Music Monday

January 11, 2010 | Music Monday

More mood setting music

Sunday funnies

January 10, 2010 | Sunday funnies

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Six-pack Saturday

January 9, 2010 | Six-Pack Saturday

There are things that remain a mystery to me–

1) Why do Swedes roast the best coffee?

2) Where do cobwebs come from?

3) Why is maintaining status quo impossible?

4) Does time have any objective basis in reality?

6) Does chaos theory reign?

Feel free to enlighten me, or add mysteries of your own…

Fan Girl Friday

January 8, 2010 | Fan Girl Friday

For obvious reasons ( I like it and it’s what I do) I read a lot of romance. But, I wander off to sample other genres too, with mixed results.

Last year I read two block busters that everyone else read ages ago–The Da Vinci Code and Twilight. I like both of them and setting played a big part in my enjoyment.

The Da Vinci Codes begins in Louvre, why didn’t someone mention this? I love art museums, I love Paris the details were evocative and made the story instantly more likable.

Twilight is set in Forks, and there’s a good reason, for many pages I wondered why the talented, and apparently sane, author would make such a choice. Again the details of the setting added to my enjoyment of the book.

Do you have favorite settings? Or is it just me?

Real life

January 7, 2010 | Real life

Last month WordPress (the engine behind this blog) upgraded. All well and good, but the scheduling of blog posts feature got lost in the shuffle of improvement.

Scheduling is one of my favorites. I want to entertain blog readers with a fresh snippet everyday. But, I don’t get up as early as most people do–sleep is something I like even better than being a good blogger. ;) Scheduling posts made it possible for me to write late into the night and snooze the following morning while still having a fresh blog post appear bright and early.

Then the teeny little glitch happened. Too late, I appreciate a techno feat I took for granted. It makes me think about how many things I count on every day and only think about when they don’t work–like, computers, cars, and electricity.

What aspects of modern life would you miss if they disappeared?

WIP Wednesday

January 6, 2010 | WIP Wednesday

Once again the lure of a new story called and I followed. I used to wonder about writers with a long list of work-in-progress manuscripts down their sidebars. Not any more. So far, I haven’t succumbed to listing them. Mostly because I shudder to think about how many partials loiter on the hard drive. To say nothing of the completed manuscripts that need deep revision.

Finishing stories is essential. There’s no happy sharing of the unwritten, unrevised, and unpolished. Perhaps the answer is to put more time into the concept before I make the commitment to write. Or maybe, this is just the way my mind works.

Writing takes a balance of discipline and creativity. Naturally, many of us find the creative side more fun than the discipline.

Do you finish what you start? Or do you multi-task with several different projects in various stages of completion? Or do you manage both feats?

Real life

Real life

The other day I clicked on one of those featured blogs. Lessons Learned from Five years of Blogging was the part of the tag line that caught my attention. Here’s the link to the webcast. I got as far as his explanation of monetizing his blog efforts before I clicked on to something else.

There are those who make a living blogging. Clickable ads are the main vehicle for generating blog income. Maybe I’m missing something, but the idea doesn’t appeal to me. This blog exists for those who want to know a little more about me, it also gives new fans a place to read excerpts and find my backlist titles. For those watching for new releases this is always where I post news of contracts, cover art, and release dates as soon as I know them.

I share things that make me smile, or move me to tears. I whine about the difficult characters, who refuse to cooperate with my well-crafted plots. I talk about the Diva dog and her issues. and I rattle on about the authors I find entertaining. I enjoy blogging for both new and old friend about reading, writing, and real life. Running ads doesn’t fit this blog’s goals.

How do you feel about advertising on blogs?

Teaser Tuesday

January 5, 2010 | Teaser Tuesday

When I begin new stories, there are characters to sort out from all the voices in my head. Shhh, don’t tell anyone about those, ‘kay? I don’t always get everything right. :( Understandable considering, I’m catching of snippets of conversation, trying to guess who they’re talking to, what they’re talking about, and which of the video streams matches the voices.

Just so you understand it’s not a tidy organized kind of process. This is strange considering what a tidy by the numbers kind of girl I am. It may be the attraction of opposites…

Attraction is at the heart of every dangerously sexy story. Specifically, the why of the couple. Why this particular man and this particular woman? And even more important–why not? After all if they’re perfect for each other, and they are, then what keeps them from falling into an embrace at that crucial first meeting and pledging their commitment?

Wicked Business is one of those opposites attract stories. He’s rich, powerful, and skirting the edges of legality. She’s living on shoestring, barely clinging to the bottom rung, and a sworn officer of the law. He has a big family, she has none. He’s gorgeous, she’s ordinary. Both of them soldier through life alone although surrounded by others…..

Music Monday

January 4, 2010 | Music Monday

Fun stuff ;)

Sunday funnies

January 2, 2010 | Sunday funnies

see more Lolcats and funny pictures