Books for Christmas!

One of the advantages to running a reviews site and an author promotions site is that I'm exposed to about a zillion books and authors I would never have seen otherwise. It's making my Christmas shopping just a little easier, especially since I really like to support authors as much as possible.

For instance, I have a friend, my best friend who I met in Junior High (32 years ago ... holy cow) and she's horribly hard to buy for. She's a voracious reader -- especially horror novels and thrillers, so it makes it hard to actually buy her books because I don't know what she already has. BUT, she's completely unaware of the entire Indie/Small Press thing (except for my book, of course). So this year? We toured a self-published thriller / suspense author (Gordon Kessler) and his books are excellently written and are right up her alley. I would never have known he existed if we hadn't run his tours. And, no, she doesn't read my blog.

I've found books for DD via some YA authors and blogs. Books for friends. It's been great. And the best part? Because I actually interact with most of these authors, I can get my friends and family autographed copies. :-)

BTW, folks... never be too shy to email an author and find out if there is a way to get autographed copies. One of my reviewers, who's been around since the site started, needed an extra special four year anniversary gift from us. So we contacted one of her fave authors, Carrie Vaughn. This reviewer is a HUGE fan of her Kitty books.

We never had any experience working with this author. She didn't know us from Adam (or maybe that should be Eve). Even so, we were told exactly how to go about getting personalized, autographed books -- an entire set! -- for our reviewer.

By and large (with only some exceptions) authors, all authors -- even the really big name ones -- are very cool.

So, are books on your Christmas shopping list? Any suggestions?

=========================

You Should Hail a Cab in NYC

Your life feels empty without lots of people in it. You make new friends everywhere you go. You live in the fast lane. You love action, risk, and competition. Deep down you are a wild child. You definitely have a manic side. You are very animated and energetic. People find you dazzling and charming.

What City Should You Hail a Cab In?

HAHAHAHA... not so much. Maybe, maybe 25% right.

==================

Random Saturday

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman


see more dog and puppy pictures

It's finally snowing here. Quite a bit, actually, but not the blizzard of the century -- thank heavens! It's supposed to be followed by extremely high winds, so I'm hoping I won't lose power. That sounds all "doom and gloom", but I tend to be one of those "hope for the best but prepare for the worst" kind of people.

Anyone from Kansas out there? I need a really tiny, remote, out in the middle of nowhere town to use in a story. Help?

My dog has started doing this wonderful thing in the early mornings when I take her out. She'll stop her potty pacing, stare off into the woods and growl. Yeah -- for someone like me who has a very VERY vivid imagination, this isn't fun. I really wish she'd stop.

Have you noticed that it's staying light later than 4 p.m. now? Summer is right around the corner!

I still love my Nook. I downloaded those 16 free books from Harlequin last week. I started reading one last night, but realized I'd already read it. I need to delete some stuff off of there (like my own stories) to make it easier to find the other stuff I have on there. My only complaint with the Nook is that the PDF files name themselves in random ways, so I can't always readily see what a book is. I've decided that, despite the nearly unlimited storage space on the thing, I'm only going to keep "keepers", just like I do IRL. Why keep something on there I'll never read again, yanno?

"Agnes and the Hitman" is my fave book by Jenny Crusie (and Bob Mayer of course)... I read it again over the past couple of days trying to feel inspired to write "Drive Me Crazy" (and yes, you have to have a slightly warped sense of humor to enjoy "Agnes", but I most certainly do) and it is an absolutely perfect romantic comedy. Perfect. *sigh*

I've gained almost four pounds since Christmas. Must. Stop. Eating. Chocolate. It also doesn't help that I'm nearly sedentary because of all the crappy weather we've been having.

Didn't make resolutions this year. I've decided I'm into shorter term goals any more. I may do month-to-month ones. Like this month, I need to stop eating so much chocolate! And I need to find time in my crazy day to write, edit and promote. Good goals, those. They should probably be more specific, though. I'll work on it. Did you make any resolutions?

==================

The True You Values Harmony

You want your girlfriend or boyfriend to be more relaxed, calm, and composed. With respect to money, you spend carefully and save your pennies. You think good luck depends on maintaining good relationships with others. The hidden side of your personality tends to be satisfied to care for things with a minimal amount of effort. You are tend to think about others' feelings a lot, perhaps because you are so eager to be liked. When it comes to finding a romantic partner, you base your search on information from your friends.

Who's The True You?

Ehhh... so so...

==========================

Of Releases (all types!)...

Books are delightful society. If you go into a room and find it full of books - even without taking them from the shelves they seem to speak to you, to bid you welcome. ~William Ewart Gladstone

I'm so excited! My friend, Allie's latest book was released today. "One Night In Memphis" promises to be a great read (I've read through some of it in it's pre-edited condition, and can't WAIT to get the whole enchilada!).

Check out her blog here (cuz, she's having a cool contest, too).

============================

Okay... a personal pet peeve when visiting author websites: no contact information. Lately, I've been notifying folks when we do their reviews (the ones my reviewers do without a request -- print books or eBooks they buy on their own), and more than once I've gone to a website and been unable to find contact information, or else it's so hidden or the navigation is so convoluted, that I waste time (my most precious commodity).

So, folks, if you have a site -- make your contact information easy to find. Please.

==============================

I'm beginning to get the shakes -- I have NOTHING else submitted anywhere right now. That's bad. "Kitchen Matches" comes out next month and then... nada. **gulp**

That's really scary.

==============================

We released another butterfly yesterday. DD named this one "Fire". His birth and release were without mishap for a change. It's odd, though, how blasé we've become about the whole thing.

"Hey, hon? Here's a butterfly." Hands flapping critter to daughter. "Would you put it outside?"

DD trots it outside, puts it on a flower and comes back in to continue whatever she was doing.

I've lost count, but I think we have about 15 more to go. I expect the monarch eggs to show up next week, however. Then the hunt will be on, because you really need to find them as eggs -- they commit hari kari when you find them as babies. Seriously. Or maybe it's bungee jumping. If you startle a little monarch pillar, they leap off of their leaf! It's a defense mechanism, but can make finding the little ones tough. And they are highly parasitized, so bringing them in when they are larger can lead to heartbreak when you hatch a wasp instead of a butterfly...

Ah... the joy and heartbreak of Pillar Place 2008.

EDITED TO ADD: I just checked the pillar boxes, and we hatched THREE more this morning! The must have hatched fairly early, too, since two of them were already ready to fly. That leaves five more chrysalis' in the parsley box, and eight more in the dill box -- cool. We're almost done!

==========================

Sunday Meme

In summer, the song sings itself. ~William Carlos Williams

Trish made up her own meme, so I thought I'd help spread it around (BTW, this is HARD... I had a tough time narrowing it down to one, so I didn't! *G*):

Famous People Meme — Which famous person in each of the following categories would you like to meet?

Author — Stephen King or Nora Roberts

Movie Actor — David Duchovny or Dougray Scott

TV Actor — Colin Ferguson or Matthew Gray Grubler or Tony Shalhoub

Musician/Singer — Brad Paisley

Historical Figure — Jesus

Fictional Book Character — Roarke and Eve Dallas

Fictional Movie or TV Character — Han Solo

If you decide to play along, leave me a comment (and maybe Trish, too) so I can come look!

======================

In Pillar Place 2008, we released another butterfly yesterday. I also opted to put our last, still fairly small, pillar outside -- because I'm afraid he's going to be an overwinterer, and I'm not up to dealing with that again. It's beginning to look like a butterfly a day, though I'm sure it's going to double and triple up soon since we had several pillars making their pupae on the same day.

Unfortunately, we also had our first Pillar Place tragedy -- one of the pupae hatched and the butterfly fell from his chyrsalis before his wings were dry. He landed on his back, and couldn't get up right away, so his wings dried bent. We were checking them about every hour, but stuff like this happens so quickly!

DD named him "Rip" (in memory of a butterfly we had with a ripped wing who eventually still flew) and spent hours trying to teach him to fly. This morning, he is gone from the yucca, so perhaps he did. We won't consider that something else may have happened...

OH -- false alarm on the monarch from Friday. I got a closer look at it today and it was actually a Great Spangled Fritillary.




I thought it was a bit early for Monarchs. Apparently I was right.

======================

Did some more writing on the sequel to Liv -- it's Geoff's story, in case you wondered. Poor, heart-broken Geoff... I couldn't just leave him hanging.

Now, if only *ahem* someone who will not be named would help me out with Stiller Creek, I might have something to submit somewhere soon.

Not like she's busy or anything.

========================

Author Blog Pet Peeves

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides. ~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

First off, let me tell you all that, besides laying hardwood flooring all day yesterday (oh, my aching back -- and we get to do it today, TOO! woo hoo) I also had no internet service, so if I didn't visit you...that's why (and, GAH, it was pure torture)!

And... proof of life in New Hampshire (truly, I am amazed at the resiliance of plants -- and no snickering from y'all down south when you see my little bitty babies):

My seedum:



My daffodils:



My chives:



Which will some day look like this (and the seedum is beside it):



My doofus dog (we got her a remote trainer, so she can now run in our yard off-leash. DH calls her a remote control dog):



========================

Now, on to the reason for this post (aside from the fact that I post every day *G*): Pet peeves when I visit other author blogs.

I have to admit to being a serious blog-hopper, despite how busy I am. I have about 100 blogs set up in my Google Reader, and another fifteen or so that, for whatever reason, Google won't accept.

I have "met" many authors online, and have since purchased books by them that I wouldn't have otherwise (and, I have yet to be disappointed) -- the ladies whose books I'm giving away in my contest this month are two of them. I met Ceri via NaNoWriMo and Diane was a regular visitor to my friend, Allie's blog -- and I love to get to know about people. After all, authors are just human beings with real lives outside of their writing.

I also understand that most authors keep a blog for promotion purposes. I know I do -- or, at least it started out for that reason. Now, I really just love to "talk" to you all!! LOL... and you don't appear to be sick of hearing me ramble. And, I do put promotional stuff up like my new review I was Google Alerted to yesterday for my oldest published story, "Now That We've Found You" or the fact that "One Love For Liv" is still available for purchase and seems to be a winner with all the reviews sites so far -- and if you haven't purchased it yet, why haven't you?

BUT... and here is where my pet peeve comes in: It isn't a blog for promotional purposes to the exclusion of all else.

I have a few authors on my Google Reader (a couple of whom are coming off for the reason I'm about to list) who post very infrequently, and the only time they do is to say "I have a new release -- go buy it" or "I'm promoting myself and my new release here".

You know what? If I don't care about you, if I don't have a "relationship" with you, I really don't care about your new release. And I'm annoyed by the fact that you only use your blog, every month or so, to tell me to buy something and for no other reason.

Promotion is fine. Melissa has been talking about her upcoming book that is part of the Wedding Planners series with Harlequin, and I'm excited to hear about it! But, she also talks about herself, her kids, her Climbing Cutie friend (*G*), her new dog(!) and more. I visit her blog every day to see how SHE is... and her writing is part of her life. It's just not her ENTIRE life.

Okay... all done venting. But, am I wrong? What do you think?

=========================

You Are Ashlee Simpson!

Stylish, unique, talented You're your own woman! "It seems like I can finally rest my head on something real I like the way that feels"

Who's Your Inner Rock Chick?

Dear heavens... ((bangs head on keyboard))...

I Am A Romance Author

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anaïs Nin

It's snowing here. Again. Just saying.

===============================

I worked not at all on my story yesterday--at least nothing I put in writing. I know I moodled and thought and considered quite a bit. Should I give the hero siblings? The heroine has to be an only child, but it seems odd that both would be. I have a tendency (and Judy and I were talking about this yesterday) to make my H/H only children because it's just easier than keeping track of family. I also like to kill off at least one parent, for the same reason. But that's just not natural, LOL... So am giving it some thought.

I went to the UBS yesterday to find an older book that one of the LASR reviewers reviewed. While I was there, I got to call myself an author. Yes I did! AND...I was at Target a couple of days ago, in the books section and there were two women gabbing about how there was an article in some big newspaper talking about how romance wasn't "real" writing (yeah, we've never heard THAT before), and I jumped right in (cuz, yanno, I'm shy) and said, "Bite your tongue! I am a romance author and I'd sure like to see one of them write a romance."

I AM A ROMANCE AUTHOR.

I think I'm finally starting to own that idea. It feels good.

============================

From Chris:

You Are Not Prissy

You're the furthest thing from a princess - and you probably stay far away from any princess types you know. You have an easygoing approach to living. It doesn't take a lot to make you happy. And when life requires it, you're ready to get your hand a little dirty. There's no problem you're too prissy to tackle!

How Prissy Are You?

Tuesday... Already?

"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure." - Oprah Winfrey

How can it be Tuesday? I didn't finish everything on my list for Monday! And, it's not only Tuesday, but it's LATE Tuesday morning (for me). **Sigh**

Hey, thanks for all the comments on my cover yesterday. You know, now that you (many of you) mention it, "Mike" does look like Peter from "Heroes". Huh...

And, Eileen cracked me up with her comment: It's like a "Choose Your Adventure" book, only with men. For those of you who don't know, Eileen has a wicked sense of humor. She also has a book coming out in February ("Unpredictable") that I am dying to read... I read the first bit (posted on her agents blog about a hundred years ago) and have been antsy ever since. If you like a funny romance, bet you'll love her book! Grab a copy when it releases next week.

========================

Worked like a dog yesterday setting up more tour dates. I got an amazing response from the other Sweeter Romantic Notions authors and the Samhain Authors. You know what? With very few exceptions, I've found that other romance authors are really, really nice people!! I shouldn't be surprised, but I am in a way. Consider that we all must have at least a little bit of ego to think that anyone would be interested in reading what we write. Add to that basic competition for sales, and you'd think it would be all dog-eat-dog.

Not so. I'm proud to be part of this wonderful group of people. It's incredible.

=========================

Your Daily Dakota -- "Want to play?":



===========================

You Are Running on 67% Adrenaline

Your Adrenaline Level: Borderline Dangerous You're running around so fast, you don't realize how quickly life is passing you by. While you may be getting a lot done, you're on the go lifestyle is probably wearing you out.

Are You Running on Adrenaline?

The Kindness of Strangers (and Authors)

Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax. ~Arthur Schopenhauer

Working with The Long and the Short of It romance reviews site, I've had the privilege of being in contact with many, many authors. I'm consistently amazed at how gracious most of them are. There are, of course, the occasional unpleasant ones, but for the most part, it's been a joy.

We don't review every request we get. If we can't give it a positive review, we turn it down. It is my job to compose those letters, and they're never easy. I'm delighted to say that, without exception, each and every person -- whether a publisher or author -- has been grateful and pleasant. One author even thanked us, because we provide specific information as to why the story doesn't work for us, including basic editing suggestions.

Lately, we've been working with some bestselling authors. And, as busy as they are with deadline and promotions and conferences and such, they have been the most generous and pleasant of all.

Most recently, we've gabbed with Deborah MacGillivray , Alyssa Day and Kerrelyn Sparks. I can honestly say that, even had I not already been fans of theirs (and I already was!), they would have won me over with their gracious attitudes and generous spirits. They are truly wonderful examples of what every author should strive to be.

Thanks, ladies!

And all you folks, reading this? Keep your eyes open for some great giveaways from those authors, coming up soon!

========================

I worked on my own writing yesterday... my short story, "Kitchen Matches" that was rejected last month. I've decided to add several scenes, a little more sexual tension and stretch the time period out a bit.

I may have to throw a puppy in to the mix, though, just for added fun.

Speaking of puppies, Dakota had to go to the doggy doc yesterday. She has scabbing around her urethra and a hard, swollen area. Turns out she has a skin infection -- so she gets to have daily baths with medicated shampoo. Woo. Hoo.

We got Bailey's ashes yesterday. The crematorium put them in this truly lovely wooden box with a paw print on the top and and engraving on the bottom with her name, our family name and her date of death. After crying like a baby (which distresses my DD to no end, because she says grown-ups aren't supposed to cry), I was just simply pleased. Bailey is finally home again.

=========================

You Are Jennifer Aniston

Girl next door with a free spirit. You're low key and naturally sexy. Sweet and approachable, people are attracted to your upbeat attitude. And even when life doesn't go your way, you always eventually turn things around.

Are You More Like Jennifer or Angelina?

Yeah... I wish... LOL...

Saturday Self-Esteem

To free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves - there lies the great, singular power of self-respect. ~ Joan Didion

I was thinking, the other day (I KNOW... danger, Will Robinson, DANGER) about the fact I haven't received fan mail on my simply stupendous writing (LOL, and I'm humble, too) and wondered what would happen when I finally have A NOVEL out and, of course, imagined piles of emails and letters coming in, praising me on my masterpiece.

Then I popped over to Jenny Crusie's blog, where she posted a bit of mail that had been written to a fellow author, and then defended herself against the angry responses to that. And I recall reading a post at Tess Gerritsen's blog (which has since been removed because Tess didn't want to give any publicity to an angry reader) that was all nasty spewing.

And I decided if that was the kind of mail I'd get, I'd rather have none, thank you. I'd forgo the thousands of positive messages to miss just one nasty one, because -- those are the ones that seem to matter. Why is that? Why can we be called beautiful or wonderful or smart or amazing millions of times, and disregard all of that when one person says we're ugly or stupid or worthless?

We were at the grocery store the other day, and the lady bagging the groceries told my DD she was beautiful. DD stammered a thank you and we finished and headed out to the car. And, along the way, she told me she didn't think she was in the least bit pretty.

Huh?

Though I am surely biased, I think she's lovely. And smart. And funny. And upbeat. And I try to tell her this on a regular basis. But there are things that work against me.

My SIL makes DD take her glasses off for every picture. She has told DD that her eyes are beautiful, and that the glasses make her look unattractive -- oh, maybe not in so many words, but the implication is there.

Comments have also been made, phrases like, "He who indulges, bulges" whenever the DD wants to eat junk food. My in-laws are absolutely freaky about fat. Obsessive. Worried. It is the topic of conversation on a regular basis.

So, DD told me the other day that she thinks she's fat. I can tell her constantly how wonderful and beautiful and amazing she is, but that's not what she's heard. She hears the negative: you're ugly and fat.

And, I think that's true of any of us. It's the reason why, as a (hopefully!) good crit partner, I couch any negatives between positives. To be an effective crit partner, you have to point out the weaknesses, but must also make certain that the author understands that you still love her baby.

Even so, it will be the negative that stands out.

And, isn't that a shame.

==========================

I hope to download some pictures I took yesterday and post them later today or tomorrow. When DD checked on Pillar Place: Monarch P2 upon rising, it was incredible. All but two of the butterbabies had hatched and were clinging to their chrysalis's, drying their wings. I tried to get pictures of them all just hanging there.

AND... it ended up only raining part of the day, so by the time they were ready to fly, we were able to take them out and release them! Yay! So... ten more butterbabies are in the world. And they are truly beautiful. We have two more that should hatch this week and then we're done (thank heavens!) for the season.

============================

Thanks to Tori for finding me another quiz!

The Disney Heroine Quiz

You are Jasmine. Princess Jasmine is a girl who only a few special people can get close to. She has a pet tiger named Raja who will obey only her. Jasmine is smart, and fun, and beautiful, according to Aladdin. You have Jasmine's fiery spirit, and you probably have a few close friends as opposed to many acquaintances. You are admirable, for you stand up not only for yourself, but for your beliefs, friends, and whosoever is being picked on. You have a very strong character and you know exactly what you want.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code