Release Day! GOING DEEP

Check out my new release at Ellora's Cave today!

Going Deep is one of my spiciest stories - and since I'm in the mood to spice things up even more - I've decided to run an impromptu contest this weekend!

CONTEST!!!

I'll leave this post up until Monday and between now and then, read the excerpt below and leave me a blog comment! I'll choose ONE WINNER on Monday to receive a free copy of my EC book Rogue Theta. [Though each book is standalone, Going Deep takes place on the space station featured in Rogue Theta].

The Excerpt:

The lead male stopped, only inches from Del. His eyes smoldered and Celia stared at him, cowed by the anger in his expression.

“Are you going to defy Meydala’s wishes, Del? We do this on her orders.”

Meydala? What could she have to do with this intrusion?

“In time she will see that this will only increase our suffering in the end.”

“What suffering? Del, what’s happening?” The one he’d called Arnav reached around Del and gripped Celia’s arm so tightly she winced. The other drew a long, bone white dagger from behind the belt of his enviro suit and brandished it at Del.

“We were instructed not to harm either of you, Del, but if you resist, we will have no choice. I can spill your blood or hers. Who will cooperate better if the other is injured?”

Del and the nameless one stared each other down and Arnav wrapped his arms around Celia. Finally, Del relented. His shoulders slumped, but he held his fellow UMEs with a look of such contempt it made Celia shudder. He turned his back on the intruders then and grabbed a breather from the wall. With deft fingers, he removed the cartridge and slipped it into the atomizer.

“Del, what are you doing?” Celia’s blood pounded in her ears. Dear God, could Captain Ganesh have been right about him?

“Last time the mix was incorrect. I’m responsible for your accident and I beg your forgiveness. This time, you will sleep and wake up with no ill effects.”

“Del!” Cold terror laced through Celia’s limbs. She struggled against Arnav’s vice-like grip, but he only squeezed tighter until she began to have trouble breathing.

The other UME stepped back, tucked his blade away and made room for Del to stand in front of Celia.

“You should have run,” Del said, regret thickening his voice. “I wanted you to be safe.”

“Del, please, tell me what’s going on.” She writhed in Arnav’s grasp, desperate to break free, to find answers and to locate the man who’d left her panting his name in ecstasy a few hours before.

Del replaced the newly refilled breather cartridge and fit the device over Celia’s nose and mouth, effectively cutting off any more conversation on her part. Wide eyed, she glared at him, but he refused to meet her gaze.

“Just breathe deeply, Celia. I’ll see that you are not harmed.”

Celia held her breath in defiance. She couldn’t resist for long, though. Del brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “I give you my word, your life is my responsibility and I will not allow anyone to hurt you.”

With that, he placed a hand in the center of her chest. A deep rumbling vibration emanated from his body, through his arm and into her rib cage. The inner pressure on her lungs increased as though a two-ton weight were pressing on her heart. The sensation made it impossible for her to hold her breath, and finally, defeated and terrified, she gulped in huge amounts of the tainted air hissing into the faceplate of her breather.

Del dropped his arm and Celia sagged against her captor. Her body became steadily heavier until she could do nothing more than hang limp in Arnav’s grasp. He and his companion lifted her and carried her to the moon pool.

Celia wanted to scream. She would have panicked but whatever sweet-smelling concoction flooded her lungs left her without the will to fight. She forced her tired eyes to follow Del, who slipped into the pool, then turned to help the others lower her into the water.

“If all goes well, Del Mar, perhaps you can petition the queen to allow you to impregnate this one. I hear human females are quite willing and well skilled when their legs are spread.” Arnav chuckled as he adjusted his grip around Celia’s waist.

Del glared over Celia’s head, and the steel edge in his voice made her shiver. “Speak of Dr. Weston that way again, Arnav, and I will kill you in your sleep.”

Celia had no doubt Del meant every word. She closed her eyes to block out the heartbreaking sight of him and blackness stole over her like a shroud.

***

No questions to answer, nothing to buy, just leave me a comment about the excerpt, or just say hi and you'll be entered to win! I'll announce the winner on MONDAY, MARCH 9th.

To find out more about Going Deep visit EllorasCave.com!

Pieces of a writer's brain

I tend to leave half formed thoughts all over the place. My brain leaks all over any blank page I find and then sometimes I forget why I wrote something.

Case in point today - I was filling up a notebook with the novella I'm working on and I got to the last page in the book and found this snippet of something:

A strip of yellow police tape adhered to the scratched inner surface.

That's it. Just that on a page. I have no idea when I wrote it or what I was writing about. It must have been important since I bothered to write it down, but I have no idea if it ever made it any farther than this scribbled note.

I'm bummed because any time there's police tape involved, you figure the story has to be interesting on some level. Now the question is, do I save this page and hope someday to find the story it was supposed to go to? Or do I let it go, and assume that whatever the scene was either got written or didn't but that either way, it really doesn't matter?

Little Treasures

My post today is about the fun of finding something unexpected. As an epilogue to yesterday's cleaning frenzy, DH decided to rummage in the kitchen cabinets and you never know what you'll find up there.


Now in addition to our regular cabinets, we have a row of small, rectangular cubby holes on top of our cabinets. They are covered by magnetic panels rather than hinged cabinet doors. They're hard to reach, so I use them only to store those few things that I don't want to part with but that I rarely use.


DH found a container of old silverware up there, which was a good thing, because we actually could use some extra silverware. He found cookie cutters and a bag of old kitchen magnets and all the extra serving spoons I keep on hand just in case I have to do a lot of serving.


Plus, he found something that had to have been up there for more than a decade. This little bench was sitting in one of the cubbies - never found before in all my excursions up there. I wonder if a little Faerie might have placed it there?



I have no idea where it came from and I certainly wished I'd found it back when I was making doll houses. It would have been perfect on the porch of my ranch house.

In addition to this little treasure, I got another nice surprise today:

Strange New World received an 85 from Mrs. Giggles!

Strange New World, I feel, is the perfect nibble-sized read in between action-driven romantic urban fantasy romances...


I think I'll imagine myself sitting on my little bench, basking in the glow of a great review.

I'm in Bizarro World

I have crossed into an alternate universe this weekend.

I don't know how I got here, but I know I never want to leave.

You see, as I sit here blogging, DH is scrubbing the kitchen floor!

I know! It's like...so weird. He's been on a bender all weekend - it started with a trip to Home Depot on Friday night. He came home with a can of paint and roller covers and plastic drop cloths. He proceeded to clean the stove and the microwave, then yesterday morning he painted the ceilings in the bathroom, the hallway and the kitchen.

Now, for some of you, this might seem commonplace. The husband doing chores and home-fix-ups on the weekend is practically an American institution, but in my house my husband touts himself as the 'Anti-Bob Vila'. He is not a do-it-yourselfer by any means, unless he's fixing a computer.

As he was soaking the knobs from the stove and polishing my vegetable plaques from the kitchen wall, I asked what got into him...well it was more like: "Which alien took over your body?"

He told me it was Gordon Ramsay, the F-word chef. Ever since we got BBC America he's been glued to Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and the F-Word. He can't get enough of Chef Ramsay's explitive laced tough-love and he's suddenly realized that cleanliness is next to impossible in a home with two cats, two kids and a large dog.

I've been trying to help by staying out of his way.

I don't know how long this trip to Bizarro land will last, but I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I'm off now to write a thank you to Chef Ramsay and invite him over for dinner.

Life imitates art!

For a wonderful real life love story, drop by Star-Crossed Romance today to read about the engagement of my fellow writer/blogger Skylar Massey!

Bonus for the week!

In addition to having a new release this week, I also just received the cover art for my next Ellora's Cave release and it ROCKS!


Coming in March - GOING DEEP by Bernadette Gardner


BLURB:

Forbidden desires plague Dr. Celia Weston, head of the Underwater Maintenance Engineering project on Gavrel Space Station. Celia’s fascination for the bio-engineered aquatic humanoids who care for the habitat’s ocean grows each day. Sleek, strong and graceful, the UMEs have begun to develop patterns of behavior and beliefs that their creators had not planned for. When her attraction to a UME male named Del leads Celia to finally indulge in her long-suppressed sexual fantasies, she endangers her job and the future of the UMEs aboard Gavrel.

In order to save their species and secure the rights they deserve, Del is urged by the leader of his people to use Dr. Weston as a pawn in a political coup. Celia risks everything for the ecstasy of Del’s electrifying touch, but can she convince two races to accept their relationship and work together to save the doomed ocean?


*Going Deep takes place in the same universe as my previous EC releases Rogue Heart and Rogue Theta, but is a standalone story.

New Release Today!

I'm a little late in posting today - had to work both jobs and take DD to the orthodontist. Now I'm sitting down and trying to generate some code to update my blog and my website with details of my BRAND NEW RELEASE!


Available today from Samhain Publishing - is my sexy adventure novella:


Blurb:

While photographing wildlife and landscapes in the stark Nevada desert, Chase Calder is caught in a sudden electrical storm. He awakens a prisoner in a high-security Air Force base under the care of seductive microbiologist, Martina Sanchez.

Calder’s accidental exposure to the Acheron beam—designed to decontaminate areas of overgrown plant life—is supposed to have no side effects, but Martina soon discovers Chase Calder is much more than he seems. His touch not only melts her cool professional resolve, it also melts steel walls. Finally having found the proof she needs to expose Acheron for the danger it presents, she risks all to break the sexy photographer out of the base. Together they flee to safety and find something more dangerous than a super weapon when their passion ignites.

***

A short excerpt from Strange New World


Long, feminine fingers caressed the tense muscles of his neck, and Chase’s heartbeat ramped up in response. The sweet, musky scent of a light perfume teased his sleepy senses, and warm breath laced with mint tickled his ear.

His mind rebelled, too weary to think of anything except dark oblivion, but his libido began to stir.

His cock thrummed to attention when those soft hands grazed his thigh. Sleep could wait. If his woman wanted him…his woman?

“Brett?” The moment her name passed his lips, he remembered. Their divorce had been…acrimonious and mostly his fault, but he still missed her now and then. More so now, with a hard-on straining against his Jockeys.

“Who’s Brett?”

The voice brought him instantly and completely awake. He stared up into mocha brown eyes rimmed with thick, black lashes. Soulful. Sexy.

Before Chase could focus, she brought a pair of thick-rimmed eyeglasses down to rest on her nose, as if she were erecting a shield between his curious gaze and hers.

“Who?”

Her lips, painted a tempting shade of coral, pursed in consternation. “You called me Brett.”

“Sorry. I was dreaming.” Bit by bit, Chase’s senses returned. The warm, fuzzy feeling of arousal lingered, but cold fingers of reality crept into his brain as he took inventory of his surroundings.

Long, fluorescent lights stretched across the stark, white ceiling above him. Square tiles in a familiar shade of institutional green lined the three visible walls. A metal door, set with wired glass, held a heavy locking bar—the kind they put on walk-in freezers. The place smelled like a hospital, but something distinctly sinister flavored the chilly air. Where the hell was he, and how had he gotten here?

“Who are you? What happened to me?” Chase craned his neck to get a better look at the woman. Waves of chestnut hair fell to her lab-coated shoulders. Trim lines of a delicate sapphire blouse peaked out beneath the starched white lapels. A laminated ID badge came into focus, and she answered as he read her name.

“I’m Dr. Sanchez. Martina Sanchez. You’re safe, Mr. Calder, and apparently uninjured. As for what happened to you, I’m hoping you can tell me.”

I’m naked. Chase ruminated on that for a moment. Except for his underwear and a thin paper sheet that covered him from knees to nipples, he wore nothing.

His heart rate increased again when he realized his wrists and ankles were secured to the chrome rails of the bed on which he lay. Instinct forced him to test the bonds. The bed frame rattled, and the sexy doctor stepped back.

A face that made Frankenstein’s monster look friendly appeared in the cross-hatched square of glass set into the metal door. The doctor waved one delicate hand at the apparition, and it disappeared.

“What the hell was that? Why am I tied down?”

“Relax, Mr. Calder. Nothing can hurt you here. The man outside is Sergeant Baker, my bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard? Sweetheart, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. I’m not going to hurt anybody.” As long as they don’t hurt me first.

Dr. Sanchez placed a cool hand on Chase’s shoulder. A teasing whiff of her perfume momentarily drew his thoughts away from his predicament.

“That’s what we’re trying to determine. Now, if you would answer some questions for me, we can keep Sergeant Baker in the other room where he belongs.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He wanted to add that he had nothing to hide, but that would only make it seem like he did. Whatever was happening here was serious shit.

“Good. Now, what were you doing on restricted land?”

To read another excerpt visit Samhain Publishing!

*Warning: This title contains explicit sex, molten metal and a clingy, wet nightgown.

Anyone looking for British Bachelors?

Apparently I am. According to my bank records anyway.

Yesterday I went into my online bank account to check my balance. I have a small checking account that I use just for fun stuff and DD had given me some money because she wanted to purchase something on line and I told her I would use my account. I noticed a slight discrepancy in the balance from what I had in my records so I looked at the transaction history and discovered two charges from Match.com – fortunately along with two credits from Match.com – however, the credits were for slightly less than the charges.

I called the bank immediately and of course now they have to close my account number, give me a new card and start a dispute of the charges – which ultimately amount to $1.22 thanks to those credits, but still, that’s $1.22 I don’t owe Match.com.

The bank rep I spoke to told me in order to find out why the credits are for less than the charges I have to call Match.com...so I asked her if there was a phone number associated with the transactions and she said yes...but it was out of GREAT BRITAIN.

Yeah. I’m not calling England. As much as I like the mother country, I don’t need to be put on hold during an overseas call so some customer service rep can tell me ‘We have no record of your account.’ Since of course they don’t, since I’m not registered with them.

The bank is sending me a form to file a dispute of the charges so I can get my $1.22 back, which should take something like 6 to 8 weeks. Yay! Until I get a new card, the balance I have in the account is, of course, frozen. Sigh.

My feeling is, Match.com of Great Britain at least owes me $1.22 worth of a cute British Bachelor. I’m off to look for one.

I'll be here

Until winter is over. My cell phone will be OFF.

It feels like a bummer even when it's not

You know that old saying, Be Careful What You Wish For?

I usually abide by it – being careful to examine the pros and cons of anything I might want. I more often than not decide getting something isn’t as much fun as wanting it.
Except when it comes to romance.

Let’s face it, the reason I write romance is because I’m a frustrated shipper. There have been so many love stories I’ve rooted for, then been bitterly disappointed at the way they played out...Mulder and Scully, Sam Carter and Jack O’Neill, Chloe Sullivan and Clark Kent...the list goes on.

Yesterday I was perusing the new TV Guide and I found out that I will be getting something I wished for. And now I’m not sure I’m happy about knowing.

The Guide let spill [and I do have to question why?] that Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan from BONES will finally be ‘hooking up’ in this year’s season finale. When I read this I said...Oh yay!...oh. Yay?

First of all, what’s the point of dragging out a shippy relationship if you’re just going to spill the beans to TV Guide before it gets fun? Half the enjoyment of being a hopeless shipper is tuning in each week with your fingers crossed that your favorite couple will take another baby step closer to third base.

Don’t get me wrong, for once, it will be nice to get to see a couple actually become a couple rather than having to write fan fic about it. But seriously – now that I know, the hoping, wishing and wanting isn’t as much fun anymore. They might as well just air the finale now and get it over with.

Small BSG Rant

As if we weren't on the edge of our seats wondering who the 'FINAL' Cylon was - now that we know, they tell us, oh, wait...there's still ONE MORE DAMN CYLON!!


So, who do you think the No. 7 Daniel model will be??


If I had my way -- it would turn out to be Daniel Jackson.



Just sayin'.

The perfect gift!

The perfect Valentine's Day gift has now been invented. It covers all the bases a woman looks for in gifting, so all you guys out there listen up and take notes.



Two simple words.





CHOCOLATE DIAMONDS.

Have a good one!

The Devil broke the clock

I figured this might be an appropriate post for Friday the 13th – a day steeped in superstition.

Yesterday I had to take DD to the doctor. She’s had a really bad cold that morphed into a disturbing cough, so yesterday we spent the afternoon in the pediatrician’s office. In the office they have a very cool playscape where the kids who are not sick are allowed to play. {I’m so glad my kids have outgrown this – I was tired of bringing them home from the doctor with rug burns on their bellies from sliding backwards down the slide which is covered oddly enough by carpet}. Anyway, there were two little boys playing in the playscape where a large wooden clock dominates the back wall of the lower section. The hands on the clock don’t work [never have]. They just flop around lazily because I imagine none of the doctor’s office staff can climb into the small space with a screw driver or a wrench or what have you to tighten the bolt that holds them on the clock.

One boy was trying without success to position the clock hands and when he realized nothing he was going to do would work, he announced: “The Devil broke the clock.”

I chuckled to myself because there are a lot of things a four year-old could have said that would not have been as cute and I thought it was funny that we often blame the Devil when we do things wrong [The Devil made me do it] but you hear it less invoked when something else goes wrong. Like maybe the Devil broke the economy?? There’s a thought.

Anyway after my laugh I started to wonder if this was just the ramblings of a little kid’s mind or if this poor child was being brought up to believe that anything that goes wrong must be the work of the Devil or similar evil forces. Society over the centuries has been obsessed with assigning bad deeds to evil spirits. It explained all types of bad mojo like comets, plagues, shipwrecks, physical and mental illnesses. It was easier than finding out the true cause of a hardship or tragedy. Blame it on evil spirits. Of course many have suffered over the years for those beliefs. After all, if you are possessed by evil spirits, it’s long been considered all right to torture, kill or imprison you. So I had to wonder what kind of disservice is a parent doing to a child by teaching them that the Devil, or evil spirits of any kind is responsible for bad things that happen. Doesn’t that prevent the child then from developing a curiosity as to what is the real cause behind a problem and possibly discovering how to fix it?

Blaming the Devil when things go wrong is, in my opinion, counterproductive since it provides no recourse to prevent them from going wrong in the future.

Do you tend to believe in an evil force in the universe that causes bad things to happen or do you instead believe that things happen in a random manner that is sometimes good and sometimes bad but never actually planned by any intelligent force, whether good or evil?

I know that’s a heavy question for a Friday. Call it mental calisthenics. If it gives you a headache to think about it – blame the Devil.

I can't get enough

Get yer mind outta the gutter! I’m talking about dish washing liquid.

Now you’re thinking – oh no. She’s really lost it this time.

You may be right. But in losing my mind I have learned something and for that I must extend an apology to my old friend, Robin.

Years ago on an occasion I was visiting my friend at her home, she was showing me around and we ended up in her finished basement where, like many people, she had a set of shelves for keeping non-perishable supplies – you know, canned goods, paper goods – the stuff you buy when it’s cheap so you don’t have to buy it when it’s expensive. I recall to this day seeing that she had several DOZEN bottles of dish washing liquid on one of her shelves.

So I had asked her, “WTF with all the detergent? Do you like doing dishes that much?”
She laughed and explained that she couldn’t help herself. “When it’s on sale, I have to buy it.”

It was one of those images that stayed with me, and for a long time I wondered why. Then, this weekend as I was trudging downstairs to add my TWELFTH bottle of dish washing liquid to my stash, I realized why it all still seemed so fresh in my head. I’m doing it too.

Of course, how can you resist? This week, Shop Rite had Sun Light on sale for $0.99. PLUS I had a coupon for $0.25 off which they doubled – so it came out to $0.49. You can’t go wrong! Anything that only costs $0.49 these days is worth buying, even if you already have 11 of them.

Yes, I know. I could have put that $0.49 in a high-yield interest bearing account and at today’s rates I’d have...let’s see...$1.50 in 200 years. But if you calculate the average rate of dish liquid usage in my house, in only three short years I could be enjoying that bottle of Cucumber Melon scented Sun Light. Assuming I follow proper stock rotation procedures of course.

You have to weigh your options. So the point is, I’m sorry, Robin. All these years I’ve harbored the secret belief that you were a little bit nuts. Now I know the truth.

Off to wash some dishes.

This week on: Bargain Hunters!

Originally I wasn't going to blog today - I've been working on an 'every other day/ odd day' schedule that's been working pretty well, but I just had to post about today's big bargain...well one of them.

My friend K and I went to the Dollar Store - can't go wrong there, and lo and behold she came across a bin of trellis yarn.
It's a very thin ribbon-like yarn that makes nice shawls and scarves. Normally it sells for [I kid you not!] $6.99 a skein. At a dollar a skein, you can't go wrong, so I bought six!

I had bought one skein a while back just to try it out in the blue ice color and made a really cute scarf using my Knifty Knitter. The scarf goes with my blue sweater - this time I bought the dark jewel colors [shown in the picture] and a lighter rainbow color and some super thin black and silver color. Here's a picture of the scarf I made:

It comes out very stretchy and mesh-like. It's a bit scratchy so it's not anything you wear for warmth, but it sparkles so it's a nice accessory.

I'm going to try for some thinner, longer ones that maybe DD can use as belts with her jeans.

And no, I didn't do any of that WIP work I was going to do today. But in my defense I DID think about writing on the way home from food shopping. Know what that got me? Thoughts about another WIP to work on. I'm going to go clear my head with some knifty knitting.

It's a conspiracy

Sometimes I have to ask myself why I bother trying to get the laundry done? Clearly some higher power doesn't ever want the day to come that I can say, "Gee, all the clothes, towels, sheets, etc, are finally all clean!"

This weekend was supposed to be one of those 'catch up on everything' weekends. Everybody is out but me - and I actually like it that way. DD had a sleepover which spilled into a birthday party today. DS and DH are at the NY Comic Con and I'm home with BIG plans to do the laundry and sit down with all my WIPs spread out around me and decide which one deserves to be finished first.

So I started by taking down the kitchen curtains to wash because the cats have made a mockery of them. Did that load, straightened up the house, went through all the superfluous paperwork on my desk, paid a few bills. Then I tossed in another load of laundry and folded towels, checked my e-mail etc. Now comes time for the third load and as I'm walking down the basement stairs I see wet cat footprints.

Hmm.

So I have to wonder, who has been doing what and why. I follow the wet footprints to a puddle on the basement floor. A big puddle. Great. Something is leaking and it has to do with the washing machine. Which means I can't do any more laundry until I find out what's wrong or buy a small canoe for getting around in the basement.

Hugh SIGH.

I suppose I should look at this as the universe telling me to forget the laundry and sit down and work on my stories...but really it just seems more like the universe is laughing its butt off at my expense - and by expense I mean whatever I will have to pay the plumber to fix the frakkin' leak.

Another clunker in the romance department

So why can't movies seem to get it right these days?

I know - I shouldn't really complain about any movie that was nominated for a Razzie award (nor should I have watched one) but when something is billed as a romantic comedy, it should at least warrant a look see.

Not so for My Best Friend's Girl with Kate Hudson and Dane Cook. I'm not going to mention the crude humor or vulgarity as negative points because these are in fact listed on the DVD cover as enticements for people to plunk down their hard earned cash. I'm going to just concentrate on the structure of the 'romance.'

The story revolves around Cook's character, Tank, who makes a nice side living terrorizing women into running back to the boyfriends they've dumped. He shows them how good they had it by being the date from hell. When his best friend/cousin Dustin asks for his help in getting the girl he loves, Alexis, [Kate] to realize he's marriage worthy material, Tank is reluctant, but he finally agrees to pull out all the stops.

What follows is the predictable part - Tank meets Alexis, woos her and discovers she's hard to scare away. She likes his vulgar music, doesn't balk at spending the evening at a strip club, and meets him insult for insult. She also ends up in bed with him. Naturally Tank falls in love with her.

Here's my beef - in the beginning, Dustin tells Tank that Alexis is his 'angel.' He adores her. Okay, fine, maybe he does - but later Tank comes to agree with Dustin. He sees Alexis as an angel, a girl so special he's willing to change his whole way of life to be with her. Sounds nice - BUT - I had to ask, what, why and how? Alexis is never shown as being anything special. Aside from being blond and perky she shows no 'angelic' qualities. Her relationship with Tank revolves around her texting him for 'booty calls' then kicking him out so she can get her beauty sleep before work in the morning. He seems to find her endearing because she's so much like him.

My next complaint is about Tank himself. Sure the redeemed hero is a great theme. Take a bad boy and humble him by throwing him together with the woman who turns him into a different man. That works. Except when it doesn't. You can make a hero too unlikable. Trust me, it's been done many times. Tank has made a career out of treating women badly for the sake of the men who want them back. He's not used to being a hero - and in this movie, he never gets a chance to be. His big 'redemption' comes when he takes Alexis on a proper date, then leaves her chastely at her door at the end of the evening, showing he can be a gentleman even when his date doesn't want him to be.

Poor Dustin is left in the dust by his 'angel' and his 'best friend' and he doesn't even get to pick up the pieces when Tank decides Alexis is too good for him and therefore he must work twice as hard to push her away. Tank descends to his lowest depths when he ruins Alexis's sister's wedding and that debacle accomplishes his goal. Now we've seen the 'hero' at his worst. Digging himself out of this hole is a monumental task that, trust me again, he's not up to.

How does the whole thing resolve itself? In typical movie fashion - SPOILER ALERT - the plot is wrapped up in the last few minutes. Tank tries talking to Alexis. That doesn't work. So he gives up. In the Epilogue scene which takes place 3 months later, Alexis locates Tank in a resturant, seemingly on a date with another woman [way to get over the love of his life] and she makes a ruckus which ends with them falling into each other's arms. Roll credits.

There you go. Would this fly in a book? I can't say it hasn't been done, but seriously - a true romance hero needs something serious to redeem him after he's hurt the heroine. He needs a grand gesture, a major sacrifice. He can't just be sitting around waiting for her to decide he's not so bad. A romance heroine needs a special spark that makes her worth all this sacrifice. Having pretty hair and nice legs isn't enough to make readers [or an audience] like her enough to care if the hero falls in love.

I know there are plenty of romance novels that get turned into movies - but mightn't it be a good idea if anything billed as a 'romantic comedy' was required to have a romance writer on staff? At least then we could hope for some true romance and real redemption.

Questions for my cats

1. Why do you follow me around the house, then when I try to pet you, lie down just out of arm’s reach?

2. Why do you sleep in doorways?

3. Why, when you have access to a twin, a double and a queen size bed, do you prefer to take naps on the kitchen counter?

4. Why do you like to chew on plastic bags?

5. Why do you like to lie on the printer?

6. Why will you only drink from the dog’s water bowl?

7. Why do you ignore the scratching post?

8. What have you done with the three dozen toy mice we bought you?

9. What's so great about sleeping in the sink?

This was the answer I expected.

When there's no story...

...what's the point?

To fill up some of the boring hours between dinner and the airing of tonight's post-Superbowl episode of The Office, I watched The Duchess starring Ralph Fiennes and Kiera Knightly. The movie runs 109 minutes and feels like about 3 hours. Perhaps I missed some important part, but in my estimation it also seemed to have no point.

Don't get me wrong, the costumes are fabulous, the locations dazzling. 18th Century England is a period of pageantry and fascinating social structure - but beyond the hsitorical value of the film, I found nothing.

The story follows the dismal marriage of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. A well-known figure in politics and fashion of her time, she seemed to be a foreforunner of the modern celebutante...loved by the public for her clothes, her charm and her defiance of certain social conventions. Interesting enough...but what left me feeling bereft was the evolution of the character. She's cited on the cover of the DVD as being 'fiesty, cool and scandalous' and in the 'special features' that come with the film, principals discuss how courageous and triumphant she was as a character.

And I said, huh? Throughout the story, the Duchess seems to be little more than a victim of the stringent rules of the ton. Basically sold into marriage to the joyless, emotionally stunted Duke, she spends the film alternately trying to please him and doing her own thing, which of course leads alternately to wrenching heartache and private disgrace. She never enjoys a defining moment in her life when she puts her 'power' or her life experiences to good use. She never truly prevails.

It's movies like this that make me appreicate romance novels - because in a romance novel, it's inherent that the heroine's struggles amount to something in the end. To follow a story where the main character merely subsists is truly disappointing.

Mountain or Molehill?

In the news this week, best-selling author John Grisham is under fire from Duquense University for using their name in his latest book. Because the reference to a fictional event was not flattering, the university is decidedly unhappy.

The story made me think once again about an author's responsiblity to the public, to readers, etc. I'm aware that many publishers will strip out references to 'brand' names et al in manuscripts in order to protect themselves from liability. Some simply require credit to be given to trademark holders etc and yet others seem to make no distinction at all.

I can understand as an author, if you're using a sentence like: "My car is a piece of junk," said Mary. "It's a Ford and they're all crap," you might draw some criticism. On the other hand if the sentence were: "I love my car," said Mary. "I'll never buy anything but a Ford," would you need to take the same precautions?

Are authors to be held accountable for writing something [fictional] that could be construed as insulting to a particular product or institution? Does it infringe upon the right of free speech to make an author change a reference in a novel so that no aspersions are cast on a certain type of cola, or a brand of toothpaste, or a particular ivy league school?

I'm all for fictionalizing everything. I like fictional towns, fictional stores, fictional types of beer etc, but when you're shooting for realism, shouldn't you be able to invent a fictional incident and have it take place in a real location? Would it be the same if Mr. Grisham's crime took place in New York City and the Mayor of New York called him up to complain that such a thing made the city look bad?

Does an author deserve complaints if they describe a robbery at Wal*Mart or a murder at MacDonald's? Should publishers make every effort to strip out any adverse references to real places or products so that no one is offended, or should everyone just take a chill pill and get over themselves?

What do you think? Does John Grisham deserve a raspberry or should Duquense put on it's big girl panties and build a bridge?

4.5 and 4.5 equals 9!

That's 9 RIBBONS all together for my latest Amber Quill releases.

Romance Junkies has given A Rogue's Reward and A Rogue's Redemption 4.5 blue ribbons each!

Read the reviews HERE and HERE.

Ms. Colgan more than fulfilled my expectations... - Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies

Cow puppy and other things lost in translation

I've recently noticed that my kids don't speak the same language I do.


Communication in my house has always been a tricky thing - my son has been telepathic since a very young age, and by that I mean when we ask him questions, he answers them in his head, assuming we can read his mind.


My daughter was born with a Boston accent and sometimes used French words instead of English ones when she was a toddler. [Past lives, anyone?? Seriously.]


They both speak fluent Pokemon.


I've learned over the years when it's okay just to nod and smile and when it's not. I also usually insist that they look directly at me when speaking so I can read their lips. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. Tonight was one of those instances when the nod and smile wasn't good enough.


My daughter just waltzed into my office and said, "Cow puppy?"

At first I thought she was talking to the dog. But the dog didn't answer, so rather than agreeing with her, I asked, "WHAT??"


"CAN. I. PLAY. WII?" she repeated slowly, in that 'I'm speaking to an elderly, deaf foreigner' way.


"Oh. THAT's what you said?"


"Yeah."


Sheesh. "No. Sorry. I'm going to be watching Fringe in a little while and I want the TV. Cow puppy? What the heck is a cow puppy anyway?"


Apparently they do exist.

The state of being constant

Okay, let me see if I can express this concept in a way that will make sense since I haven't really thought it all through yet...

I've been thinking a lot about the writing life and the drive to constantly produce. The old addage goes: Writers write. And I certainly agree with that and believe it can get lost in the laundry list of 'other stuff' writers are supposed to do.

However - in order to be considered a 'writer' does one have to write consistently? We talk a lot about writing every day and treating it like a career, having specific times to write, places to write, ways to write in order to get the job done, but...is writing a job or a calling? Can one still be a writer if one writes one great book, then doesn't write at all for years?

Writing is an art after all, and art can't be rushed. It comes from the moment, the circumstance, the inspiration that hits the writer at any given time. It doesn't come from punching a clock; it doesn't start at 9:00 AM, knock off for lunch at noon and then work straight on until 5:00 with weekends and holidays off. Writing is whenever, wherever and however.

I'm wondering if the true key to success as a writer lies not in creating a workaday schedule that allows one to turn out three novels a year or one novella a month etc, etc, but in really just following the muse, creating the best, most inspired work you can when the muse moves you and being, doing, living something else the rest of the time.

Yes, writers write, but when they're not writing, when they're just living, aren't they still writers?

Hits and Misses for the week

I'm in the mood to be semi-controversial today, so I'm going to blog political. Agh! Dare I? Yeah.

So let me start with a big MISS for the week.

The headline: The President lifts ban on Overseas Abortion Funding

Okay, so this is part HIT, part MISS

While I am unabashedly pro-Choice and I believe the ban was stu.pid. to begin with, I have to wonder why any time would be wasted lifting a ban on funding NOW? Don't we have more pressing problems? Aren't we in a terrible recession? So how does lifting a ban on funding to overseas groups of any kind benefit US? Because you know the first thing those overseas groups are going to do, now that the ban on their funding has been lifted, is stick their hands out for, guess what? FUNDING! Which we can't afford at the moment because we're too busy pumping money into the failing banking system so financial CEOs can buy new cororate jets. So the new administration gets 1 point for lifting a stu.pid ban. Minus 1 point for doing it at a bad time.

On the other side of the coin, I give a big HIT to our First Lady for giving the thumbs down to Ty, Inc for fashioning dolls with the names and likenesses of her daughters. The Beanie Baby company now conveniently denies that their new dolls, susiciously bearing the same names as the First Children, were patterned after them. [Iguess it must be a big owie when the First Lady calls you on your stupidity and insensitivity, huh?]

And a huge HIT for the week: M&M Premium Chocolate Raspberry Almond

Not only are the M&M Premium candies gorgeous [I wish they made beads that looked like this!], they're really tasty too. M&Ms have arrived in the 21st Century.


So in all it was HIT week. What are your HITs and MISSes for the week?

Need friends? Make some!

I added two sock dolls to my growing army of minions this weekend. Hoppy Valentine Bunny and Jeremiah Was [A Bullfrog]. You can see them here hanging out with the Contessa on my dresser.

Don't get the wrong idea and think all I do these days is craft. I did also write 9000 words on my WIP AND today I got the release date for my next Ellora's Cave book - Going Deep will be available on March 6th! {More about this later}.

Icy fingers of death

Ever have a day where you just knew something was not going to work out right, but you couldn't stop it from happening?

Today was a bit like one of those days. Nothing catastrophic, just monumentally annoying. The frigid cold doesn't help matter any, either.

Maybe these icicles hanmging off my front awning will grow long enough that they will form an impenetrable barrier and make it impossible for me to leave the house tomorrow so I can stay home and relax.

Or maybe they'll just melt.

From the project file...

My latest quilt project is finally finished. Now I just need to finish a manuscript. Too bad I can't make one of those on the sewing machine.

Addicted

Yes, it’s true. I’m a fan-video addict.

I can’t help myself. They’re so darn cute. Not to mention a great way to kill a few hours when I should be writing about romance instead of watching it on TV.

I’m not sure how to actually post the videos to my blog so here’s links to some of my favorites.

Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper [Torchwood]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf0Gzj3BM9I


Jack O’Neill and Sam Carter [Stargate SG-1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsRWAPwDJwE


Jim Halpert and Pam Beasely [The Office]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDKBizCsoAo


Robin Sherbotsky and Barney Stinson [How I Met Your Mother]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjJlNFZlVmw

The casting couch...

Sometimes all it takes to make a story take off is to change a character.

I've been kicking around an idea for a full length paranormal for a while now and I just couldn't seem to get it started. I had the setting, the plot, the first half of the story mapped out. I had the hero fixed in my mind, along with the heroine, their names, their backstories and I could see the scene where they first meet.

And it just wasn't working. It had everything I look for in a story, but it just wouldn't start - like when you put on a DVD and hit pause - you can see the scene and all the details but nothing moves.

The other day, it hit me that I had miscast the hero. I realized he needed to be someone different. He was too much like all the other dark, mysterious, powerful, slightly dangerous paranormal heroes out there. He needed something I hadn't given him.

Then it hit me who he needed to be and suddenly I can hear his voice and I can see movement in those frozen scenes.

I'm sending my old hero packing and letting the new one run around in my head for a while. The heroine is a bit flummoxed by him, since she wasn't expecting his type either. He sort of makes her jaw drop...which is exactly what I was hopping would happen.

Now, off to start writing and get those scenes moving.

Differences between 'crafting' and 'craft'

I write this blog post with a nod to my good friend, Jen Baum, who gave me the idea with her recent blog post: Similarities between crocheting and writing.

In Jen’s post she compared her occasional frustration with her craft [writing] to frustration with her crafting [crocheting]. I found it interesting because though I do both activities and I do find my approach to the creative process in each to be similar, I don’t experience the same level of frustration when a crafting project doesn’t turn out perfectly as I do when I write.

I find I’m much more fluid and forgiving of the ‘crafting’ process. I have no problem diving in to fix a misplaced block in quilting or ripping out rows of crocheting. I can, with little remorse, throw away a half finished project that has taken a turn for the worst, reasoning that it’s only an opportunity to go back to the craft store and buy more ‘stuff’ to work with. For some reason, though, deleting writing [which may exist as no more than some binary code in the guts of my computer] is far more painful and upsetting for me. A page of writing represents so much cerebral work for me that parting with it, or even making a major overhaul, hurts. Yet I can spend all day on a quilt project and happily relegate the finished project to a drawer or bin in the basement where it will stay for years until I either decide what to do with it or throw it away. I don’t regret the projects I’ve made and tossed, but I do regret the stories I’ve never finished.

I wonder why that is. Why am I not intimidated by a blank canvas or a virgin skein of yarn or an uncut fat quarter, but a blank page, a poorly executed chapter or a dull paragraph frustrates the utter crap out of me? Why don’t I beat myself up when I accidentally short a stitch on a row of crocheting, or when I have to rip out a seam or repaint a piece of pottery, but I’ll feel like a complete poser when I write a clunky line of dialogue?

Maybe it’s because for me the stakes are higher with the writing? This is my ‘career’ whereas the crafting is merely a hobby – something I do ONLY for my own enjoyment and specifically to unwind when I’m tired of using my brain. Maybe it’s because I still see the charm in a lopsided pillow or an uneven scarf, but, probably thanks to my editing experiences, I can’t see the charm in an awkward sentence or a boring scene. In a poorly executed piece of knitting or sewing, I can see the opportunity to improve, but in writing that doesn’t dazzle, I can only see future rejections.

Well, there I’m waxing rhapsodic, so before I get too philosophical I’ll stop. I imagine it sums up this way: When my good friend Robin and I were in high school, my favorite subject was Art. Robin used to dread the class because she said, “I’m afraid I’m going to screw something up. I can’t draw, I can’t paint, I can’t make anything out of clay. Don’t you get nervous when you have to make something?” I remember having a hard time understanding Robin’s sentiments because the paper, the paint and the clay didn’t intimidate me. I wasn’t afraid of screwing up because I felt like whatever I made would be art whether it was perfect or not. I couldn’t screw up.

Now, how can I make myself feel that way about writing?


*Speaking of crafting: here's a set of pillows I just finished. I wonder how many words they represent?

Anchors Away!

I'm over at Starcrossed Romance today talking about letting go of anchors. Bring your swim suit and a towel and join me on the Lido deck.

Drop and give me twenty...

'Tis the season once again for those pesky start of the year diets. Yes, even though I don't make resolutions, I do tend to have visions of grandeur this time of year when it comes to the art and science of losing weight, eating better and exercising more.

This year I have set what I believe is a modest and achievable goal which centers mostly around not eating so much sugar. I'm a cookie monster - I can't help it and my plan this year is to learn how to cut down. If I can substitute unsweetened green tea with lemon as my beverage of choice for soda and manage to survive, then I can drop the cookie and brownie habit. Wish me luck.

That, however, is not really the subject of today's blog. My topic today is really a mini-rant about weight-losing celebrities who are so on my nerves I can't tell you. I'm so tired of hearing about celebrities going on diets, losing weight then crying when they gain it all back. [cough, cough Oprah, cough cough, et al].

First of all, these famous faces all go on the typical fad diets - why? Because they need to lose weight fast to make it look miraculous. If they drop 40 pounds in 6 months on the 'Flab buster*' system [for which they sign a contract and get paid to be the spokesperson] they look like superheroes - not to mention super models. How do they do this? Well, it's easy when you have a personal trainer, someone to help prepare your meals and shop for you...and it's actually part of your job to lose weight. Let's face it - when they're posing for a spread in national magazines touting their weight loss regime - do they really want us to believe no money has changed hands? If someone paid me to do a diet, I'd probably stick to it better myself.

Now, it's not so much the fact that these celebrities sign contracts and get money and publicity as an incentive to lose weight and look fabulous that bothers me. It's the language they use that really ticks me off. I'm tired of hearing celebrities [whom we are all supposed to look up to as inspirations] saying things like how 'ashamed' they were of being fat, or asking 'how did I let this happen?' Seriously - it's insulting to those of us who live in the real world for a celebrity to come along and express her utter mortification at waking up weighing 180 or 200 pounds one day. What they're saying, essentially, is the rest of us should be ashamed to be alive and that stinks.

I would have great respect for a weight-losing celebrity who could have the guts [no pun intended] to stand up and say, "I gained weight like every other American woman does, by being too busy attending to every other aspect of my life to pay constant attention to my diet, not by being a lazy, good for nothing layabout." Overweight celebrities need to stop with the 'I'm so ashamed of myself' BS and really be inspirations to the rest of us instead of just trying to make us all feel even worse about 'tipping the scales.'

And don't even get me started on the media. That will a rant for another day.

My point is, everyone out there who has decided the New Year is a good time to start a diet, hold your head up and be proud of yourself, no mater what you weigh. The only shame in all this is being a celebrity who thinks we will be inspired by their 'shame.'

* not an actual weight loss program

Another year, another un-Resolution Post

It’s become a tradition with me now – my un-Resolution post, my end of the year sum-up and I’m really starting to like it.

Last year’s un-Resolution post was fairly chirpy and upbeat and unfortunately this year’s won’t have quite the same tone. Last year I had a lot to crow about – the best seller lists I made, landing an agent, my first book signing were all badges of honor in the long, hard climb to literary success.

2008 has been about back sliding to a degree – and though I’ve always maintained that I wanted to achieve success slowly, because it’s better to slide back a wrung or two than do a spectacular swan dive from the top to the bottom – sliding back is still discouraging.

This year, though my sales exceeded last year, my joy in writing did not and that’s something I need to address in 2009. I’ve noticed in my travels around the web that I’m not the only author taking stock this year and making hard decisions about my career. With the economy such as it is all over the world, many authors are realizing the success they’ve fought long and hard for is being dragged even further out of their reach. I realized a few months ago that I had a choice for the coming year. I could knock myself out trying to be one of the few authors who will beat the odds and sell, sell, sell despite the global financial crisis, or I could take a step back from the rat race and look at my long-term goals.

What I want, and what I’ve always wanted, is to find contentment. One thing I can say about spending three years as a full time author is, despite it being my dream job, I was never, for a single moment, content. I was always striving to do more, write more, accomplish more, earn more, find ways to get what I wanted, scheme and plan and I ultimately ended up berating myself for never feeling like I had made the right decisions. I’m tired of that life and I’ve realized it’s time to forge a new one.

So 2009 marks a return to a simpler lifestyle for me. I’m not going to quit writing, but I am going to quit worrying about when I will finally make it big, or how I can do promo without feeling like I’m wasting my time, or what marketing plan I need to craft to make it to the top. I’m not going to worry about putting more sex in my stories so they sell better, or learning new ways to write kink or order to latch onto the comet tail of the ‘next big thing.’ I’m not going to worry about how much money there is to be made or not made in publishing.

In 2009 I’m going to worry only about what story I want to tell and how I want to tell it. I’ll worry about submitting a story when I’m ready to submit a story and not when it’s a good time according to the calendar. I’ll worry about eating right, exercising more and maybe finally planting that garden I’ve always wanted to plant. I’ll worry about feng shui and inner peace and going green. I’ll worry about donating to worthy causes and making the people in my life happy and healthy and comfortable and I’ll worry about my royalty totals and my sales numbers...umm...never.

So there it is folks. The good, the bad and the ugly truth about 2009. I’ll still be here, blogging about things that make me go huh? I’ll hope you’ll drop by and say hi now and then and I hope you have a happy, healthy New Year and a wonderful and productive 2009.

Measuring up and Taking Stock

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Mine was quiet, comfortable and creative.

Today I'm visiting Shelley Munro at her blog. Come over and say hello!

The day before the day before Christmas

...and all through the house, every creature was stirring and chasing a mouse...

Big Cat and Baby Kitty have been fully integrated and seem to be getting along - amazingly. Now I just fear the Christmas tree won't survive the week.

Today is a half day of school, I've got a full day of work and a few little things to finish before the holiday.

How about you? Are you ready for whatever you might be celebrating this time of year?

Is Black the New Green?

I've noticed something new this year while doing my holiday shopping. I'm wondering if it's a sign of the times or just because retailers are constantly looking for something new and different - but I must ask - what's up with all the black ornaments and decorations?

In Wal*Mart the other day, I noticed sets of all black Christmas ornaments [I looked for a picture but I couldn't find any to post to the blog]. Not that they didn't look rather cool, but I've never seen all black ornaments before.

Today in A&P I noticed Christmas wrapping paper with a black background. Now I've done purple Christmas wrap, blue and silver, etc, but never black. It didn't look bad - candy canes and Ho Ho Hos on a black background, but nevertheless - what happened to traditional green?

Today in the mail I got a Christmas card from a friend - silver snowflakes on a black background. Again the card looks cool. It's not ugly or depressing or anything, but again, it reinforces the theme. Now I've got the idea of a silver Christmas tree decorated with all black ornaments. Would that be cool or just weird?

Since pink is the new black [or so I've heard] and now black seems to be the new green - will next year's Christmas theme color be pink, I wonder?

15 Degress Off Cool

Wanna laugh until your head pops off?

Try this. DH and I watched this the other night - it's Bill Envall's comedy DVD - 15 Degrees Off Cool- and it's HIL. AR. IUOUS.

We used to think Jim Gaffigan was the funniest thing since sliced bread - and let's face it, sliced bread is pretty funny, but this guy - this guy makes Gaffigan look downright emo.

I've watched Bill Engvall's sitcom which is pretty funny, but his stand-up is outrageous. If you need a good healthy dose of hysterics - try this. It's gauranteed to make you wet yourself.

Visible kitty settles in

The new prince of the house has made the transition from hiding under the bed at the slightest noise to throwing himself at the bedroom door in an effort to get out and explore the rest of the house.

Saber couldn't care less about the new tenant. He took one look and sneezed on Onyx, then walked away. Topper has lost a few of his marbles, and sits outside the bedroom door all day staring at it. I assume his trying to use his Jedi powers to make it disappear.

I, on the other hand, have abandon all other activities in favor of entertaining the "baby" and devising creative ways to allow Onyx and Topper to interact without getting too close to each other.

Visible kitty appears

Got him! He eats like a champ, so luring him out of hiding took little more than the offer of kitty treats.

Invisible kitty is here

...pictures to follow, as soon as he sits still long enough to be photographed.

We brought Onyander Dax home yesterday from the Maywood Vetrinary Clinic where he'd been for the past month after being found on a local high traffic road. He'd been hit by a car and was in critical condition, required surgery to fix his back leg.

Healthy now and in need of a good home, we got him! He's five months old approximately and he's the spitting image of Topper, but very shy and retiring. As soon as I can snap a pic of him I'll put it up. Until then, he remains Elusive Cat.

And the Oscar for best picture goes to...

This guy.

The Holiday Crunch

Remember one day last week how I said something about being relatively stress free considering it's almost Christmas?

Well, I lied.

That was just the Thanksgiving Turkey talking. Now that it's almos the middle of the month, I'm starting to freak. Do I have all my shopping done? No. My cards aren't all written out. I'm not sure who else I need to buy for. I need things I don't know where to get, and to top it all off - we're going to have another mouth to feed around here in a day or two.

Yep. There's another kitten coming to live with us. Heaven help me - I must be stopped before I adopt again!

I fell in love with a pig

Meet Miss Diamond [left] and Contessa Le Pig [right]. They were born on my kitchen table last night during a marathon of 'sock animal' craftiness - all of which I owe to my good friend, Jen Baum.

Jen knows I can't resist crafty things, so she evilly sent me a book on how to make stuffed animals out of socks.

Fortunately DD confiscated the book almost immediately and she and her friend Blondemo spent last night creating the divine Miss D and the Contessa.
I [well, we] are now obsessed. And since I have so little to do these days, what with only three or four manuscripts to edit, revise and/or write, the holidays to prepare for, housecleaning, two outside jobs and Mount Everest of laundry taking over the bedroom - I can now fill my copious spare time with creating an army of sock creatures. Which I intend to do because they are so darn [no pun intended] cute, I can't stand it.

Elusive Voice

As a writer, I’ve heard and been involved in numerous discussions about ‘voice’ that elusive quality every author tries to find and hopes to have. As an editor, I’ve been involved in a number of disputes over ‘voice’ with authors who felt changes to a manuscript impacted upon their ability to weave words in a specific way that defined their ‘voice’.

Like a lot of authors out there, I can’t give a concrete definition of voice. Sure it’s ‘the way you put words together’ but it’s a lot more than that too. I do believe it’s more ‘invisible’ than many people believe. You can have a voice without realizing you do…and I think a lot of writers who are certain they have a distinct voice, really don’t.

I have to say this, finding your voice is something you absolutely cannot do with a dirty page…if an editor is busy correcting your grammatical and spelling errors, you shouldn’t be concerned about having your ‘voice’ ironed out of your manuscript because it’s not visible to begin with. It’s a lot like drawing in pencil on a black piece of paper, or painting a picture on a torn, wrinkled canvas. The picture you create may be lovely, but it’s not visible with all the background darkness or mess. Dirty copy – typos, awkward phrases, grammar nightmares hide your voice and make it impossible to tease out.

Before you worry about voice – or losing your voice to a brutal edit, consider how clean your work is. Is the background [your grammar, your spelling, your punctuation] as clean and error-free as possible? If it’s not, don’t worry about losing or finding your voice. Clean your brush, sharpen your pencil and start with a fresh canvas and your elusive voice will emerge over time.

Don't try this at home

I've got to ask, what is it with advertisers lately? It seems to me they're going out of their way to encourage bad behavior in pursuit of their products.

The other day I was shocked by a phone company commercial [I think it was for Verizon but I'm not sure] where one woman shoots another in the neck with a poison dart to keep her from getting the last phone on sale. This one is pretty bad, but the ones that take the cake for me are the fast food ads where some idiot jumps out of his car and lets it crash into a line of parked cars so he can get into the restuarant faster. Another one for the same company shows a nitwit rear-ending the couple in line at the drive through and pushing their car out of the way so he can order.

Sure these ads are supposed to be funny, and I imagine in small print they contain the necessary legal disclaimers, but seriously. Do companies want to encourage people to commit crimes in the name of their products? Don't you think there should be BIG LETTERS on the phone ad proclaiming: If you shoot your friend with a poison dart, there's a good chance she will sue your ass off?

Those fast food ads aren't accompanied by a voice-over saying: Before this guy gets his sandwich, the police will show up and drag him away in handcuffs, or That couple with the whiplash has already called their lawyer.

I just don't get it. Do these companies think these ads really make people want to buy their products? Personally, I'm afraid to go to a phone sale. Some psycho may dart me if I reach for the wrong cell phone. And now I'm paranoid about going to the drive through at the fast food place - plus I can't even park and go inside because some wing nut might be sailing his car across the lot as he jumps out and rolls into the place to get ahead of me in line. No thanks. I'm staying home. According to the advertisers it's just too dangerous out there to go shopping.

No wonder we're in a recession.

No unwrapping required!

I know it's early for gift giving, but I believe the key to a stress-free holiday season is to start early!

So, on that note, I'm offering a gift to my readers.

I have re-released my 2005 vampire novel, Fresh Blood and it's now available from my website as a FREE download!

Check out this cover art! This was created for me by one of the incomparable Romance Divas! Ginny Glass [aka Word Sugar] does incredible work, and I plan to have reason to need more of her covers soon.

Please stop by my website and pick up a copy of Fresh Blood - and if you've already read the book - thank you! I haven't left you out. There will be a another free read available soon - all new and never before published, so please check back to my FREE READS often.

Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

It's that day again!

I blogged about Black Friday last year and how much you just have to love a day that most people have off for no better reason than it's the day AFTER a holiday.

You really can't beat that. Now, I realize everyone out there who works in retail probably curses this day. The sales start at 4:00 AM [seriously - what does anyone need that badly they have to go out at four in the morning to get it?], the crowds are vicious and the next day is Saturday, so people just come back and shop all over again.

I stay home and put up the tree. Today it all got done - amazingly enough. I put up the outdoor decorations, and the tree - DH cleaned the living room for me from top to bottom [will miracles never cease?] and now I'm ready to crash.

Dinner was leftovers from Turkey Day, and they were just as good the second night with a little fresh corn bread stuffing and some home made chocolate covered rice krispy treats for dessert.

I can honestly say, I'm just about ready for the holidays and marginallly stress free at the moment. So on that note: Happy Black Friday everyone! Have a great un-holiday.

Have a happy turkey day!

Sexy Comments & Profile Graphics

WANT!

I must have one of these.

It's called a Smart Fortwo and it's just adorable, don't you think?

Sure, it is literally a tin can on wheels. Not much bigger than a Matchbox car, it's not made for highway driving, and it's real purpose is for city folk who will be hopping short distances to go from office to Starbucks to pick up their dry cleaning to the corner market then back to high rise apartment, but damn...

I WANT one!! I could fit four of them in my driveway. Heck, I could probably fit one in my purse.

Summerfallwinter in New Jersey

I envy anyone who lives in an area of the country [or the world for that matter] where the weather is predictable.

One thing I tell people I like about living in northern New Jersey, is the change of seasons. However - case in point this weekend, I'm not so fond of having three out of four seasons occur all in the space of 24 hours.

Yesterday started out humid and 'tropical rainy season' wet. I discovered the depth of that wetness when I went out to go shopping and discovered my car window had been open a crack ALL NIGHT LONG.

So, after covering my damp driver's seat with a plastic bag and beach towel, DD and I set off in search of crafts.

The half-hour ride was full of rain and wind - seasonable Novemberish weather. After about 90 minutes in the craft store, we emerged to hot sun [so glad I left my sunglasses on the kitchen table at home because at that time they were utterly useless to me]. We cranked the AC in the car and headed home. Welcome back to summer.

We arrived back home to windy rain, and this morning woke to bitter cold and a threatening gun-metal gray sky that looked like it was gearing up for a blizzard.

I often wonder how nice it would be to live somewhere where the weather is static. A balmy 80 degrees for maybe 360 out of 365 days - or someplace with a rainy season, a dry season and a tropical paradise season and that's it.

Don't get me wrong, we do enjoy some beautiful days here in NJ, but they're usually interspersed between a day of blazing heat and a day of bitter cold. We've learned over time only to appreciate the kind of weather we had last month [whatever last month happened to be] - for instance in the middle of winter everyone is wishing for the dog days of summer [during which they were cursing the heat and counting the days until the crisp afternoons of autumn begin.]

The funny part is Mother Nature has our number. She doesn't want to hear us complaining so she gives us what we want - all in the same day sometimes.

And from the file of 'Things no one needs...'

Literary action figures.
There are more available at this place and various others around the web.
With all the debate lately about whether or not books are 'recession-proof' [just in case, you know, we actually have a recession one of these days] it begs the question, how do companies that manufacture stuff like this intend to stay in business?
Granted, action figures in general are big money. Kids love 'em - Ninja Turtles, Star Wars - even the collectors go crazy for the stuff [DH being case in point]. There are people who will forgo paying the electric bill in order to get their hobby fix, their books, etc, but how many people do you suppose will be saving their scarce pennies in the coming months to complete their collection of literary action figures?

Available Today!

A Rogue's Redemption by Jennifer Colgan

ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-417-4 (Electronic)

Sequel to A Rogue's Reward...

Fallon Robard, captain of the all-female crew of the Gabrielle, made her most difficult decision when she abandoned young lovers Rhea Galant and Lord Sheppard York on a deserted island after Sheppard’s father refused to pay the ransom for his kidnapped son. Now, months later, Sheppard’s older brothers, Jacob and Jon, have tracked down Fallon.
The handsome twins seek to avenge their brother’s suffering and demand Fallon repent her crimes. When faced with punishment at the hands of two masterful men, will Fallon get more than she bargained for, or just what she deserves?

Genres: Historical / Pirate / Action / Adventure / BDSM / Series

Heat Level: 3

Length: Extended Novella (32k words)

Check out Amber Quill Press for a sizzling excerpt!

What size do you prefer?

Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about purses.

I ask because I often find myself faced with the purse dilemma. A big purse is great because you can carry everything. In addition to the essentials like wallet, keys, sunglasses and cell phone, you have room for those important emergency products every woman needs - like a novel, a can of hair spray, coupon file, manicure kit, assorted lip gloss and a small pharmacy.

The down side of the big purse is they tend to become satchels that you sling over your back like Santa on Christmas Eve. They weigh a ton and usually you can never find what you want inside, even though you KNOW it has to be in there somewhere.

Last week, I dumped my satchel purse and went for something petite and compact.

It holds my wallet [a new, smaller wallet], a miniature hair brush, my keys, cell phone, sun glasses and a pen.

You would think I could get by on that, but I'm worried. What happens when someone hands me something to carry?

For instance, DH will regularly hand me his wallet and his keys when we're out shopping - because being a man and having pockets sometimes isn't all its cracked up to be. The kids do the same thing. I become the repository for small items they buy and don't want to carry - the lip gloss, the Matchbox car. I become the holder of the four useless crayons that come with the kids menu in any restaurant. [Heaven forbid they just leave them there - it's not like we don't have 4000 crayons at home]. I become the keeper of the Nintendo DS, the library book and anything else they are too frail to schlep home from wherever they've been.

Now I can't do that. In fact, I had to perform origami just to get my paycheck in my purse on Friday. There is no extra room at all.

Maybe I should get a new big purse and just put my small purse inside it. That should solve all my problems.

So, big or small? Which way do you roll?

I don't want to know.

Seriously, you can throw rotten tomatoes at me if you want to, but I dread finding out the outcome of this election.

I know I could stir up a lot of political upheaval, and there are staunch defenders of each side, but my personal belief is, no matter who wins, we all lose.

All politicians make promises they don't keep - either they never intended to in the first place, or they discover they just can't re-align the wheels of change the way they thought they would be able to.

It's long been my belief that anyone truly qualified to run this amazingly complex country would be too humble to want the job.

My wish is that whoever is fortunate [or unfortunate as the case may be] enough to win will surprise us all and be the kind of leader he already thinks he is. I will light a small candle for hope, but I won't be holding my breath.

Good luck everyone. I do believe we're all going to need it.

The new grind...

...as opposed to the old grind, begins today.

I'm off to my new job - yes, yet another one, and hopefully a new way of looking at my life as a writer. It's time to re-invent myself and change my approach.

How am I going to do that?

Not sure. I think I may start by cleaning off my bulletin board.

Projects on deck:

Revisions of my gargoyle story, revision of my blurb for Strange New World [Samhain, Feb 09], plotting of my demon story, revamping [no pun intended] my website and possibly making a free read available.

All in my copious spare time.

Oh, yes, and shopping for a new washing machine since mine broke down yesterday [surprise, surprise] and in doing some research DH discovered the darn thing may be at least 20 years old. Definitely time for a new one. SIGH.