Archive for the 'Whatever' Category



Friday, November 7th, 2008
Sven

I struggled with whether or not to do NaNoWriMo because the pace is a little faster than I would like. Then I found out that another 70 Days of Sweat is starting on November 10th.

The goal of “Sven” is to write a novel of between 60 and 200k in 70 days. It’s a bit more flexible than NaNo, in which the goal is to write a 50k novel in a month. My books tend to end up around 95k and it takes me longer than a month to write them because I have to stop sometimes, think about where I’m going. Sometimes I have to rewrite, ect. Therefore Sven is more suited to my process.

As a tangent, there’s nothing wrong with writing uber fast. I know many awesome authors who can turn out great novels in a short amount of time and I dislike them intensely they make me jealous. Heh. Just kidding. Everyone’s process is different. I don’t tend to write super fast. I’m kinda pokey and spend a lot of time cleaning my house while thinking deeply about my plot and how to move it forward in the right direction, ect. The middle of a novel KILLS me.

The other cool thing about Sven (besides the pacing) is the accountability. You’re expected to report your progress every Wednesday and Sunday on the Sven blog. I will also do it here on my blog just put extra pressure on myself.

So, if NaNo doesn’t quite work for you, maybe you should check out Sven.

Regarding the Magnificent Eight contest below. I’ll give peeps until midnight tonight to enter.

Check back tomorrow bright and early for the winner! Winner must contact me to collect their prizes. With a toddler to run after, book deadlines up the wazoo, as well as very full extended family life and other responsibilities, it’s too hard for me to track people down. I’m sorry!

Monday, November 3rd, 2008
The Magnificent Eight Blog Tour!

Eight authors have gotten together to form the Magnificent Eight Blog Tour and it starts TODAY.

We each posed a question to the group of author participants and have posted their answers on our blogs today. To win a shot at each of the prizes we’re offering, visit every author’s blog, read the Q/As and enter to win! You have until Friday November 7th to make the rounds.

I’m offering an autographed prize pack of The Chosen Sin and What Happens in Vegas… along with some assorted goodies (chocolate, a book light, ect…).

My question was:
You have two weeks and unlimited funds. What fictional character you have written would you take on vacation, where, and why?

Anya Bast – I would take Alejandro Martinez from The Chosen Sin to the Riviera Maya in Mexico because he would be lots of fun to spend a couple weeks with. I’d want to see all the women drool over him. We’d lie on the beach, drink margaritas and let the world fall away. Of course, since he’s a vampire, he’d have to have temporary reprieve from his sensitivity to the sun.

Jaci Burton — I’d take Diaz from Riding Temptation on a Harley trip cross country. The dude has mad bike skills and he’s also good with a gun, plus he’s just damn smokin hot sexy. Sitting on the back of his bike, my body pressed to his, on
a trip around the country? Oh yeah.

Mandy Roth — I would take Giovanni from the Daughter of Darkness series. I can’t think of anything better than spending two weeks in a Tuscan villa, sipping wine and rolling between the sheets with a five hundred year old master vampire.

Shiloh Walker — Ireland…and who? Hmm. Man, I have to take one of my characters? But once I’m done with them, I’m so tired of hearing their voices….I guess I’d take Cullen from THE MISSING. But I’d also take his lady, Taige, and those two could stay occupied at the hotel while I’m out seeing the sights.

Megan Hart — I’d take Alex Kennedy from Tempted because he’d definitely know how to have a good time. All the women would be into him, and so would all the men. It would be one big party!

Joey Hill — Anna, from A Mermaid’s Kiss. I’d let her choose whatever remote warm-water ocean locations she’d like to show me. I’d love to explore the tropics with a mermaid who could take me to all the places that humans don’t normally get to see. Of course, I’d be able to be underwater as long as she was holding my hand. When we tired, she’d find us secluded white sandy beaches for sleeping or sunning. Jonah would come — bringing some of the other delectable angels from the Dark Legion of course — to spend time with us and make sure we had whatever foods and comforts we needed.

Lauren Dane — I’d grab Dix from Taking Care of Business and I’d head off to someplace warm on a beach in a luxury villa. I’d choose Dix because he’s sexy and saucy, a contemporary man with a very good imagination and he knows how to please a woman and how to have a great time.

Patrice Michelle — I’d want to take Caine Grennard on vacation in the Shawangunk mountains because he knows the mountains like the back of his hand and he could show me all the beauty the Gunks offer. Not to mention, I’d get to spend TWO weeks alone with the sexy werewolf!

Okay, so now I’m turning the question to you: What fictional character would you like to take on vacation and where? One poster will win an autographed prize pack of The Chosen Sin and What Happens in Vegas, along with some surprise assorted goodies.

Don’t forget to do a little “trick-or-treating” and visiting the rest of the blog in the tour in order to read the other questions and answers and pick up some more chances to win prizes!

Good luck!

Back up for comments now. My blog inexplicably decided to be closed to them for a period of time this morning.

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
A Shout Out!

Patrice Michelle’s Nocture Bite, Scions: Perception, released yesterday over on eHarlequin.com. Like a little bite of dark chocolate! Mmmmm.

Abby had barely survived the treacherous drive to Kaitlyn’s house through an ice storm. Then, forced to break in when she couldn’t find the key, she was immediately grabbed by someone in the dark. She gave her assailant the fight of his life…until his accusation that she was a
burglar told her a mistake had been made. Now, facing her opponent, she was overwhelmed by an electric attraction more intense than any she’d ever felt.

Gabriel was impressed by this fascinating spitfire. He also felt the most intense desire of his life–a relentless need so powerful it tore him apart. He understood immediately that Abby was the one–the female destined as his mate for life. But Abby wasn’t like the other females he’d been with. For one thing, she was human. Gabriel didn’t trust humans one bit. But the realization hit him–if he was to win Abby, he would have to win her trust…and Abby wasn’t going to make it easy.

Saturday, November 1st, 2008
You can’t compete with me in this area, bucko.

My husband: I had the strangest dream last night. *proceeds to tell me his dream, which is long and takes about ten minutes*

Me: I dreamed we kidnapped two penguins from the zoo and had to turn our backyard into a giant ice lake filled with mackerel in order to support them.

My husband: *silent for a moment* You win.

Friday, October 31st, 2008
Happy Halloween!

I’m making Devil’s Food cake today. Mmmmmm.

That is…unless something unforeseen happens to me instead and I start to crave braaaaains. Unfortunately Megan Hart MAY HAVE ALREADY SUCCUMBED! People, I cannot stress enough having zombie protocols in place. You never know when you might need them.

You can’t count on your government to save you during a full out zombie attack. Studies have show that not even the great city of Pittsburgh is amply prepared.

You’re going to need a few double barrel shotguns with lots of ammo, some heavy four-by-fours and planks of wood to board up your windows, enough food and water to last at least six months, and your basic Zombie bite first aid kit, among other things (like maybe a poison ring if all else is lost).

Be informed, people. Stay alert. Above all, STAY SAFE.

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
We’re being taken over by…gnomes?

*cross-posted from The Bradford Bunch*

I love Halloween. It rivals the Fourth for me on my list of favs (I adore fireworks). Once upon a time we lived in a neighborhood with lots of houses and little kids. Every year I would decorate the yard elaborately, dress up and hand out candy. For the last several years, however, we’ve lived out in the country on a street with acre+ lots of land that prevent effective trick-or-treating. I miss the decorating and the handing out of sweets.

When I was a kid, growing up in Minnesota, it used to be so cold that sometimes my mom would make me wear a snowsuit over my costume. That was always a bummer. I can remember praying for abnormally warm weather every October. 😉 No matter the outside temp, I always ended up with a big sack full of candy at the end of the evening.

Do you enjoy Halloween? Got any good childhood memories?

Meanwhile, in the news of the weird…we’re being taken over by…gnomes?

From the Halloween files. I happened upon this footage of “gnome attacks” in Argentina this morning. Apparently there have been several sightings of an oddly moving small person terrorizing the inhabitants of a small town. The videos have been doctored to get that weird moving effect, no doubt, but it’s creepy nonetheless.

I find it amusing that they’ve chosen gnomes as the creature to terrorize.

He’s kinda cute, you know? Not very threatening at all.

Of course, I guess gnomes are related to goblins, so maybe it’s not as far off base as I might imagine. Maybe the cuteness is simply a built in weapon, allowing them to lure their victims close enough to strike. I know my friend, author Jody Wallace, has always believed gnomes to be blood thirsty. Just check out her Gnome hunting essay. Maybe she knows something we don’t. *raises eyebrow*

Further evidence — that gnome on the Travelocity commercials always gives me the heebies, man.

This rash of gnome sightings is not unlike the chubacabra urban legend or the Loch Ness monster or Big Foot.

The thing is, I think most of us want to believe that these supernatural creatures exist. We want to believe that our world contains undiscovered creatures, mysteries not yet solved. I’m too skeptical to believe, personally, but, oh, I want to.

*thinks*

Okay, maybe not the gnome thing. That’s too creepy.

What are some of your favorite unsolved mysteries or urban legends? What do you want believe in? Or what are some things you believe in already?

Tell me some ghost stories, peeps! I love them.

Monday, October 27th, 2008
The Magnificent Eight — Blog Tour

Just a quick head’s up before I leave to go write at the coffee place (being at home is not always conducive to non-distracted productive writing type afternoons).

Next Monday, November 3rd (the day right before Election Day. All you ‘Mericans are going to vote, right?) myself and seven other authors will be hosting a Blog Tour wherein you can win fabulous prizes!

Here’s a list of participating authors….

Me!
Jaci Burton
Lauren Dane
Megan Hart
Joey Hill
Patrice Michelle
Mandy Roth
Shiloh Walker

So make sure you stop by my blog, or one of the above author’s blogs, next Monday for details on how to get in on the fun.

Now I’m off to caffeinate myself and write up a storm.

Sunday, October 26th, 2008
Mulling over NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo, if you’re not familiar with it, stands for National Novel Writing Month — November of every year. The goal of the participants is write 50,000 for the month. It boils down to around 1,500 a day. 1,666 if you want to get particular.

I’m a big fan of new writers turning off the internal editor. With a monthly word count goal of 50k, your internal editor is definitely going to be off. NaNo is also cool because it gives writers a place to gather and push each other further. It gives them a common goal to meet and does it in an organized manner.

But it seems like every time November rolls around I’m in between writing projects, or am mired somewhere halfway in the second draft of a novel and unable to get the momentum up that I’d need to maintain for NaNo. This year I’m in a perfect position to do it. I have most my research done, have the synopses written, and the new world I’m writing about is alive and existing as a place in my mind. I’m all set to dive in and writewritewritewrite. I’d planned to start doing just that November 1st.

Indeed, that’s exactly what I need to do. I need to turn off my internal editor to squeeze out the maximum amount of creativity I can get from my pea brain and just GO!

At the same time, since I write on deadline (and I’m not about to miss one if I can help it), I can’t afford any huge missteps in the writing of my new novel. Also, my writing process can be strange. Writing isn’t always butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard for me. Sometimes “writing” is thinking, planning. Lots of times when I’m writing, I’ll get stuck in a place in the plot and have nowhere to go until i can work out the kink. That means taking a day off to think about where my characters have been and where they’re going. That means I don’t necessarily meet my word count goal every day, but I’m still doing important internal work that will bear fruit later on.

I don’t think I’ve ever written 50k in a month. If I have, I don’t know about it (normally I don’t keep track, to be honest).

So, I’m mulling it over. I might sign up for NaNo, but give myself a way out if this novel proves not to flow very easily. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

So I already asked this, but I’ll ask again. Anybody doing NaNo this year?

Sunday, October 26th, 2008
Another Review for The Chosen Sin

Hi all! I just received another great review for The Chosen Sin over at Bitten by Books. This blog is fast becoming an every day stop for me. If you haven’t checked it out, you should. I think you might like it.

Rachel says in part, “The Chosen Sin starts out of the gate with a bang and just doesn’t stop, even up to the last page! … It is Ms. Bast’s ability to portray emotions through the written word to such an extreme that it impacted me on an emotional level while reading. … The Chosen Sin had some really interesting twists that I didn’t see coming, and the storyline was extremely well laid out. Written as a stand alone title, this is a must read for this fall.”

You can read the whole thing over at the site and find some other great material too.

Oh, and look what’s up for pre-order at Amazon.com already! The last book of the Elemental Witches series. *sniffle*

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Guest Blogging Today!

I’m guest blogging over at Yankee Romance Reviewers today and I’m giving away a copy of The Chosen Sin. Pretty cool blog! It’s a new one for me. They made my post so pretty!

So my daughter is a bit under the weather and had a nightmare early this morning. Poor punkin. As a result we’re both tired and are going to take it easy today. I think we’ll watch Enchanted at some point and snuggle up on the couch.

Have you seen that movie? So cute! If not, I highly recommend it.

Enchanted is one of my “comfort” movies. You know, one of those feel good movies that will turn your mood around no matter how sour it is or how bad you feel. What are some of your comfort movies?

There are comfort reads, too, I guess. The only book I ever really reread is Honest Illusions, by Nora Roberts (love that book!).