contest prize winners! For the RIDE LIKE A GIRL bag and stickers, the winner is...E! E, please email me (jess_burkhart [at] hotmail [dot] com with your address so I can mail your prize. :) -
Contest winners
3 Nov 2009 | 5:39 amIt's time to announce the winners of our giveaways! Again, thanks so much to the awesome sponsors. (All winners were randomly drawn from Blogger and LiveJournal.)Girls Horse Clothes gift certificate:Tiana S.The I Love Horses bag:AdinaEnglish princess T-shirt:ZoeCharm clip:Emily B.Winners, please email me (jess_burkhart [at] hotmail [dot] com--with your parents' permission) your name and an address you can receive your prize. Congratulations! -
First Knicks game
28 Oct 2009 | 4:56 amSince the blog was taken over by awesome giveaways (winners will be announced after the final deadline for entering has passed), I haven't been able to blog about personal stuff for a while. For example...last Tuesday, I went to my first ever Knicks game at Madison Square Garden! It was a pre-season game against the Celtics and it was sooo much fun. The crowd was excited and the entire atmosphere was energized. The entire experience of hot dogs and nachos only added to the awesomeness. Plus, we won! :) I've seen MSG on TV before and it's sooo much better in person. It's just insane. I kept… -
Halloween is almost here! Let's talk costumes.
27 Oct 2009 | 8:40 amSooo...my fave holiday is almost here! Halloween! glitter-graphics.comI'm into to cutesy, fun Halloween stuff. I *adore* IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN and HOCUS POCUS. It's hilarious to watch Sarah Jessica Parker before she became SJP. Love. I DVRd those and also set mine to record INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. I've always been too scared to watch it, but I think I'm ready. Trying to build up my tolerance for horror films. I also realllly want to see SLEEPY HOLLOW with Johnny Depp (my pirate-boy!) and Christina Ricci. Again, I was too scared to see it when it came out. I did have the…
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Joely Sue Burkhart
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Friday Snippet: #Victor
6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 amContinuing from last week’s section, first draft, etc. Hauled up and tossed into a chair, Shiloh sat shaken and confused, staring at Mr. Connagher as he paced back and forth. She cradled her throbbing hand in her lap. Each thud of her heart spread that pain like a pulse through her body, melting her bones and priming her for his full attention. What did I do wrong? “When we’re alone, then you can call me Victor, a mean sonofabitch, or a low-down dirty bastard, anything you want.” He jerked to a halt and whirled to face her, his eyes blazing. “But we need to take care… -
NaNoWriMo: Day 5
5 Nov 2009 | 8:10 pmGood progress in DEATHRIGHT today, meager progress on Victor, so I’ll start there tomorrow. I had all sorts of fun today and ended with threats of blackmail. Today: 3,117 Victor: 37,075 Deathright: 12,625 NaNoWriMo total: 15,303 Snippet: Just a short one tonight, since tomorrow’s a Friday Snippet! General Aurelius Stryker bowed as low to Her Grace the Duchess of Araknae as he would Her Majesty the Queen of Britannia. The only difference: he bedded Her Grace while planning to assassinate Her Majesty. -
NaNoWriMo: Day 4
4 Nov 2009 | 8:15 pmI’m pretty groggy tonight (so hopefully I’ll sleep well–no espresso after 6:30 PM!) – and I managed to confuse myself on which backup file I was using, so hopefully I got my numbers all straightened out! It’s hard enough keeping one story straight, let alone two. Wonderful breakthroughs today. The scene that was giving me fits in Victor was finally resolved. Whew, intense, emotional, and totally worth the slower grind the last few days. Over 2K for Victor, and then I switched to Deathright and discovered some really cool things there, too. For one… -
NaNoWriMo: Day 3
3 Nov 2009 | 8:41 pmThis morning, I started in DEATHRIGHT since that’s where my mind was after the “reward” last night, and then tonight, I buckled down for the real work in Victor. All in all, a nice productive day, and I have notes sketched out for both stories to cover me another day or so. That’s key for me: when I have 10-15 minutes down time waiting on dinner (or the coffee pot!), I jot notes. Tonight, I realized I needed to explore a secondary character for whom I knew nothing but his name. In a matter of minutes, I came up with a nice backstory for him that will hopefully… -
Win a Kindle!
3 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pmMy new editor at Samhain, Tera, and a bunch of authors including yours truly are organizing a Kindle giveaway starting in November! We’ll pre-load it with lots of fabulous Samhain books, too. Details will be coming, but here’s the initial post. So stay tuned!
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Lainey Bancroft
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Friday...
5 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmwith the Coffee Crew!More... -
A Serious Question and a Not So Serious Question
1 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pmWe'll start with Lainey-lite.More... -
An Excerpt...
29 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pmfrom the excerpt that took 1st place in the SARA Merritt "Magic Moments" Contest.More... -
Available Now...
25 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pmThe Trouble With Tessa!More... -
When I Grow Up
19 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pmI want to be...Pragmatic?More...
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Leeann Burke
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Another 200 Waldenbooks to be closed in January
6 Nov 2009 | 12:42 pmThis is just such a shame. I just read in my Publisher’s Lunch that Borders Group Inc has decided to close another 200 or so Waldenbooks in January. They estimate that 1,500 jobs will be eliminating. They say it’s mostly part-time. I don’t know about anyone else but part timers are mostly students who need [...] -
Happy Frid!ay
6 Nov 2009 | 6:14 amAs I sat last night watching the first few episodes of Castles season 1 I realized I really like this show. I’ve probably seen some of the shows at least 3 times if not more and I haven’t gotten bored yet. This is how I used to feel when I watched Gilmore Girls. Now I [...] -
My day so far
5 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pmWell I made my way to Hannah’s in record time. I left at 6 am and got here for 2 pm. So I did good time this time around. Now all I have to do is write, write, meet up with Patricia for lunch, write, attend the RIRW conference and then write some more. Can you [...] -
I met my first Writing Goals - Barely
2 Nov 2009 | 9:55 amI have to say meeting my writing goal last week wasn’t easy. I might not have to write a lot but I do work on average 80 hours a week. So writing has to be done when I’m not working or sleeping. Let’s just say that my keyboard has a few crumbs on it right [...] -
My Writing Challenge/Goals
29 Oct 2009 | 5:49 pmThis week I met up with my first romance writing critique partner. She is also getting back into writing. We agreed that we needed something or someone to get us going and keep us going. I remembered taking part in a writing goal contest of sorts with ORWA a few years ago. Actually a lot [...]
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Meljean Brook
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V
3 Nov 2009 | 9:26 pmMy love for the original mini-series is pretty well-documented on this blog and elsewhere. I’m going to give the new series a few more weeks, mostly out of nostalgia (and because I like some of the actors). But, honestly, the first misstep to me was using the ‘V’ as a symbol for the aliens and calling them Vs. Anyone remember that moment in the original mini-series when that ‘V’ was spray-painted across the poster? It was meaningful and inspiring (to me, anyway). Heavy-handed, yes. But more than humans vs. aliens. ETA2: Aha! Found it (the 2nd video is actually… -
ARGH!
2 Nov 2009 | 7:36 pmI’m trying to finish Demon Blood, so I’ve missed a lot of the blog discussions/craziness going on, and it’s okay. I’m sure I’ll catch up next time My e-mail meljean at meljeanbrook.com has become progressively worse and worse. Some are still coming through, but others just aren’t — and they aren’t on my server, either. If you have recently sent me an e-mail, were expecting a response, but haven’t gotten one, my apologies, and could you please re-send it? I’m also available at meljean.brook at gmail dot com (no spaces). The contact… -
One of my favorite horror movies as a kid…
28 Oct 2009 | 11:52 pm…was Stephen King’s Silver Bullet. I’m talking about it over at The Book Smugglers as part of their fantastic Halloween week. Gary Busey and Corey Haim? You just gotta love it. -
Steampunk
28 Oct 2009 | 9:49 amOn Twitter, I was asked about steampunk — specifically, what is it? I’m copying this from an explanation I did a few weeks ago (because there’s really no one definition of steampunk, honestly. But this is the way I’m approaching it.) Steampunk is essentially historical science fiction — and for steampunk, the advanced technology is usually steam-based technology (steam engines and locomotives, for example) but also with various other forms of tech: clockwork machines are common, steam- or clockwork-powered automata (these can be small, like a singing mechanical… -
New Cover!
28 Oct 2009 | 8:09 amThis is for the BURNING UP anthology. My Iron Seas novella, “Here There Be Monsters,” will kick off the new series in August 2010. And look at that lineup!
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M.G. Braden
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Release Day – Love’s Blessings is out
5 Nov 2009 | 9:49 amLove’s Blessings is now available with Red Rose Publishing, please go check it out. They have a different excerpt on the site than I use on mine, so that will give you a little extra. Janelle Trent has been desperately trying to have a baby. Can she surrender to God when the treatments don’t work? Kevin [...] -
For Want of Books
28 Oct 2009 | 9:01 amI’m over at RTB today talking about how I keep adding books to my TBR pile. It’s not a small pile, yet I want more. Come over and visit. -
Competition
23 Oct 2009 | 8:29 amI’m over at Killer Fiction today talking about competing. Come and join me. It’ll be fun! PS: You could win a book! -
Page 99
8 Oct 2009 | 10:11 amEvery morning I go through my blog reader and read all of my subscriptions. This morning HelenKay Dimon wrote about another blogger that does the Page 99 Test to basically determine whether they will like the whole book or not. HelenKay did the test using one of her books, so I thought I’d try it [...] -
Coming Soon
29 Sep 2009 | 4:46 pmI have a new release coming out in November. Well, actually, it’s a re-release. Love’s Blessings will be released on November 5, 2009 by Red Rose Publishing. Here is it’s new cover (and if you click on the cover you will be taken to the buy page for the book – click, click, click [...]
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Beth Ciotta
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When it Rains, It Pours... and other stuff
31 Oct 2009 | 3:00 amA couple of days ago, I received the AAs (author alterations aka gallies) for OUT OF EDEN, my April 2010 release from HQN. For those who don't know, it's the last phase before the story goes to print. My last chance to check for typos. The deadline, the date HQN needs my changes back--November 16. The same day my draft of INTO THE WILD--my September 2010 release is due.I had to laugh. It was that or cry. When it rains it pours.In other news, even though I'm here sporadically, I'm always at Sisters in Sync. Today we're discussing scary movies in honor of Halloween, but skim all of our posts. -
This and That
24 Oct 2009 | 2:49 pmYou can find me over at SIS today chatting books and movies with my sisters and whoever chimes in.In other news, I cooked today. No really. Okay. I used a crockpot, but I had to shop and then put all of the ingredients in the pot. It turned out really good. Some French low-fat recipe using Northern White Beans as the main ingredient. The end result reminded me just a tiny bit of the soup beans my mom used to make. Only I added escarole instead of ham. Oh, and sundried tomatoes and black olives. Also, it was creamier because of the two cheeses. Hmm. Actually, it was nothing like my mom's soup… -
Furry Angels
8 Oct 2009 | 5:18 amI was down with the flu for the past two days. The first day I couldn't even get out of bed. Well, except to let the dogs out to do their thing and to make some hot tea and chicken soup for me. Other than that, I was in bed, sleeping mostly, for 24 hours. My dogs, Nia and Cheyenne stayed with me the entire time. I was astonished. Mostly, they cuddled beside me and slept too. Or they took turns laying on the floor next to the bed chewing on the bones/toys they'd dragged upstairs. But they never left the bedroom. Nor did they wrestle at any point like they usually do. It was as if they sensed I… -
A Girl Can Dream
1 Oct 2009 | 3:00 amI want these clogs. Bad. Why-oh-why do they have to be $136.00?! I know they're hand painted and the artist should be compensated fairly for his or her work--but dang. I'm not cheap, I swear. Just . . . frugal. A woman who does the happy dance when she finds a cool pair of shoes for $25. Maybe I'll write a letter to Santa. Or... I could give up coloring/highlighting my hair for a couple of months. Yeah. Right. That does it. Tomorrow, I'm buying a lottery ticket. -
Kate Duffy -- One of a Kind
29 Sep 2009 | 5:14 amYesterday, I learned a romance industry giant, a woman I called friend, passed away. Kate Duffy, Executive Editor at Kensington Publishing is no longer with us. I still can't believe it.I'm not sure that I could write a fitting tribute, but other's have. I'll share posts that touched me most. Mary Stella spoke my heart. Kate was a mutual friend of ours. Sarah Wendell's lovely tribute prompted over 100 comments, many of them showing just how beloved Kate was. Lastly Squawk Radio re-ran an interview with Kate and boy does her one-of-a-kind personality shine through. If you google, I'm sure…
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Dawn Chartier
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Slinging? Something my character does in my book.
30 Oct 2009 | 7:28 amI wanted my character, Kira in my book NOT AN ANGEL to have a special ability, but nothing of the paranormal kind. Her love interest has enough of that. So, with the help of ideas from my critique group, I came up with "Slinging". Kira had lots of time on her hands growing up, while she hid from her cruel-drunk step-father. The woods became her second home, along with her friend, Todd.Todd taught Kira how to sling. He said it was in case she ever needed to protect herself. It took awhile to get the hang of it, but once she did, she was awesome. Slinging is bascially perjecting an object, such… -
Great Marketing Tips for Aspiring Authors!!
27 Oct 2009 | 11:38 amThis is a great tip from, Sara Megibow with the Nelson Agency....TIPS FROM THE SLUSH PILEThis is more of a marketing tip than a query letter tip, per se. Still, I find this to be an important step for all writers who take the business of publishing seriously. Before starting your submissions (whether to agents or directly to editors), make sure your web presence is polished and up-to-date.I know, I know — another thing to “polish” but believe me, it’s important. If I am reading sample pages that I like, the very first thing I do BEFORE asking for the full manuscript is a Google search… -
EPICon Conference in New Orleans March 2010
20 Oct 2009 | 7:20 pmWelcome to eLiberation! The annual conference for members of EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, is the gathering place for authors, publishers and other industry professionals to celebrate the best of the best with the EPPIE Awards, to share newest information and ideas, to hone their writing skills and explore new markets. So put this wonderful event on your calendar next March 4-7th, 2010 at the beautiful Sheraton New Orleans in New Orleans, LA.Workshops will address the business of writing for the electronic market, promotion strategies, existing and coming technology… -
K-Con 2009 was a great time, including the cute naked butt!
20 Oct 2009 | 12:57 pmK-Con started on a Friday afternoon were I had lunch with Debbie, Cheryle and Jenn at Commanders Palace. Food, service and company were all awesome.After that, I had to run back across the river to visit my mom in ICU. She was doing well, but they wanted to watch her for a few more hours just in case.Then I went back to the hotel, signed up, and then hung out in the hospitality suite for a few hours. I volunteered with the ladies mentioned above to help with incoming fans, etc. After our deal was over, we were in the hall way and Debbie asked a very good looking man to pose with her for our… -
Sitting down and freehand writing
2 Oct 2009 | 6:46 amI was on a blog the other day and I noticed how many authors say they sit down and write on a note pad before they actually start typing their story on the PC They say it helps free "their voice" and makes their writing more unique to them. Hmm... I wonder if that works?Well, today I'm going to try that and see what happens. Maybe it will get me out of this "stuck" spot in my novel. My villain decided he didn't want to be the villain anymore, and then pointed me to someone else. I mean he's still a bad-ass! But, he was right, he's not the killer....((Rewind: I just deleted a entire sentence…
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Dee Carney
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Halloween Winners
1 Nov 2009 | 5:32 amBelow are the winners for yesterday’s Halloween comment contest. I waited until a full 25 hours (including DST) to close the thread for comments. If you didn’t win today, keep an eye on my blog during the month of November. I plan on doing another contest, but you’ll have to watch to see how to win! For those of you participating in #NaNoWriMo this year, good luck!! So, Debby, Audra and Gayle, please send an email with your book choice and format preference to deeATdeecarney.com and I’ll send you your book. Thanks everyone for participating! -
Happy Halloween
31 Oct 2009 | 5:02 amHave a pumpkin on me. -
Change of Plans
22 Oct 2009 | 7:30 amMy #NaNoWriMo plot has changed. For the past week or so, a wicked plot has been plaguing my thoughts, so I figure now is as good a time as any to start working on it. Face it, the story from last year, No Greater Joy, has *sat there* for literally a year now. If I couldn’t find the time to write it during the past 365 days, more than likely it doesn’t call to me. So, on to this new one. The working title is Dark Whispers, although I’m not in love with that name. I have a feeling a future post will inform you of a new title too. Here’s the blurb I came up with this… -
NaNoWriMo 09
14 Oct 2009 | 11:50 amTime to start girding your loins. That time of year has come again. National Novel Writing Month Good Lord even I don’t feel like back-tracking through my posts to find the one that shares my writing story with you. Here’s a different twist on it here. (Long story short, two years ago for NaNo, I started to write. Really started to write.) Can you do it? Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days? Start November 1 and don’t stop until you hit 50K or November 30th. Whichever comes first. The thing of it is, that’s not even the point. The point is to start something this… -
Status update
10 Oct 2009 | 6:30 amI haven’t done one of these posts in a while, but here’s a little insight on what I’m up to lately. I’ve been asked to do revisions on Interdependence, but I’m still pondering the changes I need to make. The editor’s comments were encouraging and one of my other publishers has asked to take a look at it too, so I need to move my ass. I’m about a third of the way done with Chasing Eternity, the sequel for Illicit Hunger, but kind of lost steam and set it aside. “Lost steam” probably isn’t accurate. Illicit Hunger continues to get…
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Diane Craver
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November - Busy Month
6 Nov 2009 | 4:54 amI received my first round of edits this week for Marrying Mallory - I was shocked at the changes the editor has requested. I need to get busy and start revising. I am blessed that I have several friends praying for me to get this editing done -they know I need divine help! I still don’t have a dress for the wedding. I’ve gone shopping several times. There isn’t much for me to try on even. I shouldn’t have waited. I’m guessing women have bought their special occasion dresses for the holidays - there have been great sales. Now if I wore a small size it might be… -
Hottie of the Month!
4 Nov 2009 | 5:48 amSince it’s my birthday month, I decided to choose Richard Gere for my hottie this month! I don’t seem to have time to post a hottie on a weekly basis, so Richard gets the honor for the whole month of November. Richard Gere’s Bio Born: 31 August 1949 (great year to be born) Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Awards: Won 1 Golden Globe Height: 5′10″ Gere is a descendant of Mayflower Pilgrims Francis Eaton, John Billington, George Soule, Richard Warren, Degory Priest, William Brewster and Francis Cooke. Gere was the second of five children, having three sisters… -
The Great Book Video Contest - Voting is Now OPEN!
2 Nov 2009 | 4:54 amMy trailer, WHITNEY IN CHARGE, is one of the entries. If you like my trailer the best, please vote for it. It’s at this blog: http://jkcoi.blogspot.com/2009/11/great-annual-book-video-contest-voting.html Just leave the title of the trailer (by book name or author), along with your name and email address. Please note that besides the prize for winning book trailer, one of the voting commenters will be chosen for a prize as well! Directions are also listed on J.K.’s blog. Besides a basket from J.K. filled with great books from some fabulous authors and a selection of other goodies,… -
Halloween Excerpt from A Fiery Secret
31 Oct 2009 | 4:54 amHappy Halloween, everyone! This is the FIRST year I am not taking anyone out to go trick or treating. I started doing it in 1977 with our first child, Sara. I dressed her in an angel costume. Actually that’s not true - one year Tom did it by himself when Emily was a new baby, and I stayed home to get ready for the baptism dinner which was the next day. Another year Emily took Amanda when they walked the streets of Owensville. Amanda isn’t happy about it. Btw, Amanda was born with Down syndrome so that’s the reason she continued to go while in high school, but now she’s… -
Road Trip!
30 Oct 2009 | 10:51 amI didn’t do my Wednesday post because we left in the morning to get away for a day and night. I had to get several things done before we could leave. My sister-in-law, Mary, came Wednesday afternoon to be here when Sara and Amanda came home from their programs. She stayed with them on Wednesday night and got them off for us on Thursday morning. We really appreciated her doing this for us, and it was nice getting away. The only bad thing was that Emily got sick on Tuesday night with the flu at college. I kept thinking of driving to Dayton to take care of her, but she managed to see a…
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jax Cassidy
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Hate me if you want
6 Nov 2009 | 8:35 pmI can't help that I totally love LOVE this MadTV skit about Emo Elmo from a few years ago. I want one of these! For some reason, it's so screwed up that it makes me bust out in laughter. They say laughter is the best medicine and when something can provide it...especially during these difficult times...I should take laughter where I can get it. Enjoy! -
Procrastination is thy friend
5 Nov 2009 | 10:25 amThe first step is being able to admit you're a procrastinator....Well, can I help that I am addicted to:1. FarmVille2. Twitter3. Web surfing4. Email checking5. Coffee drinking6. Finding an excuse not to write7. Blogging8. IM-ing9. Streaming shows you've missed10. ProcrastinatingUmmm, I'm gonna stop right there because I know I can go on forever. Unfortunately for me, I have a person who will whip my butt (and she'll enjoy it too) if I don't give her page counts tonight so I'm getting off the computer and actually going to try to make my daily writing goal...My accountability has turned into… -
Thoughts
4 Nov 2009 | 11:55 amDon't you hate that?Yeah, I certainly do.I feel like I've fallen into this big dark pit where creativity is just above ground and no matter what I do, I can't seem to find a way to climb up. Well, it's been like this for some time and there are moments when I think I've found a way out but only manage to skin my knee on my way tumbling down. Oh--believe me, it's not the storyline or the characters. Something I just can't seem to put a finger on...Last night I saw a really wonderful documentary called By the People: The Election of Barack Obama. I thought it was a brilliant film that gave a… -
Part of the package
1 Nov 2009 | 9:31 amContrary to the excitement of getting published, the true fun really begins afterwards. NOT!Usually print releases are a year out, but in the world of ePublishing, it's expedited...most often ePublishers purchase only completed projects so besides the short turnaround on editing, you're going to have to be your own marketing and promotions department. That's not to say that print publishers don't require you to promote but if you want that extra push, the extra buzz to stay visible, you should do it anyway. I spent a good part of the morning just emailing to review sites. Not all of them will… -
Happy Halloween!
30 Oct 2009 | 12:33 pmThis is one of my favorite holidays but this year I've promised myself that I would write and get my proposal done...the one that never ends...before I can enjoy any more days off. It's a tough project and I am committed to getting it finished no-matter-what!Which leads me to committing myself to laying off the internet except for research reasons this weekend ... maybe parts of next week. However, I will only be online to post on blog days at various places but I am going to buckle down and avoid everything and everyone otherwise. Drastic times calls for drastic measures so I'm grounding…
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Megan Crane
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6 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm
6 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm07:22 Must prepare to go into Seattle's significantly more wet and cold November weather. Yikes. Am fragile flower, y'all. Already chilled. #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter -
5 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm
5 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm09:09 @teebenoit Wow! You're doing well! Keep it up! # 09:09 @JulieAnneLong I always suspected you were both a princess and pure. ;) Thanks for the RT! # 09:57 Why is it that the more I do, the more I have to do? # 09:58 @JulieAnneLong One, yes. The other, no. Guess which is which! # 12:23 @JulieAnneLong Yes! It is a romance novel, you know. It really ought to celebrate impurity, lustily, or it's a wallbanger, am I right? #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter -
See You Next Tuesday in Seattle: Workshop with Jane Porter
5 Nov 2009 | 9:13 amI'll be headed up to Seattle this weekend to see my good friend Jane Porter and prepare for the exciting and fun workshop we'll be giving Tuesday evening to the Eastside RWA chapter. If you're in the Seattle area, I'd love to see you!Jane Porter and Megan Crane, bestselling authors in category and women's fiction, will be presenting "Finding & Fueling The Story" to Seattle's Eastside RWA chapter on November 10th at 7 pm. Workshop description: With more than 40 published novels under their belts, Megan and Jane understand what its like to know where your story is supposed to go, but struggle… -
4 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm
4 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm22:06 @GLITZANDBLITZ It's going all right. Are you doing it? Good luck if you are! # 07:58 @GLITZANDBLITZ Shows you what I know! # 10:19 twitpic.com/o9g97 - The Mills & Boon Modern cover of my 1st Harlequin! #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter -
3 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm
3 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm08:05 The website for the new RWA Women's Fiction chapter is live! Want to join us? Check it out: www.rwa-wf.com/ # 08:07 @dpeterfreund I never read them, if that helps. ;) # 11:42 According to my own rules, must let editorial suggestions (always right on and incisive) percolate for at least 1 day. #Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter
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Mina Carter
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Hawk’s Warden out now!!
19 Oct 2009 | 11:45 amWhat do you do when you’re magically inept in a world where your worth rests on your magical ability? This is the question that has haunted magic-less Warden Lyssa all her life. So when injured Warrior Hawk mistakes her for a full Warden and claims sanctuary she agrees, thinking she can hide the truth for just one night. Unfortunately it’s not so easy with a Warden execution squad on her tail and then a steamy encounter with her handsome warrior challenges everything Lyssa thought she knew about herself… Excerpt: Why are the hot ones always weird? Lyssa looked up from cleaning tables as… -
Art: A Fireman for Christmas Cover
19 Oct 2009 | 11:22 amA Fireman for Christmas Cover by ~Raven3071 on deviantART -
Art: Second Chances Cover
16 Oct 2009 | 1:16 pmSecond Chances Cover by ~Raven3071 on deviantART -
Art: Love Bites Cover
16 Oct 2009 | 12:59 pmLove Bites… cover by ~Raven3071 on deviantART -
Art: Bound by Convention Cover
16 Oct 2009 | 12:51 pmBound by Convention cover by ~Raven3071 on deviantART
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Rowena Cherry
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Immigration Reform (from a speculative romance writer's perspective)
5 Nov 2009 | 4:02 amDisclaimer.1. It is not my intention to offend anyone. 2. My thoughts are colored by what I went through in order to immigrate legally (including health checks to prove that I was free of disease and of certain pre-existing conditions, and also that I am a well behaved citizen). And also by all the studying of the Constitution and American History necessary to pass my exams.So, this morning I was watching CNN... not terribly attentively, I admit. The views that appear to be attributed to farmers, hoteliers, clothing manufacturers etc struck me as probably being very similar to the arguments… -
YouTube - Is Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty?
2 Nov 2009 | 12:56 pmYouTube - Is Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty? -
What if readers were offered more multi-author samplers?
1 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pmIt was my idea to put together sample chapters by Linnea Sinclair, Susan Kearney, Rowena Cherry, Susan Grant, Deborah Macgillivray, Jade Lee, Catherine Spangler, Charlee Compo, Nina Bangs, Joy Nash, C.L. Wilson, Robin T Popp, Dawn Thompson, Laurel Bradley, Cindy Spencer Pape and many more.One reason readers seem to love the file sharing sites is that they can use them (free, of course) to discover whether or not they like the way an unknown author writes. You cannot always tell from a review.So here are two samplers to do the same function without giving away the entire plot, and with the… -
For Those Who Could Not Stand In Line For 5 Hours (H1N1)
27 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amSwine Flu - Good Advice/H1N1 Preventive Methods The following advice, given by Dr. Oz, makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know: The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps,… -
Google Good, HPQ... not so much
25 Oct 2009 | 6:12 am"The good news is, I'm writing you a ticket," the Hewlett Packard Technical Specialist told me last night, at the conclusion of my fourth marathon, multi-hour session in just over a month.I bought a new Pavilion Elite on September 16th 2009, and I've had nothing but trouble with it. Two technicians have remotely taken control of it, (which is rather impressive) and pronounced it fine. But it wasn't.Last night, another technician talked me through disassembling a tower computer to get to the motherboard. Apparently, it is routine for little old ladies like myself to have to get out the…
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Laurie Laudanum
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MAKE HER PAY winner is . . .
6 Nov 2009 | 7:55 pmMariee! Please contact me at ljodamron@gmail.com by Tuesday, Nov. 10 with your mailing info.Thanks to everyone who commented! If you weren't the winner, I hope you'll get a copy of MAKE HER PAY - you won't regret it, I promise!Review coming this weekend for Lacey Alexander's ADRIANNA'S UNDIES!Until then, enjoy the weekend!Laurie -
More DEEP BREATH by Alison Kent!
3 Nov 2009 | 8:31 amAlison Kent has a new release on bookstore shelves. Actually, it's a re-release, but it's good news either way! DEEP BREATH has released in mass market format! Thankfully, they've kept the same great cover. This has long been one of my favorite Alison Kent covers. Here's a review I did many moons ago for the first release of DEEP BREATH, followed by ordering info:After Georgia McLain's father dies in prison, she practically dedicates her life to proving his innocence; she is determined to get her hands on the dossier of Gen. Arthur Duggin, certain that it will contain evidence necessary to… -
A fun blog discussion happening today
2 Nov 2009 | 6:50 amInteresting topic and discussion today at the Karen Knows Best blog - take a sec and check it out! The chatter is about books centered around marriages in trouble - do you love/hate them? I think for me it depends on the storytelling. Constant bickering and name calling makes me extremely uncomfortable, but when well written, it can make for heartfelt, very satisfying reading. I mentioned LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, written by recent guest blogger Marie Force as an excellent example of how a marriage in trouble can be successfully (and beautifully) written.I hope everyone's week is off to a great… -
Deja Vu? Roxanne St. Claire's MAKE HER PAY w/giveaway!
31 Oct 2009 | 9:11 pmYou might remember that I did a review a while ago for MAKE HER PAY by Roxanne St. Claire. When it showed up on the review list for Romance Junkies last week, I offered to do it since I'd already read it and could have the review ready quickly. My earlier review has been tweaked just a tad for the RJ website. There's a great excerpt on Ms. St. Claire's website and I hope you'll have a peek at it! Go here to grab your own copy of MAKE HER PAY!Blurb:Bullet Catcher and former Navy SEAL Constantine Xenakis has infiltrated a dive ship to discover who's plundering priceless gems from a legendary… -
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
31 Oct 2009 | 5:38 pmLooks like Halloween at the Damron house! We started out with a pretty large pan of candy, and ended up with quite a bit too. We've had as many as 300 tricks or treaters before, but those numbers have dwindled to less than 30 in recent years. By the end of the designated tricks or treats time, we were giving handfuls of candy and we still have a good amount left. I'm thinking it's probably because there are so many more subdivisions in our city than there used to beI thought I'd share pics of the pumpkins we carved this year. The Superman and Elvis are an annual tradition and we've been doing…
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Lori Devoti
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What Harlequin/Silhouette Lines do you read?
18 Oct 2009 | 3:09 pmRecently I’ve been reading a number of category books. Ann Christopher kind of got me on this kick…or maybe it was Ann Voss Peterson…one of those Anns. :) Both are friends and I read a book by each of them (Kimani….Intrigue) then continued on with Desires. I’m on my second Desire right now. I used to LOVE Flipsides (remember them?) and Bombshell (mainly the paranormal ones, which I have said over and over were before their time since they totally fit into the urban fantasy trend). I’ve been thinking for a while of doing one of my monthly promotions (where I… -
The eReaders are coming…
11 Oct 2009 | 7:15 amSo, word is out that very soon Barnes and Noble will have their own eBook Reader available for purchase. No news that I’ve heard as to price but there are plenty of rumors of various cool things it might do (although none of them include finishing WRITING my current WIP, so for now I’m holding back my unbridled enthusiasm). Anyway, this news was of particular interest to me on the heels of Ninc last weekend where there was a LOT of talk about eBooks and what their growth means for authors. Right now, excuse me if I mentioned this already, people tossed out numbers of 1 to 5% of… -
Free eBook!
5 Oct 2009 | 7:49 pmAlways like to share. :) Here’s a free eBook. I have no experience with this author, but here is the blurb… Some believe Bedford, Maine, is cursed. Its bloody past, endless rain, and the decay of its downtown portend a hopeless future. With the death of its paper mill, Bedford’s unemployed residents soon find themselves with far too much time to dwell on thoughts of Susan Marley. Once the local beauty, she’s now the local whore. Silently prowling the muddy streets, she watches eerily from the shadows, waiting for . . . something. And haunting the sleep of everyone in… -
Dump, dump, dump, dump…
5 Oct 2009 | 1:45 pmYou probably don’t know it, but a dump is a great thing if you are an author. It means you got one of those special little cardboard display things just for you in some store (hopefully many stores). Well, guess what? Harlequin did one for the two Nocturne anthologies out right now…one of which is Midnight Cravings mass market release. Here is the picture compliments of Michele Hauf… -
More Ninc!
3 Oct 2009 | 4:14 amYesterday was the first day of the regular conference. I attended sessions until the lunch break then scooted out with Ann Christopher for some sight seeing, came back to pick people up for dinner, then back again for two night owl sessions. The morning was excellent. There was lots of talk of digital publishing and where it is right now and how as it continues to grow it may change publishing. First right now numbers of what percent digital is of the total were varied from 2 to 4%. And everyone agreed predicting when this number would become big enough to have a real impact on the market…
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Daisy Dexter Dobbs
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The Wonderful Healing Effects of Laughter
1 Nov 2009 | 12:32 amWith Halloween finished, the holiday season is upon us. That means lip-licking, fat-soaked, sugar-drenched, calorific temptation galore for the next couple of months. It also means some of you will have a hell of a time keeping your eating and drinking sane and balanced during that time. Holidays can be wonderful and magical, but they can also be stressful, especially for dieters. They can also be extremely taxing for people who’ll be getting together with negative or toxic friends and family members. All that stress makes temptation much more difficult to resist. But resist we must! Lord… -
Daisy’s Sick, Twisted, Vile and Disgusting Halloween Post
30 Oct 2009 | 8:53 amHAPPY HALLOWEEN! It’s time to drag out my annual Halloween post and gross all of you out with my bone-shuddering lack of good taste.I wrote the first draft of this intentionally revolting Halloween poem in 1984 when I was the art director for a large Chicago-area library. I created a big colorful poster filled with pictures and posted it in a display case with Halloween-related books and decorations in the children’s department. The kids LOVED it. The staid library department heads? Eh, not so much. No, I didn’t corrupt the library’s wide-eyed, innocent youths. You see, the original… -
Breaking News: Daisy Found Alive and Still Kicking!
15 Oct 2009 | 12:01 amYes, in case you wondered, I’m still here! And I’m still writing!This has been one heck of a busy and eventful year. Aside from working diligently on my new women’s fiction manuscript (ooh, it’s turning out really well--so funny!), I’ve been battling serious health issues and, happily, making phenomenal progress. I’ve also been tackling my excess weight, again with fabulous progress (75-pounds so far). We’ve been hard at work completing long overdue tasks at our house, inside and out, too. Those tasks have two definite advantages. The house looks much spiffier, plus I lose… -
I Can Explain…Really I Can
25 Aug 2009 | 9:45 amAs many of you have probably noticed, I’ve been pretty much AWOL from this blog lately. When I do blog it’s mostly been at my other blog, The Crazy Woman Inside Me, which follows my personal ongoing journey to health and weight loss. Plus I’ve been lax in visiting your blogs and commenting on them. I’m sorry. I really feel bad about it. The reason I’ve been absent is because I’m currently rewriting a women’s fiction manuscript that I started in 2006. It’s downright amazing how much my writing has improved and changed in just three years, so I’m pretty much doing a complete… -
The Crazy Woman Tells about Fat Women and the Horror of Public Bathrooms
5 Aug 2009 | 7:50 amWell it’s finally happened, I’ve been reduced to toilet humor, thanks to Fat Daddy and his fabulous Fat Daddy Rants blog. Today my Crazy Woman alter-ego is guest blogging there on the topic of fat women and The Horror of Public Bathrooms, part 6 of Fat Daddy’s “Not-So-Private Hell of Being Really Really Fat” series.If you’re a woman who’s ever been fat, then I just know you’ll be able to relate. If you’re a man, get ready for an eye-opening depiction detailing what the overweight women in your life endure whenever they use a public toilet. It’s funny, it’s sad and it’s…
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Delila Devlin
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Brandy’s Reading Romance Journey
7 Nov 2009 | 3:00 amI’m taking a break from the countdown today. It’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ll announce Friday’s winner then. I’ll be away today at the Maumelle Writer’s Conference, representing the Diamond State Romance Authors along with Shayla Kersten. I’m sure the literary types who attend will raise their eyebrows at our display of books, but hey, I never mind shaking things up a bit! In place of my countdown, I invited one of the readers on my loop to talk about herself, her favorite authors, and what reading romance has done for her. If you like this feature,… -
MIK-7 Countdown: Relentless
6 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am* Yesterday’s winner will be announced at the bottom of this posting! * Comment today to win a download of RELENTLESS. * All countdown entries qualify you to win a copy of KNIGHT OF MY DREAMS the night before it releases! Quick NaNoWriMo update: I hit 14068 words yesterday! And I’m talking about my experience with NaNo at Access Romance today, “Eyes Wide Open but Glassy”. The fourth book in the series, Relentless, released in August 2004 and continues the story of Joe Garcia’s partner, Max Weir, who has a big hairy secret he’s hiding. From Just Erotic Romance… -
MIK-7 Countdown: All Knight Long
5 Nov 2009 | 8:22 am* Yesterday’s winner will be announced at the bottom of this posting! * Comment today to win a download of ALL KNIGHT LONG. * All countdown entries qualify you to win a copy of KNIGHT OF MY DREAMS the night before it releases! Quick NaNoWriMo update: I hit 10577 words yesterday! Woot! Okay, back to business. I thought you might like to see the cover for MIK-7: Knight of My Dreams. I think it’s just about perfect. Darcy’s dreaming. Quentin’s looking intense and determined. Kamaria haunts them both. Perfect. The third book in the series, All Knight Long, released in… -
MIK-7 Countdown: Love Bites
4 Nov 2009 | 7:39 am**I had planned to take a break in my countdown because I’m supposed to be blogging at the Samhain blog today, but I couldn’t figure out how to log in there. So until someone sends me instructions, I’m posting this. If I get there today, I’ll come back and post a link! Not sure what I’m going to talk about… Oh! And my NaNoWriMo wordcount so far is 7701!** Okay—I finally got into the Samhain blog. The posting is a little lame because I couldn’t figure out how to use it! Stop by and comment. If you do, I’ll count it toward the drawing! -
MIK-7 Countdown: All Hallows Heartbreaker
3 Nov 2009 | 6:10 am**Just a note before I get started with today’s post. NaNoWriMo is off and running. Many of my writing friends are busy slamming down pages to their next great novel. At the end of the second day, I’m at 5341 words. I finished chapter one of a sexy contemporary story for Ellora’s Cave and have the opening scene to the first Cat Tale story started.** In case you didn’t know it, the seventh book in the vampire series I write for Ellora’s Cave will be released on November 11th. Between now and then, I want to remind you about the previous stories and give you a…
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Gail Dayton
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Something to Talk About
4 Nov 2009 | 1:41 pmThat's what I need. A subject for my blog. The weekend was far busier than I wanted it to be. I really wanted a lazy weekend, but the fella wanted to Do Stuff. We went to the Wings Over Houston air show and saw the Blue Angels we missed in San Francisco. We hurried home to be there for trick-or-treaters, and got exactly four kids, in two families--two kids each. Then we went over to friends for drinks and snackies. It was fun, but I was ExHausTed.The week has flown by. I feel like I've been working all week, but I've only gone in two days. I have to go to the parents' house tomorrow to go… -
What is it About?, or, What I learned at the Retreat
29 Oct 2009 | 12:33 pmWhen I go to conferences or retreats or workshops, I believe that if I learn One Thing that will help me (even at cooking lessons or art classes) in the future, then the event was worth my time.So at the end of my wonderful weekend near Waco (Valley Mills is about 25 miles NW of Waco, but it's not alliterative), we had a session of "What did you learn at the retreat this weekend?" I honestly don't remember what everybody else said. Maybe by the time I get to the end of the blog, I will. There were only four of us left by Sunday morning--that's all that stayed the night, so it's not that much… -
Retreats for Writers
27 Oct 2009 | 10:18 amOr maybe it was a Treat for Writers.I went on my annual pilgrimage to Valley Mills with my writer friends for the Heart of Texas writers' retreat.The place we go isn't fancy. There are cobwebs in the rafters, and the floor slopes across the back room from the bathroom to the back door. There are 3 bunk beds, providing room for 6 to sleep, and a double bed at one end of the front room. (There's a kitchen at the other end.) There is no heat unless you light the propane heater--and we didn't light it. It got COLD that first night...but warmed up later. My friend Belinda and I went out a day… -
Worst Sky Rat: Seagull, Pigeon, Grackle??
20 Oct 2009 | 6:09 pmOkay. So, I went walking out by the water today. It was a rather surfy morning with lots of wind and birds (royal tern, snowy egret, cormorants, pelicans, willets, first ring-beaked gull of the season, as well as herds and flocks of laughing gulls), and I saw these ladies feeding the gulls.As I walked nearer, more gulls arrived. They were flying over from--from miles away, or it seemed like it. The gulls already present didn't seem to be making much noise. No cries other than the usual, from what I could tell, and not many of those. And I decided that seagulls must have telepathy.There must… -
Intuitive Writing Process
13 Oct 2009 | 8:18 amI've taken part recently in a discussion (I read the blog, read all the comments and made a comment of my own--and now can't remember where it is...and Google isn't spitting it up) about whether becoming a writer had destroyed my ability to read as a reader. I contend that it mostly has not. Because it hasn't.Part of that, I think, is because I'm a very fast reader. The other part, however, has to do with--I think--the fact that I honestly don't have any idea how I write. I'm not a very structural writer. More intuitive.No, I do not sit down and just write. I have to have a semblance of a…
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HelenKay Dimon
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How They Write
6 Nov 2009 | 10:56 amThere is an article in the Wall Street Journal called How To Write A Great Novel. It’s basically about how great writers write what they write. Follow that? Here’s the beginning: Richard Powers lounges in bed all day and speaks his novels aloud to a laptop computer with voice-recognition software. Junot Diaz, author of the Pulitzer-prize winning novel “The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” shuts himself in the bathroom and perches on the edge of the tub with his notebook when he’s tackling a knotty passage. Hilary Mantel, whose Tudor drama “Wolf… -
Book Shopping
3 Nov 2009 | 2:20 pmI went to B&N over the weekend. Had a few dollars left on a birthday gift card (thanks, mom & dad) and was ready to spend. Also signed my books while I was there. To my great joy, the B&N had about 1,000 copies of my books…okay, 12. What I bought: SEALed and Delivered by Jill Monroe - I really like Jill. We chat several times a week via email. She’s funny and smart and an incredibly talented writer. She also mentioned me and the hubby in the acknowledgements of this book, which makes me want to buy 100 copies. SEALs, San Diego, romance - honestly, what are you… -
New Contest!
2 Nov 2009 | 10:28 amDid you notice the new contest on my Contest page? Go ahead and look. I’ll wait…. Yep, I’m hosting a holiday contest with fabulous fellow author Alison Kent. The prize? A $250 Amazon gift certificate. Just think about all the goodies you can buy if you win that. And if you win and want to use the gift card to buy, say, our books, that would be lovely. However, we are not making that a requirement (unfortunately). Go forth and enter. Remember to enter at both websites - here and Alison’s - for two chances to win. -
Happy Halloween!
31 Oct 2009 | 5:14 amI actually kind of hate Halloween, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from enjoying the day. I’ll be fine. You go have fun. Halloween Animations -
Promo Fail
30 Oct 2009 | 5:09 amCan I just say that I suck at promo? Let me count the ways… 1. I have not one, not two, but three October releases. That still makes them new releases. Do I talk about them non-stop and visit blogs and otherwise make myself a nuisance until potential readers say “fine, we’ll order one of the damn things” and then actually do it? Uh, no. I forget to blog for most of the release month. Well done!! So, here’s my pitch: HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is absolutely my best single title. Really. [Unless you hate HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO, in which case, I've done better and you…
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Kate Davies
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Book BIN Tuesday -- No Matter What
2 Nov 2009 | 11:13 pmAdam Steele is good. Good at using his money to get his way. Money always works—until he realizes he can’t buy his daughter’s way out of her new wheelchair. Three private physical therapists later, he’s almost given up on Emily walking again. Then he meets Dr. Jaden Monroe. And his match.Jaden doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit”. But she knows a lot about “fired” after a public blowout with her ex jeopardizes the donation her hospital was counting on. Now the most tempting man she’s ever met has made her just the offer she needs to save the new children’s rehab… -
Blogging at Nine Naughty Novelists Today!
29 Oct 2009 | 8:28 amJust wanted to invite you to stop on by the Nine Naughty Novelists blog today. I'm answering our Nine Naughty Questions, so you could learn something new about me! -
Presenting - Nine Naughty Novelists!
27 Oct 2009 | 12:28 amToday is the official kick-off event for Nine Naughty Novelists, a new group blog and author collective I'm participating in. We've got some great party fun lined up, including some amazing prizes, so be sure to stop by our blog to say hi! I'll be posting on Thursday, but every weekday for the next nine days you'll get to meet one of the Naughty Novelists and learn a little about us. Here's a sneak peek for you:And here's a link to our blog. So stop by and say howdy! -
Congratulations - Blog Party Winners!
19 Oct 2009 | 12:12 pmHey all!Hope you had a lovely weekend. After a birthday filled with soccer, we headed to the pumpkin patch yesterday, so it was a great time all around.But now I'm back, and ready to announce the winner of my Birthday Blog Party contest. Thanks to everyone who posted - it made the week a lot of fun. And the winner, chosen randomly by my critique partner via IM ("Hey, pick a number between one and..."), isLaurie Ryan!Congrats, Laurie! You've won a gift pack with some of my favorite things - a bath product set, a candle, a gorgeous notebook, some chocolate, and whatever else I decide to toss in… -
Forty Facts About Kate - The Final Countdown!
16 Oct 2009 | 10:33 pmWheeee! Today is a day to celebrate. Let me count the ways (because that's all this week has been about, doncha know - counting!):*It's my birthday!*I'm finishing the Forty Facts today, which was WAY more complicated than I anticipated.*It's my birthday!*The regular soccer season is OVER TODAY!*It's my birthday!I'll be celebrating by watching soccer. And then going to end of season soccer parties. And I wouldn't have it any other way!But setting all that aside, here are the final ten facts to round out the week of useless Kate information here on Kate Davies Blogs!10. I don't drink coffee.
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Lynn Daniels
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Covering Saving Wonderland
1 Nov 2009 | 7:14 pmNaNoWriMo has officially begun, and I’ve managed to get a pretty good start. Of course, I got a good start last year, then tanked for the following two weeks. Then again, I did win… The good news is that over the past few days of playing ideas, my plot evolved and expanded, and I think I’ve got some great ideas that are going to be fun to write. Plus I finally settled on a name for my main character, which is a major weight lifted. I know the absence of a name doesn’t bother some people, but for me, it’s hard to hear a character who doesn’t have a name. -
The Madness Begins
19 Oct 2009 | 12:57 pmIt’s October. Do you know what that means? It means the madness of NaNoWriMo is beginning to ramp up. People are signing up, the forums have come alive, and the should I or shouldn’t I? discussion is everywhere. After my success with NaNoWriMo last year, I’ve decided to take the plunge yet again. Especially since my writing bone hasn’t been working much lately. This time, I’m not going completely off the chain like I did last year with a story written entirely for fun and nothing else (remember Chester & Rube?). I’m taking an idea I’d started and… -
Just Like Her … But Not
14 Oct 2009 | 10:49 amKids say funny things sometimes, without even trying to be funny. I’ve had the pleasure of my son’s company all week; he was diagnosed this past Friday with pneumonia, and today has (so far) been his first fever-free day. That means he could possibly go back to school on Friday! I think he’s ready, even though he won’t admit it. He’s acting like he’s got cabin fever, and I know he misses his friends. But I digress. On to the funny. Today, we were coming out of the grocery store. “What color is Philippines?” he asked. What color? Where? On a map? -
Brain Fart
25 Sep 2009 | 12:50 pmAn e-mail just came into the home computer’s inbox while I was processing pictures. I glanced over at the subject line. What it said: Vaccinations can produce brain damage in children What I saw: Vacations can produce brain damage in children -
Wow!
23 Sep 2009 | 4:07 amAnd I mean WOW! It’s only been forever since I’ve updated my blog. Funny how time flies. Both my summer and fall have been jam-packed, with my kids keeping me hopping. They’ve got me busy seven days a week, and that’s not just an expression. Between marching band, Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do, soccer, and scouts, we are quite literally running seven days a week. It’s exhausting! This past weekend, I took MiniMe to her first rock concert. We saw Journey and Night Ranger here in Atlanta, and we had a ball. If I manage to get back online soon, I’ll give details.
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Margaret Daley
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November Releases
7 Nov 2009 | 12:30 am1. A SILENT PURSUIT, by Lynette Eason from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Gina Santino has something someone desperately wants. Now, she's on the hunt to find it. Her deceased fiance's best friend, US Ranger, Ian Masterson is her only hope of staying alive while they race to be the first to discover the treasure her fiance left behind.2. Chasing Shadows, by Terri Reed from Steeple Hill -
Heroine Interview from A Passion Denied
5 Nov 2009 | 12:30 amThis week I'm hosting Myra Johnson with One Imperfect Christmas and Julie Lessman with A Passion Denied. If you want to enter the drawing for the book, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don't want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email -
Myra Johnson's interview
3 Nov 2009 | 12:30 amThis week I'm hosting Myra Johnson with One Imperfect Christmas and Julie Lessman with A Passion Denied. If you want to enter the drawing for the book, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without an email address (my way to contact you if you win). If you don't want to leave an email address, another way you can enter is to email -
This week Myra Johnson and Julie Lessman
2 Nov 2009 | 12:30 amCongratulations to Debbie for winning LeAnn Harris's Guarded Secrets and Traveler for winning Maggie Brendan's The Jewel of His Heart.This week I'm hosting Myra Johnson with One Imperfect Christmas and Julie Lessman with A Passion Denied. If you want to enter the drawing for the book, please leave a comment on one of the post during the week with your email address. I will not enter you without -
31 Oct 2009 | 12:30 am
31 Oct 2009 | 12:30 amThis past weekend I went to Shreveport to speak to the local American Christian Fiction Writers' group. They were so gracious and welcoming. I felt right at home with them. I spoke on digging deep with your characters. Saturday was a glorious day with not a cloud in the sky. The whole way down on Friday it was cloudy and the whole way back it was cloudy but while I was in Shreveport the
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Michelle Diener
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RWA’s new Women’s Fiction Chapter
3 Nov 2009 | 8:09 pmTherese Walsh has been the powerhouse behind creating the new women’s fiction chapter in RWA, RWA-WF. And I, for my sins, am the VP-Communications of said chapter, and am proud to say the website went up on November 3rd. Whew! Check it out at: http://www.rwa-wf.com. I had a fantastic team, as well as the amazing Alison Kent to help me with the tech and design issues, and a lot of people contributed copy. I think it rocks . I love it when something comes together, and not only do you learn a lot (which I really did) but you meet amazing people and get a real sense of accomplishment. -
Interview with Deb Stover on her new novel THE GIFT
1 Nov 2009 | 6:55 pmPlease welcome Deb Stover. Her latest novel, THE GIFT, is out now. 1. Tell me about THE GIFT. Certain members of the Dearborn Family are born with some variance of an empathic gift. Beth’s “gift” manifests in a particularly frightening manner, by enabling her to experience the final moments of those who’ve died violently. As an adult, she chooses a career as a homicide detective, and–obviously–is very successful. However, the experience of being “murdered” repeatedly takes a terrible toll and she turns to alcohol for solace. When she hits bottom… -
Hard Copy Edits
20 Oct 2009 | 4:02 amFor some reason I always wonder if I can skip this stage. Then I convince myself I can’t. I go ahead and print out my ms, and boy, am I embarrassed I ever thought I could skip the hard copy edits. My eye definitely picks up new things looking at print. It isn’t so much the fact that its on paper, I think, but that it is simply a different medium. Looking at the ms backwards on the computer, starting from THE END and working your way back, would also throw up a lot of nits to fix, but I like doing it chronologically and getting the same result, if I can, because chronologically… -
Bad Me
5 Oct 2009 | 8:15 amI haven’t posted in ages, and that’s bad. I’ve finished writing my book, though. Twice. And I’m the newly appointed Vice-President of Communications for the newly established Women’s Fiction Chapter of RWA. So I’ve been working with the amazing Alison Kent on the chapter’s website (well, she is doing most of the work, but I am helping), putting together a newsletter committee, and participating in meetings, loading software, doing stuff. I’m not sitting on my hands, in other words. But, I knew I needed to post, and Liz Kreger gave me the kick… -
Conference
26 Jul 2009 | 1:26 amI love hearing back from writing friends who attended the RWA National Conference. I have only attended one conference myself, but I loved it, and I can put myself there when they talk about the meetings and the meals shared with other writers. I’d love to go next year, and am already making tentative plans with that in mind. It’ll be in Nashville in 2010, and I’ve never been there, so that should be fun. Last time I went I met up with friends before the conference and we had such a good time, I’d love to do that again, too. What one thing do you try to make year…
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Monique Devere
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Agents: What is the benefit? And who is Avon?
16 Oct 2009 | 12:39 pmToday, one of my friends asked this question and it made me think of new writers, and how much you don't know you don't know when you're starting out.I've been plugging away at the writing thing for twenty years, so I've picked up industry info as I went. Now I take it for granted that everyone knows all about this business. It isn't until a new writer asks a question that this is highlighted. I am in no way claiming to know a heaping load, but I do know one or two things. And I'm happy to share.Therefore, I've decided to blog my answer because I believe it will help other new writers. And… -
What a Saturday
3 Oct 2009 | 5:50 amWoke at six this morning with high hopes for my Saturday. Then discovered hackers are targeting author’s sites. Being paranoid...I mean sensible, I rushed over to my website to check that it was all right. As far as I can see, it’s fine, praise God!!Needless to say, my day has been totally derailed and to add a little extra irritation, I can’t get my Dragon Naturally Speaking software to work! It’s been months since I last used it and never seem to have the time to spend to sort it out.I sincerely hope your Saturday is sailing along smoother than mine. -
My Blog Made The Top Romance Novels Blog List
29 Sep 2009 | 9:09 amTop romance novels BlogsI’m rather pleased that my blog got onto the Daily Review’s Top 100 Romance Novels Blogs. How cool is that? I didn’t even know such a thing existed. But since it does, I’m proud to be a part of it. Especially since I get to have that nifty Award seal on my blog.I expect I’ll have to make more of an effort to keep up with my blog entries, now. Hmm, let me think of something worthwhile to blog...Think, think, think...I’m bound to come up with something soon. -
My New Story: Let's Pretend
25 Sep 2009 | 5:31 amBlurb:True love needs no pretenceWhen A&E trauma surgeon, Isobel, married sexy Irish firefighter, Lucas Delaney, she knew it was going to be forever. Unfortunately, she didn’t realise forever would only last five short years. Keeping her failed marriage from her family seems like a piece of cake, until her grandmother calls a family gathering and Belle suspects she’s about to break unpleasant news. Making excuses for Luc’s absence, she flies home to Connecticut.Then delicious Lucas arrives for the three-day get-together and Belle knows things are going to get dicey. Especially since… -
More Than a Playboy
25 Sep 2009 | 5:25 amThought I'd post a little teaser of More Than a Playboy. Blurb:She has a shield...he has one too...and they’re both hiding secrets behind them.Serious-minded Alexandra (Sandy) Donovan has one unbreakable rule—never fall for a rich playboy. She’s seen the pain it caused her mother, how it ruined her childhood, and she’s determined never to let the same thing happen to her.Unfortunately, the only man to make her hormones sit up and take notice is a rich playboy who doesn’t know the first thing about taking life seriously.A lonely miserable childhood has taught Cameron Berkeley-Scott…
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Natalie J. Damschroder
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SOOOO Embarrassing
5 Nov 2009 | 9:12 amBlogging is a great vehicle for revealing what a moron you are.I wanted the song from the V trailer, and went searching, and found that someone had asked on Yahoo Answers and someone had answered. At the top of the answer is this:Best Answer - Chosen by AskerSo I went looking for the song Chosen by the band Asker.*headdesk*In my defense, the answer had the name of the band, Muse, then the name of the song, Uprising, then the lyrics, all kind of run together with no spacing between lines, and I didn't read the lyrics because I skimmed to the chorus and knew it was what I was looking… -
Something's Wrong With Me
4 Nov 2009 | 10:24 amI have a pretty competitive nature. I first understood it in high school, though I can recognize that it goes back further. All the way to first grade, at least. My mother probably shouldn't have told me what Mrs. Nadeau said in my parent/teacher conference. But even way back then, I was driven to be the best, have the best grades. No one else had to know about it--only I had to know.Then in high school, I had a friend junior year who had comparable grades to me and did a lot of the same extracurriculars. We were neck-and-neck for a while with the fundraiser, but she has a much bigger family,… -
Freakin' DONE
30 Oct 2009 | 3:58 pmI finished a book today.Writing, not reading. Finishing a book I'm reading happens nearly a hundred times a year. But finishing the first draft of a new novel hasn't happened in a freakin' long time. I started this one in July 2008, and I'd work on it for a while, then set it aside for revisions on something else. The book my agent is currently shopping, or a book I sold, or a book my agent gave me editorial advice on that needed (and still needs) additional work, etc.It felt really, really good.You know what else felt good? Those revisions on the book my agent felt needed additional work… -
Know-It-All
29 Oct 2009 | 10:54 amThis is a very interesting article about young adult readers. Two things leapt out at me: --Only 6% of survey respondents preferred e-books. 79% said paperbacks, 74% said hardcovers (obviously, they could choose more than one format).Told ya so./obnoxiousnessThis has been a very packed week. I've been doing a fiction line edit for a client, and a nonfiction edit for another client, and pushing to get both done by this weekend, so I can start NaNo. I'll wrap them both up on Saturday. I also expect to be done with the draft of last year's NaNo book, which kept getting shoved aside for other… -
Cheesy Remake Squee and Other Random Stuff
23 Oct 2009 | 2:15 pmI just saw a picture of the four main characters in the upcoming film remake of The A-Team, and my heart clenched its fists and bounced up and down while making a high-pitched noise. Just like it did when V, a remake of an old TV series, was announced (and which is premiering in a couple of weeks).Despite the failures of Knight Rider and The Bionic Woman, I'm excited about these remakes. Lots of people roll their eyes and wonder why remake such cheesy fare? I just shake my head, incredulous.Maybe because of my age, maybe because of my geekiness, I never considered either V or The A-Team…
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Nikki Duncan
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A Month of Thanks
My sister was supposed to be coming home for Thanksgiving, but she can't and that made my kids and me sad. But, we're a resilient lot, so we bucked up and are trying to come up with a time to invade her. :) We have too much to be ... -
Romanced by Music
I just finished the second book in the Sensory Ops series and sent it to my editor bright and early this morning. I blogged this morning at Hooked on Romance about some of the music I listened to during the process. I hope you'll hop over there to check it ... -
Happy Halloweeen!
Did we all survive the party? When I started thinking about the men that have been here to keep things under control, as if they had a chance, and the guests we've had, and the excerpts they've shared, and the stories that have been told, and the really really ... -
Erin Nicholas is in the party room!
Erin Nicholas is wrapping things up in the party room for us today, but there is still time to join the fun. If you haven't been commenting, why not? Commenting enters you int he drawing for prizes and tomorrow is our last prize day. Actually, it's the big prize ... -
The Bloodmoon Curse
1-59998-250-1 (download); 978-1-59998-397-4 (trade paperback) Contemporary Gothic Romantic Suspense with an Inspirational Twist Samhain Publishing http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/karen-wiesner An unsuspecting nurse is lured to an ancient family mansion—said to hold both ghosts and horrifying secrets—in order to care for three recently orphaned children. Amberlyn Lyons has recently suffered a devastating miscarriage that has ...
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Nell Dixon
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Moods
6 Nov 2009 | 8:17 amI've been feeling really down all this week - most unlike me. I'm usually pretty laid back and an onwards and upwards kind of person. There isn't even anything I can really put it down to. Just lots of tiny niggly worries I think and most of them are over things that in the bigger picture don't really matter. I've even had some really nice things happen to me lately too, like I'm planning to meet my lovely agent for lunch and I've a lunch planned with my writing buddies Phillipa and Liz. Maybe it's the onset of darker nights and colder weather. Hopefully it'll pass soon and I'll be back to my… -
Eek!
5 Nov 2009 | 9:41 amI just realised that it really, really isn't very long till His Darling Nurse releases and am I prepared? Um, no. Lots of things to do and organise and no time to do it. Today was interesting - we had a discussion in our staff meeting on wether we should be allowed to wear jeans. Our current dress code says appropriate smart casual dress - which for me includes smart jeans - I don't mean the sort with rips etc. I'm sure people are adult enough to choose appropriate clothing - if what they wear really does frighten thehorses or casts us into disrepute then fair enough but really I don't think… -
His Darling Nurse - cover!
3 Nov 2009 | 11:33 amComing soon from Freya's Bower - Releasing NOVEMBER 17th!!!!. -
Chocolate and other goodies
3 Nov 2009 | 5:15 amI ran errands for my eldest dd today - there's something wrong with that picture don't you think? Shouldn't she run errands for me? I was charged with getting a black tee shirt for the dance show and three Christmas presents - all girls, two birthday presents - boy and girl and one boy Christmas gift, plus could I keep it to around £5 per person. I think I did good. I got all the presents and got the birthday ones gift wrapped for under four pounds a head. I discovered on route that Hotel Chocolat has all the Halloween chocolate marked way down and some good offers on the other chocolate and… -
Getting into the groove
2 Nov 2009 | 12:16 amMy writing time this year has felt quite fragmented. I finished Crystal Clear - edits etc, made a false start with A Scattering of Leaves, lots of edits on His Darling Nurse, and have a third done on Just Look at me Now and now I've almost 15k done on You, Me and Him. Normally though by now I would have hoped to have been almost to the half way point with Just Look at Me Now and at 20K for You Me and Him.Still, we've one more college to look at and eldest has to get her applications in this week. The cloakroom is still untouched as surprise, surprise the bathroom people can't get the sink!
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S.J. Day
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Fright Night
2 Nov 2009 | 1:10 amThere’s candy all over my house. In bowls and bags, in the fridge and freezer, upstairs and downstairs. My kids carried their separate candy stashes around with them all day on Sunday, from room to room, inside and outside. I’m not sure why they do that. They really don’t eat the candy all day. Their Halloween stockpile takes weeks to get eaten and they often throw a lot of it out after a while because they get sick of it. I suspect it’s a way to hang on to the excitement of the night. The fun for them is in the actual trick or treating, more so than the sugar high. -
Off The Cuff
19 Oct 2009 | 2:09 amSo it’s nearly 1:30 AM on Monday and I’m coming off a 48-hour writing binge. I didn’t quite reach my goal, but I’m still happy with what I got done. I have a few more pages left to polish, but I edited most of the day today (Sunday) and I’m really happy with it. It’s solid work. I have to pack it in now, because this blog post is due and I’m tired enough to start making silly typo mistakes (if you find some in here, I hope you forgive them), but if I had more time and energy, I’d still be writing. There’s plenty more story waiting to get… -
One Year and Counting
5 Oct 2009 | 3:00 amIt’s been almost one year (short by just ONE day) since I posted my first blog here on MSW. Where has the year gone? An ENTIRE year? Despite my shock at the passing of time, it certainly feels like October today. It’s fifty degrees outside right now, which is pretty darn cold for Southern California. If I weren’t contaminated by the conference bug I picked up at Lora Leigh’s RAW last week, I’d welcome the change in temperature. As it is, though, being chilly while sick is no fun. Looking back on the past year, I have to say that things haven’t turned out at… -
Superstition
21 Sep 2009 | 3:00 amI’m superstitious. I’m not picky about where I get my superstitions; I mix and match them. I knock on wood, toss salt over my shoulder, rub Buddha’s belly, and utilize Feng Shui design in my office. I have lucky numbers, and have been known to wear stones for their reputed properties. I don’t walk under ladders. If a black cat dashes across my path, I wince and look for trouble coming. I love wishing fountains and good luck charms. Some superstitions I had to change because they worked backwards for me. That whole “see a penny, pick it up” thing for good… -
Drawn into Darkness Winner
12 Sep 2009 | 2:02 pmThe winner of a copy of Annette McCleave’s DRAWN INTO DARKNESS is Leslee!! September 1, 2009 Congratulations, Leslee. And thanks to everyone for welcoming Annette to MSW!
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Cynthia Eden
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National Bookstore Day
5 Nov 2009 | 6:47 amDid you know that November 7 is National Bookstore Day? Both chain bookstores and independent stores are celebrating the event. Many stores are bringing in authors for signing events and lots of stores are offering great sales. (BAM mailed me a coupon for 20% off everything in the store.) If you’re like me and you love to give the gift of books for the holidays, this is the perfect early shopping time! And if you know of a bookstore event that is occurring on November 7–whether it is a signing in your city or a big sale–feel free to post in the comments. I’m… -
Book Shout-Out and NaNo
3 Nov 2009 | 7:03 amCongrats to Ava Gray (Ann Aguirre) on the release of her new book, SKIN GAME! I’ve been wanting to read SKIN GAME for a while, so I’m excited about release day. :-) But, since I am participating in NaNoWriMo, I’m going to have to wait a bit on the actual reading of the book. I’ll buy it today, but I’ll save SKIN GAME until I hit my mid-way point on NaNo–it’ll be my reward read. I do love reward reads. Is anyone else participating in NaNoWriMo? This is my first time to join the writing festivities. (November is national novel writing month! Got a… -
Happy News! Starred Review in Publishers Weekly!
2 Nov 2009 | 11:09 amMy editor let me know that ETERNAL HUNTER received a starred review in the November 2 issue of Publishers Weekly. Yay! (Thank you wonderful people at Publishers Weekly!) Here’s the review (and you can read lots of other great reviews at the Publishers Weekly site): Eternal Hunter Cynthia Eden. Brava, $14 paper (368p) ISBN 978-0-7582-3428-5 “Danger and excitement leap off every page of this fast-paced paranormal romance set in the world of 2009’s Immortal Danger. A shape-shifter who can’t shift and a psychic who dreams about death live in the body of Erin Jerome,… -
The Veil Between the Worlds is Thin…What Spirit Calls You?
31 Oct 2009 | 3:00 amToday is Halloween, otherwise known as Samhain to those less conventional folks. Samhain marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter. It is the New Year for Wiccans and/or pagans. It’s also thought to be one of the two times during the year (the other time being Beltane May 1st) when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. For those of us who wish to honor our dead on this day, it’s traditional to set a place at the dinner table for your departed loved ones. Participants eat in silence, in honor of those who have been silenced by death. Since Samhain is also a time when… -
Winners, Pumpkins, and Happy Halloween!
30 Oct 2009 | 8:31 amUpdate: Okay, I think we have a clear winner in the annual Cynthia Eden pumpkin contest. Pumpkin B pretty much won by a landslide, and, yes, pumpkin B was designed by the hubby. He appreciates your votes! Hi, everyone! Today, I wanted to post a list of the winners from my Month of Monsters. Many of these winners have already been contacted by the authors giving the prizes. So, if you’re a winner, and you’ve either (1) already been contacted about your prize or (2) already received your prize, then you don’t have to do anything. If you have not received info on…
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Karen Erickson
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Contest Coming Soon!
5 Nov 2009 | 10:26 pmIt’ll be announced Monday and let me tell you, it’s a good one. Like involving jewelry and we all love jewelry, right?? Come back Monday and check it out! I’ll leave you with my latest favorite song. Oh, it’s an oldie but a goodie. I had no clue it was so old – like almost 30 years old! Damn it I’m getting old. I remember seeing this video on MTV waaaaaaay back in the day. Back when MTV actually played music videos and nothing else. That was a long time ago. It’s by Split Enz – One Step Ahead. I stumbled upon it last weekend while searching for… -
NaNo NaNo
5 Nov 2009 | 8:04 amI’m doing it. I’m crazy but I’m doing it. Working on a couple of projects – it’s just the kick in the butt I need to keep going and accomplish what I want to get done by the end of the month. You see, this December I want to focus more on Christmas traditions. Spending quality time with my kids, having fun, making memories. And all of it will be documented in my December Daily album. Days one through twenty-five, I’m going to have a scrapbook entry for every one of them. I’m preparing the album now. Once I’m finished I’ll share the… -
New Fashion
4 Nov 2009 | 8:03 amAs in, I’ve added something to my daily wardrobe. Want to know what it is? Check me out on Naughty & Spice today to find out. -
Pumpkin Romance
3 Nov 2009 | 8:24 amSomeone stumbled upon my blog using the term “pumpkin romance.” I love it! We all need a little pumpkin romance in our lives right? I’ve always had a fondness for pumpkins. Looks like someone else out in that big bad world does too. Even though Halloween’s over it’s still fall and Thanksgiving is near. Pumpkin pie baby! I’ll have a serious romance with one of those… Okay and with that disturbing thought, let’s talk about something else. Like what are you up to today? I need to go to the bank. And write. And continue working on my December Daily… -
Cookies & Pumpkins
1 Nov 2009 | 7:05 pmWell better late than never right? Here’s the Halloween cookies we made a few days ago: They were devoured in days. One of the best tasting batches yet! Here’s some jack o’ lanterns: Oooh spooky… We had a great Halloween. The kids trick or treated and got a ton of candy, we went to the local Harvest Festival, we hung out with family and the weather was perfect. How was your Halloween?
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Bonnie Ferguson
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A Pleasant Diversion
4 Nov 2009 | 12:56 pmAfter I noticed this quiz on the sidebar of Lori Brighton’s blog, I knew I wanted to post it here. Take the Quiz here! -
Happy Halloween!
30 Oct 2009 | 9:00 pmWishing everyone a magical and treat-filled Halloween! -
Under the Weather
23 Oct 2009 | 7:31 amI’ve been under the weather this week. I’ve been resting and reading a lot, armed with a pack of Halls cough drops and the remote control. Have a great weekend, everyone. -
Keyboard Appointment
16 Oct 2009 | 9:08 amI often find that a holiday-shortened week goes by slower than a normal week once the holiday is over. Much to my surprise, this week really flew by. And now I’m off to an appointment with my keyboard in the writing cave. Have a great weekend, everyone! -
Happy Thanksgiving!
12 Oct 2009 | 5:48 amWishing my fellow Canadians a Happy Turkey Day!
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Cathryn Fox
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WRAPPED IN SEDUCTION Available today!
3 Nov 2009 | 4:04 amNAL Trade (November 3, 2009) ISBN-10: 0451228154 ISBN-13: 978-0451228154 It’s that time of year when nights are longer, passions run hotter, and for three sisters, naughty wishes come true… Three sisters. Three wishes. And one hot Christmas in this sizzling collection of novellas from today’s most popular erotic authors… “Wrapped in Holly” by Lisa Renee Jones Holly’s come home for the [...] -
Sounds to Die by!
13 Oct 2009 | 7:11 amThe wonderful and talented Nikki Duncan has her first release today at Samhain. Get on over there and check it out. “Sounds to Die By” by Nikki Duncan Buy from MBaM! Read An Excerpt Online Genre: Romantic Suspense ISBN: 978-1-60504-677-8 Length: Category Price: 4.50 Publication Date: October 13, 2009 Cover art by Kanaxa Between her eyes and his ears, there’s a world of sensory overload… Sensory [...] -
INSTINCTIVE releases today!!
6 Oct 2009 | 5:01 amInstinctive: An Eternal Pleasure Novel NAL Trade (October 6, 2009) ISBN-10: 0451227948 ISBN-13: 978-0451227942 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders | IndieBound Read an Excerpt “Fox’s tale of paranormal beings and primal exploration lurking under the surface of a quaint New England town is a winner! The strong heroine and hot panther hero are a combustible combination. This book is [...] -
Wrapped In Seduction Review!
21 Sep 2009 | 6:45 amTitle: Wrapped in Seduction Author: Lisa Renee Jones, Cathryn Fox, Jodi Lynn Copeland Publisher: NAL Heat Genre: Christmas stories Publication date: November 2009 ISBN: 978-0451228154 Pages: 330 Series: n/a Reviewer: Tina, TwoLipsReviews Rating: 5 star Unwrapping Holly by Lisa Renee Jones Holly Reddy has come home to Haven, New Hampshire a month before Christmas to get over her writer’s block. She is thirty years old and [...] -
I LOVE release day!
8 Sep 2009 | 6:33 amAvailable today from Samhain publishing. http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/dance-of-the-dragon DANCE OF THE DRAGON, Cathyrn Fox When you tempt a dragon, be prepared for the fire… Zoologist Chloe Stevens is certain she’s on a wild-goose chase. There are worse things than being forced to travel to a remote South Pacific island, but to search for a dragon? She’s sure the real reason [...]
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Liz Fielding
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5 Nov 2009 | 3:17 am
5 Nov 2009 | 3:17 amBRIEF POST......to wish you all a wonderful and safe Bonfire Night. I'll be chained to my laptop because having delivered The Bachelor's Baby Proposal (working title) on Monday, I started SANTA'S SECRET ELF on Tuesday, which has to be in eds hand by mid January so that you can read it next December. Heroine Lucy BrightHero -- uh-uh. He hasn't appeared on page yet and I'm still struggling for -
1 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm
1 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pmSINGING A DUET…Or rather writing one, since even the people who love me beg me not to sing. :)It was nearly two years ago – another November – when I had a breakfast meeting with my editors at the plush Churchill Hotel in the west end of London to discuss what I’d write in the year ahead.I had all kind of ideas floating around in my head but the eds had only one. A duet. They wanted a duet for -
19 Oct 2009 | 11:08 pm
19 Oct 2009 | 11:08 pmAnd to keep you busy, while I'm holding my heroine's hands as she says "I do" (she doesn't!), click here for a jigsaw of the cover of Christmas Angel for the Billionaire.Just alittle bit of fun to keep you all out of mischief. :) -
17 Oct 2009 | 1:42 pm
17 Oct 2009 | 1:42 pmFOREIGN EDITIONSIt's always a thrill to get a foreign edition in the post, but I'm always especially thrilled to see a Dutch translation of my books. Family ties take me to the Netherlands fairly regularly and I do feel a special affinity with the country, so it was a particular delight to spot this one on the Harlequin Netherlands website, a 3-in-1 containing reprints of The Bachelor's Bab, His -
15 Oct 2009 | 10:31 pm
15 Oct 2009 | 10:31 pmMILLS AND BOON AT CHELTENHAMRemember the Butlers in the Buff? Well here's a little more one of them (ahem!) on duty at the Cheltenham Festival this week, when Mills & Boon brought a little excitement to this somewhat sedate literary festival. I so wish I'd been there!To see him, and the panel, in action, click hereAnd more about the "reader's choice" hero, Mr Rochester, here
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Marie Sullivan Force
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SOLD!
31 Oct 2009 | 6:32 amHi everyone,Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I know I say that a lot, but you guys keep checking back and I appreciate that! Big news yesterday from my agent: we sold my book See You Next Time with an option for two more, again to Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks. Here's some info about the book:See You Next TimeEverybody loves a hero. That's the problem.Hero pilot Cole Langston is learning to live with—and enjoy—his newfound fame and the rabid female attention that comes with it until a lucky punch knocks some sense into him and opens his eyes to true love.When his copilot suffers a… -
What's Up With Squeamish Men?
17 Oct 2009 | 8:58 amAs my cousin David would say, I "took" a surgery this week. After years of horrible monthly events that led to at least two days on the sofa and more Advil than any human should ingest on a regular basis, I finally let the doctor do something about it in an effort to prevent more drastic hysterectomy-like measures. The surgery itself was no big deal, but all the drugs made me really sick for a couple of days. Three days later, I'm still tired but on the mend. What I've found amusing since the surgery is the reaction of men who hear you had surgery to deal with "the girl parts." They'll start… -
Living La Vida Mediocre
13 Oct 2009 | 3:24 pmMy husband Dan and I have a running joke with my friend Dawn. She is one of my oldest and best friends, and during the time I dated Dan, she was my roommate. The two of them have always been buddies. A few years ago, in a moment of supreme misguidedness on her part Dawn told me—IN FRONT OF DAN—that I got one of the good ones. I'm sure some of you are saying, awwww, isn't that nice? Well, if that's your reaction, you aren't married to one of the good ones! If you are, you know what I know: he'll never let me FORGET that I'm married to one of the good ones once he's been TOLD by a WOMAN who… -
Is "I Love You" the Kiss of Death?
9 Oct 2009 | 6:25 pmDid I get your attention with that headline? Well, there was a great discussion about this very topic yesterday on Romancing the Blog in which the blogger used Line of Scrimmage as an example of a book she loved. What a lovely way to start the day for the author of Line of Scrimmage! The blogger, Laurie, posed an absolutely awesome question about what happens to a romance novel AFTER the hero says I love you. I enjoyed the comments and the conversation on this topic because it's something we wrestle with as authors. When exactly is the right time for the exchange of I love yous? In Line of… -
Getting Up and Getting Going
30 Sep 2009 | 4:18 pmI used to be a pretty decent runner. I could do three or four miles without too much trouble. But as life and work and kids happened, somewhere along the way I quit running. It's the only form of exercise that has ever truly worked for me, meaning it's the only thing that truly shaves off the pounds. Another thing that's kept me grounded is my writing career. Writing, editing, marketing and selling books is a time-consuming proposition. I've often thought that if I could only spend a quarter of the time I spend writing on the running trail, I'd be fit enough for my liking. So all these things…
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Megan Frampton
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Risk(y) Twosomes
6 Nov 2009 | 11:00 amSo I’m at the Riskies today. But wait–I just read (and passed the news along to HatRack and–shoot, I can’t make up a nickname for him! Too grouchy! Anyway, HatRack and my friend AB, who was my best friend all through high school and beyond) that they are making a movie out of the board game Risk, which I played many, many times with HatRack and AB. “Haha.. you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is: Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” Have a great weekend. Me and my spasming back will be thinking of you. Think of me… -
Doing Okay
5 Nov 2009 | 10:08 amThis is primarily for the Picky Vegetarian, who worries about me, but also for anyone who might think I’m lolling about being depressed right now; I’m not. I’m way too busy today to post properly, hence my silence. Sorry to leave the downer post up for a few days, I’ve been touring middle schools and having doctors’ appointments and trying to work on this $%*&^$! synopsis. So here: Back tomorrow for a real Risky post. -
Grief
3 Nov 2009 | 7:11 amSome of you know I lost my dad almost two years ago (”lost” is such a funny euphemism; like I misplaced him at Target or something. No, he died). November 20 is his birthday, and November was always when I saw him at Thanksgiving. So I’m thinking about him even more than usual, and I think about him a lot already. Grief is weird; before Dad died, I had never really grieved. My grandmother died, but hers was a slow decline, and she was in her 80s. It was expected. Plus I wasn’t nearly as close to her as I was to my dad (hers are the gowns I wear to conference, thanks,… -
This is Me Every Day:
2 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm -
The Son’s Costume:
31 Oct 2009 | 5:54 pm
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Sara Freeze
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Wild Rose Press: Paranormal Month
10 Oct 2009 | 12:18 pmOctober is Paranormal Month at The Wild Rose Press, and all paranormal titles are on sale now. Both of my stories, "The Earl's Enchantment" and "A Seaside Enchantment," are 10% off this month. While you're visiting the website, you may also want to sign up for Rose Clippings, the Wild Rose Press Newsletter, which includes all the latest news and events for the publisher.Happy reading! -
MyRomanceStory.com: New Paperback Line
9 Mar 2009 | 9:17 amGiven my interest in new directions for the romance novel, I was intrigued by a recent press release by MyRomanceStory.com. The press release notes that the company is making the transition from being an online publisher to a print publisher as well with a new line of graphic romance paperbacks. As we've seen over the past few years, audiences are certainly intrigued by comic books and their big screen adaptations, and I'm interested to see how much this trend of graphic romance paperbacks will catch on with romance readers. -
An Ebook Revolution?
20 Feb 2009 | 9:00 amWith all the bad news circulating in the publishing industry these days (think HarperCollins and declining book sales), I was happy to see the article "E-book Revolution Favors the Agile" on the Christian Science Monitor website. As a longtime reader, I admit my preference for the traditional book, I am also intrigued by the potential of ebooks. Can the ebook revolution revitalize the publishing industry? I think the interviewees in the article are leaning toward 'yes.' Interestingly, when I raised this idea in a literature class I'm teaching, my students expressed their preference for… -
Romance Novels & New Covers
6 Feb 2009 | 8:19 amLast year, when I was standing in line at Walgreens, I was happy to see Julia Quinn's new novel on the book stand but was surprised at the new design of the cover, which features a different type of artwork for the models. I visited Quinn's website to find out more, and she had posted information about one of the models who graced the cover of The Lost Duke of Wyndham. The face of the model had looked familiar, so it all clicked into place when I found she's an actress on a soap opera. Although I don't watch this particular show, the actress has appeared on the cover of other magazines, and I… -
The Shadowlands
16 Jan 2009 | 11:09 amAnyone who reads my stories knows how much I am fascinated by ghosts and by the supernatural, which is the name of one of my favorite shows. I was excited to discover The Shadowlands website, which includes hundreds of informative stories and articles for those who share my fascination. The Haunted Places index is especially valuable, since it lists haunted locations around the world. While researching the realm of the supernatural for my latest story, "Charlotte's Ghost," I enjoyed reading about various ghostly sightings around the world. I highly recommend this website to others who are…
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Savannah J. Frierson
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Help Verb Noire
28 Oct 2009 | 2:50 amHelp Verb Noire, an independent publisher dedicated to providing a place for people of color to tell their own stories. -
2009 Lub-Dub Awards
22 Sep 2009 | 4:15 amWinner's Listbest bbw: "Trolling Nights" by Savannah J. Friersonauthor of the year: Savannah J. FriersonThank you for voting! Really appreciate it! -
Reminder: Lub-Dub Awards
14 Sep 2009 | 6:50 amI'd put a link up previously, but this one is more in depth. If you all would be so kind as to vote for me...that would be awesome! You can submit your votes via e-mail to dreamwild1985@gmail.com, and I bolded my name for easy finding. The deadline is today--I'd held off on purpose because it'll be fresh in your mind to do the voting today (that's how I operate anyway...)). Thanks in advance!Best Hero :Tim Capshaw in “Trolling Nights” by Savannah J. Frierson Dorian Christensen in “Hostage to Pleasure” by Nalini SinghTyson Kincade in “Kincade’s Rose” by Aliyah BurkeAdrian… -
Some News and Notes
26 Aug 2009 | 7:53 amIf you're going to be in Charleston on September 29, 2009 @ 7PM, why don't you stop on by the Moja Festival and...I dunno...meet me? And if not you, someone you know? Thanks. :)Also, if you can mosey on to The Lub-Dubs and maybe vote for the categories that feature me and then vote for...me...that would be much appreciated. And, thank you to those who even did! Didn't expect that, and that's quite awesome.This review of TROLLING NIGHTS is really kind of great. She almost makes me want to read my own book, and I RARELY do that after I finish one. I'm like an actor who can't watch a movie/show… -
A Letter from My Mama
24 Aug 2009 | 7:21 pmI got this letter back in 2005 when I graduated from college. It's dated August 24, 1989, and it's written by my mother commemorating my first day of first grade. And I can be honest and say I hadn't looked at that letter from that graduation day until March, when I moved back to SC and started this "new phase" of my life to be a writer, or at the very least a professional wordsmith. When I opened this letter, the first thing I noticed was my mother had beautiful handwriting. And then...the letter was twenty years old, and I wondered where the hell twenty years went. Then the fact I wanted to…
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Sonja Foust
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And they’re off!
30 Oct 2009 | 1:57 pmStoryboarding my NaNoWriMo novel NaNoWriMo starts October 31st at midnight, so if you don’t see me this weekend, you know what I’m doing. I have to plot almost the entire novel on Saturday as I have been procrastinating. (Well, does it really count as procrastinating if you really honestly just have not had time to do it? I mean, I have 3 loads of laundry sitting on the rocking chair in my bedroom– that’s how busy this week has been.) In any case, wish me luck, and join me if you are equally crazy and would like to write 50,000 words in 30 days (plus an extra hour… -
A Great State Fair
28 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amCheck out my first iMovie creation, a compilation of our pictures and videos from the NC State Fair! Can’t wait to work on some of the other videos in my collection! No related posts. -
Monster Dash Fun
26 Oct 2009 | 11:32 amYesterday was the Raleigh Monster Dash, and Jamie and I went for it, though woefully undertrained for the past few weeks. (Here we are– smile, Jamie!) I am proud to say that we both ruled, and I personally beat my goal time of under 40 minutes. I think it was about 38 minutes or so, although official times aren’t posted yet. I had some drama at the Mile 1 marker– the worst stomach cramp ever! So I had to walk for a half a mile and still managed to beat my goal. I’m really pleased, and already thinking about the next race and the next goal. 33 minutes or bust? (Hey, I… -
10 Years to Improve
19 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amIt’s been 10 years and some change since I graduated from high school. I just realized yesterday afternoon that I was wearing the same sweater I was wearing in my 1999 senior photo. Said senior photo: And me yesterday: I’ve had 10 years to improve myself… and also 10 years to get rid of this sweater. What do you think? Epic fail? Actually, on second thought, don’t tell me. I’d rather just live in ignorance and keep wearing my 10-year-old sweater. Don’t leave a comment unless you have something nice to say. Seriously. Related posts:5 Lessons in 5 Years -
So you’d like to get into the Halloween spirit…
16 Oct 2009 | 6:00 amWrote this a while back for an Amazon.com guide, but thought I’d share it here, too, since it’s that time of year! Want a pre-Halloween stroll through the Voodoo festival town of Mojo, Louisiana? Try Stephanie Bond’s spooky yet hilarious In Deep Voodoo. You’ll meet Penny, town health food nut; B.J., sexy Cajun P.I.; and of course all the creepy so-and-sos who come out for the annual Voodoo festival at the beginning of October. In the mood for an old black and white classic to snuggle down with? Watch Arsenic and Old Lace. Cary Grant is superb as an absent-minded…
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Candice Gilmer
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More Cover Yumminess!
4 Nov 2009 | 10:21 amBROKEN SHINE!!! SQUEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!I'm so excited about this one, I can't tell you! It's probably my favorite book in the Moonlight and Shadows series at Lyrical Press and I cannot WAIT for the release in February. Gosh, that seems so far away, but I know it'll fly by. Here's an UNOFFICIAL blurb and tagline... (It'll probably change later, but it's what I got for now)Love will be the death of him.Immortal Knight Templar, Sir Liam has spent the last 700 years faithful to the Balance Mandate, protecting humans from vampires, werewolves and other mythical creatures. In the past 24 years, he’s… -
Broom Stick Bunny
25 Oct 2009 | 9:57 pmA friend had this posted on Face Book, and I decided it would be fun to share. ;) -
The Scavenger Hunt is still going on!
19 Oct 2009 | 10:46 amDon't forget about the Raven Scavenger Hunt! See The Raven Happy Hour for more details! You've got until the end of the month! Good Luck! -
Alpha
5 Oct 2009 | 6:17 pmOver at Scott Eagan's Blog, he's touching on the topic of Alphas verses Betas in heroes. This particular line made me pause:""The body language of the alpha male is very noticeable. While some are muscular, most men in this category are fit. He enters the room with an undisputable confidence and almost courage. His movements are slow and deliberate."I grew up around wrestlers, not professional wrestlers, but greco roman, freestyle and folkstyle wrestlers. My brother wrestled from the time he was 5, I think. He might have been 6. But I spent most of my young life around wrestlers, coaches, and… -
Scavenger Hunt!
1 Oct 2009 | 9:47 amIt's time for Halloween again, and that means it's also time for the Raven Scavenger Hunt. And this year, I'm participating in the hunt. You answer the trivia questions on the Raven Halloween Hunt by visiting author websites, and you can win prizes! I'm offering the winner's choice of one of my ebook titles, Unholy Night, A Darker Trinity, or Fantasy Girl. It's really awesome, and I'm excited to be a part of it.Here's some of the participating authors:Candace HavensN.J. WaltersBianca D’ArcCandice GilmerCynthia Eden Shelley MunroKate AustinSamantha SommersbyShiloh WalkerMichelle M.
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Colleen Gleason
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Feeling virtuous.
3 Nov 2009 | 11:58 amAfter learning from a friend of mine that her new MacBookPro’s hard drive crashed a few weeks ago, and fully aware that I never, never back up my brand new MacBookPro laptop (which is completely foolish as I do most/all of my new writing there), I made a trip to the Apple store today to get a portable hard drive for said laptop. (Which, I think, I’ve named Buffy, by the way. The laptop, not the hard-drive. Considering the fact, however, that the hard-drive plugs in to Buffy, perhaps I ought to name it….Spike. It’s sleek and red and very, very sexy.) Anyway. *cough*… -
Monday Morning Movie Roundup.
21 Sep 2009 | 7:50 amSo I went and saw 9, Tim Burton’s post-apocalyptic animated movie on Friday night. As is true for all Burton films, it was…interesting. I wouldn’t see it again. The story was meh. But what I loved about it was the visuals. There was so much to look at. Everything was so fascinating and detailed, from the puppet-like creatures that were “all that’s left of humanity” to the spider-like monster robots to the remnants of our world. (Or, more correctly, the world of the 1950s.) It was so very creative and full of visual depth. But for me, it didn’t save… -
OMG. I’m the mother of a teen.
18 Sep 2009 | 6:41 amAs of about 11:30 am today, I am the mother of a teen-ager. Holy crap. Does this mean my life is about to disintegrate into slamming bedroom doors, yelling matches about clothes, hair, boyfriends, friends, music, social engagements…etc? I was fortunate. My mother and I always had (and still do) a great relationship based on mutual respect and friendship. Yeah, she played The Mother Card often enough, but that was only when she had to. We had our fights, but I was never a teen who’d complain about my mom to my friends. Nor was my mother always trying to marry me off or tell me how… -
Nine or 9?
16 Sep 2009 | 7:02 amTwo very different movies coming out in the next few months (actually, one is already out) with the same name. Sorta. Which one are you jonesing to see? Nine, Rob Marshall’s all-star, amazingly cast film about a world-famous film director… Or 9, Tim Burton’s post-apocalyptic animated film about those trying to save what’s left of the world? (I can’t find an embeddable trailer, so here’s a link.) Me? Well, I’m dying to see both, but 9 sparks my interest in particular because of Joss Ware’s new series set in a world eerily reminiscent of… -
Can you do this?
10 Sep 2009 | 12:40 pmCheck this out. I’m totally impressed. In other news, I was trying to remember the name of the sitcom Al Franken was in a few years (eight?) ago. About a news anchorman or something. It’s called Nightline, I think. Anyone remember that? I really enjoyed it,although now I can see that Senator Franken’s talents were wasted there….
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Donna Grant
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Forbidden Highlander
5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 amI got the gorgeous cover for FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER yesterday. I love how they added the torc around his neck. Its perfect! A DANGEROUS SECRET… Fallon MacLeod has gifts any warrior would covet - fierce strength, unmatched skill, even immortality. But those gifts come at a price that puts everyone he loves at risk. Only when his brother, Quinn, is taken captive does Fallon leave the seclusion of his Highland home to seek the king’s aid. And though every women at court would gladly be his for the asking, one alone causes desire to roar to life within him: beautiful, mysterious Larena… -
Week in Review
2 Nov 2009 | 7:12 amToday is my anniversary - thirteen years. It wasn’t like we planned to get married on the Day of the Dead. It just kinda worked out that way. I’d like to say we’ve got something romantic planned, but when the anniversary falls during the week with young kiddos still in school, makes for a difficult time to do much of anything. However, the kids tell me we’re having dinner by candlelight tonight to make up for it. lol. In writing news, I was offered another contract last week to write three more Dark Sword books. I’m beyond thrilled! Book four is coming along… -
Are you adventurous?
29 Oct 2009 | 6:39 amIts a conversation my hubby and I have often. We love watching adventure shows. Some of my favorites are the Stargates (SG1, Atlantis and now Universe). We talk about all the things the characters on the shows encounter. And one question I posed to hubby was: If he was single and had no family, would he go through the Stargate? He didn’t hesitate in his answer. Yes! Me? Uh, hell no. I like to know what to expect out of my world. We’ve been here long enough that we know what’s in the oceans (to a degree, mind you). We know what dangerous animals are in the jungles. We know… -
Week in Review
26 Oct 2009 | 5:50 amI have to say, I’m very glad last week is done and over with. It was one of those weeks that came out of the blue and bashed me in the side of the face. I’m not fond of those types of weeks. And I think I’ll try to avoid them for at least the rest of the year. I spent the week at the hospital. We found out last Monday that the reason my father’s leg had been hurting (for three weeks!) when he walked was because somehow he’d managed to break his hip. He’d never fallen, so we’re still not sure how it happened. But it was a break that wouldn’t… -
10 Days of Dangerous
22 Oct 2009 | 6:45 amAre you ready for some dangerous fun? Then join the Dangerous Women Readers’ Group and get ready for a dangerous party on the loop! Spread the word–the fun starts on October 21st!
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jess Granger
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Getting Creative
7 Nov 2009 | 1:00 amI think writers, by default, are fairly creative people. I know some of my family teases me about my endless creative endeavors. You'd think I could stick to slightly productive things like making home videos, doing scrapbooks, or actually finishing sewing the last of the Christmas stockings, but no.This is what I do with too much creative energy.I play with Lincoln Logs.This was a pretty cool -
Trick or Treat?
30 Oct 2009 | 9:54 pmTreat! It's a treat!Happy Halloween everyone! For the occasion, I've got a new costume. Okay, it's a new book cover, but it is deliciously yummy. I've plastered it all over my website.So sit back, enjoy the eye-candy for a bit.Mmmmmmm......Here's the blurb.A man of deception. A woman of justice. Can their fragile trust be strong enough to prevent a war? Commander Yara knows perfect -
Ready for the Fall
24 Oct 2009 | 9:51 amTake a look at that color! This is one of my neighbor's trees, and I have a little leaf envy at the moment. there are some awesome reds in the neighborhood as well, but my trees seem to prefer the faded green to sickly yellow with mottled brown spots look.Bummer.It's nice to be able to look across the street at this though. I like fall. I think part of that is because I really like -
Ethel the Space Pirate, Chapter Twenty-Three
21 Oct 2009 | 11:15 amHey everyone, welcome back Ethel!I'm going to be digging in my heels to actually write in the coming months, and I'm considering dialing Ethel back to once a month considering there wasn't a whole lot of support for getting Ethel out of the brig. If you'd still like Ethel to be bi-weekly, be sure to comment, vote, and bring some friends over to check Ethel out.If you'd like to read the story -
Dressing Up
17 Oct 2009 | 11:54 amI love this time of year, because dang it, I love costumes. I'm really looking forward to my first ever RT Booklover's convention in the spring, and I'm already plotting. I figure I'd better be on the ball now while I've got Halloween shops at my disposal, otherwise I'm going to be stuck making my own costumes, not that I mind. Actually, I love making my own costumes.It's getting into the
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Linda Goodnight
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COWBOY DADDY, JINGLE BELL BABY
15 Oct 2009 | 4:39 pmEven though the title is hokey and the cover not much better, I hope you all enjoy my latest traditional romance from Harlequin Romance. In the story, the cowboy is cuter and the baby is newborn!But tell me, do you think that baby on the cover is real? Or does she look like a doll to you? Just saying.... -
Exciting new series-REDEMPTION RIVER
12 Jul 2009 | 2:37 pmComing in 2010 from Love Inspired:The first two installments of the new small town series, REDEMPTION RIVER.FINDING HER WAY HOME - January 2010THE WEDDING GARDEN - May 2010 -
Two More Sweet Romances on the Horizon
12 Jul 2009 | 2:25 pmFor those of you who enjoy my traditional 'sweet' romances from Harlequin, I have two more scheduled, but no covers yet to show you.COWBOY DADDY, JINGLE BELL BABY - coming to the U.S. in November and the UK in September.HER PRINCE'S SECRET SON - - will be released in Dec. 09 in the UK which means it will likely arrive in the U.S. in February. -
WHAT'S COMING UP?
22 Mar 2009 | 3:24 pmFree Downloadable books - including one of my Love Inspireds - A VERY SPECIAL DELIVERY - These are available all this year - Enjoy!!NEW BOOKS: Available in April - Perfect as a gift for Mothers' Day!! Order hereCOMING IN MAY - the story of Nic Carano, who first appeared in "A Season For Grace," 2007 ACFW Book of the Year.Order here -
NEW BOOK COMING MARCH 1!
8 Feb 2009 | 6:29 amSingle Christian teacher Rainy Jernagen is a kid crazy foster mom. Rancher Nate Del Rio is burdened by the responsibility of his three siblings and never wants children. Can there be a future for this mismatched pair?HOME TO CROSSROADS RANCH - Available March 1 where ever books are sold or order here.
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Paula Graves
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Free Fic Friday - Chapter 14 is up
6 Nov 2009 | 8:27 amHere's Chapter 14 of Code Name: WILLOW. You're about to find out what's really going on in the Big Easy, and it happens pretty quickly, so don't blink or you'll miss something important! -
Chickasaw County Captive Cover
3 Nov 2009 | 2:56 pmNew book covers are always a crapshoot. At Harlequin, we don't have a lot of control over what goes on the cover, despite filling out fairly elaborate Art Fact Sheets.But on this one, I think the artist did a pretty good job. Pay particular attention to the hairstyle on the hero--it has hints of "high and tight," which is appropriate, given that the hero is a retired Marine. It's also my first " -
Free Fic Friday - Lucky 13
30 Oct 2009 | 4:25 amChapter 13 of CODE NAME: WILLOW is up.The plot is picking up pace now. Enjoy! -
Good grief, Bama
24 Oct 2009 | 4:08 pmI'm getting too old to watch Alabama football, apparently. It was somehow easier to deal with when they were losing all the time instead of winning. Is that crazy? -
Free Fic Friday - Chapter 12 is up
23 Oct 2009 | 7:37 amContent warning--Naughty Marguerite shows up in this one big time. Naughty Jack, too. If you're under 17, don't read this without parental permission.Here you go.
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Susan Grant
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New Covers!
14 Oct 2009 | 11:00 amHooray! Here are the new covers for the Star trilogy being re-released all at once in May 2010. If you click on the titles above each cover the links will take you to the place at my website, where you can read more about each of the books in the series.The Star KingThe Star PrinceThe Star Princess -
SUREBLOOD now has back cover copy
16 Sep 2009 | 5:04 pmThe epic plot of my 8/10 release SUREBLOOD: a Tale of the Borderlands...AKA Borderlands #3 has been squeezed into 2 publicly acceptable, hope people carry it home, back of the book cover paragraphs. Glad my editor is good at doing this because I sure ain't (eesh, I'm even talking like my space pirates now...) Without further ado, here it is (barring any more publisher tweaks): Torn apart by lies and deception...Five years ago, rival space pirate captains Val Blue and Dake Sureblood stole one incredible night together. But their brief, passionate history ends with the assasination of Val’s… -
A thank you and a sneak peek scene
26 Aug 2009 | 10:41 amAs a thank you for mom, blogger, pilot's wife, and author Kimber An and her great review of The Warlord's Daughter on her blog (Sabra the "commando nanny"-- loved that), I wanted to treat her and you to a scene from the upcoming SUREBLOOD, which I imagine will be one of the few Space Pirate single mom tales on the shelves. Enjoy! ###From the 8/10 release SUREBLOOD: A Tale of the Borderlands by Susan Grant (#3 in the Borderlands series)Back on Artoom, Val’s long strides made short work of the distance between the dock and the village. As she passed the practice fields, she stopped to watch… -
Next Book!
19 Aug 2009 | 3:03 pmFinally! My space pirate book has a title: SUREBLOOD: A Tale of the Borderlands! Stoked that it has "blood" in the title! Think of how many vampire fans will pick it up by mistake! :)Sureblood is the hero's last name -
Coming Soon!
9 Aug 2009 | 9:21 amIt's not totally official yet but I think the dates and titles have stopped bouncing around (for now). May 2010-- The Star Trilogy--rerelease! New covers, new low price, and all at once: The Star King, The Star Prince, and The Star Princess. For new readers, it's a great way to get familiar with my earlier books. For collectors--alert, alert, these will be repackaged for the '10 release, so the older versions out there will soon become Hard To Find.August 2010-- SUREBLOOD: A Tale of the Borderlands. This is my long-awaited space pirate story and #3 in the Borderlands series
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Cindy Holby
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What's going on
2 Nov 2009 | 6:47 amYes I have been a blog slacker. I've taken a step back lately to re-evaluate my career. Which doesn't mean I've stopped writing. Its more like I'm trying to figure out what direction my writing is going in. Meanwhile I have written a couple of short stories. The first one is called Time Trails and is in the Mammoth Book of Time Travel which will be released in Dec. Its the story of a Texas Ranger and a Time cop from the future and has some Steampunk elements.The second is called Quicksilver and will come out in the Irish Book of Romance in January. This was a fascinating story to write as I… -
Whats it really like to be an author?
26 Oct 2009 | 1:09 pmI copied this from the New Yorker. Its funny but its also true. Let me introduce myself. My name is Gineen Klein, and I’ve been brought on as an intern to replace the promotion department here at Propensity Books. First, let me say that I absolutely love “Clancy the Doofus Beagle: A Love Story” and have some excellent ideas for promotion.To start: Do you blog? If not, get in touch with Kris and Christopher from our online department, although at this point I think only Christopher is left. I’ll be out of the office from tomorrow until Monday, but when I get back I’ll ask him if he… -
The Stars Are Empty
19 Oct 2009 | 11:10 amI'm taking part in a short story started by L.A. Banks. You can read it here It was a different experience for me but I really enjoyed it once I got into the flow. Can't wait to see what happens next. -
New Car
17 Sep 2009 | 1:45 pmI got a new car after nine years of driving the old one. I've downsized from a GMC Yukon (great car, I loved it) to an Infinity EX35.It might take a while to get used to the much smaller yet more fuel efficient car and I will most likely miss the Yukon when vacation time rolls around but I'm willing to try. So far I love it. Its got a lot of zip and is great when changing lanes. Best of all its got camera's all around. I'd been shopping for a month and I'm most happy with my final choice. -
Zombies as Heroes? I don't think so.
22 Aug 2009 | 5:19 amIt seems that the publishers are jumping on the band wagon of a new genre trend. Zombies. My response is "Ewwww" I just really don't get it. Now while I wouldn't mind reading a story about a couple fighting Zombies ala Resident Evil I'm pretty sure I don't want to know anything about loving a Zombie, even if they originally were the love of my life. Yet some publishers are asking for stories involving humans and zombies. The following is an editor request that's been going around the writer loops "is looking for "love amongst the undead, between zombies and the living, and (we hope) many…
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Cynthia Harrison
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Control Freaking
6 Nov 2009 | 7:10 amWords to Date: 12161 It’s been a long time since I wrote a draft like this without revising at all. It’s a scary thing, because I know from past experience that if I don’t rein myself in with some organization at this point I will have a big mess on my hands. A few things are helping me keep it together. One, the genre. Some romance novels (called “category” books because they’re for specific imprints like Silhouette Desire) are actually 50,000 words. So I can see this as a whole. Knowing I’m going to knock off an entire draft inspires me. -
Words and Word
5 Nov 2009 | 5:37 amBefore the new laptop, I had Word 2003. Now I have 2007. It’s so different, like getting a new phone, but worse, because I write way more than I talk on the phone. Need to immediately go buy one of those Dummies books for Office 2007. I know they have everything online but I can do it faster if I have a text I can study and use for reference. The only other problem is that we have a wireless house and Al has been working too much to get me on the printer. So I couldn’t print my pages this morning! I hate that. Backed them up on an e-drive but still. I want those pages. I think… -
Pink Notebook
4 Nov 2009 | 2:52 pmWriting this on my new notebook, which is PINK! Everything is new, Office ‘07, Windows 7, just an entirely new game. We’ll see if I can get this to post. And if I can find my website… Today’s words were written longhand at school between classes. This new notebook is lighter, but I didn’t have anything loaded in here yet (Still a blank slate in Office as we speak) and don’t know my way around it so I think I should just practice at home before I take my new baby out for a walk. Since the words were written by hand, I am not sure how many there are. I will… -
2 & 3
3 Nov 2009 | 7:04 amDay two was a work day. And my golden writing time is in the morning. Which is when I work. I had every intention of coming home and getting right at the keyboard. But I was hungry. So I fixed lunch. And then watched As the World Turns. Finally about three o’clock I went upstairs and managed to squeak out about 600 or so words. Then it was time for Oprah, then making dinner, then cleaning the kitchen, etc, etc. I’m just not a nighttime writer. Never have been. I like to read at night. And it’s sort of research now, since I’m reading romance…to be specific,… -
Chocolate & Romance
1 Nov 2009 | 7:18 amI woke up at one in the morning and considered starting my NaNo novel. Then I went back to sleep;-) Now it’s 10 am and I’ve finished my 2000 words for today. I also finished the book collage this morning and its hanging on my wall to remind me about my characters and their journey. Right in the middle of the collage I cut out a big pink heart. Inside the heart I pasted a photo of my couple looking into each other’s eyes. I looked through a lot of magazines to find the perfect photo. I love it. I adore the whole collage, really. I’ve been going through old magazines…
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Heather Hiestand
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Electronic books – the sanitary choice?
26 Oct 2009 | 12:43 pmThe flu hit my city a few weeks ago, and as of yesterday it is in my neighborhood, maybe even next door. Rumor has it the neighbors have the dreaded swine flu, though from what I hear no one really knows if that is the case. Either way, yuck! With a baby at home, and remembering my horrible triple-illness that knocked me flat for more than a month last year, I’m in a panic. I’m already mostly home-bound because of finances and baby, but what else can I do to keep germs at bay? When I leave the house, it’s mostly to go to the grocery store, pharmacy, coffee place or… -
Visit today to win a free book!
15 Oct 2009 | 2:02 pmI'm visiting Lia Slater's blog today. Join us to win a free copy of Ex Factor!Lia's Blog -
Sexy August sale!
3 Aug 2009 | 1:48 pmMy Playing Lycan Games and other erotic romance tales are on sale at the Scarlet Rose this month! See Playing Lycan Games. -
New Poem
13 Jul 2009 | 5:35 pmI just posted a fresh poem at http://rosecityromancewriters.blogspot.com/ And Andy is home again! -
Last sale day!
29 Jun 2009 | 8:45 pmThe book sale ends June 30th, so get shopping!To thank you for your infinite patience during this transitory period JasmineJade is offering all of our treasured readers 10% off their entire order in the JasmineJade.com store for the rest of June. That includes Cerridwen ebooks and print books (even the ones on sale)!To get your 10% discount enter ECWEB200 into the coupon field when completing your purchase at http://www.jasminejade.com./
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Kate Hardy
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Pollyanna
6 Nov 2009 | 3:05 amCurrent work: Modern Heat (beginning of French duo, book 2)Listening to: Def Leppard (X – love this album)Reading: next on TBRThanks to everyone who commented yesterday or sent me a private message about my difficult week. The bullying was serious enough for the headmaster to be involved, but school has been brilliant and acted swiftly. I had a long conversation yesterday with the head of year and hopefully things will be easier for son now.Dad is still not well, and the nature of his illness means that he never quite pulls back from these blips: we lose a little more of him each time. -
Chinese curses
4 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pmCurrent work: Modern Heat (final readthrough of book 1)Listening to: Chopin nocturnes (bleak enough to suit my mood)Reading: next on TBRIsn’t there a Chinese curse along the lines of ‘may you live in interesting times’? Well, whoever stuck that one on me, I’d appreciate it if you could lift it for a couple of months, please.Am pleased to report that the book is done. Doing the final readthrough this morning, then printing it out to post to my agent. Let’s hope it makes it through the picket lines. And that my agent and ed like it. (Yup, am at THAT stage of the book. Happens every… -
party-party-party
3 Nov 2009 | 1:14 amCurrent work: Modern Heat (finishing off book 1 of the duo)Listening to: Def Leppard/DebussyReading: next on TBRReally, really busy weekend.Friday: briefly into town, then catching up with work, then out bowling (it was Glow Bowling, i.e. everything was fluorescent, so littlest was delighted – and I was totally shocked to get the best score of the night. I mean, I’m hopeless! But I got a spare followed by two strikes, one of which won me a “glow torch”… oh, and the fact that our team had the bumper bars up might’ve helped – but anyway, it was my personal best and I was so… -
happy November
1 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pmCurrent work: Modern Heat (finishing off book 1 of the duo)Listening to: Sheryl CrowReading: Sarah Morgan duo – Snowbound: Marriage Miracle and Christmas Eve: Doorstep Delivery (absolutely brilliant – Alfie, Patrick’s son, is just hilarious. Sarah’s secondaries are always a treat, and there’s snow, and gorgeous heroes, and really nice heroines you’d like to be mates with, and walk-on parts from characters from her previous Lakeland books, and… Highly recommended!) Happy November; and may it be a lovely month for you. Today is an inset day (teacher training) so I’m busy doing… -
Llamas
30 Oct 2009 | 6:39 amWhat with birthday party preparations (i.e. tenpin bowling tonight, trick-or-treating tomorrow, family party Sunday, Inset day etc Monday) and a screaming deadline, I barely have time to breathe, let alone write anything interesting on my blog.Instead, I will leave you with a link to a YouTube song that my children made me watch. Made me smile, too. The Llama Song.Oh, and the Harry Potter song. Loved this. Very clever - YouTube at its best.Enjoy. I'm off to make cookies.
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Lisa Hendrix
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Huge Romance Bookfair in Seattle
I know, I know. I owe you a post about the glorious Minster at Sudwell and the Gate (Procession) that supported it for centuries, but the Swine Flu (not me, but *all* of my family) has stolen much of my time over the last two weeks, and what it didn’t steal I’ve been trying to [...] -
So long, Kate
I learned this morning that Kate Duffy, long-time Kensington editor and extraordinary friend to romance, has died. I met Kate the first time in 1993, and although I never had the opportunity to work with her, I learned a lot from her over the years. She will be missed. For those who never had the chance [...] -
Fresh excerpt – Immortal Outlaw
It’s excerpt month over at the Rose City Romance Writers blog, and to celebrate, I contributed a never-before-posted bit of Chapter 2. While you’re over there, take a few moments to read all the other excerpts. There are lots of talented ladies in the Portland chapter of RWA. And have a good Sunday. (I’m going [...] -
A stop at the Retford market
Sorry I’ve been so delinquent about continuing our travels through Nottinghamshire. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, what with driving Child1 to college nine hours away, then turning around 24 hours after I got home to make the ten hour round trip to a signing in Portland. I barely got back from that in [...] -
Get your signed books here…
Well, not here, but at Powell’s Books at Cedar hills Crossing. I’m one of a dozen members of the Rose City Romance Writers who’ll be autographing their books this evening (Friday, 9/18/09) at 7pm. Show up and you can get books signed by Meljean Brook, Margaret Mallory, Delilah Marvelle, Jean Johnson, Cathy Lamb, Minnette Meador, Elisabeth [...]
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Loribelle Hunt
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Series
13 Oct 2009 | 1:25 pmLove ‘em or hate ‘em? I’m blogging about just that at Michelle Lauren’s blog today. One of the commenters will win a book from my backlist. -
Hunter’s Moon
3 Oct 2009 | 7:57 amHunter’s Moon is now available! Gia Roberts is part of a secret organization of humans who hunt rogue shifters. When her group forms a tentative alliance with the werewolf Hunters her boss pairs her up with the Anthony. Working with him is torture. He’s irritating. He gets on her last nerve. While setting her body on fire. Gia tries desperately to ignore the wolf, but he gets harder to resist with each passing week. When her secret past comes back, will he be able to convince her he can keep her safe? Or will she run back to the safety of her world? -
Clearly, I am a masochist
6 Aug 2009 | 11:17 pmWhy? Oh, so many reasons. First, I’m writing two books. At once. In clear violation of Loribelle’s Rules of Writing which state quite forcefully, Do not feed the plot bunnies! AKA, Your ADD is bad enough, please don’t help it along. Book #1 is typical Loribelle fare in progress to submit to a lovely, wonderful, marvelous editor friend. (Enough sucking up? I can do more. ) Which brings us neatly to reason two why I am a masochist. Book#2 is a paranormal Southern women’s fiction novel. I’m going for the genre bending title of year. How’m I doing? Anyway, I… -
Lots of stuff…
31 Jul 2009 | 12:46 am…going on, but none much fun lol! I’m almost done with a new book for Cobblestone. It’s a new spin-off series of my Lunar Mates books. Hopefully, everyone will love it as much as me lol. Got back from Nationals, well, over a week ago now and I’m still not sure how I feel about the experience. I roomed with Shelli Stevens and Karen Erickson, whom I both love like crazy! They were just awesome. Shelli is a walking fiend and Karen put up with waaay more angst than she should have to lol. It was great to hang out with good friends. Other than that, I kinda wondered why I… -
Not Going to Conference?
13 Jul 2009 | 5:37 amI’m leaving in about 30 minutes and there are so many people I will be sad not to see this year. But if you can’t go, don’t forget about the annual Romance Divas Not Going to Conference Conference. Some of the guests lined up include: Josh Lanyon, Rowan Mcbride, Jet Mykles and Shayla Kersten, Carrie Jones, Marley Gibson, Linnea Sinclair, Patti O’Shea, Ona Russel, Steve Hockingsmith, Joey W. Hill and Sasha White. Workshops will include: Young Adult, Erotic, Historical Research, Deep POV, E-publishing to NY, and a Q&A on how avoid and deal with burnout. The NGTCC…
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Nancy Henderson
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Progress
5 Nov 2009 | 2:40 amLike clockwork, Katie gets me up at 4:45 am every morning. Has to go outside. And it's dark and cold, so it's not always a perky morning. She's getting to that stage where she's really failing, totally blind and stiff. I really don't know how much longer she can keep going like this, but I really hope I don't have to put her down. Not something I even want to think about.But anyway, getting up so early has helped my writing, especially since I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month. Over 2500 words now. Not sure how many, since I'm mainly writing on my Alphasmart now, and it doesn't… -
Let the day begin
1 Nov 2009 | 12:38 pmSleeping, cleaning up rotted pumpkins on the deck, taking down Halloween decorations & putting up Thanksgiving turkeys, and thick, warm kitty socks. That about sums up my Sunday. Oh, and today is Katie's birthday. She's 14. I managed to write 800 words today for National Novel Writing Month. That's a good start for me on a Sunday, on any Sunday, really. Been thinking about time management, how to go about this fast draft I'm working on. I'm scribbled up the entire month on my planner, broke down bits and pieces of time here and there. A road map for writing success. How was your weekend? -
Happy Halloween!
31 Oct 2009 | 1:32 pmHappy haunting! Play hard, stay safe, eat lots of candy! -
It's almost here!
30 Oct 2009 | 5:42 pmNovember is National Novel Writing Month. Sunday begins NANOWRIMO, which is basically where you make a committment to write as much as you can during November. At the end of the month you're supposed to have a completed novel drafted out. I've signed up in the past, but always let it fall by the wayside. This year I'm taking it seriously. I want to get a historical drafted out by December 1st. Then I'll spend December editing. Less stress editing, at least in my opinion. And less stress in December is always good. Anyone else doing nano this year? -
Happy Humpday!
28 Oct 2009 | 3:33 amOh, what can I say this morning? Raining cats and dogs outside. Not the type of morning I long for the commute. I'd much rather stay in bed or at the computer. Anyway, I have three major projects I'm juggling at the moment. 1. Negotiating a deal with my publisher on a paranormal...fingers crossed.2. Working up a draft which I'm going to do NANOWRIMO with. (National Novel Writing Month)3. Rewriting a novella, working it into something long, something more substantial, then submitting that. Only three, but a lot of work. Lots of rewriting. Gut-wrenching editing, marking up with the red pen. Oh,…
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Michelle Houston
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New Review: Unleashing the Jaguar
2 Nov 2009 | 3:44 pmNight Owl Romances reviewed Unleashing the Jaguar."Unleashing the Jaguar: Animal Attraction is another shapeshifter love story that is a winner. It’s one of those I’ll enjoy rereading. The relationship between Danny and Michael is a bit broken, but they have potential. ... Animal Attraction is a keeper and I recommend it to those who like shapeshifter romances. I definitely liked this book."Read -
Heat Wave/Castle
31 Oct 2009 | 2:23 pmSo, I am a geek. Something I have never tried to hide or deny. Actually, I have proudly proclaimed it a time or two (like I am now LOL).I watch several shows on TV, including CASTLE, the new Nathan Fillion show. And I couldn't resist when I found out that ABC made the book Heat Wave by Richard Castle (the main character of the show) a reality.I am uncertain if it was written by the show's -
New Review for Taming the Wolf
30 Oct 2009 | 1:30 pmElisa Rolle recently reviewed Taming the Wolf."I really enjoy the shapeshifter short stories by Michelle Houston"The full review can be found at: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/851695.html -
Still a few days left to make a difference ...
28 Oct 2009 | 10:03 amI know it is already a few days in to October, but I wanted to let everyone know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. (Visit: http://www.ncadv.org/ or http://dvam.vawnet.org/ for more information)I have a spouse who treats me with love, support and affection. I am very fortunate in that regard. But I am very aware, due to close friends and family as well as the stories of strangers, -
Re-do!
27 Oct 2009 | 11:12 amRecently I asked if I could tweak a cover of mine that neither the cover artist nor I were ever really happy with, and I was granted permission.Here's the new and improved cover for PLAYING FOR KEEPS.Same images, just a different coloration and layout, as well as some touchups here and there. : )
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Cynthia Justlin
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Dark Secrets and Dead Bodies
20 Oct 2009 | 10:49 amI’m so excited! Romance Divas is hosting an awesome workshop in two days: If you write romantic suspense and love it, come on over! You do not want to miss such an awesome panel of authors! -
Excerpt Monday: In the mood for action
12 Oct 2009 | 2:00 amOnce a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You=2 0don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above. __________________________________ I feel in the mood to showcase a little action and danger (and cuss words! Oops!) this month. This excerpt is one of the new scenes I wrote when I completely revised, INTRUSION, my Golden Heart finaling… -
Breathless Inspiration
10 Oct 2009 | 3:56 pmI’ve mentioned this before, but it’s almost impossible for me to write without music. Oh, I can do it if I put my mind to it, but I love the way music brings out my emotions and really makes me feel the words pouring out of me. Just about any music will do, but sometimes I find the perfect song, the perfect album or musician, that captures the heart of my story so well that it leaves me breathless. I started writing my latest manuscript, THE CELL, to Eli Mattson’s Monsters CD, and as I get further into the story, I’m finding that his music only serves to draw me in… -
Introducing
21 Sep 2009 | 2:00 amIt’s launch day over at the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood–the 2009 class of Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalists! During the upcoming month we’ll be giving away fabulous ruby-slippered mugs and critiques. You don’t want to miss it! So, come on over and see what we’re up to. The yellow brick road to publication is never dull, especially when you get to share it with sisters. -
Excerpt Monday: Contemporary YA
14 Sep 2009 | 2:00 amOnce a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above. ________________________________ I’ve had this contemporary YA idea in my head for a long time, but I’ve always pushed it aside. I thought it would be fun to write the first few pages to use as my excerpt this month, just to see…
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Sandie Hudson
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A Cosy Mystery for NaNo
4 Nov 2009 | 11:51 pmSo here I am at day five of NaNoWriMo and all is going well. Maybe a little too well. The story is coming together even with a couple of added point of views. My original idea was to tell the story from just my granny sleuth, however when I sat down at my computer on day three a second point of view character arrived. That character was my young Detective; I could live with that I thought. Instead of slotting in his point of view scenes in the original work, I decided to open a new file for him, so now I’m working between two files and one has to play catch-up. I should also point out the… -
The Chorus sings ‘Get back to writing!’
29 Oct 2009 | 8:02 amMy Guest today is Eleni Konstantine. Welcome to my blog Eleni. Hey there, my name is Zoe and I open and close gateways to hell. Yes, I know you haven’t heard of me because my creator has neglected me since June. I mean come on, I know I look like Miss Average but this is a remarkable gift…curse…whatever you want to call what I have. Surely she should be concentrating on me? Hold on there a sec, Zoe. I’ve been around longer than you. I’m Alex and I’ve been around since June LAST year. Yep I started out great too with my story almost nutted out. You see I am a Dream Tamer. I don’t… -
Am I CRAZY????
15 Oct 2009 | 10:12 pmWell blogging each week didn’t last long did it. Not even one week! Well not on here anyway. So, what have I been doing that is so important that I can’t blog. Beside the fact I’ve been sick not much. Had some sort of stomach bug most of the week, which is not fun let me tell you.The RWAus ‘Cruisin’ the Blog’ is going well, some of our RWAus members are very busy promoting their new or soon to be released novels. Speaking of novels, I’m not getting very far with mine. Editing has come to a crawl, writing has stopped altogether and the planning for my November NaNo novel, yes… -
Finding Our Heroes
3 Oct 2009 | 12:32 amWhere do you find your hero material? Do you mould your fictional hero after someone you know? Or is he a mixture of a number of men or women you admire? Of course the last one is, is he completely made up? For me it depends on the hero I’m working on at the time. Most of my heroes are figments of my imagination. Not that I don’t have men in my life that would make great heroes to write about. I think for me anyway, I like to keep my men separate. The real flesh and blood from those that wander around in my head strutting their stuff. And believe me some of them strut.Just lately I’ve… -
Father's Day
7 Sep 2009 | 1:54 amWhat did you do for Father’s Day? We had friends and family arrive. Spent the day chatting and taking photos. They had horses to wash (not me – I hate the smell of wet horsehair). I just took a few photos to add to our website. I think I finally have Natan Paint Horse Stub website sorted.My son and his girlfriend arrived just before lunch. Laura is moving home this weekend YAY, Dan decided to help her pack by tossing her clothes into the back of his ute by the arm full. MEN!!! Dan (DS) playing rally car driver & Laura (DDIL) riding Image. While the girls rode their horses, the boys…
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Sara Hantz
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Check it out…..
29 Oct 2009 | 1:05 pmThis week I’m posting on Teen Fiction Cafe about embarrassing tales. Other news, I”m very excited because we’ve booked a holiday to the Sunshine Coast in Australia next March. I know it’s a few months off but it’s something to look forward to. Apartment is booked, flights booked, car hired…. just got to sort out the travel insurance. Writing’s going really well at the moment, thanks to input from my fabulous crit partners – couldn’t do without them!!!! Hope you all have a great weekend. -
This is sooooooooooo cool!!!!
23 Oct 2009 | 10:10 pmCheck out this book trailer for my crit partner Amanda Ashby’s book Zombie Queen at Newbury High. It’s so funny….. And she’s running a contest to win her last Zombie Survival Kit. All you have to do is post the trailer, or a link to it on your blog, or on Twitter, or on your website and email Amanda the link amanda at amandaashby dot com (no spaces) -
Stop Press…………. Teen Read Week 2009
15 Oct 2009 | 1:38 pmNext week is YALSA Teen Read Week. This year’s theme is Read Beyond Reality at your library, and aims to encourage teens to read something out of this world, just for the fun of it. Teen Read Week is awesome, I wish there was something like it when I was a teen. I’ve always read loads, but it was solitary. I’d have loved somewhere to discuss my reading and swap book ideas. So, check it out. And also check out Readergirlz who are doing a tribute to Teen Read Week on the 23rd October. -
Wow………. where did the week go?????
9 Oct 2009 | 11:53 amI can’t believe it’s Saturday already. This week’s been crazy. In my other life, running a motel, this week we had a reassessment for our Qualmark 5 star (Qualmark is an NZ quality standard). I took care of all the procedural stuff and my partner and our staff anything relating to maintenance/cleaning. We hadn’t been assessed for eighteen months, and talk about stressful!!! Anyway, we kept our 5 Star and also are going to be recommended for a Bronze Award for Responsible Tourism (that’s all the ‘green’ stuff we’re doing). So, a successful… -
CHRISTINA PHILLIPS – SALE!!!!!
28 Sep 2009 | 6:47 pmMySpace Glitters I am sooooooo excited to announce my very, very good friend and crit partner’s sale. No one deserves this more and I am so happy and proud!!! In fact words can’t express what I feel…… not a good look for a writer I will just add, that Christina’s writing is extraordinary and I predict HUGE things for her future….. so remember you heard it here first!!!! Anyway, here it is, the announcement on Publishers Marketplace. Christina Phillips’s HIS FORBIDDEN PRINCESS, in which a Roman centurion leads an invasion into Cambria, and the druid…
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Stef Ann Holm
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“Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father” . . . A Documentary
5 Nov 2009 | 6:46 amWhen we were in Boston, my husband and I selected the in-room movie service to watch. We chose this documentary based on the trailer. I haven’t heard of the movie, but the material sounded like something you’d view on 20/20 or 48 Hours. Wrong. This film was the most emotionally startling we have ever encountered. Nothing could have prepared us for the story that unfolded and held us in its grip. To view the trailer, click here: http://dearzachary.com/trailer/index.php To read more about the movie, click here: http://dearzachary.com Warning: This film is all… -
Boston Is More Than Just Red Socks
2 Nov 2009 | 7:59 amI love Boston. Just made my second trip in two years. I think I may like it more than Manhattan. I’ve gone in June and now in October. The fall was spectacular. The leaves were changing in the foreground while white steepled churches were stark in the background. The people are friendly, the town is clean, the history is rich, and our hotel was amazing. We went for business purposes. My husband did work on a store that had its grand opening. It was great to see how his company designed things for this flagship store. I really enjoyed seeing the displays and checking… -
I’m An Early Bird! (One Day Only)
2 Nov 2009 | 7:45 amSo I got up at 5:20am this morning–refreshed and ready to wake and take on the day. How come? A couple of things . . . 1. Time Change 2. My body clock was on an Eastern Time Zone. I went to bed last night at 9:00pm and was asleep the second my head hit the pillow. So this was a rare, and never to happen again, event for me. :-) We’ve been in Boston the past four days and it’s two hours later there. So before the time change, 9:00pm Boise time was midnight Boston time. I was ready to go to sleep! But because of the time change, and me getting a solid eight… -
And That’s The Way It Was
25 Oct 2009 | 7:19 amRecently, my mom gave me an old mailer she’d received with recipes in it. The address is to “Occupant” at 927 W. 30th in the greater L.A. area . . . that was where I lived as a little girl. Why she kept it all these years I don’t know, but it’s pretty fun to look through the helpful hits, recipes and coupons. It got me to thinking about how grocery shopping has changed over the years. I’m not a fan of going–not sure why, maybe because I don’t like taking the time. But I love to cook and prep a big meal. I went to the market (a word… -
Welcome To Idaho
22 Oct 2009 | 4:15 pmToday’s Idaho Statesman ran photos (a contest and winners) of local scenes in Idaho. It’s worth posting the link. Some of the photos are outstanding and great images of the state I live in. Enjoy. http://www.idahostatesman.com/outdoorsphotos/gallery/942753-a942709-t3.html
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Amelia June
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Cover Art and Release Date!
2 Nov 2009 | 8:33 amMy High Priestess story, Pleasure’s Power (new title!) has an official release date! The story will be available on November 15th–why do I always have releases right in the middle of NaNo? That’s just weird. Check out my cover art: Mm nekkid people. Good times. I need to get on my other computer and post a blurb and excerpt, hope to do that asap. Why are the documents I need always on the other computer?? WHY?! In other news, NaNoWriMo has started well, day two’s goal is met and I haven’t even written yet today. My day job has gone ahead and gotten busy, so… -
Edits, we have edits!
25 Sep 2009 | 11:27 amWoohoo, edits are back on Sun and Moon! Things I have learned from this round of edits: 1. I use the em dash way, way too much. 2. I have a comma addiction 3. The universal POV is not okay with my publisher. My poor editor had to fix a TON of head hopping as a result, she must think I’m an idiot! Doh! That last one is kind of a bummer. I work in third person limited all the time, and now I’m starting to feel that all the stories I read have it too. First person seems rare, and the universal “storyteller” type feel is pretty much out. I find myself longing for a change… -
My Own Little World
28 Aug 2009 | 7:04 amWhen I started writing about the guardians, I thought I would make things easy on myself. I set the main characters in the sonoran desert where I grew up. I set them in the modern day world, set it up so that everything would be basically research-free. That did make things easier in terms of setting, locations, descriptions. Then, I started adding magic. Shapeshifters, for one thing. That required all kinds of rules–do their clothes go with them, how does it look, what is the process? Not to mention the fact that not all my shifters live within the same rules, some have… -
Sheep go to heaven
5 Aug 2009 | 9:25 amGoats… well you know. I’ve been enjoying the summer but I am counting the few days I have left until the kids go back to school! I have also managed to write myself into a corner I can’t quite figure out in Kiara. I’m thinking I need to take a step back and look at the whole thing again, see if I’m headed in the right direction. Sometimes it isn’t even the saggy middle but the saggy “get me from the late middle to the end.” It’s too late to send in the man with the gun, so I need to find a way to both build tension, keep readers… -
More upgrades
14 Jul 2009 | 11:41 amWordpress has yet another new edition, and my computer tells me it is time for Vista service pack 2. Hold me tight, I’m scared! I’m off to mail myself several documents in progress and pray to the IT gods all goes well. What do you offer to an IT god? Libations of Mt. Dew? I’m also going to see Harry Potter on Wednesday. I think I’ve officially either become super brave or lost my ever loving mind. You decide.
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Carolyn Jewel
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Over There
4 Nov 2009 | 6:48 pmAt The Riskied. Scaring kids. -
Interview with Nalini Singh Plus a Contest!!
2 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amI'm totally Psyched to have New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh visiting my blog today. Yay!!!! She has a brand new book out and I'm pimping her right here. That's right. Nalini Singh. Right here at my blog! squeeeeeee! Plus, there's a contest. You could win a free book. Read through to the end of the post to see what you need to do.And, if you happen to subscribe to my newsletter, one of you will win a book, too! Because I'm awesome that way, and so is Nalini. Need proof? Read on.Carolyn Poses Important Questions to NaliniCarolyn: Eric Northman or Vampire Bill?Nalini: I think… -
W00t!!! The Fork is Out!
1 Nov 2009 | 12:43 pmOh frabjous day!My book is done and turned in. And here's something I LOVE about technology - I can email my manuscript. To my agent and my editor at the same time. No having to be done a day or more in advance so you have time to print and fed ex the monster. No need to buy expensive bond paper.Yes folks, it's time for the fork:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kt/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0How am I celebrating, you ask? By going to see Paranormal Activity. We're leaving in about an hour and a half.Next up:The synop for Iskander's storyStarting NaNoWriMo because I would LOVE to have 50K of that book done… -
Pirates -- ooh arghh! Oh wait. Not Those Kind.
28 Oct 2009 | 4:17 pmThis is pretty much the text of my comment on the Piracy threat over at Dear Author. The post is worth reading. So do that.If you're an author, please read this post. Alternatively, you could continue to be both Chicken Little and an ostrich. But do you want to be? Really?I think I'm kind of pissed off.Whatever. Here's my comment:Until about yesterday (seriously) I was undecided on the issue of piracy. Today, I am closer to forming my opinion, which I will get to in a bit.There is hysteria and dogmatic opinion on both sides of the issue. And both those extremist positions tend to give me a… -
Contest Announcements
25 Oct 2009 | 12:37 pmTwo contest announcements:The winner of the signed copy of Meljean Brook's Demon Forged is Addled Alchemist.Dear Addled: email me with your mailing address and the details of how you'd like the book inscribed so I can let Meljean know. (carolyn AT carolynjewel.com, or use the contact form on my website.)Congratulations Addled Alchemist!The winner of my newsletter subscriber-only contest is Stanislava (from Bulgaria!) Your books are in the mail! Thanks to everyone who entered. I love all my newsletter subscribers. You guys rock.
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Crystal Jordan
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Eden had a release!
3 Nov 2009 | 11:15 pmTHE BEAUTY OF SURRENDER Pre-Order: Amazon.com · Barnes & Noble · Borders Shibari…The ancient art of erotic restraint…Its finely-knotted ropes are a turn-on, a sexual experience… and for some, an absolute necessity… Serving the Master: Desmond and Ava At a San Francisco sex club called Pinnacle, Ava Gregory seeks something she cannot quite describe. But of one thing she is certain: the moments when feels her most beautiful and complete are when she is tightly restrained in the Shibari ropes. At Pinnacle, she’s paired with a master: Desmond Hale, who thrives on… -
Giving it Away at Michelle Lauren’s
3 Nov 2009 | 6:24 amI’m talking about writing Alpha Males as well as giving away a free copy of UNTAMED over on Michelle Lauren’s blog today. Copyright © 2009 Crystal Jordan :: Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.crystaljordan.com so we can take legal action immediately.Plugin by Taragana -
Scandal Sheet
1 Nov 2009 | 11:17 pmSCANDAL SHEET by Gemma Halliday book #1 in the Hollywood Headlines series Tina Bender is the gossip columnist at the infamous L.A. Informer tabloid. She knows everything about everyone who’s anyone. And she’s not afraid to print it. That is, until she receives a threatening note, promising, “If you don’t stop writing about me, you’re dead.” Teaming with a built bodyguard, a bubbly blonde, and an alcoholic obituary writer, Tina sets out to uncover just which juicy piece of Hollywood gossip is worth killing over. Places to Buy: Amazon.com | Barnes &… -
Sunday Funnies
1 Nov 2009 | 12:14 amYou Are a White Pumpkin You are sweet, cute, and a delight to see. People seem to instantly adore you when they meet you. You believe that life’s too short to be negative. You always have a smile on your face and a skip in your step. You see the best in others. In fact, you tend to be easier on people than they are on themselves. You love it when the people you’re closest to are happy. You’ll do what you can to support your friends… whether that means being a cheerleader or a therapist. What Color Pumpkin Are You? Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will… -
Halloween Funnies
31 Oct 2009 | 2:11 pmYou Are Psycho You think there’s nothing scarier than the anticipation of something horrifying happening. It drives you insane to be in suspense. You prefer scary movies that build up your fear and resist overwhelming you with scene after scene of gore. You like some thought being put into scaring you. You find the idea of being totally vulnerable to a deranged killer to be incredibly frightening. You’re the type of person who dreads being alone. And yet you find deranged killers to also be quite fascinating, psychologically speaking. You can’t help but be drawn to what…
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Stephanie Julian
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Kyle and Rod: Uncensored After Dark
4 Nov 2009 | 9:01 pmJudi Fennell and Stephanie Julian with their heroes,Rod Tritone, left, and Kyle Rossini, at the Authors After Dark Book SigningScene: The overcrowded bar of a large hotel somewhere on the eastern seaboard. It's after midnight. There are mostly women talking, laughing and drinking. And drinking.Kyle Rossini walks in, takes a look around and wonders if he wants a drink badly enough to brave the crowd. He'd been getting scary looks from some of the women at the Authors After Dark Paranormal Weekend reader's event. His writer, Stephanie Julian, had begged him to come with her. He'd… -
Excerpt from KISS OF MOONLIGHT
31 Oct 2009 | 3:59 pmA Halloween Treat. Here's a little taste of Kyle, from Tam's point of view, in Kiss of Moonlight.Excerpt:Barely awake, Tam opened her eyes to hazy, dawn-pink light.And a wonderfully relaxed feeling in her body.“How’d you sleep?”Until that voice made every muscle in her body tense in expectation of pleasure.God, the man made her heart pound.Stretching her entire body like a cat, she propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. Kyle sat on the chair next to the bed in jeans and nothing else, elbows on his knees, staring at her.Starting at his waistband, her gaze traveled from the… -
Happy Halloween Reading
30 Oct 2009 | 6:21 amSo today's the day. KISS OF MOONLIGHT is released from Ellora's Cave, just in time for Halloween!I love werewolves. They were my first paranormal love, going all the way back to Lon Chaney Jr.'s "The Wolf Man," which I remember watching with my mom when I was five or six, huddled on the couch in front of the TV. The visuals in that black-and-white classic have stuck with me through the years, just as they have from "Night of the Living Dead," "Nosferatu" and "Cat People."It's those shades of gray, the light and dark and, most importantly, the shadows that call to… -
KISS OF MOONLIGHT: Cover and Excerpt
29 Oct 2009 | 6:03 amPlagued by nightmares. Stalked by kidnappers. Tamra McMillan needs a safe haven. When tattooed bad-ass Kyle Rossini steps into her life, the last thing she expects to find is a sanctuary from her demons or steaming hot sex. In fact, everything about him screams danger. But appearances can be deceiving. The tender possessiveness of his touch, the hunger in his eyes, the scorching sensuality of his kiss—all of it sears him into her soul and brands her as his for life.But otherworldly forces are afoot and death hovers…Etruscan werewolf Kyle is a loner. The king’s assassin with a killer’s… -
Authors After Dark Paranormal Event Recap
26 Oct 2009 | 5:49 amThis past weekend was the first Authors After Dark Paranormal event featuring a host of paranormal authors and readers from across the country and the world.At left, that's me and my critique partner Judi Fennell, author of the Mer trilogy from Sourcebooks. We're at the Masquerade party Saturday night.At right are the winged women at the Masquerade. So many different wings and costumes, all gorgeous.At left are author Cat Johnsonand me, light and dark. At right are Judi Fennell and Joey W. Hill during their poolside mer talk.I met so many great people this weekend, talked to readers about…
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Beth Kery
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Hey all! The winner of Flat Out Sexy is,
6 Nov 2009 | 3:46 pmQuiltingwriter! Quiltingwriter, send me message at bethkery@aol.com over the weekend with your addy! You are the unofficial winner until you claim your prize! Congrats! Next week, I’ll be giving away a fun Christmas/Holiday romance. Copyright © 2009 Beth Kery. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.bethkery.com so we can take legal action immediately.Plugin by Taragana -
The Winner of Paradise Rules from my guest blog at Desert Island Keepers was
6 Nov 2009 | 5:50 amRenee!!! Renee, just write me at bethkery@aol.com with your addy, and I’ll get off your book. :) Thanks to Lea for having me over at Desert Island Keepers for all the fun and to all of you who stopped by! I had a really good time chatting with you. Oh…and Lea was nice enough to provide me with results of the poll on hero physical description…naked. Chest Hair or No Hair 31 votes total Hairy chest: 14 votes (45%) Smooth Chest: 17 votes (54%) “Equipment” Size 31 votes Large Equipment: 5 votes (16%) Perect Fit: 20 votes (64% ) Leave it up to my imagination: 6 votes… -
Last Day on the Island
4 Nov 2009 | 5:19 amI hate the last day of vacations so I’m determined to make this one special. Come join the ladies at the island and myself and the menz. I need your vote for the physical qualities you prefer on your hero, and since I write erotic, some of the preferences you get to weigh in on are rather…intimate. Copyright © 2009 Beth Kery. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.bethkery.com so we can take legal action… -
Another Party at Desert Island Keepers!
3 Nov 2009 | 9:10 amIt’s just another gorgeous day on the island. Lea asked me back for another day, and I’m talking Desert Island Keeper books here! Koa mai tai’s all around! Copyright © 2009 Beth Kery. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.bethkery.com so we can take legal action immediately.Plugin by Taragana -
Lea and I are at Desert Island Keepers, and Paradise Rules is being given away!
2 Nov 2009 | 5:56 amCheck it out here. You’ll get to see the man I used for a loose physical description for the Berkley Heat book I’m writing about and read about a real life example, as well. :) Thanks again to Lea for having me! Don’t forget the weekly book give away (below) and have a great start to your week. Beth Copyright © 2009 Beth Kery. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.bethkery.com so we can take legal action…
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Moira Keith
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Plotting is the Devil~
6 Nov 2009 | 4:33 pmOkay, I have never plotted one of my stories. I have said it once and will say it a thousand times over… I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl when it comes to writing. But it doesn’t always work to my benefit. So today I am trying to plot a story with a little help from my friends. Wanna know what that has landed me… Zombies. Oh yeah… interesting story in the making. Some conflicting ideas of course on where it should go, but ultimately I am the writer. I have the power…or my characters do. So with the ideas I am bouncing around, I decided to actually… -
If I Only Had a Brain~
30 Oct 2009 | 4:26 pmI would be freaking dangerous. Maybe genius level evil genius. Why are you shaking your head? I could so pull off EVIL on a diabolical level. No? Really? You don’t think so huh? Okay, you’re right. Maybe not because honestly, I am way too nice for that. Truth though? I could be dangerous on a less sinister level. I mean imagine if I could actually remember when I had interviews scheduled to post, blogged more regularly, wrote when I had a free moment instead of hanging out on Facebook… see where I am going with this? So getting to the point now! I have an interview up over… -
Ah, Let Me Count the Ways
23 Oct 2009 | 4:26 pmPeople find my blog. I am horrible about updating my blog, but it has not escaped my notice, that there are some very interesting search terms that lead people here. Would you like to see? Of course you would! Nice looking Irish men, the bad seed, male Scottish kilt and accessories, kilt, a man thousands have seen in their dream, man in kilt, irish kilts history, man kilt, moira comfort keith (don’t ask me where the comfort came from). Some of this doesn’t surprise me. Anyways… I am trying to get myself back on schedule here. Been sick which has totally sucked, baseball… -
Go Forth and…Vote?
4 Oct 2009 | 1:26 amYes, this is what I am asking of you. There is a fabulous contest put on by Stella Cameron every year called the Scarlett Boa. This year, the contest is for the best paranormal opening scene. My darling mother told me about this contest and after lots of discussion with some of my very PUSHY friends, I entered. So what I need from you is simple- go read the entries and vote for your favorite (Scene 15). No worries if you don’t vote for me. I think it is every writer for him or her self. (Although, you know what? If you don’t vote for me, the next time you see me, I may be huddled… -
Did Someone Say Football?
27 Sep 2009 | 4:15 pmMy kids LOOOOOVE football. They watch the games with their papa and grandma.They cheer when they cheer, scream when they scream, and consistently ask if their team is winning. Much to their grandparents disappointment though, the Wonder Twins have picked their own teams. They like the Cowboys and the Packers. What I find more enjoyable than hearing them when a game is on, is their excitement when they catch a football. We went to a BBQ yesterday and my friends brother was throwing the ball to the boys. At first they couldn’t catch anything, but in a few minutes they were catching the…
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Ryshia Kennie
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Halloween for Adults
30 Oct 2009 | 6:40 amIt's a day before Halloween and my final post over at The Long and the Short of it. And of course, it's about Halloween. How can it not be with that fantastic event just hours away. Check it out my last essay over at The Long and the Short of It - last chance to maybe win an advance copy of Ring of Desire and a signed copy of From the Dust! Just part of my yard decor.Halloween tops Christmas for me but if you've been reading my blog, you know that. I love adding to the ambiance of a night filled with ghouls. The kids have come to expect that there won't be a normally dressed adult standing at… -
Ring of Desire
29 Oct 2009 | 4:38 amWhispers of an Ancient magic draw them together...... An unspeakable evil fights to keep them apart. Check it out at The Long and the Short of ItRyshiawww.ryshiakennie.com -
The Story that Haunts
28 Oct 2009 | 5:14 amHow Could I Not? I wrote my first story set in the Great Depression and loved every minute of the research. The depression era was a time whose shadow flitted over the prairies long after those years were gone.One story in particular haunted me. Read more over at The Long and Short of It and enter to win a copy of not just From the Dust but Ring of Desire.Have you ever been haunted?Ryshiawww.ryshiakennie.com -
An Aggravating Adventure
26 Oct 2009 | 8:33 pmHow Not to Deep Sea FishA story of a surly guide and a misguided group of adventurers....It is not the big fishing trip we expected but it will be fun, a delightful morning of fishing on the high seas. Although it is clear we won’t be going far… there are no life jackets.Many miles later…Read the rest of this mini travel adventure Tuesday over at The Long and the Short of It. There's a contest going on too where you can win a copy of both my books - "From the Dust" and the about to be released "Ring of Desire."There are aggravating people everywhere - anyone aggravate you… -
I'm Travelling and Giving Away
25 Oct 2009 | 3:24 pmA Travel Journal Gone Askew In the inevitable search for love there are many land mines but dodging them is half the fun and that’s the secret of my stories.In my travels there’s been many unexpected and amazing things and the memories of those are only the beginning of the fictional adventure.From earthquakes in Hawaii to being chased by enraged water carriers in Morocco to a deep-sea fishing trip gone slightly askew in Venezuela.Want to read more? That's just Monday's essay at the Long and Short of it. Check it out over at The Long and Short of It. I'll be there all week with a…
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Susan Gourley
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E-Book Break Through?
24 Oct 2009 | 4:34 pmOn page 17 of the December issue of RT Book reviews, Fan Forum, a few paragraphs posed the question of what 2010 might bring to the e-book market. Like many of you, I'm delighted when I see Sony advertising their readers on TV. A few weeks ago, my local Borders had a display only steps inside the door featuring the Sony reader. Apparently Best Buy will have e-readers in stock for the holiday rush. Hopefully many desperate or impulse buyers will have lots of bucks in their pockets.Even with the increased advertising, availability and variety of readers out there, the same problem exists for… -
Retirement Plans
27 Sep 2009 | 3:42 pmI'm not sure at what age I started looking for retirement from my day job. I'm a school teacher and I love the teenagers I teach but that doesn't mean I don't want to retire. I dream of being able to write all day long and not worry about money. Dream is the correct term.The Reality is I have four children. One has graduated from college and paying for his used up what we thought would be enough to pay for all of them. Reality is that my husband and I didn't research college costs when our children were little and then keep up with the dramatic and ridiculous increases in tuition fees. Who… -
The Spice of Variety
20 Sep 2009 | 2:10 pmMost writers are also voracious readers. We love the written word and not only when we're the one penning, I mean typing, it. Visit your favorite author's blog regularly and sooner or later you're going to read about her TBR pile. That means To Be Read for you lucky folks who read every book as soon as you get it. I have a small stack compared to some people I know. I glanced at it before starting this post, thinking about which book I might start next. Not that I'm ready to start another one.Currently I have two different fantasy novels started. The Wells of Ascension is the second book in… -
Happy Mom
8 Sep 2009 | 4:28 pmI'm a little off topic today but my third son came home from college this past weekend. Those of you who are parents know of those times when your children suddenly leap to a new level of maturity. This son did that sometime in his last year of high school. It is so wonderful to deal with your children as adults. In my writing I find myself more likely to give my protagonists strong supportive families rather than dark upbringings. I love the relationship between parents and their adult children. I hope I can be as good a parent and a daughter as the heroes and heroines in my books. Here's… -
Another One Pushed Out of the Nest
1 Sep 2009 | 6:39 pmOnly minutes ago I sent out the second book in my fantasy romance series with TRWP, The Tigers of Salubria. Tiger's Mate is the story of another legendary warrior and the heroine who tames him. To Tame a Tiger will be released in May of next year so it's a little early to post any excerpts and this second book hasn't even been accepted yet. Wish me luck.My next project is to edit the third book in my fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, with Medallion Press. The first book, The Keepers of Sulbreth is being released in January, 2010. Can't wait for that one. I'm starting Beneath the…
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Bridget Locke
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Wah! I'm Sick! :(
6 Nov 2009 | 8:08 pmSo I caught my nephews cold. They've both been sick over this last week and I thought I was doing what I should to avoid it, but obviously I didn't. Went to work yesterday and lasted until 1. I had a sore throat and was losing my voice. By the time I left I didn't have a voice anymore.And my boss is not the most compassionate person in the world. When I first got in yesterday, she stopped by, asked me how I was doing and then told me to rest my voice as much as possible...then proceeded to have me on both lines AND doing callbacks. My job is the phone. When you can't talk, you can't talk! -
life
4 Nov 2009 | 8:39 pmI sometimes think I live to torture myself. Ever since I made the decision to move out next year, i've been looking at apartments online. I really hoped that by this point in my life I would've made enough money to buy my own house...and maybe if I hadn't made some really stupid financial decisions when I was younger... Anyway, that's not where I meant to go. Since buying a house seems to not be a part of my immediate future, I'm looking at apartments. I'm trying to stay within a certain amount of miles from work; not so far that it's a pain to get there, but also not so close that my boss… -
*yawn*
2 Nov 2009 | 8:13 pmI am seriously pooped y'all. I went into work at 9 (as per usual) and got called in to my boss's office. My coworker's wife had a baby over the weekend, so he wasn't coming in. She asked me if I'd be willing to stay until close (7). So, I worked an unexpected 10 hour day. *yawn* Well, it was 9 because I took an hour lunch.This weekend was pretty dull, but honestly that worked for me. Last week was nuts and I just wanted to veg. I was kind of maybe planning on going to my BB's Halloween party, but skipped out. 99% of it was because I was not feeling hot. The other 1% is because I didn't want… -
Life & Random Observations
28 Oct 2009 | 7:56 pmI've got a lot of random things going on in my head lately. Here they are in no particular order (lucky you).Work: Sucks. I don't like going into a lot of details; just that things are not good right now. I'm so tired and cranky and basically completely fed up. *headdesk*Parking: I drive to work. I know, I know, I should take the bus, but I HATE the bus. I hate being smushed into a tiny space with the dregs of humanity. However, I hate paying for parking. I got a ticket b/c supposedly they couldn't read my ticket. Um, no. I'm waiting until Friday to pay it and I'm including a note saying why… -
Thinks & Thoughts & Things
25 Oct 2009 | 8:18 pmSo, Thursday morning after basically a week of hell, I decided rather abruptly that I was going to go to the beach this weekend. Thankfully October is the month where I get paid 3 times, so I had a little bit of extra fundage. I called the hotel where I normally stayed, they had a room and I made reservations.I asked my boss if I could work from 8-4:30 on Friday, but no. So, at 5:30 I skedaddled out of the office, went out to my car and started the 2 hour (and change) drive from Portland to Lincoln City. It had been raining off and on all day, so I said a little prayer for travelling mercies,…
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Cait London
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Writers Network
29 Oct 2009 | 3:47 pmWhen writers choose an agent, is it whimsical? Are choices to query made by closing their eyes and pointing to a name on a list? Or choosing a rune stone with an agent's name on their lips?Nah. Writers network intensively, especially with each other and it's essential to have a good friend-system. Word does get around in writertown.Right now, there is a huge discussion blooming almost everywhere, probably due to the economy and publishing's tense mood, about agents. Agents Kristin Nelson and Janet Reid (FinePrintLit) have interesting blog posts, as do other agents. It's very interesting.More… -
A Robot Seeks Publication
21 Oct 2009 | 9:27 amIf you have a dark sense of humor, or not, you may enjoy the trail of Roland the Robot on his journey to publication. There will be more to this storyline, so please subscribe to it at YouTube.com Just search for Roland the Robot. Some fact, some fiction in Roland's experience. I just think it's funny and that the animation is super. -
Writers Survival Guide VII
18 Oct 2009 | 7:46 amI'm so glad people love my writers survival guides. To read more, just click the topics and you'll bring up past issues. Keep in mind these are just my opinions. Ever notice how opinions looks like onions? :)FWIW: I've always loved the comparison between layers of onions and the layers of characters and story layers, each peeled away to reveal inner layers.Today's Topic is the Internet.1. Every day, I hear how much time writers spend on Internet and away from their work. With publishing morphing daily, writers fight the lure of Internet, possibly our best resource and promotion method now. -
Seasons and Writers' Balance
11 Oct 2009 | 7:33 amFall is beautiful in the Ozarks, and soon I'll be taking my cameras out for a full day of sunshine and color. I enjoy the last roses of summer. Mine are struggling now with cool temperatures and supposed frost tonight. However, mums love fall.Mums of every color are on display now. I usually wait until a little later for sale prices and then pick up a few. I'm enjoying these in my yard right now. I'm generally not a fan of smelly things, but the color is lovely this time of year.I love my carefree day out, a couple of cameras, a thermos of coffee, a few snacks in the basket… -
Missouri Literary Festival
7 Oct 2009 | 3:00 pmThe Missouri Literacy Festival held last week was amazing. Held at Hammons Field and The Creamery Arts Center, speakers, poetry readings, panels on writing, and wordsmiths stretching across the arts participated in the three-day festival.In conjunction for the National Endowment for the Arts, five organizations benefited from the proceeds of the festival. (They also worked very hard for two years to bring it about, chaired by Wm (Bucky) Bowman. Those organizations are The Springfield Regional Arts Council, Family Literacy Centers of the Ozarks, Ozarks Literacy Council,…
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Jenyfer Matthews
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On Writing…Slowly
5 Nov 2009 | 8:20 pmIt’s that time of year again – November, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a time when a largish group of people decide that THIS will be the month that they write the novel that’s been lurking in their heads. From the NaNoWriMo website: National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought… -
Worth a Thousand Words
4 Nov 2009 | 12:05 amI have a bit of a cold this week. Or maybe it’s allergies. It might even be a bit of both. Whatever it is, it doesn’t inspire me to be very energetic about much, and it’s fogging my brain for anything to write. Instead I thought I’d share a picture I took yesterday in Garden City downtown while I was sitting in traffic, on my way to meet a friend for dinner. I love this sign. The combination of the name and the gigantic portrait of the president is so Soviet Block somehow – I felt sort of disoriented for a moment, as if there should be a hammer and sickle mounted… -
Rare Sight
1 Nov 2009 | 8:04 pmWe’ve had a lot of clouds but little real rain – and still we got a rainbow. This beauty appeared outside my window on Friday afternoon and vanished a few moments later. Glad I looked out when I did! Copyright © 2009 Jenyfer Matthews. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.jenyfermatthews.com so we can take legal action immediately.Plugin by Taragana -
Trick or…WTF?
30 Oct 2009 | 1:14 amLast night was the Halloween fair at the children’s school, the last big costume event for the season I hope! It had been unusually cloudy all day and even sprinkled a few times. The sky looked very ominous by late afternoon and I was sure we were all going to be drenched at the fair. (Click image to enlarge) In fact it didn’t rain – or if it did, it never reached the ground – and we had a good time at the fair. The children played games and collected their “spooky prize” at the end. My daughter got a jumping rubber bat, but was upset she didn’t get… -
Traveler’s Warning
29 Oct 2009 | 12:40 amFrom Engrish.com – I often take pictures of amusing signs when I’m traveling – but I rarely see them as funny as this! (Click to enlarge) One of the funniest signs I’ve seen recently was in the bathroom of a tour bus. On the back of the door there was a sign advising “No Crunching On Toilet”. I interpreted that to mean “No Crouching”, which is what you would do on a non-Western toilet since it is essentially a hole in the ground (What do you call a non-Western toilet? An Eastern toilet?) I regret not having taken a picture of that sign now, but…
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Stephenie Meyer
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TV Appearance Announcement
6 Nov 2009 | 8:05 pmYou know I've been doing the hermit thing this last year, in so far as media is concerned, and I'm not changing that now, but I am making an exception. I'm doing this for a good reason: I am so pleased and amazed and thrilled with what Chris Weitz has done with New Moon that I want to talk about it, and to show my support for him. And since I'm only doing one interview, better make it big. Really big. So....I will be on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday, November 13th... -
New Moon Soundtrack Announcement
13 Oct 2009 | 8:28 pmAtlantic Records has moved up the release date of the soundtrack. We also have an exclusive image of the fold out poster included with the physical CDs. -
New Titles/Editions going on sale
5 Oct 2009 | 2:57 pmStephenie's publishers asked me to remind everyone that there are a few new editions and titles going on sale in the next few days: -
The Host to be made into a movie!
23 Sep 2009 | 6:46 amHey guys, great news! The Host is on its way to the big screen... -
Soundtrack Artists and Songs
21 Sep 2009 | 11:31 amWe are excited to announce all of the songs on the New Moon soundtrack...
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Jill Monroe
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New Book - New Excerpt
2 Nov 2009 | 6:24 amIt's November, and I have a new book out. SEALed and Delivered hit bookstands yesterday, and I couldn't be more excited. I have a contest in the works, which I'll announce later, but in the meantime, I'm posting an excerpt.SEALed and Delivered can be found at eharlequin.com, Borders, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million and a host of other places.Not even the sound of footsteps echoed in the Naval Special Warfare Center as Lieutenant Commander Na-thanial "Nate" Peterson led his trainees through the corridor. Each exercise had grown steadily more dangerous, and even though they'd gone… -
New Author Talk
4 Sep 2009 | 5:12 amI have sick kids, so this one is going up early - doctor calls! -
New Author Talk
28 Aug 2009 | 10:26 amSometimes authors just can't get enough of us they have to come back for seconds! -
Amazing New Contest!
21 Aug 2009 | 8:25 amThe wonderful people at Harl. Teen are hosting a contest to promote Intertwined by (the amazing) Gena Showalter. The grand prize? 10,000! They are also giving away other cool prizes throughout the next 3 months. For your chance to enter, follow the link:http://harlequin.promo.eprize.com/intertwinedsweepstakes/By the way, my daughter read this book and LOVED it. She had some very definite opinions about Aden and Mary Ann and can't wait to see where this series goes. -
New Author Talk
14 Aug 2009 | 11:00 amWe had some fun with this one - comic book style!
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Robin D. Owens
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Thank You All
5 Nov 2009 | 11:05 pmThanks to all of you who have purchased Heart Change and have let me know that you enjoyed it and/or the books.I deeply appreciate this, especially when my writing days are a little rocky.So may you have a sweet, unexpected pleasure today.Robin -
Signing Saturday -- Colorado Springs
5 Nov 2009 | 6:13 amAll right, I'm still in promo mode for Heart Change (it won't last long), and will be doing TWO signings. One in Colorado Springs with Deb Stover this Saturday (apparently with the crunched car):November 7, 1pm - 3pmSigning with Deb Stover at Beth Anne's Book Corner,http://www.bethannesbookcorner.com1532 North CircleColorado Springs, CO 80909To pre-order an autographed copy by mailor call (719) 471-7545 and one on the 22nd when I get back from South Carolina (I will remind you).November 22nd, 2009, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PMSigning with Deb Stover at Who Else… -
New READ on READS Page, Nov Website Up
4 Nov 2009 | 5:41 amIt's up and I have "new" next to the things I have updated. A new page in Worlds for Heart Change with D'Marigold Residence, the little Samhain piece I have on Celta under Worlds. An excerpt from Chapter 3 of Heart Change.Contest is for a Calcite Egg.May you enjoy wherever you go on the web today.Robin -
HEART CHANGE RELEASE TODAY!
3 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pmOk, thought I HAVE heard from a few of you, Heart Change is officially released today (though I doubt it will make any famous 'lists').I've been sending ECards to a couple of my groups, three different ones, tailored to the group, here's the one for Romance.May you enjoy the day.Robin -
Revising vs. Restarting and Holding File
2 Nov 2009 | 5:55 amNo one likes to throw your work out, but sometimes you get so bogged down in ideas that if you try to revise and rework and cut and paste old with new work, it stops you. At least it does me.Since I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, I am already a bit behind (oh and was rear-ended yesterday, minor, but I'm going to have to deal with that this week).And so Chapter 2 and 3 are good but not working, and if I try to revise I will STILL be stuck, I've decided to throw them out. Again.I do have a Holding file for old chapters, all old work, but I really rarely look at it. But it's a comfort for me.So,…
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Sri Pammi
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Sent!
26 Oct 2009 | 12:57 pmI just hit send on my competition entry and I feel... nothing actually except for a certain detachment for the WIP. I loooove this story and even if I don't get a request for full, I think I will still be proud of how much I learnt with this one, the second one I ever finished.Life has been busy the last month with moving into our new house (our very first, YAY), unpacking( will go on for the next couple of months) and dealing with a major hot oil burn on my left wrist (which really hurts when I'm typing). Luckily, I finished writing this WIP last year and had it polished to submit when I… -
Starting trouble
1 Sep 2009 | 8:39 pmI'm still in the process of rewritig the first chapter of SBTH and it's not really going well.I have so much info dumped in the first version that I'm unable to think with an objective mind as to how much I put in there to indulge myself vs. how much the reader needs to know.But there's a lot that needs to go.The H and h have known each other forever, so there's a lot of backstory and they are both nursing old hurts which have to be revealed a little bit for their meeting in the first chapter to make sense. And it has to be done cleverly so that it doesn't sound like this:Xavier: You did… -
A new routine
31 Aug 2009 | 8:51 amI called the post 'A new routine', although I should probably just call it routine because I don't have one and I've always resisted one with all my might.After several false starts, I finally listened to Smart Guy's advice and decided to wake up early in the morning, and by early, I mean 6 AM to get a start on my writing.Now, if you have known me for a while, you know that I'm an insomniac who doesn't see the light of the day before 8 or 9AM. So the notion of setting an alarm clock when I didn't have to go to work was for me a radical idea.But for the past couple of days, thanks to Jetlag… -
Ready
26 Aug 2009 | 7:29 amI'm back at home after more than two months away. Have finished cleaning the house to get rid of all the wonderful smells that have made our house their own. Haven't worked on anything in so long and have been bursting with doubts and ideas regarding my writing.Have conquered most of the doubts and given wings to ideas.Have made a working plan as to what I want to tackle in the next three months after wonderful input from a smart lady.I'm jumping back into the field with all swords drawn.Hear me roar!Reading Alert: Just finished reading Linda Lael Miller's A Wanted Man and loved it. Haven't… -
Ouch
19 Jun 2009 | 8:14 amNope, my log line didn't make it to the top 9 that were picked for the Editor Pitch for Silhouette Desire and it hurts.Real bad.Wow, losing based on the log line is making me feel so crushed, then Kudos to those who persevere rejection after rejection till they sell.I guess I better be prepared.It ain't gonna be a smooth ride.
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Stella and Audra Price
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AAD: Musings from a first time convention manager
5 Nov 2009 | 4:55 amAuthors After Dark was my first foray into the administrative world of convention planning. Before this, I had planned and executed a bunch of major US tours for bands, and used to run a club in NY where bands would play on the weekend. Let me tell you setting up a weekend convention is SO different.I guess it was my background that assured me I could do it, I mean I hadn't tried to set something like this up ever in my life, nothing this elaborate I mean. Setting up a tour for bands requires contact with the venue, the band, the venues administrative staff, and the bands record company. -
New cover!!!
2 Nov 2009 | 6:25 pmSo who wants to see Drake's new cover? LOL...Isn't it sexy? I know, drakes not on it, but I cant very well use my muse for it and not get in trouble. LOL. Expect this book out late 2010.Thoughts? -
REVIEWER TOP PICK!
2 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pmWe just got a reviewer top pick at NOR for of Crimson and Collars!Stella and Audra Price work together to bring us a stunning story of domination, submission, demons, satyrs, water nymphs, trickery and lust. The characters pull you into the story and have you feeling as if you are standing there watching them from the room they are in. I would definitely read anything else they write as this was a most enjoyable read.OOH thank you Zollyanna!We are so excited! this is the first review we have gotten for this book AND its been AGES since we got one of the reviews there! Very excited though! -
New release to announce!
30 Oct 2009 | 1:44 pmSo I thought I would show you guys our new release cover! After 2 years of trying to get this book published in the larger markets (and being turned down because of the subject, not the writing), we have decided to put the series out with Tease Publishing. Now lemme clarify. The reason we arent putting this series with TEB is because its not overly sexy. It is more urban fantasy style then Erotic Paranormal, but we still think you are going to love it.So Entwined by Fate is the first in the Ophidian series. For those who dont know, Ophidians are the proper name for weresnakes, and this is the… -
today is the day!
20 Oct 2009 | 3:52 amAudra is on a plane on her way over, and I'm getting ready to hot the AAD hotel to bring all the stuff over (Seriously not the most convenient of times but i have already accepted this). Audra will be touching down a little before noon, so this is my final blog of the week, I think. If your going to AAD, you will see us Friday, but I will try to update our bloggy before, and or our twitter.Its craziness, seeing her again after a little more then a year, but I cant wait to hangout. We are a little restricted, what with her being 5 months preggers, but it should be fine. So wish us luck in NYC,…
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Farrah Rochon
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The Great NaNoWriMo Mistake
5 Nov 2009 | 5:10 amThis past Sunday I blogged about November being National Novel Writing Month, and my sudden desire to participate. After less than a week, I remembered why writing events such as NaNoWriMo are detrimental to my writing. I’ve been totally obsessed with word count!This constant checking of my word count after every paragraph is driving my crazy. I don’t want to be a slave to word count. And I don’t want to compare myself to others who are churning out 4000 words a day. That’s not my natural writing rhythm, and usually I’m fine with it. It’s not until I join something like NaNoWriMo… -
#NaNoWriMo
1 Nov 2009 | 5:11 amToday is November 1st. Being a Catholic, for most of my life this date has meant visiting cemeteries and placing flowers on grave sites. But ever since I stepped into the world of writing, the first of November has taken on a whole new meaning. Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo for short, or even NaNo for the really lazy people.I'm pretty sure my blog readers who are also writers have heard of this growing phenomenon, but for those of you who haven't, here's how it works: You write. That's it. From November 1st to the 31st, you write your butt off with the goal of… -
"The" Discussion Again
27 Oct 2009 | 7:15 pmBecause I've been super extremely busy these past few weeks (not just extremely busy, but super extremely busy), I'm taking the lazy blogger's way out and directing you to a very interesting post over at Dear Author. It's about "the" discussion: race and romance novels. I've only had a chance to skim many of the responses, but there's good dialogue going on over there. I sometimes grow weary of this debate, but the non-colorblindness in genre fiction--specifically in romance--is something I personally want to keep in the forefront of people's minds. In my own little rose-colored-glasses view,… -
Historical Fiction Writer Shauna Roberts
13 Oct 2009 | 4:00 amI am super excited to have my good friend and critique partner Shauna Roberts visiting the blog today. Shauna's first novel, Like Mayflies in a Stream, was released on October 5, 2009. If you love history and reading about ancient civilizations, you need to go out and get this book right now! It is fabulous!Shauna, I remember reading The Epic of Gilgamesh back in my World Civilization class in college, and being intrigued by the story. What interested you in this time period?When I was in high school, I came across Samuel Noah Kramer’s History Begins at Sumer and read it. I was totally… -
Ahh...Freedom!
8 Oct 2009 | 8:44 pmOh, how great it is to break free of the prison I've been in. Yes, I was shut down, blocked behind the bars of some imagined violation of Google's Terms of Service, resulting in a temporary revocation of my blogging privileges.Thank goodness things have been cleared up, even though I'm still not sure what I did wrong. Google didn't say, and I'm not asking. Don't want to upset the Google gods.I'm happy to say we're back to the regularly scheduled programming. And as a treat to all my blog readers, I will soon have a fascinating interview with novelist Shauna Roberts, whose wonderful first…
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Jess Riley
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Tick or Teat!
3 Nov 2009 | 1:19 pmI threw a smallish Halloween party this weekend, which is partially why I have been so quiet lately. I had decorating! I had pumpkin carving! I had savory autumn leaf pies to make, bishes! And let me tell you. Those bastards sucked a chunk from my life that shall never be returned. (They were delicious, but their wee, sassy leaf shapes shall never grace my kitchen again. Because of the time suckage factor.)An hour before trick-or-treating (and three hours before the first guests were to arrive), Daisy peed on the back rug for the second time in 24 hours, so I had to make an emergency run to… -
Curiosity Killed The Annoying Bar Patron
19 Oct 2009 | 8:09 amI have some bad habits. For example, if someone shows the remotest interest (or if they make the mistake of being a polite listener), I will hold forth on subjects like:Farm subsidiesGM CornConfined Animal Feeding OperationsWhat a carbon analysis of our hair might revealWait, wait, wait. I need to set the stage for you. Did I mention we've been drinking? And we're at a cheerful bar on Saturday night--a birthday party, more specifically--while I'm delivering a sermon on what too much conventionally-produced dairy did to the participants in a controlled study in Sweden?Meanwhile, my husband is… -
The Giants Win the Penance!
12 Oct 2009 | 12:34 pmWhen I was a young girl, I attended Saturday morning CCD classes, all of which were punctuated by mass, and some of which were punctuated by confession. And in that musty, confined space, a sweaty me usually confessed the same laundry list of sins (fighting with my brother and sister, talking back to Mom & Dad, lying about something, putting a recyclable in the general refuse bin, murdering a homeless man and burying his body in the crawl space ...). And was assessed the same penance, nearly every time. One "Our Father," and a "Hail Mary" or two, depending on how honest / bored I was… -
Ghost hunting old-school style
29 Sep 2009 | 9:10 amFirst, a correction...that was an eight-pound kohlrabi in my last post. So if you're looking for an eight-pound rutabaga at the local grocery store, you may be shit out of luck.Mike Birbiglia was hilarious, and I so enjoyed myself that I immediately bought tickets for another upcoming show: David Cross at the Riverside this Saturday. This has all the makings of a comedian bender, so it's a good thing future weekends will be reserved for weddings and other activities.Such as having the snot scared out of me. Two weekends ago I heard a story about a haunted section of woods in southern… -
Is that Sputnik?
23 Sep 2009 | 7:57 pmI have been so thrilled with my first experience participating in a CSA this summer. (No, that isn't shorthand for "Can't Stomach (men named) Allen.") Look at the goodies in our HALF-SHARE box two weeks ago:I imagine I'd need a dolly to get the full-share box home.In case you're wondering what that giant, nubby green ball is on the right, it's an eight-pound rutabaga. And it wasn't WOODY! It was jicama-like, sweet, crunchy, and mild. Our CSA (Olden Produce) is fabulous, and I highly recommend them. The variety of fruits and veggies in the weekly boxes forces you to get creative in the kitchen…
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Ericka Scott
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I need more hours....
6 Nov 2009 | 11:20 pmThis week has been hectic, to say the least. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wishes there were a few more than 24 hours in a day so that they could get everything done. Foremost among those is Mr. Scott... Every November, he's involved with an intercollegiate programming contest. This year, they had to move the contest up a week. 7 full days that he and the other judges could have used. Needless to say, my husband's been a little sleepless for the last couple of days. I'm just looking forward to Monday when life will go back to normal...or at least what passes for normal here in the Scott… -
The maids are coming! The maids are coming!
2 Nov 2009 | 4:45 pmCan you tell I'm mega excited?Then, on the other hand, I feel a bit as if I've failed some strange test of being a stay-at-home mom. I quit work to take care of the kids and the house. Yet...the house is neglected, to say the least. And it's not that I can't clean house. I can. I just don't want to. There are things that I don't mind doing and things that I hate. And honestly, there just isn't any job satisfaction in cleaning. I've finally come to the decision that I could devote every hour of every day to the house, laundry, kids, etc. But what fun is that? I want to write and I want to make… -
Frightful Friday
30 Oct 2009 | 11:25 pmOverheard at the boys school Halloween carnival today: "Could you hold my eyeball?"I volunteered to help at the school today. As a result, I kept my eye on three little guys as they played games and acquired candy (lots of it, as though trick-or-treating tomorrow night won't be enough). The boys seemed to have fun and the school had the whole event well-organized. This week has gone by in a bit of a blur. Monday, I interviewed the last housekeeping candidate. Tuesday, I made my decision and hopefully by the end of this upcoming Tuesday, my house will be clean and sparkling.Tuesday, Drama Teen… -
My Bloody Vampire...
30 Oct 2009 | 6:20 amThe family Friday update will be delayed until later this evening in order to make this announcement!http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=12446Welcome one and all to day 29 & 30 of our month long bash of bloody goodness.Today’s contest is easy and fun. The winner will be announced later this week. There are 48 prizes for today! Spread the word!What I'm donating:Author Ericka Scotthttp://www.erickascott.com/$10 Amazon Gift Card. Open to readers worldwide. -
TGIF...I think...
23 Oct 2009 | 12:25 pmIt's been an odd week. Monday was just busy, then, all hell broke loose on Tuesday. I started off for my walk and realized my IPOD was dead. Since the day was cold and blustery, I opted out of my walk. Good thing. I got back to the house to a phone message. Mr. Scott had wrecked the van! Thank goodness he wasn't hurt, but my poor, poor van was in bad shape. We spent the rest of the morning coordinating insurance, towing, and car rental.Wednesday the kids were home all day from school...need I say more.I headed off to my critique group that evening with 12 pages of a new prologue to my zombie…
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Gena Showalter
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Good News Friday!
6 Nov 2009 | 7:47 amPost your good news here! Today I'm working on chapter four of a novella -- tentatively titled Dark.To read an excerpt of The Darkest Angel, my story in Heart of Darkness, just go here. -
Playing With Fire!!
5 Nov 2009 | 6:24 amThank you, dear readers, for helping put the reissue of Playing With Fire on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists!!!And next week marks the last week to enter the Intertwined Sweepstakes -- with the 10,000 grand prize! -- so we're gonna blow it out big time here at the blog. Stay tuned! -
Win a signed copy of Deep Kiss of Winter!!
4 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pmJust go here for details!! This contest is cracking me up! I love love LOVE it! -
Books!
3 Nov 2009 | 6:50 amSomeone asked for book recs. Ask and you shall receive!! SEALed and Delivered by Jill Monroe -- Sexy SEAL hero. I fell in absolute love with him during the water training scene. She hits my funny bone, my heart and sizzles up those pages!Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh -- Powerful, intense, wonderful (and you don't have to have read the others books in the series to understand (and love) this one) Hot Spell by Michelle Rowen -- magic, a heroine who talks to dead people, and more of that delicious sizzle!Finding the Lost by Shannon Butcher -- read the first book in this series and was hooked. -
Beefcake Monday!
2 Nov 2009 | 7:10 amLove that glistening stomach :)Turned in the revised The Darkest Passion -- yea!! Up next, a novella. I was on a walk a month or so ago and an idea for it came to me (and excited me! I've never tackled anything like it.). I put it on the back burner, but last night I dreamed about it -- instead of seeing a scene or the story play out, though, I saw all the problems with the direction I wanted to go. I guess I should be thankful, but all I want to do is grumble. I'm gonna give it a shot, though. We'll see what happens! In other news, soon I'll be hosting a contest for a Twice As Hot ARC. Maybe…
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Camy Tang
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Excerpt - Fit to Be Tied by Robin Lee Hatcher
7 Nov 2009 | 12:01 amFit to Be TiedbyRobin Lee HatcherWho says a woman can’t do a man’s job?Cleo Arlington dresses like a cowboy, is fearless and fun-loving, and can ride, rope, and wrangle a horse as well as any man. In 1916, however, those talents aren’t what most young women aspire to. But Cleo isn’t most women. Twenty-nine years old and single, Cleo loves life on her father’s Idaho ranch. Still, she hopes someday to marry and have children.Enter Sherwood Statham, an English aristocrat whose father has sentenced him to a year of work in America to “straighten him out.” Sherwood, who expected a… -
Christmas Book Giveaway from Chapter-A-Week
6 Nov 2009 | 12:34 pmFrom Chapter-A-Week YahooGroup:Christmas is just around the corner! So we're giving away another ten-pound box of autographed Chapter-a-Week books to one Chapter-a-Week member. If you get a friend to sign up (and they mention your name in their email) you'll be entered twice! The more friends you sign up the more times you'll be entered!Simply send an email with "Chapter-a-Week Christmas Giveaway" in the subject line to cawcontest@gmail.com and you'll be entered in the drawing. Do NOT comment on this blog post. We'll draw the winner November 27th, the day after Thanksgiving so the books will… -
Excerpt - THE BRIDE BACKFIRE by Kelly Eileen Hake
6 Nov 2009 | 12:01 amToday's Wild Card author is: Kelly Eileen Hake and the book: The Bride BackfireBarbour Publishing, Inc (October 1, 2009)***Special thanks to Angie Brillhart of Barbour Books for sending me a review copy.***Two feuding families, the Specks and the Grogans, have been maintaining a tenuous peace in the Nebraskan Territory of 1857. So when Adam Grogan gets caught trespassing on their land, he knows the murderous Speck men won't listen to reason and let him walk away. Adam's prepared to meet his maker, but things take a turn when Opal Speck declares he's the father of her unborn child. Will Adam… -
Vosges Haut Chocolat Holiday Collection truffles
5 Nov 2009 | 12:01 amCaptain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009Those of you on Twitter and Facebook saw me freaking out patiently waiting for my chocolate to arrive. Well, they came on Wednesday!Isn’t this pretty? I love pretty packaging.You can order the chocolates here if you can’t help yourself. Just to warn you, they’re a bit pricey and contrary to how they look, each truffle is only a little bigger than a marble. The flavors are very intense, however, so actually I don’t think I’d have been happy with a larger piece of candy—it would have been too much. When I eat some truffles from a local chocolatier,… -
Lavender hand lotion
4 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pmCaptain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com!Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has!) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS.Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since…
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Jennifer Tiszai
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Humor as Procrastination
6 Nov 2009 | 3:14 pmI love humor. I love good comedians. It's hard to find ones that are clean, however. But we've found a few. YouTube has been wonderful in this regard.And since I'm procrastinating instead of writing (what is it about telling me I have to write 50k this month that makes me want to do anything but?) I followed Lynn Rush's link to Tim Hawkins and found this. Which I particularly appreciate having been a big fan of Dr. Demento, Weird Al, and parody in general.Enjoy. But don't expect to be able to sing in church again without suppressing a smirk. Some of the songs I think he actually improved. -
In case you've ever wondered...
5 Nov 2009 | 7:46 amWriters are funny and creative. Just check out this video and see if it doesn't make you want to get writing. And it just happens to include a few of my favorite authors: Kristin Billerbeck, Robin Lee Hatcher, Angela Hunt, Terri Blackstock.Oh yeah, I'm guilty of most of those procrastination behaviors. -
Movin' and Groovin'
31 Oct 2009 | 8:01 pmSo we've moved to Missouri, just south of St. Louis. There's several job opportunities here and some of my closest friends, so we're excited to be here. Excited to be near civilization again (read: malls, Target, Kohls, etc.). But already we're missing the friends we left behind and the rural landscape. Yet there are some amazing things to explore in St. Louis.Isn't that the way of this journey called life? Bittersweet; good-byes mixed with hellos.And hopefully I'll be grooving to my keyboard during NaNoWriMo. My progress should be showing up on the widget to the right. I've got some great… -
Saturday Funnies
17 Oct 2009 | 8:09 amA couple of things to make you laugh.I'm taking a time out from my crazy packing to peruse Facebook and share with you some of the fun stuff I've found there. If you're not on Facebook yet, what are you waiting for? It's the best way to connect with friends old and new.This first one is from my friend and writer buddy Diana Brandmeyer (who's also kind enough to let me and the kids crash at her place while we find a place of our own in St. Louis).I've actually pulled that on my kids--at home, not in the store. It's pretty effective.And this hysterical tidbit from the awesome writer's resource… -
Transformation
9 Oct 2009 | 4:25 amI liked the premise of this book because it was unusual and I'm fascinated by architecture. Unfortunately, it took me about 100 pages to really get into it. The multiple prologues made it hard to know who's story we should follow and most really weren't necessary.Also it seemed to me at first the characters felt and talked awkwardly, but after awhile, the story seemed to find its rhythm, and I enjoyed the book and the characters immensely. Terri Kraus handles some "typical church issues" in a new and fresh way and it ended up being a satisfying and unpredictable read.It is time for a FIRST…
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Jessica Tudor
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Cream Puffs
21 Oct 2009 | 12:35 pmI bake every Tuesday. I LOVE to bake. This week I pushed it back to today because the dessert is for Friday and I try to save some for my in-laws, who I’m seeing today, and my downstairs neighbor. Today’s treat is cream puffs. SO easy, So tasty. And, look, I even attempted photography. I apologize for the shadows and blur, I didn’t bother with a tripod (we only own four…) and didn’t open the window for best natural sunlight. Ah, well! Filling is traditional vanilla pastry cream (more custard than cream to me) with homemade sweetened whipped cream folded in. Cream… -
Books Read So Far
8 Oct 2009 | 3:44 pmFor the year…. On Writing, Stephen King* + Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing, David Morrell * + Writing the Breakout Novel, Donald Maass* + Trusting God, Jerry Bridges + The Stepsister Scheme, Jim C. Hines gods in Alabama, Joshilyn Jackson Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch Save the Cat, Blake Snyder* + Strange Angels, Lili St. Crow Midnight Never Come, Marie Brennan Writing the Life Poetic, Sage Cohen + Bad to the Bone, Jeri Smith-Ready The Sleeping Doll, Jeffrey Deaver Roadside Crosses, Jeffrey Deaver The Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees… -
Spiritual History
3 Sep 2009 | 8:49 amIt’s no secret I was saved “out of” Catholicism. I knew the answers but they meant nothing to me inside. My framework was entirely legalistic. (Aside: I know a lot of Protestants think Catholics are unsaved and vice versa, but I think it’s entirely possible to be saved IN Catholicism. I’ll touch on this later.) Wherever Christ is preached, there will be true Christians. We may not get all the details right though. Conversely, where Christ is preached there will be those crying “Lord, Lord!” whom Christ does not know. My heart breaks especially for… -
Learning to Type
1 Sep 2009 | 8:52 amI’m quiet not because I lack things to say but because I am too tired to type them up. I switched my keyboard to Dvorak and am humbled. SO SLOW right now. Interesting exercise in word choice though! Is that sentence worth the effort to type it? No? Find something else OR stay silent. Novel. -
Vacation Time
12 Aug 2009 | 5:07 amSorry for the silence this week! I’m pushing to finish as much at work before I leave on vacation as possible, and then there’s the packing I haven’t done yet. . . we leave Friday morning and we won’t be back until Sunday night, (that’s Sunday the 23rd, miind.) So I won’t be updating while I’m gone. Sorry! But to appease you, here is the opening to SLM which is sitting pretty at 170p. (four short of my goal but not too shabby). Death came on Thursday. John Corbin expected it, but when his sister whimpered in the dark, he only curled his fingers around…
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Terry Odell
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"The End" Doesn't Mean You're Done
6 Nov 2009 | 4:30 amWhat I'm reading: Kindred in Death, by J.D. RobbI'll be one of about 20 authors signing books on Saturday. I know the majority of you aren't local, but this is our RWA chapter's annual event to raise money for the Adult Literacy League in Orlando. Twenty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the organization, thanks to Barnes & Noble. Literacy is near and dear to me, and I've been a -
Veggies or Dessert?
5 Nov 2009 | 4:30 amWhat I'm reading: The Professional, by Robert B. ParkerLike countless other children, I was encouraged—with the fear that children all over the world might starve otherwise—to finish whatever my mother put on my plate. Most of the time, I liked her fare, but like countless other children, there were some things I found less palatable than others. Veggies often fell into this category. Still, we -
Wednesday Wanderings
4 Nov 2009 | 4:30 amWhat I'm reading: Suite 606 by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan & Mary Kay McComas.Thanks to Darlyn for being my guest yesterday. Judging from the comments, her post hit home with so many of us. We need to step back and re-evaluate our priorities once in a while. If you haven't read it, you should. You know the drill. Scroll down. And, I'm also at Jeff Markowitz's blog today. You might -
The Scribbler Speaks
3 Nov 2009 | 4:30 amToday I'm pleased to have Darlyn Finch as my guest at Terry's Place. She was one of my first writing partners, when I was a member of a local group that ended up being called the Pregnant Pigs. She's an amazing writer, who once spent six months as writer in residence at the Jack Kerouac House, and was kind enough to invite me to read at her party representing the culmination of her project there. -
Monday Mailbag
2 Nov 2009 | 4:30 amWhat I'm reading: Guardian Angel, by Lise FullerI hope everyone is recovered from a surfeit of sugar, and remembered to switch clocks (or, if you're not where you switch your own clocks, that you remember that those who do are now an hour off.) It's November. We're looking forward to having Thanksgiving dinner with one of our daughters and her husband's family. They've got a time share not far
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Laurie J. Edwards
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Gruesome Halloween Treats
31 Oct 2009 | 5:46 amNeed a last minute Halloween recipe? How ’bout Dead Witches Fingers? They’re suitably ghoulish. See the Wolfy Chicks blog. Author Judith Graves shows you how to make these delightfully gruesome treats. Pair them with Blood-flavored Ice Cream–a recipe by author Kitty Keswick. Two treats sure to make your guests howl. -
Last Chance to Win
31 Oct 2009 | 5:34 amAuthor Kimberlee Mendoza is giving away a free copy of her YA book, Trick to Treat. Find out more at the Climbing Rose website. Sarah Bradley has wanted to hang with the popular kids since her freshman year, and now she has the chance. All she has to do is survive a Halloween scavenger hunt with the “in” crowd. When the girls lock her in a haunted mansion, she feels the trick is on her. Then she meets Matt and begins to believe that maybe she got a treat after all. But what if “love” is part of the game? http://twrpclimbingrose.blogspot.com/ -
Guilty Pleasures
29 Oct 2009 | 12:21 pmOften writing is an opportunity to free yourself from the chains of the past. To loose the bonds holding you captive, preventing your spirit from soaring. But for me, that freedom always comes with a price tag—guilt. Writing is fun. Losing myself in another world, becoming brave and strong, fearless in the face of danger, is a guilty pleasure. I avoid writing because I enjoy it so much. When I indulge, my conscience whispers, “Anything that feels this good must be a sin.” So I put duty before pleasure and crowd out the siren call of the empty page. It’s easier to clean closets or… -
Tony DiTerlizzi
27 Oct 2009 | 6:45 pmCheck out this fabulous interview by one of my fav illustrators: http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1821 The art is to die for… -
Masked Man…or Not?
27 Oct 2009 | 5:50 pmWell, sort of… Not sure what you call it when a plastic figure dresses up for Halloween, but I thought this post from Bonnie Blogs Green was humorous. Bonnie, a Leap Books author whose eco-mystery Island Sting is coming out in January, surrounds herself with Green Teens. And two of them combined their artistic talents to make an environmentally friendly costume for a plastic figure Bonnie rescued after a storm. Mr. Pumpkin Head You’ll have to look closely to see who’s hidden under that Pumpkin Head, but I guarantee it’ll be a familiar face.Want to know if you guessed…
