I Finished It!

Instead of a deeply informative post about a writing topic, or even something intriguing about a creature of the paranormal, I have to share some exciting writing news of my own! As most of you might know, I completed the first draft of my urban fantasy novel on the 28th.

I was going to wait for a month or so to start editing it, but things have changed, and I'm deciding to forge through it. I'm feeling on top of the world right now. The novel I completed was book one of a series of books that I had started in 2006 during National Novel Writing Month, which I'd begun book two at that time. Due to nasty confusion and ideas that called to me more strongly at the time, I set the second book aside while gaining ideas for the first and third books.

I'm happily working on book two again, and now the words are flowing from my fingertips, which makes me very excited. I know that 2009 is going to be an amazing year. I feel it in my bones, and if that's any indication, you guys will be seeing more of my work, or I'll at least be agented with a book deal. hehe

So do you have any New Year Resolutions? Any ideas of what the New Year will bring? Let me know!

A line in the hand is worth...

Hope everyone had a terrific Christmas!! Sorry I’m so late posting my blog today, I’ve had a hard time getting to the internet. Anyway, my Christmas was pretty good. It’s been nice visiting with the family. 

This has been an interesting week for me. I decided I wanted to learn more about palm reading, so I went to the library to pick up a few books on the subject so that I could study my palms and see if I could figure anything out about my future. It’s not easy, let me tell you. The main lines on the hand are easy enough to pick out, but that’s just the basics. There is so much more to it than I ever could have imagined. There are different curves to the lines, and breaks, and branches. You have to be able to determine if the line is high or low in the hand. Then there are crosses and triangles and mounds. Yikes.

I did my best to try to figure out what my lines meant, but there are so many lines on my hands that I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be looking at. There is a marriage line and stress lines. It would take a lot of studying to do a good reading. So, I gave up for now. I’ll try to decipher the books a little more before I try reading my palm again. 

I find the whole idea of palm reading very fascinating. One day I’d like to go have my palm read by a professional. I’ve never had it done and I think it would be a lot of fun. Hopefully, sometime I’ll be able to learn it properly and do an actual reading for myself. It would be so cool to be able to read other people’s palms, too. I’d like to learn more about them by simply reading their palms. 

Have you ever had your palm read? Do you think the lines in our hands can provide insight into our lives? Can it provide information about our futures? Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your stories.

Why should I buy your ebook?

Remember the Dewey Decimal System and the card catalogues at the library? Maybe.
Nowadays, if you are looking for a book in a library, all you have to do is search the library’s website. Type the book, CD, DVD, or magazine’s title and it’ll tell you if the book is available or not. If you are to lazy to do the searching, the librarian will do it for you. No, not by opening a drawer full of index card catalogue—I believe you’ll find those in an archive—but also through the library’s website.

How about dictionaries? Do you still use the fat printed version of Webster as your writing companion or do you have Merriam-Webster Online version now? I use WordWeb most of the time. It is quicker and easier. I remember in college, we used to have a contest in my English class on who could find the specific word given by our instructor the fastest. We learned that we have to open the dictionary in the middle first and then see if you have to look on the left half or right half for the word. Well, I don’t have to do that now. Online dictionaries can find the word for me in seconds.

I think many people embrace these kinds of changes. Why not? We like anything that saves us time and provides fast service.

But how about reading a book through computers or E-Readers like Kindle? Are people ready to embrace that kind of change, too?

Both of my books available right now are in E-Book format. I tell you, I could have sold more copies if they were printed and could be purchased through the brick and mortars.

I met people who wanted to give their support by purchasing a copy, but when they learned they have to buy the book online by creating an account and using their credit card they balked. Someone said she doesn’t feel comfortable ordering anything online. The other asked how she could read an E-book? And if the book is “rated R” then she didn’t want it saved in her computer because her kids might find and read it. Another woman said she liked to read while taking a bath. Using a laptop while bathing is just not going to happen.

The discussion about whether to buy an E-Book or print books started.
Although I love using my laptop, I agree with one woman about not being able to curl in bed with my laptop (I don’t own a Kindle or I-touch).

I am sure there are those who swear that E-Book is the future and printed books will be obsolete. Do you believe this?

Please tell me three things that you like or dislike about E-Books. Or three reasons why you will never give up reading printed books. I look forward to reading your answer. Maybe next time I find myself defending E-Books, I’ll be able to stand my ground.

Tierney O’Malley

I Survived Christmas...

*Drags self into The Deadly Vixens HQ and collapses*

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Hare Krishna! Happy whatever you celebrate!

I survived Christmas! Woohoo! I’m exhausted and my house looks like the Tasmanian devil zipped through it and left total destruction in its wake. I could probably qualify for Federal Disaster Aide at this juncture.

I’ve had family here all week. They left to go home this morning and I was so excited I would have helped pack their bags and load their car. I keep thinking I should feel guilty about that, but…um…well…*big gulp*...I can’t bring myself to feel that emotion.

I’ve got my house back!! Freedom!!

*jiggy dances around the house in my panties screaming "FREEDOM!"*

*nervous gulp* Yikes, sorry...*wraps robe around half-naked self*...forgot you were there.

Just kidding, of course. I have too many rolls to be dancing half-naked in front of someone. ;-)

*collapses onto sofa and sighs in relief*

My husband bought me a Dooney & Bourke (I admit I had to go look on my purse to see how it was even spelled) giraffe purse for Christmas and I threatened to kill him. He has it on video too. *looks about nervously* While I admit I have a purse fetish, I’m not a “name-brand” girl. I have friends that are, so I’m not criticizing, it’s just not my thing and I rarely follow style or brand names. I often have been known to ask “what's that” when someone mentions a particular brand name. *shrugs* I have girlfriends that have tried their best to bring me into what they call “the know”, but have failed miserably. I'm just not interested in brand names, but rather what I like, regardless of the name. Also, I don't like paying for a brand name. So, I’m still in a mixed state of “Should I kill him for spending so much?” AND “I love it!” It has me feeling a little schizo.

But I think the best present wasn’t actually my present at all, but a gift from Santa to my sons…the Wii Fit. I played that so much yesterday, my belly is sore today from hula hooping. It was fun beating my boys at it too! My youngest couldn't even do the moves to keep thee hula hoop arounds his waist and he kept getting the "failed" sign. I laughed at him until I was crying.

*blows on nails and buffs them on pant* I’m the reigning winner right now. *laughs* It’s killing them that I’m beating them at anything. They got Rock Band too and we have sung songs and played the guitar and drums until all the dogs in the neighborhood—including my own—were howling at my piercing notes. ;-) Yeah, I can’t carry a tune, but it was fun. =-)

So, tell me, what was your favorite part about Christmas? Or your favorite gift? Or your favorite whatever?

Next, I get to survive the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 2nd! What are your New Year's Eve or New Year's Day plans?

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a very special day with friends and family!

It's almost that time...

It's Christmas Eve... Are you ready for the big day of unwrapping gifts and giving gifts to those special to you? I almost am, and because of that, this post is going to be super short! But here are some pictures!


more animals


more animals

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (and if you celebrate something different than that, I hope you have Happy Holidays, too.)

Book Review: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Book of the Week: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
Book 1 in the Psy/Changeling Series
Nalini Singh’s website: http://www.nalinisingh.com/

Do you like a little bit of sci-fi with your paranormal? If so, you got it in spades with this series.

In a world where the smallest desire can brand you as flawed the Psy rule seemingly without emotion through the implementation of Silence. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the Psy aren’t as emotionless as they would like the world to believe. Sascha Duncan is a powerful Psy cardinal, her mother holds an influential seat within the Psy Council, and Sascha is hiding all evidence of her emotion for fear of being “rehabilitated”. But rehabilitation in the Psy world isn’t like checking into rehab, it is a “complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was”.

Lucas Hunter, Alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack, is a changeling that desires the sensations the Psy scorn. But after centuries of a troubled coexistence, the two races are on the threshold of war over the vicious slayings of changeling women at the hands of a Psy killer. Lucas is determined to find the killer and Sascha is his link into the secretive Psy society. A society that will murder and betray their own members to conceal the fact that Silence isn’t as effective as the world thought. Soon Lucas discovers that Sascha is not the typical ice cold Psy, but is a very passionate woman that fascinates his inner leopard.

I absolutely loved this fast paced book. From the moment I picked it up, I was immersed in this foreign world and was disappointed when it ended. The Psy world was a little confusing for me initially, maybe because it is so hard for me to envision being that emotionless, even toward one’s own child. The Psy do not even participate in sex because it’s too messy and too emotional, but rather enter into breeding arrangements to create the perfect child, which is in turn created in a tube. Like I said, sci-fi meets paranormal.

So, I think this is a must read for anyone that loves paranormal or sci-fi romance. Bravo, Ms. Singh for creating a fabulous world, with awesome three dimensional characters!

Time Travel- I wish!

Hello everyone! I've made it home to Missouri! Yay! I drove straight through. After 16 hours in the car with a teenager and two dogs, I can honestly say I was glad to arrive. Unfortunately, I'm staying with my mom, who lives where high-speed internet is not available, ugh!!! So, I'm using dial up. Slow, slow, slow. Which brings me to my point of today's blog. Time travel. Oh, I so wish it was available to us mortals. I'm not just talking about another time period, 16 hours is fine with me. :D

If it was possible, I would have skipped those hours in the car and just popped here magically. That would have been wonderful. Let me tell you a little about myself here for a moment. I can't just get in my car and drive. Oh, no. I have something ingrained in me that says if I'm in the car, I have to play my radio and sing along. Shhh. Don't tell anyone my little secret. At any rate, for 16 hours, I sang along with my favorite tunes, and there are many. Many different artists and genres of music piped through my speakers on the way home. By the time I got here, needless to say, I was hoarse. The singing served two purposes for me, other than the ingrained problem I mentioned before. First, it helped to keep me entertained on the boring, dark highway, considering I left at midnight. And second, it helped keep me awake. But it was fun, made the trip much better for me. However, if time travel had been available, that would have been the way to go. I wonder if music is allowed during time travel? Hmmm.

Anyway, it would also be wonderful if I could just pop here and visit for a while, then pop back to my apartment at night. (Where there is high-speed internet just waiting for me). I could sleep in my own bed and be comfortable. Actually, I wouldn't have had to wait 3 months to come back to visit. And I wouldn't have gotten attacked as soon as I walked in the door. :D I'd be able to pop back and forth as much as I wanted to. Wouldn't that be nice?

I'd have to wonder, though, would the time travel highways become congested with travelers during the holidays? Would there be lines of people hoping not to have their "flight" cancelled? Would it just be another form of transportation for all of us? I don't know, but it would at least be something to explore.

Right now I'd settle for traveling by flue powder. As long as I didn't end up where Harry Potter did, that is. Enunciate! That's the trick, they say. Ah, well, I guess I can dream.

I wonder if time travel will ever be possible. I'm sure somewhere out there, someone does believe it exists right now. Personally, I don't, but hey what do I know? If you do know of it's existence, let me know. It could really save me on the way back. :D

What do you think? Do you believe in time travel? Do you think it's possible? Someday? Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Encouragement is welcome.

I hope everyone has a happy holiday season!

How to get noticed in the sea of blogs and websites.

In a work place or school, there are easy ways to get noticed if you are new. Smile at everyone you meet, show your interest in other students and their activities, join a club, show off your skills in fixing computer bugs or wear your Tiffany jewelry. But what about if you are a brand-spanking new author? How do you spread the word that you recently sold a book published online?

Internet. I’ve been told that the web is the most powerful tool a budding or new author can wield. Have a website or start a blog. Blogging, especially if you’re doing it with a group of writers, is a good way to get read. Keep the blog updated and post something interesting that’ll help give a reader reason to come back for more. Many people are talking about the same thing as you—new releases, hot topics, free books, contests, etc. so you need to learn to differentiate. Getting noticed through a website is a long-shot especially when almost every author—published or not—is also taking advantage of this tool. But, there is always that slim chance that a reader will stumble upon your website, click on your book page, read your excerpt and maybe, just maybe buy one of your books.

Having a website or a blog though is only the first step. Readers will not start visiting your site or reading your blogs just because you went live. The internet is like a crowded zoo. One must have a map to find the way to the African Savanna or Tropical Asia. So how do people find their way to your blog?

Join different groups. When I started writing a year ago, someone recommended that I join the Romance Divas. I did. The site is really great and rich with information about everything. Members are wonderful, too. By visiting the Romance Divas, I learned about the existence of different groups as well. Paranormal, Romance, Erotica, Exotic, Contemporary, Young Adult, and Religious yahoo groups are just a few of maybe hundreds of groups online where you can join. This particular group, Romance Writers Community founded by Charlotte Dillon, a group for all writers is a site worth joining. I joined about six yahoo groups, introduced myself and posted the information about my website hoping to attract readers to stop by and take a peek at my website. Now, how many members or readers actually paid attention to my post—I don’t know. Did I sell a copy of my book because I joined a group? I have no idea. How many of them added my RSS on their blog roll? *shrug* Who knows. Are readers online group lurkers or do they prefer promotional sites? Maybe both.

Promotion or advertisement. If you are willing to shell out a few bucks, advertising your book through promotional sites is great. I’ve been using The Romance Studio to promote my books, which I believe helped me sell a reasonable amount of books—for a newbie.

I am sure there are more ways to shout out about your new website, blog, and change of status. How effective they are depends on you.

In this world of writing, if you luck out and hit the combination of luck, perseverance and connections, you have a chance of getting noticed.

Wanna share your secret on how to get noticed? Leave your tip in the comment. If you have a yahoo group you’d like to recommend, website or blog, share it too. You never know who will one day visit you.

Tierney O’Malley

We've been nominated!

I was nominated for an

Award by Liviania . Thanks so much!

The rules are:
1) Add the logo of your award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

My Nominees are:
1) Laurell K. Hamilton's blog
2) Bitten by Books
3) Molly Daniels
4) Monica Burns
5) Kris Eton
6) Rachel Vincent's blog
7) Sidhe Vicious Reviews

Imaginary Friends

I want to send out a belated Happy Birthday to Molly Daniels!!!!

Imaginary friends. Did you have one? Did or does your child have one? My oldest son had two actually…well three, maybe, if you count Jesus. He had a male friend named Jacob Trent, a dog named Peddy, and he often talked with Jesus. Sometimes he and Jesus would plant flowers together in the yard. When asked where his imaginary friends lived, he insisted that they lived with God.

The internet says imaginary friends are a figment of a child’s imagination and often act as guardians and/or protectors. My son’s imaginary friends had elaborate personalities and behaviors. They were always present and sometimes I would have to set an extra plate at dinner for Jacob Trent. Once I remember being told that I was about to sit on Jacob Trent, so I had to ask him to move. Mostly though, his imaginary friends weren’t a bother, except for the one time my son told me that sometimes Jacob Trent didn’t like me very much. I always wondered if that was his—being my son—way of saying he didn’t like me at times. *chuckles* I told him that Jacob Trent was welcome to go back home and not return.

One theory is that children with imaginary friends retain knowledge faster and develop better language skills than those children without them. It’s thought that this is because children with imaginary friends have more linguistic practice from conducting extra conversations with imaginary friends rather than solely with their peers. This may have some merit in my opinion. My oldest son was talking early, while I never thought my youngest was going to ever talk, but my youngest never had an imaginary friend either.

The internet also suggests that maybe imaginary friends aren’t imaginary at all, but spirits or ghosts. My son often saw people that weren’t there. Once he pointed out the window and asked if that “black man and white man” could come in and play with him. When I looked out the window and saw no one and told him that, he jabbed his pudgy finger on the window and insisted that they were “right there”. He clearly could see them, while I could not. And that was not his only occurrence seeing people that weren’t there.

He’s eleven now and has outgrown “imaginary friends” and doesn’t see people that aren’t there any more either. But, I still wonder. Were his imaginary friends just that—imaginary—or were they really ghosts or spirits or something else that were there entertaining him? I don’t know and probably will never know, but it makes me wonder.

So, what do you think? Are imaginary friends just imaginary or are they something else, something more? What have been your experiences with imaginary friends?

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Gracen Miller

Please Welcome Author...Elizabeth Black!!

The contest to win a copy of the book of erotic short stories "Monster Mash" is now closed, and a winner was selected last night (Thursday). If you'd like to buy "Monster Mash", please go to this link and pick up your copy. Elizabeth Black wrote "Sweet Spot" (erotic horror) and "The Face In The Mirror" (paranormal erotic romance) for "Monster Mash".

Monster Mash - Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

If you are interested in the book of unusual mythology, called "Like A Myth", in which Lizzie's short story "Mud Licker" appears, it is now available for sale at Circlet Press. Here are links for you to purchase the book:

Like A Myth (Palm/ereader format)

Like A Myth (PDF format)

"Like A Myth" will be going live on the Amazon Kindle Store and at Fictionwise in the next 2 weeks.

Once again, thank you so much for visiting Elizabeth Black's blog The Countess, the Deadly Vixens blog, and entering this contest. Have a happy holiday season and a happy 2009.

******

Paranormal Creatures You Don't See Every Day
By Elizabeth Black

Vampires and werewolves are very popular with women who like paranormal erotic romance. We can thank Anne Rice for making vampires sleek and incredibly sexy, unlike the way they had been portrayed before her Vampire Lestat came along. Prior to Lestat, vampires were deadly and scary walking corpses. Not at all sexy. Christopher Lee and Frank Langella helped to make vampires sexy in movies.

I have never been all that turned on by vampires. I found Rice's books to be too wordy, but I did enjoy Poppy Z. Brites vamps. However, Brite writes horror, not erotic romance. So, when I decided to create some paranormal characters, I looked towards the unusual. There are already too many vamps and werewolves out there, and I didn't want to add to the slush pile. So I looked towards other, lesser known folklore.

Hence "Mud Licker", coming soon from Circlet Press. "Mud Licker" will appear in the "Like A Myth" anthology, which will be released in 2009. The story is a hot and sexy romp based on Japanese folklore. Suffice to say this odd little creature lives in bathrooms, and cleans them up - with his two foot long tongue.

Imagine what else it can do with that delicious tongue, and you have a good idea what happens in my story.

I have discovered a treasure trove of unusual characters that I would likely someday use to create more erotic fiction. I have a special fondness for Japanese folklore because it is so unusual. Here are a few that caught my attention (from Wikipedia).

Agloolik: In Inuit mythology, Agloolik is a spirit that lives underneath the ice and gives aid to fishermen and hunters.

Bakezōri is a creature from Japanese folklore. It is a straw zori sandal which has been transformed into a tsukumogami, a yokai (spirit creature) which was once an ordinary household item. It runs through the house and chants "kararin, kororin, kankororin!"

Cambion (Medieval folklore)- In medieval legend, a cambion is the half-human offspring of the union between a human male and a succubus (succubus pictured above), or of an incubus and a human female.

Funayurei (Japanese) - Ghosts of people who drowned at sea
Fylgia (Scandinavian) - Animal familiar
Grigori (Christian) - Fallen angels
Kamikiri (Japanese) - Hair-cutting spirit
Kupua (Hawaiian) - Shapeshifting tricksters
La Sayona (Venezuela) - Female ghost that punishes unfaithful husbands
Makura-gaeshi (Japanese) - Pillow-moving spirit
Nando-baba (Japanese) - Old woman who hides under the floor in abandoned storerooms
Shokera (Japanese) - Creature that peers in through skylights

Those creatures listed sound much more interesting to me than vamps or werewolves. Also, one of the creatures on that list also makes an appearance in "Mud Licker". Buy "Like A Myth" when it comes out to see which one it is. I've put up the Whiskey Creek Press Torrid book "Monster Mash" as the prize today because of my story, "Sweet Spot". It's based on a very odd creature from Irish folklore. Suffice to say that if you ever venture to a particular cemetery in Ireland, don't stay after the mourners leave because you will meet up with a bogie that is particularly nasty. I understand that the cemetery in question has since been torn down.

Once "Mud Licker" is out, I'll post buy links.

Here's an excerpt. Enjoy!

Breathing slow and steady, she dozed off. The warm water made her feel drowsy. As she rested, she felt something soft like a finger between her big and middle toes. The finger moved in between each of her toes, massaging gently with slow, fluid movements. Nanako moaned at the delightful touch. She hadn't had a dream like this in a long time, and it was nice to have a pleasant dream rather than a stressful nightmare for a change. The finger pressed against her arches in a back and forth motion, making her skin tingle. Ah, you found one of my erogenous zones. I love to have my arches massaged. Eyes closed, she enjoyed the gentle touch.

The finger slid down from her toes and wrapped around her ankle, using that slow, back and forth, very gentle motion. There was something strange about the massage that at first she couldn't put her finger on because it felt so good, but she soon realized that she felt as if something licked her feet! Curious, she pulled away the washcloth, and opened her eyes.

Crouched at the foot of the tub was a small, misshapen creature, the color of brick, with long, spindly arms, legs that stuck out like tree limbs, and a thick tongue stretched out nearly two feet. That tongue wrapped around her left ankle.

Nanako screamed. The creature shrieked, leaped high into the air, and crashed against the ceiling.

"Get away from me, you pervert! Sick, toe sucking pervert!" What the hell is that thing?

It knocked the feng shui plaque onto the floor. The basket of soaps flew across the room as the creature crashed against the walls. Surprisingly, the lit candles stayed in place, casting the creature's shadow around the room. Flaying her arms around her body to keep it at a distance, Nanako slid about the tub trying to gain some traction. The creature banged the lid of the toilet open against the tank, and jumped into the blue water. Nanako leaped from the tub, and slammed the lid down. The creature banged against the lid, trying to get out. Terrified, Nanako sat on the lid to keep the thing safely inside the toilet. Her body jumped each time the thing slammed against the lid. In retaliation, and also overcome by fear and disgust, she flushed the toilet.

Wary that if she stood too soon the creature would emerge from the toilet and bounce around her bathroom again, she sat still and tensed, holding her hands against the lid to prevent it from coming up. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Now I know why the rent is so cheap.

Whiskey Creek Press
Elizabeth's Myspace
Elizabeth Black Yahoo Group
Lizzie's Sexy Newsletter

*****

If you're interested in winning a copy of Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's e-book anthology, Monster Mash, which features Elizabeth's short stories Sweet Spot and The Face In The Mirror, leave a comment! One lucky winner will be announced later today. Good luck!

Word count anyone?

Whenever you go to a publisher's submission guidelines, you see that the publisher is looking for stories that fit between certain word counts, and if you submit a story that isn't in that certain word count, they'll flat out reject it. This alone is enough to make one stare at the word count meter on their word processor, but after a dose of Nano on top of those publisher guidelines, the problem can lead to obsession over word count, as an author friend and I discussed a couple of days ago.

Then there're the authors who go by page count. I know of ones who focus more on that than word count, and they're probably just as bad about having to get to that certain page count. Sweat with Sven follows this pattern of having to write 4-6 pages a day. They as well translate that into word count at the end though.

Another friend said to just write the story and submit it based on the length it happens to be. But is that realistic? How about after you've already gotten a book published and you're writing the sequel? I don't think it's that easy, especially if one is looking to get a novel published. I have to have a goal in front of me to get there.

Word counts are a necessary evil, but how do you handle juggling a good story and fitting it into a certain word count for publisher guidelines? Is there such a thing as being obsessed over word counts? Have you felt this way? Do you agree with my friend that you should just write the story and submit based on the length it happens to get to? Let me know. *smiles*

Book of the Week: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.

She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

I really enjoyed this book, since it's not a typical vampire and werewolf book. It shows another side of the paranormal community with the heroine being a skinwalker aka shifter that becomes a coyote. Her personality is dry and entertaining, which I really liked. The whole cast of characters were likeable, and I rooted for the good guys and actually felt sorry for the bad guys. The plot was intriguing, too.

The story took me a little bit to really get into, but once I did, I was hooked. Also, there are a few times when I think the word the author uses doesn't necessarily vibe with what I'd expect the character to really say, but those are such small points that I'm looking forward to purchasing the next Mercedes Thompson book.

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)

Patricia Briggs's website

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How many is too many?

Hey everyone, hope you all had a terrific weekend. I've been working like crazy on my writing, trying to get caught up, I'm sooo behind. One of the reasons is I've got several works in process (WIPs) going at the same time. I know, that's probably not the best idea, but I can't seem to help it. It just sort of happens to me. I've got at least 4 different WIPs that I've started writing, not counting the ideas I've stored away for later use. Sometimes, I think I must be crazy.

When I started writing, I was lucky to write one complete story. I don't know how many books I started writing, only to get about 30 or 40 pages in and get stuck. Ah, those poor discarded manuscripts. When I finally did finish a complete book, I was thrilled, but it was a full year before I was able to do it again. Since that time, I've written three complete stories and have several more in the works. It's hard to believe.

I've heard many authors state that they can't write more than one story at a time. Others, like me, have several going. I guess each person has their own style and way of doing things. Both ways have their positive and negative sides. I'm not saying one way is better than the other. To each his or her own. Find your style and go with it, that's my opinion. Just do it, as Nike would say.

Honestly, I didn't set out to write more than one book at a time. I actually started the first one for a challenge. Fast Draft, the goal to write a book in two weeks time. Well, at least about 50k anyway, not necessarily a whole book for some people. At any rate, I made my goal, but didn't finish the story. After the two weeks was up, life got in the way, I was tired, I had other more pressing matters to attend to, pick your excuse... I stopped writing it. For a little while, I focused my attention on revising my other stories. I had two that needed revision so I figured that would be a good time to do it. When the time came to get back to my writing, I just wasn't feeling it for that story. Maybe I burned myself out on it, I don't know. At any rate, I didn't want to not write, so I started another, thinking I would finish it and return to the first. LOL, that didn't happen.

Shortly, thereafter, I was asked by two other authors to write a novella with a combined theme in order to sub it for an anthology. I liked the idea, and guess what? I accepted. So, now I had three works in process.

Ok, that's enough to give you an idea of how it happened. I won't bore you with the rest of the story. The fact of the matter is, I've done it and now I have to finish them all up. I write on each of them at different times, depending on my mood. This is one of the benefits I was speaking of earlier. The problem is, negative side here, that sometimes you can lose sight of the story and end up never finishing. I hope that doesn't happen.

How do you write? Do you focus on one story at a time or do you have several going at once? Have you tried both ways? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I can't wait to hear your methods.

The characters, the stories and I

Since my book, Three Christmas Kisses, will be out on December 15, 2008, I thought I should take this opportunity to share with you the idea behind the story, and a little bit about how I created my characters.

Last spring, we went to Sunriver Resort in Bend Oregon for a short two-week vacation. We stayed in a beautiful rustic three bedroom cabin. At the time, pristine white snow blanketed the whole area. Icicles hung from cabin’s eaves, branches of Cedar trees were heavy with snow and the nearby lake was frozen—perfect for ice skating. It was a romantic getaway.

Staying there, away from the city noise and crowd, was like being one with nature. I just loved it. I love nature period.

Years ago, I worked for a non-governmental organization, a foundation for the conservation of natural resources. I’ve been to different rallies against the government officials and their horrible connection to illegal logging and forest denudation. I was a tree-hugger.
My appreciation for the beauty of nature was what inspired me to write Three Christmas Kisses. I came up with a kick-ass heroine, an environmental lawyer, who cared less for her safety, so long as she could protect her beloved trees. And a hero, well, what could be better than a hero who hated the cold weather. Conflict huh? Perfect. What about the three kisses you might ask. Well, you’ll have to read the story for that.:)

I’d say in all of my stories, there was a part of me in it. In To Trust a Wicked Man, I struggled to find the middle of that story. So I placed myself in the heroine’s shoes. By doing that, I was able to relate to her emotions, her needs and read her mind. I felt her disappointments, pain, and the complexity of her situation.

I became her.

In Wicked Proposal, my heroine nearly drowned because she couldn’t swim. Here is a secret (Shhh) I can’t swim either. I hate all types of bodies of water, just like my heroine.

I am not an expert in creating characters, but over the years, I learned that in writing I have to tell a bit of truth in my stories disguised as fiction. What do I mean by this? My characters—once or twice—have crossed my paths. But, I weaved them into the story so if a relative read my book they wouldn’t recognize the character as so and so.

When I think about my character, I think of her as a person—breathing, with emotions, capable of making mistakes, full of life. You might say, ‘yeah right. I read your book. Your characters are flat as a paper.’ Well, don’t forget, I already claimed that I am not an expert in molding them.

Do you know of any other way to create a believable character? Have you read a book where a hero or heroine acted more like robots compared to C3PO and R2D2 of Starwars?

Share! Share!

Tierney O’Malley

Upcoming Vixen Events

Hi everyone!

We have some very special events happening this week!

On Monday, Tierney's Three Christmas Wishes is going to be available from eXtasy books. We're so happy and proud of her! So make sure to check out her book when it becomes available!

Also happening on Monday, The Deadly Vixens will be chatting at Romance at Heart at 9:00 p.m. EST. We will each be discussing our current releases (and soon-to-be releases). We hope to see you there, since we're so exciting to be doing a chat. The link for that is: http://romanceatheart.com/en/cgi-bin/chat.pl

On Thursday, we will have Elizabeth Black guest blogging with us. So make sure to stop by and comment to be entered for your chance to win a free book.

Tune in for next week's exciting news. Best wishes from The Deadly Vixens!

Body Under the Matress...

Awesome Friday! I watched a show not too long ago about urban legends. They gave the story and then told us if it was fact or fiction. This is one of those stories that while true, gives me the southern heebie-jeebies. *shudders*

A couple checks into a hotel room and the air conditioner is not working, so they contact the front desk and are promptly given another room. Upon entering the second room, they immediately smell a strange odor. They search the room, under the bed, in the closet, everywhere they can think of, but can find nothing. The odor is so strong, the woman cannot stay in the room, so they decide to go eat instead of contacting the front office again because the woman doesn’t want to bother them a third time.

I needed a time out here. The smell is awful and all they can think to do is go eat? *makes a WTF face* Seriously? This has got to be made up, right? I don’t know about you guys, but the smell of stink doesn’t typically make me want to eat. But I digress...

When they return, the smell is not any better, but they tough it out and go to sleep. I’m thinking they’re freaking crazy at this point! Who could sleep in a room that is so smelly it makes them want to gag? *shakes head at stupidity*

They later learn that a dead body was stuffed into the mattress beneath them!!

Oh, my freaking God! I’m rubbing my arms at this point, thinking I have bugs crawling all over me and thinking of all the times I’ve slept in a hotel room. None of them were stinky, thank God.

According to the show, the woman needed counseling after learning this. I was sitting there nodding my head and muttering, “I would think the hell so.”

This story gives me a sick feeling to my stomach. I am sure you are thinking, then why am I sharing it with you all? I am morbid, maybe? ;-) Seriously, though, knowledge is information and if you ever check into a hotel room with a funny smell, I wanted you to be armed with the possibility of a rotting corpse beneath your mattress so you wouldn’t delay in notifying the front desk and demanding a new room.

I can’t understand why they wouldn’t want to bother management again. If the odor was as bad as they say it was—and let’s face it, although I’ve never smelled a rotting human corpse, I have certainly smelled a rotting animal corpse and it is beyond odorous—how could they sleep in the room? This was a little extreme in the category of not wanting to bother or inconvenience someone else.

I did a little bit of research on this topic and found that it has happened in multiple states…Las Vegas, NV, Atlantic City, NJ, Kansas City, MO, and more than once in California and Florida. Instead of a “hell, yeah”, can I have a “big fat, freaking, Oh My God, YIKES!”? To know this occurred more than once, honestly leaves me mystified. You want to know what’s even stranger or weirder on my part? Seriously, I must be sick in the head to even be thinking it. I keep thinking that I hope they didn’t get naughty on that bed with the corpse beneath them. Eekk!

So, tell me what do you think? Are you familiar with this Urban Legend? If so, does yours differ in any way whatsoever?

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! -- Gracen

Please welcome author... Pandem Buckner

Mood Music

Whenever I write, my preferred ritual is to drink, smoke, and listen to music while writing. I can go without the first two and be moderately okay in my writing, but going without the third – or some form of aural stimulation – is well-nigh impossible for me. Normally, I listen to Dave Matthews Band and Diana Krall almost exclusively when writing; sometimes I'll throw in a few songs by someone else, just for a change of pace.

Until this new story.

When I sat down to start writing the new story, I turned on my normal Media Player playlist and got ready to write. However, the story itself resisted me, and I struggled just to get the first two paragraphs out.

Temporarily defeated, I went back to the mental drawing board, turning the elements and possible scenes for the story over and over in my head. As I did such, I noticed something that I'd never had happen before when writing a story: the ideas came with music. I don't mean that when I listened to music, more ideas appeared in my mental inbox; I mean that when they appeared, they brought songs of their own with them.

The music they brought was far different from the complex instrumental play of Dave Matthews Band or Diana Krall's smooth, silky voice over laid-back jazz tunes; no, this story demanded, and even included, something very different for its soundtrack. It demanded an odd mix of 70s style funk, Japanese-made bebop jazz, and however one wants to define the odd, but good, rock-rap fusion of late-90s rapper/singer Everlast.

Never one to miss a sign, I made a new playlist containing those songs. When I had the time to work on the story again, I listened to that playlist and, lo and behold, I had more of a struggle to sift through the ideas and words coming than I did in trying to put them down. Now, when I'm working on that story, or thinking about it when I'm driving somewhere, I put on that playlist and have no problems with it.

Has that ever happened to you? Has a story demanded a soundtrack of its own from you? If so or if not, what sort of music do you find best to listen to when writing? What artist or genre wakes up your muse and make her dance in your head?

Cures for Lycanthropy

Hmm... I don't think so, but first off! I want to wish our very own Sierra Wolfe a very Happy Birthday! Yay!

Anyways, as I was looking at Wikipedia's entry Werewolf, I happened to see a section that said Remedies. I am a huge fan of werewolves. They are probably my top favorite of paranormal creatures. I have heard of some authors who have figured out ways to cure their vampires of vampirism, but not really anything about curing a werewolf of lycanthropy, or as Wikipedia says, werewolfism. So, let's take a look at a few of these "remedies."

First one of interest is from the Ancient Greeks and Romans. They believed that to cure a person of "werewolfism," you needed to get the person to the point of exhaustion by long and hard physical activities. They thought this because of the fact that werewolves supposedly were weakened after ravaging their prey.

My thought on that is it doesn't matter about making the person exhausted if they really are a werewolf because they'll just gain back some of that strength during their shift, and then they'll be just as likely to eat whoever happens to be on the menu. I haven't really heard of werewolves supposedly being weaker after killing their prey either. From the books I've read, they usually feel satiated and content, if not exhilirated, but not weak. Hmm...

The second is grouped together ones that pretty much fall into the same category. In medieval Europe, they believed there were three ways of curing one of "werewolfism." Those ways were medicinally, surgically, or by an exorcism. The cures performed by their doctors mostly were fatal. Some Sicilians believed that you could cure the werewolf by hitting it on the forehead or scalp with a knife, while others thought you needed to pierce the werewolf's hands with nails.

A lot of those sound very painful. The fact that medieval Europe believed lycanthropy/werewolfism could be cured surgically boggles my mind. Perhaps those fatal "cures" weren't really intended to help the victim, but instead to kill the victim so that they wouldn't have to bother with him anymore. Poor wolfie. The Sicilian beliefs were a bit odd as well, especially if, oops! that wasn't really a werewolf. It was just a normal human. Ouch!

The third and final group are the less extreme ones. In lowland Germany, they believed that if you addressed the werewolf by its Christian name three times that it would be cured. And a Danish belief is that if you simply scold the werewolf that it would be cured.

These "cures" I wouldn't want to perform in front of the werewolf when he's in wolf form and about to attack. I think if the person really was a werewolf that they'd eat you just for trying them, but then again, that might just be me. It's good that some didn't go for a violent approach to curing werewolves, but these seem least likely to work. What do you think?

Let me know which group you think would be most likely to cure a werewolf, if any. If you don't think they would work, tell me ways you've heard of to cure werewolves, or if you have read a novel that has dealt with trying to cure a werewolf. *smiles*

Winner of Victoria Janssen's book!

Congratulations to our winner from Tuesday's contest...the winner of Victoria Janssen's book, The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover.

The names were entered into Random.org's list randomizer and it picked the winner. So, the winner is: ddurance aka Deidre!!!

Congratulations, Deidre!!!! We hope you enjoy your free book from Victoria. To receive your prize, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your mailing address. Thanks for participating in our blog and congratulations again! Don't forget to check back each Saturday for a new contest!

Please note: New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one (1) week from today's drawing. No exceptions are made.

The Deadly Vixens

Saturday's Contest Winner

Congratulations to our winner from Saturday's contest...the winner of Stacy Dawn's e-book, Reindeer Games.

The names were entered into Random.org's list randomizer and it picked the winner. So, the winner is: MOLLY DANIELS!!!

Congratulations, Molly!!!! We hope you enjoy your free e-book from Stacy Dawn. To receive your prize, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your e-mail address. Thanks for participating in our blog and congratulations again! Don't forget to check back each Saturday for a new contest!

Please note: New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one (1) week from today's drawing. No exceptions are made.

The Deadly Vixens

Please welcome author...Victoria Janssen

Greetings! My December 2008 release is the erotic novel The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover. It's my first published novel, and though there are no paranormal elements, it's set in a fantasy world. More accurately, it's a land of Fantasy, of sexual fantasy. I thought the story would be best served by creating an alternate world, just enough different from our own world to free the reader's imagination but enough the same so that she doesn't have trouble navigating the story. Also, it was just plain fun to integrate real historical details with ones I made up completely, or borrowed from different time periods. It was even more fun to worldbuild in ways that would deepen the story's meaning.

On the surface, the world of The Duchess looks a bit like eighteenth century Europe. I altered the clothing as I saw fit, and tied in elements of nineteenth century European clothing as well. The details of décor are hodgepodge--I used elements of Medieval and Renaissance and Beaux Arts and Art Nouveau and even some Art Deco styles. However, I chose those styles based on thematic elements of the story. For example, to emphasize that the duchess is trapped in her role and in her palace, I chose to have her avoid her reflection in a "full-length oval mirror, its wide frame like a tangle of golden brambles," which could symbolize a barrier. Later, in her audience chamber, "the walls were hung with tapestries in lush twining, leaflike patterns of blue and gold," again giving the impression of her being tangled, trapped. Finally, the motif appears more explicitly in the corridor approaching her private quarters: "gold sconces shaped as
unearthly smooth disembodied feminine hands, braceleted in cruel red stones," a more direct presentation of restraint. These types of décor come from three different time periods, but they're all linked because they serve the same theme.

All the characters born in the duchy or nearby have French names; I kept that consistent to give the sense of a coherent society with a common language. The two eunuch characters and one other character, who's genetically related to one of them, have names that originated in Eastern Europe. Hopefully, that fact subtly informs the reader that those characters come from elsewhere, or from an ethnic minority within the duchy. Eventually, I layer in that the eunuchs come from families who were politically at odds with the Duke, which reinforces the difference in their names. When the characters reach the coastal protectorate, a land whose economy is based on worldwide trade by sea, suddenly the names and appearances of people become much more varied: "She saw more dark-skinned people than pale, some so dark they appeared almost like shadows in the bright sunlight, others of various skin shades from olive to brown, and a few paler than Camille, their
skins freckled and tinged red by the sun. They wore an array of styles, from pants and boots to long, billowing robes with sandals to a group in billowing trousers and short collarless coats with high-heeled wooden sandals that rattled on the cobblestones. Some looked completely foreign except for their clothing and manners, and some groups were mixed beyond her determining their origin." Names include Skeat, Kamah, and Captain Leung. To show a character who lives in one duchy but came from another, I gave a brothel keeper a combination name: Karl Fouet ("Fouet" is French for "whip," implying that it's a pseudonym). In addition, Karl has a tattoo of an octopus.. Later, octopuses are a major decorative element in the coastal protectorate, implying that he was born there or lived there at one time.

I built into the novel a sense of the romance genre's history, though of course with an erotic twist. I love Georgette Heyer's novels, so from her came the idea to have Sylvie, the maid, spend most of the novel disguised as a boy. While the duchess is in hiding, rumors abound, and I drew on my knowledge of romance novel plots to create those rumors: "The Duchess had gone mad from her barren state, fled the palace, and tried to amass an army of peasants to overthrow her husband and rip him to bits…the Duke had repudiated her and their marriage, declaring her insanity the same as death. He was now negotiating with a neighboring duke for his fourteen year old daughter, or for a princess of a tiny mountain kingdom who possessed an army of eunuchs and bare-chested women warriors, or planned to elevate a lowly concubine to be his consort. Or was it two concubines?"

Finally, I had quite a lot of fun creating variations on erotica tropes. The scene in which the duchess is pleasured by her two eunuch guards is original only in that the two men are physically castrated, and thus doubly subservient to her pleasure. A bondage scene is given a new implication when the subservientcharacter points out that he doesn't need to play at being subservient, as that's his role in real life; the dominant character must recast her demands. Other scenes are given a different angle through point of view. For example, the duchess is disturbed by watching her eunuch consensually flog the brothel keeper, despite clear evidence that it's an enjoyable experience for both. In the scene between the duchess and her maid, Sylvie, the duchess is new to sex with a woman: "Something intangible was missing, like a scent or a vibration in the air. Or--not missing, but nearly so. Camille concentrated on the specific shape of Sylvie's mouth,
on her taste, on her petal-soft skin. After a few minutes, she was able to settle into enjoyment of the subtler pleasures of a woman's kiss."

I might have gone a bit overboard with the details, I admit. But I started out writing science fiction and fantasy; I can't imagine writing without worldbuilding!

My second novel for Harlequin Spice, due out October 2009, is set in 1914 Europe, at the very beginning ofWorld War One. I also included paranormal and pulp fiction elements. I'm just about to begin revisions…I wonder which themes and motifs I can emphasize?


Victoria Janssen

www.victoriajanssen.com

THE DUCHESS, HER MAID, THE GROOM AND THEIR LOVER, December 2008 from Harlequin Spice.
THE MOONLIGHT MISTRESS, October 2009 from Harlequin Spice.

**********

If you would like to win a free copy of Victoria's book, leave a comment to her blog post today! She's going to give away a copy to one lucky winner. Good luck!

*WARNING* Some books may contain explicit material and are for persons 18 years of age or older. If you are not at least 18, please do not enter the contest, as we have no way of knowing your actual age. By entering this contest, you are accepting these terms and are stating that you are at least 18 years of age or older. Thank you. *WARNING*

I have a cover! Squeeeeeee!!

Check it out. I love it!

Legend or Fact?

Ever heard the phrase "This is the stuff legends are made of"? Of course, you have. Everyone has. Why do you think it became so popular? Because legends are popular. They can stick around for centuries. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, fairies, leprechauns. All these creatures are legends with stories that get passed down from generation to generation. They're interesting and fun to read about. 

We've discussed several of these creatures here on our blog. We write stories about them. In plain truth, we love them. They're the creatures of our dreams, waking and asleep. But, how do the legends come to be? Where do they come from? Was someone just really imaginative, or are they based on reality? That's an interesting concept. What if they are real, or were at some point in time? 

One of the most famous legends that I can think of is the Loch Ness Monster aka Nessie. I can remember hearing about Nessie when I was just a small child. I loved to hear the stories of her being spotted. I always thought to myself that one day I would go there and try to catch a glimpse of the famous creature. I'd still love to go! Who knows, maybe someday. 

At any rate, there have been tons of people who claim to have seen the mysterious creature and many more who think it's nothing but a hoax. But I say, why not? Why can't she be a real monster? Just because they haven't found her doesn't prove anything. They're still finding creatures that they never knew existed. Just because we have high technology doesn't mean we know everything. Maybe Nessie is just elusive enough to avoid those that would like to catch her. If that's the case, I say Yay Nessie! 

It's highly possible that she's an ancient creature from the time of the dinosaurs. There are other animals that are still around from that time. It's hard to believe, but it is true. It's been suggested that the platypus has descended from the time of the dinosaurs, so why not Nessie? 

The first recorded sighting of Nessie was way back in 1871, with the last one being June 17, 1998. Has she disappeared? Or have people just lost interest? I doubt that. There were many years between sightings in the past, so I'm hoping that it's just a lag. I'd hate to think that she'd passed on before I could go see her. At any rate, if you're interested in seeing all the documented sightings for yourself, check out this site. 

There are plenty of other legends throughout the world. Many are similar and some are just too crazy to consider. But, it makes me wonder, just what is out there that we have no idea about? I know we don't know everything, if we did, we'd be gods. And isn't it interesting that there can be several monsters that look and act so much alike. Is it simply the active imaginations of people, or is there something to the similarities? Maybe they did evolve and they are all that remain from our distant past. 

What do you think? Do these legends actually exist? Or is it just people out to make a profit or have fun at the expense of others? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Dazzling Manuscripts, Dazzled Editors and Readers :)

As an adult—I am assuming, you the reader, is over the age of eighteen :)—I am sure once or twice in your lifetime you felt that you have “it”, the guarantees of getting something that you coveted (I’ll use a job for the sake of conversation.) Like the dream job you thought would bring big bucks in your checking account, the one that would buy you round trip tickets to the Bahamas or Hawaii or Europe. Or the one that would help send your child to ballet school.
You knew deep in your gut, the employer would be amazed by what he’d see in your resume.

But reality came crashing down—hard enough to knock you down on your ass—when you realized you weren’t the only one qualified for the job, with a degree, with impeccable recommendations.
Suddenly your confidence started depleting like a leaky balloon. You looked at the other applicants. All of you wanted the same thing. Most likely, as they waited for their turn, they were dreaming about the Bahamas, too.

Like them, you were just another number.

While you sat and waited for your turn to sell yourself, to tell the interviewer how great you were, a question popped in your head.
What should you say to dazzle the interviewer? What was so unique about you that set you apart from the herd? Why should you get the job? Should you tell him you could catch a fly using chopsticks, catch a bullet with your teeth, and undergo a root canal procedure without a shot of local anesthesia?

Now, let me apply that question to your manuscript. Assuming that your story was error free, you followed the submission guidelines and you submitted the story to the right publication, if you’re a published author, what do you think saved your manuscript from meeting the horrible fate of being eaten by a Slushpile Monster? How did you manage that prodigious feat?

If you’re an editor, (I am hoping one or two editors will share their views) please tell us what dazzles you when you read stories of same genre every day.
And if you’re a reader, what do you look for in a book? Length, price, author’s name, title, or blurb?

I look forward to reading your comments, which I believe will help published and unpublished authors avoid the Slushpile Monster and experience the euphoric sense of accomplishment instead.

Yours truly,

Tierney O’Malley

WEEKLY CONTEST

Welcome to our weekly contest on The Deadly Vixens' blog! The winner will receive a copy of Reindeer Games by Thursday's guest author, Stacy Dawn!

If you're interested in a chance to win Stacy Dawn's Reindeer Games, then read one of the blogs from this week, starting with Tierney's blog on Sunday entitled, How Do You Handle Rejection, and ending with Gracen's blog on Friday entitled, "Sons of God" and their Nephilim Offspring, and posting a comment HERE in the Weekly Contest post. The winner will be picked by Random.org and announced on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. Be sure to check back and see if you have won.

If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to e-mail us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your e-mail address to claim your prize.

*WARNING* Some books may contain explicit material and are for persons 18 years of age or older. If you are not at least 18, please do not enter the contest, as we have no way of knowing your actual age. By entering this contest, you are accepting these terms and are stating that you are at least 18 years of age or older. Thank you. *WARNING*

Please note: New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing. There are no exceptions.

Best of luck!

"Sons of God" and their Nephilim Offspring

Awesome Friday! Today, let’s talk angels—or rather, angel half-breeds…the Nephilim. Do you believe in them? Do you know much about them? Here’s what some believe the Holy Bible has to say about them:

When men began to increase in number on earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the LORD said, ‘My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is a mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.’ 4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.”

Genesis 6:1-4

There are many theories as it relates to who and what the “sons of God” and the Nephilim are.

Theory One: The “sons of God” were fallen angels. Many believe that the Nephilim were what was thought to be the giants in the Bible because it was believed they were the offspring of angels and human women.

Theory Two: The “sons of God” were probably not human, not even born on earth.

Theory Three: The “sons of God” were nothing more than righteous men, as opposed to the earthly non-righteous individuals during those sinful days before the great flood.

Theory Four: The “sons of God” are a hybrid race that is distinctly different from us humans, but sexually compatible with human reproduction. In any event, the “sons of God” are specifically set apart from the “daughters of men”, so they were obviously a separate race and their offspring were the Nephilim.

Theory Five: The “sons of God” were other created men. It is widely accepted by Biblical believers that Adam and Eve were the only human first created by God. However, the Bible does not detail or describe every individual on earth, not even every important person on earth to Him. Only significant situations and the people involved with those situations are included in Biblical Texts. There is no certainty that God created only Adam and Eve. For all we know, he could have created a whole nation of people, but only Adam and Eve were important.

Off topic: I probably could have found more theories had I kept searching. I felt this was more than enough. ;-)

To me, the book of Job leads me to believe that the “sons of God” were, in fact, angelic in nature. Job 1:6 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” And again in Job 2:1, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.”

I am not a Biblical historian and I truly stink at deciphering its meaning, but to me those two passages would suggest that “the sons of God” were somehow related to God and not another creation of unmentioned mankind. So, for me that knocks out theory three and five above. Only one man in the Bible supposedly saw God as a burning bush and that was Moses. Paul, who became Saul, saw Him as a bright light while on a mission to persecute Christians. I didn’t think any human on earth after the fall from the Garden of Eden was able “to present themselves before the Lord”? None of them had that close of a relationship with God. So, to me, the Job passages suggest that the “sons of God” were probably angels who had the right to freely come and go in the presence of God to report the happenings on earth.

Strangely enough I also found that the Grigori were considered fallen angels who had mated with mortal women, which gave birth to a hybrid race known as the Nephilim. In the Book of Enoch, the Grigori were known as the “Watchers”, which were angels that had been sent to earth to do nothing more than watch over God’s human creation. Enoch details how the Grigori began to lust after the human women, they marry them and begin to live among the mortals. Their children, the Nephilim, are giant savages that endanger humankind by pillaging the earth. They become corrupt and teach the mortals the necessities of civilization that God had kept secret. According to Jude 1:6, God has bound the Grigori on the Earth until Judgment Day.

Even the Book of Jubilees mentions the watchers that fell from grace and married the “daughters of men”.

So, were the Nephilim the offspring of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men”? Were these “sons of God” fallen angels on the side of Satan? Or could they be angels watching and living among us that have become fascinated and enraptured by God’s mortal creation, not fallen on Satan’s side, but just fallen from God’s celestial design?

Of course, all of this is assuming one believes in the Biblical principles. As for me, I do not know enough about the philosophy or about the Bible to make an informed and intelligent decision. But for me, the “what ifs” are intriguing and that’s enough to get my creative juices flowing with possibilities.

What do you think? How do you interpret the Biblical Texts? Do you have a different theory? Or do you prefer one theory over another? Tell me…I’m eagerly listening. =)

Have a great weekend everyone and don’t forget to check back tomorrow for your chance to win a copy of our Thursday’s guest blogger, Stacy Dawn’s, e-book, Reindeer Games.

Please Welcome Author...Stacy Dawn!!

Happy Holidays to everyone! Thank you to the wonderful ladies for having me here today.

What a magical time of year! Okay, so it’s not the same witchy kind of magic you get at Halloween, but Christmas is just as full of the paranormal—elves, fairies, reindeer that fly, a big ol’ jolly man who defies the time continuum—and all defying you to believe, to let go of what logic tells you and grasp the magic that lies in the heart of a child.

My Christmas stories from the loveably eccentric town of Noelle do all of that. No, it’s not classified as a paranormal by any means, but I can guarantee you will find all of the above, if you love to laugh and just open your heart and believe....just like my heroes and heroines do. You will find Santa Claus, the patriarch of the town, reindeer games, the magic of love found, lost, and discovered, and a cranky elf (but don’t mention the ‘E’ word or you might lose a kneecap LOL) all within a town that could be right next to yours.

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Unwrap the first story and see what reindeers can really do....

Reindeer Games

The annual Reindeer Games between the Holloran and the Nickles families is legendary in their little town of Noelle , Alberta . This year, however, the competition gets kicked up a notch when Jess Holloran discovers winning the games may just mean losing her heart.

Continue the hilarity when a trucker takes a wrong turn....

Christmas on Parole

Welcome back to Noelle , Alberta , home of the infamous Reindeer Games, Santa Claus Holloran, and a fifteen-foot Rudolph monument welcoming you to town—that is, before Deke Halls accidentally runs his semi into it. Thanks to the beautiful but annoying judge, instead of a holiday vacation in Bermuda , Deke’s spending Christmas on parole.

Having divorced his kind before, Laney McGovern isn’t about to let the good-for-nothing trucker get away with reckless driving and decapitating the town’s cherished historical monument. Sentencing him to community service with each of the six founding families seems like a just punishment. However, when the eccentric townsfolk begin to embrace the handsome cowboy, this judge slowly discovers not all offenders of the heart are the same.

And coming December 10th, you won’t want to miss a tale that is more than make-believe....

A Cinderella Christmas

Her mother’s ridiculous idea to gift her with 'a man' for Christmas is driving Angie Bellini insane! Every bachelor and his brother in Noelle is asking her to save them a dance at the upcoming wedding of Santa Claus Holloran’s daughter. What’s a girl to do to keep her sanity and thwart a scheming mother? Date the one man in town her mother despises, of course.

Wes O’Connor doesn’t like the plan Angie has coerced him into for two reasons: 1) He’s still paying for the last time those big brown eyes made him do something stupid and 2) He doesn’t want to 'pretend' to date the beautiful baker, he wants the fairytale to turn into a real happily-ever-after.

Their ending may not be so happy, though, when they discover they aren't the only players in their little game of make-believe.

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The series can be read together or stand alone as an entertaining read...and I’m not just saying this because I wrote them LOL....check these out....

Kudos for the tales from the loveably eccentric town of Noelle , Alberta !

CHRISTMAS ON PAROLE: 5 HEARTS FROM THE ROMANCE STUDIO!!
This is a great fast-paced book guaranteed to be hard to put down. Ms. Stacy Dawn has written a book which absolutely mesmerized me. This story perfectly depicts small-town USA. The judge’s character was detailed enough to make the reader feel sorry for her, but hope for the best. Deke was the epitome of God’s gift. The other characters were wonderfully depicted—they make you feel you know them well.
I loved this book and highly recommend it to everyone. It’s a great read, holiday or not.
~Reviewed by Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio

There isn’t anything about Christmas on Parole not to like. The premise is laugh-out-loud funny, the characters are endearing and the dialogue is perfect for the situation. I completely enjoyed this Stacy Dawn tale and plan to read more from this author in the future. Her sense of iteming is super. Her characters seem to say the perfect thing at exactly the right moment. There were more times than I can remember when I giggled while reading this. I enjoyed wondering if Deke and Laney would get together. Nothing about Christmas on Parole disappointed me. It was entertaining all the way through.
~Reviewed by Marlene, Fallen Angel Reviews

REINDEER GAMES: 4 1/2 Books from LASR!!
Need a break from all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season? Only a few minutes to spare? Reindeer Games is the ideal escape. Short, sweet and light hearted, it will have the reader smiling and ready to take on the shopping crowds.
My suggestion for Christmas fatigue - warm up a cup of tea and take 15 minutes to enjoy Stacy Dawn's Reindeer Games.

Paranormal or not, you will start to believe in the magic of Christmas again so come and visit....Christmas in Noelle, where love and laughter are always at the top of Santa’s list!

And because I love to give gifts away, I'm going to be randomly chosing one person who comments today to win a Fun-Stuffed Envelope stuffed with lots of fun little treats from myself and fellow authors!

For more information on my Noelle series, my other books, and myself, come on over and visit my website at http://www.stacydawn.com/. I’m also holding a Wishes and Kisses Christmas blogfest of my own this month on my blog at http://www.stacydawn.blogspot.com/ so pop on over and celebrate with us!

I wish all of you the funnest of holidays, the best of family and friends, and to always believe no matter how old you get!!

Stacy

Stacy Dawn
Author of Fun Romance
http://www.stacydawn.com/

http://www.harrietholstein.com/

Nano is over, now what?

December is now here, and with it National Novel Writing Month has come to a close. In some ways I'm quite thankful for that fact, and in others, I'm panicking. If you've looked over at the nifty new word count meters, you'll see that I'm at about 52,722, I'll admit I'm beginning to ease off the high of "winning" NaNo. Now I just have to keep up with the writing to bring me across the real finish line of scribbling The End after my characters have taken their bow.

So, that leads me to my topic of Motivation or Inspiration. I've heard of writers that talk about writing when the mood hits them, and I have to admit that I've been guilty of that as well, but how does one make it through the days of not feeling like it and just doing it? Whatever it takes! Whether you bribe yourself with chocolates and cookies, or just sit down in the chair and write, it's still important to work consistently on your work-in-process. If you don't, I've learned that the writing just gets "cold." You begin not to have the passion for it as much, then as each day goes by excuses start to come about. After a while, life clears up and you sit back down to find out that you're not as passionate about the characters and potentially scrap it to write a different story. I've been there too many times.

My goal is to complete my correct WIP (work-in-progress) by the end of the month. I see it as achievable, especially since I've hopped on board to Sven Says Sweat (and dragged Sierra and Gracen into it. Are you game, Tierney?) *winks* It's a 70 day challenge to write 4-6 pages a day on your current manuscript or manuscripts to end up at the end with a 60,000-100,000 word novel. Am I a challenge junkie? Maybe so, but I've found that challenges make me park myself in front of the computer and work on my novels. Not that taking a long break after November wouldn't be nice, but... I don't want to put my novel at risk of an untimely scrapping.

How about you? Are you swayed by inspiration and motivation? Or do you just do it? What do you think of writing challenges?

Oh, and I promise to write on a fun topic next week like Bigfoot or werewolves! *smiles*

Saturday's Contest Winner

Congratulations to our winner from Saturday's contest...the review of the published book or partial critique of the unpublished book.

The names were entered into Randomizer.org, and it picked our winner: Nora's Soul, by Margay Leah Justice! Congratulations, Margay!!!! To claim your prize, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com. Thanks for participating in our contest everyone! Don't forget to check back each Saturday for a new contest!

Please note: New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one (1) week from today's drawing. No exceptions are made.

The Deadly Vixens

Book of the Week: Must Be Magic by Patricia Rice

Please bear with me as this is my first review. This week, I chose to review "Must Be Magic" by Patricia Rice. This is the first book of Patricia's I've read and now I'm hooked. I loved it. I've since read all the books in the series. I decided to review this one, because it was the one that brought me into her magic world.

The story is based on the widowed Lady Leila Staines. She is a member of the Malcolm family, a highly known, well to do family where the women all have a certain gift for magic. Each one is different. However, Leila doesn't know what her gift is yet and she tries to discover just what it is. She believes it must have something to do with scent, as she is very adept at creating her own perfumes and soaps. Deciding she needs help to create her own garden for use in her craft, she enlists the help of an agronomist, Dunstan Ives. Since he is without land of his own, he agrees to help her.

It is rumored that Dunstan killed his wife in a jealous rage. Most people have already convicted him of the crime. He sets out to prove his innocence.

Leila doesn't care what people say about Dunstan, she needs his help and she's willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Even allow the man her mother warned her about to have free reign over her land.

Not only is Dunstan a considered killer, he's also an Ives. Ives men are trouble for Malcolm women. Leila knows that her family is against any relationship the two could have, but she can't control the feelings growing inside of her for the dangerous man.

Dunstan doesn't want anything to do with women, especially after the way his cheating wife treated him. But, he can't fight his attraction to the beautiful Lady Leila.

Sparks fly and the two soon discover the magic between them.

I loved this story. It's interesting and unique. I love to read stories about magic, but this series is one of the best. I really enjoyed the fact that each woman had a gift all her own. It wasn't just ordinary magic either, there were gifts I would have never even thought of. I highly recommend this book and the whole series. Patricia Rice has won me as a fan.


http://www.patriciarice.com/

Must Be Magic

Unidentified Flying Objects. Oh, my!

Greetings, earthlings! Hope everyone had a great holiday. Did you stuff yourselves silly? Ah, I'm totally jealous. Anyway, I hope the turkey induced coma has resided. 

I've been sitting here thinking about what I'm going to blog about today when it hit me. I can't be this close to Roswell, NM without discussing UFO's at some point. Unfortunately, I haven't made it to Roswell yet. I've been wanting to go, and the one weekend I was planning on it turned out real cold and I chickened out. It looked like a long walk to the crash site and I didn't feel like battling the cold to get to it. At any rate, I'm still planning to go and see it. 

Which brings me to question, do UFO's really exist? Well, that's a silly question, of course they do. A UFO is simply an unidentified flying object. Anything can be a UFO, even just a bird, if it's unidentified. So, that question goes out the window. But, what about aliens? Are they real? Is there really life out there in the universe? Are we the only ones?

I don't know the answer to that. It seems a little far fetched, but it is possible. It would be really arrogant of me to assume that it wasn't possible. What makes me think that there isn't intelligent life in the universe? 

Well, if there is, why haven't they contacted us? Are they just shy? Unfriendly? Maybe they think we're stupid and beneath them? Are we on the wrong side of the universe?

I know Roswell is the supposed site of an alien crash that happened many years ago and was supposed to be kept hush, hush. But why? To protect us from fear? Sounds more like a government cover up to me. They were probably testing in the area and didn't want the public to know it, so they created this whole crash site to distract us. I personally believe, if there was really something they didn't want us to know about, we wouldn't. The government is good at deciding what we should know about and what we shouldn't. But, as I said, I could be wrong. 

I'm still interested to go visit the site. Even though I really don't believe that's what happened, it's an interesting story. I'd like to check it out for myself. It looks like they've made the site inaccessible to the public, so maybe that wouldn't be possible anyway. 

From the pictures I've seen online, there's not much to see anyway. There is a stone monument (and I use that term loosely) where the crash site occurred. It is simply a large rectangle stone with words poorly inscribed into the top. It reads:

We don't know who they were    

We don't know why they came

We only know

They changed our view of the universe

This universal sacred site

Is dedicated July 1997

To the beings

Who met their destinies

Near Roswell New Mexico

July 1947

You can't copy the pictures to show, so if you want to see them, visit this Roswell UFO Crash site. In the upper left corner is a link to the pictures. It really just looks like a barren farm land. Not much to see as far as the crash site itself. At any rate, there it is.

I can't say I believe or don't believe in aliens. I've seen a UFO myself. I'm not saying it was an alien vessel, but I didn't know what it was and I couldn't explain it. I'll share the story....

Back when I was a teenager, we used to sit outside on my grandma's carport. She had a porch swing there and it was nice to sit outside in the evenings. My grandma had a farm and it was peaceful. We could watch the lightening bugs and listen to the crickets chirp. Well, one evening we were sitting outside and we saw this large orange ball in the sky. It just kind of hovered there for a long time. We watched the bright light and discussed it with just a little interest. What was it? Where did it come from? We tried to figure out what caused it. The airport lights came from a different direction, and any airplanes wouldn't hover like that. Helicopters maybe, but they were rare and it really didn't look anything like the lights we'd seen from helicopters before. 

The light hovered above us for several hours. It did move closer for a while, before backing up to its original location. Finally, it disappeared completely. It was strange and we never figured out what it was. This wasn't the only time we were visited by the strange orange ball. It came back occasionally over several years, providing us with some interesting discussion topics. To this day, I have no idea what it was or where it came from. We could never find a reasonable explanation for it. 

So that is my story of seeing a UFO. Maybe they were aliens and they were watching us with as much interest as we were watching them. It never scared us. In fact, it just drew our attention and made us sit outside and watch it more. Who knows, maybe we were lucky we weren't abducted. :)

Have you got any stories of UFO sightings? Do you believe in aliens? Share your stories with me, I'd love to read about them.