I have an idea but I can’t take credit for it.  I’ve got some used books.  Most I’ll probably give away but I thought I’d post say five a week and see if anyone wants them…….

Credit for this lovely idea goes to Eve since the first time I met her I won  a book from her!

One of the interesting things about being a writer is the new-ness, the freshness of it all.  Of course, I’m speaking as one who’s relatively new to the field, but this aspect of the job always appeals to me.

None of the nine-to-five sucky day job stuff, even if you establish a writing routine.  Every day can be an adventure in some other unique world.

The publication of your first work, in whatever form, is a one-of-a-kind experience, one you’ll always remember.  The process of publishing thereafter may be routine, but each BOOK is different.  You become a CREATOR for each idea, character, every plot device–even if they’re variations on an old theme.

So what’s not to like??

My second book-in-print, HOWL, is now available at AMAZON.COM.

It’s an anthology of werewolf stories written by myself, the wonderful Jet Mykles, and the amazing Jeigh Lynn.

Just in time for Halloween!

And yes—it’s still a thrill. 

When I found myself single again, I thought I’d try the online dating places. I’d heard they were a good place to meet people of the opposite sex and get dates.

Um. It was all a lie and I’m terribly pissed off I wasted so much money on it. And PS e-Harmony is the biggest money sucking pit ever. But that’s just my opinion. ;)

I’m sure it works for most people, however, it did not work for me. I think part of the problem was because I like the mystery of getting to know someone in person rather than online first. I don’t want to get to know who you are from the inside out. Surprise me.

But I digress…

I’ve decided there are two types of men: men who think I’m “kinky” because I write romance and men who just really don’t care.

So I devised a little test. When I tell them I write romance and the title of my book (*ahem* shameless plug here – Talk Dirty To Me, now available at Samhain Publishing), if they ask me odd questions then they are definitely out.

Questions like:

Does that mean you’re kinky?
Do you write about what you want or what you like?
Can I be your hero?

*rolling eyes* Give me a break, guys.

However, if when I tell him I write romance he seems impressed by the fact that I write period and am published and he doesn’t expect me to “act out” my loves scenes with him, then he passes the test and he can successfully date me.

And for the record, no, I’m not kinky. I write what the characters tell me to write and it’s not about me. And if you have to ask to be my hero, then the answer is probably no.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this entry are those solely of the author.

Please tell me I am not the only one who gets “star struck” when they run across authors they admire.

I thought this might be something I would get over once I myself became a published author. But apparently being a dorky fan is not something easily erased. Just the other day I was clicking on some of the links at the side and came upon a website with pictures. I scanned them briefly and then did a triple take. “That can’t be… naw, that’s not…” but upon further investigating it was who I thought it was. (I shant bore you with the details as I don’t wanna embarrass the poor gal w/ my gushing) but suffice it to say when I spotted someone I know and like in the links, I spent half and hour perusing her website. I even almost called Amie and said “Did you know so and so is over there?”

I was giddy, giddy I tell you.

Nationals excites me as must as it scares me to death. It’d be like a shop-aholic coming across an 90% off sale – I am THAT bad! I see people and have to fight hard to refrain from pointing and giggling. I have a made a point not to get any where near Nora that would require conversation… I tend to gush and it can get quite embarrassing.

I spoke to Brenda Novak at nationals and it was all I could do not to leave the silly grin on my face and stop someone saying, “Look who’s talking to ME . . . on purpose, no less.”

I suppose if I ever get out of that awe it will be a sad, far too full of myself not to get a swift kick to the ass kinda day (wheshew that was a mouthful!)

Who do you gush over, avoid to keep from gushing over and all time fave to talk to? Let me know and you could win a pair of totally faboo-socks!

Incidentally – this DOES NOT seem to be a problem when I run into certain men (well, only one in particular) – then I clam up and examine the change in my pocket – go figure….

I was recently reading some questions posed to writers, one of which was “Do you enter a Zen-like state when you write?”

That Zen-like crazy writer’s place is a crazy writer’s place where characters actually talk and stuff that I don’t often admit too outside of my writing friends, but yes, I’ve been there.  Sadly, I lost the map and haven’t been there in a long (LONG) time.  It’s a joyous, place full of LIGHTS, CAMERA and ACTION.  And try as I might I can’t seem to get back to it, and honestly, I don’t know why.  These days, between getting up at 6 AM to get the kid to football and the renovation crew crawling in and out of my office and talking to me when I don’t want them to, writing more resembles that last stage of labor than the actual baby-making (which, for me anyway, was always the easiest part).

So what do you do when your entire schedule is turned upside-down?  Post your thoughts and win some socks!

“So, I hear you’re a writer.”

Those of you who write have an idea of what comes next.  You know the pensive pause, the cocky tilt of the speaker’s head.  And you’ve learned how to bite your tongue at the inevitable words that follow:  “I’ve always thought about writing a book.  Got a few ideas.  Maybe I will.  How hard can it be?”

Now, once you’ve gotten over the urge to spew pea soup Exorcist-style, you’ve probably done the decent thing–smiled, nodded, and murmured something encouraging.  Some lie the Angel of Death will hold against you on Judgement Day.

Because you KNOW that isn’t what you really want to say.  You want to yank their bottom lip down to their knees and snarl, “Look, you patronizing sonofabitch–I WORK at what I do.  I plan, and worry, and bleed ink.  I sacrifice my time, my energy, my sleep–and yeah, sometimes even the needs of my family to do this thing, because it won’t let me live in peace without it.  Got that?”

And then, of course, there are the others.  The ones who look ever-so slightly down their noses and smile, saying, “Ah, you write romances.  How nice.  That must be fun.”

You smile at them too, and agree, of course, that it is fun.  Because it is.  But that’s not REALLY what you want to say.  You want to say, “It’s also a demanding, exacting, very competitive field if you want to excel at it, you condescending cow.”

But being professional authors, we’re above that sort of thing, right?

And finally, there are the really special ones.  The ones who walk up to you with a leering smile, the ones who make you forget your ‘professionalism’ and act on what you’re thinking…

The ones who wiggle their eyebrows and whisper, “I hear you write dirty stories.  Why don’t you let me show you a few tricks?”

Sigh…

Once upon a time…

…there was a little girl who decided she wanted to write books when she grew up. So she wrote her first short story in Freshman English class while ignoring the teacher. It was about a princess and a handsome prince who went to the ends of the earth to rescue his love from the clutches of the evil Duke.

It never made it out of her sight.

Then one day, she wrote her first novel. By hand. On notebook paper. Front and back. Two hundred and fifty pages. It was a science fiction story about a girl who was sucked through her mirror into a strange world. She met two men there, both of whom she felt she could fall in love with. There was an evil dark lord bent on destroying the world and her two men had to ride to the rescue and save the universe.

I don’t know what happened to that book…

The girl, of course, is me. I dabbled in fiction writing all through high school. My then-best-friend and I wrote and illustrated our own Indiana Jones adventure comic books (starring us, of course!). I stopped writing when I graduated and went on with the rest of my life. But I never really lost the itch to put words down on paper.

About five years ago, I got serious about writing again. I was on maternity leave and wrote a short story that eventually led to my first 90,000 word fantasy novel. That’s now in the back of a drawer somewhere, getting covered in dust and cobwebs and waiting for a rejection letter from Harlequin.

I guess you could say I got my first “big” break writing serials a couple of years ago for a now defunct site. I wrote two – a romance and an action/adventure. The latter will be appearing in e-book form at the end of November and in print in February (tentative dates). I feel very fortunate I was able to make it from serial writer to novel writer and I’m ecstatic that my all-time favorite characters – Skye Ransom and Dane Fortune – are going to be in print. I’m actually going to be able to hold their book in my hand and sniff the pages.

It’s delicious, really.

I’m also happy my little phone sex operator novella has made it into publication. I would have never submitted it if it hadn’t been for fellow chica, Amie, urging me to do so. (Shameless plug – you can still get Talk Dirty To Me from Samhain Publishing by clicking here.) Currently, the second in the Coffee House Chronicles is nearing completion. I hope to have Nice Girls Do done in the next few weeks.

And I’ve just sold the second and final book in The Adventures of Ransom & Fortune! I’ll be signing the contract and sending it out sometime this week.

Thanks for stopping by the blog.

(or why certain things make me bitchy).

I have to ask. Why the hell is cereal 4.00 a box? What is that? I mean, it’s cereal! And yes, I eat cereal. I love cereal. But I will not pay 4.00 a box for fucking cereal. I have, in my quest for cereal, turned to store and off brands. I mean Cheerios are Cheerios no matter how much you wrap them up!

I have no problem with either except for two things. And that brings me to today’s blog topic…Pet Peeves, Toilet Paper and POP-Tarts.

Because you see my lovies, there is no substitute for Kelloggs POP-tarts. None. Not store brand. Not off brand. And no matter what my mother said, as a child, I wouldn’t eat the off brand POP-tarts–I gave them all to my brother.

Oh, and TP? Back when I was about 15 kazillion months pregnant with #1 son I remember shopping with a friend. I needed toilet paper. She handed me a package and I promptly handed it back to her and said, “If I wanted to wipe my ass with tree bark, I’d live in the woods.”

I have lived by that rule and it has stood me in good stead until recently

(more…)

Deadly Mistakes by Denise Belinda McDonald
ISBN: 1-59998-098-3
Length: Novel
Price: $5.50
Genre: Contemporary/Suspense
Publication Date: September 19th, 2006
Format: E-book

Purchase: My Bookstore and More

Charlie’s day went from bad to worse when she tripped over a dead man on her living room floor.

Charlie Foster’s life morphed from shoe store owner and college student to murder suspect in one trip across her living room. Can she clear her name and find out what in the world happened in her apartment before she’s booked for murder one? Or before the real killer gets his hands on her?

Detective Bobby Allen never meant to become his suspect’s alibi. Is it his sixth sense that tells him blue-eyed Charlie Foster is the key to unraveling the clues to his ‘unofficial’ case? Or is it the one night of passion they shared?

Can they ignore the attraction to one another long enough to figure out what the killer’s next move is before they both become casualties in an unknown battle?

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence.

Yo - we’re open for business…..