Weekly Contest

Welcome to this week's weekly contest on The Deadly Vixens blog. The winner will receive a pdf e-book copy of WINNING THE HIGHLANDER’S HEART, or THE VAMPIRE...IN MY DREAMS (the winner’s choice) by our guest blogger, Terry Spear.

Entrants will have the chance to enter for this contest twice, which simply means you’ll increase your chance of winning. First, if you posted a comment to Terry’s Thursday blog about Writing Bloopers, then you will be entered once for a chance to win the e-book.

Another way to enter to win is by answering the following question from my Horoscope blog, yesterday (Friday):

Am I a skeptic or believer in horoscopes?

So, comment on Terry’s blog AND answer this question here and you’ll be entered TWICE for a chance to win a copy of Terry’s book, either Winning the Highlander's Heart, or The Vampire...In My Dreams (winner’s choice). If you only comment to one of the two blogs, then you will be entered ONCE for a chance to win Terry’s e-book. It’s your choice how you enter.

Be sure to leave your answer to the above question in the comments section of this blog to be entered into the drawing for the prize. Also, if you want a second chance to win, leave Terry a comment on her blog from Thursday.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, June 3rd. Be sure to check back and see if you have won. If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your prize. Include your e-mail address within the e-mail when you claim the prize to ensure delivery. New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing.

Best of luck!

The Deadly Vixens

The Truth of Gracen's Stars

I’m a Libra, an October baby. Unlike Sierra, I do not receive a daily horoscope. In fact, I rarely check mine in the newspaper. So, as research for my blog today, I located my horoscope for Thursday, May 29, 2008, and decided to see how accurate it was.

Here was my horoscope for Thursday:

“A minor aspect from the moon is likely to have you craving a little space today. The irritating influences will fade by the start of the weekend, but in the meantime spreading yourself too thin or too many minor distractions will irritate you. Close the door this evening and settle down to watch your favorite movie!”

I didn’t read my horoscope until 11:38 p.m. Thursday evening, so the day was almost over. As far as accuracy went, well, it was eerily dead on.

Boy was I craving space! My six-year-old son—we’ll call him Avery to protect the guilty—has been sick with the stomach flu for the past two days. By nature Avery is a drama king anyway, so when he’s really sick and not just faking it, the drama reaches epic proportions. So bad that he wanted to call my friend and tell her he was sick. Seriously, how much sympathy does one person need?

So, today, Avery is all better, not throwing up, but—and this is a big but—he’s been sick, so now it’s irritation city. We’ve had the same conversation about karate fifty times today alone—a bit dramatic, I know, but I learned from the best…Avery—and he still fails to understand what is going on. Even though it is the same routine at every testing cycle. Now, I do not expect any of you to understand that cycle, but we’ve been doing karate for four and half years, so I definitely expect him to understand the testing cycle. And truly that wasn't even the beginning of it. He wanted to misbehave while waiting for his brother at the orthodontist. Anything I said, he thought he could argue me into submission. By the end of the day, I was worn out and ragged from arguing with him.

If I’m labeling Avery as my “irritating influences”, strangely enough just like the horoscope predicts, it will most definitely fade by the start of the weekend! His grandparents are arriving today to take Avery with them tomorrow for a week long vacation at their house. WOW! Spooky!

You might be wondering what the “minor distractions” that “will irritate me” are? That one is easy…Supernatural TV forum! I swear if I don’t stop talking to them, I’m never going to finish writing my book. Just when I say I’m done, I get a “topic reply notification” and I’m SUCKED right back into the void of endless debates. *sigh* I'm so weak.

So, the final part of my horoscope…“Close the door this evening and settle down to watch your favorite movie!” Oh…my…God! Can things get any freakier? I shoved my laptop aside (I loosely assumed that was the doorway to hell...um, rather, I mean doorway to the forum) and watched a movie with my oldest son!

Just in case anyone missed it in paragraph one, I am the skeptic when it comes to horoscopes. I think they can be accurate, but only if it is a reading for a specific person. The horoscope above was for all Libras yesterday. So, what do you think? Was it prophetic or could I have applied it to my life on Tuesday or Wednesday or even today?

Have a great weekend everyone! Don’t forget to check back tomorrow to enter for your chance to win a pdf copy of Terry Spear’s e-book!

Please Welcome Author...Terry Spear

Writing Bloopers

Thanks so much to the Deadly Vixens for having me as a guest author blogger! Ironically, I looked up the term “vixen” this morning in the thesaurus because to me it means someone who’s impish, tease, troublesome, but in a playful way and I was going to use it to describe my heroine in my latest book, Allure of the Wolf. But the thesaurus showed it as shrewish, harpish. Huh? Okay, so I looked it up in the dictionary, hoping to find something closer to what I thought it was—a woman with a fierce temper, and a fox.

All right, so I chose siren instead to describe my heroine. :) Which brings me to bloopers in our stories. What happens to all the stuff I’ve revised? The stuff I’ve cut out? I hear about other authors who have several versions of their manuscripts stockpiled and they wonder when is the time to get rid of them? After the book is contracted? Once it’s published? Ten years after publication?

Hmm, will we become famous and the edited or totally unedited versions will sell for millions of dollars?

My best childhood girlfriend kept all her slippers from the time she was an infant to adulthood because she thought some day she might become famous and sell them for a fortune. :) But if she became famous, why would she need to sell them? **note, she never became famous and she finally ditched them.

For stuff I’ve cut, I keep it in a separate file, and then once the book is out, I put the “cut outs” in my hard drive recycle bin. Which is always full of neat stuff if I ever need to retrieve any of it. And I do, sometimes.

I even got really lucky one time because I’d saved the wrong version of a novel, the one without the end!!! And one of my critique partners had critiqued it months earlier and still had it in her recycle bin! This tells me two things, critique partners can be absolutely invaluable, like the friend who has a picture of your kid in their wallet when you can’t find one, and recycle bins are great places to save stuff you thought you might never need again. **note, and yes, I was so happy to have my ending to the book, which turned out to be two whole chapters and an epilogue, I sent her one of my world famous teddy bears!

The reason I keep a file of cutouts is the obvious, I might want to use them after all, but also, do you know how hard it is to cut your baby up? So, by making a file of cut outs, I can get on with the business of writing, and it doesn’t hurt quite as much.

I must have deleted my bloopers, but I remember my editor questioning something about the guns Bella had in Heart of the Wolf…it’s like an important prop, one minute it’s in the movie, the next, it isn’t. :)

So here’s a snippet from Heart of the Wolf when Devlyn is in rescue mode, headed to the zoo to free Bella:

A police siren wailed behind him, shattering the otherwise quiet and forced a shard of anger to rip through him.
Everyone turned around to see what was wrong. Frowning, Devlyn pulled the vehicle to the shoulder, spitting gravel out of its path.
“Speeding a little, Devlyn?” Argos asked, his voice amused.
Speeding a lot. Devlyn tightened his grip on the steering wheel, not wanting to leave Bella in the zoo’s pen one more minute. He glanced at the rearview mirror to see a policeman approaching. If Devlyn tore off now, he could probably lose the cop. The officer would never guess Devlyn would hightail it to the zoo.
He slipped his foot off the brake.
© Terry Spear, 2007

Currently, I’m writing Allure of the Wolf, and I kept feeling the opening, 12,000 words, wasn’t right. So yep, it’s in my cut out file. But I’ve since written a new 22,000 words, and when the heroine and hero get back to town, I hope to use some of what I cut.

The beginning is never the beginning, someone once said. It’s always a work in progress.

So if you are intrigued by a sexy shapeshifter story that is full of suspense, adventure, and humor, check out Heart of the Wolf!

And thanks, Deadly Vixens, you foxes you, for having me!

Terry Spear
Heart of the Wolf, Don’t Cry Wolf, The Vampire…In My Dreams (coming August 26!), Winning the Highlander’s Heart, www.terryspear.com

* * * * * *

Disclaimer (because we don't have a choice): The views expressed by the guest blogger do not necessarily reflect those of The Deadly Vixens.

CONTEST WINNER

Hello everyone! I'm proud to announce the winner of the paperback book contest...ALICE.

Congratulations, Alice!

You get to pick one book from the following list:

Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter
Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

To receive your book, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your mailing address and the title you wish to recieve.

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.The Deadly Vixens

The Truth is in the Stars

This week The Deadly Vixens has decided to talk about horoscopes. I have to say, I’ve checked my horoscope many times to see what kind of day I’m projected to have. I get the daily horoscopes sent to me in my email and I read them all the time. It’s a lot of fun to find out what the stars have in store for us.

When I was a teenager, I bought one of those little pocket books that had a years worth of horoscopes in them. I put it in my purse and checked it often. It was right a lot of the time. I wonder if they still print those books? Maybe I should check it out and buy one again.

The horoscopes I get sent in my email aren’t near as accurate as the one’s I got in the book. The email horoscopes I receive are wrong more often than they are right. But, no matter what, I still read them daily.

I would love to have a real reading done. I’m sure it would be a lot better than the small snippets that I receive in the email. It would be more detailed at least. I think it would be fun to find out what it would say about me. And to be done by a professional, I’d be more likely to believe it.

I do believe that horoscopes can tell us a lot about ourselves. It just depends on who’s doing the reading. If they are done properly, horoscopes can provide us with a lot of insight into our lives. And they can be amazingly accurate.

Have you ever had an incredibly accurate prediction from your horoscope? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about horoscopes.

Sunday's Story

White Embrace

It reached outward, feeding upon the night,
Reaper prowling for a dying soul.

No rest...no rest...until It gained Its goal.

The essence of life nourishing Its delight.

A dog howled a warning to Its prey.

It pulled the victim into Its white embrace.

My father, my father, I give thee succor and grace.
It smiled and became the friend that would betray.

Weekly Contest

This week, we're doing something different for our weekly contest. Instead of an e-book, we're giving away one of three paperback books. The winner gets to pick one of the following books:

Animal Instincts by Gena Showalter
Playing with Fire by Gena Showalter
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

There are two questions to be answered this week for valid entry to the contest, neither of which are hard:

1. What was the answer to the second riddle in Sierra's story, Letters of Pragma, which was posted on May 18, 2008?
2. In honor of our weekly topic (our favorite supernatural television shows): What is your current or past favorite supernatural television show?

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 27, 2008. Be sure to check back and see if you have won.

If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your prize. Include your mailing address within the email when you claim the prize to ensure postal delivery. If you win, you must claim your prize within one week of announcement. New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of the drawing.

Best of luck!

The Deadly Vixens

My Supernatural Obsession

Hi, all! It’s Gracen and I’m talking about supernatural television shows we watch. For me, my favorite—or rather my obsession—is SUPERNATURAL, which airs on the CW at 8:00 C.S.T. on Thursday nights. Seriously, it's an obsession. I've loosely based two characters in my new book on their personalities. And—I can't believe I’m admitting this—my oldest son and I will talk to each other in Dean lingo, repeating some of his lines. It’s fun, we entertain ourselves and each other with it, and I hope it’s a great bonding experience with him. It leaves his daddy clueless what we're talking about too, so that's half the fun sometimes. When he’s all grown up, I hope he remembers these fun times we had together over Supernatural.

Those Winchester brothers are witty, tough, and the best damn demon hunters I have ever seen.

Sam, played by Jared Padalecki, is sensitive and more grounded and was studying to become a lawyer before the Yellow Eyed Demon (YED in Supernatural fandom) murdered his girlfriend, Jessica. He’d rather ask questions first, get all the facts, beat it to death, then shoot.

Dean, played by Jensen Ackles, is rough around the edges, a fantastic smart ass, with some awesome facial expressions and he hates "chick flick" moments. I think he’s a big softie at heart, but you wouldn’t know it for his gruff exterior. For the most part, Dean would rather shoot first and then ask questions.

Need I mention that they are both gorgeous, hot, sexy, sinfully sexy at that, and talk about pheromone city, or can you see that for yourself? ;-) Satan definitely put his brush strokes on these Winchester boys with all their hotness.

Their family is highly dysfunctional being built upon hunting since Sam was six months old, but their loyalty to one another is inspiring. As Dean says, they are each other’s weak spots. All in all though, this show ROCKS!

If you’re a fan of this show, here’s a site I love to chitchat at about the boys, about the show, about anything Supernatural related: Supernatural 4 Grownups. You must be 18 years or older to participate. I'm listed as VampySix on that site, so drop by, say HI and jump right in.

On Friday’s I watch Moonlight, a new vampire detective show. My biggest problem with this show is that Mick (the vampire) is in anguish over becoming a vampire. Me, personally, I’m terribly tired of the anguished vampire. It’s been done a gazillion times and I want to see them embrace it now. That doesn’t mean they have to be evil, but enough of the same old plot please!

Other shows I watched while they were on were Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I used to watch Blade: The Series until Spike TV was idiot enough to cancel the show. I'm still ticked over that one.

And, hey, I can’t forget the shows from my youth: Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, Batman, Wonder Woman, Bionic Woman and Addams Family. Those were some of my favorite shows. I still have fond memories of them and at one point I wanted to be Wonder Woman, Samantha or Jeannie, any of those three would have been fantastic. I wanted to be Wonder Woman so bad I would take tin foil, fashion it into bracelets and a headband and run around the house pretending I was her! LOL! The things I did as a child to entertain myself.

Wow, those were some really great shows! I wish we had more wonderful supernatural shows on television right now. Anyhoo, that’s me and my supernatural television.

Hope everyone has a rockin’ weekend! Peace out, as my boys would say! =)

Villains...or the Case of the Ex

The Deadly Vixens is pleased to welcome Vivienne Westlake! Thanks so much for joining us this week Vivienne. We're thrilled to have you with us. And without further ado...

Villains...or the Case of the Ex

First, let me thank the wonderful ladies of Deadly Vixens for letting me blog this week. And, a special thanks to Sierra who was there with me when I was doing a mad dash to finish my novella, Secrets Uncovered.

Now, on to the juicy stuff...

I had a thought this morning. How much do villains resemble ex boyfriends or guys we've dated?

I thought about Fergus, the dead philandering husband of my heroine in Secrets Uncovered. While Fergus is much worse than my particular ex-boyfriend--whom we'll call Adam, after the first man--Fergus' height, coloring, and general features greatly resemble Adam's. And, while my ex didn't have three other wives (that I know of), Adam sure had a habit of disappearing and reappearing at will, just like my heroine's first husband.

I didn't consciously set out to turn my ex into a character. Nor did I set out to kill him before the book began. But, the subconscious mind is a powerful thing and it sort of happened anyway. Perhaps it's writer's revenge. A long time ago, I read a quote by Gloria Anzaldua that said, "The world I create in writing compensates for what the real world doesn't give me." While the quote was not exactly intended in this way, it makes sense here.

So, I'd like to know, has anyone else either consciously or unconsciously made an ex boyfriend the loose inspiration for a character or certain traits of a character? Feel free to dish. I won't tell if you won't.



Vivienne Westlake Romance
History Has Never Been Hotter

www.viviennewestlake.com
My Blog * Myspace

Disclaimer (because we don't have a choice): The views expressed by the guest blogger do not necessarily reflect those of The Deadly Vixens.

Supernatural Tribute

Hi, all! It’s Gracen here. Since this week is focused on our favorite Supernatural television shows, I thought I’d post a poem in honor of Supernatural’s finale from last Thursday. *sniffle, sniffle*

Give me some latitude, it’s cheesy and terrible, and I’m still whimpering over Dean going to hell and all. So, I expressed it in this lame poem. Please bear with me. I am not a poet. I dabble in it occasionally, but I’ve never claim to be good at it.

For those Supernatural lovers like me, I figure you’ll get this poem, or at least the gist of it. For those of you who don’t watch Supernatural, sorry…and you’re missing an awesome show too!

SUPERNATURAL TRIBUTE

A crossroad pact meant to save.
All was given for the game.
A one-way ticket to the grave?
Grappled by webs of sin and shame.

Brimstone and despair saturates the air.
Wicked demons exposed by sable eyes.
A hopeless fate, but who’s to care?
“Sammy!” echoes his fear-laced cries.

How long till demons want to play
Slowly Peel the Skin from Dean?
Choices are few, dark side or pray.
Bust Dean out of this hellish scene!

WINNER ANNOUNCED

Hello everyone! I'm proud to announce the winner of Patricia Bates' e-book, The Master's Mistress, which is Gillian.

Congratulations, Gillian!

To receive your free copy of the e-book, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your e-mail address and we'll get it out to you ASAP! 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.

The Deadly Vixens

Supernatural TV Shows I Love

This week The Deadly Vixens has decided to write about the TV shows we love to watch. I have to admit that I don't watch a lot of shows on a regular basis, but I have started watching the show Supernatural, thanks to Gracen hounding me about it, LOL. She was right. I love it. It's a really good show and now I definitely have to watch and see what happens when it comes back next season. Hmmm.

I don't really care for reality TV, but I did watch one series that I really liked. I don't remember the name exactly, but it was about psychic abilities. It was a show on Lifetime and they had these proclaimed psychics come on and they put them up to challenges to test their abilities. Some of them were really good. I was impressed. I really liked this show and I hope it comes on again. I will watch it if it does. I think it was called Americas Psychic Challenge or something like that.

Other than television shows, there are several movies that I absolutely love. The Sixth Sense is my favorite supernatural movie. Haley Joel Osmont did a fantastic job in that movie. The ending hooked me and I had to immediately rewatch it after it went off. I loved it and I've watched it so many times I couldn't even count them.

Another movie I really liked was The Skeleton Key. Another fantastic ending. I would never have suspected it. You can't go wrong watching a show set in the bayou. There's always magic in that setting. Some of the best stories are set in the deep south, or come from there.

Anyway, these are the things I like to watch. I hope you've enjoyed reading about what I find entertaining. Please share your favorites. You never know, you might get me hooked.

Letters of Pragma- Sierra's Story of the Week

Letters of Pragma
By Sierra Wolfe

Sophie Matheson raced through the forest with no thought of her own safety. Her skirts bunched in her fists, she ducked branches and limbs with the expertise of a buck. Her long red hair hung loosely in a ponytail at her back, a few strands freed from their prison. Her calves were on fire from the long run. Her chest heaved as her breath came in rapid gasps. Her heart shaped locket slid up and down her skin with each breath.

A light breeze blew through the trees lifting leaves in slow waves. Small bumps formed on her moist skin as a chill set in and she shivered in response. She didn’t have time to stop. Her beloved John had mere hours before his execution. She had to find the Letters of Pragma, they were the only hope of proving his innocence. She had no idea where to look. She prayed that she’d find them in the castle. If she had to tear it apart, room by room, then she would.

Leaves crunched under her feet as she raced forward. The musky scent of earth and trees filled her flaring nostrils. She coughed to relieve the burning in her chest. Spotting a small spring ahead, she rushed to the bank, falling on her knees. Cupping her hand, she scooped the clear water and brought it to her lips. The cold fluid soothed her dry throat.

“What do you think you are doing drinking from my spring?”

Sophie gasped at the small creature before her. His long black hair matched perfectly with his coal black eyes. His wide grin displayed sharp pointed teeth. Standing up, she backed away from the spring. “I’m sorry. I was just so thirsty.”

The small creature snickered as he edged closer, trapping her back against a tree. “You should always ask before drinking from my spring. What brings you here?”

“Please, sir. I’m just passing through on my way to Yorkstrum Castle. I am in search of papers to free my intended from the guillotine.”

“You are the one then? So the time has come? I’ve been waiting.” He hobbled toward the water and bent to drink from the spring.

“Waiting? On what?” Her curiosity piqued and she temporarily forgot her fear. “How could you have known that I’d be coming?”

He chuckled and turned his black eyes against her. “My name is Zargon. I am the forest elf who controls this spring. And you are Sophie.”

Her green eyes widened. “How could you possibly know my name?”

“I know all that happens or is to happen in my forest. I know of what you seek.” He hobbled toward her and she stared down at him. “I can help you with your task.”

“You can help me find the letters? Please, I will do anything. Where are they?” She lost her remaining fear at the thought of freeing her beloved John. She had to find them in time. She didn’t know what she would do if she failed. John’s life was in her hands, she couldn’t fail.

“Oh yes, I can help you find them. But first, you must answer three riddles. Are you up to the task?”

Her heart pounded in her chest. Riddles? She didn’t have time for riddles. “Please, I must hurry. Tell me what you know.”

“The riddles must be answered, or you cannot find the letters.” He waited for her response and she nodded her head in defeat.

“Fine, then. Give me the riddles.” Sitting on a fallen log, she waited for the first riddle to be given.

“Very well, then. The first riddle is this:

You hold your mother’s heart
upon your very chest.
With it you will not part,
it’s needed for your quest.
What am I?”

Sophie stared at the elf who tapped his foot in the soft dirt. Her hand rose to her chest as if trying to feel her mother’s heart there. Absently, she twisted the necklace given to her by her mother. The silver heart-shaped locket was her mother’s gift to her just before she passed. She wore it always and never took it off. “Of course, my locket. The answer is my locket. It was my mother’s and I would never part with it.”

Nodding gently, he acknowledged her answer. “Very good. You have answered the first riddle correctly. But can you get the next one so easily?” His wide grin bared his pointed teeth and Sophie braced her self for riddle number two.

“Here is the second riddle:

I am not brought from hat or stick,
but exist without a show.
What you want you simply pick,
and then you make it so.
What am I?”

“What I want, I make it so? Wouldn’t that be nice?” A dull ache was forming between her eyes and she massaged the area with her fingers. She didn’t have time for these stupid riddles. She had to find those letters and save John. His life depended on her and she couldn’t think with this throbbing in her head. Zargon tipped his head sideways, his pointed ears aimed to the sky. His coal black eyes focused intently on her.

“Well? Have you figured it out yet?”

“I’m thinking.” Oh God, she had to concentrate. No hat or stick or show? What kind of nonsense is this? What I want, I make it so. “Is it… magic?”

His grin grew, spreading his bulbous nose wider. “It is magic. Very good. One more.

You do not have to see,
To know that it is there.
Invisible it may be,
It will show you care.
What is it?”

“It’s there, even if I don’t see it. It shows that I care. The only thing that I can think of that fits that description is my faith.” She looked toward him and waited.

“I am impressed. You have gotten all three of the riddles. Now, can you put them together and figure out the rest?” A flash shot through his eyes as he watched her.

“Ok. I have my locket, magic, and faith. What? Am I supposed to believe that my locket is magic?” She shook her head, fearing that Zargon had just wasted a large portion of her time.

“The locket is the key to your magic. The magic is within you. But you must believe in yourself for it to work.” Zargon hobbled over to her and grabbed her hand with his. She flinched when his long yellowed fingernails scraped her skin. “Listen to me. Do you want to save your man? Then listen. Your mother gave you the locket for a reason. Within it, she placed her own powers so that yours could be stronger. Hold onto the locket with your hand and close your eyes.”

Without thinking, she obeyed his commands. He turned her other palm upward and released her. “Now, think. What is it that you want most right now? Visualize it. Do you see it?”

“Yes, I see it.” She felt a heat forming in her chest and traveling up into her neck.

“Good. Now, picture it in your mind and place it in your hand.”

“I see it. I’m holding the letters in my palm. It’s weird, I can almost feel it in my hand.”

“Open your eyes, then.”

Her eyes flitted open and she looked down at the worn papers in her hand. Gasping, she gripped the papers tight. “How?”

“You believed. Your quest is over. You‘ve not much time. Hurry!”

Turning, she raced into the woods. Her beloved waits.

Weekly Contest- Patricia Bates

Welcome to this week's weekly contest on The Deadly Vixens blog. The winner will receive an ebook copy of THE MASTER'S MISTRESS by Patricia Bates. Thanks again to Patricia, our guest this week.

Here’s the question that needs to be answered:

What country is the setting for The Master's Mistress by Patricia Bates?

The answer can be found in Patricia's blog post from Thursday, May 15th.

Be sure to leave your answer to the question in the comments section of today's blog to be entered into the drawing for the prize. Winners will be announced on Tuesday. Be sure to check back and see if you have won. If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your prize. Include your email address within the email when you claim the prize to ensure delivery. New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing.

Best of luck!

The Deadly Vixens

Gracen's Writing Enviornment

Hi! It’s Gracen here, waving at you, thinking ‘Happy Friday’! I hope everyone has had a great week. If not, remember, there is hope it’s TGIF!

Okay, now to my blog. Writing environments. My biggest complaint is that I do not have a dedicated office. My so-called “office” is a computer hutch stuck in the corner of the dining room. It looks real nice in there with the dining room table and china cabinet. And, yes, I’m using a TON of sarcasm right now. But we work with what we have, right?

Typically, I keep my laptop at the kitchen table. It’s easily removed when we want to eat dinner at the table, and it’s always accessible. Besides if I wanted to work at my office desk slash dining room, I’d have to clean off the chaos that currently clutters that desk. Trust me, it’s not a pretty sight. BUT, I know right where everything is. My husband will be digging in there trying to find something (that truly annoys me by the way because I’m a tad neurotic and territorial when it comes to my space) and I’ll go in there and immediately put my hands on whatever he’s looking for.

I’m probably the most boring person in the world when it comes to writing environments. I can write anywhere, anytime, anyway so long as I have inspiration and someway to write. I prefer a computer, but if I don’t have one handy, I’ll write with paper and pen. I’ve been known to write with the “mighty sword” just about anywhere, at my son’s football practices, while waiting for them at karate class. I do not mind utilizing all my spare time, anyway that I can.

I don’t need silence, I prefer it, but it truly is not necessary. What I can’t have is someone talking in my ear while I’m trying to write. When I’m writing my six-year-old son loves to come stand beside me and ask in that little boy voice, “What you doing?” If I just grunt with a vague “writing”, that doesn’t satisfy him. Oh, no, he’ll proceed to tell me he sees sight words. He’s in kindergarten so it’s all about sight words. The first time he said that to me, I was like, “yeah, a bunch of sight words.” Then he commenced to sounding out a word. Here’s how it went (now remember he says each sound 3 times for one letter): “fu-fu-fu”, “uh-uh-uh”, “ca-ca-ca”, “ca-ca-ca”.

Yes, you guessed it: The four-letter “F” word!

My heart froze in my chest! My eyes widened—I know they did—because I was so horrified. I knew immediately which word he had zoomed in on. Of all the words on the screen and he picks out the “F” bomb? OH—MY—GOD! I did NOT need him learning that word or utilizing it at school. Uh uh, no way!

I slammed my computer (it’s a laptop) shut and dragged him away from the computer screen. He tried digging in his heels telling me he was sounding out a word. Trying to read Mama’s smut is what he was doing.

We compromised; we sat down and read one of his “age appropriate” books, Dick and Jane, one of his favorites. We didn’t find any “F” words in there! =)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Our visit with Patricia Bates

This week the Deadly Vixens was fortunate to talk with Patricia Bates and find out a little about her and how she works. We hope you enjoy reading about Patricia and she's even given us an excerpt of her novel The Master's Mistress! Here's what Patricia has to say about herself...

Writing environments are important. Patricia tends to write the best when she’s at home on her computer with music playing. A nice comfortable computer chair lets her curl up in front of the keyboard.

There is always music playing, be it the radio, the digital music channels or her computer’s rather extensive music library. Every day is different in the genre of music she listens to, one day it could be Celine Dion and Bryan Adams and the next Charlie Pride with everything thrown in between. Her mood has a great deal to do with the selection of music and the topic she writes about.

Patricia’s office is cluttered with stacks of binders and notes of my research for my novels. The organized chaos that is within the walls of the room only add to the flavor as the words flow from her head to the computer. When in the zone, she can easily type out two or three chapters a day of solid writing. Is it perfect no, but at least the ideas are there. She doesn’t write very much with a pen and paper, preferring to type it as its faster, and more easily edited for her.

With a small child in the house it means that the environment is a lot noisier and chaotic than a quiet retreat but she seems to thrive on that. A bit of noise or a distraction keeps her grounded while she writes, allowing her to use her writing as an escape. .

As a major history buff – she loves to write about the old west and even earlier in time. History is something that just comes alive for Patricia which makes it easy to write historicals. Her first novel, which is currently being reviewed by Champagne Books is called The Master’s Mistress and is set during the 9^th century Norse occupation of Ireland.

Excerpt **Mykyl watched his father’s priest Rognvaldr gallop into the yard. Directly behind him was an unfamiliar young woman. She sat relaxed in the saddle as the animal stopped next to Rognvaldr’s mount. Her long auburn hair waves fell past her waist to brush against the back of the saddle as she dismounted.

She looked foreign, with wide set eyes and a small, upturned nose. He found himself aching to stroke the pale, flawless skin untouched by age or disease. She nodded at him slowly; a mere movement of her head, but it was an acknowledgement.

“I see you made it Rognvaldr.” Tyr’s voice boomed out.

The disapproval in Rognvaldr’s eyes as he turned to look at the woman irritated Mykyl. He caught the flash of unease in her eyes before they darted to the horses. Mykyl bit back a curse as his father brushed past him to greet the aged priest.

“Indeed. As you can see she is well.”

Mykyl watched the other slaves turn to eye the young woman. Her clothing was simple, unadorned, and spoke of low stature.

“She’s certainly grown more beautiful. Do you not agree Mykyl? Oh, but I have forgotten you prefer them blonde and blue eyed do you not?” Tyr eyed the woman with a slight smile. “You have done well Rognvaldr. Your reward shall be as impressive as the girl.”

Quickly masking his anger at his father’s promise, Mykyl focused on the girl. She held both horses, her head bowed, and her lips pressed into a flat line with anger. Turning his attention to the old man, who now faced him directly, Mykyl shook his outstretched hand.

“Welcome, young Prince.” Rognvaldr’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. Instead they cooled considerably as Mykyl stared at him.

“And her teachings?” Tyr demanded before Mykyl could speak.

“She’s quite intelligent. Speaks at least three languages as well as reads and writes. Took to my lessons very well, my Lord. As obedient as she should be.”

Mykyl stared at the old man. The thread of dishonesty within Rognvaldr’s voice intrigued him. If Rognvaldr would lie about the slave’s obedience, what else had he been dishonest about? Mykyl glanced at his father who did not appear to have caught the faint hint in the priest’s voice.

“Who is that Father?” Mykyl watched the woman look around the courtyard with hatred and banked rage in her eyes.

“Her name is Amoda, Prince. I’ve been teaching her our ways.”

Mykyl nodded and glanced at his father. “Is she a slave or a priestess?”

“Slave.”

“I have not seen her before.” He felt a familiar stirring within him and shifted at the discomfort in his trousers.

“She’s been within Rognvaldr’s care since she was very young.” Tyr explained and turned back to the Priest. Mykyl shook his head. Some things never changed and he was still not within his father’s favor. He did not doubt his father loved him. No, it was more that King Tyr’s attentions were directed to his kingdom and his eldest son.**

We hope you've enjoyed reading about Patricia and her wonderful excerpt from her novel.
Please leave a comment to let her know what you think!
Don't forget to visit her sites to learn more about her and her work.

http://ofinkandquille.blogspot.com/
http://patriciabates.wordpress.com/
http://www.bebo.com/PatriciaMBates
The fan fiction sites:
http://writersranch.topcities.com/Author/Destardi.html
http://www.wolverineandrogue.com/wrfa/viewuser.php?uid=338

Disclaimer (because we don't have a choice): The views expressed by the guest blogger do not necessarily reflect those of The Deadly Vixens.

Where's Sarah?

"Where's Sarah?" you might ask.

Yes, we know, typically, Wednesdays are Sarah's days to blog. But Sarah is having a family crisis that she is taking care of for the next several weeks. We want Sarah to be able to fully commit herself to solving this crisis so she can be with us in thought and writing 100% when she returns. We do not know how long Sarah will be AWOL, but until then, we hope you all will help us support her by wishing her luck and sending her lots of good karma, and prayers, and whatever else is needed to help her solve this issue.

Rest assured, Sarah is physically healthy in every way. This is an external problem that requires her attention.

So, please send happy thoughts for Sarah and her dilemma and hopefully she'll return to us soon.

Until then, please remember to venture back each day to see the regularly scheduled lineup! In the meantime, Sierra and I (Gracen) will try to come up with Wednesday topics to give you something to read. If there is something you would like for us to talk about, please give us a yell out here or at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com! We are always welcome to suggestions!
Tomorrow we have guest blogger, Patricia Bates, joining us! So don’t forget to check back and give her some feedback!

WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!!

Hello everyone! I'm proud to announce the winner of AJ Hampton's e-book, Bending to Break, is Cathy.

Congratulations, Cathy!

To receive your free copy of the e-book, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your e-mail address and we'll get it out to you ASAP!

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.

The Deadly Vixens

My Writing Environment

This week we've decided to discuss our writing environments. Most people will probably say that my environment is not conductive to good work, but it works for me. ;) I actually write in my bed with my laptop on my lap. This is my favorite place to write. Occasionally, I will take my computer downstairs and sit at the dining room table, but more often than not, I'm in my room.

I don't listen to any special music or anything like that, but I usually have the television on in the background. I'll pick out what I want to watch and a lot of times forget all about it. After I've been writing for a while, I'll look up and notice that a completely different show is on, one I don't even like, LOL. It rarely distracts me from my writing.

Every once in a while, if my muse is being particularly difficult, I will find myself distracted by the TV. When I'm working on a scene that I don't really feel into, then I'll watch a show and pull myself out of the story. But this happens rarely and my system seems to work for me so far.

Another thing I usually do is go into a chat program at the Romance Diva's website. I can go in there and find someone to do a challenge with me. This is when I do my best work. When we challenge, we have someone keep time for us and we write for 20 minutes. At the end of the challenge, everyone posts their progress, usually word count, depending on what they are working on. Occasionally, we post short snippets of our work for others to read. This practice is very motivating and helps me to get a lot of work done. Of course, we also chat too which is quite fun!

Anyway, this is my process. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my writing habits. I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and let me know!

Sierra

Sunday's Story

THE RITUAL

They danced around her, chanting in some ancient foreign tongue. Or, maybe they weren’t even words. She couldn’t tell.

The light from the bon fire glinted off their semi-naked sweating bodies. Behind them the acrid smell of the blue and red flames crackled into the sky and disappearing into the blackness of the night.

Her chin drooped against her chest. She was tired, so very tired. She was thirsty, so terribly thirsty. They’d been at this for hours.

The ropes wrapped tightly around her wrists burned into her skin. Her arms were numb and her shoulders ached. She was naked from the waist up. No shirt, no bra. Both had been stripped from her before she’d been bound. Embarrassingly her nipples were puckered from the cool night air.

She’d thought the men’s intention was rape, until she’d been bound to a wooden cross. The hard path of the cross down her spine chafed, burrowing into her back, splinters pricking her skin.

Oh, God! she cried. What were they planning? Why had they chosen her?

Hot tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her nose was clogged, making her gasp for breath.

Their chanting elevated a higher octave, speeding up in its beat, in its intensity. The rapid pounding of their feet ramped up, creating hollow thuds against the desert foundation, as the beats and stomps echoed through her heart. Each heartbeat pulsated with the cadence of the dance.

“Shut up! Shut up!” she screamed at them.

They ignored her. Continued their performance without so much as glancing in her direction. Maybe they couldn’t hear over their chanting.

She retched. Immoveable as she was, it trickled down her chin and neck.

Her head lolled against the wooden frame. The song and dance was really getting on her nerves. If only she could cover her ears. If only she could close her eyes and blot out the reality too. There were too many ‘if onlys’. They served no purpose and she wouldn’t allow herself to contemplate them further.

Suddenly they stopped. The crickets silenced. All slithery things ceased to move. The rustle of wildlife stilled. The sudden dead quiet was suffocating to her ramping fear.

Each one turned toward her. Suddenly she was wishing they’d start dancing and singing again.

One man threw back his head—his ornamental headpiece quivering—and screamed into the thick, muggy night air, “Father! A sacrifice!”

“NO!” she screeched, the one word echoing back at her off rock and stone.
Panting and crying hysterically now, she pulled and yanked at her bonds, slicking wrists and rope with blood.

This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. She chanted, muttering to herself. This is the United States. Things like this do not happen here. It is illegal here.

Happy thoughts…happy thoughts, she chimed, the voice in her head reaching a new level of hysterical.

The man with the headdress—he wasn’t a Native American, but blonde headed, muscled and very attractive—sliced his palm, allowing his red-black blood to pool in an ornate wooden bowl. When he was finished, he slowly twined cloth about his hand. He dipped the thumb of his other hand into the bowl and smeared an inverted cross on her forehead.

Now she was sobbing, gagging and begging them not to sacrifice her. She’d do anything—anything she told them—if they’d let her go. She promised not to tell anyone either. Her word had always been good.

They didn’t listen.

The ache in her shoulders was obliterated by the fear of death. The song and dance number was desirable to the death hum they were now making.

“Give us your strength, Father!” the blonde man intoned, meeting her gaze dead-on.

The blade he slid from his waist was jeweled, pretty to her untrained eyes. The glint of the blade was starkly red from the flames.

“Please…no…” she whimpered. “Please,” she tried again as he approached her.
She gasped when he carved an inverted cross over her heart.

“In honor of you, Father,” the man said and slowly sawed the blade, back and forth, inch by slow inch, into her skin for maximum torture, directly over the inverted cross.

She screamed. The sound of animals scuttling was distant to her ears, her heart pounding there all too noisy.

He pressed his palm to the hilt of the knife and shoved it forward, cracking a rib and sinking it deep into her heart.

She screamed again. Their humming escalated, becoming louder as the sound of her heartbeat receded.

“In honor of you, Father,” the man said again, his eyes sinister black, staring her straight in the eyes as he watched her die, a lusty gleam in his black eyes.

She whimpered as a skeletal image imprinted over the blonde man’s features. A demon clothed as a human.

Her heartbeat silenced. A final breath rattled from her lungs as a whoop echoed on the night breeze.

Weekly Contest

Welcome to this week's weekly contest on The Deadly Vixens blog. The winner will receive an ebook copy of BENDING TO BREAK by AJ Hampton. Thanks again to AJ, our guest this week.

Here’s the question that needs to be answered:

What is your favorite alien/UFO movie or novel?

Be sure to leave your answer to the question in the comments section of today's blog to be entered into the drawing for the prize. Winners will be announced on Tuesday. Be sure to check back and see if you have won. If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your prize. Include your email address within the email when you claim the prize to ensure delivery. New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing.

Best of luck!

The Deadly Vixens

Gracen's Thoughts on UFO's and Aliens

Hi, all! I guess I’m the only one of the three that believes without question in UFO’s and aliens. I don’t need to see it to believe in it. I believe in demons too and I’ve never seen one. Thank God!

My reasoning is simple, or it seems simple to me. Whether one believes in God or Evolution, my logic still applies.

First, if one believes in God, then it makes little sense to me to believe he would create the angels in Heaven, the solar system, the planet, the animals and plants and us humans and then just...stop! To me He has proven he likes creating things. Who can say that we were his first creation? I don’t believe we were his last. To believe that he created us and thought we were too perfect to create more seems narrow-minded—to me anyway. I realize not everyone shares my logic or my point of view. (My husband sure as hell doesn’t). I know when I write I can’t stop at just one story. I’m compelled to write over and over again. It doesn’t matter how perfect I might think one story is I’m still compelled to write another, a better story if possible. I can't imagine why God would be different, but then again, maybe that is me putting God into a small narrow-minded mindset.

If one believes in Evolution, then if the conditions were right here on our planet to create us, reasonably I think the conditions could have been right on other planets too. Even if we all started from a single cell organism, it still should have been able to repeat in someway, somewhere in this huge solar system and in all the galaxies that we know about and all the ones we don’t.

Maybe my logic shows how ignorant I am. Regardless, I still believe in aliens and UFO’s. I do think that some of the UFO sightings are probably the US military and they do not want the public to know about the aircraft they are flying.

I’ve seen an object in the sky before during the early morning hours, it was hovering, it was silver and at times the sun would glint off it so bright, it was almost blinding. That morning I parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot, looked at it a moment pondering what it could possibly be before going inside. I spent a good 30 minutes in that store. When I returned, it was still in the sky, still in the same general area, but had moved just a little. I spent another few moments wondering again what it was, then got in my car and drove off. As I drove off, it remained in the sky for another five minutes or so before disappearing all together. I’m not saying this was an alien aircraft because I really don’t know. I never saw it fly off and reasonably assumed our joint positions hindered me from seeing it.

Certainly Area 51 comes to mind when we talk about aliens and UFO’s. My parents took my oldest son to Area 51 about two years ago. The restricted signs sure make me wonder what is going on out there. And we’ve all probably seen our fair share of documentaries on Area 51, not to mention all the photos suspended on the internet of so-called aliens, many of them linking back to Area 51. I don’t know that I believe in the Area 51 conspiracy, but it has made for some fun entertainment through the years.

I still believe aliens exist. I believe it is hugely possible that they are so advanced that they could visit us in their UFO’s. I don’t know what aliens look like. I don’t even have a clue. Maybe they look like us. Maybe they don’t. Whether little green men or like us or in the many forms Stargate has conceived, I really don’t care. I just know it is fun thinking of the possibilities.

I’ve decided through the writing of this blog that aliens inhabit our computers. I typed this twice and both times when I went to save it, my computer locked up. *snarling, evil face* It’s a conspiracy! Aliens are really tiny little creatures inside our computers, in cyberspace, hacking away at all our hard work! =) Just kidding!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. For all the mothers reading this…Happy Mother’s Day! I’d love to hear your comments.

Everyone Welcome Author... AJ Hampton!

Thank you for taking the time to interview with us. AJ's newest release is Tempting Sin which came out in March 08. Bending to Break, her full length paranormal novel became available in paperback in January 08!

Tempting Sin: http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/temptingsin.htm
Bending to Break – eBook: http://www.cacoethespublishing.net/?q=node/105&book=72
Bending to Break – Print: http://www.cacoethespublishing.net/?q=node/48&book=15

1. When/how did you know you wanted to write?

AJ: I’ve always wanted to write, I just never thought I was very good at it! LOL. I started writing short stories, getting critiques. The more I read, the more I studied how it was done. How things were described, how details were weaved into the story without overwhelming the plot.

I haven’t mastered the art, probably never will, but I’ve gotten to a point where I feel comfortable and I’m okay with that!! What really messes me up is “Head Hopping” and when I think about it too hard, I can’t write anything!! It’s best to just write and forget everything else.

2. How long did it take you to become published?

AJ: I was writing for about three years, posting here and there. I was actually contacted by Cacoethes Publishing about a holiday piece I posted (Holiday Nectar). They asked to see the rest of it and I about shit a brick! I never dreamed I’d actually get published. Once I was accepted it gave me the confidence I needed to submit other things and work with other publishers.

It also made me think about what I wanted (in terms of writing). I’ve re-evaluated my goals and can’t wait to share my stories with everyone.

3. Who are some of your favorite authors?

AJ: My real favorites are the series books. I really enjoy starting a series that I know will continue with the same characters in the next book. Often times I’m not ready for the story to end, so LKH and Charlaine Harris have to be some of my favorites.

4. Who do you count as your literary influences?

AJ: LKH is a big one. I love the power, the action, and the seductive nature of her books. Blending horror and romance is just genius and hard to pull off. I think she does it well and I’m very interested to see where her Anita Blake series will go. I have to admit, I never got into her Meredith Gentry series.

To be honest, I’m influenced by every paranormal book I pick up. I love seeing how other authors convey their message and put their own unique spin to things.

5. How long does it usually take for you to research a book?

AJ: Research? *Looks around* What? I have to admit, I’m horrid at research. I’ve got a close friend (who I’m working on co-authoring with) who is brilliant in all things demon. I normally just pick her brain. Her google kung foo is amazing.

6. Many authors are doing strictly e-books, do you think this is just a trend, or does it spell the end of real books?

AJ: I don’t think it is a trend, but I also don’t think real books will ever go away. It’s nice to sit back and relax with a nice paperback. Personally I enjoy both a book I can read at work on my computer screen and one that I can take into the bath with me. I think we live in a world of instant gratification. It doesn’t get easier then clicking a button and getting a steamy book in that instant. When I’m feeling too lazy to go to the bookstore, you better believe I’m all about surfing the net for a good novel.

7. How long does it take for you to write books?

AJ: This is a good question without an answer!! Some days when the muse is having her wicked way with me, I can write 10-15k per day. Other times, I can barely squeeze out 2k in a few weeks! She’s a wicked devil, that muse. I completed Bending to Break, about 40k in roughly two weeks. It took me a few weeks to write the first 50k. (I’m not sure if there was an answer in there… lol).

8. Is there any character in your books that you can really relate to?

AJ: Funny you should ask that! I let my cousin read Bending to Break (I tend to be secretive when it comes to my smutty novels where my family is concerned). She said she really saw a lot of my character traits in Kayden. From what she liked, what she wore… It was interesting to hear from someone who knows me so well. There were things I didn’t even realize about myself that I put them in there.

9. Do you see yourself writing in the same genre in 10 years? If not then what?

AJ: I definitely plan to stick with Paranormal Romance. If anything changes, it will be the lines that hold the genre together. I love murder and mystery, if I can put them all in one novel you bet your ass I’ll do it! I dabble in contemporary, but it’s not a passion. I’m not compelled to write it like I am with my other stuff.

10. What advice do you give to those who are just starting out or trying to become published?

AJ: Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid of rejection. Really, it’s not personal. Either your story will fit, or it won’t. Take all the criticism you can and let it help you shape your story. I was terrified of submitting and it held me back. Just get yourself out there and try. You’ll be sorry for the rest of your life if you never try. What ifs will haunt you in the middle of the night!!

11. What do you do when preparing to write a story?

AJ: Talk about it to anyone who will listen? LOL. I try and write down as much as I can. Research what I need (or ask my smarty pants friend!) Mostly, I just think a lot about it. I get certain scenes or dialogue pieces stuck in my head. I can’t sleep unless I write them down.

12. Where do your story ideas come from? Do you use people you know as characters sometimes or even sometimes a certain event from real life happenings?

AJ: The flow of ideas seems never ending some days. I get inspired by everything! Sometimes I’ll see or read something and think what if… from that all kinds of ideas sprout forth. I was listening to Beethoven the other day and I was so moved I started writing on a coffee splattered envelope I had in the car!

13. What is your favorite part of writing?

AJ: The editing process for sure. I love getting critique. It’s really helpful for me to know what works and what doesn’t. It’s always a trip to see how someone else sees something. To me, it’s just a bunch of words on a paper. If I read it too much it becomes distant and unconnected.

14. Do you have any projects you are currently working on?

AJ: I have a ton of stuff I’m working on, but none of them seem to be going anywhere. If I do too many things at once, nothing gets done. I’m co-authoring a series with my good friend Issa West. I’m also working on some short, erotic shape shifting stuff. My main sights are set on a shape shifting trilogy I’ve plotted and planned out. Once I hone my writing skills I’ll get to work on it. Right now I’m afraid I’ll frak up the intricate (and if I may say so, riveting) plot.

15. Did it take a lot of rejections for you to finally get published or was it pretty easy for you?

AJ: I wouldn’t say it was easy. I’m the most impatient person in the world. So far, I haven’t gotten any rejections, but I also haven’t submitted that much either!! I just sent something new to Cobblestone, so we’ll see how it goes… I’m terribly nervous about it. It’s written in 1st person (something I rarely do) and it’s a bit… out there. *Shakes head* I’m trying to forget about it. If CP doesn’t want it, there is a chance I’ll find a different home! Remember, don’t take it personal!
16. Do you write your stories out with pencil and paper first or do you work straight on the computer?

AJ: I try, I really do, to write the old fashioned way, but I just can’t do it. Well, that’s not exactly true. Tempting Sin was done with a pencil, but the revision process was done by computer. It was a disaster when I managed to uncurl my fingers from around the pencil.

17. You just recently were published. How does it make you feel?

AJ: It makes me feel amazing, terrified, and slightly shy and I’ll tell you why! Writing has opened this new side of me, one of which no one has seen. My family is on me like vultures to read what I’ve written. But the thought of them reading my erotic scenes… I don’t know. Just doesn’t sit well with me!! Blood, sex, guts, it doesn’t define me, but I sure think about it more than I should!! LOL. On the serious side, getting published was a goal that I had, and now that I’ve accomplished it, I’ve set some new goals to tackle.

18. Getting back to your books coming out soon. Tell us a little about what to expect from them.

AJ: Most of what I’ve written is already out. If Pain & Pleasure is accepted, you can expect a highly erotic, fantasy piece that is intensely personal. It was written in 1st, so you really get a feel for what the heroine is feeling and experiencing. It was meant to be erotic, not so much romantic. It’s dark, and fantastical, and yeah, I really love it. If I had to show one piece that really described what I truly felt and what I really enjoyed writing, it would be that. Blood, death, sex, its all in there.

As for my other pieces, I’m working on some lighter paranormals. Quirky, sexy, dominant. You can’t go wrong with alpha males and hot sex.

19. When and where can we purchase your books?

AJ: You can always find my stuff on my website: http://www.ajhampton.com I’ve got buy links for everything. My paperbacks are sold at Amazon, but it’s cheaper to buy them through my publisher: http://www.cacoethespublishing.com. You can find Tempting Sin (and hopefully soon Pain & Pleasure) at http://www.cobblestone-press.com. Again, my website is probably a good starting point. I’ve written a variety of things. Contemporary, holiday, fluffy, sexy, M/M, paranormal… the list can go on an on!

20. How do you feel about fans doing fan fiction and/or roleplaying on the web based on your or other author's works?

AJ: I’d be so totally honored. To me it’s a high form of a complement!! And, I’d be as involved as I could. But, I think there are some legal issues with reading such fanfictions. But, I’d be as supportive as I could. :)

I’d like to close with some links to my site, my blogs, yada yada! LOL. Also, I’m always giving away bookmarks, so email me at aj_hampton@hotmail.com with your snail mail address.

http://www.ajhampton.com
http://www.myspace.com/ajhampton
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AJ_Hampton
http://www.shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com
http://www.ratedm-authors.com
And lastly, my Email: aj_hampton@hotmail.com

Make sure to return here from Saturday to Monday to enter AJ's contest for a chance to win Bending to Break. Thanks once again for spending this time with us, AJ!

* * * * *
Disclaimer (because we don't have a choice): The views expressed by the guest blogger do not necessarily reflect those of The Deadly Vixens.

Winner announced!!

Hello everyone! I'm proud to announce the winner of Teresa D'Amario's ebook 'SheWolf' is Rebecca Cantrell. Congratulations Rebecca. To receive your free copy of the book, please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with your email address and we'll get that out to you! Thanks for participating in our blog and congratulations again!

The Deadly Vixens

UFOs

For me, I'm not really sure I believe in UFOs and aliens. I guess there could be something else out there in the galaxy since it is big, but I don't think it would really want to go all Independence Day or Men in Black on us. I also don't particularly think that they would be little green men like movies portray. I enjoyed the movie Alien vs Predator, but the likelihood of it doesn't seem realistic. It's entertainment for me. I enjoyed how in one episode of Supernatural how there were supposedly alien abductions, but the real cause of those "abductions" was the Trickster.

I think if people believe in that then great. If there was hard evidence then I think I'd believe. I've lived in Arizona and seen pictures of lights. I've even seen strange lights myself, but I think a lot of the alien lights could very well be military aircrafts that the military wants kept quiet and everything is put on aliens and UFOs by the average person.

Contest Winner Announced!

Congratulations to RPPST8 for winning THE MAGIC SPELL by Paige Tyler. We hope you enjoy reading it. Please claim your prize by emailing us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com.

Everyone provided excellent answers to the question posted. Thank you to everyone who participated in our contest. We hope you will join us next week for our next contest.

UFO's? Where??

This week, we decided to talk about UFO's. It all started when I was talking to Sarah about an experience that I'd had and we were discussing if it was a UFO or not. Now I know that most people think UFO's are just ridiculous stories, but I'm not so sure they're not true. Roswell ring any bells? A lot of people believe in it.

At any rate, I'll share my experience with you and you can decide if it was a UFO or not. We used to sit outside on my grandma's carport at night. We'd sit on the porch swing and enjoy the lovely summer evenings, watching the lightening bugs and listening to the crickets chirp. We would talk about whatever, my grandma had the gift for gab. :)

Several times when we were sitting outside, we saw a bright orange orb in the sky. It would mostly hover, but it also moved around in a circle or oval before settling down again. It would hand around for hours and then just disappear into the darkness. It didn't happen every night, or even on a regular basis. There was no predicting when it would arrive. But we saw it many times. Sometimes it would come a little closer, but it usually stayed back a ways, high in the night sky.

We discussed this amongst ourselves on many occasions, but we never could figure out what the orange ball was. We finally decided to agree that it was a UFO. I don't know if it was or not, but we found no reasonable explanation for it's existence.

The area does have a history of a UFO appearance. I didn't learn this until much later, after my grandma had passed away. But there was a report of a small crash and an alien body retrieved. It was kept very quiet and only a very few in the area knew of it. A sheriff and a local preacher were reportedly two of the few who were witnesses to the event. Of course, once the story came out, there was a lot of controversy over whether or not this actually occurred.

I think that as far as UFO's go, there will always be controversy. Either you believe, or you don't. I'm still unsure of my position on the subject, but the way I see it, if there can be ghosts, why not aliens? Anything is possible in this world. I know that we'll never know the truth to everything that exists. But if I didn't believe in possibilities, I wouldn't be a paranormal writer.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Do you have any experiences to share? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Poem by Sarah Mäkelä

Here is a poem I have written. Check it out, and I'd love to read any comments that you may have. =)

Red Zone

Blood pours down my nose
I try to pull back, but
It floods my throat,
choking me.
My eyes water, and
My mouth parts,
But no air escapes.
I’m trapped in this red zone
Waiting for a savior, and dying
For my next breath.

Welcome to this week's weekly contest on The Deadly Vixens blog. The winner will receive an ebook copy of THE MAGIC SPELL by Paige Tyler. Thanks again to Paige, our guest blogger this week.

Here’s the question that needs to be answered:

What is your favorite paranormal creature?

Be sure to leave your answer to the question in the comments section of today's blog to be entered into the drawing for the prize. Winners will be announced on Tuesday. Be sure to check back and see if you have won. If your name is drawn as the winner, you will need to email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com to claim your prize. Include your email address within the email when you claim the prize to ensure delivery. New winners will be chosen from the remaining entries if prizes are not claimed within one week of drawing.

Best of luck!

The Deadly Vixens

Revisions & Edits...Gracen's style!

Edits! Revisions! My worst nightmares, second only to writer’s block. Editing for me is a repetitive process. Some times I’ll print out a section of my writing and edit it by hand. Most of the time, I edit from the computer. There are times I’ll read aloud, especially when my brain stumbles over the wording while I’m reading it. Reading aloud can be particularly helpful to make adjustments to the sentence until it sounds correct. Basically editing is refining my particular piece of artwork.

I will edit a book at least twice before I hand it off to friends to read and give feedback. I think I’m fairly particular, but I still miss stuff. Don’t we all, though? In the books that come out of NY, I sometimes find errors.

In my editing I discover plot holes and character issues. There are times I’ll edit the same paragraph a dozen times until I get it to my liking. I struggle with the beginning chapter. Oftentimes that beginning chapter changes before the book is finished. To me this chapter is the most crucial because that is when I’m trying to hook the reader into saying, “Ooo, I gotta read this!” and really meaning it.

This week’s blog is short, but what can I say about editing. It’s got to be done regardless of how much I dislike it. What I dislike more is trying to condense my book down into a synopsis. Ugh! That is frustration at its finest!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Please welcome author Paige Tyler!

Thanks so much for inviting me to guest blog, girls! I'm so flattered!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Paige Tyler and I write romantic spanking stories and erotic romance! Yup, you read that right, romantic spanking stories! LOL!

I write contemporary, sci-fi, western, historicals, paranormal, and even time-travel! But, regardless of the theme of my books, they all revolve around a fun, playful, romantic relationship. I just like to slip a little spanking in now and then to spice things up a bit!

I thought I would tell you a little bit of the story behind the story of one of my newest releases, The Magic Spell. It's one of my bestselling paranormal ebooks, and has just been released in print, which I'm totally excited about!

When my publisher first asked me if I wanted to do a paranormal story to be released for Halloween, I was stoked! I had always been a fan of the TV show "Charmed" and had been playing with the idea of a romantic spanking story involving charms, love potions, and a hunky hero!

But I decided that I didn't want to be my heroine to be a witch. That had just been done too many times So instead, I made her a normal, everyday girl looking for love who just happens to run across a powerful potion that promises to give her "her heart's desire." Of course, to make it even more fun, the heroine doesn't believe that the potion could possibly be real or have any idea what kind of man it's going to bring her!

As you can imagine, I had a lot of fun writing this story and I hope you have a lot of fun reading about it! I've included a synopsis and a sexy, little excerpt from the story to tease you. If you like it, check out the link below where you can find more information on this story and others like it!


The Magic Spell

Synopsis:

Alanna Simms has been having a problem finding Mr. Right. But when she and her friends stumble across a charm shop just in time for Halloween, her friends think they have found the solution to her problem. When the mysterious proprietor overhears Alanna complaining about how hard it is to find a good man, the woman gives her a potion that she claims will give Alanna her heart’s desire.Of course, Alanna doesn’t believe in magic, but at the urging of her friends, goes along with the whole thing anyway.

But Alanna is unprepared when she finds a stranger dressed as a pirate passed out on her living room floor hours after doing the magic spell. Thinking that he’s just a hunk that she must have missed at the costume party they had, she is shocked to discover that he is actually the seventeenth-century pirate she jokingly asked for when invoking the spell.

Considering how gorgeous he is, that wouldn’t be half bad, if it weren’t for two very annoying problems. One, they can’t get more than twenty feet apart from each other. And two, the sexy pirate seems to think he can put her over his knee and spank her any time he wants to.

How can this arrogant jerk possibly be her heart’s desire? Alanna wonders. That woman at the charm shop must have made a terrible mistake because Garren Dandridge couldn’t be the right man for her. Could he?

Excerpt:

Stifling a yawn, Alanna was just reaching behind her to undo the zipper on her gown when she heard a loud thud out in the living room. Startled, she froze, listening, but everything was quiet.

Chewing on her lower lip, she stared at her bedroom door, wondering if she should investigate. But knowing she would never be able to sleep if she didn’t, she opened the door and cautiously looked out.

Though she had a clear view of the living room from where she was standing, she couldn’t see much in the dark. Which meant that she would have to go out there, she realized. Taking a deep breath, she slowly tiptoed into the living room.

Running her hand along the wall, she found the switch and flipped it on, only to stop in her tracks when light illuminated the room. There, sprawled in the middle of her living room floor was a man dressed in a pirate costume.

Why hadn’t he left with all the other guests? she wondered. He must have been in the bathroom, she thought. But that still didn’t explain why he was lying on her living room floor. Oh God, the drunk had passed out, she thought. Well, that wasn’t her problem. He sure as heck wasn’t staying on her living room floor all night.

With a sigh, Alanna walked over to where the man lay, only to blink in surprise as she gazed down at him. Even lying down she could tell that he was tall, not to mention well-built. And absolutely gorgeous, she thought, taking in his dark hair, sensuous mouth, and angular jaw with its day’s worth of stubble. How could she possibly have missed a hottie like him at the party? she wondered.

Alanna continued to gaze down at him for a moment, taking in the muscular expanse of chest visible beneath his half-open shirt before moving on to the breeches and supple leather boots he was wearing. They looked expensive, she thought. Then again, so did the musket pistol and sword on his hip. Even safely tucked into the scabbard, it looked like the real thing.

Alanna let out another sigh. Regardless of how gorgeous he was, he had to go. Using the tip of her shoe, she gently nudged him in the side with her foot. When he didn’t move, she nudged him again, a little harder this time. But still, he didn’t stir.

Her brow furrowed suddenly as a horrifying thought occurred to her. Oh God, she hoped that the guy had only passed out.

Chewing on her lower lip, Alanna knelt down beside the man. Leaning forward, she turned her head so that her ear was right above his mouth, and then sighed with relief when she felt his warm breath against her skin.

Okay, so he wasn’t dead, she thought. That was a relief. She leaned closer to his face and noticed that he didn’t smell like he’d been drinking at all. That was strange, considering he was passed out on her floor. Her brow furrowing, she put her hand on his shoulder to nudge him when his eyes flew open.

For a moment, Alanna just knelt there, lost in those incredibly golden brown eyes of his. God, they were sexy, she thought.

He studied her in silence, then his eyes widened and he was scrambling away from her. Quicker than she would have thought possible, he was on his feet, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he looked around wildly.

“Where am I?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing as they came to rest on her. “What have you done to me, witch?”

For a moment, Alanna just stared at him in confusion. What the heck did he mean, where was he? Was he really that drunk, or just stupid? But watching as his eyes darted around the room, she decided that he must be drunk. He was looking at her apartment as if he’d never seen it before. Her mouth tightened. That was all she needed at this time of night, a guy so drunk that he couldn’t even remember coming to the party. How the heck was she going to get him out of there if he was that ripped? Slowly getting to her feet, she stood facing him, hands on her hips.

“Okay, I’m not sure why you didn’t leave with everyone else, but the party’s over,” she said. “So, you need to get your drunken butt out of here. I have to go to work in the morning.”

His brows drew together as he leveled that incredible gold gaze at her. “I will leave when you tell me what you have done to me, witch!” he growled. “Where am I, and how did I get here? Answer me, witch! What evil scheme have I fallen into?”

Alanna frowned. The guy certainly didn’t sound like he’d been drinking. He just sounded weird. Why was he still putting on that fake accent anyway? Like something out of an old pirate movie, she was sure it had been a hit during the party, but now, it just sounded ridiculous.

But the guy insisted on still playing the pirate, and when she failed to answer his outlandish questions immediately, he took what he probably thought was a menacing step toward her. If he thought she was going to be intimidated by his size or his make-believe glower, however, then he didn’t know her at all. She was in no mood to play games. She was exhausted and wanted to go to bed.

“Look,” she said, taking a step closer and lifting her chin to glare up at him. “I’m sure the accent and the pirate lingo were a big hit with the girls at the party, but at this time of night, it just makes you sound stupid. Now get out before I call the cops.”

His eyes narrowed, taking in her curve-hugging gown and long, black hair with a sweep of his gaze. He made no move to go, however. Annoyed, Alanna began to gesture with her hands in a shooing motion toward the door.

“Go on, get out of here!” she told him.

The man stepped back quickly, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. “Trying to put another spell on me, are you, witch?” he said. “Well, you won’t catch me so unaware this time, I can promise you!”

Alanna shook her head. What a complete dumbass! she thought. Okay, so obviously he wasn’t drunk. But he must be high on something, she decided, because no one in their right mind would act like such a complete moron.

“Okay,” she said smartly. “You want a spell? Try this one then, C-O-P-”

She had this really cute line all ready about calling the cops, but apparently he wasn’t amused because he never let her get the words out. Quickly closed the distance between them, he pulled her close and swiftly brought a hand up to cover her mouth.

Alanna’s eyes went wide, her pulse skipping a beat. Oh crap, she thought. Could she have misread the whole situation? What if this guy were dangerous.

“I will not let you, or Morania, or any other witch bespell me again, is that understood?” he said softly.

For a moment, Alanna could only stare up at him, her heart pounding. Yes, she had definitely misread the situation. This guy wasn’t drunk or high. He was nuts!

He studied her for a moment, his golden eyes seeming to penetrate her blue ones. When she didn’t make a move to resist, he began to relax his hold on her. That was all the incentive she needed. Wishing she had finished those self-defense classes she’d started, she did the only thing she could think of. She jerked away from him and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

Alanna had hoped to startle him enough so she could make a run for the bedroom. Once there, she could lock the door and call the cops.

Unfortunately, her blow didn’t have the desired effect. Actually, it had no effect at all. The man only blinked, probably more stunned that she’d had the audacity to slap him than from the actual slap itself. Jaw tight, he reached for his phony pirate sword and started to pull it from its scabbard.

What the heck was he doing? Alanna thought, taking a nervous step back. But then she froze in place, her eyes going wide as the light glinted off the blade. Oh God, she thought. It wasn’t a phony sword; it was real! For the first time, she had the inkling that she might be in real trouble.

But swearing under his breath, the man slammed the sword back home. “You might be a witch, but I have never drawn a blade on a woman, even one who has just struck me, and I am not about to start now,” he said, his golden brown eyes narrowing. “Nevertheless, you will tell me what I want to know!”

Before Alanna could even wonder what he meant by that, the man reached out and grabbed her by the arm. His grip like iron, he began to drag her across the room to the couch.

“Let go of me, you...” she began, only to let out a startled little “Oh!” of surprise when he sat down on the couch and yanked her over his knee.

For a moment, Alanna was so shocked that she couldn’t do more than lay there. She regained her senses quickly, however. Bracing her hands on his well-muscled thigh, she tried to push herself upright, but a strong hand on her back held her firmly in place.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, craning her neck to look at him over her shoulder. “Let me up, you...Owwwww!”

Alanna’s eyes went wide as she felt his hand come down on her upturned bottom. He was spanking her! Just what the heck was going on here? First, he had grabbed her, then he had threatened her with his sword, and now, he was spanking her. Who the hell did he think he was, manhandling her like this? Crazy jerk! Too angry to even be the least bit scared of the guy now, she struggled to free herself.

“How dare you!” she cried, beating her fist against his leg as hard has she could. “Let me go right now!”
******

So, what'd you think of that? Pretty hot, huh? LOL!

I hope you really enjoyed reading it. If you'd like to find out how to get your copy, check out my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/

And while you're browsing around, don't forget to click on "Coming Soon" for a sneak peek at my paranormal erotic romance Animal Attraction coming soon from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid! It's about a sexy reporter who is sent to Alaska to get the scoop on werewolves to find that not only are they real, but that they're damn hunky, too

And if you'd like to sign up for my newsletter, just email me at paigetyler@paigetylertheauthor.com with "add me to your mailing list" in the subject line!

Thanks and have a spankin' good day!

*hugs*
Paige

"Stories so hot, they'll make your cheeks blush!"
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Disclaimer (because we don't have a choice): The views expressed by the guest blogger do not necessarily reflect those of The Deadly Vixens.