Greatest Hits

Jane with Heather Locklear.

Once again, it is time to get into the Way Back Machine and discover what exactly is hidden in my blog's archives.


Published January 7, 2010, here is a writing game courtesy of Jane Porter.

***

Several years ago, Jane Porter spoke at my local RWA chapter, the Rose City Romance Writers.

I'll be honest. Jane's blonde, gorgeous, petite, skinny, and looks about sixteen. I was consumed by envy. Then she gave a brilliantly inspirational speech about where your writing fits in the market.

I was expecting something very business-like, maybe a breakdown of the different publishers and what they tended towards.

Instead, she talked about the roots of your writing- the fables, myths, and fairy tales that consumed you as a child. What could you listen to over and over? What were those themes? What keeps coming up over and over for you?

The fairy tales didn't reveal that much about me, I thought. I picked.

1. The Seven Swans: I chose discipline, faithfulness, and sewing shirts out of flowers (transformation) as the themes I loved about this story.


2. Aladdin : Flying, courage, and risk.


3. Sleeping Beauty: Disguises, awakening to a new reality, and (what the hell) fairies with personalities.

I really flailed with these. No common themes seemed to emerge. Then we went to mythology. I chose:

1. Medea: Revenge, justifiable wrath, a woman who controls her life, a woman who kills, escape



2. The Golden Fleece: Powerful allies, justifiable wrath, travel



3. The Aenead: Rising from the ashes, travel, new starts

I suddenly realized why my attempts at light-hearted romantic comedy failed miserably. I had much darker stories inside of me.

I focused on the story that began, "She swam in an ocean of blood" instead of "Lola blinked." I'm pretty sure we can all tell which first sentence is far more attention grabbing. :)
(That's not the first sentence anymore, by the way ;).

Myths, fables, legends, and fairy tales are our playground. They provide the archetypes, the symbols, and the language for our lives.

Play the game with me. What are the stories that have haunted you? What themes do you carry inside of yourself?

Virtual BookTour, Stop One: Reviews of Dracula's Secret!

Today is the first day of my review book tour!

My schedule is:
TODAY: April 22:  Taylor Made Fiction
April 24:  Coffee and A Book Anytime
April 26:  Racing To Read
April 30:  Shelley's Book Case
May 3:  Let's Get BOOKED!
May 7:  Long and Short Reviews
May 9:  Simply Ali
May 14:  Welcome to My World of Dreams
May 15:  It's Raining Books
May 17:  Queen of the Night Reviews

I will be awarding a fabulous dragon necklace (since Dracul means Dragon, after all), to one random commenter (USA only please).

 ***

And here is the the review from Susan Taylor's website!

Dracula Unleashed is third in the Series Blood Wings delivers a inhumanly fast paced ride. 

A battle is about to break between immortal forces and then does, devastatingly so. 

Lance walks amidst wreckage with the Angel of Death who determines the beings which have started this war are indeed vampires.There's only one solution. A hunter must be utilized, or unleashed. Valerie Tate is called upon to against Lance's wishes. She is wife to him and John, angel and Guide, (that's right a vampire with two husbands!!), a mother, and the huntress in this tale.

The paranormal cast within Dracula Unleashed is varied and rich giving the story an unsual twist.

 

First, I must say the interplay of passion between Valerie and Lance is imaginative, delicious, salacious. YUM! And then there's some pretty hot video menage that will leave the reader breathless.

I found the sibling against sibling tension a driving force, all the way to sacred ground. The constant powerplay of good against evil mesmerizing. And let's not forget, the stunning passion between the characters. Dracula Unleashed is absolutely a dark, hot read that will captivate the reader.

***

Thank you so much, Susan!

Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3, 

Another attempt at a video in a post.

Well, my last post didn't quite come through the video attached, so I'm going to try again.

I was walking home from my favorite coffee shop (Insomnia Coffee, for all locals). I was in a pretty good mood and as I walked along, I started to sing one of my mother's favorite songs.

I hope you all swing on stars today. :)

My deepest condolences to those in Boston.

My heart is with you all.

May whatever is Out There hold you close and comfort you.

A very important update.

Summer is a'coming, and it is  time to talk about getting ourselves ready for the beach - including that all important Bikini Body. Follow Melissa Fabello's easy three step rules for summer fun.

(Warning, some bad language at the end)




Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3,

Retreats, and why we need them.

Since the beginning of the year, I had had two vicious bouts with the flu (bad), house guests (great!), traveled to Las Vegas (more fantastic), conferred for a second tattoo (scary), and been to conferences.

Notice the one thing I haven't put in there? Yep. Actually writing.

This is Su.

This past weekend, I was able to fix that.

For me, at least, the purpose of a retreat is to claim a time and space to focus

And this is Darla!

on one task, surrounded by others who are following the same path. Everyone's combined efforts lift us from the everyday distractions and clears the mind.

I am blessed to know Susan Lute and Darla Luke. 
They graciously allowed me to join them at their weekend away in Waldport, Oregon. Tucked into a small cottage, the three of us shared silence, plot difficulties, and writing strategies. I foresee asking Darla for an interview on her mapping technique! ;)

Here I did more work than I had in the previous month.

I'm refreshed, ready, and full of mojo. Thank you, Darla and Su!


Here are a few pictures.

Bridge over the bay

Wild Strawberries, turning the sandy soil into a garden.

Su's work ethic amazes me.

The morning after a huge storm.