Monthly Archive for February, 2011

So a hero walked into a speech therapist’s office…

Published on February 28, 2011 in Movies, Reading and Writing. 0 Comments

…and walked out with an Oscar.

I know I’m not alone in my lovefest for Colin Firth. Hell, even my husband thought he was kick ass after I made him watch Pride and Prejudice (side note – my husband rocks!). When I’d heard Mr. Darcy…err Firth had been nominated for the Oscar this year, I knew I had to go out and see The King’s Speech.

I won’t gush over the movie because really, it rocked. But what I found wonderful about the movie was the bravery of the King himself. It really pointed out to me as a writer that we don’t necessarily need to throw our heroes into a blood bath (I’m also watching Spartacus) to give them the opportunity to be heroic.

I’m also reading What I Did For A Duke, by Julie Ann Long. I’m remiss to say I’d never even heard of Ms. Long before I saw a shout-out for this book on Dear Author. I’m so glad I did! Like King George VI,  Duke Alex (because what an awesome name) has his own internal demons he’s struggling with. I’m only about halfway done the book, but I’m hoping his growth (with Genevieve’s help) will be as rewarding as I think it will be.

What am I getting at with this post? I don’t have a clue. Maybe because I’m struggling with my own dark characters right now, I’m finding myself tuned in to how other writers work through that emotional journey. How these men battle their demons without giving up that essence that is who they truly are is something I’m desperately working toward.

If the King can get through his speech (and win the Oscar), then I can get my heroes to behave.

Onward and upward, Bertie.

Girls Who Bite!

Published on February 18, 2011 in Bound Lust, Girls Who Bite and In Print. 1 Comment

Woohoo!! I was away at an event yesterday (there will be a blog post about it soon – amazing!) and when I came home I was greeted with a wonderful surprise.

Girls Who Bite! the lesbian vampire anthology that my story Bound Lust appears in, is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Not only that, the release date has been moved up to September 13th!!

Here’s the cover and I have to say it’s sexy creepy. I love it. :D

If you want to help us out and increase the visibility of the book, pop onto Amazon and “Like” the book. This helps move us up the ranks. And hey, if you want to pre-order it too, I won’t say no. :)

*does a snoopy dance*

New Cover – Agony/Ecstasy

Published on February 13, 2011 in Agony/Ecstasy, Bruised Ego and In Print. 0 Comments

ZOMG! We were sent the cover for the Agony/Ecstasy Berkley Heat anthology yesterday! It’s one of those cool upside-down covers with so much awesomeness, I giggled when I first saw it.

*drool*

The release date for the anthology is slated for Tuesday, December 6, 2011. There will be lots of cool bits coming between now and then. Until then, we have the cover…

Friday Funnies

Published on February 11, 2011 in Friday Funny and Fun. 1 Comment

TGIF people!!

What a crazy week it has been for me. Lots going on in the non-writing world, making it hard for me to get much movement on my manuscript for No Master. It’s coming, though. Promise!

But enough of that. It’s Friday and we need some giggles!!

You Really Don’t Want To Be A Writer

This link was sent to me by the fantastically amazing JK Coi. And while it is clearly meant to be funny…yeah, there’s some truth in there too.

Devils and Angels

This video came curtsy of my sister. The host…I couldn’t stop laughing.

And a joke! Also from my sister (I loves her bunches)

A Loving Wife

A man breaks into a house to look for money and guns. Inside, he finds a couple in bed. He orders the guy out of the bed and ties him to a chair. While tying the home owner’s wife to the bed the convict gets on top of her, kisses her neck, then gets up & goes into the bathroom.

While he’s in there, the husband whispers over to his wife:
‘Listen, this guy is an escaped convict. Look at his clothes! He’s probably spent a lot of time in jail And hasn’t seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, Don’t resist, don’t complain…do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is obviously very dangerous.
If he gets angry, he’ll kill us both. Be strong, honey. I love you!’

His wife responds: ‘He wasn’t kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He told me that he’s gay, he thinks you’re cute, and asked if we had any Vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom. Be strong honey. I love you too.’

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone!

How Do you DO That??

Published on February 10, 2011 in Life and Thursday Thirteen. 0 Comments

I tend to get asked the same question during most conversations I have with people. How do I manage to get everything done?? Seeing as I have once again neglected my blog, I thought it might be fun to do a little Thursday Thirteen on the things in my day and how I go about tackling them all.

Brace yourself!

1. I get up most mornings. 6am people. Sometimes sooner if the puppy is not happy. I take care of our animals (Jack, Jill and Pip the cat) and then crawl back in bed to cuddle with the hubby. I’m then back up at 6:30 for the morning routine and to get ready for work.

2. Breakfast. I have two minions that I need to help get organized for school. Between my husband and I, we make lunches, check homework, go over “the list” for the day. I then kiss hubby and the kids goodbye and leave for my day job which starts at 8am.

3. Day job…’nuff said

4. Lunch time!! I usually eat at my desk and take the opportunity to write on my lunch hour. If I’m very lucky, I actually get an hour to be productive. Being a fast writer, I can get around 1000-1500 words written. If I’m not working on a WIP, I will do promotion (if I can) and type up blog posts (suck at doing this).

5. Twitter. I do have Twitter on my BlackBerry, which helps me take mental breaks from the day job, while keeping up to date on the world of publishing. I can’t do much, but every little bit helps.

6. Home. I get to leave the day job at 4:30pm and am home before 5:00pm most nights. Let me tell you that ten minute drive is the best part of my day sometimes.

7. Food! Supper time is like most homes – insane. We cook, eat, do homework. Then it’s either out for minion activities or family shopping.

8. Home…again. Once we are officially “in” for the night, I get to sit in front of my laptop. I would use my big computer, but minion the youngest tends to use it for gaming. *proud mom*. I then check my email (two accounts) and do any promo that I need to.

9. Writing. Normally, I have time between 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm to get some writing done. Depending on the day I might not get much accomplished because I’m tired. If I find myself slipping, it’s off to Twitter for some fun and chats, or to bed for TV.

10. TV. I watch very few shows anymore. Lie To Me, Dexter, Supernatural, Fringe, Shit My Dad Says (don’t judge me), Hawaii 5-0, and Doctor Who. That’s about it. When they’re not on, I don’t bother with it at all.

11. Dogs. I usually am the one to do the last dog run of the night. Not because hubby won’t (he totally will if I ask), but I’m usually the last one to bed, so it makes sense. On another note, I have been known to shovel the driveway in my pjs with the dog on a leash, in a snow storm. They need a place to pee after all!

12. The bedtime routine. Yeah, I’m a girl. We have stuff to do before bed. Savy?

13. Reading. I try to read a little bit every night. Some days that doesn’t amount to much more than a few pages, but I do try. It never fails to help me sleep.

And because there isn’t enough room..

14. Sleep…maybe. Dreamland and I don’t always get along. I am up quiet a bit through the night, or will wake up very early. The good news is that it gives me time to think about my books and characters. I usually put those ideas down on paper the next day.

So there you have it, the day in the life of this author. I schedule everything so I can get everything done. It seems to work. :)

That and coffee.