Happy Monday from Mudflat!

Monday and waving from Mudflat and the fortuneteller.
For this week’s astrological fortune cookie, go to the link to Claire’s Predictions at http://phoebematthews.com




Mudflat is the neighborhood in today's Seattle where old magic lives -

Wendi Darlin's Review of Renee Knowles' Going Topless

I’m a huge fan of women’s fiction, and Renee Knowles’ Going Topless was a wonderful read. She did a fantastic job of weaving the storylines of three vivacious women together in an intriguing foreign locale. Amsterdam was painted so beautifully, I felt like I was there. She portrayed the scents, the history, and even the people of that country so well, I’ve moved it up on my list of places to visit before I’m too old to walk cobblestone streets.

Going Topless’ three primary characters, Susannah, Chelsie, and Mattie, were well-drawn and easy to relate to. Susannah’s journey was touching and heartwarming. Still recovering from the death of her husband, she is stung by the revelation of his betrayal. An intervention by her sister, Chelsie sends her to Amsterdam where she begins to pick up the pieces of her life, and meets a sexy younger man who is all too happy to help her get her groove back.

Chelsie has her own agenda in Amsterdam, but the reunion with her former lover isn’t what she’d hoped it would be. Worse, she doesn’t think she can share her pain with Susannah for fear of alienating her sister.

Chelsie’s best friend, Mattie finally steps out of Chelsie’s shadow. After a false start with a man who will tell her anything she wants to hear …as long as her wallet’s open… she finds someone who helps her see how desirable she really is.

This is a really nice feel-good read. A perfect beach book. I read it on an airplane, and it made the cross-country trip “fly” by.

The Clockwork Dolls

I usually post blog entries on Saturday but I could not contain my excitement over this week's feature so here it is one day early!

It is my pleasure to introduce a spectacular new band who use their tunes to invite listeners into a whole new world beyond the clouds...

THE CLOCKWORK DOLLS

Their origins and adventures on their airship can be read at http://www.myspace.com/theclockworkdolls. I found the Clockwork Dolls on Myspace after looking high and low for a tune which could convey the dark themes of my novella Katana Duet: Samurai's Forbidden Love in a short book trailer.

After canvassing the net for tunes, I was still empty handed, frustrated, and very concerned about how to explain my historical fiction to musicians. I had heard of the growing Steampunk culture and eventually found The Clockwork Dolls, a crew consisting of Allison Curval and Helene De Fer. The group is constantly evolving and soaring to new heights so it is certainly difficult to confine their music to merely one genre.
I'd like to ask Allison Curval about how she would describe her music and where she plans on taking her crew in the future.
"The Clockwork Dolls really started as a simple idea: combine elements from traditional chamber music and merge it with modern electronic elements to create a mixture of classical tones with modern dance.
I later pitched the idea to Helene De Fer during rehearsal (both of us were in the same theater group) and we soon established a wonderful working relationship; thus The Clockwork Dolls was born.

First came the music: I wrote the Sweetest Poison not really knowing where the song was going but after one evening full of wine and dance, I wrote an intricate storyline in my mind which became a Myspace blurb. That has since exploded into a complex plot loaded with characters in their own colorful universe."

My attraction to their work came after listening to "The Maiden Voyage" performed and written by Helene De Fer with music by Allison Curval.

"You really thought I'd be content

A housewife in a gilded cage?

The sea, the sky, it's all the same;

Adventure being what I crave.

I'll never stop, I won't come down!

My passions here in whirring gears.

This triumph of my female soulI will not

spoil with useless tears."

Allison, can you tell me more about narrator of this song? She seems to be a restless soul who won't settle down.

"We realized at this point that our joint efforts would lead to a multimedia extravaganza involving visual and audio elements and thus the story of the Dame De Fer was born.

The song "The Maiden Voyage" (which is to be our title track) is the tale of a noble lady born into a society she despises and forced into a political marriage. She abandons her past and family and takes to the skies in search of adventure.

Our upcoming full length album (which will be entitled "Dame De Fer") will be the soundtrack to a graphic novel (or potentially an animation) surrounding this story. The tale will take our listeners into an epic world full of action, adventure, espionage, politics, and technology with the Dame De Fer stuck in the middle (did I mention time travel?)."

So what are your future plans for The Clockwork Dolls?

"We are currently working on a short EP consisting of 8 tracks to be released later this year which will be available for download on iTunes as well as for purchase on CD Baby for a reasonable price, and a full length two-CD set to be released at a later date. Accompanying these releases will be a web-based graphic novel (currently in the works), which will be available free of charge, along with streaming audio on our website (also . . .currently in the works).

Please visit our Myspace page at for a free demo of our music and do not hesitate to contact us should you have any feedback. We love hearing from you."

The song is exquisite on so many levels and I was struck by how it not only induced a vision of first flight by the Dame De Fer ship but that it captured the social condition of women in the 19th century. The Dame De Fer is an imaginary ship of course, but it can transport listeners to a different stratosphere within their imaginations.
"The Maiden Voyage" took me to a time where some women entered what were then considered to be masculine fields such as medicine, while many found their future in the world of education and nursing. Unfortunately, most young females became part of the machinery of the Industrial Revolution or remained confined to farms and vast fields with their children. Women today will no doubt empathize with their sisters from a bygone era during which the value of a female was based on her ability to care for a home and produce children.
Aside from my own social and historical interpretation of the song, the tune is a declaration of a woman' a s aboard.

Katana Duet: Samurai's Forbidden Love, takes place during the late 1860’s and 1870’s in feudal and modern Japan and then the small town of Madison, Wisconsin. It is a story of great racial and cultural contrasts.

The video, which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/writersilapajarun or http://www.myspace.com/khuntiffany features "The Sweetest Poison" by Allison Curval. It has two different themes and was used to show the dramatic change within the lives of the Matsumoto twins, former Samurai, who are now foreigners in a strange land. I am very fond of the title for the song because the forbidden love in the novel is also "The Sweetest Poison" which affects the four young characters.

"In Vino Veritas--Enter the Calliope", also by Ms. Curval, gave the atmosphere of secrecy within the household and ends on a more hopeful note. After all, both pairs of siblings, the American Lennartsson brother and sister and the Japanese gentlemen, are engaged in a fight not only with one another but for their very survival. The Clockwork Dolls’ music was truly the soul for my book trailer but I assure you than these tunes on their own can give any fertile imagination new stories.

Images and designs pertaining to The Clockwork Dolls are all property of the band and used for this article with their consent.

See you all next Saturday!Silapa Jarun

Lady Knight Is Out

My erotic historical called Lady Knight came out today at Siren. As I've said before, Lady Knight was the very first book I ever wrote, so that makes its release extra special for me. You can find it on Siren's website HERE. I'll post the blurb and a story excerpt below. I hope you enjoy reading Ariel and Broc's story.

Blurb:

Saxon Lady Ariel of Elmstead disguises herself as a boy and leads her father's men to battle the Norman invaders. Her goal is to find the Norman knight who left her with child the year before. The only clue she has to his identity is the ring he gave her.

During the battle of Hastings, Broc St. Ceneri takes a young Saxon boy as his hostage. The boy so resembles the Saxon girl he can't forget, Broc offers to train him as a knight after he is granted Elmstead as his own.

With Broc unable to see through her disguise, Ariel must decide whether to risk all by revealing her secret, or say nothing and let the man she loves wed another.

Story Excerpt:

The sight of Broc’s face so close to hers took Ariel’s breath away. She had been asleep, but the sensation of someone caressing her cheek brought her instantly to awareness. Even though Ariel knew Broc thought her to be male, she could not bring herself to stop him. It felt too good. It had been so long since he had touched her in this way.

His eyes never left hers as his fingertips softly brushed her cheek once more. Moving lower, he cupped her chin with his hand. With his thumb on her lower lip, he rubbed it slowly back and forth. That was enough to send Ariel bolting upright in her chair.

“Shush. I didn’t mean to upset you.” In one fluid motion, Broc stood. “You were asleep. Maybe you should retire for the night.”

“Aye, I think I will.” Ariel pushed back her chair and stood. All the mead she had drunk during the evening rushed to her head. The room began to spin and her legs gave out. If Broc had not caught her around the waist, she would have fallen to the floor.

Broc pulled her closer to his side and started to walk to the chambers at the back of the hall. “I think you may need some help if you are to make it to your bed.”

Ariel tried to pull out of his grip, but her legs would not function properly. “I’ll manage. Don’t worry about me.”

“Fine, if that is your wish.” Broc released her and Ariel promptly felt herself slip towards the floor once more. A strong arm caught her. “It seems to me that a little help would be in order.”

Ariel didn’t reply. She could do nothing but accept his assistance. As they staggered to her chamber, Ariel noticed Broc was not very steady on his feet either. They somehow managed to get to the chamber door and walk across the room to her bed. Having made it that far, things decidedly went downhill from there.

Broc released her and her legs promptly gave out on her. On the way down, Ariel grabbed his tunic to stop from falling. As she landed on her back on the bed, she threw Broc off balance and he ended up falling on top of her. They both grew still. Ariel felt the hard length of Broc’s body on every inch of her. A small gasp escaped her lips before she could silence it. That little sound was all Broc needed to act.

Broc’s head lowered and his lips claimed her own. Ariel’s body jerked in surprise, but she made no move to stop Broc. Sensing her acceptance, Broc ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth. At his insistence, Ariel let her lips part, giving him the invitation he needed. The feel of Broc’s tongue gently stroking hers, Ariel reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She knew this was bad, very bad. If this went much further there would be no way of hiding what she truly was. But what Broc did to her sent shock waves of desire all through her body. She was not strong enough to stop this. Giving herself up to the sensations that began to pool in the lower half of her body, Ariel groaned.

Broc stiffened and roughly jerked his mouth away from her lips. Ariel watched the passion slowly die in his golden eyes and be replaced with a look of utter disgust. She felt like weeping. He didn’t know it was her, he only saw Wulf. Even after what they had just shared. He seemed sickened by what he had done. Broc wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and quickly jumped off the bed

Ariel reached out a hand to him, to stop him from leaving. She could not do this to him. It would be a cruelty she did not wish upon him, she had to explain. But Broc just stared at the hand held out to him. With a shake of his head, he rejected it and rushed out of the room.

Marisa Chenery

www.marisachenery.com

Audrey Godwin @ BookStrand

Hi, everyone, it's me, Audrey!

I just wanted to stop by and talk a minute. I know that some of you might be wondering where my website went so suddenly. The fact is, I've put it in the hands of a real professional and it's being revamped in a big way. It'll be the usual writer's website, of course, but there is one thing about it I can't really tell you yet because it's a secret. I'm just hoping it works as well as I think it will. It's really no biggy among writers to do this, but it's new to me. Oh, gosh, I swore I'd never do it, but here I am doing it! Anyway, that's why I'm so excited.

For those of you who are interested, I'm waiting for the edits of Brothers of the Night and Shadow Lover to come so I can get started on them. These are two books that I know you'll like. I must warn you about Brothers. Ever since it's been out, it's been a controversial piece of writing. It's about twin werewolves who are in love with the same woman. They fight over her like two animals under a full moon that is so strong it affects their lovemaking. The sex is raw, animalistic and primal. Jennifer instinctively fights against the evil she feels, but her memory loss holds her captive in the dark old mansion. The two brothers love her night and day, slowly drawing her into their dark world of witches, curses and full moons. Don't read it alone!

Thanks for reading!

Audrey

afullflame@aol.com

A Secret Treasure - coming soon

I've just heard that my Greek island novella A Secret Treasure is due out at Bookstrand on September 2nd., a month earlier than expected. It's shorter than Flavia, so it's only $3.99 to download. I've had a chance to go through it again and give it a spring-clean and touchup. I think it's a better book now than in its 2003 large print edition and I hope you enjoy it! More details are here and here.

Wednesday's Words for August 6, 2008

There’s something special about being a writer and spending time with other writers. For me, that is hands down the biggest appeal for attending the RWA National Conference.

This job that has chosen a lot of us is not an easy endeavour; it tends to isolate its practitioners. By the very nature of the work, we’re set apart from our friends and family who have “real jobs”. The only time we feel understood and appreciated, the only time we feel justified, is when we’re with other writers.

This trip afforded me the chance to spend time with the lovely and talented Ms. Lara Santiago. We hit it off the first time we met, last year in Houston. This was our fourth opportunity to spend time together, and I feel blessed and highly favoured that Lara gave me so much of her time.

I also had the occasion to meet new Siren authors Allie K. Adams, Wendi Darlin and Jami Davenport. A special treat for us all, and completely serendipitous, new BookStrand author Francesca Prescott, was visiting San Francisco with her family from their home in Switzerland. If you’re looking for new authors to discover, I humbly urge you to give their work a try.

San Francisco was beautiful, if chillier than I anticipated. That’s literally, not figuratively. I’d gotten a heads up on the temperature before departure, and so had a jacket with me. I did get out of the hotel some, and got to see Fisherman’s Wharf, and Pier 39. I glimpsed Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Our taxi driver took us back from the Wharf one night along Jones Street. I have driven through the mountains of Pennsylvania, but have never been up such a steep incline...or down one, for that matter in all my life. The angle is so sharp the sidewalk has stairs in it. Thank goodness this city doesn’t get snow.

A delightful surprise to me were the sea lions sprawled about on wooden platforms. They jostled for space, made a lot of noise, pushed each other out of the way and into the water and then yapped off some more. I couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.

It was inspiring for me to be in the same space and breathing the same air as such wonderful authors as Nora Roberts, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jayne Ann Krentz, and—this lady’s presence another delightful surprise—Linda Howard.

I enjoyed going to the seminars, because I’m personally of the opinion that I still have a lot to learn. You may or may not know that I walk with the help of a cane. I have osteoarthritis in my ankles, and while it’s better than it was thanks to the swimming I do, walking is still very painful for me. But you don’t let something as transitory as pain stop you from doing the things you really want to do—at least I don’t. So it didn’t matter to me, really, how many times I had to trek the corridors of the enormous Marriott hotel. I got where I needed to go and listened to the speakers I needed to hear. I took notes and I took pictures.

Now if you’ll recall last week’s essay, my husband and I were at cross purposes: he was praying like mad for an earthquake; I was praying like mad for none. I won.

Seismic episodes aside, my beloved enjoyed his vacation. He went on a tour of Alcatraz and Angel Islands, and spent time down at Fisherman’s Wharf. He especially enjoyed his tour of the Liberty Ship that is anchored there. Though it was only four days, he felt that he saw everything he’d really wanted to see.

Now I’m back home, refreshed and refuelled and doing what I love best in the entire world. How cool is that?

Oh, by the way, for those of you who like to snicker—and you know who you are—I am delighted to report that I didn’t leave anything, not even my heart, in San Francisco. Well, unless you count all that money...

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com/

PRINT Release: LOOKS ARE DECEIVING, an Erotic Romantic Suspense!

I’m thrilled to present the PRINT RELEASE of LOOKS ARE DECEIVING, my Erotic Romantic Suspense brought to you by Siren Publishing. Looks Are Deceiving debuted at #3 on Siren’s Bestsellers List! Yippee!

Read Hot Excerpts and Fabulous Reviews!
http://www.SirenPublishing.Com/michelehart/lad.asp
Find LAD @ Amazon, FictionWise, Barnes & Noble, All Romance e-Books
e-book: ISBN#: 1-60601-045-X Trade Paperback 1-60601-112-X
***
You Never See Everything.

All shadows and mystery, Elissa Baker’s in hot pursuit
of something bigger, uglier, and meaner than Greg Moretti,
and she keeps her destiny with the scum of the Earth a closely guarded confidence.
Only Greg--muscles, brains, and passion—
can wreck her long-laid path by being Mister Right and refusing to let her go.

How can she resist her Latin lover’s dark-chocolate eyes
always arresting her, his hypnotic lure stealing her soul,
and dealing lusty persuasion like trump cards in a fixed bet?

Restauranteur Greg Moretti is crazy for a woman
who leads a smoke-and-mirrors life.
He’ll fix that by cooking up some heat, triggering a little hunger,
and melting the ice-wall protecting her soul.
Elissa will need to choose between Greg and the criminal world.
What keeps her from his total consumption? Why does Elissa keep so many secrets?

Greg will take no hostages nor will he back down from his chase
until he identifies his competition and makes Elissa
want him more than her other distractions.
Good boys can be bad too … and lethal to the heart.

The serendipitous solution to the cold-case murder of Greg’s father
leads to a gun battle that changes everything. Who invited the Mob?

Someone’s going to lose, and someone’s going to die. Another someone.
Everything changes with the pull of a trigger. Nothing looks the same after this....
***
LOOKS ARE DECEIVING
http://www.SirenPublishing.Com/michelehart/lad.asp
Visit Me @ * http://www.ILoveShapeShifters.Com/

Don’t you love mystery? :-) I do.

Flavia's Secret competition winners (part two)

Congratulations to Cindy Waldon, who won the main prize for my competition, the Roman pendant! It will be on its way to you shortly, Cindy.

Red Roses for Authors have awarded Flavia's Secret 4.5 red roses and called it 'an exciting mystery. The romance between Flavia and Marcus is strong and passionate. Very enjoyable.' I couldn't agree more...

SWEET HELL is #1!

Wooooo Hooooooo! Sweet Hell is
#1 on the BookStrand's Bestselling List!
I thought it might do well, but to have it number one is making me crazy! All right, you know what's coming up, right? Another fresh excerpt from Sweet Hell that hopefully will knock your socks off!

Sweet Hell
Written By
Audrey Godwin

BookStrand
AVAILABLE NOW!
ISBN: 1-60601-090-5

E-book $5.99
15% off at checkout

Pari has a body that relentlessly craves sex! She hides this shameful affliction behind a tailored suit, a prim French twist and a briefcase, but when the sun slowly sets in the West, Pari can no longer deny the sizzling desire that builds deep inside her. She becomes a different person. One day she sees a lusty male animal on TV…a killer, a Rambo-type man that makes her blood boil. But he’s a criminal! And then she’s appointed to defend him, leading her into a situation that surrounds her with three lusty men. Pari is in trouble! What will she do when her urges begin to flourish and she changes from a lawyer to a sex-hungry female?

Brief Excerpt
(Kitt learns about Pari's torrid past which instinctively makes him push her away. But still he struggles with his desire for her. As a result the sexual tension between them sizzles. To hurt him she has agreed to marry Boris, Kitt's father.
Oh, my, what a mess!)

Her gaze shifted and she noticed Kitt walking the grounds with a dark-haired woman. They stopped, turned, and faced each other. The woman looked up into his eyes flirtatiously. Pari felt a pang of green-eyed jealousy wrench her painfully. She knew that look all too well. It was the look of wanting. The look of love. Pari's eyes widened when she saw the girl reach up and kiss Kitt. But what was worse, Kitt responded by kissing her back. They talked a while longer until they reached her horse that was tied to a bush. They said a few words of goodbye, she mounted the mare and kicked it gently, causing it to turn. Her lovely body swayed on the saddle as she handled the animal like a pro. Kitt waved just before she turned and rode away, and then strolled back up to the mansion as if he had something on his mind.
Pari turned and rushed to the head of the sprawling stairway.
As Kitt approached the first step of the steep flight, he looked up and saw her. The awkward moment caused him to hang back, his stride becoming slow and unsure. Finally, as if making a firm decision, he made his way up while she made her way down. As they neared each other, their eyes locked and continued to hold until they at last met. Kitt looked at her coldly, and said, "Hello… mother."
Pari ignored his remark. "Who is she?"
"Who's who?"
"You know who, dammit. The brunette with the horse."
"Oh," Kitt replied, looking amused, "that was Lynette."
"Lynette?"
"Yes. Lynette Silvers. She's a friend."
"She must be a pretty good friend." Pari reached up and rubbed her finger across his lips and held it up in front of his eyes. "She left her calling card."
"So, mother. What do you intend to do? Ground me?"
"Will you stop calling me that?"
The amused look left Kitt’s face, replaced by one of irritation. "Well, isn't that what you're going to be? My friggin' mother?"
"I don't want you to see her again."
"Who?"
"Who the hell do you think? The stupid bitch that wears too much lipstick."
He clenched his teeth and spoke in a soft, grating tone. "I'll see any damned woman I want."
He turned abruptly to go around her, but she stepped in front of him. "You were going to make love to me last night."
"Love? Make love, did you say? My dear, love had nothing to do with it. It was raw, animalistic, and I felt as if I’d lost all my senses and tumbled down into the middle of hell. You were all over me like a batch of writhing, coupling snakes. I’ve never felt anything like it before, and hope to God I never do again. Last night I was out of my mind. I could have ravaged you until there was nothing left. A man can only feel that way if he’s sunk as low as he can get.” His eyes dropped, a hungry look in them as they raked shamelessly up and down her body. “You can believe me when I say that I’m staying as far away from you as possible. I have no desire to visit hell again."
Unmoved by his words, she whispered suggestively, "There's no one here now."
"Nice invitation, but I'll pass."
"What in hell do you do when you get the urge, take a trip to see your lipstick queen?"
"If I do, at least I don't have to take a number to get in her bed."
His crushing words rang in her ears, crumpling her face in pain and quickly filling her eyes with tears. She said nothing, just lowered her head, turned, and went to her room.

* * * *
Kitt regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. His repentant eyes followed her, and his mouth opened to call her back, but nothing came out. He watched her close the door, knowing he had hurt her deeply.

Reclaiming Nicola by Anika Hamilton

Nicola Bourdeaux is Victor’s ultimate woman. She’s smart, beautiful, and the sweetest person he’s ever met. But when a rival firm gets a hold of confidential information and Victor loses a major lawsuit, he accuses Nicola of betraying him. His mistake leads to a major blow-up and break-up.

Victor Weise is Nicola’s ultimate man. He’s intelligent, handsome, and the most arrogant man she’s ever met. But when Victor accuses her of betrayal, Nicola is determined to a make a fresh start. She accepts an offer for a teaching position out of state, convinced she needed to get as far away as quickly as possible.

But before she leaves, she gets a request to visit the Weise residence. Hoping to gain some closure, Nicola accepts. But Victor has some tricks up his sleeve.

Will one afternoon be enough for Victor to reclaim Nicola?

Genre: Contemporary Interracial Erotic Romance

Excerpt coming soon . . .

Happy Reading,
Anika Hamilton
http://www.anikahamilton.com/
http://www.bookstrand.com/authors/anikahamilton/

Interview with Audrey Godwin

I'd like for my readers to get to know me, so I've posted this interview.

Hello, Audrey. Thank you for granting us this interview. We’ve been hearing some wonderful things about your work, and wanted to sit down and talk with you.

CJ: To begin with, let’s talk about when your writing career started. When did you seriously sit down, and say to yourself, I’m going to write a novel?

Audrey: I can remember the very day I did that. It had always been in my heart, even as a child to do it, I just had to make up my mind one day and say this is it! I was working in Washington DC at the time. I had gone through the motions of reading tons of romance novels, but something was missing. I found that missing piece when I sat down at my computer and began creating. It’s a wonderful feeling to create your own story and fill it with characters out of your own imagination. A writer can’t only write, they must read as well. When you do, it’s the greatest feeling in the world.

CJ: What do you find the most difficult to write? Dialogue? Back story? Emotion?

Audrey: I think back story is the most difficult for me. So much is involved in it. You have to dig down into the human psyche since what they experience in their past has so much to do with who they are today. For instance in my book, Dirty Little Steam Queen Kristi Kane had a problem with men until Erik Grant came along and…well, I’ll let you buy the book and find out.

CJ: Have you ever found that you didn’t like your Hero or your Heroine? If so, what did you do to change that?

Audrey: I don’t think it’s possible to dislike your hero or heroine. After all, they are a part of you. At least my characters are. You know what’s inside them…why they act as they do. In my book, Sin City, I’ve found that many of my readers don’t like Griff Nyle because of his blatant infidelity. I can certainly understand that, but I, as his creator, can’t dislike him because I understand him. Griff is truly a bad boy, the kind that you love to hate, but as bad as he is, he finally redeems himself, saves both his marriage and his country, and gives the book a happy ending.

CJ: If you were to start again, with the knowledge you have now, what would be the first thing you do?

Audrey: I’m not sure I would do anything different. It was exciting being ‘discovered’ on the internet by a publisher that loved my work. In those days my writing style was not quite as dark and intense as it is today although it had the same underlying ‘Audrey Godwin’ touch to it, which I’m proud of. Before you accuse me of being an egotistical bitch, let me explain. When I first began writing I knew nothing! Nothing! Guidelines, writing rules, don’t do this, don’t do that… those things didn’t enter my head, so I pulled no punches. As it turned out my first novel, Brothers of the Night was a scorching page-turning success. It was so ‘different’ in substance it was widely talked about by many, some of whom both loved it and hated it. Even those that hated it begged for a sequel, so I wrote one just to keep everyone quiet. I’m glad I did today, because Sugar & Spice turned out to be fabulous!

CJ: Do you write full time, what is your schedule for the day? Or do you have a full time job, if so, when do you find the time to write?

Audrey: Yes, I do write full time. I get to my computer as much as possible, but it’s always interrupted by phone calls, family problems, and my Maine Coon cat, Tigger. She is so spoiled! She’s jealous of my time on the computer, and will not leave me alone! Does anyone want a cat?

CJ: Do you have the support of family and friends?

Audrey: For the most part, yes. I’m always being asked about what I’m writing now, when will it be out, etc. I have two sons that can hardly believe that their mother can write such sexy novels. You know how kids are. Their parents don't know about such things.

CJ: What has been the biggest challenge of your career?

Audrey: Having time to write, promote, and spend time with the other authors and readers on line. I don’t know how they do it. They seem to be able to chat all day long, and put out books as if they’re on an assembly line. Me, I have to plan, do research, edit, think, think, think! I hope no one thinks my absence from the online chats are because I don’t want to be there. It simply isn’t true. I just don’t have time. I love them all and do it when I can, but my books have to come first. It’s for my readers, after all.

CJ: Where do you expect to be in five years?

Audrey: At the top of the Best Selling List!

CJ: Are you a plotter or a pantser? If you are a plotter, what are you methods?

Audrey: The only word I recognize in that question is ‘plotter.’ I plot as I go. I can get one little nugget of an idea in my head and build a whole book around it as I’m writing. Strange, right?

CJ: How have your techniques for character development changed since you’ve been writing? Is it still the same, or has it developed over time, if so how?

Audrey: I suppose it has developed over time. It seems I have always loved to create unique characters. Characters you remember, characters you get to know, and will remember long after you put the book down. For instance, ‘Dagmar’ in Dancing with the Devil, ‘Calico’ in Brothers of the Night and ‘Diego’ in Sin City. I got so carried away with Diego, I had to hold myself back from telling his story along with Griff and Lorelei’s. Maybe Diego will have his own story some day.

CJ: Do you have a book coming out? If so what? Do you have a web site? Do you have a blog? My space?

Audrey: I have several coming out. Sin City (BookStrand) and Dancing with the Devil (Siren) have been recently released. Sweet Hell (BookStrand) was released on July 31st. I’m expecting the edits for Brothers of the Night, and Shadow Lover (BookStrand) any day now. As soon as I get them done they will be on their way to publication as well. My old website is gone now, and I’m shopping around for another. When it becomes active I’ll let everyone know. My blog will be on my website. I haven't done MySpace yet. Soon, maybe, when I get the time.

Thank you for taking the time for answering our questions. Good luck with your writing.

Young Coconut

Paranormal ~ By the Magical Numbers: August 13, 2008

What is Magical About August 13, 2008?

Let’s see now, by the numbers what is magically powerful about August 13, 2008 ~ it’s Wednesday the 13th, not Friday the 13th, which may be a very magical day for some, especially if your story is halloween spooky with lots of naughty tricks or treats.
August is an 8 month in numerology, meaning all things material, money and what looks good, or appearance makes the woman or man. Think Paris Hilton, although, I’d rather not think about her. Or, for a more elegant sophisticated example, think of the month of August as Audrey Hepburn, as she appeared in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the film which hallmarked the chic glamour stylings of New York City in 1961.

The day, the 13th, is a 4 (1+3) which denotes stability, the four corners or what you build a future on, whether an event or a decision.
And 2008 is a 1 year (2+8=10=1) ~ it’s all about ‘numero uno’ and the competition to be the best. Thus, ‘we are number one’ or ‘we want to be number one’ are the attitudes of this year.
August 13, 2008, what does it all add up to in the science and art of numerology? This would be called a 4 day (8+4+1 = 13 = 4).
While 4 is a great number in it’s own right, it is so NOT my best number according to my own personal numbers (birthdate and name). However, the vibration of FOUR is powerfully magical in the realm of the practical, or for bringing forth and creating a stable future by acting on good solid decisions.
So okay, I’ll happily take what I can get in this case. Very happily! I’ll take and go with the vibration of FOUR and hopefully the universe will POUR out its goodies and blessings.
Yet, what is really and truly magical about the day for me?
Ta-da! This is my release day for When A Good Angel Falls with BookStrand.

Magical Seduction of an Angel ~

On several levels this story is truly a labor of love for me, not only as a unique May-December romance ~ Volcano’s seduction of his fallen earth angel *insert my sigh here* ~ but also, I explore another passion of mine, the paranormal and mystical adventure of life.

~ There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your
philosophy. But come; Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, ... Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Act 1. Scene V ~

Being an avid listener of Coast-to-Coast am, night talk radio, famous for its paranormal topics ~ the subject of 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar ~ is one of the hottest conversations going, and only gets hotter as we come closer and closer to what some people refer to as the endtimes.
So, what if? What will occur on that magical and mystical winter solstice date of December 21, 2012 ~ that final day of the Mayan calendar?
Well, I’m here to tell ya, my imagination couldn’t resist the fun of answering that question. No, indeedy, my muse was transformed into a crystal ball, and I forged ahead into the mists of the near future.
And thus, When a Good Angel Falls was born. This is Sedona and Volcano’s story as they travel to Maya Toga Days in LA.
Truthfully, this story was not only a delicious adventure and a fun passionate love story to write, it was also darkly disturbing, since all is not angel brightness in our world. The dark force rises just like Darth Vader rose to power in Star Wars. And that is the evil Sedona and Volcano must overcome to save Earth for humanity.

Blurb: When a Good Angel Falls
Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 – The end of the Mayan Calendar
What happens when a world weary, worn out incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human has three choices after her old van breaks down? Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp? Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal, with the hope her death will be quick? Or does Sedona trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her? Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges from the darkness astride a super-speed black motorcycle.
Is he her savior from the brutal hell of end times, or is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?
Sent from heaven to help her save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

Page Link ~ http://www.bookstrand.com/authors/savannakougar/wagaf.asp ~

What do you think ~ December 21, 2012, just another day? Just one more winter solstice...
Or? By the numbers: December, the 12th month ~ the date of the Winter Solstice, the 21st ~ and the year, 2012.
First, what’s most obvious is 12, then 21, another 12 ~ or, in numerology it all breaks down to the number, 3 (1+2=3), which is known as the number of communication. So, we have a focusing of all power toward communication, every level and method of communication, from international news to a one-on-one dialogue, from the most spiritual to the most personal.
Imagine * if you will * a wand belonging to a powerful sorceress. She is concentrating and summoning all the forces of nature, all power of the supernatural to her wand. Thus, to perform a magical spell, and bring forth change or a new beginning.
So it will be and shall be on the Winter Solstice of 2012 ~ this day is, essentially, a numerology wand, or the sorceress gathering all the vibrations together for one intense focus on communication, all levels and every dimension of communication.
Okay, for the rest of this short story. The year, 2012, adds up to the number 5, in numerology (2+0+1+2=5).
Now we have the 12th month, a 3 ~ the 21st day, a 3 ~ and the year, a 5. Again in numerology this adds up to 11 (3+3+5=11).
At 11:11 pm on December 21, a Friday, the Winter Solstice of 2012 will occur. And Earth will be directly lined up with the galactic center of the Milky Way. This has not happened for 26,000 years.
Significant to humanity? Or a significant communication to humanity from the cosmos? You be the judge.
Or, take a super-speed ride with Sedona and Volcano on their Winter Solstice 2012 adventure, and then be the judge.

Flavia' s Secret competition winners (part one)

Well, we've just drawn the lucky winners of the bath stuff out of the old straw hat, and here are the winners:


Soaps go to Louise Lucchetti and Robyn Lee

Bath salts go to Crystal Broyles and Jane Beckenham


Happy bathing, folks! I'll mail the prizes when I have your addresses.

Remember, those of you who download a copy of Flavia's Secret still have a chance to win the reproduction Roman gold pendant. All you need to know is here, and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday.

RWA Nationals Update

Hi, everyone, Jami Davenport from the Romance Writers of America's National Conference in San Francisco, California. I'm rooming with fellow Siren authors, Wendi Darlin and Allie K. Adams. We all arrived within an hour of each other on Tuesday afternoon only to find that our suite was "downgraded" to a small room with two small beds. Well, needless to say, there was no other room at the inn, so we're making do quite nicely actually.

Allie took us on a whirlwind tour of SF yesterday, complete with a packed trolley ride, in which Wendi and I were hanging on for dear life; and a rollercoaster ride by an accommodating taxi driver down SF's steepest hills. I think we left our stomachs somewhere on the 2nd block down the hill.

Wednesday night, we attended the literacy booksigning. I'd promised Nora autographs for some friends so I stood in Nora's line for 45 minutes just to get them. I'm happy to report that fellow Siren author, Lara Santiago, sold out of all her books at her first RWA booksigning. Later, we met Lara, Morgan Ashbury, and Morgan's husband for a lovely dinner in the hotel.

Then this morning I drug myself out of bed and went to a breakfast hosted by Debbie Macomber, who is the founder of my local RWA chapter. Debbie was hosting several Aussies and New Zealanders who were a hoot. After that, we met Lara and Morgan at the luncheon.

Are you getting the theme of this so far? We're eating our way through San Francisco!

Victoria Alexander gave an entertaining talk at the luncheon on nuggets of wisdom. One of which was: If literary fiction is like wine then popular fiction is like water--and everybody drinks water.

This afternoon we'll attend workshops and parties this evening. Needless to say, we're have a wonderful time connecting with old friends and making new ones.

Ooh La La CONTEST clebrating the release day of SWEET HELL!

Release Day!
SWEET HELL
With a body meant for love, she finds herself in the midst of three lusty men. For her it could be heaven, or—sweet hell!

BookStrand
ISBN: 1-60601-090-5

E-book $5.99
15% off at checkout!

To celebrate I'm having a CONTEST.
It will begin today, on
July 31,
and end on
August 31st.
I'm offering a prize from Victoria's Secret.

Sexy Little Things®
Ooh La La Eau de Parfum

Throw a wink, blow a kiss, be the coquette you are. A flirtatious blend of mandarin, cherry blossom and vanilla reveals a vivacious scent that leaves admirers saying, "ooh la la!"

To win this exquisite gift, all you have to do is tell me the name of the exotic little shop that Pari went into to confront a woman regarding Kitt.

Clue #1: The woman's name was Corinne Pentrose, and she was a red-headed psychic.

Clue #2: You can find it in Chapter 16

Okay, no more clues. When you learn the answer send it to me at afullflame@aol.com along with the date since there will be multiple entries. Once the contest is over, I will declare a winner, so don't forget to include your name and address so I will know where to send your gift.

GOOD LUCK!

ParanormalRomance reviewer says:

Kim posted this remark on Goodreads:
I don't normally enjoy reading ebooks---mostly because I don't have a reader and I can't cuddle up with my laptop as easily as I can with an actual book. However, Mudflat 1: Tarbaby Trouble is really good, and should be available in print in January, so I thought my friends on Goodreads ought to know about it. I reviewed the book for paranormalromance.org.

Now isn't Kim kind to spread the word! I do appreciate this.

Just stopped in to say hi!

Hi, everyone,

I'm Audrey Godwin, a Siren/BookStrand author from the East Coast. I originally grew up in Dallas, Texas until my career got started and I moved to Washington DC.

I haven't done much on the blog here lately because it's one of those "new fangled" things to me, and I really don't know what to talk about. The nearest and dearest to my heart, of course, are my books. I write romantic suspense for the most part, branching off into horror, dark romance, and shapeshifters. I love writing dark, but some people tell me dark romance doesn't sell. I don't know, I'd like to think maybe I'm ahead of my time, and that I'll be one of the first to usher in a whole new way of writing.

Here's a list of my books:

Dancing with the Devil (Siren)
Sin City (BookStrand)
Sweet Hell (BookStrand)

Coming Soon

Brothers of the Night (Shapeshifter)
Sugar & Spice (Sequel to BOTN)
Lady Evil (Vampire)
Dirty Little Steam Queen (Romantic Suspense)

Works In Progress

Man About Town
Lovely Little Tramp
Mad Venus

This has really been fun. Not as scary as I thought. I've got to do some writing now, so I'll be talking to you later. Everyone take care, and look for me on the Siren/BookStrand websites.

Audrey

Wednesday's Words for July 30, 2008

Isn’t it strange, sometimes, the way our minds work? As I was out driving the other day, I happened to look up to the sky. There, high above me and heading east was an airplane. It was a passenger jet, very much like the one I’ll likely be on as you are reading this essay.

Suddenly, I was a child again, lying in the lush grass of our country home, gazing up at the sky and dreaming of what ifs. The summer-warn wind wafting through the open car window became the sweet breeze that would soothe me as I dreamt of the future and all the amazing things I could do when I became a grown up.

Now, more than four decades later, I can barely recall any of those dreams; but what did come flooding back, in detail so stunning it made my insides leap, was the sense of those days and dreams, the feel of them.

No clock to watch; no chore to do; not a care if anyone saw me, or what they might think of me if they did; there was just myself, the blanket I was on, and my dreams. Thinking back, I recall that this was something I did on a regular basis, both during the day, and sometimes even at night.

Some days I’d haul my pillow outside with me. I’d be so comfortable, usually in the shade, that I would close my eyes and drift on the edge of sleep. Looking back to that long-ago me, and filtering the experience through my current mind-set, I’m astounded by how liberating those times seem to me now.

At night, I would ponder as many what ifs as there were stars in the sky. Oh, how spectacular was the view, there in my rural yard, with no ambient light at all! Some nights we were lucky enough to enjoy the rare spectacle of the aura borealis. I know these days you have to travel further north than where I live now—which is only a couple of dozen miles in distance from where I was then—but in those years the Northern Lights could occasionally be seen from Southern Ontario. Usually they were just white light, a rippling curtain to the north, but I do recall one night—I have no idea what time of year it was—when Daddy woke us all up and brought us outside so that we could see the lights in their multi-colored glory.

Of course, we can’t live forever in the carefree realm of childhood dreams. But isn’t it a shame that we have to lose every single vestige of them? You’d think we’d be able to retain, at the very least, some sense of wonder, some sense of the endless possibilities of life.

My husband and I are in a unique position. When we were raising our kids, we had very challenging times—in more ways than just financially. But as we’ve aged, life has gotten a bit easier for us. We’re not rich, not by any means, but we have learned some of the lessons life has handed us. We no longer fret about things we can’t change (overmuch). We no longer wish for things we can’t have (too often). We no longer assume the worst is going to happen (every time). We are more patient than we used to be (for the first little while, at any rate).

The best lesson we’ve learned, however, is how to be content within ourselves. We’ve learned that we can be alone, and in that aloneness—we’ll call it solitude—we can once more bring to life some of the dreams of childhood, some of the wonder of new adventures, and a taste of the endless possibilities that are out there for us, if only we look closely enough.

So when I see a far-off jet in the sky, I can imagine the exotic adventures just waiting for the people aboard it.

Love,
Morgan
www.morganashbury.com

'Flavia's Secret' Competition!

Today is release day for my Roman historical romance, Flavia's Secret, so here, as promised, is my competition! All the prizes come from the shop at the Roman Baths in Bath itself, where the book is set, and you can see them here.

I'll allow the soap and bath salts competitions to run for three days and the pendant competition to run for a week, to give you plenty of time to join in. There will be two winners each for the soap and the crystals.

OK, here are the questions. First for the soaps and bath crystals, with the winners announced on Friday. Both questions can be answered by reading the extract from Flavia's Secret posted at Bookstrand.


For the Roman Lavender Bath Crystals:

Q. What colour is Marcus' tunic in the opening of Flavia's Secret?


For the Roman Lavender Hand Soaps:

Q. The day before she dies, Flavia's former mistress Lady Valeria goes out alone to the baths. What does Flavia believe Lady Valeria bought from a healer/apothecary there?


For the gold-plated Flavian Pendant, I've chosen a question taken from the text of Flavia's Secret, and you'll have to buy a copy to answer this because the answer is not posted anywhere else. I'll announce the winner of this lovely pendant next Tuesday.

Q. Who is the red-headed toga girl who works in the baths?

Please send your answers to me at lindsaytownsend@yahoo.co.uk with your email address. My husband will draw the winning entries out of a hat and I'll be in touch for your snailmail address so I can mail on your prize.

Good luck and happy reading!

Ginger

Lady Knight Has A Release Date

Yesterday I finished going through my final read through of my historical called Lady Knight. Now that all the edits are complete, I now have a set release date. Lady Knight will be released at Siren on August 7th. I can't wait for it to be released. Lady Knight is the very first book I ever wrote, so it means a lot to me to see it published. I also find it fitting that my first book will be my first release at Siren as well :). I'll post a short blurb for Lady Knight below. I also have an excerpt posted on my website on my Excerpts page.

Blurb:

Disguised as a boy, Ariel of Elmstead leads her father's men to fight the Norman invaders. She is taken hostage by Broc St. Ceneri, who she gives her innocence in a moment of weakness. Ariel must decide to continue with her disguise as a Saxon boy or reveal her true identity to the Norman knight who has her heart.

Marisa Chenery

www.marisachenery.com

Flavia competition coming up...

My novel Flavia's Secret is being released by Bookstrand on Tuesday 29th July, and to celebrate I'm holding a competition! There are several prizes: Roman Hand Soaps and Roman Lavender Bath Crystals (two of each), plus a main prize of an authentic reproduction of a gold pendant of the Flavian period. This has been moulded and reproduced in gold-plated pewter (shown in the picture). All are from the Roman Bath shop at Bath, the historic city in the south-west of England where Flavia's Secret is set in 206 AD. To see the prizes in more detail, click here.

I will be giving all these prizes away on the release day of Flavia's Secret, but to win you will have to track down the answers to some questions and to have a chance to win the pendant you will have to buy the book to find the answer. More on launch day! Here again, meanwhile, is the blurb for Flavia's Secret:

'Spirited young scribe Flavia hopes for freedom. She and her fellow slaves in Aquae Sulis (modern Bath) have served the Lady Valeria for many years, but their mistress’ death brings a threat to Flavia’s dream: her new master Marcus Brucetus, a charismatic, widowed officer toughened in the forests of Germania. Flavia finds him overwhelmingly attractive but she is aware of the danger. To save her life and those of her ‘family’ she has forged a note from her mistress. If her deception is discovered, all the slaves may die. For his part, torn between attraction and respect, Marcus will not force himself on Flavia. Flavia by now knows of his grief over the deaths of his wife Drusilla and child. But how can she match up to the serene, flame-haired Drusilla?As the wild mid-winter festival of Saturnalia approaches, many lives will be changed forever.'

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 83,000 words

Page count: 228

Cover Art by Jinger Heaston

ISBN: 1-60601-082-4

E-book $5.99

Published on July 29th 2008 by Bookstrand

www.bookstrand.com

Wednesday's Words for July 23, 2008

Last week we celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary, and this week, my birthday. And next week, we’re off to San Francisco for the Romance Writers of America National Conference.

I’m really glad I bought those airline tickets in February, or else it’s likely we wouldn’t be going at all. I have a kind of draw-the-line mentality, you see. For example, last year we attended the same conference in Dallas. We went for an entire week, and did some sightseeing together before the conference got underway. But this year, we’re only going for four nights, because the hotel rooms are about a hundred dollars a night above what they were in Dallas. So I drew the line—four days, not an entire week.

I had drawn the line about going to California, too, but it would seem I’m going to cross that one. No offence to anyone who lives in that beautiful state. But since I was a little girl and learned of such things, I have been afraid of earthquakes. As a teen and young adult, whenever anyone would mention the possibility of my ever traveling to that state, I would reveal my worst fear: that if I ever did go, they would have the big one.

I know, I know. Go right ahead and tell me I’m a wuss. You won’t get any argument from me. I’m not ashamed to admit that there are things I’m afraid of.

“But Morgan,” some of you who know me quite well through these essays may say, “aren’t you the one who’s always talking about positive thinking, and ‘seeing a thing as it can be, though it is not”? Yes, this is true. That’s me all right.

This leads me to the moment I’ve dreaded these past two years. I must now disclose to you, dear readers, an important and personal detail about Mr. Ashbury.

I love the man. You all know that. We’ve been married for thirty-six years, after all. However, he has a teeny tiny little flaw.

He wants to experience an earthquake.

Yes, he does. And yes, I know how that sounds, because they are deadly acts of nature, not to be coveted at all! But there you have it.

My beloved doesn’t limit his thrill seeking desires to earthquakes, either. Oh, no. He wants to ride out a hurricane, and see a tornado up close and personal, too.

We’ve taken three cruises now, all during hurricane season. The closest we got to a hurricane (much to his eternal disappointment) was sailing behind Ophelia in 2005 from Bermuda to New York City.

On that cruise, while in Bermuda, we took an excursion – a special “cruise into the night life of the Bermuda Triangle” sort of adventure. Yes, we got on a small vessel with people we’d never met before, and sailed in the dark through part of the Bermuda Triangle. Alas, no phenomena were experienced by myself, or (more tragically, in his mind) by Mr. Ashbury. Well, unless you count the fact that my digital camera came back from that small nocturnal voyage taking photos that were only white and blue. No more color, and on our return home, the manufacturer could find no reason for its malfunction, and so we got a new camera.

How well I remember the night we sailed back to New York on the heels of Ophelia. The seas were so high, I stayed in my cabin, as I couldn’t walk the corridors of the ship. Mr. Ashbury said, “I’m going to go out on the bow observation deck. I’ll be back soon.” The bow observation deck was on deck 7, and was outside. That is comparable to the 7th floor of a building for height.

He had said that he would be back soon, but ‘soon’ is such a subjective term, isn’t it? Half an hour went by. And then another. Soon, it was nearing the two hour mark. Finally, the door burst open, and in he strode, windblown and triumphant from his adventure. It seems that in the down trough, as the ship ploughed ever forward, the waves were so high they topped where he stood.

Of course, he couldn’t understand why I was a tad upset by his tardy return. What, he demanded to know, did I think could ever have happened to him? In response, I only asked if he’d ever heard the expression, ‘man overboard’.

He has discussed this pending trip to the Golden State with his coworkers, of course. They’ve all come to the conclusion that’s he’s...um...not all there. “You mean to tell me that you’re hoping for an earthquake?” one of them asked, justifiably appalled. “No,” my beloved replied, “I’m demanding one.”

So you see, my ‘positive think it into existence’ is up against his ‘positive think it into existence’—and I’m worried.

Love,
Morgan
www.morganashbury.com