Love, Light and Shadows...

2011-12-27T17:05:00.001-05:00

Well, Christmas is over, and the new year fast approaches. I've scanned a few 2011 Top Ten lists and feel so woefully inadequate in my reading. Divergent was on almost every list and I totally agree. Then there were the contemporaries. Yeah... Not my thing. I want more, the paranormal/supernatural/something other in my reads. I could probably do a list of Top Ten Stinkers easier than I could do my own Top Ten, but I won't stick my head on any chopping blocks.

But I will give you my Top Five favorite reads this year:
Divergent
Across the Universe
Hourglass
Die for Me
The Iron Fey series (read them all this year)

Come on, 2012!! There are SO many books I'm anticipating in the coming months. What about you? Favorite reads? Anticipating a great one?

NEW WIP

2011-11-23T16:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I think y'all might now by now, when I get quiet on here, Facebook and Twitter it's because I'm in over my head in a story. Well, I am so totally in over my head, and loving it! The dark atmosphere, the beauty of twisted characters and the heart-wrenching romance... My agent and I are playing this one really close to the vest, so the only hints I'll give are the picture above, and it may or may not have something to do with Gothic Fiction, and I call it NewToy online. I'm sharing the playlist, thinking maybe you can get a feel for the story through music. Some songs are for sound, some are from her, some are for him, all get played over and over.

NewToy Playlist

Eclipsed -- Evans Blue

So Much -- The Spill Canvas

All Around Me -- Fly Leaf

Breaking Inside --Shinedow

Perfect -- Burn Season

Closer -- Burn Season

Staplegunned -- The Spill Canvas

Decode -- Paramore

You're Not Alone -- Saosin

Fix Me -- Ten Years

Monster You Made -- Pop Evil

CONTEST LINKAGE

2011-11-01T16:44:00.003-04:00

Oo! Y'all, my Oasis sister is having a contest on her blog to celebrate her 3-book deal with Tor Teen. Trust me, you want to go enter, so, Go already! Jessica Souders Book Deal Extravaganza

A Taste of A TOUCH MORBID!!

2011-10-31T10:16:00.002-04:00

Y'all know I'm a HUGE Leah Clifford fan. She rocks, and her books do, too! I've been trailing behind her snuffling up any A TOUCH MORBID crumb she drops. Well...she dropped the motherload on her blog, with a contest to win a copy, too!

Go HERE for A Touch Morbid description and to enter the contest!

NEW TOY!

2011-09-13T11:55:00.003-04:00

**borrowed from Zindy on DeviantArt**

Ooo am I in love with this new idea! It's a retelling/revisionist piece, taking a classic fairytale and spinning it dark and steampunk-ish. Corsets. Enchanted steam-driven machinations. Dark atmosphere. Swoony romance. Oh yeah.

Are you a member of #YAlitchat? A member of the First Five Pages critique group there? If so, you can go read the first five pages and get the scoop on the longline. If not...WHY NOT?! YALitChat is full of amazing content for YA writers, including peer critique groups for your query, your synopsis, first five pages, and more! If you're a YA writer, check it out: YALitChat

THE RIGHTS ARE POSTED

2011-09-02T12:10:00.003-04:00

The rights to DRENCHED have been posted on Publishers Marketplace. In case you can read the listing, I've copied it here:

Fringe meets True Blood, but with Weres taking a leading role.

Anything-but-typical teen Avery Frost experiences body-torquing pain with every full moon. Her geneticist father insists it's all in her mind, and keeps her locked away at home when the moon is full. Avery knows he's hiding something, from her and from himself.

It's been four years since the Nightbreeds outted themselves, creating an uneasy 'separate but equal' society. Avery fears her agony is an indication she's the next one who'll shift and be hauled off and locked away at the all-werewolf Fulsom Alternative Academy. But every cycle only brings more intense, mind-shattering, life-draining suffering.

When werewolf Prime Thorn Mitchell catches Avery's scent, he knows she's Wolf, alright, but there's something off, something not quite right. His job is to reveal her for what she is, force her to enter Fulsom and accept her breed. The revelation creates utter chaos and misery. Avery's father is kidnapped for the work he's been doing, work that will reveal the lies he's told her her entire life about who she is. What she is. She is the pinnacle of a scientific experiment that will bring the Nightbreed packs to war. An assassin stalks the halls of Fulsom Academy, assigned with making certain Avery, and the threat she represents, is eliminated.

As a broken Wolf unable to shift, with secrets lurking in her genetic makeup that could either save her life or kill her, Avery turns to the boy who destroyed what was passing for her 'normal' life. Together, they try to find her kidnapped father and assemble the missing pieces of the mystery of her birth to allow her to shift into what she is to become, or die.

Rights Available: World

Contact:

Gina Panettieri
Talcott Notch Literary Services
gpanettieri@talcottnotch.net
phone: 203-876-4959
fax: 203-876-9517
2 Broad Street, Second Floor, Suite 10, Milford, CT 06460

Little diddy

2011-08-01T16:00:00.005-04:00

WOW has it been a long time since I posted! Bad, Ann. Bad!

Anyway, I'm back today with a little diddy for y'all, an entry for my friend's Heather Howland's A Picture's Worth a Thousands Words contest, complete with the picture that inspired the piece.

He’s down there somewhere, I think. Just left me behind…

And I hate him for it.

There’s no coming back from Hallow’s Lake. Sure they dredged the lake and retrieved Dashel’s bloated, discolored body. I know he’s still down there. His sighs wash ashore with every wave, his laughter dances in wet mocking tones around the pillars beneath my feet. It’s easy to imagine the gull’s cry is Dash’s too. But Dash never cried until that night.

I slouch to the dock, the water soaking my dress when I slide forward and dip my feet in.

I wish I could feel the chill like I used to, or feel the bubbles tickling my toes. I can’t. There’s nothing beyond the aching heart in my chest, I’ve been numb since Dashel left. I hate him for that, too.

The sun drifts on it’s lazy path from the sandy beach to the east toward the twilight trees on the west shore. Just past noon, I droop to the dock and slide my legs along the edge. My fingers dangle in the water, distorted beneath the surface. Please Dash, just a brush of your fingers…

Sunlight rolls in soft rumples of the surface. An oval of light beyond my reach takes on features until Dashel’s face is achingly close and so very far beyond my reach. I watch the ghost reflection move closer, until the wavy blond strands of his hair enclose my fingers. A sob catches in my throat, and I wish the tear I feel burning my eye would fall and give me some relief.

Dash, I think.

His lips curl into the smile I loved.

Despite my ache, my want to be in his arms, this is all the closer we can be.

Everything changed the moment he plunged beneath the surface.

One more smile, a light in the darkness he left behind for me, and Dashel’s apparition dissolves back into the placid blue waters of Hallow’s Lake. A gull cries for me. No sound squeezes past the lump in my throat. I’ve been mute and empty for too long now. I know the moment I lost everything, but I can’t remember when it was. A week? Months? My hollow forever stretches ever on.

The sun flirts with the edge of the shadowed trees in the west. Beads of burning light wave like a dancing necklace in an evening breeze that doesn’t touch me. Nothing has touched me except the pain in my chest for so long now.

What I wouldn’t give to feel the sun, the water.

What I wouldn’t give to return to the moment life veered forever off course.

I rise as every night since, my feet splashing silently in the water slicking the dock. I used to fantasize about falling in, drowning like Dashel, but we’re stuck in this loop of me needing him, him being just beyond reach. The shoreline rises in white sand hills, tufts of biting beach grass and twilight shadows that have become more familiar than life. A familiarity I never achieve.

A jittery sensation skates my nerves, an echo of the fear I felt that night.

Even the entirety of that feeling is denied me.

Ahead lie, not the source of the fear, but the reminder.

Deep black brown stains the dock boards just a few feet from the shore I cannot touch. The first time I saw the stain it was wet crimson, shiny with my blood and peppered with the chunks of the car’s windshield.

Now it’s a flat, dark reminder of all we had before. And what I cannot go beyond.

I’m compelled to repeat this cycle until Dashel or I can move past the fight that brought us to this lakeside purgatory. My feet drag forward, the bruising evident beneath the hem of my dress. The skitter along my nerves increases, a itch just out of reach that deepens with every inch closer to the stain on the wooden slats.

My toe brushes the edge, and twilight sucks in a breath. Then, a broken china doll, I collapse to the point where my life bled out. Karma yanks me back to the ghost of Dashel’s car where it smashed into the guard rail.

The lakeshore twists savagely around me as my death rewinds to the moment where I screamed, “Dashel, NO!”

He couldn't hear me over his own sobs.

You see, I broke his heart when I told him I wanted a break.

Now, we are both broken by the deaths my arrogance caused.

The car crashed into the guard rail. The momentum launched Dashel through the windshield and into the water, and flung my body to the pristine dock.

Where would we be if I hadn’t wanted something new?

Dashel would be alive, his soul not trapped in the lake where he drown. I would be alive, maybe happy and content in the light of his smile, instead of cursed to haunt this dock, always aching for what I wanted to give away.

Now I can’t even tell him I love him, though my dead and aching heart tells me that truth with every moment.

I love you, Dashel.

I loved you then...

On the WSJ Darkness too Visible article

2011-06-05T11:01:00.001-04:00

Those who know me know I do not get up on a soapbox very often. Today, I'm on the box, with a megaphone, so be warned.

Twitter was awash with #YASaves this morning, and seeing as I follow the YA writer's community almost exclusively, I saw a lot of outrage and fighting back. When I drifted to FB I found a soft-spoken, tad sorrowful status update by Alison from Egmont USA and decided maybe I should check out this article.

It starts out with a mother going to a B & N and being horrified at the amount of vamps and weres and lurid covers. Poor mommy. (sarcasm totally mine) My mother would be lost in the sea at night, too. If you don't know what you're seeking, it's all going to be dark and threatening. Don't go out and bad mouth what you don't know or understand.

I reached this line:: Entertainment does not merely gratify taste, after all, but creates it :: and stopped reading.

Really, Mr. Article Writer??

Entertainment does not merely gratify taste, after all, but creates it?? Pardon me but, fuck that noise. My daughter is 15, inhales YA lit about vamps and weres and other dark things and she is not becoming what she reads, and does not just seek out more of the same. Our loved-like-my-own-daughter family friend is 19 and reads the same as my real daughter. Hell, we all share the same books. They are both virgins, don't date the bad boys who do bad things, don't do drugs, etc. How is this a symptom of what they read creating what they want to read, or creating who they are becoming?

Yes, there is bad language in YA. Yes, there are shadows to peek into in the YA section of the local bookstore. Yes, there are bad things depicted in graphic realism. Yes, there are books of loss and despair. They are not our teens, our teens are not becoming them.

Yes, there is bad language in the YA community-I have teens, I hear it everyday. Yes, there are shadows to peek into in the YA section, where a bright light of inner strength shines. Yes, there are bad things depicted in graphic realism where growth and survival of spirit win out. Yes, there are books of loss and despair where new beginnings and love shine through.

The world isn't pretty. Teen life is occasionally ugly as hell. Don't try to deny it by denying the worth of the darkness too visible to those who do not want to admit it exists.

YA SAVES

Wanna know more? Search the #YAsaves hashtag.

Silly on Sunday

2011-03-27T10:19:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's because I slept last night. Or maybe because I haven't had any caffeine yet. Either way I'm feeling kinda silly today, so I figured I'd give you a few things I bet you didn't know about me.

1. I have two long parallel white scars angling across my forearm from a bad mopping incident. Lying to myself and saying I liked the quiet, alone time, I used to clean houses before I decide to seriously pursue publication. The houses were pretty, mostly upscale cottages on Lake Michigan. One of the last times I cleaned I fought a mop and the mop won. The sponge head broke off and the metal it was screwed to ripped across my forearm. Then, I had to clean up the blood with cleaning rags. Yippee.

2. The gold band on my left index finger is my Dad's wedding band. After he passed away it was the one thing I said I wanted. I got my creativity, my work ethic, and capacity to love beyond faults from him.

3. I have a stuffed animal addiction. Wanna make me happy? Bring me a stuffy.

Prompt writing

2011-03-25T10:27:00.004-04:00

Y'know I used to HATE prompt writing. Hate hate hate it. I avoided it forever. Then I started following a YA author, dropping by her blog, and Follow Friday-ing her Twitter. Well, my friend Michell Zink has a weekly writing prompt she calls Thursday Night Write. She posts a picture for inspiration, and the picture to the left was this week's pic. So...here's what I came up with:

Chelsey Street should ring with my hurrying footfalls. The fog swallows all sound, sucking away my harsh breaths as if I’m not even here. As if I’m already dead. And, with Joshua walking calmly away from me, I may end up that way. Frozen, a Phoenix no more.

Joshua knows what he’s leaving. Me. Our tangled, tortured summer months. Our past lives, too. And he’s leaving me to the one soul he’d always tried to protect me from.

“Josh!” I scream, but he never looks back. “Don’t leave me,” is a useless whisper.

My heart aches with every step he takes, and clenches when the fog erases his presence as if he’d never touched me. In the space of one breath, the night shifts from heartache to breath-catching panic. Chills icier than the October fog pour down my skin and I know I am not alone. Aric is close. That familiar pressure dances on nerves I didn’t know I had until I met him, until he awakened something ugly and sharp-toothed in me.

Shreds of thoughts cut through my mind, pretty poison. The same siren call that rings in my soul, flows in my veins and always, always misses my heart. Joshua is there, my talisman against the darkness.

Aric’s beautiful forever is a bitter hollow promise. Forever without Joshua is eternal torment, and yet he left me, unwilling to engage in a fight we’ve fought before. A fight that left us both dead...

I'm thinking this may become a scene for a book I'm plotting with my daughter. ^_^

Inspirational pics

2011-03-12T09:41:00.007-05:00

Tricia Rayburn, author of Egmont's SIREN and the upcoming UNDERCURRENT posted a blog today about what gets the creative juices flowing, and include some gorgeous pictures you can see HERE.

So, I decided I'd do the same, and show y'all the spot that always makes my writer's heart sing. Below are a few of my favorite pictures of Polly Falls, a private cottage in teeny weeny Shamrock, WI. The falls aren't very high, and we spend a lot of time sitting on them in the hot weather. There's such an essential energy in the water and singing through the stones...it's SO worth the 8 hour drive. Just thinking about it makes me itchy to go back!

So, I hope you enjoy the pictures, maybe feel a little inspired yourself.

Oh, by the way, that's my own little YA inspiration at the bottom, not a water nymph ~_^

THANKFUL THURSDAY meme

2011-02-24T09:36:00.002-05:00

Over at The Oasis for YA, where I co-blog with some other fabulous writers, we're starting a meme.

Gratitude is one of the major positive forces in the universe and the more you show, the more good you will have in your life to be grateful for. Did you know that? The universal symbol for gratitude is a spiral, and once you realize it, you will see it everywhere... Go HERE to see what I mean.

So, without further preachyness I give you a few of the things I find to be thankful for today:

I'm grateful for the rotten cat who constantly pesters me to hold him, because when I do I'm forced to take a little break.

I'm grateful for no news on the submissions front, because (at least right now) there are no rejections to bring me down.

I'm grateful for the partially empty cupboards and fridge, because even though my day-before-groceries choices are limited, I still have choices.

I'm grateful that even though I still haven't had "the call", I get to do what I love every day and explain it away as my job.

I'm grateful for my friends, far and near, because they bring joy to my life in ways I never expected.

I could do on and on. Can you? Visit the Oasis and see what others are Thankful for.
Jump in the Spiral, and share your path!

PENSIVE

2011-02-18T20:01:00.003-05:00

(Picture snitched from icanhascheezurger, of course. ^_^)

Have you ever just been...moody. Maybe pensive is a better word. Like the kitteh up there, I haz a ponder.

Which way to go?

Maybe it's symptomatic of being a WIPaholic. Eventually, there will be a moment where you wonder, "Do I stay with this one? The market is overloaded with this genre now. Do I write this other one that's unique and fun and a challenge? Do I try this other idea?" For me it goes like this: Dystopian? Revamp old paranormal? New guy's POV paranormal? Time travel? Shiny new idea that's not formed yet? Oy! Too many ideas!

I used to worry that I'd run out of story ideas. That's clearly not the case. So, I worry that those ideas are all just in the wrong genre at the wrong time for the market. Which leads to the worry, will I ever be published that way I'd like? It's the worst place to be and makes the liquor cabinet look really pretty.

I'm not sure where it leaves me, really. What I know is I crave to plunge head first and lose myself like I did with RESONANCE, and FORESIGHT before that. Anyone else battle with the ponders? I can't be the only one.

A TOUCH MORTAL contest!

2011-02-16T19:29:00.002-05:00

No, I'm not having a contest or giving it away because I don't have it yet. (Not sure I'd part with it if I did :oP ) Anyway... Over at the Oasis for YA, I blogged on TBR Tuesday. My suggestion was for everyone to check out A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford. You can check out the post HERE which I highly recommend. There's pretty, pretty backmatter and publisher blurbs.

AND, Leah is having a contest to win a signed copy!! (squee) There's lots of swag, too but I want THE BOOK! Click HERE to check out her contest--which is what I did, and why I'm about to tell y'all something crazy I did. And if you know me, I am SO not a crazy-stuff-doing person.

Craziest thing:
I'm a born and bred Michigan girl and anything above 80 degrees is pushing evil in my cool lake water opinion. So, what did I do? I spent a summer in my late teens in Little Rock, with my oldest sister.
One sweltering afternoon, I sat wilting in the Arkansas heat alone in my sister's house. She'd gone house hunting out of state with my military brother-in-law and left me at there house with a to-do list a mile long. Painting. Cleaning. More painting. Oh look! More cleaning... Well, I was damn tired of paint brushes and cleaning products, so I decided to head to the craft store a few miles away. Mind you, I am a tad bit directionally challenged, and due to being a big chicken, I also didn't have a driver's license.
Non-wilting craft projects are equal to emergencies, right?
Well, that's what I told myself, since my sister had left the keys to her car "for emergencies."
Craziest thing I've done? Driving a car, without a license, out of state, with no one around to bail my butt out of jail if I got caught and no insurance in case I caused an accient.
Was it worth it? Hell yes. I didn't get caught--though I did fess up when my sister returned. And, I felt liberated! I picked up a craft to keep me busy. (Yes, I'm a nerd :oP) Plus...I felt LIBERATED!!

There. Confession's over. Do you think I'm a heathen now? *snort* Now, go on and enter that contest!!

That's YAmore blogfest

2011-02-11T07:56:00.002-05:00

My Oasis for YA sisters and I are throwing a Valentine's weekend swoonfest! So, for your That's YAmore reading pleasure, I give you a bit of a longer first kiss scene, because like my friend Heather says, it's all about the build up...

My pulse quickens when she steps from the bathroom. The light halos her curves as she stands barefoot in this grungy motel room looking like a goddess in nothing but scrapes, bruises and my spare T-shirt. Suddenly, I want to crush her to me and cover her up. She’s too damn pretty to be in this place, with a guy as tainted as me.

“Come here, Zain.” She curls a finger and I stand, kind of numb, wanting to follow her and thinking I don’t deserve it. With a sigh, Zoe steps to my side and takes my hand. “You’re bleeding again. Let me clean you up.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I shift a glance from my shoulder gash to her temple. “You are too.”

“No big deal. It’s just a scrape—” She shoves me onto the bathroom counter and stands between my knees. “Your cut’s worse, and I don’t want you bleeding on my only shirt when you kiss me.”

“Your only shirt?” I can’t stop myself from tugging on the hemline and brushing her skin. I pull her closer, just a few inches of air between us. My heart rate ratchets up a notch. Kiss her? That’s the stuff of dreams, not dirty no-tell motels. Still, the temptation…her curves, her lips… “Who says I’m going to kiss you?”

“Me.”

Smiling and peeking at me through her eyelashes, Zoe crouches to fish through the cabinet beneath my butt for the first aid kit. Tingles follow her fingers over my knee when she puts the case on the counter. Her hip, and the cotton of my shirt, brush the inside of my thigh when she turns back to me. God, sitting here and not pulling her to me is going to stop my heart—again.

“This is going to sting,” she says, and pats an alcohol soaked pad over the cut on my shoulder. I suck in a sharp breath, but that’s all.

“So…” I look into her eyes and fight the magnetic pull between us. “You wouldn’t feed me in the hospital when I was broken and bandaged, but you’ll play in my blood?”

“Zain?” Her eyelids dip, giving her a dreamy expression, but her voice is alive with fire.

“Yeah?”

She presses the gauze pad to my cut, and I can’t help but wince.

“Shut up.”

I snap my lips closed. We’re inches apart and I want her too bad to touch her. Zoe’s free hand rides up my thigh to the hem of my boxers, then skims the fabric and slides up my stomach and chest to my cheek. She’s so close all I see are her eyes, and her breath warms on my lips. The distance, this closeness, is too much and not enough. I lift one hand from its tight grip on the countertop, and rest it on the curve of her waist, pulling gently with my last two fingers touching her bare skin.

Her eyelids close in a slow fall. The tension in her hand increases as she pulls my face to her.

The first gentle brush of her lips is a feather-light electric shock. The T-shirt rides up her back when I cinch her to me and deepen the kiss. She inhales through her nose and abandons my cheek to bury her fingers in my hair. Sliding my hand up her back, and my butt off the counter, I stand and we’re a tangle of arms, legs and hands that don’t know where to rest in a dingy bathroom. The moment couldn’t be more glorious. I’m kissing Zoe Morgan!

The gauze falls to the floor when Zoe throws her other arm around me. The soft press of her chest against mine is enough to make me want to hold my breath, and Zoe to me forever.

Then, all too soon it’s over. We break apart at the same moment, both of us breathing hard. I twist a finger in the hem of my T-shirt where it brushes her hips, and she licks her bottom lip, red and little puffy from kissing me.

And here's links to my CP's That's YAmore posts:

Heather Howland
Jus Accardo
Katy Upperman

Or, you can click HERE to take you to the home post and the big link link.

WHEW

2011-02-09T15:42:00.003-05:00

Wow! What a week. It's only Wednesday and my mind is feeling squishy.

Most everyone here knows I'm writing YA romance and that my agent has submissions out. What y'all might not know is I also occasionally write erotica under a pseudonym for Samhain Publishing. Well, that penname has a release this May, a dark, gritty urban fantasy, and I just finished the first round of edits for the novel. Three character POVs, all werecreatures and all in past tense, very adult language.

VERY different from the YA I've been working on.

And today I wrote a scene out of sequence for The Oasis for YA's That's YAmore! blogfest starting this Friday. This scene was a major departure from adult romance, and the regular YA...this was a kissing scene from a teen guy's POV! Teen guy, check. Kissing, check. Present tense, checkity check check.

From a murderous werewolf, an uncertain werecat, a kickass hybrid in past tense to a romantic teen guy in present tense. All in one day! Drop brain in blender and hit frappe. >_<

Looks like a movie night. My mind needs to unwind and reboot to single teen POV.

WARRIOR WEDNESDAY: New WIP

2011-01-25T14:25:00.003-05:00

As I'm sure y'all know by now, I've been writing YA for the past year and a half-ish. Three books so far, all with female lead characters. (And all the while, I've been itching to write one from a guy's POV.) Well, my son and his friends had no interest in reading girly stuff. When I said I might write a 'guy' book, the requests/suggestions for scenes/plot elements came pouring out. Car chases, car explosions, building explosions, hand-to-hand fight scenes, weapons, smoking hot babes...

Little did they know, I'm aiming for a bit different audience. I'm thinking more along the lines of Beautiful Creatures, The Replacement, even I Am Number Four--basically guy's POV, but still some romance.

Of course, I plan on working those suggestions in. Sounds like a damn good time to me!! Then while those ideas were stewing around, I watched a Twitter Pitch Fest held by a few agents. It got me thinking, so I boiled the concept down to a single, 140 character pitch, and I was off and running.

So, I sat down and roughed out the first chapter of a guy's POV with a concept I've also been dying to play with. I cleaned it, honed it, teased out a thread to follow, then tested it on a couple YA guys. 17 and 18 respectively, and they both said they want to read more. (I know what you're thinking, "two isn't a good representation," but they are big readers and would've told me if it didn't read right for them as a guy character.) So... Woot! Their thumbs-up was a great encouragement to keep on with the story. My new CPs are busy, and I'm not sure they'll want to look at a partial, so I'm flying blind for a while.

And having hug fun getting in touch with my masculine side. *snort*

Um... WOW.

2011-01-17T11:34:00.002-05:00

Right now, I'm LOVING January. RESONANCE is in the hands of editors, a few of them at dream publishers (squee!) and there's movement on the FORESIGHT front in a way I never dreamed possible. Okay, scratch that. Yes, I did--kinda. Those who've read my writing now I'm a vivid image writer, I like to make readers SEE... I'm not talking the "big screen" kind of SEE with this, though. And, nothing's certain. And, I'm sure there's a crapton of stiff competition. But um... WOW. Just to think FORESIGHT is where it is, being considered for what it is is fricking AWESOME!

Man I can ramble, can't I? I really should be writing. Dystopian? Boys' POV para? hmmm Time for the WIP Roulette!

*spins imaginary dial* Alrighty, peeps, time to be productive.

FIRST LINES

2011-01-13T11:16:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a carnival ride. I was strapped in, helmet on, and totally missed the fun of the YA Highway and their Favorite Lines Road Trip. So, I'm grabbing for the straws dangling off the end of that wagon and posting some of my first lines...

From RESONANCE (out on subs):
I sat in the shadows of the auditorium wishing I could throttle Shaina Weston.

From A SLIGHT CASE OF DEATH (Work In Progress):
Death is not how I planned to end my night.

From DRENCHED (in revisions):
If Purgatory is between Heaven and Hell, my seat in Advanced Chem was Purgatory Central.

And from TRANFERENCE (Work In Progress):
(set up to favorite line)

Alarm sirens wail above the ration line in the town square. The breathy shriek pierces my ears and a shudder slides down my spine. The peal pitches higher, and my fight-or-flight instincts dump adrenaline in my veins. I should stay in my place. I should act like the rest of these Commoner puppets.

Doing what I should will be the death of me. (favorite line)

Now I really should do something productive. Yesterday was a total wash in the productivity department after some news from my agent. It still boggles my mind, but I think I've calmed down enough I may be able to write!

Monday's Muse

2011-01-10T11:36:00.003-05:00

This week I'll be spending some quality time with with a hot late-teens blond--in my dystopian WIP! Thanks to my friend Heather Howland I have this inspiration pic of the romantic hero in what's tentatively titled TRANSFERENCE. His name is Aaron Auchul, and he's a SEER, an Official in the government police force gifted with the psychic ability to see where people are and what they are doing.

Aaron's sarcasm is honed to as sharp a point as government-issued knife. His lean, likes to think he's mean, but Aaron has a small problem. Seventeen year-old Isilen Temple, criminal by birth and Aaron's next target, is the one person he cannot see with his mind and she refuses to be silenced without a fight.

The chemistry between the characters is rife with all kinds of tension, and has been damn fun to write. so once the housework is done, I'm opening a file and going to get lost!

Because DH says I'm a split personality...

2011-01-06T14:27:00.002-05:00

The silly little school girl in my is dying of want for this:

While the big fat meanie in me is dying of giggles over this:

WARRIOR WEDNESDAY

2011-01-05T11:21:00.005-05:00

Well, things have been interesting. A few little emails from my agent have been hitting my inbox. Not only is RESONANCE out there in query stage, some editors are asking to read it! *cue the butt dancing in the typing chair*

Some OMG-ing and a ridiculous amount of pacing has ensued. I'm trying to be calm. Really I am.

Thankfully, my teen beta had dropped by the other day to start hashing out the sequel (tentatively titled DISSONANCE). Which is also the reason for today's blog post title, WARRIOR WEDNESDAY. It is my goal to turn my chicken scratch notes and gobblety-gook to the left into something cohesive and followable. The storyline is shifting darker, some secondaries are shifting into more major rolls, some minor plot elments figured out, couple major plot elements not.

Pour the coffee and back away slowly. This could get ugly.

I'm not sure how other writers do this part. Mine has varied story to story. The dystopian idea came out like Athena fully-formed. The original idea for RESONANCE was a little tinkering. This one looks like its going to be a tinkerer too.

And that's all the time I have, Hubby is home with vension to package up.
Tootles!

THIS AND THAT

2011-01-03T16:51:00.005-05:00

First, let me say...

HAPPY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO VISIT HERE!

The holidays are over. While the gatherings with family and friends are always nice, I'm kinda glad to see it finished. No more running around. No more sewing--unless I want to. No more cooking for parties and such.

I've critted two books for my Savvy CP's: LEAVE ME BROKEN by Heather Howland and WHERE POPPIES BLOOM by Katy Upperman. Both are amazing in their own way: LMB is a gut-wrenching emotional rollercoaster ride that leaves you aching. WPB is sweet and spooky, and the prose is so engaging I might just read it again. Then, there's Jus Accardo's GATEKEEPER and Oasis girls' stories to read, too. Plus, there's books to write and books to revise. Busy, busy, busy.

AND RESONANCE IS OUT ON SUBMISSION!

Squee!! (queue the stalking of my inbox for news) The book is different from anything I've written, or read and can't wait to see if editors love it as much as beta readers and CPs have. And with that I'm going to succumb to the headache pounding inside my skull and turn this computer off. Much love!

CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 2010

2010-12-08T16:58:00.003-05:00

Today's finished project:
This snowflake boy is a Christmas present. I designed the pattern a couple years ago, and just had to make him agin this year. He's so CUTE! Made of white fleece, fiberfil, red winter patterned fleece, lock eyes, corduroy nose, french knot mouth. (picture's not the best, but I'm not hiking in the snow for the good camera)

Another project this winter:
A denim stocking with rustic-looking patches appliqued from
Christmas print materials. The cuff is fleece, with embroidered ribbon trim. This was a gift for our favorite teen friend, so she'd have a little Christmas in her college dorm room.

Fixing what's broken

2010-10-03T13:09:00.006-04:00

Have you ever clung to a one-eared teddy bear? Refused to throw away a favorite toy just because it was broken? Yeah, that's me. At least with stories. I queried widely with my first YA, and received rejection after rejection. (Stupidly figured out months later that my agent for my adult romance works with YA, too O.o)A few agents loved aspects of it, but had issues with how the plot was handled, etc. I sniffled. I sobbed. I cooed to the poor broken thing, then packed it in gauze and put it on a respirator.

Well, thanks to talking with Heather Kinn and Heather Howland, I've come to an angle to fix what's broken in DRENCHED. It will take scrapping huge hunks of it, reworking the over-all story arc, basically a COMPLETE rewrite. Am I masochistic? Guess so, because I'm really really excited about this!

AVERY AND THORN WILL LIVE AGAIN!!
THANK YOU, MY HEATHERS!!

SATURDAY SINGALONG

2010-10-02T10:19:00.005-04:00

My newest writer pal Jus Asscardo is talking songs that stick in your head. Last week she gave me a new addiction, Say You'll Haunt Me by Stone Sour. This week, however, she picked one I listen to often. Along with Stone Sour I've been listening to a lot of Papa Roach. I guess it goes along with feeling just a little combative...

SATURDAY SING-A-LONG

2010-09-25T13:11:00.004-04:00

Earworms. Your favorite song. Your character's favorite song. The song that just FITS the scene you're writing. Well, my online pals and I are posting our Saturday Sing-a-longs and this is the song that's been on repeat while I wrote two chapters' worth of the dystopian:

Isi does what's necessary and hurts someone in the process... Lands her butt in jail, even. So this one really fits.

Other Saturday Sing-a-long posts:
Heather Howland
Jus Accardo

The struggle

2010-09-12T11:43:00.002-04:00

Ethereal feel, delicate strokes of words, rise and fall, bittersweet atmosphere of high stakes, heartaches and heart-touching romance.

VS
Dark, sharp-edged phrases, fast paced from the start, more action less romance, and the type of tension only a love/hate relationship can give.

HELP I'm addicted to the cracktopian!

SHINY NEW TOY

2010-09-05T20:26:00.005-04:00

Have I ever told y'all I'm a WIPaholic? Yeah. Lots and LOTS of stories in one stage or another. And right now, when I should be nose to the grindstone with RESONANCE, this annoyingly interesting and way-too-much fun dystopian pops it's head up and won't go away. So, to placate the dystopian gods pestering my brain, I'm trying to purge it into a file. So far, I have a blurb, a complete summary and a snippet toward the end. But this...this is the first couple paragraphs of Chapter One.

Alarm sirens wail above the ration line in the town center. The breathy shriek pierces my ears and a shudder slides down my spine. I should stay in my place. I should act like the rest of the Commoner puppets.

Doing what I should will be the death of me.

People in the city square freeze mid-step, identical looks of fear spreading across their faces. Life snaps to a halt, arms clutching packages to chests, mothers reining in children on their wrist strap leashes. Good little marionettes awaiting the Mentalist Guild Operative announcement over the loudspeakers. I was born without puppet strings, and with a healthy self-preservation instinct--not to mention the knife I have sheathed in my boot and the blue-steeled contraband tucked in the small of my back.

A week’s worth of ration stamps crinkle when I curl my fist around them and shove them in my pocket. I duck my head, hiding my face behind a curtain of hair, knowing it won’t shield me from an Operative. Motion soothes my nerves, gives my mind a chance to plot escape routes while I put distance between me and the Commoner crowd before the siren above runs out of breath. After the siren comes the proclamation, then comes the Operative. There is no hiding from a Seer, and I can’t risk being seen.

CONTEST TO SHARE

2010-08-17T10:46:00.004-04:00

Yes, that's the Snoopy Dance. I'm doing it because there's a chance to win BOOKS!! Books I desperately want to read and am lox on book buying funds.

Hey, y'all my blog buddy Jessie Harrell has a contest going to win three of the Soul Screamers books! Color me drooling. Go and enter! I sure did...

JESSIE'S CONTEST

CONTEST NEWS

2010-08-14T09:59:00.007-04:00

First, there is a HUGE contest starting soon on my YAlitchat Query Kick-Around group. This is a great opportunity to get your query in front of big names in the business for review, improvement and the big winner will be the recipient of a TBA editorial prize from one of the judges. ROCK ON QUERY WARRIORS!

QUERY KICK-AROUND CRITIQUE CONTEST

And, there's a contest over on the Oasis for YA's blog to win a signed copy of Shelena Short's THE BROKEN LAKE. Our own Jessie Harrel did a very nice interview with Shelena, who seems to be a big, big sweetheart, and I know Jessie is dying of want for that book, so make her happy (jealous maybe?) and go enter, would ya??

SHELENA INTERVIEW AND CONTEST

Gobsmacked and grinning

2010-08-13T08:22:00.002-04:00

Well, my agent is in love with the sample and synopsis of RESONANCE and wants to put together a proposal and start submissions!! I feel like the Cheshire Cat. My cheeks hurt.

Why is there a Willie Nelson song in the back of my head?

On the road again...

A bit darker poetry

2010-08-11T15:33:00.003-04:00

Give and take

Give and take
neglecting you
hurting me
the wrist aches
the blade bleeds
cut it out
cutting me
forgiving you
forgetting me
the precipice beckons
the feet betray
step over the edge
stand alone
telling you
listening to me
no quarter given
none deserved
give and take
of hurting you
hurting me
no me left
tears took it all
hurting you
killing me

Yes it was a dark time when I wrote this. NO I have never been suicidal. consider it "situational poetry." Feeling slightly growly today and thought it was worth a revisit. And, it gave me an excuse to use that gorgeous Victoria Frances painting. :)

Whew

2010-08-10T22:29:00.003-04:00

First draft for the synopsis of RESONANCE is done! This book doesn't follow the trends, it's inventive, plays off physics and spins it toward magic, but still has a "paranormal romance" feel.

Tagline: One love. Two dimensions. Only one choice.
First line of the synopsis: Random teens in Harmony Ridge are losing their sanity, and I’m afraid I might be next.
First line of the book: I sat in the shadows of the auditorium, wishing I could throttle Shaina Weston.

If I had wine, I'd be drinking it.

A bit of poetry

2010-08-10T15:22:00.004-04:00

Adonis

thou art brazen

to walk in human form.

As could my hands

sculpture

the beauty that is you,

And would that I was able

to caress such muscled stone

in the likeness of a god

‘Neath my palms

in beauty’s reign,

Tis your visage

I would work

And, when the gods

fell to jealousy

would only I call my task

complete,

For your reflection

would win Narcissus’ pool,

And topple Olympus

at your feet.

I guess I should have known when I wrote this poem years ago that I was destined to write YA, because that young guy in the picture was the kind of Adonis I saw when I wrote it. Funny how hindsight is 20/20.

BLOG CARNIVAL

2010-08-06T08:30:00.001-04:00

Oasis for YA is having a blog carnival today and each of the Oasis Ladies have taken a particular sense. I snatched up SIGHT right away--always have been a visual writer...

Here's mine for SIGHT:
The African sun and cottony clouds should have sparked happy thoughts of swimming in the azure waters with my boyfriend, Terry. But, as I took in the lush view from the hotel window, I couldn't help remembering the terrace party, our fight and him leaving me in center dance floor, alone. Phillipe, tan skin caressed by alabaster moonlight, had looked the absolute definition of 'forbidden fruit' when he'd asked me to dance. Now, feelings of guilt, dark and hard as the rocks beside the outside wall, threatened to punch up tears. Then, Terry walked in, fresh from the shower and wrapped in a towel. Sunlight poured over him, lighting his lean muscles, dancing in his damp, wavy hair and giving his smile angelic light. I smiled too, but it felt like a lie.

Now, here are the rules of this particular carnival: You've just graduated from high school and your awesome parents have taken you and your boy/girl-friend on the trip of a lifetime to the Seychelles Islands off the coast of Africa. This (picture above) is the view from your hotel window. You have ONE paragraph to describe the setting, and you can use only ONE of your senses. Go...
(then come back and share the link, so we can see what you've done!)

LINKAGE:

Sound - by Nikki Taste -by Jessie Touch - by Sheri Smell - by J.A .

Awesome ARC contest

2010-08-05T15:57:00.001-04:00

OMG you guys, this girl has a kickass contest. I'd take every single book if I could! Go. Fill out the Form.

http://21pages.x10hosting.com/2010/07/arc-giveaway-clockwork-angel-paranormalcy-and-more/

The dreaded SYNOPSIS OF EVIL

2010-07-15T12:43:00.006-04:00

The Balrog. Demon of shadow and flame, and the nemesis of Gandolf the Grey. When confronted with the Balrog in the depths of Khazad-dûm, a rare glimpse of fear twisted the face of the great wizard. Gandolf Stormcrow and the Balrog fell, tied in a battle to the death.

I think we as authors often pitch ourselves in similar battles. We set ourselves up for frustration and plummeting feelings of sick, sticky failure when we face down our writing nemesis. We become Gandolf, and we face our beast of shadow and flame--our battle becomes...

Us vs the Synopsis of Evil

We fuss and fidgeted, worry and angst about what to put in to a synopsis and what to leave out. Do we write it from distant third? Do we say XXX is the story of... ? How can we fit the motivation, conflict and resolution and the romance all into 2/5/10 pages?? There's so much in this story! Sound familiar? Yeah, been there, done that. I whined. I moaned. Then I pulled up my Big Girl Panties and dealt with it.

First, we need to fall out of love with our own words. If we let go of what we think is so damn brilliant, and peer through the pretty word glamor, we can see what's beneath. We need to realize that scene or snippet of dialogue we love so much doesn't necessarily belong in the synopsis. The synopsis is the story of the story, it is a blending of story arc, conflict arc and romantic arc, and their resolutions, and yet still be engaging enough to make readers want to keep reading, and then read the entire book.

Yes, I know. Daunting. The Blarog in the shadows of our Writer's Doom.

We need to be Gandolf. We need to realize in facing our nemesis, we face our fear. And, in many cases, our fear controls us, makes us (and our synopses) weak. I found a magic talisman that helped me battle my Balrog and win. I wish to pass this weapon on to you. Knowledge. A friend pointed me to this link, I signed up (IT'S FREE), and then downloaded a synopsis writing guide that took the fight out of my Balrog, and gave me the weapon to slay my nemesis.

Fighting the Synopsis of Evil? Go to Denise Vitola's site and sign up for her newsletter. When you do, you can download her HOW TO WRITE A FICTION SYNOPSIS THAT SELLS. Her guide was the magic I needed to triumph.

With this magic, you too can become like Gandolf, do battle, best your nemesis and temper your writing wizarding mettle. Gandolf became clean and White. Hopefully, you can become triumphant, you can become represented, and perhaps some day you can become a published author!

Gratuitous linkage:
Direct link to Denise Synopsis Guide.

SIREN'S RELEASE

2010-07-13T08:06:00.003-04:00

Hey, y'all, my new blog and Twitter friend Tricia Rayburn's book SIREN releases today!

BLURB:
Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is, until Justine goes cliff-diving one night near the family’s vacation house in Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.

Though her parents hope that they’ll be able to find closure back in Boston, Vanessa can’t help feeling that her sister’s death wasn’t an accident. After discovering that Justine was keeping a lot of secrets, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor, hoping that Justine’s boyfriend might know more. But Caleb has been missing since Justine’s death.

Soon, it’s not just Vanessa who’s afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes host to a strong of fatal, water-related accidents in which all the victims are found, horrifically, grinning from ear to ear.

Vanessa turns to Caleb’s brother, Simon, for help, and begins to find herself drawn to him. As the pair tries to understand the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance—and will change her life forever.

So, if you're in the market for a summer read, check it out!

LINKS TO PURCHASE:

SIREN ON AMAZON

SIREN ON BARNES AND NOBLE

SIREN ON BORDERS

CONTEST

2010-07-07T19:36:00.003-04:00

Hey, y'all. As you may know, I'm a member of a group blog full of YA writers. We're steadily growing over at the Oasis for YA, and when we reach 100 followers the Oasis for YA gives back to our followers. We will be giving:

A book tote made by me
Autographed copy of Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
Captivate by Carrie Jones
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
$10 iTunes gift card
$10 Barnes & Noble gift card

You need to be a member of the Oasis, then watch the blog for more details. Once we hit 100 followers, we're throwing a party! Well, opening the contest. Prizes are better than parties, right?

TEAM WEREWOLF

2010-07-05T17:00:00.003-04:00

just sayin'...

NEW TOY

2010-06-30T11:18:00.005-04:00

I've told y'all I can get compulsive, and stalkerish over submissions. The best way for me to avoid those tendencies is distraction. Well, I've been questing through the archives of WIPs looking for one that sings. WIP after WIP, nothing. No arias, no choirs of angels. But, one constant whisper, a soft 'pick me! pick me!' A concept I've been dragging around and chewing on since 2008.

It is NOT paranormal. *gasp* No vampires, no werewolves or other mythical creatures. This one is almost sci-fi, with medical disorders, different dimensions and physics. For example, these definitions are in the front of the book:

Synesthesia

[sin-uhs-thee-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh]

A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces th

e visualization of a color.

Resonance

[rez-uh-nuhns]

The state of a system in which an abnormally large vibration is produced in response to an external stimulus, occurring when the frequency of the stimulus is the same, or nearly the same, as the natural vibration frequency of the system.

Right about now, you're probably thinking, 'but AE, that doesn't sound interesting.' Trust me, if I could pour everything in my brain out for you right now, y'all would love it. Magic, dimensional shifts, intrigue, romance, secrets and family heritage...

Still doubting? How about a sample to whet your appetites?

EXCERPT from RESONANCE:

I sat deep in the shadows of the auditorium, wishing I could throttle Shaina Weston.

Razor straight blond hair, ice blue eyes and, worst of all, Shaina had a pitch perfect voice. Despite my monster case of jealousy that she was singing with my boyfriend, I had to admit she deserved lead soprano in High Street honors choir. Something in the tone of Shaina and Chad’s voices and their sappy sweet love song rang true enough for me to see it hanging between them. Add the way his gaze poured over her face, the closeness in their choreography and Chad’s boyfriend status was in serious question.

“Look at them,” I whispered to my co-rehearsal crasher and best friend. “They’ve got to be hooking up off stage.”

“No way.” Autumn shook her head, then thumped my shoulder. “He’s totally into you.”

“I used to think so.”

“What do you mean, ‘used to’?” She waved a hand at Chad, then at me. “You two are the cutest couple ever, Hailey. They’re just singing together for the choir competition.”

Singing like angels together, I thought miserably. Music and I aren’t on speaking terms.

Unlike most guys at Concord Senior High, music was my boyfriend Chad’s entire world. He played percussion in concert, marching and jazz band, and sang lead tenor in every choir. I was rhythmically challenged, surviving best if both feet were on the floor and my mouth was shut. For me, there were two certainties beyond death and taxes: I cannot sing and I cannot dance.

“Two left feet and can’t carry a tune in a bucket,” my mom used to say.

Pushing back into the padded seat, I waved Autumn closer. She inclined her auburn curls until we were inches apart and I was choking on her heavily applied peaches-and-cream body spray. I tried to point out the shimmery evidence I saw floating between Shaina and Chad. “Can’t you see it?”

Autumn turned, eyebrows tipped and rising over her nose when she looked me in the eyes and said, “I see you need two Tylenol and a good night’s sleep.” Her tone said, ‘I see you need to put on a straight jacket and check into the rubber room at the psych ward.’

She sank back into her seat, watching the choir rehearse for Regionals, the three-state wide competition on Saturday. Occasionally, Autumn’s gaze shifted to me, eyes shadowed, brows pinched like she questioned my sanity. Honestly, I wondered, too. The longer Chad and Shaina sang, the stronger the shimmer became, until it was no longer a visual whisper but an undeniable glow pulsing with the song’s rhythm. Music? Emotion? Frigging dirt bag-scoundrel cheating? Whatever it was, it wrapped them, draped them, pulled them together.

Chad drew Shaina to him and kissed her lips at the end of the final refrain. The kind of kiss I’d always wanted… eyes slipping closed, heads turning to deepen the kiss before the world crashes back in. I sucked in a breath. Autumn let out a sigh. The music shifted into pianissimo, or the softest tones, the glowing halo faded to a mist and then when the choir (and Autumnn) applauded, the light disappeared completely.

So did Chad’s boyfriend status.

Craft witchery

2010-06-17T15:34:00.003-04:00

I don't know about you guys, but I drag my books with me everywhere. And, I'm pretty damn nutzo about wrinkles, scratches, etc, so I decided to figure out a tote to protect them. Since the creativity vein has switched channels and is dumping into the sewing outlet, I decided to make book totes from reclaimed blue jeans. The one pictured above would be a snug fit for a Twilight sized novel, but will easily hold two novels of Shiver's size, and since it's one of my favorite novels EVER, I used it to make the pattern.

Taggity, tag, tag

2010-05-25T10:07:00.003-04:00

Help! Author down! We have an author down!! *snort*
As usual, pic snitched from DeviantArt, this time from LilSunCloud

Lovely blogger and YA writer pal Sheri Larsen tagged me. TAGGED ME. I haven't been tagged in ages. No. Scratch that. I get tagged alllll the time, so don't feel sorry for me and decided to tag me more. *_*

I've been tagged to answer FIVE QUESTIONS, five times each. Then I'm supposed to tag five people. So, here we go...

Question 1: Where were you 5 years ago?

-recuperating from a hysterectomy
-training a lab puppy
-battling my first, and worst flare up of rheumatoid arthritis
-working on edits to Nuermar's Last Witch, my first published novel
-watching way too much cheerleading, thanks to my daughter

Question 2: Where would you like to be 5 years from now?

-New York Time's Bestseller list

-a booksigning for a new release in the Thanatos Academy series
-in a pool, in a yard without close neighbors, maybe close to Lake Michigan
-visiting friends and family and not worrying about time or funds
-taking long naps ^_^

Question 3: What is (was) your to-do list today?

-dishes/laundry/cook dinner
-avoid melting in the heat (I hate hot weather)
-plan/pack for vacation
-plot destruction of evil zombies with my writing partner
-write, write, write

Question 4: What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

-bacon popcorn (recipe available on request)
-Honey Nut Cheerios snack mix
-popcorn chicken and sweet chili dipping sauce
-hot dogs cooked over a fire until the skin crisps
-squishy pretzels and caramel

Question 5: What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?

-Set up trusts for my kids' education & my parent's health (snitched this from Sheri)

-Buy hubby that house in the country (where I can have my pool), get him a Black Russian Terrier, and some big loud gun he's always wanted.
-set up a foundation to pay scholarships to kids going into college for language arts
-donate to local libraries
-pitch headfirst into a bin of stuffed animals at Build-a-Bear Workshop and just go NUTS! (I've got my eye on the Amur Leopard)

And now the five people I'm supposed to tag...
NO ONE. Fly and be free my minions! *snort* As if I had minions... Dare to dream.

recent occupation

2010-05-24T13:21:00.005-04:00

***Image snitched from trenchmaker on DeviantArt**

Have I ever told y'all I'm not the most patient person on the planet? Yeah. Not so much.

Well, the other week I finished the two-book summary for the sequels to Foresight. Big fun coming let me tell you: nightclub, concert, possible cat fight, a world in chaos, a quest through Hades... Then, after the Nickelback/Shinedown/Breaking Benjamin/Sick Puppies concert, which totally ROCKED, my old nemesis (arthritis) returned, torturing me until I became a whiny lump of uselessness by the weekend.

Given the lack of focus lately since the flare up of my Rheumatoid Arthritis, I've spent a good part of the afternoon ~~stalking~~ I mean researching the editors who requested the partials of Foresight. It reminded me again of why I was so damned excited when each editor replied to my agent, and she forwarded those requests on to me. Big name pubs, big YA books out there. *sigh* On one hand, I'm happy I went ~~stalking~~ researching, and on another hand I'm not. Now I wish like hell we'd hear something!

Best thing I could do would be to bury my head on the sequel, right? There's this really fun shower scene coming...

But before I go, here's another funny stalker pic

Bloggin around

2010-05-11T14:54:00.001-04:00

Hey, y'all I'm blogging, or maybe blabbing about music some YA authors listen to while writing. Curious? come check it out at my group blog: Oasis for YA

Stealing a moment

2010-04-13T18:10:00.004-04:00

Renaissance, by Wanda Martin,
check out her fabulousness at her DeviantArt gallery
I'm in the process of buying this picture for a new website and blog header ^_^

I'm looking ahead, kicking around a few story ideas to play with once I've handed FORESIGHT off to my agent for review. I have a dystopian fantasy stalking me, and a more of less sci-fi fantasy snapping at it's heels. Then, there's the guy based YA my boy's friends are begging me to write. I have this half-finished contemporary western I fell out of love with, too. Oh, I can't forget DRENCHED, either. *sigh*

Back to the end game of the first Reaper story. And I really should figure out a series title--been considering Thanatos Academy. (*snicker* Thanatos = Death) Though, that'll most likely change in an editor's capable hands.

Okay, I'm really, seriously getting back to writing now. Play time's over.

Update

2010-04-09T13:29:00.006-04:00

**Hayden Christiansen looks like Chael Pierce, the hero in my YA Reaper story FORESIGHT.**

The partial count has jumped to five. I die every time I think about it, then have to shock myself back to life, dust off and get back to work.

I've changed the sig line of my emails to a quote from my main character: "Death was in my blood, the devil in my details." Echo is a descendant of Greek gods, and becomes embroiled in a ego war between to teen Reapers, falling in love with one despite her father's warnings. Tense, sexy, dark humor, big fun! I can't wait until I can share some snippets of FORESIGHT with y'all.

Well, back to the edits recommended by my agent, and laundry, and dishes, and cooking and cleaning... Glamorous, no?

HOLY COW!

2010-03-12T12:03:00.004-05:00

"Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow" I said that a LOT last week. And I'll tell you why.

The past couple months have been a whirlwind! I'm with Talcott Notch Literary Agency. My agent and I decided on revisions for DRENCHED, and in the meantime I pitched the partial for my YA Reaper story to her. Well, she loved it. LOVED IT. She advised me to put everything aside and get her a synopsis, and then finish the book.

I whipped out the synopsis and sent it to her last week. She posted the rights for FORESIGHT on Publisher's Marketplace and queried editors. In a few days time, we had two requests for partials. So, Echo and Chael are at two big publishers right now and I am totally freaking, geeking and Greeking out!! (And, no, don't ask because I won't tell who they are. I'm superstitious like that. And rejections can still come, and then where would I be?)

So, I sit, nose to the grindstone, fingers to the keys and forsaking pretty much all else until the book is done. Being on submission is a friggin rollercoaster! Good thing I love wild rides. ^_^

Posting for a friend

2010-02-03T16:13:00.001-05:00

Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference - by Terry Kate
March 19-20 - Special Author Day the 21st

Since starting my site Romance in the Backseat I have faced a number of hurdles that closely resembled mountains. I learned and the more I learned, as often happens, I realized the more there was to know. Publishing is a complex business and bloggers, reviewers, and sites like my own are beginning to play a role in that industry. Authors are the face of publishing, as are their books, but blogs are a great resource to get information out to readers.

Here is the problem that slowly built the more insight I got from talking to publishers, authors and bloggers - There are only so many readers online and they can be hard to find. How do you know you are reaching them, and if we are how can we do more? So I decided to take on the huge undertaking of organizing a conference that would allow those of us looking to share books, and promote them online to compare notes and get on the same page.

There is a reason for the World Business Forum, the World Social Forum, and other meetings where groups are working in the same area, with the same goals and can benefit from greater understanding. I hate to say it since it is so cliche, but knowledge is power and the publishing industry and book sales need some power behind them right now. So here is the other details and specifics.

Information - http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com/bbpcon.html
Attending Simon and Schuster, Dorchester, Liquid Silver Books, Lyrical Press, The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press, Midnight Showcase Fiction, and more. There are industry professionals like literary agent Lori Perkins, Tiffany James the director of the awesomely exciting RomCon Convention

Thank you and I look forward to answering any questions. - Terry Kate

FAQ

What inspired the Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference?

Working online. I got tired of being frustrated and bashing my head against the wall. Being clueless is not as fun as the movie would lead you to believe. There are so many great blogs and talented bloggers and reviewers out there talking about books that I desperately wanted to get everyone together to learn from them.

When I talked to the publishers and house publicists and learned they felt the same way I decided to take control of what I could control, which is learning more and sharing what I have learned with others. A conference seemed the perfect place to do that. And since we are all online folks hosting the conference online just made sense.

What are the benefits of an Online Conference?

There are three main ones. First, I have been able to get the most amazing panelists since they do not need to travel. The Conference is set up that you can listen to panels live or at a more convenient time. I think the addition of audio panels beyond the forum discussion will make the Conference closer to the experience of a live event.

Second comes the information that will be permanently profiled on attendees in the Ning, where the written end of the Conference will take place. Publishers will have access to information about bloggers, bloggers will have the opportunity to meet with publishers that might be new to them, and the authors who come in Sunday will be able to access this information as well. Right now it is very difficult to find bloggers and reviewers, harder still to discover those that may be a great match for what you publish or write. This conference will build a data base by the bloggers attendance.

Number three is cost. Physical Events have travel expenses, often hotel costs, meals, and the price of registration. All together they can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars. $20 for 2-3 days of expert information, networking, and having your profile seen by all other visitors. I may be biased but I think it is a bargain, what with all the giveaways and prizes. Grand Prize is an E-Reader.

Who will be there?

We have got an amazing list of publishers - Simon and Schuster, Dorchester, Liquid Silver Books, Lyrical Press, The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press, Midnight Showcase Fiction, and more. There are industry professionals like literary agent Lori Perkins, Tiffany James the director of the awesomely exciting RomCon Convention, and a few more I can not name yet but I can say it will be an honor to have them there.

What do you hope attendees will walk away with?

I hope everyone leaves motivated to spread the word about books and bring more readers online. They will leave with a better understanding of how the industry works, and where we can all improve our personal sphere online. Last but not least a technical understanding. Without knowing things like site stats, basic design information, and a few other tricks of the trade, it is hard to know whether you are being effective online.

And authors, what will be directed towards them?

Authors are perhaps the most important factor and have the greatest opportunity to reach out to readers. The panels from Friday and Saturday will be available to them, and be an amazing tool in helping them get insight into what publishers and bloggers are doing online to promote books. If we are not organized we can not help authors. That is the whole purpose of the Conference to be better at what we do. After the issues have been laid out the Conference open to authors so they can have access to the Blog and Review site profiles and find bloggers and reviewers that are a good match for them. It may not be the biggest blog on the block that helps you sell books, it is just meeting others who share the same interests and have readers looking for what you write. There will be panels for authors Sunday as well.

All the info and registration can be found on my site here - http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com/bbpcon.html
And feel free to email me questions or suggestions,
Thank you to Nicole for having me!
Terry Kate
Romance in the Backseat
http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com

TIDBIT FROM THE NEW WIP

2010-01-23T16:38:00.001-05:00

LISTEN TO THIS:

READ THIS:

“You want to dance with me.”

“Oh no I do not.” I caught Trip’s disbelieving gaze and stirred the air by my right ear like the guy standing to my left was crazy.

The music pumping through the speakers morphed into an industrial grove á la Depeche Mode. The slinky kind of tune I loved to get lost in. Chael ruined the moment, pulling me from my seat and shoving me out to the center of the dance floor. I spun to face him, ready to spew some nasty comments. His expression shut me up. Intense, gorgeous and tortured. “Just be quiet,” he growled in my ear once he’d spun me and pulled my back to his abdomen. “And let me lead you.”

Instinct told me to argue with him, but his sense of rhythm pummeled my instinct into a submissive pulp.

Girls pray for guys who can dance. All I have to say is, thank God for Chael.

If rhythm is a language, dancing is a dialogue and Chael was fluent. He spoke volumes without saying a word, every phrase of speech a dip, sway or grind of his hips. Maybe it was the heady mix of hating him and being turned on by him, too, but by the second line in the lyrics, I succumbed, melting against him in an intimate physical conversation.

One arm cinched across my chest, Chael held me tight, his fingers splayed over my shoulder with no air between us, just heat and thin layers of cotton. At the end of the first stanza, he slid his hand down the side seam of my shirt and jeans. Holding my hips, he pushed my knees down and out with his as we snaked toward the floor. The bridge to the chorus led us up, his hands cruising my curves, hooking my elbows to turn me to face him.

I took the lead and a naughty thrill when his eyes flared a wild, searing blue. The club, the world, telescoped down to the two of us. Chin down, I peered at him through my eyelashes, winking as I ghosted his body lines with my hands. Coming close enough to feel his breath on my lips, I cupped his face and blew him a kiss. Then, baiting him to chase me, I spun and took a step away.

His fingers circled my wrist, turning me, pulling me back tight to him. One hand hooked my right knee and pulled it toward his hip, the other hand braced the small of my back. Chael leaned into me, curve on curve, breath on breath before his lips grazed the V-neck of my T-shirt.

I sucked in a breath, heart hammering against the anvil of my ribs.

The loathing I’d felt dissolved in the heat he brought up in me. When he said, “We work well together,” I didn’t argue. I hardly noticed the song fading, but the whoops and catcalls of his gang of friends were impossible to miss. My cheeks burned. I wanted to hide, run back to my table with Trip. No such luck. Chael used his arm around my back to reel me in, and turn me like a prize fish for his guy friends to gawk at.

A couple whistles. One ah-oo-ga. A bunch of mildly obscene hand gestures proved he had their approval. Too bad mine was slipping the longer we weren’t dancing. And once his hand left my hip, sanity a.k.a. my loathing of him, returned. Suddenly, a long, hot shower sounded really good...maybe a loofah for my brain, too, to scrub out the tingly, excited thoughts his closeness brought on. Chael looked down, his gaze on a sightseeing tour of my physical attractions. A soft, husky tone colored his voice when he said, “I think you look great tonight.”

“Yeah?” I snapped, stepping away. “Well, I don’t think I like you looking.”

Taking the plunge...again

2010-01-06T11:26:00.002-05:00

Hey, all you YA writers out there, Mary Kole of Kidlit is throwing a First 500-words contest! I'm entering DRENCHED, so come on and join me!

Info here: http://kidlit.com/kidlit-contest/

Christmas Craft Diaries

2009-11-19T12:57:00.002-05:00

Dear Diary,

Today I finished the The Christmas Stocking. Cranberry damask with black velvet cuff and woven trim with black chord. Very pretty, and more "me" than the blue one of last year. This time, with the Stocking Exchange, mine won't be the ugly duckling in the brood of other custom crafted swan-pretty stockings.

YA UF pics and such

2009-11-14T13:19:00.009-05:00

Today I have a couple pics for you, and the pith and blather in my head about them. ^_^

*drum roll please* These are the Fulsom Alternative hoodies. Harmoni c Threads designed the graphic for me from my specifications, and Trophy House of Muskegon printed them.

I think they are bitchin promo items for contests, thank you gifts, as well as a great way to get the word out. Walking billboards. Snort. These shirts turn heads and we get questions about them all the time. (Yes, they are available for order--hoodies or T-shirts--contact me at aerought@gmail.com)

The Fulsom shirts are designed after the sweatsuit Avery comes home in after her disasterous first almost-date with Thorn. Full moons + open air parks + werewolves = trouble. Ever punch a werewolf in the face? Avery did. ^_^

On the front is the "Property of Fulsom Alternative NIGHTBRREDS" design. On the back is the question Avery asks herself. Are you freak...or human? There's much to endure, so many lies to sift through and a whole lotta hot smoochin before Avery finds her answer.

You'll have to read the book (when it's published) to find out!

TEMPTED

2009-11-11T10:33:00.003-05:00

*sigh* I just finished TEMPTED, by P.C. and Kristin Cast last night. It was a one-day read-athon and a helluva ride! Quiet a few twists, and I loved seeing things from the other characters POVs, though I do heart me some Zoey. One of my major annoyance character seems to have bitten the dust and I must say, Woot! And the ending shocked me. I flipped pages hoping for a sneak peek of BURNED. No such luck. Dammit.

I hate waiting. *sob*

I guess not having to wait is one of the bonuses to writing your own stories. Instant gratification. You can type, THE END, and then turn around, open a new file and type Chapter One right afterwards. That's what I did. although, I now have more than one Chapter One going. The follow up to DRENCHED is in the works, currently titled SPITFIRE, and I started a guy-based older-teen YA currently titled Black Moon Syndicate: Zain's Fall.

I guess I'm addicted to YA. The reading, and the writing of...

Sticking my neck out ... kinda

2009-10-28T13:42:00.002-04:00

Well, for third time EVER I'm entering a writing contest. This one is for YA/Kid lit queries, the prize is a 30-page critique of MS. Interested? Check here for more details:
Kidlit Contest

Pray for me, y'all cuz you know how I agonize over the query writing/submitting/rejection part of the writing game.

Sooches!

There's a BIG contest going on!

2009-10-25T11:05:00.001-04:00

Here Are a list and photos of the prizes you can win so far and they are YUMMY!
Don't forget to drop and enter to win a Book A Month for 2010 and a Cupcake Care Package!

Wednesday - October 21st - still available

The Cupcake Station - 1 Dozen beautiful cupcakes shipped to your door.

Our in-house
baker uses the freshest ingredients to create luscious cupcakes from scratch every day. Our delectably smooth buttercream icings are the finishing touch on our wide variety of tantalizing flavors, which are perfect for a birthday, bridal or baby shower, corporate event or any type of gathering.
Let us help you make your next get together a sweet success. There's definitely plenty to tempt your tastebuds at the Cupcake Station!

Things That Make Scents - Soy Cupcake Candles

Who could not resist trying to lick some icing off of these beautifully real looking cupcake candles? It's too bad to because they smell even better! Made with %100 Soy Wax. Surprise that special someone with a delicious cupcake soy candle.

Kelly'z Kreationz

Win a Hand Made Cupcake Hat.

Home of the original crocheted food scarves !Welcome to my sweet side where you can induldge without the added calories or sugar.Take a look see if there is anything you can't live without.

Thursday October 22, Prizes

We specialize in vintage inspired aprons for adults and children. The apron styles are all ORIGINAL Boojiboo designs, we make our own patterns to ensure a perfect fit, do not be fooled by imitations. Make sure you own the original apron with the sweetheart neckline, flared skirt, and fitted bust!!!

Cupcake Candle - Smells yummy!

Win an amazing art piece as a bag - I want it and I am very jealous of the winner!

Making messenger bags and custom orders, we have been working with duct tape for several years now. This has given us the experience needed to design items with the structural integrity to endure daily use.

Sleepless in Scotland

By Karen Hawkins

In the fourth book in the MacLean series, the older of twin sisters tries to save her twin from running off with a Maclean, ending up trapped herself.

No Choice But Seduction

By Johanna Lindsey

In Johanna Lindsey’s sizzling Malory novel, Katey Tyler uncovers a kidnapping plot—but doesn’t realize her heart will be taken prisoner as well.

Really Cute Bandana

Visit the Giveaway - http://www.romanceinthebackseat.com/cupcakegiveaway.htm

Status update

2009-10-22T11:13:00.007-04:00

DRENCHED is complete! Over 102-K in just over two-months. Some may say possessed, many have said obsessed *cough* hubby and kids *cough*, but my gf Candice says, "Obsession is a lazy man's term for dedication." So, yeah, I was waaayy dedicated for two months.

The first elemental story has been told, Water has been learned, controlled in the steamy late teen YA UF. Up next? SPITFIRE. Oh, yeah! Hot stuff ^_^ Avery and Thorn's relationship will almost combust. The crush she shares with Sayre will be taken to higher, hotter darker heights. A new and nasty character will make himself known. the plot thickens, lines blur in the heat. Who to trust? Who will live through it? Mwua ha ha ha ha

SNIPPET:

SPITFIRE: Chapter One

A Halloween Masquerade Ball. Fun, right? Not so much. Dancing, drama, death.

Blood cascaded from the hem of my black gown as I strode away from the cops still talking to witnesses. Anger, hot and prickly chewed through me, from core to crinkled silk. I couldn’t believe how lax things were at Fulsom Alternative Academy. They just let human’s get bitten by vampires? So.Not.Right. He should’ve had a long, long life--human life, that is, not an immortal bloodsucking one. Thorn, my totally gorgeous werewolf boyfriend, shouted something at me, but his voice hardly pierced the crackling haze of anger chattering in my skull.

My best friend Kelsey, her pumpkin orange skirt whipping behind her, ran to catch up. “Avery, the police still want to talk to you. Where are you going?”

Heat rolled off my skin, drying the blood to a tacky, crusty mess over my furled fists. My jaws hurt so bad from holding back sobs I could hardly answer. “Let the police deal with Biter Bitch Barbie. I’m getting some answers.”

She stopped dead, her beaded strappy heels skidding in the grass. “Are you going to Aspen?”

I sucked in a hot breath, glared daggers at the lit window on the bottom floor of the Nightbreeds’ high school. “Damn right I am.”

Update

2009-10-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's been a very long time. The summer was hell. My father had a massive aneurysm, then lingered in the hospital. He became cognizant enough to know he didn't know what he was doing, lost enough to not call me by name, but he did see my deceased brother at the foot of his bed. Then, he suffered two heart attacks and died. After that, mother became depressed, my brother went to finding comfort in libation and drug, my sister became very angry. Needless to say, I was never happier to see a season turn.

After losing my dad, I learned a few things. I'm stronger than I thought I could be. And, time is a fickle bitch. I decided to write the kind of story I've always wanted to, try my hand at the genre that has always beckoned. In two months, I have over 80-K and am tying things up in my first YA urban fantasy.

I'll be posting more about the book, pictures, taglines I'm chewing on, etc soon. Until then, get ready because a new breed of shifter is on the way!

Round Two

2009-06-12T11:46:00.003-04:00

That's right. I've recouped, pulled up my big girl panties, got my Fierce on and dove back into the deep end of the query pool. I'm praying silently, but chugging on, I've got too many stories to drown in query angst. So, for the fun and fierceness, I'm posting the poem I wrote from my heroine's POV:

I Would Cease…

I would that this renegade heart

Cease within my breast

That I might be free of its permanent pain.

I would that this severed soul

Cease its tattered bleeding

That I might be free of this venom not my own.

I would that I not be this beast,

Cease to be that, which I most despise,

That I might not suffer such sanguine savagery.

I would that I had died when he left me,

Cease in my quest for life,

For in the blessed death of sleep I would be free.

I would live this life no more,

Cease the slaughter I embraced,

For alive, alone, my heart howls in silence.

I would cease...

~by Sariah DuShayne, upon the hundredth full moon
copyright AE Rought, 2009

2009-06-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

Enough said. :-P

Sob

2009-06-08T11:44:00.001-04:00

Pardon me while I fall apart and regroup... Time to research other agencies.

Vacation and whatnot

2009-05-28T18:41:00.003-04:00

Since finishing Vengeance Moon I've been struggling with Post Write 'em depression--y'know, when you finally finish the book and wonder, 'what next?' I know what I should be doing, I should be writing a sequel, but currently no story is singing. *sigh* Today is pretty much a wash, I'm tired and the arthritis is flared up and making my upper arm muscles achey'; tomorrow, I kick my own ass, fire up the coffee pot early and get cracking.

Last weekend we visited a cottage in Shamrock, Wisconsin; a little piece of Heaven hidden in the woods. To say I love it at Polly Falls is a massive understatement. The long cottage is situated yards from a small waterfall, and a cluster of rapids. We slept to the lullaby of dancing waters, read and played on the little beach during the day, drank good wine and ate great food in the evenings. The last day, my hubby took me by the hand and walked me right up to the falls (he is such a romantic!). Thousands of gallons of water pouring on my feet, kinetic energy charging the air, earth's energy flooding me...absolutely amazing feeling. It's a sensation I wish I could share.

I've been tinkering with a few different WIPs: a 'space opera', a western sequel, a horror romance with zombies *gasp*, Vengeance Eclipsed the sequel to Vengeance Moon, even a realm-to-realm fantasy with a tattooed magician.

Still waiting on word from The Knight Agency. Cross what you've got for me!

Vengeance Moon:: characters, blurb

2009-04-30T09:43:00.013-04:00

Yes, I've been MIA for quite a while. I'm worried I'm going to turn into a soft, squishy version of John Rambo, go crazy, blow up a town and then cry about it. *snort* In the time I've been off the blogs I have completed the werewolf novel (and it kicks ass. Seriously). I've also rounded up some pictures of actors who best typify my characters (no, no film deal), worked up to different blurbs, a three-sentence pitch, and brain stormed the sequel. So, here's a little taste of what I've been up to:

Werewolf packs have a hierarchy: lap dogs, guard dogs, top dogs. I’m nothing like them, a werewolf hybrid and hell-bent on taking out Xander, the pack alpha and sadistic son of a bitch who made me. Regardless of my werecat distraction, or Xander’s guard dog, I will rip out his throat and spit it back in his face because revenge is a bitch, and so am I.

Xander Waithorn, (Christian Bale) alpha of the werewolf pack. He's a pompous sadistic playboy with a penchant for busty blonds -- he takes what he wants and leaves someone else to clean up the mess. After nearly a century as pack alpha, and with a loyal sergeant-at-arms, Xander thinks his seat of power is secure. Sins pile up. Karma eventually grows teeth. After a life of arrogancy and self-gratification, he has more than one creature gunning for him.

Agro Johnson, (Matt Damon) the enforcer of the werewolf pack. Agro was hired and turned werewolf for his brawn, not his brains. A dog who's been kicked too many times, Agro's turned on his maker, and set a plot in motion to bring about Xander's downfall and his ascenion to pack alpha. Agro's biggest mistake is discounting the bonds of loyalty formed between his enemies in and out of the pack.

Sariah DuShayne (Jessica Biel) She foolishly thought she could share herself with two men, two breeds of Were and not pay a price. When a full moon threesome goes awry, Sariah's lover is killed and she becomes a hybrid. Decades later, when her tolerance for Xander has grown thin and a friend is attacked and left for dead, the time for revenge has finally come. Sariah will risk last life and limb to punish the male Weres for their crimes, to her and the other girls left behind in Xander's quest for gratification.

Stephan Colinford (Ryan Reynolds) He's a natural born werecat with no control over his powers. A rogue lion, he fled the lion Pride in Europe looking for a life in the world of cage combat and Mixed Martial Arts. His dreams for normalcy are dashed the night he first sees Sariah in her hybrid Were form. Drawn like a moth to her flame Stephan shadows her full moon raids, yearning to touch her, taste her, plumb the depths of the connection he feels to her. In falling for Sariah, Stephan embarks on the path to claim his blood heritage, taking control of the lion within.

Shaynie Dawson (Michelle Tractenberg) Orphan and sister to a deceased member of Sariah's den. Hungry for the life her sister led, Shaynie skims the edge of the werewolf world, unaware of the hell she will go through when Xander drags her by his teeth into it's dark abyss. Raped, mauled and left for dead, Shaynie awakes in Sariah's arms. She is destined for a pivitol role in the simmering feud between Sariah and the male werewolves, a role where she will come into her own strength, a role where her heart and soul will be tested.

Jaxon Black (Jared Lehto) is the cousin of Creston Black, local grunge singer and Xander's favorite pet. Jaxon is also Stephan's main competition in the local MMA gym. Jax's dreams of pack inclusion happen on the same new moon that his cousin is killed while Xander hides behind his bodyguard. Blood is thick in the Black clan, and his cousin's death is the turning point in Jax's immortality. He runs both sides of the fence, keeping himself close to the one who let Creston die, while he wins his way into the murder's den and into the heart of her newest addition. To avenge his cousin's death, he will side with the killer, and join the war to take down Xander, the Were that let Creston die.

And my favorite blurb:

Some dogs should be put down. Xander Waithorn is one of them. In Victorian England, he killed my lover and turned me Were. Little did he know, when he bit me, he gave me the power to one day get revenge.

For decades I struggled to harness the gift of my new moon hybrid powers. I regret most of the blood I shed over those years--it is illegal to kill humans, after all. A century later, in a Michigan port town, I found Xander entrenched behind a mercenary bodyguard and an entire pack of werewolves. Xander hadn’t changed--he was still the sick sadistic son of a bitch he’d been when he attacked me. I’ve changed, taken control of my powers, and taken the string of female victims he left behind into the safety of my den.

Only Stephan Colinford, a sexy as hell MMA fighter with a hidden secret has distracted me from my growing vendetta. After Xander attacked a close friend, I waged war on the monster, stealing his territory block by block. And, one night, after I’ve taken his friends, and undermined his authority as Alpha male, I’ll rip his throat out and spit it back in his face, because... Revenge is a bitch, and so am I.

Okay, back to spiffing up the outline. *groan* Well, maybe brew a pot of coffee first, THEN I'll work on the outline. Yep! That's a plan. Honestly, I'll have the brainstorming page for the sequel open, too...probably at least one other story as well... (I should have been a Gemini...)

CONTEST WINNER

2009-03-04T11:28:00.006-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS, NJ!!!!

You're goody basket will be packaged and shipped to the cold, snowy north shortly. And to all those who entered, Thank you for playing!

Due to the great response, I will be posting another give-away as soon as I get something crafted. Maybe a basket and a teddy bear? I have done a bear in a long time. I kind of miss making the little cuties. So, check back in a couple weeks and we'll see what I can whip up for y'all.

Smooches!

SLADE AND KALLY CONTEST!!!

2009-02-16T17:23:00.002-05:00

It's time to unveil the Goody Basket contest for Slade and Kally!! I've been holding this one back until the ARe interview, so I could announce it on air. ^_^

Basket Contents:

TWO baskets, one handwoven by me
crystal soap, scented with my custom blended New Moon perfume oil
bottle of New Moon perfume oil, a light airy mix of jasmine and lavender
Western wear inspired green turquoise bracelet beaded by me
AND a bevy of items donated by the gals of the Midnight Moon Cafe! MMC items include:

silver and amethyst ring donated by Cassandra Curtis
pouch of lavender buds also from Cassandra
leather pouch from Cassandra
a pile of goodies, note cards, pens, etc from the MMC girls!

So, what do you do to be put in the running for the goody basket?
Here's the rules:

Read the EXCERPT posted on Samhain's website, and answer this question: What was the last thing Kally felt?
Go the the Midnight Moon Cafe BLOG and answer this question: What are the titles of the three free reads in the left hand column, and their respective authors?
Email you answers to AERought@gmail.com with the subject line SLADE AND KALLY GOODY BASKET (only emails with this subject line will be counted.)
Include your email address for later contact.
Contest will be open until March 1st.

Good luck, and Bright Blessings!
AE

Vengeance Moon:: teaser

2009-02-13T11:59:00.004-05:00

For decades I struggled to harness the gift of my new moon hybrid powers. I regret most of the blood I shed over those years--it is illegal to kill humans, after all. A century later, in a Michigan port town, I found Xander entrenched behind a mercenary bodyguard and an entire pack of werewolves. Xander hadn’t changed--he was still the sick sadistic son-of-a-bitch he’d been when he attacked me. I’ve changed, taken control of my powers, and taken the string of female victims he left behind into the safety of my den.

The Host :: my thoughts

2009-02-04T12:46:00.003-05:00

Well, I've read it twice now. Read ALL of Stephenie's books twice, and for what it's worth, I like The Host far and above the Twilight saga. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely a Fanpire, I love the angst, wolves and vampires in the Twilight saga--hell, I went out and bought Alice's choker with my royalty money--but there is something bewitching about The Host.

As an author, I feel The Host is a better written book--Stephenie echoes that opinion in a video about the book on Amazon (check out video HERE). In my Twilight related discussions with others, I've not held back my disappointment--nay, disgust--at the repetitive words in the Twilight saga. At points, I felt brain bludgeoned by: icy, marble, stone, bronze, Edward Edward Edward... Not to mention Bella's internal whining, like a sink that won't stop dripping through the saga, "I'm not good enough for him", "I'm not good enough for him"...

Granted, there are a couple of words that carried over from the series to The Host that must be Meyer's favorites, like 'crouch'. But for the most part, the repetitious writing isn't there.

The unique plot concept pulled me in. Okay, there are myriad books out there about 'after the fall of human society', but at least for me, this was an entirely new angle. I loved the female lead's duality of character; which, in turn, puts a hell of a spin on the romantic entanglements that arise because of it.

Yes. There is a similar essence in the Twilight saga and The Host. There is a huge HUGE 'threesome' thing throughout the Twilight saga--a plot vehicle that seems like one of Stephenie's favorite horses to beat--but it works better in this one. It is not the same, lacks the neediness, and unbalanced aspect that is prevalent in Twilight. Even though there is an alien entity involved, it seems more human, more realistic in The Host.

Is everything different? No. It's obviously a Meyer's work, but IMHO, this is a better brand, a higher quality of Meyer's work.

After I let a friend borrow it, I'll probably drag it around and read my favorite bits. Again.

The joy of villians

2009-01-22T10:46:00.003-05:00

The Ohio arena smelled a lot like the nightclub in Michigan. The major difference? This place smelled like cheap beer and ball sweat...

Never before has a villain/antagonist character been so much fun for me to write. Agro is equal parts werewolf and Chip Hazard from the movie Toy Soldiers. He is gruff, determined, tired of being somebody's lapdog, crabby as hell and easily given to violence. The best part? He's cunning and patient.

Well, I'm off to play with the wolfies!

teeny weeny western sequel snippet

2009-01-20T07:28:00.002-05:00

This is a little snippet from Beau and Laney, the sequel to Slade and Kally:

Her sweet perfume curled in his sinuses, but it was the sun on her skin, the way it lit her curves and set her brown eyes on fire that set his blood to surging south away from his thinking brain. Damn, Laney. Why’d you have to fill out so well?

Delaney’s butt was a perfect ornament on the hood of his Mustang when she shimmied closer. She wrapped her fingers in his, and pulled him close, dust motes and pollen dancing a ballet behind her when she spoke. “Remember the last time we were in this field?”

“How could I forget?” His body certainly hadn’t, and that was ten years ago. “You were skinny and skittish as a colt.”

“And you still kissed me anyway.”

Slade and Kally at ARe!

2009-01-12T10:27:00.003-05:00

http://www.myspace.com/allromanceebooks

Hey, Everyone, PLEASE do me a favor and go on over to All Romance eBook's MySpace page and leave me some love, okay? They've been busy promoting Slade and Kally and I have been completely clueless. *shhh* don't tattle on me, okay?

The blurb is up, excerpts, video, downloadable desktop... They gals are awesome.

werewolf take-over

2009-01-08T10:48:00.004-05:00

Well, for months, I've floundered with my werewolf story, chewing on the changes I wanted to make, snarling at the inconsistencies holding me back. Recently, the problems cleared themselves in an epiphany of mind-shattering proportions.

Yes. I am supposed to working on other stories.
No. This one doesn't have a home yet.
BUT this is 'the one', if you know what I mean. I think my author friends will know.

btw, that's Forrest Griffin up there. He's a famous MMA fighter in The UFC, and also the inspiration behind Stephan Colinford, the star of the little tidbit of hotness I'm sharing with y'all. (Warning: there are words in this one not found in other AE books. And they are staying.)

His gaze wandered her body, then returned to her face, where he tried to gauge her reactions. Stephan offered her a hand. Her gaze left his eyes, moved to his hand and then seemed to shift internal before her eyelids dropped into a sexy come-hither look.

Stephan wasn’t going anywhere, but he damn sure meant to pull her in. Her fingers were delicate in his when he curled them to his palm and yanked her close, striking her body soft body against his. A strange tingle danced through him. His breathing quickened, his heart raced.

“Oh?” Her breath was intoxicating, an enticing caress on his face. “Don’t you mean the lack of distance between us?”

He released her hand, wrapping his arm around her, spinning them both until her back was pinned to the vinyl coated chain link cage. He curled his fingers into the fencing to either side of her shoulders, leaning close, feeling the heat rise from her before running his nose along the exposed skin of her throat. Goddammn she smelled good--like a lioness but wilder. He growled in her ear. “Do you have a problem with this?”

“Not at all. In fact...” It was her turn to ogle his body. He could almost feel the weight of her gaze straying over his pelvis and loins. He knew she was thinking thoughts as erotic as he was. Stephan caught the color of her imaginings through his untapped werecat senses. “I whole-heartedly encourage it.”

“...bring me to my knees, Saint...” Her thoughts solidified into words for him. Stephan liked the path her mind was on. Seemed Sariah could be a match in bedroom sports.

A soft smile, spread across his lips. He released the cage with his right hand, fingers braiding into her hair on the way to her cheek. “But what if there was distance... if I wasn’t here for a while? We are heading out of town, traveling to another fight venue.”

She pouted. “Bummer. I was just beginning to enjoy this.” Her thoughts weren’t so acquiescent. “...tackle him, ride his hips down to the mat...”

He stiffened just at the images he glimpsed in her mind. Oh yes please. Wait. No, not now. Maybe not ever.

He couldn’t let her know how badly he wanted the same thing. He’d have to tell her everything, then, and he couldn’t admit to what he couldn’t control. Stephan stroked the fine skin of her cheek. “It’ll be a couple weeks. We’re hoping to actually meet a representative of Couture’s gym, maybe Randy himself...”

“Can’t stand in the way of that, can I?” Her bottom lip was full and his mouth watered to taste it. His thumb strayed from her cheek to trace the bottom edge of her lip.

“You could try...” He wanted her to; the lust surging in him demanded it. Her gaze fell, and he stepped back. “By the way, I never properly introduced myself. I’m Stephan Colinford.”

“It’s a pleasure making your acquaintance.” A purr rolled through her words. She made no attempts to hide the cat within. “I’m Sariah DuShayne and I’m dying to know just one thing about you...”

The Paranormal Playlist

2009-01-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

My dark and gritty side...

2008-12-14T10:15:00.002-05:00

Being called a bitch was the least of her concerns. She had been called worse by better men than the corpses left in the alley. Snorting, she kicked dirt into their shattered, bloody faces.

Hours would be wasted identifying the Pinks’ remains. Sariah made sure of that. She’d smashed their teeth into their braincases, and chunks of their flesh soured in her stomach. Severed fingertips jostled against each other in the churning acid of her guts. Digested fingerprints were impossible to read. Dental records weren't much good on gum lines. DNA tests were costly and time consuming.

Bastards.

They hurled vulgarities on the one night she couldn’t control the beast raging in her blood. The name they threw at her did not offend--in truth, they were tragically right--she was a bitch. It was the tone of their taunts, the rude gestures, the puffed chests and bulging jeans. Her blood surged, pounding against her eardrums. And, with the full moon mocking her, Sariah could not tolerate the offensive verbal swagger, or the eager musk hanging heavy in the air.

She turned on her heel, lips parted and ready to match their sarcasm. Then, the tattooed blonde grabbed his crotch, she lost her restraint on the killer she contained. Her transformation was sudden and painful; one moment human, the next raging beast. Sariah was a werewolf, muzzle curled, teeth bared and blood pumping with rage.

She growled, low and long, her hackles up from the ridge of her skull, down her spine to her ass. Even her tail bristled. Her nostrils flared. The men, leaned up against a building, had no where to run. She launched from her bunched hindquarters and slammed into them with an audible crush of concrete and bone. Pavement churned beneath her heels as she ravaged the rudeness out of them--along with their lives.

Even in her altered state, Sariah had enough presence of mind to disguise her crime. She crushed their skulls with bashing blows of her back feet, then snapped off their fingertips. The murders were crimes of passion, desecrating the corpses was intentional.

She shook her head to clear the tainted images. High pointed ears waggled and blood flew from her snout, spattered the ragged blouse hanging from her neck. She looked down--tawny hide, curved claws, a ripped blouse, barely recognizable now, shoes gone, but the leather skirt still clung to her hips with a savage fit. A dark laugh caught in her throat.

Carnage and leather look good on me.

Tuesday TIDBITS--and excerpt!

2008-12-09T13:06:00.008-05:00

This Tidbits concept from Shell has become a weekly feature! So, here are this week's bits of randomness. :o)

1.) Did you know that basket bottoms can totally look like a character from a Tim Burton movie?? Me, neither, until I started weaving them. That one over there is destined to be a Christmas gift. Guess I better get cracking on it, eh? *sigh*

2.)Snow sucks. Yeah. I know. But AE, it's so pretty! Yes, I know, it's lovely to watch, but when it dumps heavy wet stuff in multiple inches...it just sucks.

3.)There is a big contest give-away starting next week! Included are two baskets (one hand woven by me), a custom-blended perfume oil of jasmine, lavender and sage, and a similar scented crystal shaped soap, PLUS a leather pouch, a lavender sachet and a silver ring from Cassandra Curtis, PLUS lots of bookmarks and goodies from the gals at The Midnight Moon Cafe!!

(details coming next week when Slade and Kally releases--check back here on the 16th!)

4.) A family friend is a rockstar! Seriously. Check out the band Pop Evil, the guitar player Tony Greve used to be my hubby's karate student! He was so cute in his little white uniform. Now his pierce, tattooed and in a rockband. *sigh* I wallow in a funny, displaced sense of pride. :o)

5.) Here's the official excerpt for Slade and Kally:
Goose bumps coated my skin, my breath rose in thin plumes and my feet were numb in winter’s grip. I kept looking for a house, a car, anything to show signs of life. I must have marched along the loneliest road in Wyoming, because my search proved to be more hollow than the new moon above me. Then, running on the inside of the fence and off into the property, I found a path. I took off my sweatshirt, threw it over the barbed wire and scrambled over the fence and face first into the snow.

The barbs released my shirt from their nettled grip, and I pulled the holey sweatshirt back on. The path was narrow, meandering over the uneven terrain and in-between stands of aspens and pines. Hillsides poured into little valleys dotted with scraggy bushes and full Christmas tree pines before climbing again. After the third or fourth incline and fast slide down the other side, I noticed my chills were gone. A detached feeling replaced them. I raised my hand to the cut on my head. It was dry. Either the cut had frozen, or the blood just wasn’t getting there.

Even I knew in my frozen, muddled consciousness, decreased blood flow and no more chills were dangerous.

Drowsy weight settled in my limbs. My eyes drooped, then flew open wide at the sight of a light and a low roofline. It was a small building, maybe just a barn. At least it could provide shelter. I left the path I had followed and plowed through a flat field of pristine snow. Yards from a roofed cattle pen, my left foot slipped and sank. I didn’t realize until icy water gushed over my calves and into my boots, that I’d floundered into a pond. Instinct ticked in my muscles, and I fell backward instead of face first into the frigid depths.

Mud seeped through my clothes, caked my scalp. Water dripped from my body when I crawled from the muck. I managed to collapse on the bank, where the damp mud held me in a wet embrace and fresh snow blanketed me. I panted, watching the plumes of my breath rise in the faint blue glow of the halogen lamp while the cold soaked into my bones, into my guts, which lay inert beneath my skin.

Irony struck me like an icy club. I’d left Matt because I was afraid he’d kill me. Now here I lay, dying. A sick, strangled laugh escaped me. Though a ray of light flashed across the pond, black fields encroached on my vision and a chilly invitation to a long cold sleep tempted.

“What in the world?”

A voice rang in the little snow filled dell. I lifted my head from my icy bed and saw a man in a low profile Stetson hat riding toward me on a white horse. The image of him sitting astride the horse framed in snowfall was etched like ice in my mind. He trained the beam of his flashlight on me and our gazes locked. “Gid-up!” He spurred the horse and it charged around the edge of the pond I’d stumbled into.

The man dropped from the saddle and pushed his hat from his head. He nestled his Maglite into the snow so that it shined on me. Steam rose from his dark hair, and his expression flared hope in me. His eyes were polar ice blue and angel robe soft. No matter how I wanted to look at his face forever, my eyelids sagged. His hands were clear in my hazy vision. Hands weren’t always good. Matt had hit me with his hands. A little knot of fear tightened in my gut, but this man was gentle. “Come on, girl. Stay with me.”

“Car crash.” I muttered. I couldn’t say more. Nothing came out but a shaky breath. He nodded, and a frown knit his brows together.

He pulled the gloves from his hand and patted my thighs and arms. “You’re soaked to the bone and freezing.”

I wanted to nod my head in agreement, but my fine motor skills were frozen too. His fleece-lined jacket smelled of Stetson cologne when he pulled it off, the scent of sweat sweetened with fabric softener rose from his long underwear shirt. “Let me help you.”

I couldn’t have fought him if I wanted to. I had no strength left. My field of vision narrowed when my eyelids drooped again. He wadded the shirt into a soft mass and patted my face dry. Despite the sting of his shirt against my cheek, I was grateful for his touch. My head lolled to the side while he wiped down my arms. I was less appreciative when he used the shirt to sop water from my shoulders and chest. Pain blazed from my shoulder socket and radiated through my arm and chest. A weak cry escaped my lips, but the onset of hypothermia had iced over my tear ducts.

“Hush now.” He stopped, placing a warm hand on my cheek and shushing me. “We have to get you dry you before you freeze to death.”

It might be too late.

He stood, more silhouette than man to my increasingly fuzzy vision. Putting his hat back on, he bent to wrap me in the clothing he’d removed. I couldn’t feel him touching me. I was beyond feeling, slipping into the numb, quiet dark. The pain eased. The cold eased. My vision failed. There was only me and him. His chest was the last thing I saw when he wrapped his arm around my back. The last thing I felt was the warmth of his bare skin.

Me and him.

Me.

…black…

Tuesday TIDBITS

2008-12-02T10:49:00.007-05:00

Well, I'm sitting here looking at a blog going stale, and I just can't have that. So, to remedy the situation I'll post a few random tidbits about me:

1.) Thank goodness this movie comes in DVD format. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, if I'm home alone, I play it at least once a day. Sad isn't it? I LOVE the Grinch. There's a large talking Grinch on my sofa right now, and a small stuffed one on my desk. I think Jim Carrey did an excellent job, and Ron Howard did a fabulous job of taking a classic and expanding it for a more modern crowd.

2.) My major pet peeve in life is being pushed, or feeling like I'm being rushed. I can get all kinds of ugly. Funny, though, because I work well under pressure.

3.) Writing under one name isn't enough for me. I have an erotica pen name where I put the really naughty stuff. I'm afraid if my mother-in-law got her hands on some of my erotic work, she'd stroke out--my mom, too, for that matter. Especially if they knew every m/f scene is rigorously field tested for accuracy. Snort.

4.) Totally random factoid here. Onions and I do NOT get along.

5.) I once met the guys from Night Ranger. They signed the inside of the jacket I wore when working at the Meat Market...er, I mean bar. The leader signer tried to drag me back on their tour bus, even. Seriously. Of course, I didn't go.

NEVER

2008-11-24T10:47:00.005-05:00

Never say "Yeah, I can do that" unless it coincides with "Yeah, I want to spend the time to do that."

Last year, I told two friends of mine, "Sure, I can sew fleece jackets for you." Not a direct quote, mind you. Well, one year, three books and 5 Renaissance Faire dresses later, I'm hunched over my sewing machine, spit and snarling because I'm making good on my "I can do that" promise.

What makes me particularly frustrated is I really want to write in my penname erotic/fantasy story with the tattooed warlock. *cue the whining* I can feel the story pressing against every Gotta Write nerve I have. It's...consuming me.

Then, there's a collaborative erotic/time-travel fantasy romance project I'm working on with an author friend--another, "Yeah, I can do that." The time-line sounded totally plausible. Then life got in the way. Her health issues, our kids band/soccer schedules, etc. Now, she's on me to write a love scene that I can't get to because I'm trying to clear out these other "I can do that" projects. And the surrounding tensions have completely chased the sensuality of the scene from my mind.

I have to wonder if I'm masochistic and unaware of it. A sap. A sucker. A doormat... I keep agreeing to things when I shouldn't. And then putting them off until the last possible moment. Thank goodness I perform well under pressure.

Check with me next year. I'll be just as nuts. *sigh*

Random and wacky facts--Tidbits

2008-11-18T08:48:00.008-05:00

I'm snitching this blog idea from Shell, a blogger I ran into yesterday while blogging over at the MMC. Shell posted some 'random and wacky' tidbits about herself.

1.) I'm addicted to tea. Not just any tea, mind you, but Celestial Seasonings' Morning Thunder. I bring it everywhere I go. I brought it to the hospital after I had my hysterectomy. I even brought it with me to BookExpo when I stayed in the swanky hotel with my agent.

2.) Ages ago, when I was single, I used to wait tables and occasionally act as a female bouncer at the local bar (read: meat market). If girls got into it, if they passed out in the loo, it was my job to get them sorted out. I guess bitchiness has it's benefits. Snort.

3.) I once tanned the ta-tas on the French Riviera. That's right. I went to France in the summer of 1987, and "when in Rome, do as the Romans." So... I went topless on the beaches of Cannes, France. Let me tell you, sunburns THERE sting like hell!

4.) Stuffies. Plushies. Stuffed Animals. Dust collectors. Call 'em what you want. I'm a closet stuffed animal lover. The Build-a-Bear Workshop is one of my favorite haunts. (Go ahead. Giggle. I would, too.) I'll even deepen my shame by telling you, I sleep with a stuffed animal. Currently, it's a Stitch.

5.) I am, at this moment, playing Christmas music. *gasp* Yes, I know. It's not even Thanksgiving. But, 'tis the season, for me. I LOVE Christmas--the lights, the decorations, the FOOD, the pretty music and family gatherings. Don't get me wrong, I bitch profusely while sewing gifts, and trudging through the snow, but I still love this time of year.

FLEs

2008-11-10T08:55:00.000-05:00

LMFAO

2008-10-23T16:53:00.002-04:00

OMG I found this over at www.roflrazzi.com and laughed myself sick.

I mean, come on people! if you're going to snark on a classic like Star Wars, you damned well better do it properly. Seriously. If you're going make a sarcastic statement about Yoda's backward sentences, you had better spell the entire thing correctly--especially the focal word of your commentary. Gramar?? No. G-R-A-M-M-A-R. It's like the proverbial pot calling the kettle black.

Snort.

Casuality of war

2008-10-20T09:44:00.003-04:00

There's a battle raging in my brain. Perhaps not quite good vs evil, or even dark vs light. But, the story I SHOULD be writing is locked in head-to-head combat with the story that I should leave alone. It happens to me often, and it seems the more I know I should be focusing on one the more seductive and bewitching the other becomes.

Normally, it's a split down the center--sweet, contemporary romance versus dark, gritty paranormal romance. Hubby always said I'm a split personality, and I guess it really shows in my writing. *sigh*

This time... not so much.

Right now, my contemporary (western) romance sequel and a new contemporary/fantasy romance are at odds. Beau Carlson, a hot kickass sexy cowboy is embroiled in a battle with Adriel, a mysterious warlock. The two contemporary heroines are in the background, hair pulling over who gets written first: The one filled with quiet rebellion who needs to learn to stand up for what she believes in despite the possible consequences, or the one who refuses to believe she is the reincarnation of the warlock's wife.

Is there any question which file is open right now??

Nope.

See that black cat up there, his name is Basement Cat and he's the lolcat version of the devil. Yeah, he's winning.

Warlock, past lives, and fantasy realms here I come!

Maybe tomorrow I can focus properly...

Pretty bit of flash

2008-10-18T09:27:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite seasonal piece. I hope ya'll enjoy...

The angel breezed by, her wings sparkling and her halo askew. She giggled, a high sweet sound in the deepening twilight. A devil followed close behind, his tail dragging in the gravel, his pitchfork snagged on the angel’s skirts.

Then, their mother walked past. Each engrossed in their pursuit of sweet treats, and all oblivious to me.

I lay beneath a golden maple, upon the carpet of autumn’s splendor. A chill breeze unsettled my costume in its passage. And, the fallen leaves whispered softly beneath my weight--complaining, displeased that my blood stained them crimson…

The joy of covers

2008-10-15T09:03:00.006-04:00

Nothing makes a book feel real to me like a good cover. Well, feeling it in print in your hands is the ultimate, but when it comes to ebooks, the cover is the inch-thick frosting on top of the cake. (Yes, around here, if I make a cake, I'm making the frosting as thick as possible.)

These two recent covers have stories behind that make them very near and dear to my heart. Not only are they for the 'first' book in that particular genre for me, but they have direct ties to my family. DEAD BY DAWN, for example, is my first release in the horror genre and has my gorgeous (but horribly mouthy) thirteen old-year daughter, Kat gracing it's cover. (Thank you to Renee for letting me use her!!)

For me the cover really does depict the stories. These two tales are spooky, atmospheric, like the ones you here gathered around a campfire, or legends passed down. They are about young, tragic heroines, hence Kat in her chemise, and the trees behind her represent the wild untamed beauty of Michigan, where the two stories take place. The title?? Well... Sunrise doesn't always promise salvation.

The second cover is for my first straight contemporary romance (with HEAVY western underpinings). No paranormal and no fantasy in this one, folks. (Don't gasp) The only magick is in the growth of the characters, and in new love depsite all odds. But there is a magickal bit on the cover now, that will forever elicit a happy smile from me.

The bottom half, the peaceful winter scene is a great representation of where Slade finds Kally suffering from injuries in car crash and hypothermia. BUT, the uniquely special part is that my hubby actually took that picture last fall, the week I started writing the book! How cool is that?? The photo my husband took, to bring some of the beauty of the West, is now gracing the cover of my contemporary (western) romance! And, in October, to be immortalized in print!

So, yeah, these covers are forever among my favorites, because they are little bits of my family shared with the world. :)

Love you, Kat! Love you, Kevin!

Cowboy humor

2008-09-11T10:15:00.002-04:00

Have to share the giggle Candice Gilmer sent me:

A Montana cowboy walks into a bar and takes a seat next to a very attractive woman. He gives her a quick glance then casually looks at his watch for a moment.

The woman notices this and asks, "Is your date running late?"

"No," he replies,
"I just got this state-of-the-art watch, and I was just testing it."

The intrigued woman says,
"A state-of-the-art watch? what's so special about it?"

The cowboy explains,
"It uses alpha waves to talk to me telepathically."

The lady says,
"What's it telling you now?"

"Well, it says you're not wearing any panties."

The woman giggles and replies,
"Well, it must be broken because I am wearing panties."

The cowboy smiles, taps his watch and says,
"Dang thing's an hour fast."

This kinda fits Beau Carlson, the hero of the second Letting Go of the Reins book in my weatern series.

Sequestered

2008-04-28T13:05:00.006-04:00

I've been chasing the same rung on this wheel for a while now and I'm making the tough choice of going into seclusion, folks. It's time to 'go back to the salt mines' as my agent would say, time to put the nose to the grindstone. I'm close enough to the end of my contemporary western to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and will be sequestering myself to get the book finished.

I will still come out of hiding for Lyrical Press's launch day festivities. I can't miss the momentous occasion of my first paranormal romace being released, or my friend launching her company!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2008-04-23T07:20:00.003-04:00

(Well...not totally wordless. I use this as an inspiration pic when writing my contemporary western. My hubby got this shot while hunting in Colordao.)

WESTERN SAMPLER

2008-04-16T17:28:00.002-04:00

For those readers out there hankering for some western action:

Mud seeped through my clothes, caked my scalp. Water dripped from my body when I crawled from the muck. I managed to collapse on the bank, where the damp mud held me in a wet embrace and fresh snow blanketed me. I panted, watching the plumes of my breath rise while the cold soaked into my bones, into my guts which lay inert beneath my skin.

Irony struck me like an icy club. I’d left Matt because I was afraid he’d kill me; now here I lay, dying. A sick, strangled laugh escaped me. Black fields encroached on my vision, and a chilly invitation to a long cold sleep tempted.

“What in the world?”

A voice rang in the little snow filled dell. I lifted my head from my icy bed and saw a man in a low profile Stetson hat riding toward me on a white horse. The image of him sitting astride the horse framed in snowfall was etched like ice in my mind. Our eyes locked. “Gid-up!” He spurred the horse and it charged around the edge of the pond I’d stumbled into.

The man dropped from the saddle and pushed his hat from his head. Steam rose from his dark hair, but it was his expression that flared hope in me. His eyes were as blue as polar ice, but as soft as an angel’s robes. I wanted to look at his face forever, but my eye lids sagged. His hands were clear in my hazy vision. Hands weren’t always good--Matt hit me with his hands. A little knot of fear unwound in my gut, but this man was gentle. “Come on, Girl. Stay with me.”

I tried to speak, but when my jaw unclenched nothing come out. He nodded, and a frown knit his brows together. He pulled the gloves from his hand and patted my thighs and arms. “You’re soaked to the bone and freezing.” I wanted to nod my head in agreement, but my fine motor skills were frozen, too. His fleece lined jacket smelled of Stetson cologne when he pulled it off, the scent of sweat sweetened with fabric softener rose from his long underwear shirt. “Let me help you.”

I couldn’t fight him if I wanted to. I had no strength left. My field of vision narrowed as my eyelids drooped again. He wadded the shirt into a soft mass, and patted my face dry. The brush of the shirt stung my cheeks, but I was grateful. He wiped down my arms as my head lolled to one side. I was less appreciative when he used the shirt to sop water from my shoulders and chest. Pain blazed from my shoulder socket and radiated through my arm and chest. A weak cry escaped my lips, but onsetting hypothermia had iced over my tear ducts.

“Oh my, I am so sorry!” He stopped, placing a warm hand on my cheek and shushing me. “We have to dry you before you freeze to death.”

It might be too late for that.

He stood, more silhouette than man, to my fuzzy vision. Putting his hat back on, he bent to wrap me in the clothing he’d removed. But I couldn’t feel him touching me--I was beyond that, slipping into the numb, quiet dark. The pain eased. The cold eased. My vision failed. There was only me, and him. His chest was the last thing I saw when he wrapped his arm around my back. The last thing I felt was the warmth of his bare skin.

Me and him.

Me.

black

EXCERPT from Prey for Mercy

2008-04-14T08:50:00.004-04:00

I promised you an excerpt from Prey for Mercy, and here it is!:

“I get the winner.”

Her jaw dropped, but his rose in a grin. He winked. “We’ll see about that.”

Ooh, playful banter? My soul sang with his implied challenge. He was an excellent choice of prey. I batted my eyelashes and leaned forward to allow him a generous peek down my top while I studied the shot he was lining up. His line of sight traveled from the cue ball, across the green felt to the flesh I exposed. I inhaled an exaggerated sigh, thrusting my breasts all but out of my top.

Take the bait, pretty boy.

He took a long look, then allowed his gaze to roam my body and face. The blonde, who still stood feet away, reached a boil. “Chase Rogers! Quit looking at that bitch!”

He threw her a silencing glare, and then looked back to me, a hint of mischief sparkling in his eyes. “So...” He sidestepped his pool cue, and leaned close enough for the warmth of his cheek to penetrate mine. “Do you have a name, or will ‘bitch’ do?”

“Call me Mercy.” I closed the distance between us, brushing my lips against his cheek and my breast against his arm.

Time froze. I lived within his heart beat, my mind and soul whirring. A feminine voice within argued against the monster in my blood. Chase’s body by mine, warm and alive, pumping precious blood through his veins. I should have craved his flesh, desired to cut open his vein and drink, but I was bewitched. He was handsome, engaging, spirited enough to ignore the shrew and flirt with me. Perhaps bed sports would be better than bloodshed?

“Mercy me…” Chase’s voice rang in my ears, but it was his touch that broke the spell. His fingers traced a warm path along my cheek bone.

“If you’re lucky.”

Chase’s eyes remained locked on mine but his hand dropped from my jaw, brushing against my breasts on the way back to his pool cue. He diverted his gaze to the white ball, drawing the stick in his hands back before striking the ball. Blue chalk scattered from the force of contact. The cue ball rocketed forward, clipping a solid orange ball on the side and sending it into the side pocket with a snap.

“Nice shot.” His friend’s shoulders sagged. “I didn’t think you’d make it.”

“I have to win.” Chase shot a glance at his friend, and then winked at me. “Because Mercy gets the winner.”

FRESH NEW COVERS!

2008-04-10T13:13:00.006-04:00

Yes, I am spoiled. Renee gave me a second cover for Prey for Mercy, and I love love love this one because it has Mercy's love interest on it, too. *sigh* Man beauty is good. And, as an added bonus, I have the official tagline and blurb for you, too! :)

TAGLINE:

Immortality is not enough.

BLURB:

Vampire Mercy Callahan wants more from immortality than sex with strangers and an eternal string of lonely nights. Something's missing until she shares a sizzling one-night-stand with Chase Rogers. His blood is ambrosia, his soul a match to her own, and his presence a talisman against the biting loneliness within.

Chase wants everything Mercy can give, but he's not free. He's betrothed to Angel Macoby, a dangerously unbalanced mortal who's stalked Mercy for years.

Only one woman can survive the deadly rivalry, and if Angel wins, she may walk away with more than Mercy's life.

CHECK IT OUT ON LPI's SITE!

And my short horror story has survived AA's sad demise, resurrected with LPI.

It will be part of my Dead by Dawn series that will eventually be bound in a print collection. Straight horror here, folks, none of that mushy stuff. :)

TAGLINE:

Sometimes you can't go home.

BLURB:

In the black heart of the forest lies a forgotten house. Decayed and deserted, it is home to only dark heritage. The rooms have long been empty, its owners lost, but not yet gone.

Something exists in the shadows. A hunger grows, an aching need calling out for sustenance, calling out for blood.

The homestead awaits.

CHECK IT OUT ON LPI's SITE!

Wow

2008-04-10T13:03:00.000-04:00

All I have to say is this bitch should be singing rock and roll.

NEW COVER

2008-01-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

My friend Renee has started her own publishing company and I am so thrilled for her and proud to say that DragonSpell Publishing will be releasing my first vampire story Prey for Mercy this upcoming spring!

More news, maybe a blurb and excerpt, coming soon!

Fresh snow, fresh story ideas

2007-12-05T09:50:00.000-05:00

Ready for a shock? (Drum roll please...) THIS is my newest writing venture:

That's right. I'm writing a Western Romance. It is a sweet tale of new love healing old wounds, of acceptance and forgiveness. I don't want to put too much out in the public view yet, but it is part of a series, and is going to win the hearts of women readers everywhere!

For now, however, the sinus infection is winning and the couch is calling my name...

Sneak Peek

2007-08-21T13:32:00.000-04:00

Okay, Peoples. We don't have a release date, and I can't give you all the details at this time, but I CAN show you the hot new cover for that project that I mentioned with Aphrodite's Apples.

RESURRECTED

New love emerges when past lives collide.

*cover art butt dance* How's that for eye candy, Ladies? :) RESURRECTED is a love story as hot as the sands of Egypt beneath the daytime sun. "And that's all I got to say about that..."

Naggy Nancy

2007-07-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

Yup, that's right, my girlfriend Nancy Lindquist nagged me this morning for not posting in my blog in a while. So, I'm gonna update any readers here.

Nancy and I are actually working together on a *gasp* non-fiction project. It's a pretty cool idea, and one that my agent likes. She already has a publishing house (which she sells buttloads of books to) in mind for it. As things progess, I will update y'all here.

I sold a short story under my penname to The Wild Rose Press's Scarlet Rosette line. In other words, it's a hot and naughty little diddy. :) And, I am working on a super secret project for Aphrodite's Apples.

Past that, I'm kind of in a rewrite mode, with two different stories going through revisions. And, the sequel to Nuermar's Last Witch is in the works, working title of Nuermar's Only Guardian. It will follow the life of Jartis, Maelis's son. I'm also taken one of my penname's stories over as my own, and changing the title to boot. It's a dark dark (repeated on purpose) paranormal about a werewolf who is a real bitch.

Otherwise, it's hot and humid here. If you know me personally, then you know Summer is NOT my favorite season. Give me Fall! Crisp autumn air. Colored leaves. Sweatshirts and jeans. Hot cocoa. And kids in school!!!

Sneak Peek!

2007-06-06T09:47:00.000-04:00

Rene Lyons and Stella Price are working on something awesome, and I get to be a part of it! So, I figured I'd give ya'll a sneak peek...

The gun?? It's a Glock, from the hubby's personal stash. :)

AHOY MATEYS!

2007-06-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

FIND THE SEXY PIRATES!

Four Samhain authors challenge you to sail the high seas in search of sexy pirates! Your reward? Pieces of eight?

The Treasure:
A Samhain Gift Certificate for $20 * A copy of one book from each author * A treasure made by hand from each of the authors—a necklace, a bracelet, a book thong, and a candle!

Your First Mates:
AE Rought, Ciar Cullen, Ingela Hyatt, and Ann Cory

Your Mission:
Find the sexy pirates (hint: they look a lot like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom for some reason)
Find the treasure chest

Your map:
http://www.ciarcullen.com/
http://aerought.blogspot.com/
http://www.anncory.com/
http://www.ingelahyatt.com/

BONUS HINT: Don’t forget Myspace and Livejournal pages linked at each site!

How to Win!
Visit each of the links above and look for the treasure chest. Then find two sexy pirates at each site in addition to the treasure chest. Jot down where you found the pirates and the treasure chest, and email your answers to ciar@ciarcullen.com
Don’t forget to tell us the title of the book where you found the treasure, or if it was on the homepage or blog of the author. Simply tell us the author’s name isn’t good enough. You’ll walk the plank for that!

CONTEST RUNS THROUGH JUNE! Don’t give up, if you have questions, email ciar@ciarcullen.com!

RENE LYONS HIJACK!!

2007-05-15T08:22:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Rene Lyons here. Because I'm all laid up recovering from surgery, I've humbly begged my non-blood related sister, AE, to post this for me. Isn't it nice of her that I didn't have to get down on bended knee or offer up a kidney to get her to say yes?

I'm here to announce the print release of The Daystar. Yay! It's my second book to go to print and book two of the Templar Vampire series.

Here's the blurb:

Always feeling different from the world around her, a power grows within Lexine Parker. In the light is where she belongs—even as she finds herself thrust into the nocturnal realm of the Templar vampires.

Scarred by a brutal past, Constantine is a creature consumed with rage. He knows only darkness and sin. Believing he fights a losing battle of redemption, heaven is something he doesn’t dare hope for—until Lexine makes him believe salvation is possible.

Locked away in an ancient castle, they come together in body and spirit, searching for love to chase away the darkness. With Constantine’s soul at stake and Lex’s life on the line, the nights tick down to a cataclysmic event that could tear them apart forever.

Constantine was a real trip to write. He's all things dark and dangerous. Being in his head for the five months it took me to write Daystar was a trip down an emotional roller coaster. His backstory was brutal and often forced me to step away from the computer. To counter his darkness there is Lex. She was a heroine who I truly enjoyed writing. I liked her. It was nice to watch her find her strength. And man, did she need it to deal with the crap I threw at her. Not to mention she had to be able to stand up to the most fierce of all the Templar Vampires. Saying goodbye to them when I'd finished the book damn near killed me. I still find myself "writing" more of their story in my head. I simply can't let go of them. Thankfully, I have them make appearances in the final three books. That's the beauty of a series. I don't have to cut ties with characters I've come to love so much. They get to hang around a bit longer. And when you have a character like Constantine, it's always a bonus to have him stick around. *snicker*

Fictionwise's TOP TEN in Horror!

2007-05-08T09:09:00.000-04:00

Aphrodite's Apples anthology Spellbound - Tales of Mischief & Mayhem is currently ranked as the 7th topselling Horror title over at Fictionwise!

Check it out:http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/HorroreBooks.htm

My short horror story PAST MIDNIGHT is the first title in this anthology, and is a spooky, atmospheric tale of karma come full circle. Sometimes, you can't go home...

For more information, check out Spellbound here:http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook45685.htm?cached

LMFAO

2007-04-30T07:56:00.000-04:00

I think my sides are still hurting! Watch it only if you want ato laugh, and your NOT an animal rights activist:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f5d_1172741350

Bright blessings!

MARCH PRINT CELEBRATION CONTEST

2007-03-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

First off, let me say "Thank you, Samhain Publishing!" for making this dream of mine a reality.
In celebration of Nuermar's Last Witch 's print release this month, I am running a big contest all month long. There are THREE PRIZES!!

PRIZES ARE:
1. An e-book of Nuermar's Last Witch, the novel reviewers are calling "a spellbinding fantasy," "an action packed adventure," and was nominated for Ecataromance's Reviewer's Choice Award.
2. A ruby and clear czech fire-polished glass bead necklace. 3. For the one who answers the trivia question correctly, Colly of Skinsations Soap and Bath Products made a goody basket! Included is a vanilla candle to set the mood, two lovely glycerin soaps of Amber Vanilla, and a bottle of Rapture scented body lotion!!

RULES:
The contest will be open all month, but there is only one way to enter:
1. Email me at AERought@gmail.com
2. put MARCH CONTEST in the subject line
3. in the body of the email put either
· NECKLACE
· BOOK, or
· TRIVIA (only for the goody basket)

The trivia question is:
Which monk who first greets Maelis and Joran inside the monastery?
(Please do not answer the trivia question here.)

To keep up with me, you can join DarkInk and set your email settings to Special Announcements, because I will be sending out my newsletters that way.

GOOD LUCK!!
ADDENDUM:
*onerous groan* Someone smack me, please. I've screwed up again. :( Seems I was supposed to post the needed excerpt in which the answer to my trivia question can be found. So, to keep things legal, you can find the need info in the most recent post to my LJ.
Slinking off to my cave...
AE