Riley Quinn

Something New

2011-05-04T08:00:00.001+02:00

I know I haven’t been around much lately. I had some family obligations come up and needed to take some time to recharge. Not sure when I’ll be back to a regular blog post schedule, but don’t give up on me.

I did want to share some exciting news. I’m joining 14 other authors in a new venture. We’ll be blogging Monday through Friday, bringing original fiction, book reviews and other fun stuff. We’ll have the blog on Amazon so if you have a Kindle and want to pay Amazon’s convenience fee, you can have it automatically uploaded to your device. Or you can go to the blog directly and read for free.

I’ll be posting twice a month. I’ve decided to release my werewolf novella as a serial, available at The Digital Digest (our blog). I’ll have more information as we get closer to the launch date of June 1.

I hope you check me out on The Digital Digest.

Subliminal Stimuli

2011-03-28T08:00:00.010+02:00

Today I want to talk about something that is related to the brain wave series we just finished up, but is different.

Subliminal stimuli.

You’ve heard of advertising executives tout the advantage of inserting a flash photo into an advertisement to sell more products. Some people worried so much about becoming “brainwashed” that the FCC banned subliminal messages in advertisements in the 1970s.

The idea behind it is that the flash of a picture or words spoken so softly as to be heard clearly bypass the conscious mind and lodge in our subconscious. It’s similar to hypnosis in that it bypasses the conscious mind. The difference between the two is the method of delivery.

But does it actually work?

I found myself needing a bit more self-discipline to get certain things done during the day so I decided to find out.

I ordered a CD specifically for self-discipline/willpower. It recommended listening to it for 1 hour per day and once a week reading through the list of affirmations that were on it.

So I did.

I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks now and I have to say I’ve noticed an improvement. Is it possible that it’s all in my head? Yep. But here’s the thing. Whether the affirmations playing under the music are what helped me get my butt in gear or my brain thinking they would help so they did doesn’t really matter in the long run. Not to me. What matters to me is that I had the focus to do what I needed to do.

I’ve not been this productive in quite a while. I’m running with it and not looking back.
In case you’re wondering where I ordered the CD, I ordered from Inner Talk. I did some research and chose to trust them and they’re patented technology.

What do you think about subliminal messages? Do you think it works? Have you tried it? Care to share your experiences?

Gamma Waves

2011-03-25T09:56:00.000+01:00

We’ve spent the last two weeks talking about brain waves and we’ve covered them. Except for gamma waves.

Quite honestly, this one is a new one for me. When I’d originally started looking at brain waves, this one never popped up. Recently I’d been looking at Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s CD offerings and found 2 for gammas. I was intrigued.

So I did some research and what I found prompted me to slap down the money and buy those darn CDs.

Gamma waves are considered the brain’s optimal frequency of functioning. They are associated with compassion, happiness and increased mental abilities. They’re found in every part of the brain and help to improve memory and perception.

Benefits of increased gamma brain activity include boosted memory (as stated above), processing multiple senses at once, increased compassion, high level information processing, natural antidepressant, advanced learning ability, increase in I.Q., higher energy levels and higher level of focus.

As always, too much can cause problems. Too many gamma waves can cause some anxiety. Also, some people are not prepared for the mental awakening associated with gamma waves so it’s best to start off slow.

Healthy ways to increase gamma brain waves include:

1. Brain entrainment – You knew I was going here. I recently (in the last month) purchased Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s Gamma Meditation System and Gamma Meditation System 2.0. I haven’t gotten to really use it yet, but if it’s a good as the previous CDs I’ve purchased, I’ve no doubt that it’s awesome.
2. Sleep – Gammas are present during R.E.M. sleep and sometimes associated with dreaming, along with thetas.
3. Meditation – I’ve mentioned this several times.
4. Hypnosis/self-hypnosis – The more often you participate in this, the more your gamma waves increase.
5. Yoga – Again, mentioned several times.

There are no known unhealthy ways increase gamma waves and virtually all activities that are detrimental to mental health with decrease gammas.

If you’re already a smart and compassionate person and experience many of the benefits listed above, chances are high that you naturally produce enough gamma waves.

If you’ve been keeping track, you’ll notice several of the same things increase most brain waves in a healthy manner. Getting enough sleep, a regular meditation practice and doing yoga on a regular basis. You’ll also notice that these activities keep your body healthy too.

If you want missed my posts on meditation and yoga, check them out.

I hope you’ve found this information helpful. Monday I’m going to touch on a topic that is somewhat related – subliminal messages.

Now that you’ve read about all the different brain waves, their benefits and how to increase them, what do you plan to do? Have a great weekend everyone.

Delta Waves

2011-03-23T08:00:00.002+01:00

We’ve covered a lot of ground – beta, alpha, and theta brain waves. Next up is delta waves.

Beta waves were fast waves. Then we slowed it down with alpha before going even slower with theta. Delta brain waves are the slowest of all. Whereas theta waves are associated with the subconscious mind, delta waves are associated with the unconscious mind and like other slower brain wave patterns, generated in the right hemisphere of the brain.

Delta brain waves have been linked to stages 3 and 4 of sleep. If you’ve ever woken up and felt irritable, confused or disoriented, you probably woke up during your delta stage of sleep.

Delta brain activity has been linked to boosted intuition and the cultivation of psychic skills in some people. Think of them as a radar system for our intuition. Delta waves allow us to be more aware of information that isn’t available to our conscious, beta brain. This is our “gut” instinct.

Healing of the mind and body have been linked to delta brain waves. Researchers have discovered that it’s possible to produce melatonin and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) within the delta range. These substances help to slow or reverse the effects of aging.

Increasing delta waves can reduce the production of cortisol. Cortisol is often produced in times of stress and increased levels can kill brain cells, as well as speed up the process of physical and mental aging.

Some problems associated with too many delta brain waves include an extremely unfocused mind, extreme sleepiness, and hyperactivity.

Healthy ways to increase delta waves are:

1. Brain wave entrainment – Yep, you guessed it. Dr. Jeffrey Thompson has this one covered too. I own the Delta Sleep System and there is also the Delta Sleep System 2.0. When I or hubby go through a bout of insomnia, I set these CDs to play through the night and they do wonders.
2. Sleep – Getting a good night’s rest is important for staying healthy and while plenty of sleep won’t increase your delta waves the next day, you’ll experience their benefit during your non-dream sleep.
3. Meditation – I just can’t say enough good stuff about this practice.
4. Hypnosis/self-hypnosis – If you practice frequent enough, you may find yourself able to tap into your delta brain wave awareness.
5. Yoga – Again, can’t say enough.

Sometimes, skipping sleep will produce delta brain waves. This falls under the unhealthy label. In addition to some delta wave increase, cortisol is also increased.

Most people don’t produce large amounts of delta waves unless they are in the deepest sleep stages. If you experience too many of the listed negative effects, you may want to consider speeding up your brain waves into the beta range.

Just one more brain wave to go. What do you think so far? Do you recognize yourself in any of the healthy or unhealthy aspects of these brain waves?

Theta Waves

2011-03-18T08:00:00.012+01:00

We’ve talked about beta waves and alpha waves. Next on the list is theta.

These brain waves are usually associated with sleep and dreaming. Generated in the right hemisphere of the brain, they kick in when we feel emotional, relaxed, daydreamy, unfocused or asleep.

Benefits of increasing theta waves include deep levels of relaxation, advanced intuition, peak levels of creativity, advanced problem solving skills, lower anxiety and stress, the ability to learn a new language easier, boost in learning ability, stronger immune system, improved long-term memory, the ability to hyperfocus and replenishing the body and mind.

People that naturally generate high amounts of theta waves are extroverts, people who regularly meditate, children, and people with ADD or ADHD.

As with the other brain waves we’ve discussed, it is possible to generate too many. Some problems associated with this include the inability to focus, too much daydreaming, depression, sleepiness, lack of excitement, extreme impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and an overly receptive mind.

Healthy ways to increase theta brain activity includes:

1. Brain entrainment – Again, Dr. Jeffrey Thompson has the Theta Meditation System and the Theta Meditation System 2.0. I have owned and used the first for many years.
2. Listening to music – All genres of music, except classical, target the brain’s right side and increase theta levels.
3. Sufficient sleep – Getting a good night’s sleep is important for good health in many ways.
4. Meditation – Yep. This one again.
5. Hypnosis/self-hypnosis – As with alpha waves, regular hypnosis helps reduce stress by increasing theta waves.
6. Yoga – Another activity that I’ve recommended more than once.

Unhealthy ways to increase theta waves include taking valium, drinking alcohol and taking hallucinogenics.

Theta brain waves can be an intense experience. If you find yourself overemotional and depressed, increasing theta waves would not be recommended. Are you already an overemotional person? If so, you may already produce high amounts of theta activity. If you experience too many of the negative effects, perhaps speeding your brain waves to beta would be beneficial.

Do you think you have an abundance of theta brain activity? Do you think you’d like to increase it? Have you tried any the tips so far? What have you found?

Alpha Waves

2011-03-16T08:00:00.008+01:00

Today I want to talk about Alphas. No, not heroes this time. Alpha brain waves.

Monday I told you about beta waves and that when we are actively using our minds, these are most prevalent. They are fast waves.

Alpha waves are considered relaxed brain activity. These waves are usually generated in the right hemisphere of the brain or in a synchronized pattern between both sides. We experience this brain activity w hen we are relaxed and free of stress.

In people who are relaxed and creative, alpha waves are more prevalent than beta waves. When we close our eyes, alpha waves dominate. They are considered the healthiest wave frequency and the safest to train.

Benefits of increasing alpha brain waves include a relaxed body and mind, higher levels of creativity, improved ability to solve problems, emotional stability, boosted immune system, positive thinking and increased levels of serotonin.

Who tends to have naturally high levels of alpha waves? Extroverts, people who meditate on a regular basis and children.

Of course, it’s possible to have too much. How can anyone be too relaxed, I’m sure you’re asking? Too many alpha waves can lead to lack of focus, too many daydreams, depression, tiredness, lack of excitement, lack of visual awareness and being overly receptive to suggestions.

Bottom line is that it’s not recommended to increase a brainwave that you already have high levels of.

Healthy ways to increase alpha brain waves include:

1. Brain entrainment – I mentioned this Monday with beta waves. Again, I suggest Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s CDs. I personally own and use his Alpha Relaxation System. He now also has Alpha Relaxation System 2.0. I haven’t tried this one, but I’m sure it’s as great as the original.
2. Meditation – This is a great way to increase alpha waves, plus there are other benefits that go along with a regular meditation practice. Check out last Friday’s post for more information.
3. Self-hypnosis – Doing self-hypnosis on a regular basis will help reduce stress by raising your alpha waves.
4. Visualization – Close your eyes and try to imagine. This goes hand in hand with meditation, but can be used separately.
5. Yoga – Another great activity with more benefits than just raising your alpha activity. Check out my post here if you’d like more information.
6. Deep breathing – Again, this one goes along with meditation and yoga. Deep breathing does wonders in stress reduction.
7. Saunas/hot tubs – Sitting in a hot tub is relaxing, right? Natural state to be in for alpha waves. Same goes for laying in the sun.
8. Watching T.V. – Who would have thought watching television was healthy for anything? After just 30 seconds of watching television, your brains alpha waves kick in. The radiant light from the cathode-ray technology in televisions cause the brain to shift into alpha mode.

Of course there are unhealthy ways to increase alpha waves. Drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana will do the trick, but they are not the best choice.

If you already experience many of the listed benefits, you probably don’t need to boost your alpha waves. If you experience too many of the negative effects, you may want to try upping your brainwaves into the beta range.

Where do you think you fall? More towards beta or alpha? Does increasing certain brainwaves sound like something you’d like to try?

Beta Waves

2011-03-14T08:00:00.005+01:00

The brain is an electrochemical organ. It can generate small amounts of electrical activity. This electrical activity is called brain waves.

There are several different kinds of brain waves and I’ll be discussing them all over the next couple of weeks. The first I’m going to talk about is beta. These waves are considered fast brain waves and are usually generated in the left side of the brain.

Beta waves indicate a strongly engaged mind – someone participating in active conversation, making a speech, thinking logically, feeling stressed or tense. Basically, when you’re awake and alert, your brain is giving off beta waves.

Some benefits of increasing beta brainwaves include the ability to think quickly, being more social, being more goal-oriented, high levels of focus, more energy, the ability to write easily and quickly and an increase in I.Q.

I know all these benefits sound great, and they are. But remember, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

When beta wave levels are too high, you may experience anxiety, stress, paranoia, muscle tension, elevated blood pressure and insomnia.

There are ways to increase your beta waves. Healthy ways include:

1. Brain entrainment – this is a method that I use when I want to change my brain waves. Personally, I like Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s CDs and own several. He uses classical and soothing music embedded with sound frequencies to stimulate the appropriate brain waves. If you’re interested in trying to stimulate your own beta waves, you might consider his Brainwave Symphony: Beta.
2. Neurofeedback – I don’t know much about this one, other than it is very expensive though effective.
3. Brain training games – these games increase thinking and naturally speed up your beta activity. Some possibilities include Big Brain Academy for the Wii, Brain Age for Nintendo DS or the Lumosity.com brain program.
4. Doing homework – using your brain to complete assignments, particularly math problems or reading short stories are another natural way to increase your beta waves.
5. Drinking coffee – the caffeine gives a jolt of energy to the brain, increasing beta waves. This effect is different for everyone, though, so it may take more or less to get your own motor revving.

Unhealthy ways to increase beta activity include snorting cocaine, taking diet pills, taking amphetamines, drinking energy drinks and smoking cigarettes. I think these are pretty self-explanatory.

Beta brainwaves are great, but you need to judge whether increasing them is right for you. Are you already a positive thinker with lots of energy? If so, your brain probably produces large amounts of beta waves naturally and you may even benefit from slowing down to alpha waves (Wednesday’s topic). Are you tired a lot and feel unmotivated or bored? Then you may benefit from an increase.

Are you familiar with the different types of brainwaves? Have you ever tried any methods of training your brain? Think you want to try?

Slow Down and Meditate

2011-03-11T08:00:00.002+01:00

Over the next couple of weeks, my blog posts will be centered on an area of interest that I’ve been studying for a while – how the brain works.

I’m not going to get all neurological on you. I don’t have the expertise for that. In fact, what I share with you will be what I’ve learned as a layman. I have no expertise in any of this. I just find it interesting.

Today I’ll talk about meditation and in succeeding posts, I’ll talk about the different brain waves we produce and how we can access them.

I started meditating about 10 years ago. I’d like to say I’ve done it steady that whole time, but that would be a lie. I’ve lapsed the last couple of years and I’m working on building my meditation practice up to a daily occurrence again.

There are many benefits to meditation. Regular meditation can lower blood pressure, help relieve insomnia and help you relax and handle everyday stresses easier. On a personal note, my husband can tell when I meditate because I apparently don’t anger as easily as when I don’t meditate.

I started with guided meditation. I found it easier for me. There are lots of CDs and books that can help you get started. Believe it or not, I started with John Edward’s set of CDs (although they were cassette tapes at that time) called Developing Your Own Psychic Powers. The first guided meditation is that one that I used exclusively for a long time. It creates such a beautiful scene in my mind and I love to visit that place.

What I look for in a guided meditation is 1) music that is relaxing and pleasant for me to listen to, although drums are nice too, and 2) a voice that is pleasant to listen to. It does no good if you are irritated by either and can’t relax.

A few that I like are First Step by Gary Guthrie, The Soul of Healing Meditations by Deepak Chopra, The Enchanted Wood by Adam James Wakeling and Silence of Being by Mary & Richard Maddux.

Amazon has samples of most that they offer. Just type “guided meditation” into the search box and several pages will pop up. Listen to those that interest you to see if you find them soothing and relaxing.

You’ll find, if you give it a chance, that the more you meditate, the easier it is to slip into that meditative state. There are also things you can do to facilitate it.

1. Meditate the same time every day. This can be difficult when you have a busy schedule, but if you can find a time you have open on a consistent basis, this will help.
2. Meditate in the same place every day. Try to find a place where you won’t be interrupted and where you feel comfortable.
3. Ritual before you start. I like to light nag champa incense before I start. At this point, just smelling that scent starts the relaxation process.
4. Deep breathing. A lot of guided meditations will start you with breathing techniques. Again, after you’ve done it for a while, just practicing these techniques will relax your body.

These are just a few things that have helped me over the years. I hope you decide to give it a try if you haven’t before. It really does benefit your body.

Have you ever tried meditating? Do you meditate on a regular basis? What, if anything, would hold you back?

I’d love to hear about your own experiences and next time I’ll be discussing Beta brain waves.

Shake Your Booty

2011-03-09T08:00:00.002+01:00

If you haven’t exercised all your life, it can be a hard habit to pick up. Let’s face it, if you actually liked it, you’d already have been doing it, right? Maybe.

Sometimes it just takes finding the right activity to get you started. Sometimes it’s just making yourself do it.

For myself, I find that once I’m actually exercising, I’m fine. I love the way I feel afterwards. But I can really psych myself out, if I’m not careful. You’ve heard the excuses: I don’t have time, I’m tired, it’s boring, etc. I think I may have mentioned before that I’m really great at rationalizing anything I want to do.

How do I get past this? The easiest way is to get up and exercise first thing in the morning. If I don’t have time to think about it, I’m already halfway done before I realize it. Another thing that helps me is music.

Research shows that listening to upbeat music while you exercise helps you work out longer and harder, leading to faster calorie burn. Sounds great, right?

I recently came across a website that groups songs that might be good workout music by genre, decade and beats per minute (BPM). Genre and decade are self-explanatory, but BPM? Yes, you can use music that have a lower BPM to warm-up or cool-down and faster BPM music for your workout. The website is called RunHundred.

In addition to this website, there is an app for your iPod/iPhone called Cadence that will go through the music in your library and find the BPM for those songs.

Have you heard of either of these? How do you find your workout music? What do you like to listen to?

Ebook Week March 6-12, 2011

2011-03-07T08:00:00.001+01:00

Not sure if you’ve heard, but this week is Ebook Week, celebrating electronic books. I started reading ebooks about 8 years or so ago. I found them quite by accident.

At the time, I’d discovered Angela Knight’s Mageverse series and loved it. So I jumped onto her website, looking for more books. I found one that she had offered through Loose Id. I bit the bullet and bought it.

Then I found other publishers. I don’t even know how much money I spent in the beginning. This was before ereaders were so popular. I read most of my books on my computer. Then I talked hubby into buying me an ereader.

Choices were limited. I went with the Ebookwise reader. It was a little bulky, especially compared to today’s models. It worked, though. I LOVED it. I still have it, though nowadays I do most of my reading on my iTouch. I’m considering another ereader, but don’t know what I want so I hold off for now.

In honor of Ebook Week, some electronic publishers are giving away free ebooks or giving great deals. Check out the websites below for deals. I hope you enjoy. If you know of any others, please share in the comments.

Ebook Week
ImaJinn Books

Yoga!

2011-02-16T08:00:00.003+01:00

Last week I talked about my foot ailment, plantar fasciitis. It definitely slowed my progress. I took a week off from my exercise class. It seemed to help and I went back. It hurt again. This was a couple of weeks before we planned to leave for the States so I ended up taking all of December off and part of January.

Before I went back to class, I started exercising again with a 3 mile walk with Peanut. By the time I got home, my feet hurt. What to do?

I didn’t want it to get so bad that I needed surgery, but I still needed to work out. I’d made so much progress that I hated to backslide. Then I remembered. My awesome teacher, Sarah, who you met here, also does yoga classes in the evening.

I had taken yoga for a semester in college. It’s something that I had always wanted to try and I’d enjoyed it at the time. Afterwards, I tried to find a yoga class that I liked, but none ever clicked for me and I let it go.

When I thought about the yoga class here, I thought it would be the perfect solution. If it didn’t hurt my feet.

I’m happy to say that the yoga doesn’t affect my feet at all, so I’m able to continue the exercise without injuring myself further. If you’ve never tried yoga, I encourage you to do so.

Many people think it’s just stretching, not real exercise. I would counter that they are wrong. There is some stretching, but it’s so much more than that. You use your muscles in a more gentle way, if that makes any sense, but you still use them.

In fact, my arms and legs have been feeling the yoga workouts more than the Sculpt & Burn workouts I’d done previously. And with yoga, there are other benefits as well.

It increases your flexibility, which in turn, makes you look younger.

It massages the organs in your body. I know that seems weird and you’re probably wondering why you would even want to do this. The stimulation and massage of the organs actually helps keep away disease. A regular yoga practitioner can also develop an awareness of their body that will warn of impending health problems.

Detoxification. By gently stretching the muscles and joints and massaging the organs, yoga pushes the blood throughout the body, flushing out toxins from everywhere. This delays aging and increases your energy level.

Toning. Of course, the toning of your muscles.

So you see, there’s a lot to be said for yoga. I’m enjoying it again and may switch to this permanently.

Have you ever tried yoga? Want to? What do you think of it? Do you find it’s a good workout?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:12:00.000+01:00

Happy Valentine’s Day.

I don’t know about you, but this holiday sure seems to put a lot of pressure on and inspire feelings of insecurity in a lot of people. Particularly single people.

In elementary school, we had to give everyone a card. Not so bad. Then comes middle school (junior high) and high school. In my school, they offered carnations for sale for $1. There were a bunch of different colors, each meaning something else. The cheerleaders (I think) would bring them around in the afternoon, “delivering” them in front of everyone.

Of course, as we get older, it carries more significance. No one wants to be single on this day of love. I have to admit, I never had someone special during this time until my husband and I got together. So that first year, I went all out on gifts.

And he didn’t.

I’m convinced most guys don’t really get the concept behind V-day. After a few years, I stopped going crazy on the gifts for hubby. Now we pretty much just do cards, maybe a nice dinner somewhere. Every so often, he’ll bring or send flowers home.

This year, I think we made up for all the past years. Hubby has been dying for one of those automatic coffee machines. After our neighbor was able to organize one for less than half the price and I made sure we’d be able to use it in the States when we go back, I relented.

We picked it up yesterday. I’m calling this a gift to each other.

I had planned to have a gift for all of you in the form of a free read. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish it in time. So instead, I have another gift. As some of you may know, I write erotic romance under the name Scarlett Jameson. As such, I’m a member of an erotic stories blog and we publish each month into an ebook.

So my gift to you is a coupon code for a free book on Smashwords, if you’d like. (I know this isn’t everyone’s cuppa.) Since some of the stories are serials and Volume 1 is already free, I’ll start with the code for Volume 2.

Volume 1 can be found here: Everything Erotic Volume I
Volume 2 can be found here: Everything Erotic Volume II

Coupon code for Volume 2: TR69U

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Do you and your honey have any special traditions?

Paige Stewart and the Ghost Cat of Columbia Square

2011-02-11T08:00:00.002+01:00

Today we have a special treat. Paige Stewart (aka Rachel Lynne) is sharing a story with us. I know you’ll enjoy this little interlude, as well as her Jewel of the Night series contribution, Ring of Lies.

“The Davenport House was built in 1820 by master builder, Isaiah Davenport. The house is designed in the Federal style commonly seen in the New England area where Mr. Davenport was born and learned his craft. The focus of this museum is to provide an accurate portrayal of a middle class life in 1820’s Savannah. If you’ll follow me, we’ll explore the drawing room, foyer, and office.”

Paige Stewart obediently trouped behind the group of tourists and wondered what had possessed her to take the tour. Historical restoration and ‘living history’ museums were her sister Anne’s, idea of fun. Paige smirked. Her preferences leaned toward the living and the night life.

“You’ll notice the rooms on the first floor feature more elaborate moldings, fireplace mantels, and furnishings than those of the second and third floors. This is because Mr. Davenport used the home as a showcase for his business and he entertained prospective clients in these rooms.”

Paige tuned out the docent’s spiel and surveyed the room. The house was beautifully restored, right down to the foyer’s floor cloth painted to resemble black and white tiles. She scratched her head. If memory served, there was something similar in the upstairs hallway at Oak Point. Paige rolled her eyes. It used to be there anyway. No doubt her father’s trophy wife had pitched it into a dumpster as part of her ‘modernizing’ of the family’s two hundred year old plantation.

Paige grimaced at what she might find when she returned to her childhood home on St. Stewart’s Island. If Tiffany the Yankee bimbo’s,(Paige refused to think of her as a Stewart), redecorating of the Stewart townhouse on Pulaski Square was any indication of her plans for Oak Point, the Stewart ancestors would be lined up at the Pearly Gates with sharp knives in eager anticipation of her father’s arrival.

“In 1955, seven civic minded ladies founded the Historic Savannah Foundation after learning of plans to demolish the Davenport House to construct a parking lot. Saving the Davenport House was the catalyst for the organized preservation movement that has turned Savannah into an international tourist destination. The foundation has helped to save over three hundred and fifty buildings. We’ll now move upstairs to the family rooms. Note the cantilevered staircase …” The docent spun around and glared at Paige as the theme from the Twilight Zone rang out from her purse. “Ma’am, cell phone use is not permitted during the tour. We specifically ask our guests to turn them off.”

Paige flashed a tight smile and rummaged through her bag. She groaned as she read the caller id. Mouthing an apology to the docent, Paige pressed the green button and retraced her steps down to the gift shop. “Hello Clayton.”

“Paige? Where are you?”

She grinned. “I’m in Savannah, how about you?”

A snort from Clay sent static through the speaker. “Don’t be flippant, Paige, you know what I mean. You are supposed to be at the Seventeen Hundred Ninety Inn, yet I get a call from my secretary saying the reservation was cancelled. Mind explaining that?”

Paige drew a deep breath and counted to ten so she didn’t bless him out. She was still uneasy over what occurred in room 204. “Certainly. If you’ll explain to me how I came to be booked in the so-called haunted room.”

Clayton chuckled. “So that’s it. Were you scared to sleep alone Paige?” His tone softened. “Want me to come down and keep you company through the night?”

A shiver ran down her spine and it had nothing to do with ghosts. A vision of Clay’s toned body entwined with hers rose before her eyes. She gulped and blinked the image away. Clayton Moore was her boss and she had no intention of mixing business with pleasure, at least until she finished the Spectral Savannah series anyway; after that … all bets were off, and clothes too, if she were lucky.

“Paige? Cat got your tongue?”

Paige dragged her thoughts away from their carnal fantasies and tried to recall the gist of the conversation. “Yes …, er, no! No, Clay, I don’t need you to protect me from things that go bump in the night.”

“Sure? It would be fun …”

“Umm hmm, I’m sure it will—I mean would! It would be –“

“Freudian slip, Paige?”

Paige flushed at the knowing tone in his voice. Please God, open a hole in the floor so I can crawl in!
She cleared her throat and attempted to get the conversation back on a professional footing. “Did you just call to tease me or was there something you needed?”

“Oh, I need you all right …” His sexy laugh filtered down the phone line sending a wave of desire coursing through her. She’d wanted him from the moment they met two months ago but she’d denied herself; knowing business and pleasure didn’t mix. She’d even tried convincing herself he was a naïve, ghost hunting fool. Good looking and charming, but a little shy of a full deck. Paige sighed and faced the fact that the effort had been futile. Her body was intent on overriding her brain.

“Paige, you there?”

Paige drew a deep breath and told her rebellious body to chill; she had a job to do. “Yeah, Clay, I’m here. Look, I’m missing this tour so ….”

“What tour? Are you digging up some good ghost stories to replace the Seventeen Hundred story you chickened out on?”

Paige gritted her teeth. “I did not chicken out; those people were nothing but two bit con – never mind. I’m touring the Davenport House Museum. It has an interesting history and the restoration had a tremendous impact on the city –“

“Uh, that’s great Paige but … is it haunted?”

Paige huffed. “I don’t know Clayton and to be honest that isn’t my first priority at the moment –“
“Well it’s mine! I hired you to write ghost stories. My readers don’t give a damn about the –“He laughed. “Geez, you know how to push my buttons.”

Paige laughed. “Well I don’t mean to.”

“Good, bodes well for our future! Look Paige, you’re a damn fine reporter and everything you’ve turned in so far has been excellent so I have no reason to doubt you this time. Besides, I don’t want to fight with you …,” He chuckled. “I actually called to see if you were free for dinner Friday.”

Paige gulped and tried to ignore her quickening pulse, and his use of the word ‘our’. “Umm, this Friday? I thought you were in New York.”

“I was but I flew into Charleston yesterday. We’re looking at doing a series on their ghosts after your Savannah articles run. So, how about it? I’ll drive down Friday afternoon. We’ll have dinner and, since I don’t have to be back in New York until Monday, I thought you might give me a tour of your island.”

Paige laughed. “St. Stewart’s isn’t my island.”

“It’s named after your family …”

“Yes, but we don’t own it, well not all of it anyway.” Paige glanced at her watch and jumped. “Oh! Clay, I’ve got to run. We’ve been talking for thirty minutes, and the tour only lasts an hour. I’d love to have dinner with you Friday night but we’ll have to wait and see on the island tour, okay? I’ll talk to you later –“Paige started to click the phone off but stopped as Clayton yelled her name. “Yeah Clay, whatcha need?”

“Sorry to keep you from your scintillating tour but … I don’t know where you’re staying.”

Paige laughed. “Oh, sorry! I’m at the Kehoe House on Columbia Square, catty corner to the Davenport House.”

“I know it. I’ll pick you up around 8:00. Enjoy your tour!”

Paige turned her phone off and muttered, “I will, if it hasn’t ended!”

Paige ran up to the second floor and paused to catch her breath. The tour was nowhere in sight and the house was silent. She wandered down the hall, peeking into the rooms in hopes of slipping back into the group. The last thing she wanted was another scold from the guide.

She glanced into what she assumed was the morning room and found it empty. The master bedroom also yielded no results. She frowned. One room left, and the door was closed. She hesitated, wondering if the room was off limits to guests but, hearing someone singing, she opened the door. A young girl, dressed in a period costume, similar to the docent’s, sat on the floor playing with a grey tiger striped cat.

Paige smiled and bent to stroke the cat. “Do you know where your mother took the tour group?”

The little girl pointed to the floor above.

“Thanks!” Paige scratched the cat’s chin one last time and headed for the stairs. Half-way up, she paused. The Davenport House was a museum filled with priceless antiques. While a child dressed in period attire certainly added to the atmosphere, she doubted the foundation intended the child to be left unsupervised. The docent would likely be reprimanded for letting her daughter wander and it might even cost the woman her job if they found out her child let a cat inside.

Considering it her good deed for the day, Paige made her way back to the bedroom but found it empty. I tried. She shrugged and returned to the staircase, just in time to receive another glare from the docent.

“Ma’am. At the start of the tour, I clearly stated that visitors were not to wander off alone. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

That’s the thanks I get for trying to save your ass?

Paige bit back the retort. “I’m sorry. I had to take a phone call. I was trying to find you when I stumbled upon your daughter playing in a bedroom. She told me you were upstairs so I started to join you but then I came back down. It occurred to me that she isn’t supposed to be up here alone either, and I’m sure her cat isn’t allowed inside at all.” Paige smiled. “I was going to bring her to you so you wouldn’t get into trouble, but I’m afraid she’s run off.”

The docent frowned. “Ma’am, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have a daughter and there had better not be a cat running loose in here!”

“But I …”

The docent pointed toward the basement steps. “Please, I think it best you leave.”

Confused, Paige followed the woman down to the gift shop. It made no sense. She’d clearly seen and spoken to the little girl. Hell, she’d pet the cat! The woman was obviously lying … but why? Annoyed, Paige walked over to the cashier’s desk and leaned across the counter.

The docent sighed and halted her conversation with the clerk. “May I help you?”

Paige’s eyes widened at the woman’s hostile tone. What on earth had she done? “Look, I’m sorry to bother you but … I know I saw a little girl and her cat upstairs. She’s dressed in costume. Now, if she isn’t your daughter, don’t you think –“

“Oh for goodness sake!” The docent rolled her eyes. “Please stop. You’re not funny and that gag is getting old.”

“What gag? I’m not trying to be fun-“

“Ma’am, you’re not the first to come in here and try to pull this stunt. The story of the little girl and her ghost cat is hardly new. The Davenport House is not haunted by the daughter of Isaiah Davenport or a cat. We are a serious history museum. If you wish to hear, or tell, ghost stories I suggest you take the haunted hearse tour. Now, for the last time, please leave the premises!”

Paige stumbled outside and walked over to Columbia Square. She sat by the fountain and stared at the Davenport House, trying to make sense of what she’d just heard. She wanted to believe the docent was lying but, after years as a journalist Paige knew the truth when she heard it. Which left her with no acceptable explanation; she’d been hallucinating or …

She jumped up and gave herself a shake. The only reasonable explanation was the power of suggestion. Clay had put the idea of ghosts into her head right before she hung up and imagination took it from there. That was the only reasonable thing to assume. I either accept that or get fitted for a straight jacket.

Determined to take a nap, Paige walked toward the Kehoe House. Half-way across the street she stopped and stared. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the tip of grey tail disappear through the brick wall surrounding the Davenport House’s garden; a child’s delighted laughter drifted on the wind.
Paige rubbed her eyes with a trembling hand and wondered what size jacket to request.

Riley, thank you so much for allowing me, er Paige, to visit your blog! Intrepid reporter Paige Stewart may be fictitious but the history and lore of the Davenport House are all true … to one degree or another. I wonder if Paige will get her nap. Children apparently like her … and the Kehoe family had 10!
Rachel Lynne

You can find me, and my books, at my website and I often hold contests on my FaceBook Fan Page, so why not join?

If you want to see what happens to Paige at the Kehoe House, visit my Blog; the link and date of the next adventure will be posted in the News column. And, if you can’t wait for another suspenseful tale set amidst the beautiful and historic city of Savannah, may I suggest my romantic suspense novel Ring of Lies?

Secrets, Lies, and Murder surround Ivy Michaels amidst the backdrop of Savannah’s annual St. Patrick’s Day festivities!

Book Trailer for Ring of Lies: A café owner and an ex-cop must solve the mystery of a hot blue diamond in order to catch a stone cold killer! Excerpt

Things seem to be heating up between Paige and Clay. It’s just a matter of time before I convince her to give my newsletter readers the inside scoop so be sure to subscribe!

Sometimes it Hurts

2011-02-09T12:26:00.000+01:00

I know I’ve talked about getting fit, healthy and becoming more active. I’ve been working at that since last August. What I don’t think I’ve shared is that I developed plantar fasciitis.

I’ve never had it before so for the longest time, I had no idea what it was. I thought my tennis shoes had lost their support since they were about a year or so old. So I got new ones.

It didn’t go away. So I got another pair of new shoes. My feet still hurt all day long. That’s when I decided I needed to get checked out.

The following is what I’ve since learned. Remember, I’m not a doctor or involved with healthcare at all.

The plantar fascia is a tendon that runs along the bottom of your feet, connecting the heel bone to the toes. This is what creates the arch in your foot. When it’s overstretched or overused, it can become inflamed. This is called plantar fasciitis.

When you have this, there is pain in the bottom of the heel. I also noticed that it hurt worse after sitting for a while on the sofa with my feet up or in the morning first out of bed. Apparently, this is one of the ways to tell it’s plantar fasciitis.

So I started following treatment advice. This included:

1. Resting
2. Stretching, particularly stretches that stretch the calf muscles
3. Wearing shoes with good support at all times

At the time, I didn’t realize how long of a process this would be. Since, I’ve found out that treatment can last anywhere from several months up to 2 years, with 9 months being the average.

There are other treatments as well, but since mine wasn’t too severe, the above has been sufficient thus far.

I’m sharing this because one, injuries sometimes happen when you’re more active and two, if gone untreated, surgery could be required for this ailment.

Have you ever had plantar fasciitis? How long before you were back to normal? What other ailments have you encountered while trying to get fit and healthy?

Different Kind of Cover Love

2011-02-07T08:00:00.005+01:00

I mentioned last week (or maybe the week before) that I was agonizing over the premise of a free read I wanted to put up on my site for Valentine’s Day. The good news is I’ve finally figured things out, I’ve got the scenes up on my storyboard and I’ve started writing it.

I’ve also been working on a cover for it. Me! I’ve never really done anything like it before so it was a bit daunting and exciting at the same time. I was pleased with how it turned out for the most part, but after some good feedback, I’ll be going back in and playing with the text a bit.

I don’t think I’ll be switching my focus to graphic design anytime soon, but it was a fun project.

What about you? Have you ever tried your hand at graphic design? How did it go? Is it something you’d like to pursue?

Gotta Have It

2011-01-31T08:00:00.001+01:00

Ack!

Hubby and I went furniture shopping this weekend. Last year, we bought a cabinet, TV stand, sideboard and a coffee table. There was a final cabinet in the set, but we decided to wait to make sure we had plenty of room for it.

Then the uncertainty of his job made us hold off. It’s 8-10 weeks from ordering the furniture until it’s delivered. We wanted to make sure we’d still be here.

Once we were sure, we talked about ordering it. It was around Thanksgiving and we were planning a trip back to the States for the holidays. We’d wait until we came back.
We may have waited too long.

The salesman was unable to place the order through his computer program on Saturday. He has to call the manufacturer today to see if it’s possible. I should hear sometime today or tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Now heading out to get some lamb. I’m going to try lamb stew for the first time this week. If it turns out good, I’ll post the recipe on Friday.

How did your weekend go?

Making Do

2011-01-28T13:20:00.000+01:00

I love living in Germany. I really do. But sometimes, I miss the convenience of shopping in the States.

I was looking for some dried violet flowers to make some potpourri. I was able to find all kinds of places that sold dried violet leaves. Not what I needed. I found 2 places that looked like they carried it. One appears to be out of business as both phone numbers listed on the website are disconnected. The other wouldn’t return phone calls or emails.

What is even more frustrating for me is that I know I already have some. In storage in Texas. I remember buying them. I just wish I could remember where I bought them. I’m almost positive it was at some health food store that sold bulk herbs, but that’s all I’ve got.

It won’t be the end of the world if I can’t make the potpourri exactly as I want to, although I will admit that it tweaks the little touch of OCD that I have.

So I’ll have to placate myself by planning another trip here in Europe to remind myself one of the greatest reasons for being here. I am planning a cruise in August. I’ll leave Stockholm, dock in Estonia and St. Petersburg. Short but fun. I’ll be able to add 3 more countries to my list of places visited.

What helps you get over small disappointments?

Free Doesn't Come Easy

2011-01-26T11:38:00.000+01:00

I’ve been kicking around an idea for a free Valentine read. It’s actually a prequel to another story that came to me one day. I thought that this would be a great way to give back to readers and set up some of the world building needed for this other story.

Some of the ideas I’ve come up with actually lend this idea out to being a series. I know, I just can’t help myself when it comes to series. I love to read them and I like the worlds I build so much, I’m just not ready to leave. Hopefully, readers feel the same.

One of the major cornerstones of not only this story, but the world building itself, has really had me stumped. I need to have a certain rule in place and I've been trying to figure out why it had to be that way. I wouldn’t buy ‘just because’ so why should anyone else.

I’ve been noodling it since Sunday and last night, I caught a glimmer. I need to think about it some more, kind of push and pull on it and see if it works.

The free read would need to be up by Feb. 13 so, you know, no pressure. Although, as counterintuitive as it sounds, I tend to do some of my best work when my back is up against the wall and a deadline is breathing down my neck.

So I’ll keep poking at my idea and see if it gels. I won’t lie, though. It’s fun coming up with new worlds, so while I do want to figure it out, I’m enjoying the journey.

What kinds of things do you do when you’re trying to flesh out an idea?

Conference Bound

2011-01-24T10:31:00.002+01:00

Registration opened up this past week for the RWA National conference. This year it’s in New York City.

I jumped in on Tuesday, the first day for registration. I’d heard a rumor that there was a limited amount of rooms at the conference hotel so I hurriedly snatched one of those up too. Didn’t matter that I had no idea who I would room with.

Turns out, I didn’t have to worry for long. I reached out and contacted a lovely lady I met at conference last year. We clicked there and ran into each other several times. We’ve kept in touch since and I thought of her when I wanted to find a roomie. Lucky for me, she’s attending conference so the roommate situation is cleared up.

That leaves me with a plane ticket to buy. I’ll hold off on that for a little while. I’m hoping to accrue enough airline miles to upgrade again this year. That long flight over the water can be brutal, but business class goes a long way towards making it bearable.

I made RWA PRO last year so I’m eligible to attend the PRO retreat. I learned the secret handshake and everything. Last year they had Donald Maass, as well as some other great speakers. I’m sure this year’s line up will be just as awesome.

I’ve never been to NYC so I’m arriving a couple days early so that I can see some sights. Maybe even fit in a show. I know I won’t be able to see everything, but I can hit a few landmarks.

On a side note, I may be bringing a companion back to Germany with me when I come back home. My niece, who will be 17 then, may be staying the month of July with us. It’s not all carved in stone yet, but keep your fingers crossed for us. I’m excited to have her stay with us.

What about you? Going to National conference this year? Gonna pitch? What are your plans?

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together

2011-01-19T08:00:00.001+01:00

Can’t tell I just watched The A-Team this week, right? :D

One of the things I’ve found most effective in achieving any of my goals is setting a plan of action. I have my long range goals, say a year. Then I break them up into smaller chunks. In this case, by month. Then I break them up again into weeks. Last, I have my daily goals.

This may seem elementary. But how many times have we seen a large, seemingly insurmountable goal and been so overwhelmed that we give up before we ever start?

For over a year now, this is exactly what I’ve been doing. I haven’t accomplished everything – yet, but I’ve gotten so much more work done that I would have without this approach.

There are many goal setting websites out there that can help you organize your priorities and keep track of your progress.

GoalForIt is one that I recently learned about. I’ve just only started playing around with it. It lets you set goals, add the steps you’re going to take to reach plus a place to add pictures for motivation. It also lets you set up a daily to-do list, assigning points to each task. We all like to “get” something when we finish our work like good boys and girls, right?

There are others. Some entail a cost. GoalForIt is free.

For the most part, I use Word and Excel to keep track of my own goals. I get a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment when I can cross out a task as completed.

However you do it, making a plan and keeping track of your progress can go a long way towards keeping you on your path.

Have you used any programs to keep track? Ever tried GoalForIt? How do you keep on track?

Fangirl Friday - Reading Recommendation

2011-01-14T08:00:00.004+01:00

No guest today, so I’m going to take this time to tell you about a book I recently read. It’s a paranormal YA, the first in a trilogy. Or rather it started out as a trilogy, but there will be more books coming out as early as April of this year.

It’s about a 16 year old girl that realizes she can see those things that go bump in the night and those that fight them. She becomes embroiled in a race for a cup when her mother is kidnapped by the man who wants it…her father.

She falls in with the hunters, and is attracted to one in particular. I don’t want to give away any twists so I’ll leave off there.

What I will say is that I really enjoyed the book. I understand it to be the author’s debut novel, and as such, was well done. The world building was strong without big info dumps. Since our young heroine knows nothing of this world, we learn about it along with her. I thought it was a great way to introduce things in a more natural way.

The characters were well done. There was the normal teen angst amid the saving the world stuff that made them more real. There was depth to them and I connected to them fairly quickly into the story.

The stakes were high. These teenagers were trying to get a magical cup before the villain to stop the demise of their species, as well as the needless murder of countless humans. The tension rose throughout the story, but was paced well with everyday teenage concerns.

Have you guessed what book this yet? It’s City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.

I first found out about this series when I was looking for a steampunk novel to read. I found Ms. Clare’s Clockwork Angel, the first in the prequel trilogy. I read that book first and enjoying it as I did, went back for City of Bones.

Now I have the second book, City of Ashes, to read next. It showed up in the mail yesterday and I’ve already gotten a good start on it. Oh, and as a bonus, they're making this book into a movie. They've cast the actress for the heroine and working on the rest still.

Give this author a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you like paranormal.

Have you already read these books? What did you think? Think you’ll check them out?

Keep Going

2011-01-12T08:00:00.001+01:00

So who made resolutions to lose weight or exercise more? We’re almost 2 weeks into January. Still sticking with it?

Motivation can sometimes be hard to find, to keep up. What do we do when our gas tanks are on low? We go in for fill-up. We can do the same thing with our motivation.

How do we recharge our motivation? There are several ways that help me.

One is being accountable. If I tell someone I’m going to do something, like go to Sculpt & Burn class, I feel that I need a really good reason to not follow through. “Didn’t feel like it” isn’t one. While not particularly motivation, it does help keep me on track.

Two is rewarding myself. I mentioned a while back about a reward plan. If I stay on track and hit my goals, I’ll gift myself with a new CD or book. If I’ve hit a particularly big goal, there are weekend jaunts all over Europe. Spa treatments are good. Yeah, I don’t have any trouble coming up with rewards and that helps me stay the course.

Three is a strong support system. It’s awesome when you can turn to someone when you’re feeling low and they remind you how far you’ve come and that they’re proud of you. I don’t know about you, but that really makes me want to keep going.

Today is my first day back to the gym after vacation. I’ve got a little ground to make up, but I’m confident that I’ll do it. Then I’ll kick it up a notch. I think I mentioned a running club? That should be starting soon. We’ll be training for a half marathon in Prague for the spring. In addition to that, I’ll be adding weight training to my regimen come February.

I’ve got big plans. I’ve got a support system in place. I’ve got goals. I’ve got motivation. I’m ready for the new year and all the changes it’s going to bring.

How about you?

Here We Go Again!

2011-01-10T08:00:00.001+01:00

It’s a new year. Yeah, I know I’m a week or so late informing of you this. Lucky for me, you’re all smart cookies.

What’s kept me away this past week, you ask? Travel and the ramification of such.

As you know, I was in Texas over the holidays. We left on Sunday to come back to Germany. Side note: any of you that travel, noise-cancelling headphones are worth their weight in gold and then some.

Unfortunately for me, I don’t sleep well on the plane. So from start to finish, I was up for about 24 hours by the time we reached our apartment. Of course, it snowed while we were gone. So we dropped off our luggage, picked up the puppy from the neighbors’ (I missed her soooo much) and shoveled the driveway so hubby could get the car out the following morning.

Then two days of laundry, two days of errands and grocery shopping and not to mention a week’s worth of jet lag. Yes, it really does take my body that long to get back into the swing of things after crossing that many time zones coming east.

Anyway, for good or ill, I’m back.

Wednesday, we’ll have another Weightloss Wednesday. Yes, I’m still continuing my quest for a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Friday will probably be a Fangirl Friday. I’ll either have a guest or I’ll tell you about this great new-to-me series I’ve started reading.

I’ve got lots of plans for the new year and I hope you stick around.

What do you have scheduled so far? What are your great plans?

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T21:27:00.000+01:00

Here we are, folks. The last day of the year.

I have to admit, I had a pretty good year. My first two novellas came out this year with The Wild Rose Press. I’ve made some great new friends between this blog, Facebook and Twitter. I got to go RWA National Convention, I made PRO, I finished up my associate degree I’ve been working on forever, and I’m back to writing full-time. Those are just the highlights. I can’t complain.

I’m expecting next year to be even better. I’ve got a full load planned for writing, I’ve got great friends and critique partners to help keep me on track, I’ll be starting my bachelor degree, and I’ll be pursuing an agent this year. I’m excited to get started.

I'll be spending the evening with wonderful friends, playing games and having fun. Tomorrow is family day and Sunday I'll be winging my way back to Germany to brave the snow.

How has 2010 treated you? What are your highlights? What have you got planned for 2011?

Have fun celebrating, but stay safe.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T15:51:00.000+01:00

I arrived in Texas, safe and sound. Maybe a little bit frazzled, but that's another story.

Since I've been tied up with family the last two days, no blog post today.

I'd like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a season full of love. Be good to each other.

Holidays: The End of your Healthy Lifestyle?

2010-12-22T08:00:00.007+01:00

I’m winging my way across the ocean today (plane and weather gods willing) while you read this. Hopefully on Friday, I will be writing from sunny Texas.

Weightloss Wednesday, right before Christmas. What shall we talk about?

Should we discuss all the cakes, cookies and pies everywhere we turn? How about fat-laden mashed potatoes, all the bread you can eat, and the alcohol that flows freely at holiday parties?

What’s a poor girl trying to make healthy choices to do?

Give it all up until after the first of the year? We could do that. But that’s 2 weeks and if you’re anything like me, you’ll take license to eat whatever you want and to damn the rest. When it’s time to start back up again, you’ve gained back that 20 pounds you lost before Christmas.

Deprive yourself? You watch everyone around you shoving all those calories down their throats without abandon. You start feeling left out. Then is desperation, or possibly even spite, you indulge. And indulge and indulge and indulge.

Neither of these options sound all that appealing, do they? With a plan in place, you can weather the holidays, indulging in the traditions that make up your family holiday and keeping on a healthy track. After all, balance is what it’s all about, right?

If you have a holiday gathering, eat a little less during the day beforehand and get in your exercise. You’ll feel more in control and by conserving some calories and burning more with the exercise, the food you eat at the party won’t make a dent in your plan.

If you’re hanging with the family, incorporate some healthy snacks along with the baked goodies. If you eat a bunch of low-cal veggies, you don’t have as much room to hold the high-cal foods. You may even find that you don’t crave them as much as you thought you would.

There’s always lots of alcohol at holiday parties, right? You can still indulge. In moderation. Alternate glasses of wine with sparkling water. Or do like the Germans do and mix half wine and half sparkling wine. That’s a popular drink over here and it cuts your alcohol intake in half.

One important thing to remember is that the holidays are separate events. If you stick to your healthy lifestyle most days and indulge at those special parties or family gatherings only, you’ll still be on track in January.

What are some of the ways you balance your healthy lifestyle with the holidays?

Delivering Christmas Cheer in Germany

2010-12-20T08:00:00.002+01:00

Thank you to Lillian Grant for stopping by on Friday and sharing such an interesting story with us. Thank you, dear readers, for stopping by and saying hi.

The winner of a copy of Lillian’s new release, Happy Birthday Nancy Tobin, is:

FiremanPat

Congrats, FiremanPat. I couldn’t find your email address so could you please email me at riley@riley-quinn.com. I’ll get your copy out to ASAP.

So what did your weekend hold for you? This time of year seems to find people so busy.

We started delivering Christmas gifts to the neighbors. I say start because we learned another difference between Americans and Germans last year.

When we lived in Texas, we were in a fairly new neighborhood and as a result, we met our neighbors as each family moved in. Being near a military base, most of them were friendly and we did cookouts and parties together.

At Christmas, I always baked goodies and put together a gift bag for the neighbors. We’d go to each door, ring the bell, wish them a Merry Christmas and give them a gift. They’d say thank you, Merry Christmas back and we’d go on our way to the next house.

So last year, I put together gift bags and one night after hubby got home from work, we thought we’d run gift bags around and then eat dinner. We only had 4 houses to visit. No problem, right?

At House 1, the neighbors were gone. So we left their bag inside the doorway for them.

House 2 is where our master plan began to unravel. Instead of a quick stop, we were invited in. Wine was brought out. Then another bottle of wine. 2 bottles of wine, several schnapps, and 2 hours later, we left.

At House 3, again we were invited in. This time it was beer. 2 beers each, 2 schnapps each and 1 hour later, we left.

Keep in mind, this is 2 bottles of wine, 2 beers, lots of schnapps (which is powerful stuff here in Germany. Think tequila) all on empty stomachs. I was drunk and we still had one more house to go.

We popped into our own place and ate a quick snack of sausage, cheese and crackers in which I proceeded to slice my finger open while cutting the sausage. Then on to House 4, which happens to be our upstairs neighbors and we KNEW that would be a long visit. It was.

Moral of the story: We needed more than a quick visit to deliver our goodies. Friday night, we were invited upstairs. We took their gift. Today, we visited House 1 & 2 and tomorrow we’ll hit House 3.

In addition to all this impromptu neighbor visiting, we had hubby’s work Christmas party and then a co-worker’s Advent party this weekend. Lots of fun, lots of socializing.

We’ll also get a lot of the same over the next 2 weeks. We’re heading to Texas to visit hubby’s family and see all our friends for the holidays. We fly out of Frankfurt on Wednesday (good travel thoughts please as there have been a lot of cancellations lately) and straight into Dallas. We’ll be there until after the first of the year.

So what about your weekend? What kept you busy?

Welcome Lillian Grant

2010-12-17T08:00:00.003+01:00

What English?

As an Aussie seeking publication in a US dominated e-publishing world some things you assume are a given clearly are not.

When I wrote Happy Birthday, Nancy Tobin, I wrote it in English. At least I thought I did. Turns out, nothing is quite that simple.

Story complete, critiqued, polished, rewritten, re-critiqued, whisked into outer space by aliens, prodded, probed, formatted and good to go, I sent a sample on its merry way to my publisher of choice. Happy with the final copy, I sat back and waited, and waited, and waited, until at last I got a nibble. Could I send the whole manuscript? Mai oui, of course. Then, would I rewrite the sex scenes to make them hotter? Well, in for a penny in for a pound. Finally, an offer to publish my baby, in English.

BUT, hmm, whose English? The contract said I had to use US spelling. So, who cares? What are a few lost U’s and the occasional S morphing into a Z between friends? If it got my book into the public domain and made women weep with unrequited lust for my hero, I could sacrifice the odd letter here and there.

Contract signed, I waited for my first round edits. They arrived and I opened the file. What eternal hell was this? My editor had interpreted, use US spelling, for make it a US novel…NOOOOOO!! Thankfully, she is an angel and when I emailed my horror at having my gorgeous Aussie hunk, that would have the ladies panting with pent up frustration, changed to a down home American boy, she spoke to ‘management.’

Oh, what sweet joy it was when the answer came back, lose the Aussie spelling, keep the Aussie slang. However, this came with a caveat. Keep the Aussie slang that made sense. So began a period of tense editing where words like ‘lounge’ were tossed aside to be replaced with ‘living room.’ Would American readers understand the word ‘git’ if read in context. I even got complemented on how clever I was to know when it was appropriate for my hero to use the word ‘bugger’ in a sentence. After much deliberation, the process was complete. My hero and heroine are still Aussie’s living in Australia and most of my slang survived. I was thankful I hadn’t used some of our more colourful expressions, such as ‘cooked chook,’ because nothing could have saved them, and it seems the names of more intimate body parts are universal.

I recently read pages and pages of comments on another blog about changing stories for the US market. Which begs the question, as a reader, do you want books set in other countries to be adapted to become stories set in the country you live in?

NB: No U’s or S’s were harmed during the writing or publication of this article.

Blurb:
Suddenly single on the eve of her fortieth birthday, Nancy Tobin’s not sure turning middle-aged is worth celebrating. She's stuck in a dead-end job as the boss’s bitch with only her morose Labrador for a companion. What does she have to party about? Maybe if she ignores the whole birthday thing, it will just go away.

Hot, twenty-six-year-old Jake Turner has other ideas. When he bumps into Nancy at the library, he sees a woman in need of a wake-up call. Determined to unleash the beauty hidden beneath the sad façade, he schemes to relight her spark. He wants to give her a birthday to remember but he ends up being the one who can't forget: a visit to his apartment becomes a weekend in his bed where he discovers an offbeat, unpredictable, sexually adventurous woman he never wants to let go.

With Jake, Nancy can do anything, her life can be whatever she chooses. But this new and exciting relationship teeters on the edge of destruction when her soon-to-be ex-husband reveals the reason for Jake’s initial interest in her. Can Nancy trust Jake when he finally tells her he loves her?

Excerpt:
Nancy sat alone at the table near the student café. Despite her best intentions not to, she searched the male population for Jake. He must have been teasing. Why would a cute young guy be interested in her? She stared at the nubile female bodies as they walked past, their belly buttons proudly displaying all manner of trinkets and tattoos and yelling to the world, I’m young, supple, and the best shag you could ever have. She looked down at herself and saw the roll of flab above her waistband. Her body appeared to yell, I’m old and saggy and too fucking tired to care if I ever shag again. Why would he even give her a second thought? Perhaps it was a dare or a joke.

“Excuse me; is this seat taken?”

The voice dragged Nancy back to reality, and she looked up, surprised to see a familiar face. Her cheeks burned, and she struggled to speak.

“No, please, feel free.”

Jake slid into the seat next to her. “So, Nancy, we meet again. Are you stalking me by any chance?”

Nancy was quick to shake her head. While she had been hoping to see him again, she had no intention of revealing that to anyone. She could barely believe it herself. Was she so desperate for love she would latch on to the first male who showed a glimmer of interest? No matter why she attracted him, with her track record, she should avoid good-looking young men like the plague. “No, absolutely not. Are you sure you’re not stalking me? I was here first.”

His deep, sexy chuckle resonated through her. “Touché. You guessed it. Someone is paying me to follow you.”

“Well, they’re wasting their money, I can assure you. There is nothing to see here.”

“Let me be the judge of that. Did you miss me?”

Nancy tore her eyes away from his and tried to sound nonchalant. “I haven't given you a moment’s thought since you left the library.”

He put his hand over hers, and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks again. When he leaned closer, she closed her eyes. The smell of his musky cologne and the feel of his breath on her face as he whispered in her ear made her stomach lurch and her heart rate lift.

“Liar, but it’s okay. I’ve been thinking about you too.”

Nancy opened her eyes and snapped her head around to glare at him. No one in their right mind would think about her. She refused to be the butt of anyone’s joke. Her hand hovered in midair as she fought the urge to slap his face. Jake leaned back and put his arm up. Deciding he wasn’t worth it, Nancy dropped her hand and snatched her empty Coke bottle off the table instead.

She clenched her teeth. “Fuck off, you git; you’re not funny,” she spat out.

Without another word, she got up and stomped back to the library, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. Stupid, stupid woman!

Thank you, Lillian, for joining us today.

If you’d like to read more about Jake and Nancy, one lucky commenter will win a free copy of Happy Birthday, Nancy Tobin.

If you can’t wait, you can buy it here.

And to keep up with Lillian, you can visit her site.

And the Winner is...

2010-12-15T15:14:00.000+01:00

Last week’s winner of a copy of Paige Tyler’s new release, Dead Sexy, is:

Lynne Roberts.

Congrats, Lynne. I sent you an email, but please let me know if you don’t get it.

It’s Wednesday, which usually means Weightloss Wednesday here. Not this week, folks.

I woke up Sunday with the crud and have been mostly sleeping. I’m hoping to knock this in time for our trip to the States next week, so today is short and sweet.

Check back here Friday for guest blogger, Lillian Grant.

Show a Zombie Some Love

2010-12-10T08:00:00.002+01:00

Thanks so much for letting me guest blog today!

Readers often ask me how I come up with ideas for my books, so I thought I'd give you a little behind-the-scenes peek at how I came up with my new release, a paranormal erotic romance from Ellora's Cave called DEAD SEXY.

Before I say anything else though, isn't that cover too hot for words?! When the art department sent it to me, I probably gazed at it for a good ten minutes in mouth-drooling appreciation before I could email them back telling the artist it not only rocked, but totally fit the book. The hero is "Dead Sexy," after all!

Okay, back to the story and how I came up with it. First, to set the stage, I need to share a little something with you about myself. Well, about my hubby and me, actually. We love zombie movies, from the George Romero gems to Shaun of the Dead and everything in between, including "Walking Dead," the new series on AMC. You just can't go wrong with a movie full of walking dead people, can you? Well, if you've ever seen a zombie movie (or even you haven't), then you know the creatures aren't the heroes of the film. I mean, how can they be, right? They're all dead and decayed and downright unattractive, not to mention pretty damn scary. Which was why you can imagine my surprise when my hubby suggested I write an erotic romance about a zombie hero. I was like, you're kidding, right? What woman in her right mind would fall in love with a dead guy? No way could that possibly work, or so I thought.

Turns out, my hubby wasn't kidding. In fact, he started working up ideas for the story.

"The hero didn't have to be a zombie all the time," he told me. "Think outside the box - take a little literary license!"

Okay, I thought. I suppose I could be open minded.

My hubby told me that in his out-of-the-box world, the hunky hero got cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess and only turns into a zombie sometimes.

"I'm listening," I said.

"And when he does go zombie, he doesn't have to be like the kind in the movies," my hubby added. "Well, he has to look like one, you know all dead and stuff, but he doesn't have to be a mindless creature or attack humans or eat anything gross."

So, brains are completely out, thanks goodness!

"Think Jensen Ackles or Jared Padelecki, with a really, really, really dark tan - (yes, my hubby knows I've got a thing for the Supernatural hunks!) - well, maybe more gray and black than tan, but you get the idea."

I thought about that for a minute. "So, the hero's dead, but he's still sexy, is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly," he said, giving me a grin as my eyes lit up with understanding.

By that point, my hubby had pretty much sold me on the idea. Of course, I knew if I ran with it, I was going to have to sell it to a publisher, and I knew that could be tough since the hero is a zombie. But I ran with it anyway and ended up with a full-length novel. And it came out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself! I still had to find a publisher for it, though.

About this same time, It just so happens that several of my other books were in the process of being picked up by Ellora's Cave and I thought what the heck? Why not pitch it to my editor there and see what she thinks? So I did, and she told me to send it to her. She was interested to see how I handled the whole zombie-thing. Well, long story, short, she liked it. A lot! My zombie romance with it's dead-sexy hero had a home! I was thrilled and my hubby walked around for a week with a smug, "I-told-you-so" look on his face.

I've been getting the word out there about DEAD SEXY ever since I signed the contract for it and I'm thrilled with the interest from readers who can't wait to get their hands on it! I can't wait for them to read it, too!

Now that I've revealed the story behind the story, I thought I'd share the blurb and an excerpt just to whet your appetite for more!

Blurb:

Romance author Simone Kent thinks she might just have found the most perfect guy in all of New York City - in bed and out. But Drake Parrish is about as far from perfect as any man can get. Eight years ago, he was cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess to live part of his life as a zombie. Since then, he has lived like a recluse on New York’s Upper East Side, afraid to go out for fear he’ll suddenly turn into one of the walking dead.

The sex if the hottest either of them has ever experienced and Simone discovers just how naughty she can be with Drake, while he finds himself feeling things for her that he hasn’t felt in a very long time. When the Voodoo priestess learns of their relationship, however, she comes after him again. She is determined to make sure he won’t have a future with Simone, even if that means killing both him and the woman he loves.

Excerpt:

As she led him up the steps to the second floor, Drake found himself wondering if she would ask him in. And wondering what he’d say if she did. When they came to a stop outside the door to her apartment, Simone turned to give him a smile.

“I had a great time tonight.”

“Me, too.”

She caught her bottom lip between her perfect white teeth and chewed on it thoughtfully as if unsure what she wanted to say next. It was probably an unconscious gesture, something she did whenever she was thinking, but to him, it was sexy as hell and all he could think about was kissing her.

Surely, one kiss couldn’t hurt. He desperately wanted to. He hadn’t kissed a woman in so long. It would be nice to see if he still remembered how.

Before he could stop himself, Drake tilted Simone’s face up to his and pressed his mouth to hers.

She tasted just as sweet and delicious as he thought she would. Her lips were soft and pliant under his as she kissed him back, her tongue eagerly seeking his out.

Drake groaned and slid his hand into her hair, deepening the kiss. Simone sighed into his mouth, running her hands up the front of his shirt to grasp his shoulders. The feel of her touch was like a tonic to his deprived soul and he let out another groan, deeper this time.

He ran his free hand up her side and around to her breast, cupping it through the soft material of her dress. He couldn’t stop himself and apparently, Simone didn’t want him to. She moaned and arched against him. He could feel the heat of her pussy through their clothes as she pressed up against his hard cock. Damn, she felt good.

Drake drew her bottom lip into his mouth and gently suckled on it before slowly kissing his way along the delicate curve of her jaw. Simone clutched his shoulders and tilted her head back. He eagerly trailed a path of hot kisses down her neck, then back up, his mouth finding hers again. Simone looped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer as their tongues met.

Down the hall, a door slammed, reminding him where they were.

Drake dragged his mouth away from hers, his breathing ragged as he tried to regain control. He had to get it together because he was about five seconds away from doing something really stupid. Like taking her to bed. “I should go.”

Her lips curved into a sexy, flirtatious smile. “Or you could stay.”

God, how he wanted to. But as much as he’d love to spend the rest of the night exploring every inch of her body, he couldn’t take the chance he might go zombie on her right in the middle of sex. Talk about coitus interruptus, And it had already been almost four days since he last turned, which meant he was already pushing his luck.

“You don’t know how much I want to,” he groaned. “But I can’t.”

Simone looked up at him with those big, blue eyes. “Why not?”

“Because I…” He hesitated, trying to come up with something that would sound believable. “I have a column due in the morning and I haven’t even started on it yet.” She knew all about deadlines, so she would understand that. Besides, he did have a column to write, it just wasn’t due until next week. “Rain check?”

She looked disappointed, but she smiled anyway. “Absolutely. How does coming over for dinner tomorrow night sound?”

It would be crazy to agree when he could be so close to having an episode, but he couldn’t say no. Not when she asked in that soft, sultry voice. “Sounds great.”

“Good. Be here at seven.”

“Seven it is.”

She pulled him down for another long, slow kiss on the mouth. “Don’t be late.”

His mouth twitched. “I won’t.” He bent his head to kiss her again, then groaned. “If I don’t go now, I’ll be here all night.”

Simone laughed. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

“Not to me, but my editor at Money Issues might not be too understanding when he doesn’t find my column sitting in his inbox tomorrow.”

She sighed. “Deadlines can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. Okay, go home and write your column. I’ll cuddle up with a bowl of ice cream instead.”

He chuckled. “Sounds better than taking a cold shower, which is what I’m going to be doing when I get home.” He closed his mouth over hers once more. “See you tomorrow night, beautiful.”

Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms again, Drake turned and walked down the hallway toward the stairwell. At the top of the steps, he glanced over his shoulder to see Simone standing where he’d left her, a sexy curve to her lips.

It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to go back and pin her against the door for one more long, lingering kiss. God, what he wouldn’t give to spend the night with her. Man, it was going to take more than a cold shower to get her out of his head.

Hope you enjoyed the excerpt and that you can't wait to read more! You can get DEAD SEXY from Ellora's Cave at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8917-50-dead-sexy.aspx

You can also check out the trailer here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5D_YH6bYrE

If you decide to pick up DEAD SEXY, let me know how you like it!

*hugs*
Paige

http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com
http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com

Thanks for joining us today, Paige. Your zombie actually does sound sexy. Can't wait to read the whole thing.

Were you readers intrigued? If so, leave a comment. One lucky person will win a free copy of Dead Sexy.

Everyone have a great weekend.

The Skinny on Fat

2010-12-08T15:00:00.000+01:00

Today we’re talking about the role fat plays in a healthy diet.

For years, fat has been the bad boy of the diet world, blamed for obesity, heart disease and high cholesterol. With the advent of low fat diets, most people should be able to control their weight better or be healthier. Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily true.

It’s when you factor in the type of fat with overall intake that makes a difference. There’s a lot of info out there and some of it is contradictory. What’s a poor girl just trying to make healthy choices to do? Research!

Despite the bad name, fat is important for our bodies to function properly. It helps brain function, learning abilities, memory retention and moods. Over half, actually 60% of our heart’s energy comes from burning fats. Fats compose the material that insulates and protects the nerves. Our lungs, eyes, digestion, organs and immune systems all use fats to keep our bodies in working order. Whether we like it or not, fat is here to stay.

As I mentioned before, there are different kinds of fats. In order to make the best choices, we need to know what to look for.

Monounsaturated fats are found in plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil. Other sources are avocadoes, nuts and seeds. People following a Mediterranean style diet that incorporates a lot of monounsaturated fats usually have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in sunflower, corn and soybean oils, as well as walnuts and fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in this group. These fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and your body can’t make them. They’re also found in very few foods.

Saturated fats are found in animal products like red meat and whole milk dairy products. Tropical vegetable oils such as coconut oil or palm oil are in this family. Poultry and fish contain saturated fat but less than red meat. Our bodies actually produce all the saturated fat that we need if we consume enough of the good fats, making it unnecessary to eat these sources of fat.

Trans fats are vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods. Trans fat raises your bad cholesterol, increasing your risk of heart disease and lowers your good cholesterol.

I think we’re all smart cookies and know that we should limit our intake of saturated and trans fats. But how much fat do we actually need to maintain a healthy body and how much is too much?

That depends on you. Your lifestyle, your weight, your age and your overall health factor into the equation. General guidelines recommended by the USDA are:

1. Keep total fat intake to 20-35% of your total daily calories.
2. Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of your daily calories.
3. Limit trans fats to 1% of your calories.

The bottom line is that we need to be aware of what we’re putting into our mouths. I’m so guilty of this, but in the last few months, as I’ve made more conscious choices, I’ve noticed a difference.

I feel better. My body thanks me now. I used to get heartburn 4 times a week or more. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had it since August. I have more energy to do the things I want to do. For the first time, I really get the whole balanced diet thing.

How about you? Do you watch the fats you use? What tips do you have for keeping in the good fat and getting rid of the bad?

Also, I’ve got a poll up on the right hand side under About Me that I’m going to keep up until Tuesday of next week. I’ve been doing Weightloss Wednesdays for quite a while now. I’d like to know if you all like this and want me to keep it up. So please, place your vote.

Friday, Paige Tyler will be here guest blogging with us. Her new book, Dead Sexy, releases that day. Her hero is a zombie and she swears he’s sexy. She’ll tell us more about the premise of her hero and we’ll be giving away a copy for one lucky commenter.

Saturday's Disappointment

2010-12-06T09:08:00.000+01:00

First things first, Autumn Shelley won the copy of Blood Diamond.

Second, I had wanted to post pictures of the Nuremburg Christmas market today, but that’s where my disappointment comes in.

When we go to Nuremburg, we take the train. The station in our town is only 2 blocks away and it’s an hour train ride. Same amount of time to get there as by car and the 2 of us can ride on a Day Plus pass for less than 15 euros. Totally worth it when you consider gas prices (which are higher than in the States, even for those of us on base), wear & tear on the car, parking prices, and general driving nuisances.

Anyway, hubby had to work this weekend, but he got off work around 3. We decided to go when he got in. We got up to the station, bought our ticket, no problem. We’re on the platform waiting for the train and minutes before it’s supposed to arrive, it cancels.

My German isn’t good enough yet to catch everything said, I just know that train isn’t coming. So I go up to a man about my age or so and asked if spoke English. Generally, my age and younger usually speak it pretty well. He said yes and I asked about the train. He said it wasn’t coming and we’d have to go through Bayreuth to get there.

Okay, not the best option as it doubles the ride, but do-able. So we’re on our way. When we get to Nuremburg, it’s almost 7. There is drama in the train station there. Not sure what was going on, but the polizei had the middle section of the station cordoned off, they stood there with automatic rifles and police dogs to make sure no one crossed. As the Queen of Nosy, I’m dying to know what happened, but don’t know where to look so I’ll be asking my neighbor where I can find out.

Anyway, we exit the train station the back way and head over to the Irish pub near the station where our friends, who arrived around the time we were supposed to, were waiting for us. Or so we thought. We got our wires crossed and ended up meeting at the big church in town.

We meet up with them, get some sausage sandwiches, some gluhwein for hubby, hot chocolate with amaretto for me. Pick up a few things we like to get. Walk towards one end of the market until we see it peter out and then head back toward the center.

That’s when we got our surprise. The vendors were closing. It was 8 o’clock on a Saturday night and they were closing early. It was a disappointment. We didn’t have enough time to purchase everything we wanted to and see everything.

And, lovely readers, that is why I have no photos for you today. Everything folded up before I could snap them.

How did you spend your weekend?

Why the Congo?

2010-12-03T08:00:00.004+01:00

Blood Diamond released this week. Wednesday, in fact. As I’ve shared here before, it’s my romantic suspense novella set in the Congo jungle.

Why did I choose such an exotic locale?

Well, it mostly had to do with the parameters of the call. I wrote Blood Diamond in response to call for romantic suspense stories for the Jewels of the Night series at The Wild Rose Press. The rules were simple: high suspense, romance, include a blue diamond.

At first, I was at a loss as to a story line. Up to that point, I’d concentrated on paranormal type story lines. So I put it to the back of my mind for a while.

I was watching a rerun of Bones, the pilot episode where she’s at Dulles airport with a skull in her bag and Booth has her detained. It got me thinking about how a forensic anthropologist works in some interesting, out of the way places. It started a niggling thought. What other professionals would be in out-of-the-way places. Then I thought about Doctors Without Borders. Now I was getting somewhere.

Next, it was time to research blue diamonds. Where in the world are they mined? I had a thought about using Russia as a backdrop, but there just wasn’t anything there that sparked any ideas. Then I read an article about blood diamonds and how the Republic of the Congo or Congo Brazzaville (there’s another country in Africa called the Democratic Republic of the Congo) had been sanctioned by the Kimberly Process in 2004. There had been a large number of diamonds exported when there were no registered mines there.

This really got me thinking and that story, combined with my heroine who was a part of Doctors Without Borders gave me the bare bones for a story. With the help of a critique partner, Rachel Lynne, who was also writing a story for Jewels of the Night (her book, Ring of Lies, comes out December 22), I was able to iron out my plot.

So that’s the story behind why I set my story in the Congo. I know I shared my blurb and excerpt a couple of weeks ago, so I chose a new, never-before-seen excerpt for today.

Excerpt
As if he read her mind, he pulled the cup of her bra down and sucked the puckered tip into the wet warmth of his mouth. The pulls on the tender bud shot red-hot need directly to her core, wetting her panties. A moan broke free from her throat as she grabbed his head, but she didn’t know whether it was to push him away or to hold him in place.

“Mack.” Her plea broke on a gasp as one of his hands slid past the barrier of her pants to stroke plump lips moist with her desire.

His whisper cut through her haze. “Do you want me to stop, Jillian?”

His assertion earlier that he didn’t go where he wasn’t invited floated through her mind and she knew what he wanted. He might not trust her, but she was learning to trust him. Though, it might be a huge mistake, one she would pay dearly for later, she couldn’t deny that she wanted him now.

“Jillian?”

Her mind made up, she rubbed his erection through his pants. “No. Don’t stop.”

In celebration of the release, I’m giving away a copy of Blood Diamond to a commenter. I’ll announce the winner on Monday.

Do exotic locales make a book more exciting for you? Are you drawn to certain settings?

Make sure to leave a comment for a chance at the giveaway. Everyone have a great weekend.

Interview at A Possessed WIP

2010-12-02T12:22:00.000+01:00

I’m over at Rachel Firasek’s blog today. She’s got a copy of my new release, Blood Diamond, up for grabs. If you don’t win one there, stop by here tomorrow. I’ll be talking about why I chose the Congo jungle as the setting in my story AND you’ll have another chance to win a free copy.

Head over to Rachel’s here.

Carbohydrates

2010-12-01T08:00:00.002+01:00

First of all, Happy December. Christmas is catching up fast. Are you all ready for it? We've got snow on the ground here and it really feels like winter.

Today's Weightloss Wednesday again. We’ve discussed fruits, veggies and proteins so it’s only right that we discuss carbohydrates in a healthy diet.

In the past few years, carbs have gotten a bad rep. We’ve all seen those high protein/low-or-no carb diets. They’ve been popular for quite a while. Carbs aren’t the villain. As with anything, they just need to be eaten in moderation and there are some that are better than others.

Carbohydrates are an essential nutrient and they’re easily converted into energy by your body. Glucose, which is a sugar, is essential fuel for the brain. Obviously carbs have their place in a healthy diet.

As I mentioned, some are better choices than others. As a rule, the more natural and unrefined it is, the healthier it is. A low glycemic index (GI) is also an indicator of a good choice.

The GI classifies carbohydrates by their immediate effect on our blood sugar. Carbs that are converted to glucose very fast have a high GI value. Those that metabolize slowly have a low GI. Here’s a link to the Glycemic Index so you can check out your own choices.

So what are good carbohydrate choices?

1. Fruits and vegetables. They’re usually low in calories and high in nutrients.
2. Whole grains. Unrefined carbs are higher in fiber and keep you feeling full longer. Companies are making it easier for us with whole grain pastas and noodles and brown rice. Choosing wholegrain bread when possible is another way to make better choices.
3. Potatoes. These have higher GI values. New white potatoes are better choices, but sweet potatoes are the best of all. I’ve even seen sweet potato french fries in the freezer section. Potatoes are fat-free and their higher GI can be reduced by eating them with other low GI foods as part of the same meal.

How many do we need? If we’re making smarter choices and eating less refined carbs, anything between 40 and 60 percent of your daily calories can come from carbs. Lower carb is fine, but try to avoid the very low carb diets except for very short periods of time. Yeah, remember when I said glucose was food for the brain? ‘Nuf said.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with carbs. I loved them and they loved me back since they wanted to stick around, but I hated how my body looked. These days, I’ve got a better self-image and I’m making better choices. I’m learning that anything is okay in moderation.

What about you? How do you feel about carbs? Have you done the very low carb diets? How did you do? Would you do it again?

Pictures from the Regensburg Christmas Market

2010-11-29T08:00:00.002+01:00

Today, pictures of a Christkindl Markt, as promised.

On Saturday, I went to Regensburg for the day. They actually have 3 different markets. There is one that is arts & crafts. These booths feature things like stained glass items, pottery and other handmade items. Beautiful stuff.

There is the regular market located in the middle of town. And then they have the market that is on the castle grounds.

There are several carousels at the Christmas markets.

The red and white striped tops are common. Those are mostly what you see, regardless of the city. The only place (so far) that I haven’t seen them is the market on the castle grounds.

Gluhwein, anyone?

Speaking of warm drinks, I have a new favorite. I had a hot chocolate with a shot of amaretto in it at the market. It is OMG good.

This is one line of vendors. Instead of all individual booths, they set up one long one with dividers and each vendor gets a section. In the middle of town, there are about 4 of these long stretches.

These last two pictures are taken at the market on the castle grounds. It’s a bit more spread out and easier to navigate. There aren’t quite as many people either, as it costs to get in.

Since this is one of the Christmas markets I went to last year, I noticed that all the vendors get the same spot every year. That makes it easy to go back and find one you’re interested in. Lucky for me.

What did I haul off with for the day? We got a wood and wheat star to hang on the door, I got a Tibetan singing bowl and of course, the goodies. Lebkuchen, spiced almonds, bratwurst and the hot chocolate I mentioned.

It was so cold and very windy, but a good day.

German Christmas Markets

2010-11-26T08:00:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America and as we are currently living in Germany, we weren’t able to spend it with family as we would have liked to. So what did we do?

Well, I wanted to see the new Harry Potter movie and it was playing in Nuremburg. We had friends that asked us over to celebrate with them. So, we went to the first showing of the movie (and had a private showing) and then went to our friends’ house.

While we were in Nuremburg, we noticed that they were setting up for the Christmas market there. It started this afternoon.

If you’ve ever been to Germany in late November into December, you’ve probably been to one. If you haven’t, these are a tradition and most large cities have one and most smaller cities have a variation. Some people even plan vacations to Germany to coincide with the Christmas markets.

Christkindl markt as they are called here, are booths set up all over the pedestrian zone of the city. The booth vendors are a combination of food and goods.

Gluhwein (pronounced glue-vine) is a mulled red wine that vendors throughout the market sell. It’s common for people to sip this warm drink while exploring the offerings. There are other variations, such as a cherry gluhwein or a spiked apple punch.

Then there is the food. There isn’t much that isn’t offered. Sausages of all kinds, toasted nuts, pastries and other baked goods, schneeballens (from Rothenburg, if you remember that post), chocolate covered fruit, fruit bread, and lebkuchen (laib-kookin), which is a Christmastime specialty consisting of a gingerbread-like tasting cookie that is soft and chewy. It’s really good and hubby loves them.

As for the goods, they run the gamut. Handmade Christmas ornaments, advent candles, other Christmas decorations, pottery, jewelry, slippers, handbags, leather goods, things carved from wood, just about anything.

It feels a lot like walking the fairgrounds at a county fair in the States. They are a lot of fun and last year, we went to several. In doing so, we learned that not all Christmas markets are created equal. So this year, we have a plan.

We’re limited because we’re heading to Texas for the holidays and because hubby has to work one weekend. So, tomorrow I’m heading to Regensburg. They actually have two going on. There’s one in the pedestrian zone and one on the castle grounds. It was really nice last year, so we’re hitting that one again.

On the second weekend of December, we’re heading back to Nuremburg. We only did a quick pass-through last year and only saw a small bit. It seemed really nice and since then, I’ve been told they have one of the nicer markets. The following weekend, if possible, we’re going to try to hop over to Rothenburg. They are kind of the Christmas capital of Germany. We may have to wait until next year for that one.

So I’ll be taking some pictures tomorrow and at the other markets and sharing later in December. Have you been to the Christmas markets in Germany? What did you think? Would you plan a vacation around them?

Hope you all had a great turkey day yesterday and a fun weekend coming up!

Talking Turkey

2010-11-24T08:00:00.002+01:00

So we’ve talked about the importance of water. We’ve discussed the benefits of fruits and veggies. Now it’s time to talk turkey. Sorta.

Protein, preferably lean protein, is an important part of a healthy diet. Why?

For one, protein helps you feel full longer and choosing lean protein lowers your saturated fat intake. Making smart protein choices throughout the day can help curb your hunger and prevent you from overeating.

It can increase your metabolism. Really. According to the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, choosing protein for 1/3 of your daily calories gives your metabolism a boost, which helps burn more fat, even when you’re sleeping.

Fiber. We all need it to maintain healthy bodies and decrease the risk of heart disease and colon cancer. Choosing leaner types of protein will naturally increase your fiber intake.

Lean protein helps us build muscle. We need more lean protein when we workout more to help replace the muscle tissue your body breaks down and burns during exercise. More muscle helps you burn more fat.

Lean protein can be beans, chicken, turkey, and believe it or not, buffalo meat. Tofu is another good source of protein.

I’m going to share a rockin’ chicken recipe that I made last week. It’s is so good. I made it with some couscous and veggies, but you could go farther with the Asian theme, if you wanted.

Grilled Sesame Chicken

6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, lightly pounded
2 TB sesame seeds, toasted

Marinade
1 TB sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 TB ginger root, grated
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
4 scallions,chopped

Combine the marinade ingredients. Add chicken and marinate for 3 hours or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and grill over medium-high heat 4 -5 minutes each side, basting with the marinade.

Toast sesame seeds in frying pan over medium heat, shaking to prevent burning. Sprinkle over grilled chicken.

The sesame seeds were really too much, but I saved those that I didn’t use for the next time I make this. You could probably cut them in half, but it’s to your taste.

I hope you give this recipe a try. Let me know if you like it. How do you get your protein in? Do you get enough?

Books, Books and More Books

2010-11-22T08:00:00.006+01:00

I love books. It’s my one true vice. I can never leave a bookstore without something. And don’t get me started on ebooks. I’ve been buying those for about 7 years, before the Kindle and the Nook made them as popular as there are today.

Why am I bringing this up? Probably because I spent most of the day yesterday, about 6–7 hours helping hubby put together bookshelves.

When we moved to Germany, we put a lot of books into storage. If I remember correctly, I counted about 50 boxes. I brought somewhere between 10 and 15 with me. After 2 RWA conferences and just buying online and at the PX, the 2 bookshelves we brought were overflowing.

So we went to IKEA. I’m not a fan of their stuff, but hubby loves them and I can deal with their shelving units. After discussing what we wanted, we knew we’d have to come back because our little car wouldn’t hold things. We were prepared to rent a van, but then a friend offered us the use of her husband and their station wagon. Saturday, the 2 guys went to get our stuff.

I would like it better if they had had all the pieces in the warm brown that I wanted. Instead, hubby came back with that light birch stuff that I despise. It does look clean, but it also looks cold to me. The brown would have felt more welcoming to me. Oh well.

We again have a wall that is almost all bookshelves. There are a few spots for growth, but yeah, we’re pretty filled up. And I’m not even going to mention the boxes of books still under the bed in the guest room from conference this past summer. ;)

I have noticed that since I’ve started writing, I don’t read as much as I used to. I still do and I love it, but I’m finding myself reading the shorter works now. One of my goals for next year, though, will be to read at least one book for pleasure per week. Since I used to inhale them in a day, I think it’s doable.

How often do read for pleasure? How many books do you generally read a week? What’s your all-time favorite?

Back in the Land of Writing

2010-11-18T09:34:00.000+01:00

If you stop by regularly, you’ll notice I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks. Sorry about that. Real life intruded, in a big way, and I was mostly offline for most of that time.

Remember a couple of months ago when I mentioned that hubby and I would be staying here in Germany for another 3-5 years? Well, in order for that to happen, he has to switch companies to the one that won the new contract for his job. We had decided that would be the best option for us.

Then, at the 11th hour (read two weeks ago, contract ends November 30), his current employer gave him a job option within the company to keep him on board. It wasn’t so great financially for us and required us to move to Alabama. We weren’t thrilled with the idea and after talking with some lovely online friends about the area and the bottom line financially, we decided to pass.

That’s when his VP brought out the big guns. Made him an offer that, in the end, he wanted to take. It required a move back to the States, while we waited to hear back from this guy with an actual offer letter, I had to proceed forward as if it were a done deal.

So I got Peanut into the vet to get her shots early. Rabies shots have to be at least 30 days old before a dog is allowed into the country. I called the movers to get an estimate. They stopped by. Between all the errands and little things that it takes to move from one country to another, I was online about 30 minutes a day. A record for me! LOL

After all this running around, when we finally heard back from the VP, he said all those positions that he had offered hubby had filled up over the weekend, the same weekend hubby had called and emailed the guy. The offer was off the table.

We talked about it and decided to stick with our original plan. So, the dog’s already got her yearly shots, albeit a month early, so it wasn’t a total loss of time and energy. Hubby will keep his eyes peeled for something else as I think he’s getting tired of working in the military contracting business.

Now I can get back to work, concentrate on my writing and school and continue to enjoy the experience of living in Europe.

Importance of Fruits and Vegetables

2010-11-03T08:00:00.003+01:00

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy and balanced diet. Many experts suggest 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Sounds like a lot, right? Consider this – one serving size is one-half cup of most fruits and veggies. One serving of greens and leafy veggies is one cup and a single piece of fruit is one serving.

Broken down like that, it doesn’t sound so bad. Eat a cup of cooked mixed veggies and you’ve got 2 servings down. I’ve been finding that it does take some vigilance to get enough. I love most fruit and vegetables and still have to plan them into my daily diet.

So why should you make the effort to eat more? There are so many benefits.

They have a lot of vitamins and minerals that help make our bodies strong. Yes, there are supplements out there, but almost every expert will tell you that the body processes natural sources better than supplements. Getting the nutrients we need helps our bodies reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Making fruits and vegetables a part of a healthy diet helps to lose or maintain a healthy weight. They have a lot of water and fiber, which helps to fill you up, but are low in calories.

You can even add some veggies to your favorite baking recipes for lower fat, healthier versions. I have some of those recipes that I’ll be sharing over the next couple of months.

What are some ways to make incorporating fruits and veggies into your diet easier?

Add flavor! Herbs and spices are wonderful flavor enhancers that can really bring out the extra flavor without adding extra calories.

If you must add butter, try I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray. No calories and just a couple of sprays can give you that buttery taste you’re craving.

If fresh isn’t available, canned or frozen are good options, but read labels. Don’t get the ones with added sugar, syrups, sauces or anything else that adds extra calories.

Mix it up. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if a particular veggie isn’t your favorite, try it cooked a different way. This leads me to the recipe I’m going to share with you today.

Zucchini is not a favorite of most people. I could eat it, but preferred other veggies. Hubby didn’t like it all. Someone pointed me to this recipe and I tried it. Hubby liked it and I LOVED it. I made it for the first time last Tuesday. I’ve made it 4 times since. It’s easy and so good.

Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

    4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
    1 tsp Italian seasoning
    1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
    3/4 tsp table salt
    3/4 cup(s) dried bread crumbs, panko-variety suggested
     2 medium zucchini, about 7-inches each, cut into 4 chunks, then each chunk halved
     2 large egg white(s), whipped until frothy (almost soft peaks)

Instructions

•    Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.

•    Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.

•    Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 8 fries per serving.
Notes

•    Use this technique with any summer squash or eggplant. It also works great with thick-cut onion rings or even green tomatoes.

For extra crispy fries, increase the oven temperature to 500ºF and knock 2 minutes off the cooking time.

One last thing, the CDC has an awesome website dedicated to helping people get in their fruits and veggies. Check it out.

How do you get your fruits and veggies in? Think you’ll give this recipe a try? I’d love to hear your tips and tricks and your opinion of zucchini fries.

Remembering the Journey

2010-11-02T08:00:00.004+01:00

Life’s a journey. Pretty simple and straightforward, right?

It’s easy to forget sometimes. I think we get so focused on achieving our goals, that we forget to enjoy getting there. We forget that the achievement of those goals aren't the end, but the beginning.

I was reminded of this yesterday. I was in my Sculpt & Burn class and we were doing baselines for the new month so we could gauge our progress at the end of the month. I knew I wouldn’t do as well as some of the other ladies there, but I expected to do better than I did.

I’ve been working steadily at becoming healthier and more active. To that end, I’ve been watching what I eat, eating more fruits and veggies, drinking more water, going to this exercise class 2x (now 3x) a week and walking 3 miles on the other days. I’ve been doing this for over two months.

Well, I sucked. Big time. The frustration, and yes, the shame, that I couldn’t do more sit-ups and push-ups than I did overcame me and I cried like a big baby in front of everyone in the class.

I have to say, here and now, that the ladies in that class and my instructor, Sarah, are the most awesome people and I’m so blessed to be sharing my journey with them. Anyway, I continued on with the class and at the end, Sarah reminded me that this is a journey.

Sure, I couldn’t do as many of the exercises as I’d have liked, but she reminded me of what I had accomplished. That I needed to be patient. That I needed to keep working at it.

As I thought about her words on the way home, I realized that it’s easy to get frustrated in the pursuit of our goals, regardless of what they may be. In our writing, we’d like to get published sooner, write more words each week, etc. In our quest for a healthier lifestyle, we’d like to lose weight faster, get stronger faster, etc.

When we are this focused on the end result, we tend to miss the little joys along the way. In our writing, it might be the story that the plot falls into place for us, our critique partner loved one of our characters, an editor may have rejected our story but they took the time to tell us why and how we could improve. In getting healthier, it might be walking up 3 flights of stairs without getting winded, going deeper into our lunges and squats, turning to a piece of fruit when you want something sweet instead of chocolate.

Starting today, I’ve got a new goal to go along with all those others I’ve got written down. To take time each week to appreciate the little things that makes the journey so special. To make a list of the things I’ve accomplished. I’m sure I’ll get frustrated again, but when I do, I’ll take out that list and remind myself to enjoy the journey.

What about you? Do you ever forget to enjoy the journey? How do remind yourself?

NaNo-vember

2010-11-01T08:00:00.013+01:00

Today is the day! It’s the start of National Novel Writing Month, more commonly called NaNoWriMo. Good luck to all of you courageous people out there working towards that goal. I’ll be joining my peeps from the Nuremburg writers group this week for our first write-in.

We’d planned for tomorrow but it’s a holiday here in Germany. Germans take their holidays seriously and everything’s closed so we’re aiming for Thursday. It may work out better as we may need some encourage by day 4.

Today also marks the 1 month mark for my new release. Blood Diamond, a Jewel of the Night story, will be out December 1 from The Wild Rose Press and it's up on the website as Coming Soon. To celebrate, here’s a little taste.

Blurb:
Dodging an angry warlord and running through the rain forest in Congo Brazzaville was not what Jillian St. James expected when she signed up with Doctors Without Borders. Yet that’s exactly what she gets after a mysterious visit from her brother.

Mercenary Mack Nichols doesn’t have much faith in humanity these days. When a beautiful young doctor denies being part of the theft of a blue diamond from his client, he doesn’t put much stock in her story.

Neither have reason to trust the other and their mutual attraction is an inconvenience to both. A betrayal and the reveal of an evil plan pit these two against an army. Can they put aside their doubts and work together to bring down a corrupt, power-hungry overlord or will their chance at love be over before it ever starts?

Excerpt:

“Are you all right, Jillian?” The husky timber of his voice sent another shiver through her, this time having nothing to do with fear.

How could she be aroused after being scared so bad? Especially with a man like this one, a man who worked for the General. She was one sick puppy.

“Jillian?” A hand came down on her shoulder and she jumped.

Finally lifting her head, she ignored Mack and trained her attention on the log where she’d been sitting.
As recognition set in, her entire body began to shake and her heart pounded so hard, she feared cracking a rib. Dear God. There where she’d just been sitting lay a yellow-green snake with ridged scales and green eyes that matched its body staring sightlessly ahead.

She swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat. “Is that—”

“An African bush viper? Yep. I think in the firelight, your hand must have looked like dinner.” Though the snake now lay dead, Mack’s voice still sounded strained.

She stood on shaky legs. “I didn’t even see it there.”

“I’m not surprised. It had coiled its tail around the branch overhead and dropped from there.”

If he hadn’t seen the highly poisonous snake, she’d be dead right now. She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his throat. She heard a thud and then his arms were around her, surrounding her in a blanket of safety. For the first time, she thought maybe he really would keep his promise.

Krenfleisch

2010-10-29T11:43:00.000+02:00

So far over the almost 2 years I’ve been here in Germany, this is my favorite German dish. It’s pronounced crane fl-eye-sh. In my little area of Bavaria, they drop the n and call it cray fl-eye-sh.

Sorry that there are no amounts for the ingredients. This is my neighbor’s recipe and she taught it to me so this is from the notes I jotted while watching her like a hawk.

I hope you like it. If you’ve ever had it before, did you like it? If you haven’t tried it before, let me know when you do. I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Enjoy! Everyone have a great weekend.

Krenfleisch

Beef roast
Crisco or butter or lard (my neighbor used lard)
Salt
Pepper
Celery, chopped
Carrots, chopped
Onion, chopped
Bayleaf
Beef bouillon
Horseradish
Granny smith apple
Whipping cream

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown in the Crisco (or butter or lard).

Remove the meat from the pan and add the celery, carrots and onion. Saute the vegetables until they start to soften.

Add hot water, bayleaf and beef bouillon. Return the meat to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, grate the horseradish (if using fresh) and the granny smith apple. (500g of grated horseradish makes enough for 4 people).

Remove the meat from the pan and strain the vegetables, returning the juice to the pan.
Add the horseradish/granny smith apple mixture to taste and whip.

Add the whipping cream to taste and whip. Serve as a gravy over the beef and your choice of dumplings or spaetzle.

NaNoWriMo

2010-10-28T09:29:00.000+02:00

I’m taking the plunge this year and participating in NaNo. What’s this, you ask?

The complete abbreviation is NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. Those that sign up are committing themselves to writing 50,000 words from November 1-30.

50k seems like a lot to write, especially in 30 days. It can be done. Millions have done it. The idea is to just write. No time to go back and edit stuff as you go, just spew those words out and get them down. December is soon enough for editing.

My goal is to break it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. I know that I’m going away for Thanksgiving weekend. Add in some weekend days that I probably won’t have time to write and I’m figuring I have 20 good days to write in November. So, divide 50,000 by 20 and my daily word count goal is 2500 words.

This is a reasonable goal to me. On a good day, I can have this knocked out within 3 hours or less. Other days make take me longer, but it’s definitely a do-able goal. On the good days, I’ll probably also try to go past that mark because who knows what will happen the next day.

I think I’ve mentioned here that my hubby found an English writer’s group in Nuremburg for me. The rest of the group have joined in with me and we’re going to try doing write-ins at the bookstore where we meet. We’re kicking the month off with a scheduled write-in for Monday afternoon.

Write-ins are basically where a group of writers meet to write. I’ve never participated in one before so this is a new experience for me. I think it will be a lot of fun and helpful to keep the motivation going so that we all reach that 50k goal by November 30.

This week, I’m finishing up the prep work that I need so that I’m ready to start come Monday.

If you’re interested in signing up for NaNo, or just want more information, head over to the official website. If you join in the fun, look to add me as a writing buddy. My screen ID is Riley Quinn. Go figure, right?

Are you already signed up? Think you’ll sign up? Or do you just think we’re all crazy? :)

Going Overboard?

2010-10-27T11:34:00.000+02:00

Is it possible to go too far in the quest to lose weight? Most definitely.

We’ve all been there. We’re so excited to start this new phase in our life, to get healthy, to get thinner, that we jump in with both feet. We’re stringent with our diet. We exercise for several hours each day. Then what happens?

We do great for a while, maybe a few weeks, maybe even a few months. We’re losing weight, feeling great. Then something happens. It could be that you get ill, you could have a killer week at work and just can’t get to the gym, or you could just be watching television and that cake the TV character is eating looks so darn good. You slide. With a vengeance.

No more watching your diet, no more exercise. Within a short amount of time, you’ve undone everything you’ve accomplished, especially the new-found confidence and pride in yourself. Sound familiar?

That’s one of the things I love about SparkPeople. They encourage you to take things slowly, incorporating one step at time until it becomes a habit and then adding the next step.
A conversation with an acquaintance really brought home to me how we deprive ourselves sometimes.

As many of you know, I’m an American living in Germany. I love learning about the people and culture here and enjoy experiencing it all firsthand. One part of that is the food. German food is more than schnitzel and bratwurst and it’s pretty tasty. Of course, I can’t forget the beer either.:)

A woman that is in my exercise class said that she won’t eat German food because she doesn’t know how to count the calories. I found that sad. She’s here, experiencing a new country. Many people would love to change places with her and she’s limiting herself. For no reason, in my opinion.

It’s true that most calorie counters don’t list German food. It makes it a bit more difficult, but not impossible to enjoy cultural dishes and still lose weight.

Options include finding a recipe online (easy) and figure it out. Punch the recipe into an online food calculator (like SparkPeople) and let them figure it out for you. I enjoy the food when I go out. I drink the beer. I just make allowances in my diet for the rest of the day. Or, if I happen to over my allotted daily calories, I get back on track the next day.

Am I losing the weight slower? Maybe. I think I have a better chance of keeping it off. I’m not looking for a diet to follow to lose weight quickly. I’m looking for a healthier lifestyle overall. That includes indulgences.

What do you think? Would you eat the food in Germany if you were on a diet?

Rewarding Yourself

2010-10-20T08:00:00.001+02:00

A couple of weeks ago on Weightloss Wednesday, I talked about motivation.

Today’s topic, Rewarding Yourself, ties in with motivation.

I spent this past weekend in Austria. I signed up for a spa weekend as a reward for losing weight and finishing a manuscript. At the time of departure, I’d lost 17 pounds. This happened over a period of 2 months. I was quite pleased with myself.

After enjoying a Swedish massage and the thermal pools of the Aquadome, I decided that another weekend there was in order for reaching my 30 pound goal.

Then it dawned on me (I know, duh!) that having set rewards for your milestones are a great way to keep your motivation level high. And while big rewards like a spa weekend are nice, smaller rewards for smaller goals reached are important too.

So what would be a good reward? For me, I can think of lots of things. A new music CD, a movie night with the next must-see, a special night with just my guy and me, new makeup. These are all rewards that don’t have to cost a lot of money.

I think 5 pound increments are great milestone markers. I know I get excited every time I hit that next 5 pound mark. It would be even better if I knew I’d earned a new CD or book too. So I’m going to make up my own reward system. Every 5 pound milestone gets a small reward and 30 pounds gets a big reward.

I haven’t decided on my rewards yet, though. I’ll work on it over the next couple of weeks and then share with you.

What do you think of creating a reward system? Would you create one for yourself? Do you think it would help keep your motivation level high? Would it be enough to make you stay on track?

Reading Ease

2010-10-18T08:00:00.002+02:00

A couple of weeks ago, I learned about something cool – Reading Ease.

Apparently, the top best-selling writers average better in several statistics than other writers. They use shorter sentences, shorter words, and a higher percentage of active voice. The analysis of this factors is what Jim Smith (Writer’s Little Helper) calls the Reading Ease Ideal.

This check can be done in Microsoft Word and according to Mr. Smith, the following numbers are the benchmark.

Words per sentence (avg): 15 max
Characters per word (avg): 4.5 max
Passive voice: 5% max
Flesch Reading Ease: 80% max
Flesch-Kincaid Level: 6 max

He suggests editing a scene at a time to achieve or surpass the above goals. He goes into more detail about how to use these numbers effectively, but this provides a good start.

How do you find these numbers? I have Word 2007. I can tell you where to go in this program. If you have a different version, go to help and type in “Flesch reading ease” and the directions should pop up.

Click on the Microsoft symbol button in the top left corner. At the very bottom of the menu that pops up is a Word Options button. Click that. On the left-hand menu, choose Proofing. In the menu that comes up in the right pane, the third group of options has a box for Show Readability Statistics. Check that and hit OK. Now the next time you run your spell check, these statistics will be displayed. Cool, right?

For fun, I ran the first chapter of Into the Pride through it. This is what it came up with:

Words per sentence (avg): 9.7
Characters per word (avg): 4.3
Passive voice: 0%
Flesch Reading Ease: 84.3%
Flesch-Kincaid Level: 3.9

Not too shabby, eh? That’s the rough first draft. So, if I edit it until the reading ease score hits 80% or below and keep the other numbers about the same, I’ve got a possible best-seller. Woohoo!

Seriously, though, it’s an interesting tool to use to help during your editing process.

For the record, the stats for this post are:

Words per sentence (avg): 10.8
Characters per word (avg): 4.3
Passive voice: 3%
Flesch Reading Ease: 77.1%
Flesch-Kincaid Level: 5.1

Have you used this tool? Are you going to? Hit me with some numbers.

Welcome back Nancy Lennea

2010-10-15T08:00:00.006+02:00

Please welcome back Nancy Lennea. She’s got a couple of new books coming out and she’s here to tell us about Destiny’s Mountain.

What can you tell us about your new book?
I created a romantic suspense that incorporates scenery and location as an integral part of the plot. DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN also includes a hint of gothic mystery since I filled my story with stalkers, a murder, mountain rescues, ghostly voices, and sexy romance. It takes place in a quirky college town that is nestled between a river and mountains in northern New Hampshire.

What is your writing routine like? Do you find time to write every day?
I am fortunate in that writing is my current profession and it is up to me each day to get my b*tt in the chair. A few years ago, not the case. I worked outside the home as a 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Dispatcher when I began writing. I’d use a pencil and pad during breaks then rush home and type it into my computer. People at work helped with the story by editing, sharing ideas, and giving me the confidence to keep at it. Is it any wonder I have dedicated this book to them? After selling our NH home, we moved to North Carolina to be near family. My hubby goes to work and I write. It is my dream come true!

Last time you visited, you mentioned you believed in writing organizations. Still true?
Absolutely! I could not have done this—selling five manuscripts in a little over one year—without the organizations I have joined. Romance writers of America is the biggest. They supply their members with a varied system in order to help young writers, struggling published writers, and even old pros. My local chapter, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, has 137 members and a great mix of men and women, old and young, and we have fantastic, helpful, and fun monthly meetings. On Saturday Oct. 16th our own Sabrina Jeffries will speak along with her agent Pamela Ahearn during an all day workshop. Next month’s talk on November 13th (my birthday!) will feature the Borders Romance Book Buyer, Sue Grimshaw. (find out more at www.heartofcarolina.org) I also belong to a few on-line chapters. Even my two publishers have author loops where we can chat and ask questions and pat each other on the back. Belonging to writing organizations is worth it!

Describe the genre of this book. Is this the only genre you write in?
Due to the intrigue I have wrapped around my characters, I deemed DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN a romantic suspense. Romance is, first and foremost, the basis, but I didn’t want to make the path toward true love too easy for Jacob and Destiny. There are several—read, dozens—of dark moments. My previous release from Red Rose Publishing, SECRET LOVE MATCH, was a more simplified contemporary story about romance between two individuals who were not out to find love. My latest release from Whispers Publishing, DRAGON’S CURSE, is a historical paranormal set on an island off the coast of Scotland. Totally different! I write what comes to my head. I create a story when a certain character demands attention. Crazy, but it works for me.

Having recently achieved your goal to be a published writer, what’s next?
I signed that first contract with Red Rose Publishing in August of 2009. I signed with Whispers Publishing last March. Three books are out. UNWRAPPING CHRIS, a contemporary short story set on an army base, is due out in December from Whispers and I have sold another romantic suspense to Red Rose. I believe in the power of the electronic publishing world, but still enjoy the feel of a book in my hand. I hope to someday have a book in print. So, I’ll keep writing.

What are you working on right now?
My sister and I visited my parents down in Florida back in August and, while enjoying the pool, we started talking about a newly expanded art museum that reopened near our homes in North Carolina. We started throwing out ideas for a paranormal that will include some of the twenty-nine bronze statues by Auguste Rodin. I am working through that book and have come up with some amazing characters and enough of a story arc to create a trilogy. So, in between promoting my current releases and editing my upcoming sales, I will get it done and out to agents. Still looking for an agent.

BOOK BLURB

In a quirky college town surrounded by the mountains of New Hampshire new art history professor, Jacob Oliver, hikes a trail on a crisp September morning. He contemplates his life. Divorced and forced out of his job with the Boston Police due to a horrific accident, he spots a naked woman beneath a majestic waterfall. Escaping, he falls and reinjures his knee.

Destiny Blake hears a noise; someone is on her mountain. She finds a handsome man sitting in the mud. Love blooms and lust consumes them after she helps him to the safety of her cabin. Soon, assumptions pull them apart, leaving her vulnerable to the unwanted attentions of other men.

When Jacob decides he cannot live without her, he must save her from a madman who chases her up her mountain through the cold, snowy darkness of a November night. Ghostly voices push Jacob onward, and urge Destiny to fight back. Pain, hypothermia, and death threaten before the sun rises. Can Destiny and Jacob make it off Destiny's mountain...alive?

EXCERPT

With all the noise, Jacob barely caught her name. Branches cracked and leaves rustled, while small animals high-tailed it out of her way. Chattering squirrels raced up huge pines, and several rabbits hopped past him and his stump. He spied small flashes of tan skin and blonde braid, and his aching body immediately reacted.

God, this girl would make a dead man hard.

When she reappeared with a long branch, he couldn’t look away. She wore no makeup. She didn’t need any. Delicate gold earrings hung from dainty ears, and she had the deepest blue eyes imaginable.

He let his gaze slide down her body, and glimpsed squared shoulders and taut muscles under her mud-spattered, yellow shirt. Two taut nipples jutted out, the soft fabric barely concealing their beauty.

“She’s braless,” he sputtered.

“Did you say something?”

The young woman stopped in front of him. His cock went rigid as a tree trunk, adding a different sort of pain to the mix.

“No, just clearing my throat.”

There’s a time and place for a throbbing erection. This isn’t it.

He hadn’t even shared a regular conversation with this woman. He required her help, so he’d better not scare her away.

“Just breathe and relax,” he muttered. These irrational thoughts could turn into a problem. Air whistled past clenched teeth with an irregularity not caused by his injury.

He turned away, but kept one eye on her while she peeled twigs and dry leaves off a five-foot-long tree branch.

No panty lines, either.

She must have jumped into her clothes to chase me down. Brave, or just plain stupid? What if I was a rapist or a serial killer?

His mind blanked out on the present situation with swift intensity. Jacob’s brain suddenly relived that long ago horrible night even though he didn’t want to remember the sobbing, near-dead woman he found lying in an alley…

A little bit about Nancy

Nancy grew up on New York’s Long Island then attended school in the beautiful mountains of New Hampshire. She worked during college in the dining hall while earning a degree in art education. She met her husband at college and they raised a family in nearby Rumney. She volunteered as an EMT/firefighter then worked for the State of New Hampshire as a 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Dispatcher. Nancy now writes full time, lives in North Carolina, and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, and Sisters-in-Crime. She also writes paranormal romance, such as DRAGON’S CURSE, as Nancy Lee Badger. Find out more at www.nancyleebadger.com.

DESTINY’S MOUNTAIN is available now from
Red Rose Publishing at www.RedRosePublishing.com.
The buy link is: http://bit.ly/a4NOHE
Visit my website at: www.nancylennea.com
Visit my blog at: www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com

Have a great weekend everyone! I'm heading to Austria for the weekend so I'll have some pics next week.

A German Kirwa

2010-10-14T08:00:00.002+02:00

A Kirwa (pronounced keer-va) is a local festival, usually in the fall. Each region has their own customs and traditions. Speichersdorf had their Kirwa last weekend. On Sunday, we walked down to the Landgasthof Imhof, a local restaurant. All the fun started there. On the previous Wednesday, the ‘grave’ of the Kirwa was put out.

This will stay out all week and was just taken down yesterday.

We started off with a parade. Two young girls (twins) pulled the cart, followed by a band playing traditional Bavarian music.

Then came the young couples. Each couple followed behind, the men carrying a krug of…you guessed it, beer.

The parade went around a loop in town and stopped in a clearing. Once there, the young couples formed a circle and the men put their krugs in the center of the circle.

Then they danced.

After a few dances, the men would take a drink and head back to their ladies for more dancing. Then they headed out and continued their parade.

They made a total of 3 stops, the last one ending where it all began, in the parking lot of the restaurant. They danced some more and then they formed a half circle. Here, the men took turns saying little poems of the happenings in the town over the past year. After each man spoke, the band would play.

After every man had said what they wanted to say, the entire procession posed for pictures.

Afterwards, it was time to move inside for…you guessed it, a beer.

Benefits of Exercise with Sarah Brown

2010-10-13T08:00:00.003+02:00

Today, Sarah Brown is joining us. Who is this, you ask? I’ve mentioned her before, just not by name. She’s the instructor that kicks my butt on a regular basis. LOL

Seriously, she’s the awesome leader of the Sculpt & Burn class I’ve been going to for the past month or so. Exercise is great and has some wonderful benefits. Who better to share them with us than a professional? Sarah’s awesome and so interested in helping anyone become more active.

In addition to these great benefits, she’s agreed to answer any questions you might have. Just leave a comment and she’ll check back. As an incentive, there will be a giveaway. Yay!

Anyone leaving a comment will go in the drawing to win a copy of The Spark. I’ve talked about this book before and love it. Here’s your chance to check it out.

Everyone, please welcome Sarah Brown.

Hello there. My name is Sarah and I am a fitness fanatic. That may not be completely true, but after rewriting this first sentence over 10 times, I figured the AA greeting would have to suffice.

I have always been passionate about exercise and certified to teach aerobics when I was 18. I have taught on and off for 12 years, run over 20 half marathons, 1 full marathon, and completed 2 triathlons. I also love playing tennis, attending any and all gym classes, mountain biking, skiing, yoga, Cross Fit and dancing in my kitchen. Do you think I’m crazy? You shouldn’t.

Let’s talk about exercise for a minute, shall we? It is UNBELIEVABLY good for you. Why?

*It improves your mood. When you exercise your brain releases “happy” chemicals. This will leave you happier and more relaxed after a workout. Seriously, with the weather here in Germany, if I wasn’t exercising, I would have some serious seasonal depression!

*It prevents chronic disease. Exercise has been known to help prevent heart disease, osteoporosis (a serious concern in my family), high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It can also prevent type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Wow.

*It helps you sleep better. I am a serious insomniac. This side effect alone is worth it for me.

*Your energy will go through the roof. The first few weeks may be tough and you may feel tired while your body is adjusting, but after this initial period, watch out! With all the great sleep you’ve been getting and those “happy” chemicals bouncing around your brain, you’ll become unstoppable.

*It will help you manage your weight. Need I say more? When you exercise, you burn calories. This means that (a) you will begin to slowly lose weight or (b) you can eat more. This is what I call a win-win.

*IT CAN BE - - - FUN. Seriously. I don’t care who you are, there is an exercise that you will enjoy. Zumba? Biking? Walking with your family? Playing Frisbee? Dancing in your kitchen? Remember when you were a kid and you ran or biked everywhere? And you never wanted to slow down…ever. Before “it” became exercise, it was play. Never forget that.

If you are in love with your current exercise routine – great. If you’re getting bored with it – it’s time to switch it up. If you’ve been thinking about starting a program – now is the time. The above benefits are just the beginning. There is an activity or an instructor that is the perfect fit for you. Go ahead.
You deserve it.

Okay, I’ll get off my soap box now, but THANK YOU for letting me stop by. If you have any questions, or things you want to know more about, please don’t hesitate to comment!

Cheers,
Sarah

Rothenburg - Schneeballen

2010-10-12T08:00:00.001+02:00

Schneeballen means snow balls in German. These yummy treats are a local favorite in Rothenburg.

Apparently back in the day, the people here came up with this ingenious way of using up excess dough before it went bad. Nowadays, it’s a tasty treat that every tourist tries while they’re here. They’ve also devised many yummilicious toppings to appeal to everyone’s tastes.

Of course, I had to try one. Before I did, though, the man at the shop we stopped at was nice enough to make them slowly so I could photograph each step.

He started by rolling the dough flat and then using a cutter that cut the dough into strips, leaving it attached at both ends.

Then he lifted the dough and kind of shook it out a bit.

He packed it into a metal ball full of holes and dropped it into a vat of oil.

Once fried, he opened the ball and deposited it on the table. At that point, it went through the process of being covered by various toppings, although we didn’t get to see that part. We did get to taste the finished product, however.

Behold, the caramel goodie that I chose.

It was crunchier than I expected. I thought it would be more like a funnel cake, but I was wrong. It was good, though. Definitely not something you could eat on a regular basis, especially if you’re watching your calorie intake.

Hubby chose a chocolate-covered ball.

They make them in all sizes and flavors, so you need to head over to check them out.

Ever had one of these? Want to? Maybe I’ll pick some up for a blog giveaway the next time I’m there.

Remember to stop by tomorrow. I’ve got a special guest joining us.

The Magic of Water

2010-10-06T08:00:00.003+02:00

It’s Weightloss Wednesday again. Today, let’s talk about water.

Our bodies are mostly water. Hard to believe, right? It’s true. All of our systems need water to run more efficiently.

It’s also a great diet aid and fat reducer. Yes, water. It suppresses your appetite, reduces sodium buildup and helps maintain muscle tone. It reduces fat deposits by helping the body metabolize the fat stored within the body.

These are just a few great reasons for drinking water, but so many of us are dehydrated. Why is that?
Some say they don’t like the taste, they’d rather drink something else, they don’t want to go the bathroom a million times a day.

How much water do we really need? Most recommendations are 8 cups or 64 oz. per day. If you are a normal weight and don’t exercise or sweat much, this might be fine for you. It’s been said that the heavier you are, the more water your body needs. It goes without saying that if you sweat a lot or have an intense workout, you should up your intake.

In The Insulin Resistance Diet book, written by Cheryle R. Hart, MD and Mary Kay Grossman, RD, it’s recommended that for every 25 pounds you are overweight, add another cup up to a maximum of 12 8-oz cups daily.

That’s a lot of water. How to get it all in? There are lots of tips and tricks out that can help you meet your requirements. I’m going to list a few of mine.

1.    I like sparkling mineral water. Something about those bubbles makes it fun and tasty for me to drink. I buy it in 1.5 liter bottles and aim to drink 2 per day.

2.    Adding lemon or lime to water. This gives the water a zesty zing. It doesn’t add any calories and really jazzes up your water. Don’t want to cut up fruit every day? Try TrueLemon or TrueLime instead. It’s cold-pressed and crystallized fruit. You can buy it in packets or by the container. Tastes the same, I swear.

3.    Crystal Light. You can add those drink on the go packets to your water. It does add a few calories (5), but totally fools you into thinking you’re not drinking water. They have several tasty flavors. I like the cherry pomegranate and the lemonade ones the best.

There are tons more tips. I did a Google search on “tips for drinking more water” and got a bunch of hits.

I know, this is all well and good, but what about the trips to the bathroom? They can be a pain. But I’ve noticed that once I’ve been drinking more water, my body gets used to the extra intake and I don’t have to go as often. Perhaps building up to your full requirement is a good way to alleviate some of the bathroom breaks.

The bottom line – water is good for you, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Don’t forget about this great tool to help you on your quest.

While on Google, I came across this website that you might find useful. It’s a hydration calculator. You answer 9 questions relevant for that day and it tells you how much water you should drink.

Do you get enough water? Do you like it or do you employ tricks to meet your requirements? Share your thoughts, tips and tricks with us.

Rothenburg - The Wall

2010-10-05T08:00:00.032+02:00

Last Monday, we picked my father-in-law up at the Frankfurt airport and headed straight for Rothenburg. It was a city that both hubby and I had wanted to visit, but hadn’t made it to yet. This was the perfect opportunity.

Rothenburg is a beautifully preserved medieval city. In the Middle Ages, it was the second-largest city in Germany.

During World War II, it was proclaimed to be “the most German of German towns” and German soldiers were sent to defend it. Bombs were dropped over Rothenburg in 1945, destroying 9 watchtowers and 2000 feet of the wall. The American army was ordered to not use artillery in taking the town. The German military commander gave up the town in order to preserve it, saving it from total destruction. After the war, the residents repaired the bombing damage.

The wall that surrounds the city is amazing. Donations from all over the world pour in to help maintain it and the names of those who donate are immortalized on the wall itself.

We walked part of the 1.4 km wall. Every 25 km or so, there was a cut-out. The cut-outs were just large enough for an archer to poke his bow (or gun) through when defending the city against enemies.

There were also smaller crevices in the wall that I’m guessing were used to hold candles during medieval times.

Looking out over the city from the wall was incredible. I could easily imagine those in Middle Ages looking out over their friends and neighbors, keeping watch while they slept.

I’m not a fan of historical romance, but I’ll admit that story ideas were flying as I walked the wall. Perhaps a fantasy set in a medieval-like setting or maybe even a time travel story. I took lots of pictures in case I decide to go ahead with one or both of those ideas.

Of course, another trip back wouldn’t be amiss, either. I foresee several trips back in my future.

The Rothenburg wall is our first stop. I’ve got more for you later this week so stop back.

Have you ever been to Rothenburg? Do you like medieval settings in books? What do you think so far?

MIA

2010-10-04T08:00:00.003+02:00

I was missing in action most of last week. Sorry about that. My father-in-law flew in on Monday and we spent the week running around Germany, trying to fit as much in as possible. He left Friday morning so it was a short visit.

The upside to that is that I’ve got some great pictures and fun stuff to share with you this week. I hope the lapse was worth it. We visited Rothenburg, which has quickly become one of my favorite cities here. I already have plans to make several more trips there. We visited the Pottenstein castle. We also visited a few others, but they closed before we could get there so I only got pictures of the outside.

I’ve also got a story about a German game/variety show that we watched on Saturday. The Kirwa here in Speichersdorf is this weekend, so I’ll have that to share with you next week.

On the downside, I received a lovely note from Emmanuelle Morgen, passing on my manuscript. It was disappointing, but she was very nice. She couldn’t connect with it to ask for more, but pointed out that other agents may not feel the same. On the upside of that, I can now apply for PRO status within RWA.

At this point, I’m going to shelf Out of the Shadows and let it sit for a while. Then I’ll go back with fresh eyes and do another revision pass and another pass through the critique partners. THEN I’ll start querying in earnest.

I just love the characters, the book and the series too much to take the chance on sending out to a gaggle of agents without taking this time.

So how was your week? Your weekend? What’s on the agenda for this week?

Pretzels with...mustard?

2010-09-27T08:00:00.005+02:00

Yes, apparently Germans don’t eat mustard on their pretzels.

I found this out on Saturday night. We’d gone to a mini-Oktoberfest in the small town of Eschenbach, not far from where we live. Another American couple had gone with us.

My friend asked for a pretzel and asked for mustard to go with it. Now, those of you from the States know this is not uncommon there. Here, it’s another story. The exchange went something like this:

Friend: Can I get a pretzel with mustard?

Waitress: Mustard? Really?

Friend nods yes.

Waitress: Really?

After another nod, waitress leaves and comes back with pretzel. As she hands over the bottle of mustard, she asks again, “Mustard? Really?”

It was an interesting reaction, and amusing. On Sunday while upstairs visiting with the neighbors, I asked them. As soon as I mentioned pretzels with mustard, his nose scrunched up. He said, “Mustard is only for wurst.”

Another cultural difference between Americans and Germans.

I have some good news from last week. On Friday on the FF&P blog, Megan Records from Kensington Books was accepting pitches for paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I had just revised my query letter so I had a pitch. I thought, “Why not?”

So I pitched. And I got a request for a partial, which consists of a synopsis and the first three chapters.

What about you? What news did you have last week, good or bad?

Challenge

2010-09-22T08:00:00.002+02:00

Today starts the weight loss challenge at the gym where I take my Sculpt & Burn class. My instructor is running it and we get weighed, measured and our BMI figured. It runs for 4 weeks.

We have the option of following Weight Watchers or doing calorie restriction. Since my program on SparkPeople follows calorie restriction, I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing.

During the 4 weeks, we weigh in weekly, we turn in a food journal, and my instructor will hold meetings. She’s got some guest speakers lined up and we’ll share what’s working for us and recipes and such. At the end, we’ll get weighed, measured and our BMI done again. The person with the highest average between actual pounds dropped and change in BMI wins.

What’s the prize? Money! We all pay $25 to participate. $5 of this goes to the gym. The rest goes into the prize pot. The actual prize depends on how many participants join.

I admit that I can be a little competitive, but I think that with the amount of weight I have to lose, it would take more pounds lost than is healthy in 4 weeks for me to win. I’m doing it more for the extra motivation to keep going.

Yesterday was my personal weigh-in. I’m hanging steady at 12 pounds lost, but since it’s been 6 weeks since I started my lifestyle change, it’s an average of 2 pounds per week. Not bad.

On Sunday, I tried on a pair of jeans that is a size smaller than what I’ve been wearing. I haven’t been able to wear these pants for quite a while. Well, not only did I get into them, but they were comfortable. Snug without being too tight. That was such a good feeling.

So, that’s my update for Weightloss Wednesday. How have you been doing? Gotten any new recipes? Anyone try that shrimp taco recipe I linked to a few weeks ago? I’m telling you, those things are wicked good.

Upping the Stakes

2010-09-21T08:36:00.000+02:00

Last night, I did something that I haven’t done in quite a while. I spent the entire evening reading a book.

I used to read for enjoyment all the time and still do on occasion, though it’s usually novellas. You know, doesn’t take as long. But I dug through my boxes of books that I got at conference this summer and picked one to read.

It was a sweet love story and I enjoyed the characters. But there was something I noticed. There was really no conflict. It was a contemporary novel that basically followed the meet and subsequent relationship of these two people up until they got engaged. There was no reason for them not to get together/stay together.

I mention this because as a writer, conflict is touted in just about every craft book I’ve read (and oh, have I read a lot). Upping the stakes. Story is conflict. If you’re a writer, you know what I’m talking about.

So, here’s the question. As a reader, do you need conflict? I know it doesn’t have to save-the-world stakes in every book, but do you want some internal conflict, at least? Or can you be satisfied with just the sweet story of a courtship?

For me, I need a little conflict. I kept reading last night, waiting for it, so in the end, it was not a wholly satisfying read. Could it be that because I’m a writer and expected a conflict, that I ruined the story for myself? Would I have noticed the lack of conflict and just enjoyed the story anyway if I haven’t studied the writing craft for years?

Actually, I think I can answer that for myself. I have read books by a particular author that have no inherent conflict. And I enjoyed them. Kinda. I had the same reaction to her as I did to the book last night. It was a nice story, but didn’t really satisfy that itch inside for a great story.

How about you? Ever read a book without any conflict? What did you think of it? What’s your opinion?

We have a winner

2010-09-20T08:00:00.001+02:00

Thank you all again for visiting during Blogmania. I know you’re dying to find out who won my Love with a Bite Paranormal Romance Prize Pack, right?

I could try to drag it out. Make it more suspenseful. Nah, we’ll get right to it. The winner is Jessica Spettoli. Jessica, would you please me at riley @ riley-quinn.com with your snail mail address? I’ll get that out in the mail to you this week.

Sorry to all of you wonderful people who didn’t win. Don’t despair, though. I like to give things away periodically, so stay tuned. I’ll be doing several contests in the next couple of months to promote Blood Diamond, my romantic suspense novella set in the Congo jungle.

Remember when I told you about my landlord troubles? No, not resolved yet, but we’re approaching him this week and asking to renegotiate our lease. If we’re going to be in Germany at least 3 more years, I don’t want to deal with this every year. I love the town and we have great neighbors so I don’t want to move, but if he refuses, we will be moving.

The weather here is supposed to be beautiful this week. Mid 60s and sunny. Perfect for the day trips we’ve got planned. Much more fun to walk around in the sun rather than rain.

How was everyone’s weekend? Did you do anything fun? What do you have planned for this week?

Upcoming

2010-09-17T08:00:00.001+02:00

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog during Blogmania and entered my giveaway. I will be drawing the name over the weekend and the winner will be posted on Monday’s post. Please stop back then.

I realized this week that I haven’t really mentioned much about Germany for a while. For those of you that enjoy those posts, good news. My husband has the next 2 weeks off and we plan to take several day trips. Plus, my father-in-law comes for a visit soon and we’ll be heading to new places that I haven’t made it to yet.

I’ll also try to be better at sharing yummy German recipes. I know several of you enjoy those.

I’ve also got a trip to Austria planned for mid-October. Just a weekend, but it will be another new country for me so I’ll try to come back with lots of stories and pictures.

Everyone have a great weekend and I’ll see you all Monday!

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Welcome to Blogmania Sept. 15 - 16!

2010-09-15T06:00:00.010+02:00

You've arrived at exactly the right time to explore lots of new blogs, all of which, ARE GIVING AWAY A VERY SPECIAL BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY (For Two Days Only – September 15th and 16th) .

We've done all the work for you. No hunting or surfing. At the end of this blog post is a list of all the participating blogs. You may want to print that list out so you can mark each one off as you visit it.

I know you'll want to visit as many blogs today as you can. So, if you see something that interests you on any of our participating blogs, why not bookmark that site. Later, when you have more time, you can discover all its fabulous treasures.

CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! MY GIVEAWAY and RULES: I'm calling my giveaway Love with a Bite Paranormal Romance Prize Pack. 2 yummy candles from Colonial Candle, 3 great books (Taming of the Wolf, an anthology featuring Autumn Shelley, When Blood Calls by J.K. Beck and And Falling, Fly by Skylar White), a plush stuffed wolf and a pair of handmade moonstone earrings. Great prize, right? And easy to qualify. All you have to do is become a follower here on my blog and my Facebook fan page. Once done, just leave me a comment telling me your Facebook name or if you’d rather, email it privately to me at riley@riley-quinn.com. I'll be announcing the winner of the prize on Monday's blog entry, so make sure you come back!

My close-up of the earrings didn't turn out. This is the pic from the seller's website. Copper crystals at the bottom are the only difference. They're beautiful.

Below is the list I told you about. At each site, you'll find even more. Gifts and prizes totaling over $38,000 are up for grabs during this event. Each blog has their own criteria for their giveaway, so read carefully. Have fun checking out all these great sites.

The Art of Revisions

2010-09-14T08:00:00.001+02:00

Revisions. Edits. The deconstructing of your novel just to turn around and put it back together again. Hopefully, better, tighter, more focused.

We all have to do it, as much as we dream of being able to write a first draft that is brilliant and perfect. So how do you do it? What’s your method?

There are tons of great workshops on the subject out there, each one a bit different but all with the same goal: to help you revise your manuscript. I highly recommend Margie Lawson’s Deep EDITS and Empowering Characters Emotions. These two classes really help you dig deep.

For myself, I try to follow Margie’s method. It involves 5 different colored highlighters. This is great for you school supply junkies.  This really helps you see what you’ve got and what you don’t have. Once you know this, you have a starting point.

Then she gives you tons of rhetorical devices to pump up the power. You’ve seen these used and probably used some yourself, whether you knew it or not.

Of course we have to check for over-used words. We all have our favorites. I keep a list on my corkboard of mine.

Do you read your manuscript out loud? It’s a great way to see how well it flows. Especially the dialogue. Something that sounds funny or witty in our head can bomb when uttered aloud.

I’m finishing up revisions on Out of the Shadows this week (Yay!) and it will be heading out to critique partners next. It got me thinking about the process though. There are as many different approaches as there are writers. They can be time-consuming and draining, but the exhilaration at reading through the finished product and seeing how much stronger the story reads makes it worth it. Right?

So how do you approach revisions? Do you take some time off and then hit it? Do you just start back at the beginning and work your way through it? Do you let critique partners see it so they can offer suggestions? How many times do you generally make a pass over your manuscript? I’d love to hear your own methods.

Don’t forget – Blogmania is tomorrow and Thursday. Don’t miss out on your chance to win a ton of great prizes.

Goodies Galore!

2010-09-13T08:00:00.004+02:00

First things first. Thank you J.K Beck for stopping by and thank you to all who stopped by and left a comment on Friday. As promised, 3 lucky commenters will be receiving a copy of her new book, When Blood Calls. It is awesome!

The random number generator at www.random.org has chosen PL Parker, Cheryl Rae and Gale Stanley. If you would email your mailing address to me at riley@riley-quinn.com, I will get these lovelies out in the mail for you.

How about more goodies to give away? Remember last week that I mentioned Blogmania was coming up? It happens this week on Wednesday and Thursday, September 15 & 16. Saturday, I hopped over to Bayreuth to pick up the last piece of my giveaway for this awesome event.

I know I’ve mentioned that I’m basing the prize pack on my novel, Out of the Shadows. I’ve hinted here and there, but today you get to see what you’re trying to win.

I’m calling it my Love with a Bite Paranormal Romance Prize Pack.

First, a plush, so so soft stuffed wolf. Gabe, my hero, is a wolf shifter.

Wolves are equated with the moon, right? So how about some moonstone earrings. These beauties are handmade by Regina McGearty at Walk on the Moon. She even added a copper colored crystal for each one to signify my heroine, Belle the Fire Witch.

Next, I’ve got two candles from Colonial Candles. I searched for the scents that match Gabe and Belle and while I didn’t get it exactly, I came pretty close. There is one Tibetan Sandalwood and one French lavender. Mmm, they smell yummy.

Last but not least, I’ve got to add books! As I did with my last Blogmania giveaway, I chose books written by my chapter mates in the Austin chapter and of course, they are paranormals.

Taming of the Wolf – this is an anthology from The Wild Rose Press and features the story, Blood Moon, written by my good friend and critique partner, Autumn Shelley.

When Blood Calls – You know this one. I’ve reviewed it here and we just had J.K. Beck here. Here’s another chance to get your hands on it.

And Falling, Fly – This is the debut novel of Skylar White.

My close-up of the earrings didn't turn out. This is the pic from the seller's website. Copper crystals at the bottom are the only difference. They're beautiful.

Great prize, right? All this adds up to over $100. All you have to do to be in the running is follow my blog and join my Facebook fan page. To follow my blog, go to the Follow button in the right-hand column and it will walk you through. To join my fan page, go here and click that you Like it.

You can do both of these steps early, if you want and then on those two days, either post a comment stating your Facebook name or if you’d rather, email me at riley@riley-quinn.com and tell me both your Facebook name and your blogger ID.

On Friday, I’ll use the random number generator again and post the winner on Monday, September 20.

What do you think? A prize worth winning?

Welcome J.K. Beck

2010-09-10T08:00:00.002+02:00

Today J.K. Beck, aka bestselling author Julie Kenner, is joining us. If you remember, a couple weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of When Blood Calls, the first of her new series. I wrote a review here.

Julie’s answering questions for us today. If you have any that I haven’t asked, please leave a comment. She’ll be by later to answer them. I've got 3 copies of When Blood Calls up for grabs for 3 lucky commenters. I'll do a random drawing and announce the winners on Monday.

I strongly urge you to check this series out. I’ve been an urban fantasy reader for years and this is definitely a series that I’ll be impatiently waiting for each successive book to come out.

So, without an further ado, here’s Julie!

Tell us about When Blood Calls and the Shadow Keeper series.
I’m having such a great time with this series! It’s dark and edgy and the world is as much a character as the people (human or not) who fill the pages.

Essentially, the series is set in and around a paranormal judicial system that’s hidden within and mirrors our own. Only this system has been around for millennia, and it’s charged with investigating, apprehending, prosecuting and punishing those creatures who break the Covenant, a set of laws originating in ancient times and first codified in ancient Sumaria.

When Blood Calls is the first in the series, and the heroine is a human assistant district attorney who’s thrust into this world when she’s handpicked to be a prosecutor for “Division 6” (the arm of the PEC—Preternatural Enforcement Coalition—in Los Angeles). Her name is Sara, and through her eyes the reader learns about the world as well.

As you can imagine, it’s quite a shock for Sara, but what’s even more earth-shaking is the revelation that the first defendant she’ll come up again is the man she had a one night stand with. And not only has he confessed to murder—he also happens to be a vampire.

You also write under the name Julie Kenner and have quite the following. What made you decide to put the Shadow Keeper series under the name J.K. Beck?
Several reasons, all of which mush together. For one thing, most of my Julie Kenner stuff has a much lighter, quirkier tone to it (the exception is the Blood Lily Chronicles, but those are first person and while I wouldn’t say they’re quirky, there’s definite snark). Also, most of my recent Julie Kenner stuff has been urban fantasy, not romance (with the exception of category romances). So we wanted readers to know that these books are romances (though I think they would definitely appeal to UF fans) and they have a distinctly different tone than my Julie Kenner stuff. I think fans of my earlier books will still dig the series—I know of many who do!—but it’s a distinction we wanted to make. And, hey, it’s still me! The J.K. stands for Julie Kenner, and Beck is my maiden name.

What are you working on next?
The next three Shadow Keeper books! When Passion Lies, When Danger Hungers and When Temptation Burns. YAY!

What’s a typical writing day for you?
It’s bliss. I wake up to breakfast in bed. My children are angels and straighten the house, do the dishes, and do their schoolwork quietly and without being told so that I can get in a solid 5 hour stint of writing in the morning. I break to have tea and chocolate with the kids, take a leisurely stroll through my perfectly upkept yard, and then sit down to answer emails quickly and efficiently.

That’s the fantasy version, just in case you didn’t see the sarcasm and irony dripping off the words.

Seriously, I wish I had a typical writing day. But, alas, every day is an adventure. Right now, in addition to everything else, we’re moving. So I have house buying stuff and house selling stuff thrown into the mix!

But I can give you a glimpse. I tend to work late (it’s 2:03 right now, and I’m about to grab another cup of coffee). I homeschool my kids, so that’s the morning and early afternoon activity. Much like when I was practicing law, I have a day job to go along with my writing job. Fortunately, I don’t have to report billable hours for the kids, so while they’re doing independent stuff, I can either write (if the chunk of time is large enough) or more likely do the non-writing work—emailing, blogging, putting together mailings, etc.

After school, I settle in to write for a bit, and while I’d like to say I do it distraction free, I’d be lying. I did discover a great program called Freedom (Mac only) that shuts off the Internet for X amount of time. Love it.

Then it’s family time.

Then it’s back to work until I crash. I’m a night person, so it’s not a bad schedule, though I do wish I was a morning person. It just seems so…perky. But, hey, I write paranormal. The night makes sense!

Depending on where I am on deadline, that entire schedule can be erased and replaced with “superglue butt to chair and fingers to keyboard.”

When you begin a new book, do you plot first?
No. I have a basic story concept, either a plot, a character or a concept. I start to write, just to get voice, tone, possibly the character if I haven’t found him/her yet. And then, when I can see that I like it, I go back in and start playing with the plot.

I’ve done it other ways, but that’s my most common approach. The dive in and figure it out then plan of action!

How do you approach editing?
Other than with a large stick, you mean?
Ahem.

Okay, seriously, I just dive in at page one. But when I dive, I tend to know what I’m doing, because for the most part by the time I get back to page 1, the book is pretty much done.

So I guess that means the answer to your question is that I edit as I go along.

To a certain extent I’m getting away from that, or trying to train myself to. What that means, though, is that the first 2/3 are pretty solid, and the last 3rd (where I didn’t edit as I went) ends up being in desperate need of a red pen.

I toss stuff happily and with no regrets. I cut characters. I delete scenes. I change motivations. I never (well, hardly ever) fall in love with the page. It’s all about serving the story, and that’s all about entertaining the reader by being true to the plot and the characters.

Which author had the most effect on you as a reader?
I’m not sure I can answer that! I read so much and across so many genres. If I have to pick one and only one, probably Madeline L’Engle, simply because A Wrinkle in Time sparked my imagination in so many ways.

What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
Cut out the chaff. Keep your writing tight and your story moving.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?
Read, read, read! And write. A lot. Seriously, reading is by and away the best, most efficient way to grok the concept of story—of pacing and plotting and characterization. Workshops and books are awesome, but the absorption of knowledge through actually reading is so, so important.

Equally important is to write. Put pen to paper and write. And keep writing.

Thanks for having me! I hope folks explore the series at www.theshadowkeepers.com (be sure to check out my booktrailer!) And you can find me on facebook (www.facebook.com/authorjkbeck) and twitter (www.twitter.com/jkbeck)

It's almost time

2010-09-09T08:00:00.002+02:00

Blogmania is coming again! If you don’t remember, it’s a blog event where over 100 different blogs give away great prizes. Last time, it was a one day event. This time it will span 2 days.

Each blog that’s registered with Blogmania will carry the same message those two days and will have a short of list of other blogs to try. The idea is to go from one blog to another and participate to go in the drawing for prizes.

Each blog has their own prize offering AND their own rules as to how to qualify, so make sure you read the guidelines on each blog carefully.

This event is taking place on September 15 and 16. Last time, I gave away a pretty good prize, if I do say so myself. This time, I’m trying something a little different.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’ve finished my first full-length novel and I’m getting ready to query agents. So, to celebrate, I’m basing my prize on my book, Out of the Shadows. I’ve been ordering goodies and I need only 2 more items to have it all together. Once I do, I’ll have pics to show you what you’ll be playing for. One item is in the mail, winging its way here. The other I need to head to Bayreuth and pick up.

I’m also changing the rules a little as well. Last time, you needed to sign up as a blog follower to be eligible to win. That part still applies. So if you are already a blog follower (thank you!), you’re good with that part. To become a blog follower, scroll down until you see the Follow button on the right. Click it and follow the instructions. It’s quick and easy.

The second thing you need to do is sign up on my Facebook fan page. Once you’ve done that, just comment on one of those days and let me know what your Facebook name is so I can match them up.
This Blogmania is going to be better than the last so gear up and get ready. If you want to follow me early, please do. Also, if you want to email me with your blog ID and Facebook ID rather than posting a comment, feel free.

We’re going to have a lot of fun and there’s a ton of great prizes waiting to be won. Join in on the fun!

Motivation

2010-09-08T08:00:00.002+02:00

It’s Wednesday so we’re talking about weightloss again.

Did any of you try out that recipe from last week yet? I’m telling you, it is so darn good. This week, I’ve got 5 more recipes picked out to try – 1 smoothie, 2 main dishes and 2 desserts. I’ll let you know next week what I thought of them.

Good news for me this week. I lost over 4 pounds last week, making a four week total of 12 pounds down. I also measured myself again. I lost a total of 3.75 inches. I’m sure the loss of pounds will slow down soon and that’s fine. It’s nice to have this much of a loss right away, though. Helps keep motivation up.

That leads me into my discussion today. Motivation. For me, that’s hands down, the hardest part of developing a healthy lifestyle. Let’s face it, changing out bad habits for good ones is difficult. When it takes a while to see the benefits physically, what makes you keep going?

I’ve mentioned SparkPeople here before. It’s the method I’ve chosen to institute these changes in my life and I think I chose a winner this time. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, I was talking with an acquaintance I’ve known for a while now and just learned that she’s been doing SparkPeople and lost 75 pounds with this program.

My excitement prompted me to buy the book, The Spark, written by Chris Downie. This is the man that spent 5 million dollars of his own money to provide the free website that millions of people are using to lose weight and become healthier.

I’m about halfway through it and already I know it’s a keeper for the bookshelf. Even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, maybe you’re trying to make other changes in your life. While the book is focused on losing weight and choosing a healthy lifestyle, what he has to say can be applied, and should be, to other situations.

He talks about starting out small so that it’s easier to be consistent. There are four cornerstones that he discusses and that they are interconnected so building on one will help build the others. It’s common sense advice written in a conversational tone that makes the reading easier to digest.

If you think you might be interested, head over to Amazon. You can “look inside” the book to see if it’s something you’d like to pick up. I recommend it.

What motivates you? What do you do to keep your motivation high? What life changes are you trying to make right now?

To Enter or Not to Enter

2010-09-07T08:00:00.001+02:00

Let’s talk about writing contests today.

This has been a topic of discussion in several of my groups lately. I had hopes of entering Out of the Shadows in the Golden Heart this year. The RWA Golden Heart is kind of like the Emmys for unpublished writers.

I know, I have 2 novellas published (well, 1 comes out in December), but according to RWA guidelines, I’m not considered a published author. Except for this contest. Yes, I was disappointed at first, but I’m over it now. I’ll just wait until it’s published and then enter it in the RITA, the contest for published authors.

I have entered several other contests. Mostly last year. At the time, my manuscript wasn’t finished and in fact, the story arc is quite different then from now. I got a lot of confusing scores. Some helpful feedback and some not so helpful comments.

I never did final, although I got close a few times. It seemed that there would be one score that would knock me out of the running. In one contest there were only 2 judges. One judge gave me a near perfect score. The other was 100 points lower. 100 points! It was as if they had read 2 different manuscripts, or so it seemed to me.

I did get some helpful feedback. Some of the suggestions helped me clarify the story more and some gave me new avenues to pursue that would make it stronger. Some comments I questioned why they were included, even if the judge thought them. For instance, in my heroine’s POV, I described my hero as “tall, maybe 6’3” or 6’4”. The comment from the judge was “that isn’t tall”. Huh? Granted, I’m short, only 5’3”, so many men seem tall to me. But the average height for a man is about 5’10” or so. Anyway.

As I questioned my scores, or rather the vast difference between score 1 and score 2 for the same manuscript, I was told that often happens to writers with a strong voice. That’s good, right? Whether it’s true or not, I have no idea, but it helped soothe my battered ego.

After having the same experience time and again, I decided to give the contest circuit a break. I think, for me, this was the right decision. At least for now.

Have you entered any writing contests? What was your experience? Are there any contests you’re looking at to enter this year? What are your goals when entering contests?

We're staying

2010-09-06T08:00:00.003+02:00

I think I’ve mentioned before that hubby’s contract here in Germany is up at the end of November. We’ve been playing the waiting game to find out what we’re doing after it’s over. Hubby’s current employer elected not to rebid for the contract.

We’ve now heard who has won the contract. Turns out that it’s one of the companies that have already made him an offer to stay and work in the event they won.

Hubby’s giving his current employer the opportunity to offer him another position, but it looks as though we may be staying put.

That brings me to our landlord situation. I know I talked about how the landlord wasn’t doing the utility bills correctly and that we’ve been to the tenant association to try and resolve the issue. He met with the lawyer there and she told him what he needed the next time he came in. Of course, he hasn’t been back and we still haven’t gotten the money he owes us.

So now that we have an idea of what’s going on with the work front, we’re going to serve notice that we’re moving out. Here in Germany, we’re required to give 3 months notice unless we are on orders to leave the area. So, we’re going to be moving just before Christmas. We’ll still have to deal with the landlord for a bit afterwards but hopefully it won’t be too painful now that he knows that we are aware of the correct procedure and we know who to go to in order to force the issue if he doesn’t comply.

How was everyone else’s weekend? What did you do?

Weightloss Wednesdays

2010-09-01T12:38:00.002+02:00

As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, I'm committed to a healthier lifestyle. For me, that includes more exercise, more water and healthier food choices. To that end, I'm going to devote Wednesdays here at the blog for weightloss.

My idea is that we can cheer each other on, share tips and tricks, share recipes and discuss things on mind that go hand in hand with a healthier lifestyle.

I'll also start off with an update on how I did for the previous week. So, I drank my 8 cups of water every day last week but 1. I did well following my program on SparkPeople. I only went over on calories one day. It was the day that we went in town for the festival and I indulged in a couple of beers. I still managed to lose over 2 pounds, which brings my three week total to 7.8 pounds lost.

I also joined a class at the gym on post. It's called Sculpt & Burn and it's a combination of cardio and strength training. It meets Mondays and Wednesdays and I went both days this week. It's really kicking my butt and my muscles, particularly my triceps, quads and hamstrings are letting me know how hard they've been working. I'm also keeping up with the 2.5 mile walks 5 days a week with Peanut. She's loving it and I'm feeling darn good.

I've noticed the biggest difference in my energy levels so far. I've got enough energy to get through the day without that period in the early afternoon when I usually start dragging. At the end of the night, though, I'm whooped and have started going to bed a little earlier. I pass out until I hear my alarm the next morning.

Okay, so that's an update on my three weeks with SparkPeople. Email me with your username if you decide to join up and we can partner up.

Now I have to share a recipe that I just fell in love with this week. While in the States, I picked up the cookbooks that went along with the show on Lifetime called Cook Yourself Thin. I've since purchased the season on iTunes and have watched every episode. I'm sure you can probably catch it on reruns there in the States. Great ideas.

Anyway, I made one of the recipes Monday night for dinner and Oh My God, it was so good. It was Sauteed Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango-Pineapple Salsa and Spicy Black Beans.

To avoid copyright issues by posting the recipe, I'm posting a link to the recipe on the Lifetime website. I didn't have any tequila so I omitted that part. Some things I noticed.

Using a whole pound of shrimp, you can really get 8 tacos out of the recipe. So add 4 more tortillas and make 2 tacos a serving size. Also, I like spicy food, but 2 TB of red pepper flakes in the beans was just too much. Next time, I'm going to half it.

I wasn't too sure about the mango-pineapple salsa and no cheese (since I'm a raging cheese-aholic), but the salsa was a perfect compliment and I didn't even miss the cheese. From me, that's a bold statement.

So, try the tacos. They're great. Maybe poke around the website. If you'd like to talk about anything in particular here during Weightloss Wednesdays, drop me an email at riley@riley-quinn.com. Are you working on a lifestyle change? How's it going?

Name in Lights

2010-08-31T08:00:00.001+02:00

Ever dream of seeing your name in lights when you were a kid? You’d be a famous actor/actress in the movies and people would come for miles around to see your flicks. For most of us, that dream never happens. For a few lucky authors, they may still see their name on the big screen.

My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, was contacted by someone in Hollywood. Yes, it’s true. The movie, Red, that comes out this October with Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker and a slew of other great actors and actresses, will feature some Wild Rose titles.

Apparently, Mary-Louise’s character is a huge romance novel reader. Bruce Willis is trying to seduce her so he reads the books so they have something to talk about. Of course, there’s more to the story, but that’s the important part, right? No one knows how many books will show up or whose. The Wild Rose Press sent out around 150 books.

The movie itself looks pretty good. I probably would have gone to see it regardless, but trying to pick out the Wild Rose titles? Fun stuff.

What do you think of the trailer? Looks like a good movie, right? If you go see it, remember to look for The Wild Rose Press.

Day 1 as a Full-time Writer

2010-08-26T11:48:00.002+02:00

Yesterday was my last day at the part time job. Driving home, I felt a huge pressure lift off my chest and shoulders. Today is my first day as a full-time writer. At least for now. We're still not sure if we're staying in Germany or heading back to the States yet. It will probably be another 2 weeks until we hear, but while we're here, I can focus on my writing. I intend to make the most of this time, whether it's only 3 more months or 3 more years.

Last night, as I relaxed on my sofa with Peanut laying beside me, I made my to-do list for today. I've already marked off 5 things as finished, even after sleeping in. Peanut decided to snuggle into the pillows for extra shut-eye too. I thought she looked so cute, I had to get a picture.

One thing that was not on the list today but definitely on the list for tomorrow is catching up on emails. I've let them slide the last two weeks (I know, bad girl). So if you've sent me an email in that time, I promise to respond by tomorrow.

One of the things that did make the list is ordering goodies for my giveaway during Blogmania next month. You probably remember Blogmania from April. I had a pretty good giveaway, if I do say so myself. Well, I'm trying to out-do myself this time. I've got some great gifts coming and as they arrive, I'll take pics so you can see what's up for grabs. I'm centering the theme around my novel, Out of the Shadows. You all have been so supportive of me and my novel, so here's a little give-back. Blogmania is coming soon, just 4 weeks away.

Anyway, time to knock some more items off the to-do list. What's on your plate this week? Any special projects you're hoping to finish up?

Plot or Pants?

2010-08-24T09:38:00.002+02:00

I'm going to start today with a check in about my lifestyle change (not calling it a diet). Since I put it out there last week, I figure updating will help keep me accountable. Today is my weigh-in. I joined SparkPeople 2 weeks ago and I'm down 5.4 pounds. I did really well following the guidelines for eating. There was only 1 day that I was over a little. I'm not doing enough exercise but I am doing more than before so I'm satisfied. I do need to step it up but I plan to get more motivated about it once I'm done with the part time job.

Speaking of which, tomorrow is my last day. Then I'm a full time writer. I'm hoping then that I can blast through the revisions of Out of the Shadows and get immersed in a new story. I've started my process for a new project. I always start with the characterization of the two main protagonists. I write down their backstory, some of which never gets into the story but I know it. I write down their goals, motivation and main conflict to reaching that goal. Then I write the conflicts they each have, a list of 20 for each character. Once I have all this info, I can start plotting out my story.

Yes, I'm a plotter. I like to get the major plot points down. Then I figure out how to go from one to the next while I'm writing. After doing the conflict lists, I usually have several scenes already in my head. Doing it this way keeps me on track but the story is still fresh for me. I know a lot of pantsters (those that write by the seat of their pants) say that if they plot it out, they feel it's already written and they usually abandon it. I need some structure, though. I tried pantsing it got stuck. For months.

So this is my process. It's what works for me. I feel lucky that I've found my groove as some writers struggle with that. I've tried different methods, and I'm open to try others, but I know that I can always go back to this if it doesn't work out. Or I may incorporate new aspects into my tried-and-true. It's all a learning process.

So what's your process? Are you a plotter or a pantster? How do you start a new story?

When Blood Calls

2010-08-23T11:46:00.000+02:00

I mentioned last week that I had received the ARC (advanced reader copy) of this new book by J.K. Beck. Today, I'm going to share my thoughts on the first of a new trilogy.

Sara Constantine is one of the country’s most tenacious prosecuting attorneys—and she’s just secured a well-earned promotion. At first she’s thrilled. Then she finds out her new job involves prosecuting vampires and werewolves. And nothing prepares Sara for the shock she receives when she meets the first defendant she’ll be trying to put away: Lucius Dragos, the sexy stranger with whom she recently shared an explosive night of ecstasy.

When Lucius Dragos kisses the beautiful woman sitting next to him at the bar, he’s only hoping to blend into the crowd and avoid the perceptive gaze of the man he’s following…and planning to kill. But what starts as a simple kiss to secure his cover ignites into a fierce hunger that leads to an all-consuming passion. Charged with murder, Luke knows Sara will do whatever it takes to see him locked away—unless he can convince her that he’s not the monster she thinks he is. And that might mean making the greatest sacrifice a vampire can make.

Beck's worldbuilding in this novel is wonderful. She creates a rich, dark world so real that you can envision yourself in it. The characters are fully realized, each with their own dark secrets and tortured pasts. The pace steadily builds along with the tension and the stakes.

You've got political intrigue, dark desires, vendettas. I've mentioned the word dark several times so far. It is a dark paranormal romance, but a romance nonetheless. Beck does not disappoint on the ending, giving us a satisfying resolution.

I really enjoyed this novel and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy. Lucky for me, the wait isn't too long. When Blood Calls is available in bookstores August 31. The other two books in the series will be released in September and October.

Head over to her site today, J.K. Beck. She's got two excerpts from the book, plus links to buy. Also while you're there, check out the next two books coming soon. There's already an excerpt for When Pleasure Rules and I'm sure there will be one coming soon for When Wicked Craves.

Don't forget that J.K. Beck will be here on September 10.

Friday’s Here

2010-08-20T10:01:00.001+02:00

I had hoped to finish When Blood Calls in time to post my review today, but it didn't happen. So Monday for sure, come check out what I have to say. What I will say now is, it's full of high tension and high stakes. JK Beck will be here 3 weeks from today on Sept. 10 to visit with us and I'll be giving away copies of When Blood Calls to 2 lucky commenters.

So what shall we talk about instead? I was all set to post about my trials at work. In fact, I had it all typed out. Then I deleted it. Who wants to hear me whining? Certainly not me. I'm in the final week of my two week notice and though the atmosphere has become decidedly hostile, I've only got 3 more shifts.

I choose to talk about writing today. I'm about ready to send my first three chapters off to my critique partners, probably later today. I'm so glad that I took an extra pass over them before sending them off for the partial request I got at conference. I added a couple more elements that make the story stronger and I think my chapters are a lot tighter. I have two more scenes that I want to rewrite and then they're off.

I've also started the characterization process for something new. I've still got work to do on Out of the Shadows, but I'm going to divide my time between them. I need some creative outlet, some new words to throw down to keep me pushing through my edits. I know, sounds crazy, but there you go.

So this weekend, I'm going to spend my time working, but I will take a break on Sunday for a few hours. I've been invited up to the neighbor's for lunch and I'm sure it will be delicious. And of course, Peanut will get her dumpling.

What have you been working on? What are your plans for the weekend?

Quick Tease

2010-08-18T08:31:00.002+02:00

Guess what was in my mailbox yesterday.

An Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of JK Beck's new book, When Blood Calls.

I will have it read (hopefully) in time to give you all a review on Friday.

Another teaser? She'll be here soon with an interview. You'll love it. I'll have a couple copies to give away to commenters that day.

Gotta head into the part time job early today. Apparently it takes some people 2 hours to learn to use a credit card machine. Next Wednesday is my last day there. After yesterday, I can't wait.

Putting it out there

2010-08-17T10:26:00.002+02:00

I'm overweight. I have been for most of my life. Luckily for me, I've been supremely healthy save for the weight problem.

I've tried just about every diet known to man. I've had some success but then I end up putting it all back on plus some more. Chronic yo-yo dieting. Same story as most other overweight people.

The problem for me is that I think of it as temporary. Also, I'm not a big exercise fan. Put those two quirks together and you've got a recipe for failure.

In June, I started watching what I eat. I lost 5 pounds in six weeks. Then I went on vacation.

I tried to be somewhat good, though I wasn't as vigilant as I should have been. The good news is that I didn't gain the whole 5 pounds back. Just a couple.

Last week I made a decision that is a long time coming and I'm hoping that by putting it out here for everyone to see, that I will be motivated to finally make the changes that I need to in order to stay healthy. I know that if I don't make serious changes in my life, I'll end up with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and who knows what all else.

No more diets for me. I'm looking to make lifestyle changes that can carry past a time limit. So I joined SparkPeople.

Perhaps you've heard of this. They help you track your nutrition and fitness while teaching you the tools to make lifestyle changes. So far, so good. I've lost almost 3 pounds. I'm sure that most of that is water as I'm back to drinking my 8+ glasses a day. I've started walking my dog more regularly. We do a 2 mile loop around town when the weather's good. I'm checking out an exercise class on post next week that is a combination of cardio and strength training. Basically, I'm becoming more active.

That's important now that I will soon be spending the majority of my time everyday sitting at the computer. I want to be more active and healthy. If I lose some weight along the way, that's a bonus.

Have you heard of SparkPeople? Tried it? If you're on there, shoot me a note and we can be buddies.

There will be singing

2010-08-12T13:37:00.002+02:00

There was a lot of singing going on at National.

National kicked off on Wednesday night with the literacy signing. This is a big event where the general public is invited in and everyone buys books from their favorite author and gets them signed right there. Before heading to the literacy signing, we stopped off at the goody room.

The goody room is the room designated for authors to put their bookmarks, samples, books they're giving away, etc. It changes all the time so we usually make several trips during the course of the week.

What a surprise we got when we walked in. It's fairly empty and there is the lovely Maggie Shayne, signing the books she's leaving there in the goody room. That was a bonus in itself. Then the singing started.

While Maggie was signing my book, I noticed her ring. I commented on it and she flashed me a tattoo. We talked for a minute, discovering we had some things in common. She started singing and I knew the song so I sang along. Autumn joined in and it was a lot of fun.

After we left the goody room, I commented to Autumn that we should have gotten our picture taken with Maggie. So, during the literacy signing, we found her again to get pics. Again, we burst out in song and the people standing nearby applauded our efforts.

Later that night, we joined the Romance Divas for karaoke at the Kimonos restaurant. Autumn and I got up there twice, singing I Love Rock 'n Roll and Walk Like an Egyptian. 80's moment, anyone?

We were able to coerce Denise Golinowski up there and she was great!

I met Denise through Roses Colored Glasses and we've become writer pals. She's a regular commenter here. We met face to face for the first time that night and let me tell you, she's great!

It's been so wonderful to be able to put faces to those I've been meeting online.

The literacy signing was packed. There was a good response from the public and I haven't heard yet how much money was raised but I did my part, totally spending more than I'd planned.

Do you like to sing? Like karaoke? Do anything crazy (fun-crazy, not stalker-crazy) when meeting one of your fave authors?

Good News

2010-08-11T09:41:00.002+02:00

I'm going to start off the conference posts with good news. There was plenty to be had.

I believe I mentioned here that I had an agent appointment at conference. I met with the lovely Emmanuelle Morgen (formerly Alspaugh). I was excited and nervous in turn, but in the end, Ms. Morgen was very good at putting me at ease at the beginning of our meeting.

It was my first time pitching and I had no idea what to expect. I had a whole spiel memorized and turned out, I didn't need it. She asked about me. Seemed interested that I wrote erotic romance. Asked about my novel. Said it sounded interesting and like something she represented but wouldn't know for sure until she'd read some of it. Asked me to send the first three chapters.

That's right, my friends. A partial request.

I'm sure that's par for the course, but it's exciting for me anyway. So, I'm running it through one more spit and polish, one more round through my fabulous critique partners and then I'm going to send it off with REQUESTED MATERIAL big and bold.

That's my personal good news.

I've mentioned on here that 4 of my chapter mates from the Austin chapter were up for Golden Heart/Rita awards. I'm proud to say that 2 of them won!

Sherry Thomas won the RITA for Best Historical Romance with Not Quite a Husband and Laura Griffin won the RITA for Best Romantic Suspense!

Another chapter mate, Jane Sevier, won the Scriptscene contest.

Very exciting.

And my last piece of good news for the day. I'm going to be a full-time author again. At least for a little while. I turned in my resignation letter and my last day will be 2 weeks from today. I've enjoyed the craft shop and it's definitely helped keep my creative juices flowing but with everything on my plate, it was too much.

Do you have any good news to share? I'd love to hear it.

New Look, New Attitude

2010-08-10T11:34:00.003+02:00

As you can see, I've got a new look. Isn't it great? Rae Monet did an awesome job for me, designing my website and matching my blog to it. Over to the right is the link to my site. Head over and take a look. Let me know what you think. Personally, I'm thrilled with it.

I spent the past 2 ½ weeks in the States, returning home yesterday. While I was there, I got to see my parents, my brother and sister, their spouses and kids, including meeting the twins for the first time (they're 7 months old). I also got to see my grandparents, one of my aunts and her husband as well as both of her daughters and 2 kids of the oldest. I reconnected with my best friend from high school and her mom, who was like a second mom to me growing up. This really refreshed my spirit. I like it over here in Germany, but I miss being able to see my family and friends more than once a year.

In addition to the lovefest, I attended RWA National conference in Orlando, where I got to spend the week with my friend, Autumn Shelley, as well as soak up new information. I met a ton of other great writers there and even some that didn't write but loved to read. Autumn brought her friend, Rachel, who roomed with us and I'm adding another friend to my list. I've got some stories, and pictures (oh no) and I'm going to post about conference the rest of the week.

Along with my new look, I've got a new attitude. My spirit refreshed, I'm ready to get back to work. I've got 3 chapters to comb through again and polish. I've got a new project that I'm starting while I polish Out of the Shadows. I've got other ideas spiraling through my head and lucky you, you'll probably hear about them at some point. LOL

So, keep checking in. Let me know what you think of my new look. Tell me what you've been up to for the past 3 weeks.

Conference Bound

2010-07-26T16:27:00.000+02:00

I know, I've been a bad girl. Last week was crazy and this week will be even crazier.

Tuesday I had to go to work early to teach a kids' crochet class and then had to work the rest of the day. Once done, I raced home to get my stuff together and then on the road to Frankfurt. No internet at the hotel.

Wednesday I flew to the States. Got stuck in Newark for over 6 hours but finally made it into Dayton for my mom to pick me up about midnight.

The next few days were family whirlwinds and I wasn't online much. I finally got to meet my new niece and nephew though. My SIL had twins in January and they are 6 months old now. So adorable. I'm wondering if she and my brother will notice if I smuggle one or both into my suitcase when it's time to come home.

Today I'm back in the air. Actually, I'm sitting in the Orlando airport right now waiting on my friend as my plane just landed. We're going to the RWA National conference. This is my second and my friend's first. It's going to be so much fun. I can hardly wait.

I most likely won't be posting anymore this week and next week I'll be on the road with my mom and won't have internet so next week is a bust too. But when I come back, I should be full of fun stories, great pics and *fingers crossed* good news.

So please stick around during my hiatus. Have a great two weeks!

Medieval Fest

2010-07-19T12:07:00.000+02:00

This weekend hubby and I went to the medieval fest in Nabburg.

We've always like going to the Renaissance festivals in the States, and that's pretty much what we expected. Not so.

This fest was located in the middle of town instead of a open field. People still dressed up. Quite a few, actually. They still had people working in the old ways, i.e. blacksmiths, chain maille, spinning, etc. Plenty of vendors hawking their wares.

The biggest difference that I saw was the lack of shows. Basically, once you walked through the town, you'd seen everything.

There is another medieval fest a little farther away. Apparently that one is more like what I expected. Hubby and I don't have time to make it there this summer as it's only going on in July and I leave in 2 days for the States. So, if we're here next summer, we'll check that one out.

The surprise of the day is that I found 2 pair of sandals. I have very wide feet and it's hard for me to find comfortable, cute shoes, but I did there. Bonus.

What about you? Do you like going to Renaissance festivals? What's your favorite part?

Living in my head

2010-07-15T11:10:00.000+02:00

I haven't been very chatty this week. The truth is, I've been living in my head a lot and then there's been drama at the part time job. Revisions are hard copy at this point so I haven't been online much at all.

I've spent the last two weeks working with Bob Mayer and a group of great writers to come up with a pitch for my novel. It took almost the whole two weeks and 7 actual tries before Bob seemed to deem it appropriate.

Now that problem I have, and why I've been living in my head lately, is that in the course of these attempts, I've thought of other things to add to my story to make it stronger. This is okay, except that I won't have it ready for my agent appointment at conference.

I could still get the first 3 chapters polished and still pitch it, but then what if she asks for a partial, likes it and wants the full? I can't send out what I have to her now when I know I want to change it. So, I've been waffling back and forth on whether I should just cancel my appointment, get the book ready to my satisfaction and then query her later, or go and get the experience plus my PRO status with RWA.

Then the drama at the part-time job. Recently there was a new deployment of guys headed to Afghanistan. No surprise since we live near a military base. One of the women, C, that I work with is taking kind of hard, dealing with some depression. She's had this happen before and it was rough on her kids so she decided that it would be better for the family to go back to the States where her parents were there to help deal.

She's been talking about this for a couple of weeks and the manager of the shop tried to talk her out of it. Friday, C told the manager that she was definitely going back. Apparently, the manager yelled at her, told her she was stupid, etc.

C had planned to give sufficient notice, but this behavior angered her and when she left work Tuesday (the next work day), she left an envelope for the manager with her door key, company credit card and a note.

Yesterday when the manager found the note, she was upset. Called C who didn't answer the phone and proceeded to cuss her out on the answering machine. Since then, it's been uncomfortable in the shop as well as unstable as to how things will work out.

Now, I can see both sides of the coin. Must be my Libra ascendant. I can see how someone who is clinically depressed would feel the need to be closer to a support network so that her kids would be better taken care of. I can also understand why she would feel the need to leave her job as she did when she was treated the way she was when she told the manager.

I can see the manager's POV. She's now left with no credit card holder to purchase supplies and has to train someone on the fly how to help with the back office stuff that C did.

So, I'm staying out of the middle of it. I'm quitting the part time job soon (possibly Sept) and I'm leaving next week for 3 1/2 weeks of vacation. I need to get through tomorrow and Tuesday and then I think I can avoid most of the drama.

Now you know what's kept me away. What do you think I should do regarding my agent appointment? Anyone got any experience in this area?

The Party’s Over

2010-07-12T11:32:00.002+02:00

The World Cup is over for 4 more years. Germany made a respectable showing by beating Uruguay for third place. I had hoped The Netherlands would have won it, but alas, Spain took the Cup.

As I've mentioned before, I never really followed soccer. I had to ask my husband why the neighbors cheered when the ball went out of bounds. If we end up staying here in Germany, I'll definitely have to bone up on the soccer. It's a national pastime here.

Yes, I mentioned IF we stay here. As some of you may know, hubby is a government contractor here. His contract is up in November and his company elected to not rebid the follow-on contract. That kind of leaves us up in the air.

We have options, but it's the uncertainty that is a bummer. Hopefully we'll know something by the end of the month.

On a positive note, I will be flying out next Wednesday to head back to the States. I'll be flying in to Ohio to spend some time with the fam before heading down to Orlando for the RWA national conference. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and I'll have to remain focused. I will be taking the week of conference off from writing, but I need to keep going during the rest of my vacation. I may take that time to plot out an idea that's been brewing lately.

So what did you do this weekend? How do you feel about Spain winning the World Cup? Do you care? LOL

Busy, busy

2010-07-09T09:40:00.000+02:00

I have been busy. As you know, I've been working on getting Out of the Shadows polished. I plan to pitch to an agent at RWA National conference. As part of doing so, I'm participating in an online pitch class given by Bob Mayer. We're a week in and I'm still working on my pitch. It's hard work, but once I get it, I'll feel more confident about my appointment.

Also, I've mentioned that I crochet. Lately I've been working on a shawl. It's made with super soft yarn that is purple with a silvery shimmer to it. The shawl is a moebius design, which basically means there's a twist to it. Well, the good news is that I finished it. I planned to wear it over dress during the award ceremony. Below is a picture of the finished product, on me, with the dress I plan to wear it with. The skirt of the dress is a bit flirty, coming just under the knees. The pic of the shawl doesn't do it justice, so if you're coming to the conference, look me up to see it in person. Anyway, what do you think of the shawl with the dress? Does it work or should I just wear the dress without the shawl?

Last, but not least, I went back to college to get the last few classes I needed to get my degree. I finished the second one last week, with an A. That leaves me one more class, which should be offered in the fall. If so, I can apply for graduation for December.

So, my shawl is finished and I'm waiting on the pattern and yarn for the blankets I want to make for my brother's twins, so I'm trying my hand at crocheting socks. I thought it would be a fairly quick project, plus I got some great sock yarn at the German yarn store.

So, that's what I've been up. What about you? What's been keeping you busy? Are you going to conference? If so, we should hook up.

Germany is finished

2010-07-08T11:21:00.002+02:00

So sad, but Germany's bid for the World Cup this year is over. Last night they played Spain.

We got together with the same bunch of folks as before. As vocal and excitable as they were about the goals, they let the players and refs know when they weren't doing as well.

I don't know much about soccer. It was not a popular sport as I was growing up and no one that I've ever hung out with before was big into it. But last night, the boys just didn't seem to be playing as well as they had played the last time I watched them. They did make Spain work for that one goal though, so they didn't do too badly.

Germany does play one more game. On Saturday, they'll be playing Uruguay to determine third place. Then on Sunday, The Netherlands and Spain will duke it out to see who's taking home the World Cup.

It should be pretty interesting. I'm not sure if the neighbors will gather to watch the two final games or not. I imagine they will, but we'll see.

Are you a soccer fan? Out of the two contenders, who are you rooting for?

Meet Nancy Lee Badger

2010-07-07T09:45:00.001+02:00

Today I’m interviewing debut romance author, Nancy Lee Badger. Her book, DRAGON’S CURSE, is a Scottish historical paranormal romance and was released on June 25, 2010.

BLURB
Sometimes a special gift and an unwanted curse cannot keep destined lovers apart.
Brianna Macleod has accompanied a shipload of her guardian’s friends to a remote island off the coast of Scotland. She eludes these Highland hunters to keep her innocence…and her gift of sight. Her attitude against falling for womanly desires changes when she nearly drowns. Saved by the talons of a terrifying winged beast, she awakens—naked—in a cave, beside an unusual man.

Cursed by a vengeful witch to transform into a dragon at inopportune times, Draco MacDonald hides on this deserted island to live alone: until he plucks a servant girl from certain death. Fueled by jealousy, and tempered by fear for her safety, he succumbs to an unfamiliar desire to mate. Her kisses propel him to dare to make her his own.

Set in 1592 Scotland on the Scottish island of Staffa, the cursed hero battles a ghostly witch, a hunter set on rape, and his own growing desire for a young woman with premonitions of his death.

EXCERPT
“I nearly drowned. A sea beast wanted to eat me for supper, now a dragon has stolen me away to this island. What else could happen?” Out of breath, she glanced back at her attacker from the relative safety of jutting rocks and prickly groundcover. Nothing. No dragon.

Silence filled the air until a high-pitched squeal made her jump. A huge boar, bigger than any the hunters had brought down during their stay on Staffa, pawed the ground a few paces from her hiding spot.

“Nice piggy,” Brianna whispered.

Great. I can turn and run back toward the dragon or be gored by an irate pig.

“Go up.”

Who said that? No matter. Turning, Brianna slipped a bare foot into a low crack in the nearest rock formation. Pushing upward, she climbed. Apparently enraged by her escape attempt, the animal’s squeals turned to angry snorts. The rock shook when he collided head-on with its base.

“Go ahead. Knock yourself silly.” The boar backed up and struck again. The boar’s irrational mood and raw strength left Brianna’s bloody fingers grasping for a better hold, but she held. She nearly lost her footing when he attacked a third time. Clinging to loosened soil, which covered the jagged boulder, she also worried about the dragon. Has it let me go, or does it plan to scoop me from my perch once I reach the top?

“Brianna?”

Shocked senseless, her grip loosened. She fell. The scrawny branches of a gorse bush, growing from a crack in one side of her stone perch, scratched her cheek and snatched at her hair. She screamed until she stopped with a thud.

A warm, male hand swept tangles from her face. The coarse skin of a masculine thumb swept blood from her painful cheek as she collapsed, with a sigh, into Draco’s chest.

“Ye do no’ fly. Do ye?” he asked.

“I certainly do no’, ye beast. Draco!” She pushed far enough away to stare up from his arms. “Be careful! A wild boar is near! He almost pushed me off my perch.”

“I should no’ wonder since I accomplished the task with only my voice.”

Stiffening with shock, she knocked him aside the head and squirmed until he stood her on her feet. Backing away from his taunts, she took a minute to straighten the creases on her frock. She sighed again at the damp, salt-encrusted clothing. They would never look clean again.

“I am happy to see ye. I thought ye left me,” he whispered.

He sounded hurt. Did he stand in her presence only to berate her for leaving with her adopted clan? Was the man unaware of the mortal threat she escaped only moments ago?

“Ye have no idea what I have gone through in the last three hours.” Her cries were a statement, not a question so she did not pause to let him explain. She poked him in the chest.

“First, I nearly drowned in a hellish storm. Secondly, a finned sea creature threatened Nia and I. Thirdly, a dragon plucked me from the sea. I escaped. Fourthly, there is a killer boar nearby, and ye say ye are happy to see me. I, sir, stand before ye lucky to be alive!”

Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.
I pumped a lot of action, drama, romance, and paranormal elements into my novella. Read the blurb and the excerpt and you get a good idea of the interaction between my characters. Poor Draco was cursed for something he did not do. Brianna has a gift she must keep secret. Neither expects their lives to improve. I love that my characters grow and learn to love even in the face of diversity. I based my story on the real island of Staffa, off the west coast of Scotland, near Mull. Its sheer cliffs and large dark caves were an inspiration.

Describe the genre of this particular title, and is this the only genre you write in?
This is a paranormal but is steeped in history. I use a real place and refer to a real massacre on the nearby island of Eigg to bring substance to my characters and build a reason why Draco was cursed by the witch, Agatah. I love everything Scottish, since my husband is of Scottish descent. I also write contemporary romance and romantic suspense as Nancy Lennea. Find out more about that side of my life at www.nancylennea.com.

Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract?
PLEASE do not try to do this alone. Writing in itself is a lonely vocation. I wish I felt comfortable meeting someone at a coffee shop with my laptop and working side by side. The best I can do is continuing as an active member of writers organizations. Sure, they cost of few dollars, but this business is constantly evolving and new authors, especially, need to learn and grow. If you asked me 3 ½ years ago if I expected to be published electronically, I would have laughed. But, e-publishing has grown exponentially with the widespread sales of e-readers like the Kindle, nook, and IPad.

Are you a member of any writing organizations and, if so, have they helped?
As I just mentioned, I believe strongly that membership in writer organizations is critical. Workshops, contests, on-line courses, face-to-face meetings, joint book signings, and sharing guest articles on blogs…these are all made possible once you belong. I currently belong to Romance Writers of America, www.rwa.org, and my local chapter, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, www.heartofcarolina.org. We meet monthly about eight miles from my home. I am a member of Celtic Heart Romance Writers, www.celtichearts.org, where I can communicate with and learn from other authors who love to write about Scotland, Ireland, or Wales. When my story idea included dragons, I joined the Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, www.romance-ffp.com. Because I love mysteries and recently sold a romantic suspense, I joined Sisters in Crime, www.sistersincrime.org.

What are you working on next?
I am busy re-editing a full-length Scottish historical paranormal set in the Highlands of Scotland in 1598 and present day New Hampshire. My hero is a Highland chief, and my heroine is a new witch volunteering at a present day Scottish festival who finds herself accidently propelled back in time. I would love to find an agent excited to sell my work, and the subsequent stories to follow. I just started a present day paranormal set at an art museum. I continue to take writing courses, attend workshops, and write.

How can my readers buy your book?
My novella, DRAGON’S CURSE, is available now! The best way to order the e-book is to visit my publisher, Whispers Publishing. My website and blogs will always carry a link as well as other excerpts and updates on future work.

You can find more information about Nancy Lee Badger and her book, DRAGON’S CURSE by visiting her publisher Whispers Publishing, or her website, or her blog.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-05T10:26:00.002+02:00

As you know, yesterday was July 4th, our nation’s birthday. Normally, we all celebrate (I think) with cook-outs and fireworks. Being here in Germany, we still do that as there are enough Americans in the community to celebrate. The neat thing is that the Germans will come out and celebrate with us.

Also, this year marks the 100th year of Grafenwoehr being a military post. There have been all kinds of activities throughout the week, such as a recreation of the first shot fired here and culminated in a big celebration yesterday.

I work part time at the craft shop on post. As such, I am an employee of MWR (Morale, Welfare, Recreation) and had to work yesterday. It wasn’t too bad. My co-workers and I had to run a food tent selling hamburgers, cheeseburgers and steak. I got to take the money since I don’t have a food handler’s card.

The weather co-operated a bit as it wasn’t quite as hot and humid and it was overcast with a breeze so it was comfortable all day. There were those blow-up things with the balls for kids to play in, food (as I mentioned) and a couple bands, finishing off with a bang. Literally. Fireworks, you know.

One of the bands was a local German band. I didn’t catch their name so I can’t pass it along, but they were pretty good. The other band was pretty cool. They played covers, but the vocals were good and they got the crowd going. The USO brought them in from the States. Maybe you’ve heard of them. The Lt. Dan Band. Yes, Gary Sinise’s band.

Gary Sinise, currently of CSI: NY fame, plays bass in the band. He’s pretty good. Afterwards, some of the soldiers and their spouses got to have their picture taken with him. I wasn’t so lucky, but it was neat that he flew all the way here with his family to party with us.

So, that’s how I spent my 4th of July. How about you? How did you celebrate?

Meet Nancy Lennea

2010-07-02T08:00:00.002+02:00

Today I'm interviewing debut romance author, Nancy Lennea. Her book Secret Love Match is a contemporary romance and was recently released by Red Rose Publishing.

Book Blurb

Rebecca Delacourt has played and taught tennis for the last three years. At twenty-one, she knows what she wants. Without help from her wealthy parents, she buys a condo in Glen Cove, NY and plans to be on the Olympic Tennis team. She has no time for men, marriage, or children. Her mother gave up her acting career when she became pregnant with older sister, Laney, whose illegitimate son is mute due to recent emotional trauma. Rebecca still manages to squeak out some time for her charity work for breast cancer research in Baltimore every year.

Taylor, a former TV actor, notices Becka. She knows him - she's dreamed of his TV persona for years. They meet at her parents' country club. He thinks he's found gold in the athletic blonde. After beating him at tennis, he meets her parents. Too bad he knows them - a former co-star and the man helping get him auditions.

Her sister moves in, thwarting any privacy. She's hiding out and is attacked. Taylor finds himself falling for Becka. Will he change his arrogant ways, save her nephew from kidnappers, and realize she's the one? Becka wonders if dreams can still be reached with someone beside her. Will they reach their dreams together?

Describe the genre of this particular title, and is this the only genre you write in?
This book is set in present day New York City, Long Island, and Baltimore. I grew up in Huntington, Long Island so the setting was easy. Before moving to North Carolina, I attended college, married, and raised a family in New Hampshire. My next Red Rose published work takes place there. I also write Scottish historical paranormals as Nancy Lee Badger.

When did you start writing towards publication?
Funny you should ask. Since we celebrate our nation's birthday this week, and I am from a patriotic family, I am proud to explain. In October 2006 my son, Eric, returned safely from a tour of duty in Iraq with his U.S. Army battalion based in Darmstadt, Germany. Hubby and I drove down and picked him up at the Raleigh, NC airport where my extended family waited with hugs. Then we drove to our home in New Hampshire. We also spent a day visiting Eric's older brother, Rob, in Vermont. The whole time I sat in the back seat, scribbling. I finished the book in a month. It was like the floodgates of stress opened wide and all this pent-up creativity escaped.

Why have you become a published author?
That's a tough one. I have always loved to read and I guessed I figured I could do it too. When I set my mind on something, watch out! I have only had four professions since getting my first job when I was seventeen. Before that, I volunteered at the hospital. I have worked in a retail discount big box store, then did over twenty years at a hardware store, and ended my outside the home jobs as a 9-1-1 dispatcher. I have also been big on volunteering: Hospital Auxiliary, Cub Scout Den Leader, Highland Games Volunteer, EMT and firefighter for a small town squad. Writing is all together different. Just me and the laptop; nobody waiting for their change, or a truck to unload, or helping someone do CPR on a loved one.

Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?
Well, it isn't the money. I would have to say it is the friendships and professional contacts that make me look forward to checking my emails and going to workshops and conferences. Writing can be a solitary vocation, so I look forward to monthly meetings of my local Romance Book Club here in Raleigh. I am Vice President of my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. Meeting other writers in person is so important. Blogs, Yahoo loop groups, Facebook and other internet options also help.

Are you a member of any writing organizations and if so, have they helped?
My previous answer says it all about how I feel writer groups work to aid me in being a better writer. Besides RWA and the local chapter, I am a member of Celtic Heart Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Writers, and Sisters in Crime.

What are you working on next?
I have just released a Scottish historical paranormal as Nancy Lee Badger. Dragon's Curse is my first attempt at a novella and it sold quite quickly to Whispers Publishing. Check out my website for excerpts and more information. Red Rose Publishing, as I mentioned, bought another book that I hope will be released later this year. It's a romantic suspense. I have a full-length Scottish time travel nearing completion and just started working on a present day paranormal which takes place at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh.

Excerpt
Nodding, she rose up on her toes and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Her mouth forced a smile as she stepped away, reveling in the pleasure of touching Taylor. This is an omen.

Her body had felt numb for days, ever since the taxi drivers' out-of-the-blue attack. Her tranquil life disappeared that day, replaced with a numbing truth. Jamie is a target.

However, Taylor would make everything better. The handsome man standing next to her in the elevator uncrossed his arms and surrounded her with warmth straight from one of her dreams. Dizziness swept across her brow, but she managed to relax amid the comforting tenderness of the man she loved. He vibrated with raw power in the small elevator, poised to race down busy New York City streets in order to find a sweet boy who didn’t sense danger.

She closed her eyes. Absorbing the pleasure of his closeness, she inhaled his scent. The sizzling aroma of sweat, mixed with lime aftershave, made her clasp him, tighter. She could care less about the elevator’s cameras. So what if the doors would open any minute. She lifted her face and accepted his kiss. The floor indicator pinged.

“Later. You and me, alone,” he demanded. “I can’t stand being close to you like this without taking you.”

She nodded, but why did he suddenly sound angry? “I can’t stand being unable to make love to you, either. We are always interrupted.”

He chuckled and loosened his grip around her. She did not want him to release her from their comforting circle. A smile twitched across her face as the elevator doors slid open. The last person she expected to see appeared before their eyes.

You can find more information about Nancy Lennea and her book, Secret Love Match, by visiting her publisher's buy link.

Read excerpts on her website.
Visit her blog.
View her book trailer.

Hope you enjoyed meeting Nancy. Have a great weekend everyone!

Cover Art

2010-07-01T09:20:00.000+02:00

If you've been visiting me regularly, you've heard me talk about my romantic suspense novella, Blood Diamond. I wrote it for the Jewels of the Night series at The Wild Rose Press. Luckily for me, they liked it.

The series kicks off in November and I don't have a release date yet. Hopefully that will be coming soon. I do have all the edits complete and last week, I gave my approval for the final galley. The last thing is the release date.

Oh, did I forget something? I did! The cover. I got that last week too. I'm sharing it with all of you first, along with the official blurb.

Dodging an angry warlord and running through the rain forest in Congo Brazzaville was not what Jillian St. James expected when she signed up with Doctors Without Borders. Yet that's exactly what she gets after a mysterious visit from her brother.

Mercenary Mack Nichols doesn't have much faith in humanity these days. When a beautiful, young doctor denies being part of the theft of a blue diamond from his client, he doesn't put much stock in her story.

Neither have reason to trust the other and their mutual attraction is an inconvenience to both. A betrayal and the reveal of an evil plan pit these two against an army. Can they put aside their doubts and work together to bring down a corrupt, power-hungry overlord or will their chance at love be over before it ever starts?

So, what do you think?

Invasion

2010-06-29T09:35:00.000+02:00

Today is the beginning of the second week of invasion. By what, you ask? Kidlets.

At the craft shop where I work part time, we started a summer program for kids. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, kids from 6-16 can come in from 1pm-3pm and pick their choice of craft to make for $5. This is going on up until August 12.

We didn't have any takers the first day, but the other two days had a nice little group. We were also encouraged to come up with our own classes for the kids.

Now, I don't have kids, so I've never really done a lot of kids' crafts. But then I remembered that my grandma taught me to crochet when I was pretty young. Around 8. So that's my offering. I've got three kids' crochet classes scheduled for this summer. It probably would have been more, but I'm going to be in the States for 3 weeks.

I like to complete a project in my class so that people can take something away with them. In my adult crochet classes, that something is a dishcloth. But kids aren't interested in that kind of stuff, right? Luckily for me, one of my co-workers came up with a great project for the kids to make in class. It also tied in with what I had planned to teach them.

Normally, I teach the adults all the basic stitches, but kids don't usually have that attention span so I had only planned to teach them the chain stitch and the single crochet. This project is perfect. And cute. And fun. What is it, you ask? It's a butterfly magnet.

Cute, right? For those of you kids (or grandkids), what do you plan do with them this summer to keep them occupied? What did you do as kid?

More Soccer

2010-06-28T11:04:00.003+02:00

Yes, more soccer. As you probably already know, our guys didn't win against Ghana this past Saturday, so we're knocked out. That leaves Germany for me to root for. And boy, did I root yesterday.

Germany played England and it was the first time I went over to the neighbors' to watch. They had their garage set up like a mini sports bar, with a projector broadcasting the game on their blank wall. Chairs and tables, beer and snacks. Of course, yesterday was a hot day here. We haven't had too many this year yet and the doors to the garage had to be kept shut or you couldn't see the game. Needless to say, I was a sweaty mess by the time the game was over.

I wished I had brought my camera though. When I mentioned in a previous post that Germans take their soccer seriously, I wasn't kidding. The first goal, our host had just gotten himself a new bottle of beer. Germany scores and several of the men start jumping up and down. You can see where I'm going with this, right? You got it. The beer started foaming over so he shook it some more and put his thumb over it to direct the spray.

Then the chanting and clapping started. After they settled back into their seats, they starting chanting the player's name who scored followed by a series of hand claps. And this happened after goal. They also sang a little song at point. It was all a lot of fun.

Saturday I was in Bamberg. We were just walking around the aldtstadt and checking out stores. Got some lace to put across my sideboard, got some dried fruit and fresh cherries. And then we found a bakery.

Bakeries are all over the place but this one in particular caught my eye. They had the cutest display. A soccer match complete with spectators made out of bread. Below are some pictures. I took them through the glass so sorry about the glare, but I thought it was the cutest thing and wanted to share with all of you.

Did you see any of the games this weekend? Who are you rooting for now that the U.S. is out of the running?

The Realm of Possibility

2010-06-24T11:41:00.002+02:00

I'm a big reader of ebooks. I have been since about 2005 when I started reading them on my computer before I graduated to the Ebookwise ereader. Now I use my iPod Touch.

During the last 5 years, I've gathered a list of favored epublishers. I know when they have their new releases and I check them out religiously. I've found a lot of great authors I probably wouldn't have had I stuck to just print books. Ebooks satisfy that instant gratification desire, especially now that I'm living in Germany. The PX and the library here is limited in choices and I don't speak/read German well enough to buy a book written in German. Ordering from the States is a minimum of a week. Have I mentioned that patience is not one of my virtues?

So I was checking out one of the epubs that I buy from on a regular basis. One of their new releases this week caught my eye. It was a new author. The blurb sounded interesting. So I clicked on the excerpt. I liked the writing, I was drawn into the story and the characters. I was interested to see what happened next. Then in the last bit of the excerpt, the heroine did something so outside the realm of possibility (for me, at least), that I was done. There would be no purchasing of said book.

This got me to thinking again (I know, it's dangerous) about what an author can get away with and still make it believable.

Back in February, I contemplated adding a scene to Blood Diamond and wondering if it was too graphic to include. Everyone encouraged me to include it, so I did. It ended up not being as graphic as I first thought it might, but it brought my story more depth and showed character motivation. Now I am asking again, how much is too much?

An excerpt is a small snip of the story, enough to whet your appetite but not enough to tell the whole story. Granted, this story was marked as to be an erotic romance and I know there is a bit more leeway in that sub-genre in regards to sex. I don't think I'm a prude. Heck, my first release was an erotic romance. But for me to enjoy it, it has to be at least semi-believable.

The heroine in this story (in this excerpt) did something that I, personally, would never, ever do and while I can't say that no one else would ever do it, I doubt there are many who would. It jerked me out of the story. I lost faith in this author and I'm so glad that incident was in the excerpt, because I would have been very disappointed to have bought the book and then read it. And I would have bought it, but for that incident.

I read to escape into another world. When I'm immersed in a good book, I'm invested in what happens to those characters. I feel what they feel and experience what they experience. Which is why, when I read a book, the characters actions should be in the realm of possibility. I'm not saying they have to make the same choices that would, but if they do something that I don't think anyone, whether I could prove it or not, would do, then they haven't sold it to me.

I'm also surprised the editor let it pass. Perhaps in the context of the rest of the story, it works. I don't know. I do know that I don't care to find out.

As an aside, I should mention that this was not urban fantasy/paranormal/fantasy/futuristic where boundaries of believable tend to be pushed. It was a contemporary.

What about you? If a character did something in a book that you thought no one in their right mind would ever do, could you keep reading to see if the author could sell it further in the story? Have you ever included a scene, or thought about including a scene, in your own writing and wondered how it would be received by readers?

Salome at Sunrise

2010-06-22T08:40:00.000+02:00

I first discovered Inez Kelley on Samhain Publishing's newsletter/blog. She had a free story called To Cop a Kiss. Her first release hadn't come out yet, but I fell in love with her writing there. Since then she's written a whole series of stories based on those two characters I met in that story called Beauty and the Badge, plus several releases with more on the way.

Salome at Sunrise is her newest release. Check her out over at Carina Press.

SALOME AT SUNRISE by releases today from Carina Press!

It’s not nice to piss off Mother Nature…

Bryton Haruk sets out on a suicide mission to stop the bloodthirsty Skullmen from terrorizing the war-weary Land of Eldwyn. Consumed by guilt over the death of his wife, Bryton seeks revenge and reunion in the afterlife with his lost love. His purpose is determined, his bravery unmatched, until the queen casts a spell to save Bryton from himself.

Salome is that spell. A bird-shifter, she can harness the earth’s breeze and take the form of a beautiful, innocent woman. Her challenge is to harness Bryton’s pain and guide him to peace. She entrances and irritates him, tempting Bryton from his mission. Even as he gives in to the passion between them, Bryton insists on mounting a solo attack on the brigands’ compound, and Salome fears her love won’t be enough to save him…

Celebrate Summer Solstice.

Salome at Sunrise from Inez Kelley and Carina Press.

Seize the day.

Buy it now.

Pie in Germany?

2010-06-21T10:22:00.004+02:00

Germans don't really do pie. It's funny that I've lived here a year and a half now and I just now noticed.

It came about because one of my neighbors had tried out a new recipe for rhubarb cake. While we were visiting, she gave us a couple of pieces to take home and try. During the conversation, I mentioned that my grandma always made a strawberry rhubarb pie that was always good.

That's where we had some communication problems. They didn't know what pie was. I tried to explain, but fear that I didn't do a very good job. Later, I asked my neighbor, Armin, upstairs, who speaks English very well about pie. Seems he didn't know what it was either. So I turned to my boss. She's American, but she's lived half her childhood and her whole adult life here in Germany. I learned that they some pie-like pastry with apple or cherry but it wasn't really pie.

So I got the bright idea to make a pie. As Armin says, the best way to describe something is to show it. As writers, we hear show, not tell. It was on.

I emailed my grandma and asked for her recipe, which she gladly gave. Then Saturday after work, I made 2 pies. One for the neighbors who gave us the cake. There are a lot of people in their household and I wanted them all to be able to try it. I made a second because hubby has never had it and I wanted to take some upstairs.

My neighbors called it kuchen, which means cake. When I look it up, it also says kuchen. There really is no pie in Germany. I felt fortunate to be able to share something new with my neighbors as they share so many new things with us.

What about you? Are you a pie lover? What's your favorite? Ever had strawberry rhubarb pie?

First Step Part 2

2010-06-17T11:53:00.003+02:00

If you remember, at the beginning of this month I told you about the First Step Contest being run by Savvy Authors and my participation in it.

The first part included submitting the first line of my manuscript. I chose to use Out of the Shadows since that is what I've been working so hard on lately. I shared my sentence here and asked you to vote for me if you liked it or to vote for another if you didn't.

I'm pleased to announce that I advanced onto the next round. For those of you that voted for me, you have my sincere and heartfelt thanks.

Part 2 of this contest consisted of sending in a 3-line pitch not to exceed 250 words. For those of you that write, you know how difficult that can be. Fortunately for me, I had some wonderful friends help me get my pitch ready. Thank you Stacey, Rachel, Denise and Calisa!

So here's the part where I beg, I mean ask, for your help again. I would love for you vote for my pitch, but again, if it's not your thing, please go to the site and vote for one that is. I know your vote will be appreciated. My pitch is about halfway down and reads like this:

After two failed kidnap attempts on fire witch, Belle Webster, she's assigned a bodyguard, wolf shifter, Gabe Mitchell, and he's having a hard time remembering why he shouldn't take a mate every time he gets a whiff of her delectable scent. Floored by her attraction to her bodyguard, and shocked to discover her role in the Shadow Prophecy, Belle concentrates on finding her abducted sister. She soon realizes that fighting off her attackers and rescuing her sister is just a warm-up to the standoff against Belial, the Chief of Devils.

The link to vote is First Step Contest. Again, thank you for your support.

Got Suspense?

2010-06-16T09:52:00.003+02:00

I know I've mentioned my novella, Blood Diamond, here a few times. If you remember, I wrote it for a special submission call that The Wild Rose Press had called Jewels of the Night.

What you may not know is that those manuscripts in by March 31 and given a contract were entered into a drawing. The winner's story would launch the series this fall and they would get extra promo and other fun stuff. The drawing was last night during the Happy Hour Chat at Wild Rose.

This chat takes place at 9pm EST. You all know I live in Germany, which puts me about 6 hours ahead. Yes, I actually set my alarm and got out of bed to participate in the chat.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't the winner. I want to shout out huge congratulations to Laverne Clark, though. She was last night's lucky winner and her story, Guardian of the Jewel will kick off this great series. It will debut in November and I'll have more info about that as it comes.

Now, for those of you who write. Are you interested in becoming a Jewel of the Night? Submissions for this series is still open. The stories have to be highly suspenseful and feature a blue diamond. Word count can be anywhere between 7500 and 65,000.

Currently there are 12 titles in the series. I would love to see yours added to the bunch. What do you say? Wanna give it a whirl?

Home Stretch

2010-06-15T08:44:00.002+02:00

Well, I'm in the home stretch. Regarding school, that is. I know I've mentioned I was heading back to school. Before this summer, I lacked 3 classes to fulfill the requirements for my degree.

I signed up for 2 this summer and as I posted a couple of weeks ago, I'd received my final grade for the philosophy class. My computer class ends July 2 so that's almost finished.

I took my midterm a week or so ago, a couple of days before the suggested due date. So I'm in the home stretch. 7 more lessons with their quizzes and the final. Actually, I almost have the next study guide filled out. Somehow, one page didn't print so I have to go back over those questions but then I'm ready for the quiz.

I work the part time job today and tomorrow. I close the shop both days and am usually left by myself from about 3:30 or 4 on. Usually, the shop is quiet. So I make good use of the time. If I have all my work in the shop caught up, I work on my study guides. For my goals this week, I aim to finish at least 2 lessons but I'm actually going for more. I'm hoping 3.

I'm hoping the last class I need is offered in the fall. If so, I can apply for graduation for Christmas. Then to continue on.

Between my school work and getting Out of the Shadows ready for edits, that's been my main focus lately. How about you? What are you working on? Are you in the home stretch?

World Cup Soccer

2010-06-14T11:26:00.000+02:00

In case you weren't aware, Germans love their fußball. Actually all Europeans do. Fußball, or soccer, is as popular here as football is in the States. By the way, the funny looking B sounds like 'ss' and the word literally means football. But you knew that. I'm also sure you're aware that the World Cup games have started.

I was in Schweinfurt this past weekend with hubby. He had to work so Peanut and I explored the altestadt on our own. We came back yesterday evening, arriving just in time for the game between Germany and Australia. Our neighbors that live behind us set up their garage on the nights that Germany plays.

Big screen TV, beer, snacks. All the men congregate there and watch the game. So, once we unload the car, hubby heads over. I was at home because 1) it was a man thing and 2) I had work to do. But I could tell when the game was over.

Cars honking their horns through town, people yelling in the neighborhood. I'm sure that if anyone had them, firecrackers would have been going off. Yes, Germany won. 4-0.

It was neat to see (hear) because Germans are generally stoic and don't really show much emotion.

As I understand it, right now the teams are playing for points to determine their standing or something. You can tell I'm not a sports fan. So, the next time Germany plays is Friday afternoon. Hopefully I'll hear cheering again. And if I know my neighbor upstairs who always "knows a guy", I won't be surprised to hear firecrackers the next time they win.