Ghosts of Easters Past

HAPPY EASTER to all those who celebrate!

When I was a child, my mom made all my and my sister's clothes, including play clothes (shorts, pants, tops), school clothes (skirts, blouses and dresses because you NEVER wore play clothes to school), and even our special occasion clothes. This latter category was pretty much limited to Christmas and Easter.

Easter Sunday was a BIG DEAL at our house. In some ways even more than Christmas, because at Christmas you stayed home with your family. At Easter, you went out and paraded your finery for all the world to see. In addition to our Easter dresses, my sister and I always wore little white hats, usually with silk flowers and ribbons, and short white gloves, which I'm sure we fidgeted with during the entire church service. We also got new shoes, usually white patent leather.

Like I mentioned, my mother made our dresses and her own, too. I remember for several years the most popular dresses for little girls were made of a nylon tulle material with flocked flowers, kinda like dotted swiss fabric but with flowers instead of dots. You wore a colored satin slip under the dress and those stiff nylon net petticoats to make your skirt stand out. The dress buttoned up the back and had a satin or velvet ribbon for a sash, tied in back with a big bow.

This piccie I found on a vintage clothing site looks almost exactly like the Easter dresses my sister and I wore for several years. Alas, none of our actual dresses survived. After Sunday services, we always went to the park for a picnic and Easter egg hunt with all our cousins (about 14 of us kids total).

Yes, all in our "good" clothes. Any dress that survived the grass and food stains intact was eventually passed down to some of the younger cousins or kids of friends who didn't sew (almost unheard of in those days!).

Since my sister was a blonde and I was a brunette, my mom inevitably dressed her in blue and me in pink. To this day, when I select clothing, pink is the absolute LAST color I chose.

One Easter that was particularly breezy, I remember the wind blew my hat off my head and into the lake. Much crying ensued.

There were always plenty of eggs. My grandmother and at least one of my aunts had chickens. The eggs, however, were brown which made for some interesting colors when mixed with the Easter egg dye.

Please share some Easter memories with Aunty! What did you do as a kid to celebrate that you wish you still did?

Golden Heart and Rita Nominations

Last Monday, March 26th, the calls went out for Romance Writers of America's two big contests: The Golden Heart contest for unpublished writers, and the Rita Award for published authors (click on the title of this post to see a list of all the nominees). Since I had no horse in the race this year, I skated through my day stress free (or at least as stress free as a Monday ever gets).

However, I had quite a few friends who were hopefuls in both contests, and I'm thrilled to report that two of them are Golden Heart finalists!

My good writer-buddy and Bosun on the Romance Writers Revenge, Terri Osburn is a finalist in the Contemporary Single Title category with her manuscript "Meant to Be." Terri and I "met" online when she won a critique from me several years ago. Eventually, Terri and I were able to meet face-to-face at RWA's National Conference in San Francisco in 2008, and again at the 2009 National Conference in Washington DC. Here's a piccie of Terri and Aunty after the Awards Ceremony in 2009.

My Sacramento Valley Rose chaptermate Anna (AJ) Stewart is also a Golden Heart finalist in the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category for her manuscript "The Devil She Knows." Anna was one of the first people to welcome me into the chapter when I joined in 2006 (I was a Golden Heart finalist myself that year). She has been a past president of the chapter and probably held every other position on the board at some point. Yes, she is that generous and dedicated to helping other local writers!

SUPER CONGRATS, Ladies! I'm really looking forward to cheering both of you on during the 2012 National Conference in Anaheim!

Do you know any of the 2012 Golden Heart or Rita finalists? If not, do you have someone you would have nominated? Please share with all of us!

Irish Heroes and Inspirations

In honor of St. Paddy's Day, I thought I'd share a bit about some of my Irish characters -- HEROES of course!

When I sit down to write a story, I need to know my lead characters very well. Part of getting to know them, involves finding "models" for what I imagine they look like.

Now, I realize that part of the great appeal of reading if forming your own ideas of what the characters look like, so I'm a bit hesitant to share my "models" for fear of ruining the fun for readers. So please, if you think that might happen for you, please read no further!

If you're still with me, then here are some piccies of how I pictured each of my Irish heroes. I'll start with my newest hero first:

Clive Owen as "The Irishman" Eamon Malone in High Seas Deception.

Yes, yes, I know he's an Englishman. In fact, if his last name is any indication, he's a Welshman. But I think you'll agree that at least in this shot, he looks the part of the mysterious, dangerous and oh-so-sexy Irishman.

Next up, probably my most 'tortured' hero to date, Kevin Hennessey from The Wild Irish Sea.

I know, I know, Christian Bale is another Welshman, but somehow in this piccie I thought he embodied the tough, yet vulnerable (not to mention sexy) Kevin.

All my critique partners and quite a few of my readers agree that their favorite of my heroes is Keirnan Fitzgerald from The Treasures of Venice (aka Jewels of the Madonna). No surprise considering Keirnan is the epitome of an Irish charmer and more than a bit of a rogue. I must admit, he was the first Irish hero I ever wrote and I have a real soft spot for him myself.

Who better to use for a model than Gerard Butler? This shot might very well have been taken in Italy, or someplace being used to represent Italy.

Yes, Gerry was born and raised in Scotland, but Butler is an Irish name! Plus, the man just oozes charm, don't you think?

Hmmm, I just realized that these last two piccies both have the guys with their shirts open at the throat and sleeves undone... Not that I'm complaining, mind you!

Finally, last but certainly never least, Donovan O'Shea the Irish hero of my first published novel The Wild Sight. A reluctant psychic, Donovan is somewhat tortured and therefore aloof, but also wonderfully vulnerable... oh and did I mention sexy?

I thought this picture of Hugh Jackman embodied all those qualities. Never mind that Hugh is Australian (a very long way from Ireland!) and has the wrong color eyes, he will always be Donovan to me! Yup, another open shirt collar, I can't seem to help myself!

So there you have my images of my Irish heroes, and not a single one of them is really Irish!

Maybe you have some suggestions of who you pictured as one of my heroes? Please share if you do! If not, maybe you have some other favorite Irish heroes you can share.

Read An E-book Week

Yes, I'm a convert! Since Santa brought my Kindle last December, I've been lovin' me some ebooks.

Of course, it helps that all of my books are also available in electronic versions. (Just click on the title of this blog post to go to my author page on Amazon!) In fact, The Sidhe Princess and High Seas Deception are currently only available as e-books. So when I heard that this week had been designated as "Read an E-Book Week" I was excited to participate!

Part of the beauty of e-books is that you don't have to own an e-reader to enjoy them. You can read them on your laptop, your desktop computer, even your phone!

As part of the celebration, SmashWords is hosting a special promotion. Lots of authors and publishers are offering discounts on e-books through the SmashWords catalog for this week only. It's a great opportunity to try some great new authors and try some new books for bargain prices. I'm offering my newest book, High Seas Deception at 25% off. Just go here:
bit.ly/wQNFZI and use coupon code REW25.

What are you reading right now? What book are you looking forward to reading?

Hawaii Pics

As my friends and blog visitors know, last month I took a two week cruise to Hawaii. Though I have visited several of the islands in the past, this was the first time I'd cruised around them and visited several in a short span of time. I actually think spending several days on each island is a far better way to see them, but I wanted to share a few photos of the trip.

Our first stop was Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Here's Aunty posing in front of a hedge of pretty blue flowers in old town Hilo. When we visited the Big Island before, we stayed in Kona which has an entirely different climate.

Next stop Honolulu.

Here's a shot of the koi pond in the center of the International Market Place, right across the street from Waikiki beach.

We didn't really have enough time to get out of Honolulu, which was a shame. I love the beaches on the North Shore of Oahu, and January is when they have some spectacular surf.

On to the island of Kauai, where I'd never been before.

Unfortunately, it was raining when we arrived, and the rain continued all morning. We took an excursion to Waimea Canyon, but the heavy mist kept us from seeing much.

The sun finally came out on our way back to the ship and we stopped to see the famous "blow hole." When the waves come in, the water spouts up through the rocks like a geyser.

Here's a nice shot of the plume of water. Even more exciting, we could see whales spouting on the horizon! They were too far away for my camera, but we enjoyed watching them.

Last stop was Maui, where we visited the old whaling village of Lahaina.

There's a HUGE banyon tree in the middle of town in front of the old court house. The tree is spread over about three city blocks! This is not even one of the main branches, but one of dozens this size going off in every direction.

We'd stayed on Maui in the past and took a drive up to the fantastic crater of the extinct volcano Haleakala. I'd have loved to go there again.

So while I enjoyed spending a few days in paradise, I'd much rather go back to just one island and spend a week or two.

Do you prefer short get-aways or one to two week vacations? What's the longest vacation you've taken?

P R Mason and Fated Hearts

I'm excited to welcome YA author PR Mason to my blog today. Her latest indy release is Fated Hearts (Is that a gorgeous cover, or what?!?!). She's giving away a download to one lucky commenter, and she would like to share some thoughts on the story and about music:

IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE....PLAY ON!

Lately, I've been obsessed with the interaction of music and fiction. Although no one knows who first said it, a popular quote states that: "music is what feelings sound like." Feelings are at the heart of fiction also. The goal of all good storytelling is to evoke emotion in the reader with the plot and its characters. As a writer, fiction and music coalesce when a song conveys the emotion I am striving to communicate in a particular scene or sequence of scenes. Then that song can serve as an inspiration.

My recent release Fated Hearts, which is a paranormal romance novella, deals with the issue of predestination and puts the main characters in some pretty emotional situations.

Here's the blurb:

EVE has always played by the rules, afraid to take chances. HOLDEN wants to change that. She's certain they've never met before...or have they? Holden seems so familiar, but who is he? What is he? Yesterday her biggest challenge was trying not to bomb on her SATs. Today, paranormal forces have transformed an ordinary high school dance into a test of fate vs. free will and loving Holden could be Eve's end.

Fated Hearts is available at Amazon: http://amzn.com/B006XVD53O

I've compiled an unofficial soundtrack for FATED HEARTS. See what you think.

1. Love Lockdown, by Kanye West Chapter 1 = A Dance

2. No Air, by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown Chapter 2 = Holden

3. Without You, by David Guetta Chapter 2 = The Roof

4. Clubbed to Death, by Rob DouganChapter 3 =Who is he?

5. Fly, by NickiMinajFt.Rihanna Chapter 4 = Finale

You can click on the link to hear the playlist via Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF080A04E1BA4E843&feature=mh_lolz

Please let me know what you think of the soundtrack. Leave a comment and be entered to win an ebook copy of FATED HEARTS.

I love to hear from readers. Here are my links to find me:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5259792.P_R_Mason

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/P.R.-Mason/e/B005RCKCQS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ - !/prmason

Website: http://www.prmason.net

Blog: http://www.agirwithacomputer.blogspot.com

FREEBIE!

As part of the Amazon Select program, my novelette The Sidhe Princess is FREE until midnight Feb. 13th!

If you haven't read it yet, NOW would be a great time to download it to your Kindle. Just click on the title of this post to go to the Amazon page.

Don't forget that this story is actual a prequel to my book The Wild Sight, but is not a romance. The Sidhe Princess is a dark fantasy.

If you are in the mood for reading romance -- and with Valentine's Day only a few days away, you probably are -- you can read my latest romantic suspense story, High Seas Deception. It's not free, but at $2.99 it's still a GREAT DEAL! Here's the Amazon page link: http://amzn.to/yUSNYx I think you'll enjoy this fun and fast-paced read!

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Please share your plans with us!

High Seas Deception Is Available!

WOO HOO!!!

After being sick for almost two weeks, I am ready to celebrate! And I can't think of anything more fun than celebrating my new release.

I'm THRILLED to announce that after months of waiting, my full-length romantic suspense novel High Seas Deception is available as an ebook on Amazon! Just click on the title of this post to go to the page and buy it. At the moment it is only $2.99 -- still less than a cup of fancy coffee! And if you don't have a Kindle, it will be available in other formats from SmashWords in a few days.

This story is the first in a series set aboard a fictional cruise ship line -- Adventure Cruise Lines. High Seas Deception is set on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera (west coast of Mexico).

I plan to set the second story on a Caribbean cruise, and hope to have it completed and released this summer.

Meanwhile, I hope you'll buy a copy of High Seas Deception and if you enjoy it, please leave me a review on Amazon.

Where are some locations you'd like to read about in future cruise stories?

More "Spare Time" Projects

Happy 2012!

So far it has been a GREAT year weather-wise. Our December was one of the driest on record, which means instead of the dreary, wet, overcast, we've had clear (but cold) sunshine. So far, January is following the same pattern. I know I'll regret it later in the year when "the powers that be" declare we are in a drought, but for now, I really LURVE this weather.

I've been working hard trying to get my newest release up on Amazon. Unfortunately, I didn't make my Dec. 31st goal, but I'm still chugging away and planning for January. I didn't do much for the holidays since I was ensconced deep in my writing cave. But when I did venture out to watch a movie or the evening news, I made some gifts for a few family and friends.

Here are three scarves I did in a technique called "woven crochet." They were gifts for my best friend, Shirl, and my sister and her hubby. If you guessed the blue one was for my brother-in-law, give yourself a gold star!

I'm a very slow knitter because I do it with my non-dominant (right) hand. But this year, I got bitten by the knittin' bug and wound up making these three scarves for my niece, her hubby, and their toddler son. I haven't made it to the post office yet with these three, but I'm sure it will be plenty cold enough to wear them for several weeks still.

Did you make any hand made presents this year? Do you like to receive them? And how has 2012 started for you?

Number 21

As many of you know, I just returned last week from cruise #21. The DH and I usually go on a cruise this time of year to get away from all the holiday madness and soak up some nice warm sun.

And what better place to do that than sunny Mexico?

Okay, it wasn't quite as warm as it has been in past years, but check out that gorgeous blue sky! This photo was taken from deck 3 on the port side of our ship looking out at Land's End, which is the very tip of Baja California. Check out a map of North America and you'll see exactly where I was.

On the starboard side (right side facing the front of the ship) is the harbor of Cabo San Lucas. Because the harbor is shallow, all the cruise ships have to anchor out by Land's End and use small boats (called "tenders") to ferry passengers back and forth.

Here's a shot of the Sapphire Princess (the ship we were on at this time last year) anchored near us. Also, if you squint, you can see part of a tender boat in the lower right corner.

We saw some very interesting "folks" on this trip...

Here's a shot of the DH with some Day of The Dead art in a public plaza in Cabo San Lucas.

There were lots of pieces of "art" on board our ship also. Here's Aunty a little uncertain about the spray painted but otherwise naked male mannequins. Aunty's uncertainty springs from the location of these two "art objects." They were standing just outside the door of a music venue reserved for children ages 6 -- 10. *AHEM* Glad these two were not anatomically correct in front, just sayin'...

The whole purpose of this cruise was to celebrate Aunty's birthday. Seriously, who could turn down a birthday present like a cruise?! Cruising on my birthday is on the verge of becoming a tradition with us, and I don't mind a bit.

So here's a shot of Aunty celebrating with our three wonderful waiters -- Putu, Enrico, and Kanang -- who all happen to be from Indonesia and were super-nice as well as giving excellent service. I must say that all the staff on cruise #21 were particularly outstanding!

Hope everyone reading this has a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY and that 2012 is a FANTASTIC YEAR for you and your loved ones! BIG THANK YOU for hanging out with me in 2011!

Cindy Woolf's Winner!

CONGRATS!!!

Kay Alber (C.K. Alber)

You are the winner of Cindy Woolf's Centauri book. Please contact her at: cindy AT cynthiawoolf DOT com
to claim your prize.

BIG THANX to everyone who took time from their busy holiday plans to come over and comment with Cindy. We both really appreciate your support!

I hope to have more interviews and giveaways with more GREAT Indy authors in the very near future.

Interview with Author Cynthia Woolf

Today, I'm pleased to feature an interview with Indy Author Cindy Woolf. Not only does she have a really cool name (okay, so I'm biased!), but she also writes really cool romances.

Cindy was born and raised in Colorado and lives there still, so it is no surprise that she writes western romances. Her book Tame a Wild Heart is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle editions. She also has a fantastic science fiction romance series called The Centauri Series. But I'll let her tell you more...

AC: How long have you been writing?

CW: I started writing seriously in 1990

AC: What made you start writing? Did anyone inspire or encourage you to write?

CW: I wouldn’t say anyone inspired me to write, but my family definitely encouraged my efforts. My husband is my biggest cheerleader.

AC: Plotter? Pantser? Or something in between?

CW: I’m a definite pantser. If I plot the story, it’s done and I don’t need to write it. LOL Of course, this causes me no end of sagging middles and writers block, where I don’t know where the story is going. When that happens, I just start writing, something, anything. Just to get the process started.

AC: Please share some of the highlights of your writing journey thus far.

CW: My biggest highlights have been to be published. To actually have my book out there for people to buy and more importantly, they like it. The reviews have been good and all three books have been well received.

AC: Any advice you’d like to give unpublished or recently published writers?

The best advice I can give is WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. You can’t publish what you haven’t written. Get a good editor, have covers done that you like. And don’t wait for a publishing house to tell you what to write. Write what you love, write how the story comes to you. You can always go back and change it but let it out first.

AC: Please tell us about your current release/project. What’s next for you?

My latest book is CENTAURI TWILIGHT. It is Book 2 in the Centauri Series. Below is a short excerpt. My next book is CENTAURI MIDNIGHT, Book 3 in the Centauri Series. I hope to have it out in January 2012.

Excerpt from CENTAURI TWILIGHT

From Chapter One

Anton needed an escape. All this happiness made him nauseous. In the last two weeks since the announcement of his brother Darius’ wedding to Audra, Queen of Centauri, he’d witnessed more kissing, smiling and cheerful familial festivities than he could stand. Now the ceremony was finally over. All he had to do was manage to not look as grim as the bitter taste in his mouth made him feel, as he survived these last few hours of dancing and merriment.

Taking advantage of a lull in the festivities, Anton pulled Darius and Audra aside. “I’m leaving tonight.”

Audra took his hands in hers, the soft fabric of her wedding dress brushed against his legs. He forced his feet to remain planted. No need to offend his new sister by moving out of arms reach. “Are you well enough to leave?” she asked with a frown. “This isn’t going to be an easy mission for you.”

Anton used the one argument he knew Audra would not stand against. “Sweet sister, I’m well enough. The sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll find Jondalara and bring her home.”

Audra leaned up and kissed his scarred cheek. “Anton, how will I ever be able to thank you?”

Regardless of his own internal agony, it had nothing to do with Audra and Darius. He couldn’t stop a genuine grin escaping. “Name this baby after me.”

Audra slumped against Darius. “Baby?”

Darius held his new wife close to his side. “What baby?”

Anton smiled then chuckled. Should he be upset that his brother had made love to his lifemate, even though she was to have been Anton’s bride? Maybe, but he could not. It was too difficult to find your lifemate and impossible for a Coridian man to resist her once he found her. “It appears you two already had your wedding night.”

Audra’s hand automatically went to her stomach. Nothing was showing, there was no bump, not that it would have shown under her wedding dress anyway. “But, but...how could you know? I don’t even know yet. I mean I haven’t…” Audra sputtered, unable to voice the words.

Darius laughed, rich and loud, uncaring that he was drawing attention to the three of them. “It is one of his gifts, Sweetheart. Ask my mother sometime what happened when he was five and told my mother to expect me.”

Oblivious to everyone else, Anton knew they were in love. Audra leaned again into Darius and he wrapped his arms around her. “A baby,” she sighed and rubbed her stomach. Then she turned back to Anton, the happy bride gone and only the Queen remaining. “I don’t care what it takes, bring my sister home.”

Audra had found Anton half dead in Zelton Slavarien’s dungeon after escaping Slavarien herself. She was resourceful, his sister-in-law. He’d been beaten to within an inch of life and tortured in many other ways by Slavarien who wanted to know where Audra was.

He heard the doctors, while he was in the med tech unit, say how lucky he was. That a few more hours and the damage would totally have been irreversible and he would have died. He wished he had, along with the rest of his company of soldiers. They’d been sent to bring back Zelton Slavarien for trial, but just outside his citadel a trap had been laid. One designed to capture Anton and solicit information from him in any way possible. Torture was the preferred method employed by Slavarien.

She’d saved what was left of his miserable life. He’d do this one thing for her before he let the darkness and guilt over losing his men in the ambush, claim him. He and Darius both knew the odds of survival were low, of finding the princess even lower. But he’d demanded the mission anyway. The planet Delaz was a long way off, a lifetime from the world he knew. And a return to the dominion of the evil Slavarien family.

None of it mattered.

He’d find Jondalara or die trying. This was the one thing that Audra wanted above all else, the one thing he could do for her to repay his debt.

“I will, Your Majesty. I will bring her home to you.”

AC: OOOO! Can't wait to find out what is in store for poor Anton in his attempt to rescue Princess Jondalara!

Thanks so much for being with us today Cindy, and for letting us have a peek at Centauri Twilight!

Please leave a comment and be entered into a drawing for a copy of the set of both the Centauri Series books, CENTAURI DAWN and CENTAURI TWILIGHT.

CW: Thanks Aunty Cindy for letting me blog with you today.

AC: My pleasure!

Now it is your turn. Do you have a question for Cindy about her books or her writing process? What other stories have you read, seen or heard in which the hero must rescue a Princess? Star Wars? Shrek? Any others?

I think Anton will be in for a few surprises! What about you?

Hola! And Excerpt #2

HOLA!

Right about the time this blog posts, this should be the view I'm seeing. That pretty sunset and twinkly lights are in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at the very tip of Baja California. Yes, I'm on cruise #21 taking in a little warm Mexican sunshine for my holiday. Wish you could all be here with me!

I love cruising the western coast of Mexico -- called the Mexican Riviera in many travel brochures. In fact, that is what inspired me to write a book or two set on a cruise ship, so the first story just naturally had to be on a ship sailing along the Mexican Riviera.

As you may recall from the previous excerpt, High Seas Deception opens with Adventure Cruise Line's ship Intrepid docked at the harbor in Puerto Vallarta (one of the prettiest cities in Mexico, in my opinion). Here's a view of some condominiums near the cruise dock (this shot was taken from deck 12, the top deck of our ship on a previous cruise), but the more picturesque part of town is about four miles away. I'll be thinking of all of you as I'm strolling along the Malecon (walkway downtown next to the beach).

And to give you a little idea about the exciting life aboard ship, here's a brief excerpt from High Seas Deception:

“I’m telling you something weird is going on today,” Skylar Davidson declared as she unkinked the power cord from the electronic Bingo board, and helped her roommate and assistant cruise director, Avery Knox maneuver the unwieldy piece of equipment into place.

Avery swiped a golden lock of hair out of her eyes. “You worry too much. People lose their sea pass cards all the time. Can you plug this into the power strip?”

Squatting down, Skylar did as Avery asked, but she stubbornly insisted, “This is different. I don’t know why, but I know it’s not just a coincidence.”

“Honestly, Skylar, this is a long way from LAPD. Relax! The worse thing you’ve done yet is roll some drunk out of one of the lounges, or separate two little old ladies fighting over the last blueberry waffle in the breakfast buffet. That’s how it is onboard.”

As she watched the board’s lights blink to life and the corresponding overhead screen flash on, Skylar gave a little shrug of defeat. She knew Avery was right, but old habits were hard to break. Her days were filled with busy work, not crime, and her surroundings were beautiful.

This was exactly what she’d wanted, needed, which was why she’d chucked everything and signed on. Why did she insist on looking for trouble?

“All right, unless you’re expecting a riot from your two dozen frothing Bingo players, I’m going back to the buffet and check for a drive-by fruiting.”

“See you at the sail-away party at seven,” Avery replied.

#

Which would you rather be doing right now? Playing bingo? Relaxing by the pool? Shopping in downtown Puerto Vallarta? Or maybe you have other plans? Please share with us!

5 Things to Hate About The Holidays

This is NOT my favorite time of year.

There, I said it. I'm a big ole Grinch when it comes to the holidays. It's not that I have a heart 3 sizes too small (or maybe I do).

I actually LIKE the concepts of the holiday season -- families getting together, gift giving, celebrating the old and new. However, what actually HAPPENS during the holiday season, I don't much like.

BIG DIFFERENCE between concept and reality. At least my perception of it. So here then are

5 Things I Hate About the Holidays:

1. The weather -- I realize this doesn't apply to everyone, but in my little corner of NorCal the weather during December and January is generally miserable. It's cold, rainy and dreary. Okay, not cold enough that there's six feet of snow on the ground, or even much frost. But the temperature at 2 PM is usually only five or 6 degrees higher than it is at 2 AM. And if it isn't raining, it's foggy. We can go for over a week with the sun never really peeking through the clouds or fog bank. UGH!
2. Crowds and Traffic -- Because really, those two are the same, too many people and too many people in their cars. No matter where you go: grocery store, gas station, the mall (shudder) you fight a crowd and wait in long lines. Plus, nobody compensates for that bad weather I just mentioned. Cars go barreling down wet or fog enshrouded roads like it was a perfect sunny day. Every time I drive somewhere, I narrowly escape being involved in an accident. Every night, I get to hear on the news about the people who weren't as lucky.
3. The music --I like the wonderful old holiday tunes as much as the next person. But by the 19th time I've heard a song, most of it's charm has worn off. This year, I first heard Christmas carols on Halloween, so this started happening... Oh along about Nov. 2nd! And why is it that every year, they seem to single out a new ditty to totally destroy any possible enjoyment by playing it incessantly? One year it was Feliz Navidad. The next it was that horrid joke song (that I didn't find the least bit funy) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. A year or two ago, one of my favorites Carol of the Bells was played to the point that I was ripping out my hair within the first few notes! ENOUGH ALREADY!
4. Spending too much money AND time on gifts -- Everywhere I look, I'm being urged to BUY BUY BUY! Life just won't be the same if I don't buy all the latest and greatest toys, clothes, electronic gadgets. My dearly beloved is suppose to buy me a bunch of diamond jewelry (which I wouldn't wear even if he did) and I'm suppose to buy him a CAR! Um, no. I fell into the buying trap once. It was the first year I was a single mom and I felt so guilty that I ran out and bought everyone I knew lots of gifts. Of course, I had no money, so I charged them, and was still paying for them six months later! Never again. Plus, almost everyone I know (myself included!) already has everything they need and want. I really am a firm believer in "it's the thought that counts." I'd much rather have a tin of homemade cookies than any other gift.
5. Forced Holiday Cheer -- People who would not normally spit on me if my hair was on fire (and it's mutual) feel obliged to wish me "happy holidays." And I'm expected to do the same. Granted, this was a lot worse when I worked in an office, but the expectations have not changed. Everyone is suppose to be in happy and love their fellow man (women, children, small furry animals) and not let all the stress of the holiday season show. Sorry, but that is SOOO NOT HAPPENING! Reality is that stress is worse this time of year, probably due in no small part to reasons #1, 2, 3 and 4. Sorry, but I have no intention of "faking it" with my holiday greetings. So if I do say, "Happy Holidays!" to you, rest assured that I really and truly mean it. And if I don't, just chalk it up to the fact that I'm a Grinch and have at least 5 good reasons for hating the holiday.

So please tell me I'm not the only ole Grinch here! Is there something that really bugs you about the holiday? Dare I hope you even HATE something about the holidays?

Please share a rant with Aunty!

Excerpt Time

Can't believe November is almost over. Just a few more hours until the December "madness" begins. Though I'm afraid the "madness" that is the holiday season started before Halloween this year. (heavy sigh)

I'm happy to report that Santa heard my plea, and is sending me my very own Kindle! In fact, with a small assist from my DH (LOVE that man!) my lovely little ereader will arrive in a few days. I hope you have your very own ereader too, because my new release High Seas Deception (Can't get enough of that gorgeous cover!) will be available in electronic format. Of course, even if you don't have an ereader, you can still download the story and read it directly from your laptop or desk top.

Here's a little excerpt to whet your appetite:

From the balcony of the ninth story condominium, the Irishman drained his coffee cup and walked to the railing. Lifting a pair of small field glasses to his eyes, he focused on the boxy white ship gliding across the smooth waters of Banderas Bay. Through the early morning haze, he took a moment to distinguish the black, stylized ‘A’ on the vessel’s smokestack, but once he did, the tingle of anticipation zipped along his nerve endings. Adventure Cruise Lines Intrepid – his objective, was right on time. He saw the harbor master’s gleaming metallic cutter rushing out to meet the huge ship and guide her into the port. Slipping the field glasses into his pocket, he walked back inside to ready himself for his own meeting with Intrepid.

Forty minutes later, he slumped in the shade on a wrought-iron bench and sipped a bottle of water. Through his sunglasses, he watched the first passengers emerge through the gate in the chain link fence that separated the pier from the tiled plaza in front of the flea market a few meters to his left.

A score of eager taxi drivers descended on the new arrivals, crying out in accented English.

“I take you on a tour of the city…”

“… to Mismaloya…”

“… to the tequila factory…”

“… good price!”

“… cheapest price!”

He’d seen the same scenario in every tourist port he’d ever landed in, though he had to admit that as tourist towns went, Puerto Vallarta was one of the prettiest. When the first hardy group negotiated their way past the gauntlet of aggressive drivers, he tossed his empty water bottle into the nearby trash bin and listened closely to their chatter. Their accents matched his intel which said most of the eighteen hundred passengers were from the US or Canada. He’d have no problem posing as one of them.

As a second, larger group made their way toward the shops in the flea market, he looped his backpack over his shoulder and joined them. Ignoring the calls of the pushy vendors, he took less than five minutes to spot a likely mark. The man at the counter stood close to his own height, though huskier in build. His personal identification stuck out of the back pocket of his shorts when he pulled out his wallet to pay for a tube of sunscreen.

This really is child’s play, the Irishman thought as he side-swiped the man’s shoulder. Then he murmured, “Lo siento mucho,” at the same time his unsuspecting benefactor said, “Excuse me.”

The man scooped up his change, dropped the pesos in the bag with the sunscreen and hurried out the door, wallet still in hand. The Irishman followed at a safe distance just to be sure the American didn’t notice his missing ID card.

The Irishman glanced briefly at the white and blue plastic sea pass card before he zipped itinto the inner pocket of his backpack.

“Thank you, Robert Adams,” he murmured under his breath.

#

So what do you think? Is the Irishman a good guy or a bad guy? Can a hero be a thief? Do you want to read more?

New Cover!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the US and I have a lot to be grateful for this year. My family and I are relatively healthy (outside the usual aches and pains), and we are happy in spite of a lot of changes and challenges we've faced in the past twelve months.

I'm also thankful for my network of supportive friends (though they seem to be in rather short supply lately). But most of all, I'm grateful for my readers!

Earlier this year, I made the decision to bring my work directly to my readers through self-publishing electronically. My first self-published work went up on Oct. 7th -- a 14,000 word novelette, The Sidhe Princess. My next release will be a full length romantic suspense novel set on a cruise ship and titled High Seas Deception. I hope to have the editing and formatting complete before Christmas, but right now, I'm excited to share the fantastic cover with all of you. And here's a brief teaser about the story:

In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a mysterious Irishman steals a passenger’s identification and slips aboard Adventure Cruise Lines’ Intrepid. His mission is to intercept a dangerous package before it can be delivered to Los Angeles. However, he is discovered by ACL’s junior security officer Skylar Davidson, formerly with LAPD. Is he “one of the good guys” as he claims? Or the ruthless mercenary Skylar remembers from a bloody shoot-out at LAX airport? With the lives of over two thousand passengers and crew at stake, can Skylar trust her instincts? What about her heart?

What about you? Please share some of the things you are most thankful for this holiday season.

Special Guest Jill James

Since dipping my toes into the vast ocean of Indie publishing a few months ago, I'm met some many other outstanding Indie authors. I've decided to take the blog in a slightly different direction by introducing you to a few of these wonderful folks, starting TODAY!

The lovely and talented Jill James is my guest today. Her debut Indie release is a contemporary romance called Divorce, Interrupted and you can buy it for your Kindle here:

http://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Interrupted-Second-Chances-ebook

So without further adieu, let's ask Jill a few questions...

AC: How long have you been writing?

JJ: Since I could hold a pencil in my hand. LOL I wrote plays and puppet shows as a kid for the neighborhood to perform in and attend. Poetry was my first love until I found romance novels. I started writing seriously in 2004 and joined RWA.

AC: What made you start writing?

JJ: Romance novels, plain and simple. I fell in love with love stories. I wanted to write my own. I wanted to have a hero and heroine who seemed like they would never be together, and I could give them that happily-ever-after.

AC: Did anyone inspire or encourage you to write?

JJ: Mrs. Whitaker, my fifth-grade teacher had us write a story every week and read it aloud to the class. She was so encouraging of my writing. I still remember The Run-Away Chevrolet and The Peanut Butter Airplane.

AC: Plotter? Pantser? Or something in between?

JJ: I think I must be something in between. Some stories I plot and some I just go with the flow. But I am a linear writer. I start with Chapter One and go straight through until I reach The End. No random dialogue or scenes. Point A to Point Z.

AC: Advice you’d like to share with unpublished or recently published writers?

JJ: Don’t give up. The day from Hell, when you receive that thousandth rejection, when the words won’t flow, when you hear your subgenre is dead – Don’t Give Up. That is the day that tests how much do you want this. Your success is just around the corner if you hold on. The quote goes something like this – The only difference between a published author and an unpublished one is the published author didn’t quit.

AC: Please tell us about your current release/project.

JJ: Divorce, Interrupted is my first Indie/Self release. I wanted to explore how some divorces aren’t the end but really a new beginning.

Here's the Blurb: Newly-divorced Todd and Lisa Miller are stranded at their mountain cabin. There to divide a lifetime of memories, they soon are in danger from more than the anger between them. A vicious storm forces them to rely on each other to survive.

Can they trust the one person they lost belief in? Or are their hearts in danger from more than floods and frigid weather?

AC: What’s next for you?

JJ: Book 2 of the Second Chances series, Trust In Me. Should be available in a couple of weeks.

Thanks so much for being here today Jill. Your Second Chances series sounds great and the cover of Divorce, Interrupted is beautiful!

Okay readers, now it's your turn. Do you believe in a second chance in romance? And if you have any questions for Jill about her books or her writing process, please feel free to ask!

Ten Random Facts

Several weeks ago, my buddy Jennifer Tanner tagged me on her blog, Romance and Other Legal Stimulants (http://jennifertanner.wordpress.com/) to do a post on Ten Random Facts. Try not to faint, Jen, but I have finally gotten that famous "round tuit!"

Here then in no particular order are my Ten Random Facts:

1. I've always lived in California, and of all the places I've visited, the #1 place I'd chose to live is... CALIFORNIA!
2. I first heard (and liked) classical music on Bugs Bunny cartoons.
3. My all time favorite flavor of ice cream is Rocky Road.
4. If my son had been a girl, I planned to name him Nicole Susanna. His great-grandmother was Susie and his grandmother (my mom) was Anna. I just happened to like the name Nicole.
   
5. My dog is named for the designer of the Shelby Cobra sports car.
6. My favorite part of watching American football is "the huddle." All those lovely muscled rear-ends are great eye candy!
7. My mother told me I was left-handed from birth, but I successfully do two things right-handed: knit and cut with scissors.
8. I refuse to own a cell phone!
9. I saw Jim Morrison and the Doors in concert. My son considers this the coolest thing I have ever done.
10. I think the coolest thing in the world is FAN MAIL!

Okay, the ten things was difficult enough, but this is the part really hanging me up... I'm suppose to "tag" four other people with blogs to do their own "Ten Random Facts." I'm afraid I've only come up with two. Both are Chaptermates: Jansen Schmidt who was my guest a couple of weeks ago and just started her own blog (http://jansenschmidt.wordpress.com/), and Caroline Hanson whose blog is also the title of her debut novel Love Is Darkness (http://carolinehanson.blogspot.com/).

Now it's YOUR turn. Please share some random facts with Aunty!

Autumn

Eight years ago yesterday, I rescued my pug-wa-wa from the city pound.

I was working with a dog rescue group and went there to see another dog the rescue coordinators were interested in. That dog had already been adopted. But as I walked by the building that housed the small dogs and puppies, one puppy was howling, squalling, and making quite a racket.

When I stepped inside, this pretty little tan dog in the cage next to the noisy puppy looked up at me with pleading eyes that plainly said, "Please, get me OUT OF HERE!" I called the attendant and took the little dog out for a walk. Three things immediately became apparent to me:

1. She was leash trained.
2. She was also potty trained.
3. No way was I leaving her there!

Luckily the vet was on premises that day, and she confirmed what I guessed (by the scar on her belly), she was already spayed. Two hours and eighty dollars adoption fee later, I took the pretty little tan dog home with me.

It was a beautiful autumn day (just like yesterday, and today!), so I named her Autumn. Turned out she was also crate trained, and a fierce guardian (in spite of a bark that sounds like a wind-up toy) of all she considers hers. Whomever lost her (she was picked up on the street) lost a jewel, and I am thankful everyday that I was lucky enough to find her!

Being part pug (as I was assured by a Pug Rescue group) she does snore like a buzz-saw, but other than that, she is THE WORLD'S MOST PERFECT DOG!

Have you "found" a pet? Or had one "find" you? Weren't they THE GREATEST?!?! Please share your story with Aunty and everyone.

The intimidating world of blogging

Hello everyone!

Here I am at my very first blogging experience and I'll be honest, it's a little intimidating. As an unpublished author I kept telling myself that it isn't necessary to have a blog. After all, I don't have any readers to connect with. Who's going to read a blog from an unknown writer? What could I possibly have to say to those lucky people who even bother to find my blog? Well, that my friends, about sums up exactly how inexperienced I really am.

Sure, I don't have any readers - yet, but there are thousands of people out there I can connect with right now. The more connections I make now, the more potential readers I will have when I'm finally published. How exciting to have people start routing for me right now!

And it's absurd to think that I have nothing to blog about. I'm a writer for crying out loud! I have completed 3 full length manuscripts, several short stories, and I have dozens of ideas floating around in my head for many more. If I can finish a full length manuscript and I have ideas waiting to come to life on paper, of course I can write a one page blog. What a silly notion that I can't.

So here I am, with the help and this awesome opportunity from my dear friend Cindy, reaching out to the world with the hope that the world will embrace me and my efforts.

I'd love to connect with people like myself who are just starting out, trying to stay afloat in the gigantic sea of advice, information, disappointment, and madness known as writing. I'd also love to connect with experienced authors who have managed to not only stay afloat, but have built rafts and ski boats and yachts, and those super over-achievers, with cruise ships. While it all seems nearly impossible from down here in the churning, cold, shark infested waters with no life preserver, I keep looking up at those big shiny cruise ships and saying, "someday soon, I'll be up there with them."

Starting in November, I will be blogging each month from my website jansenschmidt.com. I'd love to have you all stop by and watch my progress and offer encouragement and advice. I'll be looking for you! And of course in the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

At this time, I'd like to ask you, what is your best advice for me regarding my new blogging adventures? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions for not just staying afloat, but for building my own fleet of cruise ships! Bon Voyage!

Thank you Aunty Cindy for this wonderful opportunity to experience blogging in a safe and fun environment. I look foward to being your guest again.