(By Pujanak (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
I know it seems really early, but I've been thinking of Christmas already this year. I started making a list, planning what I would buy for the kiddies and thinking about some of the other things I want to do for the holidays.
It's been a few years since I really went all out. I used to make lots of glass ornaments, bake a ton of different kinds of cookies, decorate the house and hang lights outside. One year, I even started stitching a stocking for my son (and never finished it).
I don't quite know why I've caught the bug already this year (I actually went shopping and bought three gifts already). Maybe I'm just looking for ways to procrastinate when I know I should be writing. But I think it's more than that. This was a very very busy year for me and I spent most of it alone in my writer's cave. I need this holiday. As a way to rejuvenate and reconnect with my family. I want to make the holiday a bright and cheerful one to get ready for another busy year in 2009.
So I will be starting by setting aside one evening a week to go out in the garage and cut glass for ornaments. I think Mondays because I won't feel too guilty since I write all day. As Christmas gets closer too, I look forward to choosing a few quiet Sunday afternoons to bake cookies with my son, which we will then package into individually-sized baggies for giving to our friends.
Have you started to make Christmas plans too then? What are some of your favourite traditions?
Friday, November 07, 2008
GUEST AUTHOR: Stormy Glenn
Let me welcome author Stormy Glenn to the blog today!
I've asked Ms. Glenn a few questions about her new release, Secret Desires and here's what she had to say:
Why did you decide to write Secret Desires?
When I started writing Secret Desires, it was simply entitled Leyland. I just love that name. I basically started the story around that. Then different ideas started popping into the chaos that is my creative streak, the "what ifs".
What if Leyland was a cute neurotic guy from the city that got lost or something and met this really hot rancher? Oh… what if the rancher was a werewolf and the alpha of his pack? Okay, then, what if Jake, the alpha rancher werewolf already had a lover? How could I bring the three of them together? Oh, and… you get the idea.
I didn’t get the idea for the werewolf part until like the third chapter. I had to go back and do a bunch of rewrites. At one point, I was almost done with the book but didn’t like the way it was going so I deleted over 30 pages and started those chapters over. I think it came out better with the new chapters.
Why do you write the kind of romances that you do?
I write pretty much anything and everything. You should see the mess that is in my head. I have an entire file on my computer that is nothing but ideas. I don’t think, as a writer, we should be tied down to one genre. I think it makes a better story to just write it, then figure out where it fits.
I am a very firm believe in love at first sight, true love, soul mates, and happy endings. All of my books have happy endings, somehow! But true love doesn't come easy. You have to work for it and it takes constant maintenance. I try to convey that in my stories. Never take what you have been given for granted. Appreciate it, savor it, and never let it die.
Before you go, tell us a little bit more about you.
I believe the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. I also believe in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.
When I’m not being a mother to my six teenagers or cleaning up after my two 70 pound lap puppies, you can usually find me cuddled in bed with a book in my hand and a puppy in my lap. Or on my laptop, creating the next sexy characters for my stories.
I welcome comments from readers. You can find me at www.stormyglenn.com or contact me at stormyglenn@hotmail.com or on my author bio page at Siren Publishing.
Secret Desires: Secret Desires is due for release on Monday, October 20, 2008 through Siren Publishing’s Menage Amour line. You can find it here. For more information on this book and more, come visit me at www.stormyglenn.com
How do you answer a handsome cowboy when he asks if you want to take a ride on his horse, especially when he guarantees that it will be a wild ride? For Leyland the answer is simple… hell yes! But what if his cowboy already has a lover?
Ask away people. Stormy Glenn will be visiting throughout the day to answer any questions you might have about her character Leyland, her book Secret Desires, anything you may have wanted to know about rancher werewolve menages...
Thursday, November 06, 2008
GUEST AUTHOR: Jenny Gilliam
Writing and the Other Woman
Writing is my first love.
It has been a constant in my life even when I spurned it. Which I did. Often. It was waiting patiently in the recesses of my mind, knowing that one day, I would come to my senses and sit back down at the computer. Which I did. And spurned it again. I won't bore you with this seemingly endless process that has marked my twenties. Let's just say the last time I sat back down, I kept my butt on the chair and finished something for the first time in my life. Well, like four somethings. In less than a year.
Before I had a chance to enjoy the success, however, reality intruded. Or rather, reality in the form of: "MOMMY!!!!!" Need I say more? How about: "Where are my socks? Can you wash my work jacket? When are you going grocery shopping? I need to go out into the shop for the next five years. See you when I'm forty." And then there's: "Why haven't you been returning my calls? I e-mailed you three times? Are you dead? All you ever do is write!"Once I overcame the dilemma of my own neuroses (i.e. laziness, fear of success/failure, an underwater basketweaving class to take), I realized that I had a whole slew of others to contend with.
For the last ten years, I have devoted myself to my family and friends. This has, by no means, been a hardship. I love my family. I love my friends. That goes without saying. But, now, my first love, that other woman, has come back into my life, this time to stay (I hope). How in the world do I juggle this? I spent the first two weeks of November 2006 hunched over my keyboard, pounding out the last 160 pages of my first novel. I finished it in a fervor; red-eyed and hissing at my family when approached for things like OJ, snacks, and dinner. I resented every moment that took me away from my computer.
When the dust settled and I came up for air, I realized that this approach doesn't work. Not for me and certainly not for my family. I came up with a pretty good working plan: I will write every morning for two hours while my daughter is in school (provided that my three-year-old son isn't scaling the walls and/or poking his stubby little fingers into the fish’s eye sockets) and when I have dead time at work (I have a very good boss).
It's all good in theory. But, as I walk by my desk, a laundry basket glued to my hip, I stare longingly at the square, flat screen. At the boxy keys that sound like heaven as I run my fingers over them, tapping out a melody my heart and soul recognizes. I begin to pant. A flush creeps its way up my throat. I can literally feel the power that sings through my fingers as I pour my soul out onto the page.
“Come on,” it taunts. “Just for a minute. Nobody will notice. Barney is on. The boy is fine. You know you want to.” I have no self-control. I smoke, I eat things that I know I'm not supposed to. I drink too much coffee. How can I possibly resist the power of this machine who holds me captive? I sit down, running my fingers lasciviously across the screen. Stop! a part of me screams. Once you start, the world will cease to exist!
And this is a bad thing?
In the end, the temptation passes. Why? One word: REVISIONS.
J.K.: Everyone say thank you to Jenny for joining us today. That was an awesome blog! Before she goes, she's going to share a teaser of her new release, The Truth About Roxy, available November 7 from the Wild Rose Press, and she'll be back and forth to reply to any comments. Thanks Jenny!
Working as the assistant librarian in her small, Southern home town, Roxy also anonymously pens the local love column, Ask Paula Rockwell— Thorton , Georgia 's answer to Dear Abby.
But when the door leading to Roxy's lifetime dream is slammed in her face by one of the good ol' boys, Roxy brings out the big guns--and turns the genteel town upside down with her racier, feminist, home-wrecking new format.
Paula Rockwell is making Sheriff Noah Kennedy's life crazy. He's got angry husbands lined around the block, demanding the cancellation of the column, fights breaking out and women catching their boyfriends' trucks on fire. If he ever gets his hands on that woman…
But he's got his hands full of Roxy at the moment, and if he ever discovers the truth about Roxy, all hell will break loose.
EXCERPT:
In the course of one weekend, women had become the bane of Noah’s existence.
He was beyond pissed; he was downright fuming. Between Roxy and Mary Lou’s little excursion to Atlanta and his conversation with Joe this morning, he wanted to rip something, anything apart. With his goddamn bare hands. And teeth.
To compound matters, he had just gotten out of a meeting with Merle Granger, who wanted to know if Noah could do anything about The Gazette and the Paula Rockwell column. Never mind Bobbie Townsend had the First Amendment backing her civil liberties.
He had a nasty headache and a raging case of lust that a twelve-pack of beer and two hundred miles hadn’t been able to put a dent in. He couldn’t yell at Mary Lou, because one look at her face this morning had sent him back the way he’d come.
Well, he would damn well deal with one of them. Noah stormed through the glass doors of the library. His manners abandoned him, a testament to his state of mind, as he failed to remove his Stetson. He scanned the circulation desk for the librarian who was causing mutiny in his body and…heart—no, mind.
“Can I help you, Sheriff?” Alice Monroe asked.
“I’m looking for Roxy.”
“She’s re-shelving books in non-fiction.”
He didn’t have a clue where non-fiction was, but damned if he’d ask. In his current mood, he might unload on the head librarian and get himself banned, Sheriff or no.
It took him under a minute to find her. She stood at the end of the 800’s, a book in her hand, her eyes on the top shelf.
She wore one of those God-awful jumpers, and she had done something to her hair. It floated down her back in sable and crimson waves, and the sides were clipped back by some metal contraption. He felt a wave of unwelcome lust punch him square in the groin. He tried to focus on the shapeless dress she wore, but now he knew what she hid under it.
Soft, pink skin, gorgeous curves and one amazingly perfect ass.
His groin tightened again, irritating him further. He wasn’t supposed to have these feelings for Roxy. Damn it, he wanted things back the way they were. As if she had put some sort of spell on him, bewitching him with her sexy body, he charged forward, ready to give her hell. She’d caused this. If she hadn’t…
What, Kennedy? Taken a shower in her own house? Hell, he was more pissed off at himself. For his reaction to her, and her lack of reaction to him. He’d never been in this place before. Women always chased him. All he’d ever had to do was sit back and wait to be caught.
It was unsettling to be the pursuer this time.
Roxy looked up as he approached, her lush mouth forming a little “O” of surprise. He swore she flushed just a little before looking back down at the cart of books she was shelving.
Satisfied he affected her on some level, he stalked toward her. “I need to talk to you.”
“Really?” she asked. “Well, it’s a good thing you caught me then. I’m awful hard to track down.”
Noah narrowed his eyes. Was she making fun of him? He closed the distance between them, looking hard into her wide green eyes. “You’re damned lucky I’m the law ‘round here, Roxanne.”
In a purely female move, she tilted her head back and fluttered her eyelashes. “Why, Sheriff, I had no idea.”
With frustration and lust dueling inside him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her body flush against him. Her soft, heavy breasts pushed against his chest, and he went from semi to full salute instantly. “I ought to haul your ass into lockup to teach you a lesson.”
All teasing fled. The shallow breaths she dragged into her lungs, and the flush that worked up her pretty neck were all Roxy. Unable to control himself, he pushed her against the metal bookshelf, widening his thighs to cradle hers.
“Noah,” she whispered.
She’d have to be dead from the waist down not feel how she affected him. While the rational part of his brain screamed This is Roxy!, the wild beast straining to break free looked down into her face, into eyes gone emerald with lust, and smiled.
This is Roxy.
Jenny began writing at the age of twelve, when she realized the voices talking in her head were characters, not a result of pre-teen induced psychosis. She’s been writing on and off for almost twenty years, but actively pursuing publication for the last three. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two children. She is the author of four novels. Jenny loves to hear from her readers. You can visit her at www.jennygilliam.com
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Have a break, have a Kit Kat
I admit it. I've been taking a break. Enter the large bowl of leftover Halloween candy.
Since finishing Dark Immortal in September I haven't written a word on any new wip, although I have done some promotional things like blog posts, interviews etc., and I prepared a proposal for a new book and started to flesh out ideas for another. I also had New Jersey to keep me busy for a while (both before and after). Then I needed sleep and lots of it. Halloween came and went, a few family functions, and before you know it a whole month has passed without me doing any real writing.
Huh, go figure.
It hasn't been until this week that I really began to think I should start to get a move on. Gideon has started talking to me late at night. Ever since book 1, he's been one of my favourite characters. A scientist at the core, he's methodical and deliberate, but also sweet and protective with a great sense of humour (Gideon is the one I based most closely on my husband, if you want to know). Becoming an Immortal really threw him for a loop, made him question everything that he was and all that he'd planned for himself and his life. He left Chandler at the end of book 1 in order to try and find out where he fit in this new world of Immortal and Demon...and found himself in L.A. where his journey became one of pain and loss.
But it's not only Gideon who has been talking, Lyssa is also eager to get a few words in. A very determined woman. One I'm still getting to know, but I'm already impressed by her strength and her determination, by her spunk and ability to see humour in everyday things, even after all that has happened to her. I can't wait to get more deeply into her head.
So I'm writing again, and I'm very excited about it! What have you all been up to? Are you doing NaNo? Have you challenged yourself in other ways to get something done?
This Week: Drop by Allie Boniface's blog today to read my new interview.
Thank you to my friend and fellow author Shiela Stewart for dropping by on Monday, I had a great time with her, and if you want to find Shiela's books, visit http://www.lindenbayromance.com
I have another special guest here tomorrow, author Jenny Gilliam, who will be talking about keeping balance between life and muse, and giving us a peak at her new book, The Truth About Roxy.
Then on Friday, don't miss my guest Stormy Glenn, who will be telling us a little bit about herself and her new book, Secret Desires.
Oh, and don't forget that if you signed up as a member of All Romance eBooks before November 1, 2008, then you're eligible for their free book giveaway in celebration of their birthday. What are you waiting for? Go and get my book for free!
Monday, November 03, 2008
GUEST AUTHOR: Shiela Stewart
Everyone please welcome Shiela Stewart to the blog. A fellow Linden Bay author and fellow Canadian, we have now entered phase two of our secret takeover of the romance world. (he he)
Thank you J.K. for having me on your blog today and allowing me to talk about my Darkness series.
What started out as a single book, Seducing the Darkness, has now spiraled out into a eight book series with the possibility of more. I never say I’m finished with a book when I write the final words because there is always the possibility of it coming back in some other form such as side-line characters demanding their own story. As is the case with the Darkness series.
Originally I had written the book so that the sun return at the end of Seducing, but when the idea for a second book came to mind, I decided to leave my characters in the dark…so to speak. So for the rest of the series with the exception of the last two, the sun is absent. Why is it absent, you may ask. Well let me explain.
A ritual was performed to bring back the basest of all bads, the king of vampires, Avadur. Without going into much detail and ruining book one I will tell you that sacrifices had to be made in order for Avadur to return and to have a cloak of darkness surrounding the city of Jacob’s Cove so the Vampires could rule.
Throughout the series, my heroes and heroines fight to protect the city from the vampires now attempting to take over the city and take out the last man standing who was involved in the ritual, Chaos.
The Darkness in my titles and the books have a few meanings. One is the most obvious. The sun has been blotted out and therefore the city is cast in darkness. The other is the epitome of what everyone thinks vampires stand for. Dark, dangerous blood thirsty night dwellers. The third is the darker side that is inside every human being, every creature. We all have dark thoughts sometimes, though we may not admit them or even act on them, they are there. The characters in my books deal with some of that as they fight to save their lives and their city.
The first two books have already been released, but instead of sharing them with you today, I thought I would share the latest release instead. Yes, maybe I’m a little cruel giving you a glimpse into the third book when you need to read the first two to truly understand the third book, but hey, life can be cruel sometimes.
I give you now, Embracing the Darkness, book three in the Darkness series:
Summary:
One upon a time Jonah Moore had it all. Then his wife and unborn child were taken from him, leaving his life darker than when Chaos and his evil vamps stole the sun. Now, Jonahs lost the will to face another day, which could be a problem, considering he’s just been turned into a vampire and is now destined to live for eternity.
As a nurse, Raven Moony was used to tending to the needs of others. Until an accident changes everything… When she is abducted and forced to tend to Chaos’ needs, she is more than ready to give in and willingly accepts her role as his slave.
Then Jonah enters the picture and she finds herself fighting for his safety and freedom as well as her own. Can she convince Jonah he should go on despite her own doubts? Can they open their hearts to love and learn that there is indeed life after death?
Shiela Stewart’s third novel in The Darkness series continues the heart stopping, action packed battle of light against dark. Enter a world where light shines from within and love always triumphs…even in the face of pure evil.
Excerpt:
There was blood, all around him, pools of it, teasing him, calling to him, and all he wanted was to drink it. Yet the closer he got to it, the further it was away. The scent of it, like strong copper, filled his nostrils and tantalized his taste buds.
He wanted it more than life itself.
Bolting awake, Jonah stared wide eyed into the room. Every part of him hurt.
“Jonah? Are you okay?”
He could smell her as if she were beside him. Her scent, her blood, called to him. “Stay away from me!” He felt his teeth ache and the urge to take grew tenfold.
“What’s the matter? Do you have another cramp?”
“No! Please, stay away from me.” Then she stepped up beside him and all he could think was take. He could hear her blood rushing through her veins, her heart as it pounded in her chest. With each whoosh, his body responded. “Please, just stay away from me.”
She clicked the light on over his bed and it was all he could take not to lunge at her and bite that supple vein at the side of her neck. “For God’s sake, Raven. Get lost!”
She stopped, tilted her head, then laid her hand on his head. “You need to feed.”
“Just leave me alone. Please. I beg of you.” If he could run away from her right now, he would.
“This won’t get any better unless you give your body what it wants. Here, drink.” She thrust her wrist out to him.
He slapped it away. “No!”
“What you’re feeling right now will only become more intense the longer you wait. Just take my vein and drink. I’ll be fine. I’ve done this before.”
He pushed her aside then rolled himself off the bed. He fell with a thud onto the cold tiled floor but the pain was nothing compared to what he felt inside. It was more intense than anything he’d ever felt before. It felt like fire ants were clawing through his veins, his mouth was so dry his lips stuck to his teeth and his head…all he heard in his head was the whooshing of her blood pumping through her veins.
It was going to drive him insane.
“Take it, Jonah,” she demanded, falling down beside him on the floor.
“I won’t drink from you.” He’d rather die.
“If you don’t drink now, Jonah, you’ll go insane and I refuse to let that happen.” She jumped up onto the bed and when she came back down, she had the knife in her hands. “Now, drink.” She slid it across her arm by her elbow then thrust it out at him.
“Stop it! What have you done?” But the blood, so red, so thick, so…juicy, called to him.
“I can stitch myself up after. Just drink.”
“Please don’t make me do this,” he pleaded.
“I have to.” She grabbed his head and thrust her arm to his mouth.
The instant the blood touched his lips he was compelled to take it in. He couldn’t help himself. She was delicious, so smooth, so gloriously sweet that he wanted to drink her up. And as he sucked on her arm, drawing in her blood, the ache began to subside.
“Good, that’s it, drink from me.”
Her voice was soft and soothing so similar to her blood. She was nectar and he was parched. Then he felt her go limp and when he looked up, he saw her beginning to sway.
Check out the entire Darkness series at: www.shielasbooks.ca or http://www.shielasbooks.ca/TheDarknessSeries.htm
Blogs: Dark Cravings Join my Newsletter and find out when my latest releases are due. shiela.stewart@lindenbayromance.com
Friday, October 31, 2008
Yay, I have the chance to do another Friday Funny!
Trouble is, it's halloween and halloween isn't really supposed to be funny, it's supposed to be scary, so what's a blogger to do?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Drop on by Dark Cravings blog, where I've posted a brand new excerpt of The Trouble With Destiny. I'm also offering a free e-copy for one lucky commenter today!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Since Halloween is soon to be here, I wanted to share another spooky post, but today I thought I'd give you one that's a little closer to home...
Before the loud crack of the shot had completely died out, Devon was standing by her side, not a foot away from her. He wrenched the gun from her hands.
Max fought. With everything she had, she fought him, but his strength...his strength was colossal...not human.
Oh my God, he’s not human.
He laughed again, obviously enjoying her struggles, her fear, and Max knew she was going to die. “You’re right.” His voice betrayed his excitement, the sick enjoyment he was getting from this. “On all counts, I’m afraid. I’m not human, you are going to die, and yes...I am reading your mind.”
His hand was tight around her throat now, squeezing, crushing her windpipe. She clawed at his wrist, his arm, trying to loosen his hold enough to pull oxygen into her burning lungs. Her vision was quickly going fuzzy and dark, black shadows like syrupy globs of ink floating in front of her eyes.
“Fuck you,” she rasped on her one last puff of air, fingers still clawing at the manacle of a wrist that held her to him.
His head bent to her neck, and she felt those teeth grazing the column of her throat, felt his tongue come out and lick the sweat from her skin in one long swipe. At that moment she knew exactly what was happening, exactly what she had unwittingly come up against—
Vampire.
His claws dug into the flesh and muscle of her upper arms as he pulled her closer to him. He smelled of dirt and blood and evil—exactly what you expected the essence of insanity to smell like. She gasped as the teeth tore through her skin with brutal efficiency. She could feel her blood trickling thickly down her neck to the valley of her breasts, sticky and hot. Inside her mind Max felt his satisfaction, his eagerness. He wanted to rip her apart like an animal, but she sensed he was weak and his need for her blood was great. He couldn’t afford to waste any of it with games.
The teeth that pierced her went deep, and she couldn’t help the moan passing across her lips at the sharp tug of his mouth on her skin as he started to draw her blood into his mouth. The sounds were like something out of a bad movie, sucking and slurping and great hungry swallows.
Oh God, this was really happening to her. She was going to die out here at the hands of this monster...and it’s all Baron’s fault.
~
Devon was surprised. Very surprised. What luck he was having this night. He let the woman’s smooth, rich blood fill him, heal him. He could feel the burns on his face fading and knew the charred, ruined skin was turning pink and healthy again. His body warmed as her blood started pumping in his starved veins.
He had intended to drain the woman dry—he sorely needed her rejuvenating blood to restore him to full strength—but she had surprised him with her spirit and fire, just as she had surprised him with her thoughts.
Baron.
Oh, it was too good to be true, but the proof was right there in her mind, in the fevered whisper of the damn Immortal’s name inside her head. The Immortal who had dared take his mate from him. The Immortal who had been close on his heels every night since then like a bloodhound after a scent.
Devon had been forced into hiding—an animal on the run. Hunted.
A week after losing Bettina, the bastards had found and raided his lair in the city, forcing him out onto the street just moments before dawn. He’d managed to avoid the sun, but only barely. And two nights ago, they’d found him again. Only by the skin of his pointed vampire teeth, by the strength of his hatred and desire to have vengeance upon their hides, had he managed to escape the fire they’d set to trap him. Thankfully, he found his way into the subway tunnels before the sun could do more than just blister his skin.
He still suffered from the painful burns, and it didn’t help that he was forced to seek shelter out here in the middle of nowhere to avoid the Immortals that continued to hunt him mercilessly. Here, where human traffic was non-existent at night, making human blood impossible to find. Injured and weak as he was, he needed a large amount of it to heal him completely and there was none to be found...until tonight. Until one lone woman’s car just happened to break down on the side of the road only meters from his newly appointed home sweet home.
Devon’s hatred for the Immortals thundered hotly in his veins. He hungered constantly for the revenge he had promised them. For what they had done to his beloved Bettina they both deserved to die—deserved more than death.
This surprising young woman would be his first strike against them.
Her sweet blood still flowed into his mouth, drawing a sharp moan of pleasure from his lips, and he drank until he knew she was but moments from her death.
Her heart had slowed, barely beating now, her breathing shallow. Her eyes were closed, long, soft lashes brushing the tops of her paper white cheeks, and her hand no longer clutched his wrist to pull him away, but fell limply to her side.
She really was a beautiful woman, and looking at her, Devon felt the loss of his Bettina sharply.
He pulled from her throat and scored his wrist with his teeth, pushing the bloody gash to her mouth.
Today I bring you Robie Madison, a 2006 Dream Realm award winner for her futuristic romance Love Partner, which has recently been released in print from Ellora’s Cave.
Oh, and you’ll all be very happy to know that I didn’t even have to bribe Robie to come on board today, she volunteered. So brave. So brave. She doesn’t know me very well.
So anyway, Robie it’s nice to have you here. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?—And I mean the real you, not the writer you. We’ll get to that later.
Thanks, J.K.! It’s great to be here—wherever here actually is.
Hum, the real me. Well, I’m passionate about traveling. I’ve visited and/or lived on 5 of the 7 continents. And polar bears—I have over half a dozen pictures and two carvings of this majestic creature in my office. Oh, and I’ve seen a polar bear roaming around near Churchill, Manitoba!
Really? I see squirrels. They reproduce every minute and like to climb into my attic. Occasionally I also see this cute little five year old with grape jelly all over his face. And if we start talking about the things running around inside my head, well then that's a whole other blog...
Sorry, didn't mean to go off on a tangent there...So tell me more.
When I’m not out having an adventure, I’m at home writing about one…or thinking about writing. When I need to work through a scene (which I always do first in my head) I either: a) go to the club and work out with weights, or b) fold laundry, or c) bake—which necessitates another trip to the club to work out, and so it goes.
How did you come to be a writer?
I’m pretty sure I was born a writer—but until about twelve years ago I was too busy doing things and going places. Then I read a news article about a local murder in which one of the key witnesses had to be placed in the Witness Protection Program. That one line generated the whole concept for my first book, Keeping Faith (published by Cerridwen as R.E. Matheson), and the ideas haven’t stopped. In fact, if anything, I struggle to keep up with my story ideas.
How does your background or experiences lend itself as fodder for your writing? (This should be interesting, given your books *g*)
Well, my latest contemporary erotic romance, Gay Paris, which is currently in edits and which happens to be a sequel to Good Enough for You, takes place in—you guessed it, Paris. I’m also working on two stories at the moment set in Wales. I visited both these places last year during a two month long summer holiday. The cultural struggles faced by my hero and heroine in Love Partner grew out of my own experiences living in Asia for three years. So, you could say that I’m very geographically oriented when I write, which came in handy when I created my own post-natural-holocaust world for Desperate Alliance.
If you could travel to another planet, where would you go, what one person would you bring with you, and what one thing would you take?
Crud, you mean I can only pick one?? Assuming there was a half-decent mode of space travel, I’d choose the inter-planetary tour special. I’d go with my family, ’cause I can’t just pick one of them. And I’d take a good travel guide. Oh, and a J.K. Coi novel. Wow, that was a really good answer :)
Okay, now for the important stuff: What’s your favourite colour? Food? Television show? Place to visit?
Black—but I’ve been told it’s the absence of color and so doesn’t count. But I look so good in it with my white hair and all. (I started going prematurely white at the age of 16, so I’ve been looking good in black for a while.) LOL Otherwise I pick vibrant colors—some favs include pink, red, and blue.
As for food—anything hot and spicy, just like my books.
Television—my current favourite is the new sci-fi drama Fringe. I especially like the mad scientist Dr. Walter Bishop played by John Noble. Actually, the entire cast is very good and the premise is enough to make anyone paranoid.
Place to visit—anywhere I haven’t been yet, which leaves quite a lot of the world unexplored. LOL My main goal is to get to South America and the Antarctic sometime this century.
Reading the blurb for Good Enough For You, I notice that your hero, Brent, and heroine, Daisy, had met before, but that their relationship barely got off the ground before it ended and since then Brent has gone through a hellish experience (though I doubt it’s the same kind of hell my characters face everday, huh?). So what happened to him, and has that affected how he will approach Daisy and a relationship with her this time around?
Actually, Brent and Daisy had a whirlwind courtship after first seeing each other across a crowded ballroom. They became engaged and…bad things happened.
This is a story about the power of love. Mushy, I know, but true. So often in that first flush of love—and good old-fashioned lust—people don’t always think about what commitment really means. Good Enough for You moves between the present and the past. It juxtaposes that earlier care-free time with the wisdom of experience and tough choices.
Okay, was there anything else you wanted to tell my five readers? (What? You were thinking you’d actually get some exposure on this blog?)
Have I mentioned how much I love polar bears?
Yes you did, and now I'm starting to wonder just how healthy this obsession of yours is...
Oh, and dragons are my latest craze. I have 4 dragon figurines in my office…and a book in the back of my brain. Or that I’m a caffeine-free zone?
Dragons too? I love dragons! But you'll have to drag me kicking and screaming from my coffee maker.
Thanks so much for sharing, Robie! Why don't you let everyone know the pertinent details.
Tonight at Blog Talk Radio, I'll be interviewed by author Cat Johnson on the What's Hot in Romance show here. Please tune in at 10:00 p.m. EST to listen! (OMG, I'm so nervous!)
Also, come over to Shiela Stewart's Dark Cravings blog all this week (starting today!) Together with fellow authors Shiela Stewart, Denyse Bridger, Mary Dressel, Carol North and Samantha Sommersby, we've planned a whole weeks' worth of scary fun which culminates in a fantastic party on Friday...Halloween!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Let's hear it for the miracle that is scheduled posting! Right now I'm in New Jersey at the Put Your Heart in a Book Conference--so if you're anywhere in the area, come on down to the book fair on Saturday from 4:00 to 5:30 at the Woodbridge Hotel and Conference Center, 515 Route One South, Iselin. Make sure to stop and say hi, I'd love to meet you!
While I'm gone...another FRIDAY FUNNY!!
Men have the Garage...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Welcome Shelley Munro!
I can't remember how Shelley and I "met"-but it was mostly likely me jumping around from blog to blog until I happened upon hers one day a while ago. I was immediately hooked. Shelley writes amazing, sexy books with shifters you can't wait to get your claws into. She's also travelled A LOT, and often shares her amazing stories and pictures.
She's agreed to come and talk about the inspiration for her newest release Tea For Two, so without further ado, here she is:
When JK asked me to blog I thought of several subjects to discuss. I thought about the places I’ve traveled to recently in the United States. I thought about Egypt, since that’s the setting for my current work-in-progress. No, I thought, discarding all of these options. I should tie my post to something relating to my new release. It’s called Tea For Two and is a contemporary romance about secrets, fortune telling and tea. And then inspiration hit me because next to breakfast, afternoon tea is my favorite meal.
Afternoon Tea
According to the history books, the Duchess of Bedford started the tradition of afternoon tea. There was a long gap between meals and the Duchess became hungry around four in the afternoon. She asked her servants to bring her a small meal of bread and butter plus cakes and tea to her boudoir. When others discovered her habit, they adopted it and the meal became known as afternoon tea.
I love afternoon tea—the associated rituals and traditions. When my husband and I lived in London we were lucky enough to have afternoon tea at the Ritz Hotel. We booked several weeks in advance and dressed in our best clothes since they’re very particular about the dress code (men have to wear a jacket and tie and jeans won’t do!). A pianist plays while the waiter comes around to take the tea orders.
With the arrival of our pots of tea came a plate of club sandwiches, followed by scones with jam and clotted cream and finally we were offered a selection of pastries to choose from. Very yummy, let me tell you!
Afternoon tea is also a lovely way to get together with friends and family. Most of the preparation can be done in advance and it’s a great way to actually use the china tea set that sits in the far corner of the pantry.
To make the perfect cup of tea:
1. Fill the kettle with fresh water and bring almost to the boil. Pour 5 – 10 cm water into the teapot and bring the remaining water to the boil.
2. Swirl the water around the pot to warm it, then drain and add the tea leaves. Use 1 teaspoon per person plus one for the pot.
3. Pour the freshly boiled water into the pot. Stir once or twice with a spoon, then place the lid on and brew for 3 – 5 minutes.
4. Pour the tea into cups using a tea strainer to catch the leaves (unless you’re reading the tea leaves of course!) Add milk or a thin slice of lemon and sugar to taste if desired.
I like smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber, or egg and cress sandwiches. My husband likes ham and English mustard. We both like scones with strawberry jam and thick clotted cream. Yum!
I thought I’d finish with the recipe for Neenish Tarts. It’s a small sweet tart, which is perfect for afternoon tea. It’s very much a downunder recipe since it was developed in Australia.
125 g (4 oz) butter 125 g (4 oz) sugar 1 egg 225 g (8 oz) flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg to the creamed mix and beat well. Sift the dry ingredients and mix into the creamed mixture until it forms a pastry. Knead well. Roll out and line patty tins. Prick and back for about 10 – 15 minutes at 180 C (350 F) When cold fill with the following filling.
Soften the butter and add the icing sugar, lemon juice and condensed milk. Mix until smooth and fill pastry cases. Once this mix is set cover with icing. It’s usual to cover half the tart with chocolate icing and half with a white icing.
My husband knows I enjoy afternoon tea so we’ve visited several Auckland hotels that keep up the tradition. We’ll often take his mother as a birthday or mother’s day treat. Definitely keep this in mind around mother’s day, and if you can’t find a hotel near you that does afternoon tea think about doing one yourself. It will make her day very special.
Do you like afternoon tea? Do you have special memories of afternoon tea with friends and family? What would be your favorite cake/sandwich to have for afternoon tea?
Monday, October 20, 2008
INTERVIEW: Author Kayla Perrin
I’m very excited to have another guest visit the blog for your enjoyment, and you’ll all be even MORE excited when I tell you that it’s the awesome Kayla Perrin who has agreed to be interrogated today!
Since 1998, Kayla has had over 32 original releases hit the shelves and has written for a variety of publishers. Her recent releases are with St. Martin's Press, Harlequin, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster, but she's also had releases with Kensington Books, BET, Ballantine, and Genesis Press. She writes mainstream fiction, romance, romantic suspense, suspense, chick lit, erotica, and children's fiction.
Whew. I’ve got to stop and take a breath.
Okay, to continue...
In January 2003, Kayla's novel, Say You Need Me, was voted one of The Romance Writers of America's Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year. In 2002, Kayla hit the Essence Bestseller List with her first mainstream novel, The Sisters of THETA PHI KAPPA. In October 2002, she won a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine for multicultural romance. Also in October 2002, she won a Golden Leaf Award for her novel, In An Instant from the New Jersey Romance Writers chapter of The Romance Writers of America.
And you know what, I’m sure there’s tons more, but I haven’t got the space to list all the amazing achievements of this fabulous writer—although I will add that she’s a member of the Toronto Romance Writers and I’m glad of it because it means that I get to pick her brain whenever I want to...or at least when she isn’t in Miami, England, Italy, New York, or the Bahamas, ‘cause the girl sure does get around.
So Kayla, after all that, is there anything else we could possibly digest about you? Maybe you could tell us a little bit about how you got started in this business and what you think was the turning point to get you where you are today?
Hi, JK, Thanks for having me today! I got started in the business officially in 1996. That’s when I made it my New Year’s resolution to get a publishing contract. I’d gone to teacher’s college and couldn’t get a job, as teachers all over the place were getting laid off. I had always been writing—since I could hold a pencil—so I thought to myself, why not go for your dream since your education isn’t landing you the job you want? I’d been writing for years, and started writing romances in my late teens. I researched the market when I decided that I would get published, and discovered that the romance genre was huge. I joined RWA, went to my first national conference, and took all the pitching opportunities available to me. That’s how I met an editor from Genesis Press, a small publisher eager for new authors. They asked me to submit as soon as possible, and I could possibly have a book out by the following spring. I hemmed and hawed for a couple of weeks, but my mother encouraged me to submit to them, so I did (in September) and in December, I got THE CALL with the offer of a 2-book contract!
Your latest erotic thriller, Obsession, about a woman who finds out that her husband has cheated on her and decides to exact a little revenge, takes a dangerous twist when her new lover gets a little too...obsessive. Obsession seems to have everything—betrayal, sex, danger, sex (I said that already didn’t I?) Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
Oh, boy! A loaded question, ha ha. Is it based on personal experience . . . well, I’ll never tell. First and foremost, I wanted to explore the idea of infidelity in a marriage that doesn’t necessarily end the marriage. And of course, my heroine ends up in a situation where what she thinks she wants puts her in peril. I love to dose many of my novels with suspense elements, so it was only natural that when I thought of the danger element here, an obsessive lover easily came to mind. It is easy for some people to confuse sex with love, and if the sex is out of this world fantastic, a person might not want to let that go. That’s the case with Sophie’s lover. She’s looking for a fling, ends up experiencing sexual heights she never thought possible, but in the process, she starts to lose herself. In the end, her affair may cost her her life.
What’s next for you? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Next up is the sequel to SINGLE MAMA DRAMA, which goes on sale in late December. The sequel is aptly named, SINGLE MAMA’S GOT MORE DRAMA. I left off the first book with a cliff-hanger—the first time I’d ever done that!—and believe me, I heard from tons of readers. I wish the wait hadn’t been so long for the sequel, but that was out of my control.
And this month, my very first novel was re-released by Genesis Press in a mass-market format. When I do booksignings, people often ask me where my first book is. Now, those who haven’t purchased it but want to can. Next year, I’ll have another intense erotic thriller out with Spice, and there are a couple of other books in the works.
Now for the most important questions:
1. What’s your sign, and do you think the traditional traits of that sign fit you? If so, in what way?
I’m a Gemini, and ABSOLUTELY the traditional traits of that sign fit me. I’m a big communicator. I’m full of ideas, and career-wise, could have gone in many directions (I went to teacher’s college, was accepted into law school, and I’ve worked as an actress and assistant film editor). Because I’m full of ideas and find it hard to stick to just one thing, I also write in various genres—this keeps my muse stimulated, fresh, and satisfied. Geminis are extremely creative, and I have been that my entire life. I didn’t just write, I used to paint/sketch, sew, sing (once upon a time) and act. My two greatest loves of all my creative endeavours were writing and acting.
2. Would you still be a writer if you won the lottery tonight and could do anything you wanted to do? Even if you still wanted to write, what other career do you think you might have been good at?
I’m glad you asked this question. I would absolutely still be a writer if I won the lottery tonight (and hopefully you’re sending luck my way!). I would be a writer if I wasn’t getting paid to do it. But if I won the lottery, I would definitely invest in my other passion—my desire to make a feature film. It’s been a dream of mine for years. I even just told my family over turkey dinner that if I won a huge amount in the lottery, I would be funding my own feature film. I wouldn’t have to star in it, but I would direct it, and maybe have a small role in the project.
3. What are your favourite movies and books? (you can’t say your own books...but you can say mine) Why?
Favourite books and movies...well, that’s another loaded question! As for books, I read voraciously in many genres. The book I pick up depends on my mood. I love suspense. Mary Higgins Clark is one of my favourite authors. I also love romantic suspense, romance, some paranormal, chick lit, mainstream fiction . . . and of course, your books! As for movies, The Shawshank Redemption is one of my all-time favourite movies, as is Thelma & Louise, and How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days. There are soooooo many others. You should see my book and DVD collection.
4. What has been your favourite place to visit? Did you write about it?
Do I have to pick just one?? (See, this is my Gemini inability to choose one thing out of so many options). If I have to pick one—well, heck, it’ll be two—I’ll say Paris, France. I absolutely LOVED Paris last year, and I’m working on a Spice Brief set in Paris. I can’t wait to go back there with the clothes on my back and an empty suitcase. It’s an incredibly beautiful place. Second place I’ll say—Miami. I don’t know why, but I have this affinity with South Florida. It’s like having the best of the modern world in a tropical setting, and I love the tropics (like Aruba, Mexico, Jamaica...see, I’m getting in more favourite places!).
5. Do you have any hobbies, things you do to relax?
Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, is that a trick question? Any free time I get, I’m reading or watching one of the hundreds of DVDs I have at home that I have yet to watch. But, okay, to be fair, one thing I love to do is travel. Again, as a Gemini, I love to explore and learn new things. I want to see all of the world—over and over again. I’m thankful that my job allows me to travel a lot. Someone once asked me if I don’t miss being at home, and I rolled my eyes and said, “As if!” For me, getting to go away is excitement. This year, I went to Mexico, Jamaica, San Francisco, Virginia, a couple other places, and I’m already thinking of going away before the end of the year. Geminis are always on the move, which makes it hard for me to always get time to read or indulge in a movie. Which is why I now devour audio books. You won’t find me listening to music in my car (unless a friend is along for the ride). I have to catch up on my TBR pile. Other than that, I like to get together with friends, which I’ve done a lot more recently, and that’s really nice. I am a great dancer, and used to go to clubs a lot...but I certainly don’t have the time these days. My biggest responsibility is being a single mother, so after that and my career, everything else is on the backburner. Luckily for me, I thrive in chaos, so an unplanned schedule works very well for me.
Kayla, thanks so much for being a guest today. This is your chance to say anything else you wanted to my readers—whether it’s about upcoming books, events, or whatever turns your crank.
Thanks for having me, JK. You know that OBSESSION is out from Spice, AGAIN, MY LOVE is out from Genesis Press, SINGLE MAMA’S GOT MORE DRAMA is coming in a couple months. You can find more information about me and all of my releases on my website, www.kaylaperrin.com. Oh—one thing I forgot to say is that my new passion (hobby) is making home-made DVD movies for friends and family—my daughter’s birthday parties, family gatherings, outings, etc. And I’m really good! Even when I procrastinate, I find a way to do it creatively. I’ve even made a couple of my own book trailers for SINGLE MAMA DRAMA and OBSESSION, which you’ll find on youtube.com.
And that’s all! Thanks again for giving me this opportunity, J.K. It’s been great! Kayla
Everyone leave questions for Kayla, she'll be stopping by throughout the day!J.K. Coi
Book Trailer: Obsession (Spice, September 2008)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
When I was young, it wouldn't have been Halloween without Disney! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...all good scary fun for a five year-old and I'm excited about showing these same classics to my son as he awaits Halloween this year!
Also, if you're planning a Halloween party? Try these fabulous spooky treats! (Courtesy of the Food Network)
Pecan Caramel Spiders
Ingredients 1 1/2 cups toasted pecans 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces 1/4 teaspoon salt 5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional
Directions Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.
Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.
Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.
Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.
Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.
Screaming Spice Cookies
Ingredients: Cookies: 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling out dough 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Icing: Hard candies, try yellow, red, black, (Jolly Ranchers preferred) 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoons egg white powder 3/4 teaspoon orange extract 1 1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 empty metal tuna fish can, (about 6 ounces) for cutting cookies (Remove the top and bottom of can and discard. Wash and dry well. Pinch the sides of the can together to make a skull-like shape. ) Lollipop sticks, available in craft or bakers' supply stores
Directions For the cookies: Whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Beat the butter in a large bowl with a handheld mixer until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the sugars, and continue beating until light, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients while mixing slowly to make a smooth dough. Divide dough in half and press each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Transfer 1 disk of dough to a floured work surface and roll about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into cookies with a pinched tuna can (see below). Transfer cookies with an offset spatula to a nonstick or silicon lined baking sheet.
Cut out eyes and a mouth with a pastry tip, fat straw, or a knife. Press the lollipop sticks into the narrow end of each cookie, if using. Repeat with remaining dough. Press excess dough together, roll and cut into cookies. Refrigerate cookies for at least 30 minutes.
Evenly space the racks in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Put the candies in a small plastic bag and hit with a rolling pin to break into little pieces.
Bake the cookies just until they are set, about 20 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven and carefully sprinkle the broken candies into the eyes and mouth of the cookies. Continue to cook until the candy liquefies, about 3 minutes more. Cool cookies on pan for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool cookies on a rack.
For the icing: Whisk the water, egg white powder and orange extract in a medium bowl until foamy but smooth. Gradually whisk in the confectioners' sugar to make a smooth icing. Spread a layer of icing over the entire surface of the cookies with the back of a teaspoon. Let rest until the icing sets, about 30 minutes. Serve or store in a covered container for up to 3 days.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Promo Day!
Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you--Enter the week-long contest being held at The Long and Short Reviews here for a chance to win not only an e-copy of The Trouble With Destiny, but also a copy of My Immortal (book 1, Immortal Series)
_____________________________________________
Wow, if you want to read interviews, today is the day!
First, go to the Long and Short: Whipped Cream. I had a great time talking with them about the erotic romance genre. While you're there, you can check out their website for my recipe for White Chocolate and Kirsch Mousse--Mmm.
Then hop on by the Midnight Moon Cafe for interview number 2, where I'll also be offering a free e-copy of The Trouble With Destiny to one lucky commenter.
And finally, all this week I'm being interviewed by Amy Ruttan over at the Linden Bay Romance blog on MySpace. (You'll also be able to find the entire interview at Six Degrees of Sexy on release day: October 15)
But the party's just starting, so don't go too far. Tomorrow I'll be at Bitten by Books blogging about...Halloween! and one more person will have a chance to win a copy of The Trouble With Destiny! And I'll also be featured on the Whipped Cream Yahoo Group. Then on Friday I'm a featured author over at Dark Diva Reviews.
Ah, but before you start thinking it's all about me (too late, right?), I want to tell you about the amazing line-up of authors that I've got visiting the blog here the rest of the month:
On October 20, I'll be interviewing award-winning author Kayla Perrin. Kayla is a USA Today and Essence bestselling author with over 30 books in print. You don't want to miss her most recent release, Obsession !
On October 21, the fabulous Shelley Munro will be blogging with us about her new book Tea for Two which is out from Samhain Publishing on October 14!
October 29, I'll be interviewing award-winning author Robie Madison about her new release Good Enough for You, which is being released October 24 from Ellora's Cave.
October is going to be a SCREAM!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
THRILLER
Whatever you may think about Michael Jackson, there's no doubt that Thriller was (and still is) the most awesome music video ever--my Halloween favourite for sure!
You Tube has disabled embedding of this video (for whatever reason), so I can't post it here, but the link is here and in honour of freaky rockin' zombies everywhere, you should definitely go and watch!
Friday, October 10, 2008
For today's spooky post, a poll:
Halloween, 1978
OR
Halloween, 2007
For me, it was the original because it was the first horror film that I was allowed to watch and it brings back the memories. I remember sitting at home with my mom and dad and a friend who'd come for a sleepover. We had to ask her parents if it was okay for her to watch the movie too. By the middle of the movie, I couldn't hold the popcorn bowl in my lap anymore, because I'd already spilled it once. Neither my friend or I could turn out the light at bed time that night...or for a long time afterward if I remember correctly. Which did you like best? What other scary movies bring you closer to the Halloween spirit?
Oh, and click here to play Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe...if you dare ha ha ha. (Remember, I warned you, LOL)
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Getting Ready for Halloween
Besides the costumes for the kids and a couple shopping bags full of candy, what do you do to get ready for Halloween?
We love Halloween at our house, and every year we start thinking of the new prank we'll play on the neighbourhood. We always plan the scene carefully, lots of spooky decorations and scary music and the kids love it.
But now I'm talking about a different kind of preparation. The mental kind. Putting yourself in the right frame of mind for blood and guts and murderous doings (all in good fun, remember). For the rest of the month, in between my promotional events for the release of The Trouble With Destiny, I'll be focusing on Halloween and posting snippets and clips and pics from all my favourite scary things.
Today: What do you read when you want that scary thrill? For me, it's always Stephen King (big surprise). Here are the opening lines from one of my favourite scary Stephen King tales:
Autopsy Room Four
It's so dark that for awhile—just how long I don’t know—I think I’m still unconscious. Then, slowly, it comes to me that unconscious people don’t have a sensation of movement through the dark, accompanied by a faint, rhythmic sound that can only be a squeaky wheel. And I can feel contact, from the top of my head to the balls of my heels. I can smell something that might be rubber or vinyl. This is not unconsciousness, and there is something too...too what? Too rational about these sensations for it to be a dream.
Then what is it?
Who am I?
And what’s happening to me?
The squeaky wheel quits its stupid rhythm and I stop moving. There is a crackle around me from the rubber-smelling stuff.
A voice: "Which one did they say?"
A pause.
Second voice: "Four, I think. Yeah, four."
We start to move again, but more slowly. I can hear the faint scuff of feet now, probably in soft-soled shoes, maybe sneakers. The owners of the voices are the owners of the shoes. They stop me again. There’s a thump followed by a faint whoosh. It is, I think, the sound of a door with a pneumatic hinge being opened.
What’s going on here? I yell, but the yell is only in my head. My lips don’t move. I can feel them—and my tongue, lying on the floor of my mouth like a stunned mole—but I can’t move them.
The thing I’m on starts rolling again. A moving bed? Yes. A gurney, in other words. I’ve had some experience with them, a long time ago in Lynden Johnson’s shitty little Asian adventure. It comes to me that I’m in a hospital, that something bad has happened to me, something like the explosion that almost neutered me twenty-three years before, and that I’m going to be operated on. There are a lot of answers in that idea, sensible ones, for the most art, but I don’t hurt anywhere. Except for the minor matter of being scared out of my wits, I feel fine. And if these are orderlies wheeling me into an operating room, why can’t I see? Why can’t I talk?
He sets it up perfectly, don't you think? You've already read the title. In the first scene you get a very clear picture that this guy is lying on a bed, confused about what's going on, and more importantly-unable to move or speak.
As this poor guy becomes aware of the fact that he's actually in the autopsy room, he starts to worry:
Surely they won’t really cut me up, will they? Pete is no veteran, but he has had training; surely he’ll see the marks of whatever bit me while I was looking for my ball in the rough, and then they’ll at least suspect. They’ll have to suspect.
Yet I keep seeing the scissors with their heartless satin shine—jumped-up poultry shears—and I keep wondering if I will still be alive when he takes my heart out of my chest cavity and holds it up, dripping, in front of my locked gaze for a moment before turning to plop it into the weighing pan. I could be, it seems to me; I really could be. Don’t they say the brain can remain conscious for up to three minutes after the heart stops?
"Ready, doctor," Pete says, and now he sounds almost formal. Somewhere, tape is rolling.
The autopsy procedure has begun.
Monday, October 06, 2008
I've got a lot to finish up this week, so instead of a deep and meaningful blog ('cause we all know I'm really good at those), I thought I'd leave you with one of my favourite Fall recipes, since I was doing some baking this weekend.
I hope you like cranberry muffins. (And stop by the Vauxhall Vixens tomorrow because we'll be sharing more recipes and I'll have another one for you)
Cranberry Muffins
1½ cups of flour
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup orange juice
1 tblsp orange zest
1½ cups cranberries
Coarse sugar to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour a muffin tin.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. Beat oil and sugar. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add orange juice and zest. Add flour mixture and stir only until mixed. Fold in cranberries. Spoon into muffin tins. Sprinkle some coarse sugar on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Happy Birthday to All Romance eBooks!!
It's our birthday and we're celebrating by giving you a present!
All Romance eBooks will be celebrating our second birthday on November 1, 2008 and we couldn't think of a better way to mark the occasion than by passing on the gift of an eBook to as many readers, publishers, and authors as possible.
On November 1st all registered customers will receive a code good for one* free download! (*one click buys and bundles excluded) The customer picks the book, we purchase it, and authors and publishers earn their royalties. It's as simple as that.
And, not only is it simple now, it's simple every day to shop at All Romance eBooks. Simple category searches, simple checkout process, and a simple buy-ten-get-one-free reward program.
Help us spread the word to those that read eBooks and to anyone you think might like to try one. We have All the romance you need from all the publishers you love—and now we're giving it away!
With my newest book, The Trouble With Destiny, being released from Linden Bay on October 15, I'm going to be busy as I head out on another virtual promotional tour.
Starting tomorrow, Friday, October 3 please join me for the first of many different events. I'll be over at Love is an Exploding Cigar as I talk about writing humour...
I'm also hosting an interview for fellow Linden Bay author G.A. Hauser on the Linden Bay Romance blog to celebrate her release of Exposure, out this October 1, so drop by every day during the week of October 6-10 to find out more about this author's many great books!
Author of contemporary and paranormal romance, steampunk and horror. I love to showcase other authors and their books so give me a shout if you'd like a little screen time at jkcoi(AT)rogers(DOT)com
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