And it's Friday!

This has been an incredibly busy week. Work, work work, flight, sign in for conference, crash in room. It's been a great week, though, and I'm really glad I came.

Did I mention that I'm an iPhone App?

Today I'm at Whipped Cream Reviews!

Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge on sale now at your favorite bookstore. And don't forget my free Dark Desires of the Druids: Choose Your Own Adventure!

Workshops

Why I like workshops.

I don't like all the workshops I attend, and have been known to walk out of them. It doesn't mean the speakers didn't go a good job on their topic, it just means that either I A) had to choose between two (or more) workshops and want to catch the end of another or B) thought it might help in my writing and then realized the speaker and I were coming from two different starting points.

But overall, I respect the people who get in front of others and talk about anything!

The best thing I ever learned in my writing was in a workshop: Every scene must count toward the overall plot. You'd think that, sure, but honestly at the time of hearing that I was still a fan of writing scenes I wanted to write. No longer! I was going to write to the plot, to the end, to the Happily Ever After!

Seriously, it was a revelation.

So even if I only go to a handful or workshops, they all have what I want. To learn more to further my writing. It's an evolving experience!

Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge on sale now at your favorite bookstore. And don't forget my free Dark Desires of the Druids: Choose Your Own Adventure!

Why I do RWA

There are reasons for and against it, but I'm being positive so will list the reasons why I am doing RWA this year. (In no particular order)

• Meet online friends!
• Have a drink with these online friends that you now know what they look like.
• Meet other writers in various stages of their career and get to know how they're doing, what they're doing, and what their career plans/goals are.
• 
  
• Pitch to an editor or agent! You never know who's going to like your book, it only takes one.

• Workshops-these are the best reason. Other conferences have them, too, so if RWA is too expensive or too far for you, try to go to any writing conferences and workshops. They're worth it.

More on workshops tomorrow as I travel to Orlando.

Today the blog tour is taking me to D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters! Want to read Chapter One of Sex & Subterfuge? Stop on by!

Getting ready for RWA

I leave in a day and am I packed? Nope. I'll get there, it's only a carry on and a few days, and the suitcase is right...there...mocking me with its open emptiness.

RWA: I'm really looking forward to going there, it's been a couple years and there are several workshops I'm looking forward to attending. Plus, it's a great chance to meet up with virtual friends!

Today I'm over at Simply Sexy Stories for Day 12 of Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge virtual blog tour!

Learn something new

Ture, I'm a librarian and deal with a lot of people every day, but it's also true that I learn something new. I like that aspect of my job, learning.

It's also true in writing. I may think I know what happened when, but once you get into the nitty gritty of it all, the real research, the facts of the matter, it's a different story entirely. My favorite? Taking X and making it into a story. Doesn't matter what X is (and no I won't be going into an algebra problem here!)

X is whatever you find fascinating. X is whatever you want to use for your story. X is whatever you wish it to be.

That's what makes writing and life! so fun. Learning. Once you close your mind, it's all over.

~By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out.
Richard Dawkins

Virtually speaking, I'm over at Bad Girl (And Bad Boy) Writer's Block with DAY 11 of Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge's blog tour. And what am I talking about today? You'll never guess. :)

Traveling

Virtually traveling, I'm over at Diary of a Literary Goddess with DAY 10 of Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge's blog tour.

Physically traveling is another story. Last weekend I went to Washington, D.C. and had a great time. This brought up where to vacation next. Let's stick to the United States for the purposes of this blog. Otherwise it'd read something like I WANT TO SEE IT ALL!!!!!!!!

In no particular order:

Alaska has always been a dream. A nice (small) cruise up the coast with some time on land to really see America's largest state.

Hawai'i of course. Pearl Harbor, the beaches, that volcano you can climb, I can't remember the name. Pele? No, that's a soccer player. Or maybe it's similar.

The Grand Canyon. I went there once, 12+ years ago and loved it. Did the mule ride down the trail which was way cool, but hurt my derrière by the end!

The Great Lakes. I know very little about them other than the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, how they were made (History Channel of course), and how smugglers used them over the centuries. Yes, yes, I know parts of them are in Canada, but how cool would it be to take a tour along the coast of all the lakes?

I'd love to see every state in the Union. I'm not sure what I'd do in Kansas, but there has to be something I'd be interested in!

Guest: Kaily Hart

Please join me in welcoming Kaily Hart!

What made you decide to write Picture This?
I kind of didn’t have a choice! LOL. I’m one of those writers who have characters talk to them and they don’t just talk. Mine often scream in demand, usually because they want attention (AKA writing their stories). When I saw the call for submissions at Ellora’s Cave for ‘something related to the fine arts’, the story just came to me and the characters soon followed. I hadn’t intended to write the story. Not that day, or that week either for that matter. The characters literally wouldn’t give me any peace. They would pop into my head at odd moments, especially when I was trying to work on another manuscript. So I finally relented and wrote it. Once it was done, I figured I may as well send it on. Yeah, I know. Sounds like I’m nuts, right?

Not at all! Sounds like a writer to me. :)

What else are you working on?

I’m working on a bunch of things right now. I can’t just work on one thing at a time and it seems to work really well for me. I’m a WIP slut, if you will J. I’m currently finishing two more novellas, I have several novel length books in the works and two paranormal series I’ve outlined that I would love to tackle soon. I’ve also been known to madly jot down other story ideas as they come to me and add to my ever growing ‘ideas file’.

Multi-tasking! I love it. Working on more than one story is the best way to go. That way you can always work on X when Y is giving you trouble.

What’s your dream story? The one that becomes a New York Times runaway bestseller, the one you hope to one day write?
Dream story? Well, I do have a dream and a hope to be a best selling author some day, but I’d rather measure that success in reader reaction and whether I can make it to the ranks of an ‘auto-buy’ author. You know, an author readers will buy based on name, not necessarily by individual story? That’s my simple aspiration. I do have several outlines of ‘bigger’ stories I think would make great single titles. They’re a combination of contemporary with either elements of intrigue or paranormal. When the time is right…

Best of luck on your dream! Looks like you're well on your way.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Mmm, I guess I’d like to add that I’ve done other jobs and I’ve had a different successful career prior to writing. I enjoyed all of them and often thrived on the challenges, but writing? I love what I’m doing right now. There’s nothing more rewarding than bringing characters to life, weaving a story that has both heat and emotion and reaching a satisfying end. The response to Picture This has been amazing and has surpassed my expectations. Being able to take someone else on that journey with me? That has been the most rewarding thing I’ve taken away from the entire experience.

Thanks so much for having me here today! Thank you, Kaily! You're welcomed back at any time.

Picture This blurb:

Desperate and young, Jillian Moore did something she knew would one day come back to bite her in the ass. She’d posed nude. For money. Years later, and on the fast track to a successful career,
she’s still haunted by her mistake. She can’t help but wonder when her past will catch up with her.

Samuel Steele is not short on female attention, but the women who warm his bed pale in comparison to the fantasy he’s created of the
seductive temptress in the painting hanging prominently in his bedroom. A
fantasy that has ruined his once satisfying sex life. When he discovers that her
exact likeness works in his building—for him—things get…interesting.

R-Rated excerpt:
Christ, he was a sick fuck.

Sam rubbed his hand over the rough stubble on his jaw, the raspy sound loud in the quiet room. Carla, Carrie, or whatever the hell her name was, had left. Hell, she hadn’t been able to get away fast enough once she’d figured it out. He could still smell the unmistakable scent of sex. It was thick and heavy in the air and wafted up from the ruined sheets he was lying on every time he moved. It’d been good—hard, fast and impersonal, just how he liked it. Okay, so it’d gone to crap at the end, but he’d gotten his rocks off and had no complaints in that regard. She’d been gorgeous and built, with a tongue that was more talented than most and a way of moving her hips when she rode him that had almost blown the top of his head off. So what was his problem and what the fuck was he doing? He shouldn’t still want to, shouldn’t need to—

Picture This buy link

You can find Kaily Hart here:
Web
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

New day New blog

Today I'm at The Cozy Page. Amber asked some great questions, I hope you'll check them all out.

I'm also getting ready for RWA Nationals next week. This week the NJRW conference committee is meeting, then I'm packing, then I'm working, then it's Orlando for 3 days. Then I plan on crashing. :)

Day 6

I had a FANTASTIC time in DC. It was hot, but it was a great time. Did the train to Union Station, nice Westin in downtown, then did the Smithsonian (both Air & Space museums), the Mall, the Good God it's hot why did I pick a weekend in July?! And overall had a wonderful time. I want to do it again, there's so much I never got to see. And just walking around there were signs for even more things to do. I'm definitely planning another trip!

DAY 6 BLOG TOUR is over at Domestically Challenged Momma. What genres do you love to read, but most importantly, would you read a book by a favorite author in a totally different genre?

And don't forget, Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge is in paperback now. And my free short, Dark Desires of the Druids: Choose Your Own Adventure.

Day 5

Wow, it's early today! Never stay out late with friends on a work night. I guess my mom knew what she was talking about when she tried to drill into my head "Never stay out late on a school night!" 6:15 came early, and the day looks very long before me!



I'll survive. Lots to do to get me through the day, work, plotting, and Day Five of the Virtual Blog Tour. Today I'm at Romantic Journey talking about alternate history and how fun it is to play.

Day Four and other thoughts

Today I'm over at Romance with Attitude. Gotta love the title! I'm talking not about titling a story (that would be pathetically short) but sex in Victorian clothing. Not as easy as one would wish. And I'm sure not as easy as those Victorians would wish, either!

Please join me over there, today!


On another note, I realized that some times no matter how much you love a concept or characters or plot or a combination thereof, it doesn't work. I'm now taking a very large step back from my current WIP and completely re-evaluating it. I'll let you know what happens.

Day Three!

Today I'm over at a favorite blog, You Gotta Read Guest. I've met a lot of wonderful authors there, and have read a lot of great reccomendations from this site.

Sex & Subterfuge virtual blog tour.

Available now in bookstores, and for whichever e-reader you own!

Day two

Today I'm over at Alisha Paige's blog, a super cool place to be. Why? It's all about the scifi baby. I'm a total geek when it comes to that, but strangely haven't read scifi romance. I don't know what I've been waiting for, but plan to change all that now.

Come read Lucien's interview. :)

This week

Today is DAY ONE of my blog tour and I start it off at Cherry Mischievous. I have to say, I adore that blog. No, I didn't know about it until I signed up for this tour, but combing it over this morning, it's my kind of reading.

Thanks, Cherry for hosting me!

Blog Tour

Monday starts my Summer Blog Tour for Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex and Subterfuge. I'll be giving away lots of prizes, so be on the look out. I hope you'll join me!

Monday July 12: Cherry Mischievous
Tuesday July 13: Alisha Paige
Wednesday July 14: You Gotta Read Guest
Thursday July 15: Romance With an Attitude
Friday July 16: Romantic Journey

This blog tour has been kindly arranged for me by Goddess Fish Promotions.

New day

New attitude. Or it could be the 16 oz of Pepsi I already drank. Not really sure. It's been a long morning already! I expect the day to continue on this way.


I will not think of the romantic arc from hell today. I will appreciate what I have instead. Like my brother's dog I watched this weekend. She's so energetic and friendly. She doesn't like bunnies, but I've successfully kept her from gobbling up Peter Rabbit (see below) who is so adorable I've decided to adopt him. In the he stays outdoors, I stay in method.

He snuck into my garden, despite the fence, and tried to hide from me beneath 2 thin blades of grass. His nose was twitching and he stayed perfectly still, but I managed the picture anyway. How can I not adore him? So cute!


Tomorrow's another day to think about romantic arcs. I'll do it then.

My Buffy comic kingdom

For a romantic arc!

As a romance writer I didn't think it'd be this difficult to plot a romantic arc between two people who will make a damned fine couple if I do say so myself. If only they'd fall in love! I mean come on, people! Be nice to each other, smile that little sexy smile, show a little interest.

I decided to plot through each act then do each chapter in the hopes this new book would go faster. I am stuck, not with the plot, with the romantic arc. As in why oh why can't I figure out Grayson and Juliette and why they are two stubborn people?

Pft.

I'm doing something wrong here, I know it. I just can't think what it could be. I even took 2 of this gorgeous 3 day weekend and DIDN'T think about the story. I hate to start a new story, this is the one I really want to write. Alas.

Happy Long Weekend

It's actually July 4, meaning it's Independence Day. Not just a long weekend, not just BBQ and fireworks, but the date the Declaration of Independence was signed. The date we thumbed our noses at England and said screw you!

No, not really. Honest, I do know my history. I have a degree in it and everything!

Here's a brief timeline of how the Declaration came to be. PLEASE NOTE: It took 4 days, FOUR DAYS! for congress to debate, change, add, subtract, and ratify the Declaration. What's wrong with us now?

June 12-27: Jefferson, at the request of the committee, drafts a declaration, of which only a fragment exists. Jefferson's clean, or "fair" copy, the "original Rough draught," is reviewed by the committee. Both documents are in the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress.



June 28: A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence is read in Congress.


July 1-4: Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence.


July 2: Congress declares independence as the British fleet and army arrive at New York.



July 4: Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in the morning of a bright, sunny, but cool Philadelphia day. John Dunlap prints the Declaration of Independence. These prints are now called "Dunlap Broadsides." Twenty-four copies are known to exist, two of which are in the Library of Congress. One of these was Washington's personal copy.

July 4, 1776: 13 colonies become The Thirteen United States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Signed— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis
Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis
Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris,
Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith,
George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney,
George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca,
Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe,
Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr.,
Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William
Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge,
Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Sex and Subterfuge

Today's my release date for Dark Desires of the Druids: Sex & Subterfuge! To kick off the release, I'm throwing a blog tour from July 12-August 6. Once I have all the locales, I'll post them here. If you follow the tour, at the end is a pretty prize!

In addition, I have a FREE short story, a Dark Desires of the Druids: Choose Your Own Adventure. Remember those from way back when? Or am I dating myself? Anyway, it's not nearly as long as those, man this was hard enough to make sure everything flowed! But it's a fun little adventure in the depths of London with a Druid couple.

Very soon I'll also have a free short story up about this couple, Duncan and Elizabeth, and how they came to be in London.