Step into The Hot Zone - Where love is worth any sacrifice

Catching up.....

2006-10-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, ignored the blogger again this week, but I had good reason. No, really! lol It's been a hectic week, starting with last weekend.

As I blogged earlier, I was heading to New Orleans for K-Con and to meet a few friends I have known for years online but finally had the chance to meet. I would have blogged like mad about that alone, but my friend Jenn was infinitely more humorous about it, so I left it up to her. Have a gander. While comedy has been liberally injected throughout, 99.8% of this is true.

http://jennaleighsworld.blogspot.com/2006/10/new-orleans-i-went-i-saw-i-walked-all.html

Now the real reason I missed blogging this past week besides Monday was shot to bits after a drive from NOLA back to Wisconsin that didn't let me finally get to sleep until 6:30 in the morning.

While at the conference enjoying the friends and fun, a chance of a lifetime dropped into my lap. I won't go into too many details because I don't really know if I should, but suffice it to say, I have a chance to send my Templar series idea and the first novel to one of the NY publishing houses. I didn't go to NOLA to pitch any ideas. I went to socialize. But this happened and I snatched up the opportunity.

Sooooo, this past week, I have been slicing and dicing and editing and putting the beginnings together of a whole pitch package to send off. I have set a deadline of the second week in November to have it all on it's merry way to New York where I will wait patiently and write like the dickens on Adrian et al. Even if it's rejected, I am not going to mind. I never expected this opportunity, but it will be a lesson learned either way.

Right now, I'm nervous and scared as hell over this, but what doesn't kill you makes you more determined. lol I know eventually my Templars will see the light of day somewhere. This just makes me more motivated to sit down and truly get down to work. Heaven knows I've got about a dozen scenes already that need%

Two more days....

2006-10-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

I am stoked!

In two more days, I will be on my way to meet three of the greatest people I have ever had the opportunity to call friends. They are crazy. They are sympathetic. They make me laugh and I've even cried with them.

Nearly 3 years ago I met these three over on a Sherrilyn Kenyon RPG loop. Whodathunk reading Dark Hunters novels and writing my own over on that loop would be my ticket to free therapy and countless tales of the absurd and surreal. LOL

Jenn is the laugh when we need it - It all started with our unspoken ringleader ,Jenn aka Jennzilla aka The Laing Loonie. She'd been on this loop longer than we had and already established a memorable cast of characters that caught everyone's eye. Given that most of SK's books are set in NOLA and Jenn is from Louisana, she had the richest, most hilarious slant on the real people of the state. We got to learn the difference between rednecks and coonasses, how to pronounce pralines properly, and chuckle over the fact in her world on the loop, she had a gator for a security system, not a dog.

Meme is the heart of our group - It was Jenn's fault that we met. We were enthralled. At about the same time I finally got the nerve to say hello to this creative and off kilter writer, another of our group was saying hello too. Meme, aka Melandria is the most magical of all of us. Literally. She poured her real life spiritual journies into each of her Havenista characters and gave us a rich, luscious and sometimes long suffering take on life. Meme is the sweetest of the bunch but an angry Meme is never a good thing. When she "meme's" someone look out. She does it with such calm and grace, you never feel the pain when she slices and dices.

Karen is the life of our party - Later down the road, still thanks to the Loop, along came the Divine Miss Q. Karen, aka Kareine is the gloss and glam, our diva, and the sharpest bitch I've ever met in my life. I mean that in the best possible way too. She is the polish of the group, a couture clad walking, talking real life version of a the coolest Chick Lit novel around. But she's not just a pretty face in designer duds. She's witty and slick, the worldly side of us that has lived things we can only dream about. She's the vicarious we can live through and while she can afford to spend more, we're richer for knowing her.

There are two others in this wacky world that won't be there in person, but they'll be there in spirit. If we could have afforded to bring our Kiwi, Kitta over, we would have. With dead pan wit and a devious mind, she's the brains of this nutso outfit and we love her for it. Livvy is the last. Always the fire and passion, she's the other Lousiana girl with a wicked tongue, a gregarious laugh and our source for all things kinky and wild.

After nearly three years of talking on line and on the phone, we're all looking forward to meeting and sharing the hugs that have always been there in thought. As I said earlier, it's like we've been free therapy for each other. We've grown together not only as authors but friends as well. Through thick and thin, we've kept in touch and now, thanks once again to Sherrilyn Kenyon, we get to meet in person.

For the longest time, we've always joked that we can blame Jenn for anything. This time, I'm going to put the blame squarely on the incredibly talented author who's conference we're attending this weekend. Maybe we'll be able to thank her in person. If it wasn't for her merry cast of characters, our own would have never come together.

Lists

2006-10-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday and Sunday were meant to be easy, breezy. I had my To Do list: A little clothes shopping, getting groceries for the next two weeks, write a bit, catch up on business for the review site I belong to. I wanted to find that damn jacket (which I still don't have) and just have a nice, quiet weekend.

Yes, the list got completed, but only after I dealt with a few left field problems that came my way. First there is my husband. Back in August, he suffered a mild heart attack and had to have angioplasty done. It shook up all our lives as he is only 43 and for the most part, still in great shape. The problem? He has been forgetting to take his medications and it's setting my daughter into a panic. In the middle of the dairy section of the grocery store, I had to calmly assure her that he is not going to die, and that she has my permission to become the nag in his life to make sure he takes his heart meds. For a 12 year old with a wild imagination, I have no idea if this helped or hurt. Time will tell on that one.

Then came another zinger from my daughter. While shopping for that cursed jacket, we had the 'birds and the bees' talk. She is about to take Health class in school and of course, they deal with reproduction and all that good stuff. By the time we got home, we'd gone through the whole she-bang from body parts to birth control. Surprisingly, I kept it casual and had her laughing at times and she didn't freak out about a single bit of it. One thing she pointed out that is all too true is the fact she and her friends learned a lot more from TV and movies than their health teachers will ever be able to share in the confines of a school curriculum. Society today....I won't even tell you what age I was when I learned all this stuff on my own. Let's just say TV didn't teach me and I was just a few years past 12 when it happened.

Dinner time in our house is the one time where everything stops, we set the table and we gather round to eat. We talk too. It's a rare day when there is total silence save the sound of food being chewed. Always a good thing because sometimes, it's the only time my husband and I ever really get to find out what's going on in our kids lives. So, back to my daughter. Again. Her best friend doesn't have the best home life and my daughter has taken it upon herself to be this friend's crusading champion. She cornered us at the dinner table asking us if we'd take her friend in if ever there was trouble enough at home for her to be kicked out. I think we might have crushed my daughter's heart when we told her exactly what would happen if we did. We have no problem with the notion, but there are actions and ramifications that go with it all. That doesn't seem to fit very well in a 12 year old's view of a black and white world.

So much for the easy, breezy. I'm not complaining, don't think that. My kids still communicate with me and given their age, it's a good thing. Maybe if I could find a way to have a warning light trip when one of these curve balls is sent my way, I'd be happy. I think from now on, any To Do list will have blank spaces between each item because after this weekend, it's best to be prepared. Now, all I have to do is try and guess what's coming next.....Scary, scary thought lol

Greetings, Earthling

2006-10-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

You Are From Neptune

You are dreamy and mystical, with a natural psychic ability.You love music, poetry, dance, and (most of all) the open sea.Your soul is filled with possibilities, and your heart overflows with compassion.You can be in a room full of friendly people and feel all alone.If you don't get carried away with one idea, your spiritual nature will see you through anything.

What Planet Are You From?

Thank you to Rose on MySpace again for another fun quiz! I love taking these things. Most of the time, they tell me I am neurotic and screwed up, but hey, I have always thought normalcy and sanity are highly over rated.

Take for instance, this afternoon, I spent 5 hours at the mall looking for one thing and one thing only. I want a cute, tailored looking jacket to wear over the tees and camis and such that seems to be the fun trend this year. I can wear this one. Most of the time, my figure does not permit me to indulge in such fancy, but this one is perfect.

5 hours. One jacket. No luck. I did score another pair of shoes, a white chocolate macchiato from Starbucks and some extra dark chocolate squares from Godiva. Not exactly what I meant to buy, I shall prevail.

Friday the 13th part deux

2006-10-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Now, who says Friday the 13th is a bad thing. Late this afternoon, I found out my book is finally out. I was expecting it to be available some time next week. I nearly flipped out seeing the news in my email box today. So now, The Viper Queen is available at Triskelion Publishing. Go take a look if you'd like.

http://www.triskelionpublishing.net/

Also, my fellow writer over at Designing Writers Blues, our Yahell group has a book out. The Michaelangelo Blues by J. Morgan is available at the same publisher. It's a romantic suspense with a touch of sarcastic humor thrown in. Fantastic read and you won't be disappointed.

Last, but probably not least with the way this day has been going, another friend in my writing circle got the first book in her planned werewolf/paranormal series accepted at Samhein Publishing.

I have no idea if any more good news would come my way today. If so, I'll hoot and holler tomorrow. LOL Til then, everyone enjoy your weekend!

This day in history....

2006-10-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Friday, October 13th. On this day 699 years ago, King Phillip of France set about putting a page in history, that to this day, still seems to have a profound effect on the world, thanks to authors such as Dan Brown, Steve Berry and the writing team of Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln.

It was on 13 October 1307 that Phillip set about destroying the Order of the Knights Templar. At dawn, he issued charges of heresy among others and his actions ultimate led to the end of the Order as it was known back then. Much has been speculated upon concerning the continuation of the Order and no one will ever know the exact truth, but such ponderings have given us much to think on. Believer or not, conspiracy theorist or not, the history following the destruction of this fabled group of men does stir the imaginations quite well.

As an aside to the actions and reactions from this one day in history, it has also lent to the idea that Friday the 13th is a bad day. For the superstitious, this is just one more notion to add to the pile that 13 is a unlucky number and Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. For me, I can't really say it's had that profound a negative effect on me. I turned 13 on a Friday the 13th. I even got a black cat for that birthday.

Regardless, 699 years ago, Friday, October 13th shook France and the ripple effect can still be felt even to this day.

To read more on Templars and their storied history, check out this website as a good jumping off point. http://www.templarhistory.com/index.html

For me, my muse and I are off to get reaquainted with one and continue to tell his story. Here is to hoping your Friday the 13th is a good one.

Black hole everything

2006-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

That is what my brain feels like right now. Actually, I can't really say that, but I did listen to Black Hole Sun sung by this hottie above and it tripped what a friend of mine affectionately calls Writer's ADD.

I spent the good portion of a drive home from picking up my daughter after a volleyball game bouncing from character to character in WIPs I have going as well as starting plots for two more. This, in just 20 minutes.

The song inspired three posts for a RPG loop I belong to. Song lyrics are a great inspiration for me. Then, it was off to werewolf land where I swear this full moon fading has tripped them off in my brain. Two more outlines and four more characters. I never ever planned to write a werewolf, I am not really in much of a hurry to get back to the RPG loop. Yet, thanks to Chris Cornell and Soundgarden, guess what I'll be doing tonight.

Off to the Sci Fi Channel and Nathan from the show Eureka. I saw him in a rerun episode of Crossing Jordan a few weeks ago, then discovered him on Eureka. Guess who is the face of one of the were's I swear I would never write.

Back to my Templars. Rene, the hero of my second book played out an entire scene in my head, starting with meeting the future heroine and starting a bar brawl where he nearly sets a guy on fire. When Rene pipes up, Niall, the hero of the third usually offers me flashes of his future to boot. Thank goodness Adrian the first of my Templars is simmering nicely.

On to the cast of characters in a trilogy that I am working on called Catalyst. Natiel, my angel from book two offered me the scene where he meets Kiki the central character in this trilogy. I now know he's going to smell like black currant scones and fresh honey and his wings will be grey instead of pearly white. I even have the explanation plotted out.

Oh, I have to say my brain is reeling right now. I feel like I can't keep up and with a half dozen other things to do write now, having a full symphony of characters piping up and singing out their tunes isn't exactly helping matters. I dont need coffee tonight. I am buzzing on ideas and my hands are typing fast enough without caffeine adding to the mix.

AMEX's recent commercial with Andy Roddick vs PONG has nothing on what's bouncing back and forth in my brain. Now some would say this is a good thing, but it's driving me a bit batty. I like to focus on one thing, finish as much as I can and move on. I want to have something done here soon to submit. I haven't done that in months and I don't want to slow that down. I know I won't until I am more than sure I like what I've written (and that is another blog post in itself) but I can't get much done in that respect until one of my characters knocks the rest aside and tells me it's time to get back to work on his/her story.

I think my muse is throwing a Rave party in my head. Yeah, that's the ticket. Well at least she has come back from her secret rendezvous with a few of my guys. Anyhow, here is to hoping your muse prefers one on one time and it triggers inspiration for whatever you plan on doing in the near future.

T-minus however long and counting....

2006-10-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. Here is the cover for my upcoming release. It's supposed to be out sometime in October, but at this point, have no idea what day. This means I am still not in a panic or happy tizzy over the fact my first full length novel is about to hit the e-book world.

I am both pleased and blase about it at the moment. I know I'm not alone when I say the editing process, all three rounds were mentally exhausting. Perhaps that's why the thrill hasn't hit yet. One day, I shall be anxiously waiting to hear someone actually bought my book, and I'm even looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks about it.

I'm not too worried about the whole concept of validation. With this book I did what I set out to do and that has been the biggest boost to my heart. The rest, bad, good or indifferent will just be gravy.

With this book ready to go whenever the publisher releases it, I've finally settled into the notion that I can get back to writing on other WIPs. Yes, there is promotion to do for this one and it's in the works. I'm going to have the contests. On the 24th, I'm chatting at Coffee Time Romance with two others in my writers group. I'm being interviewed. The fun is only just about to begin.

Then, as the fervor slowly starts to wane, I plan to get back to work on projects I hope one day will send me back on this wild roller coaster ride of being published again. I love to write. That is the biggest reason I will go through all of this again...and hopefully again....

Until then, I am still brewing the coffee and I am still pulling late nights and early mornings to get more of the chaos out of my head and onto my wpd doc. I will crank the grunge rock and I will let Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder continue to inspire. I will gaze upon pics I have for the characters running amok in my head and be compelled to tap away on the keyboard. It's a never ending process filled with welcome pauses now and again, but it's a process I won't give up for anything. Love and hate collide frequently, but that's life and man, does it make for fodder to use in a plot. lol

As an aside, today, not only did the Detroit Tigers make it to the ALCS in baseball by kicking the Yankees ass all over the place, but my Michigan Wolverines won. Party time in Detroit! Go TIGERS! May your muses pick the winning team and their cheerleading spur you on to victory!

Relapses and reporting in

2006-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I went and did it. I relapsed with my blog. I could tattoo 'blog today' to my hand and still put the endeavor aside. Perhaps there is some sort of psychological aversion I have to blogging? I don't know. I have phobias as it is. Is there one for blogs? I hope not...spiders, frogs and bridges are bad enough lol

Acutally, I can pawn some of my time off on work. I've gotten back to writing, I've been doing some promo stuff and with a new book about to be released here in a few weeks (I hope), panic and excitement has sucked up a few minutes here and there as well.

Then, there is eBay. I have spent a few hours scouring the (in)famous site to try and find a pair of summer sandals to wear when I head south from Wisconsin to New Orleans later this month. All the good clearance sales have come and gone in the stores around me, so all that's left are winter shoes and boots. In temperate climates like the deep south, snow boots might be fashionable somewhere, but I will sweat for no one while there.

So back to eBay. No, I can't afford the Blahniks, Pradas, Choos or Louboutins there, so that narrows my choices down to either too expensive or butt ugly. I keep looking though. The pair I wanted quite badly someone had the audacity to out bid me on by $.12. I was not a happy camper. So it's back to bidding, back to hoping someone loses their pocket change so I win my auctions.

This is it for now. We have X-3 in our house now and there is just something infinitely more compelling about a half nekkid Hugh Jackman on the tv than trying to come up with something wise or witty to continue on about here. On that note, I hope your muses find shoes that don't pinch their toes for a cranky muse is an unproductive one.

How bad.....

2006-09-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Go ahead...Let's see how bad you are. Thanks to Rose over on MySpace for this one *G*

If you go over 45, you're a bad influence. If you go under 10, chances are you live under a rock and have no life.
1. smoked
2. consumed alcohol
3. slept in the same bed with someone of the opposite sex
4. slept in the same bed with someone of the same sex
5. kissed someone of the same sex
6. had sex
7. had someone in your room other than family
8. watched porn
9. bought porn
10. done drugs
TOTAL: 8

1. taken painkillers
2. taken someone else's prescription medicine
3. lied to your parents
4. lied to a friend
5. snuck out of the house
6. done something illegal
7. cut yourself
8. hurt someone
9. wished someone to die
10. seen someone die
TOTAL: 8

1. missed curfew
2. stayed out all night
3. eaten a carton of ice cream by yourself
4. been to a therapist
5. been to rehab
6. dyed your hair
7. received a ticket
8. been in an accident
9. been to a club
10. been to a bar
T0TAL: 8

1. been to a wild party
2. seen the Mardi Gras
3. drank more than four beers in a night
4. had a spring break in Florida
5. sniffed anything
6. wore black nail polish
7. wore arm band
8. wore t-shirts with band names
9. listened to rap
10. own a 50 Cent CD
TOTAL: 6

1. dressed gothic
2. dressed prep
3. dressed punk
4. dressed grunge
5. stole something
6. been too drunk to remember anything
7. blacked out
8. fainted
9. had a crush on your neighbor
10. had someone sneak into your room
TOTAL: 7

1. snuck into someone else's room
2. had a crush on your best friend
3. been to a concert
4. dry-humped someone
5. been called a slut
6. called someone a slut
7. installed speakers in your car
8. broken a mirror
9. showered at someone of the opposites sex's house
10. brushed your teeth with someone else's toothbrush
TOTAL: 7

1. consider/considered Ludacris your favorite rapper
2. seen an R-rated movie in theater
3. cruised the mall
4. skipped school
5. had surgery
6. had an injury
7. gone to court
8. walked out of a restaraunt without paying
9. caught something on fire
10. lied about your age
TOTAL: 6

1. owned an
2. broke the law in the police's presence
3. cheated with someone
4. got in trouble with the police
5. talked to a stranger
6. hugged a stranger
7. kissed a stranger
8. rode in the car with a stranger
9. been harrassed
10. been verbally harrassed
TOTAL: 8

1. met face-to-face with someone you met online
2. stayed online for 12 hours straight
3. talked on the phone for more than 4 hours straight
4. watched TV for 12 hours straight
5. been to a fair
6. been called a bad influence
7. drink and drive
8. prank-called someone
9. laid on a couch with someone of the opposite sex
10. cheated on a test
total: 9

67.....does this mean lock up time??? *eg*

This week

2006-09-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Because of a week long book bash going on over at the Triskelion Publishing loops, I have been a little distracted and I haven't been faithful to my blog. I know a few of my friends are rolling their eyes because I have a track record of being lousy with blogging, but I have made a promise to be better. Let's hope I can keep it.

All week this week I've been participating in a 'book bash' where there has been a lot of promotion by Triskelion authors. Excerpts, contests, hot pics, the works have hit the loops and all of it will be culminating in the grand prize drawing for an ebook reader. This week long event has given not only me the chance to discover new authors to read and glimpses into coming releases of authors I'm already hooked on. I have to say I feel truly honored to be a part of this publishing family and this week has just concreted that fact.

Now, because of the book bash, I have gotten absolutely no writing done, however, I have been inspired to start working on a short prequel to my upcoming release at Triskelion called The Viper Queen. I never planned to tell the story leading up to this one, but there are 4 men in this book and they seem to have a story they're insisting I tell. It is going to be pure hell on me. Much as I love research, much as I love the time period, this will be a historical that goes into more depth than The Viper Queen and will have 4 stories not just one to weave together. I will get it done...eventually. Simon will probably never let it go if I don't.

I have dug out my Templars series and will be getting back to the first one after I do some major overhauling to the plotline. Adrian is the darling of the group, 36 and still so innocent in so many ways despite being surviving the horrors of Acre. This trilogy I have planned, kicking off with Adrian's story is the one thing I want to complete more than anything I have going. These three stories are babies I want to watch grow up and turn loose on the world. These three stir up a passion that I can't deny and hopefully soon will let spill out in my word doc. Stay tuned for updates.

At the fore of my writing endeavors however is a short story I have to complete for Midnight Showcases. A football freak getting a lesson in obsessing and finding the man of her dreams in the process. As a football freak, this one will be a blast to write. Michigan is playing Notre Dame today in the top billed college game of the week and as a Michigan fan, I will be parked on the couch in a few hours, cheering them on and more than likely doing a little bit of armchair quarterbacking too. All of this just turns into fodder for this story and will make it probably the easiest one I'll ever have to write. They say write what you know.....I can't wait to.

Now, it is time for me to wrap things up. I still have a household to maintain before I go into my vegetative state in front of the television. May your muses cheer loudly and proudly and inspire you to win at whatever you endeavor to accomplish.

What's a girl to do?

2006-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of 3 hours driving a friend of mine nuts trying to build up my new website. HTML codes, how do you put links in, attach them to banners, where did you get that?? - that sort of thing. God bless her, she has the patience of a redneck saint with me. That is, right up until the point where she cackles at my inadequacies and says "just lemme do it!"

I have been trying. A lot of this computer crap is stumble and bumble. I trip over solutions and pray I remember how the heck I did everything. I'm pushing 40 and I can understand why people older than me don't like changed. There are too many codes and downloads and questions galore. I'm not a fuddy duddy, I'm just frustrated. 12 year olds get this stuff better than me, but then again, when I learned how to do programming in the 7th grade, we had the monster sized desktops and those weird things called floppy disks which really were floppy.

One day, I shall stand up and break out in the old Virginia Slims advert slogan - "You've come a long way, baby!" I'll figure it out. Until then, I will go back and curse at my MS Word program that I keep trying to figure out how to format for manuscripts I plan on submitting one day.

And speaking of manuscripts. I finally got my latest one sent off to be edited. Just under the wire at 14K, this story took a bit of work to get my muse to cooperate with me. I personally think she likes Zeke too much and keeps him very distracted, but I got enough from him to make Tranice happy and me completely finished with his time in the spotlight. The story is called The Moses Man and will be out in November with Midnight Showcase's Spellfire Harvest of Heroes digest.

Writing for these digests has been a challenge. I tend to ramble when I write so keeping it to a minimum like I've had to has made me learn to use words more sparingly to capture the essence of each story. I have one more coming up in another digest for MS. This one will be gravy because I get to put myself in a romance plot. Football and and a fine looking cable guy.

Well, I am off to go back to working on the website. My muse hasn't a clue either, so we'll just drink our coffee, think happy thoughts and get through it together. Have a great Monday everyone!

And so it begins

2006-09-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that blogging for me is never an easy thing. I tend to forget that I actually have a blog and it gets neglected. I am turning over a new leaf thanks to the periodic nagging of my friends to update my blogs. So here begins a new day, a new blog and another chance to redeem myself.

I have to say, finding this template was incredibly inspirational. It fit what my blog is hoping to reflect. I write romance. I write darker, more angsty characters and in my first release, In The Hot Zone, there is a scene where the main characters get hot and heavy in an alleyway. This template is perfection! If you'd like to check out more by the creator, here is the link - http://bloggertemplatesbycaz.blogspot.com/

I ask all of you to bear with me as I build up my page. I am a bit tech illiterate and will have to rely on the merciful assistance of my bloganista friends to update everything and get it where I would like it to be. Until then, may your muses be a constant nagging presence in your life and inspire you to dream of many happy things....