Wednesday, June 22, 2011

New Release now avialable!

I’m thrilled to announce the release of my sci-fi rom-com novella, MARRIED TO THE MIB!




Handsome, blue-eyed Spencer Ward stirs feelings in Dulcie Crandall that she can’t quite explain. Spencer feels it too, but he knows why pretty, vivacious Dulcie seems so familiar. She’s his wife.

Spence is a Man in Black, a special agent dedicated to protecting Earth from temporal and extraterrestrial threats. Three years ago, he met Dulcie, an alien abductee, during a daring rescue from an Umayan organ harvest ship. His employer, the Insterstellar Security and Time Agency, had Dulcie’s memories of their whirlwind courtship and alien wedding ceremony blocked before they returned her to Earth. Now ISTA needs the memories locked in Dulcie’s subconscious, and Spence and his half-alien shapeshifter partner, Ruben “Ruby” Throckmorton, have been assigned to retrieve them.

It should be easy, but will Spence be able to remain objective when the love of his life experiences total recall of the time she spent married to a MIB?

Excerpt:

All around Dulcie, geysers of foul-smelling steam belched from dripping pipes. Unidentifiable machinery hissed, and lights flashed in macabre shades of crimson and purple. She wasn’t supposed to be here, hiding in this dank place all alone, driven by fear and some deep, desperate need to survive at all costs.

She’d come here, though, to escape someplace much worse. If only she could remember exactly what she was running from.

Just when she’d reached the point where her only option was to scream—not for help, but for the sheer, utter hopelessness of her predicament—he appeared. He swept out of the hot, churning mist, the broad-shouldered silhouette of a man backlit by a strobe of acid green. He reached for her.

Some strange instinct bade her to take the hand he offered, but rather than rise with dignity from her hiding place and let him lead her out of this neon hell, she flew into his arms, shivering and sobbing.

He murmured something soothing while she buried her sweat-dampened face in his neck. His scent curled into her lungs on her next shuddering gasp of breath, and she calmed. Strong arms lifted her from the darkness, and Duclie melted into his muscular caress. He smelled like sin, a curious mix of male sweat, danger and an intoxicating cologne.

There was something about that smell—familiar and wonderful—that told her everything from here on in was going to be just fine. She tightened her arms around him, and he scooped her up as if she weighed nothing. The steam faded then, offering a momentarily clear view of the place. This time Dulcie tried to pay attention to what she saw.

Miles of coiled wires, rusted pipes and twisted fingers of metal and smoky crystal stretched before them. In the still-shrouded distance a white light cut through the gloom.

“That’s the way out,” he said. His voice, like his scent, penetrated her weakened defenses and left her dreamy-eyed and breathless. Beneath her splayed hand the muscles of his chest, hidden under a black T-shirt, rippled as he strode toward safety. “We have to hurry.”

“Hurry.” She nodded, but for some reason all the urgency she’d felt a few moments ago had faded. She’d have stayed in his arms forever, cradled against his rapidly beating heart, cherished in his embrace.

“Hurry…” Dulcie awoke with that word on her lips. Again. This was the third time this month. She might have been more concerned about the details of the recurring nightmare, except it always ended the same way, with her daring rescue.



To read more about MARRIED TO THE MIB, you can visit:


Smashwords

All Romance eBooks

Amazon.com

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

All Romance eBooks

I spent Sunday uploading my self-pubbed titles over at All Romance eBooks - so if you're looking for formats you might not get elsewhere, or you're a fan of ARe, go check out my pages:

Jennifer Colgan

Bernadette Gardner

You might just find a hidden gem if you go looking. :)

Monday, June 13, 2011

Happy Release Day, JB Lynn!

Today my good friend and fellow Killer Chick, JB Lynn is launching her first Carina Press release. Her book is scary, smart and full of suspense - if you want an exciting read that'll leave you afraid to sleep with the lights off, check out...

The First Victim by JB Lynn

Fifteen years ago, Emily Wright barely escaped from a serial killer dubbed the Baby Doll Strangler. She wants nothing to do with the small town she grew up in, but when her father is hospitalized she reluctantly returns home to care for her teenage sister.

When a friend of her sister is killed and left in front of Emily’s house, Emily begins to relive the nightmare she endured long ago. Soon she realizes that her sister too is in danger from the killer – and the only person who can help is the man Emily left behind: Deputy Bailey O’Neil. Together, Emily and Bailey must discover the killer’s identity before he claims his next victim…





“Does your palm itch? Emily?”

Engrossed in paperwork, it took Emily Wright a moment to realize that her assistant, Ruth, was talking to her. She looked up at the older woman as Ruth placed a cup of coffee beside Emily’s telephone. It was only then she realized that she’d been rubbing her left thumb across her right hand.
“Does your palm itch?”

Emily nodded. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Ruth beamed. “That’s good news. It means you’re going to come into money.” Her unspoken message was that it boded well for the presentation Marisol, Emily’s business partner, was probably making at this very moment. All nine of the advertising firm’s employees were eagerly waiting to hear whether they’d landed their biggest client ever.

“Do you really believe in those old superstitions, Ruth?”

“They can’t hurt. Can I get you anything else?”

“No. This is great. Thanks.” Watching her newest employee, a woman old enough to be her mother, leave her office, Emily secretly hoped she was right.

She looked down at her palm. The scar that stretched across it had faded over time and was now nothing more than a thin raised line. No doubt there were a hundred doctors in Manhattan who could remove the physical reminder of what she’d suffered, but to her the scar tissue was a talisman of sorts, proof that hope could triumph over evil.

She’d learned an invaluable lesson the day she’d earned this scar. She’d learned that she was capable of more than she’d ever imagined, that help came from the most unexpected places and to never give up. Those lessons had served her well, which was how she found herself a co-owner of a Manhattan ad agency, waiting to hear whether they’d landed their first national account.

Feeling the distant rumblings of a tension headache, she rubbed at her temples, and then made a grab for her coffee cup. She needed caffeine!

Her cell phone buzzed. Hoping that it was Marisol calling with good news, she snatched it out of her purse. An icy tingle of fear ran down her spine when she recognized the area code. Home.

It rang three more times before she took a deep breath and answered.

“Hello?”

“You’ve got to come home, Em.” Bailey O’Neil, her childhood friend and teenage crush who still made semi-regular appearances in her dreams, didn’t offer a greeting, ask how she was or even identify himself. Not that he needed to. Even though it had been close to fifteen years since they’d had regular conversations, she’d recognized Bailey’s voice immediately.

It transported her from behind her desk to a dock on a lake’s shore. In that instant it was easier to believe she was a confused fourteen-year-old girl rather than a driven, thirty-one-year-old businesswoman.

“There’s been an accident.”

He’d called and said the same exact thing two years earlier, but that had been a lie. Her mother had overdosed, and no one would ever convince Emily it had been an accident.

With Marisol, who was not only her business partner but her best friend, in tow for moral support, Emily had returned to Lakeside Acres, Pennsylvania for the funeral, choosing to stay at The Garden Gate Bed and Breakfast rather than the house she’d called home as a child. She hadn’t been back since, not even to see Laurie.

“Em?” Bailey still used the shortened version of her name, just like he had when they were kids. It almost sounded too familiar, since it suggested that they knew each other well. That was another lie. “Em? Did you hear me? I said you’ve got to come home.”

“I heard you. How’d you get this number?”

Ignoring her question, Bailey told her, “There’s been an accident. Your father’s been hurt. It’s pretty bad. They’re not sure he’s going to make it.”

“So?”

She heard Bailey’s sharp intake of breath. He probably thought she was a stone-cold bitch. So be it. She’d decided long ago that she didn’t have to explain or justify her relationship, or lack of relationship, with her dear old dad. If Bailey O’Neil didn’t approve of her reaction, that was his problem.

Bailey, though, didn’t miss a beat. “Laurie needs you.”

Try as she might, Emily didn’t hear any judgment or condemnation in his tone, only a genuine concern for her younger sister. Doing her best to ignore the twinge of guilt she felt for not immediately inquiring about her only sibling, Emily asked, “Is she hurt? What happened?”

“Your father was out on his boat. I don’t have the details yet. Laurie wasn’t involved, but she’s scared, Em. She needs someone. She needs you.”

Emily’s gaze settled on two tiny framed photographs perched on the corner of her desk. They’d been taken more than two years earlier when Laurie was thirteen. She and her sister had crammed into one of those tiny booths at a mall, made a bunch of silly faces and ended up with a strip of four, slightly grainy, black-and-white photographs. They’d torn the strip in half, each taking two of the pictures. Besides the funeral, it was the last time she’d seen her sister. Their father had seen to that.

“Em?”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few hours.”

“Swear?”

An image of Bailey solemnly staring at her popped into her mind, not this adult version of Bailey who was just doing his job, but the boy she’d played freeze tag with.

“Em? Swear?”

“I swear.” She severed the connection.


You can learn more about JB and her books at:
Killer Chicks
Website
Follow her on Twitter

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Here comes trouble!


Right now his name is Rio, but he'll be getting a new name once he comes to live with us. My good friend "R", the troublemaker, has a mess of kittens and she offered us one...well, actually two, but this little guy won me over the minute I saw him. He's got one black ear and one white ear and he looks like a Dalmatian.

How could I say no?

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Now what?

I'm over at Killer Chicks today talking about my process - what happens after THE END.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Hovering

In between working on edits of my soon-to-be-released sci-fi novella and working on an erotica novel, I've spent much of my week haunting the Amazon Kindle Erotica Bestseller list where Hunter's Moon and Hunter's Mate have been hovering in the Top 100.


A screen cap from 5/23 [click on the picture for a larger view]


and a screen cap from 5/27.

I'm thrilled to say my self-pub experiment is working out well, so you'll be seeing more from me available through Smashwords and Amazon.com in the coming months.

Stay tuned for news about my upcoming releases...

Sunday, May 22, 2011

I'm still here, are you?

At around 6:00 PM local time yesterday, the sky darkened with ominous clouds. Rain began to fall steadily, and after about twenty minutes...

...it let up and the sun came out again.

So much for the much publicized coming of the Rapture and the beginning of the end of the world. How many failed doomsday predictions do we really need before people actually figure it out?

While the media probably made this 2nd spectacularly failed attempt of a televangelist to predict Judgment Day into a much bigger deal than it needed to be, the amount of people who supposedly bought into the reworked calculations of 89-year-old millionaire preacher Harold Camping speaks to a pretty sad state of affairs.

While it's very, very easy to poke fun at these people, some of whom dumped their life savings into billboards and religious tracts in a last ditch effort to save a few extra souls before zero hour, I can't help but feel sympathy. To anticipate the violent end of life on Earth with any kind of glee or excitement, to me, identifies someone who is deeply troubled and desperately disappointed with their lives.

Today, I have no doubt these people woke with a sense of foolish disappointment. How hard must it be too look people in the eye after you spent your last weeks saying goodbye and telling them how sad you would be to leave them behind when you ascended to heaven? How hard it must be to carry on living a life that's clearly so dismal you can't wait for it to end.

While the 'true believers' hoped that their endgame proselytizing would lead people to examine their own beliefs and make the 'right' choices that would save their souls, I hope this latest prophet-for-profit debacle will lead some people to re-examine their need to hope for the end of everything and find a more positive way to spend their time.

If reality doesn't make you happy, at least give fiction a try.


Friday, May 20, 2011

Crime and punishment

My co-blogger JB Lynn and I are talking about the season finale of CASTLE over at Killer Chicks today. Come give us your verdict.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Genre Hopping

Hop on over to Killer Chicks and talk to me about genres and how many it's okay for a writer to have.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

One week left

So, in case you haven't heard, Judgement Day is coming. Next Saturday, May 21st will be the beginning of the end.

On October 21, 2011 the world will end. So you'd better stock up on your ebooks now. Otherwise you might not be able to get any, you know, after the world ends. That would suck, not being able to read, especially if there's nothing else to do. With the world being all...you know...gone and all.

If you missed any of the last times the world was supposed to end, you can read about them here:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/end_wrl2.htm

Monday, May 09, 2011

They wonder why

Welcome to my rant for the day.

One of my jobs for today was to set up a bunch of doctor's appointments - all the yearly checkups are due, pediatrician, dentists, eye doctors, orthodondist etc. So I dutifully made a list of six doctors and their phone numbers, got out my calendar and sat down with the phone to try and arrange dates that don't conflict with school, work, other appointments, vacations, etc.

Out of six phone calls, I was able to reach one office and actually make an appointment for my daughter and myself at the eye doctor. Everyone else had an excuse:

computers are down

office is closed today

office is closed this morning

too swamped to make appointments at this time

constant busy signal

It's ridiculous. You'd think since doctors are so deeply entrenched in the idea of having patients show up constantly and pay them money that they'd actually make sure someone was available to answer the phone and make appointments on a Monday morning.

If was just for me, I wouldn't even bother calling back, but as a Mom, I've got to keep my kids medical records current and make sure they're up to date with checkups. Sigh. You'd think they'd be a little more anxious to get people into the offices.

/rant, now back to our regularly scheduled blog

Friday, May 06, 2011

What's your weakness?

I'm over at Killer Chicks again, collecting data for national security purposes. Come spill your secrets to me.

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Big 1000



I just stopped by to write a post apologizing if I'd scared anyone with that Skynet report. I didn't want anyone to run screaming into the wilderness - just to be aware that killer robots from the future could very well be on their way here RIGHT NOW!

Anyway, I dropped in and realized that my next blog post would be my 1000th!

I can't believe I've written a thousand blog posts already. Do I really have that much to say? I must, I talk all the time, just usually to myself.

How many blog posts have you written? Did you celebrate any of them?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

The missing park

DS and I took a walk today to the local park and found it mssing. Apparently the torrential rains yesterday flooded the place. The turtles and the ducks were having a wonderful time, but the joggers, bikers and walkers were more than a little dismayed.


Flooded playground


Flooded walkway

Hopefully the water will recede soon. It's amazing what one day of rain can do. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Sunday, April 10, 2011

They say it's my birthday!


Mario and his mushroom friends stopped by last night for some cake. Today I'm going to listen to an audiobook on my iPod and work on a final round of pre-submission edits for my new novella.

I know I'm old - now that I have to check my birth certificate to make sure of my age. (And when I have to edit this post twice to fix the mistakes.)

Friday, April 08, 2011

Sneak Peek at Killer Chicks!

I'm over at Killer Chicks today, posting an excerpt from my upcoming Samhain release, INTERVIEW WITH A GARGOYLE. Come take a peek!

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Naked Numbers - Self publishing experiment

I'm over at Killer Chicks today, with a totally naked body scan of my self-publishing numbers for the months of February and March. Come take a peek.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Size doesn't matter

Really, it doesn't. I got my birthday present early this year [git yer mind out of the gutter!] - It's an iPod Nano and it's an itty-bitty little thing, but it can hold like a gazillion songs. I've loaded up about 9 CDs worth of music and only dented the memory.

It looks big here, but it's really only a little bigger than a square inch. It has a clock, a pedometer, a radio and it can hold photos too. I never fail to be amazed by technology. If they make these things just a little bit smaller, we won't have to carry them at all, we can just swallow them. Talk about marching to your own inner drummer.

Now Playing: Kiss Me by New Found Glory [one of my favorites because there's an excellent Jack and Gwen fan video set to this song]

How big is yours? [Your MP3 player, that is?]

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Naming Names

Today I'm over at Killer Chicks, naming dropping...come over and drop some names with me.

Monday, March 28, 2011

This hardly ever happens

Today is an unsusual day for me. Why?

Yesterday I finisihed a rough draft of a story I've been working on for...ever.

It's been a long time since I finished something. In fact quite a while since I wrote on a regular basis due to RL stress and constant other things needing to be done. The incessant hammer has finally let up and I've been able to sit down and concentrate. It's a great feeling and I've missed it.

So today is a 'cooling off' day. I'm leaving the draft alone for a bit so I can look at it with fresh eyes. Today I get to figure out what project I'm going to tackle next.

What do you do when you finish a draft? Do you celebrate? Do you let it cool? Do you dive right into edits or into a new project?

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Is it just me?

Or does the clock change knock you for a loop too?

I'm a long time arch enemy of Daylight Savings Time. I believe all it does is screw up everyone's circadian rhythm.

Now I look like this guy all day long. Though my fangs aren't quite as sharp.

Are you lucky enough to live somewhere they DON'T insist on messing with time twice a year?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Obsess with me

I've got my crystal ball out and I'm making predictions over at Killer Chicks today. Come look into the future with me.

Friday, March 11, 2011

One for the 'To Be Read' List

Fellow Romance Diva Paige Tyler has a new book out that I'm dying to read...


GHOST HUNTER
New from Ellora's Cave!
It's got a hunky hero, a kick-A** heroine and a serial killing ghost that's scary as hell! Not to mention a smokin' hot cover!


BLURB:

Almost getting murdered by a serial killer gives Cassidy Kincaide a new lease on life and convinces her to go ahead and tackle that ghost-hunter novel she's always wanted to write. So, she hooks up with a gorgeous paranormal investigator named Trace McCord to do some research.

Cassidy and Trace rub each other the wrong way right from the beginning, but they have to put aside their differences when the serial killer who attacked her comes back from the grave to continue his string of grisly murders, with her at the top of his list.

Trace has to keep Cassidy close to keep her safe, and as they try to stay one step ahead of the ghost while figuring out how to stop it, he and Cassidy end up in each other’s arms. While Trace has a whole list of reasons why he shouldn’t get involved with her, he finds himself falling in love with the beautiful blonde anyway. And even though Cassidy started out thinking he was a jerk, she learns that underneath the rough ghost hunter exterior, he’s just the man she’s always been looking for. Now, all they have to do, is live long enough to be together.


Read an Excerpt!
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/ExcerptGhostHunterforHire.html

Watch the Trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7c6DgZ-fHs

Get your copy of GHOST HUNTER at Ellora's Cave!
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9148-ghost-hunter.aspx


I'm off to hunt me up some ghosts!

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

The bugaboo

I'm back at Killer Chicks today, talking about the bugaboo and how it's worse than a zombie. Gear up and join me for some monster tackling.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Read Across America

I'm at Killer Chicks talking about what inspired me to become a reader and a writer. Come tell me what inspired you.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

For those who asked...

For everyone who's asked about a sequel to my Free Read at Smashwords...

if you've read Fresh Blood and enjoyed it and you'd like to revisit my vampire world, you can get another taste in La Vida Muerta available at Amber Quill Press.



Elena Talbot betrayed her sister for a chance at immortality. Now, ensconced in the dark world of Chicago’s undead, she clings to the person who helped her find herself and her sanity after the gut-wrenching, soul-stealing transformation from human to vampire.



Vampire investigator Lucas Vitale has gotten used to having Elena in his home and in his bed. She’s always ready for his lusty games, but she’s still afloat in a sea of self-doubt and confusion about her new existence. She wants the one thing he can’t give her, a purpose.

When Elena’s quest for fulfillment brings her too close to Lucas’s long-hidden secret, he casts her out. Only after she’s gone does he realize there’s no point in living “the dead life” without her...







Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Trending now: Zombies

I'm over at Killer Chicks today talking about how much I'm over zombies. Come tell me what you think about the walking dead.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Hunting for good reads...

I did it again. I uploaded more of my 'out of print' titles to Smashwords.




He’s never been with a human female, she’s never been with a man she can trust. Alliana and Adam are from two different worlds and when he’s stranded in hers, she begins to realize it might be time to take another chance on love.





When she’s chosen for an alien breeding program, Victoria Cambridge finally meets the mate she’s been longing for. Unfortunately, his mission is to prevent the consummation that could join their two races

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Nature of Work

I'm over at Killer Chicks today trying to figure out how to define "work". Stop by and bring your dictionary.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Got Blood?

My vampire novella Fresh Blood has been available as a free read from my wedbsite in .pdf format for a while now, but this weekend I uploaded it to Smashwords, so now it's available in the e-reader formats as well.

Visit Smashwords for your FREE copy in html, JAVA, mobi, epub, pdf, lrf or Palm.



A desperate call from her missing sister sends Erica Talbot on a dangerous rescue mission. Determined to prevent her twin from becoming a feeder, Erica steps out of her quiet, lonely existence and into a dark underworld where vampires make the rules.



Maxwell Hart is a vampire investigator. Part of his job is to protect humans. The moment he lays eyes on Erica, he knows she doesn’t belong in his world, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her there.


With Max as her guide, Erica descends into a world where humans willingly give up control to their vampire masters. Posing as Max’s submissive feeder, Erica discovers a strange freedom in relinquishing her hard won self-control to Max.

After just one taste of Erica’s blood, Max finds he hungers for no one else. How can he possess her when drawing her deeper into his dark world will change her forever?

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Battling addiction

Today I'm over at Killer Chicks talking about my latest addiction. Come help me kick the habit.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Five stars for Icarus Unbound!

Vixhen at The Romance Reviews had this to say about ICARUS UNBOUND:

This was a novella that quickly grabbed me, pulling me into the story. Ms. Gardner's writing was so descriptive that I could actually picture the Icarians flying around with their beautiful wings as I was reading. I got a complete sense of the entire Icarian world in all its glory. I found Jarad and Lara suitably matched, which made for a great love story.

Read the rest HERE!

Friday, February 04, 2011

Adventures in self-publishing

Today I'm filling in again for Joann Swanson over at Killer Chicks where I'm talking about self-publishing. Fasten your seat-belt. It may be a bumpy ride!

Thursday, February 03, 2011

A smashing re-release!

I did it. All by myself.

I re-released one of my 'out-of-print' titles on Smashwords yesterday, and I didn't even cry once.

FLIGHT OF THE VALKYRIE- with stunningly gorgeous new cover art by diva designer Dara England - is the first second novel I wrote and the first one I ever submitted anywhere.

Here's the blurb:

Arrested for the murder of thirty members of the High Council of the planet Carnelia, Sienna McCade could face a hundred years in cryogenic suspension, the maximum punishment allowable by Galactic law. Jordan Dane is the Courier assigned to transport Sienna’s cryo-stasis tube to a prison ship, where she will remain until her trial.




When his ship crashes and Jordan is injured, he finds himself at the mercy of the beautiful assassin who has managed to escape from the broken stasis tube. He knows he owes her a debt of gratitude for saving his life, but he can’t ignore his mission. Should he deny his growing feelings for her and turn her over to the authorities, or risk everything to help her prove her innocence and spare her a hundred years in cryo sleep?

Publishing on Smashwords was surprisingly easy...so I have no doubt I'll be doing it again. Look for more of my out-of-print titles coming soon.

In the mean time, for more information about FLIGHT OF THE VALKYRIE - and to read a sample - visit my page at Smashwords!

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

When Writer's Block is a Cat

Today I'm over at Killer Chicks talking about the evolution of writer's block in my life. Come visit.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Bloggin' in Style!

I've been given a Stylish Blogger Award by Cora Zane!


These are the rules for accepting this award:




* Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award. Thanks, Cora!
* Share 7 things about yourself.
* Award up to 10 great bloggers and contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.
 
Seven things about me:
 
1. I'm a hopeless fan of British sci-fi. The cheesier the better. Ask me about The Tomorrow People and Blake's 7. [On second thought, don't].
 
2. 2nd to romance, I like reading adventure stories. If someone is exploring something and bound to find something scary and/or weird, I'm in.
 
3. My favorite color has been and probably always will be purple or any shade thereof.
 
4. My favorite flower/scent is lilac.
 
5. I've been known to hug trees.
 
6. I will fly [in a plane] but I despise it.
 
7. If I surf onto a website that has music, I immediately surf away, because sound from my computer always attracts people at home to look over my shoulder which I can't stand.
 
Awesome bloggers:
 
Kristen Painter
LK Campbell
JB Lynn's Confessions of a Crime Writer
Hyperbole and a Half

Friday, January 28, 2011

Excerpt Friday

I'm filling in for Joann today at Killer Chicks - come read an excerpt of UNCROSS MY HEART.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Writer's Workout

Today I'm over at Killer Chicks talking about how to stay in shape while keeping your Butt in the Chair.

Come on over and do a few reps with me.

Monday, January 17, 2011

New release day! [Yes, again]

Available today from Liquid Silver Books


The only full-blooded human member of the winged population on Icarus, Laramee Faulkner has longed to be accepted as one of the tribe. Since childhood, Jaran, the adopted son of the Icarian leaders, has never let Lara forget that she’s different. As a boy, he teased and taunted her. As a man, he has the power to give her everything she’s always desired, or tear her away from the world she loves.


When Jaran chooses Lara as his mate, she’s certain his plan is only to humiliate her, but his passionate kisses and sensual commands ignite her long-suppressed desires. Will she be able to resist the erotic temptation and make him pay for all the years he tormented her, or will she give in and claim her birthright as a member of the Icarian race even if it means giving herself to the man who made her feel like an outcast?


For more information on ICARUS UNBOUND and to read an excerpt visit Liquid Silver Books today!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Uncross My Heart

Now available!

Magick made him human. Only love can keep him that way.


After a century of living Magick made him human. Only love can keep him that way.


After a century of living la vida muerta, Julian Devlin’s closest ally casts a de-vamping spell that leaves him defanged and demoted from his hard-won place in Baltimore’s vampire hierarchy. Disoriented by his transformation, he can’t even find his way home.

The indignities don’t end there. Before he can explain to the quirky consignment shop owner why he’s hiding in her basement, she’s punched the newly re-acquired breath out of him and smacked him upside the head with her knock-off purse.


Zoe Boyd’s scream could have peeled paint from the walls—if she could get her heart out of her throat. Common thugs aren’t supposed to have a smile so panty-melting that she finds herself apologizing for scaring him.

She’s also too busy managing her friends’ love lives to take on an ex-vampire with revamping and revenge on his mind. Until she guides him home and ends up neck deep in his world of trouble.

As Zoe risks her life to give him back his death, she warms the soul Julian never thought he’d own again. And when he tracks down a devilish witch who can reverse the spell, immortality without Zoe suddenly seems like cold comfort…

Warning: This novel contains sensual love scenes between a fashion-forward hero and a fashion-unconscious heroine, abuse of Italian loafers, and a few love bites. Don’t worry, freshly sharpened fangs don’t hurt. Much…

For more info visit Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com or your favorite ebook retailer.

PS: I'm also over at Killer Chicks today, talking about my hero, Julian Devlin.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Wide or narrow reading?

What kind of reader are you? Tell us about it over at Killer Chicks today where JB Lynn is asking about how you read.

I'll be over at KC on Wednesday giving some pointers on a Writer's Workout and how to stay in shape while your Butt is in the Chair.

In the meantime, I'm on cleanout duty at my old house - yep, we're FINALLY selling it. So this week I'll be running around doing real estate related errands while I attempt to work on a new novella.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

The number to beat

is 72.


I read 72 books in 2010. That does include books I've edited and does not include mulitple reads of the same book.


For Christmas I got a Kindle - and I love it! I've read three books on it already [including the instruction manual, though I don't think I'll add that to my Books Read list for 2011.] I'm looking forward to seeing if I'll read more books or less in 2011 because of that. I can already tell I will probably spend more money on books this year, because it's so easy to buy Kindle books. As a consumer - I have to worry a bit, because whenever it's too easy to spend money, well, that's what we consumers do, but as an author I'm thrilled.
Making books easier to buy and easier to read can only help authors everywhere - so maybe the publishing industry, which has suffered just as much as any other industry in our dismal economy, will actually have a bright future.


How many books have you read in 2010?


Were most of them print or digital?

If you get a chance hop over to Killer Chicks for Joann Swanson's post about scary things. What scares you? I'm always afraid of running out of books!



Wednesday, January 05, 2011

I'm a Killer Chick!

On Wednesdays from now on you can find me over at Killer Chicks where I'll be blogging with fellow authors JB Lynn and Joann Swanson. Today I'm talking about me - come find out stuff I bet you never knew.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Move over Christmas...


It's time for someone else to take center stage.

Happy New Year Everyone! See you in 2011!

Monday, December 27, 2010

My apologies to the weather guys

I'm sorry. I take back everything I said early yesterday about how wrong you always are and how much you exaggerate snow storms in order to make people panic and force them out to the stores to boost the economy.

This time you were right.


Here's the upstairs deck - there's more than 15 inches of snow piled up against the door and it gets deeper after that. Nobody was kidding when they said this storm was going to be a bad one.

We're still waiting for the plows to come and plow us back in and so we can dig ourselves out again. I'm so glad nobody has to go anywhere today.

I really hate it when the weather guys are right about stuff like this.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! I hope Santa brought you all you asked for. I'll be relaxing on the couch today with my new Kindle.

What did Santa bring you?

Sunday, December 19, 2010

New in Print!

Rihana has seen a lot in five years working as a psychic for the NYPD, but the murder of a freelance reporter makes her question if she really wants to continue her law enforcement career.


The dark vibe she gets from this case is nothing new, but the main suspect, sexy, enigmatic tattoo artist Heath, leaves her heightened senses burning. She can read him like a book—and she can see his innocence but she can’t prove it. His feral sexual thoughts make her insane with need and her desire for him jeopardizes her job and the investigation.

When she learns the truth about the man who can strip her soul bare with a glance, will she give up everything she knows to flee with him to a safer world? Or will she become a psychic killer in order to destroy a ruthless assassin and put an end to her lover’s exile?



 
SLITHER is now available in print - visit Ellora's Cave for more details!

Thursday, December 09, 2010

The No-Brainer

One of the hazards of raising kids is having to answer all the tough questions they pose. If you've been on the receiving end of any of the golden classics like 'Where do babies come from?' or 'Why is the sky blue?' you know what I mean.

Kids are always putting us parents on the spot, so it's especially refreshing to be asked a question with an easy answer.

My son won the No-Brainer award tonight when he asked me this as we were in the car on the way to pick up my daughter from an after school club:

"Mom, if there was actually, physically, a zombie apocalypse, would you allow me to have a weapon and to kill zombies?"

Gotta love those easy ones.

"Of course," I said. "Not only would I allow it, I'd very likely insist upon it."

DS: "Good."

It's nice that he's thinking ahead. Getting all those pesky permission issues out of the way before the actual, physical zombie apocalypse hits. I'd hate to have to worry about it then.

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Beat the rush!

Get it while it's hot - or maybe before... I was just browsing around over at Amazon.com and noticed that my January release from Samhain is available for PRE-ORDER!

I've never been available for pre-order before. It's so cool.

I asked Santa for a Kindle for Christmas, so if he brings it, I'll think I'll order Uncross my Heart ahead of time, just because I can!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Interview with a Gargoyle


Do you have any questions for the gargoyle?

I do, but they'll have to wait a while. I just signed a contract with Samhain for my full-length paranormal romance, Interview with a Gargoyle.*

Here's the blurb:

Darkness has ruled the life of Blake DeWitt for over a decade. Cursed to spend each day from dawn until dusk encased in the hideous form of a stone gargoyle, he’s reached a new level of desperation. A chance encounter with a dying demon puts cake decorator Melodie McConnell in possession of the key to Blake’s freedom, but only her death will break the curse. How far into darkness will he go to reclaim the light?


*Yes, the title is a play on Interview with a Vampire. And no, actually there's not really an interview involved in the story, but nevertheless, if you have anything you'd like to ask a hunky hero who turns into a gargoyle by day, just let me know and I'll pass it along.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving


Have a happy Turkey Day everyone. I'm off to the kitchen to start cooking. This year the feast is at my house, so I've got a lot to do. I may try to squeeze in some work on a new story later tonight, once I convince the kids that clean up is THEIR job.

This year, despite the economic downturn, I still have a lot to be thankful for. Good friends, family around me, a new home where I'm comfortable and secure, good health and moderate professional success.

May your day be full of love and good food and may all your holidays be happy ones.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Art shot


A peek through the trees at the Easton Tower in Paramus at Saddle River Park. This is from my two-hour walk last week. If I didn't have a massive head cold, I'd be walking today too. [Even though I should be writing]. I thought this picture would make a good 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Is it just me...

...or do you think it's a bad idea for scientists to be teaching e. ecoli bacteria how to solve math puzzles?

This article caught my attention and scared a little bit of the crap out of me also. Apparently researchers can train e. coli [yeah, the really bad bacteria that you don't want to find in your hamburger or your spinach salad] to solve sudoku puzzles.

So as if it's not bad enough that e. coli is smart enough to get into food, now those of us who have trouble solving sudoku puzzles can feel inferior to a bacteria.

Monday, November 15, 2010

I'm on somebody's list

Amazon's list - that is - as of 7:25 PM EST today here is the Amazon Kindle Top 100 Paid Bestseller list, Romance Category:

1. Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts
2. Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
3. Cowgirls Don't Cry by Lorelei James
**4. The Matchmakers by Jennifer Colgan
5. Disintegration by Scott Nicholson
6.Whatever You Like by Maureen Smith
7. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
8. Maggie's Mates by Bronwyn Green
9. Vampire Moon by J. R. Rain
10. The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber
11. Trust Me on This by Jennifer Cruisie
12. Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

Somebody pinch me. I'm on a list with La Nora, Jennifer Cruisie and Janet Evanovich? I must be dreamin'.

**Updated to note: The Matchmakers is holding steady at #2 on the Romance list now.
**And it was just kicked out of #2 by Disintegration by Scott Nicholson, I'm now at #3

Auspicious beginnings

When is a good day to start something new?

I ask because because I realized this weekend as I was gearing up to begin two new projects that I might have been putting off starting on them in order to wait for the 'right time'. You know how a lot of diets start on January 1st or on any given Monday? Some people wait for a full moon, or a new season to embark on a new path in life or an important journey and some people just jump in when the mood strikes.

Which one are you?

I tend to feel like the start of something new should coincide with something. I find I put thing off until other things occur. Usually it's a wait and see thing - let me see how Y goes before I start X. The day after this, I'll do that.

I'm not sure it's a good thing or a bad thing. Does giving a project or a life change or a journey of some kind an auspicious start help it along or is it just an excuse to put off until tomorrow [or a month from now or until the next new millenia] what you can and should be doing today?

I decided this time, I would toss the auspicious beginning out the window and just jump into a new project. So we'll see how it goes.

What about you?

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

A new record

Today marks the day that my contemporary novella, The Rebound Guy, hits the top of my personal best seller list.

Up until now that title has been held, believe it or not, by my very first published story [which is no longer in print at the moment]. The Rebound Guy is about friends who take the plunge and become lovers, taking the chance that their new relationship won't stand the test of time. It's my favorite type of love story and apparently, readers' too - because people seem to be snatching it up like hot cakes.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's read The Rebound Guy - tell me what made you buy it. Was it the hawt guy on the cover? Was it the blurb or the idea that the old 'we can't get together because it would ruin our friendship' song is just a lame excuse?

Talk to me, I know you're out there.

Monday, November 08, 2010

Mini NaNo word count

I wrote 12,559 words over the course of the weekend. Technically this tells me I could write a full novel in 20 days if given the right conditions [conditions which could never actually exist, but nevertheless, it is a remote possibility.]

The down side is only about 3,000 of those words actually stand a change of being published one day. Most of what I wrote involves a story I now realize I will likely never finish because it's just not interesting enough.

Are you NaNo'ing? If so, how's it going?

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Smell Like A Monster

I was just surfing over to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and I saw they'd posted this video, which has to be the funniest thing I've seen since...well, since I saw the actual commercial.

Check it out.

Friday, November 05, 2010

MiniNaNoVaCay

That about sums up my weekend. I get a mini-vacation while DH and the kids tackle a gaming marathon at UberCon. I spent the week trying to decide if I wanted to go for a Spa Mini Vacation - where I take long walks, bubble baths, paint my toenails and sit with my feet up watching sappy movies, or if I wanted to do a Mini NaNo.

Let me tell you it was a tough decision. Being as November is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month and so many of my writer friends are digging into their writer caves to turn out 50,000 words in 30 days, I figured it was fitting that do some NaNo'ing of my own. Last year my Mini NaNo produced Icarus Rising which is now available from Liquid Silver Books, and also a good portion of Icarus Unbound which will be coming soon from LSB. Those books have spawned two more, which are currently on my drawing table, but as much fun as Bernadette's world of flying hotties is, I felt like I needed a change, so I cooked up a contemporary plot and decided I'd throw myself into writing for the next couple of days while I don't have to do any cooking, laundry or ferrying of kids to or from school.

I have to say, it's still a hard decision to sit down and write non-stop for any length of time. The decision not to sit around and watch TV all weekend was easy - I have a hard time doing nothing, but it's been especially difficult for me lately to concentrate on writing [notice how I'm blogging now, btw, not writing fiction]. This weekend was supposed to be an experiment to see if my brain still worked well enough to put a decent amount of words on paper. I need to get in the zone...which has been disturbingly illusive lately.

I still don't know if I'm going to accomplish any real NaNo'ing this weekend [or should that be NoWri'ing?] We'll, either way I still plan to enjoy having the house to myself while DH and the kids battle gamer funk* and try to avoid catching Con Plague**.

I'll let you know how many words I actually do produce. Wish me luck and maybe next year I'll be telling you where you can pick up a copy of this year's MiniNaNoVaCay novella.

*Gamer Funk - the aroma of unwashed gamers who hardly eat and barely shower during a convention

** Con Plague - also known as Nerd Flu - the major head cold you get about a week after returning from a Convention

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Speaking of years

The other day was Samhain Publishing's Fifth Birthday and that got me to thinking about how long I've been doing this writing stuff. It seems like I've always been a writer - since I was ten years old anyway and a school friend of mine and I decided to write our own soap opera. We created a cast of characters and gave them all complicated lives and problems. That was more than 30 years ago [yes, I'm that old] and we didn't follow the characters for very long, but I remember the creative process very well.

I'd like to say who would have thought then that I really would be a published author today, but I did think it at the time. Once I caught the writing bug, I dreamed of seeing my book on shelves, of doing book signings and appearing on talk shows to talk about how cool it is to be a full time writer.

Well, 30+ years later, I've seen my books in stores, and I've sat at a table and had people line up to have me sign copies of my books for them [it's just as much fun as I always imagined]. I've never been on a talk show, but I have been interviewed a number of times and that's cool too.

I've been published for five years, and oddly enough, I've been blogging for five years too - hard to believe I've managed to fill up my little corner of cyberspace with so much talk. It's been a long, often tedious journey and I know I still have a long way to go.

How about you? How long has your journey been? Where are you headed?

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

I'm Free!

Okay, well, I'm not free, but one of my books is.

From now until November 14, 2010, you can pick up the Kindle edition of The Matchmakers for absolutely FREE at Amazon.com.


Currently The Matchmakers is out-freeing the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lewis Carroll and Jane Austen, and it tops the Best Selling 100 Free Kindle Book list for Romance. My goal is to keep it there for the entire two weeks, so drop by Amazon and pick yourself up a copy of the The Matchmakers today!

Monday, November 01, 2010

Happy Birthday Samhain!

Today, Samhain Publishing turns five years old today and I'll be over at Samhain Cafe helping to celebrate by posting excerpts from all of my Samhain titles and my next release - Uncross My Heart.

Drop by the cafe and say hello!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samhaincafe/?yguid=113644739

Friday, October 29, 2010

How often...

...do you beat yourself up?

Weird question, I know. I ask because I find I beat myself up a lot. And it's never a fair fight. Whenever I screw something up, which is quite often, I tend to take it to heart and question all of my abilities. What's wrong with me? How could I make that mistake? Why didn't I do this or that differently? Is everything I've done since also wrong in some way?


It's miserable and counterproductive, and yet I can't stop sometimes. I hate beating myself up, yet I often feel like I need to be beat up a little bit, to take my lumps because just picking myself up, dusting myself off and walking away from a mistake with my head held high seems so…arrogant. Shouldn’t we suffer at least a little humility when we make a mistake?

I have to admit I envy people who can let mistakes roll off them like water. They don't sweat it, they don't fret, they don't feel bad for a moment. They don't waste any time beating themselves up, no mental black eyes or bloody noses for them. They just move on – sometimes to the next mistake, but at least they're moving.

Meanwhile, I'm the one in the ring with the gloves on trying to knock myself out.

When you make a mistake, large or small, do you beat yourself up or let it roll off you and move on?

Monday, October 25, 2010

The play's the thing

I was in CVS on Saturday and just happened to peruse the small selection of books they have – mostly out of curiosity, since I tend to buy my books from mail order distributors where the prices are better.

One title caught my eye right away. I was drawn to the dark, spooky looking cover and it took me a minute to realize why the image didn't quite make sense to me.

The title was Eat, Prey, Love. But this was not the blockbuster book/movie by Elizabeth Gilbert which I had just finished reading, btw. This book was the new paranormal Avon release by Kerrelyn Sparks. I read the blurb and decided against buying the book [the word 'orphans' put me off], but I had to give props to the author who will certainly get a lot of attention for her book by choosing a play on words that will have fans of Eat, Pray, Love [and there are millions of them] looking twice.

I've had a bit of a sideways relationship with the clever play on words title. One of my earliest books, Bonfire of the Vampires [not currently available] was a play on Bonfire of the Vanities. And I'm still looking for a home for my paranormal romance Interview with a Gargoyle. I'm not an Ann Rice fan but hey, the title works.

I wonder if using a play on words really does boost sales of books like Julie Kenner's The Givenchy Code or Demons Are Forever.

What do you think? Do you find a play on words title to be clever or lazy? Do you think it generates interest in the author's work or just confusion?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

There's a ghost on my deck

In keeping with the spirit [LOL] of the season, I took this spooky picture of the ghost that inhabits my back deck.



He's nervous because in a few days he's going to be polyurathaned {sp?}.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

It's 10/13

This is a sequel to a post from November 2005 - where I talked about always noticing the time when it's 10:13 - and how it's sort of been a guidepost for me. If it's 10:13 - I can figure I'm on track somehow. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and eventyually I'll get where I'm supposed to be going.

So today was 10/13 - [yeah, I know, there's one every year] but this year I happened to notice when it was 10:13 AM also.

Nothing special was happening at 10:13 AM on 10/13. I was at my office - and my boss and I had just come across a rather glaring error having to do with the distribution of meeting minutes. He gave me the wrong ones to distribute. I distributed them. Everybody voted on them thinking they were the right minutes. The only reason we found out they were the wrong ones was that someone noticed a typo which turned out actually not to be a typo when we tracked it down, but that led to the discovery that we had the wrong pages to begin with.

Either way, not the finest hour of the day. The right minutes got found, copied and distributed and will be voted on appropriately - so I wonder, was 10:13 on 10/13 telling me it's all good, even when it's slightly screwed up? Or is it just a time of day, a day out of the year like any other?

What were you doing at 10:13 today?

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Exercise your right to vote!

Not into politics? That's okay. You can go over to Whipped Cream Reviews and vote for Slither for Book of the Week!

Read the 4.5 Cherry Review HERE!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Release Day!

Available today from Samhain Publishing:



Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1-60928-214-1
Length: Novella

Price: $3.50 Get it during release week for $3.15!


Separated in time. United by forbidden passion...
 
This book has been previously published.


Warning: This title contains explicit, forbidden sex, ritual sex, a sex god, and naughty hieroglyphics.


Read an excerpt HERE!

Friday, October 01, 2010

Laugh of the Day

Watching Smallville tonight where Michael Shanks, Stargate SG-1's resident archeologist Daniel Jackson, is guest starring as...well, as Hawkman, who also happens to be an archeologist and is excavating a newly discovered tomb of Iciss.

I'm waiting with baited breath for someone's eyes to start glowing.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Shout out for a Diva

Romance Divas own Eden Bradley has a new book available! Check it out at Samhain!

BLOODSONG
, Book Two Eden Bradley's Midnight Playground series, is out today from Samhain Publishing! You can find it at MBaM, Amazon, and other retail outlets!

An ancient vampire, an ancient grief…a love that makes his blood sing…

Midnight Playground, Book 2

London, 2069

Aleron is ancient, powerful, immortal…a vampire who idles away his time playing at his favorite haunt, Midnight Playground. His favorite toys: beautiful young men. His game: BDSM, experiencing through the minds of his partners the sensations he can no longer quite feel himself.

The one thing he has vowed to avoid at all costs is love, especially for a woman. In a hundred years he has never been tempted to break that vow—until a lovely mortal woman enters his dungeon to watch him play. And his blood hums the ancient song of long-forgotten desire.

Raised in the Indian slums of London, exotic dancer Meeraj enters Midnight Playground a woman with nothing left to lose, numb to all but the most extreme forms of stimulation. As she watches Aleron’s blood play, she knows only his razor-sharp skills will satisfy. And she catches an odd mental glimpse of the grief that shadows his heart.
From their first touch, they are caught up in a whirlwind of exquisite agony that releases their emotions from the weight of the past. Exposing them to risks they’ve both fought to avoid. Love…and loss.
***

Visit the Smutketeers blog for contests running all week long to celebrate the release of BLOODSONG!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Esta bien!

I've been interviewed at Soy Cazadora de Sombras y Libros. Come check it out - don't worry, you don't need to read Spanish. The interview appears in English also.

http://soycazadoradesombrasylibros.blogspot.com/2010/09/entrevista-en-exclusiva-jennifer.html

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Tales from a blackout

Oh, the drama.

Last night our power went out during a freak lightning storm. DH and I were at Back to School Night when the kids called us. They were home with my mother, sitting in the dark while the dog peed himself because storms make him lose both his mind and his bladder.

We missed out the school refreshments [which were to be the high point of my evening] and hurried home to dig up flashlights and light candles. Once we were all safely assembled around the dining room table watching the tiny flame of one of my jar candles, my husband anounced "This is why I could never handle an apocalypse."

Hmm. Yeah. Because in an apocalypse the biggest thing you'd have to worry about is stepping in a puddle of dog pee in the dark.

My son fretted because our alarm system was off line. I told him "You've survived the last 12 years of your life with no alarm system. You can manage for one night."

"But someone could just walk right in," he replied.

"Um...we DO have locks on the doors and a...well, a dog, for what he's worth. I'm sure we'll be fine."

Then the carbon monoxide detector in his room started beeping - not because it detected anything but because the battery was low. Without thinking I suggested we unplug it, and DH asked, "What would that accomplish?"

DS pipes up with: "My death."

So in addition to burglars, he's worried about carbon monoxide poisoning while he sits in the dark.

I prayed the lights would come on soon because things were just getting out of hand. Of course leave it my daughter to save the day. She brought out a pack of cards and offered to teach me Egyptian Ratscrew.

As much as I was not in the frame of mind to screw any rats I agreed and before long I was slapping sandwiches left and right [this is still a basically PG rated blog, so don't worry.]

After she beat me at Ratscrew, I decided to go to bed. Darkness and boredom tend to make me sleepy. I'd just closed my eyes when the lights came back on and order was restored to the universe.

I'm so glad it wasn't an apocalypse. I can't imagine the drama that would have caused.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Lost and Found

I've blogged about the art of losing things before. I'm a maestro [sp?] when it comes to misplacing things and the things I lose have a tendency to resurface years later in a place that I could have sworn I looked.

Today I took my mother to the doctor and there was a women in the waiting room who had lost her keys. Clearly they had to be somewhere in or around the office since she'd managed to get there, but there was no trace of them in her purse, the exam room or the waiting room. I imagine she finally found them out in the parking lot because she did evantually go outside and she didn't come back. All the while she, and the rest of us, where searching for her keys, she kept saying, "They'll turn up." And of course, she was right because they HAD to be somewhere in the vicinity.

I wish I could have that attitude when I've lost something. It'll turn up. It usually does. Sometimes decades later, but it does. I'm not that calm about the whole thing. Usually I panic when I lose something, not so much because whatever the item is can't be replaced [even a set of keys can be remade, as much os a nuisance as it might be]. It's more the idea that I should have put the object in the right place, I shoudl have kept better track of it. I'm more angry at myself than at the universe.

Today, it's funny, I learned a new feeling that goes along with losing something and finding it again. I was in a mild panic because I trekked all the way to the bank to retrieve a document from my safety deposit box, and the document wasn't there. My first instinct was to tell myself, therefore it must be at home. It was not in the first place I looked when I got home, but it was in the second place I looked, so naturally I was relieved I hadn't lost it, but instead of being able to leave it at that, the relief was immediately replaced by a nagging fear that I will now misplace the document again.

Silly, I know. I know where it is. It's a logical, safe place that I should be able to recall if I need it, but still I had to check the spot several times and worry that maybe I should put the document somewhere else.  Finding it just wasn't enough, now I have to go overboard to make sure I don't misplace it again.

Maybe it's me. Maybe it's just that losing something is so traumatic I have to try to protect myself from having to deal with it. Maybe I'm just neurotic, but it's not enough to say, "It'll turn up." I need to know it will always be where I need it to be.

How do you feel when you misplace something? Do you get angry at yourself, angry at the universe or do you just gamely keep looking and tell yourself you'll find it eventually because ultimately it's around somewhere?

Monday, September 20, 2010

So many stories

As thrilled as I am to be working on more ideas for the Icarus Reborn series, I'm still nagged by all the other sequels and series and stories I've wanted to write over the years.

I keep a running list of ideas, many of which have been on the list for years and just haven't gotten to them. Granted some of the ideas were a bit lame, or thinly plotted, some are no more than a sentence or two defining a very vague plot, others are full five-page synopses of stories that are completely written in my head and just need to be spilled out onto paper.

If I had a team of assistants who could transcribe ideas directly from my brain I might have a chance of seeing all these stories finished one day, but I'm sure then they'd only be replaced with yet more ideas.

How many ideas do you have in reserve? Does it frustrate you not to have them all on paper at once?