The Deadly Vixens

Good bye

2009-03-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

The era of The Vixen has come to a close. The blog will stay up so everyone can go back and read what has been said, but no new posts will be written.

Thanks to everyone for your support during this amazing year together. =) We all have thoroughly enjoyed hearing from y'all.

The Deadly Vixens

Please welcome author... June Phyllis Baker!

2009-03-17T00:37:00.000-04:00

When I volunteered to write this blog I had no idea what I could say you haven't heard a hundred times. Then the other day, the idea sort of fell in my lap…or my mailbox. I got a rejection. It's not my first; it won't be my last.

There is a popular song entitled The Climb that suggests it’s not what is on the other side, but the journey it took to get there. As writers, we’ll always have another hill to climb, another rejection letter to paper that bathroom wall.

They are a part of our mountain. Our first inclination may be to look at that sheer wall as insurmountable, and each rejection is another landslide pushing you further down the slope.

Not all rejections are “bad.” Some can lead you to path to the mountain peak. Learn from your rejections. Some editors, albeit rare, take the time to let you know why your manuscript is being rejected. Those are the letters you save and frame. They are great motivators. They inspire, inform, and drive new creativity. And, if you’re lucky, sometimes there is an offer for you to resubmit.

It’s rare, but it happens. I know, it just happened to me. It sure beats the cold form rejection letters that tell you nothing, at least on the surface. Rascal Flats' song Stand comes to mind “You get mad, you brush yourself off and then you stand”.

By now you know music plays a big part in my writing; country music in particular. Country music for me tells a story. The good, the bad, and the ugly! The trials and victories of life. Another mountain story. For me, music moves the muse.

There are times you’ll want to quit, but when the muse comes calling, you have no choice but to write. Step back, face the mountain down, and write.

I think every writer asks her/himself how did I get here. More to the point, how did this happen? Hard work and determination, that’s how. Most writers dream of the day they’ll be published. When that day comes, relish it; plant your flag on the top of that mountain! You’ve earned it!

I’m a romance writer by genre. I have tried writing other genres. I really wanted to write a paranormal with ghosts…and it was fine, until that pesky old ghost scared me away. Find the stories that work for you, instead of against. I think sometimes we don’t have control over our characters, they control us. LOL! So until I can figure out how I am going to make my ghost a bit friendlier, she remains stuck in a file…pouting.

Whatever genre you write, your hook has to be strong enough to make the reader turn the page.

A novel has to make the reader believe in your hero or heroine. It has to make the reader root for them, feel their joy and sorrow. And you have to make your characters unforgettable.

I once read a romance novel so realistic I forgot the characters weren’t real. I found myself wondering about them long after I’d finished reading the book. And yes, I fell in love with the hero.

That is our goal as writers.

Books help readers escape when the world outside gets “crazy”. In a sense, we are like doctors. We can help people feel good; we can make them cry, or smile, and we can let them find a place they want to be when their version of that old 'mountain' seems insurmountable.

Dreams do come true. You can stand atop that mountain. It’s all in your hands. It starts with the first rejection and it ends with a contract.

Speaking for myself, I refused to give up. That’s why today I can call myself June Phyllis Baker, author.

In The Presence Of Angels

2009-03-16T07:34:00.000-04:00

In the paranormal world, walking amongst the vampires and shapeshifters, the demons and fairies, there are angels. Not the pink-cheeked cherubs adorning Christmas cards, but full-bodied, living, breathing angels. Angels with enough angst and dilemmas to rival their human counterparts. And with enough sensuality and charisma to bring a mere mortal to her knees with just a look. Angels are the new models for heroes taking their stand in the paranormal world. But what is the fascination with angels?

I have been trying to answer this question for myself ever since a certain wayward angel took up residence in my brain and started telling me his story. Or, in actuality, demanded that I tell his story. Before that, I was content with writing about mere mortals who lived, loved, lost and rediscovered along the journey that we call life. But once that angel first began to speak to me, I have become fascinated by stories of angels, be they real or fictionalized. Still I wonder, what is it about these heavenly beings that spawns such fascination?

Whether you believe in angels or not, they permeate our culture like no other symbol of hope and purity. Faith and belief. Awe and inspiration. Perhaps one of the most iconic renditions of angels is that of The Sistine Madonna, better known as Raphael’s Angels. Who hasn’t seen this painting of two cherubs watching the heavens with daydreaming expressions staring back at them from a Christmas card or festive ornament? A quick search through Google will show that, although this is perhaps Raphael’s most famous painting of angelic beings, it is not the only one in which they appear. Indeed, they show up in the backgrounds of several others, but are not limited to Raphael’s paintings. Other artists, including Bouguereau, depict angels in their works.

So is it any wonder that Hollywood would follow suit? One of my favorite movies about angels is called Michael in which John Travolta gives a tour de force performance as a bad boy angel living amongst humans. From smoking to burping after a meal, he is the antithesis of the heavenly being we associate with the word angel. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t wise. On the contrary, he gets to the heart of the matter without seeming to care if he does get there. The trick is, he gets the humans to do most of the work. And who can forget that dance sequence to “Chain of Fools” where he manages to seduce every woman in the bar away from her date?

One of the most successful shows on television was “Touched by an Angel,” which always delivered a story with an uplifting message without sounding too preachy. Della Reese was perfect as Tess, a feisty, put-upon angel who was a rallying force behind her charges and loved them like a mother. She guided everyone, including the other angels in her care, with a firm yet gentle hand, nurturing when needed and doling out the tough love when the situation called for it. On the flipside was the ABCFamily miniseries called Fallen, in which a young man, upon his seventeenth birthday, discovered that he was one of the Nephilim, which put his life – and those of everyone he loved – in danger. A somewhat darker tale, it dealt with morality and good versus evil on a different scale than its more uplifting counterpart.

Which brings me to literature and the new fascination with angelic characters. Whether they are heroes or secondary characters, angels are cropping up everywhere. Debbie Macomber writes uplifting stories about angels called Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, who make it their mission to grant people hope and give them the will to love again. One could argue that the angels are secondary characters to those they come to help. On the darker side is a series by Erin McCarthy, the Seven Deadly Sins. In book one, My Immortal, the hero, Damien du Bourg, makes a deal with a fallen angle for immortality, which poses some unique problems when he meets the woman he might want to spend eternity with. In book two, Fallen, the hero is the fallen angel Gabriel whose penance on earth is to be without love forever. So whether you like your angels lighthearted and madcap, like Macomber’s angels, or dark and tortured like McCarthy’s, there is a story out there for every taste.

Thank you for traveling with me on this little journey through angels in our culture and feel free to leave a comment on your favorite angel in art, film, or literature. You tell me, have you ever found yourself in the presence of angels?

Please welcome aspiring author... Marko-Bob!

2009-03-13T01:22:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

I am an aspiring author, currently working with my second novel. Some of you might know me from my previous comments on this blog, and I am honored to be given the opportunity to guest-blog today. Having a good grasp of mythology, paranormal and science along with somewhat creative mind, I truly enjoy reading books of all categories, but I truly love books playing with the potentials of magic, extending the "normal" boundaries of limiting magic into working in set categories. However, while working with my recent novel, I found that I had to overcome some of the limits I had imposed to myself. For instance, having a mage or wraith perform an act that normally would be considered way too powerful to maintain characters balance and power to keep the story interesting. Why bother reading a book about an omnipotent characters that simply can do anything in their own realm of power?

One of the works that have inspired me are actual older mythologies and national epochs of various countries. Rune singing, a talent nearly lost from some language families, is considered one of the ways of changing the world. As with the old world thinking, to know a name of a thing is to be able to control it. To name and to rename was considered magical, since truly changing a meaning of an object is to change it in reality. Language used itself controls the thinking. As such, holding a power of naming is considered truly powerful and very, very old magic. Additional definition and difference between magic and praying is that magic is to change the world through oneself, where praying is to ask the world to be changed by God. Is it not that the words and their definitions change the world? Old words get new meanings and their origins get lost for ages.

Not many of us think of the origin of a word "policeman", which is simply "a man of polis", a man of the city. Remember the power of life and death is in the tongue. One way to think of this is that the power of language is decisive factor between life and death, or even a transcending force between the two. Do a small test, switch your entire thinking from a language to another one. Now, do the same and switch words and sentences to physical images. This may seem strange but go ahead and try to think about life, while discarding all knowledge of such things as number 0. Seems strange? Now, how do you think about paying for groceries? What is the consept of number 0? Check into it. Its small little things, but so important that we don't think twice about them.

This boils to what magic actually is, the talent of shaping the world in a way or another. As such, its true strenghts are not reliant in its raw power, but rather subtleties of the thought itself. The same goes with the language. Political speeches, thesis, professional lingo all use varios different ways to influence others throught subtle little adjustments. Why would not the same apply to magic in literacy as well? Instead of raw force, one would have to approach the world from a complete different setting. Lighting a candle and increasing its flame, instead of shooting a fireball from the palm of the hand. Using and growing shadows in an underground station, instead of some invisibility cloak. Tapping into local power outlet and throwing the current outward toward a subject, instead of shooting lightningbolts. These small changes help to keep the characters alive, interesting, cunning and let them play out their own roles out in the book.

These minute small changes into thinking about magic in literacy and in my own writing have helped to break down the classical, somewhat boring, thinking of magic for me. Changing ones thinking is to influence the world. It has helped me to open myself more and to bring out ideas that have previously seemed too obscure (such as why should there be any limitations to power of thought if the user has unique way of thinking).

So, as a small idea, try to think something differently, and see where it will lead you. It opened a huge new view for me... what could it do for you?

The Life Romantic

2009-03-12T00:51:00.000-04:00

So, my interviews are done now, and so is my time as a regular Deadly Vixens poster.

I originally agreed to be here for only a few months, to help supply content as the search for other bloggers went on. I gave my word I would stay no longer than that, and as there are now new Vixens in abundance, I can go, with a clear conscience. It's been fun, but other things demand my attention, and I must turn to them.

There's the preamble. Now for the actual blog.

**********

Why do people read romances?

I believe that it's similar to the reason that people love superheroes: we need to believe in the "happy ever after," in the good guys always winning, in evil being defeated in the end, despite the evidence to the contrary that reality often presents. In reality, the "happy ever after" marriage often ends in divorce, the good guys sometimes die with their missions unfulfilled, and the bad guys somehow keep getting re-elected. Reality, to put it plainly, is more often unsatisfactory to our emotional desires than not.

But here's the rub: it doesn't have to be that way.

I want, in a wife, what I want. I want (in no particular order) intelligence, creativity, passion, beauty, grace, charm, elegance, sophistication, style, poise, and the ability to meet my needs all in one woman, and I'm not settling for less. This may explain my long periods of being single. But the solitude is worth it to me, if, in the end, I am together with the most wonderful, greatest lady I have ever known, no matter how long it takes. She's worth waiting for, wherever she is now.

This is what our heroines and heroes in romance novels do: they find exactly what they want, whether they were actively seeking it or not. That's how they get the "happy ever after;" they know what they want and recognize it before them. Granted, there may be rough edges that need polishing off (and that feeds into that "I can fix the Bad Boy" mentality that gets so many women into bad relationships, but that's a topic for another time), though in that world, the edges are certainly easier to handle than they are in reality. But I digress.

Want the "happy ever after" ending? Then know yourself, know your needs and wants, and be strong enough - and patient enough - to not stop looking until you've found the person that meets them and completes you. Want right to prevail over evil in the world? Then be that person that always does the right thing, and in doing so set an example for those around you.

My whole point of this is to say that the "happy ever after" ending isn't impossible in reality. It may be difficult and arduous to find, but it's possible to have the romance-filled real life that we read about in books, and it's worth the diligence and search, isn't it, to have just what you wanted and be happy?

********************

And that is the end of my regular contributions here. I'll still be around, commenting from time to time, but my interviews are done.

Special thanks and wishes to my best friend: happy heart day to you! (She knows what I'm talking about.)

Thanks to Gracen, Sarah, Margay, and Ashley for having me here, it's been fun!

Thanks also to Tierney and Sierra for helping talk me into this, you are both missed here!

Thanks especially to all the people I interviewed, who put up with my bumbling efforts to learn how to inteview people, and gave great answers to my questions!

And most of all, thanks to the readers, who didn't instantly ridicule me nor abandon he site in droves at the sight of my ramblings and questionings. . .nothing is possible for a writer without readers, and you have been among the best in that class.

To everyone, don't ever stop pursuing your dreams; one does not fail until one stops trying, and even in their pursuit rather than capture can dreams be fulfilling, even if merely in that they are still alive.

Don't ever give up on your dreams.

Sayounara!

Pandem
vagabondsaint.wordpress.com

The Importance of Learning

2009-03-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! This month, I'm taking an awesome online class by Margie Lawson called Empowering Characters' Emotions, which is being hosted by PASIC. It has been mind-blowing with all of the great information. It's also the largest and most intense class I've ever taken outside of a college environment.

As everyone posted their introductions for the class, something was brought to light for me. Not only are there unpublished authors in the class, there are New York Times Bestselling authors, too, which proves that no one is too experienced to stop learning.

Nothing is sadder than the person who thinks they have nothing to learn. Going back to the excellent ebook that I got last month 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer, he lists as Mistake #7 An Unwillingness to Learn and #12 Failing to Learn From the Masters, Masters meaning people who have already mastered the skills. I agree with this since one can always learn something that might fit in with their process. I've read how-to books and taken classes that I got just a few "aha" moments out of that made it worth it to invest the time and money into it. And as authors, we need to make sure that our work sparkles as much as possible to get the agent or editor or book deal of our dreams.

That being said, make sure to check out the class that you're interested in taking. Do research and see what other people have said about the class or instructor since you want to make sure to get the most best information for your money. Below I've listed a few places where you can find writing classes. RWA chapters, like PASIC (Published Author Special Interest Chapter), also tend to have writing classes that are usually open to anyone, even non-RWA members, so make sure to check out those as well.

Have you taken any great classes recently? If so, what was it and where did you take it? I'd love to hear what all of you say.

Neat websites to find affordable writing classes:
http://www.writersonlineclasses.com/
http://www.writeruniv.com/

Welcome guest blogger... Deanna Lang!

2009-03-10T00:00:00.004-04:00

Hello! Hello! First off, I want to thank the Deadly Vixens for the invite to guest blog. I’m delighted to be here.

After I accepted the invite to blog, my mind immediately turned so the topic of “what the heck do I say that would be interesting?” I’m sure similar thoughts go through the heads of other bloggers, or it might just be me. I confess that this is my first time guest blogging, so you might call me a “guest blogging virgin”. Hmm … that doesn’t sound all that palatable does it? Scrap that thought.

Well, as I contemplated about what to blog on, I am also in the middle of thinking about what to do about a day job. I suppose I should put this into some context for you.

I’m an organisation restructure project manager by profession. In simple terms, I manage projects for companies that are undergoing large scale change – be it a restructure, outsourcing or putting in a new computer system. All these things will change the face of the workplace for the people impacted. My job is to make sure that that the changes take place on time, on budget and with minimal disruption to the people. I also make sure that the people affected are well taken care of, that they are communicated to, their fears and issues addressed and they are satisfied with management’s approach to the changes at hand. It’s a full on job. Sometimes I can be managing as many as 20 projects at the same time.

On top of that, I’m also writing a book – or at least attempting to write a book. I think for me, I don’t know about other writers, it is always the attempt to write a book, even when I’m writing a book. I’m the midst of pulling thoughts together and doing research. Each day consists of an hour or two of writing and several hours of reading and research.

It all takes time.

So here I am, torn between the dreaded day job and my desire to produce a well written book and that’s the topic of my blog.

The day job!

How many of us writers also have day jobs?

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my day job. I love the challenge, dealing with people, the exhilaration of knowing when a plan comes together (which often isn’t the case) and just getting things done.

There’s the rub then. I LOVE my day job but it takes up 12 to 14 hours each day, sometimes more. At my last job, before we moved to Qatar, I was up at 5:30am, left for work at 6:30am and in at work shortly after 7am. I’d work till 6pm, sometimes later … well, actually, a lot of times later, and I’d get home by about 9pm. Then its dinner, some computer work and bed. There’s little time left for anything else and I’m exhausted.

Right now, I’m between jobs. I always have between jobs because I work on a contract basis. My contracts last as long as the project(s) last. Anywhere between 6 to 18 months. Sometimes as long as 24 months. After that, I have a few months off and then I’m back in the saddle of the day job again.

The reason I’m between jobs right now is that I’ve just relocated to a new country and as I write this, I’m still looking for work. Today I was presented with a potential job opportunity. The word “potential” in capital letters. It’s a POTENTIAL job opportunity because my CV has been forwarded to a company by a friend and I may receive a call from the HR department of the company which may or may not result in a job interview.

Here’s the thing – already with the potential, I’m worrying about how this will cut into my writing because right now, I HAVE TIME TO WRITE. In the midst of living life, I have time to write a few hours each day, read and research a few hours each day and I don’t get bored. I have plenty to occupy my mind and fill my time. I’m not working and that’s okay, I’m writing.

I’m worrying about not having time to write and worse than that, I’m worried about not having the emotional energy to write. And while we’re at it, I might just add that I’m a worrier. I worry about everything. I even worry about worrying too much.

I have lots of friends who write full time and enjoy it immensely. They work from home, have time to walk the dog and go to the gym. They can stay in their PJs all day while they write (I do that too). I also have friends who work full time or part time and write when they can find time – weekends and late at night. I have a friend who’s given up sleeping so that she can write. She only sleeps 3 to 4 hours each night so she can write and then occasionally she crashes.

Let me tell you about this one friend of mine. She’s a delightful lady, heaps of fun, has written 3 books that are best sellers and they are wonderful books. I know ‘cos I’ve read them. She was complaining that the royalties from the books aren’t paying the bills, not so much complaining as stating a fact.

“You need to have published a lot more books than I have to make a full time living out of writing or be J K Rowling” was what she said to me.

When she was writing full time, she was also blogging regularly. Even when she was looking for a job she was blogging about that experience. Since then she has found a job and has also signed up with her publisher for another six books. Two more trilogies from the series that she’s written so far.

So far she’s been working full time since July of 2008. I haven’t heard even a peep from her. She’s busy working full time, she’s busy being a mum to two teenagers and a wife. She’s mostly also busy writing to fill her book deadlines. She has three books to produce by the end of two years. I’m not sure where she is with that, but by the end of 2009 I’d say she has to have all 3 of the second trilogy done, since she signed the book deal at the beginning of 2008. She has also stopped blogging and I’m not even sure what she’s doing about promoting her books.

She’s a fine example of someone who is a successful writer, going to become an even more successful one, but writing right now does not pay the mortgage and put away tuition money for the kids’ college fund. I should probably drop her a line one of these days and say “hey”. I’d like to know how she’s doing.

So here I am, thinking about friends who work full time and write. Thinking about the lack of time to write, more likely the leisure to write when I please and when the muse strikes me rather than sit down at a particular time and discipline myself to write a fixed number of words each day. Thinking about the time when I go back to work and what I’ll do about the lack of sleep. Is it even possible to cultivate insomnia just so I can have more time to write or will I be a nervous wreck and no good to myself anyway?

All I can say is – for those of you who have the luxury of writing full time, don’t squander it. The time is to be treasured and used productively. And for those of you (us) who don’t have that luxury, hang in there. It may take longer, but the end result will be well worth it.

Thoughts on the topic anyone?

Do You Believe in Angels?

2009-03-09T09:05:00.001-04:00

I never set out to write about angels. I didn’t sit down one day and think to myself, “Angels, now there’s a good basis for a book.” In fact, it was the furthest thing from my mind – before I had the dream. Back then, I had visions of Regency heroes and quirky modern heroines, but angels? Not so much.

Until the dream.

Of course I didn’t realize at the time that I was writing about angels. They weren’t very forthcoming in the beginning. I actually thought that I was writing about a woman who was at a crossroad in her life where the ultimate choice she made could literally have life or death consequences. I know what you’re thinking. All this from a dream? Well, no, not exactly. The dream itself centered around a woman at a nightclub dancing the night away with a sinfully attractive man. Simple enough but for the fact that, when she turned away from him, his eyes began to glow red, giving him a devilish look. Still rather unremarkable, right? Until the woman showed up in my next dream. Only this time, she was dressed in a rather proper manner and moving into a garage apartment, preparing to take care of the twins of a widower.

That’s how Nora’s Soul came to fruition. Two dreams, interconnected, that wouldn’t leave me alone. They were all I thought about. Who was this woman and why was she out dancing with a devil one night and preparing to care for children the next? The questions fueled my imagination, demanding answers. The first answer came in the identity of the woman, Nora, who began to give me clues to her background. The angels came in later. You see, in the beginning, I thought I was dealing with a clear-cut depiction of good versus evil, devil versus angel, but as the story progressed, I realized that not everything is so black and white. There are beautiful shades of gray.

Dante is a shade of gray. When he first came to me in my dream, Dante portrayed himself as something of a devil. So that’s how I described him. He was a devil, his only purpose was to steal Nora’s Soul, and that was the end of the story. Or so I thought. But Dante had other ideas. Just when I thought I was done with him, he wouldn’t let me go. He kept invading my dreams, telling a different story. I soon learned that Dante was an angel who, not unlike Nora, was led down the wrong path by his desires. And Dante also finds himself having to make some decisions that could have severe ramifications not only for himself but also for others connected to him.

At its core, Nora’s Soul is about a woman’s crisis of faith – in herself as well as the heavenly beings who are trying to set her on the right path. But it’s also about what happens when one of those heavenly beings has been led astray, his own faith – in himself, in his kind – tested. Even Dante will have to answer the question: Do you believe in angels?

Interview With Me, By You

2009-03-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

Well, I'd intended this to be my final interview for Deadly Vixens. However, since the people I had lined up for this interview somehow keep not getting the questions back to me (not mentioning names, but I'm glaring at them telepathically), I'm left at odd ends for this one.

Never let it be said, however, that I was not able to improvise.

So, here's the deal. I want people to leave questions in the comments for me to answer. I will check the comments often during the day and answer the questions (provided they're not too personal). Sound like fun? Does to me!

Now, let me answer some of the more likely questions now, just to get them out of the way:

1. I don't have anything published as yet, nor do I have anything coming out soon.

2. I do have some romantic works in progress; I'll include samples on my Thursday blog if anyone wants.

3. I just had this idea today; my apologies for not soliciting questions sooner.

That should about cover it.

All right, readers, question guns at the ready. . .FIRE!

Pandem
vagabondsaint.wordpress.com

Leprechauns

2009-03-07T04:00:00.070-05:00

Ah begorah, per Wikipedia, a leprechaun (Irish: leipreachán) is a type of male faerie said to inhabit the island of Ireland. Some say the name leprechaun is derived from the old Irish word "luchorpan" which means "little body."

Leprechauns are faerie cobblers who make shoes for elves. They are always aged and diminutive men (2-3 feet tall) sporting bright red hair and beards. They wear emerald-green frocks and tall top hats. The green is to help them blend into the countryside and disappear from view. Their great wealth and greed is legendary (i.e. they have pots of gold which they hide). They're usually reclusive. Some people think they're mean. They're also pranksters.

According to myth, leprechauns have magical powers such as hypnotism, trickery, and control over the intricate workings of Earth and metals such as gold and silver. They regard humans as foolish and greedy and so avoid contact. If a human sees him, he will vanish as soon as the human takes his gaze off him. However, they can be generous to humans who do a good turn for their benefit.

If a leprechaun ‘adopts’ a family things go missing, or appear in unexpected places. Furniture may be moved around the room, and the whiskey or milk will disappear overnight. If this should happen to you, you must start leaving presents of food, drink, and anything else to keep the lhim happy. With any luck, the leprechaun will go round the house and barns at night finishing off jobs that the big people have had no time to do (and not cause his normal mischief.

Legend also reports leprechauns will drown in a light rain, float away in a breezy day and can get buried in a snowstorm.

To catch a leprechaun means to possess his treasure. However, be warned, he's a very hard creature to find, much less hold. Remember, you can't take your eyes off him for even an instant, lest he vanish.

Ashley

http://www.ashleyladd.com

http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com

Sickness Plagues the Miller Home...

2009-03-06T10:05:00.003-05:00

Sorry, everyone that I’m posting late. I was going to write about Djinn (genies), but unfortunately, my entire house is sick. So, I’ll bring that to you next week hopefully.

My youngest has strep throat and had a 101 temperature yesterday afternoon when I picked him up from school. His throat was swollen, red and just yucky! Before I went to bed at 9:30 last night (really strange occurrence for me to go to bed before midnight), I was starting to feel puny. Today my throat is sore and I feel blah. My oldest is complaining of a headache and sinus drainage. And at about 8:30 this morning (30 minutes ago for me), I realized I had not even given my blog a single thought. *whimpers* So as my seven year old chatters non-stop with barely a breath taken, I am multi-tasking by chatting with him and writing my blog.

Since we’re all sick, all I can think to write about is how sickness spreads through a household. The only person that might actually survive it is my husband, who seems to never get sick. *glares at him* Some days I really hate him for that. Other days, I’m glad he’s immune to our many ailments. And to be honest, when he gets sick he’s down for a while. That is not something I handle well because he’s worse at being sick then my two boys are. *rolls eyes* He wants to be babied and pampered until I am beating my head against the wall. Aside from that, he’s always injuring himself when the rest of us are for the most part injury free.

Is anyone’s house like mine? Does one get sick and the rest come down with it or something else? I’m the sanitize queen, but it still doesn’t seem to stop at one person. It only stops when it’s brought at least three of the four of us down. Gah! Anytime something dominoes out of control around here, we blame it on the demons, so it’s their fault this time too! ;-)

My boys have a karate tournament next weekend and this sickness is making it difficult to prepare for it. Grrr….Calgon, take me away!!!

On a side note, I was putting my oldest to bed the other night and he put his chapstick on the bedside table. I saw him put it there and after I had hugged him good night, he went to pick up the chapstick and it was GONE! We looked everywhere…under the table, under his bed, all over the floor, in his bed, threw the covers off, shook the covers, and we still have not found that chapstick. His comment was…. “Did the dang ghost get it?” Ha! Had me laughing. Yes, he definitely watches too much Supernatural with me.

A reminder…this weekend is Daylight Savings, so turn your clocks forward one hour Saturday night. Oh, and if you’re a Supernatural lover, next Thursday, March 12th, is the return of Sam and Dean!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!! Proof that there IS life at the end of the tunnel! ;-)

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Please welcome author and publisher, Brianna Martini!

2009-03-05T00:00:00.002-05:00

Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner Blog
By Brianna Martini
Copyright 2009

We love romance!
It is in each of us; as readers and as writers. The passion that romance provides transports us from reality and enables us to escape if only for an hour…if we are lucky, an afternoon How better to be transported than with our legs wrapped around a gorgeous sinner, only to finish, close the book and not have the guilt that rides along with the sin we so hate!

There is no shame in desire.
We all have desires ranging from being able to eat a delectable dessert, to being taken by the man of our dreams who wants to make mad passionate love. We desire larger homes, slimmer waists, ahem large boobs, more clothes, wise investments, healthy children, great sex, and consistently full bank accounts. We work to fulfill these desires hoping to enrich our lives, making them fuller, more complete. In most cases, the work is arduous and never ending and in some cases, totally unsatisfying; yet we continue to seek to fulfill our desires.

A paperback enters our lives.
The title is seductive, the book cover leaves us drooling at the faceless semi clad man and the first couple of chapters romance us. We become infatuated and fall in love. We discover that in our paperback world we always have the almost perfect heroine and the gorgeous man always falls in love with us. We become the beautiful main character. Our desires are fulfilled in our paperback world. Oh yes, yes, yes we are very satisfied. (smiling) We can re-enter our realities re-energized, refreshed!

My fingers are on the keyboard.
I find a million reasons to avoid my keyboard as I am simply “Not in the Mood.” But he is there in the back of my mind, ready to burst. The lover from years ago that I have never forgotten, the gorgeous man I stood next to in the department store, or the singer that set my heart on fire for a second at a concert with his dark soulful eyes. Traits of a collection of men in my mind are wrestling to be one in my mind. They are restless, seducing me and ready to make slow passionate love to me. They want me to massage the keys, stroke the enter button, and let the new character come. I sit at my desk. Today I look like the beautiful young woman who waited on my family and me when we went to dinner last night. I take her out of her waitress uniform and give her beautiful clothes and a life in a castle. She is a virgin. My men are full of desire desperate to come out of my head as one and share a page with her. Today I give him his bald head, the face of the man that I love, the patience of the man from the department store, the glance from the singer at the concert on stage, the body of the lifeguard at the beach I saw on vacation last summer and the passion of my former lover. They converge! sighing I have successfully escaped reality for an afternoon into my paperback world…not as a reader, but as a writer.

Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner
This is fund raising anthology for the Heart and Stroke, a wonderful and seductive series of romances offered in short stories and poetry ready to transport its readers into the most delicious and fulfilling escapes. All you need is a glass of ice wine, a box of semi sweet chocolates hummmmmmmm relax and enjoy the moment. Our group of wonderful authors has written stories that will satisfy many desires with a single paperback.

The book is published by XoXo Publishing and will be officially released on the day that website will be launched. Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner will be released in a limited edition CD, on June 13 2009, at the Toronto Small Press Book Fair which will take place at the Toronto Reference Library. The e-book format will be released worldwide on line, while the & paperback worldwide in May, and September 2009 it will be released on mobi and audio format. You may contact me at briannamartini@live.ca, xoxopublishing@rogers.com, http://www.briannamartini.com/, Facebook: search Brianna Martini and http://www.myspace.com/briannamartini

Our authors are:

Brianna Martini: Hate the Sin, Love the SinnerAmelie Court: Valley of Enchantment
Jacinta Bertinelli: Sweet Dreams
Alyssa Leoni and Brianna Martini: Cooking for Two
including Original Recipes
Jessica Bowering: Illegal Affairs
Caryn Cribbie: Broke Down Backroad
Angelique La Mone: Southern Night
Lady Lenore: Sinners and Saints
Rick Lam: Nathalie by the Stream
Charles Le Claire: Photography
Brianna Martini: The Nun and the Harley Bonus Story

Make sure to comment because 15 advance copies of the anthology promotional excerpts will be given away!

The Superstition of cats

2009-03-04T00:23:00.002-05:00

Today I'm going to be talking about some of the superstition regarding cats. Being a cat lover, I found the topic in general quiet interesting. Below are the most fascinating I was able to find.

As most people know, Ancient Egyptians worshiped cats, and as one of my favorite cat-related quotes go, "Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." Anyone who owns a cat knows this is true, but, back to the subject. =) Part of the reason why Egyptians worshiped cats were because of the cat’s "glowing" eyes. As I found from one of my sources, "This was because Egyptians worshipped the sun, and they believed that cats could retain the sun's power within their eyes. They believed this because of a retina adaptation called ‘tapetum,’ which is the phenomenon that causes cats’ eyes to appear to glow in the dark; anyone who has seen a cat has probably noted this phenomenon, wherein a cat’s eyes reflect a somewhat green circle of light." That's surprising to me since I hadn't really heard of that idea before doing my research, but it makes a lot of sense.

Another very interesting tidbit is that during the medieval ages just before the Bubonic Plague really started up, there was a lot of cat killing going on. And...guess what? That is one of the reasons why the Bubonic Plague was so devastating. Cats would have been important in killing the brown rats, which spread the black plague.

Another source has this to say about cats in the Middle Ages, "It was largely in the Middle Ages that the black cat became affiliated with evil. Because cats are nocturnal and roam at night, they were believed to be supernatural servants of witches, or even witches themselves. Partly because of the cat's sleek movements and eyes that 'glow' at night, they became the embodiment of darkness, mystery, and evil, possessing frightening powers. If a black cat walked into the room of an ill person, and the person later died, it was blamed on the cat's supernatural powers. If a black cat crossed a person's path without harming them, this indicated that the person was then protected by the devil. Often times, a cat would find shelter with older women who were living in solitude. The cat became a source of comfort and companionship, and the old woman would curse anyone who mistreated it. If one of these tormentors became ill, the witch and her familiar were blamed." That makes more since on why people thought they needed to kill cats at the period of time, but it's still so horrible!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this topic! I'd love to hear what you think about these beliefs as well as share your own. Have you heard of interesting cat superstitions or tidbits?

Interesting Links: http://cats.suite101.com/article.cfm/egyptian_cat_myths
http://www.cat-health-behavior.com/cats-history.html
http://maxellah.tripod.com/superstitions.htm

Please Welcome Author...Moira Rogers!!

2009-03-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, and thanks to the Deadly Vixens for having me today! My name is Bree, and I’m one half of the romance-writing, virtual-crime-fighting duo known as Moira Rogers. Together with my best friend Donna, I have the delightful honor of writing books about things that go bump (and sometimes grind) in the night.

And today is the most exciting day I’ve had since I started my writing career, because it’s the day the first book we ever wrote goes on sale at Samhain Publishing. Crux is the book that started it all for us, the story that captured our minds so much we decided we just had to write it. Somewhere in the middle of writing it we decided to take a break and try our hands at short stories to see what we could learn, but in the end it always came back to Crux. Because man, we loved this book.

Luckily for us, so did our editor! It’s a complex book with a twisty plot, good guys who might be bad guys, bad guys who might be good guys and a romance that is the tiniest bit forbidden. It also has a cast of characters who we love dearly, each one with their own strengths and weaknesses they bring to the table. The Southern Arcana universe is our second home, and we’ve been vacationing there for so long that it’s hard to believe we finally get to share it with the world!

At its heart, Crux is the story of a woman who has never quite fit in anywhere. Mackenzie Brooks has always felt a little out of touch with the world around her, even though the parents who adopted her when she was five have done everything in their power to make her feel loved. It isn’t until a stalker-gone-bad chases her to New Orleans that she discovers a place that feels right. Something about the people who hang around Mahalia’s Bar & Grill resonate with her, but the truth is something she isn’t ready to face: there’s a world beyond the one she knows, and she belongs to it.

We’re so excited about this book that we’ve teamed up with Bitten by Books to give one lucky winner an 8GB iPod Touch in honor of its release, in hopes that someone might get a chance to read Crux on that iPod. For details on where to buy your own copy of Crux, check out our website:

http://www.moirarogers.com/?q=node/322&&book=14

And don’t forget to swing by http://www.bittenbybooks.com/ to get a chance at that iPod!

Crux (Southern Arcana #1) On Sale Now at Samhain Publishing

Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn't crack...until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn't explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/author.da/362

Getting Into Character

2009-03-02T08:08:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make. I hear voices in my head. Now, under normal circumstances, this confession would make one question their sanity and perhaps lead to years of intensive therapy. But I left out an important part of the confession: I am a writer. The voices I hear in my head are those of the characters that live there, in the land of my imagination, toying with my gray matter until I finally tease them out and onto the page. And there is the secret, at least for me, of characterization. I have to be able to hear the voices before I can get a fix on the characters.

As anyone who takes a pen to paper will tell you, characterization is an integral part of the story. You can have a mediocre plot, a tried and true plot, and yet still make it come alive with fascinating characters. Likewise, boring characters can sink a good plot. Just ask any reader what kept them enthralled in a book and more often than not they will give you a detailed description of…the characters. What do you remember most about Romeo and Juliet? The intricacies of the plot – or how passionate the lovers were for each other? What about the movie Titanic? What remains fixed in your mind, the fact that the ship sank after striking an iceberg or the ill-fated love affair between Jack and Rose?

Characters define a story; they are the backbone of the plot. Everything that happens within the story depends upon the type of characters that populate it. So the writer owes it to the reader to give him or her characters they will not forget. Characters that will live within them long after the last page is read and the book is closed. Characters that make them want to revisit that book again and again. How? For me, it is the simple matter of feeling that way about the characters myself. After all, if I can’t feel passionate about my characters, how can I expect my readers to? And so I listen to my characters.

For me, listening to the way they speak, the words they use, is an integral part of characterization. That is how I “get into” character. I playact in my mind. Visualize the character in a scene and play with her emotions. It helps to imagine a certain actress playing the character in a movie, to run the scene in my head like it’s a filmstrip. How does she sound? How does she stand? What does she look like when she’s angry? These are all key ingredients to characterization. You have to think of them as real people, full-bodied and well-developed. When you start wondering how your character would feel about a certain situation or how she would handle a certain crisis, then you have done your job. If you can write a line of dialogue and on a second pass realize that your character would never say that, or at least not in that way, then you’re totally in synch with your character and are one step closer to remaining true to them.

At this point, you might be thinking that’s all well and good, but how do you get so in tune with your characters? Another good tool that I use, in addition to the filmstripping, is the character interview. This is a fun and cool exercise for the writer because we never know just what our characters are going to say until we ask the questions. As evidenced in an interview of one of my characters – Dante, from Nora’s Soul – when he was interviewed by Pat Bertram http://patbertram.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/pat-bertram-introduces-dante-the-hero-of-noras-soul-written-by-margay-leah-justice/. Suffice it to say that Dante’s true nature leapt right off the page from the moment of his introduction – and he didn’t let up once. Not only did this make for an interesting interview, it made the character more memorable.

Why not try it for yourself? You just never know what you might learn when you open up your mind to the voices in your head.

Margay

Just Beginning

2009-03-01T00:43:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm Carrie Hinkel-Gill and I am excited to join fellow Deadly Vixens Sarah, Gracen, Margay and Ashley!!

Let me start by telling you some things about myself and how I got to be a Deadly Vixen. I have been writing stories and poems for as long as I can remember. I grew up on Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein but later came to appreciate poets such as Walt Whitman, Galway Kinnell and Sharon Olds. I wasn't sure how poetry would help me, I just knew that I needed to study it, understand it as best as I could. Equally important to me, was creative writing. Even though I was studying electrical engineering in my early academic years, I didn't feel balanced unless I had an English class of some sort.

After ten years of classes and no degree, I began to reassess my life, try to figure out why I wasn't advancing and not even close to graduating. The answer was not something I wanted to admit, but once I admitted it, I was able to move on. After a lot of soul searching, I realized that no matter how smart I was and no matter how hard I tried to study, I was never going to get any farther in engineering because I didn't want to be an engineer. I had the smarts, just not the heart or the drive.

Okay, so all this time going to school and no degree to show for it. What did I really want to do? I wanted to write but at the same time I didn't want my engineering to go to waste. I wanted something that would make all those years of academic study useful to some degree, but above all, I wanted to write. So, I chose to be a Professional & Technical Writer. When I get my paperwork in order, I will have a Bachelor's Degree in Letters and Science in English with a specialty in Professional & Technical Writing with a minor in Electrical Engineering.

So, what made me decide to pursue the creative side of writing?

The characters in my head. During the summer and fall (my last semester of college) of 2008, I would have periods where I couldn't concentrate or get anything done unless I took time to listen to the voices in my head. The voices were characters with stories to be told and they were tired of being ignored and began making more and more noise until I put pen to paper and/or fingers to keyboard.

Brandon Brandelbuck has been the loudest character so far, while the purple-cloaked warrior has been most patiently waiting for me to get back to his story. One weekend, I was supposed to study for an exam on some of Shakespeare's plays, but Brandon was making so much noise that I had to get some of his story down so that he would be quiet so that I could study. He wanted me to do it old school, that's right, pen and paper, so pen and paper it was. After a few hours, I had written enough to satisfy him and he let me have some quiet time to study. It was mid-September at this point and I figured that writing would just be a fun hobby and still wasn't quite serious about pursuing a career in creative writing. However, by the end of the semester, I knew that I wanted to write novels and nothing else would do.

After I finished my last semester, I began to immerse myself back into the online writers' blog I was paying attention to before my last semester of college. One thing led to another, and I found myself following the Deadly Vixens. Then I discovered the Wisconsin chapter of RWA and attended a meeting. Soon after that I saw the request for new DV's which brought me to you today.

Currently, I am in the process of becoming an official RWA member and learning some history of the the planet on which Brandon and Cleo live. In my free time, I read, build my website and try to get some remodeling done in my condo. This summer I will be traveling to ride some roller coasters and drink some good craft beer.

While I do not have any book or story to promote at this time, you can find my Genres column at:
The Leader

Unfortunately, I don't have any control over the editing process at the student-run magazine, so some of my transitions and personal touches don't end up in print and they can read somewhat awkwardly, but it still is a way to practice my writing. For this reason, I am working on getting the originals posted on my personal website (another work-in-progress for me) which can be found here:
My Genres Columns

Since I am a new Deadly Vixen and not familiar with all of our followers, I would like to open the floor for questions. Is there anything that's not here you would like to know about me?

I look forward to answering any questions you may have!

Carrie

P.S. - Be sure to check out Margay on Monday!

New Kid On The Block

2009-02-28T15:26:00.048-05:00

I'm Ashley Ladd, new kid on this block, so aka the newest deadly vixen. My hubby could've told you I was a deadly vixen for the past thirty years. Now it's just official.

I'll be with you on Saturdays from now on. Sorry I'm a little late today, I just found the invitation. But now I'm official. :)

Several of my stories have paranormal heroes, heroines, and creatures. In fact, I'm working on an edit of a vampire romance due to be released by Ellora's Cave (hopefully) soon. It's called "Truth, Justice, and the Vampire Way" or TJVW for short.

In TJVW, the heroine, Genevieve, is an 800 year old vampire queen fighting to keep her family alive and she's looking for strong new vampires. Tony, is the MUCH YOUNGER man, and the newest vampire. At first, he rebels at the idea of his undeath, fighting dangerous werecats, and losing his immortal soul, but when he realizes it comes with super powers and a very sexy older woman, he begins to come around. It was a lot of fun to write.

Can you tell I adore super heroes? And vampires? I absolutely adore Clark Kent/Superman. My Tony wants to be the new Superman.

TJVW will be my third published vampire story. It's the sequel to "Blessed Be" also published by Ellora's Cave. At New Concepts Publishing is "Eternal Damnation".

Still, even though I adore these kind of paranormal creatures, I think witches are my favorite paranormal creature. I absolutely adore the Charmed Ones and all they can do. I thought Samantha's adventures in Bewitched with all her witchy friends and relatives were a blast, too. Even before Charmed aired, I longed to be a witch and wished I could twitch my nose or brew up a spell to make magic. Flying wouldn't be a half bad power to have, either. So yep, witches are my favorite paranormal character.

To date, I've written one story with a witch, and surprise surprise, I call it "Wishcraft". It's available at Total-E-Bound.com In it, Felicia dabbles in love potions. She also puts up with her crazy ghostly relatives who haunt the house. When her high school nemesis wants Felicia to make the man of Felicia's dreams fall in love with her, somehow the potion gets screwed up and Jeremy falls desperately head over heels for Felicia.

I love action and adventure with my romance so paranormal characters are so ready to provide it, you'll find many in my stories - the ones already published and ones still to come.

In case you don't know me, I write for Ellora's Cave, Total-E-Bound, and New Concepts Publishing. My websites are:

http://www.ashleyladd.com

http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com

http://www.myspace.com/ashleyladdromancewriter

http://twitter.com/ashleyladd

and of course

http://www.thedeadlyvixens.com

You can also find me blogging at:

Hitting The Hot Spot on the 5th of every month

Rom Erotica Writers on the 19th of every month

I'll be stopping in and out today to chat with anyone who leaves a comment. I'd like to hear what your favorite paranormal character is and what is your favorite paranormal story.

Stay tuned for the release date of Truth, Justice and the Vampire Way. Meanwhile, you can check out my newest releases at TEB, "Night of the Senses" and "Secret Admirer".

In the coming weeks, we'll talk more about werecats, vampires, genies, and of course ghosts and witches. However, since St. Patty's Day is soon upon us, we'll discuss all those quirky, irksome, and naughty leprechauns next week. Please join me and be ready.

I want to thank my fellow blog members for inviting me to join you. I'm so happy to be here with you.

Ashley

And Interview with Petra and Dean

2009-02-27T01:17:00.003-05:00

Gracen: So, let me introduce to you my new characters I’m writing about. Their names are Petra and Dean. They’re currently in a neighborhood near Bir—

Dean: Hey, I should come first, Gracen. Alphabetically it sounds better.
Gracen: *gives Dean confused look*
Petra: *crosses her legs neatly* Ladies first, Dean. *smiles smugly*
Dean: *snorts and cocks his thumb at her* Don’t let her fool you, she’s no lady.
Petra: I will kick your ass.
Dean: *grinning* Kinky.

Gracen: *looking between them because I have lost control of the interview before it ever began* Are you two finished?

Petra: Can you make him behave?
Gracen: Do I have to try?
Dean: You don’t like me when I behave, darling, remember?
Petra: *grunts* See what you know.
Gracen: I really need to get on with the interview.
Dean: Duly, chastised, doll face.
Petra: Dean, seriously, women do not like for you to call them endearments.
Gracen: I don’t mind. Really. But I do need to get back to the interview.
Dean: *winks at me* See, she doesn’t mind.

Gracen: *clears throat and interrupts argument* So, what do you two do for a living? Is there an official title?

Dean: Hunter.
Petra: Nephilim.
*long tense silence*

Gracen: *awkward* Either of you care to elaborate on those titles? For instance, Dean what do you hunt?

Dean: A little of this. A little of that.
Gracen: *sighs…this isn’t going as I had planned* O-kay.

Gracen: So, Petra, what exactly entails being a Nephilim?

Petra: Father…fallen angel. Mother…mortal woman.
Gracen: Interesting.
Petra: *shrugs* Not really. It’s complicated.
Dean: It’s dangerous.
Gracen: How so?
Dean: The demons want her. *the soft look he gives Petra melts my heart* I won’t let them have her.
Petra: *she grabs Dean’s hand resting on the sofa between them*

Gracen: Does the danger ever get exciting?

Dean: She’s exciting. Keeps me guessing. The rest is another day at the job.
Petra: Don’t let him fool you, he loves sending demons back to hell.
Dean: Yeah, real big turn on. *rolls eyes*

Gracen: So, if you could be granted one wish, what would it be?

Dean: Easy one. I’d kill her demonic husband.
Petra: Can it, loud mouth! Next question.
Gracen: Wait! You’re married…to a demon? Tell us about it.
Dean: One of the Four Kings of hell actually. A real bad mofo.
Petra: *glares at Dean*
Dean: *smiles sweetly at Petra* She asked about my wish, darling. I cannot lie.
Petra: Why not? You lie about everything else. *rolls eyes* A saint he is not.
Dean: That’s not fair. Those lies keep your pretty ass alive.
Petra: True…but still. We can’t tell these mortals all my secrets. It’ll put them in danger.
Dean: Good point.
*they both turn to stare at me*

Gracen: *fidgeting uncomfortably in my chair now* What would you like for the readers to know about you?

Dean: All donations are accepted in the monetary form of cash at 1-800-deanwin.
Petra: *backhands him playfully* He’s joking. We don’t have a 1-800 number.

Okay, so that’s my new duo. They’re a bit rough around the edges. I’m still fleshing out their characters, but I’m enjoying them. Strange what you learn about your characters when you do interviews. For instance, I didn’t have a clue Petra was married to one of the Four Kings of Hell. And damn if that doesn’t give me lots of evil plots.

Have a great weekend everyone!

***********

We have a new Vixen starting with us this Sunday, so please come out and welcome her. You'll know her as Carrie from Wisconsin!!!

**********

For those that participate, Daylight Savings Time is March 8, 2009.

Please welcome author... Roberta Beach Jacobson!

2009-02-26T00:00:00.002-05:00

Living with Ghosts
by Roberta Beach Jacobson

The Deadly Vixens have been kind enough to let me share my words in this blog, so here goes ...

Back in the 1980s, I was a happy renter in my fifth-floor apartment located about an hour away from Frankfurt, Germany. I felt lucky to have a balcony view of a wooded area and couldn't have created cheerier bird songs if I'd used a cassette. One day I noticed my couch had been scooted over a bit. It was nearer the wall. How could that be? I hadn't moved it and was pretty sure my cat Troy hadn't either.

Another afternoon, I came home after a long day at work and saw my houseplants on the windowsill had been watered. Not by me. Troy greeted me as if nothing unusual had happened during my absence. Did my little place have ghosts?

My landlord lived some 300 miles away and his new wife had forbidden him to go anywhere near my building, the place he'd lived with his ex-wife. So I was certain he hadn't stopped by my apartment.

The mysteries continued. Another day I found a dirty coffee mug in my kitchen sink, a cup I hated and never used. Once again, Troy appeared to be nothing but an innocent feline bystander.

Throughout the years I lived in that apartment, the haunting never let up. It became part of my routine, although I hadn't a clue as to what was going on.

I happened to locate a cheaper apartment right around the corner from my day job. I grabbed it, eager to do away with the long commute.

My landlord, whom I hadn't seen for years, stopped by to give me my security deposit back. He sheepishly admitted when he'd divided his former condo into one large and one small apartment, he'd never bothered to change the original locks. This meant my next-door neighbors had the identical front door lock as I had and could use their key to enter my place whenever the mood struck.

Mystery solved. The cat didn't do it.

Roberta Beach Jacobson is an American author and humorist who makes her home on a remote Greek island. She writes about the human-animal bond and is co-author of Almost Perfect: Disabled Pets and the People Who Love Them (Enspirio House, Word Forge Books, 2008). Her Website: http://www.RobertaBeachJacobson.com.

Finishing...

2009-02-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've been thinking of all of these awesome story ideas and how I should work on X novel for Y submission guidelines, or I thought about Z idea, which would be great to break into. And then there is my '08 Nano novel, I.V., that I need to edit, which has been set on the back burner, and the sequel to that novel that has almost 58k words. It's felt like I'm ricocheting around on my projects instead of steadfast and focused.

Today I started reading an e-book called 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes by Bob Mayer (who has worked with Jenny Crusie on a few books as well as writing his own). I got it recently for free after signing up for Writer's Digest's e-newsletter (in the green sidebar on the left). The second mistake he mentions is Not Finishing (the first being, Not Starting, if you were wondering). Now, I have totally finished the first draft of I.V., and I'm making my way--however slowly--through revising it.

But as I mentioned before, I've been bouncing around like a chicken with my head cut off with all of the new ideas and opportunities that have shown themselves. It's interesting because I've been getting in my way more than really having an external distraction like TV or anything like that since I haven't been able to make my mind up on what to work on.

There were a few key pieces of advice that he said. One was that, if you don't finish the project you're not going to get a contract for the work. And two was to not move onto another project unless you finish your current work-in-progress. Yes, I know it sounds so simple, but for me, those words were very timely. I feel like it gave me a shot in the arm to get back to work on I.V. and give it my main focus.

How about everyone else? Are you having trouble focusing on one project (or however many you're juggling)? Or are you getting pulled in too many directions like I've been?

Gracen's blogging at Elizabeth Black's!

2009-02-24T13:29:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

Go visit The Countess - Elizabeth Black's blog today to support our very own Gracen Miller! Gracen is talking about Nightmares and Demons and how they influenced her writing of The Devil's Den. She's even giving away a copy of her novel.

Here's the link:

http://trishwilson.typepad.com/blog

What a Character

2009-02-23T08:46:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had a character invade your mind? When you thought you were done with him, has he ever come back to haunt you, or to prove otherwise? It happened to me. When I began to write Nora’s Soul, the character of Dante was just a satellite character in my mind, a device to move the story forward. But he had other ideas and he just wouldn’t be silenced. He invaded my mind, took over my thoughts, and even tried to –

Dante: Stop, woman! You like to think you’re my creator, but we both know the truth of that, don’t we?
Margay: But I did create you.
Dante: Tell them how I came to you in a dream.
Margay: All right, so you came to me in a dream -
Dante: I love invading dreams. I don’t get to do it very often.
Margay: Can I tell the story?
Dante: Oh, yes. Please do.
Margay: Thank you. As I was about to say, it was one of the more vivid dreams I’d ever had, a fully realized scene of the two of us on the dance floor, dancing the night away.
Dante: I love dancing.
Margay: Dante, please.
Dante: Oh, sorry. Go on.
Margay: But you were something of a devil and that is how I first thought of you. But as the story came to develop, I realized that you were more of an angel, just a…misguided one. You’d lost your way somehow. You’ve been rather stingy on the details.
Dante: If I told you everything up front, what fun would that be?
Margay: Yes, I must admit it’s been more fun pulling the details out of you with a pair of tweezers. I just wish I didn’t have to go through Nora to get them.
Dante: Ah, yes, Nora. Sweet girl.
Margay: We’ve talked about this, Dante. You can’t have her. She’s not meant for you.
Dante: Can’t I have anyone? What kind of power do I have if I can’t take whomever I want?
Margay: Don’t forget free will. It’s all about free will. You see, they have to choose you. If they don’t choose you, you can’t have them.
Dante: I never did like free will. It’s always messing things up.
Margay: Dante, come on now. Maybe we should just talk about the book.
Dante: Yes, do that. Talk about the book.
Margay: At its core, Nora’s Soul is a story about one woman’s journey to rediscover her faith – in herself, in her beliefs, but along the way, she is challenged by two angels, one light and one dark. The light angel, Peter, wants to help her reconnect, but the dark angel, Dante, wants something entirely different. He wants her soul.
Dante: Nice summary.
Margay: Thanks.
Dante: I just hope you got the story right.
Margay: Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait until the release date to find out.
Dante: So you’re not even going to give me a little hint about how it turns out?
Margay: Nope. But if you go to my website http://margayleahjustice.com, you can read an excerpt.
Dante: And you thought I was the devil.
Margay: If you’re done, I’d like to regain some control over this article.
Dante: Oh. Sorry.
Margay: Right.

Well, there you have it. Character. You just never know when a character is going to invade your thoughts – or take them over completely and try to run your life. But what are we without the characters that populate our books, our movies, our lives?

Please welcome author... Peter Whale!

2009-02-22T01:49:00.004-05:00

Hello, I'm your substitute blogger for the day, my name's Pete. Now with introductions out of the way, I'm here to talk to you about what? Hunters. The fantasy/horror class of character which seeks out and kills (or is killed by) supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummies, and so on and so on. Let's get started, shall we.

Hunters have a large range of abilities (or lack thereof) and come from many different backgrounds. From your standard religious bible thumper style, to the more hedonistic likes to sleep with vampires before killing them style (special things to both Buffy and Anita Blake for bringing us that). Some are superhuman monster killing Dhampyrs (Daywalkers, half vampires), such as Blade and Vampires Hunter D, while others trust in their wit and usually a bag of neat little tricks to get by. So how do they come in so many shapes and sizes and still maintain their appeal? Because, like Terminators, they all kick ass, and they have done so throughout history.

When asked for the origin of the vampire hunter, most will point to the classic Bram Stoker character, Van Helsing. Now, be sure you understand, that's “classic” Van Helsing, not newer studly Van Helsing (think less Hugh Jackman and more Anthony Hopkins). However, in truth the genre goes back much further than that. Historically, vampire hunters are not a work of fiction at all, but a well documented profession fairly common in the eastern European states of the middle ages. As they are well known for, these countries have a history of superstitious folk. As such, the dead coming back to life to murder the living was a serious concern for them.

Therefore, there existed a professional class of people who would travel around looking for signs of vampirism such as graves with loose dirt and bodies which lay face down (to avoid looking up at god). Some would even claim to be the offspring of vampires themselves, as Dhampyrs, in many eastern European countries, were considered to be the only ones who could detect vampires for certain (due to their own vampiric heritage). These historic hunters of the past have provided a great source of inspiration for both the mild mannered style of hunter as well as the super powered type. However, if you really want source of it, you need look back further still, into that which is much more ingrained in the human soul and rooted in our nature.

The myths of every culture hold the true source of why Hunters are so appealing. From Perseus killing of the Medusa, to Beowulf slaying the monster Grendel and his mother, mankind has always been fascinated with the triumph of man over monster. Perhaps the answer to its origin is in fact rooted in the very name itself, Hunter. As true today as in ancient times, the human race is a species which can be both pray and predator. Is it surprising than, really, that the art of the Hunt is extended to aspects beyond merely food? Even today, modern day hunters take pride in the killing of the largest Buck. Perhaps than, that is why it appeals so much. We desire to face that which is frightening and defeat it, either by brain or by prowess, and in doing so, to protect our own.

Whatever way you want to look at the Hunter, it is a powerful image that is here to stay. Stalking the night for a pray that could easily turn into predator, the Hunter will likely remain the vigilant defender of the defenseless. In the face of all the things we fear that are beyond our vision, the Hunter stands strong, inspiring us to hold strong against the night as well, and, hopefully against the real life monsters that we fear.

Interview with Bronwyn Storm

2009-02-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday! Time to ignore every social responsibility possible, sit around the house in pajamas, and read my latest interview!

Today I'm interviewing Bronwyn Storm, who is no stranger to longtime DV readers. In addition to being a published author, Bronwyn is a genuinely funny, warm, caring, modest, humble person. She is also a bad influence on me; most of the dirty jokes I made in certain chatrooms were cheered on by or influenced by her, and I was pure and innocent before I began talking to her. (My apologies to any that are still offended.) Bad influence aside, her very helpful, recently-redesigned website is great fun (www.bronwynstorm.com), and she is, as the Aussies would put it, a "good giggle." Plus she's Canadian, and everybody loves Canadia.

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present. . .Bronwyn Storm!

Bronwyn, would you please tell us a bit about you?

When I was little, there was only one thing I wanted to be when I grew up: a superhero. Sadly, this goal was made moot when I realized that being a klutz was not in fact, a super power, and my super-weakness for anything bright and shiny meant that a magpie with self-control could easily defeat me in a battle of wills. Hence, the turn to writing as an occupation. I don’t get to live on a secret space station orbiting the earth (and thank God, because I get motion sick on a merry-go-round), but I still get to wear leotards, a cape and say things like, “STAND ASIDE! THIS IS A JOB FOR WRITING-GIRL!” (Pandem's note: My attempts to locate pictures of Bronwyn in a leotard and cape were unsuccessful.)

As for my publishing history, I began writing as a career back in 2005. Since then, I've had five stories published with The Wild Rose Press: Ethan's Chase (Champagne), I Love You a Latte (Last Rose of Summer), The Genie's Curse (Faery), Shoe-In for Love (Vintage), and Love and the Leprechaun (a Free Read). (Pandem's Note: As per my promise in my blog here Wednesday, Bronwyn now has my eternal respect and admiration for writing a romance that remotely involved a leprechaun and not using the words "lucky" or "charms" in the title.)

What genre do you write?

Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Children's--anything and everything!

What makes your work different from all the other authors out there?

Oh goodness, that's a question for readers. I'd like to think they like my work because of the humor, tight plots, and depth of characters. However, there's a lot of really great books out there who share those characteristics with me. Really, I think I'd rather think that my books are like all the others out there that entertain and delight readers.

Who is your favourite author? Why?

Another hard question. I don't have a favorite author. I have loads of authors I love to read: Agatha Christie, Alicia Dean, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Anne Perry, Johanna Melaragno, Dayana Knight, Stacy Dawn, J.K. Rowling--the list is endless.

Who are your biggest writing influences?

Really great writers, because they inspire me, and really horrible writers because they give me hope (heck, if they can be published, why not the rest of us?). (That may be the best answer to this question that I've heard yet.)

Which of your own works is your favourite, and why?

Erk. I don't have a favourite.

Which of your own characters is your favourite, and why?

Again, no favorites. I love all my characters--they're all people I'd love to know in real life.

What's your favourite book of all time?

Ha ha. Guess what my answer is? That's right--no favorites!

What's your writing method?

Other than stare at the computer screen, hyperventilating and wondering what made me think I could write? Umm...I get an idea, figure out the big plot points, draft the characters, draw up a rough sketch of how the scenes will flow (we're talking a sentence per scene), then I start writing. On average, it takes me about seven drafts before I start liking my story and feeling as though it's really going to come together.

What do you like about being a writer?

The commute, for sure, not to mention the dress code, that I get to eat at my desk...on the deeper level, I love writing because it helps me figure out my world and to some extent, myself. I don't think there's any other kind of job where you can tell people that you're listening to voices in your head and transcribing what they say, and said people actually cheer you on (as opposed to shoving pills down your throat and recommending you for both psychotherapy and exorcism).

What do you dislike about being a writer?

It's lonely because at the end of the day, all you have are the voices in your head. And while people can cheer you on, it's up to you to get those pages right, to work--and writing is work. Hard, hard work. The really great writers make it look easy, but that's because they're willing to bleed on their pages. Writing can be so frustrating because it's drafts and drafts of a manuscript and tossing away pages of work and starting all over again, but even on my worst writing day, there's nothing else I want to do as a job.

What are your goals as a writer?

To entertain. That's my job, that's my goal and my prayer.

Tell us a little about the books you have available now.

Well, Ethan's Chase is a contemporary/suspense about a man learning his heart's not always wrong and a woman figuring out that a first impression's not always right. (Pandem's note: Bronwyn somehow neglects to mention that Ethan's Chase was nominated for a 2009 CAPA Award. She didn't win, but the honour is in the nomination, according to several Oscar non-acceptance speeches, so yay for Bronwyn!)

I Love You a Latte deals with a divorcee who's going to take a chance on love and learn that men, like coffee, can come in all kinds of decadent varities.

The Genie's Curse is all about wishes and finding love in the most unexpected places.

Shoe-In for Love for Love is a comedic trip back to the 80s and a romantic take on The Elf and the Shoemaker.

Finally, Love and the Leprechaun is a fun, quick read about a woman who sees the dead (but who would much rather "see" the way into the heart of the man she loves).

What's your favourite sub-genre of paranormal romance?

I don't have a favorite (yes, yes, tell us something new, you say), but I love paranormals that tweak the 'common' myths and legends, and do it all with a dose of fun and humor.

Do you have any advice for our readers?

Not really. Just a huge thanks for reading!!

***********************************************

And thank you for being interviewed, Bronwyn!

For everyone else, seriously, go check out her website, it's hilarious.

That's it for this week. . .till next week, go read some good books!

Pandem
http://www.vagabondsaint.wordpress.com

Selkies or Mermaids

2009-02-20T00:13:00.005-05:00

TGIF! We survived the week. Now, I just have to survive the weekend with guests in my home for a fourth weekend in a row. I hate to sound ungrateful, but sheesh, I need a break from the family drama!

I’ve had sick kids this week and they’ve gotten me sick. I have done very little writing which makes me cranky as hell. Now Thursday night rolls around and I’m still sitting here wondering what do I write about for my blog today? So, I broke out my handy dandy book, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, by John and Caitlin Matthews, and the first magical creature I turned to was Selkie. The second one was Mermaid. Kind of weird since they both involve magical sea creatures, so I decided this was fate prodding me in the Selkie/Mermaid direction.

So, tell me, which sounds more romantic? Selkie or Mermaid? Which would you prefer to find on a rock in the middle of the sea? Which would you feel safer with or want to be romantically inclined with?

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie), a Selkie is a seal like creature with the ability to shed its seal shape and take human form when it comes to land. They are typically depicted in romantic stories where the human isn’t aware that their lover is a Selkie, but when they wake their lover is gone. There is also the legend of a human hiding the Selkie’s skin so that the Selkie cannot return to the sea and turn back into seal form. To further complicate things, Selkies can have contact with one person for only a short period of time before it becomes necessary for them to return to the sea. After that, they cannot have human contact for seven years. With one exception, a human may betray them by stealing their Selkie skin and hiding or burning it (this just seems exceptionally cruel to me), thereby forcing the Selkie to remain here on earth since they cannot return to the sea without their skin.

Call me crazy, but I immediately thought of the Charmed episode, A Witch’s Tail, where the Mermaid was given one month by the sea hag, an evil witch, to find true love. Of course, the sea hag had ulterior motives. Don’t they always! LOL If the Mermaid couldn’t get her lover to admit his true love for her within one month, then she would have to give the sea hag her immortality. Maybe that’s a little farfetched in the comparison between Selkies and the Charmed episode, but both have a short period of time unless: 1) the Selkie’s skin is hidden from them; or 2) the Mermaid is able to find true love and her lover admits it. My opinion, the Selkie version isn’t all that romantic. Sounds a little too much like kidnapping to me.

Selkies also brought to mind the 1984 movie, Splash, with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Daryl Hannah plays a mermaid in this movie, but she’s also able to shed her tail for various periods of time while on land. And in Splash, the Mermaid and human fell in love, so it had its romantic theme. Kind of like a Selkie, right? ;-) Okay, maybe another long stretch, but my brain saw the similarity with the way she was able to take human form on land. Seeing this movie as an impressionable kid, I loved the romantic mermaid aspect of it.

I didn’t forget Ariel and Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid, just chose not to discuss it since it was so similar to the Charmed version in The Witch’s Tail.

Okay, none of these movies/shows have anything do with Selkies really, but rather Mermaids, right? Or, maybe…well, let’s see what The Element Encylopedia of Magical Creatures, by John & Caitlin Matthews, has to say about Mermaids. In folklore, Mermaids have a dark side and were kind of scary actually, nothing at all like the above romantic elements. Mermaids were responsible for luring young men to their death. The appearance of a Mermaid presaged storms and disasters, not only bringing about misfortunes, but also provoking them. Legend has them enthusiastically seeking human lives by either drowning or consuming men. Yowza! Talk about a black widows death ala Mermaid style. Suddenly, instead of having the beautiful Ariel image in my head, I'm picturing a sea hag type monster with piranha teeth. It was said, Mermaids were born without a soul and the only way they could obtain a soul was by marrying a human.

These aspects of Mermaid folklore had very little deviations from The Celts, Irish, Scotts, British, Dutch, and Asian regions. In fact, the character of a Mermaid differs very little between the nations of the world, signifying that belief in these odd creatures has been around for an extremely long time and that they are all similar and frightening. And to tie in Mermaids with Selkies, one of the many regional names of a Mermaid is Selkie. Neat, huh? I thought so anyway. =)

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Over, Under, And Outside The Box

2009-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Despite my time as an editor for a romance novel publisher, I haven't read a lot of romance novels in my time. I have paid some attention to popular themes in the industry, particularly paranormal (because I really like paranormal writing of all types), and, with the aid of Google searches, that's what I'm going to talk about today.

So, let's say you want to write paranormal romance. Ideally, you'll already have a story in mind, but for the purposes of this exercise, let's say that you don't. How do you decide what paranormal element (or elements) should be in your story?

Vampires are a popular choice. . .extremely popular, with nearly 5 million Google hits in my search (the number dropped only slightly when I narrowed it to include books and movies only). Given that one can't throw a sharpened stake in the paranormal romance world without hitting 8 vampires and a couple Goth kids, it's a pretty crowded field. Perhaps the popularity is understandable; vampires are immortal creatures, cursed never again to walk in daylight and to live on theblood of the innocent to sustain their own miserable existence. . .except that they generally seem to have accumulated great wealth after living for centuries, never have to deal with rush-hour traffic, and have no problem landing insanely hot women. Any sympathy I might have had for a vampire just went out the window. Anyway, an author would have to have either a unique, appealing slant on the vampire mythos or one hell of a story to tell in order to stand out in the field, especially with the current popularity of Twilight no doubt inspiring many people out there to put vampiric-minded pen to innocent paper.

Ghost romances were second most popular in my search. Something about the ethreal nature of them, I suppose; maybe the thrill of a lover that can't make a mess because he can only become solid on rare occasion? There's a lot of room for good storytelling with ghosts, which may also explain it. Who among us has not felt haunted by love at some point? How much better is it to have some actual haunting going?

Witches came up third most popular in my search, falling from broomsticks and landing smack-dab between ghosts and werewolves. While the powers and abilities are admittedly fantastic (and make for great plot devices when things go wrong), bringing originality to the field can be difficult. That said, though, there's a lot of fun to be had with them. Fantastic powers, wacky abilities, misunderstandings and mixups galore - how could hijinks not ensue? It's almost too easy. . .which, for me, is a reason not to write them unless absoultely needed. Plus, they're not underused.

Werewolves aren't as common (I only got 1/3 as many hits for "romance about werewolves" on Google as I did "romance about vampires," but both were still over 1 million), so there's more breathing room in that market. Werewolves have the allure of being just as tortured and cursed as their vampiric counterparts, but they only have to deal with it once a month, as opposed to you know, constantly. Maybe these mythic creatures symbolize the repressed primal nature of all mankind, released in one monthly-ish burst, and the taming of that nature through love is what makes them such popular characters. Or maybe there are a lot of women out there that like really hairy men. Either way, my topic today is "Underused Paranormals," and we can't say that they've been underused at all, so let's move on.

Mermaids are surprisingly popular as well, though not nearly so much as the first three on the list, at least outside of Disney. I blame The Little Mermaid for them being so popular. Less popular (barely 100,000 hits, by Google search) are mermen, for some reason. So, if you're a paranormal author looking for something a little unusual to include in your work, a merman isn't a bad idea. Try not to make too many "longest flipper" jokes and this idea could turn out great. Also, your merman hero should not wear an orange shirt and green pants, unless you're a fan of copyright infringement.

So what's underused?

I haven't seen many paranormal books involving, say, old mythological figures. Aside from Greek and Roman mythologies, there's a plethora of interesting characters from around the world that would fit into romance novels. Take, for example, Amaterasu, the Shinto (Japanese) sun goddess who hid in a cave from her domestically violent spouse (and starred in the cool draw-your-way-to-victory video game Okami) and had to be lured out with a mirror. She's got a bad relationship history and deep vanity as a personality flaw right there, so she's prime heroine material. There's also Celtic goddess Ceridwen, who had a very ugly child. Change "ugly" to "ill-mannered" and you've got a single-mother heroine, with the added conflict of a difficult child, set up right there.

Let's not forget psychics. The first paranormal romances that I remember reading were Kay Hooper's Shadows Trilogy, and they still stand out in my mind for being something I hadn't read much fiction about before. Psychic romances produced around half a million hits on Google before I filtered out psychics advertising readings, and there's plenty of powers to play with: telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, pyrokinesis, remote viewing, even hydrokinesis (thanks, DC Comics!), so there's a lot of toys to play with there.

Zombies. If Simon Pegg can do it in Shaun Of The Dead, you can do it (and that was indeed a romantic comedy with zombies). Not saying one of your main characters has to be a zombie, but the threat of them can certainly throw people together.

Angels and demons are good, but they're approaching "overused" territory. Still, a good twist on the whole angel/demon mythology can make for an excellent read, so why not give it a shot? Bonus points if you can somehow manage to offend a major religion - controversy always generates better sales. Just don't make focus on the controversial aspects too much, lest the book come off feeling like something written specifically to offend an organized religion and the trick will backfire.

Superpowers are always fun (for me). What could more romantic than some person randomly given great power and, therefore, great responsibility? (Okay, so it's more sci-fi than paranormal, unless you have an osbcure god grant the powers.) Remember, for every Clark Kent, there's a Lois Lane, and for every Wonder Woman, there's a legion of drooling fanboys wondering if they can get a Wonder Woman costume onto their spouse/girlfriend/blow-up doll. (The lazy ones just harass Lynda Carter.)

And finally. . .leprechauns. If you can make a romantic story that even remotely involves leprechauns work, I bow to you. If the title doesn't involve the words "lucky," "charms," or any combination of the two, you might earn my unending respect for pulling this one off.

Any other ideas for underused paranormal themes?

Pandem
http://vagabondsaint.wordpress.com

Gracen & Sarah's Interview

2009-02-18T19:04:00.002-05:00

Sorry to post this today, Sarah, when it's your blog day. But I was unaware until just recently that our interview had been posted at Keta's Keep, so I wanted to spread the word as quickly as possible.

So, you heard it right. Sarah Makela and Gracen Miller were interviewed by Keta Diablo at Keta's Keep today. Anyone that leaves a comment will be entered to win a copy of our books, Melody of Love (Sarah's book) and The Devil's Den (Gracen's book).

Who do you think has blonde moments between us? That is revealed in the interview.

Look forward to answering your questions and reading your comments.

Fylgjur and Valkyrjur in Norse mythology

2009-02-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

EDIT: Make sure to go check out an interview that Gracen and I did with Keta Diablo. http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com/2009/02/aint-they-sweet-see-them-walking-down.html We're giving away copies of our books, so stop by for your chance to win. =)

So! Last week I discussed Fylgja and delved into my topic of this week a little bit of how Fylgja seem to resemble Valkyries (Valkyrjur). Fylgja are guardian spirits that take shape in either the form of an animal or a woman and watch over a certain person or family. If the person sees their Fylgja, it’s a sign that their death is immediate. Interestingly enough, the Fylgja takes on the features of the person it is assigned to protect.

Valkyries are warrior women who brought the souls of their chosen slain heroes to Valhalla, which is the “hall of the slain” (aka Norse afterlife) that the Norse god Odin ruled. They did protect the chosen warrior as well as well as They associated themselves with swans and had the ability to shapeshift into one. They could also appear as women in the form of the heroes’ lovers or another mortal.

According to one source, valkyries and fylgjur are “Fates, who direct a man’s destiny from birth to death.” One part of the source seems to lump them together as if they are one spiritual guardian that changes roles as the person’s life progress, but other sources oppose the idea, proving that they are two different types of guardians with their own role. I lean in favor of this explanation since it seems like they seem specialized and not run of the mill guardians.

Overall, this was a very fun topic to learn about. Links to a few of the different sources I visited are listed below if you’d like to research the topic further for a story idea, or if you’re like me, just for fun even. It’s always great to find new things to write about in the paranormal genre. And I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I. Give me your thoughts and opinions about this topic. Or let me know what other kinds of paranormal creatures you’d like me to discuss! *smiles*

http://www.franks-casket.de/english/extro03.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie

Please welcome author... Justin Gustainis!

2009-02-17T00:00:00.004-05:00

“So, How Do I Get Published?”

It’s a question that most writers get at one time or another. Sometimes it has the undertone, of “How did somebody like YOU ever get published?” I have two answers to that question, the one I give depending on my mood and who’s asking. There’s this: “Okay, here’s what you do. Go to Harvard. Arrange to room with someone whose Father/Mother/favorite Uncle owns or runs a major publishing house. Then spend the next four years sucking up to your roomie, big time, while you write your novel.”

Then there’s the other answer, the real one: “There are three factors involved in becoming a published author: talent, persistence, and luck. And they all matter.”

My own “career,” if it may be called that (three novels in print and another under contract, and I’ve just signed with an imprint of HarperCollins to do a new urban fantasy series, for which they’re committing to three books, to start), is a pretty good illustration of this principle.

My first novel, THE HADES PROJECT, isn’t all that good a case study. It was published by a small (but legitimate – no Author House vanity press here) publisher who didn’t have a lot of money for promotion. But that book is important to the story, nonetheless, because it gave me a foot in the door when it came to selling the second book. BLACK MAGIC WOMAN was published four years later by Solaris Books, a mid-sized publisher affiliated with Simon and Schuster.

So, let’s start with the notion of talent. I suppose several dozen books could be (and have been) written about what writing talent is and how to get it. Like most aspects of personhood, it’s a combination of nature and nurture (i.e., genetics and environment), the exact proportion varying in each of us. And when it comes to writing, a big part of the “nurture” aspect involves working at it. Being good with words and having a natural understanding of story structure is worthless -- if you stop there. Look, Michael Jordon was born with certain useful skills – I imagine these included quick reflexes, excellent eyesight, superior hand-eye coordination, and a lot of fast-twitch muscle fiber. But none of that would have got him into the Hall of Fame if he had not busted his hump on the court, practicing and playing, over and over, for years.

It’s the same with writing. Sure, there are books you can read, workshops, critique groups, and classes, the value of which varies widely. But there is just one way to become a writer, my friends. It, too, offers us the pleasing symmetry of three, and can be attributed, I think, to Andre Norton. Ready? Okay, here it is: 1) place butt in chair 2) write 3) repeat. There is no other way.

Okay, that’s the talent part of our program. Now let’s consider persistence. It took me five years to find a publisher (even a small one) for THE HADES PROJECT. Did I ever consider just throwing it in a desk drawer and finding another hobby? Oh, no more than a thousand times. But I kept sending it out, to publishers and agents alike, all of whom ignored it completely – until the day I entered a novel contest sponsored by Wahmpreneur Publishing, which led to a contract offer.

Fast forward four years. I’d been sending the manuscript of BLACK MAGIC WOMAN out for about two years when good fortune smiled on me (See? Luck again). I was reading an issue of REALMS OF FANTASY magazine (a fine publication, whose forthcoming demise is to be greatly lamented). I saw an ad for a novel that looked like the kind of thing I like (a small group of hunters secretly battling vampires in the streets of a modern city). Then it occurred to me that the publisher, Solaris Books, was one I’d never heard of. The chain of reasoning that followed went like this: “Hmmm, these guys publish urban fantasy, which is the kind of stuff I like to read; the stuff I read is also the stuff I write, like BLACK MAGIC WOMAN; consequently, these guys might be interested in publishing my book.”

I checked them out on the web. Solaris was a relatively new publisher, part of Black Library, which does all those RPG tie-in novels; Black Library is, in turn, part of Warhammer, the second-biggest publisher of RPGs in the world. I clicked on “Submissions” and read, “We are only accepting queries from agents or established authors at this time.” Grrrr.

I still didn’t have an agent. Established author? Moi? Well, that depends on how you define your terms, doesn’t it? So I wrote to Solaris -- something along the lines of “I’ve written this novel called BLACK MAGIC WOMAN, which looks like the kind of stuff you guys publish. Established author? Well, I’ve had nine short stories published in magazines and anthologies – no FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION in there, but all paying markets nonetheless—and I also wrote this novel called THE HADES PROJECT. Although published by a small press, it did get some good response, including a favorable review in CEMETERY DANCE and a “blurb” by some guy named Jim Butcher (whom I had contacted out of the blue and asked if he’d read the manuscript. He graciously agreed – and liked it!). So, Solaris guys, is that ‘established’ enough for you?”

Apparently it was. I heard back from Christian Dunn, acquisitions editor at Solaris, asking for a digital copy of the manuscript. Nine days later, I get a phone call from England: “Hi, this is Christian Dunn, and we’d like to publish your book.” From slush pile to contract offer in nine days – something of a record, except it was really nine days and even seven years, if not more.

I found out later that Solaris had decided on a six-week window during which they were going to consider new manuscripts, and then not again for a couple of years. Guess who happened to contact them in Week Five? There’s luck, again. But if the manuscript had sucked, then they wouldn’t have published it – so there’s your talent factor. And if I didn’t have a policy of sending the manuscript to every publisher who might possibly consider it, I never would have gone to the trouble of finding out about the publisher of the novel I saw being advertised – persistence.

Talent, persistence, and luck. And the greatest of these is all of them.

http://www.justingustainis.com/

Today, Justin is giving away two signed copies of Black Magic Woman. Want to win? Just leave a comment! The winners will be picked late tonight, so make sure to check back.

An Introduction

2009-02-16T06:40:00.002-05:00

Hello, everyone, my name is Margay Leah Justice and I am the author of Nora's Soul. As dedicated readers of The Deadly Vixens blog, some of you might already be familiar with me as I am a frequent commenter here and had the honor of having my book reviewed by the Vixens. So when the opportunity presented itself to become a Vixen myself, of course I jumped at it! For those of you who don't know me, here's a little background.

I won't bore you with the details about how I came to be a writer but I will tell you that I took a somewhat unconventional route to get published. After a few half-hearted attempts at getting published when my daughters were younger, I finally decided about five years ago to really invest the time and the effort to seek publication. Still, I wondered if my writing was good enough, so I decided to submit it to some contests first, to test the waters. Well, the waters were welcoming and I met several kindred souls who shared the same goals and ambitions and we created a critique group in an effort to help each other achieve our dreams. Somewhere along the way, someone suggested that we start our own publishing company so we could see our books in print and, well, one of us took that idea and ran with it. Thus, Second Wind Publishing, LLC was created by Mike Simpson who single-handedly granted the dreams of every author in that group and thensome. Second Wind has grown by leaps and bounds in the past several months and new authors are joining up every month.

So that is my professional story, for the moment. I am still writing the next novel and planning several others, all while promoting myself online and taking care of my daughters at home. Although balancing homelife with the business of writing and getting published can sometimes be challenging and in conflict with one another, both are very rewarding endeavors. My philosophy is, if you really want something you will find a way to achieve it.

I welcome any comments or questions, so if there's anything you want to know, please feel free to ask. I will answer everything to the best of my abilities. I can't wait to get to know you all!

Margay

WE HAVE A NEW VIXEN & OUR CONTEST WINNERS

2009-02-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

Hi! Did you survive Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day? *laughs* I enjoyed both.

I have a couple of things to announce, but first I’d like to let you all know that we have a new Deadly Vixen joining us tomorrow (Monday). Her name is Margay! You’ve probably seen her comments throughout the site! Margay has published, NORA’S SOUL, and Sierra reviewed her book back in January. Here’s the link if you’re interested in reading it: http://www.thedeadlyvixens.com/2009/01/book-of-week-noras-soul.html

So, please join us tomorrow in welcoming her as a new Vixen!!!

******

The winners from the contest on Friday the 13th are:

Learning Charity by Summer Devon -- DEBBY
Dragon's Mate by Beth Caudill - CARRIE FROM WISCONSIN
Informally Yours by Beth Caudill - CONNIE NORTHROP

The winners from the Valentine’s Day contest are:

Portrait of a Kiss by T.D. McKinney -- MACBEANER
The Chosen by C.A. Milson -- JUDY
Painted Soul by Mary Quast -- JULIE ROBINSON

Also, if you commented on Keta Diablo's blog this past Tuesday, she would like to send you a free book as a thank you. Please email us, so we can forward your information on to her.

All winners please contact us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com in order to claim their winning book. If we have not claimed your winning book within one week of the contest date, then a new winner will be picked from the remaining contestants. There are no exceptions.

*****

We are still seeking one more Deadly Vixen to blog on Sunday. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com. Serious inquiries only please.

Interview with Christina Brashear, Publisher, Samhain Publishing/Valentine's Day Contest

2009-02-14T00:00:00.016-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, all!

Today's interview is a long one, so I'll just get right to it!

Please joining me in a giving a warm welcome to. . .Christina Brashear!

Tell us a little about yourself, please.

I like pińa coladas and getting’ caught in the rain…

Okay, seriously now. First and foremost, I am a reader and I love romance the most. I’ve been in love with reading since I was old enough to hold a book. I’ve lived in Mississippi, the Philippines, New Jersey, Ohio (multiple locations), Alabama and now Georgia. Through all the moves, I’ve kept my favorite books with me, and bought more along the way. My husband, and the Air Force, can attest to this! I’m a mom and I trained my child well, she loves to read too. My husband and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary in a couple months; he’s my real-life hero. (I can’t believe it’s been that long. I seems just like yesterday we got married.)

Tell us a bit about Samhain Publishing.

Samhain is a company that is taking the Madonna approach; we are constantly looking at how to reinvent ourselves and be fresh and innovative so our readers don’t get bored. But, not change too much too quickly and annoy people.

We recently acquired the Linden Bay Romance publishing house and we are in the process of integrating it into the Samhain way. We aren’t ready to make any announcements about what is going to become of the imprint, we are still deciding what direction best serves the readers, the authors, and the house. We are also in the process of developing some additional lines, but they are nowhere near ready for unveiling. Our target date for having things settled is November 1, 2009.

Angela James is the Samhain Executive Editor, a position that oversees all of the editing throughout the house and its lines. She’s been with Samhain the longest, after Amanda and Donna (my sister), and is the spokesperson for Samhain. She gives great panel. Sasha Knight is the Managing Editor for Linden Bay. She’s a long time editor for Samhain and will continue to edit, but will also be instrumental in helping craft the new place in Samhain for LB. Donna Holland is our print production coordinator. She takes care of scheduling the title for print release, formatting and launching them. She’s doing a great job. Amanda Brashear is our accounting person. Everyone loves her; she’s the one who pays us.

We hired some new, in-house employees this past year. Tiffany, Jacob and Jelon. They help keep things running!

The romance genre, in addition to being the best-selling literary genre, is also one of the most crowded markets. How do you make sure that Samhain books stand out and get sales in such a heavily competitive field?

We work hard to get our name and links into places where people are going to see us and be curious enough to follow the link back. Our editors work hard to find the best of the best in submissions, stories that readers are attracted to. The Art Department works hard to make the first glimpse the reader sees is one that will compel them to at least click and read the blurb.

The best advertising though, is word of mouth. Not every story will work for every person, tastes are too diverse for that, but readers can count on a Samhain to offer well-written, well-edited books that are chosen because the story is compelling—not because it’s the trend of the week. Our reader base is growing steadily because of this.

About how many new titles does Samhain put out per month?

Roughly between twenty and twenty-six, I believe. We average between four to six a week plus having the first Friday for releasing previously published works.

What does Samhain Publishing look for in a manuscript, in terms of content and presentation?

Content. We look for a good story that engages the reader and makes them want to keep reading. We look for a well-written story that the author has taken the time to self-edit and polish. We don’t expect perfection, but basic grammar flaws and typos do stand out and mar the editor’s impression of the author’s professionalism. We look for authors who write well, but are also dedicated to building their writing career and promoting their work. It’s a joint effort.

Presentation. We have a submissions page that is pretty detailed in what the editors are looking for. We do take notice if a slush pile submission doesn’t follow the guidelines. The guidelines are there to help the author present their work in a professional manner that speaks to being serious about their writing career, and to help the editor give the work a fair reading. When a budding author doesn’t take the time to read these guidelines and follow them, it does make the editor question how well the author will be at taking direction and proposed changes to improve the manuscript.

One big mistake that happens at least once a month and makes me shake my head is this. An author will somehow dig up my email address—which isn’t anywhere on the submissions page—and email to me a query letter and sample chapters all in the body of the email for a book whose subject matter we don’t print, like a biography or something. Clearly indicates they didn’t even take the time to look at our site and see how we roll.

Our requirements aren’t impossible to meet, I promise. Take a look!

What does Samhain do for its authors in terms of marketing their work?

We have newsletters, Yahoo! groups, co-op ads in RT, and a marketing department spreading the work far and wide throughout the internet.

The marketing department is awesome. We have a Yahoo! group dedicated to teaching authors how to self promote and they are always listing free promotional opportunities for authors to participate in. Lisa will have guest lecturers come in and teach a class here and there.

We all know we're living in pretty rough times economically. Have you noticed a difference in of sales or submissions since this recession started?

We had a bit of a dip last fall, but we seem to have recovered from that. Submissions, on the other hand, have dropped off. Many authors have told us that they have had to go back to work or cut back in areas to make ends meet; they just no longer have the time they once did for writing. They still write, but it takes longer because they can only do it in snatches. And stress is not conducive to creativity.

The jury is still out on how print is going sell. It has dropped a bit, but as we gear up for the Fall '09 Season, the early numbers the sales team predicts are higher than I would have guessed. I’ll reserve judgment until the buys come in as to whether things are truly looking up. The bookselling industry has seen lulls before and people just don’t stop reading. They may cut back, but they come back and pick up what they missed if the titles are still available. That’s the great thing about POD/PTO, we don’t have to take books out of print as soon as the booksellers pull them from the shelves. With the internet, you can order them anytime you’re able.

In my opinion, the companies that survive this year will be better off for the crunch. They will have gotten back to basics and are running tighter cleaner ship.

According to a recent article in Publishers' Weekly, HarperCollins has begun doing "video books." What are your feelings about video books, and is this something you could see Samhain doing a few months or years down the line?

I read books, I don’t watch them. I certainly am not going to pay for an advertisement about a book. I won’t say that I have completely ruled it out, but from what I understand as it is being presented today, I have no interest. We could have brainstorm and think of a cool way to modify it into something a customer would find worth paying for, but I haven’t any ideas right now.

Has the popularity of devices like Amazon's Kindle and Sony's eReader helped sales for Samhain?

Yes. I believe that we have new readers to ebooks because of cool new gadgets. Especially because of the Kindle’s Whisper Net making buying so easy. People just discovering Samhain write asking about titles missing from the Kindle store (which are only missing because there is a glitch in the Kindle acquisition system, that’s why some books are missing or have cover art missing, the system isn’t picking them up as it should. They are working on it). I take the opportunity to educate the reader on how they can get DRM (Digital Rights Management)-Free books from MBaM (MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, made by BrotherSoft) and how to put them on their Kindle. I never waste an opportunity to show people that you can get great books DRM-free and at a great price!

I love gadgets. I used to think a phone was just for making calls. Now I play video games, something I never did when I was young. So the iPhone has helped the video game industry acquire a new customer. Kindle and Sony and the iPhone are breeding a whole new group of customers.

Also gaining popularity in the US are books for cellphones, which have been popular for years in Japan but are just now catching on here. Will Samhain be getting into that market as well?

Our titles have always been available for smartphones, or phones that can contain content such as Palm or Blackberry. Mobipocket has been offering it for years. But I do see the potential for expanding that into other cellphone arenas. We are always open to new sales channels.

Where do you see Samhain Publishing, 5 years from now?

I see us still here, that’s for sure! LOL!

In five years, I plan to have at least one title out in mass-market if not more. I see us with more lines, besides romance. Samhain began as a general publisher, I intend to work us back to that. eBooks are the future, I don’t want to limit us to one genre only.

Where do you see the romance novel industry, as a whole, 5 years from now? Where would you like to see the industry go?

I see romance just rolling on through the times of our lives, reflecting society through each year, as it always has. I would like to see it being more accepting of all genres and relationship types. The thing that makes the US so great is the pluralism of our society; why restrict romance to just contemporary and historical man/woman relationships. If it’s not your cup of tea, you don’t have to buy it and you don’t have to read it. Skip on over to the genre of your choice!

I’d like to see a movement among the companies dedicated to e-publishing to work together to raise awareness and build the industry, rather than treating each other as competition and an enemy. That’d be nice.

Yes, I am a Pollyanna.

Do you have any advice you'd like to share with our readers?

Read. Read for fun, read because you enjoy it, read to alter your mood. Try something new every once in a while, you never know what you might like if you don’t experiment. I grew up reading historical and category romances. Who knew I’d love space operas and cat shifters so much! I am really enjoying some of our m/m books too. I don’t get to read as often as I like. I plan to read K.A. Mitchell’s latest book this weekend. I really enjoyed her title Regularly Scheduled Life. I am also going to read J. L. Langley’s regency space-opera The Englor Affair. I had fun reading the first one, My Fair Captain.

What’s great about being the publisher is, when the books are finalized and come in for formatting well in advance of the release date, I can sneak out there and load them onto my Sony. *g* Since it’s Valentine’s weekend. I think I’ll go out and snag Shelli Stevens’ Theirs to Capture, it looks really hot! And, Dominique Adair’s final Jane Porter book is in too.

It’s good to be the publisher!

*****************************************

And it's good to be an interviewer, too! Thank you sooooo soooooo much for interviewing with us, Christina!

As always if you have any questions or comments for me or for Christina, please post them in the comments!

And for one special Beauty. . .she knows who she is:

Happy Valentine's Day to my closest, dearest friend, the greatest lady I have ever known. . .there is no one like you in the world, and I'm grateful beyond words for knowing you, for the magic and wonder you bring to my life, and for the honour of being in your life.

Everyone else, have a happy Valentine's Day and spread the love!

Pandem
http://vagabondsaint.wordpress.com
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VALENTINE'S DAY CONTEST!!!!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we will be giving away a copy of two e-books and one paperback book, so be sure to leave a comment here in order to be eligible to win!

The books up for grabs today are the following:

PORTRAIT OF A KISS by T.D. McKinney (e-book)
www.tdmckinney.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TDMCKINNEYNEWSLETTER/

THE CHOSEN by C.A. Milson (e-book)
http://authorcamilson.wordpress.com/

PAINTED SOUL by Mary Quast (paperback book)
http://www.maryquast.com

http://maryquast.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/maryquast

http://www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com/Mary_Quast

http://www.xanga.com/Finders

PLEASE NOTE: By entering this contest you are in agreement that you will not permit the e-book you win to be copied, sold or transmitted from your computer to another computer through any means, which include, but are not limited to, upload, file sharing, peer-to-peer, bloggers, reader or any other computer or device. Furthermore, you agree that you will not offer this e-book as a prize in any contest without the express consent of the author. Such acts are illegal and violate the U.S. Copyright Laws. When finish reading the e-book, it must be deleted from your computer.

*******

Good luck to all the participants. We'll draw winners sometime later tonight, so be sure to check back to see if you have won!

Gracen & Sarah

Image was copied from photobucket and is not the property of The Deadly Vixens or any of its members.

2009-02-13T00:00:00.011-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th! Woohoo! I love Friday the 13th. Possibly because I don’t embrace the superstitions associated with it. And I’m usually the odd ball out. If those around me dislike something, then I’m going to embrace it. Maybe that’s my way of spitting in the face of society. Either way, I like Friday the 13th and abhor April Fool’s Day. :-/

Before I forget, we are having a contest today and tomorrow in honor of Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day, so be sure to leave comments today and tomorrow for your chance to win! The books being given away are listed at the end of this blog!

Anyway, I thought I’d give you some interesting facts about Friday the 13th and just the number 13 in general.

On Friday, October 13, 1307, the Knights Templar’s were arrested and damned in the predawn hours. The presumption is that the Templar’s followed the guideline that the number 13 played a prominent role in sacred traditions. Additionally, Friday was considered a holy day by many traditions. Therefore, it is significant that the Church had the Templar’s arrested and condemned on a not just a holy day, but also on what would have been considered sacred date—the 13th. In essence, the Church’s final way of saying, “screw you, hurrah” to a group that it both feared and envied. I found this terribly interesting and it was something I had never heard before.

Architects omit the 13th floor from hotels and other high-rise structures. I find this comical, seriously, I do. What makes the floor that was skipped not number 13 just because it is labeled 14 instead of 13? It’s still the 13th floor unless a 13th floor is built and bypassed altogether.

The number 13 was vital to certain customs of sacred geometry, simply because it represented a blueprint which could be present in nature, humanity, and the heavens. For example, the body has 13 major joints. In a solar year, there are 13 lunar cycles. Each day the moon traverses across the sky 13 degrees. Christ and his 12 disciples equaled 13. Likewise, King Arthur and his 12 knights equaled 13. Furthermore, there are 12 major constellations in correlation to our sun.

The Aztec calendar is known as the “13 Cane” and it represents both the start and end of a cycle, symbolizing the death of one cycle and the rebirth of another. This is similar to what the Northern European mythos called the 13th rune, which represented the equilibrium linking the heavens and the Underworld. But at the same time it is also Alpha and Omega, signifying death and eternal life.

In the tarot deck, Death is the 13th card, but it doesn’t represent just death, but also rebirth and renewal.

The first culture to create a superstition for the number 13 was the Egyptians, but to them it was a number that brought good luck. The Egyptians believed there were 12 steps to eternal life and when they took the 13th step, they would then be going all the way through death and into eternal life. The number 13 represented immortality to the Egyptians.

The Romans associated the number 13 with ill omens, in particular those that brought death and destruction.

For the Christians, the number brought bad luck because Judas Iscariot was the 13th diner at the Last Supper and he later betrayed Jesus, culminating in his crucifixion. It is still considered bad luck for 13 people to dine together because it is believed that it will result in the death of one dinner guest within the year. Norse mythology has a similar bad luck superstition regarding 13 dining together.

How unlucky do you think Friday the 13th is? Do you think the number 13 is a magical number or one that should be associated with the occult? Or is it just another day in the year? How do YOU feel about Friday the 13th or the number in general?

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FRIDAY THE 13TH CONTEST!!!!!

In honor of Friday 13th, we will be giving away a copy of three e-books, so make sure you leave a comment today to be entered for your chance to win! I will announce the winners sometime later this evening. The books up for grabs today, Friday 13th, are the following:

LEARNING CHARITY by Summer Devon
http://katerothwell.blogspot.com

DRAGON'S MATE by Beth Caudill
INFORMALLY YOURS by Beth Caudill
http://www.bethcaudill.net/

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Don’t miss the VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST!!!!!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we will be giving away a copy of two e-books and one paperback book, so be sure to check back tomorrow. The books up for grabs tomorrow are the following:

PORTRAIT OF A KISS by T.D. McKinney (e-book)
www.tdmckinney.com

THE CHOSEN by C.A. Milson (e-book)
http://authorcamilson.wordpress.com/

PAINTED SOUL by Mary Quast (paperback book)
http://www.maryquast.com

http://maryquast.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/maryquast

http://www.xanga.com/Finders

*******

PLEASE NOTE: By entering this contest you are in agreement that you will not permit the e-book you win to be copied, sold or transmitted from your computer to another computer through any means, which include, but are not limited to, upload, file sharing, peer-to-peer, bloggers, reader or any other computer or device. Furthermore, you agree that you will not offer this e-book as a prize in any contest without the express consent of the author. Such acts are illegal and violate the U.S. Copyright Laws. When you finish reading the e-book, it must be deleted from your computer.

*******

Good luck to all the participants!!!

I hope everyone has a safe Friday the 13th and a very romantic and naughty Valentine's Day.

All images were copied from Photobucket and are not the property of The Deadly Vixens or its members.

Please Welcome Author...Vaughan Williams!!

2009-02-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

Characterization: Or, How to Create Characters that Your Reader Actually Enjoys
by Vaughan Williams ©2009

I thought I'd write this article from the viewpoint of the author about one of the most crucial aspects of storytelling: characterization. It's the process of creating characters for one's story, and it can be very difficult, simply because coming up with unique, yet realistic, people for a piece of fiction is something that most authors either do with too much or not enough elaboration.

Give too much detail, and it begins to feel like a psychological evaluation (and distracts the reader from the actual plot); too little, and the character is more of a cardboard cut-out than a person to whom the reader can relate. Finding the balance is the trick, and it requires the author to constantly keep in mind how to include the various quirks and traits of an individual during the course of the story.

For example, your character smokes. Overdoing it would be to write a full-page description of how the character (let's call him Bob) came to be a smoker; in his teens, dared by pressuring peers, Bob succumbed and became addicted, though he now regrets the habit and wishes he could quit. Even if you feel this step back in time delineates how vulnerable Bob was as a teen, how he longed for acceptance and affection, and now how he wants to improve himself and shrug off the yoke of an addiction, it's a case of telling rather than showing, which most people will agree is poor storytelling.

Underdoing it would be to mention, in scant passing, how as Bob had a discussion with someone, he took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled (or didn't inhale, if you're a Clinton). And? You can say so much about Bob's personality, his history, even his aspirations, from how he does it. From where does he take the cigarette: the breast pocket of an Armani suit, the back pocket of threadbare jeans, a beaded clutch purse? Is the pack crumpled or freshly opened, or are the cigs contained in a 24-carat gold case? Does Bob dig for the cigarettes frantically, on the verge of a nicotine fit, or so languidly that the reader knows it's being done for effect rather than any actual urge to smoke?

Once you give a trait to a character, don't just do it once, to hint toward his personality and hidden depths, and then never mention it again. Consistency is the key to creating a story that doesn't feel flimsy and slapped-together, because ultimately it will leave the reader dissatisfied and disappointed, as if they'd eaten a meringue when they'd expected cheesecake.

It's tempting, especially for first-time authors, to write a protagonist who is more of an avatar of themselves than to create someone with whom they do not personally identify. And there's nothing wrong with that, especially when someone lacks the experience or “comfort zone” to work outside their frame of reference. We're always being told to “write what we know”, after all. The trick to it is keeping the character realistic, to not idealize her to the point of making the reader nauseous.

Your character (let's call her Belle) is a professional singer, because you've always wanted to be a singer. That's fine, but how do you describe her? Does Belle have a problem keeping her vibrato even, or a tendency to go flat on the high A's, and perhaps there's a coach or instructor who critiques her after her performances? Maybe Belle's getting up in years, and after a decade or two of partying, all the smoking and drinking is taking its toll on her voice? Or do you say she has the “voice of an angel” and that every member of the audience is “spellbound” by her miraculous talent, and they all “applaud with reverence” once she's done?

In the first example, she's got to cope with criticism from an authority figure, and in the second, Belle must deal with the repercussions of her own mistakes, and learn to carry on in spite of a challenge. Even if we're not sharing in the specifics of being a singer with problems, we can relate to those general issues, and find a connection with the character.

But the third example poses a problem: being too reverential to one's character, making her too perfect, can lead the reader to a sense of distaste and even outright loathing, and that's the exact opposite of what a good story does. A good story wants to engage the reader, and have the reader connect and empathize with the protagonist, not wish she'd die in a fire.

“Ha!” you say, exultant, “but I have given my delightful character flaws! She sings so well that she's got all these enemies and they want to do her dirt! And she's too beautiful! All the men are after her, they kidnap her and force jewelery on her to get her to love them and--”

Or, “Ha!” you exclaim, triumphant, “my character is flawed, damn you! She sang so well it broke the king's heart and he banished her, and she's shunned because, though stunning, she's the only brunette when the fashion is to be blonde, and her eyes are two different colors (one the turquoise-green of the Caribbean, the other the cerulean blue of the Aegean), and she has a limp from falling from a horse while heroically rescuing an orphanage full of despondent cherubs at the age of nine!”

Such a paragon might be the epitome of wish-fulfillment, but she certainly won't be winning any awards for connecting with the readership. The name of the game is balance, and to do that, you must look at your work with a critical eye. How does one obtain this critical eye?

That, my friend, is the topic for another day.

P.S. How do you decide which traits to include? My favourite way to flesh out a character is to employ astrology. There are many websites that allow you to input certain facts (like date and place of birth) and receive a full personality profile (http://www.chaosastrology.net creates extremely detailed and accurate charts, for example). Simply decide when and where your characters were born, pop the info into the generator, and you've got a full characterization plan that tells you precisely how your characters will act during almost any given situation.

Or you can go the more traditional route of using actual books: Love Signs and Sun Signs by Linda Goodman were written decades ago, but are still absolutely wonderful sources of information for creating layered, textured, realistic-feeling characters. Love Signs in particular is valuable because it tells how two different people will interact, depending on their horoscopes. Want harmony between two characters? Choose signs that trine. Looking for conflict? Go for signs that are opposed or squared. It can give an element so realistic that you'll be amazed.

Fylgjur and Norse mythology

2009-02-11T00:44:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying the fabulous guest bloggers we’ve been having this week. We still have more to come with Vaughan Williams tomorrow and then Friday is the 13th… Spooky! I know that Gracen has a great blog planned for you all then, and I’d also like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day since that’ll be on Saturday. Wow! Such a busy week.

Today, I’ll be discussing a mythological being I found out about a while back when we had Elizabeth Black with us. It is called the Fylgja. The Fylgja is a guardian spirit of Norse mythology. They carry a connection to a person or sometimes family and protect or prevent harm from befalling its human. Fylgjur usually appear to their person in the shape of a woman or an animal. While researching this, I read that they are most often seen in the animal form during sleep; although, they could be awake, but if one were to see their fylgja, it is an omen of their encroaching death. Though, when the fylgjur appear as women, they are looked on as guardians, which is fascinating since valkyrjur (valkyries) were also females that would appear to the Vikings in female shape and lead the men to Valhalla. Valkyrjur were also connected with animals.

I’ve been very intrigued by this subject ever since Elizabeth Black guest blogged with us about different mythological creatures that are out there for paranormal authors to partake in that step outside the norms of vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, which I love so much. I couldn’t imagine not writing about these more common mythological creatures, but I’ve decided to eventually write a novel on the fylgja. I definitely plan on dipping into how the fylgjur and valkyrjur’s similarities, but that’ll have to wait until next week! I can’t give too much away so soon, can I?

Some great links to find out more about fylgja are:
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/mythology/text/Supernatural_Beings.htm
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/222990/fylgja
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fylgja

What do you think about this topic regarding fylgja? Are you interested in me doing another blog on the relationship with the Viking and the fylgja and valkyrja? What are some mythological creatures that you’ve heard about recently that delve outside of the normal of the paranormal genre that you really enjoy or that you’d like to find more information about? Let me know! I’d love to discuss this. =)

Please Welcome Author...Keta Diablo

2009-02-10T00:01:00.005-05:00

Thank you Deadly Vixens for hosting me on your blog. I'm so very happy to be here.

With three new releases in two months, I'm at my wits' end marketing and promoting. In fact, laterly, I've been suffering writer withdrawal and can't wait to get back to a new novel or two.

I write for Ravenous Romance, Phaze, Siren Publishing and Noble Romance. I'd love it if you'd stop by my web site (http:.//www.ketadiablo.com) because . . . I love to hear from readers and friends. You can also reach me at ketadiablo@yahoo.com any ol' time.

Here's a little information on my latest books:

Decadent Deceptions, an erotica historical was a 2008 Molly Contest Finalist, released by Noble Romance, http://www.nobleromance.com.

Daring and desperate to win Morgan’s love, Olivia Breedlove embarks on a reckless folly. But everything backfires when Morgan remains one step ahead of her and the game ventures down a path of duplicity and murder.A decade ago, Morgan was a heartbeat away from taking Olivia’s virginity. Her father, Thaddeus, intervened and threatened to meet him over pistols if he so much as looked at his daughter again. But now, Thaddeus is dead and Morgan has no intention of ignoring the ravenous hunger he’s harbored for the blasted woman for ten years. One way or the other, he will quench this burning desire and make her his forever.

Dust and Moonlight, my erotica fantasy/time-travel through Siren Publishing (http://www.sirenpublishing.com).

Balion, Prince of Locke Cress, waited a long time for the forest nymph with lavender eyes to come to him. The dreams told him it was just a matter of time. What they hadn't told him was that he'd lose his heart to the strange creature from another world.
After the serial killer attacked Kira, she awoke in a strange land. Now, she's running for her life from wild boars, wizards, and sorcerers, not to mention a Prince that makes her body melt in all the wrong places. Facing extraordinary circumstances as the evil plots unfold, Kira fights for her life, and for a love that neither time nor distance can ever dispel from her soul.

Land of Falling Stars, erotica historical has made the best sellers' list at Ravenous Romance. (http://www.ravenosromance.com)

Penniless, her parents and brother dead, Sophia Whitfield struggles to save her beloved childhood home during the Civil War. Another bluecoat is staggering down the hill, but before Sophia allows him to rob and pilfer like the others, she shoots him. How was she to know it was Gavin, the dark knight of her youth, carrying secrets too horrific to imagine and a passion that ignites her deepest desires?

As Sophia gradually discovers Gavin's secret and falls under his seductive charms, she struggles to know her own heart. Can she survive in the Land of Falling Stars, or will she lose it all to the horrors of the War and Reconstruction? And will the Southern lady and the Yankee soldier be able to recapture the bliss of their youth - this time in each other's arms?

Namaste, Keta
ps: Send me an e-mail and put in the subject "Deadly Vixens". I'll draw three winners to receive one copy of the above books by February 15th. Thanks for joining me today.

Please welcome author, Brynna Curry!

2009-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi, Everyone! I'm Beth to most everyone that knows me, but I write paranormal romance and suspense under the psuedonym Brynna Curry. I have two wip's right now, Wolf's Bane a shifter tale and Bite Me! vampires, magic and time travel. I'm unpublished, but I'm working steadily to change that. Blood Shield, a paranormal suspense, has received several requests for fulls. I judge several contests yearly, I'm one of the four bloggers found at FrighteningJourneys and my site The Fairy Ring hosts guest authors and interviews once weekly. Now back to your regulary scheduled post...

Do you think the world is ready for more vampire novels? Or have they been plied with so much Twilight, the fans shudder at a glint of fang? When it comes to writing paranormal, I've found that agents and publishers seem to have a set standard for the genre. At least the ones I've contacted do. It's either 'get the pitchforks!' meaning "We will not sell it. Go far, far away." or "Don't bother sending it in. Too much competition. Your work can't possibly compare." So, what's a writer to do? My writing world is full of vampires, werewolves, witches and the like. Surely someone must accept paranormal? After all, you CAN buy it off the shelf.

Maybe the world would like to see a vampire with just the right bit of kick. On one end of the spectrum you have YA, 'nuff said, on the other end you have erotic romance. There's nothing wrong with that. My crit partner makes a living writing erotic novels. Still, that leaves the in betweens, all the moms who'd like to read the genre without the explicit love scenes or explaining to their twelve year old's why they can not go poking around mommy's bookshelf and e-readers.

Vampires are sensual creatures by nature. I like to think of them as explicitly aware once-humans, with all our flaws magnified. Rage, lust, selfishness, greed and I enjoy saving them from themselves. I think my favorite vampire would have to be Nora Roberts' Cian (Valley of Silence- circle trilogy) I'd love to introduce you to my vampire Kail McKenna. You can read an excerpt of his story (unpublished) here. http://www.freewebs.com/brynnacurry

With Blessings,
Brynna

Welcome Guest Blogger, Marie-Claude Bourque!

2009-02-08T00:10:00.007-05:00

Well, in a pinch, we needed someone to blog for today, and luckily, thanks to Shelli Stevens, I found Marie-Claude Bourque!

Marie-Claude Bourque is an American Title V finalist with her entry ANCIENT WHISPERS, a dark paranormal romance filled with tortured sorcerers, dark sensuality and gothic rituals. You can find her at www.mcbourque.com and www.myspace.com/marieclaudebourque.

Well, that's enough from me. . .please give a big round of applause to Marie-Claude Bourque!

*********************************************

Why Write Paranormal?

By Marie-Claude Bourque

When I talked to Pandem about doing a last-minute guest blog for Deadly Vixens (thank you so much for the hospitality, by the way!) and found myself with less than 24 hrs to write about something, I realized how rushed my writing adventure has been since I started my first manuscript, dark paranormal and American Title V finalist, Ancient Whispers.

In fact, just one year ago, I had about one-half of the manuscript done and had just sent out my first love scene to a RWA contest. Fast forward 3 months and I had sent my first 50 pages to Dorchester for the American Title V contest on a whim. I received an email from Dorchester asking for a full in June and spend a frantic 10 days editing the whole thing. I’ve never even had a chance to let the story rest for a while before reading it and figuring out if it made any sense. And now with the contest, my whole life is a blur.

It was less than two years ago when I picked up my first paranormal romance, Dark Side Of The Moon, by Sherilyn Kenyon. I had never even heard of paranormal romance then. I read mostly high fantasy.

But I had picked up the Kenyon book based on the cover. That hot looking guy in the long black coat and the words “Dark-Hunter” just grabbed my attention. I read this book in 3 hours, my eyes wide like saucers. It seemed so silly and yet so grabbing. (…and hot!!!! What had happened to romance since the tame Harlequin novels of my youth?)

I devoured the Dark-Hunter series in 2 months then looked for more in the same style. I graduated to Keri Arthur, then to Christine Feehan. I had just finished the first in Feehan’s Carpathians series when I finally decided to attempt writing. Armed with my knowledge of Pagan witchcraft, my love of fantasy and Julie Beard: Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Your Romance Published, I started to write Ancient Whispers.

As I started my first scenes, I tried to imitate Sherrilyn Kenyon and write witty and hot. It was an absolute disaster!!! I can do hot, but not witty!!! It’s only when I started to listen to my own voice that I realized that a lyrical and dark tone was more natural to me.

I do credit Kenyon and Feehan for having introduced me to paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I don’t read much in the genre, mostly because every time I pick up a new writer, I panic. They write so much better than I do! I always feel that I’ll never get there.

But I do read and love J.R Ward, Faith Hunter, Jeanne C. Stein and Yasmine Galenorn. They write so well, that I don’t even notice the prose anymore. And thanks to a wonderful workshop by Yasmine on Saturday, I finally heard a definition of urban fantasy vs. paranormal romance that makes sense.

And I quote: “In urban fantasy, they try to save the world; in paranormal romance, they try to save the relationship.” (for the record, Yasmine says she writes urban fantasy!).

I always return to my first love, the world of the Dark-Hunters. In fact, a copy of Acheron is patiently waiting on my night table, waiting for my life to settle down so I can finally read it.

So now tell me, as a writer, what was the first book that inspired you to write in the genre? And as a reader, what was your first paranormal love?

*********************************************************

Thank you, Marie, for filling in on short notice! As always, any questions or reactions to her blog can be left in the comments below, along with answers to her question!

And the to DV readers, thank you for, well, reading!

Pandem

vagabondsaint.wordpress.com

Interview with Jane E. Jones!

2009-02-07T00:03:00.001-05:00

It's Saturday again, and you know what that means. . .

No, it doesn't mean you can go all day without having to put clothes on. . .oh wait, yeah it does. But it also means that it's time for another Pandem interview!

This week's victim, er, interviewee is Jane E. Jones. I first met Jane in a Wild Rose Press chatroom. She's very creative (she draws, sings and writes songs in addition to writing stories) and lives in Ohio with her two children, a golden retriever/poodle mix (golden poodle?), and three goldfish. Kinda noticing a gold theme going here. . .

Without further ado, Jane E. Jones!

Would you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?

I started out drawing, actually, and then began writing from an early age. Stories that would make me fall down laughing if I still had them.:) I also wrote poetry and lyrics, but only a year and a half ago did I decide to seriously pursue publication. I joined online groups, signed up with Romance Divas, and learned, among other things, about submitting books to online publishers. I'm still learning new things every day, but I've had four books published in the last year and a half.

What genre do you write?

I love writing fantasy in all its various forms; fantasy romance, urban fantasy, paranormal... I also love writing fairy tales. I'm working on an urban fantasy and a YA [Young Adult], but what I've had published so far are fantasy, western, and contemporary romances.

What makes your work different from all the other authors out there?

Every writer has his or her own voice, with his or her own story to tell. While stories might be similar, I think a writer's real life experiences and way of thinking are going to influence her books and make them different from other writers. Wow, I just sounded like I was writing a fourth grade essay, didn't I?

Who is your favourite author? Why?

This question is torture!:) I have so many favorite authors. I really find it is impossible to choose one, but I started out with Stephen King, waaaay back, and really love him. I especially love his Dark Tower books. He has a way of just pulling you right into his books and making you want to stay there. And he does it so well!

Who are your biggest writing influences?

Patricia Highsmith, Stephen King, Tolkien. I devoured the Nancy Drew books when I was a child, and Mark Twain...Anne Rice. I love post-apocolyptic books, and mysteries, and fantasy, and all those books have influenced me in one way or another.

Which of your own works is your favourite, and why?

Hmmm. My favorite is one I haven't quite finished yet; I started it for NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month, November 2008] and need to get it polished and cleaned up and submitted. It's a YA post-apocalyptic, and is different from everything else I've done.

What's your favourite book of all time?

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

What's your writing method?

Ever evolving. Barring unusual circumstances, I write every day. I take my laptop into the kitchen or the bedroom or the living room, wherever I want to be at that moment, bring up my ms, and start writing. I'm a pantster, so I usually don't even know where my story is going; not always a good thing. I will get so far and then try outlines and general ideas, maybe even write in an ending. And I use character sheets. Okay, sometimes. ;)

What's your favourite writing resource?

The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White, On Writing, Stephen King (told you I love him), Roget's Thesaurus, Emotional Structure by Peter Dunne, just to name a few.

What do you like about being a writer?

I love writing. I have a trunk full of journals, mounds of notebooks, and zip drives full of finished and half finished manuscripts. I like that I can create worlds and people and adventures. I love that moment when I get a new idea for a story. It's so exciting! I don't think I could not write. I can't imagine a better way of making a living. :)

What do you dislike about being a writer?

It's pretty isolating. And if you don't have friends who are writers around you, or groups in your area, it can feel like you have no one who really understands to talk to.

What are your goals as a writer?

I plan on getting an agent and subbing to print publishers. I also want to continue being epublished as well, and submit to some of the bigger epubs.

Do you have any advice for other authors out there, aspiring or published?

If you want to write and be published, then do it. It's a lot of work, but if you're a writer, you'll write, you'll submit, and you'll make your dreams happen. Join groups, learn as much as possible about all aspects of writing and publishing; jump in and do it! And read at every available opportunity. Write what you love to read.

Tell us a little about the books you have available now.

[NOTE: All three of Jane's Wild Rose Press books are in the Scarlet Rose, i.e. adult, section, and you must be over 18 years of age to visit that section of the site.]

One Night With You is an erotic contemporary short about a woman who thinks she's plain and a very hot cop who changes her mind. You can find it at The Wild Rose Press.

Beauty's Beast is an erotic fantasy based on the fairytale Beauty and the Beast. It has some twists and an ending that may surprise you. It's also with The Wild Rose Press.

Dancing With Johnny is an erotic western romance about a widow, a drifter, and a very hot encounter. I wrote it as a freebie for The Wild Rose Press, and you can find it there under 'free reads'.

Puppy Love is my very first 'sweet', and I had so much fun writing it. My heroine's dog is missing, and she's sure her next door neighbor has stolen him. She goes looking for her puppy, and finds love along the way. It's lighthearted and has, I like to think, some pretty funny moments. :) It's a contemporary romance, and you can find it at Freya's Bower.

Do you have any upcoming releases you'd like to tell us about?

No, Puppy Love was just released on February 3rd, but keep an eye out. I'll have something new soon. :)

What's your favourite sub-genre of paranormal romance?

I love dark urban fantasy. Think early Laurel K. Hamilton.

Thanks for interviewing me, Pandem. It was fun!

And thank you, Jane, for being interviewed! For more news and info about Jane E. Jones, check out her site at www.janeejones.com.

If you've got any questions for Jane that you think I should have asked, or questions you'd like to see me ask the next author or, really, anybody, just leave them in the comments below! Thanks for reading the interview; now go out and write something good!

Pandem
vagabondsaint.wordpress.com

British House Fairies

2009-02-06T01:00:00.003-05:00

TGIF everyone! I’ve bought this awesome book called, The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, written by John and Caitlin Matthews. It is an A-Z collection of damn near every magical creature you can think of and then some I’ve never heard of. There are some peculiar magical creatures that are left out, like Satan/Lucifer, but maybe they don’t consider him magical.

Anyway, I have found a boat load of creatures I want to write about. Some I’m excited about and plan to use in upcoming books. *rubs hands together* Oh, the evil I can create with them. It’s got the muse juices flowing. ;-)

Anyhoo, the one I picked for today is Dobie/Dobby. For those of you familiar with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, I’m sure you’re familiar with this magical creature. Since I’ve never read a Harry Potter book, I wasn’t familiar with the character. But it does note that a Dobie is best known from this series as the not so bright friend of the young wizard.

To the British in Northern England, a Dobie is a house fairy. Who besides me wants one? *waves hand excitedly* Can I paweese have one? Pretty please, with a cherry on top! I always need help with house work and my family’s idea of helping is throwing socks on the stairs. Grrr… They never make them up the stairs unless I pick them up. What’s up with that? *rolls eyes*

Better yet, the Dobie likes helping us human beings. I’ll be honest, I like having help. You want to know what’s even better than that. A Dobie likes to help with laboring type tasks. Yippee! I got plenty of laboring type tasks that I need help with all the time! Dusting, sweeping, moping, vacuuming, washing clothes, cleaning bathroom and toilets, yard work and cleaning out garages, that’ll get him started laboring. And since they like laboring, I’ll happily keep a Dobie happy. Cross my heart and all that stuff.

I am practically dancing at the thought of this. *looks about rabidly* I need one!!! Someone give me the 411 on where I can purchase a Dobie house fairy? I’m willing to pay top dollar *coughwithinreasoncough* and I’m guessing my local Wal-Mart isn’t selling them and if they are…they’ve got the price jacked so high I can’t see it. >:(

Apparently, Dobie’s aren’t known for their wisdom. Now, I’m thinking who cares about wisdom. It doesn’t take intelligence to sweep and mop floors. Or how about dusting? Yep, you guessed it, doesn’t require much intelligence from me to do that menial task.

Dobie’s often make ridiculous mistakes and are easily confused. Well, now the authors are just picking on them now. And, have they ever been to my house? My kids and I make ridiculous mistakes all the time. And…easily confused? *laughs uproariously* Visit my house and I’ll show you easily confused. We’ll make you easily confused. When my boys (2 children + 1 husband) are all talking ninety to nothing (all at one time—seriously, it happens!), 2 + 2 = 4 becomes a difficult equation. They have me wanting to scream, “Stop the madness!” Or if I hear “Momma” or “Babe” one more time, I might garrote them all! LOL Kidding! No one is in serious danger of bodily harm, but I have had to talk myself down from going somewhat psycho.

Apparently West Yorkshire residents don’t like house fairies because to them a Dobie is an evil fairy that leaps onto the backs of unsuspicious commuters on horseback (I wonder if this has been upgraded to vehicles) and chokes them. *laughs weakly and looks about shiftily* Psst…for the record, I don’t want a West Yorkshire Dobie. *shudders* They’re a little too violent for my cup of tea.

For those that read my post a couple of weeks ago about the Salamanders. The cat scooped the first Salamander out and he was…uh…*big gulp*…cat food. We now have two Salamanders named Sam and Dean. Yes, yes, my child is the only *coughnotcough* member in my household addicted to the show Supernatural. But to name the slimy little suckers after the Winchester boys *coughhotties!cough* just seems (insert Dean Winchester’s voice) awkward. I giggle about it every time I think about their names. LOL You wonder what the Winchester boys would think having Salamanders named after them? *giggles* And that folks is the weirdness of my family.

Have a great weekend everyone! Make me proud and be naughty at least once this weekend. ;-)

Heidi Betts's winners

2009-02-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a note from Heidi about the winners (It was in the comments, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw it.)

Good morning, all! Lest you think I've forgotten about offering to give away books from my Backlist...I so did not! I simply went to bed a little early last night & forgot to announce winners beforehand. (Hey, just wait till you turn 29; you'll fall asleep early, too! *g*)

Had my kitties help me pick, & the readers who apparently smelled most like catnip were...

Joye
Laria Lee &
Crystal GB

Congratulations, ladies! As mentioned in my blog post, please visit the Backlist section of my website (located on the Books page) & pick a book you'd like to read. Then contact me with your title choice & mailing information, either thru the contact form also located on the website or at heidi@heidibetts.com, & I'll get your books out to you!

Thank you so much for blogging with me. And thank you, Vixens, for inviting me to visit. I had a terrific time!

Heidi Betts

Please Welcome Author...Heidi Betts!!

2009-02-05T01:00:00.004-05:00

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?

Hello, everyone! Thank you so much to Gracen for inviting me to chat about my single title contemporary debut, TANGLED UP IN LOVE (http://www.heidibetts.com/books/tangled.php), which just came out on Tuesday! Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! :-D And thanks, too, to the rest of the Deadly Vixens for letting me spend the day with them. Your hospitality is much appreciated. :)

I have to admit, when it came time to writing this post, I drew a bit of a blank. (Not easy for me, either, since I’m used to writing, have also been known to talk the paint off the walls after one too many caffeinated beverages. *g* But you see, The Deadly Vixens write dark, edgy, paranormal romance. I don’t. Their websites are all dark mysterious. Mine so is not. I’m assuming that the majority of their readers, visitors to this blog are fans of the dark, paranormal, mysterious. Nothing wrong with that, but it does make me feel a tad like Snoopy being dropped into the center of Dungeons & Dragons. LOL

So I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something that my books have in common with the Deadly Vs. Something that you guys might find interesting not too bright or chipper for your shadowy, cave-like existence. *vbg* Here’s what I came up with…

Magic.

That’s right, magic is what TANGLED UP IN LOVE and I might stand a chance of having in common with this dark, dangerous lair and your reading preferences.

While I wouldn’t call TANGLED UP IN LOVE a paranormal by any stretch of the imagination, it does actually contain a small paranormal element. You see, in addition to the three funky “Chicks with Sticks”, the three smart sexy men who keep them company throughout the series, there’s this character in the trilogy named Charlotte. Charlotte is aunt to one of the knitting gals (Jenna from Book 2, LOVES ME, LOVES ME KNOT, which will be out in August) and considers herself a bit of a matchmaker…as well as a Lucille Ball wannabe, judging by her choice of hair color and penchant for getting herself into trouble. *g*

Charlotte raises alpacas and spins their fibers into yarn that she then uses to knit all manner of wonderful things, like scarves and sweaters and hats and mittens. Charlotte also happens to have a spinning wheel that’s been handed down from generation to generation through the women of her family, which is said to be enchanted. Magic. Able to bring true love to those who use the yarn it creates.

Is the wheel actually enchanted? Does it truly possess magic, happily-ever-after powers? I don’t know…I think I’ll let you decide that one for yourselves. :-D

But what I will tell you is that there is something very magical about this entire trilogy for me. From the way it came about in the first place (which is a story I shared early last week with readers at both my WIPs Chains and Must Love Yarn blogs, if you’d like to go back and read it), to the way every detail of the stories came together---everything in between. It was like I had a fairy godmother sitting on my shoulder, guiding me in all the right directions and bringing all the right things to me with a wave of her wand and a tiny sprinkle of her glittery dust. And I couldn’t seem to stop myself from sharing a bit of that fairy dust with the characters of this series so they would be assured of having their Happily Ever Afters, as well.

No doubt about it, a little bit of magic, a little bit of legend, and a whole lot of faith are involved in bringing Veronica Chasen and Dylan Stone (the hero/heroine of TANGLED UP IN LOVE) together. Frankly, considering how much these two despise each other when the book begins, I’m not sure it would have happened without a touch of magic. LOL

So tell me, do you believe in magic? Do you believe in enchanted objects, or lucky charms, or blessings passed down from those who have passed before us? Tell me what you think…maybe even give an example of a time when it felt like magic was at work in your life…and at the end of the day, with the Vixens’ permission, I’ll draw the names of three winners, each of whom will get to choose an autographed title from my backlist (http://www.heidibetts.com/books/index.php#back). (This includes the HOTTER THAN HELL anthology, by the way, though you may need to scroll up a bit to see its cover.)

Thank you again for having me, and for giving me the chance to chat with you about the first of my hot, sexy knitting romances!

*~*~*

To read an except of Tangled Up In Love, go here: http://www.heidibetts.com/books/tangled.php

And for Heidi’s bio, please visit: http://www.heidibetts.com/bio.php

*~*~*

Love & stitches,
Heidi

*~*~*

http://www.heidibetts.com/
www.HeidiBetts.com/WIPSChains
www.HeidiBetts.com/MustLoveYarn

Changes on the way

2009-02-04T00:54:00.003-05:00

Sierra Wolfe is leaving The Deadly Vixens. She will be missed, and hopefully, once she gets back on her feet, she'll visit us! =) She's been a dear friend and Vixen, but we understand that she's doing this for the right reasons. We love you, Sierra!

We're going to be making some changes, which we had been planning on before now, but this has kind of brought things to a head. If you have any suggestions on how we can better inform and entertain all of you, or any topics you would like in the blog, please leave us a comment, and Gracen, Tierney, and I will give it full consideration.

If you would like to guest blog with us, send us an email at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com with the subject of Guest Blogger.

Kenzie Michael's Upcoming Book Cover!!!

2009-02-03T18:18:00.004-05:00

Kenzie just sent me her book cover for her new upcoming title, All She Ever Wanted! I thought I'd spread the joy!

Congratulations, Kenzie!!! This is such an exciting time and I'm glad you're sharing it with me!

Book Review: The Chosen Sin by Anya Bast

2009-02-03T01:00:00.001-05:00

Book of the Week: The Chosen Sin by Anya Bast
Anya Bast’s website: http://www.anyabast.com/

I believe this book is classified as erotica paranormal romance. So, be prepared, it was definitely a spicy read.

Alejandro, is sexy hot, a vampire working undercover for the Allied Bureau of Investigations to bring down a brutal vampire, Sante. Daria is a human determined to destroy Sante for making a fool of her and nearly destroying her career. But Sante is locked away tight in a community of his making, the Shining Way, and only the Chosen are allowed inside. In order to be accepted into his community, Daria must become a vampire. But in this book it’s not as simple as wanting to become one. Not genetically predisposed to become a vampire, Daria runs the risk of becoming a succubare and forever feeding off sex or worse, dying.

Deciding the risk is worth the price, Daria convinces Alejandro to turn her and he helps her break through the veil, becoming a full-fledged vampire. Along the way, they realize that not everything is as it seems to be and enemies and friends aren’t clearly as defined as they’d thought.

I truly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. One word in particular was used too many times to describe a particular spot, but otherwise the spiciness of the book was definitely spicy. Alejandro was so hot I wouldn’t have kicked him out of my bed. The fact that she fought against letting him into hers left me slack-jawed and shaking my head in confusion. Seriously, Ms. Bast created a character with so much life, with just the right bad-boy/good-boy blend and oodles of pheromones that I thought he needed jumping from page one.

This was a hot, erotic read. The world Ms. Bast created didn’t test my belief system and wasn’t difficult to follow. So, I give The Chosen Sin by Anya Bast Four out of Five Deadly Kisses.

Sierra Is Iced In...

2009-02-02T11:53:00.004-05:00

I'm coming to you with the news that Sierra has been hit by the ice storm and is without power. Right now they're telling her it could be as long as a month before she has power! That freaked me out just a little, so I'm sure she's really freaking out. I'm wondering how they expect folks to stay warm, how they can shower with hot water, cook meals, yadda, yadda, yadda, you get the routine. She says electrical lines are down everywhere, with poles snapped in half, so it's really bad.

Anyway, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Paranormal or Sci-Fi?

2009-02-01T12:26:00.002-05:00

My latest story, Perfect vessel, is about a green hunky alien (my editor claims Kry is sooo sexy) looking for a woman to help him save his planet. Since Kyr is an alien, so my story qualifies as a Sci- Fi. But he also possesses mental powers and can control people with his weird eyes. Now if magic is involved, can I say that Perfect Vessel is also a Paranormal?
Unlike Harry Potter or Star Trek the story happens in Seattle not in some imaginary world. Did I break the rule of Sci- Fi if there is one?

Perfect Vessel blurb:

Jade found herself in a quandary when she lost her job as an erotic dancer. But her problem is solved when she met Kyr who claims he's an alien. Kyr offers her millions of dollars if she agrees to have sex with him and carry his child. The child, a daughter, is the Rhynians only hope to continue their line. Jade is tempted to accept Kyr's offer and she is attracted to him. Unfortunately, he is green.

I updated my website. Check out the new Featured Author page at http://tierneyomalley.com

Happy Superbowl Sunday!

Tierney O'Malley

Interview With Shelli Stevens, President, RWA Seattle Chapter

2009-01-31T00:00:00.004-05:00

Hello ladies! It's Pandem again, with another wonderful interview!

This week I'm interviewing Shelli Stevens. Shelli is the president of the Seattle chapter of Romance Writers Of America (RWA) and a writer herself. She has several books out there right now, and Dangerous Grounds and Tempting Adam soon to be released in print from Samhain Publishing. Shelli, who calls herself "the author your mother warned you about," lives in the Pacific Northwest with her young daughter, where she is President of her local RWA (Romance Writers of America) chapter. She currently writes for Kensington Publishing, Samhain Publishing, and Cobblestone Press and is represented by literary agent Laura Bradford from the Bradford Literary Agency. When not writing, Shelli enjoy music, reading, being outdoors, exercising, and spending time with her family and friends.

And now. . .hang on, loading up the Question Gun. . .okay. . .and now, the interview!

How did you get interested in reading romance novels?

I stole one off my mom's bookshelf when I was about eleven. Read it straight through with wide eyes. Was a bit shocked and instantly addicted. Went right back to the shelf and grabbed another.

How long have you been in RWA? How long have you been president?

I've been in RWA for seven years now. This is my second year as president and fourth year on the board.

What are your duties as chapter president?

Declare war, veto bad...oh, wait. Wrong pres. Let's see, keep the chapter running smoothly and working with my fellow board members. Be active on the loops, run meetings, help m.c. during conferences, help oversee the conference committee is working out well, gosh there's a lot.

What's your favourite part of the job?

I adore getting to know everyone in the chapter and being so involved. I'm a classic over-volunteerer.

What's your least-favourite part?

It's a bit of a time suck, but obviously I'm willing :)

The romance market is a crowded field, to put it mildly. Do you have any advice for authors on how they can make their books stand out?

I would say....don't be afraid to take a chance. The book I finally sold to NY was one several agents turned down for being somewhat controversial. But my editor snapped it right up. It was a book I wrote that was just burning up inside me. And I knew it was pushing the limits, but it was so fun and exciting I had to do it.

Has reading romantic fiction had any effect on your real-life romances?

Hmm. Probably given me way too high of standards for men. Though I'm getting better. And I think reading too many HQ Presents growing up gave me unrealistic expectations about how an unplanned/unwed pregnancy can turn out. I'm a single mom now. *Grin*

This blog centers around paranormal romance. Are you a fan of that genre, and if so, do you have any particular favourites?

I do enjoy paranormal romance! I enjoy shifter books quite a bit, and am thrilled to be in the upcoming Sexy Beast VIII. I'm generally not a big fan of vampires (blood/puncture wounds *shudder*) but I LOVED the Twilight series. It really was like crack.

What are the benefits of becoming a member of RWA?

It's a really great support group, valuable information, and what I personally find the best part is the local chapter community. I get the most out of that, and know many people feel the same.

What genres of romance do your members like to read/write?

Our members read and write across the board. Romantic Suspense, Urban Fantasy, Futuristic, Erotic Romance, Category. You name it. We're a hugely diverse and talented chapter. I'm so proud to be a part--let alone the president--of the Seattle chapter!

What does your chapter do for fun? Other than dancing all night? (NOTE: I first met Shelli, and several other members of the Seattle RWA, at a dance after a writer's conference. We danced until the place closed down, and I can personally vouch for Shelli's mad dancing skills.)

LOL that dancing--Club Muse during the conference--was a first for us. We also have our monthly meetings, sometimes do lunch after, and of course the holiday party and the conference. We're thinking about getting some fun field trips in.

Any messages for the DV fans out there?

Keep reading and writing. Reading, because without readers we writers would be nothing. And writers, well we all need more good books to read!

If you enjoyed this interview, feel free to check out Shelli's site at http://www.shellistevens.com/!

Our thanks to Shelli for doing this interview, and happy writing to her and all of the DV fans. Till next time,

Pandem

Crow

2009-01-30T01:00:00.002-05:00

I want to crow ;-) about something before I begin...Friend and fellow author, Kenzie Michaels, received a publishing contract for her upcoming release, All She Ever Wanted. Sorry, Kenzie, I'm drawing a blank on the publishing house that contracted it. But I did want to shout out: "Hell yeah!" and "Congratulations!"

*****

The Crow. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the Crow? For me, aside from the black birds that scavenge, it was the mystical belief that they are omens of death.

In my writing, I needed a mystical creature that could deliver a riddle from a higher power about the future. So, I started researching and quickly became fascinated by the Crow. Similar to the Raven it appears in mythology as a soothsayer, as a creator and cleanser and as omens of death. Okay, so I wasn’t completely wrong, but neither did I know near all of it.

Among the North America tribes the Crow was considered as the guardian of the sacred law that could see not only the past, but the present and the future. Ah, so a soothsayer that could easily be used in my story to deliver a riddle about future events.

In Celtic lore, the battle goddess Morrigan would shapeshift into either a crow or a raven and they were both seen as allies and companions.

Scottish folklore said the crow had 27 different sounds and each one of them correlated to an occasion, foretelling anything from coming guests to good fortune to an imminent death. Truly I found this fascinating and wanted to learn more about the 27 different cries. By the way, the number 27 was derived from the magical 3 x 9 derivative.

To the Greek, the crow was considered an unlucky warning. In fact, while crows were sacred to the Greek goddess Athene, she refused to allow them to perch atop the roof of Acropolis in Athens because they were omens of death. Even though they were considered omens of death, it did not prevent the Greek god Apollo from shapeshifting into a crow when he fled Typhon.

Medieval bestiaries saw the crow as birds of parental devotion and it was said that the crow led the migration of storks. Medieval Christians thought the crow was a sign of the devil because of its scavenging conduct, but it was also an icon of fidelity because it was thought that crows did not seek a new mate when its mate died. Magical properties were given to the crow as well, which included the skill to foretell the future, dismantle the past and to educate humans about how to mix humor, playfulness and love.

Interesting lore—or so I thought—was the Australian aboriginal legend. I found it in The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, written by John & Caitlin Matthews © 2008:

“In Australian aboriginal legend, Crow, along with Tortoise and Frog, dissented in the corroboree (gathering) that suggested that Kangaroo and Emu, and Dingo and Goanna should mate. The animals fell to fighting but when they grew hungry, pelicans dived for fish to feed them and a fire was started to cook them. Crow warned them that to cook fish away from where they had been caught was illegal and the animals began to argue. Frog threw his voice to make it sound as if Crow was insulting Kangaroo, so confusing the other animals that they fell out even more and decided for ever after to have their own languages.”

All of this was a far cry from the 1994 movie, The Crow. In it, the lead character comes back as an undead entity bent on avenging his and his fiancée’s murder. Entertaining, yeah, and maybe he was loosely considered an omen of death, but he was really the cause of the death of those that murdered him and his fiancée. It was revenge and nothing more.

So, what do you think? Do you believe in the magical elements of Crows? For me, I don’t know, but I do know I had fun using the crow as a magical creature that showed up, shapeshifted into a beautiful woman with birdlike qualities and clothing made of feathers.

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Welcome author KT Bishop

2009-01-29T00:00:00.004-05:00

Please welcome K.T. Bishop who will be chatting today about his debut: How to Cure a Cajun Cold and other things in an interview he did with himself. =)

Q: Thought Picking Cotton was going to be your debut this fall?

K.T.: It was, and I wrote a short free read for Red Rose Publishing. Then, the Cold took off unexpectedly and we went opted to release that first. I wasn't mad. I am just thrilled to have something out there and a cover that's all my own.

Q: Does your attitude change about e-book trade, any advice to people?

A: Work hard at making the book well enough where a publisher would be interested. From there, prepare to spend a lot of time promoting the script online, at websites that has your genre. You can never do enough promoting. Believe me, I know.

Q: What's next for you?

A: I am doing a novella Interracial Basketball Series called Getting a Boot. It's about an Italian woman and black basketball player meeting in Rome taking off.

Q: Any teams you’re following?

A: Being a sports writer means lots of busy times covering football. What Alabama resident and former student isn't excited about the Crimson Tide being unbeaten. They need to beat Auburn, then Florida and probably Texas for the BCS national title. Roll Tide!

For those who want to purchase the book, go to this address:
http://www.redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=199

Also, make sure to leave a comment in order to be entered to win, How to Cure a Cajun Cold. We'll be picking a winner late tonight.

**The Winner is Sandy! Please email us at thedeadlyvixens@yahoo.com** Thank you!

Welcome special guest... author Skhye Moncrief!

2009-01-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

Today we're having special guest, Skhye Moncrief, instead of myself blogging. Don't worry though! If you'd like to get your weekly fix of me, I'll be "covering" an... interesting topic over at my blog on condoms in romance novels.

Enjoy and leave plenty of comments for Skhye. She's a pleasure to have here with us.

Sarah
******

Happy Hump Day!

I'd like to thank Deadly Vixens for inviting me over to chat today.
Yesterday, I learned my latest paperback, HAUNTED HEARTS, was available at amazon!

http://tinyurl.com/ahjmz2

Looking for a book with a hunky kilted guy on the cover?
Remember, it's HUMP DAY!!!
HAUNTED HEARTS is a Time Guardian anthology containing
the novella SACRIFICIAL HEARTS, the novel NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE,
& the Time Guardian glossary from www.timeguardians.com.
I invite you to read the story blurbs...

SACRIFICIAL HEARTS
a Time Guardian Valentines' tale

Alone, Twila Deeds tries to find her lost brother and stumbles upon a cult she believes is preparing to sacrifice her in a Valentines-Day sex ritual. She learns her brother has joined the cult and claims to be saving her by bringing her into the fold. She can't trust her brat brother, a selfish teen who never did anything for anyone. He's got to be dealt with. And she intends to dole out the punishment as revenge for his latest betrayal. Nor dare she trust the cult's gorgeous member who arrives to escort her to the cult's Scottish castle on his motorcycle. She's terrified of motorcycles. And the man forces her to climb aboard at gunpoint. After the terrifying motorcycle ride, she has no intention of falling victim to the sacrificial blade before her baby brother is served his just dessert.
But Illusion manifests as free will. (~1st Point of Time Travel)
Gerard Abercrombie can't seem to convince Twila that his time-travel brotherhood has only her welfare in mind before his patience wears thin. Time-travel Code will save him because only the fairies know what the future holds as the Gods send two SACRIFICIAL HEARTS racing toward their destiny.

Reviews for SACRIFICIAL HEARTS:

"Intense, original, suspenseful, and dramatic... an unpredictable, topsy-turvy romance... the suspense builds with every page. In a world where symbols mean everything, magic is the way... "Sacrificial Hearts" dramatically offers a romance that is both in and out of time... overall, a very fun read. " ~Snapdragon; LASR

"Have a thing for a tall, dark handsome man on a motorcycle? This is your book. I won't go into the details but Skhye Moncrief whips out and perfects her well-known worldbuilding skills in this story to perfection. It's well worth checking out. Cheers, Sky"~
http://www.skypurington.com

"Skhye Moncrief mingles fantasy, and love with Scotland, could it get any better? With delightful feisty characters and a well laid out story line, Ms. Moncrief delivers a spectacular tale! A perfect read for Valentines Day that will warm your heart. 5 Hearts"
~Book Reviews by Crystal

NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE
a Time Guardian Halloween tale with a psychic vampire

A demon stalks Druidess Aron MacKintosh, trying to use her to gain control of the timeline in present-day Scotland. Time plows toward Samhain when the doorways open between the Now and the Happy Otherworld. She finds herself in a strange alliance with an unusual time guardian, Cowboy. The duo struggles to defeat the demon. If Cowboy can’t earn her trust, the integrity of the timeline could be endangered. Only Cowboy’s charm and southern idea of chivalry has what it takes to leave an ancient evil bound NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE.

Reviews for NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE:

"NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE is a complex time-travel fantasy that should appeal to lovers of the genre... huge fans of time-travel and alternative timeline stories. The characters were entertaining... Skhye Moncrief has written an interesting tale with an original plot and fantasy world."
~Manda; Dark Angel Reviews

But I had two releases this month!

Aside from HAUNTED HEARTS' release, on January 14th, my were-assassin Time Guardian novella was released. This book is about as hot as I could make a dark short paranormal tale without it writing erotica. The female were-wolf was what The Wild Rose Press was searching for. And then, they said hotter than hot. Well, it was a challenge. I wanted to write something like LadyHawke but based on what I studied in Medieval Literature.
So, THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON was born...

One must die so the other can live.

A werewolf and a time traveler’s carnal attraction becomes a curse
when she arrives in medieval England to kill him for turning against his time-travel brotherhood.

He must guard a relic. She doesn’t care if she gets in his way.

Druid Elspeth is a were-assassin sent to Cumberland to kill a renegade time guardian.
She never expected to find him her soul mate.
All she knows is she must stop Aidan Gordon from changing history.
The sexy powerful knight proves too tempting to refuse.
If his noble actions convince her he was wrongly accused,
she will be forced to haunt the frenzied wood
under THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON.

Reviews for THE SPELL OF THE KILLING MOON:

"Skhye Moncrief pens and interesting tale of shape-shifters, duty, honor and the undeniable power of love!
You don’t want to miss it!" ~Highland Lassie; Highland Lassie Reviews

All of my titles are available in e-format at:
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=232

So what is Skhye Moncrief all about?
Gaelic peoples! For the most part, that means kilts. And sexy legs. And big hunky guys. Oh, I forgot long hair. Those hunky kilted guys need long hair... My Time Guardians have magic swords-- time-travel keys that only work for the hunky kilted guy who was awarded the sword. Voila, sword-in-stone twist. How you ask? Well, the fairies give these keys to Time Guardians--Masonic knights from the future who travel through time as kamakazie bodyguards for their soul-mate wives, i.e. Druids who study history. And these swords can penetrate stone...

Okay, because of the soul-mate angle, anyone may be an incarnate of one of these Time Guardians, whether male or female. So, you may just wake up to find you're biggest fantasy unfolding around you. Anyway, that's not all of what Skhye Moncrief is about.

I'm formally educated in geology and archaeology. So, I tend to be a geek. Just check out my blog where I'm recording my reference library--just in case a big hurricane demolishes it. I might need to let the insurance company know what I need to restore! Hurricane Ike blew over last fall. I live in La Porte, TX, right next to Shoreacres. The drive through Shoreacres wasn't pretty... So, if you're into researching the paranormal, mythology, or history, check out my blog, http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com. You might find a reference book that will kick off your next best-seller. And if you're into contests, check out my blog too! I post everything there. If you enter a contest, subscribe to learn if you win!

CONTEST ALERT!

As for contests, anyone who tells me the name of the heroine in HE OF THE FIERY SWORD, http://www.skhyemoncrief.com/Page_5.html, as a comment here today by midnight CST will be in the running to win a Celtic music CD, Loreena McKennitt's PASSPORT.

And don't forget to check out my dark paranormal free read, VOW OF SUPERSTITION: DRAGON'S BLOOD
http://tinyurl.com/aa7fyd. It's my only piece written in 1st person. And who wouldn't be interested in dragons, ladies, princes, and blood! It's as close to hot as one can get with a very short free read.

Thanks again for having me here, Deadly Vixens.

Welcome author...Nancy Henderson!

2009-01-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited to be guest blogging with The Deadly Vixens!

No surprise that I’m psyched about my latest book release, Wicked Redemption , my second paranormal romance, and also a full contemporary. That’s right, no time travel, no historical or futuristic elements, although this one does get a little strange at times, but hey, it’s a paranormal. They’re supposed to get a bit weird. Just straight modern day paranormal.

People always ask me where I get my ideas. They really raise an eyebrow when I talk about paranormal ideas.

The idea for Wicked Redemption came from my usual asking myself “What if?”. What if a woman, Maggie Webb, possesses the ability to communicate with the dead? What if she hates that ability? What if her “gift” ruins everything good in her life? The hatred for her gift literally forms all that she is, molds her in such a way that her ability and her identity cannot be separated.

Enter Cole Turner, demon who comes back to Earth to seek revenge on the one woman who’s been interfering with his mission of stealing souls.

Guess who she is? Yup, poor, unsuspecting Maggie Webb.

How to make Cole fall in love with Maggie, the heroine whom he despises posed the biggest challenge for me. This was something that literally kept me up nights. And if a plot keeps me up, I never give up on the story. I can’t. My characters simply will not allow it.

Purchase Wicked Redemption as an E-book here:

http://www.champagnebooks.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=236

~ Nancy
http://www.nancyhenderson.com/
http://www.nancyhenderson.blogspot.com/

Pitching A Story

2009-01-25T12:21:00.004-05:00

When I think about pitching, I always think about a baseball pitcher on the mound licking his hand, spitting on his mitt, in preparation for a good pitch. Then when he’s ready, he pitches the ball as hard as he can with a purpose of hitting the strike zone. What about in writing?

Of course there are preparations that must be done—a good story and (correct me if I’m wrong) spiel. What else?

But how exactly does an author pitch her story. If you’re in a conference, is there a pitching booth or do you wait until you see an agent then approach him. Or can you call a 1-800 number to make an appointment to pitch?

Maybe a lot of you are shaking your heads, or rolling your eyes because my questions sound amateurish. But, hey. I’ve learned that to know things, simple or complicated, you have to ask.:)

Having said that, is pitching another form of proposing a story?

Someday soon, I will pitch my own story. With your comments, I might be able to sell my story in one sitting. :D

Tierney O'Malley
brings you passion, love, romance...

Interview with Zanoni Rose, Editor, The Wild Rose Press

2009-01-24T03:53:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the first interview by me, Pandem Buckner, former romance editor, for The Deadly Vixens! No, I am not a vixen (or a mixen, as I think a male vixen should be called), I just somehow got talked into doing this and the occasional guest blog. The Vixens can be very persuasive.

For my first victim, um, interviewee, I chose Zanoni Rose, whom I used to work with at The Wild Rose Press. She was very willing to give an interview and speak to everyone, so, without further ado, here's Zanoni!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Zanoni Rose. I work full time as an editor for The Wild Rose Press in both the historical and paranormal lines.

2. Tell us a bit about the publisher you edit for.

The Wild Rose Press is a romance publisher of ebooks and print books. We’ve been in business for two and a half years. We like to think of ourselves as the publisher that grows authors, because we not only work with the ones we publish, but we also provide detailed feedback to the writers we don’t accept for publication.

3. What makes you a good editor?

I like to think I’m good at finding errors, but also at finding ways to make a story be the best it can be.

4. When an author has you for an editor, what should they expect in terms of deadlines/corrections/reasons to fear you?

I like to work with quick turnaround times. I’d like to think I’m not someone to be feared, but someone who has the best success of the author in mind.

5. Why is your favourite manuscript, of those you've edited, your favourite?

I love it when an author takes several characters or subplots and weaves them together so that they are all tied up neatly at the end. Most of the books I’ve edited have at least some mystery element, so I’ve enjoyed working on them all.

6. Why is your least-favourite manuscript, of those you've edited, your least-favourite?

I don’t like having to add or remove a lot of punctuation. One other thing that annoys me is anachronisms – words or phrases that were not in use at the time of the story. This can happen in historicals or time-travel stories and it always throws me out of the story—and of course it has to be changed.

7. Do you have any particular editorial likes?

I like being able to concentrate on the story arc and not having to correct spelling, grammar or punctuation. In fact, I will no longer accept stories that need a lot of work. I like it when the author has taken the time to polish the manuscript.

8. Do you have any particular editorial dislikes/pet peeves?

I don’t like having to tell an author they need to take out elements that are not acceptable to our publishing house, such as rape or marital infidelity. I think an author needs to do enough research to know what is acceptable when they submit to a publisher.

9. Any advice for published authors or prospective authors?

You’ve probably heard this before, but I’d recommend you read, read, read in the line you are targeting. This helps you to know what we’re interested in buying, but also can give you clues about what we’re seeing a lot of and what may be a cliché.

10. What are your goals as an editor? Have you achieved any of those goals yet?

I love it when my authors get good reviews from review sites and when their books are in the top bestsellers for our company – and that happens, so I’m pretty pleased about that!

11. What, if any, words are overused in the manuscripts you read?

I know there are very few other choices, but ‘gaze’ is one. I saw a manuscript recently that had the characters wink at each other a lot. Once or twice in a book would be enough.

12. What, if any, words are underused?

I can't think of any words that are specifically underused, but I do like it when a word is used correctly in context and I have to look it up to be sure I know the word - expanding my vocabulary!

13. What are your favourite writing/editing resources?

I use www.Etymonline.com for checking anachronisms. I also use www.thesaurus.com and the Chicago Manual of Style. I have an American Heritage dictionary on my desk, too.

14. Can you give a brief overview of a story you've seen in which the paranormal aspects were handled very well?

I edited a book recently in which the author told the story very well. She included several paranormal elements but didn’t give a lot of back story or stop to explain every detail, she wove it in gradually. She assumed the reader was able to infer the meaning from context and it made me feel she respected my intelligence as a reader.

15. Can you give a brief overview of a story you've seen in which the paranormal aspects were handled poorly?

Most of the problems I’ve seen are not with storytelling or with the paranormal aspects. Most of them are with basic writing craft. The trouble is, people don’t know what they don’t know. So if someone has problems with spelling or punctuation, or overuse of adverbs or adjectives, or point of view switches, they don’t know it. Sometimes they don’t have a critique partner who is able to help them correct these issues.

16. What do you do when you're not editing?

I read at least two books a week from authors other than my own. I’m also writing an Urban Fantasy story and I’m in a writers’ group with a well-known, published author, so I’m very fortunate to have that level of help available to me as a writer. I think working with the writers’ group has sharpened my skills as an editor.

***********************************

Thank you very very much, Zanoni, for being interviewed, and for being my first interview!

If there are any questions that you, the readers, think I should have asked but didn't, or you'd like to see posed to an editor or author, please include it in the comments below!

Pandem (not the best at keeping track of times zones or, really, time itself)

Get Out of My Head!!!!

2009-01-23T13:42:00.002-05:00

Awesome Friday everyone! *waves* My apologies for posting this late.

I had a supernatural topic I was going to post today, but then I decided I would propose a question to you. Do we writers spend too much time in our heads?

I ask this because all I’ve done this week is create scenes and dialogue in my head. My kids are talking and I’m fantasizing about dialogue between my characters. My husband is rambling about work and I’m masterminding detailed love scenes in my mind. The television is playing my favorite show Supernatural and I’m creating a new monster of the week to wreak havoc on my heroine/hero.

This daydreaming got me into a spot of hot water yesterday too. My oldest son reminded me that I had promised to take him to Wal-Mart so he could purchase a fish tank with his money. He’s caught a Salamander out of the creek in our backyard—all ready named it Rocky (I am sooooo rolling my eyes)—and he thinks it should have a home in MY home. My opinion, it looks a lot like a lizard, so it isn’t happening! My youngest is backing him, arguing vehemently that I agreed, which is strange because they never agree on anything—ever. Anyway, I said, I never promised that and I’m thinking to myself “Are they smoking crack?” because I would NEVER agree to allow a lizard-looking creature into my home! They know this. So…to back up his defense he commences to repeating where we were, what we were doing and the exact conversation when I agreed to the SNAFU. And somewhere along the way of the retelling I have an “A-ha!” moment because that was when the heroine in my head said to the hero, “Come here, cowboy.”

Big gulp!

Yep, you guessed it, hot-freaking-water! Now, how do I get myself out of it? I can’t confess to an eleven and seven year old that I was thinking about risqué dialogue that ended up in sexual positions during our conversation. So, it looks like the slimy little sucker is going to have a home in my home. *shudders*

So, again, my question…do you as a writer spend a lot of time in your head, daydreaming, spinning scenes and dialogue? Or do I spend too much time in my head and should seek psychiatric help to come out of my fictional world? ;-) Seriously wouldn’t happen if everyone told me to do it, because quite frankly some days I like the fiction I create better than the world I live in. =)

I hope everyone has had a fabulous week and hope you have an equally awesome weekend!

Welcome author... E. Jamie

2009-01-22T17:52:00.003-05:00

We've received the blog, so here it is!

-The Deadly Vixens

I just want to thank The Deadly Vixens for having me today Let me introduce myself to ya'll here.

I write erotic romance as E. Jamie and work as a freelance writer as well. I've published two erotica shorts with Amira Press 'To Love A Knight' and 'Forbidden' and a steamy outlaw western erotica novella called 'Redemption'. I'm working on a contemporary erotic romance called 'Till Death Do Us Part' that I hope to submit by the end of this month.I've been writing since I was eleven years old and for a while I was straddling the line between writing and acting until I decided writing was less difficult on my nerves...though not on my sanity! Big distinction there.

I took the insane leap last year and left a horrible job to follow my dream of being a writer. I was lucky that I didn't have a family to support but in the same vein, I had no one to lean on if things went bust. I had already been taking on some freelance writing gigs so that helped a lot in that I already had my metaphorical foot in the door. It was frightening but there was something in me that told me this path, writing, was the path I was meant to take. I think a lot of writers hear that voice. Some can answer it at the time, some must wait but I urge you to answer it.

When I did, it was like things started coming together. One of my freelance gigs turned into a regular client and merged with a dating mega site and thathas allowed me to fulfill my dream of writing full time. I'm a big believer in perserverance meeting luck, leading to opportunity.

Without having to juggle an outside job, I have time to focus on my real love: writing romance. With the successeswith Amira and now this, it has been a wonderful year to say the least.My favorite genres to read are historicals and myfavorite paranormal genre is time travel. Needless to say that one of myfavorite series is Diana Gabaldon's Jamie/Claire time travel romance series.Another series I read every year is Paullina Simon'sTatiana/Alexander series. I also enjoy reading Karen Marie Moning, KinleyMacGregor, Julia Quinn, Victoria Alexander, Lisa Kleypas and many many manymore!

I thought I'd share a small excerpt (adult content ahead) from my current release: Redemption: Now Available from Amira Press!:
http://www.amirapress.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19&products_id=185

On the run from a murderous uncle, Katie married outlaw Ben Cready the day before he was supposed to hang. They shared one night of explosive passion and for six months, she'd believed herself a widow. Now Ben is back to claim what's his, and that includes the sweet bride he'd never been able to forget.

Nominated for Best Western Romance of 2008 by Love Romances Cafe!

Here's a wee peek:

The first time she’d lain in this bed, it had smelled like him. Ben had told her it had been his mother’s house, a small cottage hidden in the mountains. The perfect hideout for Ben Cready and his gang. The perfect place for Katie to disappear.

Katie had lain there, staring up at the wooden beams above and closed her eyes, letting his warm, musky scent transport her back to the night before when he’d moved over her, doing things to her that had made her body greedy, open, wet and wanting things she had no understanding of.

And oh he’d given. He’d given hard and deep, plunging his cock into her again and again, but she could feel the restraint there in his muscles, saw it in his face.

He had held back, for her. It made Katie want it all the more. Want him.

Playing that night over in her mind, Katie had stared up at the ceiling, feeling her most intimate place grow damp. She reached down tentatively under her night gown and jumped at the first touch. She’d let her eyes drift closed and remembered the heavy warmth of his body and his strong, rough fingers stroking her gently, then harder as her passion grew. Katie followed his movements, trying to mimic them with her own fingers. She pushed her fingers into her body. Surely it wasn’t shameful now that she was a married woman.

They weren’t the same as his cock. There wasn’t that deep full thick feeling of being possessed, claimed, taken. He moved slowly, gently with her and Katie realized with a burst of shame that she had bitten into his shoulder once. The memory of his cock hitting a particularly sweet spot made her whimper and gush a little. The broad tanned muscle of his shoulder was there, beckoning her mouth and Katie had only meant to run her lips along the tight skin, but then he’d angled his hips and hit that sweet spot and the sweet burst of sensation had been too much to bear and she’d sunk her teeth into the muscle. He’d groaned above her, pumping a little bit harder.

Reliving that moment, Katie had angled her fingers trying to mimic the movement and while the sensation wasn’t quite the same, Katie had bit into her pillow as she felt the funny climbing sensation begin to tug deep in her belly.

With her other hand, she’d tried to copy how he had stroked that swollen bundle of nerves right above her opening. Here the sensations grew sharper and Katie barely had time to breathe before her body arched upwards, the heels of her feet digging into the mattress and the intense feeling of release seemed to explode through her blood.

"What was that?" she had asked him when it first happened.

"You came, honey," he hissed through his teeth as he pushed his cock into her.

‘Came’. Such a simple unassuming word to describe the most exquisite feeling Katie had ever experienced.

Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcZuEaB0RBQ

Visit E. Jamie at http://www.ejamie.net/

Wanna win your very own free copy? You can comment here at The Deadly Vixens with your favorite read of 2008! I'll pick a commenter at random and e-mail the winner this Saturday!

Apologies....

2009-01-22T14:22:00.002-05:00

Our apologies to those of you expecting to read a guest blog today. There was a SNAFU with our guest blogger and we were unable to coordinate with her/him. Please check back next week for another awesome guest blogger.

The Deadly Vixens

Musical Inspiration

2009-01-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Music has always played an important part of my life. So, it fit that my debut release, Melody of Love, dealt with the music industry. It also was a lot of fun to write. It’s not uncommon in my household for someone to break into song at any given moment, whether human or feline.

When I'm at my computer, I'm almost always can be found with my headphones on. I rarely write without a "soundtrack" to the novel. Most of the time with a band that seems to portray a mood or emotion that resonates with the novel or even a specific character. I have gotten more ideas from listening to music than almost any other source, and in this way, it's almost like a muse to me. I love all kinds of music. It merely depends on the mood I’m in at the time.

The hero for Melody of Love came through listening to a band I was crazy about at the time called Trapt. Ever since I started going to concerts when I was pretty much in middle school/jr. high school, I've wondered what if I could one day meet my favorite singer, and what would happen if he happened to fall in love with me. The story brewed in my head for several months, while I consumed the band's music, focusing on the lyrics and relating them to my story idea, as if Alex Brown, the hero, was talking to me.

Finally, I wrote out the outline, which happened to be the first one I ever outlined, and the book came together in one month as a steady flow of words. The outlining helped a lot, but I also believe that just having the creative input of music helped ideas to keep soaking into my subconscious.

As I said last week, I'll give a little more information on my last post, but not too much! My website is fully up and running with it's wonderful new design and layout. My blog also had a spectacular makeover, so make sure to let me know what you think! It's absolutely gorgeous and means a lot to me since it reflects aspects of my Urban Fantasy novels that I can't really tell about or it would be a big spoiler. Also, the full request was on my novella, Night of the Tiger, about a Siberian weretiger who falls in love with an Amazon Princess. I can't wait for it to get a home, since it was such a fun story to write.

And to finish up my blog, I want to ask you guys, does music have as much influence in your writing as it does for me? If not, what inspires you while you're writing or pursuing creative endeavors?

Interview with author C.A. Jackson

2009-01-20T00:00:00.003-05:00

Thank you for taking the time to interview with us. C.A.'s newest release is The Chosen, which came out in July 2008.

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

A part of me has always wanted to write. My first experience with writing came in high school when in English class we were asked to write a book report. Instead of writing the report, I decided to do soemthing different and write a 4 page short story and submit that instead. For my effort I got top marks and was embarrassed infront og the classas our english teacher decided to make a class announcement about my venture. Needless to say I didn’t write anything more after that, until 1989 when I sat down and wrote 26 short stories. In 1989 is when I knew I wanted to write.

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

From the first draft of The Chosen that I rewrote back in 1994 til 2008 was 14 years. But it was much longer than that.

3. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Clive Barker, Stephen King, H.P.Lovecraft, E.A. Poe.

4. Who do you count as your literary influences?

I would say that after reading Misery by Stephen king, I knew that I wanted to do the same, although not exactly the same, if you get what I mean.

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

It takes me some months to gather ideas from what I see when I travelling.

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?

I think it is a little of both. Personally I would like to think that real books are alive as they always were, but I know that is not true, when with how everything is readily available today on the I-Net, it does make it a lot easier for readers to download a book to their Palm PC.

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

The Chosen took me 9 months to write. So far, Bloodline of Darkness has taken me 10 years. Of course, I haven't been writing it the whole time, but for a number of years I put Bloodline on the back-burner while I lived in the real world, you know the scenario. Starving artist needs a real job to pay the real world bills, and somewhere along the line I became a work-a-holic and forgot about writing for a long time. FAR too long.

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

I would like to say that there is a part of me in each character. That's not to say that I am like Jamiesonn, where I am scheming to take over the world! But, some of his traits are from my own deep flaws.

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

After Bloodline of Darkness then Prophecy's End, I believe that I am going to venture into films and produce a sci-fi/fantasy short. I have wrote several different genres in my time, such as fantasy, futuristic, drama. I stay clear of comedy and romance though. I tried those genres once and I discovered that I cant write those.

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

There are probably a lot of new writers out there who have no idea where to start, but, if you are an aspiring writer looking to get your first work out there, start with a good letter to an agent or publisher. That is your starting point. A good letter with the synopsis of your novel will get the attention of the agent or publisher, even if the response is a polite “No thank you”. Learn by my example. It took 14 years from the main draft of The Chosen to now to get published, which shows that it is worth the wait. That is not to say that it will take 14 years for you to get published! I am saying this as I left mine sitting on the back-burner until I was ready. Yes, you will get rejection letters, or even worse yet, no reply at all. Don’t worry about that as it will happen. Those rejection slips only tell you that you are on the right (write) track! Okay, now that you have your email draft ready to go out to agents/publishers, make sure you do your homework, by checking out what genres they represent. If it is unclear on their web if they are accepting new clients, don’t be afraid to ask! Make a mental note on some of the authors they represent. Also, if you come across an agent or publisher that charges a fee of any kind, stay away from those. They are predators who will take your money and you will never hear from them again. I don’t have to ramble on about this topic as there are dozens of websites about this. But what I will say in concluding is this: If you have the ability to write, you have a gift. Like any skill, it is a talent that should be nurtured and polished. Find your niche, and keep on writing, no matter what wanna-be’s may tell you.

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

I sit and stare at the laptop.. No, I try and get an idea from my own experience and put that into a character. When I get stuck, I work around it. Like, in Bloodline, the main character, Alex, was in an elevator with an ever present darkness growing around him… and there he sat for a year as I had no inspriation on where to take the plot. So as I sat infront of my lappie recently, I came up with this idea, "Dream sequence". Okay, that works! He wakes up and finds himself in the elevator.. I will not sday what happens next, but I will say that in this next book, Illusion IS reality..

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?

Sometimes I base a character on a mixture of people I have known in my life or from the profiles of tyrants of history. Other times I will develop a character from scratch.

13. What is your favorite part of writing?

Getting involved in the story. I am very a very visual person, so I write exactly what I see. I never see what is infront of me, like the PC or whatever else. That for me is the favorite part, and seeing exactly where I am taking the story.

14. Do you have a specific schedule in which you write?

No. I write when I get inspired.

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

I am writing the second book, Bloodline of Darkness, and I have a book in the pipeline that is non-fiction, which is based on my journeys here in Russia.

16. Are you ever influenced by something you see and think, that would go great in a book?

Well without telling to much, but when I went on a day trip to a city called Chapayevsk, I had been told about the state of this city, and you can bet that my imagination went on a field trip! From the legends I had been told, Chapayevsk resembled the town Silent Hill, so you can imagine for a second that I was expecting to see flesh-eating zombies from beyond the grave, and paint ascending into the sky, but no such luck. No flesah eating zombies and no dudes wielding a 20-foot steak knife! But, the city of Chapayevsk is really run down, to the point where they want to relocate everyone and demolish the town, and that is enough to let my imagination run riot!

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

Yes. When I sent out a query letter, I got 51 rejection emails.

18. Do you write your stories out with pencil and paper first or do you work straight on the computer?

I do it on the lappie (laptop)

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

To be honest, when The Chosen first came out, my wife and I were going through a lot of turmoil in Sydney, so for a while it was hard to get into the realization that I had been published. It wasn’t until maybe November when I could sit down and take a look at my book and start to feel good about what I had accomplished. Even now, I still look at my book and I am still amazed that it is finally out. Finally! It is a dream come true..

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

In Bloodline of Darkness, it is set 10 years after The Chosen. Alex has gone through a lot of hardships in the past decade, and now everything he was and knew is nothing more than a distance dream. Before he can understand his otherwise mundane life, he is once again pitted against dark forces that have arisen, only this time the battlefield is his, with visions and dreams so real and frightening that he begins to think he has gone insane. Tanzac has found his way back into the world, and Alex has to relearn everything he once knew, and in doing this he is sent back in time to witness the downfall and destruction of the ancient ones. Only he has the power to stop the forces from arising, but his time is running out.

21. When and where can we purchase your books?

The Chosen can be purchased through Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-C-Milson/dp/1934475815, and through many other book retailers online.

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

I think a RPG based on The Chosen would be good to see at some point.

23. How has being recognized in public affected your daily life or has it?

Sometimes the celebritism is nice, being known as an author rather than an unpublished author. I do get a lot of looks and stares from people in the street, which, although flattering, can be unnerving. I am a private person and rather introvert. So the thought of doing things like public speaking are as about as thrilling for me as a labotomy. But, I am not going to shun that as it is nice to be seen, which I think everyone likes on some level. I definitely don’t let it go to my head though, and I don’t think I ever could. I am approachable as anyone else would be.

For your chance to win The Chosen, make sure to leave a comment and check back in the comments section after 11 pm EST to see if you won!

Not a good way to start the year!!!

2009-01-19T09:30:00.006-05:00

Hey everyone. Many of you probably don't realize that I've pretty much been awol from the internet lately. I've managed to get my Monday posts in, but that's about it. I hope you don't mind, but my post today is probably going to be more of a rant than anything writing or paranormal related. I'm going to spill the beans about what's going on in my life right now, in case you're interested.

As some of you know, I'm a travel nurse. I've been in Texas from September through December, at which time I went home for the holidays. Well, I was due back in Texas on January 12th to start the second contract I signed with the hospital. Great! I arrived here and went back to work. No problem.

Well, my computer decided that it was tired and needed a rest. So, I sent it in to the shop to be fixed. I tried to call the company to have them change the shipping address so it would be returned to me here in Texas, as they told me to do. Unfortunately, I didn't get an answer in time and it was shipped back to Missouri. My mom had to pick it up and ship it to me here. I haven't received it yet, but hopefully today. No problem.

I found out my temporary nursing license for the state of Texas was to expire on January 16th. I still haven't received my permanent one yet. So, I called the board to find out what was going on. Apparently the fingerprints I sent in for the background check weren't accepted and I had to pay more money to get them electronically scanned. I couldn't do this in Missouri, where I was when I found out. I had to be in the state of Texas to do it. Fine. I did it first thing Monday morning when I got back. Put in my 12 hour shifts at the hospital for the week and waited to hear something about my license. I called the board later in the week to find out what was going on.

Here comes the really bad news...they can't get my permanent license to me for another 2 to 3 weeks. I can't work until that time. And no, they can't extend my temporary license for that long, it's not allowed. Uck! NOT GOOD!

I notified my company of the latest news on the license. They want me to go home until it gets straightened out. Okay. So, I'm supposed to go home when I don't even get my check until this coming Friday. The company won't pay for my apartment or rental car while I'm not working, so if I stay until Friday, I have to pay for it myself. Eeeek.

This is not mentioning the hundred dollars I paid for concert tickets back in December for a concert this coming Sunday, which I guess I'm going to have to miss. :( This is also not mentioning the almost one thousand dollars I paid back in December to keep my apartment so I wouldn't have to move everything out and back in again. And only get to say for a week once I'm back.

They expect me to lose three weeks of paychecks, live on one paycheck for those three weeks, plus pay my bills and moving expenses to go home and come back here again once my license comes in.

I'm at my wits end. I have no idea what to do. If I don't come back, they can sue me for not fulfilling my contract. If I wait around for three weeks, there's no way I can pay my bills. The mortgage company doesn't like it when I don't pay the house payment. Neither does the loan company for my car payment.

Ok, so there you have it. My life so far in 2009. Please tell me it's going to get better. Please, please, please!

Ok, just to put a little writing stuff in here. No, I haven't been able to write one word since the year started. Nada.

I'm having withdrawal symptoms from not getting to talk to my friends. I miss you all. Hope to talk to you soon. Eeek. It just occurred to me that I'll have to cancel my internet here and pay to have it turned back on when I get back. Drat!

Sorry for the rant today. I had to get my frustration out. I really just meant to let you all know where I've been and why I hadn't been around. Really, I did. :)

How in the world did you sell your story?

2009-01-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

While online visiting authors’ websites, hopping from one blog to the next, I saw at least three announcements about authors who sold their stories to NY publishers such as St. Martins, Berkley and Kensington. My first reaction was, “Dang, I want that.” Followed by a question, “How did they do it?”

Of course, the answer to the latter would be, “They wrote a spanking good story.”
I know that.:D

But after they wrote the story, which I am sure as polished as it could be, then what?

Most NY publishers don’t even have their submission guidelines added on their website. (Am I wrong?) So if guidelines aren’t even available how did these awesome authors manage to snag a contract from them?

While staring at my screen, I began to wonder if there are steps one must follow to sell a book to NY publishers. Okay, I know the first step. Write a great story. Can you tell me the next?

Perhaps some of you would say to do a bit of research to know the answers to my questions. Yeah, I could do that. However, if you have a piece of advice to share, I’d appreciate it if you post it here. Whether you are contracted with any of the NY pubs or not yet, I am sure pros, readers and readers like me would appreciate reading your comments as well.

Tierney O’Malley
Deadly Vixen
http://tierneyomalley.com/

In Memory of Maddie

2009-01-16T01:00:00.001-05:00

Please read no further if you do not wish to read my In Memory Of post about a dear friend I lost....

I’ve wracked my brain this week trying to figure out something uplifting and positive to write. But it's not come to me. It’s been a difficult week because I lost a friend to cancer. Maddie (or Madz as I called her) had been fighting it for 2 ½ years and last Friday morning, she gave up the fight. I didn’t know about it until late Friday night. So, it’s been a week of ups and downs for me.

Wednesday was the first day I pulled up my current WIP and tried to work on it because I’ve been too melancholy to even try and write. Probably because my friend was always eager to read something I had written. But, mostly all I did was stare at the WIP or Google just about anything that popped into my head.

I don’t want to depress you all, but I did want to memorialize Madz in some way because she was a person that inspired me to be a better person. She was a special lady that worried more about others than she did herself and was often caught saying, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” But she wasn’t fine. She was sick, she was dying, she was in pain and she still worried about me. She had a heart bigger than anyone I’ve ever known and she was eager to laugh and joke. Even through all that she was suffering, she was a joy to be with.

Madz and I both shared a love of the television show Supernatural. So I watched it last night with equal parts joy that it was back after a seven week hiatus and sadness because Madz wasn’t here to watch it and wouldn’t be able to discuss it with me later. I will sorely miss you, Madz, and the hole in my heart will never heal.

Sorry for the melancholy.

Missing blogger, oh my!

2009-01-14T23:03:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone,

So, it's really late, and I'm getting around to doing my blog. Last night I received a rejection letter, and then I sent out the story to another publisher to receive a request for a full this afternoon! Wow! I'm in shock and awe...and the need for going over my novella in a frenzy to make sure it's good!

My website is also undergoing a MAJOR overhaul, and I have an actual webmistress as opposed to having my husband the IT tech handle it for me. Needless to say, it's been a bit stressful and hectic around my place.

So, until next week... *grins*

Starting Out 2009

2009-01-12T01:37:00.005-05:00

Wouldn't you know it, I'm finally back home and my computer decides it needs repairs. So, it's off at the shop and I'm stuck one more time without a computer to use. Anyway, I'm back at the public computer for now until I get my baby home. Not the best start for the new year.

I have high hopes for 2009. I've been reading my horoscopes and tarot online trying to decide if this is finally going to be the year for me. The last few have left plenty to be desired. So, my time has to be coming, right? You can just agree here, I don't mind if it's not true. I just need the empty confirmations for my peace of mind. Can anyone say "grasping at straws"?

Anyway, I have big plans for this year. I'm wanting to take my writing to the next level. I think I've spent enough time spinning my wheels and not enough time moving forward. So, I've decided that this is going to be the year for it. My horoscope told me to write down my goals on Dec 27th and read them occasionally, this is supposed to help me meet them. Well, it should. I mean if I'm constantly being reminded of them, that should keep me focused, hence it will help. Anyway, I did what I was supposed to do like a good little girl and wrote out my list. We'll see what happens.

I've done absolutely zero writing since the new year started. Not very promising as far as my writing goals are concerned. I'm not letting that get me down, though. It's just because life has decided that I need to focus on other important things at the moment. I do not believe that it means I won't get much writing done this year. I refuse to believe that. I've convinced myself that I will progress no matter what. If I set my mind to it, it can happen. I'm of the belief that anyone can get whatever they want out of life if they work hard enough to make it happen. Once I get my computer back, I'll be able to accomplish a lot more, and that will help.

So, I've made my goals for the year, but what about resolutions. Everyone makes New Year's resolutions. Well, no that's not true. I don't. Most of the time anyway. I've made no New Year's resolutions this year. Yes, I know I should have, there's plenty about me that needs to be changed. But really, do resolutions work? Not for me. If I want a change, I just need to set my mind to what I want and go for it. I do better with goals. If I'm working towards something, I have a tendency to push myself until I get it. I know I can't get everything I want, but I try to set my goals realistically. At any rate, are resolutions and goals the same thing? Yes, and no. In my opinion. I could make a resolution and forget about it easily by February. Don't ask me why. But, if I set a goal for myself, I usually don't give up on it. Maybe it's just the difference of wording, but I guess we use whatever works best for us.

Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Made any goals for the year? What are your opinions on the subject? Leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

May we all meet our goals this year, whatever they may be! Good luck!

New Orleans!

2009-01-09T02:07:00.006-05:00

Last Friday I was in New Orleans cheering on my football team. I’m sad to say, my team lost….poorly. It was an awful upset. *shrugs* Oh, well, life goes on and my paycheck isn’t any different. But, as a family, we had an awesome time in New Orleans. Truthfully, I was more excited about going to New Orleans than I was getting to watch the football and I LOVE football. But this city is so gritty and raw, it appeals to me in some strange way, like it’s calling me home. Even stranger still, I feel at home in New Orleans.

We rode a horse drawn buggy. My sons thought that was awesome, being their first adventure and all. We got to see Johnny White's Bar, the one that refused to close even during Hurricane Katrina.

We watched juggling, men doing flips, standing on their hands, and men covered in gold paint standing like bronzed statutes. The human statutes amazed me how well and how long they could hold their pose. I'm sure my ear or armpit would need itching within 30 seconds if I tried to strike a pose for long. lol

Some of the artwork was amazing. But most of the pictures that I liked well enough to photograph had signs posted asking that you not snap any photos of their artwork. That’s cool and I understand it, but that just means you didn’t get to share in the visual pleasure with me.

Our first night there, we came across what I would call a Jazz singer—but what do I know she could have been Blues or something else—and I recorded it. Here’s a YouTube link if you’re interested in listening to her:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvH7BCfLhNA

Dragon Blood, the current book I’m writing is set in New Orleans, so I was able to get a good layout of the French Quarter, along with visual details, in my head. All the maps I stole from the hotel were in the name of research. ;-) They’ll assist me as I continue to write and my memory fades.

Tell me your favorite vacation. Have you ever made it the setting of one of your books?

Please welcome author...Lauren Murphy

2009-01-08T01:00:00.001-05:00

*Trips over her shoelaces on the way in* Hi I’m Lauren and I’m so glad to be here. *tries to pick up her face and continues*

An author’s first release is a life altering experience. (I meant book release get your mind out of the gutter.) It takes some time to get there and having thick skin is a necessity if you want to make it in this business. There are rejections to face and naysayer’s who want to hold us back. Not only do you have to deal with all the odds against you, but you also have to write a bright and shiny manuscript which you’ve polished to within an inch of its life, and hope a publisher wants it. After that there’s the nail biting and obsessive email checking. It makes you wonder why we want to go through it.

In the end, when it’s all said and done, it is totally and completely worth it. When you catch the first glimpse of the cover of your book or receive feedback from readers, you are blown. You know you’d do it all over again in a second… well not a second. *wink*

Though Cara’s Christmas Fantasy is not the first book I’ve ever written, it is my first published work of fiction. It will always have a place in my heart for that reason. The idea came to me during a challenge. We had to write a book in a week (more like novella in a week) and it had to be about Christmas. Since I love all things erotic (okay almost all things erotic) my story is of course very naughty. I adore stories when two hearts, which have drifted apart, rekindle the love that brought them together in the first place. That’s exactly what this story is all about. Cara struggles with self-esteem issues, unknowingly pushing her husband away when all he wants is to be with her. At the time I wrote this I knew there would be many people who could relate to this story, including myself. This is a very sweet, yet spicy tale that will warm your spirits and possibly your bedroom. The experience of writing it from beginning to end was a labor of love. I hope everyone who reads it is able to share my passion for the story.

Here’s a blurb to tempt you and give more insight into the story.

Plagued by her weight gain, Cara’s self-esteem has taken a downward spiral. No longer feeling attractive she unknowingly pushes away the one thing she truly wants; her husband’s affections. Mike considers himself to be an understanding man but enough is enough. He wants his old Cara back--the wild, vivacious woman he met and knows is waiting to be revived. His desire for her compels him to create a plan that will bring them closer together emotionally and sexually. But will Cara be able to open her mind and body to the man she loves or will she push him away for good?

I want to thank you so much for inviting me to come in and trip all over your blog. *is still struggling to put on face from earlier debacle* You’ve been most gracious to the lost newbie. Oh, and before I go I have to send a shout out to my baby. He’s just turned 2 today… even though he’s been terrible for months now. So much for terrible 2’s lol!

So long and thanks again for having me!

Lauren
http://mslaurenmurphy.blogspot.com/

How do you handle the wait?

2009-01-07T04:06:00.003-05:00

Since Sierra covered rejection on Monday, and Tierney talked about rejections a few weeks ago, I figured I'd talk about something else authors deal with during the submission process... waiting... and waiting... and waiting some more... So, my question that I pose is How do you handle the wait?

I tend to try to forget about the submission, but hope that it gets a speedy "congrats, you've been accepted" or "sorry, well-written, but not for us" (which I've gotten many of). Rejections sting, but I realize that what doesn't work for one editor or agent, another agent or editor can fall in love with. I'm of the mind to shop a story to several agents and/or editors, then if they're all passing, there's probably a problem.

Anyways... wow, got sidetracked there. I currently have a couple of submissions out, so I'm in the stage of waiting. What I've been doing is working on editing one novel while working on the sequel. I haven't thought about the submissions too much, but when I do, I'm not immune to thoughts of wondering what they think, or if they've even gotten to it yet. Working on the next book is probably the most important thing an author can do, since that's what we do... we write books. That's the way we hone our skills.

So, your turn to answer the question. I'd love to hear what y'all have to say about this subject.

Book of the Week: Nora’s Soul

2009-01-06T18:34:00.005-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to read Nora’s Soul by Margay Leah Justice. The story is a sweet romance about Nora Kendall, a lonely woman who’s all but given up on life. When her brother died at a young age, Nora thought that God had forsaken her, and she’d given up her belief in angels. Throwing out everything she owned that depicted the heavenly creatures, they somehow managed to turn up everywhere.

When her boyfriend dumps her for another woman, Nora is surprised and confused. She’d expected something completely different. Her job also proves to be a constant source of tension in her life. Finally, deciding she can’t take any more, she quits her job. With the loss of her job and relationship, she agrees to help out her best friend by becoming the nanny for her friend’s brother, Kyle.

Kyle Cameron is fighting his own demons. After an unplanned pregnancy ruined his plans for the future, he took up responsibility and married the woman he really couldn’t stand. He’d still be stuck in an unhappy marriage, if his wife hadn’t passed away, leaving him with two adorable twins to care for.

Kyle really needs Nora’s help, but the two of them share a past. He’s not looking for a replacement wife, even though Nora might be just the woman he’s looking for. Tension rides high as the two try to live together with differing opinions on how to care for his kids. Can Kyle keep Nora at a distance, or will he realize that sometimes the chance for happiness can be staring you in the face?

Nora has loved Kyle her entire life, even though she doesn’t feel worthy of him. She’s not trying to become his new wife, although it would be a dream come true for her. She’s just trying to get through life as happy as she can be, considering she feels like she shouldn’t be alive. Why didn’t God take her instead of her brother? He was the good one, as far as she is concerned.

When two very different, but appealing men show up in her life unexpectedly, she has no idea that one is after her very soul, and the other is trying to save it. Unaware, that her own life hangs in the balance, she must realize that life is too important to give up or risk losing her soul.

Nora’s Soul was a very interesting read for me, nothing like I’ve ever read before. It had all the elements for a good story. Good vs. Bad, the struggle to find out who you really are. Nora has many challenges to overcome, as does Kyle. Tension fills the story from page one.

Ms. Justice does an excellent job creating the scene. I felt myself getting angry and aggravated right along with the characters. She brought me into the story and kept me there until the end. Good job, Margay!

Dealing with Rejection

2009-01-05T22:29:00.004-05:00

I know we’ve discussed this before, but I recently received my first Rejection and so it’s been on my mind lately. It was very difficult to receive the comments. I didn’t take it as a personal attack or want to get back at the editor. I know it was nothing personal. But, that doesn’t make it any easier to take.

I received a lot of feedback, so much so, that the editor really didn’t have anything nice to say about my story. I think if they would have said something nice, it would have made the rejection a little easier to take, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. At any rate, the editor found plenty wrong with the story. There is a lot of work ahead of me if I want to fix it and resend it out. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do, but that’s a lot of work to just let go to waste. Many months have gone into writing and revising the book.

I did share the comments with my critique partners and they did not agree with the assessment given by the editor. That made me feel a little better. But, I’m still questioning my writing abilities. I’m sure that happens a lot with writers when they receive negative feedback. I have to admit that I didn’t agree with everything she said either, but I do know that she was right about some of it.

All we can really do is keep plugging along and try to improve our craft as much as possible to decrease the amount of R’s we receive. I’ve been considering taking some online classes to help me improve my writing abilities. I’ve heard good things about some of the classes online and they can be relatively inexpensive. Of course, in this economy, it doesn’t take much to be too expensive. Anyway, that is my plan for the first part of the year. I will keep writing as well, but I do want to work on my writing at the same time.

I’ve heard many times to just read to improve your craft, but I’m afraid that method doesn’t work well for me. I’ve tried it numerous times and although I have to be absorbing some of it subconsciously, I’m not getting the full effect that many people get from it. I know my problem is that I get too involved in the story and forget to notice the writing. Maybe I should reread something I’ve already read, that way I already know what happens and then I can pay more attention to the writing itself. I’ll have to try that next.

Have you taken any online classes that you recommend or don’t recommend? Let me know your experiences with them, I’d love to find out more. If you haven’t taken any online writing classes, how do you feel you learned best? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

US vs. THEM

2009-01-04T19:47:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone,

Here at The Deadly Vixens we respect ALL AUTHORS. We DO NOT believe in the US vs. THEM mentality of some authors regarding print vs ebooks. Please keep that in mind as you are commenting. Ebook published are published, same as print published. They are published, too. That's what matters, right? We're all in this together.

Sincerely,

The Deadly Vixens

E-publishers: Stepping-stones to getting published?

2009-01-04T14:40:00.003-05:00

Last week, I posted about reasons why readers prefer ebooks rather than print books and vice versa. The comments were very informative, useful and insightful (thank you all for taking the time to read the post). The last comment by Evia made me decide to post a follow-up. She raised questions that I thought are good discussion topics.

1. Do you think e-publisher’s expectations from authors are lower than print publishers? Why?
2.Why did you go the e-pub route? Are they the stepping-stones to getting published?
3. Do you think print publishers are taking an even larger risks financially compared to the e-print pubs?

4. Readers, have you read an e-book so poorly written that you swear never to try buying e-books again?

I look forward to reading your comments.

Happy new year everyone.

Tierney O’Malley

To hear about my new and upcoming books, contests and announcements, please visit my site and sign-up to receive my once-in-blue-moon newsletter. :D
http://tierneyomalley.com

I completed Bloodlines!!!!!!

2009-01-02T01:00:00.001-05:00

Happy 2009!

I hope everyone had an awesome New Year’s Day and aren’t suffering too much from all the partying New Year’s Eve. ;-) I’m in New Orleans. Arrived yesterday (Thursday) and have both of my boys with me, so not much partying going on my end. We’re planning to browse the Flea Market today, eat some beignets and just sight see until tonight. Tonight we’ll be cheering our favorite college football to victory—I hope! =)

So, like Sarah, I’ve got to scream and shout my excitement at finishing my novelette, Bloodlines! Finishing a WIP (a work in progress for the non-authors) is like winning the lottery. Or at least how I imagine it would be like to win the lottery because I haven’t been so lucky yet. I guess I need to purchase a ticket to have a chance to win. ;-) I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. Sunday, December 28th—or maybe that was 3:00 a.m. Monday, December 29th—until the novel was complete. Either way, it was late, late for me. And when that last word was written I threw my hands in the air and squealed like a schoolgirl! Yes, I really did!

Julija and Landau are complete, their story written, but the work has only begun. Now I have to edit, revise and then edit and revise some more. I haven’t gotten motivated to start the editing process yet. I love to write, but editing is tedious for me.

I’m going to give myself about a week, reboot my brain so to speak while I’m working on Dragon Blood, and then start edits. I wish I could just write it perfect the first time around. Anyone else out there agree with that? lol Probably ALL authors, right?

I’ve made New Year’s resolutions. I’m sending Wytch Blood to an agent and crossing my fingers that they will like it. Either way, I’ll keep sending it until I’ve exhausted my list of agents…which is pretty long. My next resolution, write more in 2009, to actually carve out time everyday to write. I find it’s easier to write when I’m doing it on a regular basis. Every month, I’ll set new goals for myself to meet by the end of the month. January’s goals: Finish edits on Bloodlines and write 10-20K words on Dragon Blood, both to be completed no later than midnight January 31st! I didn’t want to set my goals too high, so I’m hoping I exceed them both. I have other resolutions, but all personal like exercise more, be a better mother and wife, keep one step ahead of the housework …yeah, I know, the typical song and dance.

Any of you have any writing goals you want to share? Or share any New Year’s resolutions that are non-writing related?

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

We hope you all have a very Happy New Year!

I Finished It!

2008-12-31T03:54:00.003-05:00

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...

2008-12-29T22:42:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-12-28T03:40:00.003-05:00

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...

2008-12-26T12:51:00.002-05:00

*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!

2008-12-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

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

It's almost that time...

2008-12-24T14:45:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-23T01:00:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-12-22T08:02:00.004-05:00

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.

2008-12-21T01:30:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-12-20T00:00:00.001-05:00

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

2008-12-19T01:00:00.002-05:00

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!!

2008-12-18T08:00:00.008-05:00

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?

2008-12-17T09:09:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

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