Freaky or funny?

Since we joined the Nine Naughty Novelists, PG and I have found a whole lot of connections in our writing and in our lives. Here are just a few:

Kelly: PG has a book (Iron) set in a fictional Irish town in Ireland named Kilbanning and I have a book (Irish Sex Fairy) set in a fictional Irish town in California named Kilkenny. Lots of Irish words and phrases in both stories! California is where PG actually lives and I’ve spent a lot of time there and set most of my books there, and she’s set a lot of her books there, too. I noticed in her dedication for Iron that her maternal grandparents are from Ireland - Counties Tipperary and Limerick - mine are from Enniskillen and Newton Butler Counties. Both our husbands are photographers. We’ve both written lots about food and wine and a winery (my winery story is still in progress). In the Dark includes a reference to my home city (Royal Winnipeg Ballet). The characters in Iron are named Gavin and Aislinn and I’ve written stories with the same names (only Ashlyn), we have other stories (Worth Waiting For and PG’s Scent of the Roses) where our characters have the last name, Patterson. And both are 'reunion' stories. I have a character who owns a coffee shop. PG has a character who owns a tea shop. We both hate vacuuming and love coffee, and I freaked out when PG mentioned Nastassja Kinski and the Snake photograph by Richard Avedon, because we actually had that photograph hanging in our living room for years!

PG: yes, and as I don't think I mentioned, I once borrowed the bracelet Nastassja wears in that photo from the designer to use in one of my husband's photo shoots. That was during my brief stint as a Photo Stylist.

So this week we were having a conversation on Yahoo and decided to share it with you for a laugh. Actual conversation:

Kelly: PG, did you see this? http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/were-loving-angels-instead-publishing-craze-goes-celestial-1850915.html

PG: Huh. Well, that's cool. Maybe there's hope yet for my sad little angel story. Being ahead of the trend--that' d be something new for me. lol! Thanks, Kelly!

Kelly: I was ahead of the trend too, but it didn’t work out so well LOL. The book that landed my agent was originally written about a girl who had a near death experience and came back with some super angelic powers, and a mission to fight an evil demon drug cartel. Her dead father was an angel in the book, too, he fought a demon for her soul and won, sending her back to earth with her mission. My agent said the paranormal aspects seemed extraneous to the story but if I wanted to rewrite it she would look again, so I did and she liked it. Still kinda bummed that the angel and demon thing didn’t work out, but truthfully it was so easy to take those things out of the story (I kept the NDE) she was probably right

PG: Okay, that's really freaky. In my original idea for Edge of Heaven, the 'angel' the main character falls in love with is a young woman, recently dead, whose mission takes her back to Earth to deal with the criminals who killed her and her father.

When I decided to turn it into a novella, I realized I had too much going on for under 30K, so I ditched the suspense angle.

Kelly: Sometimes I think you and I share a brain…

PG: Yeah, only I think you got the better parts.

Kelly: LOL! I so think this thread should be a blog post.

PG: we could do that.

Kelly: Whoever is up next…I’m Jan 6

PG: Jan 6...that's like the day after tomorrow. I think you're up first then. lol! I've got the following Wednesday.

Kelly: Oh holy crap, that is the day after tomorrow! And just to make it even freakier, I have to add that in my “angel and demon story”, the criminals the heroine comes back to fight were responsible for the death of her parents.

And I don’t think I got the better parts!

PG: Well some of the better parts, anyway. :)
I have a feeling we're just scratching the surface with all these similarities and coincidences. I'm betting we find a lot more as we go along.


So what do you think..freaky or funny?

Guest Blogger MJ Fredrick - Bad Boys

M. J. Frederick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first writing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching 4th grade students how to write and diving into her own writing, traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.

I love me some bad boys.

Dean Winchester from Supernatural

Tony Stark from Iron Man

Captain Jack from Pirates

Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights

Doug Ross from ER

Sawyer from LOST

Alex Karev from Grey’s Anatomy

But the question today is WHY? What is it in ME that draws me to bad boys? Is it a nurturing thing, a need to take care of these damaged guys?

Is it a need to change the bad boy into a good man?

Is it a need for corruption? I'm essentially a Good Girl - do I need a balance of wildness?

Is it envy for the freedom Bad Boys have, the disregard for social mores?

Is it the need to know WHY they became that way? That’s what I wanted to know when I wrote my January 5 release, Breaking Daylight. My hero is a Bad Boy. In fact, he’s a bit of an ass. He has good reason, but my heroine Bella doesn’t give him an excuse. She calls him on his behavior, as though she can see the hero underneath. And eventually her patience pays off, and he becomes the man she deserves. So she doesn’t nurture him, and since she’s a rebel herself, doesn’t need the wildness. She does need his fearlessness, though, and when he sees she has some of that herself, he falls for her.

What is it in women that draws them to bad boys?

Starting Fresh

So the children are all tucked in bed, the dishes are done, the holiday decorations are stored away for another year. Lunches are waiting to be made and outfits are laid out for the morning.

Yes, for me, the new year doesn't start until that last bus pulls away from the curb. You can keep your countdown to midnight on December 31st. My New Year's celebration begins today.

Dont' get me wrong, I love the holidays. Having family around, being able to sleep in, celebrating the season with the people I love - all of these things are in the "win" column for me. But for starting fresh, turning a page on the year, I need the structure of my routine, the daily schedule that gets me back on track.

And, of course, the new challenges that go along with it. I don't like to make big Resolutions-with-a-capital-R, with specific end results, because they're so easy to break. This year, I thought I'd look at a few areas of my life that could use a nudge, and list a few ideas of what I'd like to do differently this year. Here they are, ready for the official start today:

1. I will exercise more. (Yes, I know, this is *the* big resolution. Still, it needs to be done!) Even if this means heading to the gym the minute the kids are safely tucked away in the public school system instead of making a hot chocolate and surfing the net for a little down time. I may not be able to find a parking space, but hey, the extra walk won't hurt. And with a trip to Hawaii just three months away, I'd better start working off those holiday pounds NOW.

2. I will stay on top of things. No more letting my e-mail pile up in folders until I have 500 unread messages (sorry, NNN ladies! I'm a bit behind!). No more waiting until the last minute to meet deadlines. This year, I'm going to get it done early.

3. I'm going to organize and prioritize better. Twitter can wait until I finish that book proposal.

4. I'm going to read more. Somehow, this fell by the wayside in '09, and I don't want that to happen this year.

5. I'm going to celebrate the small successes. Sometimes life can be a bit overwhelming, and it's easy to forget to enjoy the positives, especially if they're not huge flashing neon signs. I'll work on recognizing and enjoying them more.

It's not a long list, but it's a good start. How about you? What steps are you taking this year - big or small?

The Grinch Ain't Done Yet!

I want to be very clear about something: I love, love, love Christmas! I’m the first one to turn on the all-carols-all-the-time radio station, the first to decorate, the first to buy eggnog and light the peppermint and gingerbread scented candles.

And right up until midnight on December 25th I’m one of the best elves you’ll find on Santa’s team.

But now it’s December 30th … the holidays are over people! I have a life that needs to go on. I swear, as much as I love Christmas, I dread the week after. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the worst time of the entire year to try to get anything done (and how come I have to go back to work when apparently no one else does?!)

I want the businesses I need to use to be open regular hours, I want the people I need to talk to to be in those businesses, I want the TV shows I love to be new, I need the rest of the American public to not be going to the store to return stuff or take advantage of sales because I need to not be stuck in traffic and lines… (yes, this is all about me). I might actually need to run in to buy a bottle of shampoo and don’t want to stand in line behind four women buying out the home storage container section, the half-price Christmas lights and the no-one-else-wanted-it-that’s-why-its-still-there wrapping paper!

And really… fourteen cars in the Starbucks drive-through lane? Come on! I need this stuff to function at work—the place I am required to be in order to be paid in order to keep the heat working in my house. You shoppers need to get your coffee elsewhere.

All of this has gotten me thinking (ranting, whatever): There are some basic principles that should be made into law in my opinion:
1. If you are not going in to work (okay, fine, or to volunteer for a charity of some kind) then you are not allowed in or near a Starbucks before 10 a.m.
2. If you get a gift card, of any kind to any store, you can not redeem it in person until after January 12th (I figure by then half of those people will have lost or forgotten the card and it will cut down on lines even then).
3. No store is allowed to have an after-Christmas sale. If you weren’t creative enough or had the prices jacked up so high that you couldn’t get the stuff sold before Christmas, you don’t deserve the money anyway.
4. Anyone using vacation days from work, for any reason, needs to stay in bed until at least 8 a.m. Ever heard of sleeping in? Try it. It’s a rare and important treasure in life. Trust me.

So, clearly I’m full of holiday spirit (as opposed to what I’m usually full of!). But am I alone in this?

Oh, sure, now I see. You all are taking vacation days and hitting the shops, aren’t you?! Well, stay away from Starbucks on Lakeport Avenue!

Don’t worry about me, there’s some eggnog left… I’ll be okay. I’m just hoping to avoid the mall until sometime in March. Because I really don’t want to end up beating another human being with a stuffed reindeer.

Guest Blogger Misty Evans ~ Dealing with the Devil

I was raised in a Southern Baptist household and cut my teeth on Old Testament stories full of the Devil and damnation. Having an active imagination and a strong desire to find good in everyone, I was particularly taken by the story about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. To me, it was a love story, maybe the greatest ever told. Adam gave up enjoying heaven on Earth to be with Eve after she ate from the apple. He could have resisted her and temptation and hung out with God, but he was so enamored by Eve, his good sense went out the proverbial window and he damned himself right along with her.

Destined to be a writer, I transformed many Biblical stories in my head, and questioned what might have happened if things had been different. What if the original garden had been the Garden of Evil and it was God who had to tempt Eve to eat from the apple (or Triple Chocolate Cheesecake) in order to create heaven on Earth? What if God sent Adam and Eve back to Earth for a redo and once they got here and hung out with all of us, they had to decide if wiping out sin—which would include all of us born in sin—was a good deal?

In my novella in the Tickle My Fantasy Anthology (available this month), WITCHES ANONYMOUS, I played with a couple of those ideas, letting Adam come back to Earth and find the perfect Eve (who happens to be named Amy). I took the Devil and gave him the ability to love, which in some religions, he was capable of as an archangel. And I flipped the ideas of good and evil on their heads, just to see what would happen.

The story reminded me that good and evil exist in each of us, and it is our choice to resist or give in to temptation, whatever form it appears in. (Personally, I’d prefer it in the cheesecake form.) WITCHES ANONYMOUS is a comedy because, having been raised on Old Testament beliefs; I can tell you laughter is the best way to deal with the Devil.

Misty Evans is an award-winning, multi-published author of suspense and paranormal comedy. She likes her coffee black, her Biblical stories juicy, and her cheesecake decadent. You can visit her at www.readmistyevans.com or www.twitter.com/readmistyevans .

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

This year what I really, really want for Christmas is an iTouch. Of course you already know that from the post scripts I added to my kids’ letters. Were the pictures too much? My husband (a.k.a the Stud) thought they weren't necessary, but personally I don’t think anyone can go wrong with visual aids.

I noticed you didn’t mention my addition to the letters when you wrote the boys back. But then, you are a busy guy, right?

I’m sure you know I’ve been a really good girl this year. When Middle and Oldest decided to bake a cake on their bedroom floor (with extra eggs and brown sugar) I stayed calm. When Youngest yanked my carefully ordered notes off my desk (I swear she grew two inches overnight) I only mumbled under my breath a little.

Plus I think we’d both agree I still have a serious backlog of nice held in reserve for not losing it when Middle stripped down in McDonalds a couple years back.

And even with all the talk in the publishing industry about delaying NY ebook releases and their stubborn determination to cling to DRM, I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping my opinions to myself. Though just between you and me, a lot of the industry have their heads stuck up their a—um, I mean stuck in the sand.

But getting back to the iTouch, I’m sure I covered the many benefits of a multi-use device in the boys’ letters. I don’t think I need to add how much of a procrastinator I am to begin with (you know all, see all, right?) and how much this will help me save time. I’ll even promise to keep the game app downloads to a minimum.

Well, have a safe trip this year, Santa. And Mrs. Claus doesn’t need to know if you decide to indulge in a few extra cookies after tucking that iTouch under our tree. :)

Guest Blogger Tina Donahue - Tis the Season to be Romantic – or else

When the love of my life and I first became a couple, I was so much in love I believed he’d find Christmas as enchanting as I did. When I started shopping for his present in October, he wore a bemused expression that said he didn’t quite get it.

“What’s the big deal?” he asked. “It’s just another day.”

His comment should have been a raging red flag that the holiday wouldn’t be everything I hoped for, but I brushed it aside and kept hoping. On Christmas Eve, I stared at the gaily wrapped box he lugged in from his car. Too big to be jewelry. Too heavy to be lingerie. Even so, I told myself I’d love whatever it was, because I knew he hated to shop and yet he had. For me.

Carefully, I removed the Xmas wrapping to see that he’d bought me a boombox.

“Got it at Best Buy,” he boasted. “They were going so fast, I had to elbow another guy out of the way to get yours.”

Not exactly the words a woman wants to hear. I’ll admit that I pouted because I wanted something romantic – something memorable. He didn’t have to get me a $10,000 ring (though it would have been great). But a card would have been nice. He hadn’t even gotten me a card! Holding back words I knew he wouldn’t want to hear, I explained the facts of Christmas to him – doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does have to be romantic.

He seemed genuinely surprised. He even pointed out that my present was the top-of-the-line boombox. I sighed and told myself not to even think about the following year.

On that Christmas Eve, I got to work after he did. We operated a small business and generally arrived together, but he had a merchant’s breakfast to attend. It was still too early for the other employees to start filtering in, so I locked the front door and saw something taped to the receptionist’s desk. It was a card with my name on it. Curious, I opened the most beautiful Christmas card I’d ever seen. Inside was a lovely verse heavy on the love stuff. Beneath it he’d written: “There’s more.”

Was there ever. He’d left cards and presents (lingerie this time) all over the office for me to find and open. I was squealing, crying, and hugging him with delight. He seemed disappointed in my response. I didn’t get it. Unless I tore his clothes off and mine then wrestled him to the floor, I was doing the best I could to show my gratitude. Pulling back, he mumbled that he had to get back to work and I should do the same. With my giddiness subsiding, I went into my office and saw another box – a very small box – on my chair. It was wrapped beautifully. I didn’t give a damn. I tore that thing open as if it were the last piece of chocolate in the universe. What I found was much better. A diamond ring. I started screaming. He laughed. “Got ya.” he said.

So right. He got me that day and had me every one since. And that’s the spirit of fun, delight, and wonder I tried to convey in Adored, my latest release from Ellora’s Cave. In Adored, Adam gives Danni quite a few presents – some naughty, some nice. Here’s the cover, a brief synopsis, and an excerpt.

Adored is available from Ellora’s Cave: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7772-adored.aspx

Synopsis:

A shameless fantasy come true. . . When tall, dark and delicious Adam Farrell crosses Danni’s radar at a trade show in Vegas, it’s not lust at first sight. He’s been the star of her wicked fantasies for a while, pleasuring her in acts of domination and submission that leave her breathless. Aching for his masterful touch, believing she’ll never have it, Danni indulges in a public sex act Adam alone witnesses. What follows is a night of wild and unrestrained passion in his powerful arms. It’s only the beginning. An undisclosed business deal has turned Adam from competitor to Danni’s new boss. His hunger for her is absolute and he’ll make her fantasies seem tame as he takes her in ways she never imagined – whenever he wants, wherever he desires. Seduced by Adam’s plan to mix exquisite control with adoration, Danni’s swept into a sensual adventure she can’t resist. Until corporate politics intrude and she learns what Adam’s been hiding to protect her. . .a secret he’s long feared will tear them apart.

Excerpt:

She expected him to show up at her place. He didn’t. Instead, Hanson’s delivered a carton of Silvano’s cherry chocolates. Thirty boxes in all. Danni called him immediately and heard Mariah Carey’s newest release playing in the background. “You’re home?”

“Yeah. Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I am. Freshly bathed, shaved, made up and covered with cherry chocolates. Want to come over and eat me?”

He laughed. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it.”

“Wait!” She lowered her voice. “Thanks for the candy. That’s the nicest surprise I’ve ever gotten.”

“Then I’ll have to change that.” Without elaborating, he ended the call.

Tuesday came. She expected more than them working together like a normal VP and president, yet that’s what she got. They discussed and argued over the endless details for the launch. He acquiesced to most of her decisions, and not because he was a pushover. Danni had never known anyone as knowledgeable of the intimate apparel business as Adam. He was an expert’s expert who respected her take on the line and admired her work.

He also drove her crazy with expectation.

Every sound made her jump. Continually wet around him, she worried about staining her clothing, since she wasn’t wearing panties. After all, he expected her to be ready for anything.

She thought she was until she got home from work and found a medium-sized box, the kind used to ship a shirt, propped against her front door. Not recognizing the company name, she opened it cautiously. Inside the packaging lay a small paddle covered in black velvet. Hand trembling, she opened the folded stationery on top and saw Adam’s distinctive script—

For when you’re bad. Now, get some rest, you’ll need it.

For what? And when? She pressed the box to her heart, frustrated and giddy at his game, loving it, yet hoping for relief.

It didn’t come that night or the next day, though FedEx left another package at her apartment door. The small, lightweight box was the length and width of her hand. She jiggled it close to her ear, expecting to hear metallic clinking, the kind a collar and chain would make. Like the one in his fantasy where he led her into the white room full of lusty nobility. Beaming at the memory, she tore open the box and stared at the beige silk ropes inside, tied together in an incomprehensible maze. Clueless as to what they might be or how they should work, she read the accompanying flyer. The apparatus was a karada, a harness used for stimulation bondage. A series of nude photos of a beautifully endowed woman showed Danni how to wear the karada and how it operated, shifting between her legs as she walked and sat, stroking her clit.

She draped it over her nudity, refusing to go further. When she wore the karada, it would be because Adam had put it on her. She wouldn’t fantasize and masturbate while alone either, determined to have him satisfy her.

Tina Donahue is a multi–published novelist in contemporary and historical romance. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly and Romantic Times have praised her work; she has reached finals and/or placed in numerous RWA-sponsored contests. She was the editor of an award-winning Midwestern newspaper, worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company and is currently the Managing Editor for a global business document concern.

www.tinadonahue

tina@tinadonahue.com