Welcome

Recast 2: CLASH is now available!

2012-01-25T06:15:00.001+11:00

Today is another exciting day!

The second book in my SFR series RECAST is now available:

When revenge, secrets and lust collide, there can only be chaos.

Recast, Book 2

Jenks Maine is dead, but the devastating effects forcing Recast to fight in the arena goes on. Half-Recast Ace Abu is determined to put a stop to it. All he needs is to get to the planet Fray, locate the concealed Clash Arena, and destroy it. But first he has to cross half the galaxy before the sound and smell of his partners’ nonstop lovemaking drives him mad.

By the time he parks himself on a barstool in the town of Grit, he’s more than ready for a few beers. Except the sexy singer on stage is only making him—and his inner beast—burn hotter.

Ely’Shea longs for the freedom Jenks stole from her. She’s his right-hand woman, but when the boss is away she steps out of her enforcer role and ducks into a remote bar to indulge her passion: singing onstage. The night she catches a glimpse of an alluring cowboy in the audience, he ignites a spark inside her she never thought she’d feel again.

Unable to resist temptation, they’re consumed by passion…but once the fuses are set, their deepest personal secrets could blow any chance of forever all to hell.

Product Warnings

This book contains a very lonely shapeshifter in need of some loving, a kick-ass singer leading a double life, a serious case of mutual lust, an arena filled with enslaved warriors, and so many secrets it can only end in total madness.

Read an excerpt

Samhain Publishing | Kindle | NOOKBook | Diesel

I've already got two reviews:

"Several sexy scenes, an interesting plot, and strong dialog make this a fun and compelling read. Recommended for casual sf and romance lovers."
–Jennifer Harris, Library Journal

"Clash offers an adventurous tale in space and another strong heroine."
–LovLivLife Reviews

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I'm guest blogging at The Romance Studio.

There's also a giveaway at The Galaxy Express, where you have a chance to win both WITHER & CLASH by answering a quick question. ;)

RECAST SERIES:

GREEN WITCH by Alice Hoffman

2012-01-24T18:15:00.003+11:00

In this powerful, lovely sequel to GREEN ANGEL, Green must learn the stories of a number of "witches" and free her true soul mate from a prison as she grapples with life, love, and loss in a post-disaster world.

I found out about this book because my daughter was interested in reading Green Angel. I searched here on Goodreads and to my surprise--and excitement--found there was a sequel. Then I found it at the local library and just had to borrow it.

My daughter actually read it before me, and she told me it was lovely. I picked it up yesterday and read it in a few sittings... and she was right. This is another beautiful, haunting, heart-breaking story about Green. She lost everything a year ago, but is now rebuilding her life. Still, she longs for the boy she loves and sets out on a wondrous quest...

This is another wonderfully-written story by Alice Hoffman. She certainly has a way with words, and can convey so much emotion in just one sentence. Her stories always touch my heart, so I'm going to have to go out of my way to read more of them. She's a brilliant storyteller.

This passage from the book is about love, and it truly is amazing:

"You have to be willing to give everything away. You have to be willing to end up with nothing.

Only then will your heart be whole."

Last night, I ordered Green Heart, which actually contains both books. Can't wait to receive it. :)

Happy Birthday, Loki!

2012-01-24T08:55:00.004+11:00

That's right! Today is Loki's birthday. Yay.

Look at him. This is what he looked like when we first adopted him in March 2007. He's always been a cheeky cutie. We fell in love with his antics at the RSPCA right away. He was so friendly. And he became part of the family very quickly.

We love the little guy. I just can't believe he's 5 years old now! Wow.

Time sure flies. Though I really shouldn't be surprised because my daughter will turn 12 this October. Yikes.

Anyway. I hope he has a great kitty day! ;)

I'm guest blogging today. You can find me at Ren Thompson's blog. I'm chatting about mixing genres. You know how much I love to do that, right? ;)

I've also noticed a few reviews for CLASH:

Library Journal

LovLivLife Reviews

They're both great reviews, so I'm very excited.

And, don't forget that you can pick up the prequel novella for my upcoming The Hidden series from ImaJinn Books. For Free! ;) If you do read it, I'd love to know what you think. :) I'm very excited about Trina Martin finally being out there in the world...

As you can probably tell, January has actually turned out to be super busy so far. Seriously, I've had my daughter home all month and still managed to tackle one novella full edit, the first round of edits for a novel, reading a bunch of books (I'm up to 8 right now), trying to get back into the swing of working out, and sorting out some promo. Phew. Yeah, I guess it's no wonder I'm so tired, lol.

This week is going to be a little wonky, but good. Hubby's only working three days, then it's a public holiday, followed by an RDO, and the weekend. Effing awesome! Oh, and on Friday night the three of us are going to the MCR concert. Can't wait! I've been trying not to get excited until the day, but with it being so close, I can't help it. :D

Oh, and did I mention that CLASH will be released tomorrow? OMGosh!

Have a great day.

DARKNESS BECOMES HER by Kelly Keaton

2012-01-23T20:59:00.001+11:00

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very…different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

I love Greek mythology, so I was very eager to get stuck into this book. And I'm glad I did.

Ari Selkirk has always felt different. For starters, she has strange coloured eyes and pale, long hair. Her mother died when she was small, so she's gone from one foster home to another all of her life. It's only lately that her guardians are actually a couple who care about her. They care so much they understand her need to find out more about her mother, and even equip her with the tools she needs.

After going to the hospital where her mother died and reading the note she left her, Ari knows she has to go past The Rim, to the hospital where she was born in New 2--the rebuilt city of New Orleans. But even before she heads into New 2, a strange man tries to kill her, and turns to smoke when she actually uses his own weapon against him.

Making her way into New 2, she meets a pack of children and teens that live alone. This new city is very different. For starters, Ari actually starts to feel at home and she instantly connects with the alluring Sebastian. But she quickly becomes the pawn in the middle of a war between an insane Goddess and the monsters she wants to destroy.

I absolutely loved this book! It's seriously awesome. Ari's an excellent narrator, and I felt so bad for her as she's trying to piece together the clues that she hopes lead her to understand why the women in her family always seem to die or kill themselves before the age of 21. She wants to beat this curse, but once she finally gets her answer... wow! I loved the way Greek mythology is mixed into a very interesting, dangerous, and vivid futuristic New Orleans.

Can't wait to see what happens next...

UNSEEN is now available... for FREE!

2012-01-23T07:19:00.001+11:00

No matter how much Trina wants to pretend she can lead a normal life, vampires always destroy her illusion of normalcy. Not even working a simple retail job keeps them away. And when she captures the attention of a man who needs her help, she's thrown into a dangerous game of hunting down a demented rogue vampire.

Doug has heard about The Allure, but he never thought he'd experience it for himself. Even though Trina, who draws vampires to her like a moth to a flame, is certain to kill him, he needs her help to tidy up a vampiric loose end.

As they work together to defeat the rogue vamp creating chaos in Sydney’s suburbia, Trina soon realizes that Doug is hiding something. If she's right about him, can she ignore the compulsion living deep inside that demands she kill every vampire who crosses her path?

UNSEEN: A Prequel to Unnatural

is now available for FREE from ImaJinn Books!

(FREE THROUGH February 28, 2012)

SADIE WALKER IS STRANDED by Madeleine Roux

2012-01-21T00:19:00.012+11:00

Sadie Walker fights for survival as the dead close in...

In the months since The Outbreak, Seattle has become a walled fortress - the Infected are kept at bay, and the survivors are trying to scrape back a life. But the city is rife with crime, religious cults and black-market dealings. And things are about to get much, much worse.

When a group of frustrated fanatics, the 'Repopulationists', destroy part of the wall, zombies start swarming the city. Sadie, devastated by the brutal kidnapping of her young nephew, must find him and get them both out before it's too late. But the only escape is by sea, and she's seen for herself the horrible fate of those who tried that route before...

After reading Allison Hewitt is Trapped last year, I was really looking forward to reading this one. And it certainly didn't disappoint!

Sadie Walker is an illustrator. She lives in Seattle with her nephew, Shane, and boyfriend, Carl. Months have passed since The Outbreak and the city is barricaded, so the undead can't get in. Life is hard and the population remains at risk from religious cults, crime, and a thriving black market. It's dangerous and everyone does their best to put food on the table and try to live a normal life.

Sadie continues to do what she loves--drawing. As well as making sure that Shane and her are relatively safe.

The morning her boyfriend betrays her, the new life she's gotten used to collapses around her. And when she wakes up after being unconscious for a day, she finds out that thanks to the crazy cult, zombies have breached the city walls and are contaminating it. It's chaos, and her nephew is missing. However, as her friend Andrea is dragging her to safety, she miraculously spots Shane and saves him from the kidnappers who took him.

This is only the start of a new, much harsher ordeal. As the three join a misfit crew on a boat that gets them away from the city, but into deep waters that aren't safe... because the undead seem to be getting smarter and can swim. As if that's not bad enough, being shipwrecked on an island with a mysterious group of seemingly nice people, a horde of zombies, and a killer, is definitely going to make survival a lot harder.

It pushes Sadie to the limits, which is when her fighter spirit really starts to shine through. I loved her indecision, honesty, and the sheer ferocity of how she tackled the responsibility for a boy she wants to keep safe. While staying loyal to the friendships she builds along the way.

Sadie Walker is Stranded is an amazing fast-paced book guaranteed to satisfy every zombie fan. Actually, even if you're not into zombies, you'll love this one. From start to finish, the tension is thick as you follow Sadie on a hopeless quest for survival in a world where zombies are waiting to tear the living apart, and the living are slowly but surely going insane.

There are also some tender moments and a wonderful, interesting cast of characters you can't help but approach with caution as the mystery on the island starts to unfold.

This is one seriously awesome book, and I (really, really) hope there are going to be more in this series. :)

Sadie Walker is Stranded, January 2012, ISBN 9780755379163, Headline Fiction

A little sewing...

2012-01-20T09:33:00.007+11:00

I mentioned yesterday that my daughter and I were going to be making a few of these. So, in the afternoon, we got all our felt pieces together and I started stitching.

<----And this is what we came up with.

As you can see, he's a little different to the one I've linked above. But hey, it's our first attempt! I think, Cy--my daughter named him--is pretty cute. She picked the felt colour, his button eyes, and positioned where she wanted his broken heart to go.*

I think he's cute, but I'm determined to do a much better job next time. ;)

Oh, and we ran out of time. So only made one.

Anyway, asides from the sewing, I spent most of yesterday morning scheduling, and emailing a few guest blog posts I've got coming up. One of them is already live.

As for today--TGIF, btw--I'm hoping to tie up a few Sierra Fox notes that need to be added to the series bible. I'd also like to read more of this zombie book, and maybe pick out what books I want to add to my immediate TBR pile. I've got library books, Kindle books, and my own personal bookshelves lined with books I can't wait to read. So many books, so little time. lol.

And yes, the word of the day is books.

OMG. Next Friday, we'll be going to see MCR in concert. I can't wait.

Have a great weekend!

*The voodoo doll's right eye cracks me up every time.

Taking a deep breath

2012-01-19T08:42:00.031+11:00

OMG. I can't believe it's been so long since I last dropped in and added a new blog post. But I've been swamped with edits.

Seriously.

It all started last week when I received edits for my upcoming novella, UNSEEN. As I already mentioned, I got the edits done, but then received the galley on Saturday. Of course, by then I'd already started the initial edit for A PATCH OF DARKNESS.

Taking another deep breath.

So, I spent a lot of the weekend reading over the galley. I got it done, emailed my editor, and in the meantime received the proof for RELENTLESS. See, it's crazy, right? ;) So I got that done and emailed. Which brings us to Monday morning, when I got stuck into the edit of A PATCH OF DARKNESS and spent every available moment working on it...

I finished it last night, but decided to keep it until this morning. I'm glad I did, because after double checking everything, I found a section that still needed a little work. But now, it's done.

Of course, it's done for now. There will be other rounds for APoD, and possibly for UNSEEN. The only one that's definitely done is RELENTLESS. Just waiting to get my final copy of that one. Yay.

So, phew! Have I also mentioned that my daughter's still on school holidays and that hubby has been home sick during the last few days because he had an eye infection? Yeah. Full house and full load of work means hectic me. Still, they were wonderful. Very supportive. They gave me the time and space I needed to get lost in the editing work. Hubby and Daughter are awesome.

Now, I'm tired and a little bleary-eyed. So I want to spend the rest of the day tackling a few guest blog posts I need to take care of before next week, as well as making one of these with my daughter. Well, two of them really. We cut out the shapes on Monday, picked our button eyes, and are now looking forward to putting them together. ;)

Well, see ya later!

HANA by Lauren Oliver

2012-01-16T08:08:00.003+11:00

In the world of Delirium, love is a disease. And like all eighteen-year-olds, Lena and Hana must take the cure.At the start of their last summer of freedom, they were the closest of friends. Until Hana made a decision that tore them apart . . .

In Delirium, we heard from Lena. Now, Hana gets to tell her side of the story. And nothing is what we first thought. Hana is a powerful, moving and beautifully told original eBook short story, with a shocking twist that will leave you with your heart in your mouth.

This novella fits between Delirium and Pandemonium. It's in the POV of Hana, who happens to be Lena's best friend.

It's beautifully written and gives the reader insight into what was going on with Hana while Lena's story was developing. I enjoyed delving into her life, but I have to admit that it didn't really offer anything new to the trilogy. Well, okay, except for the very end... which I didn't expect. :(

INCANTATION by Alice Hoffman

2012-01-13T20:06:00.000+11:00

Estrella deMadrigal thought she knew herself: daughter, granddaughter, sister, dearest friend, beloved. She is Star in the Night Sky, Truth in the Darkness. But truth is rare and precious in this cruel and unforgiving century in Spain, when Jews who refused conversion to Christianity risked everything - love, life, family, faith.

Then: A startling discovery shakes Estrella's world to the core. And yet, it is something small and sweet that sets it aflame. A kiss. A kiss from someone she is forbidden to love.

As a new girl emerges from the cocoon of secrets in which she has been shrouded, passion burns and friendship crumbles - and betrayal unleashes a monstrous evil from the very deepest part of the earth. Estrella crosses over to a place she never thought she could be; she is someone she never could have imagined.

Remember the story she is about to tell you.

I started this book yesterday morning and finished it by the evening. It's not a long book, but it is a very heavy and emotional story. From the beginning, I knew I was going to be swept away into a very dark time in Spanish history. A time that always angers and saddens me so much.

And I was right. I felt every bit of Estrella's narration, very deeply.

Estrella and her neighbour, Catalina, have been best friends since they were babies. Estrella always likes to say that they look like sisters, and even had similar pet names when they were little--Estrella was Raven, and Catalina was Crow.They do everything together, but when they're both sixteen years old, a great evil comes to their town. In the form of the inquisition.

It all starts with the burning books of a Jewish man who lives behind the gated part of town, where all the Jews who refuse to renounce their belief live. Then it becomes a physical threat as Estrella watches her neighbours being taken away to be judged guilt without a fair trial. After this, she starts to realise something about her own family. Little things, actions, and rituals she's known all of her life soon start making sense.

Estrella and her family aren't who she always thought they were. And because she falls in love with her best friend's cousin--the boy Catalina is suppose to marry--Catalina's true self comes through. In the process, she causes Estrella's family a very unfair and painful conclusion. It's amazing what jealousy can do to a person.

This book made me so sad. It's haunting and beautifully written, in a way that gets deep into your soul until you feel like all you want to do is cry. I loved it. I loved Estrella and her family, so when everything comes together, I felt it deeply. :(

The subject matter is very dark, but I found Esther to be a shining star...

New Cover!

2012-01-13T05:51:00.000+11:00

That's right! I've got a new cover to share. So, here it is:

No matter how much Trina wants to pretend she can lead a normal life, vampires always crash her illusion of normalcy. Not even working a simple retail job keeps the vamps away. And when she captures the attention of a man who needs her help, she's thrown into a dangerous game of hunting down a demented, rogue vampire.

Doug has heard about The Allure before, but never thought he'd experience it for himself. Yet, meeting the woman who is guaranteed to kill him isn't enough to keep him away from her. Or help him keep his secret when all he wants to do is touch her. Still, he needs her help to tidy up a vampiric loose end.

As the two work together to defeat a rogue vamp determined to cause chaos and mayhem in suburbia, Trina begins to suspect that Doug is hiding something. If she's right about him, can she ignore the compulsion living deep inside her that demands she kill every vampire she crosses paths with?

UNSEEN will be available from ImaJinn Books very soon, for FREE!

Well, what do you think? I love it.

And the first book in The Hidden series will soon follow...

So I'll keep you posted. :)

EIGHTH GRADE BITES by Heather Brewer

2012-01-13T05:33:00.004+11:00

Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he’s being hunted by a vampire killer.

This is a series that I've wanted to read for a while now, but I could never find the first book in the store. So, when I saw it on display at the library the other day, I picked it up.

Hoping to sample the first chapter, I ended up reading the first four. I was pretty much hooked into this book right away. Which is always such an awesome thing. :)

Vlad is in the eighth grade. He's constantly getting bullied, is too shy to approach the girl he likes--besides, she might actually like his best friend--and has to battle with being different. Seriously, he's a vampire. Well, his father was a vamp and his mother was human. But they're both dead now and he lives with his guardian, Nelly. As if being a teenager isn't hard enough, without having to hide his true nature, hunger for blood, and other vampiric skills.

When his favourite teacher goes missing and the substitute starts teaching them about mythological creatures, Vlad is pretty sure he knows who the killer in Bathory is... but things don't always turn out how he expects them to.

I had such an awesome time reading this book. It's fun, quirky, and Vlad is such a nice boy. I enjoyed learning about him and the town of Bathory, plus the secret vampire society he finds himself stumbling into. The mystery of who killed his parents is heartbreaking and I can't wait to find out exactly what happened.

This book is another example of why I love vampires so much! Oh, and I got a kick out of all the vampire references. Very cool.

Good morning & hello!

2012-01-12T09:40:00.000+11:00

Y'know, I was just posting my latest Hachette book review and realised that I haven't actually blogged all week. OMG!

I do have a reason. I received edits for my upcoming (very, very soon) UNSEEN (free!) novella on Monday afternoon. This is actually the prequel novella leading into UNNATURAL, which is the first book in my The Hidden series. So I'm very excited. And if you'd like to see the cover for UNSEEN, drop in tomorrow. ;)

So that's what I've spent the last few days doing. It was quite a bit of work, but also fun. I always enjoy the editing process. A lot. It might seem daunting at first, but once you get started, things start to fit together and the enthusiasm builds. Not to mention how awesome it feels when they're done. Like I did early this morning!

Oh, and the publisher is ImaJinn Books. In case you were wondering. lol.

Also, when I opened my Inbox this morning, I found the first round of edits for A PATCH OF DARKNESS waiting for me. So I know what I'll be working on next... Though I'll be taking a 'mental' break today to recharge my editing batteries and do a few things with my daughter, I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it tomorrow. :)

This year, we're starting a different cycle with our workouts. I'll still be going for a daily one hour walk every day, but instead of doing a weights workout one day, yoga the next, weights again, yoga, and so on... we're going to workout on a three-day cycle. So, it's yoga, weights, day off. So far, it's working out a lot better. Having that day off--which usually means hubby joins us for a nice walk in the evening--really helps. I'm liking it a lot more. Plus my daughter and I are going to start adding in a short run every two/three days.

We did our first run on Tuesday and boy did it hurt. It's amazing that I can do so many workouts and go for so many walks and still feel like crap after a run. Running is a totally different beast, I suppose.

Well. That's it. I've been pretty busy, and trying to squeeze in some reading whenever I can. Hope you have a great day!

DARKNESS FALLS by Cate Tiernan

2012-01-11T15:13:00.002+11:00

I'm still here. Still immortal. The eagerly anticipated sequel to Immortal Beloved, the deeply alluring gothic romance.

Reyn: the thorn in my side, nightmare of my past, destroyer of my family, constant irritant of my now . . . and the one whose fevered kisses I had relived over and over as I lay exhausted and unable to sleep.

And yet night after night, he--who has kicked down hundreds of doors--had not brought himself to knock on mine.

Are you dizzy from being flung into my world like this? I feel the same way every morning when I open my eyes to find I'm still me, still here.

This is the second book in the Immortal Beloved Trilogy, and while I enjoyed the first one, this one blew me away. Seriously, I was instantly hooked and found it hard to put down.

Nastasya is immortal and for the last few months has been staying at River's Edge, which is like a rehab farm for immortals who have lost their way. She helps out with the daily chores, cooking, and even has a job in town, but her life still isn't easy. Especially since she spends so much time denying she's got feelings for the very alluring Reyn. After all, their history is entwined in a very personal and violent way that goes way back to their childhoods centuries before.

On New Year's Eve, the group gets together and they perform a magick circle to let go of something they no longer want, and meditate about the new year. When Nastasya lets go of her darkness, everything becomes a lot more complicated. Suddenly, she's having horrifying visions about her best friend--also the person she escaped--Incy. But that's not all. Her job becomes a nightmare as she gets caught between a very angry father and the daughter he blames for his wife and son's death. Not to mention that she starts to feel as if her darkness is even affecting the farm. It gets so bad that she decides to make a run for it. She leaves and in the middle of the night is miraculously found by the man she most wanted to leave behind.

Within days of going to Boston with Incy and meeting up with her shallow friends again, she realises that the selfish, partying life she lived for so many long years is no longer what she wants. She also slowly starts to understand that what she believed to be her dark influence might actually be someone else's. And maybe, it's too late to do anything about it...

Darkness Falls is an amazing, well-written book! I absolutely loved every minute of it. While Nastasya is often abrupt, confused, and even downright self-involved, she really is an excellent narrator. She takes the reader on a very personal roller-coaster ride of emotions as her dark past and familial legacy continue to haunt her every waking moment. She tries very hard to be good, and even though she doubts herself so much, it's not until everything is on the line that she realises just how much she's learned and changed.

This book showed tremendous personal growth for her, and I'm waiting very impatiently until the next book comes out, because I can't wait to see how it all wraps up.

I adored this story!

Darkness Falls: Immortal Beloved #2, January 2012, ISBN 9781444707076, H&S Fiction

TEMPEST'S LEGACY by Nicole Peeler

2012-01-09T09:53:00.004+11:00

After a peaceful hiatus at home in Rockabill, Jane True thinks that her worst problem is that she still throws like a girl - at least while throwing fireballs. Her peace of mind ends, however, when Anyan arrives one night with terrible news . . . news that will rock Jane's world to its very core.

After demanding to help investigate a series of gruesome attacks on females -- supernatural, halfling, and human -- Jane quickly finds herself forced to confront her darkest nightmares as well as her deepest desires.

And she's not sure which she finds more frightening.

This is the third book in the Jane True series, and I couldn't wait to get stuck into it. Though I have to say that I'm not really digging the new UK covers. :( I prefer the gorgeous US covers, they're so cute. So, I've already ordered and pre-ordered the next two books in the series with US covers. :)

Sorry about the cover talk, lol.

Jane is getting on with her life in Rockabill, where she lives with her father, enjoys her job in a bookstore, loves hanging out with her friends, and is continuing her magical training. Plus, she loves going for long swims and her cove is perfect for that.

However, when she finds out her mother has been killed--a selkie who left when she was six years old--her world comes crashing down. Though Ryu is there to help pick up the pieces, it's just not enough. Whatever she felt for him is now gone, and his games of manipulation are getting old. Besides, she's got a huge crush on Anyan. But things in her romantic life take a backseat when she demands to be included in the investigation into the gruesome murders of so many females.

This leads to some very horrifying places--secret labs where unbelievable atrocities are carried out on the women who are kidnapped. And when one of Jane's friends is taken, she's determined to get to the bottom of it. Even if it means putting her own safety on the line.

I really enjoyed this book, and this series. I'm having a great time reading Jane's development and acceptance of this world while facing so many difficult situations. I'm also intrigued by 'Blondie', and since she's on the cover of the next book, I look forward to finding out more about her and why she keeps appearing now.

Oh, and it's awesome to see things with Anyan are finally moving somewhere. Can't wait for them to get together! ;)

I have the Sierra Fox Blurb to share!

2012-01-06T08:05:00.001+11:00

So, how was the first week of 2012 for you? For me, it was filled with unmotivated thoughts and a need to spend my time doing anything but thinking about writing. Although it did mean that I spent quite a bit of time doing stuff with my daughter, which is cool.

I won't be avoiding the work that needs to be done forever. Actually, I'm getting excited and am pretty much ready to grab my laptop, notepad, pens, my editor's email, and get started on the brainstorming part of the work I need to do.

But that's next week. What's left of this week will be spent reading and feeling unmotivated. ;)

Anyway. Enough of that.

Guess what I can officially share? The blurb for A PATCH OF DARKNESS!

Here it is...

All it takes is one weak seam for everything to fall apart.

Sierra Fox, Book 1

In a perfect world, Sierra Fox would have stayed away from the Council she left years ago. But in this world—where spirits have the right to walk among the living—it’s her job to round up troublesome spooks and bring them before that very same Council.

Though her desk is piled high with open cases, she can’t resist an anonymous summons to a mysterious late-night meeting with a bunch of other hunters, each of whom seems to have a unique specialty. The news is dire: something is tearing at the fabric of the universe. If the hunters can’t find who or why in time, something’s going to give in a very messy way.

As current cases, family secrets, new clues and her tangled love life slowly wind themselves into an impossible knot, Sierra finds herself the target of a power-sucking duo intent on stealing her mojo. And realizing she holds the key to the last hope of sealing the widening rift.

Warning: Spook catching: may contain traces of ectoplasm and otherworldly nasties. Not recommended for those with allergies to ghosts, demons, and with boyfriends who think your power is theirs. While reading, avoid dark patches and stay to the light.

Well, what do you think? :) I'm very excited about this book. As I've mentioned before, it's the first book in an urban fantasy series I have planned. It will be released on May 15, 2012. How cool, is that? Exciting.

I can't wait to see the cover for this one.

Well, that's it for today. Looks like the weather's cooled down a little. As long as the sun returns soon, I can handle it.

Have an awesome weekend!

AVENGER'S ANGEL by Heather Killough-Walden

2012-01-06T07:46:00.008+11:00

Four thousand years ago, four archangels were cast down to Earth in human form. God's favourites, they came to find their mates, the other half of their souls made only for them, without whom they will never be complete.

Uriel, Gabriel, Azrael and Michael, however, were not alone. They were followed by another, determined to find the archesses for himself, and whose power cannot be underestimated. But after centuries of fruitless searching, the archangels - and their enemy - have all but given up hope.

Until one day beautiful and gifted Eleanore Granger crosses paths with Uriel, the Angel of Vengeance. And as a storm rages, outside forces conspire together, initiating an age old battle of good versus evil to win the first archess.

Firstly, I need to mention how lovely this cover is. I have to admit that it caught my eye last year, so when I received a copy for review, I was curious and looking forward to reading it.

This is the first book in The Lost Angels series, which is about God's favoured four archangels--Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Azrael. To reward their loyalty, He made them soul mates which were later lost. So, the archangels have been hanging around Earth for over 2,000 years looking for these archesses. Except, their foe--Samael--is also here, and determined to find these females before they do.

In the first book, Uriel, who is now a famous actor playing a vampire in some very popular movies, stumbles upon Eleanore while attending a book signing in the store she works in. Eleanore isn't like other women, she's got some freaky powers she tries to hide from people and has spent most of her life running because there are men chasing her.

When she meets Uriel and feels a sudden attraction, she tries everything she can to fight his allure. But the archangel is determined to get his girl, at some pretty high costs.

While the story sounds insteresting and I'm always curious about stories featuring angels, I found this book to be... disappointing. There was just something about it that didn't click for me. It could be that I didn't particularly like or care about the hero. Or that I initially did like Eleanore but then lost interest in her when she started to fall for the arrogant Uriel. Maybe it was just that I didn't feel any connection to the world, and especially the secondary characters.

In the end, I found myself losing interest and my mind started to wander. I even skimmed ahead several times. :(

Avenger's Angel was a book that I really wanted to like, but I just couldn't get into. Though I do have to point out that it's very well written. That's certainly one quality I enjoyed!

The Lost Angels #1: Avenger's Angel, December 2011, ISBN 9780755380374, Headline Fiction Paperbacks

DECEIVED BY THE OTHERS by Jess Haines

2012-01-05T08:42:00.003+11:00

They’re here, and they’re real…werewolves, vampires, mages, and other creatures of the night. For New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest, taking care of Others business started out as a way to stay solvent. But now business is getting very, very complicated…

Shiarra’s relationship with sexy werewolf Chaz may be somewhat unconventional. Still, after a few bumps, Shia is finally ready to get serious. That means meeting family-or in this case, bringing Chaz’s entire werewolf pack along for a rollicking full-moon weekend in the Catskills.

Soon after they arrive, threatening notes appear, warning Chaz to go home. Then their cabin is ransacked. Shia starts digging to find out whether it’s the work of upstart teenaged werewolves or something more sinister. Yet as rumors about her vampire connections arouse the pack’s hostility, Shia has to contend with other dangers. Not just from an adversary about to make his fatal intentions known, but from a threat that’s even closer than she knows…

** spoiler alert **

This is the third book in the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series. After enjoying the first two, I was looking forward to reading this one.

At the end of my review for the second book, I remember saying that I couldn't 'wait to step into Chaz's world'. Well, that's exactly what Shiarra does in this book. She heads out for a weekend away with Chaz and his pack, the Sunstrikers. He wants her to meet them and see how she'll handle being around them.

It sounded like a good idea. In theory. And to be honest, things start out pretty well. She meets a lot of the werewolves, and they all seem to be quite nice and willing to get along with her. Chaz is there to lend his support and always assigns someone to keep her safe. They seem to be really clicking romantically too, and Shiarra's being contemplating signing a contract with him. To show him how much he means to her.

Then, confusing, threatening notes start appearing inside their cabin. Their things get stolen and torched. One of the female Weres suddenly turns on her. A young Were tries to use her as bait to beat Chaz. One bad thing after another starts to happen, and Shiarra is determined to help the pack figure it out. After all, she's a PI. But what she didn't expect was the biggest betrayal from Chaz himself...

I was so shocked when I read the scene with Chaz's betrayal. I wasn't expecting it, or the events that follow after she gets back to the city. And I have to say, I absolutely loved it! I love it when the story seems to be going somewhere and then takes a dark, unexpected turn. What started out as a romantic getaway so she could also get to know her boyfriend's pack and integrate into their lives, turns out to be a total nightmare. Because, not only does she now need to deal with a cheating ex, but the pack is determined to hunt her down. Oh, and one of them actually scratched her too. Which means she might end up turning into a werewolf herself.

I felt so bad for Shiarra. She loses so much in this book. :(

OMG. I love the direction this series has taken, and really can't wait until the next book!

So... 2012, huh?

2012-01-03T09:28:00.057+11:00

Did you all have a fun and safe new year? We did. I don't like going out to celebrate during the festive season, there are just too many troublemakers out there and a lot of bad things happen. So we prefer to stay home. It's safer, and a lot more fun. IMO.

So, are you impressed with 2012 yet? Did it start on a good note for you? I was feeling really good the other day, but now... it's the third day, and my positive attitude is already starting to fade a little. O_o

I don't think it's a huge issue, or even a problem. After enjoying such an awesome couple of weeks with hubby first having a 5-day weekend, and then a 3-day one, it's just hard to get back on the everything's gone back to normal bandwagon. That's all. And he will be having another 4-day weekend near the end of this month...

Of course, it doesn't help that I received an R&R for one of my subs yesterday. That always manages to put me in a gloomy mood initially. I'll probably feel this way for a few days and then my mind will be running with the ideas and suggestions of how best to tackle this. It honestly is an awesome opportunity that I really appreciate, and can't wait to tackle.

No one likes to get a rejection, that's all. I've got my way of dealing with it. And it usually involves a little moping around at first, until I start feeling all energised and refreshed about tackling the rewrite. Besides, it' not really a rejection, right? It's a second chance. ;)

We had an awesome weekend. Did you? We celebrated the New Year by playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero until just past midnight. It was a lot of fun, and great to get back into the games. Feels like we haven't played them for ages, and now that my daughter's joining in--instead of just watching hubby & I play--it's super cool.

I've updated My Reading page. This year, I've given myself this personal reading challenge, and joined the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I would once again like to read 100 books. I think that's a nice reading goal each year.

As far as reading goes for 2012, I really want it to be the year of catching up on my favourite series and books that I've wanted to read for ages. Maybe I'll read one series catch-up book, followed by a stand alone or first book in a new series. Maybe. Either way, I'm determined to get back on track with my fave series.

Oh, and on a cool note... as soon as 2012 arrived, so did summer. It's a little (okay, a lot) late but I don't care. I'm determined to enjoy it while it lasts. I love spring and summer, so this season has been a little harder than usual. Since it doesn't feel like it should.

That's it for now. I don't think I'll get much done today. I think I'll probably get nothing done. I'm just not feeling very motivated right now, but that's cool. See ya later!

My only reading challenge for 2012 is a personal one...

2012-01-02T07:37:00.043+11:00

To catch up on the many series books that I've got sitting on my TBR pile and Kindle.

That's right. Even though I read a lot of books during 2011, I also managed to fall behind on a lot of my favourite urban fantasy and mystery series books. So, this year, I'm going to change that.

And I think I'll start with the few series that I have one or two books left to read, or to catch up on. I mean, one of my most fave is the Weather Warden series, and I've got the last two books waiting to be read. Though I have to admit that I've been putting them off on purpose because I don't want it to end... :/

This year, that'll change.

I'm really looking forward to it.

PS. If I do sign up for anything else, it'll probably be something on Goodreads. :)

It's 2012...

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001+11:00

Books Read in 2011...

2011-12-31T08:12:00.019+11:00

JUST ANOTHER JUDGEMENT DAY (Nightside #9): Simon R. Green

HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (H&W Investigations #1): Jess Haines

A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE (Remy Chandler #1): Thomas E. Sniegoski

GREYWALKER (Greywalker #1): Kat Richardson

SHAKESPEARE’S LANDLORD (The Lily Bard Mysteries #1, Omnibus): Charlaine Harris

FLIP THIS ZOMBIE (Living With The Dead #2): Jesse Petersen

SHAKESPEARE’S CHAMPION (The Lily Bard Mysteries #2, Omnibus): Charlaine Harris

DELIRIUM: Lauren Oliver

SHAKESPEARE’S CHRISTMAS (The Lily Bard Mysteries #3, Omnibus): Charlaine Harris

ROSEBUSH: Michele Jaffe

SHAKESPEARE’S TROLLOP (The Lily Bard Mysteries #4, Omnibus): Charlaine Harris

DANCING ON THE HEAD OF A PIN (Remy Chandler #2): Thomas E. Sniegoski

SHAKESPEARE’S COUNSELOR (The Lily Bard Mysteries #5, Omnibus): Charlaine Harris

THE LILY BARD MYSTERIES OMNIBUS: Charlaine Harris

THE IRON WITCH: Karen Mahoney

NIGHT AND CHAOS (The Deva Chronicles #1): Naomi Clark

IF I STAY (If I Stay #1): Gayle Forman

PAST MIDNIGHT (Past Midnight #1): Mara Purnhagen

RAISING THE DEAD (Past Midnight #1.5): Mara Purnhagen

BONES OF FAERIE: Janni Lee Simner

THE HUNGER GAMES (Hunger Games #1): Suzanne Collins

PERSONAL DEMONS (Personal Demons #1): Lisa Desrochers

CATCHING FIRE (Hunger Games #2): Suzanne Collins

PARANORMALCY (Paranormalcy #1): Kiersten White

MOCKINGJAY (Hunger Games #3): Suzanne Collins

*WAKE: Lisa McMann

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (Castle #1): Diana Wynne Jones

RED-HEADED STEPCHILD (Sabina Kane #1): Jaye Wells

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT (Last Survivors #1): Susan Beth Pfeffer

TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (H&W Investigations #2): Jess Haines

CUCKOO: Julia Crouch

*ENTICED (The Violet Eden Chapters #2): Jessica Shirvington

SILVER BORNE (Mercy Thompson #5): Patricia Briggs

RED RIDING HOOD: Sarah Blakley-Cartwright & David Leslie Johnson

DESIRES OF THE DEAD (The Body Finder #2): Kimberly Derting

I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU (John Cleaver #3): Dan Wells

WILD GHOST CHASE: Ericka Scott

UNGRATEFUL DEAD (An Ethan Banning Case): Naomi Clark

SKULLS: Tim Marquitz

THE GUNSLINGER (The Dark Tower #1): Stephen King

ALLISON HEWITT IS TRAPPED: Madeleine Roux

DEAD OVER HEELS (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #5, Omnibus 2): Charlaine Harris

DEAD RECKONING (Sookie Stackhouse #11): Charlaine Harris

A FOOL AND HIS HONEY (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #6, Omnibus 2): Charlaine Harris

DIE FOR ME: Amy Plum

THE TWILIGHT SAGA The Official Illustrated Guide: Stephenie Meyer

CLAN RATHSKELLER (Iron Druid Prequel Short Story): Kevin Hearne

LAST SCENE ALIVE (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #7, Omnibus 2): Charlaine Harris

THE MAGE IN BLACK (Sabina Kane #2): Jaye Wells

POPPY DONE TO DEATH (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #8, Omnibus 2): Charlaine Harris

THE AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERIES, OMNIBUS 2: Charlaine Harris

HOUNDED (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1): Kevin Hearne

WARM BODIES: Isaac Marion

HEXBOUND (Dark Elite #2): Chloe Neill

AFTERTIME (Aftertime #1): Sophie Littlefield

THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL (The Dog-Faced Gods #2): Sarah Pinborough

UNCOMMON CRIMINALS (Heist Society #2): Ally Carter

RED GLOVE (The Curse Workers #2): Holly Black

ONE HUNDRED CANDLES (Past Midnight #2): Mara Purnhagen

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EMILY: Robyn Bachar

SHADY LADY (Corine Solomon #3): Ann Aguirre

SMOKIN’ SEVENTEEN (Stephanie Plum #17): Janet Evanovich

VENGEANCE MOON: Savannah Jordan

DEAD, UNDEAD OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN (Rhiannon’s Law #1): J.A. Saare

ULTRAVIOLET: R.J. Anderson

ALIEN TANGO (Alien #2): Gini Koch

SPIDER’S BITE (Elemental Assassin #1): Jennifer Estep

POISON (Elemental Assassin #0.5): Jennifer Estep

WEB OF DECEIT (Elemental Assassin #0.6): Jennifer Estep

THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR: Christopher Ransom

SPIDER’S BARGAIN (Elemental Assassin #0.7): Jennifer Estep

WEB OF DEATH (Elemental Assassin #1.5): Jennifer Estep

SURVIVORS (Aftertime #1.5): Sophie Littlefield

EAT SLAY LOVE (Living With The Dead #3): Jesse Petersen

MATTERS OF THE BLOOD (Blood Lines #1): Maria Lima

THE FIRST DAYS (As The World Dies #1): Rhiannon Frater

THREE DAYS TO DEAD (Dreg City #1): Kelly Meding

STREET MAGIC (Black London #1): Caitlin Kittredge

DEMON BOUND (Black London #2): Caitlin Kittredge

WORKING STIFF (The Revivalist #1): Rachel Caine

BLOCKADE BILLY (including MORALITY): Stephen King

SHELTER: Harlan Coben

THE SOOKIE STACKHOUSE COMPANION: Charlaine Harris

A BRUSH OF DARKNESS (Abby Sinclair #1): Allison Pang

KINDLING THE MOON (Arcadia Bell #1): Jenn Bennett

THE BROKEN ONES: Stephen M Irwin

BLACK BLADE BLUES (Sarah Beauhall #1): JA Pitts

MILE 81: Stephen King

SOMETHING SECRET THIS WAY COMES (Secret McQueen #1): Sierra Dean

THE RENFIELD SYNDROME (Rhiannon’s Law #2): J.A. Saare

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE: Laini Taylor

IRON KING (The Iron Fey #1): Julie Kagawa

THE BUSINESS OF DEATH (The Death Works #3): Trent Jamieson

FORGOTTEN: Cat Patrick

WINTER’S PASSAGE (The Iron Fey #1.5): Julie Kagawa

JUST AFTER SUNSET: Stephen King

WHERE SHE WENT (If I Stay #2): Gayle Forman

IMAGINARY GIRLS: Nova Ren Suma

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON (A Pop-up Book): Stephen King

THE SECRET GUIDE TO DATING MONSTERS (Secret McQueen #0.5): Sierra Dean

THE LAST DRAGONSLAYER (Last Dragonslayer #1): Jasper Fforde

*THE SONG OF THE QUARKBEAST (Last Dragonslayer #2): Jasper Fforde

MISERY: Stephen King

HAUNTING THE NIGHT (Past Midnight #2.5): Mara Purnhagen

THE STRANGE CASE OF FINLEY JANE (The Steampunk Chronicles Prequel): Kady Cross

MIND GAMES (The Disillusionists #1) Carolyn Crane

EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN (Stephanie Plum #18): Janet Evanovich

A BLOODY GOOD SECRET (Secret McQueen #2): Sierra Dean

SECRET SANTA (Secret McQueen #3): Sierra Dean

COMPLETED THE FOLLOWING READING CHALLENGES:

H&UFRC books read: 54/24

M&SRC books read: 18/12

SKC Books Read: 6/6

Books Read in 2011: 109/100

*DNF

Guest blogging...

2011-12-30T23:03:00.001+11:00

That's right!

Today, I'm guest blogging over at Smart Girls love SciFi.

I'm chatting about My SciFi Story. Oh, and you can also win a copy of Recast, Book 2: CLASH, which doesn't come out until late next month!

The guest blog post that was never posted!

2011-12-29T06:14:00.003+11:00

Earlier this year, I had a new release called Alex Wales: PROMISE. It's an SFR with a little magic, a good dose of sensuality, and an edge of darkness. I had a blast writing it, and did several promo spots when it was released by Eternal Press. It was fun.

Except, there was one blog post I wrote that didn't get posted. I have no idea why, and even after enquiring about it, I didn't get a response. Since 2011 is winding down, I thought it would be cool to post it here, on my own blog.

So, here it is... The guest blog post that was never posted:

Will They, or Won't They?

One of the things (because there are many) that I loved about the original Star Wars Trilogy was the romance subplot between Leia and Han. Their attraction was obvious pretty early on, as well as their constant denial of that attraction, which leads to the inevitable.

Shows like Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, and Outlaw Star (to name a few) toy with this concept too. You know what I mean, right? Two people that are obviously meant for each other but keep toeing the line between admitting how they feel, and not throwing themselves into a relationship because the odds seem stacked against them... It always hooks me in.

So, when I was brainstorming this Sci-Fi idea of mine, I instantly gravitated towards the will they or won't they? scenario. Of course, my characters don't shy away from physical involvement. It's the emotional entanglement that gets to them. :)

Meet Alex Wales: spaceship owner, space courier, independent woman... and commitment-phobe. She knows how to take care of herself, but tries to stay away from emotional commitments as much as she can. Actually, she doesn't even like to stay in one place for too long. The only thing she does have any sort of commitment to is her ship, Promise. So it's no surprise that when a particularly clingy situation arises, she tries to get as far away from it as possible. Except, she didn't expect to crash into an unchartered planet.

Enter Damon: gorgeous, mysterious, kind, hardworking... and he uses magic. He's only ever known the planet of Eden, but when he runs into Alex, his whole world changes and he starts to question everything around him.

The connection between Alex and Damon is instant and mutual, but it doesn't stop Alex from trying to deny it, or falling back on her no-strings-attached policy.

I knew pretty early on that Alex and Damon's story would have many ups and downs. I also knew it would span the length of a quartet. They will face many truths together, dangers, surprises, and discover some pretty awesome things about each other, too. While being tempted, interrupted, and torn apart by their pasts. But through it all, they will still have one another. It might take them a while to get there, but Alex and Damon's story will ultimately answer the question: will they, or won't they... fall in love

What about you? Do you enjoy reading books and/or watching movies/shows with characters that are obviously meant for each other, but take a while to get there?

Thanks for reading!

Yolanda Sfetsos
www.yolandasfetsos.com/

----------------------------------

So, there you have it. If you'd like to answer my question/s, go ahead. I'll pick one winner for an eBook copy of PROMISE. :D

Happy post-Christmas to ya!

2011-12-28T07:59:00.049+11:00

I hope you all had an awesome Christmas break. I know I did. :)

Hubby was home for five days and we made the most of it. There was much hanging around, walking, some workouts, a lot of yummy meals, some reading while hubby played PS3/Xbox games, and we even managed to squeeze in a few movies.

We each picked one.

My choice was DYLAN DOG: Dead of Night. It's actually an urban fantasy-type movie about a PI who specialises in the supernatural. There are vamps, werewolves, zombies, and a few twists along the way. I actually thought it was a lot of fun. It hasn't gotten very good reviews, but I enjoyed it!

Hubby's choice was HORRIBLE BOSSES. OMFG. This is one of those totally-out-there comedies where the worst thing you can think of actually happens. There's a lot of swearing, vulgar situations, people with no morals, and plenty of laughs.

Asides from the movie watching, we also caught up on a few of our favourite shows--Burn Notice and Hot in Cleveland. Plus, we watched the AMERICAN HORROR STORY finale. I love this show! I really enjoyed the first season, and the way it finished up was great. Now, I can't wait to see what else they come up with. Apparently, it's going to feature a new family and location every season, so I can't wait to see what happens next. :)

I also caught up on a bunch of reading. Which is always cool, right? ;) Now, I need to go through my huge TBR pile and figure out what I'd like to read next...

Also, while lounging in front of the TV one morning, something struck me. An idea that seemed to come out of nowhere, but actually fits in perfectly with my latest novel idea. A story that has the concept, characters, storyline, and every day becomes a little clearer inside my head. I need to write everything down in the one place, because right now I have it on scrap pieces of paper. :/

Well. That's it for now. I had a great festive season with my family, and I hope you did too. Now, there's not long to go until the end of the year. See ya soon!

SECRET SANTA by Sierra Dean

2011-12-27T18:29:00.006+11:00

’Tis the season for ho-ho-homicide.

Secret McQueen, book 2.5

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The season for mistletoe, Christmas lights…and a killing spree. When Secret’s friend, Detective Mercedes Castilla, asks for help to solve a series of murders longer than a string of lights, Secret resigns herself to the fact her holidays will be anything but peaceful.

It seems someone is killing New Yorkers in an unusually gruesome way, and as the bodies pile up faster than presents under the tree, the police are no closer to finding the killer than Secret is to finding the perfect present for one of her boyfriends, Lucas.

Tracking down a monster in Manhattan the week before Christmas is almost as difficult as shopping for her ever-expanding collection of loved ones. When tragedy strikes close to home, Secret must do everything in her power to put an end to the horror in time for Santa to come down the chimney.

Warning: Contains a less than merry McQueen with a sword and a reason to use it; a festive new use for mistletoe; and a promise that will haunt Secret like the Ghost of Christmas Future.

I'm really enjoying this series, and because this novella is set during the festive season, I wanted to read it before the new year ticked over. ;) And I wasn't disappointed.

Secret's getting ready to enjoy her first Christmas with a new host of friends... but while she's trying to figure out what presents to buy, there's an insane killer loose in New York. And when the killer starts leaving dismembered limbs inside newspaper and police offices, her detective friend, Mercedes, calls her in for some help.

Tracking this killer isn't going to be easy, but Secret's determined to put a stop to it. And as much as she tries to figure it all out, it's not until the killer strikes really close to home that she's finally able to figure things out--with a little help from her friends.

I loved this story! Not only because it fit so well into the rest of the series and intensified her relationship with Desmond, but also because she finally had to face some of the feelings she now has for Holden. Poor Secret, I don't think she's ever going to be able to settle on the one guy. ;)

I'm really lovin' this series.

H&UFRC books read: 54/24

A BLOODY GOOD SECRET by Sierra Dean

2011-12-26T17:07:00.011+11:00

You can’t keep a good Secret for long.

Secret McQueen, Book 2

After cheating death twice in one night, confessing her true nature to her werewolf soul mates and being asked to kill one of her closest friends, Secret took a much-needed vacation. By running away.

Now she’s back in town—dragged kicking and screaming—determined to clear Holden Chancery’s name. Right after she finds out what he’s accused of. It shouldn’t be hard—Holden has a habit of using their new and scintillating psychic bond to break into her thoughts and dreams at some very, shall we say, awkward moments.

Just a few things stand in her way: a secretive Tribunal leader, a group of would-be vampire slayers and two werewolf boyfriends who refuse to let her operate in her customary lone-wolf style. Even less amusing are the terrifying creatures that someone is using in an attempt to gain control of the council. Even for this out-of-the-ordinary bounty hunter, it’s a challenge with potentially deadly teeth.

Warning: Contains an ever-plucky heroine with no shortage of weapons, super-hot mind games, an ever-complicated love triangle and one hell of a creepy amusement park.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, as well as the prequel novella, so I was looking forward to getting stuck into this one.

After the Tribunal gave Secret her latest assignment, she took off. How can she kill Holden without knowing what he's accused of? So, she's gone to spend a bit of time with her grandmother. But when she's forcibly taken back to New York, Secret has no choice but to face everyone and everything she ran away from.

Now, she's determined to clear Holden's name. Which includes finding out why the Tribunal wants him dead. But this will lead her to an unexpected discovery, as well as some truly horrible creatures hiding out in an abandoned amusement park.

Oh, and let's not forget her very complicated love life--she's got two werewolf boyfriends, and a pesky vampire that seems to be consuming her fantasies lately.

This was another very exciting, action-packed installment and I can't wait to read more... especially after the unexpected ending. Lucky for me, I have the next novella already waiting for me on my Kindle! ;)

H&UFRC books read: 53/24

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000+11:00

glitter-graphics.com

Excerpt: Demon of Christmas Duology, Book 2

2011-12-24T08:19:00.000+11:00

“So sorry to interrupt, but I didn’t see anything. I promise.” Nick had closed both of his eyes, but now opened one of them.

“What on earth are you doing here, Nick?” Noel didn’t understand the sudden intrusion, until a horrendous thought struck him, making his pulse quicken. I hope he’s not here because it’s time, I’m not ready yet. “I thought you said I had years ahead of me before it was time to—”

Nick held up his palm. “Calm down.” Worry lines etched his face. Clothed in his bottle green pants, white tie, and red shirt, he looked like a damn clown, but Noel wasn’t about to voice his opinion. He knew just how tough Santa Claus could be, thanks to what he’d experienced firsthand last Christmas.

“Then what’s so important you had to barge in here like this?” Noel threw a protective arm over Natala’s shoulders and settled her against his side, tucking the sheet tightly around her.

“I’m really sorry to do this to you, but I have no other choice. You two are the only ones who can help me.” His eyes had a faraway look. They glistened, and were as bright as a cloudless sky. When he moved forward, sunlight caught his dark hair, causing the few strands of gray in his sideburns to glow. He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed and rubbed his palms against his thighs. “I really need your help.”

Noel couldn’t help but soften at the obvious misery on Nick’s face. He literally softened, everywhere. Nothing like Santa dropping in on you to ruin a damn good erection.

He took a deep breath and exhaled all of his anger and frustration. “What happened?” he finally managed to say. What could be so important that Nick couldn’t wait? What could make him look so miserable?

“Is it another demon?” Natala spoke for the first time.

Nick took a deep breath and let out an exasperated sigh, avoiding their gazes. “It’s not a demon exactly, but there is trouble.” He sighed a second time. “At least, I don’t think it’s a demon…you just never know what’s hiding in the shadows this time of year.”

“Are you going to keep us guessing until we get it right?” Damn, his problem sounded serious. Noel hadn’t counted on seeing Nick again so soon, or on being swindled into helping him fight off another bad guy. He still had nightmares about the demon Decarabia. So much had gone wrong with that situation. He’d almost lost Natala after the demon devoured her shoulder. Thinking about it now, he tightened his protective hold around her. I won’t let anyone hurt her like that again.

“No, of course not, it’s just…” Nick paused, “…a little embarrassing, that’s all.”

“Are you sure we can help you, then?” Noel asked, doubtful they could do anything about this mysterious situation. He’d only crossed paths with the magical man once before, but it had impacted both him and Natala deeply. They were together now only because Nick saved her by healing her life-threatening injuries.

The timing might be wrong and Nick might be taking his time to spill the beans, but Noel knew he wouldn’t hesitate to help if he could. Judging by the look in Natala’s eyes, he knew she felt the same way.

They owed him their lives.

Nick shrugged. “I hope you can do… something.”

“Please tell us what happened,” Natala whispered.

“Okay.” Nick nodded, yet looked defeated and pale. “I suppose I’ve laid on the suspense thick enough.” He met Noel’s eyes and then shifted to meet Natala’s. “My wife left me.”

DEMON OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT is now available from Evernight Publishing, Kindle and NOOK Book.

::: If you enjoyed this excerpt, be the first to send me an email (click on the Contact Me tab) to let me know. Then, I'll send you an eBook copy of the Duology. But you have to be quick, this is only for the first person who contacts me :::

Excerpt: Demon of Christmas Duology, Book 1

2011-12-23T08:01:00.000+11:00

Christmas depressed the hell out of Noel Harris. Well, if he was truthful, every day was hard to take without Nancy. But the Christmas season in particular added salt to his very slow-healing wound. It didn’t last one day, like her birthday or their wedding anniversary. It lasted a whole damn month.

He sighed and released a heavy breath, causing his chest to tighten with the pain of losing what they’d had. He wished he could release the strain associated with the holiday as easily as releasing a breath. But he’d been through enough in his life to know better than that.

The Christmas carols in the background didn’t help. After so many years of avoiding the Yuletide holiday, he should’ve known the music would be everywhere—in the overcrowded shopping centers, on TV and even on the radio playing in the kitchen.

This Christmas marked the fifth year that Nancy had been absent from his life, and he was determined to at least try to push past the heartbreak.

It’s time to move on.

Noel moved forward and poured himself a shot of eggnog. As the creamy liquid sloshed into the glass, he couldn’t help but think that life had cursed this season for him from the beginning. The first Christmas Noel could remember had been when he was five, which happened to be the year his father walked out on the family. When he was ten, his mother died shortly after the same holiday, and then there was Nancy...

He could count off every event inside his head, and it amounted to the same thing: Bad luck liked to haunt him during the Christmas season.

“Not this year,” he whispered to himself. This year was going to be the first time he broke the curse. He took a sip of the eggnog and followed it with a bite of fruit cake. He swallowed the lump, chasing it down with more liquid. A bitter taste lingered inside his mouth. Somehow, eggnog never tasted sweet to him.

He hunched down and opened the end of the tattered box of lights on the floor below the tree. He’d purchased a big tree, but instead of decorating it with tinsel, he’d purchased a long string of lights the store owner told him “would last for the rest of his life”. The box was a little worse for wear but the man behind the counter claimed it had been in storage for years, and was the only set of its kind. “A true original”, he’d said with a smile.

Noel had shrugged and bought it at a bargain price.

Now, as he started to pull the green tangled cord out of the box, he noticed it did look as good as new. Actually there was a shiny quality to it that made him feel—for the first time in a long while—some real Christmas cheer.

It took him longer than he’d expected to wrap the lights around the wide tree. By the end of it he’d worked up a sweat. Luckily, the air conditioning flowed inside the house, cooling the sweat beads as they dripped down the sides of his hairline.

He took another sip of the eggnog. It didn’t satisfy his thirst, but right now he didn’t care. Noel was jumping over a huge hurdle in his life and was determined to see it through to the end.

“Here we go. It’s show time.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at his own lame joke. At times like these, he wished he had someone to share his life with again. He instantly wiped the thought out from his mind. No, being with someone meant he would eventually forget Nancy. Even if putting up a Christmas tree was no fun without someone to share it with, Noel had to keep her memory alive. And that means being alone.

Although, sometimes he did wish they’d had enough time to have children before cancer gripped its claws around Nancy. At least then, a small part of her would have survived.

When he thought of all the chemotherapy and alternate treatments they’d tried, a sharp pain stabbed at his heart. He would’ve gladly given his own life to save hers. Nancy had been a ray of sunshine in his otherwise bleak existence. The day she died, the light of his life had shut off forever.

He sighed.

It took him a while to hunch over and plug the lights in but when he finally managed it, the lightshow didn’t disappoint. A symphony of red, green, gold and white lights sparkled in front of him—each alternating with the corresponding colors so that the pattern was always different.

Noel stared in awe as the lights captivated his eyes. He took several steps back and lowered himself onto the armchair. “Jingle Bells” suddenly seemed like the perfect background music, much better than all those depressing hard rock songs he always chose as the soundtrack of his life.

The first step on the road to recovery. He smiled, satisfied, and began to refill his glass.

Pop! Without warning the first light zapped off and a line of black smoke rose up toward the ceiling. Noel swore, eggnog forgotten, and jumped out of the armchair. He had to check the wall plug before the whole thing caught on fire.

One by one, each of the lights zapped off with the same popping noise. Noel swore again.

He quickly leaned over, switched off the power on the wall, and then pulled the plug out. This house was the only thing he had left that could bring any—no matter how small—joy into his life. Life insurance protection had paid off the balance, and allowed him to live a more comfortable life than his hardware store clerk position ever could on its own.

Nancy had been the career woman. All he’d ever wanted was a job to pay the bills.

He made his way around to the front of the tree, to make sure nothing had caught fire. The stench of burnt plastic made him cough. Still, there were no flames and the smoke he had spotted when the first light blew had dissipated.

What Noel did notice made his heart speed up. There was a single light still blinking. A gold one situated at the very center of the tree.

He double checked the plug. It was still lying on the floor, away from the socket, exactly where he’d left it.

It didn’t make any sense.

Was the bitterness clouding his life making him delusional as well? It was possible, he supposed. There was only so much a person could take before their mind decided to shut down and offer another perspective. No matter how unrealistic.

A warm ambience radiated off the single blinking light. It made him feel oddly calm. Before Noel realized what he was doing, his right hand captured the small globe in his palm.

A small sigh echoed around him. He kept his hand around the small light as he checked over his shoulder. There was no one there. He was still alone. When he turned his attention back to the small globe, it blinked faster.

What I wouldn’t give for some company right now, he thought to himself. Someone to see the bizarre thing he held in his hand, so they could confirm his sanity.

The light’s flickering slowed. He leaned closer and noticed a small face inside it.

“What the hell?” Noel dropped the bulb and lurched backwards. The lights, the loneliness and endless thoughts were playing tricks with his eyes.

Instinct made him duck just in time. The small light exploded into a thousand tiny pieces that fell around him, but each gold particle disappeared before it reached the floor.

He fought hard to control the nervous tension flooding his body. The sense of a presence hovered around him. When he lifted his face, he spotted a pair of small, bare feet on the floor only a few steps in front of him. Slowly, he followed the feet up towards the small ankles and up the slim short legs that became equally slim thighs.

“Where am I?” a bewildered female voice asked.

DEMON OF CHRISTMAS PAST is now available from Evernight Publishing, Kindle and NOOK Book.

EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich

2011-12-22T22:57:00.004+11:00

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is used to danger and adventure; they follow her at every turn. But when international murder hits dangerously close to home, this could be more explosive than exciting...

Once Stephanie steps on the plane from Hawaii to Newark, she hopes to put her hellish holiday behind her. But when her seatmate mysteriously disappears during the stopover in LA - to be found later in a garbage can - things are only going to get worse.

Only one other person has seen the missing photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying - and it just so happens to be Stephanie Plum. Now she's the target, and she doesn't want to end up in a garbage can...

More to the point, she still has to deal with the fallout from Hawaii. Both the men in her life refuse to talk about it and all Stephanie will say is... It's complicated.

This is one of my favourite series. I always look forward to getting stuck into a new Stephanie Plum book, and this was no exception.

Stephanie's life is always full of danger and relationship troubles, but this time things get really bad. The two men in her life have made things very complicated. So complicated that not even a vacation in Hawaii works out for her, and she runs away from both Morelli and Ranger.

But the complications don't stop there. The man sitting next to her on the plane didn't get back on at LAX, and he's later found dead. Oh, and he left her a little souvenir--a photo she quickly discards. As soon as she gets home, strangers are popping up out of nowhere, all wanting the photo she doesn't have. Before long, the FBI, the fake FBI, a hairdresser, and a deranged killer are all after her. Everyone wants the photograph, and if she's not careful, she'll be the next one to be found stuffed into a garbage can.

Not to mention that her arch-nemesis--Joyce Barnhardt--is staying in her apartment, and needs her help. Yeah, poor Stephanie can't seem to catch a break. And she still managed to make me LOL all over the place. :)

Explosive Eighteen is another awesome addition to this very fun and exciting series. Stephanie's always an excellent character to catch up with, as she accidentally gets herself into more trouble than she can handle. Yet, she always manages to make things work, somehow. In her typical bizarre and hilarious manner, she solves the mystery that threatens her life.

If only she could solve her relationship troubles as well...

I can't wait for the next book!

Explosive Eighteen, December 2011, ISBN 9780755384969, Headline Fiction Paperbacks

M&SRC books read: 19/12

It's Thursday...

2011-12-22T06:52:00.003+11:00

... and hubby's last day of work until next Wednesday.

Yep. This festive season, he gets five days off with us. So we're all very excited, and looking forward to hanging out together, catching up on some TV shows, going for walks, working out, enjoying some nice meals, getting some extra sleep, and relaxing.

The last two days have been a little blurry. We've gotten up at 3AM both days. When you get up that early, as soon as your head hits the pillow you're pretty much out like a light. As I was last night. At least it meant I got a good night's sleep and slept all the way through. :)

So, what's new?

I'm just hoping to stay awake today, lol. I think my daughter and I better go for our daily walk pretty early this morning, otherwise I might not have the energy to leave the house. Though we do have to do some grocery shopping this evening. Might have to squeeze in a nap in there somewhere.

Around this time of the year, my brain's usually winding down and all I feel like doing is catching up on my reading. And as you can probably tell from the reviews I've posted this week, it's what I'm doing right now as well. I'm really enjoying it. I think I've worked pretty hard this year on a whole bunch of edits, revisions, even writing new stories, and deserve the break. ;) Of course, this won't last for long. I'm already itching to take notes and get planning on what I'd like to work on during 2012...

Though I'm only going to allow myself to think about scheduling. Nothing deeper than that. I need the mental holiday. I'm expecting some edits real soon, and already know what my next revision project is going to be in January. So that's cool. :)

Well, my blogging from now until the end of the year is probably going to be all over the place, but I hope you all have a wonderful festive season. No matter what you celebrate, I hope you all have a blast!

Speak to you soon. Happy Holidays!

MIND GAMES by Carolyn Crane

2011-12-21T10:40:00.005+11:00

Justine Jones is a hopeless hypochondriac whose life is crippled by fear…until one day when a handsome, tortured mastermind named Packard peers into her soul and invites her to join his psychological hit squad.

Justine resists until she gets a taste of the peace Packard can promise. At first, Justine enjoys being part of the thrilling world of neurotic vigilantes who battle Midcity’s paranormal criminals. Things get complicated when she uncovers certain secrets…and falls for one of her most dangerous targets.

It's no secret that I love urban fantasy, so I'm always looking for new books to get stuck into. I love discovering new worlds filled with interesting characters and intriguing situations. And this is the latest gem I've discovered in this wonderful genre.

Justine Jones is a hypochondriac. She's also a neurotic mess who is convinced she's got vein star syndrome. She spends most of her time freaking out about it, analysing the symptons, and visiting the ER to make sure there's nothing wrong. But even then, she's still convinced she could die at any moment and lives in constant fear.

A chance meeting inside a Mongolian restaurant changes the path of her condition. For the first time in her life, she's able to see that all this stored fear she carries around can be turned into something else. Or rather, can be 'pushed' into someone else to help rehabilitate their evil ways. Meeting Packard and his disillusionists helps her discover a lot about herself and what she can really do to others, but it also messes with the 'normal' life she's always wanted.

This book was an amazing ride filled with action, tension, twists and turns. I absolutely loved the concept. And there are plenty of possible love interests for the heroine. I really like this twisted and dark world of highcaps and disillusionists Justine lives in. It's awesome to see something so negative be used for long term positive results.

Yeah, I believe I'm hooked and can't wait to read the next two books in this fascinating trilogy. Luckily, I have both books already. ;)

H&UFRC books read: 52/24

Checking in

2011-12-21T07:53:00.004+11:00

I'm pretty sure I've used this picture before... Still, it's pretty, so I don't mind. lol.

Anyway.

Hey! How are you today? Can you believe we're only days away from Christmas? Oh, and the new year is just around the corner too. O_o

So, this is my daughter's first week of school holidays and so far it's been going great. She's just started reading The Hunger Games and seems to be as addicted to it as I was when I was reading the trilogy earlier this year. She's almost halfway through already, and it's really cool chatting to her about it. :)

I've been busy trying to schedule some guest blog posts for next May. Yeah, I know, sounds like I'm thinking ahead. And I am. I really want to get word out about my Sierra Fox urban fantasy series.

Asides from that, I've been reading a bit. I'm currently reading MIND GAMES by Carolyn Crane, and can't figure out why it took me so long to get started on this trilogy. Oh well. That's not important now. I'm almost finished the first book, received the second one the other day, and have the third on my Kindle. Awesome!

It feels great to get back into reading. I really missed it during the last month. I've even managed to squeeze in some novella reading during the last few mornings--as you can see below. ;)

Well, we've finally upgraded our main PC. The one we had before was temperamental and a total pain in the ass. Sometimes it would work, others it wouldn't. I hated going through its mood swings. Though, I have to admit that it was over four years old, and did what it was supposed to for several years. It's only during the last year that it started going totally nuts and we knew that one day it just wouldn't work at all. So, we got in before that happened. And the new PC tower is red and black, shiny, fast, and lovely.

I love it. It's also fun setting things up again. :D

Hubby went into work super early this morning, so I did a yoga workout. I'm hoping that it helps keep me awake, because I feel so tired. *yawn* But knowing that he's only got tomorrow left to work this week, makes it that much better. He doesn't go back until next Wednesday. That's five whole days together. It's like a mini-holiday. Yay. Looking forward to it.

Okay, that's it for now. I hope you all have a great day!

THE STRANGE CASE OF FINLEY JAYNE by Kady Cross

2011-12-20T09:20:00.000+11:00

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

I wanted to read this prequel novella before The Girl in the Steel Corset--which I already have on my bookshelf--and I'm really glad I did!

Finley Jayne isn't like other girls. She seems to have another side, and is very strong. She also likes to think for herself and doesn't take any crap from anyone. That's probably why she keeps getting fired. Still, she's got a supportive mother and stepfather.

The day Lady Morton approaches her to become her daughter's companion, Finley can't believe her luck. The job pays well, she has a lovely room, plus Lady Morton and Phoebe are great. Her friendship with Phoebe grows very quickly, which makes it that much harder when Finley finds out that the man her friend is engaged to isn't quite what he seems.

Soon, Finley finds herself in the role of bodyguard as she tries to get to the bottom of what this inventor of automatons really wants with young Phoebe...

I actually read this novella in one sitting and had a blast with it! Seriously, it's awesome. I loved the main character, and the steampunk world she lives in is fascinating. I can't wait to read more.

HAUNTING THE NIGHT by Mara Purnhagen

2011-12-19T08:03:00.005+11:00

Charlotte Silver has been through hell.

Her mom’ s in a coma. She may have caused the death of a young man. And now her friend Avery wants her to tackle going to Prom? Not going to happen, even if she is dying to spend some alone time with her boyfriend, Noah. Instead, Charlotte needs to find some answers to a few nagging questions—why was her family attacked? Will her mother survive? And is there a creature from the Other Side coming for her? Soon enough, Charlotte's search for the truth becomes a race against time. But she may just find the sign she's been looking for all along....

I've had the third/final book in this trilogy waiting to be read for about a month now, but I didn't want to get stuck into it until I read this novella. It fits between the second and third Past Midnight books.

A month after what happened in One Hundred Candles, Charlotte's life is not a happy one. Sure, her best friend is supportive, she's got a very understanding boyfriend, and a bunch of people willing to help out... but her mother's in a coma. And her father is keeping a bedside vigil at the hospital.

Then there's the strange shadow that appears across the street every single night. A creepy shadow creature that seems to be growing and getting closer. As Charlotte struggles to understand what it is and why it's there, she's determined to put an end to it. Even if it means facing the heavy guilt she's been carrying around.

This was another awesome novella. I loved it! I really like Charlotte's world, and can't wait to see how everything works out at the end of the trilogy.

H&UFRC books read: 51/24

The end of a wonky week

2011-12-16T11:38:00.002+11:00

Yeah, this week has felt so disjointed that most of the time I didn't even know what day it was. Like yesterday, I was convinced it was Friday. Obviously I was wrong, because it's Friday today. O_o

The reason I'm feeling this way could be for several reasons:

* My ususal post-restless stage after finishing a novel,

* The fact it's my daughter's last week of school,

* Realising that 2011 is only weeks from being over,

* That I have so many awesome books on my TBR/Kindle pile I don't know which to grab first...

Then again, it could be a combination of everything. We're so close to the end of the year that I'm starting to feel the exhaustion of everything I've done. Phew. I really do feel so tired lately.

Anyway. I've managed to get a few things done, and even read/reviewed two Hachette books (see below) and I'll have to get myself a small to-do list for what's left of this month and for January. Realistic projects I can do while having my daughter home. Also, things that can be put aside if/when edits hit my Inbox.

But today, I don't think I'll do much. :)

Oh, and before I go, I'm now a member of the SFR Brigade. Check me out! ;)

Well, catch'a later.

MISERY by Stephen King

2011-12-15T15:49:00.072+11:00

Introducing the Flipback: Excellent pocket-size edition of Stephen King's all-time classic - a must for both collectors and newcomers alike.

Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now he's writing to stay alive.

Misery Chastain is dead. Paul Sheldon has just killed her - with relief, with joy. Misery made him rich; she was the heroine of a string of bestsellers. Now he wants to get on to some real writing.

That's when the car accident happens, and he wakes up in pain in a strange bed. Annie Wilkes has pulled him from the wreck, brought him to her remote mountain home, splinted and set his mangled legs.

The good news is that Annie has pain-killing drugs. The bad news is that she has long been Paul's Number One Fan. And when she finds out what Paul has done to Misery, she doesn't like it. She doesn't like it at all . . .

I'm a huge Stephen King fan. I've got every single one of his books. Some, I have in multiple editions. This is one of those. I wanted to sample the new Flipback books from Hachette, and was lucky enough to get a copy of this awesome book.

First, let's talk about the actual story...

Paul Sheldon is the popular author of the Misery Chastain books, featuring a character he has a love/hate relationship with. So, after he finishes her off--literally--he's spent some time writing a new novel. Something fresh and different. A story he's looking forward to sharing with the world, so he can leave the characters of Misery behind. However, on his way home, he gets caught up in a bad storm, loses control of the car, and winds up in a ditch.

Lucky for him, he wakes up in the 'safety' of a house. Annie Wilkes happens to be a nurse and rescued him from the wrecked car. She's taking care of him. Oh, and she also happens to be his "number-one" fan. She loves the Misery books. But when she reads the latest one, she's not satisfied with the ending and demands Paul write her a special installment of Misery. One that brings the character back to life.

As Paul struggles to bring back to life a character he was happy to say goodbye to, he finds his own life being threatened at every turn. Because Annie's not well. She's unstable, cruel, and truly psychotic. Not only does he find himself writing a novel that doesn't cheat and satisfies Annie, but he becomes the tortured, immobile captive of a psycho who slowly starts to cut into him. And I don't mean just his sanity and endurance, either.

Now, let's talk about the format...

This is the first Flipback I've ever read, so it was quite an experience. This book is compact--actually, it fits in the palm of your hand, and in your pocket--so you can take it anywhere with you. It's cute and very well made. I also love that cover! The writing inside is clear and easy to read. It has sideways-printed text, which means you read the book the opposite way you would a paperback or hardback.

The only problem I had with it was that because the pages are thin, they stuck sometimes, making it hard to turn the page. And when you're reading a Stephen King book, you really want to turn those pages quickly. ;)

Also, it reminded me of the small Bible I got from scripture class when I was a kid. Which is not a surprise, since they were invented in Holland by a Bible publisher.

Personally, I started out feeling a little skeptical about this format... but I have to admit that I really liked it. I love books, no matter what the format, and as long as the story I'm reading captivates me, I'm all for every type of format. And this one is a pretty cool and unique one.

The final word...

Misery is another page-turning, horror-filled, amazing book by the artful Stephen King. Not only did it keep me on the edge of my seat because I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, but it made me cringe. It made me angry, sad, and even happy when Paul experienced even a little bit of hope. I became as haunted by Annie as he was, and kept expecting her to do something crazy to someone at every turn. Which she does. Many times.

When I finished Misery, I was exhausted! I was glad to have finally gotten to the end of Paul's nightmare, but also felt sad because I didn't want the book to end.

As uncomfortable as this book made me in many places, I truly loved it!

Misery, July 2011, ISBN 9781444730074, Hodder Paperbacks--Flipback edition

I think summer's decided to skip us this year...

2011-12-13T08:30:00.003+11:00

Seriously. That's what it feels like around here.

We have one or two hot and sunny days, then spend the next few weeks drowned with rain. Saying I'm sick of it doesn't actually capture how much I wish summer would just settle in. I feel like I'm in a constant state of winter, and I can't stand it. :(

It's kinda depressing, but I'm determined to stay positive.

This week is the last week of school for 2011. Starting this weekend, my daughter will be on summer school holidays for about 6 weeks. She goes back on January 30, 2012. Yikes. That sounds like a long way away, huh? Still, she's older now and has some stuff planned during her time off. Which reminds me, I need to schedule what I'd like to work on during what's left of December and the whole of January...

I'll do that sometime this week. Unless I get edits in my Inbox during the next few weeks, I don't have any other solid project deadlines for myself. I've managed to meet my two big ones: revising Recast #3 and Sierra Fox #2 before the end of this month. I'm still very excited about these two. Though I will be biting my nails until I hear back from my awesome editor!

So, as far as this week goes, I'm using it to relax, sort, file, think, take notes, and catch up on my reading. I've got so many awesome books to read, and have totally fallen behind. It's time to sit on the couch with Loki and catch up on it. At the moment I'm reading the Flipback edition of Misery. I'm almost halfway through and can't believe how awesome and distressing it is. lol.

I've also updated My Reading page and added a bunch of 'Up Next' books. :)

Today, I've already sorted through some of my computer files. Whenever I'm working on something, I make such a mess of the Desktop and my USB drive.

Have a great day!

THE SONG OF THE QUARKBEAST by Jasper Fforde

2011-12-12T10:41:00.005+11:00

As the background Wizidrical Power slowly builds after the Big Magic, King Snodd IV of Hereford realises the man who controls Magic controls almost anything.

But one person stands between him and his plans for power and riches: Jennifer Strange, sixteen-year-old acting manager of Kazam.

It may involve a trip on a magic carpet at the speed of sound to the Troll Wall, it may involve a second Quarkbeast sniffing around town. It might also involve the mysterious Transient Moose, and a powerless sorceress named Once Magnificent Boo. But one thing is certain: Jennifer Strange and her faithful assistant Tiger Prawns will not relinquish the noble powers of magic to big business and commerce without a fight.

This is the second book in the Last Dragonslayer series.

Jennifer Strange is still running Kazam, an employment agency for those who can perform magic to help others with mundane problems. She's always got something going on, and this time is approached by the peculiar Miss Shard, who wants a lost ring that might not want to be found. Then there's King Snodd. He's decided to make Kazam and iMagic go up against each other by rebuilding Hereford's old bridge. They will each start at one end, and the winner will takeover the loser's company.

Oh, and then there's a new Quarkbeast in town...

The Song of the Quarkbeast is another quirky story. I have to admit that although I enjoyed most of it, I still felt mostly disconnected from what was going on, and what the characters were going through. And even found myself skimming forward a bit. :( Also, the random footnotes didn't help.

The concept of this series has certain appeal, but I just can't get hooked on it.

The Song of the Quarkbeast: A Last Dragonslayer Novel, November 2011, ISBN 9781444707236, H&S Fiction Paperbacks

Excerpt from Sinful...

2011-12-11T09:10:00.001+11:00

As soon as Abe stepped out into the bright sun, she felt the intensity of Sebastian’s gaze on her. It itched at her skin until she couldn’t help but roll her shoulders. If he stayed this close to her, they’d never make it out of this without hitting the wall she so desperately wanted to avoid.

Sometimes, she wondered why the hell she listened to Liv in the first place. Maybe her older cousin’s control over the organization had started to blind her in other departments. As much as she loved her, things had always come so easily to Liv. That she’d offered up Sebastian so quickly for this endeavor should’ve roused Abe’s suspicion, but she was beyond desperate. If Lloyd didn’t completely disappear from her life soon, she would go insane.

There are already too many things on my plate to add insanity to the mix. Not that the authorities wouldn’t label her delusional and completely insane, already.

“Hey,” Sebastian said casually as he took a drag from the cigarette between his fingers. The soft, warm breeze swept those long strands of dark hair off his forehead long enough for her to gaze into his eyes. He closed one eye as he exhaled some of the smoke.

She crossed her arms and faced him, trying very hard not to give in to the urge to tap her foot or to think about just how stunning his eyes were. She lived in a damn mansion, but everywhere she went, Sebastian happened to be there. Was it pure coincidence, or was he going out of his way to corner her?

Knowing what she’d become, she couldn’t help but feel like it was the latter. Did he have to make smoking—something she usually abhorred—look so sexy? Standing against the wall and wearing his bright red T-shirt and faded jeans showed off just how fine a male specimen he was.

She needed to get her mind out of the gutter before she did something stupid.

Abe took a shallow breath. “What are you doing up here?”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Sebastian said with a grin. He flicked the cigarette over the side of the roof, making some of the ash fly into a swirl in the air. “Did you get your business all taken care of?”

“Not exactly.” Shit, why had she admitted that?

He took a step forward, interested. “Really? Anything I can help you with?”

If you’ve got a magnet strong enough to lure spirits that refuse to abide by the rules, then sure. By all means help me. Of course, she couldn’t say that. “No, I’ll work it out.”

Eventually.

“You’ve got a lovely garden up here.” He motioned at the many rosebushes crowding the other side of the roof.

They were her pride and joy, roses in every color. All perfect and beautiful, even when their cycle of life was complete, and she used them for other things. A way to recycle or reincarnate living things, just as she hoped was the result of her intervention with human spirits.

“Thanks. This is where I find my solace.” She unfolded her arms. “It’s where I come to get away from everything and everyone.”

“Oh, right. I understand.” He threw the cigarette on the stones near his feet, squashed it with his shoe, picked it up, and slung it over the side of the roof. Sebastian’s legs were so long that one more step, and he’d almost reached her. He never took his eyes off hers. “Let me get out of your way, then.”

Abe sighed as he walked past. She hadn’t wanted to but caught his hand before he left. An electric shock ran up her fingers, and she dropped it. Shit he’s so cold. “You don’t have to go.”

As Sebastian turned to look at her, he rubbed the hand she’d touched against his jeans. “Are you sure?”

She shrugged. “It’s refreshing to see someone else up here. Ryu and Kimi don’t like to leave the house much.” That they preferred the darkness and isolation this place offered seemed to be an understatement. The truth was much more sinister. Neither of the twins could just up and go anywhere—not without being properly released first. When Haru passed away, he’d given Abe everything he owned. His children had been part of his property. If she hadn’t laid ownership to them, someone else could’ve taken them. Haru hadn’t wanted their custody to fall into the wrong hands.

“This is the second time I’ve been up here. It’s peaceful.” A cloud of darkness crossed over his eyes for a split second and faded just as quickly.

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow in question. Most of the time she locked the roof door, even if the key was easily accessible in her office. That it had been open when she’d gotten up here hadn’t even occurred to her until now. Maybe Kimiko had unlocked it for her. It was the kind of details she took care of. “Was the door open when you came up?”

He nodded. “It was open last night, too.”

Now, she had no idea what he meant. If there was one time when access was locked, it was during the night. In spite of the wards and guards she’d paid dearly to have installed around the grounds, other things could still manipulate their way in. The Crosse Funeral Home attracted a lot of attention. Mostly from those in need of their specialized skills, but there were others who lurked nearby for malicious reasons. Lloyd had been one of those.

“You were up here last night?”

“Well, technically I suppose it was this morning.”

Abe couldn’t stand the buzz his proximity roused along her skin. She headed toward the roses, instantly inhaling the precious, sweet scent of them. The smell calmed her nerves and momentarily made her forget about all of the problems needing her attention. She had to get Jack Kowski back to perform her duty before his burial the next morning, had to keep her distance from Sebastian, ensure Lloyd was gone once and for all, and of course needed to get into the right state of mind to perform the ritual that would ease the chunk of her problems.

She closed her eyes for a second, swaying when an undercurrent of rotten stench raced up her nose. Where the hell’s that coming from? She took a quick step back. Her eyes flew open, but she nearly collapsed to the ground. A sharp pain pierced her chest, as if someone had just taken a piece of her heart. If strong hands hadn’t wrapped around the back of her arms, she’d have gone down for sure.

Her breath came in spurts. Quick breaths helped her calm down long enough to whisper, “Thanks.”

Sebastian’s grip on her arm was firm but gentle. He stood so close behind her, she could feel his chest against her back. His breath was warm on her neck, and that electrifying sensation rocked her body. She couldn’t resist his touch, not even with the clothes between them. The thorns beneath her skin moved in fast succession. So quickly that if she looked down at the fitted sleeves, she knew the spiked ends would already be piercing the fabric. If the thorns pricked Sebastian and drew blood, they’d be headed for disaster.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Sure. You can let go now, but thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Sebastian stepped closer. His hands lingered on her arms, while his smoky breath sped up. “If you ever need my help, just call on me,” he whispered near her ear.

A shiver of delight raced down her spine. “I’ll remember that.” Abe wanted—no, needed—to push him off her. The sensations he roused would soon manifest in the swirl of uncontrollable lust already winding up from her lower abdomen. If he didn’t get away from her soon, she’d have no choice but to throw herself at him. Then, her desired plan wouldn’t happen, because once she got physically involved with this man, she wouldn’t be able to force the horrid plan she intended for him.

He suddenly yanked both hands away from her and swore.

Abe looked over her shoulder. Sebastian was staring at his fingers, raising one to his mouth. She spun around and smacked it away before he could taste the blood. “Don’t lick it!”

“Shit, what the hell just happened?”

She sucked in a breath that almost winded her. If the thorns didn’t dissipate soon, he’d know something terrible was going on with her. “Did you skim one of the thorns?”

His brow creased, and he looked from her to the roses and back again. “I suppose…though I wasn’t standing that close to the bushes. What happened to you? Are you sure you’re okay? Why the hell did you just hit me?”

“I’m sorry, but if you were scratched by one of the thorns and licked the blood, you might get sick. I use powerful stuff to keep the pests away.” There, that wasn’t such a stretch. She did use powerful pesticide, though the thorns that had broken his skin were from her body and not the flowers.

He gave her a quizzical look. “Are you sure you’re okay? You looked like you were about to pass out.”

She nodded, widening the gap between them and reaching for the comfort of a pink rose petal. “I’m fine. Sometimes, I get a little woozy after I…” What was the point of finishing the thought? If Abe wasn’t careful, she’d be spilling all of her secrets to him. “You said that you came up here last night? Why?”

SINFUL is now available in eBook, Kindle and paperback.

::: If you enjoyed this excerpt, be the first to send me an email (click on the Contact Me tab) to let me know... and I'll send you a copy of the whole eBook. But you have to be quick, this is only for the first person who contacts me :::

An exciting steampunk announcement from Heather Massey...

2011-12-10T06:02:00.000+11:00

Greetings!

Yolanda has kindly given me time on her blog to tell you about The Watchmaker’s Lady, my forthcoming erotic steampunk romance e-novella from Red Sage Publishing. In this story, a watchmaker in 1840 New England falls in love with a beautiful clockwork automaton, but how long before the townspeople discover his forbidden affair?

Here’s the (unofficial) story blurb:

Matthew Goddard is a lonely watchmaker in 1840 New England. One fateful day, he discovers the lover of his dreams in a dusty corner of the local general store—Isabel, a bisque porcelain mannequin head with mesmerizing, smoky blue eyes. When Matthew invites her to come live with him, she eagerly “accepts.”

The couple embarks on a lust-filled affair, one fueled by Matthew’s wild imagination. In order to provide Isabel with a brass body and pretty clothes, he begins a secret side business selling clockwork sex toys to his wealthy female customers.

Danger, however, threatens their idyllic romance when a disgruntled customer exposes Matthew’s forbidden business to the townspeople. Despite the growing menace, Matthew will stop at nothing in order to save his soul mate—and protect their love.

***

The Watchmaker’s Lady is a tale of two soul mates who fight to keep their romance alive despite overwhelming odds. The story combines clockpunk, a hero with an unusual occupation, an unconventional heroine, steamy love scenes, and a surprise twist that I’m not going to spoil for you!

Look for The Watchmaker’s Lady from Red Sage Publishing in Spring 2012. You can also visit my site and blog for developing news.

Thanks for reading!

Today, started out well...

2011-12-09T14:40:00.001+11:00

Yeah. It did, because the sun was shining first thing this morning. I couldn't believe it, and am really hoping that it sticks around for a while. I am so over the rain. Seriously over it.

Anyway. I had certain goals that I wanted to achieve today... and I did! I'm so happy to have finalised Sierra Fox #2. I also got the synopsis cleaned up. And even managed to email everything to my editor before lunchtime. Now, I've gotta cross my fingers and toes. I really hope she likes it.

Well, that's really all I wanted to say today. :D

I'm feeling a little giddy with excitement at the moment. I also can't wait to get stuck into the next Sierra book. I know, weirdo, right? LMAO.

Well, have an awesome weekend!

Well, hello there!

2011-12-08T13:28:00.000+11:00

Yikes! I can't believe it's Thursday already. I've been working so hard on the third draft of Sierra Fox #2, that time has slipped away from me this week.

This picture is another one that my daughter made for me using the doll maker apps on her iPad. It's once again Sierra. And although Sierra's hair is actually a little longer than this and her power isn't exactly manifested like it is in this picture, I still think she captured Sierra's essence very well. :)

Speaking of Sierra... I just reached the end of the third draft of her second novel. Yay! I'm so darn excited.

The second installment (I have five books planned for her) is actually a little longer than the first. This one turned out to be 96,879 words long. I fixed a bunch of stuff and even addressed the many post-it--and other--notes I had scattered on my desk. I like the way everything fits together, as well as how it all turned out, and how I've managed to set up some things that will pop up in later books.

Sigh. I'm feeling a little giddy with excitement at the moment.

Though the work isn't completely done yet. I need to whip my synopsis into shape, and will also let the story sit overnight to see if anything sticks out before I finalise it. Possibly tomorrow. Hooray.

So, asides from working on this revision like crazy, I haven't done much else. I've rested my foot all week. The walking has been minimal, and so has the working out. I can't wait until next week, when I intend to get back into it. :)

Well, that's it for today. Have a great one!

Ready for the new week...

2011-12-05T07:59:00.004+11:00

With only two weeks of school left, I have to be ready to seriously tackle what's left of my self-imposed deadlines for 2011. And what exactly is that?

Well, I want to finish the third draft of Sierra Fox #2 before my daughter's last school day for this year--which happens to be the 16th of this month. After that, she won't go back to school until late January. Of course, I'll still be working on other projects, but I want to have this one done by then.

Fingers crossed.

Oh, and by the way, see this awesome pic on the left? Well, my daughter made it for me on one of the doll maker apps on her iPad. It's actually Sierra Fox. Doesn't she look cool? She made a bunch of these awesome dolls for me, for characters in Sierra's world and those in Trina's. Very cool.

How was your weekend? We had another great one. Although I was terribly disappointed when I read the online results of The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale and found out that Mayhem Miller didn't win. :( I was hoping he would, because he rocked so much as a coach on the latest season. Oh well. He still rocks, and I can't wait to see him in action again.

Okay, you know how I mentioned my goal for this week? Well, I actually cheated and gave myself a head start on Friday. And even managed to squeeze in a little revision over the weekend. So instead of starting on page 1 this morning, I'm already sitting on page 68/236. Awesome, right? Now, instead of having 236 pages to revise by the end of next week, I have 168. Sneaky, huh? But cool, I reckon. ;)

Today's goal is to get as close to page 100 as I can. That'll bring me up to my Thursday goal. lol. I think this sneaking in revision whenever I can is a great thing. Even if it does cut into my reading time. But it doesn't matter, I'll be rewarding myself with plenty of reading after I reach this personal goal!

Speaking of reading. I've pretty much reached my 2011 reading challenge goals... except for the Stephen King Challenge. I have one book left to read on that one, and it's MISERY. :D

Oh, and remember how I mentioned that I've had a sore left heel for several months now? Well, I finally went to the doctor on Friday and had him check it out. Turns out I needed to take some anti-inflammatory pills to help with the swelling, and not walk for a while. At least, not the kind of walks I love doing. *cries* After taking the pills over the weekend, the pain has almost subsided. I also didn't go for any strenuous walks and will have to take it easy this week. Which means I'll probably miss out on most of the week's walks, but at least I can do yoga and weights.

If I don't do this, the injury won't heal completely. It's just that not going for my daily walks makes it feel like something is missing from my days. Sigh.

Okay, time to get on with the day...

SINFUL is now available!

2011-12-01T10:10:00.000+11:00

Sebastian Morrow's book is in the wild...

Sometimes, the business of death can be very messy.

Sebastian's latest job requires him to stay in the Crosse Funeral Home for a while. That's fine with him, the sin eating keeps him busy and the funeral director provides a good distraction from his connection to Alyce. When a phantom starts haunting his nights, he starts to wonder if maybe he hasn't gotten himself in too deep.

Abe is a funeral director, but her connection with the dead goes much deeper. Now that she has a new sin eater working with her, she can start planning the ritual that will seal her fate.

Yet, when one thing goes wrong, and is closely followed by another, she soon finds herself the pawn in a game she didn't even know had been going on within the walls of her home...

Kindle | Paperback

Sinful will be available from Damnation Books at midnight on December 1.

---
You can meet Sebastian in the...

Alyce Kerr, Faith Healer Trilogy

Now available from Damnation Books.

(Use promo code 191W1WM6D6CY at check-out to get 25% off of your entire book order. The code is good through 12-31-2011 and includes all books not on variable pricing.)

THE LAST DRAGONSLAYER by Jasper Fforde

2011-12-01T08:50:00.001+11:00

In the good old days, magic was powerful, unregulated by government, and even the largest spell could be woven without filling in magic release form B1-7g.

Then the magic started fading away.

Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Strange runs Kazam!, an employment agency for soothsayers and sorcerers. But work is drying up. Drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and even magic carpets are reduced to pizza delivery.

So it's a surprise when the visions start. Not only do they predict the death of the Last Dragon at the hands of a dragonslayer, they also point to Jennifer, and say something is coming. Big Magic . . .

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. I love dragons, so I wanted to know more...

Jennifer Strange is fifteen years old and is a foundling in the Ununited Kingdoms. She also runs Kazam, which is an agency for those who can perform magic to help others. However, magic isn't as powerful as it used to be and a lot of places are ending their contracts with the company. Not to mention that the boss is missing and no one knows where he is, which leaves her alone to take care of things. Luckily, The Blessed Ladies of the Lobster have sent an orphan to help her out.

However, when pre-cogs start having visions of the last dragon dying at the hands of a dragonslayer, things get interesting and confusing for Jennifer. Because she just happens to be in the middle of everything and soon finds herself in an unexpected situation.

The Last Dragonslayer is a quirky story filled with strange and colourful characters. It's also set in a world much like ours, but completely different. It was quite an experience. Although I did enjoy it, I often felt a little disconnected from what was going on. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because things moved a little too fast sometimes, or it could just be because Jennifer and the Quarkbeast were the only characters I really found myself caring about...

Still, it's a fun read!

The Last Dragonslayer, September 2011, ISBN 9781444707205, Hodder Paperbacks

Awesome Monday, Meh Tuesday

2011-11-29T11:44:00.000+11:00

The bad thing about having an awesome day, is that the next one will probably be pretty crappy. Which is exactly what is happening to me today.

I had a great day yesterday. I didn't get too much writing stuff done, but I did go through the Word doc and changed something that will help smooth out the final draft next week. Plus, hubby & I did a yoga workout, and then caught up on some TV shows:

American Horror Story: We watched the two parts of the Halloween episode, and man, was it creepy-cool. I'm really enjoying this show. It's so insane, twisted, creepy... and in some parts, totally wrong. Yet, that's what makes it so good! And why I'm pretty much hooked and can't wait to find out what happens next.

The Walking Dead: *don't read if you haven't seen it yet* We absolutely loved the Midseason Finale! OMG. I didn't expect what popped out of the barn, but it packed an emotional punch. Yikes. Once again, OMG. I can't shake her walking out of there after they've been searching for her the whole season. Of course, with the truth out there now, I know it's going to have a huge impact on all of them. Amazing, I say. Can't believe we have to wait until February...

Anyway. These two shows are fast becoming some of my most faves. I love how risque and open TV writers are to new and previously unexplored storylines these days. It's cool.

So, there are a few things that are kinda bothering me today but I'm going to do my best not to dwell on them. It's best not to let negative energy affect me for too long. It's just not worth the aftereffect. :/

Bring on the positive vibes.

Well, I think this blog entry has helped me find a much better mood. And I can now go and enjoy lunch!

Rain, rain, go away...

2011-11-25T13:54:00.002+11:00

Really, go away. It's been raining all this week, and it totally sucks! I'm so over it. I have to wear my raincoat every single day and it's cold, too. We're supposed to have moved past the cold, shitty weather. O_o

<--- I took this photo this morning, during my daily walk. It's usually really nice but with the constant rain, puddles keep appearing and disappearing each day. So sometimes I have to either step all over the massive flood points, or find a way around them. Luckily, it wasn't too bad today. But still...

Anyway, that's enough bitching about the weather.

If you check out the sidebar, you can find links to where you can already pre-order CLASH. How awesome is that? I've also added some info about WITHER. In case you'd like to check out where the story began. ;)

So, I'm actually really happy with what I've achieved this week. I managed to complete a lot of background research and brainstorming for a bunch of things that'll affect Sierra and her world during the five-book series I have planned for her. Having all of this down in the one notebook is going to be incredibly helpful when I'm writing, revising, and editing each book. It'll save a lot of time, too. The best thing is that it's helped all the details fall into place, and sometimes I feel like I can step in and out of her world. Which is an awesome thing for a writer!

Okay. That's it for today. I'm going to go and do... something, I guess.

Hubby will be home soon. Can't wait to get started on the weekend! Have an awesome one!

Enough with the rain, I reckon!

2011-11-24T07:35:00.005+11:00

Seriously.

It's now Thursday, and the rain hit on Sunday afternoon. What does that add up to? Too many rainy days. In some cases, it happened to be endless rain. :(

Looks like it's not raining right now, but it's still very dark out there.

I've said this before: I don't mind walking in the rain. Actually, I do it often. But my morning walks include going past a spot in the river path that floods when it rains too much... which is where I found myself yesterday. It wasn't fun, and it makes the walk feel like it goes forever. Instead of being pleasant and lovely.

So, let's hope today is the day where the sun finally breaks through! (I wish, lol)

Anyway. Onto more exciting things...

Recast, Book 2: CLASH is now listed for pre-order for the Kindle and the Nook. How awesome is that? If you pre-order it, it's available at a cheaper price. So, yay! ;)

This made me smile.

Another thing that makes me smile is getting things done. This week, the things I'm slowly crossing off my to-do list aren't as huge as getting closer to finishing a story, or a revision draft, or even an editing round. But they are essential things that I need cleared up before starting the first round of edits on Sierra Fox #1, finishing up #2, or even starting #3. So, I'm very excited about the extra research, brainstorming, and sorting through I've been doing. Like I said yesterday, it's mostly behind-the-scenes stuff, but it's still very important.

There'll be much of the same going on today, but I'm looking forward to it. It's fun!

Well, have a nice day. (Better than mine if it's not raining where you're at.)

'Twas a dark and dreary day...

2011-11-23T06:53:00.004+11:00

But this gorgeous picture of my cat, Loki, should brighten things up. :)

Seriously, isn't it beautiful? My daughter took it. We surprised her last month and gave her a digital camera for her 11th birthday, and she loves it. She takes heaps of excellent photos, but most of them happen to be of Loki. Lol. She chases him around the house with the camera, waiting for a cute pose. And well, since he's pretty much always doing those... you can imagine. I call her the 'Loki Paparazzo'.

As you can probably tell from the title, we've been having a pretty dark and rainy start to the week. Boo! It pretty much rained most of yesterday, and I found myself walking in the rain when I dropped and picked my daughter up from school. I have to admit it was kinda nice during my walk in the morning--I like getting the river path all to myself--but in the afternoon it was a bit of a drag. Oh well.

I just hope it stops soon. I don't mind a few days of spotty rain, but nonstop rain for more than that starts to make me twitch. I need me some sunshine during spring. ;)

So, I actually had a great day yesterday. I didn't have any tight daily deadlines, but worked on research and updating my Sierra Fox Series Bible for most of the time. I even spent the morning listening to music while I read about some myths and legends. I've now (finally) cleared something up about one of the villains in the second book, which I'll have to fix during the final draft. And have found/figured out which calendar moon cycles I'm using. Never mind about that, though. It's mostly background stuff that I need to know in order to make sense of the timeline.

I'll be doing more of the same today. I've got an ominous name to choose, the interior of a house to figure out, and some werewolf/full moon research to do. I've also got to read a little more about crime scenes and might even need to eventually pop into the local police station to ask them a few precise questions about certain Australian procedures. I don't usually have cops in my books, but these two popped out of nowhere while I was writing--just like the unplanned scene they were in--and now I need to make proper sense of everything. Yeah.

OMGosh! I found out the other day that MCR is actually doing one sideshow in Sydney when they tour as part of The Big Day Out next year. They're going to perform at the same place as 30STM did, when we went to see them live last year. We're gonna try and get tickets. I expect this show to sell out real fast, but I'm certainly gonna try to get hubby, daughter and myself there. :D

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to get a few things done before my daughter wakes up and it's time to get on with the day... Take care!

I skipped a day!

2011-11-22T06:54:00.001+11:00

But there was a good reason. Really, there was...

As soon as hubby left for work yesterday morning, I got stuck into what I had left of the Sierra Fox #2 second draft--which was 46 pages--and spent every moment I had during the day on it, too. And... I actually finished it. Yay!

The new word count is: 94,116. It went up by almost 3k, and I expect that during the final draft, it'll go up and down again. I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into it. But I need to take a short break. Unless something else drops in my Inbox, I plan to work on the third draft during the first few weeks of December. Just before my daughter starts school holidays.

So, what am I going to do in the meantime? There are a bunch of things I need to add to my Sierra Fox Series Bible. I also have to double check some facts and research a few other things, plus make sure everything fits in and makes sense. I might also make a start on the synopsis to save myself some time when I'm ready to submit it.

I'd also like to get some reading done, since I've been so consumed by my own stories lately that I haven't been able to do much more than sample a multitude of first chapters without committing to any books. :( And you know how much I love committing to books, so this feels a little strange. I have to admit that without constant reading, it feels like something's missing.

Hopefully that'll change soon.

I feel like I've been working nonstop on edits and revisions during the second half of this year, and I would love to have the rest of this week (at least) to recharge my batteries a bit. It would be really cool to have four days where I've got plenty to do, but I'm not sticking to a rigid page-count goal each day. :) Sometimes, your brains just needs a little rest.

Well, that's it for now.

TGIF!

2011-11-18T07:51:00.001+11:00

Yeah. I'm kinda glad it's the end of the week. I've had another very productive week.

As of this morning, I've reached page 155/229 in my Sierra Fox #2 second draft. Yay! That actually gets me very close to my Tuesday page goal (which is page 161), so I'm actually hoping to get as close as I can to my Wednesday goal. :) I know, it's freaky, right? Still, I'd rather be ahead of my daily goals than behind.

If I can keep going at this pace, I could finish the second draft by Wednesday afternoon. Which would give me two days to go through the final bits of extra research I need to do (for detail fine-tuning) and a chance to update my Sierra Fox Series Bible. Yeah. That would be awesome!

Remember how I mentioned it was starting to feel like summer around here? Yeah, well, the weather decided to make a liar out of me yesterday. It was raining all day and the temperature cooled, heaps. I know! It was quite the shitty day, and I had the moody blues to go with it.

Anyway, now I can look forward to the weekend. Have an awesome one!

Can't wait to watch this:

2011-11-17T06:01:00.002+11:00

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer...

2011-11-16T07:46:00.004+11:00

Yeah. We've had some pretty hot days the last few weeks. I love it. I'm so ready to leave behind the cold and dreary winter we had this year. Bring on the sunshine!

So. I've been getting stuck into the second draft of Sierra Fox #2 this week. As of this morning, I hit page 70/226. Which means I've already reached my Wednesday-page goal, and the total page count has gone up by two pages. No surprises there, lol.

I'm really enjoying this draft and this story. I love stepping back into Sierra's world, but during the second draft I always have a love-hate relationship with my stories. One second I love what I'm reading, the next I'm wondering if it's any good at all...then I go back to loving everything about it again. Strange, but a true process.

The other day, I had to remind myself not to keep second guessing every move I make during this draft, or I'll never get it done. :( Yeah, best to keep things in perspective and remember that this time I'm smoothing out the edges, deleting things that don't make sense, spotting typos, inconsistencies, and all that jazz. During the third/final draft, I can get super critical on the details to make sure nothing stands out.

It's bizarre to have to remind myself to do this every single time I'm revising a story, but it's so easy to let self-doubt cloud my vision. Feeling much better about it now. :)

Anyway. That's enough neurotic writing thoughts. lol.

I haven't done much else during the day. My head's still filled with "writing stuff" that continually fills my brain. It's a great thing, but not so good when you want to get stuck into some reading. :/ Oh well. As long as I'm having fun with the revisions and getting one step closer to completion.

Well, see ya!

Welcome, to yet another week...

2011-11-14T07:47:00.001+11:00

Firstly, let me start by saying that on Friday I did manage to meet my goals. I got the final round of edits for RELENTLESS done and emailed about an hour before hubby was due to get home. So, yay!

It meant that I started the weekend with a sigh of relief, because I managed to get two pretty big things off my to-do list. But I was really tired and didn't pick up any book/s to read. Instead, my head was swamped with taking final notes for the Recast world, as well as getting everything ready for the Sierra Fox #2 second draft revision. Which I started this morning. I got the first chapter revised already. Phew.

I like getting an early start...

This revision is going to take me a little longer than Recast #3 did, because it's a 91k+ novel. I've allocated two weeks (ten working days) to get it done. If I can get 23pgs done every single day, I'll be able to have it finished by next Friday afternoon. Then...I can look forward to taking a week off after that, before throwing myself right into the third draft of this novel.

Yeah, I've got a (very) tight schedule from now until the end of December. I'm trying to get the second Sierra Fox novel finished and emailed to my lovely editor before the end of this year. Mainly it's because I really want to start 2012 with a clean slate of projects, but I'd also like to have this done before my daughter has summer school holidays from mid-December to late-January. Yeah, it's a long one, lol.

Anyway. Asides from more revision, that's pretty much all I'll be devoting most of my writing time to. There are, of course, many real life things that need to be tackled as well. Like spring cleaning. OMGosh. We spent a lot of the weekend going through my daughter's room. Yikes! We've managed to recycle a lot of stuff, but also had to throw a little bit away. :/

The spring cleaning is nowhere near done yet, btw.

Okay. Gotta get breakfast for my daughter now! See ya.

End of the week goals!

2011-11-11T07:36:00.027+11:00

But before I get stuck into that, let me just say: this picture cracks me up! OMG. So funny. :D

I think it's great for a Friday morning laugh.

So, after addressing the post-it notes, writing and proofreading both the synopsis and blurb, I managed to finalise the final draft of Recast #3. Now, the waiting (and nail-biting) begins.

Still very happy about getting it done, though. I originally had it down to be completed by the end of December, which means that I can soon concentrate solely on the revision stages of Sierra Fox #2...

Soon, because today I plan to get the errata edit of RELENTLESS (An Alyce Kerr novella) done and emailed back to my editor. I got an early start on it this morning and reached page 22/47 before my daughter got up. That's some really cool progress, and leaves me with just 25pgs left to do for the rest of the day. Yay.

Man, getting these two things done before the weekend is going to make me a very happy camper...uh, I mean, writer! ;)

Y'know what I noticed yesterday? There's an excerpt of CLASH up on the Samhain Publishing website already. How cool is that? The release date is January 24, 2012 but if you click on the link and then click the Excerpt tab, you can read some of Ace and Ely's story. Plus, the excerpt contains some Colt and Brynn. So excited!

So. There you have it. I promised myself that I would try to blog more, and I managed to pop in every single day this week. Yay. Doubt I'll be doing the same over the weekend, though. Make sure you have an awesome one!

Good morning!

2011-11-10T07:08:00.027+11:00

How are you today? I'm good, but still swamped with work. lol.

Yesterday ended up being very productive! I actually got to the end of the story before hubby got home and we headed out to do some grocery shopping. Yay.

The word count ended up rising a bit--to 50,697--and the page count hit 119 pages. It's all good. There were things that needed to be fixed and added. And trust me, I actually deleted quite a bit as well.

I'm very excited about getting to the end... but I'm not actually finished yet. That's what I'm hoping to do today.

I just wrote the first draft for both the synopsis and blurb. They're both very rough and need a little more work, but it's good for now. I'll be taking a look at them later on in the day. But before finalising them, I need to grab all of my notes and post-its to make sure I've addressed everything. As I was working on the third draft, I filled several post-its with questions and tidbits that I needed to double check at the end. So I'll be taking care of them too.

Then, I'll be finished. I'd really love to get this done by the end of today. So, fingers crossed.

I was planning to take Friday off, as a reward for getting this story's revision finished more than a month before my self-imposed deadline, but I received the errata stage edits for RELENTLESS yesterday afternoon. :/ So, I've decided to spend tomorrow doing them. It's 47 pages worth of edits, so I should be able to do it...

If I can get the last round of edits and finalise Recast #3 before the weekend, I will be a very happy writer. :D <----see, me being happy. LOL.

I'm really looking forward to rewarding myself with some overdue reading.

Well, catch'a!

Still moving along...

2011-11-09T06:51:00.000+11:00

Yeah, the revision's going well. But first, how awesome is this cat? Seriously. Wow!

Anyway. Yesterday's chunk o' revision got me to page 70/117, and I was aiming for 50/117. So, cool! It turned out to be a super productive day. I swear, the word count kept going up and down, I even lost a page at one stage and it went down to 116, before it went back to 117. LOL. I actually ended up cutting a lot of useless words. And even had time to address several issues I needed to look into--which were on post-it notes.

I was super happy with the progress, and hope to continue the same pace today. :)

I'm also extremely happy with the story. At the moment. Trying not to let the self-doubt affect what is actually turning out to be quite an interesting revision. I'm really enjoying it! And if I keep going at this very cool pace, I might even have time to write the synopsis and blurb at the end of the week. Fingers crossed.

Oh, before I forget, one of my publishers has a new anthology call. You can check it out here. I've been toying with writing something for this one... I just need to figure out a way to fit it into my very tight schedule. Which could be a prob. O_o

Y'know, the only downside to getting SO caught up with my own stories is that I haven't had a chance to read all week (and most of last week). Still, once I finish this draft I'll be sure to reward myself with a book to read. I love 'em kind of rewards. :)

Well, off I go. Have a great day!

The revision continues...

2011-11-08T06:32:00.034+11:00

<---Ain't this the truth? Yep. It is. I love The Goonies movie!

I spent most of the day revising yesterday, and managed to get 30/117 pages revised. Not a bad start. I found a bit of repetition, deleted some things that didn't add anything to the story, moved stuff around, have already strengthened a bunch of things, and even managed to cut about 200 words.

Very excited about the way the story's shaping up.

I'm hoping to get another 30pgs done today. :) Halfway mark, here I come!

Last night, I grabbed my calendar and pretty much allocated writing stuff for the rest of the year. :/ This week, I'm working on Recast #3. The next two weeks I will spend working on the second draft of Sierra Fox #2. That means I can then take the last week of this month (which also happens to be the first week of next month) off. Before hitting the third draft of Sierra Fox #2 beginning/mid December. Phew!

My goal is to have these two stories revised and submitted to my editor before the end of the year. It means I'm going to be super busy, but that's fine. I love these two stories and the series they each belong to. Oh, and it also means that I can start 2012 with a clean slate and start allocating some new writing. Yay. Awesome!

Of course, whenever I make tight plans that fit so well together, something arrives to throw it offline. lmao. We'll see what happens, huh? ;)

But for now, I've got a story to get stuck into... See ya later!

The busy never ends...

2011-11-07T08:20:00.003+11:00

Yeah, that's right. Which is why I haven't blogged for days! :(

Around this time last week, I decided that I was going to spend the week mostly brainstorming, reading, planning, and getting ready for this week's revision of Recast #3. It was going to be my breather week between projects.

LOL, because that's not what ended up happening. I actually ended up working on FLEs, a second round of edits, and then finished off the week by checking the ARC for CLASH. Which means that Ace and Ely's story is now done & done! How awesome is that? The hard work was certainly worth it, that's for sure.

I'm very excited about CLASH, and also very proud of it. Though I couldn't have done it without my brilliant editor, Suz. She rocks! And I can't wait to work with her again. :)

Also, just having read through that story again--where the hero for Recast #3 is introduced--is actually perfect for getting stuck into the third book's final revision. This morning, I revised the first chapter--10pgs. So that's cool. I'm aiming to get 25pgs/day revised. And if I do, I should have this draft finished by the end of the week. Then all I have to do is write the synopsis and blurb, before subbing it to my editor.

Working through this draft is both exciting and nerve-wracking. Exciting because I really enjoyed writing this story and always look forward to tightening and fixing all the blemishes that I didn't pick up before. And nerve-wracking because it's the third installment in the series and kinda moves into new territory. None of the previous characters are actually in this one, though Ace is mentioned. I guess it's just hard to keep that self-doubt away sometimes. :/

Anyway, I've got all of my notes and research with me. As well as post-it notes to add anything that I need to remember. :) Gotta love being prepared!

We had an awesome weekend, btw. I hope you did too.

A new Ikea has opened up nearby and we popped in yesterday. Seriously, having an Ikea within walking distance is absolutely awesome! We'll definitely be popping in. A lot.

BTW, I haven't read anything since the beginning of last week! :( I've just been too busy working on my own stuff, thinking about a new story idea, and spring cleaning...

Well, wish me luck with the revision! I'll try to be a better blogger this week. ;)

Have a great day!

OMGosh, it's the middle of the week already!

2011-11-02T13:45:00.003+11:00

Have I mentioned how much I love this show, lately?? Well, I do. I absolutely love everything about it. And after this week's Shane incident, I'm lovin' it even more. One of my favourite things about zombie books/shows/movies is how human nature is affected by a zombie apocalypse.

I think The Walking Dead does a great job. :)

Okay, so at the beginning of this week I decided I was going to take these five days to research a new project, read, and prepare for the Recast #3 final revision draft next week. Basically, I was going to take it easy...

Fast forward three days and I've gotten the FLE done for CLASH--btw, if you didn't see it the other day, here's the official blurb--and the second round of edits for RELENTLESS. Phew!

So much for taking it easy, huh?

Anyway. Today feels all out of whack. School didn't start until 11am because the teachers were having a stop-work meeting, so it was strange walking down there later than usual. Oh well. At least I still got a chance to finish up the edits I was working on. :)

Well, that's it for now. I just thought I'd post an update. As usual, I've got a hundred things going on at once... Maybe tomorrow will be a slower day. Maybe.

Have a great one!

THE SECRET GUIDE TO DATING MONSTERS by Sierra Dean

2011-10-31T11:54:00.004+11:00

Are blind dates supposed to be this bloody?

A Secret McQueen Story

They say it's impossible to find a man in New York City. Secret McQueen needs to find two in one night. Of course, it’ll mean pulling off the impossible—find and kill a displaced rogue vampire without disrupting the first promising date she’s had in ages. As a werewolf hybrid used to walking a fine line of survival in the vampire world, though, Secret eats impossible for breakfast.

Somewhere between hello and the first round of drinks, Secret makes her move. Her target, Hollywood’s biggest star, shouldn’t be hard to spot. Just look for swarms of fans. Except every time her vampire liaison, Holden, helps keep her mission on track, her date runs further off the rails.

Either Holden has a hidden agenda, or he knows more than he’s letting on about her quarry. One way or another, Secret is determined to get her man, and meet Mr. Right. Or die trying.

Warning: This book contains a sword-wielding assassin whose barbs are sharper than her blade, a vampire with serious brooding issues but a skilled tongue, and an A-lister with a bad habit of eating his fans. This novella takes place approximately one year prior to the events of Something Secret This Way Comes.

This morning, I decided to get stuck into this book on my Kindle. It happens to be the prequel novella for the very awesome Secret McQueen series.

Secret's friend has set her up on a blind date, and she's quite surprised when she finds herself really warming towards the detective, Tyler. However, because her life is never easy, her vampire liaison, Holden, has also handed her a new job. So, she soon finds herself juggling her date with trying to kill a rogue vampire--who also happens to be a Hollywood star--and things don't go as smoothly as she'd hoped.

Man, this was so much fun! I loved finding out about the infamous subway incident that's mentioned in the first book. It's so cool, and action-packed. Secret takes a lot of hits, and not all of them are physical.

This is fast becoming one of my favourite UF series. So it's a good thing that I've got the second book already on my Kindle. ;) Can't wait!

H&UFRC books read: 50/24

Happy New Week to ya!

2011-10-31T07:34:00.000+11:00

Today, I'm very excited because I found THIS on the Samhain Publishing website over the weekend:

When revenge, secrets and lust collide, there can only be chaos.

Recast, Book 2

Jenks Maine is dead, but the devastating effects forcing Recast to fight in the arena goes on. Half-Recast Ace Abu is determined to put a stop to it. All he needs is to get to the planet Fray, locate the concealed Clash Arena, and destroy it. But first he has to cross half the galaxy before the sound and smell of his partners’ nonstop lovemaking drives him mad.

By the time he parks himself on a barstool in the town of Grit, he’s more than ready for a few beers. Except the sexy singer on stage is only making him—and his inner beast—burn hotter.

Ely’Shea longs for the freedom Jenks stole from her. She’s his right-hand woman, but when the boss is away she steps out of her enforcer role and ducks into a remote bar to indulge her passion: singing onstage. The night she catches a glimpse of an alluring cowboy in the audience, he ignites a spark inside her she never thought she’d feel again.

Unable to resist temptation, they’re consumed by passion…but once the fuses are set, their deepest personal secrets could blow any chance of forever all to hell.

Product Warnings:

OMG! How awesome is this? I'm SO darn excited. And don't the first two books in the Recast series look good together? I think they look absolutely awesome. Yeah, very excited over here.

The official release date for CLASH is January 24, 2012. So feel free to share the link and the date if you like. ;)

Oh, and btw...

THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON: A Pop-up Book by Stephen King

2011-10-30T16:06:00.014+11:00

Trisha McFarland is a plucky 9-year-old hiking with her brother and mom, who is grimly determined to give the kids a good time on their weekends together. Trisha's mom is recently divorced, and her brother is feuding with her for moving from Boston to small-town Maine, where classmates razz him. Trisha steps off the trail for a pee and a respite from the bickering. And gets lost.

I read the book version of this story several years ago, and really enjoyed it. So when hubby suggested we sit down and check this version out together, I thought it would be fun. And it was!

Hubby, daughter and I huddled around while I read it out loud. It was as spooky and thrilling as I remember, but with the added pop-up feature it made everything a lot clearer. We all enjoyed Trisha's quest to find her way out of the scary woods after she gets lost. The art is lovely, and the way the book totally opens up is excellent. I hadn't looked at a pop-up book for ages, and this one didn't disappoint.

It was an awesome idea! And it's fun for the whole family... especially since this is about the only Stephen King story I can share with my daughter. :)

SKC Books Read: 5/6

IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma

2011-10-29T19:29:00.014+11:00

'Ruby said I’d never drown - not in deep ocean, not by shipwreck, not even by falling drunk into someone’s bottomless backyard pool... It sounded impossible, something no one would believe if anyone other than Ruby were the one to tell it. But Ruby was right: The body found that night wouldn’t be, couldn’t be mine.’

Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that
Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

This is an intriguing and very odd book that hooked me in from the very beginning. I love the cover, too.

Chloe and her older sister Ruby are very close. Chloe worships her sister and enjoys listening to her many stories. Actually, their whole world revolves around each other. But the night Chloe tries to swim from one side of the reservoir to the other and she finds a dead girl, Chloe's sent away and the sisters are separated.

Two years later, Chloe's back in Ruby's custody. But things are different this time...especially when Chloe finds the dead girl is still alive. Or is she? This time around, Chloe starts to look at the town and the people in it from a different perspective. Her sister too, even if she still pretty much does everything she wants her to. Then again, she's not the only one. Ruby has a way of manipulating everyone around her.

Wow. This book is very cool. It was very well written, captivating, odd, mysterious, and will leave you guessing all the way through. Even at the end the answers aren't clear cut. I found it super creepy. The relationship between Ruby and Chloe was very obsessive, and although it mostly felt like Chloe would do anything for her manipulative sister, it was actually a mutual thing.

Yeah, I really enjoyed this one. And I know it's the kind of story that I'll keep thinking about, discovering new things clicking into place every time. Like, was any of it real? ;)

M&SRC books read: 18/12

It's done!

2011-10-28T14:02:00.000+11:00

I just finished the second draft of Recast #3.

That's right. It's now sitting at 50,592 words. Which means I added just over 10k to it during this week, and I'm a lot happier with it. Only one more draft to go. But first, I need to put it aside for a week or two.

Phew. Yeah, I think I deserve a coffee break. ;)

Have a great weekend!

I'm losing count of the days...

2011-10-27T08:26:00.006+11:00

So I can't believe it's already Thursday. Yikes! For some reason, this whole week has been a little wonky. Productive, but wonky. Mostly rainy, and still wonky. ;)

It hasn't stopped us from getting on with our regular-scheduled routine. lol. I've still gone for a walk every morning after dropping my daughter off at school (yesterday, it was raining so I had the whole river path to myself!), we're doing our weights workouts at night, I do yoga the morning after the weights workout, watched Castle, The Walking Dead, and The Talking Dead, and even went for more walks with hubby in the arvo.

Oh, and I've been working on the second draft of Recast #3.

When I finished the first draft of this story at the beginning of this month, the word count was 40,084. Now, after 77/108pgs of revision, it's up to 47,463. I knew this would happen, because as soon as I finished, I realised I needed to add and fix a few things. I'm actually very happy with both the progress, and how the story's shaping up. I'm hoping to get the second draft done by tomorrow afternoon. Then I can put it aside for a few weeks before tackling the third (and final) draft.

It's very exciting. :) Especially since I've got this awesome cover on my desktop. Talk about motivation, huh?

Asides from that, I've also been reading this very bizarre book. I'm really enjoying it, but man... I can't help but wonder: what the hell is going on? I'm reading it a bit slower than I would like because most of my alone time is spent on the revision. As it should be. ;)

I have also been thinking about a new idea that came to me a few weeks ago and is really developing at the moment. I've taken a few notes, but think I'll need to grab a notebook next week and write down every snippet that comes to mind. I love when a story does this to me. I've printed up a 2012 calendar as well, and will soon be marking it with the projects I'd like to tackle then.

Very exciting stuff. Except, I can't believe how close we are to the end of this year. :/

Anyway. Catch'a later!

Um... did I miss Monday over here?

2011-10-25T08:25:00.002+11:00

LOL. Yes, I did. But it's okay because I posted a book review last night. :)

Anyway. How's everyone this week?

It's the last week of October. Already, huh? It sure has gone quick. But I guess that's what happens when you pack it full of stuff. I've done a lot during October, and hope to keep the productivity up into November and December.

BTW, if you missed my latest cover... you can check it out here. It's so awesome. I keep looking at it. And actually have it on the Desktop in the main computer. Awesome!

This week I plan to work on the second draft of my Recast #3 novella. Oh, okay, it's actually category size. ;) Either way, I got started on it yesterday and even got stuck into it early this morning. I've now reached page 29/99 and the word count has already gone up by almost 3k. Of course, I expect that it will keep going up because I've got a few pages full of notes/stuff to add/fix.

Also, if I can get an average of 20 pages revised this week, I can get it finished by Friday. Cool, huh? Even though it's hard to put a goal on a story that'll keep gaining pages, lmao. Still, I'm having fun with it and I'm sharpening it up, which is what counts!

Not much more planned for this week. Well, except for reading a bit and sharing the cover wherever I can. lol. :D

Well, see ya later!

WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman

2011-10-24T17:27:00.002+11:00

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

After reading Mia's story, IF I STAY, earlier this year I couldn't wait to read Adam's. And it turned out to be another overwhelmingly sad story. Yet, even though it was sad, it was also beautiful in its raw emotion and devastation.

Three years have passed since the accident that nearly took Mia's life, and killed her family. The same accident that changed Adam's life forever. He was her boyfriend back then, and tried his best to stay by her side while she recovered, but when Mia went away to school she stopped calling him, taking his calls, and even emailing him. Until one day, there was nothing.

In the meantime, Adam's band, Shooting Star, have become huge and everyone knows them. Their music sells well and he's always in the tabloids. Having an actress for a girlfriend doesn't help, I suppose. Still, he's not a happy person. Actually, he's a total a mess. He can't sleep, he can't shake Mia, he's lost his passion for the band, and most of the time can barely take the pressure of just having to go on with the day. Until one night, he stumbles on a performance by Mia and they meet up afterwards.

What follows is a heartbreaking, emotional rollercoaster of a night. One that will either break him, break them both, or help him find the closure he needs to finally move on with his own life.

Wow. This was an amazing book! I loved reading about things from Adam's POV, but felt my heart breaking for him a little more with every page. This book packs quite an emotional punch, and I was exhausted by the time I finished it. But in a good way. In a way that I could finally smile at the end. :)

This is a powerful love story. Loved it!

JUST AFTER SUNSET by Stephen King

2011-10-22T15:48:00.034+11:00

Just After Sunset -- call it dusk, call it twilight, it's a time when human intercourse takes on an unnatural cast, when nothing is quite as it appears, when the imagination begins to reach for shadows as they dissipate to darkness and living daylight can be scared right out of you. It's the perfect time for Stephen King.

While going through my Stephen King bookshelf, I realised that I hadn't read this short story collection yet, so I had to remedy that problem by getting stuck into it...

WILLA: I love me a good ghost story. I also love me a good love story. This one just happened to be a bit of both.

David is engaged to Willa and he's waiting at the station for her. He wants to make sure they don't miss the next train to San Fran. But when he goes looking for her and finds her in a honky-tonk bar all by herself, she makes him realise a harsh reality about what they are and what David's so eager to ignore.

THE GINGERBREAD GIRL: This story hooked me in from the very beginning. I loved following Em on her courageous journey to find herself out of grief by running. And wow, I was really amazed about where it led her. What a powerful story. I absolutely loved every moment of this one!

HARVEY'S DREAM: This was a short, surreal short story. I enjoyed it!

REST STOP: I enjoyed how this story goes from an average situation--a man needs to empty his bladder so he pops into a rest stop--and then becomes something else. I also loved the idea of tapping into another persona, to be able to handle a situation you might not usually be capable of dealing with. Another great story!

STATIONARY BIKE: Okay, this story was amazing! It was seriously awesome. I mean, who else but King could keep me on the edge of my seat with a story about a 38-year-old man who has finally decided to do something about his weight by using an exercise bike? Yeah, exactly! But there's so much more. This artist's imagination takes on a whole new level of commitment to losing weight. So vivid, he pretty much convinces himself illusion is real! Awesome.

THE THINGS THEY LEFT BEHIND: This was a spooky, yet very sad story about a man obviously suffering survivor's guilt. But as the events unfold, he starts to understand there's something he can do with these tokens that are haunting him. In the right hands, they can become so much more!

GRADUATION AFTERNOON: Trust King to turn an ordinary story featuring a young girl's musings about the future, into something tragic, unexpected, and totally frightening! I really enjoyed how he turned the story around.

N: OMG! What can I say about this novella? Except, well, I became obsessed with it and couldn't wait to get to the end. I did have a tinge of suspicion about where it would go, but had a great time getting there. This was a seriously FANTASTIC tale! Absolutely loved it.

THE CAT FROM HELL: I love cats, so this one was a little uncomfortable to read. But man, it was another creepy story with a very violent and graphic conclusion!

THE NEW YORK TIMES AT SPECIAL BARGAIN RATES: Such a moving and sad story about a woman who loses her husband, but gets a phone call from him. I love these types of stories, and this one didn't disappoint!

MUTE: This one's a what-if-kinda story. It was so out there, but a lot of fun! I particularly liked how it was written.

AYANA: Interesting story about death, avoiding death, and saving random strangers.

A VERY TIGHT PLACE: I enjoyed this one because it was so twisted. Seriously, I didn't see the twist coming, but had a gross time finding out what would happen to Curtis and how he would make it out of the gruesome situation he gets himself into. There's a huge gross factor in this story, and it's not because of the gory horror. Seriously, if you read it (or have already read it) you'll know what I mean.

This anthology was another excellent collection from King. I enjoyed every single story for very different reasons. They also kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time. And made me remember why I sometimes put off grabbing a King book in the first place: I become totally consumed and obsessed about them! This is one author I've enjoyed reading for years, and I'll continue to get stuck into his tales and get lost in the wonder, horror, and outstanding tales he spins.

Always awesome!

SKC Books Read: 4/6

I have a new cover to share... and it's awesome:

2011-10-20T06:54:00.000+11:00

Isn't it fantastic? I absolutely love it! It's so exciting to see Ace on the cover. :)

This awesome cover was made by the brilliant cover artist, Kanaxa. I love her work. I also feel very lucky to have had two covers designed by her. She rocks!

This is what they look like together:

Pretty, huh?

CLASH, which happens to be the second book in my Recast series, will be available early 2012 from Samhain Publishing. Can't wait!

Nothing beats sunny days!

2011-10-19T13:12:00.003+11:00

I love sunny days! And they're even better when it's spring and/or summer. :)

So, what's new?

I've been pretty busy the last few days. No surprise there, right? We made my daughter's birthday as much fun as we could, and she seemed to enjoy every minute of it. So that's cool!

Writing wise, I got stuck into the first round of edits for my RELENTLESS novella, and got it finished this morning. It's only 45 pages long, so it didn't take too long. I'm glad it's done, though.

Didn't end up taking the first few days of this week off, like I thought I might. lol.

Oh, did you watch THE WALKING DEAD the other night? OMG. This show is awesome! I love it, and can't wait to see where the second season takes us. I love me some zombie stories, and am now itching to grab another book from my TBR pile, lol. It always happens. Can't get enough of the zombies.

I've been thinking some more about NaNoWriMo, and even spoke to hubby about it. Sometimes it really helps to talk things through with him. Then, before I know it, I've pretty much made up my mind. And I'm now pretty sure that I won't be taking part this year. I've got a lot to do before the end of the year, and adding more work to my to-do list would be nuts.

So, there it is. No NaNo for me, in 2011. :D

Phew. Feels good to get that out there.

Well, I'm off to read for a bit. Or to watch a little crappy TV. Or something...

See ya!

Happy Birthday, Cassandra!

2011-10-17T10:31:00.040+11:00

That's right! It's my daughter's birthday today. She's now 11. Yikes. The years are racing by, huh?

She wasn't too happy about having to go to school, but she did have Wed-Fri off because her grade was away on camp. So, it was back to school for her today, lol.

While she was home, I received the next round of edits for CLASH and got stuck into them. It took me a few days, but by Saturday morning I'd emailed them back to my lovely editor--hi Suz!--and am looking forward to the final stage. Awesome.

First thing this morning, I found the proof for SINFUL in my Inbox. I checked it, so this one's pretty much done and done. It'll be released on December 1! I hope readers of the Alyce Kerr, Faith Healer Trilogy were curious to find out a little more about Sebastian, because this one's his story. :)

Anyway. I haven't thought too much about what I'm going to tackle this week. I do know that I don't want to plan anything for today or tomorrow. I'd like to take a small break for a couple of days and just dabble in a variety of things, before getting stuck into the second draft of Recast #3. I'd love to get the next draft done by the end of this month.

I'm also still undecided about NaNoWriMo. Most of last week, I was pretty sure I could handle NaNo with whatever else comes my way... but this week I'm thinking that I really shouldn't be doing it. I've mentioned it before, but I've got two projects that need to be done by the end of the year. Well, one of them can carry into January, I suppose. Still, they are my priority, and I don't want to stray my focus from these two worlds. If I take part in NaNo, that means I'll need to figure out what to write. Which, btw, I have no idea what I would tackle at this point...

So, it just seems like I'm adding pressure on myself that really doesn't need to be there. I intend to write new books next year. Maybe I really should just skip the NaNo craze this year. Which will make me a little sad, but there's always next year.

Of course I could very well change my mind next week. It's what I've been doing all month, lol.

I'll be sure to keep you posted either way! But for now, I'm going to do--something. Have a great day!

WINTER'S PASSAGE by Julie Kagawa

2011-10-13T13:09:00.009+11:00

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

As soon as I found out this novella fit between the first two books in the Iron Fey series, I couldn't wait to get stuck into it.

The story takes place straight after the events of The Iron King.

Ash is going to take Meghan to the Winter Court, even though he really doesn't want to. But before they go, she convinces him to stop by and check on her best friend, Puck. But they catch the attention of the Hunter, and find themselves trying to outrun this scary creature...

I really enjoyed it! I'm fast becoming a fan of this awesome series!

H&UFRC books read: 49/24

FORGOTTEN by Cat Patrick

2011-10-12T15:08:00.008+11:00

Each night when 16 year-old London Lane goes to sleep, her whole world disappears. In the morning, all that's left is a note telling her about a day she can't remember. The whole scenario doesn't exactly make high school or dating that hot guy whose name she can't seem to recall any easier. But when London starts experiencing disturbing visions she can't make sense of, she realizes it's time to learn a little more about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

Part psychological drama, part romance, and part mystery, this thought-provoking novel will inspire readers to consider the what-if's in their own lives and recognize the power they have to control their destinies.

The concept of FORGOTTEN intrigued me from the moment I grabbed a copy from the bookstore and read the blurb. I bought it straight away, knew it was something I'd be interested in reading because I'm a sucker for amnesia stories. But this book is so much more than that!

London Lane can't remember her past, but she can remember her future. Every night, her mind gets wiped clean and she has to take notes to remind herself of what happened during the day. She then reads it back the next morning, so she can keep up with things. Though that doesn't always work out, either.

The day she meets Luke, everything changes. Luke is nice looking, sweet, and very interested in her. There's a problem though, because she can't remember him forwards. So, who is this guy and how does he fit into her life when she can't remember him? Not to mention, how does the creepy memory about a funeral fit into everything?

This is an amazing book! It hooked me in from the very beginning and kept me glued until the very end. London might forget what happened the day before, but she's an awesome narrator and I loved her story. There are some wonderful scenes in this book, some very powerful ones that are heartbreaking, too. And what happens as she starts to delve deeper into her past, leads her to some very unexpected turns.

I absolutely adored this book!

Surprised!

2011-10-12T07:26:00.004+11:00

Yeah. Hubby surprised me yesterday.

I was minding my own business during the day when someone buzzed at the door. It was a delivery from UPS. Okay, strange, but cool... what is it? Turned out, it was from Amazon UK. I instantly thought it was a book my daughter ordered and is very impatiently waiting for.

However, when I opened the box, I found THIS!

The hubby knows I love The X-Files and have wanted the boxset for a while now. Except, I had no idea that he'd ordered it. Wow. It was so exciting! He's such a sweetheart. :) Made me smile. I was SO surprised. In the most awesome of ways.

Oh, and as soon as I took them out and Loki spotted the box, he jumped into it. (As you can see from the photo, lol.)

Anyway. Super cool!

Well, school holidays might be over but I've got my daughter home for the next three days. :/ Yeah. See, Year 5 and 6 are going on camp and we decided she's too young to go. She doesn't mind. She's just happy she's staying home, but we've insisted she spends a chunk of the day working on some mathletics, reading, times tables, etc. I don't want her slacking off for three days lying around doing nothing. I just think that 10 is way too young to go away on camp. Next year's a different story. By this time next year, she'll be 11 going on 12, and in her last year of primary. She totally agrees, which is cool.

So I don't expect the next few days to be too productive on my end. Then again, I'm still feeling the effects of last week's super editing rush. I'm really tired, a little unmotivated, and with my heel being so sore, distracted. I've been taping my heel for the last few days and even bought some cushioning inserts for my sneakers. With the amount of walking I do, I guess this was bound to happen. :(

Today, I'll just be happy with getting my revision projects sorted out for the rest of the year. I also have to seriously consider if NaNoWriMo is an option this year. On one hand, I know I can't waste the time because I need all the revision time I can get until the end of the year. But on the other hand, I've been taking part since 2006 and love getting stuck into a new story... I'll see.

Now, it's time for yoga.

Have a great day!

THE BUSINESS OF DEATH by Trent Jamieson

2011-10-11T11:46:00.001+11:00

This omnibus edition features the third novel, THE BUSINESS OF DEATH, which has not been published before.

Life is tough at the top when work is a matter of life or death.

It s one thing to run Mortmax International as head of a team, but it s quite another to rule alone. Staff fatalities have left Steven by himself on the Throne of Death, and there's no time to get comfortable. The Stirrer god's arrival is imminent, threatening life as we know it. Plus Steven has managed to mortally offend the only ally strong enough to help out.

And how can he ask someone to marry him when the End of Days seems inevitable As if they re going to think he's committed. The portents don t look good as a comet burns vast and looming in the sky and Steven can almost hear a dark clock ticking. He will have to play nice if he wants his ally back, and must address the madness of the Hungry Death within himself if he even has a chance at defeating the Stirrer god.

If he fails, Hell and Earth are doomed and wedding bells will be quite out of the question.

THE BUSINESS OF DEATH includes the first two volumes of the Death Works trilogy, "Death Most Definite" and "Managing Death", as well as the third volume.

This edition actually contains the three books in the Death Works trilogy. I've already read DEATH MOST DEFINITE and MANAGING DEATH. So I was looking forward to reading the third book, THE BUSINESS OF DEATH.

Steven de Selby's life is very complicated. He's Death, which means dealing with a very dark power from within, the Hungry Death. There's also the Stirrer god very close to breaching our world. And the Death of the Water is also very angry with Steven and wants revenge.

That's a lot for one man to deal with, but he has no choice. Of course, there are other distractions. Like never finding the right time to ask Lissa to marry him. Or finding out that an old enemy has returned and is determined to make sure the approaching Stirrer god is unleashed...

The Business of Death is another thrilling ride, with Steven in the driver's seat. He makes one hard decision after another and although he sometimes doesn't believe in himself, he always pulls through. Even when he's got no choice but to lead the Pomps into war. Also, his decisions in this installment lead to some very unhappy--yet self-sacrificing--consequences, but the story was action-packed and the conclusion is heartbreaking.

I really enjoyed this book. But can't help but wonder if there'll be more Steven de Selby adventures in the future...

The Business of Death, September 2011, ISBN 9780733624858, Hachette Australia Paperback

H&UFRC books read: 48/24

Ouch!

2011-10-10T08:23:00.000+11:00

Good morning, and Happy New Week!

We had another great weekend. It was hubby's birthday on Saturday, so we made sure he had an awesome day. I do believe it was a success. :) Then yesterday, we did a whole bunch of stuff. Phew. By the time we got to bed, I was so darn tired.

This morning, I woke up with a sore heel. Again. I know, this thing's not going away. And with the amount of walking I do, I expect it to stick around for a while. All I can do is try to rest it as much as I can when I'm home. I looked it up on the Internet this morning, and it looks like I might have this. I should try taping it up. Maybe that'll help a bit.

Well, after last week's super busy editing sessions, I'm going to take it easy today. I'd like to do a little planning, a little reading, and not much more. I need a mental rest. By Friday afternoon, I ended up completing the first round of CLASH edits, the last round of SINFUL edits, and the first draft for Recast #3. Yikes!

That's a lot of stuff. No wonder I don't feel like doing much today, lol.

Anyway, have a great day!

This is so funny:

2011-10-08T16:58:00.004+11:00

I love it!

PS. Happy Birthday, Hubby! :)

I'm editing the days away...

2011-10-06T12:24:00.001+11:00

Yeah. I am. But that's cool, because I actually enjoy it. :)

This morning, I finished the intial edit for (one of) my upcoming Samhain Publishing books, CLASH (which also happens to be Recast, Book 2). This story follows right after WITHER, and is Ace's story. It was fun to get back into this Sci-Fi world. Besides, I really like Ace and Ely. I can't wait until they're out in the world. (Of course, Colt and Brynn are also in this one.)

I'm looking forward to the next round, and to seeing the cover.

But now, it's time to get stuck into another round of edits. This actually happens to be the errata (and final) stage for SINFUL. I like Sebastian. I managed to get a pretty good start on it this morning, and reached page 41/156. But I doubt I'll be able to get it done by the weekend. :/ Still, I'm going to try and get as close as I can to the end. Once this round is done, the book's done.

This is the last week of my daughter's school holidays. Only a few days to go now, and I really need to get all of those extra hours of work back.

Asides from the editing, I've been reading a bit. We're also still keeping up with our workouts and walks. We actually went to the dentist the other day for our six-month checkup. It went well. We won't need to go back until April next year. :D

Well. That's it for now. I really gotta give my eyes a rest. They're a little sore after all the editing I've been doing this week. See ya later!

THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa

2011-10-05T18:07:00.026+11:00

MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY -
ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her. Meghan sensed that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she's go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

I grabbed this book next because I found out the fourth book in the series is coming out next month. So, before buying it, I wanted to make sure I enjoyed the first book. (I already have book 2 and 3 on my bookshelf.) And, wow!

Meghan Chase has always felt a little different. She doesn't quite fit in at school, and her stepfather seems to constantly forget she's even there. But when her half-brother is taken and replaced with a violent changeling, her eyes are opened to a new world she never thought existed. All of a sudden, she finds out that her best friend Robbie also happens to be from that world, and in order to get her brother back, she'll have to venture into Nevernever to find him. But the Fey are cruel, complicated creatures with trickery and deals waiting at every turn...

I absolutely loved this book! It was amazing. I was hooked! This world of the Fey is vivid, intricate and dangerous, with a great combination of scary and intriguing creatures. I can't wait to visit again. Actually, I can't wait to get stuck into the next book to see what happens to Meghan next...

H&UFRC books read: 47/24

How was your weekend?

2011-10-04T09:12:00.003+11:00

We enjoyed our long weekend. It was a lot of fun.

On Saturday, we went for a four-hour walk. Seriously. I mean, we did make a few stops but we went to a bunch of places we usually drive to. It was tiring, but also really cool. It's no secret that I love walking everywhere. Even if my (left) heel hurts as a result of all that walking. :)

Anyway. Daylight savings also started over the weekend. Which is cool. Well, except if you're a vampire, I suppose. lol.

This is the last week of my daughter's school holidays and it's going to be a super busy one. I've got two lots of edits waiting for me at the moment, and am possibly expecting another lot later this week. Yikes! Luckily, I finished the WIP I was working on. The first draft of Recast #3 is now done. It ended up being 40,084 words, which is great. I was hoping it would end up being anywhere between 40-50k. I know it'll go up during the revision process, because I've already thought of some things to add. :/ How typical of me. ;)

So. I guess I better get started on the edits. Today, I plan to get stuck into the Recast #2 edit. Cool!

You know what's a little strange? I don't know why, but this year whenever my daughter is on school holidays, I end up with edits. Weird, huh? Still, she's old enough to understand what that means and gives me the time I need.

Well, catch'a later!

DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor

2011-10-02T01:34:00.040+10:00

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a book unbounded by genre but located at a magical crossroads where The Passage meets Philip Pullman and Twilight meets Pan's Labyrinth.

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

After hearing so many good things about this book, I was looking forward to reading it myself. And I have to say that it's definitely worth the hype.

Karou is an art student who lives in the wondrous city of Prague. She's also the member of a family of monsters. Brimstone is her guardian. He has a shop that deals in wishes, and gets her to run a bunch of errands for him. Errands that take her all over the world, via magical doors, and has her gathering teeth. She enjoys her job and loves her art, but she's filled with many questions that Brimstone doesn't want to answer. She also feels as if something's missing inside her. Something she's sure she's lost, but can't remember.

However, the day she meets the wrath of an angel, her life is thrown into a downward spiral that separates her from her family, and challenges everything she's grown to believe about Elsewhere. Suddenly, she's feeling things she doesn't understand. The most baffling being her connection to this strange angel who is throwing her life into chaos.

What follows is an amazing adventure of self-discovery and unbelievable truths, through a world more complicated than she could ever have imagined...

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is a beautifully written and intriguing book. The more I read, the deeper I got into the mystery surrounding just who/what Karou really was. The story also got better with every chapter, leading to an amazingly, unexpected end. One which answers a lot of questions, but also paves the way for many more.

This was a truly wonderful journey into a dark, elaborate world of fantasy with a very human backdrop. I absolutely loved every minute of it, and can't wait to read more.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, October 2011, ISBN 9781444722635, H&S Fiction Paperback

H&UFRC books read: 46/24

Rainy weather = miserable mood

2011-09-29T10:44:00.002+10:00

Yeah, it does.

Especially when for some reason, you start getting sharp, stabbing pains in your stomach shortly after dinner. Mind you, I ate the same thing as both hubby and daughter, but neither one of them was affected. Just lucky me. *insert sarcasm here*

I think it might've been a combination of things. For some reason, my stomach felt as if it was in knots and there was nothing I could do to relax. Strange, but it sometimes happens to me. It actually used to happen to me a lot, when I was a kid and teenager. I used to be a nervous kid, and it didn't take much to make me stress so much I'd get this kind of stomach prob. Not sure what's going on at the moment, though...

Most of the time it's just because I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to get things done. :/

I must relax again.

Anyway, about the writing. Today, I actually added another almost 4k words. The words came out a little slower than usual because I'm still feeling a little wonky, but they came. That's the important thing.

Now, the total word count has hit 31,031. I'm getting very close to the end, I think. Well, at least I'm at the downward spiral. Maybe another 10k will get me to the end. Not sure about exact words, but I do know I'm getting really close. It's exciting!

Well. That's it for today. I feel like I should lie down for a few minutes, but I'm getting hungry. lol.

Have a great day!

MIA for a few days...

2011-09-28T08:25:00.041+10:00

Yeah. Sometimes, time slips away before I get a chance to blog. :/

This week's going pretty fast. This is the third day of my daughter's first week of school holidays. So far, hubby's been coming home early, so we've been doing stuff together. Which is super cool. Today, however, I think he's going back to working the whole day. I think it might be that way for the rest of the week.

I've been squeezing in as much writing as I can every morning, which means getting stuck into it pretty early. Of course, some mornings I get started later than others (like today, because I do yoga every second day) but as long as I can squeeze out 3-4k words every single day... that's very good progress for having my daughter at home with me 24/7.

My WIP (Recast #3) is now up to 24,145 words. That's where I got to yesterday. After I add new words today, I'm hoping to have crossed the 27k mark. Fingers crossed.

I did sit down the other day and pretty much brainstormed--very loosely--how the story's going to go from here, until the end. So I've got my trusty notes in front of me every morning. A few paragraphs usually ends up being several chapters worth of story. :D Cool. I never capture the nitty-gritty, tension, or emotion in my notes, just a general overview. But that's okay, because that comes to me when I'm in the zone. ;)

Think it's also time I sit down with my calendar, and mark the rest of the year with my goals.

I have two main goals I want to get done by the end of December. I also have the final round of edits for Sinful waiting to be tackled (probably next week) and I'm sure some other edits will drop in before then. Oh, and let's not forget about NaNoWriMo... which I wasn't going to take part in this year because of all the revision I want to get done. But, well, after doing it every single year since 2006, I think I'd still (somehow) like to squeeze it in.

We'll see.

Okay, time to get on with the writing...