Fashionista Friday: More Party Dresses

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Rickie-Freeman-for-Teri-Jon-OFF-SHLDR-FTTD-CKTL/prod196510116/p.prod?ecid=NMCS__Polyvore

http://www.revolve.com/needle-thread-ditsy-scatter-dress-in-lavender/dp/NETH-WD89/?d=F&utm_source=polyvore&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_content=Dresses&source=polyvore&device=desktop&utm_campaign=dom_p_us

http://www.avenue32.com/uk/black-velvet-tamara-dress/EMI00116030608.html?utm_source=polyvore&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=cocktail%20dresses

Fashionista Friday: Get Your Own Private Designer

Wouldn’t you love to have your own private designer?  All of your clothes would fit perfectly and look great.  Well, I intend to do just that, and I recommend that you do too.  I found a company called eShakti that will customize any of their styles for you.   Yep, that’s right.  Anything they sell they’ll customize for you for only $7.50.  Seven dollars and fifty cents.  Yeah, you read it right.  This means that anything they sell will fit you as if it was made for you.  Which it was. 

On their website they say they:

1.Offer trendy, comfortable styles in a selection of fabrics.

2.Provide the full size selection from 0 to 26W. They also offer custom sizes.

3.Empower the customer by providing the option to change the styling to suit her body.

4.Simple, no hassle, money-back guarantee on sales returns.

5.All items, including custom orders are shipped in 3 days or less and should arrive at your door within 7 days.

Here are some of my favorites.  To see the entire collection go to www.eshakti.com

Author in Waiting

My guest today is AJ Best. AJ is anxiously waiting to hear from Ravenous Romance who is reading her first book. AJ, thank you so much for coming. If your book is as entertaining as your post, I bet RR will take it. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’ve been told it’s rude to talk about yourself; but I’ve never seen it. So, let’s talk about me. I’m really a transplanted southerner living in the frigid arctic North Country of upstate NY. I never saw myself coming up here and living a life of down coats, mittens, hats and scarves. But it’s amazing what a bald man will make you do. I have two wonderful biological children who I am very proud of, though I do wish they would stop growing up. I have 3 near stepchildren that will be mine someday, just haven’t nailed down the date. And in the melee I have 4 cats, 2 dogs, 20 fish, 1 bird and a fiancé.

Good grief! When did you find time to write? What got you interested in writing?

Wow, I’ve been writing since my teachers forced me to in elementary school. I wasn’t very good at it, but I kept on trying. Schools seem to force the 3 Rs on us:

Reading
wRiting
aRithmatic

I mean seriously what kind of illiterate monkey came up with that? But then again, I am not one to judge, much. Now that I am an author, because I write, I make up my own words.

But I digress. I didn’t start writing anything with meaning until I was in 7th or 8th grade. My mother decided to get me a typewriter. And for you young folks, this was a manual typewriter where you put the corrective paper into the spot and had to line everything up JUST SO. Never mind….another generation spoiled.

It was then that I wrote my first poem; I have it memorized if you care to hear it. Oh of course you care to hear it. **clears throat**


Lazily we walk along the beach
You and I hand in hand
Nature has its things to teach
We listen and learn
But never turn
To see what we left behind.


**takes a bow** Thank you very much – please throw dollar bills instead of coins, they hurt less.

Again, I digress. I turned into a budding writer a little later in life. Twelfth grade brought on another writing challenge. I still remember the first line of that as well; though I can’t remember my children’s names sometimes.

December spreads its snow-filled wings and covers our world in cold despair.

Ingenious right? Wrong. I got a B on the final paper and never wrote again until I was 29. I started a story, which is still not finished, and everyone loved it. I was told to keep trying and finish. But when my husband died, I lost all desire to write. I didn’t pick up a ‘pen’ again until 2008.

And now, in early 2011 I have a story sitting in the stacks at Ravenous Romance awaiting a final yea or neigh. **still biting fingernails**


Okay, you just won my admiration. I CAN'T write poetry, and I'd have given you an A on your December poem. As a first time author, do you find the publishing process a little daunting?

Daunting? It’s scary as heck? I am an impatient little twit, and I want everything done right now. I’ve unfortunately realized that I can’t have it that way. Impatient twits don’t get writing contracts. They get thrown in file 13 and then they cry themselves to sleep. I just want things to make sense, and the time frames don’t yet. I guess I will have to patiently learn how to be patient, and how to deal with the publishing process.

Besides being southern, we have a lot in common. My husband can tell you how little patience I have. Do you have a crit group or a select group of friends you bounce ideas off of or read over your manuscripts?

I have two friends who read things for me, and I read the manuscripts out loud to my loving fiancé. He’s great and gives me the male point of view and makes my writing a whole lot more realistic. I’d like to thank Kissa Starling (www.kissastarling.com) for helping me read over things and not being too Simon Cowell on me.

Simon Cowell. I shiver to think of it. What do you like to read? Any authors you love to enjoy?

I’m an avid reader. I read about 600 words per minute and manage to read about 3 books a week. I love ALL things vampire, so I read the Vampire Academy series, Mortal Instrument series, and House of Night series to only mention a few. I also adore Nora Roberts, and Piers Anthony. I own about ½ of the books that he has written. I’m working on getting all of them, but he keeps writing.

What is your favorite genre to read/write?

My favorite genre to read is paranormal. I have a dream to write paranormal right now, but I keep getting all these sweet romance and women’s romance and erotica in my brain. So I will have to get them out so I can work on some paranormal. I actually am fleshing out a vamp book right now. I had a great dream several nights in a row and finally got up and typed some things on my iPhone and went back to sleep.

I love it when the idea is so good you have to get up and write it down. What feature do you start with when writing a description of your hero/ine? Eyes, age, hair color, personality, name, etc?

I have to work on my hero and heroine’s personality first. If I can’t see who they are, then their appearance doesn’t mean a thing to me. I don’t care what their hair is like. If my hero is a bad ass guy who cares about nothing, then I will probably have him have dark messy hair, maybe greasy or something. I would make him someone I wouldn’t want in my life.

Picture yourself as a store. Considering your personality and lifestyle, what type of products would be sold there?

If I were a store, I would have candles, incense, books, and things that sparkle. I would make bookmarks, necklaces, and all kinds of bobbles. I would have all kinds of comfy clothing that would enable me to just kick back and write. I would make sure that I sell Mac laptop computers. Finally I would make sure that there were all kinds of baked goods around so no one goes hungry.

I like your store! I hope the sparkly things are diamonds. I like diamonds. If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

DON’T PISS ME OFF, I HOLD A GRUDGE. WANT A BROWNIE?

LOL. What do you enjoy doing for fun and relaxation?

Fun and relaxation? Hmm, I love to paint, crochet, knit, watch TV, and READ, READ, READ.

February...the month of love and romance. What was the worst/best/funniest valentine gift you ever got from a significant other?

Don’t tell my fiancé this, but last year he got me a stuffed anatomically correct heart that beats (once I learned the meaning – him giving me his heart I liked it), bacon lip balm, and an I LOVE MY GEEK t-shirt.

Bacon lip balm. I didn't know you could. Where can we find you on the web?

I would love for you to come by and pick on me any time at www.ajbestwries.com or email me at ajbestwrites@gmail.com . Thanks for having me here today.

AJ, thanks for coming. I've enjoyed your interview, and let us know about the book.

Welcome to My Cupcake Release Party!

Welcome to my cupcake release party for A New Dream! Why a cupcake theme? Because my heroine Violet Emerson works in a bakery, and because cupcakes are tiny little works of art. During the day I’ll be posting excerpts and some of my favorite cupcake recipes. If you comment on any of the posts you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a cupcake prize consisting of a cupcake stand, cupcake decorating kit, cupcake recipe and decorating book, and some cute little cupcake cups. If you share a cupcake recipe of you own you’ll be entered in a drawing for a second prize, a trinket box shaped like a cupcake with a bunny on top.
My first post is a blurb and the first part of the prologue from A New Dream. Hope you enjoy it! The buy link is http://www.astraeapress.com/#ecwid:category=662245&mode=product&product=2676585

Blurb:
After an auto accident destroys his pro-football career, Matt McCallum struggles to find a new dream for his life, but nothing engages him the way football did. After a stint in rehab, he takes a job managing a grocery store where he meets Violet Emerson.

Violet works in the bakery department, but her dreams carry her far beyond the doors of Chef’s Pantry. As soon as she can save the money, she plans to open a catering business. And she thinks the new manager’s broad shoulders and blue eyes are simply divine.

Thrown together at work, Matt and Violet find a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returns to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare?

Prologue

The red convertible cut a path through the moonlight, its
headlights dancing along the arched limbs of the trees above the
road.

“Oh, Matt, it’s such a beautiful night,” Stacey declared with
a sigh. “I’m going to miss you when you leave tomorrow.”

Matt reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ll
miss you too, but if I don’t report on time, I’m in trouble with the
coach.”

“That’s what I get for falling in love with a pro football
player,” Stacey teased, her blonde hair turned to frosted silver by
the light of the full moon above them.

Matt squeezed her hand that wore his engagement ring. “It’s
too late to back out now,” he teased. “You’re mine.”

“Mmm, do I like the sound of that!”

The car rounded a curve, and without warning a deer
bounded across the road.

“Look out!” Stacey screamed.

Matt braked sharply to avoid the animal. The tires slid on a
patch of loose gravel in the road, and he lost control of the
convertible. It fishtailed and started to spin in the road.
Matt hauled the steering wheel to correct the slide, but it was
useless. The car turned around once more and skidded backwards
for a short distance before it charged off the road. It jumped a steep
ditch and went airborne. All Matt could see was a blur of trees and
darkness as the car careened into the woods. It made a lazy turn in
the air and came to rest bottom side up.

The last thing he remembered was the sound of Stacey’s
screams.
****

Jill of all Genres

Hello! We are very fortunate today to have Linda Swift with us. Linda agreed to guest blog for me, so Linda, take it away.

Jill of all Genres

We are all familiar with the expression "Jack of all trades and master of none." And when it comes to writing, I often think of myself as "Jill of all genres" and fervently hope the logical conclusion "Master of none" does not apply here. Writing instructors and "how-to" writing books all advise us to focus on one genre and become proficient in it. If we write a certain type material, we will become known for that and readers know what to expect from us. Makes good sense, doesn't it? I have two very good author friends who have done this quite successfully. Both write historical and contemporary, romance and mainstream. All books by one are set in Texas and the other always writes about the sea.

So why don't I do this? Good question and I'll try to answer it. I began writing poetry as a child, then I wrote in longhand a 500 page romance at sixteen. Life happened and my next writing was children's stories for my son and daughter. I went to college belated after my children were in school and one summer I enrolled in a poetry class, the Jesse Stuart Creative Writing Workshop. I wanted to sign up for fiction but admission required a short story and I had only a few poems. Teaching, working toward two additional degrees, taking care of a husband, house, and two children left little time for writing. But I did write poetry.

My children grew up, left home, and we moved to another state. Still teaching, and attending college, I finally had an opportunity to take a fiction writing class. It was here I wrote my first short story that was submitted to the Indiana U. Writers' Conference, winning the Fiction Skills Scholarship for that year. More short stories followed, many published in small literary magazines. I wrote a few plays, one of which was produced on TV by a local theatre group. And I began to wonder if I'd spent 13 years preparing for a career in education when I really wanted to be a writer. I stayed in education, which I did enjoy, for 20 years, then my husband and I took early retirement and I became a fulltime writer. It was a shock when I compared my former salary to the $69. I earned that first year. Both money and recognition were slow to come and it was almost ten years before Kensington published my first two novels. The line closed just when my next book was to be released. Demand for mid-list authors shrank, my agent was ineffectual, and I was an orphan until I discovered ebooks.

In three years, four publishers have released six of my books and one short story. I am contracted with three additional publishers for release of four books and two short stories in 2011 and have two books under consideration elsewhere. My books include poetry, contemporary and historical romance, women's fiction, and mainstream. The settings are all over the U.S., St. Croix, and England. So you see, I really can't focus on a single place or genre. I have led a nomadic life and my work reflects that. And this requires numerous publishers in order to match my potpourri of material to their requirements. My focus now is on novels set in any historical period but for the life of me, I can't narrow the setting to any one place. My plots focus more on inner feelings and conflicts than with edge of your seat action. But I hope that my readers will find a common thread running through my work that they can relate to, regardless of the genre. And that thread is an honest portrayal of human emotions told in a story from my heart.

Thank you so much for inviting me to be your guest, Elaine. I hope you and your readers have found something of interest in my visit. I invite you to visit my web site to learn more about my available and coming soon books. www.lindaswift.net



TO THOSE WHO WAIT, my just released contemporary mainstream is an example of ordinary people facing extraordinary problems and overcoming them. This is not a HEA book and the conclusion may not satisfy you if that is what you require. But I predict you will laugh and cry as you read it and feel real empathy for the people caught in events beyond their control.

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=871



HUMANLY SPEAKING: Conversations With God is a volume of prose poems that reflect my own questions about some of the people and events in the Scriptures. My hope is that it will cause you to examine your own feelings and seek your own answers.

Both books are available as ebooks and also will be in print very soon.



http://willowmoonpublishing.com/huspcowigod.html

Museums Can Be Murder

Last week we welcomed a professional clown who just happens to be an author. Today let's welcome a PhD who just happens to write mysteries. Leave a comment for Sarah and your name will be entered in a drawing for a free copy of my Wings novel The Welcome Inn. Okay, here's Sarah.

What if you had to move a large collection of heavy, awkward plaster casts of Roman emperors and Greek gods out of an old building and the only way was to lower them down through an elevator shaft? And someone cut a cable while you were doing it so that a statue crushed your museum director?

This is the premise behind The Fall of Augustus, my latest Lisa Donahue archaeological mystery. It’s set in a fourth floor attic museum very similar to one that I worked in for three years at the University of Illinois. The situation with moving the casts was based on facts; what happened inside the elevator shaft was not.

If a setting can be a character in a novel, then the former World Heritage Museum (now fictionally moved to Boston to protect the innocent) is a humdinger. It was a labyrinth, so crowded that student guards couldn’t see all corners of a gallery. Pigeons soared through broken windows and left their deposits on statues of Greek gods. Dismal enough during the day, it was positively creepy at night. I took my turn at closing the museum, giving my password (the name of a Greek goddess) to campus security, ignoring the shadows cast by suits of armor and the rustling of winged creatures (pigeons, or bats?), and racing down the back stairs before the alarm tripped. What a great place for a murder…

In the novel, storerooms in odd locations (on two different floors and in the basement) provide convenient hideaways for stolen artifacts and dead bodies. The odd layout of the building (one staircase that only goes to the second floor, two others that go to the fourth floor) makes it easy for villains to escape. Needless to say, this drives the police crazy.

The human characters in Fall are just as odd as the building—an Assistant Director with a clothes fetish, a janitor who likes mummies, and a Don Juan preparator who has a talent for making artifacts disappear. And most sinister of all, a new museum director who makes Lisa’s blood run cold. Murder by transport amphora, anyone?

The Fall of Augustus is Sarah Wisseman’s third mystery. It is available in trade paperback and ebook at Wings: http://wingsepress.com/Bookstore/The%20Fall%20Of%20Augustus.htm

For more information, go to Sarah’s website: www.sarahwisseman.com

Choices Meant For Kings

Hey, guess what? Author Sandy Lender is on a blog tour, and she agreed to stop by and talk to us. If you like fantasy you're going to love Sandy's work. So, here's Sandy.

Bringing Readers on a Writer’s Journey
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
http://www.authorsandylender.com

Elaine asked if I could write about my journey as a writer. She suggested a couple other topics that interested me, too, but this one tugged at the back of my mind. The journey of Sandy Lender as a writer? I guess I’d not thought of my writing as a journey before, and yet it really is.

I started out when I was way young—about six or seven. I would write stories for my great grandmother and she would share them with the people in her apartment building. Cool, eh? Then I wrote short (as in one sentence or two) “articles” for Mrs. Zeller’s class newsletter in first grade. My story writing lengthened into what my young mind considered books because I started them with a table of contents (complete with page numbers) but I didn’t really get serious with writing until junior high when I won first place in a competition for writing a sequel to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I took creative writing and English electives in high school and college that fueled my writing habit. I got into magazine publishing upon graduating from college and have been doing that for 17+ years. So my writing journey has been a long one.

I’m not done, though. I don’t consider the journey “over” just because I’ve found a publisher (which is its own perilous little journey, doncha know) and have gotten my first couple of novels out in the marketplace. I’m still learning new elements of the writing craft. New characters still visit me at bizarre hours of the night whispering their stories in my ear. There are still new outlets to fling my work toward. So the journey continues and I invite readers to join me all the time.

“Some days, you just want the dragon to win.”


Here's a blurb about my novel Choices Meant For Kings.

Chariss is in danger. Her geasa is hampered by the effects of a friend’s marriage. The dashing Nigel Taiman hides something from her, yet demands she stay at his family’s estate where he and her wizard guardian intend to keep her safe. But the sorcerer Lord Drake and Julette The Betrayer know she’s there, and their monstrous army marches that way.

When prophecies stack up to threaten an arrogant deity, Chariss must choose between the dragon that courts her and the ostracized kings of the Southlands for help. Evil stalks her at every turn and madness creeps over the goddess who guides her. Can an orphan-turned-Protector resist the dark side of her heritage? Or will she sacrifice all to keep her god-charge safe?


A Tense Little Excerpt From Choices Meant for Kings
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
http://www.authorsandylender.com
You won’t find this excerpt anywhere except Sandy’s current online book tour…

As the soldier stepped toward him, Nigel reached out his arm and caught him by the neck. He slammed the captain against the far wall. He pinned him there with his body, leaning against the man as if he could crush the wind from him with his presence.

He brought his face close to the soldier’s ear and spoke lowly, fiercely, so that no one could have overheard him. The menace and intent behind the words was as surprising to the captain as the words themselves.

“I asked you to accompany [Chariss] on this journey tomorrow because I have faith in your sword, and until this moment I trusted you to keep your distance from her. Now, I find her down here at your side with a look upon your face that suggests more than you realize. So help me, Naegling, the only thing that stays my hand is how displeased she would be if she learned that I sliced you open.”

“The look you see is merely my concern for her honor. Nothing more.”

“I’m not a fool. And I’ll use every last piece of Arcana’s treasury to pay the prophets to justify my reasons for marrying that woman, so you can unconcern yourself with her honor.”

Hrazon stepped off the staircase then and saw Nigel pressed against his guard.

“I still believe you’re one of the best soldiers Arcana’s ever seen,” Nigel continued, “and I want you at her side for this journey, but, so help me, Naegling, she comes back alive and well and not confused in the least about her affections for me, or I will string you up from a tree in the orchard and attach your intestines to your horse’s saddle before I send it—”

Hrazon cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Is there an issue here I should address?”



If you'd like to follow Sandy's blog tour go to the following address to find out where you can find her.

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2009/08/virtual-book-tour-choices-meant-for.html

Sandy, I'm looking forward to reading your book. Thanks for sharing with us.
Elaine

Meet Catherine Anne Collins

Today's guest is award winning author Catherine Anne Collins. Catherine, welcome to the blog, and congratulations on your two new releases. How exciting to have two new books out in one month! And I love your cover for A Witch's Lament.

Thanks, for having me, Elaine.

Just for fun what are some of your pet peeves?

Okay, this might seem like a strange one, but it irks me no end when people don't use their turn signals when driving. The signals are there to let other drivers react accordingly and its a great way to avoid accidents. Not only that, but I can't count the number of times I've sat at an intersection waiting for an oncoming car to pass so I can pull out, only to have them make the turn. Talk about inconsiderate.

People who are late or don't show up at all are high on my list of pet peeves. Yes, the world seems to run at a hectic pace these days, but be considerate enough to realize that other people's time is just as valuable as yours. If you say you'll be there at a certain time, be there. Keep in mind the person you are meeting might have other plans that include other people. By being late, you have no idea how many other people you affect.

Hormones. That's it, just hormones. No more needs to be said.


I hear you! What do you read for fun when you’re not writing?

I have a varied taste in reading material depending on my mood. Fantasy, suspense, romance, action. A few of my favourite authors are Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mary Jo Putney, Terry Goodkind, Jose Litton, Susanna Kearsley, James Rollins, Anne Bishop, Jean Plaidy, Karen Marie Moning. It's a long list with new authors constantly being discovered.


What genre do you write it? What drew you to write in that genre? If you mix genres talk about that too.

Mainly fantasy romance and paranormal romance, though somehow I did end up writing a contemporary with no magic and not one sign of a faerie or pixie anywhere. It's called Solitary Cove and will be released later this year (hopefully). The filming of the movie Welcome to Mooseport, which was filmed in my hometown, gave me the basis for the story.

But I do prefer writing about places that exist only in the mists of time. Atlantis, Avalon, Camelot, the myths and legends surrounding these places provide great material for weaving stories and leave a lot of leeway for personal interpretation.


Oh, that's a good line. 'places that exist only in the mists of time.' What is the weirdest experience you’ve ever had with a fan?

Well, nothing too weird. A couple of instances come to mind, though. I remember this tough, biker-type guy buying a copy of my first book, Sword Across Time. A couple of weeks afterwards, he came to me and said that he'd finished reading the story. I braced myself for him to ask for his money back or something. Instead, he told me that he loved the book and that when he reached the end of the story, he had a tear running down his cheek. A happy tear, not a sad one. I tried to imagine this big guy crying over my book and I have to say, even with my imagination, it was difficult to imagine. By the way, just so you know, all my books have a happy ending.

Another strange happening to do with the same novel. I received an e-mail from a reader who said they'd just finished reading my book and they loved it. They couldn't put it down. Not so unusual except for the fact that the book had sat on their bookshelf for four years before they read it and contacted me. I definitely
was not expecting a fan letter that long after the publication date.



Catherine, both of your fan stories are very nice, especially the biker guy. Who says men can't cry, right? So tell us, what in your life (movies, books, people) has made a real lasting impression on you? Why?

There was a librarian at my school when I was in about grade 4. I think she was thrilled to have a student who visited the library by choice to ask for specific books. Enough so, that she even interrupted the class I was in a couple of times to bring me the books I'd requested. I have to admit, it was a little embarrassing having her tiptoe into the classroom and over to my desk while the teacher was at the front of the class speaking, but her intentions were good and she did feed my thirst for reading material.

The Lord of the Ring movies have also greatly influenced my writing. I walked out of those movies with the creative juices just pumping. I think there is something to be said for the friendship, dedication to moral duty and the supreme loyalty to the death if need be. My favourite line from the movie is near the end of the first one when Aragorn realizes the Frodo has to go on by himself. He kneels down to Frodo' level, looks him in the eye and says, "I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor." That single statement says so much and brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.

Every book I read leaves me with an impression and some small bit of motivation or flame of creative fire.



What is the hardest part of writing for you?

For me, the hardest part is trying to flesh out the story and keep it going. I can come up with a million ideas for great stories and have a rough idea of what I'd like the story to be, that's the easy part. I'm what's called a panster, I don't outline, but prefer to write by the seat of my pants, so to speak. The problem with that is that I have no idea what's going to happen until I write it. I don't know my characters until I see how they react to circumstances. Once in awhile my writing comes to a halt because I come up against a wall and just don't know what comes next. My solution usually comes to me at night when I go to bed and start imagining my characters and their situations as if they were real.



We have something in common there. I'm a panster too. Where can we find out about you and your book (include your publisher’s website and your personal one).

My website is: www.catherineannecollins.com
My publishers websites are: www.crescentmoonpress.com
www.wingsepress.com
www.trebleheartpress.com

Cathy, thanks again for stopping by. I wish you great luck with your two new releases. Readers, you can check out Cathy's web site for buy links.

I hope all of you have a blessed and happy Easter.