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Monday, November 30, 2009

Another month gone?


Monday. AND the last day of November. Where the heck has the past week gone, let alone the month?  Gizmo Guy has been home for the past week with H1N1, the job Guitar Hero expected to get after he finishes his courses turned out to be something other than what they'd promised so that's fallen through, and Curly has just informed me he has to find an employer who will agree to take him on as an apprentice as opposed to the school finding him someone for his co-op program. All this and I'm no where near ready for Christmas. Heck, I just got over GG's birthday and now I have to come up with presents for everyone again?

Normally I have my Christmas shopping done by now. *shakes head*

A few other unforeseen things have cropped up as well, so I'm running behind on emails and other duties.  So if you're waiting for something from me, drop me an email and nudge me, will you?

Apart from a ton of running around I have to do that's non-Christmas related, there's a lot going on in my writing life too.


Beginning tomorrow, I'm taking part in Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow's Rockin' Around the Raven Xmas Tree Holiday Hunt - the prize will be a Sony reader.  It's a scavenger hunt where you have to go through various authors' websites and find a hidden graphic. I'll be posting a link to the details on their site tomorrow. 

I'm also taking part in an e-reader contest with the Samhellion authors. For this one there will be FOUR ereaders (2 Kindles, 2 Sony ereaders) up for grabs - one per week, starting December 4th. Like the Raven contest, it'll be a Scavenger Hunt. I'll post more details on that when I have them.

My Wednesday guest blogger is fellow Samhain author, Meg Benjamin. I'm going to be giving away a copy of her latest release, Be My Baby -- it releases December 8th, so you'll have to wait a week before you receive your prize. (Hey, I may not have bought Christmas presents for my family, but you seem to be doing well, don't you?)

Friday will be a big day because I'll be in two places at the same time: here and over on my editor Tera's blog. (Fellow TRW member JK Coi is there today so drop on by and leave a comment for her too.)

Barring unforeseen announcements, Friday will also be my 800th blog post. As I said the other day, I'm going to run a contest for that 2010 Toronto Firefighter calendar I've been posting about.   I haven't decided what I'm going to make you do yet. I'm going to be putting details up that day.  **EDITED: THURSDAY will be my 800th post...so check for the details on the calendar contest then**

*counts on fingers* That's FIVE contests for you to enter. So keep checking back.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Winner of the "Title My WIP" contest


The winner of the "Title My WIP" contest is:

SEAN


Go over to Samhain and choose any ebook you'd like, then send an email to Leah DOT Braemel @gmail DOT com with the title and your choice of format.  If you've not claimed your prize within seven days, I'll redraw and post the new winner.

There were 14 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
  1. Sean
  2. elaing8
  3. Kelly Jamieson
  4. flchen1
  5. Yvette DAvis
  6. Estella
  7. Inez Kelley
  8. Wylie Kinson
  9. Jane
  10. Booklover1335
  11. Patricia
  12. I Heart Book Gossip
  13. Mitzi H
  14. Joder
Timestamp: 2009-11-29 14:21:58 UTC

Oh, and if you're interested, the final tally for the titles is:

5. Torn Between Two Ranchers (2 votes, 7%)
 4.Texas Tangle (3 votes, 11%)
 3. Tangled Trio (4 votes, 14%)
2. Shadows of the Past (8 votes, 29%)
1. Trio Grande (10 votes, 37%)

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Poll & contest(s)


Don't forget, there's only a matter of hours to vote for your choice of your favorite title for my western work-in-progress (or suggest one of your own.) Leave a comment here and tell me you've voted and you'll qualify for a your choice of any Samhain ebook. Contest closes at 8 a.m. November 29th 2009.

Also, I'm approaching my 800th blog post and since the New Year is also approaching, I'm planning on holding a contest for your very own copy of the 2010 Toronto Firefighters Calendar.  Only problem is I can't figure out what I should do for the contest? Simply make you comment? Have you answer a question? I want to make it something fun ... any ideas?

The Kindle contest starts up again on Monday - fellow TRW member, and a guest blogger here, JK Coi is the guest of the day on Tera's blog. I'm up next Friday (yes, I'll remind you then.)

I'll leave with you with Mr. April 2010. Doesn't he start some fires burning for you?  Oh, and in case you're interested? His name is Jeff ...


Friday, November 27, 2009

Smokin' Hot

Remember that firefighter calendar Nika posted on Wednesday?  Well, guess what? There are two firefighter calendars out this year in Toronto. I wish I'd been at Ashbridges Bay the day they were doing this photo shoot ...  these gentlemen are hot enough to start a fire through spontaneous combustion.




Like the one Nika mentioned, this calendar is also done for charity (buy it here - either online or to find a location near you)  The proceeds for this one go to Princess Margaret Hospital - one of the premiere cancer hospitals in not only Canada but in the world.  These folks deserve our support, and not only because they successfully treated Gizmo Guy's mom's cancer a decade or so ago.

(And even if you aren't in Canada, or can't buy one? Enjoy the scenery, ladies. These fellas are smokin' hot!)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Of Paperbacks and Puppets

Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbors to the south ...

A few days ago, I'd been feeling really down with all the negativity that's been going on over on the net lately so I turned off Twitter and haven't spent much time online, if you haven't seen me around. Plus I was worried because GizmoGuy has been sick since Saturday - he can't even walk five feet without having to sit down to rest. Yes, he's been to a doctor, and now he's on Tamiflu, but he'll be home for another week.  Here's hoping I don't get whatever he's got.

Anyway, two things happened amongst all this that perked me right up and I thought I'd share them with you.

First off -- and this was the biggie -- I discovered that you can now pre-order Personal Protection as a print book both on Amazon.com and then I found it on Amazon.ca as well. Woohoo!  It's still not available on Chapters/Indigo or The Book Depository yet, but I'll keep checking. It won't be released until March 2010, but that it's got its own page on Amazon is HUGE. (Yes, I ordered one of my own books on the .ca site just so I can bump it into having some sort of statistics. And no, I forgot to order any other books so I ended up paying shipping and the book is going to cost me $22 as a result. *sigh* Do you know how many print copies will have to be sold for me to recoup that?)




Second happy thing to happen, though I actually found this first, David H. Burton posted this video on his  Random Musings blog. It's since hit Twitter by storm, but I figured it was still worth posting here, especially since I was giggling my fool head off sitting alone in a dark room watching it at 1 a.m.

How can you help but laugh at the Muppets as they do their own ... um, unique rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. (Yeah, it's not the one you remember ...LOL)



*sigh* I loved the Muppets. So who's your favorite Muppet? I love Animal--poor Animal, he misses his Mama. I also love the Swedish chef. And Beeker. Waldorf and Statler. And Ralph the dog and oh, yeah, Kermit, of course.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Nika Dixon's Not Taking Any Chances

Today's guest blogger is a fellow member of the Toronto Romance Writers -- so that calendar she's talking about below? Yup, it's available in Canada. Which means I'm gonna get me one fer sure.  And it's in the name of charity too, ladies. But Nika? How could you not email me and let me know where the guys were doing their signing? I would have driven halfway across the province -- in a snowstorm -- for a chance to meet these fellas.

* * *

First of all, let me send out a huge thanks to Leah for letting me share this time with you today.  I know this is a busy time of year for everyone, so I promise not to distract you too long.  The end of the year is almost upon us and with the approaching holidays, I’m sure your schedule looks a lot like mine—busy! 

Snow’s a Comin’… so turn up the heat!

Every year, millions of children write letters (or even emails) to Santa, asking for toys and treats, gifts and games, touting assurances they were good little boys and girls and as such they deserve all the extra special presents Santa is able to stuff under the tree.


Now I’m sure there are quite a few of you out there thinking you too have been good little girls (or boys) and you are also deserving of a little special something wrapped up and delivered.  This weekend I happened across a booth selling the most absolutely delicious gift idea – Firefighters Without Borders 2010 Calendar. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about.  I’m not sorry to say I was sucked in.  Yup, the three super yummy guys standing behind the table left me no choice.  I not only had to buy one, I had to get it autographed, too. 

Now if only I could have taken one of THEM home instead!  Sigh. If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what’s the real thing going to cost me?  Hours of playtime and sleepless nights?  Umm… okay!

The perfect gift?  I sure thought so!

And speaking of sleepless nights, we all know how distracting a good romance can be!  Now that November is practically over, the bookshelves and eBook readers will soon be stocked with stories of matchmaking, mystery, and mistletoe.  With all those sexy Santa’s and Holiday heroes to choose from, where ever will we start?  Historical?  Paranormal?  Suspense? Erotic?  Every category is sure to have a little something you can slip into, but with all the hundreds of great books available, however will you decide which one you’re taking home with you?


For me, the first element is the cover.  Every once in a while I’ll spot a cover with what I call shopping cart crashability. It’s the kind of picture that stops you dead in your tracks in the middle of the aisle, without a care to where you’ve left your half-full shopping cart.  (It’s certainly what got me reading Sherrilyn Kenyon that first time.  There’s just something about that cover that says yum!) 

After that it’s up to the blurb on the back to complete the sale.  I’m a romantic suspense junkie so the back cover needs to hook me with drama, suspense, and passion! Tease me with a sexy alpha male and the promise of a good story and I’m all yours!

So what about you, dear reader?  What scantily clad hero is calling to you this coming holiday?  Any books already on your wish list? 

- Nika


Second Chances


Jackson Hale is through with rescuing Casey Marshall. Her crazy stunts and complete disregard for her own safety goes against everything he believes in. But when she witnesses a murder, he’s duty bound to help. As he scrambles to keep her alive, he discovers the true woman beneath the crazy antics, and is left to question everything. If he can’t trust his eyes, how can he trust his heart?

Casey has spent her entire life trying to get Jackson’s attention. She discovers all it takes a dead body and a black hole in her memory. Together, on the run from hired killers, Casey realizes that the only way to keep Jackson safe is to push him away. Even if it costs her a chance at forever…and her very life.

Order your copy today from Red Rose Publishing! 
http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=506



Catch up with Nika on Twitter  (http://twitter.com/nikadixon), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/nikadixon) or online at www.nikadixon.com.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Done!



I did it! I reached 50,000 words in my National Novel Writing Month project - which means I'm that much closer to being done Chad's story.

Okay, I'm that much closer to being done the first draft of Chad's story. I figure I've got about another 20K to write before I can start combing through it as a second draft. It's getting exciting, involving car chases and shooting and Chad's finally figured out what went on with his wife two years ago that made her leave. Very angsty.



To celebrate, I wandered over to The Book Depository to look for some deals:

My friend Nikki recently loaned me a couple of firefighter books and said "You have to read these."  Whoa momma, was she right. Hot stuff! Hot studs! Nikki's discovered there are two types of heroes she likes. Cowboys and Firemen. This series by Jo Davis is about Firemen. The first book in the series is Trial by Fire, the second one is Under Fire, the third one Hidden Fire is due out December 1st. I really liked Trial by Fire, and while Under Fire was good, it wasn't as good - the amount of physical beatings/accidents/etc the hero sustains starts to become funny, never a good thing. (poor guy was drowned, shot, beaten, and stabbed. It got to the point that I started giggling as I remembered a line in Ghostbusters 2 when Ray is talking about Vigo the cruel, aka Vigo the destroyer, aka Vigo the despised: "He didn't die of old age, either. He was poisoned, stabbed, shot, hung, stretched, disembowled, drawn and quartered.") Don't let that stop you from reading it, it's a great book, but I kept having that line run through my head -- it's ME, I swear, not the author's fault at all. Anyway I was still thrilled to find them on sale. Under Fire has been reduced by 28% and Hidden Fire is 50% off -- yes, that means I can buy it for $3.69 Canadian!  **EDITED again! - wouldn't you know that when I checked Under Fire this afternoon, the sale has ended. You'll save 15% not the 28% from when I wrote the post last night ... Sorry folks.**

Oh, and notice The Book Depository now shows me how much I'll pay in Canadian dollars. Woot!  (Unfortunately, since it recognizes where I'm logging in from, that means I can't see how much it is in US dollars, but at the moment the loonie is just a tad below par with the US dollar.) *edited* ElaineG has pointed out that you simply have to click on the flag in the top right corner to choose what dollar/pound/euro you want displayed. *eyerolls at self* Figures it would be simple to convert!**

Sherrilyn Kenyon's "Born in" series is on sale too. (I have to admit that title bugs me because I'll always think of Nora Roberts' terrific Born in Fire/Ice/Shame series.)  SK's Born in Fire is 50% off. As is Born of Night, but the yet-to-be-released Born of Ice is only 25% off.

One of friend Marley's favorite books, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, is on sale for 50% off too - though it's still over $8. But it's a thick book and I loved it too, so it would be worth the investment. (Except I already own two copies because I wore out my first one re-reading it so much.)

Almost all Patricia Briggs' books are on sale for 50% off too. If you haven't read this terrific Urban Fantasy series, don't miss it. While it's not strictly romance, it has strong romantic elements, especially her Alpha and Omega series. OMG are Patricia's men, especially her werewolves, HOT. I love Charles, Bran, Adam and Samuel.  If you're a newcomer, start with Moon Called for her Mercy Thompson series, and with On the Prowl for her Alpha and Omega series. (OtP is an anthology and is only 25% off, but you really need to have read the story of how Anna and Charles meet before you read the next in line, Cry Wolf.)

And finally, one I tried to buy at my local bookstore but they were all out of, so sorry, Chapters, but you lost out on this sale, CL Wilson's Queen of Song and Souls which is the latest in her Fading Lands series.

My list of books I treated myself to? Lauren Dane's Laid Bare - 50% off, Queen of Song and Souls and Hidden Fire as above, and an old Nora Roberts favorite of mine - two of the McKade Brothers' stories that have been released in a single book. (Why her McKade Brothers series is plugged into the Historical Romance category I have no idea. They're contemporaries.)

Monday, November 23, 2009

Kindle Contest reminder


Don't forget about the Kindle contest going on over at my editor's blog here. Because Thanksgiving is on Thursday and Friday, there are only three days to enter this week. Don't forget to follow the rules Tera has set out. Email Tera your answer to each author's question, AND leave a relevant comment each day (no "Hi, Great contest" type comments, thank you). But don't leave your answer in the comments. If you email without commenting, or comment without emailing, you'll find yourself disqualified. Oh, and you don't have to answer every day in order to enter. You can enter just one single day and still have a chance to win. You do want to win that Kindle, don't you?

Oh, and by the way, did you folks up here in Canada hear that the Kindle is available to us now too? Although we'll have to order through Amazon.com not Amazon.ca which means we'll end up paying Mr. Harper and his cronies an additional $31 in tariffs AND we'll be subjected to International Roaming charges which will increase the book costs by $2 from what they're charging for my books. Boo hiss!

Anyway, here's a sneak peak at Tera's blog with the rules ... now go over there and enter!
I wanted to make it convenient for people and make it easier for people to participate, soooo…. we will not be doing the contest on Saturdays and Sundays, and we will not being doing the contest on Thanksgiving (US), or Black Friday (the day after US Thanksgiving). Monday through Fridays only. =) I think not doing it on the weekends is a given this time of year…we all have a lot of holiday things going on, like parties and shopping. Woo hoo!

Now, remember, in order to participate, you’ll have to post a relevant comment (No, “Hi! That’s great.”, etc.), and you’ll have to answer the scavenger hunt question. Do not post your answer in the comments! There will be a link to a form to answer the scavenger hunt question and to give me your name and address. After, I’ll need to know where to ship the preloaded Kindle, right? =) Posting you answer in the comments will cause the comment to be deleted and the commenter to be disqualified. Not just from that day, but from the entire contest. So, yeah, you don’t want to do that. =)

So without further ado, here is the schedule:

Day 6, November 23 = Kelly Jamieson
Day 7, November 24 = Angelle Trieste
Day 8, November 25 = Dawn Brown
Day 9, November 30 = J.K. Coi
Day 10, December 1 = Cheryel Hutton
Day 11, December 2 = Rita Oberlies
Day 12, December 3 = Kate Johnson
Day 13, December 4 = Leah Braemel
Day 14, December 7 = Deidre Knight
Day 15, December 8 = Cooper Davis
Day 16, December 9 = Kimberly Nee
Day 17, December 10 = Joely Sue Burkhart
Day 18, December 11 = T.A. Chase
Day 19, December 14 =Samantha Sommersby

Sunday, November 22, 2009

A Poll & a Contest

I thought I'd give you a chance to have some input on one of my Works-in-Progress - the western which up until now has not been titled. (Chad's story hasn't got a title either but I'll deal with that another day.)

A few of my friends (shout outs to Anara Bella, Storm Grant and Marley Delarose) have suggested titles. I've put my favorites into a poll on my sidebar so you can vote for your favorite.

Here's the blurb to help you figure out which might be best:

Horse breeder Nikki Kimball is determined to make it on her own breeding her beloved Arabian horses. But her independence and dreams for the future are threatened when her brother steals both her belongings and her identity. All is not lost when her sex-on-legs neighbor Dillon Barnett charges to the rescue in his white pickup and whisks her off to his ranch.


Dillon’s foster brother, Brett Sanderson, has always had his eye on Nikki. Ten years ago, the two fought a bitter battle for their high school crush. Although Brett still longs to be the man in Nikki’s life, he’s determined to stay back and let Dillon win Nikki’s heart. If he doesn’t, he could lose the most important thing in his life.

Here are the choices:
1. Texas Tangle
2. Tangled Trio
3. Shadows of the Past
4. Torn between Two Ranchers
5. Trio Grande
Or you can leave a comment and make another suggestion.

*edited* Patricia asked if this was a menage - it is! Obviously the blurb isn't clear on that point ... I'll have to work on that. Thanks Patricia!

Be aware, this would only be my suggested title to my editor, it may not make the final cut -- publishing houses often change titles on authors.  And I'm not guaranteeing I will use the most popular answer, but thought this might be fun.

Oh, and to make it more interesting? If you leave a comment here, saying which you voted for and why, or suggesting a different title, you'll be entered for a chance to win your choice of any Samhain ebook.

The poll will close NEXT Sunday (the 29th) at 8 a.m. A random commenter will be selected and the winner announced Sunday morning. (You don't have to have voted for the selected/winning title)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Snippet Saturday - Arrivals



I'm turning to my Private Property for today's Snippet Saturday. The theme is arrivals which can interpreted in various ways - in this case I'm choosing it literally. In this scene there are two arrivals - Jodi, who is arriving at the setting for the rest of the story, and the arrival of a totally unexpected (to her) visitor who brings a whole new slant to her evening.

“Show time, babe,” Mark said over the headset.

Heart thumping, Jodi slid in through the gates as the motor whirred, jumping only slightly when the gate clicked shut behind her.
Keeping to the shadows cast by the half-moon, Jodi crept down the long driveway toward the sprawling three-story Tudor mansion. She skirted the massive garage, then followed the path around back and stopped by the first French door. Whatever security expert designed the current system hadn’t insisted that a deadbolt be installed on this one. Or the installers had missed it. And that was the reason she—no, she reminded herself, Mark’s company—was going to prove they were the best security firm in Texas.
She pulled out the thin strip of plastic she had tucked in the pouch on her belt and shoved it between the jamb and the latch. Seconds later, she straightened and opened door.
As she’d expected, a red light flashed in the security panel beside the door. She punched in the number she’d memorized and breathed a sigh of relief when the light turned a steady green. They hadn’t changed the security code since she’d reconnoitered. Another point for her report.
“I’m in,” she whispered, knowing Mark was listening in the van. She wiped the sweat from the back of her neck, angling her head to catch the cool breeze rushing through the air-conditioning vent.
“You never told me how you got the security code,” she heard Mark say in the earpiece as she headed through the empty room toward the center hallway.
“I have my secrets,” she taunted. That weekend she’d bribed to call in sick so she could fill in had paid off—even if it meant she’d had to scrub toilets. The work hadn’t really been hard—the new owner had only furnished four rooms so far, so there’d not been much to clean.
A smile tugging at her lips, Jodi paused at the door to the office, ensuring it was empty. Moonlight streamed between the heavy curtains that flanked the French doors and across the floor in a rectangular pattern, slanting up the bookcases lining the walls. The red power light on the cordless phone reflected in the brass base of the banker’s lamp on the desk. Assured she was alone, she walked confidently toward the desk.
“The safe’s in the floor behind the desk,” Mark reminded her. “Figure you’ve got less than an hour to crack the safe, leave the envelope and get out before the next patrol cruises by.”
She rolled her eyes. Cruise was right—that’s all the minimum-wage cop wannabees currently providing security did for their visual inspection. Her van had been parked in the area for a week now and they hadn’t slowed down enough to read her license plate or check why she was there.
She pushed the leather office chair aside and knelt on the hardwood floor, inhaling a whiff of lemon furniture polish. The very same polish she’d applied on the weekend. Reaching beneath the desk, her fingers found the latch that would free the panel hiding the safe. Her breath left her with a whoosh when she heard the audible click.
“Got it!” she whispered, pumping her fist in the air. Now the real fun began.
Still on her knees, she reached down and swung open the square section of floor concealing the safe. A chuckle escaped her. She’d never bothered to tell Mark that during her stint as a replacement maid, she’d been assigned to dust this room. Or that she’d discovered the safe’s combination on the flip side of the leather blotter.
“Hey, Mark, start the timer—I’ll bet I can have this baby cracked in under three minutes.”
Mark’s low chuckle reverberated in her ear. “Two. Loser gets tied up and spanked.”
Jodi’s butt tightened. Spanking usually meant Mark was in the mood for ass play. Maybe she should deliberately take four minutes. No, she thought with wicked delight as she glanced at her latex covered fingers, it was time Mark got a taste of his own medicine.
“Then drop your pants, big boy, and show me your sweet ass, ’cause you’re going to get a whoopin’ tonight.”
Clenching her penlight between her teeth, she leaned over the dial of the old-fashioned safe. Then jumped when the egg started to vibrate deep inside her.
Sonuvabitch. She stopped herself from screeching. She’d completely forgotten the damned thing. Her nipples hardened into swollen buds rubbing against her cotton T-shirt while her pussy throbbed in time with the vibrations.
No way was she going to let Mark win this bet. Ignoring the vibrator as best she could, she carefully turned the dial clockwise to the first number. Heard the click as the mechanism released. One-and-a-half-turns counterclockwise. Another click. Clockwise again. Click. Grinning, she checked her watch.
“Mark, your ass is going to be sore tomorrow,” she whispered.
A quick tug on the handle opened the safe. Her penlight’s thin beam of light illuminated a thick rope of gold with a massive ruby pendant resting upon a black velvet-covered board. A set of dangly earrings that matched the pendant and several diamond-encrusted bracelets winked back at her. A fortune in easily fenced gems and the idiot had left the combination to the safe where anyone could find it.
Shaking her head at the owner’s stupidity, she pulled out the envelope. Then froze when the sliver of light from the French door lengthened, slid beneath the desk and over the safe.
She peered beneath the knee space under the desk. The moonlight outlined the shape of a dark figure shutting the doors.
“Under two minutes, Mark, I win,” she announced as she crawled from beneath the desk. She straightened and smiled, expecting Mark to flash that sexy smile of his. She was so ready to fuck him, to have him ram his cock deep into her.
But her smile froze when the intruder took a step into the room and the moonlight gleamed off his head. His shaved head.
Not Mark.
“Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly.”



Don't forget to visit the other Snippet Saturday participants:

Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Taige Crenshaw
Shelley Munro
TJ Michaels
Juliana Stone
Eliza Gayle
McKenna Jeffries
Jody Wallace
Lauren Dane
Juliana Stone
Kelly Maher
Shelli Stevens
Victoria Janssen
Moira Rogers

Friday, November 20, 2009

La La La ... and a NaNo Update

I have had such a hard time NOT posting my thoughts on the latest furor to hit Romancelandia but lucky for you I am abstaining. You can thank me by sending caramels ;) or mint M&Ms. I'm meh about mint, but Gizmo Guy loves 'em and it would be cool to put some in his Christmas stocking this year. I just found out about 'em and now have to see if they carry them up here in Canada.

Anyway, I realized I hadn't updated you on my NaNo project lately - which still isn't titled other than my referring to it as "Chad's Story".  If you have any suggestions, let me know.





As you can see, I'm over the 40,000 mark and am on the home stretch for NaNo. Trouble is, Chad's story will take quite a bit more to finish, probably at least another 20-30K. As I think I've said before, it's different than Sam's story. It's a reunited love story - which a friend of mine said she'd never read as she hates those type of stories. *sigh* As an author, you have to realize you can't please everyone. Her loss.

However, there's going to be lots of heat of various types. First where they're hot for each other, followed by heated exchanges as they try to work out their differences, so it's a strange balancing act. One of my secondary characters is turning out even better than I hoped. Okay, not better as in she's a good girl, better as in she's turning into a lovely nemesis for Lauren, which may upset some people who had high hopes for this particular character. But as is typical I tend to weave a lot of threads into my stories and try to throw too much conflict in too soon, so I'm trying to keep myself in control.

Hopefully within the next four or five days I'll achieve my NaNo target and can focus on writing a really clean first draft. (although what I've already written isn't in too bad a shape as it is. She says hopefully.)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Confession Time with Wendy Ely

Today's guest is Wendy Ely whose novel Confessions released yesterday. (And it has one of the most gorgeous covers I've seen in a while. Can you imagine that hung on your wall? It's art all on its own.) Wendy  lives in Phoenix, Arizona with a son and a daughter. While she’s not writing, she’s playing with her kids or attending college.  

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? Okay, so I admit for the first time online for everyone on the internet to see, I’m not a big fan of the holidays. Each one has a wonderful reason behind the special day but I’m not into the whole “going crazy because it’s Christmas” frame of mind. I don’t shop for Black Friday and  even though I have to, I don’t prefer to shop for anything at all (not even toilet paper!) during the last few months of the year because the crazy zany people out there.  Over the last several years I’ve let the kids put the tree up a few days before Christmas and then it comes down the day after. We don’t decorate the outside of the house at all. My kids say I have a ‘bah-humbug’ attitude toward the holidays.

Our traditions for Christmas has always been pizza on Christmas Eve and then taking a trip around the city for some Christmas lights. We also open our presents on that night so the kids can play with their new toys and the following day seems a bit less overwhelming. We decorate a gingerbread house every year as well. Christmas morning is filled with family and food.

This year seems to be different though. While I’ve always skipped the holiday section of the store, I’m drawn to it this year for some reason. I’ve stopped by the brightly colored aisles to gawk at the pretty ornaments every single time I’ve stepped foot into the store. I’m looking forward to Glendale Glitters light display and Christmas performances. Even holiday themed novels are grabbing at my attention. I think my ‘bah-humbug” attitude is slowly changing. I’ve even thought about attending Black Friday! Gasp.

Tell me about your holiday traditions!





Can Chelsea and Jordan find their child, and rediscover each other?

When Chelsea Montgomery vanished eleven years ago, her hometown thought she’d been abducted. In truth, she'd given up the daughter she'd secretly had with Jordan Case.
Now he confronts her to help find the child. With a little girl's fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership -- stained by the past -- transform into something else?

www.lyricalpress.com/confessions



To find out more about Wendy's books, visit www.lyricalpress.com/wendy_ely You can also find out more about Wendy over at her website or Facebook.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Kindle in Canada!

It was announced today that Amazon will finally ship the Kindle to Canada. You can read about it here at the Financial Post or at the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail. One weird thing I noticed in the Toronto Star article - you have to order them through the Amazon.com site, not through Amazon.ca, which means you have to pay $31 (approximately) in tariffs. Wonderful. PM Stephen Harper et al will love that! Me? Not so much.

**edited** I just found this article over on the CBC site - apparently there will be no browser availability for the Canadian Kindle either:

The e-reader's web browser and blog subscription service will not work in Canada, according to the description on Amazon.com, but customers will have free access to Wikipedia.

For those who already have Kindles - do you need the browser to find the books on the Amazon site?

For my own part, I'll stick to my Sony Reader, but now at least there's more of a choice.

Don't forget, you can WIN a Kindle and save yourself nearly $300 by entering the contest over at Tera Kleinfelter's blog. The contest is on every Monday through Friday until December 14th.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Kindle Contest starts today


Yup, you can win a Kindle - and you don't have to live in the States to win it!  Head on over to my Samhain editor Tera Kleinfelter's blog. Each day Tera will feature one of her authors for you to discover.

In order to qualify, you have to:
  1. post a relevant comment -- not a "Hi, how you doing" or "Great post" comment. 
  2. And in each post, there will be a question you'll answer in an email to Tera. (Do NOT post the answer in the comments. If you do, you will be DISQUALIFIED for the ENTIRE contest.)
You can answer each day's question for an entry to the contest, or you can enter on one day only (but you can see it'll be to your benefit to enter every day ... the more entries the better your chances.)  But don't forget that you have to do BOTH - sending an email without leaving a comment will not count as a completed entry, same for commenting without sending an email.

Note: The contest will be running Monday to Fridays only, you get weekends off since we're usually all running around at this time of year. I'll be featured on December 4th, so don't miss out then. Because I'm thinking I may run a little contest over here that day too.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Contest season starts!

Remember that post from the other day about being busier than a one-armed paperhanger? Life hasn't let up.  I went to yesterday's Toronto Romance Writers' monthly meeting with Alexia Reid and Kendal Ashby who also writes as Kendal Corbitt. (That made three people with seven names all crammed into one car! Think of how confused a visitor to the TRW was at yesterday's meeting when she asked us our names!)

Starting tomorrow, I'm part of a contest over at my new Samhain editor's blog. There's a Kindle to be won - and yes, it's open to people outside of the US!  Woot! Here are the rules - there will be a question to be answered on Mondays through Fridays from tomorrow until December 14th. There'll be a different author featured each day, as well as a different question (no, you don't have to answer every single question, you can answer just one question if you choose, and you'll still be eligible. Yes, you can answer every question and that will give you extra entries.) Here's where you'll go to find the questions each day. (I'll put a link up in the sidebar as well.)

Starting December 1st, I'll also be part of Mandy Roth's and Michelle Pillow's Rockin' the Raven Tree contest - the prize there will be a Sony Reader! I'll be sending more details out in my newsletter, and will be posting about it here, closer to the start of the contest.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Happy Birthday, GG (treats for all!)

zwani.com myspace graphic comments

Happy Birthday, Gizmo Guy!

Yup, Gizmo Guy's birthday is a Friday the Thirteenth this year. His "bad luck" started yesterday. You see I told him I'd take him out for lunch this afternoon, but his job got busy and he got called out of town so no restaurant lunch for GG this aft. Hopefully I'll be able to take him out to dinner tonight.

He's shares a birthday (year, not day) with:


Mel Gibson,
(all right, so Mel's gone squirrelly these days, has dumped his wife and the mother of his seven kids --definitely unheroic there, Mel. PLUS this is an older picture of him, but Gizmo Guy used to have hair like that which I adored, and I confess I liked Mel in his younger days.)


Tim Daly,
Ah, Tim, one of those very quiet understated actors who doesn't get the attention he deserves. Loved him as Jim Lovell in From The Earth To the Moon, laughed with him in Wings. In fact, a scene he was in on FtEttM inspired me for a theme between Chad and his heroine in my work-in-progress.


Tom Hanks.
What's there to say about a guy who is secure enough in his masculinity that he's willing to don a dress for two seasons of Bosom Buddies. And he's been in a long term relationship with Rita Wilson. 

Other famous people who are also celebrating their birthday today, though not the same year -- Gerard Butler (Happy Birthday Gerry! Yum!), Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Noth, John Larroquette and Garry Marshall.



Come on, you thought I could resist showing a picture of Gerry in leather pants? Yum!

Oh, yeah, I've also got a post up at the Samhain blog today - where I've gone totally barking mad.  Drop on by and offer your opinion. Or slap some sense into me, will you?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

As busy as a one-armed paperhanger

Why is it when you have one commitment, sixteen thousand others all pop their heads up and demand attention too?

Okay, so I'm given to hyperbole, but life's getting busy here. I went out yesterday afternoon and did some brainstorming with fellow Samhain author Anara Bella. Anara helped me solve some issues that have been bugging me lately about the western WIP.

Today, I have a doctor's appointment this morning, and I have to run Curly out to the mall this afternoon -- which works anyway since it's Gizmo Guy's birthday tomorrow and I really need to buy him a prezzy or two. (To be honest, I bought him a huge-a$$ Lazy-Boy chair earlier this year that was supposed to be his Father's Day present/Birthday present combined, AND he bought himself a desk chair for the rolltop desk he bought a month ago through a local charity organization. (The desk, not the chair.) Except I'd told him I'd buy him the chair as a birthday present. *sigh* That man can be so tough to give presents to when he goes out and gets them himself.  Ooops, got a little verbose there, didn't I? (inside joke with Vivian Arend, Rowan Larke and a few others.)

Tomorrow, as I said, is Gizmo Guy's birthday - I've promised to buy him a birthday lunch since he'll be working at the local data center and I can pop out for that.

Saturday I'm in Toronto for the monthly Toronto Romance Writers' meeting, Sunday I've promised to meet a friend for coffee -- we get together once a month.  My paranormal romance reader's group just sent me a reminder that their monthly meeting is coming up ... and people keep sending me emails and Twittering about how they've started/finished their Christmas shopping already.


Emails -- I'm getting behind on them, so if you've sent me something to crit or are waiting for a response, bear with me.

Arrrgh! So much to do, so little time!

What do you do when life gets busy? Got any tricks you care to share?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Margay Leah Justice wants to know what you're really thinking


Today's guest blogger is Margay Leah Justice. Margay Leah's book, Nora's Soul, is sold through Second Wind Publishing.

Tell me, Margay, if you could meet three famous people (or authors) from the past that influenced you as an author, who would they be and what would you always love to ask them?

I would love to meet Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott and Margaret Mitchell, and I would like to ask them what writing was like for them, as women, in their lifetimes. I would like to know how they overcame their challenges to seek publication.

Leah: Ooh, that would be interesting to know (didn't Jane have to be published under a man's name at first? Or am I thinking of someone else?)

Do you have a favorite book (someone else has written) that you keep as a 'comfort read'?

I have authors who provide comfort reads for me, not any particular book, at this point. Those authors are Julia Quinn, Luanne Rice and Lisa Kelypas, among others.

Leah: Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series is on my keeper shelf too.


Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing?

I do cast my characters! This is my little cheat-sheet to keep a good visual on my characters as I write.

What is something unusual that you do or have done that people normally don't know or would be surprised to know about you?

Back in my younger days, I taught aerobics.

Do you have an all-time favorite romantic movie?

The Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice

When you're not writing, what do you like to do just to kick back and relax? I love to knit!

I love creating things from nothing and looking back and saying, "Wow, I can't believe I made that."


And finally, just for fun, if you could be a superhero what would your powers be?

Mind-reading! I'd love to know what people are really thinking.

Oh oh. I think I'm in trouble then. Of course, that's nothing new.

Thanks, Margay ... if you want to know more about Margay, or about her book, Nora's Soul, you can go here:


http://margayleahjustice.com/


http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/margay1122

http://twitter.com/Margay

http://www.facebook.com/MargayLeahJustice

http://secondwindpub.wordpress.com/









When Angels of light and dark collide... 

Once he held a favored position in the heavens. But one moment of weakness casts Dante out and now he is cursed to walk the earth, collecting the souls of vulnerable women to buy his way into hell.

...All hell breaks loose 
 
Nora's Soul
by Margay Leah Justice

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

NaNoWriMo Day 10 ... plugging away

NaNoWriMo Day 9 - Productive

I'm up to 22486 on Chad's story - I wrote 1700 more words on it in the AM, but then had to start up Mom's Taxi Service. Actually I'm over 23K because I wrote another 959 last night, but the NaNo servers were down so I couldn't update the total. I've add it to today's total, which means my goal is 2500 words to today. Considering it's almost ten and I haven't even started, I'm going to have to boot it.

So if I'm not Twitter today, or posting on the Romance Bookmarks group, you know where I am -- hunched over a keyboard typing furiously.


***Edited***Darn, it looks like the NaNoWriMo graphic on my sidebar is out to lunch again (it comes from their site and appears to be flaky more's the pity).

Anyway, I wrote an additional 1700 words today, add that to the 900+ I banked yesterday, and am now at 25,103 (or thereabouts). I'm more than halfway to the NaNo goal of 50K. I'm quite pleased with the quality of this draft, and I'm working hard at writing it sequentially so I don't have a lot of moving around to do as well as paying attention to the layering/emotions etc, so hopefully I won't have as rough a first draft as normal.

I'm meeting up with Anara Bella tomorrow afternoon where we will be doing some writing sprints, in addition to chatting ;), so hopefully I'll have another good wordcount to report to you on Thursday.

Tomorrow I have author Margay Leah Justice as my guest, so don't forget to stop by and say hi to her.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Save 25% on Samhain Titles

This just came through one of my links, and I thought I'd share it with you, because if you're like me, saving even 25 cents makes me happy.





25% Rebate at All Romance and OmniLit on All Samhain Publishing, Ltd. Titles!

This Thanksgiving Season we're giving something to you.

From November 10-November 24 readers will be receiving a 25% eBook Bucks rebate on all Samhain titles.
What are you waiting for? Hop on over to AllRomance.com or OmniLit.com and receive bucks back today...on us!


PS, you can find my Personal Protection over there here, and Private Property here.


Congratulations, Angela James

Congratulations to Angela James, formerly of Samhain (and my old editor who contracted Private Property and Personal Protection). Harlequin has launched a new digital-only line called Carina Press, and they've hired her to be their Executive Editor!  (More details here.)

Congratulations, Angie!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

NaNo Week 1 Report

Nanowrimo Day 3 Moxie and Ed

Another InkyGirl comic for you - in this one I see Ed as being my internal editor. ;) The one thing with NaNo is you're not supposed to edit, you're supposed to just keep moving forward. I think that's useful for someone who has never finished writing a novel before, writing 50K doesn't phase me at all. But I've realized that I do need to edit if there's a major plot point that needs to be change earlier on. I'm not bothering worrying about word choices or even layering, but the plot has to be right or it bothers me too much and I can't move forward.

I was up ill half the night - but after another nap at noon, and plenty of acetaminophen, I still managed another 1741 words today. I've written a total of 20K within one week. It's not a record for me - I once wrote 80K in two weeks. But I think these are good words (Phew!) and I really like some of the surprises the characters are giving me. Sam's back in this one, though he's not being a very nice guy. He's looking out for Chad...but I'm glad he got his story first, because I'm not sure people would like him as a hero after this. Then again there's always that 'redemption' factor readers love to see.

For the rest of the day though, I'm going to switch to the western and edit it some more. I can't believe we're done the first week of November already. I had hoped to have that story subbed in early October. Ah, well, I'll keep plugging away.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Snippet Saturday - Weaponry



I know I've used this scene before, but it's perfect for today's subject covering weaponry.  Yup, it's another snippet from Personal Protection. By now you know Sam has a weapon I'd love to see him pull out, but in this one he's focusing on Rosie's. And she's not even aware that it's not her gun. Of course neither is his. Ooops, sorry about that, got off track. Yes, that's a sneak peak into my dirty dirty mind!

By the way, have I mentioned that Personal Protection is coming out in print on March 1, 2010?



Hearing the muffled sound of gunfire beyond, he opened his locker and selected a pair of ear plugs, then signed out a box of ammo and a couple of paper targets.

As it did every time he entered the range, the familiar scent of gunpowder both soothed and irritated him as it reminded him how much he missed the camaraderie out in the field. Now he drove a desk, having to get his thrills through reading others’reports, instead of the adrenaline rush of guarding a principal himself.

Two shooting booths were already occupied, including his favorite one at the far end. Chad—he should have guessed his area manager would be on the range this early, and… Well, well, well, instead of wearing her usual pair of baggy cargo pants, Ms. Rosalinda Ramos wore a pair of hip-hugging blue jeans. Jeans that hung low enough he could tell that she wore a blue thong and had some sort of tattoo on the small of her back. Aw, damn, he didn’t need to know that. Now he’d be thinking of taking those jeans off her all day to discover what the rest of the tattoo was and just how far down it went.

She raised her gun and fired. The shot hit directly in the heart of her target. She fired again. The second shot doubled the size of the original hole. She glanced over her shoulder, then muttering something he couldn’t hear, put her gun on the counter and bent over to fiddle with her left shoe.

Oh, mama, her jeans pulled taut over the tight round globes of her ass. An ass that begged to be squeezed. To be fucked. With a groan, he adjusted his pants, his dick firming at the thought of being buried in such a tight channel.

Ever since she’d won him in the charity bachelor auction three months before, he’d sensed a carefully hidden sensuality in Ms. Ramos. As if deep within, she guarded a slow burning ember waiting to be ignited. A fire that would set his world ablaze.

He’d been hard pressed not making a move on her the night he’d fulfilled his obligations and taken her to dinner. Though he’d wanted to see if he could add a little oxygen to the fire and kick start the inferno, he’d held back. He’d had to. She was his employee after all. So instead of making a move, inviting her up to his place or pressing his case when he’d escorted her home, he’d been the perfect gentleman. At least that’s how she’d described his behavior the next morning, much to his disgust and everyone else’s amusement.

But damn, it was getting tougher to maintain his hands-off policy. That element of danger and the heat he was sure would envelop them both was too enticing to resist. If he just had the right reason to breach her defenses…if he could find some way to let her make the first move.

Rosie straightened and took two more shots. Both shots were low and outside, yet the center of the target had a good half-dozen holes from where she’d been firing before he’d arrived. Interesting, had he thrown off her concentration?

Seeing his opening, he strode over to her. His body touching her in all the right places, he wrapped his large hand around hers over the gun barrel, repositioning her fingers. Dayam, it was like holding a sparrow, her hands were so tiny.

He leaned down and nudged her earmuffs so he could murmur in her ear, lowering his voice to a whisper, “It’s better this way.”



Don't forget to visit the other participants in today's Snippet Saturday - and take the time to leave them comments too...it helps us know if you're reading.

Anya Bast
Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Jaci Burton
Taige Crenshaw
Shelley Munro
Sasha White
Jody Wallace
TJ Michaels
Victoria Janssen
Elisabeth Naughton

Friday, November 6, 2009

Happy Birthday Sue




zwani.com myspace graphic comments


I had a face/palm moment yesterday when I was going through my emails yesterday. I'd missed my friend Sue's birthday two days ago. Sue's the one who convinced me to get serious about my writing. Who nudged me and bugged me to "get back up on the horse" when I gave up and stopped writing for over a year. She's had a tumultuous year that's seen big changes in her life.

Sue, here's hoping that all your wishes come true. May you find love, and happiness and tranquility in your life in the coming year. Happy Birthday, my friend, and may you have many, many more.


NaNoWriMo check-in:





Fits in perfectly with how I missed Sue's birthday, doesn't it?

I wrote another 2163 words on Chad's story yesterday, bringing my total to 15,123. Yup, fifteen thousand words in five days for an average of three thousand per day. Phew! I can tell it's going to start slowing down now as the intricacies of the story kick in. I had to do some research yesterday - Thanks Kimber! - but I left that to the evening when I'd finished writing on the NaNo project and returned to editing the still untitled western/menage.

Oh, and speaking of the western/menage story, the guys have convinced me to tell the story their way and let them have a little fun with each other as well as the heroine. It's stretching those boundaries again for me; I've never written m/m before, though I have read it. I just hope I can pull it off and leave my characters with their dignity.


**If you love Debbie Ridpath Ohi's comics as much as I do, you can find them here at her Inkygirl: Daily Diversion for Writers website.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Winner of Erin Nicholas' contest




Congratulations, RK Charron!

Woot! RK, you've won Erin Nicholas' contest - a copy of her novel, No Matter What, and a gift certificate to Lush (they've got some great things for both gals and guys - my hubby uses a soap from there he really likes.)  Send a note to Erin at erin @erinnicholas DOT com to claim your prize.

NaNo check in for Wednesday



Yesterday's NaNoWriMo daily count? 4092 words for a cumulative total of almost 13K. Woot!

Yup, four days in and I'm a quarter the way to NaNo's goal of 50K (although I figure the story will be around 70K by the time it's done.)  I'll be one happy camper if I can keep this pace up. I'm loving how this story is going - I've already had three scenes that had me crying as I wrote them, a couple fights - the heroine, Lauren, does NOT get along with Sam. Who knew? I didn't until I started writing a scene between the two of them. Isn't that strange? You'd think that as the author I'd know the dynamics between my characters before writing the scene and yet the characters sometimes surprise even us!

And while yesterday's scene included a very tender love scene between Lauren and Chad, it ends with another heartbreaking scene between them and Chad leaving. My chest literally ached while writing that scene.

Oh!  Have I ever shared the blurb with you? 
Head of Hauberk's DC operatives Chad Miller has never gotten over his failed marriage.He knew there were problems but that she'd walk away still floored him all these years later. Now, she's back in his life, needing his protection. Can he be this close to her and still keep his feelings in check? And does he really want to? While he's prepared to give his life to defend hers, he's not prepared to sacrifice his heart if she walks away again.

Accountant Lauren Miller has always found comfort in numbers. They make sense, people don't especially her ex-husband Chad. She walked away thinking he'd follow, and when he didn't she knew they were over. But now, she's in trouble and she needs his protection. She trusts him with her life, but can she trust him with her heart?
Now, bear in mind, this is a work in progress, it could still be changed, or worse, rejected by my editor. There's no such thing as a sure thing in publishing. But I'm hopeful.

However, I'm desperately needing to come up with titles for both Chad's story and for my other western-themed work in progress.  No, I've not a blurb for that one yet.

If you can think of a title for Chad's story, feel free to suggest one. (Of course, it might turn out to be working title only, since sometimes editors decide to change the titles. Just read this post by Inez Kelley of all she went through to find a title for Myla by Moonlight.)

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Naughty Novelist Erin Nicholas


Hi, all!

I’m so excited to be here!

When I was thinking about this blog it occurred to me that guest blogging is kind of like going to a party where you only know the hostess and have to be introduced to everyone else… and make a first impression (hopefully a good one)!  You don’t want to offend anyone, or embarrass your hostess or leave with people thinking you’re a nut.  So, in general, you would initially stick with safe topics right?  How many kids people have, what they do for a living, do they like wasabi tuna?  You know, normal, regular stuff.

But you all know I’m a romance writer. Which automatically means a few things:  I can spend hours by myself talking only to the voices in my head, I’m very interested in synonyms for intercourse and I not only write sex scenes but intentionally put them out there for people (the more the better!) to read.  I actually type words like ‘nipple’ and ‘erection’ (and others!) on paper knowing that other people are going to read them.  So, I guess I feel like I’ve already been a bit exposed at this party… might as well tell you some other things about me that I don’t share in typical day to day conversation!
  • I drink about 16 oz of Starbucks frappucino a day.
  • I don’t believe that a day should start until at least 7 a.m.  People who get up, work out, read the paper, fix a big breakfast and still look better than me all by 6—well, there’s just something wrong with them and I’m sorry there’s no medication for it.
  • I can  dislike camping and still be a good person.  For some reason, I attract people who love the great outdoors.  My friends camp and fish, hike, bike (if you’ve never heard of RAGBRAA* you gotta check this website out: http://ragbrai.com/… yeah, I know a lot of those people!)… in general like being outside.  I spent years thinking that I should be more like them.  I’ve tried it all… and hated it.  Sorry.  I think nature is amazing and beautiful (at times).  I enjoy great scenery.  I like trees and bunnies and butterflies.  Sure.  But, God invented houses and I don’t want to insult him by shunning roofs and walls for dirt, bugs and …weather.  And then there are snakes.  Come on.  If God wanted us to be outside, he would not have put snakes out there.
  • My husband knows more about laundry than I do.  Lucky me, right?  Right!

Okay, so now that I’ve got all of that out in the open, maybe I should confess some things about my writing:

  • My first book, No Matter What, was first written six years ago.  Yes, it’s been revised a few times since then, but I hate to say it took six years to write because, wow, seriously, what was I doing?  Writing long hand with a piece of coal by firelight?  
  • I write on my laptop while my kids watch cartoons.  Is it bad parenting to be writing hot sex scenes while your kids watch Spongebob Squarepants?
  • I know almost nothing about Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter.  I don’t really want to know anything about it, either, but I’ve had to suck it up and figure it out.  Good thing my daughter can help me!
  • My first book is about a physical therapist and a millionaire.  I am a physical therapist.  I am not a millionaire.  (Still my writing research was easy!)
  • My second book (out in April) is about an trauma surgeon and an ER nurse.  I am neither a trauma surgeon (or any other kind of surgeon) or a nurse (of any kind). Because I would suck at both of those jobs.  Physical therapists don’t have to deal with the immediate effects of gunshot wounds, people being impaled with objects, or ten car pile-ups.  We work with people after these things, after all that nasty blood has been cleaned up!


Whew!  Okay.  I haven’t been kicked out of the party yet.  No one’s looking at me in shock.  In fact, most of you are thinking how much you like those books with words like ‘nipple’ and ‘erection’ in them, right?!  I’ll even bet a few of you have some great confessions to make!  Come on, share!

To make it easier, I’ll give anybody who confesses something a sneak peek (the complete first chapter) of No Matter What!

For an even bigger prize, go to my website, read the excerpt for No Matter What and tell me one thing that Jaden tells Adam she likes (e-mail answer to Erin@ErinNicholas.com.  Be sure to put Leah’s Blog in the subject line).  At midnight (CST)  I’ll choose a winner from all the correct answers!  Winner gets a copy of the book and a gift certificate to Lush (www.Lush.com. Fantastic handmade cosmetics and scents!).

Leah, thanks for having me and everyone, thanks for reading!  You can find me (in spite of my note above) on Facebook and Twitter, as well as my website, my blog (with eight other awesome authors… the Nine Naughty Novelists), my newsletter or e-mail me!

Erin

www.ErinNicholas.com
http://ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com/
Facebook
http://twitter.com/erinnich
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ErinNicholas/
Erin@ErinNicholas.com




*RAGBRAI®, The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

NaNo report and a poll

Just a quick post this evening, updating my NaNoWriMo figures - I wrote just over 2700 words today, for a three day total of over 8800 words.

Chad's story is going to be different from Personal Protection -- he's getting back together with his former wife. There's lots of angst, tons of conflict - Chad's ex Lauren doesn't get along with Sam, Chad and Sam are snapping at each other, and Lauren and Chad? Love, arguments, love, fighting, love ... I'm having lots of fun with them.

My other work-in-progress has taken a back seat for the past week, but I have to admit, I'm having to make a decision. While the book is pretty much finished and my critique partners are emailing saying "where is it? I want to read the rest of it." I'm debating making a change. Nikki, the heroine in the m/f/m sandwich keeps telling me that Dillon and Brett want to change things up and make it a m/m/f.  Dillon's game, but Brett's not so sure ... and I'm not sure I should make the change from the straight menage it is. So I ask you, as readers? Do you like m/m/f stories? Or do you prefer just straight m/f/m/ romances? (Yes, I recognize how weird that question is, LOL)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Reader Appreciation Contest Winner for October

Almost forgot it was the start of a new month ... which means I need to choose a winner for my Reader Appreciation contest for October.

There were 137 entries this month ...



Congratulations, Nancy G

There were 137 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

   1. Nancy g
   2. Lori T
   3. joder
   4. elaing8
   5. Mariska
   6. RK Charron
   7. Shelley Munro
   8. Susan Helene Gottfried
   9. Julia Smith
  10. Marley Delarose

Nancy, please send me an email to Leah DOT Braemel @gmail.com with your choice of any Samhain ebook, and your preferred format.  If I don't hear from you within seven days (7), you will forfeit your prize and I will draw a new winner.

I love the smell of burning leaves ...

instead all I'm smelling right now is burnt out brain cells...

NaNoWriMo Day 1

I just love Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Inkygirl comics. What's even better? She's Canadian - from Toronto!

Daily NaNo Wordcount Report

Anyway, on to my NaNo report. I made it through the first day with a wordcount of 2074. Woot. Only 29 days and 47926 words to go. Yikes.

***

I promised you some pictures of the Collingwood area where I spent last week. It really was beautiful, though most of the leaves were down, though it seemed the trees that had yellow leaves were clinging stubbornly to their leaves.

When the frost is on the pumpkin, and the tang of burning leaves is in the air ...

That was a line from a play I was in when I was in high school. I wish I knew what the play was called now, or who wrote it, but that line has always stayed with me. And it came to mind time and time again while I was visiting Collingwood's Blue Mountain village.




That's one of the ski hills off in the distance. I imagine that by the end of this month, everything will be completely white.




Gizmo Guy pointed this out - do you see it?
Yes, the birdhouse is a tiny replica of the firehouse (which is really a pizza restaurant).
All along the shore of the pond, there are birdhouses that miniatures of the stores and buildings on the opposite side.

Like this one ...



is just like this restaurant ...


These were all taken in the Blue Mountain Village - Blue Mountain is a ski resort, similar to Quebec's Mount Tremblant that Gizmo Guy and I visited back in July. Isn't it strange how two non-skiers keep ending up vacationing at ski resorts?

Here are some more beautiful colors - we only found such pretty colors inside the village. Once you got out into the open most of the trees had already lost their leaves unfortunately.



 
In amongst those rocks you might be able to see a teepee-like shape - it's a fire cage. (that foggy looking stuff in the front is the smoke from the fire.) They're burning hardwoods and birches and the whole village smells wonderfully like fall ...

Well, that's enough photos for today ... I'll post more over the coming month. And compare them with Mt. Tremblant. And in the meantime, I'll be slaving over my Mac, and my new Write or Die desktop program. Don't forget to drop by on Wednesday - my guest is Erin Nicholas, and she's having a contest ...