The Dynamic Trio: Because Who Doesn't Want A Threesome?

We've Moved House!

2007-01-29T04:17:00.000-05:00

We've moved house. Come and check out our new website and blog. We'd love to see you :-)

Our new address is here

Shelley

Underwear, Elastic and Words of Wisdom

2007-01-28T03:21:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this the other day, compliments of the Oprah Winfrey Show (which I never watch). But I just love these words of wisdom from Maya Angelou.

When asked about what she's learned in life, Ms. Angelou said:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
“I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."
"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."
"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."
"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."
"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."
"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."
"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

I don't usually forward chain letters, but if you like, feel free to pass this on to five phenomenal women today. If you do, something good will happen: You will boost another woman's self-esteem. If you don't...the elastic will break and your underpants will fall down around your ankles!

Meme Type Thing

2007-01-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

The totally fabulous Maura Anderson tagged me

Contemporary, Historical or Paranormal?
I like them all but i'm picky about authors in all three. I love paranormals the most probably, but as it's what I write most often, I need a break sometimes. I usually move to contemps or sci-fi and then historicals. I do love historicals but it takes me a bit to get back into the language differences.

Hardback, Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Generally, MM. But most of my friends write in trade, so I buy their books that way. Very occasionally I buy in hardback (hey, it's expensive for a girl addicted to books!) usually just for JD Robb books and the new Sookie books.

Heyer or Austin?
Austin absolutely hands down

Amazon or Brick & Mortar?
I have three children who are holy terrors (read my There are DAYS entry from earlier this week) so Amazon is way easier for me. Plus I signed up for the free plus and I never bothered to unsubscribe so now I get free two day shipping, which rocks I must admit. Still, I do love to shop in brick and mortar bookstores, there's nothing more satisfying than rows and rows of books all waiting to be fondled.

First romance novel you ever remember reading?
Forever by Judy Blume.

Alphabetize by author, alphabetize by title or random?
Um, no. On the shelf if I'm lucky, more often in four foot high piles because the shelves are all full.

Keep, throw away or sell?
I keep about 1/3 (used to be more but I don't have the room!) the rest I give away or donate.

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
Remove it, it's too floppy and it bugs me when I'm trying to read.

Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake?
I like Sookie. Sookie is more tangible to me and I like her personality more. Still, I like the AB books.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
I try to make it to chapter breaks but sometimes I just can't I'm too dead tired.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
Neither.

Crusie or SEP?
Okay, this question is totally unfair. Because I adore both and really for the same reason - they take unexpected characters and make them work. Crusie's humor is more snarky like mine but SEP has this unbelievable talent in making a character you should not like at all, a real heroine. I love them both and I read everything they write. I will say it was Crusie's Welcome to Temptation that really made me think writing romance was something I wanted to try - she used these quirky characters who weren't perfect by any stretch and she made it work. Oh and I'll never, ever forget the dock scene...

Buy or borrow?
I do both.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, recommendations or browse?
Hmm, well recommendations by people whose tastes are similar to mine first. Then I browse and I do use reviews if they're from a source I trust. Personal tastes being what they are, I've read great reviews of books I hated, still getting why they got that review - now that's a good review (or vice versa in many cases too) I have my review go to places and my go to reviewers as well.

Tidy ending or cliff-hanger?
Depends on what's right for the story.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or evening reading?
Most of the time it's evening, I don't have the time during the day.

Series or stand alone?
I just like good books. Sometimes they're series books, sometimes they're standalone

Favorite book of which no one else has heard?
No one? Nah, I hang out with a lot of very booky peeps, they're all quite book savvy. How about favorite book I wish more people knew about? That would be Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon - it's cyber noir and it contains some of the most beautiful writing (in a dark and edgy way) I've read in a long time.

I'm supposed to tag people but many of us have been tagged so let me try Anya, Megan, TJ and Shelley.

Facial Hair for Heroes

2007-01-26T03:53:00.000-05:00

Heroes and their physical appearance have figured on my mind recently since I'm starting to write a new book. After thinking about it I realized that every single one of my heroes so far has been clean shaven. That's about twenty-five books worth of clean shaven heroes with a sprinkling of stubble here and there.

It's not that I have any objections to facial hair on men. My husband has a moustache, and I don't mind a beard if it's well-groomed and not too bushy - sort of a goatee type. Bushy, Santa Claus beards - no. Not going there.

My husband grew a beard when we did an overland trip through Africa. By the time we reached London he looked wild and woolly. Definitely not a nice look although it did come in handy on Christmas day. He looked the part when he dressed up as our Santa Claus and distributed presents. Apart from the gray that is. In Africa our Santa's beard was on the ginger side!

What do you think about facial hair on your romantic heroes?

Beauty and The ... Jerk?

2007-01-25T13:49:00.000-05:00

When I read a romance, I read for the fantasy of the story. I want something that won’t remind me of all the stuff I deal with on a daily basis. But while reality bites, there has to be a bit of life thrown in so I can relate to and/or understand the characters.

Heroines are important in any story, but today I wanna talk about men.

The hero in any book plays half the part, which means he's got a major role, in whether I'll escape reality and curl up with the story until my eyeballs cross or I fall asleep. I have yet to see a book cover with an ugly man on it. But what do you do when the hero on the cover of the book doesn't quite match up with the hero inside the book?

What do you mean, TJ? Do you mean the guy on the cover is six-foot-four, drop dead gorgeous with rippling abs and, er, certain other desirable body parts, while the hero in the story is five-foot-four with a face like a pit bull?

Not really.

What I mean is when I'm finished reading the blurb and drooling over the cover, I expect a story where the hero and heroine have a hell of a ride to happily-ever-after. Now that doesn't mean the hero can’t be flawed. Doesn't mean I can't do a haunted, broken, trying-to-figure-out-life kind of guy. Now, what the hell does that have to do with romance?

If the hero is more beautiful inside than outside, it's still a story I can get into. In the end, it’s all about the jerk factor. And that factor is different for everyone.

Hero + Gorgeous + Alpha + Vulnerable = Oh baby!
Hero + Broken But Strong of Heart + Not So Gorgeous + Willing To Go All Out = Oh, baby!
Hero + Gorgeous + Jerk = TJ Moving On To The Next Story

What adds up to an awesome or not-so-awesome hero for you?

Oh, Come On Contest Winner

2007-01-25T13:43:00.000-05:00

The names have gone into the hat...and the winner is (drum rolllll) ...

KimW!

Since you're shivering from the cold where you live, you'll receive a download of Spirit of the Pryde. Nice and warm where the lions have come out to play :D

Kim, please e-mail me at tj@tjmichaels.com with the format you'd prefer.

You have one week to claim your prize.

Tootles, ya'll!

Unforgettable by Shelley Munro

2007-01-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

My next release, UNFORGETTABLE is out on Feb 21. It's sort of crept up on me and I hadn't realized release day was so close until I saw my cover on the Ellora's Cave coming soon page. My website isn't even updated yet, although my web lady has the info and the update should be finished in the next few days.

Unforgettable is a historical set during World War 2. It's a story that has niggled at me for ages, demanding that I wrote it.

Here's the blurb:

1941. Britain is at war and under threat from the enemy. Life is fragile and love is more important than ever.

Margo can’t forget Johnnie. A chance meeting brings an opportunity to correct past mistakes, to show him they belong together. Bombs rain down on the city and they take refuge. It’s a night of discovery, of passion and bittersweet love laced with danger and the realization that Johnnie must return to fight the enemy. Margo is thrilled, but in the morning old problems resurface and she faces one final test to prove their love is unforgettable.

Also out last week: SNAP!

Snap! is available now from Triskelion Publishing in e-format and the print version is now available for preorder on Amazon.

Snap! is a humorous look at what happens when Alice receives an unexpected inheritance. Once Alice learns her inheritance is a condom company her life becomes full of complications...

Titilating Tuesday!

2007-01-23T13:32:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to dinner with friends and on the drive to the restaurant, I heard this news blurb that yesterday - that Monday in January - is the most "blue" day of the year. They said it was a number of things: the holidays being over, the weather, holiday bills arriving, people failing on resolutions, etc.

I was thinking about that. Yesterday, until I had dinner and talked about writing and books for several hours over dipping things in melted cheese and chocolate, was an odd sort of day. This week has been crazy. I'm trying to catch up on 101 things I need to do and it just seems like there's not enough time in the day to do them all. There's the waiting for projects out there (and the subsequent bouts of elation, expectation and doubt). I owe someone crit that I've promised and every time I get into it, I get interrupted by yet another pressing thing, sigh. My son is involved in play rehearsals and math club, the other is in preschool, the two year old is at turns a nasty, vile monster and a cuddle monster. My sweet husband is never demanding but he deserves attention and I love to be with him and there's deadlines.

In the midst of all that, I got a release date months and months from now and it throws a wrench into the works of my schedule. Which agitates the ordered part of my mind, the list maker who lives inside me who says, "hey! I have a plan here!"

Happily though, I'm a sort of generally upbeat person. I can find humor and a bright side to most everything and really, in the big picture, this isn't so bad. And I got to see old friends and meet folks I'd only known online - and eat excellent food. So all in all, the bluest day of the year ended on a nicely non-blue note.

Anyway, I'm babbling but that's not so different than normal. I hope to finish at least three of the pressing things on my schedule today starting with mailing off some needed information to several people.

Anyone going to RT or Lori Foster's reader/author gathering? I am and I love to meet folks so let me know!

OH! And if you all head over to my website, you'll see I have a new contest up.

It's All About the Romance

2007-01-22T04:28:00.000-05:00

I've seen a few posts online lately about readers purchasing books labeled as romances but on reading them they discover there's nothing romantic about the book. i.e. no satisfying happy-ever-after ending. This leads to a cheated feeling on the part of the reader, and it probably doesn't help the author's sales either since unhappy readers tend to vote with their wallets.

As a reader I stick mainly to romance with the odd foray into mysteries, fantasy and science fiction. At the moment I'm reading The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff. It's a science fiction and anyone who has read this story will know there's no romance. But, the seeds of possibility are there. Although I'm enjoying the book, I keep thinking, "Go on. Get the heroine involved with that human guy. I know she likes him." This is the second Tanya Huff book I've read recently and I thought the same thing all the way through the book. To be fair, the heroine is pretty busy fighting aliens and keeping her team of marines alive. I don't suppose there is much time for her to hook up romantically even though I keep hoping.

For a book to qualify as a romance, it needs a relationship between two people that grows throughout the book and ends in a happy-ever-after. That's my definition, at any rate, and the way I classify a book as a romance or as something else.

What do you think about the way some publishers are labeling their products as romances when they're not really a romance at all?

How do you define romance?

Shelley

Oh, come on! (Contest)

2007-01-21T03:11:00.000-05:00

Ya'll, I have so had it with the snow. Now only is there still snow all around my house from the first blizzard before Christmas, but there's been snow every weekend for the last four weeks. I don't typically like Colorado summers because they're so darned hot, but I'm actually looking forward to a bit of heat.

What's happening with the weather in your neck of the woods?

For everyone who posts, your name will go into a hat. If selected and you happen to live in a part of the country that frickin' freezing, your prize will be a download of SPIRIT OF THE PRYDE, set in the balmy Spring weather of Wyoming.

If your name is drawn and you happen to live in a part of the country that's good and warm, I'll send you a download of Gift Wrap Optional, set in the snowy Colorado mountain.

Happy Upcoming Spring!

TJ

Love Motels?

2007-01-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

As most of you know I have a fixation on Japan. As a matter of fact, part of Book 3 of the V.C.O.E. series takes place there. A friend of ours, a former San Diego-an, now lives there with his family. Here's a snippet of an e-mail he recently sent regarding the Japanese "love motel."

What does this have to do with romance novels? Well, it's kinda got me thinking. I typically write about women who have some life experience, are accomplished in their own lives BEFORE they meet their destined mate. But what if both the hero and heroine are successful in their careers, but neither has any experience with the dynamics of love relationships? Or one has kids and the other is taking care of his aging parents? The issue – no privacy.

As you read, keep in mind, these are not the sleaze shops we see on the news here in the U.S. (for example, a call girl wouldn't use a love motel to, er, conduct business in Japan) could you see a couple in one of your favorite novels going to a love motel?

Here's what Pete wrote:
"One of the more famous recent images of Japan are its "love hotels," those interesting establishments which provide privacy for couples who would otherwise have no place to go to be alone. They're known by many names, including "avec," "tsurekomi yado," and "motel" (which causes plenty of confusion when Japanese go to the U.S. for the fist time), but the industry seems to be encouraging the term "fashion hotel" to promote a more positive image for the 21st century. For $40 (a 3 hour "rest") or $80 (an overnight” stay"), couples can enjoy an intimate experience with total privacy, complete with separate elevators for incoming and outgoing guests and a pneumatic tube system that lets you pay without ever meeting anyone. "

"Generally located around the outskirts of Japanese cities or near freeway on-ramps, love hotels are often centered around a theme, like the Taj Mahal or Cinderella's Castle or Alcatraz Prison. (I'm holding for a room based on the final scenes from 2001:A Space Odyssey, complete with Monolith and space pod.) While the pragmatic concept of love hotels might seem odd to some, I believe they serve an important role in society here, and even help keep families from disintegrating. In the U.S., an eighteen-year-old boy who gets a girlfriend has an incentive to move out with her, perhaps making mistakes that both will regret down the road. But in Japan, where kids stay in the nest well into their 20s (and if they're the oldest son or daughter, live with their parents forever, taking over the family home and business, if there is one), everyone has access to all the privacy they could need."

Perhaps Kenoe Hatsept (character you meet in V.C.O.E. Books 1 and 2) will end up in one of these in Book 3? Perhaps the Taj Mahal themed place? Hmmmm...

Chat Tonight!!

2007-01-16T19:10:00.000-05:00

Hey All!

Please join us tonight at 6 pm pacific/9 eastern at the Maverick Authors Chatroom with our special guest, Christina Brashear of Samhain Publishing! If you're curious about Samhain please come by to say hello! She'll be with us for the first half of the chat so bring your questions.

Titilating Tuesday

2007-01-16T19:09:00.000-05:00

More freaking snow! I tell you, I am DONE with snow. I want my mild Northwest winter back please. And I want my children back in school.

I’m halfway done with my synopsis for The Others. I hate writing synopsis but as I was just discussing with Anya that writing them helps me see the book like a machine. Helps me focus in on what’s truly important and how to work those elements and forget about the little stuff. It also helps me get focused on the story pacing. These are things I don’t see with such ease when I’m pantsing it. But when I’m pantsing, I’m more open and the story can sneak up on me. I like that.

There are plusses to both approaches I think and as I go on, I learn more and can use more tools to write better books, which certainly doesn’t hurt!

Anyway, I want to be done with this synopsis so I can clear the partial out of my computer and get it to my agent. I know Chased edits will be hitting soon and Threat of Darkness edits are due tomorrow and FLE will be coming for Ascension too. All sorts of stuff! I need to get to Wolf Unbound as well and also write a proposal for the next Spice anthology and do my edits on Stripped and write Making Chase all very soon.

I hope to see you at the chat tonight!

Historical Blitz

2007-01-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

I haven't read a historical for ages. I used to love them, in fact my keeper shelf contains quite a few historicals written by Amanda Quick, Julie Garwood, Andrea Kane, Judith McNaught and Johanna Lindsey. I went off historicals a bit when they started to read as the same book with slightly different characters and were all set during the Regency time period. I've always loved paranormals (before they became fashionable) so I just read more of those to compensate.

The other day I picked up THE RAVEN PRINCE by Elizabeth Hoyt. I finished it yesterday and can't wait to buy her next book, which is due out this year. It's set in 1760, which is pre-regency, and has an older heroine (a widower) and a hero who has bad small pox scars. I loved the characters. The hero has a temper but this doesn't throw the heroine in the slightest.

I'm reading TEMPT ME by Lucy Munroe at the moment. It's a regency set book (1820) and so far it seems more traditional than THE RAVEN PRINCE but I'm still enjoying it. Obviously I needed a bit of a rest from historicals to appreciate them again.

In a bit of blatant promo I've written two historicals. The first is THE SECOND SEDUCTION. It's available now from Amazon etc and is set during Georgian times (1720 England), which is my favorite period. I actually think people were naughtier in the era than during Regency times. My second historical is called UNFORGETTABLE and it's out on Feb 21 from Ellora's Cave. This book is set during World War 2, which is my other favorite setting. Although on the surface the time was very proper, the war changed everything and love made people feel alive. Sex and love was a way of affirming life.

Do you read historicals? What is your favorite setting? Have you read a good historical lately?

Help! I Have A Book To Read...

2007-01-14T11:31:00.000-05:00

I am officially e-spoiled. I hardly ever go to the local bookstore anymore, getting anything I need online. Well, I received a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas and went to the local bookstore to 'spend' it. Spotting a couple of books in the Fantasy section I've been wanting forever, I snapped 'em up and was hooked by page 2...but haven't read much further.

I'M SPOILED! So hooked on my eBook reader I've found myself re-reading books on my eBookwise rather than the new books I just picked up at the bookstore.

Why? Because most of my reading is done late at night in bed. I can read my eBook reader in the dark. If I fall asleep it'll turn itself off. I can read and flip pages with one hand. It's nice to lay on my side, propped up on pillows and enjoying my book...and not have to move anything but a finger.

I still have bookshelves and boxes stuffed with great books I've read. But until my two recent paperback purchases, all of my last one hundred and fifty or so books (I've lost count) were all eBooks.

Do you have a preference? If so, why? Most important, can you recommend a good e-diction therapist?!

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

You Betta Work...

2007-01-13T21:08:00.000-05:00

Nephele Tempest wrote an entry at RTB this week that had me clapping while thinking on the general theme.

Essentially, what she said was, if you don’t commit to writing, you’ll never get that project done.
The thing is, I hear a lot from people about their WIP that never seem to be done. Years and years worth of writing the same book but it’s never finished. And don’t get me wrong, sometimes, that person isn’t really about finishing but the writing and it’s more a hobby than a goal to be published and that’s fine depending on what your goals are.

But the thing, the inescapable thing is that you cannot ever get your book published if you don’t finish it. Now there are loads of good reasons for not having time. I’ve got three of them under ten and one still in diapers (which I pray daily will soon end). I pick up and drive all over town, drop off, take to dental appointments, read endless stories to, play my little pony with, color, clean up after, make meals for and sometimes I even do housework. I write at night, even if I’m exhausted, after my kids are asleep. Sometimes I get in twenty minutes, sometimes I work for four or five hours. But I do it and I do it regularly because if I don’t, it won’t get done.

Do I drink a few glasses of wine sometimes and eat too much pizza and complain about not having any time to myself? Oh hell yes! Do I think, “oh I wish I had her schedule! I’d get so much more done if I did.” Yes. But I don’t have anyone’s schedule but my own and I never will so after I have to eat TUMS for the pizza, I start writing again. Because that’s the only path to getting published.

Is that a guarantee? Nope. Once you finish there are dozens of other hurdles, but you can’t even get to that point if you never finish.

And believe me, with every single book I write, I hit the shiny stage. You know, that other project you want to write sooo bad. The temptation is awful to set aside what you’re doing (because you hit the dreaded middle or whatever) and start on that shiny new thing. And sometimes? I have and finished that project and went back to the thing I’d set aside and it worked out just fine. But I only rarely give in to that temptation because I know it’s just that growing pain as the book hits the slow part and I’ve done it enough to know if I stick through it, I’ll be cooking again.

I had another writer say to me, not too very long ago, “well, it’s easy for you. Look how many books you’ve written. I have a job.” Like I sit around and eat bon bons all day (oh man, now that’s a schedule I’d envy). But even if I did, it doesn’t change her situation. Even if it was easy for me because Gerard Butler fed me grapes and gave me, er, inspiration all day long, she wouldn’t be me. So it’s a freaking waste of time for her to complain on top of being insulting because I work hard. Suck it up and write. Bitching won’t finish your fucking book. Whining won’t finish your book and it won’t change your time constraints.

Write or don’t, but make the damned choice and work to make it happen.

Frantic Friday

2007-01-12T16:28:00.000-05:00

I've tried to think of a clever title for Friday, much like Lauren's Titilating Tuesday. At the moment I'm stuck with Friday so if anyone has a brainwave please let me know.

It's true my week has been a bit frantic. I've been working on final edits for SNAP! all week and I'm pleased to say that they're all completed. In fact SNAP! releases on Jan 15 from Triskelion Publishing.

On Wednesday I went for my normal bike ride in the middle of the day. It helps to clear the cobwebs after writing or editing each morning. I had a wee bit of an accident. I was almost home and took a corner too fast. Suddenly there was a tree in front of me, and I just didn't have time to serve or brake. Crash! Bang! Ouch!

I picked myself up and managed to move all my limbs. The rate of blood flow wasn't too bad - just a bit of a gash on the top of my foot. I checked my bike next. It was covered with dirt and seemed to work. Um, the tree I'd crashed into was a sapling. I think it suffered the most since it was partially uprooted and leaned in a totally different direction. I rode my bike home and waited into I walked inside before bursting into tears then rang hubby. He was very sympathetic but has teased me ever since. We had to walk past and inspect the tree. My husband suggested I hug it. Insert eyeroll here. Does anyone want to take a family off my hands? They're not very well trained...

Anyway, I learned something from my accident - If you think you're taking a corner too fast, you probably are!

Thankfully the bruises are starting to fade (I had some beauties!) and my shoulder is not as stiff as it was the day after the accident.

I have a new cover for the electronic version of Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters. I quite like it. That's my little dog on the cover - pure snobbiness with her nose stuck in the air.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Does anyone have exciting plans?

Come Rub Toes With The Founder Of...

2007-01-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

...Samhain Publishing!

Yep, we've done it! The Dynamic Trio has scheduled the founder of Samhain Publishing, Ms. Christina Brashear, to come and hang out with us next Tuesday. Thanks in advance to the Maverick Authors who so graciously agreed to let us use their live chat room (actually, Lauren threatened them with a fork, but don't tell anyone).

Now, this is gonna be fun! Well, TJ, how do you know? Because Crissy is a hoot! Not to mention there's not a sane one among the Dynamic Trio. Some of ya'll were lulled into thinking I'm sane. But that's only becuase I've been in edit hell and off the loops for a minute. As for Lauren (Red Tigress) and Shelley (Blue Vixen) ... well, they just look sane but, take away their chocolate and shifters and they go plain bananas.

We'll be chatting, pimpin' books and giving away stuff so join us!
When: Tuesday, Jan 16th at 9:00pm EST
Where: The Maverick Authors Live Chat Room

(http://www.maverickauthors.com/chatroom.html)

Cover Goodness!!

2007-01-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

I've got the go-ahead to post the cover for my next Chase Brothers release from Samhain, Chased. It's purty!

This one comes out March 6 and is Marc's story. I posted an excerpt up at my messageboard yesterday if you want to get a sneaky peek.

Titilating Tuesday

2007-01-09T18:11:00.000-05:00

How is everyone today? It’s coooold! It started out at 50 and now it’s 38. They’re expecting snow tonight, more snow tomorrow including “thundersnow” Thunder snow? Jeebus! It’s usually so mild here but it’s been like, “TERROR WINTER!!!” Um, no thank you. I’ll take 50 and rainy please. My husband says it’s already snowing at his office.

I’m so so close to finishing my revision on Blood Moon. Like eight pages away. But a complicated sex scene snuck up on me as I was finishing last night. Oops. This couple is, well, they can’t keep their hands off each other but this last big scene is a menage of sorts. Well, not of sorts, it is a menage but anyway, you’ll see when you read it.

My two year old drew on her teeth with markers. Yes, she now looks like a prospector, complete with crazy hair. I wet it, put it up in a cute pony tail, she coos and pulls it down ten minutes later. I did hold her down and brush the ink away but her lips are still black. Mother of the year, people, I tell ya.

I heard the Pearl Jam cover of Love Reign O’er Me (The Who) and hooooley shite! I believe it’s my favorite cover ever and I need to buy it so I can listen to it until I hate it. Ed’s voice sounds so good. And I love Pearl Jam, I do, ask anyone who knows me. But their website sucks. Is there any info about the cover on it anywhere? No. They did a revamp of it last year and it’s a thousand times better than it was before, but it still sucks. You know, um, actual news is good, LOL.

Okay, I’ve babbled enough for now. I’ve put up excerpts of Chased and Sword and Crown at my messageboard if you want to go and check em out!

A Diary of Books Read for 2007

2007-01-08T04:10:00.000-05:00

I've noticed lots of bloggers mentioning the number of books they've read during 2006 and their favorites. To date I've read lots of books. I don't keep a list (except inside my head) and have no idea of the number of books read in a given year or the breakdown of genres or format. I decided it would be cool to keep a running list for the year so I have stats for 2007. I thought a simple spreadsheet would be the thing.

I read Nice Mommy~Evil Editor's blog fairly often and she had a post about a reading spreadsheet Rosario is offering at her blog. At first glance it's a bit complicated but it's so pretty. If you're thinking of charting your reading for the year definitely check it out.

I came to a decision - I'm going to give it a try.

Do you keep a record of books read during the year? If so, how do you record it?

Shelley

Hey Everyone! The Weekend Has Arrived...

2007-01-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

So I'm revising right now. I did one revision for my agent, who is pitching it on Tuesday so fingers crossed. And I'm nearly done with a revision of a book for EC, the follow up to Ascension. I had one title when I wrote it early in 06. But nine hundred people have that title so I just knew I'd have to change it so I did. But then I saw Keri Arthur's book (on my TBR pile now) has a very similar title and another ebook with the exact same title, sigh so I have to change it again. I hate changing titles but I have to do it like 50% of the time so I've just accepted it, LOL.

One cool thing about revision is that you can see how far your writing has come. Some days when I feel like I'm still as clueless as I was when I first started out, I'll crack open a first draft of something just to remind myself that I have learned a lot. Not that I don't have a lot left to learn still, god knows I do, but it's nice to see that I am learning and getting better at execution and storytelling.

The dude and I were drinking champagne last night and settling in to watch a movie - SNAKES ON A PLANE! The movie is hilarious. It's not supposed to be a comedy but it is. Anyway, we got interrupted like a dozen times including when the UPS guy came by at 8:30 to drop off my copy of Surviving Demon Island that I was just complaining hadn't come yet. But my two year old woke up and was not going back to sleep so I cracked open the amazon package and started reading SDI and didn't put it down until I was done sometime way after midnight. I blame Jaci Burton for my bad case of bleary eyetis today. SID is such a great book! I've always loved Jaci's books, she's one of my favorite authors but she's totally outdone herself with SDI. If you haven't read it yet, you really should. Now of course, I'm salivating for the next one.

Oh and a quick thank you - I got my sales numbers for November and I'm just so stunned that you all responded so well to Tri Mates and Thrice United - thank you all for supporting me and reading my books. I'd be nowhere without you all.

Ice Cream

2007-01-05T15:41:00.000-05:00

I love ice cream - really love ice cream - but it's not something we normally have in our house. For one, the freezer is too small for ice cream and two, I normally spend the calories on chocolate because that's my absolute favorite :-)

A few years ago we purchased an ice cream making machine. For several months we had lots of ice cream and experimented with flavors and recipes before deciding that we needed to stop for a while. We were both getting jelly bellies, which I can assure you is not a nice look!! This year we decided we'd drag the machine out of the cupboard and make ice cream. Just once or twice, you understand, and somehow we'd fit the ice cream in the freezer.

Yum!

The favorite flavor in our house at the moment is vanilla with shreds of real chocolate plus the left over apricot glaze (most of it was used on the Christmas ham). We've cut down on the sugar a little so it's not too sweet and it is just delicious.

And a confession - we've been eating LOTS of ice cream. Jelly belly alert :-(

Who likes ice cream? What is your favorite flavor? Have you ever tried making your own ice cream?

Dang It, I'm Late!

2007-01-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

I usually post early in the day, but today I'm actually playing mom. My day usually starts with me getting up and going to work, then rushing home so I can write or promo. Last night, my youngest came down to my room around 2:00 am after having a bout of vomiting of Exorcist-like proportions. It continued on into the day so I ended up staying home with him.

Can someone tell me where the rule is written that if your teen is up all night, then the mom has to be up all night, too? Well, written or not, that's just the way it works out. And as much as I complain about it, I wouldn't have it any other way.

But I did promise my kids that when they have children of their own that I'm going to spoil them rotten...then send 'em home! LOL!

TJ

By the way, CARINIAN'S SEEKER is coming! I happen to be in editing hell for that book, but it's coming next month! Woohoo!

Writing What We Like, Liking What We Write

2007-01-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

Recently, someone said to me, "so, since vampires are no longer in, are you going to write something else?"

Here's the thing, I write what I like. I don't write according to fashion or trends. I don't write vampires because they were new/hot/now. I don't write erotic because it's new/hot/now. I just write the stories that come to me.

Sometimes, when I remember back to the not too distant past when I was just a newbie, I think about all the things I thought were important that, with the passage of time, have turned out to be not so very important at all.

One thing though, that I've always thought was integral to my own writing and to others' writing as well has been staying true to the story inside you. And that's borne itself out time and again.

I didn't write the Witches Knot books because vampires were big at the time. I just wrote them because they were the stories and characters in my head. I write in multiple POV because that's how the story comes to me. I write erotic when I'm meant to and not when it isn't. It seems to me, the foundation of any good book is that the author told you what was clamoring in her had to be let free.

We all tell our stories differently. Some of us painstakingly plot out everything, some pants it the whole time and most do something in between. Some of us think in technical terms about our writing, some of us don't. We use different methods and voices but the stories that stand out are not ones that are written as a means to hit a trend, but ones that rise above the rest with a take on an idea that grabs the reader. That can't be boxed, it can't be trended or mapped, it just happens. It's organic in that sense and that's why it stands out.

Writers put a lot of pressure on themselves - we constantly measure ourselves against other people in ways that will only leave us lacking. It's silly and yet, we do it anyway. IMO, the biggest gift we can give ourselves is the freedom to write what we like so we can like what we write.

Indulging the Inner Child

2007-01-01T04:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was a bit later walking the dog than usual. It's been pretty quiet around here lately and when I passed the kids playground temptation hit me straight in the eye. The swings were all free and there wasn't a kid in sight. Ah-ha! I thought. I haven't had a swing for a long, long time. I really liked the idea. I skipped over and slid onto a swing. Moments later I was happily swinging with the wind whistling through my hair. What can I say? It was fun! Meanwhile the dog seemed quite happy sniffing at all the bushes so I carried on.

Then it happened.

Two little kids showed up on their bicycles. The two boys dropped their bikes on the ground and frowned at me while I continued swinging. They started to play on a climbing thingy that didn't look nearly as much fun as the swings and kept sending me furtive looks. Heck, the dog had worked out what was going on and she kept sending me embarrassed looks. I could almost read her mind.

"Get off the swings. What sort of owner are you? You're embarrassing me!"

Finally after a couple more swings to and fro I started to feel guilty. The adult in me told me to get off and stop being such a child. I climbed off, whistled the dog and when I looked back the two boys were playing on the swings.

I had to laugh, but damn, it was fun indulging my inner child.

Shelley

Hair? What Hair?

2006-12-31T15:07:00.000-05:00

Today my kids come home! Woohoo! They've been gone for a week and I was supposed to spend the time resting and writing. Well...I got a good bit of the writing part in there, but resting was out the window. There's still a ridiculous amount of snow on the ground, but at least I can get out of the driveway now, thanks to me, my back and a shovel.

And I'm so close to finishing SERATI'S FLAME I can almost taste it. One problem - I'm royally stuck! Two chapters left and I'm stuck on the ending. It's already outlined but I'm still struggling with it. Perhaps my heroine will just go ahead and pull her hair out...oh wait, she's already done that. Okay, maybe she'll declare she has a headache and just go to bed, leaving the ending up to the hero?

Hmmm. Somehow I don't think that'll work. But it's the last day of the year, it would be fabulous to end it with TheEnd.

I look forward to next year. We had some fabulous things happen, like my debut book, followed by three more releases, plus two contracts for 2007. But we also faced some serious challenges that I am so ready to be done with.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (and I'm sure it's not a train) and 2007 is going to be one of the best for me and my kids! Why? 'Cause I said so :D

TJ
www.tjmichaels.com

Looking Back (and a contest!)

2006-12-30T19:43:00.000-05:00

2006 has been an amazing year for me. Probably the best year of my entire life. 2005 was hard, lots of high highs and very low lows but 2006 I think was the year I finally hit my stride and met a lot of goals I had for myself.

January - I spent a lot of time recovering from the end of 2005, LOL. I got a new website design from the most incredible Frauke and Croco Designs. I sent out Giving Chase to Samhain, got a cover for Sleight of Hand.

February - Sleight of Hand released from Whispers - my first release of 2006 and my first novella! I hit the first major block in writing Threat of Darkness (way back then) and I worked on Tri Mates.

March - went to Las Vegas with my good buddies and had such a great time. Got the idea for GWAB. Celebrated Megan Hart’s book deal with Spice. I signed on with my agent, Laura Bradford!

April - Cascadia Wolves: Enforcer released from EC. Tri Mates is contracted. I sent in Thrice United to my editor as well. Got some pretty covers as well.

May - Offered contracts on Thrice Bound and Reluctant. Got edits on multiple books. Finished Sword and Crown

June - Giving Chase releases! Sudden Desire releases - both are new arenas for me - romantic suspense and a contemporary quickie - both did very well but Giving Chase did so well it renewed my confidence. Taking Chase was contracted.

July - my hard drive died and I lost pictures of my children. Oh that sucked! I wrote and wrote and wrote.

August - Vengeance Due released. I took my first solo vacation with my husband in over a decade - to Las Vegas. Got the idea for Stripped. Dealt with the death of our hard drive, took a family vacation. My four year old turned 5, my 1 year old turned 2. My agent hooked me up with Jodi Lynn Copeland and Anya Bast to pitch a Vegas themed anthology and I start writing Stripped.

September - Reluctant releases. I get deep into writing and editing. My agent pitches the What Happens in Vegas anthology and Goddess With a Blade.

October - Threat of Darkness and I continue to be at odds. I pick it up and put it down several times. Finally, at month’s end, I figure out the problem and finish up in relative ease and get it to my editor. Did edits for Sword and Crown and Taking Chase.

November - Tri Mates releases and I find out Thrice United will also release. On the same day Taking Chase releases. November was a very, very busy month. I SOLD STRIPPED TO HARLEQUIN SPICE! I sold Ascension and Threat of Darkness to EC and I got started on Chased. All told, I wrote right about 90K words in the month of November between original wip, edits, etc. November was a month that was incredibly productive and also gave me so much to be thankful for. It fueled me and got me back on track.

December - Finished Chased, finished a revision of Enclave - crits, more revision, off to editor and agent. Nearly done with partial of The Others, started revision of the next book after Ascension that is currently without a title. Wonderful holidays with my friends and family. Three CAPA nominations.

All in all, I’ve got a whole hell of a lot to be thankful and grateful for. Yes, I have worked damned hard, but without my family, without my readers and my friends, without my editors and my agent who all believe in me and support me - I don’t know where I’d be, but not here, looking back at a year of wonderful moments and successes.

As a way to say thank you, I’m going to do a contest. Head on over to my blog or my LJ and see the details!

The Reading Blitz

2006-12-30T01:44:00.000-05:00

Over the Christmas holiday break I've had a chance to do some extra reading. My husband is happy about this since my to-read pile is looking decidedly dangerous. Most of my reading has been in the paranormal and urban fantasy genres with a few m/m romances along the way. I tend to binge read in one genre before moving on to read another. I'm heading toward romantic suspense for my next binge with books by Virginia Kantra, Anne Stuart and Lauren Dane on the top of the pile.

A lot of the books I've read have been ones that other people have raved about. Some have worked for me and others haven't. I thought I'd mention a few of the ones I've really enjoyed over the last couple of weeks.

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh ( a New Zealand author. Nalini is a friend but I loved this book because it is a little different from the other paranormals currently available. I highly recommend it!!)

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (heroine is a coyote shifter)

Greywalker by Kat Richardson (heroine sees ghosts - this was also a bit different)

Without Reservations by JL Langley (m/m romance - two werewolves. I liked JL Langleys western set m/m books as well)

Twice the Cowboy by James Buchanan (m/m western set romance. Normally I prefer m/m romances written by women but I enjoyed this one. The author has done an awesome job with the setting. I was IN the rodeo arena with the cowboys)

Magic Study by Maria Snyder (fantasy with slight romance elements. Second book in series. The first one - Poison Study was also really good.)

The good thing about the books I've listed above is that most of them have sequels or loosely connected books coming early in the new year. Oops - looks like that pile is going to grow again. Please don't tell hubby!

What books have you read lately that you've really enjoyed?

New Year's Resolutions!

2006-12-28T17:21:00.000-05:00

Well, with another blizzard blowing into Colorado I couldn't think of anything to blog about except the weather.

Then I remembered that a new year is coming (duh!). So, I thought about making some resolutions, but then changed my mind. I'll just keep doing what I've been doing, with the exception of getting more sleep (I tend to stay up late) and increasing my fitness level by adding one more day at the gym. That's about it.

So...I'll keep writing, working at my job, working out, and looking after my teenagers. Hell, that's enough. I certainly don't need to add anything to such a list :D Thankfully, I do a pretty good job at it...well, I could wash dishes more often instead of making my kids do it...Naahhh! No way!

Resolutions, anyone? Oh, and hot hunky men are automatically included in every female's resolution wishlist, so no need to note them *wink* (You know I'm kidding - the men of our dreams are always of note!)

TJ

Coming Soon: SNAP! by Shelley Munro

2006-12-27T18:23:00.000-05:00

Here's an excerpt from my upcoming release, SNAP!
Snap is due for release in Jan 2007 from Triskelion Publishing and is a contemporary erotic romance set in New Zealand. As usual with my books, there's a bit of humor in there as well. Enjoy!

Shelley

BLURB:

An inheritance should be something pleasant, like money or jewelry or a personal memento. That’s exactly what accountant Alice Beasley is expecting the lawyer to announce at the reading of her aunt’s will—a nice surprise to ensure her future security.

Instead Alice inherits a condom company called Fancy Free along with numerous associated problems: elderly board members who are more preoccupied with eating cake, drinking coffee, knitting and frank discussions of sex; worrying troubles with production and design, the attentions of a stalker with a costume fetish, and then there’s the manager—James AKA Mr. Dashing. He makes her very nervous indeed.

It’s clear to Alice she has fallen down a rabbit hole into a chaotic Wonderland, and she’s waiting for someone to pinch her awake. Alice wants normal, she wants security and love, but what she gets is fun and passion and physical pleasure while bad boy James teaches her about managing a condom company…

EXCERPT:

“Are you really all right, dear? You look a little flushed.” The knitting lady again.

Alice jerked back to the present to find every one of the six board members staring at her again plus the admin lady and worst of all, the manager, James Bates. He wore a grin. It was almost as if he knew what she’d fantasized about and relived only seconds ago.

Oh, my. Steven was right. Her morals had fallen by the wayside. She was a wicked woman and was going to hell. Realizing she had yet to answer, Alice blurted, “Fine. I’m...ah...concentrating.” And how. If she concentrated on sex and condoms any harder she was going to self-combust. An x-rated version of Alice in Wonderland. Who’d have guessed?

“How’s the security?” Richard Maxwell asked. “Have we had any more breaches since we installed the security cameras on the roof?”

“The alarm hasn’t been tripped, but we’ve had a lot of problems on the production line recently. Supplies going missing and Scott, the floor manager discovered someone had changed the settings on the packing machine. Most of the boxes packed this week were short one condom. Of course we only found this out after they’d left the warehouse. We’ve had to recall them.”

“More money off the bottom line,” Sam Glengarry muttered, fingering his chin in a thoughtful manner. “Not good.”

“We’ll have to set up covert cameras on the floor,” Richard said. “I didn’t want to do that.”

“We’ll do what we have to,” Katarina stated. “Besides, I want to buy a red coupe with my next payout. Can’t do that if we don’t have profits.”

“Red?” Ben asked. “I’d get a black one. I heard on the radio today that the most desired car color in Britain is black.”

“Humph,” Katarina said. “It’s a bugger to keep clean. Fingerprints all over the paintwork. There’s nothing worse.”

“Can we get back to condoms?” James demanded with a trace of impatience.

Joseph Craig nodded, even though it was clear his mind was on bonuses. “That’s a bit rough. Too much money invested in the X-100. We must sort out our security problems before the public gets wind of it. Can’t have the consumers losing confidence in the integrity of Fancy Free’s products.”

Everyone around the table nodded. The board moved on in discussions.

Rita Jamieson, the admin lady produced another life-sized penis made of fiberglass from a padlocked wooden box, placed it on the table and competently rolled on a teal green condom with purple dots. Harriet Te Whare glanced up from her lime green and canary yellow knitting. “I’m not sure about the color selections.”

“Rubbish,” Ben Kumar stated. “Purple is the new black. I suppose we could have black dots since that color is so popular on cars.”

“Of course we’ll have several colors,” James said. “A matching palette. These are just two examples.”

“I’m more worried about the design.” Joseph Craig picked up the model to survey it from all angles. “And I’m still not sure about these dots. What have the people in the trials said about comfort?”

“The raised dots are fine,” James said, picking up the other model. “I’ve used it myself. See the way they move when I touch them? It’s like a mini vibration.”

“But they’re much bigger than our regular raised dots model,” Joseph argued. “We’re using extra latex in the design because the dots are larger.”

“No. We have the right amount of latex.” James picked up the fiberglass model. “Pretend my hand is the woman’s vagina. See how the dots fan outward like tiny brushes?”

Alice stared, her mouth pursed in astonishment and partial shock as he showed the rest of the board how the new condom functioned. His fist acted as the woman’s vagina while he used his other hand to thrust and demonstrate how the raised dots functioned during use. They didn’t bat an eyelid but paid close attention and asked intelligent questions. Alice leapt from one shock to another and learned more about the theory of sex and the practical application of condoms in the course of the day than she’d soaked up in all her twenty-five years.

Barbie Shoes, Legos and My Little Pony....

2006-12-26T19:33:00.000-05:00

We're slowly recovering here. The kids are still hyper after yesterday but only two meltdowns for my two year old today versus one hella large one and several small ones yesterday. We went to the mall (I know, insane!) but we had a mission, one store and one thing and it wasn't that bad at all. Now we have new dishes, yay!

You know, here's the thing, it's been like, thirty years since I've played with a Barbie doll but one would think they'd have improved the Barbie shoe situation. They have not! I put Barbie's f*ckin shoes back on two dozen times yesterday before they finally got lost. If Barbie can dance a jig and sing Karoke and ride a horse, how come her shoes still fall off when you move her?

And what is it with the "ho" barbie? I was in a large chain toy store a few weeks back (looking for the one of the 12 dancing princess barbies, sigh) and came upon not only those vile Bratz dolls but a "bling" barbie who looked nearly as ho-ish as the Bratz did, only without those collagen injected lips. My goodness it's hard to raise a daughter with all of this junk out there, I don't need dolls with hoochie momma shorts and enough eye makeup on to make a las vegas showgirl look plain. Blech! (oops, that paragraph brought to you by the word "tangent").

My sons got new legos, the tiny ones that are like little plastic daggers in the soles of your feet at midnight. They've taken the 1,000 pieces and transformed them into a giant ship. And play dough, and art supplies, model kids, my middle monster got a nintendo DS, modeling clay, etc. So much stuff, we opened presents for a very long time.

My daughter got a few dolls of the ballerina type which she loved. She's big into ballet right now, which makes me very happy because I love ballet and I'm so glad I can share that with her. She's tough as nails, my daughter, but very girly too. She also got some my little pony stuff. More of it anyway. I now have even more pony hair to brush and she's got them all set up in a little corral on her coloring table.

Okay, back to life now. I'm so very close to finishing my edits on Ascension and I'll get them finshed up tonight, thank goodness. Then back to The Others, yay! My husband is off until after the first of the year and we've got all sorts of home improvement projects to finish. It'll be nice to have him around more, too.

Have a great Tuesday!

Season's Greetings from New Zealand

2006-12-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

Here's wishing you a wonderful and safe festive season. Boxing day is almost over here in New Zealand. Yesterday we dropped in on friends before having lunch with my family and we rounded off the day by spending time with my husband's family. For a change it wasn't raining and today has been just beautiful.

I've had a few days away from writing and have read lots of books and kicked back, but I'm starting to get fidgety about not writing. It's clear that writing is a disease where I'm concerned, and I intend to get back to my work in progress tomorrow - to save my sanity. I went for a bike ride today and stayed away from the crowds at the shopping centers who were attending the post-Christmas sales. There's nothing that I need badly enough to make me fight through through crowds of determined shoppers!!

How have you spent the last few days?

CAPA Nominations!

2006-12-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

So I come downstairs this morning and my husband says to me, "hey, will you clean up the espresso machine? I'll make some for us when you do. OH and by the way, you appear to have been nominated for a bunch of CAPA awards." All nonchalant.

So I go to the computer and look through like three dozen emails and there's a list on the Samhain author loop.

Romantic Suspense: (My fellow DT author, Shelley Munro is also nominated in this category for Lane's Love Child AND The Shadow)
Taking Chase

Paranormal Erotic Romance: (My other fellow DT author, TJ Michaels, is also nominated for Jaguar's Rule)
Cascadia Wolves: Enforcer

Favorite Author (which I have not a snowball's chance of winning)
Me! (against MaryJanice Davidson and Christine Feehan)

I'm bawling here, I remember seeing the list last year and congratulating my friends and thinking, "one day I'll be nominated" but Favorite Author? Wow. I'm so blessed.

What Holiday Food are You?

2006-12-22T19:23:00.000-05:00

At this time of the year my thoughts naturally turn to food. Yummy, delicious food with large helpings of things I don't normally eat. Sharing a special meal with friends and family is part of my holiday celebration and probably part of yours as well. Since it's summer down here we tend to stick to lighter foods with fresh vegetables and fruit although some families have traditional hot meals with a turkey roast and Christmas pudding. Thoughts of food led me to this quiz...

You Are a Trifle

No doubt, you have many intricate layers. But deep down, you're a little squishy.

What Holiday Food Are You?

The funny thing is I'm not a trifle fan but the description is probably fairly accurate. So tell me, what holiday food are you?

It's Almost Here!

2006-12-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? Three more days until Christmas. I swear it seems like the year just started, and I'm not quite ready for it to be over. Of course, the year doesn't care whether I'm ready or not. It's leaving, period! At least the blizzard that left a couple of feet of snow in my driveway is supposed to blow out today. This is the view from my front door. And yep, I'd have to trudge through two-and-a-half-feet of brrrrr to get to the end of the front walk...which you can't see :D

Since we got so much snow, we're going to do something fun with it. Well, what could be more fun than building a snowman? The answer: Building a BEN & JERRY'S Icecream snowman! Yum!

For fun, you can build your own right here:

BUILD A BEN & JERRY'S COOOL SNOWMAN!

I got tagged earlier this week and had to tell Six Weird Things About Me. So, what'd I do? I tagged Lise Fuller! Lise writes for the Cerridwen imprint of Ellora's Cave. Her latest release, Intimate Deceptions, is to die for. If you like cowboys, kick-butt heroines, and nail-biting suspense, be sure to check her out.

And I did successfully weasel Six Weird Things out of LISE FULLER:
****************************************************************************
1. I actually like fruit cake--no! not the store bought variety--the one you actually make. It's good and potent, if you do it right!

2. My husband is 13 years younger than me and we've been together for 17 years.

3. My husband proposed to me during the first Gulf War over shortwave radio while he was in the Iraqi desert with the 82nd Airborne division. Yes, I had to say "over" all the time so the ship-to-shore radio people could flip the switches.

4. My eldest grandchild is only one year younger than my youngest child. They think it's hysterical to talk about my son as "Uncle".

5. I love lifting and will do another contest this Spring (bodybuilding).

6. I'm a writer, how much weirder can you be? LOL!

****************************************************************************

Merry Christmas, everyone!

TJ

Piggybacking on Lauren - Mystery Prize Winner!

2006-12-19T19:56:00.000-05:00

The winner of our mystery prize is....ESTELLA!

Send me an e-mail to tj@tjmichaels.com and I'll tell you what your choices are! Congratulations, chicklet. Actually, it's a choice of downloads or a goody bag, but with the mail the way it is this time of year we wanted to give you some choices :D

TJ

PS - You have one week (until 12-28-06) to claim your prize :D

It's Titilating Tuesday - Junk Jammers and Other Peeves

2006-12-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

And in honor of TT, I want to talk about sex in books. Or to be more specific, the things in sex scenes that drive me nuts and make me wonder if the person writing that scene has ever had sex.

1. The junk jamming hero. Okay, I know penises are wonderful things to have and have used on you. But they're not wonderful to just have jammed into any old crevice without preparation. If I read an anal scene and the hero just thrusts in there without any prep (no stretching, no lube) it makes me want to sock him in the balls. Repeatedly.

2. The wailing heroine. It's a general rule of mine that when I write sex the heroine can only scream or wail once during sex. When I read these women who wail and scream and cry out in every sex scene, it makes me snicker. Noise is sexy, screaming, crying, wailing, keening heroines in every sex scene? Not so much.

3. Sex scenes where I have to put the book down and try to position myself to imagine what the hell the couple is doing. Now this is something everyone does. I've done it. I think the problem is that the story is in your head so you know what it looks like but it doesn't translate. That's when editors come into play and mine have certainly said, "what the heck is her neck doing here?"

4. On the subject above, couples that kama sutra every time. Wheelbarrowing, sex swinging, upside down trapeze fucking, she's got one leg wrapped around his neck while he's hanging her off the side of a building and she's singing the national anthem in French or somesuch. It doesn't have to be in the dark, missionary or anything but if it's so farcical that I shake my head, that's not sexy. It's confusing and over the top. Sexy isn't about impossibility and wackiness of position, it's about the connection of the characters.

5. Heroines that have hair trigger clits. Yes, some women come very easily, but the majority of women can't come with only intercourse. They need a little help with clitoral stimulation. All these heroines who come the minute penis makes contact with vagina just aren't realistic.

6. Authors who throw sex into every crevice of a novel with no real purpose. I like sex in books. I write sex in books. But sex is a device, like any other action. If it's just tossed in every four pages, it becomes tedious and meaningless.

7. Authors who are clearly uncomfortable with writing sex but have added it because someone told them it was new/hot/now. It's okay to close the door, that can be sexy too. Don't write it if you hate it or feel uncomfortable with it. That includes writing genres you don't like or feel uncomfortable with like MM and menages.

If an author is really feeling her characters and is into the book, you're going to feel the heat. It doesn't have to be a three way in a glass box suspended above Times Square. Show me the connection and I'll see the heat. Even if all the author does is kiss and close the door.

I've Been Giggled

2006-12-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

I hop over to Mrs Giggles' website now and then to check out her latest reviews. She does snark like no one else and is one of the original online snarkers. Each book is marked out of 100 and she doesn't hold back. Well, today I see I've been giggled!

Check out the review for Dreams of the Oasis III here.

Once you've read that, I have a few questions for you: Do you visit review sites on a regular basis? If so, which one's are your favorites? Does a good review make you check out the book?

And just so you know my answers - I check out review sites more than I used to, probably part of the reason is that I find reviews for my own books and those of my friends and part of it is curiosity. Sometimes it's because I'm procrastinating! I like the reviews at Dear Author and JERR. Those are two that spring to mind at the moment, and yes, sometimes I'll check out a book after reading a review. It doesn't necessarily have to be a good review. I've checked out books that have two-star reviews as well as those receiving glowing ones.

~ Piggybacking on Lauren ~

2006-12-17T13:06:00.000-05:00

Pressure - Pressure - Pressure...

It's 11:00 a.m. here in Colorado and... I just woke up! Now it's 11:45 and it's taken me almost an hour to get this post up. First I'm frantic, then I stop and think, "Well, geez, it's the first time in a LONG time I've slept this late, and also the first time in awhile where I've actually gotten more than eight hours of sleep. Yep, last night I got nine hours. And believe it or not, I'm still tired! "

Fitness is very important to me, but because of my goofy schedule (work is nuts, writing is nuts, kids are nuts - macadamias, I think) I have not made time to go to the gym or work out like I normally would. And ya'll, I'm really starting to feel it.

So I'm getting ready to start a new program with the hopes of becoming one of the few in my state certified to teach it. It's a style of samurai sword training designed for people who don't have a umpteenth degree black belt...like me. Do I have some martial arts training? Sure, but it's been so long since I've done any of that stuff I don't think I'm flexible enough to do a good round-house kick anymore.

I can lift weights and bodybuild 'til the cows come home, but don't ask me to kick my leg higher than my shoulder! This particular program should give me back some flexibility while retaining the muscle I already have. I'm not going to recommend it until I see if it works for me or not. I'll let you know how it goes...

So here's my question ...actually I lied, it's more like two questions: What do you think about fitness? I'm sure everyone thinks it's important and it clearly has medical benefits, but on the other hand, everything is not for everyone. So what do you enjoy or what would you like to try?

Second question: I just love good looking men (I know that's not a question, but I'm getting there :D). I love men with all shades of skin and hair color, BUT WHAT I REALLY LOVE to look at are gorgeous, muscular, golden skinned men. I don't care if they had to tan to look that way, or they have naturally tan skin, like Native American's (of which I am part Lakota and Blackfeet), or Japanese, or Middle Eastern. Heck, even Siberian men are naturally tan. Cold (bbrrrrr) but naturally tan (*wink*).

What wets your whistle? I mean literally makes you want to whistle out loud when you see it? You don't necessarily have to have it, but you sure like to look at it! This is Eric Schweig - Last of the Mohicans, Alessandro Juliani - Battlestar Gallactica, and Jason Scott Lee...uh, lots of movies, including playing Bruce Lee in The Dragon.

I'm trying to think of a contest to go along with this, but coffee is required. Go ahead and participate and your name will go into the hat for a mystery prize (mmwwaahahaha).

TJ *off to find a cup of something brown with caffeine in it*

Pressure

2006-12-16T17:04:00.000-05:00

I was IMing with a friend this week and the subject of pressure came up. The pressure we put on ourselves so that it's never enough.

I was saying that I look at multiple book deals like hers and I feel like my novella sale isn't good enough when measured against that. I see that kind of success in people whose work I adore, friends who I've seen work hard and struggle and I don't resent it or begrudge it, I celebrate that. But I also feel this pressure to measure myself against it and then I find myself lacking.

Funny, she said she looked at how fast I worked and felt like she wasn't measuring up. (and hello, her writing is outrageously good)

It's odd to me how hard we can be on ourselves. The pressure to produce and keep out there comes from a good place - readers who want more and publishers who want more. These are good things! But at the same time, it creates pressure.

Most of the time, I find myself in a groove. I work every day. It's okay, that's who I am. I'm not vain when I say I work damned hard. I do. I give up sleep to do this but I love it and I'm blessed to be able to live my dream. Anyway, I have my groove and I work on multiple projects and keep moving forward. If I do this, I usually have projects at different places in the chain of release so I can break up my schedule with edits, revisions, writing manuscripts of a few different genres. It keeps things interesting for me and usually I don't have time for the doubts and the stress.

But every once in a while if things get quiet for five minutes I start to feel the stress of it all. Wondering if I'll ever make another NY sale. Wondering if the next time I try to write I'll end up dry.

I read Alison Kent's blog earlier this week and saw her talking about producing as well - as in the time we spend on our books and not having the time we need because of the need to get more books out there in a year.

Generally, I feel like I give the time to get the backstory right. Too much time sometimes when I obsess about small details (maps are my obsession). It would be nice to put out a book a year so I could spend more time on the obsessive details and not have the pressure to produce more. But you know, I put out nine books in 2007, wrote five of those in the calendar year and another five, a novella, and two partials. That's damned productive and I think they're all fine books with good plotting, story and writing. But I still feel like I haven't done enough and I wonder if it's just a matter of personality or what.

This sort of touches on something Jordan said at her blog about goals. I keep a list of goals but I try to be general. I used to be very specific but found that I got all bogged down in the details when it's not the details of title and which story, but the follow through with the overall goals of writing and completing projects, editing, seeking new markets, etc.

So why don't we give ourselves a break? Maybe people do. Maybe I'm the only one who feels like if if I don't do it NOW, I'll never do it. I'll fail or not measure up, or one of a dozen other things that plagues your sanity and turns a confident person into a mass of insecurity at least for a few days each month.

Handbag Chaos

2006-12-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

I needed to find my cellphone the other day. I needed it RIGHT now, but do you think I could find the pesky thing? I juggled my Christmas shopping and searched one-handed while standing in the middle of a busy street, muttering under my breath. It was definitely time for a clean out!!

When I took everything out of my bag this is what I found:

1 x wallet
1 x plastic folder containing lotto tickets
2 x glasses cases - sunglasses plus driving glasses
1 x envelope containing signed bookmarks
1 x small makeup bag containing mostly lipsticks
1 x packet of tissues
1 x business card holder - it's new and I'm still practicing opening it so my cards don't fly out in a whoosh.
1 x PDA - contains ebooks
7 x pens
3 x raffle tickets from Romance writer's meeting
1 x old grocery shopping list
1 x Tictac mints
1 x Lush lip balm
3 x flashdrives containing backups
1 x Susan Elizabeth Phillips promo notepad
1 x chocolate fortune, which says "A conversation will reveal a secret."
1 x cellphone FINALLY!

And do you know what? After considering all the above, I decided every single thing was necessary and I put the whole lot back apart from the old shopping list and raffle tickets!!

Is your handbag in the same sad state as mine?

Shelley

Lauren's Winner

2006-12-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

The winner of their choice of downloads from any of the Dynamic Trio authors is...

Shuck Ying!

Just email me with your title choice and format and I'll send it your way.

Aaahh! She GOT Me!

2006-12-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

She GOT Me!

I've been tagged! Fabulous author, Kate Davies, tagged me to answer a question that will probably take me twenty years! Why? Because the subject of the ‘tag’ is: Six Strange Things About You.’ Geez, I could name at least four hundred and thirty two thousand six hundred and fifty two things!

And since Kate tagged me, I’m gonna tag somebody else – Mwwahahaha! More fun for everyone! Soooo… I’ve tagged Cerridwen Press author, Lise Fuller!

So, here’s my Six Things:

1) I’m addicted to cinnamon. Not just any old cinnamon, only the best – Saigon fine ground cinnamon. I eat it with everything. I dip apples, pears and any kind of fruit in it. I dip cookies, cinnamon rolls and chocolate in it. Sometimes I put it in a little cup and just eat it! I love cinnamon! Uh-hem, excuse me, Saigon fine ground cinnamon.

2) I’m addicted to my eBook reader. I have an eBookwise reader that I take everywhere. And I mean everywhere. I have boxes and boxes of print books, but have to admit I haven’t picked up a print novel in ages. If I can’t get it onto my little toy I tend to procrastinate on buying it. I do get around to it, but I buy eBooks faster than print…then take the books to the bathroom at work, the bathroom at home, on the treadmill at the gym. Heck, even when I got to pick up my kids from somewhere, if I have to wait more than sixty seconds for them, I pull out the eBookwise.

3) I wash my face in the bathtub before I get in the shower. Who the heck knows why, but I stand on the side of the tub, feet firmly planted on the carpet, lean over and wash my face. Then I climb in the shower and wash the rest of me. I know…I need help.

4) I rub my feet together before I get in bed. I know, I know, my ex-husband thought I was weird too. Then one day he started doing it! It’s just that after walking about the house barefoot the thought of getting in bed with little dusties on my feet grosses me out!

5) I’m a hell of a cook but I won’t touch raw meat. I can cook anything and make it taste good. But if there’s meat in it, I call my daughter into the kitchen and have her wash it for me and put it in a bowl. Then I take a fork or whatever and handle it that way. Something about the feel of chicken skin on my fingers. Ewwww!

6) I love coffee but it takes me all day to finish a single cup. Serious, I’ll buy a cup of coffee in the morning and sip, sip, sip it. When two o’clock rolls around, I’m still sipping the same cup. Can we say ‘wrong’ boys and girls?

Lauren's Day So Far...

2006-12-12T16:20:00.000-05:00

Man, kids.

This morning, my daugher has been running around alternately demanding I brush pony hair (My Little Pony is huge at my house, lemme tell you, I brush a lot of pony hair) and taking her shirt off and refusing to put it back on. It’s like a girls gone wild video. Ok, well without creepy men with video cameras and stupid 19 year old drunk girls whose mothers are so going to kick their butts.

Anyway, I had a great discussion about Chased with one of my beta readers who helped me immensely! I knew there were some pacing problems in the middle and so I bounced ideas off her and I think I may have two scenes to fix and it should help the flow a lot.

The time approached where I had to leave to pick up my middle kiddo from preschool so I had to chase the wee monster down, let her hold the pony when I shoved her shirt back on (around her complaints about the 3/4 sleeves) and she refused to wear tennis shoes and only would wear her “princess shoes” which are little black satin dress shoes. But whatever. The person who coined the “pick your battles” phrase had a two year old and so we took off. In the car, she pulled her hair out of the cute little pony tail, sigh, and then whined that her hair was down.

At school, I approached the playground and his teacher gave me the look. Yep. Again. I’ve talked about the look before and maybe other people have kids so well behaved they’ve never gotten the look as they approached a teacher before.

So his teacher, who is a truly lovely woman who loves kids, tells me that my 5 year old was in circle and said, “Blah, blah, blah” when she started her lesson plan. Damn Fairly Oddparents! Oh, and he pushed a kid and in general, was a nasty brat. He wasn’t so spectatular yesterday either. So he’s running around the playground and we’ve got to go and the 2 year old who is in my arms because she’s wearing princess shoes with no socks and she gets wet wood chips in them and whines and so forth, is struggling to get down and I’m trying to be postive parent but I’m about two seconds from that yell, “GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!” which I’m sure no other mother ever makes but me which is probably why he’s talking back to his teacher in Montessori for goodness sake. How can you talk back in Montessori? It’s freaking Montessori where math is fun. Jeebus.

Anyway, I finally get him to come without having to resort to yelling and he’s attitudinal in the car and the wee babe is kicking the back of my seat and we have no chocolate.

I had the talk with him about respect and he’s on quiet time now. I think he’s actually coming down with something but 5 was this crappy with my oldest too. I’m done with pissy stages, thankyouverymuch. The wee monster is down with a nap and I have three minutes of quiet. But as I gained two pounds last week (uh, which is why we don’t have chocolate) I ate some rice, which was actually quite tasty and I’m staring blearily at the screen now as I wish I could take a nap, LOL.

I am however, nearly done with my Christmas shopping!

Shelley's Prizewinners!

2006-12-11T03:44:00.000-05:00

I'll start my post off with some good news - remember a while ago when you helped me dress my heroine? Well, I heard yesterday that Ellora's Cave are buying Sarah's story. It was a great birthday present. Watch this space for more news of SEX, SPIES AND SAPPHIRES!

I decided to pick an extra winner since I'm having such a great month. And the winners are:

Denise
Liz
Lisa T

Your prize is a download of one of the following:

Live the Moment (contemporary)
Wild Child (contemporary)
Curse of Brandon Lupinus (shapeshifter)
Stray Cat Strut (gay/shapeshifter)

email me at shelley munro @ gmail. com (no spaces) with your choice of download plus format. For Live the Moment and Wild Child I only have PDF and HTML formats.

Oh, and I forgot to say. I'm a Selkie shifter, much to my disgust. I much prefer cats!

Sexy Red Heads?

2006-12-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

I was asked to participate in my first workshop this weekend over at the Romance Divas forum. We're talking about Christmas paranormal stories, and since I have one coming this Friday the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

If you wanna visit, we're in at: www.romancedivas.com/divaforum
Scroll down to The Classroom, click on Class In Session and we're in the Paranormal Christmas Q&A Workshop.

Basically the readers and Divas are asking questions to me and several other authors with holiday paranormals coming. It's been alot of fun. Today is the last day so I'll be heading back over there in a minute.

What does any of this have to do with red hair? Uh, nothing really!

Actually I was watching Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale. The plucky comic relief came from an average-looking flaming red-headed guy who kept threatening to deliver 'lot's and lot's of pain' to anyone who messed with Sir Ulrich Von Lichtenstein (Heath Ledger). But not since the days of Ritchie Cunningham and Happy Days (Ron Howard) have I seen a redhead MAN on television or in movies.

In romance novels you always read about the redhead heroine with a temper and wit to match. What about the guys?

My book, PRIMED TO POUNCE, features a gorgeous red-head hero with an awesome body. So does GIFT WRAP OPTIONAL. But real life...where are the gorgeous red-headed hunks?

A friend of mine, actually he's the guy the vampire Michael Bannon is based on in GIFT WRAP, anyway, he told me that he read a statistic that showed fewer and fewer redheads are born every year. I wonder why that is...

What do you think? Are you a redhead? If not, do you have any redheads in your family? Know any redheads? Know where to find any redheads? Can you tell this author is desperate *LOL*

TJ

Saturday Blather About the Holidays and a Contest

2006-12-09T18:31:00.000-05:00

This morning I got up and began baking. I was supposed to go over to a friend's house for a holiday treat party but then at like 11:45 or so I started feeling yucky. I took a nap and still felt yucky. I didn't go to the party and now there are dozens of chocolate macadamia nut cookies in my kitchen. And I didn't get to see my friends! Pout!

I'm feeling a bit better but still sort of tired and stomach achy. Could be all the junk food I've eaten in the last week. I normally don't eat like that but the holidays approaching means all sorts of eating on the fly takes place and I need to quit it or I'll gain back all my weight that I've kept off for two years, LOL.

My husband, the sweet, wonderful man that he is, bought colored lights for the outside of the house and the tree. I'd been saying how I loved the look of colored lights and missed them on the outside of the house (we had white lights the last five years) and he was all, sigh, we have white lights, you like white lights, you wanted the icicle lights to start with. And he's right, I did. But I missed the color but he's the dude who has to be out on a ladder in the cold to put them up so I backed off and stopped whining because it's a hard job.

But he came home last night with colored lights for the tree and outside and put them up for me today because he said he saw me pining every time I looked out the window at the colored lights in the neighborhood.

Am I the luckiest woman ever or what?

Anyway, it's holiday movie time now! Yay!

Here's the thing, I am a very cheery person. I talk a lot and I LOVE the holidays because I love the music and the time with friends and family and the lights, cards, crafts and food. I LOVE goofy movies that make me weepy.

My husband is quiet and sweet and long suffering because he lives in a house with a woman who never shuts up, sings Christmas carols nonstop and invites people over. He's really not that social, he's quite hermity even. Oh and he's an atheist so the Christmas stuff is an extra thing for him to endure.

But he does! He tolerates all the stuff I put up inside, the music, all of it. He even stands on a ladder in the cold to put up lights because they make me happy. For me that's the best present I get every year. The real romance of my man doing things simply because they bring me joy.

Anyway, after this long ramble, I'm gonna ask you what your favorite holiday movie is. Mine? Miracle on 34th Street, the original with Natalie Wood. I love that movie soooo much! Oh and I love those dorky wooden puppet Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer movies and the claymation stuff from the 1970's too.

In the spirit of giving - I'll do a drawing of everyone who comments with their favorite holiday movie (doesn't need to be christmas themed) of all time. I'll draw a name on Friday the 15th. Winner receives their choice of downloads from their choice of their Dynamic Trio Authors: me, TJ or Shelley.

Happy Birthday

2006-12-08T14:21:00.000-05:00

It was my birthday yesterday, and it's my birthday today as well. Fascinating the way the international date line makes that possible. I had a lovely day with visitors, presents, a little shopping slipped into the equation and a really nice dinner.

Nothing much happening in my writing world at the moment. I'm in waiting mode...waiting to see what editors think of projects...and meantime I'm working on my next two masterpieces. TJ and Lauren will understand about waiting mode. It can be scary, frustrating, exciting - heck, just about every emotion gets a turn while an author is in waiting mode. The way I stop myself from going crazy is by working on other projects and sending them out, too. I figure the more projects I have in waiting mode, the less the sting will be if the worst happens and I receive a rejection. I work on the "hope in the mail" premise. That's what keeps me from going completely loopy. (I don't count talking to my characters as crazy BTW - that's completely normal!)

And finally, since it's my birthday I'll give away a download. The prize list is the same as the post a few days ago (the shifter post) All you need to do is tell me about the nicest present you've ever received or what you'd like for Christmas (it has to be something just for you and not for the rest of your family or anyone else - something big or small that you'd like for you. Money no object.)

I'll post the name for the winner on Monday, so you only have a few days. I'm also posting the shifter winner on this day, too. I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend. Is anyone doing anything exciting?

Now...Let's Talk Entertainment

2006-12-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

Gotcha! I bet you thought I meant movies or film!

Nope! I'm talking about having a bunch of people invade your house, eat your food, dirty up your livingroom, pile dishes in your sink, then sit back on your couch and fight the urge to snore. Sounds like fun, right?

I must admit, when I was growing up in San Francisco the holidays and gathering of family was what I looked forward to most. Even with grandma fussing about how lazy we were because we didn't want to spend the day cleaning, my uncles yelling to the top of their lungs that they hated so-and-so's sucky football team, and my grandpa putting money on the table to bet on who would finish eating first, it was still ridiculously fun. Dysfunctional? Yep! But still fun!

Gathering of family has always been an important event in every culture I can think of. So, as you prepare those recipes and get ready to chase other peoples kids off the top of your dining room table, just remember there's nothing like family!

This year, I'll be alone for Christmas for the first time in my life (waaaahhhh!). I live in Colorado and don't have any relatives here. My kids are heading back to California to spend time with the ex's side of the family. And I'll enjoy some quiet (my kids are awesome, but I do have to pay attention to them every now and then *wink*) Hey...maybe I can actually finish one of these four books I'm working on!

Now here's the question: What are you doing, or not doing, for the holidays? Visiting? Or being visited? Cooking? Or being cooked for?

Contest Winner - Holiday Music

2006-12-07T15:32:00.000-05:00

Before I announce the winner of my last contest, I must say we have quite a mix of holiday music favorites. Some I've loved forever, some I was unfamiliar with, and others I'd forgotten about and now have a great excuse to go and buy them again!

And the WINNER is....LISA WILLIAMS!

Lisa, dear, you've won your choice of one of my current or upcoming releases. E-mail me at tj@tjmichaels.com and tell me whatcha want :D You have until December 14th to claim your prize.

Congrats, chicklet!

TJ

What Gets You Through?

2006-12-05T17:52:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about this yesterday when a friend and I were talking about the rollercoaster that is writing and publishing. What gets you through from book to book? Not just after a rejection, but after an acceptance? When each book brings more and more expectation? How do you challenge yourself to continue to try new things? How do you handle it when something big happens and you're faced with a new level of expectation and responsibility?

For me, rejection comes in different levels. The sort of general rejection "no thanks" is hard but not nearly as hard as, "I hated this author's voice" Now that hurts. A rejection that's very specific is actually helpful so when I get one of those, I use whatever the editor said to get me through. Constructive criticism is so helpful and it's a way to help you either revise or aim your next project. The first sort of rejection ends up being a shrug and a sort of "keep on keepin on" thing for me. The you suck rejection? First chocolate, usually with a bit of a wallow, then some well placed invective about what terrible taste that person had to reject you and possibly, a rant about the other books they've bought not being as good as yours, LOL.

With acceptance, for me, I keep going because I know that in order to keep going, I have to keep writing. Each new book is an adventure and a way for me to be lucky enough to tell another story and give life to a new character.

But breaking through? Well that's sort of scary. This NY sale is wondrous and I'm thrilled but I'm freaked at the same time. What if everyone hates it? What if it's the worst story of the four? It goes on and on and so what gets me through is my past success and the people who believe in me. Oh and my characters. My characters get me through and knowing they have a chance to be read by a whole new audience is exciting. I try not to think about failing because it does no good to think on worse case scenarios.

As for other things? I read my favorite books, I watch my favorite movies (The Matrix series, Bladerunner, Harry Potter, Alien, etc), listen to music, go out with friends, hang with family, look at pretty men and women (harken back to The Matrix, LOL), bake, sex, shop, work out, eat chocolate.

What do you do to get through and find inspiration and will to keep moving?

Who Is Your Inner Shapeshifter?

2006-12-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

I found this shapeshifter quiz online. Immediately I had to know which shifter I was because I love both reading and writing shapeshifter stories. My favorite type of shifter is feline with black leopard taking top spot. (Look for more Middlemarch Mates stories plus the odd tiger or two in the future!)
I get the feeling that TJ quite likes black leopards, too, while Lauren seems attracted to wolves.

I have a few questions for you and a prize for one lucky participant.

Do you like shapeshifters?
Which type is your favorite?
According to the quiz what sort of shifter are you?

If anyone can guess which shifter I am, according to the quiz, they'll get an extra chance in the draw. And the prize is a download of one of the following:

Live the Moment (contemporary)
Wild child (contemporary)
Curse of Brandon Lupinus (shapeshifter)
Stray Cat Strut (gay/shapeshifter)

I'll draw the winner on Monday. Have fun doing the quiz!

Carinian's Coming! Am I?

2006-12-03T02:34:00.000-05:00

Gift Wrap Optional hits the sheets, er, scene next Friday! I can't wait for this book. It was fun writing a vampire Christmas story. Strangely enough, it's based on a man I know named Michael who is as tore up (and yes I said 'tore') as the vampire in the book. But boy does our vampire redeem himself. Can we say 'sheepskin rug,' boys and girls?

Carinian's Seeker is next up. It's a vampire multicultural story. Jean Luc Picard has a heroine who wants to meet him and she'll stop at nothing to make that dream as close to a reality as possible. Read a blurb here: Carinian's Seeker

Now this may sound strange, but there are times when I really think of all the things I want to do in life and know I don't have enough years to do them all. I'd love to see the first real deep space ship. I'd love to see transportation become more like Minority Report (interesting movie) where we can fly back and forth without using airplanes. I'd love to see the day when a woman can step into a holodeck and have her ultimate fantasy come true...then go home and tell the dishes to wash themselves!

If there was something you could hang around for what would it be? And no mushy stuff, we're being totally selfish here. After all, most of us have families and all kinds of other responsibilities to take care of every day. This is our place to play. So while I'd love to see my great, great, great, great, grandchildren grow into successful people, I'd also really like to date Commander Data from the Star Ship Enterprise. No batteries!

TJ..· ´¨¨))
-:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ www.tjmichaels.com
-:¦:--:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* www.myspace.com/tj_michaels

Archetypes, BSG and The Tiny Towel

2006-12-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

So last night we watched Battlestar Galactica, ate Godiva chocolate and had a few drinks together. This is the equivalent to a wild night for us, LOL. Thank you to a dear friend who sent the chocolate as a congratulations for my Spice sale! I'm a lucky woman in my friends!

Anyway, watching a show that's as good at integrating meta and micro storylines as BSG makes me think on the "big themes" in our mytho-religious cultural consciousness (and yes, I went to a liberal arts college) - heroism, individuality, love, war, hate, belief, etc.

Here you've got Starbuck - Kara Thrace

And I love Kara. Or the Kara of the last few seasons and even the beginning of this one. This Kara is a mess, but she's strong and loyal and courageous and she does not give up. She's totally flawed and pushes away the people who can help her overcome those flaws but she's also someone you can count on in a fight. I hate what they've done to her in the last three or four episodes. Gone is her strength. She's suddenly a drunken whiner who shits on the people she loves. I am hoping last night's episode is the first step in taking her back to the Kara she was when she retrieved the arrow.

And then just to give your eyes a treat, there's Kara's husband Anders

Lookit him. Mrwoow! He was in the resistance on New caprica, fought and fought to find Kara, who'd been taken. But then he sort of gave up on her when they got back and she went all nuts. Hello, does no one think to say, "wow, you want to talk about being kidnapped and mindfucked by the cylons for four months?" They all just sort of what, expect her to deal with that without help? If you love her Anders, fight for her like you did when you didn't even know she was alive!

And then there's Lee Apollo. Lee of the very tiny towel and the washboard abs.

I lurve to look at him, oh yes I do. But frankly, I'm not so impressed with his character. He did sort of redeem himself when he showed up to help his dad save the folks on New Caprica but he's a bit of a whiner. I mean, does he think having a parent more interested in everything else but him or favoring one child or whatever, is unusual? It's not, especially on TV or in books. The flashbacks on last night's show did redeem him a bit though.

Anyway, the core of BSG are big archetypes - the hero (the tortured hero -Kara going to Caprica to get that arrow, defying orders to do it, risking her life. Kara going to blow up the resurrection ship, etc); the conscience (Rosslyn); the father (Adama and last night really underlined that when he stepped away from friend mode and fully embraced dad mode again); the multi faceted villain (oh Gaius! Oh Six! The cylons are the finest example of enemy in the mirror I've seen in a very long time); salt of the earth - Chief; uncertain hero/timebomb - Boomer/Athena.

In a sense, everything is derivative. But it's what you do with these foundational archetypes that sets your book/movie/television show apart from the rest. And it doesn't hurt to have very hot men running around in very small towels.

The First Christmas Party

2006-12-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

I'm off to the last meeting of the year for my chapter of Romance Writers of New Zealand today, and tomorrow we have a Christmas party/lunch up at one of the hotels in Auckland. It's my first Christmas party of the season, and I'm quite looking forward to it. The Christmas party is being held at our new Central Auckland conference venue (next year's conference) so it should be interesting. I'm going to check out all the good seats at the bar and the menu - that sort of thing!

Meanwhile I have 46 pages left to read on the galley for Snap. (Triskelion) Hopefully I'll manage to do that this morning before I head off for the meeting. I woke up really early with the fax squawking loudly. My husband is oncall and he'd already left for work but another job arrived for him so I had to leave my cozy bed and deal with the fax. The only one who was happy was the dog since she could come inside and hound me for her dinner. At the moment she's doing a good job of making me feel guilty - she wants to go for a walk and she's letting me know in no uncertain terms.

No biking for me today since my bike has gone in for a service. The seat keeps going down, making it too low. An uncharitable person would probably point out that I'm no lightweight and that I've crushed the seat into submission. In my own defence I'd like to say I'm sure there are lots of people heavier than me who ride bikes. And there's no shame in having a healthy appetite! Let's hope the bike people can fix the problem so I can bike with my head held high instead of hunched over like that humpback guy from Notre Dame.

Have you been to your first Christmas party yet? Are you looking forward to it or is it one of the duty ones where you have to go for appearances?

I Love This Season! (Contest)

2006-11-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-11-30T03:43:00.000-05:00

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

Titilating (and snowy) Tuesday!

2006-11-28T17:06:00.000-05:00

That's taken from my front porch in about three seconds because it's 15 degrees and I was cold! Not a lot of snow but just beneath it is ice. About three inches thick.

I know that folks from parts of the country who routinely see snow laugh at Seattleites when it snows here and everything simply stops. But we have steep hills and essentially no infrastructure for big snow storms like we had last night. And oh did we!

The problem wasn't so much the snow as the three inch thick sheet of ice beneath it. I am so glad my husband worked from home yesterday because it took some people up to seven hours to get home from work last night. There was also a Seahawks game and apparently there are people STILL on the freeway trying to get home! They've closed the freeways on and off, people abandoned their cars and some people just slept in them at rest stops and park and rides!

Anyway, pretty much all schools in Western Washington are closed today so we're all here, tucked up and warm. The kids are watching Ice Age and the wee monster is tormenting them. All is right with the world, LOL.

I get to keep my title for Threat of Darkness! Yay! This makes me very happy, I love that title. I'm 28 thousand words into Chased and starting something else in between that's been stewing in my head for three months. But of course Chased is my priority (I promise Angie!). I lurve me some Marc Chase!

Color My World

2006-11-27T15:02:00.000-05:00

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' !

2006-11-26T13:26:00.000-05:00

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

More To Be Thankful For

2006-11-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

I just got news from my editor at EC that they want to contract Threat of Darkness! Sadly, I may have to change the title but I’ve gotten less sentimental about my titles over time (after having to change them from time to time). This one is Jayce’s story and a menage. I've created a new world and characters that I'm pretty excited about exploring over time. Mei is Aine's daughter, thought long dead and her other husband is Card. More about him later.

No other info for now, I’ll know more as it goes on.

My poor husband is now the sickest person in the house as my daughter and I begin to feel better. I can breathe about 30% of the time and my throat doesn’t hurt nearly as much. I did throw the turkey in the oven Thursday, it seemed a waste not to. Shoved some garlic cloves into the skin and meat, basted it every 45 minutes to an hour. It turned out quite nice. I had plans to make potatoes au gratin with leeks but that was way more energy than I had so I’ll make them soon, perhaps with a roasted chicken.

Finished Born in Death, Valley of Silence and Cold as Ice in the last few days. I really liked the whole Nora trilogy. For me, it was far more paranormal than romance so I wasn’t as agitated by the balance tipped by story over romance. In fact I enjoyed it more that way. BID was, as always, a fabulous read. I’ve given up thinking that Nora is going to miss one day with this series and just accepted that she’s like the magic eraser (her and Elizabeth Lowell for different reasons) I think they’re magic, could be made through a compact with satan but they work perfectly so I don’t question what’s in them. I liked Black Ice better than Cold as Ice but they were both very enjoyable reads.

I'm also halfway through Fallen Idol - Shelley kicks butt on this one as usual.

I’ve also gotten a lot of work done on Chased and I hit 25 thousand words by the time I closed my laptop last night. Uh, Marc has turned out to be kind of kinky. Yep. That first sex scene was fourteen pages long and took place in three different venues. This one is probably going to end up hotter than Giving Chase and Taking Chase but Marc has been a surprise to me and to Liv.

I think if I feel better tomorrow, I'll haul out the Christmas decorations and do the house. The kids are very excited about it.

Oh and I got my January RT yesterday - Vengeance Due got 4 1/2 stars! Giving Chase got 3 but the review was really good so hey, all right, that's good too, LOL. I never imagined when I started this in mid 2004 that it would be this cool (or emotionally gut wrenching either). I have so very much to be thankful for this year.

Why Do You Read Romance?

2006-11-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-22T13:58:00.000-05:00

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

All SORTSA Good News!

2006-11-21T18:04:00.000-05:00

The deal is officially made - I've sold a book to Harlequin Spice that will appear in an anthology called, What Happens In Vegas in March of 2008! Stripped is the story of Dahlia Baker, an MBA student who also dances at a burlesque lounge and obviously a contemporary.

Even better? I'm in the anthology with three other fabulous EC authors - my dear friend and partner in crime - Anya Bast, Jodi Lynn Copeland and Kit Tunstall! This marks my and Kit's first NY sale and also Spice's first anthology.

I'm beyond thrilled, I'm excited and freaked and relieved too.

And on top of that, I contracted a new book with Ellora's Cave, Ascension which is paranornmal romantic suspense!

AND! I have two books releasing today - Chase Brothers: Taking Chase from Samhain and Witches Knot: Thrice United from Ellora's Cave. Busy month and lucky woman!

Snail Porridge

2006-11-20T04:16:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-11-19T22:32:00.000-05:00

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!

Taking Chase

2006-11-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

So the second installment of the Chase Brothers series, Taking Chase releases this upcoming Tuesday! I'm pretty excited by this one.

Here's a blurb:Cassie Gambol is on the run. In what seems like another lifetime, her ex-husband nearly ended her life and effectively ended her successful career as a vascular surgeon. But even though the justice system found him guilty of attempted murder, he fled while awaiting sentencing and Carly Sunderland became Cassie Gambol.

Fleeing Los Angeles, she heads to small and off the map Petal, Georgia to start her life again.

Shane Chase, a man who’s held himself away from commitment since his fiancée dumped him several years before knows the beautiful newcomer is hiding something. He’s wildly attracted to her strength and her underlying vulnerability as well.

But the last thing Cassie wants is another big, overwhelming man who wants to control her life. A battle begins between Shane, who knows what he wants and Cassie, who knows she needs to do everything she can to keep a distance between herself and the very handsome sheriff.

But Cassie’s ex is back and he wants her dead.

You can read an excerpt at my website and at Samhain

The last two books in the series, Chased and Making Chase, are contracted and set for release on March 6 for Chased and in June for Making Chase. You can read a brief blurb about each book on the coming soon page of my website.

I'm making excellent progress on Chased, which is due in January. Marc is now wooing the hell out of Liv, which is really fun to write.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Lauren's Winner!

2006-11-18T17:58:00.000-05:00

The winner of my Wednesday contest is....

Randy!

Email me and let me know if you'd like Taking Chase or Thrice United and what your format preference is! Congratulations!

Shelley's Prizewinner!

2006-11-17T05:05:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-17T04:54:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-16T13:36:00.000-05:00

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

Wild Promo Wednesday!

2006-11-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, not so wild really, LOL!

Next week I've got two new releases - the second book in the Chase Brothers series - Taking Chase and the fourth book in the Witches Knot series - Thrice United. You can read excerpts by clicking on the titles above.

Come and Play at the Cafe!

On November 20, please join:

Kai Anderson
Jennie Andrus
Diane Craver
Lauren Dane
Sara Reinke
Silvia Violet and
Beth Williamson

As they celebrate their November releases! There’ll be lots of excerpts, chat and chances to win great prizes so mark the date!

I'll be at Novelspotters at 10 am pacific/1 pm eastern on the 21st to talk about Taking Chase and then playing around at my messageboard for most of the day as well.

Speaking of messageboards, don't forget that I have fun messageboard only excerpts and contests so if you're not a member, why not?

And because I got my ARC of Thrice United yesterday - how about a contest? I'll draw at random from everyone who replies from today until Saturday morning at 10 am my time (pacific) for an ARC of Thrice United or Taking Chase. Good Luck!

Dynamic Trio Chat!

2006-11-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

We'll be chatting tonight at We Write Romance at 6 pm pacific/9 eastern. Come on by and say hey!

Titilating Tuesday!

2006-11-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

The release date has been moved from January to November 21! Yep, next week. So please head on over to my website to check out an excerpt. I can't wait for you all to meet Holly, Rhett and Nate!

The 21st is going to be a busy day for me as Taking Chase comes out then as well. A bit of everything for every taste - romantic suspense or paranormal menage - or both!

I've got some new excerpts up at my messageboard for Taking Chase, Thrice United, Threat of Darkness and Ascension.

My wonderful husband indulged me this last week and we got a Roomba! Okay how cool is it that there are robots who clean your floors? But I don't want my kids touching it so I told them they'd die if they did. My husband thought that was harsh so I changed it to I'd kill them if they broke my floor cleaning robot. The boys seemed to understand that one quite well but the two year old is fascinated with the robot but I've been warning her not to touch it so of course the moment I'm out of the room I hear the darned thing turn on and her scream and the patter of her feet as she hightailed it out of there crying. It was hard not laugh as I rocked her and stroked her hair because man was she freaked and she knew she wasn't supposed to touch it anyway so she had that guilty face they get. Still, she probably won't touch it again until tomorrow, LOL. I know, mother of the year.

I'm at 7500 words on Chased and Marc has turned on the charm big time. Liv doesn't quite know what to do about it though. Still won't stop her from looking at him when he takes off his shirt and he's all muscly and sweaty. Heh.

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

2006-11-13T04:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-11-12T14:29:00.000-05:00

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

Updatey Type Blog Entry

2006-11-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've just gotten a sneak peek at the first review of Taking Chase and Talia at Joyfully Reviewed is making it her November Recommended Read!

She says in part: Taking Chase called out to my heart with the first scene. When I started reading, I could not believe the change in the man I loved to hate, Shane Chase. Still angry at his meanness in Giving Chase, I made myself give him another chance and I do not regret this decision for a moment. Shane is the ultimate stubborn hero. Content to chase away Cassie's demons, he found redemption in allowing Cassie the freedom of healing. Cassie Gambol. What a fighter she was. Her triumph over adversity made me proud. Scarred, scared, and oftentimes hurting, the words, “uncommon valor” come to mind when I think of her. She humbled me with her spirit.

Taking Chase by Lauren Dane is book 2 of the Chase Brothers series and it is one of those books that you must read over and over. I found it hard to breathe at times because I was so caught up in the story. As Taking Chase unfolded, a sense of calm invaded my soul and I happily continued the ride. Lauren Dane’s writing continues to amaze me, and it gives me great pleasure to Joyfully Recommend Taking Chase!

In other news - Busy week here! I'm sooooooo close to finishing Threat of Darkness I can taste it. Finished the last big sex scene, which sort of snuck up on me. Now all I have is the final scene in the book and I'm finished and I can get started on Chased.Which by the way, releases March 6!

I also have really exciting news but I can't announce it just yet. I'm waiting for all the final stuff to be taken care of and then I can say. I was pretty incoherent yesterday for a while.

This morning I woke up to find an ARC of Shelley Munro's, FALLEN IDOL in my inbox. HEE! I can't wait to read it and I'll tell you all about it when I do.

Later today my husband is taking our 9 year old and a few of his friends out for a birthday thing at the local game center. Laser tag and video games and ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. I'll be here (thank heaven!) having a pizza party with the 5 year old who feels left out and the 2 year old who doesn't care, LOL.

And now I need to finish a blurb. Enjoy your weekend

Home Again

2006-11-11T04:17:00.000-05:00

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?

CASCADIA WOLVES: TRI MATES IS OUT!!

2006-11-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

The Third Book in the Cascadia Wolves Series is Out!!

Werewolves mate for life. For every wolf, there's a mate out there. So Tracy Warden is thrilled when she discovers Nick Lawrence, the sexy Enforcer for another Pack, is her mate.

But sometimes lucky wolves get to double dip in the form of the extremely rare Tri-Mate-Bond. And so it is when Tracy discovers that her Anchor bond with National Pack Mediator Gabe Murphy is far more. Suddenly Tracy finds herself with two alpha males whose hunger for her never seems to wane. But their bliss is marred by the heavy hand of the werewolf mafia whose reach goes very high up indeed.

Money laundering, kidnapping, assault and other general mayhem can't mar the intensity of their bond, but it sure can threaten their lives.

Hello and Contest!

2006-11-07T19:06:00.000-05:00

I’ve just come from the EC Readerchat where we rocked the Cave all day long! i’m tired but happy, y’all make me smile.

Cascadia Wolves: Tri Mates releases tomorrow from Ellora’s Cave. I’m pretty excited about that. It’s my first published menage since Triad (I’ve got another coming January 3!) and I do so love the Warden family and Tracy is probably my favorite of them all. I hope you all enjoy meeting Tracy, Gabe and Nick. If you’d like to read an excerpt, head on over to my website! Or you can also check out the EC Readerchat files where three of them were uploaded today (THANK YOU TO RENEE, FABULOUS READER MOD!)

Because I’m still feeling festive (If not a wee bit tired,LOL) I’m going to give away an ARC of Tri Mates. Comment here and I’ll choose a winner by 7 pm my time/10 pm eastern. I know this is late in the day but giving stuff away is almost as fun as winning it!!

Chatty!

2006-11-07T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I'm doing List Mom duty at the EC Readerboard all day today. The theme is "Shifters and Menages" two great things that go great together, heh. Excellent excerpts and great prizes - come on over and help me celebrate the release of Cascadia Wolves: Tri Mates tomorrow!

Camels!

2006-11-06T04:01:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-11-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

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

Saturday Again!

2006-11-04T18:58:00.000-05:00

And thank goodness for it, I tell you! This week has been completely bizarre and emotionally trying so I'm glad to see it gone.

Today we went to the Rainforest Cafe to celebrate my oldest's ninth birthday. His actual birthday is Monday but as we're all around on the weekends, we did a bit of early celebrating. We even had the chocolate volcano with a sparkler.

This is a picture of me and my daughter after the ice cream, brownie, fudge extravaganza. I look slightly dazed because my kids were actually good in a restaurant for two hours, a new record.

Of course the day started with her hair in a headband that matched the dress but the headband was thrown off in disgust so many times I finally just gave up.

The boys loved the animatronic guerillas while the wee monster was less than thrilled. Still, it was a fun outing and the meltdown didn't start until we got nearly home so I'm counting it as a big success!

Even better, I got back to Threat of Darkness during her naptime and got about 1500 words down, which was a relief. This last week I did two rounds of edits on two separate books and blurbed one (sometimes blurbing is so ridiculously hard!), did my excerpts, etc. It's been busy but all of that has been good.

Had an 80s music gorgefest as I watched the VH1 Top 100 Songs of the 80s. I liked most of their choices but didn't agree with their choice for number one. It wasn't a song I hated or anything but it's not one I'd say was most indicative of the decade. I did listen to Back in Black and several of my Go Go's CDs this last week though, hee!

Worked on my website. Organized my genre page, updated the books pages with new reviews, etc. I'm off to make a Taking Chase page and get an excerpt up for that this week.

Is everyone having a good weekend?

Summer Holiday!

2006-11-03T03:46:00.000-05:00

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!)

2006-11-02T16:34:00.000-05:00

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!

2006-11-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

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.

Happy Halloween Campers!!

2006-10-31T16:35:00.000-05:00

So last night I'm upstairs working on edits and my husband is putting the wee monster to sleep when I hear the alarm on the front door go off and then nothing. I rush down and the door is standing wide open and he's nowhere in sight. I step outside and he's not out there. I don't see wee monster and I call my dude's name and nothing. It's really, and I mean like 20 degrees really, cold and I hear a noise as he comes jogging back holding the crushed remains of two of the kids' pumpkins.

Turns out some little dipshits who need an ass kicking strolled up to our porch and walked away with two pumpkins. But my husband heard them and put a sleeping M down and ran after him. They dropped the pumpkins and ran their little asses off. My husband was worried that he'd left the door open and broke off after three blocks and came home.

Seriously? Who steals a pumpkin from a 2 year old? It's too late to carve another, even if the pumpkin patch wasn't picked clean so we're all sharing our pumpkins but there's a bit of sadness over it.

Still, we've got two darth vaders and a ladybug fairy and a whole bunch of candy so we'll have a good time anyway. It's freezing though! I'll have to bundle the boys up under their costumes because, "moooom! If I wear a coat, no one will see my costume." Eye roll.

I finished up second round edits on Sword and Crown last night and some last bit comma and clarification stuff on Taking Chase so I'm back to Threat of Darkness tonight, yay!

Speaking of Threat of Darkness, I've put up a very sneaky peek of it, Wolf Unbound and Sword and Crown at my messageboard. If you're not a member, why not?

Another early review of Tri Mates! Holly at Two Lips Reviews gives Tri Mates 4 1/2 lips and says in part: Tri Mates is another wonderful book in the Cascadia Wolves series by Lauren Dane. The intrigue gives these books a whole new dimension. There were so many twists and turns in the plot that I never knew what was coming next. Nick is such a charming playboy that you can’t help but love. Gabe is a much quieter Alpha male, yet he is intriguing in ways Nick is not. Tracy is just a kick butt woman who loves to let her men have control in bed, but only in bed. She is funny, loyal, loving and forgiving. They make a fascinating set and you’re left wanting more of their story. I literally can’t decide if the next in the series should continue their story or move on to the next couple. Of course, I’m waiting impatiently for Cade’s story who is Alpha of Cascadia pack…. Lauren Dane is on my auto buy list and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thanks, Holly!!

And one last bit - tomorrow on the Samhain Cafe loop we're throwing a big first birthday bash. There'll be all sorts of authors and excerpts and prizes so come on over to say hello!

DVD Mania!

2006-10-30T13:34:00.000-05:00

My man and I love to watch movies and buy lots of DVDs for the nights when there isn't much on TV (which is often, despite the large number of channels available!)

Here are three movies we've enjoyed recently:

KEEPING MUM
starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze.

Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson) is the vicar of Little Wallop. He's become obsessed with his job and isn't paying his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) much attention. Their two kids are having problems - the daughter is sex-crazed and the son is being bullied. Enter the American golf coach (Patrick Swayze) and Grace (Maggie Smith) the housekeeper.

This is a black comedy and starts off in the past. A beautiful young woman chops up her husband and his lover and puts them in a huge chest. When the chest leaks blood on the train she is caught and put in jail. Years later she gets out of jail and goes off to Little Wallop as a housekeeper. You see where this is leading, right?

I never thought I'd laugh at murder, but I watched this movie alternatively fascinated and horrified. My man lent it to his boss and another couple at his work and both couples loved the movie as much as us. Recommended!

KINKY BOOTS

An ailing shoe company that makes conservative men's shoes saves itself from bankruptcy by entering a niche market and making shoes and boots for transvestites.

I didn't know any of the actors in this movie but it's a real feel good movie with an ending that makes you go "ah". It's also based on a true story. The man and I loved this movie and will happily watch it again very soon.

CARS

We also purchased the cartoon movie Cars. This one was for my man. He wanted to watch this so I humored him. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. As usual my man went to sleep before the movie ended (which is why we tend to buy DVDs instead of going to the movies!) but I watched it all the way through and laughed a lot.

Do you like movies? What was the last one you saw? Do you prefer comedy, drama, thrillers or something else? Do you have a personal favorite that you like to watch again and again?

Shelley's Winner

2006-10-30T13:32:00.000-05:00

And the winner of my Wild Child download is:

Jen

Congrats, Jen! Email me at shelley munro @ gmail.com and I'll send you your prize.
Watch this space for further contests...

SHRIMP CREOLE! Yumm!

2006-10-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

This is an EASY shrimp dish served over rice. I make mine with bacon, but if you're a vegetarian that eats seafood, this'll work for you. YUM!!

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped plum tomatoes
(or you can use canned tomatoes if you're lazy like me)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt, cayenne and Old Bay Seasoning (just a dash or so to taste)
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (don't use cooked shrimp)
2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
6 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In a large saute pan, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne. Stir in the peppers and celery. Saute for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables start to wilt. Stir in the tomatoes and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne.
Stir in the water and bay leaves. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in the green onions. Check the seasoning (you may need a little bit more).

To assemble, mound the rice in the center of each plate or bowl. Spoon the Shrimp Creole over the rice. Garnish with green onions.

DONE!

Sweet Potato Pie coming next time... I think we'll make Oded Fehr bake one while 'entertaining' once our new raunchy page is ready for the continuation of Red Tigress' Rough Rider! Yeehaaw!

Lauren's Winner

2006-10-27T19:35:00.000-04:00

The winner of an ARC of Cascadia Wolves Tri Mates is... Estella!

Estella, email me and let me know your format preference and I'll get it your way!

Congratulations and keep an eye out for another contest soon.

So, tell me about Halloween...

2006-10-27T05:25:00.000-04:00

It's true...

I seem to be missing out on this thing called Halloween. NJ Walters is blogging about pumpkins. Shelli Stevens is blogging about costumes. Over at the Romance Divas forum they've touched on trick and treating. And over on the Triskelion loops they're playing with ghosties and goulies and the like (or they will be very soon!).

I'm a little envious! I need you to tell me what you do for halloween. What are your family traditions? I need to know so I can pretend to have my own halloween right here in New Zealand.

I'm so desperate to know I'm offering a bribe.
Anyone who comments on this post or on any of the posts before Monday will go into the draw to win a download of my contemporary story Wild Child.

And if like me, you don't celebrate halloween tell me about your favorite celebration or a family tradition and you're in the draw. I love to celebrate and will announce the winner in my next post, which is on Monday.

PS - Have you entered the Kiwi Triple Treat contest over on my website? If not, go and do it now since the last day for entries is 31 October!

It That's Time Again!

2006-10-26T00:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's time to talk about...food! Can you tell it's one of my favorite subjects. That's why my backside is always at the gym (well, in between work, writing and homeschooling, that is).

It's snowing like nobody's business here - wet sloppy mess. But the beautiful (but frickin' cold) white stuff, along with the gold and red leaves (that my son hates to rake up) brings to mind that Fall is in full swing. That means Thanksgiving is coming up pretty quick. I'm having a new page prepared where we can continue (in true raunchy style) our story of Red Tigress' Rough Rider. Until it's ready I'd like to share some of the yummy dishes we've enjoyed over the years during the holidays.

My favorite is Turducken. Now this is my ex's specialty. Even after we 'disbanded' I've managed to get him to cook this dish and drop it off every holiday for the past couple of years! Yes, girlfriend, it's THAT good!

So, what's Turducken? It's a chicken, stuffed inside of a duck, stuffed inside of a turkey. Each layer of meat has a different filling. The chicken has oyster stuffing in it. The duck has andouille sausage stuffing (not my favorite, but it works for this dish), and the turkey has traditional sage cornbread stuffing.

AND THERE'S NO BONES! All three birds are completely deboned, except for the turkey legs and wings. So when it's all put together, it just looks like a huge turkey. But when you slice it, you see all the layers. And with no bones, it's a snap to serve.

Next time, I'm going to tell you, step by step, how to make Shrimp Creole or Sweet Potato Pie. So, what are you having for your Thanksgiving or Harvest celebration?

Review Squee!

2006-10-25T16:49:00.000-04:00

I got a 4 1/2 Star Review for Enforcer from Romantic Times magazine! Gail says in part: “The first book in the Cascadia Wolves series starts out with a bang, and the action never lets up. An intricate world of werewolf tradition and pack hierarchy sets the scene for the well-developed characters. The very steamy sexual scenes, including a threesome, are well done and integral to the story.”

You can read an excerpt of Enforcer at my website through the link above!

The first review for the next Cascadia Wolves book, Tri Mates is in and it's a Recommended Read from Joyfully Reviewed! I'm really thrilled with it.

Here's what Melissa had to say: *WARNING* Do not sit down to read this book without a fan and cold drink. With Tri Mates, Lauren Dane delivers an erotically charged romance that is packed with action. Tracy, Nick and Gabe are perfect together and with the appearance of favorite characters from the other books in the Cascadia Wolves series, Tri Mates was a book that I was truly sad to flip the last page. Tri Mates proves that no matter if it is contemporary romance or paranormal romance, Ms. Dane is an author whose books should be on every romance lover’s auto-buy list!

Thank you so much Melissa and Joyfully Reviewed!

Titilating Tuesday!

2006-10-24T15:45:00.000-04:00

It's that day again over at my messageboard. I've put up a few excerpts this morning.

It's a pretty day, rain squalls early and now the sun is out and it's windy. It's release day at Samhain. There's a little bit of all kinds over there today with some really excellent authors.

I'm going to be over at Novelspotters today at 1 pm pacific/4 eastern so come by and say hello. I'll be posting an excerpt or two from Taking Chase, which releases in less than a month now!

AAR is having a poll right now for favorite mainstream sexy titles, erotic romance and ebooks. Apparently she's not getting enough of the ebook answers so hey - go vote if you're so inclined. There are a lot of really great ebooks out there to vote for.

Danielle Steel apparently has her own perfume coming out. Sigh. Smart Bitches has a post about it. Go read.

There are several interesting entries all over the blogsphere about author websites.

Here's what I like - If I can find what I'm looking for! It's simple but overlooked a lot. I like a website that isn't cluttered but has a sense of the author's voice. Jenny Crusie , Alison Kent , Sasha White does this even though she has the dreaded white text on black but her site is not blinding but readable, sexy and sassy much like she is.

Another thing these sites have in common? You can find things! I can find backlists, coming soon titles and other little bits of interest. I love that. They're also updated regularly.

Don't make me click around for fifteen minutes trying to find your available titles, please. Don't make me wander around looking for contact info. Just spend the 8 dollars to get your own domain and another 15 to get a simple website rather than the free sites that have urls that are 48 characters long and don't contain your name until after three backslashes. If I can't find you easily, chances are I won't bother. Make it easy for me to find you. Your website doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars to be effective and pop up ads in the middle of your page make me cranky (along with blog ads, but that's another entry). There are some amazing web designers out there (Croco Designs is my personal favorite but there are others) who won't charge an arm and a leg for a really pretty and well designed site.

I'm picky about websites. Don't play music unless you're a band or unless I can turn it on instead of having to turn it off. Don't offer sparkles and other annoying cursor effects, it's too hard to navigate (and I know of one big name author who does this with a fairy that spews sparkles for a cursor and it drives me nuts). Please if you're going to have that blinding black with white text, make the text big enough to read in a font that's easily read (see Sasha White's website for a perfect example of how to do it right). Some intricate gothic font in 8 point text with a blinding white on a black background makes me squint and then makes me find another site to read.

The point is to help the reader find your books and buy them. If they're unfamiliar with you, give them a sense of who you are. I know a lot of folks are busy and think they don't need to bother with a website or even to update the darned thing at least once every month or so. But frankly, readers are savvy, they want to know what's going on.

What are your favorite websites?

You Know How to Whistle?

2006-10-23T05:08:00.000-04:00

Taken from the movie TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT (1944) starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart are the famous words:

You know how to whistle don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow.

I learnt to whistle when I was about ten or so. After much practicing a noise came from between my pursed lips. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes it was great. And sometimes it was just plain embarrassing. I'm ashamed to admit that my whistling expertise hasn't improved with age. A case in point - yesterday. The dog was doing her own little thing and not hurrying when I wanted her to hurry. I whistled and this rush of air sounded. It was pitiful! The dog kept right on exploring. I laughed, because if you don't laugh at yourself....well, someone else will. *sigh* I complained to my husband about my lack of skill when it came to whistling. He, of course, can whistle up a storm. He just laughed at me. I think he appreciates me for things other than my whistling skills *grin*

Picture this: a building site. A female (that would be me). A hunky builder wearing shorts and his boots but not much else. Yep, a female (that would be me) naturally has an inclination to whistle. But the whistle? Well, it could be a great one, or I might need to slink around the corner and hide. Would you risk it? I'm telling you - whistling is a very important skill in a girl's flirting repertoire.

So, do you know how to whistle? What happens when you put your lips together and blow?

Gimme Sum!

2006-10-22T02:24:00.000-04:00

First, for those of you looking for a continuation of Red Tigress' Rough Rider, we'll be putting up a special page for it so you can follow the story. I couldn't keep up with once a week, so we'll do it once a month. And it'll be HOT so we'll make sure we put up a warning! We'll give you the date the story is available along with a link. All you have to do is read the story until you're all hot and bothered, then tell us where you want the story to go and you'll be automatically entered into the monthly Rough Rider contest. Prizes will change often so stay tuned.

Now about the title of this post - No I didn't spell it wrong. My kids and I went out for our monthly splurge-n-glut this afternoon. We found this new restaurant called, yep you guessed it, GIMME SUM China Grill. It's a wonderful, but far from typical Chinese restaurant.

I hate to admit it, but it took me a minute to realize what the name of the place was. I was too busy reading the 'sum' part, thinking dim sum, gim sum, etc. Okay, so I was a bit slow today!

The food was excellent, the dessert was soooo good it was just wrong! Plus, the service was superior and the atmosphere was up and hip with just the right amount of tradition stirred in. If you have one in your neighborhood, you've gotta check it out.

Besides, doesn't it sound like my kind of restaurant? Perhaps one of my new heroes has gotta say that in a story? "Girl, get over here and GIMME SUM!" While she tosses over her shoulder, "You want SUM? Come get SUM!" and saunters toward the door. Of course, she never makes it... and she doesn't want to. My goodness!

Anyway, check out Gimme Sum here--> www.gimmesum.com

Glitches and To Do Lists and Junk, Oh My!

2006-10-21T13:08:00.000-04:00

Today, I can't post at my own messageboard at my own website. Yes, it keeps telling me my message looks like spam. No matter what I post. I've gone into the controls and can't see that anything has changed or even how I'd go about fixing this. This was my fear with the phpbb software. So now I wait for someone to add me to the damned list at pbpbb so I can ask how to fix it.

And this blog template has been very cranky and our wonderful graphic designer, Janet from Novel Vision has gone above and beyond the call of duty trying to get all the browsers to see everything correctly. It's looking good this morning and I hope it holds.

But this week, aside from multiple moments of extreme agitation, has been really productive. I finished my edits on Taking Chase and got them back to my editor and I finished the final polish edits on my partial and synopsis for my agent. And last night I got back to work on Threat of Darkness. I'm at 16K now, so I'm cooking and hoping to be finished by the end of the month. This will mark the beginning of a new series about the Fae so I'm excited about that. After that, well I'll probably get working on Chased as it's due in January.

I'm working with some other authors on an event at Babeland in March. Babeland is this really wonderful sex toy shop that carries books and videos. It's run by women and a comfortable place to browse without feeling creepy or guilty. More when I get the details nailed down. It's nice to be part of an event where the store wants you to be there instead of telling you you lack "shared core values."

That's about it for now. Oh and I'm running a contest all week. Commenters will be entered in a drawing to win an ARC of Tri Mates. I'll choose someone at random this time next week.