I Love This Season! (Contest)

Christmas is coming around fast and I have only one rule - I DO NOT GO TO THE MALL AFTER DECEMBER 1st! Why not? Because little old ladies will kick your butt in the mall if you snatch that last goody off the shelf! Just kidding - I actually love this season, though I've seen a few grey haired scuffles in my day...and my mother-in-law, who is a cool 74 years old, always wins!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is music. I especially love the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. My favorite song is Christmas in Sarajevo.

To watch the video click here: Trans-Siberian Orchestra (low bandwith in case you're on dial up) or Here (for higher connection speed and better clarify)

This song just makes me feel all...Christmas-sy (I know it ain't a word, but you know what I mean) inside. Not to mention the guys who play the guitars aren't bad lookin' - You just can't beat talent AND good looks!

What's your favorite holiday song? Tell us and have your name entered in a drawing for your choice of a complimentary download or print copy of one of my new or upcoming releases. The winner will be announced Thursday, December 7th.

Tootles - fa la la la la, la la-la laaaaa,

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com
www.myspace.com/tj_michaels

Want a Great Read?

If you like paranormal stories of shape shifters, witches, vampires and wizards or futuristics set on far away planets look no further. Try a book written by one of the Dynamic Duo.

Lauren Dane

TJ Michaels

Shelley Munro

Color My World

I love color. There's nothing better than walking outside and seeing the explosions of color available from Mother Nature. Today is a great case in point. It's a fine sunny day here in New Zealand with a brilliant blue sky - you know the clear bright blue I mean? A few fluffy clouds dot the horizon. The grass is a bright green since we've had lots of rain lately. The trees on the reserve where the dog and I walked this morning are various shades of green, ranging from light to dark almost black/green. The flax is flowering at the moment. There are a couple of varieties and some of the flower spikes are a brilliant red while others are a dull yellow. The glint of the sun on the pond and estuary changes the color of the water from gray to silver in places. and finally, the pohutukawa trees are coming into flower - the bright scarlet flowers popping out with more and more appearing each day. Soon the ground around the trees will be red with the fallen filaments from the flowers.

I tend to choose color for my clothes and you'll seldom see me wearing black or white. In fact walking down Queen Street in Auckland during the lunch hour or in London's busy commericial center is boring and depressing - all those black suits! Ugh!! During the lunch times when we worked in the pub all you could see was a sea of black.

One of my favorite ads on television is the M & M ad where they have the changing colors of the M & Ms appearing in waves. The singer on the ad sings about color my world. I always stop to watch this ad because the colors fascinate me and I quite like M & Ms, too!

My favorite color is blue but I love purple, pink, green and red. Oh, and the photo above - that's a shot of me in a wild flower meadow at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

In fact color is a scientific business these days and is used to determine personality. Check out this site for details. And finally, because I couldn't resist here's an article where you can learn about your sex color personality.

What's your favorite color?

I Ain't Doin' Nuthin' !

I'm glad to say that the TJ On A Tangent Newsletter and Sneak Peek pages, where we'll continue our training of gorgeous hunky men, are coming along fabulously. There'll be lots of contests beginning the first of the year around the theme of Training Red Vixen's Rough Rider! Woohoo!

Also, stay tuned for information on the Dynamic Three Chats featuring Christina Brashear (Owner of Samhain Publishing) and Sasha Knight (Editor Extraordinaire for Samhain). We're working on a couple of other live chat goodies, too. We'll keep you posted.

So what's up with my daughter's jewelry making? She just got a shipment of beautiful genuine gemstones and is designing some high quality necklace and bracelet set. If you like genuine blue or green jade, green or peach aventurine, amethyst, moonstone, agate, garnet, tiger's eye, etc., then we'll have something for you!
Sooooo, what am I up to? I've spent the weekend doing nothing but vegging and enjoying my family. Did I get any writing done? Nope! Did I get any proposals finished? Nope! Outline a new story? Hell no!

Holidays, in my way of thinking, are for hanging out and being grateful for your loved ones. So, that's what we did-hung out. And thanks to my goofy child, I have a new funny to share with you.

Christmas is coming and that means the Chevy Chase movie 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' - you know, the one where Chevy Chase has so many lights on the house it looks like a space ship is landing over top of it?

Check out a 30 recap of that movie...and be prepared to laugh: http://www.starz.com/features/bunnyclub/christmas_vacation/index.html

Tootles,

TJ

Why Do You Read Romance?

I wasn't sure what to blog about today. I don't have any news (apart from Fallen Idol coming out on the 29th) and things seem fairly ordinary at home. The only excitement we've had recently is my husband going to the dirt shop to purchase soil for his garden and cramming it into his work van. He's frightened to open the rear doors in case it all falls out since it's loose dirt. Or I could tell you about the dog thinking the two painters that came to look at the house were going to steal her bone and trying to shift it. The bone is almost bigger than her. See what I mean - not that riveting!

I thought I'd get back to basics. Why do you read romance? What is it that keeps you reading more?

The happy endings do it for me. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I like the predictability of knowing that the hero and heroine are going to end up together. It doesn't matter whether they are battling sea monsters, aliens or the neighborhood bully who lives at the corner of the street - in the end, love will triumph.

I like visiting new worlds without the discomfort. If I want real and gritty I book an overland holiday! I love exploring the question of "what if". What if there really was magic and witches, wizards and vampires were part of our world. (Can you tell I've finished reading Thrice United? Run, don't walk, to get your copy. Lauren has done it again - produced a wonderful read with characters that stay long after "the end") I love to believe in magic.

Why do you like reading romance?

This is a photo of me at the Antarctica Centre in Christchurch from our recent holiday. I'm pretending to be down at Scott Base with the penguins but notice the handbag and tevas? What can I say - I have a vivid imagination and that's why I'm a writer.

And in case you wanted to know what happened to the dirt - it's early Saturday morning here in New Zealand. My husband has backed up his van as close as he can to the garden and opened the doors...

Meet Rafi

I'm arriving at Ellora's Cave next week on Wednesday 29 November. I hope you'll be there to meet me. I'm in love, but the one I love wants another. I work hard, traveling the galaxy, and try to forget...

Fallen Idol
by Shelley Munro

Space captain Rafi Mura has a guilty secret. He loves his best friend Roberto “Bob” Azam in a romantic, sexual kind of way. Not that he’s fool enough to confess since friendships have died for lesser reasons.

Bob is a renowned Sex Idol champion who has fallen on hard times after a tricky Kama Sutra move leaves him badly injured. Now dubbed the Fallen Idol all Bob wants is to reconcile with his former partner Fifi and regain her love.

Rafi is horrified when circumstances throw them together. Temptation. Promises. Stupid promises. He wishes he’d never agreed to help Bob prepare to go out on the sex circuit again.

Each sensual touch places Rafi constantly on edge and he hungers for more. Much more. Rafi needs to walk away yet he can’t bear the thought of anyone else training with Bob, touching his lover. Each lingering stroke, each compelling kiss is pure torture. Rafi doesn’t know what to do. He can’t admit the strength of his feelings because he’ll lose everything—lover and best friend—but he can’t help thinking that guilty secrets have a way of biting the unwary in the butt.

Reader Advisory: This is a same gender novel

Snail Porridge

I watched an English cooking program on TV last night. A pub in Berkshire, England, called The Fat Duck, has been named in the top ten restaurants in the world. One of their prize winning recipes is Snail porridge. The idea, according to the chef, came to him when one of his workers was raving about fish porridge and he was thinking about snails. He wondered "what if?" and snail porridge was born.

I immediately thought "Yuck" and watched with horrified fascination while the chef made up porridge and turned it bright green with the addition of herb and garlic butter plus stock from the snails. He then briefly sauted the snails, poured the bright green porridge on a plate, popped the snails on top and garnished it. I'll admit the final product still wasn't my cup of tea, but it did look interesting. Here's the recipe in case you're inspired.

It made me think of the unusual things I've eaten in the past. I have eaten snails before (in my pre-vegetarian days) and frogs legs. (they taste like chicken). I've tried crocodile when I was in Africa. The cooking method makes a difference. One lot I tried was very tough! I've watched everyone else eat various game meat such as zebra, buffalo, and gazelle at Carnivores in Nairobi. When we were in Mexico we purchased dried grasshoppers at the market and ate those. They weren't very nice since the legs got stuck in our teeth.

What's the most unusual food you've eaten?

Lord of the Ring?

Today I'm doing something different. If you're drinking anything while you check out the link to the little video down below...PUT IT DOWN AND STEP AWAY FROM THE CUP! Why? Cause this is darned funny! Don't get me wrong - I am a Lord Of The Rings junkie, but this made me look at the quest a little differently *snark*. WARNING: The link below leads to a spoof of Fellowship Of The Ring done by the crew of Saturday Night Live. I don't even LIKE Saturday Night Live and it still had me laughing!

NOTE: This is totally for fun and is as far from politically correct as you can get. If you are easily offended, please don't go any further.

SPOOF OF FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

TJ LMAO!

Shelley's Prizewinner!

And the winner of a print copy of FOLLOW THAT DREAM is:

Cathy


Congrats Cathy! Please email me at shelley munro @ gmail.com (no spaces) with your full name and address and I'll send you your prize.

Shelley

I'm just like any Middlemarch shifter--all I need is love

Hi,

I'm Saul, one of the characters from Shelley Munro's release out today - STRAY CAT STRUT. I'm friendly with the Mitchell brothers - you might remember meeting me briefly in SCARLET WOMAN.

At the moment I'm working as a guide, based at Mt Cook village. It's a beautiful place, as you can see from the picture, but I'll admit. I'm lonely.


I met a male lion shifter in the pub last night. Not that my father would approve since it reinforces my gay status, but Lucas is incredible. Tall. Golden. Sexy. Our gazes met and we clicked. The evening turned into night. The sex was hot. Intense. Real magic that doesn’t happen every day. Hell, it electrified me. By the time the night was over I craved more…I hungered for a future because it’s no fun living alone like a stray cat. I’m just like every Middlemarch shifter, gay or not. All I want is love.


Buy my story from Ellora's Cave today.

TJ's Newsletter Contest Winner

Hey everybody! How is everyone? I am happy to say that I am now completely sniff, snot and cough free! Woohoo!

Thank you for all the fabulous suggestions for the new newsletter! You'll see it around the first of the year (it won't take my webdiva that long to create it, but it'll take me that long to write it!) I don't write particularly slow, but I do have two full novels that have to be completed by February. Soooo, if I post a rant on the blog about how boneheaded my heroes are, don't be alarmed :D

The winner of the Newsletter Naming contest is: LADYVAMPIRE2U!

Lady has won a Samhain Publishing Gift Certificate! Please send me an e-mail to tj@tjmichaels.com to claim your prize.

IMPORTANT: You have one week (until 11/24/2007 with an extra day thrown in for Thanksgiving) to claim your prize!

Happy Wednesday, ya'll

There She Blows...and a contest...

I've always wanted to visit Kaikoura in the South Island because of the whale watching. My husband wanted to visit because of the crayfish and other delicious seafood on offer. My man just loves his food. Luckily both our dreams came true!

Whale watching takes place in Kaikoura year round because the water is very deep just off shore - a deep sea trench (Hikorangi Trench) that's between 3000 - 6000 feet deep is full of squid and other delicacies and this attracts several species of whales. The whales we saw when we visited were Sperm whales.


We ended up seeing the whales from the air as well as by sea. Originally we'd planned to do the trips on different days but with bad weather on the way, we changed our plans and did both excursions on the same day. The weather was wonderful - sunny and clear - and we could see the snow clad mountains that surround Kaikoura clearly. First was the flight. We flew on the Cessna (shown above - note the handbag. It made me laugh when I saw it in the photo because it seemed out of place!). The flight was 35 minutes long but Sperm whales dive and stay down for up to 45 minutes then come back up to the surface to rest for around 5 - 10 minutes. We flew round and round and didn't see anything apart from the beautiful scenery. Luckily if there are no sightings the pilot flies for an extra ten minutes. Just when we'd given up hope five sperm whales popped up at the same time! From the air it's easier to see how big they are and you're able to see the whole whale. It was amazing.


In the afternoon we went out on a boat. As well as several sperm whales we saw Dusky dolphins playing and getting all amorous and also seals leaping from the water. We saw several different sea birds, one of which was an albatross.

The next day the weather closed in, covering all the mountains and the sea was much rougher. Several people were seasick when we went in good weather. I hate to think how the passengers coped with the rougher weather. My husband played golf and in the afternoon we visited a historic cottage and walked along the beach. We filled in our day quite nicely. Blogger won't let me post another photo of the dolphins so I'll post it on another day.

CONTEST:
I have a print copy of FOLLOW THAT DREAM (contemporary) to give away. All you need to do is post a comment and I'll choose a winner on Friday. Post away!

Eewww! Hack! And a Contest, Too!

I've been stuck in bed since Thursday. Nasty stuff. I wasn't feeling all that great on Wednesday evening but didn't think much of it. I went to work on Thursday and didn't make it to lunchtime. So, other than a few posts here and there I haven't done much online this week.

IT'S WONDERFUL! Trust me, I'm not demented, I promise. Well...not right now, anyway. Usually I spend so much time peeking here and there on the web, I don't get much else done. I haven't had the energy to keep up with what everyone else is doing BUT lots of sleep gave me an idea for the third book in the V.C.O.E. vamp series (Samhain) and a follow up to JAGUAR'S RULE (EC) that brings that book together with SPIRIT OF THE PRYDE.

I also got the release date for Gift Wrap Optional: DECEMBER 15TH! Woohoo!

And my daughter, in between bringing me cups of tea, designed an awesome amethyst and light blue jade bracelet! It's so yummy I almost hate to give it away. But it'll be a prize in an upcoming contest so stay tuned (I'll put a picture up as soon as I have the energy).

And last, I need a name for a brand new online newsletter I'm putting together. So, let's turn it into a contest, eh?

So, here's what you do: Give me some ideas for THE NAME OF THIS NEWSLETTER. Post as many times as you want between now and Wednesday and your name goes into the hat for a Samhain Gift Certificate - that way you can get whatever book you want.

Hell, I should get sick more often. I'm on a roll!

Okay, I'm back to NyQuil...

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

Home Again

Hello,

It seems like we've been away forever instead of just eight days. We had a wonderful time in the South Island, and I have heaps of photos as promised. I'll post some next week. We relaxed, explored, ate too much and I read LOTS of books on my PDA. I didn't do much writing, although I have to say I'm inspired and full of new ideas. Watch this space for future books and holiday plans. We're already planning which corner of New Zealand we might explore next.

Tomorrow it's back to normal. I have to take my husband to golf early in the morning and attack the washing and ironing. Oh, yeah. One big chore - I'll need to wash the dog when she arrives back from my father's farm. It won't be pleasant for either of us!

What's everyone doing for the weekend?

Camels!

I'm a sucker for animals, and I love going camel riding whenever the opportunity presents itself. This is a bit strange considering my first experience wasn't the best. The day after we went riding I had difficulty walking, and let's just say I wouldn't have looked out of place strolling along in the company of cowboys. I was definitely bandy-legged!

They're not the prettiest of creatures and they don't smell the best. They fart and grunt and groan and some of them are extremely bad tempered.

The photos are taken in Egypt. There's another photo of this wee chappie on my website where he's trying to get up close and personal with me. There was a group of us and we each rode a camel. We were in the Western Desert. They were part of a herd of mothers and babies and they ambled along quite happily without the normal grunting and groaning. It was the best camel ride ever!

This other photo, also taken in Egypt, was before we set out to visit St Simeon's Monastry. These camels weren't as nice but it was still lots of fun. I always wonder what would happen if they decided to take off. So far that hasn't happened! Luckily for me!! Getting off and on the camels is half the fun and the first time it's a bit alarming. If you're not careful you can tip over their heads.


I've only ridden the camels that have one hump but have seen a few of the two-humped camels. A camel's gait is quite different from a horses but is surprisingly comfortable once you get used to it. Camel riding is definitely something you should try once in your life time.

Sunday Pie!

I'm with Lauren - this week was so trying I, too, am glad to see it gone! But now on to the good stuff... (Sorry but stupid blogger isn't letting me upload pictures. I'll try again later.)

Have you ever had a recipe given to you by someone, say your grandma or your mom, and you look at it and say, 'Huh?' Where are all the measurements? Where's the canned stuff I'm supposed to put in it? Well, this is one of those recipes! But it's so good you'll thank me later. Note: All of this, with the exception of the eggs, is based on your preference of how sweet or spicy you want your pie, m'kay?

SWEET POTATO PIE
3 fresh sweet potatoes (yams will do as well)
2 Eggs
Pie crust - fresh or frozen will do
White Sugar
Brown Sugar
Butter - REAL butter, mind you. Not that margarine stuff :D
Cinnamon
Vanilla
Dash of Salt
Baking Powder
Flour

Here we go: Wash the sweet potatoes and rub them down with a little bit of vegetable oil. Put them in a baking pan and stick them in the oven on 375. Bake them until they're done. Well, when is that? When you can stick a fork in 'em with no problem. Sit the sweet potatoes aside to cool.

Poke some holes in the bottom of your pie crust and stick it in the oven to brown on the bottom. It takes five to ten minutes and keeps the pie from getting mushy on the bottom while the filling is baking in it later.

Peel the potatoes and mash them in a bowl (I cheat and use a food processor). Add the eggs and all the other ingredients, except the flour and baking soda (you'll add those last, after the filling is as sweet/spicy as you want it). Mix well until smooth.

NOW, add a little bit of flour and about a half-teaspoon of baking soda to give it some texture. Put the whole lot into your pie shell and bake at 350 until done. It takes about an hour. I bake mine until it's dark brown on top. Be sure to let it settle a bit before you serve it. Plop some whipped cream on top if you like, maybe some French Vanilla ice cream, and dig in.

When my web diva gets back we'll have a link to these recipes and more on my website so you don't have to wait until I post one to get 'em. We'll also have JEWELRY! Yes, I said jewelry. I'm a sucker for sterling silver (can't wear the fake stuff) and genuine gemstones so stay tuned for hand made jewelry, including jade, aventurine, jasper, amethyst, turquoise, and more. Also, we'll do some made to order stuff, too.

Happy baking and happy Sunday :D

TJ

Summer Holiday!

Tomorrow I'm heading off for a weeks holiday. The man and I are flying down to the South Island of New Zealand and exploring Canterbury. Christchurch is the main city, and it's the most "English" of areas in New Zealand. There's the river Avon, where you can go punting, a huge cathedral and square, and lots of the place names are English, named after the original towns, streets and rivers in Britain.

We're also intending to explore Hamner Springs, an area with thermal hot pools and Akaroa, which was a French colony. The part I'm looking forward to most of all is going whale watching at Kaikoura. I can't wait. The camera is all charged and ready to go. Prepare to suffer through the odd holiday shot or two on my return!

What's the most memorable holiday you've been on - either in your home country or overseas?

Happy Almost Friday (thank goodness!)

I usually post much earlier than 2:30pm my time, however I am currently doing the hair-on-fire chicken dance at work and posting as soon as I can.

But now that I have a minute, I'M GONNA CROW!

I don't usually do promos on my blog day and prefer to talk about typical life stuff that occurs in our everyday lives...but today I just can't help it!

As of Tuesday, I've sold my SEVENTH book this year! I'm twirling and whirling around in circles and just out of my mind with glee!

And the timing couldn't be more perfect. On Tuesday morning I received the most awful, just ridiculous news at work (I'm not fired, but what happened is probably worse) which I won't go into here...then a half hour later I received an e-mail with the contract offer!

So, SERATI'S FLAME, the follow up to my multicultural vampire book coming in February called CARINIAN'S SEEKER, is now under contract!

Now...I guess I have to go write it! And special thanks to LAUREN! She helped me get the goods ready for this proposal to go out and her insight and comments were invaluable.

Now I need to have some kind of celebration thingy for this. Got any ideas?

TJ *dizzy as hell from spinning around in her chair*

The Aliens Have Landed!

Yes, it's true. The aliens have finally touched down in their spaceship - actually crashed is a better description, according to Janaya. But never mind - they've arrived!

ROMANCING THE ALIEN by Shelley Munro is now available in print at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and a bookstore near you. Read all about it! Learn of the aliens' adventures in the small isolated outpost called New Zealand.

Excerpts available at my website

Buy your copy today.