Guest – Kalayna Price BIC—good for the book, bad for the waist

From Debra: Top Downers! Help me give a rousing welcome to a fabulous new urban fantasy author, Kalayna Price (K-lay-nah). The second in her Haven series, TWICE DEAD is out this month and her new series from Ace/Roc will be out this October.

Kalayna Price's debut novel, ONCE BITTEN, earned rave reviews and reached #1 on Amazon.com's "Fantasy Bestseller List." TWICE DEAD returns readers to a dark, seductive world where magic rules and ancient loyalties collide with modern challenges.

You are not going to believe what this writer does to stay in shape! There are moving pictures. Just you wait.

As any author will likely tell you, novels are written one word at a time. To go from just one word to one hundred thousand words, a serious application of BIC (Butt In Chair) is needed. While BIC gets a novel written, it does lead writers (or at least me) to be rather sedentary. Compound this with a tendency to eat (not so healthy) meals while perched in front of my computer (what, no, —of course— that isn't ketchup on my keyboard) and not only is the novel expanding, but so is the waistline.

Now, I can't speak for anyone else, but the prospect of leaving the computer to go exercise isn't appealing. There is always a looming deadline I need to stay ahead of, emails to answer, blogs to write, or something—anything—that will keep me in front of the keyboard. Okay, I admit it. I just don't like exercising. I own the obligatory exercise machine (don't we all have one we were—sure—we would use, but now resides in some dark corner of the house? Mine's a glider.) but it has such a thick layer of dust on it, I'm sure going near it would cause an asthma attack. I even bought a gym membership once—my checkbook was the only one to get a workout.

But, whether I like exercise or not, it is important. I know that. Not only does exercise keep the waistline in check, movement gets blood flowing to important places, like the brain—which is a good thing when writing a book.

So what is an exercise-hating writer to do? Well, last year I lucked out and discovered a form of "exercise" I actually enjoy: Hoop Dance.

My introduction to hoop dance started around this time last year, and I admit, I wasn't sold on the idea at first. It's rather underground, and (at that time) there were no local hoopers in my area. But my brother saw a hooper at Dragon*Con 2008 and he became obsessed. He made hoops for family and several of our friends and coerced everyone he could into giving it a try. I was reluctant to say the least, but meeting up to hoop was a nice social break, if nothing else, and I quickly learned it was a great work out too. Then we began learning tricks, and I started to really have fun. Oh yeah, and when I mentioned it was a good workout? I recently found out hooping burns approximately 150 calories per 10 minutes of activity (compare that to 180 p/10 mins of running) so yes, good work out indeed.

Fun, social, and good for me? I finally found an exercise I can get into. Now I just have to make sure it doesn't interrupt my writing!

Kalayna Price is the urban fantasy author of the Haven series and of the upcoming Alex Craft novels. She draws ideas from the world around her, her studies into ancient mythologies, and her readings of classic folklore. Her stories contain not only the mystical elements of fantasy, but also a dash of romance, a bit of gritty horror, some humor, and a large serving of mystery. To find out more, please visit her at www.kalayna.com.

Goodbye Caffeine. . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Okay, it's early in the AM here and I'm half asleep. Ordinarily the first thing I head for the morning is a cup of tea. . . or coffee if I don't have time for steeping and savoring. But time and nature have caught up with me and. . . I have been told to cut out the caffeine. This is not a lifestyle choice, it's a necessity. Health is involved. And "cutting back" is no longer sufficient.

So I am officially decaffeinated. And friends, it's ugly. I'm up waaaaay before the crack of dawn most mornings to write before I head off to work. I'm having to prop open the eyelids with toothpicks. . . and most mornings even industrial-strength toothpicks aren't enough. After half an hour, I'm sagging toward the keyboard and propping my head up. And I'm wondering if there is some kind of intravenous caffeine I could use. . . a patch perhaps or something sub-lingual. . . maybe a nice nasal spray. Alas, a quick check online reveals nada. In the world of caffeine, we're still in the bean-and-leaf age. Boiling, steeping, and drinking are still the key processes. And then, of course, you ingest.

Of course, I could try chocolate. . . but waking up to a nice Hershey bar does not have the same appeal. Not to mention the calories, the fat, and the fact that in such quantities, my stomach would still rebel. sigh. CocaCola products-- same problems. Caffeine is caffeine. . . whether hot or cold. Off limits.

So, I've gone herbal. It's taking some adjustment. When you have coffee or tea, there are a limited number of decisions to make. Add milk, yes or no. Add sweetening, yes or no. And for you Starbucks fans: Add flavoring, yes or no. (Iced vs hot-frothed is not a decision at five in the morning.) But when you go to the "herbal tea" section, you're in a whole different universe.

You've got your "herby" teas like lemongrass, dandelion root, chicory, rose hip, and mint of various persuasions. Then you've got your "fruity teas," like peach, lemon, apple, pomegranate, and the ever-popular raspberry. Then you've got your flowery teas. . . like hisibcus and rose petals and orange blossoms. Add together in any combination you can imagine and then add your spices: cinnamon, ginger, licorice root, etc. You get the idea. There are a million combinations-- every one of which seems to be for sale at my local Publix Market. It's bewildering.

Then there are the "specialty" teas that are supposed to promote health or continence or weight loss or disease immunity. Rooibos? Yeah, it's a plant from Africa. . . but what IS it? And Olive leaf tea. . . which is supposed to be stuffed with antioxidants. And then there is the wheatgrass tea, which just looks like. . . dried grass. Why am I drinking stuff that looks like it came out of somebody's lawn mower???

Thus far, I've thrown out two boxes of tea and three more are on probation on my pantry shelf. If they can make me change my mind about them, I'll let them stay. But I've found several styles and brands I truly enjoy. (I am not being paid to endorse any of these products. Believe me.)

I love the Good Earth teas. . . the Original and the Sweet&Spicy Red teas have a natural sweetness to them that is very satisfying. Not, however, especially enervating. And maybe too sweet for some drinking occasions, like with food. (I never thought I'd ever write that line in my life! "Maybe too sweet!")

TAZO Wild Sweet Orange is very good. . . I don't even mind the hint of licorice, which I usually hate. Of course they have a number of teas I've yet to try

Celestial Seasoning's Cinnamon Apple Spice, Red Zinger, and Sleepytime teas are tasty.

Bigelow's Mint Medley, Orange& Spice, Pomegranate Pizzazz, and I Love Lemon teas are all good for me.

So, I've been stretching my usual taste boundaries and trying a whole range of new tastes. . . telling myself it's good for me and that I'll be healthier. . . once I wake up. I still miss the leaves. And the beans. Sniff. And the smell. Maybe if I just go sit in my local Starbucks. . .

Any helpful tips on dealing with life after caffeine? Got any herbal tea suggestions? What's your favorite morning brew-- or steep? Should I be changing more than just my beverage? Should I take a cold shower to wake up every morning or do twenty jumping jacks? HELP!

Winners of Christy's books

...are Emmanuelle and Razbooklover. Please contact Christy at bjcreece@aol.com with your snail mail addys. Congrats!

Welcome Guest Author: Christy Reece

Vile Villains and Why We Love Them

One of the best things about writing fiction, especially romantic fiction, is creating characters. Getting inside their heads and figuring out what makes them tick. I so enjoy watching characters evolve as they appear on the page. And that includes creating those dastardly villains. The more evil and twisted they are, the more they fascinate me. What made them into the soulless, heartless and self-absorbed creatures they’ve become? Childhood trauma? A brutal event that changed them forever? Or were they born that way? The possibilities are endless and infinitely entertaining.

Since I write romantic suspense, I always have at least one villain or more in my books. One person, group or entity that my hero and heroine must fight against and defeat, thus ensuring, once again, that good triumphs over evil and thereby delivering them the happy ever after they so justly deserve. Whew! That’s a big responsibility. Which means my villain must be worthy of going to all that trouble.

One type of villain that always intrigues and frightens me more than any other is the one who sees absolutely nothing wrong with his or her devilishly wicked deeds. With this kind of villain, everything he or she does is totally justified. There’s no conscience, no comprehension, no guilt. Other than perhaps the fear of getting caught, the consequences of their actions are meaningless, dust in the wind. Making the evil person identifiable and understandable is often a difficult if not impossible task.

The villain in my new book, NO CHANCE, is like that. Filled with moral superiority, believing his station in life, his wealth and background, gives him the right to do evil things. He commits vile acts that would disgust him if done by other people. However, this man is so self absorbed in his delusions of superiority, he’s oblivious to the anguish he causes others.

People like that scare me…but they also fascinate me. However, I sincerely hope I never meet anyone like that except between the pages of a book.

Who is the vilest or meanest fictional villain you’ve read about? What made him so vile? Could you understand his motivation or was he completely beyond the bounds of comprehension? I'm giving away two copies of my new book to commenters today!

You have got to be kidding me...

My Spec Ops heroes are fond of saying, "There is no such thing as coincidence." You'll hear law enforcement hard at work solving a case maintain the same thing. And yet, there IS the word - coincidence - so obviously, there' s a reason. As defined, coincidence means: The occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.

So while it's hard to buy certain things as being coincidental, there are some pretty far out documented cases that are just too connected to ignore. I had to dig a little but I found some really interesting exampled. Here are just a very few.

1) In Detroit in the 1930's a young (and careless) mother was grateful to a man named Joseph Figlock who was walking down the street when her baby fell from a high window. The baby's fall was broken by Figlock and neither of them were hurt. A year later, the very same baby fell from the very same window onto - you guessed it - Joseph Figlock, as he was again passing by. Again, neither one of them were hurt.

2) In 1883, Henry Ziegland thought he had dodged fate when he broke off a relationship with his girlfriend who, distressed, committed suicide. Her brother was so angry he shot Zeigland then turned the gun on himself and took his own life. Only, whoops, Ziegland wasn't dead. The bullet had only grazed him in the head and knocked him out before lodging in a tree. Years later, Ziegland decided to get rid of the tree so he blasted it with dynamite. You see what's coming, right? The explosion propelled the bullet into Zeigland's head and killed him.

3) Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835 and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He even predicted it would happen.



4) In 1975 in Bermuda, a man was accidentally struck by a taxi and, sadly, died. One year later, his brother died the very same way. To make it even stranger, he was riding the very same moped and was hit by the same taxi driver AND (drum roll) the taxi was carrying the very same passenger.






5) Twice a month I sit down to write a blog post. Each and every time, I find myself scrambling for something interesting to write about, I always end up writing it at the eleventh hour and by the time I'm finished, I'm always certain it's the most lame post I've ever written? coincidence??? I reallllyyy think not.

Okay, you get the picture. What about you? Have you ever experienced some truly amazing coincidence? One OTHER one comes to mind for me (thank God it didn't involve anyone dying). I was on my very first trip to NYC. My friend and I walked into a pizza place, sat down and before long struck up a conversation with a gentleman and his teenage son who were sitting very close to us at the next table. Turns out, the guy was my cousin's lawyer. Now I live in Iowa, he lived in Colorado, yet at that particular moment in time, we coincidentally started talking and - boom - there was the connection.

All right, so it's not THAT incredible or amazing, but it was a really cool coincidence. So, again, I ask - what about you? Any come to mind that you want to share?

New-To-Me Guy in Town

I have nothing to blog about today, but you can never go wrong with sexy guys, right?

Move aside Gerard, I'm fascinated by a new-to-me actor, but I think this means me having to officially embrace being a cradle-robber. He's almost young enough to be my son. Not sure I want to share him with you, though, ladies. Maybe I'll keep him all to myself.

All right, fine. It is Monday. You guys probably deserve it. First, let's see if you can guess who he is. Don't want to make this too easy.

Some of you may have known about this guy for ages, but I can be a bit slow on the uptake. So let me start with the first movie in which I saw this actor. Terminator Salvation. As far as I'm concerned, he stole the show from Christian Bale (yes, Michele, he totally did), and I happen to LOVE Christian Bale. Got my attention big time.

Next, it was a small independent Australian flick, called Somersault. Didn't know he was in it. Wasn't sure what it was about. But it had won a bunch of Aussie awards, and it's been on my Netflix queue for a while. I love this type of quiet, indy film, and ... let's just say the lovely hairy chest was a bonus.

The deal was cinched when I went to Avatar on Valentine's Day. I had purposefully not read any reviews, didn't pay much attention to what the movie was about, and didn't listen to anyone ready to tell me about the story because I wanted a fresh experience. This guy was amazing. Sweet. Sexy. Strong. In either his human or Na'vi form.

Then there's always that Aussie accent ...

I think I've found the face of my next hero.

Sam Worthington.

He has the most expressive eyes and lips, and he has quiet and brooding down to an art. Why is it that the less a man says, the more attractive he is?

He's set to play Perseus in the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans. Can't wait. Okay, so maybe I'm not quite ready to ask Gerard to step aside, but I'm getting close.

Do you have a new favorite hero? New favorite actor? When you stumble upon a new actress or actor, do you go out and gobble up his/her backlist of movies?

A few more pics of Sam to start your week off on the right foot.

Helen

www.loisgreiman.com



I don’t watch much television, but I’m CRAZY about the Olympics! It combines so many magical elements: Drive, courage, athleticism, personality…

I think the USA is currently in the lead for metals in the 2010 games, but I love to see other countries win--the host country, the tiny countries, the underdogs. I’m ashamed to admit it, but there are nations competing that I’ve never even heard of. I believe there are 83 countries in the line up. 83!! How many of those can YOU name. If I could think of 30 it would be a miracle of biblical proportions. Try to find Montenegro on a map. How about Herzegovina? I have a vague idea where Latvia is located. It has a population of a little over 2 million. That’s less than we have in Minneapolis, but the Latvians won silver medals in the men’s double luge.

And let’s talk about the luge (and the skeleton, where they go down HEAD first) How do they even think of these sports? Who says to their little girls, hey, you know what you’d be really good at? Lying perfectly still on a sled and shooting downhill at 90 plus miles an hour.

Skiers hit approximately the same speeds. Did you see Lindsey Vonn’s alpine race last night? Four women crashed before her. They hit that course like a train wreck. Can you imagine standing at the top of that killer mountain waiting for your turn and knowing your friends are sliding down on their faces? How does one get up the nerve for that? Especially when you’re already injured! Serious head trauma would be the only thing that could convince me to give it a try. Luckily, serious head trauma is a definite possibility in most of the winter sports.

And yet 250 otherwise intelligent athletes will be competing. Jamaica has a one man ski team. San Marino, a country completely surrounded by Italy and possessing a population of 29,973 citizens, is sacrificing a skier . The Reed family of Connecticut has three Olympian contenders; Cathy and Chris, who are siblings, will compete for Japan. And sister Allison is on the roster for Georgia.

It’s all mesmerizing for a person as ridiculously competitive as myself, but the ice skating is my favorite. Everything about it captivates me: The costumes, the grace, the personalities, the spins, the lifts, the choreography, the tears…the men. :) I’m blown away by it all.

But what about you? What’s your favorite part of the games?

WINNER !!!

Catslady wins the book from Janet Mullany!

Catslady, please email toastfaery@gmail.com with your snail mail address.

Congrats!

I Love You...I'll Kill You

That's the title of a song by Enigma that inspired one of my vampire/witch stories, KISS ME DEADLY— I Love You...I'll Kill You.  The hero wanted to kill the heroine; the heroine wanted the same—they all lived happily ever after.  :-)

It's also a sentiment too often echoed in romances lately.  The hero and heroine banter, bash at one another, fall into an embrace, make out furiously, then start bickering again—lather, rinse, repeat—then finally decide to love one another.  The constant push/pull, I love you/I don't love you has become, seemingly, a requirement to a satisfying romance.

Is it the writers who taught us that we can't enjoy a romance without the constant at odds and banter?  Or did the readers demand more of the wicked dialogue, the indecision, the love/hate scenes?  Or maybe the editors saw a trend and started steering writers toward those plots?

I think it's a combination of all of the above.  Readers like a hero and heroine who are not always in agreement.  If they fall in love too quickly, what's left?  All the excitement and tension is lost.  Or is it?

My April release, HER VAMPIRE HUSBAND, is one of my quieter stories.  It focuses mainly on the hero and heroine falling in love.  They fall in love rather quickly, and guess what, are pretty fine with that.  They don't argue (too much), and would rather spend their time learning more about one another than spoiling it with silly arguments and misunderstandings.  Besides, a war between paranormal nations is happening around them, and they join together to work through it.  The conflict comes from outside sources, and only strengthens their relationship.

I'm not knocking the love/hate relationships featured in romances.  I think they rock; they add interest to the story, and there's a lot of different ways to show love, yes, even with an argument or two.  But has romance come to a point where it's all about the conflict between hero and heroine?  Conflict makes for good story.  But is it ALL the story?

And while I'm on the topic, what ever happened to that slow buildup to the first encounter that we used to get, oh, say, over a decade ago, from our romances (mostly in historicals).  Used to be we might not even see the hero and heroine meet until chapter three, and that was fine.  Nowadays, they've got to meet on page one.  Smack!  And if they can have sex by page ten—glory hallelujah!  Sigh...  There are days I pine for the 'long meet'.

So I'm tossing out this rant idea on love/hate relationships for discussion.  I'm actually good with either or, but don't want to see the genre readers expecting only the 'or'.  What about you?  Do you think heroes and heroines butt heads too much?  Or does the conflict work well for you?  What was the quickest 'meet' you've read?  How but the quickest make out/sex scene?   (For the record, I did once get a hero and heroine together in the first sentence with a kiss.  And no, they did not know each other.  Heh.)

Michele

Guest: Janet Mullany

Please welcome Janet Mullany to the convertible today!  

Why do we read what we read?

Thanks for inviting me to guest blog today!

I find it alarming that we are called upon to defend our reading matter, or, as a writer, what we write. The first time someone said to me “When are you going to write a real book?” my jaw dropped.

What wasn’t real about the books I’d written? Well, you see, they were the poor stepsister of mass market fiction, floundering beneath the weighty literary tomes of horror and mystery—romance. You know, those books with the gleaming male pecs and/or flowers and/or strangely photoshopped babies (or strangely photoshopped just about anything) on the covers.

Not real books. Now, the standard argument is that the poor stepsister turns into Cinderella when you look at her numbers—the vast industry that is romance, outselling all other genres. However, I always bear in mind H.L. Mencken’s observation that nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. Just because something—anything--sells well, what does that really mean? Hostess Twinkies, hot dogs, strange lawn ornaments…take your pick.

I’d like to challenge another standard argument that romance helps you get away from the terrible drudgery of everyday life. What if your life isn’t that bad?

Romance celebrates love and relationships and that can’t be a bad thing, although novels have been exploring love and relationships all along, with or without strange covers.

I read a lot—too much, some might say, particularly unlucky family members who fall over my books on the bedroom floor or have sneezing fits from the dust on the bookshelves. I usually have a book for the commute to the day job, and another to read in bed at night and I read fairly widely, mostly fiction but not only romance.

In trying to find out what I define as good fiction, I went to the last of my very infrequent reviews on Goodreads.com where I wrote this about The Magicians by Lev Grossman: Scary, moving, exciting, dangerous. This is a book that enchants you and fools you, at first reading like a Harry Potter for grown ups and then becoming something much more profound about the nature of fiction and the imagination and the modern world. I'm still in a state of shock from this book which I've devoured on my commute. Toward the end it became extraordinary painful to read but still compelling. This is what fiction should be, a transformative experience.

None of this has anything to do with the marketing, the hype, the (possibly embarrassing) cover, the subgenre. I prefer to think of my reading matter in terms of Duke Ellington’s definition of good music: If it sounds good, it is good. Does it have that transformative power to make you see the world differently? If you spot a perfect stranger reading the book, do you engage them in conversation? Will you tell your friends about it?

That’s what I call a good read.

My latest not-real book is Improper Relations, a Regency chicklit about annoying relatives and finding love where you least expect it. You can buy it with free shipping worldwide at bookdepository.com and you can read excerpts, hear soundbites, and enter a contest at janetmullany.com.

 Must a lady always put her husband first?
 After losing best friend and cousin Ann Weller in marriage to the Earl of Beresford, sharp-witted Charlotte Hayden is even ruder than usual to potential suitors. Introduced to Beresford’s wayward cousin, Shad, Charlotte may have met her match in witty repartee–but he’s hardly husband material. Caught in a compromising situation, Charlotte and Shad are forced to wed, resigning themselves to a marriage of convenience. And they aren’t the only ones with marital problems… Have both Ann and Charlotte married in haste to repent at leisure? And where do their loyalties really lie? With their husbands, with each other, or somewhere else entirely?

And if you leave a comment here, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a signed copy [winner announced on Thursday]. Tell me what your definition of a good read is, and what book has knocked your socks off recently!

Janet

Visit Janet at her website.

Link to Star Tribune Article

Hey guys. If you're interested in reading it, here's the link to the Valentine's Day Minneapolis Star Tribune article: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/84174017.html

Helen

I Think I'm Ready for a Baby...

...in a romance novel again.

I went through a period (of years) during which I didn't write any babies in my romance novels, and I think out of over 30 books, only a small handful have babies in a secondary role. I've had small-kid characters a time or two, but again, they rarely show up. Of course you know why...these years correspond to the sleepless years, the stepping-on-Lego-in-the-dark years, the can-I-get-through-the-day-without-a-child-crying years. While I love my kids, my husband, our family, when it came to writing romance novels, I preferred to explore love with characters who weren't worrying about whether thechildren would sleep through the night or who didn't wonder about the long-term effects of a diet of fish sticks and applesauce.

But I suspected my mood might be changing when I wrote a lavish epilogue for my last trilogy. I dithered and dithered (and talked about it on the blog) but eventually realized I wanted to show my three sort-of sisters ten years down the road, including pregnancy, babies, and children. It didn't feel like a happy ending for the girls from Malibu & Ewe without it.

And then this happened...

I threw her mother a bridal shower a few years back. In December I gave another party, a baby shower and that night her parents announced she would be a girl and shared her name with us. She was born a week ago Saturday. The following afternoon, Sunday, I received a phone call from her new grandparents (who live across the street from us). Did I want to come over and see the baby? She was there! I'd just stepped out of the shower, but I ran over with wet hair, afraid she might go home at any moment.

What I got...was to hold her, a baby 27 hours old. What I did was remember exactly what it's like to fall in love. Her new grandma and I marveled over every finger, every toe. We watched her make sweet faces in her sleep. We ran gentle hands over her head. This is what babies bring, this sense of welling emotion that rests right on the surface. When you're under the influence of baby, I realize, you're just primed for love. I see new kinds of stories in my future.

What about you? Held a newborn recently? I highly recommend. And in romances, do you like babies and children or do you prefer to read about just a couple coming together?

Internet Junkie

(Hand in the air.) Yep, that's me. I know, I know, there's an awful lot of junk on the web. Lots of dangers like lurking pedophiles and identity thieves. But there is also so much cool information and neat sites that I find myself endlessly fascinated. And being someone in constant need of distraction while I'm writing, I stumble onto new sites daily :)

Here are some of my favorites:

One Look Dictionary Search

http://www.onelook.com

The site indexes over 14,000,000 words from over a thousand dictionaries. I like it less for the definition and translation help and more for its word search/phrase tools. For instance, you can find all the phrases with the word 'blue' in it; all words that start with bl and end with rd with four letters in the middle; or find phrases related to a given word.

Tiny Url

http://tinyurl.com

When you want to share links but the darn things are a million characters, you can go to this site and tiny url it. It will change the link into something short that can be shared easily. Warning, it will give you a different tiny url everytime you put the same given url in.

IGoUGo

http://igougo.com

For all you travelers out there. This site allows you to reference a half dozen travel sites at the same time when you're checking on airfare.

Urban Dictionary

http://www.urbandictionary.com

I'm a recent subscriber. I have to rely on my kids for the most up to date phrases and humorous play on words, but this site has more than a few laugh out loud usable words/phrases. People submit them and then you can vote on whether you like them or not. Some of them are a real stretch. Others, like the recent submission of 'muffin top' is already solidly entrenched in slang vernacular. But there are a few gems in there, and I've started a folder for those. Some of my favorites: texthole (a description of the guy in the car in front of you weaving all over the road because he won't stop texting on his phone); mid-day crisis (the point in the afternoon when caffeine no longer cuts it and you're in serious need of a siesta); mondaze (the mental fog or daze you're in when Monday rolls around); or weekend amnesia (getting back to work on Monday and having no memory of where you left off on Friday.) Great site for writers, for dialogue ideas for certain secondary characters who add flavor to our stories.

Merriam Webster Dictionary

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

I'm a word-aholic, and love this site because of its auditory component. Type in any word and not only do you get the definition, but you can click on the red speaker icon and hear the word pronounced.

Cool Text

http://cooltext.com/

Ever wonder how people get those cool signatures at the end of their blogs or email posts? Here's a site that helps you do that.

Live Search Club Games

http://www.clubbing.com/Pages/Games/GameList.aspx

Because there just aren't enough distractions when I'm trying to write. Here's a site with a ton of free games to play, including my favorite Chicktionary and nineteen others. You can play as a guest or join and earn tickets which supposedly can be turned in for prizes, although I've never done that.

Okay, so now you know how I spend my days :) Do you have a favorite link to share?

Helen Brenna Tops the Sunday Variety Page

Honk honk! Toot toot! Beep beep!

Check out the Minneapolis Star Tribune this morning. Top o' the Variety Page. Headline: "Inside the Romance Machine." Who's the Insider?

None other than our own Helen Brenna.

Congratulations, Helen! Terrific article with great pictures. But don't take my word for it. Grab the paper. The article will be available on the Strib website mid week.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Outside Kathleen's Office Window

Before we knock those icicles of the eaves, I thought I'd snap a picture and offer a look at my view this morning. The woods were filled with hoar frost, and it was like a winter fairy land.

I'm working my fingers to the bone, finishing ONCE A FATHER, the next book in my South Dakota wild horse sanctuary series. My title was "The Man Who Loved Wild Horses," which my editor loved, but the powers-that-be nixed because they wanted something "more romantic." ONCE A FATHER was my second choice, and it works, but it's not as beautiful. And IMO not as romantic. Eye of the beholder, I guess.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Is Valentine's Day Romance On Demand?

According to an article in yesterday's Minneapolis Star Tribune, a so-called life coach from New York has declared war on Valentine's Day. He's pushing for "more personalized expressions of meaningful feeling and sincere emotion," and he says that "you can't really be romantic when being romantic is completely expected." Apparently he's never heard of the single carved-in-stone rule of Romance: Must have HEA ending. Expected. Required. No excuses, buddy.

So here's a guy who coaches people presumably engaged in the sport of living who's making headlines--well, bottom of the front page of section E, but when you're casting about for grist for the blog, "Valentine's Day gets 'F' in romance" catches the eye--by coming up with a plan to make Valentine's Day (new name for the holiday TBA) a movable feast. It should be celebrated on a different day every year, says the coach, making it less predictable. Must say, reference to "the exploitation of love for profit" with regard to those greedy florists, candy makers, and greeting card companies hits a little too close to home for me.

Apparently college students in particular question the value of the holiday. One young woman is quoted at length about constructs and confidence and the myth of the knight in shining armor. Then we turn to the male point of view: "Why don't guys have a man's day where a girl goes out and gets us beer and stuff like that?" Ah, youth. Eventually the woman will learn that there's a reason why these holidays are inscribed on the calendar--Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, your wedding anniversary and the like--and that reason is the male point of view. "Guys" don't aspire to be knights in shining armor. King of the castle is more like it. The young man knows this already.

A few hours after I read this bit of news, I had the pleasure of helping my granddaughters address their valentines for school. These days the list of names comes home with instructions. Everyone gets a valentine. No more Charlie Browns. One of the girls picked a Barbie theme, and the other chose puppies and kitties. "Oh, this one is perfect for so-and-so." And tomorrow I get to take the treats for one of the parties. (Did the other one last fall.) We engage in some girl talk about Valentine's Days of old. Nana loads everybody up into the Wayback Machine. Yes, girls, Romance is about more that hearts and flowers, boys and girls, hugs and kisses. It's about friends and families and doing good deeds and all that stuff. So why do we have Valentine's Day? For the same reason we have days for other special aspects of our lives. One day on the calendar reminds us to celebrate a feeling we value every day.

Romance On Demand? So what? As long as it's not On Delay, we're good.
Right Shaq?

What are your thoughts? Is Valentine's Day too commercial? Too predictable? Do you have any particular expectations? Have you ever been blown away by a romantic gesture on Valentine's Day?

Gotta say, it's a good month to publish a Romance.

Note: Thanks to xkcd.com for the opening cartoon. The website allows free use of their material as long as it is not reproduced for sale.

Debra - “Covering” All the Bases

As readers and authors, what do you think about giving a book a fresh coat of paint? Do you like to see new covers come out on books? Do you wish we’d just leave the darned things alone? Is there a time limit? Like, no new covers for 3 years at least? Do you like all the books in a mystery series to have covers that relate? Do you care?

Because of the recent Amazon Kindle promotion, we’ve blown through print units of CROSSROADS CAFE by Deborah Smith like there’s no tomorrow. That meant yet another reprint. ::sigh:: <g> Because Deborah is also an author (in addition to being Editorial Director for BelleBooks/Bell Bridge), she did what every author does. She came whining around the art department door and hinted that such a lovely book really needed to be shown some love. She really thought it would be nice if we took the opportunity to give her a better cover.

“What? Royalties are due?” she said. “Please. Those old things don’t have to go in the mail until the end of the month. Pffftt! But if we’re going to reward Crossroads for all its hard work, we have to do that NOW! Right now. Really. You know how long offset runs take. Please. Come on. You know you want to. It’ll be pretty and you can buy shiny new things.”

I was very strong until she flashed “shiny new things” at me.

So, above you see the new cover and to the right is the old cover for comparison. The new cover is one I designed.

I like the new coat of paint. (Such hubris, I know.)

Anne Bishop’s Jewels series got an overhaul a while back and I just love the new covers. And, I admit. I did go buy the new covers. See? Isn’t this style gorgeous? And if you don’t read Anne Bishop, you need to run to the store or the computer. Seriously. Yes, it’s true fantasy, but romance readers will love them. Anne knows her way around an alpha male. Great, great series. And I’ve just shown you the book to buy to get started!

Have you ever loved a book so much you bought it in every edition? Or when you replace an old book you’ve just “worn the heck out,” are you sad that the new one has a different cover?

Winner of Kristan Higgin's book!

Congratulations to Pamela Keener who won a copy of r of Kristan Higgins book by posting a comment!! Thanks for joining us at TopDown!

Please welcome the Amazing, Kristin Higgins!!!

Hello, everyone! It’s so nice to be back here, and thanks to Cindy for having me. I first met Cindy because we have the same fabulous agent, and from the very first moment, she has just been the nicest and greatest friend a new writer — or any writer — could have. (That will be $20, Cindy.)

I was out for a run when I came up with the idea for The Next Best Thing…well, more of a stagger, since I’m about the least athletic person on earth. Anyway, I was staggering along, thinking about what to write next. How about a widow? I thought. A widowed heroine is a classic theme in romance…second chance at love and all that. But what if she didn’t really want to fall in love this time? What if she was looking for Mr. Not-That-Bad? And the hero…who would be the worst choice for a young widow still aching over her first love? How about…hmmm…how about her dead husband’s brother? Here I shuffled to a stop, gasping like a tuna pulled from the ocean. That’s good, Higgins, I thought. Write that down when you get home.

Thus was born The Next Best Thing, which just hit the shelves last month. Lucy Lang is most definitely not looking for love. Nah. She’d rather have a guy with low cholesterol and a Volvo than someone who makes her heart beat faster. First order of business…end things with Jimmy’s all-too-lovable brother, Ethan. And by things, of course I mean…well, you know. Nooky. It’s their little secret, this friends with benefits arrangement. And because Ethan is way too loveable, and because she’s already married and buried one Mirabelli boy, Lucy figures she should look elsewhere.

One of the things I really love to do in my books is to write about family, especially the loving, nosy, opinionated type that I myself come from. I think that families add so much to a book — who else can torment you with such accuracy, after all? And so we have the Black Widows, Lucy’s mother and two aunts, widows all. They’re not quite sure that Lucy should be looking for a husband when none of them felt that particular need. We also have the Mirabellis, Lucy’s in-laws, who have a shrine to their dead son in the kitchen of the restaurant they own. Jimmy was perfect in their eyes…Ethan’s another story. We have Corinne, Lucy’s younger sister, who’s obsessed with her own husband’s health and is basically worrying him into a premature grave.

The Next Best Thing contains a first for me — a cat! Please bear with me while I say something to Cinnamon, my own feline: You got your way. There’s a cat on the cover. Will you please stop bringing me mice with their heads chewed off? (Thanks, I’m done now). I’ve already had letters from people saying, “I wasn’t sure it was really your book, since there was no dog!”

So yes, a cat. Now, for the record, yes, I am a dog person, but I also love cats. Some cats. The kind who don’t ask to be let in and out fourteen times an hour. The kind who don’t start yowling at 4:09 every morning. The kind who never scratch the children, the furniture or me. In other words, fictional cats. Lucy’s cat is named Fat Mikey…and I love Fat Mikey. He has the soul of a Mafia don…and really, what cat worth his salt doesn’t?

So what do you think? Cats or dogs? Give me something specific…“My dog doesn’t laugh at me when I pull on Spanx” would be a good one. Or, “My cat shredded that ugly sweater my mother-in-law gave me, saving me from ever having to wear it.” I’ll give away a signed copy of The Next Best Thing to a commenter.

Can’t wait to hear your stories!

Kristan

www.kristanhiggins.com

www.facebook.com/KristanHiggins