Good Yule!

by | Dec 20, 2006 | Uncategorized

Happy Winter Solstice! The world has officially turned the corner, and while it’s now winter, the days will begin to lengthen.
Here’s a quote I stumbled across this morning:

“When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue, you sell a whole new life. Love, friendship, humor, and ships at sea by night – there’s heaven and earth in a book.” – C. Morley

Since there’s lots of winter darkness still ahead, here are a couple of books to snuggle up with. I just finished reading Julia Templeton’s The Bargain and if you want to travel back to the Norman conquest for hot, high-stakes romance, make sure to slip this one into your stocking.

And you can’t buy it yet, but NJ Walters’ newest installment of Awakening Desires, Craving Candy, will release later this month. Stalk the EC home page for this one so you can have it the minute it appears! Lucas is a hero every woman will want under her tree.

Arrr and argh

by | Dec 20, 2006 | Uncategorized

Arrrr; I’m writing hot pirate fantasy stuff. I am having more fun than should be legal. Some days I just sit here giggling, “they pay me for this?” I used to get in trouble for day-dreaming and now it’s my job. Heh.

Argh: two severe weather advisories in effect and one just got upgraded. Dammit. Storm prep is already done because I don’t drag my feet about that stuff.

Want to know how to survive power outages? Fill bathtubs. 1 tub = 10 manual toilet flushes. Have several containers of drinkable water stored. Have containers of water for washing, etc. stored. Have batteries for flashlights and our favorite, Coleman flourescent lantern, and know where they are. Have food cooked ahead if possible. Keep items on hand easy to eat without cooking. Pour coffee into thermoses and brew another pot because you will not get your coffee percolater back until the power is restored. Have soapy water for washing in the sink. Stock up wood for woodstove or whatever alternate heat source you might have. If you have a generator, make sure it’s ready to go and you have extra gas for it.

The highest predicted winds won’t be as bad as last week’s, which is a relief. The real problem with the coming storm is that so many trees that didn’t go down in the last round are weakened and/or damaged and are likely to topple in the next high wind. So, we’re braced for whatever happens but it’s not likely to be as frightening as what we’ve already been through. More of a nuisance. Being without power is survivable, but so inconvenient.

Samhain’s got blog

by | Dec 18, 2006 | Uncategorized

Samhain’s blog has officially launched! Head over to check it out and comment for a chance to win a book. I’ll be one of the regular bloggers and my first post will go up Dec. 30.
And of course Samhain’s 15% off sale is still on, gift certificates included, for you last-minute holiday shoppers. (You know who you are!)

Browsing the writer’s bookshelf

by | Dec 17, 2006 | Uncategorized

Lately I’ve been hitting the books, reading bits and pieces from my writer’s bookshelf. I always seem to find something helpful with whatever I’m working on. Dorothea Brande, Ray Bradbury, Lawrence Block, there’s always somebody on my shelf who’s been where I am before and knows how to get around it. Or reminds me what I did myself the last time I was here. The same challenges come up in writing, over and over.

Now browsing through “Freeing Your Creativity” by Marshall Cook. It’s full of good stuff about about playing with ideas. “how many ways” is one trick. Come up with as many ways as you can think of to for a scene to go or to get out of a plot problem. This is a good book for overcoming automatic no’s in writing. “No, I can’t do that because…” Pretend you can, find out how many ways there are, and one is sure to work. Good and helpful stuff.

Got any favorites on your bookshelf? Browsed your writer’s bookshelf lately?