Welcome Guest: Suzanne Rock

Okay... it's time for another author to be raked over the coals. Give a warm welcome to Suzanne Rock!

Tell me five things I probably don’t know about you and that most folks wouldn’t guess.

Five things, eh? Let me see… I have to think about this…

1. I’m obsessive about spreadsheets and charts. I love the elegance of numbers and graphs and use spreadsheets in almost everything I do. From 'to do' lists, keeping track of my writing, promotional schedules – you name it and it's probably in a spreadsheet on my computer, lol.

2. Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my morning coffee. I'm not really a morning person and need that little extra something in the morning. I also need a second up mid-afternoon to keep me going. On some low-energy days I can go up to 4 or 5 cups a day… Okay, fine. I'm addicted to coffee. I'll admit it, lol.

3. I have trouble walking. The entire driveway can be clear except for a miniscule patch of ice, but I'll manage to find that ice and slip and fall on my face. It drives my husband crazy. *G*

4. I’m a recovering video game addict – sort of. When I was younger I was known for staying up all night to play video games and then calling in sick to work the next day because I was too tired to go, lol. When the World of Warcraft came on the scene I knew I was a goner. My husband intervened and I quit video games cold turkey -- didn't play for years and years...until the Wii came on the scene. I resisted for a while, but I finally picked one up a few weeks ago. While I haven't skipped work, I've been known to skip meals due to my Wii Tennis addiction. I have a writer friend who is on level 2400 and I'm determined to beat her. :)

5. I love red wine. I find it relaxing and it looks much classier in your hand than a beer, don't you think? California Cabernets are my favorite.

Fill In the Blank: It really annoys me when __________

It really annoys me when I have to wait. For anything.

Not the best personality trait to have in this profession, since you are waiting on something all of the time. I've had to learn the value of patience, but sometimes it's still hard. I'm part of an 'instant gratification' society and it can be frustrating to wait three weeks for a contract or three months for a response on a manuscript.

Write me a paragraph using the following three words: Tiny, Candle, Flying

Being a fairy was the worst thing in the world.

Celeste sat on the table and watched the orange and red flames of the candle flicker in the moonlight. If only she could fly, then maybe the other fairies would accept her. She wouldn't be called 'tiny wings' anymore. She wouldn't be left out of the fairy games, either. If she could fly, then tonight, when all of the others gathered over the great lake, she could be part of the ancient ritual that would bring forth spring.

“Be patient.” her mother said. “Wings take time to grow.”

Well, she was tired of being patient. All of her friends had full grown wings and were able to join the others last year. Now she was all alone.

Celeste stood up from the table, the motion causing the orange flames of the candle to flicker. There was time yet until the ceremony. She was going to try one more time. Maybe this time she'd succeed.

Gathering her courage, Celeste closed her eyes and focused on happy thoughts. This was the core of fairy magic. Soft music filed her ears, music only a fairy could hear. It was the signal that the other fairies were gathering at the great river. Excitement filled her chest. She could do this, she knew she could.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her foot, then stepped off the table. Celeste screamed as she tumbled end-over-end through the air toward the ground. This wasn't right, shouldn't her wings be flapping? Why wasn't she flying?

Then, suddenly, the magic poured through her, a giant whoosh of energy vibrating her body. She stretched and contracted her back muscles, moving her small silky wings in unison. Her descent halted and she hovered inches above the ground.

She was flying!

Celeste concentrated on moving upward. Flexing her back, she focused on a point above her head. Slowly she climbed inch by inch until she was eye-level with the candle on the table.

She did it! The music became louder, signaling that the ceremony was about to begin.

“Wait for me!” Joy filed her heart as Celeste made her way to the great lake.

Being a fairy was the best thing in the world.


I have a new release, Cria, which is about a tribe of Jaguarundi-shifters deep in the Brazilian rainforest. Here's the blurb:

Deep in the heart of the Amazon Jungle, an ancient breeding race begins…

Ever since she was jilted by her lover, Aleta had been subjected to humiliation by her Jaguarundi tribe. Not anymore. She is determined to emerge from her final Cria unmated, and finally be free of tribal traditions and her over-bearing father. Aleta has plans -- bigger plans than her father’s desire to see her marked by some oafish warrior in an outdated breeding competition. After the Cria she’ll move to the city and start fresh, leaving her clan -- and her broken heart -- behind.

Unfortunately, the past is unwilling to let her go.

Forced to abandon Aleta when he went into exile, Luiz knows that this Cria will be his last chance to reclaim what is rightfully his. When a surprise encounter doesn’t go exactly as planned, he realizes it will take more than a little seduction for Aleta to forgive the sins of the past. The race is on, and the battle of wills has begun. Everyone knows that in the Cria anything can happen, and with the stakes this high, all bets are off.


For more information on this and my other releases, visit my website: www.SuzanneRock.com

Bio: After over a decade in the scientific world, Suzanne Rock needed a creative outlet. She tried scrap booking, cooking, crocheting, painting, and piano, none of which held her interest for very long. Then one of her friends suggested writing. Thrilled with the idea of creating her own worlds, she opened up her lap top and never looked back.

When Suzanne’s not writing, she can be found playing with her two daughters, testing her husband’s latest kitchen creations, or curled up with her favorite romance novel in her central Massachusetts home.

I can also be found on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Suzanne_Rock
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suzanne.rock
Embrace the Shadows Blog: http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com
Embrace the Shadows Fan Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/embrace_the_shadows
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2982868.Suzanne_Rock

Deer, Deer Go Away

When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved. ~Frank Swinnerton

I ventured outside for a bit yesterday, despite the cold and the gale force winds, because it LOOKED like it was nice out: bright and sunny. It wasn't, and I wore a warm jacket and ear muffs (yes, really) but just had to get outside.

What I found there broke my heart (and if you're on Facebook, you know what's coming). My flowers had been attacked brutally... by Bambi.

My bachelor buttons that were just beginning to bloom had been eaten down to nubs:



They used to rise ABOVE the peony ring, and were full of buds (see that little thing that looks like a pineapple? There used to be dozens of them on both plants).



Now I have only two buds left...



They also went after the oriental lilies, but must have been full after the feast of bachelor buttons, because they only nabbed the bud off of one:



It was a good sized deer, based on the hoof prints I found. DH is planning his hunting season as we speak...

In the meantime, I dumped milorganite all over everything everywhere (though it's not sold as a deer repellant, it has a reputation for working, and it's always worked for me) and will be putting out some deodorant soap (Coast or Irish Spring) on my well pump and on some of the rocks out in my garden. A friend suggested I chop up all the chives I have growing everywhere and blend them with some water to spray on the plants, which I'm considering. My yard will be .... aromatic.

But it's terribly discouraging, because with perennials, you don't get a second chance in the same year.

Bad deer.

In other news, however, our peach tree has a TON of baby peaches (do deer eat peaches???):




My mouth is watering already...

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In yesterday's news, my DH had taken a LONG road trip last week. I never share that stuff just cuz I don't like anyone knowing when he's out of town (paranoid? Me?). He went to Texas with a cousin to pick up a boat -- they made it round trip to Dallas and back in 4 1/2 days. Yes. Really.

But because he was exhausted, eating junk and cold (he'd dressed for summer, silly man -- and then hit SNOW in Pennsylvania on the way home) he caught one doozy of a cold. His voice is nearly gone and he just feels like dog doo. Sadly, he's on vacation this week... hopefully he'll recover soon.

DD is already feeling completely well, though. Her cold really only had two bad days and she's bounced back.

And, so far, I've kept the germs at bay. I hope it stays that way...

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I did a short post over at Healthful & Homemade if you're interested. I'm reading an awesome book on homemade bread, so expect more posts on easy bread making soon.

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Welcome to special guest: Jean Hart Stewart

I'm hosting Jean Hart Stewart today as part of her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. I've been following her tour because her posts have all being fabulously interesting, from information about Napoleon's hemorrhoids (and how they might have changed history) to her grandmother's superstitions. So much fun!

So, today give a warm welcome to Jean (and leave a comment because one lucky person will win a "The Third Rose" T-shirt from Jean and it's a GREAT cover).

Tell us five things we don’t know about you, and probably wouldn't guess.

Which five can I divulge with some impunity? Most people are far from open books. Most don’t even know themselves. Oh well, here are five earthshaking revelations.

One, I come across as natural and friendly. The friendly is fine, I love people, but the natural is not. I’m shyer than a hedgehog. Took years for me to learn not to cringe when somebody, even a stranger, got cross at me. I remember when we were first married I came home and cried because the bus driver had yelled at me. My husband couldn’t believe I let such a minor thing bother me. I think it was the first time he realized he’d married a wimp.

Two, I’m more superstitious than I let on. Learned most of them from my grandmother. Try to cover it up actually, because the rational me knows it doesn’t make sense and I’m married to a scientist who’d think I was crazy if he knew. This one is important! Never give anybody a purse or wallet as a gift without enclosing a coin, even if it’s only a penny. And always pick up a lost coin on the ground. You’ll end up poor if you don’t. Didn’t know that? You’d better pick up that dirty coin next time you see one.

And three, I have the strange habit of regarding some inanimate objects as being sensitive. Do you ever worry about the feelings of piece of china? You don’t want to play favorites with your coffee cups, do you? I definitely think animals have feelings and won’t wear fur. Whoa, I’m starting to sound nutty even to myself!

Four, I adore peanut butter and cabbage sandwiches. I learned to like them as a child when we had little money. My mother thought that inexpensive treat had all the ingredients need for health. Still love them. That crunchy cabbage and lots of peanut butter! So far I’ve never met anybody else who’s even heard of them. Oh yes, the cabbage should be about a quarter of an inch thick, sliced horizontally. Not just a leaf.

Five. I go around constantly with a song in my head. Sometimes I can’t get it out for weeks at a time, and then only by hearing another tune that takes over. Have found out from some of my chat talks this isn’t at all unusual and there’s even a scientific name for it. I think something like thirty percent of the people do this. Not bad, except when the tune gets monotonous. Listening to music is really kinda nice. Right now? I’m stuck on ‘You Light up my Life’. Been about a week on this one.

Fill In the Blank(s): ______ in ______ not the ______.

I like to know the person inside. not the face you present to the world.

Write me a paragraph using the following three words. STRIPED, RASPBERRY, DRIVING

The raspberry riding costume was the most garish outfit she’d ever worn. Why on earth she’d ordered it was a mystery. Usually she stuck with more conservative colors, and it certainly didn’t go with her red hair. At least her dressmaker had followed her instructions. To make it worse, she’d chosen a striped black and white scarf to tie back her hair, instead of her usual hat. She looked like a whore, not a lady. She tossed her head and stalked to the stables to get her horse. No more driving in a carriage and being a lady. She’d not force herself to do anything she didn’t want to do. She’d do damned well as she pleased from now on.

You can find Jean at her website. But first -- read the blurb for what promises to be a very exciting story:

When Sara Coverly hides in Lord Wolverton’s bedroom to avenge him for the rape of her friend, she is determined to shoot him so he can never ruin another female. Instead she finds herself wondering if she’s picked the wrong man! Wolf decides he needs a token fiancée to cover his tracks as he searches for a spy, and soon Sara finds herself helping him. And falling deeply in love.

Wolf’s espionage duties bring danger to them both. When he decodes a message threatening the assassination of Wellington at Waterloo, they both set out for Brussels to catch the villain.

Can their growing love endure through war, a desperate villain who is out to stop them, and Wolf’s determination to save Wellington at any cost?

Want more? How about an excerpt?

At last. The bastard had come home. He must have lit more candles, as the room became brighter. She could see a large man, elegantly dressed, stride across the room. Double drat! He moved out of her vision, and she did not dare part the draperies any further. She waited, breath suspended, as he re-appeared and sat on the bed. He arched one long muscled leg, bending over to tug at his boot. His face was in shadow, but his build was powerful, that of a more than adequate sportsman. His size didn’t worry her. A gun was a great equalizer.

He meant to take his boots off himself? She was surprised he didn’t require his valet to wait up for him. An unusual bit of consideration for a servant, one she’d not expected. She’d thought she’d have to stay hidden until the valet had come and gone. Perhaps this was better, since at least he was decently clothed. Not that she’d let any missish tendencies deter her. Actually seeing a large nude male might be educational.

Now was the time.

She cocked the gun and stepped out in front of him, the barrel pointed directly at him.

“You will please rise, my lord. I do not intend to shoot a seated villain.” She felt pride in the composure of her voice. She’d worried a little about that.

Wolverton did not appear unduly upset, although his eyebrows arched upward. He bent the long leg stretched on the bed and clasped both hands around his knee.

“A woman. How interesting. I admit you make a very fetching young man dressed in those breeches, but your voice is definitely female. Might I inquire why you have your gun pointed at me?”

She had to give him his due. His tone seemed as cool as hers, and she certainly must have been a nasty surprise. Although come to think of it, he probably often found women accosting him in his bedchamber. But surely for more pleasurable purposes, cad that he was.

“Stand up, my lord.”

Neither her voice nor the hand holding the gun on him wavered, as Joshua Sinclair, Earl of Wolverton, slowly placed both his boots on the luxurious Aubusson carpet and rose to his feet.

“Is there anything I can do for you, madam?” he inquired, as politely as if he were asking her if she took milk with her tea.

She shook her head slowly, carefully lowering the gun a trifle. What a shame he was such a handsome devil, but then she should have expected no less from a despoiler of virgins.

She was pleased to see him blanch a little as he realized where she aimed.

“Can I persuade you to raise your gun a little? I don’t mind being shot in the chest nearly as much as if you hit the most valued part of my anatomy.”

Happy Mother's Day

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and surrogate moms out there! For Mother's Day this year, I have a sick daughter and a sick husband! I think theirs is the gift of germs, but I'm truly hoping they don't share...

I was truly blessed the day I had my daughter, and often feel like I'm not the best mom in the world to her, but I do my best.



And I admit, I count these "kids" in as mine as well:




But mostly today, I'm missing my own mom, who's living far, far away:


Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!

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You Are Adventurous

You are quite adventurous and brave, but you are also reasonable about it. You don't have to be on an adventure 24/7. You have good judgment and balance. You like to try new and exciting things, but you also pay attention to risk. You're not the type of person who would throw your life away just to go on a new trip or have a new romantic partner. You like your thrills in small, safe doses. You are gutsy in all aspects of your life from career to relationships.

Are You Adventurous?

That's pretty close to right... I do tend to straddle the fence between adventurous and safe (with a slight leaning toward the safe side).

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Mystery Bulb Revealed

A room without books is like a body without a soul. ~ Marcus T. Cicero

Woke up this morning to thunder and rain... and had to go out into it to put the bird feeders out. Whee. Took the dog, who was none to happy, but she needed to go out, too, and misery loves company, right?

In any case, I'm sort of glad it's raining. I worked outside a bit yesterday and moved several plants, plus I was really brutal to some of my creeping phlox that had grass growing into it and ripped a LOT right out by its roots to get the grass and then just sort of plopped it back on top of the dirt (phlox is pretty tough) and it all needed a good watering in.

I also dug up and threw out a TON of dragon's blood seedum, which broke my heart a bit, but I can't find anyone to take it (my neighbors run screaming when they see me now: "No... no more plants!") and it was hearty, healthy and .... growing into the lawn.

In other news, I got the bright idea of taking a picture of the mystery bulb on my phone and showing it to garden lady at Agway (where I bought the bulb last year). I told her what I knew: it was nearly 2' tall and deer resistant. She grabbed her fall bulb catalogue and .... drum roll please....

I know what it is: MEDITERRANEAN BELLS

Here are some pictures of what it will look like when it's blooming.



I also discovered that another name for the plant is "Sicilian Garlic" and that it can smell like its namesake when it's warm (mine's right by a front window ... I may end up craving Italian food regularly) and that it propagates via the bulb AND via reseeding. Things might get a little crazy...

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I've been rereading several of my "keeper" books lately, trying to pinpoint exactly what it is about them that makes them a keeper. They're different authors, vastly different genres (I have YA, straight fantasy, paranormal/vampire, historical, straight suspense, contemporary romance and more) and have little in common except that they're books I love to revisit.

I think it's mostly that I really liked the characters, but there's more. And it's still tantalizingly out of the reach of my brain. I'm going to keep on keeping on, though, and try to figure it out.

What makes a book a keeper for you?

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You Are a Cool Person

You are calm and collected. You don't make much of a fuss - in fact, no one can tell when you're excited. You are not very emotive and expressive. You tend to temper any feelings with logic and rationality. You are steady and consistent. You are a person of your word, and you like to keep to a schedule. Your energy tends to be at the same level throughout the day. You know how to pace yourself.

Are You Warm or Cool?

Pretty much correct, except the energy part.

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Friday Frivolities

I tell you this, and I tell you plain:
What you have done, you will do again;
You will bite your tongue, careful or not,
Upon the already-bitten spot.
~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

No, the quote has nothing to do with anything ... it just cracked me up.

Yesterday was a weird day, weatherwise. In the morning it was gray, cold and around 7:30 a.m. it POURED ... for about five minutes.

Then it slowly cleared up. Looks like the worst of the storm went north of us (which is why you didn't get any yucky weather, Ceri). It was, however, windy as all get out for the entire day (which wasn't necessarily bad as it helps keep the bugs down).

We looked for pillars, but didn't find any yet. We'll look again today. I checked back for last year and discovered that we didn't find our first pillars until June 13th (and we found NINE then). So, despite the appearance of the butterflies, it might still be too early by a few weeks for pillars. Even so, we'll keep checking.

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In other news, my mystery bulb outside is starting to do its thing and now looks like this:



And no, I still don't know what it is.

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Your Life's Challenge is Being Fickle

The whole world is open to you. You are a smart person with many resources and opportunities. You've lucked out a lot in life. Things always seem to go your way, and you've had many successes. You may be surprised to learn that you are standing in the way of more success by being a bit too irresponsible and flaky. If you stuck to things a bit longer, you would rule the world. You have much more in you than you even realize.

What's Your Life's Challenge?

The first part, yes, the second? HAHAHAHAHA... no. Stick-to-it-tiveness is not my problem at all.

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Thursday Thirteen

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here

Thirteen First Lines To Stories I've Written (published and WIPs):

1. Corinne Weathers, Cori to her friends and family—but not to her very proper cooking class teacher, Micah DePalma—gave a squeak of fear at the flames creeping up her apron. ("Kitchen Matches")

2. It wasn’t going to happen, not by tomorrow morning anyway. ("A Change of Heart")

3. A line on the switchboard buzzed at the same moment Lizzie Scott glanced at the clock. ("Don't Fence Me In")

4. “Disgusting.” Cass Edwards wrinkled her nose against the stink. ("Magic")

5. Millie wiped down the counter and tried to keep from looking at the clock for the hundredth time that night. ("Miles From You")

6. “Come on, Mommy. Let's go!” Melinda's feet shuffled in place while she tried to drag Sarah off the motel room bed. ("Now That We've Found You")

7. Her obsession started innocently enough. ("Pregnancy Cravings")

8. Nothing good ever happened at Christmas. ("The Christmas Curse")

9. Tina Springfield knelt in the dark loam and nipped a dead blossom off her Veteran’s Honor rose bush, pleased with the remaining buds’ classic shape and deep red color. ("Tickle Fights and Barbecues")

10. Liv Leigh tugged a faded Boston College sweatshirt over her head, careful not to dislodge the wig covering her platinum blond hair. ("One Love for Liv")

11. Geoff Quigley stood on the sidewalk on a gorgeous, fairly warm May day and stared at his dream house. ("A Jewel for Geoff" - sequel to "One Love for Liv" and a WIP)

12. “Why can’t Micah do this with you?” Zach Weathers grumbled at his sister, Cori as she dragged him through a door with fluffy white curtains and into hell--otherwise known as Now and Forever Wedding Planning. ("Now and Forever" sequel to "Kitchen Matches" and a WIP)

13. No one deserved to be beaten to death. ("Return to Stiller Creek" - a complete novel in edits)

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In other news, we saw what was either a female tiger swallowtail or a black swallowtail yesterday. Usually tiger swallowtails are yellow with black markings, but the females occasionally color themselves in what looks remarkably like a black swallowtail. If the critter had let me hold it, I could have told the difference, but they're funny about that, lol.

It's supposed to rain pretty hard here today, but we'll start looking for butterbabies anyway. and, I need to buy parsley to give them a second choice of food.

I love Pillars.

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You Are Kind

You have a broad perspective on life. You are very understanding and forgiving. You prefer a quiet, peaceful existence. You don't like noise in your head - or in the world around you. For you, there's no such thing as too much calm. Having time to think is a gift that you treasure.

The Happy Smiley Test

That's pretty close to correct, except the forgiving part. I have a tough time with grudges, lol...

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