Friday, December 31, 2010

CHOICES FOR THE NEW YEAR

Now that we are at the end of 2010, I've been thinking about the choices I've made this year.  We all have decisions to make everyday, some small, some life changing.  Whatever path we choose to follow is up to us.  When faced with a challenge, the first thing that comes to mind may be to run.  But, nothing good comes without a fight.  We all have to work hard at something to succeed.

 What are some of the choices you've made this year?  Did you make a new friend, or help someone in need?  Have you changed your hair color, or started a healthy lifestyle program?  Twelve months gives us plenty of time to do something worthwhile.  When offering a kind word to a stranger is all that you can do in one day, that's enough. However, you can step out of your comfort zone, and do something big.  A new year is beginning and it's time for more choices. 

I made some new choices this year.  I usually go by instinct, not by analysing a situation. After finishing my manuscript and going over it a million times,  I chose to sign with Decadent Publishing.  My first novel, Echoes At Dawn, will be coming soon.  I knew from the moment I sent the query letter that I was doing the right thing.  I've met so many wonderful people at Decadent.  They are warm, supportive, talented, and funny.  I'm beginning a new journey, and loving it. I'm on the road to publication after making a choice. 

What choices will you make in 2011?

Love to all!
Happy New Year !

30 Days of Decadence: A Howling Good New Year’s Eve

30 Days of Decadence: A Howling Good New Year’s Eve: "by Maureen O. Betita Happy New Year to all and I hope the main gift buying/receiving day of the year was a merry one for you. Now, be caref..."

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A Christmas scene from Echoes At Dawn. Katy's Christmas Memories

unedited excerpt                            

Good Witches have childhood memories too!                              


The rest of the evening we enjoyed listening to Christmas carols.  I must have played the songs from every old artist that night.  It was wonderful reminiscing about the special moments over the years.  Mom recited her famous stories from when she was a little girl.  Her eyes still held a glimmer of wonder behind the creases and tiny lines.  She ended the evening with her tale of her Christmas morning when she was a tot.  
            We gathered around  the fireplace with mother sitting in the center.
         “My mom and dad were snuggling under the covers.  I stuck my hand inside the stocking that was hanging on the side of my crib,” she said.  “I was at least four or five years old.  In those days we slept in one big room.  My parents couldn’t afford a house with lots of bedrooms," she admitted.  "I was so excited to find out what Santa left me.  When I stuck my hand inside the stocking, I pulled out an awful chicken foot.”
             Mom’s face displayed the pure expression of a sweet child of five.  She was reciting an event that stayed in her memory for over seventy-five years.  Mother continued with the story while we gave her our undivided attention.
             “Way on the bottom was a lump of coal.  I could feel my heart break, as I realized I must have been a bad girl that year,” she confessed, with a tear in her eye.  “My parents continued hiding under the covers,  whispering and giggling the whole time I cried.
 “Ah, that’s terrible,” I said, shaking my head.
 “They played an awful trick on me,” she proclaimed, lowering her brows.  “Finally, Mom took me in her arms and gave me the gifts from under the bed.  They surprised me with a coloring book and crayons, with nuts and candies,”  she said, holding her hand up to her mouth.
             She laughed along with us, looking a bit sleepy.  Slowly rubbing her eyes, mother gave a soft sigh.  The night came to a perfect end.  I smiled, feeling a renewed appreciation for the holidays.   
            “Goodnight everyone.  Have a Merry Christmas,” she said, as she threw a kiss through the air.
            Mark and Desiree helped tuck Grandma in that night.  It was truly a memorable evening.
There was something extraordinary about that night.  It remains in my heart and I will forever treasure the night we all slept under one roof, awaiting the day Christ was born.  Family memories are part of what  makes Christmas so special.  New Year’s Eve we spent watching television and making a list of promises for the year to come. 




Daily Dose of Decadence: All I Want For Christmas

Daily Dose of Decadence: All I Want For Christmas

Monday, December 20, 2010

QUEST APPEARANCE M KATE QUINN





Relax and grab your favorite cup of coffee, or tea, and join me in welcoming Marykate Quinn to a special Monday morning interview.  Summer Iris is her latest release, from The Wild Rose Press.  Moonlight and Violet will be releasing in April 2011.



1)      When did you first start writing? I’ve been writing all my life.  My earliest recollection was in the second grade when my teacher, Mrs. Sprowl, wrote a partial sentence on the blackboard that went something like “Once upon a time there was a little girl…” and it was our job to write what comes next.  I was in ecstasy.
2)      What genre do you write in?  Why did you choose it? I write romantic comedies.  I am a natural wise guy.  I’m the comic relief at a party, as my stepson, Keith, just recently pointed out to me.  Also, I am a diehard romantic.  I watched the same movie “Scaramouche,” a gazillion times when I was a kid because I fell madly in love with Stewart Granger who was the swashbuckling male lead.
3)      Would you work on a series?  If yes, what do you like about it? What made you decide to do it? I am currently writing a series I call “The Perennials,” which is a series of romantic comedies about middle-age-ish women meeting life’s ups and downs and coming to realize they are resilient, just like perennial flowers.  The only thing that links all three books is the type of women they are and the face that they each have the name of a flower.  They are:  “Summer Iris” (available now through The Wild Rose Press); “Moonlight and Violet” (releasing April 2011 from The Wild Rose Press); and “Brookside Daisy” currently in the edit stages.
4)      Do you have a ritual before sitting down to write?  Do you listen to music, light candles, or wear something sexy to put you in the mood for creating love scenes?    If I’m writing a romantic scene I do like to have music playing the background.  Something like Michael Buble maybe or Rod Stewart’s CD of remakes of the standards.  I often light candles when I begin my work day as a mood setter and as inspiration, very “New Age-ish.”
5)      Do you work on more the one project at a time?  If you do, how do you keep the stories from meshing together?Yes, I do manage to juggle a couple of things at the same time and it can be maddening.  For me that tends to happen when I’m working on a new manuscript while tending to edits of the previous one. 
6)      How much time in your busy day do you spend on your craft?  I consider myself extremely lucky as I get to write full-time.  I retired from the business world three years ago and since then have devoted myself to writing.
7)      Since the holiday season is approaching, do you have a favorite holiday movie or special event and why do you love it?  How can you not love “It’s A Wonderful Life,” right?  I mean, when George finds ZuZu’s petals in his pocket is a killer.  Also, I like a sleeper called “Home for the Holidays” that’s a comedy but has such poignancy to it about families.
8)      What season do you find to be the one that sparks more new romances, and why? Well, Christmas is a very heartfelt time of year, and the whole Currier and Ives mindset is conducive to the cozy fire and mulled cider atmosphere.  Yet, I am drawn to all seasons for their special aspects.  I love the beach in the summer but I love it in September, too.  I think autumn is lush and hearty.  All the seasons are full of sparks.  (I really like this question…lol.)
9)      If your most recent novel was made into a movie, who would you like to see cast in the lead roles, and why? For Summer Iris, I’ve had the idea of Valerie Bertinelli as Iris and her best friend, Yvonne, I thought Joan Kusak would be awesome.  I love her.  And for the TWO men in the book I see Ted Dansen as Sam and Tony Danza as Eddie.
10)  Do you have a particular author whose work inspires you?  If yes, who, and why? I have so many favorite authors, each a fave for different things.  I am a big fan of Jennifer Weiner for her funny way at seeing life, Debbie Macomber for her wholesome relationships, Anita Shreve for her incredible writer’s eye.
11)  Can you give away any of your secret indulgences?  We promise not to tell. Well, if I said red wine there’s almost no one on the planet that doesn’t know that about me, so that’s no secret, however it’s one of my favorite indulgences.  So, I’ll tell you this one, I watch “All My Children.”  I can’t help it.  I’ve watched it since it came on and I was a kid.
12)  Would you give us a hint about your work in progress?  We’re dying to know what’s coming next. What’s coming next is “Moonlight and Violet,” which is a story about a forty something single career woman faced with going back to the lodge in Vermont where her family vacationed while she was growing up.  It’s her baby sister’s big fat wedding and the week-long event throws Violet into her Italian mother’s clutches, her sister’s idiosyncrasies, and reunites her with her first love, Logan Monroe, the man who broke her heart many years ago.
 Can you share an excerpt of your latest release?
The only time in my life that ever turned out like it
does in the movies, of course, was now.

            Eddie put the key into the lock, gave it a good hard twist and it opened easy as pie. Sadly I didn’t have a pie on me, because the look he gave me deserved a pie to be tossed right smack in his face.
            As he handed the key back to me, he gave the keychain a look.
            “Thank you,” I said, reaching for the key, which he did not immediately relinquish.
            “You’re welcome,” he said, then read the inscription aloud, “the voice of the sea speaks to the soul.” Then he gracefully placed the keychain into my waiting palm. I did not comment.
            “A special meaning of some kind?” he asked.
            Oh, brother. I am not getting into a lengthy discussion with him. “It’s just a message from a friend.”
            “Oh, a message from the friend that gave you the key?”
            “Yes,” I said as he stepped away from the doorway.
            “Well,” Eddie said with a devilish smile as he stepped off the front porch. “Tell your friend to spray that lock with a little WD-40 so it doesn’t stick when you want to open it.”
            Oh, I intended to talk to my friend all right. I could not wait to tell Yvonne that her birthday cottage came with its very own gorilla.


13)  Where can we find you? Website, face book, blog, email?
My website is: http://www.mkatequinn.com/.  I’d love to hear from your readers.


Thank you so much Marykate for making a guest appearance today.  We’ve enjoyed spending time with you and look forward to reading your latest release.





Saturday, December 18, 2010

SATURDAY SNEAK PEEK COFFEE KLATCH



Relax, grab your favorite cup of coffee, or tea, and join me in welcoming Kate Richards, author of Pirate Lady Holiday from Breathless Press, which was just released on December 10th.


1)      When did you first start writing?  I can’t even remember, but I have boxes of stories dating back to about 7th grade. I didn’t even try to be published until this year though.
2)      What genre do you write in?  Why did you choose it? I write primarily contemporary erotic romance. And I don’t know that I chose it specifically, the ideas come and I write them down.
3)      Do you have a ritual before sitting down to write?  Do you listen to music, light candles, or wear something sexy, to put you in the mood for creating love scenes?    Ummm. Nothing too dramatic. I pour a drink, diet coke or coffee usually, because anything stronger is likely to make me sleepy and non-productive. Then I sit on my big, comfy chair, laptop on lap, and I’m lost.
4)      Do you work on more the one project at a time?  If you do, how do you keep the stories from meshing together? I do. I usually have several stories going, but they’ve never tried to mesh together. Shoot! Now they probably will.
5)      How much time in your busy day, do you spend on your craft? Writing, a couple of hours, but I also edit and am a co-owner of Got Romance Reviews, and I bet I spend ten or more hours a day on all of it.
6)      Since the holiday season is approaching, do you have a favorite holiday movie or special event, and why do you love it? I love the boat parade in Huntington Harbor, where everyone decorates their boats and lights them up and that’s why I wrote Pirate Lady Holiday about Christmas in the Marina.
7)      What season do you find, to be the one that sparks more new romances, and why? Most of my romances have started in the fall for some reason, but my husband and I met in winter, online, and spent the rest of the cool weather getting to know each other. Cool weather is awfully good for cuddling!
8)      If your most recent novel was made into a movie, who would you like to see cast in the lead roles, and why? If Pirate Lady was made into a movie, Kate Hudson would play Clara because she’s utterly adorable and so is Clara. And for Jack, maybe Chris Cornell from Soundgarden because he’s not only hot but the kind of talented musician I’d like to see in the role—if he acts lol.
9)      Do you have a particular author whose work inspires you?  If yes, who, and why? Marion Zimmer Bradley because not only do I love her work, but she helped so many others to get started.
10)  Can you give away any of your secret indulgences?  We promise not to tell. Ummm, coffee, chocolate? Long bubble baths with a book that I’m not reading for any reason than fun! A mystery…or a paranormal… I’m hoping for another Sookie Stackhouse if Charlaine Harris is listening!
11)  Would you to give us a hint about any works in progress?  We’re dying to know what you’re working on next. I’m working on an anthology with several author friends, which I expect to sizzle when it hits the pages. Should be out mid-2011.
12)  Can you share an excerpt of your latest novel?
13)   She told him she didn’t sleep with company guests or musicians, and she knew for sure he was at least one of those things. Was she teasing him?

The glint in her aquamarine eyes made him think so. But why? He shook his head and tried not to think about it, once again shifting because she had made him uncomfortable in his jeans. His erection strained against the button fly, and it didn’t appear as though things were getting better anytime soon. Of course, he did have that bet going, if he had the nerve to use it.
Gingerbread seemed to be very serious business to Clara. She stood next to him, her soft breast pressed against his arm as she showed him how to prop up the two pieces of cake, while the icing hardened enough to hold it in place. His suggestions involving toothpicks and duct tape had been greeted with outrage, so he did as she asked and just enjoyed the closeness. A couple of times, the structure wobbled, and he got excited but it held in the end. The bet still stood.
Once the basic shape was formed, she laid out a pile of candies: red hots, M&M’s, licorice of various colors and sizes, Necco Wafers—so many that he couldn’t even count them. She began to affix them to the gingerbread with dollops of the icing, and when he hesitated, she urged him to do the same.
"You can do it too, you know. Come on, it’s fun."
"I don’t know about fun, but okay." He reached past her for a bag of M&M’s. She kissed his neck, her lips just grazing the skin below his ear. He froze as she moved away.
"What’s the hold up?" she asked.
"Nothing at all." He grabbed the candies and started a row along the roofline of the gingerbread cabin. "Why do you ask?" He dropped one hand to her leg and squeezed lightly.
"Oh, just wondering. Could you pass me that bowl of brown icing over there?" As he did, she did it again. Only this time, she feathered kisses up his throat, teasing the sensitive spot behind his ear.
He moaned and dropped the candy to pull her against him on the narrow bench. Her lips were hot and moist, and he pressed them apart and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She didn’t fight him, and in a moment they were both panting. This woman was bewitching him. She was beautiful and interesting and didn’t like him because he was famous. He stood with her in his arms, holding her tightly against him.
"What was that you said about Santa Claus?" he asked, before devouring her mouth again.
"I said," she replied, when he freed her lips to speak, "that he won’t come until we’re in bed."


14)  Where can we find you? Website, face book, blog, email? You can track me down at http://katerichards.wordpress.com/ or katerichards09@gmail.com. I love to hear from readers, so drop me a line!

Thank you so much Kate for spending the morning with us and allowing us to sneak a peek. We've enjoyed having you as a quest and look forward to reading your latest release.






Friday, December 17, 2010

30 Days of Decadence: The Best Part of Christmas

30 Days of Decadence: The Best Part of Christmas: "by Mari Freeman The best part of Christmas is the giving. Right? I know. It is. But there was this one time, this one Christmas, where recei..."

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Sweater Curse: How A Lifetime Is Measured

The Sweater Curse: How A Lifetime Is Measured: "Today's post, a tribute to Kathleen Ann's mother-in-law and all the women like her--who with their gentle generosity cast a lasting spell. *..."

This is a beautiful and touching tribute.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

30 Days of Decadence: Twelfth Night: A Medieval Holiday Tradition

30 Days of Decadence: Twelfth Night: A Medieval Holiday Tradition: "by Jamaica Layne During the medieval and renaissance period in Europe, the most important winter holiday wasn’t Christmas Day. Instea..."

I love how romantic this sounds.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

SATURDAY SNEAK PEEK COFFEE KLATCH





Relax, grab your favorite cup of coffee, or tea, and join me in welcoming Ellen Keener to our Saturday Sneak Peek Coffee Klatch, of Blood Moon from Decadent Publishing.  


1)      When did you first start writing?
a.       I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. My first story was a mystery about a dinosaur. I believe the title was Webby and the Tar Monster. Classic, right?  If you mean writing seriously, it’s been about three years.  Until then, it was always done for me, and no one else saw it, with a few exceptions where I tried to send things to magazines and such.

2)      What genre do you write in?  Why did you choose it?
a.       Mostly paranormal romance.  I love the idea of creating a world where magic; myth and monsters are all real. And of course, romance is romance. What’s not to love? I can make Mr. Right be anything or one I want, and that is ALWAYS appealing.

3)      Do you have a ritual before sitting down to write?  Do you listen to music, light candles, or wear something sexy, to put you in the mood for creating love scenes? 
a.       Well, if I’m going to sit down and write for a couple hours, I sometimes make a pot of tea – complete with tea cozy, china cup and saucer, milk, sugar, the works. I put the whole thing on a tray and take it to the computer. My roommate thinks it’s hilarious. As for love scenes – I blush my way through them and hope for the best.  Lol

4)      Do you work on more the one project at a time?  If you do, how do you keep the stories from meshing together?
a.       I do, actually, quite frequently. But the key is, I’m usually working on two VERY different stories. I write YA under another name, and that is generally pretty easy to distinguish from the adult stuff. I work on whichever one pulls at me the most. If I’m working on two different adult pieces, they have to be complete opposites, or they do tend to bleed over. Like right now I’m working on one that’s a little dark and scary, and one that’s paranormal, but not scary. Those aren’t so hard to keep separate.

5)      How much time in your busy day, do you spend on your craft?
a.       I wish it was more! I spend about an hour in the mornings, and then I try to spend an hour or two in the evenings. With my day job being teaching, most of my time comes on the weekends, assuming there’s nothing else going on. Right now is a busy time with games, exams, and events.

6)      Since the holiday season is approaching, do you have a favorite holiday movie or special event, and why do you love it?
a.       My favorite Holiday Movie is White Christmas. No contest. We also have a lot of family traditions to do with Christmas that I love. Everyone gets to open one present Christmas Eve, and it’s always “Christmas PJs.” Every adult (which is all of us now that my brother moved out) gets to light a Bayberry candle for good luck on Christmas Eve, and even though we’re *ahem* much older, my brother and I are still not allowed downstairs on Christmas morning until my Mom rings the Christmas Bell. Believe me, I’ve been trying to skirt that tradition since I left home. But no matter how old I am, she just doesn’t see a need for me to guard the tree and packages from the cats.

7)      What season do you find, to be the one that sparks more new romances, and why?
a.       For me, its fall. It’s my favorite time of year. I don’t know why, but it always seems to get the creative juices flowing.

8)      If your most recent novel was made into a movie, who would you like to see cast in the lead roles, and why?
a.       Oh man, Gerard Butler. *swoon* would be Lukas. Aria changes all the time, but right now she’d be someone like Anne Hathaway. And Thaddeus ( I love him!) would be Paul Bettany.

9)      Do you have a particular author whose work inspires you?  If yes, who, and why?
a.       It varies depending on what I’m reading, but I love Katie MacAlister and the way she weaves her plots, the serious moments and lots of humor. I also really enjoy the Bloodfever series from Moning. I like the dark and gritty side to those novels.

10)  Can you give away any of your secret indulgences?  We promise not to tell.
a.       Chocolate. And sweet ice tea. Not necessarily in that order.

11)  Would you to give us a hint about any works in progress?  We’re dying to know what you’re working on next.
a.       Right now I’ve switched gears a little and have two things going. One is a novella about a mad scientist and his attempt to force two Fae to give him the heir of his dreams. The other is a horror romance about a psychic who gets trapped in a house with a “ghost hunting” team and falls for one of the crew members.

12)   Can you share an excerpt of your latest novel?
a.       Sure!
“What kind of torture is this? You’re dead.”
The muscles of his throat worked, but no sound emerged. Behind him, Thaddeus winked and gave her a smug smile.
“So are you.”
Oh dear God, even his voice was the same! The warmth in the deep rumble broke her tenuous control. Tearing her gaze from his, she pressed a hand over her mouth and pulled her knees to her chest. Perhaps if she held herself tightly enough, she wouldn’t splinter.
She took small, frantic sips of air, attempting to hold back the sobs pushing out of her throat. A low keening noise, high-pitched and slightly mad, warbled through the room. On some level, she knew it emanated from her, but she spent her energy on making herself small. Her fingernails bit into her jeans. The gaping wound where her heart had been patched over so many times after Lukas’ death, ruptured. Her soul bled, and each ragged breath she heard him draw clawed the hole wider.
The whole room seemed to be consumed by Lukas’ presence. Escape was impossible, and she knew it, even as she searched for an exit. She had to get out. If she didn’t, there wouldn’t be anything left to save.
Lukas moved across the room, crouched in front of her, his hands on either side of the chair. His mismatched, unearthly stare met hers, but she couldn’t make the tears stop.
“Leave us.”
It wasn’t right. His voice both soothed and tore at her frayed nerves. The others moved from the room. Her opportunity to run passed as they pulled the door closed with a soft click. She couldn’t have torn her gaze from Lukas if her life depended on it. Hesitantly, as if he too were afraid, he smoothed one calloused hand over her cheek, thumbing away the wetness. At his touch, her whole body jerked like she’d been struck. Every place his fingers touched tingled, and warmth began to shimmer in her soul.
“I need to hear you say the words. Are you Aria Lagreve?”
She drew a deep shuddering breath, captured his hand against her face and rubbed her cheek over the palm. “No.”
Pain and anger flared in his eyes. His features hardened, and he tried to pull his hand away. She stopped him, reaching out with one shaking digit to trace the scar along his cheek.
“When you died, I was Aria MacLeod.”
13)  Where can we find you? Website, face book, blog, email?
a.       My website is http://ellenkeener.wordpress.com/ you can also email me at ellenkeener@ymail.com and I have a facebook fan page.  J


Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me! I really enjoyed it!

Thank you so much Ellen.  It was a pleasure spending time with you, and allowing us to sneak a peek.






                

Friday, December 10, 2010

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

30 Days of Decadence: BetterThanHisMom's Cookies

30 Days of Decadence: BetterThanHisMom's Cookies: "by Stephanie Taylor Shhh, I’ll tell you a little secret. My husband admitted (in front of his friend, no less) that he likes my chocolate..." THESE SOUND YUMMY.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010