TTTT Meme: 5 Reasons the best writers come from Middle Earth

The Tied to the Tracks meme is Rosina Lippi’s very creative way to get the word out about her paperback release! Visit her site for details. Participate and you can build up some good karma and a chance to win $100 Amazon gift certificate. My contribution: 5 Reasons The Best Writers Come From Middle Earth.

1. When the writing gets tough, the tough stop for second breakfast. This gives us the strength to go on.
2. Blowing elaborate smoke circles with pipeweed gives the brain a good chance to work out plot points.
3. We avoid adventures. Nasty things, make you late for dinner. This means we’re always home to write.
4. We’re very good at keeping the faith. The king will return, you know. And the book will sell.
5. We have a wizard for a literary agent. If Gandalf can fight off Balrogs, he can deal with gotcha clauses.



Tied to the Tracks
by Rosina Lippi. July 3, 2007. ISBN: 0425215326

“[This] is a hilarious, smart, sexy novel with a heart of gold.” — Susan Wiggs

“[Lippi] turns her buoyant creative talents to the romantic comedy genre with an effervescent tale of a trio of offbeat Yankee filmmakers plunked down deep in the heart of Dixie.” — Booklist

Read an excerpt. (Adobe Reader required)| Watch the book trailer

You can find Tied to the Tracks at Amazon , Barnes & Nobel, Borders, Powells, or at your local independent bookseller.

This meme has been entered in the Tied to the Tracks contest, originating on Rosina Lippi’s Storytelling2 weblog. If you’d like to enter the BUCKS & BOOKS meme contest, get the rules here.

Reviews for Only Human and a reading recommendation

4 Stars from JERR: “Only Human was a quick read that kept my attention from start to finish. The characters of Elaine and Damon are the focus of this short, intense story and they really grabbed my attention. I was hooked by the paranormal elements, sensuality, emotional development, and both characters. I really enjoyed Only Human. I will be looking for more stories by Charlene Teglia.”

5 Hearts from My Book Cravings: “Charlene Teglia did it again. She wrote a great story with a wonderful man in it that shows Elaine that there is much more to life then her job. I love anything to do with books with Psychic men or woman in them. The draw of being able to see what someone needs before they do or help them when there is danger makes the story so much more for me. I look forward to reading more from this author.”

I love how they both say “More”. :mrgreen:

My reading recommendation: If you’re looking for a big, fun, sexy contemporary, grab yourself a copy of Beth Ciotta’s All About Evie! I am a huge fan of con artist caper plots so I’ve been looking forward to this ever since Beth’s sale announcement, and it did not disappoint. The chemistry between Arch and Evie sizzles, the characters are fully realized and multi-dimensional, the emotions add depth and heart to a very fun caper plot, and the pace never lags. I loved the kick-off to The Chameleon Chronicles and cannot wait to find out what happens next!

Back to work

Well, vacation time is over. The past few days have been the first in a very long time that I took off on purpose. Not sick days, not severe weather days that shut me down against my will but actual on purpose days off. By the calendar I couldn’t afford them, but by the state of my brain I couldn’t afford not to take them. I’ve been skirting the edge of burnout in a state I’m calling brownout. You know when the power grid is overloaded and the lights start to dim and flicker and things surge, but it’s not actually a power failure? The mental equivalent of this.

You know you’re in brownout when everything takes longer than it should because you just don’t have enough juice. The cure for brownout is to heed the warning signs and act before it becomes burnout, and then progresses to something worse like a full-on block. I made the choice to take time off while my parents were here, whether I was done with the projects I’m working on or not. (Not, as it happens.) I made the choice to celebrate and be happy and spend time with my family and take lots of walks. Last weekend I chose to spend two nights staying up late to read. Yesterday I chose to dive into Stray and read it from start to finish.

I still have deadlines. I still have revisions to finish and return. I still have more work than I like to think about right now to finish before 2007 ends. But the best way to get all that work done is to take care of the engine that drives it all. Laugh with the people I love, look for Bigfoot, watch a young bald eagle perch on top of a tree like a very awkward ornament, read books, listen to music, eat cake, and understand that there is more to life than work, and if all I do is work, pretty soon there’s not much flavor to life and not much fuel to feed the work.

Today I’m finishing revisions on Satisfaction and reading All About Evie. I love me some con artist caper romance! Happy Sunday, all.

And the baby turns 2

I cannot believe how fast these kids are growing up. Walking, talking, reading. I keep thinking the next time I blink they’ll be in junior high. The grandparents are on their way home now, but they got to see the baby who is now a toddler turn two. It was great to have them here, and great to take some time off to enjoy the company.

This is also my two-year anniversary in print; two years ago on my dad’s birthday, Ellora’s Cavemen Legendary Tails II released. Then I went into labor with the baby and didn’t see my first book in print on shelves in a bookstore for weeks. And two years later, the cover of my next print release is on the cover of Complete Woman. How freaking cool. And how far from anything I imagined two years ago. Here’s to birthdays and anniversaries and milestones. And most of all, here’s to cake and family to share it with!

40 Today

Well, here I am. 40. What have I learned in 40 years on planet Earth? That so many things I thought were important once just don’t matter. That confusion over priorities really can be settled in most instances by asking, “In a hundred years, will it matter?” And that Bigfoot really does exist, even if I haven’t seen him yet. All those blurry photos can’t lie!

Today we’ll be visiting the Hoh rain forest in hopes of spotting the legendary Sasquatch. Although if we don’t have a sighting, a hundred years from now it won’t matter. 😉