EVERYTHING I KNOW I LEARNED FROM BUFFY

I was a child of the...well, I was young enough to get totally hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not when the 1992 Kristy Swanson movie came out (possibly the worst movie ever), but with the first television episode starring Sarah Michelle Gellar in 1997. At that moment I, and millions of other fans worldwide, very happily became slaves to the vast brilliance of the Whedonverse.

What was it exactly that made this show so special? Was it inspirational to young teens? Did it try and impart some cosmic wisdom? Did it leave the watcher with a message of hope and love? Yes, it did all of that and more...

Take away the empowered superstrong girl who totally kicks ass and takes names, even without the vampires and the drool-worthy heroes, cool lesbian wiccas, the snarky, brilliant writing, the great shoes and boots (her wardrobe people rocked), and you were still left with a fabulous show that spoke to young people about the trials of growing up, in a way that was fresh, exciting and that broke ground for female heroes in television.

What's even more amazing is the sheer volume of academic study and writing which has been done on and around the Buffy phenomenon, and which continues even today, long after the show itself has been relegated to our dusty DVD shelves. (For example: Why Buffy Matters, Sex And The Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer For The Buffy Fan; Blood Relations: Chosen Families In Buffy The Vampire Slayer; Philosophy and BtVS: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale...and my favourite; The Comic Anti-hero in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Silly Villain: Spike is for Kicks.)

So what did I learn from Buffy?

1. That it is possible to run in heels.

2. That it's important to have a solid group of scoobies to watch your back.

3. Teen sex is a bad idea. Even if you don't get pregnant, your boyfriend might turn evil and try to bite you. Then try and shoot you. Then blow you up...

4. David Boreanaz is hot.

5. If you think your roommate's a demon, it could just mean she's really annoying...but she could actually be a demon.

6. Every difficult situation can be made better with a healthy dose of sarcasm and a witty comeback.

7. High school students have no clue about what goes on in their library, and in fact have probably never been there.

8. David Boreanaz is hot...wait I said that already...James Marsters is hot.

9. There can only ever be one Slayer in the world at a time. Unless there's two.

10. If you're going to save the world, someone should go for donuts.

What did you like about it? What other shows made an impact on your youth?



Oh, and some of my favourite quotes, just for fun!

Buffy: Spike, I just saw you taste your own nose blood. You know what? I'm too grossed out to hear anything you have to say. Go home.
Spike: It's blood. It's what I do!

Buffy: [pulls a glowing orb out of her bag] What the hell is it?
Giles: It appears to be paranormal in origin.
Willow: How can you tell?
Giles: Well, it's so shiny.

Oz: Well, I sorta test well. Y'know, which is cool. Except that it leads to jobs.

Willow: Oh, I don't know, though. He is a senior.
Buffy: You think he's too old 'cause he's a senior? Please. My boyfriend had a bicentennial.

Xander: Yep. Vampires are real, a lot of 'em live in Sunnydale, Willow will fill you in.
Willow: I know it's hard to accept at first.
Oz: Actually, it explains a lot.

Spike: No more of this 'I've got a soul' crap?
Angelus: What can I say, hmm? I was going through a phase.

Spike: You've really got a yen to hurt this girl, haven't you?
Angelus: She made me feel like a human being. That's not the kind of thing you just forgive.

Angelus: Dear Buffy. I'm still trying to decide the best way to send my regards.
Spike: Why don't you rip her lungs out? It might make an impression.
Angelus: Lacks... poetry.
Spike: It doesn't have to. What rhymes with lungs?

Buffy: You know, it’s not even that he’s acting that suspicious. It’s just - there he is. On the hell mouth. All day, every day. That’s got to be like being showered with evil. Only from underneath.
Willow: Not really a shower.
Buffy: A bidet. Like a bidet of evil.

I'm blogging today at the Vauxhall Vixens about the heroine who is TSTL (Too Stupid To Live). Come on over and tell us your experience with books you wanted to throw against the wall because of a character who acted like the dumbest dumb blonde from a scary B-rated horror movie.

ACHERON

Since reading my first Dark Hunter book roughly two years ago, I have waited patiently for news that this book was coming. Now, finally, after what seems like forever and a day it's almost here...

I'm very excited to be able to bring you this exclusive preview of what promises to be Ms. Kenyon's best, most explosive, intense book yet in a fantastic series. If you're a fan, you won't be disappointed.

ENJOY!

THE WORLD'S SHORTEST FAIRY TALE!

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl 'Will you marry me?' The girl said:'NO!' And then she lived happily ever after and went shopping and dancing, she drank martinis, went shopping (did I say that already?). She always had a clean house, never had to cook, did whatever the hell she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, traveled more, had many lovers, didn't save any money, never worried about the toilet seat, and had all the hot water to herself. She went to the theater, never watched sports, never wore friggin' lacy lingerie that went up her ass, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked fabulous in sweat pants and was pleasant all the time.

The End.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not single. Very happily married. I found this in my junk mail folder this morning and had to share. It's hilarious.


But that's not all.........

STAY TUNED!!

All you Dark Hunter fans who have been waiting so patiently for August 5...make sure you make a stop right here at 9:00 p.m. (PST) on Sunday, July 20, 2008 for a very special sneak preview...Something you definitely won't want to miss!

Famous People Meme — (sorry, I forget who challenged me on this)

Which famous person in each of the following categories would you like to meet?

Author — Stephen King. My writing and reading idol since I picked up my first "adult" book at the tender age of 12.

Movie Actor — Gerard Butler. Man, he's hot.

TV Actor — Steve Carell. Man, he's funny.

Musician/Singer — Ella Fitzgerald. The first lady of song. One of the most influential jazz vocalists ever.

Historical Figure — Alexandra David-Neel. Female explorer/ adventurer/ author. No other western woman ever traveled to and explored so many places.

Fictional Book Character(s) — Rhage and Mary from Lover Eternal, or maybe Acheron and Simi from Kenyon's Dark Hunter books, or Anita Blake from LK Hamilton's series, or...I could really go on and on here.

Fictional Movie or TV Character — Blade. You gotta love a badass half-vampire with a shiny sword and a hero complex. I never liked the short-lived television show, but the movies rocked. And definitely, of the three, Blade: Trinity is my favorite since I get to see Wesley Snipes AND Ryan Reynolds.

Okay, tell me your picks.

CONTEST!! PRIZES!!

I have fabulous news about an amazing contest!

My chapter group, Toronto Romance Writers is running a contest to give away a fantastic prize of books from all of our published authors—Lots and lots of books!—Besides me (yay!), participating authors include: Kelley Armstrong, Deborah Cooke, Claire Delacroix, Michelle Rowen, Eve Silver, Michele Ann Young, Margaret Moore, Molly O’Keefe, and lots more!

Click here to enter now!

The Reasons Why We Love

Have you wondered why romance novels are so popular? Think about it, in a world where our celebrities are rarely known for their lasting relationships, where the next big blow-em up action movie almost always gets top billing, and when the news stories are all about sensationalism, murder and violence...is it any wonder that we have a need to find ways to enjoy the softer side of life?

Even in our own relationships, as happy and healthy and fulfilling as they hopefully are...the hectic pace of our everyday jobs and commitments means that romance and love often gets pushed back for later-but later only brings more and more stuff to lay on top of the ever growing pile of responsibilities.

But at the same time, why does romance get such a bad rep? Why are people so loathe to admit that they need to feel good every once in a while? Have we become so inured to the harsh realities that we stopped believing that there's more to lfie? Even though it's damn hard, things can work out for the best if you really try and want it badly enough, I think many of us do believe that. So why is it that we can't accept that love and sex and wanting a happy ever after are not things we should be embarassed about? They are after all, important to who we are as human beings.

Now I must admit, I have noticed that the way people see romance has been changing slowly. The stigma against romance authors and readers isn't anywhere near what it was when I first started reading, or even when I started writing. Great. At the same time though, the stigmas might change focus, but they seem to never go away completely. Just switch gears a little bit, which is too bad.

I say thank God for romance, for its popularity and its unapologetic celebration of love. With romance books flying off the shelves, authors to keep the genres alive for us, and readers who keep wanting more, we're more likely to stay true to our innate human nature to nurture and share ourselves with each other.

In the grand scheme of things, our world revolves around love. It's true. It has to be. If it didn't, what would we be reduced to? Imagine a world where money or ambition, progress and selfishness were of utmost importance to everyone (some might say we're almost there, but thankfully I don't think we are, although I'm pretty naive). Imagine if love was spit upon, if marriage did not exist as a binding of two hearts and souls. If love didn't enter the picture, what would happen to our children, ourselves?

(Photo: Pierre Auguste Cot [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons )

I'm at Maria Zannini's blog today talking about summertime distractions and my August 1 release, Immortal Kiss. I'm offering up a copy of Book 1 in the series, My Immortal. Come join in our summer bbq, I'd love to see you!




My husband and son at our favorite lake in Algonquin Park, possibly one of the most beautiful and tranquil places on earth.

I'm still mostly MIA, but since I just got a new cover for Dark Immortal, I wanted to share...

DARK IMMORTAL

This intense third book in the Immortals Series features the norse warrior Alric and his wife; beautiful and strong and human Diana.

Their path has never been smooth, their love has always been tested. But now Alric and Diana will face the ultimate trial...

...And they might not come back from it.

How do you know the woman of your dreams would still love you if all the circumstances which brought you together no longer existed? How do you know she would still want you if the memory of your love were wiped away and the only thing left was fear and pain. How could you ask her to stay if all she could see was the monster inside of you, the monster that gets harder and harder to contain?

Check out my website soon for more details and an excerpt of Dark Immortal, being released by Linden Bay Romance in January, 2009.

And in the meantime, don't miss books 1 and 2: My Immortal and Immortal Kiss (Aug. 1/08). Get yours here and find out why these are Immortals to die for.

I'm in need of a little break. I hope you'll all keep in touch and I'll see you real soon (I'm betting I hold out a week). Hopefully I'll return with a new sense of karmic balance and a finished book!

Take care, and let me recommend some great reading material for you while I'm gone :)

Fox's Bride

Being married to a woman halfway around the world has its advantages — except when that woman is a pirate.

Lord William Foxton wants his wife and will do anything to protect her from those who want to see her hanged for piracy and those who want the plantation in Montego Bay and his wife for their own.

Lady Madeline Foxton, the Dread Pirate Captain Meg, will do anything to save as many slaves as she can, constantly putting her life at risk. She decides she's had enough, but the Commodore of the King's Navy decides Captain Meg will not be allowed to simply disappear. He will see Madeline Middleton hanged for piracy, no matter who he has to kill to get her there.

Breach of Trust

When a business secret is shared, can love survive?

When You Play With The Best…

For years, Anne James has played a dangerous game, secretly manipulating venture capitalist Philippe Lamont into financing her clients. She knew there would be a price to pay for her arrogance. That price, she thought, was three months of negotiated torture as his sexy Girl Friday.

…The Stakes Are High

Anne was wrong. In Philippe’s fast paced world of start up investing, the lines between business and personal blur. One misstep, one misplaced confidence, and Anne could lose her heart, her business, and her life.

Law of Averages

Megan Frost, an up-and-coming restaurateur, knows everything there is to know about the culinary arts, but when it comes to pop culture, she's been living under a rock. During a vacation to the sunny island of Bermuda, the yummiest dish she's ever laid eyes on rolls that rock right off her.

British musician Gabriel Law, the famous Dark Angel of Rock, regrets putting his songwriting on the back burner. Tired and creatively simmered out, he retreats to the peace and solitude of Bermuda in order to cook up some original sounds for his new album. But when he finds a naked girl in his holiday cottage, he happily exchanges solitude for a sizzling duet.

The ingredients for a sexy, scorching relationship are in place, but the mix isn't complete without a romantic legend, a mysterious taxi driver and a surprise symbol of destiny from the aquamarine sea…

My Immortal

Evil lurks in the darkest of shadows, but a band of warriors stands ready to defend humanity against hell’s own monsters—Immortal men hand-picked by destiny and taken out of time hold the fate of the world in their hands.

One of the oldest of his kind, Immortal warrior Rhys Morgan spends his nights on the streets of Chandler protecting the city’s innocents from the demons that hunt them. Unyielding in purpose and uncompromising in battle, Rhys thought he’d never meet his match, until he met Amy Bennett.

Rash and impetuous, Amy dashes into a fight, taking Rhys by surprise. He can’t decide whether she’s incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. But when the fight is over and Rhys is unable to get the beautiful human out of his head or his dreams, he knows his life is about to get complicated.

The barriers between the unlikely pair may be as thick and strong as the evil that threatens them, but some things can’t be denied…and dark, mysterious, sexy Rhys Morgan is one of them.

MY WRITER STORY

So what is this really? My friend Maria Zannini has challenged me to tell my story and I'm not quite sure what to say. I mean, I've always been a writer, from the first words I learned to shape with the pencil clutched awkwardly in my chubby little palm.

All right, realistically, I wasn't "a writer" when I was four, but the seed was there already, and instead of having my parents read me books at night before bed, I'd already been making my own tales up in my head and telling my parents bedtime stories instead of the other way around.

But I guess my first real writer story is from grade 10 English class. I wrote this short piece called "Martians in the Kitchen", which was really about an fm radio that turns on all by itself every day just in time for one of those old school serial radio shows a la "War of the Worlds". Really, the radio is possessed with the spirit of a young girl's high school sweetheart, a jealous dead boyfriend who doesn't like that Charlene has gotten herself a new guy. Needless to say I was a HUGE reader of Stephen King, and horror ensues in bloody, graphic detail for the rest of the story.

I won a contest with that one.

Now I'm challenging everyone else to tell me their writer stories, and if you're not a writer, tell me the story of how you came to do the thing that you love doing best (I know what you're thinking, and no sex stories)

In honor of the Canadian and US holidays, over at the Pleasure Gardens we thought we'd each share a little bit about the heroines from our works in progress and what makes them our first ladies of romance. Because, as they say, behind every good man is a great woman.

So stop by and share your own favourite romantic heroines, from your own work, a movie, or your favourite author.



And I hope you had a happy Canada Day, and will enjoy a wonderful Independence Day!

Sorry about the absenteeism this week. It's been very busy with this and that, and it's only getting worse for the next little while. So as cheap as it is on my part, I'm going to send you away to visit some way more interesting blogs:

My friend Maria Zannini has an interesting discussion about linking on her blog that you should definitely check out.

The Three Wicked Writers (Regina Carlysle, Kelley Nyrae and Anne Rainey) have put together a new spot that's worth visiting just because it's so pretty, but they're also chatting about great stuff.

Six Degrees of Sexy has a great interview up with author AJ Hampton, and she's talking about her new book Tempting Sin.

Shelley Munro also has an interview up, with author Selena Illyria (say that 3 times fast, lol) to talk about her book Tartan Surprise.

And the fabulous women at A Place for Originals have done a review of YA novel The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale.

So have a great weekend everyone, and if you're still here, let me leave you with a VIDEO to watch!

When Romance Writers Compete!

Music To Soothe The Savage Beast

I write in silence.

Sometimes I can have the television on in the background, but that’s rare, and only if it is something that I am utterly uninterested in watching. Even then, I’m usually distracted by flashy lights and Swiffer commercials.

I love music, and I’ve tried to write to music. I even went so far as to put together a wicked playlist of songs that I thought would speak to my muse, the inner bad ass Immortal warrior-a lot of Kanye and MIMS, and my fave, Fifty. But it turns out that I got distracted by the rap music as well. Too much singing, and not enough typing. And that of course, proved that I have no bad ass warrior in me. Because you truly don’t want the visual of me movin’ to the beat.

So then I thought maybe I should try something a little less booming, and a little more calming, something that would blend into the background and simply act as a way to relieve the stress and tension, and allow me to focus on the writing. I picked out some Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven; classical compositions that both moved me, and yet seemed soft and soothing. It didn’t really work either.

You see, I move to the beat of the music—doesn’t matter what kind (except maybe country; with country I just want to cry). Music penetrates to my soul and I’m lost in it. And that’s nice, I appreciate the gift that I’ve been given (especially since I don’t actually have the gift of making music of any kind—at least not that you would want to hear), but it doesn’t help me when what I need is to be lost in my story and my characters.

And so, I write in silence, listening only to the voices inside my head.

*creepy, huh?*

What is it you do to keep the ideas flowing? Are you helped or hindered by a rockin’ playlist?

BOOK ROAST

There's a new blog in the echoing halls of cyberdom, Book Roast, a fun new forum to showcase authors and their books. But they're doing it a little differently, and you'll never know quite what to expect--as is usually the case with a good old fashioned roast.

Stop by to check things out on June 23, 2008 for the Grand Opening.

Summer Movie List




Tell me what blockbusters you're looking forward to this summer, or maybe a smaller, lesser known movie you came across and can't wait to rave about.

The hubby and I have already seen Iron Man and we both really enjoyed it. And of course, I'm a child of the '80's, so I can't wait to see Indiana Jones.

But what of some of the newer ones that are only coming out now? Admittedly, I wasn't a big fan of the first Hulk movie, but I love all the old-school comic book heroes, so I'll still be watching Hulk 2-if only for the nostalgic value.








My little guy is already over the moon for Kung Fu Panda. He's a You Tube freak (at 5 years old, his favourite thing to do is find old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spiderman cartoons online and watch them) So he's already seen every trailer out there, and he can't wait. He already has a favourite character, too. The Monkey (played by Jackie Chan). We're planning a mommy/son afternoon at the theatre this weekend to watch it-which won't be complete without a great big bag of popcorn and about three trips to the restrooms.











I think we'd also like to try and see Speed Racer because I'm a glutton for anything that goes real fast.

What kind of movie are you itching to head out to the theatre to see? What will make you brave crowds? Um, or maybe you'll go to something utterly forgettable just for a chance to make out in the dark with your special someone?

Oh yeah, that sounds like a plan...

Join me at the Manic Readers Yahoo Group June 17 for a day-long chat with the authors of Linden Bay Romance. You'll get a chance to meet some fabulous authors, writing in all genres (and me too!)

Plus, read excerpts from the best new and upcoming books, and win prizes. I'll be giving away a free copy of My Immortal, and I'll have a sneak peek into Book 2, Immortal Kiss.

In this writer's home lives a soccer fan, or two, or three. And what better time for soccer fans than a year which hosts a World or Euro Cup tournament! And yes, before you ask, this is an Italy household. What else? Azzurri all the way!

So, I've been to my fair share of soccer games, first as the girlfriend/wife of a man who plays, then as the mother/chauffer of a boy who plays. Now, I'm not going to say that there's no excitement along the grassy sidelines as I sit in my foldable lawnchair, but I will admit that I always have a book with me, and a large double/double. It takes skill, but after more than ten years, I have now mastered the ability to read and pay just enough attention to the game, so that I always know when my son or husband has the ball and is running in for a great shot on the net. Ah, but there's something different about a game that is played in a large open-air stadium with thousands of crazy, screaming fans surrounding you. (And that's not to diminish the enjoyment that I get from watching my son run around the field with that crazy smile on his face chasing the butterflies.)

We haven't been lucky enough (or crazy enough) to go to an actual tournament in Europe. We missed Germany in 2006 and we're definitely not in Switzerland now, or I wouldn't have bothered with this blog other than to say nana nana boo boo! But we did catch a few of the U20 World Cup games last year since they were held here in Canada. Toronto has a beautiful, beautiful new stadium and the one night we went to watch the game (U.S./Uruguay) the weather was clear and hot, and the stands were packed and overflowing with fans. I know it doesn't compare to any of the Euro games going on right now, but it was totally cool. I still brought my book, but I didn't read a word.

Anyway, the point of all this is really just to mention that the only thing which has me disappointed in this year's soccer games is the fact that England didn't make the cut. Italy fan or no, I would definitely be watching more soccer if my boy Beckham was playing.

I lurve Beckham...Oh, VIVA ITALIA!

I'm blogging with my fellow Vixens today about hot, sweaty, sexy Summer Love so stop by!

It's official! I have a new release coming in October. I love this book, and I can't wait!

Mild-mannered Sarah McInnes just wants to be left alone. She’s looking forward to finishing graduate school and then working a nice, normal nine-to-five job as an accountant. But when fate interferes with her carefully laid plans in the form of the mysterious and sexy Dorian, her life takes an unexpected detour.

Dorian is a take-no-prisoners kind of guy. For him, duty comes first. So when he intervenes one night to save Sarah from the murderous hands of a daemon and discovers she has the innate ability to fight them, he of course steps in and offers to train her. Daemons notwithstanding, the job would be much easier and their relationship less complicated if Dorian didn’t also happen to be the hottest thing this side of hell.

Now instead of spending her nights in the library Sarah spends them with Dorian, keeping the city safe from monsters and sending them back where they belong. Whether she wants to or not, Sarah has to face the facts: daemons exist, she possesses the power to kill them, and she may never make it to Calculus on time again.

That’s the Trouble with Destiny...

Excerpt:

Surprisingly enough, I had been completely naked for a full minute and Dorian still hadn’t touched me. I would have been worried, but I could tell that it was taking a lot of his willpower to refrain. His mouth was set in a grim, hard line and his hands were fisted at his sides. I should be cold, all the heat in my apartment came from a baseboard unit that only worked in July. But I wasn’t cold. Far from it.

“I want this, Dorian. I need this. Can you keep denying us both?”

“Sarah, you don’t know what you’re asking. You think you know me, but...” Even as he said the words, his eyes burned brighter. He lifted an arm, cupping my cheek with his hand, and I turned my head to kiss his palm.

“You think I don't know who and what you are? You think those bright eyes of yours don’t give it away? Or the awesome power you so carefully keep reigned in? You think I don’t notice the way daemons look at you with utter terror and run as fast as they can in the opposite direction?” I know. I’ve known right from the very beginning. It doesn’t matter. It just made me admire him that much more for the strength it must take to deny his heritage and do what was right. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“It should,” he said. Moving so fast I had no time to react, he pulled me into his arms. I could feel the bite of his belt buckle digging into my belly. My breasts were crushed against the hard planes of his chest. With one hand clutching my hair at the base of my scalp, he pulled my head back to gaze into my eyes. “But who am I to deny you anything?”

I made it myself!

I'm interviewed today over at Melanie Anderson's Blog. It's a fun interview that really has nothing to do with anything, so don't miss it!

I sometimes think back to what my life was like before I set along on this path... and wonder what the heck I signed up for.

I was happy then, I can’t say that I wasn’t. I definitely had more spare time, and I actually did things. Fun things. I went shopping more often (I so totally need a new handbag when before I had three or four to choose from). And I went to parties, and out for drinks after work with friends. My husband and I saw movies and took day trips on weekends to fun places like Niagara Falls.

We still do these kinds of things if we’ve planned them ahead of time and I have met my writing goals for the week. And sometimes I bring my laptop along for the ride. But admittedly the whimsical spontaneity of those carefree weekends and last minute get-togethers is absent from my life these days. Does that mean that I am missing out? Maybe. Things have changed, my life is different. But I wouldn’t change its direction.

I often compare this stage of my life to the time just after I realized that I was head over heels in love with the man who is now my husband. At that time, I knew I had passed a crossroads of sorts, that I could no longer go back to what I had been before him. From that moment forward, for better or worse, this man was going to be a part of my life forevermore.

No more would I be staying out dancing the nights away with my girls, or flirting with sexy-eyed strangers. There would be no more first kisses, and when I walked into a room wearing a knock-out dress, I knew that I would never again get an unsolicited compliment if a hockey game also happened to be playing on the television. Instead, I had destined myself to a future with a man who snored so loud he could wake the dead, who would never notice when I got my hair done. I was headed to a future with a man who would give me the best, most beautiful child ever born. Who would make me coffee every morning, and support my dreams even if it meant he fell asleep alone on the couch five nights out of seven.

This is why I look back on my more carefree past with fondness, but no real desire to reclaim that life. Because the last time my future took this kind of a turn, it ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me.

Please welcome New Zealand author Jane Beckenham!


Hello…can you hear me?

You see I’m a long, long way from where this is all meant to be happening. Not so, you say. This is the world of the internet, where distance means nothing. But stop, wait a minute and think about it.

You’re where you are, and I’m…well, I’m down under in New Zealand, a land known as Aotearoa, but heck that means nothing in this world of technology. I can google your house and check it out, watch what’s happening in any part of the world. And I confess I even googled Buckingham Palace, London once, just to see if the Queen was wandering about – true!

For the world of an author, you’d think that with electronic publishing, getting everything at the click of a send button, it would make the life of a writer far easier. And in some ways this is true… but the world really isn’t that small. You see, if I want to chat to you, what time is it there, are you awake, or as I (and author friends Melody Knight and Eve Summers) find out often, when you are chatting after a nice meal on EST, we’re only just waking up. And if you want to chat over lunch, then we’ve got to get up about 1 a.m. or…as in my case, stay up.

So time is a factor for any promotion we downunder authors undertake. Just to give you an example, a group of New Zealand authors hosted a chat yesterday on the Manic Readers yahoo group site. The official time was 9am –5pm EST – well for us down here that was 1am – 9a.m So we did it in shifts, with Eve doing from 1-2, Melody 2-4, me 4- - well about 8, coz I kept popping in and out and the other authors taking over from about 7-9. So with a little lateral thinking it can be done. I’ve two new books out from Red Rose Publishing. The Sheikh’s Proposal this May and now on 5th of June – No Sex Necessary. So I guess it’s going to be another round of late nights…or is that early mornings. Whatever!

Another thing that us downunder authors get asked to do quite a bit is add in local flavor to our settings. For example, Christmas of course is in our summer, which the Pohutukawa, known as New Zealand’s Christmas tree for its scarlet brush type flowers, in full bloom along our coat line, and then of course if you’ve seen Lord of the Rings, everyone asks about our mountains. In my book Always A Bridesmaid, I set it in what really is the deepest heartland of New Zealand’s North Island – in the Uruweras, full of tradition and Maori heritage and mysticism, where the moss on the trees grows because the air is ultra-clean. So you see, we may be disadvantaged by distance, but we can bring an awful lot to our books and to you the reader.

Happy reading everyone.
Jane Beckenham
Join her newsletter and read her blog on Myspace.

Please join me on Monday, June 2 for my special guest from "Down Under" fellow LBR author Jane Beckenham. Her book No Sex Necessary is available from Red Rose Publishing. Also available from Linden Bay Romance are He's The One and Hiring Cupid.

A little bit about Jane:

Author Jane Beckenham lives in New Zealand and first found literature as a teenager during the many months she spent in hospital. In books she discovered dreams, hopes, and stories that inspired a love of travel. Years later, after a blind date, Jane found her own true love and married eleven months later.

Life has been a series of "dreams" for Jane. She believes she can "just do it". Dreaming about walking again, dreaming of raising a family and adopting her girls from Russia, dreaming of writing.

With her family growing up, her life—apart from scraping every moment she can at the computer—is a round of playing Mum's taxi service, all the while wondering what her hero and heroine are up to behind her back! Writing is Jane's addiction…and it sure beats housework.

Well, I'm on a roll now. Here today is my friend and Chapter mate, Amy Ruttan! Hi Ho Matey, Arrghh!! *Aside: I'm practicing the pirate speak since one of Amy's TWO May releases is a fantastic pirate romance, but I have a feeling I may just have to leave that to the crew on board the Romance Writers' Revenge!

JK: I want to thank you so much for um..."offering" to be my special guest today. Try not to pull too much on that rope. You wouldn’t want to chafe your wrists.

Amy: He he he, well I do write for Ellora’s Cave. Thankfully, they teach us all about chaffing.

JK: So, let’s start with the most important question: Don’t you think my blog totally rocks? It’s just too bad nobody comes by to read it. I did mention that didn’t I? Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you actually wanted to get something useful out of this. But with that in mind, I guess you’ll want to mention your new book?

Amy: I love your blog. I visit! Aren’t I somebody? Ooh that’s pretty bad grammar, LOL. Sure, I can mention my books, since I have two releases this month. My first release this month was May 22nd at Ellora’s Cave and it’s titled Oh Yum! Love Thy Neighbour. The Oh Yum! Series is about older women and younger men. My second release this month is through Cerridwen Press and it’s titled Fox’s Bride. It’s a historical romance about a woman pirate and her aristocratic husband.

JK: Ok, enough about that. What really matters is that you promise to name your next character after me. What do you mean you don’t know my real name? I thought we were friends. Do you want me to have to keep that rope on all day? Oh wait, you’re not writing a historical are you? I don’t know if I want to be in a historical. I swear way too much for that kind of character. What is your next book about by the way? Details woman. Details.

Amy: LOL!! Ooh you really do crack a whip don’t you, and you always seem so shy and unassuming. I just finished a historical that is set in 1880 Scotland. I also just finished a book that I targeted at the Shomi Fiction line. Currently, though I’m working on a couple of stories for Ellora’s Cave and one for Harlequin.

JK: Wow, you’re pretty busy. I'm flattered that you made time for this interview, but now I feel kinda bad about the hundred emails I sent you. Um, anyway, moving right along, here’s a question I’ll bet you’ve never had before. What’s your favourite colour? Food? Place to visit?

Amy: Nope, never been asked that. Colour Pink. Food pasta and favourite place to visit, Northern Ontario. I love me some Muskokas.

JK: Are you bored yet?

Amy: Always. Just kidding I have no time to be bored.

JK: Oh, okay, I’ve got a good one. If you were magically transported through time via the awesome magic of television what character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer would you most want to be? (Um, I wouldn’t pick the Inca Mummy girl...she dies)

Amy: I don’t watch Buffy. I’ve never seen Buffy. *shaking head in shame*, but I guess I would want to be a character that snogs James Marsters aka Spike. I do know who he is via Torchwood.

JK: Yeah, Spike is hot. But geez, you’ve never watched it? Even once? And you’re my friend? Something is wrong here.

Okay, was there anything else you wanted to tell my five readers? (*whisper* This is your only chance, better make it good)

Amy: PRESSURE!!! ACK!! I don’t think I can handle it. Well, don’t give up on your dreams. I always wanted to be a writer, and I just kept working and now my dreams are coming true. Umm, watch Torchwood. And if you sign up for my newsletter you have a chance to win some pretty cool prizes. I love having contests. Ok, that was pretty pathetic, but that whip crack hurt me back a bit. (Talking in a Welsh accent). LOL!

JK: Right, like I’m gonna watch Torchwood now that I found out you never saw one Buffy episode.

Great, I guess that about covers everything anyone would ever want to know about you. So why don’t we just put that gag back in...

Thanks so much for visiting!

Amy: Mmfank froo fro mraving ree.

AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

I want to let you know about a fabulous interview (if I do say so myself) that I did with author Amy Ruttan, who'll be visiting the blog on May 30, 2008 to celebrate the release of TWO books this month!

Love Thy Neighbor is out from Ellora's Cave as of May 22, 2008.

And Fox's Bride will be available from Cerridwen Press May 29, 2008. You don't want to miss these books, but more importantly, don't miss the interview on May 30!

I'm all about the firsts here on the blog these days. Celebrating the release of my first book, hosting my first interview, welcoming my first guest author, and now everyone should be impressed I'm doing my first review! For an author that I absolutely love. EVE SILVER!

Eve writes sexy gothic historicals under the name Eve Silver, and speculative romantic fiction as Eve Kenin. Hidden will be released under her Kenin name by SHOMI (Dorchester) in July, 2008. It's a futuristic romance set in a post-apocalyptic frozen waste that you don't want to miss.


Tatiana has spent her life hidden. Imprisoned underground by a vicious madman bent on exploiting her unique genetic gifts to further his sadistic scientific experiments—experiments that he has used to create a devastating plague that is about to be unleashed on the people of the Northern Waste.

Now that she is free, she has two things on the immediate agenda: to find her family and save the world. Both of which are probably impossible. Adding to her frustration is the mysterious and sexy Tristan, who is a complication she doesn’t need, a temptation she is uncomfortable with, a piece of the puzzle she needs to figure out.

This sequel to Kenin’s award winning first book, Driven, is an intense, sensual story that stands all on its own with vivid characters and fast-paced action that drew me in from the beginning right through to the very end. I can’t wait to read more from this gifted author.


And with that, I'll let you all in on a little secret...Eve Silver/Kenin is going to be a guest with us over at the Vauxhall Vixens on July 7, 2008!

As promised, today I have debut author Maria Zannini with me, who has graciously agreed to submit to torture--Um, I mean do an interview!

J.K.: Hi Maria, before we start, let me tell my five readers how fabulous you are. *Aside: She’s fabulous guys, trust me.* Ok, so now I need to apologize for getting these questions to you at the very last minute. I promise, if the answers are lame and hokey, my readers will know that it is totally my fault. *Aside: It’s totally Maria’s fault.* So, let’s move along then, shall we?

J.K.: Touch of Fire is your first book. How did you feel on release day? Were you nervous about how readers would react to it?

MARIA.: Well, let’s see, release day was May 20. On that day, I was running a fever, my head was stuffed up and I was recovering from eye surgery. But I had a book coming out! So all in all, I was feeling pretty peachy!

J.K.: Oh sure, I’ll bet. But I guess it could be hard to see that first book if your eyes are glued shut.

MARIA.: It's probably for the best I was under the weather or someone would have had to tether me to the ground. There’s nothing like a first book. It’s like having your first kiss, your first chocolate, your first…well you get the idea.

J.K.: Mmm. Yes. Yes I do. Okay, mind’s out of the gutter now, I promise. So, how long have you been writing? What inspired you to pick the pen up one day and create such compelling characters?

MARIA: Are your readers going to crucify me if I say it's only been about three years?

J.K.: Yes they will, but please go on.

MARIA: I was a graphic and fine artist my entire adult life. About three years ago, I was rattling about my house looking for something to do on a rainy day. I sat down and wrote my first science fiction short story. It finaled in the Writers of the Future Contest. By then the writing bug was fully entrenched in my bloodstream and I was hooked. I haven’t stopped learning (or writing) since.

J.K.: That’s great, Maria! So what do you feel is the most important thing that a first-time author should know?

MARIA: Oh, do you have a few hours? LOL! If I were to give only one piece of advice it would be to get your website and blog established long before you get published. You will not have time once that contract is signed. Trust me. When you sign on that dotted line, the time-space continuum warps and you will forever be trying to play catch-up.

J.K.: That’s great advice, and don’t I know how true it is. Good thing I have a little brother I was able to blackmail into doing my website for me. So what genre do you want to try your hand at but haven’t yet?

MARIA: I've never told anyone this, but I would love to try a YA historical. Maybe I'm the exception, but I would've loved to have read more historical novels when I was a kid.

J.K.: Woo hoo, we know something no one else knows yet! (ha ha ha Take that Maya Reynolds!) And what do you hope for your writing career in the next few years? Any goals that you have yet to obtain that you have set for yourself?

MARIA: I still want to sign with an agent even though I seem to have pretty good luck attracting editors. A good agent might relieve me of all the legwork I have to do in finding the right publishing house.

J.K.: Most people envision an author’s life as being really glamorous. What’s the most unglamorous thing that you’ve done in the past week?

MARIA: Where are these glamorous authors? Tell me, please! I want to see how the other half lives. When it comes to writing, the most unglamorous thing I've done this past week is untangle my computer's cabling. Somehow I ended up with an extra cord and I have no idea where it goes. Good thing no one at my house is on life support.

J.K.: So now the important questions. What books are currently on your nightstand?

MARIA: I've been reading a lot of dry research material lately. The sequel to Touch Of Fire will deal with time travel and I've been taking notes on all the latest theories.

J.K.: Do you have a pesky day job?

MARIA: Yup. I'm the art director at a major communications corporation. In other words, I save the world from bad advertising.

J.K.: Oh, maybe you should have saved the world from that Sumo wrestler commercial for Subaru. Now, if you had to write yourself as a heroine, what kind of heroine would you be? What would you be named?

MARIA: Oh, I much prefer to stay on the sidelines wreaking havoc. I suffer from demi-god syndrome. Isn't that why we all become authors?

J.K.: Um, sure. I thought it was for all the free books from other authors, but whatever. If you were a world ruler and you were given a choice of 3 laws to enact, what would they be?

MARIA: There's only one law necessary. Maria is always right. At least that's what my husband says, and he's a man of impeccable logic.

J.K.: You're the heroine of your book, why do you fall in love with the hero?

MARIA: I love a confident man! If I were the heroine in my book, I would instantly be drawn to a man with a large…

JK: Hmmm.

MARIA: JK! Get your mind out of the gutter! Honestly. I thought this was a family blog.

JK: You started it. By the way, who said it was a family blog? I didn’t say that. (She turns to cute little five-year old boy child who is pulling on her leg asking for dinner as if he didn’t just eat four hours ago—‘Honey, why don’t you raid the cracker box and leave mommy alone for a few minutes to finish this, ‘kay?’)

Maria, thank you so much for being here. You’re my very first interview. Don’t tell anyone how awful it was, or how unorganized I am. And before we go, let us know what’s next for you.

MARIA: I'm so glad I was your first. Another round of virgins for all of us! Thank you so much for having me over! You were a gracious hostess and I loved the virtual wienies on a stick.

J.K.: Thanks! Next time leave some of them for the hostess, ‘kay?

Maria's Bio:
As relentless as a Rottweiler in a Chihuahua's body, she's interested in everything and everyone and loves to meet new people. Visit her often. The doctors say she's safe now. The rabies test came back negative.

Links:
Find me here:
http://www.mariazannini.com/
http://mariazannini.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mariazannini

Buy TOUCH OF FIRE here:
http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/product_info.php?products_id=973

Those Raven Nights!

Raven Radio, as mentioned in Romantic Times Magazine, is moving to nights! Tune in every Wed at 11-12 PM EST and join Authors Michelle Pillow and Mandy Roth as they talk about everything, nothing and the paranormal. Guests include NY Times and USA Today Bestselling authors as well as those wonderfully talented authors soon to be there, editors, paranormal tour guides, psychics, ghost hunters, specialists and more!

www.ravenhappyhour.com or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravenradio


Listeners are welcome to join the live chat or call in to the show to talk to us and our guests. The show will move to its new evening schedule, May 28th where listeners can catch us every Wednesday at 11PM to 12AM EST. We have a lot of authors on the upcoming line up and you can see a full schedule of guests here: http://ravenhappyhour.com/raven_podcast_schedule_of_guests.htm

WANT TO JOIN THE VIRAL CONTEST AND HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT RAVEN NIGHTS? Go to Raven’s blog to learn how you could win free advertising packages! Contest open to authors, readers and other groups! http://ravenhappyhour.com/ravenblog/?p=463

I am very pleased to introduce my friend Melody Knight, who graciously agreed to prepare a post to celebrate the release of her book GlassWorks from Red Rose Publishing, which is out TODAY! Welcome her with many posts!

Simply Horror-ble

I write horror novels. When I tell people that, they have a difficult time believing it. After all, I look much more like a blonde bimbo than someone who creates monsters in the privacy of her living room. But I just love writing horror…

I didn't begin with any intention of writing scary stuff. I wrote fantasy at first. When a movie company told me they liked my "voice", and asked whether I could write science fiction, I said "Of course", then proceeded to learn how. The horror crept in, though, from that first fantasy draft. It was a product of the thrill, the suspense, the edginess. It wasn't until I hit my paranormal stride that the true horror hit the surface. Now it just sits there much of the time, treading water…

How did my romance novels sprout? Frankly, it was a matter of expediency. I felt that my SF, fantasy, and horror novels weren't really acquiring enough of a public, which meant I needed to push my personal envelope. I'd already done that with book in a month, so I decided to push it further. Romance-writing friends assured me I could do it. I just needed to learn how.

Talk about your learning curves! Romance is very different from science fiction and other speculative fiction genres. The characterization must be shifted, from response/react to a situation, to response/react to one other person. And to be honest, in romance the storyline is not nearly as important as the emotional journey. The setting is window dressing to illustrate your protagonists' qualities, whether good or bad. Qualifiers for the interaction.

Which do I enjoy writing more? The books of my heart, of course, which you might automatically assume are books of The Heart. Wrong! I love writing my SF, fantasy, and paranormal suspense novels much more than romances. I like romances for their brevity, and the fact I can produce twice the number of books and know there are readers out there for them.

Does this sound awful? Not to me, because the romance genre has been an eye-opening experience! Never have I met more authors I like, or experienced the camaraderie, the interaction with readers, the appreciation by the public, or the fun that I have experienced writing romance. As far as "emotional journeys" go, writing romances can't be beat! Just as the characterization in romance novels is different, so is the relationship between writers. Romance novelists, from what I can see, are more open and eager to network, to help out their fellows. I love it!

If I had a chance to do it over, would I still write romances? Yes, but I'd begin writing them sooner. Romances are a hopeful genre, with Happily Ever Afters around every curve, and a horror writer needs that kind of upbeat feedback.

Three cheers for the romance novelist!

Thanks, J. K., for inviting me to blog today!

Regards,
Melody

Excerpt from GlassWorks

Cate picked up the slab of glass from its tilted resting spot. It had dropped nearly intact. Her fingers shook as the first tracings of shimmery silica began to move beneath the surface. All those crystalline lattices somehow rearranging themselves…

She froze, her breath frosting the glass from the sudden chill. Gooseflesh rose on her skin as the air around her grew cold.

It had never happened this way before.

The man was lying there, in the glass, his body sprawled with the indignity of all things dead and unburied. Cate's breath caught in her throat, the unspent fog almost choking her. Oh, God!

It wasn't here—hadn't happened here—but it was happening now.

There was an argument lingering, on the air. She couldn't see the moment of confrontation, or the altercation, but it had been about the mutilated body on the ground. About how to deal with it, to cast off blame with as much ease as they'd cast away his life.

Only, they didn't realize he could hear them still. Hear them and hate them.

Because it had always been about his looks. His looks, and justifying what he was. The grave they were giving him, the twisted notoriety they were planning, would leave him neither looks nor justice.

Cate's eyes focused on his face. What they'd done, what they were doing to the rest of him didn't bear watching.

But, apparently, she did. Bear watching, that is.

The corpse's eyes opened, to stare straight at her.

Cate flinched, twitched, recoiled, but she couldn't let go. Some part of her was screaming, but she was no longer sure whether it was her...or him.

She clung to the pane, trapped. When, a forever it seemed, later, she freed her fingers enough to fling it, she remained there rigid, staring, as the moonglow image shattered in a hundred spiky shards.

Some part of her was still recoiling, as if in reflex to a striking snake.

God help me!

In those instants of metaphysical contact, she felt as though one shriveled digit had touched her. Spanned the gap between life and death—

I'm not a medium!

She'd never been a medium—never even come close. It had been the one blessing, in an otherwise twisted gift, that however conversant she might have become with a dead person's past, she was never conversant with the dead!

Until now, it seemed. Cate backed away, panted white puffs coiling and twisting in the otherwise still air.

I'm not alone.

It should have been comforting, that there was a taxi driver waiting just outside, but somehow, it came out differently. That "I'm not alone" was filled with horror. The taxi driver might be outside, but something else moved within. In a dreadful moment, she knew she'd brought this on herself—that by coming here she'd been willing, demanding almost, a contact with his person—had wanted so badly to save him, that she'd drawn in a soul barely severed from its body.

Cate backed, tripped, twisted, and ran. She tore the length of the room as though the Devil were at her heels, and slammed open the end door with a loud squawking thunk. Using two hands, Cate wrenched the door closed again, locking evil within. She stumbled back, the small door pane fixing her into its framed panel.

He wasn't within. Behind her, his hatred ever so much more pronounced in proximity, was the mutilated visage of the recently deceased.

http://www.redrosepublishing.com

Another Announcement!

Fellow Linden Bay Romance Author Melody Knight, who also writes fabulous sci-fi and horror novels as N.D. Hansen-Hill will be visiting the blog this Thursday, May 22 to talk about her new book GlassWorks from Red Rose Publishing. She's going to do all the work for me, which means I owe her big time, so everyone make sure to stop by and comment often!

I have great news! My friend and fellow writer Maria Zannini's debut novel, Touch of Fire is released TODAY by Samhain!

Be sure to visit me on Monday, May 26 to read my interview with Maria, and in the meantime don't forget to check out her book!


Between mage and man lies fire.

Leda has been ordered by the House of Ilia to use her fae gifts to find an alchemist’s bible, no matter what the cost. In a world where technology has been replaced by Elemental magic, this book is more dangerous than any spell or potion.

A ragged scrap of parchment is Leda’s only clue and it leads her to the last man known to have had the book—a savagely handsome ex-soldier turned scavenger. Greyhawke Tams. He’ll serve her needs nicely, in both her quest, and her bed.

The last thing Grey remembers is a bar brawl leaving him flat on his face. When he awakes, his situation hasn’t improved. He’s been bound in service to a contemptuous little fire mage with luscious curves and a deceptively innocent face. Grey’s not fooled—he’s hated the Elementals ever since he lost his younger brother to their brutal rites of passage.

But something about Leda tangles his brain faster than any woman he’s ever known. And soon it becomes clear she needs more than his “services”. A barbarous overlord wants that book and he’s willing to shatter Leda—body and spirit—to get it.

She needs his protection. Whether she wants it or not.

Sorry to anyone who tried to come chat at Romance at Heart tonight. Apparently there were "technical difficulties" and the chat will be rescheduled.

_____________________________________________

Hey everyone! I'll be chatting in the Author's Grill at Romance at Heart tonight, Monday, May 19th at 9pm Eastern Standard Time about My Immortal, book 1 in my Immortals Series! I really hope to see you there! One chatter will win a free copy of the book.

The chat room link is: Romance at Heart

I hope to see you there and look forward to chatting with you.

[PHOTO REMOVED]



I find this photo soothing. There's a sense of peace here, a serenity to this scene that calls to me, which is good because serenity isn't something that I've been able to call upon reliably in the last little while. But I try, and it also helps to think of why I started doing this in the first place. My family and friends who showed me unending support and understanding. And all of the new friends I've met who have come to mean so much to me.

It's been interesting times. Thank you all for sticking with me along the way.

My Immortal

Now available in print!

ORDER YOURS






Evil lurks in the darkest of shadows, but a band of warriors stands ready to defend humanity against hell’s own monsters—Immortal men hand-picked by destiny and taken out of time hold the fate of the world in their hands.

One of the oldest of his kind, Immortal warrior Rhys Morgan spends his nights on the streets of Chandler protecting the city’s innocents from the demons that hunt them. Unyielding in purpose and uncompromising in battle, Rhys thought he’d never meet his match, until he met Amy Bennett.

Rash and impetuous, Amy dashes into a fight, taking Rhys by surprise. He can’t decide whether she’s incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. But when the fight is over and Rhys is unable to get the beautiful human out of his head or his dreams, he knows his life is about to get complicated.

The barriers between the unlikely pair may be as thick and strong as the evil that threatens them, but some things can’t be denied…and dark, mysterious, sexy Rhys Morgan is one of them.

Jump on over to my blog at the Vixens today and help me out with my new book The Trouble With Destiny. One commenter will win a free e-book of My Immortal on the release day of May 15, 2008. But you have to work for it!

Great news! I've gotten my first review back for My Immortal and here's a taste of what they're saying about it:


"This book grabs you from the beginning and never lets go..."

"Rhys is everything you’d want in a wounded, bad boy hero..."

"Amy is everything good about chic-lit with none of the bad..."
- Fallen Angel Reviews

Click here to read the full review!

UPDATES:

My novella is finished! YAY! It has tentatively been entitled The Trouble With Destiny, and I think everyone is really going to like Sarah and Dorian. They've been my most fun characters to write to date.

That means that I will be buckling down to finish writing Book 3 in the Immortals Series, Dark Immortal. It's going to be tough. Alric and Diana are a perfect, beautiful couple, but their path is no easy one.


I'm hosting an interview with fellow Linden Bay Romance author Cat Johnson all this week at the Linden Bay MySpace Blog, so be sure to drop in and get to know Cat, her Task Force Zeta series is fabulous, with strong, sexy military men that will knock your socks off.

And last, but not least, please visit my friend Alex Beecroft's blog this week, to read my latest interview.

So my new favourite show is The Big Bang Theory on CBS.

If you haven't seen it rush to your television sets on Mondays at 8:30 p.m. (or check listings if you don't live in Ontario).

It's a brilliantly devised sitcom, the perfect combination of ridiculousness, wild laughs and nerdy humour. You'll probably recognize the character of Leonard as the same guy who played Darlene's boyfriend in Roseanne (and she actually makes a few cameo appearances in this show). Leonard is a brilliant physicist who finds himself taken by the hot new girl who moves in across the hall (very a la Friends, but without the gen-x chic feel). Just how does a socially inept science nerd romance his good-looking neighbour? By inviting her to a 97-hour HALO-3 marathon of course.

But my favourite character is Sheldon, the ultimate super-science geek. I've never laughed so hard in my life.

As my friend and fellow Vixen Maggie Robinson has already discussed this week on her blog, April is National Poetry Month. And so I felt inspired to share with you my favourite poem.

It won’t be everyone’s favourite, for it is way too popular and overused for the critics and literary minds of our day. I doubt there’s a school-age child over the age of seven who isn’t already familiar with its rhythm and cadence as repeated in the pinched and nasal tones of Bart Simpson as he echoes “nevermore” to a growingly tormented Homer.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
‘‘Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.’

Whether for good or ill, with its first publication in 1845, Edgar Allan Poe created with The Raven one of the most famous American poems ever written. I think that he would have been quite happy with Bart Simpson’s rendition, and the many other interpretations of his poem over the years, because it was important to him that it be universally appreciable to all—the public and critics alike.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, ‘Lenore!’
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, ‘Lenore!’
Merely this and nothing more.

In the beginning of this dreary evening, this poor guy mourns the death of his beloved Lenore, but he doesn’t really understand death. As the poem progresses though, he starts to question both life and death. The appearance of the ugly bird reflects his inner self trying to reason out his grief, and the raven’s non-answers come from his own subconscious mind. The raven itself was used by Poe probably because of its reputation. For example, in the bible the raven was considered to be an omen of ill fortune, and in Norse mythology, Odin possessed two ravens named Hugin and Munin, representing thought and memory.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
‘Surely,’ said I, ‘surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
‘Tis the wind and nothing more!’

By miscellaneous [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I love poetry, but sometimes I’ll read something and it’s more of a chore than a joy to experience. I’m as much for symbolism as the next person, but the lengths that some poets can go to couch their prose in hidden innuendo and barely discernable meaning can be more annoying than engaging. Poe himself wrote an essay on the creation of The Raven, entitled “The Philosophy of Composition”, where he likens its composition to a mathematical problem. It starts with a question, begins with ignorance and then develops, revealing answers through discussion and inquiry until the truth can be revealed—whether or not you can accept it.

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven is for me, a most beautiful poem, based on the tragedy of sorrow which comes on the death of love. It embodies the basic dichotomy of death—the desire to forget versus the desire to remember. Of course, there’s more to it than that. The Raven raises questions about the nature of reality compared to our flawed perceptions of it, and is about the evolution of self-knowledge. It is about the relationship that exists—however morbid it may sound—between death and beauty. Poe chose the one topic that was universally understood. Death.

‘Prophet!’ said I, ‘thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?’
Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore.’

Poe builds the tension up higher and higher, but after the climaxing stanza he tears the whole thing back down, letting us know there is no meaning, no moral in the raven’s “nevermore”. It is just the natural, common drive of the human mind toward understanding what is not given to us to understand.

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!


So do you find yourself being drawn to poetry or not? How do you feel about Poe's The Raven? What is your favourite poem and why does it call to you?

My Interview is now up at Manic Readers.
Find it here: (J.K Coi Interview)





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The story I've been working on these last few weeks is almost finished! When it's done, it should be about 23,000 words, which is a perfect length for a novella. I'm excited for three reasons: because I love when a plot comes together, because the characters have become so dear to me, and because it means that soon I'll be going back to my Immortals to tell Alric's story.

This novella (no title still) was something I started writing on the fly just because I needed a break from the Immortals--Part of me hates to say that because I love them so much, but it's been almost two and a half years non-stop of writing their stories. So this new story was supposed to be fun and light-hearted and just long enough to jump start my creative juices again, since I'd been feeling a little overwhelmed and tired.

If I was so tired, you'd think I would have just turned off the computer for a few days, or a few weeks even, right? But no, I'm not really wired that way. I can't just turn it all off. Even if I'm blocked in one project, I always have three or four other things ruminating down somewhere in the dark corners of my brain, and this was a chance for me to let one of them come up into the light. And I'm so glad that I did.

What I really needed was just to change focus and take the attention away from the thing that was causing my block. I think that the mental process of working on something that was flowing more smoothly and felt good, will help me to approach Alric's book again with a fresh perspective and a little more confidence.

Now that the novella is almost finished, I really like how it turned out. It's not as light-hearted as I originally set out to write it--I don't think I can do comedy. But Sarah is a fabulously sarcastic creature and Dorian just makes you want to drool over the keyboard. I hope everyone will love these two as much as I do, and I'm glad I took the time to tell their story (I'm already thinking of a sequel, LOL).

In the meantime, please come review my Author's Page at Manic Readers (J.K Coi at ManicReaders.com), and look there soon for my interview with them.

In honour of a long-held tradition of trickery and pranks, I'm letting you in on some of the most successful April Fool's Day jokes played in past years:

The Taco Liberty Bell
In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation announced that it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

The Sydney Iceberg
On April 1, 1978 a barge appeared in Sydney Harbor towing a giant iceberg. Sydneysiders were expecting it. Dick Smith, a local adventurer and millionaire businessman (owner of Dick Smith's Foods), had been loudly promoting his scheme to tow an iceberg from Antarctica for quite some time. Now he had apparently succeeded. He said that he was going to carve the berg into small ice cubes, which he would sell to the public for ten cents each. These well-traveled cubes, fresh from the pure waters of Antarctica, were promised to improve the flavor of any drink they cooled. Slowly the iceberg made its way into the harbor. Local radio stations provided excited blow-by-blow coverage of the scene. Only when the berg was well into the harbor was its secret revealed. It started to rain, and the firefighting foam and shaving cream that the berg was really made of washed away, uncovering the white plastic sheets beneath.

The Left-Handed Whopper
In 1998 Burger King published a full page advertisement in USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously, according to the press release, "many others requested their own 'right handed' version."

15th Annual New York City April Fool’s Day Parade
In 2000 a news release was sent to the media stating that the 15th annual New York City April Fool's Day Parade was scheduled to begin at noon on 59th Street and would proceed down to Fifth Avenue. According to the release, floats in the parade would include a "Beat 'em, Bust 'em, Book 'em" float created by the New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle police departments. This float would portray "themes of brutality, corruption and incompetence." A "Where's Mars?" float, reportedly built at a cost of $10 billion, would portray missed Mars missions. Finally, the "Atlanta Braves Baseball Tribute to Racism" float would feature John Rocker who would be "spewing racial epithets at the crowd." CNN and the Fox affiliate WNYW sent television news crews to cover the parade. They arrived at 59th Street at noon only to discover that there was no sign of a parade, at which point the reporters realized they had been hoaxed. The prank was the handiwork of Joey Skaggs, an experienced hoaxer. Skaggs had been issuing press releases advertising the nonexistent parade every April Fool's Day since 1986.

Anyone else have some interesting and funny April Fool's Day jokes to share?

*Stories found at The Museum of Hoaxes

Meet Sarah, my newest character. She came banging on the doors of my mind these last few days, demanding that I tell her story, so I've decided to give you a little peek into her world:

I thought I would be an accountant when I grew up. I could even maybe see myself doing something a little more adventurous like pushing paper at a law firm. Never once in all my childhood imaginings did I dream that I would become Buffy the daemon slayer.
Ah, yeah, that was daemon, not vampire. No vampires in my neck of the woods. Thank God, because come to think of it, if there were, I’d probably be stuck hunting them down too. Thank goodness for small favors I guess. I’ve got enough on my plate lately as it is dealing with the mangy hell beasts that come through the gateway.

And no, my name’s not really Buffy. Again, thank goodness for small favors. It’s Sarah. Plain old Sarah, who should have been a plain old accountant. But fate can be a funny thing. Okay, I’m leaning more towards lousy. Fate can be a damn lousy thing.

Take tonight for instance. It’s really not my night. Actually, night isn’t much my thing at the best of times, I tend to pass out around nine if given half the chance. Another reason why I’m really itching for that accounting software.

But since I came into this fateful occupation just a month ago, I’ve been forced to assume perma night owl status. I spend my time from dusk to dawn prowling the darkest corners of Toronto, not in search of the next happening club, which is what I should be doing at twenty-three years old, but on the hunt for daemons.

I feel no bitterness about that. Really.

It sounds ridiculous. Unbelievable. I know, because that’s exactly what I thought myself when I was attacked by one of these things on my way home from school last month and ended up stuck with the job of killing them.


*Art by Amanda Prue www.amandaprue.com

The release date for My Immortal looms closer and closer, and so starts the necessary rounds of promotional "appearances". At least I don't have to leave my computer, and neither do you!!

Join me at Romance At Heart Magazine and read my very first interview. J.K.Coi Interview

Let me know how you like it, and I'm happy to answer more questions, just post them here for me!

Isn't it purty?!



Please come and visit my website at jkcoi.com for more information about Book Two in the Immortals Series, coming July 15, 2008 from Linden Bay Romance!