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 My very first review for Smiling Assassin! Read it here!
Have something for eyepatches? Dude, you’re in luck because the Galaxy Express Hostess with the Mostest is talking about these cool props over at Tor! Go read it!
17 Nov 08
*****
Susan Grant (a.k.a. She Who Rocks the Air Between North America and Asia), was nominated for two Prism Awards. Guess what? She won BOTH! Boom, baby! Science fiction romance is taking over the world. You heard it here first.
Oh, remember that place of such concentration of pure Awesome that it requires an oxygen mask? The Galaxy Express? Remember? Huh? Huh? That most excellent ship’s captain, Heather, has a feature called Catch a Rising Star. She just did a feature one someone. You have one guess before this site self destructs...YES! Go read it here and see if you guessed correctly. I’m so excited, I could pee!
10 Nov 08
*****
Want to have your eyeballs melted from the awesome power of my new cover’s awesomeness?! Get a load of THIS! It’s Gladius, a futuristic story about gladiators in space. Wooo, baby!
Going, going...SOLD!
To Ellora’s Cave, the sequel in the Gentlemen Inc. series! This one is set in fabled Istanbul and involves some pretty angry ghosts. Wooo!
To Red Sage, a story entitled Agent Provocateur (set in a future Montreal against a dystopian society...basically, a world gone MAD!).
5 Nov 08
*****
Has it been a week since I last updated? Dude, someone is stealing my time. I distinctly remember selling my soul for five more hours in a day. I don’t think he delivered. I feel so cheated!
I recently discovered several blogs that are either funny, interesting or both at once. Here they are:
- Alien Romances
- Galaxy Express
- Blog Happy
- Book Smugglers
Incidentally, I’ll post on the Alien Romances blog once in a while, as guest blogger. I’ve already written a quick piece about Rob Sawyer’s A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...MY ASS!
And while we’re on the subject of blogs, Heather at the Galaxy Express (she has Albator as avatar, how freakin’ cool is that!) did a piece on RomVets (romance authors who are also former military members, like me). Go read it if you like! Plus, The Galaxy Express is full of scifi goodness!
For those who are waiting, I’m about halfway into Lycan Warriors 4. Woohoo!
24 Oct 08
*****
More reviews! One for Mechanical Rose by the lovelies at RRT Erotic and another for DamNATION at Bitten by Books, where books bite, baby! (in a good, sexy, vampy way). :)
17 Oct 08
*****
Dear Author, blogger extraordinaire and all around cool gal, reviewed one of my books. The first in the Lycan Warriors series, Feral. Read the C-grade review here!
Chapter four is now done for the fourth book in the same series. Woohoo!
What else? Damn, I think that’s it. That’s my life in the fast lane, baby... :)
14 Oct 08
*****
Today will be busy, busy, busy. First, I’m turning in the last round of edits for Gladius to my lovely editor at Ellora’s Cave (my own Indianan Jones!). Second, I’m writing chapter two of Lycan Warriors 4 (if you enjoyed Haruto in book 3, then you’ll be very happy :) And finally, I’d like to start the change I’ve been trying to for the last, oh, MONTH! I’d like to change my book catalog and make it more user-friendly. For example, there’d be the covers, all lined up nice and neat. When you click on one, it takes you to one page that has it all (large cover, excerpt, blurb, link to purchase and reviews). But dude, there’s a LOT of books to cover, you know. So it’ll take time. Talk to you soon.
6 Oct 08
*****
The Hussies are taking over the world! That’s right, over at the Night Owl Romance, three of our lovely Hussies are nominated for awards (Ciana, Sahara and Sally). Support romance that’s spicy, irreverent and hot enough to melt your eyeballs. Please VOTE!
3 Oct 08
*****
For the month of October, Coffee Time Romance and the Hussies invite you to a contest! Solve the riddle of the runes. Good luck!
1 Oct 08
*****
Want to redeem a bad boy once in a while? Want to give a chance to a man who did bad things but is desperate to atone? Want to read the story of The Smiling Assassin? That book is now on sale at the venerable Red Sage Publishing. Don’t miss it!
1 Oct 08
*****
Guess what’s coming tomorrow? My latest from the venerable Red Sage, THE SMILING ASSASSIN! Yay! Read an exclusive excerpt riiight here.
More exciting news? Check this out:
The talented and most excellent Ciana Stone and I collaborated on a novel that we submitted yesterday to Ellora’s Cave. Think sexy guy in cowboy boots, a Valkyrie of a heroine and an albino gator named Sheila. BOOM BABY!
Also, I’ve completed and submitted book two to the Gentlemen Inc. series to my lovely editor at Ellora’s Cave. Again, BOOM BABY!
I’m presently hard at work doing the edits on Gladius (a Hussies novel) and started writing book four in the Lycan Warriors series. Damn, who stole all my time, eh?!
30 Sep 08
*****
The lovelies at Love Romances and More gave 4.5 hearts to Cassiopeia and called it “breathtaking in its adventure, heart-stopping in its romance and toe-curling in its hot, sexy love scenes”. Read the entire review here! Thank you LRM!
25 Sep 08
*****
Want 25% off your book purchases at Ellora’s Cave? FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR? Dude, that’s 4 books for the price of 3! Read the rules here (basically buy EC’s first hardcover when it comes out 14-18 Oct 08, mail your receipt and BAM...you could win that 25% off for the rest of 2008). Incidentally, the cover for Forbidden Fantasies is fa-bu-lous. Love fishnet and pink faux fur! (right column, scroll down some).
24 Sep 08
*****
Only 6 days before The Smiling Assassin hits the shelves at Red Sage. Want to read an EXCLUSIVE (as in, no one else but this site has) excerpt? I thought you would.
News around the world:
- Clay Aiken is gay. Quel choc!
- people are banning books as we speak. Fight it!
- a popular blog called Dear Author has a massively interesting article on heroines in romance books who are TSTL (Too Stupid To Live).
- Gentlemen Inc. 2: Whisper is DONE, poppet! It’s now nice and warm in my editor’s machine, waiting its turn. I’ll keep you posted.
- my dog is fat
- a man died in an emergency waiting room after sitting there for 34 hours and not getting any attention. I don’t care what Michael Moore says, Canadian health care isn’t all that.
- this painting by Edvard Munch is expecting to sell for 35US million at a coming auction.
24 Sep 08
*****
That will teach me to open my big trap. I have 4 so-so reviews. That’s it. Maybe I’m having a case of repressed memories, or I just didn’t keep them. I’m sure I had more tucked away somewhere on my machine. Oh well. Four isn’t enough to have fun. I’ll wait until I can find more. But meanwhile, I want to celebrate something. So why not start with the International Talk Like a Pirate Day?! Arghhh, matey!
20 Sep 08
*****
Speaking of reviews, Monday will be dedicated to celebrating all the bad reviews I’ve had over the years. I don’t have that many, but still, it’s good to revisit them once in a while. Keeps you grounded. So Monday, we’ll be starting with a look back at my debut novel Femme Metal’s oh-hum reviews. Yeah baby, it’s Two-Stars time!
19 Sep 08
*****
Review to report! Cassiopeia’s first review, too. The Romance Studio gave it its highest mark, 5 hearts, and called it “scorching and vividly portrayed”. Thanks TRS!
19 Sep 08
*****
I’m working on a new look for my catalog of books. It bugs me the way it is now. So instead of having a page with all the books, then a page for each genre, then a page for each book, I’ll go directly from catalog to book page. What do you think? I’ll start with my most recent books, to see how it goes. If I find the traffic is worth it, then I’ll work backward toward my older books. Sounds like a plan? Good. See you on the other side.
16 Sep 08
*****
Dude.
That’s all I have to say for today. :)
Seriously, I’m nose deep in Gentlemen Inc. 2 right now, so I don’t have a lot to say. Except that every time I see my ad on the Smart Bitches Trashy Books, I get a pleasant little tingle. Have you seen it? I created it for Mechanical Rose (steampunk novel) with my brand now Wacom Intuos graphic pen...which ROCKS, by the way.
Only about 2 weeks left for my newest release with Red Sage, Smiling Assassin. If you enjoy tortured heroes, this one is for you.
16 Sep 08
*****
Two Lips Reviews is turning two this month. Can you believe that? Already? So they’re running a massive contest where you can win some cool stuff. Every participating author has a logo hidden somewhere on the site...find the logo on all of the participating authors’ sites, report back to TwoLips and follow the directions to the pink glittery road. It’s all here on their scavenger contest page.
My editor and I are about to start the edits for Gladius. I’m requesting a very, very special cover for this one. Something that will make my inner Chihuahua spin in her own little vortex of joy. Stay tuned for details!
13 Sep 08
*****
All kinds of stuff here today. First, the Banned Books. Since 1982, the last week of September is dedicated to sticking it to da man. How can you stick it to da man, you ask? By reading one (or more, babe!) book(s) on the Banned Books List. Why would people want to ban books? Yeah, beats me too. But SOME people, they think they can, say, have the Harry Potter books removed from school libraries. HARRY FUCKING POTTER?! Are they mad? Because I love me some good books and because I’m not one to let someone else decide which books I should or not read, this year, for Banned Books Week, I’m coming out swinging. I plan to read ALL of J.K. Rowling and ALL of Dav Pilkey’s books. Harry Potter and Captain Underpants are heroes in this household. Yes, both are part of the illustrious list of Most Controversial Authors of the 20th Century.
8 Sep 08
*****
Remember when I spoke about my collaboration with the rocking, kickass, ultra cool author Ciana Stone? Well, our book is almost finished. Damn, what a ride! Think Floridian marshes, an albino gator named Sheila, a Valkyrie of a heroine and a former specops soldier. Mix all that with stolen diamonds and hot air balloons. Sounds fun? Damn right it is! We should be ready to turn this in to our lovely (and did I mention Most Excellent?) editor at the fabulous Ellora’s Cave. I’ll keep you posted on this subject.
Join the feeding frenzy and read Cassiopeia! I know, tooting one’s own horn is corny. Well, today I’m being corny. It’s my -site. I get to decide stuff like corny and horn tooting. In case you didn’t know, that story is part of The Hussies series. There’s no order, so you can read any of the books in any order you like. How’s that for a great series! No pressure, no order. That’s how the Hussies do things!
7 Sep 08
*****
Infinite Monkey Theorem, green technology and handsome men...the Hussies, they have varied tastes, yo! Read all about it on the Hussies blog.
Added another couple of pages to Gentlemen Inc 2 today, which takes us near the 60% mark. I only started that 60,000-word book on 21 Aug!
4 Sep 08
*****
Gentlemen Inc. 2 is now officially past the 50% mark. Whoo! I should be finished with it around the 15th or so. Damn, a full two weeks before my own personal deadline. I like beating my deadlines. I know, it’s silly, but it gives me a great boost. After GI2 what happens, yo ask? It’s Lycan 4, baby. Hope you enjoyed the enigmatic Haruto from book 3 because you’ll be seeing a lot more of him.
2 Sep 08
*****
Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you can read an exclusive excerpt from Smiling Assassin, my newest release with Red Sage Publishing. Want to know what that book is about? Read the excerpt here before anyone else.
Gentlemen Inc. 2 is coming along like a wind-bitch tornado on speed! Damn! I’m having so much fun. Think of it as my humble take of a mix of Relic Hunter and Medium. The story is set in my favorite country to visit, Turkey, in the underground waterways and cisterns of Istanbul.
27 Aug 08
*****
Want to see a steampunk ad I created especially for the Smart Bitches? Go and visit them. You may have to reload the page a couple of times to hit my ad, but it usually doesn’t take more than 2-3 reloads. They rock, the SBs, incidentally. That ad is for my book, Mechanical Rose, Ellora’s Cave first steampunk story, if I’m not mistaken.
Oh, and I have the first tow chapters of Gentlemen Inc. 2. That book is just coming out of me like whooosh! Stay tuned for more updates.
One last thing, I have two of my fantasy novels in the hands of editors in New York, under submission (man, that’s a fun thing to say!) and waiting for their fate. Send me power thoughts, will you?!
25 Aug 08
*****
Want to read the second book in the Gentlemen Inc. series? I’m writing it right now. Yeah baby. Think mysterious curse, underground cities, sexy Turkish men, and a LOT of action! Whew! I sat to start it Monday, and chapters 1 and 2 are already done. My wrists, they burn, they burrrrn.
22 Aug 08
*****
Reviews, dude! Two of them, even :) One for Lycan Warriors 3: Carnal, and one for Mechanical Rose!
18 Aug 08
*****
Plagiarism sucks. No excuse for it. If you use someone else’s words and make no mention that you did, you committed plagiarism. Some people think it’s no big deal. Bah, words are a dime a dozen. Who cares? Whoever gets caught should deal with it privately with the interested parties. I’ve never been the victim of plagiarism (some call it mind rape, I agree), but if someone would ever steal my speech bubble, you can bet your last tea bag that I’d go after them with all the frenzied energy of a Chihuahua on Red Bull. There’d be no place to hide, motherfuckers!
Because to me, nothing is more precious than your speech bubble.
Please won’t you think of the poor little defenseless speech bubbles? Don’t plagiarize.
Or I’ll send my demented ninja squirrels after you.
You’ve been warned.
15 Aug 08
*****
All kinds of great news!
First, Ellora’s Cave has contracted my novel entitled Gladius. Woohoo! Think gladiators in space. Really sexy gladiators in space.
Second, Cassiopeia is now on sale. No, not the real star constellation silly, but my book. Right here. Think motor-mouth space couriers. Really sexy motor mouth space couriers.
Third, I’ve started plotting for my sequel in the Gentlemen Inc. series. It’ll be set in Turkey, with plenty of action and hot love!
So, as you’ve guessed, we're back from Bavaria. We ate. And ate. And ate. I have pictures of some of my plates because they were just too funny. Me, I'm borderline vegetarian. But sometimes, I'll get an urge for meat. This week, such urge took me. I ordered some ham. What I *thought* was ham. When the girl in one of those German dresses with the boobs almost hanging out came back and plunked my plate in front of me, I almost fell off my chair. She brought me a WHOLE FUCKING BOAR LEG.
Yes. A boar leg. Or is it a paw?
I digress.
My French sensibilities were completely thrown upside down and inside out. I couldn't be expected to eat this...this *thing* with the bone sticking out one end?! How coarse! How terrible! Vive la fork! :))
Seriously, it *was* a leg and the bone *was* sticking out at one end. Okay... Plus, to make it even yummier (sarcasm index: high) they slapped some batter on it then deep-fried the whole thing. So in my plate were two giant, gooey dumplings, and in a frying pan beside it was this...leg-thing. Yum...
But hey, it wasn't all about hacked off hindquarters and batter. We had a blast doing all kinds of outdoorsy things. Fun! We hiked down the side of a mountain, which took us three hours, only to meet a gang of cows at the bottom, who were coming up the trail. We had a sort of Mexican stand-off going on: three Canadians against 15 German cows.
The cows won.
We cut through the tall grass and let the cows have the trail. As we passed, I was afraid one of them would kick us or something. Cows are eeveel beasts. So I walked sideways and backward as we passed them. Husband thought I was a bit paranoid.
11 Aug 08
*****
I’ll be gone for a week. I know, please don’t cry. I *must* go. I’ll tell you all about this when I come back. Meanwhile, don’t forget Cassiopeia, which is coming on sale next Wednesday, August 6! Ruthless space couriers? Check! Spaceships? Check! Hot sex in zero-g? Check, baby!
31 Jul 08
*****
Want to know what I think of Stephen King’s book On Writing? Go read my review at Ellora’s Cave’s editorial blog, Red Lines and Dealines! And while you’re there, why don’t you leave me a note eh? I love hearing from you :)
Also, I’ve started hanging out at the massively addictive Tor online community where subjects can range from Big Frakkin Bags, portable e-reading devices to the wonder “meat” SPAM. GO there. Be awed and stupefied.
29 Jul 08
*****
The lovely Valerie had this to say about Mechanical Rose “it was a joy to see the hardened assassin fall for the handsome geek”. She also gave it the highest score, 5 hearts. GEEKS RULE! Read the complete review here.
24 Jul 08
*****
The Smiling Assassin has a face. My October release with Red Sage has a cover and you can find it right here. I like the guy’s smirk! Doesn’t it knock your socks off?! This cover another creation of Rika :)
24 Jul 08
*****
Hey! I’m on the bestseller list at Fictionwise! Woohoo! Along with other authors at Red Sage, my title is among the bestselling stories there. And check out Anne Rainey’s story...number one, baby!
In other news, I’m sure you’ve seen the ad to the right. That’s right, Cassiopeia (crash)lands on the e-bookshelves of the world in two weeks. On 6 August, get ready for some intergalactic action, a hero with piercings, and a heroine who can take it AND dish it out!
Also, some new pictures in the Travel Albums. Check out the menu above.
Can you believe the humble little photo album flashing to the right took me a day to figure out. I do my own site, sometimes the learning curve is steeeeep. It’s supposed to be a “flash album photo”. Yeah, well... I’m still working on it. But I figured I might as well post it. 21st century, here I come.
22 Jul 08
*****
When I find good stuff, I tell you about it, right? Well, I found some good stuff that will knock your socks off. Are you into period costumes? Do the words partlets and stomachers make your inner Chihuahua spin in her vortex of joy? Yes? Then go to Noble Garb. The lady behind these creations is a gifted designer who has a great eye for details. She will make your face melt! Not her, but her designs will. Damn, I need me some partlets, baby!
Check out that site right now (here’s a screen shot to whet your appetite...conveniently, it’s also a link. Clever eh?)
17 Jul 08
*****
Finally, some pictures from my trip to Scandinavia. Click on Photos from the top menu. Or, even easier, click here.
15 Jul 08
*****
Soon, you’ll be able to see this ad running over at the Smart Bitches Trashy Books most excellent site. But you saw it here first!
14 Jul 08
*****
Look! Look! My first Hussies story is coming out next month (6 Aug) and I’ve just received the cover. Get ready to have your socks knocked off, your bra blown away, and your face melted....I give you. CASSIOPEIA!
Doesn’t it just ROCK YOUR WORLD?! The talented Syneca created this one, as she did for all my Ellora’s Cave covers (except for two, which the crazy-cool Philip Fuller designed). Man, I love my covers? Is that wrong of me? :))
10 Jun 08
*****
I’m back, by Thor and by Odin! Back from 10 glorious days in Scandinavia and Russia, where I’ve met the friendliest people and most beautiful cities. And what they say about Scandinavians is all true. Yes, they’re tall and sturdy. Yes, cities are crammed with pedal bikes of every known (and unknown) brands, shapes and sizes. And yes, they’re as gorgeous as we’re led to believe. I’m 5’8” and I felt like a little shrimp! I plan to organize my photos then share with the class. Sometime this week if all goes well. So come back often for a glimpse of this majestic part of the world and for some bloopers.
7 Jul 08
*****
Over at The Hussies, the month of July is dedicated to winning some SHIT, baby! That’s right. You’ll be able to enter contests, have some fun doing it then hopefully win yourself some amazing stuff including but not limiteds to: print books, digital books, Ellora’s Cave decks of cards, and a whole lot more. So click on the poster (below right) and WIN SOME SHIT.
24 Jun 08
*****
First Steve Irwin (the real Crocodile Hunter) and now George Carlin?! All my heroes are dying, dammit! We need those cloning machines fast man before all the greats of our time die out.
I need to go drown my grief now. Where’s the Mountain Dew?
23 Jun 08
*****
Compromised and Unclaimed, my two titles (so far, baby!) from Red Sage Publishing, are now on sale at the Amazon Kindle store! Incidentally, what do you think of the e-book reader device Kindle (learn about it here)? Does it make your inner Chihuahua want to chase her tail with savage glee? Or gnaw her paw off? Personally, I read e-books on my old Pocket PC. For me, my next big techie purchase will be either an i-phone or a Blackberry. I need a beefed-up cell phone that can fit in my pocket, do e-mails and Internet, and also play music and all that. I know, I know, my needs are few and simple but there they are.
19 Jun 08
*****
Fallen Angels Reviews gave its highest rating to Carnal, book 3 in the Lycan Warriors series. Yay! Thanks FAR.
16 Jun 08
*****
Rapid-fire news:
- deep in edit mode for upcoming scifi story The Smiling Assassin (Red Sage, October 08). Waiting for cover goodness as well. Will share when I get it (artist will be same as the one who created Unclaimed, which makes me happy-happy!)
- one of my manuscripts is cursed! It IS! Visit Red Sage blog for the details. Also on their blog, bonus material: a photo of me in an army helmet.
- only four and a half days until the end of school. Yay!
- UEFA Euro Cup 2008 is on, baby! So at my house, it’s soccer, soccer and MORE soccer! I’m rooting for the Italians and the Portuguese since the French team is “mehh” this year.
- Only 9 days until I leave for Scandinavia. Can’t WAIT. Apparently, it won’t be warm, despite being summer. Damn, it’ll feel like home (Canada).
- finished Gladius (book in the Hussies series) and sent it to my lovely editor at Ellora’s Cave.
15 Jun 08
*****
Only two and a half weeks until school is over. Then it’s family time. This summer, I’ll try to slow the hell down. Maybe even down to 40 hours a week... Today is the 8th, so in about 21 days, we’re laving for our trip across Scandinavia. And you know what that means... VIKINGS in my LUGGAGE!! *gleeful hand-rubbing* Every Eeveel Empress of the Galaxy needs a harem of Vikings, yo! What kind of overlordess do you think I am?! Incidentally, if Vikings make YOUR inner Chihuahua chase her tail, you might want to give one of my books, Immortalis, a try. He’s a vampire from medieval Denmark. Ooooh, le shiny. :)
8 Jun 08
*****
Gladius is pretty much finished. You know the one? My contribution to the most excellent Hussies series. If you’ve never read one of those books, damn, you need to. Find them all here. As for Gladius, it’s the story of a man who’s forced to compete in the gladiator games...oh, and his trainer is the heroine. Setting is science fiction, set on a distant planet where the Roman Empire lives again. Ooooh. Sparks fly in this one, my lovelies.
5 Jun 08
****
Yves Saint Laurent is dead.
Did you know? I hadn’t realized he was 71. The designer who was one of the first major fashion figures to see the glamour and chic in women’s pantsuits. And he’s dead. I am so sad. He was the one who put the power in the “power suit”. As his business associate said, Chanel gave women freedom, but it was Saint Laurent who gave them power.
2 Jun 08
*****
Here’s the brand new CG portfolio from the talented artist who created the blue spacegirl that he lets me use on this here site. Check out Nicolas’ gallery and, like me, be awed! I particularly enjoy the front page, Rome vs Germania. FUNNY! Nicolas is also a veteran world traveler and humanitarian. Follow him here on his travel log.
30 May 08
*****
So many countdowns, so little time.
There are only one month before this.
Barely 3 weeks before this.
Another 350 days until that.
About a week to go then it’s this glorious thing.
But I live for the moment. Honest!
30 May 08
*****
Who called Mechanical Rose “a most readable story” and gave it a 77? Mrs Giggles, that’s who! Read the complete review riiiiight here.
28 May 08
****
We have officially started counting the days until the men and I bumble and eat our way through Scandinavia. Yes sir, yes ma’am! We’re going to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Russia! What a trip. Yes, we’ll be a helluva lot poorer when we come back, but we’ve been wanting to go visit that beautiful part of the world for yeeeeeeaaarrrs. So come the first two weeks of July, don’t look for me. I’ll be here.
26 May 08
*****
Mechanical Rose is on SALE!!! Do you want hot romance? Do you want cool gadgetry? Do you want flying machines, steam-powered airships and mad scientists?! Then what are you still doing here? Go! Go and read it!
23 May 08
*****
I’m getting varrry, varrry excited now! Only three days until Mechanical Rose goes on sale. It’s steampunk, so expect a lot of cool gadgetry and Victorian sensibilities. What a lovely mix. Thanks to MS, my surrogate brain, for the great idea. I’m already entertaining another story set in the same world (a spinoff, not a direct sequel). We’ll see how readers react to a bit of Jules Verne mixed with my brand of action romance! :)
On another front, I have thrilling reviews to share with the class. Here it goes:
Joyfully Reviewed felt very joyful (argh, a pun) about Carnal. Read more here. Want another? Okay, read this.
20 May 08
*****
It’s been six days since I’ve updated my site. Damn. I swear, someone is stealing my TIME!!! I’ve been hard at work though, not just slouching around and eating bonbons all day watching TV. Folks who work at home get that a lot. People wonder “don’t you get bored all day home alone?” I want to ask them “do you get anything done surrounded by people at work?!” My job rocks. I get to work in an environment over which I have 100% control. No distractions if I don’t want any. No fancy dress code. No counter, customer support phone line. I wouldn’t trade a regular office/workplace job for all the tea in China.
Hey, only 4 days before Mechanical Rose hits the shelves at Ellora’s Cave. Get a load of the gorgeous cover and tell me you wouldn’t pick it up at a library! I know I would.
19 May 08
*****
I’m one of those authors who *needs* to plot before I write. I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that allows characters to control the story. No way. I’m the Eeveel Overlordess and what I say goes. That’s my style.
There are all kinds of writers out there. Pantsers (who write by the seats of their pants), plotters (like me), half-and-half, etc.
But sometimes I’ll sit and this story will just come to me. Usually, I hold up my hand and say “Take a goddamm number!” On very rare occasions, I’ll interrupt my present project and write that noisy story that keeps me awake at night. I should know better.
So this week will be entirely devoted to edits. Know why? Because I didn’t plot that story properly. *sigh* I don’t know what I’d do without my lovely and ever-patient editor at Ellora’s Cave, Madame M. For Cassiopeia (short story, scifi), she had to fish my sorry and soggy ass out of the lake and put me on the road again. Lesson learned: plot. Then write.
Editors are the unsung heroes/heroines of the book industry. They are the guardians, the guides, the shepherds. I’m extremely lucky because not only do both my editors can spot an ant at two hundred paces, but they’re also patient and understanding. You have to be to work with someone like me, who has an inner Chihuahua. So if this week is pretty skinny updates-wise, that’s why: I’m in DEM...Deep Edit Mode. See you on the other side. :)
13 May 08
*****
Gladius, my scifi novel about gladiators and despotic assholes, is coming along GREAT. Super great even! I should be able to harrass my lovely and overworked editor at Ellora’s Cave (a.k.a. Madame M) sometime in the coming weeks. Then I’ll start Saboteur, another scifi short story for Red Sage, Most Venerable Ones. Then I plan to tackle book 2 in the Gentlemen Inc. series. To then take on Lycan Warriors 4. 2008 is pretty much taken care of. God, I love my job.
8 May 08
*****
Great reviews to report, folks! Mrs Giggles, self-described “cantankerous coot filled with caustic, sarcastic, and blunt opinions” gave 83 to Compromised, my military scifi story with Red Sage. Score!
Also, more reviews! All about Carnal, book 3 in the Lycan Warriors series. You like damaged anti-heroes? You like kickass heroines? Give that series a try. Meanwhile, read the reviews here, here and here.
7 May 08
*****
As I update my site from Fusion 9 to Fusion 10 (that website developer tool is great for folks like me, who can’t code to save their lives!), please be patient as there will be hiccups. There are always hiccups.
But while I dabble with Fusion 10, you can browse my new travel pictures! Who knew flowers could be so exciting?!
4 May 08
*****
Just added a new way to browse my catalog. By genres! That’s right, you can now view my titles my genres . Wnat to see what werewolf tales I wrote? Click. Vamps? Click. It’s on the Books page, below “Browse by covers”. Enjoy.
ON SALE THURSDAY 1 MAY 08! My second title with the venerable Red Sage. Entitled Compromised, it’s a scifi story about an extraction mission gone wrong. Here’s the blurb:
Jojo Da Silva has been an elite extraction team member long enough to know second-guessing can kill you. Get in, secure the target, then get out. Anything else is to be shot, blasted or destroyed. But when her target turns out to be her ex, Jojo can’t seem to follow orders as usual. She has two hours to find a man who has made it his specialty to disappear…from radar screens and from her life.
RT has been taking such a large chunk of my time that I forgot to include in this here site my utterly undignified but 100% genuine ham SQUEEEE of delight. I sold my first Hussy story to Ellora’s Cave. Entitled Cassiopeia, it’s about the cutthroat world of space courier. Boom baby!
29 Apr 08
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Even MORE pictures from RT! And this time, there’s one of me having a serious girlfan moment! Go and check out my happy face when I got to pose with none other than Sherri King!
In other news, I’ve officially hit the halfway point with Gladius (my gladiator in space novel for the Hussies series). Lots of hot lurrrve, blood and action in this one. Yay!
28 Apr 08
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The Best, biggest, most complete photo album of RT 2008 is available here. Want to see what authors do when they’re not chained to the computer? Go check it out! Pittsburgh will never be the same.
26 Apr 08
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United Airwaves found my suitcase! Yay! They sent it to me by courier yesterday. It has suffered, my poor suitcase. Busted zippers, broken wheels, missing rack, ripped handle. And it was new. Oh well, at least I have the stuff inside. I have other fun facts to share about RT. Here they go, in no particular order:
- chocolate cookies indigenous to Australia known as Tim Tams are the TOOL OF THE DEVIL! Yes! The Cookies Fairy slipped me a box of them as the elevator door was closing. I haven’t been able to resist. Good thing they don’t sell Tim Tams in Germany. Thank you Cookie Fairy!
- there are two seasons in Pittsburgh: winter and construction
- I’ve held my award and murmured “precioussss” too many times to be a joke...now, it’s just scary
- I must be a freak because the first day I was back, I wrote about 8 pages, then another 6-8 yesterday
- I miss my Hussies
- no one has a picture of me in my Hollywood gown! I don’t even have one! Nothing! Nada! *gasp*
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