Contest Reminder

Entries for the "Deli Naming Contest" will be accepted up until midnight Friday the 13th. If you haven't entered yet but you want a chance to have a character in Alexa's story named after you (or the person of your choice!) and a chance to receive an autographed copy of the book when it hits the shelves, ENTER!!

Sometimes I Wonder

Some of life's deeper questions:

1. Why is there braille on drive up ATM machines?

2. Why does McDonald's have a sign saying "Picture Menus Available Upon Request"?

3. Why do my children wake me up to tell me they are using the bathroom?

4. Why does my cat believe all fur balls should be regurgitated on my side of the bed in the middle of the night?

5. What is the point of goats? Really?

6. Why get tattoed on an area of your body that hundreds of generations of women before you have proven will sag below your belt before you turn 75? Unless, of course, the tattoo is of Gumby, in which case, it will make perfect sense.

7. What possesses my children to store already chewed gum in the refrigerator?

8. Or on their wall?

9. Or next to the bathroom sink?

10. Or on the dog?

11. Why does Taco Bell's drive-through have a sign stating "If You Can't Read English, Ask For Assistance"?

12. Does anyone really need to read English to order from Taco Bell?

13. Why are there 7 different types of apples but only 2 types of lemon?

14. Can anyone tell the difference between one lemon and the other?

15. Does anyone care?

16. Why does chicken poop smell so much worse than the poop of other fowl?

17. Why are my children unable to remember to flush a toilet until it has been used to the point of no return?

18. Why is my husband unable to wield a plunger when faced with a toilet brimming full of little boy deposits?

19. Why can't our planet lose a few species of moths along with the recently extinct species of white-winged sandpiper or stumptoothed minnow?

20. Could JJ Abrams be the next generation's Lucas?

I've had 4 hours of sleep. It's late. This looks interesting tonight. It's highly possible I'll wonder what I was thinking when I reread this in the morning.

Until then.

Characters vs. World

I'm curious. What element in a novel is most important to you as a reader?

Do you read primarily in one or two genres and anything in that field interests you?

Do you need vivd, life-like characters?

Do you crave heart-pounding, can't-put-the-book-down-suspense?

Do you love imaginitive world-building?

Do you have to have a satisfying romance?

Does humor float your boat?

Do you seek authentic, interesting voices, regardless of plot or genre?

For me, I need, first and foremost, an authentic, interesting voice but that alone isn't enough. I crave suspense, world-building, and vivid characters too with dashes of humor. Also, the book must be well-written. As a writer and former English teacher, I can't help but read with an imaginary red pen. The writing has to be extraordinary enough to make me forget that pen even exists.

The authors that consistently deliver this for me are J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, J.D. Robb, Dean Koontz, Stephen King new authors Melissa Marr and Rachel Vincent, and some of Linda Howard and Janet Evanovitch's works.

So tell me, what do you have to have in a book and what authors do it for you?

Avada Kadavra!

Last night (okay, technically, early this morning), my hubby and I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.

Never mind that the theater was crammed and we were near the front (not the easiest seat for viewing fast camera shots...), nevermind the midget who kept going in and out of our row (and hitting my leg with his hand when he wanted back in instead of just saying "Excuse Me" like a decent, well-mannered person would) or the fact that I got about 4 hours of sleep -

It was FUN! (In an "I won't be doing this again for a looong time sort of way.)

The movie was one of the best in the HP series...captured the plot, the characters, and the darkness to the action scenes better than any movie since the first. The visuals were vivid and intense. Dolores Umbridge was exactly as I imagined her from the book. Alan Rickman delivered another impeccable performance.

The real fun was being surrounded by die-hard Potter fans dressed in capes, carrying wands, and cheering for Dumbledore, hissing or clapping for Snape, booing Voldemort, and giving the movie the applause it deserved when the credits began to roll.

It will hold me for the next week and half until I can get my hands on the 7th Potter book.

Read This

I just finished reading THE HUSBAND by Dean Koontz and I highly recommend it. Koontz is a rare species of writer able to combine chilling plot turns with beautiful imagery. I read his books as much for his lovely turns of phrase as I do for his ability to make me lose a good night's sleep. With Koontz, I am always plunged completely into the world of his making, only coming up for air after the final sentence.

For more on this satisfying book, click here.

Happy reading!

Revised Again!

Earlier, I posted a revised beginning to Alexa. Several readers commented, either on this blog or through email. I listened to your comments (which ranged from "LOVE the new one, much better" to "Hated it, want the old one back"). I decided to do a hybrid of the two.

My goal is to keep a fast-paced, suspensful tone while incorporating Alexa's voice in an opening that flows smoothly. Let me know what you think of this one.

CHAPTER ONE

Evil has a voice all its own. It sounds like insatiable greed, impotent rage, and terrible grief blended into one throbbing hunger for power. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only one who hears it. It haunts me, compelling me to make it silent.

I have no control over the fact that I can hear the worst people have to offer. I do, however, have complete control over my wardrobe. Few things are as thrilling as hunting down evil in a kicking pair of four-inch stilettos. I never know when the need to hunt will strike and the fact that I can wipe the pavement with a man twice my size while wearing heels is a pretty satisfactory bonus. It’s like being Wonder Woman without all that tacky spandex.

It’s not as crazy as it sounds.

Why else would I be clinging to the side of an old brick apartment building on Fifth Avenue wearing a little red dress and a gorgeous pair of leopard print Manolo Blahnik stilettos?

I'm Sensing Something Here...

So, I was just surfing the web for athletic clothing (researching Alexa's wardrobe) and I saw a picture of tank top. The title said "Hind Motion Sensor Top".

I laughed so hard I cried.

I can tell you what would happen if I wore that while exercising - that sensor wouldn't know what hit it.

"Sir, Sir! We are sensing movement. Definite movement."

"Tighten that spandex! Bolster those seams! Hold your positions. Hold....HOLD, Sergeant! I don't care how much g-force you're experiencing, you've been given a direct order and you will suck it up, soldier, and endure!"

"Sir, she's going to jog."

"Not the jog"

"Good God, man, not the jog!"

"Oh the humanity!"

"What, are you crying???! There's no crying in battle!"

"We have a breach!"

"Stretch, man! Stretch!"

"We can't hold her, sir! It's impossible!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Hmmmm, I may have to get one of these.