In the course of a rather strange discussion today with the girl-child (don’t ask… it got seriously bizarre), I got hit with two new (and pretty wild) plot bunnies. See if y’all think either of them sounds like the basis of something you might want to read. We’ll leave the question of whether they are serious action/adventure or snarky comedy until later *g*

Bunny numero uno:
Genetically engineered roaches that, when you squish them, grow new roaches from each of the individual smooshed bits. They might even have mandibles made of some Terminator 2 style freaky-ass metal liquid stuff. And itty bitty spy cameras for eyes! if spy cameras could be made from organic, growing materials, that is.

Bunny numbero dos:
In the future, giant tarantulas roam the earth (don’t ask me WHY, I don’t know WHY!), and humans keep them at bay with tamed giant spitting spiders (apparently there is a type of spitting spider which actually EATS tarantulas O_O).

**thinks**
Okay, so #2 bunny really does sound like an MST3K movie. LOL. But what about bunny #1? Y’all think I could ever turn that kernal of weirdness into a way-cool action/adventure type book? It would sure be fun to try :D

Contest alert!

In my current WIP there is a bookstore that sells both new and used books. There is also a coffee-bar attached to the store. But because I am the most naming-impaired person on the face of the earth, the store is thus far identified only as The Bookstore. Continue Reading »

Full time writer, that is.

On Thursday, I talked to my boss at the EDJ and requested to go part time. Reason? I need more time for my writing. And you know what? It was TRUE! How cool is that?

I’m happy to say that he was extremely cool about it. Not that that’s surprising. He’s a great guy. One of the main reasons I still worked where I did. We’ll be hashing out the details of my abbreviated work week for the rest of April, then come May 1st, I’m only on 3 days a week! Continue Reading »

I’m nearing the midway point. I was hoping to be on chapter 10 by this coming Monday, but it looks like it’s going to be Wednesday instead. Not a big deal it still puts me finished with the rough draft on May 15th. For those keeping count, I’m at 35,400 words. The big climactic middle is about to happen and I can’t wait to watch. I’m working on a love scene today, which is the start of the big angsty middle. YEA!

It’s still going great. I’m really surprised but neither of my characters have put up a fuss about being written yet. There is usually one character that gives me trouble, but these two are looking like Ethan and Jamie, or Chay and Keaton. All those characters were easy to write.

In other news, I just finished my print galley for With Caution. It’s going to be released in print in the fall. And of course thoughts of Sterling came creeping in. I’m holding him off though. I have got to get another cowboy story written!

Until next time…

I’ve rotating between writing my sci-fi story GENETIC SNARE, sequel to DETAILS OF THE HUNT, and the crime adventure MEXICAN HEAT. Weird, huh? I’m trying to get both novels done at the same time! I’ve been working on them off and on for too long, setting them aside for other projects as they come up, or hitting stumbling block to my muse, but now it’s time to get down and dirty with them. AND GET THEM WRITTEN!

GENETIC SNARE is all about Aidan and Talos again because, of course, I love them and can’t let them linger in limbo for too long. MEXICAN HEAT will flesh out the characters readers may have gotten a taste of in my short story SOUTH OF THE BORDER, Antonio and Gabriel. Sexy, sultry and smart-mouthed! There will be something special with MEXICAN HEAT, too. I’ll tell you about that later. It’s kind of a surprise, but a very good one! Watch for it.

Okay, not really. But, you might win a shiny new ebook, which uses WAY less gas than most cars.

Heh :P

Here’s the real deal. My fantasy romance Fireflies is up for March Cover of the Month at author Erin Aislinn’s website. Every month, she puts up four different book covers to compete as cover of the month. Each cover is featured for one week, then they all duke it out the next month for Cover of the Month title. Voting for the March Cover of the Month started today and runs through the end of April. When you vote in the competition, you are entered to win an ebook copy of the book whose cover wins that month. Soooo, if everyone goes and votes for Fireflies and it wins the March Cover of the Month title, one extremely lucky voter will win a copy of that book.

Could anything be simpler? I submit that it could not!
[/Brian Regan moment]
So, go to Erin’s website and vote for Fireflies! It’s the purtiest cover anyhow :D

I can’t cheat on characters (see last week’s blog) but I can cheat on blog entries. Rather than me rambling on, how about an excerpt from my upcoming (*cough*next week*cough*) release?

Pairing: m/f; m/m/f

Buy it here soon

What’s this? Another man touching Meg? You really can’t blame him though. Don’t you recognize him? That’s Logan Lockhart, the actor. She’s been a fan of his for awhile.

BLURB:

The legacy of the evil witch has left Meg with a heck of a lot of power and influence in the southwest United States. Much to her dismay, this means that just about everyone thinks she’s a shoe in to be the next grand dame.

What they don’t get is that the last thing Meg wants is to be grand dame. She grew up watching her mother rule the paranormal community in the northeast and it was enough to show her that she didn’t want that kind of responsibility.

Terrance B Sharpe proclaims himself to be the man for the job, however. He’s even leashed the matriarch of L.A.’s very powerful lion’s pride as a display of his prowess. It’s through him that Meg meets an actor she’s panted after for years. One of the lions, Logan Lockhart not only makes her girl parts happy, he also fills her in on a thing or two about Sharpe that she’d rather not know.

But what the heck is she doing paying attention to Logan when she’s already got two luscious shifters to call her own? Michael and Rudy are doing all they can to help her out, but Michael, as usual, has his own goals that don’t always mesh with Meg’s.

What’s a girl to do when she’s been handed a lion’s share of power on a silver platter? Continue Reading »

All is well in Englor…I mean Texas! I’m just a little too absorbed in the MS. I’ve even started thinking “bloody hell,” “galaxy,” and “dust,” when things bug me in RL. Seriously though. I’ve been in writing lala land. I need to at least check in with my yahoogroup and let them know I’m still breathing. I’m having a blast and really enjoying myself. It feels Grreeeeeaaaat! (Tony the Tiger impersonation).

My muse seems to be back in full force. I’m not only seeing scenes and things for TEA, but I’ve had Jamie show up in my head again, as well as Sterling and the heroes from a story I plan on writing next year. Now I I can just get Conor to cooperate and start feeding me some info, all will be well. Again not that I’m complaining, as long as Payton and Simon keep talking I’m a happy camper.

So what are the boys up to this week? Well they’ve had sex two more times and finally kissed. They are really starting to get to know one another and yes, fall in love dreamy sigh. Now it’s time to start throwing obstacles in their way and listen to Jet, The Great Character Protector, threaten me over hurting them. I will then have to point out that I haven’t eviscerated any character yet (looks at Ally). That will get Jet off my back for a bit ;-).

I’m at nearly 30k now. I still need to check with Sasha about the length issue. I’m about to start chapter 7. I’m hoping to hit chapter 10 by next week. That will be–drumroll please–the halfway point in the MS. YEA! Wish me luck.

Until next time…

I’m writing a hostage story this week. Finishing it up, really. Right now I’m taking a break from watching a run of cop/forensic TV shows trying to get the lingo just right. LOL. I know from being a nurse each career has its own special jargon and I want to add a touch of it to the story to make it realistic. Just a bit. I’m writing a hostage story for an anthology with Josh Lanyon and Sarah Black that is coming out soon in print with MLR Press. I think Josh and Sarah have their stories in ebook with another publisher, but I haven’t thought ahead enough to put mine out there as a single short yet. I’ll let you know when I do.

I like writing strong men forced into a vulnerable spot whether they are the kidnap victim or the one left behind to find their lover, both are made to be vulnerable. It’s a feast for a writer like me who likes emotion and romance and a little bit of angst. It’s been a fun story and if appeals enough to readers, I might do a regular shot with this guys a couple times a year. We’ll see how it goes. I ‘ve got a great B&W of the two guys I’m going to have added to the book so readers can see what I used for inspiration!

Okay, I’m pondering a new book involving a singer/performer type guy. That, of course, got me thinking of all the great unused band names out there. I’ve heard some real jaw-droppers over the years.

Here’s the story of my personal favorite. The hubby and I were watching a show about sex toys, devices, etc. Apparently someone once invented some kind of doodad that a guy could put in his woman’s coochie, and it would snap down on any “unauthorized penises” which tried to enter. That really was the phrase they used! I about died laughing, and the hubby and I both agreed that Unauthorized Penises would be an awesome band name *g*

So what are some great unused band names? If I write a book about a singer he’ll need a band, and then I’ll need to have lots and lots of names for all the other bands…