Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Coming In January


Being a Werewolf hunter leaves little time for estrogen or emotion.

Why do I say this? Because I’m currently in a very odd situation, odder than normal.

My name is Jolene Sayer. I’ve hunted Were’s with my father since I was thirteen. He’s a good dad, just a bit distracted. His first and foremost responsibility, as he see’s it, is hunting Were’s. Same goes for me.

Some people think being a Were hunter is weird. For me it’s perfectly normal. What I see as odd is my attraction to the hunkalicious Braden Knight. Why? I think he’s a vampire.


Don't forget the great blogs at Amarinda Jones and Julia Barrett.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Blogging at...


Today I'm blogging at:
Charlene Wilson's
and
The Book Boost
If you have an opportunity, please drop by and say 'hey'.


And don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones and Julia Barrett's.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

My Breasts Paid for Thanksgiving Dinner


In a manner of speaking.....
Actually its not as titillating as it sounds, quite the contrary. We've got a great cancer insurance policy through work and once a year they'll send a check if you've had your yearly or your mammogram. I got my mammogram--everything was fine I might add--and got my check in time for shopping for Thanksgiving dinner.

What are you doing for your Thanksgiving meal? I'll be taking care of the traditional side. The happy hubby has volunteered to do the turkey. Thank goodness. I've been a vegetarian for over twelve years now and each year it gets harder and harder to fix that poor turkey for the carnivores in my family. My daughter and her special friend will be fixing wonderful vegetarian dishes and dessert. So we're set.

To each of you, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for your friendship.

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Friday, November 19, 2010

Monday, November 15, 2010

SUNDIAL contest winner


And the winner is.....Doreen.
Congratulations, Doreen.

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett and Molly Daniels.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

AuthorIsland


Greetings.
I'm blogging today at www.CyberLaunchParty.blogspot.com. If you have an opportunity stop by and say hey.

The SUNDIAL contest ends today at 5:00 p.m. eastern standard time.

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett and Molly Daniels.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Make Yourself Necesary

Make yourself necessary to somebody~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett and Molly Daniels.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Books and Music


"Through literacy you can begin to see the universe. Through music you can reach anybody. Between the two there is you, unstoppable."

Grace Slick

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett and Molly Daniels.

Monday, November 8, 2010

CLOSURE


With us today is Rie McGaha to chat with us about her new book CLOSURE.

Welcome, Rie.

Tid Bits by Rie McGaha

My publisher has described CLOSURE as "Gruesome," and she said the manuscript was accepted just so she could see exactly how twisted I really am! I can laugh at that because I suppose there are a few gruesome scenes in the story. However, I didn't write that particular story to be gruesome or twisted. I wrote the story to kill off my ex's and to put some old ghosts to rest.

In my youth I didn't always make good choices or the right decisions. I was hard headed, determined to do things my own way, and stupid. What a combination! But it was the '70's and the sixties hadn't quite faded, the war in Vietnam wasn't over, and the hippie movement was still going strong. Peace and love prevailed among the under forty crowed. Make love not war. Don't bring me down, I think I'm comin' on. Marijuana, cocaine and LSD were abundantly provided, and usually free of charge. Sex was no big deal and changing partners occurred more often than changing underwear. If anyone actually wore underwear back then.

Being a little younger than most of my peers didn't seem to matter, although there were plenty of older women who watched out for me and plenty of older men who chose to ignore the fact I was underage. I did lie about my age but anyone with half a brain could have seen I was nowhere near nineteen. In retrospect, I doubt any of us had half a brain because everyone was usually high. Ahhh, the good ol' days when drugs were legal and had no negative effects!

But I digress. (Pausing for a moment to remember the days…although there is a period of time I have difficulty remembering at all). Moving on…CLOSURE has some very dark moments, especially the chapters about the killer. And the murder scenes I suppose. Some of the book comes from personal experience, some is pure imagination, and some is my way of burying my own past and getting closure for myself. I killed my ex's. And I have to say it was so much fun.

Being a drug counselor in a prison on a unit with 120 men and me the only female, gave me a unique perspective into the minds of criminals. Being the ex-wife of a criminal who robbed banks and spent much of his adult life in prison really taught me what the "con" in convict meant. I was also the ex-girlfriend of another criminal who was the worst kind of person and I won't even go into what he put me through here, but let's just say, I really enjoyed killing him off…in the book of course. I would never think of such a thing in real life. (Pausing to think about it and smirk a little bit).

Hmmm, I can't imagine what Ellen, owner/publisher of Champagne Books was thinking when she said "twisted"…

BLURB:

High in the hills above Albuquerque, New Mexico Detective Zachariah Ellison arrives at the scene of a murder, and not just any murder, but one that definitely falls into the “gruesome” category even for a seasoned cop like Zach. When another body is found murdered in much the same fashion, Zach knows he’s got a serial killer on his hands, and to top it off he’s got an assistant district attorney hounding him about the case. As Zach tries to investigate the crimes while sidestepping nosey Amy Logan, a third body is found and Zach hasn’t a clue as to whom the perpetrator might be.

Amy Logan has worked hard to put herself through school and pay for law school on her own and now that she’s secured a position as assistant district attorney in Albuquerque, she’s determined to do everything she can to be the best prosecutor this office has ever seen. And as if luck was following her, she’s been assigned to the biggest homicide case the city has ever seen. The only problem she’s having is the homicide detective who’s leading the investigation—Zach Ellison.

EXCERPT:

EXCERPT FROM: CLOSURE Champagne Books

"Zach, the body just arrived down here. Thought you'd want to be here for the autopsy," Pete said when Zach answered.

"On my way." He put the phone on the base, and then picked it up again. If Amy wanted information on the case, he'd just give it to her. He dialed the number from the card she'd left him, waited for the automated service, then punched in the extension.

“Amy? Zach here. The body just came in to the morgue. I'm going down—want to join me?” He looked at the phone in his hand and grinned. Amy hadn't even bothered to hang up on her end before he'd heard the door of her office slam.

Taking the elevator down, he pushed open the double doors that led to the morgue, and entered the autopsy room where he put on a face shield and paper apron. Ron was standing by the table with Pete, already wearing the protective gear.

"What do we have here?" Zach asked, putting on latex gloves.

"Just about to start, but I have to tell you, Zach, I've never seen anything like this. Damn, this is morbid—even for me," Pete said, shaking his head.

Ron nodded. "I've been in homicide for ten years,

Zach. I can't believe this one."

"Yeah, let's get on with it," Zach said and took a breath. He hated autopsies as well, but they were a vital part of finding evidence, and at this point he needed all he could get.

The doors opened again as Amy walked in, still out of breath, and all three men looked up. Zach thought she must have run the entire three blocks from her office.

“This is Amy Logan, D.A.'s office,” Zach said and made introductions. “There's an apron and a face shield on the shelf,” he told her and pointed. “Put them on.”

She nodded and when she was wearing the protective gear, she made her way to Zach's side and stood staring wide-eyed at the body on the table.

Pete took photos of the body—the penis in its mouth,

a close-up of the face, and of particular areas like the leather band around the throat. He removed the penis from the mouth, and photographed the teeth. Moving over the body, he photographed the bruises and burn marks on the upper torso, and the ligature marks on the ankles and wrists. The body was on its side because of the baseball bat protruding from the rectum, and he photographed that as well.

"Okay. I'm going to pull this out first, so I can turn the body,” he said at length. “It's not going to be pretty."

Pete grasped the handle of the bat with one hand and placed a gloved hand on the corpse's hip and pulled. The bat didn't budge. He grasped the bat with both hands and twisted it to the right, then braced a hand against the hip again and pulled harder, but it still wouldn't budge.

He looked up at Zach. “Want to give me a hand here?”

Zach blew out a breath and walked around the table while pulling on a second pair of gloves. No, he thought, I definitely do not want to help on this one.

He held the body in place while Pete twisted the bat back and forth a few times and then pulled slowly. It made a loud sucking noise and when the bat finally came out, blood, water, feces, and pieces of intestines gushed out after it, splattering onto Pete and Zach both, and then splashed noisily onto the floor at their feet.

"All righty then," Pete commented, and held up the sawed off bat, looking at Zach, then showed it to Amy and Ron.

Amy made a sound that wasn't quite a scream as she turned and ran to the sink, and heaved her lunch into it.

Zach took a deep breath and shrugged as he looked at Ron and Pete. He went to Amy, pulled paper towels out of the container, wet them and handed them to her, and left the water running in the sink so she could clean herself up.


Saturday, November 6, 2010

What's Your Reading Pleasure?


How do you read your favorite books? Paper? Computer? E Reader? Or listen to an audio?
I've been a paper girl for more years than I care to mention. For me its a lot easier than reading off a computer. I wanted a hand held device but there always seemed better ways to spend my money. You know how that goes:) I won a Nook this year at Romanticon and I read my first book on it: Ms. Julia's Persephone. I was stunned. Its amazingly comfortable to hold and read and its addictive. The only thing that disappointed me was that there wasn't a built in light in it for night reading.
So tell us, what's your favorite way to read? Great minds want to know:) And if you read with a hand held, which one do you prefer?
Have a great weekend!

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett and Molly Daniels.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Just a reminder


CONTEST: For a chance to win an autographed copy of SUNDIAL, a 'seeing' pendant and a $10 starbucks gift card just leave a comment and mention SUNDIAL. The contest will be running till 5 p.m. Nov 14th.

Without warning, he exploded into her senses. One moment she was driving alone down a busy intersection, the next he was there. A stranger with black hair, dressed in clothes of another era. But most frightening of all, he had no substance.

"Oh, my God!" Sarah screamed as she slammed on the brakes. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God!" she sobbed.

The brakes squealed as steel-belted radials dug into asphalt.

Her cat Monet, riding in the passenger seat, went skidding across the seat and onto the floor.

Sarah had a brief impression of a tall, sleek stranger. He was standing in the middle of the road, his arms outstretched. And she could read his thoughts as clearly as if he'd spoken. Saura. The word whispered through her mind, a bastardized version of her name. Her hands gripped the steering wheel and her whole body went rigid as she tensed for the impact...and drove straight through him.

Available at classactbooks.com in paper or e.

Don't forget the great blogs at: Amarinda Jones, Anny Cook, Julia Barrett and Molly Daniels.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Daughters of Persephone

I just finished this sci-fi fantasy and highly recommend it for fans of this genre.
Ms. Barrett has a strong writing style and well-developed characters. She takes you on a journey filled with action and steamy romance.
Her main female character, Aja Bokinan, manages to remain sensitive while being mentally and physically powerful, the Thousand Year Empress who has grown to adulthood in exile.
Kyr Aram is a sexy smuggler and resistance fighter.
The passion between these two is both intense and destined to last.
I find Ms. Barrett to be a talented writer and think you will too.
Persephone can be purchased at Resplendence, Amazon, and All Romance.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Author Sherry Gloag

With us today is Sherry Gloag who has just had a new release THE BRAT. And let me add it sounds like a great read.

Welcome, Sherry. Tell us about your current project.


I started writing The Brat early in 2008. My heroine, Gina Williams, gave me her name first. Then she told me what she did, and why it meant so much to her. She told me about the child, Benedict Kouvaris, she replaced in Anna Kouvaris's house, and how much she hated him and why.


She insisted I give him this name. I still don't know why. (His mother's name changed during the edits.)


Are you a plotter or pantser?


More pantser than plotter, but occasionally I find that as I finish one chapter the 'plot' for the following chapter is clear in my head. When that happens I make notes at the bottom of the bottom of the current chapter I'm working on, then move them to the new document when I start the following chapter.

After a couple of months of solid writing I ground to a halt and all the characters went AWOL. I got on with other projects but kept mulling over ideas for the rest of The Brat. In November I did my stint in NaNo and finished one story and to complete my word count brought out The Brat again. Whether or not it was vanity on their part, when Ben and Gina discovered I posted their excerpts in my NaNo writing page they came back with a vengeance. I didn't finish The Brat (including edits) until February 2009. My first attempted submission to Mills and Boon was rejected. I was sharing my disappointment with a friend and she almost dared me to try again. So I did. Again it was rejected but with such warm advice and suggestions I followed them up and late in 2009 The Wild Rose Press said 'Yes.'

Do you have critique partners are work alone?

I am a member of the most amazing critique group on line. There are about half-a-dozen members at any given time and their comments vary amazingly, giving a huge perspective to work with when rewriting.


What is your zodiac sign and how does it aid you as a writer?


Pisces. I often say 'I meet myself coming the other way'. Pisceans are dreamers so it helps in my writing, because I am a dreamer.


Tell us something that would surprise us about you.

Hmm. LOL. I can no longer eat chocolate. I love it, but I have become intolerant to it.

What books of yours are currently for sale and where can we buy them?


The Brat is my debut novel and can be ordered at Wild Rose Press as of October 1st. (Link not yet available)

Also at:

Amazon.com,Amazon.co.uk, Barnes&Noble,Baker & Taylor, Bertrams, The Book Depository and other outlets after October 1st.

www.sherrygloag.com

Blurb:-
Gina Williams has a secret and prays it is buried with her childhood persecutor, Em Kouvaris, as discovery will ruin her reputation as a famous children’s author. She soon discovers the son, Ben Kouvaris, new owner of her publishing company, has uncovered her past and is making demands. Will he ruin her career if she doesn’t comply?
Ben Kouvaris is blown away by the unknown beauty at his estranged mother's funeral, and when his father demands he marry, immediately, to secure the family business, he knows just who he wants as his temporary bride. But can Ben persuade Gina to trust him?

Excerpt: The Brat – Excerpt Two – Chapter Two

A voice from the grave filled her mind to the exclusion of everything else. “No one cares about a guttersnipe like you. You’re nothing but a snivelling little brat. You have no past and no future. You are no one and never will be. Your place is here, for you have nothing else to aspire to, and nowhere else to go.”


More than two decades later the words still fuelled her ambitions to achieve. They still goaded her into proving to herself and others that she could succeed. Her aspirations and dreams propelled her need to prove herself.


“Watch it, luv!” A hand yanked her back from the curb. “You got a death wish or som’it?” The blast of a car horn jerked her back against her rescuer.


“Oh!” Gina gasped. “I wasn’t paying attention…”


Her voice trailed off. Her memories stole her concentration. “Thank you.” She eased her arm from within his grasp and held out her hand. “Your quick actions saved my life.”

“Think nothing of it.” The man touched his cap, stepped back, and soon disappeared in the crowds. Shaken more than she cared to admit, she looked around and entered a nearby coffee shop.

She fought the ghosts from her past and wrestled them back into that black box in her mind she’d kept locked for almost two decades. With the exception of her agent and best friend, Liz, she’d never shared her secrets, and Liz didn’t know the half of them, just enough for Liz to realize her children’s adventure stories evolved from her childhood fantasies.


Contest:

Sherry has lots of fun prizes. To win one simply go to her blog: http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/, where she left character revelations all through September. Decide which character revelation you connect with and leave a comment on this blog.

The prizes include a PDF of Meditative Serenity, The Brat Note Cards, and signed bookmarks from the UK.