Friends...I have a few

Our family has been going through some trying times with an unruly teen. I’ve been down this road before, but this is a bit different. If you knew her, you wouldn’t expect it. She’s a straight A student. Her plans for the future are to be a neo-natal doctor and care for women with high risk pregnancies. She always obeyed the rules and knew the importance of certain things.

The child we're suddenly dealing with is irrational. She doesn’t care about consequences and flat out disregards rules. She can’t seem to grasp right and wrong. She throws tantrums like a two year old and has violent mood swings. She's run away, I've called the cops. Cutting school every day. I’m losing my mind on so many levels it’s not funny.

I’ve come realize how wonderful it is to have friends in this business. I have to give a big shout out to some to have made me smile this week and show me some light at the end of the long dark tunnel.

Molly Daniels – we exchanged emails regarding my Freedom Fantasies series. In one of the emails she said: you know you’re one of my favorite writers, right.  *blushes* It’s nice to be told this. As a writer we don’t always know what people think of our writing. Big hugs for making me feel appreciated as a writer.

Another was with a friend, who just made me laugh. Her daughter has an eccentric art teacher. She was telling me how the teacher names all her paint brushes, holds funerals for them when they break and if you hold them under water too long she’ll say: gulp, gulp, gulp…I’m drowning.

This conversation gave me a chuckle in a time I really needed one.

My critique partner, co-author writing partner and all around good friend Katalina Leon sent me a banner for my new release coming July 9^th from Loose Id. I wasn’t expecting it, so it was a wonderful surprise.

Julia Barrett, for her kind words.

And Marie Rose Dufour who would be by my side if I ask.

Writers understand how lonely this business can be and how we need a shoulder at times. So thanks to those who’ve brightened my dark days.

Bitten by Paranormal Romance loves Claimed by Dragons

http://www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com/2013/04/bittens-she-wolf-pack-thursday-review.html

Catching Up and Reviews

I've been busying writing. I've added over 5k to my latest wip this week. It feels good to be writing so I'm going with it. If I blog less...I'm sorry. The muse has to come first. :o) You all understand though, right!

Two new reviews! A nice way to end the week.


Claimed by Dragons

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-claimedbydragons-946836-142.html.

Out to Protect

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-outtoprotect-997908-145.html.

Reviews

The other day Katalina Leon and I were exchanging emails about not paying attention to reviews. As I’ve said on numerous times, reading is subjective. What I like and what a reader might like can be so totally different. I try not to read reviews. I try not to take them to heart. They’re one person’s opinion. And sometimes – NOT EVERYTIME, but sometimes the reviewer can be a wannabee writer who doesn’t have what takes to write so they bash writers. Before you beat me up, I know this first hand. I reviewed for years before becoming a writer. I’d done hundreds of reviews for one of those top review sites readers count on for their reviews. I have insider information.

The funny thing is the day after Kat and I were talking about not taking the reviews to heart I got a Google alert in my inbox. There were two alerts both for my newest release Out to Protect. The book is an M/M romantic suspense and based on a coming out theme. Now mind you I realize how difficult it is to write in the M/M genre and I know the readers are very passionate about the genre, but I didn’t realize how harsh they could be. I’ve never in all 30+ books have been ripped apart about a book so badly. I cringed reading their comments. I still cringe.

It bothered me for most of Monday. I won’t lie, the comments hurt. It felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing me. Later I let it go and realized I can’t please everyone. Though I’d like to please some. LOL

I took on a genre that is difficult to write in. I’ve only written three M/M to date and I also tackled another genre that appeals to me – crime/suspense. Will I write another one? If an idea comes to me that nags at me, yes I will. I won’t let the haters take me down and I won’t let them defeat me.

Reviews A Plenty

Claimed by Dragons has been getting a ton of reviews lately!

Review: "The Strix" by Amber Skyze & Katalina Leon

http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.com/ - 5 Star

http://www.examiner.com/review/claimed-by-dragons-by-amber-skyze-and-katalina-leon-book-review - 5 Star

New Review

Claimed by Dragons received an awesome review!

http://reviewsbymolly.com/

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Post

To bring you a hot new book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9iN7Ajq4o4&feature=plcp

Also a few places you can find Katalina and I today – drop by for prizes

http://keirakohl.com/2012/09/26/real-life-events-in-stories 

http://herdingcats-burningsoup.blogspot.com/2012/09/guest-post-giveaway-w-katalina-leon.html?spref=fb

Whet Your Appetite Wednesday will return next week!

The Dragons Have Landed

Buy HERE

In an odd Wiccan shop in Salem, Jael pulls an unusual stone from a witch’s wish bag. Little does she know her wildest dreams of adventure and a torrid affair with two gorgeous co-workers are about to come true—in spades.

Jael’s dreamy boss, Roarke offers her the assignment of a lifetime: a photo safari to Mount Kilimanjaro. The African scenery is stunning but the unexpected arrival of her two office crushes, Roarke and Kypton ignites her passion. Just as the trio is getting steamy at a beautiful waterfall, danger intervenes forcing the men to reveal their secret. They're dragons. And now, to save her life, they have no choice but to abduct a startled Jael to their mountain lair on Kilimanjaro.

In the dragons' love nest, Jael learns the truth about their origins and explores all the erotic possibilities two eager lovers can offer. Love awakens, but the guys are being stalked by a covert group of dragon hunters and withholding a life or death secret that will push Jael’s courageous heart and commitment to the limits.

• Note:This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: anal play/intercourse, male/male sexual practices, menage (m/m/f).

Excerpt:

Jael drew an anxious breath as she reached into the black felt bag. Choosing a stone from the wish bag started off as a trivial, touristy thing to do in a Salem witch’s shop, but now it felt heavy with importance, as if the choice truly mattered.

The atmosphere of the funky little Wiccan store, Silver Moon Scrying Shoppe, was charged with a strange excitement. She thrust her hand deeper into the bag and allowed a variety of smooth stones to tumble between her fingers.

“Let your fingers do the work.” Witch Casey leaned closer to better see Jael’s actions. “Don’t think about it. Let your heart guide the choice.”

Jael closed her eyes to block out the sounds around her and the overt, curious stares of her girlfriends Arcona, Becca, and Devon, who hovered near, watching her every move.

She concentrated on the stones. Casey, a renowned witch of Salem, Massachusetts, had told them they’d know when they found their stone, but Jael had yet to feel that telling inner ping of certainty as she stirred the stones with her fingertips.

A skeptic at heart, Jael wasn’t sure she’d believed in the hokeypokey magic of the town prior to coming. It’d been her friends’ idea. This minireunion of her three closest college friends had been a big wake-up call. Time was passing. They were all in their thirties now. Seeing them was a sharp reminder of the many dreams she once cherished but had allowed to languish.

In her college days she’d fully believed she’d be a globe-hopping, peer-respected nature photographer by now, but too many mundane obligations, like paying rent and eating, had prevented that dream from materializing.

Her friends thought visiting the town of the famous witch trials and infamous hangings would be a fun autumn trip. It was a weird choice, but they’d been right. There were so many amazing shops where curious souls could get a tarot-card reading or have their palms read. She was desperate to hear a little hint about what her future love life might hold. There wasn’t much going on in that department now.

They went on ghost tours, to a museum, and the walking tour was incredible. Jael loved anything historic, so strolling the streets and seeing homes that dated back hundreds of years intrigued her.

The most poignant part, and without doubt the saddest, was the monuments for the men and women who were accused of witchcraft and hanged. The nineteen bench-like stones bore the names of those who’d suffered a horrible death. The cemetery next door added a certain creepiness to the scenery. Jael felt sorry for those who’d lost their lives. She couldn’t imagine what it felt like to be dragged out of jail, brought to a tree, and hanged for the town to witness and cheer.

Jael continued to absently stir the cool, clattering stones between her fingers.

“Wow, you’re being so picky,” Becca teased. “Just choose a stone, already!”

“Choose?” Devon laughed. “Jael doesn’t commit. You know how she is. She’ll drag this out all day and still not make a clear choice.”

“That’s not true.” Jael jolted back to reality, realizing she’d completely forgotten what she was doing and why. “Don’t rush me,” she whispered. “This is important. I want to choose the right one.”

“You’re going to chose just one?” Arcona scoffed with a gentle smile on her lips. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

“Why are you all ganging up on me?” Jael laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with being choosy and having a plan B and a plan C…especially where love is concerned.” She refocused her attention on the wish bag. Blindly touching the polished stones and listening to soft clicking sounds they made was almost hypnotic.

“Aha!” Arcona interrupted. “Now we know you’re going to use your wish on love. What a shocker.”

“Hey, I need it!” Jael dug her hand deeper into the wish bag. “My love life has been bleak.” One stone finally stood out from the others. She felt heat cover her fingertips as if she were being drawn to a single piece of hot lava. She wrapped her fingers around the stone and pulled it from the bag with a victorious flourish. “I found it!”

She gazed at the rock lying in her palm. It looked like two stones fused together. The egg-shaped stone was opaque on one side and a translucent purplish on the other. The purple reminded her of an amethyst, while the other was a mottled dusty shade of rose.

“Oh, Jael, that is an odd-looking stone.” Arcona reached for Jael’s hand to tip the sparkling stone toward the light. “It’s beautiful when things you’d never think would fuse together mix.” She stared at the stone in wonder. “The world is full of weird stuff, isn’t it?”

Jael looked from the two-sided stone to her friend. “It is different.” She glanced at Witch Casey to see if she had any advice as to why she’d chosen such a stone.

“Interesting, but not surprising.” Witch Casey shook her head with her lips firmly pinched together.

Jael couldn’t read the woman’s eccentric gesture.

“A dual stone is often attracted to an undecided person,” Witch Casey spoke tersely.

“Undecided?” Jael stiffened and crossed her arms in a defensive manner. She’d been often accused of being indecisive in the past, and it hurt. Obviously Witch Casey had been eavesdropping. “Are you referring to me?”

“Of course I’m referring to you.” Witch Casey planted her fist firmly on her hip as she confronted Jael. “You’re the one holding the dual stone, not me.”

“What do you mean by undecided?” Jael knew where this was going. Witch Casey would now deliver a trite and highly predictable forecast about her future love life. She braced for the safe little clichés she knew were headed her way.

Witch Casey arced her hands dramatically through the air. “Your heart is always in two places at once and refuses to choose a lasting home. Am I right?”

Jael slightly recoiled. Witch Casey was right. The way the woman spoke with utter authority sent a shiver up her spine.

All her life she’d rushed toward one goal when secretly desiring another. She longed for a stable relationship, even a family, but another rogue part of her soul wanted to ditch her responsibilities, pick up a camera, and flee to the exotic wilds of Africa to fulfill her creative dreams. The same went for men. She could never make up her mind. Variety was the spice of life.

“There might be some truth in what you’re saying,” Jael sheepishly answered Witch Casey.

Witch Casey’s eyes flashed. “Might?”

Arcona leaned close to Jael’s ear. “I remember our last semester. You were always dating at least two guys at once and trying to keep it a secret. It never stayed secret.”

Jael silently admitted her love life was a disaster of indecision. She’d never met a man who fulfilled all her needs. Okay, maybe one man—Roarke, the gorgeous guy at her office, was a thrilling date for a friends-with-benefits type of evening, but a more solid relationship never quite gelled. Deep down she knew why.

They were two of a kind. Roarke was almost as undecided and commitment shy as she was. He would pant after her with lustful looks, coax and almost beg her to visit his apartment. When she gave in, the sex was always hot. Roarke was a total turn-on. Her hopes would rise that maybe Roarke was the one, and then nothing would happen for weeks at a time. No pursuit, no invitations back to his bed. It was as if Roarke would deny himself her company until he couldn’t stand it a moment longer; then he would call.

She’d noticed Roarke’s nightstand was fully stocked with condoms and every exotic brand of lube on the market, so she had to suspect he enjoyed other lovers as well, which hurt. She wanted to be someone special to him, and apparently she wasn’t. Obviously there was another.

“Would you like me to do a card reading for you?” Witch Casey interrupted the silence. “It might clarify a few of those undecided thoughts.”

“I don’t know…” Jael’s gaze darted anxiously between her friends. Their visit was nearly at an end. She wondered if her friends would willingly wait while Witch Casey sorted through the confusing details of her elusive love life. Probably not.

“You should do it.” Arcona shot Jael an encouraging smile. “Accept the card reading. Isn’t that why we walked in here in the first place—to get a little insight?”

Jael was suddenly nervous and excited to hear what Witch Casey had to say. “Are you sure you don’t mind? It really cuts into our last hour together.”

“I want you to do it.” Arcona wrapped her arms around Jael and hugged her like a loving sister. “And I expect to hear all about it later,” she said softly. “Don’t hold anything back. Actually I’m thinking of calling it a day. I have an early flight home, so I think I’ll say good-bye to everyone now.”

Arcona gently released Jael and hugged Devon and Becca as well. “It was so good to be with all of you again. You still feel like sisters.” She headed toward the front door. “I need some fresh air. I’m going to walk back to my hotel. It was so good seeing everyone. I love you all!” She waved. “I’ll be calling everybody later to hear about exactly what happened after I left.”

Jael watched Arcona wander out the door of the Silver Moon Scrying Shoppe, clutching the piece of amber she’d pulled from the wish bag and looking a bit distracted. A part of her worried for Arcona, and she wondered if she’d been unwise to allow her friend to walk away alone.

“Let’s sit in the corner where we can have some peace.” Witch Casey steered Jael toward a small table set with a melted tallow candle and two chairs. She encouraged Jael to take the chair facing the window.

Jael sat. Her gaze drifted toward Devon and Becca, who were standing on the far side of the shop trying desperately not to look like they were eavesdropping when clearly they were.

Witch Casey sat opposite Jael.

Jael looked closely at Witch Casey for the first time and noticed how beautiful the older woman was. Witch Casey had curly red hair that cascaded to her shoulders and piercing blue eyes swept with a thick fringe of black lashes that looked convincingly real. Something about her crisp profile reminded Jael of the classic beauties of old Hollywood. “You have such a wonderful face. May I ask where you’re from?”

“I’m originally from Greece. Do I look familiar?” A brilliant smile lit Witch Casey’s face. “I used to be known as the second most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Were you a runner-up in a Miss Universe pageant?” Jael asked innocently.

“No.” Witch Casey shook her head. “Helen of Troy was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world, and I don’t begrudge her the title. Helen was breathtaking. No one could argue with that. I earned the dismal title of ‘Cassandra,’ the second most beautiful woman in the world, after I spurned Apollo’s amorous advances.”

“Apollo who?”

“The Apollo!” Witch Casey looked scandalized. “My goodness, there’s only one. I must say, being hailed as the king of the gods, driving a golden chariot, and having grabby hands are a bad combination.”

“You mean Apollo, the Greek sun god?”

Blogging Again

I feel like I’ve been so out of touch with my readers and friends for a long time. It’s been about 8 weeks and I guess it’s a lifetime in the writing world. My deadlines are drawing to an end and I’m hoping to get back into a blogging mode again.

October is for me. I’m going to read as many books as I can and do things that don’t require me to strain my brain. ;o)

I’m all over the place this week as Katalina Leon and I celebrate the release of book two in the Bag of Tricks series: Claimed by Dragons. I’m so excited for this release. It seems like a long time ago, last November when I started writing this book. I believe it was a Nano project. Kat worked hard on The Strix during Nano.

I plan to do the Nano challenge again this year but I think I’m going to stray from erotica and go back to the romantic comedy I love to write. We’ll see. I know there’s one more book in the series that I owe and eventually I will write it.

Today you can find me over at RomCon, drop by for a chance to win an ebook!

Stressed and Overwhelmed

Just a little update from Amber, who has been in hiding. In preparation of edits for Claimed by Dragons I was attempting to get a book finished. I knew I’d be getting edits for Protecting Grant, behind Dragons. If I hadn’t mentioned this before I received a contract from Loose Id for a new M/M coming out sometime in November. Loose Id had a theme call out and I answered, thus leading to the contract. Turns out Protecting Grant won’t be released as part of the theme series. Not a big deal though. It gives me more flexibility. Oh, and Katalina is doing the edits for Dragons! I love her.

In the meantime I’m plugging away at my wip and Loose Id did it again. They put out another call. This was a holiday themed call out. Not just any holiday. It’s actually two holidays in one. I thought how much fun. I wrote a proposal and sent it off to my editor. I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting a contract. Guess what? Yup, my editor loved my idea and sent a contract. Now I’m under tight deadline to write the book. I’m about 11k into the book, not bad considering I’ve only been writing it for a week. Looks like the second half of this year I’ll see three books released.

In September I’ll be getting out the last two of my former Aspen books and a few under my real name. To say I’ve been busy is an understatement. Oh and add in that I’m now doing three people’s jobs at my day job. My poor hubby is looking forward to our vacation next week.

Which leads me to my hiatus. The hubby, Lexi and I are off to Florida next Tuesday. The baby will be staying with the in-laws and our other daughter will be staying at our house to house sit and take care of the dogs. It’s only a 4 night stay, but I need the break. I can’t wait to enjoy Universal and Busch Gardens. Lexi is really looking forward to the trip. Her two friends had to back out of the trip. It’s sad because now she’ll have no one her age to hang with.

Here a link to a nice review of I Wanna Sext U Up - http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-wanna-sext-u-up-by-amber-skyze.html?zx=3f3b9dad4f918dd2

That’s it! I’ll likely not be posting until September unless I find time. I will have guests during my absence so please drop by and say hello.

Guest Interviewing Today

Katalina and I are being interviewed over on Raine Delight's blog. Drop in and see what two crazy woman have to say.

http://authorrainedelight.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/guest-authors-day-with-katalina-leon-and-amber-


I'm also visiting over at Keira's blog:
http://keirakohl.com/2012/07/25/inspiration-is-where-you-find-it/

Whet Your Appetite will return next week. :)

The Strix

…After drawing a piece of amber from a witch's wish bag, Arcona awakens to a past life as a vengeful Celtic witch - a Strix, who used blood and sex magic to get her way. She turned the gladiator Tyr into a bloodthirsty Slayer. Now Tyr wants his revenge…

That’s how “The Strix” first took shape in my mind. Last year my dear friend and sister in publishing toil, Amber Skyze had a great idea. She mentioned two very intriguing ideas that grabbed and held my interest. She mentioned she had an ancestor who was accused of witchcraft (I it knew all along! lol) and she mentioned her yearly trips to Salem Massachusetts and how fun it would be to have her fortune told in a real witch’s shop…. Fun indeed.

We started talking about a collaborative book series that would include magic, romance and big-time, life-changing adventure. Amber came up with the idea of having four girlfriends in their early thirties get together for a weekend reunion in Salem, to celebrate the Halloween season. The ladies visit a highly unusual occult shop peopled with immortal beings and each pulls a wish stone from a magic bag. After each woman makes her wish—her life gets tipped upside down, shaken and then some.

To add to our peril we started this project November 1^st as part of NANO national novel writing month. One month of work? Yeah right. The project grew and grew and before we knew it four very different adventure stories were shaping up into full-length 85k+ novels.

I have to back up a little, in October, I knew I was going to do a NANO experiment with Amber but I had no idea what I was going to write. I hadn’t yet thought of anything. Nothing interesting was coming through. Then one gorgeous day in late October, I was at a yoga class, standing in some semi-painful pose with my eyes closed and my deceased friend Arcona came through to me loud and clear.

I lost my beloved friend almost ten years ago and the real life Arcona was a beautiful, successful, philosophical person who was a mentor to me on many levels. She died far too young. One of the things I missed most about Arcona’s passing was the loss of our creative collaboration. She was a good group leader and knew how to get the best out of everyone.

On that October day in the yoga studio, Arcona’s spirit brushed passed me. I actually had the physical sensation she was near and started to cry a little. She was German and in her typical precise way, in a flash she downloaded a complete story into my head of a Teutonic witch who goes astray. It was an astonishing experience and I hurried home to make notes and tell Amber our paranormal book series had the go-ahead from the spirit realm.

The Strix was a pleasure to write and I seemly couldn’t write fast enough. Arcona seemed to help me the entire time continually pointing me toward important names and places. The story that unfolded was passionate and violent. Clearly it wasn’t for the faint of heart. I began to wonder which publisher I should show it to.

About a week into the work, I shared a 31-page partial with Amber, simply to see what she thought of my plot set-up. The sneaky girl, bless her for this, secretly showed the partial to someone right away and that publisher later bought off on it no subbing and no struggling. It was the easiest sell of my career to date.

The Strix and several other high adventure woman’s stories found a good home at Loose Id Publishing in the “Bag Of Tricks” Book Series.

The next book in the series is Amber Skyze creation “Claimed By Dragons” It’s Jael’s story, which is a sizzling hot ménage with two gorgeous male dragon-shifters on Mount Kilimanjaro. That book is due for release September 28^th and we’ll have more to share about it soon.

Here’s the official Strix blurb:

A cursed amber amulet unearthed in Pompeii flings Arcona into a past life of witchcraft, bloodshed, revenge and sexual slavery to the cruel Master of a gladiatorial school. This violent parallel world is populated with “Slayers,” blood-drinking immortals devoted to the gods of war and mayhem.

As a Strix, or malignant witch, Arcona once used sex and blood rituals to create a race of immortal warriors to unleash on Rome. Now it’s time to pay.

The gladiator Tyr was one desperately lonely lover she betrayed. Against his will, she turned him into Upir Likhyi, a foul vampire. For two millennia he’s lived a grim existence as a Slayer, in constant sexual arousal yet denied release; now, he's pissed off and wants revenge. He kidnaps Arcona planning to drink her dry and break the curse. 

Along the way Arcona and Tyr relive their sexual slavery at the hands of Rome and blood sport in the arena, but the real magic is they forgive and fall in love. 

Too bad another Slayer wants them dead.

The Strix Book Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHkumnAXaiQ&list=UUKWmBpg3YYPkdrDkpTpEj1Q&index=0&feature=plcp

This year my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on Friday the 13^th. As an anniversary gift he gave me this beautiful book trailer. 


It seems so fitting that The Strix is about a witch who goes wrong and has to redeem herself... Ummm. 

The haunting music is one of my other loves--Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. This piece of music is titled the "The Mark Has Been Made" it's from the Fragile album (1999 Halo 14) NIN was the internal soundtrack for this book. 


Thank you Honey for the book trailer. Thank you Trent for writing inspiring music.

If you haven’t given Loose Id Publishing a try, this is the time. Be brave and take the ride. Loose Id isn’t afraid to go to the edge and leap. Check out Loose Id. They are bold and I love my new publisher. Thank you Loose Id for giving me a chance.

At the time I wrote this blog, the Loose Id website was down for maintenance and I was unable to post the buy-link. Be assured the store will soon be back on-line with a fresher, sophisticated look.

Katalina Leon & Amber Skyze, “The Strix” book one of the, Bag Of Tricks Book Series. Coming soon  from Loose Id Publishing.

New Cover Art

Check out this new cover from the Bag of Tricks series Katalina Leon and I are writing. A special thanks to Valerie Tibbs. I do love her work. :o)

A Brief Update

I’m tired – figuratively and physically.

 My daughter who had foot surgery in February has to have it again tomorrow. They’re taking the screw out because it didn’t heal properly. Her doctor said it’s a five minute procedure but any time under is scary for a parent.

I have been writing and editing. I subbed one story last week and started right away on another. I’ve promised three books by September…two will be about 30k. The third will be about 60k. I plan to write that one next. It will take more research. It’s the next book in the series Katalina Leon and I are writing.

 On top of writing I’m planning many birthday parties. June is an extremely busy month for my family. Oh and our baby will be one next month! :o)

This year has gone by so quickly. She’s crawling and getting into everything…definitely keeping mom on her toes.

Just a few reasons why I’ve been quiet. J

Happy Thursday

TGIF

It feels like I haven’t blogged in forever! I guess I haven’t with the blog hop and a few guests. It’s funny when I know I don’t have to blog I can think of a ton of things to blog about. When it comes time to actually write I forget those things. LOL I suppose I need to start writing down my ideas.

I’ve been busy writing and stressing over my friend Katalina Leon who is deep in edits for our co-authored book. I’m stressed because she’s buried and there’s nothing I can do. This was her baby. She knows it inside and out.  Big hugs to my friend.

I read an interview in Redbook the other day. The interview was with John Cusack. He talked about his love for music. He was asked if he could date and/or marry someone who didn’t enjoy his taste in music. He said NO. Most would be surprised with his answer, but I definitely wasn’t.

When I first started dating my husband we did talk about music – through email. He said he loved the 80s music and he was a big fan of Bon Jovi. Now when I think of 80s music, I think Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, just to name a few. I thought how cool that we shared the same taste. Years later I realize how different his taste is. He does love 80s, just not the hairband stuff. I wish I could give you an example, but seriously I didn’t listen to that stuff back then so I have no clue what their names are now.

Here’s the issue. We both have Satellite radio in our cars. He listens to 80s on 8 and I listen to Octane (hard rock) and Hairbands. We take his car more often than not because mine is a lease. I get stuff listening to his stuff. It drives me nuts.

So, would I have gotten in deep with him if I knew we really weren’t on the same page with music? I’m not sure. I’m not being mean, just being honest. I will say I’m glad I didn’t figure it out until I was in love with him. I’d be missing out on a wonderful life. :o)

I realized that I don’t allow my heroines to be in relationships unless the hero shares the same interests. Maybe I should switch that up a bit and give them some conflict and show they can co-exist.

Those are my thoughts for today. :o)

Happy Friday.

http://necrwa.org/blog1/conference/

Busy this week getting ready for the conference. Because I procrastinate I'm rushing like usual. Last minute details like getting the hair highlighted, need a new pair of dress pants. The ones I love magically disappeared. As my dear friend Katalina Leon said about my to-do list: #2 Don't go pant-less. LOL That would be a tad embarrassing. I've made plans with so many awesome friends and writers I can't wait to see them all. So if you're in Salem or around drop by for the book signing! Love to meet the readers.

More Good News

As I mentioned yesterday there's a part two to the good news. You'll have to read it over at Seven Sexy Scribes, as Katalina Leon is dishing the dirt today!
It's very exciting.... :o)


Happy Wednesday

As Promised

I have news to share!

I'm excited to announce Kat and I signed a contract for Dragons in Jael's Mist, with Loose Id. This is my first paranormal and I had so much fun writing it. Kat is busy adding mythology to the story, among other things. We don't have a release date yet, but this M/M/F book is scorning hot.
More details as they become available. Oh and do Kat will be dishing some more dirt over on the Seven Sexy Scribes blog! ;)

In other news I'm about to self-publish my 5th book from Aspen Mountain Press mess. The book Heat Waves. Here is the new cover. A special thanks to Valerie Tibbs of Tibbs Designs!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Are You F'ing Kidding Me

A winter storm watch? Are you serious? Bright and early this morning I watched the news and they are talking about a winter storm that could drop significant amounts of snow. Hello, has anyone looked at the calendar? It’s only October. Though I must admit about ten years ago it was normal for snow to fall before or by my birthday which is the first week of November. I’ve grown used to snow falling in late November early December. In fact I’d prefer to move south for the next six months.
A friend of mine told me about a book called Every Move You Make, by M. William Phelps yesterday. I did some research and discovered Mr. Phelps is a man I’ve watched on the ID channel. He’s an investigative journalist and written many books on true crimes. I’m going to pick up the book. The interesting thing about this is it’s written about Gary C Evans, a killer from Troy NY, which was practically the next city over from where I lived for 30+ years.
In other news my wip is coming along nicely. I’ll be putting it aside in a few days to start the new project with Katalina Leon.
The day job has taken its toll on me lately and stressing me too much. They’re talking about off shoring us. I’m telling you this is one time I wish the government would step in and force the companies who are headquartered in the US to keep their jobs based in the US. There are too many people without jobs. Okay, off my soapbox for now.
Weekend plans? I have to work tomorrow and if the snow shows up I’ll be shoveling. How about you?

A New Week

It’s been awhile since I blogged. I’ve been busy with the dreaded day job. Don’t get me wrong I’m happy to have a job, because I know how many aren’t so lucky. The job is very stressful though. I had to work all weekend and this coming weekend.
Good news is I’ve been writing. Not every day, but I’ve gotten 5k into a new book in the last week. Soon I’ll be starting a new book with Katalina Leon. I love her. She’s such a great friend and inspiration.
Eight years ago today I had my first date with the DH. I drove three hours for that date. We talked for four months before I ever drove out here. We talked daily for hours at a time. We knew more about each other before getting together than I’d ever known about any man I ever dated. Let’s just say the drive was well worth it. Once we got married the DH said this wasn’t an anniversary any longer. Well if he hadn’t noticed I’m a romance writer. I’m all about romance and love. It’s important to me. :o)
That day we watched two awful movies at his house. Malibu’s Most Wanted was one. The second I can’t remember. We went to dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant, and then off to the movie theater. That should’ve been my first inclination that the man LOVES movies. Three in one day. I’m not that much a movie watcher. Anyway, we saw Gothica. I loved the movie. He yelled a few times – I laughed at him.
So I’m wishing the DH a very Happy Anniversary today! Here’s to many, many more!